Chapter 13
Who Controls Harry?

Still Wednesday, 24 July 1991, one minute later
Still inside Sirius's and Harry's rented house in Crawley

Sirius was paranoid. Yes, he opened the window and let the owl fly in; but Sirius did not let Harry take the Hogwarts letter at first. Sirius and Remus drew their wands and checked the letter for Portkeys, tracking charms, compulsions and other booby traps. Only when the letter was deemed safe did Sirius and Remus let Harry take the letter from the owl.

Hermione had been bursting with excitement after the owl had tapped on the window. But after the girl noticed Sirius and Remus treating the Hogwarts letter like an unexploded bomb, she watched silently.

The owl did not fly away, once the letter had been removed from its leg. Clearly the owl was waiting for some sort of written response to take back to Hogwarts.

Fortunately, Sirius had the perfect reply already written. Sirius attached his note to the owl's leg, then the owl flew out the window.

Once Harry opened the envelope and removed the letter inside, Sirius discovered Harry's letter to be exactly like the letter Sirius himself had received, back in the day. Meaning, the Supplemental Reading List that had been included in Hermione's Hogwarts letter, was not in Harry's.

Sirius had not put his wand away; it was still in his hand. Now Sirius used his wand to send a Patronus-message to Director Ragnok: "Carry out the contract."

Two minutes later, about ten feet away from Sirius, Remus, Harry and Hermione, a cylindrical blue whirlwind appeared. This unnatural whirlwind was there in the room for three seconds, then disappeared. Where the cylindrical whirlwind had been, now stood two goblins.

Each goblin was wearing a steel breastplate and a steel helmet, and had a double-headed axe strapped to his back.

"Are you the wizard boy we are to protect from Wizard Dumbledore?" the goblin on the right asked Harry.

"Aren't you worried about the Statute of Secrecy?" Hermione asked Sirius, looking worried.

Sirius replied, "These goblins won't walk out of the house, not even to the front or back garden. The neighbours will never see them. But if Dumbledore Apparates to inside this house, intending to grab Harry and to Apparate away, he'll get an unpleasant surprise."

"Times two," said the goblin on the left.

Hermione still looked worried. "What happens if Headmaster Dumbledore comes here when you two goblins are here?"

"Death," said the goblin on the right.

"Maybe his, maybe ours," said the goblin on the left with a shrug.

Later: 12.22pm
Two hours, fourteen minutes after Sirius and Harry receive Harry's Hogwarts letter
Office of the Headmaster, Hogwarts

Minerva walked into Dumbledore's office holding a note. A paper note. Minerva said, "You insisted on knowing Mr Potter's reply to his Hogwarts letter."

"Splendid. Harry said yes, and so quickly."

Coolly Minerva replied, "The note doesn't say that."

Dumbledore almost choked on his sherbet lemon. "Harry said no?"

"The note doesn't say that either."

Without another word, Minerva tossed the note on Dumbledore's desk. It read—

.

Professor Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter's letter has been received. Sirius Orion Black

.

"What does this mean?" Dumbledore demanded, sounding shocked.

"It means we wait. If we send Mr Potter a duplicate Hogwarts letter, then Lord Black, who is Mr Potter's legally appointed guardian"—Minerva glared at her employer—"may file an Harassment complaint with the DMLE. The Director of which, I remind you, Lord Black is dating."

Dumbledore replied, "But we need an official reply to Harry's letter!" I need an official reply to Harry's letter! went unspoken.

"The letter to Mr Potter states that the deadline for replies is 31 July," one week from then. "I would wager galleons that this is the date when Lord Black will make his 'official reply.' "

"Why would Sirius do such a thing?"

"My guess is, he knows you well enough to figure out that you've insisted that I show you all correspondence relating to Mr Potter's Hogwarts letter. This is a vicious prank by a former Marauder, against the man who mistreated both him and his godson."

"Minerva, what I did, I did for the Greater Good."

"Isn't it funny, none of the victims of your scheming agree with those words?"

Then Minerva, not waiting to be dismissed, walked out.

