Harry gave a small sigh of relief as Madame Bones left the room. That had been intense but rewarding. It felt nice to tell adults everything that had happened to him, have them believe him, and offer to do something about it. Now whether or not they would actually do something about it was a different story, but he would reserve judgment for now.
Madame Bones looked quite determined on her way out and Harry hoped she would be able to do all she promised.
"Aurors, would you please step out for a moment, we have a little more business to discuss with Mr. Potter," Farley said.
The two gave each other a glance before looking at Harry. Seeing their questioning looks, he gave them a nod. It was strange to have adults looking to him for permission.
"How do you think it went Mr. Potter?" Howards asked after the aurors had closed the door.
"I think it went well. I wasn't expecting to say so much, but I didn't realize the authorities didn't know what was going on considering Fudge was there. I think Dumbledore would appreciate the help though."
"Oh yes, I think Albus Dumbledore will very much appreciate the help of the DMLE," Howards said with a slight smirk.
"But I do have a question, why are you asking for an investigation into Hogwarts? Is that for me? Will the school get into trouble?"
"No Mr. Potter, the investigation isn't just for you. We are trying to put together a class action lawsuit against Hogwarts" Farley explained.
"What? You're trying to sue Hogwarts?" Harry asked in astonishment.
"As I said to Madame Bones, the muggle-borns could have been awakened sooner if different actions had been taken. If those students had had a magical guardian to advocate for them, the situation would have been handled differently." Howards explained.
"We have already sent out letters to everyone who you listed yesterday and have in fact heard back from the Finch-Fletchleys. I'm not sure if you're aware, but that family is quite well known in the muggle world, and would have easily been able to afford to buy their son mandrake root at any price," Farley continued.
"They were quite eager to schedule a meeting with us for later this week. Apparently they weren't even informed of their son's condition until Yule and simply told that he would not be returning because of a magical accident. They were not allowed to see their son and had very minimal updates about his condition," Howards said, sounding rightly indignant.
"They tried to petition the school board but they were turned away, and weren't familiar enough with our government to know who to reach out to or even how to reach out to them. The magical world is not muggle friendly."
The school hadn't told Justin's family about him until Yule? That was ridiculous, Justin had been petrified months earlier. Did that mean Hermione's parents hadn't been informed? He would have to write to her and ask.
Breaking into his thoughts, Howards continued, "We would be happy to have you as part of the suit if you would like. You were also affected by the school's lack of proper response to the situation. Not only did they allow you to be harassed and ostracized, but they put you in a position where you had to slay a basilisk."
Harry wasn't sure how he felt about suing the school. Like Tom Riddle, it was his second home, his safe place, how could he sue the school?
Seeing his indecision, Howards continued. "If you were to join, it would help the case a lot. As you can see, they didn't give much consideration to the students affected and this suit will be hard because they are muggle-borns and have no wizarding guardians. If you were to join the suit it would add weight to it and make them take this case seriously."
This was the second time in as many days that Howards had asked him to use his fame. The idea still made him feel uncomfortable but it was much more tolerable than simply using it to lord over others. Using his fame to help others was a much worthier cause.
"What would happen to the school if we win?"
"Well, one major thing we will be asking for is that the DCW steps in and reviews the school's rules and implement regulations on how the school handles dangerous situations. One of those being that they contact the DMLE. We will also be advocating for the muggle-born students to have some kind of guardian representation outside of the school if their non-wizarding guardians are not in a position to make decisions for them."
Well that didn't sound bad, especially after what happened last term. Harry was sure Dumbledore would appreciate the help. He probably tried to reach out to those parents but the school board, with people like Lucius Malfoy on it, tried to block him. It might have been one of the reasons why they tried to sack him as well.
"Yes, I think I would like to join the suit."
"Excellent, I'm happy to hear you say that. Not only will it add weight to our case in court, but I'm sure it will make the other families feel a little bit more hopeful that this will be taken seriously." Farley replied with an encouraging smile.
"To go along with that, I know you wanted to invite the press to the chamber of secrets inspection but I think an interview would not go amiss. It would help give them the full picture, so that there are no misunderstandings. What do you think? Would you be willing to give an interview Mr. Potter?"
