A/N: This is a very long part, I've split it into two chapters, but I'm
going to post them both now.
Please, read and review.
Samantha
Part 7.
The next morning Harry found it difficult to concentrate in his Transfiguration class. Over breakfast he had told Ron and Hermione about last night, but neither seems too worried about it.
Just as Harry was about to give up on transfiguring his caterpillar into a pencil, Professor McGonagall called to him. "Harry Potter, come over here please."
Zane Porter, a first year Gryffindor student stood beside her. As he walked over to her, she gestured for him to follow her out of the classroom.
She closed the door carefully behind him, and sent Zane back to his class.
"Harry, Professor Dumbledore has sent for you. He wants you to go to his office now, to take part in a meeting with Cornelius Fudge and several others." She said quickly. "Take this note, Professor Said will be along in a moment to collect you."
"Why do I need someone to collect me?" Harry asked her.
"Some of the people who are here for this meeting are... uncertain in their alliances. Dumbledore wants you kept safe."
He nodded, then looked up to see Professor Said walking along the corridor. "All set Harry?" She asked.
Harry looked over at Professor McGonagall once more.
"Make us all proud, Potter." She said, as Harry fell into step beside Professor Said.
As they reached the gargoyle, Professor Said spoke the password, and they were able to walk up the stairs to the Headmaster's office unhindered.
Once at the door the Professor knocked loudly, then entered.
The room was filled with people, some Harry recognised, like Kingsley Shacklebot, Cornelius Fudge, and Dumbledore, while others he'd never seen before, or had the grating feeling that he'd seen them somewhere, but couldn't place their faces.
"May I introduce our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Jaina Said, and Harry Potter." Dumbledore said loudly, gesturing for them to take the two empty seats.
"Is it proper to have Harry Potter here without his parents?" One of the unfamiliar witches asked.
The room became unnaturally silent.
"My parents are dead." Harry reminded her. "The person I considered my guardian was murdered not long ago." He said quietly, his grief evident.
"If need be, Professor Said and I will make any decisions surrounding Harry's welfare at this time." Dumbledore said, quelling any more conversation on the topic.
"Are we all familiar with the purpose of this meeting?" Another witch asked.
Harry shook his head. "I haven't been told."
Cornelius Fudge spoke up. "We want to know how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rose again."
"You mean Voldemort." Harry said his name just to test the reactions of the people in the room, taking note of who winced, and how severely they did so. "I tried to tell you that once before Mr. Fudge. You didn't believe me." Harry said, his voice lacking all emotion.
"I believe you now." Fudge told him.
"That's not good enough." Harry answered. "You're lack of belief almost got me, and many other people killed. As it was it got my godfather killed."
"That's preposterous." Fudge sputtered.
"My godfather was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the Death Eaters who was once imprisoned in, but escaped from Azkaban. Because you didn't listen, didn't relieve the Dementors of their duties, she was freed, and she's still at large. She murdered my godfather." Harry stared up into the Minister's eyes, unconciously probing his mind. "I will not repeat the words spoken to you after the last test of the Triwizard Tournament last year. I believe you still remember them."
The office was strangely silent for several moments. Harry could see tears glittering in Professor Said's eyes.
"I'm very sorry for your loss Harry." One witch said quietly.
"I know you." Harry spoke slowly, trying to remember her face. "Madam Bones, you're Susan Bones' Aunt."
She smiled. "Well remembered."
"I do try to make rules for myself, you know, try not to get expelled too often." Harry's remark caused laughter and smiles in the other adults.
"Harry," Professor Said prodded, "Can you tell us about Voldemort's rising?"
"Cedric and I argued about who should take the cup, to win the tournament. I wanted him to take it, and he wanted me to. We'd helped each other out with other tasks. We took hold of the cup together, to make it a double Hogwarts victory. I was the only one who was supposed to take it." Harry stared at the carpet.
"Why were you the only one who was supposed to take it?" A dark haired wizard asked.