One week later: Wednesday, 31 July 1991, morning
Harry's eleventh birthday
Also the Hogwarts-letter deadline
At Gringotts

Director Ragnok had called for Axefrenzy (the Potter Account Manager), Slicesword (the Malfoy Account Manager) and Bladebloody (the Black Account Manager) to gather in Wizard Conference Room One. These goblins would meet with Harry James Potter, who had turned eleven today, so that Scion Potter could claim his three Heir Primary rings.

Axefrenzy was unsurprised that Lord Sirius Black, who was Scion Potter's guardian, came to the meeting along with Scion Potter. Axefrenzy was only partly surprised that Narcissa Malfoy, the Malfoy Regent, also attended the meeting. But Axefrenzy was shocked when Scion Potter brought an eleven-year-old girl with him, then explained her inclusion—

"This is my soulmate, Hermione Granger. One day I'll marry her, and she's the smartest person I've ever met, so it's best if I inform her of this Houses stuff from the beginning."

Lord Black gave Regent Malfoy an hard look. "Narcissa, 'Granger' is a wizarding name, but Miss Granger is not wizard-raised. If Miss Granger and Draco ever meet, your son would do well not to spout any Pureblood-superiority nonsense near her. Else Future Lord Malfoy would use Draco's guts for garters."

"And I'd help," Miss Granger declared.

A few minutes later, after Slicesword had given a report about House Malfoy finances, Regent Malfoy nervously made a comment about "the Malfoy Widow Stipend." Then Axefrenzy saw her shoot Scion Potter a long look, which clearly puzzled the boy.

Lord Black said to Scion Potter, "I think what Narcissa is asking about, in her roundabout way, is not about her Widow's Stipend before you turn seventeen. After all, I'm sure Regent Malfoy will make sure that Widow Malfoy is paid her Stipend. But when you turn seventeen, and you have the Head of House ring and you have the vault key? 'What then?' Narcissa wants to know."

Axefrenzy saw Scion Potter look at Regent Malfoy in puzzlement. "You're worried I would cheat you, when I'm seventeen? Not me! You'll get whatever your Marriage Contract says you're supposed to get, from the day I turn seventeen until you die."

Miss Granger hugged Scion Potter. Regent Malfoy looked relieved.

Axefrenzy told Harry he would not be allowed to access the Potter Coinage Vault till he was seventeen. Harry shrugged. Then Harry was told how much money was in the Potter Coinage Vault, now in 1991. He choked and Hermione gasped. Sirius's reaction was a calm "Sounds about right."

Narcissa Malfoy's face was unreadable.

Just before Harry put on his Heir rings and was given his key to the Potter trust vault, the Malfoy Account Manager, Slicesword, asked him, "Scion Potter, do you want a Malfoy trust vault, under the same terms as Draco Malfoy's trust vault?"

Harry said, "Sirius, help?"

Sirius asked, "Account Manager Axefrenzy, how does Harry's House Potter trust vault operate?"

Axefrenzy replied, "Today, his eleventh birthday, the balance for his trust vault stands at fifty thousand galleons. Each year on his birthday, twelfth birthday through sixteenth, money will be transferred from the Potter Coinage Vault to top off his trust vault, bringing it back to fifty thousand galleons."

Hermione blurted, "That's a quarter-million pounds!"

Stunned Harry asked Axefrenzy, "You're telling me that in a few minutes, I can spend a quarter-million pounds' worth of coins, and one year from now, I'll again have a quarter-million pounds to spend however I want?"

Axefrenzy nodded. "Exactly, Scion Potter."

Sirius asked, "Account Manager Slicesword, if Harry has a Malfoy trust vault created, what would its terms be?"

Slicesword said, "One hundred thousand galleons to start, and topped off to one hundred thousand galleons each birthday thereafter till age seventeen."

Slicesword gave a sidelong look to Axefrenzy. "It seems Lucius Malfoy wanted his son to enjoy his Hogwarts years more than did James Potter."

Harry looked at Narcissa and said, "I hope Draco realises that after 31 July 1997, his trust vault won't be topped off anymore."

Then Harry said to Hermione, "I think if I had half a million pounds available on my seventeenth birthday, but it had to last the rest of my life, I could eke out a living, I could 'make do.' Couldn't you?"

Hermione chuckled.

