Chapter 21
After All That, Part 1

The next morning
Tuesday, 3 September, 7 a.m
In the Great Hall, at the start of breakfast

Severus Snape noticed that Quirinus Quirrell, the DADA teacher, was not sitting in his seat at the High Table. Snape assumed that Quirrell was running late this morning.

Snape did not even notice at seven o'clock, when the scheduled time for breakfast began, that Dumbledore was not sitting on his golden throne at the High Table. Rather, Snape would have fallen out of his own chair, in shock, if Dumbledore had come to breakfast on time.

Snape was momentarily confused when Minerva, instead of waiting for the headmaster to arrive and to take his seat, stood up and cast Sonorus on herself. Then the Deputy Headmistress said—

"Professors, students, may I have your attention, please. Last night, it was discovered that Professor Quirrell was possessed by the wraith of You-Know-Who. Seventh-year Gryffindor student John Potter accidentally killed both Professor Quirrell and You-Know-Who. Headmaster Dumbledore last night was arrested for Child Endangerment, for knowingly hiring You-Know-Who to teach at Hogwarts. I now am Acting Headmistress."

Nobody applauded. Instead, Snape heard murmurings from the High Table and from the four student tables.

As soon as Minerva sat down, seventh-year Ravenclaw witch Desdemona Warbeck stood up. "Professor, we all believed that You-Know-Who died in 1981. But you say he somehow came back, sort of, to possess Professor Quirrell. How do we know that this time You-Know-Who, who supposedly was killed last night, won't come back again?"

Minerva stood up again and replied, "That is a good question, to which I have no good answer. Hopefully the Unspeakables can answer this question in the next few days."

"When is the headmaster's trial?" Snape heard a Gryffindor dunderhead ask.

"This Friday, 6th September," Minerva replied.

"Do you think he'll be acquitted?" the same Gryffindor dunderhead asked.

It was not Minerva who answered, but a seventh-year Ravenclaw, Amarillus Norham: "Do you know how many Wizengamot seat-holders have children at Hogwarts, or grandchildren? You-Know-Who teaching at Hogwarts will scare them witless. Dumbledore is headed to Azkaban, believe it."

"You don't know that!" said the Gryffindor dunderhead. "Headmaster Dumbledore is the Defeater of Grindelwald, he's the Leader of the Light."

To which Norham the Ravenclaw replied, "Neither of which will matter, if Dumbledore is found guilty. Dumbledore's only possible defence would be that he 'didn't know.' Yeah, right, this is the same headmaster who orders portraits to listen to conversations when students walk through the corridors. I'm sure Dumbledore knew about You-Know-Who—Merlin, Dumbledore probably detected You-Know-Who the first time Quirrell walked into the castle whilst wearing that ridiculous turban!"

Snape looked over at Minerva, who had gone silent while the two students debated Dumbledore's fate at trial. Snape was shocked to see tears run down Minerva's face.

Meanwhile, at Gringotts

John and Paulina made a quick visit to the Potter heirlooms vault, with the Elder Wand in John's pocket. The reason for this visit to the heirlooms vault: With Voldemort dead, there was no longer a reason to keep the Elder Wand close at hand.

John walked into the heirlooms vault and laid the Elder Wand on a shelf. John had no plans for touching the Elder Wand ever again while he was alive. Then John walked over to a different shelf of the vault, and grabbed the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw off its shelf. John conjured a sack to put the Diadem in, then walked out of the vault.

Outside the vault, John and Paulina hugged, while the cart driver looked annoyed.

Five minutes later, John and Paulina were back in Hogwarts Castle, waking up Harry and Hermione.

An hour and fifteen minutes later

As John had predicted a day and a half earlier, when Tuesday's morning owl-post came, John received a Howler from Molly Weasley.

Molly loudly declared that John had "ACTED LIKE A MUGGLE BRUTE" to innocent, helpless Ron.

John did not get angry, he did not get embarrassed, he laughed scornfully.

John stood up, cast Sonorus on himself, and said, "Hogwarts students, seldom do you see someone make a complete fool of herself by publicly proving she doesn't know what she's talking about. If you want to know what truly happened between the Weasley firstie and me, ask your House's firsties, who saw it all."

John laughed again, said "Quietus," then sat down.

Snape did not speak to anyone else at the High Table during Tuesday morning's entire breakfast. Instead, Snape considered his future.

At 8:30, half an hour before the end of breakfast, Snape left the Great Hall—again speaking to nobody.

