Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Puppet of Time
Chapter 16
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
The stars were twinkling merrily in the dark sky above, but Draco paid them no attention. Instead he stared deeply into his girlfriend's grass-green eyes. The orb of glittering lights he had conjured gave them enough light to see each other clearly despite the surrounding darkness.
Draco didn't know how long they just stood there, but finally the corners of Daphne's mouth and her eyebrows twisted slightly in a way he had come to recognize as amused impatience. "Oh, enough staring. Just kiss me already."
That brought Draco out of his reverie and he smirked. "Who am I to resist such an offer?"
Leaning closer to Daphne, he gently pressed his lips against hers. It felt very nice. Unbidden the memories from his other life intruded, forcing him to make a comparison. It was pretty good for a first kiss, much better than what the other Draco had experienced with Pansy Parkinson, mainly because he knew what he was doing this time. The accident with Ginny before his second year didn't count.
Finally they separated, simply standing side by side, gazing at the stars. No words were spoken; they just enjoyed each other's closeness. Their current location was perfect for a little privacy. Nobody ever visited the Dark Tower, maybe because of its erstwhile use as a prison. Hogwarts was large; far too large for the number of students. Strangely most people didn't really made use of that space. They learned the common routes, but never completely explored the castle. For instance, many couples tried to use the Astronomy Tower for romantic meetings, making it rather crowded at times.
"We should head back before someone misses us." Daphne said after a couple of minutes.
Draco nodded. "You're right."
Hand in hand they left, their free hands holding their wands to light the way. It felt great, but the old part of Draco's mind couldn't help to acknowledge that it probably wouldn't last. They were still too young. Well, currently he wasn't listening to that part of him. He had not paid it much attention in the last weeks either apart from advice on how to avoid blunders. Sometimes he just had to discard all thoughts of complicated plans and the worries about the future in favor of enjoying the present. Growing closer to Daphne was very enjoyable indeed.
Taking a seldom-used route back towards the Great Hall, they encountered no one else for several minutes. Most people were at the feast anyway. The couple came to an abrupt halt when they turned a corner. There, some distance away was a ragged man with filthy hair hanging to his elbows. A large knife was in his hand, but he seemed to be as surprised as them about the encounter. The man was the first to shake off the surprise. Cursing, he turned around and ran into a side corridor.
'Damn it, I totally forgot about this.'
"That's Black! After him!" Draco shouted before giving chase.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' Sirius Black thought while he ran through the halls of Hogwarts. How could he have forgotten? Of course couples would use the Halloween feast to slip away and get some privacy time in. At least some would be imaginative enough to pick out-of-the-way spots, thereby ruining his plans. Worse, they had spotted him at a distance and already had their wands out. They blocked the way to his exit and now they were pursuing him. He couldn't even transform back into his dog form as long as he was in their sight.
'Where to, where to?'
The Halloween feast would end soon, meaning he couldn't risk taking a way that brought him near the great hall. Perhaps… yes, in that direction he should find only empty rooms. At this hour the fifth door on the sixth floor would lead to the third floor. From there he could use the secret passage hidden in the statue of the one-eyed witch to escape Hogwarts. There shouldn't be anyone at the other end of the tunnel in Honeydukes in Hogsmeade. By the time the owners noticed something he would be long gone.
A spell whizzing through the air near his head brought him back to the here and now. His two pursuers were only third or fourth years from the looks of it, but they would be enough to catch him since he didn't have a wand. He could only hope to outrun them, something rather difficult considering his poor physical state. His pursuers were catching up rather fast.
'Damn that fat shrew. The rat could have been mine if she had let me through.'
Suddenly a door opened and two young, laughing girls emerged into the corridor, a blonde and the redhead who had been in the picture with Wormtail. The laughter cut off abruptly when they noticed him and their eyes widened. He was already too close to them to evade, they were blocking his path. Sirius immediately realized what their presence meant for him.
'There's no helping it.'
