Author's Note: Well, a lot of people have suggested that Luna be with Harry, so I suppose Luna is. Honestly, I was leaning more toward Luna anyway, just cause I'm biased since she's my favorite.
There probably won't be much romance for Hary's third year, mostly just building friendship and trust. Harry and Luna both have their issues, and Harry canonically sucks at dealing with crushes. (Cough, Cho and Ginny, cough)
So yeah, mostly trust and whatnot for the Third year. Fourth year is too early to tell, but it's probable if the story continues how I plan to.
Susan and Fleur will probably still be friends, Fleur, especially. She's smart and her different education would allow for broader horizons for Harry. Plus, the oh-so-common fanfic trope of, 'Fleur's father is the Minister/Head of DMLE/some important government figure in France'.
Also, Dumbledore isn't necessarily evil in this fic, at least not to the extent of Voldie. I've seen fics where Albus wants to become the next Merlin/rule the world/ be god essentially, and to me, that just doesn't fit with his character.
At least in this fic, Albus is a well-intentioned man who occasionally does good things (See: Remus and Hagrid) but who's blindsided by his power, age, experience, and knowledge, who took it upon himself to be the world's guide and protector, and who now can't let go of that notion anymore.
He doesn't wish to truly kill Harry, but he doesn't see any other way to kill Voldie, and he believes that the majority takes precedence over the one, so he believes he's forced to kill Harry to save everyone else.
Obviously, this isn't true and Harry can in fact live, but Albus doesn't know that yet. Whether he changes his ways or stays the same is to be decided, though.
And one last thing, this story will begin following a schedule like my other story, and be updated 3 times a month, on the 8th, 18th, and 28th respectively.
Sorry for the long note, just had to get it out of the way.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
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Amelia appeared with a resounding crack at the end of the path to the house, the closest she could get without being bounced back by the wards.
She ran her way up to the house, transfiguring her shoes into something more comfortable to help.
Amelia reached the door, wand raised, and slowed only slightly.
She hurriedly flicked her wand three times over the door, barely letting it unlock before she barged through.
The group inside turned, and Amelia and Sirius locked eyes.
They froze as they stared at each other, both of their breathing quick and shallow.
Amelia stared, a lump in her throat. He was older, grayer, more lined and scarred, thin and raggedy like he hadn't eaten well in a while.
But it was him, it was truly him. No Polyjuice or charm could replace that look of love in his eyes.
"Sirius…" She breathed, her bag slipping onto the floor with a thud.
Sirius couldn't form words. There were frustration lines on her face, her eyes dulled from the vibrancy he knew, and there were hard layers over her, hiding the woman underneath.
But it didn't hide well enough. Sirius could still see it in the curve of her brow, the messy strands of red hair framing her face, the slight part of her lips, and the gentle yet firm way she grasped her wand.
"Ami…" Sirius replied, his throat seemingly closing up.
Amelia ran forward, her wand clattering against the floor as she threw herself at him.
Sirius' arms went around her waist out of muscle memory, even as she tackled him down onto his back.
She kissed him fiercely, uncaring of the people around them.
Her hands ran through his curls, his hands up her back, and for a moment, they were young again.
They unwillingly broke apart after a minute, the need for air overpowering them, and stared at each other, smiles on their faces.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Sirius whispered, brushing some of her hair from her eyes. "But I think you're more beautiful than you were back then."
Amelia smiled, her face tinted pink before she buried her head in the crook of his neck.
She sighed wistfully. "I'm not sure how I lived without this for so many years."
Amelia hugged him tighter, her grip almost crushing around his neck.
"I'm sorry," She whispered into his skin. "I'm sorry for everything. For all those years, for all the times I—"
"Shhh," Sirius ran a finger down her back, making her shiver. "All those years don't matter. I'm here now, that's what matters. I can forget everything from that place as long as I'm here with you."
Amelia sighed again, feeling some sense of liberation at being with him again. Daydreams and prohibited fantasies had nothing on the real thing.
"Are you done yet or do you need a minute?" Remus asked with a smirk.
The two jerked up, their faces turning beet red as Amelia scrambled off Sirius.
"Ah, young love," Aahna grinned. "So innocent."
Sirius pulled at his collar. "Were you— uhhh, were you watching us?"
"Nope," Thanatos supplied from where he stood by a table. "Moony and Harry went to make drinks, I was setting things up for Pettigrew, and Aahna was staring at the ceiling."
