The Magical World Exposed
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
Warnings: COMPLETELY AU! If you don't like this, just stop reading and write your own story more to your liking.
The four friends decided to feign ignorance about Voldemort's outburst for the time being and speak with the founders first.
"You can still sense him, but it doesn't hurt anymore," Rowena repeated, pensively. She remained quiet for an instant, before she spoke again. "I believe that your scar is still connected to him, whilst the Horcrux must be gone due to the killing curse that was cast at you."
"I think so," Godric second her idea.
"Now, we need you to cast two spells," the female founder continued. "For the first spell, it doesn't matter who casts it," she explained. "It merely brings the spirit to the front. The second spell, however, kills the spirit and has to be cast by Harry. Harry, you may only cast the spell if your scar at prickles or hurts more than earlier, which means that you're sure that his spirit is at the front. Otherwise, you might end up killing Mr. Filch."
"All right," Harry thought, feeling very uncertain about the matter.
"You should go home and have your guardians make a dummy for you to practise," Salazar suggested, and the children agreed immediately. They walked to Sirius' and Remus' rooms, where Sirius conjured a life size dummy, which Remus charmed to at least slightly feature Mr. Filch's situation.
While his three friends practised the spell to call the spirit to the front of Filch's head, using the dummy, Harry practised his spell, as soon as the others succeeded with their spell. 'I hope I feel more standing in front of Filch and Voldemort than now,' he thought, anxiously.
They were just about to stop practising, when Rowena suddenly spoke up. "The students are arriving. I believe that you need to go to the Great Hall for the welcoming feast. I think you have practised enough. Please tell the headmistress of our plan and ask her when and where you can pull through with it. You probably don't want to have a large audience. Tomorrow, I'll show you what to do afterwards."
Harry agreed, and together with his twin and their betrotheds left the founders' quarters, leaving the dummy behind for further use.
HP
"I can call Mr. Filch to the staff room at any time," McGonagall said, thoughtfully. "I'd appreciate it though if Professor Snape was present as well. He might be able to help you in case you get into trouble." She gave the children a sharp look. "Do you want to do it right away, or are you too tired?"
"Right now please," Harry replied, quickly. "I want to get over with it."
McGonagall quickly called back her deputy headmaster and explained the situation, before she asked him to take the children to the staff room, while she was going to fetch the caretaker.
HP
When the friends entered the staff room together with Professor Snape, the Potions Master gave them a sharp look, before he asked, "What exactly is the first spell?"
Hermione showed him the spell, and Snape decided, "I'm going to cast it. You look exhausted, and I've only one dose of Pepperup potion with me right now, which Harry is going to need."
Knowing that the Potions Master was not only right but also an adult and a very powerful wizard, Hermione agreed, causing David and Ginny to follow her example. Harry obediently gulped down his dose of Pepperup potion, not only feeling much more alert and better immediately, but also feeling very much reassured by the older wizard's presence and promise to assist. To his relief, the steam that came out of his ears due to the potion had just vanished, when McGonagall entered the room together with the caretaker.
"You again," Filch mumbled, glaring at the small group of first-years.
"Yes, we heard that you need our help again," Harry replied in a soft voice, before unobtrusively nodding at Snape.
After the Potions Master had soundlessly waved his wand casting the first spell, Harry immediately noticed that the prickling in his scar intensified tenfold. 'Now,' he thought and, ignoring Voldemort's shouting that Filch should kill him before he'd kill them both, cast the spell that he had practised more than enough earlier.
All of a sudden, a black cloud emerged from Filch's head, and the students gave the professors a questioning look, feeling utterly relieved, when Snape stepped in and first changed the black cloud into a white one, which he then vanished with another flick of his wand.
"Is Mr. Filch all right?" Harry asked, worriedly looking at the caretaker, who was lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.
"He'll be all right," Snape said in a comfortingly soft voice, before he leaned into the fireplace and called the healer.
'Thank Merlin Snape was with us,' Hermione thought to Harry. 'We completely forgot that Rowena told us she'd show us what to do after casting the spells tomorrow.'
'Oh right,' Harry recalled. 'Sorry, I completely forgot about that.'
"Mr. Filch will be all right," Pomfrey spoke up. "I'll take him with me for the night though. He'll be very grateful that you rescued him from his possessor." With that she conjured a stretcher and made Mr. Filch float out of the room.
"Severus, can you confirm that Voldemort is really gone this time?" McGonagall spoke up, looking at her deputy headmaster in clear expectation.
"I shall check it and inform you later on," Snape replied, letting his eyes wander over the group of first-years, before returning his gaze to the headmistress.
HP
When Argus Filch woke up, he felt better than he had felt in months and better than he had believed to ever been able to feel again. He faintly recalled that he was in the staff room together with the headmistress and her deputy as well as a group of first years, when Snape and one of the boys began to cast spells at him.
"What happened?" he asked the healer, who chose to step around his bed that very moment.
"Professor Snape and Harry O'Brien freed you from Voldemort's spirit," Pomfrey explained, grinning. "Congratulations, Argus."
"Oh thank Merlin," Argus blurted out in utter relief, feeling thoroughly annoyed, however, when the healer cast spell over spell at him and finally insisted to keep him until the evening.
"Why?" he growled in a relatively gentle growl, considering that the healer was something like his only friend at Hogwarts.
