Enters study to see a large pile of paperwork piled up behind a desk. Suddenly, the papers are sent flying as Matoro shoot up, a little bit of drool sticking a sheet to his face.
"WHERE'S THE FIRE?!"
Notices readers standing in the room, staring at him in curiosity.
"Ah! Ha ha... Sorry about that. I have been swamped with all sorts of paperwork lately, and since Ogremen is still out of it due to the Orochi incident, I've had to do this all by myself."
Notices the paper stuck to his face and removes it.
"So... I take it you're all here for the next part of the story then?
"Well, find a comfortable place to sit down in. If you get hungry, I'm sure Haruna will be along with some refreshments.
"Just so we're all clear on this, I do not own Harry Potter nor Bleach. If I did, then this sort of event would have most likely occurred then.
"Now... Where were we? Ah yes... Harry just met little Ruri... Harry just met little Ruri..."
Last Time:
Rurichiyo looked at her mother, and then at Sui Feng. "Could Harry come by tomorrow and play some more?" she asked.
Sui Feng smiled, "I think that could be arranged. For after the captains meeting tomorrow of course," she said.
"Ah, introducing the 'new noble' to the captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads, eh?" she asked.
Sui Feng nodded. "It was the Captain Commander's idea, and given what my son has been through, I can see most of them supporting him. Though if Kenpachi dares to challenge my son to fights in the future, I will kick his arse," she said.
Aimi smiled reassuringly. "I hope the captains meeting goes well Sui," she said.
"So do I, Aimi," Sui Feng with a sigh. "So do I."
After saying their goodbyes, the Feng heiress and her son left the compound. As they walked down the streets, Sui Feng looked down at her son, who she held in her arms due to the child being exhausted from all the excitement from that day.
"So what do you think of Ruri, Harry?" she asked her son with a soft smile, reveling in the feeling of having him in her arms once again.
"I like er," came the reply with a tiny yawn. "She p'etty and nice..." He nodded off after finishing that sentence.
Sui Feng giggled at her son's sleeping form. She was glad to have spent time with her old friend again, and was more than happy to see the two children having fun. She just hoped that the meeting tomorrow would go well. After all, her son needed all the allies he could get...
And now:
*Feng Clan Mansion*
This morning woke Sui Feng to a much better morning then the day before. Harry was cuddled into her side, Beebee in his arms and drool leaking from his mouth cutely.
Sui Feng moved a strand of hair out of Harry's face as she looked at her son. Before James, she never saw herself marrying and having children. But after him... well, there weren't many who could compare to him. Then there was her son, who she loved dearly. She couldn't have wished for a more handsome boy.
As Harry finally stirred, his mother smiled. She watched as he stretched, reminding her of a cat as he stretched out his legs, arching his back, and stuck out his tongue before slowly waking up. After a few minutes, Sui Feng nudged her son a bit. "Harry," she called softly, "It's time to wake up. We have to go eat and then leave for a meeting my son," she continued, smiling softly.
Harry nodded with his eyes closed before slowly opening them and getting out of the bed. However, he ended up needing his mother's help with his new kimono. Once they were ready, they ate some of the leftovers from breakfast the other day, before leaving the compound for the captains meeting.
*Captain Commander Yamamoto's Council Room*
Usually the room would be filled with voices, both boisterous and loud. Today, though, the room was filled with murmurs and whispers at the sight of the small child seated in Sui Feng's lap.
The captains were quite confused, as were their lieutenants. After all, Sui Feng was well known for being 'single'. If she was single, why would she have a child...? Needless to say, many were confused by this surprise. There was also the fact that Sui Feng was doing her best to keep the child calm, which in turn, was obviously quite nervous.
Some of the lieutenants thought the child was adorable, and wanted to hug him. Sui Feng at the moment was currently helping keep Harry busy with Beebee and 'Ichi the Kitty'. Yamamoto cleared his throat to get the attention of the captains. Sui Feng ignored him, mostly because she had been ordered to keep Harry occupied by the Captain Commander.
"Captains and lieutenants, this meeting was called for two reasons," Yamamoto began. "First and foremost, as you can all see, Captain Feng has a child sitting on her lap. "This," Yamamoto paused, "Is her son, and heir, Harry James Potter-Feng."
Yamamoto paused once more. "He is the child of a wizard and a captain of a noble clan. What's more, he is a descendant of the Peverells." As Yamamoto finished, the other captains had a mix of shocked and confused looks. The only ones to really understand the significance of those words were Byakuya Kuchiki, Retsu Unohana, Rukia Kuchiki, Jūshirō Ukitake, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The rest were all confused, having never heard of the Peverells.
In addition, Sōsuke Aizen lightly widened his eyes, but not enough for someone to see. He looked at the child in his fellow captain's arms, wondering how he could possibly be related to THAT Lost Noble line.
His attention went back to his superior when he heard him continue, "What's more, he is the godson of Captain Unohana, and is under the protection of the Kasumiōji Clan, the Feng Clan, and myself." "Now," he added after seeing his captain's questioning expressions, "I realize that some of you are wondering how this is possible, or even why you were not aware of this. Allow me to explain everything."
As Yamamoto told the captains of how Sui Feng met James, their marriage, and Harry's life so far, their expressions changed *many times.
Rukia, Shunsui, Komamura, and Ukitake all had sympathetic reactions by the end of his story. Small tears formed in the corners of Rukia's eyes, while Komamura's ears and tail drooped. Ukitake's usual smile had vanished, instead replaced by a look of pain and pity. Shunsui's face was hidden under his hat, but you could feel the killing intent gently seep off of him as he imagined what he would do to the three walking zoo animals.
Suddenly, Byakuya Kuchiki spoke up as he remembered something. "Captain Commander Yamamoto," he spoke clearly. "What is to be done of this 'Voldemort', whose name, as I understand it means, 'Flight from Death', in French?" he concluded questionably.
