Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters or anything else from the books. The plot and the new characters are mine
Chapter 5: Repercussions
Draco carried a stack of books onto the deck of the ship. Jason, Remus, George, and Fred were sitting around a small table. He stopped to listen to their conversation.
"Why in the name of Merlin are you encouraging Harry to take legal action against the Ministry?!" Remus bellowed.
Jason scowled at Remus.
"Remus, Harry's just talking to Mr. Cromwell about what his options are," Fred interrupted.
"At least Jason is letting Harry make the choice. You, Professor Dumbledore, and our parents didn't even tell Harry he could do anything about what was said and done to him," George added.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy. Did you find what you were looking for?" Jason asked as he turned to the waiting teen.
"All I found was a bunch of bull shit. How do I know any of the shit is true?" Draco snarled, before dumping the books onto the deck.
"What do you want in life, Mr. Malfoy?" Jason asked.
"Power and respect, like my Father," Draco shot back.
"Your father has little power and is feared, not respected," Jason replied.
"Who cares! He gets what he wants and only fools disagree with him!" Draco growled.
"Your father calls someone else master," Jason replied.
"The Dark Lord is someone worthy of being called master. He's not a simpering old fool like Hogwarts' Headmaster," Draco spat.
"But your father is little more than a slave to Voldemort."
"Don't defile The Dark Lord's name by letting it pass your lips. My Father is no one's slave!"
"Oh, really? Have you ever been to a Death Eater meeting?"
"No. My Father says that our Lord will not except any wizard into the Death Eaters until he is fully qualified and able to apparate. When I pass my apparation test I will be given the Dark Mark and allowed to pay my respects to The Dark Lord."
"Death Eaters are little more than slaves to Voldemort."
"LIAR! My Father is The Dark Lord's Second in Command. He would never allow himself to be anyone's slave!"
"Oh, really," Jason grinned as he grabbed the young man's left arm and shoved the sleeve of his black robes up.
"Let me go you bastard," Draco snarled as Jason pulled his wand.
"I intend to show you what you can expect when you become a Death Eater," Jason said, conjuring a silver band of cloth with a black image of Voldemort's Dark Mark on it.
"What are you doing?"
"Giving you a Dark Mark, only this one can be removed." Jason touched his wand to the Dark Mark.
Draco clutched his arm and screamed.
"Mr. Malfoy, you are only experiencing one tenth of the pain that receiving the real Dark Mark will cause. You can not remove the cloth from your arm, only I can."
Draco laid on the deck, gasping for breath.
"Now, I will show you what it feels like when Voldemort summons his Death Eaters." Jason pulled a galleon from his pocket and tapped one of its sides.
A moan escaped the teen's lips.
"Stop torturing him!" Remus demanded.
"Mr. Lupin, if he insists on joining the Death Eaters, then I feel it is only fair to show him, first hand what he can expect for the rest of his life. A small amount of pain now will save him unending pain later, if it changes his perspective."
Remus shook his head as Fred and George stared at the Slytherin laying on the deck.
"We only have one other spell for you to experience Mr. Malfoy," Jason said, turning over the coin and allowing the teen a moment to recover.
"You can't cast the Cruciatus Curse on him!" Remus bellowed as he grabbed Jason's arm.
"Mr. Lupin, if he is to learn, he must experience what the so called Dark Lord has in store for him. The curse will be weak, only a tenth of what Voldemort would inflict on him and only for a few seconds," Jason pulled free of Remus's grip and activated the coin.
Draco screamed as the curse wracked his body. After only a few seconds the pain stopped and the young man gasped for breathe.
"The cloth with the Dark Mark will remain on your arm until we return to England. It will be activated to summon you to meals. I will not, however, use the Cruciatus Curse on you again. Van will take you to the cabin," Jason said, pocketing the galleon and walking towards the bow of the ship, leaving Fred, George, and Remus standing around the table.
