A/N- Hey guys, here is the next part. I know I am very slow in pacing the story but I do not seem to be able to help it. As it turns out, I am rather engrossed in writing it and wish to details things where I can. It's just that everything adds a new layer to the already mounting story. I hope you will like it. Please give me some reviews.
This chapter has been edited.
Disclaimer- let's keep it simple. I do not own Harry Potter but JKR does. I am trying to have a little fun.
Bones manor
The trio of Harry, Neville and Harsh Vardhana appeared out of thin air outside a giant circle of trees. Inside the circle, some distance away, was a mansion, quite large and ancient in appearance.
"Mr. Harsh Vardhana, why did we appear here? I mean, couldn't we have apparated directly inside the manner?", Harry Asked.
"Mr. Potter, even if we could appear directly in the manor, I did not do it because it would have been considered bad manners. Besides, think about whose house it is? Madam Bones is the chief of DMLE and she would have been angry if we just appeared uninvited in the house. I do not know about you but I do not fancy facing ire of an irate witch and if I can, I would avoid facing the wand point of a witch like her', he replied, his eyes full of amusement, 'however the point is moot since she has anti-apparition wards around her manor and as such, no one can appear directly in her house."
"But you did apparate in and out of a house which had the wards up at the time", said Harry scowling.
Neville looked surprised at this revelation and opened his mouth to say something, but; Harsh cut in, "Mr. Potter, it is not proper to give out secrets like that. Especially if it is not yours to give."
Harry nodded feeling embarrassed. He quickly realized that speaking out of turn and revealing the mystic's secrets were things he could not do if they were going to teach him anything. This was only Neville, so no harm done, but; he had to learn discretion and remember not to do that again. He also understood, that in this way, the mystics were like the Slytherins, not like Malfoy and his posse, but true Slytherins. He also realised why Dumbledore played his cards close to his chest. But on the other hand, such secretiveness had cost Sirius twelve years in Azkaban. If James Potter and Sirius Black had told someone else about Pettigrew being the secret keeper, perhaps Sirius would have been able to raise him like a son.
Lately, Harry had been growing more thoughtful. It had been his habit to act on impulse, and, he supposed, that there is a time and place for action without thought, but; now, he was beginning to consider carefully and make a plan before acting.
"Umm... Mr. Harsh Vardhana, is it possible to apparate in a place where there are anti-apparition wards?", Neville asked hesitantly.
"It is Mr. Longbottom but I am not sharing the secret with you", replied Harsh gently.
"Please call me Neville. I have a few questions if you could help me?", Neville asked looking hopeful.
"Mr. Longbottom, not to turn you down but my time is not really my own. I have a different life out of this healer routine that I am currently having. However, as I told Augusta, I owe to House Longbottom and I will make some time for you, say tomorrow after the rituals are done. If you wish, we can have young Mr. Potter present there", he asked.
Neville's face lit up with happiness, "That would be great! I don't usually have much company during the vacations."
"Much as I like standing about chatting, don't we have to go inside?", asked Harry, "I seem to remember that Professor Dumbledore told me that we are invited."
"We will go in Mr. Potter but not before someone is sent to take us in", replied Harsh and stepped a foot towards the property line.
An elf appeared with a loud crack. This elf was short, even for a house elf with a petite frame, a small nose, not that it needed to be any bigger, and the large eyes were red. When she spoke, her voice was high and squeaky, "I be Tweaky. Who's you sirs be?"
"Little elf, my name is Harsh Vardhana and I am accompanying Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom on an invitation from Madam Bones and Miss Bones", replied Harsh.
The elf was looking at him curiously. After a moment, the elf bobbed her head and squeaked again, "Old whizzy and sirs be follow me. I's be take you to Mistress and Miss."
"Umm, why did she call you 'old whizzy'?", Harry asked.
Harsh chuckled, "Story for another time Mr. Potter however I would rather that you do not ask questions every now and then. I will answer your questions but may be you can make a list of them?"
Following the elf, they entered into the manor, they were escorted into the parlour and were offered seats and told to wait. While waiting, Harry looked around the room. On a wall, there was a large shelf which contained numerous wands on display, mounted on little plaques detailing the names of each wizard who owned that wand. In the middle of the room, hung an ornate crystal chandelier which sent varying shades of lights around the room and in different colours. On one wall, there was a large crest which had a Common Welsh Green (Harry remembered the one from the tournament) in flight on a green background with a house motto 'beneath all the grandeur, we all are bones'.
Harry was in awe of the room. Seeing Susan at Hogwarts for four years, he had not known that she was this rich. He had initially thought that she was well off since she was from an old family but she was actually very rich, perhaps one of the richest families.
"Harry!" a voice interrupted his musings and he saw Susan standing at the door to the parlor. Seeing her in form fitting jeans and a top, her red hair loose, falling to her waist and her blue eyes shining with excitement, Harry's jaw dropped and he was struck dumb. After a few seconds, Susan interrupted Harry's impression of a cod fish by giggling at him. He came out of his trance and his jaw made an audible click as he closed his mouth. As he looked around, he could see that Harsh Vardhana was smirking and that Neville was making a visible effort to suppress a laugh.
"Welcome Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom", said Amelia Bones coming in through the door, "it has been long since heirs of those two splendid houses and allies of House Bones have graced this house."