Harry looked at Slicesword. "Thank you for the offer, Account Manager Slicesword. But if I can't live the next six years on only a quarter-million pounds a year, when Sirius is paying for my food, clothing and shelter, I'm a disgrace as an human being."

Axefrenzy smirked at Slicesword and said, "Scion Potter, you can access more than your fifty thousand galleons in your trust vault, and this is without access to the Malfoy trust vault you just declined. Back in 1981, grateful wizards and witches gave gifts to 'the Boy Who Lived.' There are eight of these gift vaults. The largest of the coinage vaults has G27 000 in it. The most unusual gift vault contains a 1981 Nissan Skyline car, in stasis. I'm sure that Draco Malfoy has no gift vaults, because nobody of his own free will has ever gifted money to a Malfoy."

Harry remarked to Hermione, "Sixteen months ago, I didn't have one pound sterling to my name. This is an amazing day."

Hermione hugged Harry again.

Bladebloody did not offer to create a Black trust vault for Harry, and Harry did not ask for one.

After Harry put on the Potter, Malfoy and Black Heir Primary rings, he was given ten vault keys (for Harry's trust vault, for the Potter Heirlooms vault and for the eight gift vaults). Then Harry thanked the three goblins for their time.

As everyone stood up from the meeting table, Axefrenzy said, "Director Ragnok told me to tell you, Heir Potter-Malfoy-Black, you also are Future Lord Gaunt and Future Lord Slytherin, by Right of Conquest."

Harry waved an hand. "That, I'll deal with later. I've got six years, right?"

Then Sirius, Harry and Hermione went down to the Gringotts vaults.

Harry had to see his gift car. So the first stop of the mine cart was Vault 1785.

Inside this vault, they found the 1981 Nissan Skyline, half-size and surrounded by a green aura (because the car was in stasis). The Skyline had an odd placement of its wing mirrors (side-view mirrors): almost at the very front of the car. Harry thought the car was painted red, with a dark-red interior, but could not be sure. The tyres were fully aired up, and the tyre treads had the rubber stubble that barely-driven tyres had. A side window of the Skyline had a dealer sticker on it. Since the text on the dealer sticker was half-size, just like the rest of the car, Harry could not read the dealer sticker.

A Gringotts rule said that Harry could visit the Potter Heirlooms vault anytime between his eleventh birthday and his seventeenth birthday, but was not allowed to remove anything from the vault. Today, Harry had no problem with this rule.

When Harry walked through the doors of the Potter Heirlooms vault, he found a parchment laying on the floor, two feet inside the door. This parchment said at the top, in big letters, "BETROTHAL CONTRACT."

The betrothal contract turned out to be between Harry James Potter and someone named Ginevra Molly Weasley, dated 3 November 1981. The betrothal contract was signed by Arthur Weasley (signature transparent) and Albus Dumbledore (signature transparent).

Harry, reading the Betrothal Contract, was confused and worried. Hermione, who was standing shoulder to shoulder with Harry, was hissing in her anger.

Harry understood her anger. Not only was he supposed to marry this girl Ginevra whom he never had met, on her seventeenth birthday, but the contract stated that on his wedding day, he was obligated to pay one million galleons to the Weasley family. (Which Harry could afford, no problem, but still!)

Sirius said, "Harry, don't worry. A signature that's transparent, that looks as though it were signed using melted glass for ink, means the signature is magically worthless. Here both signatures are worthless."

Harry asked, "What's wrong with the signatures?"

Sirius replied, "Arthur Weasley is Head of House Weasley, so he has authority to sign a betrothal contract for his daughter. The only way his signature would be void is if he was mind-whammied to sign it. Who mind-whammied him? Dumbledore or Arthur's wife Molly, take your pick."

"And Dumbledore's signature?" Harry prompted.

"When Dumbledore signed that piece of shit, you were the last of your line and, according to James' suppressed will, the future Head of House Potter. James' father Charlus Potter told me once that only a Potter Head of House could write a betrothal contract or a marriage contract for a Potter Heir Primary or a future Potter Head of House. A mere 'magical guardian,' especially one who had taken that title illegally, did not have the authority by Magic to betroth you."

