8. The times they are A-changin'
Susan was such a good and fair girl that she felt obliged to tell everything that happened in her alone time with Harry to all the other girls as soon as possible. She did it immediately, taking advantage that Harry was busy elsewhere, preparing for the great step he would take tomorrow, with Hogwarts' wards. She feared some punishment would come her way for her forwardness with him, but the group only asked her to slow down a bit and give the others their chance to also become closer to the boy.
The girls also had some news for her, and were very interested in the great surprises scheduled for tomorrow, but it was her interactions with Harry that deserved multiple replays in the pensieve created by The Room, with the lament over the wonderful device being able to only communicate image and sounds, and not tactile sensations.
.o0o.
It was such wonder to see a plan unfolds perfectly without any setbacks! It's so common for some small, unforeseen detail to change everything! But today this wasn't the case, everything went really well for madam Amelia Bones.
She saw Fudge leaving the Ministry with the reporters and immediately call two of her best senior aurors, Robbards and Shacklebolt, to instruct them on what to do. Ten minutes later they, plus another four aurors, were on their way to the Great Hall of Hogwarts School.
While Amelia kept the staff's attention on her while she slowly walked from the great doors to the staff's table, Robbards and Shacklebolt approached Ronald Weasley and, while Robbards kept the boy immobilized, Shacklebolt summoned and stunned his pet rat.
Before anyone could protest the attack, Amelia shocked everybody saying: "Professor McGonagall, I request your help to revert this illegal animagus to his human form!"
Minerva complied, and soon several teachers were appalled at recognizing who that wizard was. Filius was one of them, but he soon changed his focus, being the only one to note that the younger girls were not surprised by this revelation, and that Harry Potter was sneaking out the Great Hall.
"Amelia, Pettigrew was declared dead, killed by Sirius Black! How can this be possible?" said Minerva, expressing the big question in everyone's mind.
Madam Bones was happy with the question, as it was her tip to stir even more their minds in the right direction: "I personally checked and found no evidence that Sirius Black ever received a trial. It seems he was sent direct to Azkaban without even be questioned about the events of that terrible explosion that presumably killed Peter Pettigrew. Do not fear, my dear. Soon I'll be questioning this man and will extract the answers we needed."
Amelia prolonged her stay for a few minutes more, and was rewarded by the sight of Snape squeezing his left forearm in pain and hurriedly flew the Great Hall in direction of Hogwarts's gates. That was the sign she need to know that Harry Potter had succeeded in taking control of the castle's wards.
.o0o.
The great Albus Dumbledore suddenly wasn't feeling so great any more. The drain he had put on Hogwarts' wards to fill his own reserves was no longer available, and his connection with the castle was severely reduced. But he was in the middle of Fudge's political show, and to leave before the act ended would mean to sever his good relationship with the Minister for good. So, he did the only thing he could to accelerate the process, skipping a few steps here and there and completely avoiding some additional tests he might have done. Even so, it was still a long time until he could leave that damned place and return to his beloved school.
.o0o.
Amelia entered the conference room of the DMLE and found that her secretary had done a good job in collecting the best reporters available from all British magical Press, and even some foreigners representatives. Before any of them could ask a question, she took control of the show.
"Good morning everybody. Thank you all for coming here today. I'm sure you will find your time well expended. Without delays, let me introduce you to our main attraction of the day..."
Robbards conducted a prisoner inside the room. The man was restricted by chains and manacles, and was floated to a special chair at the centre of the stage. Some reporters seemed to recognize him, but were unsure.
"This, gentlemen and ladies, is Peter Pettigrew, presumed killed by Sirius Black and the main reason of Black's incarceration. He is an illegal animagus and had been in hide for all this time. Shacklebolt, administer the truth serum."
"No! I protest! I'm a pureblood wizard! I have the right to refuse the use of veritaserum!"
"You, Mr. Pettigrew, is legally dead, and as so has no rights."
The serum was administered, and while they waited for it to be fully active, Amelia kept the reporters in silence by the mere expression on her face. Finally she started: "What is your name?"
"Peter Peregrine Pettigrew."
"Why were you hiding as a rat all these years?"
"I was afraid! I framed Sirius Black for the betrayal of the Potters and my own murder. I couldn't be found! Questions would be made, questions that would be hard to answer. And the other Death Eaters, they were holding me responsible for the fall of the Dark Lord. I fear for my life! I just want to survive, even if just as a pet rat of a boy!"
