Tribe of mystics: Reworked

by Lord of mystics

This is a rewritten version of the earlier story of the same name. Some incidents in the story have been rewritten in detail so that any unanswered questions can be addressed.

11. Chapter 11

A/N- This rewrite is requiring as much as focus and effort as a new story and yet I am not getting that many reactions or reviews from the public. It is good or bad?

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The Marichika

It was getting late in the evening and Harry Potter was still meditating in his cabin. Harsh understood that the boy was upset with the casual manner in which he had dealt with the death eaters. It was a quality which set Harry Potter apart from most people. If anyone else had been given such a chance at power, they would have been ecstatic with glee and used it for their purposes but Harry was not one to abuse authority.

"Marudhar, please go and get Mr. Potter from his cabin and have him join me in the mess hall", Harsh said gesturing to one of his mystics.

Harry arrived at the mess hall table 5 minutes later to find Harsh reading a book. The mystic noticed and asked Harry to join him at the table. For lack of something better to do, Harry glanced at the book the mystic was reading and he found that it was in a language which was not one he recognised. It made him wonder where the book was from and what it was about.

Harsh looked in Harry's eyes and asked him, "Harry, now that we are going to enter into a relationship of a teacher and student and you know that I have no hesitation in killing someone if they deserve it, I guess we should get it out of the way at the start. You know, I can understand your qualms about killing. I mean you may have faced things that none others your age may have and you may hesitate to kill. Your soul is blemish free and not scarred but will it be always this way? And you think you can preserve your innocence? But at what cost? Even if a single innocent dies because of your inaction when you could have saved them, the liability of their death will be on your head. Do you think that killing someone will make you evil? I know that you do not like this but look upon everything that has happened to Wizarding Britain in the last war and tell me if things would not have been better if the defenders of light had used lethal spells and killed death eaters when Tom Marvolo Riddle had raised his poisonous hood. Can you imagine how many families were destroyed in the war? So many children were orphaned, so many houses wiped out of existence and so many, including you, had to live in such deplorable conditions devoid of love or compassion from anyone. If the Aurors had killed some of that death eater scum perhaps others would not have joined him and things may have been very different. This all could have been avoided if one person had stepped up and did what should have been done anyhow. We were watching but we could not act, because we have never fought open wars but when it all did not cease even for ten years, we decided that we would raise our army and kill the scum who defiled mother magic, however, before we could take any action, you had vanquished him."

Harry just finished spending the last few hours meditating on this very subject. He thought over the mystic's words and at some level, he knew the words made sense. Some of the deaths were unnecessary and cruel. So many talented people had to die to keep society from falling under tyranny. They had all died to ensure the safety of their loved ones. So many children were orphaned. He, Susan, Fay Dunbar they all lost their parents or at least one of them to the war. Neville spent his childhood devoid of parental love in the shadow of the fame of his father and the stern upbringing of Dowager Lady Longbottom.

"Can you tell me about the last war?"

"Yes", Harsh said, "Tom had done his homework before he started his mischief. He knew that Wizarding Britain had grown accustomed to laziness and inattentiveness. He knew of the fears and apprehensions of the young pureblood heirs of prominent families and he hit the nail on the head from the start. He didn't start attacking right away but before he spent years making preparations, creating a web of informants, sympathisers and loyalists in the ministry. When he did start his mission, he already had half the war won and if Dumbledore didn't stand up to him, he would have won. But Dumbledore was not DMLE head or the Minister of Magic and he could not give free rein to Aurors or avert his eyes from vigilantism to allow the Order of the Phoenix to do its work."

"Why were the Aurors not allowed to use lethal spells from the start?", asked Harry.

"Milicent Bagnold was a fine woman but she could not recognise people from their habits, their upbringing etc. She was manipulated by her friends to think that everything was fine and no unrest was there. That the Aurors could bring things under control without resorting to harsh measures. Only when Bagnold herself was attacked that she had Crouch Sr. give free rein to allow the Aurors to use lethal force. Now if they were using lethal force from the start, the movement could have ended even before it was properly launched."

Harry turned to Harsh, "Guruji, I understand what you are saying. I even agree with you. Having to defend myself or someone else for that matter, in a life and death struggle is one thing. I feel that I could accept the responsibility for the death of another living human being, or intelligent magical creature for that matter, at my hands under such circumstances. However, I do not believe that I could ever be an executioner. I will not kill a person who is completely at my mercy".

"Harry, you know when I killed for the first time, I could not get over my guilt for three days. My guru then taught me a lesson, War is not about those who are gone but it is about those who are left", Harsh said gravely to him, "we often do not kill for ourselves but to keep others safe. When the time comes, you have to decide. And no one wants you to be an executioner. As a lord, it will be upon you to fight for those who can't fight for themselves, seek justice for those who were denied justice and you are to protect them from any harm."

"But I couldn't even banish that petrified pirate over the railing during the battle. I mean, he was at my mercy, and I just couldn't …"

Harsh smiled at him brightly, "That is indeed very good. It means that your heart is not full of hate but love. You know of the Patronus, Harry. You know what fuels it?"

Harry thought for a moment before he started saying, "Remus told me that our emotions fuel it. I use my happiest feelings to cast a Patronus."

Harsh smiled and said to him, "Remus was right but it's mostly over love for others that fuels it. Don't you remember that you had cast a patronus to drive away a hundred dementors but your spell wasn't that powerful before. When you cast that patronus later, it was your desire to save Sirius which fuelled it further. Love is what drove Lilly Potter to use an arcane ritual to sacrifice her life for yours. No dark wizard has ever been able to conjure a patronus. If he tried it, he would conjure maggots which would eat him alive."

Harry looked at him sharply, "What do you mean by my mother sacrificing her life for me?"

Harsh said to him, "Tell me Harry, what do you hear when you go near a dementor?"

Harry balked at telling him. It was not like he was ashamed of it but it was deeply personal. Sharing that experience with Harsh felt like a terrible breach of intimacy. But it was something that many people already knew about and it wasn't as if the knowledge could cause any further harm to him.

"When a dementor comes near me, I can hear my mother begging Voldemort to spare me but to kill her in my place. He tried to get her to stand aside and spare her life. He said that she didn't need to die. However, when she did not relent then he killed her. There was that green flash that seemed to fill the whole world, the rushing sound as she screamed and she fell. With her out of the way, he cast the killing curse at me. There was the green flash again and then nothing", he finished in a flat tone.

Harsh could see that Harry was struggling for self-control. He gave Harry a minute before telling Harry what he thought it all meant. Harsh said thoughtfully, "It is as I had thought. She did find the ancient blood sacrifice ritual."

Harry curiously asked him, "Blood sacrifice ritual? Is that what it sounds like?"

Harsh straightened in his chair, "There is a very ancient ritual, the origins of which are now clouded. This was a ritual of protection, a ritual which could even thwart death. Now the ritual was pretty straightforward but it demanded a terrible price to be paid by the caster. Since it is natural law that everyone born has to die someday therefore, any attempts to change that fate is a perversion of the natural order. Doing so, disturbs the balance of things since a life saved will disturb the balance and it could mean disastrous consequences. This ritual sought to overcome the said imbalance for at the time of performing the ritual, the caster willingly offered his own life in exchange of the life which was saved. The mystics had worked for years to trace and destroy all the information about this ritual from every source in the world. We destroyed books, altered memories of people and even killed practitioners of soul magic who could use these practices for their nefarious purposes. I guess Lilly Potter found the ritual in the Potter Library since there was only one copy of the same available in Wizarding Britain and that was in the Potter Library. I had asked Lord Charlus and his father and forefathers before them but they denied me and told me that the ritual will not find its way to anyone outside their family."

"What makes you think that she performed it?", Harry asked him.

"After you vanquished Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore took you out of the place, I led a team of mystics to find what had happened in the cottage. What Tom Marvolo Riddle or Albus Dumbledore had not found was that there were runes on a ward-stone in your room and the stone was seeped with blood and magic. As soon as we found the stone we whisked it away because we knew your ministry could not find anything out of it. We ran some tests on the stone and we found that it had traces of the blood magic ritual and we were confirmed that your mother offered her life to mother magic as sacrifice for your protection. This ritual requires the caster to willingly step in front of death meant for another to sacrifice their life. As the sacrifice happens, the person sought to be protected gets a protection which cannot be penetrated by anyone. Think about it, Harry. You are not the first person whose mother stepped in front of death of their child but it did not protect them. Your mother's love fuelled her resolve to give up her life to save yours. It was love that drove James Potter to stand wandless against Voldemort and give time to Lily to perform the ritual which saved your life. Your parents gave their lives to save you and if you stick to your righteousness and die, their sacrifice will be in vain and the people you care about will die anyway."

Harry was feeling a myriad of emotions surprise, elation, sorrow and intrigue. Nobody ever told him about this. The most that he knew ironically was from Voldemort who told his followers that it was an ancient magic that he underestimated while Dumbledore had told him in his first year that Lily used her love for him to give him some protection. Voldemort perhaps knew of the ritual but did not elaborate because he did not want to appear weak.

He had always felt that it was his parents who gave everything to keep him safe while the world credited him for doing something miraculous when he was only 15 months old and could not even hold a wand. His parents died to keep him alive and he wanted to honour their sacrifice by staying alive. If it came down to kill or be killed, Harry would do what he had to. Unfortunately, that meant that he would have to kill Voldemort. Thanks to that wretched prophecy, Tom Riddle was convinced that he had to kill Harry to live and Harry was not going to let that happen.

"Harry", Harsh's voice called Harry back from his musings, "let me tell you about another story which may perhaps sway your thoughts."

Harry nodded eager to listen to any story which the mystic had to tell.

Harsh closed his eyes, his forehead wrinkled as if in thought, "This is a well-known tale across the world and you may also have heard of it. Thousands of years ago, evil ran rampant and truth and justice were being denied, the innocent were oppressed. There were kings who ruled the lands but they were monsters in human body. It was a time of great unrest and chaos. During those times, there was a kingdom in Aryavarta known as Hastinapur. It was one of the most powerful kingdoms and after much turmoil, King Pandu ascended to the throne. King Pandu was a just king but had to abdicate for some reason. In his stead, his brother Dhritrashtra was made the king who harboured resentment in his heart because his younger brother had been made king ahead of him because Dhritrashtra was born blind. Pandu went to live in forests with his wives where he sired 5 sons who are said to be divine born. Dhritrashtra sired 100 sons and a daughter from his wife. King Pandu died in the forests and the children came back to the royal palace with their mother Kunti. They were looked after and loved by Bhisma, elder brother of their grandfather. Needless to say that the sons of Dhritrashtra clashed constantly with sons of Pandu and did not let go a moment to torment the sons of Pandu and at one time tried to kill one of the Pandu sons but he was saved. They all took weapon training from Dronacharya who regarded one of sons of Pandu as his favourite student. The sons of Pandu had a cousin, Krishna who was a god. After a lot of suffering and betrayals that the sons of Pandu faced at the hands of sons of Dhritrashtra, they still avoided any war between themselves. Years later, after a lot of hardships which they faced in which they were embarrassed, insulted and whatnot and Krishna convinced them that war was inevitable for peace. So, the stage for war was set and both sides started amassing their army. The sons of Dhritrashtra had larger army and many venerable warriors among them however the favourite student of Dronacharya, Arjun was vaunted as the greatest warrior and the god himself was driving his chariot in the war. On the day the war was to start, Arjuna asked him to take the chariot between both the armies so he could see his foes. Needless to say, Arjuna found himself unable to kill anyone because most of them were his family, friends or teachers.

