AN: Hope everyone has had a nice almost two weeks. Missed my deadline a bit, but I have a clear idea of where the next chapter is going, so I have high hopes to get on the set posting schedule I want. As always, thanks for all your support, and let me know what you think!
stars90 - Yeah, they have to be careful. You are definitely right that kicking the problem members could come back to bite them. At the same time, they have to consider what might be best for the group.
Mando-Vet - Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it, and hope you enjoy this next one.
scrappy8 - Thanks! My mindset is that Smith is staying because he sees the advantage of staying. He's getting to learn all this magic, which he'll use for himself, and he also gets to observe Harry and company, giving him some possible leverage later on.
Nightwing2013 - No, she has failed rather spectacularly at subtlety. In my mind, she's just kind of gone off the deep end with all the failures, all the pressure, and everything going on. She's focused all of her hate on Harry and his friends/family because she feels she can take care of him and will remove a great threat. She believes that she can either break him or reveal his lies, and then everything will turn out okay. Her trials will have been all the worth it with the power she will gain afterwards. Yeah, the problem members are definitely something they have to think about. I could go either way with Cho sticking around without Marietta. In canon, probably not. In this story? Probably. The whole terrible relationship between her and Harry never got off, so she doesn't have a real reason to avoid him, giving her plenty of reasons to back Marietta, and when the truth comes out, she'll want to keep learning how to defend herself.
Hmm, didn't really think about how that made it sound like Harry broke the contract. Granted, it was the guest instructors claiming Dumbledore was helping, but fair point. Though, I'm sure by this point, most wouldn't assume Harry was doing anything to harm them, especially with how much more social he's been.
GreengrassRebel - Yeah, I kind of see it as she won't give them the courtesy of having the conversations behind closed doors, so they aren't giving her the courtesy. Though, yes, you're probably right. Glad you appreciated the extra inclusions on the escapees.
Chapter 64
"Harry!" Ron called over excitedly, just entering the common room in a rush, and Harry glanced over from where he was helping some third years with their Transfiguration homework.
"What's up, mate?" Harry asked with interest.
"Hagrid's back! Just"
Harry jumped up, a grin spreading. He looked over at the ones he was tutoring.
"Sorry, I've got to go! I'll help you when I get back if you still need it," Harry told them as he rushed to grab his winter cloak and the Marauder's map.
Hermione, who had been studying with Ginny and Katie, quickly got up to join them, dragging the two girls with her, and even Alicia and Angelina, who had been doing their own studying with a grudging Fred and George, hastened to join, dragging the two Weasley brothers with them.
With that, it was a fairly large crew that made its way down through the halls and out into the grounds. It felt like it was no time at all before they were rushing up to Hagrid's cabin, with Harry smiling wide at the yellow lights and smoke coiling up from his chimney. Fang started barking as soon as Harry knocked.
"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry called out.
"Shoulda known!" Hagrid replied in a gruff voice as he opened the door and gave them a smile, and then blinked in surprise seeing who else had joined.
They all gaped or gasped at the state of his face, with Hermione letting out a scream, and Angelina swearing.
"Merlin's beard, keep it down!" said Hagrid hastily, staring wildly over their heads. "Well, come in, come in!"
"I'm sorry! Hermione gasped, as they all squeezed past Hagrid into his cabin. "It's just — Hagrid!"
"You do look terrible," Katie agreed in concern.
"It's nuthin', it's nuthin'!" said Hagrid hastily, shutting the door behind them and hurrying to close all the curtains, but Hermione continued to gaze up at him in horror, and Harry couldn't blame her.
Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple and black bruising. There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, which made Harry suspect broken ribs.
"What happened to you?" Harry demanded, while Fang danced around them all, trying to lick their faces.
"Told yeh, nuthin'," said Hagrid firmly. "Want a cuppa?"
"If 'nuthin' ever happens to me," Angelina remarked sarcastically, "please just bury me."
Hagrid scowled. "I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine," he said. "It's good ter see yeh all. "Wasn't expecting to see you all coming to visit. Not too surprised to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione, o' course, but it's nice to see you, Angelina, Alicia, Fred, George, Katie, and Ginny. Surprised you let this motley crew drag you around."
Ron snorted. "This has been the normal crew, minus these two gits," he pointed at Fred and George who sniffed pompously, "since the Tournament last year."
