Author's Note: hello and here is the new chapter!
Some people have asked why Merlin supposedly lived after the founders, when he was supposed to have lived before them. I took the fact that he attended Hogwarts from the HP Wikia. Please address you concerns to that page.
I have a poll up to determine whether Sirius lives or dies in my story. I have plans for both choices, but I leave the direction of the story to all of you. The poll ends on 15 November, so get cracking.
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
"Harry" -Speech
'Ginny' -Thoughts
/Bill\ -Foreign/Non-human Language
Chapter 5: Hermione's Trials
The Home of Hermione Granger, Pound Hill, Crawley, West Sussex
'Dear Hermione,
I'm still in shock, even a week into the holidays. The Dursley's are still treating me decently without so much as a subtle reminder from me. I still have to do chores, but not too many. Aunt Petunia even made Dudley do the dishes the other night; you should have seen the look of sheer disbelief he had at actually being made to do something he didn't want to do!
Listen Hermione, about the 'project' you appointed yourself to do over the holidays? The one involving laws? I think you should drop it.
No, don't scowl at me, listen.
Ron has a point (that must be a bit of a shock for you!). Merlin made the law and tacked on so many addendums and additions to it that every possible legal loophole and crack would have been foreseen by him. I'm not saying that there is no loophole, but I'd bet ten Galleons that any loophole would be a trap, lading to an early activation of the 'oversight by the Wizengamot' section we decided would be A Bad Thing, so please don't do anything without consulting Professor Dumbledore or me first.
On a brighter note, don't tell Ron (if he remembers to write you), but I have a surprise lined up for him and his family. It's a bit of a prank, truth be told, especially for Gred and Forge, but overall it ought to be good for the whole family. I won't say what it is, because I want it to be a surprise to everyone but Professor Dumbledore and me. He's given me some advice and is even helping me execute the plan.
I'm off to finish my least favourite teacher's assigned homework. The last thing I want to do is give Snape a chance to make me scour cauldrons again as soon as I set foot in Hogwarts again.
Yours, Harry'
"Sound like Harry's doing better this summer, eh Hedwig?" Hermione remarked to the pure white owl perched on her bedpost, while she sat at her desk chair.
Hedwig barked in agreement, or so it seemed to Hermione.
"If you wait, I'll finish the letter to Ronald I've been writing and send it along with the letter you have from Harry to him." she continued.
The Snowy owl hooted agreeably.
The bush haired girl opened a drawer and, after fishing inside it for a moment, pulled a piece of parchment from it and laid it on the desk. Scribbling quickly but neatly in her tiny handwriting, she finished the letter in under five minutes.
"Here you are, Hedwig." Hermione gave the letter, "If you come back here after delivering those letters to the Burrow, I'll have a letter ready for Harry."
Hedwig hooted again and, with a silent beat of her wings, took flight and swooped out of Hermione's window.
The muggleborn witch sighed and returned her attention to what she had been doing before Hedwig had delivered Harry's letter: working on finding a loophole in the laws to get Harry out of having to marry three witches at once.
Unfortunately, it looked like Harry and Ron had a point in regards to the laws. She had, after a lot of searching, discovered two very rare, very specific, loopholes. The first only applied if Harry was sterile, which would negate the law by necessity.
Hermione knew that Harry did want to have a family someday, so she set that one aside for only if it turned out that it was in fact true. The second one was impossible for Harry, as it disqualified someone from the act (from several acts and laws as a matter of fact) for being an acknowledged Dark Lord.
Sighing in irritation, Hermione reopened the living law book to her bookmarked page and continued scanning each law for something -anything! - that could help her friend. She was determined to help him and no mere law would stand in the way of Hermione Jean Granger when she was on the warpath, by Merlin!
"Hermione!" her mother called, "Could you come down to the kitchen please?"
Hermione growled quietly at the interruption, before calling back, "Alright, Mum."
She carefully placed a bookmark in the law book before closing it and headed down to the kitchen.
Elizabeth Granger was very much a grown up version of her daughter, albeit with black hair rather than brown. She was dressed in a comfortable pair of trousers and a peach t-shirt as she stood at the counter pouring herself a cup of herbal tea.
Lindsay Granger was a surprisingly big man for his chosen profession of a dentist. He dwarfed the chair he sat in, although not nearly as much as a certain Hogwarts Gamekeeper would have. His blue eyes were open and honest, with crinkles on his face that indicated he laughed more than he frowned. He was nervously tousling his short brown hair as he stared into his own cup of tea.
"Have a seat, sweetheart." he told his daughter in a surprisingly light voice from a man of his size.
Alarm bells started ringing in Hermione's head as she slowly sat at the kitchen table. Her alarm increased dramatically as her mother sat next to her father, presenting the classic 'United Front' tactic that intimated to her that her parents were acting as one in whatever they had decided to talk to her about.
"Honey…I don't know how to say this, but…" her mother began.
"We would like to withdraw you from Hogwarts." Lindsay blurted out.
"WHAT!?" Hermione half-shrieked.
"Hermione, please listen to us before you start protesting!" Elizabeth said firmly. Now that the cat was out of the bag, she seemed to be on more solid ground.
With a great deal of difficulty, Hermione forced her mind out of the wild loop it had been stuck in and exerted control over her emotions, which had been thrown into a wild tumult by her father's words.
"Go on." she said in a level voice that dripped with ice, letting her parents know exactly what she thought of this idea.
"Sweetie, it's too dangerous for you there." her father fired the first offensive of their argument, "You were almost killed by a…troll…in your first year and this year you were petrified for almost a month!"
Her mother smoothly picked up the argument from there. "We've been looking at other schools, other places you could learn magic. The school called Durmstrang is out because it doesn't allow Muggleborns to attend, but there is still the Beauxbatons Academy for Magic in France, as well as the Salem Academy in America."
"I see you have done your research…somehow." Hermione said with a frown, "Mum, Dad, while the danger at Hogwarts is greater, so is my ability to defend myself and the ability to heal and mend injuries are correspondingly greater."
"It still shouldn't happen!" Elizabeth said sharply, "You could have died!"