"The god, Krishna delivered a sermon to him that the muggles call Bhagwat Geeta and we refer to it as 'Song of the Lord'. In it, he told Arjun that death is just another stop before the soul is reborn and nothing ever happens without his will, so, any death that happens at the hands of a warrior lies on him. Since everything came from him and goes back to him, we are blameless. So, Mr. Potter, Arjun the greatest warrior had to fight and kill his relatives for the sake of Dharma, truth and honour. When it comes to upholding your dharma, your duty then nothing should be able to stop you. Think about my words carefully because these words will decide what you will become."

With that Harsh let the topic drop leaving it to Harry to ponder on in its own time. If the boy could not find his own path, Harsh would arrange it so that he would before it was too late. In the service of Mother Magic, he would do whatever he could to serve her.

"Now Harry, I have been told that you are good at defence.", Harsh grinned at him mischievously, "I think we should start training you with testing your basics."

They proceeded to the deck where Harsh called four of his mystics, "Harry, they will test your basics. We need to see where you stand before we proceed with a plan for you."

Suddenly Harsh vanished and the four whipped their wands out shooting hexes at him. Harry immediately dived to the ground to save himself. In the next moment, he was up with his wand in hand. He barely had time to cast a stunner before they flanked him and were shooting at him from all directions. Unable to dodge spells coming from all directions at once, he cast a shield to deflect the onslaught of spells, but; it didn't last long. He cast another shield and it lasted long enough for him to notice that they were all firing at once, giving him a few seconds respite between volleys. That was all the advantage he needed. At the end of the next volley, he dispelled his shield and fired, a disarming hex at one of the mystics who swatted it away with a flick of his wand, he sent a stunning spell at another who merely side stepped, a blasting hex was sent at the third who lazily produced a shield and he sent a reducto at the fourth who simply disappeared and reappeared a second later, grinning at Harry.

Harry was flabbergasted. He was easily one of the best in Hogwarts when it came to defence and his prowess with a wand was already a subject of talks between the students but here he was a child. He cast with the best of his ability but none of his spells found their mark. They were toying with him.

He fired a stunner at the third mystic who produced a shield. The stunner reflected straight back at Harry taking him by surprise. He neither shielded nor dodged. Struck by his own stunner, Harry fell to the deck unconscious.

One of the mystics enervated him signalling him to get ready again. They started raining down spells on him and this time, he noticed a different pattern. They were each taking their turn casting a spell at him then apparating away to re-appear at a different spot and do it again. Harry found this pattern of attack confusing and impossible to dodge. He had to keep a shield up. He could not reply to the attacks as the mystics apparated away before he could take aim, cast and wait for the spell to connect and he had no way to anticipate where they would appear again. Although, after a time, the pattern appeared to be that they liked re-appearing at his back. Casting a few stunners behind him broke up that action quickly.

After about 20 minutes, casting a new shield every few seconds was getting to be exhausting. Harry was ready to call it quits, but; he remembered his lesson from Harsh and did not let his guard down. When Harry was wavering on his feet and it seemed that casting one more shield would cause him to pass out cold, Harsh called out, "Stand down". The mystics went still.

He turned to Harry, "Lower your wand, Harry."

Harry lowered his wand and slumped down on the deck, panting. While the mystics had played with them, he understood what they were teaching him. As he fought with them he realised where Moody had learned the Mantra of Constant Vigilance. If people attacked him like this he would be paranoid of everyone like the old Master Auror.

Harsh watched the boy and understood what was going through his mind. Harry Potter's education was lacking in so many ways. His teachers were to blame. It was their job to teach the basic things about magical core, differences in their casting and all related things. In fact, the boy was not even in synchronization with his magical core but was able to produce a corporeal patronus in spite of that . To wield such power was no mean feat. By the time the mystics were done training him, Harry Potter would be a force to be reckoned with.

"Are you tired Harry?", he asked.

Lacking the strength to get up from the deck where he sat, panting, Harry managed to nod, "I don't understand. I have more stamina than this. I mean, yes I can be tired out with all the relentless casting but it should take a lot longer."

Harsh smirked, "And how do you know that, Harry?"

"I trained all last year with Ron and Hermione. I learned a lot of spells with them and I used to practice with them. They even used some powerful spells against me while I defended and my shield used to last longer. Here I have to raise a new shield after every 10 to 15 stinging hexes. Not to mention that their attacks are so random that I can't guess where the next attack will come from", said Harry, exasperated.

Harsh chortled, "Harry, Harry. Have you not studied magical theory in detail?"

Harry looked down, his face red with embarrassment. No, he thought, that was Hermione's thing. He had never bothered.

Harsh laughed, "Your reaction told me what I wanted to know. It will not change anything but only you will have to work even more hard now. You will need to study about it in detail later but for now it will suffice you to know that it does not depend on the nature of the hex but the power behind it. Your friends Ron and Hermione though are powerful more than average wizards their age but they are not powerful as a mystic. They also do not know to put all their power in a spell as my mystics do. If it was any ordinary wizard in your place, their one hex would have shattered their shield but even your basic shields are powerful than others."

Harry was listening with rapt attention. Nobody had ever explained things to him this way. He again regretted not having read enough and he wondered if Hermione knew about it or not. Whether she did or not, Hermione was not here and he would have to study it for himself.

"Now I told you that I will teach you things and I know that you learn better by doing it but there is no escape from reading the books", Harsh said as he raised his hand and muttered something inaudibly.

In answer to his summons, Harry's trunk came flying through the air to them. Harsh tapped the trunk and it opened. He calmly opened the library portion and picking up a quill he wrote something on the sorting parchment which was kept at the start of the shelves causing one of the books to glow. He picked up the book and handed it to Harry whose mouth hung open in surprise, "I want you to study this book, Harry. Before we land at India tomorrow, I want you to finish this book or you will face my displeasure."

Harry found his voice, "How did you open my trunk? I thought that it can be opened only after giving a passcode."

Harsh grinned at him, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Harry blanched. "How did you know my passcode?", he asked flabbergasted.

"Let's just say that until you can make your mind safe, there is nothing safe", Harsh said cryptically.

Harry remembered something Dumbledore said, "Professor Dumbledore also said something like ensuring that my mind is my own but he did not explain", he pouted at Harsh.

Laughing at Harry's antics, Harsh replied, "That is for later, Harry. For now, you need to brush up on your magical theory because without knowing this, there are things you cannot fathom to understand."

Bones Manor

Amelia red over her letter once more before sending it off:

"Lord MacMillan,

Due to recent events, I have been appointed a guardian to Harold Potter, who is now Lord Potter and the head of the Great Alliance. Due to the passing away of Lord James Potter without having renewed the commitments, we were left with no option but to wait while the fate of our alliance hung in the balance.

Due to his upbringing by muggles, Lord Potter was kept ignorant of our alliance, our customs and his duties toward us until recently. As his guardian, I am writing to you to renew our alliance.

As you know, the Great Alliance was founded by the houses of Potter, Bones and Macmillan. As such, I have sent this first invitation to you to commit to renew the Great Alliance. I will also be reaching out to other members of this alliance. I desire your co-operation in this affair for your wisdom is unparalleled.

Sincerely,

Amelia Bones

Regent of House of Bones and House of Potter."

Amelia had started working on renewing the Great Alliance early because she heard of a clandestine motion being brought by the minister to interfere at Hogwarts and to subvert Dumbledore's authority. Dumbledore might not have cared about it but the minister wanted to place the nefarious Dolores Umbridge at Hogwarts to try and bring Harry to his side.

She knew of Dolores Jane Umbridge and hated her with unbridled passion. She knew all about the various and nefarious means the useless, toxic toad employed to manoeuvre her way into her current position. If Amelia had her way, Dolores would have been shown the door long ago.

She would also meet with Dumbledore to seek his support to stop Fudge from interfering at Hogwarts. This had to be stopped by any means necessary.

Wizengamot

The Wizengamot was a circular chamber where the old houses had seats in the centre signifying their importance while other houses sat in their spaces in other adjoining rows. The Minister and the head of the DMLE sat on either side of the Chief Warlock,.

The older houses were each allowed a chamber in the ministry near the Wizengamot and as such, there were chambers for the houses of Black, Potter, Longbottom, Bones etc, in a row. The regents or the Lords could stay there during recesses or between sessions. They were also equipped with fireplaces, allowing all the conveniences of floo travel directly to their chambers. This is why nobody ever saw a member of a prominent family using the public entrances to the Ministry.

"Close the doors", Dumbledore called out and the huge double doors in the chamber closed with a boom.

"Let the meeting for the month of June, 1995 commence", he announced, "Now is there any declaration to be made before we proceed with daily business?"

Amelia Bones stood up, "Chief Warlock, let it be noted in the records that this declaration is business of House Bones."

Dumbledore responded, "So noted."

Amelia continued, "According to the last will and testament of Lilly and James Potter that has recently come to light, my brother Edgar and his successors were named as guardians of Harold James Potter in the event of the unfortunate demise or incapacitation of Lord James and Lady Lilly Potter. Under this provision, my application to become his guardian has been granted. Therefore, until Harold James Potter is able to assume his seat, as his guardian, I request that this auspicious body recognize me as the regent for House Potter in addition to Head of DMLE and regent of House bones."

Dumbledore examined the ministry document which she had also produced at Gringotts, "This appears to be in order. Are there any objections to this declaration?"

This was of no consequence to anyone because they understood it. If James Potter and Lilly Potter named the House of Bones as guardian of Harry Potter, Regent Bones was justified in making this demand and she could not be denied. Fudge however was thinking how this could change things for him. Amelia was already influential and if she was given more power, she would become a problem for him.

When no one objected, Dumbledore announced, "Regent Bones, from this time forth you are the regent of House Potter and you will remain in this position until Heir Potter comes of age or some other decisions in this regard are made. Regent Doge, we thank you for your service. You may step down."

With that, Elphias Doge stood up from the Potter seat and made his way to the observation gallery.

After that was settled, Dumbledore spoke again, "Now, the minister has filed a motion to introduce a bill before this body for your consideration and vote to become a law. Minister, the floor is yours."

"Honourable Members of this august body", Fudge was speaking, "As you all know, this body was established with the sole objective of bettering our society and to take it on a path of progress. Now from some investigations that I have conducted and interviews with members of the Board of Governors for Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, I find that the standards at Hogwarts have been cascading downwards. One most persistent and recurring problem is that due to one misfortune or another, there has been a new defence teacher appointed every year for more than a score of years now. The last few years, one teacher is dead, another in the permanent spell damage ward, one was a werewolf for Merlin's sake and a paranoid ex-Auror!". Of course, Fudge was never going to admit that Moody had been held prisoner in his own trunk for the entire school year while one of Voldemort's lackeys masqueraded as the Master Auror. He continued, "If this is the best our Headmaster can do, then for the safety and proper teaching of our children, vote for this bill. It gives us the authority to do better. In the event that a teaching post at Hogwarts remains vacant by August 1, one month before the commencement of term, the Ministry of Magic has authority to appoint a qualified candidate."

