DISCLAIMER! This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy. New Movie is coming in April! Hurrah! Yeah, for Fanfiction – a great place to stretch your imagination and enjoy someone else's creativity too! This is the sequel to The Potter Cartouche.
Chapter 35 Chink in His ArmorOnce regular examinations and OWLs and NEWTs were complete, Headmaster Bennet and the heads of the four houses met with each student (family) to discuss if they wanted to remain at Hogwarts over the summer.
"Can I stay even if Dad says I have to come home?" asked a young witch from Slytherin. Professor Sinistra and Professor Flitwick paid a call on this household and the young witch was allowed to remain at Hogwarts without any questions from her mother and father.
"My little brother and sister need me…our mum's gone and there's just house-elves at the house to keep them fed and clean." In this instance, Hogwarts elves were sent to investigate and report back to Professor Sprout who activated the Hufflepuff network. The younger brother and sister and their father were welcomed to Hogwarts for the summer.
"Because of the tension in Magical Britain this spring, I expect it to be a contentious summer. Therefore Hogwarts invites you to remain for the summer. Yes, there would be some classes, and quidditch. There would be arts and crafts (magical and mundane), and time just to laze around Black Lake. There would be no visitors allowed anywhere near the castle (powerful wards in place to prevent any visitors). No, there would be no visits to Hogsmeade, but yes, your parents and other siblings could come to Hogwarts if they would agree to stay at least through the end of August."
When the interviews and discussions with parents were complete, the few students who chose to return home were taken home by professors using apparition, the floo, or portkeys. Arthur and Molly Weasley argued about leaving their children at Hogwarts over the summer and waited until the very last minute to decide.
The first day of 'summer vacation', Augusta revealed to her grandson and his friend that the healers at Saint Mungo's who poisoned Frank and Alice were a Huddleston wizard and a Weasley witch. She sent a letter to Arthur Weasley demanding to know his position on the murder of her son and daughter-in-law immediately. Her threat of a blood feud meant that Mr Weasley would have to respond the same day.
In the Gryffindor Common Room, Neville handed a copy of his grandmother's letter to Ron and said, "Read this."
Not interested, Ron refused, so Ginny took the letter and grew pale when she finished reading it. She said, "Neville, I'm so sorry. I can't believe this…how could this cousin have done something so cruel? Fred! George! Come here and read this!"
Neville moved to the other side of the room and sat in a chair with Harry standing beside him. Fred and George crossed the Common Room now and took the letter. Once they read the letter, one twin ran from the room. The other used his wand to put a privacy spell that allowed him to speak to Ron and Ginny without anyone hearing them. Harry watched dispassionately as Fred tried to talk to Ron about the contents of the letter. The privacy charm failed as Fred shouted, "You better care! You're the heir and if there's a feud, you die first!"
"What?" shouted Ron. "No one – not even bloody Harry Potter himself – can touch me! Like you said, I'm the heir."
"Idiot! Harry's an heir! Neville was the heir of Longbottom and now he's a lord! You think you can stand up to a lord and an heir!"
"You'll help me! You have to!" Ron demanded.
Exasperated Fred stated, "I am trying to help you now!"
George, the twin who ran from the Common Room returned with Professor Carter, the head of Gryffindor house. Carter had his wand drawn as he approached the Wesley children.
"Misters Weasley and Miss Weasley, I suggest you back your trunks immediately. You'll be leaving Hogwarts within the hour."
"What? Why?" asked Ron.
"Your father is at home waiting for you to come through the floo now. If Lady Longbottom declares blood feud while you're here at Hogwarts, Neville will kill every one of you without hesitation," Carter explained. "Your cousin poisoned his mother and father."
"The squib can't touch us!" Ron declared, dismissing any threat from Neville Longbottom. From his seat across the room, Neville cast the expelliarmus spell and took the wands of all four Weasleys.
Then Ron squealed when a stinging hex hit his posterior, and demanded to know, "Who did that?"
Neville stood, stepped closer, threw the four wands on the floor, and said, "Without a moment's hesitation, I'd destroy everyone with the name Weasley for the death of my mother and father. They were poisoned with a modified Venomous Tentacula potion that left them in agony while Healer Weasley – your cousin – helped hold my grandmother under a petrification spell and made her watch. My only decision would be if I should I kill you quickly or should I torture you for an hour?"