"So I can tear up the contract?" Harry asked hopefully.

Sirius grinned. "Be my guest."

Harry, instead of he himself tearing up the Betrothal Contract, gave the parchment to Hermione, who ripped the thing into tiny pieces, which Sirius then vanished.

Elsewhere in the Heirlooms vault, Harry found a magical portrait of his parents. Unlike in a nonmagical portrait, the people in the portraits were not stationary. Harry could see them breathing, but they were both asleep.

Sirius told Harry to put his index finger on the blue rune on the picture frame, to push with his magic and to say Awaken.

Ten minutes later, Portrait-Lily, Harry, Hermione and Sirius all were crying over the life that Harry and Sirius had led between 1981 and 1990. Portrait-James kept saying, "I want to kill that whiskered schemer."

The same day: the Daily Prophet, right after Gringotts

Sirius Side-Along Apparated Hermione home, then Apparated back to Diagon Alley. Sirius and Harry walked to the Daily Prophet building, where they requested to speak with editor-in-chief Barnabas Cuffe.

With Lord Black being one of the two wizards asking for this, and Harry Potter being the other wizard, not only was the request granted, but it was granted in less than two minutes.

Once the two visitors were in Cuffe's office, Sirius handed Cuffe a prepared statement, "HARRY POTTER WILL NOT ATTEND HOGWARTS."

The essence of the prepared statement—

1) For any magical child in Britain who was nonmagical-raised, as all first-generation magicals were and as Harry was, Manchester Magical Academy was the ideal school.

2) Sixteen months ago, Hogwarts was a disgrace of a magical school, and Dumbledore was the entire reason why. Six months later, Hogwarts was a much better school, but all the credit for the school's improvement should go to Minerva McGonagall, not to Dumbledore. Sirius doubted that McGonagall's improvements would remain, since Dumbledore again was in charge of Hogwarts.

3) When Dumbledore had been Harry's magical guardian, Dumbledore had been dangerously neglectful. Now Harry had no wish at all to attend the school where Dumbledore would be Harry's dangerously neglectful headmaster.

Cuffe asked Harry if he had anything to add to the prepared statement. Harry grinned viciously and replied, "To attend MMA, a kid must be nonmagical-raised—no exceptions. If my parents' wills had been followed and I'd been raised by Sirius Black, Alice Longbottom, Amelia Bones or Andromeda Tonks, MMA never would've let me in. But Dumbledore outsmarted himself. When he broke the law and put me with the Dursleys, which was the opposite of what the wills said, he gave me an alternative to Hogwarts, ten years later. If anyone goes spare because Harry Potter is going to MMA, blame Dumbledore! To the old man himself, I've only one thing to say: Go jump in the lake!"

Hours later, just before dinner
In Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts

Minerva walked into the old man's office with another paper note. "Lord Black has made his 'official reply' to Mr Potter's Hogwarts letter," Minerva announced. She kept her face expressionless.

Dumbledore took a calming breath, then ordered, "Read it to me."

"It says, quote, 'Professor Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter will not attend Hogwarts. For more information, see tomorrow's Daily Prophet. Sirius Orion Black,' unquote."

For a moment, Dumbledore looked panicked. Then he tried to smile. "Thank you for informing me, Minerva. You are dismissed."

Minerva did not tell the old man that the same owl that had delivered Lord Black's note, also had brought a note from Daniel and Emma Granger. The Grangers' genius Muggle-born daughter would not attend Hogwarts either.

Minerva wondered what it would mean for the future, that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger already knew each other.

Meanwhile in Longbottom Hall

Neville had received a letter from Harry, in which Harry confessed that he and Hermione had tricked Neville—

.

31 July 1991

Dear Neville,

I really enjoyed our Combined Birthday Party yesterday. Thank you for the Dancing Daisies—they're funny. But this letter is about something different.

I've been an awful friend to you, because for the past eleven months, Hermione and I have kept a big secret from you.

Whilst neither Hermione nor I has gone so far as to say "We're going to Hogwarts," you've said at times "When the three of us are at Hogwarts," and neither of us told you this was wrong.