"Bartemius Crouch, the younger one, had been working on it all year. Disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, he turned the cup into a Portkey."
In his mind Harry could still hear Cedric saying, 'Did you know the cup was a Portkey?'.
"Peter Pettigrew, whom the Ministry believes is dead, supposed to have been murdered by Sirius Black, used Avada Kedavra to kill Cedric, on Voldemort's command."
In his head the words 'Kill the spare' resounded.
"Then I was tied up and Peter, my father called him Wormtail when they were friends, because he could turn himself into an Animagus, a rat, cut my arm and took some of my blood. We were in a cemetary, I don't know where, but Voldemort's father was buried there."
"It shouldn't be hard to prove then." One wizard said. "There aren't many wizard cemetaries."
"Voldemort's father was a Muggle. Tom Riddle was his name." Harry told him.
The assembly gasped, looking at each other with shocked expressions.
"I guess you didn't know that." Harry looked at them all, mystified. Then he went on. "To create another body he needed his father's bones, a foe's blood and the flesh of a servant, willingly given. I watched Voldemort rise from the cauldron, I saw his face." Harry closed his eyes, trying to banish the memory from his mind. "He taunted me, then he touched a mark on Wormtail's arm, calling the Death Eaters to him. Some of them came, there were gaps in the line-up where he said some others should have stood. Then Wormtail had me untied. Voldemort wanted to duel with me. Our wands met in Priori Incantatem."
"The reverse spell effect?" One of the wizards asked.
"Both Voldemort's and my wand have phoenix feather cores from Fawkes, the Professor's phoenix. My wand made his echo the last spells performed by his."
"I don't understand." One witch said to him.
"I saw... Professor Dumbledore called them echoes, of Cedric Diggory, Bertha Jorkins, who used to work for the Ministry, a Muggle, and both of my parents. Cedric begged me to take his body back to his parents, mine tried to help me, told me what to do. They told me that when the echoes surrounded Voldemort, I was to pull my wand away and get to the Port Key. I ran to Cedric's body, and summoned the Port Key. We arrived back at Hogwarts, and the younger Bartemius Crouch, impersonating Professor Moody took me into his office. He wanted to know about his Master's uprising, and then wanted to turn me over to him. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall came, they saved me from him. I don't know what happened to Crouch, except that he was given the Dementor's Kiss." Harry fell silent, his face unnaturally pale.
"Harry? Harry?" Dimly he was aware of someone calling his name. He blinked.
"I'm sorry Professor."
"It's all right Harry. Would you like to go to the hospital wing?" Dumbledore asked gently.
Harry shook his head.
"So now we know." Madam Bones sighed. "Now we know, and our children are completely unprotected, and have been for a very long time."
"Susan can hold her own pretty well." Harry told her. "Not many can best her now."
"Your defense group?" Fudge asked.
Harry nodded. "We've been working towards a cause. To protect ourselves and our loved ones. It's amazing what people can accomplish if they are properly motivated."
"What do we do now?" One wizard asked, his voice full of fear.
"You could stop panicking." Everyone looked at Harry. "It was a suggestion. It's more than anyone else offered."
At his words, a thoughtful expression covered Dumbledore's face, with just a hint of a smile.
"We need to find out who his followers are, besides Bellatrix Lestrange." One wizard spoke up.
After that suggestions came thick and fast, from all over the room.
"I move that the Ministry exerts it's authority over the Dementors."
"He'll have a stronghold somewhere, we need to find it."
"What about supplies? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named must be getting supplies."
"We could try to track disappearences, maybe find a pattern, or establish an area."
"He'll be hiding somehwere that we can't find him, maybe using magical interference."
"What makes you think Voldemort's hiding?" Harry asked loudly. "He's not afraid of you."
"Harry is right. Voldemort does not want be found yet, but he is not hiding." Dumbledore said, backing him up. "I believe that he is merely waiting, watching to see what we do about his return."