Deciding in an instant, he pushed the redhead out of the way and roughly grabbed the blond. A moment later he had her in a secure grip and his knife at her throat, facing his pursuers. The redhead was lying on the floor, stunned, while the two older blondes had come to an abrupt halt.
"Back off." Sirius growled, his voice hoarse from disuse. "Lay down your wands or I'll kill the girl."
Both of the older students hesitated, but especially the boy's expression grew murderous.
Sirius gestured with his knife towards the redhead. "You… bring me their wands."
In the next moment the trapped girl kicked wildly against Sirius' leg and rammed one of her elbows into his stomach. The unexpected resistance caused his grip to break and the girl slipped free. Sirius experienced a moment of confusion before the entire world in general and his groin in particular exploded with pain. He barely noticed the blonde boy uttering an incantation and the following red bolt that sent him into unconsciousness.
Aquila panted heavily as she kicked the ragged man a few more times for good measure. How dare he to lay a hand on her? How dare he to use her as hostage? It was a shame she didn't have the power to cast any of the proper curses Aunt Cassie had taught her… yet.
"That's enough, Aquila." The voice of her big brother pierced through her rage and she took a step back. "Incarcerous." Thin cords shot from Draco's wand, wrapping around the man. "That should be enough to hold him for now." Then he stepped up to her and hugged her. "Good work, sister. You handled that perfectly."
She gave her brother a tremulous smile. Now that the immediate danger was over she began to shake, causing Draco to hug her tighter. She saw from the corner of her eyes that Daphne was helping Ginny up. Half a minute later her breathing slowly returned to normal.
"What do we do about Black?" Daphne asked.
Aquila's eyes widened. Then she left Draco's embrace and stared at the unconscious man. "That's Sirius Black? What in the world is he doing here? Hogwarts is supposed to be safe."
Draco barked out a short laugh. "Safe? Hogwarts isn't safe. You do remember the troll in my first year? The one I wrote you about? Or how about what happened last year?" He shook his head. "No, Hogwarts being safe is nothing more than wishful thinking and propaganda. A wanted criminal wandering in without anyone noticing is par for the course."
"That doesn't matter now." Daphne interjected. "Do we alert the staff?"
"Let me think for a moment. There is more at stake here." Draco answered. "We didn't pass any occupied portraits during the chase, did we?"
"I don't think so." Daphne replied. Draco nodded and assumed a thoughtful expression. The gears turning in his head were almost visible.
Aquila was confused, but didn't let it stop her when she approached Ginny. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a bit shocked."
"Okay, I have decided." Draco said. "We need to get Sirius away from here. I need your help with that."
"Why? Why don't we turn him over to the staff or the Ministry?" Daphne simply asked.
"I don't know what Sirius wanted here, but this isn't an opportunity I can let pass by. Grandfather and my Black relatives always doubted his guilt. Aquila, you remember the talks we overheard?"
The blond girl nodded. "That's right. Aunt Cassie, Great-Grandfather Pollux and Uncle Arcturus all said there was no way Sirius would have joined You-know-who willingly. They suspected the Imperius curse, but they could never get permission from the Ministry to talk to Sirius. Them being denied in that way was really strange."
"Exactly. This is an opportunity to make sure about Sirius' guilt, but first we need to get him somewhere safe. I know a way out of the castle. He is a family member and family looks after family, after all. Will you help me?"
Aquila immediately gave her assent as did Ginny. Daphne followed suit a moment later. Soon they were moving through the castle. Daphne levitated Sirius while Draco occasionally cast some sort of invisibility spell whenever they passed portraits. The two younger girls scouted ahead. Finally they arrived in an unremarkable short corridor. Draco tapped several stone blocks in a certain sequence. A moment later the wall opened up, revealing a large wooden cabinet.
"This is the cabinet I helped you transport last year." Daphne said.
Draco turned towards them. "Yes, it is. Please, this is important. Don't talk with anyone about it; don't even think about it if you can help it. It isn't just a cabinet, it's a vanishing cabinet. To be precise, it is one of a pair. You can travel between them in the blink of an eye… and it goes right through Hogwarts' wards."
