Hogwarts
Two weeks had passed since they had attacked the Slytherin Prefect and there had been no pranks since then. Academics were no challenge to them since Moony had been teaching them the basics for a year. The twins asked them if they were planning a prank. They denied it saying that there would be opportunity enough for that later. For now there were secrets to unearth, witches to chase and friends to be made.
Meanwhile Ronald had started to become a part of their group with Hermione occasionally and Harry at times found it hard to lose them if he needed to. Another thing which irked him was their behaviour towards each other. They both constantly fought with each other, bickering and exchanging terse words with each other and they were both equally guilty. Ron could be a prat at times, saying or behaving as he should not. Hermione was condescending in her treatment towards others. Often times she derogated others even if she was trying to teach them something. They had their uses but if they kept it up, Harry was ready to shut them out. He could move forward without them. His plans were not so cast in stone that they could not be changed.
On the other hand, he had reliable friends in all the houses now. He had also started making some inroads with many of the older students and most of them were courteous towards him. Some were frankly curious about him while a few were downright hostile. Harry knew that only the name of Black which he carried stopped them from acting against him. Many of the older years however were friendly toward him because he had extended the offer of friendship to them. He never used any words such as ally or talk business but extended an offer of genuine friendship. What others did not know and he did not bother to correct was that he had it in mind to call upon them to honour their friendship with him when he wished.
Arcturus had also sent him a letter telling him that many of those who were in debt to House Black would do his bidding. He was keeping most of them as a contingency although there was one he was willing to use to its full extent. Pansy Parkinson was oath bound to help him when he asked due to her father signing the parchment.
He spoke with Sirius almost daily via the communication mirrors telling him with the Marauder telling him of their exploits, about his parents or how to get with witches and the like. He also tried to send a gift a day to Harry but Remus had put his foot down telling him that Harry did not need to be spoiled. he was a menace enough as he was.
Duelling Class
In the last two weeks, Harry and Neville had perfected Stupefy. They also worked on wide area stunners, always useful in a duel, a trick up the sleeve if you know how to use it. Then there was the bludgeoning spell.
The Bludgeoning Spell was a non lethal spell. the perfect one to use in a duel. A well placed bludgeoner to the face could put down an enemy with ease thereafter; with quick wand-work victory could be assured over the opponents.
When they arrived for the lesson this week, Flitwick was there without the table or chairs where they were normally.
As they entered, Flitwick asked them without preamble, "What did you two learn this week?"
They replied, "Professor, this week we learned the bludgeoning spell".
Flitwick smiled, "That is good, Mr. Potter-Black and Mr. Longbottom. Now it is time for us to see if you can cast it as well. Today, we will be practicing duelling. You both will duel with me on the other side. We will not be using shields. One who gets hit with the bludgeoning spell will be out of the duel."
As they both nodded, Flitwick raised his wand. He started sending bludgeoners at them making them dodge in all directions. The charms master was born with a talent for speed that made it hard for them to dodge his spells. But it was no fun if it was too easy.
As he sent his spells at them making them run around, he taunted them, "Is that how you intend to win the duel championship? By running around like headless chickens? Be a man. Face my wand".
From hard experience, Harry and Neville knew better than to stop dodging. They were running in different directions trying to evade his spells when finally Neville got an idea. Braving the spells coming his way, he finally reached Harry and whispered some words to him.
Flitwick could not make out what Neville had said. The words had a visible effect on them as they both stopped running. They turned to face him and that brought a smirk to Flitwick's lip. The lads had learned the lesson he was trying to teach them.
Before he could send another spell their way, Harry and Neville started sending spells towards him one after another. Since they were alternating their spells, there was no lull in their casting for Flitwick to go on the offensive. He kept dodging them for 5 minutes before he noticed that the gaps between the spells were increasing. He waited for 2 more minutes to see that it was not a trap before he took his chance. With a swift flick of his wand, Neville fell like a sack of potatoes. Harry started sending spells at the tiny charms Professor but Flitwick was enjoying it. Harry was berserk and casting relentlessly while Flitwick patiently dodged him for another minute before he sent a spell towards Harry while he was still moving. The spell knocked Harry down and Flitwick won the duel.
After they were defeated, he produced three chairs with a flick of his wand. He motioned for them to sit. After they made themselves comfortable, he asked Neville, "What did you say to him at that moment? It must have been something to bring such a change in tactics".
Neville grinned, "I just reminded him Professor that we are on the same team. we should work together rather than by ourselves. That way, we will have a chance to win against you".
Flitwick nodded in appreciation, "That was well thought out, Mr. Longbottom however you both still lost. Can any of you tell me why?"
Harry replied, "Professor, we kept up the casting for too long against you. We were beginning to tire ourselves out. If we had conserved our energy, then we may have stood a chance at winning against you".
Neville added, "After I was hit, Harry started to cast relentlessly which made it hard for him to dodge your spells".
Flitwick nodded, "Well pointed out, Mr. Longbottom. For next time, you have to remember that your strength cannot last forever so you have to conserve it as much as you can. Also as I have told you both so many times, try to use magic for everything you do which will help your core accommodate to the increased need. Then you can last longer in a duel. Also try to work in co-ordination with each other".
Do you play fetch?
One evening, Harry realised that he needed to talk with Daphne without fear of being found out. He had carved to have a conversation with her as they used to when he was living in Black Castle. So, he slipped her a message to meet him outside the Slytherin Common Room when they were in the library. This was one of those rare chances when he met Daphne in the absence of Neville since he was in the Greenhouses, learning about a plant from Professor Sprout.
When he asked her about it, she raised an eyebrow, "How would you know where the Slytherin Common Room is?"
Harry smirked, "Perhaps we forgot to tell you, Daphne but we have a little beauty called 'The Marauder's Map' which is the most accurate map of Hogwarts to exist to date. It shows everyone's position to me. Add to that, I have Remus Lupin who was one of the Marauders. He helped chart the map. I know almost everything about Hogwarts".
