47 Confrontation

It only took a couple of days before they received the expected summons. Well, Harry did. It was at breakfast on the first Saturday of the term when McGonagall approached them with a note. The grim look on their favorite teacher's face told them they weren't going to like it.

"Mr Potter, the Headmaster would like to speak to you in his office first thing this morning," she said in a tone that clearly displayed her distaste.

"No, thank you Professor," Harry returned calmly. "If you'll wait a moment. Hermione? Do you have the…?"

"Yes, it's right here." Hermione dug into her ever present bookbag and after a moment of searching, pulled out an official looking envelope. "Here you are, Professor."

"And what is this?" McGonagall arched an eyebrow, demanding a response.

"That is an official copy of the cease and desist order generated by the DMLE over the Headmaster's unhealthy interest in my husband. It was served to him two weeks ago. It directs that he is to initiate no contact between himself and either of us without first informing the DMLE and allowing a member of that department, of our choice, to monitor that contact."

"And school matters?" The corner of her mouth twitched, Harry swore it did.

"Will be through you as Deputy Headmistress. If it needs to escalate, then the DMLE must be involved," Hermione replied primly. "He should have notified you and the rest of the staff that any issues or concerns involving us were to be handled by you. Did he fail to do that?"

"He did indeed Mrs Potter," Minerva confirmed. "And as he has violated these orders, which I note bear the proper seals and signatures, I think I should notify Madam Bones. Do you agree?"

"As he has violated a DMLE order, I do believe that would be prudent."

"Very well, I expect we both shall be receiving visitors shortly."

Shortly ended up being about twenty minutes later, just as the couple were rising to leave breakfast. Hearing the hush spread through the hall as they stood, they looked up and saw the Head of The DMLE entering the hall flanked by two aurors, one of them Tonks. They smiled and nodded to the clearly irate woman as the group paused in the entryway. They were clearly keyed up, eyes constantly wandering the hall, and just as obviously, witnessed the incident that occurred next.

Harry had sensed the potions master coming up behind them, even anticipated the verbal assault that accompanied his arrival. What he was not quite ready for was the vice-like grip that snatched his arm, nearly pulling it out of socket and causing him to stumble.

"Potter, with me, you need to visit the Headmaster. Granger, detention with Filch starting right now."

"Let go of me," Harry protested, struggling to maintain his balance as the overgrown dungeon bat manhandled him.

"Shut it Potter."

"Excuse me," an icily calm voice interrupted.

"This has nothing to do with…" Snape snarled, turning on the owner of the voice. When he saw the person addressing him was the head of the DMLE, his arrogance abruptly left him. It returned quickly however as he sneered at her. "How may I help you Madam Bones?"

"You can unhand that young man and explain to me why you are assaulting him."

"This young man is being escorted to the Headmaster, and he often tries to avoid his punishments so a firm hand is necessary." The contempt could be heard throughout the hall.

"This young man has a cease and desist order against the Headmaster, and as Albus has not notified me of the need to speak with Mr Potter, he will not be attending that meeting," Amelia spoke evenly, yet the hardness in her voice broke no argument. "As for your use of force, I do believe the school rules now forbid a teacher to physically assault a student."

"They do, but I am merely escorting the boy, not assaulting him."

"Could've fooled me," Harry's overly pained voice objected from where he hung from Snape's grasp. "Pretty sure I'm going to need to see Madam Pomfrey for some bruise paste."

"Stop your whining boy, don't exagger-" as soon as Snape called him boy, Harry's expression changed. Hermione felt it first, through their link, as his display of emotions that had been playing to the crowd disappeared and his demeanor became ice cold. His struggles stopped and his face became impassive. His aura flared and as it swept over Snape, the potions master was shocked, bound, and thrown across the room, landing with a crash on top of Draco and his bookends.

The furious look and glowing eyes on his face caused everyone to step back. Only Hermione stood her ground. She felt the emotions, the fear, rage, embarrassment and guilt. She knew that being called 'boy' in that tone reminded him of his relatives and the way they treated him. She knew the nightmares that still plagued him, the ones where he went back there, without magic, while his relatives were praised for the barbaric ways they treated him. She realized the magic Harry had just displayed wasn't accidental like everyone would assume. She was moving even as his aura washed over her, filling her with a warm feeling. She reached him just before he was upon the fallen professor, stopping him from continuing his assault.