"Madam Bones", said Harsh Vardhana stepping up to her, bowing and taking her right hand and pretending to kiss her knuckles, "I see the manor of House Bones has not lost its splendor. You have kept the place well- kept."
Amelia Bones smiled at him, "Thank-you Mr. Harsh though I insist that you call me Amelia. I believe that the preparations for Mr. Potter's voyage are complete?"
"Voyage? Where are you going Harry?", Susan asked Harry, who was still having difficulty connecting his brain to his tongue and chose to say nothing rather than engaging his foot with his mouth.
"Mr. Potter has agreed to go on a journey with me, Ms. Bones. We leave in two days time and this is the last time that you can see him for the summer, I am afraid. I believe he can tell it himself by the moment he will find that he is able to use the ability to speak again", said Harsh Vardhana somberly with mirth dancing in his eyes making others laugh while Susan blushed deep red.
Finally, Harry stepped up to Madam Bones and repeated as Neville did bowing and pretending to kiss her knuckles. Harry had been subjected to what Petunia called manners for a gentleman but this was not a part of them. May be later, Neville could fill him in.
"So Amelia, do you have any other family members currently inhabiting this glorious seat of power of House of Bones?", Harsh asked Amelia.
Her expression turned melancholic, "No, we are all that is left of us. Once a great and proud family, we are reduced to just the two of us. Two wars back to back dwindled our numbers. In the last war, I lost my siblings and their families. There are no others left. In fact, just before this summer I was living in a mansion near London. This is the first time in 3 years that we have come to live at this mansion."
"I realize that. I noticed that you have erected the war wards and anti-apparition wards. It was precisely due to that reason that I chose to come like I did", he said eliciting laughter from Amelia who said, "Since when have anti-apparition wards ever stopped you? If memory serves, Edward Bones wrote in his journal that you never cared for such trifles."
"Old Edward wrote about me?", he asked with mock surprise" 'I believe the man was going senile in his old age. I never thought that a man who looked so fearsome in battle would write in journals."
"Oh, you are such a charmer. He wrote about you", she said, amused, "you never cared for such niceties in the past."
Neville who had been quiet all this while said, "My Gran mentioned to me once how this manor was seeped in ambient magics and that it would need a legion of ward breakers to bring down the wards."
"Your Gran is right, Neville and it is for that reason that I moved in here. I do not intend to die in the coming war and I do not intend to see Susie come to some harm. This manor is fortified and the wards can withstand an assault for days before they can be broken down giving us time to escape', she informed them, 'the floo here is barred and apparition is only possible outside the property lines. Given a contingent of men capable of holding a wand, we can hold our own before help arrives."
"Madam Bones...' started Harry before he was interrupted, "Harry, I am your guardian now. You must call me Amelia or Aunt Amelia.", she said but before she could finish, a loud squeal was heard and Susan was hugging her tightly.
After a moment, Susan released her blushing and Amelia was smiling at her gesture. Susie had been hounding her for years to secure guardianship of Harry since she had known that she was betrothed to Harry Potter. It was natural that she could not control her emotions hearing that Harry was now Amelia's ward and would stay with them.
"Seeing your pleasant response to the situation Miss Bones", said Harsh Vardhana, his eyes glinting mischievously, "I heard of a very interesting tale of an invite apparently from you addressed to Harry Potter given to the Head Master and laced with compulsion charms so that he will not forget to give it to him and fall to his old wayward ways. Would you happen to know anything about that?"
Susan went beet-red while Harry's cheeks burned with the embarrassment of the situation while Neville was grinning like someone had given him a mega-gift but Amelia was mock scowling, "Susan Amelia Bones, did you use compulsion charms on the head master?".
Susan cringed at the tone but did not reply.
Harsh Vardhana turned to Neville then, "Neville, I have heard of another fascinating tale of a blond who looks upon you like you look on an exotic plant and yet you do not give her time of the day? Did your Gran not tell you that it is bad manners to hurt a lady?"
Needless to say, Neville was blushing and staring at the ground as if wishing it would open and swallow him while Amelia snorted at the thought of how easy it was to embarrass the teens who were growing too fast for their age. If she had her way, she would have allowed them to be children, date people they like, fall in love, have fun with magic but that was not to be. A war was coming and the first thing that was usually sacrificed at the altar of war was innocence.
To divert the attention away from them, Harry interrupted, "Amelia, what are the wands for?"
'The wands, Harry, have belonged to various members of the House of Bones who have made this House proud by their valour and bravery or by making substantial contributions to magic. The House of Bones has had a long history of producing notable members", she replied proudly.
Harsh Vardhana who had wandered to the shelf, was looking at a wand fondly, "Is this wand that belonged to Wildred, one of the companions of Merlin? Rowan wood, 10 inches, unicorn hair?"
Amelia was surprised at his description of the wand but nodded, "Yes, that is his wand. He was the founder of the House of Bones. But, how do you know that? It is family history."
He smiled ruefully, "Story for another time, Amelia but you would remember that Edward Bones was my friend? He told me a little about your family history."
While Amelia sensed that the man was not telling her something, she chose to let it go for the moment.
Harsh Vardhana continued, "Do you know of the war that we had fought together? It was somewhere in Russia where a dark lord was heavily recruiting in 1800's
when we raised an army against them. That was perhaps the last time that all the original members of the great alliance had fought together."
