Chapter 19

To by no means be cruel but to give mercy unto him who asks for mercy

[A/N: I am amazed and truly grateful that this fic is still being read, despite my long hiatus. Real life has not been kind, and I am still unsure of my existence and might prefer the alternative, but that's not the point here. Here, I can only express my gratitude and say thank you!]

Dumbledore led Harry's guardians and protectors to his chamber, magically expanding it to be able to seat everyone. When everyone was seated, he turned to Mycroft with a stern look.

"Was that display essential?" he asked, his blue eyes cold.

Mycroft smirked. "Of course, Headmaster. Harry is the only child in our family, you know. We merely wish to pamper him a little."

Dumbledore frowned. "I am sure Harry is aware of your affections. Why was a public demonstration staged?"

Steel crept into the British Government's voice. "An added precaution to dissuade troublemakers. We stand with Harry, and we wish for the world to know. Those that would seek to cause him harm would think twice before acting. You would not wish for my nephew to be in unnecessary danger, would you, Headmaster? Especially since he has barely recovered from his trauma."

Dumbledore pursed his lips and remained silent.

"I have no wish to undermine your authority, Albus," Mycroft said firmly. "But I will not stand by and allow my nephew to be harmed while at school."

Sirius and Severus nodded thoughtfully. "The Holmes and Vernet family names carry a lot of weight with the purebloods. They will definitely not want to get in Lord Holmes' bad books," the Potions Master observed.

"Even my old mum would have approved of this lot's bloodline," Sirius said. "I know you guys and Harry don't think like that – but there are many that do."

"And if we can use that to our advantage and ensure Harry's safety, why shouldn't we?" Emrys asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "What about Mr Potter's appearance? Was it necessary to alter that?" he demanded.

"But he looks so much better now, doesn't he?" Minerva said. "I don't see a problem, Albus. The boy finally looks well-groomed and confident."

"Harry is Lily's son, too," Remus said quietly. "We forgot because he hid behind his hair and glasses and we saw only James, not the hardships Harry was trying to hide."

"The change has been gradual," Severus said. "He does not avoid eye contact these days, and holds his head high when he walks. Removing the glasses and changing his hair just made it more prominent."

"My godson is beautiful child, and he should dress up accordingly," Sirius declared. "In a year or two, he will have the girls mooning over him."

Sherlock huffed. "As if he needs that."

John patted the detective's arm. "It's good for a young boy's confidence, Sherlock."

"Indeed," Arthur agreed.

Dumbledore sighed. "He looks completely different. He does not look like Harry Potter anymore."

Sherlock glared at the Headmaster. "He is not just Harry Potter anymore. He is Harry Potter Holmes."

"There will be rumours of blood-adoption if he looks that different!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

"And how is that detrimental, Albus?" Mycroft drawled. "Is it not better for Harry to be considered a Holmes by blood?"

"It's illegal," Dumbledore snapped.

Sherlock shrugged nonchalantly.

"The youngest Peverell's wife was a Vernet ancestor," Emrys said. "And the Potters descended from him. That's the problem with purebloods – everyone is related to everyone. Assuming the rumours are true, how would you even prove a blood-adoption when we already share blood?"

Dumbledore's eyes flashed angrily. "Did you actually perform illegal blood-magic?" he demanded.

"Does it matter?" John challenged.

Mycroft smirked. "If it would put your mind at rest, Albus, I shall give you my word as Lord Holmes that we have not indulged in any illegal blood magic to make Harry ours."

Dumbledore was visibly relieved. "Thank you, Mycroft."

Mycroft nodded benevolently. "Regarding Harry's Occlumency…"

Dumbledore waved a dismissive hand. "Severus will take care of it."

"Very well," Mycroft said. "Thank you, Professor Snape."

"We have taught him the basics," Sherlock told the Potions Master. "But he is not a duplicitous child by nature, so it is a little difficult for him. He is able to put up a basic shield and deflect the Legilimens to another memory instead of the one they seek, but he is unable to throw them out yet."

Severus looked impressed. "That is excellent progress."

Sherlock beamed proudly.

Mycroft's phone buzzed. He frowned at the screen and excused himself.

