00000000000 Madam Longbottom, Hogwarts School 000000000000
Augusta Longbottom looked around the headmaster office to see all of the teachers assembled. She could tell that a number of them were nervous and she had to restrain herself from smirking. It was about time that some of them worried about their jobs instead of thinking that they weren't expendable. There were other teachers beyond these walls, and knowing that they were partly responsible for Hogwarts' decline over the years, well it wasn't hard to imagine that some of them might not be returning next year. Augusta looked to one of the women besides her looking at the other teachers. Doris Irlam, a half-blood that graduated from Hogwarts 20 years ago, but that didn't mean that she stopped her education like some others. After leaving Hogwarts, Doris went to a muggle university getting her Masters in childhood education. She also got Masters in the wizarding world in Herbology and History, one of the few who had. Over all, she was perfect to be the temporary Headmistress of Hogwarts and hopefully be able to fix whatever mess Dumbledore left. Augusta almost felt sorry for her. On her other side sat Tiffany Bloomingham. Another half-blood that went to a muggle university after Hogwarts, Tiffany was three years older than Doris at forty. Even though she was older than Doris, it was decided that Tiffany would be better as the High Inquisitor. With her Masters in Administrative Education, Astronomy and Ancient Runes, Tiffany was seen as the perfect person to report back to the Hogwarts Board about everything. Turning back to the room, Augusta decided it was time to start the meeting.
"Professors, thank you for coming on such short notice. I know that for many of you, the imprisonment of Albus Dumbledore has come as a great shock to you. Unfortunately, his absence will not be the only shock to you this day, I am sure. To my left is the new Headmistress Doris Irlam. Some of you may remember her as a student two decades ago, but I hope that will not be a problem. She has her Masters in Herbology and History as well as a muggle Masters in childhood education. She will be here on temporary bases, on the condition that if we do not feel than any of you are able to be the new Headmaster/mistress, Doris will become the permanent Headmistress." Gasps of shock and disbelief could be heard. Many thought that Minerva would be the next Headmistress after they were done. To know that might not be the case shocked many of them. Augusta continued on as if she didn't hear them.
"To my right, is the High Inquisitor Tiffany Bloomingham. She will be sitting on all of your classes. Be warned, you all are on probation until the end of the year. Ms. Bloomingham will sit in each of your classes at least twice, for every year, on monthly bases. Once you will be aware of but the other you will not be aware of. This is to insure that you are not putting on an act while Ms. Bloomingham is watching. By Yule, we will know if your contract will be renewed for the coming year. Do not let that mean that you are safe for the entire year. If we think that your teaching is completely incompetent, we have the right to fire you before the next semester. Ms. Bloomingham will be in your classrooms to also insure consistent teaching, point addition/reduction, and detentions. She will also see if there are any changings to be implemented into your teachings. Ms. Bloomingham will also be reviewing punishments to make sure that no one has favoritism for either their own house or a particular student. Heads of Houses, you will also be reviewed on how you deal with your houses. Since all of you have been a Head of House for over a decade, you should know what should be expected of you. If that is not the truth, we will either talk to you or assign someone else to be the respective Head of House. Are there any questions before I turn it over to Headmistress Irlam?" There was silence for a moment before Snape called attention to himself.
"How will you insure that we Heads of House are doing our job properly?" Augusta nodded to Tiffany to answer the question.
"I will be shadowing you all throw the first week of school to see how you structure your house. I will also talk to your perfects about the jobs and responsibilities they are given. I will also be talking to various students to see how they view their house and their Head of House. I will, as previously mentioned, see how you handle things throughout the year like bullying, failing grades, and any personal issues your students might go through among other things that might pop up throughout the year. If things are on par, you and the other Heads of House will remain, Professor Snape." Severus gave her a curt nod. When no one else spoke, Augusta turned the floor over to the new Headmistress.
"As Lady Longbottom said, I am Doris Irlam. I am going to be insuring that Hogwarts starts rising to the place of prominence and pride that it once was. That will include recommending who stays and who goes, classes to remain or cancel, as well as see about adding classes for the next year, as well as bringing in warders and curse breakers to see about the school's wards and the supposed curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. I hope that we all are able to work together. I will also call each of you here to review your time here and discuss to see what you think about your time here and how to improve Hogwarts.
