Chapter 5: A Talk with Dumbles

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It was about midday when Dumbledore showed up. He came in with a flourish of robes, as he always did. This time he was wearing blinding pinks and purples in a flowery spread with matching hat. He called Harry to the parlor and asked him to come alone, which he did not.

The man/teen brought Sirius and Isobel with him. Isobel was hidden under his still oversized shirt. The headmaster had yet to meet the snake and they wanted it to be a surprise.

"Harry, my boy, I thought I asked you to come alone," Dumbledore said, sitting in a chair opposite the trio. He was regal and sitting as tall as his height would allow, which was quite high. His long white hair and beard combed to perfection, looking like the gentlemanly aged grandfather that he tried to personify.

"I want Sirius here," said Harry with a shrug, settling down in a comfortable manner befitting a teenager. He had to remember to act his body's age, not his mind's. Well, he slouched as much as Isobel would let him. It was hard to do with a snake wrapped around his middle.

"Whyever for?" said the old man, his eyes twinkling madly. He didn't look it, but he was miffed that his orders were not followed. He was quite used to being obeyed by everyone. There were only a few people who defied him on regular basis, and Harry wasn't usually one of them.

"He's my legal guardian," said Harry, tilting his head to the side, like he didn't understand the concern.

"He is a convict," said Dumbledore as if that were a grave concern.

"As far as I know, he has never been convicted of any crime," said Harry, pointedly. There was no doubt in that tone that Harry laid some of that blame at the old man's feet.

"Yeah, I never got a trial," said Sirius, leaning forward in his chair and in an angry voice. "Therefore, I've never been convicted of anything. Which well you know. Besides, James put me in charge of Harry's life. If you want to talk to Harry, you need to talk to him with me around." He too was making it clear that he blamed Dumbledore for his current predicament.

"Very well," said Dumbledore, settling back in his chair and running a hand down his beard in an all-knowing fashion. "I have acquired you a hearing in front of Madame Bones, one week hence at 9 in the morning. She will be discussing why you use magic in a muggle area." He said that as if he was disappointed in him for some reason.

"Did you tell her about the Dementors?" the man/teen asked, knowing the man probably had not.

"I thought I would leave that up to you," the old man stated, giving him a wink as if this was a secret between them.

"Why wouldn't you tell her? That doesn't make a lick of sense," Harry snapped, making an angry gesture like any teen would. He didn't know what the old man was playing at.

"I did not think she would believe me," the headmaster stated, blinking at the sudden anger from the young man. He thought he had done the right thing in letting Harry tell his side of the story.

"But you thought she'd believe me? You have a better reputation than I do," was the response.

"Alas, my reputation is not at its best right now," Albus said, trying to placate the teen. It was the reason he didn't say anything. It had been hard enough to get the hearing to just Amelia. Fudge had wanted a full trial.

"And whose fault is that? You're the one who's letting the papers tear us apart," Harry said, bitterness and accusation in his tone.

"There is nothing I can do about the papers, young man, and do not use that tone with me," Dumbledore stated, this time there was a bite in his voice. He was not going to be spoken to that way by a mere teenager.

It was at that time that Isobel thought she should make her presence known. She poked her head out of Harry's shirt and hissed at Dumbledore, "You leave my friend alone, asshole."

"Now, Isobel, don't be mean to the headmaster," said Harry in parseltongue, shocking the old man.

"What is this?" Dumbledore asked as he pulled his wand and pointed it at the duo. His courage was one to be admired. He didn't even flinch at the use of parseltongue. The snake though gave him pause.

"This is Harry's bonded familiar, Isobel," said Sirius, grinning like a fool, though he still quivered when Harry spoke to the snake.

"You cannot have a bonded familiar," said Dumbledore as if his word were law. This would not do.

"What do you mean I can't have a bonded familiar? Of course, I can. I'm a wizard," Harry said as if the man spoke gibberish. That was just ridiculous, it was like saying he couldn't have a pet.

"You cannot have a bonded magical familiar, is what I meant," said Dumbledore, still pointing his wand at the two. "And a basilisk at that. You are not a dark wizard." His brow was scrunched up in thought.

"She came to me at my relatives' house and asked me to bond with her and I said yes. Obviously, you are wrong. And I am not a dark wizard. Again, you must be wrong," Harry stated with much sarcasm.

