Chapter 6: Talks with Amelia Bones
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They went up to Harry's room and closed the door. Sirius sat on the desk chair, the twins sat on the trunk and floor, and Harry sat on his bed with Isobel. it was crowded, but not too much so. They had elbow room, but not much else.
"There's really not enough room in here for four people," said Harry as he adjusted his large snake on his lap and shoulders.
"It's better here than in our room. We really don't have enough room for two, but we make do," said Fred, settling on the trunk. His brother was on the floor next to him.
"Hey, don't knock my house," Sirius said, jokingly. "Purebloods don't double up their children," he added defensively, sticking his nose in the air. He and Regulus hadn't shared rooms.
"We do, and we're purebloods," stated Fred, grinning at the man, reminding him how different the Weasleys were to other purebloods.
"Touché," Sirius said, grinning at him.
"I can't believe you petrified Mum," George stated, not sure how he felt about that. On one hand, it was funny as hell. On the other hand, it was his mum.
"She should have known better than to piss off a basilisk," Harry said with a shrug, petting Isobel on the head as the snake stared at George. "She's lucky that Isobel can control her gaze," he added.
"That's right," Fred said, not the least bit upset that his mother was frozen. there was no love lost between him and her. He hated the way she could never tell them apart.
"How do you think you're going to do at your hearing tomorrow?" asked George, changing the subject, knowing the way his twin felt. He was also hoping for some juice gossip. It was truly boring in this dreary old house. More so now that they weren't cleaning.
"Ah, it's going to be easy. I've got proof enough to prove that I needed to use magic," said Harry with a mysterious smirk. That was going to throw a few people for a loop.
"Oh?" inquired George, wondering what the other teen had up his sleeve.
"Yeah, I've got the Dementors cloaks," said Harry, gesturing to the trunk. "Didn't I tell you about that?" he asked, tilting his head inquiringly. He could have sworn he had.
"No, you didn't tell us what happened. You just told us how you acquired Isobel, and the boring parts of your summer," said Fred, folding his arms with a snort. Harry always underplayed his exciting adventures. He still didn't know what happened in the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny wasn't talking about it, and Ron wasn't there. Harry had just said that he killed a huge ruddy snake.
"Oh," said Harry, and proceeded to let them know what went down with the Dementors. He then shooed Fred off the trunk and took the cloaks out and showed them to them. "See, you can still feel the cold on them," he said, holding them out for the three others to feel them.
They passed them around and could indeed feel the chill of the fabric. There was even the residue of helplessness about them, which made Sirius shiver and hand them off quickly.
"Blimey," said Fred, giving the cloaks back to Harry to put back in the trunk, which he did. "You actually killed the Dementors." There was awe in that tone.
"Yeah, it wasn't that hard," said Harry, going back to the bed and settling down with Isobel again. "Of course, if I hadn't had Isobel, I would have been dead, probably. Kissed at the very least," he added, with a full body shudder. He wouldn't have, he was much too talented for that, but they didn't know that. Well, the twins didn't. Sirius did.
"That's probably true," said George, taking back his seat on the floor.
"Still, I can't believe you actually killed two Dementors," said Fred, reclaiming the trunk.
"There're times I have doubts about it myself," said Harry with a self-deprecating smile. "Yet, there are the cloaks."
"And you're going to show these to Madam Bones?" Sirius asked. He already knew this, but he was still doubtful that he should. He didn't want to see Harry get in trouble for killing them.
"Yep."
"That's going to put a craw on her foot," the dogman said, chuckling. He didn't want the woman to be mad, but the Dementors were government property.
"Well, I don't wanna piss her off. I just want her to know that I had reason," the man/teen said, sighing at his godfather's antics. The man would never grow up. Then again, when had he had a chance to? He had spent most of his adult life as a dog.
"Well, there is that," said Fred, nodding in agreement with Harry.
"Anyway, I need to get back to reading," said Harry out of the blue. He let out a large yawn, which caused Sirius to yawn and then the twins. Heck even Isobel yawned. They all gave him a dirty look. They were not tired. "You lot, clear out," he said, setting his familiar aside and getting up to open the door.
"Oh, come on," said Fred, whinging but getting up from the trunk anyway. He held out a hand for his brother to help him off the floor. "We just want to chat a bit more."
"I have to get up early so I can go to the ministry," said Harry, not budging from the door. "I want to read a bit more before I go to bed."
"You're no fun," said George as he got up off the floor with Fred's help.
"Come on boys, let's go think of some pranks you two can pull when you're at Hogwarts," said Sirius, clapping Fred on the back as he passed him.