Snape went back to his Potions Professor office, wrote a short letter, then walked up to the Owlery to post the letter.

The letter was addressed to Amelia Bones, who was the Minister for Magic, a former Director of the DMLE and the only competent and incorruptible person in the Ministry.

A little later: (9:00 a.m)

When Acting Headmistress McGonagall returned to the Headmaster's Office, she found, laying on the desk, Ravenclaw's Diadem. There was no note with it to say who had returned it, or how this person might have sneaked into the Headmaster's office.

Hours later (12:03 p.m, just after noon)
In the Great Hall

PPPG had split up three minutes earlier, to sit at their respective ends of the Gryffindor table for lunch.

Now Ron Weasley, with green robes and red ears, was standing at the firsties-end of the Gryffindor table, yelling something at Harry about "...SAYING BAD THINGS ABOUT ME!"

Paulina groaned. "I thought I solved the problem with Draco. Now it pops up again, but with Ron." In the past two days, since Paulina had talked to Draco on the train, Draco had not bothered either Harry or Hermione. In fact, Draco this morning had addressed Hermione as Cousin (to the confusion of the other Slytherin firsties).

"The universe hates us, Paulina," John said, while he climbed off his piece of bench.

As John walked past the fifth-years section of the Gryffindor table, John laid a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Prefect Weasley, will you join me? I suspect you'll be needed as referee."

Meanwhile, Gemma Farley was rushing over from the Slytherin table.

Ron was yelling at Harry, who looked equal parts angry and puzzled. Now Ron yelled, "YOU CALLED ME A BULLY AT YOUR SNOOTY DINNER LAST NIGHT! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A WIZARD'S DUEL—TONIGHT, AT MIDNIGHT, IN THE TROPHY ROOM! WANDS ONLY, NO CONTACT!"

"Oh Merlin, that idiot," John heard Percy mutter.

Gemma Farley ordered, "Mr Ronald Weasley, get back to your table!"

Ron's ears turned redder. "Not until Potter answers my challenge!"

Harry looked at John. "What do I do?"

John held up his index finger to mean Wait a moment. He asked the Gryffindor first-years, "Am I correct that at this time, you haven't learned a single offensive spell in DADA? Not the Tickling Charm or the Stinging Hex?"

Harry, Hermione, and Dean Thomas looked puzzled; the wizard-raised first-years all shook their heads.

John glared at Ron. "Harry doesn't know a single offensive or defensive spell right now, as you well know. But Weasley, Hogwarts hasn't taught you any offensive or defensive spells either, so what do you plan to fight with? Spells your brothers taught you under the table, I'm sure."

Then John added scornfully, "You don't want a 'Wizard's Duel,' you want to attack a defenseless victim. Which proves you're a bully. It also proves you're"—John yelled loudly enough to make Molly Weasley cover her ears—"DISHONORABLE."

Percy said, "Regent Potter is correct, Ron: what you're trying to do is dishonourable. Bill and Charlie aren't around that much, and I know I haven't taught you any attack-spells before your first year—was it the Twins?"

Ron glared at Percy but did not answer.

Harry shocked John (and Hermione) when he asked, "How do I fight him when I don't know any spells? Because if I don't fight him, everyone will call me a coward."

Ron's grin said Gotcha.

John said, "It's true that if you're challenged to a duel and you refuse to accept the challenge, everyone thinks you're a coward. But what Weasley doesn't know—or he hopes you don't know—is that it's the challenged person, not the challenger, who sets the terms of the duel. So forget midnight, forget the trophy-case room, and forget 'wands only,' if you're good at boxing."

Now John turned his face so that while his eyes were still on Harry, he was smiling cruelly at Ron. "Harry, I have some recommendations for terms of the duel, if you'd like to hear them."

"Sure," said Harry with a relieved smile, "I trust you."

Ron gulped.

John said, "Hold the duel in June, on the last day before end-of-year exams. Hold the duel at 7 p.m., which is after dinner and two hours before first-year curfew. Hold the duel outside, weather permitting; else hold the duel in the Great Hall. The duel shall be refereed by a Hogwarts professor. Only the challenger and the challenged may duel; no seconds may duel in either dueler's place. The duel ends when a dueler can't continue or when the referee says the duel is ended. Here's the part Mr. Ron Weasley won't like: Only spells taught by a first-year professor and practiced in a first-year classroom may be used. This means that if a dueler uses spells that were taught him in the common room by older Housemates, or were taught him by his older relatives, this will get the dueler disqualified as without honor."

