AN: First off, WOW, you guys are awesome! I had no real expectations of how many people would read this when I posted it.
CaskettFan5: I know, I mostly didn't have an idea to go with when I started to write, so I decided to leave the "how" a mystery. As for Harry being OP? Not really. Experienced, sure, but after his final confrontation with LV he chose the path of an educator and tutor. And yes, Dobby is still around.
bahnannah: I love reading stories where everyone gets bashed, and I love stories where everyone is shown in a positive light. My goal here is more lighthearted fun than anything, so will be keeping bashing to a minimum, and the Weasleys get a pass in this one. For now at least.
ferns25100: Thanks! I hope I can update regularly too!
SiriusOrionBitch: Great username, and thanks!
griffin blackwood: Thanks for reading.
Sunny JS: Thanks for reading. I do have the story planned out up through year 3 and the beginning of year 4. Still updating my timeline/outline, but I hope to make it through the final confrontation, though I'm still undecided on when that will happen. The joys/pains of writing a time travel fanfic.
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Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I'm writing this for fun, not profit.
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Chapter 2: I have a plan…I have part of a plan.
Harry had been busy over the last few weeks. The nutrient potions had run their course, so he decided to finish up his school shopping at Madam Malkin's. While he was there, he picked up some additional robes for daily wear. He'd need to exchange some currency at the bank and make his way over to the mundane side for the rest of his wardrobe. It shouldn't take him long, and he planned to pick up a few take-out meals while he was at it. He needed to send some food and supplies to Sirius, via Dobby, and figured a few hot meals under preservation charms would do him a world of good. He stuck to simple fare but did find a nice family-run Indian take-out that made a wonderful vegetarian tikka masala. He'd have to remember that place for later.
He'd also been busy making several different potions that he might find useful this term. While wizards and witches as a whole were a lazy lot in Britain when it came to innovation, Potion Masters around the world continued to stretch the art all the time. When Harry had just about finished his own Mastery of Potions, a witch from Japan had been making great strides with making improvements to existing remedies. She seemed to feel that just because something worked well enough, didn't mean it couldn't work better. Her greatest accomplishment, in his mind, was her version of Damocles Belby's Wolfsbane Potion. Using more common, or more easily obtainable, ingredients, her version only required a single concentrated dose on the day of the full moon. It helped the body deal with the transformation, not just the mind, which meant those suffering from lycanthropy could recover more quickly, and deal with less pain from their disease.
Another great thing about it was you could make it well in advance, and it didn't spoil. The shelf life on it was over a year. He was planning on making a batch, and giving it to Moony, anonymously of course, before the term began with instructions. He only hoped that the poor man would try it.
The next potion he made was his own personal invention. He was already sick of wearing glasses again, and it had been less than a month. The blasted things were annoying. It took a couple days to brew properly, but once he was done, the glasses were tossed in the bin like the rubbish they were.
The final potion he made was another more recent discovery, and he only considered it because he was back dealing with the craziness that was his Hogwarts years and wanted to have some fun. It was simply called the Honesty Potion. And the name said it all. Once taken, the user would be completely honest with everyone they dealt with for 12 hours. It didn't force them to tell the truth, they could remain completely silent if they wished. And that was the only reason he even considered it. Secrets could be kept, but the thought of several members of staff, along with a few select Slytherin and Ravenclaw students, being completely honest for a day just brought a smile to his face. He was the son of a Marauder, after all.
Finally, it was August 31. The day the Weasleys would arrive to do all their school shopping, along with Hermione. He was genuinely excited to see them all. Especially the twins. George had never been the same after Fred's death. Nobody expected him to be, but he eventually returned to making and selling prank ideas at their store. Ron truly stepped up there, jumping into being whatever his brother needed. Store clerk, logistics manager, marketing strategist. He really pulled through. Harry thought that was when Hermione finally agreed to marry him.
The Weasleys' arrival also meant he had his first opportunity to catch the traitor. His current plan involved Dobby, another rat transfigured to look like Scabbers that then died overnight, and an unbreakable cage being sent to Madam Amelia Bones at the DMLE with a letter. He'd already composed the damn thing three times. He kept forgetting things she needed to know in order to make getting Sirius free as seamless as possible. Occlumens he may be, but having an organized mind didn't translate to perfect recall.
