"Harry, my boy".

"Come along, Mister Potter, we're not done yet".

Not hesitating to smirk over his shoulder at Dumbledore as he followed Madam Bones immediately, Harry hurried after the monocle-wearing woman as Ms Homes stepped after him to cut him off from the Headmaster.

"I would avoid antagonising him if I were you, Mister Potter," Madam Bones suggested, not even looking back at him to see him smirking in the first place. "He is after all your Headmaster".

"Right, sorry ma'am," Harry apologised sheepishly as he felt Ms Homes' disapproving stare burning into the back of his head.

"That was quite the gutsy move, Amelia," Ms Homes snapped bluntly as they stepped back into the silver lift to the DMLE, the woman casting a silence charm the moment the grille slid shut.

"It was worth it," Madam Bones dismissed with a wave of her hand as the other one pulled off her hat and tucked it under her arm. "You know what was at stake".

"I do," Ms Homes admitted unhappily, Harry standing between them awkwardly, "And if Umbridge had invoked the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, then legally you would have been forced to give her time to prepare her defence. Consider yourself lucky, Mister Potter, that she didn't," the woman added, glancing down over her glasses at him.

"If she had the time to prepare a defence then we would have lost," Madam Bones explained when she caught sight of Harry's confused expression. "With such a high-ranking position as Umbridge held, getting permission to use Veritaserum would have been impossible, making it just as impossible to prove her defence false. You would have lost your case by default".

"But… that's not fair," Harry began.

"That's the Ministry of Magic," Ms Homes interrupted, cutting him off without a care. "Unfortunately I believe you'll need my services again, Amelia, I doubt this is the last we'll hear of the Minister".

Madam Bones just snorted, "'Laws can be changed'," she quoted, her lips twisting into a smirk. "What a fool, as if the I.C.W will allow that, the Minister is toeing the line with his little slander fest as it is".

As the two continued talking between themselves, Harry felt like they'd forgotten he was there, stepping back to lean against the wall of the lift slowly. He hadn't expected the magical equivalent of a restraining order, but like he'd realised earlier it was probably for the best that this restraining order was in place. He didn't hesitate to believe she'd have tried again if she'd gotten the chance. She'd lurked furious enough when Ms Homes had brought up his case against her, and if her first glare was bad enough to kill, then Harry imagined the look she'd given him after her sentence was announced would have sent him straight to the deepest darkest levels of Hell.

And then there was Dumbledore lurking around outside the courtroom waiting for him. Had the Headmaster truly believed he could have forced Harry to go with him? Merlin, he would have gone the opposite way to Dumbledore just to be spiteful if it weren't for Madam Bones snatching him up before the old man had the chance to.

"Come along Mister Potter".

Following the two women out of the lift and through the Auror Offices to Madam Bones' office, Harry let himself be directed into a seat as the women sat as well, waiting for one of them to say something as they made themselves comfortable.

"That man is one wrong answer away from being sphinx food," Madam Bones exhaled as she unclipped her Wizengamot robe and banished it to a hook on the wall, leaving her wearing a simple pantsuit instead of her earlier robes. "I can't wait to see him get eaten; something thanks to Mister Potter here I imagine I'll get a front row seat to. I don't think we could have done it without you".

"Done what?" Harry asked hesitantly, the way Madam Bones had worded making him suspiciously.

Madam Bones just fixed him with the same steely look she'd given the Minister back in the courtroom. "I think it is obvious that the current Minister isn't qualified to do anything but accept bribes from unsavoury characters," she stated bluntly, "Myself and some of the other department heads are looking to have him replaced with someone who cares about more than just their next pay check before he runs Wizarding Britain into the ground".

"Oh sit down, Mister Potter," Ms Homes snapped as Harry surged up to his feet, "We're not talking about an armed coup here. We're looking to uphold the law, not break it".

"You used me," Harry argued, refusing to take his seat as he scowled at the unrepentant Madam Bones and Ms Homes. "You used me to take out Umbridge and Fudge".

"Hardly," Madam Bones dismissed with a wave of her hand, "As I would have explained had the trial time not been changed, you and I both wanted the same thing so it was logical to work together to achieve it".

"Then why did you stand up for me? Why not let me get expelled and then take Umbridge and Fudge down for even worse crimes? Why would you tell me about the Order of the Phoenix if you didn't care?" Harry demanded, backing away from them both as Madam Bones drew her wand and flicked it past him at the door.

