Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
"You really know everything," Harry said, feeling slightly irritated, as he transformed back into his human form.
"I just know things," Luna replied, and her former forlorn expression turned into a broad smile.
"What are you doing here, just by yourself?" Harry cast the girl a worried look, noticing that she was not even wearing shoes and seemed to shiver in her thin one-piece. "Why are you not in your study room or in the Ravenclaw common room?"
Luna let out a deep sigh. "Ah, you know, Mary and Bridget are never in the study room. They always spend the evenings in the common room discussing make up and such things with the older girls in our house."
"Ah." Realisation set in. "The older girls in your house are not exactly nice, are they?"
Luna nodded, however, did not comment.
'Ah, Mum should be doing this,' Harry thought, feeling helpless. 'I'm not good at it.'
"Did something happen?" he asked in a soft voice.
"They don't like me, and they hide my things, stating that I was strange and too stupid for Hogwarts, let alone Ravenclaw. I still have to find my shoes."
"Luna, you are not stupid at all. They're horrible; that's all. Will you come inside with me? Let me introduce you to Hogwarts. Maybe, she will be able to protect you from these bitches." When Luna agreed, he swiftly led her inside and right into the founders' quarters, resolving to speak with the Giant Squid later on.
He quickly introduced the first-year to the founders in the portrait, before he led the girl straight into the parlour.
"Hogwarts," he addressed the castle, as they entered the room. "This is Luna Lovegood."
"Ah, good evening, Luna. I am happy to get to know you," the castle replied in her soft, warm voice.
"Hello Hogwarts." Luna smiled.
"Hogwarts, Luna's older housemates are hiding her belongings, telling her she was stupid. Is there anything you can do to prevent this?" Harry decided to come straight to the point.
"I have noticed this, and I have already instructed Lisa to return her belongings. Luna, when you return to your dormitory, you will find everything back on your bed. I have also asked Lisa to keep an eye on you and these housemates of yours. They are the kind of students I am not happy to accommodate within my walls."
"Thank you so very much." Harry beat Luna to a response, before he explained, "Lisa is Hogwarts' personal house-elf."
"Why don't you call her and introduce her to your friend?"
'Hogwarts is right,' Harry thought and swiftly called Lisa, noticing that Luna did not have problems towards elves.
HP
A few minutes later, Harry led Luna through the connecting door to the Prince family's living room and introduced her to his mother.
"Mum, this is Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw first-year."
"Hello, Miss Lovegood. I am Harry's mother, Regina Lestrange-Prince. Would the two of you like some hot chocolate?"
"Yes please," Luna replied, airily.
While Regina called Cicero and asked for hot chocolate and biscuits, Harry ushered Luna into the seat next to his own favourite spot on the sofa, noticing how Luna smiled and began to gently caress Lucy's ears, when the canine jumped up to sit between them. He then quickly explained to his mother what had happened to Luna.
"Have you spoken with Professor Flitwick about this?"
Luna shook her head. "It's only two and a half weeks, since I came to Hogwarts, and so far, I've always found everything…" She slowly trailed off, leaving Harry to tell his mother about her agreement with Hogwarts.
Regina nodded in understanding. "Nevertheless, I will speak with Professor Flitwick. Harassing younger students is something, which should not be tolerated at Hogwarts."
On time for the beginning of curfew, Harry accompanied Luna to the second-year study room and asked Hermione and Teddy to take care of her, before he returned home.
Seeing that his father was not at home yet, he addressed his mother. "Mum, just so you know, we're going to have a birthday party for Hermione out on the grounds tonight. It would be good if Dad and his colleagues wouldn't become aware of this though."
Regina smiled. "Thank you for telling me, son. I wish you much fun. Remember what happened last year though, when all the professors made you take pop quizzes. I believe that not only your father, but also Minerva would love to come up with more ideas how to wake up sleepy students."
Harry smirked. "Please don't tell Dad about this, but I've taken precautions. I've brewed a batch of Pepperup potion with jellygrapes, and according to the twins, who have tried it out, it rivals Dad's fresh-and-go potion."
Regina's expression turned from surprised to amused, before she warned him. "I know that you're extremely competent, but please remember that you're not a Potions master yet. Please remind your classmates of this, before you hand out the potions."
Harry nodded. "Yes, Mum. They know that anyway, but I'll remind them. Gits such as Weasley won't take the potion anyway."
"Is he still a git?"
Harry shrugged. "Sometimes, especially when it comes to Ginny. He's still pissed off that she's in the same year as him. Everyone else is actually quite nice."
HP
As Harry had predicted, Ronald Weasley was the only student who refused Harry's potion. Everyone else thanked him profusely and decided to forgo sleeping but instead spend the time until breakfast in the study room.