"Well, that is true," Hagrid agreed. "Jus' thought tha' was mostly because o' the Tournament."
"Hagrid, will you at least let me provide some healing magic?" Alicia asked anxiously. "You clearly could use it."
"Well, blimey, if yer can do it," Hagrid said. "I won't stop you."
Alicia immediately pulled out her wand and started to work, dealing with some of the cuts that were still bleeding.
"Well, you three got a good group of friends," Hagrid said, smiling at Hermione, Ron, and Harry.
"Oh, I forgot," Harry nearly exclaimed. "You've been gone for so long. You missed a lot."
"Did I?" Hagrid asked in surprise.
"Yeah, Angelina's my sister. You weren't here for that," Harry said. "Angelina and Dora are both blood adopted siblings to me now. Alicia and her family are blood adopted cousins now too."
"Also, we're all dating," Ginny said, pointing to herself, Katie, and Harry.
"Blimey," Hagrid exclaimed. "I did miss a lot! Well, congratulations! Blood adoptions are a big deal. Also, congratulations on you dating. Figured it was only a matter o' time with you three."
Katie and Ginny beamed at that, and Angelina thanked Hagrid for his congratulations, but Alicia didn't say anything, continuing to try and treat Hagrid.
"'So, are you going to tell us what's happened to you?" Harry asked.
"Can't, Harry. Top secret. More'n me job's worth ter tell yeh that."
"Oh, it was the giants," Angelina said, and Hagrid froze.
"Giants?" said Hagrid slowly.
"You don't need to pretend," Harry assured his friend. "Dora and Sirius keep us up to date, and even Dumbledore has agreed we can know things."
"Wait, really?" Hagrid asked in surprise before shrugging. "Well, if Dumbledore thinks you should know, then who am I ta argue?"
"So, can you tell us about it?" Harry asked, and they listened to Hagrid about how he and Madame Maxime found the giants and tried to negotiate with them, while the Death Eaters attempted to do the same thing.
From what Harry could tell, the negotiations had been a failure, though it didn't seem that the Death Eaters had done much better, which was nice to know.
In return, they talked about their own simmers and everything that had gone on since. This took some time with everything that had happened, but overall, Harry was quite happy with the visit and seeing his friend.
"Dumbledore told me a lot had changed, it I didn't realize," Hagrid said. "I should'a been here."
"Honestly probably a good thing you weren't," Angelina said with a scowl. "Umbridge would have tried to sack you when she was the shift Inquisitor."
"Yeah, she hates half-humans," Harry agreed. "She insults Remus all the time."
"She does not!" Hagrid said in outrage.
"She does," Katie confirmed sadly.
"Well, now, that's hardly how a professor should act!" Hagrid said reprovingly.
"Tell us about it," they all agreed.
"So, now that you're back, are you taking back over for Grubby-Plank?" Ron asked.
"Oh, I've got somethin' special for you all tomorrow," Hagrid said enthusiastically. "It was goin' to be put out tomorrow mornin', but the afternoon NEWT class will be with the OWL class in the late mornin'."
"Why?" Alicia asked, finally having finished healing up Hagrid, and he did look much better.
"Got a special guest," Hagrid said. "The class'll be open ter anyone, so you can come too, Katie, Ginny, and George."
"Oh," Katie said, lacking enthusiasm, which was echoed among all of them.
All of them liked Hagrid well enough, but they also had a healthy fear for creatures he felt were special. Angelina and Alicia were almost through his NEWT and knew just what type of creatures he could wrangle. Ginny was only in his fourth year course, and still had the healthy respect.
"How - er - dangerous is the creature you're showing tomorrow?" Alicia asked hesitantly.
"Not dangerous at all," Hagrid assured her. "Just mighty fascinatin' creatures."
That was all he would tell them, so after another cup of tea and small talk, they all left, a bit worried for the next day. True to Hagrid's word, Dumbledore announced the special circumstances around Care of Magical Creatures the next morning, but he didn't provide a justification, which didn't assuage their fears.
With a bit of hesitation, they all, Katie and Ginny included, made their way down to Hagrid's cabin later that morning, along with all the other fifth, sixth, and seventh years. All were a bit surprised to not find Hagrid there, but instead a very old man, wearing a muggle suit, sitting in a chair, looking peaceful, and maybe even dozing. He had black, but graying hair, and a rounded stomach, and clear laugh lines on his face.