"Is that everything?" the witch asked her parents calmly. Seeing them nod cautiously, she then drew in a breath and began her counter argument.
"OK, Firstly, the troll was a freak incident." she told them, "In all of the one thousand years that Hogwarts has stood, the only time trolls have ever entered the school was in the very beginning, to act as security guards, as the more intelligent ones are commonly trained for that purpose. Other than that sole exception, the troll in my first year was an aberration, which won't happen again."
"Sweetie, how can you be so certain?" Lindsay asked gently, "If one could wander in once, another could wander in again."
"Professor Dumbledore strengthened the Anti-Dark Creature wards around the castle." Hermione replied, "Professor McGonagall told me so after Transfiguration one day."
"Oh…" Lindsay looked at his wife for a moment, communicating without words.
"What about the petrifaction incident this year?" Elizabeth pointed out, "The wards didn't seem to stop whatever it was form getting in and petrifying you."
"The wards can only prevent something from coming in." Hermione replied, "If it was already inside the school, the wards would be useless."
"So this…whatever it was…was already inside the school?!" Elizabeth growled.
Hermione sighed before she gave her parents a brief history lesson on Salazar Slytherin, the Chamber of Secrets and the monstrous Basilisk that had dwelled within it.
"A ruddy great snake with a literal look that can kill and poisonous fangs that can melt through almost anything. Right." Lindsay said with forced calm, "You are not setting foot into that school again."
"It's dead, Dad!" Hermione protested, "Harry killed it!"
"Your friend Harry?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief, "The small boy with glasses? Hermione, that's impossible."
"It isn't!" Hermione shot back, "A Phoenix gouged its eyes out and then he killed it with the Sword of Gryffindor!"
"A…A Phoenix? They exist?" Lindsay asked in disbelief. His favourite book as a child had been The Phoenix and the Carpet, by Edith Nesbit. He still had trouble wrapping his head around the fact that most, if not all, the creatures he had read about as a child were actually real.
"Yes, Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's bonded Phoenix." Hermione waved her hand impatiently, "They can travel using flames, carry many times their own bodyweight and their tears have healing properties if freely given. Anyway, the point is that the Basilisk is dead and, as it takes a very specific and illegal process to create them, there are no offspring to worry about."
Elizabeth Granger prided herself on being a very level-headed woman who kept an open mind about things -which had been a good thing when Minerva McGonagall had turned up on their doorstep telling them that Hermione was a witch- but this story that Hermione was weaving was moving far past credulity and into the realm of fantasy stories that children read.
"Hermione, I'm sorry, but for all you know, Harry was just telling a tale to comfort you." she said soothingly, "I find it impossible to believe that a young boy could have had the sheer courage to fight a sixty foot long snake, especially one with such powerful abilities."
"Harry IS that brave." Hermione said softly, "He went into the Chamber to rescue Ginny Weasley, who had been kidnapped by the person behind the attacks. I'd bet he never even thought twice after he made his decision."
Unbeknownst to her, a dash of pink made its way onto her cheeks, which was seen by the sharp eyes of her mother.
"So my little girl has a crush? How adorable!" she said with a smile, making Lindsay choke on his tea and Hermione flush a brilliant red.
"Wh-what are you saying mum?!" she half-shrieked.
"That you have a crush on Harry." Elizabeth replied glibly, "After him saving your life last year, I suppose a crush was inevitable…"
"I do NOT have a crush on Harry!" Hermione insisted, "We're best friends!"
"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much." Elizabeth teased, "Isn't Harry mainly why you don't want to leave Hogwarts?"
"Because he and Ron are my first friends!" Hermione said exasperatedly, her face still red, "Besides, Harry has-"
She cut herself off, realising that she was about to blurt out her friends secret.
"'Harry has'… what, exactly?" Lindsay growled, going into 'protective father' mode.
"He has his own problems with girls." Hermione said softly, "I can't tell you anymore than that without Professor Dumbledore's permission."
The two adults exchanged mystified looks at this, but returned to the original subject.
"Hermione, are you certain that the Basilisk is dead?" her father asked her.
"You can ask Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said, "Harry's owl, Hedwig, should be returning in the next few days so I can send a letter to Harry. I'll ask her to take a letter to Professor Dumbledore before she goes back to Surrey."
"Ask her?" Elizabeth asked with a raised eyebrow, "You talk like she's intelligent enough to understand you."
"Wizarding Post Owls are a different breed apart from their mundane counterparts." Hermione said, going into lecture-mode, "They are bred for intelligence and loyalty. In addition, they possess magic that greatly extends their lifespan, as well as giving them the ability to find any person to whom they might be required to deliver letters to. Hedwig is a prime example as her loyalty to Harry is very high and has never failed to deliver a letter."
Lindsay shook his head in amusement. "You look and sound exactly like your mother did at your age; like you've just swallowed the latest edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannia."
"Lindsay!" Her mother said in mock-anger, "I do not sound like that. I sound like I've swallowed the next edition!"
As her father laughed at her mother's joke, Hermione frowned. This was not good. She really didn't want to leave Hogwarts and her friends. She was at a place where she wasn't alone and ostracised for her intelligence.
She would not lose her place.
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Timeskip - Two Days Later
Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts
Albus Dumbledore frowned down at the letter in his hand he had just received from Hermione Granger. It was obvious that her parents were reaching the limit of their patience with their daughter being put in danger every year, which was completely understandable.
The main point though was that Hermione Granger was the strongest witch in her year, as well as being the most talented witch the school had seen since Lily Potter (nee Evens) had graduated.
"Albus?" Whatever is the matter?"
Dumbledore looked up to see Minerva looking at him in concern. He had been in the middle of discussing the next year's prefect selections for Gryffindor with her when Hedwig had swooped in, delivered a letter to him before swooping out again in a flash of white feathers.
"It would seem that Miss Granger's parents wish to withdraw her from Hogwarts." he replied mildly, "I can see their point, but I sincerely doubt that Miss Granger wishes to withdraw."
