Disclaimer: 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. No ships. Bashing around everyone.

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42 March Confrontations

The day before the end of term examinations for the winter term began at Hogwarts, Harry finished reading the Daily Prophet's article about the new minister for the Minster for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. The former Head Auror had been elected unanimously after Cornelius Fudge was impeached (and arrested) after two weeks of unrest and riots concerning the huge number of galleons that Fudge had embezzled or simply stolen. Harry grimaced when reading the transcript of Scrimgeour's maiden speech that focused on measures to strengthen rule by the pureblood wizards (and witches).

Once she saw the young wizard lower his newspaper, Lavender Brown pounced and launched her latest demands that he restore her grandfather's position. Apparently, her grandfather was unable to earn galleons at any other job and her parents fretted that it would be difficult to send their daughter back to Hogwarts for her sixth year.

"Potter, since you won't return my grandfather's job or give him money, I've decided that you'll just have to marry me. As a pureblood, I'll be in charge of your vaults, and Grandfather will represent all forty of your seats in the Wizengamot."

Harry didn't correct the witch that the Potters had four seats – not forty, but he did reply, "You do not want to pursue this, Miss Brown. You'll be unhappy with the end result."

"Unhappy? I'm already unhappy and it's all your fault, half-blood!"

"Miss Brown, I urge you to stop."

"Why? What can you do?"

"I will destroy your whole family," Harry replied with a cold tone in his voice.

"Destroy?" Lavender asked and then laughed, "How droll! A half-blood thinks he can best a pureblood family. After we're betrothed, my grandfather will beat you Potter and you'll learn to say, 'thank you, sir'!"

Neville Longbottom remained silent. The Browns were a pureblood family but certainly not high in the social standings and Harry Potter was the Boy-Who-Lived. Neville had expected Susan to turn her eye on Harry this year, but Miss Bones blamed the Gryffindor wizard for Cedric's death in the third task of the tournament. This meant that Neville had the attention of both Susan and Hannah all to himself.

Before he could escape Lavender and the Great Hall, Harry's path was blocked by an angry Susan Bones. Neville moved to stand beside the witch while Harry used his Occlumency skills to allow a look of surprise to show but not the irritation he truly felt.

"Potter! You should listen to Miss Brown! You're unlikely to receive a better offer to improve the blood of your children than with her family."

Harry gritted his teeth and prepared to offer a pureblood platitude of thanks for her advice when Bones continued, "And if I hear any more complaints from the Diggory family, I'll make it the purpose of my life to make you miserable."

"The Diggory family?" asked Harry, true surprise on his face.

"My aunt's last letter reported that your Gringotts agent appeared at the front door of Mr and Mrs Diggory, and demanded they pay the rents for the last two months. The goblin was almost rude to the grieving couple. Mr Diggory ordered Ironstream from the house!"

"Miss Bones, I am not familiar with any part of this argument you're making – here in public before the whole of Hogwarts"

Harry looked toward Neville and asked, "Mr Longbottom isn't it considered tactless to discuss things such as rents and deadbeat tenants in public?"

Angry to be chided by the half-blood, Susan's voice grew louder. "First you get Cedric killed in that stupid graveyard thing, then you throw Mr Diggory out of his seat in the Wizengamot, and now you send your goblin Ironstream to make him pay rent for the house he lives in!"

"Do I own the house?" asked Harry.

"Of course you own the property! It's just across a stream from the shack where the Weasley family lives in Ottery Saint Catch Pole in Devon."

"Susan," said Neville trying to intervene. "Mr Potter may not be aware that he owns the house."

"All the more reason for him to allow the Diggorys to live there in peace! If he doesn't know about it, what harm is there in not collecting the rents?"

The Evans temper slipped from the tether for a moment and Harry frowned. He took a deep breath.

The look on the face of the Boy-Who-Lived was unfamiliar to his classmates but Professor Flitwick had seen it often enough on the face of Lily Evans during her seven years at Hogwarts. He leapt over the staff table, levitated himself to the floor and ran forward with the speed of a goblin on a mission. And Professor Sprout also moved forward, hopeful of preventing a pureblood catastrophe. Professor McGonagall remained in her chair, not caring about any pureblood confrontation. Dumbledore said, "Let Flitwick and Sprout deal with it. There's nothing but teenaged emotions involved."

Releasing the breath he'd held for a moment, Harry said, "Miss Bones, I promise you that I will write to this Gringotts agent and inquire about the state of rents owed by the Diggory family to the Potter estate. I thank you for revealing that this person exists."

He glanced toward the staff table where Dumbledore frowned, and McGonagall scowled at the information being shared with Harry Potter.

Then Harry threw petrol on the fire, saying, "And as required in pureblood society, I shall write to Regent Bones and inquire if you received proper instruction on how a pureblood witch is to address wizards and speak in public."

