Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

Truth and Lies

By: Leath

Disclaimer: You know the drill—I'm not making a dime off of this and I don't own the characters of Harry Potter. If I did, this wouldn't be called fan fiction.

Summary: Voldemort was dark wizard dreaming about controlling the wizarding world. What if he wasn't the only one that dreamed about this? What if there were others that went about things in a different manner. They laid low and worked behind the scenes controlling and using people as they went. Their goal is to control the power the Founders once possessed. After years of working on things, they are very close in carrying out their dreams. Their only problem is their secret is starting be discovered. Read as these plans fall apart and these dark wizards are brought to light…

(AU after the third book…Warning Dumbledore, Molly and Ron Weasley bashing, it is the only warning you are going to get. If you want to blame anyone for this, I say blame it on the books. They turned me against the characters. The story that you are about to read has been hanging around in many forms for a while now. I just managed to finally figure out one completely before posting it. Oh, thanks Jean for your help. If it wasn't you willing to be my sounding board, I wouldn't have even started writing Harry Potter.)

Story note: Tonks never went to Hogwarts. She went to Beauxbatons because of her metamorphmagus talents. There was a professor there that helped children with Tonks' gift to learn to control their magic. Scarlett is a good friend of Tonks. She is Hermione's mother little sister and close to Tonk's age. She teachers at Beauxbatons and is one new character that I have created. She has a magical cat named Muncie is done after my cat. (So, be nice to her. She is my baby.) They are the only new characters that I have planned at this moment. There might be more later on, but before they show up I will give you an introduction about them at the start of the chapter. However, the only time I'll do it is when the character will be reoccurring.

Pairings: Harry/Hermione: Scarlett/Severus Snape: Remus/Tonks: There are more but a few are a surprise. So, I'll keep them to myself for now.

Chapter One

Telling the Truth 

Marian and Shakespeare Granger sat in their living room discussing the issue of their daughters schooling. It wasn't Hermione's grades that were the problem. No, it was the adventure's that Hermione had faced the last three years which were the problem. The Grangers had just found out about Hermione's adventures and were wondering if sending her back to Hogwarts for a fourth year was a very good idea.

At the moment, Hermione was upstairs asleep for the first time in five days. She hadn't slept much since she arrived home from Hogwarts. When she did sleep, she was plagued with nightmares of ghostly creatures trying to steal her soul.

It had taken Hermione's parents a lot of prying and prodding but they finally managed to get the reason behind the problem from their daughter. The story that Hermione told them sent both parents into a rage. They were not only upset because Hermione had hid the truth from them for so long, but they were also upset with professors at Hermione's school. How could they believe this was normal life for a child? No child should face trolls, possessed teachers and escape criminals. They also shouldn't be given dangerous items that messed up their sleeping patterns. No, there was something that needed to be done about this.

They first had to help Hermione get some sleep. It took them a bit but finally Hermione was sleep. So far she hadn't wakened with a nightmare. Hermione's mother Marian was hoping that this was a good sign and that Hermione would stay asleep for quite awhile. The lack of sleep was really starting to affect Hermione's personality. She was crabby and jumpy. Marian figured if Hermione didn't start becoming her old self soon, then she was going to take to see a doctor to see if they could help. Of course, with it being a magical cause, who knows what would help.

"I say we send her to school that I went to as a child. There is nothing wrong with going to a normal school and getting to know normal kids. I mean look at the type of children she is meeting. That red headed boy is always popping up here after a few weeks asking if Hermione could come over for a visit. There is something not right with him," Shakespeare said firmly as he stopped abruptly in his pacing.

"Shakespeare, there is nothing wrong with Hermione or her gifts. She is gifted. It is up to us to make sure she has a chance to use those gifts. It isn't her fault that there is something wrong with Hogwarts. Let me contact my sister in Paris, and talk to her. I'm sure can help us find out what to do with her. Beside, she teaches in a magical school. If anything, we can send Hermione there. She might not be happy being away from her friends, but at least she will get to explore her gifts," Marian suggested.

"Well, I will agree to that because to me Hogwarts is out. It is either your sister's school or my school. They are Hermione's only choices," Shakespeare said firmly. He finally sat down at in his favorite chair and started to relax for the first time in hours. He knew he sounded harsh, but Hermione was their only child. She was his little girl and he didn't want to see her hurt. If sending her to his school was going protect her, then so be it. She would just be upset with him for a while. She would forgive him sooner or later. He knew it would be a rough time until that happened.

***********************************

The next afternoon, Hermione was still asleep when her Aunt Scarlett arrived. Scarlett Sherwood had thick auburn hair and deep blue eyes. She wore a stylish summer dress and at her feet was a black cat with four white paws. "It is strange being dressed as a muggle after all this time, Muncie." Scarlett said looking down at the cat.

"Mew," Muncie replied looking intently at the door waiting for it to open. She smelled the cat that was inside. She couldn't wait to get a chance to meet the stranger. She felt he was as special as she was. She wanted to get to know him better.

The door opened and there stood Marian Granger. The woman smiled warmly at and gave her baby sister a hung. "Scarlett, you look well. I see teaching at that school suits you," Marian said to her sister as the pair walked into the house and into living room.

"Thanks, I enjoy teaching. The only thing I regret is that it is so far away from my family. How is Hermione doing? Has she woken up yet?" Scarlett asked.

"No, not yet, I guess it is a good thing. She at least hasn't wakened with a nightmare. I don't think I could deal with another one," Marian said sadly. She wanted to help her daughter but felt helpless in doing so. That is why she had called her sister. She at least had an idea on what Hermione was dealing with. She was a witch like Hermione and knew more about that world then Marian did.

Scarlett nodded her head sitting back in her chair contemplating things over. "Tell me what Hermione told you about her time at Hogwarts," Scarlett said finally. Marian sighed deeply nodding her head and did as her sister requested. She retold the stories of Hermione's adventurers at Hogwarts. When she was done, she asked her sister, "Is this normal?"

"No, not even for my world," Scarlett said shaking her head sadly. "Did Hermione tell you why she never said anything about this, even to me?"

"She was worried that we would pull her from school. It seems her friend Harry Potter has won her heart in a way. She thinks if she wasn't around to look after him, he would end up dead," Marian said sadly.

"Well, I've heard of Harry Potter, of course. There isn't a person in our world that hasn't. What I don't understand is why Hermione believes that she needs to protect him? From what I understand, he could have anything in the wizarding world that he wanted just by asking," Scarlett said puzzled. Scarlett didn't go to Hogwarts as a child. She went to the same school that she taught at now. She went to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. She loved it there. It was quiet and peaceful; something that Hogwarts wasn't.

"I don't know. She just kept on saying that she needed to protect Harry. I hope you can help her with this. I want her to learn magic, but I don't want her hurt. If it comes down to it, I'm afraid her father will order her to go to his school," Marian said.

"I'll do my best and if we have too I'll talk to Madame Maxime to see if we can transfer Hermione to Beauxbatons. It is nice school and she won't have to fight a troll," Scarlett said.

"Well, I hope so for both your sakes. I hate to see one of those creatures," Marian said shivering slightly.

"I assure you. I have not met a troll in the ladies room at school," Scarlett said firmly but with small smile on her face. Marian smiled as well and they sat together having tea and chatting about more normal things as Hermione slept.

Hermione woke up the next morning feeling rested but fearful. She was scared what her parents were going to do about what she had told them. She woke that morning and found Aunt Scarlett sitting at the breakfast table having tea. She was surprised, but she greeted the woman warmly and joined her. "I guess Mum called you?" Hermione said as she sat down.

"Yes, she did. How did you sleep?" Marian asked.

"Okay, no nightmares," Hermione said as she poured herself a cup of tea.

"Good," Scarlett said as she sipped her tea. She thought for a moment then put her cup down and said, "Hermione, I don't know what your teachers were thinking at Hogwarts, but giving you that time turner was dangerous. There is a reason it is a controlled item. People who use it foolishly have died because they wear themselves out. Why did you want one?"

"I needed it. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the wizarding world. How else am I going to be better then those purebloods," Hermione replied.

Scarlett laughed. "Honey, you are better then them right now. If you are worried about getting a job, you can leave the area and get one that you dream about. England is only one of the few countries in our world that restrict muggle born and mix-blood wizards. We have few that think that way, but they don't have the power as they do here."

"But I don't want to leave England. So, to get anywhere, I have to work harder than all of them. Besides, if I leave then who will protect Harry," Hermione said sadly.

Scarlett looked at her nice and asked, "Why are you worried about Harry?" Hermione looked down at her hands for a moment. Scarlett slowly reached over and forced Hermione to look at her. "Come on, honey. It is me you are talking to. We don't have secrets remember?"

"I guess maybe I feel this way because he saved my life twice but it is more then that. Aunt Scarlett, I don't know what you know about Harry Potter, but I think Professor Dumbledore is trying to kill him. I didn't realize it until after I had time to think about our first year. I think he set up our adventure to test Harry in some way. Why would he use spells that a first you could do to protect something as valuable as the Philosopher's stone. Why tell everyone where you hiding it?" Hermione said.

Scarlett nodded her had. "You are a smart girl. I thought that myself when your mother told me what you had told her. What I want to know is why you think you have to protect him?"

"Because no one else does, Ron just uses Harry. He doesn't see it but he does. He walks around the school bragging he is Harry Potter's best friend. Then there is his 'family'," Hermione said with frustrated sadness, "they don't want him. I even think they go so far as to abuse him, but he doesn't talk about it enough for me to do anything. But look how he dresses; he wears clothes that don't fit him. He is skin and bones at the start of school. He works on his homework on the train. Harry's isn't the brightest kid, but he isn't lazy like Ron. He does his work at school. Why doesn't he do it at home? Then there are the stories Ron let slip to me about how he and his brother's saved Harry at the beginning of term our second year. Aunt Scarlett, Harry's family locked him his bedroom and put bars on the windows. They only fed him very little food. They were going to try and keep him from going back to Hogwarts." Hermione said.

Scarlett thought about this nodding. "You've brought up good points but none of these gives me a reason to let you go back to Hogwarts. I know you want your friend but I want protect you. So, I'm going to agree with your parents and saying that you need to go to another school next term," Scarlett said.

"But what about Harry?" Hermione pleaded.

Scarlett looked at her nieces pleading eyes and sighed. "Okay, I know someone at the Ministry that might be able to check on things with Harry. She can go with us to see if the boy is being abused. If that is case, I'm sure she can help him."

"Who is it?" Hermione asked.

"Her first name is Nymphadora but she hates it. She goes by her last name Tonks. We went to school together. She is now an Auror at the Ministry. We can have her come with us to talk to Harry's family," Scarlett said.

"What if he is being abused? What will happen to him?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know but I'm sure it will work out for him. He is Harry Potter after all. Our world sees him as a hero and they will not put up with him being mistreated in any way," Scarlett said trying to reassure her niece. Hermione hoped she was right because Harry had hard enough life the way it was. He didn't need her adding to his troubles.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Checking up on Harry

Harry was out front pulling weeds in Petunia's flower bed early the next morning. He had a nasty bruise on his cheek and a black eye thanks to his uncle. Vernon hadn't liked the fact that Harry had burnt his toast this morning and beat him for it. He had even hit Harry in the side several times and the boy thought his ribs were broken because of it. It made pulling weeds slow and painful for Harry. He had just finished with one side of the house and was walking to the other side when he spotted Hermione and two other women approach the house.

"Hermione?" Harry called out shocked to see his school friend.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione said as the group walked onto the lawn. "What happened to your eye?"

"Oh, this, it is nothing. I ran into a door," Harry said trying to play down his bruises.

The woman with pink hair looked at Harry as if she didn't believe him. She was eyeing his clothing and the pail full of weeds at his feet. "Harry, do you mind if we talk to your Aunt. I need to talk to her about a few things?" the woman said.

"Um, why?" Harry asked.

"It is okay, Harry. Tonks is here is to help," Hermione said reaching out for her friends arm.

"Help with what?" Harry asked confused and a bit scared. He didn't know what Hermione was up to yet he was willing to trust her. He would always trust her. She had earned that from him last year after they saved Sirius together.

"Let's just go inside and talk to your aunt," Tonks said again and reluctantly Harry followed the group into the house.

Aunt Petunia was dusting in the living room as the group entered. She turned and started to yell at Harry, but stopped when she noticed the others standing there. "What is this?" she said eyeing the group.

"Mrs. Dursley, my name is Nymphadora Tonks. I'm a member of the Ministry of Magic--Auror division. I am here to talk to you about reports that our office has received on the abuse of one, Harry James Potter," Tonks said lying through teeth. There were no reports. She was just here because Scarlett had asked her to come along, but the sight of the bruising on Harry's face told her that Hermione's fears about her friend's home life were true.

Petunia Dursley had been standing by the fireplace with the duster in her hand. She turned quickly at the mention about abuse knocking over several glass figurines that were resting on the mantel. The moment one of them hit the ground and shattered a burst of magical energy filled the room and a bright yellow light flashed, blinding everyone for a moment. Once the magical energy faded and they could see again the group noticed Petunia Dursley lying on the floor passed out.

"Aunt Petunia," Harry called out starting to go for his aunt but Tonks stopped him.

"No, stay put. Scarlett, I think you had better take the kids from the room. That magical energy is bound to catch the attention of the Ministry and I don't want them in the room when they arrive," Tonks said as she went to Petunia's aid.

"What is going on?" Hermione asked puzzled.

"Go, I'll explain later but for now. It is best the three of you wait in the kitchen," Tonks ordered again this time with firmness in her voice that left no room for argument.

"Come on," Scarlett said guiding Harry and Hermione into the kitchen just as a group of people arrived in the Dursley living room. Scarlett heard Tonks say, "Kingsley," just as she closed the kitchen door behind them and several spells were put on the door to keep anyone from hearing anything else.

After an hour, the kitchen door opened again and a tall black man and an elderly woman walked into the room with Tonks. Tonks looked at Scarlett and said, "Scarlett, this here is my partner Kingsley Shacklebolt and my boss Madam Amelia Bones. They want to ask Harry a few questions."

"About what?" Harry asked confused. "What happened in there and where is my Aunt?"

"Your Aunt Petunia is upstairs resting. She is going to be okay. As for what happened to her, well that is what we are trying to find out. We need to ask you a few questions about things and we need you to be truthful with us. Okay?" Madam Bones said pointing to the chair that Harry stood in front of indicating for him to take a seat.

Harry obeyed and sat down as did the others in the room. "Okay, for starters how did you get the bruises on your face?"

Harry started to lie but something told him that they wouldn't believe him. So, he said, "My Uncle Vernon hit me," Harry admitted.

"How long has he been abusing you?" Madam Bones asked.

"As far back as I can remember," Harry said looking down at his hands.

"Has your aunt ever hit you?" Madam Bones asked.

"No, but she has never protected me either," Harry said sadly.

Madam Bones nodded her head and sighed. She was quiet for a moment and then said, "Well, from what we understand from talking to Petunia she couldn't stop it. Someone put a spell on one of the glass figurines that she broke today. The spell prevented Petunia from caring about you or giving you love. Once the figurine broke, the spell vanished. She now is suffering from massive guilt from the pain you suffered. I'm afraid that because of this we are going remove you from the home, at least until Petunia can get herself together. If she can, and if her husband proves that he was under a spell as well, you might be able to come back here. Until then I think it is best that you are removed to a safer location," Madam Bones said.

"Where will I go?" Harry asked worried about being sent to an orphanage.

"Tonks pointed out that Sirius Black is your godfather and by law you are his son. So, a family member of the Black family can claim guardianship. Due to the fact that you have lived in the muggle world for most of your life, I don't believe going to live with the Malfoy family would be a good idea. So, Tonks contacted her mother and she agreed to have you stay with her. At least until, I can go to Gringotts and check out your parents wills'. They should have a list of guardians in them," Madam Bone said.

"Okay," Harry said sadly as he stood up. He winced and tried to cover it up but Kingsley caught it.

"I think we should take Mr. Potter to St. Mungo's to make sure Dursley didn't do more to him than putting a few burses on him," Kingsley said.

"That is a good idea, you go with Tonks. I want the two of you to stay with Mr. Potter until he is safely in Andi's care. I will go to Gringotts to check out the Potter's wills' giving the team here time to clean up the mess in the living room.

"What about Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked.

"There is a healer with her now making sure that spell hasn't had any lasting effect on her. She has been given the numbers of several squib doctors in the area that know of our world and can help her deal with the emotional problems related to the spell. We aren't abandoning her Harry. I just want to make sure you are safe at the Tonk's home with Sirius Black roaming around.

Harry nodded. Hermione went with him upstairs to pack. The group then took a portkey to St. Mungos to have Harry looked at and then went to Tonks' parents' house. This is where Harry was greeted by Andi Tonks and her husband, Ted.

Ted smiled at Harry's over sized clothes and said, "Well, at least there is someone else in this house that my wife can tease about their taste in clothing."

"Pardon?" Harry asked.

Ted stood there hands out showing the boy his wrinkled clothing. "Andi is always complaining that it looks like I have slept in my clothes. What I have to keep telling her is that men don't care about clothing. It is what is inside the man that counts," Ted said laughing.

Harry couldn't help but smile. He realized that Ted was just joking with him. He wasn't being cruel. Harry liked the guy right off.

"Come on, Harry. You've got to ignore my father. He has fallen off a broom too many times at Hogwarts. Mother said he hasn't been right since. I'll show you to your room," Tonks said.

Hermione followed behind. She knew her aunt wanted to go home, but she wanted to talk to Harry. She needed to know he wasn't upset with her for telling. He hadn't said much since they let the Dursley' and she was worried that he would never speak to her again.

The room that Tonks showed Harry was slightly larger then his old bedroom. It had a much nicer bed and the dressing room set wasn't beat up like his was. He even had a private bathroom. "I'll leave the two of you to talk," Tonks said stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her.

"Are you mad?" Hermione asked the moment the door closed.

"No, why?" Harry asked puzzled.

"Because I told Tonks that maybe you were being abused," Hermione said sheepishly.

Harry looked at his friend and said, "You did what you did for me because you cared. You did more than anyone else ever has. They knew and they never helped. I was starting to think no one cared." Harry walked over and gave Hermione a small hug and kiss on the cheek. "Thanks."

"No problem, but what I'm wondering is who put that spell on your aunt and why?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't get why anyone would want my family to hate me. Okay, minus Voldemort's group," Harry said after thinking about it for a second.

"Yes, that is true, but they would just kill you, right? Why bother leaving you alive?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know and right now, I don't care. I'm too tired. The potions they gave me at St. Mungos really wore me out," Harry said dropping down on the bed, fighting to keep his eyes open.

Hermione walked over, removed Harry's glasses and said, "I will let you sleep. Owl me when you wake up and tell me how you are doing. Okay?"

"Okay," Harry said and he rolled over and went to sleep.

Hermione left turning out the light behind her. She walked downstairs joining the others in the living room. "Harry's asleep," she said as she sat down next to her aunt on the couch.

"That is good. The boy needs sleep," Andi said.

"And new clothes," Tonks said.

"I like his clothes," Ted said.

"You would," Andi said giving her husband a dirty look.

Scarlett looked at the time and said, "It is getting late. I better get Hermione back to her parents. I will contact you later Tonks before going back to France."

"I would like that. Maybe we can take the kids shopping," Tonks said smiling.

"I don't know if Harry would enjoy it, but I know I shall," Scarlett said. She and Hermione bid the Tonks family good night and headed home.

The family was getting settled for a night for television watching or reading the paper when this owl arrived dropping a letter on Andi's lap. She picked up the letter and opened it. After a few moments, she put down the letter and shook her head. "Well, it seems that there is a problem with James and Lily's wills'. They weren't read by the law and someone had sealed them. Madam Bones had them opened. She didn't say what she found but she said that she is ordering guards placed around the house. She is worried that what she has found might put Harry in danger. She has ordered you Tonks to stay here with us until this is cleared up," Andi said to her daughter.

"I wonder what is going on." Ted asked. He was a magical lawyer. He knew it was nearly impossible to have a will sealed before it is read. In fact, it was illegal. It was believed that only people wanting to control a person's estate had wills sealed. Who ever did this to the Potter's wills' is in trouble because James was a ruling member several powerful families. If the person that sealed his will did it and removed money from his vaults, they would find themselves in Azkaban. It didn't help that someone had put that powerful spell on Harry's aunt and the boy was hurt because of it. Who ever did this wanted to control Harry and his estate and it seems they had done it at least until now.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Happy Birthday Harry Potter! Okay, I know I'm a bit early but only by a few hours. I figured this was a nice gift for HP readers on Harry's Birthday. Enjoy**_

_Story Note: Rips is a rip off of the Gap. It is a hip clothing story in the wizarding world for teenagers. It is also where the kids with money go to buy their clothing. It is located off one of the many smaller streets in Diagon Alley. _

Chapter Three

Shopping and Visits

The next afternoon, Harry was being dragged from store to store by Tonks, Hermione and her Aunt Scarlett. The three of them were bound and determined to buy Harry a new wardrobe.

They were in one of the new teen shops off the main strip in Diagon Alley called Rips. Rips was run by a muggle born shop owner. The shop sold wizard and muggle clothing that fit a teenager's style. The place was packed with teens. Hermione dragged Harry over to the boys section. They started looking at jeans that would fit him. Harry had picked out a black pair of jeans and was looking at them when he noticed Neville and Dean a few racks away. "Hey, guys," Harry said.

"Hey, Harry," Neville said.

"Hi, Harry. What are you doing here?" Dean asked.

"I'm with Hermione. She thought it was time that I bought some new clothes," Harry said.

"Well, about time," said a female voice from behind Harry.

Harry turned around to see Susan Bones and Cho Chang standing right behind him. "Yes," Cho said to Harry. "It is a shame a cute guy like you wears rags."

Harry face turned red as he said, "Well, I really haven't had time to do much shopping."

Hermione walked up carrying several t-shirts. "Hey, Harry what about these?" she said and then stopped when she spotted the others. "Oh, hey guys," Hermione added.

"Granger, Harry just told us that you talked him into going shopping. It is about time. How did you do it?" Cho asked.

"Lucky, I guess," Hermione said not wanting to talk about Harry being removed from the Dursley's or living with the Tonks family.

Susan knew of course because her aunt had said something to her about it. She hadn't told Cho because she didn't think the entire school needed to know about Harry's problems. The girl was glad that she did so because from the way Harry was acting he wasn't comfortable with all the questions about why he dressed in rags.

Finally Susan managed to change the subject and the kids wandered around the shop picking out clothes and accessories. Harry found that not only Hermione was picking out his clothes but so were Cho and Susan. The girls were bound and determined in helping him buy new clothes. He secretly didn't mind their help because didn't know anything about clothing or what was in style. So, their help was appreciated.

Tonks and Scarlett caught up with Hermione and Harry as they were checking out. The two ladies were glad to meet the other kids. The women suggested that the kids join them for lunch. So, they left the shop and went to place near by that other teens hung out.

Tonks and Scarlett found a quiet table in the back leaving the teens to have a larger table near all the action. As they sat there, the kids talked about normal stuff. Susan and Cho had tickets to the Weird Sisters concert that was a few days away. They were talking about that and other things, when a pair of red heads walked in and joined them at the table. Fred and George Weasley sat down on either side of Harry; their chairs turned the opposite way. "Hi, Harry," Fred said.

"What's up, Harry," George said.

"Hey, guys. What brings you two here to the Alley?" Harry asked.

"Bill is at Gringotts. He is home for the summer. There is a chance he is going to get a job locally. We bugged him to take us with him to get us out of the house. Ron is milking his broken leg. He is laying around the house demanding everyone wait on him. Mum is letting him get away with it," Fred said.

"Yes, it is sickening," George replied.

"There is nothing wrong with that prat's leg," Hermione snapped.

"Yeah, why is Ron acting like his leg is bothering him. It was fine on the train?" Harry said.

Fred, George, Hermione, Susan, Cho, Neville and Dean all looked at Harry like he had grown two heads. It was Hermione that finally spoke up. "Harry, I know Ron is your best friend, but there is something about him that you have to know. He acts one way around you and completely different behind your back."

"Yeah, mate. The guy's our brother and all but he is can be a real prat sometimes," George said.

"Sometimes?" Fred said laughed.

"Okay, most of the time," George replied.

"Harry, I never understood why you let the guy hang out with you. He only hangs out with you because of the bragging rights. I mean he is always bragging about being the best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived," Dean said.

"Sorry, Harry but it is the truth. He is also picky on who he lets sit with you. I tried several times to talk to you but Ron always ran me off. You see my mother and your mother were best friends. I been trying to show you pictures of them at school but Ron told me that you didn't want to talk about your mother. He said you could care less about your dead mother. It was only your father that you cared about," Neville said.

"That's a lie. I never said that," Harry said offended and hurt. He would love to see pictures of his mother and her school friends. He didn't have anything of her going to Hogwarts. The pictures that Hagrid had given him were mostly of his parents after they graduated. Harry looked at Hermione and asked, "Is this true?"

"I'm afraid so. I would have said something to you but I was worried that you wouldn't be my friend any more. I think the only reason Ron puts up with me is because I help him with his homework," Hermione said sadly.

"Helps him? He steals your notes all the time," Neville said.

"What?" Hermione snapped.

"Yeah, I caught him copying your homework in the dorm room this term. I said I was going to report him but he told me to shut it. He said he can get away with anything he wants because Dumbledore would let him. He said he is needed but he didn't get a chance to say anything more because Harry came in from taking a shower. Ron shut up and shoved the notes in his book bag before Harry spotted them. Ron later caught me in the hall and threatened me that if I told anyone I would regret it. So, I didn't say anything," Neville said. He felt like a tattletale but it was nice to get this off his chest. He didn't like Ron. He thought the guy was a fake. It was nice to know that the others thought the same thing about him, everyone but Harry of course. Neville saw the pain in the boy's eyes as he listened to what his so called friend had done.

Fred and George were looking at each other debating something. Fred nodded after a moment and George turned to Harry and said, "Mate, we need to tell you something but you have to promise not to say we said it, if Mum finds out she is going to be really upset."

"I promise. I won't say anything. What is it?" Harry asked.

"Well, you see we think Mum asked Ron to look for you on the train to befriend you. Why else did we go the muggle way to the train station? It wasn't until our family met you your first year that we started going that way. We normally went by floo to meet the train. Mum hates going that way but we over heard Dumbledore ask her to go that way to keep an eye on you," Fred said.

"Also, we know for a fact that Ron has visited Dumbledore's office several times over the last three years. We watched him go there by the map. It is one reason we gave it to you. We hopped that you would see him," George said.

"It wouldn't work because someone showed Ron that map right after you gave it to him," Hermione said giving Harry a dirty look.

"Okay, I'm starting to see that that was a mistake, but why is he pretending to be my friend and what does Dumbledore have to do with it?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. I do know I trust don't Dumbledore anymore. I have my reasons but trust me when I say he is up to something," Hermione said.

Harry looked at her intently and figured she would tell him later so, he didn't push it. The kids slowly changed the subject then and they sat around talking and enjoying themselves. Harry listened but his mind was on Ron and his betrayal. It hurt knowing that his best friend wasn't his best friend.

Because of this, Harry was quiet for the rest of the day. He said very little and spent most of the day thinking things about Ron and his friendship with him. Tonks had noticed this but she waited until they arrived home from a long day of shopping to say anything. Harry was heading upstairs to put his things away when Tonks stopped him and said, "Harry, can we talk?"

Harry put down his bags and went into the living room. "What's up? Did I pick something out that you didn't like?" Harry asked as he and Tonks sat down.

"No, they are your clothes. You wear what you want. I want to ask what is brothering you. You haven't said much since lunch," Tonks asked the boy looking at him closely.

Harry sighed and debated if he should say something. It might help getting someone else opinion. So, he explained what he and the others talked about at lunch. "Do you think they were bad mouthing Ron or were they telling you the truth?" Tonks asked.

"If anyone but Neville told me that Ron had threatened them, I wouldn't believe them but… I don't know. I know they are telling me the truth. I was just blind to see it. My problem, now is what I do about it? Do I dump him? Or do talk to him about and get his side of things?" Harry asked.

Tonks sighed and said, "If you talk to him about it, will you still trust him as you once had?"

Harry thought about this and shook his head. "No," the boy said finally. "I would still be his friend, but I don't think I could trust him not after what I heard."

"I would listen to his side of things. If he fesses up and comes clean with you then I would tell him he has a lot work to do before you trust him again. If he lies and tries to blame others for his mistakes, then I think you would know what type of person he really is. This is if you really believe what Hermione and the others told you."

"I do. I trust Hermione. She went out of her way for me. Ron and his family had to know about my life at the Dursleys. Ron and his brothers saved me before my second year because I locked inside my room. Mrs. Weasley keeps pointing out how small I am and that I don't eat enough. No, they had more an idea what my life was at the Dursley's than anyone and didn't do anything about it. Hermione did and for that I think what she is telling me is the truth," Harry said.

Tonks nodded. "Hermione seems like the type of person that tells you what she is thinking when she is thinking it. So, it is a safe bet that she is telling you the truth.

Harry laughed at this and said, "You can say that again. She is never shy on what she has to say."

Tonks grinned at this and was about to comment more but the door bell rang. She went to answer it, opened the door and found Professor Dumbledore standing there. She never met him personally but knew him from his pictures. She was puzzled at why he was there but put a warm smile on her face greeting the wizard warmly. "Good afternoon, Professor, what can I do for you?"

"Ms. Tonks, I'm here to take Harry back to his family," Albus said as he tried to step inside but Tonks refused to move.

Tonks pulled her wand and pointed it at the wizard. "I'm sorry sir, but I have orders to make sure Harry says here. Now, if you have a problem with his living arrangements take it up with my boss Madam Bones. I am not going to allow you to take him unless I have heard from her first," Tonks said firmly not batting an eye.

"I believe there has been some mistake. I'm sure once I place Harry back with the Dursley's I can clear this up with Amelia. Now, if you don't mind move out of the way and I shall retrieve Harry," Albus said.

"No!" Tonks said firmly and she secretly activated a warning device that Madam Bones had given her if she ran into trouble.

Albus Dumbledore was starting to get frustrated. He wasn't used to people not doing what he ordered. He was just about to shove the young girl out of his way and enter the house when Madam Bones appeared in the doorway behind Tonks, "Albus, what are you doing here?"

"As I was telling this young lady, I am here to return Harry to his family. Now, I understand that he has had some personal problems with them but I'm sure it can be worked out. There was no need to remove the boy from the home," Albus said smiling his best warm and grandfatherly smile.

The smile didn't work on Amelia. She crossed her arms and stood there glaring at the old wizard. "Tonks take Harry up to his room and stay with him until I call. I want to talk to the Headmaster for a moment. Oh, and take him up the back way," Madam Bones said firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," Tonks replied rushing off to do as her boss had ordered.

The moment she was gone Madam Bones stepped aside and let Professor Dumbledore into the house. "Let's go into the living room to talk," she requested.

Professor Dumbledore nodded, ignoring the cold tone that he was getting from the woman. He took the high back chair located in the center of the room leaving the smaller one to Madam Bones. The moment he was seated, he said, "Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"What I want to know is why you think you have a right to remove Harry from this house?" Amelia asked.

"I'm Harry's magical guardian. I placed Harry with his family because I felt that it was the best place for him," Albus said firmly.

"Oh, was it? Did you ever visit him there?" Madam Bones asked.

"No, I felt that he didn't need to be burden with our world until necessary," Albus said.

"So, not one time have you ever stepped foot in the Dursley home? You didn't check on to see if he was being treated properly?" Madam Bones asked.

"Um, no," Albus admitted.

"I see. Did you talk to Petunia about why Harry wasn't living with her?" Madam Bones asked.

"No, I was told that Harry was removed from the home yesterday by members of the Ministry. I found out that he was here. I was going to return him to his family," Albus said.

"Told by whom?" Madam Bones asked watching old man closely.

Albus realized let something slip that he didn't want to be known and tired cover it up. "I don't think who this person is important."

"I think so because the only people that know where Harry is wouldn't say anything about it. They took an unbreakable oath to keep his whereabouts a secret at this moment. So, try again? Who told you about Harry?" Madam Bones said.

Albus admitted finally. "Mrs. Figg lives in the area. I asked her to keep an eye on Harry for me. She is a squib and has very little to do with our world any longer. I felt she was the best person for the job," Albus said.

Madam Bones made a mental note of the name. She then looked Albus Dumbledore in the face and said, "Petunia Dursley checked herself into a private hospital yesterday when it was discovered that she has been under some kind of dark spell that prevented her from caring for Harry. This spell aided in allowing her husband Vernon to abuse Harry. He was arrested after I personally questioned him this morning on his treatment of Harry. He wasn't under any spell. He admitted to abusing the boy or 'the freak' as he called him. Now, as for you being magical guardian, I read James and Lily's wills'. They didn't name you as caretaker of their son. I also know that Sirius Black didn't name you as caretaker of Harry. I checked since he is Harry's godfather. Now, he might not be dead but because he is unable to take care of Harry and the fact that those on the list of people that James and Lily named are dead his recommendations for guardians would hold precedence. It turns out that I picked the right place without knowing it. Andi Tonks and her husband Ted are on the list of people that Sirius felt were perfect to raise Harry. The Goblin's felt so as well. So, they worked up the proper paperwork for me. Andi signed it this afternoon. I filed it with the Ministry myself. So, you have no legal right in removing Harry from this home."

Albus felt like someone had hit him in the gut. He never counted on the spell that he placed on Petunia being discovered. This made controlling Harry a bit more difficult. "Madam Bones, I'm sure that Petunia could recover at home. You don't need to remove Harry from her care," Albus said trying another way of getting Harry back into Petunia's care. He would work on freeing Vernon from prison later. It was more important at this moment to have Harry back there than having Vernon free.

"I'm sorry. He isn't going to be going back there any time soon, if ever. I talked to Petunia before she checked herself into the hospital. She feels that Harry is better off here than with her. She has asked that if it would be okay to write Harry once she got her mind straight. I promised her that I would bring it up with him. I haven't pushed the subject because of the abuse he has suffered at the hands of Vernon. I feel like he needs time to heal," Madam Bones said.

"Well, I was just suggesting it because Petunia is the only family Harry has left. It is only right he stays with her," Albus said standing up and pretending to glance at the time. It is late. I must be going. There is something I need to check into," Albus said.

"Of course, take care Albus and I look forward in talking to you again," Madam Bones said smiling a fake smile.

"As do I," Albus said and he quickly left the house.

As he left, Madam Bones turned and said to thin air, "Well what do you think?"

"I think he is hiding something. Did you notice that not at any time did he ask who put that spell on Petunia?" Kingsley asked.

"Oh, I noticed it and after finding those letters James and Lily wrote about Sirius not being their secret keeper, but naming Pettigrew I'm starting to realize that he is hiding something. I just don't know what it is. Did you view those memories we found in the Potter vault's?" Madam Bones asked the tall black man.

"Yes, I did. They proved to be the true thing. There is no sign of tampering. My concern is it might not be enough to prove Black's innocence," Kingsley said.

"It isn't. We need to find Sirius before the dementors do. Kingsley, I don't think I have to tell you how important it is on how careful we are from this point on. Those seals on those wills' were only put on by someone with a lot of political power. We mess this up. We could sign Sirius Black's death warrant and maybe destroy our own lives as well," Madam Bones said.

"I'll be careful," Kingsley promised.

"Good, now. I think I better go upstairs to talk to Harry and Tonks before heading home. I'll see you tomorrow," Madam Bones said to Kingsley before heading up the stairs.

"Good night," Kingsley said as he went to the fireplace.


	4. Chapter 4

_Note: Memories will be seen in italic. _

Chapter Four

Memories 

Remus Lupin arrived home to find a large black dog sleeping on his couch. "Sirius, get those muddy paws of yours off my couch!" Remus yelled.

The black dog changed back into the human form of Sirius Black and said, "My paws are not muddy."

"Yeah, right," Remus grumbled as he pointedly looked at the large muddy spots on his couch.

Sirius just ignored his friend and said, "What did the Goblins say? Did you get my wand?"

"Yes, it wasn't easy but they got it for me. Your vaults are being watched by the Ministry. Oh, I found out that Harry is no longer living with the Dursley's. He is living your cousin Andi. It seems there was some trouble going on with the Dursley family and he has been removed from their care. The Goblins informed me that your will was opened to see who you named as Harry's caretaker," Remus said sitting down in his father's favorite old chair. The home he was sharing with Sirius used to belong to his family. The furniture hasn't changed since he was a child. It was beaten up and ripped, but Remus didn't care really because it was home. It was where he blocked out the rest of the world escape the prejudice that existed in it.

"I wonder what is going on. Maybe, you could visit Andi for me tomorrow and have a chat with her," Sirius said.

"And say what?" Remus asked.

"I'll tell you that later. Right now, did you bring my pensive?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, and this better be good. I still can't believe what you said about Albus Dumbledore," Remus growled.

"I promise you will after you view these memories. Now, where is my pensive?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, yes, here it is," Remus replied and placed the bowl on the coffee table. The pensive was made of black marble with ravens carved all over it. The pensive had belonged to the Black family for ages and now it belonged to Sirius. Remus had picked it up from the Black family vaults that afternoon with a special note the Goblins would allow him to access the vault with.

Sirius has been trying to convince Remus that Albus isn't the Leader of the Light as everyone believes he is. He is dark and out for himself. In order to prove this to his old friend, Sirius is going to show Remus several of his memories.

"Okay, the first memory I'm going to show you is a conversation between me and my baby brother Regulus. I didn't believe what he was telling me then, but later on I started to realize that what he was telling me was partially the truth. I'm showing you this one first because this is when I started doubting things and started to look at things more carefully."

"Fine, I promised you that I would listen with an open mind and that is what I'm going to do. I just want you to promise to let me decide for myself," Remus said.

"I promise," Sirius said as he placed his wand tip at his temple and pulled out the first memory. He placed it in the bowl. He let Remus go first then he went after. The pair just watched as Sirius' memory played out.

_First memory…. _

_Sirius and James were walking down a dark street together. It was raining and the men had the hoods of their robes up. They both had their wands clasped tightly in their hands. Neither one said word to the other as they rushed through the rain. They finally found shelter under a closed up shops' overhang. James pulled down his hood and said, "Sirius, this is madness. We could be walking into a trap." _

_"No, I could be walking into a trap. That is why you are here," Sirius said smiling as he pulled down his hood. _

_James growled. "This is stupid. Why are you going to see you baby brother. I thought you hated him," James snapped. _

_"I don't hate him. I hate what he is doing, but I can't hate him. He is my brother after all. James, I know you don't understand because you don't have any siblings but this is important to me. Can't you just watch my back and make sure nothing bad happens to me without questioning me?" Sirius asked pleading with his friend. _

_"Okay, I'll do this but remember if your brother tries anything to hurt you, I'm not going to stand by and let it happen. I will do what I have to do to protect you. Even if it comes down to killing your brother," James said. _

_"I know, that is why you are here. You will always protect my back," Sirius said. _

_James grunted, pulled up his hood and then pulled out another cloak. This one shimmered as it unfolded. James threw it over his body and he disappeared from view. Sirius left the shelter of the store front and started down the street. He didn't hear James behind him but he knew he was there. The men walked to another store a few blocks away. This time Sirius pushed on the door and entered the darken store. He felt James brush past him as he closed the door._

_Once the door was closed, Sirius turned around and called out. "Reg?" _

_"Shut it, big mouth. I'm here," Reg hissed as he walked out of the darkness. "I'm shocked you came alone. Aren't you worried that this is a trap?" _

_"Is it?" Sirius asked. _

_"No, but you're being foolish coming here alone," Reg said. _

_"You're being foolish for wanting to see me. So, we are both fools," Sirius said. _

_Reg laughed a deep barking laughter much like his brother and walked over and gave him a hug. "I missed you big brother. How are you?" _

_"I'm fine. How are you?" Sirius asked eyeing his brother carefully. _

_"Okay, I guess," Reg said sadly the smile on his face vanishing. _

_Sirius looked at his brother and asked, "What is wrong? Why are you risking your life to see me?" _

_"If you want to know, I found out that we are all fools. We are fighting war that is more personal battle for two men," Reg growled. _

_ "What? I'm confused? What are you talking about?" Sirius asked. _

_Reg sighed and pointed to a table nearby. "Sit down and I'll tell you," Reg said. The two brothers walked to the table and sat down. Reg poured them both a drink and handed a glass to Sirius. "Here, it is a cold rain and you are wet. This will warn you up." _

_Sirius looked at the drink and pushed it away. He pulled out a flask from his coat pocket and took a drink. "Mad Eye would kill me," Sirius said grinning. _

_"Yes, he would, wouldn't he. Okay, you don't have to share a drink with me. I understand why. As for what I was talking about, the war we are in is a battle between Dark Lord and Dumbledore. I found out that my Dark Lord used to be Dumbledore apprentice until they had a falling out. He didn't give him something or used him for something. I don't exactly know what he did. I do know whatever it was angered the Dark Lord. He promised that he would fight Dumbledore until the end. He also promised he would destroy the other heirs. He would be the last one standing. He would be the one to control everything." _

_"How did you know this?" Sirius asked. _

_"I over heard him talking to members of the inner circle. It was before the attack on the Longbottoms. You do know who Frank was related to don't you?" _

_"Yes, I know," Sirius said coldly. Frank was Hufflepuff's heir. He was the last in her blood line. Now, that belongs to his young son. He was the only one that survived the attack. Frank and Alice were driven into madness._

_"Good, so you realize that there is only one left. The Dark Lord is going to go after the Potters. James is the heir of Gryffindor. He is only one standing in the way of controlling it all. _

_"All of what?" Sirius asked. _

_"Hogwarts I think, but then again I could be wrong. I do know he wants to kill James. I know James went into hiding and everyone thinks you're their secret keeper. If you are, brother then get out of town. You won't be able to stop him. He is going to find out a way to get to the Potters." _

_"You said James? Are you sure James is his only target?" Sirius asked. He knew it was risky asking it but he was wondering why his brother was so sure that James was the target not Harry. When the Order was told that it was possible that either Harry or Neville were the chosen ones to destroy Voldemort." _

_Reg laughed. "Yes, I am sure. And if you are talking about that prophecy, I know about it, everyone does. You really need to start looking at people arms. That ding bat that Dumbledore hired is a member of our little group. The prophecy is a fake. It was test for Severus Snape. I don't think the Dark Lord trusts him," Reg said. _

_"Why are you telling me this?" Sirius asked. _

_"Because I have had it, I'm leaving. I'm going into hiding. I can't do this any more. I don't want to do it. I figured you should know the truth before you get in over your head. You're my brother and in spite everything I care about you. I don't want you dead because Dark Lord wants your friend Potter," Reg said. _

"_What?" James said pulling down his hood. _

_Reg laughed and said, "I figured you wouldn't come alone. I didn't either. My help is very loyal to me. Kreacher!" _

_A house elf appeared beside Reg and bowed. "Yes, Master?" _

_"Good bye, Sirius, look after yourself," Reg said as he looked down at the elf and nodded his head. The two of them then vanished. _

_Sirius and James looked at each other. "What is going on?" James asked. _

_"I don't know. I really don't know," Sirius said. _

The memory ended. Remus and Sirius appeared back in the Remus living room. "My brother's body was found the next day. He was murdered. I don't know who did it but I guess he never made it out of town."

"I'm sorry," Remus said seeing pain in Sirius eyes.

"Don't be, I'm big boy. I know my brother wasn't perfect. He made his choices and he died because of them. The reason I showed you it to you is because it is what caused James and I to switch secret keepers. I was going to be the target, but we felt if someone else was picked they would leave them alone. I would be the target. I did it because James was my best friend and I felt I owed it to him. I screwed up. I'm the one that said no one would realize Peter was the secret keeper."

Remus walked to Sirius and said, "It isn't your fault. We both should have realized that there was more to Peter then he was showing us."

Sirius looked at his friend nodded. "Okay, let's get this on the road. I have a few more memories to show you."

"Now what?" Remus asked.

"Prison and talking to Bella!" Sirius said smiling.

"Before dinner? Okay, but this better be good," Remus said with a sick look on his face. It wasn't Azkaban that was the problem. It was Sirius's cousin Bella was the problem. The lady was nuts.

_Memory two… _

_Sirius was laying on a ragged mat watching a rat play with moldy crumb of bread that he had thrown to it. He was tempted to turn into Padfoot and have the rat for lunch. When the door opened, and his cousin Bella was thrown into the cell. "You wanted to talk to him. So, talk," the guard growled. _

"_Alone, I paid you enough money to make sure of it," Bella snapped. _

"_Fine, but no tricks either of you," the guard snapped and he slammed the door behind him. _

"_What do you want?" Sirius demanded of his cousin. _

"_I'm here to help you escape this place," Bella said smiling as she slides over to where Sirius sat and dropped down next to him. _

_Sirius shoved her away and said, "Get back, first we are related and secondly. I would rather hump a dog than you!" _

_Bella laughed. "Oh, Sirius, you are funny. I just don't want them to hear us talking," Bella replied and she moved closer. _

_Sirius had let her. "What do you want?" he asked. _

"_I told you. I can help you get out of here but I want do something for me," Bella hissed. _

"_And that is?" Sirius asked. _

"_Rewrite your will; I want you to name Draco as your heir. I want him to be the next Lord Black. We both know you are not the fatherly type," Bella said. _

"_You're not the motherly type," Sirius snapped back. _

"_Are you sure, dear cousin? I might not have given my husband a child but my lover that is another story," Bella looked back at the door to make sure the guard wasn't listening in before turning to Sirius and started to talk again. "I'm going to tell you something that only few know. Before I do, I want you to swear to me as Lord Black, that you will do everything in your power to protect my child." _

_Sirius looked at her. "What are you talking about?" Sirius asked. _

"_I hear you at night dear cousin. I know of your dog form. I know you can get out of here. You need help though and I'll give it. I know how to get the human guards to do what I want them to do. I just want your word as Lord Black that you'll protect my son for me" Bella bargained. _

"_Who?"_

"_Draco," Bella said. _

_Sirius looked at her as if she was nuts and said, "What? How?" _

"_I'll explain but first your word. You know what I'm asking. I am here for my Lord's help. I want Lord Black to swear an oath of protection to Draco." _

_Sirius looked around him and nodded. He had no other choice. If there was out away out of here, he was going to take it. Besides, he couldn't do anything to protect Harry just rotting here. Sirius held up his hand showing off the Lordship ring. The ring could only be removed at his death. The Ministry couldn't take it from him. Bella took hold of his hand as he said, "I, Lord Black swear to give my protection to Draco Malfoy." _

_Bella smiled. "Good, now to why I asked of it. You see, Draco is my son. Narcissia and Lucius were chosen to protect him. He was named their son in blood adoption. As for his birth parents, I am his mother and my Dark Lord is his father." _

_Sirius jumped away from her at this and growled. "You …itch! You tricked me." _

_Bella laughed. "I did but then you wouldn't protect him if you knew the truth. No, not even to get out of here. It is why I didn't tell you until after I had your word. You must do it now. You must protect Draco. I want you to name him your heir. This way he can have the protection of the Black family," Bella said. _

"_It hasn't done me any good. I'm here remember," Sirius snapped. _

"_Yes, but there are things that I know that no else does. Now, listen to me. Draco is not the only one in danger. Your god son is as well. I know how to protect them both but I need your help to do it. Are you willing to do this for Harry?" Bella asked smiling a sick maddening smile. _

_Sirius thought about it for a moment then nodded. "What do you want?" _

"_Easy, I know who put you here. I know why they won't let you out because they are worried you would remember things that you shouldn't. I can help you gain power over them. It is my vault at Gringotts. You go there and remove it. This will help you gain power over your enemies. The only thing I ask in return is for protect Draco as you would protect Harry." _

"_What things?"Sirius asked. _

"_You will find out there. Here is my key," Bella said pulling a key from inside her ripped prison uniform._

"_Do I want to know how you got this in here?" Sirius asked her. _

"_No," Bella smiled. _

"_I didn't think so," Sirius said. _

_Bella heard the guard coming. She leaned close to her cousin and said, "When the moon vanishes, you will as well." "Good bye, dear cousin," Bella said out loud as she stood up and walked away. _

Remus and Sirius appeared living room again. Remus started to walk away. "Where are you going?"

"Take a bath, I feel dirty," Remus said calmly as he walked.

Sirius couldn't laugh at his friend. He couldn't blame him. He felt the same way after Bella left that day. The woman made his skin crawl. The night he left Azkaban the long swim in the lake helped him wash off the dirty feeling. She had left on him.

Later on, Sirius had just finished cooking supper. When Remus walked into the room, his hair wet from his long shower. "You do know I'm not going to get the image of your cousin and you-know-who out of my mind any time soon," Remus muttered as he sat down.

"I have the same problem. By the way, did you pick up that box I asked you to get?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, is that what Bella was talking about in your memory?" Remus asked.

"Yes. Before you ask, I don't know what was in it. I haven't looked yet. I removed it and placed it in my vault for safe keeping. It is what you picked up this afternoon. We will both see it together but first food…," Sirius said as he placed the food on the table.

"Smells good, what is it?" Remus asked.

"Beef stew. Lily taught me how to make it," Sirius said.

"She loved to cook. Do you know that Harry can cook," Remus said as he sat down and dished out a large bowl of stew.

"He can? How did you know that?" Sirius asked as he sat down himself.

"He told me. I managed to get Harry to talk about his family life over term. He didn't say much but the little he did, has me thinking that he is better off with Andi. Petunia really wasn't the best care taker for him," Remus said.

"You tell Albus this?" Sirius asked.

Remus reached over took some bread from the table as he said, "Yes, I did and maybe that is why I'm watching your memories."

"So, you at least think he doesn't have Harry's best interest at heart," Sirius said.

"No," Remus admitted.

"Well, at least I'm not barking up a dead tree," Sirius joked.

"Bad, pun Padfoot," Remus growled.

"Hey, I'm rusty. It will take me a bit to get back into the grove of things, but I'll get there," Sirius said.

Remus shook his head at this. He didn't comment, though. He just sat there quietly eating his supper and thinking about everything that Sirius had showed him. It was thinking about Bella's admission that Draco was her son bothered him. "Sirius, Draco looks exactly like Lucius. How can he not be his son?" Remus asked finally.

"Blood adoption," Sirius said as he put down his fork to explain. "If they did a blood adoption on him, then Draco would look exactly like his adopted parents not his birth parents. This is until the boy decides to choose who he wants to take after. He could then take qualities of both sets of parents."

"Why does that bother me?" Remus muttered.

"It bothers me as well but there is nothing I can do about it. I swore that I would protect the brat. I have no choice," Sirius growled.

"Why did you agree anyways?" Remus asked.

"I wanted out of prison and Bella had the power to help get me out. She runs the prisoners there. She also has most of the guards willing to do anything for her. The demeanors even listen to her," Sirius said.

"Then why does she stay? Why not escape?" Remus asked.

"I don't know. Maybe, she likes it there. I just know that if I wanted out I had to do what she asked of me. Besides, giving the brat of title of Lord Black is no really big deal. I wouldn't give it to Harry. It would mark up his family name. Draco can have it," Sirius said looking at the ring with pure hate in his eyes. He hated the title. He would give it up now but the money came in handy. It helped him stay head of the Ministry. He figured once he cleared his name. He would spend his life spending all the money the Black's had. So, when Draco did inherit the title. There would be nothing left.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

More Memories and Other Surprises

Amelia Bones was sitting at her desk looking over the papers she retrieved from the Potter vault. It was difficult to read some of the papers because of the spells that were on them. It was clear that James didn't want anyone other then himself to read them. The spell that he placed on the papers prevented anyone who didn't have Potter blood in their veins to read them. Lucky for her, she was related to the Potters. The trouble was it was distantly. So, it took her a bit to remove the spell enough to uncover the papers secrets but she finally did it.

As she read, she realized why James was so protective of the papers. What was inside the papers could end up turning the Wizarding World on its ear. Amelia shook her head after finish reading the papers. She removed her reading glasses and walked to the window to look out. "What I do? Who do I trust?" she asked herself as she stood there watching a cloud move slowly across the sky to cover up the half moon.

Only one name can to mind as she stood there thinking. He was a man she trusted for years. He was her mentor and her first partner. Bones turned and went back to her desk. She pulled piece of parchment and wrote a letter.

_Moody, _

_I realize it is late but I need to see you as soon as possible. If you are available, please come to my home. _

_Amelia _

Bones then sent letter on and waited. She would have flood Moody but he put a block on his floo to keep people out. The only get to her old mentor was by letter. She decided while she waited for Moody's reply. She would reread James notes to see if she missed anything.

She was half way through the papers. When someone knocked on her door, she quickly put them away and pulled out her wand. She walked to the door and said, "Who's there?"

"Moody," came a gruff voice.

"Prove it," Amelia said.

Mad Eye laughed as he said, "One your first day on the job, you set my pants on fire."

She laughed as well as she opened the door. "Come on in," she said to her old friend.

"It is nice to know that I rubbed off on you," Mad Eye said as he walked into the house.

"Well, I have my reasons for being jumpy," Bones said.

The old wizard looked at her but didn't comment. He just followed her into living room and sat down. She didn't bother offer him a drink. He always carried his own. She poured herself something and sat across from him. "I know this is going sound strange, but do you remember the first rule of being an Auror that you taught me?" she asked him.

"Never assume that a person couldn't have committed the crime," Moody said.

"Do you believe it? Or is there someone in our world that you wouldn't think committed a crime?" Bones asked.

"I think everyone is guilty of something. What is this about?" Mad Eye asked.

Bones sighed and said, "Before I tell you, I want you to swear to me that your not loyal to Albus Dumbledore."

Mad Eye looked at her in shock but then pulled out his wand did as she requested. When he was done, he looked at her and asked, "What did the old fool do?"

Bones sat there for a long time before replying. "I think he is worse than you-know-who," she said.

"You think or you know?" Mad Eye asked her.

"I know. I just have to prove it to our world," she said.

"That my dear is going to be hard to do. He is a hard bird to crack. I know. I have been after him for years. You see, he is the reason I was put out to pasture. I think…no…I know he was behind it, him and Fudge," Mad Eye said.

"So, I picked the right person to trust with what I know?" she asked.

"You did. I am one of few people that doesn't believe in Dumbledore. Oh, I pretend to just to be close to him. Let me just say that he tries to come off as too perfect. People like that are always guilty of something," Mad Eye said smiling a sly smile.

"I'll remember that," Bones said and she caught Moody up on what has been going on.

*******************************************

At Remus house, Sirius and he had just finished dinner. They were heading into the living room to view the last of Sirius memories. "I should tell you this. I don't remember this memory. I just know it plays a part in my distrust for Dumbledore. But the contents of the memory is a mystery even to me," Sirius said.

"So, how do you know he can't be trusted?" Remus asked.

"My gut tells he can't be trusted and I learned a long time ago not ignore my gut," Sirius said.

Remus didn't comment. He had this argument with Sirius once before and lost. Sirius was always sure that his gut feelings were right and nothing ever changed his mind. Remus had to admit that most of the time Sirius' feelings were right and they did avoid trouble by following them, but there was always those few times that it wasn't. So, he wasn't ready to believe everything that Sirius' gut had told him was the truth.

Remus and Sirius together went into view this memory. They both leaned over the pensive and vanished.