"So, you are a Death Eater, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. The Dark Lord wanted the Potters, and I was their secret keeper, and the Dark Lord always gets what he wants. I had no choice!"
"Why the Dark Lord wanted the Potters so badly?"
"A prophecy was made about the only one who could defeat the Dark Lord. Snape heard part of it and told our master what he knew. It was Harry, the Potters' baby. Dumbledore warned them and they went under a Fidelius, and made me the secret keeper, making Sirius Black a decoy to my protection. A good plan, if Snape hadn't told the Dark Lord about it. So, I was captured, and I chose to join the Death Eaters instead of throwing my life away. You must understand, the Dark Lord was unbeatable. It was only a matter of months for his conquest of Britain. I wanted to be on the victorious side! I wanted to have a good and easy life, and that is what the Dark Lord would give me in exchange for the Potters!"
"How Snape discovered you was the secret keeper for the Potters?"
"Dumbledore was the one to put the Fidelius charm on James and Lily's house. And the senile old man trusted Severus when he told the headmaster that Voldemort knew of the prophecy and decided to target the Potters, the fool! I knew Severus from school, I wouldn't trust him with anything!"
"Dumbledore testified that Severus had turned on the Dark Lord and was spying on him for the Order of Phoenix. Wasn't this true?"
"Severus is a very egoistic guy. We all were, the Death Eaters. He was crazy for Lily, he wanted her by any means. When the Dark Lord decided it was Harry the one the prophecy was about, he played the Dark Lord into killing James and Harry, but sparing Lily as a gift for him as his prize for revealing the prophecy. He also turned to Dumbledore asking him to protect Lily from Voldemort. He played both sides, always have. He would never be truly faithful to anybody but himself."
Amelia took a moment to recover from such a sordid tale. Unfortunately her time was scarce, so she soon continued with: "Tell me the names of all the Death Eaters you ever met and any crimes you remember were committed by them."
.o0o.
Going to classes was such boring activity to Harry and the girls! Some of the classes now seemed totally useless, while the others, even if important, were so slowly! They were learning so much so fast by themselves that normal classes became an exercise in patience and hiding their true level of magical ability.
And the wait for the news was stressing them all. They wanted to know about Pettigrew. They wanted to know about Dumbledore and the wards. They wanted to know if other Death Eaters had escaped prison time and now revealed. They wanted to know if they could be prosecuted now with Pettigrew's testimony. They wanted Malfoy senior punished for the basilisk. And they had to go to class after class without any news.
.o0o.
When Fudge came back from Azkaban, Amelia was there with an invite for lunch and the need to inform him of the morning's events. She knew the man quite well and she didn't need nor desire the fame of being the one to catch Pettigrew and to correct the miscarriage of justice against Black (this wasn't hers for take anyway, it was all Potter, and she knew the boy doesn't want the fame any more than her) so, she conveniently had put some of it in Fudge's lap for free. With that made, she could easily convince him to not interfere with the way she was conducting the case, or so she thought.
The problem was his 'dear friend Lucius'. It was Malfoy who had insisted with Fudge on the kiss-on-sight order against Black. The reason was obvious: his wife was a Black and so his son was probably the most probable heir for the head of house Black title. This point blocked Fudge from agreeing with her intention of exonerating Sirius by lack of evidence and conviction, but the points she gained spinning all this ugly business in a positive propaganda for the Ministry guaranteed she could prosecute Pettigrew to the full length of the Law, and at least revoke the kiss-on-sight order. Sirius' fate would be decided by the trial he never had. By the time, he continues as a wanted fugitive.
She ended their conversation at this point, happy with what she had obtained. She thanked the Minister for his help and ran in a hurry to make everything official while she could. While talking with Fudge, she had omitted the point that 'dear friend Lucius' and several other high-profile members of their society had been named by Pettigrew as active and willing Death Eaters with a long list of crimes to respond to, and that everything would soon be in the Press. She doubt the Minister would be again so generous to her after he discovered of this little detail.
After returning to her office she wrote and sent a quick note about her success so far to Susan. The most important was the confirmation that Sirius Black was really innocent while Pettigrew was the traitor. Harry would know what to do with that information. She never would have thought by herself in finding a hidden fugitive by just sending them an owl.
