The Half Blood Prince Revealed
Summary :
Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?
General Disclaimer :
I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.
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22 Digging one's own grave
Rita Skeeter had chosen war !
Harry knew she could have taken the story into two very different directions. One option was for her to show off her writing skills and present the conversation in its rightful setting, thereby foregoing somewhat on the juicy drama and high profile she preferred but instead contributing to a better wizarding society.
Rita however had taken the other option and used the exclusive information most likely as a way to take revenge on Harry and his friends for the year of inactivity they'd forced on her.
Should we trust Harry Potter ?
A Rita Skeeter Exclusive
During a conversation with the-Boy-Who-Lived yesterday I learned that Harry Potter openly supports werewolves. What is worse, it appears that after the death of his godfather, none other than Remus J. Lupin, former DADA teacher at Hogwarts, who was later exposed as werewolf and fired, has been named his guardian.
Since his acquaintance with the werewolf, Harry Potter has been in contact with several others with this dark condition. The Boy-Who-Lived seems to be under heavy influence from his guardian. After all, when his assistance was most needed yesterday in Diagon Alley, Mr Potter and his friends quickly left and returned home to safety, not caring what happened to those left behind.
I shall definitely keep a close eye on the Boy-Who-Lived in order to monitor his actions and affiliations closely and would advise the magical community to do likewise.
Even without any legal knowledge Harry had found a few things he could immediately comment on. So with the help of Mr Black and his fully functional Ghost Quill he was able to take down an accurate word-for-word version of his entire conversation with Madame Malkin. Knowing it wouldn't take Rita long to come up with the link to the identity of his dead godfather and the juicy piece she'd no doubt write about that, Harry also made a copy of the relevant text from his father's letter, and sent a copy to both his lawyer and Tonks.
Dear Mr Watkins,
Thank you for warning us about the article. After dealing with the slanderous articles last year, one more doesn't matter all that much to me, but the way she portrays Remus … that's too much. Remus may be very protective of me, but the reverse is very much true as well.
For one, Remus was not fired, but when he realised that his secret was out, he quit knowing what the general reaction would be. Not to mention that he was horrified to learn that he'd roamed free that night and was thinking up all the what-if's of that situation with the students around.
One of the other issues she mentions, us leaving early, might be the result of her interpretation on something that I mentioned in my conversation. If she took that as 'truth' and did not verify with facts … We did leave early, before press and ministry arrived, but after the Death Eaters were taken away. I believe that Auror Shacklebolt would be able to confirm our presence until that time.
As to the conversation, she implies I talked with her but it was in reality with Madame Malkin. With the aid of a Ghost Quill I was able to note down the entire conversation for your info. Maybe a case could be made of it ?
Knowing Ms Skeeter as I do, she'll probably be digging around for more mud and it won't be long before she finds out Sirius was my godfather. Again with the aid of the Ghost Quill I have made copy of the section from my father's letter that mentions their plans to switch secret keeper. As you can understand I prefer to keep the original letter in my possession but will gladly hand it over for authentication purposes, provided either you or Remus can be present at all times throughout that process.
As for taking any legal actions, I'll leave that decision in your capable hands, just keep it low key. She'd have a field day if this got battled out in the papers. As for the rest of the press, if you trust your reporter friend I don't have a problem with you informing him of the entire situation. My only request would be for him to use it with more discretion, style and finesse than Rita Skeeter does.
Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
On a completely different note : the phoenix delivering this letter is called Lily and she has, since I inherited the Black estate, accepted to grace me with her presence and aid. Should you ever be in need to contact me really quickly she will come to both you and your Mrs Figg.
Kind regards
Harry Potter
Hello Tonks,
I'm really sorry to disturb you this early in the morning but I need your advice and help on the following matter.
Remus and I made the headlines this morning. Nothing new really, but the matter is that Rita Skeeter misrepresents the situations. For one, we didn't talk, she overhead the conversation with Madame Malkin. Secondly we did not 'flee' and leave the people in Diagon Alley before the attack but rather immediately after to avoid the press.