_Sirius was standing outside the Potter home looking up at the night sky. The moon wasn't showing but the stars were bright that evening. He could see all around the house but there was no sign of life. The lights were on in the Potter home but there was no sound coming from inside. The front door was wide open and there were people moving around inside. _

_Sirius pulled James' vanishing cloak over his head and went inside, bent on surprising the people inside. He walked into the house and his heart leaped into his throat. James and Lily were laying on the floor dead. Albus Dumbledore was standing over them, his wand still aimed at the couple. "I'm sorry James," Albus was saying. "But I have waited too long for the secrets of the Founders." _

_Over head, Albus heard Harry crying in his crib. "Now, to blame Tom…" Albus said. _

_Sirius was about to show himself but Voldemort appeared in the doorway. He looked at the old man and scowled. "So, you finally stopped playing the good wizard," Voldemort hissed. _

_"Tom, I been wondering when you were going to show up." Albus said turning to face his former student. _

_"You were expecting me?" Tom said puzzled. _

_"Of course, do you really think I wouldn't know that Peter was the traitor? No, I have been planning this for a long time now. Tonight, the only Heirs of Hogwarts left will be Harry and Neville. I shall keep them around long enough to gain the secrets to Hogwarts. Then the boys will die tragic deaths joining their parents in the grave," Albus said. _

_"The Longbottoms aren't dead and neither am I for that matter," Voldemort hissed. _

_"Minor details, they can't hold out forever and neither can you," Albus said and soon the pair was dueling. _

_Sirius ducked several spells and was forced to hide behind the couch as the pair went at it. He was in shock. The man he trusted with his life had just killed his best friend. He couldn't believe it. Albus Dumbledore was no better than Voldemort. By the time this thought hit Sirius' mind, a section of the house hit him. He had managed to keep the cloak over him but he was pinned to the point he couldn't move. He was so scared to give up his location. He bit back the pain and watched as the men continued with their duel. _

_It went on for about a half an hour. Then finally, Albus got a lucky shot in. He hit Voldemort's wand sending it flying across the room. Voldemort stood there holding his destroyed hand glaring at his mentor with hate. "I'm sorry, Tom," Albus said. _

_"You haven't won yet," Tom said. _

_"Oh, don't count on it," Dumbledore said and he killed Voldemort. _

_ Voldemort dropped right near Sirius. He looked into the dead unseeing eyes of the Dark Lord in shock. Albus walked over and rolled the man over. He looked sadly down at Voldemort and said, "I'm sorry, Tom. You only had to obey me and you could have had the world you dreamed about." _

_Albus had vanished Voldemort's body with a wave of his wand but kept his robes. He picked them up and threw them over his shoulder. He then turned his wand on Lily. He levitated her dead body from the ground and headed up stairs heading towards Harry's room. _

_Sirius fought to get free but it was useless. He stayed trapped under the rubble. He heard Albus mutter a spell and then the quiet night was shattered by cry from Harry. Thankfully, the cries didn't stop and Albus appeared a bit later. He looked in Sirius direction but didn't see him or that is what Sirius thought. The old wizard turned towards the door then and left. _

_Sirius finally managed to pull himself from the rubble. It was nearly dawn. He pulled the clock off him and ran from Harry. Harry was laying in his crib holding tightly to his baby blue blanket and trying to reach out through the bars for his mother. Sirius was relieved to see that the baby was alright. "Come little one," Sirius said reaching in for Harry. "Let's get out of here." _

_Sirius carried Harry down stairs and into the cool night air. He was just about to climb on his bike when Hagrid showed up. "Sirius, is it true? Did you-know-who murder James and Lily?" Hagrid asked. _

_Sirius looked at tall man in shock. His mind was screaming 'Hell No! Albus blanking Dumbledore did it.' But Sirius knew that Hagrid wouldn't believe him. So, he lied and said, "Yes." _

_Hagrid sniffed a bit and said, "Poor James and Lily. Why would anyone do this to them?" he asked. _

"_I don't know," Sirius said still trying to figure out why Albus had murdered his best friends. Harry started to cry. Sirius pulled the boy closer to him and said, "Hagrid, I need to go. It is cold out here. I need to get Harry some place safe," Sirius said. _

"_Sirius, that is why I'm here. Albus sent me to pick up Harry. He wants to send them to live with Lily's family. He says he will be safe there with them," Hagrid said reaching out for the boy. _

_Sirius looked down at Harry with a sad expression on his face but then nodded his head. He handed the boy over to Hagrid and allowed him to take his bike. "See you, kid," Sirius said giving Harry a kiss on the forehead. _

_He stood there as Hagrid took off with the baby and then he vanished. Sirius ended up at Gringotts. He went to Black Family vault. He stood there in front of the Black Family pensive with a wand tip in his hand. _

That is where the memory ended. As soon as Sirius and Remus appeared in the living room, Remus picked up his father's chair and threw it across the room howling like a wounded wolf. Sirius just stood by the bowl with a sick expression on his face. He didn't remember this. He remembered seeing Hagrid, but not the rest. He must have put a copy of the memory in the vault for safe keeping. He then had to have run across Dumbledore. At this thought, Sirius started to doubt that what happened with Peter actually happened. If it did, was he acting in his own actions?

Remus turned to Sirius then and demanded, "Well, what in hell were you thinking turning Harry over to Hagrid?"

"I don't know. Memories don't tell you what you are thinking," Sirius snapped. "I don't remember any of this." He admitted to Remus.

Remus took a deep breath to calm down. He knew getting angry was not good for him. The proof was the fact he just destroyed his favorite chair. As he stood there gaining control of his temper, his mind started to work. "Oh, shit," he muttered.

"What?" Sirius asked wondering what caused Remus to curse. He normally didn't do that.

"I told Dumbledore that you were with me and you were safe," Remus said.

"You idiot," Sirius snapped giving his friend a dirty look.

"I know. I know. I messed up. It isn't like you haven't done it before," Remus said.

Sirius had to admit he was right. "Okay, we better get out of here then. After seeing what I just saw, I wouldn't put it past the old goat to try to wipe us out."

Remus suddenly got this very nasty smile on his face. "Mr. Padfoot, Mr. Moony think it might good idea to leave the Mr. Old Goat a greeting." Remus said.

Sirius suddenly had the same smile as Remus as he said, "Mr. Padfoot agrees with Mr. Moony. Shall we get to work?"

"Let's," Remus said and the pair went to work setting up their pranks to get to anyone that got into the house. These pranks were nasty. If Dumbledore did show up, he was going shock of his life because the Marauders were mad at him, and they were voicing their opinion of him. The pair then packed up Remus family's old tent and went on the road to keep one step ahead of the Ministry and Dumbledore.


	6. Chapter 6

Dear readers, I realize that I put Atlantis in the wrong place but this is fan fiction. So, I'm keeping it this way in this story. In truth, I needed a magical city nearby France and it is the only thing I could come up with. If my summaries suck, picking names for places is second in line…lol ;-) I hope you forgive me.

Chapter Six

Letters and Decisions

Harry loved staying with the Tonks family. He especially liked spending time with Ted. Ted was fun be around. He made Harry laugh and forget about his troubles. Ted and Harry were working on repairing several broken shutters on the house. They couldn't do it magically because the Tonks family lived in a muggle neighborhood so; they were doing the hard way. Harry was holding the shutter as Ted nailed them back into place.

They were just finishing up with a side of the house as Errol crashed landed beside Harry. The old owl had a letter in his talons. Harry bent down and picked up the owl. "Who's owl is that? Is it okay?" Ted asked as he climbed down off the ladder.

"Yeah, it is the Weasley family's owl. He is old and always crashes like this," Harry said as he held the owl in one hand and the letter in the other. He placed the owl on the window sill. Errol leaned against the window to take a nap as Harry opened the letter.

_Mate, _

_I got your letter. I can't believe that you would believe Hermione and Neville's lies. They are just trying to turn you against me. Trust me; I never did anything to Neville or Hermione for that matter. In fact, I think it is them that are trying to cause trouble between us. Hermione is always bossing people around, you know that. She is just upset that I finally lost my temper with her before we boarded the train and told her off. She is just getting even. _

_I think that is why she told the Ministry all those lies about your family. I know the Dursley's weren't the best family to live with but at least you were safe from You-Know-Who. Are you sure it is wise to leave them? I hate to have something happened to my best friend. _

_Mum says to give you time to cool off away from the Dursley's. You could come and stay with us. Dad has gotten tickets to the Quidditch Cup. You can stay here until school starts and we can go to the game. By the time school ends, I'm sure you will understand that being with the Dursley's is the best thing for you and you can get back with your family. _

_Write me back and tell me when we can pick you up. _

_Ron _

Harry ripped the letter up and threw it on the ground at his feet. "That prat!" Harry hissed.

"What is it?" Ted asked concerned.

"Ron or maybe his mother because that letter wasn't one of that Ron normally would write me. Hell, it was more then five lines. So, I know it wasn't Ron's doing on his own," Harry snapped and he picked up the ripped letter and handed it over to Ted.

Ted put the pieces back together and read the letter. He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry Harry. I guess your friends were right about Molly being loyal to Albus."

"Mr. Tonks, why does he want me with the Dursley's in the first place? Doesn't he know that I wasn't wanted by them?" Harry asked.

"I don't know Harry. I don't know much what is going on with Dumbledore. Amelia hasn't said much about it. The only thing she is saying that she is working on who put the spell on your aunt," Ted explained.

Harry thought about something. He thought about what Hermione and he had talked about the other day. She had pointed out that she didn't trust Dumbledore. She said it was irresponsible of him to use first year spells to protect the stone their first year. She said it was as if he was testing Harry for some reason. "Ted, do you trust Professor Dumbledore.

Ted looked at Harry and said, "After what you told me about your time at Hogwarts. I can say that I don't. It's why Andi and I are thinking of sending you to another school. We know you like Hogwarts. We loved it there ourselves, but your safety is important to us. We don't think going to back to Hogwarts this year is a good idea."

"I'm starting to think that myself. I know Hermione's parents are sending her to Beauxbatons Academy. Is it an all girls school or could I attended?" Harry asked.

"I know boys go there. Are you sure this is where you want to go? We could look at the other schools around as well," Ted said. He didn't want to push Harry into anything. He wanted this to be Harry decision.

"No, I want to go to school with Hermione. This way neither of us would be alone at a new school," Harry said.

"Okay, I contact Scarlett. I think she can help us get you signed up. If this is what you want to do?" Ted said.

Harry looked at the letter Ron and written him and then nodded. "Yes, because if I go to Hogwarts, I might end up getting expelled. I don't think I could keep from hitting Ron in the mouth!" Harry snapped.

Ted laughed and messed Harry's hair up more then it normally was. "Kid, I don't blame you. Come on lets get these done and then I contact Scarlett," Ted said.

Harry nodded his head and he went on helping Ted with the shutters. After they were done, he wrote a small letter to Ron. The letter had only few words on it. 'Bug off!' He sent it back with Errol. He then went upstairs to his room and packed up all his belongings from Hogwarts. He put them in a box and placed it by his bedroom door. He would ask Andi what he should do with it later. He then sat down to write letters to Neville and Susan. They had written him often since his shopping trip. He wanted to explain his reasons behind not going back to Hogwarts. He felt that he owed it to them.

After writing his letter and sending it with Hedwig, he went back downstairs to see if he could help with supper. He was walking into the living room when the phone rang. "Tonks residence," Harry said.

"Harry, Aunt Scarlett just told me about Ted's call. Isn't it great? We can still go to school together," Hermione's excited voice filled his ear.

"Yes, Hermione, I like the idea. I'm the one that suggested it. I didn't want to go to a new school alone, so I figured we could face it together. Maybe you could come over tomorrow and you can fill me in what you found out about the school. I'm sure you already have loads of books about the school and have already read them, twice!" Harry said smiling.

"I even got their summer home work list. Aunt Scarlett gave it to me. They even offer different subjects than Hogwarts. I picked out the subjects that interest me. I'll bring the list over tomorrow. I'll help you pick out your classes. We will have to take several classes with the third years until we get caught up with our grade. Don't worry though, I'll help you out anyway I can. I promise," Hermione said.

"Thanks, I'll take all the help I can get. Do they have Divination? I was thinking of dumping the class. I only took it because Ron said it was an easy O," Harry said.

"Your in luck, it is one of the subjects they don't offer. Aunt Scarlett says it is a dead subject. Hogwarts is the only magical school around that teaches it," Hermione said.

"Figures," Harry muttered. "Hey, what subject does your aunt teach?" Harry asked.

"She is the Potions teacher. She's great Harry. She went over my notes these last few years and said I should have been getting O's all the time. I told her how bad of teacher Professor Snape is and she offered to help you get caught up. She said any teacher that puts their house first over teaching class shouldn't be a teacher," Hermione said.

"How are the houses done?" Harry asked.

"There isn't any one house. The dorms are broken up between the girls and boys. Boys stay in one dorm area and the girls in the other. There are four Quidditch Teams and everyone tries out for the teams together. The game is more a friendly rivalry then the spiteful one at Hogwarts. Oh, and there is no house cup. The people with the highest points and grades are made grade leaders. I think it is like Perfects, Head Boy and Head Girl. Aunt Scarlett says Grade Leaders jobs are to help struggling class mates with their homework. They can't take or give points. They also don't patrol the school. That's the teachers and house elves jobs," Harry explained.

"Sounds interesting," Harry said.

"Where is located?" Harry asked.

"France, it's by the ocean. And you are not going to believe this, Atlantis is nearby. The school has times every year that kids can go visit. I can't wait to see it. I always wanted to visit the city. I hear their books stores have books that can be only bought there. I can't wait to look around," Hermione said.

Harry couldn't help but smile at this. Hermione was the only person he knew that would think about going to a book store in a city that most muggles believed no longer existed. He of course had heard of Atlantis from Hermione many times over the years. She bought him a book of the city for Christmas last year. The city was filled with museums and shops that dated back before recorded time. He couldn't wait to check the city out and was starting to think transferring schools was the best thing for him in more than one way.

Andi arrived home about then. Harry promised to finish the conversation later. He said good-bye to his friend and then went to help Andi bring in the groceries. "Thank you, Harry," she said as he removed the bags from her hand.

"Several owls arrived with letters for you. I left them on the desk. Ted is in his office working on paper work," Harry said.

"Did he fix those shutters?" Andi asked.

"We fixed them together. They are all nailed back into place," Harry said.

"Good, that banging was starting to drive me nuts," Andi said picking up the letters and looking through them. She spotted one that caught her attention. She gave Harry a warm smile as saw it and put it in her pocket. "How about taking the bags to the kitchen and putting the food away. I'll be in, in a minute," Andi said.

"Okay," Harry said.

Andi watched him leave. The moment the door between the living room and kitchen closed. She pulled out the letter and read it.

_Andi, _

_Don't burn this letter. I swear there is more to the story than you know. I'm not the bad guy here. I'm not even out to harm Harry. If you ask him, I'm sure he will tell you, that is if you gained his trust by now. We were also close as children. That was the primary reason I picked you as Harry's caregiver if something ever happened to me. I'm writing you to warn you. Don't trust Dumbledore, I can't tell you why. It would only cause you more trouble. You just have to trust me on this one. He isn't to be trusted, not with Harry anyways. _

_If you need me, send an owl to Gringotts. They will be able to find me. Only do this if you really need my help. I am working on trying to clear my name, but it is going to take a while. Things are a bit complicated for me right now. Tell Harry that Snuffles is okay and that Wolfe is fine as well. _

_Sirius _

Andi looked at the letter, wondering what to think. She had never believed that Sirius betrayed James and Lily. James was a like brother to Sirius. He would never hurt him. So, the story never fit to her, but did that mean she could trust him now. Also, what did he mean about Harry knowing about him?

Andi thought about this as she went into start supper. Harry was helping her. He was setting the table. When Andi turned and asked, "Who's Snuffles?"

Harry almost dropped the plates but thankfully they made it to the table without breaking. "Snuffles?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I'm suppose to tell you that he is okay and so is Wolfe," she said.

"Wolfe?" Harry said puzzled then he got it. "Oh, thanks." He said.

"Harry, how do you know Sirius and who is Wolfe?" Andi asked.

Harry sighed and told the story. "That man…that lying snake," Andi said after hearing that Fudge refused to believe that Sirius was innocent. After calming down, she asked, "Harry, have you told Madam Bones this?"

"No, I never thought about it," Harry said.

"I think you should. I'll contract her. I'll ask her to come to dinner tonight. She can bring Susan," Andi said and she went contact Madam Bones at her home.

Harry just sighed and finished setting the table. He added two extra places and put more noodles on to boil. They were having spaghetti and figured the extra helpings wouldn't hurt.

It was a good thing he did because not only did Susan and her aunt come over but so did Kingsley. The group sat together talking about normal things during the meal. Harry explained his reasons for wanting to change schools with Susan and she liked the idea. She was even thinking about doing it herself. She loved Hogwarts but like Harry she wasn't comfortable going back. Not after hearing some of the stories of Harry's adventures.

Susan was left to think about things as Harry, Aunt Amelia, Andi, and Kinglsey went into the Ted's office to talk about a few things. Harry really didn't stay long. He gave his story and his memories to Madam Bones and then he then left them alone to discuss things. Andi did finally admit that Sirius had written her. She showed them the letter after the two Aurors promised to make sure Sirius got a fair shake.

While the adults talked, Harry and Susan listened to Tonks tell stories about her adventures at school. The longer she talked, the more she won the kids over about her school.

******************************************

At Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore was irate. He had just arrived back from visiting Remus' house with two Aurors from the Ministry. Remus and Sirius pranks were still very evident on him. His legs and lower body was in the form of a goat. He had goat horns on top of his head and he sounded like a goat now and then when he tried to speak. This alone told him that Sirius remembers the events that happened at the Potters that night and he told Remus. Albus knew he had to find Sirius and Remus before they caused him any more trouble.

He just finished changing himself back when Minerva walked into the room. She placed Hermione's resignation letter on his desk. "What this?" he asked.

"Hermione's parents decided to send her to Beauxbatons Academy. I think her aunt teachers there and they feel that school is better for her," Minerva said in a tight voice. She hated to loose Hermione. She was one of her best students. She was also worried if Hermione left, Harry would follow. She voiced that opinion to Albus.

"Harry isn't going anywhere. He will come back to school next term," Albus said.

"If you are sure, oh and you have horns," Minerva said and she left.

Albus growled removed the horns and went to his window to look out. He needed to find Sirius and Remus before they caused him any more trouble. He had enough because despite removing Frank, James and Tom from the picture, he still couldn't control Hogwarts. It turned out that Tom had an heir. He didn't know who the child was, but he knew one existed. He also knew that Ravenclaw had an heir and he hadn't been able to find him or her either. Until he did that, he would never truly control Hogwarts or get into founders vaults. And that is where their secrets lay!


	7. Chapter 7

_Readers,_

_Please don't flame me when you read this. I swear it will make sense when this finally works out. Remember the first chapter did say bashing of Molly and Albus Dumbledore…._

Chapter Seven

Talks 

The next afternoon Hermione came over with her books. Neville and Susan joined them and the kids sat in the Tonks' back yard by the pool checking things over. Susan loved the robes. Harry and Neville didn't love them that much but at least the boys' robes weren't pale blue. They were a darker blue than the girls. Also, since everyone had to wear the same thing it wasn't like they'd get picked on for what they had to wear.

Suddenly Errol landed right next to Harry dropping a smoking red letter. "A Howler!" Neville said getting up and moving away.

Tonks was sunning herself a few feet away heard Neville's words and sat up. She pulled her wand and summand the letter to her. The letter burst open and a pair of lips appeared. The kids saw them move, but nothing was heard. Harry looked at Tonks and asked, "What did you do?"

"Silencing spell," she said grinning.

The lips stopped moving and the letter returned to normal. Tonks held the letter in her hands and read it. "That woman has some nerve," Tonks snapped.

"Who?" Susan asked.

"Mrs. Weasley, it seems she didn't like Harry's letter last night," Tonks said eyeing the strange expression on Harry's face. "What did you write?"

"Bug off!" Harry said with a small smile.

The others laughed and Tonks said, "Well, it doesn't give her a right to say this to you," she said holding the letter.

"Do I want to know what she wrote?" Harry asked.

"No, you don't. I'm going to send this to Madam Bones. She wants every letter you get that isn't appropriate and this sure in the world isn't," Tonks said as she went to grab her owl to forward the letter to Madam Bones with a note on Harry's reaction.

"I wonder what Mrs. Weasley wrote?" Hermione said.

"Who cares," Harry said sitting down. "I really don't care about Mrs. Weasley or Ron at this moment. The letter Ron wrote me really bothered me. It is one of the reasons I want to change schools. If I see Ron on the train, I just might hex him."

"I can't blame you, Harry," Susan said. "Anyone that uses you like that and tries to blame it on others is worse then anyone from Slytherin."

"I agree," Hermione said.

Neville nodded his head as Harry smiled. "Thanks, but let's forget about Ron. I have some money. Why don't we go to Diagon Alley and explore some more. I really only visited that one area and that is it," Harry said.

"Why not? I need to get more parchment and ink," Hermione said.

"There is a new shop opening today. Why don't we go check it out," Susan said.

"Sure," Neville said and the kids went inside to change and then use the floo.

**********************************************

Tonks sent the letter to Madam Bones with a note. She read the letter and she wasn't happy what Molly had written. She didn't think it was wise for her to say anything though and suggested Tonks give the letter to her mother. Andi read the letter and went to talk to Arthur.

Arthur was seated at his beat up desk working on paperwork as Andi entered the office. The wizard looked up and smiled at the woman and said, "Andi, nice to see you. What brings you to my little part of the world?"

"This!" Andi said placing the letter in front of Arthur. "Arthur, don't get me wrong. I like you. I like your family, but that wife of yours has gone too far. Harry is having enough trouble dealing with everything. He doesn't need someone throwing this in his face."

Arthur read the letter and his face went white. "Andi, I assure you. I had no idea Molly wrote this. There must be some mistake. I mean, the last I heard Ron invited Harry to the Quidditch Cup."

"He turned Ron down. I shouldn't be telling you this because I believe it should stay between the children, but Molly put herself in this so, I'm getting involved. Your son's actions towards Harry were uncalled for, threatening other kids and stealing your friend's school work is wrong. He had no right trying to keep Neville or anyone from being Harry's friend," Andi started in.

"Hold it? Ron did what? What is going on?" Arthur asked confused about all of this. Andi pulled her temper in and gave Arthur a bit about what she knew. She explained what the kids had told Harry and about Harry's letter to Ron in the attempt to get the truth from him. She then told Arthur about Ron's letter to Harry denying everything. She did admit that Harry didn't believe him and decided to end his friendship with Ron. She said she realized he went too far by telling Ron to 'bug off' but he is young after all. He might not have done things the right way but he is very emotional at this moment.

Arthur sighed and sat back in his chair thinking. "Andi, are you sure these kids are not just causing trouble?"

"Arthur, I talked to both Hermione and Neville. Susan Bones even backed them up. These children are not lying. Now, I realize Ron is your son. I can understand your feelings towards him but Harry is in my care now. I have to look out for him. Your wife had no right to say these things about him. As for Harry's reaction to Ron's letter, well, he is upset. I will talk to him about his way of wording things but I can't tell him to be Ron's friend."

"No, of course you can't. I understand that you are angry. I'm not pleased myself with Ron at this moment. I'll talk to Ron tonight and get to the bottom of things. I'm sure this was just a misunderstanding. Like you said, the kids are young and they don't always handle things the way they should. Ron actions might be out of line but he could be trying to protect his friend that is all. As for Molly's letter, I promise she won't send another one. She had no right saying any of this about Harry. He saved Ginny's life. I owe him a life debt for that. So, you tell him, he can be upset with Ron but he still has friends with the Weasley family. I know the twins think a lot of Harry so, if he wants to write them I'm sure they will want to hear from him."

"Thank you, Arthur and I'm sorry for loosing my temper. It is the Black in me. We are very protective of our family," she said.

"I understand," Arthur said standing up and offering his hand to Andi. "Friends?"

"Friends," she said shaking Arthur's hand and then leaving.

Arthur put his paperwork away and gathered his hat and cloak. He then headed home to talk to Molly and find out what is going on with Ron. Ron's grades arrived the other day and they weren't the best. He was also milking his sore leg and Molly was letting him. Arthur knew there was nothing wrong with Ron's leg. He was just being lazy. Arthur knew that if what Andi told him was the truth, Ron was in for a world of hurt.

****************************************************

Arthur arrived home to find the twins, Ginny and Bill out back. They were sitting around the table talking. Arthur walked up and greeted his children warmly. "Good afternoon," he said.

"Father, your home early," Ginny said giving her father a kiss and hug.

"I wanted to talk to your mother about something. Where is Ron at?" Arthur asked.

Bill snorted and said, "In the living room, claiming his leg hurts too much."

"Still," Arthur snapped shaking his head. The kids nodded. Arthur sighed and looked towards the house. He wanted to talk to Molly, but he wanted to ask the kids something. So, he sat down at the table and said, "Look, I just had a visit in my office from Andi Tonks. She isn't happy about some things and I need answers from you guys." Arthur explained what Andi had told them off Ron's actions towards Harry.

Fred spoke up after his father finished and said, "We were there when Harry found out and father it is true. We really can't blame Harry for not wanting to see Ron any more. He has really become a prat lately."

Arthur nodded. "I have seen it," he said sighing deeply and shaking his head. "What about this stuff that your mother was asked to make sure that Ron befriends Harry?" Arthur asked.

George looked at his father and said, "We over heard Mum and Professor Dumbledore talking one day. He was asking her to make sure that Ron looks Harry up and befriends him. He even suggested we go to the train the way muggleborns went to make sure that Harry gets through safely."

The last part made sense to Arthur, but having Ron befriend Harry under false pretenses didn't. He really had talk to Molly about this. So, he went into the house and found his wife fixing dinner. Molly looked up smiling, "You are home early. How was work dear?" Molly asked.

"Fine, I had visitor today. Andi Tonks stopped by and left this," Arthur said placing the letter Molly had written on the table.

Molly blanched at the sight of the letter. She didn't count on seeing it again. It should have ripped up after the message was delivered. "Molly, why did you write those things about Harry? He is just a kid?"

"He had no right saying those nasty things about Ronnie," Molly said.

"Even if they are true?" Arthur asked her.

"You think our son…" Molly started to say her voice rising but he held up his hand.

"Molly, I'm not dumb. I might not be the smartest man in the world but I do know my children. I talked to the others. They told me everything that Harry accused Ron of doing is the truth. I believe them. I also found out that you asked Ron to befriend Harry. Why?" Arthur asked.

"Because Harry needs someone to keep and eye on him," Molly snapped. "Look at all the trouble the boy has gotten into the last three years. If wasn't for Ron looking after him, he would be in more trouble. No, I'm glad Albus asked me to have Ron befriend Harry," Molly said turning her back to face the stove to stir the stew.

"From what I understand, Ron didn't argue with Harry on those adventures. I heard him bragging about it to the others. He enjoyed them. So, don't blame everything Ron did the last three years on Harry. He is enjoying being Harry's best friend, or he was until Harry wised up. I can't blame Harry for being angry," Arthur said and he turned around to leave.

"You are taking a stranger's side over our son's?" Molly asked him shocked and angry.

"If that is how you see it, yes because I'm disappointed in my son. I thought he knew better. You don't make friends because you want them to do something for you. It isn't how I raise my children. I'm sadden to think you believe what he did was right," Arthur left at that and went into shed to work.

Later at dinner things were tense at the Weasley table, Molly and Arthur didn't say much to each other. In fact, Molly hardly spoke a word all through dinner. Ron was chatting away about the World Cup and getting a chance to see Victor Krum in action.

Arthur was sitting eating his meal and thinking. He was trying to figure out how to get Ron back on the right track. Then at that moment, a barn owl arrived with letters from Hogwarts. Arthur took them and handed one to Percy. "Here are your grades Percy," he said.

"Thank you, Father," Percy said smugly and he opened his letter to read it.

Arthur opened the others. He started with the twins first. "Not bad, it could be better." Arthur said as he looked at them. He handed each letter to the boys. "I do suggest that you keep the pranks down a bit next term and try to work harder on your grades."

"We'll try," Fred and George said together.

Arthur then opened Ron's letter. Ron was just sitting there feeding his face not bothering to look up. His grades didn't matter to him. "Ron, look at me," Arthur said firmly.

"What?" Ron snapped.

Everyone stopped eating. Bill's face turned a bit red as did some of the others. They were shocked at Ron's attitude. They had never talked to their father in that manner. "Ronald, I suggest you watch your tongue. As for your grades, I'm not pleased. You are barely passing your classes. You can do better then this," Arthur said.

"My grades don't matter. I'll pass my Owls. Professor Dumbledore said so," Ron said.

Percy and Molly looked at him in shock. Percy leaned over and kicked him. Ron yelped and said, "Why did you kick me? It is the truth?"

"Shut it," Percy snapped.

Arthur looked three of them and asked, "What is going on?"

"Nothing, Ron is just saying that Professor Dumbledore promised to find him tutors next term," Molly said.

"He did not. He said as long as I keep an eye on Harry, I don't have to worry about my grades." Ron snapped.

Percy looked ready to hex Ron as did Molly.

"So, that's what is going on?" Arthur said giving the three of them looksof disappointment. He reached over and took Percy's letter.

"That's mine," Percy said trying to get it back but Bill grabbed his arm forcing sit down.

Arthur read the letter and threw it on the table. He's face was red. "Percy, I'm very disappointed in you," Arthur said. The letter was from Professor Dumbledore stating that he had arranged for Percy to be Barty Crouch's assistant.

"At least working for Mr. Crouch, is better then that dead end job you do," Percy snapped grabbing his letter back.

Arthur shook his head and said, "I would rather earn my place in the Ministry then have someone hand me a position." Arthur then turned to Ron and said, "As for you, since your leg is hurt. You are not going to the World Cup with the rest of the family. As for your grades, Professor Dumbledore is not your father. You are going to bring them up next term or you will be grounded for the entire summer."

Arthur stood up then and started to leave. He wasn't hungry any longer and needed air. He was half way to the door when Ron stood up and said, "You're wrong about Professor Dumbledore being my father. He is. He gave us the Tickets. Do you really think someone like you could get them?"

Arthur turned his face white as were everyone else. Percy looked at his brother and muttered. "Big mouth!"

This was enough for Arthur. He pulled his wand and waved it. Molly stood up and started for her husband but he already muttered the spell. A strange glow filled the room covering each child. Molly stood there was one by one a name appeared over each child in the room. Bill had the name Arthur as did the twins and Ginny. Percy and Ron both had another name over their heads. 'Albus Dumbledore.'

Arthur turned to his wife and hissed. "Jezebel!" He felt as if his heart had just been ripped out of his chest. He was finding it hard to breath. He was standing there shaking in rage as he looked at his wife.

"He is more of a man than you. I am starting to wonder why I haven't left yet," Molly snapped.

Arthur just stood there, his heart frozen glaring at the woman he once loved. He pulled his wand and said a spell. A bright letter 'A' appeared on Molly's clothes. She tried to move away but it was too late. Arthur then said, "I'm not stopping you Molly. In fact, I suggest you leave. You can take your children with you. If Albus wants you, he can have you."

Arthur then walked out of the house. He needed to get away before he did something. He would regret later. He figured Bill could watch over the others. The only thing he wanted at that moment was a good bottle of Fire Whiskey.

Bill Weasley looked at the twins and Ginny and said, "Go to your rooms."

They didn't argue. They quickly just stood up and went upstairs. Ginny went into twin's room and started to cry. The boys held her as they fought their own tears. They heard Molly yelling downstairs. They didn't know if she was yelling at Ron or Bill and they really didn't care.

In truth, Molly was yelling at Bill. He just told her to pack her things and get out. This of course sent his mother into a fit of rage and she started to yell at him. Bill didn't care about his mother's yelling. He just stood there holding his wand as he packed hers, Percy, and Ron's personal belongings for them. It appeared downstairs landing on the floor near the door. "You can't do this. I'm your mother."

"You might be my mother but you betrayed my father. I will never forgive you for this. You can take your…children and leave." He was going to call them something else but they were still his siblings. He might not agree with their actions, but that didn't mean he didn't care about them. He was just too angry to look at them at this moment.

Molly huffed at this and quickly shrunk everything and started to pick up their things. "I'm glad we're leaving. It is about time that I went to man I really love." She threw her wedding ring on the floor and stormed out. Percy and Ron followed her smugly. They were both thinking the same thing. They finally get to live the life they always dreamed about.

Bill dropped in his chair after they left and started to cry. His family was destroyed and it was all Dumbledore's fault. Bill's feelings towards the man abruptly changed from point on. He cursed Dumbledore's name and swore he would always hate him.

After a while, Bill pulled himself together. He went to the floo and contacted Charlie. He figured his brother needed to learn what was going on and come home. He really was hoping that Charlie was in deed his blood brother. If Ron and Percy weren't, it was possible he wasn't either. Bill shook his head at this. No, he thought. Charlie was my brother. He knew deep within his heart.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Newspapers, Trips, and Talks

Andi and Ted decided that since Harry wanted to switch schools, a trip to France was a good idea to check out the school and the surrounding area. They also figured it would be a perfect time to bond with Harry and get to know him better.

When the Grangers heard they were going, they decided to join them as did Neville and Susan. The kids guardians had decided to transfer them as well. Neville was the only one that didn't know why his Gran had agreed to the change of school. Susan knew her aunt no longer trusted Dumbledore and felt that Hogwarts wasn't safe for her at this time. She did promise if things changed with the way the school was ran, Susan could transfer back. As for Neville, he tried to get answer from his Gran but she just said that 'it was for the best'. It was all he got. In truth, her reasons were the same as the others. She no longer trusted Dumbledore and felt Neville was safer away from Hogwarts for now.

So, the day before they were to take their trip, Neville went to stay with Harry and Susan went to stay with the Grangers. Neither one had lived in the muggle world before, and they were enjoying the adventure. The one thing both kids enjoyed the most was how muggles managed to do the things they did with magic.

Neville found the muggle TV show HGTV interesting. He enjoyed listening and learning about different muggle planets. Susan was enjoyed watching TV and learning how muggle girls her age dressed. She couldn't wait to go shopping and buy some of the clothes.

Later in the evening, Marian and Shakespeare invited the Tonks over for pizza on the day before they left. Everyone was outside eating and enjoying the warm summer day. The kids were talking about all the places they would visit on their arrival. The adults were talking quietly together getting to know each other. An owl arrived right then landing next to Hermione, "You get the Daily Prophet?" Susan asked Hermione.

"I signed up for it this year. I wanted to know what was going on in our world over the summer," Hermione said as she opened the paper. She gasped and dropped it suddenly.

"What is it?" the kids asked.

Hermione laid the paper on the table and gave everyone a chance to read it. The story was about Albus Dumbledore's affair with Molly Weasley. A reporter had gotten wind of the story and she ran with it. The newspaper had put the story on the front page. There was a picture of Molly and Dumbledore sitting and talking. He didn't look happy. She had a large letter 'A' plastered on her robes.

"Is this a joke?" Harry asked.

"I don't think so because she has the scarlet letter on her robes. Only her husband could have done that," Susan explained.

"Who does it say are his children?" Neville asked.

Hermione read the story and said, "Ron and Percy. It says here that Arthur had thrown Molly and the children out. Albus Dumbledore put them up in the Leaky Cauldron until other arrangements could be made. He didn't say that he was the father of Ron or Percy but according to the papers sources. He is."

"What are you lot doing?" Scarlett asked as Tonks and she walked over to join the children.

Hermione handed her aunt the paper and the pair read it. Tonks started to laugh. "Well, the old goat's world is falling apart."

"Do you think it is the truth?" Harry asked.

"It could be but then this is the Prophet. It has away of printing what they want to print. I'm shocked that this story made the front page. Fudge's brother runs the paper. He normally doesn't print anything that Fudge doesn't agree with," Tonks said.

"Why would Minister Fudge care what was printed about Dumbledore?" Neville asked.

Scarlett and Tonks looked at each other and Tonks explained. "Fudge and Dumbledore are friends. Anything bad printed about him would affect Fudge."

"Oh," Neville said accepting the answer.

Hermione was reading paper and she said, "I think this might be why the story was printed. It seems someone named Lovegood bought the paper."

"Isn't there a second year named Luna Lovegood that's in Ravenclaw?" Susan asked.

"I think so," Neville said.

"Lovegood runs another paper but smaller. It writes about outlandish stories. I wonder where he got the money to by the Prophet." Tonks said.

"Who knows," Scarlett said.

It was the same question Albus Dumbledore was asking that afternoon. Fudge couldn't answer him because his brother wasn't available to him. He had taken the money and ran. As for what had happened, well let just say that a certain escaped convict was behind things. He used Gringotts as go between. The reason the Lovegoods went along with it. Well, they always wanted Prophet and now they have it.

******************************************

Arthur gave his children choices, they could still go the World Cup or he could sell the tickets then use the money to visit Charlie. After the story in the news paper, they decided to visit Charlie. So, Arthur took some time off from work and went to visit his son in Romania.

He was happy they decided to do it. They needed to get away from the mess their lives have become. Ginny hadn't said too much about any of it. As for the twins, they weren't smiling and joking like normal. He knew this was affecting them and he was hoping the trip would help. It might help him as well. He knew would take time to get over Molly's betrayal, if he ever would get over that.

Their marriage was arranged like most pure bloods. He knew he never actually loved her like he would have if they had dated normally, but he did care about her. He tried to give her everything that she wanted. Maybe, he tried to hard. He thought. If he said no a few times, maybe none of this would have happened. He still hadn't informed Molly or his family of her affair. He wasn't worried about her trying to telling them a twisted version of the story because the 'scarlet letter' spell took. So, it could only mean she did have an affair on him. He did go to Gringotts and place removed her and the boy's access keys to the vault. There wasn't much money in the vaults but he didn't want Molly to clean out what little he had until he could come to a reasonable separation agreement.

Arthur and the children used the floo and left the house in mid afternoon. It wasn't long after they left that two men walked into the house. They were dirty and hungry. "About time they left," Sirius snapped as he dropped down into one of the kitchen chairs. "I'm soaked clean through and your drying spells are worthless!"

"It wasn't my fault that we were soaked last night. I'm not the one that said we should sleep by the river," Remus growled.

"Well, at least Arthur took the kids on a trip. We can stay here for a few days until the tent dries out," Sirius said.

"You do know the full moon is an only a few days away," Remus said.

"Yes, and don't worry. We can Owl order your potion and you should be fine. We can use my contact through Gringotts to get it to us," Sirius said.

"I hope so," Remus said sadly as he started to peek through the cabinets to see if there was anything edible.

The men sat down to eat and rest after days of being on the run. They might not have been resting if they had known Mad Eye and Kingsley were right on their trial. The two Aurors were only a few miles away. Remus and Sirius had gotten sloppy after falling into the river. They were leaving a trial right to them.

Kingsley was looking around him and said, "I think I know this area?"

"You should, Arthur Weasley lives near here," Mad Eye said.

"That is right; his home is just over the hill. He's gone right now. He is taking his children on a trip to Romania," Kingsley said.

"He is," Mad Eye said thinking. "He was member of the Order. Those two know this area by heart. I wonder if they went there for supplies."

"It wouldn't hurt to look," Kingsley suggested.

"Then let's get the move on, if we picked up Black's trail. The Ministry might not be far behind," Mad Eye said limping off as fast as his bad leg would let him.

They made their way to the house. Mad Eye put a spell on them that would keep Remus from picking up their smell or even hear them approach. They even pulled two invisible cloaks over their heads as they neared the home. The two men walked until they could look into the back window of the Weasley home. They spotted Sirius and Remus sitting at the table eating a meal chatting. They had left the front door open. So, it wasn't too hard for Mad Eye or Kingsley to sneak inside.

Mad Eye moved right behind Sirius and shoved his wand in the man's back. "I should curse you for just being stupid in leaving the door open," Mad Eye hissed.

"Hi, Moody," Sirius said trying to remain calm. Out of everyone out catch him, it was his old boss that he never counted on running into.

"Don't start, boy. You're slipping. You are lucky it is us that caught you," Moody said as he yanked off the invisible cloak. He stood there looking at the pair with unreadable face.

"Moody, listen to me, let Remus go. He isn't part of this," Sirius said figuring the least he could do was get his old friend off the hook.

"Sirius, don't. I told you. I'm in this for the long haul," Remus said. Kingsley was standing behind him. He had already removed his cloak and took Remus wand. He was helpless to do anything. He figured Sirius would soon be dead and he would on his way to Azkaban, if he was lucky.

Mad Eye did something that shocked both Sirius and Remus. He sat down as did Kingsley. "You too really know how cause trouble," Kingsley said.

"You're not arresting us?"Remus said shocked.

"No, we are not. We are working with Madam Bones. She knows that Dumbledore sent Sirius to prison without a trial. She has papers from James that could clear Sirius name with a bit of work. She also knows that he is working with Fudge and Crouch to control the Ministry. What they are after I can't tell you. What I can say is that we are willing to protect you until we can bring them to justice," Kingsley explained.

Sirius and Remus looked at each other having an unspoken conversation. Remus nodded and Sirius said, "What if I can prove that Dumbledore not only murdered James and Lily but Voldemort."

Both men were stunned at this, "Is this why they locked you up in prison?" Mad Eye asked.

"I don't know. I don't remember forgetting about it. I put the memory in the bank and that is where it ends. I can't tell you why I went after Peter. I just did. I don't know if what I think happened really happened any more," Sirius said.

"He obliviated him," Kingsley said.

"And maybe put him under the imperious curse," Mad Eye said.

"He's is in the room," Sirius snapped. He hated it when people talked about him like he wasn't in the room.

Remus cleared his throat and gave his friend a dirty look. "Don't push it, Sirius," Remus said.

Mad Eye smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lupin. I'm not going to let his mouth of his to get to me. I'm used to it."

Kingsley looked at his watch. "Sun will be going down soon; we can stay here until then. We can then head to Amelia's. She can help us set up a safe house for the two of you," Kingsley said.

"So, you believe me?" Sirius said shocked.

"Yes, Black, we believe you. I believed you before. I tried to get you a trial but no one listened to me. You're the reason I was booted out of a job," Mad Eye snapped.

"Sorry," Sirius said.

"It isn't you I am upset with. I really can't wait to nail Dumbledore, Fudge and Crouch for what they have done. Doing that will make everything we've both gone through worthwhile," Mad Eye said smiling a real smile.

Sirius couldn't help but smile as well. He had to admit Mad Eye was right. If Dumbledore was sent to prison, he would be happy. At least he knew, the old man would finally get everything he deserved.


	9. Chapter 9

Story notes: Okay, I know Lucius Malfoy in the books was more evil and dark than what I'm portraying him in this story. I just can't see letting him off and having him as dark as he was in the books. I also need him in the story. So, we are forgetting how he was portrayed in the story. It is fan fiction after all. Besides, I sort of like the actor that betrayed him, I thought he portrayed the aristocrat nicely. Non-Lucius Malfoy fans please forgive me. He is still going to be an over-powering prat, just not a killer like Bella.

Also, I have never been overseas. I have no idea what Paris looks like. I'm just using what I've watched on TV. So, please forgive me, if I get something wrong. Side note, thanks for not flaming me for the Dumbledore and Molly affair. ;-) I really appreciate it.

Chapter Nine

Deals, Arrests, and Tours

After making sure Susan was off with the Grangers and Tonks, Amelia Bones arrived at the Malfoy home. By Wizard law, she needed two votes beside hers to address the Wizengamot. By law, she couldn't just arrest Dumbledore, Fudge or Crouch. They were protected Members of the Wizengamot.

This meant that in order to actually make the arrest stick, she needed the support of the Wizengamot. This meant she would have to bring charges against the men at the meeting. Therefore, she needed people standing with her that were willing risk having the truth heard.

She already had Augusta Longbottom on her side. She had explained some of what she had on Dumbledore, Fudge and Crouch and what they had done. The moment Augusta heard everything she transferred Neville to another school for his protection and agreed to help bring the men down. Augusta would represent the light wizards. She would be a key person in bringing the others that supported Dumbledore to Amelia's side.

She knew she needed a dark wizard on her side as well. It was Sirius that suggested Lucius. Now, everyone, including Amelia, believed that Sirius was nuts. Lucius Malfoy was---well, he was a true Death Eater. Sirius agreed, but explained that Voldemort kept Lucius out of most of the darker raids. He picked Lucius as the leader of the dark wizards if anything happened to him. This meant that Lucius might be a complete--- well she wouldn't say exactly what Sirius had said but he promised that Lucius wasn't as much of a killer as the others.

This didn't make Amelia feel any better. It didn't matter to her if he was a killer or not. He was still a Death Eater. He was as guilty as the others. Sirius agreed with her, but he said he had something would guarantee his help. Sirius didn't tell her what it was but promised it would guarantee Lucius help.

Sirius wrote a letter to Lucius. The content of the letter was unknown to Amelia. The only thing Sirius had told her was that it would guarantee Lucius' help. Amelia was curious about what exactly in that letter could guarantee such a thing but she was unable to read it. Sirius had used his Black ring to seal the letter. Only the person the letter was intended for could open it. Amelia was forced to go by Sirius word and hand the letter over to Malfoy without knowing what was inside it. She might not have trusted Sirius so blindly if he didn't have so much to lose. If this didn't work, Sirius knew he was good as 'kissed'.

With this thought, Amelia walked up the Malfoy door and rang the doorbell. She was shocked when Narcissa answered the door. "Yes," Narcissia Malfoy said her nose high in the air.

"Narcissia, nice to see you again, is Lucius in?" Bone asked politely.

"He is in his office. This way," Narcissa said sighing deeply before turning around and walked down the hall.

Narcissia showed Amelia to Lucius office. He was his desk working paper work when they walked in. He looked up and sneered. "Another raid?" he asked coldly.

"No, I came to talk," Amelia said.

Lucius stood up and he walked to two chairs located in front of the fireplace. "Take a seat," he said calmly. He didn't know what the woman wanted to talk about but he was interested. It wasn't often that Amelia Bones paid him a visit.

Amelia took several deep breaths and then went over to sit down. She handed Lucius a letter. "This might help you understand what I want. I am to tell you that I don't know what he wrote," Bones said in a calm voice.

Lucius looked at her for a moment with a puzzled expression on his face then took the letter. He opened the letter and read it. As he read it, his eyes went wide. He looked Bones and asked, "So, Black didn't tell you what was in this?"

"No, he did not. He just said that this letter would help get you to work with us," Bones said.

Lucius walked to the fireplace and burnt the letter. "What is it that you want?" Lucius asked his face expressionless once again.

Lucius walked back to his chair sat down. He noticed that she was shocked that he wasn't arguing with her. Lucius knew just by looking into her eyes that she hadn't read the letter. It was good thing because it meant that Black would keep his word, at least for now. This alone gave him reason to hear Bones out. Besides, he really didn't have a choice. Black knew something that could destroy him not only personally but physically. He had taken a wizard's oath to protect Draco and at this moment, the wizard world knowing the secret of his parentage would place boy at risk. Therefore, Lucius was forced to help Sirius Black out in whatever scheme Bones and he was cooking up.

********************************************

Harry was nervous. He had never been on vacation before. The Dursley's had never taken him anywhere. So, walking into the hotel on the water front scared him. The hotel was crowded and he fought to stay close to the Tonks'. Harry had never seen so many different people from different places in his life. It was a bit unnerving for him. He never felt very comfortable around strangers. He always felt they were judging him for one reason or another.

There was one guy that caught his attention he most. He was a tall man with a goofy hat and a strange colored shirt. Harry found out that guy was from Texas. He and his wife were on vacation. Harry knew this because they rode up in the elevator together. The man was a bit too friendly for Harry. The man had slapped Harry on the back after telling the boy a dirty joke that got him dirty looks from the women. Thankfully Andi moved between Harry and the man after this and kept a close eye on the stranger until the couple exited the elevator on the fifth floor, while the others continued on two more flights.

Harry and Neville were sharing a room. Their room was at the end of the hall. Andi and Teds room was right next door. Hermione, Susan and Tonks were across the hall with Hermione's parents next to them. Scarlett had taken Hedwig and the other animals with her. The adults felt it was for the best as they would cause too much attention in the muggle world. So, the only thing Harry had with him was his trunk.

Harry had just put his trunk in corner of the room when the door that connected the two rooms opened up. Ted walked in with a smile on his face. "You settled in yet boys?" he asked.

"Just a bit," Harry said as he helped Neville put his trunk next to his.

"What's first?" Neville asked.

"Lunch and then we are going sight seeing in the muggle world. I want to take Andi to the Eiffel Tower and maybe to several of the museums around," Ted said.

"That's fine with me," Harry said. He couldn't wait to see the Eiffel Tower. He saw it on TV but never thought he would see it up close. So, Harry grabbed the new magical camera that Tonks had given to him for this trip and followed Ted into the hall.

They went back down the elevator and hit the streets. They found a small café nearby and enjoyed a meal. Harry had to laugh as Neville ate escargot. He wouldn't dream of trying anything that crawled on the ground. Tonks called him a coward. He said he was smart. This caused everyone to laugh and everyone finished up their meal.

They went to the Wax Museum and other sights around the city along with the Eiffel Tower. Andi had bought him a shirt at the Wax Museum and Ted had paid extra for the magical broom flights around the tower. Harry was delight as he touched the top of it and looked down at the city. It was one of the best days of Harry's life.

*************************************

You couldn't say that for Dumbledore, it was the worst days of his life. He had meeting late in the afternoon with the Wizengamot. They were putting the final touches on the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He was running late and he was rushing to the floo as Minerva entered his office, "Albus, I need to talk to you," she said.

"Can it wait, I'm running late," Albus said heading towards the fireplace.

"No, it can't. I received three more transfer requests. They came for Susan Bones, Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter," Minerva said just as Dumbledore was about to throw floo powder into the fireplace.

"What?" Dumbledore said shocked turning around to face Minerva.

"You heard me. Andi and Ted Tonks removed Harry from Hogwarts. They are his legal guardians after all," Minerva said adding the last part because she felt that Dumbledore had forgotten that detail. He was still acting like he could control Harry's life. She knew he had tried several times to get into the Potter vaults but the Goblins were denying him access. Dumbledore hadn't been happy about it and spent the last three days trying to figure a way around it.

"I know they are but they can't remove Harry from Hogwarts. He is…" Albus stopped himself and grabbed the letter. "Let me read it."

Minerva handed the letter over and said, "Here read it all you want but it isn't going to change things. Harry is no longer a member of this school. I told you it was going to happen, but you didn't listen to me. Then again, you never listen to me. If you did, you wouldn't be having this blasted contest. Where are you getting the funds to have it anyways? I know good and well we weren't budgeted for this," Minerva said.

Albus ignored her and turned still reading the letter. "I'll take care of this and don't worry about the budget. I have everything planned out," Dumbledore said as he threw the floo powder into the fireplace and vanished in a flash of green flame.

"I bet," Minerva said coldly as she turned to leave. She saw Fawkes watching. She walked over and petted the bird. "Why do you stay with him? I know he isn't as good as everyone thinks he is. So, why?"

Fawkes cried and rubbed her hand. "He isn't staying with Albus," said a voice from above her.

Minerva looked up to see the sorting hat looking at her. "What?"

"Fawkes like me belongs to Hogwarts. He stays because this is his home. And you are right, he isn't good. He isn't gray. I'm afraid Albus as slipped to the dark side but no one realizes it," the hat said.

Deep down this news didn't shock Minerva because over these past ten years she had started to see a different side of the Headmaster that she never saw before. It wasn't anything she could point out but there something about how he acted behind close doors that told her something was off. She knew several of the other staff members felt that way as well. They had longs talks about it on nights that Dumbledore was away from the castle or busy with other projects. They were careful not to saying anything in the hallways.

"Is he really that gone?" she asked.

"Sadly, yes. He crossed a long time ago. I can't tell you what he has done because I'm bound to keep the Headmaster's secrets. I can tell you that his days are numbered. Hogwarts foresees his down fall," the hat said.

Minerva looked at the hat suspiciously and said, "How is that possible? How could Hogwarts see into the future?"

The hat laughed and said, "Professor, look around you. There are representatives from almost every powerful family in the wizarding world hanging on the walls around you. They have several frames outside these walls in several locations all over the wizarding world. I assure you, they tell Hogwarts everything that is going on out there. She knows what is going to happen to Dumbledore. It might take a few weeks or a few months but it will happen. It will also bring dark days to halls of Hogwarts. It will take the strength of all to survive the upcoming months. It will be a rocky road for everyone here at Hogwarts. It will get better, that I can promise."

Minerva was about to ask what he was talking about, but Severus Snape walked into the room. "Oh, Minerva, I was thinking the Headmaster was still here."

"He went to a meeting. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked the potion master.

"No, he just wanted me to brew something for him," Severus said in a tight voice and turned to leave.

"Strange," Minerva muttered and turned her attention back to the hat. The hat she noticed was asleep. She figured that she had learned everything it was willing to tell her so, she left. She had lesson plans to work on and a new term to prepare for. It was going to be a sad year for her. She had lost several of her brightest students and their presence was going to be missed.

*****************************************

Charlie Weasley was standing watching two yearling dragons play fight in their pens. He knew should head to the hotel to visit his family but… but he couldn't. How could he face his family knowing that he knew before any of them about his mother's betrayal?

He had found out completely by accident. It was right before graduation. He had forgotten his broom down at in the Gryffindor locker room. He went to grab it before heading to the ceremony. He was walking behind the bleacher when he heard them talking, his mother was in _his_ arms. He was kissing her and reassuring her about how much he cared about her. She wanted leave their father, but _he_ wanted her to stay a bit longer. _He_ said something about not being the right time. The sight sickened him. He was tempted to curse them both but he couldn't move. He just stood there as they talked and Dumbledore convinced his mother into staying a bit longer with his father.

Charlie was tempted to tell his father the truth, but then chickened out. He couldn't destroy his family. Ginny was little girl. She needed her mother as did the others. So, he never said a word about what he had seen. He just took a job as far away from his mother as he could get. He couldn't face her any more and not say something. The dragons gave him a reason not to come home for Christmas or other holidays. He was the one that agreed to work during those times, allowing the others to go home. It hurt but it would hurt more if they learned the truth.

The truth was out now and Charlie still didn't want to face them. How could he. The twins weren't plotting to prank anyone. They just sat around not speaking to anyone. Ginny just sits in a corner crying every time she looks at their father. Bill is so angry that he bites everyone's head off and their father… Charlie hasn't seen him look so old all of a sudden. He didn't care they were living a muggle hotel. He just sat there watching his children and not saying a word.

Charlie sighed deeply at this thought and turned to leave. He stopped then for standing behind him watching him was his father. "Hello, father, what are you doing here?"

"I came to talk," Arthur said walking over and joining Charlie at the fence. The two leaned against it watching the dragons. "You haven't said much since we arrived. Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that. It hasn't been the best vacation this family has had," Charlie said.

"No, it hasn't. I was hoping coming here would get away from the pain, but you can't out run that can you," Arthur said looking at Charlie intently.

Charlie realized he knew and, "No, you can't. How long have you known?" he asked.

"Your reaction when I told you about your mother. I can guess why you never said anything and I understand. I don't think I could do it if I was in your place. I mean who wants to be the one that destroyed everyone's world," Arthur said sadly.

"Yeah, and thanks to Ron the secret is out. I wonder if he regrets what he said?" Charlie asked.

"Knowing your brother-and spite what the twins might think right now-he is your brother. I say he does regret what he said even if it is deep down," Arthur said.

"Do you regret anything?" Charlie asked.

"Are you asking if I regret marrying your mother?" Arthur asked.

"No, I know you well enough to know you don't regret that. What I'm asking is do you regret throwing them out. Percy and Ron?" Charlie asked.

Arthur nodded and said, "Yes, I do. I still love them. I can't change that inside me. I did raise them after all, but I know they wouldn't have stayed. They are their mother's sons. I know this and I have to accept it. I won't disown them though. If they choose Dumbledore's name, it will be their choice."

"You are more a man than I. I don't think I could be that accepting. I guess that is why I left. I didn't want to spend my time thinking who is Weasley and who wasn't," Charlie said.

"Did you do test on yourself?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, once arrived here. I didn't do it until then. I was too afraid someone would find out. I guess I don't have to worry about that any more do I?" Charlie said.

"No, and I think we go home all of us. It is time this family stops hiding and starts living again," Arthur said.

Charlie nodded his head. He knew what father was saying and he realized that he was right. He couldn't stay here any longer. There was no reason too. He didn't worry about the truth coming out because the truth was out. He could go home and be with his family. He didn't know what he was going to do with his life but he knew where he was going to live. He was going to live near home. It was where he belonged and figured he stayed away long enough.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The Wizengamot

Albus Dumbledore walked into the meeting area of the Wizengamot and found that the meeting had already started. He slipped into his seat located in the center of the oval right between Minister Fudge and Barty Crouch.

He was expecting to hear someone talk about the upcoming Tri-Wizard Tournament. However, this wasn't the case, Amelia Bones had just taken the floor and was requesting a change of venue.

Fudge was quickly ready to cut her down but Lucius spoke up first. He seconded the motion and Augusta Longbottom agreed. This got Albus Dumbledore's attention. He looked at Lucius and Augusta with a puzzled expression on his face as Amelia Bones started to speak.

"Wizards and Witches of the Wizengamot, I am here to bring to light a matter of treason. It has come my attention that three members of this esteem body have betrayed the Wizarding World. They have murdered, stole and lied to control this body and our world. I am here to bring charges to these men and request for their arrest."She then pointed to the center of the room and said, "Albus Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge, and Barty Crouch, I hereby formally charge you with treason and request that you be held in Azkaban until your trial."

The room erupted with shots of anger and dismay. It took Albus Dumbledore a moment to gain control of his senses before he could gain control over the room. He was stunned at what he just heard. He just placed the gavel down on the table in front of him before asking Madam Bones. "Amelia, I think you have over stepped yourself here today. This isn't the place to bring charges against anyone."

"Wrong, Dumbledore," Lucius spoke up. "My I remind this body that not long ago, you yourself used this body to not only accuse me, but several of the other seated members as Death Eaters and followers of You-Know-Who. I for one want to hear Madam Bones's evidence and request that you and the other accused step down from your seats and turn over your wands until this matter is addressed."

"I agree," said Crabbe taking Malfoy's cue to speak.

