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Chapter Text

Amelia Bones was thankful the day was almost over. The last two months had been busier than usual. The number of petty crimes was up and corresponding paperwork was taking up most of her desk. Not to mention the little matter of Sirius Black breaking out of Azkaban.  Between the paperwork, trials and all of the man hunts she had to stay on top of, Amelia had hardly gotten to spend any time with her niece Susan and time was running out. She only had a few more weeks before Susan would be back at Hogwarts.

Things had become so crazy that Amelia had requested the second week of August off to ensure she had time for Susan. They were going to spend two days at a Swiss Spa and then head over to Paris for some shopping. Just the thought of some new dress robes got Amelia through the day. 

Signing the last report of the day, Amelia breathed out a sigh of relief. All she had to do now was grab her bag, drop the reports off with her assistant, and floo out the office before another crisis, aka something that Fudge couldn’t handle by himself, popped up.  

As if summoned by her thoughts, a message box flew into her office. Thankful it wasn’t a ministry scroll she grabbed the letter inside. Should she read it now or save it for tomorrow? It wasn’t important so it could definitely keep for a day, but she didn’t become Head of the DMLE from her lack of curiosity. Deciding the letter shouldn’t take much time to read, she opened it. After reading a few lines she put her bag down, plopped back down into her chair, and started reading the letter again.

Dear Madam Bones,  I am writing to you because I have cause to be concerned about the living conditions of Harry Potter. I understand that my concerns should be directed to the Department of Child Welfare, however since they don't seem to know where he lives, I do not think that will be of much help. 

In the two years since Mr. Potter has returned to the magical world, he has said some worrying things about his treatment by his relatives. To go along with that I have noticed that Mr. Potter does not return to relatives during the Yule or Easter break. Now I realize that families do not always get along and that is not an indication of mistreatment, however Mr. Potter seems to be quite small and unusually skinny. Again, I understand this could happen naturally. Which is how I have stopped myself from saying anything so far.

However, during the children’s return from Hogwarts I witnessed a distressing scene between Mr. Potter and his uncle that has not allowed itself to be explained away. As they were leaving the station I saw Mr. Potter’s uncle dragging him by the arm and expressing his displeasure at having to come to the station and pick Mr. Potter up. He then mentioned locking up Mr. Potter’s belongings as soon as they got home. 

That scene haunted me until I gave in and wrote to the Department of Child Welfare that I had cause for concern and asked if they would check in on Mr. Potter. Please understand that I did not want to be overly dramatic and hoped after a quick house call I would be proven wrong. Instead, I got a reply telling me that Harry Potter was probably the most looked after and protected child out there and even if the department wanted to they did not have access to Mr. Potter. That a third party was in charge of checking in on Mr. Potter and their yearly updates show that Mr. Potter was happy and well looked after. 

Now Madam Bones, I may not be the smartest person but if Mr. Potter was getting yearly visits then shouldn’t he have been aware of the magical world before he was 11 years old. Shouldn’t this person have also been available to introduce Mr. Potter to the magical world themselves instead of Hagrid, Hogwart's groundskeeper?. 

Again, I don’t want to seem extreme but the more I learn of the situation the more uneasy I feel. Since the DCW was unable to help I felt you were my only option. 

Sincerely,

A Concerned Citizen

Amelia was stunned, was the information in this letter real? Did the DCW really not know where Harry Potter was or with whom he was living? They had just taken the word of someone else that a child was safe, and to top it off, not just any child but the bloody boy-who-lived! No, this couldn’t be true. No one would be dumb enough to let that happen. So she would just pop into the DCW and have a quick chat with Glenda before she went home. 

______

  Sitting by the fire later that evening with a glass of her favorite scotch, Amelia thought about all she had learned today. The DCW didn’t know where or who Harry Potter lived with. They had never checked on his living conditions and were taking the word of Albus Dumbledore that he was safe and happy. 

She understood that these were not Glenda’s decisions. Amelia had also inherited a mess when she became head but to not have straighten it out was rubbish. Glenda had been head for over 5 years and that should have been enough time to straighten things up and get control of the situation. It was the DCW’s job to check up on the placement of orphans, investigate claims of abuse, and make sure the education system in U.K. met international standards. It would seem that wherever Dumbledore was involved Glenda’s power was curbed. 

The question now was should she involve herself? Technically there was a miscarriage of law happening in the Potter case. If she took this up, she would be going against Dumbledore, Fudge, and who knows what other politically influential people were involved. It wasn't like she didn’t already have her hands full with the Black case. On the other hand, there was a child that could need her help.

Amelia sat in front of the fire long into the night weighing her options.

Chapter Text

By the next day, Amelia had decided to wait and see. She was already swamped with the Black case on top of her regular work. She would find Potter at Kings Cross and evaluate his guardians there, maybe even introduce herself to him. If she got any weird vibes she would look into things during the school year. Hopefully by then they would have caught Black.

That plan went out the window when Auror Lightfoot came into her office. He was an annoying suckup but he had his uses. Such as telling her that a call had come in that a woman was floating around Surry. When they got her down she claimed that a boy named Harry Potter did it. He had left the woman with his partner while he checked with Mafalda Hopkirk to see if Potter had been doing underage magic, and to grab an obliviator since the woman didn’t seem to be aware of magic before this.

It would seem that fate had intervened, she might figure out the mystery of Potter’s guardians sooner than she hoped. Sending Lightfoot to go collect an obliviator, she headed over to the improper use of magic office. She should have thought of it sooner. Potter had to have had a few bursts of accidental magic growing up.

To maintain the statute of secrecy, the IUMO kept a map of England in their office to monitor magic used in dense muggle areas. Magic used around Diagon Alley was usually ignored unless the power level/ type of the spell triggered the map, then aurors were sent out. When a wizard moved into a muggle neighborhood they were required to register with the ministry so they could key the location to the same level of monitoring as Diagon Alley. If a certain level of magic was used anywhere else, the map would alert the aurors to investigate.

“Mafalda, I heard that there was some kind of trouble with Potter, what can you tell me?” Amelia asked as soon as she entered the office. She wasn’t fond of the gossip and wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Hopefully, she could catch Lightfoot before he left.

“No need to worry Amelia, The Minister has already been notified.” The gossip said while puffing up her chest. “I’m sure this is just Potter looking for attention. I mean he blew the woman up like a balloon, but Dolores told me the Minister wanted to know of anything having to do with Potter so I sent a message off as soon as I got the alert.”

“Right” It would seem that Fudge had recruited the rest of the departments to pass along information since she was keeping the Black case close to the chest. Amelia knew that anything she told Fudge would be in the papers the next day. “Is this the first time you have had to send someone out for what I am going to assume is accidental magic?”

“Oh on Amelia, Potter’s file is thicker than most. We have had to send obliviators out a few times while he was growing up, and just last year I had to send him a warning. I don’t know what he was thinking using a hover charm in front of muggles but I set him straight.” Mafalda said sounding self-important.

“ I was just on my way to meet with The Minister, do you mind if I took a copy of Potter’s file? I’m sure he would be interested in seeing it.” Amelia asked pushing down her disgust for the woman. Really, what kind of person got their kicks out of setting a 12 year old straight?

Excited at the prospect of helping the Minister, Mafalda ran to the back of the office where they kept their records. When she returned she had a thick folder in her hand. “Here you go Amelia, please let the Minister know that I am always here if he needs anything.”

“Yes, of course Mafalda, have a good day,” Amelia said swiftly grabbing the folder and leaving the office. She had thought Lightfoot was bad, but at least he had a little dignity when brown-nosing.

____

An hour later Amelia found herself in a completely different situation. Instead of dealing with suck-ups, she had her hands full with hostile muggles. After leaving Mafalda, she gave the Potter file a quick perusal before joining Lightfoot. By then the obliviator was just finishing up with the muggle woman. He gave a few care instructions to a man who turned out to be Potter’s uncle and left.

She quickly sent the two aurors off and insisted on speaking with Potter’s uncle and his wife. She was reluctantly shown into the house, introduced to his wife, and then quickly ushered into the living room. Knowing that this was her opportunity to get the full view of the situation. Amelia started her interrogation with an important question. How did they get custody of Harry Potter?

Between her honed skills of interrogation, acting, and her sensitive bullshit meter she was able to convince the hateful muggles that she too disliked Harry Potter, and sympathized with their situation. That she was willing to be their ally in the enemy camp and could help them. That seemed to open the floodgates and all their sins spilled out. She could honestly say she had never dealt with muggles like this.

As a pureblooded witch from a light family, she had taken up this view that muggles were to be treated like helpless children. Especially after dealing with the atrocities committed against them during the war by Death Eaters. Now she was beginning to understand how some purebloods could look at muggle with disgust. She had to continuously remind herself that the actions of a few should not be held against the many.

“So Potter overreacted to a few comments made by your sister and inflated her like a balloon.” Amelia summarized thankful they had finally gotten to the events of that evening. She wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from hexing these people if they said the word “freak” one more time.

“Right!” Vernon exclaimed. “I have half a mind to press charges, I do. My poor sister, how will she ever be the same?”

“Yes, well I have your statements if you even need them,” Amelia said lifting up her notepad. “Now before I go I think it best if you show me Potter’s room. I’ll make sure he didn’t leave anything dangerous behind. If he was angry enough to blow up your sister I think it is wise to make sure he didn’t leave any unpleasant surprises for you.”

That seemed to shake them out of their reluctance. “Do you really think he would do that?” Petunia asked, clutching her husband's hand.

“Well after everything you told me about him I think I had better check. Especially after hearing about your son’s unfortunate tale incident.” Yep, that did the trick. Petunia was already on her feet and headed towards the stairs.

Seeing Potter’s poor excuse for a room made the head of the DMLE want to curse the muggles six ways from Sunday and take her chances in front of the Wizengamot. The Potter heir was living in squalor and being worked like a house elf. Not to mention the verbal and probably physical abuse he was subjected to by his “family”. Amelia took a quick reading of the room and sent the information to her office. Remembering the letter from the day before she turned back to the hallway and asked Petunia “Is there anywhere else he might have stashed something. Or did he keep all of his magical items in this room?”

Well that got an interesting reaction. The woman paled and started to fidget. “Well, he might have put something in the downstairs broom cupboard. But the door is really hard to open. Would you be able to check without opening the door?” So she had something to hide in the cupboard, interesting.

“Of course, let's go take a look. I’m done up here.” Amalie did a quick check that she had asked all of her questions, and had gotten as many scans of the house as possible. Well, all of the major areas that is. She was glad the woman had pointed her to the small cupboard under the stairs. She did a quick scan of the space and sent it off to her office. Turning back to Petunia she gave her a deceptively innocent smile and said “Since you have been such a big help to my investigation I would like to do something for you. Alohomora.”

Reaching for the door, she started to explain that she had fixed the sticky lock when her brain processed what she was seeing.

Chapter Text

Amelia’s office door flew open as Fudge pushed his way past her assistant.

“Why are Potter’s relatives locked up in our holding cells?” He demanded.

“Hello Minister. Please come in, have a seat. What can I do for you today?” Amelia answered as if Fudge hadn’t just barged in. Her calm reply seemed to throw him off his stride.

“Now see here Amelia, I don’t have time for your games. I just received a report that Potter’s muggle relatives are in our holding cells? On your orders! What is the meaning of this?” He continued trying to find his footing.

“Well Minister, as you know there was an incident last night involving Mr. Potter and one of his relatives. I thought it prudent to check on things myself since it involved Harry Potter. We wouldn’t want it to be said that we didn’t do our due diligence for such an important citizen. However, while I was at Mr. Potter’s residence I discovered signs of abuse that I was going to take to the DCW.” At that Fudge’s face paled and he found his way to the pre-offered chair.

“If you only suspect abuse why were they brought in? You could be wrong and Potter will rain fiendfyre down on us! The media will have a field day when this gets out.” Fudge said, his voice tight with stress.

“I brought them in because I found the evidence I needed. Cornelius, they kept him locked up in a cupboard under the stairs. They kept a child in a small broom cupboard when they had two extra rooms available for him to use. It would be bad enough if it was just used as punishment but that was his room. They took the wizarding world’s savior and stuffed him into a cupboard like an unwanted house elf. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.” Amelia told him in a cool voice.

“The question now Minister, isn’t why are Potter’s relatives locked up but why wasn’t it done sooner? When the media finds out they are going to want to know how this could have happened to the Boy-who-lived? How could the Ministry have allowed this to happen?” She continued giving Fudge a questioning look.

The thought of blame seemed to jar him out of his stupor “But it wasn’t my fault! This is all Millicent Bagnold and Dumbledore’s fault! They were the ones who decided to put Potter with those muggles. Everything was decided before I came into office.” He exclaimed.

“That might have been an acceptable excuse when you first took office. However, you just started your fourth year in and I doubt the public will understand why you still feel powerless against the former Minister and Dumbledore.” Amelia followed with judgement in her voice.

Shaking his head, Fudge began to stand up. “I need to speak to my advisors before this gets out.”

“If by advisors you mean Malfoy or Dumbledore I would advise against that.” Her statement stopping him from walking away.

“Why would I not talk to them Amelia? Lucius always knows how to handle the media and Dumbledore is a part of this mess. He has to know what is happening.” He questioned.

“I know I am not one of your usual advisors Minister but I hope you will at least listen to my advice.” That seemed to catch Fudge’s attention. Amelia Bones wasn’t very political but she was highly respected and had maneuvered her way to Head of the DMLE without much opposition. She may not be his first choice but her advice might be useful.

“Of course Amelia, I would appreciate any advice you have to give on this matter.”

“If it were me Minister, I would head over to the DCW and talk to Glenda. I would confirm if Harry Potter had been checked on, who did it, and what their reports say. I would then get ahead of this and figure out who is next in line to take in Mr. Potter. Then make very sure that these people are fit to take him in. You know if this gets out before custody has been transferred people will be crawling out of the woodworks trying to get him. Some with good intentions but many will be looking to use him and unfortunately some will see this as an opportunity to get revenge for He-who-must-not-be-named. Either way, it will be a mess that the Ministry will get dragged into.”

Fudge was glad he had stayed to listen. He was right about her. Amelia wasn’t actively political but she sure knew her way around it. “Thank you Amelia, I think I will do just that.”

“I would also suggest you plug up any leaks and make it clear that no one is to talk about the Potter case. That will give you as much time as possible before the media gets wind of this. I would then launch an investigation into how Harry Potter ended up with those people in the first place. That way, when the media does come knocking, you will have answers for them and can point the blame at the proper parties. Those parties might involve Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy.”

He could see why she stopped him. He would have to weigh throwing Dumbledore under the broom against their future relations. However, he wasn’t sure what Lucius could have to do with this.

“I understand Dumbledore’s part in this but what did Lucius do?” He asked.

“I’m not sure Minister, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. I would look into everything and get a clear picture of who was involved before I asked for advice. Lucius Malfoy has had his hand in many important decisions over the years. Who knows what he may or maynot have known.” Amelia finished with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes” He nodded. “Yes, you make a good point. I shall hold off on speaking to others about the case until I know what happened and who was involved. I guess I will have my hands full over the next few days. If you will excuse me Amelia, I had better get to it.” He stood up again and walked towards the door. Pausing he asked “Would you be available to discuss the situation once I learn more?”

Under normal circumstances Amelia would have discouraged him from knocking on her door for advice, but she didn’t trust him to do right by Harry Potter without proper guidance. “Of course Minister, and I will keep you updated on Mr. Potter’s relatives.”

“Thank you.” He said as he walked out of the office.
_____

Once alone again Amelia thought over the events of the last 48 hours. From the mysterious letter that brought Potter’s relative to her notice, to the balloon incident, then finding that disgusting cupboard and arresting those muggles, and now she had Fudge coming to her for advice. The Potter case seemed to be on the fast track and she hoped that it was a good thing.

Checking her watch, she calculated she had enough time to go over one more report before her scheduled interrogation with Potter’s relatives. She had been so mad last night she had bound the aunt in ropes and stunned her husband before storming out into the yard and calling for backup. She had sworn the arriving aurors to secrecy under their auror oaths, told them to have Marge Dursley look after the son when he came home, and carted the muggles off to a holding cell.

She explained why they were there and their rights as muggles before leaving. She then left strict instruction for them to be left alone. As in, don’t fix the aunt’s nose that had been bleeding after she face planted when Amelia bound her in ropes. Don’t revive the husband and don’t bring them any food until she gave them the go ahead.

Now that she had had time to calm down she would sit in on their interrogation and get every last detail about their abuse on the record. Then she would make sure charges were brought against them and they faced the maximum penalties.

Chapter Text

Harry woke that morning feeling relaxed and well-rested. He had decided to take advantage of the opportunity to have a bit of a lie in. For once he didn’t have to wake up to make breakfast for the Dursleys, go to class, or join his noisy roommates, aka Ron, for breakfast. It was wonderful to not have anything on his schedule and just lie in bed dosing in and out of sleep.

By 8:30 he figured he had had enough and started to get dressed. He planned to go out and explore the Alley today. It would be nice to see it without the crowds and be able to explore shops that didn’t have his school things. But first, he would get something to eat.

Heading over to the bedside table he grabbed the menu he had found last night with instructions on how to order and pay for meals. Deciding a light breakfast to reintroduce his stomach to food would be wise, he called the house elf listed and ordered oatmeal and fruit.

As he waited on his meal, Harry opened his trunk and pulled out a robe to cover Dudley’s rags and his money pouch. He wasn’t sure how much was left in it, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself by not knowing. By the time he had hung the robe off the back of the chair and dumped his money onto the table, a house elf had arrived holding a tray of food.

“Where would the young master like his meal?” The small creature asked. This one was very different from Dobby. For starters, it seemed to be female and wore a clean yellow dress. She also seemed a lot less excitable. Her eyes were just as big but had lilac irises, and her nose was just as long but turned up instead of down. She also had a full head of dark brown hair that was held together in a ponytail.

“Over on the table will be fine, thanks.”

Nodding, the elf put the tray on the table opposite the spread out gold and turned back. “Does the young master be needing Misty to do any washing today?”

“No, not today Misty. But if I need to in the coming days, how do I let you know?”

“Young Master just bes leaving dirty clothes in blue basket next to the sink. Misty comes every morning at 11 to clean room and take clothes. Then Misty bring them back at 4 before dinner rush starts.” She informed him.

“Great, thank you Misty.” She lifted her hand to snap her fingers before pausing.

Looking unsure, she asked, “Would young master like Misty to straighten his robe before she goes?”

Turning to look at his robe he saw what she meant. It was pretty wrinkled from sitting balled up in his trunk. “Yes please, if it won’t be too much trouble,” he said with a small smile.

The elf gave her fingers a snap, looked over the robe, gave Harry a nod, and popped away.

Harry settled down to eat while he perused his finances. It didn’t look like he had much left. Fudge had told him his room and board were covered so that was one less worry. The amount he had leftover from last year would be enough for a few treats. However, sooner or later he would have to stop by the bank and refill his bag. This was also the perfect opportunity to see how much was in his vault. He had no idea how much money was in the vault and he still had 5 years of Hogwarts left! He couldn’t imagine running out of money before then. It would be a disaster. Without a way to pay for his schooling, he would be sent back to the muggle world and have to put up with the Dursleys mocking his failure.

Just the thought of it had him changing his plans for the day. As soon as he was done with breakfast he would head over to the bank.

______

As Harry walked through the bronze doors of Gringotts he was happy to see only a few people in line to speak to a teller. The difference between the back-to-school crowd and the regular crowd in Diagon Alley was like day and night. Being able to leisurely walk down the street and look around without bumping into anyone was very pleasant. It brought back the feeling of adventure and amazement he felt the first time he entered the alley.

Getting in line Harry went over what he needed to ask the teller. First, he was going to ask to make a withdrawal so a cart goblin could be called, then he would ask how he could find out the balance of his vault. Hopefully the Goblins had a way to keep track and he wouldn’t have to count everything himself.

After a short wait, Harry found himself being called up to the teller on the far left. “Hello sir, I need to make a withdrawal from my vault.” The goblin nodded and pressed a button on his desk. “I was also wondering how I can find out the balance of my account.” Well that seemed to annoy the goblin if the sneer was anything to go by.

“Mr. Potter receives monthly statements on his account. I would have thought you wizards would have learned by now not to test out security after the last two attempts.” The goblin bit out slamming his hand on the desk. Now they had the attention of the room and he could see a guard making his way over.

“No sir, you misunderstand, I really am Harry Potter. I can prove it.” Harry said as he lifted up his fringe.

“That hardly proves anything boy. A simple glamour or polyjuice would give you that scar.” The guard was almost at the teller desk now. How did he always get himself into these situations?

“Well I am Harry Potter, I have my key, and anything you need me to do to prove it, I can because I’m me.” Harry rushed out hoping to calm things down and not get arrested. Binns’ class might be a bore but you did come out of it with a proper fear of goblins.

Before the teller could reply a goblin appeared on his left who, thank Merlin, wasn’t the guard. “Calm yourself,” He said to the teller. “I will take it from here. Follow me Mr. Potter.” The new goblin ordered as he turned and walked away in the direction of the guard. Oh great, he still might be arrested.

He started after the new goblin, then stopped and turned back to the teller. “Sorry for all the trouble sir.” Then rushed to catch up. Thankfully when they got to the guard his new guide told him he was being taken to speak to the Potter account manager so his identity could be verified. The guard took in the information and insisted he escort them.

Now that the situation had calmed down Harry was able to observe his guide. Although goblins always dressed like muggle businessmen, except the guards, his guide looked a little extra posh. His black shoes were shined, he wore a gold ring on his left hand with some kind of brand stamped on it, and a monstrous ruby on his right, and his suit just seemed expensive. Harry had learned from his uncle that the higher up in the company one was, the more posh you dressed. With the way the goblin spoke to the teller and the guard, Harry would guess that this goblin was higher up than he was used to dealing with.

“Excuse me sir, I was a bit overwhelmed in there and forgot my manners. You already seem to know who I am but may I have your name?”

The goblin turned back with an amused smile “My name is Haggler”

Harry thought he had better be polite and ask the guard’s name as well, but when he turned to look at him he got the impression it would be better if he didn’t.

As they took a left, Harry realized that they were in a part of the bank he had never been before. Usually, he went straight from the teller to the carts and down to his vault and back again. This hallway didn’t look like a creepy cave. Sure the walls were still made of stone, but they were smooth on all four sides, dry, and well lit.

A little further into the hallway they came across highly polished wooden doors with gold plaques along the side. The number of plaques varied as they moved along. The first couple had one plaque then four. After going down a stone-enclosed stairway with marble steps, Harry realized they had hit another level of the bank.

This level looked similar to the last except the candleholders were gold and doors only had 3 then 2 plaques next to them. The biggest difference was the guards stationed at the ends of the hallway. Halfway down they came upon an intersecting corridor on their right. The décor was the same as the rest of the floor but there were even more guards posted along this Hallway.

Thankfully their journey came to a close when they stopped a few doors in. The plaque next to the door read “Master Goldfeather”.

Chapter Text

Harry was man enough to admit to himself that the goblin in front of him freaked him out. Haggler had left him in a grand office with ornate moldings, gold torch holders, a large mahogany desk, and a posh black leather chair that held Master Goldfeather.