"Because your body needs some rest now. I'll tell you the reason in a minute." With that the healer strode back to her office, grinning to herself, as she developed a brilliant idea.
HP
Before breakfast, Minerva impatiently waited for the Potions Master to arrive, sighing with a combination of relief and expectation, when he finally stepped out of the fireplace.
Snape hurriedly rolled up his left sleeve, presenting his colleague a completely blank left arm, and a small smile of utter relief flashed over his face.
"It's gone," he informed her, trying to bite back a tear.
"Congratulations, Severus," Minerva said, warmly. "I'm very happy for you."
"Thank you, Minerva," Severus replied, sincerely, grudgingly accepting that the headmistress pulled him into a light hug.
"Very well then, I'll inform the Ministry about the matter," Minerva decided. "I'll see you at breakfast."
As soon as the Potions Master had left, she called Arthur Weasley, in her opinion the best Minister of Magic that the magical world had had in a long time.
HP
Apparently, the Minister of Magic had nothing urgent to do and decided to attend breakfast at Hogwarts to make sure that all students would know about the good news and to promise Lord Potter the Order of Merlin first class.
Harry rose from his seat, flabbergasted. "Excuse me, Mr. Weasley," he spoke up, causing everyone in the Great Hall to stare at the Ravenclaw table, "I won't accept any reward if at least Professor Snape doesn't receive the same. I wouldn't have been able to vanquish Voldemort without his help."
To his relief, the headmistress immediately nodded her agreement, and the minister relented.
"Very well, Harry, I'll see to it," he promised. "You'll both hear from me sometime during the next few days."
As Mr. Weasley sat down to enjoy his breakfast, Professor McGonagall stood and announced that classes would be cancelled for two days, so that everyone could enjoy the light side's victory over Voldemort, who had pulled the magical world into a long lasting war.
HP
The four friends decided to head to the founders' lair to thank Rowena and maybe learn some new spells.
"I wonder how Mr. Filch is," Harry spoke up, as they walked through the corridors, closely followed by Trouble, Purry and Crookshanks, before the cats changed their direction upon the sight of Mrs. Norris chasing a mouse into an alcove.
"Well, since Madam Pomfrey said he'll be fine, I don't think we have to worry about him," Ginny replied, giving David a questioning look.
"If we don't see him later on, we can always go and ask Pomfrey," Hermione suggested, causing Harry to nod in relief.
'You're the best, Mione,' he thought to his wife, smiling happily.
HP
"There are more things that I need you to do at some stage, however, right now, we have nothing urgent to prepare for," Rowena told them, before she suggested that Godric should teach them the Animagus transformation.
"Oh yes please," the four children replied, simultaneously, eagerly nodding their heads.
"Have you already decided into what kind of animal you wish to transform?" Godric queried, giving them a sharp look.
"I'd like to become either a dog or a cat," Hermione was the first to reply.
"A dog like Trouble," David added.
"Yes, that would be nice," Ginny agreed, before she admitted that she had not really thought about the matter yet.
"I just can't decide," Harry finally answered, letting out a long sigh. "On the one hand, I want to become a dog like Trouble to communicate with him and the others, but on the other hand, I thought that maybe a phoenix would be great, as I then would be able to fly, which I'm not allowed to otherwise because of my weak lungs."
Godric nodded in understanding, and Hermione spoke up again. "Professor, might it be possible to have two Animagus forms?"
The founder remained pensive for a moment, before he replied, "Usually not, however, for very powerful wizards it might be possible. I believe that Merlin was in fact a multiple Animagus, and it could be possible for Harry as well."
"Well, certainly not for me," David mumbled in apparent disappointment.
"David, we don't need it," Ginny told him. "If all of us become dogs, we can communicate, and if Harry is a phoenix, we can fly on brooms to accompany him."
"And if he flashes somewhere, he can take all of us with him," Hermione added, grinning.
HP
During the next few hours, Godric patiently taught them how to try changing their left hand first, imagining it to become like Trouble's left front paw. However, as much as the children practised, they were not able to spike as much as a finger full of white fur, let alone a paw.
"Patience," Godric told them, "you must be patient. The Animagus transformation is one of the most difficult tasks for wizards or witches, and most people aren't even able to manage it, let alone in their first Hogwarts year."
HP
Feeling slightly reassured by the founder's words, the four friends left and headed to the hospital wing to enquire about Mr. Filch's condition.
Knowing that Pomfrey didn't allow Trouble to run around the hospital wing, Harry gently scooped up the dog and cuddled him close before he followed his friends inside.
"I've sent Mr. Filch to St. Mungo's for four weeks," Pomfrey informed them, however, emphasizing that the caretaker would make a complete recovery.
HP
On Wednesday morning, Harry donned his Lord Potter robes, causing Hermione to stare at him in apparent amazement.
"You look very impressive," she blurted out in awe. "I wished I could accompany you."
"Sirius," Harry turned to his godfather. "Is Lady Potter allowed to accompany me to the Wizengamot?"
"Sure," Sirius replied, grinning. "You won't have a vote though, as you only have one vote together."
"Of course," Hermione replied, unaware of the fact that Sirius was not as acquainted with some matters in the magical world as one could believe without taking into consideration his lost time due to his stay in Azkaban as well as his bad relationship to his mother, who had kept him away from all responsibilities.
tbc...