"Hopefully, we are able to bring Hogwarts to the standing it once was. This process is not here to punish you, but to hold everyone accountable and to fix past mistakes that caused this once great school to be a joke to the other countries. It is time to show that Hogwarts is the best school in Europe." Many of the teachers nodded their heads. All of them wanted the best for their students and wanted to be a part of it. There was still a little voice in the back of their heads hoping that they would be around long enough to witness Hogwarts rise to grander once again.
00000 Albus Dumbledore, Ministry Holding Cell 00000
Albus Dumbledore sat in his eight-by-ten cell in mental desperation. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. Sure he may have taken money from the Potter account, but it wasn't like he wasn't going to use his money to help the wizarding world. The Noble House of Dumbledore wasn't as well off as many believed. His mother struggled to provide for him and his siblings while their father was in Azkaban. The only reason he was as well off as he was at the moment was because of his research when he was young and the eventual death of his father. Only then did the Dumbledore vaults opened to himself and his brother Aberforth. Not to mention the additional money he received after his defeat of Grindelwald, the books and papers he wrote, and the positions he held, Albus made sure not to squander all that he worked for. Aberforth may be willing to live in his little hole of a bar, but Albus Dumbledore deserved more than that with everything that he's done for the wizarding world.
So, he may have made a mistake in leaving Harry with his relatives, but honestly, how else was Harry to view him as the leader of the light like everyone else. And really, how could they really blame him for Sirius Black. Everyone else thought that he was guilty; he and Crouch just save the taxpayers some money. And if that meant that he got to dip into Sirius' vault during the confusion, then so be it. Everything was for the greater good but everyone seemed to be punishing him for it. Dumbledore almost groaned at the amount he had to pay back to the both of them, not to mention the jail time that he was facing. 41 months from sentencing Black to Azkaban plus whatever else from the charges against him from Harry.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only source of his worry. Albus tried calling for Fawkes, knowing that the Ministry didn't have any wards against phoenixes, but he never answered his calls. Albus almost didn't want to think about why that was, but since he had nothing else to do it was the one of the main things he thought about. Albus knew that Fawkes wasn't due for his burning day for another couple of months, so that wasn't the issue. He also doubted that anyone imprisoned him as well since someone would have noticed the amount of dark magic needed for the ritual. That would mean that his faithful phoenix has abandoned him in his hour of need. The only reason a bonded phoenix abandoned their wizard is if said wizard fell to far from the light. Albus almost dismissed the thought if not for the fact that Fawkes hasn't come for him yet.
Even though Fawkes left him, Albus couldn't bring himself to admit that he fell so far from the light. Maybe it was the fact that the way he went towards the Greater Good wasn't the best or 'Lightest' way of doing things, but that was the only reasons that Fawkes wasn't helping him. Maybe Fawkes was just trying to teach him a lesson and would come for him during the trial coming up. Albus perked up at that.
No matter what anyone else says, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore knew how to delude himself into thinking he was doing good. Too bad the only way to break that thought was a few years in Azkaban.
000000 Sirius Black, August 31st, St. Mungo's 00000
Sirius Black was resting on his hospital bed at St. Mungo's. Remus had left twenty minutes ago to get something to eat and give him some privacy for the Healers in his room, not to mention the Mind Healer on his way. Sirius mind still went to Harry and how he acted when they first met. Sirius didn't notice it at the time, but Harry had a guarded look to him. Sirius couldn't blame him, but it still hurt that Harry didn't react more strongly towards him. Hopefully Harry would open up to him later on. Sirius was brought out of his thoughts with a knock on his door.
"Come in."
"Lord Sirius Black, I presume. I am the Mind Healer assigned to you for the duration of your case. You may call me Healer Shafig or just Shafig if you prefer." Healer Shafig looked to be on the short side at about 5'5" with black hair, blue eyes and a slightly tanned complexion. All in all, he had a boyish but professional look about him.
