Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong

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


When Severus returned from Hogsmeade and heard about their son being a baby phoenix after taking a killing curse for Lucy, Severus sat next to Lucy on the sofa, where she was taking turns with Fawkes covering the naked phoenix with their wings and fur.

"Harry, can you tell me what happened?" His voice was laced with utmost concern.

'Hi Dad. Don't worry, I'm fine,' he reassured his father, before he repeated what he had already told Regina a few hours ago.

"Are you sure that it was Lucius Malfoy?"

'Yes, it was his magical signature.'

"Well, he could not kill you, as he has sworn me a wizard's oath to not harm you, so he chose Lucy instead. I'm going to talk to the Aurors."

Harry felt more than heard how Severus leaned into the fireplace.

HP

A short while later, he could sense his unofficial godfather's presence.

"What happened?" the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement enquired.

Harry listened, gratefully, how his father explained everything to Sirius. "The problem is that he probably used a spare wand to save his own from any kind of inspection. Would it perhaps be possible to interrogate him under Veritaserum? I have a batch of the antidote to the antidote at hand."

Sirius chuckled. "We call it the inquisition serum, and yes, please, we've almost used up everything you provided before. I'll talk to Meli, but I'm sure that she'll agree to interrogate him in this case."

Do you even have to ask, considering that you're the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Harry inwardly grinned, as he imagined how his father probably quirked an eyebrow at Sirius.

"Well, the minister is still my boss. Please give me the batch and I'll be on my way."

'Oh, I really hope they'll get to send Malfoy to Azkaban,' Harry thought, before he drifted off to sleep.

HP

During the following three weeks, Fawkes and Lucy gently raised Baby Harry with the help of Misty and Cicero. Instead of using a phoenix perch like Fawkes' that Twinkle had recommended for the baby phoenix, they cuddled together on the sofa in the living room. 'Probably on Harry's request, as he wanted to cuddle with Lucy as well,' Regina thought in amusement. It took a week for the baby to spike first feathers.

One day, when Regina was correcting the third-years' homework, Lucy addressed her with a series of small yowls, and when Regina looked over and the canine carefully stepped off the two-week-old phoenix baby, she realised that a second phoenix was sitting next to it. It was about the same size; however, was spiking green feathers, where Harry had blue ones.

"Where does the second phoenix baby come from?" she asked in bewilderment, when the green phoenix let out a couple of trills in apparent excitement.

"Harry?"

Harry made a sound resembling a chuckle. 'Mum, it's Felix. He seems to be a natural Animagus as well. Remember how he kept his majaroo form, when you took him out of your bag at Inis Rún. He told me he missed me and wanted to keep me company.'

Regina stared from him to Felix in apparent disbelief. "Oh Merlin. That was well done, Felix. Very well done."

The green phoenix fluffed his tiny feathers in what Harry realised was happiness.

#I am wif Hawwy.#

"Well, I just hope you'll be able to transform back as well. Granny Minerva won't be happy if I have to call her to transfigure you back every time to wish to keep Harry company."

#I can.#

Harry inwardly chuckled at his younger brother's eagerness as well as their mother's expression, knowing that Minerva would be as perplexed as Regina and would not mind transfiguring the cutie back as she would say.

HP

Only after three weeks, Fawkes and Lucy allowed Harry to get some space.

To his parents' surprise, Harry seemed strangely agitated.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Severus quirked an eyebrow at the still small phoenix, who fluffed his feathers in apparent agitation.

'I want to change back.'

"Are you sure that you're strong enough? Do you want me to call Minerva?"

Harry seemed to hesitate, before he finally shook his head.

'As stubborn as his father,' Regina thought, when Harry jumped onto Lucy's back and allowed the canine to give him a piggy ride into his bedroom. She inwardly sighed in relief, when a short while later Harry returned as his usual, thirteen-year-old self.

HP

An hour later, Harry entered the third-years' study room with Lucy in tow.

"Harry!"

Harry smiled at the overwhelming welcome he received from all over the room.