"Where does it lead to?" Aquila asked curiously.
Her brother gave her a serious look. "To an underground hideout near our manor. Grandfather helped me set it up. There are many things going on I can't tell you for your own safety. Please, trust me in this. I'm sorry."
Daphne reluctantly agreed as did Aquila. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed that Ginny didn't seem surprised. Apparently she already knew about this. That was something she had to investigate further at some point in the future.
Draco nodded. "Alright. I'll take Sirius with me and secure him on the other side. It shouldn't take more than five minutes at most."
"How will that work?" Aquila asked. "You can't simply leave him alone there."
"I have access to a collection of potions. Draught of the Living Death will work best, I think. Sirius will keep until we can properly interrogate him."
Not waiting for anymore questions, Draco levitated Sirius into the cabinet before he followed suit.
Daphne let out a sigh. "And there he goes. Another of his secrets out of who knows how many. Sometimes I wonder if I know anything at all about Draco. It's infuriating."
Ginny seemed awfully blasé about the entire affair. "That's just how he is."
Aquila frowned slightly. Another sign that the redhead knew more about her brother than her. She and Ginny had slipped away from the feast to spend a bit of time together. The Halloween feast was scheduled to last for several hours. Their absence for part of that time wouldn't really be noticed; there were always students coming and going.
Soon Draco returned. "Okay, everything is taken care of. Let's head back to the Great Hall."
They didn't talk much on their way back, or at least Aquila and Ginny didn't. Draco and Daphne were whispering constantly. Once they neared their destination they split up. It wouldn't do to arrive together at the same time; Ginny's friendship to her and her brother was still secret.
Aquila stopped for a moment before entering. The shock of the encounter with Sirius had still not completely faded. Facing all those other people and possible inquiry made her feel jittery again.
'Remember your lessons. Maintain poise and grace in every situation. I have faced down Acromantula and Crumple-horned Snorkacks. One possibly deranged cousin and a hall full of children is nothing.'
Steeling herself, she walked back into the hall and her place at the Slytherin table. The Carrow twins gave her a nod when she sat down besides them, but no one else gave any sign that they had noticed her absence or saw something unusual about it. A minute later Daphne entered the Great Hall, taking up her usual seat some distance away at the same table. Draco was already back at the Ravenclaw table talking with his housemates. Finally Ginny arrived and headed immediately to the Gryffindor table. No one would be able to tell they had a confrontation with an Azkaban escapee not even half an hour ago.
More than an hour later it was time to return to the dormitories. Aquila's thoughts were still centered on her brother. Draco always seemed to know far more than he should. Granted, he had been far closer to their grandfather than she had been and obviously been taught things far beyond his age, but that didn't explain everything.
'How many other secrets do you hide, brother?'
Ginny found it difficult to sleep that evening, especially because she had to make do with a sleeping bag in the Great Hall instead of her normal bed. When the feast had ended they had all returned to their dormitory only to find the portrait guarding the entrance slashed to pieces and the Fat Lady, the guardian, missing. Apparently Black had tried to force entry into the Gryffindor common room. As a consequence all students had to sleep in the Great Hall while the staff searched the castle.
'Why did he do that? What did Black want in Gryffindor Tower?'
It just made no sense. Even if he had done all the terrible things said about him and wanted to kill Harry Potter he had been in the wrong location. Harry was a Hufflepuff, after all, and their dormitory was near the kitchens, a fact she knew thanks to her brothers. Black could be delusional, of course, but that seemed to be an insufficient explanation. If you took Draco's suspicion of Black's innocence (something Ginny was inclined to believe. She trusted Draco more than anyone) into account it made even less sense. Unfortunately she just didn't have enough information.
No, what truly worried her was the ease with which Black had been able to enter the castle. Considering the events of her first year and the preceding trouble Draco had told her about the castle being that insecure beggared belief. It seemed she was once again caught up in some scheme. She puzzled about the matter late into the night until finally sleep came.