He had just finished cleaning up for the day, deciding to wear a more mundane outfit of jeans and nice red polo that he left untucked. He did enjoy wearing his new leather boots. Not dragon leather, he would still grow a bit before he splurged on something that expensive. Ready for the day, he went down to the pub for breakfast. Now that he wasn't wearing glasses, and had styled his hair enough to fall over his scar, he didn't get many glances from people that were passing through.
Hermione and her parents were the first to arrive. Harry was honestly surprised she didn't come the day before so she could camp out at the bookstore for a day. He waved them down when he saw her scanning the crowd. Her eyes widened when she saw his new look, a faint blush on her cheeks. He grinned as she dragged her parents over to the table he'd been using.
"Harry!", she pulled him into a giant squeeze. For once, he could still breathe as she did it, which he assumed was because he was finally strong enough to handle the pressure. He happily returned the hug and greeting before she let go and he greeted her parents by shaking their hands. "You look so different! What happened to your glasses? Did you get new clothes? When did you get so tall? Are you finished with all your summer assignments?"
Harry laughed as she continued her questions rapid-fire. Hermione never really changed, always wanting to know everything. "It's good to see you too, Hermione. I finally got sick of wearing glasses that would get knocked off all the time and break, so went into town and got a prescription for contact lenses. I've got a supply for the whole year, and already it's been amazing to see things so clearly." Hermione smiled happily for him. "I decided to get some new clothes that weren't handed down by my cousin for once. As for getting tall? I found out there's something called a nutrient potion that helps people put on weight when they need it. They sell them at the apothecaries in the alley, so I'd been taking them for a couple weeks."
"And yes," he continued, "I've finished all my assignments. Even potions for Snape."
"Professor Snape, Harry." She corrected him automatically. "Have you already picked up your supplies then?"
"Oh yes, I've actually been here for almost a month. Trouble at home, the Headmaster knows and didn't have a problem with it." He added the last bit quickly to prevent her from going off on him. "I've spent most of my time here studying, mostly revision of the past two years, but I've been reading over this year's material too. I'm actually looking forward to Ancient Runes."
Before she could jump all over that admission, the Weasleys arrived through the floo. Percy came first, then the twins, Ron, Ginny, and their parents. Ginny was the first to see Harry, and like Hermione, her cheeks flushed pink. When the rest saw him and Hermione sitting with her parents, the reactions were a little milder, although the twins' eyes lit up with mischief. Ron just looked at him funny, like he was missing something.
Molly got to him first, giving a repeat of Hermione's earlier hug. Again, he returned it, then waved at the rest of the family while Arthur shook his hand. With the whole gang there and ready to go, they decided to divide and conquer. Arthur decided to accompany Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny, along with Hermione's parents, while Molly took the twins and Percy. Their first stop was to pick up a new wand for Ron, which he was really excited about. 15 minutes later, he came out with it. Willow and unicorn hair, 14". They then stopped by to pick up potion ingredients, got measured for new robes, and finally, Hermione dragged everyone to Flourish and Blotts. Harry and Ron had been catching up on each other's summers, with Ginny chiming in now and then. Ron's family had won the Daily Prophet's Prize Draw earlier that summer and had spent a good part of it to go visit Bill, the eldest son, in Egypt where he was working as a curse breaker for Gringotts Bank. Harry talked about the Dursleys and finding out his uncle's sister, who hated him even more, was coming for a visit, so he'd made arrangements with his aunt to let him stay at the Leaky Cauldron for the last month.
"The only other thing that I can think of is Scabbers," Ron was saying as they walked through the door of the bookstore. "He's been acting sick lately, not moving around nearly as much as he used to. I've still got a little pocket money from the trip, and was thinking of heading to the pet store to see if they had anything for him." Ron finished. Harry nodded along, though he laughed at the expression of the store's owner when Hermione mention needing two copies of their Care of Magical Creatures text. He could have told the man the secret, but decided against it. He'd let Hermione and Ron know later.
