Chapter 8:
I sent a note to Headmaster Dumbledore notifying him about a private tutor in potions and other subjects being hired for Draco and anyone else in his year that he chooses. I reminded him in the note that the Hogwarts charter allows this. He was agreeable and set aside an unused classroom.
Hugues Mélangeur arrived at the first tutoring session of Draco, Harry, and Hermione. "Greetings to this small class. I will be imparting to you knowledge about the deeper meanings behind potions.
Mr. Potter and Lady Dagworth-Granger, you have grown up in the non-magic environment and perhaps you think potion making is the same of cooking, and that one must merely follow a recipe. That is a gross simplification of a magnificent art. Creating a potion is a magical ritual. Consider the effects of stirring a cauldron clockwise or anti-clockwise. If it were to be the same process as preparing a stew, there would be no such difference.
In this class we will learn. You will arrive in class on time and prepared with all preparations and assignments. Even though I am paid, I will only spend my valuable time teaching to eager students reaching the top of their abilities. Mr. Malfoy, you may invite others to join this class who are willing to follow these directives."
Hugues Mélangeur added a little bit of Wizarding history at the end of each potions class, concentrating on areas not part of the Hogwarts curriculum.
"The English Wizarding families have roots in many places, especially France. The Malfoy family arrived from Normandy with William the Great. The Potters go back far earlier than the 12th century origin of their name from Linfred. He was a potions pioneer and always pottering around his garden for ingredients, hence the name Potter. Another branch leads to Ignotus Peverell, from France. Both of these are described in tales of Beedle the Bard. However, in recent centuries details of the Bard's stories have been changed. Dagworth-Granger is of course also quite of a potions legacy.
Your assignment for next class is to describe the Roman influence on British Wizarding, counting both the legacy of the families that arrived with the Roman Empire, but also the indirect path that arrived by way of the Norman invasion over 1000 years later. In addition, Mr. Malfoy, I expect you to identify the Malfoy family's Roman Empire branch origins. Mr. Potter I expect information on how your family reacted to the arrival of the Romans and later the group from Normandy. Lady Dagworth-Granger, I expect you to find Roman roots, and I will not tell you in advance if it is from the Dagworth or the Granger branch."
In a few weeks Draco invited Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis, who both accepted. He told Crabbe and Goyle that they would find it boring and that he wouldn't expect them to want to join this extra class.
As Easter Break approached, the ritual to remove Harry Potter's horcrux, and to complete the destruction of Voldemort was planned. Dumbledore revealed the prophecy to Harry Potter and Sirius. He said, that based on his interpretation of it, that the specialists being hired should be paid for by Harry Potter, so that they would be his "hands" as referred to in the prophecy. Sirius agreed and they authorized the disbursement from the main Potter vault.
Sirius insisted on widely consulting experts, not just Dumbledore. Some of the expert curse breakers came up with a plan that would include a blood ritual that would draw out the soul fragment from Harry Potter and combine it with the part possessing Quirrell, still kept in stasis. The combined soul parts would then be destroyed. Despite Dumbledore's wishes they agreed that it didn't matter if Quirrell survived or not, since he was willingly possessed. Quirrell would be bound and everyone else shielded during the ceremony.
Earlier in the term, I had Draco ask Harry Potter to speak parseltongue in his presence. I gave him a long list of words and phrases, including "Open. Open up. Stairs. Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." I didn't plan to open up the Chamber of Secrets, but it couldn't hurt to have that ability, since we expected Harry Potter to lose his Parseltongue ability. Draco's memory could be used. In canon, Ron Weasley could open the sink entrance with just with his memory of hearing the open command from Harry Potter in Parseltongue.
The procedure was conducted in a secure chamber under Gringotts bank.
The black smoke of the fragment was drawn out of Harry Potter's scar. It was strongly pulled to join the rest of Voldemort's soul behind Quirrell's head, due to the ritual. The stasis spell needed to be stopped.
As soon as it was clear of Harry Potter he was shielded by wards and healers rushed to him and stabilized him.