She glared at him, "just when you were planning to tell me about this miraculous map?"
Harry shrugged, "We were not hiding it from you in the first place, Daph. It just never came up while the three of us were alone, talking. You know that we don't hide anything from you".
She nodded, "So what is the plan for tonight? Surely you are not just making me get out of bed because you suddenly fancy a mid-night stroll?"
Harry shook his head, "I want to do exactly that. Neville has turned me down twice. He said that we would have lots of time for it later. Another reason is that I have not properly talked to you ever since we came to Hogwarts".
She nodded, "So, will Neville be joining us?"
Harry sighed, "What? Is my company not sufficient for you?"
Daphne shook her head, "I did not mean it that way". Then with a flirtatious flutter of the eyes she said, "if you prefer, we can always arrange to keep Neville out of the way".
Finally it was agreed that they would meet after the curfew was underway. They would take a stroll to the Astronomy Tower where they could spend a couple of hours without anyone disturbing them.
Harry patiently waited for everyone to go to their bed that night while sitting on his invisibility cloak in the common room, pretending to be engrossed in a book on defense.
A few of his friends asked him how he was or what he was up to but none of them stayed back when they saw that he was engrossed in the book. However one, Hermione Granger, could not keep her silence. She took the chair beside him, asked, "Harry, what are you reading?"
Harry did not speak. He just showed her the cover and returned to his reading. After 5 minutes of silence, Hermione huffed then went to find a book to read. Harry did not respond to her.
When everyone was up in their beds, he donned the cloak. Then he went downstairs. He found the Slytherin Common Room without any trouble. He found a couple of them who were leaving the common room to break curfew. Perhaps to engage in some pranks. He sorely regretted not having brought Neville with him or they could have stunned these students and left them for Filch to find. Even Peeves was not around to ask for help! He mentally resolved to give these students some grief some other day.
As he stood watching the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room, suddenly the door opened and Daphne exited the Common Room. She was staying in the shadows, trying to find Harry near the entrance of the Common Room. Harry stood to one side. He kept watching her fumble in the dark in vain trying to find him before he decided to pull a little trick on her.
Silently, he walked up behind her and before she could understand what was going on, he had his hand clamped over her mouth and covered her with the cloak. She was trying to shout and to bite his hand when he pulled her close. He whispered in her ear, "Calm down, Daphne. It is me, Harry".
She indeed calmed down after she realized it was him. He took her by the hand and guided her towards the kitchens. When they were on their way to the kitchens, Daphne asked him in a whisper, "How did you come into possession of an Invisibility Cloak? Why do I not know about it?"
Harry whispered to her, "Wait for a few minutes. I will tell you all about it".
10 minutes later, they were in the kitchens and her eyes were spread in wonder when she looked around her at everything in the kitchen from the utensils to the fire-place to the huge tables. Most of the elves had retired for the night but a couple of them were still awake. They rushed towards them, "What wes be doing you to Sir and Miss?"
Harry asked them, "May we have some dessert? Treacle Tarts if possible. And lots of it". The elves ran to find the requested commodity.
He turned to Daphne, "The cloak is a family heirloom. It has been in my family for generations but I only recently found it. My father used it to wreck havoc in the school during his time here. Now it will help me in the noble cause of Mischief Making".
She snorted, "You are perfectly capable of any mischief without it. This will only help you more. Now why do I not know about it?"
"Daphne, the existence of this cloak is a well-kept Potter family secret. If word got out, I would be hounded with requests from numberless witches and wizards to see it, touch it or study it. Besides, since I learned about it, we have not had enough privacy for me to tell you anything. Nobody other than you and Neville know about it yet. I will be grateful if you can keep it that way".
She smiled, "Of course I will, provided I can get my hands on this beauty at times".
"See what I mean? No sooner do you find out about the thing than you ask to borrow it. I will let you borrow it but you must make absolutely sure that nobody else has any way to find out about it. I do not really trust too many people with a secret like this. Remember what Lord Black says- Something is not a secret if a third person knows about it".
She raised an eyebrow, "Lord Black? I do remember him trying his best to make you address him as Lord Black or Grand-father. You never did so in his hearing. What brought this change?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "You ask too many questions, just like Hermione Granger. You both are too much like each other, nature wise".
She curtly said, "I am nothing like Hermione Granger. She is a know-it-all who flaunts her knowledge just to prove that she knows everything. I am not daft enough to do something like that".
Harry shrugged his shoulders, "We will see. Right now, how about we start moving towards the Astronomy Tower?"
When they were nearing the third floor walking slowly under the cloak, Daphne asked him in a whisper, "Can you show me the Cerberus?"
Harry refused immediately, "No way. I have seen him once. That is sufficient for a life-time".
They were ascending the stairs to the fourth floor when it happened. There was a commotion on the third floor and they saw Professor Quirrell being thrown away from the forbidden corridor on the third floor. Daphne started to scream but Harry had clamped her mouth firmly. Without making a sound, they returned to the third floor to find out what had happened. They were curious as to who could have used a banishing charm on a Professor. There was a niche on the third floor where perhaps a suit of armour stood once but now it was empty. He and Daphne slipped into that niche and waited to see what would happen.
They did not have to wait for long before Snape came into their view coming from the direction of the forbidden corridor. He had a menacing expression on his face, his wand levelled at Quirrell.
He spoke so softly that Harry could hardly hear him, "I warned you not to roam about Quirrell. You are trying to know more than what is good for you. What were you doing here?"
Quirrell was stuttering, "I. I. I was p. patrolling the corridors, Severus".
Severus drawled, "Patrolling? It is not your turn to patrol tonight. Do you want me to report you to Dumbledore? I have warned you not to cross my path and consider this my final warning".
