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 15 Harry at Potter HavenDobby and Harry landed outside the front gate of the Potter family ancestral lands five seconds after leaving Privet Drive. The delay in the travel had been caused by Dobby making certain he had the correct address/location from his Mr Harry James Potter to prevent any splinching. It was late afternoon, but the sun was still high in the summer sky when Harry stared at the mundane looking iron gate. There was a plaque on a brick column that read 'Potter Haven – Founded 1488 Count Ambrose Potter'.
The subsequent lines were disturbing and caused Harry to pause:
Rebuilt 1668 by Count Geoffrey Potter, Founder of Magical Britain and Author of the Royal Act of Separation. Potter Haven Destroyed by Oliver Cromwell and Roundheads 1654.
Rebuilt 1783 by Lady Daphne Potter. Potter Haven Destroyed by Dark Lady Marlana Dwight and American Spies 1778.
Repaired 1982 by Loyal House Elves. Potter Haven Destroyed by Tom Riddle and Death Eaters 1981.
'Wow! My family has lived here for five hundred years,' thought the young wizard. 'Who were Daphne Potter and Geoffrey Potter?'
"Youse must touch gate to be known to wards and enter," Dobby informed his wizard. Nodding, Harry reached out his right hand and pressed the palm against the black iron plate. A click sounded and one side of the gate opened enough for Harry and Dobby to walk through.
Once inside, Harry heard the gate close behind him and lock once again. Then the Boy-Who-Lived felt the wards touch and welcome him home. Dobby led the way along a winding gravel road through a forest that was obviously planned. Around the fifth bend, the forest opened onto a manicured lawn with a three fountains inside a rectangular pond in front of a four-story manor house with a hundred chimney pots atop chimneys and almost as many large windows shining in the sun.
Harry stared and gapped until a new house elf popped into view and cast several spells on the boy and the elf. Then the elf began to cry and blubber as more elves appeared to join the celebration to mark the arrival of Heir Potter to his home. Dobby went among the elves to calm and assure them that Mr Harry James Potter had returned.
Harry marvelled at two things; first, would the 27 elves at Potter Have suck up a lot of his magic? and two, his friend Dobby could be calm and reassuring when he needed to be. The head Potter elf, Charlie Dickenson, calmed eventually, and led the wizard and his personal elf toward the house.
"There's be no need for youse to feed magic to Potter elves, Heir Potter," Charlie assured the wizard. "When Counts Ambrosia Potters took this land for his family home, he choseded spot with many, many lay lines, like Hoggiewarts Castle in far, far away Scotland. There be much power here for Potter Haven to feed all elves in Greatest Britain."
Walking to the house, Harry asked, "Then how did it get destroyed several those times?"
"Different Lords Potters not keep up wards…like Hoggiewarts Castle. Lastest Headmaster Lemony Whiskers," Charlie replied. "Enemies strike wards, crash protections, then destroy Potter Haven."
"Like Hogwarts? The wards at Hogwarts aren't right? They're not a full power?"
Dobby sighed and agreed with Charlie, "They's not be strong 'cause Lemony Whiskers wants dark stuffs brought into castle."
Harry frowned and said, "We'll talk about that tomorrow. Right now, I want to see inside my home."
Charlie added, "There be many portraits for youse to meet, too."
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Dumbledore in Saint Mungo's 30 June 1995For the third time in a single afternoon, Albus Dumbledore walked from his private room to the healer's station to complain about the quality of the lunch he'd been served, the lack of an available floo to call important persons, and the lack of sufficient parchment to write all the letters he needed to write, Dumbledore was the least popular patient on the Poisons Recovery Ward after almost two weeks in residence. On 4 July, the healers hoped to release the elderly wizard to the Rehabilitation Ward, but his magical core was not healing as expected. Dumbledore refused to believe that his age (137) was the reason he was not already healed and released.
Worse in his opinion, was that the staff refused to let him have any of his wands, portkeys, or rings. He argued, "I need magic to conduct my business…write letters and articles for the Daily Prophet."
The primary healer in charge of his case, Thelma Dittmer, replied each time her patient argued for his wand, "Headmaster, your magical core was compromised by the Acromantula poison. It must heal – HEAL! – before you try to cast spells again. The loss of your arm unbalanced your magical core as well and once the core is healed, there are several weeks of rehabilitation ahead of you to learn how to cast spells again."
Scowling, Albus muttered, "My core is too large to be compromised."
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Startling News 29 June 1995On 29 June, the editors of the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler, and DMLE Director Amelia Bones, as well as Ragnock, Director of Gringotts Bank, and a few other individuals, received copies of a news release by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Daily Prophet and Quibbler both printed the press release without any edits. Gringotts printed and posted the press release on the outside walls of the bank and posted guards to prevent anyone from removing them, though everyone was welcome to read or copy the press release.
Make it known to all witches and wizards in good standing across the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, that as of this day, 29 June 1995, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (HSWW) does hereby declare that We are sentient and in control of the full protection of Our wards.