Everyone's expression was melancholic but no one commented on the situation and he started again, "We are digressing here. I wanted to ask you if you would take custody of Mr. Potter for now or he can remain where he is for the moment."
Susan immediately snapped, "Absolutely not! I will not let you leave Harry with those horrible muggles. They are the worst sort. I will fight you all, if I have to!"
Amelia frowned at her behaviour. While Susan was usually fiercely protective of others around her, she had never berated anyone like this. She had heard the rumors of the mistreatment at the hands of the muggles, bits which Susan had overheard; perhaps it was time to see if they were true but before that she need to rein in Susan's anger.
"Susan Amelia, you will behave in a manner befitting a young lady and no, Harry Potter is not living with the muggles. He is living with his god father at the moment", Amelia said sternly to Susan.
Susan flinched before starting again, "if Harry has a godfather...".
Amelia cut her off with a stern glare, then addressing Harsh, "Mr. Harsh Vardhana, I would like to investigate the muggles and Harry's treatment at their hands but I would like to know if they are there still. It was my understanding that they had left the place?", Amelia asked.
"You are right. They have left privet drive today but the house has been bought by goblins using their muggle liaisons and will be sold once you complete your investigations", he answered her.
"If they have left, how will we find them?", she asked him curiously and then suddenly realisation dawned on her, "no, no, don't tell me. I think I understand. Just give me the monitoring device to the tracking charms which have been set upon them and tell me if I have to exercise any caution."
Harsh's eyes were full of mirth as he retold the entire adventure at Privet Drive and he gleefully told them of the hexes they had set upon the muggles. He also recounted that they can have an amazing witness in Arabella Figg, a squib who just lives on the next street.
While he was recounting his tale, Susan was smirking inwardly. Those horrible muggles will get their comeuppance once Auntie finished her investigation. She had seen signs of malnourishment and abuse on Harry when he had come to Hogwarts. Every year at the starting feast, he looked like he was starved for the summer and she had heard of abuse and beatings which baffled her. Even in dark families, they rarely beat or abuse their children anymore then how a muggle could do that to children. She wanted to give Dumbledore an earful for not doing anything about all the abuse that Harry had faced all the years and yet had stood tall. She was pleased when Harsh Vardhana detailed the hexes he had placed upon the Dursleys and thought of all the problems that they would face because of the hexes. While she was not a fan of bullying, she felt it could not happen to nicer people than the Harry's muggle relatives. They had hurt her Harry. If she had her way, she would have cursed them within an inch of their lives.
"Amelia, I have come here to discuss some grave tidings which no third party should be privy to", said Harsh and Madam Bones ordered the children out of the parlor asking Susan to show them around the manor.
"What do you want to discuss, Mr. Harsh?", she asked curiously.
"Madam Bones, do you know of a prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Voldemort (Amelia flinched). The prophecy was made in 1980 to Dumbledore who alerted the parents of the two possible prophecy children and they went into hiding. One was the Potters and others were the Longbottoms. Voldemort decided that Harry was the child of prophecy and went after him and you know the rest of the story. Now that the second war is almost upon us, you know who would be the target of Voldemort and his followers. Right now, since the minister is acting as a buffoon, Voldemort is hiding and gathering strength while the Auror force of the ministry is waning. Even if you get a 100 auror trainees tomorrow, you would not get them ready before the war by the way they are trained. What are you doing for the war?", asked Harsh Vardhana.
Amelia was surprised to say the least. James Potter and Sirius Black were part of her squadron in the war and she was their commanding officer with Frank & Alice Longbottom. The war was at its peak when the four of them had left the aurors suddenly and went into hiding. While she was disappointed with James and Frank, she knew that they had legitimate reasons as they just had sons born to them and wanted to keep their family safe. Neither did she begrudge Sirius Black leaving the Auror corps since he always followed James Potter and they were nigh inseparable. Their leaving had made an impact on the corps considering the four of them and Lily had evaded you-know-who three times so far. In three encounters (she did not know the full story) they had come across you-know-who and lived to tell the tale with only minor injuries while preventing some big catastrophes including an assassination attempt of the former minister Milicent Bagnold, who after that incident had allowed use of lethal force by the Aurors and it was this decision that had stemmed the flow of carnage and destruction at the hands of death eaters. In the last 15 years, she had often wondered about the reasons which forced the Potters and Longbottoms to go into hiding considering the Potters had died and the Longbottoms had become permanent residents of the Permanent Spell Damage Ward at St. Mungo's. Sirius Black had not fared well either becoming a resident of Azkaban for 12 years for a crime he did not commit. When she heard of him being accused of betraying the Potters, she could not believe those accusations but there was nothing she could do. He was sentenced to Azkaban by the war tribunal which had been set up after the war and Amelia at that time had believed that Sirius Black was given a trial. So, when Harsh Vardhana told her about a prophecy, her suspicions were confirmed. There was a prophecy which concerned either of the boys and it was due to this reason that their parents had gone into hiding and it was this reason that the Potters had written a marriage contract with Bones. But this answer brought several questions to her mind.
"How do you know of this prophecy? Do you know what it says?", she asked him.