"That sounds like a good idea, mate." He said to Ron. "We can stop by there next." Hermione had rejoined them at this point and added her support to the plan. She'd been saving up her money as well and was considering getting a post owl for herself. Ginny decided to head back to the Leaky Cauldron with Arthur so she could get a head start on packing for the morning.
They'd just made it to Magical Menagerie, and Harry decided to wait outside when he saw them. A family of four. He clamped down on his emotions as hard as he could. He knew he'd be seeing her again eventually, he just didn't think it would be until they were at school. He turned away slightly so he wouldn't be seen staring, but kept them in the corner of his eye.
She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Pale golden blond hair that was a match to her father and younger sister, piercing ice-blue eyes that she got from her mother. She was already beginning to show some of the curves she'd develop over the years, but then again, like Hermione, she had her birthday before the winter break, making her almost a year older than many of their year mates. He took a quick peek inside the shop to see how Ron and Hermione were faring, before looking back over at them.
She was staring at him when he turned back. It was obvious when she recognized who he was, and he almost laughed as her expression broke into shock. He just smiled and nodded to her and her family before hearing Ron coming out of the store grumbling about ginger-colored crazy cats trying to kill his Scabbers. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'I'll see her at the feast again tomorrow night.' He tuned out the argument between Ron and Hermione when she came out carrying Crookshanks in her arms and led the two of them back to the Leaky for lunch.
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Daphne was so embarrassed. She hadn't lost her composure like that in public since she was 10. Her mother was laughing at her with her eyes, while her father actually cracked a smile. Only Astoria hadn't noticed.
How had Harry Potter, of all people, become that good-looking!? No, not good-looking, HOT! She shook her head to cut that line of thought off. She needed to focus on something else.
"I wonder who that young man was. I don't remember seeing him before, but he's obviously old enough to be in Hogwarts. Daphne, dear, have you seen him before?" her traitorous mother asked sweetly. She knew it was just to get a rise out of her, but it would be even worse once she answered.
Calming herself as best she could, she responded. "That was Harry Potter, mother, along with his friends Ronald Weasley, youngest son of the Weasley family, and Hermione Granger, who currently holds the top academic spot in our year."
Her mother's eyes started to sparkle. Not a good sign, but Astoria was the first to react. "Harry Potter?! Oh my goodness, do you think he'd sign my copy of 'Harry Potter and the Dragon Princess'? Where is he? I don't see him, Daphne why didn't you tell me sooner?" Her younger sister was just building up steam. She sighed in gratitude as her father gently placed his hand on the young girl's shoulder to remind her they were in public.
"Oh my, he's nothing like how he's been described," her mother commented. "I always heard that he looked just like his father, James, although somewhat on the shorter side."
Daphne just nodded along, not wanting the topic to continue. No such luck.
"Maybe we should introduce ourselves. We've completed most of the shopping for the two of you, and it is lunchtime. I believe they're heading to the Leaky Cauldron, and I've been meaning to speak with Arthur about something." Her father said. It was official, her family was out to make her miserable today. She groaned.
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Harry and his friends had just sat down and started to order when the Greengrass family entered from the back of the pub. He was a little confused as they made their way over to his group, but seeing the look in Roxanne's eyes he almost immediately understood. Daphne's forced look of calm solidified it. Her family was teasing her. He smiled at them invitingly while, again, reinforcing his occlumency to keep his emotions in check.
"Arthur, Molly, it's good to see you in good spirits. All the children ready for the upcoming term?" Cyrus Greengrass asked with a smile as he shook hands with the Weasley patriarch.
Arthur smiled back in response. "Cyrus, Roxanne, good to see you as well. Yes, we just finished up their school shopping for the year. Let me introduce everyone. You know Molly of course, and this is our third eldest, Percy. He's Head Boy this year, just like his brother Bill was." Cyrus shook the boy's hand in congratulations. "Next are the twins, Fred and George. They're going into their OWL year. Hopefully, we won't be hearing about too many issues this year because they actually study instead of get up to mischief." He introduced them with a faux frown and bright eyes that belied his hopes. Arthur was always amazed and impressed at how much trouble they got into. "Then there's Ronald, going into his third year, and Ginny here is starting her second." A nod from both Cyrus and Roxanne followed each introduction. "Joining us are two of Ronald's closest friends. Hermione Granger, along with her parents, and Harry Potter. Everyone, this is Cyrus and Roxanne Greengrass."