"This is not Hogwarts, Mr Potter," Madam Bones snapped, eyes narrowing warningly. "The real world doesn't believe that Gryffindors are good while Slytherins are evil. I helped you because it was my duty, because ever since I was a little girl I wanted to help people and do good, not because we're both Gryffindors. You were wronged, and I made it right, that is why I helped you. As of now, our interests are aligned, and for as long as they remain that way I will do what is within my power to aid you".

Pausing, the woman slipped her wand back up her sleeve and stood, moving over to place her hand next to one of the many framed pictures on the wall. "I gave you that information for two reasons, Mr Potter, the first being that while I didn't know your mother I did know your father," she explained, Harry cautiously moving closer to see what was clearly a younger Amelia Bones standing beside a grinning James Potter. "We went through Auror training together and he saved my life more times than I remember. I felt I owed it to the man to do what I could to help you when you were clearly not being helped by those who claimed to be his friends. And the second reason?" Moving back to her desk and sitting down, Madam Bones folded her hands before her and smiled.

"My goals and the goals of Albus Dumbledore are not aligned".

"So you used me to get to Dumbledore and because you were settling an old debt?" Harry questioned slowly.

"I guess you could say it like that," the Head of the DMLE admitted, "I prefer to think of it as taking advantage of an opportunity given. I would have done what I could for you either way; I just saw this as a good chance to get something out of it for myself while doing it".

Staring at the woman as he thought on her words for a moment, Harry just nodded stiffly. He didn't like it, the idea of being used, but Madam Bones was right about taking advantage when the chance arose. "You said you're not 'aligned' with Dumbledore?" he asked as he glanced over at Ms Homes as the woman left the office without a word.

"One thing I'm sure you already know about Albus Dumbledore, Mr Potter, is that he has plans within plans within plans," Madam Bones began carefully, choosing her words specifically. "I believe that he is truly on the side of the light, but I believe he's a lot more... muted... a light than he claims to be".

"I fight for my people, I fight to help who I can and do as much good as I can do before I die," she continued, "I'm not sure what Albus Dumbledore fights for, but I can swear under Veritaserum that it's not the same thing as me". Madam Bones paused and glanced up at Harry as she leaned back in her chair, "Tell me, Mr Potter, what do you fight for?"

Unbidden Harry's mind answered her question immediately, faces flashing through his mind before he even had time to stop and think about it. His parents, James and Lily, and his godfather Sirius. The stuttering and bumbling Neville, the smart and awkward Hermione. The caring Mr and Mrs Weasley. The plotting Fred and George. The joking Seamus and Dean. Were they really who he fought for? He knew he wouldn't hesitate to step in front of a curse for any of them, that he would fight for each and every one of them. But even Hermione who he hadn't spoken a single word to in the past couple of days? Was she still considered one of his friends and family even though Ron's face had been noticeably absent from the list?

"Auror Tonks will escort you from the Ministry," Madam Bones declared as she stood, leading a quiet thoughtful Harry from her office to where Tonks was already waiting for them. "Think on what I said, Mr Potter".

"Harry?" Tonks asked hesitantly.

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry interrupted immediately, "Let's just leave before Dumbledore tries to ambush me again".

IGNITION

The kitchen of Grimmauld Place was deathly silent as Harry stumbled through the fireplace, the green flames of the floo system vanishing behind him as he brushed ash from his shoulders and straightened up.

Glancing around at all the expectant faces, Harry ignored them and met his godfather's eyes, Sirius sitting in the corner with a bottle of butterbeer pressed frozen against his lips. "I got off," he announced to the room, not looking away from his godfather who slumped back in relief as a cheer filled the room.

"Of course you did," Ron muttered darkly, scowling down at his own butterbeer as his mother clutched her chest and let out a happy noise, "You always get away with stuff".

"Madam Bones was able to prove that I didn't cast the Patronus Charm," Harry continued, speaking loudly so everyone would be able to hear him over the twins and Ginny singing what sounded like a war chant. "All the charges against me were dropped".

"I told you they would be, kid," Sirius said simply as Harry moved over to join him, holding out the cold butterbeer waiting beside him. "Amelia is a lot of things, but useless isn't one of them. One she gets something in her sights she'll never let go, she's a little scary that way".