Yamamoto stabbed his staff into the ground. "As of this moment, the death cheating soul known as Lord Voldemort, is hereby named the most wanted man in Soul Society. Squads of Shinigami are to be sent out to likely places he would have visited or could be hiding to find traces of him. If encountered he is to be subdued, and brought to the Seireitei to face the judgement of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!"
"Captain Commander Yamamoto," Mayuri spoke suddenly, "After studying the Horcrux that came out of the Feng Heir." At his words, Rukia looked horrified, as did some of the more softer captains and lieutenants, while some of the sterner and stronger captains were disgusted that a monster would do that to a child. Mayuri continued, "I have managed to create a device that will, with in some margin for error, detect Horcruxes of a similar make up to the one we have our hands on at the moment. In other words, we have a device that will allow us to track down the others."
"Good Mayuri," Yamamoto said with a nod. "That will help not only help us Shinigami end him, but also it will aid the livings' wizarding world in ridding them of a menace that should have perished years ago."
Mayuri smirked. "Might I ask, if I may be allowed to experiment on those humans who mistreated the child?" Mayuri asked, bringing the focus back onto the Dursleys. While they were facing the justice of the 'Muggle/Mundane' world, Mayuri was very keen to experiment on a woman who looked like a horse, and two males who looked like walruses in miniature.
The other captains, while disgusted by what Mayuri obviously wanted to do to the Dursleys, couldn't really bring themselves to feel sorry, or care, for humans who had done such wrong to an innocent child.
Yamamoto smirked. "Had their crimes been only against the living, it would be outside our jurisdiction..." he said, making some of the less observant captains and lieutenants scowl in anger, while the more observant ones picked up the smirk that Yamamoto tried to hide.
"However, the victim, in this case, is half soul. As such, under our jurisdiction, and more so for being the son of a captain, as such, they are to be broken out of their prisons in the world of the living, and brought here to face our judgement!"
Immediately Kenpachi smirked, "I nominate Byakuya Kuchiki for the retrieval," he said. When everyone looked at him with confusion and surprise, he elaborated. "If anyone could keep calm around such obviously deplorable excuses for humans, it's that emotionless windbag!" he said while cleaning out one of his ears carelessly.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya nodded. "As crude as Captain Kenpachi can be," he began, "He has a point. None of us are capable of acting calmly after learning about what Captain Feng's son has been through."
As one, all the captains looked at Sui Feng, who was currently distracting Harry from all the people around him by playing with him through his plushies, as per an agreement between her and the Captain Commander to distract Harry from being nervous around all the captains.
Byakuya Kuchiki sat up straighter. "As... disgusted... as I am to learn of what has been done to a child, I will endeavor to ensure that this child's abusers face justice. I and my lieutenant will depart in three days to bring the three 'mongrels', to justice that they so dearly deserve for their actions..." Byakuya said with little emotion in his voice.
Yamamoto nodded. "Very well," he agreed. "As stated earlier, Harry is heir to one of The Lost. This is due to him being a descendant of the youngest brother of the Peverells, whose children married into the Potter family centuries ago," Yamamoto explained.
"As such, young Harry has great expectations. Being the heir of two important families, and being engaged to a third, I believe I speak for all of us when I say, whether Harry enters into the Thirteen Court Guard Squads or not, he is destined for greatness," Yamamoto finished.
The other captains nodded. With three noble families on his shoulders, he and his future bride would have to have at least three children to produce an heir for each of the families, which would now all be bound as sibling families.
Just as they were about to conclude the meeting, Sui Feng spoke up. "Captain Commander," she said, getting everyone's attention. "I wish to announce to the wizarding world what happened to my son, and whose fault it was that such things happened to him," she finished.
Yamamoto smiled. "I would see the one who put your child's safety in harm's way punished. And from what I know of this Albus Dumbledore, well, I could see him trying desperately to keep his reputation clean."
The other captains agreed. "Then it is decided. Sui Feng and I will meet with the wizarding government of Magical Britain, and we shall lay our case at their feet. If they act, we shall become allies. If they don't, we shall never let young Harry go to their magical school for his magical education," Yamamoto said.
The other captains quickly agreed, with Retsu Unohana quickly asking to come along as Harry's personal doctor, and thus, the one most knowledge of his injuries under the Dursleys.
*That Evening*
*Wizenmagot Chambers*
To say Dumbledore was surprised when he got a summons to attend an emergency Wizengamot session, would be like saying that he had never done a questionable thing in his life. When he arrived at the chamber, he was very surprised to see a man who looked even older than he did with a much more impressive beard, a woman he vaguely recognized as having been close to James Potter for a few years before disappearing shortly after the birth of James's son Harry, and a woman who looked to have the kindest disposition you could hope to find.
Once Dumbledore took his position of Chief Warlock, Amelia Bones stood up in her capacity as head of the DMLE, or Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She cleared her throat. "Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot," she began in a loud tone of voice. "A number of matters have been brought to my attention by this young woman behind me; matters that concern us all. Namely, abuse of power, corruption, child endangerment, crimes against a Most Ancient and Noble House, and imprisonment of an innocent man, among other, smaller crimes," she continued.
As she spoke, numerous mutterings could be heard throughout the room, while Dumbledore began to narrow his eyes at what had been listed. A very strange list of crimes to be connected, to be sure. It almost sounded like... His eyes then widened at the realization of who they were referring to.
Wait a moment, he thought as he realized something else from Amelia's statement, Imprisoning an innocent man? Who could I have possibly done that to? Hopefully they can tell both myself and everyone here, though, as I already have enough of a guilty conscience on my hands as it already is. And what does she mean by abuse of power? I may have used my position to make things different once or twice, but that was to actually help people as a whole.
Amelia cleared her throat again. "First and foremost, the charge of throwing an innocent man in prison..." she reached into her robes and pulled out a letter sealed within an envelope. She opened and pulled out the contents. "This matter was brought to my attention by someone who had rightful access to this: a will. Specifically, the will of James Charlus Potter, of the Ancient and Noble house of Potter." Here she grinned. "In it, it states, clearly, and explicitly, that..." Here, again, Amelia paused, but this time for dramatic effect more than anything. "That their REAL secret keeper was none other *than Peter Pettigrew, not Sirius Black!"