Harry's first response was no, but Howards did have a point. Goldfeather had pointed out that people may still think he was the heir of Slytherin and had let loose the monster. It wouldn't do for the papers to get it wrong or not explain everything and still have everyone think it was his fault. And he had already just done basically that same thing with Madam Bones. If he knew in advance exactly what he was going to tell them, it would be much easier.
"Ok."
"Now, let's finish up with our earlier work so we can leave you to the rest of your day." Farley said. "Do you need me to go over the contract again or are you ready to sign?"
Before Madame Bones had gotten there, Howards and Farley had explained the contract they had negotiated with Goldfeather. For 35% of the profit, Gringotts was willing to harvest and sell the basilisk parts for Harry. He didn't know much about business, but considering he didn't know anything about harvesting basilisk parts or selling them, he thought this was a good deal and Farley had assured him it was. The lawyer had almost been skipping when she came in earlier to present the contract to him. Apparently she enjoyed negotiating with the goblins when her clients weren't in legal trouble and had all the legal rights the wizarding world offered.
"No, I don't think we need to make any changes. I'm happy with the contract," Harry said, bringing it back up to finish reading through it before he signed.
Waiting for the contract to turn gold, he handed it off to Farley who then made a copy and promised to add it to his Gringotts account later that day.
"While I was talking to Goldfeather, I inquired after any other open contracts with the Potters and he said he would look into it. I would also like to look into the companies that are currently using your name and image to sell their products if you don't mind."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure if you know this but there is a series of books about the adventures of the boy who lived. Considering what we know now of your home life, I very much doubt you were out slaying dragons at that age. Although you apparently killed a basilisk at the age of 12, so I could be wrong," she said giving him a searching look. "There are also many other companies that have used your name to sell their merchandise without your permission. I would like to look into these companies and see what kind of permission, if any, they have and from whom? Also, whether or not they have been paying royalties to you for the use of your name and likeness."
"Would we be able to stop them if they don't have any permission?"
"Yes, if they don't have any permission we would be able to sue them if you would like and make them stop."
"Yes please. I would like to make them stop, especially the books." Harry said thinking of Ginny Weasley's crush on him. "When I first got on the Hogwarts Express my friend Hermione mentioned reading a book about the life of Harry Potter. Could you please also look into that. Those books just give people the wrong idea about me and I would like it to stop."
"It would be my pleasure Mr. Potter," Farley said, happy with her new assignment. She had been worried that taking on the Potter case would be like selling out, but she was finding her new client very interesting. She had never been in a position to negotiate with the goblins before and now she had the opportunity to go after companies willing to take advantage of an orphan's misfortune. Yes, her new client was turning out to be quite enjoyable.
With that last bit of business wrapped up the lawyers gathered up their items, said their goodbyes, and traded places with the aurors outside.
HP - HP -
"Follow me, I need you to schedule some meetings for later today. I need you to schedule a meeting with Arthur Weasley as soon as possible. We can move things around if we need to, but I want to see him by the end of the day." Amelia explained to her assistant on her way into her office.
"That's going to be a little hard. Arthur Weasley is in Egypt with his family for the rest of the month."
"For the rest of the month?"
"Yes, didn't you see the Prophet? He won the Grand Prize Galleon Draw and decided to use the money to visit one of his children in Egypt."
"Fine, please send out a notice that he and his daughter Ginny Weasley are needed in this office by the 15th. I have some questions for her about an incident that happened at Hogwarts last term. Next, I need you to set up a meeting for tomorrow with Minister Fudge and the Head of the Department of Mysteries. Lastly, I need a meeting set up with Minister Fudge and Glenda, preferably today."
HP-HP _HP
Haggler flinched as the wards on his office door crumbled. Not even a second later an enraged goblin stormed in.
"Do you really think those stupid wards could keep me out? I've been taking down your wards since you were a youngling getting up to mischief in your room!"
"Of course not mother, those are to keep others out. You know my new client requires a lot of confidentiality," Haggler quickly tried to calm the tornado that was his mother.