The other dark members nodded as did several others in the room that weren't on either side. So, there enough of them to get the matter passed. Albus, Fudge and Crouch had no choice but to remove themselves from control at that moment. The men were forced to hand over their wands as Amos Diggory was named as mediator and he took Albus' seat at least until the issued was settled.

Amelia waited until things calmed down before going on. "I have several bits of evidence to show this body to prove my allegations. Once I'm finished I hope everyone will see that this matter needs to be taken to trial and have these men held until such time as needed." Madam Bones walked to the center of the room holding a small glass vile. "This here is a memory of an event that I think will speak for itself. First, to make sure everyone understands that this memory has not been tampered with in anyway, I am going to allow anyone who wants to, to test the memory itself."

Madam Bones handed Delores Umbridge the memory first. The toad like woman pulled her wand and smugly waved it over the bottle. She glared coldly as the color of the memory didn't change. This proved that the memory hadn't been tempered with. Delores was handing it to the person on her right, but held just inches from the man's hands. The bottle hit the ground but it didn't break.

"I forgot to mention it is in an unbreakable bottle," Madam Bones said smiling as the old man picked up the bottle form the ground to test it himself. There were several that tested it but it soon became clear that the memory was real.

So, Madam Bones pulled out a pensive placing the memory inside it. This pensive was special; it would allow everyone around to view memory together. The group sat there watching as Sirius's memory of James and Lily's murder played out.

There were gasps of rage, anger and sorrow at the sight of James and Lily's dead bodies. The room all turned and glared at Dumbledore as he admitted to Voldemort of his crime. It took all of Lucius' control over the other Death Eaters to keep them in their seats. He hadn't seen the memory but had heard about it., Seeing the Dark Lord murdered by Dumbledore was a bit much for the dark wizard. He too wanted to attack, but knew this wasn't part of the plan. He sat there glaring at Dumbledore as Madam Bones collect the memory and addressed the room again.

"I want call someone to speak. He has seen this memory. He is also a good friend of James and Lily as well, Sirius Black. He can help everyone here understand what they just saw," Madam Bones looked towards Kingsley and the man left the room. He came back a few moments later with Remus Lupin.

Remus was dressed in one an old dress robe of Susan Bone's father. It was out of date but it was in better shape then anything Remus had owned. Amelia figured Remus story would be taken better if he wasn't dressed in rages. The moment Remus walked into the room. Delores stood up and pointed at him. "You can't think we would listen to him?" she hissed.

"You are not a member of this body so, your opinion does not matter. You are only here to take notes for the Minister of Magic," Augusta Longbottom pointed out. She didn't like Umbridge. The lady got on her nerves and needed to be put in her place or that was Augusta's opinion at least.

"He is a werewolf. He has no right to say anything about my…Minister Fudge," Delores snapped.

"Remus Lupin is only a werewolf on a few evenings a night, but he is also a member of this society. What he has to say is important to us so let us hear him out," Amelia said calmly.

"Let him speak," ordered Diggory. "And Madam Umbridge, I hope I don't have to remind you but you have no say in this hearing. You are here only because you are Minister Fudge's under-secretary. If you don't want to be removed from this hearing all together, I think you should stay quiet." Umbridge huffed but sat back down and glared at Remus. Remus just ignored her. He took a seat and waited for Amelia to question him.

Madam Bones walked to where Remus sat and said, "Please for the record, state you name and occupation."

"Remus Lupin and the last position I held was professor," Remus said.

"How do you know James and Lily Potter and Sirius Black?" Madam Bones asked.

"James, Sirius and I were good friends in school. Lily and I became friends after James started dating her," Remus said.

Madam Bones went on to ask Remus questions about not only the memory he retrieved from Gringotts Bank, but of his time as defense professor at Hogwarts and about how he found out about Sirius innocence. He even admitted that it was Dumbledore's idea that he hook up with Sirius later. He said he would work on clearing Sirius name but until then he wanted Remus to make sure that Sirius didn't run into any trouble.

Madam Bones walked to the center of the room holding a piece of paper. "This here is the death warrant for one Sirius Black. It is not only signed by Minister Fudge but Barty Crouch and Professor Dumbledore. It was signed just hours after Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban."

Remus shot Albus a dirty look. He hadn't known about this and was thankful there wasn't a full moon tonight or he might not be able to control the wolf inside him.

Madam Bones dismissed Remus. She then called Solicitor Filch. He is the magical brother of the caretaker at Hogwarts. "Please state your name and occupation," Amelia asked after the man was seated.

The old wizard spoke in clear and formal voice. "Connor Filch, Solicitor. I am Senior Partner of Filch, McGonagall, and McLeod."

"Do you know what this is?" Amelia asked holding up the wills' of James and Lily.

"Yes, I wrote them. Our firm has been taking care of the Potter families for years. They are James and Lily Potter's wills'," Connor said smugly.

"Is their any reason why they should have been sealed up until a few weeks ago?" Amelia asked.

"No, there is no reason. I made sure that every possibility was covered. There should have been no reason for those wills' to be sealed," Connor said.

"Could you read this part of Lily and James's wills' for me?" Amelia asked handing the wills' over and pointing to the line she wanted read.

"Yes, of course," Connor said as he slipped on his reading glasses and started to read the wills'. "Furthermore, under no circumstances shall our son Harold James Potter also known as Harry be placed with Vernon and Petunia Dursley."

"This line is in both wills?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, it is," Connor said.

"Is there any place in these wills that names Albus Dumbledore as Harry Potter's magical guardian?" she asked.

"Our firm was to control the Potter Estate until the boy came of age if Sirius Black was unable to care for his Godchild. A set amount would be handed over for the boy's care. This changed soon after James and Lily's death. Albus Dumbledore with help of Minister Fudge had the wills' sealed preventing them from being read. They then named themselves as caretakers of Potter Estate. I know for a fact the Black family Estate was added after death of Mrs. Black. They stated that since Sirius was in prison and according to wizarding law. Harry is his only heir."

"Do you know how much money was removed from the two estates at this time?" Madam Bones asked.

"We looked into the matter per your request and found that 500 million gallons from both estates has been removed. Also, several items from the Potter Estate have been removed as well. We are making list with the help of Gringotts as we speak."

The room gasped at the large sum of money that was removed. Madam Bones dismissed the man. The door opened one more time and a young man in chains walked into the room. He looked over in Dumbledore, Fudge and Crouch's direction and sneered. "Your murdered the Dark Lord," Barty Crouch Jr. hissed as he was dragged into the room.

Kingsley yanked the man's head back and was about to administer truth serum when his father jumped to his feet. "You can't do that. It is illegal!"

"Not in a treason case," Madam Bones said. She held up papers signed by Connor Filch and Remus Lupin. The last two witness signed binding legal contracts that swore what they stated was the truth. Barty .Jr. here refuse to sign the contract. So, by our law, I can order the use of truth serum due to the nature of this matter. Since, he is already an accused Death Eater, there for to ensure we get to the truth, I think it is best that this method is used."

"You can't," Fudge hissed.

"Yes, she can," Diggory said after talking to the clerk on the matter. "Proceed." Fudge, Crouch and Dumbledore looked worried. They all watched with apprehension as Barty Jr. was given truth serum.

After making sure that Barty Jr. was who he said he was, Madam Bones got to the real questions. The questioning when on like this...

"How did you get out of Azkaban?"

"Mother switched with me with the help of my father. She was dying and wanted me free."

"Where were you taken to?"

"Father's home, where I stayed until you and your Aurors arrived."

"Who knew that you were there?"

"Dumbledore and Fudge, they helped father get me out. It was Dumbledore that placed the spells on the home that kept me imprisoned."

"Why?"

"Because mother forced father into making a promise to get me out of prison., She found out that he was working with Dumbledore and Fudge to control the Ministry and Hogwarts. She set something up that prevented them from harming me. If anything happened to me, the evidence she had on father would come to light."

"How did she do that?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know where this evidence is now?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard Professor Dumbledore, Minister Fudge and your father talking of their plans?"

"Yes, lots of times. They talked openly in front of me of their plans."

"Give me an example?"

"The last time was a few days ago. They were worried about the Potter brat being removed from his muggle relatives. They feared that someone was going to learn about the money they removed from the vault. They were stealing from him for years. Fudge has a slight gambling problem and Dumbledore is addicted to some kind of power growing potion. They use the money to fund their addictions. Father uses his money to help keep me happy. He thinks that if he gives me anything I wish for, I wouldn't try to escape." The truth serum wore off then and Barty stopped talking. He just sat there his hands chained in front of him with Kingsley and another man behind him.

Amelia Bones walked to the front of the room and said, "Wizards and Witches, there is more to be told but I believe I have proven enough to hold these men over for trial. What is your vote?"

The people around Madam Bones talked quietly together. She stood their waiting until everyone quieted down. Amos Diggory then started to call the roll and asked for a vote.

Madam Bones wasn't shocked to find that all the dark followers voted for a trial. It wasn't shocking to find that several members that spent most of their time in the middle agreed to a trial. It was shocking to learn that over ½ of the light followers agreed for a trial. This gave them enough votes to hold Dumbledore, Fudge and Crouch over for trial.

A group of Aurors were handcuffing the men's hands and preparing to take them away as Delores Umbridge and several others tried to prevent it. They pulled their wands and prepared to send spells flying just as Mad Eye Moody removed his invisible cloak and stood there his wand aiming at the small group. "Try it!" he hissed.

Augusta Longbottom and several members behind the group pulled the wands free of the group. "You are an idiot!" Augusta snapped as she pulled Umbridge's wand from her hand. She then handed it over to Mad Eye and said, "Good to see you again, Mr. Moody."

"You too, Mrs. Longbottom," Mad Eye said bowing slightly. He took the others wands and with help of the Aurors the group was arrested.

"You can't arrest us," Umbridge snapped.

"We can and have," Mad Eye said smiling. He hated Umbridge. She was responsible for cutting his retirement benefits in half. It felt good to slap the cuff on the _witch_.

While Umbridge was being arrested, Albus was being led past Amelia Bones to a holding cell until he could be removed to Azkaban. "Amelia, there has been some mistake. Everything I have done is for the best of the wizarding world, if only you could take the time to hear me out."

"Save it for your trial, Dumbledore. I don't believe in you any more," Amelia said as she turned away from the old wizard and went back to her seat. She knew they had a lot of things to clean up before the meeting could end. They had to name a temporary Minister of Magic and a Chief Warlock.

It took several hours but they finally managed to agree that Amos Diggory was named temporary Minister of Magic and Lucius Malfoy was named Head Warlock. Amelia wasn't happy about Lucius but at least he didn't become Minister of Magic. He would be really dangerous in that position. She figured they would work getting him replaced as Head Warlock, but at this moment they had bigger fish to fry- like Albus Dumbledore.

Fudge, Dumbledore and Crouch were marched down a long hallway towards the holding cells with Delores and several others behind them. Dumbledore hadn't said a word to anyone since Amelia refused to hear him out. It wasn't the same for the others. Fudge was blaming Dumbledore for all of it. Barty was blaming both Fudge and Dumbledore. Umbridge was just cursing everyone out and promising that 'she' would have their jobs.

The guards were very close to shutting up them up permanently, but thankfully they reached the holding cells. One by one, each prisoner was shoved into a holding cell. Albus was put in last. A guard gave him an extra hard shove and said, "That's for James, you old b…"

Dumbledore didn't utter a word. He just stood up and dusted himself off. The guard laughed and closed the door. Albus looked around the room a twinkle in his eye. He called out, "Fawkes." The phoenix didn't arrive. He tried again and again. He got so upset that he kicked over the stool that was sitting next to a small writing table. "Where is that dumb bird," Dumbledore snapped finally showing real emotion for the first time since he was arrested.

Fawkes was at Hogwarts. He was perched on his perch ignoring the calls from the old wizard. He no longer needed to pretend to obey him. He was where Fawkes knew he belonged, behind bars. He would soon be out of the way leaving the heirs safe. It was why he was working for Dumbledore in the first place. What better place to spy on the enemy than inside their own camp.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The Aftermath of the Arrest 

Minerva was sitting in her room and relaxing after a long day. She was thinking of her conversation with the sorting hat when there was loud banging on her quarters door. She knew right away it was Hagrid. "Hagrid, if you keep knocking so hard you'll break my door down," Minerva threatened as she put down her tea cup and went to answer it. She yanked the door open and found not only Hagrid standing there waiting for her, but most of the staff as well. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"They arrested the Headmaster," Professor Trelawney cried.

"It is true. Aurors are in his office right now ripping it apart," Hagrid said.

Severus snorted. "I think you've been listening to muggleborns again and their muggle terms."

"Okay, everyone, I will get to the bottom of this. Please go back to your rooms," Minerva said heading towards the headmaster's office. Of course the others weren't obeying, they followed along right behind her. Ignoring the crowed behind her, Minerva approached the Headmaster's office to find two men standing guard. "What is going on here?"

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall but we can't tell you," one young man said.

"You can't or won't?" Minerva demanded remembering both young men from her transfiguration class not long ago. One was a Hufflepuff and the other was a Ravenclaw. She wasn't about ready to back down from either one of them. "I want to talk to the person in charge."

"That's Kingsley, he is upstairs," said the one on Minerva's right. She had remembered the young man's name was Ryan. She believed his last name was Brown. He was Lavender Brown's cousin if she remembered correctly.

Minerva started to go forward but his partner, Minerva recalled that the man's name was Samuel Mathews, stopped her. "I can't let you," he said.

"Get your hands off me. I'm going up and you are not stopping me," she said and she went up stairs leaving the two stunned Aurors behind. Minerva has a small smile on her face as she walked. They were still scared of her even after they left Hogwarts so long ago.

The Aurors might be afraid of Minerva but they weren't afraid of the others. They forced the other Professors to stay down stairs. Severus would have pushed his way past like Minerva had, but he was laying low. He didn't like what was going on and knew it wasn't wise to draw attention to himself.

Minerva walked into Professor Dumbledore's office and found Kingsley talking to Mad Eye. "Moody, what is going on here?" Minerva asked as she approached the men.

"Minerva, it is good to see you again. We are sorry about the mess we are causing but it is necessary. It seems Albus is being accused of treason and the murder of James and Lily Potter," Mad Eye said.

"Impossible, he would go that far," Minerva said shaking in fear.

"We are afraid he did," Kingsley said.

Minerva was about to say something but a young woman walked over holding a bag full of lemon drops. "Kingsley, I think you should see this," Melissa Wood said.

"What is it?" Kingsley said looking at the lemon drops.

"These lemon drops are laced with potions. Several are harmless like calming potions but these…," Melissa said handing over another group of lemon drops. "…are laced with power boosting potions. They are highly addictive and change a person's personality after long period of time. They also start causing the opposite effect. A person has to keep taking the potion just to keep a normal magical level. Brewing the potions was declared illegal in the 1700's."

Kingsley looked at Minerva. "Who else besides the headmaster takes these lemon drops?"

"No one, he has offered them to anyone that comes into his office but I don't think anyone ever takes them," Minerva said shocked to learn of the potions that were inside the lemon drops.

While Minerva was taking in Albus potion abuse, Kingsley was asking, "How difficult is it to make this potion?"

"Very, it would need a potion master to do it," Melissa said.

Mad Eye smiled. "Snape," he said grinning.

This caught Minerva's attention. "You don't think?" she started to ask but stopped. She realized he could, but not for reasons they would think. Minerva knew that Severus was trapped at Hogwarts. He might be one be one of the brightest potion masters out there but he was trapped at Hogwarts because no one was willing to hire an ex-Death Eater.

Mad Eye couldn't wait to question Severus but Kingsley soon burst his bubble. "Minerva, would you tell Severus that Madam Bones will talk to him as soon as she arrives? If he leaves or tries to hide anything, he will be arrested and thrown in Azkaban with Dumbledore."

"I will. Is it possible that you will talk to the rest of us?" Minerva asked.

"It might be," Kingsley said.

"Well, I will inform everyone and if you need me, I will be nearby," Minerva said and she went to talk to the others. It wasn't going to be easy as there were several staff members who weren't going to accept this. Albus was their hero. He was prefect to them. He had been perfect to her but sadly over the past few years that perfection faded. She just didn't realize how far he had fallen.

***********************************************

After the Wizengamot meeting, Lucius, Augusta and several others met in a smaller room. They were the Hogwarts Board of Governors Members. They knew they would have to address the issue of Dumbledore's arrest as it related to the school. Everyone was talking at once but Augusta quickly took control of the room. "Quiet everyone! We have a lot to talk about. Madam Bones did not say it at the meeting but she has discovered that not only has Albus taken money from the Potter and Black Estates, but he has been stealing funds from Hogwarts too. At this moment in time, we don't have enough money to keep the school open for a full year."

"What?" one member shouted.

"How could he?" another snapped.

"He could because every one of you saw him as a saint!" Lucius growled. "I warned you he was up no good."

"Enough, Lucius, we don't need this right now. I think there is a way of working around everything. I went over the deal with the Tri-Wizard Tournament. We can't have the contest at the school. It would drain us even more, but we can ask one of the other schools to host it. This way the children can go school abroad and we can cut costs by eliminating several staff members temporarily," Augusta said.

"Where would they stay?" Lucius asked.

"There are five magical carriages large enough to hold all the students. Four will be used for each of the houses. The last one will hold the extra supplies needed and act as an infirmary for the students. The carriages are able to transform from living quarters to teaching space with little problem." Augusta explained.

"Who would go?" an old witch asked.

"I say the heads of house, nurse and maybe the game keeper," Lucius said smugly.

"I agree. The Thestrals could transport them. I believe it is about time those beasts do something other than transporting the students to and from the train station," Nott said.

"I agree," Lucius replied.

Over the next hour, they fought over which school should be selected. The dark followers wanted Durmstrang and the others wanted Beauxbaton. A vote was taken and finally Beauxbaton won. The only thing the school board had to do was get the other Ministries to agree and contact Minerva. It was decided that until Dumbledore's trial was over she would be acting Headmistress. They would talk about who would replace Dumbledore later after they were sure he was going to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban.

************************************************

The Grangers, Tonks and Scarlett walked into Harry and Neville's hotel room later that evening. The kids were sitting around talking and playing a game of Exploding Snap. The kids all looked up when adults walked. "Uh, oh, we are in trouble," Neville said.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked.

"Because they have that look in their eye, the look they give you before you get a lecture," Neville said.

Ted smiled and said, "Normally, you would be right Neville but not this time. We just came to talk." Ted and Andi sat down on one of the empty beds in the room. The others found places to sit as well as Ted started to speak. "We figured you should hear it from us before reading in the paper tomorrow. Albus Dumbledore, Minister Fudge and Barty Crouch were arrested this afternoon. Harry, we are sorry but it seems Albus might have been the one that murdered your parents."

Harry looked at the couple in shock. "But my memories?" Harry said trying to understand all of this.

"Son, you were a baby. It is possible that Albus placed that memory inside you. He wanted you to trust him," Andi said placing a loving hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry looked up at her with tears starting to show. "Why?"

"We don't know yet. Amelia is digging for the truth right now. We believe that one of the reasons is to control Hogwarts," Ted said.

"Why Hogwarts? It is just a school," Harry said.

"No, it isn't," Hermione said pulling out her History of Hogwarts book. "It says here that Hogwarts is the only magical building in existence that thinks for itself." Hermione was going to go and read more but the look on Harry's face stopped her.

Harry pulled his legs close to chest and leaned his chin on his knees. "He killed them for a building," Harry said tears flowing down his cheeks.

Andi moved beside Harry and pulled the boy towards her. "It is okay to cry," she said. Harry at first fought it, but slowly he gave in allowing himself to cry for the first time since he was a baby.

Mrs. Granger motioned to the other children. They got hint and everyone left the room except Andi. She didn't say anything. She just sat their holding him. Harry cried himself out finally and leaned against her trying to order his thoughts. "You feel better?" she asked.

"I don't feel anything," Harry said.

"That's normal after a good cry," she said gently lifting Harry's head up to hers. "You do know that everyone cries now and then."

"Not according to Uncle Vernon, he always says that freaks aren't worth tears," Harry said.

"I would like to find out if your Uncle Vernon is crying now," Andi said with a sly smile on her face. Harry looked at her puzzled and she explained. "He's in prison Harry for child abuse. Trust me when I say people who are put in prison for hurting a child are treated differently by the other prisoners."

Harry didn't understand her comment and really didn't want to. He was doing his best not think about his Uncle or any of the Dursley's at this moment. "I still don't understand why Dumbledore did all of this?"

"That Harry is a question everyone is asking themselves. Albus Dumbledore was a hero to all of us. It is very difficult to understand. I promise you this. The truth will come out and when it does you'll find out with the rest of us," Andi promised.

Harry sighed at this and leaned close to Andi. He didn't want to move away at this moment. It was nice to be held. He didn't remember what he felt like behind held by someone that actually cared about him.

The door bust open right then and a large black dog ran into the room. Padfoot leaped on Harry and Andi knocking them both over. Padfoot licked Harry in the face as Andi got to her feet. "Sirius Black, are you out of your mind?" Andi yelled.

Sirius changed back into human form and sat next to Harry laughing along side his godson. "Hello, cousin!" Sirius said.

"Hi, Sirius," Harry said brushing away the tears. This time these tears were because he was laughing so hard.

"Oh…" Andi growled. She didn't know if she wanted to hug him or curse him. She decided to give her cousin a hug and said, "Isn't it dangerous for you to be here?"

"Nope, Amelia felt it was safer for me to be out of England for awhile. She arranged for Remus and I to have a hotel room next to yours," Sirius said.

"Yes, but you should be in dog form. The muggles are to think you are my Seeing Eye dog. It doesn't work when you run off and leave me," Remus growled.

"Oops," Sirius said grinning. "I forgot."

"Of course," Remus said as he close the door behind him. "Hi, Harry."

"Hi, Professor," Harry said.

"Just Remus Harry. I'm not a professor any more," Remus said as he sat down on the bed. "You tell him?"

"Yes, I did," Andi replied.

"Um, he is the room," Harry said.

Sirius laughed and said, "Forgive, Moony, Harry. He is upset with me for leaving him with that Texan down stairs."

"You did that on purpose!" Remus yelled.

"Of course, that old bat wanted to bread me!" Sirius yelled.

"Okay, boys, behave," Andi said shaking her head. "The two of you really need to grow up."

Harry just sat there smile. He was enjoying watching Sirius and Remus bicker. There was a knock on the door and Ted walked in. "I thought I heard yelling in here. Hello, Sirius. Remus."

"Hi, Ted. Are you ready to defend me?" Sirius asked.

"Of course, so how much money do you want to take from the Ministry for false imprisonment?" Ted asked as he sat down next to his wife.

"Nothing, I want to be Head Warlock," Sirius said grinning.

"You? What? Why?" Remus asked.

"Because it would tick Lucius off that is why," Sirius said.

"Hold it! Lucius Malfoy was named acting Head Warlock?" Andi said.

"I'm afraid so," Sirius said.

"Great, I'm really going to hear it from Cissa the next time we run into each other," Andi growled. Andi wouldn't change her life with her husband for nothing in the world, but the only time she hated it is when she had to deal with her sister. Narcissa loved rubbing it in on how great Lucius was doing and all the nice things he bought her. It was just sickening.

"Well, don't worry about your sister. If she steps out of line, I'll just throw her out of the family. Oh, by the way. Welcome back to the Blacks," Sirius said smiling.

Ted and Andi looked at him. "Are you ser…joking?" Andi said.

"No, I'm not joking. I talked to the Goblins before coming here. The moment my name is cleared. You and Dora are officially back in the family. I'm transferring a lot of money to your name and before you argue with me, I want you to hear me out. Your mother and mine will roll over in their graves having you back in the family. I want you to think of it as revenge. Besides, I have a good reason for wanting to spend a lot of money. You just have to trust me." Sirius said.

"I don't want your money, Sirius," Andi said.

"I know but you are going to get it and that is an order from your LORD!" Sirius said.

"Lord?" Harry said confused.

Remus smiled and explained. "Sirius here is Lord Black or Barron Black depending on the title he uses. Once he gets his freedom, he can take his seat in the Wizengamot. The Blacks and several other pure blood families have the only permanent seats. There are others that people get voted into but mostly the pure bloods controls everything that goes on there."

"But you should know this, you're a Lord as well. In fact, Harry you are really Duke Harold James Potter."

"Duke?" Harry said shocked.

"Let me guess, the old goat didn't tell you did he?" Sirius said.

"No, in fact, I don't know much about my family," Harry said.

"Well, the first thing I'm doing when I'm free is take you to the Potter Estate. I think it is time you meet your family," Sirius said.

"Meet them? Are their any alive?" Harry asked.

"No, Harry. Sirius is talking about meeting their paintings. Pure bloods leave their images of themselves behind in paintings," Andi explained. She was going to talk to Sirius about his order later but figured she would let the matter drop until she was alone with him. She knew her cousin well enough to know he is hiding something and from the look on his face. He was hiding something big!

"Is there one of Mum and Dad?" Harry asked.

"There should be. I know James did the spell that set them up before Lily and he went into hiding," Sirius said.

"You mean, I would get a chance to talk to them?" Harry said sitting up at this.

"Yes, but remember they will not be your parents. It would just be imprints of them," Remus pointed out.

"Yes, but I would know what they thought and felt. I would actually get to know what they were like before they died," Harry said.

"Yes, you would but right now I think we should find the others. It is close to supper time," Andi said.

"Okay," Harry said getting up. "Remus and Sirius can join us right?"

Sirius smiled and said, "Padfoot can." He changed back into dog form. Remus took advantage of it and put the harness on Sirius.

"Now, you can't get away form me," Remus said. Padfoot growled and gave Remus a dirty look. "I know. You'll get even with me later but for now you will wear it." Padfoot snorted at this and everyone laughed even Harry.

Harry went to the desk right then and pulled out his magical camera. He took a quick shock of Sirius and Remus together. "I can't wait to put this with my other pictures."

Padfoot bent down at this and placed a paw over his face. Remus laughed even harder and said, "Oh, this is something I'm never going to forget for a long time."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Picking up the Pieces and Moving on

The next morning, Amelia Bones arrived at Albus Dumbledore's family home with a team of Aurors. This was one of the first places they would raid today. She also had to talk to the Hogwarts staff. She hadn't done it yet because she wanted to finish the searches first.

Aberforth met Amelia Bones at the front gate. "Thanks for meeting us."

"No problem," Aberforth said coolly as he opened the gates to allow the group to enter.

As the group walked up the pathway to the family home, Amelia said to Aberforth, "Have you seen your brother yet?"

"No, and I don't plan to. Madam Bones, you don't have to be polite to me. It is no secret that my brother and I haven't seen eye to eye for years. I always known he wasn't the man everyone thought he was. I just never managed to convince anyone of the truth. So, this doesn't shock me. The only thing I care about is not loosing the family estate to the Ministry once he is found guilty. My pub is locked into the estate. They can have the house and everything else. I just want to keep what is mine," Aberforth said.

"I understand and I will see what I can do," Amelia said.

"Good," Aberforth said and he used his key to open the front door. "The house is yours. I made sure all the wards on the place were turned off that I know about. There are several around Albus office. It might take a bit to break them."

"We can take it from here and I promise, we won't do any damage to the place," Amelia said.

"Like I said, do what you want with this place. I haven't been here since my sister's funeral. I could care less about any of it," Aberforth said coldly and he turned and walked away.

Aberforth apparated back to Boar's Head and went inside. There sitting at the bar was Molly Weasley. "I wondered when you were going to show up," he said to the red head.

"I need your help. The Goblins won't let me have access to Albus' vaults and the money he gave me is gone," she said.

"So," Aberforth said as he went to the back room.

"Aberforth, if I don't get money soon, Percy, Ron and I will be on the street. I need to get into Albus' vaults," Molly said following him.

"You might as well forget it. What money that is in there is going to go to his defense. My brother spent more money than this family had. So, I doubt there is much in there. Why don't you and those kids of yours get jobs?" Aberforth said.

"Albus isn't going to prison. He will clear this mess up, "Molly said.

Aberforth laughed and said, "Dream on sweetheart. My brother is going to Azkaban and even if he wasn't what makes you think he is going to take care of you? He used you. You were nothing to him but a nice roll in the hay, you and those other ladies that hovered around him."

"There were no others," Molly yelled.

"Yes, there was! My brother slept with any woman that he could lure into his bed. It wasn't sex that he wanted from you anyways. You fit his other needs. His need to control certain things, like the fact that he kept your husband from finding out he had a seat in the Wizengamot. Or that his god father, Ares Potter left him two million gallons after his death. You do remember having Arthur sign papers. Albus had you meet him here one evening. Arthur was in St. Mungos at the time recovering from a mission for the Order. Albus wined and dined you that night. He even managed to talk you to go up to one of the rooms that evening. Why woman like you fall for him is beyond me? I believe your son Percy was born nine months later. I really hope spending the night with my brother was worth those two million gallons."

"He wouldn't have done that to me. He loved me!" Molly cried.

"Albus Dumbledore loved himself. He used everyone around him. The only thing he cared about was money and power. The sooner you realize that the sooner you can get your life back together," Aberforth said as he started to clean up the back room. Molly stood there crying. She was starting to realize what Aberforth was telling her. Albus had used her. He used her and now she had nothing. She didn't have a home. Aberforth shook his head and said, "Look, you need a job. I'll give you one. I'll even allow you and those brats of yours to have two rooms upstairs but…" he said stopping Molly before she got her hopes up. "I don't want any trouble from any of you. I don't care if they are my bother's kids. They mean nothing to me. I'm only doing this because I need help here."

"Alright," Molly said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Clean this back room and kitchen. The Wizarding Health Department is on my back about how messy this place is. They won't let me open up until the place passes inspection," Aberforth said.

Molly nodded and went to work. She had no choice. She couldn't go home. Her father's brother had sent her a letter disowning her from the family. Arthur's family wouldn't take her in. So, she had work. It was either that or starve!

****************************************

Arthur and the children arrived home early that morning. There sitting on the table was a note written in Sirius hand writing and a sack full of gallons.

Arthur,

Thanks for the use of the house and the hot meal.

Sirius Black

P.S. If you question about using the money contact Madam Bones. She will explain things to you.

Arthur sent a letter to Madam Bones explaining the letter and the money. She sent back a letter reassuring that she knew about Sirius and money. She promised that she would explain things as soon as she could but it was alright for Arthur to keep the money.

Arthur put the money on top self and went about is normal day. He helped the kids get settled back in and then called everyone together for a family meeting. The kids sat around the table looking at Arthur wondering what was going to say.

"Okay, I know the last few days have been rough. We can keep on brooding or we can start putting our lives back together. I for one am Weasley and we don't spend too much time thinking about things we don't have. So, I'm going go back to work. Now, while at work, I'm going to need help around here. Who wants to do what?"

"Charlie and I can do the shopping," Bill said.

"I can cook," Ginny said.

"We can help clean the house," the twins said together.

"Good, I'll be back later in the evening. I'll leave the running of the house in your capable hands," Arthur said good bye to the boys and gave Ginny a kiss on the cheek. He then headed out to get back to work.

Bill looked at his siblings and said, "Dad's right. We can't just sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. Ginny, you are doing the cooking, so tell Charlie and me what you need."

"Okay," Ginny said and she went to check out the cupboards to see what she needed. She wrote down what she was going to need and handed it to her brother.

"Thanks, we will be back soon. You two don't blow up the house to clean it!" Bill warned the twins before he and Charlie left.

Ginny laughed at this and helped the twins to start to clean the house. They decided that since they were starting over moving things around might be a good idea. Molly always wanted to keep things where they were. Arthur had tried to give the house a new look by moving things around but Molly refused to let it happen. The kids decided it was time to do things their father's way.

They also packed up the rest of Ron's, Percy's and their mother's belongings and put them in the attic. They moved Charlie into Percy's old room. The twins decided to use Ron's old room as a place to work on their pranks. It would free up their bedroom and keep their clothing from smelling from all the potions they brewed.

**********************************************

Minerva was called to a meeting with the Board of Governors. She was nervous about this meeting. She didn't know what to expect from the school board. She knew by looking at the books Hogwarts was in trouble. They were nearly broke. The board could blame her and the staff for the mess Albus created and fire everyone. This was a great fear among the staff and not even Minerva was assured that she had a job.

Minerva walked into the Boarding Meeting that afternoon and took the empty seat near Augusta Longbottom. "Good after, Minerva. Thank you for coming," Augusta said.

"No problem. I just wish none of this was happening," Minerva said.

"As do we," Augusta said.

"Some of us saw it coming," Lucius growled.

"Why don't we just get on with the meeting," an elderly witch said.

"Yes, lets," Augusta said. "Minerva as you know Hogwarts has agreed to participate in the Tri Wizard Tournament. Sadly, because of Albus lack of financial control we can't host the tournament. So, it has been decided that this school would travel to France. This will allow us to cut staff and still give the children the education their parents paid for. Only the Heads of House, school nurse and grounds keeper will be going along with the students. The others I'm sad to say will be let go for this term." Minerva nodded, feeling a pit in her stomach. She was going to be the one to face her friends and tell this news. "They will be given a small amount to help them get by but it won't be much."

"When will we leave? And how do you expect to hold classes?" Minerva asked.

"You will leave the day of after the start of term. As for classes, the Heads of House will teach their normal subjects plus aid the students' independent study of their other subjects. We of course agree that Divination is to be dropped. The students this effect will be allowed to pick another subject in its place. They ones that are about to take their OWL's will be graded on a curve for the subject they choose to replace Divination," Augusta said. She went on explaining how they would travel and what they would take.

Minerva listened and took notes. She was thankful that for now, she was considered to be Headmistress. They did note this could change at the start of next term once the Board managed to get school running again.

Minerva left the board meeting and found the others in teacher's lounge waiting for her. She walked into the room and sat down. Severus poured her a stiff drink. "You look like you need this."

"I do and so will rest of you," Minerva said sadly.

"It is that bad?" Flitwick said.

"Yes, and no," she said sadly looking at the staff. "I'm sorry but most you don't have job. You will be given a small sum to get you by but that is it. It is possible that you will be given your jobs back next term but for now, you are not needed. We are going to be traveling to France for the Tournament. The only staff that is needed are the Head's of House and two others."

"Who are the others? Sprout asked.

"Poppy and Hagrid," Minerva said.

Madam Hooch sighed. "Well, I better get packed. I think the Cannons need a new Coach. I might even be able get them to win a game," she said sadly.

"I can't leave Hogwarts," Trelawney cried.

"You have no choice," Septima said as she stood up to leave. "I have packing to do. It has been nice working with everyone."

One by one the room emptied of the staff that was no longer needed. The only ones that were left were Severus, Poppy, Sprout, Flitwick and Minerva. Hagrid was locked in his cabin. He still refused to believe that Albus was guilty. "They want us to take care of all those kids?" Severus growled.

"I'm afraid so," Minerva said.

"What about the other subjects?" Sprout asked.

"They said something about independent study. I don't think it will work. So, I was thinking we each take a subject. Anyone want to pick one?" Minerva said.

"I'm not doing Divination," Severus growled.

"You don't have to. It has been dropped entirely," Minerva said.

"About time," Poppy said.

"I'll take defense," Severus said.

"You would," Sprout said.

"Okay, lets not do this not now. We have to work together and Severus is the only one that is capable of teaching Defense. I do think Flitwick should help out though. He can teach dueling."

Severus and Flitwick looked at each other both men nodded their heads. "I can take some classes," Poppy said.

"Not a bad idea, would you be willing to teach Muggle Studies and History of Magic?" Minerva suggested.

"Sure," Poppy said.

"Good and I know Hagrid can teach Care of Magical Creatures. This leaves Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Astronomy," Minerva said.

"I'll take Runes if you do Arithmancy," Sprout said.

"Astronomy could be a subject the students study on their own. We could monitor them on their night studies," Flitwick said.

"I think you are right. So, we know what we are going to teach. Now, we need to think of what we are going to take. We will be traveling in five carriages. Severus, I don't think it is safe for Slytherin house to have the Potion's lab in their carriage. Do you think you can make up a lab in the other carriage or will it force us to use the lab in France?" Minerva asked.

"I don't think it is safe to have a portable lab. I can pack up the supplies but it might be wise to have a more stable place to house the lab," Severus said.

"I'll contact Beauxbatons Headmistress and see if I can set things up. Also, I will have to see if we could use their greenhouses as well. We will be able to pack up the books that we will need. I don't see a problem in that. I think we can even take a few house elves along to help keep the carriages clean," Minerva said.

"What about the time table? How will we work this?" Severus said.

"The only way we can is to keep everyone together. We can't break them down into grades. This way we can rotate everyone around," Minerva said.

"Great, a room full of Gryffindor's," Severus growled.

"Severus, if you don't want to do this, I'm sure there is someone that is willing to take your place. I know Beauxbaton's has Potion Master that might be willing to assist us," Minerva snapped. She was not in the mood to listen to his whining. She just had to tell people she considered family they were no longer needed. It was not the time to complain about anything.

Severus wisely shut up. He knew he couldn't leave Hogwarts. There was no other place he could go unless he wanted to end up kissing Lucius' feet for the rest of his life.

The meeting went on. Everyone commenting on what should be brought and what shouldn't be. They knew it was going to be a hard year but they had no choice. They had to keep going. It was either this or close Hogwarts forever.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Shocking Discoveries 

Amelia Bones sat there with a cold look on her face as she stared at the book. It was found in Dumbledore's private office at home. She was thankful that it was Kinglsey that had found it. If any of the others had seen it, she didn't know what they would do with the information.

The book was list of names of every student that went through doors of Hogwarts since he became Headmaster. In the book, he wrote down how he thought their lives should turn out. He put people together he thought should get married. He made sure they entered the careers he wanted them to. He also marked out the ones that caused him trouble.

She saw names of people she loved with black marks through their names. Under it were words like "trouble makers" and "too free in their thinking." It was shocking that her Mathew's name was marked out. Albus wanted him to marry someone else but he chose her. So, Dumbledore just crossed him off his list. She knew it was Dumbledore that had given Mathew's name to Voldemort because of trunk Sirius had given her. Inside it was Voldemort's journals and memories of every meeting with Dumbledore. She watched as they met secretly talking about who to kill and who not to. What families should be thinned out and the ones that should be grown? She even learned why Voldemort turned on Albus. He wanted the Power of Hogwarts. He didn't want to share it with Dumbledore. It seems the founders and left secrets in a great vault. Only the four together could enter it. So, Albus figured he could control the founders' heirs and gain the founders secrets. The trouble was it was very hard to find their heirs. He still hadn't done it after all this time.

Moody walked into the room and dropped down in the chair across from her. "Are you still reading that thing?" Moody asked.

"I can't help it. I keep thinking the words were going to change but they don't," Amelia said sadly.

"They won't. You can't change the past," Moody said.

"I know," Amelia said closing the book. "Is Severus here?" she asked.

"Yes, are you sure you don't want me to do this for you?" Moody asked.

"No, I can deal with Snape. I want you to go check on Remus and Sirius. I don't want to leave those two alone too long. Sirius is the type that can find trouble by accident," Amelia said smiling.

"He and Potter were both like that. I think it runs in the family," Moody said and he stood up and started for the door. As he was leaving, Severus entered the office. "You're lucky I'm not going to be the one questioning you."

"Moody," Amelia said in a warning tone.

"I'm going," Mad Eye said and he limped from the room.

"Charming fellow," Severus said.

"You are lucky that I'm not letting him have you. If I didn't want Albus so badly, I would let him question you," Amelia said in a cold tone of voice as she pointed at the chair. "Take a seat," she ordered.

Severus did as she requested and said, "What is this about? I had nothing to do with what Dumbledore did at Hogwarts. "

"Please, don't bother to lie to me. Snape, I know what you are. You are a Death Eater and if wasn't for Dumbledore, you would have ended up in Azkaban years ago. He saved your hide for a reason." Bones placed the bag of lemon drops on the table. "These lemon drops are laced with highly addictive and illegal power boosting potion. Only a 'Potion Master' like yourself could brew it. Did you know brewing the potion alone is enough to get you life in Azkaban!"

"You can't prove I brewed that potion," Severus said calmly.

Bones nodded she pulled a book from her desk and flipped it open and started to read it. "Severus Snape-Slytherin House-blood line Prince-adept at potions and dating Lily Evans. Needs to be given the dark mark between his six and seventh year, leak information to Lily to guide her to James…."

"Let me see that," Snape said grabbing the book and reading it himself. "Possible mates-none." He went on reading the rest to himself. After he finished turned around and stood there, his fist clinched at his side.

"He used you. He used all of us. He decided what your life was going like and he worked very hard to make it the way he saw it. Now, Snape are you going to help me put that ba…man in prison where he belongs or are going to join him?" Bones said walking over to Snape's side and standing inches from him.

Snape turned look at her and said, "He's been drugging the students. I have brewed love potions for him and other mind controlling potions. I don't know what he used them for. I do know that he had me brew a special power suppressing potion for Potter. I don't know if he gave it to the boy or not."

Bones nodded and went back to her chair. "Take a seat and tell me the rest," she ordered.

"Can you keep me from prison?" Severus asked.

"Yes, as I said, I want Dumbledore. If you work with me to put him in prison, I will make sure you will walk," Bones promised.

Snape nodded and he spilled everything. He told Madam Bones of everything he knew of Dumbledore's plans. He was calm as he talked but inside he was raging. Albus had taken the one person in his life that he ever cared about. Lily was everything to him. He loved her. He would have changed his life for her. Dumbledore thought she was perfect for Potter. So, he did everything in his power to take her from him. If there was a person in his world that he wanted murder it was Dumbledore, and Bones had him locked up. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Snape was willing to kill the old man with his bare hands if need be, but he was going to have his revenge. He was going to make him regret ever taking Lily from him.

*************************************************

Albus Dumbledore was marched down the cold dank halls of Azkaban. His hands were chained in front of him and his fancy robes were replaced by prison grab. The two guards behind him didn't say a word. They just kept pushing him with their wands to keep him moving. "Is this necessary," Dumbledore said.

"Shut up," Guard One ordered.

"This is a mistake, I will be back in my office at Hogwarts soon," Albus said.

"Don't count on it," Guard Two said.

"Yeah, you remember Black don't you? He said the same thing the night we shoved him in here. He didn't leave this place any time soon," Guard One said as he opened the door and shoved him into Sirius old cell. "Have fun!" The guards laughed as the door slammed shut leaving Albus in the dark.

Albus Dumbledore sat there on the cold hard floor and listened to the screams of the others. He fought to keep the mental wall around his mind as the Dementors closed in on him. The door opened suddenly and dementor floated into the room. Albus felt the cold fill the air as the creature moved closer. The creature hovered nearby its ragged hood over his face. "Enjoying yourself, Dumbledore?" came a very familiar voice.

"Tom?" Albus said looking up in shock.

The creature laughed a deep ragged laugh and said, "Yes, Professor. It is Tom. I lived after all. I didn't want to crossover so, I came back. I have been living as a spirit since my death. I did mange to posses that fool Quarrel a few years ago. I figured if I could get the stone, I could manage to gain back a body, but thanks to Potter that didn't work."

"This is impossible," Albus said.

"We are wizards nothing is impossible. You really thought you had everything under control," Tom said.

"Tom, I…" Dumbledore started to say.

The creature raised its bony hand and said, "Save it, old man. You tried to get rid of me like you got rid of everyone else you thought wasn't necessary. You also tried to persuade the Potter brat to take my place. I know. I spent time watching you watch him. I saw that look in your eyes. The same look you had when you first met me. You were planning on molding him into my replacement weren't you?"

"No," Dumbledore said.

Tom laughed and said, "You are lying. Tell me, Dumbledore. Was he going replace me or was he going to be your replacement?"

"Neither," Dumbledore said.

"The vault, you still haven't given up trying to gain access to the founders' secrets. I'm sad to say you will never see those vaults. In fact, I'm very sure you won't leave this place alive. And I will enjoy tormenting you every moment of your time here," Tom said and with that he let loose the power of a Dementor. Albus mental walls crashed and he was forced to relive his sister's death. He watched her die over and over again. Tom stayed nearby enjoying the power and fear he pulled away from his mentor.


	14. Chapter 14

Dear Readers:

I need help. I had a computer crash and I lost my email address. This means I lost my Bata's address. I know her name is Nancy McCarty but I have no clue what her address is. Nancy if you are reading this please e mail me. Please………………… If anyone knows who I'm talking about, could you give me her address or contact her and tell her that what has happened.

And if I don't, is there anyone willing to Bata for me until she contacts me? It isn't that I'm trying to get rid of her. I love how we work together. I just hate this story to be put on hold because of my mistake. There is no telling how long we will stay out of contract.

There is a bit of time, I do have one more chapter after this one edited. I just want to cover all bases. I finally broke through this writers block. I hate for it to close down now! The reason Merlin has stalled is because of a crash…ekk bad year for me and computers.

Thanks

Marti

Chapter Fourteen

Picking up the Pieces

Mad Eye arrived in France the next day just in time to go with Harry and the others to visit 'New Atlantis,' as the locals called it. It turned out that this Atlantis was built after the real Atlantis went into the ocean a few thousand years ago. The wizards and witches that survived the event traveled to the area to start over. It has been their home ever since.

The group arrived at New Atlantis by portkey. To keep the city hidden from the muggle world, it was built on an island a few miles off the coast of France that was hidden from view of the muggle world.

Remus helped Harry to his feet after landing on the outskirts of the city. "Thanks," Harry said as Remus helped him to his feet.

"The trick to portkeys is to start kicking your feet the moment you feel the pull. It keeps you up right," Remus said.

"Now you tell me," Harry said as he dusted himself off.

"Sorry, I forgot you grew up in the muggle world," Remus said messing Harry's hair.

"It is okay, Moony," Harry said using Remus nickname.

"Don't worry about it kid," Remus said and they went to join the others that were standing nearby waiting for them.

"Where to first?" Ted asked.

"I want to check out the shops," Susan said.

"No, the museums," Hermione said.

Harry looked at magical poster nearby and said, "How about a tour of 'Old Atlantis'?"

"Not a bad idea," Remus said.

"It does sound fun," Andi said.

"Well let's go find out about it," Ted said as he and the others went off.

"Come on, Padfoot," Remus said pulling on Sirius' leash. Sirius growled and walked along beside Remus trying to pull free of his hold.

The moment the group left, the couple from Texas walked out of the shadows. The woman looked at her husband and said, "Are you sure about him being one of them?"

"I'm sure of it. He's one of them. Did you pack our tools?" the man asked.

"I did, but I think we should let this one go. France doesn't believe in hunting werewolves like we do. In fact, this is one of the places in the world that werewolves are treated like humans," the wife said.

"I don't care. I swore on my daughter's grave that I would hunt down every one of those monsters and skin them. I'm not about to let any of them go. This wolf is going to die by his next full moon. I don't care what it takes to take him down," the man swore as he pulled out of his pocket a Colt 45 and checked his ammo. The gun was loaded with sliver bullets. The woman didn't comment. She just followed her husband out of the area and into the city.

**************************************

Minerva had a meeting with the remaining staff members, but Severus didn't show up. She went looking for him and found him passed out on the floor with bottles of Fire Whiskey scattered all over the place. The room reeked like the Boars Head. Minerva stood there her lips forming a thin line as she stared down at Snape.

Slowly a smile appeared on her face as she pulled her wand and levitated Snape off the ground. She then waved her wand again a large tub of water appeared below him. She then let him drop into the water without hesitation. The water was ice cold and the moment he hit, Snape woke up. He sat up coughing and choking on the water as he fought to sit up.

Minerva knocked some bottles out the chair next to her and sat down. She waited until Severus gathered his sensed. "What are you thinking?" he yelled. "I could have drowned."

"We can only hope. What is the rule about alcohol in this school?" Minerva asked.

"Screw the rule, "Severus said as he fought to get out tub. His head was splitting and his mood was as vile as the taste in his mouth.

"I don't believe you. The moment Albus is gone," Minerva started in but she stopped as she looked up to see Snape resting in the tub with his wand pointed right at her.

He had this cold empty look in his eyes as he said. "Don't say that man's name in my presence ever again," Severus voice was barely above a whisper, but you could hear the hate in it.

"What did he do?" Minerva asked the anger she was feeling about things suddenly vanishing. This wasn't Snape going off on some rant. Something was really bothering him.

Snape started to laugh. "As if you care, you haven't looked past your nose in years, none of us have. We let him do what he wanted to this school. We said it was because he new more then we did. Did he? Was he that perfect," Snape said as he finally managed to pull himself out of the tub.

"No, he wasn't perfect. And again, I'm asking you, what did he do? You know better then any of us. What was he really like?" Minerva asked as she watched as Snape dropped down on the couch and looked around for something to drink.

Snape gave up finally and looked at her. "He felt that I wasn't good enough for Lily. He wanted her with 'Potter'. -- I loved her. I would have done anything for her, but that old …" Snape threw the bottle he had found still with Fire Whiskey in it across the room. It shattered as it hit the stone wall. "He set me up and let her find out about mark. She never listened to me about why I took it. He was the one that suggested that I do it. He wanted me to be his spy. He said it was for **Great Good of the Wizarding World.**"

Minerva had tears in her eyes as she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No, you didn't. I wasn't one of little lions. So, you didn't bother paying attention to me. Do you know why I protect my snakes? --Because no one else does! You don't' care, none of you care about them. They are evil to the core and they don't count. You don't care that most of them run to the dorm room crying because they were just called evil and worthless. Do you know what it takes to keep them from going out in the halls every day to curse the next person that picks on them? Do you!" Snape yelled fighting get to his feet but his body wasn't listening to him at this moment. He was just too drunk to stand up. So, he just slumped there on the couch rage pouring out of him.

"Why didn't you say something? We could have stopped it," Minerva said.

Severus laughed at this. "I did remember. The first five years I was teaching here. I really tried to change the way people saw Slytherin house but you and the others didn't hear me. You only heard what _he_ was saying. So, I gave up. I protect my snakes and I sold the rest of my soul to _him_," Severus said sadly lowering his head. He couldn't look in her in eye. He played the part of the dark potion master well, but it was an act. He, like other members of Slytherin house, got good at showing their emotions towards others that weren't part of their little group. Only his snakes saw the true Snape and even they didn't see every part of him.

"What do you mean?" Minerva asked.

Snape looked up at her like she had two heads. "I brewed potions that controlled everyone around here. Albus had you jumping through hoops because that is what he wanted. If he wanted someone in love, they were in love. If he wanted them to hate each other, they hated each other. If he wanted you loyal to him, you were loyal to him. I brewed it all. The deal was he didn't drug my snakes, but then again he didn't have to. They were exactly what he wanted them to be…" Snape said.

"Evil and cold because he forced them to be," Minerva said a clear picture of Dumbledore for the first time in her life. She felt sick in her stomach and wanted to find him a curse him to end of time for the damage he had done to ever child that came through these walls.

"10 points for Gryffindor House!" Snape said suddenly smiling as he realized that it was first time he ever said those words. Next she will hear him say that would be when Black is declared a good citizen and should be given an Order of Merlin First Class Snape thought with sarcasm.

"It isn't funny," Minerva snapped at him.

"No, it isn't," Snape said finding another bottle with Fire Whiskey left in it and empted it.

Minerva looked at him and said, "Do you leave any for me?"

Snape nodded waved his wand and a new bottle appeared with two glasses. He filled them up, handing one to her and taking the other for himself. "Here 's to us, two of Albus' puppets!"

"Here is to the death of the Puppet Master!" Minerva said and she downed the drink. It wasn't the best, but it would do. It would chase the way the feeling of being—well she didn't like how she felt at this moment. However, she promised herself that from this point on, it wasn't ever going to happen again.

*************************************************

After talking to Snape and finishing up small details around her office, Amelia Bones went to Minister of Magic's office to fill in Temporary Minister of Magic Amos Diggory about the investigation of Albus Dumbledore. She walked into the office and dropped down in the chair tired and worn out.

"That bad," Amos said looking at Amelia intently.

"You can say that again. Do you want me to start with Dumbledore, Crouch, or Fudge?" she asked Amos.

"You pick," Amos said sitting back in his chair.

"Well, I'll start with Fudge. He was close to bankrupting us. There are not enough funds to keep us going through to Christmas. Our retirement funds are gone and we will be lucky if we won't have to let half staff go," Amelia said.

"Even if we take everything he has?" Amos said.

"It would help a bit but not too much. It seems our dear Minister has a gambling problem. He bet on everything and anything. I even found out he bet on muggle horse racing. He wasn't good at it either. He lost more then he won. I also found out that he and Delores were lovers." Bones shivered at the memory. The idea of those two together would give her nightmares for weeks. "I found out the same time his wife did. She ended up breaking Kingsley's nose. He was the unlucky one that just so happened to be standing near her at the time. He asked her why she did it as he held his nose, and she said 'Because you're a man'. I believe she will have to be kept from the court room as Fudge sits trial. She'll most likely kill him. " Madam Bones said sadly.

"Oh, dear, I hope Kingsley is okay?" Amos said.

"He is but I don't think he will go anywhere near Mrs. Fudge ever again. Now, onto Crouch, the son is rolling over on his father. It seems there is no love there between the two. The only reason Crouch got his son out was because his wife blackmailed him to do it. Barty's part in Dumbledore's plot was as large as Fudge's. He helped to put Sirius Black away. It was also discovered that he had threatened several members of the Wizengamot to vote Fudge's way. Barty was the bully of the threesome. If they wanted something done, he was the one that did the dirty work. The Wizengamot is debating as we speak about over turning over every law passed since Fudge took office. It could be good for us or could make things worse. It depends on where the power structure ends up. Right now, it is up in the air on who has the upper hand."

"And Dumbledore?" Amos said. He knew about the Wizengamot because he spent the last few days listening to complaints from the members about corruption among its members. So far, they had kept it out of the public's hands, but sooner or later it was going to get out. When it does, there might be a power blacklash for the members that were voted in."

Amelia removed her monocle and rubbed her eyes. She finally put them back on and looked at Amos. "If it was up to me, I'd throw him through the veil because that man is the cause of all our problems. He has played god with our lives," Amelia said and she placed the book in front of Amos.

Amos looked it over and his face paled. He closed the book and said, "I want to burn this."

"We can't. It is the one piece of evidence that could put him away forever," Amelia said.

"It could also destroy us," Amos said.

"I know. Everyone's names are in that book. He decided what we did, who we married and if we were light or dark. The ones that didn't fit his plans were murdered. This was until You-Know-Who was killed. He then put in prison, ran them out of the area, or destroyed them publicly. It didn't matter. If it looked like you were going to cause him trouble, he got rid of you."

"Why?" Amos asked stunned about all of this.

"I think-no, I know-Albus is crazy. And yes, that is a very blunt term but I'm not in the mood to sugar coat things. I have been up two days now without any sleep and I'm worn out. The potion he was taking is known to destroy not only a person's power core but their mind as well. From what Severus told me, he has been taking it since his early twenties," Amelia said.

"I don't understand. Why take it at all? He is known to be one of the most powerful wizards of our time," Amos said.

"Because he wanted to be just that, the most powerful. Did you know that any wizard that he thought could over power him was given potions to suppress their power core? I had to send Kingsley to France because I found out. He was feeding that potion to Harry Potter. Severus says that Albus was worried that Harry was becoming too powerful. He kept feeding the potion to the boy all during school. Severus said it wasn't working. Albus didn't know why and from what I read he was starting to worry. There is some kind of plan to destroy how everyone sees Harry, but the plans were vague." Amelia said.

"Oh, dear, the public would really have fit about this one. Harry is considered a hero to a lot of people. The mail room has informed me that Harry Potter's fan mail has grown. The boy is receiving more mail than usual. The letters are not only from girls wanting to marry him, but parents offering to adopt him. I had to double the staff that takes care of his mail," Amos said.

Amelia sighed. "I'm thankful that Andi hasn't told Harry about his fame yet. It is the one thing everyone agrees that Albus didn't mess up. Harry isn't in the right frame of mind to deal with all of it. I'll talk to her and see if we can remove some money from the Potter Estate to pay for the cost. She has the power to control Harry's vaults at this moment. I believe she restored Filch's law firm to control investments for Harry at least until Sirius name is cleared. She is then planning on turning all of that over to him. " she said.

"How is Harry?" Amos asked.

"I believe he is settling in with the Tonks family. Auror Tonks wrote me that he took the truth about Albus hard. She said he is fine but now that could change. I have ordered her to stay with Harry as long as necessary. This way she can guard him and not make it so obvious," Amelia said.

"'That is understandable. He is too important to our world for anything to happen to him. I still wish it was he could go to Hogwarts at the start of term, but I understand the Tonks' reasons for pulling out of the school. I am hoping by next term, they will feel the school is safe again and Harry can return," Amos said.

"I hope so too, but for now I'm with them. I would rather have my niece safe across the sea then in danger at Hogwarts. Then again, Hogwarts is traveling to France this year so, the danger could easily go to them," Amelia said.