Please, read and review.
Samantha
Part 7.
The next morning Harry found it difficult to concentrate in his Transfiguration class. Over breakfast he had told Ron and Hermione about last night, but neither seems too worried about it.
Just as Harry was about to give up on transfiguring his caterpillar into a pencil, Professor McGonagall called to him. "Harry Potter, come over here please."
Zane Porter, a first year Gryffindor student stood beside her. As he walked over to her, she gestured for him to follow her out of the classroom.
She closed the door carefully behind him, and sent Zane back to his class.
"Harry, Professor Dumbledore has sent for you. He wants you to go to his office now, to take part in a meeting with Cornelius Fudge and several others." She said quickly. "Take this note, Professor Said will be along in a moment to collect you."
"Why do I need someone to collect me?" Harry asked her.
"Some of the people who are here for this meeting are... uncertain in their alliances. Dumbledore wants you kept safe."
He nodded, then looked up to see Professor Said walking along the corridor. "All set Harry?" She asked.
Harry looked over at Professor McGonagall once more.
"Make us all proud, Potter." She said, as Harry fell into step beside Professor Said.
As they reached the gargoyle, Professor Said spoke the password, and they were able to walk up the stairs to the Headmaster's office unhindered.
Once at the door the Professor knocked loudly, then entered.
The room was filled with people, some Harry recognised, like Kingsley Shacklebot, Cornelius Fudge, and Dumbledore, while others he'd never seen before, or had the grating feeling that he'd seen them somewhere, but couldn't place their faces.
"May I introduce our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Jaina Said, and Harry Potter." Dumbledore said loudly, gesturing for them to take the two empty seats.
"Is it proper to have Harry Potter here without his parents?" One of the unfamiliar witches asked.
The room became unnaturally silent.
"My parents are dead." Harry reminded her. "The person I considered my guardian was murdered not long ago." He said quietly, his grief evident.
"If need be, Professor Said and I will make any decisions surrounding Harry's welfare at this time." Dumbledore said, quelling any more conversation on the topic.
"Are we all familiar with the purpose of this meeting?" Another witch asked.
Harry shook his head. "I haven't been told."
Cornelius Fudge spoke up. "We want to know how He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rose again."
"You mean Voldemort." Harry said his name just to test the reactions of the people in the room, taking note of who winced, and how severely they did so. "I tried to tell you that once before Mr. Fudge. You didn't believe me." Harry said, his voice lacking all emotion.
"I believe you now." Fudge told him.
"That's not good enough." Harry answered. "You're lack of belief almost got me, and many other people killed. As it was it got my godfather killed."
"That's preposterous." Fudge sputtered.
"My godfather was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the Death Eaters who was once imprisoned in, but escaped from Azkaban. Because you didn't listen, didn't relieve the Dementors of their duties, she was freed, and she's still at large. She murdered my godfather." Harry stared up into the Minister's eyes, unconciously probing his mind. "I will not repeat the words spoken to you after the last test of the Triwizard Tournament last year. I believe you still remember them."
The office was strangely silent for several moments. Harry could see tears glittering in Professor Said's eyes.
"I'm very sorry for your loss Harry." One witch said quietly.
"I know you." Harry spoke slowly, trying to remember her face. "Madam Bones, you're Susan Bones' Aunt."
She smiled. "Well remembered."
"I do try to make rules for myself, you know, try not to get expelled too often." Harry's remark caused laughter and smiles in the other adults.
"Harry," Professor Said prodded, "Can you tell us about Voldemort's rising?"
"Cedric and I argued about who should take the cup, to win the tournament. I wanted him to take it, and he wanted me to. We'd helped each other out with other tasks. We took hold of the cup together, to make it a double Hogwarts victory. I was the only one who was supposed to take it." Harry stared at the carpet.
"Why were you the only one who was supposed to take it?" A dark haired wizard asked.