Harry took his time observing the goblin as he prepared the blood verification test. Goldfeather seemed just as high up as Haggler. The older goblin wore a fine suite of navy blue, and a royal blue waistcoat with a gold pocket watch’s chain hanging out of his left breast pocket.

“If you would hold out your hand, I’ll extract a few drops of blood and once it is mixed with the solution on the parchment, we will be able to verify your identity.” Goldfeather explained as he held out a silver dagger.

Harry watched the parchment ripple as his blood fell onto it. He hoped magic never stopped being so exciting. He was happy to experience something strange and different in a safe environment. The last time a piece of parchment had absorbed substances placed on it, the situation hadn’t gone so well for him.

As the blood started to seep into the parchment little waves started to form out from the droplets spreading the blood over the rest of the page. The waves continued until the parchment was no longer white but had a pink hue.
With a tap of Goldfeather’s finger, writing started to appear. At the very top was the name Harry James Potter. From there the rest of his family was revealed. He was finally going to learn more about where he came from.

Connected to his name by a solid back line were the grayed out names of James R. Potter and Lily M. Potter née Evans. From their names sprouted broken lines. James’ line led to the name Sirius O. Black and Lily’s connected to Alice T. Longbottom née Fortescue. Alice had a solid black line connecting her to Frank J. Longbottom and below them was a solid black line that connected them to Neville. Harry knew Neville lived with his grandmother and had always assumed that his parents were dead. But they seemed to be alive assuming that was what the black ink meant.

“Excuse me, but what do the broken lines mean?” Harry asked Goldfeather.

“The broken lines indicate a godparent bond. Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom are your magical godparents. And your mother was Neville Longbottom’s godmother as well.”

“Since their names are in black, does that mean they are alive?”

“Yes, Sirius Black was in Azkaban prison for many years and Alice and Frank Longbottom are in St. Mungo’s long term ward.” Goldfeather explained.

Harry turned his attention back to the parchment to see even more of his family had been revealed. His father’s parents were Fleamont and Euphemia Potter née Lockridge, and his godparents were Alexander Michaelson and Minerva McGonagall.

McGonagall was his father’s godmother! What the hell! Why didn’t she tell him or even take him in? Sure she was strict but it would have been loads better than the Dursleys. Harry couldn’t help feeling resentful that she had kept this from him. It would have been nice to have some connection to his father.

Fleamont’s parents were Henry Potter and Elizabeth Potter née Fleamont. Henry had a brother named Charlus who married Dorea Black and together they had a child named Samuel. All of their names were in gray.

The tree had one more layer, a line extended from Henry and Charlus to Zander and Loretta Potter née MacMillan. It was strange to see so many names he recognized from people he went to school with. Through marriage, he was related to the MacMillans, Elizabeth’s mother was a Burk, and Euphemia’s mother was a Crabbe. He really hoped she didn’t look anything like Vincent.

Looking back to his mother’s side he saw her name connected to Petunia, Vernon, and Dudley. The sisters' names were connected to Jackson and Emily Evans née Timms. Looking at their names Harry realized that Petunia never talked about her parents. Outside his aunt and uncle, he knew just as much about his muggle family as he did his magical. Which was zilch. He would never admit it out loud, but he could see why Riddle went crazy researching his family.

While Harry was busy looking over his family, more information had appeared below the tree.

“Is it possible to get more information out of the tree? Like could it go further back or give more information about the family of the people that married in?”

“This particular document was designed to only go back four generations and show one generation out from the spouse. If you want a more detailed genealogy you will need a special document created. It requires a custom set of runes and spells that can get pricey. If you are interested in having one made we can discuss it after we get through with this.” Goldfeather explained.

Harry nodded and focused on the new information that had appeared on the parchment. The next layer was titled inheritance. It started with familiar names, then a few unknown, and ended with a concerning one.

Inheritance of Harry James Potter:

Potter Family - Heir - Lord Potter
Gold : 11,418,682g, 325s, 150k
Property: 3

Fleamont Family - Heir - Lord Fleamont
Gold: 113,453g, 12s, 25k

Lockridge - Heir - Lord Lockridge
Gold: 30,120g, 8s, 5k

Peverell - Heir - Lord Peverell
Gold: 374,555g, 12s, 5k

Black Family - Heir of Lord Sirius Black
Gold: 56,000g
Property: 1

Gryffindor - Heir - Lord Gryffindor (Through Family Magic)
Property: ¼ Hogwarts, The Sword of Gryffindor

Slytherin - Heir - Lord Slytherin (Through Right of Conquest)
Property: ¼ Hogwarts

“I think this one might be defective Master Goldfeather” Harry said in a strained voice.

“I assure you it is working fine Mr. Potter” Goldfeather didn’t look concerned but maybe a little confused. “Let us start from the top. As you could have guessed you are the heir of the Potter Family through your father. That is also how you inherited from the Fleamont and Lockridge families. You are the last member of both. You are also Sirius Black’s heir.” Goldfeather said with a little frown. “You are also somehow related to the Peverell Family. Their account has been in stasis for many years. As for the last two… I can see why you are surprised. At some point the Gryffindor family magic was able to test you and find you worthy of the title Lord Gryffindor. You gained the Slytherin Lordship through the right of conquest so it must have happened the night your family was attacked.” Goldfeather finished with some uncertainty.

Pushing his fear aside to settle his curiosity Harry asked “Do you not think that’s what happened? Only, you seem a little uncertain, Master Goldfeather.”

Goldfeather considered the question before leaning back into his chair and explaining. “The right of conquest is usually activated during a duel when one wizard challenges another and stakes are agreed upon. It can also happen when one wizard challenges another on multiple occasions and loses at least three times. The last is when a blood feud is declared and one party is defeated or surrenders. That is how it usually comes about. I’m not sure if your case falls under one of the three, some combination, or something completely new.”

Absorbing the new information Harry could now see how he might have gotten the lordship. “I didn’t get the lordship from some strange or new combination. I think I just defeated Voldemort three times sir.”

“And how did you accomplish that Mr. Potter? As far as I am aware, you were only attacked on the night of his defeat.” Goldfeather asked with some skepticism.

“Yes sir, as you said, he was defeated but he wasn’t killed. In my first year Voldemort was possessing the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Quirinus Quirrell. At the end of the year, they tried to steal the philosopher's stone. I was able to stop them but professor Quirrell died and Voldemort’s spirit escaped.”

“I don’t remember seeing any of this in the paper.” Goldfeather said looking disturbed.

“No sir, I don’t think Dumbledore wanted it to get out. It might scare people I guess.”

“Right, and the third incident?”

“Well last year, my friends and I found out what was petrifying the students. Voldemort put a copy of his 16 year old self into a blank diary and through the diary, he was able to possess Ginny Weasley. He used her to control Slytherin’s monster which was a basilisk. At the end of the year he tried to use her lifeforce to bring himself back. But I was able to kill the basilisk and use one of its fangs to… I don’t know, I guess kill the diary? Anyways, that must have been the third time.” Harry finished feeling stressed thinking about the events that only happened a few months ago. Turning his attention back to Goldfeather, Harry noticed the goblin’s eyes were very wide.

“You killed a basilisk?! How big was it? How did you even kill it? Did you use a rooster? Yes, you must have had a rooster.” The questions poured out of Goldfeather until he seemed to find an acceptable answer.

“Umm, no. He killed all of Hagrid’s roosters at the beginning of the year and there wasn't time to get one before confronting him because he had kidnapped Ginny and was going to kill her. We tried to get the Defense professor to help us but he turned out to be a fraud. I was only able to kill it because the Headmaster’s phoenix Fawkes pecked out its eyes and gave me the sword of Gryffindor. And honestly, it was pure luck that I was able to kill it. That snake was almost a train car and a half long, and I had never held a sword before. I was lucky it only bit me, it could have snapped me in half.” Harry finished with a shudder.

“You were bitten by a basilisk, how are you still alive?” Goldfeather asked, somehow looking pale and red at the same time.

Harry was beginning to regret voicing his theory. He really didn’t like thinking about these experiences. He tried to avoid thinking about all of the scary and horrible things that had happened to him since entering the wizarding world because it was supposed to be an improvement from the Dursleys. And it was only horrible some of the time. The rest of the time it was loads better than his life with his relatives.

“Fawkes cried on the bite and healed me. Anyways, I didn’t mean to derail the meeting. I know you are busy.” Harry tried to turn the focus back to his inheritance.

“Right, well this is the perfect time to bring up one of the stipulations of the Potter account. The Lord or heir of the family must have a yearly check up to make sure they are not being controlled by others. Before you are able to touch anything outside of your trust vault you must be checked on by a healer. The Goblin Nation is willing to provide this service or you may go to a wizard healer. But they must sign an oath certifying that their report is accurate.” Goldfeather explained as he calmed down and got back to business.

Harry had never been to see a doctor or a healer outside of Madam Pomfrey. He didn’t like the idea of seeing one but it was kind of nice to think that a past relative cared about their descendants’ health.

“I would like to use the Goblin Nations’ services please. I don’t know any healers other than Madam Pomfrey and I would like to get it done before school starts. How much will it cost?” And that’s when it hit him, HE WAS A BLOODY MILLIONAIRE!

Chapter Text

Cornelius Fudge could honestly say this was his hardest year in office. First, there was all that trouble at Hogwarts, then Sirius Black escaped Azkaban, and now this Potter mess. He wished he could sweep it all under the rug and pretend it wasn’t real but it was all too public for that. No, he would follow Amelia’s advice and try to get ahead of things so he could direct all of the public’s ire at the appropriate people when they came knocking.

Speaking of knocking, there was barely one before Amelia came through the door and swung it shut before Dolores could stop her.

“Sorry for barging in Minister but I just got through with Potter’s relatives and unfortunately they are still breathing. Those people are the equivalent to blood purists. They absolutely hate anything/anyone different from them. The uncle was perfectly happy to tell me all about Potter’s freakishness yesterday, but a night in jail loosened the aunt’s tongue. She went on a long tirade about how much she hated her “perfect” sister, and how Lily got what was coming to her, but of course she couldn’t die properly and take her son with her. So they were burdened with their freak of a nephew. To make up for this they used him as their personal house elf from the age of 3, and later a stress relief and took their anger out on him for every life frustration they had. Cornelius, they worked the child to the bone, beat him when it suited them, starved him, and then threw him into a cupboard so they could pretend they were normal people and forget about all the evil they were doing.” Amelia ended with a slight tremor in her voice that he was going to politely ignore.

“What would you suggest we do next Amelia?” Things just kept getting worse and worse. He wished he could hand this mess off to Dumbledore but the possibility of him getting blamed for them was too great. Dumbledore had enough good will and power to wiggle his way out of this, him not so much.

“We should let whoever is looking after Potter know that they will need to keep him for the rest of the summer if possible. I would like to bring charges against the Dursleys and have them tried in front of the Wizengamot. Originally, I was going to collect all of the evidence and hand them over to the muggles but after that confession I want them to rot in Azkaban.” She all but shouted.

Oh shit! “Umm… about that. Dumbledore arranged for Potter to stay at the Leakey Cauldron for the rest of the summer. The owner agreed to keep an eye on him and report to us if there was any trouble.” Fudge admitted thinking this was exactly the kind of blowback he was trying to avoid.

“You left a 13 year old to stay at the Leaky Cauldron for weeks by themselves with barely any supervision. You realize that he is going to be wandering around muggle London and Diagon Alley without any protection, and if anything happens to him you will get the blame since you were seen leaving him there?” She asked looking unimpressed and maybe a little disgusted. Hell, he was feeling disgusted with himself for allowing Dumbledore to use him like that.

“Yes, on a closer review, that was not a wise decision. Should I find someone to house him for the rest of the summer?” He asked already adding another item to his list of things to do.

Amelia considered the matter for a few moments before speaking. “Since that situation is already set up and we are currently looking for suitable guardians, I think it might be better to let him stay at the Cauldron for now and just assign him some protection. With Sirius Black roaming around a little extra security around the Alley would not be amiss. I think assigning an auror to follow Potter and another two to patrol the alley will kill to birds with one stone.”

“Yes, I think that is an excellent suggestion!” And having the aurors in the alley will make people feel safer and see that the Ministry is doing something about Black. Amelia was turning out to be a great advisor.

“I will set up a meeting with Potter tomorrow to explain the situation with his relatives and the auror protection,” Amelia said wrapping up.

As she started to stand there was a rapid knock on the door before it was pushed open again. This time to admit Glenda with Dolores right behind her. “You can't just barge into the Minister’s office!” Dolores shouted. Turning towards him she continued. “I tried to stop her Minister, but when I told her you were in a meeting with Madam Bones she decided she was invited to the meeting as well. I will contact the aurors and have her arrested.” She said with a strange little smile. Maybe he should have gone with another option, Dolores was getting to be a bit over enthusiastic.

“Thank you Dolores, but that will be unnecessary. I believe Glenda has some information Amelia and I asked her to look into for us.” He explained and dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

“You won’t believe what I just found out about the Potter will.” Glenda jumped right into explaining.

“Glenda!” Amelia exclaimed and then looked at Dolores who was still standing in the doorway. The three watched her until the door was fully closed and the privacy wards activated. “You need to be more careful, Glenda. If the wrong information gets out before we are ready, the fallout might cost some of us our jobs.” Amelia warned with a pointed look at the other woman.

“You’re right Amelia I just … did you know that the Potter’s will was sealed and never went through probate?” And the punches just kept on coming.
___

Harry was starting to think he should have waited to see Madam Pomfrey. The female goblin that Goldfeather had introduced as his healer might just be the scariest goblin he had met thus far.

Goldfeather had led Harry down two more levels of the bank before they got to the medical level. The layout of this floor was different from the others. As soon as you entered the floor you were greeted by a guard with a silver helmet and red spikes along the top. Harry hadn’t seen a helmet like that before and wondered if it was an indication of rank or that he was assigned to the medical floor.

After Goldfeather explained the reason for their visit, Harry was shown into an office towards the end of the hall.

He barely got through his introduction before being kicked out of the room. Healer Aurora didn’t waste time on bedside manners and immediately demanded Harry lay down on the cot while she placed stones, or crystals maybe, around him. As she started chanting, Harry took the time to observe the room.

Harry was amused to note the similarities between goblin and wizarding medical facilities. Both smelled like a mixture of sage and lavender and favored the colors white and silver. It was actually kind of calming being surrounded by the familiar scent of the hospital wing.

Healer Aurora’s chanting got louder and the crystals started to glow. This was very different from anything Madam Pomfrey had ever done to him. He wondered what she was saying and how it differed from wizarding magic. Was this a type of magic he could learn? Would he be able to heal himself at the Dursleys without getting in trouble with the ministry? God knows he was going to need some kind of healing when Vernon got through with him next summer.

The chanting stopped so abruptly it was a little shocking. Turning his focus back to the healer, Harry watched as she walked around him and the still glowing crystals. As she moved around she seemed to become increasingly agitated. Every once in a while she would stop and mutter a few words in her own language. By the time she reached the other side of him, Harry thought she was going to blow her top. Vernon would look like that right before he would … well it’s best not to think of that right now with another angry being standing next to him. Harry couldn’t think of what he could have done to make her so mad.

“Who has done this to you child?” Aurora asked in a tone much too gentle for the anger he could sense coming from her.

“Did what?” Harry asked uncertainly.

The question snapped her out of whatever mood she was in and she returned to the stoic goblin he had first met. “Mr. Potter, your body is malnourished. That means that your body isn’t getting enough nutrients. My evaluation shows that this is not a recent occurrence. Although this could occur if you have a certain kind of disease I did not find any of them in you. Because of the malnutrition you are severely underweight and underheight. Not only are your bones not growing properly, they are not as strong as they should be. Brittle bones may not be a problem now but as you age they will be. Your organs are also functioning overtime to sustain you. Honestly, if you didn’t have so much magic, you wouldn’t be able to function the way you do. A good bit of your magic is being used to keep your body performing.”

His body wasn’t working right. All those years of missed meals could have done him in if it weren’t for his magic. Did they know that when they were starving him? He knew they didn’t like him and didn’t care if he was hurt. Hell, most of the time they were the ones causing the injuries, but were they trying to kill him? Did “stamping the magic out” include killing him in the process? Harry thought he had gotten over their hatred of him. But the thought that his aunt might have been trying to kill him brought new pain.

“Mr. Potter,” the healer said using that gentle tone again. “This damage had to have occurred over a long period of time. I also found many indications of fractured and broken bones that were not healed properly. If you had gone to a muggle healer they would not have been fully healed but they would be set properly. These injuries were not and your magic fused the bones together in an effort to keep you going. This all points to child abuse. Maybe in another child this might be explainable but your guardians had access to quite a bit of money to feed you. Then there are the injuries… Those damnable wizards should have kept an eye on you!” She snarled out at the end.

He wasn’t sure if it was someone actually calling it abuse or someone getting angry on his behalf, but his emotions started to overwhelm him. Tears started to well up in his eyes and he quickly looked away. He needed to stop! He was the boy-who-lived and a Gryffindor, not some little kid. He needed to pull himself together.

Trying to calm himself down with slow deep breaths he was startled when he felt a light pressure on his back. Aurora’s hand slowly started to move in gentle circles and Harry became aware of a low hum coming from the healer. This new situation had distracted him from his tears. He had seen Petunia do something similar with Dudley when he got upset, but he had never had it done to him before. It was nice, calming. Feeling more in control he turned back to the healer.

“Although the damage is severe, it is not untreatable” She began again in that gentle tone while continuing to rub slow circles onto his back. “With potions and a little magic we can undo a good bit of the damage. Unfortunately, that is not the end of things. Your magic has also been attacked.”

“What’s wrong with my magic?” Harry almost shouted. He was used to being hurt physically but his magic … what would he do if they somehow hurt his magic? It was his only way out. He couldn’t take it if they had succeeded in stomping his magic out. If he had to give up the magical world after everything he wouldn't be able to survive.

“Calm yourself child. It was caught soon enough that we should be able to undo most of it.” She said adding more pressure to her circles. “You have had a magical suppressor placed on you. It has limited the amount of access you have to your magical core. It is a form of old magic that wizards used to use as punishment before there was Azkaban. Those who used their magic to do harm were stripped of said magic and forced to live as muggles. Your suppressor is slightly modified so you still have access to your magic but it is limited.”

“Oh” was all Harry managed to get out. Somebody had put some kind of prison punishment spell on him that had stopped him from using all of his magic. That was scary but at least he still had his magic and wouldn’t have to stay in the muggle world. “Maybe one of the Slytherins did it at the end of the year. I haven’t felt any different but I also haven’t been using my magic since school ended.”

“Oh child, this wasn’t done to you by another student. You have not felt the difference because this was done to you at a young age. Think of your magical core as a lake. At a young age, somebody built a dam to block off ⅔ of your magic. However, at that age your core is still developing and thankfully is more malleable. As you grow your core gets bigger and like a muscle the more you use it the stronger it gets. In most children, magic is allowed to flow freely from their core through their magical channels. This is how accidental magic happens. The core expands and magic is able to flow around the body and escape if it is too much.”

“However in your case, as your core expanded most of it was behind the dam and was not able to flow properly and the pressure was not released. Some of it was able to escape the dam and join your available magic. Under that situation, you might have been able to function as a below-average wizard until your magical majority. That’s when you would have run into problems but by then it would have been too late.” The healer explained.

Harry wasn’t sure he fully understood what she was saying but he got the gist of it. His magic was a dammed-up lake that was going to explode someday.

Watching him process that bombshell she seemed to come to some kind of decision and stepped away. "Now that we know what is wrong we can fix it. Let me summon Goldfeather and we can discuss treatment options."

Chapter Text

Amelia blew past Umbridge for the second time that day and barely gave the door behind her a knock before entering the office of the Minister of Magic. Umbridge only had time to get Amelia’s name out before the door was shut in her face.

“Sorry for barging in Cornelius but an urgent matter has been brought to my attention” Amelia briskly explained, sounding more annoyed than apologetic.

Fudge seemed to pick up on her agitation and directed her towards the chair across from him. “Please tell me Black hasn’t killed anyone.” He pleaded. That would just add fuel to the media frenzy that was about to start with the Potter case.

“No, but the fall out will be just as bad if the information is true.” She took a deep breath to calm herself before she continued. “Tell me Minister, what do you know about a basilisk being at Hogwarts?”

“What?” Fudge asked, eyes widening. “What have you heard?”

"Are you telling me you knew about this? I just received a letter asking me why Hogwarts didn't send out notice that there was a dangerous XXXXX level beast on the grounds? Apparently the board, in the form of Lucius Malfoy, and you were involved. As the guardian of one of those children I too would like to know why, but more importantly, as the Director of the DMLE, why didn't I hear about it?” Amelia asked.

Fudge’s scared expression was all the admission of guilt she needed to continue.

“So your two top advisors have gotten you tangled up in two separate scandals involving Harry Potter. I do believe you should start taking your own council for a while. At least then any scandals that come about will be of your own making.”

---------
As Goldfeather returned to the healer wing to retrieve his youngest client he thought about the meeting he had just had with a portrait of all things and Haggler. Being the Potter's account manager was becoming quite eventful.

After being chased out of the healer wing Goldfeather had gone to see the man ,or portrait rather, that had started this whole thing. He had quite a few questions to ask after talking to Mr. Potter. The portrait might have answered some of his questions but he wasn’t exactly happy with the answers and now had quite a few more. But at least he felt more confident about the situation and his next steps.

Turning into the healer wing, his musings were interrupted by a young goblin.

“This letter arrived a few minutes ago for your client sir”

Goldfeather took the letter and sent the messenger away with a nod of thanks. The letter was from Amelia Bones. Hopefully the ministry wasn’t trying to press charges against the boy for his accidental magic. He already had enough on his plate to deal with. The portrait was right, the boy needed a solicitor as soon as possible.

--------
After sending a message to Goldfeather, Aurora had him lay back onto the bed as she deactivated the crystals with a much shorter chant. She had him try to relax as she filled out some kind of paperwork.

A few minutes into his rest, aka, his internal meltdown, the door was opened and a young female goblin came in pushing a cart in front of her.

“Marigold, perfect timing. Please help Mr. Potter set up his lunch while I finish this form.” Aurora said, looking up from her paperwork.

Marigold gave her a nod and pushed the cart over to the side of Harry’s bed. Harry sat up and watched as she did something at the bottom of his bed that had a wooden board shoot up, turn 180 degrees towards him, and then hover over his legs. She then started uncovering plates and placing them on his new table. When she was finished she pushed the table closer to Harry, gave him a small smile, and turned to leave.

“Before you go Marigold, please take this down to the potioneers for me.” Aurora said, handing over a sheet of paper. Marigold took the sheet and then handed over a small plate Harry hadn’t noticed before. Uncovering the plate, Aurora revealed a hardy slice of chocolate cake.

“Thank you sweet child. Now hurry along, I need those potions asap.” Marigold gave another small smile and hurried out the door.

Pulling up a chair, Aurora asked about Harry’s previous experiences with muggle doctors, none, and magical healers, a ton with Madam Pomfrey. Feeling comfortable with her, Harry told her of his experiences in the hospital wing. He stressed that he had only had two extended stays. The rest were in and out problems. Also, his first stay was just because Pomfrey was being overly cautious. There wasn’t anything really wrong with him. She had fixed his cuts, bruises, and maybe burns before he even woke up.