"The prophecy was made in 1980 but at that time, there was no mention of whom it concerned except that it was about Voldemort. When we heard of his fall, we knew he is not dead so we made some discreet inquiries and conducted some investigations of our own in places which are bound to have some answers. We found our answer in your department of mysteries where the hall of prophecy contains a prophecy regarding Harry Potter and Voldemort (she shuddered again)", he replied.
"The hall of prophecies? But how did you enter the department? It is supposed to contain the best wards available which no-one can breach?", she asked, baffled with
the revelation.
"When has wards ever stopped me or people like me?", he asked her, smirking.
"People like you? What do you mean? Come to think of it, I do not even know much about you except what Dumbledore told in the infirmary", she said, frowning at him.
He laughed aloud, "A lot of people have tried to find out about us. Albus, when he was a young man, went searching for us, intrigued by our legends but he did not find us instead he found a phoenix which bounded itself to him. Half of his fantastical powers come from him. He tried to find us for months and faced several obstacles we put in his path and he overcame all. We did not meet him deliberately because we knew he was trying to seek our secrets but we do not sell them. We realised that he would be a great wizard in future but our secrets exposed could put the world at great risk. After a long search, he finally gave up on us and returned to Avalon. Years later, Tom Riddle, another wizard from your lands came to find us and he defied mother magic in so many ways that we were appalled. While we do not categorise magic, he did not care for magic either. He did not revere it but used it as a tool. He reeked of foulest magics and we had to confront him because it is part of our job description, you can say. I personally went out against him and after a long and arduous duel of 2 hours; I finally was able to capture him. We could have killed him, if it was possible. Someone transgressing the sacred rules of magic is a criminal for us but he had several fail safes so he would not die. So, we obliviated him and left him in deserts of Sahara. Later that one came out as Lord Voldemort."
"Tom Riddle? That is his original name?", she asked dumbly.
He chuckled, "Of course his name is not Voldemort (She shuddered again). He is son of a squib of an old pureblood family and a muggle and was named for his father, Tom Riddle and maternal grandfather Marvolo Gaunt. His full name is Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"Gaunt!", Amelia exclaimed, "that family was supposed to be extinguished years ago when the son of Marvolo, Morffin was incarcerated in the high security cell at Azkaban for life. I have heard insanity ran in their blood and they inbred so much that their magic waned."
"I am afraid their last descendant is still alive and it is his death which will bring some peace to wizarding world and Harry Potter will be at the front of the opposing forces", he replied gravely.
"Harry? But Dumbledore is more powerful and experienced. I do not think that Voldemort will be able to face him", she said, agitated, "besides Harry will need much more training and experience to defeat him."
"Do not worry", he said assuring her, "he will ready when the time comes. This is where we come in and where you come in. Harry Potter will need to step up and become a force to reckon with. Right now, he is pretty powerful magically, almost as much powerful as Voldemort or Dumbledore but in the political arena, he is a novice. The great alliance still stands but it will need to be jostled into action before the wheel start moving again. As a guardian of Harry Potter you will need to step in and take over the reins of House Potter in the capacity of Regent like you have been doing for House Bones. Also, Harry is heir of House Peverell which is a step above on social ladder than others including any other house of the great alliance. He is also the heir of House Black but that will be looked after by Sirius if he is free. Now that we are on it, how things go with Sirius Black's trial?"
She sighed, "Cornelius is making things difficult, no doubt with Malfoy's help. He is pretty adamant that we sentence Pettigrew to the Dementor's Kiss. But, I have been keeping him away from the ministry. I will need to rein in Cornelius before he goes too far. The number of Aurors is also low and they will need to be bolstered before anything else is said or done. I don't know what to do about this problem."
"When you are ready Amelia, call an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot but before that call a meeting of the allies of the Great Alliance which will be renewed with the new Lord Potter and if mother magic permits, Lord Frank Longbottom", he said.
"Frank? But isn't he at St. Mungo's with no chance of recovery?", she asked surprised.
He smiled at her, "I am delighted to announce that Lord Frank and Lady Alice Longbottom can be healed of their maladies but they would need time to come at their strengths which would take about a month and another month before they are fit to fight a duel. At most, by August Frank Longbottom will be ready to take over the family seat at the Wizengamot. Before you call the meeting of the alliance, brief them of the situation about Sirius Black and secure their support and before the emergency session, you can try to bring in families from the neutral faction by bringing in Lord Greengrass of the neutrals. With Dumbledore on your side with the neutrals, you can get him free of all charges. If Malfoy or Fudge try to create any disturbance in the Wizengamot, simply use the will of the original houses of which there are only Black, Potter, Bones, Longbottom, McMillan, Greengrass, Sayre and Nott are left. With the will of houses on your side, Fudge cannot interfere and if you wish, you can wrestle Malfoy out of his seat since they have a non-permanent seat but I would advise against this. While you are trampling Fudge, have a motion passed to increase the Auror Corps and their funding. This should help you."
She frowned at the simplicity of the suggestions, "But How much use will a bunch of green Aurors be? What I need are warriors."
"Then you can simply use the best resource available to train them in combat. You have master Auror Mad-eye Moody with you, don't you?", he grinned at her which she returned.
"Now that we are done talking, maybe we can go and find the children and hope they are not engaged in some nefarious activities", he said suggestively causing her to flush red but nodded her head.
They found the three children outside the house swimming in the pool where Harry was trying to swim and failing while Susan was helping him. Neville was already swimming like a fish in the water at the deep end.
