Harry Potter and the Mother Who Lived

by Gracques

When Lord Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Harry Potter, he agreed to a request from one of his disciples to spare his mother. The Dark Lord remained true to his word. Lily Evans Potter survived the night of October 31, 1981. Follow the story of Harry Potter where Voldemort kept his word and Harry was raised by his mother.

206. Amelia V

So, another chapter. I would have liked to upload it sooner, since it takes place largely in parallel with the previous one, but I had a busy schedule and had to wait for today.

A lot happens in this chapter. We get to see how Arthur Weasley's assault was handled inside the Ministry of Magic, and also the immediate aftermath.

I took some freedom in this chapter. I mostly told the story beyond what Harry witnessed that night and how it could have happened, rather than how I believe it happened. I also introduce a character from what I call Harry Potter's expanded universe. And I add more lore in the mix.

A packed chapter, in short.

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AMELIA V

"How could something like that happen?"

The Minister of Magic of Great Britain and Ireland, Cornelius Oswald Fudge was gesticulating and pacing vividly inside his office. His agitation was probably caused partially by the fact he was woken up in the middle of the night and still tired, but mostly by the fact that one of his own employees had been attacked by a snake within the walls of the Ministry itself.

Amelia wished that instead of pacing furiously and holding her in his office, Fudge would let her lead the efforts to identify Arthur Weasley's aggressor. But he was the Minister, and when the Minister summoned an employee, no matter her position, she had to obey. Unfortunately.

"The circumstances are still unclear," Amelia explained. "But it is clear that the beast that attacked him had a very poisonous venom. The Healers at St Mungo's are still fighting to keep him alive. The most preoccupying is that we haven't managed to find the snake anywhere near where Arthur Weasley was found. I organized a thorough search of the entire Ministry…"

She couldn't manage to explain how long searching the entire Ministry for a snake would be, for Fudge waved the concern away, as if finding a deadly snake that could attack another employee was no priority.

"What was Arthur Weasley doing there? What was he doing at the ninth level? What was someone like him doing inside the Department of Mysteries?"

"Technically, he wasn't inside the department, Minister," Amelia adjusted. "He was at the entrance door, outside the department. When he was found, his wand was on the floor, along with an invisibility cloak."

She knew that this would catch Fudge's attention. "An invisibility cloak?" He passed his fingers over his mouth, then raised his finger, as if he was realizing something. "He was doing something there. Something illegal. I want you to find it."

Amelia expected something like that. And this was the moment she needed to show her cards.

"No need to find. I already know what Arthur Weasley was doing there."

Fudge was caught by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"We were supposed to meet. Arthur Weasley agreed to meet me in front of the Department of Mysteries tonight. He said he had things to tell me."

"What things?" Cornelius asked, now looking very intrigued.

"I don't know. He didn't want to tell me unless I could guarantee him secrecy. So I arranged for us to meet there tonight, but when I arrived at the ninth level, he was on the floor, gravely injured. Other employees showed up almost immediately and helped to carry him to St Mungo's."

Fudge didn't seem sure what to think. "What do you think he was going to tell you?"

"I cannot be sure, but I believe it concerned Dumbledore." Now she had Fudge's full attention, his reaction proof of it. So she nailed it. "Minister, I hope you didn't think that I abandoned my investigations on Dumbledore after you made it clear it was a priority."

There was a glimpse of surprise, and even of shame in Cornelius' eyes the moment she said that. There were people who reported to Amelia that Fudge was unsatisfied with the lack of results of the investigation on Dumbledore. And also that, although Fudge didn't believe it, some of his close associates were beginning to question Amelia's loyalty to the Ministry.

"You believe that Arthur Weasley was willing to give you information on Dumbledore?" he asked, clearly interested now.

"Maybe. He was evasive. But he wanted to meet me. Unfortunately, when I arrived, he was already lying on the floor, with life-threatening injuries."

She hoped the lies would be worth it. Dumbledore asked, in fact, he begged her to tell this story to Fudge. For now, Arthur Weasley was sleeping, but they would make sure he would give the same story when he would wake up. The truth was that Amelia couldn't have been more surprised when she found one of her employees on the floor, at the feet of the entrance to the Department of Mysteries a few hours ago. She agreed with Dumbledore to give this version when Dumbledore promised he would tell her everything about why Arthur was there at this hour. Dumbledore hadn't told her yet, and it was only because he was Albus Dumbledore that Amelia accepted to tell these lies against a promise to get the truth in the future. Though the truth was that these lies arranged Amelia as well. They allowed to hide the true reason why she herself went down to the ninth level at this hour.

"Arthur Weasley was attacked right before you met him?" Fudge asked, more to himself than to Amelia. "In this case… Someone must have been trying to silence him. If this is Dumbledore, then we have him this time."

Amelia relented from rolling her eyes. "Minister, we are still unsure about what happened. Arthur Weasley's injuries were clearly inflicted by a snake, but we still don't know what kind of snake, nor have we been able to find it."

"Then find it! This snake may be the proof that Dumbledore is involved!"

Fudge seemed to give this matter the consideration it deserved now, although for the wrong reasons.

"I would recommend to hide this aggression from the media right now. Whoever did this might think that Arthur Weasley is dead. Better to deceive him as long as we can," Amelia advised.

"Of course. Anyway, we cannot let it know that one of our own employees was attacked, even less so close to the Department of Mysteries. The Unspeakables would not leave me in peace if it was revealed," Fudge said.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Cornelius, I have an investigation to lead," Amelia reminded him.

"Yeah. Of course. Go. Find the truth."

It was relieving to hear this, especially coming from Cornelius. Truth seemed to have become way too subjective for him lately.

"Could you please inform your assistant about what happened to his father?" she then asked.

For a moment, the Minister seemed confused, then he opened his eyes wide open. "Oh, yes. I'll tell Weasley as soon as he comes in. He should be here soon."

On that, Amelia had nothing more important to do in the Minister's office. She left, going back to her duties, heading directly for the ninth level.

Meetings with Fudge were more and more difficult and arduous every day. Cornelius had never been a particularly easy person to deal with. He wasn't a bad person, really. Cornelius had been competent in the positions he occupied as he climbed the ladder inside the Ministry of Magic. But he was also ambitious. And most of the time, it resulted in him dodging responsibility and finding excuses whenever he made mistakes. Since he became Minister, this trait of personality turned more preponderant each year. Amelia witnessed this evolution in Fudge. However, since last year, especially since the events of the Quidditch World Cup, and even more since those of June 24, this had taken entirely different dimensions. Cornelius was now living in denial. Amelia was afraid that he had come to love his position as Minister so much that he couldn't accept anything that might threaten his position. The result was obvious today: an utter lack of care for an employee who just suffered a deadly attack, and a tendency to jump to conclusions whenever he could find a reason to cause trouble for his opponents, whatever the consequences for the wizarding community, and even for the Ministry itself.

Amelia had to confess that her loyalty to the Ministry was tested in recent months. She still managed to differentiate the Ministry from the Minister, and she did her best to limit the damage Cornelius could do whenever he thought someone was posing a threat to his position, but it proved more difficult than in the past. And when she saw her Minister, the one who promoted her to her actual position, give so little care about one of his own employees… It was in these moments that she doubted about her loyalty. There were times when distinguishing between the Minister and the Ministry became difficult.

When the lift opened at the ninth level, the cool voice announcing it like it was any ordinary day, Amelia witnessed a flurry of activity like it was seldom seen at the entrance of the Department of Mysteries. People from various departments, including Aurors, investigators and experts from her own Department of Magical Law Enforcement, were still examining the scene of the crime. They were assisted by experts from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, since it definitely involved a snake. And of course, there were the Unspeakables. The accident happened next to the entrance of their department, so of course, they got involved. Though Amelia soon felt they were here more to cover things and to ensure no information leaked about their department than to actually help to solve the case.

"Savage. Shacklebolt," Amelia called.

The two Aurors she put in charge of the case walked away from the scene of the crime to stand before her.

"So, what are the news?" Amelia asked.

"We haven't found the snake yet," Miranda answered. "Without Weasley's injuries, I would say there has been none."

"I doubt that Arthur Weasley would have been able to injure himself in such a way," Kingsley said. "And I don't see why he would do such a thing, especially not here."

"The one thing that doesn't make any sense is that this snake doesn't seem to have left any trace behind. It is as if it never existed."

"I guess we will not know what kind of creature it was until we can talk to Weasley," Kingsley pointed out.

"Arthur Weasley is still being taken care of by the Healers," Amelia informed them. "I'll be informed the moment he gets better. For now, all we can do for him is investigate and find out what happened."

Both Aurors nodded. Amelia trusted them both. Both were elite Aurors. And for Kingsley, Amelia knew he was even more motivated to find out the truth. Amelia knew that the black man was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. That was why she put him on the investigation, although she gave its lead to Miranda. She also needed an Auror who could keep some distance with the victim.

"Have you considered the possibility that this snake might have come from the Department of Mysteries?" Amelia asked in a low voice.

"We have, Madam Bones," Miranda replied shortly.

"Let me guess. The Unspeakables are not cooperating."

"Indeed," Kingsley replied, casting a look over his shoulder. "Truth be told, they cause more problems than they help us. And of course, they refused to let us inside the Department of Mysteries, even if only to verify the room right behind it. And they refuse to answer any of our questions."

Amelia had a great envy of shaking her head right now. The Department of Mysteries was really causing headaches this time. She directed Kingsley and Miranda to continue their investigation, while heading towards one of the four Unspeakables who were positioned strategically all across the corridor to watch everything her investigators would do. She chose to approach the one Unspeakables who she knew was the wife of an employee working for Amelia's department.

"Aera Chang," Amelia said, standing in front of the Korean woman.

"Madam Bones," she replied curtly.

"My people need to access the Department of Mysteries for the purpose of their investigation." She spoke calmly, in a whisper, to avoid the other Unspeakables from hearing.

"I apologize, Madam Bones," she replied in a loud voice, so that everyone could hear. "But we cannot grant access to the Department of Mysteries to anyone who is not working there."