"Fine," said George, going out the door, poking his tongue out at Harry.
"Let's let the fuddy-duddy get back to his work," Fred said with a smile on his lips, which took the bite out of his words.
With that the trio left, leaving Harry and Isobel alone in the room. Harry was glad for the reprieve. He had been around people too much this evening. He really hoped that Molly learned her lesson. He did not want to have to have Isobel petrify her again, but he would. She was very overbearing. With those thoughts, he settled down to read the 4th year DADA book one more time until he fell asleep.
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The next morning, he got up bright and early and only he and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were down in the dining room. He wore his best clothes with a wizarding robe and was carrying a satchel today. He needed it to carry the Dementors' cloaks. Isobel was asleep around his waist.
Mr. Weasley had to be at work at 8:00 in the morning, so he was going to take Harry there. He worked in the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, which was an offshoot of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He liked his job and had been there for many years and didn't see the need to go elsewhere.
"How are we getting there, Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked as he put some eggs on his plate. Dobby must have cooked; they were light and fluffy. He started eating with a healthy appetite.
"I thought we'd take the Muggle Underground," said Mr. Weasley, bouncing up and down like an excited kid at Christmas.
"I don't think that's a good idea, sir," said Harry, still had the vague memory of the out of place Arthur on the Underground. "That and I want to see how wizards travel. I don't get to do that very often. And I sorely need the practice," he added, trying to appear like an excited teenager who wanted to attempt something new.
"Oh," said Mr. Weasley, clearly disappointed. "Very well then, we'll go the way I normally go. Through the floo." Harry could tell the man was not happy about it but was willing to concede this time.
"Don't worry, Mr. Weasley, I'll take you through the Underground on the way back. Or I'll show you the Underground this weekend if you wish. We can do both if you wish. I just don't think it's a good idea to do it when we're in such a hurry," Harry offered as a compromise. He didn't like to see the man upset. He liked Arthur, even if he was a henpecked fool sometimes.
"Very well then, Harry. I'd very much appreciate that," said Mr. Weasley, smiling at the thought of them taking a trip through the weekend. He started eating his breakfast with gusto.
"You will do no such thing," said Mrs. Weasley, who had kept silent until then. "You are not to go gallivanting around London on the weekends." She was glaring at Harry's midriff as if daring Isobel to show up. However, the snake was sleeping. She didn't like mornings.
"Again, Mrs. Weasley, you are not my mother and cannot tell me what I can and cannot do," said Harry, petting the bulge in his shirt, which could barely be seen through the robes. He knew Isobel would awaken if she thought he was in danger. Molly Weasley was not a danger to him.
"No, but I am his wife, and I can tell him what he can and cannot do," she said, shifting her ire to her husband.
"Molly, I am not a child. I will do as I please," said Mr. Weasley, growing a backbone. He was not going to put off a trip to the Underground on her pettiness. Even if that meant sleeping on the couch for a while.
"Fine," she said, huffing and going to the kitchen.
"Pay no mind to her, Harry," said Arthur, grimacing a bit. "She just doesn't like to be told no."
"I can see that," said Harry, looking at the door the woman had stormed through. "She's going to have to learn to be told no from me though, because like I said, she is not my mother."
With that, the two of them ate their breakfast in compatible silence until it was time to leave. Arthur had a fixed time he had to leave from the floo, which was 7:47 exactly. He took Harry to the floo just before that time and showed him how to use the powder as if he had never taken it before, even though he had shown him once before at the Burrow. However, he remembered last time Harry used the floo he had gotten lost, so he went over the instructions one more time.
Harry listened patiently, as if he had never done it before. When it was time, he took the powder, threw it into the fire until it turned green and called out "Ministry of Magic." He went through the floo network and landed perfectly in the atrium of the ministry building. He had perfected landing in the future, and it seemed to have followed him into the past.
There were a bunch of ministry workers running back and forth trying to get to their offices or leaving from the midnight shift. Of which there were only a few. Everyone was rushing everywhere. It was organized chaos.
Arthur came through just after him. Almost running into him because Harry hadn't moved out of the way. "Come along, Harry. We'll go to my office until it's time for you to go to your hearing."
"Okay, Mr. Weasley," Harry said and followed along after him as he went to his office. On the way they ran into Kingsley Shacklebolt, how Harry had not really met yet. He remembered him from the past, but they had not met in this timeline.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, Madam Bones said that if I ran in to you early that you should go up and talk to her. I figured you would come in with Arthur, so I waited. She said she has an emergency Wizengamot meeting that she needs to get to today and wanted to talk to you if you came in early," the black man said, taking Harry's arm and leading him to the lifts. He had his orders and wanted to follow them through.