How did he get injured? Well their defense teacher was being possessed by the ghost of Voldemort. And to stop him from stealing the Philosopher's Stone he and his friends had to make it through an obstacle course. Then there was the matter of the possessed teacher being burned by his touch. But all that happened two years ago he quickly explained, and tried to distract her with his second stay.

Which he was still upset with Lockhart about, even if he was now locked up in St. Mungo's. Why is Lockhart at St. Mungo's? Well Harry wasn’t sure if he was still there but he had to be taken there after obliviating himself. Harry then had to explain the circumstances that led to Ron, Lockhart, and him being in a secret part of Hogwarts.

But none of this mattered because he didn’t even stay the night after the basilisk incident. He had to stay overnight earlier in the year after breaking his arm during a quidditch game. The break would have been an easy fix if Lockhart hadn’t butted in and vanished all of the bones in his arm. He ended up spending the night in hospital while the skelegro did its thing.

Thankfully Goldfeather’s arrival put an end to Aurora’s questions as she took a blood sample to make sure the venom was out of his system.

“This just arrived for you.” Goldfeather said, handing over a letter addressed from Madam Amelia Bones, Director of the DMLE, British Ministry for Magic. With the letter delivered, he was dragged off to Aurora’s desk and shown the paperwork she had worked on earlier.

---------
Harry read his letter while finishing his meal.

Dear Mr. Potter,
I am writing to inform you that your relatives Petunia and Vernon Dursley have been arrested for crimes involving child abuse and negligence. Normally we would place you in another home while we investigate, but since you are already in a secure location and Hogwarts is starting in a few weeks we have decided to leave the matter as is for now with a few adjustments.

It has also been brought to my attention that there was an event at the end of the last school year involving a basilisk. I would like to meet with you at 10 am Sunday August 8th, at the Leaky Cauldron to discuss these matters.

Please send an owl confirming your acceptance.

Sincerely,
Amelia Bones
Director of The Department of Magical Law Enforcement

The Dursleys had been arrested for child abuse! Fudge hadn’t said anything about them last night, only that the Marge had been fixed. Harry couldn’t decide if this was a good or bad thing. No one had ever done anything about the Dursleys before and if he was sent back to them after this, Vernon would definitely kill him.

“Are you alright child? You're looking very pale.” Aurora said, coming back up to the bed with Goldfeather in tow.

“Yes, yes, I'm fine.” Harry answered absently, as his right hand, still holding the letter, started to tremble.

“Mr. Potter, I would ask you not to lie to me about your health while under my care.” The sharper tone reminded Harry where he was and stopped the trembling. Gaining control of himself, Harry apologized.

“Sorry, Healer Aurora, I just got some unexpected news but I am fine.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, is the ministry trying to press charges against you for the incident with your aunt?” Goldfeather asked.

Weighing the pros and cons of telling them, Harry decided since they already knew of the situation, they would be the best adults to ask for advice.

“My relatives have been arrested for child abuse by the ministry. Madam Bones wants to meet tomorrow morning to go over things and talk about the basilisk incident. I am concerned that if I get sent back to my relatives after this…. they will be very upset with me.” Harry explained.

“Then it is very fortunate that you saw me today. I will give you a report to hand over to the ministry that list all of the injuries your body has sustained over the years. It notes all of the bruises, burns, sprains, breaks, and malnutrition you have gone through. That should help your case against them. It does not however list your magical history. That was not done by the muggles and until it is fixed, I suggest you hold off on acting against the perpetrator.” Aurora explained gathering up the paperwork and making Harry feel more in control. He now had evidence of their abuse. It wouldn’t just be the word of their attention seeking nephew.

“Goldfeather, the goblin nation is not in the habit of interfering in the affairs of wizards but since this youngling has trusted us with his health and his numerous accounts, it would not be unfounded for you to give him advice for what his next steps should be.” She continued, giving Goldfeather a pointed look.

Shaking himself out of his shock, Goldfeather agreed. “If that is your wish, we will return to my office after you are finished here and go over a few options Mr. Potter.”

Harry was starting to think goblins got a bad rep with wizards. Sure they were prickly, but they were also very intelligent and helpful.

Chapter Text

The two had to wait until Maragold came back with the potions before they could leave. After taking five potions and instructed on how to take the rest, Harry was sent off with enough potions for the rest of the week and instructed to return Friday the 13th.

Sitting across from Goldfeather again, Harry felt both hopeful and scared.

“As Healer Aurora said earlier Mr. Potter, the Goblin Nation is not in the habit of advising wizards on matters outside of their finances. However, with your unique circumstances I have been authorized to work outside of my normal capacity and give you some personal advice. We will start with the most pressing issue, your guardianship.”

Harry, unsure of how to politely interrupt the goblin, raised his hand.

“Yes Mr. Potter” Goldfeather asked with a slight quirk to his lips.

“May I please have a quill and parchment? I don’t want to forget any of this and would like to take a few notes.” Harry explained.

Feeling slightly proud, Goldfeather handed over the requested items.

“Since your guardians have proved themselves to be unfit, I would suggest you hire a solicitor. It would be best to have an adult advocating for you when you talk to Madame Bones. The Ministry does what is best for the Ministry, not the individual.”

Harry raised his hand again and waited to be acknowledged. “Would you be able to suggest a solicitor? I don’t know where I would find one.”

Goldfeather started to dig through the paperwork on his desk. “Your family previously used Mills, Lowback, & Nott. However, I would keep in mind that although they were on retainer, your parent’s wills were still sealed and you were sent off to your relatives without a second thought.” Goldfeather explained with a sneer.

“Your other option is to find new representation. The alley has a few offices to choose from. If I were to recommend anyone I would recommend the Second Horizon Law Firm. They have been around for about 30 years and have really made a name for themselves. They usually handle high profile, criminal, muggleborn cases, but I think they would find your case beneficial to take on. Either way, make sure you sign a confidentiality agreement with them before going into detail about your situation. Wizards unlike goblins are prone to gossip. With a copy of the will and the health form, your solicitor should have enough for an initial meeting with Madam Bones.”

Goldfeather waited to see if Harry had any other questions before continuing. “The second topic I wanted to speak to you about is the basilisk you killed. Finding a basilisk is rare and finding someone willing to kill one even rarer. Harvesting and selling it’s parts would make you a lot of money.”

“But the basilisk belongs to Hogwarts!” Harry broke in. “Slytherin placed it in the school as protection. So I can’t sell it and even if I could, it is still under the school. Not to mention, I have no idea how to harvest it.”

“Remember Mr. Potter, you are heir to two of the founders, Slytherin being one of them. You are also the one who slayed it so it is yours by rights. As for harvesting it, if you are willing, I will talk to the Goblin Council about setting up a contract to harvest and sell the parts.” Goldfeather took a moment to consider before adding, “You will want to have your solicitor look over it before signing”.

Remembering his earlier conversation with the portrait he added, “You should consider asking Madam Bones to send some of her people and a representative from the Board of Governors over to make sure the site is secure and the school is safe to reopen. From what you told me, the headmaster never explained the events of the chamber to the school and some of your fellow students might be too afraid to return, or might still be under the impression that you were the attacker.”

“You’re right.” Harry said. “Towards the end of the year, the other houses would make snide comments about earning extra points in case Dumbledore decided to interfere with the cup again. Which ended up happening. Dumbledore gave Ron and I each 200 points. The other houses weren’t even close.” Harry finished guiltily. “I think they will be even more upset with me next year. Especially if they think I didn’t earn it and was actually the one hurting people.”

“In that case, have your solicitor make sure the press is invited to the event. That way the students and parents feel safe with the school reopening.” Goldfeather added, remembering the advice from the portrait. “That is the last piece of advice I have for you. Do you have any more questions?”

Harry looked down at this list before asking, “I know you said both solicitors were in the alley but do you have an address?”.

Goldfeather thought for a moment before rummaging through his drawer. In the third drawer he found what he was looking for. He gave the parchment a scan before grabbing a quill and adding some annotations.

Handing it over to Harry, he started to explain, “That is a rough map of the alleys. I added some notes to help you orientate yourself.”

On the map Harry saw that Diagon Alley cut across the page with a few alleys branching off until it hit St. Martin’s Lane. Looking back down Diagon Alley Harry saw Golderfeather had written Gringotts, the Leaky Cauldron, and Olivanders. Harry noted that Knockturn Alley went further back than his little adventure last year had shown him. Continuing along he glanced over three unfamiliar allies until he saw Second Horrizon Law Firm written on a street called Innovation Alley. This was the shortest street he had seen so far. Towards the end of Diagon, Harry saw Mills, Lowback, & Nott noted along Emerald Alley.

“Do you have any more questions?” Goldfeather asked when Harry looked up again.

“No, this is perfect. Thank you for your help today Goldfeather.”

“You are welcome Mr. Potter. Now here is a copy of your parents wills and your new key. I have taken the liberty of voiding all previous keys. Since this is a parent key you will be able to pay with it. For a small fee I can lock the key to your magical signature so others are not able to use it. I can also add some anti-theft ruins to it.” Goldfeather offered.

Harry gave a quick nod. He may have a lot more money now, but he wasn’t going to chance losing it by being cheap or careless. “Yes please. Do I need to pay you here? I don’t have a lot of gallons on me but I can run to my vault quickly.” Harry explained.

“No need Mr. Potter. Simply sign this agreement and I can have it withdrawn from your vault later.” Goldfeather expian as he handed over the paperwork. Seeing Harry about to sign he interrupted. “Mr. Potter, one should never sign anything without reading it first. You never know what you could be signing away.”

Giving a sheepish nod, Harry put down the quill and started to read. After he finished reading the long document with ridiculously small print at the bottom, he signed the form. As he lifted up the quill, the form glowed a faint yellow before returning to normal.

“That should conclude our business for today. I will see you Friday 13th at 10 am to finish our talk about your accounts and your follow up with Healer Aurora.” Goldfeather said as he took back the forms and handed over the now charmed key.

“Good day Mr. Potter, may your gold flow and your enemies weep.” Goldfeather said before he realized what he was doing. Did he really just give a goblin valediction to a human?

“Thank you again for your help today sir, may your gold flow and your enemies weep.” Harry cheerfully repeated before walking out of the office.

-------

After making a quick withdrawal from his vault, Harry finally left the bank. It was now almost 3 O’clock and he was sure wizarding professionals kept the same hours as muggles. If he was going to be able to hire a solicitor for tomorrow’s meeting he had better hurry along.

Harry decided to go to Mills, Lowback, & Nott first since they had worked with his family before. Maybe they had a good reason for messing up his parents' wills. Turning onto Emerald Alley, Harry was shocked by the difference. While Diagon Alley looked like London in the 1700’s, Emerald Alley looked like it was based on ancient Grecian architecture. There were huge white columns everywhere. Some had vertical lines running from the top to the bottom, others had pictures painted on that reminded Harry of images from his old history textbook. Instead of the brown cobblestones that had covered the other two alleys, Emerald Alley was decorated with golden squares that were polished to a sparkle.

Harry couldn’t help wondering what came first, the book or the street?

Walking down the street Harry noticed a large structure, almost as big as Gringotts. Checking his map Harry saw Goldfeather had marked it as Elysium. It was a large, two story building with sparkling emerald statues of Greek gods lining the walkway into the building. The second floor housed a large balcony with people seated at varying sized tables and billowing emerald curtains fell from the ceiling to help give privacy to the tables.

Moving halfway down the alley, Harry finally stopped in front of the offices of Mills, Lowback, & Nott. Entering, he was greeted by a scowling middle aged woman.

“Are you lost boy?”

“No, I would like to see a lawyer.” Harry stated with as much confidence as he could muster.

“This is a prestigious legal firm boy, not a charity.” The receptionist replied, giving him a look from head to toe.

Harry was not liking his first impression of his family’s former legal representation. “I am not looking for charity. I am perfectly capable of paying.”

The receptionist didn’t seem the least bit impressed. “Consultations are 12 galleons an hour. You will have to pay for the initial hour upfront.” She said with a vicious smile.

Harry pulled his key out and gave it a little wave. He normally wouldn’t try to flaunt his money but this lady was really getting under his skin. Harry paid for his hour and followed a house elf to the only free Jr. Solicitor, Edward Davis.

As soon as he walked in Harry knew he wouldn’t like Edward Davis. The man gave him the same look the receptionist had. Harry was very familiar with the look. He often saw it on the faces of his aunt, uncle, Malfoy, and Snape. Yep, Harry never had a good interaction with anyone who had that look of superiority.

“Well go on then. I suppose you have already paid for your hour so you might as well tell me what you need me for. Although, I could take a guess.” Edward said not even trying to lower his voice at the end.

Taking a seat Harry began. “I am looking for a solicitor who is well versed in contract law and ancient family law. Primarily when it comes to inheritance.”

“Ancient family law? What kind of help could you possibly need? And why are you here alone? Where is your guardian? Are you a half-blood? I will not help you steal from an ancient family just because your mother seduced a respectable pureblood!” Edward was leaning over his desk and doing an impression of Vernon by the end of his tirade.

Knowing when to run, Harry stood up and quickly left the office. The receptionist had a small twisted smile on her face as Harry came back into the waiting room. “We don’t give refunds.” She said with glee.

“I don’t need one. That 12 galleons was well spent. Now I know not to spend any future money here.” Harry said trying to do his best Snape impression, billowing robe and all.

Chapter Text

Harry couldn’t help feeling disappointed leaving Mills, Lowback, & Nott. He had hoped to find another point of connection to his family. But he wouldn’t work with or trust people who would look down on him for not being a pureblood.

He knew they would have changed their tune if they found out he was Harry Potter, but he didn’t want their fake kindness. He wanted a lawyer who would work for Harry Potter, not the boy-who-lived.

Turning onto Innovation Alley, Harry was greeted to another shock. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought he had somehow ended up back in muggle London. The alley was as short as the map had indicated. There were only about 10 buildings on either side of the street. However, the shocking part wasn’t the size. It was the style of the buildings.

While the other alleys looked like they were built in the 1700’s, Innovation Alley could have been a random street in the muggle world. Sure the building looked a little rough but their styles were very modern.

The buildings were 2 to 3 stories high, with smooth finishes, and glowing signs that let customers know which floor a business was on. Wondering how he had never noticed these towering buildings before, Harry took a step back out of the alley. The modern buildings disappeared and were replaced with an image of a street very similar to the other alleys.

Well that would explain how he had missed it. He wondered why it was like that. Was the alley a secret? Did they not want people to know what they really looked like? Wizards could be so strange sometimes. Trusting that Goldfeather wouldn’t send him anywhere dangerous, Harry headed back down the alley.

Second Horizon Legal Firm was on the first floor of the third building in. Harry took a fortifying breath before entering. The inside looked just as modern and muggle as the outside suggested.

The reception area housed a comfortable looking couch, a modest sized desk, and another stern looking receptionist. Please don’t be another rude, judgmental witch Harry thought.

“Can I help you young man?”

Well at least she wasn’t calling him boy. “Yes, I need some legal advice and I would like to speak to a solicitor.”

Now looking concerned, the receptionist told him to take a seat as she walked behind a wall that was several feet short of the ceiling. Harry had seen similar dividers in offices on the telly.

A few minutes later she stepped back out and beckoned him over. “Mrs. Farley is one of our Jr. Solicitors and is willing to hear you out. I hope she is able to help you.” She gave him a small smile as she went back to her desk.

Mrs. Farley turned out to be a lean, dark skinned woman, with braids pulled up into a bun. “Please come in. Lois said that you are in need of legal advice? Depending on the situation, I may be able to help you or point you in the right direction to get the help you need.”

Feeling hopeful with this reception, Harry took a seat. “How much will a consultation be ma’am?”

“Don’t worry about that right now. Let’s see if I can help you first.”

“Well, I am looking for a solicitor who is knowledgeable in ancient family and contractual law.” Harry said bracing for a reaction like he received from Davis.

Thankfully, all Mrs. Farley did was raise her eyebrow in surprise. “I am relieved that you are not here for a criminal matter.” She said leaning back into her chair. “Please explain the situation in which you need help with ancient family law.”

“I would like to, but my account manager said that I should have a confidentiality agreement signed before I go into detail.” Harry explained fidgeting a little.

“You are turning out to be quite interesting.” She said with a little laugh. “Alright, a confidentiality agreement will be 3gs and I change 6gs an hour. Will that be alright?”

“Yes.” Harry happily replied, pulling out his key. Second Horizon was shaping up to be a much better choice than the former Potter’s solicitors.

---------
After reading through the agreement and finding it satisfactory, with his limited understanding of all the legal jargon that is, Harry signed. Taking the document back Mrs. Farley started to look through it and initial in her spots. When she got to the bottom and saw Harry’s signature she gave a little gasp.

To her credit, she kept her composure and only gave him a quick glance before signing it herself. The document gave a little glow like the one in Goldfeather’s office and then duplicated itself.

“Well Mr. Potter, you have my full attention. What can Second Horizon do for you that your current firm can’t?” Mrs. Farley said, giving him an amused look and handing over his copy.

Harry wasn’t sure how to take that statement but forged ahead and spent the rest of the hour explaining his current guardianship situation, his health excluding the magical suppressors like Aurora suggested, his limited understanding of his inheritance, and the basilisk incident.

By the time he was done Harry felt quite exposed. Explaining the Dursleys to the goblins had been awkward but validating when they expressed their disgust with them. Mrs. Farley on the other hand hadn’t said anything. She had lost her look of amusement early on but had only given small noises of acknowledgement or asked for clarification as she took notes. Harry wasn’t sure if she even believed him or even worse agreed with the Dursley’s treatment of him.

Harry had liked her in the beginning, especially after dealing with Edward Davis, but he was starting to think he should have gone looking for another firm.

“Your account manager was right Mr. Potter, we don’t usually take on clients such as yourself. However, we have taken a few cases over the years when muggle guardians have proven themselves unacceptable and the muggle child protective services are not able to help. Also, the way you were placed with your relatives was legally questionable.” Farley said, leaning back in her seat once again.

“I think the senior partners would agree to take your case, especially when one considers your fame. This will no doubt turn into a high profile case. As for the inheritance and basilisk matters, I will have to put them past the partners. As I said earlier, we usually take on criminal cases targeting the muggle-born community. And I am still unclear on why you aren't using your current representatives?” Farley questioned with a frown.

“Umm… I don’t understand what you mean Mrs. Farley. You said something similar earlier but I don’t currently have a solicitor. That’s why I am out looking for one today.” Harry explained feeling annoyed with her accusation.
“Mills, Lowback, & Nott have been claiming you as a client for years Mr. Potter. It is one of their biggest selling points. They have represented the Potter family for years and advertise that Harry Potter comes to them for all of his legal concerns.” Farley explained, confusion taking over the apathetic look she had been sporting for the last hour. “Have you recently left them?”

Shocked, Harry exclaimed, “They’ve been saying what? Today was the first time I heard of them and when I went in they treated me like trash. Granted, they didn’t know who I was, but still. If that is how they treat people in general then I don’t want to work with them.”

Harry couldn’t believe it. Those people had the nerve to act all high and mighty when they were sponging off his name. He had half a mind to stand outside of their office and start shouting that he, Harry Potter, wasn’t one of their clients, and that they refused to help him when he did go to them. He bet Edward Davis would be begging for forgiveness after that.

“You don’t say.” Farley said, getting up. “If you give me a few minutes Mr. Potter, I will go over your needs with one of the senior partners and see what we can do for you.” Her face and voice were friendly again. Harry knew he wasn’t great with girls but he was starting to think, the older girls got, the more confusing they became. He was not looking forward to dating them.

Chapter Text

Farley returned about ten minutes later to guide Harry down to the office of Mark Howards. The senior partner was a stout man in his late forties, with light brown hair, and clear blue eyes.

Harry had expected him to be stern and scary after talking to Farley. Instead, he was greeted with an enthusiastic handshake and a warm smile.

“Welcome Mr. Potter. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Rebecca has informed me of your legal issues and I think we can help.”

Harry gave a relieved sigh as he sat down in the chair next to Farley. He had been worried that they would kick him out and he would have to go to his meeting without a solicitor in the morning.

“I’m sure Rebecca has explained to you that we usually take on criminal cases. However, considering your situation I think we can help. Rebecca will handle the basilisk contract and assist me with your guardianship and inheritance,” Howards explained.

“Thank you sir, but I wouldn’t want you to go out of your way. I can go somewhere else for the basilisk and inheritance problems.” Harry replied feeling unsure. He wanted people who knew what they were doing when it came to his inheritance. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost this new connection he had to his family.

“Please don’t misunderstand me Mr. Potter. I am both willing and able to help you. Although we often deal with criminal matters, ancient family laws and inheritance often come up. Many of our muggle-born clients run afoul of these laws and get themselves into legal trouble,” Howards explained, losing some of his humor.

“Oh,” Harry said relaxing, “in that case, I would appreciate your help”.

“Good, I’m glad we cleared that up. Now Rebecca tells me you have a meeting with Madame Bones scheduled for tomorrow morning concerning your guardianship. Can you give me a little more detail about this meeting,” Howards asked with a kind smile putting Harry at ease.

Harry explained as he pulled the letter out of his pocket and handed it over in case he missed something.

“Rebecca and I will meet you at 10:30 tomorrow to make sure there aren't any updates before the meeting. I will contact Gringotts to get a copy of your inheritance test. I will also reach out to Mills, Lowback, and Nott for a copy of your parents’ wills. Hopefully they get back to us before then, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. They can be very difficult. I can guarantee they will be dragging their feet considering you are their most famous client,” Howards explained, handing back the letter.

“But I’m not! At least I don’t think I am. I’ve never talked to them or received anything from them. Although, apparently I haven’t been getting mail from Gringotts either,” Harry replied, annoyed. He was starting to think that he would have to go back to them and make sure they weren’t his solicitors. If so, they were going to get the boot.

“I want to come back to your mail issue in a second but I want to be sure I have this correct. As far as you know Mills, Lowback, and Nott are not your legal representatives?”

“Yes sir. I have never talked to them and if they still have me down as a client then I will be firing them. I went there first, and they kicked me out of the office. Granted they didn’t know who I was, but they still treated me like trash. They don’t seem like the kind of people I want to work with.”

The look on Howards face reminded Harry that one should be careful of what they wish for. Howards now looked like the scary lawyer he had been looking for. His eyes had narrowed and his smile had turned into a smirk.

“Excellent! We have been going head to head with them in the courtroom for years. Losing Harry Potter as a client will be a huge blow after using you to bring in clients. People will wonder what they did to lose you. It will be even better if it turns out they have been lying.”

Harry may have imagined standing outside their office and calling them liars but he wouldn’t really do that. He really didn’t want people to be talking about him more than they usually did. He got enough of that at Hogwarts.

“We don’t really have to tell people about this, do we Mr. Howards?” Harry asked, hoping to slow the man down.

Howards face became more neutral as he focused on Harry.

“You must understand Mr. Potter. They have been helping to uphold the archaic pureblood laws that restrict muggle-borns and half-bloods to some extent, for years. At the same time they have been thriving using your name to bring in clients with moderate views. These people assume that if the defeater of the Dark Lord uses them, they must be an upstanding and trustworthy firm. In reality, they uphold pureblood supremacist ideas and over charge their clients for substandard service if they are not of the same mindset or the purest of blood.” Farley explained, speaking for the first time.