**********
Joseph joined Jason at the bow of the ship.
"Harry has requested that you invite Pan Ying to join us. I suggest that you also have a healer come and take a look at Harry," Joseph said.
"I'll send Isis off with letters in a moment. I intended to have a healer look at him when we reach Avalon," Jason replied.
"I don't think we should wait. Someone needs to do a full work up on Harry. The sooner the better. We will need it for any legal action we take," Joseph added.
"I do not like what I saw in his mind when I took over shielding him from Pan."
"Yes, there is also that. The stress he has been under has worn him down."
"I'll send for Pan and Alan Carmichael," Jason said.
**********
Jason, Pan, Joseph, Alan, and Remus sat at the table.
"So, you're telling us that Harry may never reach his full potential?" Remus asked.
"Yes. His lack of proper nutrition during his developmental years has retarded his mental and physical growth. We may be able to correct the deficiencies and allow him to reach his full potential, but I do not want you to get your hopes up. The length of time he did not receive the proper diet and the annual change in his diet when he was with the Dursleys has me worried," Alan replied.
Remus put his face in his hands.
"How has Draco been handling his stint as a Death Eater?" Pan asked.
"The strength of the summoning and curse is not great enough to do any damage to him. However, he is very irrate for some time after experiencing the pain," Alan replied.
"Well he's only been subjected to it for three days, let's see how he likes it in three weeks," Joseph said.
"Has anyone told Harry?" Remus asked.
"I told him that he will need to take some supplements and have to under go routine exams to monitor his progress. I did not explain the full extent of his condition or the possible outcomes. I said that he would have to wait several weeks to see what effects the changes in his diet and the supplements will have," Alan answered.
"What is he doing now?" Joseph asked.
"Writing some letters," Pan said.
"How are they going to be delivered? We can't let them be intercepted," Remus said.
"Isis will deliver the letters to Lee Jordan, who will deliver the letters by apparation to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who will make sure the recipients receive their letters," Jason replied
**********
Dear Hermione,
Sorry I haven't written, but by now someone has
probably told you what happened after I left King's Cross.
I'm safe, don't worry. Remus and Fred and George
are with me.
I'm getting Occlumency lessons from someone better
than Snape. (Don't even ask me to call that bastard professor.
It'll never happen.)
Take care of yourself. I'll write again soon.
Your friend,
Harry
Hey Ron,
How's everything going? Tell your Dad I'll sorry
about everything that happened between him and I at The
Leaky Cauldron and The Ministry. I just can't take any
more of Dumbledore's shit.
Tell your Mum that I'm safe and that Pan Ying is here,
too. That should put Bill into a position to calm your Mum
about me running off. Remus, George, and Fred are here,
too.
I've sent a letter to Hermione, but I didn't tell her
anything more than I'm telling you.
I don't know what's going to happen, right now. I'll
talk to the person I'm staying with and see if you guys can't
come visit me.
Watch out for Percy and take care of yourself. I'll
write again soon.
Your friend,
Harry
Well, just one more letter I want to write.
Dear Dumbledore,
I HATE YOU! YOU BLOODY HYPOCRITE!
How dare you ask my to respect that bastard potions
master of yours when you don't respect anyone. You've kept
things from me ever since I came to Hogwarts.
You and that bloody bastard cost me my godfather.
Snape- yes Snape- I will never call him professor for
he is nothing but a vindictive bastard, has done everything in
his power to ruin my time at Hogwarts.
Isn't it enough that I am forced to live with my blasted,
bloody, good for nothing, hateful, relatives.
I guess it never mattered to you that I went to bed, in
a cupboard, every night - cold, hungry, and alone, as long
as you didn't have to see.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Or at least until my 'FAMILY' decided to throw me
out for protecting that fat arse, prick I'm related to.
I guess I'm nothing more than a 'mutt' to you. To be
sent to a kennel every year while you go on vacation.