But here's the truth now: For as long as Hermione and I have known you, she and I have planned to attend MMA (Manchester Magical Academy). MMA teaches both magical and nonmagical subjects, but to go to school there, a kid has to be Muggle-raised. Hermione, being Muggle-born, qualifies, but I also qualify because I lived with the Dursleys till April of last year.

We didn't tell you about MMA before now, and Sirius never told you whenever you talked to him, but we did this not because we don't care about you as a friend. No, we didn't tell you because then word might get back to Albus Dumbledore, and he might have stopped me going to MMA. (Ask your Gran to explain what I mean by this.) But today is the day when Hogwarts has to be told yes or no, so today Sirius told Hogwarts that I won't be there, when it's too late for Dumbledore to cause me trouble.

Why are Hermione and I going to MMA, and why is Sirius letting me do it?

.

What followed was Harry ranting about how awful a "magical guardian" Dumbledore had been to Harry, and how Dumbledore had been sent to Azkaban for it. Harry also wrote that till Dumbledore had been sent to prison, Hogwarts had become an awful school (according to what Sirius, Remus and Andromeda had found out, and according to things Tonks had told Harry).

.

Anyway, I'm going to MMA to get far away from Dumbledore. Hermione is going to MMA because MMA teaches nonmagical classes, and Hermione wants to go to university when she's eighteen. But even when you talk about only magical classes, MMA is much better than Hogwarts, so Hermione's parents are keen to send her to MMA for this reason too.

Neville, I still want to be your friend. Hermione feels the same. We both like you. When you and us are in our different schools, we plan to owl you and we want you to owl us. Also, we'll still see each other during summers and other hols.

Harry

P.S Read tomorrow's Daily Prophet. You and Gran will find it fun. I told Dumbledore to jump in the lake!

The next day: Thursday, 1 August 1991
After the Daily Prophet is delivered

Molly Weasley sent Sirius Black an Howler, for "ruining Harry Potter's education."

For Molly, there were two problems with her sending this Howler.

The first problem for Molly was that she had forgotten what she had read about Lord Black in Witch Weekly: that he was dating Amelia Bones, Director of the DMLE.

The second problem for Molly was, when Sirius received the Howler, he, Harry and Hermione were in a Muggle park in Crawley. The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was violated, and Obliviators needed to be called.

Someone needed to pay those Obliviators' salaries; Molly got volunteered. DMLE Director Amelia Bones sent Molly an order to pay a G150 (£750) fine.

When Molly complained to Madam Bones about the fine—loudly and in person—Madam Bones calmly informed Molly that if she refused to pay the fine, she would be arrested and would be put on trial at the next Wizengamot session (which so happened to be tomorrow). Possibly Molly would be acquitted and would not be ordered to pay a fine. But much more likely, she would be both fined and tossed in Azkaban. Should Aurors arrest Molly Weasley now?

Molly said, "No, I'll pay the stupid fine." Then she complained, "How can you live with yourself after taking food out of my children's mouths? Next month Arthur and I have four children to send to Hogwarts!"

Madam Bones replied, "Then you shouldn't have sent that Howler to Lord Black. You have until 8 August to pay the G150 fine, or you will be arrested and will be put on trial. You are dismissed; leave now."

The next day: Friday, 2 August 1991
During the regular weekly Wizengamot session

The Minor House of Dumbledore did not rate a Wizengamot vote. Albus Dumbledore got one vote in the Wizengamot, and this was only because he had been awarded an Order of Merlin First Class.

Dumbledore used to have control of some proxy votes, but being sent to Azkaban had cost him those proxies.

Dumbledore had been Chief Warlock till last year, but this title had been stripped from him just before he had been sent to prison.

His star had dimmed—unfairly, he thought—but he still could propose bills and he still could give speeches. So today Albus Dumbledore stood up and proposed a bill that would require Harry to attend Hogwarts for all seven years—regardless of what Harry wanted and regardless of what his guardian, Lord Black, wanted.

Dumbledore's arguments boiled down to—

a) A school for Muggle-borns cannot be any good. So if Harry Potter ("our national treasure") attends MMA, he will receive an inferior education.

b) Hogwarts has been teaching children for a thousand years. The school would not have been in custom for so long unless it was good at teaching magic to children.

c) Sirius Black was exposed to Dementors for almost nine years, so his judgement is suspect.

d) The Headmaster of Hogwarts defeated Grindelwald. Has Mersey Norwood, the Headmistress of MMA, defeated a Dark Lord? No!