Harry silently pulled Daphne with him and they climbed up to the top of the Astronomy Tower. Luckily there were no classes there tonight so they would not be spotted. After locking the door from his side, Harry and Daphne sat together on the edge of the roof, dangling their legs, eating treacle tarts.
Daphne finally asked him, "What was that going on between Snape and Quirrell?"
Harry shrugged, "I don't know. For some reason Snape or Quirrell is interested in the forbidden corridor. The other one is trying to stop him. I do not know who is who though".
She was looking at the stars in the sky. She asked him, "Harry, can I ask a favour?"
Harry turned to her, "There are no formalities between the three of us, Daph. You can ask whatever you want".
She asked, "May I get a chance to fly on your broom?"
He turned to her looking incredulous, "Of all the things in the world, you are asking if you can fly on my Nimbus!"
She nodded, "I have heard it is the best broom out there so I wanted to see it for myself".
Harry shrugged, "You did not even have to ask that from me, Daph. You could simply order me to do it".
She grinned, "Then I am ordering you to take me to see the three headed dog".
He shook his head almost instantly, "No way. Not doing that, Daphne. I do not even know if we can tame it".
Daphne asked him, "Have you tried Obedience School with him?"
Harry snorted, "Daphne, he is not your Crup Max but a gigantic three headed Cerberus. I doubt if he even knows how to play fetch, let alone doing Obedience School".
She however was unconvinced. She called for her elf Kippy and asked the elf to bring her a big stick and a rubber ball. When Harry asked her why she was asking for it, she told him she was feeling adventurous".
Knowing it could be fatal to Daphne, Harry accompanied her under the cloak. When they reached the forbidden corridor on the third floor, Harry opened the door with the unlocking charm. they entered one after another. The Cerberus was sleeping. He woke up instantly the moment he caught their scent.
It started to growl. In a firm, commanding tone, Daphne said, "Sit".
The Cerberus looked at her as if she had come from another world for a whole minute not knowing whether to obey her command or not. It was like it was trying to decide what to do.
Daphne meanwhile had taken out the ball and stepped forward towards it saying, "You will get this ball if you are a good boy. Now who is a good boy?"
To Harry's amazement, the dog actually started to wag its tail before he went rigid again. Daphne made the right choice in that moment and threw the ball his way. He snapped it out of the air with one of its heads and the ball disappeared in the next moment. Where it was gone was not clear but the growl which came from him unnerved both of them.
Harry started tugging at her sleeve, "Daph, let's go before we end up as dinner for him".
He did not know if they could make their escape in time.
To his amazement, Daphne had taken out the stick. She was waving it in the beast's face saying, "You are a good boy, aren't you? You want this stick?"
She deliberately threw it high into the air for the dog to catch. While He lunged for the stick, Harry quickly dragged her out of the room. Just before Harry closed the door behind them, they saw that the dog had snapped the stick in two. He was rushing at the door perhaps to maim them.
Closing the door behind them, Harry threw the cloak over themselves so they would not be caught. They kept walking downward towards the dungeons while Harry admonished her, "We could have been injured Daph. Next time you have an insane idea like that, please tell me before you act on it".
She smirked, "Scared, Harry?"
He huffed, "I am not scared Daphne but I am not such an idiot that I would risk my life for idiotic things such as this. This was totally unnecessary. We learned nothing from this".
She admonished him, "We know now that the dog cannot be tamed by anyone. Also the way it was guarding the trap door, I can bet that even a killing curse could not make it move away".
The Wizengamot
It was time for the monthly meeting of the Wizengamot. Arcturus had put all the pieces in their place on his chess board. Now it was time for him to make his move.
At the time set for the session to begin, Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Close the doors.". As the doors closed, he proclaimed further "Let the Wizengamot session for October 1991 begin".
After a few moments, he turned to the gathered members, "Is there any notice or announcement to be made by any of our esteemed Houses before we proceed to daily business?"
Arcturus stood up at his place, "Yes, Chief Warlock. House Black has an announcement. Sirius Orion Black is hereby appointed as the Regent for House Black until Heir Hadrian Potter-Black reaches the age of majority to take his place in this gathering of peers. Furthermore, as I am the guardian of Hadrian Potter-Black by virtue of the last will and testament of Lord James Potter and Lady Lily Potter, it is within my right to appoint a regent to look after the daily business of House Potter. I, by this authority, appoint Remus Lupin as the Lord Regent of House Potter until Hadrian Potter- Black reaches the age of majority".
Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Very well. Are there any objections?"
Of course no one had any objections to this. It was private business. Arcturus was within his rights to make the appointments.
Dumbledore waited the required half a minute. When there were no objections raised to the appointments, he rapped his gavel, "Very well. Are Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin here?"
They were both present in the spectator stands. They stood at their places. Dumbledore turned to them, "Lord Arcturus Orion Black has appointed Sirius Black as Lord Regent for House Black and Remus Lupin as Lord Regent for House Potter. Do you both accept?"
They both nodded, "We accept Chief Warlock".
Dumbledore motioned for them to take their places. Sirius resumed his seat in the spectator stands while Remus moved towards the seat of House Potter. Dumbledore turned to Elphias Doge sitting in the Potter seat, "We are thankful for the services you rendered to House Potter, Mr. Doge. Now please vacate the seat in favour of one appointed by those in charge of affairs".
Elphias stood. He shook hands warmly with Lupin before taking a seat in the spectator stands.
Lord Black stood again, "I have another announcement to make. Henceforth in every session of this august body, House Black will sit in the Light faction".
This motion caused rumbling among the gathered members. Nobody could remember if House Black had ever sat in the Light Faction before. This would give another vote to the Light Faction directly and many others indirectly because House Black had been very influential since its inception. despite changing sides, many houses from the Dark Faction would continue to support it.
