"Tell me again why I have to date that scrawny git?" Ginny demanded, her scowl as ugly as the Potions Master's.
"Because he needs us… to spend all that money he has… you don't expect him to be able to spend all that by himself surely?" For a moment you would think Hermione would say something else entirely.
"Ah right! I concede that's a positive. But Dean was better."
"Weren't you unhappy with him? Sleepless nights and all?"
"unhappy? I mean yeah I was having sleepless nights. Dean kept me up all night, making passionate love to me."
"Too much information Ginny." Ron mumbled, for the first time, between bites of his muffin.
Unknown to them, the very subject of their discussion was in the common room, hidden under his cloak of invisibility, standing shocked at a corner. He was having trouble sleeping after a nightmare, so had decided to go for a walk round the castle. When he came down to the common room, he saw his two best friends and girlfriend sitting by the fireplace. Out of sheer curiosity, he listened to them instead of revealing himself. What he heard shocked him to the core, but there was more to come, and he was determined to know it all, even though it hurt like a bitch.
"Oh shut up Ron. If I can hear your boasting about taking Hermione, you can listen to my love life too."
"Love life my foot. You are only dating him because Dumbledore wants you to. He doesn't want him exposed to anyone else. Otherwise, we three are already the sole beneficiaries in his will, after his death."
"That's what I don't understand. If we are going to get everything when he dies, not if mind you, then why AM I dating him?"
"As I said before, to bring him back under control." Ron began, "After the supposed death of his godfather, he no longer trusted Dumbledore. You were needed to fill his ears again to trust Dumbledore."
"What do you mean by supposed death? You both know something that I don't. Tell me now."
"Oh Ginny!" Hermione said patronizingly, which angered Ginny he could see, "Didn't we tell you? That was not Sirius that died last year. It was a lowly Order member, completely expendable, who was under polyjuice to pretend to be Sirius."
Harry's heart sped up. Sirius was alive?
"And where is Sirius then? Why was someone else impersonating him? You are holding back. Tell me NOW! Or else I am out of it…"
"Okay, okay, don't get your knickers in a twist. Sirius is right now locked up deep in the dungeons of Hogwarts. He was becoming suspicious of Dumbledore. He wanted Harry and Professor Snape to he brought to Gringotts and get checked for charms and jinxes, you know compulsion, loyalty and the like. So, Hugo Pietro replaced him under polyjuice to go to the Ministry, and pretend that he still thinks Harry as James. His death was to be faked but Bellatrix caught him with that curse and he really died."
"So now Sirius is deep into the dungeons where even the dungeon bat cannot reach him?"
"Yes. Only Dumbledore knows the location. He will tell us soon though, seeing that he is dying with that curse he got from the ring, which actually rightfully belongs to Harry."
"Yeah… He is quiet an intelligent man. He has such a grand plan to implicate Snape for killing him when he is dying anyway."
"Poor man will be hailed evil and hated worldwide while he has no say in the matter. He will die a lonely man for ever trying to turn on Dumbledore."
"But I don't understand one thing. Why imprison and not kill him right away?"
"He has made a will in which he had emancipated Harry if he is a minor upon his death. The goblins won't accept another will unless Sirius was present and they check for glamours and polyjuice and such before signing of a Will. He needs to be kept alive till Harry comes of majority."
"Cool… I just wish Voldemort attacks soon and he dies. So that I can live my life happily. He is so slow we have done nothing except kiss, not even a snog."
Harry stayed glued to the spot when the girls giggled and pulled Ron to go to bed. To say their conversation was enlightening was an understatement. Harry decided to take his chances and look for Sirius that very night. He had a mission to accomplish now, even though his heart felt like it has been ripped out of his chest.
Harry slowly but purposefully moved towards the dungeons only to be accosted by the very man he had started to sympathize with after the night's revelation.
"I know you are there Potter. I don't know how, and I don't know why I am not giving you detention for the rest of your life, but I know you are here somewhere."
Without removing the cloak, Harry said, "I think you are just following your subconscious Professor. Please trust me this once. There is an innocent man imprisoned here somewhere whom I need to find. Will you help me?"
There was a contemplative silence for a while, after which Professor Snape replied, "I will, if only to keep an eye on you."
Harry sighed in relief. He knew there would be wards and such which he will not be able to pass and maybe even blare alarms and give himself away. Professor Snape could get them past those.