“Rebecca is correct. They have been a major roadblock to the advancement of muggle-borns and I intend to use this opportunity to knock them down. I’ll be honest with you Mr. Potter, snatching you out from them was a major factor for why I decided to take your case. You want your freedom and so do we. We want the freedom to grow and professionally succeed in this world. We want to be treated with the same respect and consideration given to purebloods. And taking you on as a client will be a major blow to them.” Howards explained.

On one hand Harry didn’t want to acknowledge his leaving them to be that important. At the same time he couldn’t pass on the change to help stick it to pureblood supremacists and help muggle-borns. Harry decided to suck up his discomfort and agree.

“Thank you for explaining things and being honest with me. I don’t like using my fame but in this case, I guess it would be ok. Muggle-borns shouldn’t be treated as less than purebloods. My mother and best friend are muggle-borns, and I hate when people look down on them. Especially when they are both brilliant witches.” Harry said with a soft smile.

Howards and Farley returned his smile. Howards then picked up a pen, yes an actual pen, and started questioning Harry about his mail problem.

“We will have one of our investigators look into this. Tampering with someone’s mail is a criminal offence. However, considering you have been living in the muggle world, it may have been done for your protection. Nonetheless, you should now have full access to your mail and access to previous correspondence. Is there anything else we need to look into for you?” Howards concluded.

“No, that should be it,” Harry said, checking his notes from Goldfeather. “Oh, I almost forgot. I have copies of my parents' wills. I got them from Gringotts this morning. They also gave me a copy of my health report. I was told to give it to Madame Bones to help with the case against my relatives.” Harry exclaimed, digging the documents out of his pockets.

Howards took the documents and said a spell that made them glow gold.

“Perfect!” Farley chimed in. “This will save us the time of having to go back and forth with those people.”

Howards then said another spell that made them glow blue and duplicate. Harry wondered why they turned blue. All the documents he had dealt with today had glowed gold. Was there something wrong with them?

Seeing Harry frown, Farley began to explain what Howards was doing. “The gold glow means that a document is authentic and legally binding. When a document glows blue it means it is authentic but a copy. It is not the original or binding. We can open the copies to see what they say without breaking the seal on the originals. When it comes to wills, it allows us to see who the beneficiaries are so we can invite them to the reading.”

Howards quickly looked through the documents and then the black book on the side of his desk. “I would like to hold the reading on Wednesday afternoon. Normally we would space things out more, but we need to get as much done as possible by September 1st. After that you will be at school and I'm sure the Goblins want to start on that basilisk as soon as possible. It has already been sitting down there for a few months.”

Howards then moved on to Aurora’s report. He gave a little jump as the parchment opened up and expanded. Frowning, he began to read. A few moments later he looked back up and gave Harry a concerned look before folding the parchment back up.

“I do believe we have taken up enough of your day Mr. Potter. If there is nothing else, I think we have enough to get us started.” Howards said coming around his desk to give Harry’s hand another shake.

“Before you leave, make sure you get all of our contact information from Rebecca. And if you would, please give her the names of everyone who was petrified last year. I want to thank you once again for choosing us Mr. Potter. I promise we will do right by you.”

Harry was led back to Farley's office for a second time to pick up the copy of his contract, their new client welcome packet, and wrote down the names of the petrified. Leaving Second Horizon, Harry headed straight for the Cauldron for a well deserved dinner and an early night.

Chapter Text

After checking in with Glenda for any updates, Amelia was headed back to her office to collect some unsuspecting aurors. The DCW still hadn't had any luck tracking down the Potter's wills or a suitable guardian for their child. Unfortunately for Glenda that was now the preferred task, the rest of the department was dealing with the Hogwarts issue.

How do they explain their lack of involvement while Minister Fudge and the Hogwarts board was involved. Did they back the minister or should they throw him under the broom? Not to mention Dumbledore. Glenda had gotten herself into a political mess that Amelia wanted no part of. She was more than happy to leave that mess in the hands of those who had created it.

She spotted the two aurors she was looking for in front of the map of Sirius Black sightings. "Come with me, I have a new assignment for you".
-------

Walking into the meeting room Amelia was surprised to see Potter with two familiar solicitors. She had not expected him to bring in his own legal representation, especially not these representatives. Fudge had better be grateful she had stepped in to give him advice, otherwise he would be sitting in the fire instead of just hot water with Howards involved. Getting in front of this as quickly as possible was the best course of action.

Taking a second look at Potter, she wasn't sure why she was surprised by what she saw. After everything she had heard from the Dursleys she shouldn’t be shocked to see how skinny and small he was. The boy was dressed in his Hogwarts uniform and some ratty muggle shoes. Seeing the boy brought everything into perspective, she was not here for political maneuvering, she was here to right the wrongs committed against this child who saved the wizarding world at the cost of his family and childhood.

“Hello Mr. Potter, I am Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. With me are trainee Nymphadora Tonks and Senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt.”

“I thought this meeting was to discuss my client’s guardians. Are you here to arrest him?” Howards asked in a tone she heard often during trial.

“Quite the opposite Howards. They are here for Mr. Potter’s protection, but we can talk about that later.” She explained moving further into the room.

"Hello Madam Bones, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you don't mind that I invited my solicitors along. As you know, I grew up in the muggle world and I'm unsure of how things work. I'm even more confused about what happened with my relatives. When I met Minister Fudge he didn't say anything about my relatives being arrested."

Getting comfortable Amelia explained her visit with the Dursleys and their following arrest.

Amelia pulled out a blue orb and rested it on the table in front of Harry. "This Mr. Potter is a reviewer. It is often used in investigations to record witness testimony. If you can, I would like you to explain your home life in your own words. This can be used during their trial so you don't have to testify in person." The orb started to glow a royal blue after a quick spell to activate it.

Amelia struggled to contain her anger as Harry explained his life at the Dursleys. She had been disgusted with them before, but hearing the child explain what they did to him made her want to curse those muggles and let them rot in Azkaban for the rest of their lives. From the faces of the others in the room, she wasn’t the only one with violence on the mind.

The poor child was red with embarrassment and wouldn't look up from his hands. Amelia wasn't the most maternal woman, but at this moment she very much wanted to reach over and give the boy a hug and tell him everything would be okay. That she would make things okay for him.

Reluctant to have him continue she asked "could you please, in your own words, tell us what happened the night of Friday August 6th."

It would seem that the Dursley woman was just as bad as her brother. It was unfortunate she wouldn't remember being blown up.

"Thank you Mr. Potter, you did very well. Is there anything you wanted to add before I turned off the reviewer?"

"I had a health evaluation done on Saturday and I was told the results would help with your case." Harry said, handing over Aurora's documents. Amelia tested the authenticity of it and was again shocked to see that the documents came from a goblin healer. Not wanting to draw attention to this on the record, she kept any comments to herself and turned off the orb.

"We were also able to obtain the Potter's wills and we will be holding the reading on Wednesday. Here's a copy of the will and I'm sure you'll be interested to note who they listed as suitable guardians. I will be reaching out to the DCW after the reading to discuss the best solution for my client." Howards said, handing over the copies.

"Thank you Howards, I'm sure they will find this very useful and will appreciate Mr. Potter's input in finding him new guardians." Finally, it was nice to have good news for once.

Switching gears she turned back to the poor child who still hadn't lifted his eyes. "I know I've already asked a lot of you today Mr. Potter, but if you could, I would appreciate you explaining the events of your second year regarding the basilisk. I talked to my niece Susan and she was able to give me some information of what happened, but I was told you were in the thick of it. Would you be willing to explain what you know?"

Before he could answer Howards broke in "in what context are you questioning him? Is he under investigation? Is he a suspect?"

“No, not at all. We are however investigating the events that took place and why the aurors weren’t brought in to help.”

“I see.” He said leaning back with a bit of a smile. “In that case, you may continue Mr. Potter, if that is what you want.”
“Yes,” Harry said, finally looking up again. “I don’t mind telling you what I know.”

Amelia reached forward and the glob started to glow for the second time. Twenty minutes later Amelia wished she could go back in time and stop herself. Giant basilisk petrifying students she was prepared to handle. Dealing with teenage dark lords trying to resurrect themselves had not been on the agenda. It was a little comforting to see everyone else looked as horrified as she felt. Harry Potter had saved them from an evil manic for a second time before he had even reached his majority. This small, malnourished child had gone up against a basilisk and a dark lord and won. What the fuck was going on at Hogwarts!

Composing herself as much as possible she asked, “Do you have anything else to add Mr. Potter?”

“No…. wait I have one more thing to add. Since we now know that Tom Riddle opened the chamber and caused the death of Myrtle Warren, can Hagrid be cleared and allowed to use magic again?”

“You make a good point. I will look into Hagrid’s case and see what I can do. Anything else?”

“No, I think that is it.”

“Thank you Mr. Potter.” Amelia said, stopping the recording. She would have Hagrid’s case pulled as soon as she got back. She remembered the groundskeeper fondly and would be happy to clear his name. She could use a little happiness after this interview. She would also be having a long talk with Cornelius about how the justice system worked.

“I have to say Mr. Potter, it was very brave of you to go after Ginny Weasley like that. I know you thought you would have the help of a professor, but if anything like this occurs in the future, please floo the DMLE. The fireplaces in the common rooms and teacher’s quarters are all linked to the DMLE in case of emergencies. However, I will endeavor to make sure this is the only year you are put in such danger at school.” Amelia hoped she could follow through considering what she had just learned.

“I hope so. I would much rather have a troll running around the school again than a basilisk.”

“What?!” The question was shouted out from multiple directions and had the child flinching.

“I’m sorry for our outburst Mr. Potter. This is the first mention of a troll in the school. Can you please elaborate.” As Harry started to explain the situation she realized that she would have to stop him and start recording again. Was she too young for retirement? Would she be able to live with herself if she grabbed Susan and ran before He-who-must-not-be-named found a way to return?

-------

“Well Mr. Potter, you have been very helpful today. I will keep you informed about your relatives' trial. You are welcome to come, but no one would think less of you if you decided to abstain. Now, on to my last point for today.”

“Excuse me Madame Bones, before we move on, I would like to inform you that Mr. Potter has decided to harvest the basilisk as is his right. He will be working with the goblins and they are set to begin on the seventeenth. We would like to invite a representative from the DMLE to come verify that the basilisk is dead and that the school is now safe.”

“Thank you for the invitation. I appreciate the opportunity to secure the chamber and verify that the threat is gone.” Amelia would be going herself to see the monster that had terrorized the school and endangered her niece.

“I would also like to have an investigation started into Hogwarts’ handling of the situation. They knew that there was something/someone hurting the students and didn’t ask the DMLE for help or even inform the student’s guardians if I’m not mistaken.”

No, Howards wasn’t mistaken. She hadn’t received any messages from the school, and after her talk with Susan last night, she learned the students were under the impression that notices had been sent out. Susan thought she knew what was going on and didn’t bring it up during Yule because she had spent most of it dealing with a ring selling illegal dragon’s blood. She had only really been home for the actual holiday. Susan hadn’t wanted to bring up anything depressing during their limited time together.

“We would also like to know why mandrake root wasn’t just ordered for the petrified students. Yes, it can be expensive on the market, but some of those students missed out on months of school and life. The expenses could have been worked out. Or better yet, why weren’t they transferred to St. Mungo? The healers would have been better qualified to handle things and they might have had mandrake root in stock.”

Howards made a valid point. And she wasn’t the least bit surprised he was going to pursue a civil suite. “Send me the paperwork and I'll have a team assigned before the ink dries.”

“I have one more thing I would like to discuss today. Since Mr. Potter will be staying at the Leaky Cauldron without any adult supervision until September 1st, the ministry would like to assign trainee Nymphadora Tonks and Senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt. Tonks has a rare talent, she is a metamorphmagus. It allows her to change her appearance at will. She will be your main guard. Shacklebolt will stay in the background and help keep an eye out for Sirius Black.”

“Why would I need to watch out for Sirius Black?”

Sweet Merlin! Did he not know? Had no one warned him of the danger he was in? Maybe if she stepped aside and let Fudge drown in his incompetence they could have a decent Minister.

Howards thankfully took over. “I’m sorry Mr. Potter. We assumed you already knew. Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban a few weeks ago. The Ministry has put together a country wide manhunt, but nothing has been reported yet. In the future we will make sure to confirm your knowledge of things.”

“But why would I need protection from him? He’s my godfather isn’t he? I saw it on my inheritance test yesterday.” Potter asked, looking confused. And for good reason, If Black showed up on his inheritance test then he was the boy’s magical godfather. Oaths had to have been taken. Was Black mad enough to sacrifice himself for his long dead master or were the guards mistaken? At this rate, she should just open a Harry Potter department and let them focus on all of the issues surrounding the boy.

“If you don’t mind me asking Mr. Potter, what color was his name?” Kingsley asked. Yes, if the line wasn’t still active then maybe Black had broken his oaths and had already been punished in some way.

“It was black. The same as Alice Longbottom’s. She is my godmother.”

Well that was unfortunate news. That was another life line cut from the child. However, Black’s active line brought them right back to where they started.

“Be that as it may, Sirius Black is still a convicted Death Eater who has broken out of prison. Whether he truly means you harm or not, he is still dangerous and participated in the attack on your family. He is not to be underestimated.” She hated to bring up his parents' deaths but hopefully a light reminder of what Black did will help him see the need for guards.

“He helped Voldemort kill my parents!” Well, there was the anger she was looking for. The confusion not so much. How did Harry Potter not know his own story? Nevermind, she knew how. Those Merlin forsaken muggles!

Explaining Black’s role in his parents demise was harder than she thought it would be. He went from angry to devastated to raging inferno. Anger did wonders for his presence. That small, abused child had become quite the fierce wizard. She could very well imagine this boy battling a giant basilisk and going head to head with a body snatching dark lord.

With a little extra probing from Howards, he agreed to the guards for the rest of the summer.

Chapter Text

Harry gave a small sigh of relief as Madame Bones left the room. That had been intense but rewarding. It felt nice to tell adults everything that had happened to him, have them believe him, and offer to do something about it. Now whether or not they would actually do something about it was a different story, but he would reserve judgment for now.

Madame Bones looked quite determined on her way out and Harry hoped she would be able to do all she promised.

“Aurors, would you please step out for a moment, we have a little more business to discuss with Mr. Potter,” Farley said.

The two gave each other a glance before looking at Harry. Seeing their questioning looks, he gave them a nod. It was strange to have adults looking to him for permission.

“How do you think it went Mr. Potter?” Howards asked after the aurors had closed the door.

“I think it went well. I wasn't expecting to say so much, but I didn't realize the authorities didn't know what was going on considering Fudge was there. I think Dumbledore would appreciate the help though.”

“Oh yes, I think Albus Dumbledore will very much appreciate the help of the DMLE,” Howards said with a slight smirk.

“But I do have a question, why are you asking for an investigation into Hogwarts? Is that for me? Will the school get into trouble?”

“No Mr. Potter, the investigation isn't just for you. We are trying to put together a class action lawsuit against Hogwarts” Farley explained.

“What? You're trying to sue Hogwarts?” Harry asked in astonishment.

“As I said to Madame Bones, the muggle-borns could have been awakened sooner if different actions had been taken. If those students had had a magical guardian to advocate for them, the situation would have been handled differently.” Howards explained.

“We have already sent out letters to everyone who you listed yesterday and have in fact heard back from the Finch-Fletchleys. I'm not sure if you're aware, but that family is quite well known in the muggle world, and would have easily been able to afford to buy their son mandrake root at any price,” Farley continued.

“They were quite eager to schedule a meeting with us for later this week. Apparently they weren't even informed of their son's condition until Yule and simply told that he would not be returning because of a magical accident. They were not allowed to see their son and had very minimal updates about his condition,” Howards said, sounding rightly indignant.

“They tried to petition the school board but they were turned away, and weren't familiar enough with our government to know who to reach out to or even how to reach out to them. The magical world is not muggle friendly.”

The school hadn't told Justin's family about him until Yule? That was ridiculous, Justin had been petrified months earlier. Did that mean Hermione's parents hadn't been informed? He would have to write to her and ask.

Breaking into his thoughts, Howards continued, “We would be happy to have you as part of the suit if you would like. You were also affected by the school's lack of proper response to the situation. Not only did they allow you to be harassed and ostracized, but they put you in a position where you had to slay a basilisk.”

Harry wasn't sure how he felt about suing the school. Like Tom Riddle, it was his second home, his safe place, how could he sue the school?

Seeing his indecision, Howards continued. “If you were to join, it would help the case a lot. As you can see, they didn't give much consideration to the students affected and this suit will be hard because they are muggle-borns and have no wizarding guardians. If you were to join the suit it would add weight to it and make them take this case seriously.”

This was the second time in as many days that Howards had asked him to use his fame. The idea still made him feel uncomfortable but it was much more tolerable than simply using it to lord over others. Using his fame to help others was a much worthier cause.

“What would happen to the school if we win?”

“Well, one major thing we will be asking for is that the DCW steps in and reviews the school's rules and implement regulations on how the school handles dangerous situations. One of those being that they contact the DMLE. We will also be advocating for the muggle-born students to have some kind of guardian representation outside of the school if their non-wizarding guardians are not in a position to make decisions for them.”

Well that didn't sound bad, especially after what happened last term. Harry was sure Dumbledore would appreciate the help. He probably tried to reach out to those parents but the school board, with people like Lucius Malfoy on it, tried to block him. It might have been one of the reasons why they tried to sack him as well.

“Yes, I think I would like to join the suit.”

“Excellent, I'm happy to hear you say that. Not only will it add weight to our case in court, but I'm sure it will make the other families feel a little bit more hopeful that this will be taken seriously." Farley replied with an encouraging smile.

"To go along with that, I know you wanted to invite the press to the chamber of secrets inspection but I think an interview would not go amiss. It would help give them the full picture, so that there are no misunderstandings. What do you think? Would you be willing to give an interview Mr. Potter?”

Harry's first response was no, but Howards did have a point. Goldfeather had pointed out that people may still think he was the heir of Slytherin and had let loose the monster. It wouldn’t do for the papers to get it wrong or not explain everything and still have everyone think it was his fault. And he had already just done basically that same thing with Madam Bones. If he knew in advance exactly what he was going to tell them, it would be much easier.

"Ok."

“Now, let's finish up with our earlier work so we can leave you to the rest of your day.” Farley said. “Do you need me to go over the contract again or are you ready to sign?”

Before Madame Bones had gotten there, Howards and Farley had explained the contract they had negotiated with Goldfeather. For 35% of the profit, Gringotts was willing to harvest and sell the basilisk parts for Harry. He didn't know much about business, but considering he didn't know anything about harvesting basilisk parts or selling them, he thought this was a good deal and Farley had assured him it was. The lawyer had almost been skipping when she came in earlier to present the contract to him. Apparently she enjoyed negotiating with the goblins when her clients weren't in legal trouble and had all the legal rights the wizarding world offered.

“No, I don't think we need to make any changes. I'm happy with the contract,” Harry said, bringing it back up to finish reading through it before he signed.

Waiting for the contract to turn gold, he handed it off to Farley who then made a copy and promised to add it to his Gringotts account later that day.

“While I was talking to Goldfeather, I inquired after any other open contracts with the Potters and he said he would look into it. I would also like to look into the companies that are currently using your name and image to sell their products if you don't mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm not sure if you know this but there is a series of books about the adventures of the boy who lived. Considering what we know now of your home life, I very much doubt you were out slaying dragons at that age. Although you apparently killed a basilisk at the age of 12, so I could be wrong," she said giving him a searching look. "There are also many other companies that have used your name to sell their merchandise without your permission. I would like to look into these companies and see what kind of permission, if any, they have and from whom? Also, whether or not they have been paying royalties to you for the use of your name and likeness.”

“Would we be able to stop them if they don't have any permission?”

“Yes, if they don't have any permission we would be able to sue them if you would like and make them stop.”

“Yes please. I would like to make them stop, especially the books.” Harry said thinking of Ginny Weasley’s crush on him. “When I first got on the Hogwarts Express my friend Hermione mentioned reading a book about the life of Harry Potter. Could you please also look into that. Those books just give people the wrong idea about me and I would like it to stop.”

“It would be my pleasure Mr. Potter,” Farley said, happy with her new assignment. She had been worried that taking on the Potter case would be like selling out, but she was finding her new client very interesting. She had never been in a position to negotiate with the goblins before and now she had the opportunity to go after companies willing to take advantage of an orphan's misfortune. Yes, her new client was turning out to be quite enjoyable.

With that last bit of business wrapped up the lawyers gathered up their items, said their goodbyes, and traded places with the aurors outside.

________

"Follow me, I need you to schedule some meetings for later today. I need you to schedule a meeting with Arthur Weasley as soon as possible. We can move things around if we need to, but I want to see him by the end of the day." Amelia explained to her assistant on her way into her office.

"That's going to be a little hard. Arthur Weasley is in Egypt with his family for the rest of the month."

"For the rest of the month?"

"Yes, didn't you see the Prophet? He won the Grand Prize Galleon Draw and decided to use the money to visit one of his children in Egypt."

"Fine, please send out a notice that he and his daughter Ginny Weasley are needed in this office by the 15th. I have some questions for her about an incident that happened at Hogwarts last term. Next, I need you to set up a meeting for tomorrow with Minister Fudge and the Head of the Department of Mysteries. Lastly, I need a meeting set up with Minister Fudge and Glenda, preferably today."

Chapter Text

Haggler flinched as the wards on his office door crumbled. Not even a second later an enraged goblin stormed in.

“Do you really think those stupid wards could keep me out? I've been taking down your wards since you were a youngling getting up to mischief in your room!”

“Of course not mother, those are to keep others out. You know my new client requires a lot of confidentiality,” Haggler quickly tried to calm the tornado that was his mother.

“That would be an acceptable excuse if I had not been trying to track down you and your new client since yesterday afternoon. I know Goldfeather came to see the two of you yesterday while the younger Potter was with me.”

“It was in fact because of Goldfeather’s visit that we have been unreachable and it's a good thing we did. Potter Jr had his solicitor here this morning to negotiate the terms of us partnering on the harvest and sale of basilisk parts. If we hadn't spent yesterday researching we would not have already had everything prepared for this morning's meeting. We had quite a bit of fun last night negotiating terms. By the time Goldfeather and the solicitor met, they only had to decide on Minor details,” he explained smugly.

“For all your talk of enjoying my company you sure don't hesitate to ignore me,” the portrait behind Haggler commented in a dry tone.

Before he could respond his mother cut in. “Don't worry, you're about to get plenty of attention from me. I agreed to examine your younger self without being given a warning for what I was about to encounter. I thought I was just going to flush out some mood-altering potions here and there, and maybe fix some minor imbalances in his vitamin intake or even magic. Not encounter a child dealing with extensive abuse and a horrific case of magical suppression!”

“What do you mean magical suppression? Is my magic being drained from an outside source? Or being used to shield/suppress some harmful magic?” the portrait inquired.

“No, but that is a very strange conclusion you jumped to” Aurora answered with a look of suspicion crossing her face. “I meant an actual magical suppressant. An alteration of a spell that was once used on criminals. How do you not know about the spell considering you've lived for so long? If it was still on you, you would have died coming into your magical majority.”