Harry grinned viciously at Ron. "What he said, Weasley. Will you duel me in a duel like what he said, or are you a coward?"

Red-eared Ron yelled, "It's you who's the coward, Potter! Not wanting to fight me till June!"

John said, "Oh little boy, all Harry is demanding are the terms that I stated. Are you saying that I want my cousin known as a coward? I could take offense at your suggestion that I'm disloyal to family. Take offense meaning, I duel Head of House Weasley—your father. Hm? In the meantime, Harry stated the terms of the duel that you two will fight—do you accept the terms, or shall you be known as Ron Weasley the coward?"

By now, Ron's face was as red as a tomato. He mumbled, "I accept."

From behind John and Percy came the voice of Professor Flitwick: "Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, I volunteer to referee your duel next June."

Also behind John and Percy came that unmistakable baritone drawl: "Mr Ronald Weasley, return to your table as Miss Farley has ordered. Also, ten points from Slytherin for your caterwauling and you dishonourably challenging Mr Potter to a duel."

No sooner had everyone sat down—at the High Table, at the Gryffindor table, and at the Slytherin table—when the doors from the Entrance Hall banged open. In strode a serious-looking Master Auror with four Aurors at his back.

John and Paulina exchanged puzzled looks—even more so by what happened next.

As soon as the DMLE group entered the Great Hall, Professor Snape at the High Table stood up slowly and calmly. He s-l-o-w-l-y drew his wand, making sure to point his wand at nobody. Snape laid his wand on the table, on the far side of his dinner plate.

The Master Auror strode up to where he was facing still-standing Professor Snape, but with the High Table between them. Loudly and formally, the Master Auror said, "Severus Tobias Snape, you are under arrest for Death Eater activities. Will you come quietly?"

"I will," Snape said, as he gestured towards his wand, which now was within the Master Auror's reach.

A minute later, Snape's wand had been handed off to a second Auror, and the Potions professor had been manacled in magic-suppression handcuffs. Throughout the entire process, Snape's face remained calm.

Snape said to the Master Auror then, "Before you Aurors remove me from Hogwarts forever, I wish to speak to John Potter."

"Agreed," said the Master Auror.

A minute later

Handcuffed Snape said to John, "Yesterday I had two masters: the Dark Lord and the headmaster. Over time, I learnt to despise both of them. Last night you freed me from both of them. Regent Potter, I thank you sincerely, for showing me respect and for letting me make free choices again. For once I say this as a compliment: You are a true Gryffindor."

Paulina was a genius; but right now she was a confused genius. "Professor Snape sir, if you think you have free choices now, why did you choose to make the DMLE arrest you?"

"Mrs Potter, I was a Death Eater; and with the headmaster no longer able to protect me politically, it was only a matter of time before I was arrested. This morning, I chose when I would be arrested, and I freely chose to make Amelia Bones an offer before my arrest."

Then Snape smiled, but the smile was cruel. "Right now I'm sure the headmaster thinks he can shake hands and speak pretty words, and he'll be able to talk his way out of a conviction. Not so, once I tell what I know."

Six hours later
Tuesday, 3 September, 6 p.m
Halfway through dinner in the Great Hall

Acting Headmistress Minerva McGonagall did not taste her food as she ate; her mind was on other things.

What a mad two days this has been! Those mad two days had started on Sunday, when Minerva had started to call Hannah Abbott to be Sorted, then John Potter had persuaded the Sorting Hat to rewrite the Sorting List.

A day and a half later, the strangeness had continued. By Tuesday morning, Quirinus had been revealed to have been possessed by the Dark Lord Voldemort, who was also known as Tom Riddle; John Potter accidentally had killed both Quirrell and Riddle; Albus had been arrested; and Severus had volunteered to be arrested.

Now it was Tuesday evening, and Minerva was trying to figure out where she could find a DADA professor and a Potions professor on short notice. Horace Slughorn, for all his gifts as an instructor and his knowledge of potions-brewing, was smarmy; Minerva would not put the abused child Harry Potter within Horace's covetous grasp if Minerva had a better choice.

Right when Minerva was thinking these thoughts about filling the Potions-professor position, Andromeda Black Tonks walked into the Great Hall.