"Nice to meet you. Guess I have to reveal all of my deepest secrets to you." Healer Shafig smiled at him while taking a seat.
"Only if you want to, Lord Black." Sirius looked surprised at being called Lord Black and couldn't help himself from commenting. Sirius forgot that he was called Lord Black through the trial.
"Lord Black? My mother blasted me off the family tree during my sixth year. There is no way that the Lordship passed to me."
"I can assure you that you are the new Lord to The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Your mother may have disowned you, but since your father didn't publicly proclaim you disowned or stripped as the Black Heir, you are now the Lord of House Black." Sirius stared at the Healer for a good moment before he started laughing. It was the first true laugh since coming out of Azkaban and it felt good, even if his sides hurt.
"My mother is probably rolling in her grave at the moment."
"You seemed to be extremely happy about that thought." Shafig opened a file and took out a muggle pen. He may be a pure-blood, but that didn't mean he was above using muggle inventions to make his work a little easier.
"Of course I'm happy about that. That woman made my life a living hell. She was so into the Dark Arts and so disappointed that I wasn't. Not to mention that Regulus, my perfect little brother, could do no wrong. He did everything she said, learned the Dark Arts, the perfect aristocrat, got sorted into the right Hogwarts house, and then joined the Dark Lord. All it got him is a death warrant with the rest of my family who followed him. The only ones alive are my three cousins, and one of them is at Azkaban enjoying the weather." Sirius let out another barked laugh before calming down.
"What do you plan to do with the Lordship?"
"Throw out everything tainted by the Dark Arts. Kick out Bella. Oh, I can almost hear her when she realizes that she no longer has the Black family magicks. Might just dissolve the marriage before I do that." Sirius got caught up in his thoughts it left Healer Shafig to make some notes. He had a feeling that Sirius Black had more issues than being in Azkaban for a decade. Getting Sirius' attention, Shafig moved their session forward.
"The latter idea does have some merit, but I want to talk to you about throwing out family artifacts. Why not just have them cleansed and keep them."
"My family was a bunch of bastards save a few of them. If it wasn't for my Uncle Alphard, and the Potters taking me in, I would have been broke and on the street when I was kicked out. There is also Andy. She was kicked out for daring to marry a muggleborn and not the ponce they wanted her to marry. I know that she was disowned for that little stunt." Sirius snorted at that. He knew that it was a surprise to them that the daughter she had was a metamorphosis. Sirius laughed himself silly at the time. He was brought out of his musings by the sounds of Healer Shafig writing down something. When Sirius looked over, he was surprised to see him writing with a pen. "You're using a pen. I wouldn't think that a pureblood would use a pen."
"How do you know that I'm a pureblood, Lord Black?"
"My mother forced me to memorize the sacred 28. To her, they were the only families worthy to be talked about in the Black home, except for the Weaslys of course." Sarcasm was dripping from his voice. Shafig couldn't help to chuckle at that. His family was almost the same way. The only difference is that his family didn't follow the Dark Lord. Sirius' voice brought him back to the present. "And stop calling me Lord Black. That was my father and I am not him, just Sirius."
"Well, just Sirius, you are going to have to get use to people calling you Lord Black, but until then, I can call you Sirius. And for your other question, just because I'm a pureblood doesn't mean that I'm as ignorant of muggle inventions and society. Plus it's easier writing notes with a pen then with a quill. Now, are you going to answer my question?" Sirius gave him a confused look and Shafig made a note of it before reminding him.
"Oh, well I see no reason to keep those things. Especially if it will get back at those bigots."
"But they are already dead. It is one thing to get rid of something that is dangerous and can't be cleansed, but what about those that can be or could be used for good further down the road. Getting back at your family doesn't mean that you have to throw away the history of you family. You said it yourself, not everyone in your family are 'bastards' as you put it." Sirius snorted at that, but couldn't help think about what Shafig said.
"Healer Shafig, just to know, who would be best to do cleansing and curse breaking?"
"If it is just a small amount of items, I would say a private firm. But if it is a big amount or even a property, the goblins are the way to go." Sirius nodded his head at that. Grimmauld place would be the perfect place to cleanse. Maybe redecorate so he and Remus could move into. They could get the place ready for when Harry comes to live with them. He'll still be getting back at his family and getting a place ready for his godson. Shafig cleared his throat again to get his attention.