"Susan, I have never learned to swim", Harry was saying, exasperated.
"But you performed well at the tournament", she replied innocently, "how did you swim so brilliantly if you don't know how to swim?"
"I used Gillyweed. Dobby stole some from Snape's personal stores", Harry replied grinning sheepishly.
"Susan, have you still not told him that you suggested Gillyweed to Dobby, which by the way, you had asked me," said Neville who was swimming near them, making Susan blush while Harry was staring at her open mouthed.
"Close your mouth, Potter or you will catch flies," she replied coyly and glared at Neville, "And it was supposed to be a secret, Longbottom. You will pay for this."
Neville actually flinched at her demeanour which made the adults chuckle and it was then that the teens noticed that the adults were standing near them.
"Susan Amelia.", said Amelia, in mock stern-manner, "we will have words later about your breaking rules. I never would have thought that my own niece has so little regard for rules."
"Auntie, I read those rules and they said that Harry was not permitted to ask nor receive help from his teachers. There's nothing in there about other students, house elves or even adults outside of the faculty. So, I didn't break any rules", then she giggled, "Besides, you would never punish me."
Amelia whipped her wand out and shot a stinging hex at her which made her yelp in indignation then Harry and Neville started laughing until Susan dunked Harry's head below the water who dragged Neville with him.
After some more of their frolicking, the adults herded them inside where dinner was being set by the elf who had escorted them inside. Harry looked upon the spread on the table and his eyes were wide with surprise. The amount of food on the table was enough to feed a small army. It was like one of the feasts at Hogwarts.
During the dinner, there was little small talk during which Amelia asked Susan when Hannah would be visiting and Susan replied that she would come whenever Harry was there and will be permitted to stay if only Harry was comfortable with it. While Harry was little angry with the blond for siding with those maligning him during the tournament, he was not going to offend Susan besides if he was to predict, Neville was already falling for the blond and he did not want any troubles between him and Neville.
He turned to Susan, "Susan, you do not need to break your friendship for my sake. I am fine with her coming and staying here even if...", He was cut-off midway in his diatribe by Susan who replied hotly, "I am not okay with it Harry Potter. And you shall not have such a low opinion of yourself and you certainly should not allow others to walk all over you."
Harry gulped, not ever having thought of Susan as scary but in that moment, he did not know who he feared more, 'An angry Susan or a fully enraged Voldemort'. To pacify her, he raised his hands in surrender and Amelia glared at her niece who was feeling embarrassed with her outburst thinking Harry may have guessed that she had started to love him but to her apparent relief, Harry was clueless as ever.
The rest of the meal passed in silence and at last, Harsh offered to escort Harry and Neville to their residences which Amelia promptly accepted. As they were leaving, Susan gave a little kiss to Harry on his cheek causing him to blush while the adults chuckled.
Black Townhouse London, the next day
Harry woke up feeling groggy and grumpy, not having slept enough after the previous day's adventures. Padfoot was licking his face and wagging his tail.
"Gross Padfoot!", he said rolling the dog to the floor.
The dog changed into Sirius who was grinning at him, "Morning Godson. Wake up. Don't be lazy.".
'What has got you so cheerful?", Harry grumbled.
Sirius barked his laughter, "It promises to be a fine morning, Prongslet and it would be a waste to sleep in."
"Prongslet?", he asked, confused to which Sirius replied, "James and I gave you that nick-name, but not for Lilly's ears. She heard us once and hexed us with a stinging hex so hard that it still hurts to think about it. And she was also not an early riser."
"Yeah well, some of us are humans Padfoot and not dogs", he said cheekily and ran to the bathroom shutting the door behind him before Sirius could retort.
Half an hour later, he entered the kitchen to find it full of order members. Kingsley was sitting with Moody talking in low voices with him; Sirius was sitting at the head of the table talking to Mundungus Fletcher while Tonks was sitting by herself and raised her head when he entered. She looked at him delightedly and grinned, "Wotcher cousin."
Harry frowned, "How are we cousins?"
She grinned at him, "You see my mother, Andromeda Tonks nee Black is a daughter of the House Black and Sirius's cousin. Your grandmother was her great aunt and so, we are cousins a few times removed."
Harry's mind was reeling that the wizarding world was so complex. A total stranger could be your relative but he perked up at the thought of having some family members he knew nothing about. May be, Sirius could fill him in later. Lately, Harry had been realising that there were so many things that he did not know about his world since he did not consider the muggle world as his own anymore. Studying at Hogwarts had kept so many things from him and his choice of friends had not done much to fill him in on all the customs, practices and social behaviours of this world. Now that he was living in this world, maybe he could learn them.
"Harry, you are looking so tired. Sirius told me you did not sleep well. I wonder why? Did the thought of a certain pretty red-head cause you to lose sleep?", Tonks teased him, waggling her eye brows suggestively.
"Red-head did you say? Oh my, my! He is so much like his father", said Remus, amused who had just entered the kitchen, 'he also used to follow a red head so much she dubbed him 'arrogant toe rag' but James never stopped chasing her. Good for you, Harry!"
Harry was blushing and mumbled something incoherent while the adults laughed at his predicament. Finally, Moody growled, 'All right, All right. Enough of these antics, you all. Leave the lad be now.'