"Do you realize that your department is currently obstructing a criminal investigation? Maybe this is not his intention, but this is what you are doing," Amelia retorted calmly, but loudly as well.

"And we apologize for that. But I believe we don't need to remind you the crucial need to keep the operations of the Department of Mysteries secret, nor the fact that very few people can enter it even in the Ministry."

"This is true enough. But the circumstances are different right now. One of your colleagues is between life and death. And we cannot eliminate the possibility that whatever attacked him came from behind this door."

"We can assure you that whoever, or whatever attacked our colleague, didn't come from the Department of Mysteries."

"Then let my people confirm this."

"I am deeply sorry, Madam Bones, but this is not possible. You'll have to rely on our word."

Like always, Unspeakables were impossible to negotiate with. Amelia had learned a long time ago how stubborn these people were. "Very well. Then, I will verify it myself."

"You can't," Aera Chang shot immediately. "Like you said, current circumstances are very particular. We cannot allow anyone inside the department."

This was a nice try. "Mrs Chang, you know, as well as I do, and as well as all your colleagues do, that the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is allowed entry into the Department of Mysteries at all time."

Amelia may not have authority over this department, but she was free to access it whenever she wanted.

"Circumstances are exceptional," Aera reminded her, without another word.

"Exceptional or not, you cannot stop me from entering, and you know it."

Aera Chang didn't answer back. Amelia knew she cornered her. Unspeakables, if they were short of arguments, preferred to remain silent. They would never acknowledge someone else to be right. So Amelia walked passed Aera, and pushed the door to the Department of Mysteries.

She closed it behind her once she was in. The circular room was immaculate as always. Even as the doors began to turn, Amelia knew she would find nothing here. She didn't really think that whatever attacked Arthur came from within this place. In fact, considering what attacked him, she had her suspicions. Once the room was done turning on itself, she still practiced several spells to inspect the room. None revealed anything. This was no surprise, considering where they were. She suspected that even if there had been any proof here, the Department of Mysteries would have erased them already. Its employees didn't only refuse to talk about it. They also didn't want others to talk about it.

But Amelia didn't leave the place. Not immediately. Instead, she chose another door, where she hoped that she would find a person she needed to talk to. The only person who happened upon Arthur Weasley before Amelia did, and maybe the only eyewitness to tonight's assault. Amelia stood in front of the door and spoke the words that needed to be said on this day.

"Who I am is not important. My message is."

Amelia's ears caught the sound of the door unlocking for several long seconds until it opened. Amelia walked inside, leaving the door to close behind. The sound of the door shutting down almost hid the particular, quiet noise of a blade being sheathed.

"It's you," the voice with the Greek accent curtly said on her right. Amelia turned towards the origin of the voice.

"You seem quite nervous tonight, Kassandra," Amelia replied in the same way.

"Are you surprised? With what happened last night?"

The face of the woman standing in front of Amelia was barely illuminated by the fluorescent lights on the walls. Amelia knew that this time, torches would not be lit up.

"Did you tell anyone about our meeting?" the supposedly Greek woman asked, referencing the meeting she and Amelia were supposed to have last night, until it was interrupted.

"No one," Amelia assured. "And there is no way our communications could have been intercepted."

"A wise man once taught me that the only thing we should know for sure is that we know nothing."

Amelia was not in the mood to discuss philosophy, but she didn't hesitate to counter anyway. "Then you should know that you cannot know for sure that this happened because of our planned reunion."

Kassandra slightly bowed her head in agreement after a moment. "True enough. Do you suspect, as I do, that someone was trying to enter this place?"

"This is the most logical explanation. And since you're asking, I must conclude you don't know either why someone assaulted my employee."

"I am not privy to all plans of Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "So it was truly him?"

"It was him," Kassandra confirmed. "I glimpsed him getting away when I found your man on the floor."

This was precious information. That night, Amelia had a meeting arranged with Kassandra. The Greek woman claimed to have information for her. Each time Kassandra provided information, it was crucial, so Amelia never refused a meeting with the woman. However, when she came out of the lift that night, she immediately felt something was wrong. Amelia heard moans of pain the moment she stepped out of the elevator. The corridor leading to the entrance of the Department of Mysteries was plunged into darkness, and Amelia didn't lose time to light up her wand. What she saw in front of the black door was both terrifying and stunning.

When Amelia Bones had found Arthur Weasley lying on the floor of the ninth level that night, covered in blood, he wasn't alone. Kassandra was leaning over him, holding a shining staff over his chest. The staff seemed to be made of gold, similar to the shape of a lance, but with two snakes intertwined and wings of an eagle near the extremity. Kassandra had looked up the moment Amelia arrived, her demeanour very calm despite Arthur's dire state. She told Amelia to call for help, for she was able to maintain Arthur Weasley alive, but not to heal him. Understanding it wasn't time for questions, Amelia turned away to seek help, but after only a few steps, the lift had come cringing, with four people inside, all employees of her service, saying that a portrait told them someone was injured. Amelia had indicated Arthur to them. When they approached him, he was alone, bleeding on the floor. Kassandra was gone. Amelia knew she had disappeared the moment she heard other people approaching. Despite this, she had probably saved the life of Arthur Weasley that night.

"Any idea where he went?" Amelia asked.

"None," the Greek woman answered. "Once it was obvious he had escaped, I put all my attention on your man."

"You did the right thing," Amelia said, grateful.

"He might be the only one who could tell us what happened and why Riddle attacked him," Kassandra replied, as if it was a matter of fact. "But now, I guess you want to know why I organized this meeting with you tonight."

"Indeed."

Kassandra took an even more grave expression. "He's preparing something."

"What is he preparing?"

"Something big. I don't have the details, but I know it concerns your prison."

"Azkaban?"

"Yes," Kassandra confirmed. "If I was you, I would keep a very close eye on the island over the next few weeks."

"Do you know what he intends to do?"

"As I said, I don't have the details. I don't know either when it will happen. What I know is that it will take place soon, and that this is a major operation. Who knows? Maybe he will attack the prison."

Would Voldemort attack the prison? Amelia wasn't sure of that. So far, he did everything to ensure his anonymity, to guarantee the population kept believing he was dead. Launching a direct attack on Azkaban would blow everything up. But he could easily be preparing something else. He had many supporters inside this prison. Maybe he would try to make them escape. Or to definitely turn the Dementors to his side. Amelia was quite sure now that Voldemort had established contact with the Dementors. It was only a matter of time before the creatures joined him. Perhaps they were already working for him, and remained on the island on his orders to ensure that Fudge wouldn't suspect anything. Still, this was very valuable information. Amelia would have to increase the surveillance on Azkaban.

"So, that's all?" Amelia asked.

"Yes. Since I took the time to warn you, you better bet this a serious threat."

Amelia couldn't argue with that. "Very well. So when shall I hear of you again?"

"When I'll contact you. As to whether or not we will meet here… it will depend."

Amelia left the room with Kassandra inside and went back to the corridor of the ninth level, when her employees waited. None knew or would ever know she discussed with the only witness to Arthur's attack.

"I don't think the snake came from the Department of Mysteries," she told Savage and Shacklebolt on a low enough tone. "But let's not dismiss the idea yet. We're talking about the Department of Mysteries after all."

"Yes, Madam," Savage said. "I think we have gathered all the evidence we could find here. We have questioned the people who found Arthur Weasley and carried him to St Mungo's. The only person we haven't interrogated yet is Arthur Weasley himself. And we aren't sure yet if he will get out of this alive."

"He will," Kingsley said. "He must. He's one of our colleagues."

"I agree with you, Kingsley," Amelia said. "But for now, the best we can do is work to identify his aggressor and what kind of poison was used against him. Kingsley, I would like you to prepare a preliminary report of everything we know about what happened tonight. I want all facts, all witness declarations, all the evidence we found, and a timeline of events."

"Perhaps we should wait for Weasley to wake up, when he can testify," Kingsley suggested. Amelia didn't miss the fact that Shacklebolt called him by his family name on purpose.

"We don't know when Arthur Weasley might wake up… if he wakes up at all." She raised her hand as Shacklebolt was about to protest. "We all hope Arthur will get through this, but we must face reality. He may not survive. Given the severity of his injuries, I would rather treat all this as a homicide right away. So I'm asking you to pull together a report of everything we know right away. This is an order, Kingsley."

Shacklebolt nodded, and he walked away. Amelia then turned to the other Auror who was present. "I need a word in private with you, Miranda."

The Auror followed her to a place where no one else could hear them. When Amelia was sure no one was spying on them, she addressed her employee. "Listen to me very carefully now, Miranda. I need you to do something very important. You must go to St Mungo's right away and wait for Arthur Weasley to wake up."

Savage raised her eyebrows. "The Healers will inform us the moment he wakes up."

"True. But I need to ensure that no one speaks with him before I do." From her expression, Savage seemed to understand what Amelia meant. "Savage, listen. You asked me how I found myself in this corridor when Arthur Weasley was found. Well, it was Arthur Weasley who asked me to meet him at this place. And he was attacked right before we were about to meet."

Amelia regretted she had to lie to one of her best Aurors, but sometimes you had no choice but to lie for the greater good.

"That could explain a few things," Savage commented. "May I know why you were to meet him? The subject of the meeting?"

"No. Because I don't know it myself. But… I suspect he might have wanted to give me information on Dumbledore. However, this is only a theory. But Weasley was adamant that it was very important."

"I see now. You believe this attack could be linked to it?"

"Potentially. We cannot dismiss any mobile for this aggression. This is why I must be the first person to talk with Arthur Weasley when he wakes up."

"You?"

"Yes. Whatever information he might have wanted to share, it might be the reason why someone tried to kill him. It is important that I get this information, and he might be more likely to share it if I am there after he wakes up. He might not want to share it with you."

"I understand, Madam Bones."

"You warn me the moment he is about to wake up. And tell his family that you are here to ensure his protection. That might lower their suspicions. This will also give you the opportunity to question them and see if anybody had a reason to try to kill Arthur Weasley."