But then Lord Black stood up to speak—

"Minerva McGonagall, in the six months she was Headmistress of Hogwarts, did an excellent job of fixing Dumbledore's mistakes. But alas, when Dumbledore got out of prison, he stole the position of headmaster away from Minerva McGonagall.

"For not-esteemed Headmaster Dumbledore, I have two questions. My first question is, How long will it take you to turn Hogwarts back into a pathetic joke of a school? And my second question for this man—and it's a question to which he has never given a straight answer, either publicly or privately—is: Where is Gellert Grindelwald buried? Dumbledore was given the Order of Merlin First Class because he supposedly killed Grindelwald. Dumbledore was made Deputy Headmaster then Headmaster, Chief Warlock and Supreme Warlock, all because he supposedly killed Grindelwald. But did he really? Where is the proof? Is the proof 'Because Dumbledore said so?' Remember that until April of last year, Dumbledore told you, 'Harry is safe and loved.' I remind you that every time Dumbledore said 'Harry is safe and loved,' HARRY WAS IN DANGER FROM RELATIVES WHO HATED HIM! Seat-holders, DUMBLEDORE LIED TO YOU!

"So why does Dumbledore want Harry at Hogwarts? It's not because he's concerned about the quality of Harry's education—MMA students score better on OWLs and NEWTs than Hogwarts students do, and Dumbledore is the cause for Hogwarts' disgraceful showing. And can anyone here believe that the wizard who left Harry Potter with abusive Muggles for eight and an half years and never once checked up on him, will suddenly turn round and make sure that Harry has a good life at Hogwarts?

"No, fellow seat-holders, there is only one reason why Dumbledore wants to abuse the law to force Harry Potter to attend Hogwarts: bragging rights. Back in 1981, Dumbledore tricked you all into making him Harry Potter's magical guardian, just so he could say 'Look at me, I'm the magical guardian of the Boy Who Lived.' And now? This 1 September, the headmaster who has nothing else to brag about—he let a Death Eater teach Potions, he let a ghost teach History of Magic, it's been decades since any of the DADA teachers lasted more than a year and he let the first-years fly on dangerous old brooms—he wants to be able to boast, 'Look at me, I'm the headmaster of the Boy Who Lived.'

"Fellow seat-holders, say no to the man who cannot prove he killed a Dark Lord, and say yes to Harry Potter, who defeated Lord Voldemort at the cost of both his parents. Thank you for listening."

Dumbledore's proposed bill was defeated. He blamed Sirius who, Dumbledore believed, had secretly Confundused the seat-holders.

Thirty days later: Sunday, 1 September 1991, 11am
Aboard the Hogwarts Express

Pureblood first-years Draco Malfoy and Neville Longbottom, and Muggle-born first-years Dean Thomas and Justin Finch-Fletchley, all felt the Hogwarts Express begin to move.

Regardless of their background, these four, and all the other children in their year, felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. They now were Hogwarts students, but they did not yet have firsthand knowledge what this would mean.

Meanwhile at Black Manor (a.k.a Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London)

At 11am, Sirius and Harry just had moved all their clothing and other personal goods from Number 27, Sunshine Street in Crawley, West Sussex to Black Manor in London.

For whatever reason, Dumbledore had not invaded the Crawley house of Sirius and Harry in the thirty-nine days that Dumbledore had known where Harry lived. (But Sirius did not regret the money he had spent on goblin guards.)

But now, with Harry's agemates about to start school at Hogwarts, Sirius was sure that Dumbledore would try to kidnap Harry before the Hogwarts Express reached Hogsmeade.

Sirius was certain that Dumbledore's plan was to make Harry an Hogwarts firstie, the same as Neville and Susan—regardless of whether Sirius wanted this, whether Harry wanted this and what Amelia said the law said. None of these three things would matter to Dumbledore.

To prevent Harry's kidnapping, Sirius had a plan: for him and Harry to no longer be at the Crawley house when Dumbledore showed up.