Andromeda Black, during her Hogwarts years, had been one of the three "Princesses of Slytherin." A few years later, she had created a scandal when she had refused to marry Lucius Malfoy and instead had married a Muggle-born; Andromeda had been disowned for this. To many people, Andromeda was known, since 1984, only as the mother of lovable metamorphmagus Nymphadora Tonks. But Minerva knew something else about Andromeda Tonks: Since 1981 she had tried to learn the whereabouts of Harry Potter so that she could raise him; but she had been blocked every time, in every way, by Albus Dumbledore.

But now, Albus was not here to block Andromeda from entering the Great Hall. Apparently John Potter had hired Andromeda to teach Wizarding Etiquette to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and up to twenty-eight other Muggle-raised Hogwartsians, all on John Potter's knut; and today, Tuesday, was their first lesson.

As soon as Minerva saw Andromeda walk in, the headmistress thought, My hiring problem with Potions is solved! Admittedly, Minerva would need to get Andromeda out of her contract with Saint Mungo's; but also, Minerva would need to "persuade" John Potter to tear up Andromeda's contract to be Harry's and Hermione's Wizarding Etiquette tutor. Minerva figured that the second goal would be easy to achieve.

Not so.

Minerva, not giving the matter any thought, ordered Andromeda Tonks and John Potter to follow her from the Great Hall up to the headmistress's office. Minerva's first unpleasant surprise was when John Potter brought his wife with him.

Not that Minerva had anything against the lovely American witch. Undoubtedly Paulina Potter would try to advise her husband as much as she could; but Minerva doubted that Mrs Potter could contribute anything to the other three people's discussion. After all, what could anyone expect from a blonde as busty as Paulina Potter?

"I don't understand why you brought your wife with you, Mr Potter," Minerva said archly. "I requested Healer Tonks's presence, and yours; I didn't request your wife's."

Minerva had used the tone of voice that usually had students—even seventh-years—knocking knees together, thoroughly intimidated.

Instead, John Potter replied coolly, "I trust my wife; meanwhile, headmistress, I trust no adult who currently is employed at Hogwarts."

Andromeda shot Mr Potter a look of surprise.

Paulina added, "John is taking advantage of page 26 of the Hogwarts Student Handbook, 1938 edition: 'When one student-spouse is summoned by a professor for a meeting, the other student-spouse may attend the meeting.' "

Minerva said sceptically, "Is this indeed what the Handbook says?"

Mrs Potter had brought a purple beaded handbag with her. She reached into it; Minerva was surprised to realise that the inside of the bag had a space-expansion charm on it. Anyway, Mrs Potter pulled out the 1938 Handbook and flipped pages to page 26. But Mrs Potter did not hand the Handbook to Minerva; instead, Mrs Potter passed the open book to Andromeda who, after a few seconds of reading, handed the book over to Minerva.

Minerva was shocked to see that the page-26 passage about student-spouses was, word for word, just as Mrs Potter had quoted. Had Mrs Potter memorised the entire Handbook in a bit over a month?

After this, Minerva Floo-called various people at Saint Mungo's. Minerva was able to negotiate with those people, a deal by which Andromeda could leave her Healer position at Saint Mungo's with only one day's notice. Andromeda promptly gave such notice.

Which meant that the only thing stopping Andromeda Tonks from teaching Potions at Hogwarts, beginning this Thursday, was the prior contract between Andromeda Tonks and John Potter that stated she would receive X galleons a week to teach Wizarding Etiquette to at least two Muggle-raised magical children.

Now Minerva again spoke archly: "Mr Potter, Hogwarts needs for Healer Tonks to teach Potions, and the only thing preventing this is the contract she has with you. I trust you will do the mature thing and tear up the contract?"

"Why should I?" replied John Potter. "For the Greater Good? You didn't use those words, but this is what you mean, right? Shouldn't you be offering me a sherbet lemon now?"

"Mister Potter!" Minerva said coldly. "I am not Albus Dumbledore—don't talk as though I were."

"But you're like him in one sense," John replied. "When the bearded blighter left Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep, you were there. And neither Pompous Doubletalk nor you ever checked up on Harry afterward. Harry suffered abuse for ten years, and he suffered it alone."

"How can you say I was there that night?" What does he know?

But instead of John Potter answering her question, he said, "Do you deny it? Swear oath on your magic that you've never been to Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging township, Surrey County, England, and I'll apologize abjectly in front of the entire Great Hall."

Minerva went silent—and pale.

"Minerva?" Andromeda said.

Minerva said, "I ... cannot swear such an oath."

Andromeda stared at Minerva in shock.

