Harry Potter and the Delightful Dilemma
By: Sheltie
I don't own Harry Potter
Chapter 8
The girls were hard at work researching how to hear the prophecy without breaking the orb, but with little success.
"There's got to be a way" Daphne fumed after she slammed another book shut.
"There is, just be patient Daph" Padma murmured as she looked through her book.
Harry's girls had a large array of books scattered around them. They had books from the Potter library as well as the Hogwarts one from the restricted section. They have been working on cracking open the prophecy for four days straight without only time to shower, go to classes for most, eat, sleep and bathroom breaks. They were making little headway since the way of storing the prophecy was only known to the people who worked in the Department of Mysteries and they weren't talking.
"I'm tempted to go with Harry's suggestion and smash" Parvati said as she closed another book before picking up another. She hadn't read this many books in her whole life.
"There has to be a way and we'll find it" Hermione said in her usual determined tone.
/Scene Break/
Snape's trial was set and Dumbledore was booted from his spot for this one due to personal conflict. Amelia got that through the Wizengamot and Dumbledore had no choice, but to sit on the sidelines, though he planned a grand thing of him coming to his potion master's rescue anyway. In the courtroom Snape was chained to the chair with magical suppressing cuffs.
"Order, order. The trial of Severus Snape is about to start" Amelia Bones said as she banged the gavel.
Soon the courtroom was quiet.
"Severus Snape, you are charged with firing a dark curse at Lord Potter. How do you plead?" Amelia asked.
"Guilty" Snape said.
There were several gasps as they heard Snape's plea.
"Is there anything you wish to say in your defense Mr. Snape?" Amelia asked.
The head of the DMLE was waiting for what Snape was willing to give up and if, if it was good enough she might let him off easy. But it would have to be very worthwhile since she wasn't going to let him get away. Heck, she saw Harry sitting there and knew that he was trusting her to do her duty and she was going to do it.
"I do" Snape said.
"Please tell us what it is" Amelia said.
"I am a Death Eater and I know who other Death Eaters are as well as the dark lord's backers. I can give you names of them all" Snape said.
"Mr. Snape, as much as I want to hear more. You must know that you tried to kill the last of an Ancient and Noble house, which is a very serious crime. Not to mention that Lord Potter is also Lord of Hogwarts too" Amelia said.
In Snape's mind he was spewing insults about Potter.
Before Snape could speak Dumbledore arrived with all the grace and splendor the old wizard could muster.
"Albus, what brings you here?" Amelia asked.
"I come to advocate for my friend Severus, Amelia. You know that it is legal to do so" Dumbledore said.
"Very well Albus, you may begin" Amelia said.
Dumbledore nodded and walked forward so everyone was looking at him. His eyes were twinkling like mad.
"Members of the Wizengamot, Severus Snape's alleged attack was nothing more than an impulsive act. He meant no real harm to Harry at all. As a teacher he'd never harm a student" Dumbledore said.
Harry, who was in the gallery with Penny, Padma, Daphne, and Hermione snorted at this. They knew Dumbledore was just speaking nonsense hoping his words could sway the verdict.
"Bloody idiot, he thinks he can get Snape off" Padma said.
"He doesn't even understand how serious the crime is. He thinks he can charm his way through this trial" Daphne said.
Back to Dumbledore.
"Severus has always had my utmost trust. I trust him still especially in these dark times. As most of you all know, Severus is a spy for us and to lose him we'd lose what insight he could give us on the plans that Voldemort is plotting" Dumbledore said.
Several people shivered and gasped upon hearing Voldemort's name.
"Now the old goat is try to freak them out" Daphne said.
"This doesn't look good" Hermione said frowning. She knew how the wizarding world was sheep.
"Dumbledore, how dare you claim that You-Know-Who is back. He's dead and can't come back" Fudge blustered.
"I have and will stand by my claim that Voldemort is back" Dumbledore said calmly.
There was several people muttering about this and Amelia had to bang her gavel to get the room back in order.
"What are we going to do?" Padma asked.
"I guess I will have to do something" Harry sighed.
The girls nodded and Harry made his way down.
"Is there anything else?" Amelia asked, who had already saw Harry moving.
"Yes, I'd like to say something."
Everyone turned to find Harry walking in wearing the Potter family robes with the four individual Hogwarts house coat of arms as well as Hogwarts too.
"Harry, what are you doing here?" Dumbledore asked shocked.
"I am here to see justice served Dumbledore" Harry said.
Snape shot a murderous look at Harry, but Harry ignored the greasy potion master.
"Members of the Wizengamot, you have a choice to do what is right or what is easy. The right thing to do is to sentence Severus Snape for his crime justly or you could take the easy way out and allow the man who has waltzed in and talk to you like you know nothing and you should listen to blindly. The choice is yours. But I should remind you of some of the decisions this man has made in the past to give an idea how much Dumbledore's word is good" Harry said.
