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.
CHANGE SCENE &&***
19 Confrontation on August 21In the early morning, while Sirius and Harry ate breakfast, there was a floo call in the kitchen. The flames turned green and the head and voice of Albus Dumbledore filled the fireplace, "Sirius! Sirius Black! I must speak with you and Harry."
Wiping his mouth before leaving the table, Sirius ambled to the fireplace and bent down to speak through the flames with the headmaster of his godson's school. Sirius made certain to mimic the headmaster's salutation, "Albus! Albus Dumbledore! Why must you speak with me and Mr Potter?"
The whiskered wizard grimaced but didn't fuss, "There are important matters that concern 'Mr Potter' and the upcoming year at Hogwarts."
"What matters?"
"I believe it will be best if we come through and speak in person."
"We? Who is the 'we' that you intend to bring through the green flames into my home?"
"Professor Severus Snape and I must speak to Harry…Mr Potter…about the Dark Lord's plans."
Glancing over his shoulder toward his godson, Sirius saw the teenager deep in thought for a moment.
"Allow us to talk about this and call you back," Sirius suggested.
"No! This is too important for you to dilly-dally around for half a day! And I have other critical issues to address today with the Dark Lord's moves."
Another look at Harry and the boy made a sour expression but didn't say anything. Sirius kept a straight face when he commented, "I thought Fudge tore the ICW position away from you. Didn't that cut away a lot of the critical issues you have to deal with in August?"
"Sirius Black! Stop deflecting the purpose of this call!" Dumbledore fussed. "Now let Snape and I come through."
Rolling his eyes, Sirius said, "Very well. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Potions Professor Severus Snape may visit once, and they will depart without protest when the discussions are ended."
Grimacing to hear the limitations on his visit, Dumbledore stepped back for a moment before throwing more floo powder into the flames in the fireplace at Hogwarts and then stepping through into Grimmauld Place. He moved forward to make space for Severus behind him. Looking around, Albus didn't recognize the room. It was the same shape, but the kitchen was sparkling clean with bright paint and shiny countertops and appliances that appeared to be new. There were dark corners in the kitchen, but Dumbledore had no interest to investigate them. There were remnants of breakfast on the table where young Potter was reading the Daily Prophet while nursing a cup of tea.
Without any prompting from Lord Black, an elf deposited a plate of lemon-flavoured breakfast tarts near a chair on the free side of the table.
"Good morning, Harry," Albus called out in greeting while behind him he heard the whoosh and Severus Snape stepped through the flames as he simultaneously cast a stupefy spell on Sirius Black.
'Death Eater until the end,' Harry thought while his facial expressions showed true surprise and concern – not panic – but fear of his potion professor.
Albus kept his gaze steady on the boy while Severus levitated the slumbering Black back to the table. When Snape made to drop the unconscious wizard onto the floor, invisible hands caught Sirius and gently placed him into his regular chair.
The headmaster asked, "Will you not ask us to sit down?"
"No…you shouldn't have fired a spell at Sirius," replied Harry,
"Black is fine," Snape stated.
"And the tarts look marvellous," Albus commented, motioning toward the lemon tarts.
"Okay, sit," Harry said. The elves had stuck Sirius to his chair so he wouldn't fall over. The two visitors pulled back chairs, fixed their own cups of tea, and while Snape omitted partaking of the food, Albus plated up two tarts and demolished them quickly.
"I needed to talk to you this morning, Harry," Albus said as he took two more of the lemony tarts. "Where have you been for the last ten days?"
"I've been with my godfather. We have worked through several interesting books in the library here."
"But you've not been answering the floo!"
Harry looked confused and replied, "It took several days for the elves and their helpers to rebuild the fireplace and allow the mortar to dry naturally. Then the ministry took two days to reconnect the house to the network."
Shaking his head, the teenager added, "I told him we shouldn't put the house back on the floo network. Besides we don't sit in the kitchen except to eat breakfast. The lounge is comfortable, the library is full of fascinating books, and the dining room works great for lunch and dinner."