Paulina said, "John, honey, let's get the discussion back on track. Tell the headmistress why you refuse to void the tutoring contract we have with Mrs. Tonks."

John said, "Like I said before, 'Why should I?' I need a tutor who has a rare combination of two traits. First, the tutor thoroughly understands how wizard-raised British magicals, especially the Purebloods, think and act, and the tutor knows all their little rules. Mrs. Tonks meets the first requirement."

Minerva started to speak; John snapped a hand up in a Stop gesture. He continued—

"Secondly, the tutor must not be sneering at Harry, Hermione and Paulina, even while she takes my money. Mrs. Tonks checks this box too. You show me another aristocratic British Pureblood who is so unprejudiced about nomagic-borns that he or she has married one and has been disowned for it, and I'll release Mrs. Tonks and I'll hire this other person instead."

Andromeda said, "There is no such person. He or she would be my closest friend if there were."

Minerva sighed.

John eyed Minerva and said, "I'm interested in what's best for Harry and Hermione. I couldn't care less what is best for Hogwarts. You'll just have to work a little harder, headmistress, to find your Potions professor."

In the end, Minerva and Andromeda brokered a deal between John Potter and, of all people, Narcissa Black Malfoy. Narcissa would teach Wizarding Etiquette to between two and thirty Muggle-raised students at Hogwarts, for 40-percent lower rates than what John would have paid Andromeda; but mostly under the same other terms as had been written in Andromeda's contract. However, Narcissa's contract also required her to swear an oath on her magic that she would not deliberately or carelessly say something that her Muggle-raised tutor-clients would find offensive.

When Narcissa Malfoy signed her contract and gave her oath, John Potter and Andromeda Tonks voided their own contract. Less than five minutes later, Andromeda was presented with a Hogwarts employment contract, and Hogwarts had a new Potions professor and Head of Slytherin.

Later (8:59 p.m.)

John, Paulina, and Harry Potter walked out of the Gryffindor common room, where they had been visiting with Hermione till first-years curfew. The Potters now were headed back to Gryffindor Married Suite 1. The first-years curfew applied to Harry, the same as to Hermione, even if Harry basically was on the Honor System now.

As for John and Paulina, the newlyweds still had sat no classes, thus had no homework, and so intended to celebrate (again) their lack of homework. John and Paulina also intended to celebrate (again) the slaying of Voldy.

But waiting outside the door to Married Suite 1, in the hallway, were three people whom John and Paulina had to pretend not to know. Harry's ignorance was genuine, of course.

Two of the three visitors, John and Paulina truly did not know. They were Unspeakables, dressed in gray wool, with gray-wool masks covering their faces; magic in their clothing disguised both their shapes and their voices, so that it was impossible to tell whether a particular Unspeakable was a man or a woman.

The third visitor wore no mask. He was Saul Croaker, in his fifties with a receded hairline, and he was the Director of the Department of Mysteries.

John and Paulina acted ignorant while Saul Croaker introduced himself. Croaker then explained that he and his Unspeakables had come here because they had some questions about how the couple had slain the wraith of You-Know-Who.

John invited them to come in—after Saul Croaker gave an oath on his magic that neither he nor his people would cast any secret spells inside the suite.

Croaker gave the oath; but then he asked, "Aren't you acting a bit paranoid?"

John replied, "Two words: Albus Dumbledore. Sunday night and yesterday afternoon, Paulina and I discovered listening charms in the hallway, placed to overhear the door-password. Speaking of which..."

John cast a Muffliato around himself, Paulina, and Harry that excluded the three Unspeakables, then said to the portrait-Weasleys, "Spiders under the stairs." The door unlocked.

Once the six people were in the suite's living room, Paulina gave a goodnight-hug to yawning Harry, who then went off to his bedroom. This left the five adults free to talk.

Paulina said to the Unspeakables, "Why are y'all, of all people, still calling the Dark Moron 'You-Know-Who'? That and 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'—do you Brits have any idea how stupid you sound to the rest of the world?"

John said, "And timid. British magicals are seen by the rest of the world as timid. Maybe that's why, in a castle that had all these British professors in it, it took two American students to take Tom Riddle down, hm?"

"How do you know about Tom Riddle?" one of the gender-unknown Unspeakables asked.

John smirked. "We just know. We also 'just know' about Tom Riddle's horcruxes—which by the way, Paulina and I tracked down and destroyed before I 'accidentally' killed Voldemort the wraith yesterday."