.o0o.
Dumbledore was exhausted and near panic. Nothing he did brought any results. He wasn't able to take control of the wards. He wasn't able to discover who had this control now. He wasn't able to find Severus. He wasn't even able to find what modifications were done to the wards.
He still was receiving some informations from the wards, but he was feeling useless. He was the headmaster, but he wasn't in full control of the school any more. He hate not being in control.
He decided to have supper at the Great Hall, as he had already skipped lunch, returning direct to his office from Azkaban to try to revert the problem. Reaching the Great Hall he was impressed by the liveliness of the students. They usually were a lot quieter than that at dinner, tired of the long day of classes and homework. Even the staff was showing more activity than he would have expected for that time of the day.
"Albus, where have you been all day? I have been trying to find you from almost as soon as you leave the castle!"
"Minerva, I had some very disturbing news that I need to act upon in haste. What has happened of importance while I have been busy?"
"Oh, let's see… What about Peter Pettigrew being arrested here in the Great Hall soon after you left?" she said with dripping sarcasm before putting an extra afternoon edition of The Daily Prophet in front of him. "What about him be found to be the secret keeper for the Potters? What about Sirius Black being innocent? What about Snape running away from the castle, visibly in pain, and now being accused of accomplice in the deaths of James and Lily? What about a prophecy..."
"No! Not the prophecy! Is it in the newspaper?"
"Yes. It is all in the extra edition of the Prophet, and on WNN, and possibly tomorrow will be in every other publication, including some foreigners! Albus, how could you! That… man was a terrible teacher and the reason of James and Lily's death and you have been protecting him!"
"Not now, Minerva, not now" answered Dumbledore while standing up to make a quick withdrawal, "If my previous problems weren't enough, I'm now in dire need to act quickly to save our world from a terrible future!"
.o0o.
Harry's night wasn't so good either. He was regretting letting Snape go. He wished the Potions Master was still around, just so the boy could do some serious harm to him. So, the man lust for his mother, and then punished her son for not having her? What a sick bastard!
But the worst was that damned prophecy! Doubly damned prophecy! First, it means that his parents had died because of him. Voldemort hunted the Potters because he was with them, he was one of them. His parents could have lived, if not for him and the prophecy. And second, his fate seemed to be already written somewhere. He hated the sense of impotency he felt knowing that he had a prophecy dictating his future. It was like he was being imprisoned, as if he had lost his freedom and was forced to act against his will because someone else's will must prevail. It was as if he was back to the last two years, before the New Harry, when he was just a pawn on the chessboard controlled by the headmaster.
No, it wasn't, not really. He was in control of his mind. He was more powerful now. He had many friends who care about him and wish to help him. He had at least one ally in an important position in Amelia Bones. No matter what this prophecy says, he will fight for his life and happiness.
Harry has matured enough to realize he just avoid falling into despair, something he wasn't sure he would be able before the recent changes. His thoughts were dark, sinister. He was feeling the rage burning inside his chest. He need some help to not succumb over such pressure.
.o0o.
Sally-Anne woke in the middle of the night, sat and looked around. There was a new passage near her bed that wasn't there some hours ago. She immediately recognized it as the work of The Room. She left her bed and walked to it.
"Hello? Susan?"
"Harry? Why are you here? It's late."
"I… I need some help. Can you call Susan for me, please?"
Sally wanted to help the boy. She also wanted to be closer to the boy. Susan already had made a head start and was told to hold back a little, so this was her chance, and she would grab it. She was feeling lucky. After Susan's tale, she had dreamed about being in her place, and had decided to wear something sexy to sleep in that night just to feel good. She was wearing her 'special knickers', the one she would never let her parents see, and an almost see-through nightgown from her first-year at Hogwarts which barely covered her bum any more.
Reaching the passage she noted Harry had created an L-shaped hallway, and the boy was waiting out of sight. He was a mess! It was clear he had been crying, and the sadness in his eyes was heartbreaking! And still, he had cared enough for them to ask for that hallway to avoid inundate them in light and preserve their privacy instead of a direct door. What other boy would care so much or restrain himself from peeking at a girls' dorm?
"Come, Harry. I'll help you any way I can" she said while taking his hand and leading them to The Room.