After the Tournament you told Sirius and Snape that
they had to work together, yet you allowed your bloody,
bastard, spy to harass Sirius. And all the while you railed
at Sirius for his treatment of Kreacher.
Sirius tried to work with Snape, but the bastard just
couldn't keep his bloody mouth shut and you never said
anything to him about it.
You bloody, two-faced bastard!
Sirius allows you and that prick into his house. A
place he loathed. And what the hell do you do. You allow
that bastard do whatever he wants, while Sirius had to sit
around doing nothing.
Yes! I know that Sirius needed to keep hidden. But
that did not give the bastard the right to torment him, like
he torments all of his students, except his precious
Slytherins.
You trapped Padfoot in a place filled with bad
memories, just as you left me to rot with people who
despise me and treat me like dirt.
You abandoned me! I was left with no one to talk
to.
It only matters to you what Snape had to deal with.
None of the rest of us matter. That bastard can do no
wrong.
You continually overlook everything he does. Yet,
you hounded Sirius about his behavior. Padfoot was locked
in Azkaban for twelve years, while that Death Eater, spy or not,
roamed free. Sirius receives no allowances for what he has
endured, yet that murdering bastard gets treated like fine
crystal.
How many times has Snape praised and rewarded his
precious Slytherins for the slightest thing and punished others
for nothing. He is allowed to favor the Slytherins, while the
other professors treat everyone more fairly. When he's
around the Slytherins can do no wrong and everyone else
is at fault.
I have had it with your bloody secrets and half truths.
You didn't tell me anything after my battle with Quirrell. You
could have told me something without lying to me, even if you
didn't reveal the prophecy to me.
I haven't even decided if I want to return to school.
What's the point, Voldemort's going to kill me anyway.
What once gave me hope and joy and something to
look forward to, now is only another prison.
It seems to me that you have taken it upon yourself
to make sure that the prophecy comes true. Because you've
done a bloody damn good job of making sure I have no life.
I have spoken with the people I am staying with about
several matters.
By muggle and wizarding law I have the right to
compensation for what was done to me and said about me
last school year by the Ministry, The Daily Prophet, and
that bitch Umbridge.
I am also entitled to compensation from all of the
bloody Death Eaters for what happened at the Tournament.
As well as the treatment the Dursleys subjected me to.
A Mr. Joseph Cromwell is going to handle everything
for me.
And by the way, you and Snape will be hearing from
him also. He is quite pissed that you let my 'relatives'
'neglect' me and Snape assault me.
Now I have some questions I want answers to. And
I will not except 'when you are older' for an answer.
Why have you never introduced me to any of my
parents' friends?
I only met Remus Lupin in my third year because
you hired him to teach DADA.
Did anyone bother to bury my parents? Where are
they buried? Why hasn't anyone asked if I wanted to visit
their graves?
Did anything of my parents' things survive?
Is all I have to remember my parents by; an invisibility
cloak, a vault of money, a photo album that Hagrid put
together for me, a map, a broom, and the nightmare
vision/memory the Dementors gave me?
Why haven't you ever made arrangements for me to
have extra classes to prepare me for my battle with the
Dark Prick? You knew I was connected to Voldemort in my
third and fourth years. Why didn't you teach me Occlumency
then?
Have you been setting me against the Bastard in hopes
that I would kill him before he returned to his body?
Did you do or say something to encourage him to target
my family?
YOU DID? DIDN'T YOU?!?!
YOU BLOODY F
Tears rolled down Harry's cheeks and dripped onto the parchment on the table. A horrific wail of agony and despair tore its way through the teen's throat.
The quill fell from his fingers and landed on the parchment.
Harry stood as a second scream ravaged his throat. His chair crashed to the floor as he fled from what he had written.
Everyone on deck turned as Harry burst from the stairs leading below. He crashed into Pan and clung to him.
"DOBBY!" Jason bellowed.
"Dobby is here. What is Jason needing Dobby to do?"
