Chapter 2:The Innocent
The next day saw Harry and Bill walking down Diagon Alley early in the morning,after dropping off the rest of the Weasley children at Privet Drive( even Charlie,who had gotten a two-week sick leave from work because of his ankle). As they approached Gringotts,Bill said: "Alright Harry. When we go in those doors,I'm going to help you reach your account manager,or your family's account manager I should say,and then I'll be off,Okay? I told dad that you'll meet him at the Leaky Cauldron at noon,so do try to keep track eh?"he finished with a smile,which Harry returned.
They walked past two armored goblins, an intimidating sight to anyone who had not been near the bank before, before Bill pushed open the large wooden doors to allow Harry to enter. Harry had never actually been inside Gringotts before,so he kept looking around in wonder at the enormous marble hall. Wooden desks were standing in one line up the center of the hall,while a dozen or so goblins were running up and down the side corridors. Bill took Harry over to the goblins on the side("They're vault-runners,their job is to grab important documents and the like for the account managers" said Bill). As they got closer,one of the goblins approached them.
"Good morning, Curse-breaker Weasley, may your pockets never be empty" he said in a raspy voice. Then he looked at Harry and back to Bill. "A little young for the job,isn't he?"he asked,causing Bill to laugh heartily and Harry to chuckle. Bill then put his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"This is Harry James Potter,heir to the Potter family fortune. Could you be so kind as to alert his account manager that he is here to claim his right, Griphook?" the newly named Griphook looked stunned. "I-I see. I must then inform you that you will not see a regular account manager,but Lord Ragnuk himself,as the previous Potter account manager died without appointing a successor. I shall let him know immediately" Griphook said as he ran down a corridor.
Bill then turned to Harry and looked him in the eyes. "Harry,listen carefully. Lord Ragnuk is the king of the British goblins, and a living legend for anyone who has studied history. He earned himself the nickname "Giant-Slayer" during the last Goblin-Giant war,around 300 years ago or so,but don't let that fool you. Goblins age differently than us,so he is still in the prime of his life. Just be respectful to him,and all will be alright,you understand?"
Harry nodded,a little scared and a little confused. Bill smiled. "It's alright Harry, don't worry too much. Now,I better get to work. Time is Galleons,after all" he said with a wink as he walked across the hall to a different side-way that Harry didn't notice before.
Just then did Griphook return. "Lord Ragnuk will see you now,Mr. Potter. If you will follow me" he said as he gestured for Harry to follow him.
It turned out that they didn't have to walk far,just 10 meters or so,into the hallway before Griphook pointed to an elevator and gestured for Harry to get in. The trip up did not take long, and soon Harry and Griphook stood before a pair of solid oak doors guarded by two security trolls. Griphook said something to them in a guttural language that Harry did not understand, and then the trolls opened the doors, leading into a well-decorated office.
If Harry hadn't known better,he'd have thought it was a luxurious hunting cabin; well-furnished,a thick skin on the wall,reminding Harry of a bear, an thick carpet in front of a marble fireplace and a large wooden desk. Behind said desk sat the most grizzled goblin Harry had ever seen; he was easily old,but he looked stylized in a way that other goblins were not: he had gold rings on each finger, a heavy gold necklace around his neck,and armor that Harry imagined was made of dragon-scales.
"Greetings,heir Potter,I am Ragnuk DX , Potter account manager and king of the British goblins. May your gold flow freely" he said. "Eh,greetings,Lord Ragnuk, thank you for seeing me today. May your pockets never empty" Harry said,feeling nervous in the presence of this obviously powerful goblin.
Ragnuk laughed. "Don't worry child. You have nothing to fear here. Now,tell me,what brings you to Gringotts this morning?"
"Actually,there's several things I would like to bring to your attention,Sir. First off, the position of my magical guardian has recently shifted from Albus Dumbledore to Arthur Weasley. On Mr. Weasley's recommendation,I am here to claim my birthright as well as to read the will of my parents" Harry said,feeling safer for every word he said.