"Is he the guest?" Alicia asked quietly, and they all blinked as the man opened his eyes and glanced at them.
"No, no, I'm not your guest," the man said with a friendly smile. "Just an old man who wants to get out while I still can."
"Then who are you?" Draco Malfoy asked with a sneer.
"Jacob Kowalski," the man replied. "Apologies if I don't get up and shake all your hands. Just can't move like I used to."
"Kowalski . . ." Theodore Nott mused, and then frowned. "You're that muggle."
"A muggle?" Many muttered in surprise, while some of the more blood purist members of the student body leveled disgusted glares at him.
"You don't belong here," Malfoy said coldly.
"Huh, it's been a while, Albus, but I swore I would have recognized you," the man said, with an air of confusion.
Malfoy, among others, frowned.
"What? I'm not Dumbledore, you twit!" Malfoy spoke with a haughty disposition.
"Oh, that makes more sense," Kowalski said. "Which means that you have no say in whether I belong here or not."
Snorts and laughs went through the crowd as Malfoy flushed, and then his fingers twitched towards his wand.
"Why are you here, Mr. Kowalski?" Angelina asked. "You're Lady Scamander's brother-in-law, right?"
"Indeed, and just call me Jacob," Kowalski said with a grin. "Tina's still as active as ever and she's running through the castle somewhere. I'm not here with Tina though. I'm here with your guest. Just trying to get out and enjoy a lesson."
"There were mutters of excitement from some as they made the leap to who their special guest likely was.
"Who -" Lavender started to say with a frown.
"That would be me," a voice said quietly, and they all turned to see another older man, standing with Hagrid and an older woman, who had likely been a stunner back in the day, at the edge of the forest.
"Blimey, that's Newt Scamander!" Seamus exclaimed.
Newt gave an awkward smile and wave.
"Just call me Newt," he said hastily. "Hagrid has been very kind and is allowing me to teach this class today. So, if you'll follow me, we've got some truly wonderful creatures to show you today."
Harry glanced around to see even several of the more unpleasant Slytherins seemed excited.
The woman walked over to Jacob and smiled at him lovingly.
"Are you up for this, honey?" she asked.
"Of course, sweetheart," Jacob replied, and with a groan and the woman's assistance, he got to his feet.
"You sure, Jacob?" Newt asked in concern.
"I'm fine, Newt," Jacob said with a snort. "I'm not dead yet. You know I like helping or watching your creatures."
Newt nodded, and then they all followed him back into the forest glade, just inside the edge, where nobody was truly concerned with things in the forest.
There were many coos from a lot of the girls at one of the sets of creatures, and some gasps of excitement from others, both boys and girls.
"So, who can tell me what this marvelous creature is?" Newt asked, looking excited.
Of course, Hermione was the first with her hand up, but Harry was surprised to see several others throw their hands up. Then again, Harry knew why they were excited. It was a rare person that could gather these also rare, fluffy-feathered and flightless birds.
"It's a Diricawl," Hermione said. "Known as the Dodo bird to the muggles."
"Correct," Newt said with a smile. "This is a remarkable animal native to the island of Mauritius. Who can tell me what makes it so special?"
"They can apparate!" Parvati nearly squealed out. "That's why so few see them."
"It's also why the muggles think they're extinct," Newt said with a nod. "It's their defense mechanism, so it is quite difficult to capture them unless you can surprise them."
Jacob walked over slowly, making sure he was in their line of sight, and he spoke quietly, reassuringly. Sure enough he got close enough and managed to pick one up which rested in his arms, enjoying him petting it softly.
Near continued to explain on Diricawl habits, how to care for them, and some of their history before he had students attempt to copy what Jacob had accomplished.
To Harry's amusement, some of the snottier purebloods had gone first, not wanting to be out done by a muggle, and they were all treated to their first sight of several Diricawl apparating out of the Slytherins' reach, appearing back near Newt, who smiled and easily reached out to give some attention. He then directed everyone to keep trying.
Some were naturals. Hannah Abbott was delighted to be the first, followed almost immediately by Luna Lovegood, who had showed up, like Ginny and a few others from the lower years.
Harry was among the few that took a few tries, but finally he was standing, with a hint of pride, with a Diricawl in his arms.
"Dumbledore speaks very highly of you."
Harry turned and saw the woman who had helped Jacob.