On the way back to Gryffindor Tower she overheard Ron talking with Seamus. "… disappeared during the night. He has been ill for a while."
"But I thought you didn't like him very much?"
"Well, yeah, he was a bit boring, but he's still my pet, you know? I already asked Percy for help."
When Ginny listened longer it became clear that Ron was talking about his old pet rat, Scabbers. Apparently the animal had disappeared during the last night. While she had never liked Scabbers that much (she would have preferred a cat) she felt sorry for Ron.
Over the next few hours normal life reasserted itself. The teachers found no traces of Black, but rumors were flying wild. Strangely there seemed to be no aurors or other members of the Ministry coming to investigate.
'I guess Dumbledore doesn't want them in the castle. Who knows what things he has going on that would be hard to explain to trained professionals.'
Herbology class had just ended when she spotted Draco in the Entrance Hall, examining the school notice-board. It was unusual for him to be here at this time. Ginny stepped to his side, making a show of examining the board herself.
"Ginny, we have to talk as soon as possible." Draco whispered.
"Give me ten minutes. I'll meet you at our usual spot." she whispered back.
Eight minutes later Ginny entered an out-of-the-way room. She had a free period, allowing her to excuse herself to do some 'studying'. Since she wasn't especially close to any of the Gryffindors of her year spending time away from them aroused no suspicion. Draco was already there and busy casting some privacy charms on the room. "What is this about, Draco? Normally you give me several days notice."
"Something urgent came up. What can you tell me about Ron's rat?"
Ginny blinked in confusion. "You mean Scabbers? What exactly do you want to know? All he does is eat and sleep."
"Everything. When did your family buy him?"
That required a moment of thought. "He's been around as long as I can remember. He was Percy's pet at first, but he gave him to Ron later." Then she remembered the conversation she had overheard this morning. "Oh yeah, Scabbers disappeared last night. Why do you want to know…?" Ginny's speech petered out when she saw Draco palming his face and beginning to groan. "Is everything alright?"
Draco sighed, cradling his head in his hands. "No. Tell me, Ginny, do you know how long a rat normally lives?"
"Um… no, I don't know. Sorry."
"About three years. You just told me Scabbers was around for almost your whole life; let's say nine or ten years at least. No normal rat can grow that old. Did your parents ever get suspicious and had him tested?"
A cold knot began forming in Ginny's stomach. "Not as far as I know."
"Idiots. Sorry, Ginny."
Ginny waved the apology away. She loved her parents, but by now she knew that she couldn't rely on them in regards to important things and that their actions often had little real thought behind them. "What is this really about?"
"If my suspicions are correct Scabbers isn't a rat at all. He's an Animagus. A Death Eater Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew, to be precise. The very Death Eater who is responsible for the death of the Potters."
The redhead's jaw dropped. "What?!"
Draco nodded grimly. "Grandfather knew much about the Death Eaters and the last war. Dumbledore founded an organization called the Order of the Phoenix to fight against the Death Eaters. They weren't especially successful anyway, but they had a spy in their ranks. That was Pettigrew according to my information, although I have no proof. Sirius was thought to have killed him. The only piece they could identify was a finger."
"Scabbers is missing a digit." Ginny realized.
"That proves it. I knew that Pettigrew was a secret Animagus with a small form, most likely a rat, but I didn't know if he was alive or where he was. I made the connection only now when I thought about why Sirius would try to get into the Gryffindor dorms." Draco explained."This morning I went through the cabinet to search him properly and found this." He held out a piece of paper.
Ginny took it. It was a fragment of an old issue of the Daily Prophet, featuring a photograph of the Weasley family. Scabbers was prominently displayed, his fore-paws clearly visible. To have a man posing as a pet in their house for all these years… She felt sick when she remembered occasions when she had changed clothes in front of the rat.