Ragnuk grinned. "Well then. Excuse me" he said as he walked to the door,opened it and yelled something out in the guttural language Griphook had used earlier. He then turned to Harry. "Your parent's will should be brought up momentarily. Now,for you to claim your inheritance,I will need for you to submit but a drop of blood onto this parchment here" Ragnuk said as he gave Harry a piece of paper. Harry took out a stud from his ear,pricked his finger before putting it back in and put his fingerprint on the paper.
Immediately,the paper flashed up with ink,and it read:
Harry James Potter
Parents:James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans
Heir to:Potter, Peverell
Natural talents:
Occlumensy
Metamorphmagi
NOTE: All natural talents must be trained, although training time may reduce as the caster progresses!
Inheritance:
Trust vault: 20.000 G, to be replenished each year through Hogwarts as per agreement with Parents.
Potter Family vault: 500.000.000 G
Potter Artifact Vault: Assortment of jewellery,books,tomes,armors and furniture from several generations of the Potter line.
Peverell Vault: 700.000.000 G, several ancient tomes,jewellery from several generations of Peverell.
Harry was dumbstruck. He had more money than he could ever spend, and loads more in jewellery,books and apparently,furniture. "I must say,that is quite the list,Mister Potter. Then again, your family goes back at least to the time of the Roman empire,so it would only make sense that they had managed to accomplish so much. After all,there is a reason why the Potters are one of our biggest and most valuable clients. And the Peverell family as well,at least dating back to the battle of Stamford Bridge, between the Saxons and the vikings. In short , you are the heir to two of Gringott's largest clients!" Ragnuk exclaimed happily.
Just then came another goblin through the doors,gave a large envelope to Ragnuk,and left. "Ah,here we are,the Potter will. Do you wish for me to read it for you,or do you wish to do it yourself?" Ragnuk asked.
"With all due respect Sir,I would like to read it myself" said Harry. Ragnuk smiled and handed the envelope to Harry,who opened it with shaking hands. Once he had opened the envelope,he started to read:
The last will and Testament of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans:
We,being of sound mind and in every way healthy,decree this to be our final words to the people closest to us.
As this is written,the war is going the wrong way. We are a part of the Order of the Phoenix, an order Albus Dumbledore created,and we are losing. As this is written,Lily is seven months pregnant with Harry. In the events of our death,I wish for Harry to at least hear this will at the moment he turns 13,but he will receive Lordship in the event of this will being read. Now,to put the cards on the table:
In the events of our deaths, custody of Harry should be as follow:
Sirius Orion Black( godfather as proven with the Patrinus ritual)
Alice Longbottom (godmother)
Amelia Bones
Petunia Evans UNDER ONE CONDITION! She must get rid of one Vernon Dursley before she can be trusted around children!
Furthermore,we also leave the following:
To Sirius Orion Black: We leave you our dearest treasure,Pads,take good care of Harry,alright? We also leave you 10.000.000 G in expenses in caring for our little one, along with a final present which is waiting for you at Potter Manor.
To Remus John Lupin: We leave you our house in Hogsmeade along with the deeds to the Shack. We also leave you 20.000.000 G for you to buy yourself new clothes. Treat yourself,Remus. You are not the beast you think you are! Find love,settle down,and search for a cure! We know you can do it!
To Amelia Bones:We leave you 100.000 G to further your goals,both personally and professionally. Do us a favor,Amy,and put a leash on the old dog,gods know he deserves it.
To Alice and Frank Longbottom: We do not leave you any money,since you are quite well off yourselves. We do however leave you a house in London,since you always wanted to live closer to muggles to understand them better. Here's a tip:bring Neville and Harry. I'm sure they both would love the experience.
Petunia Evans: IF the upper criteria has been fulfilled,we leave her with 200.000 G, or rather, 1.000.000 GBP, to use as she sees fit,both for herself and whoever else she wishes.I truly wish we could have parted under better circumstances,Tuny, but I hope this is a consolation. If you have Harry,I know you will treat him well,and probably spoil him a little at times as well. Good Luck!
