The Wall of Stone

This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy.

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Chapter 7 Headlines and Photographs

A photographer caught the spell flying from Amos Diggory's wand toward Potter's back, striking the wall of stone, and reflecting to hit the casting wizard's chest. That photo would be on page 6 of the Daily Prophet the next day. Photos of Harry Potter on his broom performing one of the Wronski Feint manoeuvrers and the Hungarian Horntail hiding in fear were worthy of being printed page 1 for two days. Page 2 each day was dedicated to more photos of each Wronski Feint, the wall of stone reflecting the dragon fire, and endless professional opinions on Harry Potter's the future career as an unstoppable seeker.

The headline on the first day read, Boy-Who-Lived is Boy-Who-Flew. The second day the headline was Boy-Who-Lived Redefines the Wronski Feint.

Disturbing to the parents and classmates from Beauxbaton, and Durmstrang (and many Hufflepuff alumni), the other champions were not mentioned until the inside pages on the first day. Fleur Delacour's fight and death was recorded on page 3. Cedric Diggory was praised for fighting to the end by stabbing the dragon eating him in the eye on page 4. Victor Krum's fiery death and dismemberment was chronicled in photos on page 5.

Then on page 6, the newspaper reported the arrest of Albus Dumbledore for allowing and participating in the illegal questioning of an underage child in Magical Britain by a foreigner, and the attempted murder of the Boy-Who-Lived by the deranged Amos Diggory (accompanying photographs supplemented the bare text).

On the third day after the First Task, the picture of Amos Diggory firing the killing curse at the Boy-Who-Lived in full view of everyone in the Great Hall made the cover of the Daily Prophet. With a slow-motion charm on the photograph, it was possible for the reader to see the wall of stone appear, reflect the spell, and then vanish. The headline read Boy-Who-Lived-Twice Protected by Magical Wall of Stone.

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The Almost Trial of Albus Dumbledore

Amelia Bones was very unhappy on the fourth morning after the First Task. Saint Mungo's released the headmaster that morning after successfully reattaching both legs and forcing the elderly wizard to perform his physical therapy to ensure muscles, blood vessels, and nerves were reconnected and working properly.

Aurors brought Dumbledore to the Ministry for Magic immediately where he met with his solicitor before Madam Bones arrived to discuss his trial.

In the pre-trial meeting with the defendant, Albus Dumbledore, and his solicitor, Elphias Doge, the elderly wizard used information the lawyer had received from Gringotts in the last three days to force the DMLE to drop all the charges against Albus Dumbledore. In a strange twist of events, Dumbledore wasn't happy with the reason why the charges were dropped.

Once Amelia formally dismissed the charges, she released Albus so that he could return to Hogwarts. (Apparently, the contract for the Triwizard Tournament would not allow anyone to remove one of the heads of the schools during the tournament's active contract period.) She had intended to proceed with the trial and levy an onerous fine against the person of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore since she could not send him to prison (which would have made him incapable of remaining as headmaster at Hogwarts).

But during preparations for the trial, Doge stumbled on an interesting document from Gringotts Bank – the powerful treaty that kept the goblins confined to the underground around London, also gave these magical people some power over the wizards. The goblins had read Harry Potter's statement in the Daily Prophet about the leaders and officials who confirmed that the underage wizard had to participate in the tournament and used the declarations by Dumbledore (as Hogwarts Headmaster, Wizengamot Chief Warlock, and ICW Supreme Mugwump), Crouch Sr, Bagman, Headmaster Karkaroff, and Headmistress Maxime to declare and document that Mr Harry James Potter was emancipated from all guardians – magical and mundane.

That meant that Harry Potter had not been underage when the Frenchman had questioned him. If he'd been aware of his emancipation (and his rights in Magical Britain), Potter could have declined to answer any questions until his solicitor was present.

Realizing that Dumbledore hoped to supress the news of the emancipation of the Boy-Who-Lived, Director Bones took copies of the Gringotts documents to the Daily Prophet herself and placed them in the hands of the editor. He would print a copy on page 2 and page 24 in the legal notices the next day.

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The Christmas Ball That Never Happened

The students and faculty from Durmstrang left Hogwarts in their submersible ship the second day after the First Task. Karkaroff would return for the second and third tasks to act as judge. The third morning after the First Task, Headmistress Maxime and her students fled Hogwarts in their flying pumpkins, returning the children to their families for the Yule holiday. Like Karkaroff, Maxime would return to Hogwarts to act as a judge in February and June. No one from the castle stepped outside of the castle to watch either group of visitors depart.

Sitting on a bench at the end of the Ravenclaw table, Dumbledore paid no attention to the wards registering the departure of Headmistress Maxime and the Beauxbaton students because his attention focused on the Goblet of Fire. After a more careful examination today, Albus determined that someone had blasted through the rules Dumbledore had cast for the Triwizard Tournament 1994-1995 – he could find nothing on the cup that specified the rules for the tournament.

'Why didn't Maxine or Karkaroff look at the Goblet before we invoked the tournament?' he wondered. 'There weren't any rules to protect the champions. Merlin, that means Harry Potter is much more powerful than I thought if he defeated a dragon when only 14.'

Cornelius Fudge continued to refuse Dumbledore's floo calls. The ICW General Mugwump Council planned to review the headmaster's leadership position and even his suitability to be a member of the organization that oversaw the societies of magic around the world before the end of the year. The Krum family and Delacour families delayed their declarations of debt until after the end of the contract that bound the headmaster, Karkaroff and Maxime to the Goblet of Fire.

"I must think some more about this," Dumbledore muttered. "And I shall ask Alastor for his opinion. He might know who has the power and knowledge to dispel my rules in the goblet."