After the ruckus had died down, the Daily Prophet arrived bearing the news that Cornelius Fudge had recommended to the ICW that Dumbledore be removed but they refused since Dumbledore was given a place among mugwumps of the ICW in recognition of his triumph against Grindelwald and the ministry had no authority in this.
The news created a round of murmuring at the table which was broken when someone knocked on the door of the townhouse at which the house immediately became quiet. A moment later, Harsh Vardhana walked in.
Sirius was looking at him with such incredulity on his face that he had to laugh, "Is there something the matter, Mr. Black?"
Sirius by now had found his voice, "Why are you knocking on the door? You could have just come in like you did yesterday? I mean wards cannot stop you."
"What? You mean I should just appear in a room full of people armed to the teeth taking them by surprise when apparition is not possible there. It may work for you Mr. Black but not when a paranoid auror like Master Auror Moody is present", he said mischievously while Moody eyed him for a moment than glanced away warily.
"I would have thought you would always remain the brash, abrasive, hot headed Auror, Alastor", chided Harsh Vardhana, "but perhaps the humbling you got in Wiltshire got to you."
Alastor's head snapped up suddenly, his wand out but before he could say anything, he was disarmed. Harsh was standing, his wand levelled at Moody, his eyes full of mirth, "Constant Vigilance, Alastor."
Suddenly, Alastor barked out a laugh and standing, raised a salute to Harsh, "Indeed I have lost my touch if you entered here and my eye could not identify you."
They clasped each other's arms at the elbows and shared a one-handed embrace like old friends, leaving others in the room surprised.
"It's been too long, my friend", said Alastor, "I never thought you would live this long."
"You two know each other?", Sirius asked, dumbly.
Harsh grinned at Moody, "Oh yes. You see there was one time when I had the chance to cross wands with Moody here who had it on his mind that I am a dark wizard and..." he was interrupted by Alastor who growled, "Alright, alright, you do not need to recount the tale again and embarrass me, Harsh."
The others in the room laughed uproariously at Moody who was glaring at Harsh who was doubled up with laughter, wiping tears from his eyes. It was in this position that Dumbledore found them when he entered into the kitchen followed by Minerva McGonagall.
Smiling, Dumbledore addressed them, "Good Morning everyone. It is delightful to see people laughing and spreading smiles around despite the grim outlook of the world outside. May I know the source of this amusement?"
Alastor, who had got over his irritation by now barked, "When I was a newly made Auror, I got wind of this dark wizard who was tormenting people. No other Auror was ready to take the case considering the dangerous situation. I volunteered. During that case, I went through 3 partners who could not take it and they were perhaps the finest of Aurors during that time, Robert Jonathan, Carlos O'Pierre and Edward Curtis. It was during that case, I met several individuals who were working for a dark wizard and in those days, I was sorely tempted to use lethal force, but restrained myself. Once while I was on hunt I ran into this one and thought him to be the Dark Lord. He tried to make me see reason by talking sense but I was too excited to care and challenged him to a duel on the name of Merlin and he hilariously replied that he had seen Merlin when he was a baby. Finally, I goaded him into fighting me when I called him vile and that he was committing sacrilege against magic. Turns out it was a grave mistake because I had to fight a long and hard duel. I fought for 45 minutes during which I attacked less and defended more. He used so many curses that I had not even known in my still short career as an Auror. Finally, he got the jump on me when I was expecting a lethal curse and he shot a stinging hex at me. I was so surprised by it that I dropped by shield and the next moment, I was downed by a bone breaker to the wand hand."
Everyone was laughing by now seeing how Moody was bested by a stinging hex and they could understand his constant vigilance. Harry was visibly excited hearing the story. Every time he heard something about the mystic, it fascinated him more and he just could not wait to start his training but perhaps that will have to wait for a proper wand.
When Alastor did not speak for a few more minutes, Harry prodded him asking, "What of the dark wizard, Professor?"
Alastor growled, "Don't know much about Professor. Never got around to teaching you, did I? Turns out, this one had just finished the dark wizard and his band of merry men before he clashed with me. It still remains the only case where I did not finish the task that I was given. After we had reconciled our differences, I took the dark wizard's body and reported to the Auror headquarters. Turns out that scum was from some old pureblood family from Germany which is now lost in obscurity."
While they were contemplating Mad-eye's story, Sirius turned into a dog and started playing fetch with McGonagall. Remus was conversing in a low voice with Shacklebolt. Moody was talking to Harsh Vardhana, and Nymphadora was entertaining young Harry with metamorphing her features while Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling and he was lost in thought. Every time someone told of some experience of Harsh Vardhana, it added another layer to the mystic. He was an enigma, perhaps as much as Harry Potter who had been getting better every day.
For years, Albus had been trying to find the mystics who were mentioned almost in all folklores of the wizarding world, which was steeped in mystery and intrigue and they were not merely present in them but they played an active part. Their ways and their proficiency in magic was what prompted him to find them, hoping to unravel some of the secrets which were lost in time, particularly the secrets of war mages. There were war mages in all the world but most of the powerful ones in Avalon had originated in one family, Peverell and that was one of the reasons that Dumbledore took special notice of young Harry knowing that if he was even half of what the Peverells were, he would be one of the most powerful wizards and by the time his core finished growing, Tom Riddle would look like a puny kid to him. His power levels were what had him worried since there was no teacher who could train him to wield that power with apparent ease. He knew that the elder wand in his robes was singing for Harry Potter and when the right time came, Dumbledore planned to give it to him.
