Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong

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


"Harry, could you ask Rebecca if she can come over for a moment? I believe that she's something to tell you anyway."

"Of course." Harry gave his mother a reassuring nod, before he thought to his Unspeakable colleague. 'Hi Felina, Regina asks if you could come over for a moment.'

His adoptive aunt's reaction was immediate. 'Harry! Oh, I am so glad to have you back. We missed you a lot. I'll be there in a moment.'

"She'll be here in an instant," Harry explained, just when the fireplace flared and Rebecca stepped out, causing him to wonder why she had not simply popped over.

While Regina explained everything to Rebecca, Severus headed to the fireplace. "I shall call Minerva and tell her the good news along with an apology for not attending dinner in the Great Hall tonight."

"Thanks, Dad.

"Hi Eileen, will you come and have dinner with me and Uncle Artemis tonight? I'll tell you everything about your new cousin."

Eileen nodded, as she stood in front of her aunt, stretching both arms into the air to allow herself to be picked up.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, Rebecca, but what did I miss? New cousin?" When he gave his aunt a close look, he realised two things. "You finally married. That's why you're wearing a ring, and you're pregnant. I can sense her magic."

"Her?" Rebecca stared at him, wide-eyed. "Oh, Regina, leave it to your son to know more than everyone else."

"Congrats, Rebecca. I am so very happy for you."

"Thanks, Harry. Oh, that reminds me… Are you willing to become her godfather?"

Harry grinned, broadly. "Of course. It'll be my pleasure to teach her all the secrets of Hogwarts."

"Secrets?" Severus quirked an eyebrow, as he returned from his chat with Minerva.

"While I was in the coma, I sometimes heard voices, among them Hogwarts, who taught me many things about secret passages and such."

Severus cast him a glare. "Well, I hope you'll feel inclined to share one or the other secret with your professors."

Harry chuckled. "Sorry, but no chance, Dad. Please ask me again, after I finish my seventh year."

HP

At some time in spring, the Daily Prophet informed its readers that Albus Dumbledore was dying from a curse, which the late You-Know-Who had placed on an object to secure his property.

'Lord Gaunt offers to take off the curse, but Dumbledore refuses – what is going to happen at Hogwarts?' the large headline on the front page screamed.

'That was months ago. Who in the world spoke with the Daily Prophet about it?' Harry wondered, noticing with a glance at the head table that Dumbledore seemed understandably upset.

'Dad, do you have any idea who talked to the newspaper?'

Severus unobtrusively shook his head. 'Perhaps, it was Marvolo?'

'Marvolo, did you speak to the Daily Prophet about the curse on Dumbledore?'

'No.'

'It wasn't Marvolo,' Harry informed his father.

'There must be some leak towards the Daily Prophet, as we've noticed before that they seem to know things, which we intended to keep in private.'

'How strange,' Harry thought, resolving to ask Hogwarts about the matter. 'Perhaps, one of the journalists secretly comes to the school to talk with the students.'

HP

Later the same day, he went to the founders' quarters to discuss the matter with Hogwarts. The castle remained pensive for a moment. "I don't think that anyone who was not entitled to visit, entered my grounds. However, I believe that the wards would not pick it up if someone came in their Animagus form. Maybe, you need to change the wards, so that Animagi, who are not living within my walls, will be rejected."

"Thank you, Hogwarts. That's a very valuable point. I will discuss the matter with the professors."

He swiftly returned home to speak with his parents, but Regina informed him that his father was in a staff meeting with the headmaster and the other three heads of the houses.

"In Dumbledore's office?"

Regina nodded. "I believe so."

"Thanks, Mum. I'll go and speak with them then." He popped right in front of the headmaster's office, uttering a thanks to the gargoyle for letting him through, and knocked.

"Come in."

"Excuse me for disturbing your meeting," Harry greeted the professors, "but I have something urgent to discuss with you all."

"Please take a seat, my boy. Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you, Headmaster," Harry replied, before he took the only empty seat next to his father. "Earlier, I asked Hogwarts if she knew if any reporter had entered her grounds, and she told me no, but…" He interrupted himself, as he suddenly noticed the magic of a person in the room, who was not known to him."