It took them an hour of traversing the maze like corridors of the dungeons, reaching a dead end, tracking back and choosing a new path. An hour of constant search and suddenly Snape stopped Harry, with a finger to his lip. Then he chanted something pointing at a particular wall, and it glowed golden before settling again.
"Wards. And I know the magical signature. Stay back. Let me dismantle them without blaring the alarms."
And so Harry stood for another half an hour, silently, to let Snape work. It was fascinating to watch him work, unravelling the wards thread by golden thread. As soon as a hole appeared on the wall, and Snape gave the all clear, Harry was through it.
The man within though, was out of it. He seemed drugged till the throat.
"We need to take him out of here Potter. He will die here with that much sedatives. But we cannot leave just like that. Wait, let me transfigure a golem to take his place."
"Why are you helping your childhood nemesis that you hate so much professor?" Harry asked, just to be sure the Potions Master was not going to take them directly to Dumbledore.
"Honestly, I don't know. My instincts say I need to do this and over the years I have learned not to ignore my instincts. They have saved me more times than I can count on one hand."
With that, the professor began his work. He found a rock nearby and created a golem out of it. Then he conjured a silver knife and made a small cut on Sirius's right thumb to smear some of his blood on the head of the faceless humanoid golem. Slowly but surely, the golem took the shape of Sirius. Placing some other charms and a potion on it, which he said would retain the transfiguration for a longer period of time, he removed the chains on Sirius and placed the Golem in his place.
Then he cast a disillusionment charm on Sirius and levitated him behind himself, while Harry followed him under his invisibility cloak. As soon as they were out, the wall built itself again and the wards were replaced. Satisfied, Snape took Sirius, followed by Harry to his private chambers.
Placing Sirius on the couch in the small living room, right in front of the fire, without speaking a word, Snape began to spell potion after potion into Sirius after a thorough diagnosis. Harry identified most of them as healing potions. And one as a potion to flush out other potions, similar to the one Slughorn had used just the other week to flush the love potion from Ron.
Slowly, a groan could be heard from the couch as Sirius came around.
"Who threw me in front of the Hogwarts Express?"
"That is for you to tell us Black. How are you alive exactly?" asked Snape, helping Sirius to a cup of cool minty water.
"I was never meant to die Snape. I was to be kept alive to control my Godson."
Snape's eyes widened just for a moment, and he said, "Explain" and so Sirius did, none the wiser that his godson was listening to him.
"Dumbledore is an evil man. You would want to get a check-up in Gringotts by the way. He has kept Harry ignorant of his heritage and responsibilities. He is paying his so called friends to make sure he remains a puppet at his hands. I stupidly confronted him like a Gryffindor I am.,instead of working from the backgrounds and here I am. You cannot keep me here. He will know. Contact Gringotts and send me to them."
"That can be done." Harry said, coming out of his cloak of invisibility.
"Pup, is that you?"
"Yes" before anything else could be said, the huge man, now pretending to be a child himself, jumped to engulf Harry into a hug. Snape provided Sirius with parchment and quill and he wrote a missive to his account manager at Gringotts. Harry had it delivered through Dobby, who was more loyal to him than his employer, Dumbledore.
The reply came instantly. Sirius had said before leaving that he would arrange a meeting with the goblins for Harry and Snape and send a letter through Dobby to avoid interception. Things were changing, and rapidly.
Two days later, Harry was showing Professor Snape the secret passage to come out at Honeydukes through the one eyed witch. Snape apparated them to right in front of the Bank where they hurried inside to avoid being seen, even though it was the middle of the night. They could not risk being missing during the day. Even though Dumbledore was weak, he still had spies all over the school and out.
Sirius was waiting for them just inside the Bank building. They were ushered to the back of the lobby where the offices of account managers were located. Surpassing many doors, they were led to a huge ornately carved double door. Sirius explained that the Goblin King Ragnok himself wanted to deal with this.
When they entered, Harry greeted the king in the manner taught to him by Snape just a few moment ago. When he came up from the short bow, he saw that the Goblin King looked pleased. They were offered a seat which they took.
"Now, before we begin anything we need to have an inheritance test. Mr. Black has already gone through the process, so it will be only you two. There are three types of test we give. First, only the inheritance test. Second, inheritance plus ability test. And third, inheritance plus ability plus charms, jinxes and blocks test. I recommend the third one for the both of you."
