Bedlamite

Once again I am so very grateful for all the reviews I have been receiving, they make it a lot easier to judge what is working and what isn't. I am working to update all my stories at the moment and I should have updates for all of them coming all through January. In reference to the person who asked about the lengths of the chapters (I think I replied to that review or PM or whatever it was but I thought I should put this here because it was a valid point), yes I realize these are shorter then those in Abandon Ship, but this is the way they are working. They may get longer but at the moment I'm happy with them at this length. Lastly, I am currently looking for someone to beta this story. NATWEST is already beta-ing Abandon Ship but I was wondering if anyone felt they wanted to do that for this story. Review or PM me with your email address if you do wish to give it a shot.

Warning: This story is rated M. It contains strong violence, adult themes, and sexual references.

Summary: First let's pretend Harry is sent to Azkaban. Now let's pretend he doesn't like it much. Then let's pretend the ministry says OOPS and releases him. But finally, let's pretend Harry does not easily forgive and forget. Dear wizarding world… this means war.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

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Chapter 4- Cassie

26th August

"Albus I cannot take much more of this." Minerva finally snapped, startling all the other teachers seated around the head table.

It had been four days since the owls had first arrived and they'd yet to stop. Every morning at breakfast which Dumbledore insisted continue in the Great Hall over a hundred owls flocked in and instantly mobbed all the teachers, each trying to be the first to have their letter read. So far Professor McGonagall had remained quiet about the issue even while every other teacher protested relentlessly. Today however, she had finally had enough.

"Why Minerva, surely a few owls cannot be disturbing you too greatly," Dumbledore looked startled, "After all, this is all to help one of our students, one of your Gryffindors to be exact."

"And two of my Slytherins I'd have you remember." Professor Snape automatically reminded him.

"Of course."

"Albus I'm all for helping Mister Potter but can you not do this in a more sensible manner?" Minerva continued plaintively, "You know where the boy is for Merlin's sake, why don't you just get permission from the Ministry to go retrieve him? Who knows what three seventeen year olds could be getting up to in this time; surely they've done something which requires their removal from the estate."

"Unfortunately no," Dumbledore sighed, "The local Ministry in that area have a more lax code of conduct that need be followed. Not to mention that Miss Greengrass apparently has all the local enforcers wrapped around her little finger."

"Either way, since you know where they are, do you really need this open public tip off system?"

The aging Headmaster took his time finishing his mouthful before dabbing his mouth with a napkin, pushing his chair back and standing in preparation to leave the room. He was almost out the door when he seemed to remember he'd been asked a question and turned around to face his staff.

"I suppose you are right Minerva, I will send a letter to the papers to be posted with thanks to everyone who sent information, but that they are no longer required.

"Thank Merlin." Professor Flitwick muttered having been a well sized target for the owls to play with while they waited. Professor Sprout patted him on the back sympathetically while the other teachers began to make their way out of the hall toward their offices to continue preparing for the new term.

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"Damnit!" Harry shouted, startling Draco who was reading nearby.

"Aw what's the matter sweetie?" Daphne asked, her voice filled with false sympathy, "Are your victims not abiding by the rules they've yet to be informed of? Oh you poor thing. How will you manage through this disrespect?"

"Hah bloody hah. Don't you get it? Now we have to cancel my most wonderful letters."

"Well, not necessarily." Draco said as though thinking out loud.

"I'm listening."

"Well, you know that little girl Daphne knows from down the beach who just received her Hogwarts letter?"

"Cassie?" Daphne looked surprised, "What does she have to do with this?"

"Well, what if she wanted to go to school a few days early as a sort of courier?"

"I like where this is going." Harry slapped his hands on his thighs, "So we strap a bomb to her and she sends all our troubles sky high. Perfect!"

"Harry, no plotting the deaths of eleven year olds!" Daphne scolded in a tired voice as though this was a regular discussion, "It's unethical and makes us hypocritical in our whole aim of not letting innocents get hurt."

"Sorry Daphne."

"Well, how about instead of bombs, we send her in with your 'most wonderful letters' and have her deliver them along with some more personalized messages. Then we can ask her to spend the few days before term starts doing everything she can to annoy them." Draco continued, ignoring their bickering.

"And then she blows them up?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Harry, what did I just say?"

"Sorry Mum."

"Start running mister." Daphne ground out.

- - - - - - - - - -

28th August

"Ah, sweet relief." Severus sighed and leant back in his seat.

After Dumbledore's letter had been published the day before there had only been a few letters, mostly from people who forgot to buy the paper that day and thought they'd seen Harry Potter buying strawberries at the local greengrocer. This morning however, they'd almost finished breakfast and as yet, there had only been regular mail. Everyone was already blessing every deity they knew for this small reprieve, even Sirius and Remus, despite their disappointment that this portion of the Harry search had been shut down. Sirius was just questioning Minerva about a new assessment system she had incorporated in the fourth year written tests when someone knocked quietly on the main doors.

Everyone was instantly on their feet with wands drawn. Since all staff members were present and there were no visitors scheduled for today, the warning alarms really should have indicated someone had entered the castle before they'd reached the Great Hall. Everyone was silent waiting for something to happen.

As they listened they could hear someone shuffling their feet before they heard a child sneeze and then another knock, this time more insistent.

"Come in." Dumbledore finally called when nothing further happened.

There was yet more silence before the door handle turned and a small girl who looked to be only about nine years old entered the hall. She had two reddish plaits that fell to her waist and she was dressed in a black smock, grey under-skivvy, and purple tights. She had a satchel across one shoulder that appeared to hold several rolls of parchment. The girl looked at all the teachers standing at the Head Table with wands drawn and appeared to rethink her decision to enter the hall. She seemed to pull herself together though and nervously began making her way between the tables towards where they all stood.