Dumbledore turned to the gathering again, "Very Well. Are there any motions to be made before we proceed to daily matters?"
Arcturus stood, "Chief Warlock, I request your leave to address the Wizengamot".
Dumbledore nodded, "Leave so granted, Lord Black".
Arcturus turned to the Wizengamot, "My fellow Lords and Ladies, a decade ago when we were trying to recover from the effects of a war which had almost destroyed our world, Cornelius Fudge the esteemed minister of Magic trampled upon the rights of a member of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black and refused to grant him a trial. The previous administration had denied this basic right to Sirius Black and Mr. Fudge refused my requests repeatedly. He did not deign to grant my request. In fact, he sealed the minutes of the tribunal proceedings and blocked all attempts to look into the matter for ten years. Additionally, he violated my rights when he acted in connivance with Lucius Malfoy and appointed him as Lord Regent for House Black without my approval. This is a blatant violation of our position, of our privileges. He has also failed to lead Wizarding Britain into a better era than the previous one as he had harped on about when he was trying to become the minister. Therefore, I bring a motion of non-confidence against the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge".
Nicholas Greengrass stood, "And I second that motion, Chief Warlock".
Dumbledore smiled gently, "You are out of order, Lord Greengrass, but I will allow it".
Dumbledore was surprised with this turn of events. He had expected some backlash for Fudge due to his violation of the rights of an Ancient and Most Noble House. But to chuck the Minister for Magic out of office was certainly ambitious. Now he was interested to see if Arcturus had the numbers to make it happen. The Dark Faction was united behind Malfoy. They would not vote against Fudge who was the perfect puppet for them. The Light would be divided because Arcturus was from a Dark House. The neutrals were never united on a single issue.
He rapped his gavel, "Very well. Lord Arcturus Orion Black has brought a motion of non-confidence against the minister of Magic, Cornelius Oswald Fudge. The motion has been seconded by Lord Nicholas Greengrass. If anybody has to speak for or against the motion, they can do so before we move to vote on it".
As they were sure of having the numbers, Arcturus and his allies had decided not to speak. The Dark was under obligation to Arcturus so they could not speak against him. When no one spoke for a minute, Dumbledore rapped his gavel again, "Since no one is going to speak for or against the motion, we will proceed to vote on the motion. All those in favour please raise your wands".
Wands from every faction went up which surprised even Dumbledore. He had not expected it to be so one-sided. Even most of his supporters from the light were voting for ousting Cornelius from his office.
He spoke again, "All those against the motion".
When the vote was finally tallied, there were 50 in favour of the motion while 30 were either opposed or not present. Dumbledore turned to Fudge, "Mr. Fudge, we thank you for your services as Minister of Magic. Please take a seat in the spectator stands in the meanwhile till we are adjourned. Furthermore, Lord Black can prosecute you for violation of his rights, appointing a Regent without his approval. Your dismissal from office would have no bearing on the consequences of the prosecution".
Fudge was in shock. The reality of what had just happened to him seemed like a nightmare that he could not wake up from. In one stroke, his career was ruined. he was already gone. It happened so swiftly that he did not even get a whiff of what was coming his way. The thing which hurt him most was that his friend Lucius had voted against him on this issue. He had favoured Lucius so many times. Lucius stabbed him in the back when times were not opportune to him. He swore to ensure that the Wizarding World knew of the infamy of Lucius Malfoy.
Dumbledore was saying, "Since there is no minister, we will now take nominations. Are there any nominations?"
Augusta Longbottom stood, "I nominate Amelia Bones as the next Minister of Magic".
Lord Fawley stood, "I second the nomination".
Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Lady Regent Longbottom has nominated Madam Bones for the next minister of Magic which has been seconded by Lord Fawley. Madam Bones, do you accept the nomination?"
Amelia stood at her seat, "Yes, Chief Warlock. I accept the nomination".
Dumbledore turned to the Wizengamot again, "Are there any more nominations for the post of Minister of Magic?"
With a glare that Arcturus had sent Malfoy's way, Lucius decided not to field his candidate. It was part of the deal that he would have to fulfil. Otherwise House Malfoy would be dishonoured in Britain too. He had to go through with it or move to Canada. The old man could and would declare that the decree was not fulfilled otherwise and would forfeit his honour anyway. It was better if he kept quiet for now.
When no other name was forthcoming for 5 minutes, Dumbledore declared, "Since there are no other nominations for Minister of Magic, Amelia Susan Bones, head of DMLE and Regent of House Bones is elected unopposed to the post of Minister of Magic. Congratulations Minister Bones".
After she was elected, she took her place at the seat of the Minister. She started addressing the Wizengamot, "I am thankful to the Wizengamot for considering me worthy of being the Minister of Magic, giving me a chance to serve our society more effectively. I plan to work for the betterment of our society with co-operation from everyone irrespective of any classification which you might have drawn".
After she was done speaking, Dumbledore rapped his gavel, "Does the minister of Magic have any announcements to be made before we move to daily matters?"
Amelia stood, "Yes Chief Warlock. Firstly, I would like to appoint Rufus Scrimgeour as the head of DMLE. Secondly Gawain Robards as the head of Aurors succeeding Rufus in that position. Also, the DMLE has started an investigation into allegations regarding the conduct of the erstwhile Minister of Magic. we have received concrete evidence of his being involved in corrupt practices. as such, he is being injuncted from leaving the borders of Wizarding Britain pending the outcome of the investigation. We will release details regarding the investigation only after the trial, if any, is complete".
The session was ended soon after when the daily matters were dealt with. Dumbledore was about to leave for Hogwarts when Arcturus stopped him, "Dumbledore, may I have a word?"
Dumbledore nodded, "Certainly Lord Black. When would it be convenient for you?"