Finally,to our son,Harry James Potter. Son,you get everything we have left. From galleons and properties to Lordship of both Potter and Peverell. We also leave you with a tip: Don't disregard muggle-borns,they are easily the smarter ones you find!
This is all from us folks,see you on the other side!(Take your time,though!)
SIGN:James Potter and Lilly Potter nee Evans
WITNESS: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
As Harry finished reading,he went through a range of emotions,from sad,to curious,to angry, before going back to sad. "May I ask what's wrong,Mister Potter?" came from Ragnuk.
"I just realized that there's a lot of people I have to meet,since they were my parent's friends" Harry said as he showed Ragnuk the will. The goblin immediately became furious. "Mister Potter,when are you meeting Arthur Weasley next?" Harry looked questioningly at the goblin before he looked at his watch.
"In 30 minutes,why?" Harry asked. Ragnuk shook his head.
"Show him the will. He can explain the situation better than I. On to better news, now that the will has been opened,each recipient will get an official notice,and so,I present you with these" Ragnuk proceeded taking out two wooden boxes,each with a ring in them. "State your claim to your inheritance" Ragnuk said.
Harry stuck out his right hand and said: "I am Harry James Potter,heir to the houses of Potter and Peverell!" In a flash,the rings had materialized out of the boxes and onto Harry's middle and index fingers. Ragnuk smiled. "Your claim is true. Now that your business is over, I shall put your accounts as active,and I will also give you these" he gave Harry two different cards. "These are fashioned after the muggle's credit cards, directly linked to your account and just as usable both in the muggle and the magical world. I look forward to see you again,Lord Potter" was the goblins parting words as Harry left the office and made his way to the Leaky Cauldron.
After quickly withdrawing his aunt's share of the will to surprise her with, Harry smiled somewhat nervously to himself as he walked in to the leaky Cauldron to meet Arthur.
Arthur had ordered a private booth for him and Harry to talk in,thankful that Tom the barman was an old acquaintance, and was sitting there patiently with a small drink when Harry came into sight. He quickly waved the boy over,ordered a butterbeer for Harry and shut the door after Harry had sat down.
"Now then,what have you discovered today,Harry?" Arthur asked,smiling at him as Harry took a sip of his butterbeer. "Well,first off,I discovered that I was the heir to not one,but two houses older than modern civilization!" Harry exclaimed.
Upon seeing Arthur's questioning look,he continued. "I am the last of both the Potters and the Peverells, so I gained both Lordships" Harry took a moment to show Arthur his Lordship rings.
"Well,that was certainly more than we had accounted for, was there anything else?" Arthur asked,curiously.
"I am apparently naturally talented in Occlumency, and metamorphmagi,whatever that is . I have no idea what any of those are!" Harry exclaimed again before taking a slightly larger sip of his butterbeer.
"Well Harry,Occlumency is a very handy form of mind magic. It can protect you from mental assault, and is very handy in keeping your secrets safe. Metamorphmagi is the ability some witches and wizards have to change their appearance at will. Molly have a friend whose daughter is a metamorphmagi, we can hear if she can get you started on practising that ability" Arthur said with a smile,causing Harry to smile back. Then he remembered.
"Oh,right, I should show you this. I was told you could explain what's the troublesome part of this was" Harry said as he gave Arthur the will. Arthur put his glasses on as he read: "Testament...thirteen...custody...what...By Merlin's beard!" he yelled, thankfully not loud enough for anyone outside the booth could listen in.
Arthur then sighed. "You were bound to find out anyway...almost 10 years ago,on the night of your parent's murder, Hagrid delivered you to Petunia. What Dumbledore told me,now makes sense...Your parent's house was under something we call the Fidelius charm,which can hide anyone and anything, as long as the person called Secret keeper does not reveal it. However,when Hagrid went to pick you up,Sirius black was there,asking Hagrid to hand you over to him. Sirius Black was your father's best friend, and everyone "knew" that he was the Potter's secret keeper. Sirius has spent the last decade in Azkaban,the wizard's prison,but now I am almost certain that he is innocent" Arthur said.
