A/N: Warning… "peripheral" violence ahead. I'm thinking you won't be too bothered, but just in case.

Chapter 29 - The Consequences of Aftermath - Part II

Fawkes magically helped the three of them expedite their passage to Dumbledore's office with a resounding POP! Harry had his coin out again and quickly messaged the rest of the group that they were not in any apparent danger now. He belatedly realized the ones who were giving their statements would feel like they needed to return to the school immediately. He had no idea what sort of shape Remus was in right now, or if he could even read from the coin, but Severus and Lucius were probably fit to be tied. In the meantime, Dumbledore had Fay sitting in the chair in front of his desk and was looking her over while she tried to explain what had happened between sobs and hitched breaths.

"He-"….."-wasn't that tall-"….. "but he was mean, and-"….. "-really strong," she squeaked, swiping at her eyes. "He-"….. "-tore out a-"….. "-clump of my hair! Right here!" she pointed to the side of her head.

Harry met Dumbledore's eyes, disgust reading loud and clear on his face. Polly Juice. "Merlin, that lot really puts that potion to good use, don't they?" he griped to the Headmaster, thinking about impostor Mad-Eye Moody last year. This had better not be Wormtail's handiwork! But Wormtail was the first "not very tall" Voldemort minion that came to mind. To Fay, he asked flippantly, "Did this bloke have a shiny hand?"

"Yes!" Fay shrieked, and then collapsed into traumatized tears all over again.

Dumbledore conjured a vial of potion and handed it to the young witch. He kept a kind hand on her arm while she struggled to get her shaking hand to her mouth.

Harry felt badly for her, but he was not impressed by the way she'd bawled and complained about having been apparated just now, and that no one was doing anything about what she'd been through. Harry had literally found her about ten minutes ago.

Fortunately, McGonagall stepped through the floo just then. "Albus, Harry, Miss Dunbar," she greeted, assessing each of them in her assessing way. "What in Merlin's name has happened?"

0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0

Harry had stepped back to let the adults do the rest of the questioning of Fay Dunbar. It sounded like she'd been snatched, bound up, and stuffed behind the statue. But when? Last night? That would mean that Wormtail had impersonated her….. all night? Had he slept in the same dorm as the rest of the fifth year girls? Hermione would be sick to her stomach when she heard this!

The fire in the fireplace flared, as first Severus, and then Lucius stepped through. Both of them looked for Harry first, and found him off to the side, studying the map. McGonagall took that moment to escort Fay back to her dorm for a bath and change of clothes. It wasn't clear whether Fay would want to get in touch with her parents, or whether this would be done for her anyway, by the Headmaster.

"Hold on," Harry said, still trying to connect the dots with the timing of all of this. "Wormtail couldn't have gotten into the girls' dorm, could he?"

"No, Harry," Dumbledore agreed, acknowledging Severus' and Lucius' questioning looks with a nod. "Even under a Poly Juiced transformation, he is still male, and still would encounter the wards to their wing."

Harry frowned. "He was very clever about making it look as though, he - I mean, impostor Fay - was coming down from the girls dorm when I saw her -him, this morning. It was almost ten o'clock by then…." Something was still off about this story.

"You're certain it was Wormtail in disguise?" Severus asked in edgy disgust.

"He matches Miss Dunbar's description of her captor," Dumbledore replied.

"It was so odd, earlier," Harry reflected, narrating for the group, "I was with Ron and Hermione. We saw impostor Fay in the Common Room, and she said she was off for Hogsmeade, but then we kept seeing one of the Fay's around the castle." Harry shook his head. "I checked the map pretty frequently, watching for anything off. I wasn't deliberately looking for Fay, but when I saw her, she was always on the third floor. I never saw Pettigrew's name. It was likely right there, I just didn't notice it!"

"And you know for certain that transformed wizards will still show their true names on the Map?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, sir," Harry said definitively. "Last year, I saw Barty Crouch, Jr. on the Map, where impostor Moody was, but didn't understand what was going on. And in third year, I saw Pettigrew as well. When he was in rat form."