"Go get our guest. Harry needs him."
"Dobby is going." Dobby vanished.
"Harry, someone you thought you would never see again will be here shortly. He was transported here when he fell. I wanted to protect him and you so I had him stay behind when I came to get you."
George and Fred appeared on deck, having heard the commotion.
"Dobby is bring Harry his surprise," Dobby called as he appeared a figure cloaked in back
"Harry?" the robed figure whispered.
"Sirius?" Harry mumbled.
"Yes," the man answered, dropping his hood.
Remus, George, and Fred gasped at the sight of Sirius Black standing just a few feet away.
Harry looked up at his godfather before moving into his waiting arms.
"How?" Harry asked through his tears.
"Sirius will explain Harry. I have a few other things to deal with. Then I will answer any questions that Sirius can not," Jason said as he headed below.
**********
Jason stopped at the table where Harry's letters lay. He read the one that was
sitting, unfinished, under a quill wet with ink.
He growled as he finished the letter. A whistle sounded from his lips, bring Isis to his shoulder.
"Isis, take these two letters to Lee Jordan. What for him to return in case he brings letters for Harry."
The phoenix sang a few notes before taking the letters and vanishing in a burst of flames.
Jason folded the letter he had read and slipped it into his robes. He wrote a quick note and left it on the table, before disapparating.
**********
"Severus, any word on Mr. Malfoy, or Mr. Potter's whereabouts?" Albus asked.
Professor Snape sneered. Albus' question was worded to pacify him, by asking about Draco first.
"No," Severus replied as there was a knock at the door.
"Come in, Hagrid," Albus called.
The Hogwarts Game Keeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor enter followed by a figure hooded and cloaked in royal blue robes.
"You 'ave a visitor 'Eadmaster," Hagrid announced.
"Thank you, Hagrid. Good afternoon sir," Albus said as he nodded to Hagrid, who closed the door as he left.
"Good afternoon, Headmaster Dumbledore. I have news of your missing students and a letter from one of them," the man said, before turning and growling at Snape.
The potions master glared at the new arrival.
"Ah. Where would our wayward young men be?" the headmaster asked.
"With friends of theirs and mine."
"You will return Draco Malfoy immediately," Snape snarled.
"And who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"
"A friend of Draco's family."
"Severus, we must remain calm. Who might you be sir?"
"You may call me Jason Pendragon," Jason replied as he lowered his hood.
"YOU!" Snape snarled as he reached for his wand. He stopped when he felt the tip of a wand pressed against his forehead.
"I advise you not to tempt me to curse you into the next century, Snape. Professor Dumbledore, you would be wise to leave your wand where it is. The hex, jinx, or curse would never leave your wand. I am an undefeated dueling champion."
"Severus, I believe it would best to avoid violence," Albus said, taking his hand away from his wand.
Severus sneered at the headmaster as he moved his hand away from his wand.
Jason stepped away from Snape and waved his wand. Severus' wand shot from his robes.
"Just in case you have the inclination to try something stupid," Jason said as he caught the wand and placed it on the headmaster's desk.
"I must ask you to bring my students here immediately. Mr. Potter must return to his relatives in order to remain safe from Voldemort," Albus said.
"Your young charges are completely safe. Safer than at their so called homes," Jason replied a bitter edge to his voice.
"Which brings me to why I am here. I want to know what kind of games you have been playing with one Harry Potter," Jason growled as he glared at Dumbledore.
"Potter again," Snape hissed.
"I'd prefer you to keep your snide comments about Mr. Potter to yourself, you self absorbed, egotistical prat. We are here to discuss Mr. Potter's past, present, and future care and guardians not your feelings towards him," Jason shot back.
"Mr. Potter must be returned to his relatives so that the protection his Mother
gave him, when she died, can be maintain. As long as he can call the place where his Mother's sister's family lives home, he is safe there," Albus replied.
Jason chuckled.