“What do you mean I would have died?” The portrait all but yelled.

The healer explained to her captive audience what the spell did and how it would have affected the younger Potter if left untreated.

“I didn't know that I had such a spell on me, however there are a few events that took place that might have broken the spell,” the portrait explained looking pensive.

Deciding in for a knut in for a galleon, the portrait of an older Harry Potter explained that he may have been emancipated at the age of 14 to enter the Triwizard Tournament, his blood had been used in a ritual to bring back a dark lord, and that he had died for a few seconds at the age of 17. Any one of those events may have broken the spell or a combination of them.

“You mean to tell me that poor child has even more awful situations to overcome? He has already explained his first two years back in the magical world. How did the humans allow for this to continue year after year?” she bit out angrily. “I was looking for you in hopes of figuring out a gentler way to break the curse. We only know of one way and it can be dangerous to the victim.”

“When do you plan on unbreaking the curse?” her son asked.

“Sometime next week after I have corrected his physical body. The backlash from the spell should have him out for a couple days. I have an appointment with him on Friday to see how well his body is responding to the potions.”

“I'm sure your potions will correct any damage from external forces to the eyes but could you please check on his prescription. My aunt pulled those glasses out of a bin because the school healer complained that my eyesight was bad. Those glasses probably do more harm than good.”

“I knew I forgot something,'' Aurora muttered leaving the office without a backwards glance.

-------
Harry stood awkwardly looking at his two new bodyguards. He didn't know what to do now that his solicitors were gone. He had no frame of reference on how to handle this kind of situation. Technically, they were the adults and basically here to babysit him. So did they have plans for him? When Mrs. Figgs watched him she had him help her with a few things and then let him watch TV. Was he even allowed to leave the Leaky Cauldron now? He had really wanted to continue exploring the Alleys.

"So what happens now?"

"Whatever you want Mr. Potter," Kingsley answered. "We are here to follow your lead. You can just think of us as your shadows."

Well that didn't make him feel any better and also didn't give him any guidance on what to do.

Kingsley, picking up on his uncertainty, continued "why don't we have lunch and get to know each other?"

Well that was more than he had come up with and maybe he would feel better if he got to know them a little.

_____

Lunch turned out to be just what they needed. Kingsley had gone back down to make sure they could have the room for another hour and then Harry had called Misty to put in their orders.

Coming back to awkward silence, Kingsley decided to break the ice by explaining that he had been an auror for 10 years and had been on the major crimes investigation team for the last four. He had just made Senior Auror last winter, and until this morning, he was the lead auror for the team tracking down Sirius Black.

Harry was impressed. It would seem that Madame Bones was taking his safety seriously and assigning him someone who knew what they were doing. However, he felt a little guilty that Kingsley was now reduced to a babysitter when he had been on such a high profile case.

Nymphador went next and explained that she went by her last name Tonks. She was in her last term of training and would be graduating in November.

Harry didn't know what to tell them about himself that they didn't already know. At this point they knew more about him than Ron or Hermione.

Seeing him struggle Tonks asked what his plans were for the day and Harry latched on to the lifesaver. He explained that he would like to explore the Alleys. He had never had time to look around while doing school shopping and hadn't even realized that there were so many other alleys than Diagon Alley.

The group spent the rest of the meal talking about their favorite places in the Alleys, and by the end Harry was feeling a little better. Kingsley and Tonks had been nice so far. They hadn't seemed resentful that they would have to babysit him nor had they talked down to him as if he were a child. They had been friendly and Harry was feeling optimistic that having them around wouldn't be so bad.

--------
“Did we really need to meet today? You know our schedules are full with all this Potter business.” Fudge huffed out.

“Yes Minister, we did. I had a very enlightening meeting this morning with Mr. Potter and his solicitors.” Amelia answered as she and Glenda sat down in the Minister’s office.

“What meeting? Why wasn't I informed? They're usually good about giving me a heads up with these sorts of things,” Fudge said looking confused.

“I do hope you're not implying that Mr. Potter's solicitors would have informed you of a private meeting he was having?” Why was he such a corrupt idiot? Who blatantly admits that they have secret informants all over the place? She was glad she took that calming drought before the meeting.

“What? No... no Mills, Lowback, and Nott is a very respectable law firm. They know how to take care of their clients.” He replied, shaking his head in what he hoped looked like Dumbledore’s calm reassurance but just made him look like he had been sniffing potions.

“Right... Well they need not worry about their reputation with Mr. Potter any longer. He has moved his patronage to Second Horizon and has acquired Howards to represent him. “

“Why would he do that? He isn't a muggle-born nor is he in any trouble for that business with his aunt.”

“Be that as it may, he has still attained their representation. But that isn't what I came here for Minister. We have far more important things to discuss than who Mr. Potter chooses as legal representation. How much did you know about the petrification situation at Hogwarts last year? And before you begin I would like to remind you that I've been very helpful these last few days, but if you start lying or refuse to do what is necessary to fix this, I can be just as damaging.”

Fudge blinked in shock for a minute before starting to puff himself up like one of Malfoys peacocks only to meet her glare and deflate.

Taking a deep breath he began "I was only informed after the second incident and that was because Dumbledore was pulled away by an urgent late night message during a meeting. I followed up with him the next day about the emergency and he was forced to admit what was going on. He assured me he could handle it, and that the board would be made aware. A few days later I had Lucius in my office complaining about Dumbledore. I offered to have the aurors brought in but he turned me down, and said that the board would handle it. Lucius came to me again in April and told me that the board had made a grave oversight when hiring Rubeus Hagrid. After some investigation, they found he had originally been expelled from Hogwarts for opening the chamber of secrets which led to the death of a fellow student. Dumbledore’s intervention allowed Hagrid to escape prison, but with the current situation he could not be allowed to roam free any longer. I was going to come to you Amelia, I really was, but Lucius pointed out how bad the fallout would be when people found out we had a criminal working at Hogwarts all these years. So I grabbed a few aurors and went down to Hogwarts and arrested Hagrid. I really thought I was doing the right thing Amelia.” He said pleadingly.

She could believe that he thought he was doing the right thing. He was corrupt and easily manipulated but he wasn't malicious, at least not in this case. She waved him on.

“I didn't know what to do when Dumbledore came to me in June to inform me of another attack at the school. This time involving Harry Potter! I tell you Amelia, my heart almost stopped. But Dumbledore then assured me that Potter was unharmed, he had taken care of it, and the attacks had been stopped for good.”

“And did Dumbledore explain exactly how he stopped these attacks or how they were being carried out?” She questioned, trying to keep her voice neutral.

“No, I did try asking but he wouldn't budge. He said the less I knew about it the better, but that he was absolutely positive it was over. That nobody had been permanently injured and that the board would smooth things over with the families.”

“I see,” Amelia said with a sigh and turned to the horrified woman next to her. “And what did you know about the situation?”

“I didn't know about any of this,'' she said in a tight voice. “We meet with the board three times a year, once before school starts to make sure they're well staffed and funded, once in between terms, and at the end of the year. Nothing was mentioned at our January meeting nor at the end of June.”

“Right, and do either of you know anything about a troll at Hogwarts?” She would take Fudge's sputtering and Glenda's choked gasp as a no. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a blue orb and sat it on the desk.

“My meeting with Mr. Potter shed quite a bit of light on the happenings at Hogwarts. I'm sure you understand that this information should not be passed around and that if it were to spread without the proper handling the two of you would have a lot to answer for,” she explained before starting the recording of Potter explaining his run in with a troll.

“Oh my goodness! None of this came up in our board meetings,” Glenda whispered as Amelia turned off the recording.

“Which says to me that Hogwarts needs more oversight than just three meetings with the board of governors. And this is just the tip of the iceberg Glenda. Mr. Potter brought to light quite a bit more disturbing information in our meeting. However, that information is sensitive and I cannot share it with you just yet.”

“In light of how dangerous the school seems to be and the staff's unwillingness to call in the aurors, I would like to set up some kind of security at Hogwarts.”

“I fully agree Amelia!” Fudge interjected, happy to have something positive to contribute. “I was just talking to Dolores about stationing dementors to guard the school this year.”

Feeling her cheek spasm Amelia realized that the calming drought wasn't strong enough.

“You want to do what? Have you lost your mind? You can't station dementors outside of a school full of children! Why would you think that's a good idea?” was exclaimed from beside her. Amelia was happy to let someone who had access to their full anger question the idiot.

“But, how else are we going to guard against Sirius Black?” The minister answered looking contrite.

“Because the dementors managed to guard him so well the first time? I may not work in law enforcement but even I know that's not a good idea Minister. Just one little slip up and they could suck the soul out of one of the children. That is not a risk I'm willing to take. What kind of security were you thinking Amelia?” Glenda asked with a clear dismissal of Fudge.

She was happy to see Glenda taking charge for once. Maybe this was the kick she needed to start truly acting as the Director of the DCW.

“I would like to set up a rotation of aurors to keep the school safe. It would be a combination of trainees /new graduates and Senior aurors on their way to retirement. They can keep an eye on the school and lend a hand if any danger pops up. They'll also be able to easily contact the rest of the department if anything truly troubling happens again.”

“I like it and they can also help the perfects with the nightly patrols of the castle and the grounds.”

“But will the public think we're taking things seriously if we just stick a few trainees and old aurors on the grounds?” Fudge questioned, trying to add himself back into the conversation.

“They will like it better than you sticking dangerous creatures that very few can control onto the grounds with their children.” Glenda snapped back.

“Ummm, yes I see your point,'' he conceded.

“I'll have the proposal sent to you by the end of the day Glenda. And you should be aware that Howards will be asking for an independent investigation into Hogwarts and the handling of the petrified students sometime in the next few days.”

“But that's not necessary!” Fudge shouted. “The DCW is already looking into things, aren't you Glenda?”

“Unfortunately, our investigation is coming in a little too late, wouldn’t you say Minister,” Glenda said with a sharp glare. “Thank you for the heads up Amelia.”

“I have one more piece of business to discuss today,” Amelia said, handing out documents to each of them. “Howards was kind enough to give me a copy of the Potter's guardian appointments on my way out.”

“Finally, some good news,” Glenda exclaimed, breaking the seal.

“I believe they plan to execute the wills on Wednesday,'' Amelia continued.

“That's quick” Fudge replied with a little frown.

“Relatively” Amelia said dryly. “I only had time for a quick look but I don't think they'll be that many people left to be contacted. Not to mention they're probably just as impatient as us to find Mr. Potter new guardians.”

“Oh my!” Glenda whispered. “Sirius Black is the boy's magical godfather? He put in all that effort to escape prison just to lose his magic? I know the Blacks aren't known for their sanity, but this doesn't make even a little bit of sense. What would he gain from harming Harry Potter? What would be the point?”

“Do we know for a fact that Black is actually after Potter? I have an auror headed to Azkaban right now to question the guards. I'm also pulling Blacks' court transcript and evidence right now. Potter wasn't aware of Black’s betrayal and had a lot of questions I didn't have the answers to. The next time I see him I would like to be able to give him some kind of closure.”

“I see what you mean Amelia,” Fudge murmured looking down at his copy. “There are only three beneficiaries left to be called to the reading who haven't passed or been incarcerated / incapacitated. And the list of guardians has been whittled down as well. Professor McGonagall is the only option left.”

--------
Harry leaned back from the desk as he put the finishing touches on his letter to Hermione. Casting a look over his work he admired how much faster it was to write with these modified pens he picked up today. They were fancy pens whose tips were shaped like a quill’s and you could link them to any bottle of ink you wanted. The pens functioned like a regular pen eliminating splotches since you no longer dipped the ends in ink, and dried the ink as it came out so you didn’t have to worry about smearing. Letter done, he blew out the candles and crawled into bed. He would send Hedwig out tomorrow with the letter and a few pens.

He was sure Hermione would appreciate how long and detailed it was. He had started by telling her what happened with Marge, that he was now safe at the Leaky Cauldron, that his relatives were now arrested, and that he was working with solicitors to find new guardians. He also explained that he had worked out a deal with Gringotts to harvest the basilisk. He then made what he hoped was a smooth transition into asking how her summer was going, how was she doing after being petrified, and how did her parents feel about what happened?

He felt too awkward to come right out and ask her if her parents had been told she was petrified, how they reacted, and if they too had been denied from seeing her. He also didn't want to bring up the class action lawsuit against Hogwarts. He hoped that her family had already received Howards owl and that she would bring it up in her reply.

Snuggling into bed, Harry turned his mind to more pleasant thoughts like his day in the Alleys with his two new bodyguards.

Before leaving the Cauldron, Tonks had gone off to the bathroom and came back a completely different person. Gone was the black haired, blue eyed woman of average height. When she came back she was a six foot blond.

The three had leisurely explored Diagon Alley before grabbing dinner at a café in the muggle world two blocks down from the St. Martin’s Lane entrance. The aurors had continued to be friendly and informative companions. They had been willing to pop in and out of different shops, explain what items were used for when he didn't know, and gave advice on the quality/price of the goods.

Harry appreciated the advice as he made a list of things to pick up later in the week. He may have more than enough money now to afford new things but it didn't mean he wasn't going to take the time now that he had it to find quality items for the best deal. He would make his final decisions after he was done exploring the Alleys. The only purchase he had made that day was some parchment and the modified pens. Harry had picked up two extra for Hermione.

They had also reassured him that he could do magic in the Alleys without breaking the law. Since it was supervised by the ministry and filled with magical adults, the ban on underage magic was not enforced here. Similarly to how Hogsmeade worked.

When they got back to the Cauldron that evening Kingsley had asked Harry not to leave his room until they picked him up again the next morning. He explained that they would put wards up around the room that would keep out intruders and let them know if anyone was trying to get through.

Harry didn't think all the effort was necessary but the idea that he would have backup if anything went wrong was reassuring and helped him relax just a little bit more into his bed.

Chapter Text

Harry bolted out of his nightmare, choking back a scream. The deranged image of Sirius Black slowly fading from his mind. He hadn't given his parents betrayer much thought after Madame Bones had left. The initial anger and sadness had been hard enough to push down in front of strangers the first time and he didn't want to risk a second. Wandering the alley with his guards had been the distraction he needed. But he couldn't escape in his dreams.

Doing a quick tempus spell revealed it was 5:40. He could try to go back to sleep and risk another nightmare or he could start getting ready for the day. Harry chose option 3, grabbed his history book, climbed back into bed, and hoped the dry book would induce dreams of goblin rebellions.

======
“Merlin's saggy balls, what is Albus playing at?” The head of the Department of Mysteries said as he came out of the pensive. It wasn’t everyday one saw "The Unspeakable" frazzled, and Amelia regretted having to see it.

She and her fellow head were gathered in The Minister's office reviewing Potter's adventure in the chamber of secrets and his subsequent third defeat of The Dark Lord.

“What do you mean Jupiter?” Fudge asked

"I mean Albus should have come directly to me after this incident. No offense Amelia, but your department isn't equipped to handle problems like this. That is black magic and Albus knows enough to recognize it as such. Especially when the consequences of it not being handled correctly could lead to the return of Lord Voldemort." He said, making his companions flinch.

"Did you recognize what spell was used?”

“I'm not sure of the exact spell, but it could only be of 3 options. All of them horrific and require the caster to damage their soul in some way. And I don't mean the marks left behind from taking another life but actual damage to the soul. They are all horrific and right up that manic's lane.”

Taking a calming breath, he continued. “I'll put together a team to start looking into the spells. Ones I know aren't sympathizers.”

“Albus has been keeping secrets,” Jupiter said leaning his head back against the chair. “We met a few days ago and none of this came up. How are the children? Have their families reached out to get them proper medical evaluations? I know Potter lives with muggles who may not understand how severe the situation is especially with Albus trying to downplay everything.”

“You know Potter lives with muggles? Have you met them?” Amelia asked, shocked by this revelation.

“No, but Albus and I meet annually on August 1st for an update on how Potter is progressing. We have had this meeting in place since 81. We pass on our findings to the DCW afterwards.”

“So the two of you meet every year and Dumbledore updates you on Potter's health and living conditions, correct? But you have never been to see Potter yourself?” Amelia tried to clarify.

“No, I had to settle for yearly updates. Bagnold and Albus decided to limit the amount of interaction Potter would have with the magical world before Hogwarts. The best I could do was get them to agree to yearly updates. Albus and I meet and he tells me about Potter's accomplishments and gives me pictures of the lad growing up.”

“Well now we know for sure that Dumbledore has been covering up the abuse.” Fudge chimed in.

“What?” The unspeakable growled out, sitting up straight once again.

“It was brought to my attention a couple of days ago that Potter’s living conditions might be less than desirable. While looking into another matter I was able to speak to his relatives and they were more than happy to tell me how much they dislike their nephew, and were persuaded into showing me where they stored him. Yes, stored him. They made him sleep in a broom cupboard under the stairs until his Hogwarts letter came. They then moved him into their son’s playroom. All while using him as their servant. We currently have them stored in our holding cell awaiting trial.”

Despite the deep breaths he was taking to keep calm, Amelia could tell the man was barely hanging on to his anger.

“Where is he now?”

“He is currently staying at the Leaky Cauldron,” Amelia answered, giving Fudge a look. “I have assigned two aurors to watch over him during the day and before you ask, he saw a goblin healer and had a full medical evaluation done. He gave me a copy during our meeting and the length of the document is disgusting. I will be requesting that the muggles be sentenced to Azkaban instead of Prison Peterborough. Not even putting them into the magical side of the prison would be punishment enough. They deserve Azkaban!”

“Good, but what about a mind healer? That situation would have been traumatic for an adult let alone children. All those affected should have at least one session.”

“You’re right,” Fudge chimed in again. “I’ll speak to the school board about covering the cost. They won’t be able to refuse once the article gets out.”

“I can’t believe I forgot to ask about it during our meeting. He just kept revealing these crazy stories. One being that the chamber wasn’t his second interaction with the Dark Lord.”

“What are you talking about Amelia?”

She answered the unspeakable by dropping another memory into the pensive and gesturing for the other two to go in before her.

The three came out 30 minutes later, and spent the next hour going over what they saw, Hogwarts security, what they would release to the public, and how they could keep Dumbledore ignorant of their knowledge/involvement.
—-----
At 9 am sharp Harry received a knock on his room door.

“Who knocketh on my door?” Harry asked the agreed upon question.

“Veritas” came a female voice from behind the door. The voice didn’t sound like Tonks but it was the correct password. So Harry pulled out his wand and unlocked the door from behind the table in case he needed cover.

“Come in.”

The door eased open to let in a 5’5 woman in her 40s with brownish-red hair and green eyes. The woman wore brown muggle pants and a loose white cotton blouse. “Watcher Harry!”

“Hi Tonks.” Harry said, easing his grip on his wand. “I didn’t know you could change your voice as well.”

Switching back to her normal voice Tonks answered. “I can only change the pitch of my voice. I have to work on accents the same way anyone else would.”

“Where is Kingsley?” Harry asked, pocketing his wand now that the danger had passed.

“He’s scoping out the pub and letting it be known that there are aurors around. The ministry wants people to feel safe coming out to the allies. It looks like you’ve already had a pot of tea. Have you already eaten breakfast?”

“I had a few scones earlier but I could go for some more food if you lot are hungry. Otherwise I can wait for lunch.”

“Kingsley and I are fine. We are ready for whatever you have planned for the day.”

“I just need to drop by the bank to exchange some gold for muggle money. I don’t really have anything else planned. I figured I would work on my summer assignments and get them out the way so I can have fun. But I can work on it later if you guys would rather explore more of the allies.” Harry offered, not wanting to trap his guards in his room while he wrote his papers.

“Having you stationary makes our job easier.” Tonks replied, her bubbly personality slipping into her bright smile. “Why don’t we go to the House of Raven Public Library. You will be able to spread out your books and I can review for my finals.”
—-----
After a quick stop at the bank to exchange some gold into pounds the group entered Madam Jacqueline’s Délicatesses for a morning snack.

The bakery sat across from the entrance to Emerald Alley. Walking in, one was hit with the fragrance of freshly baked bread and the numerous fillings that went into them.

Six circular tables sat between the window and the counter filled with an assortment of baked goods. The selections ranged from sausage rolls, breakfast danishes, and croissants to petit fours, cookies, pies, and elaborate cakes.

Harry couldn't resist the pain au chocolat. Tonks and Kingsley grabbed their orders of strawberry danish and sausage rolls respectively and joined Harry at the table.

“So what’s on the agenda today,” Kingsley asked, putting up a silencing charm.

“Our dear Harry has decided to be a swot today and work on his summer assignments.” Tonks answered with a giggle. “We’ll be spending the majority of the day at the House of Raven Library.”

The group finished their breakfast while discussing the subjects Harry was going to work on that afternoon.
__________

“But Minister, we spent hours mapping out their travel paths, organizing their auror escort, and setting up a feeding schedule. Everything has finally been approved by the appropriate parties and all you have to do is sign this document and the dementors are good to go. Don't let Amelia Bones ruin all our hard work just so she can take the credit for setting up the Hogwarts protection. There is nothing wrong with our plan; she just wants to be in charge!”

“I'm sorry Dolores, but she and Glenda brought up some points that I can't ignore. It will be safer to go with Amelia's idea of auror protection on the grounds. Any mistakes they could make would be far less deadly than if a dementor went rogue.” Fudge explained, trying to calm the woman down. He was starting to wonder if he needed a new secretary.

“Now if you'll excuse me, I've already had a very long morning and I have plenty of work to see to that does not involve Harry Potter or Hogwarts.”

"Unfortunately Minister, those will have to wait a little longer", Amelia said from the door. The woman was looking concerningly frazzled considering she had left his office an hour ago calm as a cucumber after speaking about the dark lord returning.

“If you'll excuse us Dolores” she said, ushering his secretary out the door and firmly closing it behind her.

“What has happened now?”

“Please tell me you have Sirius Black’s court case.”

“No, I thought you were having it pulled for your investigation.”

"I asked for it to be brought to my office after our meeting on Sunday. When the initial search turned up nothing I tasked all of the records department to fine it thinking it was misfiled. Ryan swears his team has searched high and low for the court files and it is not in the records room. I've just spent the last hour personally searching our investigation files and the only thing that comes up for Black's arrest is this single piece of parchment" she said handing it over.

“It's the same story we've been hearing for years. How when the team got there Pettigrew yelled out Black had betrayed the Potters, Black starts laughing, and then the street blows up. There aren't any interviews, pictures of the scene, or evidence collected!”

Starting to massage her temples she continued "I'm getting a bad feeling about this Cornelius. How did Black end up in Azkaban without an investigation or trial?"

"I see what you mean" Cornelius said, feeling his own headache coming about. "I have a few people on staff who worked under the former minister. I can discreetly inquire about what they know."

Chapter Text

“I'm back!” Farley said, handing over a McDonald's bag.

“Bless you Rebecca, this little one has the most unhealthy cravings,” Lois said, reaching for the bag. “I'll trade you a bag of chips for a letter. This came while you were out.”

“That was quick” taking the letter Rebecca headed to her office.