When she finished, there was utter silence for a moment, before... well, let's just say that the old saying all Hell broke loose, would pale by comparison to what happened. An eruption of screams, yells, and protests rang throughout the entire hall...
Dumbledore fired off a canon blast from his wand, getting silence to reign in the chamber. "I assume, Madam Bones, that you have more evidence?" Amelia smirked. "I do," she replied. With a snap of her fingers, the doors opened and in trotted two aurors carrying a man in prison garb that everyone present recognized.
"I took the liberty of transporting Sirius Black here to interrogate him. Imagine my surprise when I learned that he NEVER RECIEVED A TRIAL!" she ended in a thundering voice, silencing everyone in the room with her words as they realized the implications of them and how this could affect them and, worse, be used against them if they refused to give Sirius a trial.
Amelia paused before continuing, "Now, my Lords and Ladies. If a man who is heir to one of our oldest families and houses could be imprisoned for four years, without trial, how could we avoid it being used against us, or others, and the justification being that 'prejudices are enough' for a reason?"
She could see the other Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot nodding, and realizing just how badly some of the other families hated them, and how easy it would be for them to use this man as an example of how they could have them locked away and without justification.
"Well now," Dumbledore said with a smirk, "I, for one, would like to hear Lord Black's testimonial myself." he paused for a moment, "With the use of Veritaserum, of course," he added as his smirk grew larger at the paling face of one particular blonde Lord.
"Of course," Amelia said with an equally large smirk. The three Shinigami present, as well as several of the Nobles, looked confused at these smirks. No one except a small few present were aware that for the past three years, Albus and Amelia had, individually, been trying to petition a trial for Sirius, but were blocked at every turn. With this proof, though, they could finally learn the truth of what happened that night.
Lucius knew that things would go bad for him if Black was exonerated. He would lose the Black vote on the Wizengamot, and if he tried to influence the vote, Amelia would have his hide for trying to rig the court.
Amelia stepped up to Sirius and looked at him. "Sirius Black, do you consent to taking Veritaserum, to prove whether you are innocent or guilty?" she asked.
Sirius Black didn't even hesitate to answer. "I DO!" he shouted with obvious joy, much to the confusion of those gathered for this meeting.
Amelia smiled brightly. If she played her cards right, and luck was on her side, she may just have her fiancé back. "Very well," she then turned to one of the aurors that escorted Sirius in. "Give it to him," she said. The auror nodded, and administered the dose to the man sitting in the chair.
Amelia began the procedure of questioning the Lord of the House of Black.
"What is your name?"
"Sirius Orion Black," the man answered, a small tear of joy having formed at the corner of his eye before the potion was given to him.
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"Hell no! I get that since my last name is Black that everyone would think that, but I'm not. I HATE anything to do with blood superiority and the like!"
At this, the hall again was filled with the voices of many. Everyone was shocked at Sirius' statement, while Lucius was beginning to sweat bullets. His claim on the Black position and *inheritance was growing thinner by the minute. There was nothing he could do, though. Not without jeopardizing his position and where he stood in the Ministry anyway.
Amelia continued, "Were you the Secret Keeper for the Potters?"
"While that was the original plan," Sirius began, "I wasn't. We switched to Pettigrew at the last moment, with me instead being a decoy."
Once again, everyone within the hall began to raise their voices in disbelief. Sirius wasn't the traitor all along; it was Peter Pettigrew!
A loud bang was heard, silencing everyone in the room. They all turned and saw Dumbledore standing up with his wand raised above his head.
"Madam Bones," he said with a small smile, "Please continue the interrogation. I'm sure there's more that we all need to know before we can come to a decision."
"Of course, Albus," she replied with a nod. Her face only showed a small smile, but on the inside she was laughing and cheering. Finally, she was able to prove her beloved's innocence to them all!
"Lord Black," she said as she turned back to the man in question, "If you weren't the Secret Keeper, then why did you kill those muggles and Pettigrew?"
"I didn't kill them," was the reply. "Once I saw what You-Know-Who had done, I went after Pettigrew in a rage. When I managed to corner him, he started spouting about how I betrayed James and Lily, before setting off the spell himself."
"So he's dead then?" Sui Feng finally spoke up. Everyone turned and began to tremble at what they saw. The Feng Heiress was shaking in rage at hearing Sirius' statement.
"Please Lady Feng," Madam Bones said calmly, understanding how she felt but trying to reassure the angered woman. "All will be answered if you give it time."
She turned back to Sirius, who was still sitting in his chair, unaware of the Shinigami captain's rage due to still being under the effects of the truth potion. "There is one last question I want to ask you before this interrogation is over: is Pettigrew dead?"
Sirius sighed in weariness. "If only, Madam Bones," he replied. "He changed into a rat at the last minute due to the confusion he caused and escaped, but not before cutting off his finger. He's an unregistered animagus, as am I. James was too before...well, You-Know-Who got to him and Lily."
"Say no more Sirius," Dumbledore said gently. He turned to Amelia as he added, "I believe that concludes the interrogation, yes?" At seeing her nod, he smiled as he looked out at the court before him.
"I think I speak for us all when I say that a call to release Sirius Black from imprisonment is in order," he continued. "All those in favor of freeing this innocent man, say aye. All opposed may say nay."
Needless to say, everyone gave their approval to free Sirius. Some gave their vote wholeheartedly, while some, like Lucius, gave theirs grudgingly. Even though they may have preferred the Lord Black to remain out of the picture, the evidence supporting his innocence was overwhelming.
As Amelia administered the antidote, Dumbledore spoke up. "Now then," he started. "Sirius Black, you have admitted to being an unregistered animagus, alongside the deceased James Potter, and the now wanted fugitive Peter Pettigrew. However, in light of the fact that you spent four years in prison without trial, we will overlook the fine, and say that you have done time served.