A few minutes ago, Sirius had dismissed the goblin guards, then had removed the Wizard Notice-Me-Not Charm on the Sunshine Street house. Then Sirius had returned the key for the Sunshine Street house to the house's Muggle landlord, Mr Oxton.

Assuming that sometime in the next few hours, Dumbledore would show up uninvited at the Sunshine Street house with plans to kidnap Harry, he would find the house empty, and he would have no certain knowledge of where Harry was at now—although for Dumbledore, Harry Potter's current location would not be hard to guess.

But a correct guess ("Harry is at Black Manor") now would do Dumbledore no good. The Fidelius Charm on Black Manor, and the wards on Black Manor, would ensure that neither Dumbledore or house-elves he sent, could get inside.

Anyway, now when the clock in Black Manor's kitchen said 11.00, Sirius chin-pointed at the clock and said, "Bugger, it's rolling."

Remus replied, "We did the right thing, Pads."

Harry hugged both his godfather and his Unofficial Uncle.

Meanwhile at Number 24, Churchill Way, Crawley, West Sussex

Hermione Granger was alone in her house, because both her parents were at work at 11am on a Sunday.

At the moment, Hermione's entire attention was on an Hogwarts Transfiguration textbook that her parents had bought for her, before the family had decided that Hermione would never attend Hogwarts.

Hermione had heard Lord Black and Mr Lupin mention "1 September" and "11.00am" a few times, but it did not occur to her what those words meant to Hermione herself: If I were attending Hogwarts, I'd be on a rolling red train now!

Meanwhile at Manchester Magical Academy

Sunday at 11am found Headmistress Mersey Norwood working in her office, and some teachers setting up their classrooms; but otherwise, the school was deserted.

At MMA, in years when 1 September fell on a Saturday or Sunday, the school year began on Monday. In 1991, Monday meant 2 September.

A bit over an hour later: 12.11pm
On the Hogwarts Express

First-years Vincent Crabbe, Jr and Gregory Goyle were explaining to Pureblood children Pansy, Blaise, Susan and Neville why the two boys, whose dead fathers had been quasi-vassals to Lucius Malfoy, were avoiding Lucius Malfoy's son Draco—

Vincent said, "We've heard two possible ways that nine-year-old Harry Potter killed Lucius Malfoy."

Gregory took over: "The first rumour is that when Lucius Malfoy was in the process of casting the Killing Curse, Potter ran right up to him and shoved his arm down. Malfoy wound up AK-ing his own foot."

Pansy sneered, "Such a Gryffindor."

Gregory nodded. "Both his parents were in Gryffindor, so it's no surprise. The other rumour is that Potter used some sort of mysterious magic that never has been seen before or since, except to kill the Dark Lord. Potter used the mysterious magic again, nine years later, to kill Lucius Malfoy."

Susan Bones nodded. "I've heard that rumour too. When I asked Auntie about it, she said, 'I can neither confirm nor deny.' "

Vincent took up the tale: "But Draco, the stupid fool, has demanded of Harry Potter who killed Lucius, that Potter give Draco his father's snake-head cane! And everyone calls us thick!"

Gregory looked about at every young face. "We like it that Potter is alive and Lucius Malfoy is dead. Both our fathers owed over ten thousand galleons to Lucius Malfoy, and the parchments our fathers signed said that if the loans weren't paid off by today, we'd have to become Draco's bodyguards all through Hogwarts. Life would be even worse for Galina, my five-years-younger sister. But Harry persuaded Regent Narcissa Malfoy to forgive both loans."

Blaise Zabini said, "You're telling me that Harry Potter said to cancel twenty thousand galleons in loans?"

Gregory said, "Yeah. So no bodyguarding for Vinnie and me, and no whoring for Galina! Hurrah for Harry Potter, and Draco Malfoy can go suck an egg!"

Meanwhile (1 September 1991, 12.11pm)
At Hogwarts

Dumbledore sent Hogwarts house-elf Bippy to bring Harry Potter from whichever MMA classroom he was in, to the Headmaster's Office "for Harry's own safety." Dumbledore was unbothered that this would be defined as kidnapping under the law.