I have already asked my legal representative, Mr Paul Watkins, to take any legal action he thinks necessary, but I got worried for Madame Malkin. Gilderoy Lockhart used to obliviate the true heroes after he learned all he could of their feat, in order to claim he'd done it himself. I know that you could always act as a witness, but I thought it might be better to leave your involvement out of this. I have, with the aid of a Ghost Quill, taken down the entire conversation and send you a copy enclosed. But could you maybe ask someone to look out for Madame Malkin ?
Knowing Skeeter as I do she'll no doubt be digging away to gain as much mud on both Remus and me and it shouldn't be long before she finds out about Sirius. I am therefore also enclosing a copied paragraph from a letter written by my father I found in the Potter vault last Wednesday. In it he mentions his 'back up' plan switching secret keeper. I realise the original letter will be needed at some stage, but as this is the only real memento directly addressed to me from my father, I believe you'll understand my hesitancy to part with it. Provided that either Remus or Mr Watkins is present throughout the process I'll gladly hand it over for authentication purposes. I am hoping you'd be able to contact the correct people within the auror department (or whoever needs to be contacted) to get the case for Sirius going. Or if it's better if you're not involved please let me know whom to contact and I'll ask Mr Watkins to take care of it.
On another note, you've been keyed into the Black Manor wards, so all you need to say is Harry's Haven and you'll be here. Come along whenever you feel like it.
Cheers
Harry
Lily had just left with the two letters when Remus made an appearance.
"How are you feeling now, Remus ?"
"To be honest, I'm famished !" replied an embarrassed looking Remus. "I don't rightly recall how I got back home but that potion is quite something. I know the next few months will still be a bit harder what with getting rid of the Wolfsbane in my system. But for the first time I feel positive about the whole lycanthropy business."
"So how does it work ? It differs with the amount of Wolfsbane that you've taken before, is that correct ?"
"Yes. That's right. There are 3 possibilities. If you've never used a potion like Wolfsbane before, you'll only need to take two portions the first month and then you can switch to the normal dose of one portion per month. If you've taken Wolfsbane less than 10 months worth, you need to take both the potion and a cleanser for 3 nights per month for the first 3 months before switching to the normal dose. And when in doubt of just how many times you've taken it or you know it to be more than 10 times, you need to take the potion and cleanser for 6 nights per month for 6 months before going for the normal dose."
"That makes sense. The more Wolfsbane you've taken in, the more time your system will need to flush the stuff out. So, you need to return to their house tonight ?"
"No, actually, one of them will bring my potions over tonight. They gave me a tour of their home last night and then Elijah explained the process to me while we waited for the potion to be finished. They have invited me to spend the full moon night over with them though, so that there's no danger for any of you."
"And will you join them, Remus ? You do know the house will provide whatever is needed to keep both you and us safe."
"Yes, I know Harry, but I think I'll spend this first time with them anyway, just for my own peace of mind."
By now all the others had joined them at the breakfast table, and Hermione had been reading through the newspaper article. Her reaction was a bit unexpected, as she started grinning.
"What's so funny, Hermione ?" asked Ron.
"She's digging her own grave if she continues on like this."
What do you mean, Hermione ?" asked Neville who had not yet had a chance to read the article.
"For one, she's sloppy with her reporting," stated Hermione while handing the paper to Remus who still had to read the article, "she didn't check the details. And her biggest mistake is to attack Remus, when easily 75 percent of the Hogwarts students who had him as DADA teacher will remember him as our best teacher and know him as a kind and gentle man, not to mention that most likely half of the parents would agree with their kids."
Harry who had been watching a faint blush creep into his guardian's cheeks was hiding his smile in his teacup but did add to Hermione's statement.
"Not to mention the lawsuits she'll have stuck to her for misrepresenting facts and slander."
For the remainder of breakfast talk turned to more pleasant topics such as quidditch and the new course books. Their lesson with Mr Black that morning took a very interesting turn as both Mr Black and Uncle Black contributed to the talk which have them a good look on how things had changed in the 200 or so years that lay between their lives.
The quidditch game they had planned for the afternoon had to be cancelled quickly where Harry was concerned. With the twins elaborating on a beater move they'd worked out to Ron and Harry acting as keeper he had been able to intercept the first owl delivering a letter without too much fuss. But it was only the first delivery in a long line, and soon Harry had had to abandon playing and flying altogether as several owls simultaneously had asked for his attention. Deciding to quit the game was but a first result, as Harry ended up needing the help of Remus to deal with all the owls. And it wasn't until even both Dobby and Winky pitched in to deal with the owls that Harry finally had a chance to even open one of the letters.