"Home!" Ron shouted. "I want to go home, now!"
House-elves delivered the Weasley trunks to Professor Carter who handed each trunk to the Weasley student, and then led them from the room, his wand out the entire time. The four students vanished through the floo in Carter's office.
In another office, the family of Lavender Brown came through the floo in Pomona Sprout's office. They were escorted to clean rooms away from the hallways used each day. Lavender never knew her parents were here until after the last day of school. In yet more rooms, Headmaster Bennet housed Percy Weasley and his fiancé, Penny Clearwater, and her mother. (This was secret from the Deputy Headmistress and from Arthur and Molly Weasley). Penny's father, an Unspeakable remained at the family home and continued to go to the Ministry every day. The Abbot family occupied another set of rooms. His employees were all furloughed (with pay) for the duration of the emergency. Goblins used portkeys to go to Abbot Potion Labs (now under a fidelius charm) to package potion ingredients for shipment through Gringotts.
That last week of school, Marietta Edgecombe was very quiet, and Professor Flitwick protected her from her pureblood allies who had turned against her. Her father and mother disowned the Marchbanks side of the family. Mr Edgecombe kicked his wife's relatives out of the house and then disowned them. Going home to be with her parents for the summer, Marietta cried because she lost her grandparents but agreed her great-grandmother and great uncle were crazy. She returned home to her parents wanting to get away from Hogwarts for the summer.
CHANGE SCENE: Hostages to Bring out HarryIn those frantic last days of June 1995, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore vanished from Hogwarts. His old office would not open even for Headmaster Bennet, and when asked, the house-elves replied, "Whiskers closed his office and lefts through floo."
Lady Hogwarts refused to comment on the old wizard's location or condition and Headmaster Bennet filed a missing wizard report with the DMLE. Auror Proudfoot and Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt were permitted entry through the front gate, though Minister Diggory and four other Aurors remained locked out of the castle.
"There are reports of missing children this summer," Proudfoot commented casually.
"Really? Reports from their families or nosey neighbours?" asked Headmaster Bennet. Neither Auror commented and when Shacklebolt tried to slip away, the ghosts in the castle appeared in front of him and told him to remain where Headmaster Bennet could protect him.
"Protect me?" asked Shacklebolt. "From whom?"
The Baron grinned and said, "Angry ghosts, mischievous kneazles, spoiled potions falling from the rafters, poltergeists, unhappy house-elves…the list is endless this summer."
Unable to snoop around, Shacklebolt also found Professor Filius Flitwick at the back of the hallway watching his every move. Auror Proudfoot took all the information regarding the missing headmaster emeritus though Bennet denied any knowledge of Dumbledore's birthday, birthplace, or the wizard's plans for his retirement which were to begin in just three or four days.
"Dumbledore never shared any plans with me, Deputy Headmistress Longbottom, or other members of the staff," Bennet said.
When they came to the gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's office, Proudfoot asked, "Why didn't you use this office this year? I understand your office and quarters are just off the landing of the first floor."
Charles Bennet replied, "I believe the headmaster of a school must be available to all the students and staff without difficulty. Especially in a year of transition."
The three wizards were surprized when the gargoyle leapt aside, and the stairs rotated. Moving forward – with his wand drawn – Bennet hurried up the moving staircase calling out for Headmaster Emeritus Dumbledore to reply. When they arrived in Dumbledore's old office, they found the portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses all awake and trying to talk at once. Bennet noticed immediately that all the headmaster's personal belongings were packed in boxes but still present on the floor of the office. Shacklebolt stepped around Bennet and Proudfoot to hurry up the staircase to the private chambers above. He returned after just a few minutes to report, "All his clothes…his robes…are packed to be moved along with his hats and shoes. But everything is still here."
Bennet was silent as he checked with the wards and floo records in his mind, "The floo here was activated going out on 26 June, the day after the last examinations. But there's no clue as to his destination."
"I'll tell you where that old wizard went," announced Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black. Bennet and the Aurors noticed that none of the other portraits protested.