All three Unspeakables stared; then Croaker asked, "How do you know these things? You can't be time-travellers, because time-travel from months or years in the future is impossible."

Paulina said, "Sorry, Department of Mysteries, but John and I must be," she paused, "mysterious." Paulina winked.

During the visit, nobody among John, Paulina, Croaker, and the other two Unspeakables mentioned the Prophecy. But John was sure that the smoke in the glass sphere that was set somewhere in Aisle 97, had turned black.

Two and a half days later
Friday, 6 September, 9 a.m
Courtroom Ten, the Ministry of Magic

Albus Percival had been treated with worshipful deference by Wizarding Britain since 1945. He had come to expect such deference as his due.

So Albus was deeply offended by how the DMLE had treated him, these last few days.

The first thing that had happened to him after his arrest on Monday had been that his spare wands and hidden Portkeys had been taken from him. Albus had not viewed this as he being routinely treated the same as any other arrestee; but rather, Amelia and Rufus had been following some petty personal vendetta against the much more popular Albus Dumbledore.

As soon as arrestee Albus had been stripped of magical devices and had been given prisoner robes, he had been taken to Saint Mungo's and had been given a purging potion. What had followed were twelve awful hours of vomiting and explosive diarrhoea. The Aurors had explained that this had been a standard precaution against someone who might have drunk a counter-Veritaserum potion before his arrest—but Albus knew that the true reason for his purging-potioning had been envious Amelia and envious Rufus acting petty again.

Early Tuesday morning, Albus had been released from Saint Mungo's. But yesterday (Thursday) morning, Albus had been hauled back to Saint Mungo's again, and had been given another purging potion, "just in case." Albus did not buy the DMLE's explanation; he knew prisoner-abuse when he saw it.

Yesterday evening, Albus had been released from Saint Mungo's again, and had been returned to his holding cell to await his trial.

This morning, Albus was not worried about the trial itself. There were many seat-holders in the Wizengamot who believed Albus had hung the moon; they all would vote for his acquittal, he was sure. Also, whilst Albus could not lie under Veritaserum, he could dissemble—and Albus was a master at dissembling. Veritaserum'd Albus only would be in trouble if he were asked questions with specific possible answers. A, B, C or D? Rock, paper or scissors? Honeydukes or Cadbury for chocolates? Yes or no?

Albus did not worry at all about his trial until he was escorted into Courtroom Ten and saw Severus already in a chains-chair. Albus saw Severus sneer at him, then give Albus a cruel smile.

Rufus Scrimgeour, acting as prosecutor, asked truth-potioned Severus the following questions at the start of Severus's and Albus's trials—

.

RS: Did Albus Dumbledore, in his role as headmaster, order you to brew a particular potion on 30th August?

SS: Yes, he did.

RS: How much potion were you ordered to brew, and what was the deadline?

SS: I was ordered to brew two Number-2 copper cauldrons' worth—3 246 millilitres—of a specialised Confundus potion. The deadline was 1st September, 6 p.m.

RS: Which was about an hour before the Hogwarts Express would arrive at Hogsmeade, right?

SS: Yes.

RS: Exactly what effect was this Confundus potion intended to have?

SS: Nothing that the headmaster said that night, from the time a student would drink the potion till the time the student went to sleep, would be mentioned in any letters that the students wrote to friends or to family.

RS: So even after Albus Dumbledore talked about "a most painful death," the intended effect of the potion would be that no parents would be told about the third-floor corridor, right-hand side?

SS: Yes.

RS: Did Albus Dumbledore have any way to test whether the potion was effective?

SS: During his welcoming speech, he spoke four mad words: "Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!" He figured that students who would've decided to not write about the third-floor corridor, even if the potion didn't work, surely would write home to tell their parents that the headmaster's mind might be slipping, unless the potion stopped this.

RS: At the Welcoming Feast, who received the Confundus potion?

SS: The headmaster's plan was to give it to every student. But during the Sorting, he later told me, he amended the list of students to be potioned to not include the three new Potters and their Protectée, Miss Hermione Granger.

RS: Albus Dumbledore expressed no worry about this Muggle-born first-year girl writing her parents that part of the school was deadly, and that maybe the headmaster was losing his mind?

SS: He laughed and said, "If she sends off a letter, I shall intercept it. If I do not like what she wrote, I shall bin the letter. Her parents are Muggles, so what can they do?"