This declaration is made in accordance with the following documents of foundation. First, the ancient royal charter granted by King Henry II of England and Malcolm IV of Scotland when Their Royal Majesties founded the school (1155). Second, the joint Royal Affirmation of the Charter for the Magical School (1506) by Their Royal Majesties, King Henry VII of England, and King James IV of Scotland. And third, the Revised Royal Charter (1664) granted by His Royal Majesty, King Charles II of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
These documents (on file in the Hogwarts Library) clearly state that when the current 'management' fails to complete its duties in a timely manner and the grace period expires (one week), new management is mandated. We call everyone's attention to the notion by wizards that they will always complete tasks faster than mundane persons and therefore, a longer grace period is not required.
In accordance with these various royal charters, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (HSWW) does hereby declare that effective immediately, We are operating under New Management.
However, time is of the essence, and we must select a new head of the school, hire new staff, and establish such changes as necessary to protect the youth of Magical Great Britain and provide them with a proper education before 1 September.
To facilitate these changes, We invite the following two persons (Amelia Bones, Director of DMLE, and Griselda Marchbanks, Governor of the Wizarding Examinations Authority) to attend Us on the afternoon of 1 July 1995 for tea and discussion of Our plans.
Additionally, if they have any information on the location and state of the following missing persons, HSWW would be most appreciative: Albus Percival Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Moody, and Several(sic) Snape. These persons have deserted their posts at the school and per their contracts, management had discharged the former employees after an unexplained and unexcused absence of seven (7) days.
Madam Marchbanks replied with a personal note that Albus Percival Dumbledore was under the care of healers in Saint Mungo's Hospital but the medical staff would give no information on his release date. The headmaster suffered from Acromantula poisoning.
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More Startling News 30 June 1995While the public read and began discussing the press release from HSWW published into today's newspapers, a panicky house elf arrived in the DMLE offices in the Ministry for Magic. After reading an elegantly written note that matched the previous day's press release, Director Bones ordered the DMLE Resident Healer to go with the elf and send back for any all potions and supplies required.
Over the next two hours, two dozen potions, bandages, salves, and the more potions were picked-up by busy elves and delivered to the Healer working frantically to save the life of Alastor Moody.
Early that day, the elves were sent to clear out the DADA professor's quarters, and they had discovered the barely alive Alastor Moody still locked inside a trunk. The Auror (retired) was treated in the room rather than being moved. Director Bones reserved judgement until she was able to speak with the wizard during her visit to Hogwarts on 1 July.
After Madam Bones visited the school, the healer authorized the move of stabilized Alastor Moody to the secure infirmary for the DMLE in the Ministry for Magic. As Moody's condition improved, the wizard was subjected to multiple tests by reporters and government officials to prove that he truly was Alastor Moody and in his 'right' mind.
In the second week of July, daily articles were published in the Daily Prophet with the details that Alastor Moody had been held captive for the entire school year (1994-1995) in a trunk. His captor had been Barty Crouch, Jr, who used Polyjuice to act as the DADA professor for all students. In each article, Moody demanded to know that if Albus Dumbledore was in his right-mind then how did the 'powerful wizard' not figure out that 'Professor Moody' was an imposter?
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Revised List of Dead 7 July 1995Prompted by the discovery of an alive and captive Alastor Moody, Hogwarts and the DMLE requested that Gringotts report on the status of persons reported missing by their family and employers following the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. In early July, Gringotts provide the list and it was provided to the Daily Prophet. The newspaper published a revised list of deaths that were caused by the events during and immediately after the Third Task on 22 June 1995. In the details underneath the list, observant wizards and witches read that Gringotts published the list at the request of 'new management' at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Names published on the list of deaths included:
Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall (head of Gryffindor House and Transfiguration Professor).
Potions Professor Severus Snape.
Ludo Bagman (Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports).
Walden MacNair (Executioner for the Ministry for Magic).
Bartimaeus Crouch, Jr masquerading under Polyjuice as DADA Professor Alastor Moody.
Tom Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldexxxx, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and the Dark Lord.
Lucius Malfoy.
Peter Pettigrew (believed to have died 2 November 1981. Holder of Order of Merlin Second Class – rescinded).
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Gringotts willingly worked with the new management at Hogwarts because of the large deposits of gold made by the house elves on a daily basis. The Hogwarts vault manager at Gringotts, Sowsbreath, worked hard to fulfil every reasonable request by the school's new management.
While persons in Magical Britain were once again shocked by the death of well-known McGonagall and Snape, they were confused by the announcement of the death of Crouch, Jr who reportedly died in 1982 at Azkaban. They were horrified that the Dark Lord had had a regular name. Persons of a certain age remembered Tom Riddle as a student at Hogwarts in the 1940s! (And hospitalized Albus Dumbledore was unable to block or water down the information that was published for the next ten days that detailed Riddle's origins, descent into madness, evil actions, and killing of purebloods, half-bloods, and muggleborn.)
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