Harry's head was full of questions. Fidelius? Secret Keeper? And his godfather in prison? Arthur took another read at the will.
"Ah,yes,of course!" he said,shaking Harry out of his thoughts. "Harry,I am going to send a quick letter to Amelia Bones,then I'll be right back,okay? Don't move,I'll order another butterbeer for you" Arthur said as he practically ran out,leaving Harry there bewildered about what had just happened,but thanked Tom nonetheless when the old man came to serve Harry his second butterbeer.
Ten minutes later,Arthur came back into the booth,with a lady following him. She was taller than Arthur,with long,auburn hair put up in a bun. She wore a suit like the female detectives on TV wore. Arthur gestured to the woman. "This is Amelia Bones,Director of the DMLE. Amelia,this is Lord Harry James Potter" Arthur said proudly as he gestured to Harry next.
Her eyebrows shot up. "A Lord? But you have not yet started Hogwarts!" she said,incredulous. "It's true,ma'am. I read my parent's will just earlier today. You are one of the people they wanted me to stay with in the event of their deaths,here,look at this" Harry said as he gave her the will.
She,like Arthur, stopped after the first recipient. Unlike Arthur,However,she went barking mad. "WHAT? The Patrinus ritual? Why has this not been discovered sooner?" she vented.
"As you can see,Madam Bones,it is the wish of the Lord Potter that his last remaining family be set free.I am sure there will be a trial?" Arthur pressed on. Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Certainly! I'll take this to the Minister immediately, if you'll allow me to copy this?" she asked,looking at Harry. "Of course,madam Bones. Will I be allowed to be a spectator at the trial?"
Amelia smiled at Harry. "I shall send you an owl with the date and time,I am sure that Arthur can accompany you" she said.
"I will be in touch, ,Lord Potter" she said with a nod before she left the booth. Harry let out a breath of relief he hadn't known he was holding.
Arthur chuckled. "She is the director of DMLE for a reason,one glare from her can make you start spilling your entire life-story to her in the blink of an eye" Arthur said with a chuckle. Then he looked at the time. "Good grief,is that the time already? We should get going,Harry,your aunt is home from work in an hour,so we should not keep her waiting,nor Molly for that matter" he said as he grabbed Harry and led him out on the muggle side of London.
45 minutes later,saw Harry and Arthur come in the door at Number 4 Privet Drive.
Dudley smiled when he came out from the kitchen carrying a bunch of sandwiches on a plate. "Hey cousin,how'd it go?" he asked.
"It went well,all things considered. I'll tell you more when Aunt Petunia comes home. The others in the living room?" Harry asked.
Dudley nodded. "Yeah. I put on some Disney movies for them,seeing as even Percy is amazed at how they're made. Feel free to join us if you can find a seat. Charlie's in there taking up the entire loveseat for himself, and Fred,George and Ginny are having the 3-seater,so Ron and I are on the floor as Percy is occupying mum's chair" Dudley said with a smile.
Harry grinned. "Sounds fun, will you join us while we wait,Mr. Weasley?" he asked as he looked up at Arthur, who smiled.
"I think I will"he said as the trio walked into the living room,where the Weasley children were busy watching Alice In Wonderland.
Half an hour later,Petunia came back from work to see almost the entire Weasley family along with her son and nephew,watching Peter Pan. She smiled at the sight. "Hello everyone,is everything okay?" she asked.
Harry grinned. "Hi,aunt Petunia!Yeah,we're all good here,how was work?" he asked.
"Oh,same old,same old. still complaining about his back. I swear,he's going to retire soon, he talks about it so much. Other than that, business is going well. We have potential to expand the store,but I think Mr. Johnson will leave that up to the new daily manager to deal with, considering we need to find out what to fill the store with if we are expanding and such,it's a lot of work"she said before looking at him strangely.