"What happened? What did I miss?"

"Nothing really." Ginny was the first to respond.

"We didn't do anything. It was boring without you." Neville shrugged.

"We did nothing but study all the time." Draco rolled his eyes in Hermione's direction.

Harry rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Did you at least have a proper birthday party for Hermione? Happy belated birthday by the way."

"Thank you, Harry. No, we waited for you to come back."

Harry sighed. "What am I? The entertainer?"

"Yes." Draco smirked. "Harry, is it true that it was my father who did that?"

"I think so. Did the Aurors capture him by the way? Did he have a trial yet?"

"No. Mother told me that they were going to wait for you to be human again, so that you can act as a witness. I just hope they'll finally put him into Azkaban, before he can do more nonsense."

Harry smiled at his friend, as he gently caressed Lucy's ears. "Thanks, Draco."

"Harry!"

"Hi Ginny. What?" he asked, realising that the girl looked at him in apparent expectation.

"We discussed this after the incident, but would you be willing to teach us? All of us I mean. Considering that you were able to save Lucy's life just by transforming into an Animagus, we decided that we all want to become Animagi. Will you teach us?"

Harry nodded. "Hermione and Teddy have already managed to complete the transformation. They can teach you as well."

"No." Hermione's reply was firm, and Teddy shook his head to emphasize her words. "We can assist, but we can't teach them. That's up to you, master of so-far three Animagi forms."

"All right then, let's meet here thirty minutes before breakfast every morning."

"Before breakfast? Are you nuts?" Ronald glared at him in apparent bewilderment.

"You don't have to come."

"Ronald, are you that thick?" Hermione cast the Hufflepuff a look of pure disdain. "As lazy as you are, you won't manage the transformation anyway."

"If Harry and the twins were as lazy as you are, they wouldn't have achieved what they have at their age," Ginny added, glaring at her brother. "Thanks Harry, Hermione and Teddy, for offering to help us. Can we become any animal?"

Harry shook his head. "First of all, you need to consider which animal you want to become. The stronger your wish and your magic are, the higher is the possibility that you'll succeed becoming that animal. If you don't care or can't decide which animal to become, there is a potion that shows you which animal would suit you most. If you wish, I can brew said potion for you tomorrow."

"Can we take the potion and then still decide to become something else?" Hermione asked in apparent eagerness. "I don't know if I'll be able to get a second Animagus form at all, but…"

Harry nodded. "It won't hurt to try. The potion is only intended as a help for the indecisive. It won't force you to become this or that animal. Once you decide on an animal, you need to research it. You must know exactly what it looks like. Otherwise, you won't manage the transformation."

"Harry?"

"Teddy?"

"Do you think we should invite Luna to study with us? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to become an Animagus."

"That's true." Hermione cast Teddy an appreciative look.

Harry shrugged. "Would anyone mind Luna studying with us?"

To his relief, Ronald was the only to voice his opinion. "Why can't she study with her own year? Bad enough that Ginny is in our year, although she's a year younger."

"Ronald, shut up."

"You shut up, you slimy Slytherin."

"Ronald, I will tell the twins what you said to Daphne." Ginny glared at her older brother. "Your behaviour is atrocious."

"At least, your sister behaves better than you and has better grades," Daphne added, rolling her eyes at the redhead.

Ronald mumbled something incomprehensive.

Harry was just about to say something as well, when Hermione changed the topic. "I'm going to the library to check out a book about animals. Is anyone coming?"

Theo and Neville nodded. "Let's go together."

HP

During the rest of the weekend, the Animagus potion and the decisions on an animal remained the main topic in the third-years' common room. Once again, Luna manged to shock Harry completely, when she told him that she was going to try to become a fairy.

'A fairy. Now that would be a challenge, considering that a fairy is not even an animal,' Harry thought, as he strolled back to the dungeons in his canine form together with Lucy. 'Perhaps, I should try the same without telling anyone, before she'll manage the transformation.'