"That would be an acceptable excuse if I had not been trying to track down you and your new client since yesterday afternoon. I know Goldfeather came to see the two of you yesterday while the younger Potter was with me."
"It was in fact because of Goldfeather's visit that we have been unreachable and it's a good thing we did. Potter Jr had his solicitor here this morning to negotiate the terms of us partnering on the harvest and sale of basilisk parts. If we hadn't spent yesterday researching we would not have already had everything prepared for this morning's meeting. We had quite a bit of fun last night negotiating terms. By the time Goldfeather and the solicitor met, they only had to decide on Minor details," he explained smugly.
"For all your talk of enjoying my company you sure don't hesitate to ignore me," the portrait behind Haggler commented in a dry tone.
Before he could respond his mother cut in. "Don't worry, you're about to get plenty of attention from me. I agreed to examine your younger self without being given a warning for what I was about to encounter. I thought I was just going to flush out some mood-altering potions here and there, and maybe fix some minor imbalances in his vitamin intake or even magic. Not encounter a child dealing with extensive abuse and a horrific case of magical suppression!"
"What do you mean magical suppression? Is my magic being drained from an outside source? Or being used to shield/suppress some harmful magic?" the portrait inquired.
"No, but that is a very strange conclusion you jumped to" Aurora answered with a look of suspicion crossing her face. "I meant an actual magical suppressant. An alteration of a spell that was once used on criminals. How do you not know about the spell considering you've lived for so long? If it was still on you, you would have died coming into your magical majority."
"What do you mean I would have died?" The portrait all but yelled.
The healer explained to her captive audience what the spell did and how it would have affected the younger Potter if left untreated.
"I didn't know that I had such a spell on me, however there are a few events that took place that might have broken the spell," the portrait explained looking pensive.
Deciding in for a knut in for a galleon, the portrait of an older Harry Potter explained that he may have been emancipated at the age of 14 to enter the Triwizard Tournament, his blood had been used in a ritual to bring back a dark lord, and that he had died for a few seconds at the age of 17. Any one of those events may have broken the spell or a combination of them.
"You mean to tell me that poor child has even more awful situations to overcome? He has already explained his first two years back in the magical world. How did the humans allow for this to continue year after year?" she bit out angrily. "I was looking for you in hopes of figuring out a gentler way to break the curse. We only know of one way and it can be dangerous to the victim."
"When do you plan on unbreaking the curse?" her son asked.
"Sometime next week after I have corrected his physical body. The backlash from the spell should have him out for a couple days. I have an appointment with him on Friday to see how well his body is responding to the potions."
"I'm sure your potions will correct any damage from external forces to the eyes but could you please check on his prescription. My aunt pulled those glasses out of a bin because the school healer complained that my eyesight was bad. Those glasses probably do more harm than good."
"I knew I forgot something,'' Aurora muttered leaving the office without a backwards glance.
HP-HP _HP
Harry stood awkwardly looking at his two new bodyguards. He didn't know what to do now that his solicitors were gone. He had no frame of reference on how to handle this kind of situation. Technically, they were the adults and basically here to babysit him. So did they have plans for him? When Mrs. Figgs watched him she had him help her with a few things and then let him watch TV. Was he even allowed to leave the Leaky Cauldron now? He had really wanted to continue exploring the Alleys.
"So what happens now?"
"Whatever you want Mr. Potter," Kingsley answered. "We are here to follow your lead. You can just think of us as your shadows."
Well that didn't make him feel any better and also didn't give him any guidance on what to do.
Kingsley, picking up on his uncertainty, continued "why don't we have lunch and get to know each other?"
Well that was more than he had come up with and maybe he would feel better if he got to know them a little.
HP-HP _HP
Lunch turned out to be just what they needed. Kingsley had gone back down to make sure they could have the room for another hour and then Harry had called Misty to put in their orders.
Coming back to awkward silence, Kingsley decided to break the ice by explaining that he had been an auror for 10 years and had been on the major crimes investigation team for the last four. He had just made Senior Auror last winter, and until this morning, he was the lead auror for the team tracking down Sirius Black.