Hello Harry,
How are you doing ? I do hope you are having a wonderful holiday.
You will no doubt be surprised to receive a letter from me, but my OWL results just arrived and I really wanted to thank you for your help in the DA last year.
I have 7 OWLs, the score I had hoped for. Most of them are as I expected an E score with only Divination with an O. But surprisingly I also have a completely unexpected O for DADA that I owe to you, Ron and Hermione. I do hope you'll continue the DA next year.
Have a wonderful rest of summer and see you on the Hogwarts Express on the 1st of September.
With love from
Lavender Brown
The next two letters were conveying a similar message from Hannah Abbott and Terry Boot but to his surprise the next he opened was once again coming from Lavender.
Hello again Harry,
I hadn't read this morning's newspaper yet when I sent out my previous 'thank you' letter so you might have been surprised I didn't mention anything about it.
I am so happy for you that Professor Lupin is your new guardian. If I remember correctly he knew both your parents when he was in Hogwarts, is that right ? So that must be real nice to have stories about them from someone who knew them. Anyway, it'll be a busy morning, as next I'll be writing an angry letter to the Daily Prophet. Professor Lupin was a nice man and the best professor we've had.
Please give him my regards.
With love from
Lavender Brown
Looking through the pile of letters they now had accumulated they were addressed either to Harry, Remus or both of them. While reading through them they found the letters for Harry were either thank-you notes for the DA and the OWL score, a supportive and congratulatory letter for having Remus as a guardian, or a combination of the two from all of the DA members and several other former and current Hogwarts students Harry hardly knew.
Most of the letters for Remus came from Hogwarts students and all contained pretty much the same message of support with only a few letters from fellow werewolves advising him to treat his ward, Harry Potter, right.
They had just started on afternoon tea when a pop and a crash from the hall were heard. Harry smiled. Obviously Tonks had arrived.
He made his way to the hall to welcome her only to find her sitting on the ground with her mouth and eyes wide open.
"Hello Tonks, welcome back to Black Manor."
"This can't be Black Manor Harry. I was here several times with my mum. Uncle would sometimes invite us over and it didn't look anything like this."
"Funny you should say that, Remus had the same reaction when he arrived the first time. But I assure you this is Black Manor. Come on through to the kitchen and join us for tea. We'll explain it all later."
Just then Blythe arrived with a plop to pick up Tonks' overnight bag.
"Missy Dora, is that you ? You is all grown up so beautiful now !" said a teary house elf.
"Blythe, you are still here. This is wonderful news. My mother will be so pleased you have an even better master now."
"Oh, yes," gushed the old house elf happily, "Master Harry is the bestest master ever ! He even gived us a rooms each !"
"Oh stop it you two, you're making me blush. Come on Tonks, tea is getting cold and the sandwiches are scrumptious."
Harry indicated towards the kitchen door and Tonks started into that direction as a still smiling Blythe popped away to unpack Tonks' bag. It was only because of Harry's seeker reflexes that Tonks did not make a very spectacular entry into the kitchen. She'd obviously caught sight of the garden outside and the kitchen interior to stop any coordination she possessed and it made Harry wonder again how such a clumsy woman made it to auror.
After a very loud and hilarious tea Harry gave Tonks the tour of the new Black Manor and when stopping in his master-suite to show off his family portraits learned she'd passed the copied note from James Potter on to Mrs Amelia Bones herself who would be in contact with either Harry, Remus or Mr Watkins in the following weeks to continue the process.
Tonks also thanked Harry for his advice to watch out for Madame Malkin. It turned out that when her first employee came in to work shortly after their own visit she'd found Madame Malkin to be quite agitated, confused and feeling a bit off. Throughout the day Madame had hovered between this confused state and being all right so nothing was said about it. But after Harry's note, Kingsley had pretended to do a quick check with the shopkeepers on the Alley and had heard the entire story from the employee. Madame Malkin had been taken to St Mungo's where the use of an obliviate had been diagnosed. Specialised personnel had been able to undo the damage and Madame Malkin had already given testimony that she'd had the conversation with Harry and that Rita Skeeter to her knowledge had not been present. Unfortunately they'd had no luck on bringing in Ms Skeeter for questioning but at least Harry knew that this time Rita Skeeter would at some stage be presented with the check to pay for her actions.