"But?" Dumbledore urged.

"One moment." Harry glanced up at the shelf, where Sopho was seated, before he flicked his hand at a small beetle that was perched on the Sorting Hat's brim.

"Oh, a treat for Lucy?" Pomona asked, smiling.

"Not exactly," Harry replied, grimly, quickly casting a Silencing charm around the small animal. "What I was going to say was that Hogwarts told me the wards would not reject Animagi and that we urgently needed to adjust the wards. I believe that we've already found the culprit."

"Ah, but Harry, that no more than a normal beetle."

Harry glared at the old wizard, before he turned to the deputy headmistress. "Minerva, could you please cast, what was it? Hominum revelo?"

"Yes." Severus rose from his chair and carefully picked up the stunned beetle. "I'd love to have it for the lab if Lucy would be so kind as to leave it to me," he commented, as he placed it onto the floor in front of Minerva.

"Thank you for taking that garbage off me." Sopho fluffed his brim in apparent disgust.

Severus returned a glance of amusement, while Minerva stepped back and cast the spell, causing the beetle to change back into a woman. She had bright blond hair and was wearing what Harry thought were some kind of pyjamas.

"Rita Skeeter. Why are you in my office eavesdropping?" Dumbledore's voice was laced with understandable anger.

"Ah, Harry. You still owe me an interview from the Trimagical Tournament. How did it feel to be a champion in spite of being a child?"

"I believe your beetle form was most fitting for you," Severus said, dryly. "Leave my son in peace."

"I don't owe you anything but perhaps a trial for entering the Hogwarts grounds without permission and eavesdropping on the staff. I will inform my godfather, Lord Black, as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as of tonight, and I'll tell you now that if you ever enter the Hogwarts grounds without written invitation from a member of the staff that you'll remain in your Animagus form forever."

"Ah, who are you threatening me? I am an upstanding member of society."

"And I am the owner of Hogwarts." Harry glared at the witch.

"Miss Skeeter, will you please enlighten us why you are here?" Dumbledore's voice was firm but friendly.

"The Hogwarts wards rejected me in my human form, so I had to come in my Animagus form." She looked less defiant, when all of a sudden, Sirius stepped out of the fireplace.

"Miss Skeeter, I heard complaints about you. Please accompany me to the Ministry of Magic for clarification."

"Good riddance," Dumbledore sighed, once the two non-staff members had left through the fireplace. "Thank you, Harry, for clarifying this for us."

"You're welcome, but I'd still like to ask all of you to help me change the wards to reject Animagi of persons, who are not living at Hogwarts."

Everyone agreed, and Harry and the five professors spent the rest of the evening out on the grounds adjusting the wards to their contentment.

HP

When Harry and Severus returned home and told Regina about the earlier events, she shook her head in confusion. "I thought the curse wouldn't allow Albus to live longer than about until the end of the school year, but he still seems to be quite well, considering that the OWL exams are going to commence in a few weeks' time."

"Ah, don't remind me," Harry groaned, before he let out a deep sigh.

"It's indeed strange," Severus agreed.

"No, it's not." Harry smirked. "I asked Death to give him two more years, so that he'll be the headmaster until I'll finish my seventh year."

Severus quirked an eyebrow in silent question.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know if I want to take his position as headmaster, but at least I'll have the chance to do so if we don't find an appropriate candidate."

"Did you already have your job counselling session? I believe that Minerva offered to do yours considering that you're not in any house."

Harry sighed. "It's next week. Frankly speaking, I don't have a clue what to tell her. I'd love to do many things at once, just like I did during the last few years. I'd like to continue working and researching as an Unspeakable, even if I haven't been exactly efficient to say the least, I will still continue the Office for Elven Affairs at the ministry, I'd like to support the twins on Inis Rún, and I still want to work at Hogwarts as well, perhaps even teach one or the other class…" He slowly trailed off, giving his parents a questioning look.

"Wouldn't the headmaster's position allow you to do all of these?" Regina looked from Harry to Severus, who nodded in agreement.

"I believe so, too, and if you wish to teach a few dunderheads, you could always take over some of my classes. As a Potions Master, you're entitled to do so."