"I thought that the stuffed heads of the poor creatures would have put you off," Albus stated.
Waving a hand to dismiss the reason, Harry said, "They're not so bad."
After eating the fourth tart, Dumbledore drank his tea and said, "There are two important things to speak about today. First, I insist that you give me the letter that Minister Fudge sent you earlier this month."
"No! Why?"
"I am your magical guardian! I am your headmaster and must know everything!"
"That's not true, Mr Dumbledore," Harry argued. "You are NOT my guardian."
The headmaster grimaced and the potion master hissed.
"Today, you are not my headmaster, just an unpleasant visitor in my godfather's family home in London," the boy continued. "And you don't need to know everything!"
"But your godfather is not well – mentally or physically. And he still has a kiss-on-site order hanging over his head. You may need my help to save him at some point in the next year."
Appearing concerned for his godfather, Harry said, "Headmaster, if I let you read the letter – and you return it to me before you leave this house – will you take Snape with you and leave us in peace?"
"Let me read the letter and make a copy," bargained Albus.
"No. I won't let you draw your wand in this house! You've violated the social norms for a guest already."
Appearing disappointed but inwardly pleased to read the letter from Cornelius, Dumbledore replied, "I will accept your conditions."
Harry drew the letter from under the table where Dobby had just handed it to him. The letter was opened, and Harry appeared to use wandless magic to enlarge the parchment and levitate the letter where Dumbledore could read it easily. The headmaster would remember the display of wandless magic later and begin to worry.
When the headmaster reached for the letter, Harry said, "No! You won't touch it and leave cantrips and compulsions on the parchment."
Not bothering to deny the accusation, Albus had to satisfy himself with reading the letter – it did appear to be Cornelius's penmanship and choice of words.
CHANGE SCENE &&***
Mr Potter
I was relieved to learn that you and your relatives did not come to any harm because of the attack by 'rogue' Dementors. For you to be subjected to such an occurrence in your vicinity while still recovering from Acromantula poisoning cannot be good for your full recovery before starting your fifth year at Hogwarts.
Speaking of Hogwarts, I have decided to send a member of my staff to act as High Inquisitor. Madam Dolores Umbridge will study and evaluate each professor's classes and instruction style for with each age. She will even evaluate Professor Biggs in the history class. As my representative, the High Inquisitor will review each standard report created by Headmaster Dumbledore that will come to the Ministry for Magic.
And be assured, the High Inquisitor will have no authority to interfere with the students in the castle. For your preparations for the OWLS next June, you and the other students will have ample time and quiet for your studies, games, and conversations.
Sincerely
Cornelius R. Fudge, Minister for Magic
CHANGE SCENE &&***
Sitting back in his chair, Albus couldn't hide his disappointment that there was nothing new or revealing in the letter.
"Will that be all, Mr Dumbledore?"
"There is one more thing," stated Dumbledore.
"What?"
"My boy, I am sorry to have to tell you that there have been disappearances of many muggleborn students around Britain. Your friend, Miss Granger and her parents were killed and vanished by the Dark Lord's Death Eaters the same day that you returned to London."
"Sirius told me about Hermione the morning after I arrived here at Grimmauld Place. He said that you conducted the investigation yourself," Harry replied, catching Albus by surprise.
But the politician recovered and continued with the bad news, "The Creevey family vanished last week. Their bodies and all their belongings vanished as if they never existed."
"Did the DMLE investigate? What did they find?"
"The Aurors aren't going to investigate the disappearance of a couple muggleborn wizards and their parents," Severus said in neutral tone. "It was Professor McGonagall who visited the family to invite a sister to Hogwarts this year. The headmaster went and verified Minerva's findings."
Harry looked very disappointed by this news though neither wizard knew it was because Dumbledore's statements meant that Judas Goat had recovered and would be at Hogwarts on the first of September.
"The Death Eaters use a charm called Evanesco to make the bodies vanish without any trace. And I believe it is Lord Voldemort vanishing the bodies," explained Dumbledore. "His followers swarm through the house, using Deletrius to make the muggle furniture and belongings disappear."