Dumbledore looked perplexed. He went to cast a spell on them, but Harry and Sirius both stood and pointed their wands at him.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" said Harry. He yelled "Protego!" and put up a shield spell. It covered the three of them.

Isobel was hissing, "Just try it, you fucker," and many other profanities.

"I simply meant to see if your familiar bond was real," the old man said, knowing he could pierce the shield if he wanted to, but that would make the boy distrust him, and that was the last thing he needed.

"You don't go casting spells at people without asking their permission first. Not unless you are trying to start a duel or fight," said Sirius, not lowering his wand. "I thought you were smarter than that."

"Why would I tell you I had a familiar bond if I weren't telling the truth?" asked Harry, putting Isobel, who was still cussing up a storm, in his shirt. "It's easily verified."

"The ministry is not going to like this," warned Dumbledore, putting his wand away. He retook his seat and contemplated what to do next.

"That's not my problem," said Harry, petting the lump in his shirt, where the snake was fussing. He dropped the shield now that the old man put his wand away. He and Sirius also sat. "She is my bonded familiar and there is nothing they can do about it." He knew this for a fact. He had gone through the whole process in the future.

"She is a class XXXXX creature. She is considered to be put to death on sight," the old man stated, quoting the law.

"Again, she's my bonded familiar. There is nothing they can do about it," the man/teen said, this time with much exasperation.

"You're going to have to go and register right away, young man," the headmaster said, looking over his half-moon spectacles to the boy's face. He was looking into those emerald eyes but couldn't read anything from the mindscape. That was unusual, the boy was normally an open book. Was it the bond with the snake?

"I will do that on the day of my hearing," said Harry, nodding his head in agreement. "I'm taking her with me." He was still petting the cursing snake. She was not a happy camper.

"You cannot take a basilisk into the ministry," Dumbledore stated, aghast at the very thought of it.

"I can take her wherever I wanna go. She is my bonded familiar. Dear Merlin, how many times do I have to say this?" Harry said, throwing up his hands and then running a hand down his face.

Dumbledore just rubbed his forehead to stave off the headache he could feel coming. He had to let Harry take his basilisk into Hogwarts, where hundreds of children resided. The parents were going to be up in arms over this. He had to figure out a way to prevent a mass exodus from the school.

"If I were you, I'd get started on those letters now," said Sirius, as if reading Dumbledore's mind. He was laughing his arse off.

Dumbledore just closed his eyes and rubbed his head harder. This was not going to end well for him. Sirius was right, he was going to have to send those letters out now if he was going to stave off any hot water he was going to get into. He was going to have to look up the laws about familiars and quote them in the letters. Perhaps he could get away without telling them it was a basilisk and just say that it was a large snake. Not many people knew what a basilisk looked like anyways.

"Harry, my boy, is there any way we could disguise your snake for her foray into the school?" he asked, hoping the boy would cooperate.

"I suppose we can put a glamour on her. I don't want the children to be upset," said Harry. Then he hissed, "Isobel, is that okay with you, darling?"

"I don't want to scare the children either," she said, poking her head up and rubbing it on Harry's cheek. "Besides, they're just a bunch of fucking wusses."

"She says that's fine too," said Harry, petting her head.

"Wonderful. I will see about creating an amulet that will disguise her as just a Boa constrictor," Albus said, glad that was done. It would make life much easier at Hogwarts.

"I have no issue with that," Harry stated, still petting his snake. It would be easier for him and Isobel as well.

"However, if any harm should come to the children, I will hold you completely responsible," the old man said, trying to come off as menacing, but to Harry he just came off as tired.

"Isobel knows how not to harm anybody, but if anybody attacks me, she will retaliate," the man/teen stated, not looking up from his ministrations on his familiar. "You might want to stock up on Mandrake Restorative Potion," he added, not elaborating any further.

"Of that I have no doubt," sighed Dumbledore. "Alas, I must be off now. I have many things to do, including writing that letter and getting that amulet invented."

"You have fun with that," said Sirius, laughing like an idiot. He was relishing the old man's plight.

And with that, Dumbledore left the way he came, in a flourish of robes.

"He's always fun to talk to," said Harry, watching the old man leave. He still had many different emotions on that man.

"Yeah, he's just a barrel of laughs," said Sirius. "So, are you really going to have a sit down with Madam Bones?" he asked, getting up and stretching. He had been sitting for too long. He never was one to sit for more than it took for class to end. Even then, he was a fidgeter.

