Disclaimer: HUMANS! This is Lord Letumvis, supreme overlord of the Martian Empire, Leader of the Council of Evil Masterminds, Grand President of the Galaxy and Duke of the inner universe speaking! I would just like to say that I do not, in any way, own Harry Potter. Thank you.
"Speech" "Other Language" 'Thoughts' Parseltongue
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Chapter 8 – Trials and Tribulations
The morning of August 19th came with a lot of excitement and apprehensions in the Burrow. Mrs Weasley was frantically trying to make sure that Harry, Ginny and Ron would be at least presentable in their appearance at the trial, where most of the important people in the wizarding world would be present. Harry had already suffered a fruitless attack from her comb, whilst Ron was currently having the dirt on his nose rubbed off in a very painful manner. Ginny had wisely chosen to disappear from sight.
"I think that is enough Mum" said George, looking at the torture his younger brother was receiving and struggling not to laugh. "He looks presentable."
"Though there is still a patch of dirt in his left ear" added Fred.
Mrs Weasley immediately made to grab Ron, but he broke of. "Mum! I'll be fine!" he said "It's not like anyone will care what I look like!"
"Ron!" she scolded "The entire elite of wizarding society will be there! We can't have you looking like a…"
"Molly dear, we have to get going now" came Mr Weasley to the rescue. "Where is Ginny?"
"I'm right here Dad." Came her voice from the door.
"Right then. Lets get going shall we? Hermione will be waiting for us at the Leaky Cauldron."
"About bloody time" said Ron in a whisper that was unheard by everyone save Harry. "Bye Mum!"
Mrs Weasley engulfed Ron Ginny and Harry in turn. "Now you behave at the ministry, okay?" she asked.
"Yes, and don't forget to tell the minister what a moron he is!" said the twins, who then promptly disappeared to spare themselves a scolding.
"Honestly those two…" said Mrs Weasley.
Mr Weasley picked the floo pot, and soon all 4 of them were travelling through the green flames to the Leaky Cauldron.
Harry got out of the fireplace, priding himself in the fact that he had managed to keep himself from falling. Looking in front of him, he saw that Ron had already met up with Hermione. Behind her he recognized her parents, who were already being assaulted by an exited Arthur Weasley, who was currently in the process of talking about his plug collection.
Soon they left Hermione's parents at the pub and went outside. After following MR Weasley through a series of streets that looked shabbier and shabbier as they went on, they eventually arrived at a street with a pub and an overflowing skip. Mr Weasley walked to a telephone box and opened the door.
"Err…right. This won't fit all of us at once…so Ginny, Hermione, you will be coming with me, and the boys can come on their own. Now watch carefully what I am doing, because you will need to repeat it."
The two girls walked into the box, and Mr Weasley followed, closing the door behind them.
"You need to dial 6-2-4-4-2" he said, dialling the number.
Harry did not hear the woman answering, as there were charms on the box, but he heard Mr Weasley replying
"Arthur Weasley, Hermione Granger and Ginerva Weasley, escorting Harry Potter to hearing at 10:30 in courtroom 10."
Soon, the floor under them moved, and they were taken to the bowels of the earth. The floor of the phone box replaced itself.
"Come on mate, our turn now." Said Ron.
Harry walked in with Ron, and after dialling the correct number heard the crisp and loud female voice sounded as if someone was standing next to him.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."
"Harry Potter, here to attend hearing at courtroom 10 and Ronald Weasley, escort of Harry Potter." Said Harry.
Two silver badges slid out of the chute. Harry put on the one saying Harry Potter, Hearing Witness on him.
"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the atrium"
Soon, the ground sank beneath them, and they went down into the darkness with only a dull grinding noise as their company. Eventually, they came to a halt, and bright light assaulted them, making their eyes water as they tried to adjust.
"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day" said the voice.
They left the booth and went into a large and long hall, with a polished dark wood floor and a blue sealing with inlaid golden symbols that moved around magically. Mr Weasley and the Girls were standing in the middle of the Hall, waiting for them.
"Come along now" said the voice of Mr Weasley. We have lots to do.