Roxanne moved around the table to greet Hermione. "Yes, I've heard from my daughter that you've been the benchmark for everyone in your year. I honestly think she's a little put out that she can't beat you, Miss Granger." There was no censure in the comment, and Hermione thanked her for the praise. "And of course, Mr. Potter. Certainly a pleasure to meet you. I must say, you don't look anything like the books portray you to be." And the mischievous look returned. Harry could have sworn he heard Daphne groan next to her jittery sister. "Allow me to introduce our daughters to you all. Our eldest, Daphne, who is also in third year, and our youngest Astoria who starts her first year tomorrow."
Harry nodded to them as he kept the smile on his face. "The pleasure is all mine. I managed to pick up some contact lenses this summer to replace my glasses." At seeing the confused looks, he elaborated. "Small fitted glass lenses that have prescriptions just like normal glasses do, that sit directly on your eyes. They take a couple of days to get used to, but I much prefer them to glasses that fall off all the time." All of the magically raised thought it strange, but could see the benefits.
At this point, the jitterbug couldn't hold it in any longer. She ran up to him and started her rapid-fire questions. He tried not to laugh. "Do you live in a castle? How big is it? Are the dragons you keep really tame? How many princesses have you saved? Will you come to my birthday next year? What's Dumbledore like when he teaches you? How did you become such a great flyer? Daphne says you're the best she's ever seen!" He failed. Laughter rang out as he listened to her go on and on. Realizing she was starting to withdraw a little, he held up a hand for a moment to gain control of himself.
"I'm sorry, Miss Greengrass, I wasn't laughing at you. I have to admit, you're the first person to actually come up to me and ask most of those questions, and I'll happily answer them, and more, whenever you'd like. First, however, I have to be the bearer of some unfortunate news. Many of those stories you've read about me aren't true." He saw some of the joy in her expression fade away. "I've only saved one princess, and it wasn't from a dragon. It was a giant snake." He said with a quick wink at her and a short glance at Arthur and Ginny. "Are you excited to join your sister at Hogwarts?" he asked her.
Her face lit up again and started babbling about how, yes she was excited to be with her sister and all the things she wanted to learn. Daphne's expression softened as she watched him with Astoria.
Then Ron had to put his foot in it. "Harry, mate, what are you doing?" Harry looked over at him with a blank look. "They're Slytherins, mate…" He was about to continue when Harry dropped a bombshell on his little world.
"And I would have been Slytherin too if I'd listened to the hat. I had to beg to be put into Gryffindor like my parents. Does the fact that I could have been wearing green and silver trim on my robes change anything Ron?" Harry asked softly. Everyone reacted differently to that statement. Ron looked like Harry had bought him a puppy only to kill it in front of him. Hermione looked like she knew it all along. The twins looked at him in understanding. Percy was ignoring him completely in an attempt to ask Cyrus Greengrass questions about some of the work he did. Ginny looked at him with a blush on her face, which was normal, and told him she wasn't paying attention and was most likely daydreaming.
Daphne's reaction was the best though. Absolute shock. Her eyes had widened, and her mouth was hanging down. He considered tossing one of the biscuits on the table into it.
Arthur put his hand gently on Ron's shoulder to prevent him from opening his mouth again, while also sending Cyrus an apologetic look. Cyrus just waved him off, implying it was nothing to worry about. After a few more minutes on lighter topics the food arrived, and the Greengrass family decided to leave them to their meal. Astoria looked like she wanted to keep asking a thousand questions, but a gentle prompting by her father convinced her to behave. Once they were gone Harry decided to dig in. He chatted with Hermione about what she thought the elective classes would be like, as well as joked with the twins about some pranks he'd "overheard his cousin" talk about over the summer break.
"Oh, does ickle Harry think…", Fred started.
"That he has what it takes to…", George chimed in.