"Nope, it's going to be a trial in front of the Wizengamot. Possibly. Things have changed. However, they might try and expel me. Fudge should go all out," the time traveler said, grinning. He was going to do his best to come out on top on that count. He needed to brush up on the laws. Therefore, needed to get into the library here, but he didn't think Sirius would deny him.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" his godfather asked.

"I don't remember much about the trial. I know he's going to try to railroad me. And I'm going to see if I can't use it to my advantage," Harry stated, getting up and moving towards the door.

"How are you going to do that if you don't remember much of it?" Sirius asked, walking next to him. They were headed to the library.

"Oh, things changed from the first trial," the man/teen stated, moving up the stairs. The library was on the first floor. They were on the ground floor. "First of all, Dudley wasn't there. And secondly, Mrs. Figg isn't going to be my witness. She didn't see anything. That and, I don't know if Dumbledore is going to show up."

"I know Arabella," Sirius said, remembering the old squib. "She was there in your last past?" he asked, then confused himself with his turn of phrase.

"Yes, I do remember those three things from the first trial, but not much else. So, things are going to be different. It's just going to be me and Isobel. That, and I have the cloaks of the dead Dementors," he finished as they landed on the first-floor landing.

"You're really going to show them that you killed the Dementors? They might accuse you of destruction of government property," his godfather warned, not wanting Harry to get into trouble.

"Well, if I can prove to them that the Dementors were there and after me, then I could prove to them that I had the right to use magic to defend myself. Besides that, Madame Bones will listen to me," Harry said, knowing the woman would stand up for him if he were in the right. He was actually hoping things changed enough that he got his hearing with her.

"Yeah, she is a fair woman from what I've heard. Do you think you can use your trial to prove that Voldemort is back?" Sirius wanted to know as they entered the library.

"I'm not sure. I'll see if I can swing it that way, but this is a trial for underage magic, not proving that I'm not a liar. Heck, if I could swing it, I'd see if I can get Umbridge in jail. She is the one who sent the Dementors after me in the first place," Harry said, anger in his tone. He really hated that woman.

"If you'd just fucking let me, I'd just kill the bitch," said Isobel from her place on his shoulder.

"If you have the chance, by all means, darling, go ahead and kill her," Harry said, rubbing under her chin.

"Do you mean it? Do you really, really mean it? I can fucking kill her if I can?" she asked, happiness in her voice. Harry never let her kill anyone. Not even those trying to kill him. It was always stun them, and he'd kill them. He was always concerned they'd kill her.

"No, because then they'll take you from me and kill you too," Harry said, making her deflate. "But you can petrify her. Sure, they'll just restore her with the Mandrake Potion, but it will give us a reason not to listen to her. And it'll prove to everybody that you're not as deadly as everybody thinks you are."

"Don't you dare call me not deadly. I'm the deadliest animal in the world," she hissed, getting right in his face. Her nose pressed against his nose, making him go cross-eyed.

"That's not how I meant it, and you know that. I meant that you had control of yourself," he said, soothingly. He moved his hands up and down her coils in a calming gesture. "You are the deadliest animal in the world."

"Oh," she said, all but purring at his hands moving up and down her body.

"I really wish you two wouldn't speak in parseltongue around me. I don't understand what you're saying and it's kind of creepy," Sirius said, doing a full body shudder.

"That's just something you're going to have to get used to, Sirius," Harry said, with little sympathy. He wasn't going to stop for the man's delicate sensibilities.

"Anyway," the dogman stated, changing the subject back to the previous conversation. "So, you're going to be tried in front of the entire Wizengamot? Do you know what time it's going to be held?" he asked, knowing that Harry's memories of the timeline were sketchy.

"No, I just know it's going to be earlier than the time the hearing with Madam Bones is supposed to be held. I'll just have to make sure to show up early that day," the time traveler stated, making note to do just that.

"That makes sense," said Sirius, tapping his finger on the table they had taken seats at. The library had a few of these tables among the stacks. They were four-seaters, wooden tables and comfy chairs. "If they're trying to railroad you, then they're going to try and make sure you're not there on time. That sounds like Fudge," he said, glowering at the thought of the man who had put a Kiss on Sight order out on him.

"Yeah, this time I'll just make sure I'm early," Harry said again, vaguely remembering not quite making it on time last time. Or did he? He couldn't remember. He just had a sense of being late.

