Chapter 13

The anger in Amelia's voice could not be mistaken. "Dumbledore, how dare you? They could have been killed. You had no right to put them in a situation where they could have been killed, captured, or worse. What were you thinking sending them after a killer? How in the world did they find him anyway? What if they had ran into a gang of those killers? I made a promise to myself that I would watch out for Susan after her parents were murdered."

Dumbledore replied, "The fact of the matter is that they conceived the idea, thought of the contingencies, developed a plan and successfully executed it. You knew what Harry was training to do when you requested that Susan be allowed to join in. Within the confines of his knowledge of spells, Harry is training at or above Hit Wizard level. Ten days ago they came to me with their plan and correctly identified where Malfoy could safely be captured. They rehearsed, set up the ambush, acquired some experience, and put a suspected killer into your able custody. Harry is currently at a decision point, considering educational options including an apprenticeship. He specifically inquired if I would consider extending the same opportunity to your Grand-niece. Naturally I wanted to get your approval before making such an offer. Depending on your perspective, the skills that she learns might put her in more danger, or allow her to ably defend herself. Irrespective of her choice, these are very dangerous times."

For the moment, Bones' frustration with Dumbledore has placed on hold. Sensing that, he continued, "On a different subject of equal importance and more urgency, has Malfoy been interrogated?

"No, shall we?"

"I would like to talk with him for ten minutes, the results of which may provide you with some avenues for different questions that you may want answers to."

"Be my guest."

They walked down the different levels to the holding cells area that was not far from the courtrooms. The holding cells were currently nearly full as the prisoners from the Ministry of Magic raid had yet to be tried. They were being held indefinitely. The cells were structured so one prisoner could not see or communicate with another. Draco had been strip searched, and was wearing the Mark on the underside of his left forearm. Currently he was sitting on the cement ledge that also served as a bed wearing only his underpants. The only other object in the room was a two pound coffee tin that served as his stool. Dumbledore initially sat in the interview room, but decided to interview Draco in his cell instead. Kingsley who was reassigned with duty that morning opened the cell door. Amelia sat outside, while Kingsley held his wand on Malfoy to stun him in the event that he moved. Not that such a move was likely. Draco's ankle was attached to the wall with a foot long cable similar to a bicycle lock. Basically he couldn't move.

Dumbledore walked into the cell and conjured himself a small comfortable blue stool to sit on.

"Good morning, Draco. I'm going to ask you a few questions. The answers that you provide will impact your living conditions in the immediate future."

It had not yet occurred to the blond hair young man that he would probably never again walk outside as a free man again. "I don't have to answer your questions Professor."

"That remains to be seen. In the meanwhile, you are the one tethered to a wall wearing your underpants."

Even Draco had to admit that there was little pride in wearing two-day-old underpants. "What do you want to know?"

"How is it that you came to be here?" Dumbledore really wasn't concerned with the answer. He just wanted to get Malfoy talking, so be could begin a mind probe. As Malfoy began his "story" that he had been invited over to the Parkinsons to discuss school matters, Dumbledore began his mind probe. Images of Draco as a Death Eater gushed out. Being initiated last Christmas, his raids, recruiting Crabbe, Goyle, Bulstrode, Flint, Warrington, and Edgecombe. Attempting to recruit Parkinson and Zabini. Passing information onto Snape, plotting and executing the murder of the Dursleys, attending meetings, setting the fires the night at the Grangers. Other images appeared - Malfoy and his crew laughing at Harry and Neville repeatedly being verbally abused by Snape in his classroom. Malfoy manor with its secret rooms and deadly objects. Plans to raid different high profile light side students. Meetings with Delores, Umbridge abusing Harry. Dumbledore'd had enough. Malfoy was still drawling on about the injustice of being picked up without cause. Dumbledore got up and vanished the comfortable stool.

"Thank you Draco. You will likely find that the holding cells here will be your best accommodations for many years to come. I will have your OWL results sent here. Do enjoy your day."

He left the cell and the three of them walked back up the stairs to Amelia's comfortable office. Sipping a cocoa, Dumbledore told them what they he had seen, leaving out the part about Marietta and Malfoy Manor. Draco would be interrogated under Veritaserum relating to the murders of the Dursleys and the seven Aurors who were in the Granger house. The Wizengamot ordered fines would go a long way to emptying the family vault. Dumbledore had other business to attend to and the meeting ended.

