Amelia Bones was a woman on a mission. Less than 50 hours had passed since her entire worldview was changed by the arrival of a single letter by the young boy hero Harry Potter. In said time period she had learned that a man she had mentored in his youth had in fact been innocent of the crimes he had been accused of and incarcerated for.
Amelia had also learned that Hogwarts, a school long thought to be amongst the best and safest in the world, had in fact played host to multiple murderers, illegal artifacts and more during the last few years. As she entered the Ministry of Magic's building, she sent a messenger Patronus to Shacklebolt to ensure he had been able to gather those she had requested him to get together.
She also realised that she had left the hospital and young Harry before she had been able to get the memories they had been discussing, and knew another trip to the hospital would be in her very near future.
Entering her office she looked around, took a deep breath and started mentally sorting through all that needed to be investigated within the next few weeks. First and foremost was definitely the Sirius Black case, and she knew she would need her best and brightest on that case, thus she would ask Shacklebolt and Robards to head that investigation.
The second thing that would need to be investigated was the evidence of the attempted resurrection of Lord Voldemort as well as his history and the lies he and others had spread about his heritage, this would be fronted by Alastor and Jones with assistance from Croaker as needed (she was fairly certain the head unspeakable would get himself involved in the investigation in any case, so would rather have his involvement checked and sanctioned).
Amelia herself would be fronting the investigation into the apparently deadly things that had been going on at Hogwarts during the past number of years. She realised she would have to tread lightly to keep certain people, read Dumbledore, from finding out about her investigation until she was ready to face him. There was a definite chance that Hogwarts would be facing many changes within the next few months, and that caused a certain amount of exhiliration for the woman. She had not been able to get much info from her young niece about her schooling the last few years (that alone should have sent up warning bells), and Amelia was slightly afraid of what else she may find.
Finally, she would need to appoint somebody to head an investigation into young Harry's placement with his muggle relatives, as well as the possibility of abuse in said home.
A knock on her door interrupted these contemplations and she called for those on the other side to enter.
Shacklebolt looked ready to fight, which made sense considering he had already heard most of what they were dealing with. Robards looked interested and worried, realizing that this was no social call. Alastor did not show any apparent emotions, although Amelia could see a hint of enquiry in his expression. Croaker, surprisingly, was the most obvious in his expressions. Curiosity clear to see in his features. She assumed it made sense. It was very rare for the Aurors to call on Unspeakable help.
"I have asked you all here to assist me in heading up a number of investigations that have been brought to light. Most of these will overlap in some form, and as such I will brief you on all the investigations that I am sanctioning, even if you are not directly involved.
"It has come to light that Sirius Black is very likely innocent of all the charges he has been accused of. Kingsley and Robards, I need you to investigate the matter fully. Start with the lack of trial record, lack of evidence collected on the night of the apparent murder of Peter Pettigrew and the murders of the muggles. As soon as I have received certain memories that should explain the details of what had happened I will give these to you as well, but I need you to start the investigation from our side. Also, see if you can get hold of Arthur Weasley and speak with him about a rat that has been in their possession for the last ten years."
It was clear that all those who were not yet in the know, were very surprised by these words.
"We'll be on it Ma'am" was all that was said by Kingsley, and acknowledged with a nod by Amelia.
"Secondly, it appears the man known as Lord Voldemort has made multiple attempts at returning to full strength over the last few years..." Amelia was about to continue when Croaker piped up
"Returning to strength? So it is true, he is not dead." Amelia nodded before continuing.
"Indeed, from what I understand he is currently in a spirit or wraith form, I am uncertain how this can be, and that will be part of your investigation. It appears Lord Voldemort possessed one Quirinus Quirrell during the 1991/1992 school year before being driven out by a first year student." Amelia saw that Croaker was looking to interrupt again, and as such raised her hand to stop him speaking.
"I will get you the memories Saul. In 1992/1993 the man known as Lord Voldemort once again attempted a return of sorts. It appears a Diary from his youth, with some form of his spirit or soul attached to it, possessed a young first year student at Hogwarts and opened the legendary Chamber of Secrets. This spirit of his then commanded the basilisk in said chamber to attack students and attempted to use the young first year's life blood to return to a body." This time Amelia allowed Saul to raise his questions.
"A piece of his soul or spirit in a diary? And you say it possessed this child? I wonder... Do you have access to this diary? How was he stopped, or did his apparent ritual fail?"
It was clear the head unspeakable had some idea of what Voldemort had done, and Amelia would hopefully be receiving a lot more information on what was happening with the Dark Lord and how he had survived his apparent death.
"I do not have access to the diary, but will find out from my source if he can get it in some way. The diary was destroyed by a basilisk fang, which in turn stopped this spirit and its leach on the girl's life force."
This seemed to intrigue the old unspeakable even more and Amelia could almost see the wheels turning.
"Ah... Basilisk venom. That may just do it. But for it to possess the child... Oh, yes, yes that could be it. That could be it..." Saul's murmurs seemed to fade away, and it was clear to all in the room that the old man was dying to investigate his theories.