Meanwhile, Draco continued his explanation. "The Potters were hiding under some sort of special charm that only one person could grant access to. According from what I heard that person was Sirius. The most likely explanation is that Pettigrew put him under the Imperius to reveal everything. When You-know-who was defeated that night everything fell apart. It's virtually certain that the other Death Eaters would blame Pettigrew for their lord's defeat. I imagine Pettigrew came up with faking his own death and letting Sirius take the blame in response to that."
One question immediately sprang to the front of Ginny's mind. "Why didn't Sirius tell anybody about it?"
"I don't know. Maybe he was never asked. At that time the Black family had no shortage of enemies in positions of power. Sirius disappearing forever in Azkaban was very convenient for a certain Chief Warlock and Headmaster, too. He was named as Harry Potter's godfather and you know how Dumbledore likes to have control over him. As for the other Death Eaters who knew about Pettigrew's true allegiance, I imagine they were delighted that he was dead and kept quiet to get their revenge on Sirius, someone who had fought against them."
Ginny sighed. "That sounds logical. Did you tell your sister and Daphne about it?"
"No, and I probably won't do it anytime soon. You can defend your mind. Daphne and Aquila both have some knowledge in occlumency that is relatively advanced for their age, but they are far less skilled than we are. I just can't risk someone reading their thoughts. They already know too much."
"They won't like that. What do we do now?" Ginny asked after a few seconds of silence.
Draco shrugged. "Absolutely nothing. We can't do anything about Pettigrew. If Scabbers turns up again we might be able to catch him, but I think he used the opportunity to flee the castle. I still have to interrogate Sirius. Unfortunately we have no proof for his innocence."
That was all too familiar to Ginny. It was the same about the events of last year. They knew what was going on, but they had no way to prove that to the authorities and no one influential enough on their side to press the matter.
'I wish there would be someone who does something about the situation.'
Life was good for Lucius Malfoy. Now that his father had finally shuffled off this mortal coil he had assumed his rightful position and got the respect he deserved. Thanks to his direct connection to Minister Fudge, his widespread influence in the Ministry in general and the wealth of House Malfoy in particular he had almost immediately advanced to a leading political position in the pureblood coalition, forming a triumvirate with Archibald Nott and Liam Greengrass. Their combined influence was spreading through the Ministry and Wizengamot. Despite some philosophical differences his children were making him proud, especially now that that mudblood friend of Draco's had disappeared. His son's choice of girlfriend was excellent, too. He and Liam had already begun to negotiate a betrothal that would bind their houses more closely together. Lucius had thought about doing the same for Aquila and Archibald Nott's son Theodore, but unfortunately Lord Parkinson had gotten there first. Well, there were countless other options. All in all everything was right in the world.
It was with considerable surprise that he had received an invitation from Amelia Bones. He knew that the witch disliked him and many of his views (a feeling he returned with equal intensity), but at least she could be bargained with. It seemed she wanted to strike some deal with him. Depending on the details he wasn't averse to doing that. Just like him she was the head of one of the Old Families and a pureblood. Despite all differences they had things in common. He was sure that in time she could be made to see reason or would at least acquiesce to a more reasonable government, unlike those deluded muggle-loving fools and blood-traitors surrounding that old goat Dumbledore.
Arriving at the agreed upon time at Bones Manor, Lucius was immediately led into the parlour. To Lucius surprise there was another witch present. Madam Umbridge was a considerable force in the Ministry. She had many agreeable views, but she didn't actually belong to his faction; her power was based upon connections in the Ministry itself. Seeing her together with Madam Bones was surprising. The animosity between the two witches was very well known, although there had been signs of them closely working together in the last months.
"Madam Bones, Madam Umbridge A pleasure to meet you." he politely greeted them.
"Lord Malfoy. Thank you for accepting my invitation."
A few other pleasantries followed. It was just the way things were done. When finally the true reason for the meeting came up Lucius almost dropped his teacup. Fortunately he managed to suppress his reaction.
"Did I hear you right, Madam Bones? You want to remove Dumbledore as Chief Warlock?"