Dumbledore had plans for Harry Potter. He had tried to find a way to extract the soul fragment without causing him to die. There was no way that he would have allowed Harry to die on his watch. Harry Potter was like a grandson to him and he would be damned if he allowed that to happen. He had planned the fourth year to start preparing Harry, training him to wield his power and arcane magics but things had been thrown into chaos when Harry was entered into the tournament and he had to postpone the idea. He had intended to take the summer holidays and find a cure for Harry Potter in ancient lands of magic such as Greece, Rome, Egypt and India but it did not come to that. When the mystic had offered his aid to train Harry Potter, he had no reason to refuse him. They would mould Harry Potter into the warrior he needed to be. In the meanwhile, Dumbledore had plans to follow. First thing was to topple Cornelius off his chair and may be with Madam Bones's help he would be able to do that. Then they would install someone with guts to make hard decisions in the minister's office. While Voldemort remained in hiding, they could use that time to build their forces. Because, according to Snape's report, Tom certainly was recruiting and preparing for his conquest. It had been long since he played in the political arena. With Sirius Black free, they would be able to do so much more in this war in a short time. In the meanwhile, Harry Potter would train to meet his destiny. He had one destiny, Kill Tom Riddle.
Dumbledore's train of thought was interrupted when the kitchen door opened and a very haggard looking Hestia Jones entered. She reported gravely, "Head Master, last night Dorcas Meadow's brother was killed near his family home."
The table went silent. Suddenly, Sirius pounded the table with his fist, "Will we just sit here and let them walk all over us again?" He looked at Albus, his eyes filled with tears and his voice full of rage, "Albus, when will we strike back? Are you still going to insist on your stunning spells only policy?"
He simply looked murderous and Harry was scared of him a little. He had never seen Sirius looking so enraged and those who had, were once again reminded why he was a Black. The Blacks were very hard to enrage but once their fury awakened, they were unstoppable. Cautiously, every one of them scooted their chairs a little further from him making Remus chuckle and Sirius frown.
"Calm down Padfoot", he said gently, "others are getting scared. We don't want them to dub thee 'the Azkaban escaped crazy mass-murderer, do we?"
This made Sirius control his temper while Albus chuckled. Minerva was trying to look stoic, pursing her lips but her facade was crumbling. Harry was trying not to laugh while Nymphadora was looking amused.
Before Dumbledore spoke, all signs of amusement were gone from his face. He waited for silence and then began, "The taking of a life is the most serious matter. Those among us who have been faced with the choice of kill or be killed understand all too well what I mean. But, our numbers are dwindling and Voldemort and his followers have no compunction about taking life. Therefore, it is with deepest regret and great reluctance that I authorize lethal force. You will drill and practice these spells until you can cast them with the same speed and accuracy as anything in your repertoire. In the previous conflict, we lost far too many good people because they were not proficient with these spells when they needed to use them. Never again! This time, The Order of the phoenix will give as good as it gets!"
When Dumbledore finished, everyone in the room, with the exception of Harsh, pumped their right fist in the air and shouted, "HERE! HERE!"
At that point, a babble broke out as the members of the order began to talk among themselves. While Harsh and Moody discussed approaches to training, Tonks, Remus and Sirius carried on.
Nymphadora who had been quiet all this while, turned to Sirius, "Damn, you are scary, cousin. At that moment I felt like my mother's anger had nothing on you. After today, I will be wary of you."
Sirius smiled at her words but said nothing while Remus said, "Since Albus agrees, I think it's time that you delve into that library of yours and find some fun stuff for us, Padfoot."
Harry who could not keep his silence exclaimed, "This place has a library!", which caused Sirius to laugh.
Remus grinned at him, "If you were a certain bushy haired Gryffindor witch Prongslet, I would have shown you the door by now."
Sirius guffawed, "Not that she can enter that place. It has blood wards protecting it and only one of Black Blood can enter the inner chamber where the more fun stuff is."
"But why restrict anyone access to the library?", asked Harry confused.
"Because Prongslet, the books in there contain a lot about the Black family magic and it should not be seen by others. Family magic is the legacy of a family, special spells which were developed by the family and for the family.", replied Sirius.
"What about mine?", asked Harry.
"Your what?", Sirius asked him, confused by the question.
"My family magic. Didn't they have their own family magic?"
Harsh and Moody had broken off their reminiscing session when they understood what the other group was discussing, It was Harsh who answered this question, "Yes they did and it was mostly battle magic. Your family has had a reputation of warriors and the magic they possessed was not easily accessible. A lot of their magic is what you British Wizards call Dark Magic.", he finished, scowling.
"Dark? My family is not dark", Harry protested.
"I am not saying your family is dark. It's just that your family never classified magic as light or dark but they worshipped mother magic as it is.", replied Harsh Vardhana, "and that is why your family is rather gifted in family magics. In addition to the family magic of Potters, you have the family magics of Peverell to call your own."
"Peverell.", Harry repeated the word which caused his magic to surge within him.
"You are also the heir to the House of Black, Prongslet", Sirius chimed in, eagerly, "which means the Black family magic is also yours."