They readily agreed. Two large crystal bowls were taken out. A bluish liquid was poured into them. Then they were asked to add seven drops of their blood to the potion. Then Ragnok dipped a parchment into each now magenta potion and they waited for it to soak. Ragnok told them that the first potion only required three drops of blood while the second only five.
Within the next ten minutes, the parchment soaked the entire potion and Ragnok picked up first Harry's parchment and then Snape's. They appeared a little longer than when they were dipped. He frowned. There was definitely something wrong, Harry thought. Then they were handed their individual parchments to read.
Name: Harrison James Sirius Potter-Black-Prince
Mother: Lily Rose Potter nee Evans
Father: James Charlus Potter
Blood adopted father: Sirius Black
Godfather: Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Frank Longbottom
Godmother: Alice Longbottom, Amelia Bones
Titles:
Heir to the houses of:
Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter
Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell
Most Noble, Most Ancient and the Grand House of Gryffindor
Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Prince
Most Noble, Most Ancient and the Grand House of Ravenclaw
Lord of the houses of:
Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Gaunt
Most Noble, Most Ancient and the Grand House of Slytherin
Abilities and Blocks:
Metamorphmagus (100% blocked)
Parsel magics (80% blocked 20% broken)
Natural healing (70% blocked)
Natural Oclumency (100% blocked)
Natural Legilimency (90% blocked)
Animagus Ability (100% blocked)
Other Blocks, Curses, Charms and potions:
Three memory charms, ages 5,8 and 10
Core block (80% blocked)
Loyalty potions, renewed once every year since age 11,keyed to Weasley family, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore
Compulsions to take suggestions from Weasley Family, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore
Loathing Potions keyed to the name Slytherin, Severus Snape, Sirius black (broken), Remus Lupin (broken)
Love Potion in small doses keyed to Ginevra Weasley
Soul leach in curse scar
They were so shocked by it all that it took them a few moments to realize Snape had not read his own yet. So, Snape spread his own parchment, just like Harry's, and they read.
Name: Severus Tobias Snape
Mother: Eileen Moon Snape nee Prince
Father: Tobias Peter Snape
Godfather: Maverick Snape
Godmother: Amelia Snape
Titles:
Regent to the houses of:
Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Prince
Most Noble, Most Ancient and the Grand House of Ravenclaw
Abilities and blocks:
Natural Occlumency (10% blocked, 80% broken)
Natural Legilimency (50% blocked)
Animagus ability (100% blocked)
Other blocks, curses, charms and potions:
Memory charms: at age 21; broken, reinforced and added to at the age of 28.
Core: (30 % blocked 30% broken)
Loyalty potion keyed to Albus Dumbledore
Loathing potions keyed to Gryffindors, Black family, Potter family, Neville Longbottom, Werewolves, Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts Staff.
Illegal oath to kill Albus Dumbledore; trigger words "Severus Please" keyed to Albus Dumbledore
To say that they were stunned was an understatement. Snape collected his wits quickly and asked "Can we know who placed the blocks and charms and potions?"
"The charms and blocks and curses we can know of course. The shamans will identify the magical signature when they break each one of those. The Potions cannot be identified because the magical signature in a potion is too faint and practically unidentifiable when already ingested. But it can be flushed out of course."
"When can we start the process? And what about the memory charms? Can they be reversed?"
"Yes the memory charms can be reversed too. But I think yours will be reversed automatically when we break the blocks on your natural oclumency and legilimency."
"Very well. Please begin the process. I want to be out of these vile injustices as soon as possible. I want to know what they are hiding from me."
And so, a livid Snape and a shocked Harry, who was yet to speak, were taken to separate ritual rooms. They sat back in Ragnok's office about three hours later. They needed sleep but the time was short. They could sleep off the day when they were back at the castle. There were several things to deal yet.
Ragnok produced a parchment where the shamans had noted the magical signature they had found at each block. All the blocks and memory charms for the both of them was of Albus Dumbledore, except the soul leach, that was the self styled Lord Voldemort. It was the most painful to remove.