"Bartemius Crouch, the younger one, had been working on it all year. Disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, he turned the cup into a Portkey."
In his mind Harry could still hear Cedric saying, 'Did you know the cup was a Portkey?'.
"Peter Pettigrew, whom the Ministry believes is dead, supposed to have been murdered by Sirius Black, used Avada Kedavra to kill Cedric, on Voldemort's command."
In his head the words 'Kill the spare' resounded.
"Then I was tied up and Peter, my father called him Wormtail when they were friends, because he could turn himself into an Animagus, a rat, cut my arm and took some of my blood. We were in a cemetary, I don't know where, but Voldemort's father was buried there."
"It shouldn't be hard to prove then." One wizard said. "There aren't many wizard cemetaries."
"Voldemort's father was a Muggle. Tom Riddle was his name." Harry told him.
The assembly gasped, looking at each other with shocked expressions.
"I guess you didn't know that." Harry looked at them all, mystified. Then he went on. "To create another body he needed his father's bones, a foe's blood and the flesh of a servant, willingly given. I watched Voldemort rise from the cauldron, I saw his face." Harry closed his eyes, trying to banish the memory from his mind. "He taunted me, then he touched a mark on Wormtail's arm, calling the Death Eaters to him. Some of them came, there were gaps in the line-up where he said some others should have stood. Then Wormtail had me untied. Voldemort wanted to duel with me. Our wands met in Priori Incantatem."
"The reverse spell effect?" One of the wizards asked.
"Both Voldemort's and my wand have phoenix feather cores from Fawkes, the Professor's phoenix. My wand made his echo the last spells performed by his."
"I don't understand." One witch said to him.
"I saw... Professor Dumbledore called them echoes, of Cedric Diggory, Bertha Jorkins, who used to work for the Ministry, a Muggle, and both of my parents. Cedric begged me to take his body back to his parents, mine tried to help me, told me what to do. They told me that when the echoes surrounded Voldemort, I was to pull my wand away and get to the Port Key. I ran to Cedric's body, and summoned the Port Key. We arrived back at Hogwarts, and the younger Bartemius Crouch, impersonating Professor Moody took me into his office. He wanted to know about his Master's uprising, and then wanted to turn me over to him. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall came, they saved me from him. I don't know what happened to Crouch, except that he was given the Dementor's Kiss." Harry fell silent, his face unnaturally pale.
"Harry? Harry?" Dimly he was aware of someone calling his name. He blinked.
"I'm sorry Professor."
"It's all right Harry. Would you like to go to the hospital wing?" Dumbledore asked gently.
Harry shook his head.
"So now we know." Madam Bones sighed. "Now we know, and our children are completely unprotected, and have been for a very long time."
"Susan can hold her own pretty well." Harry told her. "Not many can best her now."
"Your defense group?" Fudge asked.
Harry nodded. "We've been working towards a cause. To protect ourselves and our loved ones. It's amazing what people can accomplish if they are properly motivated."
"What do we do now?" One wizard asked, his voice full of fear.
"You could stop panicking." Everyone looked at Harry. "It was a suggestion. It's more than anyone else offered."
At his words, a thoughtful expression covered Dumbledore's face, with just a hint of a smile.
"We need to find out who his followers are, besides Bellatrix Lestrange." One wizard spoke up.
After that suggestions came thick and fast, from all over the room.
"I move that the Ministry exerts it's authority over the Dementors."
"He'll have a stronghold somewhere, we need to find it."
"What about supplies? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named must be getting supplies."
"We could try to track disappearences, maybe find a pattern, or establish an area."
"He'll be hiding somehwere that we can't find him, maybe using magical interference."
"What makes you think Voldemort's hiding?" Harry asked loudly. "He's not afraid of you."
"Harry is right. Voldemort does not want be found yet, but he is not hiding." Dumbledore said, backing him up. "I believe that he is merely waiting, watching to see what we do about his return."