"Say,weren't you with Bill at Gringotts this morning? How did that go?" she asked.
Then Harry became a little solemn. "I got to read my parent's will, and I have claimed my inheritance" he said quietly.
Petunia kneeled in front of him. "Are you alright,Harry?" she asked as she looked him in the eyes.
"They left money for a lot of people,including you" he said seriously. Her eyes widened. "M-Me? Are you sure?" she half-stuttered.
Harry nodded. "They left you 200.000 Galleons. Translated,that is 1.000.000 pounds. Would that be enough to rebuild the house in the way you had planned?" Harry asked.
Petunia was shocked. She felt tears forming in her eyes at the thought of her sister and her husband,and regretted not reaching out to them more. Unfortunately, she had been influenced by her love for Vernon,and because of his xenophobia,she had lashed out in a nasty way. To find out that she now had inherited one million pounds, that had blood rushing to her ears, she heard nothing but her own heartbeat for a brief moment,before she responded to Harry's question.
"It certainly helps a lot,but I think I will need a bit more than that before we can get started on rebuilding" she said as she patted him on the head gently when he gave her the cheque. She reluctantly accepted it, and looked at it. True enough, there was several zeroes behind the initial number 1.
"But this sure helps a lot,Harry. Thank you for bringing this to me"she said as she hugged her nephew, who was all too happy to hug her back. "You're welcome,aunt Petunia" he said with a smile.
The Weasleys and Dudley all smiled at the interaction between Petunia and Harry.
Arthur then paused the movie(no one had really paid attention to it anyway). "We found out another thing while Harry was at Gringotts. You see, James and Lilly had written a list of people who should have custody of Harry in the event of their deaths, on top of that list is one Sirius Black. Now,Sirius was arrested only hours after Lilly and James had been killed, but we found proof that he is innocent. In the will,it says that he is the godfather of Harry,as proven with the Patrinus ritual. That ritual is designed so that if the godfather in question harms the child in any way,directly or indirectly, he would be instantly killed. So,if Sirius really was guilty of betraying James and Lilly, he would be nothing but dust in the ground by now. Instead,Sirius Black is currently stuck on the island of Azkaban,the wizarding prison and has been for the past decade" he finished in a serious tone. "We showed the will to Madam Bones at the DMLE, and she is going to show this to the Minister for Magic. Considering Sirius' imprisonment was before Fudge became minister,he can easily be swayed to right the wrong the previous government had committed" Arthur said as Molly came out from the fireplace, just in time to hear what her husband just said.
She walked up to her husband and kissed him on the cheek. "Hello dear. How did things go at the bank?" she asked.
Arthur smiled broadly. "May I formally introduce you all to Lord Harry James Potter-Peverell, as proven by the goblins themselves" he said as he gestured to Harry,who suddenly got the urge to sink into the floor.
"Please,don't say it like that. It's formal,and makes me sound like a pompous arse" he said, causing the rest of the living room to laugh.
"Well,to celebrate you coming into your inheritance, I will make something extra special for dinner!" Molly exclaimed. "Fred,George,with me! Charlie, how does your ankle feel?" she asked,worried as he just laid on the loveseat. "It feels fine,mum, I can walk normally,just give me something to do,please!" he said, in a "please save me"-tone.
Molly narrowed her eyes at her second-eldest and waved her wand around his ankle. "No,you are to stay right there for now. Percy, I need you to do some shopping for me,nothing much, just some vegetables and spices" Molly said,as Percy and the twins disappeared into the kitchen.
"Can I help with anything Molly?" Petunia asked. Molly smiled. "No thank you dear,nice of you to ask,but it's really not necessary" she said as she went after her children,leaving Arthur,Petunia,Dudley,Harry,Ron,Charlie and Ginny in the living room.
"So,how much money did you get?" asked Ron. "RON! We do not ask that kind of personal questions! What Harry wants to do with his money is none of our business,you hear me?" Arthur told Ron in a strict tone.
"Yes,sir." Ron said, looking ashamed for asking.