In the state he was, Harry just followed Sally without any complaint, and without asking for Susan again. The Room was bare, so she took control and changed it, making the passage disappear, and creating a fireplace with a shag and soft rug in front of the fire, with a long pillow to serve them both. She made the boy lie down and lay down herself facing him.
"Tell me what is wrong, Harry. Please?" she said putting a special emphasis in the 'please', and it worked. He opened his heart to her, and told her about all the fears, disgusts and anger he felt reading the secrets of his early life that only now where being revealed. When he started to cry, soon after the beginning of his rant, she hugged him tightly to her. When he started to doubt his capacity to succeed, she remembered him of all he had done so far and that he wasn't alone any more. When he started to claim he was putting them all in danger, she remembered him that was their decision to make, kissed him gently and told him there was no other place she wanted to be but at his side. When he finally finished, exhausted, and asked what he should do, she reunited all her courage to ask: "Harry, would you be my boyfriend, the same way as you are for Susan?"
"But, I just told you, there is this prophecy, and..."
She kissed him again, and made him rest his head on her chest. "I don't think any single one of the girls will left you because of it, Harry" she said with conviction, and was rewarded by a smile and his own admission "A bunch of freaks, all of you!".
"Hey, there is a girl right here waiting for an answer! Does she have a boyfriend or not?"
"Sally-Anne, would you be my non-exclusive girlfriend?"
The "Yes!" was still echoing in the room when she kissed him again. Her first boyfriend and her first serious kisses! She was in heaven!
"Now, Harry, you asked what to do, so let me tell you at least the first steps. We will sleep here, because we both need our rest and I'm not letting you alone tonight, and tomorrow I'll tell the girls about all the points you told me, so you'll not need to pass through this again. Then we'll think together how to best face everything. You, mister, are not alone! Now, cuddle here with me. I want to make good use of my human blanket."
She turned away from him and move backwards until her whole back was pressed against his front. She took his free hand and brought it to her chest, enclosed in both of hers. She felt him tensioning at first, then he relaxed and rest his cheek over hers, coming even closer.
They rest this way for some time. She was almost falling asleep when she noted some changes. His breathing was becoming more laboured, he was holding her tighter, he had an erection pressing and bumping against her ass. Their magic was actively mixing together at their boundaries, and she was getting wet as never before. Soon she was also panting, and bumping back at the same rhythm. It was intoxicant, this rising of feelings and sensations. And then the climax! She felt as wet at her back as in the front, and it was wonderful and warm and such happiness took her that she just want that moment to last forever! For a night she just had hoped for a nice dream or two, she had won a boyfriend, her first kisses, her first night at the arms of a boy and her first orgasm she didn't produced herself! She fell asleep with a huge goofy grin, wondering if she also was the first girl to help that boy to an orgasm.
.o0o.
When the first girls entered The Room the next morning they were in a mix of jealousy and wonder at seeing the couple sleeping together in such a cosy environment. In their minds, the disappointment at seeing another girl becoming closer to the boy before them was balancing with the proof that he was accepting their proposal of multiple open relationships.
Romilda Vane was a very forward girl. She had gypsy blood in her veins, and was taught from an early age that things would not be served to her in a golden plate if she not put forward the effort for it. Before any other could act, she was laying down behind Harry, gently caressing his free arm and, between kisses to the back of his neck, started to softly ask for him to wake up. This way she could defend herself as trying to kindly wake the boy without startling him while proving a little of what she wanted for herself. When he finally woke up, rolled to lay on his back and opened his eyes, she unashamed kissed him, and present him with a big smile and her "Good morning, Harry! I see you had a very good night, didn't you?"
Romilda's words and Harry's movement also woke Sally, who turned to rest her head on the boy's shoulder. Sensing that her boyfriend was getting a little stressed for being caught that way, she answered the younger girl with a "The best!" before she lay down on him kissing Harry until he forgot his embarrassment and started to kiss her back. Her semi-nude state plus his hands converging to Sally's buttocks caused some reactions from their audience and stopped things from get even hotter.
Breaking the kiss Sally pointed to a new room at one corner of The Room. "Shower!" she ordered, and he practically disapparate, leaving all that mess for his girlfriend to explain. She explained, and the girls felt guilty for not realizing what the news of the extra edition of The Daily Prophet really meant to Harry.