Picking up the copy of the Daily Prophet, Harry waved it around and said, "There's nothing about these disappearances in the Daily Prophet."
"Harry…Harry, I'm so disappointed in you." The boy didn't respond so Dumbledore continued, "However you managed to cajole the minister to exclude you from his campaign against me, he is not going to leave you alone for the entire year."
Snorting, Harry asked, "Can anyone in Magical Britain think critically? To doubt what they read in the Daily Prophet?"
"Potter, there are many intelligent people in Britain!" snapped Severus. Then he amended his statement, "In Magical Britain!"
Taking back control of the conversation, Albus said, "Another one killed was your dorm mate, Dean…"
Dumbledore struggled for a moment to remember the last name of the boy from Gryffindor, but he'd never spoken to the boy in his four years at Hogwarts and had not even paid attention during the sorting in 1991.
"Thomas? Do you mean Dean Thomas?" Harry asked when Dumbledore proved unable to remember the wizard's last name.
"Yes, Dean Thomas," Albus agreed. "He and his family have been killed as well."
Severus believed that both announcements surprised to Harry Potter, but he seemed less surprised when he heard that four other muggleborn witches and wizards had 'disappeared' as well. These were all rising sixth year students who had passed their OWLS.
"That's a lot of students who have been killed – eight if you count Hermione," Harry stated. "Five from Gryffindor, three Puffs, and one Claw."
"The Slytherins don't include any muggleborn," Albus stated.
"Not since Tom Riddle in the 1930s," Potter threw out the comment and watched the wizards flinch.
"I hoped you would be willing to issue a statement about all your missing friends…all the students killed by Lord Voldemort this summer."
"Where's the proof, headmaster?" asked Harry. "We must have proof to make these accusations."
"That's why the Dark Lord uses Evanesco and Deletrius!" Severus insisted. "There's nothing left!"
Harry stared at the potion professor for a moment – hot questions on the tip of his tongue:
'Did you help the Dark Lord kill these students?'
'Have you used Evanesco to vanish any of the bodies?'
'What has the Dark Lord told you to do about the muggleborn students?'
But because Harry doubted any of them were dead, he didn't ask any more questions. He just shook his head and replied, "No, I won't irritate Minister Fudge. I want a quiet year at Hogwarts to study for my OWLS and if the minister aims articles in the newspaper toward me, I won't be able to focus on my studies."
Albus frowned and said, "Cornelius is chipping away at my positions – he took the ICW representative spot from me and I'm no long the Supreme Mugwump over the entire world."
At this point, Dobby revived Sirius who didn't react – Harry and Sirius had practiced reviving from being stupefied in a way not to make the attacker aware – like the Death Eaters had done in the war.
Imitating Albus, Harry sighed and said, "Tragic… simply tragic."
"If he keeps this up, I'll be out as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot before Halloween," Albus warned.
"Devastating! How will Magical Britain survive with any other wizard or witch as Top Magician of the Wizengamoodle?" Harry asked sarcastically.
"And if that appears about to happen, I shall be forced to give Cornelius another target," Albus said struggling to hold onto his temper before he turned his head to look at Sirius Black, still asleep across the table from the two visitors.
Again, Potter was surprised when he responded, "My godfather? You'd threaten my innocent godfather?"
"I must retain my powers to guide Magical Britian in the coming conflict with the Dark Lord! Sacrifices must be made," Albus sighed, not noticing that an elf had revived Sirius. Because he and Harry had discussed this tactic and practiced it, Black kept his cool and palmed his wand under the table to aim at Snape.
Frowning dangerously, Harry appeared ready to explode in anger – a tension that Severus Snape discovered to be like the atmosphere around Lily when she was incandescently angry at the four idiots during her years at Hogwarts.
'How like his mother,' thought Severus just before a stupefy hit him underneath the table. The invisible elves made certain that Snape remained upright, his eyes were closed but his mouth open and drooling.