"Where do you suppose the word 'Animagus' derives from?" Severus cast him a challenging look.

"Dad, I know that." Harry felt indignant. "But if anyone manages to break all rules and achieve such a thing, it'll be Luna."

"I agree." Regina smiled broadly.

"Harry, there's something else we'd like to discuss." Severus sighed. "During the Wizengamot meeting on Saturday, Lucius Malfoy is going to have his trial. I suppose that you'll receive a letter from the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement inviting you as the main witness."

"Oh, all right." Harry shrugged. "What about my friends? Perhaps, someone has actually seen him. I only knew that he was there, because I could sense his magic."

Severus shook his head. "No. We've already asked your friends, but no one has seen anything apart from what you and Lucy saw. A green killing curse coming from an invisible source, which means that he has to have been under some kind of concealment charm. This is not unheard of, and since Amelia is most likely going to lead the trial as the Minister of Magic, I believe that they will accept you being able to sense magic. You've used this ability before, for example, to develop the wolvescure."

"Dad? Am I the only witness?"

"We have asked that two of your friends accompany you, and Draco and Miss Greengrass have been chosen. In fact, each of your friends were very eager to support you, but we need someone to be acquainted with the workings of the Wizengamot, so that we could neither have an elf nor a muggleborn as a witness."

"I understand that, but Daphne? Was she even with us at that time?"

Severus nodded. "Apparently, she was nearby and witnessed as much as your friends."

"And Draco? I know that he isn't fond of his father to say the least, but still…"

HP

On Saturday morning, Harry was extremely grateful for Daphne's, Draco's and Narcissa's company, when they took their lone seats in the audience, as each of his parents and godparents had their own seats on the Wizengamot to take. He was not even allowed to sit next to Regina in the Lestrange seat as usual. 'At least Lucy is allowed to be here with me,' he thought, smiling, when the canine nestled down on his feet.

He stared at the blond wizard in disdain, when the Aurors brought Lucius Malfoy in with both hands in large chains.

Remus as the head of the Wizengamot opened the session, and Sirius as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement led through the trial. In Harry's opinion, he did that really well. 'At least much better than Fudge did the other time.'

"Minister," Sirius addressed his wife, "I request the use of Veritaserum."

Amelia nodded. "Granted for this case."

'Thank Merlin,' Harry thought, as he observed how one of the Aurors administered first the antidote to the antidote and then the Veritaserum. 'Was that necessary?' he wondered, 'considering that they already had Malfoy in a ministry cell for a few weeks.'

When he telepathically sent his thought to his father, Severus' response was firm. 'They want to do it properly this time. One of the Aurors could be on Malfoy's side, or he could have found a way to call a house-elf or whatever.'

Harry nodded in understanding, when Sirius began to question the evil wizard. After asking for the man's name to make sure that the truth potion worked, he came straight to the point.

"In the early afternoon of September 15, you were at Hogsmeade and cast the killing curse at Lucy, the familiar of Harry Prince. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Why did you try to kill a dog?"

"I couldn't kill him, as I've once sworn an oath to not harm him for Lord Prince, the boy's adoptive father."

"Why did you wish to kill Harry Prince in the first place?"

"He's a natural healer, but did not agree to heal Dolores and me, when we were almost killed last year. Only when Cornelius Fudge placed him under the Imperius curse did he heal us, but the timing was bad and Dolores died. It was his fault."

"What was your relationship to Dolores Umbridge?"

"She was my lover and the mother of my unborn heir."

"Don't you have a son? Isn't he your heir?"

"Yes. Draco is my son, but I was going to disinherit him once Dolores' and my child would be born."

Draco let out a snort, while Narcissa mumbled something sounding like "Idiot."

"Do you know why the dog did not die?"

"Harry Prince transformed into a phoenix and took the curse for it. I assume that he survived it."

"Are you responsible for the attacks on the muggles?"

"Of course. As the Dark Lord is not willing to take action anymore, someone has to provide for the future of the magical world."