Arcturus calmly replied, "You are invited to the current seat of House Black located at #12, Grimmauld Place tomorrow evening for dinner. There are things that you need to know. I have already invited Amelia to it. There are steps we must take so that our society will not fall back into the chaos of war".
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "It would be preferable if you could speak clearly, Lord Black but no matter, I will present myself at the seat of residence of House Black tomorrow".
You pelted me with dung-bombs?
A few days ago the twins had caused mayhem just outside the Great Hall in their pursuit of pranks. They had peppered the Slytherins with dung-bombs when they were coming to the Great Hall and they had not been caught. Since then Filch had been trying to catch the mischief makers but had been unsuccessful so far.
Harry and his friends were also wary of the caretaker and had decided to abstain from pranking for a few days. It was not their modus anyhow.
One evening when Ernie was coming to the Great Hall, he walked into a scene where some of the Slytherins were bombarding the caretaker by peppering him with dung-bombs.
By the time Filch was able to look for them, they were gone and he found Ernie to be the one on the spot. Before poor Ernie understood what was happening, Filch clapped hands on him.
Filch sneered, "So… You thought it would be great fun to throw dung-bombs at me? Let's just see if what comes next is great fun too. I will have you expelled for this. Oh I so wish I could hang you by your thumbs then whip you".
Ernie was vehemently protesting but the caretaker was not ready to hear anything. It would have been a nightmare but for Professor Flitwick who stopped the two of them. He asked Filch, "Mr. Filch, where are you dragging him off to?"
Argus still sneering, replied, "Professor, he was throwing dung-bombs at me".
Ernie vehemently protested, "Professor, I did not have any dung-bombs with me. It was some other students I know nothing about. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time".
Flitwick stopped him with a gesture of his hand. He turned to Filch, "Mr. Filch, did you see him throwing dung-bombs at you?"
Filch replied, "No Professor but he was the only one there".
Flitwick asked further, "Did you check his pockets or his hands to see if they were covered with grime from using or handling dung-bombs?"
Filch hesitated answering, "No Professor".
"Then I am afraid you cannot detain him like that, Mr. Filch. Unhand him this moment and apologise to Mr. Macmillan or I will be forced to report your conduct to the Headmaster".
Filch released Ernie's hand from his grasp. He mumbled, "I apologise for my conduct".
Flitwick turned to Ernie then, "Now run along, Mr. Macmillan. Curfew starts in 10 minutes".
The next morning, Harry chose the Hufflepuff table for breakfast. They sat there eating breakfast when Ernie came up to him.
He said urgently, "Harry, I need your help".
He had been listening to something Susan was saying but the bit of urgency in Ernie's voice attracted his attention. He turned to find the other boy looking angry. He asked in his most calm voice, "What happened, Ernie?"
Ernie retold everything about what happened last night, what the caretaker had done. When he was done retelling, Harry's mind was made up to do something about Filch and the students that had tried to frame Ernie, but not today.
He turned to Ernie, "Look mate, he will get his reckoning. Let's not do anything right away. I don't want to give anyone, especially Professor Flitwick a chance to connect his repayment with you. You know what they say, Revenge is a dish best served cold".
Ernie grinned evilly, "Alright mate. You do this for me and I will owe you one".
Neville cautioned him, "Don't say things like that to him lightly mate. You don't know what he may ask in return".
Just then the owl mail started coming in. a barn owl landed before him carrying his copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry untied the newspaper and spread it out while noticing that there was total silence in the Great Hall. It soon became clear that the news story covering the first page was the reason.
"MINISTER OUSTED FROM OFFICE
By Jane Fraser
The regular monthly session of the Wizengamot for the month of October 1991 turned out to be a power show by the Houses. In a blatant display of their powers, they ousted the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge from his office.
Business for the day started out with the recently returned Lord Arcturus black appointing Sirius Black as the Lord Regent for House Black. Also in his capacity as Guardian to Hadrian Potter-black, also known as The Boy Who Lived, he also appointed Remus Lupin as the Lord Regent for House Potter.
In a surprise move, Lord Black next announced that House Black would now sit in the Light Faction as opposed to its historical stance of sitting in the dark faction.
When it was time for motions, in an unprecedented move in the session of the Wizengamot yesterday, Lord Arcturus Orion Black of the House of Black brought a motion of non-confidence against Mr. Fudge which was supported by Lord Greengrass who is the de facto leader of the Neutrals. Surprisingly the Wizengamot was together behind this move by Lord Black. Here I would like to remind our readers that recently Lord Black was heard vowing to have Mr. Fudge's head for usurping his rights. we are of the opinion that this was a vendetta on his part against the erstwhile Minister. When the Chief Warlock invited the members to speak for or against the motion, not one member of the Wizengamot spoke to support or oppose the motion.
Since the motion was one-sided from the start, the motion passed with 50 voting in support of the motion while 30 either voted against or abstained from voting.
With Mr. Fudge being ousted from his office, the Chief Warlock called for nominations and Lady Regent of House Longbottom Augusta Longbottom nominated the erstwhile chief of DMLE Amelia Bones which was seconded by Lord Fawley.
In perhaps another historic moment, Amelia Bones was unanimously elected to office after none of the factions fielded a candidate against Madam Bones. In her first act as Minister of Magic, she promoted Rufus Scrimgeour as Head of DMLE and Gawain Robards to the position of Head Auror. She also revealed that investigations were underway into Mr. Fudge's conduct and as such, he is injuncted from leaving the borders of Wizarding Britain with Lord Black still having the right to prosecute him for usurping his rights.
Mr. Fudge was quoted as saying, "For all the service that I rendered to the Ministry of Magic, I have been duped by the Wizengamot. I have been betrayed by those for whose welfare I acted".
We tried to get comments from the Minister or Lord Black but we were unable to reach them before this edition went to print."
After he was done reading, he turned to Susan to find her looking at him. She had a sly smile on her face, "So, it was Lord Black's doing?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really know, Susan. His mind works in mysterious ways".