"I didn't realize that," Harry responded after a moment.
The woman smiled. "Hi, my name is Queenie Kowalski."
"Harry Potter," Harry returned a bit awkwardly, and Queenie laughed.
"You're sweet and humble," she said. "I like that. Impressive mental shields too."
Harry tensed up, and she smiled comfortingly.
"Sorry, sweetie. I'm a natural legilimens," Queenie said. "Even after all these years, I sometimes still struggle to not naturally read surface thoughts."
"Oh, that's cool," Harry said, eyes widening. "My legiliemncy is better than my occlumency, but it was still a lot of work. Would have been great to be a natural legilimens."
"There were some nice things about it," Queenie agreed, "though growing up it led to some problems too."
"Oh, yeah, I can imagine," Harry said, thinking of how things might have been bad just hearing voices as a kid.
Queenie smiled over at Jacob and Newt, who were helping a couple student to finally touch the Diricawls.
"No matter how old they get, those two never change," Queenie said fondly. "Newt worries, but my husband wants to live until his last breath."
"I can admire that," Harry said softly.
"I'm sure you can," Queenie agreed. "I think im going to enjoy teaching you."
"Teaching me?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Favor for Dumbledore," she responded. "Tonight, after your short lesson with him, I'll work with you and whoever else you bring on the mind arts and fully tuning into your magic."
"Oh," Harry said in surprise. "Well, then I guess I can look forward to talking to you again."
"Yes indeed," Queenie said cheerfully. "Now, we just —"
A shriek split the air as Malfoy had scared Neville, who had finally managed to touch a Diricawl, and the animal apparated away, taking Neville with him. Neville landed hard as they reappeared a short distance away, and the Diricawl started to hobble away, having been accidentally injured by Neville.
Newt and Hagrid both made their way over, with Newt moving to check on the Diricawl while Hagrid went to yell at Malfoy.
"What a shock," Harry muttered as Ron and Hermione moved up to him. "Malfoy ruins something good."
Ron snorted and Hermione sighed as Hagrid called an end to the class.
*HP*
"You don't need to be so nervous," Harry said, with a grin.
"Most of us do not have the same rapport with the Headmaster that you do," Hermione retorted.
"She's got a point," Angelina said in amusement. "However, Harry's not wrong either."
"He is one of the most powerful wizards alive, and is offering to help us personally," Alicia pointed out. "It's not exactly out of pocket to be nervous."
"Exactly!" Hermione agreed.
"We also don't really know what we'll be doing," Katie offered up with a mischievous grin. "So, of course it is perfectly natural to be all sorts of frazzled."
"I mean, what if we haven't prepared?" Ginny added in mock horror. "Professor Dumbledore might send us away!"
Hermione scowled as Ginny, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina laughed.
"Lay off of Hermione," Ron said with a snort. "You are going to make her go mental . . . well more mental than usual."
Ron laughed as he dodged Hermione's swipe at his arm.
Harry smiled as Astra went and aided Hermione in chasing Ron through the halls, while the others cheered or laughed. Fred and George had opted out of this invitation, wanting to put more effort into preparing for their store and working on some new ideas on a possible defense line, so it was just his girlfriends, his sisters, Ron, and Hermione with him.
They finally reached the statue guarding Dumbledore's office and Harry gave the password, acid pops, before they started moving up the stairway. Harry knocked, and soon they were walking in after Dumbledore called from them to enter.
"Good evening, Professor," they all spoke politely
"Good evening," Dumbledore returned with a smile. "I trust you all had an enjoyable first week back after the holidays."
"The holidays could have been a bit longer, sir," Ginny said, and Ron and Hermione's eyes bugged out as Harry, Katie, and Angelina snorted incredulously, and Alicia shook her head with a sigh.
Dumbledore, however, just laughed. "A common wish, Ginevra. One that does not go away even as you age."
Ginny grimaced at the use of her full name, but didn't say anything.
The rest of them, save Harry, couldn't help but glance around the circular office, admiring the delicate silver instruments, portraits, and Fawkes on his perch.
"Now, I'm sure you are wondering what I have planned for tonight," Dumbledore said.
"Well, I did talk to Queenie today," Harry said.
"Ah!" Dumbledore said in delight. "I'm happy to see you have already become acquainted with Queenie Kowalski. A kinder woman you would hard pressed to find. She is also one of the most gifted legilimens I have ever met. However, she will be joining us later."