"You don't think they'd actually try it, do you Albus?" McGonagall said worriedly, "You know what will happen if they try and interfere in Miss Granger's academic choices…"
"Quite." Albus agreed. That was a can of worms best left unopened, but what to do? "I believe I shall pay the Granger family a visit next week. They need to be made aware of the full ramifications of what they are attempting to do. Also, I shall be taking Harry along so they can see the truth in his words themselves."
"Why next week Albus?" Minerva asked, worried for one of her favourite pupils, "Why not now?"
Dumbledore considered his deputy over his half-moon glasses for a moment before replying, "Two weeks is the length of time it takes for the blood wards around Privet Drive to be recharged for a year. It has already been one week, therefore next week Harry can freely move about without the wards collapsing. I would like it if you could keep this quiet, Minerva."
"Of course, Albus." the Transfiguration teacher nodded firmly.
"Now then, I had better write a reply to Miss Granger's letter." Dumbledore took out a sheaf of parchment and his favourite eagle-feather quill and proceeded to do just that, before sending Fawkes off with the letter.
"Next week is going to be interesting for certain." he remarked, "I don't think that any Muggleborn has had problems with their parents since Alice O'Malley's parents tried to send her to the Ysgol o Hud down in Wales back in '56."
"Aye, and whit a nightmare that was!" agreed McGonagall with an eye roll, "My first year as a teacher and I had to mediate between an angry Muggleborn who wanted to stay with her friends and parents who equated the size of the school with its importance, the smaller the better. The pair of numpties thought that Hogwarts was the equivalent of a public school! The sheer amount of time it took to convince them it was in fact the reverse was mind-numbing!"
Albus could tell that Minerva was still irritated by the stupidity of Mr and Mrs O'Malley even now, thirty-seven years after the fact. Her Scots brogue was breaking through her usual iron control, which was a clear sign of irritation. She never had had much patience for those who sought the veneer of exclusivity and sophistication.
"Happily, the Granger's sole reason for wishing to withdraw their daughter is that she had been in danger here for the entirety of her school career." Dumbledore informed his Deputy, "Regardless of the fact that she willingly walked into some of those situations, knowing what they were, the main thrust of their argument, from what Miss Granger has written, is that those dangers should never have been near her in the first place, which is a perfectly valid point."
"True enough, but asking for perfect safety is a bit much, surely." huffed McGonagall, "We are far removed from The Troubles here. The children are safe here from that sort of thing."
"True, but combine not being able to see their daughter for the vast majority of the year with the boarding school in question being a magical school and you get very worried parents." Dumbledore replied, "They might be relieved that mundane Muggle incidents are unlikely to happen at Hogwarts, but that just makes any Magical incidents of a far higher importance. Thus, when their daughter was put in danger for two years in a row, they panicked."
"Should I come along, Albus?" McGonagall asked, "I am Miss Granger's Head of House, plus I did introduce them to the Magical World, so I'd be a known quality."
"Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea Minerva." Dumbledore agreed, "A week today then."
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Timeskip - One Week Later
Midday
Number 4, Privet Drive
The sound of the doorbell ringing brought Harry out of his focus on his Transfiguration homework. From what his Aunt and Uncle had said, they were not expecting anybody today. Dudley was out with his gang, terrorising the area as usual and he had a key, so it couldn't be him.
"Harry! Your…Headmaster…is here to see you!" the sharp tones of Aunt Petunia's voice echoed up the stairs.
"What?" Harry muttered in disbelief. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, and then grabbed his wand from the bedside table. Shoving it in his pocket, he hurried down the stairs to see a rather unusual sight.
Albus Dumbledore stood in the hall, wearing a muggle suit that was an eye-watering shade of lilac. To his side stood Minerva McGonagall in a very proper outfit consisting of a black ankle-length skirt, white shirt and emerald green blouse.
Aunt Petunia looked up at Harry and nodded once before she turned and headed back to the kitchen.
"Professor Dumbledore? Professor McGonagall?" Harry asked is surprise, a little mild shock mixed in as well. He never expected to see them both here, in Privet Drive.
"Ah Harry." Dumbledore beamed at him, "You are doing well, I trust?"
"Y-Yes sir." Harry replied on autopilot, "I was just in the middle of my Transfiguration homework. Err…what can I do for you?"
"A situation has come up that requires all three of us to resolve, I fear." Dumbledore replied, "Might we speak in your room?"
"Sure." Harry led the two professors up the stairs and into his room, where they conjured chairs to sit on while he sat on the desk chair.
"As I said downstairs, a situation has come up." Dumbledore began, "It involves your friend, Miss Granger."
"Is Hermione alright?" Harry asked in concern.
"Not to be worried, dear boy, she is fine." Dumbledore assured him, "She is, however, at loggerheads with her parents at the moment."
"Hermione is?!" Harry was incredulous. His best female friend, who practically worshiped rules and authority figures, was having a fight with her parents? "About what?"
"Her parents wish to withdraw her from Hogwarts, Mister Potter." Professor McGonagall informed him.
"What?!" Harry yelped as he was rocked back on his metaphorical heels, "Why?"
"They feel that she is not safe in Hogwarts and its environs." she answered, noting the guilty look that flashed across Harry's face and decided to cut that off at the knees sharpish, "No, they do not blame you, Mister Potter, so kindly do not be guilty. Almost all of the situations Miss Granger has been in has been of either her own choosing or from events beyond anybody's control."
Harry did relax slightly at the reassurance, but still looked worried.
"Miss Granger sent me a letter using Hedwig last week and, from what she said in it -and reading between the lines- it seems that Mr and Mrs Granger disbelieve your tale of slaying the Basilisk, citing that a boy of your age couldn't possibly have slain it." Dumbledore adroitly continued the conversation, "What I hope to do is to prove to them that your tale is true."
"How?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed.
"Were the Grangers Magical, I would use my Pensieve, but alas, they are not, so the Pensieve will not work for them." Dumbledore explained, "This means we must convince them that you speak the truth beyond all doubt."
The realisation hit Harry like a thunderbolt. "Veritaserum."