Harry then began telling the courtroom how Dumbledore left him on a doorstep while the wizarding world was celebrating. How he grew up, though it was an edited version of it. He then told about his first four years of Hogwarts and how Dumbledore just usually sat there like a figurehead and never really took his role as headmaster unless it something that caught his attention i.e. him.
This left the courtroom murmuring about what they now knew of the great wizard Dumbledore was.
Dumbledore was furious that his dirty laundry was being aired. There was stuff that the wizarding public should never know. It was for the greater good.
"We shall deliberate" Amelia said.
It took only ten minutes and Snape was sentenced to the max. He was put in Azkaban for fifteen years for his crime. Snape was dragged out screaming about his revenge he'd get on Harry. Dumbledore looked at Harry and the rest of the court with a look that said you'll regret what you have done.
/Scene Break/
Greenhouse number 4
"Neville?" Lavender whispered.
Neville turned from the plant he was trimming to find Lavender standing in the doorway looking at him.
"Hey Lav, what can I do for you?" he asked as he got back to work.
"Got some news for you Neville" Lavender said walking in.
"What is it?" Neville asked.
Lavender reported how that it looks like Ginny and Ron were teaming up to plan something.
"Hmm, interesting" Neville said.
"Does that help any?" Lavender asked.
"It will, if we could find out what it is they are plotting" Neville said.
"I think I can get that" Lavender said.
"How?" Neville asked.
Lavender threw her chest out as she had a smug grin on her face. Neville was speechless for a second then smiled.
"You are devious Miss Brown" he said.
"Anything to help the cause Nev" Lavender said.
Neville smiled and went back to work only to find that Lavender pulled on some gloves too and began helping.
/Scene Break/
Sirius Black, who had been hiding in his old family home had kept close watch on the going ons. He got his news from the Order, which was a group Dumbledore had started up again when Voldemort had returned. Sirius hooted with laughter when he found out that Harry had surrounded himself with some of the hottest girls in school. It made the old dog proud that Harry was such a babe magnet. He only wished he could do more to help his godson. Sadly, Dumbledore had pretty much confined him to the house and he was going a bit stir crazy. He needed to do something, but what. Then a spark, Remus, the mangy werewolf could help him.
/Scene Break/
As this was all going on there was political fallout with everyone involved with the bill a certain toad had proposed. It was found that the law was passed illegally and was stripped from the books immediately. The backers of the law were being hunted down as this was going on. Transactions were found thanks to the helpful goblins of Gringotts. Amelia was rubbing her hands together as she saw who was the ones who forced the law through. Christmas had come early.
/Scene Break/
Ginny stirred the cauldron as she dreamed about what she'd do with all the Potter money. All the things she could buy. Meanwhile Ron was stalking around. He was no use when it came to potions and Ginny wouldn't let him a foot near the cauldron for fear of him messing something up.
"Is it ready yet?" Ron whined.
"Not yet Ronald. You have been careful with these kinds of potions Ronald. I want Harry to love me, not die" Ginny said with annoyance.
"How much longer?" Ron whined
Ginny was very close to grabbing her wand and hexing her brother when the timer buzzed. This meant she had to take it off the heat and let it rest for three days before it could be used.
"In two days Ron, we'll both get what we want" Ginny said happily.
Ron grinned as he rubbed his hands together.
/Scene Break/
Malfoy was unhappy. Potter had all these girls and all he had was Parkinson. It wasn't fair at all. He had to do something to show he was better than Potter, but what. He sat stewing trying to find a way to take down Potter, but found that he had no idea of what he could do. He then jumped up smiling. He knew what he could do.
/Scene Break/
Hermione had a bright smile as she was led to a fancy restaurant. She was holding the arm of her best friend/boyfriend.
Hermione grew up with two loving parents who were dentists. She was a very bright young girl, but her time in primary school was not the best. She had no friends and was picked on constantly. Her only companion was the books she devoured. It wasn't til Professor McGonagall made a visit to her when her whole life changed. There was now a reason why things happened around her. Like when she changed her teacher's hair blue, or the time when a kid who was being mean to her suddenly ended up in a trash can. She was a witch.
When Hermione got her school books she devoured them. She learned so much and was so excited to go to Hogwarts. As she was reading she read about one Harry Potter. From what she had read she figured that he'd be around her age and that meant he'd be going to school with her. This thrilled her since she wanted to see what the boy looked like.
When she board the train she found an empty compartment. She sighed. This would the farthest from home she'd ever be and she was scared. She was also excited, but scared at the unknown. As the train made its way to Hogwarts a boy popped hi head in asking for help finding a toad named Trevor. Being the helpful person she is Hermione assisted in the search. As she was help searching she came to a compartment and found what would be her destiny.
In the compartment were two boys. A red haired one and a black haired one. She asked about the toad and got a bit of a rude response by the redhead, Ron. She then saw he had his wand out and figured he was doing magic. She wanted to watch. This magic wasn't really great and she felt like she show them what magic really was. She fixed the black haired boy's glasses and that's when she found him. Harry Potter. She couldn't help, but gush a bit about what she read about him. What was surprising was how shy and nervous he was. She almost like her.
