28/08/1995
The Elves had packed everything into the two Cases.
Harry kissed the forehead of the preening Veela as she shed the last of her Molt.
Then the four English travelers boarded the Chunnel-Express train, and found themselves in first Class.
As the Adults sipped their champagne, the kids each had a Coke, and settled in for the ride. Hermione opened her Book, as Harry groomed his Owl.
Crookshanks had decided to travel in comfort… in Hermione's case… on his ottoman.
PPMW
Skeeter Grinned.
As She read the Paper, she preened.
Potter had promised a goldmine.
Potter had delivered.
First was the Story, The Third Task, the Graveyard, and Fudge's Murder of the 'Prisoner'.
Then there was the Trail of Potter, and the Fallout.
Now She was preparing for the Big Reveal… The Chamber of Secrets… on the Second of September.
She sipped her Tea, as she thought back to that afternoon in the Park…
[Flashback]
She arrived at the corner of Magnolia Walkway and Thatcher Way. Bozo was, as he always was in her presence, one step left, one step back, His camera glued to his eye.
"I know a Gryffindor that walks like that. A Muggleborn." Potter's Voice spoke from behind her.
She spun to see…
Nothing.
"Picnic Tables." His disembodied voice whispered in her ear.
Finding the Tables was no real difficulty, but once she was seated, she felt wards spring up.
"Apologies. I thought we would prefer privacy for these talks." Harry twirled off an invisibility cloak. "Just a 'not us not' and 'muggle repel' hex." The skinny lad sat across from her. No sooner was he sitting, two cups of hot tea in china cups appeared before them. "Please. No Triple Q quill. If you want to use it for our talks, okay, but for the story, you are going to want something that can be held up in Court, something even Director Bones can stand behind."
He spent the next two hours talking. He started at his Eleventh birthday, and he spoke of everything that happened at Hogwarts… Quarrel and the Flamel Stone, The Chamber of Secrets and the 'Snake', The Grim and The Dementors, the whole Triwizard Tournament. And now he had claimed his Rings, his Accounts, His House.
He supplied Memories for Bozo to work his magic on, Offered to Guide Herself, Bozo, and the Director of the DMLE into the Chamber, after School had restarted for the year. He told her he was going to be away for the rest of the Summer, but he would Owl her when he returned to the Shores of England.
He stood, Slung his silvered Cloak about his shoulders, and faded from sight. Then the ward-hexs fell. "Come Dobby. Back to Ganger's" the Cups vanished, and Rita was left alone with Bozo in the Park.
[Flashback end]
It took her a whole three days to write out and fill in the story of his First Year. She did not just transcribe the story, but she went looking for second and even third confirmations on the Story. She Chose two Heiresses, Bones of Hufflepuff, for Her Connection to the Director of the DMLE, and Greengrass of Slytherin, for her Political Connections.
"Harry Potter is a small lad with wild hair and deep green eyes." Reports Heiress Bones, "But good luck getting close. His guard-dog, Weasley does not let anyone get close. Only Reason Granger is so close is because Potter wants her there."
"Potter is a Power unto himself." Heiress Greengrass confides, "We of Slytherin House know to leave him alone… or most of Us do. Potter Finds Trouble like a Niffler finds 'shiny'. He falls in Dragon Shite, and finds the Dragon's Hoard."
The Story ran… and sold out three printings. The Picture of 'Fluffy' on the Front page had made Cuffe wet himself, when he first held the print from Bozo. Bozo had a life size Print done up, and placed in the Loo. three people wet themselves before Cuffe had him take it down… while laughing.
A week later, Year two ran. Again She confirmed with her two sources.
Bones; Potter is a Parselmouth, and by my understanding, a powerful one. When during a Dueling presentation, a snake was summoned, a cobra. Potter called it off from attacking a Housemate of mine."
Abbot; Almost all of Hufflepuff thought he was the 'Heir'. That is until Granger was caught… No One threatens Granger and comes away unbloodied"
Greengrass; It is whispered That while Potter was not the 'Heir' that opened the Chamber, He is the Heir that Closed the Chamber. The Staff know more than they are telling. There was something Political in play.
Davis; Hearing him hiss at that snake in the Great Hall, sent tingles up my spine. I can not wait for to hiss at me like that.(giggles)
The Pictures Bozo pulled from Potter's memory vials caused Cuffe to shit himself…just before he ordered four printings, and threatened Bozo not to put up a Picture of the 'Snake' in the Bathrooms. Bozo bowed his head and avoided the bathrooms… of the Paper.