"He went to visit with Griselda Marchbanks. She wanted to talk to him about Harry Potter," reported the portrait of Headmaster Black. "Dumbledore was so far into his dotage he didn't realize he was being played by the purebloods."
"You're a pureblood!" argued Proudfoot.
"I was a pureblood back when that meant more than torturing mudbloods and muggles," Phineas replied. "This stupid version of Pureblood Britain must be burned away. Then perhaps, like the phoenix, it can be reborn in a new, stronger form."
Without any more discussion, Proudfoot and Shacklebolt walked out of the castle with the new headmaster following behind them, his wand still in his hand. The two Aurors noticed that the headmaster followed them all the way to the gate and closed it behind them. They felt the full weight of the wards fall into place as Hogwarts vanished from their view.
SCENE CHANGE: BaitJust after noon the next day, a group of purebloods appeared in Hogsmeade on the side of the village facing Hogwarts. They (their elves) erected a stake about eight feet tall in the middle of the street and then chained Dumbledore to the stake. The elderly wizard was left to hang from the chains with his arms above his head but his feet were on the ground. It was almost two o'clock before Headmaster Bennet and the faculty learned about the hostage in the village. Observing the scene with omnioculars from the parapets along the roof line, Bennet, Carter, and Flitwick decided the figure tied to the stake did look like Dumbledore.
"The old man can't stand there for hours like that," Carter stated.
Bennet shook his head, "My authority doesn't extend beyond the wards."
"Let me go and retrieve the headmaster emeritus," Flitwick said. "I can fly in, leave the broom, grab Albus and apparate back to the gates."
"There are fifty wizards and witches down there. They're not going to hesitate to fire spells at you."
"Let me ask a friend to loan me a ring," Flitwick said. "They won't be able to touch me."
"And don't fire any spells at them!" Carter warned. "This is another trap and if you fire any spells and hit a pureblood, they'll demand the DMLE arrest you."
"And I'd be in Azkaban before sunset."
"Or dead."
Harry was glad to loan Professor Flitwick one of his rings for the surround shield. From the front door, Flitwick took off using one of the school brooms and made a cautious approach to Hogsmeade. The local villagers were protesting the use of their square to 'torture' Dumbledore, and they kept many of the purebloods occupied with an exchange of spells. Reporters from the Daily Prophet moved through the crowd and interviewed the people of Hogsmeade. There were three photographers, with one riding a broom overhead. Everyone's attention turned toward the figure approaching from Hogwarts.
Several purebloods cursed when the figure was close enough to determine that it was not Harry Potter approaching.
"Potter's not coming to rescue Dumbledore!" shouted one reporter. People in the crowd reminded the witch that Potter was only fourteen and there were multiple, qualified wizards and witches in the castle.
"Aurors, if he fires on a pureblood, you better arrest him!" shouted Lord Marchbanks, in the purebloods.
The half-goblin swooped in close, and a barrage of spells began but the ring provided by Harry Potter absorbed or deflected every spell. Filius Flitwick did not cast a single spell at the purebloods though he did sneer at the three Aurors who were on duty in the village to observe the 'fight'. Once Flitwick was close to the hostage, several purebloods tried to run forward but the shield kept them away and unable to see what the half-human was doing.
Flitwick left the broom behind and apparated Dumbledore back to the gates of Hogwarts. One pureblood grabbed the abandoned broom and flew toward Hogwarts but when he arrived outside the gates, they were closed with the two figures surrounded by Headmaster Bennet and the other staff members. The photographer on the broom followed making photographs of the key moments.
Inside the wards of Hogwarts, Bennet pulled his wand and held it ready to cast at the figure of Dumbledore. Flitwick watched carefully as the castle held Dumbledore petrified, took three wands, two knives, and four portkeys from the wizard's body, and finally floated a flask from a hidden pocket in his robes.
"It's Polyjuice," announced Professor XXX, once she opened the flask and sniffed the contents.
Bennet called the photographer to land and through the open gate, the wizard was allowed to make photographs of the figure of Albus Dumbledore as the Polyjuice wore off (compliments of a spell from Professor Bennet). The figure of Dumbledore was revealed to actually be Marcus Flint, a graduate of Hogwarts from just over a year ago.
