The Great Goblin Rebellion October 1991

What triggered a goblin rebellion in October 1991? Harry Potter's introduction to magical Britain goes differently, and Hagrid's trip to the secret vault…well, the cart gets tipped off the track completely.

Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling, the creative lady who shared her wizard and his life with the world. She's kind enough to allow others to play on her beach for a while.

&& From Last Chapter &&

"What do we want with thirty thousand Galleons of Flamel's Gold?" asked Andrew after Miss Flint had disappeared with an untraceable portkey to Switzerland. "It will destroy the value of gold everywhere if we allow it to enter the market."

"We use it to track and find the other gold this Dark Lord makes," Steelcrusher replied. "He is breaking our laws by making this unnatural gold, and Gringotts has the right to hunt him and his followers down."

"And, then what?" asked Sowsbreath, afraid of hearing the answer.

"We kill the Sturrdel-Gryhiglzehwe and destroy the gold with fiend fire or something equally destructive," Steelcrusher replied, with endorsements by Ironstream and Ragnock.

&& CHANGE SCENE &&

The next days were a flurry of meetings, loud conversations, and large headlines in the Daily Prophet. There was no argument that Sowsbreath and Andrew Poppins could present that would change Ragnock, Steelcrusher, or Ironstream's decision to hold onto the four Horcruxes. Ragnock expressed his appreciation of Sowsbreath's position and his respect for the opinion the Cursebreaker shared. Still, the Chief of the Gringotts Vaults decided to endorse the position of Steelcrusher to 'wait and see', and Ironstream's demand that Gringotts hold onto the power the possession of four Horcruxes gave the bank over the risen Dark Lord Flint.

"Once we have the stone or killed the Death Eaters and their teenage Dark Lord, we can dispose of the soul jars," Ironstream said. "But if this new Dark Lord sweeps aside the ministry and seizes control, we must have a bargaining chip…or four."

Without any disagreement, Gringotts published a detailed press release declaring the Dark Lord You-Know-Who returned by supplanting the soul of sixteen-year-old Marcus Flint and taking possession of his body. The bank provided the details of the ritual (illegal, but who cared at that point). The ritual used two portions of the Dark Lord's soul and part of his original magic to force their way into the body of Marcus Flint, forcing out the boy's soul to become Dark Lord Flint.

The Daily Prophet ran the headline with a picture of Marcus Flint in his Hogwarts uniform and details about his family – mother dead for several years, sister missing and presumed dead, and father just recently dead. There was no mention of Augustus Rookwood's role in the ritual, and the Department of Mysteries continued their search for their missing Unspeakable.

The Ministry for Magic panicked and didn't issue any announcement the day the news was released to the Daily Prophet. That was the same day as the trials of Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore. In the confusion and crowds milling around and shouting in the Atrium that day, Theodore and Andromeda Tonks forced their way into the Department of Children's Services. With a certified copy of the Last Will and Testaments of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Marie Potter (nee Evans), the couple were granted permanent custody of Harry James Potter.

News of the conviction of Snape as an active participant in Death Eater raids that left wizards, witches and children dead spread through the ministry and the Atrium crowd in the Atrium was to the point of rioting. Snape's testimony under a true potion horrified people from light and dark. The Special Edition Daily Prophet headlines were terrible; 'Severus Snape killed innocent children, witches and wizards! And then he was safe and taught at Hogwarts for ten years! Has he killed children while at Hogwarts?'

In this swirling madness, Mr and Mrs Tonks used the floo to travel to Gringotts. There they took custody of Harry and apparated him home, where Dora waited with four very happy elves.

&& CHANGE SCENE &&

Albus Dumbledore believed his cause was lost. Magical Britain would continue to wander through the darkness and never accept the light as the only way for wizards to live. The look on David MacMillian's face while listening to Snape's testimony about killing the wizard's wife and two of their children meant that darkness would reign in Magical Britain.

The Wizengamot voted for the Dementor's kiss and ordered Snape's still-breathing corpse be thrown through the Veil of Death. Snape laughed when the Dementor approached him and didn't flinch as the kiss began.

