Disclaimer: I own nothing but my mistakes.
(A/N: Sorry for the wait, as most of the time life got in the way.)
Wandwood
Chapter Nine: Of Trials and House Elves
Fudge wore a gleeful smile as he entered the courtroom. Dumbledore's plan had worked perfectly. By setting snapes trial date the same as the Prophets and then moving the time up they had insured that Black would not be at the trial. Without the plaintive they could safely sweep the whole thing under the rug. That it would help embarrass that whole accursed family was just a bonus is his eyes.
That the trial should take place before a full court was his own idea, he felt that it would help his position. Let more of the people see him as a strong leader.
The Minister stepped up to his seat and called for order. "Today the matter of supposed assault by Hogwarts Potion Professor Severus Snape against visiting student Harry Black shall be decided. However, as Mr. Black has seen fit not to join us, I must rule against him in this matter."
"What do you mean? I'm right here." Harry called up from his seat next to his dad.
Fudge spun his head to look at them. This was not how things were supposed to go, he hadn't bothered to even glance in their direction, why would he, the plan was foolproof. "But you are supposed to be in America!"
"What?" Harry pretended to be confused. "Surely the sudden change in the trials time wasn't because you thought I was on another continent and wouldn't be able to make it back?"
"Of course not, the change in time was due to scheduling difficulties." Fudge said lamely. He was afraid to look over to the section where several reporters sat for fear of seeing just how much trouble he was in reflected in their smiles.
With a sour look on his face Fudge ordered them to bring in the accused. Snape was led in, unrestrained, with a superior smirk on his face. Dumbledore strolled along beside him. Both clearly expected Snape to be released.
"Why is the accused not restrained?" Madam Bones demanded. The guards turned to look at Dumbledore. "Don't look at Dumbledore, answer me!"
"W-well he said-" The guard began.
"Mr. Dumbledore is only here as legal counsel for Mr. Snape. He has no authority and there was no reason for you to remove the accused cuffs. Now replace them." Madam Bones almost growled.
"Surely there is no reason to-" Dumbledore began.
"Quiet, you are lucky that I am not requiring Snape to be fully restrained." Madam Bones said.
Snape glared at Harry and Sirius as the guard placed a set of cuffs around his wrists and led him to his seat. Dumbledore looked almost as displeased as he moved to the seat next to Snape's
"I object to this treatment of a respected Potion Master." Lord Malfoy called out. "Since when do we let our own be treated in such a manner by the accusations of a lowly foreigner?"
Sirius stood slowly and appeared every meter the noble lord as he staired down Malfoy. "I realize that we have been away from this land for some type but since when did it become acceptable for the Lord of a lesser house such as Malfoy to question the Lord of a most ancient and most noble house?
"Not only that but as both Harry and I were born to such houses we are always considered natives of the land. Even if we should only spend five minutes upon its soil. I believe that you yourself, Lord Malfoy, were actually born in your family's summer home in Broons, France. If anyone here is a foreigner it is you."
"How dare you!" Malfoy growled.
Sirius continued as if he hadn't heard him. "Actually, I am unsure of what you are even doing here are you are not a member of the Wizengamot."
"You are mistaken, I was awarded the seat of a disgraced criminal." Malfoy said in his silky voice.
"Really? I thought you were awarded the Black seat. However, since I and my son received pardons and an apology from Minister Fudge himself the law states that all seized properties be returned. Which included my family's seat. And since you don't have a seat, I believe you should either move to the public gallery or leave." Sirius smirked at the outraged look on Malfoy's face. Fudge had gone in the opposite direction and lost all his color.
A number of members of the Wizengamot hid their smiles. Malfoy had not been popular among them since he had gotten a seat and gained more influence to push his agenda. Even those who agreed with him on most matters found him to be annoying.
Madam Bones stood and called for attention. "Lord Black is correct. It is to our embarrassment that we made such a mistake. Lord Malfoy if you will please step over to the public gallery or leave."
"Amelia, surely there is some mistake." Fudge began, this was going to cost him support that he desperately needed.
"Minister when you signed those pardons you removed the reason that the Black seat was confiscated. Under the law the seat reverts back to Lord Black, though he will be unable to use it to vote in today's trial." Madam Bones said.
Malfoy stormed from the chamber; he had been out played this time but there were other options available to him. Such as the death of the Black family. Perhaps it was time to get the gang together again.
Snape wanted to throttle that mongrel Black. But a part of him also had to admire such a well-played move. Black had held onto reclaiming his seat until it could benefit him, then used it to undercut one of Snape's biggest supporters. Black had already set a tone for the trial and they hadn't even read the charges yet!
Fudge felt sick. This was awful, he was sure Malfoy would blame him for this. But how was he supposed to know pardoning Black would mean that he got his seat back? Well, there wasn't anything to do but press on with the trial. To be completely honest he was afraid of what might happen next if he didn't start it. "Order! I won't stand for any more of these disruptions! Madam bones the floor is yours."