Amelia and Sirius sat up from the ground, sharing somewhat shy, yet mischievous looks. They hadn't ever used this house before, but they were going to later.
"Hey, question," Thanatos said, looking up. "Dumbles probably already noticed Harry, Remus, and me are gone; probably looking for us knowing him. What're the chances of him finding us before we get info out of Peter?"
"Zero," Amelia answered as she stood. "The home's only half-magical, a mix of muggle technology and magic. It's also not registered as a home."
Remus raised an eyebrow. "This seems like a home," He said, gesturing around. "Or do you still need a Live, Laugh, Love sign?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's a barnhouse converted into a home. It was registered as a barn."
"Which falls under a different registry than homes," Amelia continued. "Homes are accessible to certain high-level members of Wizgemont, which Dumbledore is. But barns, warehouses, and business locations fall under different laws and he'd need a permit to investigate one."
"Permit?" Remus repeated. "Permit from who?"
"Me," Amelia grinned. "And he'd need to provide adequate reason for an investigation that wouldn't fall under the standard DMLE investigation rules."
"So, we're fine?" Remus asked. "No issues with anybody?"
"Currently, no," Thanatos answered. "We need to get all the evidence possible from Peter, though. Even if this place had wards better than Gringotts and Hogwarts combined, I still wouldn't trust that we'd stay hidden from Dumbledore for long."
Sirius snorted as Thanatos grabbed Peter's jar off the table.
"You sure you weren't trained by Moody?" He asked, deeply amused. "Sounds like something he'd say."
"Sounds like Moody's got a good head on his shoulders," Thanatos replied gruffly.
Both Amelia and Sirius hid their snickers as Thanatos pulled his wand out and began laying down spells. They were so going to get him to meet Moody one day.
Amelia grabbed her wand off the couch where Aahna had placed it after Amelia had thrown it.
She brandished it with a flourish. "I've got some official spells for containment and interrogation. Might as well make this as official as possible."
Amelia muttered a few spells under her breath, waving her wand slowly over the living room.
Thin streams of magic floated from her wand, forming a dome around them and enclosing everybody inside.
After the dome was formed, Amelia tapped herself with the wand, causing her to glow blue for a moment.
"There," She said after the glow died. "Nobody can leave this dome without my express approval, including Peter."
Thanatos nodded and opened the jar. "Aahna, darling, can you lay down the Anti-Animagus wards once I transform him?"
Aahna, who'd been contently staring at the ceiling before this, quickly snapped out of it and nodded.
She flicked her wrist, her wand soaring into her wand and the spell spilling from her lips not a moment later.
Thanatos floated Peter out with a quick 'Wingardium Leviosa' and set him on the ground, reverting him immediately after.
Peter gasped as he awoke, the Animagus Reversal canceling out the Stunning Spell.
He squeaked as he saw everyone, and paled when he saw Amelia standing beside Sirius. The group smelled the intense scent of urine and feces and collectively wrinkled their noses.
Aahna locked down the Anti-Animagus ward the moment Peter awoke, which Peter found out painfully as he tried to transform.
Amelia flicked her wand, and a piece of parchment flew out of her bag along with a Quill.
"I, Amelia Susan Bones, with the authority of the Ministry of Magic and under myself as Head of DMLE, hereby commence the interrogation of Peter Oliver Pettigrew," Amelia began coldly.
Peter paled even more, becoming whiter than the parchment above his head.
"Aahna, as an Unspeakable, could you provide the evidence for this interrogation?" Amelia asked, her voice made of steel.
Aahna nodded and stepped forward. "I, Aahna Athena Marime, Head Unspeakable under the Authority of the Hellenic League of Magic of Greece, hereby swear that all evidence provided by me from Peter Oliver Pettigrew will be unbiased and true. All information gathered will be used solely for a trial for the person interrogated."
Aahna took a deep breath as the vow set in, raising her wand expressionlessly.
"Legilimens," She declared, pointing her wand at Peter's forehead.
Aahna sat heavily as she left Peter's mind, having taken all the information possible from his head.
It took half an hour for Aahna to give all the evidence she'd gotten from Peter's memories, as she spared no details.
Most of the memories didn't surprise her, however, there were a few that did.