It was Umbridge who answered. "We do. His interference in Ministry affairs can no longer be tolerated. Together our factions have the necessary votes to introduce the motion."
Lucius leant back, almost overwhelmed by the possibilities. Dumbledore was perhaps the most difficult stumbling block for anyone wanting to organize a majority in the Wizengamot. The muggle-loving old fool stood in the way of any reasonable policy change. One bleeding heart speech and the sheep always supported him blindly. If that didn't work he had so much influence on the technicalities of the legislative process that new bills he didn't like were delayed endlessly. Worse, the old man had been playing the political game for so long and commanded such an amount of public respect that it was virtually impossible to dislodge him from his positions. Lucius had learned that to his detriment when his scheme to get Dumbledore dismissed as Headmaster backfired, costing him his own seat on Hogwarts' board of governors.
That thought brought him back to reality. "We have enough votes to introduce the motion, yes, but not enough to carry it."
"That is true." Madam Bones conceded. "Fortunately an opportunity will come up very soon."
"Oh?"
"Indeed. As it turns out Harry Potter was abused by his muggle guardians, the very guardians Dumbledore picked for him. The obliviators helped to cover things up. We are sure of that." Madam Umbridge answered.
"And Dumbledore is aware of that?"
Madam Bones shrugged. "Who knows? I don't doubt he will act very disappointed, say he had faith in the boy's family and trusted them completely. He will get away with it, too. It does present us with an opening, though."
"We propose a deal. In the next few days we will launch an official investigation into irregularities in the Obliviator Headquarters. Dumbledore will do his best to block or steer it into a harmless direction, of course. It's unavoidable that he will learn of it even before the investigation is actually launched. We ask for your support to see that investigation through. The most important evidence will be gathered by us beforehand anyway." Madam Umbridge explained.
"Once the scandal becomes public everything will be chaotic for a while. When things calm down we will suggest that Dumbledore, while blameless, is overworked with all his different duties. Otherwise he would surely have noticed something amiss. That should be convincing enough to carry our motion." Madam Bones continued. "We propose to nominate Ebenizer Fawley as new Chief Warlock."
Lucius thought about it for a minute. He could actually see no downsides for him or his allies. Removing Dumbledore permanently from the office of Chief Warlock would be an enormous boon. Fawley was a neutral old wizard who only cared for correct procedures. He would be a large improvement over Dumbledore, one everyone would be able to live with. Still, perhaps he could derive even more benefit from this.
"That sounds very interesting, I have to admit. Still, if I am to convince my allies I will need something more."
"Guardianship of Harry Potter."
Once again he almost dropped his teacup. Harry Potter, the Boy-who-lived, was still one of the most important public icons of the British Wizarding World. Lucius held a grudge because of the boy's involvement in the Dark Lord's downfall, but that was water under the bridge. He would have to be a complete idiot to ignore this potential goldmine. Being formally acknowledged as the boy's guardian would be priceless. "Excuse me?"
"Young Mr. Potter will need new guardians, of course. Those filthy muggles should never have received guardianship in the first place." Madam Umbridge replied. "The usual procedure in cases like this is the assignment of three new guardians. One of them will be Minister Fudge himself. Madam Bones will be the second guardian. Either you or one of your allies would serve marvelously as the third. Would that be agreeable?"
Amelia Bones watched Lord Malfoy disappear through the floo. The meeting had gone considerably better than she had feared. She had been prepared to offer more things to Malfoy to get him to agree, but he had been content with the shared guardianship of Harry. The man clearly had a far too high opinion of his skills as a negotiator. Appealing to his sense of importance had gone a long way. Lord Greengrass or especially Lord Nott would have been far more difficult to convince. Well, it wasn't as if Amelia was complaining.
"I hope you know what you are doing, Amelia. What that idiot Plunkett told us is far too nebulous. It could still be nothing but exaggerated rumors. This could backfire spectacularly."