They through the crowds and past a large fountain with the golden statues of a wizard, a witch, a centaur a goblin and a house-elf. They eventually came to a halt in front of a security desk.
"Wands please" grunted the wizard, putting down a Daily Prophet that, from what Harry managed to glimpse, was talking about a broomstick pile-up near some muggle town.
The children gave their wands, and the wizard examined them using a strange brass instrument. Finally, after asking about them, he gave them back.
"This way now." said Mr Weasley.
The children followed him through the golden gates that signified the entrance to the ministry, and they eventually reached a hall with about twenty lifts behind wrought golden grilles.
They entered the lift, and Mr Weasley pressed the button representing the 9th floor.
The lift began to descend, until finally a cool female voice said "Department of Mysteries."
"Level 10 is just down here" said Mr Weasley, turning down a set of stairs "The lifts don't go down to it…security reasons from what I understand…"
They came to a halt in front of a heavy dark door with a large iron lock.
"They should be starting in a quarter of an hour" said Mr Weasley, looking at a pocket watch "Let's go take our seats."
They entered the square dark stone dungeon and proceeded to sit at the benches that rose around the centre of the room.
"Over here Harry!" said a voice near them. They turned and saw Neville sitting with his grandmother on one of the benches nearest to the centre of the room.
They sat down next to him, and started talking in whispers. Meanwhile, Mr Weasley began explaining to them about the figures in the room.
"That man over there" he said, pointing to a portly little man "is the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. The one next to him is the senior undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge and the man sitting in the back Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror Office." Then he pointed towards a well-dressed man with a small, neat moustache and straight grey hair. "That is Barty Crouch, the Head of the Department of Law enforcement. He used to be minister a few years back, but some kind of scandal with his son and then his wife dying made him lose a lot of popularity, and Fudge won the last election. He is quite fanatical against dark wizards…he is the one behind all the laws against them. He still has a large base of support in the ministry…and Fudge is worried about that. Crouch tried to send them to Azkaban immediately without a trial, but Fudge intervened. "
'And he will try to use this trial to bring himself back into popularity…which is something that I can use.'
Harry had thought about this trial for the past week, and had studied a lot about the political situation and power-bases within the Wizengemot. Now, he was ready to use the power shifts to get some of his goals accomplished.
"Bring them in" sounded the voice of one of the court members once the appointed time for the trial came.
The door opened, and four dementors came in flanking Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange. They placed the two men onto the chairs in the centre of the room, and the chains immediately bound them.
Crouch stood up, and Harry could see a mixture of hatred and greed in his face.
"You have been brought here in front of the court of magical law, so that we may judge your despicable actions. You are accused of over two decades of dark activity, allegiance with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, repeated use of illegal magics, murder and torture of innocents, including young children, assault, conspiracy for murder, conspiracy to overthrow the ministry, and conspiracy to return your exiled master into power."
"He forgot to add being slimy and ugly gits" whispered Ron from nearby, but was silenced by a glare from Mrs Longbottom.
"How do you plead?" asked one of the judges, peering at them from above the bench.
Rabastan looked nervous, but Rodolphus stared blankly and resignedly at the judge. "The Dark Lord will return, and we who are loyal will be rewarded." he said in a flat, emotionless voice.
The trial then begun, with various witnesses being brought forth, detailing the long and dark path that the Lestranges had followed in their lives. Two decades of dark activity were covered, and evidence was presented. Finally, Neville gave his account of how he was tortured by Lestrange, leaving out certain parts and making it extra tearful after being advised by Harry.
"The court would like to call on Harry James Potter." Said the imperious voice of the head judge.
Harry got up slowly, and walked towards on of the chairs in the centre of the room. He cast a glance at the Lestranges, sporting a sneer, and sat down, facing the Wizengemot.
He gave an account of the ambush, making sure to focus on the torture that Bellatrix gave and the sadistic pleasure she seemed to derive from giving pain. He summarised his duel up to the point that the Aurors arrived.
The court then asked him several questions to double-check his story, and he answered them easily, already bored with the court proceedings. After some time, they came to the part about Bella.
