12. A clue and the mystery are solved!

"Harry, can you come in here where we can speak privately?" Sirius asked, surprising Harry who was busy writing a report for Percy.

"Sure Sirius." Harry said and the two went into another room where there was nobody there to overhear what was going on.

"We've got a clue about what Malfoy is up to." Sirius said.

Harry's eyes widened. "A clue?" He repeated. "What is it?"

"Lucius Malfoy has recently taken out a new insurance policy. It's complicated because it's to do with business things, but the crux of it is this: If something happens to make the economy differ in a way which affects his money, then he is insured for a fortune." Sirius explained.

Harry looked confused. "So this means what?" He asked.

"We're not sure yet. But to me it suggests that Malfoy is simply up to a money making scheme." Sirius offered.

Harry was still confused. "So this isn't like Malfoy trying to take over the world or something? He's not trying to make himself into another Voldemort?"

"We don't know." Sirius replied. "But it's entirely possible that he isn't!"

*****

Ron looked disgusted when Harry gave him this information. "I thought something interesting was going to happen." He said.

Harry shook his head. "Ron, think about it. If Malfoy had been trying to take over the world and make himself into a wizard everyone feared like they did Voldemort wouldn't that be bad? Remember what it was like when we all lived in fear of Voldemort? We don't want to go through something like that again!"

Ron shrugged. "Not exactly no." He admitted. "It's just a let down of sorts.."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. But then Ron hadn't stood face to face with the baddest wizard of all time had he? And he hadn't had to spend a few years in hiding trying to get over all he'd seen?

"I guess we better send an owl to Hermoine." Harry said, changing the subject slightly.

Ron's ears went red, and then his face. "No need." He said stiffly. "I'll let her know tonight."

"Tonight?" Harry asked, surprised.

"She's coming up to London. We're going to have dinner and try and work some things out." Ron explained his eyes on everything except Harry's face.

"That's great Ron." Harry said, genuinely happy for his two best friends. "I'm really glad for you!"

*****

Harry spent longer in the office that night than he had planned. He wrote out two reports, and then debated sending an owl to Cho. He hadn't responded to her letter the other day yet, and he didn't want her to think he was being rude; it was simply that he didn't know what to say to her. Of course he wanted to have dinner with her! He'd never really gotten over her, and the fact that she wanted to see him sent butterflies fluttering all round his stomach. Finally he grabbed a piece of parchment and quill and wrote:

"Dear Cho,

I was glad to receive your letter. Of course I would love to have dinner with you sometime. I have a feeling that this whole thing might be cleared up soon, and as soon as it is I'll have some spare time and we can do something!

Harry."

He sent Hedwig off with it, and watched as she flew away. It was dark outside now, but the lights of the city were a great sight from so high up! Harry wondered how Ron and Hermoine's dinner date was going-he hoped it went well. He'd known for years that the two of them should be a couple, even if they'd tried to deny it all the time. In their last year at Hogwarts Harry had actually thought they were going to get their act together and be a couple. Still, better later than never he thought with a wry grin. He picked up his things, and left the office. As he was in the lift on the way down it stopped suddenly and went dark. Harry swallowed. A power failure he supposed. He hoped they wouldn't take too long to fix it. Sirius would be at home and he would worry if Harry wasn't home at his usual time. A noise on the lift door startled Harry. He mustn't be trapped between floors then!

"Hello?" Harry called, and he banged on the door. "Can you hear me? The lift has stopped and I'm stuck in here!"

"Harry?" A voice asked, and Harry frowned trying to remember where he had heard it last. And then he realised-it was the one from the phone. The one which he had thought at the time was familiar, and now he realised who it was. Cornelius Fudge! Fudge had been the Minister for Magic before Amos Diggory had taken over. Fudge had grumpily moved to live in the country to live on his pension. And Fudge had called Harry to warn him to keep his nose out of things which didn't concern him! And now Fudge was in the offices, and Harry was stuck in the lift!

"Mr. Fudge?" Harry called, hoping against hope he was wrong.

"Yes Harry, it's me." And the doors suddenly opened. "Come on out, quick."

Harry hesitated, and Fudge pointed his wand at him. "Come now Harry. You don't want to do something silly which will finally end in your death do you?"

Harry obeyed and Fudge led him to the stairs. "We've got to hurry." And Harry was hurried down the stairs.

"Mr. Fudge what's going on?" Harry asked as they hurried.

"Harry you were always too nosy." Fudge replied.

"You're not the one who's involved with the Dark mark are you?" Harry persisted. "You're not involved with the Malfoys are you?"

"When I was the Minister of Magic I had so much power. I reveled in the power, as anyone would. When they suggested that it was about time I stepped down I was devastated. I'd given the best years of my life to the Ministry, and to the Wizarding community. And then they decide that Diggory is to take over from me. Then I got mad Harry. I spent the last five years sitting in my little cottage in the country thinking. I wanted everyone to take notice of me again; I wanted that power I used to have. And there was only one other wizard who I realised had ever had more power than anyone!" Fudge said.