Farley,
I was able to track down Potter's wayward mail. As far as I can tell it is all going to a rented ministry mailbox. My contacts were able to learn that the box has been registered to a Harry James Potter since November of 1981. By 83 they had applied two extra expansion charms to the box before giving up and just adding a new box under his name when necessary. He currently has seven boxes. There wasn't any information on the original paperwork to indicate who opened it up for him. I'll do a little more digging and let you know if I find anything.

Best,
Basil

Well that answers one question. Now we just need to figure out who opened the box for him and why. It sounds like the kid is going to be opening mail until he is 60.

Putting the letter away Rebecca returned to her third cease and desist letter. She had already contacted the publishers of two Harry Potter books and was currently writing to a company who advertised in this morning's paper that Harry Potter loved their scarves. Why the hell would you advertise scarves in the middle of August?

________

Coming up to the end of Diagon Alley Harry was interested to see what the second entrance looked like.

Before they entered The Black Snitch, the St. Martin’s Lane entrance, Kingsley stopped to take off his auror robes to reveal black slacks and a red button down the same color as his robe. His escorts would fit in nicely on the London streets. The Dursleys would even deem them quite respectable.

Harry had questioned Tonks yesterday on how familiar she was with the muggle world after she made a reference to a popular TV show he had seen Dudley watching. She explained that she was also a half -blood and grew up primarily in the muggle world. Hence her great fashion sense, taste in music, and inability to fit in with snooty purebloods.

Kingsley on the other hand was a non snooty pureblood who had taken the time to familiarize himself with the muggle world so he would be able to work with muggle police.

The House of Raven Public Library's entrance was located down the street from The Black Snitch. After a short 2 minute walk the group came upon a small rundown bookshop called Raven's Nest.

The inside was bright and welcoming. The cashier's desk was located next to the entrance, and had a clear view down the center aisle which was lined with five bookcases on either side.

On the right back wall was a staircase that led up to a balcony overlooking the bookcases. Shoppers could take their books to the second floor and make themselves comfortable in fluffy chairs with cups of coffee and tea.

The fourth aisle on the left had a beautiful mural of a garden framed by ivory stone arches. Tonks quickly explained that the mural was like the platform’s entrance at Kings Cross before walking into it. Harry closed his eyes and walked in behind her with Kingsley closely following.

Opening his eyes, Harry was greeted by the same beautiful garden pictured in the mural and more. The garden was filled with an assortment of muggle and magical flowers. Flying in and out of the flowers were bees, butterflies, and pixies. He would make sure to secure his wand before walking through the garden. Currently, they were standing on a white stone path. Straight ahead was the garden and to the right just out of frame of the mural was a Victorian country manor.

The manor was a deep royal blue with a brown roof and shutters and was toped off with bronze finishings. During the short walk up the path Kingsley explains to his companions how the manor was donated to the public and converted into a Library.

Upon entering they were greeted by a house elf offering to take them to any section they needed. Tonks declined saying they knew where they were going.

The manor no longer looked like a house on the inside. All of the walls had been taken out and all that remained were random columns here and there. In the front was a large circular desk with two women and two men helping to check patrons out and answer questions. Beyond the desk were humongous bookshelves as far as the eye could see. Fours bookcases in, the ceiling gave way to a flood of sunlight. As they walked into the light Harry looked up and saw eight more floors before reaching a glass window in the ceiling. The skylight was 5 aisles long and reached from one side of the building to the other. Both ends had staircases leading up to the higher floors.

Tonks led them to the back of the fifth floor which housed the legal books and study rooms. Kingsley only stayed long enough to put his robes back on and make sure they were set before heading out to look around. After putting up some security and silencing charms, Tonks took out her own book and joined Harry at the table.

Forty minutes later Harry let out a breath of frustration.

“What’s wrong? Do you need help?”

“Potions is my worst subject, so I figured I would work on it first, but I don’t understand anything I just read.” Harry explained running his hand through his hair.

“Well you’re in luck! My mom is a potioneer and despite Snape's best efforts, I passed my Newts with an O.” Tonks said proudly.

Tilting the book towards her, Harry explained his problem and was happy to get an explanation that was short, simple, and didn’t end with a bibliography.

With his new understanding, Harry was able to finish his essay quickly. He was really enjoying Tonk’s company. She was fun to be around and was willing to explain anything he didn’t understand, magical or otherwise. She didn’t make him feel bad about things he didn’t know.

“It must be great to have grown up with a foot in both worlds. I think my parents would have done the same with me.” Harry said packing up his potions work.

“Oh definitely. I bet I would have even been your babysitter.” Tonks replayed with a laugh.

“What do you mean?”

“Opps….I didn’t want to make things awkward during our first meeting but I guess you should know that I am related to Sirius Black. He is my second cousin on my mother’s side. I was really little when he went away but I remember little things about him.” Tonks explained in a strangely serious tone.

That was a shocking revelation but Harry appreciated that she wasn’t trying to keep it from him. How do you tell someone that you are related to the person who led to your parents murder?

“Can you tell me about him?”

“I don’t remember much. He was close with my mother because they were the white sheep of the Black family. Neither believed in pureblood supremacy. At least that’s what we thought. I’m not trying to make any excuses for him but from what I can remember, he was always nice and fun to be around. We never understood why he joined the Death Eaters. Especially if he was your magical godfather. He could have easily lost his magic for harming you. In fact my mother was shocked he hadn’t.”

“I don’t understand. Why would he have lost his magic?”

“In the muggle world, godparents just promise to look after a child if anything happens to their parents. A magical godparent is bound to a child and if they break their vow to care and protect the child, magic will punish them. It doesn’t happen often but those who have broken their vows have been turned into squibs and even killed if the offense was great enough. Considering what Sirius did, magic should have punished him.”

“This is all so confusing. I wish I knew more about this.” First he finds out he has a godfather walking around, then he finds out the man betrayed his parents and killed a bunch of people. Now Black not only escaped prison but magical punishment as well. What did Black actually promise his parents? That he wouldn’t outright kill him because he certainly endangered him if he told Voldemort their location.

“Well you’re in luck! We happen to be in the most comprehensive library in England. I’m sure there is a book about it here.” Tonks said, hopping out of her seat. “Come on! Let’s see what we can find.”

After a bit of wondering they found a book called “Everything You Need To Protect Your Heir”. The book had sections on vaccinations, making a will, household spells for safety, safely binding a child’s magic, and naming guardians. While there Tonks gave Harry an old children's book about wizarding customs. She may have been a half-blood, but her mother was from an old family and wanted her to know how to interact with snooty purebloods when she had to.

Looking through the chapters, Harry was reminded that the will reading was on Wednesday and he didn’t know what to expect. So they made a little detour and found a book on lordships.

—-----
“Madame Bones, that thing you asked me to find, I found it.”

“Come in Lightfoot, and close the door.”

“We found the elf and have him in interrogation room three right now.”

“How many people know you brought him in?”

“As far as I know, only Marion and I know it's here. You told us to be discreet , so we portkeyed in and took it straight to the interrogation room. Marion is with it now.”

“Good,'' she said, packing up her notes and grabbing the reviewer.

Peeking into the room she saw Marion trying to calm down a highly agitated house elf. After a quick wrap on the door to announce herself, she entered with Lightfoot right behind her.

“Good evening my name is Amelia Bones and I am the Director of Magical Law Enforcement. Are you the former Malfoy house elf named Dobby?”

“Yes, Director Bones ma'am. I is being Dobby the house elf. Are you going to give me back to the bad former Masters?” He said before starting to bang his head against the table while muttering ‘bad elf bad elf’.

“Dobby, I order you to stop. You are not being given back to the Malfoys. I simply would like to ask you a few questions. Harry Potter told me you could help.”

“Of course Dobby will help Harry Potter's friend! Dobby will answer any questions to help Harry Potter sir!” He said, jumping around in excitement.

“Good, why don't you take a seat and I'll be right back. Marion, Lightfoot follow me.”

Once they had stepped into the adjourning observation room Amelia cast a few privacy charms to make sure they would not be overheard.

“This could be a career making case for the two of you. As long as you're able to keep it under wraps until we're ready to execute our plan.”

The two aurors glanced at each other before looking back at her and nodding.

“I would like you both to activate your auror vows for this case so no one will be able to question you without a lot of effort.”

“Marion, you'll be in the room with me since he seems comfortable with you. Lightfoot stay here and observe. Let me know if you notice anything I should press harder on.” Amelia said as she slipped a small device into her ear. “Make sure no one interrupts us or is able to observe this meeting understood?”

“Yes ma'am. I've got this covered.” Lightfoot answered, all but saluting.

“Sorry for the wait Dobby. Like I was saying, I spoke with Harry Potter a few days ago and he told me how helpful you were during the last school year. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about what happened?”

“Dobby would be happy to answer any questions you have.”

“This Dobby is a reviewer. It will allow me to record our conversation so hopefully we won't have to ask you these questions again.” She said as she placed the reviewer in the middle of the table.

“Dobby, can you please tell me your name again and who your former Masters were?”

“ I is being Dobby the former Malfoy house elf.”

“How long did you serve the Malfoys?”

“Dobby be serving the family for 26 years.”

“Why did you seek out Harry Potter?”

“Dobby heard bad Master Lucius planning to put dangerous dark lordy object in Hogwarts to hurt the great Harry Potter!” He exclaimed with outrage.

The questions continued from there, what was the object, how did he plan to get it into the school, how did Dobby know it was from the dark lord, did Dobby know what the dark object would do?

Amelia then branched off into general questions about the Malfoy family. Do they have any more dark objects in the house, where are they hidden, do you know of any other illegal activities, do you know of any other plans against Harry Potter, do they have any secret rooms, are there any secret passages into or out of the house?

She wasn't going to take any chances with this case; she wanted all the details they could get before they stepped foot into that house. Lucius Malfoy would not wiggle his way out of Azkaban again.

______

Knock knock.

“Hey Rebecca, perfect timing, come in. What do you have for me?”

"I heard back from Basil this afternoon and he found out where Mr. Potter's mail was going." Farley said handing the letter she received that afternoon over to Howards. "Someone opened up a Ministry mailbox for him in 81 and all of his mail has been directed to that box over the last 11 years."

“Do we know who opened the mailbox for him?”

“No, not yet but Basil is looking into it.”

“Okay, please keep me updated on his findings. Speaking of Basil, I have him looking into Minerva McGonagall. Right now she is the only viable candidate from the Potter's list of guardians. I want to know all her dirty secrets before I think about placing that child with her. He has been through enough and he does not need another deficient guardian. I plan on grilling her on why she didn't step up to take over his guardianship and never mentioned her connection to his father. The situation seems a little fishy to me.”

“I can't believe she never once even invited him for tea to catch up. She hasn't seen him since he was a baby and doesn't try to see how he's adjusting to the magical world. Doesn’t tell him that she knew his father well and try to share stories since she knows he doesn't have anyone else in his life that knew him. She was obviously close with James if he named her as a potential guardian for his child.” Farley said, shaking her head in disgust.

“Even outside of their personal relationship she should have sat him down as his head of house to see how he was. Professor Sprout met with us all one-on-one once during the year to see how we were doing and if we needed any advice or help.” Howards said, with a small smile in remembrance of his old head of house.

“Flitwick did something similar. He only met with the first years one-on-one and after that we would have dorm meetings once a year. He would spend an hour or so with us talking about our owls, newts, career aspirations, and anything else we wanted to talk about. If we had any private issues we could go to him and speak to him one-on-one. It doesn't seem like McGonagall is doing that. Has she even responded to the invitation to the will reading?”

“Yes, she has confirmed her attendance and I just received the last response from a Remus Lupin a few minutes ago.”

“Great. I spoke with June Fairweather this morning and she would be delighted to interview Mr. Potter. She's a freelance writer who works with both the daily profit and Witch Weekly. She is becoming well known for her one-on-one interviews with celebrities.”

“Good work Rebecca. I've read a few of her articles and I like her work. Just make sure she sends over her questions before the interview so we can go over them with Mr. Potter and make sure he's comfortable answering them.”

Laying out a new file Howards continued. “Now on to the class action. We have heard back from the Finch-Fletchleys and Clearwaters. However, we are still waiting on a response from the Creeveys and Grangers. If we don't hear back from them by Wednesday I think we should reach out again in a more muggle way.”

“Agreed, I'll have Basil look up their phone numbers and mailing addresses.”

Howards hoped the last two families would be willing to join them. This case could open the door to new muggle-born family’s rights. With Harry Potter involved, they could get a lot of eyes on the case and people thinking about muggle-born rights again.

Chapter Text

Amelia and Jupiter were in their makeshift war room tracking the progress of their teams surrounding Malfoy Manor. There were nine aurors broken up into three teams with an unspeakable assigned to each to help break through the wards. They would also handle any unsavory curses the Malfoys may have used to protect their home.

She was running on potions but she knew the longer it took to put this together the more opportunity there was for a leak, and she would not allow Lucius Malfoy to slip through the arms of justice again.

The two were looking at a map that Dobby had helped them make of the Malfoy grounds. Once all three teams were in position they would give the signal to start breaking through the wards. At 4:00 a.m. the Malfoys were likely to be asleep and unprepared for the intrusion.

“HQ, team alpha is in position.”

“Beta is in position.”

“Gamma is in position, HQ.”

Sharing a look with Jupiter she gave them permission to enter. This was the worst part of being the director. Being stuck in the background while her team was out in the field. She would have preferred being in the mix with them and Jupiter seemed to share that sentiment. But they were needed here to watch over the mission and give guidance when possible.

The plan was to disrupt the wards long enough for the teams to slip through the gates. Alpha would be going in through the front door. Their mission was to detain Lucius Malfoy.

Beta was to sneak through their hidden escape route and catch Narcissa if she were to try to leave. However, their main mission was to get into the secret compartment in the drawing room and find Malfoy's hidden dark artifacts. Gamma was to remain outside and provide backup.

“The wards are down, beta is through.”

“Alpha is clear.”

Gamma took a second before responding “Gamma is through and in position HQ.”

“From now on I want everyone's listeners activated for the rest of the mission,'' Amelia told them.

Looking at the map the two leaders could see that gamma had taken up position along the property line. Alpha was almost to the front door and beta was making their way towards the secret escape near the gardens.

Once the other two teams were in position, Amelia gave the alpha team permission to enter. Now it was in the hands of her aurors.

“On three Smoke, I want you to take out the door.” The alpha team leader said.

“1..2 .” crash!

“ Go go go!” Smoke shouted.

“Keep your eyes open, we don't know what he's been able to set up. Smoke, bar the doorway. Blue, keep an eye on our six.”

“Sonorus! This house is surrounded by aurors. We are here to arrest Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. You are to present yourselves and surrender your wands by order of the Ministry of Magic.” Alpha leader, Duke’s voice boomed.

“Duke, the spell shows there's one human on the second floor and two headed to the back of the house.” Cat informed them.

“Beta can handle the other two, worry about the one at the top. It's most likely Malfoy himself and he'll have an advantage at the top of the stairs.” Duke responded. “Cat and I will head up the stairs. Smoke, wait a few and then back us up. Blue, make sure we don't have any surprises down here. Let's go Cat, shields up.”

It only took a few seconds before they heard Cat yelling “green green!”

Green was used to alert others that the killing curse was being used. Malfoy wasn't holding back and he wouldn't be able to wiggle his way out after that. Amelia couldn’t believe he jumped straight to unforgivables. The man must know his days were numbered.

The next couple of minutes were a jumble of spellfire, yelling, and crashes. Amelia felt her heart drop when she heard Blue yelling ‘Cat down!’. That seemed to be the signal for Smoke to prove that he was an unspeakable and started casting spells that Amelia had never heard of.

“We've made it to the second floor,'' Amelia heard Duke say. “What's Cat's status?”

“She's alive, but she took a lot of damage. I have her under a stasis charm.” Blue responded.

“I have two going in to retrieve her,'' the gamma leader informed them.

Almost immediately after they heard the Bata leader start to speak. “Stop, by order of the Ministry of Magic, you are to surrender yourselves and come in quietly.”

“You do not want to do that Mrs. Malfoy. Think of your son. He could be caught in the crossfire.” Another voice shouted. Amelia could only assume Narcissa had made to attack.

“The hallway is clear, we're now searching room to room” the alpha leader's voice broke in.

“Narcissa has dropped her wand and the two of them are coming out of the passage.”

“Make sure you get the child's wand,'' Amelia reminded them.” and double check her for an extra wand and portkeys.”

“They are clear, gamma please come pick them up.”

“We're on our way beta,'' they heard the gamma leader say. “Thor has taken Cat to medical and I'll stay to back up alpha. The other two are on their way to beta.”

“The second floor is clear but our revelio spell has stopped working. Keep your eyes open, beta, Blue. He could have gone down the back stairs towards the escape route or back towards the front. We are headed to the attic. Blue stay in the entrance hall until beta gets there. Gamma can watch the front door”. The alpha leader ordered.

“We are entering the house now, Blue” the bata leader responded.

“Cub just took the other two Malfoys to a holding cell. Wisdom and I will guard the main entrance.” The gamma leader informed them.

“The attic seems to be where they house their elves. There are five up here. They claim they haven't seen him and I doubt Malfoy would stoop low enough to hide with his elves. We are sending them down to gamma before we start searching.”

“Blue has joined our team. I'm sending Hop and Lucky with him to search for Malfoy on the main floor. Comet and I will secure the drawing room and search for the secret compartment.” The beta leader informed them.

Muting her listener, Amelia turned to her partner in frustration. “Where could he have gone? Do you think Dobby left out another secret exit?”

“That elf seemed very devoted to Harry. I doubt he would deliberately leave anything out. However, the Malfoys are an old family. There may be older passages that he was unaware of.” Jupiter reasoned, while scanning over their map. Suddenly he reached forward and grabbed the listener.

“Smoke, Wisdom! Start searching for concealment spells, wards, hell even runes on the walls. The Malfoys are way too old and dark to not have an area to house prisoners. I know for a fact that Lucius’s great-grandfather used to torture muggles at the house for fun.”

“On it boss!” Smoke answered.

“I’m headed in.” The gamma unspeakable responded.

Muting the listener again, Amelia asked “You know this for a fact?”

“Yes, I went to school with his grandfather. The little slug came back after Yule bragging about it to the common room. And before you start to accuse me of giving them a pass, please remember that I was only twelve and would not have been in a position to do anything for many years. By the time I was in any position to go after them, Nexius was already dead, and Brighton had moved to France,” the unspeakable explained.

Before Amelia could ask further questions, they were interrupted by Smoke. “Duke and I have found a passage in the hallway on the second floor leading down. It is likely how Malfoy escaped us. We are headed in.”

“I want Wisdom and Lucky to back them up. Hop and Blue are to return to the drawing room,” Jupiter ordered.

Amelia hoped to Merlin that Lucius hadn’t escaped. The Malfoys had enough money for him to easily disappear. She didn’t doubt for a second that the man was selfish enough to leave his wife and son behind to deal with the fallout.

“Comet has opened the compartment door, and Blue and Hop are back.” The beta leader’s voice rang out.
“The passage leads down past the first floor. It looks like it goes under the house. This may be the holding area you were talking about Jupiter”, Duke whispered into his listener.

“We are now entering the passage. We'll be right behind you guys.” Wisdom's voice followed him up.

“We have hit the motherload! There are all kinds of books and dark artifacts under here. Even without the unforgivable Malfoy is looking at life in Azkaban.” Comet exclaimed.

“Be careful Comet,'' Jupiter warned. “There could be more safeguards within.”

No sooner had Jupiter spoken when they heard yelling and healing spells shouted out. The two directors braced themselves for the worse.

“Comet was attacked by an animated snake statue. We have contained the statue but it injected him with some kind of poison. I'm sending him to medical with Hop. Blue and I will guard the room until Malfoy is detained,” The beta leader informed them.

“The passage led down to a large stone door. Smoke is currently trying to take down the wards around it,” Duke’s voice came through a few moments later.

“We are coming up on you Duke,” they heard Wisdom say.

A moment later they heard the two groups meet up and Wisdom join Smoke in deactivating the wards.

“We're through,'' Duke announced. “Smoke and I will take point, Blue and Wisdom will back us up. It is likely that Malfoy has been in here for the last 30 minutes and who knows what is waiting for us on the other side. Do not hesitate to use lethal force if necessary. Let's go!”

The next few minutes were a constant stream of detection spells and shield charms.

Suddenly, “Green! Green!”

“Malfoy is hiding in that back right corner!” Blue shouted.

“Blue, I want you to get ready to start intercepting his spells with debris. Smoke on my say so, we're going to blast through the wall he's hiding behind. Wisdom if you get a chance, take him out,” Duke ordered his team.

“3 , 2 , go! Bombard!”

The sounds of spellfire filled the office once again until, “We got him! Malfoy is down!”

“He's still breathing but he's going to need medical if we want to keep him that way,” Smoke followed up.

“Bring him in,” Amelia said "but make sure you check him for portkeys and slap some suppressant cuffs on him. He's not getting away from us now that we have him.”

==========

Harry woke up feeling refreshed. He hadn't had any nightmares about giant snakes or deranged godfathers. Wanting to start his day off right, he put in an order for a full English before heading to the bathroom for his morning constitutions.

Tonks had suggested they upgrade his wardrobe today and he was going to need all the energy he could muster to get through the multitude of shops she listed. He didn’t think he needed to get everything she talked about, but it was nice to have someone so excited to help him.

Stepping back into the room, Harry was greeted by the smell of his breakfast and Hedwig pecking at the window.

“Hey girl, welcome back,” he greeted her as he let her in. “Thank you for waiting for Hermione’s response,” he continued, removing the letter she carried.

Getting comfortable, Harry opened the letter as he started on his breakfast.

Harry,

I'm sorry this letter is so short, but I don't have a lot of time to write. Things have been complicated lately. My parents received a letter from a wizarding legal office who are trying to sue Hogwarts for negligence and child endangerment. They are suggesting that the teachers didn't do enough to protect students from the basilisk, and didn't explore all options when it came to reviving us from petrification.

Needless to say, this was upsetting to my parents, but things are even more complicated because I didn't tell them about what happened before the letter came. When they asked why I had stopped writing for a couple weeks, I told them I had just gotten very stressed with school work. Then the letter came and I had to confess that I was attacked by a giant snake and left basically comatose. They are very upset with me and the school.
They wanted to pull me out of Hogwarts but I convinced them to wait until after they spoke to these solicitors. Apparently they are trying to put in more safety measures at Hogwarts for muggle-borns and their parents.

My parents are going spare over this, and they have grounded me for the rest of the summer. I'm not allowed to do any extracurricular reading, magical or otherwise. I also have to go into the office with them and help out. They have set me up to see a therapist, but I'm not sure what that's going to do for me since I can't exactly tell them the truth.

I'll send you another letter once I know more.

Hermione,

P.S. I'm glad you're away from those awful people. I hope your solicitors are able to find you better guardians.

P.P.S I love these pens you sent me, thank you!

===========

“What has you so giddy this morning?” Haggler questioned the portrait.

“Guess who made friends with one of the wizards from the Gringotts' founding portrait in the lobby?” Harry said in a teasing voice.

“I'm so happy you found someone respectable to keep you company,'' the goblin sneered.

“Don't go getting jealous on me, you know you're my best friend,” the portrait continued with a laugh.

“Wait, I thought those in that portrait were blocked from moving around the bank?”