Marcus was forced to walk back to Hogsmeade in Dumbledore's outrageous robes while the photographer apparated back to his office to delivery the photos that would be on the cover of the Daily Prophet the following morning.
During the afternoon, fires erupted in three buildings in the village including Rosemerta's Tavern. By nightfall, Hogsmeade was largely deserted of the regular inhabitants though there were still a few purebloods loitering about the place.
The Daily Prophet did carry pictures of Dumbledore tied to the stake, the rescue by Professor Flitwick, and the subsequent revelation that the figure was actually Marcus Flint. A secondary headline read: 'Harry Potter Didn't Rescue Dumbledore!'
Letters from the fans of Albus Dumbledore to the DMLE asking for the location and health of Dumbledore were disregarded and binned.
CHANGE SCENE: A Second Rescue from HogsmeadeThe next morning, the purebloods returned and this time, they chained Luna Lovegood to the stake. There were a dozen wizards on brooms over the village, half of them Aurors and the other half, pureblood quidditch players.
"What are they thinking?" asked Professor Carter. "Luna's got nothing to do with this."
Bennet said, "They're idiots."
"And she's a pureblood witch," Carter added. "So much for caring about their own people."
"They know she's a friend of Mr Potter's and they won't let anyone actually hurt her," Lady Augusta said. "They probably plan to marry her to one of them once they get their hands on Heir Potter."
"The flotilla of brooms makes it less likely I can fly in this time," Flitwick observed. "Even with the Potter Shield, spells bursting around me would throw me off the broom."
At just that moment, Neville and Harry broke into the headmaster's office. With his usual cheerful smile, Harry declared, "I have some ideas."
When Harry presented his ideas, the grownups objected, "No! Absolutely not!"
His arguments about the power in his artefacts began to persuade Flitwick, but Augusta continued to object, "Harry, no! Neville! No!"
Neville's idea about bursting from Honeyduke's shop to grab Luna while the professors distracted the purebloods began to persuade Lady Longbottom, but Headmaster Bennet argued, "That won't work! The Aurors will try to capture you too!"
"With my firebolt, my shield, and Fawkes flying around, the purebloods and Aurors will have to land or get thrown off their brooms," Harry argued.
Bennet replied, "Then the DMLE can arrest you for attacking Aurors."
Harry nodded and replied, "It's going to come down to me versus the whole of the Ministry for Magic anyway. With photographers making pictures, they can't hide the truth."
"Yes, they will. They'll lie to Magical Britain."
"Screw Magical Britain!" Neville declared. "We get the photographs to the ICW, and they'll share them in newspapers around the world. Diggory and Scrimgeour can't explain that away."
"What if it's another person in Polyjuice pants?" asked Professor Carter.
Now Harry grinned and said, "We turn it against them. We take 'her' into the castle but lock her up if its someone in Polyjuice. We still release the great pictures, and the story goes out that we rescued the damsel in distress."
"How long will it take to prepare for this adventure?" asked Flitwick.
Neville admitted he had already checked that the secret passage from Hogwarts to Honeydukes remained open and Dobby had popped into the shop.
"It's be looted and all chocolates be stolen by hungry pureblood goblin curses that Dobby can't use," the elf reported. "Doors be unlocked and no wizards be there. Miss Luna Loveisgood be about twenty feets from the door in centre of street. She cries with quiet tears and makes Dobby feel bad…so sad."
"Who will apparate in to distract the purebloods?"
"I have four rings for you to wear," Harry said. "Neville's already got his along with his ankle bracelet."
Bennet, Longbottom, Flitwick, and Carter each took a ring and practised turning on the shield.
"I've never felt so safe in all my life," Augusta admitted. Then she smiled, "I shall throw cutting charms and piercing spells at the purebloods holding Miss Lovegood hostage. My defence will be that I am in negotiations with her father for a betrothal agreement for my grandson or for Harry Potter to marry the witch when she is seventeen. The purebloods can't argue against my charge of line theft! It's one of their laws."
"The rest of us will use transfiguration to turn the purebloods into rocks. That's hard to undo and confuses the transfigured wizard for at least an hour," said Bennet.
Carter said, "Transfigure them into a bucket of water. If the bucket gets tipped over, the reverse takes more time and is very painful as the water is gathered back up by the magic. They'll be out of commission for at least the rest of the day."