"Correct." the Headmaster nodded. "Ordinarily, I would need an Auror present in order to use such a powerful truth drug, but as I am the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, as well as an Honorary Master Auror, such a requirement is waived so long as you agree to take it in front of a legitimate witness, such as Professor McGonagall here."
"Albus!" Professor McGonagall looked shocked, "Ye wouldnae dae sik a thing, would ye?!"
"As a last resort only, I assure you Minerva." Dumbledore replied, "Harry?"
He sat and though for a few seconds before nodding. "If it'll help Hermione, I'll do it." he said firmly, and then grinned. "It'll be good practice for Hagrid's trial in a couple of weeks."
"Very true." Dumbledore chuckled before coming serious once again. "I do not wish to have to resort to that, so we will fight on the Granger's battlefield first, one of logic and reason, in order to persuade them not to follow the course they are on. Tell me, how much of the Law Book did you read before giving it to Miss Granger?"
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Timeskip - Five Minutes Later
Pound Hill Apparition Point
With a CRACK, three people appeared from thin air in the narrow alleyway, the smallest one landing in a sprawled heap on the ground.
"I foresee your dislike of magical transportation going up by one." Dumbledore remarked cheerfully as Harry staggered to his feet.
"Are all magical transportation methods as awkward and uncomfortable as Floo Travel and Apparition?" Harry asked as he dusted himself off, nodding his thanks as Professor McGonagall cleaned his clothes with an incantationless Scourgify.
"Regrettably, that would appear to be the case, save for broomstick flight." Dumbledore replied, "Now then, Miss Granger's house should be nearby. Minerva, if you would?"
McGonagall nodded and led the other two on a brisk walk across the housing estates and neighbourhoods of the district until she stopped outside a two-story house that was neat, without the obsessive-compulsive feel that Privet Drive had about it.
Dumbledore took over then, striding towards the front door with Harry and McGonagall trailing behind him and rang the doorbell. After a moment, the door was opened to reveal an older, black-haired Hermione.
"Yes?" she asked, wincing slightly at the colour Dumbledore's suit.
"Good afternoon, Mrs Ganger." Dumbledore said pleasantly, "I am Albus Dumbledore and I believe you already know Minerva McGonagall and Harry Potter."
Mrs Granger took in the trio on her doorstep and raised an eyebrow. "I see. You had all better come in then." she said at last and fully opened the door.
She directed them into the living room before calling for Hermione and her husband.
"Harry!" was all the warning the raven-haired boy had as a brown bushy haired missile slammed into him after pausing for a moment at the door.
"Hey Hermione." he replied as he returned her hug before stepping back and looking at her. She wore a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a light blouse and her wand stuck out of a pocket.
"Harry, what are you doing here? Are you alright? Is something wrong?" Hermione asked rapidly looking him up and down anxiously.
"Am I not allowed to visit one of my best mates, Hermione?" Harry asked in a faux-hurt voice.
"Of course you are!" Hermione exclaimed, instantly contrite, then she realised he was having her on, earning him a glare and a smack on the shoulder, followed by, "Prat!"
"So this is Harry then?" Mr Granger asked as he came into the living room. He went over and shook Harry's hand firmly, "Lindsay Granger. Thanks for looking after my daughter at school."
"Hermione's helped me far more than I've helped her." Harry disagreed, "But for when I did help her, I just did what anybody else would have done."
"Jumping on the back of a troll is generally not something 'most people' would do." Mr Granger raised an eyebrow in silent query.
"I practiced on my uncle." Harry deadpanned, "He's almost big enough to be a troll."
Lindsay snorted in amusement before looking at his daughter, "You never mentioned his sense of humour, sweetie."
"Daaad!" Hermione groaned in mild embarrassment at being called 'sweetie' in front of her friend.
Obligatory embarrass-his-daughter-in-front-of-her-friend/potential-love-interest deed done, Lindsay walked over and sat on the sofa next to his wife, who had an amused look on her face.
"Now then." Professor Dumbledore said once all were seated. He and Professor McGonagall sat in a pair of conjured armchairs opposite of the elder Grangers, while Hermione and Harry sat on the two chairs at the side of the table that was set between the sofa and the conjured armchairs.
"As we have all taken seats, we can begin." the Headmaster continued, "I believe we all know why we are here."
"Yes." Elizabeth spoke up, her eyes hard, "We want to withdraw Hermione from Hogwarts."
"Ah." Dumbledore said, "Yes. Would you care to list your reasons please?"
He, Professor McGonagall and Harry were then treated to what Hermione told Harry in an undertone was an almost exact replica of their conversation with her, except with more anger.
"I can see where Miss Granger gets her wide vocabulary from." Dumbledore observed once the two muggles had given full vent to their spleen, "Remind me not to make Miss Granger irritated with me once she graduates, Minerva."
"You will anyway, Albus." Minerva replied dryly.
"Indubitably." Dumbledore said philosophically before he returned his attention to the Grangers. "Now those are fairly legitimate points that you have brought up and I shall endeavour to assuage your worries about them, however I am sorry to inform you that you have no say in your daughter's magical education."
A stunned silence filled the living room as all three Grangers sat frozen on their seats in disbelief. Harry was warily eying Lindsay Granger and he also had his hand in one pocket, ready to draw his wand if need be.
"I'm sorry; I could have sworn you just said that we have no say in our daughter's education." Elizabeth said frostily.
"In her Magical education, that is correct." Dumbledore said politely.
"I see." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at Dumbledore before uttering a single word: "Explain."
"When the International Statue of Secrecy was signed, on clause called for all those first generation witches and wizards -Muggleborns- to have their right to a Magical education protected." Professor McGonagall spoke up crisply, "In Magical Britain, this manifested as the Muggleborn Rights Charter, which lists certain rights that are given to all underage Muggleborn children. Chief among them is to have first right of refusal over their choice of school, regardless of the will of their parents."
After a moment, Hermione spoke up cautiously. "So as long as I want to go to Hogwarts, I can?"
"Indeed." Dumbledore nodded.
"You people give control of their education to immature eleven year olds?!" Lindsay said at last, disbelief clear in his voice.