Harry nodded in understanding, before a jaw-cracking yawn escaped his mouth.

"You don't have to decide anything now anyway," Regina added, smiling. "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Harry. Take your flee bag and go to bed."

Glaring at Severus, Harry gently woke up Lucy, thinking, 'I definitely don't want to miss Felix' and Eileen's time at Hogwarts, but the first thing I need to do after taking my NEWTs is something else. I need to take the Potter seat on the Wizengamot and begin my agenda, even if it means fighting many of the old lords.'

HP

The whole school noticed in surprise that none of the fifth-year students, who had just finished their OWLs, were present during the Leaving Feast.

"Where are all the fifth-years?" Minerva whispered to Severus in apparent surprise.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Leave it to them to attract anyone's attention by doing something extraordinary," he whispered back in annoyance, before he contacted his son. 'Harry, where are you and your classmates?'

The answer came instantly. 'Having a party on Inis Rún. Sorry, Dad. We're also preparing some surprises for the twins. As you know, they're going to open their apothecary and joke shop next month.'

"They're having a party at our holiday home on Inis Rún and apparently preparing the apothecary, which the Weasley twins are going to open on July 1."

"They what? The twins from hell are going to open an apothecary?" Minerva stared at him in apparent disbelief.

Severus nodded, feeling strangely proud of the two mischief-makers. "They're apprentices to be proud of."

Albus leaned forward in his seat on Minerva's other side. "You're going to miss them, my boy, aren't you?"

"The number one trouble makers of Hogwarts?" Severus smirked, knowing that his friends among his colleagues knew what to make of this response.

"Do you have someone else, whom you could hire?" Minerva enquired.

Severus shook his head. "You won't find adequate students every now and then. The only other student rivalling them is Harry, and he's already working as my unofficial student assistant anyway. He also made a contract with the twins to support Poppy as potions suppliers in the future."

Poppy nodded. "I appreciate that deal with them. They're competent, friendly and always ready to help if their assistance is needed. Just like Severus and his son."

Severus lightly bowed his head in gratitude at the compliment, before he changed the topic to other matters.

HP

While his friends enjoyed the completion of their OWLs, Harry became busier over the holidays than he had been during the school year.

As Luna spent the first two weeks at home with her father, Harry travelled to the Isle of Elves with Teddy and his family. Every morning, he had training with Bandhu, who taught him the most difficult and unfamiliar spells the elder elves knew. Harry thoroughly enjoyed himself, even if he had to admit that some of the spells were extremely difficult.

"That's all right. You're doing fine," Bandhu reassured him. "Most of the elves do not know these spells let alone manage to cast them."

HP

After his return to Hogwarts, Harry spent two days at home, during which he assisted Severus in the lab, before he and Luna travelled to France for Fleur's and Viktor's wedding.

They knew most of Fleur's and Viktor's friends, as most of them had been at Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament, and everyone was happy to see them more than a year after the end of the event, to which everyone thought back with pleasure.

Harry inwardly chuckled, when Viktor introduced him to his parents as the only Seeker who had ever been able to beat him.

HP

Harry and Luna returned just on time for the Weasley twins' opening of their shop on Inis Rún. They had bought the house on the other side of Healer O'Brien's house with a combined apothecary and joke shop on the first and an apartment on the second floor.

'Prewitts' Perfect Potions'
'by Gred and Forge Weasley'

was written on the wall in bright green letters.

"Prewitts?" Harry looked at the twins in amusement.

"As our heroes made us their heirs…"

"… we thought we'd honour it a bit."

Harry glanced at the two grey-robed figures, who were clearly enjoying themselves, incognito.

HP

During the following weeks, while Luna once again returned home to spend some time with her father, Harry focused on intensely researching the time travel floo powder together with his father and Salazar in the portrait that was overseeing one wall in their potions lab on Inis Rún.

One day, Regina returned from the beach with Felix and Eileen and caught Severus and Harry sitting on the floor of the living room staring at the fireplace in clear expectation.

"Are you waiting for someone to come though the floo?" She shook her head in apparent annoyance. "Wouldn't it more appropriate to wait sitting on the sofa?"