"Well, will you do it?" asked Dumbledore who didn't notice the change in Snape's condition.
"Give me a couple days to think about it…how I would word any article," Harry replied as if in thought.
"I shall write the story for you," said Albus.
"No, Headmaster Dumbledore!" insisted Harry. "Your style of writing reflects your beliefs too strongly. No one would believe that a simple muggleborn wizard wrote the article."
Dumbledore paused as if expecting Severus Snape to add a cutting comment at this point but there was none. Glancing toward the potion professor, Dumbledore's eyes grew wide seeing Snape stupefied and Sirius Black with his wand pointed directly at Albus – the point of his wand bright with a spell chain prepared to fire.
"Sirius, lower your wand," Albus commanded.
Shaking his head, Sirius said, "Nope. Your pet Death Eater came through the flames firing a spell at the host. He'll be lucky to leave my house with all his fingers."
"You can't! He's too important for brewing potions for the fight against the Dark Lord."
"Then I'll take his bollocks. He doesn't need them," Black said.
"What kind of an example are you setting for young Harry?" Dumbledore asked, attempting to sound concerned for Harry Potter.
"The best possible example for proper treatment for all Death Eaters!" Sirus replied with the tension obvious in his voice.
Dumbledore frowned but Harry pressed forward, "Now, I'll draft my own article and send it to you if I decide to cooperate. I'm sure you don't want anyone to believe you're speaking for me again, do you?"
"Very well, but I must have your commitment and first draft before the end of the week," Albus commanded. "Otherwise, there will be hints dropped with Cornelius where he could find an escaped convict."
Seeing the boy remained undecided, Dumbledor argued, "There are only ten days before the Express leaves from Kings Cross Station and you don't want all your friends to be scared when they discover that classmates have been killed over the summer."
Taking a deep breath, Harry announced, "Now, I believe it is time for you to leave. The discussion is over."
"It would seem that the meeting is over, and our guests will now leave," Sirius Black stated as Severus Snape startled in the chair, realizing he'd been spelled while seated at the table. He sneered but found that no one paid attention to him.
The two wizards departed using the floo and once they were gone, Kreacher and Dobby appeared to scour the kitchen walls, ceilings, floor and fixtures for listening charms. Snape left six and Dumbledore had placed cantrips, charms and soft runes in fourteen places to record images and sounds. Some would work for five minutes but three would record everything until the next time the headmaster was present in the room.
The Black Family wards consumed the magic spent to construct these eavesdropping spells as they were destroyed.
Shortly after returning to his office in Hogwarts, Albus had the urgent need to visit the loo and remained there for almost two hours. The lemon tarts apparently didn't settle on his stomach properly and upset his digestive tract for the remainder of that day. His absence from several important Wizengamot meetings increased the levels of dissatisfaction with his leadership.
&&& CHANGE SCENE
Sirius Disappears"What did that wanker say while I was asleep?" Sirius asked his godson. Harry quickly shared the demand to read the letter from Fudge and the news of the deaths of eight muggleborn students and their families.
"And Dumblesticks says the DMLE isn't interested enough to investigate?" asked Sirius.
Another voice joined the conversation as Alastor Moody stepped out of a hidden corner of the kitchen. He'd been present for the entire length of the visit but said nothing and gave no indication he was there. Moody said, "They won't investigate any muggleborn disappearing."
"And he threatened to tell Fudge where I'm hiding!"
"Would he give the secret to the Aurors?" Harry asked Moody. "That'd let them flood in through the floo and the front door."
"But it would be an admission that he had aided and abetted your status as an escapee," Moody replied. "No one who was here can tell the DMLE without going to prison themselves."
"So, everyone in the Order of the Phoenix could go to Azkaban after Sirius was kissed?"
"Yep," confirmed Alastor.
Sirius shook his head and said, "Dumbledore is not a good general."
"How would he let Fudge know where Sirius is located?" Harry asked as he concentrated on the problem.
Moody considered for a second and then said, "There'd be a map with notations of the area and street name with an emphasis on missing numbers that appeared on Scrimgeour's desk."