"Gentlemen, I am open to suggestions on next steps," Dumbledore told them. "We have a crisis here, and I see no good means by which to deal with it at this moment." He waved his arm and the room expanded to reveal the comfortable seating he employed when hosting a meeting.

Harry did a quick scan of the adults' expressions to make sure he was correct in assuming he was included in this invitation to sit, and chose the seat between Severus and Lucius.

"There will be an attack, that much is certain, Albus," Severus said.

That comment was met with ominous silence.

"So, what was Wormtail really up to today?" Harry asked hesitantly, as if it might not be time to break that silence. "Did he just want us to figure out he's in the castle?"

Dumbledore was grim as he answered, "He likely accomplished something we've yet to recognize."

Severus tapped his finger on the arm of his upholstered chair, his eyes on Harry, but his mind elsewhere. "We need the Wolf's input on this. Wormtail should not be underestimated," he concluded.

"That helpless, groveling thing that he does is an act," Harry said, remembering the scene in the graveyard last summer. He met Severus' eyes again, and then shot a look to Lucius. "And what about that hand? Is it more powerful than a real hand?"

"Fortunately, no," Lucius said, nostrils flaring. "The Dark Lord would never bestow higher power upon a servant."

0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0

The unfortunate and unanimous conclusion of the four of them was that there wasn't much to do, short of closing the school out of fear that something may happen.

"We simply will have to be extremely vigilante," Dumbledore concluded. And in usual Dumbledore fashion, added, as if this lighter news was appropriate just now, "Incidentally, Harry, the MDTA will be furnished with dueling equipment later this afternoon."

"That's great, sir," Harry said. "Are there going to be any restrictions on who may use it?"

Headmaster Dumbledore's eyes regarded Harry over his spectacles. "It's warded to prevent entry to anyone with malicious intent," he said, matter-of-factly. They all stood, and he added, "I'd been tasking the elves with searching the Room of Requirement for signs of invasion this past week. They have confirmed that the room has indeed been in use, but they've not been able to pinpoint the the occupants, or their point of entry."

"Is the Ministry unable to send additional aurors?" Severus asked.

"I've been informed that there is more concern with problems arising in Hogsmeade during the interviews, than with invasion of Hogwarts," Dumbledore replied. "I intend to ask that two of our assigned aurors station themselves on the fifth floor at all times."

Harry understood why Dumbledore had been open to their suggestions! "Sir," Harry asked the Headmaster, as he and the two Slytherins began to head towards the exit, "I think I'll return to classes on Monday. What should I expect I'll need to do for making up missed assignments?"

Dumbledore winked at Harry. "You're in luck, my boy," he said, as if thrilled for a way to unleash the twinkling in his eyes, "each of your professors agrees that you should simply resume on the day you return to classes, and your course grades will not factor in the missed assignments."

"Oh!" Harry was pleasantly surprised by that. But it sounded too good to be true. He looked doubtfully at Severus. "Really?"

"I can always create a remedial lesson, or three, if you are concerned about your missed opportunities to learn from me, Mr. Potter."

"Thanks, no," Harry returned sarcastically. He was not surprised when Severus' hand rested on his neck to steer him out of the room. "Thank you, Headmaster," he said over his shoulder.

If he'd looked more closely, Harry would have seen the relieved expression on Albus Dumbledore's face.

0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0

"Harry, a moment, if you please?" Lucius asked from behind, as they all reached the bottom of Dumbledore's stairwell. "You will need to provide this signed permission slip to your Head of House," he said, passing a familiar school document to Harry. The last one he'd turned in had been signed by Sirius. "In the event that you are actually able to take a moment to enjoy Hogsmeade, either tomorrow, or next weekend, you will need your guardian's permission, will you not?"

Lucius just seemed to get way too much enjoyment from acting as his guardian. Harry clenched his jaw in a failing attempt to school his features to properly hide his amusement. "Thank you, sir," he said, taking the slip. He looked the blond Slytherin in the eye and found Lucius regarding him with a raised eyebrow. "Sir?"