"Understood, Madam. Anyway, I intended to interrogate his wife."

"Tell no one about what I just told you, Savage. Not for now. Depending on what Weasley will tell me, he might need further protection."

"Yes, Madam. I'll head there right away."

Amelia followed Miranda to the elevator, for she had nothing else to do at the ninth level either. It was nearly four o'clock in the morning now, and she already had a lot of work planned for today, even before Arthur Weasley was assaulted. And even if one of her own employees lied between life and death, the whole Ministry and especially her own department had to keep running. This would not rid Amelia of her duties.

So she spent the next three hours doing routine work in her office, getting absorbed in her usual duties as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. There was a report in particular that grabbed her attention, where one of her employees reported unusual behavior among prisoners from his recent visit to Azkaban. Ever since July, many reports from Azkaban indicated a change of behavior from its inhabitants, both prisoners and Dementors. However, for each report indicating unusual activities, there were four or five stating that everything was normal, either because employees didn't notice or didn't care to notice any change. It was hard to evaluate the state of affairs in Azkaban for some people, especially when all they wanted was to run away from Dementors.

About four hours later, Mafalda came in with an important notice. Amelia read Miranda's message quickly, threw it aside and stood up.

"Mafalda, I'll be absent, maybe for the next hours. I don't know when I'll be back. Rearrange my schedule and meetings if necessary."

"Yes, Madam," her assistant replied as Amelia made her way out of her office.

Barely five minutes later, amelia Bones was standing in the reception area of St Mungo's. Unlike most people, she didn't stop at the enquiries desk. She knew exactly where to go. Miranda sent her a missive explaining that she had a golden opportunity to interrogate Arthur Weasley right away, but she needed to hurry. He was just transferred to another room and would be alone for a time, free to be questioned.

When Amelia approached the Dai Llewellyn ward, she noticed Miranda arguing with a healer whose back was turned on Amelia. This healer had silvery hair.

"You don't seem to be getting it. This is an urgent Ministry matter," Miranda was explaining.

"Ministry matter or not, this patient needs rest right now. This is not the time for him to be bothered by Aurors," the young healer replied calmly.

"You're causing obstruction to a criminal investigation."

"Auror Savage, my husband is working for the same department as you. I'm very well aware, as you are, that as long as someone is within these walls, his health holds priority over everything else. As a healer, I can refuse you access to my patient if I judge you may endanger his health or recovery. And I judge such is the case here."

"You are right, Healer Lobosca," Amelia declared the moment she was behind her back. "And our intention is not to prevent Arthur Weasley's recovery, quite the opposite."

The healer turned to face Amelia, obviously quite surprised to find the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement here. The young woman stared at Amelia with her blue eyes, her light skin and the moonshine pendant on her green robes reflecting the white light of the place.

"Madam Bones," Chiara Lobosca, one of the younger healers of the hospital said as a greeting.

"How is Mr Weasley?"

"He's resting, for now. As I explained to Mrs Savage, you cannot question him right now."

"This is not what I wanted to know. I wanted to know if he's going to survive."

Miranda had already told he would in her message, along with additional details on his injuries, but it allowed Amelia to unbalance the young healer, and also to make her understand she was also there to ensure her employee was fine.

"Yes, he will," the young woman replied, obviously taken aback. "He's grievously injured, and he has a long recovery ahead of him, but he will live. Without sequels, except a huge scar."

Amelia nodded. She trusted Miranda, but hearing confirmation from a healer she trusted relieved her further. Arthur Weasley would not die.

She turned her gaze towards Miranda. "Savage, please leave us alone. I need a word with Healer Lobosca."

The Auror obeyed on the spot, though she remained close to the ward to ensure she could keep an eye on both Arthur Weasley, lying on a bed in the nearby room, and on her head of department. Amelia returned all her attention on the young healer.

"Chiara, I really need to speak to Arthur right away. I wouldn't ask you otherwise."

Lobosca sighed. "I'm sorry. I can't let you. You have no idea how lucky he is to still be alive. We nearly lost him. A few more seconds and he could have died."

"I know. I'm the one who found him."

Chiara Lobosca looked surprised. "I didn't know."

"Look, I want Arthur to recover. But what I need to ask him cannot wait. When it comes to that man, we can never wait."

Chiara first frowned, then her eyes widened. She had understood what man Amelia was referring to. "You mean… Is this about…"

"Yes, it is. If you don't believe me, ask his son, Bill Weasley, though I would be surprised if he answered you."

Thoughts seemed to battle in the young healer's mind, until finally she looked at her watch.

"Two minutes. After, he must rest. And if I find that you are causing him problems, I'll stop you."

"Very good."

Amelia walked towards the room. As she was about to enter, Chiara spoke.

"I'll hold off Bill if he shows up."

Amelia nodded in thanks and walked into the ward. She immediately went to Arthur's bed, silently casting several spells to ensure whatever they would discuss would not be heard by the other occupants of this ward.

Arthur Weasley was in a very sorry state. Half his body was covered in bandages. Despite cleaning spells the Healers used, it was obvious he bled profusely. Amelia wouldn't be surprised if he could have died out of blood before the poison could kill him. He was very pale and struggled to stay awake as he looked at her through half-shut eyes.

"Arthur, how are you feeling?"

He took his time to answer in a whisper. "I apologize, Madam Bones, but please don't hold it against me if I take an extended leave."

Amelia had no envy to laugh, but this was a good indication. "I'm glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor." She looked through the window. Lobosca was still standing guard, but not for long. "We don't have much time, Arthur. Tell me how you were attacked. Whoever it was, he managed to escape. We need your help to catch him."

Again, Arthur Weasley struggled to answer. "He appeared… out of nowhere… didn't see him coming… bit me… couldn't defend myself…"

It was clear he didn't have much force left. Lobosca was right. He needed rest. Amelia would only get one more question before she was forced to leave.

"Listen carefully, Arthur. I told the Minister we were supposed to meet that night, where you were found. That you asked to see me, that you had important things to tell me, but you wouldn't give any details. This is what you must answer when people will question you. I also told Fudge I suspected this was about Dumbledore. But now, I need you to tell me what you were actually doing at this place in the middle of the night."

Arthur either hesitated or gathered his forces to answer. Amelia wasn't sure if he understood everything she told him. Only three separated words came out of his mouth.

"Dumbledore… Ask… Dumbledore…"

He began to turn the eye. Quickly removing privacy spells she cast a moment ago, Amelia called outside.

"Healer, Weasley needs help."

Chiara Lobosca hurried back inside.

"Get out, now!" she ordered Amelia without ceremony. She complied. Lobosca was at least right about something. Arthur Weasley's survival was capital. Amelia wouldn't let one of her employees die, so she wouldn't stop a Healer from helping him.

Savage was waiting for her outside.

"Did he tell you anything?" she asked.

"No," Amelia lied. "Stay here. Make sure that no one except the hospital's staff and his family gets close to him. As soon as he is strong enough to talk, take his statement."

"Yes, Madam." Miranda didn't seem to suspect even a moment that her boss was hiding something from her.

When Amelia went back to her office, she was surprised to find Percy Weasley, Fudge's Junior Assistant, waiting for her at the entrance of her office.

"Madam Bones," he said the moment he saw her.

"Mr Weasley. Please come in. We will be more comfortable to discuss in my office."

Amelia opened the door. Percy Weasley followed her and closed the said door behind him. In an instant, she was sitting behind her desk. She was about to invite him to sit down, so she could give him news about his father, but the young Weasley spoke before she could.

"The Minister is wondering if you could get anything from Arthur Weasley, Madam Bones."

Amelia frowned at this. She was quite surprised by such a question.

"The Minister considers it is of the utmost importance to know what he wanted to say before… tonight's accident."

Amelia frowned even further. Percy Weasley looked impassive as he talked about his father's aggression like a mere inconvenient event.

"He couldn't tell us anything. He's too weak to answer our questions as it is. I left one of my best Aurors on site to ensure he is safe. No one will make another attempt on his life. He is no longer in danger," she explained.

Amelia thought she perceived something in the young man's eyes and face, the glimpse of something. But she failed to interpret it. As for Percy Weasley, he bowed.

"I will inform the Minister right away. He asks that you keep him informed of everything Arthur Weasley will tell you."

On that, he walked away. That was it. Amelia was stunned for an instant. Only for an instant.

"Mr Weasley," she called at the moment he was seizing the doorknob. The young employee turned back to her.

"Yes, Madam Bones."

"Sit ."

Percy Weasley did as she told him. He didn't let anything appear on his face. Amelia sighed inwardly.

"If you want news about your father, you can ask me. I just saw him, after all."

The silence that followed was heavy. Much heavier than it should have been.

"I don't want to bother you about that, Madam Bones. You surely have more important things to do."

She was beginning to feel the young man was troubled, both in his eyes and his voice. A part of Amelia was getting fed up.

"You think I have more important things to do than making sure my employees are alive and well, and informing their family about their state after they got nearly killed?" she asked rhetorically.

This caused Weasley to be agape. He moved his lips several times, as if he was trying to say something, but without a single word coming out of it. Maybe at the tenth attempt, sounds finally came out.

"I asked…" He seemed to hesitate, then rephrased his words. "I was told he was… that he would survive." For a moment, Amelia saw the son who was worried about his father, but it dissipated almost right away. He took back a more formal tone right away. "And although it is a relief that he survived, I must admit, Madam Bones, that I'm wondering, just like the Minister is, what he was doing there that night and how he placed himself in such a situation. But again, my father never had the best judgment in the world, as he just proved again that is regretful that he couldn't avoid getting into trouble at the moment he changed his mind about his loyalties."

Amelia stared hardly at the young man. His father nearly died, and his first reaction was to either blame him for his own assault, or to imitate what he thought was Fudge's stance on the matter to further ingratiate himself to his superiors. Amelia despised that kind of attitude. And she further despised it when it came from a son talking about his own father. Well, if Percy Weasley wanted to show no feeling about his father, Amelia would remind him of his duties in the same way.

