Hey everyone,
I want to give my sincerest of gratitude to Redemerald6 and V.L. Crawford. They both told me that the last chapter didn't need Harry's POV added to it and I am very glad for that. I also want to thank Wishfull-star and Lilly-flower15 as their simple, but ever consistent reviews made me feel very determined to work my hardest on this chapter once again.
Shout-outs to you all,
Venquine1990
Chapter 71
Checking For The Truth
4th of July 1995
Ballroom, Beast's Castle
Minerva's POV
Falling back asleep after everyone in Harry's room was told that everything was alright again and that more information would be provided in the morning was not really easy as, just like the day we found out that Dumbledore was not as Light as we always believed, I feel as if my life has been turned upside down and my mind goes over all I know about Bathsheda.
Yet unlike with Albus, do I just not find anything that could have proven that there was more going on between Albus and Bathsheda than I ever could have realized, even though Bathsheda was in her First when I graduated or that there was anything off about the woman – other than her slightly off behavior during our last reading – that could have warned me about her being who she is.
And the fact that my former best friend actually had a child with some random woman both horrifies me as it only further proves how little our bond of trust and friendship meant to the man, yet it also makes one thought constantly go through my mind the entire night: "Who's to say that Bathsheda is Dumbledore's only child? And how can we find any others if they can hide so well?"
Yet while this made it so that I didn't fall asleep until my own concerns tired my body out to the point that I just basically passed out, do I still wake up with a new set of mind. "I will not let any more Dumbledore supporters anywhere near my Lions or those Dumbledore tried to hurt." And while I fear that there might be a few among my Lions who are like Bathsheda, do I not let this stop me.
I get up, get dressed and make sure to inform my fellow staff members as well as the staff of the other two schools of what happened the other night before telling Severus, Filius, Pomona, Karkaroff and Maxime to inform their students that important announcements would be made before the reading would continue for the day. The five of them nod and move to their respective rooms.
And by the time that everyone is back in the Ballroom, do I feel back to my former, stern and caring self and do I feel ready to take this approach upon anyone who still wants to support this horrible man, whether they decide to do this openly or silently and to the background. I make sure to stand in front of the balcony doors and have my back straight and my arms behind my back.
Everyone who comes in instantly notices my presence and while it's already obvious that the students are curious about whatever news I could have to announce. Yet when young William enters, do I instantly worry for him as he looks incredibly tired. Yet the man also tries to look determined and professional and I do spot the glint of intelligence that shines in his eyes, proving that I am not the only one who has something vital to share with others.
I motion for him to join me at the door, yet he motions behind him and to my interest do I notice that he somehow convinced Rolanda, Rubeus, Charity and Wilhelmina to work for him along with Charles, Auron and Percival and all of them are using their wands to levitate several trunks into the ballroom, dropping them against the back wall before William joins me on the right.
"Couldn't sleep, so I decided to just check out the trunks. More or less got rid of all of the spellwork that that no-good No-Name tried to put on it, though the thought that those charms could be affecting my siblings kept me awake after, so I worked on necklaces, chokers and bracelets for them to wear that will slowly but surely negate and undo the effects."
I nod and state: "Leave everything that might happen in the reading today to your father and brother. You may not want to sleep, but you need to rest, if nothing else. I might need your skill later, in case we find more – silent supporters of that monster." The man grimaces, but nods in consent and I turn from him to everyone else, who are now all looking at me in curiosity.
"Greetings and good morning all. I'm afraid I have some good and some bad news. The bad news is that we seem to have lost yet another member of our staff and thus another reader. Bathsheda Babbling has admitted to not only being a Dumbledore supporter, she even claimed to be the man's daughter while threatening one of our comrades."
Gawking and gaping faces meet mine all around and some students, who I know take Ancient Runes and were favorites of the apparently evil woman, start to look around for the rest of the staff, obviously hoping to see their own favorite teacher among them. My heart goes out to these few, yet part of me also feels suspicious of them and I think: "Would they support her?"