"That was a good first session to begin with."
"It was? But you just got here."
"Sirius, we've been talking for almost thirty minutes. This session was a baseline to see how much I think we need to see each other and what are the major points that we're going to work on first." Sirius looked at the clock over the bathroom door and saw that they did talk a little over a half an hour. Time went faster than he thought, but the Healers said that was normal for someone who spent as much time as he did in Azkaban. Sirius then registered the other part of Shafig's statement.
"So, how many times are we seeing each other? Once or twice a week right?"
"Actually, I was thinking about starting with four times a week." Sirius couldn't hide the surprised look on his face and Shafig had to look away before he laughed. Luckily he could brush it off as him retrieving a notebook from his bag. "I would also like for you to write down your thoughts, questions and goals as well. I've notice that you have trouble focusing for a length of time. Hopefully, this will help you get your thoughts in order and focus you. It will not be an overnight thing, but it will help in the long-run." Shafig handed the tan notebook over that had a pen tucked between the pages. Sirius looked a little overwhelmed, so Shafig just waited until he could process everything. Sirius seemed to have collected himself ten minutes before focusing on Shafig again.
"What will we be focusing on?"
"At the moment, we will be focusing on how you view your family. We will also go over what is expected of you as a Lord. The ministry has also informed me that you are hoping to get custody of your godson?" Sirius conformed that with excited nodding. "We will then be going over what you need to do to make that happen. These are the main things that we are going to work on, but that doesn't mean that other things won't be discussed or worked on during this process. Is that understood?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Is there anything you would like to ask me at the moment?"
"Will I have to show you what I write in the notebook?"
"Not unless you want to. You can use it to however you need it. The notebook is just a tool to help you along and to help organize yourself. You can keep everything in there private, use parts of it as a guide to help us through the sessions, or show me everything in there. It is all up to you and I will not pressure you one way or another.
"I also want to remind you that if you feel like you need to talk about something that we didn't cover today or in one of our future sessions, it's alright to talk about it or bring it up. I'm here to help you through whatever issues are bothering you at the moment as well as help you to reach your goals. Does that sound good?"
"Yeah. Do you think that I'll be able to get Harry by the time he finishes his first year?"
"Truthfully, Sirius, I think that is a little too soon to be thinking about taking care of someone else. You'll be in St. Mungo's until the end of October at least to fix most of the physical damage. Then we have to insure the main property that you're residing at is safe for an underage wizard. The most worrying thing is your mental health. One session cannot tell me how long it will take to get you mentally healthy to not only take care of yourself, but a minor as well." Sirius' face fell at that. He had hoped that he would be able to take Harry in when the summer break rolled around.
"Don't let this get you down. Depending on how well you do, you could get supervised guardianship."
"What's supervised guardianship?"
"Supervised guardianship is when the person who has primary guardianship, in this case the goblins and the wizard(s) they assign to Mr. Potter, is willing to share custody with you. Now the goblins and the primary assigned wizard, a Mr. Tombs by my notes, will have primary custody, but at least you will be able to get to know Mr. Potter and for him to get to know you as well as get accustomed to the house that you two will be staying. The only drawback is that if Mr. Potter wishes to leave, he is able to do that and full guardianship will revert back to the goblins."
"So if he doesn't like me, then I will have no chance in keeping him?"
"Not necessarily. He could want to go out of the country or to one of his friend's house. Anyway, we have until the end of June to worry about that. We first have to get you to the point to be considered to have a supervised guardianship. Meaning that you have to listen to the Medi-Healers, have an acceptable primary resident, and I have to approve that you are mentally stable for guardianship. If we do this correctly, you might have primary guardianship by his second or third year."
"That long?"
"Sirius, this isn't a process that can be rushed. Both you and Mr. Potter have been through an awful experience. The healing that both of you need to go through is long and difficult. Rushing either of your healing processes could cause more harm than good for the both of you." Sirius let out a breath. He didn't like that but he understood it. Then again, out of all of the Marauders, Sirius was the one who had issue with impulse control and patience. With another sigh, Sirius focused again to the Mind Healer.