Dumbledore watched the proceeding with grim realisation. Cornelius was playing a dangerous game and helping Voldemort, even if unintentionally. He also knew that Cornelius would have done this only if he had enough support behind him. Besides, the way he had presented this motion, there was no way that anyone could oppose it. Cornelius had won this round but he won't get an absolute victory.

Amelia Bones watched Dumbledore and their eyes met briefly. Then she whispered something to Lord Macmillan who was sitting beside her and he stood, "I wish to address this body, Chief Warlock."

Dumbledore nodded, "the chair recognises Lord Macmillan."

"Chief Warlock, the proposal made by the minister has its merits and on the face of it, there are no grounds to oppose the same. However, I must remind this august body that when Hogwarts was founded, a session of the Council of Lords was convened wherein it was resolved that the council or any other body which becomes its successor shall have no rights to interfere in the administration of Hogwarts. As you may also recall, any decision of the Council can only be revoked by decision of the majority of the council. Since the time of dissolution of the council, many of the member houses have become extinct. Therefore, the majority will have to be taken from the existing members of whom only Black, Potter, Bones, Longbottom, McMillan, Greengrass, Sayre and Nott are left. It is also pointed out that even among those, no representatives of House of Sayre are present. But as the minister put it forth, we must strive to better our society so there is nothing to gain by fighting against this bill but we should also keep checks in place. How much of a leeway will this bill give the minister?"

Fudge stood to answer his question, "Lord Macmillan, this bill isn't aimed at taking Hogwarts's independence away or bringing it under Ministry control. This bill will give the minister the power to appoint a teacher if the headmaster cannot find one."

"And when should the ministry be able to determine that the headmaster has not been able to find a suitable candidate? What would be the qualifications of a suitable candidate?"

"Any candidate who isn't suffering from any magical affliction like lycanthropy, has the grades required and has no previous history of being in conflict with the law will be the ideal candidate. The headmaster will be required to appoint the new teacher by August 1st and inform the ministry about it. If he fails to do so, it will be assumed that he has failed to find anyone qualified to do the job and the ministry will appoint a teacher. However, this bill does not give the ministry the right to remove any teacher."

Dumbledore mentally smirked. Someone had well thought over this proposition before it was drafted because it did not appear to be a hindrance to running the school effectively but he recognized it as the camel's nose in the tent during the sand-storm.

"All in favour of the motion, please raise your wand with tips green."

As he had predicted, most of the members passed the motion. What did please him to see was that the members of the Great Alliance did not raise their wands in support of this motion. Perhaps Amelia had already started working on them.

Bones Manor, the Dungeon

Rita Skeeter was having the worst time of her life. She was bested by a mudblood who trapped her like a common bug and then handed her to Susan Bones. Now she was in the custody of Amelia Bones, a woman who had a great deal of hatred against Rita in her heart. While climbing to her fame, she destroyed the reputations of many formidable witches and wizards. She even had the audacity to go after Albus Dumbledore but she had not been able to destroy his reputation. Now she was here in a dungeon where she had no way to escape.

She had tried to apparate but that caused a backlash that knocked her out. Her head still ached just thinking about it. When she regained consciousness, she tried her bug form, but that didn't work either. When she tried unlocking the door, the unlocking charms she knew all failed. In desperation, she tried blasting her way out. The reflected spell narrowly missed killing her. After that, she sat down to write the tell-all story about her cruel and entirely undeserved captivity at the hands of her vicious jailor. When she got out of here, Ms. Bones was never going to live this one down.

Meanwhile, in the real world, she was entirely at the mercy of Amelia Bones who could kill her and no one would ever know about it. Some of the darker aspects of the old families in ancient times, they used to silence their enemies in such a covert manner that no one ever knew anything about it. Even the Council of Lords did not interfere in such feuds and those old rules had been retained when the Wizengamot was formed which meant that Amelia Bones could kill her and dump her body in some lake or among some beasts who would devour her body. She could do even worse like handing her over to some dark family who was out for her blood or she could send her to Azkaban without a trial.

Her writing was interrupted when her cell door swung open on its well-oiled hinges. In stepped her jailor, Amelia, accompanied by a man whose face was covered with a mask. All she could see of his face were brown eyes.

Amelia waved her wand causing the Quick Quotes quill and parchment to fly into her hand. After one glance at the article, she tossed both items into the air and intoned, "Incendio!" The quill and parchment vanished in a flash of flame and puff of smoke. She stepped over to the reporter and smirked, "Oh no. There won't be any Quick Quotes quill in this interview. I will be asking the questions. Your lies have ruined quite enough lives already. Today, you will be dishing up what I need to get some leverage on people that have, in my opinion, been enjoying the good life at other people's expense for far too long."

She pointed to the man "This is Mr. Aparichit who has kindly agreed to help extract some of those secrets from your mind. You see being an officer of the law I cannot use the Imperius curse or use any other coercive methods but Mr. Aparichit has no such inhibitions."

The man stepped forward and looked into her eyes. Rita tried to look away, then the man petrified her. She could feel him probing her mind and she raised her defences. The intruder knocked softly on her shields for some time, then retreated.

Rita was cautious and did not lower her shields. The next moment, the man's eyes brightened for a bit and Rita felt her mind shields being set on fire. The firestorm raged, destroying her defences in a matter of minutes. Rita was left helpless to stop the man from reading her thoughts. It did not take long for him to find where she kept her secret information such as who were her sources in the ministry, whom she was blackmailing, where she kept her physical files and what measures would be required to access them. Best of all were myriad details about Fudge and his corrupt dealings.

The man retreated from her mind completely then nodded to Amelia. Together they left the room.

"What did you find out, Mr. Aparichit?", Amelia asked.

"Madam Bones,' he said in a deep voice, 'she knows awful lot of information. She has a cellar in her home where she keeps the secrets she comes across, a number of your Head of Departments in the ministry are sources for information and she has a big fat dossier on the corruption of Cornelius Fudge. He pays her a big bag of Galleons every month just to keep the secrets buried. If those secrets were to see the light of the day, Cornelius Fudge will not have enough space to run."

Amelia's whole face broke out in a great-big grin, "Mr. Aparichit, it looks like my birthday has come early this year! Mr. Fudge's days in office are numbered."

Finally, she had something with which she could payback Fudge for all his idiocy. But she would need to deal with Fudge's minions before she took out the minister himself. There was an immediate use for this dossier though. She could prepare a welcome home gift for Harry Potter.

"Mr. Aparichit, if you are willing, I could use your assistance to secure certain valuable materials from a certain reporter's home", She asked the mystic in a formal manner.

With a courtly bow, he answered, "Madam. Bones, I would be honoured". Having been inside of Rita's mind, he was able to take Amelia directly to the cache of files in her basement. Taking Amelia by the hand, they disapparated.

Hogwarts

"How could you allow this to happen, Albus? You have rights guaranteed by the Founders of Hogwarts. You could have stopped the passage of the bill. Cornelius does not have the same power as you do. On the surface, this might appear to be a measure, on the part of the ministry to ensure the quality of education at Hogwarts. But we both know that this is really the thin edge of the wedge for Fudge to take control of the entire school. With the track record of the defence Against the Dark Arts professor not lasting for more than a year for many years now, Fudge will use this law to place his agent in the school and begin undermining the authority of the school board and the head master", she said, "Not all on the board of governors will agree with them and we can be sure that he will try to get them out so he can take absolute control."

"Minerva, the times are perilous ahead", Albus shook his head, "I could have blocked Cornelius and tried to stop the bill from passing but for what purpose? The way he presented this bill before the body, I would have been seen as the evil that he portrays me to be if I opposed it. This is not about power. This is about influence. Influence is a resource which must be carefully nourished, grown if you will. To overuse it is to kill it. If I had used my influence to block such a seemingly banal law, contrary to the expressed will of our minister, it would have given them all the leverage they needed to undermine or even destroy my credibility. No. This was the bait and I am not walking into their trap. I need the ancient houses to support me, especially during these times. This could have turned some of them against me. We will have to wait and see how things will unfold. But there is nothing to worry about for us since the Great Alliance is again stirring from its slumber and it won't be long before times change and then we will be able to deal with whoever he puts here if we are not able to get a proper teacher for the coming term."

Minerva did not answer but pursed her lips in disappointment. She understood that times were such that they could not risk turning houses against them. It was just that her faith in Dumbledore's reputation was so great that she believed that he could have anything he wished for. As she talked, she realised that in the past few weeks, the world had changed and it all revolved around her great godson, Harry Potter. She would love to see how things unfolded when Harry Potter returned to the castle. He definitely would not be the meek, docile boy he had been the last four years. If he was half his father and god father, then anyone the ministry sent in would have the challenge of their life.

"Minerva, if we do not find a teacher for defence Against the Dark Arts this year, you know Cornelius will saddle us with a worthless teacher who will teach nothing to students but act as a spy and spread the ministry's propaganda. We will need to be prepared", Albus said "I have heard that he will try to push to oust me from the position of Chief Warlock before the next academic year starts. If that happens, we will need to be careful in the castle and make sure that the ministry cannot find anything that could potentially incriminate us."

"Perhaps it is time that I made some changes at Hogwarts. There are things which should have been done ages ago but weren't done because they were not hurting anyone. Now however, things are taking a dangerous turn. We both know what harm Lucius Malfoy was able to cause in his capacity as a governor of this school. We need to either abolish the board entirely or fill it up with our friends", he said "And I need to do things that I should have done ages ago. Cuthbert Binns couldn't keep students awake even when he was a young man. It's long past time that he is retired. We will need to do something to keep Sybill Trelawney in the castle because the secret of the prophecy lies in the deep of her mind. And may be, I can restart the duelling lessons which were popular back in the day."

"If you can persuade Cuthbert Binns to retire, that will be a day when the students of Hogwarts will thank you with all their hearts!", Minerva said with mirth filled eyes.

"There is another thing, Minerva. I have observed and you would agree with me that since the first war, the quality of students has been deteriorating. The OWLs and NEWTs have been evidence of the falling standards. With the war at the door, we need to teach our students to use what they are taught for self-defence.", he said gravely, "With the times that are approaching us, we will need to teach them things which they can use to defend themselves and others, if the need arises."

"So it begins.", she thought knowing that she would be meeting the teachers to convey what was being asked of her. The comment of falling standards had hit too close to home. The students were not as good as they used to be. She will have to remedy that.

Cottage on the Hill

"Master Neville, the great Harry Potter's Dog-father has sent this for you", Dobby said as he handed a slip of parchment to him.

Neville took the note and read it as Dobby disappeared, "Today you shall enter the cottage by the floo. The floo address is 'Prongs Hill'".

Neville entered the floo as directed and when he exited at the other end, there was no one around. Nonchalantly, he walked towards the door and a spell from behind stunned him.