Flitwick grinned. "We'll make goblin warriors out of them yet, won't we, Freshgold?"
SCENE CHANGE: FlyingThe purebloods on watch in Hogsmeade shouted to let everyone know that someone had taken off from the top of the castle. It took them several minutes to determine that it was Harry Potter flying on his famous firebolt, coming to rescue his friend. As Potter dropped through the air, the purebloods and Aurors on their broomsticks pulled closer together to lay down a series of blasting spells against the lone flyer on a broom.
Suddenly, the phoenix appeared in their midst in a ball of flame, and she twirled and twisted, throwing Aurors and purebloods in different directions. The newspaper photographers flew down rather than deal with the buffeting winds. Aurors and purebloods began firing spells at Harry who didn't fire a single spell. Fawkes flies close to Harry and spins to throw several spells back at the casters.
Everyone's attention was on the battle in the air when the four professors apparated into the streets of Hogsmeade and fired at the backs of the purebloods and Aurors. Flitwick transfigured four Aurors and Director Scrimgeour into buckets of water before they knew what is happening. Augusta caught a Huddleston witch with a piercing spell and a cutting spell took off the arm of a Flint wizard. She cackled as the return fire was thrown back by the shield around her. Professor Carter worked silently turning six purebloods and three Aurors into buckets of water while Professor Bennet's wand turned a group of six purebloods into one large stone.
"That's cheating, Charles!" declared Flitwick as he transfigured two purebloods into one large bucket. "But effective!"
In the sky, Harry swooped from high above the purebloods into their midst, scattering them in 360 degrees, and two fell from their brooms. Fawkes flamed out to grab one witch and dumped her into Black Lake before returning to the fight. In the sky over Hogsmeade, Harry had flown under the second falling pureblood and caught the wizard on top of his shield. Flying to the ground, Harry dipped to one side to slide his passenger off onto the ground before rocketing back into the air and blasting through a group of Aurors. At least these wizards used sticking charms to ensure they remained on their brooms.
From the darkened shop known as Honeydukes, Neville Longbottom burst through the door, throwing stupefy spells left and right, as he raced across the cobblestones to Luna. The girl looked up and she recognized her rescuer as he reached her but found the chains would not break unlock. Neville gritted his teeth and cast an overpowered cutting spell that cut through the chains above Luna's head and the pole. Pushed by Neville's magic, the pole flew through the air to land among the transfigured buckets. The transfigured water spilt on the ground and the empty buckets flew through the air.
Throwing Luna over his shoulder, Neville turned and ran back to Honeydukes as a pureblood witch tracked him with her wand. She never got to fire off a spell as Augusta Longbottom's cutting charm took off her hand just at the wrist. Once inside the shop, Neville helped Luna through the trap door and then followed her before casting a dozen confundus spells on the doorway. Back in the castle, he closed the secret door and asked Hogwarts to keep it closed to anyone trying to break in for the rest of the summer.
Harry and Fawkes flew through the last grouping of purebloods still in the air as they dropped to the ground before the pair turned toward Hogwarts.
"Withdraw!" shouted Headmaster Bennet and the four professors vanished from Hogsmeade, where a few purebloods and Aurors began to deal with the injured purebloods and attempted to free others who'd been transfigured into stones and buckets of water.
Using a Gringotts Pensieve 3000, on permanent loan from Gringotts to Hogwarts, Headmaster Bennet and Professor Carter assembled the evidence they'd gathered with the photographs of Luna being chained to the pole in the street, and Harry's amazing flying that put paid to the Aurors and purebloods on their brooms. They made certain that memories were included of the rescue of the two purebloods thrown from their brooms. They collected memories from Neville, Luna, Lady Longbottom, and Filius Flitwick.
Professor Bennet insisted on hugging her husband repeatedly and fussed repeatedly that he could not show off his transfiguration tricks for at least another month.
The collection of memories were bottled into a jar and sent via Dobby Express to Bloodhook in Gringotts for transport to the ICW in Switzerland.
The Daily Prophet Special Edition that arrived that afternoon attempted to remain neutral in the reporting, but the rescuers came out the best in the final editorial. All the wounds and transfigurations could be reversed (even detached limbs were reattached).