The fragment combined in the back of Quirrell's head put up a fight, but that was expected and several competent fighters were present, including Dumbledore.
Voldemort appeared as a face and made some expansive threats while trying to batter down the wards keeping him contained, before he was completely destroyed.
I visited Minister Fudge and advised him to check on the prophecy when Harry Potter is capable of doing so, and then be able to prove to the public that Voldemort is not coming back.
Harry Potter was released by the healers in 3 days.
Dumbledore didn't want the prophecy to be released, but was overruled by the Minister of Magic. He did get an agreement that horcruxes wouldn't be mentioned by name or specifics to avoid giving people ideas to repeat that atrocity.
Amelia Bones, Minister Fudge, and Sirius accompanied Harry Potter to the Department of Mysteries.
The elevator said "Level 9". An unspeakable, the name given to those who work in the Department of Mysteries, with an identity concealing cloak, said, "Row 97 this way."
He pointed to a prophecy orb and said to Harry Potter, "Pick it up. Only you and one other can do so, and the other appears to be indisposed."
Harry did so, and the prophecy was spoken in Professor Trelawny's voice. The orb did not have the glow that many of the other prophecy orbs did. The unspeakable said, "That was the prophecy and it has been completed. Congratulation Mr. Potter, it could have gone either way, but you, identified in the prophecy as the one born as the seventh month dies, have survived and the one identified as the Dark Lord has not."
They showed the memory of finding the prophecy to the press. It included proof that the prophecy was completed. The contents were released to the press. Memories from the ritual were also sent to the press.
The Daily Prophet reported,
Voldemort defeated for good by Harry Potter.
A shade of the spirit of Voldemort had been possessing Quirinus Quirrell. In addition, a fragment of his soul had been residing in the scar of Harry Potter. All soul fragments of Voldemort were combined and destroyed in a ritual commissioned by Harry Potter.
Harry Potter recovered well and is in good health. His famous scar is now barely visible.
Quirinus Quirrell, who was proven to have voluntarily accepted being possessed, did not survive the ritual. The Ministry gave approval for this ritual in advance, including the expected death of both Voldemort and Mr. Quirrell.
There was a prophecy, quoted below. It is now dark and completed. Therefore the one identified as the Dark Lord has been permanently killed by Harry Potter.
There is a power that Harry Potter had used in an earlier part of the fight against Voldemort that is being kept secret. As for the Dark Lord dying at the hand of Harry Potter, the word hand was more than one meaning. One meaning is a person hired by another to do work. Harry Potter hired, out of his own funds, expert wizards, who could be referred to as hired hands, who performed the ritual to destroy Voldemort.
I convinced Minister Fudge to indicate to the Daily Prophet his approval of revealing who Voldemort was.
Tom Marvolo Riddle
Then arrows showing where each letter goes in the next line
I am Lord Voldemort
He was the son of a muggle and Merope Gaunt a descendant of Slytherin. He professed a belief in the superiority of purebloods, but actually demonstrated by his acknowledged magical power that the two most powerful wizards, himself and Albus Dumbledore, were both half-bloods.
Snape and I compared marks and both were completely faded. We agreed to start the our potions company in the summer. Dumbledore tried to convince Snape to remain as professor, but was unsuccessful. "I have had enough of teaching dunderheads who blow up their cauldrons. I am no longer needed as a spy."
Hugues Mélangeur preemptively said that he would not consider the role of Potions Professor for the upcoming year. He was going to continue his visits as a tutor. I wanted Draco to have advantages over the other students. Mélangeur would not have had the patience to teach unmotivated students. For that matter, neither did Snape.
Dumbledore dragged Harry Potter along to recruit Slughorn to be a professor again.
The Board of Governors agreed with the need for a Wizarding Studies class. Andromeda Tonks was recommended to Dumbledore for Wizarding Studies and was accepted by him. He also named her head of the Slytherin House. Dumbledore didn't explain why the head of Slytherin house was Andromeda, not Slughorn.
Narcissa and I drank sherry in celebration. She said, "I would like to start over and get to know the man I am married to, whoever you actually are." I answered, "That would be quite agreeable."