Lucius Malfoy, Walden Macnair, Gregory Goyle Sr, and several others who'd claimed Imperious or other forms of bewitchment to avoid Azkaban had, unsurprisingly, lied, and had served Voldemort faithfully, of their free will.
Voldemort apparently also had a form of immortality, though he wouldn't ever share what it was, or at least, not to Peter.
Aahna shivered as she discovered that. It made Bellatrix's crazed yelling as she was sent to Azkaban make more sense. They truly believed he'd be back.
She rubbed her temples tiredly. "I can't believe it," She muttered, breaking professionalism.
"What is it?" Amelia asked immediately, concerned. "What did you see?"
"In Peter's memories," Aahna replied heavily. "It was Voldemort talking, talking about some prophecy given to him by Snape. According to the memory, it was the reason Voldemort targeted the Potters and Longbottoms."
Everyone in the room paled at that, and Sirius looked half an inch away from marching up to Hogwarts and throttling Snape, as did Remus and Harry.
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, making him do a double take.
Amelia looked up at him and shook her head, putting a finger to her lips.
"It was… the memory was fuzzy thanks to this bastard being in an Animagus state for so long," Aahna continued, rubbing her temples. "But Voldemort said something about his downfall… a child being born who'd kill him. He didn't like that. He had something to make him immortal, but wouldn't say what."
Thanatos balled his fists at that. Death was a natural process and necessary to life, to try and avoid it was inhumane and unnatural!
"It was a two-fold issue," Aahna muttered. "Snape with the prophecy, and Peter with their location. Peter couldn't have betrayed them if it wasn't for Snape indirectly sending them into hiding, and Snape's information would've been worthless without Peter's betrayal."
Amelia paused. "Wait… so Severus Snape knew about the betrayal? He knew about the Potter's deaths and Peter being a traitor?"
Aahna nodded tiredly. "From what I could gleam, yes. Severus put some kind of request in, but Voldemort didn't tell Peter what it was. Snape was known for being obsessed with Lily, though, so something surrounding her was the most likely option."
Amelia's lip curled up in disgust. She knew exactly what a man like Snape would want Lily for.
They finished the interrogation, with both Amelia and Aahna repeating their oaths before Amelia concluded the interrogation.
Amelia stored the parchment carefully in her bag, putting a charm on it that would make it impossible to modify before making a copy.
Aahna sat in Thanatos' lap, his hand rubbing her back. Her face looked dead and tired, and she barely glanced at Peter as Amelia bound him.
Internally, she was fuming. She knew Peter had been responsible, but seeing it through his eyes was a completely different experience. If it wasn't for her training and Peter being needed to free Sirius, she would've slaughtered him where he lay.
"Ok, we have our evidence," Amelia sighed, standing. "We have Peter, and we have Thanatos' investigations on the dubiousness of Sirius' guilt. This is a solid case."
"So it's foolproof?" Harry asked curiously, now able to speak.
"No trial is foolproof," Thanatos replied gruffly. "We could have video evidence of Peter not only betraying the Potters, but killing those muggles, and turning to the camera to admit it, and there would still be people who would argue Polyjuice or Imperious. It's what Malfoy did."
Amelia's eyes widened at that. "Malfoy! We can get him too!"
Everyone else looked oddly at her, not understanding her line of thought.
"Well, if Peter's got the Dark Mark, then he has to know how he got it, right?" Amelia asked. "And we know he did it willingly thanks to this evidence. Meaning that if we know how Dark Marks are gained, then I can start building a case against him."
Aahna sighed and stood, raising her wand to Peter again, but stopped as Thanatos grabbed her arm.
"I'll do it," He told her, standing. "I'm still licensed to collect evidence, and I know how much Legilimancy drains you."
Aahna smiled at him and sat down as he stepped forward.
Thanatos cast the spell and quickly took the information out, though one bit of info stuck out to him.
"Ok, Dark Marks are rewarded for willful service," Thanatos explained. "Not all Death Eaters have them, but everyone with a Dark Mark is a Death Eater. You have to perfectly complete a high-level mission, like killing an important figure, or several smaller missions, to obtain it. There is no way around this."
Amelia jotted it down with a nod. "Anything else?"
"The Dark Marks are connected. Voldemoi could summon his followers through it, and vice versa. It was a basic form of communication. Whenever it burned, it meant he was calling them. However, during his fall, the mark faded to be almost invisible, but came back briefly both last year and the year before."