A spell sped past them and hit the groaning professor. They whipped around to see Professor McGonagall had returned to the Hall and had cast the silencing spell on the potions master.

"Mr Potter, I apologize for the unseemly way in which you were accosted," Minerva spoke loudly, so that everyone could hear her. "This is not a situation that warranted any contact, much less the violence you received. Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"I'll get some bruise paste from her later," Harry brushed it off, embarrassed now that everyone was unabashedly watching.

"Very well." She turned to Amelia. "As we are all here now, would you like to address the order that the Headmaster has decided to ignore?"

"Yes, let's," Amelia motioned for the rest of the group to precede her, then paused. Looking back at Snape, she flicked her wand at the still bound and silenced professor. He rose and started to float behind her. "We'll deal with him too."

As Harry led the group into the Headmaster's office a few minutes later, Albus' grin almost split his face.

"Harry my boy, come in. That will be all Minerva…" The joyful expression on the Headmaster's face fell as Hermione followed his Transfiguration professor into the room, then became rather impassive as Amelia joined them as well. "Amelia, what brings you to Hogwarts? Unfortunately I have a pre-existing appointment that I must take care of, so if you would be so kind as to wait until it is completed? I'm sure Minerva would be happy to keep you company. Unfortunately Miss Granger seems to be missing her detention, perhaps the two of you could escort her there for me?"

"And how do you know that Headmaster?" Hermione asked acidly. "Professor Snape only assigned it after he began manhandling my husband. And I remind you it is Mrs Potter now."

"How I know is irrelevant, the fact that I know you're skipping detention is," Albus shook his head sadly, trying for a disappointed look that none of them were believing.

"Actually, since it was assigned by a teacher currently being investigated by the DMLE, during the incident under investigation, she is needed as a witness," Amelia corrected, watching his face flicker. "And as you appear to be aware of the incident, why did you send both Professors McGonagall and Snape to retrieve Mr Potter for his illegal meeting with you?"

"Professor McGonagall failed to retrieve the boy for our meeting, so I sent Professor Snape," Albus waved the concern off. "Now that he is here, Professor McGonagall can keep you entertained while Miss Granger can go to her detention."

"Have you forgotten already?" Amelia asked innocently.

"Forgotten what?"

"The Cease and Desist order from Mr Potter's personal affairs you are trying to violate," Amelia started. "Then there's your refusal to acknowledge his marriage, plus why you sent a professor to accost him and separate him from his wife."

"You have no proof of that," Albus protested. "And you have no authority over me and my ward!"

"As you have been informed repeatedly, he is not your ward, he is married, and your interest is unwelcome," Amelia stated, her tone heated. "You were issued a Ministry Cease and Desist order and you have attempted to violate that order."

"You can't order me not to have contact with Harry, I am his Magical Guardian," Albus waved her off. "There is much I need to teach him."

"You've done a bang up job so far," Harry snarked. "I mean you've had me in this castle for four whole years already and all you've done is give me some house points when my friends and I saved the day by doing your job for you or cleaned up your messes."

"I merely intended for you to have a normal childhood-"

"Normal? You think it's normal to grow up living in a cupboard under the stairs? You think it's normal to effectively be raised as a house elf? You think-"

"Harry, stop!" Hermione's hand restrained Harry as he stepped towards the Headmaster. "He's not worth it and has no power over you anymore."

"But,"

"No Harry, let Madam Bones do her job." Hermione glared at the headmaster. "Although if she fails I'll gladly help you ensure his body is never found."

"Miss Granger,"

"It's Mrs Potter, Headmaster, as you well know," her snapped reply backed by power arcing through her hair.

"And as you know, Miss Granger, as Harry's Magical Guardian, he cannot be married unless I give permission. As I have not, your marriage is not valid."

"Isn't it?" Hermione turned to Madam Bones. "Didn't the Ministry accept the magically generated marriage certificate and confirm its validity? I was sure that was brought up when the Minister tried to annul it."

"It was Mrs Potter," Amelia smiled as she turned to the flustered Headmaster. "As was the change in his magical guardianship prior to his marriage to you. It was even found that he should not have been able to claim magical guardianship in the first place. I find it odd Mr Dumbledore, that despite the Potter will being sealed by your order, you were able to award yourself guardianship. Since there was never a will to determine the chain of custody, Mr Potter should have ended up with Child Services."