"Well, let's hope not this term. I think we have enough to deal with at this moment," Amos said.

"Yes, I agree," Amelia said and they continued talking not only about Albus up coming trial but Delores Umbridge and the others that attacked at the Wizengamot.

It took four more hours to deal with everything. Madam Bones finally stood and shook Amos hand. "Well, I think I can finally go home and get some sleep. I will see you later," she said picking up the book and placing it in her bag.

"Sleep well," Amos said and he walked Bones out. He too was going to go home but he had one stop to make. He had to see Arthur about a job opening.

**********************************************

Arthur Weasley was sitting at his desk reading the formal letter from the school board for the tenth time. It seems Albus had lied to him once again. He had told Arthur that his family had qualified for scholarships. It turned out that this wasn't the case and according to the board. He owed over 60,000 gallons for his kid's education. He had until the start of this term to find the money. He didn't know where he was going to get it. He didn't make that kind of money. He might have to sell the Borrow to cover the money he owed.

He was thinking about what he was going to tell his children when, Amos walked into his office. "Hello, Arthur, how was your vacation?"

Arthur stood up and offered his hand to Amos. "It was good to see Charlie again. Thank you for asking, Amos or should I call you Minister?"

"You can always call me Amos, besides this job is only temporary. The chances of the public picking me as Minister are slim," Amos said as he sat down.

"You could get it. You are well liked," Arthur said.

"Well, we will see, once the things with the Wizengamot calms down. Right now, I just have to keep things running until the next person is picked to take my place. And that is why I'm here. I want you to take Barty's place as Head of Department of International Magical Cooperation. Before you answer me, I think you should know that I'm being forced to close several departments. Yours is one of them. I am picking you for Barty's job because out of all the department heads that will have their departments closed down, you are the one that I can trust the most. You will have to go to France for the Tournament and be a judge. I think you will be prefect for the job. Are you up for it?"

Arthur looked at the letter his desk and nodded. "I'll do it."

"Good, you will get a slight raise, but it won't be a lot. I am sorry to say that Minister Fudge has left us in a bit of pickle when it comes to funds. I promise as soon as things calm down. A raise should be coming your way," Amos said.

"Money isn't everything to me. You should know that, as long as I have my family, I'm happy," Arthur said.

"Yes, and you have great family. I'm really sorry about you and Molly," Amos said.

"Thank you, I hope you don't mind, but I don't want to talk about her right now," Arthur said sadly.

"Of course, and I'm not prying. If you ever want to talk, I'm willing to listen," Amos said. He looked at his watch and said, "Well, I have to run. We can talk more about your job tomorrow," Amos said.

"Tomorrow sounds good," Arthur said.

"Until then take care," Amos said and he stood up left.

Arthur sat back in his chair to think things over, when suddenly a letter from Ginny arrived. Arthur read the note and his eyes went wide.

_Father, _

_Please come home right away. We have a situation at home. No one is hurt but you must come home. _

_Love Ginny _

Arthur rushed to gather his things together and made his way to the fireplaces. He usually didn't use them because of the fee that was put on them for their use. He quickly paid the clerk and rushed to one of the fireplaces. As he appeared in the family kitchen, he found Bill, Charlie, the twins and Ginny standing around a huge pile of gold. The gold was on the table and spilling on the floor.

"Where did this come from?" Arthur asked.

"The bag that Mr. Black left, Bill didn't have enough money to get everything we needed so, I was going to take some of it out of the money he left. I figured it wouldn't hurt. The bag looked empty when I reached in to pull the money out so, I turned it upside down on the table. Gold started spilling out and didn't stop. I finally dropped the bag," Ginny said pointing to the bag on the floor.

"Father, I checked out the bag. It is one of the endless bottom bags sold at Gringotts. The person who buys one, sets an amount, and the money comes directly from the Black vaults. I contacted a friend at the bank and he says Sirius himself set this amount. He also says if we like, we could transfer the rest of the money to our vaults," Bill said.

"Rest?" Arthur said shocked.

"Yes, Sirius said it was payment for a life debt that he owed you. It seems you saved his life back when you worked for the Order. I was told it was his way of paying you back," Bill said.

Arthur remembered that mission. It was right after Charlie was born. He was put in the hospital for a few weeks because he was burnt badly from several bad spells. Sirius would have died if he hadn't gotten them both out of there when he did. Sirius had promised he would pay him back one day. He just never thought he would be paid back like this.

A barn owl flew into the room right then and dropped a letter on the gold. Arthur picked up the letter and read it. The letter was from Sirius.

_Arthur, _

_Sorry about not warning you in my last letter about the money. I didn't set this up until after talking to Madam Bones about things. _

_Now, I know you are a proud man and you are thinking of sending the money back. Don't! I told you back then I would pay you back for saving my life and I am. Money is nothing to me. It always was and always will be. It is just something I can use to make other people happy. I'm doing this to help you and your family out, use it. I have several reasons for doing this other then I owe you for saving my life. One of them is because of Harry._

_I talked to Harry about you and your family. Minus Molly, Ron and Percy, Harry has nothing but good to say about your family. He says he always felt wanted in your home. He said the little he spent with you was one of the best times of his life. You don't realize this, but you did a lot for my godson. His life at the Dursley's wasn't the best and never felt wanted until he met your family. This means a lot to me. I also know you never looked at Harry as a means to get somewhere in life. He was just a hurt little boy that you tried to help. And I thank you for everything you tried to do for him. _

_My other reason is because I remember how you helped me in school my fifth year. You didn't know what I did. You just found me alone up on the towers ready to do myself in. You could have walked away like everyone else did but you didn't. You sat their hearing me out and talking to me. You made me realize that I might have messed up but if my friends were true. In time, they would forgive me. You were right, they did and I never forgot that night. _

_You are good man Arthur. I wish sometimes I could be more like you. I can't look at a person the way you look at them. Then again, I was raised as a Black. This should speak for itself. If there is a person I want Harry to look up to it is you. You are exactly the person I want my Godson to be like. _

_Back to the money, I told you the reasons I'm giving it. It is up to you to use it. I know you will use it wisely. If you choose to give it away, it is your choice. You just can't send it back to me. I made sure of that. I don't want it or need it. Like I said at the start, money is nothing to me. It always was and always will be. _

_Thanks for over looking the Black in me…. _

_Sirius _

Arthur read the letter several times. He remembered that day. He was Head Boy and he found Sirius sitting alone on the tower drunk. He was saying he was going kill himself. He said something about almost getting his best friend killed because of a prank. He didn't everything out of Sirius, he never did. He did manage to talk Sirius into going to bed. He promised things would get better and his friends would forgive him. He never realized how important that one event was to Sirius until now.

Arthur looked at the money and thought of his children's schooling. He looked around his family home. He could sell it and maybe put one of the twins through school, but he knew he couldn't do both. He also knew that Ginny's school days were over because there was no where he could send her. But with the money Sirius had given him and with help from the new job, he could send all three children to school. He might even be able to help Molly send Ron. Ron might not be his son by blood, but he was his son. He couldn't stop caring about the boy just like that. Besides, what kind of example would that be to the men would he was raising if he turned his back on Ron. He needed to show his sons how to act during all situations. So, he needed to show them not turn their back on Ron or Percy. No matter what Molly had done.

"Bill, could you take this money to the bank and have it put in our vault. Then please have Gringotts contact the school board and set up payment for the outstanding bill they have in this family's name. Please, make sure they know it is for Ron's education as well," Arthur said calmly.

"Yes, father," Bill said as he and Charlie started to gather the coins.

"You are paying for that prat's schooling?" George said.

"Yes, because inspite what Molly has done, he is still your brother. He will be unless he chooses not to be. I'm not throwing him or Percy out of this family. It is going to be up to them what they do," Arthur said calmly.

George was about to say something about this but Fred shook his head. "Come on, we have work to do upstairs." Fred said to George.

"Come on sit down, I should have supper ready soon. We can do without desert," Ginny said taking her father's hand and guiding him to his chair.

Arthur couldn't help but smile at this. He enjoyed an evening with his family. He loved the changes in the house. It felt like a new start for all of them. Maybe his life was starting to turn around at least that is how it looked to him at this very moment.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Story Note: I promised to warn you if there is a new character coming up. This one might be used now and then. He is going to be a Healer in France. I will just say you will know his name very well, at least if you watched Star Trek.

PS...Sorry this took so long. I really wanted to post this sooner but lightening took out two of my servers towers. It took this long to get back on line. Of course, it had to happen on my weekend off and when it rained! Go figure!

Hope this is worth the wait.

Marti

Trouble with Magic Blockers and Werewolves Hunters

Andi and the others arrived back at the hotel to find Kingsley sitting in the lounge area waiting for them. "Kingsley," Tonks said as she walked up to her partner.

"Hi, Pinky," Kingsley said giving Tonks a kiss on the cheek.

"I heard Mrs. Fudge broke your nose. I bet you are hearing it from the others on that one," Tonks laughed.

"No comment, I'm here because Bones sent me. We need to go upstairs," Kingsley said.

"Sure," Andi said and everyone headed upstairs to the Tonks' room.

Once there Kingsley explained about Severus interview. He looked at Harry and said, "I'm sorry but you are going to have to go to hospital to get checked out. Power expressing potions are dangerous. If you manage to break through them, you could end up hurting someone," Kingsley said to the boy.

"Is that how I blew up Aunt Marge?" Harry asked.

"It is possible. We can't tell you until we are sure how strong those potions were. Severus said they were powerful, but he could have messed up some how," Kingsley said.

"And if he brewed it wrong, he could have killed Harry," Sirius growled.

Remus put a hand on Sirius shoulder and held him in his chair. "He didn't. I'm sure Harry is going to be fine," Remus said smiling at Harry.

Harry looked at him unsure. He got this feeling from everyone around him that something wasn't right. Andi put a loving hand on Harry shoulder and said, "It will be okay. We will be with you all the time."

"Bones has contacted the hospital near here. The French Minister promises no one is going to find out. I have a portkey that will take us to a private room in the hospital," Kingsley said.

"Alight," Andi said standing up.

Sirius was about to stand up as well but Mad Eye shook his head. "You can't go. Your wanted, remember," Mad Eye said.

"But…" Sirius said.

"He is right. Besides, the sun is setting soon. The moon is full tonight so,we need to get going," Remus said.

"Alright, but I want to hear how things went tomorrow," Sirius said as he turned into Padfoot. Remus and Sirius left then.

Mrs. Granger looked at the kids and said, "Come on, lets go down to have supper."

"We want to go with Harry," Hermione said.

"You can't. It is best if you stay here," Kingsley said.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Because this Portkey is charmed to only carry five people. Harry, Andi, Ted, Tonks and myself," Kingsley said.

"That is right, now lets go down for supper," Scarlett said starting to guide her niece from the room.

"Fine, but write as soon as you find something out," she said giving Harry a hug.

"It will be okay," Susan said also hugging Harry.

"I'm not hugging you, but take care," Neville said winking at Harry.

"Thanks," Harry said trying to smile but the way everyone was acting about the situation was worrying him. He had this feeling there was something that they weren't telling him. He stood up and took the portkey with Andi and the others. He smiled at his friends one more time then he was gone.

The moment Harry and the others left Hermione turned to her Aunt Scarlett and demanded, "What is it? What is wrong with him?"

Scarlett sighed. "Breaking through the barriers that Albus put up around Harry's magical core is going to be dangerous. If it is done wrong, Harry could end up nothing more than a squib, or worse, dead."

"Why didn't you say something?" Hermione yelled.

"Because Hermione, we don't want to scare Harry. He needs to be calm right now. It will be better for him if he doesn't know any of this. Records show that the calmer a person is facing all of this the better things turn out. Our magic is toned into our emotions. It is why children have magical outburst as children and why you're not allowed to do magic out of school until you are seventeen. Teenagers are very emotional, and there isn't a way for them to control their magic until they reach seventeen. Hermione, Harry is going to be okay. The kid is a survivor." Scarlett promised her niece.

"I hope so. I hate for something to happen to him," Hermione said fighting the tears that were threatening to fall.

"He will be okay, dear," Marian said.

"I hate to sound cruel, but I'm hungry. Can we go down for supper now?" Shakespeare said.

"Men are always thinking of food," Marian said.

"Not always," Shakespeare laughed. His wife hit him for this but the others laughed as well. They then went down for dinner.

************************************************

The Texan was trying to follow Sirius and Remus, but he lost them somewhere in the streets of Paris. He was frustrated, but he wasn't about to give up. He figured he would head back to the hotel and keep an eye on the wolf's friends. They might know where he went. If not, he could always use one of them to lure the wolf out into the open. He had done that before and it worked like a dream.

*************************************************

Harry sat on the examining room table as this wrinkled old Healer waved his wand around him. "I am picking up several blocks," the man said.

"How many and how old are they?" Kingsley asked.

"Dozens and some were placed on the boy at an early age. I'm shocked that he could do magic at all," the Healer replied.

"Healer Picard, how long will it take to remove the blocks?" Andi asked.

"A week maybe more, we can't just pull the blocks away. We have to slowly remove them," Picard said smiling at Harry. "It won't hurt Mr. Potter. You might not feel anything and if you do, it will be only a slight tingling. Your magic might react a bit though. So, you will need to say here until we are finished."

"School starts in two weeks," Harry said.

"I'm sure we will be finished by then. Now, I will go set up a room for you. We can then get started on removing those blocks," Picard said and he went to get Harry a room.

While he was gone, Harry sat up and looked at everyone. "Am I going to be okay?"

"Sure," Tonks said trying to hug the boy.

Harry pulled away. "Look, I might not have picked up Albus lies, but I'm picking up yours. I'm used to people keeping things from me so, I know when they are doing it. What is going to happen? Am I going to be okay?" Harry asked again eyeing everyone around him.

Andi sighed and sat next to Harry. "Harry, the reason we have said anything to you is because you can't get upset. If you do while the blocks are being removed then things could happen. You could get hurt or you could hurt someone else. It won't be your doing, but you won't be able to control it either. It will just happen," Andi explained.

"Like what happened to Aunt Marge," Harry said.

"Yes," Kingsley said. "You don't know this but having blowing her up like that shocked everyone. We knew then you were going to be very powerful. It is even more shocking that you did it with all those blocks on your powers."

"I'm not powerful. I'm just Harry," Harry said.

Andi hugged Harry and as Ted said, "There is a muggle saying. It says that great power comes with great responsibility. Albus abused his power. He hurt everyone around him. I think you can be different because you think with your heart. As you keep letting your heart lead you, I think you will be okay."

"You think so?" Harry asked.

"I know so," Ted promised. He messed up Harry's hair even more. Harry just laughed and leaned against Andi. She hugged him and promised that would be okay. Harry was hoping they were right. As for being powerful, he really didn't care because at this moment, he had what he wanted. He had a family. At least that is what he was starting to believing.

************************************

The next morning, Tonks walked into the girl's room with pink skin and purple hair. "If this wasn't because of the blocks, I would get even with Harry," Tonks said.

Scarlett laughed. "I like the new look, girlfriend," Scarlett laughed.

"Thanks," Tonks said sarcastically as she sat down.

"How is Harry?" Susan asked.

"He is fine. He was sleeping the last time I saw him. Healer Picard removed the weaker of the two blocks last night. We found out that they were put on Harry by Lily and James. They were normal blocks parents put on magical children that show great promise at an early age. They should have been removed at his third birthday but sadly James and Lily weren't around to remove them.

"Why two blocks?" Hermione asked.

"I'm to ask Remus and Sirius that at breakfast," Tonks said.

"Well, we are to meet them downstairs. Do you want me to help you change to your normal form or are you planning to stay that way?" Scarlett asked.

"I can do it. I'm just waiting for the tingling sensation to go away," Tonks snapped. It took her awhile but her skin finally went back to its normal color. She left the hair the way it was. She liked this color pink. She hadn't been able to get it this dark of pink before and she wanted it to stay for awhile.

The girls went downstairs for breakfast. Sirius and Remus were there. Remus was worn out and Sirius was just worried. He looked up at Tonks and asked, "How is he?"

"He is fine. He's resting," Tonks said and explain the events of the night before.

Sirius laughed. "Harry turned everyone different colors?" he said.

"Yes, he even changed his own skin color. I think he looks good in blue," Tonks said.

"I remember why Lily and James put those blocks on Harry. He kept on popping into their room when he wanted them. They wouldn't have minded but Harry turned up at the wrong time once," Remus laughed his cheeks slightly pink.

"Oh, I remember that," Sirius laughed.

"I think Harry would be happy that he doesn't," Tonks said.

"When can we see him?" Hermione asked.

"Not for a while, they are going to remove the first of Albus' blocks today. It will depend on how it goes when they are removed on when you can see him," Tonks said.

"How strong are those blocks?" Remus asked.

"Very strong, it is amazing that Harry could do any magic at all. The Healer is waiting until this afternoon to remove them because of Harry's reactions to the last blocks being removed. The entire hospital felt them being removed. Only the people in the room changed color, but those were smaller magical blocks. They weren't put there to suppress his powers just to control them until he was older. The hospital is putting protection spells around his room before the others are removed," Tonks said.

Sirius grunted. "I wonder if I could get captured?" he said.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Because I want to go back to Azkaban to bite Albus!" Sirius snapped.

"Don't worry, Dumbledore is going to get his," Mad Eye said as he limped up to the others.

"It doesn't help Harry," Sirius snapped.

"No, but getting caught won't either. He cares about you Black. He wouldn't take the news of your arrest well. Why don't you just calm down and let the Healers take care of him. By the way, you look good as a blond!" Mad Eye said.

"Thanks a lot, Moody. I was tired of spending time as Padfoot. Besides, that leash had to go," Sirius snapped giving Remus a dirty look.

Remus just sat there laughing.

Sirius threw a roll at his friend and the others started to laugh. Sirius finally stormed off leaving everyone alone.

"He will calm down," Mad Eye said.

"Oh, I'm going to pay for that," Remus said.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Sweet Heart, Sirius might not have been the leader of the Marauders, but he was the one that pulled the most pranks. He is going to make me pay for laughing at him. I know it," Remus said smiling at Hermione. He liked her. She was one of his favorite students. He also understood her need for knowledge. He felt the same way at Hogwarts. He still felt that way. He hated not knowing something. It was why he was happy for Hermione suggestion what they would do today.

"Why don't we go to the magical libraries today?" Hermione asked.

"Why?" Susan asked.

"Because I want to look up magical blocks," Hermione said.

"I want to go shopping?" Susan said.

"Why not both? A group of us can go to the mall, and the other group could go to the library," Tonks said.

"Well, I'll take shopping," Tonks said.

"Fine with me, I'll go with the group that goes to the library," Mad Eye said. He wasn't happy about either choice, but figured the library was better than the mall.

Across the room, the Texan watched Remus react to everyone around him. He watched Sirius walk away and then looked at Hermione. He was trying to figure out who was more important to the wolf. Hermione or Sirius! He didn't know who he was going to grab but he knew he was going to grab one of them to get to the wolf.

********************************************

Later that day, Andi sat beside Harry waiting for the Healer to return with the next batch of potions that would remove the next two blocks on his powers. "Are you sure that you want to stay with me?" Harry asked.

"Harry, trust me. I don't care if I turn into a million of colors. I'm staying here," Andi said.

"I could hurt you," Harry said.

"No, you won't. Now, relax. It is going to be okay," Andi promised.

Harry sighed and sat in his bed as he waited for the Healer to arrive. The old man walked in carrying a steaming potion in his hands. "You ready?" the man asked.

"I'm ready but why does this stuff have to taste so badly?" Harry asked making a face.

"Because unlike the other potions you took, this one was brewed not to mask its taste for you. We believe the potions were added to your food during meals at Hogwarts," Healer Picard said as he handed Harry the potion.

"I think I like it if you masked it. It would be a lot easier to take," Harry said as he took the potion.

"Not as effective though, and it would take longer for you to heal. You do want to go to school next term, don't you?" Healer Picard said.

Harry made a face as he downed the potion. At first nothing happened, then suddenly this magical wave came off the boy. The windows cracked as did the walls. Andi and the others in the room were lifted out of their chairs and knocked to the floor.

"You okay?" Harry asked.

"Yes, we are fine," Andi said as she sat back into her chair.

"How do you feel?" Healer Picard asked.

Harry looked at his hands and said, "I hurt. It isn't bad but I feel very strange all over."

"Let me check you over," Healer Picard said. He waved his wand as he checked Harry over. "Um…"

"What?" Andi said worried.

"No need to worry, the boy's magic is just healing some old wounds the boy has had. It is also putting him on track other boys his age on the growth patterns. I think you should lie back in bed and rest for the day. We will remove the other two blocks tomorrow," Healer Picard said as he stood up.

"What do you mean by growth patterns?" Harry asked.

"I mean you will find that by the end of the day you should have at least two growth spurts. They shouldn't be too painful, but just in case I'll leave a mild pain relieving potion for you," Healer Picard said and he left the room.

Ted walked over and sat next to Harry. "Are you hungry?"

Harry thought about it for a moment and said, "Starved."

"I'll go get us something to eat. You just say in bed," Ted said.

Andi helped Harry to lie back and tucked him in. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?" he asked.

"No, I just felt a slight shove as I was pushed out of the chair," Andi told him. "How are you feeling?"

"My hands and legs tingle," Harry said.

"Well, if you start hurting tell me?" Andi told him.

"I will but I'm not hurting now. I just feel funny," Harry said. He looked around the room noticing the cracks everywhere. "I wonder what is going to happen next?"

"I don't know but no matter what, I'm not going anywhere," Andi promised.

"Thanks for being here for me. It is easer having someone around," Harry said.

"Harry, Ted and I will always be around. We took you in and made you part of our family. It is our job to look after you," Andi said kissing Harry on the cheek. Harry blushed not really knowing what to say but thankfully Ted walked in right then with a large tray full of food.

"Dinner time!" Ted said.

"Food," Harry said suddenly his mind was on one thing and that was the food in front of him. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he saw the food. He sat up in bed and started to eat. He ate much like Ron ate, but no one scolded him for it. Andi and Ted both knew that Harry needed this food. He was going to go through two growth spurts in a short period of time. He was going to need all the energy he could get. Besides to the Tonks, Harry ate less then a bird did. He needed to be fattened up just a bit. Unlike Molly, they learned not to push things. It is why during this trip they stopped several times a day to eat something or have a snack. Also, Andi made sure Harry always had enough money on him to buy food when ever he was hungry. They weren't pushing him to eat. They just made sure he knew it was okay for him to eat. So, far it was paying off. Harry didn't look as skinny as he once had and he looked much healthier.

********************************************

The only ones that wanted to go to the Library willingly were Hermione, Remus and Shakespeare. Moody and Sirius were forced to go. The afore mentioned pair and Shakespeare were checking out one section of the library while, Hermione and Remus were checking out another section, Hermione wanted to look up the effects of power suppressing potions for herself. She had asked her Aunt Scarlett about them but she needed to read things for herself.

They were sitting at table looking over a hug stack of books when the Texan walked up and shoved a gun in Remus back. "Move, and you both die!" the Texan said.

"What is this?" Remus asked his hands resting on the table.

"What this is, Wolf, is me freeing the world of the likes of you! Now, get up both of you. We are going to go somewhere so, you can change and I can take your life," the Texan said.

"You're a hunter." Remus said calmly.

"I am. Now, move!" The Texan growled pulling Hermione up out of the chair.

Hermione cried out in pain. Remus turned to face the Texan but the man shoved the gun right into Hermione's side. "Try me!"

"Leave her out of this, she has nothing to do with what I am," Remus said.

"She is going along to make sure you behave. Now, both of you place your wands on the table slowly," The Texan ordered.

Hermione was scared. She looked at Remus. "Do as he says," Remus told her as he put his wand on the table.

Hermione put hers beside Remus. She let the Texan push her out of the library and into a waiting rental car. "You are going to regret this," Hermione said as the door closed. "We have a friend that has very powerful friends."

"Yeah, right," the Texan growled.

"Oh, she is right. My best friend is a known muggle killer. He isn't going to be to happy that you are doing this. You do know the name Sirius Black!" Remus said.

"I figured the likes of you would hang out with a mad man like him," the Texan said.

The Texan's wife was driving. Remus was in the seat beside her and Hermione was in the back with him. The gun had never left Hermione's side. She watched as the car cut in and out of traffic. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere," the Texan said giving Hermione a shove to get her to sit back.

Hermione cried out and Remus turned to face the man. "Look, you can do what you want with me, but touch her again and I'll…"

"You'll what?" the Texan snapped.

Remus saw the look in the man's eyes and finally understood what he wanted. "You know about the potion that I take. You are trying to get me angry," Remus said.

"Very good, you see even with that potion, when you change, you will let the wolf loose to protect this little doll. The moment you do. I'm going kill you and then I'll skin you," Texan said.

"You monster that is murder," Hermione cried out sicken.

"He's the monster. He and the others like him," The Texan's wife snapped pointing a finger at Remus.

"Professor Lupin never hurt anyone. He is one of the best and I promise you will regret this. I'll make sure of it!" Hermione snapped. The couple just ignored Hermione. The car kept on driving heading out of town and to the country side.

*********************************

"We need to catch up with them," Shakespeare snapped yelling into the cab drivers ear.

"I'm trying sir," the cabby said eyeing Moody.

Mad Eye was sitting beside him pointing a strange wood stick in his hand. He knew the stick did something because strange lights shot out of it the moment the three strangers jumped into his cab.

"Moody, stop giving the man the evil eye. You are making him nervous," Sirius said.

"I thought you wanted to catch these people, Black," Moody said.

"Black? Are you related to that killer from England?" the cabby asked.

"Yes, he is my cousin. Now, if you don't want him after you, I suggest you keep driving," Sirius snapped.

"Why did this couple kidnap my Hermione?" Shakespeare asked.

"It isn't Hermione they were after," Sirius said.

"Who then?" Shakespeare asked.

"Lupin. I had Kingsley run check on the man at the hotel. It turned out the man is a werewolf hunter from Texas. The trouble is we don't condone hunting here and even if we did, Remus doesn't count. He isn't on the top wanted list," Moody said.

"Werewolf?" the cabby said shocked.

"Just keep driving," Sirius said. They would have to pick the one cabby in Paris that understood English. It really didn't matter what the guy heard. They would just erase his memory after they saved Remus and Hermione. "Moody, when were you going to tell Remus about this?"

"I wasn't. It never dawned on us that he was hunting Lupin. Like I said, he wasn't on the most wanted list," Moody said.

"What happened to that paranoid boss of mine? You know the one that always yells Constance Vigilance?" Sirius snapped.

"I had other things on my mind lately Black. I messed up. I'm not perfect you know," Moody snapped. "Besides, I thought the man was after another wolf at the hotel?"

"Who?" Sirius asked.

"Gregor! He is France's version of Gray Back. I think he was watching Remus as well. It is why I thought this Texan was here. It never dawned on me that he missed the man," Moody said. He wasn't telling Sirius, but he knew Remus was the target of the Werewolf Hunter. The France government knew it was as well. They were counting on this man grabbing Remus. They were using him as bait to catch the hunters. What no one counted on was that Hermione would be grabbed as well. It was another reason Moody wasn't saying anything. He knew how Sirius would react. He would kill him. He had a bet that Shakespeare would help. So, Moody was hoping they would get the pair back unharmed. And the France government was watching the pair getting grabbed! 'Damn' Mood cursed to himself. He really hated dealing with other governments. Things always ended up going high wire on him.

"You are getting old," Sirius snapped breaking into Moody's train of thinking.

Moody turned and glared at Sirius but Shakespeare broke in. "Look, I don't care why this man took my daughter. I just want her back! So, drive," Shakespeare yelled at the cabby.

"Yes, sir," the cabby said as he cut through the traffic.

_Story Note: The part with Snape. I realize he should have sounded a bit drunker then he did but the way I see him. Snape wouldn't say half the stuff he said if he was sober. So, the whiskey just loosened up his tongue a bit. lol ;-) Besides, I know people the drunker they get the more sober they act. Believe me, I live in a county that is far from dry. It is a German thing. _


	16. Chapter 16

Story Note… I'm not against Texas. You can blame character of the hunter on to much TV. ;-) He is going to say something about Remus hide being worth money to him in the states. As an American, I know how narrow minded we can get sometimes. So, in this story Remus and other werewolves are just animals in the states in this story. In France, the only time they kill a werewolf if he is on the Death List. IE… Gregor and Grayback.

The man gets money for every werewolf hide he brings in. Remus isn't a human to him. Yes, I know it is cold but that is how he sees him. I do have a good reason for doing this. So, please bear with me….

Marti

Chapter Sixteen

Changes Good and Bad! 

The car stopped in the drive of an old run down farm house with a rickety old barn. The Texan shoved the gun at Remus and ordered, "Get out!"

Remus sighed deeply. He looked in Hermione's direction and realized he had no choice. So, he climbed out of the car keeping his hands in front of him. He didn't want to give the man any reason to shoot him or hurt Hermione. As he did so, he was looking for a way of giving Hermione a chance to escape, but so far nothing came to mind.

The Texan walked up behind Remus and shoved the gun into the man's back, "March!"

Remus shot the man a dirty look but did as he was ordered. He headed towards the barn where he spotted a skinny man dressed in a drab gray suit, waiting by the door. "I see you found him?" The man said, a cold smile on his face that never reached his eyes.

"Yes, but what are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to be part of the kill," the Texan asked, puzzled.

"I changed my mind," replied the man. "Why did you bring her?"

"She was with him. I couldn't leave her behind; besides she might be one of them. The young ones worth just as much money to me as the older one, back in the states," the Texan said, as he shoved the gun in Remus back and forced him to enter the barn.

"Fine with me, I just want to watch," the man said.

Remus was watching the man closely. The man's face was mangled on side and his eyes were ice blue. Moony was picking up the scent of an animal escaping from the man; he was a werewolf! "Look, you are making a big mistake here. He's…" Remus started to speak, but winced as the gun slammed into the back of his head.

"Shut up!" The Texan snapped.

Remus was shoved to one part of the barn, as the wife took Hermione to another part. She pulled out her own gun and aimed it at the scared girl. Remus and Hermione looked at each other, and he motioned with his eyes towards the pitch fork. Hermione gave a slight nod of her head and edged towards the innocuous weapon.

Remus was hoping she could use it to protect herself with, because he knew that in a less then an hour from now the moon would rise and there would be two wolves in this barn. He knew he could control Moony thanks to the potion that he had taken before they went to town, but he didn't trust the other one. The man in gray's name was Gregor. He was as dangerous and as deadly as Fenrir Grayback, the man who had bitten Remus as a child. Remus knew Hermione's only chance of survival if she was lucky, would be to get to that pitch fork!

************************************************

The moon was slowly coming into view, as Sirius and Moody made their way towards the barn. They had left Shakespeare with the driver and told them that if anything happened that they should drive away and leave them. Shakespeare informed them that he wasn't going to leave his daughter and was going to stay put no matter what happened. Sirius wanted to argue with the man but decided they didn't have the time. The moon was rising fast and would be full in the night sky in less than half an hour.

"You grab Hermione," Sirius told Moody.

"Why?" Moody asked.

"Because as Padfoot I can deal with Remus and you can't. I'll be able to lead him away," Sirius answered.

"We have those two Texans to deal with first," Moody said.

"Fine, we take care of them and then you grab Hermione," Sirius snapped.

"Now, I see why you ended up prison, Black. You haven't learned a thing from me have you?" Moody said.

"What?" Sirius demanded.

"You are thinking small. You aren't thinking about the big picture? There could be others in the barn? Then what? What do we do then?" Moody said.

"I…" Sirius started but shut up. He realized that Moody was right. "Okay, you call the shots. What do _you_ want to do?"

************************************************

Inside, the Texan was watching Remus with one, as he watched the moon slowly come into view with the other. Gregor was standing behind the man a large smile adorning his face, with all of his teeth on show. "Look, Mister. I think you are really making a big mistake. The man behind you is…" Remus pleaded.

The Texan fired a shot at Remus' feet sending dirt splattering into his face. "Shut up!" the Texan snapped. "I'm not going to warn you again."

The woman let go of Hermione and turned to watch the show. She watched with anticipation at the prospect of seeing another werewolf die at the hands of her husband. Hermione grabbed the pitch fork and backed away to the corner of the barn, a scared look decorated her face.

Above her, Sirius was making his way across the beams getting into place. He was looking down on his friend, as Remus watched the moon appear. Remus collapsed to the floor, a low growl emitting from his throat as he began to change into Moony. The Texan and his wife watched as he changed, a vicious blood lust look adorned their faces, neither of them bothered to look at the other man in the room, as he too changed into a wolf.

"Shit!" Sirius muttered to himself as he watched the man change.

At the same time, the Texan raised his gun and was about to fire at Remus but a large black form hit him. The werewolf had ripped the man's throat out with one bite and then turned on the woman, and let out a blood curdling howl; she screamed dropping her gun and turned to run trying to escape.

Gregor was about to attack her, but Moony leaped on top of him, biting his shoulder. Quickly, the two werewolves went at it, each one biting and clawing at each other; each trying to dominate the other. Moony was smaller than the other wolf, but this didn't mean he wasn't giving it all. The human side of him knew that if he failed a cub would be killed; so, he fought with everything he had to bring down this dangerous stranger.

Sirius leaped down from the beam, transforming in midair to Padfoot and stood in front of Hermione ready to protect her with his life. But whilst the two werewolves were fighting, the woman had made the effort to retrieve her gun.

She turned sharply just as Sirius landed on the hard cold grounded. The woman screamed and pulled the trigger thinking there was another vicious predator in the barn. "NO! He isn't a werewolf!" Hermione yelled but the woman had already fired her gun. Padfoot had tried to leap out of the way but bullet ripped into his side. He dropped to the ground with a thud.

Hermione yelled and charged the woman; the pitch fork gripped tightly in her hands and used the handle to knock the gun out of the woman's grip. She was about to go for the gun, but one of the werewolves was suddenly on her. Hermione didn't have time to think and did the only thing she could do and raised the fork up in front of her. The sharp prongs of the fork punctured right through the wolf's chest, just as his jaws bit into Hermione's arm. Gregor howled out in pain and dropped to the floor, the fork had pushed out through his back.

Hermione let go of the handle of the pitch fork as she backed up holding her damaged arm. At that moment Moody and several others burst into the room. A man with Moody pulled a gun and shot Gregor five times whilst werewolf was preoccupied with trying to pull the pitch fork from his chest. As Gregor dropped to the ground dead, others threw spells at Moony forcing him to of the corner of the barn and out of harms way. He was magically bound and a muzzle was put over his mouth to keep him from biting anyone. All Moony could do was lie in the dirt and whimper as the strangers surrounded him; he was bleeding badly and a hug section of his fur was missing.

Moody limped over to where Sirius lay; Padfoot raised his head and growled at Moody. "Don't blame me boy, you're the one that didn't do as I told you," Moody said as he reached down to help Sirius. Padfoot snapped at the old auror and forced himself to stand up. He didn't care how much pain he was in; Moody had kept something from them and it almost got his best friend killed. He wasn't about to forgive him for that.

Moody sighed, "You always had to do things the hard away didn't you, Black!" The old wizard pulled his wand and stunned Sirius caused any further damage to his gunshot wound; he then walked over to the dog and started to tend the dog's wounds.

**************************************

It was late and Harry was sleeping in Andi's arms, he'd had another rough session with the doctors and was completely worn out. Ted walked into the room with a look of dread on his face. "What is it?" Andi asked knowing right away that something was wrong.

"Is he asleep?" Ted asked looking down at Harry.

"Yes. What is it? What's happened?" Andi asked.

Ted sighed. "Sirius, Remus and Hermione are downstairs. They were attacked. It seems there was a werewolf hunter in the area and he must have found out that Remus was a werewolf and went after him. Healers have him in a special unit built for hurt werewolves along with Hermione."

"Hermione isn't a werewolf," Andi said.

"I'm afraid she is now. She was bit by a man named Gregor. He was on the Death List here in France and was behind Remus being grabbed. He was killed but unfortunately not before he bit Hermione," Ted said.

"What about Sirius?" Andi asked.

"He was shot whilst in his animagus form. From what I understand, he was trying to protect Hermione, when the hunter's wife shot him. She thought he was a werewolf or that is her story," Ted said a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Sirius…I should," Andi said, starting to get up.

"You should stay with Harry. Sirius is okay; he is ticked off but he is fine. The bullet hit him in the shoulder, but the healers removed it and he is mending nicely," Ted said, as he walked over to sit in the other chair beside his wife.

Andi sighed. "Thank God. How is Hermione? You said she was bit," Andi asked.

"She was. She hasn't changed but from what I understand; she won't until the next full moon. Her parents are with her now," Ted said sadly.

"Poor Hermione," Andi said sadly, then something hit her. "You said Sirius was ticked off. Why, because he was shot?"

"No, because he found Moody knew about the werewolf hunters. French Aurors were using Remus as bate to lure them out into the open, but what they didn't count on was Gregor getting involved. They were watching him as well but they didn't know he was hunting the hunter. He was the one that led them to Remus. Sirius found out about this downstairs and tried to curse Moody; thankfully, the wand he had grabbed didn't work for him. Dora and Kingsley are keeping them a part, at the moment" Ted answered.

"They better start protecting that man from me. How could he use Remus like this? What was he thinking?" Andi snapped her face red.

"I don't know. I can't believe he was that foolish in using Remus like this. If we didn't have enough to deal with a back home, I would bring a civil case against him. And, speaking of trouble at home, I'm sorry to say that Sirius has been arrested, they are going to send him back to England. I contacted Madam Bones and she's sped up the process of his trial. We had wanted to wait until after Albus and the others had their trials; but now we have no choice. I'm going with him to make his rights are covered," Ted said.

Andi looked down at Harry and asked, "What do we tell him?"

"The truth? We can't hide this from him; it would only blow up in our faces later. Besides, I think Hermione needs him at her side; she is being strong for now, but sooner or later, she is going need a shoulder to cry on," Ted replied.

Andi nodded. "You're right. The moment you find out something about Sirius, contact me," Andi said.

"I will, and don't worry Sirius is going to be okay," Ted said leaning over and giving his wife a kiss. As he stood up, he looked down at Harry, "You know if he was like any other normal boy, he would never let you hold him like that."

"Yeah, well, Harry hasn't had anyone to mother him before. He is starving for affection and I figured I have a few months before he starts refuses my attentions," Andi said smiling.

"Do you really think we can raise another teenager at our age? I mean, I remember the trouble we had with Dora," Ted said.

"Yes, but this time you get your wish. You get to find out what it is like to raise a son and not a daughter," Andi smiled.

"You got a point there," Ted agreed, as he left the room. He had to go downstairs and wait with Sirius. He wasn't about let him out of his sight until after the trial was over with. He wouldn't put it past one of Dumbledore's followers to order he be given the dementor's kiss before he could get his trial.

***************************************

Downstairs in the specially protected werewolf ward, Hermione was resting on one of the beds looking towards the cage where Moony was resting; he had a sad look in his eyes as he looked towards at her. Hermione climbed out of bed and walked over to him, sat down and offered her hand; sniffed her hand and then licked it.

Hermione smiled sadly as she petted Moony, "Thanks for trying to help me out there."

Moony whimpered and licked the area where around her bite wound. The healers were unable to heal her because she was bitten by a werewolf; the wound would heal but only after her first full moon.

"It is okay, Remus, it wasn't your fault and I know you did your best to protect me," Hermione said calling Moony by his real name. The bite marks inflicted by Gregor had already healed on Moony, but for awhile they looked very nasty and life threatening. He was still missing some fur where he had received the bites and the healer had said he would have scars in those areas from here on out.

Hermione realized the other werewolf really had done a number on him. The healer said he was lucky to be alive, because if the werewolf hadn't stopped to attack Hermione, Remus would have been dead by now.

"She's right," Sirius said as he walked into the room, his left arm held in a sling.

He was about to walk up to the cage but a woman stopped him, "I'm sorry but you can't get any closer," the woman said.

"He isn't going to bite me, I'm his friend," Sirius snapped.

"It isn't him we are worried about," the woman replied.

"It's me," Hermione said sadly.

Sirius snarled. "Lady, I have dealt with werewolves for years now and I probably know more about them then you do. Furthermore, Hermione here isn't going to hurt me any more than Remus is; now stand aside," Sirius said raising his hurt left hand and showing off the Black head of house ring.

"Sorry, Baron," she said bowing.

Sirius snorted and walked over to join Hermione. "I thought you hated being called Baron?" She asked.

"I do but sometimes it helps," Sirius said looking at Remus. "You okay?"

Moony just laid his head on the floor of the cage, but his eyes were focused on Sirius; he looked completely lost and helpless.

"Now, don't start kicking yourself; it wasn't your fault. If anyone is to blame it is Mad Eye, he's the one that did this," Sirius snapped.

"What did Mr. Moody do?" Hermione asked.

"He used Remus here as bait to catch those werewolf hunters. The French government has been after them for months now and they were hoping to get to them before Remus changed but it didn't happen. He said they didn't count on Gregor to show up either," Sirius said.

Moony growled at the mention of the other wolf.

"Who was he?" Hermione asked as she reached in to pet Moony on the nose to calm him down.

"He is France's version of Grayback but unlike Grayback, he is a lone wolf and is an outcast here. He wanted to kill Remus because he has been talking to the others about bring the changes they have here, back home," Sirius said.

"Not a bad idea, I don't know why we haven't done something like this sooner," Hermione said.

"Fudge," Sirius snapped. "He and the others were fighting it. Now, they are gone, we have a chance."

"You sound like you are going to do something about it," Hermione said, looking at Sirius intently.

"I plan to try. Besides, what good is it being Baron if you can't help your friends," Sirius said as he reached in to touch Moony. Moony moved back for a moment then moved forward to rub his head against Sirius hand. "I know that with the potion you take, you would never hurt me; I'll never fear you old friend."

"And if I finally figure out how to work out the kinks in the potion I'm brewing; it should make the transformation even safer," Scarlett said, as she walked over and joined the group. "You okay?" she asked Hermione.

"I'm fine. How are Mum and Dad doing?" Hermione asked.

"They are okay, they're talking to the Healers now about what to expect, what you are and will go through. How are you presently feeling?" Scarlett asked.

"My arm itches but other then that I'm fine," Hermione said.

"Well, that is good, but there are a few personality changes that I think you should be warned about," Scarlett said.

"Like what?" Hermione asked.

"You will get moody," Sirius said as he winked at Moony.

Moony growled.

"In spite of Sirius's play on words, he is right. You will suffer from mood swings, you might eat more raw meat then you normally would and you will heal faster then most people," Scarlett said.

"And people will hate me," Hermione said, watching the Healer that Sirius had confronted, watching them.

Scarlett sighed. "As open as France is there are a few that will see you as a danger to everyone around you, but not at school. There is a special program set up for every child like you that will help you keep up with your school work. I even brew the potion that you will take to help with the changes," Scarlett said.

"Is that what you were talking about earlier?" Sirius asked.

"No, what I was talking about is the improvement to the potion that I have made; I just haven't had time to test it. I can't test it on the children because the Headmistress won't allow it. I have tested in on several adult werewolves, but only a few and I can't afford make to much of the potion because how expensive it is to make and so, it is hard to tell if I'm getting anywhere," Scarlett said.

"Well, don't worry about money; I'll pay for everything," Sirius said with an intense expression on his face.

"Sirius, you shouldn't!" Scarlett said.

"Hey, I'm not doing this just for Hermione but Remus as well. If there is away to help them both, I'm going to do it," Sirius said.

Moony nodded his head and barked in happily.

"I think Moony agrees with me," Sirius said.

"Okay, and thanks. Who knows, maybe we can figure out away to help everyone out," Scarlett said.

"Yeah, let's hope," Sirius said, noticing Tonks and Kingsley standing in the doorway.

"I have to go; I have things to take care off. I'll see you three later," Sirius said as he stood up. Moony whimpered; Sirius turned and smiled at him, "It is okay buddy, I'll be fine. I'll see you in a few day; you just take care of Harry for me until I get back." Sirius then turned and walked away.

Hermione watched him go and then looked at her aunt, "What is going on?"

"Sirius is going back to England for trial. Now that, everyone knows he is here, he can't stay on the run any more," Scarlett said. She noticed the worried expression on Hermione's face, "Now don't worry. He's going to be fine, Madam Bones has everything in hand."

"I hope so, for Harry's sake," Hermione said.

"I know so," Scarlett replied, giving her niece a comforting hug. "Now, you need to get some rest; you've had a long day."

"Okay," Hermione answered sleepily, before getting up and heading to bed. She said goodnight to her aunt and Moony and then pulled the cover up and rolled over to her side. The lights were dimmed and she drifted off to sleep.

*************************************

The next morning, Arthur Weasley walked into chambers of the Wizengamot with is hat in his hand. He had been summoned there and had no idea why. The only thing he knew was that they wanted to see him right away.

Lucius Malfoy looked down his long regal nose at Arthur, "About time."

"Sorry, I was dealing the French Ministry, it seems there is a bit of problem with Sirius Black," Arthur said.

"We know, it is why you are here. It seems that we can't hold a trial for Baron Black without all our members seated and it was discovered that Albus had stolen the seat he was using. It rightfully belongs to you and was given to you by your Godfather Ares Potter. It was one of the several seats his father had once controlled," Lucius said, his voice was laced with sarcasm.

"I…" but Arthur was speechless. He looked around the room wondering if this was an elaborate joke. He noticed Augusta Longbottom nod to him and pointed at an empty seat beside her; Arthur meekly walked over and sat down.

"It is okay, I'll explain everything to you later," Augusta promised.

"Now, that is dealt with let us get on with the business at hand. By law, only the upper house can pass judgment over a Lord or Baron. This means, it is not necessary for us to fill the positions of the vacated seats at this moment. Although, I do suggest we start the process filling those seats today thought; we don't want to hold off Dumbledore and his cohorts any longer then necessary."

"I agree," Augusta said. "The public is starting to wonder about how long the trial will be put off for, especially as there are some that still doubt his guilt."

"You act as if he is guilty," an old woman said across from Augusta.

"After seeing that book, I have no doubt he is guilty," Augusta snapped.

"It could be faked," another wizard spoke up.

Lucius hit the gavel on the table before him. "Enough, this is not time or the place to discuss this. We are here to talk about filling the empty seats of this body." This started a long winded speech from Lucius.

Augusta leaned close to Arthur, "He loves to hear himself talk," she muttered.

"Why am I here and how did I get this seat?" Arthur asked.

Augusta told him how they had discovered from Madam Bones that Albus had stolen Arthur's seat. Although, she did leave out Molly's part in the matter, as she figured he had been hurt enough from 'that woman's actions'. She wanted to spare him the grief of knowing of more of his wife's betrayals.

Arthur sat there stunned throughout the whole meeting. After it was over with, he followed Augusta to a small room off to the side to pick up his robes, where she filled him on his duties and pay. Although the issue of pay was up air at this moment, because the Ministry was close to being broke. But, she promised once they fixed that problem, he would make enough money to support his family quite comfortably.

Arthur was starting to think that his luck was finally changing. He had had time to think about Molly and his one conclusion was that their marriage was over. He had talked to a lawyer about a divorce and had sent her money to help put Ron though school and agreed to continue to do so as long as the boy attended; other than that, she wasn't going to get anything else from him. So, this new found wealth was all his and the children's, Arthur thought as he sat his new desk. They had put up with a lot during these few weeks and they needed a treat. Besides, the school lists had arrived and they would need to get their uniforms, books and equipment for the start of the new school year. Arthur was going to do something he always dreamed of doing; he was going to buy his children brand new school supplies. He would even buy them new clothes for everyday use and he thought he might even by himself something new. Arthur thought about this as he looked down at his shoes, his toe starting to poke through a hole that refused to repair any further repairs, even with the strongest of charms.

So, that afternoon and a sack of gold in hand, Arthur Weasley took the rest of the day off and went home. He was going to take his children treat them, maybe even take them out for a nice meal at one of the restaurants in Diagon Alley.


	17. Chapter 17

Story Note: I thought that I needed to lighten the mood a bit. This is why this chapter is here. It is pure fluff and all Weasley! ;-)

Chapter Seventeen

Family Time

Arthur and his children had arrived in Diagon Alley later that afternoon. Ginny was holding a school list, ready to cross off anything they picked up. Their first stop was at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Ginny and the twins headed right to used robe department but Arthur stopped them saying, "No, we are buying new this trip."

"New?" Ginny said shocked trying not to get her hopes up. She never had anything new in her life. Everything had always come off the used rack.

"Yes, new and you can pick out a few new things as long as it is within reason. Remember you need new dress robes as well. So, keep things simple," Arthur reminded them.

Ginny and the twins looked at each other shocked and then slowly they made their way into the clothing area. Ginny and the twins knew that the clothes their friends bought were at Rips. So, they would only buy new school uniforms here. They would also buy off the rack because fitted uniforms cost more.

Arthur walked over to the men's department and started to look at new dress robes. He knew he would need to start wearing better robes because of his promotion, but he didn't want to go overboard.

As he was looking, he bumped into Nurse Pomfrey. "Oh, sorry Poppy," Arthur said.

"It is okay, Arthur. It was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going," Poppy said smiling at Arthur. "How are you this fine day," she asked.

"I'm fine. I brought the children here to do some shopping. They grow so fast it is hard to keep them in clothes sometimes," Arthur said.

"Tell me about it. I am always amazed how much they change over the summer," Poppy said.

"I heard what happened at school. I hope you weren't one of the staff members let go," Arthur said.

"I wasn't but I lost a lot of friends. I hope next term things will be better but for now. We have to keep moving on. I don't know who I blame more for this; Albus or us?" Poppy said.

"Why do you say it that way?" Arthur asked.

"We let him do this. We went along with him never questioning his motives. So, in a way it is our fault as well," Poppy explained.

"I never thought of it that way but you are right. We did following him around blindly… in a way we were sheep."

"Yes, and we thought he was a shepherd but he was really a wolf." Poppy said sadly. Arthur nodded and picked up a pair of brown slacks. He was looking at them trying to think it they were worth it. Poppy noticed his indecision on things and said, "You know, I have learned that if you buy just one or two tailored suits. You can change them up by buying less expensive shirts." Poppy suggested.

"I never thought of that. Do you mind helping me pick them out? I just got a promotion and need to dress the part now." I really don't know what I'm doing he thought. "I always left the shopping up to…" Arthur stopped. He couldn't bring himself to say Molly's name.

"It is okay, Arthur. I understand. I would be glad to help out. Why don't you go over to see Madam Milken's to get fitted? I will start picking out some nice shirts for you that you can wear to keep the suits fresh," Poppy said with a warm smile.

"I will do that," Arthur said and he walked away.

As he left, Minerva appeared from behind a rack. "I told you it would work," she said.

"Now what?" Poppy asked.

"Just be yourself and see where it goes from here. Poppy, you said you liked Arthur in school. Who knows where your relationship would have gone if it wasn't for Albus," Minerva said.

"I know but maybe it is too late," Poppy said.

"It is never too late. Now, you stay and enjoy yourself. I will finish the shopping alone. We don't need to much this trip," Minerva said.

"Alright, but I hope you are right. I really don't want to make a fool out of myself," Poppy said.

"You won't now, I better get going," Minerva said winking at her friend and then heading off to do her shopping. She knew she was playing games a bit like Albus, but unlike Albus she was going to let nature take its course. She wasn't going to force Poppy and Arthur together. It was all up to them. She just gave them a small push in the right direction.

After Poppy helped Arthur out with the new robes, he asked her to join them for the day. She agreed and she went along from shop to shop as the Weasley's bought what they would need. The kids of course were unsure of her at first, but they soon warmed up to her. It didn't hurt that they noticed how happy their father was with her around. They hadn't see him smile that much in days. It was nice for a change.

Arthur and the others met Bill and Charlie at one of the local restaurants in the Alley. It wasn't one of the finer places there but it was nice. It was named Witchy Poo's Eatery. It was a family style restaurant and it severed home cook meals at a good price.

Bill and Charlie arrived last. The boys were smiling smugly as they sat down at the table. Their smiles lessened a bit at the sight of Poppy but they were polite. "Hello, Nurse Pomfrey," the boys said together.

"Just call me Poppy; we are not in school at this moment. How are you two doing?" Poppy asked the boys.

"Oh, just fine," Bill said.

"I'm better then fine. Father, you are not going to believe this but I got a job as seeker," Charlie chimed in.

"You did? Who with?" Arthur asked.

"The Cannons, but the new coach really knows her stuff. And you are not going to believe who it is…" Bill said.

"Rolanda," Poppy answered.

"Yes, that is right. We talked this morning. She said she was given complete control over revamping the team. It seems she and the owner are old friends. She even talked him into changing the uniform colors. They are now black with a hint orange," Charlie explained.

"Well, he doesn't have the job yet. He has to tryout but it does look good," Bill said bursting Charlie's bubble just a bit.

Charlie gave his brother a dirty look as Arthur smiled a bit and replied, "I'm sure you will make it."

"I hope so. Bill and I just came from the bank. I cleaned out my savings to by a Firebolt. I heard how fast Harry's is from the twins and I think it will give me a head over the others. If I make the team, they will cover the cost of the broom," Charlie said.

"Isn't that risky?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, but life is full of risks. Besides, this is my last chance at making the pros. I can't just do nothing or I will spend the rest of my life saying 'what if?'" Charlie said.

"You have a point. I hope it works out for you," Arthur said. He didn't spending money foolishly but then again if he was in Charlie's shoes. He might have done it himself but when he was Charlie's age. He was father. He couldn't risk everything. He had to play it safe. Charlie was lucky at this moment not to have a family to risk it all to make his life better.

Charlie talked more about the Cannons and how the team is going to change. Bill broke in now and then about his new job. He was made Head Curse Breaker at Gringotts. His first job was going to be for Sirius Black. He was given the job to help break through all the dark cruses on items in the Black vault and family home. Sirius was even offering a bonus if he could get a painting of his mother off the wall of the home.

A bit later, everyone was walking down the streets heading towards Rags when Molly was spotted not far away walking towards them. Ron had a scowl on his face as he walked behind his mother carrying a box. "I told you it is all I can afford. So, get over it," Molly snapped. Molly was about to say something else but she and Ron stopped right next to Arthur and the others.

Ginny glared at her mother and brother and said, "Father, I'm heading on to Rags."

"We will go with you," the twins said.

"So, we will we," Bill said as he and Charlie walked off. "Maybe, we can find you the prefect dress robes there. My treat," he said to his younger siblings.

Molly looked over at Poppy and then turned to Arthur. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm fine. I see my lawyer informed you of my agreement," Arthur said.

"Yes, and I'm thankful for it. I don't see how I could manage to send Ron to Hogwarts without your help," Molly said.

"It is the least I can do," Arthur turned away from Molly and said, "How are you doing, Ron?"

"I'm fine," Ron snapped.

"That is good. If you ever need someone talk to, I'm always here," Arthur told the boy.

"Don't bother," Ron snapped and he stormed off.

Arthur sighed and tried cover up the hurt expression on his face but it was difficult. Poppy placed a loving hand on his arm to show her support but Molly shoved it away. "He is married to me."

"From what I understand not for long," Poppy snapped.

"You don't wait long did you," Molly hissed.

"Enough," Arthur said stopping this before it got worse. "Molly, what I do with my life is my business. In less than a month, we will not be married."

"I was hoping…" Molly said.

"Forget it. You made your bed now lay in it," Arthur said and he walked away taking Poppy's hand and linking it with his arm. Molly stood there her face red as she watched her husband walk away from her. "Bitch," she muttered.

"Tramp," two old ladies hissed behind her.

Molly turned and glared at them. "What? We don't blame him for dumping you for her. At least, she didn't run around like someone else we know of," the one older replied.

"In my day, you would have been stoned," the other said. Molly just stormed off. She didn't stick around to hear the rest of what the ladies were saying about her.

Poppy and Arthur headed in the direction of Rag's to catch up with the children. Arthur was quiet as they walked. "Are you upset with me?" Poppy asked finally.

"What?" Arthur said stunned, looking at Poppy with a confused expression on his face.

"Upset with me about what I said to Molly?" Poppy said.

Arthur shook his head with a small smile on his face. "No, I'm not. Molly started it. You were just speaking your mind," Arthur said.

"Well, we are just two old school friends out for a day. It really wasn't my place to say something," Poppy said.

"What happened? When we were in school, our lives were so easy. We knew exactly what we wanted and where we were going. Now? Look at us? I'm not where I planned on being that is for sure," Arthur said sadly.

"We grew up. Sadly, that is how life is. I see children walking through the halls of Hogwarts dreaming about life and believing they are going to change the world. I fight myself from walking over to them and yelling 'Grow up!' You can't change anything." Poppy said.

"I don't know. I think they could change the world. We can if we try hard enough," Arthur said.