Everyone except for Harry and Thanatos paled at that.
"WHAT?!" Amelia yelled. "How did he– He's not– no… Is he– Is he back?"
"Not to my or Peter's knowledge," Thanatos responded. "The two times, it peaked around June, near the end of the Hogwarts school year. Last year in particular made it almost completely visible before it faded sharply again."
Harry's eyes widened, and he rubbed his scar.
"Harry?" Remus asked, noticing. "Are you alright?"
"I know what happened," Harry gulped.
Everyone in the room turned to him, and Harry shrunk back slightly.
"Harry, how do you know?" Sirius asked slowly.
"I saw him in my first year," Harry admitted. "With Quirrell."
"Quirrell?" Sirius asked, brows furrowed.
"Defense Professor," Remus supplied. "Dumbledore told me."
"He had Voldemort's face on the back of his head," Harry shivered. "He wanted the Sorcerer's Stone. He said it'd give him a body and make him immortal."
"The Sorcerer's Stone, as in the one made by Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel?" Thanatos asked slowly. "That stone?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, Hermione found out about it."
Thanatos took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I knew there was a reason those old farts decided to pass," He muttered under his breath. "Damn too convenient of them to pass just before hitting 700 and getting boosted."
He shook his head. "Anything else? What about your second year?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Quirrell, he disintegrated when I touched him. Dumbledore said it was because of my mother's love."
"Your mother's love?" Remus asked. "How so?"
Harry shrugged. "Dumbledore just told me it was some form of magic from my mother's love that protected me. He didn't tell me anything else."
Aahna and Thanatos shared a look at that. What Harry was describing sounded oddly like a powerful form of protection magic, and pieces began clicking in their minds.
"And your second year?" Amelia pressed. "What then?"
Harry rubbed his arm. "So, you know how people were getting petrified?"
"Wait, what?! Petrified?" Sirius exclaimed. "How did that happen?"
"There was a Basilisk in the school," Harry explained, feeling some sort of weight come off his chest. "It was petrifying people, and Miss Norris."
Amelia's brows furrowed. "But Basilisk stares kill, not petrify. Are you certain it was a basilisk?"
Remus cleared his throat. "Well, basilisk stares can in fact kill when you stare directly into their eyes, but if you were only to see a reflection of some kind, then the effect would be diminished, resulting in petrification."
"YOU'RE TELLING ME THERE WAS A BASILISK LOOSE IN MY GODSON'S SCHOOL?!" Sirius yelled, face red. "Ami, did you not do anything about this?!"
"I didn't know!" Amelia exclaimed, hands raised in innocence. "I swear I didn't! I knew something was happening at Hogwarts thanks to Susan, but Fudge wouldn't let me investigate!"
"We should sign a petition to have Fudge removed and choked on that hat of his," Thanatos muttered darkly. "First he has the dementors, beings half a step away from demons, guard a school, and now he tries to cover up a fucking basilisk?!"
"He also sent Hagrid to Azkaban," Harry supplied.
"Excuse me?" Aahna whispered coldly. "He did what now?"
Harry shrank back a little. Aahna's anger reminded him quite a lot of Mrs. Weasley, except it was quiet instead of loud, and felt almost deadly.
Aahna took a deep breath, her anger fading. "Sorry about that, Harry. Can you tell me why Fudge sent Hagrid to Azkaban?"
"Most likely so the Ministry was seen doing something," Amelia muttered.
Harry nodded. "That's what he said. He said Hagrid would be free once everything ended."
"Typical," Sirius said. "Just brush everything under the rug and smile. Stupid fucking Ministry. No offense, Ami."
"None taken," Amelia replied. "Is the basilisk still there, Harry?"
Harry flushed, rubbing his arm and avoiding the gazes of the adults.
"Harry…" Sirius said slowly. "What happened with the basilisk?"
"Ah… well…" Harry rubbed his head. "I kind of… well… I kind of killed it… with a sword."
"WHAT?!"
The collective shout was so loud it rattled the windows and woke up Peter, who began struggling against his bonds.
Amelia hit him with an overpowered Stunner without looking, her jaw still slacked at the information.
"Harry, how big was this basilisk?" Aahna asked.
"WHAT DOES IT MATTER?!" Sirius exclaimed. "IT'S A BLOODY BASILISK! IT COULD BE THE SIZE OF A TOOTHPICK AND STILL BE A THREAT!"
