Once again I own nothing! Just playing with someone else's toys!
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Chapter 56
The remainder of the week would have been trying for any man, but to one of the advanced age of Albus Dumbledore it had been exhausting in the most extreme definition of the word. Meeting after meeting had been held by both the Wizengamot and the ICW discussing the way he was to be disciplined as well as the accusations that he may have used the skill elsewhere. At each meeting he had attended, he had admitted his errors in judgment and offered explanations of his actions as well as a heartfelt apology for those actions.
He knew his reputation had been tarnished by his lack of discretion, but in the end he knew that this was the best course of action to salvage the majority the remaining good will of those within the wizarding world.
He had easily agreed to pay the restitution handed down by the court, despite the fact that it would come close to ruining him… especially with the further payments owed to Fairgrove. Monetary concerns had never been of much concern to him, he wanted the best for his people. That was what drove him to do everything possible to keep everyone happy with their lot in life.
Big or small they all have their place to uphold in the 'Greater Good'.
However, this Saturday morning greeted him with something other than the solitude and much needed rest he so desperately wished, as a knock upon his door pulled him away from his breakfast. Outside he found the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, accompanied by a group of people that seemed to be ever present at his side as of late, his Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge, ex-Hogwarts board member and member of the Wizengamot Lucius Malfoy, and Percy Weasley.
The man wringing his hands and wearing a green bowler hat never offered an explanation, just a brusque 'Come with us!'. Moments later they were whisked away by portkey to Diagon Alley.
When they arrived it was in the middle of a standing room only crowd. "What in Merlin's name?" Albus asked.
A dark skinned Auror spoke before he could get an answer. "Dumbledore! Minister!" His eyes moved from one to another. "You need to move! It seems everyone is coming to the Alley!"
He had barely pushed them out of the way before someone else appeared with a 'POP'!
Looking out over the people crowded shoulder to shoulder in the Alley Albus shook his head. "My word! Auror Shacklebolt, what seems to be going on here?"
As the large man started clearing a path for his new charges he glanced over his shoulder and began to explain. "Several new business opened this morning… and well... Excuse me! Dumbledore and the Minister need to get through! You…. You need to see it to believe it!"
Moments later the remaining crowd parted, and there in the window of a new business sat several different sized cabinets each holding some form of charmed window showing different moving pictures. Dumbledore's eyes flipped from one to the next in rapid succession; none of them seemed to repeat like a magical photo would. Finally his eyes settled on one to the far right, in it he saw himself as well as the others. Slowly he moved his hand, and his likeness did likewise.
"Remarkable! Truly remarkable!" he said gesturing to the window he was observing. "This one even seems to show events as they happen! The charms to accomplish this are very impressive!"
He heard a chuckle from just behind him and when he turned he saw Keighvin Silverhair who proceeded to explain, "Not a bit of magic was used to make any of those work, it's called television... it's a non magical invention." He walked over next to the window and pointed. "That's a news broadcast from here in London, it's happening right now." His hand moved to one with some form of moving drawings. "Children's cartoons… they are meant to be funny." His hand pointed again. "Music video… Something Harry is particularly fond of… As for the one you were looking at, it is from a video camera, a device that not only sends to a television but records what it sees to be watched again later."
The odd looking woman in pink bristled. "Auror! Arrest them all! Including the ELF! Minister I warned you about this! These… These creatures are making fools of us! Ignoring the laws of the Ministry! Just look at this muggle junk, staining the beauty of Diagon Alley! They should all rot in Azkaban!"
Keighvin smiled widely. "And my dear… woman, what laws have we or the good owners of this business broken?" he asked.
She whirled on him, spitting with rage, her face a darker pink than her clothing. "We can start right here with this… this junk! Enchanting muggle items is illegal! There is no way any of this is legal! Just like that 'bank' of yours! Before this is over you and your kind will be just like the all the other creatures, registered with the ministry and back in the woods where you belong, in Azkaban, or destroyed!"
Keighvin continued to smile. "I assure you, that there is not a single enchanted item in that business… NOT. A. SINGLE. ONE. As for your other statements, every form required by your Ministry has been followed as has every law, and as for any authority your Ministry has over MY people, you need to read your own laws. Those dating back to the beginning of your community, those laid down by my people and the original Merlin himself! WE are the elder race here! Our place in those treaties still stands! We gave up nothing, when we left these shores!"
He turned toward the minister. "We have taken great pains to not violate any of your laws, Minister. I would suggest you keep your hound on a shorter leash!"
He then turned to Dumbledore. "If you wish, I can introduce you to the owners; they are very nice people… Though I suspect you already know them, first generation magic users both of them! Then I'll even treat you all to lunch, have you ever tried Pizza?"