"Thank you, Minister. Severus Snape you are accused to using legilimency on a student, mental assault of a student, attacking citizens under the protection of the Ministry and assault of a competitor of the Triwizard tournament." Madam Bones read out. "How do you plead?"
"Innocent." Dumbledore said, he and Severus had agreed that it would be best for him to do the talking. "We have also filed charges against Mr. Black for assault of a professor."
"Noted. Mr. Grey you may start." Madam Bones retook her seat.
Their solicitor stood. "Thank you. We call Severus Snape to the stand. We would also like to state that my client has agreed to the administration of veritaserum provided that all questions are approved before hand and the Mr. Snape agrees to do the same. Mr. Snape will you agree to the same terms?"
Dumbledore interrupted before Snape could say anything. "I see no reason to subject Severus to such treatment and we decline."
Reports scribbled down what amount to a guilty verdict but there was never any doubt that outside of their country that Snape would be vilified. Just as there was no doubt that he would get off thanks to Dumbledore's influence.
"Mr. Snape, did you mentally attack my client while he was in your class?" Mr. Grey asked.
"Of course not, this is nothing more than an attempt by Black to discredit me." Snape sneered.
Dumbledore wished that he was able to silence the man, what part about say as little as possible didn't he understand?
"And why would he do that?"
"Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew were always jealous of my skills in school and made progressively worse attempts to hinder me. Many of those attempts would easily be considered assault. In fact, Black once attempted to feed me to a werewolf." Snape said, dozens of people in the chamber gasped. Many began to shoot death glares at Sirius.
Sirius glanced up at James and saw unrestrained rage. Whatever their differences might be Snape had just crossed a line. He wasn't overly concerned though as they had planned for this. Mr. Grey appeared to be very concerned. "That is awful, how did my client do that? Did he force you at wand point to confront the beast?"
"No."
"Did he stun you and toss you to the foul creature?"
"No."
"No? Then how did he attempt to feed you to a werewolf?" Mr. Grey asked.
"He tricked me into entering a location where he knew a transformed werewolf would be." Snape said.
"I see, and how did he do that?" When Snape hesitated to answer Mr. Grey continued. "Could it be that you learned of how to access that location while spying on my client? Then bypassed the numerous safeguards meant to contain the werewolf, possibly releasing it?"
"Black let me overhear that! He knew that I would go and die!" Snape screamed.
"So, to clarify, Sirius Black did not in fact attempt to feed you to a werewolf." He ignored Snape's ranting and continued. "You spied on him, learned how to enter an area that was secured and forbidden and then almost died because of your action, as well as almost released a transformed werewolf? That hardly seems as if it was any type of attempt on your life by Lord Black."
"Black wanted me dead! He was jealous of me!"
"Members of the Wizengamot, I believe this outburst proves that Mr. Snape would be more than willing to attack my client as a method of revenge against Lord Black. Now Mr. Snape when my client attempted to leave you classroom why was your first reaction to cast a spell to seal the door? Why not just let him leave?" Mr. Grey asked.
"Black is an arrogant bastard! Just like his father he thinks the rules don't apply to him." Snape snapped.
"Noted, but that doesn't answer my question." Mr. Grey said.
"I wasn't about to let the brat just come and go from my class as he pleased. Everyone else might be start struck by Potter but I refuse to give him special treatment." Snape continued to glare Harry.
"Potter? We are discussing Harry Black." Mr. Grey pointed out.
"Black or Potter it doesn't matter, I won't bow down to those half-congealed whelps." Snape continued to dig his own grave.
"No further questions at this time but we reserve the right to question him later." Mr. Grey said.
Dumbledore stood and tried to run damage control but it was difficult. Portraying Snape in a good light was always going to be an uphill battle but his rants and glares at Black made it almost impossible. Finally, Dumbledore decided that it would be best to just limit Snapes exposure.
Next Mr. Grey called Harry to the stand. "Harry, please state what happened in the class."
"Snape was stalking around as normal when our eyes meet. I felt the pressure that meant someone was attempting to enter my mind-"
"Objection!" Dumbledore shouted. "It takes a great deal of skill to detect when another person enters one's mind, there is no way this child could possible possess such skills."
"I assure you I can detect when a person tries to enter my mind." Harry said. "All students at Wandwood are required to learn the basics of occlumency. If the Ministry has someone who can perform legilimency I would be happy to prove it."
After a nod from Mr. Grey, Madam Bones offered to perform the test herself. She was by no means a master but she'd at least be able to tell if he had the skill needed to back up his claim. After a few moments she withdrew from his mind. "Let the record show that Mr. Black does possess the skill needed to detect entry into his mind as well as basic shields."
Mr. Grey gave Dumbledore a side long glance before turning back to Harry. "Now that that has been established would you please continue?"
"When I broke eye contact Snape stumbled and appeared disoriented, the side effects of being forcibly ejected from a mind in such a manner. I knew that we needed to get out of there before he tried something else so I grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her towards the door. Snape began to scream at us and fired an unknown spell so I raised a shield." Harry explained his actions.