"Well, now that men like Albus are gone it might happen, but who knows. I do know I have to worry about paying the rent and making sure I have money to retire on. I don't have time to worry about the world," Poppy said.

"I'm in the same boat. I have to worry about putting food on the table and making sure my children get through school. I also have to make sure the twins don't blow up the house!" Arthur said noticing the twins coming out of the local joke shop.

"Boys, are you at the wrong store?" Arthur said.

"We were just heading there," Fred said.

"Well, you better get going. We still have a bit of shopping to do. You still need your school books. I do hope you work a bit harder on your subjects this term and not your pranks," Arthur warned them.

"Yes, sir," Fred and George said together and rushed off to Rag's.

Arthur laughed. "They are good boys. They just need direction now and then," Arthur said.

"They need more then that sometimes," Poppy said thinking she should warn Minerva about the two coming from the joke shop. Then she realized what she said and muttered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"It is okay. I understand. I don't want Minerva to know this but I am thankful they ended up her house. At least, with her I know she will look after them," Arthur said.

"I don't think Minerva thinks of it like that. She did have to put with Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. Those four were enough for anyone," Poppy said laughing.

"I hear Harry isn't anything like his father on that account," Arthur said.

"No, thank Merlin. He is more like his mother. He only gets into trouble because he is protecting someone he cares about. The trouble is he gets hurt as easy as his father did. I see Harry more than any student at Hogwarts or I did." Poppy said sadly.

"Yes, I heard Andi and Ted sent him to France this year. I really don't blame them not after all the trouble Harry had his last three years," Arthur said.

"No, I can't either," Poppy agreed.

Poppy and Arthur arrived at the shop to find Bill, Charlie and the twins arguing with Ginny. "Daddy, tell them they are being ridicules," Ginny cried as the pair approached.

"Dad, do you see what she wants to buy?" Charlie complained.

Arthur looked at the dress that Ginny had on and understood her brothers' concerns. The dress was nice but it made her look quite a bit older than her age. Poppy eyed the dress and said, "It is nice but I think this one here is better. The color will set off your eyes." Poppy pulled another dress from the rack. It wasn't as low cut and it fit a girl more Ginny's age.

"You think? I mean, I heard Lavender talking about this dress last term. She said everyone had one. She was planning on asking her father for it this term," Ginny said.

"Ginny, dear, I know Mr. Brown and there is no way he is going to buy that dress for his daughter. Now, go try this one on. It will look much nicer on you," Arthur said.

"You sure, Daddy?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Arthur said with no room in his tone of voice for arguing.

"Okay," Ginny said and she went to try on the other dress.

Arthur turned to Poppy and said, "Thank you; I really didn't know what to say to her."

"Don't worry, I understand. Girls Ginny's age are trying to find themselves. It will take her time to find the place she fits but I'm sure she will find it," Poppy said. She did turn to the boys and said, "I do have a piece of advice for you lot. If you don't want your sister going behind your back all the time, I would learn to pick my battles with her. It is wiser to lose the smaller ones then lose all the battles."

"You got a point but that dress…" Charlie said. "Girls my age wear that!"

"I know but your sister doesn't know that. She only gets to listen to girls like Lavender talk about style," Poppy pointed out.

"Lavender Brown is an air head!" Fred said.

"I agree," George replied.

Arthur was watching all the girls at the magazine rack talking about the latest styles. He walked over to the rack and picked one of the less risqué ones up, noticing a subscription card. "I think Ginny will like this don't you?" he asked his sons.

"Yeah," they agreed.

"Nice idea," Poppy agreed.

Arthur bushed a bit and went to pay for the magazine. Ginny's birthday was coming up and getting her subscription to Witch Weekly was the perfect gift for her.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Meeting the Family

Harry stayed in the hospital for two days after Hermione was bit. She was also getting out as was Remus. Harry was sitting on the end of his bed that morning dressed and ready to leave. He felt better then he had in a long time. He had grown a good inch and half. He didn't look as skinny, either. He now was at a healthy weight. His hair was the same and he still had to wear his glasses but he couldn't have everything. He figured.

_As he sat there, he thought about Hermione. He had seen her a few days before right after he found out about the attack. She was in her hospital room. He saw the fear on her face as he wanted into the room. He smiled at her and asked, "How are you feeling?" _

_"I'm okay," Hermione said sadly not looking him in the eye. _

_"That's good. You should hear Andi chew out Mr. Moody. I think she could give Uncle Vernon a run for his money in that department," Harry laughed as he sat down in the empty chair. Hermione didn't smile. She just sat there playing with the ragged edge of her blanket. "Hermione, look at me," Harry said finally. Hermione looked up and she had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" _

_"I'm a monster," She cried. _

_Harry reached for her hand but she pulled away. He sat there his hand resting a few inches away. He sighed and said, "You're not a monster. I know people think you are but your not. I knew kid in my muggle school. He had AIDS. He got it from a blood transfusion. It wasn't fault that it happened. He was one of few that talked to me. The reason was because I was never afraid of him. I did spend a lot of time trying to learn about his illness as I could. I even asked a lot of dumb questions. He answered them and for the year went to my school. We were friends. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were among the parents that forced his parents to remove him from school. I think that is why when I found out about Remus. I wasn't afraid. I did the same thing as I did then. I looked information and asked questions."  
_

_"You are one of the few. People are afraid of me Harry," Hermione said sadly. _

_"They don't know you as I do. The Hermione I know will not take this lying down. She will read every book she can find Magical and Muggle to find a cure or at least make things easier not just for her but for everyone," Harry said. _

_Hermione looked at him and smiled, "You think I can do it?" She asked. _

_"Of course, you are the smartest witch I know," Harry said grinning. _

_"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said leaning close and giving him a kiss. Harry and Hermione talked for close to an hour. It was until she noticed he was yawning. So, she forced him to go back to his room. _

_Harry had agreed and said good bye. He was walking back to his room. He was near his room, when he spotted Neville and Susan sitting together on a bench talking. He couldn't help but over hear their conversation. _

_"What do you think about Hermione being bit?" Susan asked. _

_"I don't know. I mean I like her and all but she is a werewolf now," Neville said. _

_"So," Harry asked as he walked up on the pair. _

_"Harry," Susan said jumping to her feet. "People are out looking for you? Where have you been?" _

_"I was visiting __**my friend Hermione**__!" Harry snapped. _

_"Harry, it wasn't the way it sounded," Neville said. _

_"Wasn't it? You are afraid of her right?" Harry asked. _

_Susan and Neville looked at each other before Neville turned to Harry and said, "You don't understand. We were always taught that werewolves were dangerous. Our families always told us never to get close to one. I don't even Gram knows that Remus is werewolf." _

_"Did you know before this?" Harry asked. _

_The pair shook their heads. _

_"Does that you change your opinion of him?" Harry asked coldly. He was getting angry and the hairs on his arms starting to stand up. _

_Susan and Neville must have felt it as well. So, they backed up a bit. "No," Susan said quickly. _

_"Then why are you so afraid of Hermione?" Harry demanded taking several deep breaths trying to calm down. _

_"We're not. We just don't know how to act around her right now. We know she is still the same Hermione but she is different though," Neville said. He knew that he was saying it wrong but he didn't know how else how to say it. _

_Susan saw that what Neville had said just made Harry angrier and she decided to break in before things got worse. "Look, Harry, what Neville means is that we don't know how to talk to her. The Healers told us she is going to be moody until she learns to control the werewolf. We don't want to say something to her to tick you… her off," Susan said quickly. She was hoping that Harry hadn't caught her slip but he did. _

_He took several deep breaths and started calm down. He knew his magic was out of control still because of the blocks. He wasn't this super power wizard or anything. It is just that he doesn't have total control over his magic like other kids his age. He needs to learn how to control things. He took several deep breaths before speaking again. "I get it and I'm sorry about over reacting. I just thought you were going to be like the others." _

_"Harry, it is okay. We will admit before we knew you. We would have thought the worse of Hermione," Susan said. _

_"Why did I change things?" Harry asked. _

_"It was because of Dumbledore! If he is wrong, then maybe everything else we were taught might be wrong as well," Neville said smiling. _

_Harry was about to reply but Andi showed up. She chewed him out for not telling anyone where he was going and sent him to bed. Before, he went to his room to rest, he made Susan and Neville promise that they would see Hermione and talk to her. They agreed and the pair went off to talk to their friend. _

The door opened suddenly an in walked Hermione, Susan, and Neville. "Hey, Harry," Neville said.

"You ready to get out of here?" Susan asked.

"Yes, I hate hospitals just as much as I hate infirmaries," Harry admitted.

"I don't blame you. I hate this place myself," Hermione snapped.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked.

"Okay, my arm still hurts but it is getting better. Remus and I talked about things. He still blames himself for what happened. I tried to tell him it wasn't his fault but he isn't listening to me. I'm hoping now that Sirius is back… ouch!" Hermione said rubbing her arm and giving Susan a dirty look. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, but I think the adults wanted to surprise Harry with Sirius?" Susan said.

"Sirius is here?" Harry said his eyes lighting up at the thought that his Godfather was safe.

"Yes, he is," Hermione snapped giving Susan a dirty look. Susan could swear she was growing at her.

Harry, Susan and Neville gave Hermione a strange look but decided not to comment. They were told that Hermione's personality might change a bite. They took this new side of Hermione as part of it.

Neville decided to speak up. "I got an owl from Gram. She finally told me why she transferred me. It seems Harry that your parents are not the only ones that Dumbledore went after. My parents were on his list as were Susan's."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Beside, they didn't fit into his idea of what the wizarding world should be like," Susan growled. She told her friends about the book that her aunt had found. "I don't know much about it but from the little my aunt as told me. It isn't good. She said I might hear about more after Dumbledore's trial but for now. They are trying to keeps its contents a secret."

"I hope he gets the kiss," Neville said.

"No, that is too good for that old goat. He should be thrown through the veil," Sirius said as he and the other adults walked into the room.

"Hi, Sirius. I guess that you're here that the trial went okay," Harry said playing it cool.

Sirius gave the kids a dirty look for a moment then turned to Harry and replied, "Yes, it went fine. I'm now officially a free man. I even got my seat back on the Wizengamot. They had to or they would have had to fork over a lot of money to me," Sirius laughed.

"And they couldn't afford that," Remus pointed out.

"Yes, but now that they have Black money to spend for a while. I think everything will be okay," Sirius said.

"Sirius are you sure that is a good idea. What if they break you?" Andi said as she entered the room.

"Let them. I don't care. Besides, what am I going to do with the money?" Sirius said.

Andi shot Sirius a dirty look and said, "Okay, that is it. Are you going to tell me why you are so willing to throw money around like it is nothing? I know you never cared about it but this is going too far. What aren't you telling us?"

Sirius sighed. "Okay, I can't tell you everything but I can say this much. I had help getting out of prison. It seems Bella runs the place. The guards are even scared of her. The trouble is the only way she would help me is that I promised to make Draco my heir. He is going to be the next Lord Black. The trouble is if my plans work out. The Black family will be broke by the time I'm done," Sirius laughed.

Remus, Andi and the children looked at Sirius like he grew another head. "Sirius, how could you promise her that?" Andi demanded.

"Easy, Andi, Lord Black means nothing to me besides why would I want to saddle Harry with the title. He has his own to worry about," Sirius said.

Remus slapped Sirius on the back of the head. "Sirius, you idiot, naming Draco your heir wasn't about the money. It is about the power the Blacks hold in our world." Remus said.

"Not only that but what about the family secrets," Andi pointed out.

"Don't worry; I know what I'm doing. Gringotts at this moment has a curse breaker trying to burst through all the dark spells this family put on everything there is in the vaults and the houses. After they are broken, I'm going to sale it all off," Sirius said smiling.

"Everything?" Andi said shocked.

"Everything! Look if you want some of it, you can have it but I don't care about any of it. I'm plan on being the last Black male. The blood line is going to die with me. The titles and the crap that I can't dump is going to Draco. It won't be worth much anyway. At least not, by the time I'm done!" Sirius said evil grin.

Andi and Remus didn't believe it was going to happen but they would talk with Sirius about this later. Right now, he wasn't willing to listen to them. So, they just let the matter drop.

Sirius turned his attention to a confused Harry. "Okay, enough of this talk about the Blacks. I want to take Harry to meet his parents," Sirius said as he headed for the door and walked out of the room.

Andi shook her head and said to Harry. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Harry said as he stood up.

"Then lets get out of here," Ted said and everyone headed out.

*********************************************

They didn't leave as fast as everyone wanted. There was still a bite of paper work to sign. This was up to Ted and being a lawyer, he read it over a few times before signing it. Sirius was about bite his head off by the time he was done. He would have just signed the paper work and got things over with. He pointed this out to Ted. Ted retaliated that Sirius would have been charged double on Harry's hospital room. It was one of several mistakes that Ted had found in the bill. Sirius shot back that he had enough money to cover it. So, it was no big deal.

Andi figured it was time leave this before the pair got into a fight. So, the group headed towards the floo network. They would travel to the Frances magical transportation area before heading back to England. They would then head to the Potter Estate.

Harry asked why they couldn't travel to the Potter Estate from the hospital and ended up getting a mile long lecture from Remus about magical transportation methods and their limits. Remus lost Harry half way through his speech but Hermione kept up with him and even managed to take notes. Thanks with the aid of her mother and her bottomless purse. Where she found a notebook and pen for Hermione! _(Note: Hermione mother's purse is not a magical purse. She is just like most mothers. She carries everything with her!)_

It wasn't until Harry walked up down the streets of the small village that he learned that his family home was in Godric's Hollow. "This is where they died," he said finally.

Andi put a loving hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "Yes, and where they are buried. If you want, we can go see them."

"I like that," Harry replied his eyes tearing up.

It wasn't until that moment that Remus, Andi and Ted realized they had something that Harry and partly Sirius didn't have. Sirius at least knew where James and Lily were buried. They were at James and Lily's funerals. They knew where they were buried. They had a chance to say goodbye. So, before heading to the house, they took a detour to the grave yard.

Godric's Hollow grave yard was old. It was filled with many witches and wizards from the wizarding world's past. Hermione spotted Nearly Headless Nick's grave. It wasn't to far way from several of the other famous names from their History book. She wanted to stop at them all but with help from her parents. The group finally managed to guide her to the center of the grave yard.

This was where the Potter's were buried. James and Lily were buried right next to James parents and Grandparents. There were carvings of a stag and a lily flower above James and Lily's names.

At the sight of his parent's graves, Harry bent down and started to cry. Sirius stood beside him tears filling his own eyes as he too let loose of the pain he felt at the lost of his best friend. No one said anything; they just let the pair morn.

After a bit, Remus pulled his wand and charmed a few rocks that were scattered around into flowers. "This will last longer they any store bought flower," he said to the Grangers as he placed them on the graves of James and Lily, his parents and grandparents.

The tears finally stopped falling for Harry and he stood up. "Thanks, Remus. They look nice."

"Lily taught me that spell," Remus admitted sheepishly.

Andi walked beside her cousin and asked, "Are you okay?"

Sirius dried his eyes and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. It is just the weather."

"Of course it is," Andi said as she gave her cousin kiss on the cheek.

Sirius cheeks turned pink at this and he quickly said. "Come on, let's get going. It is getting late and we have lot to do," Sirius said and he quickly walked away.

As they walked, Shakespeare leaned close to Neville and Harry and said, "Boys, there are times real man cry. Don't let anyone tell you anything else." Shakespeare was looking after Sirius as he said this. Remus smiled at this but stayed quiet.

Harry found out that the home his parents were living in was just one of several homes on the Estate grounds. James parents had lived at the main house until their deaths. It was one reason why James chose one of the smaller homes to live with his young family. The death of his parents was still fresh in his mind and he wasn't ready to face his family home just yet. It might have been better if he had because Godric's Estate as it was called was as protected as Hogwarts.

James parents were at party at one of their friends when they were attacked. If they were at home, they wouldn't have died. For Godric himself had set up the wards of the house and keyed them to his blood. Only people that the heirs see as friends could enter the grounds and even they couldn't enter if they mean harm to his blood.

So, before anyone could enter. It was up to Harry to key them into the wards. The front age was locked. They were high cast iron with carvings of Gryffindor lions at the front of them. As Harry walked up to touch them, a real Gryffindor lion jumped out the shadows and stood there facing the boy. "Who are you?" the lion growled.

Harry looked back at the others for a moment but then turned to face the line. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Prove it!" the lion growled.

"How?" Harry asked.

"Show your courage," the lion growled and he stood there its eyes blazing red watching Harry closely.

Harry didn't move for a moment but then he slowly walked towards the lion. He walked past it and gave the gate a shove. The gates opened up wide and the lion vanished.

"Good, work," Sirius said as he walked close to Harry.

"How did you know it wasn't real?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know but something told me that you guys would have brought me to get hurt. So, I knew it couldn't hurt me," Harry said as he smiled around at the people he now considered his family.

"Well, let's get going. It looks like it going to rain," Andi said as the group rushed towards the massive house that stood on the hill.

To the Grangers it looked like a rundown estate but everyone assured them it wasn't. They would see it as it was after they were keyed into the wards of the home. They couldn't do that until they entered. Once everyone was inside, Sirius did the spell that keyed everyone to the house. It was only then that the Grangers saw what everyone else was seeing and they were in shock by how large the place was.

Harry was just in shock about what he saw. His family home was like something out of dream. He followed Sirius and the others into estate. The group made their way down a long hallway. There were paintings on the walls. Harry would stop and look at them now and then trying to find his parents. He was lead to office area. There above the fire place was Godric Gryffindor.

"Hello, young one," Godric said.

"Hi, sir," Harry replied after Remus gave him a gentle shove in the back.

"Come closer," Godric said as he looked down at Harry.

"I see James in you," Godric said.

"How do you know that?" Harry asked.

Godric laughed. "I know what Hogwarts knows. It is part of me. If you looked hard enough, you might have found me but then again the old Headmaster didn't want you to find me. There is a lot about me he doesn't want you to know," Godric said in a mysterious tone in his voice.

"I don't understand?" Harry said.

"You will but for now. Why don't you go down the hall? I think there is someone waiting to see you," Godric said.

Harry looked at him for a moment with a hopeful smile on his face and took off. His friends went after him. The adults sat down as Godric walked out of painting and went to another part of the castle.

"I wonder what that was about." Tonks asked.

"He most probably is talking about Harry being the heir of Gryffindor," Sirius said as he sat down in James father's favorite chair.

"You do know, when we were younger you couldn't have sat there," Remus said remembering James parents.

"I know but the old man isn't here is he," Sirius said grinning.

"Black, get out of my chair!" A voice yelled from behind Sirius.

Sirius Black jumped out the chair and landed on the floor. He looked up to see the ghostly figure of James father standing floating behind him. The ghost floated through the chair and then sat down in it. "You know this is my place!"

"Sir, I'm sorry. I didn't know," Sirius said sitting on the floor with a shocked expression on his face.

"Of course you didn't, James never told anyone that I didn't crossover. I didn't want them to know," the ghost said. He looked at the others in the room and said to Sirius. "Well, Baron Black, are you going to introduce me to these people?"

"Sorry, sir," Sirius said finally getting himself up off the floor and taking a seat on the couch next to Remus. Remus was smiling as Sirius went on to introduce everyone to Charlus Potter. "Charlus, you remember my cousin Andi and her husband Ted. This is there daughter Dora. The couple on the love seat is Shakespeare and Marian Granger. Their daughter is a good friend of Harry's."

"Good to meet everyone, I believe my grandson is exploring?" Charlus said.

"Yes, Godric sent him off to find his parents," Andi said.

"Good, I know his mother would be quiet upset if he doesn't look her up. And I assure you, an upset Lily is not something I would like to deal with," Charlus said. Sirius and Remus nodded agreement. They knew Lily well enough to know never to tick her off not even as a painting.

******************************************************

Harry and his friends made their way down the hallway. They peaked in several rooms until they found James and Lily. They were what Harry would find out later the family room. It was informal living area where the family spent time together in the evenings. James and Lily were talking to another lady in the painting above the fire place.

Harry walked up to the fire place and said in a quite voice. "Hi."

James looked down and smiled, "Harry," he cried out smiling in joy. "Lily, Harry is here!"

"I see that," Lily said looking down at her son with a sad expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked her.

"Nothing, Harry. I'm just happy to see you. If paintings could cry, I would," Lily said.

"Oh," Harry said not sure what to say. It was strange talking to his parents for the first time. Or as he tried to remind himself, images of his parents. They weren't really his parents. They were just memories of his parents.

"Turn around, let's check you out," James said.

"James, behave," the woman said.

"But, mother," James whined.

"No, buts, you will behave yourself," Dorea said.

"Yes, ma'am," James said sulking.

Harry stood there laughing. "So, you're my grandmother?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry. Now, please introduce your friends to us?"

"Oh, sorry," Harry said and he turned and introduced the paintings to Hermione, Susan and Neville.

"Neville is Frank and Alice your parents?" Lily asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Neville said.

"How is Alice? She was my best friend you know?" Lily said.

"I know. My gram told me. I'm sorry to say that my parents are in St. Mungos," Neville said and he explained about his parents.

Lily looked sad as did James and his mother. "We are sorry," Dorea said.

"Yes, Frank was a good man," James said.

"Thank you," Neville said.

"So, tell us Harry. What have you been doing?" Lily asked.

Harry explained a bit about his life. He down played his life with the Dursleys. He didn't want to get into that with them. It wasn't like they were really his parents. So, how could they understand what his life with the Dursleys was like? He kept to the normal things. He talked about his classes, his friends and of course Quidditch. James was on cloud nine when he learned that Harry was a seeker his first year. He ran off to tell the other paintings about it.

Lily just shook her head after he left and said, "Men, why is it they are in love with that game?"

"It's fun," Harry said.

"You call being almost killed the past three years fun!" Hermione snapped giving Harry a dirty look.

"I wasn't almost killed," Harry said.

Neville, Susan and Hermione shot Harry strangers looks at this as Neville said, "Mate, the twins have a pool going every year on what bone you are going to break next?"

"They what?" Harry said hurt.

"They aren't the only ones. I think every house has a pool going on what game you get hurt in," Susan said.

Harry snorted at this. "It isn't like I set out to get hurt."

"Is there something you haven't been telling us?" Lily asked.

"Um," Harry said bushing.

"Lily, Harry has a right to hold things from us. We are just memories after all. It isn't like you are his mother and I'm his grandmother. If the boy doesn't feel comfortable talking to us, we shouldn't force him to."

"You are right. I forget sometimes that we aren't alive," Lily said sadly and she wondered off.

Harry felt bad. He looked down at his shoes and rubbed them into the carpet. "It is okay, young one. Lily is just acting like the way the real Lily would have acted. You see, I believe James and Lily knew they wouldn't be around for you. So, they left more then their memories. They left part of themselves," Dorea said.

"How?" Hermione asked.

"I believe the answer to that question could be found in Godric's personal journals. They are located in the library. You will need Harry's permission to read them. He is the only one here that can access the library," Dorea said.

Hermione turned and looked at Harry intently. Harry sighed and said, "I'm not dumb enough to try and keep you way from a book. Where is this library?" Harry asked.

"Down the hall, it is the last door at the end of the hall. You just have to push on the door for it to open. Once, there you must state to the room that you grant Hermione access to the Potter secrets," Dorea said.

"Secrets?" Harry said.

"The books inside that library haven't been seen by anyone other then someone with Potter blood for centuries. Every old family has a secret library. I know the Black family has one. It is protected by a painting of a person that was selected to keep the family secrets. Only the heir can over ride this protection but he or she must first accept their Black heritage."

"How do you know this?" Harry asked.

"I'm a Black. The old families are related some how or another. I believe if you look close young Neville there is your fourth cousin twice removed. The same goes for Ms. Bones but she is more your fifth or sixth cousin. I'm not sure. You would have to look their ancestors up on the family tree. You can find it on the wall in the library."

"Come on let's go," Hermione said grabbing onto Harry's arm and starting to pull him towards the library.

Hermione had just pulled open the door only to find her mother standing in the hall reaching for the door knob. "Hermione, I was just coming to tell you kids. It is late and time for bed."

"But!" Hermione said.

"No, buts now come on. Let's go young lady," Marian said firmly.

"Yes, mother," Hermione said giving in to her mother without a fight. She knew that tone of voice and knew it wasn't wise to argue.

The kids followed Marian out of the family room and down the hall. They met the others by the stairs. They then headed upstairs to bed. They were shown to their bedrooms by a small house elf. She wore a tea towel that was made into a dress. She seemed upset about something because she kept on biting her bottom lip. She would look at Harry every now and then. Harry noticed it but didn't think anything of it. He was used to people staring at him. He just followed the small house elf up the stairs and to his room.

************************************************

The next morning when Harry woke up, he found that same house elf watching him. She was standing at the foot of his bed playing with the hem of her dress. "Master," she said meekly.

"I'm not your master," Harry said.

"You don't want, Meeks." The house elf said sadly her ears drooping slightly.

Harry sat up. "Meeks is your name? Right?" Harry asked the little elf nodded her head. "You call me master but how can I be your master? I…" Harry stopped talking because he didn't know what to say.

Andi walked at that moment. She noticed the confused look Harry's face and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"Master Harry doesn't want Meeks." she cried and popped away.

Harry looked at Andi and asked, "What is going on?"

Andi just shrugged. "How about tell me what I walked in on," she said. Harry explained what was said and then Andi figured it out. She smiled as she sat down. "Harry, Meeks is a house elf. She has belonged to the Potter family since her birth. You are the last of the Potters. So, by law she is your house elf."

"But I don't want own her," Harry said.

"Harry, I don't think we understand each other here. Meeks is a house elf. They die without us. They are much part of us as we are of them. When I was a child, my nanny read me a story about Merlin and the House Elves. Now, I know it is a child story but it is based in truth. The story goes on something like this… Merlin saved a family of elves from being eaten by a dragon. They were so thankful for what he did. They swore a life debt to him. They would follow him everywhere working for him and helping him out. It drove Merlin crazy. He didn't want house elves. He tried everything to get rid of the little creatures but they refused to leave him. It wasn't until he started noticing that their magic had grown over time that he changed his mind. He made the elves part of his family and they worked for him for the rest of their lives."

"What does that have to do with me?" Harry asked.

"Well, every pureblood claims they can trace their family blood line back to Merlin. So, they believe that their house elves are the decedents of those elves. I don't know if it is true or not but what I do know is this. Any house elf that has been freed by their master ends up going crazing and dying with five years," Andi said.

"You know this how?" Harry asked.

"I have seen it. My mother had a house elf that she blamed for burning her favorite dress. She threw the dress at her. She said she was no longer part of our family. The little elf begged my mother to take her back but she refused. I was told my by nanny because of the age of the house elf. It didn't take years for her die. She just died right there at my mother's feet. She couldn't live without us."

"I'm sorry," Harry said sadly.

"Yes, so am I because it she was my nanny's mother," Andi said sadly.

"Do you think Meeks will die because of what I said?" Harry asked.

"No. I know several wizards might think I'm crazy but maybe hurt to talk to her about it. It might make her feel better," Andi said.

"Why do you say others wouldn't agree with you?" Harry asked.

"Because to them, sadly I think Sirius believes this that House Elves aren't human. They don't believe they are worth worrying about. Harry, I loved my nanny. She was very important to me. She was there when my mother wasn't. Her mother took the blame for something I had done. I was playing with my mother's wand. I caused that dress to burn. I never forgave myself for causing her mother's death. What hurt me more was the fact that my nanny believed what happened was right. Now, I might not believe that story about Merlin. I do know house elves believe it. So, sadly yes, they will die without us even if it is our own doing."

Harry sat up straight and said, "Dobby! He's free. He saved my life…"

"What?" Andi said confused. Harry explained to Andi about his meeting with Dobby and how he freed him. "That's strange; house elves don't do anything against their master's wishes." Andi comment after Harry explained how he first met Dobby and why he tried to save his life.

"Look, I need to check on something. Tonks is right across the hall. She will show you where the others are meeting to have breakfast," Andi said and she suddenly the room. Harry didn't think anything off it. He just climbed out of bed and got dressed.


	19. Chapter 19

Story Note: I realize that this might not make sense with what Tom had said to Albus but I goofed. You see I forgot about young Tom's soul. It wasn't until I started to remember Dobby that I realized my little goof up. Okay, how did I forget about book two? Don't ask me. I just did…. Sorry. So, this chapter is me trying to fix things. I think I know how I'm going to do it. I just don't know yet. It might change things about Tom the Dementors but I'm not sure. I haven't decided. It depends on what I'm going to do with the rest of this story.

Chapter Nineteen

Confrontations and Discoveries

Andi went back to the bedroom that she shared with Ted to grab her cloak. She was slipping it on when Ted walked in. "Where are you going?" Ted asked his wife.

"Out! I need to visit someone," Andi said.

"Who?" Ted asked.

"Someone that you really don't like," Andi admitted.

"Narcissia," Ted hissed gritting his teeth. "Why are you going to see her?"

"Because I need to talk to her about someone," Andi said as she walked over and gave her husband a kiss. Ted growled. "It will be okay. I just need to talk to her about this." She left before he could say anything else.

Andi left the Estate and went to the edge of the property. The moment she was free of the wards. She apparated out of sight. She arrived at her sister's home moments later. She nervously walked up to the front door and knocked. She didn't stand there long before the door opened and there stood Dobby. "Mrs. Tonks," Dobby said with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Dobby. It is good to see you. How are you feeling?" Andi asked.

"Dobby is better now that he is back with his family," Dobby said.

"I bet. Can I talk to Narcissia please?" Andi asked the elf trying hard to keep her anger in check.

"Of course, come in and I'll tell her that you are here," Dobby said.

Andi stepped inside. After closing the door, Dobby popped away heading off to find his Mistress. Andi didn't wait long before Narcissia walked into the room. "Andi, what a surprise," Narcissia said smiling a polite smile at his sister.

"Hello, sister dear. I know it is early but I need to talk about something. Do you have time?" Andi said in a tight voice.

"Of course, let's go into the sitting room," Narcissia said.

Narcissia showed Andi into her private sitting room. Dobby had appeared placing a tea try on the table with small sandwiches. He then bowed his Mistress and vanished. "Please, sit." Narcissia said to her sister. Andi sat down in a formal high back chair. She crossed her legs resting her hands on her knees. "What brings you here, sister?"

"I want to know why you sent your house elf to warn Harry about an attack on the school a few years ago." Andi said bluntly.

"He told you," Narcissia said.

"He did. He even told me the house elf's name. I know you were given Dobby as a wedding gift from our mother. I highly doubt there are two elves by that name in our world. So, tell me sister. Why the games? What are you up to?" Andi demanded.

Narcissia poured Andi and herself tea. She handed a cup to her sister then took one for herself. As she sat back she said, "Let me ask you this. Are you asking me for the Ministry or are you asking me as Harry's care giver?"

"What matter does that make?" Andi asked.

"To me it means a lot. Now, answer my question," Narcissia said calmly as she sipped her tea. She was reading her sister's reaction. For if, Andi answered her question wrong. She would just make up some lie and show her out. If she answered her another way, she might tell her part of why she did what she did.

Andi was watching Narcissia watch her. She was trying to read her as well. She finally took a sip of her tea and said, "I'm doing it for Harry. He's been hurt enough. I don't want you or your husband playing games with his life."

Narcissia nodded. "Well, then you can relax. We weren't trying to harm the boy. We might have used him but we never meant him any harm." Narcissia said.

"But you admit that you used him," Andi snapped.

"Only to a point, you see I knew of Albus' plans. He used Lucius to have the diary turn up in Arthur's daughter's cauldron. I think his grand plan was to get rid of Harry and Lucius at the same time. I was trying to keep more people from getting hurt so, I used that boy's little habit of looking for trouble. I knew he wouldn't stay away just because of Dobby's warnings." Narcissia said smugly.

Andi shook her head in disgust and said, "Are you telling me you sent that boy after a fifty foot snake to save your husband's life?"

"No, I did not know about the snake. I figured the diary was cursed and the girl was going to poison everyone. I had no idea it had part of the Dark Lord's soul in it. It was only afterwards that I learned that," Narcissia said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Andi said confused.

"Didn't Harry tell you about meeting younger version of Tom Riddle? You see Albus stole a section of Dark Lord's soul. He trapped it in a diary. He used it to control him for years. It is what kept him bound to this world. I learned this listening into Lucius' and Severus' conversation after the school year ended. Albus arrange to have the diary given to Ginny in hopes that Tom would take control over her. He was hoping that young Tom would send the snake after Harry and kill him. He would then have Ginny put away in Azkaban and make the diary vanish again. He would keep control over Tom's soul and Harry would be out of the way. Or that is what Lucius and Severus believes to have happened."

"That still doesn't help me understand why you let Harry believe that Lucius freed Dobby?" Andi said.

Narcissia laughed. "What better way to keep an eye on Dumbledore? All of that was for him, Dobby worked for Hogwarts after he was freed and kept an eye on the old goat. I couldn't risk him trying to set Lucius up again," Narcissia replied.

Andi scuffed at this. "Sister dear, I know there is something else that you hiding, but right now I don't care about. The only person I care about is Harry. So, if you want save your dear husband again, don't try to use Harry! You will regret it, I promise you that," Andi said putting down her tea cup and standing up.

"Is that a threat?" Narcissia asked.

"No, a promise," Andi said and she turned to leave.

"It is nice seeing you again sister after all these years," Narcissia said coldly as Andi walked out.

After her sister was gone, she finished off her tea and sat back in her chair. She closed her eyes and tried to center herself. It was then that Lucius walked out of the shadows. "Do you think they will figure out about the others?" he asked.

"I don't know, but at least they knew there was one Horcrux. I'm sure they will find the others in time," Narcissia said.

"Before or after he figures out how to get a body back?" Lucius asked placing a hand on his wife's shoulders.

"I hope before," Narcissia said kissing Lucius hands.

"If he does come back, I want you to take Draco and go into hiding. Don't let me know where. I just want you to go," Lucius told her.

"And leave you?" Narcissia said looking up at him in shock.

"You will do it for Draco. He is more important than me. He might not be my son by blood, but he is my son. I'm not going to let that twisted bitch of a sister of yours and what is left of her lover come and take him away. I won't let it happen," Lucius said firmly.

"You do know he will kill you," Narcissia said.

"He already did," Lucius said pulling up his sleeve rubbing his left arm. Lucius gave his wife a kiss and said, "Let's take Draco shopping for his school things. I might even buy him that broom he has been bugging me for."

"You spoil him," Narcissia said as she stood up.

"I know but I can't help it. I feel like our time with him is short. I live in fear of the day he learns the truth. I'm scared that he will hate us and turn to them," Lucius said.

"Not Draco. It won't happen," Narcissia said as she leaned her husband. She too feared the same thing. She worried that one day her son would hate her. She hoped that day would come close to her death because she couldn't live with the knowledge that Draco hated her. She loved him that much. He was everything to her.

* * *

After breakfast, Harry was dragged by Hermione to the Potter family's private library. Susan, Neville, Tonks and Remus went along. Like the front gate, this door had griffin lions craved on it. They moved and growled as the group neared closer. Harry slowly reached for the door knob. As his hand touched the knob, one lion bit him. "Ouch!" Harry said pulling his hand back and sticking his bit finger into his mouth. As the door slowly opened, he asked, "What happened?"

"The door is charmed only to open by someone with Potter blood in their veins. How else do you think it was going to open?" Remus asked.

"You could have warned me," Harry snapped.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting you grew up with muggles," Remus said sheepishly.

Harry gave him a look that said he doubted it but didn't comment. He walked into the room and gasped. "Wow! You should see this place." Harry said.

Remus and the others took a step forward but found themselves thrown backwards. They were knocked against the wall across from them. Remus was sitting up as he noticed an evil smile on Harry's face. "You did that on purpose," he said.

"Sorry, Remus, I forgot you didn't have Potter blood in you," Harry said.

"You been hanging around Sirius too long," Remus said as he stood up to dust himself off.

"I agree," Hermione said giving Harry a dirty look.

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry said reaching across the door way for her hand. "You can come in as can the others."

Hermione shot him a dirty look but took his hand anyways and entered the room. The moment she stepped through she was dumb struck for the library was something out of a dream. It was large. No, large wasn't the word she would use. Massive was more like it. She couldn't see end of it. There were rows and rows of bookcases. All with books she'd never touched before. She felt like she'd died and gone to heaven.

The group walked around the library checking out the books. "I believe there is a copy of every book ever published in the wizarding world here," Remus said.

"There is," said the ghostly figure of Charlus Potter. The ghost's head popped through one of the book cases that the group was standing beside. "I see you found the library. This was one of Lily's favorite places. She would borrow books from here all the time."

"How? I mean did she come to the house often?" Remus asked.

"No, she used one of these," Charlus said as he showed them over to a wall of small grouping of cabinets with two drawers. "Lily told me it reminds her of a library card wizard style. The top drawer contains cards with the names of all the books inside this library. They even give you a brief explanation of the books. You find the book you want, then you place the card in the other drawer and close it. When you open the drawer again, the book is in its place."

"Oh, can I have one?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, that is if Harry allows you to take it," Charlus said. "You must put a drop of your blood in the carving of the lion first. Then only you will be allowed to access the library."

"Go for it," Harry said not waiting for Hermione to ask him. He knew better. She would be very upset with him if he kept her from the books in this library.

Remus smiled at Harry and he nodded.

It wasn't long before Susan, Neville had their own boxes. Harry took one as well, but only because it wouldn't hurt having access to the library at school. It might cut down on trips to the school library this way.

They looked around the library for close to an hour, but soon Harry got bored. He finally talked Hermione into leaving. He pointed out that she had the box and so she doesn't need to stay inside all day. Why not go out get some air? She could sit in the sun and read any book she wanted. She finally agreed and everyone headed outside.

Outside, they found Andi and the other adults talking around one of the tables by the pool. Remus joined them as Hermione and Susan took the two lounge chairs to sun themselves. Harry had talked Neville into going flying. He promised to give his friend flying lessons. Neville wasn't to sure about it but he would at least give it a try. As long as they didn't use Harry's Firebolt, Neville knew he wasn't ready for that. Harry agreed. So, he borrowed one of the brooms from the broom shed and started giving Neville private lessons.

At the table, Andi just finished telling the others what she had found out from Narcissia. Sirius growled after she finished and she asked, "What?"

"You believed her? She was lying to you," Sirius said.

"Oh, and Bella didn't lie to you? Sirius, I trust Narcissia a bit more then I trust Bella. Bella set my cat Princess on fire for fun!" Andi snapped.

Sirius shivered at this and said, "That isn't the only animal she tried to set on fire."

"What?" Andi said confused.

"Nothing," Sirius said. "Look, let's just say Narcissia is telling you the truth. How could someone split their soul?"

Remus placed the box he had taken from the library on the table and said, "Let's find out?"

"What is that?" Sirius asked.

"It is a way of accessing the Potter library. Harry let everyone take one. Tonks is the only one that refused," Remus said as he opened the top drawer and started looking up a book about souls.

"I hate reading. It is too much like homework," Tonks said as she looked over at Harry and Neville. "I think I'll go join them."

"He isn't going anywhere," Andi said.

"No, but if he gets hurt under my watch, Bones is going to kill me," Tonks said.

"Sit down, Dora," Ted said. "I've seen you on a broom and Harry is safer without you."

"Yes, sir," Tonks said and she sat back down.

Sirius ignored them and looked over Remus shoulder. "Do you think the answer is in that little box?"

"This little box is connected to the Potter library and there is a copy of every book every published in our world. If it is in there, I'll find the answer. It might take me awhile."

"How do you get the books out?" Sirius asked.

Remus shot his friend a dirty look and pointed. "Watch Hermione! I'm sure she will find a book that she wants soon and you can find out. I have work to do," Remus said.

"Oh, grumpy aren't we," Sirius said.

"Yes, because someone woke me up at three for a prank war!" Remus growled.

"Hey, who put me on a leash," Sirius snapped.

"That was over two weeks ago," Remus said.

"Well, I wanted to give even with you then and you had those troubles with those hunters. I figured I would wait until the right moment before getting my revenge," Sirius said.

"Okay, boys behave. Let's worry about the subject at hand," Andi said.

"He started it," Sirius said.

"Sirius!" Andi snapped.

"Okay, fine. I'll go flying with Harry," Sirius said and he stood up and walked away.

"Is he ever going to grow up?" Remus asked.

"Weren't you the one worried that he hasn't acted like his old self lately?" Marian asked. Remus snorted but didn't comment. He just went back looking through the index section on books about splitting a person's soul.


	20. Chapter 20

Readers: Confession… I can't speak let alone spell another language, so once Harry and the others take a potion everyone is going to speak prefect English. I will use French names, but that is it. I hope you understand.

Also, I realize in the books Fleur's little sister was eight in the GOF but I thought she would make a good friend for Luna and Ginny. So, I'm SOAR's her. LOL. For those of you that don't watch soaps. It means I aged her. ;-) Hey, why do you think I write long stories? I used to write fan fiction for General Hospital.

Chapter Twenty

Back to School 

Harry spent the rest of the summer at the Potter Estate. During the day, he would teach Neville how to fly or just hang out with his friends. At night, he would hang out in the lounge to hear stories from his parents, grandparents or even Godric's paintings. This was going to be remembered as one of the best times of Harry's life. Sadly, it did finally come to end. It was time for school to start.

Harry, Hermione, Susan and Neville arrived at the boat docks early on September first with their families. The kids' trunks were stacked along side the other trunks beside their animals. They were standing with their parents or guardians staying good bye until the Christmas Holiday's.

In front of them, was a tall sailing ship looking like something out of a history book. The gang plank was down and the other children were also standing around saying goodbye to their parents.

Ted and Andi were standing beside Harry saying goodbye. "You will write?" Andi asked.

"Of course, it will give Hedwig something to do," Harry promised.

"Good and make sure Tonks writes as well. She was bad at writing letters home during her time at school," Ted said giving his daughter an impish smile.

"Dad, I wrote," Tonks said.

"Not often," Andi said cut in.

"Tell, Sirius that I promise to write him as well," Harry said.

"We will dear. Sirius wanted to be here but Dumbledore's trial is less then a week away. He was really needed in England," Andi said.

Shakespeare and Marian were standing beside Hermione saying their own goodbyes. "You will take your potion," Marian said.

"Yes, mum," Hermione promised.

"And if anyone causes you trouble, I want you to go to Scarlett. She promised to take care of it," Shakespeare said.

"Dad, I can't run to a teacher every time someone mouths off. I will be okay," Hermione promised.

"I'm just worried about you is all," Shakespeare said giving his daughter a kiss.

"I know you are but I'll be okay," Hermione promised. "Remus is going to be there. He will look after me."

"Gram, it is going to be okay. It was just a small break. My arm is fine. I wouldn't have broken it. if it wasn't for that dumb tree, I really think I can fly now. Harry is a good teacher," Neville said as he grandmother check over his arm for the tenth time.

"Okay, but be careful. You know how I hate to see you fly," Augusta said.

"I'm okay," Neville said.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Amelia asked Susan.

"Yes, I doubled checked this morning. You will promise me not to over work yourself. You really look tired Auntie," Susan said.

"I promise and as soon as this trial is over with, I will take a long vacation," Amelia said.

"Okay, I'm going to hold you to it," Susan replied.

The whistle blew and the other children started to board the boat. "We better go," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Harry agreed and he gave Ted and Andi one more hug and started up the plank. He stopped half way up before rushing back down. He looked at the couple. "Thanks for everything," he said.

"You are welcome, Harry," Ted said messing the boy's hair up.

"Yes, now get. We both expect you to study hard or we will ground you," Andi said smiling at Harry and giving a kiss on the head.

Harry smiled and said, "Good bye."

He rushed back up the plank and joined his friends. They stood around other children waving at their parents. It was long before everyone started to go down below. Harry and the others didn't want to do. They just there together watching as the parents vanished from sight.

A tall young lady with flowing brown hair walked up. She spoke to them in broke English. "I'm Fleur Delacour. Professor Sherwood asked me to see give you these. The first potion is to help you with your lessons. The other is for the boys. It is to help keep the veela's spell at bay."

This last part was spoken as two girls walked by smiling and winking at Harry and Neville. The boys just stood there mouths open and eyes staring widely. Susan gave Neville a shove as Hermione hit Harry on the back of the head. "Take the potion."

"What?" Oh, sure," Harry said taking the potion offered to him without even knowing what he was taking. It wasn't until after the potion was in his system that his mind cleared up. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry about that. My cousins know better about using their powers at school. Like I said, I'm Fleur Delacour. I'm head girl. It is my job to help you get settled in at school. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. Follow me, I will show you around and introduce you to the others."

"Your English has gotten better," Hermione said.

"No, the potion you took helps you understand French. It will also help you read and write your lessons in French. It will last until the end of term. You will of course have to take it again, at Christmas," Flue said.

"Oh, I heard of it. It is amazing potion. It takes forever to make. Aunt Scarlet…I mean Professor Sherwood told me about it," Hermione said.

"Oh, don't worry. I know your Aunt is Professor Sherwood. She has told me. She is my favorite Professor at school," Flue said.

As the group walked below, Flue explained to Harry and the others about Beauxbatons. She also introduced them to some of her friends and her younger sister. The girl was Ginny's age. She was sweet but she didn't talk much. She would just stare at Harry's scar. They finally walked away and joined a group of kids their age.

They were talking and enjoying themselves at least everyone but Harry. He was sick. He had never been on a boat before. So, the motion of it was making him ill. He was sitting in the chair by the window leaning his head against the hull.

"You look green," Susan said as she walked over to join Harry.

"I don't feel good," Harry said thinking it wasn't a good idea to have those extra helpings of pancakes this morning.

"Hold on, we are almost there. I'm sure you can get something when we arrive," Susan promised him.

"Is this normal?" Harry asked looking green.

"Very normal for person who has sea sickness," Tonks said as she sat down next to Harry.

"Where have you been?" Susan asked.

"Checking out the ship, I wanted to make sure it was sea worthy," Tonks said a bit pale herself.

"Is it?" Harry asked worried.

"Don't worry it is safe," Tonks promised muttering 'Merlin don't let me be a liar'.

Harry groaned as the ship started to rock with the waves. He turned his head away from the other as he fought to keep his breakfast down, "Couldn't we have taken a train?" He asked.

"No, and now that we know you get sea sick we will make sure you take something next time," Tonks said patting Harry on the back ready with her wand just incase he started to hurled chunks.

* * *

A bit later, Tonks left the kids to check out the boat one more time. She didn't blame Harry about not liking the ship. She didn't like it herself but for another reason. Tonks was afraid of sharks. She hated them since her father forced her to watch Jaws as a child. She knew it was almost impossible to sink the ship but the key word was 'almost'.

"How long are you going to have a body guard?" Susan asked after Tonks left.

"You know I didn't realize Tonks was my body guard until yesterday. I thought she was on vacation or something," Harry said.

"Harry, trust me. Tonks is a rookie Auror. She doesn't have that much vacation time. The only thing that makes sense is that she is protecting you," Susan said.

"I guess I never thought of it like that. I really did think she was on vacation. I did ask yesterday about how long she is going to protect me. She told me at least until the trial is over with. I think they are worried about how the press is going to react to the information that is going to come out at Dumbledore's trial…," Harry said but he stopped short as he face turned a deeper shade of green. "I think I need to find the restroom," He said and he rushed off.

Neville and Hermione walked over right then. "What's wrong with him?" Neville asked.

"Seasickness," Susan said.

Neville's eyes went wide at this. "You mean Harry Potter gets sea sick? I don't believe it."

"Believe it, he is a nice Slytherin green right now," Susan laughed.

"Oh, don't laugh," Hermione said trying not to giggle herself. She hated to admit it but Harry did look Slytherin green.

* * *

Across the ocean, the Weasley children were getting ready for school. They were having a normal morning. Everyone was rushing around trying to gather last minute items before school. Bill was standing in the doorway yelling at them to get moving. It was his job to take them to school. Charlie was sitting in a chair near the door laughing. "You might as well give it up big brother. This family is never on time for the train," Charlie laughed.

"Didn't I ask them to have everything ready last night?" Bill asked Charlie his face a nice shade of red.

"Yes, and I think they did. Until the twins started working on another project and Ginny had second thoughts about what to wear to the train station," Charlie laughed.

"It isn't funny. We are going to be late," Bill said.

"We are not. We will arrive right on time. Now, sit down. They should be downstairs soon," Charlie said.

"They better be," Bill growled as he stood there leaning against the doorframe.

* * *

The Weaselys finally managed to get their act together and leave the house. Bill had borrowed a muggle born friend's car to take the twins and Ginny to the train station that morning. They arrived just fifteen minutes before the train was due to leave. "You will write," Bill said to his siblings.

"Yes," Ginny promised.

"And the two of you will stay out of trouble this year. Dad doesn't need to hear from the school about the two of you," Bill said.

"We never cause trouble," Fred and George said together.

Bill and Charlie looked at each other then back at the twins. They took two steps forward and said together. "Look, you two! If we hear that you have caused trouble at school, it won't be dad that you will deal with. It will be us! Get the point!"

Fred and George looked at each other then their older brothers' eyes and nodded their heads. "Yes!"

"Good," Bill said patting Fred and George on the backs. "I hope you two have a good term."

Ginny was just standing their laughing. Her smile faded suddenly and Charlie asked, "What is it?"

"Look," she said pointing behind him.

Charlie turned and saw his mother and brother coming their way. Ron was dragging his trunk as he walked behind Molly. Molly was wearing one of her home made dresses. Ron's clothes weren't any better. They were a bit ragged and thread bare. He looked miserable as he walked behind his mother.

Ron looked in their direction and scowled. Ginny looked down at her new shirt suddenly feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden. "I think I'm going to go find Luna." She said saying goodbye to her brothers and boarded the train.

"We need to get aboard as well," Fred said as he motioned for George and they vanished aboard the train behind Ginny.

Molly and Ron walked over to Bill and Charlie. Molly didn't say anything to her sons. She just turned to Ron and said, "I will see you at Christmas."

"Yeah, sure," Ron said tightly and he pushed past Bill and Charlie dragging his trunk behind him and boarded the train.

"Where is Pig?" Bill asked him.

"Ask her," Ron snapped.

"I had to sell him. We can't afford an owl," Molly said coolly.

"I bet Percy kept his owl," Charlie snapped.

"Percy is an adult. What he does with his life is his business. I never tried to run you boys' lives after you graduated," Molly said.

Bill laughed. "Oh, that's rich. When in hell didn't you try to run someone's life?" He snapped.

"Bill, come on. Let's go," Charlie said grabbing on to his older brother's arm before an argument broke out between Bill and his mother.

"Sure," Bill said and they left leaving their mother standing their fuming.

* * *

On board the train, the twins found their friend Lee. Lee was impressed with their new clothes. He and the other teens the twin's age sat together talking about their summer. Ron walked by dragging his trunk behind him. He looked around at the other kids and decided to push on. In fact, Ron kept on pushing past group after group of kids until he arrived at the last car. There were three first years. They were three boys. They had to be muggle born from their conversation that Ron had over heard. He put his trunk away and sat down in the empty spot. The boys tried to talk to him but after getting their heads bit off by him, they finally left him alone. Ron pulled a wand from his robes and looked at it. It wasn't his wand. It was his father's. Albus had managed to sneak it out of the Ministry and Molly had been holding it for him. Ron borrowed it. He was going to use it and prove he was great wizard as Harry.

He was going prove that he was just great of wizard as Albus Dumbledore.

* * *

A green Harry and the others were walking down the gang plank together. They were met at the bottom by Scarlett. "Welcome to Beauxbatons Academy." Scarlett said greeting the kids warmly.

"Oh, this is lovely," Susan said looking up at the palace.

Beauxbatons was made out of white marble and had millions of windows. As the ship neared it, Susan and Hermione thought the place looked like a diamond in the middle of the ocean.

"Isn't it a bit bright?" Harry said trying to cover his eyes from the sun that was shinning in his face. He was grumpy and he still felt sick.

"Used to the dark halls of Hogwarts?" Scarlett asked.

"I guess but aren't they worried about muggles seeing them," Harry grumbled.

Scarlett gave the boy a strange look and said, "Harry, the wards protect the school from all outsiders. No one can see it unless we allow it, and before you bite anyone else head off; here is the potion for you seasickness."

"How did you know?" Harry asked with a confused look on his faced.

"Tonks contacted the school and told me," Scarlett said smile. "Now, drink it. I promise. You will feel better."

"Thanks," Harry said as he took the potion from her and downed it. Harry had to admit that Scarlet's potions didn't taste as bad as Snape's did. They weren't the best but at least they didn't kill his taste buds for weeks.

"Your welcome, come on lets get inside," Scarlett said.

The kids followed her. They looked at the school. Hermione and Susan were in love. Beauxbatons was beautiful. It was like a castle out of a fairy tale. The air smelled like perfume and there were exotic birds flying through the skies singing their lovely songs. Harry and Neville weren't impressed. This place wasn't right to them. They knew they would stay for this term, but to them Hogwarts was home. This wasn't. This was just another school.

The dinning hall of Beauxbatons was filled with seven long tables. They weren't as long as Hogwarts house tables and they were covered in white lace table clothes. There were colored flowers at the center of each table. The tableware was fine china with gold serving wear. The glasses were made out of crystal. Harry and Neville looked at each other made gagging noses as the girls cooed over the layout.

Hermione, Susan, Neville and Harry found a place at the fourth year table and stood with the others waiting for the Headmistress to sit down. Harry looked around the room taking everything in. The music from the wood nymphs filled the room. He slowly shook his head sadly and thought for the tenth time. "I really wish I was at Hogwarts!"

* * *

The kids at Hogwarts were getting their first look at the school this term. Hogwarts looked empty. The lights were low as they walked through the halls and into Great Hall. Inside there, the ceiling was empty. There was nothing but a black void above them. The kids looked at each other and quietly went to the tables. They noticed the head table was a little small. There were five figures sitting there watching them.

"I heard the others were let go," Lavender said to Ginny.

"I know," Ginny said sadly as she sat down at the table.

"Where's Harry?" Colin asked.

"He isn't coming this term," Ginny answered.

"Is it because of Ron?" Lee asked.

"No, more like because of Dumbledore," George growled.

Professor Flitwick walked with the first years and one by one called their names. The kids were sorted and they took their seats with their new house mates. Professor McGonagall stood up then and said, "Before the feast, I have a few announcements to make. As everyone has heard, Albus Dumbledore is no longer Headmaster of this School." She had to stop to hear the hissing and booing of this. She raised her hand and everyone got quiet. "I know some of you agree with this but others do not. What happens to Albus is going to be up to the courts. Right now, we must go on. As you have noticed by now, the staff is a little short handed. The school board has decided that staff changes needed to be made this term. Also, we will not be having classes here at Hogwarts."

"What?" came the cries from the students in the Great Hall.

Minerva held up her hand and everyone quieted down. "The Ministry has gotten together with two other schools to hold the Tri Wizard Tournament. We are going to be traveling to Beauxbatons Academy where the tournament is going to be held. We will be leaving early in the morning the day after tomorrow. We will be loading the carriages all day tomorrow. This includes your luggage. Therefore, tonight I want everyone to pack a small carry on bag to hold you over for a few days. If you want access to it for the next few days, I suggest you put it in this bag." Minerva warned them.

The students looked at each other in shock. They were excited about the tournament, but the idea of leaving the school bothered them.

Cedric Diggory stood up and said, "Headmistress, my I ask when we will return?"

"We will be in Frances for this term. Those of you that are going home for the winter, arrangements are being made. I should tell you there is going to be a Ball for the Tournament. It will be held over Christmas break. So, if you want to stay for that. I suggest you make plans for it now."

"What about classes?" someone spoke up.

"Your classes will be held in the carriages. You will be studying as year groups instead of houses like in the past. We will talk about time tables later, but for now, I suggest we enjoy the hot meal the house elves have prepared for us."


	21. Chapter 21

Dear readers: I want to say do to the Holidays that my writing is going to slow down. It can't be helped. Work is picking up (this is good) and my family is starting to demand more from me. These things will take away from my writing. Also, my husband Grandfather is in a Nursing home and isn't doing well. I'm afraid this might be Jason's last holiday with him. So, we spend as much time as we can with him. The ones of you that read my other stories this affects them the most. I don't have time to work on several stories at once. This is why I'm only working on this one. I can't say when that will change. I hope everyone understands and please know this. I never give up on a story at least as long as I have a copy of it. The only ones that I let die away are the ones that were lost in crashes.

Thanks for your time and the great replies to all the stories….

Happy Thanksgiving….

Marti

Chapter Twenty-One

**The Arrival of the Schools! **

Harry realized one thing about his new school. It was full of students like Hermione! The only thing any of them cared about was showing off how much they knew. After the first few days of class, he was over loaded with school work. He spent most of his time trying to keep up. He knew Neville and Susan were having the same trouble. If it wasn't for "their own Hermione" they all would have been in trouble. She was helping them keep up.