The girl carefully climbed up onto the platform and pulled a folded piece of parchment out of her bag.

"Ah hi," She started out carefully watching their expressions, "My name's Cassandra DeGette, I go this letter from an owl a few weeks back that said to come here-"

With these words Professor Sprout visibly relaxed and, forgetting that this girl had just silently bypassed their wards, began making her way toward her.

"Miss DeGette, sweetheart, I'm afraid you're a few days early for the start of the term." She said kindly, "Now if you'll tell me where you live we'll get you back home and you can come back to visit us again on the first of September. That's the first of September dear. Do you think you can remember that?"

While Pomona had been telling her this, the girl, Cassandra had refolded the letter, put it back in the satchel and was now staring at the Herbology teacher with a raised eyebrow.

"What, did you just assume I didn't know what day it was and I'd just showed up randomly?" She began scathingly, "Do I look that stupid? What kind of bloody moron would just up and decide to make their way into the middle of bloody Scotland for god's sake?" She sighed dramatically, "I can see I've got my work cut out for me." She continued, drawing a finger along the edge of one of the chairs as though inspecting for dust, "Mister Harry sent me here to deliver some messages and to do some work on this joint to make sure the facility is up for the job of teaching all the underage witches and wizards in Britain."

"I- I'm sorry?" Pomona stuttered out.

"Move woman!" Cassie snapped at her, pushing past to get to Professor Dumbledore, "You! I understand you are in charge of running this godforsaken place. As such, I have several messages for you." She hopped up on the edge of the table and smiled sweetly at him, the very picture of innocence, "Mister Harry said to tell you I'm your new charity case." She sang out in a sickly sweet voice, "I'm Cassie. My parents are alive and kicking, they are already multimillionaires… thus why I live near Mister Harry in the Bahamas," She added to Filius as though passing on a juicy piece of gossip before turning back to Dumbledore, "And the profits of their business empire rise by about seventeen percent every year. They work with both the Muggle and the wizarding worlds and my home life is happy and healthy. I have two older siblings who study at Beauxbaxtons and Salem, and my younger brother just turned six. Mister Harry said to tell you he nominated me to take over his role because there is basically no way you can screw up with me."

"Did you say Harry?" Sirius gasped out, "As in Harry Potter?"

Cassie spun round to face him and again raised her eyebrow.

"No duh." She replied scornfully, "How many other Harrys are there in the wizarding world which I could refer to with only the use of a first name and just assume you knew of?" She leant forward in mock anticipation, "Oh, I can see the cogs turning here… it's coming to him… and the answer is for one million dollars… None! Oh he's done it!" She leapt off the table and ran in a large loop around the whole group before stopping and kneeling on the floor before the stunned man, "All hail the greatness of Sirius Black! The one and only true genius!"

"See? She acknowledges it." Sirius turned to Remus in triumph, unable to not use this moment.

"Oh jeez." Cassie muttered, "Look losers, I've got some letters for you all… not howlers," She confirmed as they all started to look nervous just remembering Harry and Co's last try at communication, "Which I will give to you this evening but at the moment, I really need a nap." She looked at all of them as though sizing them up before focusing on Professor McGonagall, "Excuse me Professor?" She looked falsely shy.

"Yes Miss DeGette?" Minerva asked, straightening into her true teacher form.

"I- I don't have anywhere to sleep and Mister Harry promised I'd end up in Gryffindor so…" She smiled up at the now softening Deputy Headmistress, "I was wondering if I could stay with you until term starts? I could just sleep on a couch or something; I don't take up much room since I'm pretty small for my age."

The other teachers could not help but roll their eyes as they watched the usually stern Scotswoman look down at the girl with an expression that clearly translated to "aaawwww, you're so sweet, I could just dunk you in my coffee".

"Of course you can sweetie; you can stay in my spare room." Minerva gushed, wrapping her arm around the girl and hustling her out of the room.

Once out the door Minerva cast a levitation spell on the trunks that Cassie had apparently left there and was prepared to continue back to her quarters but was stopped by the girl.

"Umm, why is there a pretty blonde lady and a one legged man hiding in the corner?" She asked in confusion.

"Their two usual companions are still at breakfast and they've got nothing better to do with their time but listen in on other people's lives and pretend that one day they too can interact socially." Minerva explained before tossing a glare at the two eavesdroppers and continuing down the hall.

"I resent that." Narcissa whispered to Moody, "I have a social life. I am the Queen of social lives. Honestly, I'm the late wife of Lucius Malfoy. I have had to have a social life or else I would have been driven mad and thus died by a combination of wine, caviar and too much sex."

"Doesn't sound like a bad way to go." Alastor murmured.

"Then you have clearly never slept with Lucius Malfoy." Narcissa justified his opinion, "The man is like some sort of lifeless fish. Just on, off, and sleep."

"I really didn't need to know that, and especially without that particular mental image to accompany it." Alastor informed her with a revolted look on his face, "Please remember I visited the man almost weekly during his stint in Azkaban. I've seen him at his worst moments… appearance wise at least. Mentally, I'd never seen him better."

"You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to hang around with me, Severus, and Poppy." Narcissa shrugged, "We were like the three musketeers and you're now like… the fourth… musketeer."

"Have you been drinking?" Moody questioned as he stared at her.

"Maybe just a teensy bit." Narcissa admitted.

"It's nine thirty in the morning."

"Uh huh. Your point being what exactly Mister 'Personal Flask'?"

And thus finishes chapter four. I appologize to those of you who wanted a big 'revenge' scene that was a little more original, but this is what I decided on quite a while ago. The whole thing really starts with chapter five. These first four chapters were somewhat of a developmental introduction.

Please review and I'll love you forever.

Finally, I'll repeat once more that if anyone wishes to beta this story, please send me a PM with an email address.