"A professor that has shown hostility towards you invades your mind and then fires an unknown spell at you, does anyone here think that Mr. Black's actions were unreasonable?" He turned back to Harry. "What happened then?"
"The spell was reflected back at Snape who tried to move out of the way but his spell still clipped his shoulder and threw him into the blackboard." Harry said.
Mr. Grey asked a few questions to clarify some points before he stepped back to the table and allowed Dumbledore his turn to question Harry. "Mr. Black, as a student certainly you know that you cannot just leave a class whenever you feel like it."
"We just established at one of your professors attacked me and you biggest concern is that I left his class?" Harry asked in disbelief.
Dumbledore frowned but switched to a different method. "There is only circumstantial evidence that this so-called attack happened, never mind that Severus was involved. Yes, you have established that you possess basic mental shields but I remind everyone that is not proof that this alleged attack ever happened. Therefor we must assume that Severus was only attempting to prevent students from leaving his class with a harmless door closing charm."
"Then despite Snapes refusal I will take veritaserum to prove that what I have said is the truth." Harry offered.
Reluctantly Harry's request was approved and his story was established as being true. Without Snape willing to do the same to prove his innocence there was little that could be done. A verdict was reached in just under an hour. Fudge looked over the parchment. "Severus Snape, we have no choice but to find you guilty. Your sentence shall be time served and a fine of ten galleons."
It had been the smallest fine that they were able to issue under the charges, even reducing them to their most basic complaint. Madam Bones was not happy but Dumbledore had gathered enough support to block her from issuing an actual punishment.
Snape smiled as his manacles were released. While he hated being arrested in the first place, he had to admit that receiving what amounted to a slap on the wrists for his attack was far from the worst that could have happened. The disappointed looks on the Black's faces also helped his mood. He silently swore that next time he would succeed and make Black pay.
Dumbledore did not share his friend's attitude; he had paid good gold to see the charges dismissed. It had been an uphill battle to convince James that it was for the best that Snape be fully cleared of any wrong doing. But as soon as Snape had mentioned Lupin's condition, even if he had reframed from naming him directly, it was a lost cause. James wasn't going to lift a finger to protect the man. If only Severus had stayed quiet.
0-O-0
Harry and Sirius were barely able to hold it together long enough to get out of the courtroom before they burst out laughing. There had never been any question that Snape was going to get off without any real punishment, but he had been convicted and that was what they had hoped for.
Both wished that they could be flies on the wall when Dumbledore figured out just how much this little victory would cost him.
They arrived back at the airship just after Violet. "Well, the paper was ordered to print a retraction and pay nearly a thousand galleons. I doubt that they will be eager to lie about you again."
"Good, we won against Snape to but they basically just told him to be nice." Harry said.
That night there was an impromptu party to celebrate, Harry insisted on paying from the money that the Daily Prophet would have to pay them.
0-O-0
The editor of the Daily Prophet wasn't happy about the verdict but they had expected it. There was no way those forging monkeys would rule in their favor. It was all just a big plot to line their own coffers with honest British money. And thanks to the Black's ability to sue them in their backend court the Daily Prophet couldn't even print that!
But he'd come up with a new plan that would soon see them able to print whatever they wanted. The Blacks could sue to their hearts content and not get another knot from them. he'd loved the look on the legal departments faces when he'd suggested it, really what were they paid for?
After a short wait the editor was shown into the Ministers office. Fudge sat behind his desk and barely spared a glance. "What do you want?"
"It's not just about what I want, but what you want. A way to get back at the Blacks."
Fudge's head snaped up. "How?"
"You know we printed an article about them and they sued us in their rigged court? Well, we've figured out a way to fix that, see they could only do that because we weren't associated with either Hogwarts or the Ministry. If we were they'd have had to deal with us in a fair British court. So, I have a contract here that will place the Daily Prophet under the control of the Ministry until the end of the tournament. You won't be able to do much but in return for signing we're prepared to offer you a percentage of the profits." The editor pulled out the contract and handed it to Fudge. The Minister barely glanced at it before his signature filled the bottom of the page.
"Attack the Blacks with everything you have!" Fudge ordered. Maybe this would buy him some breathing room.
0-O-0
The following day the students of Wandwood looked over a number of papers to see their reactions to the trial. Those international papers that had taken notice spun the story of the Prophet case in a humorous light and pointed out they barely deserved to be called a paper.
Snape's trial had rated more coverage and it seemed just about everyone disliked the man. even newspapers from within the ICW countries villainized him.
But the real shock was the Prophet itself. It was nearly three times its normal size and mostly filled with attack after attack against the Blacks and Wandwood. Their own trial was called a sham and they claimed that it was clear from the start that the 'dirty evil foul-smelling foreigners' were out to get them.
Snape's trial on the other hand was a mixed bag, the paper claimed that he should have been found innocent after being attacked by Harry. As well as being awarded the Black fortune for Sirius supposedly attempting to feed him to a werewolf. The stories then went on the insult them in just about every way imaginable.