"Oh, come now Professor Dumbledore, do not try to pull that one on me. I know for a fact that even if there was a tiny bit of love between Mr. Potter and his relatives the protections would have failed when Voldemort used Mr. Potter's blood to regain his body. Mr. Potter is completely safe where he is. It is impossible for anyone to get to him without my knowledge and there are a number of fully trained excellent aurors guarding him."
"And what makes you think you know more than Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"Protective magic is one of my fields of expertise," Jason replied..
"You think you have greater knowledge than the headmaster of Hogwarts, the greatest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world? I think not, you over inflated, pompous arse. Potter is nothing more than a spoiled, self centered, idiotic prat. He has tricked you into removing him from his relatives' home because they refuse to kiss his feet," Severus growled.
"Oh, do keep your tongue behind your teeth and your lips closed. I have no desire to hear the drivel that spills forth from you mouth, like pus from an open, infected wound. Your breath would be much better spent, providing oxygen to the last few live brain cells you possess, to maintain what minuscule intellect you have left."
Snape and Dumbledore gapped at Jason.
"I would extremely enjoy a battle of wits with you, however you are totally and completely unarmed. I also have no desire to be bored to death by your oily voice and unimaginative insults."
"Gentlemen, this bickering will get us no where," Albus interrupted.
"Albus, this blasted imbecile, refuses to see reason. He can not see that he is wrong about Potter like everyone else. That little bastard has everyone wrapped around his little finger," Snape snarled.
Without warning Professor Snape found himself pinned to the wall, his feet dangling over a foot above the floor.
"Hold your tongue you ponce, least you lose it. You have much to answer for," Jason hissed through his clenched teeth.
"Mr. Pendragon, violence will not get us anywhere," Dumbledore said, rising to his feet.
"But it is all this twit understands. You also have much to answer for Dumbledore," Jason replied before releasing Snape.
Severus crashed to the floor as Jason stepped away from him.
"Did you bother to tell Mr. Potter what was in the note addressed to his aunt and uncle? Does he know that you scared the Dursleys into taking him in? How long to you think it will take for Mr. Potter to realize that you had some sway over his relatives all these years and allowed them to treat him as they did?"
Snape stared up at the two wizards as they glared at each other.
"What influences I did or did not have over Mr. And Mrs. Dursley are irrelevant. Harry is safe with his relatives," Albus replied.
"Oh, than you won't mind if I tell him that you or friends of yours, on your instructions, prevented Child Services from intervening or removing him from his relatives because of his physical condition. How many muggles had to have their memories altered to keep Mr. Potter with his relatives? How many charms or potions were used to mask Mr. Potter's clothes and physical condition?"
Dumbledore and Snape glared at Jason as he spoke.
"How much effort did you waste ensuring that Mr. Potter was left with his relatives, despite the obvious neglect he was suffering from?"
"GET OUT!!!!" Snape snarled as he climbed to his feet. "You've had your say. Now tell us where Potter is and we will go get him."
"I will leave when I decide that I am done. Now sit down and shut up!" Jason boomed.
Snape dropped into a chair stunned by the force of Jason's voice.
"How dense are you two? Dumbledore how can you allow this man to verbally abuse three-quarters of his students, while allowing the other quarter to run rampant," Jason growled.
"I allow my professors to have a free hand with their students," Dumbledore replied.
"Even at the expense of the students?! How many students have dropped potions because of the potions professor's attitude? Terrorizing the students is no way to teach. Especially when the majority of the students that do not drop potions are the ones he favors."
"I refuse to teach imbeciles," Snape snarled.
"They are not imbeciles, they are children. Your job is to teach them to make potions, not turn them completely off the subject. You are nothing more than an ignorant arse. And, you Dumbledore are just as ignorant. The two of you, even after five years, have not realized how much Professor Snape's attitude has damaged Mr. Potter."