"I expected better from a direct employee of the Minister," she abruptly said, causing the young man to almost jump. "If you have issues with your family, Weasley, if you don't get along with your father, your mother, your five brothers and your sister, that's up to you. If you hate them, that's also your problem. But as a Junior Assistant to the Minister himself, I expected that you would show some semblance of compassion and empathy for Arthur Weasley as a colleague, if not as a father."

Percy Weasley looked stunned by her words. If he had any intention to say something, she didn't let him and she resumed.

"And don't try to show that you have compassion now. You had your chance, and you clearly showed where your priorities lied. And it is not with the safety and well-being of your fellow colleagues." She leaned forward so the boy would understand well her next words. "You disappoint me, Weasley. I never thought you would prove yourself so unworthy of your position."

This caused the young man to look totally shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he was just told.

"Leave, now. Since you don't concern yourself with your father's life, I guess I'll have to. Someone must," Amelia stated the obvious.

Percy Weasley rumbled to stand up. Right as he put his hand on the doorknob, Amelia ordered him for the second time to stop. He turned his head towards her in a clumsy way.

"Mr Weasley, I advise you to reconcile with your family… before it's too late. Or else, you might regret it the day you will lose them for good."

He stayed there, frozen, for a while. Then he slowly turned the doorknob and almost stumbled to the other side. He even left the door open.

Amelia was not stunned or frozen like Percy Weasley, but she was thoughtful and kept staring at the door for quite some time. Maybe she had been too harsh on him. It was obvious that he cared about his father, although he tried to hide it. Some people, including her own brother, often told her she was too rigid. Indeed, Amelia was uncompromising on many things. She expected a lot from her employees, from herself, and from everyone in general. As Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she had to. But maybe, sometimes, although it was hard for her to admit, she was asking too much in terms of integrity, honesty and ethical conduct from the others.

Mafalda's head came through the opening of the door.

"Do you need something, Madam Bones?" she asked.

"Thank you, Mafalda. No. Please, close the door."

"Of course."

Mafalda closed it, leaving Amelia alone as she wished. Her gaze wandered to the three photos on her desk. The first one, the oldest one, displayed her parents. The second one showed her brother Edgar with his wife and their four children. They were all dead.

There was one thing Amelia always regretted when it came to her family. She didn't blame herself for their deaths. For a time, she had wondered if she could have prevented it. After thinking about this through and through, for weeks, months, even years, she had come to the conclusion that even if she had somehow prevented the deaths of her parents, her brother and his family, they might have all been killed later. The truth was that the only ones responsible for this were Voldemort and his supporters. She had come to accept it as the truth over the years, and that no one else was responsible for their deaths. But a few days before their deaths, Amelia had a disagreement with her father. It was nothing serious. In retrospective, she found their argument futile and stupid. But they had left angry at each other. Amelia was planning on reconciling with him the next time they would meet… the day after he got killed. It may be silly, but it was the thing she regretted the most. The last conversation she had with her father had been a quarrel.

That was why she gave that advice to Percy Weasley, and why she was so angry at seeing him trying to be indifferent to his father's fate. He was only a boy, who thought he had a whole life ahead of him. And yet he was wasting this life in petty quarrels with his own family and futile attempts to please his superiors. This was an outright dumb, even cruel attitude. Another proof that marks at an exam did not make the wizard.

Her gaze lingered on the third photo, the only one whose people were still alive. That brought a smile to Amelia. She didn't have children, and she had no plan to ever have any, nor to marry. She was literally married to her job. Maybe it was a way to protect herself. She had felt so horrible when Edgar and their parents died. She didn't want to imagine how she would feel if she had children of her own who could die. Considering her current position and Voldemort's return, it was for the best if she had no children or husband. They would end up being targets for whoever wished her ill. And there were many who certainly wanted to see her dead right now.

Still, she couldn't stop herself from being attached to the little brother she watched growing up. Nor could she ever prevent herself from getting attached to his kind and intelligent wife who followed him across an entire ocean. She could even less stop herself from growing attached to her only remaining niece, her goddaughter. A little family she would get to see this evening, the first of the many times she would see them through the entire holidays.

There were rarely evenings she wouldn't dine with them during this period of the year. Amelia used that moment when Susan was available, and she was decided to enjoy it even more than usual this year. After the winter holidays, her niece's O.W.L.s would take all her time. She doubted she could get any time with her during Easter. And the current context further encouraged Amelia to enjoy all the time she could find with her family.

The repercussions of Arthur's aggression were felt through the entire day. Amelia had to make sure the investigation was going forward, while maintaining the secret as much as possible to not compromise the investigation. She ensured that health services at St Mungo's kept her services informed on his state, while also providing discreet, almost invisible security for Arthur, in case another attempt on his life might take place. Thanks to that, she was informed of the identity of the many visitors Arthur received that very afternoon.

Without surprise, Tonks and Moody were among them. Amelia had asked Tonks to escort Arthur's family to St Mungo's when they would visit him. Moody was also accompanying them. Tonks had asked Amelia to have him for further protection. Amelia saw no opposition in that, though she suspected the idea came from Dumbledore. More surprising was that the three younger sons and the daughter of Arthur accompanied their mother to see him. At this hour, they should have been on the Hogwarts Express, on their way back home. Though considering how Dumbledore was informed early about the tragedy, he might have taken dispositions to transfer them to London to see their father as early as possible.

But the most surprising visit Arthur Weasley got that afternoon were the two people who accompanied his family to the hospital.

Lily Evans and Harry Potter.

Amelia found their presence quite odd. What were they doing there? Of course, she knew Evans was a good friend of Arthur, but still… And what was her son doing there? Wasn't he supposed to spend his Christmas holidays at Hogwarts? Amelia's niece had told her so in a letter.

Maybe they had changed their mind. Considering how Umbridge was rumored to make life miserable for many students, including her own niece and especially the young Potter, maybe they decided to change their plans at the last minute. Still, this didn't explain why the boy was already in London. It wasn't his father who was brutally injured.

Despite this, Amelia's department had to keep running. Meetings, paperwork, investigations, trials… Everything still had to proceed.

In the evening, when Amelia finally left her office, she was relieved. She Apparated right into the Abandoned Tower, where her brother, her sister-in-law and her niece lived. The tower's entrance hall was empty when she arrived, and she went directly to climb the stairs.

Amelia followed the bright corridors lightened by magical windows much like in the Ministry. This Abandoned Tower was converted into an apartment building for wizards decades ago, before Voldemort became active. Bought by wizards from its Muggle owners, renovated and improved with magic, protected to ensure wizarding families could live in the heart of London without being afraid of Muggles noticing them, it was an attractive place to live for wizards and witches who wished to live in an urban setting among Muggles. Many of its inhabitants were married to Muggles or children of Muggle parents. It had been a target for Voldemort and his followers during the previous war, who viewed wizards ready to live among Muggles as insulting, at best. There had been moments when the Tower was almost empty during the war. At the end of it, people had rushed back to this place. Among them were Amelia's young brother, his wife and their newborn daughter. It was Amelia who recommended the place to them.

As she approached her brother's apartment, Amelia stopped at the door before his apartment. This was the apartment Number Twenty-Four, the one where the Potters lived. Thinking about it for a moment, Amelia rang the bell and knocked at the door.

There was no answer.

Amelia rang and knocked again.

No answer again.

"You will not find them," a voice said behind. "No one has seen them since this summer."

Amelia turned swiftly to face the intruder, her hand clasping her wand in her robe… only to find herself face to face with someone familiar. An expression of realization crossed the face of the woman who just talked to her.

"Madam Bones… Sorry, I hadn't recognized you from behind."

"It's alright, Mrs Abbott," Amelia replied, releasing her grip on her wand. She glanced at the door, then back to the woman standing in front of her. "You said you haven't seen Lily Evans Potter or her son since summer?"

"No. The last time was in July, I think." She looked around, then spoke on a much lower tone. "Is it true what people say?"

"What do people say?" Amelia replied with another question.

"That Harry Potter was attacked by Dementors? That's what my daughter says."

Amelia pursed her lips. "Since your daughter is the best friend of my niece, I think we both know where she took that information."

Mrs Abbott nodded. Amelia noticed that this woman was as careful as Amelia was.

"Then you should know I have no reason to assume that my niece would be a liar," Amelia shortly declared.

"Thank you, Madam."

On that, Mrs Abbott left. Amelia sighed. Fudge had truly created an atmosphere where everyone was afraid of saying anything that could displease the Minister. She made the last few steps separating her from her brother's apartment and knocked.

The door opened the moment her joints touched the door. Magic automatically allowed in people from the family. Within seconds after she walked in, her niece rushed towards her.

"Auntie! Finally, you're here. I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too, Susan," Amelia replied.

She looked closely at her goddaughter. Susan seemed well enough. She had grown up a little since Amelia saw her this summer. She also looked a little tired, though Amelia had no trouble imagining why. She also looked very happy to see her, as usual.

"So, where are you parents?"

"In the kitchen. They're preparing dinner."

"Well, let's go and see them."

Like every apartment in this building, it was very spacious, way larger than the exterior of the tower suggested. As always, magic made things much easier.

Amelia's brother and his wife were indeed in the kitchen. Aurelius looked up from the oven when she approached.

"Hi, Amelia. Dinner will be ready soon. In the meantime, you and Susan can wait in the living room."

"There's no point in saying I could help, I guess," Amelia said, knowing fully well what the answer would be.

"Indeed, there's no point asking. You relax while we finish dinner. And Susan, you're forbidden from helping too. Keep company for your aunt."

So Amelia and Susan were expelled from the kitchen. Amelia could not help but smile as she sat down in an armchair of her brother's living room. Every time she went to dine at his home, he refused to let her help. She couldn't say she hated it. It indeed gave her time to rest.

"They pulled the same trick on me," Susan said, sitting on a couch. "They refused to let me do anything since I arrived at King's Cross."

"I must agree with your parents," Amelia said. "You look like you could use some rest."