"It very rarely comes up, Mr Granger." Minerva said sternly, "In matter of fact, the education protection portion of the Charter has only ever been activated -in Britain at least- ten times since the Statute began to be enforced in 1692."
"Why is that?" Elizabeth asked suspiciously.
"A number of reasons." Dumbledore said as he popped a sherbet lemon into his mouth and enjoyed the bittersweet taste of his favourite sweet, "First, Hogwarts is among the top three schools in Europe, matched only by Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, which would be roughly equated in the Muggle world as a person graduating from Oxford University after having attended Eton.
Secondly, despite your complaints about security, Hogwarts had been around for a thousand years and has many layers of complex and intricate wards protecting the school and its inhabitants. Magic is a truly wonderful thing and thanks to the wards, injuries from dark creatures attempting to infiltrate the school tapered off to almost nothing within a year of them going up."
"So how did that troll get in then?" Lindsay asked suspiciously.
"Deliberate sabotage." Dumbledore replied, "A dark curse opened a hole in the wards, allowing the beast to be drawn in. It was originally in the dungeons, but wandered out and made it to the ground floor ladies room, where your daughter was. The rest, as they say, is history."
"From what Hermione has said, all of these ward things of yours are controlled by you." Elizabeth said warily, "How didn't you notice this hole in them?"
"I am not permanently linked into the wards, Mr Granger." Dumbledore explained, "I only have unlimited access in the Headmasters Office. In a real emergency, I can remotely access them, but it takes near total focus to do so and is immensely draining as well. I regularly check the wards before breakfast, lunch and dinner before making my way down to the Great Hall. The person responsible waited for me to leave my office before enacting his plan."
"And might I enquire who this person was and what his punishment was when you caught him?" Lindsay asked coolly.
"He was Professor Quirinus Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Harry said softly, "And I killed him."
The two adult Grangers looked at Harry in shock. Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder again.
"Harry, stop being so dramatic. You didn't kill him; the strain of being possessed killed him." Hermione scolded her friend.
"If we were at school Miss Granger, I would be awarding points for excellent research and loyalty to your friend." Dumbledore said with a smile, "It is true that Quirrell was possessed by a dark spirit, which forced him to obey its orders. It is also true that Harry stopped the possessed Quirrell from stealing a very powerful artefact. When I arrived to find the two of them struggling, the dark spirit abandoned Quirrell, leaving his body to die from both the strain of the possession and the shock of being released from the control of the spirit."
"A 'dark spirit'?" Elizabeth asked sceptically.
"Indeed. Ghosts are quite common in magically rich areas." Dumbledore replied, "We even have a poltergeist at Hogwarts. Sadly, benign spirits are not the only ones in existence and I'm afraid there are no wards in existence that can distinguish a dark spirit from a regular poltergeist or ghost."
"So if this happens again, you won't be able to tell?" Lindsay asked, homing in on what he perceived as a weakness.
"Oh no." Dumbledore replied with a small smile, "While different types of spirits cannot be distinguished from one another, there is a ward that I have now placed on the castle which prevents anybody from entering if he or she is possessed by an evil spirit."
Hermione smiled to herself as she saw her parents wilt slightly. Their first line of argument was defeated. She and Harry exchanged a look of hope.
"Fine then." Lindsay growled, "What about whatever it is that was petrifying students? What have you done about the Basilisk then?"
Dumbledore merely blinked in mild surprise. "I believe Miss Granger has already told you the answer to that question. Mr Potter killed it."
"I don't mean any offence Harry, but I doubt that you did that." Elizabeth said to Harry, "No twelve year old boy could face what Hermione described."
"I am not a liar, Mrs Granger." Harry replied coolly, staring at her with his intense green eyes, "It almost killed me, but I did kill the Basilisk and eliminate the Dark Artefact that had caused the entire problem."
"Harry! You never told me you almost died!" Hermione glared at her friend in a mixture of anger and fear. Harry shrank back from the intensity in her gaze, much to the amusement of the adults.
"Hermione, Fawkes healed me up almost right away!" Harry said weakly, "I'm alright, so I didn't want to worry you with an unnecessary detail."
"'Unnecessary detail'?! Harry, you almost died!" Hermione exclaimed, an odd pain striking her heart at the thought of Harry being dead, "That is a very important detail! Never omit things again when you're telling me things!"
"Yes Hermione." Harry replied obediently.
Hermione sat back with a pleased huff, missing the knowing look that her parents shared, as well as the small smiles that Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall shared.
The Headmaster cleared his throat. "Yes, well, Mr Potter rather bluntly stated the facts. He did in fact slay a Basilisk, being bitten in the arm in the process. My companion, Fawkes, who was summoned to his side earlier by his loyalty to me, cried tears into the wound that cured the venom and healed the wound."
Observing the stubborn looks of disbelief on the faces of the elder Grangers, Dumbledore sighed to himself.
"As you seem to disbelieve myself, your own daughter and Mr Potter, it seems I will have to fall back on something I had rather hoped to avoid using." he said quietly, "Harry, I hereby give you permission to use magic for the purposes of making a magical oath, on my authority as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot."
Harry nodded and drew his wand from his pocket, holding it up before he spoke. "I, Harry James Potter, do hereby affirm that I am willing to allow Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore to administer the truth potion Veritaserum to me and interrogate me, so long as the questions are solely confined to the subject of my actions in the Chamber of Secrets. So mote it be."
The end of his wand flashed with a white light, signifying that the oath had taken hold. This time Professor McGonagall drew her wand and spoke an oath.
"I, Minerva McGonagall, do swear that Harry James Potter has given permission for the Chief Warlock to interrogate him under the influence of the truth drug Veritaserum, with the condition that the Chief Warlock restricts his questions to do with his actions in the Chamber of Secrets. So mote it be."
Another flash from her wand signalled that her oath had taken hold as well. Swiftly, Dumbledore swore an oath promising that, for this session, he would only ask questions to do with Harry's actions in the Chamber, which was sealed with a single flash of light from his wand.
"Care to fill us in on all the formal oaths and flashes of light, sweetie?" Lindsay asked his daughter.