Harry was impressed. It would seem that Madame Bones was taking his safety seriously and assigning him someone who knew what they were doing. However, he felt a little guilty that Kingsley was now reduced to a babysitter when he had been on such a high profile case.
Nymphador went next and explained that she went by her last name Tonks. She was in her last term of training and would be graduating in November.
Harry didn't know what to tell them about himself that they didn't already know. At this point they knew more about him than Ron or Hermione.
Seeing him struggle Tonks asked what his plans were for the day and Harry latched on to the lifesaver. He explained that he would like to explore the Alleys. He had never had time to look around while doing school shopping and hadn't even realized that there were so many other alleys than Diagon Alley.
The group spent the rest of the meal talking about their favorite places in the Alleys, and by the end Harry was feeling a little better. Kingsley and Tonks had been nice so far. They hadn't seemed resentful that they would have to babysit him nor had they talked down to him as if he were a child. They had been friendly and Harry was feeling optimistic that having them around wouldn't be so bad.
HP-HP _HP
"Did we really need to meet today? You know our schedules are full with all this Potter business." Fudge huffed out.
"Yes Minister, we did. I had a very enlightening meeting this morning with Mr. Potter and his solicitors." Amelia answered as she and Glenda sat down in the Minister's office.
"What meeting? Why wasn't I informed? They're usually good about giving me a heads up with these sorts of things," Fudge said looking confused.
"I do hope you're not implying that Mr. Potter's solicitors would have informed you of a private meeting he was having?" Why was he such a corrupt idiot? Who blatantly admits that they have secret informants all over the place? She was glad she took that calming drought before the meeting.
"What? No... no Mills, Lowback, and Nott is a very respectable law firm. They know how to take care of their clients." He replied, shaking his head in what he hoped looked like Dumbledore's calm reassurance but just made him look like he had been sniffing potions.
"Right... Well they need not worry about their reputation with Mr. Potter any longer. He has moved his patronage to Second Horizon and has acquired Howards to represent him. "
"Why would he do that? He isn't a muggle-born nor is he in any trouble for that business with his aunt."
"Be that as it may, he has still attained their representation. But that isn't what I came here for Minister. We have far more important things to discuss than who Mr. Potter chooses as legal representation. How much did you know about the petrification situation at Hogwarts last year? And before you begin I would like to remind you that I've been very helpful these last few days, but if you start lying or refuse to do what is necessary to fix this, I can be just as damaging."
Fudge blinked in shock for a minute before starting to puff himself up like one of Malfoys peacocks only to meet her glare and deflate.
Taking a deep breath he began "I was only informed after the second incident and that was because Dumbledore was pulled away by an urgent late night message during a meeting. I followed up with him the next day about the emergency and he was forced to admit what was going on. He assured me he could handle it, and that the board would be made aware. A few days later I had Lucius in my office complaining about Dumbledore. I offered to have the aurors brought in but he turned me down, and said that the board would handle it. Lucius came to me again in April and told me that the board had made a grave oversight when hiring Rubeus Hagrid. After some investigation, they found he had originally been expelled from Hogwarts for opening the chamber of secrets which led to the death of a fellow student. Dumbledore's intervention allowed Hagrid to escape prison, but with the current situation he could not be allowed to roam free any longer. I was going to come to you Amelia, I really was, but Lucius pointed out how bad the fallout would be when people found out we had a criminal working at Hogwarts all these years. So I grabbed a few aurors and went down to Hogwarts and arrested Hagrid. I really thought I was doing the right thing Amelia." He said pleadingly.
She could believe that he thought he was doing the right thing. He was corrupt and easily manipulated but he wasn't malicious, at least not in this case. She waved him on.
"I didn't know what to do when Dumbledore came to me in June to inform me of another attack at the school. This time involving Harry Potter! I tell you Amelia, my heart almost stopped. But Dumbledore then assured me that Potter was unharmed, he had taken care of it, and the attacks had been stopped for good."
"And did Dumbledore explain exactly how he stopped these attacks or how they were being carried out?" She questioned, trying to keep her voice neutral.