"Join the wonderful world of…", Fred continued on.
"Pranks!?", the two of them finished together in excitement.
Harry had been moving his head back and forth as they talked like he was watching a tennis match. "Well, I don't know if I can do anything at your level, but one of the funniest pranks I heard about was pulled on the staff of the school." That had the attention of the twin terrors. "See, one of the kids who went there had some family close by that owned a farm and had lots of livestock. So a bunch of kids snuck out one night and corralled three pigs and two cows into the halls of the school. They decided to be helpful by painting a number on each of the animals so they could keep track of each of them, seeing as that's the responsible thing to do, right?" Harry grinned. "I'm sure they didn't mean to skip the number '4' as they counted. And I'm sure it wasn't their intent for the staff to spend the entire day looking for the 'lost' animal on the loose!"
Gred and Forge looked at him in awe. It was truly genius, and so simple at the same time. It gave them a few ideas of their own, and they began whispering to each other for the rest of the meal. It was obvious the idea of pranking by omission had never occurred to them before. Harry ignored the disappointed glare from Hermione and looked over at Ron. The boy was still eating his food, but it was obvious he was thinking hard about something.
After the meal, Harry went back up to his room while the Weasleys went back out to the alley. They had a few more purchases to make before they were finished, not to mention Arthur and Molly wanted to spend as much time with their children as possible before the term started.
When he entered his room and decided that packing up everything now would be the best thing to do. He was about halfway through when there was a knock on his door. He almost waved his wand at it, but caught himself in time and walked over instead. Opening it up, he saw Hermione standing there, asking to come in. He stepped aside for her before closing the door and moving back over to his trunk to continue packing things up.
"What can I do for you, Hermione?", he asked as he folded up his clothes. He knew Dobby could have done all this faster, but he had the time, and taking care of his own things was relaxing at the moment. He turned to look at her when she didn't respond. He recognized the look on her face, the one she got when she was working on a puzzle.
She was biting her bottom lip while absently twirling some hair on her fingers. He let her stew in her thoughts for a minute while he continued folding and packing his things away. Finally, he turned back to her and waited for her to say something. It didn't take long.
"What's really happened to you this summer, Harry? It's more than just taking potions and new clothes and contacts. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you're doing well, but there's something else that's different and I can't put my finger on it." In typical Hermione fashion, the questions and thoughts spilled out without affording him a chance to reply. He waited until she was finished before he even tried to say a word.
"Honestly Hermione, nothing happened to me. It's more that I decided I was ready for a change. Getting away from my relatives was the first step. I know I don't talk about them much, but they are pretty awful people. I'll be glad when I'm old enough to move away, but I also understand why I have to stay there over most of the summer hols. Once I left them, though, I just felt better. I wanted new clothes, so I got them. I hated my glasses, so I replaced them. It's nothing more or less than that." He'd decided that a simple, straightforward answer was always best for his friend. If it was logical, she was more likely to accept it.
She continued to stare at him for a little while before grabbing him in another of her patented hugs. "I'm sorry about your relatives, Harry. If you'd like, I can ask my parents to let you stay with us for part of the summer next year?"
He just hugged her back. "I'll be fine, Hermione. I've already got some ideas to make next year more bearable." He let her go. "Now, I need to finish packing and do a little last-minute revision tonight. You all ready to go?"
She shook her head, "I have to finish packing most of what we purchased today, but it shouldn't take too long." She started to head out of his room. "Will you be joining everyone for dinner?"
He just nodded absently. "Yup, I'll be there. Go spend some time with your new cat, Hermione. You need to bond with him now while you have the time." He watched her start and dash out the door while he chuckled. When the door was shut, he locked it and cast a few privacy charms before calling out, "Dobby."
With a soft pop, Dobby appeared. "Yes, great Harry Potter sir?", the elf asked while looking around the room, somewhat disappointed Harry had been folding and packing things himself.