Harry and Severus chuckled. "No Mum, we're just waiting for a rat. I don't think it'll care where we're sitting."

Before Regina could ask any further questions, the fireplace flared, and a rat was spat out.

"We did it!"

"We just sent that rat five minutes into the future," Severus explained in a quiet voice, apparently realising that the younger children were engrossed cuddling with Lucy and were not listening.

"You did what?"

"Mum, don't tell anyone please. It's part of our research for the Unspeakables."

"Of course, I won't tell. Well done, Sev and Harry."

"Thanks."

By the time they had to return to Hogwarts, they were proud of their progress and efficiently managed to send a rat not only one hour into the future but also five minutes into the past. However, they decided to keep the matter to themselves until a time when they would have much more experience travelling into the past and future over longer distances.

HP

In the morning of September 1, Harry had yet to decide if he wished to board the Hogwarts Express, which he had not done after the train ride at the beginning of his third year, when the Daily Prophet announced that there had been a mass outbreak at Azkaban.

"We'll have a meeting of the Wizengamot at ten o'clock this morning." Remus looked from Minerva to Regina, Severus and Frank.

Frank shook his head in annoyance. "I suggest discussing if Death Eaters who have undergone a trial before should be sent straight to the Death Chamber instead of Azkaban. If we send them back to the prison, they'll only break out again."

"That's a good idea," Remus agreed, however, the headmaster glared at his colleagues.

"You can't do that. Everyone needs a second chance at redemption."

'Thank Merlin he's not on the Wizengamot,' Harry thought to his father, who returned an unobtrusive smirk.

HP

At the same time, Marvolo was enjoying his breakfast together with Dolly, Draht and their elf baby as well as Nagini, when Draht suddenly jumped from his seat, seemingly alert.

"Please excuse me," he uttered, before he popped away without further ado.

Before Marvolo could enquire what was wrong, the wards alerted him to the fact that several people had entered the grounds of Riddle Manor.

"Please take your baby into safety," he instructed Dolly, before he followed Draht out onto the grounds. He was more annoyed than surprised upon seeing the group of Death Eaters on the grounds, who had escaped from Azkaban during the night. 'I just wonder who brought them here,' he thought, when he telepathically contacted Lord Black.

'Black, a group of what seem to be the escapees from Azkaban has just arrived here on the grounds of Riddle Manor. Please come with an Auror contingent and take them away.'

With that message sent, he turned his attention towards his uninvited visitors.

"My Lord." Pettigrew stepped forward. "I rescued your followers and brought them to you."

Before Marvolo could even think of an adequate response, which would not make everyone flee instantly, considering that he wanted the Aurors to catch them all, everyone was kneeling at his feet.

"Raise." His voice was firm. Noticing that the Aurors were just arriving at the edge of the wards, he added, "I am not anyone's lord anymore."

An instant later, each of the Death Eaters was apprehended by the Aurors and taken away by Portkey. From the corner of his eyes, Marvolo noticed, however, how Pettigrew transformed into his rat form and fled. Only Auror Black remained.

"Thanks again, Gaunt."

"You're welcome, Black. I just wished they would better take care of them at Azkaban."

Sirius scoffed. "You wish. Me too. I'll see you at the Wizengamot meeting later on."

Marvolo nodded. "Thanks for taking them away so quickly."

HP

Later the same morning, the Wizengamot meeting took place. To Harry's amusement, Felix and Eileen were over the moon with joy, when their mother told them that they were allowed to visit Aunt Rebecca and their baby cousin Julia.

"I suppose that we'll be back by lunchtime, and I do not wish to hear any complaints about the two of you."

Harry inwardly chuckled at the glare that his father gave his siblings, which barely had the desired effect, to which he was used from his students.

"It's all right, Dad. Take your time. We'll just have lunch with Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Artemis. It'll be fun." Felix grinned in apparent anticipation.

HP

'As soon as I have my NEWTs, I'm going to take the Potter seat,' Harry thought, as he sat next to Regina on the Lestrange seat as usual. He quickly dismissed the idea, however, deciding that he wanted to become the headmaster first before addressing his own ideas of the future magical world to the Wizengamot. 'If I held that position, I could at least expect some kind of respect from the other members, even if they won't like my ideas,' he thought.