Soon the got to the castle and got sorted her sorting was hard since the hat wanted to put her in Ravenclaw. No, she was adamant in going to the house that Harry would be put in. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that she needed to be there. The hat grumbled and placed in her in the house of the brave. Her first couple weeks in Hogwarts was almost the same like primary except she had no parents to lean on. Kids still picked on her. Especially the redhead boy she had met. It hurt her a lot. The one Halloween the boy said something really mean and she fled to the bathroom.
That night she was unaware of the danger that was lurking and when she finally emerged from the stall she had been crying in she was standing in front of a full-grown mountain troll. She was paralyzed with fear. She had read about them, but seeing one was another thing. As the troll raised its club to hit her she couldn't move. Her brain was yelling at her, but her body wouldn't act. It wasn't til a voice told her to move that she did. Once clear of the attack she found Harry Potter and Ron there. But her eyes were only on Harry. Her heart was beating fast. The troll went to attack her again when Harry did the bravest thing anyone has ever done for her. He leapt onto the troll's back and shoved his wand up its nose.
Everything else was a bit of a blur, but in the end she knew she had made her first real friend. Harry Potter. As she got to know Harry she found that Harry wasn't anything what the books had told her. She truly liked Harry and made a silent vow to stick by his side no matter what. This was her first friend and best friend and that meant she was going to do everything in her power to help him in any way possible.
The adventure with the stone was a terrifying one, but she knew that she could do it. With Harry by her side she found she had a confidence that she didn't know she had. She helped as much as she could and when the time came for her to part with her friend she had to hug him. She poured all of her love and care she had for the boy into that hug hoping he'd understand. She felt him stiffen and just thought she wasn't used to being hugged by a girl.
Second year started off normal, but then soon another mystery appeared. She stuck by Harry through it all even when Harry was accused of being the one that was setting the monster upon the school. She believed with her heart and soul that Harry wasn't it. When she found what the monster was she became more careful, but that didn't help her and the last thing she saw was a pair of yellow eyes and nothing more. In her petrified state she couldn't move, but her mind was still active. She heard and felt everything around her. She loved the time that Harry spent with her. He'd even sneak in late and stay with her. He'd tell her about his day, do his homework, he spent a lot of time with her and she loved it. When she was un-petrified she knew Harry had did it. So when she saw Harry she just had to run to him. She hugged Harry with all her might.
Third year was different for her. She was developing feeling for Harry and she knew it. But she knew Harry was dense when it came to girls and decided to just be his friend for now. She worried about Harry a lot this year definitely with the Dementors roaming about. She also burned herself out with her school schedule She knew it was a mistake taking every course, but she wanted to try everything. One of the worst things that happened this year happened at Christmas when Harry got a broom for Christmas. She was very suspicious about this and told McGonagall right away. Harry was upset with her, but she could tell that he wasn't as mad at her as the redhead was. Later she knew that she should've had told Harry about what she was going to do before going to McGonagall, but Harry's safety was more important than anything.
When it turned out that the mass murder was actually innocent and Harry's godfather she was shocked that the society she was now a part of. In the end she and Harry were able to save Harry's godfather by flying on a magical beast. As she held tight to Harry she couldn't help, but love the feeling of being so close to Harry. He smelled so good that it helped calm her nerves a bit.
Fourth year was alright until Harry's name came out of that blasted cup. She immediately went into her saving Harry mode and began helping him through this ordeal as well as standing by his side not caring what others said. The first task was frightening and she gripped her face so tight that it left nail impressions on her face. She was disappointed that she wasn't Harry's date, but she had a nice time with Krum that was until Ron ruined it for her. The second task was not very pleasant for her since she was a part of it. In the end she had no clue why she was Krum's hostage. I mean she only knew him for a few weeks and that's all. She thought she'd be Harry's since she knew how much he counted on her. She was shocked when it was Ron, who was Harry's hostage since it made no sense. The third task scared her the most since in the end Harry had to see someone die and witness the rise of Voldemort.
When Harry told her about the prophecy she immediately went into planning mode. She knew that Harry would need her help and she was going to give it her all. She thought about long and hard and jotted down every idea she came up with, but none seemed to work. That was until she remembered what Harry told her at the end of first year about why Quirrell couldn't touch him. Love. So she began to plan what she though was her most ambitious plan ever. She gathered all the data she could about girls she knew and sorted them into piles on if they could be trusted and if they'd join. Once done she was pleased by what she had done. Now it was time to execute it.
With the help of Fleur she got a space that could be used. She then sent off the invites and prayed for the best.
End of Chapter
A/N: I decided to end this chap on this. Hermione's date is the last of the girls. I knew I had to do Hermione last since she had the most I could write. I hope I did alright on it since I didn't want to ramble on. Hope I didn't. Next chap will be Ginny and Ron's downfall.