Here I go playing in JKR's sandbox again

Chapter 9

Harry Potter had outright refused to see him. Deliberately missed meetings and was avoiding him. This was something Albus Dumbledore had not experienced before. As Headmaster, his word was law, yet summons after summons was refused. Even with Lord Black absent from the castle for the weekend, Harry had not answered the call. When McGonagall went to escort the young wizard, she was refused and then shocked to her core.

"If the Headmaster wishes to speak to me he can bloody-well make an appointment! I am no mongrel dog that answers to his beck and call, as if he were lord of the manor and I some peasant!" Harry shouted at her.

Even suspension from Quidditch had not been an effective threat. The boy could be more stubborn that a hippogriff when he wanted to be. He would have to take a stronger approach.

Tuesday Morning, Harry was escorted by McGonagall to the headmasters' office in a bodybind. Apparently, no other peaceful means were effective. A bad start to a meeting, but a necessary move.

After more than half an hour of posturing, with no success, Dumbledore simply came to the point of the meeting.

"Harry, I'm afraid it is necessary for you to spend the yule holiday with the Dursley's this year. The wards are in dire need of charging and..." He got no further as Harry all but exploded in opposition.

Harry refused to be imprisoned with his relatives but Dumbledore acted as if all the opposition went in one ear and out the other. Thus infuriating the teen even more. Harry was just about to draw his wand when the floo ignited and the desperate pleas of Arabella Figg drew the attention of both wizards.

-Blacklash through time-

The Dursleys had returned from their brunch with Marge, and they found their house in flames. The house was destroyed and all was lost. The investigation proved that the cause was a sabotaged gas line. An obvious case of arson. Vernon was soon arrested and Petunia went to her sister in law. During the investigation, the matter of the children was uncovered. Dudley, being at Smeltings, was in the clear, but Harry Potter was not. The reputation the Dursleys had propagated drew all eyes to the trouble-maker child at #4.

But where was this boy. St Brutus had no record of Harry Potter ever attending. Records proved the boy's existence at the local primary school, but as of June 1991, he all but disappeared. It didn't take long to gather information as all the neighbors knew of the freak nephew of the Dursleys. And the gossip-mongering hags of Privet Drive were in their glory as to see who had the most detrimental story of the boy.

With Petunia unable to tell the police about Hogwarts, there was little that could be done to exonerate Vernon. If she told them Harry had run away, there would be inquiries as to why it was not reported AND his reappearance during the summers. It wasn't long before Petunia too, was arrested. It was looking like child abuse at the minimum and possibly homicide as Harry was nowhere to be found.

Unknown to anyone, Hunter had planned this operation better than Napoleon. The Dursleys would be ruined even if they were acquitted of the charges. And the house was destroyed, so Harry couldn't possibly live there. Dumbledore's dream of Harry residing with the Dursleys had literally gone up in flames.

Harry listened to Mrs. Figg detail the situation and finally realized he was free. Standing up he smiled and almost sneered as he spoke.

"Well, that puts paid to the delusion of me with the Dursleys. I shall return to my classes now and rest easy knowing your stupidity is at an end there, sir!" Harry snarled the last bit before he left the office. Nobody noticed the impressed look on the face of Phineas Nigellus Black, or heard him mutter "That boy might make a fine Lord Black after all."

Dumbledore realized this was all because of Lord Hunter Sirius Black. He would need to control him or eliminate him, for the greater good.

-Blacklash through time-

Severus Snape was not stupid. Cruel, calculating, conniving, perhaps petty and vengeful, but not stupid. Dispite all the assurances the headmaster had given him, none were bearing fruit. All the posturing of his friend Lucius was for naught. Even the Dark lord was not taking action against this new Lord Black. And THAT was the key to his current misery, Lord Hunter Sirius Black.

Everything about James Potter, and Sirius Black that Severus hated was rolled into one person with the added irritation of the power of the Dark Lord and the manipulative instincts of Dumbledore, plus the ruthlessness of Bellatrix Lestrange. No, Bellatrix no-name now.

He had neutered Albus Dumbledore and all but destroyed the Order of the Phoenix in one evening. He had decimated the wizengamot in an elaborate show that toppled the bumbling minister and castrated his cabinet. The appointment of his pink-clad sycophant was only for show. She had no power. Binns needed to be replaced anyway. The assumed plan to have her take over Hogwarts had been derailed before it began.

The death of the Malfoy family was a stroke of genius. The members were still alive, but their power and influence was null and void. That the finances still existed to aide the Dark Lord was a miracle. Lucius could no longer influence the Ministry or he would lose everything. The Dark Lord was keeping him around simply for the use of Malfoy Manor. That and to continue to torture the man.

The miserable bastard had even culled that insufferable Molly Weasley and her holier than thou attitude.

And then there was his relationship with Potter. Potter and Longbottom. The two future lords and cousins to the Black Family had begun to follow Black as vehemently as Death-Eaters had the Dark Lord. The students, even the Slytherins, were in awe of the mages skill and in fear of his wrath.

Severus had planned to exact revenge on Draco for his miserable lies and the ambush Draco had sent him into, but seeing the damage done to the blonde ponce, in both reputation as well as body, made him yield. How one person could suffer THAT many stinging hexes was astounding.

Even now, almost three months into the term, Black was more fearsome than Mad-Eye Moody on a raid. Minerva McGonagall herself could not bring herself to criticize the DADA professor. He stretched the rules to the edge but never broke them, and yet for every negative he administered, he gave a positive to redeem the spirit of the students. There was no favoritism either. Sprout herself had been forced to admit his balance of praise to punishment was better than any Hufflepuff could attempt. Even her.

There had to be a way to eliminate him.

-Blacklash through time-

Deloris Umbridge sat in her office. Pick all around and dishes with cats at play all around her. A rather unappreciated alarm system in case someone was to invade her office.

Her thoughts were not on the papers she was supposed to be grading. Though she thoroughly enjoyed giving that uppity mudblood Granger a T. How stupid can someone be to give 2 feet when the assignment clearly stated 12 inches?

No currently her thoughts were focused on the upstart Lord Black.

He had stolen her position as DADA instructor, and made overthrowing Dumbledore nearly impossible. He had helped that fear-mongering little brat Harry Potter escape justice. Worthless dementors failed to kill the boy and then this mudblood loving fool got the coward off on a technicality.

Then Black had attacked her beloved minister, Cornelius, and almost had him imprisoned. He had even embarrassed her and demanded her swear an oath on her life and magic. And then he loopholed the court into giving that criminal Sirius Black a trial. Poor Cornelius needed her, but she had to eliminate the threat of Dumbledore first.

And now, months into the term, this Lord Black looked as if he was amassing his own army. The students were in awe of the man and were flocking to his banner more than previous generations had to Dumbledore.

There had to be a way to eliminate him.