They decided that Snape and Pettigrew deserve to die, but must also suffer a lot to atone for their sins first. But the prophecy was a much more difficult topic. They only knew it referred to Potter as the one able to defeat the Dark Lord. The main problem was that Voldemort was already defeated once by Potter (or more times, if you count the last two years) but was still around. Was it already fulfilled or not? Who knows it in its entirety? How reliable were prophecies? How unavoidable their predictions?
When Harry finally came back from his shower Susan and Sally-Anne were waiting for him. They hugged and kissed him while explaining how the older girls were all over the castle collecting informations about prophecies in general and trying to find something about this one specific about him. Susan had prepared a letter for her Auntie asking for more details and about how they could proceed. Sally-Anne wished to distract him from it and suggested making use of the amazing properties of The Room to create a space where he could fly. The first-years would have their first flying lesson on Friday, so she suggested he give them some points.
.o0o.
It was amazing what The Room could do! He had kept the original configuration and asked for a door to a large space with a high ceiling, and The Room had provided the perfect place, and a lot of brooms for all of them, he and twenty-two girls! But then they reached a problem.
For a boy in trousers mounting a broom was a simple task. For a girl with a skirt down to their knees, not so much. Harry was sure professor Hooch had given some specific instructions for the girls, but he had discarded all of it from his memory as unnecessary details.
"Eh, I don't remember this part of the instructions. You see, didn't think I would ever need them. Katie and Cho are really good flyers. I'll call one of them for this part."
"No, Harry, they are busy in an important task. I think we can solve this ourselves" said Romilda with a strange smile.
"How?"
Two seconds later said girl had shameless disposed of her skirt. The long shirt still covered the more important points of her anatomy, but not by much. Soon after a new small room appeared at one corner of their area and Harry rush to give his suggestion: "You can all change in there for today, and we can ask one of the older girls later for a better solution. Maybe trousers like me would be better for now? You can ask The Room for them, you know."
They made use of the new room, but they weren't too shy in their selection of clothes. Minimum sports bra with very thigh shorts were the favourite outfit. They were very revealing and made Harry remember the special talk the older girls gave him. These girls were still adapting to their new freedom. Before Hogwarts they were always under scrutiny and closely guarded. They were now far from home and parents, and wanted to discover the extent of their freedom and who they really were. They were just starting to discover their sexuality and their power of seduction, and they will use Harry as a guinea pig in their experiments, for several reasons: he was available, they think he was desirable for some reason, he was alone against a large group of them and known to be a gentleman that cares for them. But for Harry knowing it and suffering it were two very distinct things!
He started explaining how to mount the broom, how to handle it, and what to do to accelerate, brake, stop, turn and so on. When he finally finished with the basic instructions and was ready to let them try it for themselves, there was an interruption, this time by Astoria: "Harry, don't you think there are too many of us to try our first flight at the same time? I don't feel confident enough to do it right now by myself. Wouldn't you let me fly with you for a while so I can take a feeling of how it is done first?"
She had approached him and had done something with her eyes, a kind of fast blinking, that disarm him quite effectively. Merlin, she was looking at him in such a beautiful and angelical way that he couldn't say no to her, could him? But he hadn't the time to decide by himself. Before he could came with an answer she was already positioning herself in front of him in his broom. And the little minx had the courage to make such a show of it! And she then slipped back until she pressed her butt against his groin, looking over her shoulder at him, smiling all the time!
.o0o.
Every single girl had wanted their time with him on his broom. When he finally finished the flight instructions he was in dire need of another shower. He was grateful that, if some of the girls noticed anything amiss, they kept to themselves. He wouldn't be able to support the shame if they had said anything about it. He also had made a point giving more time and attention to the shyest girls than those too provocative as he didn't feel at easy with them and wanted to make a point that he wasn't comfortable with some kinds of advance.
He also became a little scared about the way his magic was interacting with each girl, specially those he had had more contact, like Tabitha, Astoria and Priscilla. It was very intimate and intoxicating, and there were times when he came really close to losing his inhibitions. The magical aspect multiplied the already strong physical sensations and chemical reactions to suffocating levels.
It was still mid-morning and he was already longing for a good nap. But first he need to eat something, he was famished as he had skipped breakfast.
.o0o.