"Would Albus be smart enough to get someone else to write the notes? Otherwise, the Aurors would notice the flourishes Dumblestick puts on words in every sentence," Harry said.
Moody sat at the table and when a mug of black coffee appeared the retired Auror said, "Thank you elf. Potter, your elves are the best in Magical Britain."
"I agree," Sirius said. "Even old Kreacher is a new elf around Harry."
"Now, what are you going to do?"
Harry smiled and said, "I am going to Hogwarts for my OWL year on the first of September."
"But your godfather can't stay here by himself."
Sirius giggled, "Yeah, I'd me stir crazy in less than 36 hours locked up here alone.
"And my old nursemaid/guard – Remus Lupin – still can't get his head around the idea that Dumbledore might not be the perfect god of all wizards. I tried talking to him the other day via the floo and we ended up fighting again."
"Where was he?" Alastor asked.
"He said he was in Hogsmeade at the Hogshead Tavern."
"That's the tavern that Aberforth Dumbledore owns. I'll bet my best pegleg that Albus was here in the room the whole time. "
"I wouldn't take that bet," Harry replied.
"But you're not going to leave him here, are you?" insisted Moody.
"No, Sirius is going somewhere he can get some medical treatment," Harry replied and grinned at his godfather. "We've been busy the last ten days."
"Good. But don't tell me anything else," Moody said. "Even if he was cleared, I'd advise to go overseas for any medical treatment."
"Why?" asked Sirius though Harry had made that determination over a week earlier and set the wheels in motion.
Pointing at his face, his hands, and then down toward the peg leg, Alastor said, "This is the 'best' that Magical Britain can do with battle damage. I know I'll never be handsome again, but I should have complete hands and a face that doesn't scare everyone."
"Didn't you say that all Saint Mungo's does is hand out potions?" Harry reminded the man.
"Yes, their healers think a set of potions is the cure for everything."
"What will you do, Moody?" asked Sirius.
The retired Auror smiled and said, "I'm dying. If you don't object, I should very much like to stay right here until I pass over."
"Wait, why are you dying?" Sirius asked. "You're invulnerable!"
Shaking his head, Moody explained, "I spent a year locked in a trunk, only fed a couple times a week and that Death Eater gave me the potions I needed daily only once a week."
The retired Auror paused and then revealed, "I believe Dumbledore knew the imposter was in place almost as soon as Hogwarts started last year. Polyjuice only changes the physical form – it doesn't change the personality or mannerisms."
Harry took a deep breath and hissed, cursing in Parseltongue for three minutes.
Then he shouted, "If Dumblefuck had moved against the imposter last September, the DMLE could have dealt with Riddle while he was still in that baby form! Pettigrew would have been captured, given his trial and thrown to the Dementors!"
"Cedric wouldn't have died! I wouldn't have gone through the whole year of hell with everyone hexing me! And Sirius would be free!"
Hissing in Parseltongue again, Harry Potter-Black cursed, {The weight of every death this time is on Dumbledore's soul!}
"Don't cry over spilt potions," Moody said. "Nothing will bring it back."
"Wait…Dumbledore threatened to tell Fudge about my location," Sirius declared. "Damn, there was a Death Eater sitting at the table the whole time! The headmaster could just as easily let Snape tell his other master. Voldie would send a dozen or more of his DE's here to break in, kill me and loot the place."
Moody nodded, "That would give Snape more credibility with the Dark Lord and that library is priceless."
Harry replied, "The library isn't here physically. Each book is just a temporary copy from the library that's hidden somewhere very secure."
The three sat quietly as the elves cleared the table. Then Moody asked, "The library isn't really here? If the whole place explodes and kills a dozen Death Eaters, you won't care?"
Sirius noticed that Alastor was asking the question of his godson and not him.
"No, Auror Alastor Moody," Harry replied. "Lord Potter-Black gives you permission to use No. 12 Grimmauld Place as a trap to kill Death Eaters if they come to call. And if your victim is Albus Dumbledore, I won't shed a tear."