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Amelia thought about what had happened. Tonks showed up yesterday afternoon in the holding cell at 4:30 with Malfoy who was still stunned. Dumbledore had made a few points. Harry had been out on a training mission. Her own Auror program wasn't too different, except such a raid would have taken place in second year, and the suspect would usually be someone up for minor offense such as illegal enchantment of a muggle object. While she had little doubt that Tonks had provided the anti-apparation manacles, she had little doubt that Potter had planned the capture. She made up her mind, gathered up the necessary things and apparated off to Grimmauld place.

She was greeted at the door by Dobby. Walking in, she saw the four upstairs learning how to conjure thin slabs of marble. Rather than immediately disrupt the lesson, she decided to watch. The students had each conjured a different width stone and had moved behind Flitwick. He began casting the killing curse at the stones, several of which shattered. She'd seen enough. "Professor Flitwick. What are you doing? Teaching students the unforgivable curses is specifically prohibited under the section for disbursement of illegal charms, section two."

"Auntie, wait. He wasn't teaching us the killing curse, he was showing us how thick of a marble shield that we would need to cast if we were being attacked." The other students nodded in agreement.

Red-faced, she said, "I apologize Professor. I spoke out of turn. Why marble?'

Tiny Flitwick walked over to her with his hand out for her. "Hello Director Bones. We were conjuring marble shields because Mr. Potter had related his encounters with the Death Eaters casting the killing curses at him, and having the curses blocked by marble headstones and limestone objects. As such, we were testing the thickness that would be required to block such a curse. Mr. Potter also had the idea that the marble object could be charmed to be feather light and used like a traditional shield."

Bones was dumfounded. Conventional wisdom held that the killing curse was unblockable, with the only defense being to attempt to dodge it. No one in her memory had ever thought to ask a survivor how they did it.

"Thank you Professor. I'll wait downstairs. I apologize profusely for interrupting your lesson. Please continue." She walked downstairs and went into the library. She could see that each of the teens had set up a study area. She found Susan's and took a look - Apparation, conjuring, advanced charms. It suddenly dawned on her that her Grandniece had studied more this holiday than all of the other holidays combined. She apparently had been given the opportunity to participate in a Wizard's apprentice program. Such an opportunity had not presented itself in her lifetime. She was not a wealthy woman, and wasn't certain what Dumbledore would charge for such an opportunity. She vowed to herself to find the funds to help her take advantage of such a program. A half hour later the five came down. The students each thanked the tiny professor who took his leave and left.

She asked them about the events leading up to the capture yesterday. Susan explained how they wanted some practical practice and the idea of grabbing Malfoy formed. She described the training that they had gone through, the planning, the rehearsals, the actual capture, and finished with telling of being rescued by Harry after being stunned. After several minutes Susan finished. Amelia was both astonished at the change in her Grandniece, and delighted in the confidence with which she spoke.

Harry finally spoke. "Director Bones, if there is blame to be had, it is mine. I wanted to get Malfoy and the others volunteered to help me. He laid his wand down on the table in front of her. If you are here to charge me of a crime, I'm ready to go. The others are blameless."

Amelia smiled at the young leader. "I did not come here to arrest you Harry, rather to congratulate you. Draco is being interrogated as we speak and will be charged with at least a dozen murders by the end of the day. I would like to ask you a few questions in private if you wouldn't mind." The others went into the kitchen to get lunch. There was no transfiguration lesson that day, so they had a few hours off until defense in the afternoon.

Sitting down in one of the comfortable leather chairs, Amelia asked, "What I would like to know is your assessment of the capture. What did you like, what would you do differently, and how did you allow one of your teammates to get hit?"

Harry began. "We didn't know if Malfoy would show up that day, or what time. I was happy with the preparation and the initial insertion. No one saw us until I'd stunned Malfoy and he was being manacled. He was taken away within ten or eleven seconds after being hit. Where we could have done better was to have left without waiting for the second team to run over. Mr. Parkinson probably thought his house was being attacked. We were there about five seconds longer than we needed to be. I saw Susan get stunned and rushed to pick her up. We left immediately afterward. I took her to her room, and a healer that we'd hired was stationed here in case anyone had gotten hurt immediately attended her to. So to answer your second question, I'll practice exiting faster."

To say that she was impressed would have been a serious understatement. "What would you have done if something had gone wrong?"

"We had your telephone number ready to call on our cellular telephone if we needed assistance. We had agreed beforehand to leave immediately if Malfoy was not alone. What we didn't know was if he had planned to come to the front or the back door. I guessed that he would come to the back door because the back garden is more secluded than the front yard."

Amelia was satisfied. Her own Aurors had been unable to locate Malfoy in two weeks of searching, and she doubted that many would have conceived, let alone executed a better plan. "What can I do to help you Mr. Potter?"