"When this….level of peril subsides enough for us to be a touch more carefree, I want you to come for dinner at the Manor, Harry," Lucius said. "We'll have Draco and Severus as well."

Again the desire to crack up at how he, Harry, was a celebrity with Lucius Malfoy, was right below the surface. Harry flashed a look at Severus and found his I told you so expression flickering in and out of his default austerity. "Er… that would be great, sir," he told Lucius. How could he refuse?

0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0

Harry made his way to the Great Hall to have some lunch, and ended up sitting with a cluster of younger years, a mix from all four Houses, who were quite happy to have a chance to talk to an upper year wizard. What a bonus for them, that this wizard happened to be Harry Potter. They asked numerous questions about magic, and how he got to be so good at it. He found himself teaching them how to find their center, and explaining that it would help them control their own magic much better.

It wasn't long before he was leading them downstairs to the MDTA for an impromptu defense lesson.

"The Headmaster told me this room will only allow people in here if they have good intentions," Harry told them before they entered, "so if any of you are looking for trouble, well, you'll get blocked from entering!" He wasn't sure why he'd felt the need to tell them this, but as the words were coming out, it occurred to him that this room could be a place of refuge. "Keep that in mind, actually. If anyone ever bullies you and you can't find help, come in here and you'll be safe." He made that mental note for himself, as well.

A second year Slytherin wizard, who was tall and extremely skinny, approached Harry as they spread out in the room. "Sir, could you show us a shielding spell? I know we'll learn them in third year Defense, but do we have to wait so long?"

Oh, boy, Harry laughed inwardly. Sir? Was he a sir, really? Harry grinned at that, but suddenly realized he needed to be careful with what he did with this lot. They were still little kids in a lot of ways, and might exhaust their magic more easily than he, or any of them, might assume. It was a good opportunity for him to recognize how much of a difference age makes with the ability to cast spells accurately and with precision. "Listen up," he said to the group at large, "Alec asked an important question, and I want you to trust me on this. You have to be careful with how much magical energy you try to use. I've exhausted myself badly, a few times already, and had to take a special potion and get extra sleep to recover, so let's not be stupid."

"Alright, Harry!"

"Yes, Harry!"

"As you wish, Harry!"

Now Harry rolled his eyes. "Everyone hold your wand like this," he said as he held his own wand out directly in front of him. "Now imagine you're drawing a short line upward from your left, to your right. Like this." He demonstrated. "A short line."

The students each waved his or her wand far more erratically than would be wise for any spell.

"Whoa! Calm it down! It's a gentle movement. Watch me again."

He demonstrated while facing them. This time they did better. He walked among them until he'd woven his way through the entire group, making them repeat the movement until he'd observed each of them. "Well done! Now let's add the incantation," he said. He jogged back to jump onto the stage. "Say the incantation as you move your wand, like this, 'Protego'"

There were lots of Protego's shouted, but exactly zero actual shields were casted.

"That's alright, we've got time, right? Let's keep trying!"

It took forty minutes, but finally, every kid in the group was able to cast a basic, mostly substantial Protego shield.

"Brilliant!" Harry praised, but then he shifted into seriousness. "But, before we go any further, I want each and every one of you to really hear this, and then repeat it five times: Defensive spells are ONLY for defense!"

He managed to keep his face very stern and unyielding as the younger years obediently repeated the phrase five times. "Good. I hope that really dug deeply into your brains, because if any one of you casts this next spell on a fellow student, or actually on anybody, for any reason other than defense, you're on your own when it comes time for punishment. Understand?"

"Yes, Harry!"

"Alright. Now pay attention!" Harry called out. "This next spell is a hex that will come in handy if you're being chased."

0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0

Harry slept in his dorm again that night, but rose early and hustled over to Remus' quarters to breakfast with the squad before the four of them headed into Hogsmeade for the interviews about the Night Bus attack. Remus greeted him at the door, looking wiped out after his three-day transformation, but seemed in decent spirits, and ushered him in for their meal.