"They've just sworn Wizards Oaths." Hermione said, her face slightly pale, "If they break their oaths, it will cost them their magic."
"And what is this Veritaserum stuff that's been mentioned?" Elizabeth asked.
"The strongest truth potion in existence." Hermione replied tightly, "With just three drops, the person under its influence can hide nothing from those who would question them."
Elizabeth and Lindsay exchanged alarmed looks. This was…unexpected.
Dumbledore removed a small bottle with a dropper in the lid. The liquid within looked exactly like ordinary tap water, making the elder Grangers look at their daughter with raised eyebrows.
"Veritaserum is the perfect truth potion." Hermione answered their unspoken question, "No taste, no colour, and no smell. That's why misuse of it carries a prison sentence."
"Minerva, if you would?" Dumbledore invited as he held the bottle out to her. McGonagall took the bottle and waved her wand around it in a complicated pattern, making it glow white.
"This is indeed properly brewed Veritaserum, without any taints, poisons or other substances marring it." she affirmed after a moment before handing it back to Dumbledore with a nod.
Very carefully, Dumbledore placed three drops of the liquid in Harry's mouth.
"Now then, try to lie to me Harry." Dumbledore said, "What is your name?"
"N-…." Harry tried to lie, but then fell into a void where he had little control over what he said.
"Harry James Potter." he said in an inflectionless voice that unnerved the Grangers.
"What was the first thing Miss Granger ever said to you?" Dumbledore continued.
"'Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one.'" Harry quoted flatly.
"That boy loses his toad more often than all the other students lose their pets put together." McGonagall remarked to herself.
"I think we can safely say that the Veritaserum has taken effect." Dumbledore remarked, "Now then Harry, please tell us what happened in the Chamber of Secrets from the moment you entered the Chamber proper."
Without a blink, Harry began his narration, telling of an enormous chamber as tall as the Great Hall, filled with serpentine carvings and a large statue of whom he presumed was Salazar Slytherin.
How he had found the cold body of Ginny Weasley at the foot of the statue and his conversation with the memory of Tom Riddle. How he had defied the spectre and thus called Fawkes to him. And how Riddle had responded by summoning the sixty-foot long serpent that had terrorised the school for the entire year.
The description that Harry gave of the battle highlighted how much he noticed, even when he wasn't trying to. The vivid description of the King of Serpents made Hermione go white in fear for her friend. All she remembered was an instant of reflected yellow in the handheld mirror Penelope Clearwater had pulled out after she warned her about the Basilisk.
As he described how he had begged the Sorting Hat for help and it had responded by giving him the Sword of Gryffindor, the looks of confusion on the faces of Mr and Mrs Granger caused Dumbledore to pause Harry and explain to the two Muggles the significance of such a thing happening.
"If a person who wears the Sorting Hat matches the correct criteria, such as courage and bravery in the case of Gryffindor, and the situation demands it, legend has it that it can summon an artefact of the Founder of that House." Dumbledore explained, "Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled the sword from the hat, just as only a true Ravenclaw could pull the fabled Diadem of Ravenclaw from it, a true Hufflepuff could pull the Cup of Hufflepuff and a true Slytherin could pull the Locket of Slytherin."
"But…he was put in Gryffindor. Wouldn't that be enough?" Elizabeth asked, confused.
"Many people are sorted into Gryffindor." Dumbledore replied, "But very few actually live up to the trademarks of their House. Harry, by contrast, is an exemplar of what those in Gryffindor should be; brave, courageous, daring and honourable, yet he also shows traits of the other Houses. He is very loyal and hardworking like a Hufflepuff, highly intelligent like a Ravenclaw and disregards rules that get in his way like a Slytherin, as well as showing more than a little cunning and sneakiness."
After allowing a moment to let that sink in, Dumbledore prompted Harry to begin his recitation again, from where he had stopped.
Harry did as requested. The relatively brief fight with the basilisk sent chills up the spines of all who heard it. The final clash made Professor McGonagall clutch her heart to hear. Tears fell from Hermione's eyes as she heard exactly how painful the venom was, just as a look of sorrow fell upon Dumbledore's face as he heard Harry's description of the room fading into a blur of colour.
As Harry's tale ended with the destruction of the Diary and Riddle, silence fell in the living room. Elizabeth and Lindsay were shocked that a boy, a boy younger even than their daughter, had faced such a monster and risked death to defeat it. Dumbledore's face was drawn and looking every one of his hundred and ten years as he administered Harry the antagonist to Veritaserum.
"Whoa…that was weird." Harry muttered as the truth serum's effect faded from him, "I really didn't want to say quite a few things I just said, but I was helpless to stop myself. That stuff is scary…"
"I would agree. The effect is highly disconcerting." Dumbledore said, "It is one reason I am glad that the potion is the very devil to brew and requires more than a few rare and hard to acquire ingredients that have to be freshly harvested. Most students who take NEWT-level Potions classes can barely make it at the end of their seventh years. Even Tom Riddle found Veritaserum difficult to brew."
Lindsay Granger cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Ah…Harry, my wife and I owe you an apology, it would seem."
Harry shook his head with a wry grin. "It's alright. I have a hard time believing it sometimes, but it did happen. The Basilisk is dead and cannot harm anyone ever again."
"I…see." Elizabeth said slowly, "Professor Dumbledore, when Professor McGonagall told us about Hogwarts, she told us that it was the safest place in Britain, yet for the two years that Hermione has attended your school, she has been in danger of one sort or another. Why is this?"
"That is a hard question to answer." Dumbledore replied, "Part of the problem is, I'm afraid, Miss Granger's propensity to investigate things. Another part is that an old enemy is on the rise: Voldemort."
The aged wizard ignored the small flinches from Hermione and Minerva McGonagall.
"Who?" Lindsay asked blankly.
"He's mentioned in a few of my books under the names, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, The Dark Lord and You-Know-Who." Hermione supplied quietly.
"Oh. But didn't they say he died?" Elizabeth asked with a confused expression on her face.