"Trust me, Dolores. My source is completely reliable, but unfortunately we can't use it publically. We have to gather our own evidence. A thorough questioning of the Dursleys and careful examination of their house will be enough."
As soon as Umbridge had left the manor Amelia's pleasant smile turned into a grimace. Spirits, she hated those people. She would probably never feel clean again. Still, Dumbledore had to go and soon. The man was senile. Black had invaded Hogwarts and he still allowed no Ministry presence to investigate things. Oh, he put it into nice words and obscured his true motives, but it was clear that he wanted nobody to closely examine the castle.
Withdrawing into her study, Amelia sagged in a chair. She had a bad feeling about this. There was no other choice she could see to deal with Dumbledore, but in a few years she might well rue what she had agreed to. Lucius Malfoy and his ilk were either Death Eater scum or pureblood extremists, even if some of the families involved were actually more moderate. Unfortunately she needed their help. At least they seemed to have renounced violence, making them a more long-term issue, at least as long as You-know-who didn't return. Dumbledore was the immediate problem. He and his allies were weakening their society, not to mention the old fool's despicable actions in regards to the children. Removing him as Chief Warlock was only a first step.
Now that they had secured the alliance they would have to move quickly. As soon as everything was set up Amelia would personally lead an investigative squad to take in the Dursleys. Thanks to Abraxas' reports she had an excellent idea what to look for and what questions to ask. She had already verified that the extensive ward network Abraxas Malfoy had encountered in Little Whinging two years ago was gone. Oh, there were still wards in the area, but nothing of the same intricacy. She suspected the majority of wards had been dismantled after the Ministry got involved after the report of Harry using magic during the last summer.
The opportunity to strike would come in four days while Dumbledore was away for a meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards. She would have to pick people she trusted completely. Unfortunately it was difficult to say who might be a Dumbledore supporter. Moody was a given, Dawlish had come as a surprise and she had doubts about several other people.
'It will be best if we visit the Dursleys during the evening. Dolores can pick up Harry from Hogwarts on the next morning. By the time Dumbledore learns of that he will be faced with a fait accompli.'
Dumbledore would survive the scandal, of course, but he would be weakened. He had already lost political capital in the last two years. People who might have followed him unquestioningly could now be convinced that he wasn't always right. Additional steps were already planned. Unfortunately it would be impossible to dislodge him from his position as Headmaster anytime soon – the board of governors was full of his true believers.
A house elf sudden popped into her study. "Mistress new guest has arrived."
Amelia nodded. "Thank you. I will be there presently."
Grimacing, she got up. She really didn't want to meet with that… person, but she had need of her unique skills. Well, if she had to associate with scum like Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge she might as well go the entire way. A certain tidbit of information that had come to her attention would ensure smooth proceedings. She would never have learned it if she didn't grow paranoid due to her activities. Placing a few more rather esoteric detection charms during government meetings had brought unexpected results.
Entering the room, she greeted her guest. "Welcome, Miss Skeeter. I thank you for coming so swiftly."
"Thank you Madam Bones. I would never miss the opportunity for an interview with a pillar of our government like you. My readers are very interested in what you have to say." The blond journalist smiled, one acid-green quill appearing in her hand.
"Oh, you won't need that quill, Miss Skeeter. I have to admit that interview was only a ruse. Do you know what the penalty for being an unregistered animagus is? Especially if the animal form is used for spying on confidential meetings? Say, a beetle that shouldn't be present during the budget consultations?"
The smile was instantly gone. Skeeter's face assumed a greenish hue.
Amelia smiled. "I thought so. Well, you are in luck, Miss Skeeter. It just so happens that I have a task suited to your unique talents."
"What do you want?"
Amelia folded her hands under her face. "The Ministry will soon launch an investigation into certain irregularities. You will receive first access to all findings. Certain parties will do all in their power to suppress evidence. I trust you to whip the public into a frenzy, directing them at a specific target. At the same time I want you to begin looking into the past of that target. Some very interesting information has recently come to my attention. I'm sure there are many more skeletons buried in that person's closet. As long as you cooperate information about an unusual beetle will stay safely buried."