Harry rubbed his head again. "Uhh… like, 50 feet, maybe 60?"
Sirius almost fainted at that, as did Amelia and Remus, and Aahna and Thanatos were stunned into silence, even their impressive training being overwhelmed.
"You… You killed…" Thanatos shook his head. "You killed a fucking basilisk at TWELVE?! With a sword? And LIVED?!"
"A fully matured one too," Remus breathed. "You… Harry, do you know how impressive that is?"
"Uhh, no?" Harry admitted nervously. "Why is it impressive?"
"Harry, groups of fully grown and trained wizards have tried and failed to kill even a young basilisk," Aahna explained. "Even teen basilisks hold the capacity to kill dragons, Harry."
Harry flushed at that and dropped his head, taking great interest in his shoes. He didn't like to talk about his achievements– it felt egotistical and self-centered to do so, especially after the Dursleys.
"Wait, wait, wait," Thanatos said suddenly. "You said you killed it with a sword, right? What bloody kind of sword was it?!"
"Oh, the Sword of Gryffindor,' Harry supplied. "Fawkes gave me the hat, and the hat gave me the sword. Nearly knocked me out."
"The Swor– like the Gryffindor? Like Godric Gryffindor, one of the founders of Hogwarts?" Remus asked, dumbfounded.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, the Sorting Hat told me that only a true Gryffindor could wield it before the bloody thing bonked me on the head."
"Only a Gryffindor would fight a bloody basilisk with a sword," Amelia muttered, shaking her head.
Harry flushed. "But I had help. Fawkes pecked its eyes out so I could stab it."
There was another round of silence, and every adult in the room felt their respect for Harry rise with each sentence.
"You… You stabbed a basilisk?!" Sirius exclaimed in exasperation. "What? Are you going to say you survived its venom too?!"
Harry flushed, rubbing his arm where the basilisk scar was, and Sirius groaned loudly.
"You've got to be bloody kidding me," He groaned, looking close to crying. "How in Merlin's saggy ballsack did you survive BASILISK VENOM?!"
"Sirius!" Amelia exclaimed, swatting his chest. "Language!"
"Er… well… I got bit in the arm and Fawkes healed me with his tears after I stabbed Riddle's diary," Harry admitted.
"Riddle?" Amelia questioned. "Who's that?"
"Tom Marvalo Riddle," Thanatos answered immediately. "Otherwise known by his alias, the Dark Lord Voldemort."
Harry blinked. "How did you know that?"
"I'm a detective, Harry. It's my job to know stuff."
"Er– right," Harry answered uncertainly. "Well… uh, anyway– I stabbed his diary with the fang to stop him from killing Ginny and escaping."
"Escaping?" Remus blinked. "He's alive?!"
"Peter did hold a memory of Voldemort saying he had a way to immortality," Aahna spoke up. "Maybe that diary was it?"
Thanatos stared Harry down, face grave. "Harry, what exactly was that diary, and what happened when you destroyed it?"
Harry shifted nervously. "I– I'm not sure. Riddle said it was his essence, a piece of himself, and a way to live forever. He said Ginny wrote in it and he fed her secrets and was taking her… her energy, I think he said. He said he'd kill Ginny and become alive again."
Thanatos and Sirius both paled before turning bright green as the implication set in.
"You don't think…" Sirius glanced at Thanatos.
Thanatos nodded. "Yeah… I think so."
They both held back the urge to throw up, causing Amelia and Aahna to look at them in concern.
"What? What is it? What do you think it is?" Harry half-asked, half-demanded. Dumbledore never told him what it was, and Harry wanted to know.
Sirius cast an anti-sickness charm on himself and shook his head.
"Sorry, pup, can't tell you that—" He held up a hand as Harry went to protest. "It isn't about you specifically, it's just something I wouldn't tell most people in general."
Thanatos gave a half-nod. "Yeah, that stuff is vile magic. The worst of the worst. Hell, I'm pretty sure most Unspeakables would vomit at it; no offense, love."
Aahna shook her head. "No, I need to know. What is it?"
"I want to know too," Amelia added. "It could be important later on."
"NO." Sirius and Thanatos said together, sharing simultaneous shivers.
"It's disgusting," Sirius shivered. "I would burn the books at the Black home on it if I could."