Early this morning as every member of the little group arrived through the floo, when each of them passed through the visitor's room to the hall, they were in turn, stunned and bound.

Neville was the last one to come through the door and was stunned promptly. When he was enervated, he found Sirius Black grinning at him, "To the classroom, now."

When he joined the others in the classroom, Moody was already there, "Constant Vigilance. Is it so hard to maintain?" Moody looked irritated and he had his wand trained on them, "Pathetic. If you were in the Auror Corps and I was your trainer, I would have fired the lot of you for the pathetic show that you just put on. Has no one learned a lesson from the last year?"

"Granger'!", he growled, "what did every one of you do wrong?"

Hermione, who was rattled like the others, took a moment composing herself, "Please, Professor Moody. I can't speak for everyone here. As for myself, I exited the floo and walked right on through the door without even looking around."

There was a general nodding of heads and murmur of agreement from the rest of the teens.

"Weasley", he said, "Ronald Weasley, not the rest of you lot, what should anyone do under conditions like these?"

Ron who, was not much on academics but was a good strategist said, "Travelling by floo is disorienting. I always need a moment to get myself together after I land. The very least I could do during that time is have a good look around to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be. If one can do it, casting a homenum revelio would be a good precaution even if the visual check shows that nothing is out of order. Then, if there is someone waiting in ambush, I would already have my wand out to deal with them."

"Constant Vigilance", Moody barked again, "It means that you must always be aware of everything in your surroundings. One momentary lapse, one detail overlooked and it may be the last mistake you will ever make. Whenever you are in hostile territory, don't drop your guard for even a single minute. Fortunately for you, I am only your drill instructor. For your poor showing today you will only run laps for half an hour instead of joining your ancestors."

The students ran out of the classroom to get started on their run. When they were done, they all laid down on the ground panting.

Moody being relentless, fired stinging hexes at the lot of them until they got to their feet and gave him their full attention. "Today we are going to play a game. You will be facing your teachers who will only use disarming hexes on you. Your task is to subdue them without losing your wand. Those who lose their wands will have to run wind sprints for 10 minutes around the perimeter of the property."

It sounded simple, but the reality of it was quite different. The professors kept apparating all over the property and sometimes, they would duel with one of them. Within 5 minutes of starting the duel, they disarmed Ginny and Ron. Hermione was the next to go when she was caught between Remus and Sirius who both shot the disarming hex at her at the same time from two opposite directions. Susan and Neville banded together to avoid losing but they were outnumbered when Sirius and Remus caught up with them. They were successfully defending themselves for some time before Flitwick appeared out of nowhere and disarmed Neville while Susan was taken out by the marauders. The twins were proving elusive with apparating all over the property until they apparated inside the hall of the cottage and suddenly felt a trap go off. They tried to apparate out of it but could not.

Sirius came in the room, saw them trapped, guffawed at them telling it was revenge for the snare trap and then painted them Gryffindor gold and crimson before walking away with their wands.

"Pathetic", Moody growled, "You people didn't even put up a decent fight. All of you shall run wind- sprints also known as interval training around the property for 10 minutes starting now."

After the punishment was complete, Moody put them in pairs and ordered them to practice disarming on their partners.

While they were good, there was room for improvement. The teachers went around making tiny corrections and telling them to resume.

In the evening they were dismissed with instructions to review what they had been taught in the previous years.

Department of Records (AKA The Tombs), Ministry of Magic

"Good Morning Roxanne", said Amelia Bones as she entered the department.

"Good Morning Madam Bones", she said, "What brings you to the tombs. I don't think any ongoing investigation is important enough to warrant a personal visit from the head of DMLE."

She grinned, "Sorry to break the monotony and tranquillity of your department. I know not many people visit you here."

"True" Roxanne said, "The last time this department was busy was when the war was going on. It was a headache to keep records of families going extinct or new people getting their inheritances. What brings you here today?"

"Where do you think I can find records of the Ancient and Noble House of Gaunt?"

Roxanne walked over to a wall of ordinary looking filing cabinets. Pulling out a drawer that was labelled "Ga to Gl", she pulled out a couple of yards of drawer before she stopped at an index card marked "Gaunt".

"The House of Gaunt? But that family is almost extinct", Roxanne said pulling a bulky register from the drawer. She opened the folder and laid the family tree out on her desk. "The self-updating charm on the family tree shows that the last viable heir of the house was one Morfinn Gaunt. He died in Azkaban where he was incarcerated for having killed three muggles."

Amelia took the register and scanned it. The family tree had ended abruptly with Morfinn and Merope but there was a sideways branch from Merope Gaunt with a golden link signifying marriage to a muggle named Tom Riddle. A bronze line signifying child was connected from Merope and Tom to Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"Thank you for the information, Roxanne", she said, "I will be taking my leave of you now."

About 10 minutes after Amelia left, with the Gaunt family tree filed away once more, Dirk Creswell paid her a visit.

"Morning Dirk, what brings you here?"

Dirk Creswell handed her a tall stack of parchment, "This just came from the Goblins and is labelled secret as per the old regulations made by the Council of Lords."

"What are these documents about?"

"Even if I peeked, which is strictly illegal, I couldn't tell you, Roxanne", he said, "I do want to know what is in these documents but that is above my pay-grade. Now take charge of these documents and relieve me."

Of course, Roxanne knew what confidential meant in her department. It meant that no one except her could see the documents and not even Cornelius Fudge could ask her to bring the documents to him. It was made so by the Council of Lords so that the ministry could not interfere in the business of the House's.

Daunted by the sheer volume of the stack of parchment documents, her initial thought was to procrastinate digging into them. But her duty was to verify and file all of them. When she looked at the official Gringotts seal and name on the first document, Lord Harold James Potter, any thought of going home early or slacking off vanished. She knew what it was, the results of Harry Potter's inheritance test:

Name- Harold James Potter

Father's Name- James Charlus Potter

Parents: Charlus Fleamont Potter & Dorea Potter nee Black

Mother's name- Lily Amaryllis Potter nee Rosier

Parents: Vincent Rosier & Emilia Rosier nee Weber

Lord of House of Peverell, Potter, Black and Rosier.

The result had her mouth hanging open. Harry Potter was in the same year as her eldest daughter so there was no way that he could become a lord. As she sifted through the documents, she found a decree with the sign and seal of Ragnok Goblin, King of Goblin nation.

"This is to certify that Harold James Potter son of late Lord James Potter and lady Lilly Potter has been recognised as an adult by magic by virtue of his participation in the Triwizard Tournament, the sine qua non of which was that the participant had to be of age.

Since he has also been recognised as an adult by his family magics, he was bestowed with the Lordships of the house of Peverell, Potter, Black and Rosier. The said Harry Potter is also the last descendant of the House of Weber of Germany therefore, he inherits everything from that company."

Another parchment that she found in that stack was of a blood adoption of Harry Potter by Sirius Black which told a different story altogether. If Harry Potter was his blood adopted son that meant Harry Potter was in constant contact with the Azkaban escapee.

She knew that the last Lord Black was Arcturus Orion Black and he died 6 years ago. The next lord Black would have been Sirius, but he could not ascend to his lordship while he was serving a sentence in Azkaban or a fugitive. In the absence of any direct descendants of Sirius, the next heir would have been Draco Malfoy through his mother's line as all other possible heirs were either dead or disowned but to see him ousted by Harry Potter was something nobody could have foreseen. When she looked in to the older records, suddenly the knut dropped when she saw that Harry was godson to Sirius Black. With Harold Potter being his godson and adopted son by magic, Harry Potter was now the Lord Black which meant that he would derail Malfoy's plans.

Also, Harold Potter being the godson of Sirius Black meant that Sirius Black must be innocent. The magics behind the oath of God father were severe and even trying to think of breaking those oaths could kill someone. This angered her that an innocent scion of a great house was jailed and relentlessly pursued.

The next piece of parchment was more surprising. This piece of parchment turned a lot of her perceptions upside down. Lily Evans, one of her best friends, was a pureblood. Lily always maintained that she was muggleborn yet she had an unwavering fascination with the wizarding world's traditions and customs which was surprising. She was surprised when Lily agreed to a marriage contract with James Potter as per the old customs. It was assumed that was because as per old customs, she as a muggleborn did not bring any family magic to the marriage while James's family was ancient and one of the pillars of the wizarding world. To learn that she was not muggle born but daughter to one of the old families which was entrenched in the dark as much as the Rosier family was, it certainly boggled her mind. Harry Potter by reason of being last scion of House Rosier was the lord of Rosier now. He was also the head of an old house of Germany which was insanely rich. This lordship would not give him any more seats on the Wizengamot, but it likely made him the wealthiest wizard in Europe.

He held lordships of four houses and that gave him 11 votes seeing he was lord of the Ancient and Reverent House of Peverell which gave him 5 votes and 2 votes each for his other houses. If he also claimed the vassal houses and their votes in the Wizengamot, she could only guess how many votes that would be. In other words, the politics were about to get interesting.

If she could have, right there and then she would have sent a missive to her family's friends and allies to advise them to band together with House Potter but her position and her oath as the head of the House Records Department did not permit her to do so. But, she could talk to her husband under the conditions of House Secret.

Greengrass Manor

This summer had been a bad one for Daphne Greengrass and the holidays had only just started. Her main problem was that slimy, foul git, Draco Malfoy being infatuated with her. His father, the smarmy, death eater Lucius Malfoy was trying to pressure her father into a marriage contract for her with Draco.

Lord Cyrus Greengrass told him straight that while Lucius Malfoy over-reached when he married Narcissa Black, Draco wouldn't be so lucky because Cyrus would be damned before he allowed his daughter to be wed to a Malfoy of all people. Infuriated with the denial, Lucius threatened Cyrus Greengrass with the Dark Lord. She of course knew that the Dark Lord was back but her father was leader of the neutrals and they would never align themselves with the dark faction.

Her father resisted Lucius Malfoy's overtures for now but they needed to do something to keep the family safe. She had an idea which would help her family get through the war alive but it would mean giving up their neutrality for the light. Right now, the light faction was powerful because they had Dumbledore on their side but they needed something more.

"Daphne dear", her mother called her, "What has you worried? You didn't even notice my return from the ministry."

"I was thinking about Malfoy's threats to father", she said, "I know father is a strong wizard but what use is there in resisting him when there is no other alternative in sight?"

"Don't be so morose", Roxanne Greengrass said, "I have something to share that will put our troubles to rest."

"What is it?"

"That will have to wait until your father is here. This is huge and I need to think how to present it to him."

After an agonising wait of about an hour, Cyrus Greengrass returned home.

"Good evening, Daphne", Cyrus's voice cut in on her thoughts; "the frown on your face tells me that you are lost in thought."

Daphne actually frowned. Cyrus Greengrass had blond hair, brown eyes, a long face, aristocratic features, was about six feet tall, well-built and had a good sense of humour. He could always sense the moods, whether it was Roxanne or any of his daughters and he always seemed to know the exact thing to say to brighten their day.