This was not a question that Harry had expected to hear from the Director of Magical Law enforcement. "Perhaps if you have any training manuals ma'am. I don't know if it would be possible to get apparation learner permits for Susan, Hermione and Ginny, but that would be very useful. Also, if we could use the three sets of apparation manacles, it would be less of an imposition on Auror Tonks."

"Have you considered any type of body armor?"

Harry smiled and unbuttoned his shirt showing Amelia his vest. "I bought these for everyone. I didn't think to get matching pants or headgear. I'll take care of that this afternoon."

Bones was amazed. Her own department didn't have body armor anywhere near this good. "Harry, that's quite expensive."

"Not really ma'am. They were two thousand each. We picked out horntail because it offered the most protection."

"Thank you Harry. Thank you for taking Susan into your home, and providing her with this opportunity. Thank you for taking such good care of her. Professor Dumbledore mentioned the apprentice program this September. Would he really accept Susan into it?"

"I specifically requested that he offer her the opportunity. I have agreed to fund any charges incurred for myself, Ginny, Hermione and Susan including tuition should they decide to join. I don't think that the Professor has mentioned it to any of them yet. There are a few more things that would be useful Director if they would be possible?"

"Ask away Harry."

"First, I inherited some muggle weapons. I don't know if I need a permit for them, but I'd like to learn how to use them. Second please don't mention our names in connection to Malfoy or Pettigrew, finally please don't take any action against Tonks. She may have bent a few rules in helping…"

"Stop Harry." Amelia was smiling. "Auror Tonks will most likely be promoted for the unaided capture of two known killers. Show me your weapons, and I will have a permit approved this afternoon. Please be very careful with them. I'll send an instructor over next week. Finally, I wonder if the four of you would be willing to accompany me for dinner this evening. I know that you have all been working hard, and don't get out that much. Would six be too early?"

"No. What should we wear?"

"Your choice – wizard or muggle?"

"I can't speak for Susan, but Hermione and Ginny would probably prefer wizarding."

"Wonderful. School robes or something nicer would do fine. I will come for you at six. Please tell the others."

"Thank you Director."

"Amelia, Harry." She took a set of Auror manuals out of her bag and resized them. She said, "I have one last request for you Harry."

"Anything."

"I know that Susan really looks up to you. Please continue to take good care of her. It's rarely wrong to leave a fight that you aren't likely to win. You can always return another time."

"I'll remember that. Thanks again for everything. We'll see you at six."

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Five hours later and one quick trip to Malkin's for Susan accompanied by Tonks, they were all ready. Susan had picked out a set of scarlet red robes that looked fantastic on her. Ginny wore a set of laced black robes that she looked fabulous in. Hermione had a set of ice blue robes that looked great on her. The women had spent time fixing their hair and all looked very pretty.

Seeing the teens dressed up, Dan asked them where they were going. Susan replied that that her Auntie was taking them out to a wizarding restaurant for dinner. At five to six, Amelia knocked on the door. Dobby let her in. She smiled when she saw the teens. They looked like four teens going to prom. Emma had taken several photos of them together. They held onto the coathanger that Amelia had created for a portkey. An instant later they were outside Spectators in Nott County. They were shown to their table. The view from their table was enchanted to change every five minutes or so from ocean beachfront to rainforest to Paris sidewalk. The music was entertaining without being too loud for conversation. Harry was talked into taking each of the women out for a dance or two each. Harry took Susan first. She was having a great time and gently guided Harry along the dance floor. He thanked her and asked Amelia next. She was a very good dancer and thanked Harry for making certain that Susan had a lovely set of robes to wear. Embarrassed, Harry told her that shopping seemed to be one of the favorite activities of all of his house guests. She asked him when Dumbledore was planning on mentioning the apprentice program. Harry told her probably by the end of the month. As they were dancing, Hermione visited with Harry, and told him that he looked really great in his black robes with emerald green trim. She thanked him for a lovely time. When Harry was dancing with Ginny, he told her that she looked fantastic. As always, Ginny smelled great. After four dances, dinner arrived. Their tastes were as varied as they were. Harry ordered a steak and potatoes, Amelia ordered Asian, Hermione ordered French, Ginny ordered American, and Susan ordered seafood.

During dinner Amelia talked with them about the importance of being careful in their fieldtrips. Hermione pointed out that her own home had been the most dangerous place in the wizarding world that summer, and was grateful to be getting the opportunity to protect her family and make a difference. They asked about Malfoy. Amelia told them that based on the interrogations, there would be more arrests. Malfoy was being charged with his involvement in twelve murders and the destruction of Hermione's home. His trial would be scheduled sometime in August. His arrest would not be announced until the other suspects had been picked up.