Shrugging simply as he glanced over to where Mrs Weasley was struggling to calm the twins and Ginny down, Harry jumped up onto the table beside his godfather. "Umbridge got fired," he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, "And I have a restraining order against her now, so she can't come anywhere near me".

"Of course she was," Sirius agreed, looking at Harry with a grin, "Like I said, Amelia isn't useless".

"Oh Harry dear," Mrs Weasley called as he took his first sip of his drink, "Don't drink that all right now, we're about to have lunch. And no excuses from you please," she added as Harry opened his mouth to do just that, "I saw how little you had for breakfast and you need a decent meal in you".

Still opening his mouth to argue, Harry faltered as he thought back to the faces he'd remembered in Madam Bones' office. Maybe he wasn't ready to just forgive everybody yet, but maybe just maybe, he was ready to stop being angry at them all the damn time.

Exchanging another look with Sirius, he pushed himself off the side table and moved over to sit beside the grinning Fred (or George), making Mrs Weasley's face light up like a lumos charm. He was actually rather hungry now that he thought about it, Mrs Weasley was right about him only having time for some dry toast that morning before sneaking out. Sirius could wait until later for a play-by-play of the trials, for now Harry just wanted to relax, feeling a tension he didn't know he was even carrying fade away as George (or Fred) elbowed him in the side with a wink.

Smiling thankfully up at Mrs Weasley as she dished a huge amount of mashed potato onto his plate, Harry reached for a cup to pour his butterbeer into only to knock the bottle over as the Weasley Matron said "I'm so glad that Albus was able to find that article in the Charter of Rights, there was no way they would convict you with the Headmaster defending you".

"Excuse me?"

Mrs Weasley just blinked in confusion, "Albus might have lost a few of his titles recently, but he's still a very influential man among the right sort of people," she explained, "I knew the moment he told us that your trial was in front of the Wizengamot that you'd be getting off, Dumbledore knows all the Wizengamot's laws inside and out".

"He knew?" Harry demanded, Mrs Weasley's face falling as he stood up. "He knew my trial was in front of the Wizengamot and he didn't tell me?"

"Well- well he said he had told you," Mrs Weasley stuttered out.

"Well he lied!" he shouted.

"Well I didn't," Mrs Weasley interrupted, putting one hand on her hip and pointing the potato-covered spoon at him warningly. "So if you want to be angry at someone, then be angry at the Headmaster, not at me".

Staring at the red-haired woman in shock, Harry blinked dumbly for a moment. "Sorry," he mumbled, making Mrs Weasley nod happily and continue scooping out mashed potato onto an awkward-looking Sirius' plate.

"That's alright, Harry," Mrs Weasley dismissed into the quiet of the kitchen, "I understand".

"Is that why he was waiting outside of the courtroom? Because he was supposed to be my defence?" Harry asked slowly.

"You mean he wasn't?" Sirius asked as Mrs Weasley swapped the bowl of potatoes for some sausages. "How did you get off if Dumbledore wasn't there?"

"I had the trial in Madam Bones' office," he explained, making his Godfather nod in understanding. "We then went downstairs for the fake trial and a friend of Madam Bones acted as my defence".

"You had two trials?"

Glancing at Hermione curtly, Harry almost told her to mind her own business, biting his tongue and instead forcing out a polite "The one in the courtroom was technically illegal so we needed the first one done formally".

"But… but that's illegal!" Hermione exclaimed with a frown, "They're not allowed to do that".

"The person responsible was fired and charged with fraud," Harry admitted as heads snapped around to stare at him in shock. "It's been dealt with".

"The Headmaster didn't say anything about that," Mrs Weasley murmured, the look on her face forcing Harry's eager silence. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Mrs Weasley wanted to use that fork her knuckles were whitening about on Dumbledore, and he honestly couldn't wait to see it happen.

"The Headmaster didn't say a lot of things," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Is that really what all this is about?" Hermione demanded, her brows furrowing as she stared at him, teeth biting away at her bottom lip. "That we didn't say anything about the Order?"

"This is all about the fact that you chose to listen to Dumbledore over your friendship with me," Harry forced out, his own knuckles tightening around his fork. "I would have been fine with a 'I wish we could explain but we can't for security reasons, we'll tell you when you get here', but instead I got half-assed lies until you just stopped replying".

Watching from the corner of his eye as Hermione frowned down at her plate, teeth still working away at her lip as she thought, Harry returned his own attention to his lunch as Ginny tried to break the awkward silence by asking Sirius a question about Buckbeak.