"And I could not allow that to happen, Harry was safest at his Aunt's house, as he still is," Dumbledore huffed in a tone that told everyone he was right and they should follow his lead. No one did however.

"How was I safe when I was regularly beaten?" Harry demanded. "Care to explain that?"

"Not at this time," Albus deflected. "You are far too young to be bothered with such things."

"Am I too young as well?" Minerva asked harshly.

"Or me?" Amelia seconded. "And don't give me that blood ward bullshit, I had a Gringotts curse breaker inspect the wards of that house. They did eventually find the so-called wards. They were primed and waiting to activate, just sitting there for the last fourteen years."

"They what?"

"Yes, you're vaunted blood wards never activated," Madam Bones confirmed. "The so-called best protections you could think of were useless because the condition to activate them was never met. He was never loved by his aunt, nor did he ever call the place home."

"Impossible," the old man denied, clearly believing his own propaganda. "I cast everything perfectly. My monitoring charms show the wards still stand."

"Yes, he reported on that as well," Amelia spoke evenly. "You tied them to the active wards, correct? Well, without the blood wards, the active wards would be your notification ward, wouldn't it?"

"But Harry's presence recharges all the wards," Albus said confidently.

"I haven't lived there in over a year, if they are as sensitive to me as you say, why haven't they failed?"

"You… but the notice…" Albus floundered.

"That notice was sent in error, as was determined at his trial," Amelia inserted herself back into the conversation. "In any case, it is not pertinent to this conversation. What is is your continued insistence on ignoring legal orders."

"You cannot separate me from my ward."

"I'm not your bloody ward old man!" Harry raged. "Never have been really, and even if you were, remember your oath?"

"My oath?"

"Yes, the one that you took a few weeks ago pertaining to trying to unduly influence or coerce me or those around me? Seems you're toeing that line pretty closely."

"I, well, you see…" Albus fumbled.

"You are manipulating the interpretation of the wording aren't you?" Hermione asked cautiously. "Seeing it as some educational exercise or a test or something to get around it aren't you?"

"I am seeing things through for the greater good," Albus was indignant, but with a hint of fear.

"Enough, I've had enough of this. No more manipulations. You keep this up, we'll make a new oath, under an unbreakable vow," Harry glared at the unrepentant Headmaster and watched him crumble.

"Very well," he sighed.

"Now why did you try to separate me from my wife?"

"You're not as strong without her around, it would be easier to shift you into seeing things without her interference."

"So basically you think I'm easier to manipulate."

"I wouldn't say it that way," Albus seemed to hesitate at the end.

"No, you wouldn't say that, but that's what you mean," Minerva interjected. "From now on, per the DMLE edict, all interaction between you and both Potters as it pertains to school, will be through me. Severus as well, since he's your pet toady and you won't let me fire him."

"Professor Snape-"

"Has your complete trust, yeah, we know," Hermione defended her favorite teacher. "We have faith in him as well, to abuse any situation he can to our detriment, as well as be a bigoted and unrepentant in every way he can against us."

"Miss Granger-"

"It's POTTER!" Hermione cut him off once more. "And before you continue your unwavering loyalty to the arrogant prick, check the record of point deductions. He takes points from non-Slytherin's for breathing, while giving them to Slytherin's for remembering to wear a tie or being present. He's so terrible to Neville Longbottom that he's the form his bloody Boggart takes. How bad does he have to be for a student to see him as the thing they most fear?"

"I'm sure that's an exaggeration," Albus placated, noting with fear the looks of dismay on the two elder witches' faces.

"Objection," Hermione snarked. "Assuming facts not in evidence. You have a pensieve, don't you? I'm willing to submit my memories of the incidents mentioned. Are you able to provide counters to them?"

"What? No, that seems a bit unnecessary."

"Here's the deal, Headmaster," Harry's voice cut across his wife, stopping her before she hurt the old geezer. "You reign in your pet Death Eater, you stop trying to interfere in our lives, and come Christmas break, you will tell us everything you know or suspect about Tom Riddle and his plans. We know you know more than you've said, it's time to share."

"Harry, you are far too young to-"

"Not your call," Harry cut him off. "It's either that or the unbreakable vow. Which will it be?"

In the end, Dumbledore was forced to take an oath, though he did avoid the unbreakable vow.