Title: Retrograde
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: Harry's trial before fifth year goes differently because someone knows more than they should about Harry. Time Travel Fic.
A/N: I have had some comments about there being the Doctor Who reference in chapter 13 and then the Weeping Angles in chapter 18, and if that makes Doctor Who part of this universe. Answer is no. Remember this is set in the 1990's and new Doctor Who came out in 2005. It is more likely that, in this verse, one of the Hogwarts students became a writer on new Doctor Who and incorporate the Weeping Angels into the show based on their DADA lesson. Also, the Weeping Angels were not responsible for Harry's time travel. Nor was a TARDIS. The point is no one knows how he Time Travelled, especially not Harry.
Harry rubbed his eyes as he sat down behind his desk in his office just off the DADA Classroom. It was five am on the morning after the attack on Bone Manor and Lia was already in at the DMLE to lodge her report on the attack. Harry wanted to inform Susan and Hermione of the event before they read about it in the Daily Prophet. Then he remembered something, something he had not thought about in a very long time.
"Dobby?" Harry asked.
The House Elf popped in before Harry.
"Yes Profess…" Dobby began before he looked up. "Great Master Harry Potter, sir?"
"Hello Dobby." Harry said. "It is good to see you again. I need you to take a message to Hermione Granger in the Gryffindor Dorms and Susan Bones in the Hufflepuff Dorms."
"Yes, Master Harry Potter, sir." Dobby said, nodding so fast it was making Harry's neck hurt.
"Oh, and Dobby." Harry said, as he handed the messages over. "Everyone knows me as Professor Tenor, so refer to me as that."
Dobby nodded and disappeared. Harry spent the next fifteen minutes grading papers and was starting to worry when there was a knock at the door as he knew that both Susan and Hermione were usually up at this time.
"Come." He called.
Both Susan and Hermione were marched in by Argus Filch who had a sneer on his face.
"Professor, I found these two wandering the halls and they claimed you as an excuse." Filch said. "As they used you in their lie I thought you would want to punish them yourself."
"Mister Filch, did they attempt to show you anything?" Harry asked patiently.
"Some piece of parchment." Filch replied. "So what?"
"That parchment was both my request to see them both, in relation to some non-school matters, and their permission to be out of their dorm rooms so early." Harry informed. "In future, it would behove you to actually do your damn job and see if they have permission. And if I ever hear of you threatening students with torture while I teach here, I will use you as an object lesson on debilitating combat techniques. No please leave."
Filch grumbled as he left and as soon as the door closed behind him, both girls turned their attention to Harry.
"Something happened last night, and I wanted to tell you both before you read about it in the Prophet." Harry began. "Firstly, Susan know your Aunt is fine. Lia is at work but I expect her to show up here at Hogwarts later today."
"What happened?" Hermione asked thoughtfully.
"Bones Manor was attacked last night." Harry replied. "Over sixty Death Eaters and Voldemort himself."
"But Auntie's fine?" Susan asked, a pleading note in her voice.
"Yes. Lia is fine. But sixty-three Death Eaters were killed. Some when we activated the War Wards, a few by Voldemort and the rest by Lia and myself." Harry confirmed. "Neither Lia nor I got much more than a scratch."
"How?" both girls asked almost together.
"We got in close." Harry replied. "I'll spare you the details. I recognised at least four of the Death Eaters, and they have children here at Hogwarts, so…."
"Oh god." Hermione said, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Yeah. I suspect the children will be given leave to go home for mourning when the DMLE informs them of the deaths." Harry concluded. "I will escort you down to breakfast. It will be a long day."
"Ok, for those who do not know me, I am Senior Auror Shacklebolt, lead investigator in the case we are about to discuss." Kingsley said as he stood behind the podium in front of the assembled press, trying not to be blinded by the flashing of the camera flashes.
Of course, there was reporters from the Daily Prophet, the main paper for London and the 'Elite' at Hogwarts. There was also Xeno Lovegood from the Quibbler who was sitting beside a reporter from the Celestial Wizard. A number of the smaller English papers, like the Celestial Wizard, were present as were papers from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The four networks on the Wizarding Wireless also had representatives present.
"Last night, there was an attack on the Ancestral Manor of a prominent Noble Family by the Terrorist Organisation known as Death Eaters." Kingsley announced formally.
"Is Director Bones going to step down as a result of this failure?" A blonde woman dressed in an acid green dress asked.
Kingsley recognised her as Rita Skeeter, a gossip columnist from the Daily Prophet who was well known as a supporter of former Minister Fudge.
"What failure would that be, Miss Skeeter?" Kingsley asked calmly.
"Well, obviously both the failure in identification of the perpetrators and in protecting the Noble Family who were attacked." Skeeter said condescendingly.
"In the matter of identification of the attackers, all of the perpetrators who the DMLE have in… custody, were not only dressed in the recognised uniform of the Death Eater, they all have the Dark Mark branded upon them." Kingsley explained.
Being branded with the Dark Mark was still officially a serious crime. With all the Death Eaters who had bribed their way out of trail after the first war, part of the bribes had been so they did not have to prove they were without the Dark Mark.
"As for the second point, the Manor that was attacked was the Ossuary, the Ancestral Home of Noble House Bones, so no. Director Bones will not be stepping down." Kingsley said, shooting a withering look at Skeeter. "When Director Bones detected the assault on the wards of the Ossuary, she immediately activated the War Wards. After conjuring cover, Director Bones and her… partner went on the offensive, killing, detaining or driving off the attackers. Director Bones and her partner were the only ones present at the time of the attack and both have given their statements in relation to the events."
While his statement was technically true, he knew that the press would assume two things. Firstly, that the 'partner' was her Auror partner, as most Aurors worked in pairs, and secondly, that more of the Death Eaters had fled than just Voldemort and some were captured alive. Merlin, Kingsley did not know what scared him more. The gruesome result of Director Bones and her Husband going on the offensive with bodies blasted apart or sliced in efficient but deadly ways or the very fact that 'old bloody' Bones had a god damned Husband. That he was a deadly as she was did not surprise him as much as him being married to her in the first place.
"How many Auror casualties were there?" the reporter from the Celestial Wizard asked.
"None actually." Kingsley replied. "By the time the alert squad was able to arrive on the scene, due to a communications blackout by the attackers, Director Bones and her partner had dealt with the direct threat. And before you ask, unlike Former Minister Fudge, Director Bones is of the opinion Aurors should be working to prevent and solve crime, not provide needless security to Ministry officials and public servants when in their office and at home. As such she had no Auror Bodyguard present."
"Were there any civilian casualties or unusual circumstances?" Xeno Lovegood asked.
"There were no civilian casualties. Director Bones and her partner were very specific in their information on the Death Eaters they engaged. Given this we have identified that there are a number of Death Eater casualties that were not a direct result of the fighting. Four Death Eaters were killed by the offensive portion of the War Wards when they were activated and a number of others were most likely killed by their own comrades or commanders." Kingsley explained.
"And how was that determined?" Rita Skeeter asked with a sneer.
"They were killed with the Killing Curse and we have definitively established that the Killing Curse was not cast by either of the defenders." Kingsley said with a slight smirk.
"Can you provide any details on the motivation of the attack?" A Welsh reporter asked.
"That is currently under investigation." Kingsley provided.
"Can you identify the deceased Death Eaters?" A Daily Prophet reporter asked with a hostile tone.
"We are currently finalising the identifications and notifying the families of the deceased." Kingsley shot back. "That will be all at this time."
Without another word, and ignoring the shouted questions, Kingsley left. Merlin, he hated doing those but it would have been impossible for Director Bones to do it, both emotionally and politically.
TBC….