"Yes, Harry?" he replied, accepting the call. "Is something wrong?"

Sherlock, who had glanced at the screen and followed his brother out, peered at him in concern.

Mycroft listened to the boy patiently and a proud smile broke out on his face. "Very well done indeed, nephew mine," he complimented. "We are still at Hogwarts. We shall meet you before we depart."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and Mycroft smirked. "Your child has done us proud, Sherlock. You make a finer parent than I imagined."

Sherlock flushed at the unexpected praise.

They returned to the room to openly curious looks.

"May we stay behind for a few hours to watch Harry's Quidditch practice in the evening?" Mycroft enquired. "We also need to discuss Emrys and Arthur's appointment at Hogwarts. You will need people to liaison with Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, would you not, Albus?"

Dumbledore looked dumbfounded.

"The requisite Ministry approval has been obtained," Mycroft continued calmly. "I have informed Olympe and Igor as well. Emrys was quite a favourite of Olympe's, and she is looking forward to seeing him again. Arthur is well-acquainted with Igor – his father was a great friend of Igor's. I trust you will find these two very useful during the Tri-wizard Tournament."

Dumbledore nodded silently, a small smile on his lined face. "Brilliantly outmaneuvered," he muttered. "Well done, Mycroft."

-xxx-

Harry, Ron and Hermione met up with everyone outside the Great Hall as soon as their classes were over. Severus, Sirius and Remus joined them.

"Harry was brilliant!" Hermione gushed.

Cheeks tinged pink, Harry looked up at Sherlock, who smiled at him encouragingly.

"Do tell us," the detective said.

"Hold on," Sirius said. "We'd better head to the Room of Requirement."

"What is that?" Emrys asked curiously.

Remus smiled at everyone. "The most interesting room in the school," he said. "Dobby!" he called.

Dobby appeared with a crack and his tennis-ball eyes widened at the sight of Harry. He launched himself at Harry with a cry of "Harry Potter!"

Harry patted him awkwardly as the house-elf clung to him, sobbing and thanking him over and over, and rather loudly, at that. When he finally stopped bawling, Harry said mildly, "Hi, Dobby. How have you been?"

That invited another round of wailing about the greatness of Harry Potter.

Sherlock was the first to lose his patience. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder and asked loudly, "Why don't you introduce us to your friend, Harry?"

Dobby stared at Sherlock with the same wide-eyed adoration that he usually reserved only for Harry. "A friend!" he cried. "Harry Potter's father thinks Dobby is Harry Potter's friend? Dobby has never seen such greatness in wizards…ah, Dobby is so happy Harry Potter found a decent family – what an honour it is for Dobby to be Harry Potter's friend…"

Harry shot Sherlock an apologetic look. "This is Dobby, Dad. He used to work for the Malfoy family earlier, and he was a big help when the Chamber of Secrets was opened." Harry ducked his head. "A lot of things happened, and he was set free." He turned to Dobby. "Are you working at Hogwarts now?"

Dobby nodded eagerly. "Dobby is a free elf, thanks to Harry Potter! Dobby is even getting paid to work at Hogwarts!"

"Good for you," Harry said.

Remus cleared his throat. "Dobby, could you take us all to the Room of Requirement?"

Dobby nodded eagerly and snapped his fingers. Instantly, they were transported to the corridor. Remus stepped forward and opened the door, ushering everyone in.

Inside was a luxurious tea room with comfortable couches and chairs for everyone. They took their seats.

"I had no idea there was such a tea room in the school," John said to Arthur. "Did you?"

Arthur shook his head.

Emrys was exploring the room, fascinated, just as Sherlock examined a crime scene. His eyes sparkled and he mumbled to himself occasionally, touching here and there.

Sirius and Remus laughed. "This isn't a tea room. It is a room that fulfills your requirements. You just have to think hard about what you want before you enter. It'll disappear when we leave."

"Interesting," Mycroft said. "What are its limitations?"

"You can't take anything out, but anything inside is real enough," Remus told him, launching into Professor mode.

"I believe we were gathered here for a reason," Severus interrupted crossly. "If not, there are several potions that need my immediate attention."

