His relatives hadn't returned the next morning, and after a quick search through the house Harry knew why.
They'd left.
He doubted it was permanent of course, there was no way Vernon would leave his home to a 'freak' after all. He imagined that they were only going to stay in a fancy hotel room for a couple of days, hoping that he'd leave or that the Ministry would try to kill him again so they could have their house back to themselves. Petunia would probably show up later in the day to threaten him about damaging their home and to order Harry to keep it clean for their return.
Still, while they were gone he took the opportunity to make himself a proper breakfast, unable to keep his mind from drifting back to the previous night's dream. Part of him wanted to run upstairs to go through his divination books, to search for any kind of interpretation that could fit, even though he was certain that he'd not find even the smallest clue. After he'd woken up feeling like his skin was about to melt off, he'd managed a quick skim of his books, but had been too exhausted to process anything he'd found before he was passing out again.
And now in the light of morning, Harry wasn't so sure he was even going to bother searching again.
He didn't know how to say it, and he didn't know how he knew it, but he did. He would find nothing in his divination books, this wasn't a 'precognitive dream' as Professor Trelawney would say, this was... this was something else. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the black-scaled dragon rising up out of the lava, he saw the fire exploding from its mouth, and he felt the invisible sting of red-hot pain burning across his skin.
And now he felt slightly nauseous.
Setting his spoon back down into his bowl of porridge, Harry leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to subdue his stomach as it revolted again him. When he finally got his nerves back under his control, he relaxed hesitantly and slowly reached out again for the spoon, getting the steaming porridge a mere inch away from his mouth before someone knocked on the door loudly.
Letting out a sigh as he pushed back his chair, Harry ignored the standing rule stating that he wasn't allowed to answer the door when the Dursleys weren't home and did it anyway. "They're not home, sorry," he apologised when he took in the woman wearing a skirt suit more expensive than anything Vernon owned, "I can take a message for you though".
The woman just raised an eyebrow at him, dark blue eyes making him feel like she could see into his soul. "I'm sure there'll be no need for that, Mr Potter," she said slowly, Harry's fingers twitching as he sharply remembered the wand he'd left on the kitchen table. "My name is Madam Amelia Bones," the woman introduced as she reached into her jacket pocket to pull out a familiar letter, "You sent me this last night did you not?"
"I did," Harry confirmed slowly, scenarios flitting through his mind ranging from being arrested for 'fraud' or just being executed on the spot.
"May I come in?" Madam Bones asked, not waiting for an answer as she strode into the house and made Harry move out of her way in fear of being trampled. "Now, I believe you will recognise this letter," she said bluntly as he shut the front door and hurried into the kitchen after her, accepting the letter that she set on the table.
"Dear Mr Potter.
We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past night.
As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion said school. (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C).
We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offence under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.
Enjoy your holidays.
Yours Sincerely
Mafalda Hopkirk, Improper Use of Magic Office, Ministry of Magic"
"I got this before my second year," Harry admitted cautiously, sitting opposite Madam Bones as he suddenly became aware of the fact that his wand was right beside her hand. "A house elf named Dobby cast it trying to get me expelled from Hogwarts".
Madam Bones just raised another expressive eyebrow at him with an unbelieving "Right". Clearing her throat, the woman's wand appeared in her hand from up her sleeve and she reached out to tap the letter silently, keeping it pressed to the paper as another woman's voice spoke the letter aloud like it had when he'd first received the letter. "Do you remember the voice?" Madam Bones questioned calmly, making Harry nod obediently, "Good. Now, listen to this," she instructed as she placed the expulsion letter from the night before between them and touched her wand to it.
"They're different people," he blurted the moment the voice stopped speaking, grabbing both letters and comparing the two names and signatures, "How?"
"I will admit, Mister Potter," Madam Bones began slowly, "That when I first received your letter I believed you were trying to force your way out of the charges using your fame. But," she continued, interrupting him as Harry tried to argue, "After checking the authenticity of the letter you received I found myself asking a very similar question. Why would Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, be forging an expulsion letter to you when the underage magic detectors set up to monitor you showed no activity since your little 'adventure' before your third year?"
Dolores Umbridge? The Senior Undersecretary to the Minister?
"An excellent question," Harry mumbled slowly, sagging down in his chair as his thoughts ran away on him.
"A question I believe you have an answer for," Madam Bone pressed knowingly.
Staring up at Madam Bones silently for a moment, Harry shifted and casually placed his hand on the table before him, ready to snap it the moment she aimed her wand at him. "Because they win either way," he confessed, "If the dementors they sent after me gave me the kiss then I'm out of the way, but if I chase off the dementors then I must have used the only spell capable of doing so, and I'm expelled for underage magic and I'm out of the way".
"This is the second time you've mentioned dementors," Madam Bones noted, smoothing out the letter he'd sent her and tapping it with her fingers, "But I found no evidence of a kiss order on you when I checked this morning. I hope you realise that accusing the Ministry of sending dementors to kiss you is a serious matter, especially since I have yet to see any proof confirming this".
"The Ministry controls the dementors, and my cousin and I were almost kissed by them!" Harry exclaimed as he stood, fighting down the spark he could feel burning in his chest. "Unless there are rogue dementors wandering the streets, then I think it's pretty obvious!"