"Now Mr Potter" said Fudge. "Upon examination of Mrs Lestrange's body, we found the cause of her death to be the killing curse, and the two Lestranges and the aurors that were near the scene at the time report that you are the one that cast said illegal curse."
"I do not deny it." Said Harry.
"You do understand that the use of that curse on humans is forbidden." Said the Minister.
"These beings cannot be regarded as Humans!" shouted a wizard next to Mr Crouch, and his remark was met with approval by many of the people around him.
"Silence!" said Fudge. "They may be criminals, but they are humans, and thus the use of unforgivables on them is illegal."
"I don't think so Cornelius." Said the voice of Crouch. "If you remember, the unforgivables may be used against death eaters. I passed the law myself."
"Only by Aurors!" shouted Fudge
Harry sank back in the chair and watched the two politicians battle it out. 'I knew something like this would happen…now I just have to play this part right…and I'll get exactly what I want'
"And, under clause 8 of the Defence Law Against Death Eaters, the wizengemot has may clear any user of said unforgivable curses against death eaters should it be found that it was done in self defence and under circumstances of severe mortal peril." Said Crouch calmly.
"I think Cornelius" said the voice of Albus Dumbledore from behind the stands "That Mr Potter's behaviour can be excused in light of the torture that he and Mr Longbottom endured, and the attempt by the Lestranges to return Lord Voldemort to power."
"The matter shall be put to the vote." Said a woman, which Harry recognized as Amelia Bones.
"Those who think that Mr Potter shouldn't be charged due to clause 8 of the Defence Law Against Death Eaters please raise your hands…"
Harry had the backing of Dumbledore, Crouch and the added bonus of being a close friend and saving the life of the boy-who-lived. So it was not a surprise that apart from some people around Fudge, the majority of the court cleared Harry.
"Mr Potter will not be charged for use of unforgivables." said Mrs Bones.
Harry moved back to his friends as the court started calling on some of the Aurors. Harry could see from the faces in the Wizengemot that today was a victorious day for Crouch, and he could hear some people whispering that he would probably win the next election if he ran for office.
Soon the testimonies finished, and the time came for the court to decide what should be done with the two death eaters. Crouch once again stood up.
"It is now time for the jury to pass its judgement. Those of you who think that think, as I do, that they should be given a life term in Azkaban, please raise your hands."
In unison, the court members raised their hands. The crowds stood up and started clapping, Harry with them, sporting a smug smile.
"Take them away" said Crouch, with a glorious expression.
The dementors glided back in, and led the two prisoners away, while the crowds jeered. Soon, the members of the court stood up, and people started leaving the room.
The group was oddly silent as they moved through the hall on the 10th floor. They were ready to go up to the lifts, when they were stopped by Mr Crouch.
"You did very well there Mr Potter" he said. "I say that we should have no pity for these Dark Wizards…you are a shining example of how we should treat them. You could reach very far Mr Potter…very far indeed. We need young people such as you in the world."
"Thank you Mr Crouch." 'You power-hungry maniac…you're just as bad as Fudge, only less incompetent…which makes you more dangerous…I won't have you heading the government Crouch…and I know just the way to get rid of you…'
"Well, we have to get going Barty." Cut in Mr Weasley. "Busy day today."
"Yes indeed Arthur." He said "I've been meaning to talk to you. Domisworth, from the Committee on Experimental Charms wants to talk to you…says that they found some muggle…fireleg? It has some strange charms on it, they want you to look at the muggle part of the mechanism, see what has been altered."
"Ah…firearms. Well, I'll get to it as soon as possible, thank you Barty."
With those words, they went up the stairs and prepared to turn towards the lifts. Just then, Harry stopped by a large door on the side of the stairs.
"That's the department of mysteries Harry…top secret stuff...can't go in there."
"What do they do in there?" asked Ron
"Nobody knows, that's why it is called the department of mysteries. The ones that work in it are called unspeakables, because they are sworn to secrecy by a magical oath."
They came to one of the lifts, which opened to let them in. A flock of paper airplanes exited the lift.