Hermione could hardly believe it as she read an article that accused Sirius of being a werewolf pimp. "Don't they realize that they'll just be sued again?"
Harry frowned. "They have to, they can't be that stupid. Which means they think that they've found a way around it."
"Could they have?" Hermione asked.
"Maybe, but we've already got plans if they have." Harry answered absently. He flipped to the last article and was relieved to see that they hadn't gone after Hermione or Sharra yet.
0-O-0
Snape almost smiled as he saw the articles, it was a pleasant start to the day and for his revenge on Black. Perhaps he should send them a few more ideas? He was sure he could concoct some entertaining lies.
His happy musings were interrupted by a number of owls that descended on him and filled the table with letters. He grabbed one and saw that it was from a magical school in Spain, a glance at the others showed that they too were from other magical schools. He smiled, it seemed that they were going to offer him position at their establishments. Dumbledore would then have to sweeten his own deal to make up for turning them down.
It was with astonishment and rage that Snape read the first, then second, then third letters. They weren't invitation to teach but rather notices that he would never been allowed teach at their school or set foot on any of their property. It was meaningless except as a way to humiliate him.
Which was precisely why Sirius had spent hours faking all of the letters.
Snape stood and vanished the pile of letters, never noticing that one was genuine and from the International Guild of Potion Masters. A waning for his behavior.
0-O-0
The Prime Minister looked over the magical papers on his desk, he'd made arrangements to get the Daily Prophet among others to try and keep abreast of what was happening on their side of the line. That mornings Daily Prophet made him cringe, it was supposed to be the premier magical News Paper of the country yet it read worse than a cheap market tabloid.
Half the articles were so poorly written he had to wonder who actually wrote them, primary school children? Some had one in four words misspelled. The paper had clearly done everything they could think of, published every lie they had to cause trouble and he was sure that he would be hearing from some angry ambassadors fairly soon about it.
He just prayed that Fudge wasn't involved.
0-O-0
That evening Sirius broke the less than favorable news. "It looks like they did figure out a way around the rules. They got Fudge to sign a contract placing them officially under the Ministers control until the end of the tournament."
"So, we move on to the next plan?" Harry asked.
"Yup." Sirius said.
Hermione huffed. "Harry, you wouldn't tell me all day what you two were up to and I demand to know right now."
"Well alright. Since the Prophet is now basically protected from a direct attack in court we'll going around back and hit them where it hurts, their profit. Advertising. The cost of printing the paper is actually about even with what they charge for it. All their profit comes from advertisements. Dad's been buying shares of their main costumers and we'll pull all the ads from the Prophet." Harry explained.
"Eh, isn't that a bit complicated? Why not just buy the prophet, it would probably be cheaper." Hermione suggested.
"If we could" Sirius grumbled. "It's always made a tidy profit so the owners hold onto it tightly. This way might take longer but it'll still work, as well as give us a foot back into the English economy. Of course that's not even half the plan. We'll also burry the Ministry in paper work suing each article. I doubt we'll win any but it'll annoy them. At the same time, we'll raise the price of ink for the Daily Prophet."
"Wait raise the price of ink? You mean they actually import it?" Hermione could hardly believe that, it made no economical sense unless there was just no way for them to make it themselves.
"Yup, remember they are lazy. They used to make it but decided that it was easier to import from some poorer country. The ink quality suffered of course and even when the price went up, they were so used to getting it from someone else they just kept at it. I don't even know if they still remember how to make magical ink anymore." Sirius explained. He had already sent a notice to the import company to tack on an extra twenty percent to their next shipment.
"You really should have led off with that, raising the price of ink sounds a lot more impressive than canceling a few advertisements." Hermione pointed out.
"You know your mom said the same thing once." Sirius said. He couldn't wait for Fudge to realize just what he had signed either.
The editor had been so please with his little stunt that he'd waved the contract around in Sirius's face. A quick look and then a review of the memory let him find an interesting clause. If the Prophet lost money the Ministry had to cover the loss. He smiled as he wondered how Fudge would take that bit of news.
0-O-0
Luna hummed as she brushed her hair. Hermione room had been expanded to accommodate Luna and the younger girl was pleased with her new accommodations. Hermione might not believe in all of the articles published by the Quibbler but they had many intellectual conversations about why they could or couldn't be real.
Hermione had also enjoyed exposing Luna to some of the odder non magical animals, or the possible magical ones that muggles knew about. While Hermione loved Sharra like a sister Luna was the one she connected with on an intellectual level and she found the small girl an excellent sounding board for ideas.
Not that they neglected Sharra, the three of them had taken to having sleepover despite how close together their rooms were. Occasionally one of the older girls such as Wendy or Tonks would also join them. It was truly the most enjoyment Luna had ever had while at school.
Luna blinked in surprise when a house elf appeared on her bed. He didn't wear the clean and pressed uniform of the house elves on the airship, instead he was dressed in a pillowcase that had clearly seen better days.