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There was a gloom that hung over Hogwarts in the first weeks of December. The tournament had to continue with a race in Black Lake (Harry Potter would be forced to play polar bear and swim in the cold water), and then in June, the sole surviving champion had to manoeuvre his way through a maze filled with deadly magical creatures to grab a goblet and become the champion.

No one showed any interest in the planned Triwizard Ball when none of the three original champions survived. Everyone signed up to travel home for the holiday and when Potter's name appeared on the list, Dumbledore remained silent. He would visit Potter and his relatives and explain a few truths to them during the holiday.

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Albus Bounces Around England

Two days before Christmas, Albus decided this morning he would visit the Dursley family. He dressed in red robes with dancing white deer on the panels, wore a bright red wizard's cap, and carried a sack filled the coal to give the muggles. (The bag included the feather light charm so there wasn't any discomfort for Dumbledore to tote it along.) When he attempted to apparate to Little Whining in the south of England, Dumbledore found himself in Coventry. Luckily, the muggles thought he was a fellow playing Father Christmas when they spotted him in a public park. Moving behind the shrubbery to apparate away brought loud protests from the local constable who thought the old man sought to relieve himself in the hidden spot of the park. Grabbing Dumbledore by the arm, the constable dragged the old man to a public loo and forced him to step inside. But then the constable could not find Father Christmas again.

Dumbledore's second attempt to apparate to Little Whining was unsuccessful. This time he appeared just outside a factory as the workers were leaving from the recent shift. Many men and women wished him 'Happy Christmas' and handed over a few coins to pay for a 'pint.' Albus handed all the coins to a child walking by, and then made his way to an alley to apparate again, thinking clearly about the No.4 Privet Drive, Little Winging, Surry. The child's parents were concerned that a paedophile was stalking their little girl when she explained where she got the coins. This meant that there were more constables searching for Father Christmas in Liverpool.

With the third apparition, 'Father Christmas' ended up in the middle of Diagon Alley, just outside No.44 Polite Circle, the shop where the wizard bought most of his bright, eye-searing robes. He arrived during the busiest Yule/Christmas shopping day, and there were crowds of shoppers everywhere. Anxious to continue his mission, Albus was displeased that no one offered to give up their place in the queue to use the apparition point outside of Gringotts Bank. Finally deciding to give up on terrorising (talking to) the Dursleys and Harry Potter, Albus waited in the queue until it was his turn on the apparition spot.

He apparated away from London with the Hogwarts gate clearly pictured in his mind. However, when he stopped spinning, Albus found himself just outside his brother's tavern in Hogsmeade. Disgruntle, Dumbledore refused to contemplate a visit with Aberforth and called for Hogwarts house elf to come and retrieve him.

However, the headmaster was too far for the elves to hear him. He had to trudge toward the castle until he could see the distant gates. A heavy snow was falling, and Dumbledore failed to cast a bubble over him, so his robes, hair, and beard were covered with snow when successfully apparated the five hundred metres to the gates that opened for him. But when he stepped inside the castle, his hat, robes and hair were covered by snow. In the entry hall, two passing muggleborn students welcomed 'Father Christmas' to Hogwarts and asked about gifts.

(Author is unsure what caused the headmaster's problems with apparition during the holiday. Perhaps it was the Goblet of Fire pranking Albus or perhaps it was a side effect of losing and then having two legs reattached by magic, multiple potions and spells. Perhaps it was Father Christmas upset that someone was playing his role with the lumps of coal).

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The next day, the Daily Prophet carried photos of 'Father Christmas' appearing in the centre of Diagon Alley and the later appearance of Harry Potter with a group of friends including Susan Bones and Neville Longbottom from Hogwarts when they came to search through the shops for Yule/Christmas gifts. Floo calls to Madam Bones and Augusta Longbottom proved fruitless to provide any information on the location of Harry Potter over the holidays. (The witches were excessive in heaping abuse on Albus's head in any case).

The headmaster spoke to Alastor Moody about the Goblet of Fire and the rules that had been obliterated , but the formerly dangerous wizard seemed befuddled and tired after four months at Hogwarts. Dumbledore worried that the curse on the DADA position might take Alastor Moody's life before the end of the year and he'd have to locate a substitute for the balance of the year.

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The students returned in early January 1995, and the winter term began with little fanfare. Professor Flitwick remained unaware of the reformation of behaviour in Ravenclaw. Professor Snape ignored the Slytherin students and barely pretended to teach potions. The students worked together in unused classrooms with private tutors arranged by their parents who came to the castle in the afternoons to provide tuition. Professor Sprout recovered and her green thumb magic returned. She remained devastated by the death of Cedric Diggory but reformed her attitude toward Harry Potter when Neville Longbottom, her favourite student in the entire school called her out for cruel remarks and comments. He resigned from her Herbology Club in protest (and took all of Gryffindor with him). Professor McGonagall frowned but generally kept her opinion to herself that winter.

Harry Potter muddled through the traditional classes, read extra books recommended by Hermione Granger and Parvati Patil on muggle and magical culture, maths, arithmancy, and runes. Harry discovered an interest in muggle history and pestered ghostly Professor Binns for information on events in Magical Britain that corresponded to the English Civil War, the changes in the dynasties on the British throne, and the establishment of the English constitution.

None of Harry's friends commented on the number of owls he received from Gringotts, his godfather, and officials in the ICW regarding his godfather's lack of a trial in late 1981. As the emancipated young wizard learned about some wealth, properties, and obligations to some institutions, Harry began to understand what it meant to be a Potter for the first time.

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