"I would Obliviate myself of that info if it were possible," Thanatos agreed.
"Oh, come off it. It can't be that bad, can it?" Remus half-demanded, glancing at them.
The group insisted they tell, and eventually, Sirius groaned in frustration.
"You know what, fine. Since you want to know so badly: Voldie probably made a soul anchor called a Horcrux. In other words, he willingly tore his soul, his magic, his mind, and his essence in half and stuffed it into a container to avoid death."
Aahna went a bit green, understanding the implications of such a line of action, but Amelia, Remus, and Harry, being more unaware of the soul, simply became more confused.
"Well… that does sound horrible, but that doesn't sound like something worthy of that reaction," Amelia commented slowly. "You made it sound like it was one of the worst things possible."
"It's about the process of splitting it," Aahna told her. "I know of a few methods of splitting the soul. It was part of research for a project, and I'll tell you, none of them are pretty."
"Well, which one did Voldemort use?" Remus asked slowly.
Sirius went green again. "A Horcrux requires murder as a first step, and then necrophilic cannabilism and sacrifice of a part of yourself."
Remus and Amelia nearly vomited at that and quickly covered their mouths.
Thanatos and Sirius hit them with anti-sickness charms before they puked all over the floor, but it still took a while for them to calm down.
When they did, Harry asked: "Wait, what's neco– necra–"
"Necrophilic cannabilism," Thanatos supplied. "It's the rape and later consumption of a dead body."
Harry also went green at that and realized quickly why Thanatos and Sirius didn't want to share it.
Thanatos hit him with the charm and cleared his throat.
"It's likely that's what Riddle used, given the evidence," Thanatos explained.
Sirius' brows furrowed. "Wouldn't that mean he's fully dead now? His physical body's been dead for years, and if Harry destroyed… destroyed that thing, then he should be dead right?"
Thanatos shook his head. "See, I'd agree with you, but Riddle was possessing somebody in Harry's first year. That means that either Riddle has some other form of immortality, or…"
Sirius paled. "You've got to be fucking joking. No one's insane enough to do that!"
"Do what?" Harry asked.
"Make multiple Horcruxes," Sirius shivered, getting close to puking again.
"The evidence lines up," Thanatos made a face of disgust. "Really wish it didn't though."
After everyone managed to calm down from their disgust, Thanatos cleared his throat.
"So, moving back to what you were saying," He said. "You're telling me that you not only killed a basilisk with Godric Gryffindor's Sword but then proceeded to fight and destroy a Horcrux of fucking Voldemort– with the help of a phoenix– at the age of twelve?"
Harry flushed a bit. "Yeah, that sums it up."
"Harry, I'm pretty sure I have better chances of winning the lottery a hundred times in a row than doing what you did," Thanatos told him. "I certainly wouldn't be as humble about it as you are. I would have it published worldwide and framed if I pulled something like that off, help or not."
Harry felt his face burn unbearably. The praise felt genuine, something he wasn't used to. To him, saving Ginny and stopping the petrifications had been the only important things, everything else had been secondary.
"Wait, where's the basilisk?" Remus asked suddenly.
"In the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry answered, brows furrowed. "Why?"
"Harry, you could sell just a single fang for thousands," Amelia gaped. "Hell, just a tiny vial of venom can run upwards of hundreds. If the skin is mostly intact, then that can also sell for millions to armor and fashion designers."
"Armor? I can make armor from that?" Harry asked. If his track record was anything to go by, he'd benefit from some armor.
Sirius snorted. "Pup, you could make possibly dozens of armor suits if the basilisk is as big as you say it is. You could have a suit outfitted for every year until you're 30 and still have skin left over."
"I– Uhh– Wow," Harry said finally, unsure how to respond.
Thanatos thought for a moment. "You know, we would probably have to train Harry, you know?"
Everyone turned to him, the adults with confusion and concern, and Harry with excitement.
"Training?" Remus asked. "What for?"
"He's faced Riddle two for two at Hogwarts, fought a professor and a basilisk, and faced dementors," Thanatos told him before smirking. "And he's been hunted by an escaped convict."
"HEY!" Sirius exclaimed. "I'll have you know that I'm not technically convicted since I never had a trial, so I'm just an escapee, not a convict."