After thanking Tonks for doing all this and for keeping him up-to-date they continued the tour to the study downstairs where he introduced her to Mr Black. It had the same effect on Tonks as it had on the others. Mr Black however was very pleased to see Tonks again and to finally be able to talk to her. Tonks and her mum would have been the only candidates in the Black family at current he'd have chosen to leave the estate to. And as if one shock wasn't enough, Tonks also discovered the portrait of Uncle Black in the garden room and the three had quite a lengthy talk.
Later that evening Joe Waverly came with Remus' potions and asked for a few minutes of Harry's time. Puzzled as to what the man might have to discuss with him, the two retreated into the library.
"There are two things I wanted to talk to you about, Harry. First of all, the four of us have discussed your plans with the LeBon potion, and we all agree to help you with this project. I believe it's amazing you'd do that so we want to help as much as we can. Remus told us he won't be around Tuesday afternoon so would that suit you to have that talk about it ? The sooner you have all the facts the sooner you can start production. And it will be a little while before you have enough stock to make enough potion."
"If Remus is away Tuesday then that would be perfect. I'll send Hedwig as soon as he's gone, OK, rather than setting a time to meet up. I'll look forward to find out what you've come up with. There was another thing ?"
"Yes, I also wanted to thank you, Harry, in name of all four of us."
"What did I do ?" asked a puzzled Harry.
"All four of us received a letter from Gringotts early this afternoon. We were informed that we actually have a vault each and there are also the Waverly and Teague family vaults. On top of that we found out that the Prof left us all his family possessions as well as he had no family left. David has gone to Gringotts this afternoon to make sure they were correct and he met up with Griphook and Schmegg who confirmed the vaults are really ours. None of us has any idea what to do now but Griphook said that as we are connected to you, he'll look out for us and we can contact him anytime if we have a question."
"Oh Joe, there's really no need to thank me for that. When I went to the bank I arranged for the payments to be made for the tutoring and the gardening and they told me you had those vaults. All I did was inform them that you had no idea about them. Really, it was Griphook who did all the work."
With their talk over Harry introduced Joe to Tonks and said she'd meet the three others at a later stage. With Joe returning home, Tonks was asking Remus all kinds of questions on the new potion and Harry couldn't help but tease Remus a little with the completely zoned out state he'd been in the night before.
"Yeah, yeah, you laugh now," replied Remus, "but wait for the first time you're back with Madam Pomfrey. I'll ask her to give you the vilest tasting potion and then make sure Colin Creevey is around to take pictures."
Remus went off to bed early that evening and the others stayed downstairs for quite a while, once Tonks found the Code-Breaker game. They all had a go against her, with varied success, and it was Ginny, playing last, who through a little observation and quite some 'sheer dumb luck' broke Tonks code with only one go. She admitted to Harry she'd noticed Tonks always used a same code combination and had guessed correctly as a result.
On Saturday morning another journalist of the Daily Prophet reported only that they'd been flooded with letters from the public in defence of Harry Potter and his new guardian. As Hermione had predicted a lot of Remus' students had written in and a lot of parents had added their positive comments. Rita Skeeter had not written another article.
Remus once again emerged from his potion induced sleep as fit as a fiddle and they all agreed to have an impromptu DADA session. Harry told Tonks that Professor Dumbledore has asked for his help to continue the DA when classes resumed and asked her for any help. She was more than willing and agreed to return each Saturday morning for more of these double-DADA sessions, teaching Harry and his friends some feasible auror tricks.
They played some more Quidditch on Saturday afternoon, David Waverly came with Remus' potions and was duly introduced to Tonks late afternoon and they had another DADA session on Sunday morning. By noon the heavens had opened up and it was raining cats and dogs, so instead of an afternoon in the maze, they ended up in the swimming pool, much to the delight of Charlie and Bill Weasley who had popped over for a visit early in the afternoon.
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Author's Note :
Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, I've opened up a forum you can access from my profile page. Please don't be shy. I'll be checking at least once a day so you can expect an answer within 24-36 hours maximum.
If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).
See you next week.
cheers
kadedeetje