Disclaimer: I own nothing. Thank you J.K. Rowling for creating this magical world for
a/n: I just wanted to thank you all for the support. Things get a little more interesting in this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it.
Chapter 4
"Normal Speech"
Thoughts
'Mental Conversations'
The spell was out of her mouth before she even realized what was happening. Sirius Black, the wanted mass murder, was now stunned and on the floor in front of her. "So much for keeping an open mind" was heard coming from Harry's direction.
"Ok, someone needs to quickly start explaining WHY Sirius Black is here before I take him back to the ministry and place him in a holding cell," Amelia demanded.
Both Minerva and Poppy both had an amused expression on their face as they were looking on. Before Remus could start to explain and Harry spoke up and asked, "Madam Bones, I have two questions for you. One, have you ever looked at the file on Sirius Black and read the minutes from his trial? And two, what do you know about the Godfather ritual?"
"As for your first question Lord Potter..."
"Please, call me Harry."
Amelia was a little startled by this, "Alright. As for your first question Harry, No I have not seen his records. I have several senior staff members currently working on tracking him down and have been kept busy with other cases by the Minister. And to answer your second quest…. Wait, what do you mean Godfather ritual?"
"I think it would be wise to revive Sirius so that we can continue this conversation. Before I do that though, I want your word Amelia that you will keep an open mind…" Remus said, and as if right on cue, both Harry and Hermione were snickering but quickly zipped it as they caught the look on Remus' face. "As I was saying, please keep an open mind about what you are about to be told. Even though Sirius did get what he deserved just now. Rennervate!" A flash of red suddenly erupted from his wand and hit Sirius directly in the chest.
"You know Amy; you could give someone a little warning next time," Sirius said rubbing the back of his head as he was getting up off the floor. Giving himself a little shake he added, "So, what did I miss?"
Amelia appeared to be a little apprehensive, but with her wand still at the ready asked, "Mister Black, what is this I hear about a Godfather ritual?"
"Ah, I see you that time has not changed you Amy. Straight and to the point, as always. When Harry was first born, James asked me to be the Godfather. You should remember, you were there that day. What no one knows is that when Dumbledore came to visit, James and Lily asked him if he would stand as witness to the ritual."
"THAT FUCKING BASTARD!" screamed Hermione.
"Language Mione!" replied Harry with a smirk.
"Sorry dear."
"Well, as exciting as this may be, why did you ask about the trial records Harry?" Amelia asked.
"Well, there are no records," Harry replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"What do you mean there are no records? Sirius, is this true?" Amelia asked. The more she heard, the faster her mind was working.
While nodding his head, Sirius replied, "Yes Amy. Two days after the Potter's were murdered I caught up with that damn rat. While trying to take him down, he blew the ground up, killing those twelve muggles. In all the confusion, he cut off his own finger before he transformed into the rat he truly is and ran. When the Aurors finally caught up with us, they arrested me and threw me in a holding cell for 72 hours. They then gave me a glass of water which turned out to be a port key and transported me straight to Azkaban. I never had a trial."
"Well, that can't be right. Do you mind if I have someone look into this for a moment? Don't worry, it will be someone I trust. I believe that you know her as a cousin, Nymphadora Tonks." Waiting for a final nod from everyone, Amelia quickly got up and walked over to the floo. After a few moments, she came back and explained, "Auror Tonks will look into it and will floo in when she has finished. Now, while we are waiting for her, I am assuming that you all have some other things to tell me. It's usually best if we start from the beginning."
"As usual, you are right," Remus said as he adjusted himself in his chair. "Sirius and I went to pick up Harry from his relatives today since we were planning to have him spend summer with us. We were getting ready to leave, when we heard a deafening boom, I believe the house actually shook, and then quickly raced to the back door. I managed to get the three of us out mere seconds before the whole house exploded. As we were walking towards to the front of my cottage, Harry screamed for Hermione, appearing to be completely paralyzed from some unknown fear. I have never seen anyone look so terrified before fainting."
"I took Harry inside while Remus left to go check on Hermione," Sirius interrupted.
"I got to Hermione's house just in time to see the same thing happen to her childhood home. Luckily Hermione was outside when the explosion happened. It was so powerful, it threw her back into an old tree and knocked her out. I picked her up, brought her back here and called for Poppy and Minerva."
"Before we continue with this tale, Miss Granger, excuse me I mean Lady Potter, where are your parents?" When she looked over to the two teens and saw Hermione struggling to keep it together while clinging to Harry, and it truly tugged at her heart. She knew all too well what it was like to lose family so suddenly.