Ragnok provided both of them with charmed pendants to keep their magic stable until they had time to learn to control their increased powers themselves. Harry claimed all his heir rings and Snape, now Severus, his Regent rings. As an explanation he said, "After my first raid, I went begging to Lily for forgiveness as I realized what I had done to myself. She accepted me as did James. We became sort of friends, not the best friends but fairly good ones. When Harry was born, I was named Godfather alongside Remus and Frank, as Sirius had already come out as gay and having no desire to adopt children even if he married a nice bloke and Harry would be his heir and Blood Adopted Son. I would have done the same if I had any inheritance to give him at the time. I did not, have any inheritance at that point that is.
After their death, I was told Harry was safe with a well hidden magical family who loved him dearly. It was easy to accept, as I was deep in my grief that time. When I turned 25, I was called to Gringotts, as my maternal grandfather had died. I was not his heir as my mother was disowned. But she was an only child. So my grandfather placed a condition in his will. My heir could be the heir of Prince and I would be his Regent till his maturity. I immediately named Harry as my heir as like Black I had no desire to marry.
Using my godfather bond, I found Harry being abused in a muggle home. I was livid. I took him and went to the headmaster. I ranted and raved and destroyed his entire office. He put me in a body bind and obliviated the entire encounter from my mind and strengthened the fastidium draft, the loathing potion keyed to Potters."
Harry spoke for the first time since he had read the parchments, "I remember that too. I was five, and happy that I will be taken away from all the abuse."
Sirius spoke next, "I too had my memory charmed. I forgot all the times I and Severus played together with Harry. He was not so stuck up back then. All the potions and charms did that to him."
Ragnok explained that the Lordship, Heir and Regent rings that they wore now would protect them henceforth from any tampering to their being. Satisfied in the knowledge that they would be safe for now, Severus and Harry left the bank and reached the Castle in the same manner that they had left. Harry was able to get into bed, after changing, just an hour before everyone got up.
He took one of the twins' innovations, a candy to increase your body temperature without giving you any discomfort. He was able to feign fever and sleep the entire Sunday away. The potions master was not seen for the entire day either. The staff just assumed he was busy with some experimental potion. He did indulge in potions when he got up that evening, very strong nutrition potions for Harry. The boy needed it.
It was another two days later that Severus gave Harry a detention. It was a cover for them to talk and sort out certain things without letting the other parties know.
"So, are you feeling any attraction to Ginevra Weasley any more?"
"No. Are you feeling any loathing towards me anymore?"
"No. After flushing the potions and remembering my visit to you when you were 5, how can I still loath you? You are my godson."
"You know I am actually relieved. So how are we going to go about this?"
"Dumbledore is a very great man. We cannot go against him head on. He will die by the end of the year anyway. First, we need to train to control the increased level of your magic. It will be difficult as your 80% core was blocked and you were powerful even with the 20% available. You have not hit your majority either. My 20% increase was easier to handle and I have already sent back my control pendant."
"I could go to the room of requirement at night to practice."
"I will join you. If you are able to manage control by the end of the week, we will visit Gringotts to start reclaiming all the artefacts that was taken from your vaults by anyone other than blood. The Goblins have sent something else too. The soul leach which was in your scar was not whole. The Dark Lord has made more. They have a ritual to call all the containers to them but the ritual needs your blood as you were once what they call a Horcrux, a container for the Dark Lord's soul leach."
"What will that mean professor?"
"Please call me Severus when we are alone Harry. I hope you don't mind me calling you Harry?" at Harry's head shake in 'no I don't mind', Severus continued, "it will mean that the Dark Lord will he mortal again and will not be able to be resurrected once killed, once and for all."
"Oh! That's a good thing then. We should do it."
"Yes we shall. Now, how about you go to sleep early, right after dinner, and get up at say 1 a.m. and meet me in the room of requirement?"
"Yes Severus. That will do. So, now that we still have an hour of detention left, could you check my occlumency shields? I have been trying for the last two days."
"Sure… prepare yourself… Legilimence."
Severus was impressed that he could not breech Harry's defences at all. He was after all, a natural occlumens and Legilimence like Severus. He did warn him though to not look Dumbledore in the eye, or else he will know that Harry's block is no longer there and may try to put it back. Though, if push came to shove, they can say that his Occlumency lessons last year broke it.
True to his nature, Harry mastered control over his magic in three days' time. His wand burnt off though. It was not meant for such power. So, Harry kept it with him and used wandless magic instead. As he was new to it, the results were as mediocre as they were before. With practice, his Wandless casting would hold the power his body had now. He needed a new wand though. They would get it when they went to Gringotts on the weekend.