Thanatos snorted. "Either way, he's been in danger for a while. If Voldie had another form of immortality or another Horcrux, of which I wouldn't doubt, or some rogue Death Eater attempts to avenge him, then Harry'll need to defend himself."
Harry was nearly bouncing on his feet. "I can learn more magic?"
"There would need to be a plan," Amelia frowned. "It's not a bad idea, but it needs structure. We don't want Harry to be an attack wizard with no background in anything else."
"We have an Unspeakable, two Aurors, the Head of the DMLE, and a Professor of DADA between us," Aahna pointed out. "Not to mention all of us have specialties outside of that. Remus with his creatures, you with your analysis skills, Thanatos with magical control, me with spell creation, and Sirius with… well, he's Sirius."
"HEY!" Sirius exclaimed again before turning to Harry. "Don't listen to them, Harry. I have skills."
"Really? Like what?" Harry asked, genuinely curious.
"Well I can teach you wizarding customs and history," Sirius supplied. "I'm the eldest son of an Ancient and Noble House; I know how to act, I just choose not to. Many wars are started and ended with words, not wands, Harry."
"Joking aside, he's right," Remus told Harry. "You're a Potter. You'll need to know how to carry yourself. It'll help you make more allies in the long run."
"And the balls can be fun," Sirius continued. "...Sometimes, occasionally, every once in a while… Ok, yeah they're rarely fun but you get food at least?"
"Is the food good?" Harry asked.
"Eh?" Sirius made a so-so gesture. "It's food? You can eat it? Sometimes you'll get some nice meat dishes, sometimes you get asparagus served on cream cheese. It depends on the ball."
"Getting back on track," Thanatos cut in. "We have the evidence to get Sirius free, the hints of a case against Malfoy and Snape, knowledge about Riddle, and know that Harry is bloody insane, but there is still something we need to cover."
Everyone stared at him in confusion, and Thanatos sighed, gesturing to the setting sun.
"We'll still need to get back quickly," Thanatos reminded them. "Preferably with an excuse to Dumbledore on why a Professor, a highly-prized student, and his school's security guard just up and left without any warning or notice."
"I can give you an excuse," Amelia told him. "Say I called you for some case info. You're still under my authority primarily, so you'd still have to respond if I called you."
Remus' eyes widened. "Wait, that's brilliant!"
"Care to share?" Amelia asked, though Sirius gained a similar wide-eyed expression.
"We can say you took Harry out of Hogwarts to avoid me since Dumbledore was out of the school and couldn't protect him!" Sirius exclaimed.
"And as the Defence Professor, I'd be the most logical choice to protect him," Remus continued, grinning as memories flooded back in.
"Wouldn't Dumbledore try to claim Harry wasn't in any danger?" Amelia questioned, uncertain. "Hogwarts holds claim to 'The Safest Place in Britain' title, after all."
"Ah, but that's where the fun comes in," Sirius grinned. "If Hogwarts were so secure, why have dementors and Thanatos protect it?"
The group collectively opened their mouths to respond, but couldn't find an argument to that statement.
"The answer is because of Sirius," Remus explained. "Dumbledore believed he'd be able to sneak past Hogwarts' wards, and so Thanatos and the dementors were brought in. Which means that by Dumbledore's own indirect admission, Hogwarts wasn't safe for Harry."
"You think he'd buy that?" Thanatos asked. "He might say the dementors were Fudge's idea."
"You weren't, though," Sirius reminded him. "You approached Dumbledore and Dumbledore agreed, meaning he thought you'd be needed. So the point still stands."
"He's probably going to be fuming at this, you know?" Amelia told them.
Sirius shrugged. "Not much he can do. If he tries to argue, Moony can always point out what happened the last two years."
"Speaking of, think we could have some sort of negligence charge put on him for the basilisk?" Remus inquired. "It seems pretty reckless."
Amelia shook her head. "Dumbledore was removed from Hogwarts for a good chunk of last year. At most, we could stick that on Fudge again, along with sending an innocent man to Azkaban without a trial in Hagrid."
"What about first year?" Sirius asked.
Amelia thought for a moment. "It could be argued he didn't know. At best, it could be used as support for a more solid piece of evidence, but not as evidence itself."
"That's assuming you can even charge him," Thanatos muttered. "Dumbledore's got political power like no one else. Only ones who can rival it are Fudge and Malfoy– the first cause he's the Minister and the second cause of money."