“Oh they still are, however, they can appear in the duplicate portrait that is hanging in the ministry. Anyways, I just heard some juicy news. It would seem that the Malfoy house was raided last night.” Harry said with the little jig.

“I don't see why you're so happy. You should know that nothing sticks to Malfoy after he starts greasing palms.”

“Au contraire mon ami. Narcissa Malfoy is currently sitting in a ministry holding cell and Lucius is in St. Mungo's getting treated. Apparently they found his secret stash of dark artifacts, and on top of that, Lucius was throwing around unforgivables!”

“So you're finally seeing the fruits of your labor. I see why you're so pleased with yourself this morning.”

“More than please! I didn't have a direct hand in this. This must have come about from Amelia's interview with Harry. I didn't expect to take down Malfoy for another couple years.”

“Well then my friend, congratulations,” Haggler said, raising his coffee to the smiling portrait.

Chapter Text

“Where is my son!”

“Please, there is no need for hysterics Lady Malfoy,” Cantankerous Nott said in his usual patronizing tone.

From the look on Narcissa's face she and Amelia were both on the same page on how they felt about the old bastard.

“Lady Malfoy, my department is willing to reduce your charges if you are willing to work with us. We are willing to offer you probation, a fine, you 'll have to submit to random searches of your home, and you will need to pass a class on parenting and the Muggle world. In exchange, you'll need to give us information on your husband's participation in the blood war, his purchase and sale of dark objects, and the hand he played in the situation at Hogwarts last semester.” Amelia thought the offer was more than generous but exposing all of Malfoy’s crimes was more important than sending his wife off to Azkaban.

“Unfortunately Madam Bones, Lady Malfoy is not interested in such a deal. We will..”

“Lady Malfoy is sitting right here and has not decided what she will do,” Narcissa cut in with a sneer.

“My lady, there is no need to even contemplate such a deal. It would in no way benefit the House of Malfoy for you to give such evidence against its Lord,” Nott explain to her slowly as if she were a child.

“Lord Nott you seem to forget that the House of Malfoy is more than just Lord Malfoy.” Turning back to Amelia she said “what about my son? What will happen to him if I do not take your deal?”

“Your son is currently being evaluated by the Department of Child Welfare. He will be seen by both a medi-wizard and a mind healer. Once he is cleared, we will look for suitable housing for him to stay at until the school semester starts. If both his parents are unavailable at the end of the school year, those accommodations might become permanent.”

“So he will be given into Severus Snape's care?”

“No, unfortunately Severus Snape is currently under investigation for another matter and has not been cleared to be in charge of a minor as of yet.”

“What is he under investigation for?” Narcissa demanded.

“I'm sorry Lady Malfoy but I am unable to divulge information on an open case.”

“Come Lady Malfoy, I'm sure young Draco will be just fine for a few weeks by himself. The house elves are more than capable of looking after him at his age.” Nott interjected.

Narcissa may be the icy Lady Malfoy now but she was starting to channel her Black ancestry the more Nott spoke.

“Children should not be left in the care of house-elves for that amount of time Lord Nott . You should know better after what happened to Doyle.” She said, arching a perfectly shaped blonde eyebrow.

Score one for Narcissa Black! Doyle Nott was a cautionary tale on what happens when children are left with house-elves without oversight. Cantankerous and his wife had gone on a month-long vacation and decided to leave their son in the care of their house elves. The young Nott had become a household topic when he got his hands on an advanced potion book and decided to brew Felix Felicia in hopes of impressing his new housemates before his first year at Hogwarts. Doyle had his house-elves buy the ingredients for him and assist him in brewing the potion. The results were disastrous. Two house-elves died, the Nott heir was hospitalized for months, and a good portion of Nott manor burned down.

“She is correct,” Amelia cut in hoping to bring the interview back on track. “Draco Malfoy will either be housed with his aunt Andromeda Tonks or his Malfoy cousins in France.”

Narcissa looked absolutely horrified by both options.

“Yes, well a few weeks with them would do no harm.” Cantankerous replied, trying to get his embarrassment under control.

Turning sharply to him, Narcissa gave Nott a long look before saying “Get out. Your services are no longer needed.”

“What!” Nott choked out in shock. “You can't dismiss me. I am the solicitor for House Malfoy. Nobody else at the firm will be able to guide you as well as me.”

“You misunderstand me Lord Nott, I am not suggesting that you be replaced. I am telling you that I no longer require the services of Mills, Lowback, & Nott. Now, quickly see yourself out.” She dismissed him, and turned back to Amelia.

They waited until the door closed before continuing. “I am willing to talk but I want everything in writing before I say anything.”

“Of course Lady Malfoy,” Amelia agreed with a small smile.
________
“Who knocketh on my door?” Harry called out.

“Themis”

Opening the door Harry was greeted by a 5’3 blond haired blue eyed woman in her mid thirties. The woman’s sharp features reminded him of Malfoy.

“Watcher Harry!” Tonks said as she closed the door behind her. “What’s with the look?” she asked noticing his face.

“Sorry, you just remind me of someone in that form”

“Ooo, does little Harrykins have a crush?” She teased taking a seat at the table.

“Gross! I don’t know who would find Malfoy attractive.” Harry replied with all the teenage indignation he could muster.

Tonks cackling madly was not the reaction he was expecting. “I guess I do look a little like cousin Draco like this.” She said once she had calmed down.

“Cousin Draco?”

“Yep! His mother, Narcissa, is my mother’s little sister.”

“So let me get this straight. You are related to both Sirius Black and Draco Malfoy?”

“That’s the curse of the purebloods. They are all related to each other somehow, and you’re no exception Mr. Potter. Your great aunt Dora was a Black before she married into the Potter family. Who knows what families you are directly related to.”

Taking a second Harry thought back to the family tree he saw at Gringotts. There had been a number of familiar names on his tree. He would send a letter to Goldfeather about having an extended family tree made.

“I guess you’re right. I remember seeing some of my classmate’s last names on my family tree when I had my inheritance test done. I’ll have to do some digging to see how closely we are related.” There might be more people out there he could consider family.

“Just be prepared to find some really questionable marriages. Keeping things pure sometimes took the form of marrying in the family.”

“What?”

“Yah, the Blacks didn’t hesitate to marry cousins off to each other.” Tonks said with a grimace.

“Well, this has been an enlightening conversation. Where’s Kingsley?” Harry said, hoping to change the subject.

Giggling Tonks replied “Kingsley got called into the office this morning to deal with some emergency. We’ll have two level one aurors following us today. Paul Macmillan will be following us in plain robes and Todd Hilt will be in uniform walking the streets.”

“Did it have to do with Sirius?”

“I don’t think so, but whatever happened was big. A lot of the senior aurors got called in.” Standing up and gesturing at the door she asked, “So, I thought we would start with the boring bits first and head over to Twilfitt and Tattings."

_____
“Thank you for coming in on such short notice Hagrid.” Amelia said to the fidgeting man across from her.

“Yes, well you said it was urgent and that you were trying to find the person responsible for opening the chamber of secrets. I would like to help but I don't know anymore than professor Dumbledore would. He knows way more than me.” Hagrid replied giving his beard a tug.

“I'm sure he does Hagrid, however the professor is currently out of the country right now and you are available.”.

“Of course Madam Bones, I'll tell you whatever I can.”

“I appreciate your cooperation. I know you have been treated unfairly by the Ministry multiple times surrounding this issue and I would like to finally put it to rest. One way we could do this would be for you to allow me to view your actual memories of the events. This way no one can dispute your involvement in the future. Would you be willing to do that Hagrid?”

“I can try but I've never done this before and I'm not so good with magic seeing as how I don't have a wand.”

“Don't worry about the magic part. All you have to do is think about the day Myrtle died and the day you were arrested. I will pull the memories out of your head.”

She gave him a few moments to collect himself and his memories and then lean forward to extract them when he gave her a nod.

Storing the long ropes in prepared containers she asked if he would like any refreshments while she viewed the memories.

Once she had him settled she left the room to join Jupiter waiting in her office. The two of them would view the memories and see what information they could gleam about the young Tom Riddle and his first murder.

An hour later she returned to Hagrid with his memories and a copy of the day's Daily Prophet.

“Thank you for allowing me to view your memories Hagrid, it was very helpful. On behalf of the Ministry of Magic I would like to apologize for our mistake 50 years ago and all of the undue hardships you had to endure as well as your imprisonment earlier this year. As of today you have officially been declared innocent of the matter and as long as you pass your OWLs your right to a wand will be restored. I understand at this time it would be hard for you to pass your OWLs without tutoring, so the Ministry is willing to pay for private tutors for both your OWLs and NEWTs for the next 3 years.”

Letting that sink in for a moment Amelia continued. “The Ministry is also willing to give you $80,000g in reciprocity. Is this acceptable Hagrid?”

“I.. I'm innocent? I mean of course I'm innocent, but I can have my wand back? It will be official? I won't ever have to go back to Azz... That place?” He all but whispered the last part tears gathering in his eyes.

“No Hagrid you will never have to go back to that place. You should never have been there in the first place and I'm sincerely sorry this happened to you. I wish I could offer you more but..” No she needed to stop. She was the head of the DMLE, not a bleeding heart rookie.

Waving his hands around Hagrid said” I don't care about all that gold, you can keep that. I just want my wand back.”

“No Hagrid, the money is yours. It's the least the Ministry could do for you. Take it and do something good with it. Travel the world and go see exotic animals. I have it on good authority that you are very fond of animals the majority of us would like to avoid.” She said with a small smile.

Giving a watery chuckle Hagrid agreed. “That's true Madam Bones. I was really envious that the Weasley's won the Daily Prophet contest. I guess I can finally afford to take that trip to the dragon reserve in Romania.”

“There you go Hagrid, I think you could use a nice vacation after this and in case you didn't see it earlier, here's a copy of today's Prophet.”

She laid the paper out so he could read the headlines.
"50 Year Old Hogwarts Murder Solved!"

—----
Harry was happy to be taking a break from shopping. Tonks had been a force of nature the likes of which he could only compare to Hermione in a library with a research topic.

At Twilfitt and Tattlings they had been ushered to a private fitting room, and he had been outfitted with three formal robes, two pairs of slacks, four button-up shirts, and a pair of nice dress dragonhide shoes. Tonks had thankfully handled all talks of style, color, and material. His only job had been to stand still as the assistant tailor took his measurements.

Once the order for robes had been put in, Tonks had insisted he buy a pair of cufflinks and three cravats. He let her handle the cravats so they would match with his robes but she insisted he pick out his own cufflinks.

There had been many boring and pompous options like cauldrons or huge chunks of jewels. But Harry had found a pair of gold snitches in the back of the display whose wings were animated to flap. How could a seeker pass up on those? When he showed them to Tonks, she assured him they would match his robes.

Their first stop of the day have been boring but painless. Madam Malkin's was a different story. He had his measurements taken for his school robes as usual with a little space added for growth. Then, Tonks had dragged him over to the side where they housed their books of casual robe designs.

That's where things took a turn. Tonks had made him look through the books and pick out seven designs he liked. Then she had the assistant pull out those designs so he could try them on. Having to come out of the dressing room and model the robes for Tonks, the assistant, and anyone in the shop was very embarrassing.

Harry didn't want to seem snobby but he much preferred the privacy of Twilfitt and Tattlings. He wondered if they made casual robes as well. He wouldn’t mind paying the higher prices to escape the embarrassment of having all those strangers watching him try on clothes.

Four out of the seven designs looked flattering on him. Once they had picked out the designs Tonks helped him decide on material and color. The assistant had brought over a booklet with scraps of material that Harry was allowed to feel. They had tried to get him to use dragonhide but then Tonks had stepped in and explained how you should decide. They went through the list of everything from dragonhide to Acromantula silk.

Harry decided on two cotton robes, two linen, one wool, and one crepe. They then went over his color options and decided to stay in darker, rich tones such as burgundy, navy, forest green and black.

Harry almost flew out of the shop with his school robes and a promise to have his casual robes delivered by Friday.

“I feel like I just got out of a double transfiguration class” Harry said as he returned from dropping off his clothes.

“Don't be so dramatic!” Tonks pushed over a bottle of butterbeer. “You now have something to wear for the will reading and if you decide to go to your relatives' trial. Not to mention a start to your wizarding wardrobe. Now you'll know what to do the next time you decide to have robes tailor made.”

“I guess so.” Harry said after taking a large gulp. “Thanks for your help today. I would have been lost without you.”

“Aww, you little charmer. You're going to make me blush.” Tonks reached over to give his cheeks a pinch.

“Stop that!” Harry said, batting her hands away. “See if I'm nice to you again.” He mumbled as his own cheeks started to turn red.

“Here you go!” Tom said as he came up to their table and served them their orders. “One shepherd's pie and one plate of chicken and rice. Sorry for the delay but we have been a little busier than usual today. People are out and about wanting to gossip about Hogwarts and the chamber of secrets.”

“What?”

“Didn't you see today's Prophet? It's all anyone's been talking about today.”

“No, we haven't heard anything about that today,'' Tonks replied. “Do you happen to have an extra copy laying around?”

“Sure.” Tom reached over to an empty table and grabbed a left behind issue. As he handed the paper over the two occupants could see the day's headline “50 Year Old Hogwarts Murder Solved!”

—---
“I didn't think I would be saying this but I'm really happy we took on the Potter case. I've never received such quick responses before.” Farley said with a hint of amazement in her voice. “Just yesterday I sent out a cease and desist letter to a clothing company putting out an ad claiming that Harry Potter loved their scarves. I received a response this morning with an apology letter and a promise to put out a retraction to the ad as well as a large gift certificate for Mr. Potter.”

“If only all of our clients could receive the same amount of respect as Mr. Potter.” Howards agreed “How are the rest of his cases coming along?”

“Splendidly! I hear back from Mrs. Rollings the author of the “Adventures of Harry Potter” books today. She was under the impression that she shared the same legal firm with Mr. Potter and they had gotten his permission to publish said books. After receiving my letter she realized she had been lied to and changed firms. She is willing to discuss paying royalties for using his name and likeness.”

“I foresee quite the exodus from Mills, Lowback, & Nott as the news of Mr. Potter’s new legal representation spreads.” Howards said, a shark-like grin forming across his face.

“I wonder how many others will have similar stories?”

“I think the important question is how many will be willing to sue for false claims.”

The two continued to go through the list of cases including two more authors, a toy manufacturer, and multiple businesses claiming their product was Harry Potter approved. In most cases Farley was understandably still waiting on a reply.

“Have you heard back from Basil?” Farley asked, closing her notes.

“Not yet. I don’t expect to hear back from him until this evening. He has a few decades to sort through.”

“What about the class action? Has everyone responded?”

“Thankfully, yes. The Creeveys are completely on board. They had a very rough year. Their son was one of the first cases and getting updates was like pulling teeth. The problem was exaggerated by the fact that he was a first year and they didn't know what to expect. After not hearing from their son for 2 months they reached out to the headmaster who then told them of his petrification. If the Ministry didn't require muggle-borns to continue their education up to their OWLs once enrolled at Hogwarts they would pull him out. They considered letting the Ministry bind him but they have another child who is magical and the Ministry would want to bind him as well. They thought it would be cruel to bind both children.”

"What about the Grangers?"

“They were a little different.” Howards leaned back in his chair, his face turning into a grimace.

“Apparently the school never reached out to them and their daughter didn't tell them what happened when she returned. My letter was the first they heard of the events. I had a phone call with them this afternoon and they were very upset. For them, this is all new and the anger is fresh. They too wanted to pull their daughter out of Hogwarts and I had to explain to them that their memories would be altered and their child's magic bound. It was a very tough pill for them to swallow. Our group might be small but they will be passionate!”

He could feel the winds of change coming along. He hadn’t felt this hopeful since the mid-70’s. The last time they were able to push through any meaningful changes for muggle-borns, the purebloods had put on white masks and terrorized the country.

—----
Finishing up his letter to Hermione, Harry folded in the Prophet’s article.

Isabella Hardy had done a good job explaining to readers what happened. She started off explaining the mysterious death of Myrtle, the accusation brought against Hagrid and why, and then exposed Tom Riddle's actual involvement.

She explained his relationship to the Gaunt family, through them his connection to Slytherin, his ability to speak parseltongue, and the false image he portrayed to the school.

By the time she got to last semester's events even Harry was enthralled with the story. How far were they going to go with this? Would they name the students involved? Would they bring up the fact that Tom Riddle was actually Voldemort?

Isabel didn't actually name any of the students, she just identified them by year and house. Tonks explained that she wouldn't use their names because they were minors. However, Isabel did explain that Tom bespelled a student to help him release the basilisk once again, and that Harry Potter had helped track down and kill said creature at the end of the school year.

She then went on to tease an article next week in which they would explain more about the chamber and the basilisk that lived within.

Harry and Tonks spent the rest of their lunch discussing the article and what people were saying about it now that they were paying attention to conversations going on around them. The article also explained why the shops kept trying to talk them into using dragonhide.

Leaving the pub for the second time Tonks had cast a notice me not charm on Harry. They then headed to a clothing shop in Innovation Alley that mixed muggle and wizarding fashion.

There Harry was able to pick up some jeans, 2 hoodies with quidditch related designs, six solid t-shirts, a pair of trainers, and some much needed underwear.

After letting him browse for a bit, Tonks had pulled them over to a section of graphic tees. Harry wasn't familiar with most of the designs but Tonks assured him they were all very cool. He ended up getting a black shirt with the Hogwarts crest on the front, a purple shirt with a gold Weird Sister's logo because they were amazing according to Tonks, a shirt with a seeker named Victor Krum catching the snitch, and a shirt that said "I just have one of those faces".

The Catwalk was by far Harry's favorite shop of the day. He even got Hermione and Ron something. Hermione had a lavender shirt that said "I'm not addicted to reading! I will stop as soon as I finish the next chapter.”, and he picked up an extra Victor Krum shirt for Ron.

Harry would definitely call today a success.

Chapter Text

“So far your article seems to be a success”, Jupiter said.

“Yes, the aurors I had in the alley yesterday reported higher than usual traffic but no one seemed inclined to stir the pot or take further action. Everyone was out gossiping and trying to find a parent or a recent graduate to confirm the events” Amelia replied.

“My spies gave me a similar report”. Jupiter reached forward for the teapot to refill his cup.

“Parents on the other hand weren't happy. Glenda told me that the Board of Governors rep was flooded with letters and howlers all day”. Amelia shared a small smirk with her two compatriots.

The two directors had joined the Minister in his office for another early morning start.

“How is Lucius doing?” Jupiter asked while adding a cube of sugar to his cup.

“He's awake and refusing to speak to anyone except Lord Nott” Amelia said with a snort.

“I doubt he'll be seeing Lord Nott anytime soon with the way Lady Malfoy threw him out yesterday”

“How do you know about that?” Amelia asked “Were you spying on our interview?”

“Oh no, I didn't need to send in any spies. The whole office was a buzz with the newest gossip. Apparently some of your aurors were watching and thought it fun to share that bit of entertainment. Lord Nott is very prideful and I doubt he'll be making himself available to the Malfoys anytime soon. He'll want to punish them for the embarrassment. Especially when he finds out everyone knows of it.”

“The Potters’ will reading is today, isn't it?” Fudge asked changing the subject.

“Yes, I will be heading over in a few hours. Obviously I can't sit in on it, but hopefully they will have made a decision on guardianship. I also want to give Mr. Potter a heads up on what will be discussed during his relatives' trial. Quite a bit has come up during discovery.”

“You should also suggest that he name a proxy for his Wizengamot seats. I'm assuming the plan is to out the fact that Dumbledore was illegally claiming to be his guardian." Jupiter asked.

“It will be up to Mr. Potter to decide how much he wants the public to know about his personal life.”

“Be that as it may, the Wizengamot members will hear all about it at his relatives' trial. Have you decided how you're going to handle the call for revotes that are bound to happen?”

“What are you talking about?” Fudge said, almost jumping out of his seat.

“With Dumbledore illegally using the Potter's votes, any bill passed by one vote that he was in favor of will be called into question.”

His answer was met with heavy silence. The implication that laws that had been passed and enacted over the last 10 years could be invalidated and overturned was mind-boggling. The battles that would need to be refought and the cases retried would tie up the court for years.

“Why is it that the Potter case just gets bigger and bigger?” Fudge moaned into his hands.

“It's not that the Potter case is getting bigger, it's that he happened to fall through all of the cracks in our government and is now making us deal with them.” Amelia bit out with all the resentment of someone who had pointed out these issues before and had been ignored.

Taking a calming breath she continued. “I will reach out to Madam Longbottom and explain the situation to her. She can put together a small council to go through all of the legislation and find the ones that may become problematic. This way, when it comes out we will have answers and won't be blindsided.”

---------
“Morning Rebecca” Lois greeted her as she stepped out of the floo. “You are looking quite cheerful for this time of day.”

“We are finally reading the Potters’ wills today.”

“Ah yes. Hopefully that brings a little closure to that poor boy.” Lois said, rubbing her stomach.

“True, but Mark has been very tight-lipped about the wills and I'm curious to see what's in it. He has been off since he sent out the invitations. Especially after he asked Amelia Bones to come by and speak to us afterwards. I can only assume there's some issue with Mr. Potter's guardianship". She said with a small grimace.

Rebecca was starting to become quite fond of Harry Potter and wanted to see him find a safe and loving home.

“Not to mention once the wills are read I'll be able to deal with any outstanding contracts and go after anyone spreading libel about Mr. Potter or the Potter family. Goldfeather has hinted during our meetings that once the estate is settled I will have a number of cases to deal with.” She continued gaining back some of her cheerfulness.

“Is Mark in yet?”

“Yes, he got in about 20 minutes ago. He should be back in his office.”

“Thanks Lois, and could you please put in an order to Madam Jacqueline's for a dozen pastries and 2 pints of her medium roast coffee.” She asked on her way to her office.

-----

Harry clung on tighter to the figure in front of him as the motorcycle dived towards the ground. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the basilisk come to a halt and quickly change directions in a move reminiscent of a seeker chasing a snitch.

Harry trusted Hagrid but he wasn't confident his large friend would be able to out fly the basilisk. He had barely escaped the first time when he had been able to squeeze into tunnels the enormous serpent couldn't enter. There was no way they were going to escape while flying around on a slow motorcycle in the open air.

He had barely finished the thought before the huge fangs of the basilisk closed down on them.
____
Harry once again found himself waking from a heart pounding nightmare. This time his mind had meshed two reoccurring dreams together. He and Hagrid had been flying around on a motorcycle while being chased by a basilisk in the sky. The premise was ridiculous now that he was awake but he still had the sweat on his forehead to prove how terrifying it had been.

Casting a quick tempest he saw that he at least was able to sleep till 7:00 a.m. Considering the day ahead he figured he might as well get up and get a head start.

______
“That was anticlimactic” Farley said as Howards recounted Basil's letter to her. “I have to admit I was hoping for some good dirt on McGonagall. Not this average and somewhat sad report.”

Basil had sent over his dossier on Minerva McGonagall early this morning and it wasn’t the jucy read she had been expecting. McGonagall was a Scottish half-blood who had been raised by her mother in the magical world. She started Hogwarts in 47', was tapped as a perfect and later head girl, and graduated with 6 NEWTs.