Thirty minutes later, they were floo-ing from Dumbledore's office into The Three Broomsticks. And that was when Harry finally tensed up. But surprisingly, the interviews went quite smoothly. The four of them were seated together in the same grouping of chairs before the long table. Their goblin solicitors were off to the side of the room. Each wizard was asked to retell the events as they experienced them, as if recapping for someone who wanted a richly detailed report. Harry went first, and when he was done, could not conclude whether or not there was anything to worry about. He flashed a look over at Roarshirak and got an approving nod.

Alright, then!

It took another hour for the rest of the statements, but then they were free to go. "Could we walk back?" Harry asked as they stood up and congregated out of the way of the next group of interviewees. He hadn't gotten exercise or fresh air since they'd had their games at the quidditch pitch.

"Should we peruse the shops as well?" Lucius suggested. "I believe there is a strong presence of parents here again this morning, but I wouldn't mind seeing so for myself. I would expect that much of the student body will come back for another visit today."

They'd literally only begun to walk as a group, with Severus' warm hand finding its way to the back of Harry's neck, just as he was about to announce he wanted to purchase more chocolate frogs, when….

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Harry's scar burned, badly enough that he looked frantically around to see where the horcrux was.

"There!" Remus shouted, pointing his wand and yelling, "Accio!" as they all spotted Peter Pettigrew giving them all a very exaggerated two-finger salute!

But Wormtail had escaped just in time, literally popping out of view as Remus' magic hit the spot on the cobbled street he'd just vacated.

"Oh, no, no, no," Lucius said in a dangerous tone. "I presume we all saw the ring he made a deliberate point to show us?"

"That slimy little bastard," Severus groused. He looked Harry over, but then saw that Harry's eyes were looking up, above and beyond him. He heard a flapping sound, and nearly flinched as a set of feet grabbed onto his shoulder. Harry's snowy white owl had chosen Severus over Harry for her landing.

"Hedwig!" Harry sputtered. It would have been comical, but the prompt necessity to shift gears from shocking scar pain to the odd appearance of his familiar took a few seconds. He reached up and untied the letter she'd brought. He recognized Dudley's handwriting. "This can't be good," he announced as he started to unfold it. "Listen girl, you don't ever have to go get mail from the Dursleys again, alright?"

He opened the note and read it, but was instantly suspicious. Dudley was begging him for help, right now.

Severus stepped over to read over his shoulder. He looked up quickly at Lucius and Remus. "We need to get over to Privet Drive, immediately." And with a quick, "Off you go, Hedwig," to Harry's owl, he let her take flight, but immediately after put an arm around Harry. "Hold on."

0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0

POP!

POP!

POP!

First Remus, then Lucius, then Severus with Harry, each appeared in a small plot of land that sat between the property lines of the Dursleys and the house directly behind theirs. Remus had his eyebrows raised in question, suggesting any of them speak now or forever hold his peace. The adults nodded at each other in silent consent, and looked at Harry in unison. He had his palms out and magic hovering defensively, as he nodded as well. Lucius cast a spell that appeared to vaporize an opening into the small section of chainlink fence left exposed by a dying bush in Petunia's otherwise pristine back garden. The four of them ducked through the opening and crept across the damp lawn, toward the silent house. When they reached the back door, they found it warded, which thwarted Remus' attempt to get through.

"NULLAM!" Lucius shouted, wand casting a wide swath of magic to dismantle the ward. "That will have both silenced the interior and prevented entry," he informed the others. "This is the work of Death Eaters."

No time to debate the merits of their next actions, they quickly entered through the back door into the kitchen. They all knew the layout of the rooms after having invaded to get Lily's record collection. Harry stayed behind Severus and had a full bodied shield conjured for good measure. He belatedly realized he was rubbing his scar with his other hand, experiencing rather intense pain-

"EEEEEAAAAAHAHHHHHHHHH!"