"Voldemort." Harry said.

"That's right. Clever boy." Fudge said. "Voldemort had everyone scare of him, everyone under his power."

"So you think you can make yourself over into Voldemort?" Harry scoffed.

Fudge glared at him. "I don't think-I know."

"How does Malfoy fit in?" Harry demanded.

"I bribed him. He's always wanted to think that he is powerful, so I bribed him into helping me by getting his stupid son to distribute papers with the Dark Mark on it, and to draw the Dark mark on a school wall. He also organised the Dark Mark's appearance at the Hogwarts reunion!" Fudge explained. "The only thing Malfoy cares about now that his beloved Voldemort is dead and gone is his money. I let him believe that he would benefit greatly from my new power-"

"Don't you realise you don't have any powers?" Harry yelled. "You're nothing like Voldemort and you never will be!"

They'd reached the end of the staircase now, and Fudge glared at Harry.

"You never did know when to shut up, did you?" He demanded, twirling his wand thoughtfully.

Harry was silent now, thinking fast. He didn't have his wand with him, he didn't have anything, and Fudge had his wand in his hand. He was finally going to die! After all the close shaves he had endured he was going to be killed by someone who was deluded enough to think that he had the powers of Voldemort? Then out of the corner of his eye he noticed something. Hedwig! And in her beak instead of a letter she held his wand! How had she known? What had made her return with his wand instead of a reply from Cho? Silently Hedwig glided towards Harry and when she was over the top of him she opened her beak and Harry's wand fell into his outstretched hand. Fudge noticed now, and pointed his own wand at Harry, but Harry wasn't the champion of the dueling club in sixth year at Hogwarts for nothing. He was quicker, and he pointed his wand at Fudge and yelled "Expelliarmus" and ducked as Fudge muttered some kind of curse. Fudge was thrown back onto the floor with a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Harry raced to pick up his wand.

"Hedwig, get help." He called to his owl. However she didn't move, just sat there looking at him.

"Hedgwig?" He pleaded. He knew the owl was beginning to get old and maybe she didn't feel she was up to another trip, but surely she could see that this was an emergency?

"Why wont you go get help?" Harry asked her angrily, and she just clicked her tongue at him. Harry's eyes darted back to Fudge, who was still lying on the floor, only now he was moaning and moving.

"HEDWIG! Go and get-" And Harry stopped, as the door opened to the staircase. He raised his wand ready to stop Malfoy if it was him-but it was Sirius.

"Hedwig came to get me." Sirius said. "I couldn't work out what she wanted, but then I realised you must be in trouble."

He looked down at Fudge on the floor with contempt. "Who'd have thought?" He asked. "Did he hurt you Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm fine." He said. "He wanted to be Voldemort. He wanted the power he thought he had lost when he was asked to resign from the Minister of Magic."

Sirius shook his head. "And the Malfoys?"

"They knew his plans. All Lucius wanted was to make more money though." Harry explained. "And he enlisted Draco's help there!"

There were more sounds from outside. Sirius had sent for help before racing off to the offices. Within minutes Fudge was handcuffed and officials were talking about getting him to Azkaban.

Harry was left free to go home. As he and Sirius walked up the path Ron and Hermoine arrived, holding hands, and looking terrified. "Harry, what happened?"

"Not much." Harry said, grinning. "What happened with you two?"

Ron blushed, but Hermoine waved the question off. "I can't believe it was Fudge! Not the person we suspected was it?"

"No." Harry admitted. "It's cold out here. Lets go in and sit by the fire and I'll tell you all about it. And we better give Hedwig here a treat for doing such a marvelous thing."

It was when they were seated in front of the fire that Harry asked Sirius the question which had been bugging him since the incident. "How did Hedwig know I was in trouble?"

Sirius frowned slightly. "When someone is connected to their pet as strongly as you are to Hedwig-I mean for awhile you had nobody but Hedwig. She was your family-then it's a connection which can't really be explained. Hedwig sensed you were in trouble. That's all."

"Wow." Harry muttered, and he patted the owl who was sitting proudly on his shoulder. "Thanks Hedwig."

"We should be thanking you!" Hermoine said. "After all, once again you've saved us all from evil-"

"-Fudge didn't have the powers that Voldemort had!" Harry interrupted, embarrassed. "I hardly saved you all!"

"Don't be so modest Harry." Sirius said. "Maybe Fudge didn't have the powers of Voldemort yet-but had he killed you then he would have had more power. The first person Voldemort killed was the one who gave him some of his power. It's not a power we can just get. It's the power of blood, the power of having killed someone.."

The room was silent and then Harry laughed lightly "Well Fudge is on his way to Azkaban where he will meet up with his-and of course our-good friend Snape."

That got a few smiles, and Harry relaxed against the sofa, glad the whole thing was over!