"Good evening, father", she replied, "I was thinking about Malfoy's threat of consequences. With that monster being back, things will indeed turn bad for us and the other neutrals. The light side is woefully unprepared. We would not interfere in their petty conflicts, but; their self-styled dark lord has shown, over and over again, that he does not care who dies, so long as it serves his purposes. Most of the deaths of his minions were his own doing, but; they are either so terrified by him or so stupidly loyal that they do not desert him. No, instead they came running back to him the moment it looks like he may have any real power again. It is unbelievable! To keep our family safe, we will need some powerful houses on our side. With all the devastation from the last war there are only a few of those houses left."

"Then you will both be happy to know that there is someone who can help us to remain safe in the war", cut in Roxanne's voice who had just entered the room, "And
thus, we come to the house secret that I called you together to discuss. This should help us to sort out our priorities."

"House secret? You have my full attention, my dear. What secret are you talking about?", asked Cyrus, pecking his wife on the cheek as she sat beside him on the sofa.

"This morning I received a fat stack of parchments from Gringotts, about Harold James Potter", she replied.

"His name is Harold? I would assume that since he is the last of House Potter that he has become the heir at last? Young, but he has proven himself capable", Cyrus said, "How does that help us?"

"My dear husband, you are both intelligent and impatient", she said smiling at him, "You are right, as far as what you know and have guessed, but; there is more. And yes, his name is Harold. I guess nobody who knew it is alive or we would have known it sooner."

At this point, Roxanne had their full attention.

"As you have correctly guessed, young Harold James Potter is the heir, but he is already Lord Potter…", She paused for dramatic effect, "And Lord Rosier. And Lord Black. But most significantly he is also Lord Peverell. And he is also head of House Weber."

A minute passed in silence as Cyrus and Daphne processed what this meant.

Daphne was the first to break the silence, "Weber! What is House Weber? I've never heard of them.".

Then before Roxanne could answer, Cyrus cut in, "Peverell? But how? There hasn't been a Lord Peverell for centuries! And… and… and four lordships! How is that even possible?"

Roxanne turned to Daphne first, with a glint of conspiracy in her eye, "Daphne, House Weber is an ancient German family, thought to be extinct, which may explain why you haven't heard of them. They were not British lords and have no seats on the Wizengamot, but quite a considerable fortune. And that, my lovely daughter, quite likely makes him the wealthiest wizard in Europe."

The next half hour passed with Roxanne explaining in detail how Harry came to be recognized as an adult, how the goblin tests worked, how Sirius had blood-adopted Harry and how the Peverell family magic had accepted a Lord after having laid dormant for centuries, not only the magic, but also their grimoire and vaults.

"So you see," Roxanne wound down to her conclusion, "Sirius Black must be innocent. Lord Potter now has 11 votes on the Wizengamot all by himself. And, this time, You-Know-Who will be up against magic which has not been seen in Avalon since the last war-mage over a thousand years ago."

"Merlin's beard!" exclaimed Cyrus, "This will take the Wizengamot by storm! The dark side won't know what hit them." Then he grinned, "That mealy mouthed idiot Fudge will never have another peaceful night's sleep again. And the regency of house Black that Malfoy usurped when the previous Lord Black passed on while Sirius was rotting in Azkaban, those votes will go to the rightful heir."

Daphne, who was taking this all in, while at the same time, drawing her own conclusions, spoke, "Mother, do you suppose, that all of that gold which Malfoy and his father have been flashing around, do you suppose that it came from the Black family fortune? Does this mean that the impudent little toe-rag Draco is shortly going to find that his entire family is flat-broke and his slimy git of a father is Azkaban bound?"

Roxanne regarded her daughter with wide-eyed fascination, "You are entirely too good with this stuff for your own good Daphne. Remind me never to get on your bad side. Although everything you say may very well be true, but, as it happens, a Regent cannot touch a family fortune and it is available only to the supposed heir when he comes of age. The Malfoys may be fugitives from France but they brought their wealth with them. It is not significant compared to the Black Fortune but it is sufficient for them for posturing and showing off. Also I believe that Narcissa was given a hefty dowry when she was married to Malfoy. If there has been any misuse of funds, it will concern Lord Black and it is upon him to do something about it. We must behave as it were all a big surprise when it all comes down."

Daphne rolled her eyes, "Really mother? Isn't that what family secret means. Don't worry. I know how to keep private things private. But, this will change the balance of power in Slytherin house at school and I must be ready to act."

"Well what your mother wanted to say was that this should remain a secret between us for the time being. Not even Astoria should know about it because she has a tendency to blab secrets at the most inopportune times," Cyrus said and they laughed.

Daphne was already making plans. She had a lot of influence in the house of serpents already. With that impudent git Malfoy broken, she could easily leverage herself to lead the whole bunch of them. And that would deny any new recruits to He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. If that was all she could do for the war, she would be satisfied, but; was there anything else?

Her Father broke-in on her thoughts, "Daphne, I want you to become Harry Potter's friend. It is time that we step to the light. After the war, we can go back to being allied with the neutrals."

Daphne made a quick appraisal of both of her parents. Become Harry Potter's friend? Yes, that was already a priority. She didn't need any direction from them to continue with that project. That would be done if at all possible. It didn't hurt that he was filthy rich and seriously cute. But, openly coming out on the side of light? That lacked subtlety and may not be the best tactic, however; the two of them seemed to agree, "Father, I already started on that project before the end of term. If it can be done, it will be done."

THE MARICHIKA

Harry was tired. He retired pretty late after completing the reading assignment from his guru and slept fitfully for only 3 hours before a stinger to his backside woke him. As he woke up, a gruff looking mystic commanded Harry to join him on the deck.

As he climbed the stairs to the main deck, He could see that the ship was being boarded. When he looked around, he and the one mystic seemed to be the only people on deck. The invaders were a herd (flock?) of hippogriffs. They were making a lot of noise and be fouling the deck and the rigging. Something had to be done soon, but what?

"Young Potter!", the mystic shouted above the din I want you to tame one of these beasts. As soon as you tame one of them, fly it out of here and the rest will follow. You will then return with your Hippogriff to the deck."

Harry thought the mystic was mad. Then he remembered what Hagrid taught him about Hippogriffs and how he befriended Buckbeak. Would the same actions work with a wild hippogriff?

The Mystic zapped him with another stinging hex, breaking Harry's concentration, "What are you thinking?" bellowed the mystic "get on with it".

Harry turned to the mystic, "I have an idea. Back me up. If this goes pear shaped, it will happen fast." Harry scanned the herd, looking for the alpha-male. Spotting a
large and active male with Black fur with black and Red plumage he walked right up to him and, establishing eye contact with him, bowed from the waist. The hippogriff's eyes widened momentarily then he returned the bow. Harry cautiously walked forward and patted the beast. To his surprise, he felt an immediate connection with this beast. After a few seconds, Harry vaulted to his back, with his knees secure in the space just behind the wings. With a click of the tongue and a gentle tap from his heels, the hippogriff launched itself into the air and the entire herd followed them.

This was not like riding Buckbeak. This creature was a lot larger and stronger. When they reached an alarming altitude, the creature did a barrel-roll, and Harry only managed to hang on to its back by grabbing the front of the wings. As the creature righted itself, he resumed his seat and held on more tightly with his knees. Then the creature did a loop and Hary did a better job of hanging on.

It was all getting to be too much and pulling his wand out of his robes with great effort, he conjured a make-shift bridle, and a lasso. Once the bridle was in place and the lasso was around the beast's neck, the hippogriff stopped showing-off and Harry guided them back to the ship.

It took about ten minutes for the two of them to find the ship again and land on her deck. When they did, the mystics were there to greet them, wands out and alert.

As soon as Harry dismounted, Harsh embraced him, "Well done Harry. Hagrid did not exaggerate when he told about your bond with animals. You have, indeed, tamed a magnificent beast."

"Guruji, if we could have kept flying through this area and the beasts would have done us no harm, why then did I have to tame one?", Harry asked him.

Harsh smirked, "if you had not tamed your hippogriff, you would have had to make your own arrangements for traveling from Gujarat to Himalayas."

"Meaning?", he asked.

"You will see", said Harsh. "I do not want to ruin your surprise by breaking it to you. For now, go and have your sleep. We have a busy and hard day tomorrow."

Mystics Branch Office, London

Harsh made a brief trip from the Marichika off the coast of India to make arrangements with his men in London for things that needed to be taken care of.

"You called for me, master?", said the mystic as he bowed before Harsh.

"What is happening in London?"

"I helped Madam Bones to retrieve some secrets from Rita Skeeter. I also found that someone had tortured the muggles and the woman is in St. Mungo's."

"Who was it?"

"It was Sirius Black", the mystic replied, "Mr. Black had the tracking device and he found them on the cottage on the shelf. However, he showed great restraint in dealing with them for he could have killed them if he so wished."

"Where is Mr. Black now?"

"He is in the Grimmauld Place area. What do we do about him, master?

"We do nothing about him", Harsh said, "He did nothing wrong but I will have a word with him later and let him know that we are keeping an eye on him."

"What are my instructions, master?"

"Harold Potter is going to stay with us for barely a month and we won't be able to teach him much in that period of time. After he is returned to Hogwarts, he will need someone he can rely upon. I want you to go to Dumbledore in a few days and ask him to appoint you as the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher giving my reference. And you will need to obtain documentation of your qualifications from our brethren at Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You shall be posted at this post until Voldemort is dead and I want you to assist him in any way you can."

"Will I get to fight?"

"Yes, if you are with them 'til the final battle, you shall have the choice to fight or to leave."

"Your wish is my command, master."

With that, Harsh began his journey back to the Marichika by vanishing from the building.

The Next morning

Harry Potter woke up tired and sore. While he was exhilarated with all the hard work that he did and the flying with the hippogriff last night, the adrenaline rush had not let him feel the soreness of his muscles or the amount of energy he had spent in trying to subdue the beast. Right now, his bones felt heavy to him and even getting out of bed felt like a herculean task to him. Muttering, "Gryffindors charge forward!" he stumbled out of his room and found one of the mystics grooming the hippogriff he tamed last evening.

"Harry", the mystic said, "what did you name this one?"

"Name?" Harry asked confused, "should I have named him?".

"Because Harry, you have tamed him and I can see a bond exists between you both. Without a name, how would you address him to do your bidding?"

Harry thought back for a moment then he remembered feeling something when he first touched the hippogriff's neck, "Bond. Yes, I did feel something." He looked into the hippogriff's eyes for a moment, while asking as if the creature could answer him, "How would you like to be addressed? Skylord seems appropriate. But no, that is your title not your name."

Then he turned to the mystic, "I thought it was people like Hagrid who like to name beasts. Hagrid would know what to name him."

"Harry, Rubeus Hagrid is very beloved of beasts and blessed by mother magic when it comes to them. All the beasts in the forbidden forests love him. If anything were to happen to him, there is nobody who can control the creatures in the forest.", the mystic replied. "He is very talented with them. I do not imagine there would be many beasts which can scare him."

Recalling Hagrid's alarming tendency to adopt horrific monsters as if they were cuddly pets, Harry grinned and shook his head, "You are too right about that, sir. So what should I name him?" Harry asked the mystic. "It is not like I have many names in my head that I can choose from."

