A/N: It's gettin' kinda hectic!
Chapter 28 - The Consequences of Aftermath - Part I
Harry had noticed that a group of three older Ravenclaws and one older Slytherin, all Prefects, had also each received a summons at dinner, and had congregated to the side of the Great Hall for a quiet discussion. They were ones who had helped Thicknesse by detaining people, so that he could corner Harry. The rest of the Slytherin upper years… Barton, and Sawyer, and one other, hadn't been summoned with this group. Why not?
In the meantime, a spontaneous procession of fifth year Slytherins and Gryffindors were now headed out en masse to the Owlery. Their parents needed to know that they had been called to give an official statement as witnesses of the two-day authoritative reign of Pius Thicknesse.
"My gran came to Hogwarts in the 30's," Neville told Harry as they walked, but the others heard him as well. "She said even back in those ancient times, no student was ever thrashed like you were. She said the current Ministry might have rewritten the law to let Thicknesse and Umbridge get into Hogwarts, but it's bound to be overturned. There's a challenge by a multi-plaintiff lawsuit already, filed by a large group of parents. No one consents to their kids being treated like that at school."
"Okay…. but will Thicknesse face charges for what he did?" Harry asked, clutching his note to Roarshirak.
"That is the unfortunate gray area," Lucius answered him from a few paces back, where he and Severus were providing escort. "Your efforts will help ensure that no other soul will suffer what you did."
Harry thought about what he'd written to Roarshirak in the message he was about to send. He'd requested the goblin seek prosecution for Thicknesse. He didn't really know enough about wizarding law to understand if there was any recourse for him, but he wanted that bastard to pay a big price for what he'd done. He'd told his solicitor that he was open to suggestion.
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Harry grew more and more tense as Friday progressed. He'd taken one more day off, and had ended up spending it with Lucius. He'd also heard from Roarshirak, and knew the goblin would be in Hogsmeade to represent him. At some point, Harry found out that Dumbledore had sent word that he wanted the students to floo through his office, directly to The Three Broomsticks. This interview session was solely about hearing from the students. McGonagall would be in charge of monitoring the students, since the incident had occurred under her watch, she but was not yet due to make a statement.
They all ate an early dinner in the Great Hall, congregating in a group at one table. The older Prefects distanced themselves from the rest, not speaking at all, and keeping their eyes on their plates. Not that there was much conversation. Everyone was subdued as the remembered drama from the incident resurfaced. Harry had to put his attention on his palms and soles so much, his hands actually itched with their tingling. At ten minutes before the hour, McGonagall ushered them to Dumbledore's office. When it came time to go, McGonagall went first, followed by each of the eight Prefects, then Neville, and Lucius. Harry waited to go with Severus. He could care less if his peers thought him a sot for getting help in the floo just now. His nerves were shredded.
"Look at me," Severus told him before they stepped into the fireplace. Harry sucked in a breath and met the older wizard's concerned eyes. "I'm not foolish enough to tell you there is nothing to fear, but I will not let anyone mistreat you."
"I know," Harry said. "I just really don't want to see bloody Pius. He won't be there, will he?"
Severus draped his arm around Harry and guided him over the hearth. "I can't imagine he'd be foolish enough to show himself. If that's your worst concern, then take a deep breath. You will be just fine."
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The large main room on the first floor of the pub had been sequestered and set up for the session. In spite of the casual dining element of the interior, Harry couldn't help but be reminded, yet again, of the way these members of wizarding authority just had to establish their dominion. There was a long table set out, and about a dozen members of the Wizengamot were seated on one side, facing a grouping of chairs that were obviously for the witnesses.
Power play.
Harry scowled. He looked around to see if the others were interpreting the threat that Harry felt, but everyone was either fussing over the soot on their clothes, or seeking out a parent, or looking to McGonagall for direction. Mrs. Weasley found him and gave him a warm squeeze, just as a witch with a large, stuffed raven perched atop her hat spoke over the din in the room.
"May I have your attention please," she said in a nasally voice that was all business, "I am Brunhilde Stokke. Tonight's interviews will be held in three groups. First, we will hear from the Prefects. Those who were directly involved in the incident will be required to give a second statement as part of group two. And finally, we will hear from Mr. Potter. Group one of the Prefects, please find a seat. A parent may join you, but it is not at all necessary."
Harry moved to the edge of the room to get out of the way.
"Mr. Potter, you are welcome to wait outside or in the open part of the pub. Mr. Longbottom is free to wait with you. Mr. Draco Malfoy and Miss Parkinson will be participants in groups one and two."
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Harry huddled with Neville out in the cold night air, while Lucius and Severus spoke with Madam's Longbottom and Malfoy, who'd both arrived by apparation. Harry's solicitor, Roarshirak, had stayed inside, along with the goblins who represented the Malfoys and the Longbottoms. Everyone is protected. So why am I at my wit's end?
Because I know what this is. This lot is trying to establish that they're in charge. Meanwhile, there's horcruxes and Dark Lord worshippers out and about. Who's in charge of that?