"Inter-departmental memos…we used to have owls, but they made a right mess of things, droppings everywhere." He said, pressing the button for the Atrium. The doors clanged shut and the lift began to ascend.
They came out to the now almost empty Atrium. The security wizard was hidden behind the daily prophet, and he could see some of the court judges talking to what looked like reporters nearby.
"Come on, it's almost half past one. Let's head over to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch and then we can get your school supplies." Said Mr Weasley, walking towards the visitor's exit.
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They had lunch with Hermione's parents, who had already bought her the school supplies that she needed, as well as a large amount of books for light reading. To rhe dismay of Mr and Mrs Granger, Mr Weasley spent a large amount of lunch asking about the 'felliphone'.
Eventually, they bade goodbye to Hermione and her parents, and went to get school supplies for themselves and for the rest of the Weasley family in Hogwarts.
They first went to Gringotts to get what they needed. Harry was once again ashamed by the amount of wealth he had, compared to the meagre amount that the Weasley's had stored in their vault. They were getting ready to leave when a goblin came to them.
"Mr Potter. Brandok, the manager of the Black estate, would like to speak to you regarding the matter that you discussed two months ago." Said the goblin in Gobbledegook.
"Very well, I shall meet him now." Responded Harry in the same language. He turned to the Weasleys, who were looking at him surprised at his knowledge of the goblin tongue. "I have some business to take care of, it shouldn't take too long, where should I meet you?"
"Erm…we are just going to get some robes, and then we'll be at Ollivander's to get a look at Ginny's wand…are you sure you will be…" Started Mr Weasley, nervous about leaving Harry in the care of the Goblins.
"I'll be fine Mr Weasley, don't worry about me. I'll meet you there." Said Harry, and followed the Goblin to Brandok's office.
"Greetings Mr Potter." Said the dark skinned Goblin.
"Greeting to you as well Brandok. What business is it that requires my presence here?"
"Ahh…Well, we have been investigating what we talked about last time…and we have made some investigations of our own."
"I have heard quite a lot about the quality of your contacts. I trust you have found something."
"Indeed. We have collected quite a lot of proof that supports that Mr Pettigrew was indeed alive after the events that led to Mr Black's incarceration. We have managed to piece together his movements during the first five years after that event, but since then, he has seemingly vanished…we do believe that, at some point, he even came in contact with the Lestranges. His current whereabouts however are unknown." The goblin then passed several documents that gave proof of Wormtail's movements.
"Indeed. I am impressed by these findings Brandok" said Harry while looking over the papers.
"Mr Pettigrew's disappearance however has created some problems…we could give these documents to the Ministry, and if we could secure a trial, we might be able to set him free, but I fear that this will be buried by the bureaucracy."
"I think I may have a solution to that problem Brandok." spoke Harry, hiding a victorious smirk.
"Please do tell me what you have in mind Mr Potter."
"Well, you are aware of the current political tension within the Ministry?"
"I assume you are speaking about the conflict between Mr Crouch and Minister Fudge. We have been watching that rather closely, given that both wizards are likely to make a move against us in their bid for power."
"Yes. Well, as you may be aware, Crouch is the one responsible for my godfather's rather…hasty incarceration and lack of a trial." Began Harry
"And given the surge of popularity that Mr Crouch is likely to gain from the capture of the Lestranges, the Minister will be looking for a way to discredit him" Said the Goblin, completing Harry's thoughts.
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Harry left the bank about half an hour later, having discussed at length with Brandok their plans for Sirius. He made his way down the street and passed the second hand robe shop. Seeing that the Weasley's weren't there, he made his way to Ollivander's. He walked into the shop, seeing only Ginny and Ron and their Father.
"Mr Potter." Said Mr Ollivander, looking at Harry with his Moonlike eyes. "Holly and Phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple….quite an interesting wand that you had…and a most curious one as well."
"Hello Mr Ollivander. Would you happen to have any wand sheaths?" he asked.
"Certainly…I'll just be a moment. Miss Weasley, your wand suits you quite well…you will not be needing a new one." Said the old man, retreating to the back of the shop.