Sirius motioned for the Aurors to administer the antidote to the Veritaserum, before he turned to Amelia.

"Minister, do we still have to question the witnesses, or can we go right into the determination of his sentence?"

"I believe that his questioning was self-explanatory, and no further questioning of the witnesses is necessary." Turning to the members of the Wizengamot, she asked, "Lords and ladies, do you have any questions you wish to ask the witnesses?"

No one spoke up, and Harry inwardly sighed in relief that intensified, when the Wizengamot decided to give Malfoy a one-way ticket to Azkaban because of murder of several hundreds of muggles as well as attempted murder of a wizard's familiar.

Harry observed, contentedly, how the Aurors took Malfoy out of the room.

"Heir Malfoy," Remus addressed Draco in his capacity as the head of the Wizengamot, "as your father will automatically be stripped of his lordship, when he'll be taken to Azkaban, which is going to happen as we speak, you as the heir may decide on someone to represent you on the Wizengamot until you'll be of age.

"My mother please."

Remus nodded in apparent understanding and motioned for Narcissa to take her seat in the Malfoy seat.

"Congrats, Draco," Harry whispered to his friend, thinking, 'Good riddance.'

"Thanks, Harry, and Heiress Greengrass, for accompanying me here today."

"Heir Malfoy, you're welcome." Daphne smirked. "The only question is how safe Azkaban is now, considering that the Dementors are gone."

HP

Severus listened in annoyance how Albus Dumbledore explained to the members of the Order of the Phoenix about Malfoy's trial and that one of the evillest followers of Voldemort had been sent to Azkaban. 'Why does he even tell everyone? He doesn't even know more than what was written in the Daily Prophet this morning.'

He was brought back to reality quickly, when the head of the Order addressed him directly.

"Severus, I'd like to ask for one favour."

Severus quirked an eyebrow in silent question.

"Please instruct Harry to make me the regent for House Potter once again. Considering that Remus is the head of the Wizengamot, he will participate in the meetings anyway; however, as the leader of the light, it is important that I will be on the Wizengamot once more."

'That old coot,' Severus thought, wearing a blank expression. "I am sorry, Headmaster, but that is a decision for Harry to make, and I suggest that you ask him directly."

"He's only thirteen. What does he know?" Molly Weasley cast him a glare.

"He has more responsibilities than many of the adults here in this room," Severus replied, returning a glare to the redhead, which was usually reserved for Gryffindor students in detention. 'Feel free to send him a Howler, you bitch,' he thought, however, kept quiet. Instead, he telepathically informed his son about the headmaster's newest idea, causing the expected reaction.

'Is he nuts? I'm glad that I got rid of him. Why would I ever be so stupid to re-install him as my regent?'

'That's what I thought. I told him he had to ask you directly.'

'All right. I'll tell him that I'll rather ask an elf than him.'

'A brilliant idea. I am sure some of the old wizards and witches on the Wizengamot will be very pleased by such a decision.'

'I know. Remus is doing a great job anyway, plus Dumbledore was my regent whilst being head of the Wizengamot, too, so there surely is no rule against it.'

'There isn't.'

"Molly." Albus turned to the most annoying bitch still alive. "Do you have any news for us from the Unspeakables' Office? Are they trying to do anything against Voldemort?"

Molly shook her head. "No sir, the Unspeakables are very tight-lipped and do not speak about their work whilst being in the canteen. Plus, they wouldn't have much chance against Voldemort, as I heard that my twins are working for them, and they seem to be clearly on his side."

Albus adjusted his half-moon spectacles in apparent shock. "Molly, are you really sure that they're working for him? I know that they received the Order of Merlin together, but I believe that they only worked together to heal Harry's eyesight, even if I don't have a clue as to why Voldemort would do such a thing. Probably only to convince people that he wasn't evil anymore, which seems to have worked to a great extent, unfortunately."

HP

Needless to say that Dumbledore did not have much luck, when he called Harry into his office to ask for the favour.