"I is sorry miss but Dobby is being ordered to take and hide all of you things. Dobby is not wishing to you understand but Dobby has been told that he must." Dobby rang his hands in worry. He really did feel awful about this but his instructions had been clear. Take everything of Luna Lovegood's and hide it from her.
Hermione looked over at the poor elf who was clearly distraught about his orders. "Can you tell us who your master is?"
"Dobby can not miss, they have forbidden Dobby from revealing who they is." Dobby grabbed his ear and tugged at it, though they had neglected to say he couldn't be seen or heard. "Dobby truly is sorry but Dobby must."
"What exactly were you ordered to do?" Luna asked.
"To take all items of Lune Lovegood and remove them from her room. I is then to hide them around the castle." Dobby said on the verge of tears.
"Well that's easy enough to solve." Luna's cheerful voice brought Dobby and Hermione up short. Luna grabbed a pair of pink socks from her dresser. "Hermione I officially give everything of mine to you, with the exception of these socks."
Hermione smiled as she realized Luna's plan. "I accept."
Luna handed the socks to a shocked Dobby. "Here you go, everything I own."
Dobby looked down at the socks in wonder. "You is not being mad? You is helping Dobby?"
"You clearly were upset with your orders but had no choice, you even apologized before you carried them out." Luna didn't mention that this way also let her keep all of her things. "I understand you didn't want to, and now you can honestly say you took everything I had right down to my least favorite pair of socks."
"You is truly being a great witchy." Dobby hugged her leg before he vanished.
"That was odd." Hermione stood from her chair and pulled Luna out their door. "We need to tell the Dean, house elves that don't work here shouldn't even be able to get in."
0-O-0
Daniel Potter smiled as Dobby returned. "You get it all?"
"Yes Daniel Potter sir, Dobby is taking everything. Right down to missy Lovegood's least favorite pair of socks." Dobby had attached them to a suit of armor with a sticking charm so that it appeared as if the helmet had pink dog ears.
"Excellent, let's see how she likes that. We'll show her and anyone who thinks that they can just up and leave Hogwarts what happens to traitors. Your jobs done, get out of here." Daniel snapped. His training had gone long that day and he wasn't in the mood to deal with annoying house elves.
Dobby hurried to obey. The less time spent around Daniel Potter the better. He had been so happy when he had first come into the service of House Potter after Daniel's second year. Since then he had learned that Daniel Potter was not the great wizard many thought him to be.
0-O-0
Daniel's good mood faded the next morning when Luna walked in with the other Wandwood students in her normal clothes. He hurriedly finished his breakfast and left the great hall to call Dobby. "You said you took everything she owned!"
"Dobby did!" Dobby protested.
"Then what is she wearing?" Daniel demanded.
"Those are not being her clothes." Dobby said.
"Then who… right that bitch Granger probably loaned her something. Alright tonight you'll go back and take everything of Granger's." Daniel ordered.
Dobby nodded before he vanished.
0-O-0
The DMLE was one of the most hectic areas in the Ministry of Magic. Madam Bones was used to this generating a large amount of paper work for her. What she wasn't used to was a clerk rushing into her office with another stack of parchment and a clearly distressed look on his face. "Madam Bones! We've just had one hundred and twenty-eight spate lawsuits filed on behalf of the Blacks."
"You what?" Madam Bones couldn't understand what could have happened to generate that amount of lawsuits.
"Well, most of them are duplicates, and would normally be combined into a single lawsuit but that isn't required. The Black's solicitor assured me that they wanted each one filed separately, this could bog us down for weeks!" The clerk cried.
It only took Madam Bones a moment to understand that bogging them down was just what the Blacks wanted to do. She was sure they'd do the same for every article that appeared in the Prophet. Worse she could hardly blame them. They'd clearly been brushed aside. Fudge had also decided that in an attempt to embarrass them every case the Blacks were involved in would be decided by the full Wizengamot.
"There isn't anything that we can do but file the paperwork." Madam Bones said.
"But-"
"But nothing, you have your job so go do it. You have no reason to get involved in these politics." Madam Bones sent the clerk back to do his job.
She was about to return to her own paperwork when her secretary passed on the message that Dean Horsefeather was requesting her presence at Hogwarts. With a sigh Madam Bones floo'd over. She found a very static Dean along with the Blacks.
"Madam Bones, we have a very serious issue, Mr. Black has been sent a large amount of hate mail since yesterday. While I understand most of this isn't against the law several contained dangerous substances. Here is a full list along with the results of a mail tracing charm." The Dean handed over a rather long list.
The substances listed were mostly of the nasty verity. A few could be called pranks but most were just dangerous and a few were even highly restricted. "I understand why you are upset but the mail tracing charm has never been approved by the Wizengamot. They'd never accept this as evidence."
"That is a shame, then we will bring as many of them as we can before our own courts. Which do accept the charm." The Dean said. They hadn't expected Madam Bones to be able to do much, Fudge had her hands tied, but they had still thought it best to bring the problem to her attention before they did anything else.