"Who arrested the purebloods for kidnapping Luna?" asked Harry while Luna sat between him and Neville to help her feel safe.
"No one was arrested," reported Professor Carter with the disgust evident in his voice. "Rufus Scrimgeour won't move against the purebloods and Minister Amos Diggory issued a statement that the misunderstandings in Hogsmeade are unfortunate. He suggests that Headmaster Bennet surrender Hogwarts to the ministry."
"There is more news on page 4," Bennet announced. "The Ministry for Magic has blocked all travel into the country. This means that hit wizards can't enter Britain to participate in the blood feud promised by Lady Longbottom."
Harry's thoughts were dark that evening, 'My friend was kidnapped and chained to a stake! What if they'd hurt her worse? Or if they keep kidnapping and injuring people?'
'They'll never stop. What if ten years from now, they kidnap my wife and children?'
SCENE CHANGE: Lovegood StoryXenophilus Lovegood appeared outside the gates at Hogwarts the next afternoon. He was disarmed and searched for all magical items as soon as he stepped inside the gates. He was proven to be himself and not in Polyjuice pants before Luna was allowed to grab hold and hang on to her father for over an hour. After additional examinations and some potions, the wizard and his daughter were provided with a secure apartment, but they weren't allowed to wonder about the castle. The healer revealed to Headmaster Bennet that the wizard showed signs of being under the imperious curse for a time but had broken free on his own.
Lovegood's tale was that Amos and Joy Diggory invited them to tea. Upon arrival at the Diggory home, they discovered Molly and Ginny Weasley were also there, along with the ghost of Cedric Diggory. The three families lived within walking distance of each other for more than thirty years so Xeno wasn't suspicious of any ill-intent. Luna and Ginny told him what they knew about his girlfriend and asked what his plans were – did he plan to visit Hogwarts? While Xeno talking with Joy Diggory, Molly cast the imperious curse on Xenophilius and gave him commands to betray Harry Potter.
The adults were not prepared for Cedric to become enraged with his parents, or for Luna, and Ginny to fight back, trying to free Mr Lovegood. Amos and Joy were on the ground and out of the fight when the minister's Auror guard burst into the house and cast spells to end the fight. Ignored for a time, Xeno broke the imperious and tried to fight but the Aurors stupefied him.
Xeno woke up and found himself tied up in the basement of the Diggory home. After a few minutes, Ginny Weasley snuck down the stairs and set him free.
Ginny told the man, "The purebloods came and took Luna to Hogsmeade as bait in a trap for Harry Potter. My mother went home to prepare supper for my father, and I came back with Fred and George. Amos and the Aurors went to London. Then Cedric smothered the Auror left as a guard until the man passed out, while his mother fled the house. The twins stupefied her and levitated her back inside. The ghost left with the twins and they're going to try to make it to Hogwarts too."
"Did the boys already leave?"
Ginny nodded and Xeno said, "Good, we'd need to travel separately. It is important to get to Hogwarts and tell them what's going on."
Then he asked, "What are you going to do, Miss Weasley?"
"Try and talk sense into my father before he lets Mum get us all killed in a blood feud," Ginny replied and then ran from the house. Xeno cast several curses inside the house to cause all furniture to collapse, all cloth to disintegrate, and all works of art to fade to nothingness. He didn't curse the Auror or Mrs Diggory but left them to awaken naturally in house that was falling apart around them.
Minister Diggory arrived home late and discovered his wife still unconscious, the house wrecked, and a note from his son that denounced the name of Diggory for allowing guests in their home to be cursed and kidnapped.
Fred and George arrived at Hogwarts the morning after Xeno Lovegood. They had dodged Aurors in England and then were injured while fighting with purebloods from the Huddleston family outside Edinburgh where they'd camped for the night. Cedric's ghost arrived with them, exhausted by his travels, and fighting with living wizards. The twins were confined to the infirmary for a time and then joined Mr Lovegood and Luna in their apartment where house-elves kept them supplied with food and drink, books, and games. Escorted by Professor Carter, Percy visited with the twins but refused to explain his circumstances.
"I sent a letter to Dad but haven't heard back from him, so I don't know if Mum is intercepting them or not," admitted Percy.