Harry forced back a laugh at that. "Dobby, have you found a live rat for us yet?", he asked quickly. The excitable elf just nodded quickly before popping out, returning seconds later holding a small cage with a normal garden rat squeaking inside. Harry sent a very weak stunner at it before having Dobby put the cage on his bed. "Alright, Dobby. I need you to very quietly and sneakily go into my friend Ron's room and get his pet rat, along with the cage, and bring them here." The elf gave a determined salute before popping away. Harry waited patiently with his wand still in his hand. A minute later, Dobby popped back in with another rat in a cage. This one he wasn't so careful with as he stunned it.
Once he was sure the rat was out, he opened the cage for both animals and lay them side by side. Looking over Scabbers very carefully, he transfigured the garden rat to match each of his features. He matched the length of the fur, the color, texture, and how fat it was. Once he was done, he placed Scabbers in the garden rat's cage and then cast several charms to make it unbreakable. He took the recently transfigured 'Scabbers', and put it in the other. Finally, he cast a mild defibrillating charm on it. As it was stunned, it died painlessly. He handed that cage to Dobby and told him to put it back in Ron's room.
He went over to the desk in the room and pulled out a sealed envelope. Dobby returned quickly, so he gave him his last order for the day. "Alright, Dobby, this is the last bit. It's important this letter and the cage with the rat get to Madam Bones at the DMLE. I want you to be careful not to get caught or be seen by anyone. Just make sure the cage with the rat and this letter are on her desk before she leaves today. Can you do that?"
Dobby was shaking in excitement, like he'd downed a couple of energy drinks. "Yessir, Harry Potter sir! Dobby be doing it now!" He grabbed the cage and letter and was gone a moment later.
Harry shook his head with a smile at the little guy's antics. He finished packing up for the next day and pulled out a book to read. It was still a few hours before dinner.
-=BREAK=-
Amelia Bones was having an exhausting week. Trying to organize a manhunt for Black was only part of it, she also had to deal with Fudge's latest disaster. Who in their right mind thinks surrounding a school full of children with dementors is a good idea? It was even worse because she couldn't do anything about it directly! Damn the idiot.
She was just about to pick up another parchment that had all the various "sightings" of Black that had been reported this week when something appeared directly in front of her. She had her wand out immediately to scan for intruders in the room but found nothing. She then looked at what had appeared and saw a rat in a cage, along with an envelope with her name written on the front. She cast a few more spells on the cage and letter, and only found the cage to have several charms to make it unbreakable. She also got a strange reading on the rat, but decided to check the letter first.
Seeing the letter was free of potions and spells, she opened it and began to read. After the first few paragraphs, her monocle fell off her face, and her surprise continued on the further she read.
Director Amelia Bones
Regent of House Bones
Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Dear Madam,
I first apologize for the abruptness and method of delivering this letter and package to you. After reading the contents, I hope you'll understand why it was necessary. Everything you read here will be verifiable with a little investigation on your part, and some veritaserum. While the results will certainly surprise you, I hope they will make your current assignments easier to resolve.
The first part you need to understand is that Sirius Black is both innocent of the charges he has been accused of, and a victim of either poor bureaucracy or intentional imprisonment without trial. That's right, Sirius Black, You-Know-Who's 'right-hand man' never stood a trial before his peers before being chucked into the highest security wing of Azkaban. If you were to check his records, you'll easily find this to be true.
As to him being innocent of the charges, that's also easily verifiable. The cage that has been delivered to you contains, what appears to be, a rat. Except, as with all things in the magical world, things are not as they appear to be.
When they were at school, there were four close friends. One of them had a condition that he tried to hide from the world, but the other three found out and decided to do all they could to help. It was soon clear they couldn't cure him of his condition, so they decided to make his life easier in another way. They did what they could to be with him in his difficult times, by becoming animagi.
Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. A large black dog, a proud stag, and a traitorous rat. A rat, that is currently sitting in the cage before you. The rat who was the real secret keeper for the Potters. The real traitor who gave up their location to his master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
As to how you can verify this? As far as I'm aware, Peter Pettigrew has been officially declared dead by the Ministry of Magic, and dead men have no rights to not be given veritaserum. Do the maths.