Harry smiled. "It's fine,Mr. Weasley. To put it like this Ron,I got enough money to never have to work a day in my life and still have left over for at least two or three generations after me" Harry explained. Ron's, Dudley's and Petunia's eyes widened.
"Is that even possible?" she asked. Harry's answer was to show her the inheritance sheet he got from Gringotts. "One Galleon is worth 5 pounds. You do the math" he said with a smile. Petunia read down on the paper and almost fainted from the calculations.
"Oh dear. It seems you are set up for life,indeed" she said as she handed the sheet back to Harry,who folded it and put it in his pocket. "Don't worry aunt Petunia. I'm not going to do anything with the money until I get older. I do not want to become a filthy snob just because I'm one of the richest kids on the planet. The only thing I would want is to find a guitar amp I could take with me to Hogwarts" he said with a grin.
Charlie grinned. "If you want,I can introduce you to runes. Dad's used a lot of those on his car,I'm sure you could use some to get around the whole 'electricity does not work at Hogwarts' thing" he said. "Really?that'd be great,Bill,thanks!" Harry said,smiling. "Could I learn too,Bill? I promise not to muck it up!" Ron said.
"Sure little bro, as long as you both take it seriously, I'll be happy to show you the beginner's stuff. Ancient Runes wasn't my best subject,but I scored enough A's to be called adept,so I have no problems showing you the simpler stuff. As long as that's fine with you,dad?" Charlie said as he looked over to his father.
Arthur looked a little worried,but said: "As long as you keep it safe,and only show the beginner's guide,so to speak, that should be fine. Ancient Runes won't be an option for you at Hogwarts until your third year,so if you're still interested then,that's what you should go for. After all, it will help you to further a career after Hogwarts"he finished with a smile. "Now,should we finish this movie or should jump right onto the next?" he asked, smiling as the kids started discussing.
45 minutes later, Molly had showed up with what she thought was "not too much"; one whole roasted pig, with enough garnish to feed a small battalion, several bottles of butterbeer and sodas, and at least two or three different desserts.
"Molly, seriously. We can't fit all of it on the table,we'll need to cut up the pig in the kitchen before we bring it into the dining room!" Petunia said,slightly annoyed.
Molly smiled. "You forget the wonders of magic,dear" she said as she started waving her wand, enlarging the dining room table to not only fit everyone comfortably,but also have enough room for the whole pig to fit on,with all the garnish. Molly turned to Petunia. "There,that's not a problem now,is there? All right boys,bring it in!" she yelled to the fireplace, who soon enough flashed green and was soon filled with Fred and George,carrying the pig still on a spear.
After everything had been placed and Molly had sent Arthur home to get drinks, she turned to everyone(even Bill,who had gotten back in the meanwhile),smiled and said: "Now,who's hungry?"
Meanwhile:
Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office, enjoying a firewhisky and a muggle book when his fireplace lit up. "Professor Dumbledore?" came Amelia Bones' voice.
Dumbledore put down his book. "Madam Bones! Is everything alright?" he asked. It was not often the director of the DMLE contacted him in person,after all.
"I have something I must discuss with you,Albus. May I come through?" she asked.
"Certainly,I'll open the wards for you" he said. A minute later,Amelia Bones stepped out of the fireplace in the Headmaster's study.
"Thank you for meeting with me at this hour,Albus. I am afraid this is rather urgent" Amelia said as she walked over to where the headmaster was sitting.
"It was no problem at all,Director. What was it you needed of me?"Albus asked as he poured himself another whisky.
"I was told you rescinded your position as Harry Potter's magical guardian,is that correct?" she asked. Albus looked at her with a questioning gaze.
"Yes,I gave the position over to Arthur Weasley,as he and his family are on friendly terms with Harry and his aunt and?" he asked
"Today,I had a small meeting with Arthur Weasley and Harry Potter. Young Mr. Potter had been in Gringotts to have his family will read" she said.
Albus stopped. "Ah,so that's why you are here. This is about Sirius Black then,I take it?" he asked as he gave her the glass with amber liquid.