Naturally, Ronald overslept that morning, even if Neville tried to wake him up on time for class.
"Ron can be such a git. I just hope he won't give us away to the professors." Ginny cast Harry a concerned look.
"What can they do?" Draco looked smug. "We were at breakfast on time and in proper attire, which was what Professor Prince complained about last year. They won't bother punishing us if whatever we did had no consequences."
To Harry's amusement, Draco's assessment was absolutely correct. The only result of their party was that Ronald had to serve detention that evening first with Severus and then with Minerva for missing their morning classes.
HP
When Harry returned home around curfew that night, Severus cast him an assessing look. "Care to explain?"
Harry smirked; however, seeing no point in feigning innocence, he told his father about the advanced Pepperup potion. "I believe, and the twins confirmed this, that it's more efficient than your fresh-and-go potion."
Severus rolled his eyes in apparent annoyance. "Such a valuable concoction and all the second-years know about it? What a waste." He held out his hand. "Do you have a spare dose, which I might try out tonight? Having a few additional hours to correct the students' ludicrous and absurd phantasies called homework would be welcome."
Harry nodded and fetched a small phial from his bookshelves, where it had been hidden behind a dozen books of the series of the five magical friends. "Mum instructed me to remind everyone that I'm not a Potions master," he quipped, as he handed over the phial.
"Ah, that's good to know." Severus visually inspected the phial from all angles, before pulled off the cork and sniffed at the potion. Finally, he gulped it down in one go.
HP
The older Ravenclaws girls' actions against Luna had two consequences. One was that Professor Flitwick together with Harry asked Hogwarts in detail which students had participated and had a strict word with each of the girls. Not contented with assigning them detention with Charlie, Hagrid and Filch for every evening until Christmas, he took one hundred points from each of them, causing the whole Ravenclaw house to know that and why they had no chance of winning the house cup this school year, which had only commenced three weeks ago. The other effect was that Harry introduced Luna to Nina and Tony, who were both in Gryffindor, however, readily became friends with Luna and began to study together with her in the fist-years' study room on a daily basis. When Luna spent time in the common room for some reason, Hermione and Teddy saw to it that they were always nearby.
HP
To Harry's delight, Teddy became a Chaser for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. None of the other second-years were able to play on any house team, however, even if they had a few good players among the second years.
"Maybe next year, when some of the older students finish Hogwarts," Minerva told Harry one evening, when several of the teachers were having tea together in the Prince quarters. "Frankly speaking, I hope that you'll be able to play at least once for us this school year, considering that you helped Slytherin win the Quidditch cup last year." She glanced at Severus, who was wearing a blank expression and completely ignored the comment.
Harry inwardly grinned at his father's antics. "I really hope so, too. I can't wait to play again. As happy as I am that I can stay at home, I really miss playing Quidditch on a regular basis."
Regina cleared her throat. "Wouldn't it be possible to have the students' team and the teachers' team play against each other more often than just once a year?"
Harry and Minerva exchanged an assessing look, before Harry was the first to find words. "That would be cool." He remained pensive for a moment, before he added, "For the sole purpose of playing against the teacher, I'd set up a new students' team though with only students who are not playing on any of the house teams."
"That's a wonderful idea. Severus, what do you think?" Minerva cast her Slytherin colleague a questioning look.
"If the students make up for it by writing better essays that require less correction work," he drawled, causing Harry to roll his eyes.
"Well, you could always forbid students who write bad essays to play." Harry smirked, knowing that none of the professors had ever complained about his essays.
Severus nodded, grinning at Minerva. "Sunday evenings?"
"Yes, why not? We'll have to discuss the matter with our colleagues though."
HP
'Why did we even ask for his opinion?' Severus thought a few days later, when Minerva brought up the discussion during the next staff meeting.
"Sunday evenings is not possible." Albus pensively rubbed his beard. "We need to keep our Sunday evenings open for Order meetings."
"Albus." Minerva's voice was laced with the annoyance that Severus felt. "Don't tell me that we're going to have Order meetings every Sunday. Wouldn't every second or third Sunday be enough? We didn't meet as often during the last few months."
"I know," the headmaster replied, sounding grave. "You've seen what happened with Malfoy and Minister Fudge. I am sure that Malfoy only acted on Voldemort's orders, and even if they have captured most of the former prisoners again, the Dementors are on the loose, and I'm afraid that they're under his control. It wouldn't surprise me if Voldemort managed to free the Death Eaters again, considering that Azkaban is merely guarded by a hand full of Aurors now. Anyway, from now on, I wish to hold the Order meetings once a week."
Minerva let out a deep sigh. "Well then, shall we play Quidditch against the students on Saturday evenings?"