Unable to reach the confrontation in time to prevent an escalation, Pomona groaned when she saw Susan draw back her hand to slap Harry Potter. Fortunately, Neville Longbottom was close enough to intervene. Unfortunately, the young wizard cast a banishing spell at Harry Potter rather than a stupefy or petrification charm on Susan.

Harry was surprised when his rings allowed the banishing spell to knock him ass-over-teakettle into the path of Professor Sprout. They both ended up on the floor.

Susan laughed with glee while Neville stared in disbelief at what he had done. Professor Flitwick arrived and cast Expelliarmus to take the wands of both Bones and Longbottom. He pointed at an empty space on the nearest bench and commanded, "Sit! Stay Silent! I shall speak…"

Thinking it better to not reveal his plan, Filius kept the wands and turned to the students helping Potter and Sprout back to heir feet. Madam Pomphrey arrived from the staff table and checked both victims for damage. Potter had bruises over his shoulders and face and Sprout would have achy joints for the next month but there were no broken bones.

Harry's first concern was that Professor Sprout be attended by Madam Pomphrey. He refused to speak to Longbottom or Bones. And he refused to accept any apology until he'd heard from Regent Bones AND Regent Longbottom about verbal and physical assaults in the public space of the Hogwarts Great Hall.

Professor Flitwick did contact Amelia Bones and Augusta Longbottom about the incident but neither witch gave any weight to a complaint from the Boy-Who-Lived. When contacted by Pomona Sprout, Amelia blew off her old head of house's complaint completely.

Dumbledore tried to cover up the incident, Madam Bones sent verbal suggestions via new Head Auror Harold Makepeace to intimidate Mr Potter, and Lady Longbottom refused to acknowledge the incident ever occurred. Despite these efforts, the next morning, the Daily Prophet carried an article with a transcript of the conversation, multiple pictures showing Heiress Bones preparing to assault Heir Potter and the actual assault by Heir Longbottom against his dorm mate. (Ron Weasley's memory had provided the photos and audio of the conversation used to create the transcript for which the wizard was paid two galleons).

Underneath the article appeared supporting statements from Ironstream and Amos Diggory. First, Ironstream Potter Vault Manager stated his hopes to speak with Heir Potter at his earliest convenience – perhaps on the next Friday. Ironstream revealed that because of the Triwizard Tournament, Mr Potter had been emancipated since October 31, 1994, and could leave Hogwarts every Friday after 7PM so long as he returned before 7PM on Sunday.

In the second printed statement, Mr Diggory denied complaining to Madam Bones and insisted they had simply exchanged comments about rents and goblins. The visit had been to survey the condition of the house and register any needed repairs. The bureaucrat could feel the way the wind was blowing.

On the following day, there were several letters printed that decried the young witch acting in such a public manner, while others applauded Neville's defence of his intended and putting the 'half-blood' in his place.

The third day nothing was said in the Daily Prophet and the silence descended upon the fifth-year boys' dormitory room. Neville did as his grandmother insisted and pretended the incident had not occurred. Susan sneered at Harry and accused him of being a half-blood pretending to be pure.

Because there were no consequences for Susan Bones or Neville Longbottom about the assault and insults, Lavender Brown increased the number of times she pestered Potter to give her grandfather back his job as proxy. She approached the boy at every meal and began providing copies of her grandfather's voting record while he served in the Potter seat.

Harry spent an afternoon in the Room-of-Requirement contemplating how to use IFI to make Neville lose his hair, Susan lose her boobs, and Lavender lose her screechy voice. Realizing that using his family magic in that way might be 'evil', he cast aside the idea.

'I don't want to be the Dark Lord of Petty Revenge,' he decided. ' I don't want to be a dark lord of any kind.'

Thinking about what he did want, Harry pulled a calendar out of his book bag and stared at the three months ahead of him. 'Just over ninety days until I take my OWLS and meet tehri requirements so I can leave and not be forced to return.'

'The baby!' he suddenly remembered. 'Ninety days until I've got a baby to take care of too! And I don't have a house set up yet!'

'I don't have time to figure out how to use IFI to deflate Susan's boobies! OWLS and baby are more important. But my classmates won't stop being jerks until I make 'em. And it can't be a little slap in the face like Longbottom's banishing spell. When I knock 'em down they can't be able to get back up.'

At that moment, Harry Potter reined in his temper and plotted like the Slytherin goblin that he hoped to become. He sent Dobby with a letter to Sowsbreath, authorising the elf to access the Blackmail Grimoire in the Black family vault and begin a magical search for all material that might embarrass the pureblood families of Amelia Bones, Augusta Longbottom, and Clarence Brown.

'Cornelius Fudge was made to see reason with blackmail,' he remembered. 'Let's see what the grimoire can tell me about my 'friends' in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.'