When Harry asked how, as they were going after midnight and all shops will be closed, Severus just smirked in a very secretive way and that was it. Harry just shrugged. He trusted his Godfather.
The retrieving process was rather simple. He just had to smear a drop of his blood on the heir ring and say, for example, "I, Harry James Potter-Black Prince, Heir to the house of Prince, call back everything, artefact, books, scrolls and anything else taken by anyone not a Lord or Heir of the House of Prince or without the express permission of the Lord or Heir at the time of acquisition. So mote it be." And the room filled with an entire library of books and some jewellery and potions ingredients and equipments. This is why Ragnok had them in an exceptionally large room. The retrieving went on well until they came to the second last name, the Peverells.
"That is the ring that cursed Albus and that is his wand!" Severus informed them.
"Well, turns out he is not only a manipulator but a thief too."
Last was the Potter fortune to be retrieved and it was as extensive as the other Retrievals. There were books, family grimoires, most of which Severus identified as the ones decorating the headmaster's personal warded bookshelves at his office. There were also jewellery, including the Potter bonding rings, armours, weapons, scrolls of property deeds. There was a clutch of different eggs found in ones and twos in all the retrievals, which the Goblins said were in stasis. He advised to remove the stasis one at a time in a secure location.
They did find another of the Horcruxes, the Ravenclaw Diadem, when Harry retrieved the Ravenclaw lost items. That made four for sure; the diary in second year, the Peverell ring from Dumbledore, Harry himself and the diadem. The ritual would retrieve the rest if any were left.
Immediately after that, Harry was taken to the shamans for the ritual. As the shamans chanted while Harry's blood covered candles burnt away, another three items materialized in magical pockets, suspended in front of the various candles; a yellow locket with an ugly S engraved on it, a golden goblet which the goblins identified as Hufflepuff's cup, and a violent hissing snake which was angry at being separated from her master and bonded. The chant continued and slowly a black mist rose from all the six original soul containers and the one formed to hold Harry's one, and merged together. The shamans chanted a different tune which was sort of holding the black smoke like creature in place while it roared. A goblin in warrior clothes stepped out of a corner with a heavy sword in his hand, which he sliced clean through the middle of the black apparition, which dissipated with a ear-piercing scream.
"The Dark Lord Voldemort is mortal again" was all that the goblin shamans said before they ushered Harry back to Ragnok's office, the retrieved things already taken care of by Sirius and Severus.
Harry, Severus and Sirius looked through properties to find a secure one. There were several from each of his heirships. They decided upon the Raven's Sanctuary, as it was a complete Island, uninhabitable, under various ancient wards, and it was sure to have a grand library.
Harry had something in mind before he left though, "Ragnok, Sirius is officially declared dead, there is no one after him, his magical signature has changed after his dark core was unblocked, his eye colour has already changed. Can't we do a bit more changes in him and give him a new identity? He can be free now that he is dead in the eyes of the Ministry as well as the Death Eaters."
"That is very possible. In fact, before his unjust incarceration, we were about to offer him training under the goblins for household warding. He was very good at it as far as we know but he became an Auror to help in the war efforts."
"Really? Oh I would love that. Is there a way to permanently change my appearance?"
"Yes there is. It's a basic ritual. We will conduct it when you are a little more healthy. Your stay in two prisons have not helped your health"
With further discussions about what changes would be good, they left the bank and Severus led him into an Alley beside Diagon that he had never seen before, The Ligul Alley. Severus said all unconventional things were found here. He took Harry to a shop were racks and racks full woods were present. On the other side, there were racks full of different cores, a much wider variety than Ollivanders offered.
Harry was asked to close his eyes, take a deep breath, let his core fill him completely, and when he feels a pull, to let it guide him and pick up whatever he finds. He did so, with much delight, but left the wand maker as well as his Godfather confused. He chose Acacia, Yew and poison ivy as wand woods, and Basilisk venom, basilisk scales, shadow Phoenix crown feather and tears from the same shadow Phoenix as his cores. The woods and cores were so different to each other that the wand maker was shocked to his core, but he made the wand nonetheless. He had thought it would never work but as soon as the wand touched Harry's palm, a light so bright was emanated that they were blinded for a few moments.