Draco joined Harry and Neville, bringing Harry back to the present. "It's nothing," he told them, confidently, "You are giving an official statement of what you saw, or were told, by school authorities." Even Draco seemed to be picking up on Harry's edginess. He leaned closer to Harry and begged in a loud whisper, "Potter, show us again how you do that wandless magic. Longbottom says you used it to kill the Dark Lord! Are you going to tell the authorities that part?"
"Actually…." Harry paused in thought as he caused the earflaps of Draco's fur cap to flap up and down, much as he'd done while under his invisibility cloak in third year. "I've been intending to only reveal it in action. This lot has been no help at all in getting rid of Voldemort or his troublemakers. Why would I show them things that make it look easy? I won't lie, but I won't offer the information either."
Draco nodded, impressed with Harry's attitude. Neville snickered at the dancing earflaps. Harry took a deep, cleansing breath and tried to keep himself in a steady state of confident, self assurance. Everything is fine.
But it wasn't was it? His scar was tingling.
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Severus gave Harry a look, with one eyebrow raised in question. Harry shook his head. The tingling had stopped, once they'd reentered the pub. No way of knowing what had set it off.
He took his seat. Roarshirak sat beside him. Severus and Lucius stood behind their chairs. All of the other chairs had been cleared away. The panel of interviewers were seated and staring at Harry with deep focus. He sighed.
"Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape, you needn't hover," a very old, white haired wizard who was seated at the far end of the table, chided Lucius and Severus.
Severus dipped his head forward in an acknowledging bow. "Mr. Potter has found himself under attack on numerous occasions, and from multiple sources of enmity," he responded. "We are here to assure his personal safety."
"Is this your concern as well, Lucius?"
"Harry Potter is currently under my guardianship, so yes," Lucius said over the gasps of several panel members, "I am here to keep him safe."
Harry couldn't tell if these comments worked in his favor, or would prove to paint him as a threat.
"Mr. Potter," Madam Stokke stated, her assessing eyes fixed on Harry, "We represent an investigative panel. Our observations and conclusions from our interviews will be compiled into reports that will, or will not, determine criminal referral."
"And who is this criminal? Me? or Thicknesse?" Harry demanded, right off the bat.
"It would appear, young man, that the answer to your question will depend entirely upon whether the new Minister of Magic rescinds the recent executive orders of Cornelius Fudge, which granted Ministry officials roles of higher jurisdiction over senior staff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," yet another plumb-robed wizard announced in a lofty tone of authority.
Harry sighed again. Two weeks from tonight, when I'm emancipated, will I be in more jeopardy of legal action against me, or less? That unanswered question set his teeth on edge!
A small, very strong hand gripped Harry's forearm, snapping him back to the present. Roarshirak was leaning so far over, just to make this gesture to get Harry to shut up, that he was nearly toppling over. "Sorry," Harry muttered to him.
"My client will give his statement now," Roarshirak informed the panel. "Ask your prompts, so that he can proceed."
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The panelists had asked Harry basic questions to prompt him to retell his story, and it was clear that they were not interested in the backstory behind Harry missing classes last week, only that he'd received permission from McGonagall. Harry had been unable to glean any sense of what the panel thought of it all. He spoke for several moments and was quite tense after recapping the details of the beating, and of his injuries. The panelists took notes. He was allowed to ask questions, which he yielded to Roarshirak.
They found out that tomorrow's morning sessions were to be focused on the students who had resorted to using magic against Draco, Pansy, Neville and Harry. After them would be the adults who had been called to intervene, so McGonagall, Severus, and Lucius. (Remus would not yet be able to attend). Early afternoon sessions were set to interview the parents who'd turned up at the school to face off with Fudge. After that, Harry was informed that he should report back on Sunday morning for a session focused on the Night Bus incident. For this, Severus, Lucius and Remus were also scheduled to attend.
Finally, Madam Stokke told Harry he was dismissed. Roarshirak had stepped outside to speak with Harry, Severus and Lucius, to relay that he'd not inferred any indication that Harry would be found to have been in the wrong.
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An hour later, Harry was dueling with Severus in the MDTA to burn off their lingering agitation. He was alternating between his wand and his open palm, mostly shielding, while Severus forced him to stay completely focused, to avoid getting hit with an as yet unnamed spell. The potions master was casting silently, and also wandlessly, and his wicked expression suggested Harry would be quite unhappy with its effects, should his shield fail him.
Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, until Harry noticed in his peripheral vision that people were coming into the room. He caught the presumably nocuous spell in a Sorbere shield and put an end to the threat it posed him. "I imagine I should be quite glad I didn't get hit with that jinx," he said to the smirking older wizard.
"I imagine you should, indeed," Severus confirmed, unable to stop one side of his mouth from quirking upward. "I also imagine I should not expect to see you downstairs to sleep? It would seem you are due for a night among your peers."
Harry looked over his shoulder at the group of fifth years and a few older DA members who had crept in to watch the last seconds of their duel. "I guess so."
"Then I will bid you good night," Severus announced, and made his way towards the open door, dropping a heavy hand on Harry's shoulder as he passed him, and adding, "Stay alert to everything, and be back in your quarters by curfew, hmmm? And, you will use the Map at all times, correct?"