"So, Harry, have you done all your homework?" Mrs Weasley asked as she sat opposite him at the table with her own plate. "Ron hasn't," she explained with a disapproving look towards her youngest son, "But Ginny and the twins finished theirs ages ago".

"Mine's done," Harry admitted slowly, "I had a lot of time to-"

All conversation cutting off again as green flames burst to life in the fireplace, everyone turned to watch as Dumbledore stepped out of the flames in a different set of Gryffindor-red robes to the dark blue ones he'd been wearing at the Ministry.

Mrs Weasley was right, Harry suddenly wanted to stab Dumbledore with his fork himself.

"Ah, Molly, it looks like I was right on time".

"Imagine that," Mrs Weasley said politely, her smile obviously fake, as the Headmaster conjured up a chair at the end of the table and settled in.

"It's been quite the age since I've had mash potatoes and sausages," Dumbledore said cheerfully, twinkling his eyes at Hermione who just clenched her jaw and turned to whisper something at Ginny beside her, the two of them engaging in a furious whisper battle.

"So Headmaster," Sirius began slyly, winking at Harry before leaning forward to look past him at Dumbledore. "To what do we owe the… pleasure… of this visit?"

"I'm just here to discuss the events of his trial with Harry," Dumbledore confessed, "But it can wait until this lovely meal is over".

"Why wait?" Harry interrupted as Mrs Weasley inhaled deeply to start talking, "Why not just talk about it now?"

"I think it's a conversation best held in private," Dumbledore dismissed.

"I disagree," Harry said with a smile, staring right at the Headmaster as the man faltered without looking up at Harry. "I think if we're going to have a discussion it should be right here right now".

"Now, Harry my boy".

"Yes, now," Harry agreed, elbowing Fred (or George) in the ribs when they choked on a snort beside him. "My schedule for the rest of the day is full".

Ignoring the way Dumbledore's eyes only came up to burn into the back of his head when Harry's dropped down to his plate to hide his smirk, he waited for the old man to say something, anything other than the disapproving air he seemed to radiate.

"I insist-".

"So do I," Harry cut in again, eyes snapping up to meet Dumbledore's for a second before the man tore them away. Why was the Headmaster doing that? Why was he refusing to look Harry in the eyes? Was he afraid that Harry would read his mind and find out all his secrets if they made eye contact or something?

Dumbledore stared past Harry to the wall behind him, the twinkle all but gone as the man's face went blank. "Ms Shirley K Homes is an untrustworthy woman," he finally announced, "I would suggest that you avoid all contact with her. And Madam Bones cannot be trusted, she is on the Minister's payroll, after all".

"You mean she can't be trusted because she's not on your payroll," Harry shot back. "And to be honest, Professor, that's exactly why I trust her. She doesn't lie and keep things from me, so as far as I'm concerned I'll trust her word over yours".

"I only have your best interests at heart," the Headmaster began.

"You don't act like it," Harry snapped, turning to glare at the old man who was still looking above his head. "Everything you've done 'for me' has only made things worse!"

"I'm sorry you see it like that," Dumbledore began, "When you're older you'll understand".

"When I'm older, Voldemort would have killed me because you didn't tell me anything!" Harry shouted, rising to his feet to glare down at the old man.

"As I told you those many years ago, you are not ready to hear the prophecy," Dumbledore corrected calmly, voice even as he placed his fork down on the table. "When I believe you are, then I will tell it to you".

"And who do you think you are to decide when I'm rea- there's a prophecy about me?" Harry blurted, watching as Dumbledore froze up almost immediately at his words. "There's a bloody prophecy about me and you didn't tell me?" he yelled as the Headmaster pushed his plate away and stood. "How dare you! How long have you know?"

Dumbledore refused to meet his eyes – not that he'd been doing so in the first place – and instead started heading towards the fireplace instead.

"What? You're just going to run away?" Harry demanded, only Sirius' fingers curling around his wrist stopping him from giving chase. "ANSWER ME!"

"You are NOT ready!" Dumbledore shouted, back still facing Harry. "And will not be until I can trust you to act maturely about it".

"You're my Headmaster, nothing more. You have no right to hold anything from me, no right to play god over my life!" Harry spat as the man threw the floor powder into the fire. "Madam Bones was right about you," he added, watching the man freeze, "We fight for the Light. You don't".