"His body was destroyed, but his spirit lives on." Dumbledore replied gravely, "It was his wraith that possessed Quirrell and his diary that controlled young Miss Weasley like a puppet. Voldemort was always terrified of death you see. He undertook many Dark, foul rituals in order to attain immortality, only some of which I am aware of. He exists now as a being of smoke and vapour, unable to have physical form without possessing another."
"My god…" Lindsay was in shock, "Can't you find him and destroy him once and for all? Or at the very least contain him?"
"You cannot kill that which has no solid life." Dumbledore replied, "And as he isn't a ghost or poltergeist, none of our ghost containment or repulsion wards will work on him. So again, he cannot be contained, even if we could find his hiding spot in darkest Albania."
"This sound like we should move to America!" Elizabeth muttered, "I've read Hermione's book, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and if even half of what was written actually happened, I want my daughter out of his reach!"
"I fear that such a move would only delay things for a short time." Dumbledore said quietly, "Miss Granger is well known in Hogwarts as being the brightest and most powerful Muggleborn witch since Harry's mother, Lily. Such a reputation would make Voldemort pursue her, even if she were not friends with Mr Potter here."
"So we're damned no matter what we do, is that it?" Lindsay barked angrily.
"No, quite the opposite. Each hole in Hogwarts Castle's defences that has been exposed by these infiltrations has been plugged and I have been conducting a review of several of the wards that have fallen into disuse and have restored them to their full strength." Dumbledore replied, "Regardless of the incidents in the past, Hogwarts is the next best thing to an impenetrable fortress when I fully activate the wards and even at low strength as they usually are very little gets by them."
"In addition," Professor McGonagall put in, "Albus is the only person that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ever feared. He never dared to attack Hogwarts, even at the height of his power because Albus was Headmaster."
"Minerva." Dumbledore's face was a mix of fond exasperation and mild irritation, "As I have told you a thousand times, Voldemort has powers that I couldn't imagine."
"And as I have told you a thousand times, that is because you are too noble to use them, Albus." Minerva replied primly.
It was obvious that this was an old argument between the two educators, making the others chuckle at the byplay between them.
Once they returned their attention to the Grangers, they waited while the two had a silent conversation with eye contact. Finally, Lindsay heaved a massive sigh.
"It seems that we were...hasty…in wishing to withdraw Hermione." he admitted, "It's just…hard to bear sometimes. She's away in Scotland somewhere and we can't visit or even communicate with her properly. Sending letters via the Post Office takes far longer than a Post Owl for some strange reason."
"It's because the department of the Ministry that monitors such things is a very small and overworked." Dumbledore explained sadly, "The current attitude is 'If they want to talk to a wizard or a witch, then they should communicate like a wizard or witch.'"
"So…they want ordinary Muggle people to buy owls?" Elizabeth asked in confusion, "Doesn't that conflict with the Statute of Secrecy?"
"No, not really." Dumbledore replied, "An addendum to the Muggleborn Rights Charter permit's the family members of a muggleborn witch or wizard to know of and interact with the Wizarding World as long as they are immediate family -aunts, uncles, grandparents and the like."
"I see." Lindsay looked thoughtful, "How much are Post Owls anyway?"
"Hedwig cost me fifteen Galleons." Harry said with a smile.
"Seventy-five pounds?!" the large man gaped in shock.
"Seventy-four pounds and fifty-five pence." Elizabeth corrected.
"The actual price varies depending on what breed of owl you wish for." Dumbledore put in, "Hedwig is a rare Snowy Owl, so her price was higher than the norm. I believe that the most inexpensive owl is a Scops Owl at a mere three Galleons and three sickles."
"That would be because those are the size of tennis balls." Elizabeth remarked dryly, earning her an odd look from her husband, "Remember my Uncle David? He was an avid Ornithologist."
"Ah."
"I believe I might have an amicable resolution to this situation." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling merrily, "As an apology for failing in my primary duty to safeguard your daughter's wellbeing while under my care, I shall purchase for you a suitable Post Owl from Eeylops Owl Emporium, as well as suitable food and a perch. Do you have any preference as to the breed?"
"Err…Dear?" Lindsay deferred to his wife's wider knowledge of avian species.
"A Barn Owl? Do they sell those?" Elizabeth asked.
"Indeed they do." Dumbledore replied, "A very popular choice as they are common in almost every region."
"In which case, we accept your offer, Headmaster." Elizabeth said with a nod.
"Excellent." Dumbledore beamed happily, "I will have the owl delivered to you tomorrow at noon sharp, if that is agreeable with you."
"Certainly. We will be at work, but Hermione will be in." Lindsay replied.
"Very well. We should be leaving then, I am afraid." Dumbledore said with an apologetic look at Harry and Hermione, "Professor McGonagall and I have a meeting to attend at Hogwarts, so we have to be on our way."
"Fair enough." Harry conceded. He stood up and accepted Hermione's hug before heading out the door amidst the goodbyes, Dumbledore and McGonagall following him once they Vanished their conjured chairs.
Hermione smiled brightly. She didn't have to leave Hogwarts. She didn't have to leave her friends. She didn't have to leave Harry.
"Glad you don't have to go away from Harry, sweetie?" Lindsay asked with a small smirk as his straight-laced daughter flushed red.
"Oh, why do I put up with you daddy?" Hermione asked as she walked off with her nose in the air.
She headed for her room so she could start looking through the living law book, this time for the Muggleborn Rights Charter. She was kicking herself for not being more thorough in her examination of the law book. If she had done so, she could have put her foot down with her parents and not bothered Professor Dumbledore.
'Not to mention not have worried Harry!' Hermione thought in mortification. She could tell that her friend had been concerned for her as he stole occasional looks out of the corner of his eye at her when he thought she wasn't looking. She truly hated worrying him.
'Today has been great.' Hermione mused as she once more sat ensconced in her room, flicking through the pages of the law book as she searched for the Charter, 'It would have been brilliant if Mum and Dad didn't keep insinuating that I fancy Harry!'
Feeling the heat in her cheeks indicating a blush, she forced it away with force of will. She slumped slightly as she frowned at the book in front of her. There was no sign of any loopholes that did not have a crippling condition for its use or severe consequence to going through with it, just as Harry had suggested.