"Apologies, Professor," Mycroft said smoothly. "Baby brother, take a seat."

Emrys pulled away reluctantly and took a seat next to Sherlock.

"I understand my nephew had a rather productive conversation with young Mr. Malfoy," Mycroft drawled. "Miss Granger, if you could let us have the details? I believe Harry may be a little too modest to be completely accurate."

Hermione giggled and complied.

Snape jumped up when she finished her narrative. "You heroic moron," he snarled at Harry. "Do you realise every single Death Eater will target you now, either to redact their Dark Marks or to assassinate you? Did you even consider the possibility of magical exhaustion if you were to break so many Dark Marks?"

"I have to agree with Severus," Remus said quietly. "One or two Dark Marks is a different matter, but if Harry is required to erase them en masse for a large number of people, it would be risky."

"It would also be easy for Death Eaters to sneak close to Harry under the pretext of wanting to defect," Arthur said.

Emrys glared at Arthur. "That's not what you would have said back in the day. Whatever happened to your Code of Chivalry? Weren't you the one that used to say, 'To by no means be cruel but to give mercy unto him who asks for mercy'?"

Arthur shrugged. "I grew up."

Harry looked utterly dejected until Sherlock put an arm around his shoulders.

"You did well, little one," the detective told the boy.

"Indeed," Mycroft agreed.

Emrys nodded. "Well done, Harry. Your instincts serve you well, and it was clever of you to redirect queries to Mycroft, and to stipulate the presence of either Sherlock or myself."

Harry nodded shyly.

John sighed. "Will one of you stupid Holmes geniuses please explain it to the rest of us? Because Professor Snape's concerns are perfectly valid."

"They are, indeed," Mycroft said calmly. "And your concern for my nephew is much appreciated, Professor Snape."

"However," Sherlock said. "Harry has caused a rift amidst the Death Eaters. Professor Snape's absence has already been noted, and I am certain questions must have been raised as to why he remains unharmed and free. This is a good time to take advantage of that and establish Harry as a powerful sorcerer." He stared at Snape. "How many do you estimate would approach us initially?"

Severus frowned. "Between thirty to fifty. More will come depending on the results."

Emrys smiled. "If Harry breaks fifty Dark Marks at once in presence of witnesses, would that not cause a significant decline in Voldemort's power?"

"Of course," Snape said. "Unless he burns up his entire magical core trying to achieve that feat and is rendered a squib."

Sherlock smirked. "That would not happen, Professor. In terms of raw magical power, Harry is not second to Voldemort. Besides, he can draw on our magical power. Mine, the most – but of Emrys and Mycroft as well. And then there is Victoria, our trump card. Fifty people is nothing. A hundred, a thousand…we can do it. Without breaking a sweat."

Everyone but his brothers stared at Sherlock in awe, Harry included.

"My brother is absolutely correct," Mycroft confirmed. "Do you think we would stand by and let anyone harm Harry?"

"Arthur and I will be here for a while in any case," Emrys said. "And Harry is not the only one we need to protect. You would be targeted as well, Professor." He looked at Snape.

Severus waved away his concern. "The future of the Wizarding World does not hinge upon my survival."

"But you are important to us," Harry said in a small voice, refusing to look at him.

No one had seen Professor Snape look so shocked before.

"Leaving aside your value in terms of your intelligence and mastery, and your determination to protect Lily Potter's son at the cost of your life – Harry is also quite fond of you," Sherlock declared. "I'd prefer it if you refrained from causing my son undue distress by dismissing your own life in such a cavalier fashion."

"Well-said, Sherlock," Mycroft said. He turned to Severus with a serious look in his eyes. "Harry is neither Voldemort nor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, nor does he wish to be your master. You are important to my nephew as your own person, and he simply cares for you. Which, of course, by extension, means that the Holmes family cares for you, too."

Emrys chuckled. "What my long-winded brothers are trying to say is that we will protect you."

Severus pursed his lips and nodded curtly, but the colour on his sallow cheeks gave him away. Victoria, who had taken off when Harry attended class, appeared in a flash of green and gold and settled on the Potions Master's shoulder. She bit his ear and trilled.

