DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Tilly Jeanne: You were close. :grin:

All: I was planning on editing this chapter tomorrow, but wow 7 reviews in a few hours, I figured I owed it to you all now.

Chapter 35

The Wonderful Wizards at Hogwarts

Harry and Professor McGonagall spent the next two and a half hours in an amiable if tense silence. Harry had nothing to do but stew in his thoughts. He was having difficulty believing that he hadn't even made it to Hogwarts before being singled out, yet again. Though the more he thought about it, he realized it should have been expected. No way was Dumbledore going to give up that easily and let Harry run his own life.

Had he not been so wrapped up in his thoughts, Harry would have realized the sly glances that McGonagall kept giving him. She was amazed at the changes in Harry. He seemed relaxed and confident, something she had not seen since before the Triwizard Tournament. For the first time since he had come to Hogwarts, he was dressed in appropriately sized muggle clothing rather then the whale sized rags he was constantly wearing. Also, this was the first time he had returned to Hogwarts looking fit and taken care of. He actually seemed healthy, filled out and a bit taller then when she had seen him last. Regardless of what had occurred this summer, it had certainly been good for Harry.

When they arrived at the castle, McGonagall hurried Harry into a carriage that was waiting right at the station exit for them. He didn't even get to see his friends exit the train before he was bound for the castle. Harry felt a pang of grief when he saw the Thestrals. He missed Sirius. All in all this year was not turning out to be any better then last year and he hadn't even made it to the castle yet.

As soon as the carriage stopped McGonagall ushered Harry past the double oak front doors into the Entrance Hall. Just as quickly, she escorted him up to Dumbledore's office. They were at the stone gargoyle within minutes.

"Fizzing Whizzbee," said McGonagall and the stone gargoyle jumped aside. The wall behind it split open. He entered but Harry stopped dead at the bottom of the spiral staircase. He could hear a man screeching louder a barn yard owl. "I demand that you do something about this immediately. I will not have him running amuck making wily nily statements to the public…"

McGonagall gave him a nudge in order to get him to move up the rest of the staircase. She rapped with the griffin knocker then entered pulling Harry along will her. The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk; his expression was serene although the frown line in his forehead was quite pronounced. Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, was trembling with rage and pacing backwards and forwards like a caged tiger, apparently immensely displeased with the situation. Dawlish and another auror, Harry presumed, with short dark hair he did not recognize, were standing on the sidelines. Percy Weasley stayed close to Fudge just waiting to be of service. Harry couldn't help but wonder how he gracefully managed not to get trampled on by the minister. Perhaps, some of the Weasley quidditch genes were buried in Percy after all. Even the portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses were alert and watching.

Before Harry even entered the office fully, Fudge was raging at him. "How dare you boy? Who do you think you are? Questioning the Ministry … telling far fetched lies … It was bad enough with the Sirius Black thing and the tournament… this must stop…"

McGonagall and Dumbledore cringed at the fury and outright hatred plastered across Harry's face. Dumbledore sent Harry a warning look, but that only seemed to enrage Harry further.

"You're lucky that the Ministry only gave you a warning regarding that magic use …" Fudge continued unaware.

"Lucky public opinion sided with me, more likely," Harry muttered angrily.

"What was that speak up, boy!"

"I said, No, I was lucky public opinion sided with me. So tell me, Minister," Harry sneered. "Made any headway in getting the underage magic statute repealed? Allowing students to defend themselves?"

"There has always been an exemption for defense," Fudge snapped.

"Unless the Ministry are the ones who initiate the dementor attack in the first place or is it just if the minister doesn't like you, that you face the full Wizengamot Court."

Fudge turned purple in rage, "I am the Minister of Magic, how dare you insult me?"

Harry just snorted. Dumbledore and McGonagall were glaring at him but surprisingly Dumbledore didn't interrupt. "Potter." McGonagall warned when she realized that Albus was not going to correct Harry.

"Dumbledore," Fudge spat. "It is obvious you can do nothing to deter him. I demand you call this boy's guardian here immediately, Patricia is it?"

"Petunia," Dumbledore corrected absentmindedly. "However, there might be a bit of difficulty with that at the moment."

"I don't care what she is doing; you tell her she needs to be here to answer for her charge."