Harry had to marry three witches by the time he was twenty-one, two of them Purebloods. He would likely marry another Pureblood, as they seemed to be very cliquish, rarely moving outside of their own social circles, and doubtless, the first one would guide him to her friends.
A sharp pain writhed in her chest at the thought. Hermione blinked an odd amount of ocular fluid from her eyes. They weren't tears of course, just an excess of eye fluid. She must have something in her eye.
Hermione wiped the tear from her face absently as she began to read the Muggleborn Rights Charter, the allure of fresh knowledge pulling her mind away from the heartbreak she denied she had for the boy she denied she cared for.
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Roughly The Same Time
Sirius Black's Cell, Azkaban Prison
The black dog that was Sirius Black stopped whining as the chilly aura extruded by the Dementors faded and then went away completely. The dog cocked its head to the side in puzzlement before realisation dawned in its black eyes.
Crawling out from under the rusty excuse for a bed that he very rarely slept on, Sirius returned to his human form. He was a tall man clad in ragged and filthy prisoner's robes that might once have been brown, but now closely resembled something smoothing a cat had had kittens on. He was unhealthily thin, his eyes sunken into his skull and his face covered in a large amount of matted hair.
Slumping onto the wall, he slid down to the floor and looked out of his cell door as he forced a bored and indifferent look onto his face, awaiting the reason that the foul guards had been removed from outside his cell to arrive.
"….mad, all of 'em Minister." came the voice of the Chief Warden, echoing down the corridor. He was a corpulent bastard who had taken the opportunity to 'put the boot in' on him more than a few times when Sirius had first been thrown into this hellhole. "The Lestrange's, Dolohov, Mulciber…the lot of them scream and jibber more than anything else."
Not true, Sirius knew. They shouted curses indistinctly in their sleep, directed at the Ministry, Peter Pettigrew and Harry, but while they were awake, they rarely said anything loudly, tending to mutter incoherently under their breath.
"Understandable, really." a pompous voice replied, clearly recognisable as Cornelius Oswald Fudge, the sitting Minister for Magic, "I would rather die than be around Dementors all the time. Still, they are getting what they deserve. You didn't mention Black by the way. Why is that?"
"He's dead quiet, Minister. Don't hear a cheep out of him." the Warden replied.
"Odd…" Fudge said slowly, "Have you been keeping the Dementors outside his cell at all times, like you were supposed to?"
"Of course Minister." the Warden replied in surprise, "Night and day, two at all times."
The footsteps were closer now, almost at his cell door. After a moment, Fudge stepped into view, his trademark pinstripe cloak and lime-green bowler hat telling anyone who glanced at him who he was.
Fudge was a small and slightly dumpy man with grey hair and watery grey eyes. He wore a bottle-green suit and shiny black shoes. Quite why he was dressed to impress boggled Sirius, as he doubted the Dementors cared for human fashions.
"Why, hello there Minister Fudge." Sirius said hoarsely, "Time for your yearly visit already? My, how time flies."
Fudge stopped cold when Sirius spoke to him and slowly turned to face him. The portly man stared at Sirius in blatant astonishment, his eyes almost popping out in shock.
Sirius raised an eyebrow in query, snapping Fudge out of his daze.
"Yes…yes, it is that time of year again." the Minister replied, still mildly surprised that a High Security prisoner still had the sanity to converse normally.
"It would be nice if there was a calendar or something here." Sirius remarked, "I can't even remember how long it has been since…"
"Almost thirteen years." Fudge informed him with slightly too much relish to be considered polite, "Long may it continue."
"I suppose you would wish for that, Minister." Sirius replied with a toothy smile, which increased his resemblance to a skeleton, "However, this place is quite literally hell, so you'll pardon me for not agreeing with you."
"I wouldn't expect you to." Fudge retorted.
"Seriously though, Dementors to one side, this place is just boring." Sirius said with an airy dismissal of the foul creatures with one hand, "The nightmares and the despair are one thing, but the boredom is quite another."
Espying the Daily Prophet that Fudge had under his arm, Sirius took advantage of the man's stupefaction to ask, "Have you finished with that Daily Prophet, Minister? I've missed doing the crossword. Shame I don't have any quills or ink, but you can't have everything…"
Slowly, Fudge withdrew the newspaper from under his arm and passed it through the bars to Sirius, who accepted it with a courteous nod.
"So then Minister, are the polls up?" Sirius asked politely.
"Eh? Oh, yes, they are as a matter of fact." Fudge replied after he shook himself out of his shock again, "Up by three percent, if memory serves."
"Well that's nice for you." Sirius said, "If you'll take a bit of advice from me, you should turn back now and end your visit early. I overheard my dear cousin Bella saying that she was going to spit on you when you walked past her cell."
"Oh…my thanks." Fudge nodded, "See you next year then, Black."
With that, Fudge swirled around and walked back the way he came with a swish of his cloak. Sirius sighed and settled down to read the paper. The headline caught his attention.
'MINISTRY OFFICIAL WINS JACKPOT
Arthur Weasley, Head of the Improper Use of Muggle Artefacts Office of the Ministry of Magic, has won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Draw of 700 Galleons.'
Next to the headline was a picture of the Weasley Family in Egypt, where they were on holiday.
"Blimey Arthur, you've certainly been busy." Sirius muttered. He knew the effable man from the occasional meeting while he had escorted Lily and James to the Healers while Lily was pregnant with Harry. Arthur had taken Molly there as well when she was pregnant with their sixth or seventh child, he couldn't remember which.
In the picture, he could see the large family grinning and waving. He scanned down the line. Oh? Twins like Gideon and Fabian? Molly must have her hands full with them…urgh, a Head Boy in the family…
Sirius froze as he saw the picture of what had to be the youngest son. He was a tall, lanky boy with a rat perched on his shoulder.
A rat with a missing toe on one of his forepaws.
A growl emerged from Sirius' throat that made him sound like his Animagus form.
"Wormtail!" he snarled.
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Next Chapter: Blackout
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