"Oh," said Harry, surprised. He knew what the Wizengamot meeting was about. He was just surprised that Kingsley wasn't telling him he needed to hurry up to his trial.
So, he followed Shacklebolt up the stairs to Madam Bones's office. She was sitting behind a desk that was cluttered with parchment, ink, and quills. There were some knickknacks here and there, and a portrait of her niece, Susan. Who Harry vaguely recognized. And the poor woman looked very harried. Like she had been working hard this morning and was already overwhelmed.
"Come in, Mr. Potter, have a seat in front of me. We need to get this over with. I'm in a hurry this morning. Thank you for meeting me earlier than our appointed time," she said as she scribbled the last few lines on the parchment in front of her. She blew on it and set it aside.
"No, thank you, Madam Bones, for seeing me early," Harry said, taking a perch on the seat in front of the desk.
"Now, it is my understanding that you performed magic in a muggle area," she said, adjusting her monocle on her left eye. She was a comely, middle-aged woman who wore her brown grey-streaked hair in a loose bun.
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said as politely as he could.
"And you know you are not allowed to do magic outside of school?" she asked, pulling a blank parchment in front of her and taking notes. This would need to be recorded.
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said, still being polite and humble, like a chastised teenager would react in front of an authority figure. Well, one trying to stay out of trouble.
"Can you tell me why you performed this magic, if you know this?" she asked, looking at him sternly. "You must have known you would get caught," she added.
"There were Dementors, ma'am," the man/teen stated as fact.
"Dementors? In Little Whinging, Surrey?" she questioned in clear disbelief.
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said with a nod.
"Do you have proof of this?" she asked, writing down what he said, and looking back up at him.
"Well, ma'am, I can offer you my memories, but I do have their cloaks from when I killed them," he said, reaching for his satchel. He pulled them out and handed them to her.
She shivered as she touched the cold fabric. "You killed them?" she asked, clearly shocked. Her monocle dropped from her eye as it widened with awe.
"Yes, ma'am," he said, keeping his tone respectful.
"And how did you do this?" she asked, putting the cloaks to the side to be examined later. They were evidence now.
"Well, first Isobel, my snake, stunned them, and then my Patronus killed them," he said in a casual manner. Like he was discussing how to bake a cake.
"What snake?" she asked.
Isobel took that as her cue to come from around his waist and poked her head out from his shirt. "Me," she hissed.
"This snake," Harry said, putting his hand on the reptile's head. "Isobel, meet Madam Bones," he hissed, hoping his darling behaved.
"Pleasure," Isobel hissed, and nodded her head. She tried to appear non-threatening, but that was impossible for her breed.
To say Madam Bones was shaken was an understatement. She flew from her chair, knocking it down, and slammed her back against the wall, pulled out her wand and had a spell on her lips before she noticed the snake was not making any aggressive movements.
"Why the hell do you have a bloody basilisk around your waist!?" she yelled, pointing her wand at first the snake then him, then the snake again. "Why am I not dead?" she asked as an afterthought.
"Isobel is my bonded familiar," Harry said, petting Isobel on the head. "She has three eyelids. One blocks the deadly eyes," he told her. It was the first time he'd explained it in this timeline.
Amelia dropped her wand down to her side and rubbed her forehead with her free hand. She closed her eyes and sighed. She said, "You have a basilisk as of bloody familiar?" Didn't that beat all. The Boy Who Lived had a basilisk for a familiar.
"Yes, ma'am," he said, trying not to laugh. "We're going to disguise her for Hogwarts."
"As what?" she asked, looking at the five-foot-long snake.
"A Boa constrictor," Harry answered.
"Good call," she said, wondering how long that would hold. "Have you registered her yet?" was the next question.
"No, ma'am. I was going to do that after our hearing here," he stated, looking around the room for something to get him out of doing it, but alas there was nothing for it.
"You will do that right this very instant, young man," she said, going towards the door but keeping her distance between her and the young man with the deadly snake.
Harry got up and followed her, making sure to respect her personal space. They went to the Familiar Registration Office, which was on the same floor, and Harry registered his basilisk as his bonded familiar.
There was a lot of chaos at first, screams were heard. Then a ton of questioning and a whole lot of parchment work. Even more so because Isobel was a magical familiar and they had to look up the parchment work for that because it hadn't been used in over a century.