"Alright, I think you have all astounded Mr. Potter enough for today", declared Dumbledore, "it is time that he got on with his business for the day. You know he does not have much time to dilly dally."
At that moment, a tawny owl entered the room. It was a regal looking owl with a silk ribbon tied around its neck, a small copy of the Longbottom crest hanging from it. Harry relieved the owl of its burden and offered a treat which it gracefully accepted before taking flight once more. The letter was from Dowager Lady Longbottom.
"Dear Mr. Potter,
"I enjoyed making your acquaintance yesterday; however, in our haste I forgot to convey the location of Longbottom Castle to you. This letter is a portkey which will activate at noon and take you to the castle at the designated hour i.e. noon.
I also failed to take the name or address of the healer who has proposed the ritual for today which will hopefully bring my children back to me. I would urge you to convey the message to him and to accompany you that I may be assured of your safety.
Augusta Longbottom
Regent of the House Longbottom"
Harry showed the letter to Harsh Vardhana who simply looked amused, "I will accompany you as she wishes through this portkey, Mr. Potter though I really do not need it. I have known the location of the Longbottom castle since the first foundation was laid down. But for this visit, I will play the ignorant healer."
Sirius snorted but looked skeptical, "Semantics, Mr. Harsh Vardhana. You are not a day older than 40."
Whipping out his wand, he leveled it at Sirius and mock frowned, "Are you insulting my age Mr. Black? You can ask Albus here what happens when one's age is mocked".
Sirius looked at Albus who winced as if in pain. He said, "It was the first time that I met master Flamel. He was a brilliant wizard but cranky. I once said he did not look like he could be over 500 years old. He made a point of it to hex me every time he got a chance or sometimes he pranked me. I never made that mistake again. I would advise you to take the risk at your own peril."
Sirius, the marauder that he was, raised his hand in a mock salute to Harsh, "I hereby challenge you upon a marauder's honour to a prank war."
"Did someone say Marauder?", asked Gred Weasley, entering the room.
"Or prank war?", added Forge who had followed his twin.
"Head Master, we have come To report for duty.", they said together.
"And we find,", said Gred.
"A prank war", said Foerge.
"And a marauder.", Said Gred.
"Enough!", barked McGonagall, "you two are going to drive us mad with your twin talk."
"Oh, Professor McGonagall, how pleasant to see you", Said Forge.
"We didn't see you when we came in", Said Gred.
"Were you a kitten?", asked Foerge.
"Or a tabby ca… Ouch!", Gred yelped as a stinger hit him in the backside and Forge dived for cover under the table from where a laughing Harry retrieved him.
"Misters Weasley & Weasley, what brings you here?", asked Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling.
"Head Master, Percy walked out on us yesterday", said Gred grimly.
"Broke everyone's heart", added Foerge.
"Even put ickle Ronnikins off his food", said Gred.
"Which clearly shows how dire the situation is", Said Forge.
"Considering he never leaves a morsel of food.", Said Gred.
"It is all rather sad", they said together.
Harry was getting weary with this twin talk but they were always a laugh to be around.
Finally the twins started telling about everything that had happened the previous day. How Percy had come home jubilant about getting a promotion in Fudge's office, how he insulted Arthur and how Molly broke down when he put the family down and how the Weasley's were getting ready to come to the head quarters of the Order.
The news of the Weasley's sent the elves into frenzy and they immediately got to work setting up the place and accommodations for everyone. While this was going on, the twins again asked about the words 'Marauder' and 'Prank war' and how the Marauders were their role models.
Sirius, laughed at this, and addressed the boys, "I am a Marauder. One of the quartet which once used to terrorise Hogwarts (Minerva shuddered while Albus looked weary for once). I was Padfoot, my brother James Potter was Prongs, Remus here was Moony and the traitor rat was Wormtail.", Sirius spat the last word with such scorn that everyone understood he was referring to Peter.
The twins turned to Sirius and Remus in awe and in another moment, they were bowing and scraping, "We are not worthy, we are not worthy", making others in the room laugh. Finally when the commotion died down, they turned to Remus, giving him an appraising look, which put him on the alert, "So that's how you used to catch us!", said Fred.
"A prankster catching other pranksters.", added George
"It's sacrilege, my good sir", said Fred somberly
"For honour's sake, we must declare a prank war upon you", added George.
"You are challenging a Marauder?", said Sirius with a mock-frown, "your challenge is accepted."
People in the house were beginning to dread being caught in the crossfire of a prank war while Harry was glad that he would be going away for the summer and would hopefully miss the whole thing. There may even still be a number twelve, Grimmauld Place, to come back to.
Almost as if reading his mind, Harsh whispered, "You are not escaping Mr. Potter. As it happens, I am myself very fond of pranks."
Tonks who was sitting beside Harry snorted while Harsh turned to Sirius, "Mr. Black, I accept your challenge. I assure you that by the time I return with Mr. Potter, you both parties will band together on my young protégée here." Harry cringed at this.
Dumbledore addressed the gathering, "While this is all very good, we have work to do. Harry, Mr. Harsh Vardhana will be taking you to Gringotts to claim your position in your family and the family magics. After that you have an invitation from Lady Longbottom to spend the day with them. Tomorrow you can return here and spend the day with your godfather before leaving for Bharat."
Harsh took his hand and disappeared into the shadows.
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