"She says she likes you," Harry informed him.

Severus smiled slightly.

John cleared his throat. "So, what are we supposed to do next? Wait for Death Eaters to come to Mycroft?"

"I will speak with Draco," Snape said. "And I will update Albus and the other Heads. If all of us keep an eye out, we should be able to minimize the number of new recruits. At least the ones that would join out of fear would either choose to remain neutral or aid us."

The Holmes brothers nodded, their movements identical.

Just then, Dobby appeared with a crack. "Master Malfoy is at Hogwarts and looking for Professor Snape," he said with a shiver.

"Thank you, Dobby," Severus said. "Is he in my office?"

Dobby nodded. He turned to Harry, clearly afraid. "Dobby can take Professor Snape to Master Malfoy," he offered.

Before Severus could reply, Sherlock spoke up. "That's very kind of you, Dobby. Would it be possible for you to take us as well? Mycroft, Emrys, Harry and myself?"

Dobby nodded.

Sherlock smiled kindly. "Do not worry, Dobby. Harry's friends are under the protection of the house of Holmes. You are my son's friend, are you not?"

Dobby nodded tearfully.

-xxx-

A few minutes later, the Holmes brothers and Harry sat in Professor Snape's magically expanded office, facing the Malfoys, the Crabbes, the Goyles, the Notts and the Parkinsons. Snape stood in the middle, Victoria perched on his shoulder. Dobby stood in front of Harry, who sat between Sherlock and Emrys.

"Is it true, Severus?" Narcissa Malfoy demanded. "Your Dark Mark has been broken?"

Severus rolled up his sleeve to expose his unblemished forearm.

The Death Eaters gasped.

"If the Holmes family took him in and returned to the Wizarding World for his sake, the Potter boy must indeed by exceptional," Nott said, rubbing his chin.

His wife frowned. "Teddy says he's a typical Gryffindor."

"What does his house matter? If he can remove our Dark Marks…" Lucius interrupted.

The Parkinsons frowned. "Is it true that the Dark Lord is a half-blood?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Did you not know? His father was a muggle."

The Malfoys nodded. Narcissa turned to stare at Harry. "Can you do it, child? Can you really break the Dark Mark? Does it not drain your magical core?"

The Holmes brothers replied with identical smirks on their faces.

"Is that a request to my nephew, Mrs. Malfoy?" Mycroft drawled, his cut-glass accent more pronounced than ever.

Narcissa nodded eagerly. "Please, if you can help us, Lord Holmes…"

"What will you do once Harry erases your marks of servitude? You are likely to be targeted by others," Emrys said calmly.

"We will help you in any way we can," Lucius said quickly. "You may have anything we own if you can keep Draco safe. We will serve you…"

Harry stood up and interrupted him. "I am not looking for servants, Mr. Malfoy. I am not Voldemort."

"Please," Narcissa began.

"Do all of you really want to get rid of it?" Harry asked, looking around.

Everyone nodded silently.

"All right," Harry said, and turned to Sherlock. "Can I?"

Sherlock smiled at him. "Yes, of course."

Emrys stood up and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Bare your arms," he told the Death Eaters.

Harry touched the mark on Narcissa's arm. "Morsmordre," he said quietly.

Instantly, the snakes in all the Dark Marks began thrashing about.

"Sorry," Harry said quickly. "It might hurt a bit." Then he switched to Parseltongue, and commanded the snakes to leave. Sherlock added his own command in Parseltongue.

Ten snakes of grey smoke rose from the Death Eaters' arms and hovered in mid-air. Victoria spread her wings and swooped down on them. The snakes disappeared and the skulls broke and faded.

"The mark will disappear for good in a few minutes," Severus told them.

"Thank you!" Narcissa cried and pulled Harry into a hug, just like Molly Weasley and Hermione's mum usually did. Harry flushed as all the five men shook hands with him and the women hugged him.

"Mr. Potter-Holmes," Lucius Malfoy said, drawing himself up to his full height. "We shall not forget your mercy. Our offer of assistance stands. Any help we may be able to provide to you shall be yours with a word."

"Thanks," Harry muttered.

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