"I see you have a theory Saul, that is good. I need you to focus on that part of the investigation. I need to know how that mad man survived, and how we can stop any further attempts of his return." A nod followed this statement, and Amelia continued.
"To hopefully assist you in that task, I can inform you that I have it on good authority that the man known as Voldemort was born one Tom Marvolo Riddle. A halfblood son of a rich muggle named Tom Riddle and a witch named Merope Gaunt. I am of the belief that researching his history may lead to more information with regards to his thwarting of death."
Both Alastor and Saul looked like Christmas had come early. The history of Voldemort was something the Unspeakables and Aurors had long been investigating, but they had thus far not been able to uncover his true identity.
"I will also require somebody to investigate the placement of Harry Potter with his muggle relatives, as well as his treatment in their... care." She could barely keep the snarl from forming on the last word. Seeing the looks she received from the rest it was clear that her true meaning was understood.
Alastor Moody was not a man to be trifled with, and most people would not believe he had ever cared for anything except justice and the law. They would be wrong. The seasoned auror had taken a young James Potter under his wing and had truly cared for the younger man. If there was a chance that the child of his protégé had been abused, there would be hell to pay.
This led him to making a suggestion on that last point.
"Amelia, I would suggest you get young Nymphadora to investigate them, she is young, but if I recall she is distantly related to the lad, and she has a fiery passion to stop any child from being hurt. Must be that Hufflepuff loyalty."
That seemed like a good idea to Amelia as well, she liked the Junior Auror, and could see a long and fruitful career in her future. Inclining her head to show she agreed with the man's plan, she continued.
"I will contact young Tonks and give her the mission when we are done here. The final investigation, which I will be heading, will overlap with most of the missions I have assigned you all." It was clear that Moody and Robards were very interested in what she had to say. After all, it was quite rare for the Director of the DMLE to head an investigation. She would usually get one of her seasoned aurors to front an operation and assist in guiding the operation from the side.
"I will be investigating allegations of gross neglect, abuse, willful endangerment of children, and whatever else I can find, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The others, except Kingsley who looked at her with righteous anger at the situation that had been explained to them earlier that day, looked at her as if she had grown an extra head.
Again it was Moody who raised his thoughts first.
"I know you will not waste your time investigating frivolous claims director, so I can only assume you believe these allegations to be true, and that you will find evidence to support the claims." Not even waiting for a response the man continued.
"You will have my full support in your investigation. If there is any chance Albus and those merry men and women of his has been hurting our kids I will take them down with my own wand." The rest seemed to agree with the scarred man and nodded their heads to indicate such.
"Good to know Alastor. Now each of you have your tasks, keep me updated on your progress, and I should have those memories I spoke about before the end of the day." Receiving nods in return Amelia dismissed the others and sat back in her chair, feeling oddly spent. Yes, these were going to be long trying days ahead of them.
...
Amelia had spent the first few hours reviewing her own memories of all Harry had told her, as well as making notes on all she deemed important enough to investigate. That done, she decided to take a short lunch break, in which she would be making two stops. First would be at Bones Manor with Susan, to discuss some of the things she had uncovered, the second would be at the hospital, where she would hopefully get those memories she so desperately needed.
The other Aurors had not yet reported any new information, and as such she assumed they were still busy with their own initial investigations and fact finding interviews. They were well trained, as such Amelia knew they would only come to her once they had new information or irrevertible proof of the information she had shared.
She had also contacted young Tonks and had given her a brief overview of what she needed to investigate. She had handed the younger lady the will she had unsealed as well as the address of the Dursleys and sent her away to investigate the matters further. To say the junior Auror was angered about the implications of abuse in said home would be an understatement.
It was clear the younger Auror wanted to immediately apparate to said address and hurt the muggles within, but her training took over and Amelia could see how she reigned in her temper before simply inclining her head and leaving the room to investigate the matters they had discussed.
Amelia had then finished her notes and retrieved her bag before heading to Bones Manor where she would have lunch with her ward.
At the manor Amelia refrained from raising the myriad of questions that plagued her until Susan had finished her avocado and egg salad. Once they had both finished their respective lunches she poured herself a glass of wine and gave her niece a butterbeer before reclining in her chair, pondering what the easiest way would be for her to raise the topics she needed to discuss.
"Susie, is there anything about your years at Hogwarts you would like to discuss with me?" She decided to attempt to let her niece guide the conversation, hoping that she could steer her to the details she needed.
The niece in question looked slightly taken aback by the query and seemed to realize her aunt was asking out of more than just simple curiosity. As such, she took some time to contemplate her answer.
"I am uncertain what exactly aunty is alluding to. There is much I have spoken to you about my schooling, you know my grades and how I feel about certain professors..." She did not need to name Snape, Binns or Lockhart, as she had complained about all of them at different times in her letters home.