"No, sir. I'm sorry to say that I don't trust you to have my best interest at mind, considering that it was you who placed me with the Dursleys and did not even check on me when they mistreated and abused me. Remus is doing a wonderful job as my regent."

"Harry, you might not know this, but it is important that you and I fight together."

"Fight?" Harry feigned innocence. "I am not going to fight anyone."

Dumbledore let out a deep sigh. "I am sorry, my boy, but in the end, you will have to fight. There is a prophecy about you and Voldemort."

"We both know that there is a prophecy and have decided to ignore it," Harry replied in a cold voice, getting annoyed by the minute.

"I'm afraid, my boy, that you won't have a choice. But I shall speak with you once you've matured some more. That's all for now."

#No, that's not all. Now that you've managed to complete the transformation into your phoenix form, don't you think that it's high time that you visit me?#

"Sorry Fawkes, I will, but ever after spending three weeks as a baby phoenix, I've been incredibly busy. I will visit you soon though."

"Fawkes, you must have understood that wrong. Harry cannot be a phoenix Animagus at his age. I have heard that he transformed, but that must have been accidental magic, as his life was in danger."

"All right, Fawkes, I'll see you soon." With that, Harry left the office, feeling so annoyed at the old headmaster that he did not even care that he was impolite.

HP

From time to time, Harry sat at the Slytherin table, sometimes between the twins and Ginny, but occasionally next to Dudley. To his relief, his cousin was doing well in spite of his non-existent history with magic. He also seemed to have become good friends with Daphne's younger sister Astoria.

On a Sunday morning in the middle of October, Harry invited Dudley to join him in the founders' quarters after breakfast, and his cousin eagerly followed him.

"Do you regret becoming a wizard and coming to Hogwarts?" Harry chose the direct approach.

Dudley cast him a broad smile. "Of course not. It's absolutely brilliant. I just love magic, and my housemates and classmates are really nice. Astoria is the best friend I ever had. Oh well, she's my first female friend in fact. She's really funny." He remained pensive for a moment, before he asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Harry stared at his cousin in shock. "Eh, no. Why would I have a girlfriend? We're only thirteen."

Dudley shrugged. "I was just thinking. I don't know, but I think I like Astoria. She's only a first-year though. Oh well."

Harry did not know how to reply. On the one hand, he felt that Dudley wanted to talk about the matter; however, on the other hand, he did not know much about it. "Sorry, Dudley, I can't give you any advice, but why don't you speak with my Mum? She's really good at such things, and she even does counselling sessions for students who are homesick or have any other kind of problems."

Dudley cast him a look that expressed pure doubt. "I don't think I can go to a counselling session because of a question like that."

'Mum, Dudley just asked me something about girlfriends or such, about which I know nothing. Would you be able to talk to him?'

'Ah, no, I'm stupid. Mum doesn't know telepathy. We really have to teach her,' he thought, when his father's response penetrated his mind.

'Bring your cousin home, and your mother will speak with him.'

"Just come home with me." Harry led his cousin home through the connecting door, where Felix was over the moon with joy to unexpectedly see his adored big brother.

"Dudley, talk to Mum. I'm going to take Felix out for a walk. May I?"

"Of course." Regina smiled. "Just put his warm jacket on please."

"I'll be in my lab," Severus announced and left their rooms together with Harry, Lucy and Felix, while Regina motioned Dudley to make himself comfortable on the sofa. "Girlfriends?" he mouthed, quirking an eyebrow.

Harry shrugged. "He seems to like Astoria. She's only eleven though and a first-year."

Severus let out a groan. "Usually, I tell the third-year Slytherins about the birds and the bees, but as he's a first-year, of course he didn't get that talk yet. Perhaps, I'll have to take him aside later on, considering his age."

Harry inwardly groaned, having been given that talk from his father during the summer.

"Miss Greengrass seems to be a very interesting girl in any case." Severus smirked, causing Harry to look at his father in surprise, only to be brought back to reality, when his brother impatiently tugged on his robe.

"Hawwy, come now."