After desert, they enjoyed the music for a while. Ginny asked Harry to dance with her again. "What's on your mind Harry?"

Harry, who had been thinking about the apprentice program, came up with an acceptable answer, "How delicious you look this evening, Miss Weasley."

"That's better. You look pretty nice yourself Mr. Potter. You clean up quite nicely."

"Thanks."

"When we get back, can we talk about that's on your mind?"

Harry nodded. The dance was over, and it was time to return home. They all thanked Amelia for a great dinner and a fantastic evening.

At ten Ginny came in to see Harry. He was reading one of the Auror guides that Amelia had given him on escape techniques. Seeing Ginny, he put the book away and called her over to sit in front of the fireplace with him. They sat there for a few minutes when there was a soft knock on the door. Susan and Hermione were there sleeping bags in hand. Ginny invited them in and they sat and visited for a few hours until the drifted off in front of the warm fire.

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On Sunday, Dumbledore returned with Amelia, Molly and Arthur. He explained the apprenticeship program to them as well as the Grangers. The Weasleys were amazed at the opportunity, understanding that an apprentice program with a master wizard such as Dumbledore had not been offered in their lifetime. The Grangers may have thought that the program sounded quaint, but did not express the opinion.

When asked what was next, Dumbledore replied that Harry knew of the program and with their permission, Dumbledore would discuss the specifics of the program with the teens on Wednesday afternoon. Amelia and the Weasleys agreed immediately. The Grangers asked if they would still take the NEWT examinations, and if the teens would still have the same post graduate opportunities. Amelia replied that it would be the equivalent as if Albert Einstein had offered to teach their daughter mathematics and physics. Dumbledore replied, "I am aware of your daughter's profound intelligence. Were she to apply to Oxford or one of the wizarding postgraduate programs, I promise you that she would be admitted regardless of her decision. In each of their cases, they will need to evaluate whether the content of the proposed program will in fact meet their individual needs and wishes. Molly and Arthur, in Ginny's case, she would finish her schooling a year early. To keep things documented, she will be eligible to take her OWLs in the fall. Given that she started school somewhat late, this would be an opportunity for her to graduate with her year." Seeing the Grangers puzzled looks, Molly explained that Ginny had been born several months prematurely, and had taken several years to catch up. As such, she started school older for her grade.

The Weasleys looked in on the class that was in session. Minerva was showing them how to transfigure metal objects. Arthur commented that the large metal plates seemed a bit advanced for class, but they looked very pleased at the results. The teens saw Ginny's parents at the doorway and walked over to greet them. Molly gave each of the teens a hug and Arthur shook their hands.

Harry invited them to stay for lunch. They told them about their studies, omitting the Malfoy capture. Ginny announced that they would be going for their apparation testing the next day. Molly was amazed at the progress that the four had made. Harry and Hermione asked about Ron, Luna, and the other Weasleys. They still had not reached reconciliation with Percy. Ron was spending his time practicing Quidditch with Luna.

After lunch, Tonks took them to Diagon Alley where they were measured for their dragon hide pants, and hats. The pants would look like fitted leather pants, while the headwear would look like the old style aviator wear. Harry thought that the women looked very good in their leather pants. Tonks wondered why the department did not have budget for such high quality protective gear.

That evening Tonks and Ginny sat with Harry as he practiced his morph. Harry was able to change his height several inches and appear to add three stone (about 42 pounds) in mass. After that he changed his hair to shoulder length light brown. Aside from the thin scar on his forehead, there was very little resemblance to the teen who she'd had lunch with.

Dumbledore came by the next day for their defense lesson. He showed them how to strengthen their shields and gave them several new defensive spells to learn. At the end of the lesson he asked them if any of them knew Marietta Edgecombe.

They all said that they did. Dumbledore said, "Good. She'll be your next practical exercise."

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Wednesday morning Dumbledore came over. Dobby and Winky placed an extra setting at the table for him. He asked Remus he'd had a chance to look at the plate metal that they'd transfigured earlier in the week. Remus said that he had, and only two of the plated had to be remade. After breakfast, Tonks took the Grangers back to the construction site. Their home had been framed, and the windows would go in that week.

Dumbledore and Remus levitated the plates into the cellar and began placing them. Susan and Hermione went down to see what the noise was. Dumbledore explained that the plates were being used as a backstop for a shooting range, and the ductwork was for ventilation.

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