"So, what are we working on first, then?" Ron asked with a frown.
"I believe it is time for you all to learn about Tom Riddle and his horcruxes," Dumbledore said. "I hope that these lessons might help you come up with an idea on where his last horcrux is."
"Last?" Harry asked in surprise. "I thought he had two remaining?"
"And so he did," Dumbledore said, holding up his hand which had an ancient looking ring with a crack through the middle of it. "Alastor and I discovered the location of this and pierced the protections today."
They all exchanged excited glances. They were one step closer to him being mortal.
"Now, I have several memories for you to view," Dumbledore said. "You shall see some familiar objects appear throughout, but I want you all to focus more on Tom Riddle himself. His actions, his history, his reasoning, his thoughts process. Therein will lie the key to his defeat."
They followed Dumbledore over to his pensive and Dumbledore explained to them how to use it before they all entered the first memory, the memory of Bob Ogden. It was fifteen minutes later when they all reappeared.
"Oh, that poor girl," Alicia said sadly.
"I hope those bastards are rotting!" Ron exclaimed.
"It's those types of purebloods that are plagues!" Hermione raged.
"Two of the horcruxes were there," Angelina said. "Those had to have been Voldemort's fucking family! That explains a lot!"
"What happened to Merope?" Harry asked, looking at Dumbledore who was watching them all.
"She survived," Dumbledore said, moving to grab another memory. "Ogden apparated back to the Ministry and returned with reinforcements. Morfin and his father attempted to fight, but were both overpowered, arrested, and eventually convicted by the Wizengamot. Morfin, who had a record, was sentenced to three years in Azkaban. Marvolo received six months."
"Marvolo," Harry said quietly.
"Why does that name sound familiar?" Katie asked.
"Because that's Tom's middle name," Ginny said quietly. "That piece of shit was his grandfather."
"While I will pretend to not have heard the expletive," Dumbledore said with a kind smile, and Ginny blushed, "you are correct. They were the last of the Gaunts, a very ancient Wizarding family noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins. Lack of sense coupled with a great liking for grandeur meant that the family gold was squandered several generations before Marvolo was born. He, as you saw, was left in squalor and poverty, with a very nasty temper, a fantastic amount of arrogance and pride, and a couple of family heirlooms that he treasured just as much as his son, and rather more than his daughter."
"So, Merope was Voldemort's mother," Harry said, leaning forward.
"And that berk, that Tom Riddle, was his father," Ron said, eyes wide. "The muggle that Morfin attacked."
"The one and the same," Dumbledore agreed, beaming.
"She bewitched him," Hermione said in disgust. "She had to have. He never would have done anything with her otherwise."
"You are correct," Dumbledore said again. "I imagine that once she was free from being terrorized by her father, her powers flourished and she eventually plotted her escape from her desperate life."
"Probably a love potion," Angelina said with a shake of her head.
"I am inclined to agree," Dumbledore said, tilting his head. "Within a few months of the scene we just watched, Merope and Tom Riddle eloped and ran off together. Marvolo returned to find his house empty and with a layer of dust, and he did not live long enough to see Morfin return from prison, himself."
"And yet, Merope died too," Harry said with a frown. "Voldemort grew up in an orphanage."
"Yes, indeed," said Dumbledore, with a nod. "We must do a certain amount of guessing here, although I do not think it is difficult to deduce what happened. You see, within a few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife. The rumor flew around the neighborhood that he was talking of being 'hoodwinked' and 'taken in. ' What he meant, I am sure, is that he had been under an enchantment that had now lifted, though I daresay he did not dare use those precise words for fear of being thought insane. When they heard what he was saying, however, the villagers guessed that Merope had lied to Tom Riddle, pretending that she was going to have his baby, and that he had married her for this reason. "
"And he left her, and her baby," Alicia said in disgust. "I mean, it wasn't right what she did, but that doesn't mean he did the right thing either."
"I would agree," Dumbledore said, inclining his head. "I believe Merope stopped using whatever enchantment or potion she was using, having fallen for her husband and hoping he had done the same."
"Sir, where did you find that ring?" Harry asked, glancing at the ring on Dumbledore's finger that used to be a horcrux, and that they had just seen on the finger of Marvolo Gaunt.