Severus nodded. "I'll tell you now that we're not going to win any game, as long as Harry will play the Seeker."
"Well, then we'll have to try to score often enough to still be able to win." Minerva cast their colleagues a challenging look.
HP
Amelia let out a deep sigh, as she sat at the kitchen table for dinner together with Sirius, little Lily, Beatrix and Arthur.
"Have the three of you noticed something wrong at the ministry?" she asked in exasperation.
"Apart from the fact that the house-elves are exceptionally lazy not." Bella cast her a questioning look.
"Are they doing anything at all?" Amelia frowned. "My fireplace was cold this morning, and when I wanted to ask for tea for Moody and myself, not a single house-elf showed up."
"The minister's office is as dirty as it was, when Fudge was still in office," Bella added.
Sirius let out a deep sigh. "To whom are these elves bonded? Perhaps, they've heard from the elves at Hogwarts that Harry and some of the professors freed most of them and are paying them like human employees."
Amelia frowned. "I'm not sure, but I believe that they must be bonded to the ministry as such. We'd have to ask one of them to be sure though. How should we do such a thing, however, if they don't even show up when called upon? Where are they normally? Sirius, do you think Harry would be able to help us?"
Sirius nodded and glanced at his wrist watch. "I'll send him a Patronus."
A few seconds later, a blue dog Patronus left through the nearest wall.
HP
Harry was working in the Potions lab together with the twins, when Sirius' Patronus arrived.
"Harry, we're having a problem with the house-elves at the ministry and need your experience and advice. Could you please visit us at Grimmauld Place at your earliest convenience, preferably tonight?"
Harry inwardly groaned. 'I'm just practising for the Potions mastery. I'll pop over in about an hour,' he thought to his godfather, wondering if he should take Teddy with him.
HP
An hour later, Harry, together with Teddy and Lucy, popped right into the entrance hall at Grimmauld Place and knocked at the kitchen door. Stepping into the room, he realised that Lily was asleep in Sirius' arms, and Amelia and Sirius seemed to be busily discussing something with Bellatrix Black and Arthur Weasley.
"Harry, Teddy and Lucy." Amelia was the first to notice them and gestured for them to take a seat. "Would you like some tea?" Seeing that Harry and Teddy shook their heads, she continued. "Thank you for coming so quickly. We'd appreciate your advice. We seem to be having a problem with the house-elves at the ministry. They neither properly clean the building, nor do they serve tea anymore or care for the fireplaces. When I called Patty, who usually serves tea for me, she did not even show up. We believe that something must be very wrong."
Harry and Teddy exchanged a glance. "That's indeed strange."
Teddy nodded. "Shall we go and talk to them?"
Sirius readily rose from his chair and placed his daughter into Amelia's arm. "I will accompany you, just to make sure that no one attacks you. Auror security you know."
Harry smiled. "Thanks, Sirius. I don't think that any house-elf would attack us."
"Still, I believe that Sirius should go with you in any case." Amelia nodded at her husband.
"Teddy, do you want to pop us?"
Teddy shook his head. "No, you're much more used to popping four people at once than me."
Harry nodded his agreement. "Hold on, tightly," he instructed his godfather, holding out his left arm for Sirius and Teddy while grabbing Lucy's left front leg with his right hand. He thought of the elves, who probably had quarters similar to those at Hogwarts and popped the small group to the dungeons of the Ministry of Magic.
HP
They arrived in a pitch-black place, which was icy cold, and while he could hear small voices crying and hiccupping, he sensed the dark magic coming from Dementors all over the place.
=Take us out of here.= Lucy urged him, seemingly as terrified as Harry was.
"Hold on, Sirius and Teddy," Harry instructed them and, realising that they complied, popped them right to the atrium, where he had been several times before, when he had attended Wizengamot meetings together with his parents.
"The place is full of Dementors." Tears began to leak from his eyes at the thought of the many miserable house-elves. The situation was just too terrifying.
"Dementors?" Sirius cast him a horrified look. "Is that what it is?"
"Yes, and the elves need help, but what can we do?"
"I'll let Meli know. She can send all the Aurors who can cast a Patronus down there."
'Bandhu, the elves at the British Ministry of Magic have been captured by Dementors. We must help them, or they'll all die. What can we do?'
'Harry, I don't know what Dementors are, but I'll come over together with my fellow Elder Elves.'
"We're just going to wait here for backup to arrive," Sirius decided.
'Marvolo, can you cast a Patronus?'
'I'm sorry, Harry. I really have to learn that. Why do you ask? Did something happen?'
'I'll tell you later. Never mind now,' Harry quickly replied, as Bandhu and a handful of other elves popped up right next to them.