The members of the Wizengamot demanded an hour to compose themselves, and the former Grand Warlock was left seated in a prisoner's chair for the entire recess. He remained quiet but watched everyone – DMLE Director Amelia Bones was preparing her presentation of Dumbledore's crimes – now to include providing aid to a proven terrorist. For the first time, Dumbledore worried he might receive the Dementor's kiss.

"Albus, I want to speak to you," came the voice of Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic.

Dumbledore managed to keep his voice calm as he asked, "How can I help you today, Minister Fudge?"

The fact that Albus Dumbledore used someone else's title rather than calling them by their name should have clued the minister that he was in unfamiliar territory. But Fudge was very worried about his own survival and plunged ahead.

"This whole business about the boy being the Dark Lord reborn…it's just a spoiled potion…isn't it?" asked Cornelius. "There's no truth to it? To any of it…is there?"

Albus replied, "I do not know, Cornelius. Bones and her supporters have kept me locked up for the last five…ten days. I haven't talked with anyone from Gringotts or the Flint family. I've very worried about Galadriel, the missing daughter. She is a seventh year at Hogwarts this September."

"How soon can you determine the truth of this? Or provide proof to disprove the words of the goblins?"

Dumbledore sighed and said, "It might take a year…or at least until Halloween to trace the magic, talk to the reformed Death Eaters, and pry some answers from the goblins."

Nodding, Cornelius said, "Halloween then. You'll have proof one way or the other by Halloween."

The trial proceeded as Director Bones planned with overwhelming proof of negligence, criminal negligence, and sheltering a Death Eater from justice for ten years. After the final argument where Albus Dumbledore explained everything away as necessary for the 'greater good', Cornelius Fudge rose to speak for the defence. Fudge admitted that the DMLE proved their point time and time again. He concluded by saying, "In spite of everything else, we have a warning of a Dark Lord loose in Magical Britain today! Another Dark Lord! I refuse to think about innocent children dying because no one can challenge this Dark Lord!"

Fudge looked at the thoughtful Wizengamot, pointed at Dumbledore, and said, "We must keep this powerful warlock here to protect us!"

The DMLE leaders of the DMLE had to grit their teeth and accept the vote of 18 Guilty, 21 Innocent. Dumbledore was surprised that he was also not reinstated as Grand Warlock of the Wizengamot this afternoon. When asked, Cornelius remarked, "Proof by Halloween. Then we'll talk about other positions."

"But the children at Hogwarts…" Dumbledore began to say before he fell silent. A train filled with children would not arrive at the Hogsmeade Station on 1 September.

&& CHANGE SCENE &&

In the Department of Mysteries, a team of Unspeakables laboured and experimented with the still-breathing corpse of Severus Snape. They were not trying to revive him, place another soul into him or measure his respiration. The Unspeakables used their wands to cast spells through the Dark Mark, attempting to influence the followers of the Dark Lord who wore his tattoo. They did not cast unforgivable curses, but they did cast charms and spells to change their personalities and actions.

They had no way of measuring the effectiveness of their spells before Snape's body ceased breathing. The connection between the dark mark on Snape's arm and the Dark Lord's magic should have ended when Snape ceased to breathe. Using a cutting charm, one Unspeakable cut off the arm before another wizard levitated the body through the Veil of Death. They would continue to experiment with the Dark Mark.

END of CHAPTER Author Notes on Goblin Curses:

There are several goblin curses used in this story. They do not have English translations because they deal with human mating practices as imagined by adolescent goblins who have only met a few wizards and generally never seen a witch in their lifetimes.

Sturrdel: (Mild obscenity dealing with a wizard confusing mating with breathing).

Sturrdel-Gryhiglzehwe (Aggravated obscenity: A wizard confuses a boggart with a witch, attempts to mate, and asks a goblin for directions).

Phvyhgs-Sturrdel-Gryhiglzehwe (Most obscene: A wizard confuses one or more boggarts, or trolls with one or more witches, and attempts to mate with some level of success).

Phvyhgs- (Humorous obscenity: Human males approaching a boggart and attempting to mate).