"You can choose any name that you think would describe him", the mystic replied.

"He is certainly fast and wild like a wind storm", Harry mused, "And the black colour in his coat is more prominent than any other colour", He looked into the hippogriff's eyes again and a feeling of certainty struck him, "Black Storm. Your name, in my language would be Black Storm. May I call you by that name?"

The hippogriff nodded his approval with a neigh while pawing the deck.

With a broad grin, Harry affirmed, "Then Black Storm you shall be named", and he gave the hippogriff a hug around its neck.

"He agrees with you, Harry", the mystic laughed, "Now off with you. We are going to reach India in few hours and I want you to break into him before we land."

He handed tack to Harry, "he is yours to saddle and bridle. Make sure you do it right or you will hurt him."

Harry looked at the saddle and all the bits of metal and leather straps in confusion. The first two times he rode on Buckbeak, he did it bare-back. When he rode Black Storm this morning, it was also bare-back. He had never saddled and bridled a creature of any sort before nor had he even watched while someone else did it.

A series of stingers peppering his body brought him out of his reverie, "Get on with it, Harry. Time will not wait for you."

Harry turned to the mystic, "Do we really need a saddle? I mean, won't that hurt him?"

The mystic was only now beginning to understand that Harry had almost no experience with care of riding creatures, "No, Mr. Potter. A properly adjusted saddle would distribute the load, making carrying you much easier on his spine. Over a long journey, riding bare-back, he would get sore there. What's more, it will be easier on you."

Harry finally did what he had only very reluctantly done in the last 4 years. His time with the Dursleys had taught him that asking for help was the same as asking for humiliation and pain. His experience of the last 4 years was not much of an improvement. Whenever he tried to get an adult to help him, they did not help him but coddled him like a child. The mystics were treating him with dignity and he was concerned that if he continued to spectacularly fail at everything, they would start to treat him like a child too.

He turned to the mystic and confessed, "I have never learned how to put the tack on a horse, much less a hippogriff."

The mystic regarded Harry with a look of mingled surprise and sadness, "Guruji has told me that you can ride a hippogriff. We all saw what you did with Black Storm this morning. How can this be?"

"I can ride one. Hagrid taught us to approach them but he did not teach us to use the tack.", Harry replied, aware of the mystic's gaze on him, "we had one lesson with the hippogriff. I was the only one who approached one of them before Malfoy decided to be a git and insulted a hippogriff. The beast taught him a lesson giving him a scratch, of course, but that ended the lesson for the rest of us.".

"Insult a hippogriff? What kind of fool does that?", the mystic asked incredulously.

"The kind of fool who thinks he is better than others because his father has a lot of money. The kind of fool who has no idea that the power of a person is determined by how much magic is in him. A fool who thinks his family is greatest of all regardless of the fact that his family fled like fugitives from France and anyone bearing that name is still not allowed within its borders", said Harsh who approached the pair just then.

The mystic immediately bent and touched Harsh's feet. Harsh responded by fondly touching the other mystic on his head and murmured, "Ayushman Bhav (May you live long)."

"Pashupati kindly teach Mr. Potter to saddle and bridle the beast,' Harsh said smiling 'he is new and we will need to teach everything to him. Treat him like a child who is to learn everything that is there except defence where he is very accomplished for his age."

Pashupati bowed to Harsh and said, "As you say, Guruji.". Then turning to Harry, he seemed to produce a second set of tack from thin air. He laid his set of tack out on
the deck, motioning to Harry to do the same.

Once Harry had his tack laid out to the mystic's satisfaction, he began to explain, "Harry, it is understandable that for one like Hagrid, use of tack is not the first thing he would teach. Now, it is time to amend your education. I will spend the next few minutes going over the tack. I will explain the name, the purpose, the materials and the method of making each piece. When I am done, you will be able to do the same. If any question should present itself to you, you will please, stop me and ask."

Harry understood this to mean that there would be a test and paid close attention. After only 15 minutes, Harry had sufficient understanding of the tack to satisfy the mystic.

Pashupati then turned to the bow of the ship and gave a shrill whistle. A moment later, a hippogriff landed. The mare had bay fur and iridescent feathers. He bowed to her and when she returned the bow, he gave her an affectionate hug around her neck, "Welcome Gracewind. Will you help us with our lesson today?"

She pawed the deck and nodded her assent.

"Harry, I will place the tack on Gracewind here. As I do so, I will give you verbal instruction on each step and warn you what to look out for. Gracewind is gentle and highly intelligent. She will remind if I should forget anything. You will attend?".

It was obvious to Harry that Pashupati was going through the process at a speed which was painfully slow for him. With all the explanation, it took another 15 minutes. And yes, there was one point when he neglected to tell Harry how to deal with bloating while tightening the girth strap. Gracewind reminded him by demonstrating bloating resulting in the strap being dangerously loose.

By the end of the demonstration, Gracewind had Harry wondering how intelligent these creatures really are? Harry bowed to Gracewind and thanked her for her help. When she bowed back, he gave her a pat on the side of her neck.

"Now, Mr. Potter", the mystic directed him to Black Storm, "Let us see what you have learned. You will now place the tack on Black Storm and you will tell me what you are doing at every step."

Harry started with the bridal and worked his way through the entire process. To Pashupati's delight, he got everything right the first time, right down to giving Black Storm a firm thump in the side when he tried to bloat and keep him from tightening the girth strap. The mystic went over the tack and found everything in order.

The mystic nodded his approval, then turned back to Harry, "Now, Mr. Potter, you will remove the tack, lay it out as I have shown you and put it on again. I will be timing you. Go!"

Harry went through the steps as quickly as he dared. When the tack was back on Black Storm, he said, "Time!"

Pashupati said, "Five minutes, 33 seconds. Not a world record by any standard, but; it will do for a rank beginner. Let's see how you did". And he set to work, inspecting the tack. As he finished his inspection, he pointed to the stirrups and said, "You will need to adjust those for your comfort. Other than that, I see no problem with your work. It will do."

Harry made his best guess at what would be a comfortable height for his feet and adjusted the stirrups accordingly. Wearing his dragon-hide boots and a riding cloak, he approached Black Storm from his left side and vaulted to his back. Part of the saddle was a set of leg restraints. They were there to prevent the rider from falling out of the saddle during extreme manoeuvres. Harry made sure that they were secure before he gave a click of the tongue with a gentle kick to the sides. Black Storm rocketed into the air. Now that Harry felt secure in the saddle, he whooped with glee and really enjoyed putting his new friend through his paces.

Pashupati flew right beside him on Gracewind. She was not quite so large or powerful as Black Storm, but; she was considerably more graceful and the mystic's riding expertise put him in an entirely different class.

As they were flying, Pashupati drew out his wand and started firing colour spells at Harry. Harry, seizing upon the challenge, started working with his mount to dodge the spells and answered with a few colour spells of his own. This was when the superior grace and flying skill of his opponents really shone through. While Harry and Black Storm jigged and dodged as well as they could, they sustained a great many hits while their opponents never quite managed to be their when Harry's spells went shooting by.

After about two hours of sustained dog-fighting, Black Storm, as large and mighty as he may be, was not used to carrying a rider or having to sustain aerial combat manoeuvres and he was beginning to tire.

Harry called out, "Mr. Pashupati! I am concerned for Black Storm. I believe that he has had enough for now."

The mystic signalled down with his wand arm and Harry followed him back to the ship at a very leisurely pace.

As soon as they landed, Harry released his legs from the restraints and leapt to the deck. The deck felt very strange to him after the unceasing motion of his mount, but he set straight to work on removing the saddle. Beside him, Pashupati had already removed and stowed his tack. After he bowed to Gracewind and said something Harry did not understand, she took to the sky and was gone. He came over to see how Harry was doing.

Harry managed to remove the saddle while the mystic assessed Black storm's condition. He turned to Harry, "Leave the bridle on." Harry looked a question at him. He continued, "Hippogriffs are not horses, but they do have some things in common. One of those is that you cannot stable them while they are all hot and sweaty like this. Spread out his blanket over his body and walk him around the deck until he dries. When you have done, I shall teach you about grooming and feeding." It was another hour before Harry cooled down Black Storm, cleaned up the residue from the colour battle, stowed his tack, groomed the hippogriff and finally showered and dried himself.

When he was done, Pashupati said, "I believe that Guruji is expecting you. Please offer my apology for keeping you so long."

Harry entered Harsh's cabin to find him in a state of meditation. In that moment, Harsh was looking at peace with himself, his forehead without any wrinkles, his face calm and his magical aura pure white. He opened his eyes after 10 minutes and seeing Harry there, he smiled, "Harry how your flight was? I hope you enjoyed it."

Harry returned the smile, "Yes guruji. I love flying."

"Harry, did you finish the book?"' He asked 'if you have not then I will be angry with you.

Harry nodded in response, "Guruji, I should hope that I shall never experience your displeasure. I could not put the book down until I finished it." He had finished the book after he found that he liked it. It answered so many of his questions that had never been answered. It had explained why he was different from other students even though they were the same age. It told why some people had more power in their spells while others did not. Why some could cast spells which could blast a hole clean through a brick wall while others could damage a large area of the brick wall with the same spell.

"Harry can you tell me what is the difference between Remus Lupin and Neville Longbottom's casting?", Harsh asked him.

Harry took the time to recall images of the two of them casting and evaluate those images in the light of his newly acquired knowledge before he answered. "Remus Lupin is a powerful wizard whose spells can create a wide area impact and consequently do more damage. By contrast, Neville Longbottom's spells have more power in them and are more focused. While Remus's spells would not destroy the target Neville's would destroy it utterly, possibly even causing objects to explode and cause secondary damage. Remus's spells would be more effective with targets which are difficult to hit or areas containing multiple targets. Neville's spells would be highly effective against targets which are more resilient. These are natural phenomenon and differ from wizard to wizard. It cannot be controlled or perfected by someone by their intention. This is like an inherent part of their magic which cannot be changed."

Harsh nodded, "Good Harry. Now tell me why does your shield falter in front of my mystics but it used to hold against your friends?"

"Ron and Hermione are not as powerful as mystics. They only cast with about half of their strength. Much of their potential remains unused. Hermione has a strong grasp of theory and has excellent technique, but she is not yet fully grown and she will become stronger as she matures. Ron," he shook his head, "just doesn't seem to work hard at anything. To make matters worse, he wasn't even using a wand which chose him during his first two years at Hogwarts. He will never be able to do much unless he has a complete change of attitude. When they used to practice with me, they only had a fraction of the power of even your mystic trainees. Spells by themselves are not powerful but it depends on the power of the caster. The more powerful the caster is, the more powerful the spell will be. Your mystics are more powerful than ordinary wizards and I have no idea how they got that way", Harry finished his findings and Harsh was smiling at him.

"Now Harry we are around an hour away from India. We will be seeing the coastline very soon. I want you to saddle your ride and pack your belongings. When we land, you will help others as they require you to", Harsh instructed him.

Daily Prophet, London

"Mr. Cuffe, a letter has come for you from the office of the minister", said Victoria, the secretary of Barnabas Cuffe, the editor of the Daily Prophet.