But I mentally shake my head, not willing to judge or condemn these potentially innocent souls until I have all of the facts and my eyes stray to Sirius for the shortest moment as I remember what happened the last time someone in power judged someone like that. I then turn to his son and Harry has actually summoned his own Keyblade, proving that last night most certainly affected him.
I nod at the boy to instill some confidence in him and then continue: "Bathsheda admitted to this after committing crimes for which the world itself decided to punish her. I would like to remind you all that Darkness and Dark magic take a different form in these worlds compared to our own. Bathsheda was changed into a Heartless and was slain. Her heart and the Darkness within it are no more."
Yet here William steps forward and says: "However, speaking of Darkness, I would like everyone to know that I have taken a close and in-dept look at every trunk of both my siblings as well as anyone who is or ever was respectively a close friend or acquaintance to my family. Let it be known that Lea, Riku and the Hogwarts House Elves helped me gather all of these trunks."
He sighs and just by the way that his body looks and the way that his eyes lose their determined shine for just a few moments prove just how badly the situation that he found while researching the trunks really is. And everyone who spots this starts to share worried looks with each other, causing for others to spot their looks and become concerned themselves.
Yet before this concern can spread through the entire Ballroom, does William go on: "No-Name – was smart. There is no other way to put it. She put a spell on the very rim of the inside of the trunks as well as some parts of the trunks that needed fixing and through those hid any and all spells, charms, curses, jinxes, potions, draughts and other stuff that she put on the stuff she either bought or made herself.
And going by the amount of all this that I found, all of the potions, spells and other magical things, that I found on all of the books, notebooks, quills, shirts, pants, sweaters, robes, hats and other possessions – I have just no words to describe how I feel."
This makes everyone share worried looks, the Weasley family and those close to them much more so than others and William sighs as he says: "Because of this, have I developed these necklaces, chokers and bracelets and I must insists that all of my family and their friends wear them for the coming weeks, perhaps even months, depending on how long it takes for the magic to take effect.
And let me make one thing crystal clear. There is an incredibly high – perhaps even absolutely 100% - chance of any of my brothers, my sisters or any of their friends to discover that things they used to like in the past, they no longer like after the bracelet magic has taken effect or that things they thought to hate, they actually love. Yes, the magic of these spells and potions runs that deep.
Because of that –." Here William turns to young Harry, who is looking horrified and is trembling in the combined embrace of his mother and mate before the Curse Breaker continues: "Are there no words through which I can describe how grateful I am that we have these books that Harry provided us with. Their hidden text, that the twins discovered yesterday, might help us learn these differences.
Thank you, Harry, you blessed us and saved us in ways you didn't even think possible when you decided to create those books. You may have even freed the true personalities of some of my siblings with these books. I know you've already done quite a lot for my family, but this takes the cake. I don't think we will ever be able to thank you enough for this." And all of his siblings nod in agreement.
The words also seem to do the right job as young Harry gets so embarrassed that he stops trembling and instead turns red, his parents happily giving him a warm hug and whispering words of pride in his ears. Yet then I step forward and say: "Now that we have learned all of this, let me make one thing crystal clear myself.
As of last night, supporting Albus Dumbledore in any way, shape or form is a crime punishable by either exile or time in Azkaban. However, if you have any relation or duty to Dumbledore that you are not willingly contributing to, you will not be punished for reporting this, only if you decide to continue it secretly."
I sternly glare at everyone, Ravenclaws, Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, students and staff of both Durmstrang and Beauxbattons and even my own coworkers and Lions and state: "From this day forward, Albus Dumbledore is considered a Persona Non-Grata, a level of crime lord that even Grindelwald and Tom Riddle themselves were never able to achieve. Let that be clear to all of you."
And yet again I make sure to sweep my gaze across the students and staff alike, trying to not only convey how serious I am willing to take my own words, but also to study everyone around me and see if I can spot small, insignificant signs or symptoms that might indicate that someone is like either No-Name or Babbling. And while some students do look concerned and guilty, do I easily spot that this is more because of my reassurance than my warning.