Madam Bones set the list back on the Dean's desk. She was at least pleased that no member of her department was on the list. "I understand, good luck."
There was nothing else to be said. Madam Bones knew that the issue was beyond her and the contract that the Ministry signed granted the visiting schools a number of obscure rights. She just wished that Fudge would get over his personal grudge and stop provoking the Blacks, it hadn't ended well yet and she doubted that would change anytime soon.
0-O-0
Dobby appeared back in Luna and Hermione's room. "Dobby has been ordered to take all of Miss Grange's things."
Hermione sighed. "Alright, Luna all my things are yours. Except for this hair braid. Here you go Dobby."
"Dobby thanks you." Dobby was touched that they were so willing to help him avoid punishment for failing his orders.
"Dobby, how do you keep getting in here?" Hermione asked. She had spoken with the Deana and the house elves but they hadn't even known that Dobby had been on the ship. And they were supposed to be on the lookout for him now.
"Oh! Dobby is being very good at sneaking, he is." Dobby said proudly before he vanished.
0-O-0
Linada Mulcher smiled as she ate her breakfast and read the paper. She had been horrified to read what the Blacks had been up to and made her displeasure known by sending a rather nasty howler to the mongrel Harry Black. Daniel Potter had truly lucked out not being forced to grown up with such a despicable boy.
She fully believed that it was her right to send the howler, even her duty as an upstanding British citizen. She was proud of the vulgar names that she had called him, along with her suggestions of just what he should do.
Her pleasant breakfast was interrupted by the arrival of a red envelope. Who would dare send a howler to her?! She was so shocked that she failed to open it ebfore the envelope burst open and started to scream at her.
"HOW DARE YOU SEND A HOWLER TO ONE OF MY STUDENTS! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO SIT IN JUDGEMENT OF WHAT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT? HOW DO YOU ENJOY HAVING YOUR MEAL RUINED BY SOMEONE SHOUTING AT YOU? YOU ARE A HORRIBLE SPITEFUL LITTLE PERSON AND YOU WILL GET A HOWLER BACK FOR EVERYONE THAT YOU SEND!"
The howler burst into flames and ash fell down on Linada's eggs. It was only a moment before the woman's anger exploded and she went to floo the DMLE. Those wags thought they could just send a howler to her! Well, she's send the auroras down on them, finally put them away in Azkaban where they should be.
0-O-0
Across the country similar incidents were occurring and the DMLE was flooded with complaints, all of them received the same answer, howlers were not illegal and Wandwood had as much right to send them as anyone else. That answer didn't satisfy anyone but it was all the poor floo operators could say.
Fudge was full of glee at the excuse to finally deal with the Blacks until Madam bones pointed out that it was the school that sent the howlers, they had broken no laws and there was nothing that they could do. Her best advice was that people should stop sending howlers if they didn't want them sent back.
0-O-0
While people the length and breadth of the country were being screamed at by howlers and trying to convince the DMLE to go arrest the Blacks the students of Wandwood were up early and excited for their first trip into Hogsmeade.
Luna was incredibly excited as she was going with friends. Sharra was also excited as she had received special permission to go with them. Harry and Hermione tried not to laugh as they saw how itching her fingers were to start taking pictures.
As they approached the line of carriages Luna walked to the seemingly empty space Infront of one and reached out. She appeared to be petting something and talking kindly to the empty air. Sharra watched her friend curiously. "Luna?"
"You can't see them, can you?" Luna asked.
"See what?" Hermione asked.
Sharra reached out and squeaked when her hand touched something that wasn't there. Harry and Hermione both did the same and found something that felt like leather, though it was completely invisible.
Luna smiled, everyone else had just called her crazy without checking to see if there was really anything there. "They are called thestrals. Skeleton like horses with bat wings. They are considered bad luck because of their frightening appearance but they are some of the gentlest creatures ever."
Following the creature's neck Sharra found its head. The thestral nudged her carefully. "You're right."
Several other Wandwood students came over to see what they were doing and were amazed to discover the creatures, who Luna assured them loved the attention. As more students arrived the quartet moved towards the front of the que to board the carriages.
Only to be stopped by Filch. "Hold it, none of you is on the list so you ain't going anywhere."
"But we all have permission." Harry said.
"I don't care, you're not on the list so you can't go. In fact, none of your schools on the list so get back to your fancy balloon." Filch waved his roll of parchment at them like a bat.
They hurried away from the probably unstable man. "Well, I guess we are walking."
The group made it as far as the Hogwarts gates before they were stopped by a pair of auroras. They were once again turned back with the excuse that they hadn't been granted permission to leave. As they walked back towards the airship, they discovered that they were far from the only ones who hadn't been allowed to leave. Even those of age had been blocked.
0-O-0
Madam Bones was debating whether she should take a headache potion or just ignore the growing annoyance. It seemed that things were finally calming down. The floo calls had dropped off she was hoping the rest of the day easier.