"Also, in recompense for four years spent without justice, or a trial, you will be awarded a repayment of one thousand galleons for every year you spent in prison without trial, provided you see a mind healer to make sure there are no permanent effects left over from the dementors of Azkaban pris-"
Dumbledore was suddenly cut off as Yamamoto stood up. "YOU FOOLS EMPLOY DEMENTORS AT A PRISON?!" he shouted in shock. "ARE YOU FOOLISH CHILDREN OR DERANGED PHYSCOPATHS?!" he shouted in horror, horror that was mirrored on the faces of Sui Feng and Unohana.
Dumbledore looked on confused. "What is the problem with dementors, Mr-?" Dumbledore began.
"Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto," Yamamoto replied. "And as a Soul Reaper, I must command that we be allowed to destroy every single dementor we can find!" There were gasps of shock from all around the chamber at Yamamoto's words. One voice scoffed, coming from what looked like an ugly toad in pink.
"Destroy dementors? You must be deluded. There is no way to destroy dementors. On top of that, they are perfectly safe while under our command."
Unohana scoffed at the woman's arrogance. "If you think you can control a dementor with anything but the darkest of magic, then you're as smart as you are ugly, you disgusting toad!" she shouted. Sui Feng smirked, while others around the chamber snorted in laughter or hid their smiles.
Dumbledore seemed intrigued. "Forgive me for asking, but we have not heard of Soul Reapers before, so, perhaps you might know more about dementors then us." He paused before continuing, "Would you, perchance, know of their creation?"
Yamamoto nodded. "They were created in ancient Greece by a fully-fledged warlock. Your kind know of him by the name of Herpo the Foul." At the utterance of Yamamoto's words, the entire hall gasped. "He was eventually slain by his own creations when a Shinigami managed to sever the Soul Stone he had used to control them. Since that time, dementors have been a plague worse than Hollows."
At the mention of Hollows, those in the hall grew concerned, but Yamamoto continued, "Dementors carry a 'butcher on sight' order to all Shinigami. As such, this is why you will never find them outside of Britain, as they have been hunted down and exterminated."
"To know that you are trying to control them at all, and believe you can, I am sorely tempted to call in every single Shinigami and attack your prison, with the sole intent of exterminating every single last one of those soul eaters!" Yamamoto said with obvious rage.
Everyone paled at the threat the man before them had issued. They knew from his appearance and how he held himself that he was a man not to be taken lightly.
Sui Feng suddenly stood up. "If I were you lot, I would recommend sending the dementors to a meeting spot we will set up. There, we will destroy them for you-" she began, only to be cut off by Yamamoto.
"They WILL send the dementors to us for execution, or we will stop sending souls from this part of the world to the Soul Society. If they want an excess of spirits and ghosts, then they will have to let the dementors deal with the fallout when humans learn of their 'secret' society," he said with a malicious grin, causing the other members of the Wizengamot to quickly agree to the offer of destroying the dementors. After all, the last thing they wanted was to have to use dementors to exterminate ghosts and spirits around the country just to keep the Statute of Secrecy in place.
Yamamoto then banged on his staff. "Another piece of business to discuss, is the corruption of your government," he began, making many Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot nervous.
Amelia nodded. "I agree. For too long, injustice and corruption, along with abuse of power, has reigned supreme. As such, I ask to the Minister of Magic, and the Chief Warlock, that I be allowed to purge the Ministry of corruption; show the populace that we are doing something to improve our country."
She turned to Fudge. "Minister, will you stand up, and show the populace that another occurrence like this will never be allowed due to corruption? Or will you sit back, and let the corruption continue?"
Fudge, meanwhile was sweating bullets by now. He was backed into a corner now. He had not been made aware ahead of time that the Dailey Prophet had been contacted about this meeting, and had been taking notes on the entire thing. Needless to say, while Delores and Lucius were looking at him pointedly, many of the light sided Lords and Ladies were looking him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for his reply, even the neutrals were looking at him expectantly.
He knew that if he refused, he would be seen as voting to let the corruption continue. If he voted to root out the corruption, he knew it was only a matter of time till he was ousted due to taking bribes from Lucius Malfoy. However, as tight as it was, he saw the look the Feng woman was giving him, and gulped as he finally recognized the boy that had been sitting with her, trying to hide himself in her robes.
That is Harry Potter! 'Oh lord this just got worse... Fudge thought. He was, mentally now, crapping his pants. He then cleared his throat. "I-I-is it perhaps possible to p-p-postpone my decision till a later date?" Fudge asked stammering a little in hope that he could get out of it later.
Suddenly Sui Feng stood up, an expression of motherly anger on her face. "So, like a coward, you would wish to run away and turn your back on the corruption later?" she demanded questioningly. "Very well then, if you refuse to deal with the corruption of your Government, then I will be taking my son, Harry Potter-Feng, and we will all, Soul Reapers as a whole, leave the British Wizarding society to its fate. And when Voldemort returns, you can deal with him. My son should not be forced to fight against a dark wizard because idiotic people see him as a hero!"
When she finished her little tirade, there was complete and utter silence from everyone. It was so quiet that if it had been a forest you would have been able to hear a leaf falling.
Then, suddenly, the entire chamber exploded into chaos with people making demands for information, accusations, denials, and everything in between and more. Needless to say, the reporters were having a field day, especially one reporter who, given what she was planning to report later, did not know she was unintentionally dooming her career, as well as endangering her life.
"SON?!" Fudge shouted in shock. "How can he be YOUR son?! Lily Potter was his mother, not you!" It was then that Sirius, no longer under the effects of the Veritaserum due to being given the antidote, finally noticed the mother Shinigami's presence.
"S-Sui Feng?!" he *exclaimed in disbelief. "W-what are you doing here?! What about your duties and- HARRY?!" he gasped the last part out as he saw the young child in his mother's lap.