She accepted with a brief "thanks" and took a swig before she looked at the old headmaster.
"Why didn't you say anything,Albus?" she asked. He put his glass down on the table and sighed.
"To be completely honest,Amelia,it was because I simply forgot. I know, I could lose my positions in the ICW and the Wizengamot for this,but I never had any malicious thoughts regarding Sirius' imprisonment or the upbringing of Harry Potter. I just thought he would be better off with his last remaining blood relatives,is all" he said as he took a long swig of his whisky. Then he stood up.
"I have two memories I wish to share with you while you are here,Amelia,if you'll allow me?" he asked as he pulled out his wand and activated the mechanism that pulled his penseive from behind his bookcase. Amelia stood up and watched as Albus pulled two silver strands from his head and put them into the stone basin.
"If you will" Albus said as he held his hand out for her. Amelia took his hand and together they dove into the memories.
30 minutes later,they sat back by the table,each nursing their whisky. "The first memory,what was it? A prophecy?" Amelia asked.
Albus nodded. "That was the interview I had with Sybil Trelawney the night I hired her as Divination teacher here at Hogwarts. In the middle of the interview,I was ready to turn her down,before she suddenly entered a trance and told the prophecy as you heard"Dumbledore said as he swirled the amber liquid around in his glass. "After that,I immediately hired her,of fear of what would happen if Voldemort got his hands on her" he said. Amelia nodded,understanding the reason behind it.
"The reason I showed you this memory was to make you aware of the possibility of Voldemort's return. I am aware of Cornelius' possible reaction to such a claim,and wish to avoid that scenario. It is my hope that,within the next three years,Cornelius Fudge will be ousted,and we will have a more competent Minister for magic" he finished.
Amelia then put down her glass. "There still is the matter of the Potter will" she said. Dumbledore sighed.
"Of course. Sirius must be freed. I will accept any punishment due. If I am to go to Azkaban,Minerva will take my place. She is competent enough,I can trust her to keep the students and the staff in check" he said.
"You will not go to Azkaban,Albus,I can assure you that" Amelia said. "However,you will pay a hefty fine to both Harry Potter and Sirius Black for your unfortunate part in this affair" she finished.
Albus took a breath of relief. "Thank you,Amelia. That is most generous of you he said with a small smile.
She smiled briefly back. "On another note, I want you to retire your seats at the ICW and in the Wizengamot. If the prophecy is true,something I will risk to believe, I want you to personally up the mentoring the students,and the staff if necessary.I want you to be more involved in their education. I want to prevent as many deaths as possible Albus,only then can we finally be free of that madman and his minions. I will also insist for my aurors to be allowed lethal spells against any known Death Eaters" she said as she finished her Whisky.
Albus nodded. "Magical Britain has been at war since the seventies. Without using lethal spells,including the Unforgivables, your aurors will be undermanned and killed faster than we can think,and the war will never end" he said before looking Amelia straight in the eyes.
"I have many theories on how Voldemort survived that fateful Halloween. You have my word, the moment I have concrete proof,you will be the first to know" he said. Amelia nodded. "Thank you Albus,you may have saved many lives tonight,not just Sirius" she said as she walked towards the fireplace. "Will you notify the Minister immediately,then?" he asked her.
She turned towards him and flashed another small smile. "I will tell him about Sirius first thing in the morning. Everything about Voldemort,I will keep to myself. As you said,we may hopefully have a more competent Minister in place within the next few years" she said,before turning towards the fireplace,threw some Floo powder in,and was gone.
Albus sat back down in his chair,all thoughts of finishing his book forgotten. Just then,Fawkes flew over to him and landed on his knee. He looked towards the ancient bird. "Did I do the right thing,Fawkes?" he asked as he looked the phoenix in the eye. After a brief moment,Albus could have sworn that the bird was nodding at him. "I must be more tired than I thought. I shall think more clearly after breakfast,I think" he said as he walked of to bed,while Fawkes flew back to his perch.