Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong

Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.


"I can't believe it," Severus uttered, more to himself than to his wife. "For so many years, I wished to get rid of that ugly mark, and then Harry gets wind of it and five minutes later it's gone."

Regina leaned over, and he automatically laid her arm around her back pulling her closer.

"Congratulations Sev."

He could only give a slight nod as response to her whisper, as tears of happiness, relief, remorse and gratefulness began to well in his eyes.

"You deserve it. You've more than made up for mistakes, which you made as a teenager. You were barely older than Harry is now."

"Harry is still younger. He's not even a teenager yet, and he'd never such a thing."

"That's because he's so full of love."

"How can he be? His childhood was even worse than mine."

"But only before he came to live here, when he was eight. During the most important years of his childhood, you have been here for him and taught him to live up to his abilities. You were lacking the loving parent he has now, and you met the wrong people at Hogwarts. I didn't have any parent during my teenager time either, but I had a wonderful mentor at school, and even if I couldn't tell her the truth about what was bothering me, as I wasn't allowed to talk about the magical world, she made up for the lack of parents. She also was the reason why I became a mind healer, before I began to study Natural Sciences."

"Perhaps, these experiences made you the wonderful mother and wife you are. As glad as I am that you're here for Felix full-time though, whenever you wish to teach at least a few classes again, you can do that."

Regina nodded. "Thanks, dear. I know. You once suggested to begin a new class at Hogwarts, a combination of magical and muggle studies, which would enable students to study Natural Science at a muggle university after finishing Hogwarts. I'd really love to do that. On the other hand, I'd like to only teach one class for the beginning and try for a baby girl first, before becoming too involved in teaching again."

"Then we will do so." Severus smirked, "and if you ever need a student assistant, I already have one for you."

"Hermione." Regina smiled.

"Exactly." Severus rolled his eyes in apparent annoyance at the girl who used to drive him nuts with her never ending questions, causing her to chuckle.

"And if we ever need a babysitter, apart from Harry of course, we could ask Ginny. She accompanied Felix and me out onto the grounds the other day, and she was really good with him. She told me that she likes young children very much."

They talked until the early morning, and Severus quickly took one of his fresh-and-go potions, before he took a shower and readied himself for breakfast in the Great Hall, while Regina entered Harry's room to woke up her son.

HP

On this Friday morning, Severus asked the twins to teach his morning classes, glad that they only had Care of Magical Creatures with their brother Charlie, a free period, because it would have been their own Potions class, and Transfiguration, for which he had excused them with Minerva, promising to inform her about his reasons tonight.

It was not as if he was not present in the classroom. However, he could not keep an eye on the dunderheads, as he was busying himself with an experimental potion, which he wanted to develop and bring to perfection today.

'Marvolo told me last night that he was going to question everyone under Veritaserum tomorrow evening. While Lucius is a tad too evil for my liking, he's not exactly stupid. He'll probably take the antidote just to be safe. I need to invent an antidote to the antidote, which should nullify the effects of the antidote instantly.'

While he would have preferred to involve the twins in his research, classes had to be taught as well, and he consoled himself that he would explain the matter to them after lunch, knowing that neither the twins nor he had any afternoon classes on Fridays.

In the end, it took him, the twins and Harry, whom they also involved from the end of the last afternoon class onwards, until lunchtime on Saturday, before they completed their potion.

As neither the twins nor Harry were of age yet, he refused to have any of them test the concoction, so that they could only use him as test person; however, he was certain that the potion should work equally well on anyone else.

He still contemplated how to administer his new invention to Marvolo's guests at the beginning of the meeting that evening, when a sudden thought crossed his mind that made him travel to Riddle manor right away.

HP

At the same time at Malfoy manor, Bellatrix Noname instructed the house-elf that brought lunch for the refugees to let her speak with her sister Narcissa or at least with Lucius.

Ever since what she thought was her brother-in-law had brought them to his manor, they had not seen him even once. However, as the influence of the Dementors slowly dimmed down and her mind became more lucid, she needed to talk to someone. This someone could neither be her husband nor his brother. She urgently wanted to speak with her sister.

The house-elf popped away only to reappear an instant later. "Popp is sorry, but Master Lucius has gone to the Ministry of Magic for the day."

"What about Narcissa?"

The elf averted his eyes. "Former Mistress Narcissa is not living here anymore. Popp don't knows where she is."

Bellatrix' eyes widened in shock. "Narcissa has separated from Lucius? What happened?"

The house-elf shook his head. "Popp is not knows."