"I'll try my best, Healer Shafig." Shafig couldn't help but to chuckle at that.
"That's the spirit. One more thing before I go. Do you have someone that you can rely on while you're going through everything? It's good to have a support base to fall back on through all this."
"Well, I just got reacquainted with my friend Remus. And Andy visited me yesterday with her husband. We were close before everything went south." Shafig wrote that down while nodding.
"That's good. You will need that and hopefully we'll be able to have a session with them at some point in the future. Until then, let them help you during this time. I realize that there will be times when you will be more comfortable talking to them concerning some topics than with me. All that I ask of you is that you talk to the people that are here to help you."
"And if I can't?"
"Then write it down in your notebook. I don't want you internalizing things at the moment. Even if you don't show anyone I want you to write what's going on, good or bad. Understand, Lord Black?" Sirius nodded his head while clutching the notebook closer to himself. "Good. Then it's my time to go. Is there anyone I should send up?"
"My friend Remus should be in the cafeteria getting something to eat. Could you send him up? He didn't want to be in the way with all the Healers coming in and out." Shafig nodded his head before bidding Sirius goodbye. Fifteen minutes later Remus showed up and took the seat that Healer Shafig vacated. The both of them stayed in silence, trapped in their own thoughts.
00000 Andromeda Tonks nee Black 00000
Andromeda sat in her kitchen thinking over the last couple of days. She found out that her favorite cousin wasn't the murdering traitor that she thought he was and also found some disturbing information about her other cousin, Harry Potter. They may be distantly related, but she still held family close to her, no matter what her own family did to her. To top it all off, she got a letter from Gringotts to be present at Lily and James Potter will reading. She was never that close to the couple and was wondering why she was included at all. With another sigh, her thoughts circled around back to Sirius. Now that he was out of Azkaban, he could take the mantel as Head of House for the Black family, meaning that she might be welcomed back into the family. Andromeda never regretted marrying her husband, but she did miss the family magicks going through her. It could also be a good thing for her daughter Nymphadora. No matter how much she hated it, she knew that the backing of a powerful, and old, family will open doors quicker than anything else. When Sirius got better, Andromeda had every attention of asking to be welcomed back and her daughter to be recognized as well.
This would also help Nymphadora with her metamorphosis abilities. She may be the first Black to get the ability in generations, but it was still causing her trouble since she didn't have the Black family magicks. Without the family magicks, her ability wouldn't be as controlled as it could be and her balance was downright dangerous at times. The number of times that she tripped down stairs and the one time she almost fell over one of the schools railings still sent shivers down her spine. But with the Black family magicks, all of that wouldn't be a problem anymore. Andromeda was distracted by the sound of someone sliding down the stairs followed by a muffled thump. A second later the very daughter she was thinking about walked into the kitchen rubbing her butt. Andromeda had to refrain from sighing and sent a silent plea to Magic that Sirius will let her back, and by extension Nymphadora, into the family. Maybe then she could focus on why her daughter hated her name so much.
"Dear, why don't join me for tea. I have something to talk to you about before you go back to Hogwarts this year."
"'Kay mom, but I already know that Dumbledore is no longer the Headmaster any more. No one could have missed that story." Andromeda smirked at that. It was true that the papers and magazines have been talking about Dumbledore's fall from grace, but the reason why whipped that smirk away.
"Actually, this is not about Dumbledore, not directly anyway. It is actually about Harry Potter and Sirius Black." Nymphadora looked surprised at that. Besides Dumbledore, Harry Potter and Sirius Black were the other headliners for the past week. What her mother was about to tell her would surprise her even more. "First I will start with Sirius Black. I'm sure that you remember me telling you that we are related to him. The thing is that he was the heir when he was sent to Azkaban. Now that he is out, he is the acting Head of House for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. And since I use to be a Black that means that there is a possibility that Sirius might welcome me back into the house again. That won't change anything for me, but for you it will."
"How will it affect me? Am I suddenly going to be called Black or something?" Andromeda chuckled at that before answering.