"Let me apply that glamor on your snake now," Amelia said, coming up to Harry when they were done and had left the office. "It won't last for more than the day, but I don't want to cause panic in the ministry," she added, lifting her wand questioningly.
"Sure, go ahead," Harry said, holding Isobel's head up.
"Sure, don't fucking ask me," Isobel groused as she felt the magic wash over her. Her scales were resistant, yet the glamor took. It wasn't harmful magic so that was probably why. Her crest was hidden, making her look like a normal snake, though her eyes were still amber.
"Thanks," said Harry, petting Isobel.
"I find you innocent of using magic in a muggle area," Bones stated, going toward the courtrooms, when she noticed the time. "Try not to do it again, but protect yourself if you must," she added, hurrying her steps.
"Thank you, Madam Bones," Harry said, getting on the lift with her. They rode down to where the courtrooms where, making Bones look at him queerly. He just shrugged and waved her to exit.
She went one way towards the back rooms to the Wizengamot's member rooms, and he went to Courtroom #10 and waited outside the door for about 5 minutes. When he figured he had waited long enough, he stepped inside, only to hear Fudge say, "You're late."
"Considering I didn't get an invite to this little party, I'd say I'm just on time," said Harry, standing in the middle of the room where the accused chair sat. He wasn't going to sit in it, and he couldn't conjure one with all these people looking at him.
"Don't get mouthy with me, boy," said Fudge, banging a gavel at him. He looked ridiculous in his pinstriped lime green suit a bowler hat.
"I'm just saying," said Harry with a shrug. He was just glad that Isobel was within his shirt. He hoped she behaved. He wanted to save her for emergencies. "Besides, I was with Madam Bones all morning," he added, nodding in the woman's direction, who had just taken her seat and was picking up the parchments in front of her.
"Is this true, Amelia?" inquired Fudge, turning his wide girth towards Bones who was beside him.
"Yes, he was with me, answering the charges of underage magic. What I want to know is why are we here?" Amelia asked, reading the docket, and not believing what she was reading. A full trial for underage magic? That was not normal. The Wizengamot was for hardened criminals, not misdemeanors, of which this charge was. It didn't even break the Statute.
"He's being charged with underage magic," said Dolores Umbridge in that sickly sweet voice of hers. "A muggle might have seen him." She looked even more ridiculous in her pink suit. With the tiny pill hat.
"Shut it, Dolores. He's already answered those charges with me and answered them to my satisfaction," said Amelia Bones, glaring at the woman and then the minister. "I have dropped the charges."
"Oh, and what was his story?" asked Cornelius, not believing anything Harry Potter said. The boy said the Dark Lord was back after all. "I am sure it was a doozy," he added with a sneer.
"He said that there were Dementors in his neighborhood and he showed me proof," the Head of the DMLE stated, firming up her face and staring them down.
"Dementors? In Little Whinging, Surrey?" was the disbelieving questions from Fudge.
"Yes."
"And what proof did he have?" Dolores asked, still simpering. She was looking at Harry like he was a bug that needed stepping on.
"He had their cloaks," was the answer.
That got many people whispering and talking.
"And how did he get those cloaks off a Dementor? I call shenanigans," Fudge stated, banging his gavel to get quiet.
"No, they were definitely the cloaks off of two dead Dementors," Amelia stated, still feeling the coldness and helplessness on her hands. She rubbed her hands on her legs to get the feeling off.
"And how do you know this?" asked Umbridge. Her eyes looked very shifty. She was appearing more and more guilty, but Amelia only had her suspicions.
"I think I've been around Dementors enough to know what their cloaks look like. Besides, both cloaks radiated coldness and helplessness. I have them in evidence and plan on testing them. If a Dementor can be killed, we need to investigate. Though I doubt we can recreate Mr. Potter's method," she said, not elaborating.
"And just what was his method?" Fudge demanded, bolstering his courage, and turning an interesting shade of violet. If he could find out Potter's method and use it for his own gain…
"Family secret!" Harry shouted out before she could answer.
"It has been declared a family secret," Bones said smugly, knowing that it would die with Harry.
"Are we done with this farce now? Can I go?" asked Harry, getting bored with the back and forth. Even though it was fun seeing Fudge flounder.
"No, you may not go," said Fudge, banging the gavel again. Now his face was red with anger. "You're here to answer these charges and face the punishment. Which is expulsion from Hogwarts and the snapping of your wand," he added with glee.
"But I've already answered the charges to the satisfaction of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I think her word should be enough," Harry protested venomously. There was no way he was going to let them near enough to him to snap his wand. If they tried, he'd let Isobel eat them. "Besides, I was within my rights. My life was in danger. By the law I could defend myself," he added, pointing his finger at the man.