Everyone aside from the other two Shinigami, Amelia Bones, Albus Dumbledore, and one other looked at the recently freed man in confusion. How did Sirius Black know this woman? And why did he seem so shocked to see her there?
Sui Feng grinned. "Good to see you too Black. Especially since I had to appoint a new godfather, seeing as the one James assigned was in prison due to your, what was it again? 'Canine need for justice', or something like that?" she said with a grin, and yet had glaring eyes that made Sirius flinch. This confused, and made those of the chamber widen their eyes in that they had wronged the Potter family by neglecting the godfather of their savior.
"W-well what would you have done Sui?" he asked, still confused by the presence of his best friend's wife and son.
"Kept you as the Secret Keeper and killed Pettigrew when I had the chance," the Shinigami captain said bluntly. Most present were still looking back and forth between the two in confusion as they bantered.
"Hem hem," Umbridge coughed to get their attention. However, she withered when Sui Feng's glare switched to her.
"What do you want toad?" Sui-Feng spoke with pure venom when she said 'toad', with a withering glare looking at the ugly woman. She was told about this woman, and was fully prepared to hear her question.
"How is it that you, a non-human creature, claims to be Harry Potter's mother?" the short fat woman asked as arrogantly as she could, which was rather hard to do when you have a Shinigami mother glaring daggers at you. "Better yet," she added as she turned to look at Amelia, "How is it that you have a will with you? James and Lily Potter never made a will. We looked all over their vault."
"If you'll move your fat arse," a muffled voice said from behind her, "I believe I can answer all those questions."
Umbridge jumped as she moved, revealing none other than King Ragnok sitting in a chair. He had a thoroughly angered look on his face as he stood up. He glared at the woman he was sure had purposely blocked him off from sight before turning to the Lord and Ladies seated all over the hall.
"You all know me as the Great Goblin King Ragnok," he started with a loud authoritative voice. "However, I am also the Potter's personal account manager, as they have been given the title of Friend of the Goblins for centuries now for being respectful and kind to us."
"The reason the will was never found was due to the fact that it had been illegally sealed by Minister Fudge, who had it placed in the Potter's other vault." As one, everyone in the room turned to glare at Fudge, who was by now sweating like a stuffed pig.
"He was 'lucky', if you can call it such, that one of our employees was corrupted by greed to the point that he'd betray his own morals, and people, for gold," Ragnok continued with a scowl of fury. "Luckily the traitor has been dealt with, by having his head chopped off, and is now on my trophy wall where it belongs." Everyone's faces slightly turned green at this statement, while Fudge and Lucius's turned pale.
"Also, we noticed some discrepancies in the Potter vaults. Needless to say, when our investigations are complete, we will be taking the right hands of those involved for the theft..." he added menacingly.
Amelia gave a sickly smile, still a little uneasy by what the Goblin King had just said. "And Fudge is just one of those who are being brought up on abuse of power charges!" she said with a now obviously happy expression on her face. Apparently someone was receiving an early Christmas present, and a very good one by the look of her grin. "Would you mind if I pointed them out, High King Ragnok?" she asked politely.
"Of course not Madam Bones. By all means do so," Ragnok said with a smile, all but confirming her statement.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, "And who else might be on this list exactly?" he asked in interest.
Amelia's grin turned positively shark like now. "Well, let's see..." she said, making a show of it as she pulled out a piece of parchment with names on it. "There's Minister Fudge...Dolores Umbridge...Bartimus Crouch Senior..." When she said the second name, Umbridge had actually croaked like a toad.
"Oh, and Albus Dumbledore!" Amelia said finishing the list. When she did, there was total silence in the hall. Everyone looked to Dumbledore, wondering what his reaction would be. After all, the greatest wizard of the age had been just been named as one of those accused of abuse of power!
Dumbledore sputtered in shock when he heard her say that, "W-what?!" He looked as if he was in thought for a moment, before his expression became weary. An aged hand rubbed his temples as he asked, "Madam Bones, I am afraid I do not quite understand. Please enlighten me of what I have done by 'abusing my power', as I do not have any recollection of this."
Amelia looked at him in shock. Over the years, she had learned to be able to tell if someone was lying or not. Because of this, she was surprised to see that he was telling the truth. He was actually serious when he was saying that he never even knew he was abusing his authority!
"Fine," Amelia said. "You might think your innocent, but I have evidence that says otherwise. But first, some questions," she continued, before clearing her throat loudly as she shuffled a few papers before putting on a pair of spectacles as she picked one up and looked at Dumbledore.
"On the early morning of November first, in the year 2000, did you, or did you not leave one Harry James Potter-Feng on the doorstep of Number Four Privet Drive with nothing but a baby basket, his blanket, a few of his toys, and two spells on him, a sleeping charm and a warming charm?" she asked, looking up from the paper as she finished. While she awaited Dumbledore's answers, many in the chamber were realizing that Dumbledore had messed up majorly.
The man in question sighed. He knew the truth would have come into the open sooner or later. If anything, he was glad that it was sooner, as he could finally release some of his burdens he had held for so long. "Yes I did," he admitted. "Though I have hated myself for doing it since that day."
Amelia nodded in satisfaction. "Regardless, did you have the RIGHT to place him with..." she consulted the paper for a moment. "The Dursleys?" She paused, letting what she asked settle in. "Was it your place to put him with them, or, did you not use your power to place him there while telling everyone that he was 'safe'?" she asked.
"Before I answer that," Dumbledore said as he stood up and lifted his wand into the air, "I swear on my magic that whatever I reveal today will be the truth and nothing but the truth! So mote it be!"
Everyone, even the Shinigami present and Ragnok, gasped at what he had just done. To cast a magical oath like that showed that what he had to say was important to his case.
"Now," the Supreme Mugwump said as he sat down again, "To answer your first question: no I did not have the right, but was forced to do it anyway."
"And why is that, sir," Amelia asked, still having a hard time believing that he had cast a magical oath. And, honestly, who could blame her?