The only class that Harry wasn't behind in was Defense Against the Dark Arts or just Defense as it was known by here at Beauxbaton. Harry was happy that Remus was their Professor again this year. Tonks was going to fill in for him during the full moon. Harry was sure that it wasn't one subject that he wouldn't struggle to keep caught up with.

To be fair, the magic wasn't hard for Harry now that the blocks were gone. He found that he didn't have to fight to do a spell. It was all the written work itself that got to Harry. He just hated spending hours on end sitting trying to put his thoughts on paper.

Harry found out that Neville wasn't as bad at magic as he led on to be. Neville admitted to everyone shortly after school started that his Gran told him to play dumb. She allowed him to be good at one subject, but the rest he had to act like he was struggling. It was why he used his father's wand. It wasn't an exact match to him like his real wand was and he had to fight to do magic. His Gran explained to him this summer the reason why. She knew Dumbledore was up to something but never knew exactly what. He was a bit too interested in Neville as a baby and it worried her.

She said he was the same way with Frank. It turned out that even before the truth came out about Dumbledore, Augusta blamed Dumbledore for the attack on Frank and Alice. She didn't want the same thing to happen to Neville. Therefore, she asked Neville not to live up to his potential at school. Neville was normally home schooled during the summer to keep up with the others.

No one could blame Neville's grandmother for feeling that way. They were shocked though at how good Neville was in potions. Neville could even brew potions better then Hermione. Neville said failing potions was easy because he was scared of Professor Snape. The man made him so jumpy that he couldn't think straight long enough to brew a potion right.

Harry had to admit that even he was better in potions without Professor Snape. He had always liked cooking even though he never exactly followed directions to the letter. He always fudged a bit here and there. Scarlett had taken the time to explain things to Harry on why he couldn't do it in potions. She even gave the Hogwarts students extra lessons to help them catch up with the others. She was shocked on how little they knew about why you stirred one potion one way and another one another way. She knew Snape was considered a Master, but to her he was a bad teacher and shouldn't be allowed to teach anyone anything! She was planning on telling him that once she met him. She was going to get that chance for this evening the other schools arrived!

Harry, Hermione, Susan and Neville were standing with the other students on one of many balconies' that ran around the school. They were watching as both Durmstrang and Hogwarts arrived.

Harry and Neville both felt it was fitting that the carriage containing the Hogwarts students looked like death's arrival. Everyone else thought it showed how desperate Hogwarts was for money. The carriages were old and run down. They looked like they were ready to fall a part. One almost did as it landed on the green grass of Beauxbaton's lawn. You could hear the kids screaming as it came to a rolling halt.

Hermione and Susan were both thankful that they weren't going to Hogwarts this year. Harry wasn't so sure. He looked at the carriages one more time before turning away. "I don't know," he said. "Nothing could ever beat Hogwarts!"

The kids walked into the dinning room and stood behind their chairs. They realized by now they weren't allowed to sit down until Madame Maxime sat down. The wood nymphs were playing the dinner music as the lights started to dim. Harry rolled his eyes as Madam Maxime took center stage to introduce the schools.

She tapped her wine glass to get everyone's attention. "Quiet!" she said in her formal sounding voice. "I'm please to introduce the two schools that will be joining us in participating in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The first school I would like to introduce is Durmstrang."

At this students from Drumstrange arrived with their walking sticks banging them on the marble floor as they walked. It was then that Harry spotted Victor Krum. He learned about him from watching the magical version of ESPN at the Potter Estate. Harry wondered why the Weasley family didn't have it and learned only the rich pure bloods had it. Harry thought it was rotten that only the rich had it in England but secretly he did enjoy watching replay of the Cup. It was because of the replay that Harry found he wanted to meet Victor. Victor was a Seeker like him and he would love to learn some of this tricks.

Harry was so busy thinking about the best way to approach Victor that he missed the introduction of Hogwarts. Hermione gave him a shove and said in a low voice, "They brought the entire school."

"I heard they had no choice because the school is broke," Susan said in the same hush tones.

Harry didn't say a word. He just watched his old school mates walk in behind Professor McGonagall. She had her head held high. She was wearing a nice but not flashy dress robes. As were most of the other teachers, the only one that didn't change what he had on was Professor Snape, he walked in behind Gryffindor House and at the Head of Slytherin House dressed in the same black robes he taught in. He had his nose in the air and his robes were flowing behind him. "He looks like a vampire," said one girl beside Harry.

"He's worse then a vampire," Harry muttered.

The kids giggled until Madam Maxime glanced their way. They quickly quieted down as the schools found their way to their tables. Everyone stood standing but Ron Weasley. He pulled out his chair and sat down. Neville and Harry had to fight their laugher as Professor Snape yanked the boy to his feet and forced him to stand behind his chair. Ron looked like he was about to say something but one look from Snape quickly changed his mind.

Madam Maxime finally nodded her head and sat down. The others followed suite. She waved her wand and the food appeared before them. "I hope our guests enjoy this grand feast the House Elves have provided for their arrival," she said.

Everyone just smiled as the food appeared and the meal began. Hermione couldn't help but look behind her as she ate. "I sort of feel sorry for Ron. He has to sit beside Professor Snape," she said.

Harry turned looked at his so-called best friend and said, "I don't."

"Have you noticed that there is gap between him and the rest of Gryffindors?" Neville said as he turned to look.

"Yeah, and he is sitting with the first years not the others fourth years," Susan replied.

"It is very impolite to stare," Professor Scarlett Sherwood said from her spot at the head of the table. She was like the kids Head of House. It was her job to keep everyone in line and lend an ear when it was needed.

"Sorry," the Hogwarts four said together as they turned around and finished their meal.

* * *

Across the ocean, Sirius Black was walking down the streets of London. He was heading to his favorite muggle restaurant. His mind was on the last Wizengamot meeting. Things were finally starting to pick up. They were going to hold Umbridge's and the other attacker's hearings in a few days. Dumbledore and his cohorts trial was going to start soon after.

The thing he was most happy about was the taking Head Warlock away from Malfoy. The elections were finally held and everyone thought that Sirius was the best person to take over the job. He knew the Pureblood view point but he also understood the others view point. Everyone was hoping that he would see their side of things. The only part that made Sirius happy about the job was that he took something from Lucius. He always hated the guy.

Sirius stopped at a cross way and stepped into the empty street. It was at that moment, a muggle car came sliding towards him. Thankfully, no one was around and it gave him a chance to change into Padfoot and leap over the car. The car crashed into the lamp pole knocking it to the ground.

Sirius was about to change back into his human form when two men dressed in black robes came running up the street. "Where did he go?" one man said.

"I don't know. I swear he was there," the other man said.

Sirius knew right away who the men were. It was Crabbe and Goyle Sr. the two dumbest Death Eaters there were. Padfoot just stood there in the streets shaking his head. 'How dumb can you get?' he thought to himself.

Sirius was about to show himself and demand to know what in h*ll was going on, but two muggles policemen appeared. "Are you gentlemen having trouble?" one policeman asked.

"No, we just arrived," Crabbe said.

'The mindless fool can lie? Who would have thought?' Sirius thought as he sat in the middle of the street watching in amusement.

"You didn't see this happen?" his partner asked.

"No," Goyle and Crabbe said together.

The two officers looked at each other with a hint of doubt on their faces, but since they had no proof they were forced to send Crabbe and Goyle on their way. Padfoot decided it was best that he get lost as well. He'd spent time in a muggle pound before because someone thought he was a stray. He didn't want to do it again.

The moment he was out of sight of the muggles. He changed back into his human form. "Now, what hell was that about?" he asked himself. Sirius after a time figured Lucius was behind the attack. He wanted get rid him so Lucius could take over as Head Warlock. Sirius would just have to keep an eye on the guy for now. There was no need to report it to Madam Bones.

* * *

Harry, Susan, Hermione, and Neville were heading towards their dorm rooms after dinner. Suddenly a voice called out behind them, "Hey, Harry! Guys wait up," called a female voice.

The group turned around and saw Ginny and the twins walking towards them. "Hi," Harry said as the three Weasleys approached.

"Hi," the three replied.

"How was the trip?" Neville asked.

"Bumpy," Fred replied.

"Very bumpy," George added.

"I hope sleeping won't be as bad, but I have a feeling it is going to be," Ginny said sadly. She was hoping to hook up with some of the other girls to sleep in one of the tents. Several mix blood and pure bloods found out how they were sleeping and decided to make other arrangements. They had written home to their parents and had them send their family tents. The twins were staying with Lee and other boys their age from Gryffindor house. Ginny thought she had a place to stay but she wasn't sure yet.

"This isn't what we wanted to talk to you about. Harry-- Ginny, George and I want to say we are sorry about how our brother and mother treated you. We had nothing to do with any of it," Fred said.

"I know. I never blamed you for their actions," Harry said.

"Then why did you ignore our letters?" Ginny asked.

"I thought you blamed me for your parents divorce," Harry said looking down at his feet.

"Harry, you had nothing to do what that. It was our mother's fault and Ron's!" George said. Ginny, Fred and George gave a quick explanation on how Arthur found out about his wife's affair.

Before Harry or his friends had a chance to reply, Professor McGonagall appeared and informed the Gryffindors that it was time to head back to the carriages. The kids promised to meet up later and said quick good byes.

As they walked back to their rooms, Harry asked Neville, "What was that spell that Arthur did to Molly?"

"It is old spell that proves a wife has cheated or not. In the old days, Molly could have been put to death for cheating on her husband," Neville said.

"You said wife? Doesn't it count for Arthur as well?" Hermione asked.

"No, by law, Arthur could have had a lover on the side and Molly couldn't have done anything about it. My Uncle has several lovers over the years," Neville said.

"His wife allows it?" Hermione said shocked.

"She has no choice, but they haven't shared a bedroom together in years. She stays on her side of their family home and he sleeps on his side. They are only seen together in public," Neville said.

"That's just wrong," Hermione said.

"I think it is nuts," Harry said.

"Nuts?" Susan said.

"Yes, I have enough trouble thinking about asking on girl out. How could I have two girl friends?" Harry said and he went off to bed.

Susan and Hermione looked at each other and sighed. Hermione had admitted to Susan that she liked Harry. Unfortunately, she didn't know if Harry liked her. Susan told Hermione that Harry wasn't ready to ask a girl out. He might notice 'them' but he just couldn't find the courage to ask them out. Harry's last statement was proof enough of that. The girls had a plan though to slowly guide the Gryffindor Heir in the right direction.


	22. Chapter 22

Dear readers,

Good news, Jason's grandfather is hanging in there. We thought we lost him last week but he started eating again. This was one reason this chapter took me a bit to post. I just hadn't had the time lately. This is why I haven't replied to anyone's comments on the last chapter. I just didn't have the time.

I promise I'll make it up to everyone in the next posting. Dumbledore's trial is coming up. It is a long one. I mean really long one! On my count it is 37 pages long. I don't think I ever wrote one that long before. There is a reason for this, but I'll talk more about that one later.

On to this chapter, I'm just going to say this… don't kill me! I promise I do have a good reason for the ending. It won't be answered right away. I'll warn you this much. If you want Harry and Sirius reaction, it will have to wait until after Dumbledore's trial and Harry goes back to school.

Okay, no more talk. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Marti

Chapter Twenty-Two

**Run-In's Trials and Transformations!**

The day was Saturday. It had been a rough week for the Hogwarts four class wise. They had been bogged down with school work. They still would be if Hermione hadn't pushed them to do all their school work nightly. It had paid off because today instead of spending time working on their class work, they were enjoying the sun and the nice ocean breezes.

The kids were sitting on the beach getting some sun and watching the merpeople diving around in the water. Harry had just finished playing a game of coral toss with the young boys. He hovered a few inches off the water on his Firebolt as the group tossed a section of coral around. It wasn't easy for Harry because now and then one of the teen merpeople would try to throw the coral just far enough away from him to pull him from the broom. It didn't work though. Harry had managed to stay on his broom every time.

He was now hovering near his friends with one foot resting on a large rock and the other hanging just inches off the ground. Harry was trying to talk Hermione in going flying with him, but it hadn't worked yet. "Come on, Hermione. I promise. I won't go too fast or too high," Harry said.

"No, you know I hate flying," Hermione said.

"Don't you trust me?" Harry asked.

"I trust you Harry. I just hate heights," Hermione said sheepishly.

Harry let the matter drop and was about to take off again when a voice called from behind, "I see you are showing off again, Potter," Ron said from a group of rocks just behind Harry.

Harry turned slightly on his broom glancing in his ex-best friend's direction. "Go away, Ron," Ginny said. She was sitting beside Gabby and Susan with one of her magazines lying in front of them.

"I wasn't talking to you, Ginny," Ron hissed.

Harry turned his broom to face Ron. "Ron, I don't want to do this with you. Why don't you just leave," Harry said.

"Yes, we are having such a good day. Don't destroy it for us," Hermione said.

"Shut up, Werewolf! This has nothing to do with your kind," Ron snapped.

Harry jumped off his broom letting it flip over his head. Neville had jumped up and caught the broom with one hand as Harry rushed at Ron. He was almost on the boy when Luna stepped out from the group of rocks and stopped Harry in his tracks. "He isn't worth the trouble, Lion," Luna said.

"Luna, I think you should get out of the way," Ginny said.

Luna ignored Ginny and turned to face Ron. "Professor McGonagall was looking for you. I think you better go," Luan told him.

Ron looked in Harry's eyes and saw them flash with rage. Ron and the others could feel the magic in the air as Harry stood there, his fist clinched at his side. Luna had one hand on his chest patting it gently. The others didn't know it but her movements helped to calm Harry down. He finally calmed down enough to say. "Get lost, _Dumbledore!"_

"Fine, but this isn't over_ Potter_!" Ron snapped he stormed off.

Harry looked down at Luna and asked, "Why did you do that?"

Luna just smiled at Harry as she walked past him to join Ginny and the girls. "Ginny, you left this outside our tent," Luna said handing the girl a baby blue hair ribbon.

"Thanks, and I can't thank you enough for allowing me to share a tent with you," Ginny said.

"Oh, no problem, it is nice to have a roommate that doesn't steal my stuff," Luna said as she sat down on the rock. "What's wrong lion?" Luna asked Harry not turning to face him. The boy was still standing back by the other rocks watching her closely.

"Nothing," Harry said finally shaking his head in confusion as he walked over to sit beside Neville and Hermione.

"Why do you call Harry lion?" Neville asked.

"He's the heir of Gryffindor isn't he? As you are Hufflepuff's heir, Badger, we are just showing our blood lines after all this time," Luna said.

"We?" Susan said puzzled.

Luna pulled a locket from under her sundress and showed everyone. "My mother was Ravenclaw's heir. She gave me this after her death," Luan said.

"You mean before," Hermione said.

"No, after," Luan said smiling.

Harry and Hermione looked at her each shaking their heads in confusion. They just let matter drop and changed the subject all together.

* * *

Delores Umbridge's trial and her cohorts were held that Saturday. The Wizengamot felt it was just a small matter and would be dealt with quickly. However, Umbridge wasn't letting it be easy.

Sirius, Lucius, and several over members of the Wizengamot were sitting in seats holding their heads. They had massive headaches and the only thing any of them wanted was for Umbridge to shut up. The woman was standing in the middle of the room ranting about how they were spreading lies about her Fudge.

Sirius finally had enough and slammed his gavel that was in front of him onto the table. "Shut up!" yelled at her.

Umbridge stood there shocked for a moment then said, "It is might right to defend myself, werewolf lover!"

Sirius growled and was about to say something, but thankfully Kingsley cut him off. He had been put in charge of prosecution of this case. "Ms. Umbridge, this body's action towards ex-Minister Fudge have nothing to do with this matter. You openly admit that you pulled a wand and did a non lethal spell in these chambers. You were asked why you did this."

"I told you. You were telling lies about Minister Fudge," Umbridge said.

Everyone shook there heads. It was Lucius that said, "I think we head enough. We will get back to you. Take that woman out of here."

The guards nodded and took 'all' the prisoners from the room. Kingsley took a seat and sat there to listen in on the debate with the members of the Wizengamot. An old woman pushing 190 spoke up. "I for one think it is clear that Delores was the ring leader of the attack."

"I agree," Arthur Weasley said.

"The others did pull their wands," Nott said.

"Yes, but only after Umbridge promised they would get fired. I know several of those people personally. They have families and they couldn't afford to lose their jobs. They didn't understand the state of matters at the time," Arthur said.

"You would know those dead beats," Crabbe Sr. said.

"Okay that is enough," Sirius growled banging his gavel to the table again. "Let's move on to Umbridge. "What do you think about her actions?"

"I think that woman is a menace," Lucius said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. "She clearly believes that what Fudge did was right," Augusta Longbottom said.

"And is willing to do anything to defend him," another member said.

"My question is, are we willing to let that woman run free with Fudge's trial coming up?" Lucius asked.

"But her crime isn't something people normally go to Azkaban for," one of the newly appointed members said.

"No. I'm also one of the last people that would send a person to Azkaban for a minor crime, then again… that woman has a way of getting to a person," Sirius growled. The members nodded. They talked some more and finally they came to decision.

Umbridge and the others were brought back into the courtroom and forced to stand in front of the Wizengamot. Sirius stood and said, "Leslie Andrews, Mathew Merewether, and Michal Spencer… the three of you have been found guilty of the crime of illegal wand use in a government building. You are sentence to time served and 5000 galleons. You are also put on probation for 5 years." The men sighed and relaxed a bit. They knew it could have been much worse. They were guided away by the Aurors on guard as Sirius turned his attention to Umbridge.

"Delores Umbridge," Sirius said calmly. "You have been found guilty of the crime illegal wand use and inciting a riot in a government building. You are sentenced to the maxim penalty of 6 months in Azkaban and a permanent ban will be put on you from ever entering the Ministry again…." Sirius last words were drowned out by Umbridge's yelling and cursing. The guards had to grab her and hold her back from charging at Sirius as he talked. As she was being dragged away, she yelled and cussed everyone out. She did not hear Sirius say, "I pity the Dementors…."

A bit later, Sirius, Augusta, Lucius, and several others gathered in the Wizengamot chambers to down headache potions.

* * *

Later on, Hermione met Remus in his rooms. They were going to use his Floo to travel to the holding area. The other two werewolf children were already there. Hermione knew of them but so far they hadn't talked to her much. She gave them a warm smile but the pair just ignored her. Hermione sighed deeply walking over to Remus and said, "I guess I'm ready."

"You take Scarlett's potion?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Hermione said sadly.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"Does the regular potion taste as bad as Aunt Scarlett's?" Hermione asked.

Remus laughed. "Trust me, it is ten times worse then Scarlett's potion," Remus said.

"I guess that makes me feel better," Hermione said.

"It is going to be okay," Remus said hugging Hermione before going to the fireplace grabbing some Floo powder and throwing it into the fire. He gave nodded at the two kids that were standing nearby and they went in together.

After they were gone, Hermione asked, "Why don't they talk to me?"

"Because their pack later was Gregor; they know we played a part in his death. Right now, his pack has no leader. They are in limbo at the moment. Beside, they think I'm your pack leader. They are worried that they will upset me if they say the wrong thing to you," Remus said.

"Are you?" Hermione asked.

"We will find out tonight. I can't speak for Moony. I think of you as a cub but that doesn't mean he will," Remus said. He noticed the worried look on Hermione's face and quickly added. "It will be okay. I won't let Moony hurt you. The potion gives me the control I need over him."

"Okay," Hermione said a bit nervously before grabbing her own Floo powder and vanishing in the bright green flames.

Hermione and Remus were greeted by a stern looking woman dressed in a drab black robe. "You the outsiders?" she said.

Remus nodded and handed the papers that he had in his robe to the woman. The woman looked them over and said, "This way"

Remus just nodded and followed along giving Hermione a reassuring smile. They were shown into a non-descript room with two cages. "What is this?" Remus asked speaking for the first time.

"The potion you have taken isn't approved by our government. It has been decided that you shall be held under special confinement," the woman said.

"I wasn't informed off this?" Remus said.

"It doesn't matter. Get in!" the lady ordered.

Remus noticed two larger men standing near the doorway with their wands at the ready. He realized fighting wouldn't do them any good. So, he walked into the cage and sat down on the floor. Hermione followed his example. She stayed quiet until they were alone in the room. "What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know but I'll find out later. Right now, you just worry about the transformation. You'll want to fight it but don't. It is easier if you just let it happen," Remus said.

"Okay," Hermione said with a scared look on her face.

Remus wanted to comfort the girl but he couldn't reach her. He was forced to just sit there and let his words comfort her. They talked for close to an hour until Hermione could feel something change in her. "Don't fight it," Remus said before Moony slowly started to take over.

The light from the full moon filled the room as the pair of werewolfs stared at each other. Hermione wolf sensing that Remus was the alpha male bowed deeply to him and stayed down until he grunted at her. She then lifted her head and looked into his eyes. Moony sniffed at Hermione picking up the feeling that his human thought of this small wolf as his cub. He too picked up this sense and he tried to paw at the cage. He felt the need to protect her.

A guard in the room sent a sting spell at Moony. It hit him right in the side and the wolf growled. "This one is feisty," the guard said to his partner.

"They usually are their first time here," the guard said.

The other guard laughed and pulled his wand. "You play with the big one. I'll have fun with the small one here."

"That is fine with me," the guard said and they started sending sting spells towards the two. Hermione cried and wined as the spells hit her. Remus growled and charged at the cage but nothing worked. He was helpless to protect himself or Hermione.


	23. Chapter 23

Dear Readers: This chapter will come in several parts. I will break it up but post it together. This way, the ones who like to read very long chapters can enjoy it at one time and the others can take a break. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone to much.

About the trial, I'm an American. So, this trial will reflect this. I can't help it. It is the only way I know how to write this. I hope my readers will understand.

I have one more thing to say. It is about the last chapter. A few reviewers didn't like what I did to Hermione. One of them was very clear that she didn't like what I did. She even believed that I harmed Hermione just for the fun of it. First off, I didn't. There is only one character that I love to torment and that is Umbridge. She is the only one that I find ways to torment for fun of it. Secondly, I do have a very good reason for that happening. I just can't say right now. I promise those men will pay for it. You might even see a side of Remus that only a few have seen.

This said I want to say that I'm thankful for all your comments. I read every one of them and try to reply to them. I might not like what I read sometimes but I do respect your view points. I'm thankful for the reviewers that allow me to reply back. The only thing that I have a problem with is the reviews that don't give me that chance. It is a pet peeve of mine. So, thanks again everyone!

Enjoy the chapter and Merry Christmas!

Chapter Twenty-Three

**Dumbledore's Trial **

Harry and Tonks left the school Sunday morning and headed back to England. It was thought that if they left earlier enough, the press wouldn't get wind of their arrival time. They were wrong. The press found out the time of his arrival and was waiting at the International Floo Network Station for him and Tonks.

Tonks moved fast after their arrival and put herself between Harry and the press. All the time, she was looking for her parents or Sirius. A cameraman was trying to shove his camera around Tonks to get a picture of Harry. When Sirius suddenly appeared out of no where and shoved the man backwards. "Get back you vultures!" Sirius snarled.

The press moved back giving Harry and Tonks room to breathe once again. "Thanks," Harry gasped as he fought to get his breath.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Sirius said as he put his hand on Harry's shoulder and used his own body to keep the press away as they headed towards the check station.

A bit later, Harry, Tonks and Sirius arrived at the Tonks family home. The group entered to find Andi sitting in the lounge area chatting with Petunia. Harry was shocked to see his aunt and moved closer to Sirius for protection.

The adults noticed this but no one commented about it. Andi just motioned Harry to her side placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Harry, Petunia wanted to talk to you before the trial tomorrow. She is going to be called to stand to tell her side of things. She wanted to make sure you understood things before this happened."

"Talk about what?" Harry asked his stomach in knots.

"About how badly I treated you and what I ignored," Petunia confirmed. She wished Harry wasn't afraid of her but she understood why. She really hadn't given Harry a reason to trust her.

"I knew…" Harry started to say but his throat went dry. He grabbed Andi's tea cup from the table and took a sip before starting again. "I knew that there was going to be questions about things but I didn't know you were going to have to be there."

"Harry, it is going be okay. Madam Bones is only going to ask enough questions to get everyone to understand Dumbledore's motives towards how you were treated. She isn't going to spend a lot of time on the matter," Sirius promised as he sat down on the couch next to Tonks.

"Sirius is right. The press won't find out too many details," Andi pledged.

"I know but having to talk about any of it bothers me," Harry confessed.

Petunia looked at Harry and said, "Honey, I will be called first. I'm going make sure that everyone knows you never did anything wrong. You weren't that much trouble. The spell and my jealous feelings towards Lily being a witch was the problem."

"You wanted to be a witch like mum?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I stole her wand once and tried to get it work for me but it never did. I tried to break it but she caught me. She was really upset with me because of it and we had one of the worst fights in our lives. You see, Lily was much like our mother. She was beautiful and lovely. I took after father. They never said I was ugly but no one ever praised how I looked. I always just looked 'nice'," Petunia divulged. Harry didn't know what to say about this. He didn't think his aunt was bad looking, but then again he didn't know much about girl stuff. "I guess what I am trying to say is that that spell brought out the worst in me. I know things would have been different if it wasn't for that. Lily and I made up years later. I long since stopped hating her from being magical. I was proud as my parents were that she was a witch. I just never told Vernon the truth until after we married."

"I bet that went well," Harry muttered.

"It did. He's feelings on the subject never changed. He hated anything abnormal. The trouble is his view of normal is a bit twisted," Petunia stated. She didn't want to tell Harry that the reason she married Vernon was because she never thought she could do better. She never really loved him. He was just the first man that ever noticed her.

"How is Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked as he sat down on the edge of Andi's arm of her chair. You could see that he was starting to relax finally.

"I haven't seen him. He doesn't want to see me. His lawyer managed to get the charges reduced and he is now free. He is back at home but without me. Dudley is staying there as well. I have tried to see him but he doesn't want anything do with me right now," Petunia said sadly.

"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled..

"It isn't your fault. Dudley is like his father. He sees the world much like Vernon does. I just hope one day that view point will change," Petunia said.

Harry doubted it but for his aunt's stake he kept his opinion to himself. The pair sat and talked for a long time. Harry told his aunt about meeting his mother's painting. Petunia couldn't help but wonder out loud if a non-magical person could talk to a magical painting. Harry didn't know but he would ask the others later. He would have asked them then but he realized that everyone had slipped out of the room.

* * *

The next morning, Harry woke up early and dressed for the trial. He put on one of the new dress robes that Andi had bought for him. It was heavier than his school robes due to the fact that it was the first of October and the weather was starting to get nippy here. The robes themselves were a dark brown as were his pants but he chose to wear a light green shirt and slightly darker green tie.

Harry was tying his tie when Andi walked into the room to check if he was awake. "Good you're dressed," Andi affirmed as she walked into the room. She noticed Harry having trouble with his tie and stated, "Let me."

"Thanks, I normally can do this but this morning my fingers don't seem to work right," Harry admitted turning to face Andi letting her fix his tie.

"That is to be understandable. You should have seen Sirius this morning. He had on one black shoe and one brown. I had to send him upstairs four times to get it right. He kept coming back down with the wrong shoe on," Andi laughed.

Harry laughed. "I bet that was funny."He had found out last night that Sirius was staying with Andi and Ted. He said he was doing it because they were closer to the Ministry. Harry heard Ted say that the reason was because Sirius hated his family home and didn't want to stay there. Also, he would have stayed at the Leaky Cauldron but Andi felt it wasn't fitting for a man in his position. Harry thought the reason as simpler. Sirius was lonely and wanted to stay with family.

Andi and Harry went down for breakfast and then everyone gathered together by the fireplace to leave. They were going to floo to Madam Bone's office, where Harry was going to wait until it was his turn to take the stand. Everyone felt that it might better for him to stay there than the waiting area with the other witnesses.

Ted and Andi left Tonks and Harry in Madam Bones's office and headed towards the court room. The trial was going to be held on the tenth floor. The couple arrived and stood in line with the other people lined up to watch the trial. The Ministry wasn't taking any chances. They were taking wands and searching everyone before allowing them entrance into the court room.

There in line they spotted Molly and Percy. Ted had found out that Percy had worked for the Ministry. He didn't know what the boy used to do for the Ministry, but he found out that he had been let go for taking something from it. He was also unsure what, but from what he understood from the talk around town the only job the boy could find now was working for Albus' brother cleaning tables in the pub.

Ted felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to find Kingsley standing behind him. "Sirius has reserved a seat for you up front. He wants to make sure that Harry sees a friendly face when he is called to testify," Kingsley said as he nodded to the guard on duty and the group started to go inside. They only paused long enough to hand over their wands.

"Why do they get special treatment?" Molly snapped as a man started to go through her purse. No one answered. They just kept on working searching through Molly's bag and then frisking her to make sure she had nothing hidden under her robes.

"How is Harry?" Kingsley asked as they made their way to reserved seats.

"Okay, I think. Harry covers his emotions well. I am thankful that our laws prevent him for sitting through this trial. I can only imagine how bad it is going to be," Andi said.

"Trust me, it isn't," Kingsley muttered. "Oh, I'll be questioning Harry. I'll keep the questions simple and short. I don't know who Dumbledore's defending attorney is but the others have already been warned about the type of questions they can ask Harry. Our world might no longer see him as the Boy-Who-Lived but he is still a future Lord and that carries a lot of weight." Kingsley informed them as he stopped in front of two seats right behind the table that was set up for him and Madam Bones.

"That is good to know. Harry is worried about the type of questions that is going to be asked of him," Andi said as she and Ted sat down.

"He doesn't have to worry. I'm going to go easy on him," Kingsley promised smiling as he pulled out his pocket watch. "Well, I have to check in with Madam Bones. I'll talk to you two later," Kingsley said and he walked away.

Andi fixed her robes and said, "I wish Kingsley was right about people seeing Harry as the Boy-Who-Lived. His fan mail has nearly doubled since this mess got started."

"The goblins informed me yesterday that he is getting a lot of howlers about his association with Hermione. I'm just thankful that we had his mail filtered through the Goblins. I hate for any of them to reach him at school," Ted said.

"I forgot. We better tell him about this. I hate Harry to think we are keeping things from him," Andi confirmed.

"We will do that tonight but I suggest we keep the details of what is inside his mail to ourselves. The boy does not need to know about any of it," Ted countered.

"I agree. So, are 80 plus year old women still offering their hands in marriage?" Andi inquired.

"Afraid so, and a few are sending pictures. I swear the things that some women go through to get his attention," Ted said shaking his head.

"Do I want to know?" Andi asked.

"Let's just say, Sirius got a hold of few of the pictures of the younger ladies and plastered them on his bedroom wall. He is planning on a show and tell for Harry's little wizard talk," Ted informed her..

"Oh, no he isn't. If anyone gives Harry that talk it should be you. I can only imagine what Sirius comes up with," Andi stated firmly.

"Me?" Ted said blushing. "I thought that was your department?"

"It was my department with Dora. Harry is your problem," Andi said firmly.

"Yes, dear," Ted said and the couple sat there quietly waiting for the trial to beginning.

_**Okay, break number one…get a snack, sleep, homework, or whatever-there is still more to come……………………**_

The prisoners were brought in and forced to stand along with everyone else as members of Wizengamot entered. The selected members that were going to stand as jury had taken their seats just off to the right. The others took their normal seats. There were some that glared down at the prisoners with hate but others had a look of pity. Fudge was crying as he was brought into the room. While, Crouch was being belligerent to the guards as he and Fudge was chained up. Dumbledore was just muttering to himself, not bothering to look around him.

Once Sirius motioned everyone to take there seats. He turned to the two lawyers seated to his right and solicited, "Are you defending Albus Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge, and Barty Crouch Sr.?"

"We are defending Mr. Fudge and Mr. Crouch but Mr. Dumbledore has decided to defend himself," the oldest of the men declared.

"I see," Sirius said trying hard not to laugh. He remembered a muggle saying he heard once about a man being his own lawyer. Sirius turned to glaze down at Dumbledore and asked, "Is this true?"

Dumbledore pulled himself together and affirmed, "Yes, it is. It is my right to defend myself against these ridiculous charges. I know the law better then anyone here. I wrote over ½ the laws that on our books today."

Lucius, who was seated with the members who weren't judging Dumbledore and the others, leaned over to Nott, "That is something we have to correct." he whispered. Nott nodded in agreement and sat there stoned face as Sirius continued on with the trial.

"Well, it is your right. So, may I assume that you are pleading 'not guilty'," Sirius asked.

"Yes, I am," Dumbledore avowed.

"And the two of you?" Sirius asked.

Crouch and Fudge looked at each other and Fudge spoke up. "Guilty, with provisions," Fudge muttered.

"And those provisions are?" Sirius asked hiding his shock that the pair was actually admitting that they were guilty.

"We, like you, believed that Dumbledore knew what was best for our world. We let him lead us astray," Crouch declared.

Sirius shook his head at this. He should have seen this coming. "Well, we will deal with that later, but for now the two of you will be taken to the holding area until this part of the trial is finished," Sirius said as the two men were taken away by the Aurors with the Dementors hovering behind them as escorts. Fudge and Crouch screamed and cried as they were lead away. They were begging for the Dementors to be removed but no one listened to them.

Sirius put several chunks of chocolate into his mouth as the Dementors vanished from the room. Even as high up as he was, he felt the effects of those creatures. The others did as well and everyone had several chunks of chocolate. Once he finished it, Sirius turned his attention to Madam Bones. "Are you ready to bring your case in front of this body?"

"Yes, I am but first I wish to introduce the Wizengamot to my Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt. He is going to help bring this case to you," Madam Bones acknowledged.

"So, be it," Sirius said nodding.

"Thank you," Madame Bones responded as she stood and walked to a place where Dumbledore and the others in the room could see her. "Gentle Wizards and Witches of the Wizarding World, I'm here to prove to you that Albus Dumbledore is mentally unfit to be part of our world. He is unable to see the differences between reality and fiction. I will bring forth healers that will give testimony that he, Dumbledore, is suffering from what they call 'God complex.' He actually believes he is right on all matters and that it is our duty to follow him. He believes that we are unable to decide what is right for ourselves. It is up to him to decide for us. He has decided for years on what is taught in our schools. Who we shall marry and what we shall do with our lives. The ones that have questioned his authority over the years he has gotten rid of through his Hand of Death, Lord Voldemort."

The room filled with gasps at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. Bones ignored them and kept on going. Sirius had worked with her for hours just to get her to say the name without flinching herself. He felt it would work better if she didn't use Voldemort's hyphened name. She had agreed but it was still difficult for her to say it. She knew he was right. It was silly being afraid of a name. It did help knowing that Voldemort was a pawn just like the rest of them in Dumbledore's chess game.

"Albus Dumbledore has done nothing but dumb down our world. We are at the bottom in Education and our way of thinking is considered to be backward and over ½ of your young people today leave the area in droves upon their majority. The ones that do stick around enter lower level clerical jobs or store clerks. This is if they don't leave our world all together. They do this because they find that living in the muggle world offers them technical advancement that makes living without magic easier. Countries all over our world have managed to use muggle technical achievements to expand magic boundaries. This hasn't only hurt us by losing our young people to other countries but economically as well. Our tourist trade has dropped nearly fifty percent in the last decade. It only raised this year because we were lucky to get the Quidditch Cup this year and that only happened because Dumbledore was busy setting up the Tri-Wizard Tournament or he would have voted against it like he did every other time it has come up for us to hold it.

Sadly, if this isn't the only thing Dumbledore has done, I would say we wouldn't be here. It is the loss of life that has brought us here today. Dumbledore has ordered the death of thousands and murdered two respected members of the Wizengamot himself; James and Lily Potter. He must be stopped. I'm asking for this body to have Albus Dumbledore's magic suppressed and place him in the restricted section of St. Mungos for the rest of his natural life." Bones finally finished. She ignored the whispers from the crowd and returned to her seat next to Kingsley.

Sirius looked down at Dumbledore and asked. "Do you have anything to say?"

"Not at this moment," Dumbledore said, shocked about what Bones had just said. He was bracing himself for Azkaban, but not St. Mungos. This was a new twist to things and it was taking him a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Then Madam Bones call your first witness," Sirius declared.

Madam Bones nodded and called, "I call Aberforth Dumbledore to the stand."

Albus' older brother Aberforth walked in from the witness holding area and took a seat in the witness stand. Penelope Clearwater walked forward and said, "Do you swear on your magic that what you say to day will be the truth?"

"I swear," Aberforth vowed after he took his wand from the Auror standing off to the side holding all witness wands. He would hand over and take all witness wands after they were done. He had his own wand as well but had sworn and oath not to use it unless provoked. He was secretly wishing that Dumbledore would try something. He knew what Bones was going to bring to light and he had no use for the old man. He felt that death was the only possible out come to this trial.

Penelope returned to her seat and sat there trying to keep her face emotionless. She was now the Minister of Magic's assistant. She was hired after Minister Fudge was arrested and Minster Diggory took the job. Percy had been upset with her because he wanted the job. Thankfully, he was ignoring her during the time he stole Dumbledore's wand from the holding area or she might have lost her job as well. There was part of her that still cared for Percy but because of his actions, she knew it was best they never saw each other again. It was sad because she really did care for the guy.

Aberforth took a seat as Kingsley stood up and stood in the area where Madam Bones did her opening statement. He looked at Aberforth and said, "Please state your name for the record and your relation to the accused."

"Aberforth Dumbledore, I'm Albus Dumbledore's older brother," Aberforth answered firmly.

"Do you understand why we are here?" Kingsley asked.

"I do. You lot finally woke up and got your heads out of your _bleep bleep_," Aberforth responded.

Sirius banged his gavel and said, "I would like to remind the witness that this is not his bar and he needs to watch his language."

"You weren't watching yours last night," Aberforth growled.

Sirius choked as laughter broke out in the room. He cleared his throat and growled out, "Continue."

Kingsley fought his own laughter as he asked, "What was Albus like as a child?"

"He walked around with a stick stuck up his _bleep. _He was the perfect student. He didn't break any rules and always was the first to point out when someone else did," Aberforth retorted.

Kingsley glanced at Madam Bones, who was had her hand over her mouth as she motioned for him to continue. "Yes, um," Kingsley looked at his notes for a moment then asked, "Was there a point that this changed?"

"Yes, it changed after our sister's death and our father's arrest. He became obsessed in being perfect. He also started hanging out with Gellert Grindelwald. I think it was Gellert that put the idea in Albus' head that they should control the wizarding world. The trouble is they couldn't agree on who should rule. This is what they fought about that night Grindelwald died. They were partners through all that mess. Albus had just as much to do with it as Gellert. You fools just believed that he stopped him out of pure goodness of his heart. Maybe he believed it himself, but I never did. I know my brother better than any of you. The only person he ever thought of was himself."

Kingsley nodded. "No, further questions," Kingsley said.

Albus stood up looked sky word towards his brother and asked, "Isn't it true that you blamed me for our sister Ariana's death?"

"Yes," Aberforth answered back.

"So, aren't your statements about me clouded with your hatred?" Albus posed.

"They might be but that doesn't mean they aren't the truth," Aberforth said.

"No, more questions," Albus said and he sat back down steeple his fingers and sat there smiling. He figured if everyone was like his brother this case was as good as won.

Aberforth stepped down went to sit with Molly and Percy. Percy looked at the man and asked, "Can't we leave now?"

"No, you two are going to sit here and listen to all of this. If this doesn't change your mind about what a _bleep bleep bleep _my brother is nothing will," Aberforth growled.

Madam Bones took over for Kingsley because the next witness was Minerva McGonagall. Kingsley said there was no way he could question Minerva because one look from her and he would feel like a firsty all over again. Bones understood this and agreed to do the questioning. She also felt that Kingsley earned a break after questioning Aberforth.

Minerva was sworn in as Bones moved to stand. She was holding a beat up book in her hands. She smiled at Minerva and said, "Please for the record state your name and how do you know the witness."

"Minerva McGonagall and I have known Albus since I first started Hogwarts as a student. He was my Transfiguration Professor," Minerva answered.

"Are you a muggle born, mixblood, or pure blood?" Bones asked.

"I'm mixblood," Minerva said firmly.

"What was school like back then?" Bones asked.

"I object. What does this have to do with my mental state?" Albus demanded.

"Oh, more you think," Bone said coolly.

"Alright," Sirius said breaking in. "Dumbledore sit down and please Madam Bones don't drag this questioning out to long." He meant it because to him Dumbledore was guilty and he had other things he wanted to do today then listen to any of this.

Bones nodded and waited for Minerva to answer her question. "It was the same as is today," Minerva answered not really understanding the question.

"Is it? Are the same subjects taught then as today?" Bones asked.

"The basics," Minerva responded.

"Let me ask you this, are there any subjects that Dumbledore changed after he became Headmaster?" Bones asked.

"A few," Minerva said pausing for a moment but noticing Bones motion to go on and she did. "History of Magic changed, but only because Professor Binns died and was stuck on the last topic he was teaching about before his death. Dumbledore felt that teaching Magical Education class wasn't needed. He said it separated muggleborns from the rest of the school. He also dropped Blood Magic for the same reason. He also felt that it wasn't necessary for mixblood and purebloods to be forced to take Muggle Studies. He felt that students should take it out of their freewill."

"Tell me about Blood Magic?" Bones asked.

"I don't know much. My husband took it. He was pureblood. It was only taught to them," Minerva said.

Bones nodded and went to ask other questions for now. She would get back to Blood Magic later. "Back to your time at Hogwarts, were the houses separate as they are today?"

"They were always separate," Minerva replied.

"What I mean is did the houses hate each other as they do today?" Bones asked.

Minerva sighed and said, "No. We fought about Quidditch but the houses didn't hate each other. I had good friends in Gryffindor house."

"Wait? Weren't you in Gryffindor?" Bone said catching this. She always thought Minerva was in Gryffindor.

"No, I was in Slytherin," Minerva admitted.

The room gasped at this and Sirius jaw opened. "I don't believe it," he said out loud.

"Believe it Mr. Black," Minerva snapped.

Sirius ducked his head and muttered something under this breath as everyone laughed. Minerva just sat there. She didn't make excuses. She was proud of being a member of Slytherin house. She was a member back when it meant something before Albus made it a house to be hated. It was one reason she liked Severus. She understood him. She might not like his teaching methods, but she did like him personally. He would have had a better life if Dumbledore had actually cared about him.

Bones said the only thing she could say at the time. The thought that Minerva McGonagall was in Slytherin house threw her so much that she couldn't think of anything else to ask. "I have nothing else," she said and she sat back down.

Albus ignored the muttering around him and stood. "Minerva during the entire time you were my Deputy, did you every question anything I did as Headmaster?" Albus asked.

"No, but" Minerva said.

"Thank you," Albus said and he sat back down before she could finish.

"My I redirect?" Bones asked wanting to hear the rest of Minerva's statement.

"Go head," Sirius said.

"Do you question his decisions now?" Bones asked.

"Yes," Minerva said.

"Thank you, that is it," Bones said.

"You can step down," Sirius told Minerva.

_(Small story note…Dumbledore put people where he wanted them. He did that with Minerva making her head of Gryffindor house. It also proves that not all Slytherin are evil!)_

Minerva stood then paused. She looked at Bones with questioning look and Bones nodded. "Chief Warlock, if Albus Dumbledore doesn't have need Minerva any more, I would like to free her for the rest of this trial and allow her to return to France."

Sirius nodded and looked down at Dumbledore. "She isn't needed any more," Albus snapped. He wasn't happy with Minerva's last statement, not happy at all. Minerva didn't blink at the tone of Dumbledore's voice. She just stood up smoothed her robes and walked from the courtroom, her head held high.

After Minerva left, Bones stood up and said, "I like to call Frank Longbottom to the stand!"

The room went nuts as the witness room door opened and in walked Frank and Alice Longbottom holding hands. Frank kissed his wife's hand and she went to sit beside Frank's mother with the other members of the Wizengamot. The woman next to her had to touch Alice's arm just to prove to herself that the woman was real. The woman then hugged Alice and kissed her on the cheek with tears in her eyes. The woman was Alice's mother and she had no idea her daughter was back to normal. Alice gripped her mother's hand and they sat there with Augusta watching as Frank took the stand.

Everyone held their breath as Frank held out his wand and took the oath and stated his name for the courtroom. As Frank sat down, Bones walked forwards and said, "I want to say that it was a shock to find that you weren't at St. Mungos."

"I bet," Frank replied grinning.

"Could you tell the court, where you have been staying and who is at St. Mungos in your place," Madam Bones asked ignoring Frank's lip.

"Alice and I have been living at the Longbottom Estate since the attack on our family home. We escaped with Neville and our house elves took our places. They are the ones that are at St. Mungos."

"Why? Why stay in hiding all this time?" Bones asked.

"Because Dumbledore was the reason we went in hiding in the first place. James had warned Alice and I that Dumbledore wanted us dead. I didn't believe him--until after the Potter's murder. I realized then that what James had told me was the truth and I needed to take action to protect my family. Therefore, I started to prepare to fake our deaths. To do this, I did what James suggested that I do," Frank said calmly.

"And that is?" Bones asked.

"Become Lord Longbottom not just by title but by blood," Frank answered.

"I object, that form of blood magic is illegal," Albus yelled jumping to his feet.

"Yes, you made it that way," Frank snapped getting to his own feet and glaring down at Dumbledore. You could feel the magic pouring off him as he stood there. "Tell them why Dumbledore! Tell them the reason you did it was because it was magic that you couldn't possess."

Sirius slammed the gavel on the table in front of him. "That is enough both of you. Frank, sit back down and Dumbledore, you will remain silent until it is your turn with this witness," Sirius ordered.

Albus Dumbledore gathered his composure and sat down but the calm expression he had once had on his face vanished. Frank sat down as well but his eyes were cold as steal. He hated Dumbledore. He hated what had done to all of them. Now, that he didn't have to hide any more Frank was going to make sure that he put the old goat way and repair the damage Dumbledore did to all of them.

Bones cleared her throat and said, "Could you explain what a Blood Lord is?" Madam Bones asked.

"A Blood Lord is what Heads of House every pureblood family should have become the moment they were given their Lord rings. After taking the oath, they are given the magic of their family that gives them the ability to strengthen family wards that protects their family from outsiders, their magic is strengthened as well. It was done because Heads of the House were considers protectors of their family. They could also demand a blood oath to be sworn by every family member. I asked mine to take that oath to protect Alice and myself from outsiders. They protected us by not telling anyone that we were okay," Frank said his magic finally calming down.

"Dumbledore brought up that this form of blood magic is illegal. I believe he was the one that wrote the law that made it illegal. Do you know why he made it illegal?"

"Yes, because as the younger brother of the Dumbledore family it was magic that was out of his reach. It was magic that he couldn't control," Frank answered.

"Is this what James told you?" Bones asked.

"That and he told me why Dumbledore wanted us dead. He wanted to control Neville. He couldn't control James and me at Hogwarts so, he was going to get rid of what got in his way of controlling the last connected heirs of Hogwarts--_Our families!_ James explained that he found it easy controlling Slytherin's Heir because there no one to protect him. Therefore he figured that if he could make Neville and Harry orphans, he would have clear shot in controlling them."

"Why?" Bones asked.

"The vault, the secret vault of the Founders of Hogwarts, it is to posses the magical secrets of the founders and their riches. It was set up to make sure that Hogwarts stayed running long after their deaths. However, it was impossible for anyone one member to enter. The founders' heirs have to enter together with one goal in mind. How could anyone do that when Dumbledore did nothing but preach Slytherin hatred?"

"Who is the last Slytherin heir and is he alive today?" Bones asked.

"He isn't alive. We had known him as Lord Voldemort. He was Albus Dumbledore's hand of death. If there was someone he wanted to get rid of, it was Voldemort that killed them," Frank said. Frank ignored the gasps as he said Voldemort's name.

"How do you know this?" Bones asked.

"James told me," Frank said.

Bones nodded. She looked over at the Aurors that stood just off to her right with a table and pensive. She nodded at the men and they brought table and pensive forward. "I would like to bring forth this evidence. It is memories of the last moments of James and Lily Potter. I think this will prove to everyone that Voldemort and Dumbledore had once been partners."

The information wasn't new to anyone in the Wizengamot. They had seen it once already but to the others it was shocking. Women and men both gasped at the sight of Voldemort enter the Potter home. The woman cried as James and Lily lost their lives protecting their son.

The sound of Bones voice filled the room as the memory ended. "Frank did James and Lily know what was coming?"

"Yes, they did. James told me the day met that he was going to die and that Dumbledore would be behind his murder. He said they had accepted it. They were working on doing everything they could to protect their son," Frank said.

"Do you know what they did?" Alice asked.

"Not all of it but I know that James told me that he made Harry Blood Lord of the Potter Family. He found away to skip over him and give to his son. He said he hoped giving his son this magic would be enough to keep him safe from Dumbledore," Frank stated.

Bones nodded and said, "I don't have anything else."

Dumbledore just waved his hand. "I have nothing to say to someone that uses dark magic," Dumbledore said. Frank just smiled and stood up. He went to sit with his mother and wife.

_**Okay, break number two…get a snack, sleep, homework, or whatever-there is still more to come……………………**_

Sirius called a break then. Dumbledore was taken from the room and everyone stood up. There were a lot of people that gathered around Frank and Alice. They all wanted to know how? It took Frank a bit to get past the crowd and found Sirius talking to Minister Diggory. "'Can we talk?" Frank asked Sirius.

"Sure," Sirius said.

Frank followed Sirius to Sirius private dressing area Sirius removed his Wizengamot robes and sighed, "I had to take that thing off. So, Frank, welcome back to the land of the living." Sirius said as he turned to greet Frank warmly.

"Thanks and here. I was told to give this to you once the truth about Dumbledore came out," Frank said.

Sirius took the letter and noticed it was in James' hand writing. Sirius looked at Frank and asked, "What is this?"

"I have no idea. James never told me what was in the letter. I was just asked to give this to you if we managed to survive this mess with Dumbledore. Frank said. Sirius nodded and Frank left giving Sirius time to read the letter.

_Padfoot, _

_If you are reading this, then either Snape was wrong about Peter, or you managed to out wit that old man yourself. Either way, I hope you have managed to find a place in my son's life. I have something to ask of you. Harry's magic is going to be wild for awhile. He will need to understand and control it. You are the only one in his life that can help him do that because you are in a position to control that very same magic. _

_I understand your feelings about your family. We spent a lot of time talking about your mother and more importantly your father. Sirius, Blood Lords can see through the lies family members say about others. I'm sure your mother has told you lies about your father's death. What those lies are I'm not sure but I know in my heart that they are lies. Your father did love you. He did care for you and he did not kill himself because you were his heir. Don't let that –itch take away what is rightfully yours. Become a Blood Lord, and learn the truth about your father's death. You might even be able to put in the past what your mother did to you. _

_The only other thing I can say about this subject is if you can't find it in yourself to do this for yourself, then do it for Harry. He needs you Sirius. Remember I'll always be watching over both of you and until we meet again. Keep Pranking! _

_Your brother in Heart, _

_James Potter _

Sirius stood there weeping for his lost brother. It also solidified the hatred that Sirius had for Dumbledore.

* * *

Andi and Ted went to check on Harry. He was sitting at Madam Bones's desk working on his school work. Tonks was sitting in a chair nearby reading a magazine. "How is it going?" she asked the moment her parents entered the room.

Neither said anything at first and this worried Harry. "What is it?" Harry asked.

"Frank and Alice Longbottom are awake. In fact, they faked their illness," Ted said.

"Oh, that's all," Harry said thinking that Dumbledore got off or something.

"You knew?" Andi said giving the boy a dirty look.

"Neville told me before I left school. He said his father was giving him permission to tell me. He said that he will explain more to me later and that he never meant to lie about his parents. He just knew he had to keep things a secret," Harry said.

"And you didn't tell me," Tonks said slapping Harry on the arm.

"Hey, that hurt," Harry said rubbing his arm. "Mum, she hit me!"

Andi and Ted were shocked that Harry had actually called Andi mum. "What did you say?" Tonks asked.

"I said you hit me," Harry said.

"No, you called my mother. Mum!" Tonks said.

"I did?" Harry said shocked.

"You did," Tonks said.

Harry thought about things. He knew that Lily and James were his parents but he didn't really know them. He couldn't call Ted and Andi aunt and uncle because those words left a bad taste in his mouth. So, maybe Mum and Dad might be the only thing he could call them. He looked up at the couple and asked, "It is okay that I call you that, right?"

Andi smiled and went over to hug Harry. "Yes, it is okay." She then gave her daughter a dirty look and said, "Never hit your brother again."

"Fine but he still should have told me," Tonks snapped sticking her tongue out at Harry. The group laughed and the couple sat down to fill Harry and Tonks in on what has happened so far.

Harry sat listening intently. He had promised Hermione that he would get as many details as possible for her. Andi just finished telling them what Bones had changed Dumbledore's charges to. "Wait, I thought he was being charged with murder and was going to be sent to Azkaban."

Andi looked at Ted and said, "This is your area, you explain it to him."

Ted nodded and tried to explain things without getting too technical. "Madam Bones knew if she kept the charges the same, Dumbledore could be found not guilty by the reason of insanity. This was possible because there are still a few people in our world who look up to Dumbledore. If this happened, the worst that could happen to him was that his brother could lock him away in the family home for the rest of his life with house elves to tend to him. The security area in St. Mungos might not be Azkaban, but it isn't the best place in the world to be either. You add to the fact that she is asking Dumbledore's powers to be suppressed and it is the best we can do under the circumstances."

"But he killed my parents," Harry said not liking any of it.

Andi moved closer to Harry and said, "He ordered the deaths of a lot of people Harry. The trouble is we are not just bringing Dumbledore to trial, but his image. Bones is worried that no matter what evidence she brings to trial, there will always be a few people that still believe in him. She can't take the chance that they will let him off. You do understand this?"

"Yes, I understand it. I just don't like it," Harry muttered.

"We don't either but we have to trust Bones in doing what is best. She knows the laws better than most of us. She knows how to bring a person to trial and get a conviction. In fact, she is one of the first and few directors that have had such a clean record. There are few that are thinking that she should run for Minister in the next election. I believe she is thinking about it because she is having Kingsley help her bring this trial to Wizengamot," Ted said.

"Oh, great, stick in the mud is going to be my boss," Tonks complained.

"I thought you liked me," Kingsley said from the doorway.

"Oops," Tonks said her face turning as red as her hair was at that moment. Everyone laughed as Tonks tried to pry her foot from her mouth.

* * *

The trial finally continued and it was Snape's turn to take the stand. It was again Kingsley that asked the questions. "Professor Snape, could you explain to the court your relationship with Albus Dumbledore?"

"Professor Dumbledore was my Headmaster at Hogwarts as a student and in later years I started teaching for him. Also during the war, I was his spy in the Dark Lord's camp," Snape declared.

"Is that how you managed to escape imprisonment after You-Know-Who's death?" Kingsley asked. He still hadn't managed to say Voldemort's name without stuttering, so he didn't bother trying.

"Yes," Snape responded.

"Is that the only thing you did during those years?" Kingsley asked.

"No, I was also the Dark Lord's spy on Dumbledore. It was my job to make sure that the old man didn't betray him. I also brewed potions for him and the other Death Eaters," Snape said.

"I see. You had both ends covered didn't you?" Kingsley scoffed.

"I'm Slytherin. It was what we do, or at least that's what Dumbledore wants everyone to think about us. In truth, I did what I had to do to survive. I never asked to take this Dark Mark. It was pushed on me. I just made sure that no matter who survived, the loser didn't take me down with them," Snape proclaimed.

"What does that mean?" Kingsley said.

Snape scuffed. "The Dark Lord and Dumbledore were partners. It was Dumbledore that called the shots on who died and who lived. If the Dark Lord hadn't over stepped his place with Dumbledore, he still might be alive today. Dumbledore was upset that he killed a group of people that wasn't on the list and he decided that it was time to get rid of the Dark Lord. Therefore, he created a trap using the Potters as bait."

"You knew this?" Kingsley said.

"Yes, I did. I warned Lily and tried to get her to run with her son, but she refused to leave. She said no matter where she went Dumbledore would find her. Instead, James and her made arrangements to insure Harry's survival," Snape announced.

"Did you warn You-Know-Who of this?" Kingsley asked.

"Yes, but he said there was no need to worry. He wasn't afraid of Dumbledore. He said even if Dumbledore did manage to kill him, he wouldn't get rid of him."

Kingsley was shocked by this last statement because this was news to him. Snape and he didn't cover this in their pre-trial conversations. This implied Snape knew how Voldemort had made himself immortal.. He looked in Bones direction for an indication of what to do next. She motioned for him to go on and he did. Lucius and several others in the room sat up straighter to listen to this part of the questioning.

"What did he mean by that?" Kingsley asked.