"No, I did try asking but he wouldn't budge. He said the less I knew about it the better, but that he was absolutely positive it was over. That nobody had been permanently injured and that the board would smooth things over with the families."
"I see," Amelia said with a sigh and turned to the horrified woman next to her. "And what did you know about the situation?"
"I didn't know about any of this,'' she said in a tight voice. "We meet with the board three times a year, once before school starts to make sure they're well staffed and funded, once in between terms, and at the end of the year. Nothing was mentioned at our January meeting nor at the end of June."
"Right, and do either of you know anything about a troll at Hogwarts?" She would take Fudge's sputtering and Glenda's choked gasp as a no. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a blue orb and sat it on the desk.
"My meeting with Mr. Potter shed quite a bit of light on the happenings at Hogwarts. I'm sure you understand that this information should not be passed around and that if it were to spread without the proper handling the two of you would have a lot to answer for," she explained before starting the recording of Potter explaining his run in with a troll.
"Oh my goodness! None of this came up in our board meetings," Glenda whispered as Amelia turned off the recording.
"Which says to me that Hogwarts needs more oversight than just three meetings with the board of governors. And this is just the tip of the iceberg Glenda. Mr. Potter brought to light quite a bit more disturbing information in our meeting. However, that information is sensitive and I cannot share it with you just yet."
"In light of how dangerous the school seems to be and the staff's unwillingness to call in the aurors, I would like to set up some kind of security at Hogwarts."
"I fully agree Amelia!" Fudge interjected, happy to have something positive to contribute. "I was just talking to Dolores about stationing dementors to guard the school this year."
Feeling her cheek spasm Amelia realized that the calming drought wasn't strong enough.
"You want to do what? Have you lost your mind? You can't station dementors outside of a school full of children! Why would you think that's a good idea?" was exclaimed from beside her. Amelia was happy to let someone who had access to their full anger question the idiot.
"But, how else are we going to guard against Sirius Black?" The minister answered looking contrite.
"Because the dementors managed to guard him so well the first time? I may not work in law enforcement but even I know that's not a good idea Minister. Just one little slip up and they could suck the soul out of one of the children. That is not a risk I'm willing to take. What kind of security were you thinking Amelia?" Glenda asked with a clear dismissal of Fudge.
She was happy to see Glenda taking charge for once. Maybe this was the kick she needed to start truly acting as the Director of the DCW.
"I would like to set up a rotation of aurors to keep the school safe. It would be a combination of trainees /new graduates and Senior aurors on their way to retirement. They can keep an eye on the school and lend a hand if any danger pops up. They'll also be able to easily contact the rest of the department if anything truly troubling happens again."
"I like it and they can also help the perfects with the nightly patrols of the castle and the grounds."
"But will the public think we're taking things seriously if we just stick a few trainees and old aurors on the grounds?" Fudge questioned, trying to add himself back into the conversation.
"They will like it better than you sticking dangerous creatures that very few can control onto the grounds with their children." Glenda snapped back.
"Ummm, yes I see your point,'' he conceded.
"I'll have the proposal sent to you by the end of the day Glenda. And you should be aware that Howards will be asking for an independent investigation into Hogwarts and the handling of the petrified students sometime in the next few days."
"But that's not necessary!" Fudge shouted. "The DCW is already looking into things, aren't you Glenda?"
"Unfortunately, our investigation is coming in a little too late, wouldn't you say Minister," Glenda said with a sharp glare. "Thank you for the heads up Amelia."
"I have one more piece of business to discuss today," Amelia said, handing out documents to each of them. "Howards was kind enough to give me a copy of the Potter's guardian appointments on my way out."
"Finally, some good news," Glenda exclaimed, breaking the seal.
"I believe they plan to execute the wills on Wednesday,'' Amelia continued.
"That's quick" Fudge replied with a little frown.
"Relatively" Amelia said dryly. "I only had time for a quick look but I don't think they'll be that many people left to be contacted. Not to mention they're probably just as impatient as us to find Mr. Potter new guardians."