MINISTER BONES: I wish to go on record that by now I've received two letters from my niece Susan. In neither letter has Susan mentioned Headmaster Dumbledore speaking mad words, or warning students away from a deadly third-floor corridor on the right-hand side.

UNIDENTIFIED VOICES: Same here.

.

Unfortunately for Albus, this was only the start of Severus's damaging truth-potioned testimony. By the time Albus himself was questioned, Rufus had a long list of specific questions to ask, and Veritaserum'd Albus could not dissemble when answering those questions.

Severus was convicted of being a Death Eater; but "because he has shown true remorse," he was sentenced to only five years in Azkaban, in the medium-security wing.

Albus was convicted of a long list of crimes, of which "Endangering the Children of Hogwarts by Knowingly Hiring the Dark Lord Voldemort to Teach DADA" was merely the first of the charges. Albus was sentenced to life in Azkaban, in the maximum-security wing—

—until the goblins asserted their prior claim on Albus. Albus was taken from Courtroom Ten to deep under Gringotts, and promptly was put to work in the Gringotts London gold mine for the next eighty years.

If Albus survived this (Ha!), he would be taken from Gringotts to Azkaban, to cuddle with Dementors till he died in prison.

Right after Snape's trial and Dumbledore's trial
Still in Courtroom Ten

Rita Skeeter was put on trial for being an unregistered animagus, for two counts of improper conduct with a child (namely, spying on Harry and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express), and for espionage against the Ministry.

She received a thousand-galleon fine and ten years in the maximum-security wing of Azkaban.

Nine hours later
Friday, 7 p.m
Bones Manor

To hear Amelia tell it, the afternoon had been miraculous. After 2 p.m, no little crises had come up that "Merlin help us, only the Minister for Magic can fix this!" Amelia had flooed home at six o'clock with a clean desk.

She had invited Sirius over for a house-elf-cooked meal. After a leisurely meal came afters; then after that, the couple moved to the sofa in Bones Manor's sitting room, for a different sort of dessert.

Sirius and Amelia were snogging (and groping) in front of a crackling fire when Sirius noticed: the fire had stopped crackling.

Sirius broke the kiss to look about. Everything he saw in the room, except for Amelia and himself, was tinted blue. On the coffee table, the glass in front of him that supposedly contained firewhisky, held blue liquid, not brown liquid. The fire not only was blue, the fire's flames were motionless.

"What's happening?" Amelia asked.

Sirius saw one other thing in the sitting room that was strange—and new. Where there previously had been an area of bare floor in the room, Sirius now saw an 8-foot-by-8-foot-by-8-foot metal box. The box made Muggle mechanical noises—wree, wree, wree—and on the outside of the cube-shaped box, gears spun.

On one side of the box was a metal door. Over the door were white-glowing words: "ANGELUS EX MACHINA." Right then the door opened, by sliding sideways.

An angel stepped out. She had brunette hair, white robes and white wings that went down almost to the floor.

The angel glanced at the metal box; it vanished.

The angel said to gobsmacked Amelia and Sirius, "I am Antonia. I am a servant of Eternity. I have stopped time because, Amelia Susan Bones, you will receive a Floo-call in fourteen minutes—but what we need to discuss will take much longer than fourteen minutes."

Then Antonia said, "Before we begin, I need for two others to be here."

Light flashed, then John Potter and Paulina Potter were standing on the other side of the coffee table from Amelia and Sirius.

John Potter asked the angel, "Antonia, what is going on? Why are we here?"

Antonia chin-pointed to Amelia and Sirius, then said, "They need to know what truly has been happening these past six weeks."

Amelia asked the angel, "Regent Potter's extreme good luck, in rescuing his British cousin Harry Potter and in destroying Voldemort, isn't really luck, is it?"

Sirius said, "Erm, what?"

John looked at the two people sitting on the sofa and said, "Harry Potter isn't my cousin, he's my younger self. Hermione Granger is my wife's younger self."

Sirius's jaw dropped.

Paulina Potter said, "So long as we're confessing strange secrets, this man and I died in May 1998."

Maybe Amelia stared. Sirius certainly stared.

Antonia said, "This is what these two looked like when they met their Grim Reapers."

Antonia spoke no more words and made no gestures, but suddenly two statues appeared. The statues looked lifelike, except they did not blink or breathe. One statue was of Sirius's young godson, and the other statue was of Harry's cute little girlfriend—but the statues looked eighteen, not eleven. Statue-Harry was short for his age, and needed a shave. Both statues had lank hair, dirty faces and dirty clothes. Statue-Hermione had "MUDBLOOD" carved on one forearm.