"Them," he said as he pointed to where Fudge and now Umbridge were with Lucius and Crouch. "When the Minister learned of what had happened that night, he immediately wanted to take Harry to examine him and see how he survived."
Sui Feng turned her gaze upon the people Dumbledore was still pointing at in fury. A murderous aura began to leak out of her, making everyone uneasy. The only reason she calmed down was due to the whimper she heard from her son. She hugged him closer to her as she listened to the old wizard give the rest of his explanation.
"In addition," the long bearded man continued, "Had they had their way, Harry would have grown up arrogant and never knowing what a normal childhood should be like, as he would have been raised by the Malfoys, due to Lucius pressing for adoption papers."
Sui Feng once again began to leak out dangerous aura as she looked at the Head of the Noble House of Malfoy, whose face had become even paler than usual. This time, however, Harry was unaffected, as he was currently having his back rubbed by his mother as he listened to her heartbeat, which was slowly lulling him to sleep.
"In order to prevent this," Dumbledore said after a minute to let it sink in, "I began to look for a place for young Harry to live. Unfortunately, Fudge and Malfoy began to block me off at every turn. And even if I did find Harry a home amongst the magical world, he would have grown up having to put up with his fame that he clearly would rather have his father back instead of having. He would also be a large target for any of You-Know-Who's followers that we have still failed to catch.
"As a result," this was where the wizard's voice began to grow as weary as he looked, "I knew it would have been for the best, for HIS own interests and safety, that he be placed in a muggle house. As I was unaware that Lily wasn't his mother at the time, I thought that it would be the best choice to place him with Lily's only relatives: the Dursleys."
"However," he added in disgust, "In order to prevent anyone with dangerous intent for the boy to reach him, I had to place Blood Wards on the house. Though I knew that the Dursleys hated anything that wasn't 'normal' by their standards, I had thought that Petunia would have at least honored her sister's memory by keeping him safe and loved."
His expression turned sorrowful as he continued, "However, as I was, and still am, literally overrun by several things with these dammed positions, I had to ask one of the professors at Hogwarts to monitor the wards and keep an eye on Harry. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account that the particular professor in question would let a grudge he had against James effect Harry, as the wards were never kept in check.
"As a result, young Harry was abused by the Dursleys, as the wards only increased their hatred for the supernatural to the point where they deemed it as a 'civic service' to nearly kill him." His voice dripped with venom as he said what the abominations had ranted as they were taken away by the muggle authorities.
When they heard this, many of the Nobles present began to demand the head of the professor who had let Harry suffer in that hellhole he was forced to call his home for three years.
Amelia nodded, "I am assuming, of course, you learned about the abuse when you showed up at the house asking for Harry, when he had already been taken to the Soul Society by his mother?" she asked.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a nod. "That is also where I learned that Lady Feng is in fact Harry's true mother, while Lily was just a decoy of sorts until James and Harry would be able to live in the Soul Society."
Sui Feng growled. "As much as I would love to see you die, or at least suffer under torture, Dumbledore, for the hell you put my son through, I can understand your reasons..." she said with obvious anger.
Amelia, however, smiled evilly. "I on the other hand, do not condone your actions. For your abuse of power, I vote to strip Albus Dumbledore from his positions as Chief Warlock, and his position as Supreme Mugwump and representative of Britain on the ICW. All in favor?" Not a single wand went unlit. "All opposed?" She asked, and saw that not a single wand went up.
"Very well. As head of the DMLE, I hereby take over as head of these proceedings until such time as a new Chief Warlock can be appointed. Albus, will you please step down with honors?" she asked, looking at Dumbledore, who looked crestfallen, but understanding, of his loss of positions. For some reason, though, he also almost seemed relieved of not having those positions anymore.
"Another thing, Dumbledore..." Amelia said, before he could fully step away. "You mentioned you put up Blood Wards; as in blood magic?" she asked in a casual tone, causing everyone's eyes to widen that the 'greatest wizard since Merlin' had used blood magic. Dumbledore gulped as he realized what she was getting at, before lowering his head in shame.
"Well, I knew that I'd have to explain myself on that front sooner or later," the elderly wizard sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Yes I did use Blood Wards." At this, the hall went deathly quiet.
Amelia nodded in acceptance of his admission. "Are you aware of WHY blood magic is illegal, and, more specifically, why Blood Wards carry such a hefty punishment when use of them is discovered?" she asked in a serious tone, reminiscent of what one would use when teaching a child about something they did wrong.
"Yes, but it was the only thing besides the Fidelious charm that could successfully hide him from both Death Eaters still at large and the Ministry," he replied with another sigh. "I'm sure you can understand why I would have been weary of trying the charm again, as it failed to protect him the first time. Not to mention I was still in grieving about the fact that it *was, and still is, MY fault that James Potter and Lily Evans are dead, so I wasn't entirely thinking straight."
"Not to mention the problem I have believing that everyone has the potential to do good when that ideal is obviously wrong," he continued in shame. "I had thought that Petunia would be the most sensible of the lot at least, but I was terribly wrong on that front."
Amelia looked at Dumbledore impassively. "Regardless of your reasoning, you broke the law Dumbledore, and a serious one at that," she then ruffled through some other notes before pulling up a paper. "Are you also aware that, by putting up Blood Wards in a muggle neighborhood, with the only magical with in a hundred miles, was Harry James Potter-Feng?"
"What's more, that by doing so, you condemned a child, to a slow and prolonged death by magical exhaustion?" she asked, making many of the more knowledgeable wizards and witches understand what she really meant. By having a child be the only wizard in a muggle home protected by wards, it was only a matter of time till the child died due to magical exhaustion.
"I did know that," he said as his expression turned sour once again. "However, since I knew of this, I took precautions. I had placed a large Ward Stone in the backyard, and added a link to my own magical reserves, so that instead of Harry, who is still developing his magical core might I add, would have little to no drain of his magic."