"How are you going to get there?" Sirius asked, thinking Dumbledore was supposed to take him.

"Um, I think Arthur is supposed to take me?" Harry said, remembering something about money and Mr. Weasley not knowing it even though the number is printed on the top. "Don't forget you need to go to Gringotts that day," he reminded the man.

"Shite."

"Oh, you forgot about that, didn't you? Well, I didn't. You're going to Gringotts," he said, poking a finger in the man's chest.

"Fine."

And with that, the two of them went off to make their plans on what to do on the day of the trial. Sirius needed to brush up on his legal jargon, and Harry needed to brush up on his legalese, only in a different branch.

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Time went on and there was much argument but not so much that anything happened. Dobby and Kreacher cleaned the house. Much to Molly's disappointment. She didn't have anything for her kids to do, and so they did what they wanted throughout the house.

The twins stayed mostly in their room or with Harry. Either creating pranks or trying to get his secrets out of him. They did ask him for venom and shed skin. They got the venom, but since she wasn't shedding anytime soon, they didn't get any of Isobel's skin.

Ron and Hermione stayed far away from Harry because of the snake. They just couldn't seem to talk to him and that pissed them off. Well, it made Hermione sad. But there was little she could do about it. She did get permission from Sirius to take a few books out of the library, but she wasn't allowed to peruse it at her leisure. He limited her to a few of the books he knew that were not dark or dangerous.

Ginny stayed mostly with her mum and away from the snake and Harry. This disappointed her more than anything because she still had a major crush on the boy. But seeing him with the snake was making that crush go away quicker than anything else could.

Mr. Weasley was at work most of the time, so he didn't have much to say about anything.

The Order of the Phoenix was still using the place as a headquarters, but they were there very rarely and only there for meetings, and that was only once or twice a week. When the Order did come, the children were hustled out of the room and up the stairs.

Harry, not caring what the Order did because he found them useless, spent most of that time in his room.

"Don't you want to know what they're doing?" asked Isobel on the second occasion they were sent away. It was the day before his hearing, and he was relaxing after many days of research for the big day.

"Not particularly," said Harry, flopping down on his bed with a 4th year DADA book. "They're just gathering information," he said, flipping a page and not really reading what was on it. He was just skimming through anyway. Just reviewing.

"Don't you want to know what information they're gathering?" she asked, putting her head between him and the book. She was like a cat when she wanted to be. A talking one, but one, nevertheless.

"If I remember correctly, they're just watching the prophecy," he said, lifting the book and putting it where he could read it.

"What prophecy?" she asked, worried about this. She didn't like the sound of it at all. Prophecies were never good news. She imposed herself between him and the book again.

"Some stupid prophecy about me and Voldemort," Harry said, dismissively, once again putting the book where he could see it.

"There's a fucking prophecy about you and Voldemort?" she hissed in great agitation. If she could have yelled, she would have. This time knocking the book from his hands.

"I just said so, didn't I?" he said, looking at her with worried eyes. She got creative when she was upset.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" she demanded, flicking him on the head with her tail.

"Because prophecies are bloody hooey," he sighed, making indifferent gestures as he sat up.

"Don't say that. I've known prophecies that have fucking come to pass," she said, getting into his face, and flicking her tongue at his nose.

"This one did too, but it's still hooey," he stated firmly.

"Why do you say that?" she wanted to know. After all he had experienced it once before.

"Because it was given by a bloody drunken fraud," he said, like that was the end of the conversation.

"Just because she's a fucking drunk doesn't mean she's not a fucking prophet," Isobel said, in a tone that said she would be rolling her eyes if she could.

"I guess. Still…"

"What does the damn prophecy say?" asked Isobel in a no-nonsense tone.

"I don't remember it word for word, but it has something to do with something about a boy being born when the seventh month dies and them being the only one who can kill the Dark Lord," Harry said, scrunching up his forehead with concentration.

"You need to know the words of that prophecy," the snake stated as fact.

"Must I?" Harry whinged.

"Yes." She flicked her tail and hit his head again.

"Fine. We'll go to the bloody Department of Mysteries and find out what the fucking prophecy says," he said, slumping his shoulders in defeat.

"We can do it after your stupid trial," Isobel said, smugly.

"Fine. Can I read my book now?" he asked, picking up the book and flopping down on the bed.

"Whatever, you fucken baby," she said, coiling up on his stomach.