Meanwhile the executive Bathroom of the Ministry had six calls to the Janitorial services in the first hour alone.
And a Week after that, She Dropped Year Three. This time it was with the Help of Cub Reporter Roberts. They cobbled together a three day run of Black and James Potter. Of the Arrest and imprisonment of Black, waiting until the last line to mention the lack of a trial. Of the Escape from Azkaban, the year of Hell at Hogwarts, and the Escape from Hogwarts.
This time she did not talk to the girls, as she had over twenty years of paperwork to back her story.
This Time Bozo chose Potter's Patronus 'Prongs'.
A day later, a small story was printed about the three ani-magi and their adventures with a werewolf. A select group of pictures were displayed. A Hart, A Grim, a lean Werewolf, and a common brown garden rat. Right next to a small posting of the wanted poster.
And above a story about all the rats brought to Gringotts in the last month, but no joy in finding Pettigrew.
Now today, the Twenty-eighth of August, The Story of his Fourth Year had just dropped.
Potter had supplied Memories of the Dragon, The Mermaid village, and the Whole of Third Task. Bozo had spent five rolls of film in the Maze alone. One whole roll on the Sphinx.
Then there was the Graveyard…
Cuffe had decided to run that part as an evening edition.
With the DMLE getting an early copy.
Roberts was dogging Bones Heels today. He had earned his bone.
Skeeter was looking to hook up with Potter when he got back. She was hoping that he would allow a 'In Life of Potter' story on the First…
PPMW
Albus was furious.
First the Boy had vanished.
Then The Dementor attack… and the Trial.
He Arrives to aid his Student, only to find Ted Tonk holding the Desk alone, and no sign of the boy. Then to find out the Boy is in France… under the Care of the French Director of the DMLE.
It was three days to First, and no one could lay an eye much less a finger on the boy.
And Faux refused to help him recollect the boy.
Albus breathed deep, and exhaled slowly. He would just have to wait until the First…
PPMW
Wormtail crawled through another pipe and into a service access room. A focused thought, and he was human. Sliding his silver hand into a work glove, he hobbled out into the light of the morning sun. He quickly cued up for the Soup Kitchen at the Church, where he got a foam cup of noodles, broth, and veggies with a taste of fish. A paper sack held two apples, a brown rye bread cheese sandwich, and an over baked cookie. He traded the cookie for another sandwich from a vet on the corner, before he shuffled into the shadows and vanished by way of 'turning Rat' and a drain pipe.
An hour Later he was outside another church, where he got two PB&Js on sourdough, an Orange, and three juice boxes. He scuttled on, to yet another church, where he scored two slices of cold pepperoni pizza and a square of two day old lasagna. All they had to drink was a weak tea or reheated three day old coffee. He took the tea.
The Tea warmed his old bones in ways the sun did not, before he was forced back into the underground and the maze of pipes that led to his nest.
As he laid out his bounty on the cot, he turned on his travel Wizard Wireless, and listened to the Harpy game, listening for any news on the Hunt for Black. Or the Hunt for Him.
PPMW
Bones sighed as she leaned back. She smiled as she thought of the day after the Trial of Potter.
[Flashback]
Fudge in a bid to continue declaring the Dark Lord Dead, and Pettigrew Dead, had stepped away from the raving Witch that had tried to hang the Boy.
Umbridge had raved that She was doing the Ministry's Work, and that they should let her go. When she demanded a cup of tea, she grabbed the cup from Auror Tonks' hands instead of the one placed before her. Tonks, using the teachings of Moody, had spiked her own cup of tea with Veritaserum and babbling juice, but the Cup she placed before the witch was black with two lumps.
Bones sat back and let the toad faced bitch just cut her own throat as she ranted about everything she did for and in the name of the Ministry. The Dicto-quill scratching away…
PPMW
Black and Lupin were teaching the Twins a few old school tricks, as the carrots had learned just who the two men were…
Black, in a fit of Anger at Albus, had snapped at Lupin, calling him 'Moony' before the whole Family during Breakfast the week before. The twins had not left the two men alone, asking and begging for tips, tyricks, and tales of their youth.
Ron was busy eating everything left out, and fighting the House under Molly's watchful eye.
Ginny was busy caring for two mini-puffer-skins and trying to breed them, slash cross breed them with doxies.
Krecher just stood in the shadows and grumbled about the mudbloods and blood traitors in his Mistress' House.
PPMW
Harry Potter turned to the camera and raised his wand…
[Cliffhanger!]