The four of them startled at the sounds of two horrific, tandem screams. One was a loud squeal that turned into a bellow of very real adolescent physical agony. Dudley! That scream was nearly overpowered by Petunia Dursley's responding wail of terror.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Harry's heart was hammering. He hated his cousin, but couldn't bear the idea of him suffering torturous pain. It sounds like he got hit with the Cruciatus curse. They could hear that all of the commotion was coming from the second floor. Harry stayed on Severus' heels as Remus pushed through the swinging kitchen door. It opened into the corridor that led past Harry's cupboard, and on, to the base of the stairwell which was beside the front door. Remus and Lucius jogged to the stairs. After a beat, Severus and Harry followed. Severus had an arm stretched behind him, cueing Harry to stay out of range of whatever magic they encountered. Harry kept to where he could duck out of view of the upper landing.

Wands drawn, the three adult wizards crept a few steps upward,…..

just as a loud, shocking BANG! sounded overhead, followed by an adult male YELP of startled pain.

They stopped in their tracks. "That's my uncle's gun," Harry whispered with dread.

BANG!

Another YELP of surprise, this one was female. They all recognized the voice: Bellatrix LeStrange.

"I'll kill every one of you freaks!" Vernon Dursley screamed.

BANG!

"AHHH!" Another yelp of pain in a new male voice.

BANG!

POP! POP! POP!

"They're gone Pet! Help Dudley!"

The four wizards heard the lumbering, heavy footfalls of the charging Vernon Dursley, and he suddenly appeared on the second floor landing, pointing his rifle at them. "You lot!" He sputtered in rage. He ducked down and caught view of Harry. "BOY! I knew it was your doing, you little bastard!"

"Accio!" Remus yelled for the second time today, this time with the desired results. The long barreled shotgun flew into his hands. He turned and tossed the gun to Severus, who caught it and checked the ammunition chamber for additional rounds.

Severus jerked the magazine loader forward and back with a sharp, and seemingly well practiced, click-CLICK. They'd all heard another cartridge falling into place. Now he aimed the gun at the enormous muggle who would have happily shot his own nephew a moment prior. "Give me a reason to shoot you, Dursley," Severus said in his most loathsome, threatening tone. "I beg you."

In the meantime, there was still much yelling and wailing going on upstairs. Remus and Lucius ran up and pushed past Harry's uncle. Merlin! Harry's scar hurt fiercely, and he lost track of his shield.

"Severus, come! It should be safe for Harry as well," Lucius called to them.

His voice sounded cold to Harry's ears, and through his haze of ongoing pain. Oh yeah, the horcrux will bother both him, and Severus, too. He followed as Severus forced Vernon to the side so that they could pass, and came upon a rather grizzly scene in the corridor that led to the bedrooms and bathroom. Harry had the heel of his hand pressed to his forehead, taking in fleeting impressions of flaring, horrible blood splatter on the walls, and a few larger stains on the floor. Whose blood is that?

But then it disappeared. Severus had cast a series of silent Scourgify's, followed by Evanesco's to remove the blood and other signs of violence. He told Vernon tersely, "Go downstairs and turn on your television to something loud. Set the volume high. Stay down there. We will be finished here, shortly, and then we will leave."

When Vernon started to sputter and spit, Harry urged, "The neighbors will have heard your gunshots! You'd better be ready to tell them the telly was on too loud, hadn't you?" That worked. Vernon did as he was told.

Harry's awareness felt like a dream state. Things were happening both at lightening speed, and in slow motion, as he witnessed the aftermath of the clash of muggle and magical violence.

At some point, Lucius had spoken to Petunia, presumably with a tone that she disliked, and she'd edged away to step backward into the master bedroom a few paces where she still had a full view of the scene. But then Severus was standing beside her, and hovering, presumably to stop her if she tried to interfere with Remus' ministrations on her son. Remus was kneeling beside Dudley, whose writhing had subsided, and now the burly adolescent was shaking uncontrollably. Oddly, he wasn't blubbering in typical Dudley fashion. He must be in shock Harry thought. His own blinding pain was a causing a glazing effect on his perception of the scene.