Cuffe took the letter distastefully from her since he knew what it would contain. More lies and propaganda from the minister against Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Sitting behind his desk, he opened the envelope which contained the article and grimaced with distaste.

This article was clearly written by Dolores Umbridge. She was the only one with that much clout in the minister's office and hated magical creatures with such passion:

"Dumbledore may be a hero to our society for his defeat of Grindelwald and for his invention of 12 uses of dragon blood but there is a nasty aspect hidden behind the grandfatherly persona which no one ever sees.

The headmaster, who also handles two other roles, does equal damage in all those roles. In his role as the headmaster, he teaches our younger generations to defy authority, to break rules and to be nuisances in general. In his role as the Chief Warlock, his efforts are concentrated around taking down our centuries old traditions and label everything as dark. As the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, he just pushes through reforms and advocates for rights of barbarian species such as the Giants.

It may not be known to others but he was also involved in the movement to give more rights to Goblins…"

The article nauseated him. There was not an iota of truth in that article. It was merely libel aimed at defaming Dumbledore and destroying his credibility. Cuffe knew that the old venerated headmaster had always worked to ensure equality and justice for all and it grated on the nerves of the fanatic pureblood supremacists. But this was a new low, even for Cornelius Oswald Fudge.

Journalism is publishing verifiable facts. This… this reminded him strongly of the work of the Russian paper "Pravda" during the muggle cold war. It was nothing but a fabric of lies woven with inuendo designed to discredit anyone who opposed the minister. He would just as soon wrap a bowtruckle in this as print it. But, his orders came from the ministry and he liked his job, so, print it he will.

However, he was also intrigued with what had went down on the night of the third task. He was no fool and knew that the ministry was trying to suppress something crucial. When Dumbledore proclaimed that you-know-who was back, Cuffe did not dismiss his statement like many others. He wanted to publish the story, but without reliable witnesses, and the first hint of things to come, an order from the minister himself to refrain from publishing any such story, it did not get published. Since then, the stories had been getting nastier.

While Cuffe didn't want to believe it, there was a strong probability that what Dumbledore said was true and you-know-who had returned from the dead. How such a thing is possible was for others to figure out. Cuffe had no interest in magical research. He also had good reason to believe Dumbledore. He had never been known to lie before. Keep secrets, yes, but lie, no. Cuffe went over the facts in his mind one more time. No one knew what happened to You-know-who at the end of the first war. The only traces they found were his cloak, a wand and a crying toddler Harry Potter with a new scar on his forehead and his mother's dead body near him.

They believed Dumbledore's word that You-know-who was vanquished. Not dead, vanquished. Most people did not appreciate that there was a difference. But, Dumbledore chose his words carefully and he had a reason for choosing that one. It meant that Dumbledore believed even then that You-know-who would return eventually. Perhaps he knew something that no one else did and if Dumbledore knew something then there was no reason for them to doubt his word.

If it was all true, then things were going to turn for the worse soon. If you-know-who was indeed alive then the ministry would be in a bad position when he finally showed himself. The wizarding world was unprepared. When the death eaters appeared again as an army, there would be hell to pay. As a journalist, it was one of his duties to tell the public the truth. But Cuffe was a craven coward at heart. He loved his job more than the truth. That job was in the hands of the ministry so he would keep his head down and do what they said.

As he read over the article one more time, he wondered if he could get away with making any changes to it without getting the sack. Perhaps he could establish a new column as "Letters from the Ministry" and add a disclaimer that this did not represent the opinion of this paper. Such a daring move would discredit the minister and maybe even restore the faith of the readers of the Daily Prophet but the paper was meant to be sold and make Galleons. Having the Ministry at loggerheads without some powerful backing would be fatal to his career.

"Mr. Cuffe"", Victoria's voice came over the amplification rune in his office, "Andromeda Tonks is going to your office and is unstoppable."

This threw him into a panic. He knew Andromeda Tonks. Formerly a Black, she was a formidable witch and equally ruthless like her sister Bellatrix. She married a muggle born but that did not tamper her tendency to consider people like Cuffe as dirt on her shoes.

He started to rise from his desk to avert her when the door burst off its hinges. He had to duck out of sight as a reductor curse passed through where he had been a second ago. Andromeda stood there, a look of fury on her face, twirling her wand like a baton as sparks flew from it.

He watched as she waved her wand at Victoria who had been following Andromeda to stop her. Victoria came to a sudden stop as a result of the impedimenta charm, "you will stay out of this if you know what's good for you."

Before Cuffe could say anything, his wand which was on his desk flew to her hand and she pocketed it with a grin. Then she sent a Bombarda at him and he ducked under his desk.

Cuffe was in a fight for his life. There was a crazy witch in his office and she meant business. Security would be on the way. But, how would he stay alive long enough for help to arrive and him with no back-up wand?

"What do you want?" he called out from under his desk.

She growled, "I want you to grovel like the spineless worm you are", and shot away part of his desk.

He could hear her coming around the desk, crunching through the debris, trying to get an angle for a clean shot at him.

"A- a- anything you want! Just, please don't hurt me.", he squeaked, as he moved his chair, trying to use it as a shield.

What was left of the desk levitated away and landed on the other side of the room.

"There you are!" she said with a grin of satisfaction and reduced the chair to rubble with a reducto.

Cuffe just swallowed hard and looked down the wand that was now pointed between his eyes, "Kill me if you want. It's not like my life is worth much anymore."

"Fortunately for you Mr. Cuffe, those are not my orders. Would you be so kind as to inform your executive assistant that you will take my meeting now?", she said without moving the wand so much as an inch.

Still looking at the wand, he said, "Yes, of course." Then raising his voice so that his assistant could hear, "Victoria, I will be meeting with Madame Tonks. Cancel all other appointments and do not allow anyone else to enter." the outer office."

Andromeda removed the Impedimenta from Victoria so that she could comply. She responded, "Yes Mr. Cuffe. Shall I send in some tea?"

The assistant knew that her boss did not drink tea. This was code to ask if she should summon security to eject an unwelcome guest. Cuffe responded, "No, not today. I don't believe that Madame Tonks will take any tea."

A few moments later, the office was restored to order with the door, the furniture back in place and several anti-eavesdropping spells on the door. Cuffe was back behind his desk, with his visitor sitting opposite him. Cuffe was still shaking in his cloak, but; at least she had stopped aiming her wand at him.

"Do you know who I am, Mr. Cuffe?", she said glaring at him.

Cuffe looked just a little annoyed at the question, "Yes, madam, I certainly do. You are Andromeda Tonks nee Black, disowned for marrying a muggleborn, partner in a law firm with your husband and one other muggleborn lawyer. Does that about cover it? And I can have you sent to Azkaban for assault, destruction of property and intimidation."

"Here is a news update for you, Mr. Cuffe. The new Lord Black has reinstated me and I am here representing his interests. You cannot charge me for trespassing at a place which he owns, nor can you charge me with destroying his property. I have neither threatened you nor assaulted you. As for the rest, read this", and she flung a stack of parchments on to his desk.

"What do you mean, Mrs. Tonks?", he said irritably, "The ministry owns the controlling interest in the paper."

However, as he said this, his eyes were scanning the document and the first thing he saw was a document bearing the seal of Gringotts. This was an acknowledgement receipt signed under the hand of the King of the Goblin Nation himself which proclaimed that Harold James Potter, who was the head of Potter, Black, Rosier and Weber owned 65% of the voting shares of the newspaper. In effect, Harold Potter controlled his life. It appeared that the ministry had no stake whatsoever in the newspaper now.

"Well", he gulped, "With all the rot we've published about Harry Potter over the last year, I suppose you will want my resignation."

With a most imperious glare, she said coldly, "That Mr. Cuffe depends on our interview today. I have two choices for you today- Whether you will mend your ways and do honest journalism or whether you will continue to be a nuisance and find yourself unemployed, facing a suit for defamation in a Court of law?"

The choice was clear to him, "I will mend my ways and do as Lord Potter bids."

She grinned, "Good. Now before we go any further, do you understand the difference between a threat and a promise of specific performance?"

He looked to one side and then the other and seeing no help there, essayed an answer, "Threats may be empty, as in lacking the power or will to carry them out, whereas one both can and will carry out a promise of specific performance. Is that correct?"

"Close enough for our purposes. Let me assure you, Mr. Cuffe, that nothing I will say to you today is a threat", she said with finality as if the topic was closed for further discussion.

"It is the express wish of the owner of this paper that it becomes a credible source of news and information. To that end, no article shall be published without direct evidence, such as memory records, photographs, written documents, direct eye witness accounts. Second, no story shall be quashed which is both factual and in the public interest. Third, you will print two retractions per week until further notice regarding these articles", she slapped a thick folder full of clippings from the past year's issues on his desk.

"Will there be anything else, Madame Tonks?", he asked to make sure that was it.

"Yes", she said, producing another document and passing it to him, "You will cease and desist from printing any articles, ads or letters from readers which defame or depict Lord Potter in a negative way. Professor Albus Dumbledore has said, and you may quote him on this, that he does not care if you call him a balmy old geezer as long as you don't take him off the chocolate frog cards. However, I advise you that the entire staff of this paper including you, are on probation. Any person or persons publishing a story without proper proof will be dismissed immediately, with cause, without references and without severance. Please issue copies of this notice to every one of your employees."

"Very well", he said, "I will do as you ask. There are certain individuals who are currently on the payroll who may not be on-board with this new vision for our paper. Am I free to re-structure as needed?", he said with a grin, savouring the thought of giving every ministry spy the boot.

Andromeda looked thoughtful for one moment then said, "Copy me on your restructuring. We won't be interfering with your day-to-day operations, but; I do want to know who you identify. It will be helpful in other areas. Also, we would like to have that information because, as your legal counsel, we need to know if anyone attempts to sue for wrongful dismissal."

Cuffe looked heavenward for strength before asking his next question, "When Fudge sees tomorrow's edition of this paper, he is going to have my head on a platter and it won't matter to me who owns the Daily Prophet then. What should I do?"

Andromeda gave a feral grin which really showed her teeth, "Mr. Cuffe, so long as you act to serve the interests of Lord Potter, the services of our firm are part of your package. Such action would result in a really bad day for the minister."

Even though the grin was not meant for him, it sent shivers down Cuffe's spine, "In that case, Madame Tonks, rest assured that I will be serving my employer's best interests at all times."

Andromeda looked straight into his eyes for a moment, then nodded, "Very well then, we have an agreement. I will not be asking for your resignation, however; should you fail to abide by any term of our agreement, you will be dismissed, the same as any other employee under these terms. There will be no review or appeal."

As Andromeda left, Cuffe saw her to the door of the outer office. He waved off the security people and he found the rest of his staff waiting in the hallway looking very anxious. In his best drill-sergeant's voice, he said, "Good! You are all here. That will save me the trouble of calling you all together. Conference room, now!"

By the time the meeting was over, several staff members who were nothing but ministry spies, were fired, with cause because they had never written so much as a single word of what might be called journalism. Others who were questionable were put to work cleaning the presses and fetching for the real reporters. And, the people who had been submitting the real stories, and not getting published, were promoted. Tomorrow's edition was going to be very different. Lead Story,"The Daily Prophet, Under New Ownership"however as Andromeda said, he was not to announce the name of the new owner.