Neville who was sitting with him said, "Of course it was his doing. He is a shrewd person. a Slytherin through and through. But he could not have done it without Madam Bones's help".
Counsels exchanged
When Albus Dumbledore arrived for his meeting with Lord Black, he found the current seat of residence of House Black to be the opposite of what he thought it would be like. He had thought it would be a gloomy, dark, musty townhouse openly displaying its allegiance to Slytherin House full of Dark Magic objects but contrary to his line of thought, the Townhouse was well ventilated, there were no signs of allegiance with House Slytherin and there were certainly no dark objects spread throughout the house. The townhouse had the aura of a house well lived in.
Sirius greeted him at the entrance of the Townhouse, "Welcome Headmaster. I am happy to see you here today".
Dumbledore beamed at him, "Sirius my boy, it is exhilarating to see that you are doing so well. It is indeed a pleasure to see you in the bloom of your health again. This takes off a little of the burden that I carry when I think about your illegal incarceration".
Sirius waved him off, "That is water under the bridge now, Albus. I know you would have got me out of there if you could. We cannot bring back what is lost so we should focus on what is ahead of us".
Sirius led him to the meeting room where Lord Black was sitting in an overstuffed arm-chair like the one he had at Hogwarts while those meant for visitors were simple wood backed chairs like the ones Minerva preferred.
His eyes twinkling, Dumbledore whipped out his wand. He conjured his favourite chair out of thin air then took a seat.
Arcturus smirked at this display of power and could not avoid making a comment, "Showing off under my roof, Albus? I know you have got style but was it necessary to put on such a display?"
Dumbledore graciously smiled, "I am partial to this kind of chair, Lord Black. They are comfortable for old wizards like us".
Sirius snorted, "Old? You? I can bet you can do the waltz if the need be even now".
Arcturus growled, "Alright, alright Sirius. We are here to discuss an issue of importance, to ask questions, to exchange counsel about things which are of importance".
Dumbledore nodded, "Then what are we waiting for?"
Arcturus called, "Travistor".
His loyal elf Trvistor appeared bowing to him, "You called, master?"
He turned to the elf, "Travistor, please bring me the cider wood box engraved with the Black crest. It is kept in the drawer of the table in the Lord's study".
The elf disappeared with a pop and he turned to Dumbledore again, "There are things of vital importance to be discussed so I am waiting for a couple more people to arrive".
As the elf re-appeared with the box, they heard the floo activating twice in rapid succession. Amelia Bones entered the meeting room followed by Augusta Longbottom.
Dumbledore was incredibly confused now. What would Augusta Longbottom, the Regent of a family as light as Longbottom have to do with House of Black? In fact, it was the descendants of House Black who were responsible for the condition of Frank and Alice Longbottom. He however decided to keep his peace for now. He would try to find the connection later. He also wondered for a moment as to why the Minister of Magic was acting so favourably towards Lord Black. Then he realised that perhaps Arcturus had become part of the Great Alliance when he shifted from Dark to Light. It also made him realise that Arcturus was the architect behind the downfall of Cornelius Fudge and then the rise of Amelia Bones as the minister. A lot of things had happened under his nose and he had been none the wiser. He would have to keep his eyes and ears open in the future.
By this time, Augusta and Amelia had taken their seats and they were joined by Sirius and Remus. Arcturus looked at everyone in their turn. After a few moments, he started speaking, "What I am going to tell you all today is of an extremely sensitive nature. I cannot proceed to say a word more unless I am given some form of assurance that none of you will ever speak of this to anyone else".
Amelia, who was the Minister now was concerned that any such promise may conflict with her duties, asked, "What form of assurance are you seeking Lord Black? You do know that I am the minister. I cannot give my word to conceal anything contrary to the public interest".
Arcturus took a deep breath before he started to speak again, "Amelia, the piece of news that I have to share is so important that if the wizarding world were to know about it then there would be mass hysteria and panic. That is the reason I am asking assurance from you all. I assure you that you would do anything in your power to keep it under wraps once I am done telling".
Dumbledore who had been noticing Arcturus's facial expressions, his hand movements guessed that it was too sensitive a topic to bicker about. He turned to Amelia, "Minister Bones, I think we should give an assurance to Lord Black because there are only a few things which have ever troubled him in his life".
Amelia sighed then turned to Lord Black, "Can you give me just a hint of what is to come so that it may make it easier for me to decide if I need to give an assurance or not".
Arcturus gave an evil smirk, "So, if you want a sneak peak then listen closely. LORD VOLDEMORT IS NOT DEAD.".
Dumbledore's reaction had been neutral. He was just a bit surprised that Arcturus knew of it but he already knew the truth about Voldemort's death. He was only interested to know how Arcturus knew about it. Amelia had stifled a cry from escaping her throat. Such horrible news and the old wizard had thrown it out like that for them to hear. Augusta had gasped in shock but controlled her features quickly. Sirius knew about it from Remus so there had been no reaction from him about it.
Amelia took some time to compose herself before she started speaking, "By Merlin's Beard, Lord Black. You should not speak of such things so abruptly. I can understand how much panic this news could cause so I agree to take a Magical Oath to not disclose this to anyone".
Arcturus turned to Dumbledore, "You do not seem surprised by this revelation, Albus?"
Dumbledore who was looking grim now, said in a slow, calm voice, "When Voldemort was vanquished at the end of the previous war, I had realised that he is not dead. I have been trying to find what became of him. As far as I have gathered, he is living as a wraith, barely surviving but not quite dead. He was injured at that time and it took him a lot of effort to be able to function once more. I think I know what kept him alive despite being hit by his own rebounding killing curse".
Arcturus smirked, "So, you are not as naive as you would have us believe. I do not think for a moment that one firmly entrenched in light would have known these things like you. You do know how the dark works, I presume".