"In that very shack," Dumbledore said. "Voldemort returned and hid the locket in the Gaunt Shack, behind a veritable field of enchantments. Alastor and I were quite busy getting through everything, and both of us nearly perished multiple times."
"And we saw the Locket in that memory too," Alicia said. "So, Voldemort must have tracked down his family, eventually."
Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, and no." Dumbledore dumped a memory into the pensieve, but this time he waved his wand, and a silvery mass rose to form a little old man, revolving slowly. The man started speaking.
"Yes, we acquired it in curious circumstances. It was brought in by a young witch just before Christmas, oh, many years ago now. She said she needed the gold badly, well, that much was obvious. Covered in rags and pretty far along. . . going to have a baby, see. She said the locket had been Slytherin's. Well, we hear that sort of story all the time, 'Oh, this was Merlin's, this was, his favorite teapot,' but when I looked at it, it had his mark all right, and a few simple spells were enough to tell me the truth. Of course, that made it near enough priceless. She didn't seem to have any idea how much it was worth. Happy to get ten Galleons for it. Best bargain we ever made!"
"That cheap bastard only gave her ten galleons!" Alicia, Angelina, and Katie all exclaimed in outrage.
Ginny, Harry, and Hermione were likewise indignant on Merope's behalf.
"Caractus Burke was not known for his generosity," Dumbledore answered. "So, as you can see, Voldemort did eventually meet his family in order to get the ring, which I will eventually show you. However, it was different circumstances that led to him acquiring the Locket of Slytherin."
"He's still a vile slug for taking advantage of a poor, pregnant woman like that," Katie said in disgust.
"Indeed, he was," Dumbledore agreed. "This helps confirm that near the end of her pregnancy, Merope was alone in London, and in desperate need of gold. I am of the opinion that, after her husband abandoned her, that she stopped using magic, and being unable to truly provide for herself, she eventually passed away after giving birth to Tom Riddle Jr."
"She wouldn't even stay alive for her son?" Harry asked quietly.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.
"Could you possibly be feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?" DUmbledore asked.
"Yes," Harry admitted, and Ron glanced at him incredulously, while the girls beamed at him. "She had a choice, didn't she? Not like my mother –"
"Your mother had a choice too," said Dumbledore gently. "Yes, Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had your mother's courage. And now, one last memory before Queenie should arrive with another guest and then we can start the second part of our lesson."
"Who's memory this time, Professor?" Alicia asked.
"Mine," Dumbledore said simply. "Hopefully you should find it both rich in detail and satisfyingly accurate."
They all followed Dumbledore over to the pensive, and then entered one at a time. Once again, fifteen minutes later, they returned back into Dumbledore's office, though this time the office wasn't empty, though they didn't notice at the time.
"Blimey, he was scary, even as a kid," Ron muttered, shuddering slightly.
"The way he commanded you to tell the truth," Angelina said with a shiver.
"The paranoia, anger, greed, and shifts in emotion . . . his eagerness to cause pain," Alicia's voice faded off uncomfortably.
Ron was comforting Ginny who had gone pale seeing that younger version of Tom Riddle.
"He was so quick to believe that he was a wizard," Harry noted. "He was so sure he was special. I certainly didn't believe Hagrid at first."
"Which is a very common reaction," Dumbledore agreed. "He was certainly intriguing, and I intended to keep an eye upon him, something I should have done in any case, given that he was alone and friendless. However, in his case, I also felt I needed to do it for others' sake."
"He was already powerful," Ginny said darkly, "and even then, he was already trying to frighten people, to punish them, to control and dominate them."
"Even as child, he was a little psychopath," Katie muttered. "Hanging a rabbit? Torturing two children? Horrifying!"
"That cave must have been the one the locket was in, don't you think?" Harry asked.
"Indeed I do," Dumbledore agreed. "That, along with the Shack, were two of my theorized locations for horcruxes, however I did not know where the cave was, so you revealing that to me saved me a considerable amount of time and effort."
They all exchanged glances, interested that Dumbledore's first two hunches were both correct.
"Now, our two guests are here," Dumbledore said, and they turned to see Queenie smiling at them, and Mad-Eye shaking his head, muttering about "a lack of constant vigilance" and they all smiled.
"Before we start our next lesson, I would like to draw your attention to certain features. First, I'm sure you all noticed how Riddle reacted when I mentioned him sharing his first name, Tom, with another."
They all nodded.