"I didn't know at the time, but later I found out the Dark Lord had created a Horcrux and it was in Dumbledore's control. Dumbledore used it in Potter's… I mean Mr. Potter's second year. I discovered that Dumbledore used it for three reasons. One reason was he wanted to get rid of Ms. Granger because the girl was directing Harry down the wrong path. He was hoping that Ms. Granger would meet a fatal end at the hands of the Basilisk. I believe he was trying to direct her to have a run in with it on several occasions. Thankfully for her, it never worked out. She realized what the creature was and was prepared when she finally ran into it. He also wanted to insure his control over the boy and lastly, he wanted to start a blood feud between the Malfoy and Weasley family. It wouldn't hurt that Voldemort would have his body restored."

Snape glanced in Lucius' direction for a moment; the pair had talked a lot about what he would say on the stand. He knew that what he would say could cause Lucius a lot of trouble, so the two Death Eaters warned the others about what was going to be said. They warned them because they wanted the others to think that they were only exposing the secret to make Dumbledore look bad. They had lied of course. They weren't just making Dumbledore look bad. They were trying to get the others to realize that there were other horclux's around.

"How would this blood feud happen?" Kingsley asked.

"Dumbledore had me take the diary to Lucius. I was told to tell him that I needed it hidden because Dumbledore was nosing around my room. I told Lucius the truth and warned him that Dumbledore was up to something. Lucius knew that Arthur was going to search his home soon and so he believed that Dumbledore was setting him up for a fall. Therefore, he put in young Ginny's books. Neither of us realized that we were doing exactly what Dumbledore had wanted us to do. The diary was a Horcrux. It held a part of the Dark Lord's soul. It wasn't until after the attacks started that I discovered the truth. It was then that I realized on whom Dumbledore's real target was. He had been complaining about Ms. Granger for months now. He didn't like the fact that she was getting Mr. Potter to think for himself. I knew Mr. Potter well enough by this point to know the boy was looking into these attacks. It was part of his nature and Ms. Granger was just as bad as he was. Therefore, I left hints for Granger to find that led to her finding what was causing the attacks."

"You knew what attacking the school?" Kingsley asked.

"Dumbledore told me. He also informed me that if things worked out that he would control Potter for the rest of his life. I believe he was going to force Potter to create a Horcrux. It didn't work out though. I don't know exactly what happened, but after everything settled down I overheard Dumbledore yelling at his phoenix and cursing out the sorting hat for something."

"Can you tell us some of what he said," Kingsley asked.

"He said things like 'why did you get involved' and 'where did this sword come from'. He screamed in pain at that moment and cursed. He started yelling more about where the sword vanished to. I didn't hear anything else because Arthur and Molly were coming to see him and I had to move away from the door," Snape said.

"I just have one more question. Who was really calling the shots over the Death Eaters? Dumbledore or You-Know-Who?" Kingsley asked.

"Dumbledore," Snape said firmly.

"Thank you, I have nothing else," Kingsley said and he went to sit down.

Dumbledore stood looking sad and bit worried. "Severus, I'm disappointed in you. Out of everyone, I believed you would actually stand beside me and after everything I have done for you," Dumbledore said sadly.

Snape scuffed. "Done for me? You took the only person in this world that I ever loved. She believed in me not even 'you' did that." Snape stopped his voice breaking a bit. He took several deep breaths and went on. "I wasn't good enough for her though was I…'Old Man'. You didn't believe I was right for her. In your eyes, she was prefect for Potter. No, you had other ideas for me. You wanted me as your puppet. Well, I cut the strings, 'Master'. Even If I destroy what is left of my life, I'll be the one calling the shots. Not you!"

Snape didn't even wait to be dismissed. He stood up and walked out of the room his robes flying behind him. The double doors of the Wizengamot had opened up with a slight wave of his hand. He went through them and they slammed behind him.

Kingsley leaned next to Madam Bones and said, "I really wish I knew how he did that." She just nodded and smiled. She was watching everyone in the room during Snape's questioning. A tall man sitting in back sat up very straight during the part where the Horcrux was brought up. He talked to a pair beside him and they vanished soon after. The man was Head of Unspeakables. Bones didn't know his real name, but he only name went by was Raven. She didn't know what a Horcrux was but she had a feeling Raven did and he wasn't happy about it. She wondered if Tom Riddle's trunks would suddenly come missing from her safe in her office by the end of the day?

_**Okay, break number three…get a snack, sleep, homework, or whatever-there is still more to come……………………**_

Xenopilius Lovegood was called to the stand. The Quibbler and new Daily Prophet Editor took a seat. After he was sworn in, Kingsley stood again and started to ask him questions. "Mr. Lovegood, could you place tell this court your connection to the Founding Four?" Kingsley asked.

"My wife was the Ravenclaw Heir. She had warned me, even before Luna was born, that Dumbledore meant trouble for our world. She even foresaw her death. She had me promise no matter what, I would protect our daughter from Dumbledore's meddling," Xenopilius said.

"Your wife was a seer?" Kingsley asked.

"Yes, as her mother was before her and her grandmother. Luna has the same gifts but they are just starting to develop. Unlike Dumbledore wants everyone to believe, seers don't control their gifts. Their gifts control them. They need to happen naturally and without any outside interference. This is why I made sure that Luna understood the danger Dumbledore was to her. She did because she started to create public image that was nothing like the Luna that was alone with me," Xenopilius said.

"How do you mean?" Kingsley asked.

"In public I would catch her staring into space and reading books upside down. I would never try to change this because I noticed Dumbledore watching us now and then. I realized her act was working because he started to leave us alone. My Luna, is bright and notices everything that goes on around her," answered Xenopilius.

"You mean before this, Dumbledore bothered you. How?" Kingsley asked.

"After my wife's death, he came over almost daily asking about Luna and how she was taking her mother's death. He even hinted that he knew of our connection with Ravenclaw and asked if Luna possessed any of powers that are connected with the family," Xenopilius replied.

"What did you say?" Kingsley asked.

Xenopilius smiled and said, "Luna is out hunting flying Snagglehorns. It was my luck that Luna was outside looking into the sky with a dreamy expression on her face at that moment. Dumbledore just smiled at me nodded and left. I believe that was the last time that we talked until Luna started school."

"Thank you," Kingsley said and turned to sit down.

Dumbledore just waved his hand and said, "I have nothing for him."

Augusta Longbottom was next. She moved from her place next to her son and daughter in-law and took the witness stand. After she took the oath, Madam Bones stood up and walked to the center again. Since Augusta was a member of the Wizengamot, it was only right that Bones question her.

"Lady Longbottom, could you please explain to the court Dumbledore's treatment of you after the attack on your son Frank and his wife Alice," Madam Bones asked.

"He started to think he could control how Neville was brought up. Thankfully, I had enough power in the Wizengamot to keep him at bay. It was only after I told him that I believed poor Neville was squib that he started leaving me alone," Augusta said.

"Was Neville a squib?" she asked.

"Far from it, Neville is very good at magic. He just has learned to hide it. We made sure that Neville understood the danger Dumbledore was to all of us. He was even taught occlumency at an early age. This was difficult for the boy but he finally managed it nicely," Augusta said proudly.

"You did this to protect Frank and Alice's secret?" Bones asked.

"And Neville of course… I knew Dumbledore wanted to control him. We just gave him the perfect person that he thought he could control. Neville did barely passing in school and showed hardly any signs of magic. In fact, he stayed mostly under Dumbledore's radar. I believe there was only one moment in Neville's first year that he did anything outstanding," Augusta said.

"Thank you, Lady Longbottom," Madam Bones said bowing slightly to the woman and turning to go back to her seat.

Everyone waited for Dumbledore to ask her something but his attention as drawn behind him. He had spotted a Dementor standing in the shadows watching him. It took Sirius a bit to get Dumbledore's attention. When he did, Dumbledore just muttered that he had nothing to ask and sat there muttering to himself. Only a few people looked down at the wizard with a sad expression on their faces, the rest just ignored him and kept their attention on the trial.

The next person called to the stand was Petunia Dursley. She walked in looking scared, but dressed in a nice dress suit with her hair newly styled. She sat down in the witness chair holding a hanky in her hand. Penelope didn't know how to swear in a muggle. She looked at Minister Diggory for direction. The Minister said just to ask Petunia if she would swear that what she was going to say was the truth. Petunia said it was and she turned her attention to Madam Bones.

Bones smiled warmly at Petunia and said, "Relax, you have nothing to fear from us. In fact, only a few people here have wands. The public was forced to sign theirs in before they were allowed to enter." Petunia nodded gripping her hanky tighter. "Could you please state your name and how you are connected our world?"

"Petunia Evans Dursley, Lily Evans Potter was my sister and Harry Potter is my nephew," Petunia said.

Several people laughed and scuffed at this but Bones ignored them. Petunia tried not to react but you could tell that this bothered her. Bones asked, "How did you find out about your sisters death?"

"I found her son sleeping on my front step with a note resting on top of him. The note explained about Lily's death and that her son needed a home. It was later on that several of Lily things were sent to the house, or at least I thought they were Lily's," Petunia said.

"You mean, you never talked to anyone from the Ministry about the attack or asked to go to your sister's funeral?" Bones asked.

"No, I don't even know where she is buried," Petunia said.

This caught several people's attention and the cold looks that Petunia had been getting softened. "Was their any time that someone visited you?"

Petunia sighed. "It wasn't until after I talked to your—I think you call them healers that I remembered that we were visited by Dumbledore. He showed up now and then, but we never remembered, or at least I didn't," Petunia said.

"What did Dumbledore do during these visits?" Bones asked.

Petunia looked down at her hands biting her bottom lip before answering. "He showed up either when Harry needed medical attention or when his magic destroyed something around the house. Those first few years, it was because his magic destroyed things around the house. At least, this is the best way for me to describe it. Harry would be sitting in the living room and the small statue would break. Sadly, when it was broken my feelings towards Harry changed. It wasn't long after that that Dumbledore would show up asking to see Harry. He would spend time with him. Harry would grow tried and lay around for days afterwards. The statue would always be back on the fireplace. I would never remember that it had broken."

Bones nodded. "You said he would show up when Harry needed medical attention. Why was that?" Bones asked.

"Vernon wasn't nice to Harry. He hates 'your kind'. He would get a bit rough with Harry. Vernon has broken Harry's arm on several occasions. He shoved him down the stairs several times. I would be getting ready to take Harry to the hospital and Dumbledore would show up, wave that stick of his, and Harry would be fine again. As before, I would forget that he showed up," Petunia said sadly.

"Did you forget about the abuse?" Amelia asked.

"I didn't forget. I just couldn't bring myself to care. I never understood why. I mean I knew that Lily was my sister and that I loved her. Deep down, I loved Harry as well. I just couldn't show those feelings towards him," Petunia said.

"Did the Healer explain to you why that was?" Bones asked.

"Yes, she said there was a spell on the statue. She explained that it kept me from caring for Harry and aggravated Vernon's anger. I know we weren't the best guardians for Harry. I can't change that but I'm thankful now that he has someone that actually cares for him and shows it," Petunia said.

Bones nodded and turned. "Your witness."

Dumbledore just waved his hand and went back looking towards the shadows. Sirius just shook his head and said, "You can step down." Petunia nodded her head. She stood up and walked from the room going back through the door she entered from.

The next set of witnesses that were called was from St. Mungos. Bones called mind healers, healers specialized in magical blocks, and potions experts. They talked about Dumbledore's mental state and the effects of the potions that were found in Dumbledore's office. The healer that specialized in magical blocks talked about the blocks that the French Healers removed from Harry. Dumbledore didn't bother to talk to any of them. He just sat there either muttering to himself or looking around the room mindlessly. Everyone was really starting to think that Dumbledore had lost it and he wasn't the man that they thought he was.

_**Okay, break number four…get a snack, sleep, homework, or whatever-there is still more to come……………………Harry's part is finally here.**_

It was finally Harry's turn on the witness stand. Tonks showed him to the witness stand and then joined her parents. Harry sat there tapping his feet on the stone floor nervously waiting for the questioning to start.

Kingsley stood up and walked to where Harry sat. Bones and he talked and decided that since they wanted to make Harry as comfortable as possible during this questioning, it would be better if Kingsley asked the questions and did it as close to Harry as he could get.

"You okay?" Kingsley asked Harry.

"Yes," Harry said.

"Good, now, normally a person takes an oath to tell the truth on their magic but due to your age the only thing you have to do is promise to tell the truth. Okay?" Kingsley said.

"I promise to tell the truth," Harry said.

"Good, now for the record. I want you to state your name," Kingsley said.

"Harry James Potter," Harry replied.

"Good," Kingsley smiled. "Could you tell everyone in your own words about your life at Privet Drive?"

Harry sighed deeply and started to talk. He told the court where his bedroom was until after the first letter came. How he didn't know his name until he arrived at school and about how the Dursleys treated him. He then talked about how he first found out about the magical world and his adventures in school. Kingsley asked about how life was with the Tonks family and how he was doing now at school. He also addressed how Harry felt after the blocks were removed.

Things went smoothly during Kingsley's bit, but then it came time for Dumbledore's turn with Harry. Andi, Sirius, Bones and several others were hoping he would do the same thing as before. He let Harry step down and they could go on. They weren't going to get that lucky.

Dumbledore stood up and looked up at Harry with is best grandfatherly smiled on his face. "Harry, I know you believe the lies everyone has told you. I want you to know that I'm not blaming you for any of this. They want to turn you against me. I have always had your best interest at heart. The Dursleys weren't that bad to you. You are just repeating what you were told to say," Dumbledore said.

"I am not. Everything I said is the truth! Harry stood up and pulled up his sleeve of his arm to show off an old burn. "I got this when I was five during my first cooking lesson. I was beaten afterwards by Uncle Vernon because his dinner was late," Harry said showing a nasty burn on his right arm. "I have more. You want to see them? You want to know about every beating? You didn't after I faced Voldemort during my first year. You gave me this lame excuse on why he went after me as a baby. Why I blindly did what you wanted I don't know but I did. **Dumbledore, I hate you. I hate you what you did to me. I hate you for what you tried to do to Sirius. More importantly, I hate you for taking my parents away. You told me once at school that I must see the Dursleys as my family. Well, I don't! They aren't my family. Andi, Ted, and Tonks are. They are my family. In fact, Andi and Ted just agreed to let me call them mum and dad. I finally got what I always wanted. I'm not going to let you take that from me. Never**!" Harry said tears flowing down his cheeks as magic started to pour from him.

Andi suddenly rushed to Harry's side and pulled him towards her. She held him close glaring down at Dumbledore stated "This questioning is over with. I'm not going to let you upset him any more." Andi quickly took Harry out of the room before he lost control of his magic.

During all of this, Dumbledore yelled, "See the boy is a danger. He needs to be controlled. I'm the only one that knows how to control him. He must be sent back to his muggle family for our safety!"

Sirius slammed his gavel hard on the table and said, "Shut up! You say one more word and I'll make sure you never speak for the rest of this session!" Now, Sirius knew he couldn't legally do it but that didn't mean he didn't want to. Dumbledore had really gone too far with Harry. He couldn't believe he was saying those things about his godson.

Frank stood up and moved to Sirius side. He was force the man into his seat and said something to him. Sirius nodded and forced himself to calm down. He glared coldly at Dumbledore then turned to Madam Bones. "Do you have any more witnesses?" Sirius asked through clinched teeth.

"No," Bones said as Kingsley sat down beside her.

The room finally calmed down as Dumbledore stood to defend himself. "I have only one witness, myself. I request that I'm allowed to take the stand like everyone else?"

"Fine," Sirius growled his fist still clinched together in front of him.

Dumbledore was led up to the stand by two Aurors. He would have taken the oath like the others but because his wand was missing. He couldn't. Oh, he said the words but it didn't mean the same as it did for the others. If they lied, they lost their magic but for Dumbledore, he lost nothing.

"Now, I know why the Percy kid took it," Lucius said to Nott.

"Yeah, the old goat isn't dumb after all. I bet this crazy act is just that, an act!" Nott said disgusted at the sight of the old wizard.

Dumbledore looked at everyone around him. He pointed at Sirius, Bones and several others in the room. "They are telling you these lies about me. They are taking the good things I have done and turning them against me. They are trying to destroy me because they are in league with Tom. He isn't dead. He is very much alive. He is the one that is out to destroy our world. Sadly, I believe Tom is trying to lure Harry down the same path he took. Tom was an orphan much like Harry. They both only care about themselves. Harry proved that in school. He never obeyed the rules and was always causing trouble. My only fault in that was trying to protect the boy. Sadly, I should have never done that. I now regret it. I only did it because I cared greatly about Lily and James. I'm very thankful that they aren't alive to see how their son turned out."

Sirius started for the man and cursed, "You bastard! How dare you talk about James and Lily after everything you did to them!"

"Sirius!" Frank said trying to pull the man back.

"See, is this a person you want to be Head Warlock? He is nothing but an animal," Dumbledore said.

Moody had quickly joined Frank and they finally managed to get Sirius out of the room. They were lucky because he was close to turning into Padfoot. He was going to show Dumbledore what an animal could do. He was thinking about ripping the old man's throat out. The members of the press and everyone in the room started to pick up again yelling and cursing.

Minister Diggory stepped in and quickly took control of things. He calmed everyone down and turned to look at Madam Bones. "Do you have anything to ask?"

"Yes," Bones said. She for one was glad Dumbledore took the stand. This means she could bring up his book and ask him directly about it. She stood up taking the book with her. She walked to where Dumbledore sat and said, "You say that we are taking the good things you have done for the wizarding world and turning them against you. Is this true?" Bones asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said coldly.

Bones placed the book in front of him and said, "Dumbledore, this book was found in your family home in your personal library, protected by dozen of wards placed on it by you." She waved her wand and did a spell, a spell that would show everyone that the book was written by Dumbledore. Once this was done, she opened it and began to read. "Mary Abbott, not very magical—expendable, Albert Alderton, trouble maker-give name to Tom, Angus Avery-trouble maker prevents brother from taking dark mark, give to Tom…" Bones went on naming name after name in Dumbledore's book. The room went quiet as family members heard names of loved ones being read learning how Dumbledore thought of them.

Dumbledore just sat there stoned faced. At first as Bones read he didn't react at all. The others in the room started to react however. There was muttering that slowly started to fill the room. Molly sat starting to worry about Dumbledore's safety until two names were read. "Fabian and Gideon Prewett—trouble makers and free thinkers—give to Tom for destruction," Bones read.

Molly stood up her face beat red. "You had my brother's killed!"

"Molly, I'm sorry. They were a threat to our world. You must understand, I did what I had to do for the greater good for our world," Dumbledore said believing every word of it..

Everyone gasped at this and started yell and curse Dumbledore name. Bones was secretly thankful that there wasn't a wand in the room. This information was the reason she had all them taken away, including members of the Wizengamot. As she was thinking about this an object suddenly flew past her, missing both her and Dumbledore by inches. She turned to see what was being thrown to see another shoe fly past her face. The second shoe hit Dumbledore right in the face. "Got you, you old goat!" Molly screamed. For the first time in weeks people cheered Molly, she smiled and said, "Let's go Percy." Percy nodded and followed his stocking footed mother from the room. Aberforth smiled at this brother and turned. He walked out of the room as well with a very cocky smile on his face.

No one heard closing statement for they wouldn't quiet this time. They were calling for Dumbledore's blood. If the wizarding world laws allowed it, Dumbledore would have been drawn and quartered right there before being beheaded.

Dumbledore in the mean time just looked around the room with a sad expression on his face. He couldn't believe they didn't understand. He only did what was best for them. They didn't know. How could they know? They weren't powerful enough. Only, he saw how things should be.

End of Chapter…..


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**After Effects of the Trial**

Madam Bones walked into her office to find the Tonks family trying to calm Harry down. The boy was still very much upset. He had gotten wind of what Dumbledore had said about him after he left and he wasn't taking it well. Andi had her hands gently rubbing his arms as she tried to calm him down. You could feel the magic in the room and one of the plant stands was destroyed. Harry looked up at her and asked his voice breaking a bit, "What else did the mad man say?"

"You don't want to know," Bones replied sadly as she went to her desk and sat down in her chair. "I will say this. Dumbledore's fame died today. He isn't our world's hero anymore."

"Good," Harry growled.

"Where is Sirius?" Andi asked with concern in her voice. She had expected him to show up here after the Wizengamot dismissed.

"In his changing room, Frank is trying to calm him down. He didn't take what Dumbledore said very well either. After you left, he tried to attack Dumbledore, but thankfully Frank and Moody pulled him out of the room before he could get to him. I'm very thankful that I had placed the order of no wands in the room. The reaction from everyone wasn't good. It took my entire Auror staff on hand to stay in control of the crowds. There were a few that were ready to storm barriers to get to Dumbledore. Molly Weasley was the only one that managed to throw something at Dumbledore without a wand. She took off her shoes and threw them at him," Bones said giving the Tonks family an outline of the ending of the trial.

"Shoes?" Andi questioned.

Harry started to laugh. He didn't know why. It was funny. He wondered if a member of the press caught a picture of Dumbledore being hit by a flying shoe! "I can't wait tell the twins," Harry choked out as he fought his laughter.

Tonks laughed and agreed. "They would love it," she said winking at her brother.

"You ready go home?" Ted asked.

Harry thought about it and nodded his head in agreement. He wanted to go home. He wanted to put all of this behind him and forget he had ever heard of Albus Dumbledore. "Yes," He said standing up.

Bones went to the fireplace herself and pulled down the floo powder. As she handed it to Ted, she said, "I have guards at the house. They will stay there until Harry goes back to school. Auror Tonks, you will go back with him and stay for the rest of the term. The news that three of the founding four are attending a school in France is going to get out soon. The news of that vault will as well. I'm not taking any chances with their safety. I'm sure there will be treasure hunters plotting to try and gain control of that vault. It will get worse with the tournament. Therefore, Kinsley and Mad Eye will join you as soon as the tournament starts. It will be the three of your jobs to protect Harry, Neville and Luna."

"I don't want Mad Eye as a bodyguard," Harry snapped, his cheeks slightly red at the mention of Mad Eye Moody. He no longer liked or trusted the man. He hurt Hermione and Remus. It was his fault Hermione was bitten as far as he was concerned.

"Harry," Andi reprimanded.

"He is the reason that Hermione was bit. I don't want him around her," Harry shot back. He wasn't backing down on this. He did not want Moody around. The guy couldn't be trusted.

The adults looked at each other, but dropped the subject for now. "We will talk about this at home. Let's go," Ted said taking the powder from Bones to go home. He gave Bones a warm smile and muttered, "Thanks for the use of the office."

"No problem," Bones replied standing aside and watching everyone leave.

Bones sighed deeply after they were gone and turned to get some work done. She still had to wait for the verdict. If things worked out her way, she would then work on trying to safely move Dumbledore to St. Mungos and protect him while he was there. "Maybe, I should have asked to have him thrown through the veil?" she muttered herself.

"Maybe you should have," a deep voice said from the shadows. Bones turned to see a dark figure of a man standing there watching her. "I want the trunk."

"I thought you would have taken it already," Bones answered. She wasn't afraid of this man.

Raven was the leader of the Unspeakables. He was man that no longer had a name. She didn't even know who he once was. He, and others like him, took an oath to protect the wizarding world from outside influences and inside concerns. They gave up their lives to protect their world and keep their laws. No one knows who they are or what they do, but they know of them. Madam Bones was one of the few that had ever talked to one of them. Raven had visited her now and then, dropping off information they had found that helped her bring down several high named criminals in their world.

"I figured I should ask," Raven said as he walked out of the shadows and went to sit down in her guest chair.

"It is in my safe. You can take the book as well. I think it is best that it be locked up from public access. The public does not need to read it," Bones told him as she went to sit down in her chair.

"That bad?" Raven asked.

"Yes," Bones answered.

"I'll take it. Do you mind if I look through everything you found? It might give me insight on the location of the other Horcruxs," Raven admitted.

"What is exactly is a Horcrux?" Bones asked.

"A part of a person's soul stored in an object. We have known that the Dark Lord made several of them. We are hoping that his trunks will lead us to them," Raven explained.

"Is there a chance that he could return?" Bones asked, the fear sounding in her voice.

"He might. We are working on finding the Horcruxs before he can use one to return. I also having people looking into ways he could use them to return as well," Raven answered. Bones just shook her head. This was one thing she didn't want to happen. Raven read her face and added. "Don't worry; we will stop him before things get too bad. Besides, from the fact I heard you say his name, you don't seem too scared of him."

"I had to work at saying it. Sirius talked me into it. He said that fear of a name only adds to fear of the person," Bones admitted. She realized then that worrying about Voldemort wasn't going to do her any good. She would leave that to Raven and the other unspeakables. She would worry [focus?] about the things she could control and take care of for now. "I assume you know how to get into my safe?"

"I would never…" Raven started to say but then smiled mischievously as he admitted, "Yes, I know how to get into your safe. While I'm at it, I might as well tell you that I took everything out of it already. I just thought I'd stick around to talk to you. I miss our talks."

Bones shook her head. She placed Dumbledore's book on the table and said, "Take this with you. I'm tired of looking at it."

"I will. I'm sure it is going to be some very interesting reading," Raven promised picking up the book before standing and heading out of the office.

Bones sighed. "Voldemort coming back…this is something we don't need," Bones muttered to herself as she shook her head.

* * *

Dumbledore was pacing his cell. He could hear Fudge and Crouch groaning and moaning nearby. They were feeling the effects of the Dementor guards. He felt them as well but his mind was so out of control. He couldn't think about his worst memories. He just kept on muttering Tom's name over and over again.

A Dementor slowly entered the cell, its red glowing eyes illuminating the meager cell as he moved closer to him. "Hello, Professor Dumbledore," Tom mocked.

"They won't convict me. They need me to protect them from you," Dumbledore assured  
Tom.

Tom laughed a dark and evil laugh. "They think you are crazy, and maybe you are. Maybe, I'm just part of your twisted mind. Then again, I might be real. I might be plotting my return. Do you know which one it is?" Tom asked. Dumbledore paused for a moment. He didn't know. He stood their thinking as the Dementor moved closer. It lowered its hood and right before Dumbledore got the kiss, he heard the creature say, "You won't be around to know the truth!"

A bit later, the Dementor left leaving Dumbledore's body on the ground, his empty eyes looking skyward at nothing. A guard walked in a bit later to give Dumbledore his dinner. The man dropped the tray at the sight of dead prisoner. He rushed from the room yelling at the top of his lungs crying out. "Dumbledore's been kissed!" The press heard him and it ended up being the evening head line.

* * *

The news of Dumbledore's death arrived at the Three Boars Head with mixed reactions. There were many people scattered around the pub cheering at the idea of Dumbledore's death. Dung was trying to talk Aberforth into handing out free drinks. It wasn't working however and the old wizard didn't seem to be reacting at all. He just glared stone-faced at the man and the others around him. After a while he growled at the room in general and went into back to work.

Molly was fighting her emotions as she worked the bar. She had cared for Dumbledore until she found out that he ordered her brothers deaths. It was then that her feelings towards him changed. She had no use for him now, but that didn't mean she wanted him dead. She stayed quiet as everyone around her celebrated.

Aberforth was watching Percy working in the back room. He knew the boy was at a crossroads in his life and that he needed direction. The boy reminded him of his brother in more ways than one. He hadn't been able to save Albus, but maybe he could save his son. The old wizard walked up to boy and commanded, "Follow me." Percy did as he was ordered. They walked to Aberforth's office and went to a back wall. The wizard hovered over the boy as he said, "You are not to talk to anyone about this."

"Even mother?" Percy asked.

"Especially her," Aberforth growled. "There isn't anything illegal. In fact, everyone knows about it. They just don't talk about it." The old wizard said with one of his rare smiles on his face.

Aberforth pulled his wand and hit several spots on the wall. The wall opened and another club appeared. This one was high-class and it was filled with men from Ministry of Magic and their world's top creatures. "Welcome to the Men's Club!" Aberforth explained standing aside and showing the room to Percy.

"You run this?" Percy asked as he looked around the room.

"I own it," Aberforth stated as he showed Percy around the room. "The rules here are simple. You leave your political beliefs behind. It doesn't matter what you think out there, in here, you are civil to each other. The only women that are allowed here are the men's lovers or the waitress. The waitresses are not to be touched, only looked at. If there is touching, it is done on their own free time not on mine."

Percy nodded as he looked around him. He saw Lucius Malfoy sitting at table with Sirius Black playing cards. The men were laughing and joking with each other. He spotted Minister Diggory sitting with a young lady with long blond hair and a very nice body. He realized that the woman was Diggory's lover. He shook his head at this and caught up with Aberforth. "So, no one talks about politics here?" Percy questioned.

"Oh, a few try but it doesn't last long," Aberforth replied pointing to a corner of the room where a hug mountain troll sat. "He helps keeps the peace around here. Albus found him in his school a few years ago. He asked me to give the creature a job. I needed someone around to help keep the trouble makers in line so, I agreed. The only thing it costs me is food and board."

"How does he keep the peace?" Percy wondered out loud.

"Watch," Aberforth said with an impish smile on his face.

Aberforth turned just as an agreement broke out at Sirius' and Lucius' table. It seems Sirius didn't like what Nott had to say. Sirius had just jumped to his feet and was about to hit Nott right in the mouth but his fist was caught in mid air. He looked up to see the troll standing behind him saying…"No Fight!"

Sirius cried out in pain as his hand was crushed by the troll. Aberforth walked up then and ordered, "Let him go." The troll let go of Sirius and went to his corner. Aberforth looked at Sirius and questioned sarcastically. "You forget the rules, Black?"

"No," Sirius muttered holding his hand and gritting his teeth to control the pain.

"Good," Aberforth snapped as he turned and finished his tour with Percy. They finished up near the bar area as Aberforth asked, "Do you want to run this place?"

"Me?" Percy gasped.

"Yes, I need someone that would fit better in here. You have a way of dressing like the men here. I think you will fit in here perfectly. I also have noticed you are good with numbers. So, I'm going to put in charge of the books. Do you want it?" Aberforth asked the boy.

"Yes," Percy blurted out not bothering to think twice about it. He realized this is where he could rebuild his life. He could actually make something of himself here.

Aberforth nodded his head. "Good, but I have one warning for you before I go. Don't steal from me. I won't like it." Aberforth warned as he threw a large slab of meat at the mountain troll before leaving Percy alone.

Percy stood there in shock and awe as he looked around the room. "Yes, I will make this work," He promised to himself before getting work. He spotted Frank Longbottom walk over to Sirius and talk to him. The two talked for a bit and then left through the public entrance.

* * *

Later at the Tonks family home, Harry was upstairs in his bedroom. He had just had his first fight with his family. He didn't want Moody at school after what he did to Hermione, but Andi and Ted told him that he had no choice. Harry didn't like it and told them so. They sent him to his room to cool off.

Tonks was sitting on the couch smiling. This was until her parents caught her. "What?" she snapped noticed the looks she was getting.

"Do you want to go to your room too?" Andi asked.

"I'm an adult," Tonks challenged.

"You still live under our roof," Ted told her.

"Okay, okay, I was just wondering when he was going to realize that he just got into trouble by his parents," Tonks admitted with the same smug smile on her face.

Andi and Ted smiled at this. Harry had wished for parents and he got them. They were enjoying this thought when the doorbell rang. Ted got up answered it. He wasn't shocked to see Sirius standing there. He was shocked to see Frank and Alice Longbottom. "Sirius, you didn't have to ring the doorbell. You live here," Ted said.

"I forgot my key," Sirius muttered as he and the others walked inside.

Ted gave Sirius a strange look but didn't say anything. "He also broke his hand and won't see a healer."

"How did you do that?" Andi wondered trying to see get a look at Sirius hand.

"I hit the wall in my changing room," Sirius snapped as he went to sit down on the couch next to Tonks. "Move over." He told her.

Tonks obeyed and gave Sirius a strange look. "How much fire whiskey did you drink?" she asked.

"Not enough," Sirius growled.

"The verdict didn't go our way?" Ted asked.

"There was no need for one," Alice replied sadly.

"Dumbledore was found in his cell. He had been given the kiss," Frank explained.

The room went quiet. "Does the press know yet?" Andi asked.

"They know as does everyone else in our world. The news spread like wild fire. Parties have broken out all over town, " Sirius said.

"What's wrong then? I mean, isn't this good that Dumbledore is gone?" Tonks asked.

"I don't care about Dumbledore. Where is Harry?" Sirius wondered.

"In his room," Andi told him.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"He's being punished for talking back to mum and dad," Tonks smiled.

Sirius smiled at this. "That's my godson."

"Sirius," Andi reprimanded.

"Easy, Andi, you get to be the grown up. I get to be the fun one," Sirius said with a half smile on his face. His tone suddenly changed then as he added. "I need to talk to Harry about something, or rather Frank does. Can you get him?"

Andi gave Sirius a strange look but nodded her head. She went upstairs to collect Harry. The others took a seat and waited. They waited a bit but finally Harry and Andi arrived downstairs. Harry had a half smile on his face as he went to sit on the floor at Sirius' feet. Andi moved to sit next to her husband. Harry looked over at Frank and asked, "I was told you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Frank has message for you from your parents," Sirius explained as he looked down at the boy.

"My parents?" Harry wondered.

"Yes," Frank said as he stood up placed a pensive on the table and added a memory. He then tapped the pensive with his wand.

Two figures appeared in the bowl; James and Lily Potter were standing together smiling looking right at Harry. In Lily's arms was baby Harry. Lily placed the baby on the floor in front of them. The group could see him crawl from view. Sirius and the others awed as Harry hid his face in his knees blushing. It got even worse as Lily called out, "Harry, dear don't go too far."

"Lily, you do know this is going to play for Harry when he is older?" James asked his wife.

"Yes, I know that," Lily snapped, but something caught her attention off to her sight. "Harry, sweet um's don't do that." Lily vanished suddenly.

This caused laughter to break out throughout the room as James promised, "Son, I swear this was not my idea to embarrass you."

Lily came back right then with baby Harry in her arms chewing on a toy. "James, we better get this going. Harry is hungry."

"Yes, and I bet now he is ready to kill you," James told his wife.

"What?" Lily questioned confused.

"Lily, the chances that Harry is watching this alone is slim to none. You just called our growing son sweet 'ums," James explained.

"Oh, sorry," Lily muttered sheepishly smiling as she gave baby Harry a kiss on the forehead.

James shook his head giving up and went on. "Okay, if everyone would stop laughing, we would like to talk to our son," James stated like he was talking to the room. Andi shot the men in the room a dirty look and soon they stopped talking. "Good," James said. "Son, if you are viewing this, then Dumbledore is either in Azkaban or dead. In addition, Frank took my advice and faked his death. I really wish we could have done that but it wasn't in the cards. Dumbledore would never stop looking for you Harry. We would have left you behind and neither of us could live our lives knowing this. Therefore, we both know that our time here is short." Harry's eyes started to water at this and he moved closer to Sirius for support. Sirius patted the kid on the shoulder as his own eyes started to water, and it wasn't from the pain of a broken hand.

Lily took over from there. "Son, don't think we are embracing death. We don't want to die and leave you. We just know that there is no way we can survive. So, we did something that will help protect you from Dumbledore's meddling before and after his death."

"I'm doing the after," James explained speaking up again. "I don't know how much of a childhood you have left. I can't foretell the future. The only thing I can do is make sure you enjoy what you have left. So, as Head of the Potter family, I'm placing a family order that you are not allowed to get married before the age of 21. Also, no one can arrange a marriage contract in your name."

"This is going to be added in both of my wills, the one that will take effect before Dumbledore's demise and after. I'm also putting Sirius Black and Frank Longbottom, if either one or both men survive Dumbledore's games, in charge of the Potter family estate. They will run it until you turn twenty-one They will spend time preparing you to take over, but I don't want you to worry about any of it. Enjoy your life son, have fun and play some pranks. You will have lots of time to be an adult. Your childhood is very short and I'm fear Dumbledore has made it shorter." James said sadly. He paused a moment to gain control over you're his emotions. "Oh, one more thing," James said finally. "Frank and Sirius have a trunk full of stuff that I wanted you to have. You can go back to the family vault to get more. In fact, I want you to visit the family vaults. I'm sure there is something there that you will find interesting. The items in the trunk are just things that I want you to have personally."

James took baby Harry from his mother and walked out of view. It was Lily's turn to talk. She smiled warmly facing forward looking lovely or that Harry's opinion. "I'm glad James took you with him. I don't think I could do this with you in the room. I can't seem to accept that the sweet little baby of mine will grow up to be a brave and loving young man," Lily admitted smiling brightly. "How do I know this? Well, that is part of my gift to you. I found a spell in the Potter family library that will ensure that your innocence survives anything Dumbledore tries to do to you. I fear Harry that he is going to try and make you into a dark wizard. I don't know how, but I know this is his plans for you. Therefore, the spell will save your soul. It will protect your heart. No matter, what happens to you, your heart will always love.

"Son, I wish I could do more but I can't. This spell took something both from your father and me. We used the love we have for you to keep your love safe. If you ever go to the Potter house, you will find that our paintings are not like the others. You might even find us crying. It is because of the spell. We put a part of our hearts, at least magically, into those paintings. This means, there is always going part of us with you. We might not be there with you like you wish, but we will always be with you."

James returned then and put his arms around Lily. He smiled at her and then looked forward. "Son, we have something we must tell you. It might not be easy to hear but you must know the truth. If Dumbledore hadn't played games with our lives the chance that Lily and I would be together are slim to none. We found while being in hiding that we don't love each other. The spell Dumbledore put on us is fading. We only married each other because that is what he wanted. Now, don't get us wrong, we love you. You are the best thing that happened to either of us, but we don't love each other. Lily--I know loves someone else. I see it in her eyes and I know she wishes to be with him. I might not like him. In fact, I hate him but not because Lily loves him like she can't love me. No, I hate him for different reasons. I can't say that Dumbledore hasn't controlled those emotions though either. I no longer understand what I really think or feel."

"Your father's right, I feel the same way. He has done so much damage to all of us that no one really knows what they think or feel. This is why we both agree that you should take your time and really get to know your own heart before settling down in your life. The time you have I hope you use it well and get to know yourself, Harry, and if you meet Severus Snape; tell him that I forgive him. I died loving him." Lily pleaded.

James and Lily vanished at this and everyone was quiet. Harry sat there stunned. He didn't know what to think about finding out that his mother loved Snape. He also was having trouble understanding exactly what his mother meant about saving his heart. He was thinking about all of this as Frank pulled a trunk from his pocket and enlarged it. Frank looked at Harry as he said, "This is for you."

Harry moved towards the trunk and opened it. "Everything is there but your father's invisibility cloak. We couldn't find it," Sirius admitted.

"I have that, Dumbledore gave it to me for Christmas my first year," Harry told him as he opened the trunk.

Inside the trunk Harry found books, not only about the Potter family but others as well. There was a book that was titled---1001 Great Marauder Pranks and How to become an Illegal Animagus in Five Short Lessons.

Andi tried to grab both books from Harry, but Sirius pushed her hands away. "They belong to Harry," Sirius told her.

"I don't want him to have those things," Andi snapped.

Harry didn't know what to do with the books. He liked the second one, but playing pranks wasn't something enjoyed doing. He did know to two people that would enjoy them, but if Andi wanted them he would give them to her. He was starting to respect her that much. The boy was slowly handing them over but Ted spoke up. "Harry, keep them. They belonged to your father and he wanted you to have them."

Andi glared at her husband, but stayed quiet as Harry put the books back into the trunk. Harry found a golden snitch that Sirius explained had belonged to his father. He laughed and said that James used play with it all the time.

Sirius said the only thing that was missing was Harry's father's magic mirror. Sirius had taken it out. It wasn't because he didn't want Harry to have it. It was because Sirius wanted to give it to Remus. This way, Sirius could keep in contract with Remus. Harry understood this and told Sirius to tell Remus that he could have it.

Harry looked through the trunk for awhile until Andi pointed out that it was getting late. The boy closed the trunk and started to drag it upstairs after saying good night to everyone. Ted finally stood up and took it up the stairs for Harry. He wanted to talk to him anyways about what James and Lily said about not loving each other. He knew this upset the boy and wanted to make sure that he understood what they were trying to say to him.

* * *

At Beauxbaton, dinner at the school was different; it was the first time that the wood-nymphs weren't playing their dinner music. The room was quiet, filled with students, teachers and guests reading the evening paper. The news had broken about Dumbledore's trial and death.

You could see people leaning over each other pointing to sections and talking to about. You could also see children crying as they read the names of the unwanted. Thankfully, Beauxbatons Professors were helping out tend to the children of Hogwarts. If it wasn't for them the Heads of House would be at loss. They themselves were having trouble with the news of the unwanted members of their world.

Susan was one of them. Her parents' names were on the list and she sat next to Neville as he held her. He just sat there holding her and talking to her. They were only ones out of the Hogwarts four that was at their table at the time. Harry was still at the Tonks and Hermione hadn't been seen since she turned from her first transformation.

Neville couldn't help but look in Ron's direction. The boy had just glance at the paper before knocking it on the floor. Neville couldn't help but wonder what Ron was thinking as he read the paper.

What was Ron thinking? He thought it was a bunch of lies. He knew from what his mother had told him that Dumbledore was prefect. This was all Potter's fault and he was going to prove that he was better than Harry. Ron thought about the wand that was hidden in his trunk. He was going to use that to prove this and knew exactly how. Ron left the room right then. He knew what he needed was in Harry's trunk. He had to get it before everyone left the dinning hall.

Ron had an idea where Harry's dorm room was but it took him a bit to find it. He peeked in several of the rooms until he found the right one. Once, on his search, he found Hermione and Remus sitting together in one room talking. He was thankful that the pair didn't notice him as he quickly closed the door and kept on searching.

Ron finally found Harry's dorm and the boy's trunk. He smiled at the thought that the dorms weren't password protected. This made what he had to do easy, he found Harry's trunk and opened it. He pulled out the invisibility cloak and turned to leave. He was near the door when he heard Remus and Hermione enter. Ron threw the cloak over himself and stood at the doorway listening.

"It will be okay," Remus was telling Hermione.

"I can't go back there," Hermione cried.

"I know but it is the law. We will just take the other potion until we get back to England. This way we can be put with the others and I can protect you better," Remus said.

"But you said the transformation is easier with my aunts potion," Hermione told Remus.

"It is but…" Remus started to say but she cut him off.

"But it is not safe there locked in those cages," Hermione cried.

Remus put his arm around her said, "Honey, Moody will protect you. Those men don't know this but I'm a pack leader and no one hurts a member of my pack. I will keep you safe."

"I know," Hermione said and she leaned against Remus.

Ron heard everything. He was smiling at the thought of Hermione locked in cage suffering. "The know-it-all deserves it," Ron thought to himself.

Hermione finally went to her room and Remus left. Ron walked from the room still covered in Harry's cloak. He went to where the cup was located, protect by the school's wood-nymphs. The small little creatures were standing guard around the cup. Ron had watched the twins put their own names in the cup the other day. Fred distracted the creatures as George put their names into the cups. He had known by watching this that the creatures were easily fooled. He figured that by hiding under the cloak, they couldn't see or hear him.

Ron was right. He managed to get past the nymphs without a problem. Under the cloak, Ron quickly wrote his name on a piece of paper then tossed it into the cup. As the cup flashed into life, Ron quickly ran from the center ring and away from the nymphs before they spotted him. Outside, in the shadow of the trees, Ron dropped Harry's cloak on the ground and then went towards the Gryffindor carriage with a smile on his face. Ron was sure he was going to be chosen as champion. He was going to show everyone that he was a better wizard than Harry.

There were two things Ron didn't think about. One he forgot to put the name of the school on the paper. The other was the fact that he was spotted by the Headmaster of Drumstrang. He wasn't interested what Ron had been doing. He was more interested in what Ron had dropped. He picked up the cloak with an evil smile on his face. He realized that this was going to be perfect in aiding what 'they' were planning later on in the school term.


	25. Chapter 25

Readers…I hardly ever beg for reviews but I really want to know your reaction to the title and the ending of this chapter. Please! And yes, I know if a kid said this to me they would end up in trouble but... this is Sirius mother we are talking about?! LOL... This chapter is my attempt to lighten things up a bit.

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"**Talk to the Hand Mother!" **

Before returning to school, Harry and the Tonks family, with Sirius, stopped off at Gringotts to check out his family's vaults. Harry was shocked to see what was stored in the vaults. It was like walking through the past of every previous member of the Potter family. He didn't find anything that really interested him though. James had picked out everything that interested his son. So, the group left the vault as it was and headed towards the International Floo Network.

Harry and Tonks said good bye to their family, then vanished through the floo network together. Sirius, Andi and Ted then headed towards the Black family home. Sirius was going to become a blood lord over the Black family. He wasn't looking forwards to it, but for James he would do anything.

The three of them walked up to Number 12 Grimmauld Place and stopped at the front door. Sirius really didn't want to go in. He stood there not moving for a long time. Andi finally got tired of waiting and opened the front door herself. The three of them walked in with Sirius bringing up the rear.

Sirius stood there looking around in shock at how bad the house looked. He hadn't been here since he ran way after his fifth year. He only took one step into the hallway before he heard her.

Mrs. Black started scream and cuss Sirius out. He turned to see his mother's painting hanging in the hallway. "Oh, not that..." Sirius said muttering to himself.

"Blood traitor!" Mrs. Black screamed.

"Hello, Auntie," Andi said smiling sweetly, but inside she was screaming. If there was one member of the Black family that Andi didn't ever want to see again, it was Sirius' mother. She hated the woman. She hated her more than she ever hated her own mother and Andi didn't care too much about her either.

Ted noticed the curtain and pulled it closed. "I hate that woman," he said. The others nodded and went on to the tapestry room. This is where Sirius was going to have to take the oath.

Ted stood by the door watching as Sirius walked to a stone pedestal to prepare to take the blood oath. Andi was walking around looking at all the names burnt out on the wall before her. She sighed as she stopped at her name. Sirius turned to look at her. "It will be okay. I'll put it back after I'm done here," Sirius said.

"I was hoping that it was already back. I mean you did reinstate me into the family," Andi said.

Sirius pointed to where his name should be and said, "It seems it doesn't count because according to the wall, I'm not part of the family either," Sirius said before turning back to what he was doing.

Sirius pulled a knife from his robe pocket and cut the palm of his ring hand open. He placed it on the pedestal. As the blood seeped freely from the wound, Sirius started to say the oath of the Blood Lord.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, Son of Orion and Walburga Black swear an oath of allegiance to the Black family. I will uphold the family honor and protect the blood line," Sirius said.

Suddenly a strange light filled the room blinding everyone in it. Sirius fought to cover his face but he couldn't move his hand from the pedestal. He heard Andi scream and suddenly the room went black.

Sirius could finally pull his hand free from the pedestal. He pulled his bleeding hand free and pulled his wand. The wand tip light up and he looked around the room to see the others holding their wands high in the air. "What happened?" Andi asked.

"I don't know. Frank didn't say this was going to happen," Sirius said.

Suddenly the lights came on again and everyone was shocked to see that the tapestry had changed. The names that were crossed off could be read again. Sirius also noticed that there were two new names on the tapestry. He was just about to say something about them when he heard screaming in the hallway again.

Sirius, Andi and Ted went into the hallway to find out what was going on. They arrived at Mrs. Black's painting to find a man not much older then Sirius trying to choke the woman in the painting. "You old bat—you *itch—you murdered me," the man was saying over and over again as he kept on shaking the woman in the painting.

Sirius stood there stunned. Ted and Andi were puzzled by this and asked, "Who is that?" Andi asked.

"Father," Sirius said finally finding his voice.

The man let go of Walburga and turned to look at Sirius. The man smiled and said, "Hello, son." Walburga ran from her painting and vanished from sight. "That's right hide, you old hag. I will get to you later." Orion yelled after his wife's treating back.

Sirius, Andi and Ted looked at each other stunned. It was Sirius that finally asked, "Father, I thought you didn't have a portrait made."

"Is that what the hag told you?" Orion asked Sirius. Sirius nodded and Orion growled. "I figured as much. Son, everything that hag told you is a lie. Come on, lets go in my den and we can talk."

"What den?" Sirius asked just as his father vanished from the frame.

"Go down the hall, it will be the only open door," Orion's voice called out.

Sirius, Andi and Ted turned to look down the hall. It was then that everyone noticed that the house had changed. It had doubled in size and the darkness that had surrounded them had vanished as well. The house was still dirty, but it was more welcoming.

The three of them found the den and located Orion Black hanging on the wall above the fireplace. There was a large desk beside his portrait with bookshelves that lined the room. There were also two comfortable chairs nearby.

Andi and Ted sat in the chairs and Sirius took the chair behind the desk. He looked up at his father in shock. "Why haven't I seen this room before?" Sirius asked.

"Because after your mother murdered me, she lost control over the parts of the house that were mine," Orion said.

"Murdered you?" Sirius said shocked.

"That's right, son," Orion said sadly. "She murdered me. You were only five at the time. I was getting sick and I knew something was wrong. I found out that I was being poisoned. I knew who was behind it. I also knew why. Walburga wanted her son—Regulus to be the next Lord Black.

You see, Sirius, Walburga isn't your mother. Your mother died giving birth to you. I married Walburga because she needed a husband. I did it to protect the family honor. I never realized it until after we were married that by marrying her it would destroy the family. She was planning to get rid of me and then you. This would make her son Regulus the next Black Lord.

I couldn't save myself but I knew I could save you. So, before I died. I placed that ring on your finger. I named you my heir and bonded the house to you. I forced my house elf Kreature to protect you. He was to eat or drink any poison that Walburga put out for you. House Elves are immune to our poisons. Poisons might drive them crazy but they won't die from them. He was told never tell you. He was also ordered to make Walburga believe that he was loyal to her. I also told him that if Walburga ever found a way to harm you, he was to murder Regulus."

Sirius, Andi and Ted didn't know what to say. The three of them sat there stunned beyond words. Kreature suddenly showed up. He bowed in front of Sirius. "Please, Master, forgive Kreature," Kreature said.

Sirius was shocked at this. Here was creature that he hated. This thing before him was always there to cause him trouble. He was knocked—Sirius stopped. He knocked things into his food that would prevent him from eating. It was poisoned. Sirius looked down at Kreature his heart softening towards the little creature for the first time in his life and said, "I forgive you."

Kreature started to kiss Sirius feet. "Thank-you," Kreature said over and over again.

Sirius finally had enough and pulled free. "Go clean the house," Sirius ordered.

"Yes, Master," Kreature said. Andi was sitting there laughing at Sirius because she knew how he felt about Kreature.

After the little house elf left, Orion and Sirius sat and talked about his real mother. Andi and Ted had left them alone. They knew father and son needed some private time. Andi went to the tapestry room to check out the changes. She found Sirius' real mother's name there. She found out that his mother was originally a Potter, and was in fact James Potter's aunt. She ran her finger down a bit more to Sirius' name. This is where she found something shocking. "I don't believe it!"

"Believe what?" Ted asked reading their section of the tapestry.

"Sirius had married Winter Moody, and they have a child together," Andi said.

"She's alive?" Ted said shocked. Winter had been in his house at Hogwarts. She was in Ravenclaw and had been at the top of their class. It shocked everyone when Sirius and Winter started dating soon after school ended. They were so different from each other that it was hard to see them together.

"Yes, and she had a son. Sirius has a son," Andi said looking at her husband with wide eyes.

"I wonder if he knows?" Ted asked.

"He does," Sirius said as he walked into the room. Ted and Andi turned to look at him. Sirius smiled and said, "Siros was born just after Harry. Winter and I didn't tell anyone about him or relationship because we both knew how dangerous the times were. So, she took our son into hiding. I didn't know they were alive until I saw their names."

"Why hasn't she come out of hiding by now?" Andi asked.

"It was years ago. She could have a family by now," Sirius said.

"She is married to you!" Andi snapped.

"--was married," Sirius corrected.

"Pure bloods don't divorce and we both know that. There is no way she could have married anyone legally," Andi said.

"Andi, it doesn't matter even if she isn't married. We aren't the same people," Sirius said and he looked at the wall one time and turned to leave. "Come on, let's check out the house."

Sirius, Ted and Andi had finished the tour of the house and were heading out. Mrs. Black was back in her frame. She started to yell and scream at Sirius calling him all sorts of nasty names. Sirius turned looked at her. He smiled and said, "Lady, I heard a muggle say this, the other day on the streets and I think it fits." He raised his ring hand placing it out in front of his face. "Talk to the hand because the face doesn't give a damn!" Walburga Black's painting stopped screaming and turned to dust. Sirius smiled and said, "Final peace!" Andi, Ted and Sirius continued on their tour of the house, chuckling.

Kreature showed up moments later and gladly cleaned up the mess. You could hear the other paintings cheer and celebrate for the first in years. The house was finally free of Walburga Black.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Choosing Champions**

Harry and Tonks arrived in Madam Maxime's office to find the Minster of France, Minister Diggory and several other guests. Tonks moved in front of Harry with her wand out to protect him. Minister Diggory approached said to the pair with a warm smile on his face, "Auror Tonks, please put your wand down. We mean no harm to the young Lord."

Amos reached around Tonks pulled Harry forward and introduced him to everyone in the room. Harry tried to smile but it was difficult. He was never used to this kind of attention. He just wanted to join his friends and show them the gifts his father had given him. It didn't happen though. He was forced to stand there as he was introduced to everyone in the room.

The only person that Harry was glad to see was Arthur Weasley. The man didn't look at Harry at first, but Harry searched him out. He finally pulled free from Minister Diggory for a moment. He walked over to Arthur and inquired, "How are you doing, Mr. Weasley?"

"I'm fine Harry. Ginny wrote to me and explained that you don't hold what Molly did against our family. I'm thankful for that," Arthur acknowledged. "I hate that you thought badly of every Weasley just because of Molly's mistakes."

"I can't hate you or your family. You made me feel welcome when no one else did. I know to your wife it was an act, but I realize it wasn't to you. I'm thankful for everything you did for me," Harry said offering his hand in friendship to Arthur.

"You welcome son and I hope you come over for a visit during the summer," Arthur answered as he took Harry's hand. Harry didn't know this but this gesture meant a lot to Arthur and put many of the man's fears to rest.

"You'll have to write my parents and ask them. It is up to them," Harry said.

"I'll do that," Arthur promised, shocked but happy that Harry saw the Tonks as his family. He figured it was time that the boy found a place in this world where he was wanted.

Harry didn't get away from the Headmistress' office until dinnertime. He barely had enough time to change. Therefore, the first time he saw his friends it was at dinner. In fact, he arrived at dinner after everyone was seated and the politicians had been introduced.

"Harry, where have you been?" Neville asked as Harry slipped into the empty chair next to him.

"I was waylaid by visiting politicians. I just managed to get away from them," Harry said shaking his head.

"The problems of being a future Lord of the Wizengamot. I know. I had to put up with them during my summers at functions. It sucks," Neville grumbled.

"Tell me about it," Harry said sighing. He looked over at Hermione who wasn't talking and asked, "How was your first transformation?"

"Fine," Hermione muttered looking up at Harry for a moment then turned her attention back to her plate.

Harry looked at Susan and Neville questionable. They both just shrugged as Neville whispered in Harry's ear. "She has been like that since she returned. We have tried to get her to talk to us but she won't." Harry watched for a moment and knew something was wrong. He knew now wasn't the time or place to get the truth from her. He would wait until later and then he would get the answers he wanted. In the mean time, Harry forced himself to sit there, try to enjoy the meal, and the events afterwards.

It was finally time for the selections of the champions. Madam Maxime stood walked to stand by the cup and gave a speech. "I want to welcome our honor guests Minister Pierre' from our own fine government, Minister Diggory from England and Minister Anastasiya from Bulgaria." The three men smiled waving their hands together. They might look different but they were still politicians. They knew the press was watching them and they made best of it. Madam Maxime ignored them and went on. She introduced the other guests and then got down to picking the champions.

Everyone sat waiting with anticipation. The first name out of the cup was the champion from Hogwarts. Minister Diggory stood and cheered with other members of Hogwarts as his son's name was called. Cedric gave his father a small, embarrassed wave as he went to wait in the holding room for the others. The next name came out was Viktor Krum from Durmstrang. The Minister from his government, not to be out done by Amos, stood and cheered Viktor as the boy went into the holding room. Madam Maxime shook her head and then the last name came out. It was Fleur Delacour. The girl soon properly walked from the room. The French Minister cheered for her as did others from the school but you could see the disappointment in their eyes that they weren't the ones chosen.

Madam Maxime was about to thank everyone for trying out and go join the champions when the cup came to life again and another name flew from it. She caught it and read the paper out loud. "Ronald Dumbledore."

The room was stunned. Harry, Hermione, Neville and Susan all turned in their seats to look towards the Hogwarts table. They watched as a smug Ron stood up waving at everyone.