Glancing at Sirius, Moody saw the wizard wasn't surprised by Harry's pronouncement about being lord of Potter and Black. Sirius looked sad but didn't object.
CHANGE SCENE &&***
Departures 21 AugustWith the help of the elves, Harry Potter and a large dog that resembled the legendary grim that haunted graveyards appeared in the receiving room in Gringotts. It was late in the day – after 6:00 PM on 21 August. They were immediately escorted deeper into the bank's chambers where the grim transformed back into the notorious Sirius Black (which didn't upset any goblin).
After a meeting with Sowsbreath Black Vault Manager (and observed by Ironstream Potter Vault Manager), Harry and Sirius took an international portkey to Gringotts Casablanca in Morocco. They paused there for ten minutes and then took another portkey to Gringotts Paris in France. The feint was to throw off anyone attempting to track the pair.
In Paris they joined with a large group of workers and supplies who used portkey to jump to Gringotts Reykjavík in Iceland. The air there was cold, and Sirius complained for the ten minutes it took to get moved into a smaller heated room. Once the goblin healers were satisfied that the four earlier trips by Portkey had not caused in damage or drained the magical cores of the two wizards, they jumped just over 3300 km to Prince Edward Island. There isn't a Gringotts in operation on the island, but the local magical inhabitants have a landing pad available for Europeans and goods coming to the Americas. (And they collect hefty transit fees and taxes but remain very discrete about identities).
From Prince Edward Island, another portkey took the wizards 1500 km to Gringotts Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. There they passed through customs with the MACUSA as Orion White and his teenage son, Hector White. After a night in a posh hotel on the muggle side of the city, they returned to Gringotts and took another portkey to Jacksonville Florida where there was a secure landing pad for magical travellers and their goods. Less than five minutes later, they arrived at Gringotts Kingstown in Jamacia another 1500 km away.
Harry leaned close to Sirius and said, "Everything is so far apart! We could hide here forever!"
The goblins in Jamacia were as polite as any goblin could be and after an hour, the first of several meetings began where Lord Potter-Black selected medical personnel and attendants who had been carefully screened by Gringotts to care for his godfather for the next year. After a leisurely lunch, Harry and Sirius popped over to a Black family private island that had been used in a smuggling operation from about 1600 until the 1880s when Firewhiskey replaced Magic Gin as the drink of choice among British wizards.
The house was in good shape (twenty rooms with a separate kitchen and servant quarters, gardens, and even a swimming pool).
"Can we get a couple elves?" asked Sirius.
"You'd have to import them from Britain," the goblin escorting them around the estate said. "And the local workers would resent the free labour taking their wages."
When Sirius met the beautiful witches who would work in the manor house, his attitude about wanting elves changed immediately. The next six days, Harry and Sirius settled into the house on the unplottable island while the staff arrived and established a schedule of treatments – muggle and advanced magical to help the wizard recover from the years of torture in Azkaban.
On August 28, Harry hugged his godfather and promised to write (through Gringotts). The young wizard returned to Gringotts London where two letters waited for him – the first from Alastor Moody announcing that he'd quenched the fire in the floo at Grimmauld Place because Dumbledore kept trying to enter the house looking for Harry and Sirius. And he warned Harry that Remus Lupin hung around the street at least part of each day but refused to speak to him. The second letter (with a voided portkey, cancelled compulsions, and neutralized suggestibility potion embedded in the paper) was from Headmaster Dumbledore demanding that Harry Potter fall in line with his requirements for an article declaring that Lord Voldemort had killed eight muggleborn students (and their families). And he demanded that Potter allow the headmaster access to Grimmauld Place again.
Ironstream and Sowsbreath updated their vault holder concerning collection of penalties from the Lestrange and Malfoy estates, and the daily contact they had with the editor of the Daily Prophet as the wizard dealt with an irate Albus Dumbledore – unless some mysterious person granted permission through Gringotts, the newspaper would not publish any article supposedly written by Harry James Potter, student.
SCENE CHANGE &&***