"Even then, he showed a contempt for being tied to other people. Within a few short years of this conversation, he shed his name and created his mask, Lord Voldemort. He was already high self-sufficient, secretive, and friendless. He did not want help, and never has. He preferred to operate alone, and even as an adult, this rings true."
Dumbledore paused.
"You will hear many of his Death Eaters claiming that they are in his confidence, that they alone are close to him, even understand him. They are deluded. Lord Voldemort has never had a friend, nor do I believe that he has ever wanted one. Lastly, you have noticed his proclivity to collect trophies, something which obviously fed into his insurance plan, as you all well know. Now, let us greet our guests."
"Hello, you lot," Mad-Eye growled.
"Hello, everyone," Queenie greeted cheerfully.
"Today, we're going to help you all tune into your magic more fully," Mad-Eye growled out.
"You've already started the process with your mind arts, which I will also be testing," Queenie said, "but we're going to try and master this skill. Intelligence helps with understanding magical theory, of course, but those who intuitively have control of their magic often learn and master the physical side of casting magic more swiftly. This is one one of the reasons that more powerful witches and wizards often seem to have mastered more powerful magic and have more knowledge. People think it is because of acute intellect, but it is their magic. As I'm sure you've all noticed, you can start feeling your spells when you use them. If you can feel what the spell should feel like, you can harness that feeling and minimize the amount of attempts it takes to finally use the spell correctly."
"If you haven't figured it out," Mad-Eye said impatiently, "this is important because this is how witches and wizards become so dangerous and accomplished even in their younger years. This is how Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov, dark lords like Gellert Grindelwald, and even Voldemort himself, were able to rival witches and wizards forty years their senior with more knowledge and experience. Now, it's time for you all to master it, and thus set yourself on the path for greater mastery of magic than the average witch or wizard."
"So, let's get to it," Queenie said eagerly. "This is going to be a lot of fun!"
*HP*
Dora took her seat in the Wizengamot, next to Sirius. She glanced around seeing the various expressions around the room: scared, nervous, neutral, furious, and slightly smug.
This was going to be a long session, she suspected. It was the first half though, that would dictate the rest, and she expected it to be quite heated.
"We all know why we're here," Sirius said after Fudge started the meeting. "The situation with Azkaban must be discussed, and we now also get to talk about the cluster fuck our Minister made by giving an interview he should not have given."
"Watch yourself, Black!" Fudge exclaimed.
"He's completely right," Patrice Shafiq retorted. "You were warned to stay out of the DMLE's affairs. Then you went ahead and made a statement, the base of which would have been fine. However, that wasn't enough for you. No, you had to try and discredit others and foist blame elsewhere."
"I merely pointed out the truth," Fudge shot back. "The DMLE is responsible for Azkaban prison."
"First of all, you did much more than that," Tiberius Ogden said with a frown. "As for Azkaban prison, that is a whole different issue."
"Exactly," Amelia Bones said, glaring. "You cut funding for the Wizard guards at Azkaban prison nearly five years ago, putting your faith in the dementors. I have no real say over the dementors."
"And the dementors have proven to be faulty in the past years," Cyrus Greengrass said. "The mass escape either proves they are not enough, and suggests that someone is more than capable of breaching the defenses . . . or it suggests that the dementors have betrayed us."
"They have not betrayed us!" Fudge exclaimed. "They have no reason to do so. Clearly inside information led to the escape."
"But other than Lord Black, who would have the inside information that could lead to a breakout?" Ethan Parkin asked in exasperation.
"Lord Black has an alibi as well," Amelia added. "Also, it should still be noted, as I believe Jamie Spinnet pointed out to you, that Lord Black's method of escape will no longer work due to new enchantments."
Fudge flushed at the reminder.
"The whole interview was an embarrassment," John McAvoy said. "Jamie Spinnet was right to call you on your tactics. You should have never cut out the Chronicle. You shouldn't have tried to cut her out. You should have just stuck to the facts. You couldn't even help yourself from attempting to blame Lord Potter for defending himself? What, we should have let our dementors kill underage witches and wizards to keep Azkaban safe?"
"The fault lies in us not taking Lord Potter's words seriously," Torson Abbott said. "He warned us to get the Dementors under control or he'd take care of them. We prepared to find a replacement guard force, but relented with public opinion. Clearly we should have gone back to a wizard guard force to supplement the dementors. We must do so immediately."