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That night at the dinner table, Sirius tried the same tactic that Isobel had tried to get Harry interested, but with less luck. As in badgering him, not in getting in between him and his meal.

"You're not interested at all?" the dogman asked, shocked.

"Nope, what you lot get up to is not my business," Harry said, eating the meal Dobby had prepared. It was far less greasy and much lighter, even if it was Fish and Chips. Maybe it was magic, Harry didn't know, but it was better.

"But…" Sirius whinged. He was really looking to tweak Molly's nose, but Harry wasn't playing ball.

"I'm not interested, Sirius," Harry said, continuing to eat his dinner.

"You bloody coward," Ron stated out of nowhere.

"What?" Harry said, astonished at the accusation.

"You're trying to stay out of the war," the redhead stated, pointing a finger at him.

"No, I just don't care what the Order is doing," the man/teen said, tilting his head at Ron.

"They're part of the war effort," was the rebuttal.

"They're information gatherers."

"How do you know that, young man?" Molly demanded, looking at Harry with determination in her eyes.

"Logic," was the stoic answer.

"Explain," she said, like she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"No," Harry said, eating a piece of fish. It really was good fish. Dobby was a very good cook.

"What did you say to me?" she shrieked.

"I said, no. You are not my mother. I don't answer to you," Harry stated, finishing off his meal and putting his fork down. She really was a harpy when she got going and he was going to have to have his wits about him.

"You will answer my question," she stated, making everyone cringe at the volume of her voice.

"No," Harry said again.

"Molly, he doesn't have to tell you anymore than he already has. He said it was logical. You figure it out," Sirius said, glad her nose was tweaked after all.

Molly went to reach for Harry as if to discipline him, and Isobel came whipping out of his shirt and petrified her. She froze in her reaching stance. "Don't you touch him, you bitch," she hissed, moving her head back and forth in an agitated manner.

Everyone froze.

"Shite," Harry said, grabbing Isobel to keep her from petrifying anyone else.

"What did you do?" yelled Ron, also reaching for him, only to freeze when the snake turned his way. Her beady eyes bearing into his like they would kill him. They weren't the yellow of legend but a cloudy amber. Maybe that was why he wasn't dead; they were the wrong color.

"If you don't want it to happen to you, I suggest you don't touch me," Harry said, glaring at the room. He had had enough of being pushed around and talked about. "Isobel, don't petrify anyone else unless I give the command," he hissed at her. "Sirius will keep them in line," he added, petting her head.

"Fine," she hissed back.

They looked like an evil overlord and his pet standing there like that talking to one another.

"Can it be undone?" Mr. Weasley asked, touching his wife's arm. It was solid, yet warm to the touch. He had tried to warn her not to antagonize Harry and his snake. She was so stubborn though.

"The Mandrake Restorative Potion will do it. I have some in my room. However, you will need to talk to her. She needs to understand that she is not my mother and does not have the right to lay hands on me," Harry stated, giving the man a deadpanned look.

"If she tries that again, you lot will be kicked out," Sirius stated, glaring at the petrified woman. That was a step too far in his books. He loved a good argument, but to lay hands on his godson was out of line.

"I understand," Arthur stated, nodding his head in agreement.

"Dad!" Ron yelled. "How can you let him do that to Mum?"

"She was out of line. Harry is not her child," Mr. Weasley said, looking at his son with a 'dad look'. "Besides, she is not hurt, just frozen."

"Undo her now, you arsehole," the youngest Weasley male demanded, taking a step forward.

"Back off, motherfucker," Isobel hissed, diving forward, making Ron jump back and hit the wall.

"Ron, quit antagonizing the snake," Arthur stated, shaking his head at his foolish son.

"Me?" Ron said, indignantly.

"Yes, you," Harry said, glaring at his former friend.

"Whatever," the redhead said, and stormed out of the dining room, followed quickly by Hermione and Ginny.

"Can you get the potion for me?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking at Harry with pleading eyes.

"Dobby," Harry called, and when the elf appeared asked, "Can you go into my trunk and grab one of the red potion bottles?"

"Dobby can," Dobby said, and popped away, appearing back moments later with the red bottle.

"Stomach transfer," Harry said, going to leave the room after handing it off. The two adult Weasleys would need the time to talk.

"Yes, I am familiar with the process. I have seven children," the older in body man said with a chuckle.

"I'll see you in the morning then," Harry said, leaving the room, followed by Sirius and the twins.