She really should have known better. One of their best auroras, Kingsley Shackbolt, came into her office looking distinctly pale. "You need to get up to Hogwarts, apparently the Wandwood students aren't being allowed to leave and auroras at the gates sent them back to their quarters. Dean Horsefeather wants to know when they became prisoners and if she should call back to North America."
"Bloody hell!" Madam Bones jumped from her seat and rushed towards the nearest floo. Was Dumbledore trying to start a war? After she received permission from the Dean, she stepped through the floo, and was confronted by an office an angry students. "What's happened now?"
"Despite providing the necessary permission to Dumbledore the Hogwarts caretaker refused to allow my students to board the carriages. When they attempted to walk to Hogsmeade the arouras you have placed at the gate refused to let them pass. Now tell me, when did we become your prisoners?" The Dean asked.
Madam Bones ran a hand through her hair. "You are not prisoners…"
"Odd, I thought that being confined to an area against your will and unable to leave was the definition of a prison." The Dean said. She wasn't actually concerned since they could use the floo to leave, or just take off. She was more annoyed than anything else at this latest powerplay. That didn't mean she wasn't going to point out just how foolish it was.
"I can assure you that you are not prisoners, I will personally go and inform my auroras to get their heads out of their asses and stop bothering your students." Madam Bones promised. She'd also find out why they had done it in the first place, and she swore if it was because Dumbledore had said so she'd throw them back to the academy.
She was unsurprised when the Dean and students followed her from the airship towards the main gates of Hogwarts. She didn't know if it was her presence or the large crowd behind her but the pair of auroras began to fidget as they approached. "Good morning gentlemen, I have been informed that you refuse to allow these students to go an enjoy their day in Hogsmeade. Why?"
"Well Dumbledore-" one began.
"Wrong answer. Both of you back to the Ministry. Tell Kingsley to grab someone and come take your place." Madam Bones ordered. She watched her arouras slink away with slumped shoulders then turned back to the students. "I'll call for some carriages for you."
"That's alright, we don't mind the walk." Wendy said. Wrapped in their coats with warming charms the shot walk down to the village wasn't too bad.
Once she saw the students on their way Madam Bones turned back towards Hogwarts and stormed towards Dumbledore's office. She had barely stepped in before she let him have it with both barrels. "What the bloody hell were you trying to pull? Do you want a war? Is that your goal?"
"Do not be redisclose! I have always advocated for peace." Dumbledore said automatically.
"Then why did you deny the Wandwood students their ability to go to Hogsmeade?" Madam Bones demanded.
"It must have been a communication issue. The only orders I have issued in regard to students is that none are allowed to travel by foot to the village. I'm sure if they had just used the carriages there wouldn't have been a problem." Dumbledore said airily.
"Except Filch wouldn't let them onto the carriages because their names weren't on his list. They could easily make the case that they were being held against their will." Madam Bones pointed out.
"Nonsense, it was just a mistake." Dumbledore insisted.
"That doesn't matter, you prevented the students who had permission from leaving the grounds, including those of age and you had no legal right to do so. It was be easy for them to cause all sorts of trouble. Now answer my question, are you trying to start a war?" Madam Bones looked at the headmaster with hard eyes. Between Dumbledore and Fudge she really didn't think that they'd make it till summer without being invaded.
"Of course, I don't want a war!" The very notion that he could actively be encouraging such a thing was of the gravest insult to him.
"Then why are you doing everything that you can to start one!"
"Amelia there are things you do not understand…"
"Then explain." She demanded.
With a tired sigh Dumbledore decided that it would be to his advantage if she understood at least some of what was happening. Though he wouldn't reveal most of his information, just enough to bring her around. "When Harry was a child, just after Daniel defeated Voldemort, I discovered that Harry's magical core was collapsing. He was a squib, yet he joined a magical school and we have all seen him cast spells.
"I believe that Lord Black used dark magic on him to restore his magic. Harry is also a Parseltongue, an ability which no one else in his family line has. I also believe that whatever Sirius did to Harry somehow affect Daniel's magic as well." Dumbledore thought that would be enough to bring Madam Bones around to his side.
It was one massive headache to her though. "Do you have any proof?"
"Alas, no. I attempted to gather the needed information when Harry was arrested for speaking Parseltongue but he escaped before I was able to confirm anything."
"So that was all a ruse to check him for dark magic?" Madam Bones wasn't sure if she was more disgusted that he had gone so far or impressed with his plan.
"In part." Dumbledore admitted.
Yes, one big headache. "Alright Dumbledore listen because I will only say this once. Stop antagonizing them, I don't care what your theories are, it's my job to protect everyone and without evidence all you are doing is pushing for a war we couldn't win."
"I assure you that was never my intention." Dumbledore was disappointed that she hadn't declared her support for him in the matter but at least the information seemed to have cooled her off.
0-O-0
Harry and Hermione strolled along the cobblestone streets of Hogsmeade. It was a charming little town but a bit of a disappointment. They didn't even have a cinema. The shops they stopped at were interesting, and Harry supposed if you were stuck at Hogwarts most of the year a few days in the village were good enough. But the Wandwood students found Hogsmeade lacking. The novelty of the village wore off quickly, an entire shop devoted to quills and ink was only so interesting. Though many students had bought something to send back to their friends and family as souvenirs. Or to prove that people over here really did still use feathers to write.