Amelia frowned. "You're right. We'd have to chip away at his support base first if we want even the thought of a trial, much less a conviction, to go through without it backfiring on us."
"What if I helped?" Harry asked, much to their surprise.
"Help?" Sirius questioned. "Help how?"
Harry swallowed his nerves. "Well, I'm famous, right? If– If the Boy-Who-Lived went against Dumbledore, it could get people to take you more seriously, right?"
"That's a dangerous gamble, Harry," Aahna eyed him curiously. "You and Dumbledore are some of the heaviest hitters when it comes to the Light Side in British magical politics. If you go up against him, it'd cause a divide in the Light Side and could backfire."
"What you need is more exposure," Aahna continued. "People need to know you."
Harry wrinkled his nose. He didn't like the idea of more fame.
"As much as I hate to say it, pup. She's right, you do need more fame," Sirius told him, arms crossed. "The public knows the Boy Who Lived, but they don't know anything else. You're not in the public eye, so support for you would just be based on that one title."
Harry shifted uncomfortably but sighed, steeling himself. "What do I need to do?"
"We can worry about that later," Thanatos said, standing up. "Right now, we need to get back to Hogwarts. It's close to nighttime, and Dumbledore won't buy that you had me occupied for a day and didn't send notice."
"He's right. We need to get going," Remus said, also standing.
Harry quickly scrambled up too, and the three said goodbye to Sirius, Amelia, and Aahna, who would be staying a bit longer to check on Sirius' mental state.
The trio reappeared in Hogsmeade, reaching the gates of Hogwarts as the last rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon.
Dumbledore was there, waiting as they passed through the gate.
His hands were behind his back, eyes twinkling and smile light.
"Ah, Thanatos, Remus!" Dumbledore greeted. "I'm so glad you've returned, and you have Harry with you! Thank Merlin."
"Yeah, Amelia called me up for something," Thanatos responded, subtly covering Harry with his body, knowing the boy didn't know Occlumancy.
Dumbledore frowned and made a slight shooing motion. "Pardon me, Thanatos. I simply wish to see if young Harry is alright–"
Thanatos stepped more fully in front of Harry, staring Dumbledore dead in the eyes, almost daring him to try Legilimancy.
"Do you doubt my capacity, Albus?" Thanatos asked quietly. "Harry has been with Remus and me the entire day. We simply removed him from Hogwarts as a precaution of safety."
Dumbledore's eyes tightened, and his twinkle diminished slightly.
"Thanatos, I believe you're acting quite rashly," He said in a kind, grandfather-like tone. "I didn't doubt anything; I simply wanted to see if he was alright. Call it paranoia, if you will."
"Of?" Thanatos questioned coolly. "Black has not been sighted anywhere near the Scottish Highlands, and Harry has been under the protection of an Auror and Professor. There is nothing to worry about."
"Ah, well then," Dumbledore cleaned his glasses. "May I care to ask why you didn't give notice? We were all quite worried when we couldn't find you."
"Looking for him?" Thanatos raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Dumbledore smiled gently. "Well, it's rather complex magic, you see. Quite potent normally, but for some reason, it didn't work this time. I was rather worried– it doesn't usually fail, so I thought the worst had occurred."
Thanatos' jaw tightened. "I'll have you know that using blood magic on a minor, even for protection, is a crime, Dumbledore. And on an heir to a Most Ancient and Noble house makes it a federal crime."
Dumbledore's stare chilled, and Thanatos felt a probe brush against his shields.
Thanatos locked down his Occlumancy shields, his hand tightening around the air, ready to call his wand at a moment's notice.
"Is that all?" He asked, flexing his fingers– the Wizarding equivalent of pumping a shotgun.
Dumbledore's eyes flicked to his hand before they returned to Thanatos.
He smiled again and nodded. "Yes. I apologize for my paranoia, Thanatos. Hopefully, this doesn't happen again."
His smile faltered at that last bit, his eyes becoming steel. He pulled up the sleeve of his robe, flicking his wrist almost casually, his wand poking out of the sleeve for a moment, secure in its holster.
Dumbledore nodded to Thanatos and Remus before turning and walking back up to the castle, hands behind his back.
"Come on," Thanatos told them. "Harry needs to get to his dorm before curfew hits. Remus, you should drink your potion; remember the day?"
Remus shivered as they walked up to the castle. "Don't remind me."