"Looks like Filius and Pomona might be getting a few of their badgers and ravens visit them sometime soon." I think to myself, feeling only slightly shocked that I don't spot these signs with any of my Lions, yet then the Chess Mistress in me awakens and thinks: "Of course not, that'd be too directly involved with me. It would give me a chance to grow suspicious."
Yet this thought reminds me of Bathsheda and while a small part of me wants to feel sad for the woman and the fate that was brought upon her, do I remember her actions of the other night and the aftereffects it had on young Mr. Potter. I sigh and change my mind as I think: "Best just get on with the reading once again." And I wave my wand, summoning the book we read last.
Harry's POV
I may have fallen asleep in the Beast's cloak after being saved by Riku, but the night's events made me wake up again more times than I'd like to count. And every time either Sirius, Remus or Bill was there to help me calm down and fall back asleep, yet I constantly did so with a sense of guilt as I was keeping them awake too. Yet when I voiced this the next morning, they rebuked me.
"We're your parents. If we ever have a kid of our own, he or she's going to do the exact same thing the first few months, because he or she will need to be fed every few hours, even at night. Besides, we'd be more worried if you didn't wake up from nightmares after something like this." Sirius and Remus had told me and Bill said: "I wasn't able to sleep anyway, I was working too hard."
And the story he told the Great Hall, about the trunks and the stuff inside and what spells and potions were affecting those possessions and items makes me wonder if I will even be able to sleep ever again. I've always resented the first ten years of my life, because after finding out about my magic, I felt as if I had been living a lie for my entire youth. And now I find out that my best friends might have done the same without even knowing.
"I just don't get it. She complains about them all the time. She hardly ever has a nice thing to say about any of them when she thinks no one is listening. So why would she try to change them like that if she doesn't even like or approve of the ways that she herself is trying to change them? What is her goal? Her motive? Why would she purposely try to annoy herself like that?"
And never before have I felt so confused about someone. Sirius always confused me, because of those questions that kept nagging at me after I found out about his supposed crimes over Christmas in my Third and that was cleared up months later. Yet others like Voldemort, Lockhart, Dumbledore after I realized what he was really like, were always easy for me to read and understand.
Their motives, beliefs and actions, even if some of them had a deeper, more hidden and sinister meaning or even a side-effect that would harm people without them noticing, were always straight to the point and easily understandable thanks to what I knew about them. But No-Name is now proving to be the exact opposite of all of that. "It just doesn't make sense."
I sigh at this, having gone to lean back and looking up at the Ballroom ceiling, which is painted gorgeously with cupids, clouds and a whole heaven-like scenery showing on the ceiling with a gorgeous, golden chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Yet when I look down and spot Ron, the twins and Ginny sitting together, does a new sense of fear overwhelm me.
"What if, after they have worn those bracelets or necklaces for the time they need them to, they change as drastically as Bill is warning us? Will we still be friends? Will they still want to be my friends? Will I still like them after they have changed? Will they try to change me just because they have changed? And how much has No-Name tried to change me?"
Yet then the answer gets handed to me as I suddenly notice the third book flying overhead to Professor McGonagall and instantly renewed resolve and relief fills me up as I think: "Even if am different from what I know about myself, if there are things about me or my friends that she tried to change, we will be able to learn about them, thanks to the books. Bill was right, they are a blessing." And I smile relieved.
Good for you, Harry.
And yet another short chapter, just like Child of All. But to be honest, I really didn't think that this chapter was going to be long. Yes, I could have added the next PoA chapter to this chapter and made it longer, but it didn't feel right, because these announcements didn't feel as if they had anything to do with Harry and Lupin's Patronus lesson.
Speaking of which, once we get to the point where it mentions how Harry has more Patronus lessons, I am going to add a LOT of extra content. I am going to use that to make Harry and Lupin grow closer and after that, I am going to add bits of text through all of GoF that will prove that Lupin DID keep in contact with Harry after leaving. Because of this, once we get to OotP, I will probably change Lupin's name in the book to Remus every time.
Get ready for that,
Venquine1990