Dumbledore's face seemed a bit drawn. "You see, Cornelius, young Harry here petitioned for a change of guardianship in the muggle world. It was granted."

Fudge sputtered, "H-he what?"

"Yes, it seems Mr. Potter here has been quite active this holiday."

"Well, get Arthur here then…someone needs to deal with this boy's disrespect for authority."

"Arthur?" McGonagall asked while Percy paled. The last thing he needed was his family even more involved with Harry Potter.

"Yes, certainly it was the Weatherbee's who got custody."

Harry's laugh interrupted the conversation. "It's Weasley, sir." He sneered. "Your assistant there used to be on of them and Arthur Weasley is a department head, one would think you could get it right."

Fudge sputtered incoherently while Harry continued. "Besides, my guardian isn't him. Though I have to admit I'm having second thoughts now, I'd have loved to seen Aunt Petunia's face if you had brought her here."

Everyone gasped at his audacity. Harry chuckled. "Come on, with the way the Dursleys treated me, with the way YOU ALL have treated me," looking directly at Dumbledore, "You deserve no respect from me or my guardian."

Fudge glared at Harry as though an Avada Kedavra could shoot from his eyes. "Well, then who is it, boy?"

Harry smiled smugly. "Remus … Remus Lupin."

Fudge looked fiercely at Dumbledore. "How could you let this happen?"

Dumbledore smiled for the first time that evening. "Well, Cornelius, as you and even Mr. Potter here, have seen fit to inform me, unless it is education related it is not my concern. I see little I could have done to stop it. It is the Ministry that typically handles these types of things is it not…"

Fudge looked smug. "Then we'll simply have him declared as a ward of the Ministry."

Harry walked straight up to Fudge leaving but an inch between them. This got the Aurors attention as they tried to flank Fudge. Harry noted with satisfaction that aurors present or not, Fudge flinched.

"You do that and I'll leave the wizarding world forever." He turned to face Dumbledore, "And I do mean forever. By the time Voldemort got to me, I'm sure there would be no Ministry or Hogwarts to worry about."

Harry almost laughed at Fudge for flinching. "Oh for Merlin's sake, it's a name…"

Harry felt a tingling in his mind and realized Dumbledore was using Legilimency on him. He slammed his blocks into place but did allow Dumbledore to discern that he was telling the truth. He wanted no mistake about this and did not want to be cornered by the Headmaster every so often. This needed to be ended now.

"Do we understand each other, sir?" Harry sneered.

Dumbledore nodded, trying to contain his surprise at both the bitterness and meaning of Harry's words. Meanwhile, Fudge was blabbing endlessly in the background, demanding to know why he should care that Potter would leave the Wizarding world?

"Cornelius," Dumbledore spoke trying to salve this conversation. "Imagine what the public would say if they believed you ran the Boy-Who-Lived out of his school and the wizarding world all together."

Harry chuckled, "Yeah, as Professor McGonagall said earlier, Like it or not I'm a symbol in the wizarding world. Pretty popular at the moment too, if my mail slip up this summer was any indication…"

Fudge sputtered. "This isn't over!" he shouted as he stormed out of the office. The aurors and Percy had to run to keep up with the Minster.

Dumbledore sighed and rested back in his chair. He looked at Harry pointedly. "So this is how it is to be between us, Harry?"

"Only if you try to interfere in my personal affairs, Professor." Harry retorted.

McGonagall gasped; somehow more offended that Harry would speak this way to the headmaster then the way he spoke to the minister. "Mr. Potter," she cried indignantly.

"It is alright Minerva, I suppose I deserved that."

"Harry placed a piece of parchmant directly in front of Dumbledore. "Yes, sir, you did."

"Very well, Harry. I will try to win back you trust. But for now, we have a feast we are very late for."

Harry suppressed a snort and headed out of the office.

As soon as the gargoyle closed, Minerva spoke. "Albus, what is wrong with the boy? He seemed fine, if not a bit annoyed at being babysat but nothing like … like this."

Dumbledore handed her the parchment. "Mr. Potter has a great many things to be angry about at the moment. We shall give him some time to heal. Come Minerva, let us get to the feast before there is not any feast to attend."

She glanced down at the parchment and discerned it was the Potter's will. She also noted the guardian section. "Oh Albus," she sighed. "I told you about those muggles. How could you?"