Skeeter was silent for a few seconds. "Who is that person?"
"Our esteemed soon-to-be ex-Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore."
The woman's eyes grew large before they narrowed in calculation. It seemed Skeeter had taken the bait.
'Chalk up another win for carrot and stick.'
Petunia Dursley was busy doing the dishes while Vernon watched TV when suddenly the doorbell chimed.
"Who would disturb us at this hour?" she wondered. Vernon only grunted.
Drying her hands, she made for the door. On occasions like this she hated that the freak was not here. Chores didn't do themselves, after all, and honest work was just the right thing to keep the little blighter from doing some freaky, unnatural stuff.
Opening the door, Petunia came face-to-face with a square-jawed woman with close-cropped grey hair and a monocle. Several more people were standing behind her, but she didn't manage to get a good look.
"Good evening. Are you Mrs. Petunia Dursley?"
Petunia nodded, slightly intimidated by the woman's serious expression.
"My name is Amelia Bones, Law Enforcement. I fear I have to talk with you about your nephew Harry Potter. May we come in?"
'Perhaps the freak has finally managed to kill himself? Or perhaps he did something illegal?' Petunia thought almost giddily before she ushered the people in.
The door had barely closed when suddenly all her muscles locked up and she froze in mid-step. Two men passed her, carrying sticks in their hands. She heard Vernon asking a question, but he stopped in mid-word.
'Those are freaks.' was her only thought.
"Rufus, stay with me. Williamson, Proudfoot, gather all available evidence. We might not have much time before someone interferes. Start with the cupboard under the stairs."
Only then did Petunia consider that somehow they might be in trouble.
Harry Potter was in a good mood. Not being allowed to visit Hogsmeade still rankled, but it had been more than two weeks since those events. He had just finished his breakfast and was talking animatedly with Hannah Abbot.
"Who's that?" Justin suddenly asked.
Turning around, Harry saw a squat, vaguely toad-like witch entering the Great Hall followed by several other people.
Professor McGonnagall rose from her seat. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Good morning, Deputy Headmistress. My name is Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. Please excuse our unscheduled call, but we have urgent business with one of your students. He is to accompany us back to the Ministry immediately."
"But-"
By now the attention of the entire hall was focused on them. The witch presented a document to McGonagall. "Here is an order signed by the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Minister himself."
Only then did someone remember to cast a privacy charm, making the conversation inaudible. They seemed to argue for a bit, but then McGonnagall's shoulders slumped and she nodded. A few seconds later the toad witch and her retinue approached the Hufflepuff table.
"Mr. Potter, please come with us. I can assure you that you aren't in trouble. Your presence is needed to verify some facts. It concerns your present guardians."
Author's notes: Thanks for all the reviews.
On the coincidence of the children meeting Sirius: all parties deliberately use routes and rooms that are usually deserted, causing those parts to be not as deserted as hoped.
Some of you probably wonder why Abraxas didn't do what Amelia is doing now. He actually did plan on doing something similar to gain guardianship of Harry before third year started (most of first year was filled by realizing that there was something wrong in the first place and collecting evidence), but Lucius first assassination attempt put him out of commission for most of second year. Then he died to the second attempt before he could finalize his plans. Amelia is working with the information he provided. Another factor is the shifting of political constellations. Since Voldemort's defeat and up to the first few years of Fudge's rule Dumbledore had a tight grip on the Ministry, but slowly his supporters are driven out from positions of power. Additionally Abraxas knew that he wouldn't have enough time to see a proper campaign against Dumbledore through; by the current time he would be already dead or near dying from the effect of the life prolongation potion running out.
It is interesting to note how quickly Dumbledore was removed from the position of Chief Warlock in canon –Voldemort regained a body at the end of June 1995 and by August Dumbledore was already dismissed. That is hardly enough time for a proper smear campaign.
So long.