Damien Parkinson watched the scene unfold down in the Alley from the second story window of the Savings and Loan, a smile wide on his face. It was a small indulgence, the smile, but one he felt was well earned. He could stand there and watch that toad of a woman yell all day, let alone the look on Malfoy's face.
He had never liked the man, or his self-righteous spawn. Tolerate him? Yes, for the sake of his wife's friendship with Narcissa, and for business reasons as well. At least until recent events had begun to unfold.
The first indication that things for them were going to change had been the way Harry Potter had arrived at Hogwarts, in a mug… non-magical vehicle. Then came the realization that the boy had been raised not only across the ocean, but in the domain of Elves!
He could almost see the changes beginning to ripple through things at that point. Only to see that ripple become a wave when those same elves took over possession of the Potter estates and began their Savings and Loan, with not only the support and blessing of the muggle government but connections to one of their largest financial institutions. Thus allowing a number of individuals who had never been able to secure loans or financial backing, to do so, allowing them to bypass the old families and their biased practice of supporting only those of 'pure blood'. They even supplied barristers, as well as their status, to facilitate navigation of the Ministry bureaucracy, also meant to prevent such things.
Damien had watched as these things began, his mind boggled at the amount of precision he observed. Each move was calculated, each law strictly observed. Not a single move was made with haste, or without due thought and diligence.
Even the Potter boy seemed to do the same. Though the majority of his observation of the child was from the distance during the tournament, even from there he could see that the boy was deliberate in every thing he did. During the first task, which no one was sure how he accomplished, he had used misdirection to cover his actions and then gone on to complete the task at a remarkable speed.
Then, after a surprising change of date for the Yule ball (due once again to the boy and his people) as well as his actions when dealing with the Malfoy spawn afterword, came the second task. One he accomplished in a way that had stunned not only the crowd but the professors and visiting dignitaries as well. The speculations had run wild during the time he was indisposed after rescuing not only his hostage, his own only daughter, but another Champion and her younger sibling, until an interview with a squib named Dolittle had appeared in the Quibbler detailing his family's history and gift.
Reluctant as they were, even the Prophet had to eventually run the story after it had appeared in not only the French and Bulgarian papers but several others on the continent as well.
"Kind of fun to watch isn't it?" said a voice from next to him. "Their world is changing, and it is about time too," the man said.
Startled from his musings, Damien nodded. "Indeed. I believe this is just the start as well, if your people have their way."
Tannim shrugged. "We just gave things a push, they will make the changes from now on their own… Some of it won't be pleasant, and some will be down right painful… but it had to happen. Your people won't be able to hide like this forever. The way you were going about hiding was already placing a strain on your relations with the non-magical government and with the advances in technology it would have continued to make things harder and harder for both sides."
Damien sighed. "Yes, I began to see that when Keighvin showed me the recording he had you make of the Yule ball… We have always been told that mu.. non-magical devices would not work in a magical environment, and just believed it… It makes me wonder what else we have been wrong about… At any rate, I believe you wished to meet with me about something other than just allowing me to witness this."
Tannim nodded. "I did." He gestured toward the table. "Let's sit down… I'm afraid my knee is bothering me quite badly today. It seems to do that a lot more here in England, it must have something to do with the difference in weather."
As they sat, Damien decided it wouldn't be too rude to ask. "If you do not mind my asking? My daughter said that you are magical, why have you not had your knee magically repaired?"
Tannim sighed. "No, it's fine… Unfortunately there are some injuries that just cannot be fixed by magic. I was bitten by a particularly nasty, and very angry, creature from Underhill." The man across from him winced. "I was lucky the leg was able to be saved."
Damien nodded. "I trust that type of thing doesn't happen often?"
Tannim nodded. "It is rare but just like anyplace Underhill can have its dangers, like making a wrong turn and going down Knockturn Alley."
The other man chuckled as Tannim continued, "In just over a week we will be heading back to the United States for a short time; Harry and Keighvin have some business commitments that need to be seen to over there, and while it is possible for Pansy to stay here and continue her classes, we would like for her to accompany us, as well as your wife and yourself if you have the time."
Damien was slightly taken aback by the invitation. "What dates are you discussing? And I suspect you will be traveling by Portal?" he asked.
Tannim slid a paper from his pocket and opened it. "Well, we would like to leave Wednesday the 22nd, after the kids finish their classes, then return two weeks later on Wednesday April the 5th. Their classes will continue during that time only from Friday to Monday we will need to do a bit of traveling. So you would have that time to look around or, if you wish you are free to join us. The Grangers have already expressed an interest in going with us on those days."
"And what would these trips entail?" the man asked.
Tannim folded the paper back up. "A trip by auto, just a couple of hours, then three days in different cities. Harry needs to make appearances, due to a couple of contracts. During two of those days you will be free to do as you wish; we will even have someone drive you around to see the sights. Then on Sunday we will attend the race, and head home. And yes we will take the portal back to the states," he added.