Looking completely unbothered by his shouting, Madam Bones just raised her eyebrow again, making him sit back down awkwardly. "I have seen no proof that there were dementors anywhere in the area," she repeated, Harry's eyes widening as he realised what she was asking.
"I have proof," he confirmed quickly, "Both memories and veritaserum, and you can check my wand yourself," he added as he gestured to it.
"Veritaserum cannot be administered to a minor," Madam Bones denied slowly, not looking at him as she picked his wand up and tapped it with her own, "And memories can be changed".
As the incantation for the lightening charm he'd cast on his trunk before leaving the Hogwarts Express appeared in a light yellow mist from the top of his wand, Harry stared at the woman in confusion and anger. "What's the point of you even being here then?" he asked coldly, "You already knew that the expulsion was false, and you knew that none of the proof I could offer you would work. So why are you here? To finish the job?"
Something flashed through Madam Bones' eyes at his accusation and she slowly lowered both their wands back onto the table and released them. "I'm here to find the truth," she ground out, "You claim they sent dementors after you, and I admit your logic is sound even if far-fetched. But without undeniable proof I cannot act, a mere accusation does not give me the right to investigate either the Minister or the Senior Undersecretary".
"Then what? What happens next?"
Madam Bones sighed, leaning back in her chair as a frown crossed her face. "I do not know," she confessed slowly, "Despite your lack of evidence, I find myself believing you. The two dementors missing from Azkaban definitely support your story, but that alone still doesn't grant me the right to investigate two high-ranked members of the Ministry. The accusation of underage magic I can deal with, at least," she continued, making Harry perk up hopefully, "I have the authority to, and have already done so, erased the charges from your file. But any attempt to press charges against Dolores Umbridge would likely be met with failure because of her position under Fudge".
"So what now?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Now? Now you get back to enjoying your holidays," Madam Bones declared as she gathered up the letters, "While I begin investigating the Senior Undersecretary. I cannot do anything else without alerting her that we're onto her, and without concrete evidence we cannot risk that". The woman slipped the letters back into her jacket pocket and stood, faltering for a moment before slowly sitting back down. "I had been attempting to avoid asking this question, Mister Potter," she admitted blankly, "But this is because of your claims that the Dark Lord has returned, isn't it?"
"I'm not an idiot, Madam Bones. I've read the Daily Prophet, I know what they're saying about me," Harry said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Voldemort killed my parents, I wouldn't be saying he was back unless he really was".
Madam Bones sighed loudly, shaking her head at something. "I knew something was wrong about your situation, there was no way that Fudge would do something so stupid as to launch this campaign against you over nothing," she confessed, "Malfoy's doing I assume".
"Malfoy was there, in the graveyard," Harry confirmed.
The woman hummed in acknowledgement, staring at the wall above his head for a moment as she sat there in thought. "Should your underage monitor register any more magic I assure you I will be here as soon as I can," she promised, refocusing her attention onto him, "Consider this permission to use magic to defend yourself without any hesitation should anyone – or anything – attack you".
As Harry followed Madam Bones to the door, a thought struck him, and he was talking before he could stop himself. "Madam Bones. Do you know of any ways to destroy dementors?"
"I take it this means Azkaban will never see those missing dementors again?" the woman asked knowingly, making him attempt a sly shrug.
"Let me see, prolonged exposure to the patronus charm can reduce them to a comatose state, but the sheer amount of power that requires makes it a nearly impossible effect to achieve," she offered, dark blue eyes narrowed at him thoughtfully, "There is Fiendfyre of course, but there is no way a fourteen year old boy managed to not only conjure Fiendfyre but destroy two dementors with it without losing control of it and burning down Little Whinging. Not to mention the way Fiendfyre leaves a permanent scar on the caster's wand, a scar your wand lacks. A Necromancer can sacrifice one newborn baby per year the dementor has been alive to destroy it," she added with a scowl that faded as she eyed Harry again.
"Will you tell me how you did it?" she questioned slowly.
He shook his head stubbornly.
"Was it dark magic?"
Harry shook his head again, hiding the fact that he had absolutely no idea.
"Then you don't know how you did it either," Madam Bones deduced, "I imagine it was likely accidental magic in that case, do not stress yourself trying to understand it".
As he stood there thinking, Madam Bones twisted on the spot and vanished with a familiar crack, leaving him alone in the house once more. What had the purpose of that meeting been? Surely the Head of the DMLE didn't just randomly show up at people's homes after they sent her a letter? Or had there been no ulterior motive? What if Madame Bones had come for the very reasons she admitted to? Checking to see whether he was telling the truth or not, checking to see what had really happened.
He didn't know. And he didn't think he ever would know without finding out more about Madam Bones' motivations.
And wow, was this attempted murder thing making him paranoid or what?
IGNITION
I said in the previous author's note that there were ugly toad-faced dragons inbound, so you can't say I didn't warn you. Unfortunately for Harry there's not going to be this miraculous dragon slaying going on just yet, or at all, to be honest I know I want Umbridge to suffer (like all of us) but I don't know how so just yet.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I don't own Harry Potter.
IGNITION