Bandhu straitened himself. "Explain."
Harry quickly explained the situation, while small groups of Aurors steadily arrived in the atrium.
"Excuse me, does anyone know where the elves' quarters are?" Harry enquired, knowing that neither of the elves would be able to pop such a large group of people.
"I'll make a roundkey." A moment later, Bandhu held out a large rope.
"When you arrive, please immediately cast your Patronus," Sirius instructed the Aurors, before he motioned them to hold on to the rope.
Harry quickly pondered to take Lucy home, however, decided against it, recalling that Dementors were harmless to animals.
As soon as they arrived in the completely black room, Harry, Teddy and the Aurors began to cast their Patroni, causing the Dementors to slowly let go off their victims and move towards the far side of the room, which was now illuminated by a group of corporeal Patroni.
"Stop now," Bandhu suddenly shouted and motioned the Aurors to step back. With several waves of his right hand and a mumbled incantation that Harry did not understand, he made the Dementors explode as if they were nothing more than colourful fireworks. For a few minutes, it rained what looked like small pieces of cloth, some of them in black, others in various colours.
"Thank you, everyone. If you had continued to simply chase them away, they'd have come back. It was better to destroy them. Now, I need your help another time. I will make several roundkeys, and I'd like to ask you to help me attach the helpless elves to the ropes. I cannot leave them here to die. I shall take them with me to the Isle of Elves and try to save their lives by a ritual. Their bonding to any humans will be gone, but their lives may be saved. If you wish to employ elves as free elves, please contact me through my friends, Harry or Teddy."
"Bandhu." Sirius spoke up in a firm voice. "Thank you for what you have done here. I hope that you'll be able to save each of them, and I will speak with my wife, who is the interim Minister of Magic, about the employment of free elves."
"Thank you, Sirius." Harry beat Bandhu to a response. "And thank you, Bandhu. May I come with you and try to help?"
Bandhu slapped his hand against his forehead. "Oh right, you're a natural healer. I completely forgot about that. Do you think you can help them?"
Harry nodded and reached for the next elf who was lying on the floor in what seemed to be a vegetative state. He felt the effect of the Dementors on the small body, however, when he let his healing magic flow in the direction of the elf, he felt that it quickly receded.
"She should be all right," he uttered, before he turned to the next elf. It was almost three hours later, when he finished healing the last house-elf, but Harry did not even realise how fast the time passed.
'It's almost midnight, but I've informed your parents that we're here,' Teddy thought to him, causing Harry to cast his best friend a grateful look, only to realise that Lucy was fast asleep on Teddy's feet. Most of the Aurors had left, but Sirius, Moody and a few others were still keeping them company, as was Bandhu and the other elder elves.
'The man who told us that his wife is the interim minister,' Bandhu suddenly thought to Harry, 'what's his name?'
'That's Lord Sirius Black, my godfather,' Harry thought back, smiling.
"Lord Black."
"Yes sir?"
"Please inform your wife that I wish to speak with her as the interim minister. I believe that the Ministry of Magic owes the elves for getting rid of the Dementors within the ministry."
Sirius nodded in apparent understanding. "Yes sir. Thank you so very much for what you have done for us tonight. On the other hand, I believe that the elves owe Harry for healing them."
"Harry is one of us." Bandhu's voice was firm and allowed no contradiction. "I demand a promise from the Ministry of Magic to employ free elves instead of slaves from now on. You all," he turned to the elves, who were sitting on the floor observing the scene, "are free now. If any of you for some reason does not wish to be free, you can ask Harry to bond you to him. Otherwise, you are free now and able to work for humans and receive payment for your work. For the time being, I suggest that you return to the Isle of Elves to properly recover."
'Oh Merlin, no, I don't want to have any more elves,' Harry thought in annoyance, looking up in surprise, when Sirius spoke up again.
"Mr. Bandhu, considering everything that Harry has already told my wife and me about the elves, I believe that you and my wife will certainly come to an agreement; however, she is only the interim minister and does not have as much power as a real minister would have."
"Rubbish, I am not asking for rescindment of the Statute of Supremacy made by the British Ministry of Magic in 1256. That's up to Harry to fight for at a later time. I am merely asking about the elves' employment at the Ministry of Magic."
Sirius nodded his head. "I understand. Seeing that it is already beyond midnight, may I ask that you come here again for the meeting with my wife tomorrow morning?"
Bandhu nodded. "Agreed. I shall meet her at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Harry and Teddy, I'd like for the two of you to attend the meeting. Please give my apologies to Professor McGonagall."
"Yes sir." Harry and Teddy replied, simultaneously, lightly bowing their heads in respect.