"Hello Harry" said Mr Weasley. "Good thing you came, we had just finished examining Ginny's wand."
"What did the goblins want you for mate?" asked Ron.
"Politics." Said Harry shortly.
"What kind of politics?" asked the red-haired boy.
"Oh you know…planning the next Goblin to overthrow the ministry…trying to get convicts out of Azkaban…just normal stuff."
Ron rolled his eyes and looked outside at the crowds passing the alley.
"What did Ollivander mean by saying your wand was curious?" asked Ginny.
"It is the brother wand to Lord Voldemort." Said Harry, ignoring the shudders that circulated around the red-heads at the mention of the name.
"Blimey, your wand is the brother to you-know-who's?" asked Ron, with his eyes wide.
"I do believe that I just said that." answered Harry. Ollivander chose that moment to return with the wand sheaths.
"Here you are Mr Potter, all of these will fit the length of you wand. They all come equipped with anti-summoning charms." He said, presenting him with a large basket.
Harry picked on made from dragon-hide that would tie around his left wrist.
"That will be 3 galleons Mr Potter."
Harry paid the wand-maker, and then left the shop with the Weasleys.
"How about we all split up." He looked at his wristwatch and noticed it was half past 3. "How about we meet in Flourish and Blotts in about an hour?"
They agreed, and everyone went their separate ways to get their school supplies. Harry turned back towards Gringotts, and he stood for a while, watching the others. He saw Ron captivated by Quidditch Quiality Supplies, and the others were not looking his way, so he quickly ducked into Knockturn alley.
He made his way past the crowds and collected his various supplies at much lower prices than those offered in Diagon Alley. Finally, he came to Borgin and Burkes, the largest establishment on the road.
He entered the shop, and walked towards the counter.
"And what are you doing here?" asked the smooth voice of Mr Borgin.
Harry turned towards the oily-haired man. "Just looking to see if there is anything…unusual that may attract my interest here. I assure you I have enough money to cover any expenses."
"Very well Mr…."
"Potter. Harry Potter." said Harry in a way that was oddly reminiscent of James Bond.
"Well Mr Potter, please refrain from touching or damaging anything." Said MR Borgin, and proceeded to watch Harry like a Hawk.
Harry looked around the shop, until he spotted a withered looking hand.
"Ahh…the Hand of Glory" he said. "What an interesting artefact…how much would it cost?"
"500 Galleons." Said the shop-keeper
"This thing? It would barely be worth 50…not to mention that it was probably acquired illegally, so it should be worth even less than that."
"The Hand of Glory is a Highly prized artefact! It will give light only to the bearer. 400 galleons."
"For this withered hand? Okay, it may be useful for a thief, but I am no thief…100 galleons."
"I will inform you that these are highly sought after! I will make a bargain for you, 300 galleons."
"If you insist that it is so precious, which I doubt, I will give you 200 galleons for it."
"250 galleons Mr Potter, that is my final offer."
"250 galleons it is then." Said Harry, closing the deal.
Just as Mr Borgin was wrapping the withered hand, Draco Malfoy and his father entered the shop.
"Hello Draco, nice to see you." Said Harry.
"Potter…what are you doing here?" asked the blonde boy, sneering.
"None of your business." Answered Harry shortly. "Pleasure doing business with you Mr Borgin." He said, taking the package and walking out of the shop and into the dark alley. Deep in thought.
He could not detect the presence of Riddle's diary on the senior Malfoy when he made a slight magical scan on him. So that meant that either he didn't have it, or he had already gotten rid of it.
He walked with a fast pace towards Flourish and Blotts. Hanging on the door was a sign saying
GILDEROY LOCKHART
Will be signing his autobiography
MAGICAL ME
Today, from 12:30 to 4:30 pm
Harry looked at his pocket-watch. The time was 5 pm. 'Good…we've missed him. Incompetent buffoon.'
"Hello Harry" said a voice nearby.
Harry turned, and saw a readheaded girl standing nearby.
"Hello Ginny. I see we've missed Lockhart….where are the others?"