Amelia gestured towards the statues whilst she said to John and Paulina, "You look like you went through a war."

"We did," John agreed. "In the end, I fought Voldemort one-on-one, because that's what a prophecy said had to happen. But thanks to Dumbledore sabotaging me before I was even born, I died that day, this woman died seconds later, and the Light side lost."

Antonia said, "The instant that Harry Potter died, the prophecy made Voldemort invincible. Absurdly good luck in battle came to him as easily as breathing."

Paulina said, "But Eternity refused to accept this. This man and I were sent back in time, keeping our future memories. But since people would notice if Harry Potter had a seven-years-older twin and Hermione Granger had a seven-years-older twin, Antonia disguised us."

Sirius gestured to the two statues, then asked John and Paulina, "So you two are them, with knowledge of the future, but permanently disguised?"

Paulina said, "We are. I grew up in West Sussex, and this man grew up in Surrey, but we don't sound like that now, do we?"

Sirius gestured towards the statues again. "Who else knows your secret?"

John replied, "Harry and Hermione, the Granger parents, and Director Ragnok at Gringotts."

Amelia asked, "You didn't tell the Unspeakables when they talked to you?"

"God, no!" exclaimed Paulina.

Amelia asked the angel, "Why are you telling Sirius and me all this?"

The angel answered, "John and Paulina—older Harry and older Hermione—have utterly prevented the nightmare future. Today Tom Riddle is dead, forever. All but two Death Eaters are dead; of those two, one Death Eater is penitent and in prison, whilst the other Death Eater is in Sweden. Prisoner Albus Dumbledore has a bad reputation now, no political power, and no influence. These two, John and Paulina, have done much in the past six weeks, but now they've reached the end of their tasks. Now they have nothing more they can do."

Paulina grinned at Sirius and Amelia. "So instead of it being John and I who is tasked by the angel, it sounds like now it's y'all's turn."

Antonia said, "Both of you, Minister for Magic Amelia Bones and Lord Sirius Black, are needed to modernise Wizarding Britain. The attitudes of your Purebloods gave Voldemort his power; and those attitudes make the rise of another Dark Lord only a matter of time."

Amelia sighed. "It sure looks that way."

Antonia continued, "However, the nonmagical British government has noticed that two Potters, not the government of magical Britain, ended the problem of Tom Riddle and his Death Eaters. The Queen and the prime minister are disgusted with the Ministry of Magic."

Amelia sighed. "Yeah, the Ministry really dropped the Quaffle when it came to You-Know-Who."

Antonia continued, "The next time a Dark Lord rises, the Crown shall not let your government dither and appease. The next time a Dark Lord rises in Wizarding Britain, the result will be a disaster—not for British Muggles, but for British magicals. Expect for British magicals to bleed rivers and for Wizarding Britain to lose its sovereignty."

Sirius said, "Shit, really?"

Paulina nodded. "Right now in 1991, the British Army and the Royal Air Force easily could destroy the Ministry of Magic, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, then easily could start targeting manor houses. This is in 1991; ten years from now, the 'battle' would be even more one-sided."

John said, "Meanwhile, Paulina and I are seen as Americans—foreigners. Nobody in Wizarding Britain will listen to us preach about anything political, even if I'd defeated Voldemort, Grindelwald, Herpo the Foul, Godzilla, and Darth Vader. So any kind of 'We need to change' message must come from you two, in order to be listened to."

Amelia said, "Okay, fine, Sirius and I will lead Wizarding Britain into the modern age before the British Army makes us modernise at gunpoint. I have just one question." Now Amelia was staring straight at John.

John gestured to say What is your question?

Amelia snapped, "Those ten Death Eaters who died mysteriously in Azkaban on 1st September, that was you two?"

Instead of answering Amelia's question, John looked at Antonia and asked, "Is there anything else Paulina, I, or you need to tell them?"

Antonia looked at Amelia and said, "The zealous pursuit of the law is not always the pursuit of justice. This is one of those times."

Seconds later, the Potters disappeared in a flash of light; Antonia the angel, and the Harry and Hermione statues, all likewise disappeared (with a light-flash). The fire started crackling again, whilst the room became full-colour again.

Fourteen minutes later, Amelia and Sirius were trying to figure out how to carry out their new, angel-given responsibilities, when Amelia received a Floo-call from Senior Undersecretary Arthur Weasley.