"However," he added with an even darker scowl, "I did not take into account that the Dursleys would be imbeciles and REMOVE it even though they KNEW what it did. I had always wondered about why my magic never felt any different, as I knew for a fact that I would've felt at least HALF of my magic going into the Ward Stone.
"I only learned of the Ward Stone being removed when I arrived at Privet Drive. Apparently, though I have no solid proof yet, the one that I had entrusted with keeping an eye on the wards was aware of this, but didn't notify me. Had he done so, I would have immediately removed him from that house and brought him to Hogwarts until I could have found a suitable family that would have raised him like how he should have been, with love and care."
Amelia sighed. "You will still have to be punished for endangering a child like this Albus. Regardless of your reasons, it's a miracle Harry is still alive after having that kind of strain on his core for three years." Then she went serious. "However, the one you posted to watch the place, and who failed to notify you about the change in the wards power source, is guilty of a far more serious crime; attempted murder of a child, attempted murder of the heir of an Ancient and Most Noble House, and the attempted extinction of wiping out an entire family line's last living member,"
She then looked at Dumbledore again. "You will name him, or you will be named as an accomplice in these charges, and will face equal punishment just like this person will!"
Dumbledore nodded in understanding, his face still hard. "Very well then Madam Bones," he said. "Severus Snape was the one I entrusted with Harry's wellbeing. He is currently at Hogwarts, where he is under the watch of the entire faculty until he is to be brought before you."
Amelia nodded, and turned to the rest of chamber. "We will deal with Snape later, Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot. For now, I ask of you, what do you all think would be a fitting punishment for Albus Dumbledore, for the crimes he has admitted to just now?"
Seeing all the murderous looks on the Nobles' faces, Sui Feng sighed. Though she had originally wanted the man to die, she could now understand why he had to do what he did. That didn't mean that she could forgive him just yet, though.
She stood up, causing all eyes to turn to her. "I propose that the parties that fell victim to this be compensated with perhaps say... seventy to eighty percent of the Dumbeldore's family fortune."
At this, Albus looked to her, at first in shock, before his face lowered in acceptance. He was reaping what he had sown three years ago, so he might as well accept what was coming.
"A grand idea," Amelia said with a nod. "However, I feel he should lose a bit more than just some money."
"In addition," she added in a serious tone, "I propose that we remove the title of Noble House from the House of Dumbledore, as well as removing their seat and vote in the Wizenmagot's doings, or to at least make Albus' brother Aberforth the new Head of House."
Dumbledore looked horrified at hearing that his House could all well be turned into just a regular magical family. He wouldn't mind if he was removed as the Head of House, but to remove the House's status altogether?
"I second the motion of making Aberforth Dumbledore the Head of House," Sui Feng said with a raised hand. "That way, it can be up to him to decide his brother's fate."
"And who gave you, a non-human mongrel, the right to second that?" Umbridge asked in a superior and clearly pompous tone.
"You do realize that I can kill you right now and get away with it right?" the Shinigami asked flatly, making the human toad's face pale.
"And to answer your question," she continued, "As the wife of James Potter, the title of the Head of the House of Potter falls to me until my son is old enough to take over. That also includes their vote in the Wizenmagot, does it not?"
"Not to mention," she added as an afterthought, "You couldn't really stop me from doing that even if it was illegal, as most living spells don't work on Shinigami."
At this revelation, everyone gasped. Spells couldn't work against this woman?! How was that possible?! And what did she mean by living?!
Amelia nodded, as she looked at all the lords and ladies who had voted. "Very well, as of this moment, Aberforth Dumbledore is now the new head of the Noble House of Dumbledore." She then turned to Albus once more.
"Oh, and one last thing, Dumbledore," she added as she smirked. "I might not be able to have you kicked out of Hogwarts, but I can at least try this," she said with a grin before speaking up louder, "As we have seen, Dumbledore could not protect the Boy Who Lived from those he had thought were his 'relatives'. As such, I would ask that, we, and the board of governors, petition to demote him from headmaster of Hogwarts, to Deputy Headmaster, and promote Minvera McGonagall to Headmistress of Hogwarts.
"We would also put him on probation as a teacher," she added. "That way, if he does something that even hints that he's doing something wrong, he will be stripped of even that. All in favor of petitioning?"
Every single wand went up. "Those opposed?" There was not a wand to seen. "Very well, one month from today, the board of governors for Hogwarts will meet with us here, where we will discuss who will take over for Minerva as teacher of Transfiguration, once we vote her in as Headmistress."
Smiling, Amelia then said, "And now, I push for a vote of no confidence in Minster Fudge, for his blatant abuse of power. After which, he will be placed under arrest, where he will be interrogated for other crimes..." she smirked. "Those in favor?" Many of the wands went up, but almost as many didn't. "Those opposed?" This time, the wands that didn't go up did. Amelia was pleased to note that, every single one of them belonged to someone who had claimed to be 'Imperiused' after the last war ended. The favored had won, but it had been close.
"By majority vote, Cornelius Fudge, you are hereby removed from your position of Minister of Magic, and to be placed under arrest for corruption and abuse of power."
Immediately, Umbridge tried to say something, when Dumbledore, having stepped down as Chief Warlock, stood up. "As head of the Noble House of Dumbledore until the end of this meeting, I ask that we vote to make Amelia Bones interim Minister for Magic until a proper vote can be held!"
Immediately Dumbledore's move was met mostly with approval. Amelia sighed. "Those in favor of Lord Dumbledore's request?" she asked. Immediately, seventy-five percent of the assembled lords and ladies raised their wands. "Those opposed?" she asked. Twenty-five percent raised their wands.
"The favored have it." Dumbledore stood up and approached Amelia. "Amelia Bones, you have been voted in as interim Minister for Magic, as such, and as interim Chief Warlock, is there any other business to discuss?" Amelia shook her head. "Very well. Until the next meeting, I feel confident saying this session is adjourned."
No sooner had he finished speaking when all the reporters fled from the chamber to get to their offices as fast as possible to report on what had started as a quest for justice, ended up turning into the most explosive story of the century.