Before Harry had a chance to wonder what he should do to help, Lucius cupped his head and pulled it into the crook of his neck as he spoke urgently, "Perhaps you could summon your house elf, Harry? I know you're in pain, but could you call him? Let's have him create a box for that." He pointed his wand to a small, two-handled cup made of brushed matte gold and embedded with jewels that had to be worth a fortune. It lay on its side, in the far corner, beside the bathroom door.

Ah hah! Harry didn't waste time with questions. "Kreacher? Kreacher, please come!" When the gnarled elf POPPED into the already crowded space, Petunia gasped in fear.

Kreacher gave Harry a look that suggested he would like to say far, far more than the surprisingly controlled, "Kreacher has heard young master's summons. What does Kreacher need to do now…. in this disgusting muggle dwelling?"

Harry pointed to the cup, and when Kreacher had spotted it, asked urgently, "Please, can you make us a leaden box for it? Like the one you made for the locket?"

Kreacher's expression grew more grim. "Kreacher can do this," he said, and snapped his fingers. A perfectly sized, square lead box appeared beside the cup. Kreacher levitated the horcrux, and closed it into the box. "Young master has now found more of these evil pieces?"

"Er, there's been others. One's a ring," Harry said. "Could you make a box for that one too?" Again a box appeared at the snap of Kreacher's fingers. Harry took the box and thanked the elf.

"If not three, then seven," Kreacher told Harry. "Dark wizards believe three and seven hold the most power. If master is quite finished?"

"Kreacher," Lucius broke into the exchange from behind Harry, "will you please take the cup to Albus Dumbledore, in his office at Hogwarts? I've messaged him that you're coming."

Harry had to smile as he thanked the craggy elf and sent him off. Remus helped Dudley to his feet while Severus cast a few spells to fix damage to the wall where Dudley's flailing fist had punched through. Lucius hovered just out of sight of the first floor, monitoring that Vernon continued to do as he'd been told. They heard a knock on the door downstairs, which Vernon answered, and proceeded to speak loudly and insincerely to whomever was inquiring about their health and safety.

Harry had momentarily lost track of his aunt, only to find his ear being pinched and yanked, hard! He clenched his teeth against a yelp, spun to face her, raised his hand and casted a small Pulsas which caused her to feel shoved, just forcefully enough to scare her. "Don't think you can ever lay a hand on me again. I will hit back," he warned her quietly. She was terrified. He glared at her and suddenly realized he had the full attention of all of the others.

"Mum!" Duddley yelled at his mother. "Harry saved us! We should be better to him now."

"Now?" Harry repeated in disgust, jerking his head to glare at his cousin. "No thanks, Dudders. Be glad you finally get to be the only child, without me in the shadows, won't you?"

"I want those records back!" Petunia screeched. But then her rage shifted into unresolved, longstanding heartbreak, and she burst into tears of real grief. That actually got to Harry.

"Aunt Petunia, they belong with Severus," he told her as kindly as he dared. "He and mum shared that collection. He should have had them, all of this time."

"They're all I had left of her!" Petunia wept pitifully.

"I'm what's left of her!" Harry croaked, mortified that his voice had cracked to reveal how much her words hurt. "You had 14 years to appreciate that I'm part of her!" He looked to the older wizards. "Can we please leave?"

"Harry!"

Dudley's eyes seemed to plead with Harry when he sighed and turned back to look at his cousin.

"Thank you," Dudley said emphatically. And then, "I'm sorry!"

Harry stared back at the worst of the bullies he'd had to deal with in his lifetime, trying to process what was happening, but he just couldn't. "Have a nice life, Dudley," he said quietly. He didn't look at his aunt as he followed Lucius and Remus blindly down the stairs, keenly aware that Severus was hot on his heels.

A/N: Betcha didn't see that coming, did ya?