Happy and content on Harry's part and still shocked and bewildered on Severus', they reached back to the castle without any incidence. Unlike last time, Harry could not laze his day away as it was a Thursday and he did not want to miss his DADA class with his godfather. They had decided that they would still play along with the traitors until possible or at least till Dumbledore died.
During potions with Slughorn the same day, before lunch, Harry slipped a small parchment into Malfoy's robe pocket. Severus had told him about his vow to Narcissa, which was not broken as it was perfectly legal and magically binding. Harry was sure that Draco's task was to kill the headmaster. After his system was flushed out and his mind clear of the manipulations, he was able to think clearer and piece two and two together. Severus cared about his other godson and did not want him to become a murderer. He also wanted to uphold his vow. So, Harry decided to help. It was rather difficult to shake off his 'friends' and 'girlfriend' though.
"Hello Draco" Harry said, as he entered the abandoned classroom where Draco was waiting for him, for the last hour, as it took that much time for Harry to shake off his well meaning 'friends'.
"What do you want Potter!" Draco replied acerbically, but it was evident he was curious and well as cautious.
"I want to help you." Draco laughed a not so happy laugh at that. That sound was full of so much loathing , towards Harry or himself he didn't know, that Harry felt sorry for him.
"I know you are asked to kill Dumbledore." That stopped all laughter, acerbic or not.
"You know nothing Potter."
"I know more than you think. And I can help you."
"Is this some kind of a joke?
"No. Listen to me carefully Malfoy. You don't need to kill Dumbledore… No, wait… hear me out. Dumbledore is dying of a curse as we speak. His hands are under glamours. It originally looks more like a charred bacon. As it is, he is going to die by the end of the school year and so is your father's master. I know you have accepted this task just to save your mother and father. I appreciate the sentiment. But you don't need to become a murderer to fulfil this task. You just need to inform them of the curse, it's called a flesh life eating curse. Your master will probably know where Dumbledore got the curse from."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because it will devastate your godfather if he is unable to save you from becoming a murderer, and if he values the vow he had given to your mother, he will kill the headmaster himself before he lets you tarnish your soul. Once he does that, he will be declared villain number one."
"Are you in love with Severus?"
Harry chuckled, "Yeah… but not in the way you are imagining. Good day Malfoy."
In a week, it was evident that the orders had been retracted, as Malfoy looked more relaxed and back to his normal self, not the pale ghost he was a week prior. Now Harry, Severus and Sirius only needed to find a way to end the now perfectly mortal Voldemort. He never knew there was another going to join their plans to free the World of the Dark Lord.
"We could use a house elf to poison him. He is living in the Manor, it will be easy."
"And you think he is dumb enough to eat and drink anything without checking Draco?"
"Oh uncle Sev, you give too less credit to out dear house helps. Here look. Dobby!"
And Dobby appeared with a crack in front of Harry. With a bow he said, "What can Dobby do for the great Harry Potter."
"Cut with the act Dobby. I want you to mask this pepper up position in a glass of pumpkin juice. If Professor Snape is unable to detect it, I will buy you a voucher of a life time supply of knitting yarn for Christmas."
With an evil grin, Dobby vanished. Almost instantly, a very innocent looking glass of pumpkin juice materialized in front of Severus. He chanted at least twenty detection charms in fifteen minutes, but could not detect anything. He drank the juice cautiously, and instantly felt the potion energizing each cell in his body. Impressed, he agreed to the plan, but added to it.
"We need to do something before we go through with the plan. We need to secure our place first. With Voldemort gone, we do not need one of his minions taking his place. We need to involve the authorities and I trust only one to do her job."
"We trust your judgement Severus. We will do it as you say."
"Good. Wait for my instructions then."
Two days later, when Harry, Draco and Severus reached Gringotts after midnight, they were met with Amelia Bones, head of DMLE, and Rufus Scrimgoer, head of the Auror Dept. Severus diligently explained everything that had happened in the last few weeks and Ragnok provided proof of the same. Both the officers assured them that once Dumbledore was gone, a thorough screening of the Ministry will take place and anyone unable to take an oath on their magic that they are loyal to the ministry and the welfare of the wizarding public only will be tried for treason.
Happy with the turn of events, Draco called Mippy while Harry called Dobby. The task was explained to them and they immediately set to work. In a few hours, the Dark Lord will be no more.