Bellatrix gulped. "Can you change my clothes to something more presentable? Then I will be on my way."

The elf nodded and with a flick of his hand changed her clothes to something that her sister would wear. With another flick of his hand, her hair was diligently braided. But Bella could not care less. She needed to get out of here, even though she was lacking a plan where to go.

She thanked Merlin that she had been at Malfoy manor often enough to know how to get out, and forty minutes later, she found herself on the street outside the Malfoy grounds. Unfortunately, she neither had a wand nor was she capable of wandless magic.

HP

Around seven o'clock in the evening, Artemis Nott and Marvolo Gaunt greeted Severus, when he stepped out of the fireplace in the entrance hall of Nott manor.

"Lord Prince."

"Lord Nott, Marvolo."

"Severus, thank you again for alerting me to the problem we'd have if I just called everyone through the Dark Mark. I have alerted some friends, and other than that, I will just only call my former inner circle. From all the refugees, only Bellatrix was in it if I remember correctly. In the worst case, we'll have her show up here. I trust you to help me if she goes nuts."

"Sure." Severus smirked and handed him a small phial.

"Draht." Marvolo gave the phial to his elf. "Please unobtrusively spell this into any of my guests' systems apart from Artemis and Severus. It's the antidote to the antidote for the truth serum."

The elf's eyes widened in surprise, before his expression changed to a broad grin.

"Draht knows exactly what to do," he confirmed, before he vanished into thin air.

'He probably simply turned himself invisible,' Severus thought in lack of any popping sound.

"Are you ready?" Seeing Artemis and Severus nod, Marvolo pressed the Dark Mark on Artemis' arm, calling his former inner circle together.

HP

Fifteen minutes later, eight men in Death Eater garments, however, without masks, the Carrow twins, Artemis, Severus and Marvolo in their casual robes as well as one witch in a white sweater over a grey, long skirt were assembled.

"Bella!" Lucius growled, causing Marvolo to quirk an eyebrow in silent question.

"I have called my former inner circle together, and Bella was a member of it if I remember correctly."

'Bellatrix.' Severus looked at his wife's sister-in-law in disdain, only to realise that she seemed strangely distressed and frightened. 'Bella is afraid? That's new,' he thought in surprise.

"Bellatrix." Marvolo looked at the refugee in apparent expectation. "Who freed you from Azkaban?"

"The Dementors. They took us to a place, where Lucius and a woman were waiting for us. I don't know the woman." Her voice was strangely thin and sounded unsecure.

However, Marvolo nodded in apparent understanding. "Lucius, is that true?"

"Yes sir."

Severus realised that Lucius tried in vain to hide his horrified expression, when the Veritaserum worked as it was supposed to do.

"Who was the woman?"

"Dolores Umbridge."

"The undersecretary to the Minister of Magic?" Marvolo's voice was laced with disbelief. "Why would she help you?"

"She is my girlfriend, and she controls the Dementors."

"Where are they now?"

"I don't know."

"Where have you taken the refugees?"

"To Malfoy manor."

Marvolo impatiently waved his hand over the men. "You're dismissed. Bella and Severus, please remain for a moment."

"No crucio for Lucius?" Bella cast Marvolo an assessing look once everyone else had left.

Marvolo let out a long sigh. "I don't know what he told you…"

"Nothing, my Lord."

"Anyway, I am no one's lord anymore," Marvolo continued and explained everything about the curse he had been under from the age of fifteen onwards.

Bellatrix' eyes widened in apparent shock upon hearing the story.

"Please question me under Veritaserum, sir. I need to tell you something."

"The Veritaserum everyone's drink was laced with should still work." Marvolo leaned forward in apparent curiosity.

"Someone put me under the Imperius curse as well. I don't know who it was. It only seems to have cleared now with the influence of the Dementors weakening."

'She seems more lucid than I ever saw her after we left Hogwarts,' Severus thought in surprise that seemed to match Marvolo's at the revelation.

"I've never loved Rabastan, but I was forced to marry him and do horrible things together with him."

HP

"Mum." Harry cast Regina a reassuring smile, as he interrupted his play on the Suikan. "Dad will be all right. You know that Marvolo isn't evil anymore."

Regina let out a deep sigh. "Yes dear, I know that, but if he summons his former followers, there is still a possibility that one of my awful brothers or my sister-in-law or any other Death Eaters show up, and they are definitely evil."

"But they should still be weakened from their stay in Azkaban," Harry reasoned. "They most likely don't even have wands."

"Ah Harry, you're so sweet. Thank you for trying to improve my mood."