"I knew it would work," he bragged for everyone to hear. He walked past his brothers and said, "I did something the two of you couldn't do!" Fred and George ducked under the table. They didn't want anyone to know they knew him. He ignored them and walked on. He walked past the head table smiling. He looked Amos Diggory and said, "There are two Hogwarts champions, but I'm going to win the cup!"

The moment Ron vanished through the door it was as though everything erupted. People cursed and cried cheater. The Ministers from Bulgaria and France were threatening to call everything off. Amos was trying to assure them that he had nothing to do with this. He didn't even know the boy. The boy was just the mad son of the infidel that tried to destroy their world. Arthur Weasley sat in his chair shaking his head. He couldn't believe how foolish Ron was. How could he have done such a thing? Minerva McGonagall threw her napkin on the table and stood up. She marched towards the door where the other champions were waiting. She was going to her hands on Ron and strangle him.

Harry and his fiends' watched all of this. Neville leaned close to Harry and stated, "Professor McGonagall is going to kill Ron!"

"I know," Harry agreed.

"She won't kill him even thought he earned it but I hate to be him," Susan told the boys.

Hermione nodded sadly, "Yeah, me too,"

Harry forgot all about Ron at that moment and turned his attention to Hermione. He stood up walked to her seat and said, "Come on, let's go talk."

"Not now," Hermione said trying to brush Harry away.

"Now," Harry said firmly gently taking her by the arm and guiding her out of the room and into the hallway to talk. Neville and Susan stayed behind. They were going to leave Hermione to Harry. If anyone could get to the bottom of things, it was he.

* * *

Ron stormed from dining room. The adults had just finished chewing him out. People hadn't had acted the way he thought they would. They weren't proud of what he did. They were angry with him. They had said it was foolish and stupid.

Ron didn't care what they thought or what anyone else thought. He was going to prove them all wrong. He could win this tournament. He had the Elder Wand and it gave him a power that none of the others hand.

Ron stopped by the double doors fingering the wand with a half smile on his face. There he spotted Harry and Hermione talking. Harry finally managed to get Hermione to tell him what was going on and he was comforting her. Ron anger grew at the sight of Harry with Hermione. He believed if it was Harry's name that came out of the cup, then everyone would have cheered for him, not called him stupid.

Without thinking Ron marched over to where the pair was standing and snarled, "I bet it really excites you knowing she is caged up all night. I know it does me! It is perfect for a mud blood like her."

Harry's face turned red as he turned to look at Ron. Hermione felt the magic in Harry build and tried to say something to calm him down. "Harry, please," she pleaded.

Her word came too late, for seconds later Harry's fist hit Ron right the jaw. The older boy went down but he didn't stay down long. Ron jumped to his feet pulling his father's wand from his robes. The boy shot a nasty spell towards Harry. This spell he found in the school library and was working on perfecting it for the tournament. He didn't care that the spell was considered Dark. It just seemed like a perfect spell to learn for the tri-wizard tournament.

Just as the spell shot from Ron's wand, Harry shoved Hermione out of the way raising a hand, his left hand with the Potter family ring on it out of reflex. The ring's magic went into effect and a shield appeared in front of the pair just moments before the spell was to hit them.

The spell shot off Harry's shield and blasted a hole in the ceiling sending chunks of marble to the ground. Hermione raised her hands over her head to protect her head from the falling marble as Harry pulled his wand and sent is own spell towards Ron. The two were soon fighting. Hermione tried to get them to stop but neither would listen. They were beyond listening. Ron wanted to prove that he was better then Harry and Harry, well, he was just angry. He was sick of Ron and was going to knock the prat down a few pegs.

The fight had caught the attention of the others in the dinning hall and people came out to check things out. Kids saw who was fighting and everyone started to cheer Harry on. This just mad Ron madder and he sent more nasty spells towards Harry. Harry ducked and dodged them.

He sent his own spells towards Ron. They weren't as dark but he put everything he had into them. And, because he was a Blood Lord, he out classed Ron magically, but Ron just didn't realize it at that moment. The only thing he thought of was showing to the world that he was better than Harry Potter. He didn't realize that he was endangered of being harmed by Harry. It wasn't until a few of Harry's spells got closer than Ron's like that he realized that he might be out matched. Harry's eyes were glowing by this time and you could feel the magic coming off him.

Ron started to back up his mind racing on how to get out of this mess when a woman's voice with a thick French accent called out. "What is going on here?" Madam Maxime demanded. She and others had heard the fighting and came out to see what was going on. Standing beside her was the Minister of France, members of the press and the other visitors. Behind them were the students and professors from all the schools.

Ron turned towards the woman as Harry shot another spell towards the boy knocking him off his feet. Ron shook his head and started to sit up moments later just as Harry reached him. Harry's foot came slamming down hard on Ron's wand hand breaking Dumbledore's wand in the process. Ron cried out in pain and shock as he looked at his busted wand.

He started to curse Harry until he noticed Harry's wand aiming right at his head. Harry leaned over shoving his wand into Ron's face and demanded, "Apologize!"

"You broke my wand!" Ron cried.

Harry twisted his heal grinding Ron's hand into marble floor. Ron cried and tried free his hand from under Harry's foot. The adults had tried to do something but the magic rolling off of Harry prevented it. "I said apologize to Hermione!" Harry damaged again.

Ron nodded in obvious pain as he cried out, "Alright, I'm sorry."

Harry backed off and let Ron stand. The boy stood up looking at his broken wand in shock. Harry didn't even blink as he promised, "You ever talk to her in that manner again. If you do, a slug won't find you attractive, do you understand me? _Mr. Dumbledore_?"

Ron nodded, gripping his broken hand with his left. He was about to leave when he noticed the others standing around them. It was then that Madam Maxime asked again, "Mr. Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Harry looked at her forgetting all about Ron and thinking of what Hermione had just told him. So, he answered her in a very sarcastically sounding tone of voice, "You really want to know what I have to say? Well, I'll say that I think your government is just as bad as ours. You claim that you're open to werewolves, but you treat two members of my family like dirt during their transformation. I also think it is your government's fault that Hermione was bitten in the first place. They didn't think about her when the set the trap for those hunters. They didn't even think about Remus' safety. They only cared about getting those hunters. He could have been killed. He is like an uncle to me. He is also Sirius Black's best friend. I know he wasn't happy to find out what happened. I wasn't happy with what happed either. I'm starting to think it is mistake to stay at this school. It might be better off if we both leave. I'll pay for Hermione's home school education. It has to be better then learning anything from the likes of you."

Neville was the only one out of Harry's friends that understood Harry's words. He could see the panic in the French Minister's eyes. Harry was a future member of the Wizengamot and he had a lot of political power. The boy's godfather had more and he knew from reports that Remus was best friends with Sirius Black. This could be a political disaster if Harry walked out of the school.

Therefore, Minister Pierre' decided to calm things down before it out of hand, he walked forward and said to Madam Maxime, "It seems this was just a duel of honor. It was held at a wrong moment and place, but our rules allow duels of this kind to be held. I will suggest that Lord Potter is taught the proper procedures of duels but no punishment should be handed down for his lack knowledge. As for my government's mistakes in the matter with Ms. Granger and Mr. Lupin, I promise to look into it. I am very sorry that it had happened. Please, Lord Potter forgive me." The man then offered his hand to Harry.

Neville moved forward and whispered in Harry's ear. "Take it."

Harry took the man's hand and shook it. The Minister then bowed to Hermione kissed her hand and said, "I'm sorry my dear for the pain that you suffered. Why don't you, Mr. Lupin and I go talk about this matter in private. I wish to get to the bottom of this matter quickly."

"I…" Hermione didn't know what to say. She was shocked this was happening.

Harry looked at him. "I'm coming as well."

"Of course, young Lord, I would never dream of leaving you out," Minister Pierre' said and the two of them went looking for Remus.

Ron stood there his face red. "He destroyed my wand!" Ron yelled.

"You're luck that is the only thing that was destroyed. You fool! Potter could have killed you! I just might," Snape growled adding the last part under his breath.

"Severus," Minerva said in a warning tone. Snape just growled and said, "Thankfully, he is one of yours." The Potion Master muttered then walked from the school with his cloak flying behind him.

Minerva shook her head and looked down at Ron. "I should expel you!"

"No," Arthur said panic taking over.

"I know, Arthur. I know what would happen. So, I'm not going to do it. I am going to confine Ron to the carriage for the rest of our stay here. He is going to be allowed to leave for the contests and classes and that is it. You won't leave for any other reason," Minerva said grabbing Ron by the shoulder and walking him towards the door.

"I'm not competing. I can't. I no longer have my father's wand," Ron said shaking his head. Minerva ignored him for now. She just thought it was talk and that Ron really didn't mean it. He was a pure blood after all. He knew what was at stake if he didn't compete.

* * *

Minister Pierre', Harry and Hermione found Remus. Remus had heard what happened and he wasn't happy with Harry. He covered his emotions well as he showed the Minister into his room for their talk. Once tea was severed Minister Pierre' got down to business. He asked Remus and Hermione to explain what happened to them.

The two reluctantly started to explain what happened. Minister Pierre' was sadden by this and Harry was just mad. He did stay quiet and watched the Minister closely. The Minister knew this and tried to think of a way to cool things down. "Um, this potion you take? Did it work?"

"Yes," Remus said.

"The transformation was easy. It didn't hurt. I could also control the wolf's emotions. The men were lucky. I don't think I could have done it other wise. Moony would have got to them if I had let him and not even those bars would have held him," Remus explained.

"Moony?" Minister Pierre' asked.

Remus smiled and said, "It is what I call the werewolf inside me. He is me, but he is more. The potion was the first time I felt like one. It is hard to explain," Remus said.

"I felt like myself as well. I mean I knew I wasn't but it wasn't like Remus said it was going to be like," Hermione said.

Minister Pierre' nodded and thought a bit more. "I know why they separated you. I might not approve of what happened after but I do understand the first part. We approve of the potion that the others take. We don't this one." Harry looked like he was going to say something but the Minister cut him off. "I'm not saying it didn't work. In fact, I think it has possibilities. The trouble is the potion laws are tight. It will take a Master to dissect the potion to clear every part of it before it is widely accepted. I believe there is a potion master as this school. If he gives his approval, I will sign papers that accept it to be given in our country. Until then, I will allow the two of you to be housed in another safe location. You just need to have one set up for your next full moon."

Remus was shocked to hear this and muttered, "Thank you."

"You welcome and tell Lord Black that I am very sorry for what has happened," Minister Pierre' said.

It suddenly dawned on Remus why the Minister was treating them like this. It had nothing to do with them, but Sirius and of course Harry but he wasn't about to show any disrespect towards the man and stood offering the man his hand. "I will and thanks again."

"No trouble," Minister Pierre' said. He said his good byes to Harry and Hermione then left. He had other business to take care off.

The moment he was gone. Remus turned and looked at Harry. "Do you realize what just happened here?"

"He agreed to help out," Harry said.

"Only because you and Sirius are Lords, he didn't do it for any other reason. You could have caused us a lot of problems other wise," Remus said.

"So, I am a Lord," Harry said.

Remus shook his head. "Harry…" he started to say but gave up. He had this conversation once with Sirius. It didn't work then and he feeling it wouldn't work now. "Go to bed," he finally said.

"Good night," Harry said smiling at Remus as he offered his hand to Hermione. "You want to walk with me back to our dorms?"

Hermione was shocked. This wasn't the Harry she remembered but she was pleased to see him. She took his head waved at Remus and they left. Remus shook his head and smiled. He couldn't stay mad at Harry. He knew the kid meant well beside it worked out.

Remus went to his desk to think things over. He was tapping on the mirror that Sirius had sent to him earlier that day by owl. Remus was thinking about contacting Sirius when voice filled the room. "Hey, Moony--."

Remus looked down to see Sirius face looking back at him. "Hi, Sirius," Remus said.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, hearing something in Remus voice that he didn't like.

Remus sighed and explained everything. He explained about Ron, what happened after and about what happened during the transformation. When Remus finished, he looked down to see the mirror empty. He was puzzled by this until a figure burst through his bedroom door. A very angry Sirius Black came through. "Why didn't you contact me? Where is this Minister at? I have a few things to say to him," Sirius demanded.

Remus walked over placed a hand on Sirius shoulder and said trying to calm his friend down. "Easy, Sirius, Harry took care of things for you."

"He did?" Sirius said looking shocked.

"Yes, and if you heard me out, you would have realized it. Come on let's talk," Remus said. He poured drinks and they sat down to talk.

Sirius laughed as he heard about Harry and Ron's fight. "That's my godson."

"You godson is lucky he didn't get expelled," Remus said.

"I would have just sent him to another school," Sirius said.

"I'm sure Andi and Ted would like to hear that," Remus said.

"Andi? Oh, yeah, right," Sirius said, realizing that Harry might get off with the school but not his new mother. The kid was in trouble and he knew it. "Well, I'm still proud of him." Sirius stated.

"So, am I," Remus admitted.

Remus was playing with his drink thinking. "What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"I'm thinking about those guards. I know the Minister of France is taking care of things but I feel like I'm letting them off too easy. I think they should pay for what they did," Remus said.

Sirius eyebrow went up. "Mr. Moony have an idea?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Padfoot, Mr. Moony has an idea. Does Mr. Padfoot want to help Mr. Moony?"

"Mr. Padfoot would love to help Mr. Moony," Sirius said smiling. The pair tapped the glasses together and then sat there plotting their revenge. The two men that hurt Remus and Hermione would soon learn that it was not wise to tick off a Marauder.

(Note, how Sirius got to Remus room so fast is by long distant apparition. I think I spelled it right…. Oh, well, the only thing you need to know is that there is something wrong with the school wards. It will cause trouble for later on in the story…;)


	27. Chapter 27

**Hi, I know it has been a long time but I ran into a brick wall on my writing. I had this in hiding for a while. I didn't want to post it until I was close to breaking through. I think I'm close to it. So, I figured it was time to post this chapter. I want to thank everyone for the great replies that I got over that past few months asking about this story. It helped knowing that people were still interested in this story. I hope everyone likes the chapter and it was worth the wait. **

**Marti**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

There are all kinds of Love!

After Sirius left Remus' room, he decided to go check up on Harry before heading home. He was walking down the hallway, when he spotted a very familiar figure talking to Tonks. At first, Sirius thought that he had too much fire whiskey, but as he neared the woman he realized that he wasn't drunk. It was his wife, Winter Black-Moody.

Sirius walked up behind the woman with the long white-blonde hair, leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, "Hello beautiful!"

The woman turned to face Sirius with a shocked expression on her face. "Hello," she said as a smile slowly appeared on her face.

Tonks stood there confused. How did Professor Moody know her cousin? And why was Sirius here at all. She was about to ask these questions when the pair just walked off and left her without a word.

"That's rude," she muttered as the pair walked off. She stood there for a moment confused and fuming. She finally huffed as she gave the pair a dirty look before going to Remus. She hadn't seen what happened between Ron and Harry, but had heard about it. She also heard about the events that happened after. This, particularly, is what she wanted to learn more about before she wrote her mother. She hated to miss a detail and get her little brother in unnecessary trouble.

Meanwhile, Sirius and Winter walked down the hall towards Winter's rooms. She opened the door and they went inside. She turned on the light and pointed to place on the couch. "Take a seat." Sirius nodded his head and sat down. He sat down on the couch looking dreamily at her as she made them drinks. He realized he could get drunk just by watching her.

She turned with drinks in her commenting. "I guess since you remember me, you remember us?'

"I do. I remember our marriage. I remember the day our son was born. I also remember when we agreed that you take those memories from me. ," He said sadly as he took the drink from her.

"What did you do? I thought that spell would take you from us forever," she asked him, having trouble believing that he was sitting there with her. Winter always loved Sirius. She always knew he wasn't guilty, but to protect her son and keep the promise that she made to him, she acted like she never knew him.

"I became a Blood Lord. I guess that it over rides all the other spells. It doesn't hurt that I do have an heir somewhere in this world," He answered as he moved closer to her, his hand reaching to her as his heart hoped that she wouldn't pull away from him.

She nodded allowing Sirius to move closer. "That is good. I really didn't know how I was going to tell you about us. Now, that Dumbledore and Voldemort are both gone, we no longer have any reason to hide from each other."

"I will admit that I thought you moved on without me. I really wasn't planning on finding either of you. I was too afraid of what I would find. Now that fate made the decision for me, I realize how foolish those thoughts were," Sirius said his heart breaking as he slowly moved towards his wife.

"We are married Sirius Black. I would never be whole without you," Winter replied as she moved towards him.

It was at that moment the door burst open and in walked Mad-Eye Moody, "Black, get your hands off my daughter." Moody demanded as he slammed the door.

Sirius growled as Winter jumped to her feet and confronted her father. "Don't you know how to knock?" she demanded of her father.

Mad-Eye grumbled. "I thought we were free of him," Mad-Eye snapped at his daughter.

Sirius sat back and said, "Hardly, I am her husband, and by wizarding law you can't do anything about it!"

"Try me!" Mad-Eye said pulling his wand.

Sirius jumped to his feet pulled his own wand said, "Go for it old man!"

Winter jumped between the pair and ordered, "Knock it off both of you!" She turned on her father and said, "Father, you may not like Sirius but he is right. He is my husband. It was my idea to take his memory about us from him. I was worried that his twisted family would come after Siros because he is the Black heir."

"That's telling him!" Sirius said sticking his tongue out at his father in-law.

"And you," she said turning to face her husband. "You promised me that you would try to get along with father and I'm holding you to it!"

"Yes, dear," Sirius muttered as he put his wand away and sat back down. He glared at Moody as the old wizard took a seat in the chair nearby. "When did you arrive?" Sirius asked Moody.

"This afternoon, I was one of the Aurors that came with the new Minister. He is staying the night. Sadly, I have leave with him tomorrow. What about you? I didn't think you were invited to this event?" Moody asked.

"I port keyed here because I had business to discuss with Remus," Sirius said.

Winter sat down her drink and said, "You mean you port keyed nearby."

"No, I port keyed onto the grounds," Sirius said as he sat back reaching for his wife trying to pull her with him.

Winter pulled free from him and jumped to her feet. "Sirius, you can't do that! I mean, you shouldn't be able to do that!" She looked at her father who was alarmed as well. "There was no alert on any unwanted visitors."

"That isn't good. This means that there is a problem with the wards. I believe we better go see Madam Maxime," Winter suggested.

"Now?" Sirius asked as he put down his glass. He didn't see any big deal about how he arrived here.

"Yes, now!" Winter snapped. "Sirius, the wards around the school are much like Hogwarts. They shouldn't have allowed you to enter here by portkey. Only Madam Maxime should be allowed to set them up. This means there could be something really wrong with the wards." She explained to him.

Sirius suddenly realized if he got here, then anyone wanting to hurt Harry could get here just as easily. If that happened and he didn't do anything about it, Sirius knew that Andi would kill him. Then again, if Harry got hurt, he might let her. "Maybe, we better talk to the Headmistress."

"Glad you agree," Mad-Eye grumbled.

"Father," Winter warned.

"I'd hate it if one of the kids here got hurt. Then again, I don't think you think about innocent children do you?" Sirius snapped.

"Sirius," Winter added giving both men dirty looks.

"Let's go." Mad-Eye snapped.

"Let's." Sirius snapped back.

Winter just shook her head. She knew it was asking much for Sirius and her father to get along. Her father had hated Sirius from the moment he had found out about them. It only got worse when she ended up pregnant with Siros.

So, when she and Sirius decided to use the spell that took him out her life, she also made sure that her father forgot about who Siros' father really was. She felt it was better for everyone. What she didn't do was take the hate her father had for Sirius away from him as well. Mad-Eye had done everything in his power to remind Siros that his father wasn't around. It worked to a point. Oh, she managed to instill in Siros that his father loved him and that they didn't abandon them. He just saw that his grandfather was a better man than his father because he fought Death Eaters.

Siros believed was that his father was dead. He had no idea how he died because of her lack of willingness to talk about it. He did not believe that his father fought in the war against Voldemort or his Death Eaters. If he had, then his grandfather would believe that he was worth thinking about.

This always bothered Winter, but because of the spell she couldn't tell her son the truth. She let him believe that his father was a nobody, but in truth this wasn't the case. Sirius had given up everything for them. They didn't know that Dumbledore was evil. No, that wasn't the case. What Sirius was worried about was his family. He believed that his cousin Bella or Narcissia would go after Siros to claim family title.

After Sirius brother's death, there were several attacks on Sirius life. During one of the attacks, Sirius thought he saw Bella running away. If it was her, and she wanted to kill him to get him out of the way to claim the title, Sirius knew that his son's life would be at risk. Therefore, he gave them up to keep them safe, safe from the Black family.

Sirius later agreed with Mad-Eye on one thing, and that was that the meeting with Madam Maxime was useless. She did not believe that there was anything wrong with the wards. She even tested them with them in the room. If Sirius had port keyed to the school, he did it just about the same time she was lowering the wards for the France Minister and the Press to leave. It wasn't going to happen again. Madam Maxime sent Sirius and the others away after that claiming she had a long day and was ready for bed.

They left, but even Sirius, who wasn't as paranoid as Mad-Eye, believed that there was something wrong with the wards. Now, he might not personally like the old Auror but even he thought it was a good thing that Mad-Eye had stuck around and not gone back with the Minister. He even promised that he would talk to Madam Bones about sending the team earlier, just to make sure nothing happened to Harry and the others. Sirius would have loved to stick around, but he had Wizengamot business to take care off and maybe a bit of personal business. He had to talk to Frank about his promise to Bella. Did not knowing he had a son give him a loop-hole to back out of or was he stuck turning over everything to Draco. If he could back out of his promise, he knew Bella would be ticked with him, but then again she was in Azkaban. What could she do to him? This was his thought as he left his wife and headed back to England.

Sirius would have loved to stay but he had business to take care off. It wasn't just Wizengamot business either. Now, that he remember that he was married and had an heir, he needed to change his will around to make sure that both Winter and Siros were taken care off.

The next day Snape walked into Professor Sherwood's classroom and watched her teach. He wasn't happy to see Harry and Neville in the classroom. Those two were always trouble, at least in his opinion. Scarlett ignored her visitor and walked around helping everyone out that needed it. She stopped at Neville and Susan's table checking their work. "Good, but slow down on the stirring Neville.

"Yes, Professor," Neville said and he did as she told him.

"Good," Scarlett said and she moved on. The class finally ended, but before the kids left she reminded them of their end of term assignment. "Okay, class, your papers about all the plants in the potions they are used in will be done at the end of term. I want to remind everyone that you must cover these points." Scarlett said, pointing to the board as she went over each point their papers must cover. "Each potion the plants are used in. Why they are cut and stirred different in one potion than the other? Also what plants are not mixed together and why? This is going to cover half your grade this semester so make sure you cover all these points."

"Yes, Professor," everyone said together as they gathered their things.

"Good, now have a good day and please, Harry, no more fighting," Scarlett said as Harry walked past her.

"I'll try," Harry muttered as he moved past Professor Snape and out the door.

As the kids left, she looked up at Professor Snape and asked, "What brings you here?" She and Snape hadn't gotten along too well this term. He was always moving things around in her class. It was like this was his classroom, not hers and it irritated her to no end.

"This," Snape said handing her a paper.

Scarlett took the paper and read it. The paper was from the Potion board. They were contacted by Minister Pierre' about his idea of getting her potion approved. They were going to allow Snape to review it, but she was going to have to review his teaching methods. They weren't happy with his performance in this area and thought she would be perfect to help him out. "I think this is a mistake," she said.

"My sentiments exactly, I don't need you to teach me how to teach potions," Snape said.

"Oh, that isn't what I think. I think you need definite help in that area. I just don't need you to dissect my potion." Scarlett snapped handing the paper back to him. Snape snarled at her, but before he could comment her other class arrived.

Scarlett turned away and turned her attention to her first years. "Alright, quiet," she said to the class. "Professor Snape from Hogwarts is going to observe this class. I want everyone to act as if he isn't here."

Snape glared coldly at her but moved to a corner of the room to watch. As he watched, he had to admit that she handled the brats better than he could. She had cut potion teaching down to levels. The first years learned how to cut, dice, and prepare potions. She was the only one that brewed a potion, but the children worked with her on it. Snape had to admit this was easier than watching all the first years brewing their own potions. It would also save him from cleaning up their messes. So, he was willing to say she was a good teacher, but this didn't mean she knew how to create a working potion. There was a difference between creating potions and teaching potions.

Scarlett tried to ignore Snape, but he was hard man to ignore. She knew she needed him. Her potion wouldn't get accepted without him. This didn't mean she had to be nice to him. She knew he was a bad teacher. Hermione and her friends were proof of that. She had worked hard to catch them up with her other classes. Neville was the only one that was at their pace now. The others were just a bit behind them, but they were catching up. If this was the type of student that Snape taught, she had no idea why he was considered a Master. She didn't think he could brew anything right.

This class ended just as the other one had and everyone filed out. Snape walked forward and said, "Nice class."

"Thank you," Scarlett said tightly.

"You always brew for the first years?" he asked.

"During the first term, I take this time to teach basic potions," Scarlett said.

"I notice they don't have books." Snape said.

"The books are full of mistake, so I don't bother using them. I use my Mastery of Potion books to teach potions. I have broken them down to teach each grade," Scarlett said.

Snape nodded at this. "It is full mistakes. I'm shocked that you noticed this though," Snape commented.

"I did. I'm shocked you haven't changed it. I heard it was a Hogwarts Professor that created it and you use it all the time. The only time I use it is in my upper classes. I have them go through the book and find the mistakes. I give points to any student that finds all 258 of them," Scarlett shot back at him.

Snape looked at her at this. First, he was shocked she knew there were 258 mistakes in the book. As for changing the books, well he did change it, but only his Slytherins had the changes. He never bothered to give it to the others, as Albus wouldn't have liked it. He thought the other book was fine. He would have never allowed the changes, but then again Albus helped write the potion book with Nicolas Flamel. He was paid good money for every book that was sold. Why else would he want it used at Hogwarts?

Snape shook his head and got thoughts back on track. "Why don't we check your potion?" he asked her.

Scarlett nodded and showed it to him. Snape sat down at her desk and looked things over. The longer he looked, the more impressed he became. "This is good. I can see why it works the way Lupin said it did."

"You talked to him about it?" Scarlett asked surprised.

"I did. He isn't a good liar like his friend Black. I can tell when he's stretching things. I asked him questions about how he felt and how he thought it worked. I'm not ready to approve it but I'm willing to give it a chance," Snape said handing the potion paper back to her.

"Thank you," Scarlett said.

Snape then added, "If you are willing to help me."

"Do what?" she asked giving him a dirty look.

"Teach me to teach. It is not what I'm good at. We might even create our own potion making book," Snape admitted.

Scarlett's eyes went wide at this. "You are joking right?" she asked him.

"No, you are right; the book is full of mistakes. I think how potions are taught is a mistake, at least at Hogwarts. I can get it changed, but I'm going to need your help. Are you with me?" Snape asked of her.

Scarlett smiled first time since she met Snape. "Yes, I'm with you, but leave my lab alone. I like things as they are."

"We will talk about that," Snape told her and he actually smiled. Snape wouldn't ever tell anyone this, but Scarlett reminded him of someone. She was very specially to him. In fact, he thought that she was the only woman for him. He was starting think that maybe he was wrong and maybe, just maybe there could be someone else.

Harry and Hermione slipped away from their friends and went walking alone on the beach after class. Hermione was carrying her shoes letting the waves come up and cover them. "Harry, can I ask you something about last night?" Hermione asked.

"Sure," Harry said.

"Why did you offer your hand to me in Professor Lupin's rooms?" Hermione asked.

Harry thought about it for a moment and said, "It felt right."

Hermione nodded and decided to go for it. "Do you like me? I mean do you like-like me?" she asked.

At first Harry didn't understand what she was getting at, but then it hit him. "I—think so," He said. "I just don't know. This is all new to me," He said blushing a bit.

"Me too," Hermione admitted.

Harry smiled and took her hand. "Why don't we try to figure it out together?"

"I'd like that," Hermione replied and they walked on down the beach together. They talked about Dumbledore's trial and what James and Lily had said to Harry. Hermione felt sorry for her friend knowing that is parents never really loved each other, but she pointed out that this was just another one of Dumbledore's games. He was at fault in this, not them and especially not Harry. Harry agreed with her and he did have Andi and Ted now.

At this time, an owl arrived landing next to Harry. Harry took the letter from the owl and noticed it was from Andi. He opened the letter and read it.

_Harry James Potter, _

_ I'm disappointed in you, fighting in school. Tonks and Remus both informed me of how the fight started, but am displeased that you allowed Mr. Weasley to goad you into it. I know you have feelings for Hermione, but you can't go around fighting people just because you don't like what they say. I think you can think of a better way of dealing with the situation. _

_ This said, I also understand that you helped Remus and Hermione out on a nasty situation with those two guards. You did take care of this nicely and for that I'm not going to say anything more about what happened with Mr. Weasley. I will say this in closing however, I do not want to hear about you fighting at school anymore. The school might not punish you because of who you are, but I will when you get home. Is that clear young man? _

_Love Always_

_Mum _

Harry showed the letter to Hermione. She noticed the hurtful look on Harry's face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I think this letter got to me more than any howler would have. I feel like I let her down," Harry said sadly.

Hermione put her arm around Harry and said, "Don't worry, she did add love mum. You see there is a secret with parents. It doesn't matter what we do. They still love us."

"I don't know. Ron really messed up. I don't think his parents love him," Harry said.

Hermione remembered seeing the pain and panic in Arthur's eyes last night and said, "Oh, I know one that still loves him, but he just doesn't know it yet." Harry shrugged at this and they kept on walking.

Hermione and Harry had to get back to their dorms. They had schoolwork to finish up and they needed to get it done. Harry and Hermione gave the password to the dorm room and went to their rooms. Harry opened his trunk and pulled out his schoolbooks. It was then that he realized that something was missing, his father's cloak.

Harry turned to Siros Moody and asked, "Have you seen a sliver cloak anywhere?" Siros was one of his and Neville's roommates. The kid was about his height, maybe a bit taller. He had thick black hair with a streak of gray running through it. Harry liked the kid even though he liked playing pranks on people. He hadn't gotten Harry yet, but then again, Harry learned he only pranked people that called him La Pew! It seemed that there were some muggle born kids that thought Siros' hair looked like a skunk's tail and loved picking on him about it. Siros didn't think it was funny though and ended up striking back by playing pranks on the kids that teased him.

"No, ask the door monitor," Siros said pointing to a painting nearby of a small boy sleeping under a tree.

Harry walked over and tapped the painting. The boy had been asleep since he arrived at the school. When the painting didn't wake up, Harry said to Siros, "He isn't waking up. Are you sure he is guarding this room?"

"You know, I haven't seen him move all year myself. The door monitor I had last year was a pain. He reported everything we did to the professors," Siros said tapping the painting on the side with his hand.

"Well, I have to find that cloak. It belonged to my father," Harry said starting to look around the room.

"I'll help and if we can't find, I think my grandfather is here. We can talk to him about this," Siros said.

"Who's your grandfather?" Harry asked.

"Alastor Moody, he is an Auror," Siros said smiling brightly.

Harry almost said what he was thinking, but he didn't. He liked Siros so, he didn't think it was wise to tell the boy that he thought his Grandfather was a nut case and shouldn't be allowed at the school. Besides, Andi was already upset with him for fighting with Ron. He didn't think he would like it if he got in a fight with Mad-Eye's grandson.

Harry's cloak wasn't anywhere. So, the boys went to Mad-Eye and informed the man of the problem. Mad-Eye went back with them to the boys' dorm room. The first thing he did was try the door without using the password. He wasn't shocked to find that it opened with ease. He then went to the boys' room to find the door monitor asleep. The old Auror tried several times to get the boy in the painting to wake up but nothing worked. He then went to Harry's trunk and examined it. He used a spell to see who else touched Harry's trunk in the past few days. Harry was shocked, hurt and angry to see an image of Ron opening the trunk and taking out his father's cloak.

"What is he taking?" Mad-Eye asked.

"My father's invisibility cloak," Harry explained.

Mad-Eye groaned. "You had one at this school?" Mad-Eye asked Harry.

"Yes, like I said it belonged to my father. Professor Dumbledore gave it to me during my first year at Hogwarts. I am used to carrying everything I own with me. It isn't like I had a place to keep it before now," Harry snapped.

"Easy, boy, I am not trying to insult you. I just don't think it is wise for you to have something that valuable in a trunk that isn't locked," Moody said.

"My trunk never locked," Harry pointed out.

"We will change that. I will contact your guardians and have them pick you up a trunk that has lock on it. As for your missing cloak, I will talk to the Headmistress myself and tell her there 'is' a problem with her wards and it needs to be fixed now!" Mad-Eye said limping off, leaving the boys alone.

Harry rolled his eyes and slammed his trunk shut. "Damn, why would Ron steal my cloak? I know he isn't my friend any more but he knows what it means to me," Harry muttered to himself.

"Don't worry, Harry. My grandfather will find it," Siros said.

"Don't bet on it," Harry said dropping down on his trunk looking dejected.

"That cloak is really that important to you isn't it?" Siros asked.

"Yes, like I said it belonged to my father. I know some people think just because I have money that things aren't important to me, but they are. I mean that cloak is one of the first things I had that connected me to him," Harry said sadly.

"I know you mean. My father is dead. My mother doesn't talk about him. I think his death hurts her. She doesn't talk about him," Siros said.

"Sorry, to hear that, at least you got her, and I have the Tonks. I guess losing the cloak isn't that bad then," Harry admitted.

"No, not if you say it that way," Siros told him.

Neville appeared in the doorway and said, "Harry, you better go into the study area or Hermione is going to come in here and drag you out. She says you still have half your Potions homework to finish and you haven't touched your Alchemy assignment."

Siros laughed. "You girlfriend is calling. You better go."

"Yes, she is," Harry said standing up. "You want to join us?"

"Sure, why not. I have my own homework to finish," Siros said as he grabbed his books and left the room with Neville and Harry.

A few hours later, Professor McGonagall had just finished checking on all her lions that were camping around the carriage when she spotted Madam Maxime and Mad-Eye Moody walking her way. From the look on the tall woman's face, she was upset about something. Minerva didn't know what it was but her gut told her that one of her kids had done something again.

"Professor McGonagall, just the person I wanted to see," Madam Maxime called as she neared the woman.

"I hope this is a pleasant visit. I realize we have hit a rough patch lately with what Mr. Wea… I mean Mr. Dumbledore had done, but I was hoping that we could put all that behind us now," Minerva said.

"Sadly, I am here because of something else that I found Mr. Dumbledore has done. I believe Mr. Moody here has discovered how he put his name into the cup. Now, I realize that part of it is my fault. I am sorry to say that we are having trouble with our wards. The dorm rooms are a bit under protected. I am working on fixing the problem. As for why I am here, it seems Mr. Dumbledore has stolen something of value from one of my students. I believe you know Lord Potter?" Madam Maxime asked.

"Yes, I know Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said. She wasn't going to call Harry Lord. He was just a boy after all and secondly, she did not believe he should be treated differently just because he was a Lord. If Harry were still going to Hogwarts, she would have come down on him just as hard as she did Ron. She thought he got off too easy with Madam Maxime just because of who he is. It wasn't right, but then Harry wasn't one of her lions any more so, she really couldn't say anything about it. It was Ron that was her problem and if he took something from Harry, It was her responsibly to make sure that it was returned. "What was stolen?"

"It seems Lord Potter had an invisibility cloak in his possession. I believe it belonged to…" Madam Maxime started to say but Minerva finished.

"Yes, I know about that. It belonged to his father." Minerva knew of that cloak. James used it often during his time at school. It was how he played several of his best pranks with his friends. Minerva knew that Albus had given it to Harry. She wasn't happy about it then either, but then again there were a lot of things that Albus had done during his time as Headmaster that she wasn't happy about. "Come; let's go talk to Mr. Dumbledore about this." Minerva told the pair turning towards the carriages. She really hoped that Ron didn't steal the cloak. If he did, then she was going to be forced to do something that he might not like.

Minerva and the other adults talked to Ron about Harry's cloak. Ron admitted taking the cloak. He also admitted that he lost it. Mad-Eye wasn't happy to hear about this. Anyone could have found that cloak. He was tempted to pull Neville, Harry and Luna from the school, but the two teachers talked him out of it. They promised the children were safe. It wasn't right for their educations to be disrupted without a major reason. Mad-Eye finally agreed and left with Madam Maxime. She would talk to Harry about his missing property and she would leave Minerva to deal with Ron.

After the two adults were gone, Minerva turned to face Ron. "Mr. Dumbledore, I am sorry to say that I can't over look this latest stunt of yours. Bad enough, you put your name into a contest that was set up for wizards much older than you are, but stealing property that did not belong to you is totally unacceptable. If it were possible, I would expel you but because of your mandatory participation in the contest I am not going to do it," Minerva said.

"Go head and expel me, I can't compete. I told you the only way I had a chance was with my father's wand. It is Harry's fault that it is destroyed," Ron snapped.

"Enough!" Minerva snapped finally losing her temper with Ron. "You blame Harry for this mess but in fact it was your actions that caused all your problems. Now, you are going to repeat this year next year. You will take a failing grade in all your classes. You can have access to the library only because of this contest and only for contest related research. Other then that, this year isn't going to count for you."

"What? You can't do that," Ron cried out.

"I can and I have. Now, one more word from you young man, I will contact your mother and have her remove you from this school. The only reason I haven't yet is because if I do… well we both know what will happen to you if you don't compete," Minerva said sadly. Ron didn't listen to her. He only understood one thing and that was that Harry broke his father's wand and he couldn't complete without it.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

'**The First Task'**

The first task finally arrived. Everyone was exited about it but one person. That person was Ron Dumbledore or formally Ron Weasley. Ron's hope to win the tournament had vaporized when Harry broke his father's wand. He now understood that even then he wouldn't have won. Harry had defeated easily in that duel. He didn't even break a sweat or that is how Ron saw it. So, how was he going to fight dragons!

Oh, yes, he knew the first task was going to dealing with Dragons. Charlie had warned him already. He even sent him some of his books on the hopes of giving Ron some clues on how to do it. The trouble was Ron didn't brother opening those books. It wasn't that he didn't have time. No, he had lost of that thanks to Head Mistress McGonagall's decree that he was going to retake his fourth year over again. No, time wasn't the problem. The problem was that Ron just wasn't going to compete. Why should he? It was clear to him at least that he didn't have a chance. No, he was just going to forget about the tournament. It wasn't like they would treat him like the others. He was under aged after all.

Therefore early in the morning of the first task, Ron packed his school bag full of food and his Quidditch books. He then left the carriages for the day. He would spend the day wondering around the island and return later once everything was over with. He knew they would call him a quitter but then again they were already laughing at him. Why worry about what they said. He would at least be alive because there no way. He was going to face a nesting mother dragon. He wasn't that stupid.

Later at breakfast, Harry and his friends were sitting at their class table wondering what was going to happen for the first task. The news that it was Dragons that the contestants were going to face had spread around to the students to the guess. The Champions were looking very ill.

Minerva McGonagall was sitting next to Professor Snape having breakfast with the other students. She was glancing in Cedric Diggory's direction. The boy looked sick. He was just sitting at the table playing with his food. She couldn't blame him. Who would want to face full grown nesting dragons?

"Who came up with these tasks?" Snape asked Minerva.

"Do I have answer that," she muttered coldly.

"No, you don't," Snape said cursing Dumbledore under his breath. "Where is your lion at? I don't see him around."

"I don't know. He wasn't at the carriage this morning. I believe he might be with one of his siblings. I hear his entire family has showed up to support him," Minerva said looking around for a familiar red head but the only ones she saw were the twins. They were heading towards Harry's table.

At Harry's table, he and his friends were sitting together talking to Gabrielle. They were wondering how her sister was holding up. Gabby was explaining to them that her sister was not only going to face a dragon but she was doing during that time of the month. The girls looked at Fleur with pity. Harry, Neville and Siros were thinking they didn't need hear it.

Harry was still shaking off what he heard as he shoved another strip of bacon into his mouth. As Fred and George appeared behind him looking very intense, "Harry, please tell us that you transformed or prat of a brother into something." They begged Harry.

"No, I haven't seen him," Harry snapped. He was still a bit ticked off with Ron for taking his father's cloak. So, the mention of Ron's name had a way of sending Harry's famous tempter boiling. This is why over the past few weeks, Hermione and the others went out of their way to make sure Harry didn't cross paths with the prat. They were trying to prevent Harry from being grounded for the rest of his life once he got back to the England.

"Easy mate," Fred said noticing the glasses around them starting to rattle.

The twins had heard that Harry's magic had grown leaps and bounds over the school term. There were stories that he was destroying things in class because his magic had grown so much. They realized that some of the stories were true as they watched the glasses up and down the table started to rattle.

"We understand why you are upset with our brother but he really needs to compete in the tournament. If he doesn't, he'll lose his magic. So, if you know where he is please tell us." Fred begged giving Harry his best puppy dog look.

"Yeah, mate. We really need to find him," George pleaded, mimicking his brother's facial expression.

"Harry, they aren't joking. If you really did do something to him, I think you should tell us," Hermione said realizing that this wasn't one of the twin's games. Ron was missing.

"Look guys, I don't know where Ron is. I really haven't seen him since our fight. I have gone out of my way to avoid him," Harry said a bit hurt that Hermione out of all of them thought he actually hurt Ron. He didn't care about the prat. As far as Harry was concerned, Ron was out of his life forever.

Fred and George's faces fell at this. "We were really hoping that you transfigured him into something," the boys said together.

"You aren't saying he ran away are you?" Neville asked shocked.

"It looks like it," George answered. "We went looking for him this morning. The only thing we found was this note saying he wasn't going to compete and no one was going to make him. Dad had been worried that he would try something this stupid. This is why he asked us to keep an eye on him."

"Doesn't that prat of a brother of yours realize that he will lose his magic?" Susan demanded.

"From his letter to Percy, no… He thinks it doesn't apply to him because he is under age. What he doesn't realize that do to the contrast rules. He is being treated like the others. He has to compete." Fred said looking sick.

"Well, for one I'm not surprised that Ron doesn't realize this. He isn't the smartest member of your family," Hermione said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. "I'll tell you what. We will help look for Ron," Hermione promised.

"We will?" Harry asked shocked looking at Hermione like she grown another head.

The twins looked hurt as Hermione glared at Harry. "We are going to help find Ron," she said again.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said realizing that he wasn't going to win this argument. Susan and Neville giggled at this. They have noticed a change in Harry since he stared showing his feelings for Hermione. He was more then willing to do anything she asked of him now without little arguing. Oh, he did now and then but most of the time Harry was willing to do anything to make Hermione happy.

Siros even went with them. He was secretly dating the twin's baby sister Ginny. He knew she would be upset if anything happened to her brother Ron and like Harry was willing to do anything to prevent her from being unhappy. Besides, he figured win him points with her family. They haven't told them about them dating. Siros learned from Ginny that her brothers were a bit over protective of her. They had run off the other boys that she had tried to date. She was sick of it. So, she was keeping their relationship a secret.

If you are wondering if Sirius and Winter had t told Siros about Sirius yet, they hadn't. The reason was due to one person, his grandfather. It seems that Moody always believed that Winter's husband ran off on her. He just remembered his daughter's husband vanishing years ago leaving his daughter and grandson alone in the world. This is what the spell that Winter had done wanted him to think. He didn't remember Sirius being Siros father. Sirius Black was just another young Auror to him. Sirius and Mad Eye's problems up until this point weren't personal but professional. They were just too different men that saw the world differently. It wasn't person. t

So, when Moody first saw the pair together. The spell hadn't fully faded on him. His mind put the pieces of the truth together wrong. The hate and distrust he showed Sirius that night was because of this. He always hated the man that abandoned his daughter and his grandson. Winter knew until her father totally remembered he would use his influence on Siros against Sirius.

Therefore the couple decided to wait for the spell to finally fade before telling Siros the truth. Ironically, the night before the first task, Moody had this strange dream about the last night he talked to his daughter's husband.

_ It was a cold winter's night. Moody remembered standing on the porch sharing a drink of his best whiskey with Sirius. Moody was smoking a cigarette. It was cold that night but neither man wanted to go inside. They didn't talk to each other at first. They just stood there watching the stars move across the sky. _

_ When Sirius finally spoke his voice cracked. "I know you won't remember this night. You might even hate me after a while, but I want to you know I love them. I can't see getting hurt. I would rather give them up this way then loose them in death," Sirius said. _

_ "I know my boy. I will try to hold good thoughts about you," Moody promised. "And who knows, the war might end soon. You might not loose too much time with your family." _

_ "You really believe that?" Sirius asked Moody. _

_ "I have to. It is the only thing that keeps me going," Moody said to Sirius. _

_ "Well, I can't bring myself thinking about that. I have to keep my mind on there here and now," Sirius said. _

_ "Oh, I do that as well but we must never give up hope. Hope is the only thing that makes life worth living," Moody said. _

_ Sirius laughed. "You sound like your daughter. Speaking of Winter, do you know where you will send them?" Sirius asked. _

_ "I have family in France. They will be safe there until the war is over," Moody answered. _

_ "Well, at least it helps knowing they will be away from all of this," Sirius said sadly. _

_ "But you won't know, tomorrow you'll be another green rookie to me," Moody said with a smug look on his face. _

_ "You mean just another big pain in the ass," Sirius corrected. Sirius turned then to look up at the window. He spotted Winter watching them. "I have to go in. I only a few hours left. I want to hold my wife one more time and maybe rock my son to sleep," Sirius said and he went inside. _

After replaying this dream or memory that Moody now remember it being by this point over in his mind for the millionth time. He left his quarters and went to search out Sirius. He knew Sirius was here as a special guest of the French's Minister of Magic. He also knew where to find him. He would be spending it with the person he had been with this that night the champions were chosen.

Moody went to his daughter's room and knocked the door. The man stood there with messy black hair, his shirt partially unbuttoned, and one side tucked in the other hanging from his hip. "Mad Eye," Sirius said shocked to see his father in-law this early in the morning.

"Save it, Black," Moody said gruffly. "I only came to say this one thing. You were never just another green rookie to me. You were family. Now, I know why I fought so hard to clear your name."

At first Sirius didn't get what the man was saying then he it hit him. "You finally remembered," Sirius said stepping aside allowing Moody to enter the room.

Moody limped in and nodded. "Yes, I remember. I'm sorry it took me this long but I finally remember the truth." Moody told him. Moody spotted his daughter standing near her bedroom still with her night robes on. "Will you forgive an old man for being forget full," Moody asked her.

"Always," she said walking over giving her father a kiss. "You want to join us for breakfast?" Winter asked him.

"Sure, and maybe we can talk about how we are going to explain things to Siros," Moody said as he went to the breakfast table and sat down in one of the three chairs. Sirius just shook his head as his wife smiled. They were almost there. They now had to face to face Siros.

The first thing Arthur did when he learned that Ron was missing was go to the other judges asking for a delay. His request was denied. He was told that Ron would be set up to go last. This would give Arthur and the others time to find him but he was warned. He had until sundown to find Ron and get him to compete. If he didn't, the contract that Ron had entered would be considered default. No one had to tell Arthur what would happen then. He knew very well what would happen. Ron would lose his magic. He would become a squib.

A search party was formed then, each group taking a section of the island. Arthur and Poppy were had the back side of the island along the waters edge. There were a dozen of small caves there. It was a perfect place for someone to hide. Arthur was hoping that Ron had picked on to hide out in. So, far there was sign of the boy.

Arthur exited one of the caves and shook his head looking at Poppy with a sad expression on his face. "Nothing," he said.

"There are more," she said and started to move on.

"What if we don't find him in time," Arthur asked her seeming to age right in front of the med witch.

"Will it matter? I mean, will your feelings for the boy change?" Poppy asked him. She knew Arthur still cared deeply for Ron. He had been kicking himself lately on how he reacted to the news of Molly's unfaithfulness. She knew he was blaming himself for all the trouble Ron seem to get into as of lately.

"No, I will still love him like I do own children. I cared for him as a baby. Did you know that I lost good weeks sleep when he came down with the dragon pox when he was a baby?" Arthur asked her.

"No, you didn't," Poppy said taking Arthur's hand as they walked towards the next cave. They walked more about Ron and Arthur's feelings for him. They talked about the times that Arthur caught his son trying to shave like Arthur and Bill. Or, about the time that the boy had stolen his brother's broom to fly as fast and well as Charlie. It didn't matter that he was barely out of nappies.

A few miles away, Molly and Aberforth were checking out the small wooded area that was on the island. The woods had some of the same creatures in it as did the forbidden forest. This is why Aberforth insisted on going with Molly when she volunteered to take this area. He wasn't about ready to let her run around out there alone. "You could have let your two older sons check this area out?" Aberforth said as they walked through the woods.

"No, this is my fault. I know Ron is here. This is exact type he would go to. I have to be the one that finds him," Molly said.

"You didn't force the boy to put his name in that cup," Aberforth told her.

"No, but I might as well have. I treated him badly all summer. I took his owl from him. I could have found away to make ends meet without taking Pig from him," Molly said tears flowing down her checks.

Aberforth growled at this. One part of him was saying that he hated tearful women but the other was starting warm up to Molly. He didn't like seeing her cry. She was a hard worker. She had turned his dump of a kitchen into a fine eatery. His business has grown because of it. Personally, he was starting to like having her around. He just wouldn't admit that to her or anyone else for that matter not at this time. "Come on, lets keep on looking," he told her finally.

Molly nodded and the pair walked through the woods calling out Ron's name every now and then as they walked.

Harry and Hermione searched their area. Harry had this sour look on his face. He was only half away searching for Ron. "Tell me again, why we are doing this?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Because Ron will lose his magic if he doesn't complete?" Hermione said.

"Um, let's see what would I want to see more Ron a squib or being eaten by a dragon? It is really hard to pick!" Harry said sarcastically acting like he was trying to decide on what he wanted to see. Hermione gave him a dirty look at his comment and he spoke up. "What? You know that is exactly what is going to happen to him if he competes. It isn't like he will be able to do anything against a grown nesting dragon!"

Hermione shook her head. "I know you are mad at Ron but I can't believe you are wishing him harm," Hermione told him starting to walk away from Harry.

Harry rushed after her joining moving around one of the large boulders that partly blocked the pathway. The area that Harry and Hermione were searching was the rocking cliff area not far from the school. "Hermione, please wait up!" Harry called.

"Why? You don't want to be here. Why don't you go watch the first task? I'm sure you will get more enjoyment doing that then being here, with me," Hermione snapped at him.

"I won't say that. I always enjoy being with you. I just don't see why we are searching for someone that wouldn't raise a figure to help us!" Harry told her.

"He would have before all of this got started," Hermione told Harry.

"Yes, because Dumbledore paid him to do it!" Harry said.

"I can't but hope that he would do it for other reasons," Hermione told Harry with this lost expression on her face.

Harry sighed and put his arm around Hermione pulling her close. "Look, I wish things were different with Ron but their not. The prat didn't befriend either of us for any reason other then to use us." Harry told her.

"I know. I just wish things were different," Hermione said and they walked on.

It was evening and the contest was over with. Krum was in the lead, Cedric was next and Fleur was last. The three schools and the honor guests were gathering in the dining hall for a celebration. The only ones that weren't there were the searches. They were gathering outside of the school looking tired and worn out. "Well, that is it," Bill said dropping down on the stairs of the school.

"I wonder where he is," Charlie muttered more to himself then anyone else.

Molly didn't reply. She just stood their crying. She was leaning against Dumbledore for support. The gruff man didn't even bother to pull away. He just stood there patting her on the back trying to get her to calm her down.

Arthur looked sick. He was standing next to Poppy holding her hand for support trying to get his mind to accept what had just happened. He knew he should go in and sit with the other judges. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't face any of them right now. The only thing he wanted was to find Ron and hold him.

Harry and his friends were gathered close together looking a bit out of place. It wasn't until they saw the sad faces of the Weasley family that all realized how important finding Ron really was. Even Harry was starting to feel guilty for not finding him. He might be mad at the prat but deep down not hated him that much to have him without magic.

It was right then that Ron appeared around the corner humming a song. He had this sappy smile on his face as he walked up and joined the others. "Hi," He said.

"Oh, my baby," Molly cried out wrapping her arms around her son and hugging him tight.

"Hey, mum get off. You are embarrassing me," He complained pulling free. "Why is everyone hanging out here? Let's go get something to eat. I'm starved," Ron said and he started to go inside.

Bill stopped him. "Where have you been?" He demanded.

"Around," Ron answered thinking his older brother was still ticked off with him about what happened over the summer. .

"Around," Charlie said shaking his head. "Little brother, do you have a clue what just happened?"

"Yeah, I brushed off not competing in that dumb contest. Is that why everyone was looking for me? You actually expected me to face a nesting dragon?" He said shocked.

Bill looked ready to him. The twins were shaking their heads. Percy was the only one that had the courage to tell him. "Dim wit, you are squib. You lost your magic by not competing."

"No, I'm underage. It didn't count for me," Ron said not believing his brother.

"It did, Ron," Arthur said as the boy looked in his direction.

"No, it couldn't have," Ron said and he pulled his wand and tried a simple spell but nothing worked. There wasn't even a spark from his wand tip. He tried again and again and again. It was then that things really started sink it. "No…no…" he said starting to cry as he shook his head.

Molly went to him put her arms around him and held tight. This time he didn't pull away. "Oh, baby," she cried with him. Molly stood there holding her son close to her.

Arthur patted Ron on the back. "It is okay, son."

Neville motioned with his head for the others follow him. He figured they weren't needed any more. This was for Weasley family to deal with. Ron didn't need them around.

The kids went inside to join others for dinner. It wasn't until they were far away from the Weasleys that anyone spoke. "I can't believe this happening," Susan said looking sad.

"Yeah, I wonder what is going to happen to him now." Harry asked.

"I don't know. What happens to pure bloods that loose their magic?" Hermione asked.

"He will be treated like other squibs. He should be lucky that he isn't a Malfoy," Susan said.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"There are rumors that Lucius had younger brother that was born a squib. His father, killed him the moment he learned that he had no magic," Susan explained.

"That's cold," Harry said shocked.

"Yes, it is. Oh, if he was caught. He would have gone to prison but it is hard to catch things like that in our world," Neville explained. The kids didn't say anything else. They just went inside to have dinner. Harry really wasn't hungry. He was starting feel guilty not working to hard on finding his ex friend. He was starting think that not even Ron earned this.

_Dear readers, _

_I finally wrote the chapter that I been fighting to write a long time now. I thought long and hard about what I was going to do with Ron. I thought about just killing the kid off but couldn't bring myself to do it. Therefore, I decided the best thing for him was make him a squib. It was either that or feed him to a dragon. I was really tempted to do that but decided against it. I hope you like this chapter. I'm even going to say that I have just finishing planning out the rest of the story. _

_As for my Beta—my beta just gave birth. I'm not even going to dump this chapter on her. Therefore this is unedited. I realize there are some people that have trouble with my mistakes. The trouble is I like my beta. We click. I have had several in my life that has changed my writing. She is on that list. Therefore, I'm not going to worry about finding another one. This is how you are going to get my stories from now on. How long I don't know? It could be for as long as I decided to write or a few weeks. I do know. I do know after loosing several good betas do to changing fandoms, moving on in the world or just loosing touch do to computer crashes. I'm tired of looking. I'll work very hard to fix my mistakes. If you see something that you think that needs fixed, I'll listen. Please, do me a favor and say something good about the story. It is all I'm asking. I'll ignore everyone that flames me or knocks down my writing. _

_That is all I have to say. I hope you enjoyed the story and sorry about the venting. I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. _

_Marti_


	29. Chapter 29

Dear Readers,

This is the hardest thing I had to write but...

I'm giving up on writing Harry Potter stories. The main reason is because of the real world has caused me not to have as much time as I would like to write. As I have said a few times over the past year, my husband's grandfather 'was' ill. The key word was because he passed away just two weeks ago. You would think that my life would go back to normal but do to the fact that he is an only child and both his grandparents children are gone. He is POA for his grandmother. There is very possible that she might be moving in with us. We spend a great deal of time over at her house. This means I'm away from my computer a great deal of the time. If she moves in, I'll lose my computer room and my private time to write.

Therefore, I'm offering up all my stories for adoption. Anyone who wants to finish the stories please contact me at my email address. We can talk and get the stories over to your care. The only think I ask is that you do a few things for me. One don't kill off Sirius... I love the character. He is one of my favorites. The other is send me the chapters that you write. I would love to see where you take these stories.

Thank you everyone for reading and the ones that reply all the time. I'll miss hearing from you but sadly this can't be helped. I am hoping that one day that I'll get a chance to write again. I can't say when. It might be next week or next year. It is all up in the air as I sit and write this.

Thanks and take care,

Marti aka...Leath...


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Harry Potter