"They went inside. Did you know that Lockhart is going to be our Defence Against the Dark Professor? That's why we have to buy all his books…if you ask me, they are all a pack of self-promotional lies…" she said.
"You know, he worked as an obliviator….I wouldn't think it unlikely that he has stolen all those stories from people whose memories he has erased."
"Seems likely…but don't let Mom hear you say that…I think she fancies him." Said the girl, suppressing a laugh of mirth.
"She and almost every witch in England." added Harry with a snort "Lets go find the others then."
"You'll never guess who I met." said Harry once they reached Ron.
"Merlin?" asked Ron.
"No, Malfoy. He and his father were shopping in Borgin and Burkes." Answered Harry.
"Did Malfoy buy anything?" Asked Mr Weasley's voice behind him.
"I didn't exactly stay to chat, but I'd expect that he probably wanted to sell, not buy."
"You think he is getting scared eh?" said Mr Weasley in a thoughtful voice. "Wait, what were you doing in Knockturn alley?"
"Shopping" said Harry, while at the same time Ron said "Knockturn alley? Blimey, they never let us go there!"
"And with good reason." added Mr Weasley sternly. "It's a dark place, not safe. You shouldn't go around there Harry."
"It is a good place to get certain things." Said Harry cryptically. "now let's get our books."
The Weasley's had already purchased most of the books from the second hand section of Flourish and Blotts. Harry quickly purchased all the books on his list, withholding a snort of disgust when he picked up Lockhart's books. He then decided to take some other books that would help him, like Most Potente Potions and Magick Moste Evile.
He walked back to Ron and Ginny, only to find Malfoy there.
"How did you pay for those books Weasley? Went out in the streets and begged?" said the sneering voice of the youngest member of the pureblood family.
Before the red-faced Ron could react, Harry had walked up and stood between him and Malfoy.
"Evening Draco. What brings you here on this fine day?" he asked with mock politeness.
"Well if it isn't Potty…I should expect you to go around with blood traitors like the Weasleys…after all, your mother was a mudblood." Said the blonde boy.
Harry made to grab his wand, but before he could do anything, Malfoy had to fall on the floor to avoid a book thrown by a furious Ginny.
"Get lost Malfoy!" she hissed venomously.
"A…another blood traitor. So is this how you managed to buy your books? Selling the youngest Weasley off to Potter?"
In a second, Harry had his wand pointing at Malfoy's throat.
"Want to join your dear aunt Bella in the grave ferret?" he said in a menacing tone that sent shivers down the pureblood boy's spine.
Malfoy made a step back, walking into his father, who had chosen that moment to appear.
"Well…if it isn't Mr Potter…I have heard quite a lot about you…" commented the elder Malfoy.
"Indeed…you could say that I lead a fairly interesting life." answered Harry, sporting an evil grin.
Mr Weasley came near at that moment, and it was not long before he and Lucius Malfoy were exchanging insults. Mr Weasley was red-faced and ready to strike Malfoy with his fists, but Harry stepped in before it was too late.
"I do not think that you should touch that thing Mr Weasley. You might get sick." He said, whilst sensing Malfoy's magic again and finding nothing dark that would signify a Hoxcrux. Though he did notice that the silver serpent-head cane the pureblood carried around had a poisoned dart in it. "Let's go, before they cause a scene to inflate their ego." He said, and they walked on to pay for their books, leaving a livid death eater behind.
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The full moon shone on the waters of the river otter near Ottery St Catchpole. If one could see through the darkness of the night, they would notice a raven haired boy by the river bank.
They would also notice said boy chanting in a unidentifiable tongue, which sounded so deep and unnatural, that it would send shivers down any human being's spine.
But nobody was there to notice, thanks to some well placed notice-me-not charms to keep muggles away and wards to stop the ministry from detecting the large amount of magical activity in the area.
The animals in the forest however had gathered, watching the spectacle transfixed, yet unable to entirely comprehend what was going on.
The light of the moon shone on a liquid-red substance that was arranged in a pentagram around the boy. Upon closer examination, one could see that the substance was blood. As the words of the boy became louder, the pentagram began floating in the air and glowed an eerie red-blue colour.