Dumbledore smiled, "Lord Black, you are very perceptive. Yes, I have had my run-ins with dark magic over the years. First it was Grindelwald now it is Voldemort, both of them Dark Lords, well adept in Necromancy".
Amelia turned to Lord Black, "Pardon my intrusion. Unless you both explain things to me I do not think I will understand anything".
Arcturus turned to her, "Before I start narrating what I know as a certain fact, I want some answers from Albus here. I will also need a magical oath from each of you to not discuss what we are going to talk about here unless we have agreed that others need to know about it".
There was no question that they would not agree with what Arcturus asked of them. They each took a magical oath to that effect.
Arcturus turned to Dumbledore, "Albus there are some questions I need to ask of you to fill in the gaps of the knowledge that I have. Are you amenable to answer them? Do remember that you cannot keep any secrets in this matter".
Albus nodded, "I can see the time to keep secrets is past, Lord Black. Ask your questions".
Arcturus took a deep breath while contemplating the questions to ask. He had a lot of them but he could not go about throwing them out left and right. He turned to Dumbledore and asked the first question, "What made James and Lily Potter go into hiding? Did it have something to do with Neville Longbottom too?"
Albus smiled, "You do not beat around the bush, Lord Black. Since I have agreed, I will answer the questions the best I can. Shortly before Neville and Harry were born, I was interviewing a candidate for the job of Divination teacher. I did not personally favour divination, but the candidate was descended from a reputed Seer. Out of courtesy I agreed to give her an interview. I met her in the Hogs head. It was clear from the start that she did not have the gift. I was about to leave when she went into a trance. Then she gave a prophecy. The prophecy concerned Voldemort and a child who would be born at the end of the seventh month. I will not tell you the contents of the prophecy but it said that Voldemort would choose his nemesis. There were some other qualifications and going by them, there were only two children who would fit the bill. They were Hadrian Potter-Black and Neville Longbottom. Unfortunately, a death eater who was snooping around the inn, in hopes of getting some news, heard the first part of the prophecy before the bar-keeper caught him listening at the door and threw him out. He rushed to tell Voldemort about what he had heard based on the half-knowledge, he chose Hadrian Potter-Black as his nemesis.
Since I knew the whole thing, I alerted the parents of both children about it. I bade them to hide until the threat was over. Taking my advice James and Lily, Frank and Alice went into hiding. Alas! I did not know that James and Lily would be betrayed by one they trusted. Voldemort's act to attack little Harry on that Halloween sealed the connection between them marking him as his nemesis. I had hoped to save all of them when I advised them to go into hiding. It ended up that I could not save any of them".
Sirius who had been sitting quietly then turned to Albus. He growled, "Why did you not tell James plainly about the prophecy? If you did, he might have taken more precautions for his safety".
Albus did not lose his grand-fatherly demeanour, "Sirius, when I learned that because of the prophecy, that Voldemort was hunting the Potters and the Longbottoms, I rushed to Potter Manor to Lord Charlus Potter. I told him about the gravity of the situation and he called James and Lily. They were told about the prophecy, the threat it posed and they took a magical oath to never tell about it to anyone else unless I permitted it. I did the same with Frank and Alice. They knew what they were facing when they went into hiding".
Augusta asked him, "What became of the Prophecy? Does it mean that he will actively look for Neville still?"
Dumbledore shook his head, "No. He had chosen Harry. At that moment, the sword of Prophecy hanging over both their heads had shifted to Harry solely".
Remus asked what they had missed, "What became of the death-eater, Headmaster? Was he caught and punished?"
Albus took some time to answer that question, "No, I knew of his identity but he ceased to exist after the first war".
Arcturus growled, "Where is the prophecy now?"
"In the Hall of Prophecies in the Department of Mysteries from where it can only be removed from that place by either Voldemort or Hadrian Potter-Black", replied Dumbledore.
Then Arcturus asked, "When did you know that Voldemort was not dead? Do you know about his origin?"
Amelia turned to Albus, "Answer his questions, Albus. I have a feeling that we have just started to scratch the surface". They noticed then that she had a note-pad opened before her with a dicta quill hovering over it, recording every word which was being said.
Albus closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts for a few minutes while others sat watching him. After a minute or two, he opened his eyes and started speaking, "Voldemort is not his real name. It was just a made-up name he had taken after he left Hogwarts to appear mysterious, to impress his followers. He is not a pureblood either. He is actually a half-blood. He was born of the union of a squib and a muggle. His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. His mother was a daughter of the House of Gaunt, the last descendants of Slytherin. They were famous for marrying among their cousins, in addition to being known for their trait of insanity. The Gaunts lived near the village of Little Hangleton where they had just a squalid shack to call their own. They had squandered their gold generations ago. Merope, his mother, took a shine to Tom Riddle, son of the Riddle Family who were landlords in that area. Since she was a squib, they treated her like filth. They constantly degraded her. Merope's brother, Morffin was sent to Azkaban for muggle bating and attacking ministry officials along with her father, Marvolo was also sent to Azkaban for attacking a ministry official when he came to serve a summons on Morffin to his hearing on the charge of muggle baiting. With her father and her brother gone, Merope had found some freedom, and perhaps some confidence that came with being free at last. To fulfil her desire, she brewed a love potion".
Dumbledore deliberately took a pause to see how the others would react. Amelia was horrified at where this was going, "Do you mean to tell me that she actually fed a love potion to the muggle".
Dumbledore continued grimly, "I am sorry to say, she did exactly that. How she did it is beyond my comprehension but she had bewitched the poor muggle and they eloped. About a year later, Tom Riddle returned to Little Hangleton without his bride telling people that she had bewitched him. By this time, Marvolo who had been released from Azkaban perished because he did not know how to care for himself and also perhaps in sorrow for the loss of his family heirloom".