"Yes, Cornelius, are you saying I do not know how to do my job?" Bones said, standing and glaring at the man. "The boy was within the law, so I say," she stated, staring him down.
"No, of course not, Amelia, I'm just saying…" the coward stated, cringing at the sight of an angry Amelia Bones.
"That now said, this trial is a miscarriage of justice and is no longer valid. Everybody, go home," Amelia said, waving for the Wizengamot members to leave. They should have never been called for this in the first place.
"Here now, you can't do that. You're not the Chief Warlock," Dolores said, standing up and facing Amelia. She wasn't scared of Bones.
"I don't see a Chief Warlock anywhere, which also makes this trial not valid. You definitely are not the Chief Warlock. Again, this is a farce. Everybody, go home," she said again, twirling around and leaving through the door behind her.
Many of the other Wizengamot members decided to do the same. There were many grumblings about time wasted and being called for nothing, but they all left eventually.
"Now see here," said Fudge, stamping his foot, turning the color of an eggplant he was so upset.
Harry just smiled. He didn't even have to bring Isobel out. He waved at a few people and just smiled at them. Umbridge glared at him with hatred in her eyes when he waved at her. She was as pink as her cardigan.
He was disappointed that he didn't get her for sending the Dementors after him, but he'd get her sooner or later. He knew she was going to be at the school, so she wasn't going to get away with sending them after him, and there was no way in hell he was going to let her get away with torturing anybody.
Whistling a merry tune as he left the courtroom, Harry was going to Arthur's office to hang out until the man went home for lunch. He'd take him home on the Underground like he promised. He had brought a few schoolbooks to read, so he wouldn't be too bored.
"You just wait, Harry Potter, I will get you," he heard Dolores Umbridge simper behind him.
"You are welcome to try," was all he said without breaking his stride or turning around. That was when he spotted Dumbledore hurrying along the hallway. "It's over, you're too late," he told the old man.
"You got expelled?" Albus asked with remorse in his tone.
"No, of course not," Harry stated, still moving down the hallway to Mr. Weasley's office. "I was found not guilty before the trial even began." He didn't elaborate any further.
"Well done, my boy," Dumbledore stated, eyes twinkling like mad. "Come along, and I will see you back to your godfather's domicile," he said, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder and trying to lead him to the floos.
"I promised Mr. Weasley I'd take him home today," Harry said, shrugging the hand off his shoulder.
"I am sure that Arthur will understand," Albus said, once more trying to steer the teen to where he wanted him to go.
"And I said no," the man/teen stated, moving away from the headmaster. "I have plans, and you are not going to interrupt them," he said with a note of finality.
"It is dangerous for you to linger in public," Dumbledore stated, looking around to see who was watching them, but they were alone.
"I'm not going to repeat myself," Harry said, moving towards the lifts.
"You leave me no choice," Albus said, lifting his wand only to be met with the amber eyes of Isobel.
"Go ahead, motherfucker, make my day," she hissed, moving her head back and forth in an agitated manner.
"What is going on here?" Amelia Bones asked, coming out of one of the rooms in the hallway. She looked at the restless snake and moved to Harry's side.
"The headmaster wants me to go with him, but I have other plans. He is not taking no for an answer," Harry explained, petting Isobel to calm her down.
"Does he know the nature of your snake?"
"Yes."
"Are you an idiot, Albus?" she asked, turning the old man. "She can kill with a look," she reminded him. "As a bonded familiar, it would be legal as you have your wand drawn on him and he is unarmed."
"An oversight on my part, Amelia," Dumbledore said, putting his wand away. "I will see you when you return home," he told Harry and then left in a flutter of orange and yellow.
"What are your plans that you didn't want to go with the headmaster?" she asked, looking at Isobel, who had settled down.
"I need to go to the Department of Mysteries," he told her, which he just remembered he had to do, wondering if she wanted to go with him. Isobel coming up reminded him of that fact.
"Why?"
"There's a prophecy," he said with a sigh.
"What!?" she yelled. That was bad news.
"Yes, about me and You Know Who," he expounded still sighing.
"What!?" she said again. "I'm coming with you," she stated, going to grab his arm only to stop upon seeing Isobel.
"Fine," he whinged. He didn't want to hear the stupid thing anyway. Maybe she'd think it was hooey too. She seems like the logical sort.
With that, the two took the lifts to the Department of Mysteries, one reluctantly the other with determination. Isobel was laughing at Harry the whole time.