Suddenly, the boy shouted some arcane words, and a large magical pulse made all the animals flee, unsettled. The pentagram disappeared, and the boy fell onto his knees into the river, visibly tired.
He stayed still like that for almost half an hour and if someone looked they would see a blank, vacant expression in eyes which had momentarily lost their emerald colour and had become pure white. Then, the emerald returned, and the waters around the boy started moving violently.
The water rose into the air, and started swirling around the boy, engulfing him in a typhoon of water, air and magical energy. They slowly began loosing their violence, and eventually settled into a controlled stream around him. After a few minutes, the water cascaded back into the river.
"Well…that was certainly fun…" mumbled an exhausted Harry, as he picked himself of the riverbed and started walking towards the burrow. "Though I feel like I have been run over by a pack of Hippogriffs…"
"Harry?" asked a soft voice nearby.
Harry froze. He turned around slowly only to gaze into the bright brown eyes of Ginny Weasley.
"Hello Ginny." He said smoothly in a dark, alluring voice.
"Wh…What were you doing there?" she asked.
"Releasing some of my magic…I need to train my magical muscle from time to time." Said Harry smoothly. It was a half truth of course, but he wasn't about to reveal that he had used a highly dangerous and unknown blood ritual to increase his core power.
"You were doing magic? It looked...it looked both scary and beautiful at the same time."
"That is the nature of this magic…it has an odd allure, yet it is always mixed with a veiled threat…I had to use both water and lunar magical elements…quite an interesting effect wouldn't you say?"
"You did underage magic? Isn't that illegal Harry? What if you get in trouble?" she asked softly, a hint of worry in her voice.
"The ministry doesn't know…and you won't tell them, will you Ginny?"
"No…I won't. But what you did…I felt a sort of pull towards it…"
"All beings feel an attraction to large concentrations of magical energy…you will feel like this when you come near Hogwarts too…I probably made all the gnomes in the garden come out too. Hear how quiet it is? Every animal is silenced by the energy…the form of the magic is quite similar to that vampires use to charm their victims…it plays on the subconscious, tempting it…" he said in a voice that sounded old and young at the same time, filled with a strange wisdom.
"How can you do that? I have never heard of things like this before." she asked, enthralled.
"I am a very powerful wizard Ginny…potentially more powerful than Dumbledore…I know many things about magic. Though I would appreciate if you didn't exactly spread what I can do around…the press would start hounding me, and many people would probably fear me…"
"Don't worry Harry." She said, smiling. "My lips are sealed. Though I am sure that I might accidentally slip something off to Ron or Hermione if you don't agree with my every whim…" she began with a mischievous grin.
"I am serious Ginny."
"Fine…I won't tell anyone." She pouted. "But only because it's you. And you had better share some of your knowledge when we're at school Mr Potter!"
"Don't worry …when I am done with you, people will tremble in the name of the great and fearsome Ginny Weasley!" 'More than you'll ever know infact.'
"You aren't going to turn me into another version of the twins are you? Because I like some fun, but they take it way too…"
"I will make you into a powerful witch Ginny…don't forget, you are a member of the Shades…I'm taking your training seriously." 'Because after all, you will have a war to fight.'
"Really?" she asked, her eyes filled with an unidentifiable emotion.
"Really."
"Thank you Harry." She smiled.
Meanwhile, several miles to north east, deep under London, the minister's office shone with light.
The ministry was mostly quiet at night-time. There were a few personnel on night shifts, but most ministry workers were either at home, sound asleep, or out making raids.
The minister was at his office, which was strange at this hour. What was even stranger was that he appeared to be intently studying a package of documents in front of him.
Now, minister Fudge was incompetent and lazy, but he was a powerful politician. And the evil grin that was on his face as he was studying the documents would have made his enemies very anxious if they could see it.
Slowly, the Minister stood up, and called his Secretary.
"I think I may just have a way to stop Crouch from gaining power after all. Please send word to Azkaban…I want a prisoner, Sirius Black, delivered here…and make sure no-one hears about this…understood?" He said with a gleam in his eyes.
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