Amelia had predicted the type of commotion the list of Death Eaters would cause, and had asked for a special favour from two friends, dowager madam Longbottom, one of the more respected members of the Wizengamot, and mister Cuffe, chief-editor of The Daily Prophet. And that is how today's edition of the newspaper brought a special 'Letter to the Editor' signed by madam Longbottom which resumed to the following: if you were Imperiused and/or didn't commit the crimes listed in yesterday's extra edition, you can put an end to all rumours giving a magical oath before the Wizengamot. There was no reason to deny this simple request if you are really not guilty. To refuse would be at least suspicious. The excuse that the request was 'an affront to my honour and dignity' couldn't be accepted until such honour and dignity are proven to exist.
There were 37 names in the list. Most of them weren't high enough in their society to claim any special treatment. She was sure none of them would accept to make the oath and risk be arrested on the spot. She would use this fact, attesting the list as true until at least one of those named on it prove otherwise. And she was ready if one of them tries to cheat.
Mr. Cuffe wasn't that happy in comply with Amelia's request. There were some really important names in that list, in possession of a significant number of shares in the newspaper. They already had taken a dangerous step with the publication of the list. It was such a rush to come out with the extra edition that he hadn't seen the presence of the list until it was too late. Sales were the best since the edition about the vanquish of the Dark Lord, but he was afraid of the kind of retaliation he had opened himself to.
But them madam Bones gave him an article that could easily cause even more problems, but also even more sales: 'Who was Lord V*?' signed by Amelia herself. Anything signed by the head of DMLE was destined to caught the attention of the public. With such bombastic revelations in it? He made his decision: yes, it was risk, but it was so profitable that he couldn't resist. He would live the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for dangers, but with his pockets stuffed.
In reality, the article was joint written by Harry Potter, but they decided it was better to keep Harry's name out of the Press at this moment. Amelia had written it after she had checked every single information and found some documents to support the claims of what Harry had told her or showed through memories. She didn't tell that Voldemort was still around. Such information would only cause unnecessary panic, and hinder acceptance of the other points revealed in the article. The famous historian Bathilda Bagshot was a marvellous help to fill in the gaps in the story that Voldemort himself told Harry in the Chamber of Secrets.
The article just set the following points: 1) 'I'm Lord Voldermort' reveal his real name as 'Tom Marvolo Riddle'; 2) he was the son of a muggle man and a (probably) squib female from the Gaunt family; 3) he studied at Hogwarts, being the Head-boy in 1945; 4) still a student, he opened the Chamber of Secrets, killed Myrtle Warren, a Ravenclaw third-year, and framed Rubeus Hagrid for the crime, and all the emphasis was on #2. She wanted the public to know who the free Death Eaters were, and that they were stupid for following a half-blood sadistic man portraying himself as a pureblood Lord. She did it all in the hope to keep the known Death Eaters under continuous scrutiny, and to make the recruitment of new ones difficult and unappealing.
.o0o.
Albus Dumbledore was seeing all his plans for the future of the magical society in peril after the events of the last day or so. He took a parchment to make a list of all the points he need to deal with urgency. He started with the wards, creating sub-entries for how, who, why and how to take control back. Then little Peter, the misguided Marauder. He had received a summons for the trial, to be hold on Friday in a special session of the Wizengamot. Nothing to do here except to attend the trial. The damage was already done. He doubt the boy had any more dangerous secrets to reveal. Anyway, he had no access to him, so he had no means to prevent additional interrogations.
Next he thought of Severus. By what he could recollect he leaved the castle in pain. The castle confirmed to him that the wards against dark creatures were fully active, and strange as it was, the dark mark was enough to a human being be considered a dark creature. It was even more curious as it wasn't affecting Lupin. Maybe it would only be activated when he transforms? Well, one less problem, he really don't need the extra charge of search for a new Defence teacher at this time.
Severus was an important piece in many of his schemas. Where could he be? He wasn't at Spinner's End. He found signs that he had been there recently, but he left soon and didn't return. The wards Albus put on the house would have warned him. With his deeper secrets revealed to all at the Prophet's extra edition, he probably would avoid any public place and any place directed connected to him. Another misguided boy of such a potential! He only hoped to be able to contact him before the despair could take him to do something regrettable. Alas, nothing to do right now, except add a 'Find Severus' in his list.