Dumbledore expected the actual kidnapping of Harry Potter to be easy, and expected Bippy to have no problem with the task.

A minute later Wrinkly, the Hogwarts head house-elf—not Bippy and Harry—elf-popped into the Headmaster's Office. Wrinkly told Dumbledore, "Bippy bes hurts bad. He in Elf Hospital."

"But did he get Harry?"

"No. Bippy never getted inside bad, bad wards."

Dumbledore was shocked by this news, that the school for Muggle-borns would dare to put up fierce wards to harm Purebloods, and that the Muggle-borns' school would think to put up anti-house-elf wards.

Dumbledore ordered Wrinkly to send two Hogwarts house-elves, not one, to MMA to grab Harry.

The result of this order was that the Elf Hospital got two more house-elf patients to keep Bippy company in his recovery.

Undaunted, Dumbledore ordered Wrinkly to send four Hogwarts house-elves to MMA. They fared no better.

Four became eight, next time. When Dumbledore ordered Wrinkly to send sixteen house-elves to MMA—"Surely they're close to breaking through the wards!"—Wrinkly refused. "Wrinkly not cans send sixteen elveses who maybe be hurted. All elveses here and not in Elf Hospital are needsed to cooks Welcoming Feast."

Dumbledore gave up for now, till he could come up with a better scheme. The headmaster did not care that the only result of his attempted kidnapping was that fifteen Hogwarts house-elves now were in the Elf Hospital.

Because the Hogwarts house-elves never had penetrated the MMA wards, Dumbledore never learnt that Harry Potter was not at MMA during any of the house-elf attacks. Dumbledore had injured fifteen of his own house-elves for nothing.

A bit later (12.36pm), on the Hogwarts Express

Neville was walking back from the loo, along the narrow corridor of the train carriage. A compartment door opened and Neville heard Susan Bones's voice—

"Neville, come in here, please?"

Neville walked into the compartment where Susan was at. There Neville found Susan, Hannah, and twin girls from India. One of the twin girls was standing close to Susan and Hannah, and looked excited about something. The other girl twin was sitting and was reading a book, and she never looked up.

After Susan introduced everyone, Parvati Patil (the excited girl twin) said to Neville, "Susan and Hannah both say you're friends with the Boy Who Lived. What's he like?"

Neville replied, "Listen, he hates, hates, hates that title. But to answer your question..."

A minute later, the compartment door was yanked open, and there stood Ron Weasley (with a dirt-smudge on his nose). "Oi, have you lot seen Harry Potter? I've walked all up and down the train and can't find him."

Neville asked, "What do you need Harry Potter for?"

"None of your business, Squib."

"Harry Potter isn't here," Neville snapped. "Shut the door when you leave."

Susan said, "Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to know why you want to find Harry Potter. I'm sure he doesn't know you."

Ron said, "I want to meet Harry Potter so I can become his friend and tell him that Gryffindor is the best House and I can ask him to show me his scar."

Susan said with fake cheerfulness, "Ron, I hope you get what you deserve."

Grinning Ron shut the compartment door.

Six and an half hours later: 7.06pm
In the Great Hall of Hogwarts

The Sorting was in progress.

Minerva called out "Goldstein, Anthony." Mr Goldstein was Sorted into Ravenclaw.

Minerva next called out "Greengrass, Daphne." Of the hundreds of people in the Great Hall, both professors and students, only Minerva gave a thought to the name that was missing between Goldstein and Greengrass.

Minerva hoped that Miss Granger—along with her friend Mr Potter—would do well in MMA.

Minutes later, Minerva read out "Patil, Parvati." A minute later, Minerva was surprised that Miss Parvati Patil was not Sorted into Ravenclaw like her twin sister just had been, but instead was Sorted into Gryffindor.

Miss Parvati Patil put the Sorting Hat back on the stool, as parts of her robes turned red and gold. She hurried off to the Gryffindor table.

Minerva noticed that the entire Great Hall was silent now. Minerva was sure she knew why.

Taking a calming breath, Minerva read out the next name on her list: "Rivers, Oliver."

"OI, WHERE'S POTTER?" yelled the unsorted Weasley boy.

Minerva saw that over at the High Table, Dumbledore was scowling.