"It's so obvious?"

"Do I really need to ask how preparations for your O.W.L.s are going?"

The expression on Susan's face couldn't lie. "I know you all warned me it would be hard. But I didn't expect it to be so…" She seemed to be looking for the right word.

"Terrible? Exhausting?"

"The second word," Susan confirmed. "Sometimes, I have had entire weekends when I couldn't even rest for a single second. Is there something I'm doing wrong?I have the impression that no matter how much time and effort I put, I'm always close to failing."

"You might be doing nothing wrong at all, Susan. Fifth year is always difficult, even for the best students. In fact, you should be more worried if you found things easy, for that would mean you would not be making enough efforts. Even I struggled back then, when I was your age. And there are certain things you would be surprised if I told you how your father coped with his workload during his own O.W.L.s."

Susan frowned. "What did he do?"

Amelia smiled. "You must ask him. Don't count on me to tell stories about my brother." Susan released a small laugh. Amelia, on her side, turned back to seriousness right away. "I must warn you, though. As hard as the first half of the year might have been, the next few months are going to be harder."

Susan looked desperate. Amelia wasn't glad to tell this to her niece, but hard truths were better than kind lies.

"I can't believe how difficult O.W.L.s are," Susan said. "Hannah is already stressed to maximum. She snapped at me on a few occasions when I interrupted her working." Amelia remembered a few of her classmates back then who behaved similarly. "Even Hermione is struggling."

"Hermione Granger?" Amelia asked.

"Yes. I told you about her a few times. Remember?"

"Yes, I recall."

Though truth be told, Amelia knew this name for other reasons. Her department kept an eye on the most promising students of Hogwarts, and sometimes in other schools such as Ilvermony, Beauxbatons and even the Université, so she could try to recruit them when they completed their studies. Hermione Granger was one of these. She had become a legend among the recruiters of the Ministry for managing to follow all available subjects in her third year, using a Time-Turner without breaking the law while getting top grades in all subjects. Ever since, a few departments were keeping track of her progress. Barty had also been considering hiring her later when he led the Department of International Magical Co-operation, and even the Department of Mysteries was after this girl.

"She usually never makes a single mistake in any exam," Susan went on. "She's even the only one who manages to get through an entire lesson in History of Magic without falling asleep."

At that, Amelia raised her eyebrows. Even she couldn't succeed at this when she was a student, nor any other people who ever studied at Hogwarts she ever knew. They all shared their notes after lessons to make sure they had as much content that Professor Binns provided.

"Now she's asking me to remind her of what Professor Vector teaches in Arithmancy," her niece went on, loudly sighing. "The world is all upside down. And despite this, Hermione manages all that along with her Prefect's responsibilities. At least, she's doing it way better than Hannah. She spent part of the journey back home complaining about installing decorations with Slytherins, watching over first-years who don't know how to behave, and patrolling with the likes of Filch and Snape. Ernie nearly started an argument with her because he thought she didn't behave like a Prefect should. I think I'll believe Justin when he said they were both nearing nervous breakdown. I'm glad the badge of Prefect was not sent to me by mistake."

Amelia let her niece vent her frustration. She may talk about her friend's stress, but Susan was obviously under heavy stress as well. This was no surprise considering the toll O.W.L.s took on students long before June. Amelia listened attentively. After a moment, Susan went on to discuss the choir she was a part of and the music they would play this year. But the matter of O.W.L.s was never far away.

"Hannah had to drop her solo performance for the next show. She didn't have enough time to practice because of everything. She even told me if she had to choose between being Prefect and singing in the Choir, she would choose singing."

Amelia cleared her throat. "I had a hard time me too when I was made Prefect." She shook her head. "It's not a good year to put all these new responsibilities on students' shoulders. They must learn to be Prefects while preparing their O.W.L.s. I always thought they should choose Prefects one year prior, in their fourth year."

"I don't think it would be too much to ask," Susan commented. "Even Harry is relieved to not have been chosen as Prefect."

All of a sudden, as if realizing what she just said, Susan's cheeks turned a little redder. Amelia had noticed how uncomfortable her niece always was when it came to discuss her boyfriend, both with her parents and her aunt.

"How are things going between the two of you?" Amelia asked. Susan would have to learn to talk about him sooner or later.

"They're good… Good enough," Susan replied shortly, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter further.

"You'll need to be able to talk about him at some point, you know," Amelia reminded her niece.

Susan seemed to hesitate a moment. "Well, the thing is… there's not much to say… You see, I don't get to spend much time with him, with the O.W.L.s and everything." She sighed. "Not to mention… Well, with everything that is said around… It's sometimes not easy. It would be way easier if we didn't have Umbridge lurking around."

"What did she do, this time?" Amelia asked, expecting the worst from someone who was sent to Hogwarts specifically to cause problems to Dumbledore, and who didn't hesitate to harass and pressure students.

"She spent the entire term trying to get… dirty information on all teachers. She always insinuates they are incompetent, or worse. When a student refuses to say anything negative about a professor, she pushes him to do so. And there are students who purposefully tell lies about teachers they don't like. She always goes to them, and she encourages them to lie."

This didn't surprise Amelia. There were always people ready and glad to sully others whenever an investigation began. Part of the work of any investigator was to distinguish lies from the truth in testimonies, and to identify both reliable and unreliable witnesses. Considering the general work ethics of Dolores Jane Umbridge, Amelia somehow suspected that the High Inquisitor was searching for a certain kind of truth rather than the truth, choosing the information depending on whether it fitted the view she wanted to present.

"It doesn't help to deal with her and the O.W.L.s at the same time," Susan concluded.

"I guess not. And I suppose she goes hard after your boyfriend," Amelia said.

Again, Susan looked uncomfortable. "So far… Harry avoided the worst. She's especially after Mrs Evans, truth be told." Amelia knew. Umbridge was already trying to fire the Mother Who Lived. "She's also after Hagrid, the gamekeeper. As well as the Divination teacher, and Binns. People even hear her questioning the presence of professors like McGonagall."

It was obvious from the expression on her niece's face that Umbridge did not make people happy at Hogwarts.

"Is there no way for you to make her leave Hogwarts?" Susan then asked.

Amelia never liked it when people in her family asked her favors or services linked to her work. But she decided to not hold it against her niece, this time. "Unfortunately, Susan, education is not within my hands. This is Fudge who takes decisions on such matters. And right now, the Minister is very determined to maintain Umbridge in her position at Hogwarts.

Susan looked disappointed. Amelia wished she could do more to help her. For now, she could only keep a close eye on Umbridge, and prevent her from interfering into the operations of her own department.

"Auntie…" Susan began. "To be honest, I'm worried about Harry."

Amelia waited for her niece to continue. She felt that Susan had something important to tell her now.

"I didn't see him this morning. He was supposed to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, but I didn't see him at breakfast, before I left for the train."

So, that was why no one answered when Amelia knocked at their door. She supposed it made sense. Lily Evans Potter was now Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Remaining at the school during holidays had many benefits for a teacher, so she could keep working. Though there might also be the benefit of protection and safety. With Lord Voldemort on the loose, Hogwarts remained, more than ever before, one of the safest places in the world.

"Perhaps he overslept. Considering how tired you look, he must have been as exhausted, if not more."

Susan looked strangely at her at this moment. "You look quite exhausted as well, you know."

"You're not wrong." All of a sudden, without warning, Amelia yawned. She was indeed tired. Susan yawned in return. "I almost didn't sleep last night. Emergency at the office. Though I wouldn't worry in your place about Harry. He was probably simply too tired and didn't wake up. I wouldn't blame anyone going through O.W.L.s for this."

"It's not the issue, Auntie. I talked with a few of his friends, the boys in his dormitory. Apparently, Harry woke up in the middle of the night screaming. He vomited, and then Professor McGonagall escorted him out of his common room."

"Oh. Poor boy. She must have brought him to the hospital wing then. That would explain why you didn't see him. He may have spent the night and morning there."

"No, that's it. He wasn't in the infirmary. I went there to see him before I left, but he was nowhere close. And Madam Pomfrey said no student came to the infirmary that night."

Amelia frowned. "I admit this is odd."

"Hannah and I, we asked questions all around about it. No one knew where he was, not even Hermione. All they knew was that he and Ron left their dormitory in the middle of the night, and they never returned."

"Ron?"

"Ronald Weasley. His father works for you."

Amelia didn't need to find who it was. "Arthur Weasley?" She recovered from her surprise to show her appearance of calm right away. "Yes, he manages the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. A very competent man."

"He's one of Harry's friends. He left with him. Strangely, he wasn't in the Great Hall for breakfast either. Nor were his brothers and sister."

Amelia's mind began racing. Coincidences existed, of course, but…

"Do you know when he left his dormitory, during the night?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask. It was during the night. You think this is important?"

"Maybe." Amelia took a pose she sometimes had when she thought hard about something. "You say he left along with the Weasley family?"

"Yes. All of them, it seems. They were all wakened up in the middle of the night."

"Hmm… maybe they didn't want to leave by the Hogwarts Express."

The explanation Amelia offered caused Susan to frown in utter confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"That… given the current circumstances, they preferred to leave Hogwarts through another mean of transportation. After all, your boyfriend was attacked while on the train two years ago, if my memory is correct."

Susan seemed to think about it for a moment. Then her eyes widened. "You mean… Yes… But… Wait… Why did Harry tell me he would spend the holidays at Hogwarts then?"

"Perhaps he didn't want to tell you," Amelia proposed, but she added quickly when she saw the expression on her niece's face. "Or he may not even have been aware of this until it was too late. I know what I'm talking about, his mother hid things from him on several occasions in the past. She may have only told him plans to spend Christmas elsewhere at the last minute."

"True… But how did he end up sick?"

Amelia shrugged. "A coincidence. Maybe the stress coming down. Unless your boyfriend is the kind of boy who would fake an illness."

Susan seemed to be thinking about this for a moment. Then she shook her head. "No. Fred and George have been testing candies that make people sick, but I don't see Harry using it. He even complained that he was getting fed up with their demonstrations once."