Harry smirked. "I have an idea, by the way. You know, there are several parents, who have never seen Hogwarts, because they attended schools in Ireland or wherever or because they're muggles and whatever."

Regina nodded, smiling.

"Perhaps, we could invite all the parents of the first-years one Saturday or Sunday and show them the school and perhaps even have a Quidditch match teachers versus first-years or such to entertain them."

"Even those who have attended Hogwarts might be happy to have an opportunity to visit the school," Regina added to his suggestion. "Shall we call Minerva here and discuss this with her?"

'Minerva, do you have five minutes to discuss something with Regina and me?' Harry thought to her.

"I've asked her to come. Too bad that most people cannot think back to me."

"Perhaps, you could add a subject called "Mind magic" to the curriculum, where things such as telepathy are taught."

Harry nodded, grinning. "That's a brilliant idea, but the only people I know who would be able to teach that are Dad or Marvolo. Do you wish to give the headmaster a heart failure by hiring him?"

"Hiring whom?" Minerva cast him a questioning look, apparently having heard Harry's last words, as she stepped out of the fireplace.

"Marvolo Gaunt."

He received a glare in return. "Harry, I agree with that assessment. As long as Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster here, you won't be able to hire Lord Gaunt without provoking a huge fight at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded, grimly, not wanting to discuss Dumbledore's further employment as headmaster at this point. Instead, he relayed his idea of inviting the first-years' parents for a day. "Or even a complete weekend."

Minerva nodded in agreement. "A whole weekend makes sense. We could even have a Quidditch tournament with three parties, students, parents and teachers."

"Brilliant." Harry grinned, broadly.

"Perhaps with a dance ball on Saturday evening."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "Who is going to teach us to dance?"

"Minerva, I believe that first-years are a bit too young for a dance ball." Regina smirked, causing Harry to glare at his mother.

"Well, we'll be able to think of some other way of entertainment then. Harry, will you organise the Quidditch matches, while I deal with the evening program?"

Harry agreed. "Could we perhaps also have a rally through the castle, perhaps in small groups?"

They decided that Minerva should involve her colleagues for the evening program, and Harry should discuss the rally with his classmates. 'And with Hogwarts,' Harry thought to himself. 'At the beginning of April, we need to send out the invitations.'

HP

Sirius Black was lounging on the sofa in the living room discussing baby names with Amelia, when a sudden thought penetrated his mind.

'Black, this is Marvolo Gaunt speaking. Malfoy just admitted under Veritaserum that he and Umbridge freed the prisoners and took them to Malfoy manor. I trust you to deal with this information. If you have questions, I am currently at Nott manor.'

Sirius all but jumped from his seat, causing his wife to stare at him in apparent shock. He quickly relayed Marvolo's message. "Even if I don't trust him, I'm afraid I'll have to follow the hint."

"Splash," Amelia called her house-elf. "Please look after Lily for a while. Sirius and I both need to go to work for a few hours. Call me if you need me."

"Yes, Mistress Amelia."

"No, Meli." Sirius sent his wife a glare that allowed no contradiction. "Let's not go there together. Please stay safe with Lily."

Nodding in understanding, Amelia sent an emergency Patronus summoning half of her Auror contingent to Malfoy manor.

HP

With mixed feelings, Sirius apparated to the closest spot he could get to Malfoy manor. On the one hand, he hoped that Voldemort's hint was nothing more than a lie, considering that he did not trust the man and hated him with a passion. On the other hand, however, he was an Auror and wanted the criminals back in Azkaban as soon as possible.

He realised, contentedly, that most of his colleagues, whom Amelia had summoned, were just arriving.

"I will do this the polite way, but please ready yourself for a possible fight." With that, he approached the entrance door and knocked, not surprise when it was a house-elf who opened the door.

"Auror Black here. I wish to speak with Lord Malfoy."

"Master Lucius and Mistress Dolores are not at home, sir."

Sirius frowned. 'Who knows if it's safe to believe things that a house-elf says?' he thought. 'Kreacher would lie his way through the day.'

"Apparently, the escapees from Azkaban are currently here. Please show me to them."

With that, the house-elf had the gall to simply pop away.

'Oh well, he seems to be faithful to his family,' he thought in annoyance, when he recalled what Narcissa had told him about freeing a crazy house-elf. 'I think Dobby was the name.'

"Dobby!" he called out, tentatively.

To his relief, a house-elf popped up right in front of him, staring at him from large eyes. He was wearing a bright green scarf and a pair of mismatched socks in pink and light blue. "Lord Black, the godfather of the great Harry Prince, saviour of the elves, has called Dobby?" he shouted in apparent excitement.