As the chamber started to empty, Umbridge approach Sui Feng and glared at her. The Shinigami in question simply held her now sleeping son a little more firmly. "Yes?" she asked in annoyance.
"You do realize," the toady woman stated matter-of-factly, "That you do not have the authority to take the boy in as your son, as you are nothing but a filthy mongrel animal."
Everyone stopped leaving and turned to look at Umbridge in horror. Their fear only grew as they felt the incredibly deadly aura surround Sui Feng.
"You're one to talk, Half-Blood," she snarled. Delores's face paled as everyone gasped in shock. Even Fudge who had been in the process of being led away looked at her in surprise and disbelief. Delores Umbridge was a Half-Blood?! How was that possible?
"Not to mention you are also under arrest, Miss Umbridge," Amelia Bones said as she walked up with three guards in tow.
"WHAT?!" the short fat toad screamed. "On what charges?! And how does this...this THING know about my mother?!" Her last statement all but confirmed that she was indeed a half-blooded witch, half-muggle to the Nobles present. Some of the reporters who stayed behind instantly began scribbling on their notebooks, determined to let this knowledge become public.
"Blackmail to get your position you so dearly love and protect, abuse of the power and authority you do NOT have, fraud, lying and hiding your status as a Half-Blood by murdering the rest of your family on both sides, and secretly funding to You-Know-Who during the war, among other things," the newly made Minister of Magic said as she pulled a rather lengthy scroll containing all of the toad's crimes.
Umbridge growled in defiance. "YOU HAVE NO PROOF OF ANY OF THIS!" she snarled.
"Actually I do," Amelia said as she pulled out something from behind her back. In her hand were several papers reporting every little thing Umbridge had done to get to and stay in her position, as well as some muggle photos of her slaughtered family.
"You really need to get better subordinates," she smirked as she saw Umbridge's face drain of every single drop of blood, leaving her as pale as a sheet of paper.
"Plus you also had this locked in your desk," Amelia held up the Black Book, causing the toady woman to collapse from fear. The three guards then picked her up, which was surprisingly easy, and carried her out the door. Most knew that she would probably be in Azkaban for the crimes she had committed, but it now didn't seem so bad since the dementors would be gone pretty soon if the Shinigami had any say in the matter.
(Song begin: Tobu - Good Times)
Amelia turned to Sui Feng. "You have no idea how thankful I am to you," she said. So many of the Ministry of Magic's problems had been solved today, and the scary part was how connected they all seemed in hindsight, even if distantly so.
"It was no problem, Amelia," Sui Feng said with a smile. "So," she added as she saw Sirius looking at them both in interest, "Aren't you going to go greet your fiancé?"
Amelia looked in the direction her old friend had motioned, and her smile grew even larger. "If you'll excuse me," she said as she walked over to the man she dearly loved.
Sui Feng smiled as she saw the two embrace. She knew Amelia from back when she was still with James. The Head of the House of Bones had been the only other living girl, aside from Lily, that she called friend, and had been overjoyed when she learned of her and Sirius' engagement.
Of course, the engagement had been arranged by Sirius and Amelia themselves, rather than their parents, something that had pissed off Walburga Black, as she was the type to 'micro manage', the family. When her husband had died, she had tried to kick Sirius out as heir, but, as the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black could only be led by a man, by its house rules, she was unable to do anything as Sirius was, by right, the next Lord Black. She could do nothing, which pissed her off further.
As such, was it really any surprise that, as she neared her death, people said she had lost her mind to madness? Now, with Sirius released from prison, he could, properly, take up the position of Lord Black, and many could tell, mostly from the huge grin that Sirius was giving Lucius, that the blonde's days of having a stake in the next heir of Lord Black, namely through his son, Draco, were numbered.
Sirius turned to Amelia. "So, 'darling'," he said sweetly, his tone causing Amelia to pause in fear. "How hard exactly did you try to get me out of prison?"
Amelia gulped. She knew that Sirius would be upset for spending three years in prison, but then she remembered: he is an unrepentant prankster at heart. So, turning towards him, and smiling coyly, she replied, "Only as hard as you deserved, 'darling'."
She smiled at the flat-footed look on Sirius's face as he realized he just had his little joke turned on him by his finance. Sirius then smiled. "Well, I just got tables turned on me," he said smiling; his future was looking bright once more. "So, Amelia, what does a man have to do to get a chance to clean up?" he asked with a smile.
Amelia sighed and said, "Well, you have to go through processing first, but don't tempt me to spray you down with an aguamenti first," she said with a glare. Sirius just laughed in response, something he hadn't done in three years.
Sui Feng smiled at the banter shared between the two lovers. She really missed James, but she had yet to find him in Soul Society, something that irked her deeply. However, at least she had her son, her husband's best friend, and now, one of her surrogate sisters, back with her.
Life was definitely looking up for Sui Feng. All that was left was to find Remus Lupin, and get him to rejoin 'the family'. Looking at Amelia, Sui Feng smiled, "Amelia, Sirius, I will see you in a few days, alright?"
Amelia nodded. "Stay out of trouble Sui Feng. The Dursleys will be facing magical justice in a week or so to answer for the abuse they dished out to the heir of a Most Ancient and Noble House," she said. Oh how Amelia was looking forward to that trial.
With Amelia as acting minister, and a shoo-in for the position, and she could soon get on to making sure that Peter Pettigrew, now the most notorious wizarding traitor, would be hunted down like an animal, before being put down like a rabid animal...
Once she was in, the Ministry of Magic would be getting a swift kick in the right direction, and a bit modernized. Oh how her plans to progress the magical world forward would be a golden age.
Little did she know how right she would be in the years to come...
(Song end here)
"And that's all that I can tell you for today
"I know. I know. You wish for me to continue. So do I, but this paperwork won't be sorting and signing itself you know.
"(Mumbles) Why I never asked Naruto how to create Kage Bunshins when I had the chance I'll never know.
"Well then, till next time faithful viewers!"