Sirius asked, "What heirloom? And why did the love potion stop working?"
Dumbledore took a pause before continuing, "I do not really know why. I guess that Merope who had started to love him stopped feeding him love potions thinking he would reciprocate her feelings but he did not. It turns out she was pregnant when he left her. When he left, she lost her will to live. Later that year, she turned up at an Orphanage in London on a dreary winter day where she gave birth to a child. She lived only long enough to name him Tom after her husband and Marvolo after her father. He remained there until he received his Hogwarts Letter. Even when he was little, he realised that he was different from others. He had some uncommon powers. He used those to bully others into submission before him. When he arrived at Hogwarts, he was sorted into Slytherin almost instantly. I did not realise his family heritage until later".
When Dumbledore took a pause in his narration, Arcturus asked him, "You said nothing of the Heirloom which Merope supposedly had".
Dumbledore shrugged, "That is because I have a feeling that the heirloom has nothing to do with what we are discussing here today".
Arcturus barked, "Let me be the judge of that".
Dumbledore shrugged, "As you wish, Lord Black. The Gaunts were the last descendants of Slytherin so they had inherited the famed necklace of Slytherin. Sometime during the time when Merope was fending for herself, she sold it to Borgins and Burke who paid her only 10G for it".
Arcturus was flabbergasted, "Those cretins! They paid a paltry sum of 10G for that priceless artefact?"
Amelia hushed him. Then she turned to Dumbledore again, "How did you realise that Voldemort is not dead but only vanquished?"
Albus adopted a scholarly demeanour, "What I am going to say now is mostly guesswork because I do not have concrete evidence to support my statements but my guesses are generally correct. Shortly before the war ended, I was trying to document Tom Riddle's life, collecting as many memories as I could find about his family. I came across a memory from Bob Ogden who was the ministry official who was sent to serve the summons on Morffin. In his memory I saw Tom Riddle Senior and I made the connection that he was his father. In his younger days, Voldemort looked very much like his muggle father. Marvello showed off the Slytherin locket which Merope was wearing and an ancient ring which I know to be a Peverell family heirloom. I also have a memory from Caracutus Burke where he is shown buying the locket from Merope. I have another memory from an elf who was bonded to the House of Smith. She was convicted for accidentally killing her mistress Hepzibah Smith. Before her death, she was in possession of two artefacts that used to belong to the founders. They were Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup. After her death, neither of these priceless artefacts could be found".
Amelia gasped, "You mean that Hepzibah was killed by someone else?"
Dumbledore nodded, "Yes. Tom Riddle had been an extraordinary student at Hogwarts and was selected as the Slytherin Prefect and obtained 12 OWLs in his fifth year at Hogwarts. He went on to be Head Boy in his seventh year and later went on to work for Borgins and Burke. He was a daily visitor of Hepzibah shortly before she was murdered. I believe that Tom murdered her and took both artefacts".
Arcturus was connecting the dots. He waited for Dumbledore to finish before he presented his story.
Dumbledore continued, "Lastly, I have two more memories. One from Morffin where young Tom Riddle was seen visiting him perhaps in his quest to find his ancestry. Shortly after his visit, all the Riddles were found dead in their house. Morffin was carted off to Azkaban to serve a life sentence for the murders. I visited him there and performed Legilimency on him. I found that his memory had been altered and he had not murdered the muggle family. When I unearthed the real memory I found that Tom had visited his uncle. It is very likely that he killed his father and Grand Parents. He framed his uncle by doing the murders with his uncle's wand. Then he left after altering his memories".
The cries of shock and repulsion were not unexpected for Albus. Sirius was shouting, "I would have killed such a demon child when he was little. He is a monster".
Dumbledore pacified all of them, "Let me finish all I want to say. I have another memory from Horace Slughorn, former Potions teacher at Hogwarts. In that memory, Tom is seen wearing the Peverell ring. He asked a question from Slughorn which confirmed my fears".
Arcturus did not want to ask the question which he knew someone else would ask but chose to do so anyway, "What did he want to know?"
Dumbledore grimaced, "He wanted to know about Horcruxes".
Sirius gasped while Amelia asked dumbly, "What is a Horcrux?"
It was Arcturus who answered, "A Horcrux is the vilest form of soul magic where one keeps a piece of his soul in a container safely tucked away from the world so that he cannot die. It was invented by Herpo the foul in Ancient Greece and it is one of the vilest things that one can do".
Augusta asked him in morbid fascination, "How do you break your soul into pieces?"
Albus answered, "By committing the most heinous of crimes, murder. Murdering someone without remorse in cold blood is the only way to break one's own soul into pieces".
Amelia asked him, "If Voldemort has created a Horcrux, then how will he die?"
Arcturus answered, "There are two ways to destroy a horcrux that I know. One is with Basilisk Venom. The other is by Fiendfyre".
Albus eyed him suspiciously, "You seem to be quite knowledgeable about Horcruxes, Lord Black".
Arcturus barked, "Did you forget Dumbledore that I am a Black? One of the darkest families in Wizarding Britain. There are magics more dark than this contained in the books of my library however I never tried to go near these books until it was imperative for me to do so".
Albus asked him suspiciously, while fingering his wand in his cloak, "What made you look for them then?"
Arcturus emptied the contents of the box on the table, "Because unlike you I have destroyed three of his horcruxes".
This revelation felt like a bomb dropped on the people gathered in the meeting room. Albus was first to find his voice, "Three? That was the only thing I could not find out, the number of his Horcruxes. Are there more?"
Arcturus growled, "There are at least 3 more of the fowl things. I don't know if he managed to make another one after he was reduced to a wraith. If he did, there may be as many as 4 of them out there leaving the wraith form".
They were stunned. They sat in silence for many minutes before Albus found his voice again, "I think we need a plan of action to follow now".