"Hello Dobby, nice to meet you, too," Sirius replied, ignoring his colleagues' snickering from behind him, before he quickly explained why they were here and that the Malfoy elf had not helped them.

Dobby nodded, eagerly, his large ears almost touching the floor in apparent excitement.

"Dobby knows his way around the manor. Dobby wills shows you to the guest rooms. They coulds be there or in the dungeons."

Sirius and his colleagues followed the overexcited elf through the large manor, stunning all the portraits on the way as they went. Dobby led them to a wing at the other end of the building, pointing out that it was the guest wing.

"Three of you in front of each door, then open the doors all at once. Try to be quiet though, as there is a possibility that they're all asleep, considering that it's after midnight. I'd prefer to do this without a fight."

To his relief, his colleagues easily accepted his lead in this case and obeyed. They were lucky that the prisoners indeed were not only present in the guest rooms but also fast asleep. 'Probably due to exhaustion from their stay at Azkaban,' Sirius thought, grimly, 'one of my nastier experiences.'

Thirty minutes later, they had sent all Death Eaters back to the prison by Portkeys, each accompanied by one Auror, so that the Aurors on duty at Azkaban would not be overwhelmed by the number of prisoners arriving at the same time. The Aurors who remained with Sirius quickly composed a list of whom they had found and sent back.

'Cousin Bellatrix is missing,' Sirius realised, inwardly groaning, 'and I wonder where Malfoy and Umbridge are. I can't believe that these two are working together. I look forward to seeing Umbridge at work in the morning.' The thought 'I should go to Nott manor and speak with Voldemort' crossed his mind; however, he decided to return home and fill in Meli first. 'Perhaps, she'll offer to go and speak with the bastard instead of me,' he thought, hopefully.

"Black."

"Moody." Sirius let out a tired sigh.

"How did you know where to find the prisoners?"

"Voldemort contacted me through telepathy earlier. Told me that Malfoy and Umbridge hid them here."

"Voldemort? Umbridge?" The old Auror who was long beyond retirement but still supported them let out a scoff.

"Perhaps, I should trust Harry more. He always says that Lord Gaunt is not evil anymore."

"Pah. Listen to Dumbledore. He knows best."

Sirius nodded. There was no way he'd discuss this with one of Dumbledore's worshipers. He'd rather discuss the point with Meli for the umpteenth time. 'I'll go and speak with Gaunt myself,' he decided. 'I won't endanger Meli. She needs her sleep anyway, considering how often Lily wakes her up during the night.'

That decision made, he swiftly said his good bye to the remaining Aurors, thanked everyone for their assistance and apparated away.

HP

Together with Marvolo, Artemis Nott and Bellatrix Noname, Severus discussed how to proceed to get Beatrix off the list of known Death Eaters.

"You'll have to undergo a questioning with Amelia Bones under Veritaserum like Marvolo did." Severus cast Marvolo a questioning look.

"Yes. In fact, I've alerted Lord Black to the fact that the other escapees should be at Malfoy manor, and I also told him that he could find me here if he had any questions." Ignoring Severus' and the others' surprised look, he added, "That was right after Lucius left. As we haven't heard anything yet, I suppose that Black organised a rescue party for the prisoners."

"They will notice that I'm missing." Bellatrix' voice was laced with obvious worry.

"Don't worry, dear. The three of us heard the truth and will be able to protect you and ask for an official questioning for you." Marvolo then turned to Severus. "May I ask that you remain for a little while longer, considering that I suppose that Black will come to see me sooner or later?"

Severus gave him a sharp nod. 'Regina, I am sorry, but this will take long tonight. I am at Nott manor together with Lord Nott, Marvolo and Bellatrix Noname, who has been questioned under Veritaserum and was apparently victim of a curse as well. We're waiting for Sirius to come and possibly question her. I am sorry dear. Please don't wait for me and go to bed. I am safe, and I will come home as soon as possible.' He then sent a similar thought to Harry, who replied within the minute.

'Dad, please be careful. We love you.'

'Good night, son.'

Feeling the urge to still return home as soon as possible, he decided to send a message to his son's unofficial godfather. 'Black, Severus Prince here. In case you're bored, we're waiting for you at Nott manor. You need to question your cousin Bellatrix under Veritaserum, as she seems to have been a victim of a curse as well.'

Suddenly, Marvolo's elf whom Severus knew to be Draht popped up in front of them.

"Marvolo, sir. It is done."