"No, dear, you will still be a Tonks until you get married. But it will help you with whatever career that you go into being a part of a Noble and Most Ancient House. There is something else that will change, well two things actually."
"What!? What!? Will I suddenly become rich or something?"
"Actually yes. As a member of the Black family, you will be given a trust vault. How much will be given to you will be dependent on Sirius, but on average you will receive a couple thousand galleons a year." Nymphadora's mouth dropped at that. A couple thousand galleons, a year! Meanwhile, Andromeda couldn't help to laugh at the look her daughter was showing. "Close your mouth Nymphadora, you'll catch something. And, as for the second point I would like to bring up as that if and when we're accepted back into the family, your metamorphosis will improve."
"How will it improve? I'm the only one of seven that has full control over it."
"Technically, you don't. Wait, let me explain. Yes you are able to morph completely, but even you have to admit that when your emotions get away from you, it's not so easy to control, namely your hair." As if to prove a point, Nymphadora's hair that was bright pink before turned red in her embarrassment. "There is also the fact that your balance is completely off. I'm sure that you remember the other metamorph that you met a few years back had a grace about him. You may not gain the same grace, but you won't be as unbalanced or clumsy with the Black family magicks flowing through you. The magicks will help to settle you and give you better control and even range. With enough practice, you could very easily become an animagus as well." Nymphadora slumped into her chair. She never thought that this would happen to her. Apparently her mother didn't either or she would have told her before now. All of this and she still had something to say about Harry Potter. Nymphadora was a little scared what her mother was going to tell her next, it was all overwhelming. Andromeda let her daughter compose herself before moving on. She knew that this was a lot to take in, especially with this being her N.E.W.T. year. Hopefully everything she was about to tell her daughter wasn't too much to place on her daughter's shoulders.
"Now, onto the other issue. I'm sure that you've read the news about Harry Potter and how his relatives mistreated him." Nymphadora nodded her head at that, her hair changing to a sickly mustard green. The news almost made her physically ill that anyone could treat a child like that.
"Yeah, some of my classmates that have aurors as relatives say that Rita was actually withholding some of the details. They couldn't tell me much of course, but they thought that if Rita was withholding information, then it must be really bad." Andromeda had to shiver at that. Even her family, as dark as they were, never thought of abusing a child to that level, to her knowledge anyway. Andromeda had to force her mind away from the thoughts of Harry's abuse for the time being. There was plenty of time to think about it and wonder if there was anything that she could have done to help him.
"It is a shame that happened to him, especially after everything that he went through, but that wasn't why I mentioned him. I actually wanted to inform you that Harry is also Sirius' heir along with being the Potter heir."
"I thought that you had to be related to someone to be named their heir?"
"Good to know that you're paying attention to my lectures. And Harry is related to us as well. His grandmother was a Black before marrying into the Potter House. It actually makes him your fourth cousin if I'm thinking correctly." Nymphadora couldn't help her mouth hanging open again. To think that she was related to the Harry Potter. If the situation wasn't so bad, she would be writing all of her friends and bragging about it.
"You really are going to catch something if you keep your mouth open, Nymphadora." Andromeda smiled at her daughter snapping her mouth shut. "While you are at Hogwarts, I would like for you to extend a hand of friendship. I think that it would be good to have some family that will actually be family towards him. I know that this is asking a lot from you, but I believe that you can help him adjust to the wizarding world a little better without you wanting something from him." Nymphadora nodded at that. It made since and she really wouldn't want anything from him, it was just cool that she was related to The-Boy-Who-Lives. Andromeda smiled at Nymphadora, glad that she raised such a good daughter. Both women were brought out of their thoughts by the front door opening and closing.
"Andromeda? Nymph? Are you two home?"