"Oh my!" Glenda whispered. "Sirius Black is the boy's magical godfather? He put in all that effort to escape prison just to lose his magic? I know the Blacks aren't known for their sanity, but this doesn't make even a little bit of sense. What would he gain from harming Harry Potter? What would be the point?"
"Do we know for a fact that Black is actually after Potter? I have an auror headed to Azkaban right now to question the guards. I'm also pulling Blacks' court transcript and evidence right now. Potter wasn't aware of Black's betrayal and had a lot of questions I didn't have the answers to. The next time I see him I would like to be able to give him some kind of closure."
"I see what you mean Amelia," Fudge murmured looking down at his copy. "There are only three beneficiaries left to be called to the reading who haven't passed or been incarcerated / incapacitated. And the list of guardians has been whittled down as well. Professor McGonagall is the only option left."
HP-HP _HP
Harry leaned back from the desk as he put the finishing touches on his letter to Hermione. Casting a look over his work he admired how much faster it was to write with these modified pens he picked up today. They were fancy pens whose tips were shaped like a quill's and you could link them to any bottle of ink you wanted. The pens functioned like a regular pen eliminating splotches since you no longer dipped the ends in ink, and dried the ink as it came out so you didn't have to worry about smearing. Letter done, he blew out the candles and crawled into bed. He would send Hedwig out tomorrow with the letter and a few pens.
He was sure Hermione would appreciate how long and detailed it was. He had started by telling her what happened with Marge, that he was now safe at the Leaky Cauldron, that his relatives were now arrested, and that he was working with solicitors to find new guardians. He also explained that he had worked out a deal with Gringotts to harvest the basilisk. He then made what he hoped was a smooth transition into asking how her summer was going, how was she doing after being petrified, and how did her parents feel about what happened?
He felt too awkward to come right out and ask her if her parents had been told she was petrified, how they reacted, and if they too had been denied from seeing her. He also didn't want to bring up the class action lawsuit against Hogwarts. He hoped that her family had already received Howards owl and that she would bring it up in her reply.
Snuggling into bed, Harry turned his mind to more pleasant thoughts like his day in the Alleys with his two new bodyguards.
Before leaving the Cauldron, Tonks had gone off to the bathroom and came back a completely different person. Gone was the black haired, blue eyed woman of average height. When she came back she was a six foot blond.
The three had leisurely explored Diagon Alley before grabbing dinner at a café in the muggle world two blocks down from the St. Martin's Lane entrance. The aurors had continued to be friendly and informative companions. They had been willing to pop in and out of different shops, explain what items were used for when he didn't know, and gave advice on the quality/price of the goods.
Harry appreciated the advice as he made a list of things to pick up later in the week. He may have more than enough money now to afford new things but it didn't mean he wasn't going to take the time now that he had it to find quality items for the best deal. He would make his final decisions after he was done exploring the Alleys. The only purchase he had made that day was some parchment and the modified pens. Harry had picked up two extra for Hermione.
They had also reassured him that he could do magic in the Alleys without breaking the law. Since it was supervised by the ministry and filled with magical adults, the ban on underage magic was not enforced here. Similarly to how Hogsmeade worked.
When they got back to the Cauldron that evening Kingsley had asked Harry not to leave his room until they picked him up again the next morning. He explained that they would put wards up around the room that would keep out intruders and let them know if anyone was trying to get through.
Harry didn't think all the effort was necessary but the idea that he would have backup if anything went wrong was reassuring and helped him relax just a little bit more into his bed.
Notes:
1. Thanks for all of the reviews and follows! You guys had a lot to say in the last chapter and your feedback is much appreciated. :)
2. For those who asked, there isn't a relationship planned in this story for Harry. He is going to be 13 for most of it.
3. As for a publishing schedule, I try to update during the first week of the month.
Story Recommendation: All The World by Keira Marcos
Harry/Hermione
The corruption of magic leads Ragnok Windrider, Chieftain of the Dverger Horde, to choose a path into the past. Saving Harry Potter from himself and Dumbledore will alter the fate of his people and the fabric of the magical world.