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Spring Break

The spring end of term examinations were not as difficult as those the fifth-year students experienced in December. The seventh-year students bore the brunt of the most difficult tests before the beginning of the spring break. Upon completion of the last exam and the leaving feast, Harry Potter walked passed Headmaster Dumbledore and Deputy Headmistress McGonagall without any comment on his way toward the Hogwarts Express. Somewhere along the path, he vanished via a helpful elf and made his way to Gringotts where he used an international portkey to travel to Paris. Despite the wet, cold weather, Harry enjoyed a week touring the endless museums of the City of Lights, explored their magical district, enjoyed incredible food in the restaurants and cafes though the sidewalk venues weren't open yet.

When it was time to return to Hogwarts for the last three months of his fifth year, Harry took an international portkey from Gringotts Paris to Gringotts London. With his book bag and a shrunken trunk in his pocket, he casually walked to the Leaky Cauldron and ignored the voices exclaiming that the missing Boy-Who-Lived had been rescued.

The few people brave enough to approach Harry backed off when he growled and brandished his wand at them. Inside the Leaky, Harry moved to the fireplace, threw powder into the flames and called out Three Broomsticks before stepping into the green flames. The patrons at the tavern in Hogsmeade didn't pay attention to the teenager who stepped through the flames and tipped the barkeep on his way out the door. He immediately unshrunk his broom, mounted and flew to the gates at Hogwarts. There was a cold rain with sleet falling but a bumbershoot charm kept the wet away and warming spell dealt with the chill.

"Sorry to make you come out in the mess, Hagrid," Harry apologised to the half-giant who denied that the spring rain bothered him at all when the keeper of the keys came to open the gate.

Hagrid reminded the teenager, "The train's not due for at least three hours."

Harry nodded and said, "I thought I'd let the headmaster vent his anger before the others return."

"Why would he be mad? You're the fourth student who showed up today. After spring break, the headmaster pretty much ignores who comes back when, so long as everyone is there for the opening feast."

Smiling brightly, Harry thanked his friend for his help and information. Making his way inside the castle, Harry made his way to his dorm, allowed Dobby to unpack his belongings and together they cast the necessary charms to protect everything from theft or mischief.

That evening during the welcoming feast, Seamus explained that Dumbledore announced that Harry had been kidnapped on the path to the train station in Hogsmeade. The DMLE turned out three covens of Aurors to investigate and join the students on the ride back to London. Despite Susan Bones being unhappy that the DMLE made a fuss about Harry Potter, there was no evidence of a kidnapping.

The next morning the Daily Prophet printed a statement from Ironstream Potter Vault Manager that he'd seen his client the previous day before the teenager left for a vacation overseas. Ironstream asked, "Isn't that what your break in spring is for? To allow teenagers to vacate to some place with drinking and loose witches? Although I would appreciate someone explaining the definition of 'loose witches.' I thought Magical Britain kept witches closely confined."

Director Bones and Head Auror Horace Makepeace had ended all investigations into the kidnapping of Harry Potter and censured Headmaster Albus Dumbledore for his false reporting.

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April Truce

From the first day of the Spring Term, an armed truce descended upon Gryffindor House – Justin Finch-Fletchley was the only wizard 'allowed' to sit and study with the half-bloods of Gryffindor. Neville was alone except the time he spent with Susan and Hannah. Harry spent extra time providing Seamus with tutoring in DADA and both boys played chess with Ron to keep the red headed wizard from pestering everyone else studying for their OWL exams only three months away.

One evening in the common room, Lavender Brown prepared to begin her oft-repeated tirade at Harry Potter when Parvati Patil reached the end of her broomstick. She turned on the friend, and cried, "For Merlin's sake, Lavender! Give it a rest! Your constant complaints about not having money make it sound as if your grandfather is a squib trying to get a broom to fly! Has the man ever held any job except paid mouthpiece for Dumbledore?"

The witch fight was spectacular and drew every student from their rooms to watch though McGonagall never appeared. Harry noticed that Ginny Weasley was the witch to patch up Lavender's face after the scratches and slaps. And Ginny spoke plainly to the older witch, "Look Lavender, you're playing with fiend fire by pestering Potter. He might be a half-blood, but he's got lots of power, money, and incredible luck. He threatened to destroy your family if you didn't stop."

Her face lighting up with a wide smile, Lavender declared, "Potter does have lots of money and magic…he'll make a good husband. Grandfather needs to get me a betrothal with him."

Ginny pursed her lips and backed away. She would watch the fall of Lavender Brown and appreciate the chance she was given to get away from shadow of Harry Potter. 'Look where it got Granger – dead. And Ron – neutered and isolated.'

The perceptive witch wondered how hard the fall would be for Albus Dumbledore when Harry was through with the wizard.

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