"In here dear. We were just having tea and a little talk." Ted Tonks came into the kitchen and smiled at his family. He could tell that Andromeda was informing Nymphadora about being related to Harry Potter and welcomed into the House of Black. The look on his daughter's face was similar to his when discussing what would change if they were accepted into the Black Family. Thankfully, most of the changes would be good. The only thing that worried Ted was the thought of having a Head of House that wasn't him. He remembered Sirius well enough, but anyone spending that amount of time in Azkaban, no matter how much help they get, was bound to have some issues. Ted only hoped that nothing too outrageous would be asked of them or that Nymphadora wasn't sold to the highest bidder, no matter how 'light' they were. Taking a seat, Ted jumped into one of the hardest, and weirdest, conversations he had. At times like these, he wondered what life would have been like if he never got his Hogwarts letter and found out about magic.
00000000 Madam Bones, Bones Manor 000000000
Amelia Bones was one tired witch. Not only did she have to deal with two high profile trials of Ministry officials, but also the goblins as well as deal with the fallout with Sirius Black's trial. The amount of people coming forward about their loved ones being innocent was intense to say the least. The bad thing about it was that they had to take it seriously because of what Crouch and Dumbledore did, not to mention looking into everyone sent to Azkaban in the last decade to see if anyone else slipped through the cracks.
Unfortunately this meant that Amelia couldn't go home to her niece Susan for the past week. Thankfully Susan understood this, but her understanding never made it easier on either of them. But Amelia made sure that she was free today and most of tomorrow to prepare Susan for school. This would be her first year going to Hogwarts and the both of them were feeling the separation anxiety. Ever since the death of Susan's parents and the rest of the Bones family, the both of them clung together in their own ways. And with everything Amelia Bones found out about Harry Potter's life, letting Susan out of her sight, let alone out of the Bone's manor wards was getting harder and harder. With a sigh, Amelia got up and decided to start with the day. She only had one more day before sending her niece to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
00000000 Harry Potter 000000000
It was the evening of August 31st and Harry was going over everything in his trunk and book bag one more time. His book bag was holding a couple of books for him to read while on the train among other things to help him through the ride while his trunk held everything else, including Hedwig's cage. It was decided that she would fly to the school in the mourning so she wouldn't be stuck in her cage for the long train trip. Harry's double checking was interrupted by Tombs knocking on his door.
"Hey, kid. Just making sure that you have everything ready for tomorrow morning?"
"Yeah, I'm just making sure of that right now. Don't want to get all the way to the train and then realize that I forgot something. Probably see it up for auction somewhere." Tombs smirked at that. Harry had a point. No matter how posh a hotel was, the moment someone can make a quick knut they usually take it.
"True, but other than making sure you don't make someone insanely rich, I wanted to go over what we're going to do tomorrow." Harry put the last bit of his things that he wouldn't need away before turning his attention back to Tombs. "Okay, we are going to arrive early at the Hogwarts' Express to avoid the crowds on both sides of the barrier. This will make it easier on you to get yourself settled and reduce the risk of you getting mobbed. I'm also going to put a mild glamour on you. It won't change you to much, but no one will immediately think your Harry Potter."
"Thin how will they know I'm not Harry Potter?"
"You'll be surprised what a different hair and eye color can do. Not to mention that some of the older students might recognize the glamour and call you out on it. The longer people don't realize that your, well you the better. The glamour will fall if either too many people realize that you have a glamour or when you are called up for sorting. Any questions?"
"What will my name be if I'm not Harry Potter?"
"That's for you to decide. It's going to be your name for a day." Tombs smirked at him before getting up and heading for the door.
"Tombs?" Tombs turned to see Harry looking nervous and worrying his bottom lip. This was the first time Tombs saw him actually nervous and he didn't like it one bit.
"Yeah, Harry?"
"Will it be okay if I started writing you?" Tombs' face softened for a moment. No matter what, Harry was still a kid with some self-confidence issues.
"Sure, kid. I'd like that. I'll even right back, although there will be times that it will take a while since I sometimes go out of the country." Harry's bright face didn't seem deterred about that at all. Tombs kept him-self from chuckling at his excitement and decided to give him a little treat. "How about we go out to eat tonight? There is this good steak restaurant that I would like to show you. It'll be a good reason to bust out those good robes I had you buy." Harry's smile almost split his face before he scrambled to get everything he needed. Tombs left to give Harry his privacy and get ready for their night out. They might be photographed by the press, but it was a risk he was willing to take to give Harry a good night.