About the only thing that held up to their expectation was the book store that had several difficult to find or out of print books, if they judged them by the dust on the cover they had been there for a while. The few Hogwarts students who were in the book store gave them dirty looks as they bought a considerable amount.
Their purchase had gone into an expanded bag and they'd continued on through the village. As they came around a corner, they saw several people who they'd just as soon avoid. Daniel and Ron, with a house elf trailing after them. The poor elf was being forced to carry a bag so large that it was stumbling along.
There was no reason to do that, a big advantage of house elves was that they could just pop the things you buy back to your home. To make one carry things around was a waste of time and disrespectful to the elf.
Hermione gave a small gasp when the bag shifted and she saw Dobby. She had of course told Harry about the elf. "That's him."
"Dobby?"
"Yes. Poor Dobby, being forced to serve Potter." Hermione said.
"Maybe we can help him." Harry took her hand and pulled her towards Daniel and Ron.
Ron made a gagging noise when he spotted them. "I can't believe you turned down a chance to go with me to go with Black."
Hermione had to wonder whether Ron had eaten paint chips as a child or suffered a head injury. He spoke such certainty that he was superior to Harry, then again he was an idiot so he might well believe that. "I turned down your rude offer, to spend the day with my boyfriend. I thought even you'd be able to understand that."
"What do boyfriends' matter? I've dated dozens of witches with boyfriends." Ron bragged though it rang hallow.
"Of course, you have." Harry said in a condescending tone. Hermione couldn't figure out what he was trying to do. Harry gave them a snobbish look that wouldn't have been out of place of Malfoy. "I have to say so far nothing out here has impressed me, I can see why the rest of the world refers to England as the stagnate backwaters of magic."
"You take that back!" Ron shouted.
Harry continued as if he hadn't heard Ron, or that Ron wasn't important enough to notice. "I mean really, you can't even use a house elf correctly. You do know they can just pop the things you buy home, don't you? There's no need to have it carry your things unless you can't figure out how to give it simple orders."
Daniel took a menacing step forward. "Shut it Black."
His eyes shone with anger, and Hermione noticed that they were a muddier green than Harry's. "He's correct you know."
"No one asked you Granger." Ron growled.
"Speak to her like that again and I may have no choice but to challenge you to a duel." Harry had to struggle not to break character. Daniel's next words moved them deeper into his plan.
"Yeah right, you refused that dueling tournament. You're too scared to face me." Daniel smirked; a wave of self-satisfaction washed over him. It had to be true that Harry was afraid of him, his parents said so.
"No, I declined because I stood nothing to gain, but perhaps we could make a wager? Then you get your chance to best me in front of the schools." Harry offered.
"What kind of wager?" Daniel asked. He could think of a hundred things Black might want from him.
"Well since you clearly don' know how to use a house elf why not it? If I win you give me that little creature following you around, the elf, not the redhead." Harry almost burst out laughing as Ron's face turned as red as his hair.
It started at the tips of his ears and spread down like oil running on a canvas.
"And what do I get if I win?" Daniel asked.
Hermione had seen Harry's plan as soon as he mentioned the wager, she almost jumped him right there. "A date with me."
"Why would I want to date you?" Confusion clouded Daniel's face.
"Because I am Harry's girlfriend, so this would just be one more chance to prove how superior you are to him. It's not as if you could win though." Hermione tried to add a condescending laugh but felt she fell short. Not that Daniel or Ron seemed to notice.
"He accepts!" Ron shouted.
"Are you really that dumb? Daniel has to accept or it means nothing." Harry pointed out.
"Fine I accept, you're going to go down and then everyone will see you for what you are. Dobby take those back to my room." Daniel ordered before he grabbed Ron and dragged him towards the line of carriages down the street.
Harry and Hermione managed to get off the street before wide grins burst across their faces. Hermione grabbed Harry and gave him a passionate kiss. "That was brilliant."
"Thank you, not bad for something I made up on the spot." Harry was pleased with himself and was sure his dad would be too, though he might get a lecture for agreeing to participate in the dueling tournament without asking first.
They took a few moments to compose themselves before they walked back onto the street to finish enjoying their day.
0-O-0
Daniel had rushed to tell his parents what had happened and they in turn had hurried to tell Dumbledore. Now the Headmaster sat behind his desk in thought. "Well done, Daniel, you managed to get Black to agree to the dueling tournament, now even should he attempt to back out we can call his honor into question.
"This will be an excellent chance to observe him in action, we may learn something valuable. Not to mention the Minister will also be very pleased with you. And when you win you might also be able to gather more information from Miss Granger." That had been had unexpected bonus. This could be the very thing that he had been looking for to turn things around and see his plans back on track.
0-O-0
(A/N: As always I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reading.)