The shit hit the fan the day after the day of the fortunate demise of Tom Riddle, aka, Voldemort. The daily prophet reported that the book of life and death in the Department of Mystery has declared the ex student of Hogwarts, Tom Riddle, also identified as the Dark Lord Voldemort as finally, truly, completely dead. Harry, Severus and even Draco observed that the people who had thought Harry will die in the endeavour to defeat Voldemort were in denial. Soon after breakfast, Dumbledore vanished. Harry surmised that he would have gone to the Ministry to confirm the news. He was right.
After dinner, which was jovial since the news of the demise of the Dark Lord, Dumbledore stood up and announced that the news was true.
"My dear students. I have confirmed the news from the Ministry. Voldemort is truly dead. He is never coming back again. So, the house elves of Hogwarts have prepared a special dessert for you to celebrate the news. It will be served in your common rooms. Enjoy."
Dumbledore looked anything but happy or in a celebratory mood. Harry noticed the smiles of his friends were also somewhat fake. Of course it would be. They had expected him to die and all his money to go to them. Unknown to them, they would not be getting a penny from him and they will get the shock of their lives when they visited Gringotts next. All their saved money was gone to repay the illegally acquired money they got from his various vaults. Granger was still searching for the various books given to her by Dumbledore FROM HIS VAULTS.
The days leading to Christmas were spent dodging love and loyalty potions. He had broken up with Ginny sometime before the news of the Dark Lord saying he did not want to risk her life by keeping her close. Now she was desperately trying to get back but he pretended to be in great grief and on the way to become a recluse. His friends we're getting desperate, but he did not care anymore. Once this school term ended, he was never going to return back. They could handle their affairs themselves.
A week before Christmas break, Severus visited Dumbledore.
"Severus my boy! How can I help you?"
"By accepting my resignation letter Headmaster."
"You are resigning? Why?"
"The Dark Lord is no more. I do not need to spy any more. I would like to do what I want now."
"I cannot accept your resignation Severus. There are still Death Eaters abound. There may still be an uprising."
"That is none of my concern anymore headmaster."
"I am sorry for doing this Severus but if you don't fulfil the task I had given to you and withdraw now, I will have to testify against you which will lead you directly to Azkaban."
"Are you talking about the task of killing you? It was decided that I will do it only if Draco reaches to that point. He doesn't have to as Voldemort is dead. Hence the illegal Vow you bound me to is broken. As for Azkaban…"
"Are you threatening an innocent man to commit murder by hanging Azkaban over him Mr. Dumbledore?" Amelia said, as she entered the Headmaster's office, followed by Rufus and three Aurors.
Dumbledore looked shocked and betrayed, but no one bought his act anymore. After hearing from his own mouth how much he had manipulated people for his own plans, no one was fooled any more. After a silent glaring match between Albus on one side and Severus Amelia and Rufus on the other, Dumbledore had to give in. In that moment he realizes that all his enchantments had been broken, for how long he did not know. He was too weak to try to re do them on six people no less.
In his desperation, Dumbledore asked Ron to invite Harry to the Burrow for Christmas. Of course Harry agreed. He could not give away the game so soon. They will suffer but not right now. So, Harry sat with Ron, Hermione and Ginny in the Hogwarts Express, yet he stared at the countryside out the window l, giving non-answers when asked questions. To say the traitors were frustrated was an understatement. When they stepped down from the train, the Weasleys were waiting for them. Right now, Harry did not know whom to trust and whom not to. As he approached them, he suddenly turned to Ron and said,
"I think I left Hedwig cage inside the compartment. I am sorry Ron, I will be back in a moment."
Without waiting for a reply, he sped off back inside the train. As soon as he found an empty compartment, he used his Ravenclaw heir ring to portkey to Raven's Sanctuary, where Sirius, now Sebastian, Severus, Remus and his wife Tonks were waiting for him. As regent, Severus was able to open the home for the others. In fact, they had reached there just a few hours ago, when Harry was still in the train.
Back at the platform, when Harry did not return, the Weasleys and one Granger searched the train thoroughly but they did not find hide or hair of one Harry Potter. Distressed, they went back to their respective homes to write to Dumbledore.
The next day, the traitors finally came to know where Harry had gone to. The headlines of the Daily Prophet blared at them:
The Boy-Who-Lived Betrayed!!!