Minister of Magic's Office, London

Fudge rubbed his hands together with glee and anticipation. The last article he sent to discredit Dumbledore would be in today's edition of The Daily Prophet. He couldn't wait to see it in print. And that bill he got past the Wizengamot was another coup. The fact that Dumbledore and his cronies hadn't stopped it either meant that the old fool's influence wasn't what it used to be or that he missed what it really meant. Either way was good for Fudge. If he kept on undermining Dumbledore while presenting his measures in that twisted way, it wouldn't be long before he ousted the old fool from all of his positions and eliminate that threat for good. Planning next steps was the reason for the meeting in his office today.

"I have called you both here to discuss the ways to oust Dumbledore from the position of Chief Warlock", said Cornelius to Percy Weasley and Dolores Umbridge, "The last assault that we did upon his bastion of power was successful. I am sure that we can find ways to do it."

"Minister, why don't we try to kick him off the ICW?", asked Percy.

"I already tried that", he said, "But they still practically worship him for putting down Grindelwald over 50 years ago. I may be the Minister for Magic here, but those European slugs told me to go pound sand. No, my influence is in the Wizengamot. That is where we can strike."

"Minister, did you communicate to them that Dumbledore is among the Mugwumps of the ICW because he is on the quota of Great Britain? If we were to withdraw him and name someone else as our representative in his stead, they would have no option?"

"Did you not hear what I just said, Dolores?", Cornelius snapped "He is Dumbledore. He is a Juggernaut and I am a pesky little mortal. I gave them that exact threat but the German representative was quick to say that if wizarding Britain withdrew its support, Germany will send him to the ICW. If that happens Dolores, it will be out of our hands. He will be able to freely use his influence to marshal forces of other countries against us and take the power by force."

"So what do you think we should do?", Percy asked.

"I have asked Irwin to find out who the people loyal to Dumbledore are in the ministry", he said, "when he comes up with that list, I plan to get rid of those people at the first opportunity. I will kick each and every one out of the ministry who supports him and believes in his outrageous claims that you-know-who is back from the dead. The problem that I can expect to encounter is that none of them are openly forthcoming and there is no way that we can devise to ensure their loyalty towards me."

"Minister, Mr. Reid of the Daily Prophet desires an audience and he says it is very urgent", his secretary, Gloria said as she peeked into the room.

"Send him in", Cornelius said.

As she departed, he turned to the other two, "He is probably reporting to tell us about how the latest article was received."

Reid entered the office a few seconds later and took the offered seat, "Minister, I bring news and it is not good."

"What news do you bring?", he asked.

"You had me employed at the Daily Prophet as one of the Assistant Editors. I was diligently doing your bidding, even publishing articles about Dumbledore that you sent. However, Barnabas Cuffe has refused to print any more of those articles. When I confronted him over it, he gave me an envelope to give to you and told me that I am not employed there anymore."

"Where is that envelope?", Fudge asked while seething at the disrespect that Cuffe showed him.

The envelope contained the draft of that article and a letter. It was a short letter which said:

"Dear Minister Fudge,

The Daily Prophet had a change of ownership a while ago when the ministry sold its shares. The new owner(s) are not happy with the direction that the newspaper has been taking.

Effective immediately, they have directed me to ensure that any article submitted to the paper must be verified before putting it in print. Proof such as a memory record, photographs, reliable eye-witness accounts or supporting documents are acceptable.

The enclosed article sent by you meets none of the recognized criteria. Unless or until it does, we will not print it. As a courtesy, we are returning it to you.

For your convenience, any articles submitted by you in the future, must be accompanied with supporting documentation. Failure to do so will result in your article being rejected.

Finally, you will be billed according to our ad space billing policy for every column inch of the articles that we were forced to publish under duress while under the false impression that the Ministry held the majority interest in this establishment. Feel free to engage legal counsel for any questions concerning the legality of this action.

Regards

Barnabas Cuffe

Editor, Daily Prophet."

When he pulled the parchment containing the draft of the article from the envelope, it had stains on it as if it had been in close proximity to discarded parchments with wet ink and food wrappers.

"Such an insult.", he growled, "he needs to learn a lesson. Weasley, get the Aurors of my protection detail here. We are going to the Daily Prophet."

When they arrived at the Daily Prophet, the security forced him to leave his protection detail in the reception area. Only Fudge and Umbridge were allowed in.

It seemed as if Cuffe was waiting for them as he grinned when he saw them, "Welcome Minister. I was waiting for you."

"What is the meaning of that letter, Barnabas?", Fudge asked, "What do you think you are doing refusing to print the article? The ministry owns this paper. You will do as I wish."

"Minister, did you not read my letter? Even if the ministry did still own this paper, your power is in the hands of the Wizengamot. I don't think they will be too happy when they hear about you throwing your weight around at a prominent place of business. The Wizengamot is dominated by the Most Ancient and Noble Houses. The new owners of the paper are of those houses. I take my orders from them. If you know what's good for you, you will not anger them. I suggest that you leave here without causing any further disturbance. The Daily Prophet is a legitimate newspaper. I, for one, am glad of the change.

"How dare you speak like that to the minister?", Umbridge shrieked, "You take this tone anymore and I will make sure that you and all these new owners are tried for treason and conspiracy against the government."

Cuffe had to restrain himself from laughing, "Lower your voice Madam Umbridge or you will receive a visit from my solicitors. They are very efficient. They suffer neither fools nor bullies gladly. They may take particular glee in dealing with the likes of you."

Producing parchment documents from his desk, Cuffe handed a copy to each of his visitors, "Speaking of which, these are restraining orders. All three of you are declared persona non grata as far as this business, its premises, personnel and particularly me are concerned. Any breach of this order will result in charges of harassment and criminal trespass at least. You will refrain from any form of contact or suffer the consequences. Security will see you out."

As they gaped at him, he hollered, "Guards take these people off the premises and don't let them enter again without an appointment."

After being frog-marched out of the building, feeling defeated and humiliated, Fudge and his contingent returned to the ministry.

Ministry of Magic

"Minister", his secretary called, "Madam Bones is here."

Amelia always made him feel nervous. She was a powerful and capable woman who never bowed to anyone. Even when her family was murdered, she did not let up on the death eaters. She became the head of the DMLE by her own talent and not by smarming up to others as Umbridge had done. She was far more dangerous than Umbridge because she had the power to back her words.

"Send her in", he said.

A moment later, Amelia entered his office with a folio of parchments in her hand. She glared at Umbridge and Weasley and barked at them, "Out of here with the two of you. I have important matters to discuss with Mr. Fudge."

Umbridge immediately simpered, "Surely you can speak in front of us, Madam Bones. The minister has complete faith in us."

Amelia eyed the witch hatefully and growled, "Dolores Umbridge, I don't trust you as far as I can throw you. You may be able to fool others about your origins or how you wormed your way into this position of power but nothing is hidden from me. Stay out of my way or incur my wrath."

"There is no need for threats, Amelia", Cornelius said, "You can speak freely in front of Dolores. Weasley can wait outside while we discuss whatever you have to say."

Weasley pushed his glasses up on his nose and left as soon as he realised that he was out of his depth here in front of these ministry officials. He had thought that the minister was the most powerful person in the room, but now he realised that Amelia Bones was more powerful than Cornelius Fudge would ever be.

Madame Bones sneered, handing the first piece of parchment over to Fudge, holding it by one corner as if it were something filthy, "Oh really? If you read this and still insist that she be present, you may have your wish."

Seeing what was on the parchment, Fudge's face turned grey and blotchy as the blood drained from it. This was clear evidence of him taking bribes from death eaters in the previous war and letting them go. Fudge had been paying a hefty bag of galleons to Rita to keep this buried. He had no idea how Amelia got her hands on it. If this got out, it meant that his career was over and he was bound for Azkaban. He pointed at Umbridge then pointed at the door, while barking, "You! Out!"

Umbridge immediately protested, "But Minister, it may be of importance for the ministry. You may need my advice. You may count on my perspective to solve any troubles that you may expect. It is simply not done to make me wait outside. I am the senior undersecretary…."

Fudges face made a rapid transition to purple as his subordinate defied him, "Senior Undersecretary? You like that title do you? I am the minister. If you do not comply immediately, your title shall be unemployed! Now get out!"

Interrupted mid-sentence, her flabby, wide mouth hung open during Fudge's tirade. Now, her mouth shut with an audible click. With entirely too much harrumphing and throat clearing, the woman hopped down from her seat and fussily strutted out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

With the two of them gone, Fudge immediately locked and muffled the door with a wave of his wand. He chuckled shortly, "Let them just try and listen at keyholes now." And he cast an imperturbable at the door for good measure.

"It seems that you realise the gravity of the information contained in that parchment, Cornelius. Such damnable evidence will likely end your career and land you in Azkaban. If I were to send this to The Daily Prophet, people will be calling for your head, both figuratively and literally. If I authorize an investigation and submit my findings to the Wizengamot, it could mean the death sentence for treason, never mind a warm comfortable cell on the rock with nice friendly dementors for company."

As she spoke, Fudge grabbed the bowler off his head and started spinning it maniacally while his face approached the colour of chalk.

Amelia offered him the smallest hint of hope, "However, I am not unreasonable and I am always ready to negotiate a deal. My question is what can you offer me to keep these secrets buried?"

"I will do anything", he said, "My powers are endless as the Minister. I will do anything that you desire if you will let this remain buried."

Amelia smirked, "Really? Anything? That's the second time today that I simply don't believe you. If you had any intention of holding up your end of any deal we make today, you wouldn't have folded so easily. What I believe, you toxic, spineless, git, is that you will make any deal I name, then the moment I'm out of your sight, you will stick your lap-dogs on me and try to destroy the evidence. But, rest assured, what I have brought today are only copies. The originals are quite safe and will be exposed the moment I were to come to any harm."

Fudge gulped, "Wha- What can I do to convince you? We both know what you have. Just name it and, if it is within my power, I will make it happen. I am at your mercy. Just please don't end me."

Amelia slapped the folio full of parchments on Fudge's desk, "That's marginally better. What I want is for you to call an emergency session of the Wizengamot in three days' time. For business, we will give Sirius Black the fair trial he was denied before he was chucked into Azkaban. This is well within your power as Minister and it won't cost you a brass knut. Since I have become the guardian of Harry Potter, I desire to know the truth behind this case. If I get so much as a whiff of interference or cover-up, I will prosecute all and I do mean all, guilty parties to the limit of the law. A trial for Sirius Black in absentia is what I want. Make it happen."

With Fudges record of hunting down the betrayer of the Potters and mass murderer Sirius Black, there was no way he could give that convict a fair trial. It would be political suicide. What he utterly failed to comprehend, however, was that his career as a politician was already over. Calling for this trial would be his last official act. He thought to attempt to weasel his way out of it, "But…"

Amelia tapped the folio for emphasis with each word, "If I hear any other word than 'Yes', I am going to ruin you", she warned him, "Don't test me."

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