"That reassures me," Amelia said with a smile on the corner of her lips.

"He's a good boy, Auntie," her niece replied on the defensive."

"I don't doubt it, Susan. I'm your aunt, not your mother. I will not begin to tell you who you can date or not. Though if this boy ever hurts you, he will have to deal with me."

Amelia said it on a light tone, but she was serious. She wouldn't let someone harm her family, even less her only niece.

"I wonder where he is now," Susan wondered aloud. "I went knocking to his door earlier, and he wasn't there."

"Maybe he's staying with the Weasleys," Amelia suggested. "If he left with them, after all… And it would help to keep him far away from journalists, Ministry people, Umbridge… only to name them."

She put emphasis on the last words so that Susan would understand his whereabouts might be hidden to thwart other, way more dangerous people.

"Do you think we are safe, Auntie?" Susan asked, very serious.

"I believe… we must hope for the best…and prepare for the worst."

Susan nodded. Her mother walked in at this moment.

"Dinner is ready."

And then she left, heading back to the dining room.

"We better not let your parents wait," Amelia said, standing.

"Auntie," Susan, remaining seated. "Is my mother doing well?" Amelia looked back at her niece. "I haven't seen her since August , but… I'm a little worried. The letters she wrote me… I had the impression she wasn't feeling okay."

Amelia hesitated before answering. However, she saw no point in denying an answer to Susan, nor in lying to her.

"She's been somewhat down since October, indeed. Between the events of October 30 and everything else that happened here in the United Kingdom… Your mother is also worried about what's happening at Hogwarts. She doesn't like Umbridge more than you do, if you see what I mean."

Susan nodded.

"Let's just say her mood could be better," Amelia explained. "You don't have to worry about her physical health, if you want to know. But she will need some time to adopt a more positive view of things." She placed a hand on her niece's shoulder. "Just try to be there for her during the holidays. I know the O.W.L.s are taking almost all your time, but I believe it will do good to both of you to spend time together. And your father needs your company as now, let's go and dine with them."

And so the aunt and the niece went to the dining room. Rosa was preparing plates while Aurelius had already sat down. He looked very tired. That seemed like a constant in this family lately.

"Still doing overtime, as I see," Amelia commented.

"Sorry, sister, but you don't look much better," he retorted, though smiling.

"Were you forced to work the entire night?"

"No, not to this extent. But long hours are common right now. We must be ready."

"So, what is it? A new broom?"

"Sorry again, sister," he said with a conniving smile. "You have your secrets about your work, I have my own for my job."

"As big a secret as the Firebolt was?" Susan asked at the moment her mother sat down as well, making the Bones family full.

Aurelius scoffed. "No, Susan. The Firebolt was extraordinary, the kind of invention that only happens once every century. It will take decades before a new model dethrones it."

"Then I hope for you that the updated version will be successful," Amelia chanced. Aurelius stared at her in surprise. She returned him the same smile he cast her earlier. "Did you really believe no one at the Department of Magical Games and Sports would know?"

Her brother pursed his lips. "I wonder who sold the info this time."

Amelia refrained from smiling widely. Her brother didn't realize yet he just did. She threw that hypothesis up to see his reaction, and it told her everything. The company that built the Firebolt was preparing an enhanced version of the already record breaking broomstick. Next to her, Susan, who seemed to have understood, refrained from laughing by eating her spaghetti. As Rosa, she was rolling her eyes. Amelia would tell her brother later that, to her knowledge, no one in the Ministry knew about the upcoming updated Firebolt. At least, no one to her knowledge aside from herself.

"You had to expect this, Aurelius," she went on. "The Firebolt was such a phenomenon when it was released. It was inevitable that indiscreet ears would peak the moment you prepared to do anything related to this broom. And no one with any basic knowledge of the flying broom industry would believe you would actually develop a brand new model not even two years after it reached the market."

"No, you're right," her brother confirmed. "There are already people calling at the office, asking for when we plan to make a broomstick even better than the Firebolt." It was his turn to roll the eyes. "They don't realize how much time we put into developing this new model. The project started many years ago, back when I was still a new employee in the company." He turned towards his daughter. "Do you realize that you were still a baby back then, Susan. We brainstormed ideas for years before we came up with a final plan. You were not yet in Hogwarts when we started building and testing prototypes. And then we needed over an entire year for the Ministry to test it for safety reasons. It literally took over ten years between the moment we had the idea and the moment it was finally available."

And here Amelia's brother went again. When someone got her brother talking about Quidditch, or even anything related to flying brooms, it could quickly become almost impossible to stop him.

"Well, if this can reassure you, you will not have my department in your way," Amelia intervened. "Unless Firebolts begin to kill people, we do not intervene in the matter of flying broomsticks. Then it would be another story."

"No chance. We didn't joke with safety. A single death could destroy the reputation of the Firebolt. The company put so much money and time into developing it that they don't want any unforeseen event with 's like Boeing or Airbus developing a new airplane. It simply costs too much to develop a new one. They prefer to improve their existing models."

Aurelius was not wrong. That was why models like the Comet Two Sixty were still popular today. Any new broomstick was a huge risk for the finances and reputation of a manufacturer. So most of them preferred to iterate on their existing successes.

"Mother, is that the same with flying canoes?" Susan asked at this moment.

Rosa nearly jumped, as if she came out of a dream. Her mind probably wandered away while her husband went into another one of his long Quidditch-related monologues.

"I'm not sure. I doubt they could take over ten years to develop," she answered. "Though they have more regulations to follow, since they're often exported. Even more so when they come from Quebec. For the other Canadian provinces, it's another story."

Amelia sighed internally, but she made sure it remained internal before she spoke. "Is that because the Quebec Ministry allows means of transportation that are forbidden by the Canadian Ministry?"

Rosa replied with an ounce of pride. "Contrarily to the Canadian Ministry of Magic, or the one in the United Kingdom, Quebec does not impose huge customs tariffs, regulations that are nearly impossible to respect or complete bans on means of transportation built in other countries."

Although this was not her field of expertise, Amelia was quite familiar with this kind of issues. To the opposite of the Muggle world, where the European Union was slowly removing trade barriers between countries, in the wizarding world, European countries remained very protective of their national industries, either in wand making or flying brooms. Especially for the latter, a series of measures made it very difficult for English wizards to import and use flying brooms made in other countries, which in turn applied the same principles, preventing the massive exportation of brooms, even for the now famed Firebolt. These restrictions were even more stringent for other foreign products, going as far as an embargo on flying carpets.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Aurelius began in response. "Personally, I don't believe a manufacturer in China or Russia is best placed to know the needs of English and Irish, or the particularities of our climate. That's why we need specific brooms for each country. I don't see anything wrong in protecting the broom production inside each country."

Rosa looked at him with an exasperated smile. "Aurèle, do you really think I don't know. The company you work for is selling Firebolts in the United States and Canada. I'm not even sure they would have made a profit on the Firebolt without those 're lucky those countries allow English brooms in, especially since England is blocking them from exporting their own."

The United States and Canada indeed stood quite apart in terms of trade policy, when compared to Europe. After the Second World War, the United States had begun the process of removing all trade barriers. There were barely any custom fee remaining in that country, and the MACUSA didn't ban flying carpets and many other products like most Europeans countries did. Free trade was such an entrenched principle among American wizards, who came from so many different origins that they were unwilling to let their government dictate what they should buy or not, that it was suspected the MACUSA played a role in influencing both Muggle presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush to sign a free trade agreement with Canada in 1987, then another with Canada and Mexico in 1992. As a result, even if many European countries restricted access to American products on their own territory, the United States let them export to America as much as they wanted.

Canada was also a special case, but in a very different way. The Canadian Ministry of Magic had tightened its rules on foreign products at the same time as Great Britain and Ireland, at a time when trade policies of both Ministries of Magic were very much aligned, to the point some accused Great Britain of dictating its trade policy to Canadians. But unlike in the United Kingdom and Ireland, this system started to fail when the Ministry of Magic of Quebec asserted its authority over the province's territory.

The Quebec Ministry began to control importations and exportations in the province, and its emissaries across the world approached various governments, offering to accept their products with highly reduced tariffs, even those banned by the Canadian Ministry. Rosa herself offered this opportunity to the Ministry of Great Britain and Ireland. But if the Ministry Amelia worked for refused, many others accepted. It wasn't long before several Ministries and Congresses around the world started to use Quebec as an entry point for their exportations. Once their products arrived in the province, it was relatively easy to distribute foreign goods across all of Canada. Even in countries where Ministries refused to take advantage of Quebec's proposition, their inhabitants and corporations quickly realized the advantages. The broom manufacturer for which Aurelius was working engaged in this practice to sell in Canada. This, of course, displeased the Canadian authorities, and also the magical authorities in London. But Fudge could hardly shut down those exportations without incurring the ire of all broom manufacturers and exporters in general on his own soil. They largely benefited from this access to the Canadian market. And since both Heads of the Departments of Magical Transportation and Magical Games and Sports were former employees of flying broom companies, with strong ties to the industry, there was little will within the Ministry of Great Britain and Ireland to stop the network. So Fudge behaved like most ministers and presidents of Magical governments across the world. He officially warned his citizens of the danger of exporting products through illegal networks in other countries, but reminded the Canadian authorities that it was their responsibility to enforce their own laws within their borders.

"I don't complain that other countries let us export," Aurelius acknowledged. "But I don't complain either about watching Ireland winning the Quidditch World Cup with the broom I conceived."

Susan shot a look at her aunt. Amelia knew that she was afraid a new monologue on Quidditch was coming up. Luckily enough, Aurelius went another way.

"And look at the brighter sight of things, Rosa," he added with a smile. "England didn't ban flying canoes like they did for carpets."

Rosa shook her head. "Aurelius, we both know that import duties are so high that there is no possible market in the country. And I'm quite sure that the moment sales would start climbing, the Ministry would list it as a Muggle Artifact on the Registry of Proscribed Charmable Objects."