"Racing? You mean like the vehicle Dumbledore vanished?" Damien asked.
Tannim nodded. "For the most part yes, they are a little different but the concept is the same. The two races we will be attending are close enough to be called 'home tracks' to Harry, and he is pretty well known around both of them. He already had to skip one appearance in Charlotte due to the second task, so missing one of these just isn't an option."
Damien nodded. "I imagine the other party of those contracts would be quite displeased by the fact he has missed one engagement."
Tannim shrugged. "A little, but it has more to do with keeping him fresh in the mind of the team owners of NASCAR. Harry has already impressed them, he just needs to keep his presence out there, keep their interest. He wants to be in the Bush Grand National races in just over a year, and he wants to earn that ride… place with them, and that is the best way to do it along with his accomplishments with SERRA."
Damien sat back, a large smile on his face. "Such ambition from someone so young! He continues to impress me." He paused for a moment, thinking, then nodded. "Yes I believe we can arrange to accompany you. It will do all of us good to see a glimpse of what our future may hold."
Tannim smiled. "Excellent! I believe you will find the trip quite enlightening. Now, before we leave we will need to take you and your family shopping for more non-magical clothing. When would you be available to go out into London for a few hours?"
They sat making plans for several more minutes.
"You wanted to see me Dad?" Harry asked stepping into the kitchen. He sat down at the table and looked around at the others.
Tannim nodded. "Yes. Sirius has some things for you." He nodded toward Harry's godfather.
Sirius pushed a bundle wrapped in brown paper across the table to him. "This was your birth father's… It… it was a family heirloom… your fath… James never said how old it was… but I think it has been in your family a very long time…" Tears glistened, unshed in the man's eyes.
Harry sat there staring at the package, then he slowly looked at each of his parents then Sirius. Pulling on the string holding the package closed he began to unfold the paper, to find a silvery cloth, an invisibility cloak… "W-why wasn't this in the c-container with everything else?"
Sirius sighed. "For a couple of reasons… both of them leading back to Albus Dumbledore… He borrowed this from your parents… He wanted to study it, most of those only last a few years, but that one? That one has lasted who knows how long."
Harry's shoulders slumped. "If they had had this…"
Shar leaned over and gathered the boy in her arms. "Harry… please, you can't think like that. There is no way to know if they could have survived… even with something like this."
Harry leaned into her crying. "But they would have had the chance… And he took that chance away from them…"
Sirius looked at Tannim, who had said much the same thing when he had told them about the cloak; he dreaded having to tell him what else had been done with the headmaster's consent.
Sirius steeled himself, then began again. "Harry… that isn't the only thing your parents would have wanted you to have that wasn't in the vault…"
Harry looked up his eyes red and puffy from tears. "When they died…" Sirius took a deep breath and let it out. "The Ministry decided they wanted to do something… a memorial… a place for them to gather and remember their sacrifice…" He trailed off, unable to force his voice to form the words. He looked to Tannim, wordlessly begging him to explain it for him.
Tannim nodded, then spoke. "Harry, they sealed your family home… Exactly the way it was, and made it into that memorial… that and your parents graves, they are buried in a small graveyard nearby."
Harry's face contorted with confusion, then anger. "They took my parents' home?" Sirius nodded. "And everything in it?" Again the man nodded. "I want it… all of it! And once the house is empty I want it burned to the ground! I want my parents moved! I want to take them back to Fairgrove! I won't leave anything of my family's here! Nothing! If I need to spend every dime I ever make I will get it all!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy Harry!" Sirius said kneeling in front of the young man as Shar held on to him tighter. "I've been working to straighten this out now for a couple of weeks, pup! And I promise I'll take care of everything! But you need to calm down! Please."
Harry glared into his eyes, he was shaking in rage as his magic flared. "I want them out! I don't want the Ministry or anyone else in their house!"
"Alright, I've already gotten them to agree that the things inside should have been placed in the Potter vaults… I'll keep working on everything else…" Sirius paused, and took a deep breath. "But before we do anything with the house or move your parents, I need you to think about things… really think about things. This is your family home, one that you were meant to grow up in… and your parents, they are buried in the family plots, where the Potters have been buried for generations... Right next to your grandparents…"
Harry's eyes widened at that. He had never known his birth parents were buried in family plots! Hell, Petunia didn't even know the name of the town they had lived in! Harry nodded slowly. "Alright… I-I'll think about it… I want to see it though… visit their graves… maybe after we get back from home…"
Sirius nodded. "I'll make sure that everything is ready." He looked at Tannim. "I'll talk to Amelia, arrange for Aurors to keep the people away."
Tannim nodded. "I'll have Keighvin arrange something as well." He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "He's right, this is something you need to think through. Once you have we will help you do whatever you think is right."
Harry smiled weakly, then hugged him. "Thanks Dad."