"I will. Good night, sir."
Harry could see that Lucius and Kingsley Shacklebolt were speaking just outside, in the corridor, and smiled when Lucius caught his eye and winked. The two of them greeted Severus as he joined them, and then headed off.
"We saw you in action with Snape just now!" Seamus chortled loudly. "Let's have a go, Harry!"
Harry checked his watch. It was half eight. They had lots of time.
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"Still feeling out of sorts, Harry? We missed you at breakfast." Fay commented the following morning, as she passed by the armchair he'd chosen nearest the fire. Before he could answer, she asked, "Aren't you going into town?"
"Not this time, no," Harry told her in what he'd hoped was a tone that deterred any inkling she might have to linger and chat. No such luck. Fay plopped down in the chair he'd intended for Ron or Hermione, both of whom were going to join him shortly, for a planned jaunt down to the kitchens. He was looking forward to a late breakfast and a chance at privately catching up on events with his best friends.
"You should go!" Fay declared. "Have some fun, for a change. You deserve it."
She had not been part of the group that had shown up for the impromptu dueling lessons last night, so she wouldn't know that he was actually feeling quite recharged. She didn't need to know he was avoiding Hogsmeade on suspicion he'd be targeted by Voldemort villains.
"Er, thanks, but I'm actually doing great," Harry said in a "nice" voice. "You go ahead. I heard Lavender and Parvati say you witches had a tea booked at Madam Puddifoot's."
"Yes, we do," Fay said noncommittally. "And, the shops are beckoning, of course. I'm going to stock up on sweets. Shall I pick anything up for you, Harry?"
"No, thanks," Harry said. "I'll likely get to the shops tomorrow. Have a good time, Fay."
Finally, she got the hint and left. Harry sighed and then grinned as Hermione came to join him with an irritated expression. She does not like that witch! Ron was right behind her, oblivious.
"I'm not happy that you invited her into the DA, Ron," Hermione huffed.
Ron had that look that always settled on his face when he was either pretending not to understand Hermione, or just not willing to try. "Whah? She's nice enough. She's a Gryffindor, anyway."
"So was Peter Pettigrew," Hermione said firmly.
Harry chuckled and consulted the Map, confirming that their preferred route to the Kitchens was wide open.
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Mindful as ever that the ROR continued to be a potential hatchery of Dark Lord minions, Harry spread the Map out on the the table for visual entertainment and checked the fifth floor corridor just in case. All clear.
"It's been… what? Six entire days without someone doing something in the name of Voldemort?" he joked as the three of them started to eat. The castle was already depleted of students from third year and up. Random first and second years of all Houses could be seen wandering around. A number were in the Library, or out walking the grounds, but most had remained in their Common Rooms.
Harry absently watched the way Fay stayed in the same spot, as she seemingly dilly-dallied on the third floor corridor right by the statue of the one-eyed, hump-backed witch.
"Fay's taking her time leaving the castle," Hermione noted with another annoyed huff. But then she paused. "Wait, Harry, how'd she get to the third floor? We saw her on the second floor just now, and she was on her way to catch up with the others. Why would she backtrack?"
"Dunno," Harry said. But, admittedly, he was more hungry than curious, so he put his attention back onto his plate.
"So, what was your interview like?" Ron asked, before taking a ferocious bite of a banger.
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Harry walked with Ron and Hermione to see them off for their afternoon in Hogsmeade. They passed Fay again on their way to the Grand Entrance, and this time, she was going back up the stairwell toward the second floor. Hermione deliberately drew both Harry's and Ron's attention to the hourglasses, making a declaration that Hufflepuff was giving them a run for the most House points. Harry and Ron obliged her and kept their backs to Fay, and managed to not elicit her attention.
And because Hermione's upset about Fay had planted a seed of awareness, Harry decided to avoid her as well, as he headed back up to his dorm. He consulted the Map again to see where she'd gotten to. He didn't locate her right away, but then looked back at the third floor and found her by the one-eyed witch again. Huh? He just couldn't help it. Curiosity got the better of him and he set out to see what she was up to.
But when he got to the third floor, he didn't see Fay. He consulted the map again, and her name was still showing. But no one's here! The corridor was empty but for the one-eyed witch, so he closed in on the statue. With a grunt and a heave, he pushed it aside to reveal the passage he knew it blocked, and looked behind it.
Fay was there alright: tied up and gagged.
Harry pulled out his coin in a frantic rush and dropped to his knees with the Map spread out so that he could keep watch on his surroundings. He alerted Dumbledore, but made sure the whole group would get the message:
I'm on the third floor….. by the statue of the witch… Fay Dunbar is here and….. she's been tied up…
Fay moaned and opened her eyes. She saw Harry and started to cry. Harry tried to untie the muzzle that was on her face, but it was magically attached. A simple Finite didn't dislodge it, which meant to Harry that it may need a counter curse. He tried to wandlessly deal with it, but Fay's tears and his agitation made it hard to find his center.
We need help! Please hurry!…..
POP! Albus Dumbledore appeared, Fawkes on his shoulder. "Well done, Harry. I'd better take it from here."
A/N: Minor cliffy. More soon!