"For what it's worth, Rosa," Amelia intervened, "I doubt it will ever happen. And anyway, Great Britain and Ireland would be quite a small market. I believe Canada is exporting to other countries, anyway."

Rosa scoffed. "It's more like Quebec is exporting. The Ministry of Canada put in place so many bans and import duties that other countries do the same for their products. A large part of manufacturers have moved to Quebec, where they build bewitched canoes. They are then exported to Alaska in the United States, to Scandinavian countries, to the Eurasian Union and to Antarctica, for the most part."

There were indeed wizarding communities in Antarctica. If some wizards, like Amelia's brother and his family, loved to live in Muggle areas, most wizards preferred remote, sparsely if not uninhabited regions. In England, this mostly meant living in small villages far from urban centres, but other wizards went even farther. There were important communities of wizards on small, isolated islands such as the Falklands, and some had even settled in Antarctica, the only continent where Muggles did not live permanently.

But it was the mention of the Eurasian Union of Magical Independent Governments that caused Amelia to roll her eyes internally. If dealing with Canada caused her headaches, then this organization was not far when it came to making her employees scream in discouragement, though not entirely for the same reasons.

The Eurasian Union was the equivalent of the European Union in the Wizarding World, though it was created earlier and covered a very different territory. Its origins dated back to the days of Tsarist Russia. Back then, the tsars of Russia had managed to somehow control the magical government covering their territories. The then Magical Congress of Russian wizards ruled over all the territories and wizarding communities of the Russian Empire, and the tsar himself chose his wizarding Prime Minister, managing to interfere in the politics of wizards like no other Muggle leader could. This resulted in an atmosphere of oppression for all wizarding communities living inside the Russian Empire. But in late 1916, in the middle of the First World War, the wizarding Prime Minister was assassinated and a revolution erupted among Russian wizards, who overthrew their government chosen by the tsar. This was followed by similar revolutions in the Muggle World the next year. But while Muggle Russians found themselves embroiled in civil wars, their wizard counterparts managed the transition without bloodshed. The former authoritarian regime of the Magical Congress of Russian wizards had been so repressive that all wizarding communities previously part of it agreed to adopt a radically different type of government. The territory was divided in various Magical Republics, Congresses and Ministries, each being independent with its own representative at the International Confederation of Wizards, while the Eurasian Union of Magical Independent Governments was created to maintain ties between them.

Over the years, the Eurasian Union had grown, welcoming new wizarding communities in its ranks as it succeeded to protect wizards from Grindelwald, the Second World War, Stalin's purges and various wars and unrest in and around the former Soviet Union. Today, it had the largest magical population in the world, and even had its own seat at the International Confederation of Wizards, though without the right to vote. Its member communities included nations with their own governments as varied as Mongolia, Russia, Siberia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Dagestan, Chechnya, Crimea, Ukraine, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Serbia, Kosovo, Greece, and even Korea and Afghanistan. All these countries had joined the Union willingly, keeping their independence while progressively agreeing on a larger number of common policies, including freedom of trade and movement between members, common safe habitats for magical beasts, and some common laws such as guarantees for free speech and bans on death penalty and torture. The Eurasian Union was so successful that even Japan and Germany were today considering joining it. Amelia supposed that the decentralized nature of this organization made its members better disposed to cooperate with separatists in Quebec. This also made dealing with one of its members more complicated, as officials of the Union often had to be involved in any discussion along with officials of any government member.

"At Hogwarts, I never heard anyone talking about bewitched canoes," Susan then said. "I think most students don't even know they exist."

Her father laughed a little at that. "I'm probably too good at my job. Our flying brooms are so good that no one ever thinks about other means of transportation."

"Be careful about this kind of certainty, Aurelius," his sister warned. "We are lacking when it comes to family transportation. Ali Bashir talked to everybody from the Ministry at the Quidditch World Cup, even to me, to convince us to let him import flying course, we refused."

This man was an important manufacturer of flying carpets in India.

"He didn't only talk to you, Amelia," Rosa said. "He went to see many representatives of other Ministries. He even talked to me. In fact, he sent a shipment in Quebec last month. His flying carpets are already spreading across Canada."

"That is not going to please the Canadian Ministry, Rosa. You know it," Amelia warned.

Rosa shrugged. "Well, if they want to better control the frontiers around Quebec, they can grant its independence. They will have no trouble setting importations bans and duties on anything coming from it then."

Amelia sighed. "I think we both know they are unlikely to do it."

She knew that the independence of her homeland was important for Rosa, but like always, Amelia judged it was better to hear hard truths. Though thinking about it, it might not have been the best moment to do so. Luckily enough, Susan changed the direction this was all taking.

"Mother, the bewitched canoes… There's a huge legend around them among Muggles, I believe?" she asked.

"Yes," Rosa replied, seemingly glad to change subject as well. "The truth is, when Europeans arrived in North America, Indigenous wizards were already bewitching their canoes to fly, like we already did for brooms back then. And… Well, this was before the Statute of Secrecy, so some Muggles saw it, and even after the Statute, there were still occasional sights of wizards using bewitched canoes in the sky. And then, during the 19th century, a few wizards began tricking Muggles. No one knows exactly how it began. Maybe a wizard whispered it to a group of loggers, but men who spent winters in logging camps began asking the devil to carry them and make their canoes fly home for Christmas or New Year's Eve. Sometimes, when they did, nearby wizards would levitate their canoes back to their then, the enforcement of the Secrecy Statute still left to be desired, and sometimes the authorities closed their eyes. I guess wizards found it funny to trick Muggles into believing the devil was carrying them in the air. But all this stopped when a group of loggers from the city of Gatineau was carried to and back from Montreal during New Year's Eve. The wizard who made their canoe fly was drunk. He didn't maneuver the canoe well on the way back, and the canoe crashed. They were lucky no one died. After that, the practice was strictly forbidden. But the accident was told and retold afterwards. Authorities didn't think about wiping the memory of the loggers who had the accident, for they were all drunk as well that night. So the story made its way, and it eventually became part of the Québec folklore. Now it is called the legend of the Chasse-Galerie."

"Similar to the tale of the Loch Ness monster here," Amelia commented.

"Yes, I remember that one," Aurelius said. "It's like the maledictions on dead people's tombs. Muggles sometimes fell on wizards' tombs that were protected by spells and curses in the early days of archeology, and so the myth began. Not to mention the legend of the Yeti."

"Or the Bigfoot," Rosa reminded everybody, pointing to the North American equivalent of the creature living in Tibet.

"And imagine that the Muggles found out about the real origins of Stonehenge," Aurelius added.

"Why not about the statues of Easter Island, while we're at it?" Susan added.

This went on for a while, Amelia joining in adding new places and sites whose origins the Muggles still ignored or wrongly deduced because they couldn't consider the possibility of magical origins.

All in all, dinner went very well. Unfortunately, Amelia couldn't stay for long afterwards. She still had work to do, and an important discussion coming. She had to excuse herself. After saying goodbye to both Susan and Rosa, her brother escorted her down to the entrance hall.

"I'm sorry Rosa was a little on edge tonight," he told her on their way down. "It's been difficult for her, lately."

"It's alright. I don't blame her. And thank you for stopping short of another long monologue on Quidditch."

Her brother laughed nervously. "I know. I can get on your nerves sometimes."

"Not just on mine," Amelia reminded him with a kind smile. "But thank you, nonetheless. I believe your daughter needed a break from that as well."

"Thank you for spending time with Susan tonight, sister. She needed it."

"Always my pleasure. She remains my favorite niece, after all."

Aurelius nodded. He seemed about to add something, but he was hesitating.

They arrived in the entrance hall. It was empty. Amelia could feel that his brother wanted to say something important before she left. So she waited. But at some point, she waited long enough.

"What is it you're trying to say, Aurelius."

He hesitated a little more.

Then the words came out.

"We're leaving," he said in a low volume.

Amelia remained speechless for a time. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Rosa, Susan and I, we are leaving. We are leaving Great Britain."

The information slowly sank into Amelia's mind, who was used to react promptly to any news.

"Aurelius…" she began, but her brother didn't let her continue.

"No, Amelia. I know what you're going to tell me, but you can't change our minds. Rosa and I talked about this in length, and we made our decision. Everything is arranged. We are moving to Montreal in March. I already found a job in a local broom company, Rosa got a position into her Ministry, Susan is already registered at the Université. We even bought a house. We will be living on the Sainte-Thérèse Island. It is an island north-east to Montreal, practically next to the city. Many wizard families live there, since the island has no Muggle inhabitants. Anyway, like I said, everything has already been arranged."

"Aurelius…" Amelia repeated, somewhat under shock. She knew it could happen, but between suspecting it and knowing it was actually happening, there was a large difference. "Is that because of what happened this summer? With the Dementors?"

"In part," he acknowledged. "And also because we both know things are not going to get better." He sighed heavily and looked deep into her eyes with a sorry expression. "I know you disapprove. And I respect your will to stay and fight, Amelia. But I'm not like you. I'm not like Edgar. And I'm not going to stay here, endangering my family… waiting for the same thing to happen to me, to Rosa and to Susan than what happened to our parents and Edgar and his family."

Amelia shook her head. "Aurelius, you will not put your family into safety by leaving. Do you really believe that Voldemort cares if an entire ocean separates you from him?"

Her brother shook at the mention of the name. "We will still be safer than if we stay here. I'm sorry, sister, but like I said, I will not wait to die like Edgar did."

"Edgar didn't wait to die, Aurelius, and you know it. He fought so he could protect our family," Amelia argued.

"And look how it worked," her brother retorted. "Sorry to say that, but if Edgar had not joined that organization, he, our parents, his wife, our nephews and nieces… They would still be alive today."

Amelia pursed her lips and clasped her fists, resisting the envy to lash at her brother. She never accepted that he blamed Edgar for his own death. But in her mind, she reminded herself he had a right to think so. She couldn't blame her brother for thinking about his family first. She made sure her voice was calm before she spoke up… But her brother beat her to it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to say this. I loved Edgar me too. But I believe he should have placed his family in safety. I respect that you're trying to do the same as he did, and that you're willing to fight, Amelia… But I cannot impose that on Rosa, not after what she already went through seventeen years ago. And I cannot impose such risks to Susan. She doesn't deserve this."