Yes ladies and gentlemen you read it right. Our own saviour, twice over, was utterly betrayed by his friends and his mentor Albus Dumbledore. This news was passed on to me by none other than Amelia Bones, the head of DMLE, who is right now working to purge the Ministry of anyone who doesn't have the best interest of the people at heart [for more details on the purge, turn to page 5]. She informed us how Mr. Potter helped the Goblins to rid the world of first the soul anchors of the Dark Lord and then utilizing a little cunning and with the help of his new friend Draco Malfoy, killed the Dark Lord though a simple poisoning of his food, with the help of two elves. Such an anti-climactic end of such a cruel man [for more on the final demise of the Dark Lord, turn to page 3].
But that is not all gentlemen. The Goblins show proof that nearly two and a half months ago, Mr. Potter and approached them along with Professor Snape for full inheritance and tampering test. The results were so astonishing that I almost fainted.
The article went on to explain what was found in the tests and the condition his account was found in and the theft of books and other things stolen from his various vaults. Though Dumbledore was too big to be demolished by it, but his reputation would surely take a hit as the original documentation from Gringotts was published along with the article. Ron and Hermione would be completely demolished though. The article ended with declaring that Mr. Harry James Potter-Black-Prince would not be attending Hogwarts anymore and would be doing independent study. Finally he would be able to live his own life.
Epilogue
It was the day after Harry's NEWT results. He had passed with distinction in all the sixteen subjects he appeared for. He had to, he was taught by the founders after all. When they had first moved to Raven's Sanctuary, they had found four huge empty portraits in the living area. The next morning, the portraits were occupied. After much question and answer, the portrait of the Raven haired woman accepted Harry as her heir and Severus as his regent and introduced herself as Rowena Ravenclaw. The other three were obvious after that. They had taken an instant liking of the shy but determined child, though Salazar would have his portrait burnt before admitting to that.
Many of Harry's old and new friends were invited to the party Sebastian and Severus, now a couple, threw for him. After settling down into a schedule, Harry had sent out letters to a few people he thought were more loyal to him than his traitorous friends. Neville, Luna, Padma, Parvati, Seamus, who Dean had broken off with because of Ginny, and Draco. He had made new friends too; Daphne, Astoria, Draco's fiancé, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, Susan Bones, her best friend and Neville's girlfriend Hannah and of course Colin and Denis. Those two were never going to leave his side.
At first, he had avoided the Weasleys as a whole but the twins had insistently written to him after the article, to convey that they were the only two traitors among the Weasleys. Being the youngest two, they had been pampered and hence they began to resent their poor condition. So, all other Weasleys except Ron and Ginny were invited. The twins told him the three traitors tried to tag along but they were rebuffed. Molly felt Harry was a better son than her youngest two ever were. He was just so respectful and loving and caring. He did not even mind when she fussed over him, trying to settle his wild hair or straightening his a already straight robe. She did not know how much Harry appreciated her for these small gestures that he had never experienced before to his memory until he met her. If Ron would have asked, he would have given his entire inheritance if they could exchange places, only condition being he had to take Ginny along with him.
Nonetheless, Molly was fussing over him because it was his big day. He was about to propose to the one he had fallen in love in the last year and the feeling had only grown stronger ever since. He was nervous and somewhat insecure. After the celebratory cake was cut, Harry gathered all his Gryffindor courage and called for everyone's attention. The small gathering looked to him in anticipation. He took a deep breath and started.
"Thank you all for making this achievement of mine even more special with all of your presence. When I started down this path, betrayed and utterly alone, I had thought that's what I will always be. But slowly you all came along and filled my life with love. I cannot thank you enough for it. Today, there is a special someone who I would like to express my feelings to in the presence of this extended family of mine. When I met her for the first time, she said I was just as sane as her. Trust me people had decided before then that I was as crazy as her. Through the years I have realizes that even when the entire wizarding world stood against me, she never doubted me. Even when she was invisible to me, she believed in me. Luna, my love, our unofficial Christmas date just before I left was the best I had ever had. But I want to make it official. Will you go on a date with me?"
Luna smiled the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and with tears in her eyes, maybe for the first time anyone had seen, she just nodded her head and ran to hug Harry, and after, kiss him senseless. Harry felt that all was finally well in his life, as it should be.