I would only suggest that you do everything you can to keep Fudge clear of this as long as possible, and considering who's lining his pockets full of gold, there's precedent you can use. Lucius Malfoy's son is in line to inherit the Black family Headship if Sirius were to die. Considering he was never actually convicted of a crime, Sirius is still Head of the Black family, after the death of his grandfather Arcturis. Despite what others may claim, his mother could not cast him out. This means that any suggestions from Lucius Malfoy must, legally, be ignored as a conflict of interest when dealing with Black. To follow anything he suggests could lead to him being charged with line theft, which you can slap in Fudge's face. Even if he's Minister, he can still be charged with anything to do with family matters.
I wish you luck and good hunting as you deal with everything.
Regards,
A friend
P.s. - My house elf deposited this letter and package on your desk for me. You might consider researching wards to block unknown elves from your office in the future.
She stared at the letter for a good 10 minutes, reading it over and over again to see if she missed any clues the first time through. Finally confident she had all the facts given, and knew where to find the rest, she stood up and opened her office door.
"Marie, get me Kingsley, Alastor, and Rufus, as well as a vial of veritaserum from our stores. I want them all in my office within 5 minutes." She called out to her secretary. The woman just nodded and began writing notes before using her wand to turn them into paper airplanes and send them off. She then got up and went swiftly to the Auror stores to get a bottle of truth serum.
Rufus was the first to arrive and just took a seat when he saw Amelia was still waiting for more arrivals. When Kingsley walked in he figured it must be about the Black case, as he was the lead investigator. When Moody walked in, his expression grew pensive. Moody was a good Auror, but he'd been shifted over to training for his last year. He'd be retiring in just a few months, once this latest batch was up to snuff.
When Marie came back with a bottle of what they all knew to be trust serum, the mood turned grave. Before they could begin to ask questions, though, Marie was out and Amelia locked down the room and turned to look at them.
"No, it's not for any of you", were the first words out of her mouth, "but we have a situation to deal with quickly so I need you all up to speed and moving before it gets out." The relief on their faces was palpable. Nobody liked to have veritaserum used on them. She pulled out the letter and began reading it to the group. By the time she was done, they were as shocked as she was, though Alastor hid it better than the others. She started giving orders.
"Rufus will be here with me to interview the rat. We'll be keeping him hidden and off the books in the ministry for now. Moody, I need you because of your protege. She's not to know any details, but we need to get her mother on board with this quickly. Andromeda is one of the most cutthroat barristers I know, and Sirius will need all the help he can get if this letter proves true. Kingsley, I need you digging into the records department looking for anything and everything on Sirius Black to verify a lack of trial. If records are sealed, I need to know who sealed them and why." Each of the men nodded and stood up after their part was done. Moody stumped out of the office after she undid the lockdown, followed quickly by Kingsley. Once they were gone, she put the office under lockdown again. Turning to her Head Auror, she asked, "Are you ready to question a dead man?" His answering grin was almost feral.
-=BREAK=-
End Chapter 2.
AN: Another chapter done. Longer than I originally planned, but I feel good about how it's shaping up. In reference to the prank story Harry mentions, my brother's senior class pulled that off the last week of school as a class prank on the school administration. It took them over 6 hours to figure out they'd been duped into searching for a non-existent piglet.
With regards to how Harry deals with various people, he's much older mentally and has very different relationships with some people due to his past experiences with them. It will start to show more as he gets to school and how he deals with classmates there, as well as the staff.
Ron. Ron is one of those characters that, depending on the story, you either want him to be a star and the best friend in the world, or a complete twat that you bash into the ground. Harry still has a genuine friendship and respect for his first friend and best mate, but he's also not used to dealing with this young, immature Ron anymore.
Hermione. My plan with her, at least in regards to her and Harry, is that she'll be so caught up in all her classes for a while that she stops noticing how different Harry is becoming. Eventually, she'll notice more things about him, but she'll mostly chalk it up to him growing up over the course of the year.
Daphne. I have her mostly figured out in regard to how I'll be writing her character. Her and Harry's relationship will be gradual, and she'll be torn between her attraction to him and the fear of her Slytherin classmates' reactions, at least at first. Her sister will be key in helping her get over her hangups with the golden boy.
Please leave a comment or review if you'd like!
-Phail