"However, I guess there are some things I don't understand that has happened, especially in our first and second years." With that it was as if a floodgate had opened. It was like the younger girl had just waited for someone, anyone to ask her about those events, and thus the questions and statements started to flow.
She touched on a lot of things Harry had touched on, although it was clear she did not know how most of those things had been resolved. She spoke of a troll during Halloween, points unfairly given at the end of first and second year, classmates being petrified, teachers giving unfair detentions and kids being absolute terrors without any adult intervening. Professors seemingly disappearing at the end of the school year without explanation and more.
She mentioned the effect the dementors had had on all of them during the last year, and how they had attacked a fellow student during a quidditch match. It seemed as though the more she spoke the more comfortable she became. If Amelia wasn't certain that the bracelet her niece always wore would protect her from most mind altering magics and potions, she would have thought the girl was confunded not to speak of the subjects until directly questioned.
The possibility still existed that there was a magical reason for her apparent reticence to discuss these topics until confronted with them, but it was also possible she had just never considered it strange enough to mention until she thought of everything happening in its entirety. With enough time between the incidents it was entirely possible she had just thought of everything as slightly strange but benign happenings.
Once she had finished recounting the matters and Amelia had asked for further explanations on a couple of points she looked at her aunt with something akin to horror.
"Looking back on all that now, that is not normal is it aunty? What is going on? What has been happening at my school?"
Amelia gave her a serious but loving look.
"You are correct Susie. It is not normal, and it seems much has been afoot. Do not fret, I am investigating and will not let you or any other student return to that school without knowing it is completely safe to do so."
"I only have a couple of other questions Susie, and I need you to be completely honest with me." Susan gave her aunt a look that clearly stated she would never dream of lying to the older woman.
"I know you would not willingly lie to me, but these questions may put your own behaviour in a bad light. Do not fear, I will try my best not to get angry, but I need your word that you will tell me everything you know about what I am about to ask you." Susan could only nod in agreement, now quite afraid of what her aunt may want to discuss.
"It has come to my attention that many of your year mates maliciously bullied a fellow student during your second year. What do you know of said bullying, and why was I not informed?"
Susan felt as if she had been hit by a bludger. Her action, or inaction as the case may have been, during the entire heir of Slytherin saga had weighed heavily on her mind.
"You're speaking of Harry Potter, right?" With that question it was as if a new floodgate had opened. Susan spoke about how her classmates had vilified the young man. Yelling obscenities at him, locking away his possessions when possible, some even hexing him in the corridors. She had not joined in with them, but had not stood up for him either, fearing that she would be targeted if she spoke up in his defense.
She explained to her aunt how it seemed as if the young Gryffindor had quickly lost the will to fight and had resigned himself to his classmates vicious actions.
Amelia listened intently, and noted both what the girl said, and did not say. It was obvious the younger girl had been affected by the incident. Susan had always believed in truth and justice as well as standing up for the downtrodden. It was clear she was disappointed in herself for not standing up to the bullies. The older woman worked hard not show her own disappointment in her niece, realizing the power of peer pressure and that her niece did not need her disappointment on top her own feelings of inadequacy.
"Thank you for your honest retelling of the events. I am sure you realize that should something like that ever happen again, I expect you to assist the victim and inform me immediately." Susan wrapped her aunt in a hug nodding her head in agreement.
"Now, the last thing I need to speak to you about is a very sensitive issue, and I need you to promise that you will not speak of it with any of your friends." Susan had already decided she would not mention this conversation to anybody, knowing that her aunt would be contacting those that could help them get the necessary answers on her own.
She quickly agreed to the condition, wondering what else her aunt wanted to know.
"Can you tell me everything you know about Harry Potter's home life? I need you to think clearly about anything he or his friends may have mentioned. Any signs you may have noticed that things may be not quite normal at his home?" Amelia had to be careful, she did not want to lead her niece to incorrect conclusions or speculations. She only needed to hear what her niece knew about the young boys' home life.
Susan was very surprised by the question, and her initial reaction was to deny knowing anything about his home life, however she thought about the questions in more detail. Trying to recall anything the other boy may have said during the few times they spoke with each other.
She recalled him mentioning his relatives hated magic. She could remember him taunting his bullies about a whale of a cousin that, even as a muggle, had hurt him far worse than they had done. Then she thought about how skinny he always looked at the start of the schoolyear and how his regular clothing hung from him like oversized rags.
Mentioning all these observations to her aunt she could see that her aunt was not surprised, and had in fact expected as much.
Recalling her promise not to speak about the conversation, she politely excused herself and went up to her room. Flopping herself down on her bed she was not surprised to realize there were silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
That day Susan Bones came to a startling realization. She had overlooked a neglected, possibly abused, young boy and had not even had the courage to stand up to those that tried to make his life even worse than it had already been.
It would be a while before she realized it, but that day, and that conversation would lead to her changing her career plans from becoming an Auror to a healer who would specialize in pediatrics. It would also be the catalyst in starting a friendship that would last a lifetime.