"Agreed," Carter Ollivander said.
"That doesn't solve our issue," Fudge said weakly.
"It's a start, and it will ensure that the rest of our prisoners do not go anywhere," Franklin Boot said sternly. "I also demand to know the truth about Bellatrix Lestrange. Minister, did you ignore Lord Black's claim of her being controlled until he influenced Lord Potter to change his story?"
Fudge licked his lips nervously.
"I listened to Lord Black's story, and felt that it seemed too fanciful."
"And yet they did research which yielded my son and daughter-in-law's return to good health," Augusta Longbottom stated sternly. "Lord Black was telling the truth. You have abused your position, once again."
"I feel Madam Umbridge was also a grave mistake," Tina Scamander spoke up, "having observed her for a week now. She's barely adequate as a teacher. Her skills are fine, but she is not completely capable of everything in the NEWT class herself, let alone answering the complicated questions that many of her more advanced students might ask. Her teaching basically hinders masteries in the subject, though she did manage to chase away most of the most gifted students in the subject. They all felt self-study would yield better results . . . something I cannot disagree with."
"Well, considering her purpose was clearly not to teach, but to sabotage and get even," John McAvoy said dryly. "I'd say your assessment makes clear sense."
"I feel it is time for a new Minister," Ignatius Prewett said. "This mass escape to me is a clear sign that Potter's claims have some merit. The lack of an investigation into the events at the end of the Triwizard are coming back to haunt us more than ever. That, along with many other faults, lies with Minister Fudge. He has abused his position too much in recent months. It is time for someone new."
"Well, you didn't win the last vote," Fudge blustered weakly. "Surely nothing has changed?"
"I agree that we need a vote," Dora said, and Fudge scowled.
A quick vote showed that it wasn't completely true that nothing had changed, but Fudge's position was barely secure, with 51% of the votes. The addition of the Weasleys and Rick had made Fudge's position very weak.
"Well, we may not be able to win a full removal, thanks to your support," Cyrus Greengrass said with a smug look after Fudge started to relax. "However, there is an old law that we can use, that we will win."
"Oh?" Fudge asked, looking very nervous again, and all around, Dora noted many of the dark families and Fudge's few remaining supporters also looked a bit nervous.
"We can't win a full removal, but we can win a vote to move up a new election for a new Minister," Cyrus said, and Fudge's eyes widened. "You will of course be able to run for Minister again, but in one month's time the people of this country will get to voice their opinions for who should be Minister."
Sirius and Dora exchanged savage grins. This had been Cyrus's plan all along. There had been many meetings between Wizengamot elders before this meeting. Dora and Sirius weren't the only ones tired with Fudge surviving because of his bought votes, or the power of those like Malfoy. For this vote, the Minister was not allowed to use his vote, which included his House vote, meaning that Fudge just went from a majority by a feather to just under a majority by a feather.
"I second the motion," Torson Abbott said, and Fudge fell back in his seat, his face pale.
He knew there was almost no chance of him winning the popular vote, and he was going to be hard pressed to keep all of his allies to help him clinch support in the Wizengamot to try and fight the popular vote.
The vote went through, and the countdown for a new minister began.
"I motion for Minister Fudge to issue an apology and correction in both papers tomorrow," Sirius said. "I also demand restitution for the slander he made against both myself and my godson."
"Granted," Tiberius Ogden said. "It's a clear and cut case. Minister Fudge, as well as the Daily Prophet, will be ordered to pay restitution to House Black and House Potter. Amount to be decided in a civil case at a later date."
"I recommend the removal of Dolores Umbridge," Tina said.
"Let's take the month of the election to come up with her replacement," Leroy McDonald responded slowly. "Replacing her tomorrow will not help anything."
"I agree," Carter Ollivander said.
A quick vote agreed to delaying replacing her until the new Minister, or Fudge, should be he re-elected, was officially in office. However, Sirius and Dora were both at least happy that Umbridge's days were now numbered.
Now they just had to deal with the rest of the meeting where they'd dive into painstaking detail about what was to be done about their escapees.
After that though, the war was about to get more complicated. Voldemort's supporters were now on a timeline. If Fudge lost, or one of their own was unable to secure the position, it was highly likely the new Minister would seek to finally close the door on whether Voldemort truly was back or not, and Dora knew the wizarding world would learn the truth.