Frank Longbottom was the first to be allowed to speak and brought up the topic of the Azkaban escapees. "I believe that the Aurors have better things to do than to apprehend them each time they manage to break out. I suggest that they send everyone, who has been previously tried and been given a one-way-ticket to Azkaban, straight to the death chamber."

Sirius was the first to react. "I second that idea. Fortunately, we got everyone back quickly this time. According to Lord Gaunt, Peter Pettigrew freed them from Azkaban and took everyone to him, apparently believing that he was still the Dark Lord from before. Gaunt immediately contacted me, and we were able to capture everyone." He let out a deep sigh. "Unfortunately, Pettigrew was able to get away, most likely due to his Animagus form, which is a rat."

"Everyone deserves a second chance." The man, whom Harry knew to be Cedric's father, said what Dumbledore used to proclaim, and a few members, most of whom he knew to be in the headmaster's chicken order, agreed.

'Crabbe and Goyle probably don't want it either, but they're too lazy to stand up for their friends. I wonder why they aren't in Azkaban in the first place,' Harry thought, almost missing the questioning, in which he would not be able to participate anyway, considering that he did not have claimed his seat yet. 'Oh well, Remus is going to vote for me anyway,' he consoled himself.

Green and red sparks shot in Remus' direction, and a minute later, the head of the Wizengamot announced the result. "Lord Longbottom's suggestion has been accepted by ninety percent of the assembled members. Lord Black, will you as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement see to it?"

Sirius grinned, broadly. "With pleasure."

'Dad? Will they suffer?'

'I don't think so, son. They'll just be taken somewhere by Portkey, and then they won't know anymore. At least, that's what I believe.'

'All right. Thanks.' 'Maybe that's really better then,' Harry thought. 'I wonder if Death will grant me some privileges, considering that he'll receive at least twenty, if not thirty or more victims today. Perhaps, I'd be able to save some more people outside of my direct family.'

HP

Harry's sixth Hogwarts year passed relatively uneventfully. To his relief, the headmaster did not bother him with memories of Marvolo's previous life anymore and did not even mention the topic of Horcruxes or the prophecy to him.

'I wonder if he knows that Marvolo has already absorbed each of his Horcurxes,' Harry thought. In fact, Marvolo was – together with Rebecca, Artemis, Julia, Luna, Ginny, Hermione, Teddy, Draco, Misty and Cicero – on a list, which Harry had given Death in exchange for the Death Eaters who had been sent to the death chamber. Regina, Severus, Lucy, Felix and Eileen had already been on said list in the first place.

'It feels good to not have to worry about either of them being attacked,' he thought, feeling very much relieved. The three Deathly Hallows were secure in three different family vaults at Gringotts, and he and his parents were the only people entitled to access all three vaults.

HP

It was shortly before the end of the school year that Harry noticed that Lucy seemed somehow sad.

'Lulu, what's wrong?'

Lucy let out a deep sigh. 'Seeing Luna and you and Eileen and little Julia, I wished I could have a baby of my own, too.'

'Oh Merlin, I am sorry, Lulu. I didn't even think of such a thing. Do you want me to buy you a puppy or rather a dog of your age to have a puppy together?'

'A dog to have a puppy together.'

Harry nodded in understanding. 'Please give me a few weeks.'

Instead of a mental response, Lucy began to thoroughly lick his face in apparent gratitude.

HP

While he usually travelled to the Isle of Elves as soon as the holidays began, Harry informed Teddy that he wished to have one week at home first. His friend readily agreed.

"It's fine, Harry. Now that we all learned to Apparate, Hermione will come to Hogsmeade to meet with me on a daily basis. She'll be happy to hear that we're only going to leave a week later than planned."

During this first week, unbeknownst to everyone but his parents, Harry intensively researched the time travel floo powder, bringing it to an extent, where it enabled him to travel through the sands of time over a span of a couple of years. Using the fireplace in the founders' quarters, he made sure that no one else would notice him out of place at a strange time.