"Mione love, do you want me to answer that?" All Hermione could do nod her head. She didn't trust herself to speak at that moment, feeling as if her mouth was as dry as a desert and her throat was beginning to close. All she could do was bury her face into Harry's chest and hold on tightly for comfort.
"Madam Bones, Hermione lost both of her parents in that explosion. As for what happened after arriving, you will have to ask someone else what happened. Both of us were still unconscious."
That indeed pulled at Amelia's heart since the same thing happened to her own niece during the war. "Hermione, I am so sorry. If you need anything, please know that the House of Bones is here for you."
"On behalf of Hermione and House Potter, we thank you," Harry replied while gently rocking Hermione back and forth. They all fell back into a comfortable silence as Dippy popped in with a tray of fresh tea and biscuits.
"Perhaps I should take up the next part of this tale. Both Remus and Sirius floo'd for both myself and Minerva to come because of an emergency. It wasn't until we stepped through that we found out who was involved and what happened. After completing my exam, I found that Harry's body responded to the threat on Miss Granger, excuse me, I mean Lady Potter's life Sorry about that dear, it's just going to take some time to get used too. As for the injuries to Lady Potter, the force of that explosion must have been incredibly powerful, she ended up with a concussion and a fractured skull from hitting the tree. She was supposed to be out for a few days. I guess Lord Potter here had another idea. Once he came round, he gently turned Hermione's face and kissed her, thus creating their bond. That same bond healed her of most of the injuries and is the reason that she is awake right now." Poppy said as she continued to keep an eye on Hermione.
"Well, that is an interesting tale, but why do I have the feeling that there is more for me to hear?" Amelia said as she took a sip from her cup of tea.
"I believe that my part of this tale is next to be told." Explained Minerva. "We all started to walk out of the room when I turned back to tell Harry and Hermione that I was there for them if they needed anything when Harry randomly asked me to check the holes in my memory. I believe he said the exact same thing to Poppy."
"Hm, and what happened once you examined those holes?" asked Amelia, incredibly curious as to why someone would want you to explicitly check the holes in your memory.
"I found that a certain Headmaster has been wiping my memories and implanted others. Every time I went to him to discuss my concerns over Harry's well-being and how he was being treated by his relative, a certain Headmaster would alter my memories. Every Halloween before he came to Hogwarts, I would go and check up on Harry, and I would also report every little detail of the horrible environment he was forced to live in." Minerva said, clearly emotional at failing her somewhat Grandson, she always did view James and Lily as her children.
"He did the same thing to me. I'm sure you already know that Harry is very much his Father's son. Yes, he is also very much Lily, but he has inherited a certain tendency for trouble to find him."
With a snort, Harry added, "Tendency? I believe that was understated."
Instead of acknowledging that statement, Poppy went on to say, "Every year I would do a complete scan and record all of my findings. When I would go to the Headmaster with them and mention the need to contact you to start an investigation. He would then do the same thing to me as he did to Minerva, wipe my memories and implant new ones. He would also destroy any records I had, leaving no evidence."
"I do plan to investigate this matter further." Amelia quickly held her hand up to stop any protests. "Don't worry Harry, I will keep it all quiet. No one outside of this room and Auror Tonks will know about it. Now, I have one other question for you Harry. How did you know to ask Minerva and Poppy to check the holes in their memories?"
Harry just sat there remembering what his mother said about being careful with trusting people. Suddenly he heard a small voice in the back of his mind, 'You can trust her sweetie. You don't have to reveal all that I have told you if you do not want too. But, I want you to know that it is safe to tell everyone in this room what I have said and that you can trust them.'
He felt a hand placed softly on his cheek. Harry looked down into a beautiful pair of chocolate brown eyes. "Harry, you don't have to tell them everything. Not right now, you can wait for the rest of the proof that we need." Harry nodded in agreement, and visible seemed more relaxed.
"I am only ready to share one thing with you. While I was unconscious, I had a visit from someone. I can only assume Mione has somehow shared this memory because of the bond. What I will say is that this visit was from my mum. She explained some things to me and told me of the tasks I must complete. One was to remind both Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey about their memories. The only other thing I am willing to share is that l need to be careful with who I trust. I was told that those I thought were my friends are not and that those I thought were my enemies were meant to be friends, if not brothers in all but blood. I trust all of you in this room, but before I explain the other tasks I have to perform, I want to have the physical evidence to back it all up."
Just as Sirius was about to reply the floo roared to life and a witch with purple hair with silver highlights came stumbling out while saying, "Wotcher Boss."
First Edit: 6/30/17
Second Edit: 3/21/18