Turning away from Dumbledore and starting towards the doorway, Harry wrenched his wrist free of Sirius' grasp and slammed the door behind him to stop people from following him up. How dare Dumbledore keep something so big from him? Harry had the right to know about this 'prophecy', even if he wouldn't have believed prophecies to be real until his third year. And who did Dumbledore think he was to be able to decide something like that? He was nothing more than a dictator trying to control every aspect of Harry's life.

He wanted to hold the prophecy over Harry's head as some kind of bargaining chip for Harry's behaviour? Then fine, he could keep the blasted prophecy, it wasn't like Harry couldn't guess what it was about. It was about Voldemort, obviously, knowing Harry's luck it'd be a 'kill or be killed' kind of deal. Something that said it would be impossible for Harry to be free of the Dark Lord until one of them were dead. At least that's what he hoped it was. A 'kill or be killed' prophecy was one thing, and it was ten times better than some of the other options he could think of, he remembered some of the prophecies mentioned in his divination book.

Harry could be destined to fall to Voldemort, destined to join him, or worse… destined to love him.

Shuddering at the mere thought of that last idea, Harry pushed it from his mind and joined a sleeping Hedwig in his bedroom, quietly shutting the door behind him. Maybe… maybe the prophecy was about something different? Snapping his fingers and conjuring a ball of fire as he sat on the edge of his (new) bed, Harry stared into the flames as he moved them from hand to hand with nothing but his mind. If the prophecy spoke of him having some kind of power, then that would explain why it was only Sirius who was curious about his so-called 'wandless magic'.

Did that mean that all his hiding of his flame was useless? No… Harry couldn't just assume that, not until Dumbledore himself confronted him about it directly.

Clenching his fist around the ball of fire as someone knocked on the door, Harry twisted around to watch as Sirius opened the door and slipped into the room. "I don't know the prophecy," the man said in greeting, "I know it exists but I don't know what it says. Even if I did, the oath I took when joining the Order prevents me from telling you".

"Why hasn't he told me?" Harry blurted as his godfather moved over to sit beside him, "Even if he thought I was too young to know the actual words, he should have told me that there was one".

"It's not that bad, Harry," Sirius began, making him turn to face his godfather and raise his eyebrow unbelievingly. "Okay it is that bad," the dog animagus admitted seconds later, shrugging as he frowned down at the floor, "Maybe. We don't know much about prophecies in the first place, they're kept down in the Department of Mysteries for the Unspeakables to study, but not much has been discovered about them as far as I know. It's a bit of a lost magic, if I've ever heard of one".

"How… how would I find it out? What the prophecy says?" he asked slowly, leaning against his godfather's shoulder slowly.

"You don't," the man confessed, "Only the Unspeakables have permission to see the prophecies. We think Albus has someone inside the Department of Mysteries, it's the only way he could have known about the prophecy, much less what it says".

"Great," Harry muttered, scrunching his face up as he stood and moved away from Sirius to approach the sleeping Hedwig. "Just great".

"Come on kid, stop worrying about it," Sirius suggested, not moving from the bed. "That's the thing about prophecies, they're going to happen anyway. Stressing and worrying about them isn't going to matter, there's a story I remember when I was growing up. A Muggle Lord asked a Sorceress to make him powerful, and with her help his kingdom flourished. All she asked of him was for his firstborn daughter to be named after her, except when he named his daughter – the Princess – something else, she cursed the little girl with a prophecy. Uh," Sirius paused and frowned for a moment, "I don't remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of falling into an eternal sleep when she was sixteen after touching… I think it was a spinning wheel actually, unless she found true love's kiss. The daughter had no idea about the prophecy and all spinning wheels in the Lord's land were destroyed and outlawed".

"And then, on the girl's sixteenth birthday, she just 'happens' to stumble across a spinning wheel and falls into an eternal sleep," he finished softly, "Then a wizard searching for his soulmate came across her, kissed her and woke her up. He defeated the Sorceress in a duel, married the Princess, end of story. The moral of the story? Is that prophecy cannot be thwarted. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen so stop worrying about it".

Harry just snorted, "That sounds like the muggle fairy tale of 'Sleepy Beauty'," he pointed out, not sure if his godfather would know of that story.

"Yeah, well it's just an old story, nobody knows if it's true or-"

"Sirius?" Harry pressed when the man froze, "What's wrong?"

"Finish your homework," Sirius ordered as he launched himself to his feet, "I have to go to find a book".