"Oh, please, not Potter again. Am I cursed to have that brat shoved in my face for the rest of my life. He's as bad as his father. He could not apply himself to learning occlumency and then he invaded my privacy by going into my pensieve," Snape growled.
"Oh shut up you vindictive ponce. You were just as much to blame for what happened during your time as a student here as were Potter, Black, and Lupin. You followed them around trying to them expelled. Not to mention the incident during your O.W.L.s. You were stupid enough to actually place yourself in a position where your nemesis could attack you. And when you went to the Whomping Willow to discover Mr. Lupin's secret, you did so following information you gained from someone you hate, Mr. Black. Another example of your idiocy."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Snape bellowed.
"No, how dare you take out your anger on a boy who was not even born when you and his parents were at Hogwarts. And how dare you assault Mr. Potter during Occlumency lessons meant to help him, not to mention the last five years you have verbally assaulted him during potions classes," Jason snarled.
"It amazes me that the two of you as well as the other professors here have failed to make the connects between Mr. Potter and his poor performance in potions. Not only have you personally sabotaged his efforts repeatedly, you have allowed other students to as well. Which brings us to my next point." Jason paused as he turned his glare on Professor Dumbledore.
"You were so concerned about Riddle trying to possess Mr. Potter that you had this jack ass teach him Occlumency. A bit of common sense and a review of their relationship would have revealed that it would not work. Professor Snape has no patience with anyone but his Slytherins and an abusive streak that has a negative effect on Mr. Potter. Of course we can not forget the one thing no one has bother to examine in the last five years. Mr. Potter's scar and Snape's Dark Mark," Jason said.
"And what in Merlin's name does that brat's scar have to do with my Dark Mark? And how do you know about the Mark?" Snape growled.
"I learned of your Dark Mark From Mr. Potter. Both your Dark Mark and Mr. Potter's scar were given to each of you by the same wizard with the same wand. The scars are connected. Snape's feelings toward Mr. Potter and his long term proximity to Mr. Potter has allowed a very weak connection to become stronger. The connection causes a buzzing in Mr. Potter's head when he is near Professor Snape that becomes louder when Snape becomes agitated, angry, or directs his attention to Mr. Potter. This disrupts Mr. Potter's ability to think and brew potions in class and made it easier for Professor to break into Mr. Potter's mind during the Occlumency lessons."
Dumbledore looked between the two men in his office before placing his head in his hands.
"Therefore wether or not Mr. Potter achieves an O on his potions OWL, he will not be taking advanced potions with you. I have spoken to a potions master that is willing to teach advanced potions to Mr. Potter as well as any other students that passed their potions OWL but did not achieve an O or do not wish to continue potions under Professor Snape," Jason continued.
"You can not do that!" Snape bellowed.
"Yes, I can and did. You will also have a member of the Occlumency Regulatory Commission sitting in on all of your lessons. The person who will be teaching Mr. Potter and the others advanced potions is also a member of the Occlumency Regulatory Commission. I have also found a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for you, Professor Dumbledore," Jason responded.
"Is this person qualified for the position?" Dumbledore asked.
"Exceptionally so. I will send you his resume by owl tonight. I have other business to attend to. I must take my leave," Jason said, turning toward the door.
"May I have this person's name please. I would like to meet him before excepting him as the Defense professor."
"You have already meet him and I will be the new Defense teacher. I will not allow the students to be subjugated to another worthless Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher next year. I will teach the class or the staff at Hogwarts will be drastically changed. I will return later in the holidays to discuss the matter with you privately. Good day." Jason closed the door as he left the headmaster's office.
"You are not going to allow him to teach, are you?" Snape snarled.
"From what I have seen, I may have to. He also seems to be concerned about the students. I will check his resume and talk to him again. The decision is mine Severus and you have no say in the matter. We have a few things to discuss, concerning the last year and Harry, Severus. But, that can wait until tomorrow."
Professor Snape stalked out of the headmaster's office as Albus shook his head and popped a lemon sherbert in his mouth.
TBC...