"Does your daughter know about your plans?" Amelia asked him softly.

Aurelius looked down. "No. We haven't told her. We don't want to worry her, not with her O.W.L.s going on. She's got more than enough on her mind. We will let her finish her year at Hogwarts. This is still one of the safest places in the world, and we agreed it would derail her studies too much to transfer her to another school in the middle of the year. We will let her finish her year in peace, and then we will bring her with us in Canada once her exams are completed in June."

"So you haven't talked about this with her," Amelia concluded. "Do you think she would agree with your decision?"

Aurelius hesitated before he answered. "She is only a child. We don't want to impose a dangerous situation on her. Not after Dementors assaulted her last summer."

"She is sixteen-years-old, Aurelius. In a few months, she will be a woman."

"Maybe, but she's still my daughter. I've got to protect her."

"You will not protect her by taking her away from the place where she grew up and where all her friends live. Not to mention that, like you said, Hogwarts is safer for her than any other foreign places where you could send her."

"She's not at Hogwarts during the holidays. Remember what happened to her last summer? You haven't even been able to capture whoever sent the Dementors."

"The investigation is still ongoing," Amelia reminded him, though she knew it was stalling right now.

"In the meantime, whoever sent those Dementors, whether it is You-Know-Who or anyone else, is still out there. And the Dementors who attacked her are still free."

"This is not an ideal situation, I admit."

"Not an ideal situation?" Her brother's voice raised. "My own daughter is being attacked by Dementors. Who knows what will come next? As long as she remains in Great Britain, she will be in danger."

"She will also be in danger in Canada. National borders do not matter for Voldemort."

"At least she will be far away, and safer. And You-Know-Who will have fewer reasons to attack her."

Amelia frowned at this. She suspected something. "Was your decision made because of the boy Susan is currently dating?"

Aurelius seemed ashamed. Amelia struck right. He replied nonetheless. "I have nothing against him. I rather like him, from the little I know of him. But I believe Susan will be safer if she is far from him."

"Aurelius, I may repeat myself, but Susan will be in danger everywhere. She remains my niece, and also Edgar's niece. No matter what we do and where we are, we are all targets for Lord Voldemort, and none of us, no one in fact will be safe as long as he is alive. Putting an entire ocean between you and that murderer will only delay the inevitable."

Aurelius didn't say anything for a while. But when he spoke, it was on a tone of finality. "Rosa and I made our decision. This is not a matter for debate. I told you because I didn't want you to be surprised when we would leave."

Amelia sighed loudly. Sometimes, Aurelius could be as stubborn as Edgar used to be. "I can see it. But you should tell Susan. She has the right to know."

"No," he replied firmly. "And I forbid you from telling her. I am her father. You are not her mother.I wish you a good night, sister."

This hurt. As her brother walked away, Amelia told herself that it was factually true. Susan was not her daughter. But having no children of her own, and Susan being not only her only surviving niece but also her goddaughter, Amelia supposed she couldn't help but feel Susan was as close as a daughter she would ever have. And it pained her to think she would leave, along with Amelia's brother and sister-in-law, her only family still alive.

As she left London and Apparated onto a pathway in Scotland, Amelia kept thinking about the announcement her brother just made. She disapproved him, of course. Fleeing to another country would not ensure their safety. If Lord Voldemort wanted to harm them, he would do it, no matter where they lived. Running away would at best make them gain some time, nothing more. And Amelia didn't wish to be separated from her remaining family.

The lights of the towers' windows pierced through the darkness as Amelia approached the opened gates. Dumbledore sent her a message while she was still in her office to meet him at Hogwarts late that evening. The snow crunched under her feet as she walked into the courtyard surrounding the castle. She walked straight to the Entrance Hall, then climbed several stairs and walked the length of many corridors before she arrived in front of the gargoyle. Amelia didn't even need to provide a password. The gargoyle stepped aside and let her access the staircase leading to the Headmaster's office. Amelia climbed these last stairs until she arrived in front of the oak door. She knocked, and the well-known voice of Albus Dumbledore came from the other side.

"Come in."

The Headmaster of Hogwarts, sitting behind his desk, welcomed the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with the same warm smile he gave to everybody. The door closed behind Amelia the moment she walked into his office.

"Good evening, Amelia. I do not mean to show disrespect towards any of your colleagues, but I do hope for your sake that you managed to avoid this dear Dolores on your way here."

He said it with a clear glint in his eyes, probably finding the prospect hilarious. As for Amelia, she turned to the door and cast several locking and silencing charms on it.

"If my colleague, like you call her, complains about it, send her to me," she abruptly said.

Dumbledore nodded in approval. "As you wish, Amelia. By the way, thank you. I know I asked a lot of you earlier today."

"And now is the time to pay your debts, Albus. So, tell me what my employee was doing at the entrance door of the Department of Mysteries in the middle of the night."

"He was guarding it."

Dumbledore didn't say more. But Amelia was not in a mood to play games, especially since she just learned that her brother would soon leave the country with his wife and her niece.

"Why was he guarding it?" she asked impatiently.

"To stop people from entering the Department of Mysteries. I don't think I need to tell which kind of people. And I believe we both know who tried to break in last night."

Indeed, it wasn't hard to guess. "So, you've known about his intents for a long time?"

"I suspected it for a while," Dumbledore acknowledged. "And with all your respect, Amelia, considering the official position of the Ministry on the matter, I couldn't solely rely on you to ensure the protection of this place."

Again, she couldn't argue against it, although Amelia was displeased to be reminded of her own limitations when it came to protecting the Ministry.

"Sturgis Podmore? He was guarding it as well? Why did he try to break into it?"

"Our main hypothesis is that someone working for the other side cast an Imperius Curse on him," Dumbledore summarized. "Probably someone with easy access to the Ministry of Magic."

Amelia took note of that. But she decided they had lost enough time.

"Let's get straight to the point, Dumbledore. We both know no one will hear or report what we tell each other tonight. Why would Lord Voldemort try to break into the Department of Mysteries? What is he looking for?"

Dumbledore looked troubled for a moment. "There are certain things I cannot tell you, Amelia."

"You said you would explain what Arthur was doing there," she reminded him sharply.

"And I will keep my promise, Amelia. The problem is… I cannot tell you all the details. There is some information that I must withhold… For our protection. If you knew everything, it would put you in grave danger."

"If you believe I'm afraid, Dumbledore, then you know me very bad."

"I know you're not afraid. But the more people know about it, the riskier it gets that Voldemort might get his hands on it." The Headmaster loudly sighed. "Here is what I can tell you. Voldemort, because we believe it was either himself or a creature he mentally controlled, was trying to get into the Hall of Prophecy."

Amelia frowned at this information. Like all rooms within the Department of Mysteries, the Hall of Prophecy's existence was kept secret by the Unspeakables. And like each and every room inside this department, rumors ran about it in the population. Amelia herself had only gone there once. She remembered distinctly the cathedral-like atmosphere of the place, with its hundreds of rows filled with copies of supposedly all prophecies ever made since the Middle Ages. It was even rumored that all prophecies of Nostradamus could be found there, though she didn't see any when she ventured into the Hall. She was only allowed to collect one single prophecy back then, nothing more.

"Why would the Dark Lord try to enter the Hall of Prophecy?"

"Well, we didn't know if he was actually trying to enter tonight," Dumbledore replied to her question. "We believe it was probably a scouting mission. The spy was surprised by Arthur, and he tried to kill him. Fortunately, he failed. But to answer your question, Amelia… He is looking for a prophecy in particular."

"Which one?"

Dumbledore didn't answer this time. He looked sorry. "I apologize, Amelia. But I cannot give you that information. This would place far too many people in danger. I may already have told you too much."

Amelia's impatience started to turn into anger. "Do you truly believe that keeping secrets is helping you, Dumbledore?"

"Some things must remain secret, at least for some time. But although I will not tell you which prophecy Voldemort is looking for, I will tell you this. Voldemort is convinced that this prophecy is the key to make sure that he will win the war, this time. He is ready to do everything to get his hand on it. And he will stop at nothing to get it."

"All that for a prophecy?" Amelia asked, doubtful, wondering if Dumbledore was playing with her.

"Yes," Dumbledore simply answered.

"How could a prophecy help this man to be victorious?" she asked, insisting.

Albus Dumbledore shrugged. "This is what he believes, Amelia. I never said he was right. Lord Voldemort may be powerful and intelligent, but he is not omniscient or unable to make mistakes. Truth be told, I don't believe this prophecy would guarantee him a victory. But it would provide him with information that could help him, and that would put a lot of people in danger. That is why we are trying to stop him from accessing it."

"But you will not let me help you?" Amelia asked, accusing.

"I will gladly accept your help, Amelia, of course, whenever you offer it. But I can't tell you what prophecy we are protecting precisely. I am one of the very few people right now to know which prophecy Voldemort is after. Most of the people I work with don't know it themselves. And this is for the better, believe me. Especially in your case, given your position. I cannot implicate you too much, or else your position in the Ministry would be compromised. This is something neither you or I want."

Amelia stared at Dumbledore. She definitely wasn't in the mood for games, and felt frustrated that this man, however famous and legendary he was, would not give her the information she needed. One of her employees almost got killed while working for him, inside the Ministry. But despite her impatience, she knew she wouldn't get more information from the man.

She knew what she had to do.

She would have to find out what Voldemort was after in the Department of Mysteries on her own.

---

Like I said at the beginning, this was a packed chapter. A part was just adding more layers on J.K. Rowling's world and introducing characters I like from the expanded universe, but it is also very relevant from a plot perspective.

Again, everything on the Muggle world (including legends) are real. And if you know a little about history, you might have an idea of who might have been leading the Russian wizarding community when he was killed in 1916.

Please review.

Next chapter: Ron