Sirius Black. This one knew too much of Albus' secrets, was too independent and the godfather and rightful guardian of Harry Potter. How to disable such potential danger? First thing would be to locate him and keep him away from Harry, maybe citing the need to wait things to calm down before revealing himself. Then he could try to use his care for Harry to put him under his control. Yes, that could work, but also maybe not. How difficult was to predict the behaviour of such wild boy! Hm, if Sirius refused follow Albus' orders regarding Harry, maybe he could use Malfoy to eliminate him? After all, he was the sole obstacle preventing the Black fortune going to Lucius' son. He added these points to the list and follow to the next point, the worst of all, the prophecy.
He knew it was still active. The copy in the Department of Mysteries could be retrieved by Harry or Voldemort, but not by him, even if he was cited in the label as the one who gave the record. At least this little piece of information escaped the Press so far, or he was sure the boy would ask him about it. He really would like to make Harry take divination, but now it could be disastrous if the boy connects his interference with the prophecy mentioned in the Prophet. He would ask questions Albus didn't want to answer so soon. Better not interfere. He must find a way to induce everybody to think the prophecy was fulfilled at that Halloween night that made the Potters famous. He added to his list 'made the prophecy a closed point' and moved on.
Amelia Bones. So many questions about her! How could she discover about Pettigrew being an animagus at Hogwarts? The timing of her actions seemed to be perfect orchestrated to occur just at the time he and Cornelius were at Azkaban. The reporters must have been already there, previously summoned for the show she was ready to give them. This imply that she wasn't just apprehending an unknown animagus found at Hogwarts, she knew it was Pettigrew. Why would she does it this way? It was a risk, as she couldn't know beforehand the full extension on what would be revealed in his interrogatory. But she could have suspected the boy's affiliation with the Death Eaters, and could have done it this way to ensure the news would reach the Press before anyone could act to forbid it. It made sense. The revelation of the prophecy could have been just a collateral damage, but the revelation of the Death Eaters who escaped prison was intentional. She knew of Malfoy's influence over Cornelius, and the high positions sustained by other Death Eaters. She certainly knew the number of enemies she would be creating revealing them all. Why? Never tickle a sleeping dragon! Hogwarts' motto is wise. Amelia had tickled several dragons, and many smaller beasts. What could justify her taking such risk?
It was too soon to stir the Death Eaters. Their master wasn't ready to conduct them! They needed be available to help him regain a body, not rotting in Azkaban. And the article revealing Tom as a half-blood was a serious blow against the recruitment of new Death Eaters. He needed the Death Eaters free and strong. His plans depended on it!
The politics of Britain magical society wasn't difficult to understand. The most important fact was that all political power was concentrated in the hands of purebloods, and very few of them would support sharing it with newcomers. All his ranks and honours never gave Albus the edge to change this point. What he tried to do was to make life a little easier for muggleborns, because their society depends on them in more ways than most would recognize. For example, the rate of births per couple was around 1.5, less bellow the 2.1 necessary for mere support of the current population in times of peace. With the constantly wars of recent times, with so many young people dying before leaving descendants, the necessary rate would be much greater than that. To address this problem he had tried to change the mentality of the society in respect to what was considered a pureblood. He had tried to impose a paternal-only line. This way the child of a male pureblood with a female muggleborn or half-blood would be considered pureblood, allowing the maintenance of the old families without too much inbreed or loss of status. That would be the start to give more space to the muggleborns. Unfortunately, it was terribly difficult to change things in their world, even when they were required for the Greater Good of their society.
It was a sad day when he finally recognized that only the elimination of the purebloods would save their society from extinction. The purebloods had refused to change, they had ignored his warnings, and they had condemned themselves doing so. The return of Voldemort could be the final blow on their existence. When the purebloods had eliminated themselves in the next Civil War, a fairer society could emerge with no such prejudices of blood purity. Then, and only then, his secret weapon would be released to defeat a weakened and lonely Voldemort. He hoped so, because he wouldn't have the time to create and conduct another Dark Lord in the few years he had ahead. He was old and tired, and deeply disgusted with the path he was forced to take.
Author's Note: Never liked canon-Dumbledore. His fame and ideals never reflected in his actions (or inactions). I'll not cited his many flaws here, everyone that already read a couple of the stories here already know them. So, I made him a bad guy with good intentions in (what I expect) a new way: no purebloods means no blood prejudices. Never saw it done before. If you know of something in these lines, please let me know. As always, thanks to all that review and/or favourited the story. If you liked it, I have some others published here that you can access clicking on my alias to reach my profile here.