A year later she entered into an apprenticeship with Euphemia Potter. After two years she attained Journeyman status, and 3 years after that sat for her mastery in 1960 at 23 yrs. She then joined a private research company that focused on experimental magic. That was also the year James Potter was born and she was asked to be his godmother.

In 1963 at the age of 26 she became engaged to Felix Ballentine. Unfortunately, he would be dead within the year under mysterious circumstances.

McGonagall took it hard. She quit her job and disappeared for a while. From what Basil could work out, she was staying with her mother. At some point Euphemia was able to coax her out and roped her into helping Euphemia with her research. The two would go on to co-author a number of articles for “The World Transformed” an internationally respected transfiguration journal. It was also during this period that McGonagall registered as an animagus with the ministry.

In 66’ Dumbledore asked her to join the Hogwarts staff and a year later she was the head of Griffendore. By 71’, James’s first year, she was no longer submitting works to be published and was deeply involved in the workings of Hogwarts. This led to her becoming the Deputy Headmaster in 75’. By all accounts, she was friends with Euphemia all of those years and was devastated when she died. The day news broke of the Potter’s murder, she was seen storming out of the great hall. There really wasn’t much to say about her after that.

“I agree, I don’t know where this leaves us with her. If there wasn’t a falling out with Euphemia or James, then why has she been so standoffish with Harry? The least she could have done was have tea with him once in a while and talk about his grandmother if not his father.” Howards said, notes of frustration entering his voice.

“I guess we will just have to ask her about it.”

—-

The Second Horizon occupants turned as the fire roared and auror Shacklebolt stepped out of the flames. He took a few steps to the right as he dusted himself off. A moment later the flames went up again and a figure in blue robes shot out and landed face first on the ground. Before anyone could walk over and check on them the flames ignited again and a third person came out. This time they could see it was a petite brunette woman before she too stumbled forward and fell on top of the person already on the ground.

“Ow!”

"What is going on? Is there something wrong with the floo?" Lois asked from behind her desk.

Auror Shacklebolt and Mark rushed forward to help the downed figures.

"No" Shacklebolt answered with a light chuckle as he helped the woman up. "It's just them. They have a... unique relationship with the floo system.”

“I think the floo hates me'' Harry grumbled.

Trying to suppress a giggle, Farley turned and led them into Howards’ office.

_____
After settling everyone with food and drink, Howards went over the schedule for the day, who replied to the summons, and answered any last questions Mr. Potter had, before putting in his own request.

“I would like you to consider having auror Shacklebolt and Tonks sit in on the reading. I hope I am wrong but I feel they might be needed at some point.”

“Concerned in what way? What kind of threat are we looking at?” Shacklebolt asked without a drop of his previous humor.

“I’m sorry, I can’t say for certain. Both because of my oath to not divulge certain parts of the will before the reading and because I’m really not sure what is going on. But it has to do with Black and what he did in the past.”

“In that case, I would like Tonks to stay close to Mr. Potter during the readings and I will stay in the back and keep an eye on everyone if that is ok with you Mr. Potter?”

After a few moments the child gave a slow nod. He was unusually pale and even quieter than usual this morning. Rebecca’s heart went out to him. She wasn’t the type to be overly affectionate but she itched to reach over and give him a hug.

With another thirty minutes to wait before their guest started to arrive, she asked for the aurors to step out as she updated him on the progress she had made with her cease and desist letters, and the discovery of his missing mail.

___
The first of the beneficiaries to arrive was Remus Lupin. The years had not been kind to him. He looked haggard and was graying prematurely. After introducing himself, he posted up in a corner.

Arriving shortly after him was Minerva McGonagall. She of course didn’t need any introductions either way. She took a quick survey of the room, gave a nod as if this was as expected, and headed over to join Remus.

Last to arrive was Lord Richard Ballentine. Taking a quick glance at McGonagall, she didn’t look surprised to see him. Richard Ballentine was the younger brother of Felix Ballentine and it was suspected he had something to do with his untimely death. Maybe one of Howards’ concerns was the interaction between the two. Considering the was McGonagall refused to even look at him, there was definitely bad blood between the two.

Lord Ballentine headed over to Mr. Potter and introduced himself personally. Giving them a few minutes to settle, Howards broke in.

“Now that everyone has arrived, we can commence reading the will of James Potter.” Howards announced, leading everyone into the conference room.

____
For the meeting Lois had rearranged the conference room. There was a medium sized circular table in the front which held the sealed will of James Potter, a wooden box, and a reviewer stand. A single chair sat behind it.

In front of it were five chairs lined up in a semicircle with two more behind them.

Howards walked up to the table as the rest of the group took their seats. Going from left to right was Tonks, Mr. Potter, McGonagall, Lupin, and Lord Ballentine.

Holding up the sealed envelope Howards read "This is the official and sealed will of James Richard Potter. Dated August 5th 1981."

Laying it back on the table, he broke the seal and watched as it glowed gold.

“I, James Richard Potter, of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, being of sound mind and body, declare this to be my last will and testament. I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me.

I appoint Sirius Orion Black as my personal representative to administer this will. If he is unable to serve, I then appoint the office of Mills, Lowback, and Nott to serve as my personal representative.

I direct my personal representative to pay out of my estate all of my personal and legal expenses. I have elected to give my bequests through reviewer. ”

Howards then pulled off a key attached to the document and opened the box on the table. Pulling out the reviewer, he placed it onto the stand, activated it, and moved to the open chair in the second row.
___

This was a first for Rebecca, she had never sat in on a magical will reading. As the reviewer activated, a holographic image of James Potter came out. The similarity between father and son was quite striking.

“To my wife Lady Lily Marie Potter, I leave our house in Godric’s Hollow, 200 gallons a month is to be deposited into her account, and the custody of my heir Harry James Potter. To whom I leave everything not mentioned in the following. All of which should be left in the care of Lily Potter until he comes of age.

I'm sorry I left you but you know I would do it again in a heartbeat if it kept the two of you safe. Remember what we talked about, after a respectable time of mourning, you know like 5 years,” He said with an exaggerated wink, “carry on with your life and be happy. Also, let the Marauders have at the prongslet every once in a while.

To Minerva McGonagal, l leave my mother's transfiguration journals. I hope you are able to finish your project Aunt Minni,” he said with a cheeky grin. "The journals are to be returned to the Potter family vault on her passing.

I also leave in her care my personal research into the animagus process. I've had a lot of time on my hands and I think I've come up with a faster way to achieve the transformation. I would appreciate it if you would give it a look over and have it published in the journals. I think you'll be quite proud Aunt Minni.

To Uncle Richard, I leave my 1925 Clean Sweep and my 1840 Comet. Maybe Harry will someday share our appreciation for broomsticks and you can introduce him to the broomstick club.

Goodness knows the little daredevil enjoys a good spin around the livingroom on his toy broomstick. I think he's already given me a gray hair or two". He said giving his head a little pat. “But at least I'll be young and beautiful forever right Padfoot?” He smirked as if he didn’t achieve this through death. He probably would have aged nicely, the handsome devil.

“To Sirius Black, I leave my half of our flat, my personal journals, you know what to do with them, and my Harley. Don't you dare do what you did to yours! It hasn't run the same sense!” he shouted with outrage.

“Look after my Lily love and prongslet, Padfoot. They are going to need you. I know it's scary but I need my brother to step up and look after them.” She heard a grunt come out of Lupin in the corner and couldn’t blame him.

“You once asked me if it was worth it, Yes, even now.” He said with a sharp little grin. Catching movement she saw Tonks put an arm around Harry. Good, the child could use some comfort and support. This would be hard for an adult, let alone a thirteen year old.

“To Remus Lupin, I leave 200,000g. No take backs Moony! Use the money when you need to and when this war is over, write that book you've been talking about.

Finally, to my friend Peter Pettigrew. If by some miracle you survived the attack, know that I forgive you. And I leave 100,000g and my shares of Zonkos. I know you held on to the secret as long as you could Wormtail.

However, it's more likely that you are up here with me. In which case, I would like to use that $100,000g to start a Peter Pettigrew scholarship for any Hogwarts student that needs an extra helping hand. The criteria for and selection of the students are to be made by Lily Potter and Minerva McGonagall.”

What! Did James Potter just imply that Pettigrew was the secret keeper, not Black? Did Black have a legitimate reason to go after him? At least keeping the aurors in the room was coming in handy. Taking a glance at Harry, she saw he had processed that bit as well. For someone so small and unassuming, he could be quite intimidating when he got angry. Speaking of angry, Lupin seemed to be so angry he was growling.

“Lastly to my heir, Harry James Potter, I leave my memory box. It is to be kept in the possession of my account manager Goldfeather and each orb is to be delivered on his birthday.

I love you all and hope you remember me fondly. But don’t forget to live your life. I’ll need some kind of entertainment up here.” With one more exaggerated wink, the hologram disappeared.

“While everyone is signing their acknowledgement of receipt, I would like to speak with aurors Kingsley and Tonks in my office. Rebecca, please stay with Mr. Potter.” Howards announced before heading out of the room..

Chapter Text

“My dad called you Uncle Richard, were you related to him?” Harry asked.

“I’m a pureblood, so yes we are distantly related,'' Richard said with a shrug. "However, Jamie was my godson. Fle and I were very close and I was honored when he asked me to be his son's godfather.”

“I can't wait until I get my extended family tree from Gringotts. Maybe I will be able to find some relatives that are willing to get to know me.” The child said with heartbreaking hope in his voice. Farley didn’t mean to eavesdrop but she didn’t know if she could trust Lord Ballentine with her client..

“We may not be closely related but I consider you family. If I could have gotten to know you sooner I would have. I wish Jamie had talked to me about what was going on”. He said with a grimace.

“When Lily got pregnant and they went into hiding, I thought they had given up fighting to focus on their family. If I had known that monster was after them I would have gathered you all up and dragged you out of the country. At the very least force them to stay at a better location. Yes, people knew where Potter Manor was but it also has thousands of years of defense built in. They could have even stayed at my family home. I don't know why they chose Godric’s Hollow but if I had known I would have talked them out of it.” He said, giving McGonagall a sharp look.

“But how didn’t you not know? I thought everyone knew he was after them?”

“Harry, I am one of the British delegates for the ICW, I spend most of my time out of the country. It was even worse back then because I was petitioning the ICW to get involved and help us suppress the Death Eaters. I guess my contacts didn't want me to worry or lose focus so they didn't tell me what was going on. Dumbledore has been made quite aware of how unimpressed I am of his handling of the situation.” He explained with a bite in his voice.

“What do you mean by Dumbledore's handling?”

“Albus Dumbledore was the leader of a vigilante group that your parents joined called the Order of the Phoenix. From my understanding it included many recent graduates and Hogwarts staff members. None of which are trained in combat or strategy.

He should have been recruiting from the vast pool of established wizards who have had time to hone their craft and earn masteries. Those are the types of people you send out in a fight to protect their country. That's what we did when we went against Grindelwald. Instead, he went after newly graduated teenagers who spent the last 7 years hanging on to their teachers' every word. The kind of people that wouldn't question being sent out on a suicide mission because their teacher told them to, or to hide their family in a small cottage and defend it with a single secret.

He also took charge of your guardianship after your parents passed. By the time I made it back, he and the Minister had already decided on the best guardians for you. They wouldn't hear of anyone else taking you but your muggle relatives. They wouldn't even allow anyone from the magical world to have contact with you.

Trust me Harry, I would have taken you in if I could. I most definitely would have been a part of your life much sooner if I had been allowed. I hope you will give me the chance to get to know you now.”

“I... Yes, I would like to get to know you as well. You seemed close to my father and it would be nice to hear some stories about him when he was a kid.” A small smile broke across the child’s face for the first time that day.

“I have a million and one stories about Jamie and I would be more than happy to share them with you. If you have time in the next few weeks I would love to invite you over and share some memories with you.”

“Yes, I would like that sir.”

“No need to call me sir, Richard will be just fine.”

“Excuse me Richard,” McGonagall said, coming up behind them. “I hate to interrupt but I need your help.”

“I'm sure Dumbledore will be back soon enough to help you with anything you might need.” He sneered.

“No Richard, that is what I need help with. Mr. Potter and I are... Harry and I, unfortunately, are not as close as I would have liked. Which I sincerely apologize for.” She said, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder. Looking back at Richard she continued "looking back at our last conversation, I don't know why it went the way it did. I agreed with you, at least I did when I sent you that letter. However, by the time we spoke, my feelings on the matter seemed to have changed without my consent." She said with a raised eyebrow.

“I see”. He turned back to Harry and crouched down so they were eye to eye. “It has been a pleasure to meet you Harry and I hope we can spend time together before you go back to school. Please know that if you ever need anything you can reach out to me and I will do all that I can to help. I also have an abundance of parchment and ink so I would be happy to reply to any correspondence you send me.” He gave Harry a little pat on the shoulder before heading out the door.

“I hope you won't mind if I reach out to you on matters not pertaining to school?” McGonagall asked with a hesitancy that Farley had never heard from her before.

“Yes, that would be okay professor.”

She gave a quick little nod before chasing after Richard.

—--
“Finally, to my friend Peter Pettigrew. If by some miracle you survived the attack, know that I forgive you. And I leave 100,000g and my shares of Zonkos. I know you held on to the secret as long as you could Wormtail.

However, it's more likely that you are up here with me. In which case, I would like to use that $100,000 to start a Peter Pettigrew scholarship for any Hogwarts student that needs an extra helping hand. The criteria for and selection of the students are to be made by Lily Potter and Minerva McGonagall.”

Amelia watched as the image of James Potter was sucked back into the orb.

“I have to agree with you, he does seem to imply that Pettigrew was the secret keeper. This could explain why Black went after him but it doesn't excuse the fact that he killed the man and 13 innocent muggles.”

“What if he didn't do it?” Howards asked

“What do you mean, didn't do it?” Tonks asked leaning in.

“The reason I invited you to join us after the reading Madame Bones is because I noticed an anomaly as I was mailing out the reading invitations. There were a few names grayed out but there was one that should have been gray and wasn't. Howards reached into his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment and laid it out in front of the aurors.

Peter Pettigrew's name was still black on the list of recipients.

_____

The next to arrive was Augusta Longbottom and her grandson Neville, who was named in Lily Potter’s will. After an introduction from Howards, the two made a beeline for Mr. Potter and Tonks. Rebecca was relieved that the two seemed friendly. Hopefully they would be able to distract Mr. Potter a little before the next reading.

Seeing her opportunity, Farley walked over to Howards to ask him about his meeting with Madam Bones. “What happened? Does Madam Bones also think Pettigrew was the secret keeper?”

“She is open to the possibility. Between Potter senior’s statement and another matter I brought to her attention, she is considering reopening the case. She and Shacklebolt are going over a few more details before he joins us for the second reading.”

------
Farley entered the conference room for the second time that day. In front of her this time were Tonks, Mr. Potter, Neville Longbottom, Madame longbottom, and Lupin.

Howards walked to the front and settled in to start the reading of Lily Potter.

The image of a beautiful young witch with fiery red hair that flowed down her back in waves and piercing emerald eyes appeared.

“I, Lily Marie Potter née Evens, of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, being of sound mind and body, declare this to be my last will and testament. I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me.

I appoint Sirius Orion Black as my personal representative to administer this will. If he is unable to serve, I then appoint the office of Mills, Lowback, and Nott to serve as my personal representative.

I direct my personal representative to pay out of my estate all of my personal and legal expenses. I have elected to give my bequests through reviewer. ”

Howards pulled out another key and activated the reviewer then moved to the open chair in the second row.

“I doubt you're sitting out there watching this James, but if you are, you had better not be feeling guilty. Whatever happened I'm sure you did all you could to protect me.

To my husband, Lord James Richard Potter, I leave the custody of my heir Harry James Potter and all of my possessions not mentioned in the following.

In the likelihood that he is unavailable, I leave custody of my heir to Lady Alice Longbottom. If she is unable to fulfill this duty his custody is to go to Sirius Black. If he is unable or unwilling to fulfill this duty please consult the list of guardians in the attached document.

To Sirius Black, I leave wisdom. It was not your fault and we were not your responsibility. Forgive yourself and live your life to the best of your ability. The only thing I will hold you accountable for is looking after Harry in whatever way you can. Make sure that he knows he is loved. Also, don't get him into too much trouble. I will be watching!” Farley could see where Harry got his scariness from. Until that point Lily was as light and friendly as any 20-year-old but the warning in her voice should definitely have been taken seriously.

“To my birthing buddy, Lady Alice Longbottom, I leave the three most obscure books I could find on defensive magic in the Potter library. I hope they help you on your quest to be the scariest female auror in history” she said with a little giggle reverting back to the light 20-year-old. “These books are to be returned to the Potter family upon her passing.” Farley saw the younger Longbottom give a little shudder at that.

“To my friend Remus Lupin, I know James already left you more than you probably feel comfortable with, so I will help you with the research side of things. When this war is finally over Moony settle down and write that amazing defense book. To help, I have left you a trunk full of books for your research. Goldfeather will be able to retrieve it from our vault. The list of books have been noted and are to be returned to the Potter family upon his passing.

To my godson Neville Longbottom, I leave an open invitation to visit the Aberdeen greenhouse. I told my friend Felicia about Neville's fascination with plants and she was ecstatic to help nurture it.

I also gift you a lifetime membership to Britain's national greenhouse. Alice, I would wait a few years before I brought Harry along. We wouldn't want a repeat of the garden incident. However, it will be a great story to share with the boys someday. Harry forcing Neville into his first bout of accidental magic by threatening to eat one of his precious flowers should bring a few laughs and embarrass the boys a little." She said with a little smirk. Madame Longbottom seemed startled and was looking her grandson up and down.

The Aberdeen's ran the biggest greenhouse in the UK and were the suppliers for many apothecaries. If Neville was still interested in herbology, this would be a great opportunity for him. Maybe he had outgrown his interest and Madame Longbottom was trying to assess if he would be willing to take it up again.

To my heir, my son, my reason for being, I leave a box of memories to be given out on the noted days. Goldfeather will be in charge of their distribution.”

Taking a final breath, she ended with “I will be watching over you all and I hope you remember me fondly. Look after each other, and no matter how long this war takes, don’t forget to find moments of happiness when you can.” With that the image returned to the orb.

In the silence Farley heard the sniffling of the two young boys in front of her.

____

Farley noted the two boys talking as she helped Madame Longbottom sign her grandson’ document of receipt. With that taken care of she made her way over to them.

“Rebecca, please make copies of the relevant documents for Gringotts while I see the Longbottoms off.” Howards asked, as he made his way to the talking group.

The boys gave each other an awkward handshake and then the Longbottoms were off to the floo.

Seeing Mr.Potter free, Lupin wandered over to him and Farley inched a little closer to keep an eye on things. “It was nice seeing you again Harry, despite the circumstances. I have been asked to be this year’s Defense professor. Please feel free to stop by my office with any question you have about school or your parents, and I will try to answer to the best of my ability.” with that he left. What a strange man. For someone so personable, James Potter kept very awkward company.

“How are you Mr. Potter?” The child looked even paler than he did when he fell in that morning.

“Honestly, I’ve been better but it was kind of nice to see and hear my parents. I have a few pictures of them but I don’t remember their voices.” He said, his voice breaking towards the end. “Do you know what happened to their house in Godric’s Hollow?”
“Not legally. I know it has been turned into a memorial site but I’m not sure if it was legally declared that or if it was just happenstance since people wanted to give their respects to your family. I will look into it for you.

If you would like, I can also make you a copy of the reviewers. Considering the wills should have been enacted years ago, I’m sure Goldfeather will have a few more waiting for you after I give him their requests.”

“You're right! Thanks for reminding me Miss Farley.” He said, a little excitement breaking through the gloom.

“Now how about we order lunch and then we can reevaluate if you are up to giving that interview.” she said, leading him out into the mail office to join Howards and Tonks as Shacklebolt trailed after them.

—---
“Please tell me you came with an answer to the Potter guardianship,'' Fudge said, leaning back into his chair and rubbing his forehead.

“Unfortunately, they are still deciding on that.” Amelia answered, looking just as stressed as the Minister.” No, I have found more mismanagement and scandal for us to deal with.”

“What has happened now? Did something happen at the reading?” Jupiter asked.

“Apparently Howards invited me to the reading not to disclose a new guardian but to inform me of some concerning new evidence in the Black case.”

Fudge snorted “Case, what case? Apparently there wasn't a case for Sirius Black. My contacts just informed me that Black was never given a trial. He was arrested, put into a holding cell, and within a few hours sent off to Azkaban.” Looking a little guilty he continued “The Minister wanted to seem as if she were doing something so decided to declare Black guilty without a trial. She thought this would calm the public and give the ministry a quick win against the dark. Dumbledore and Crouch signed off on it and only a few people were made aware of the lack of trial.”

Jupiter sucked in a breath preparing to go on a tirade when Amelia cut in with her news.

“That aligns with my new information. It would seem that Peter Pettigrew was the Potter's secret keeper and that he is still alive.”

“What!” Exclaimed the two men in the room.

“This is why Howards invited me to the reading. He realized something strange was going on when Pettigrew was still invited to the reading. Peter Pettigrew was still listed as an active recipient on James Potter's will. He also named Pettigrew as his secret keeper during the reading.”

“You’re telling us Black didn’t kill Pettigrew and may have been innocent all along?” Fudge asked.

“He may not have killed Pettigrew but there are still 13 muggles dead.” Amelia growled out. “Having a reason to go after Pettigrew does not excuse their deaths.”

“You're right Amelia, I hate to say this but I think we're going to have to open up an investigation into the Sirius Black case from the beginning.” Fudge moaned into his hands.

“I think the quickest way to get this done is to openly state that we are investigating the case and ask Black to come in.” Amelia continued.

“I doubt Black will turn himself over to the ministry but he may be willing to talk to you if a third party is involved. We might be able to ask the goblins to be a neutral third party for us.” Jupiter suggested.

The three of them continued to discuss the pros and cons of involving Gringotts and what steps needed to be taken to reopen the case.

Chapter Text

Recap from last ch.

“Please tell me you came with an answer to the Potter guardianship,'' Fudge said, leaning back into his chair and rubbing his forehead.

“Unfortunately, they are still deciding on that.” Amelia answered, looking just as stressed as The Minister. “No, I have found more mismanagement and scandal for us to deal with.”

“What has happened now? Did something happen at the reading?” Jupiter asked.

“Apparently Howards invited me to the reading not to disclose a new guardian but inform me of some concerning new evidence in the Black case.”

Fudge snorted, “Case, what case? Apparently there wasn't a case for Sirius Black. My contacts just informed me that Black was never given a trial. He was arrested, put into a holding cell, and within a few hours sent off to Azkaban.” Looking a little guilty he continued, "The Minister wanted to seem as if she were doing something, so decided to declare Black guilty without a trial. She thought this would calm the public and give the ministry a quick win against the dark. Dumbledore and Crouch signed off on it and only a few people were made aware of the lack of trial.”

Jupiter sucked in a breath preparing to go on a tirade when Amelia cut in with her news.

“That aligns with my new information. It would seem that Peter Pettigrew was the Potter's secret keeper and that he is still alive.”

“What!” Exclaimed the two men in the room.

“Peter Pettigrew was still listed as an active recipient on James Potter's will. He also named Pettigrew as his secret keeper. This is why Howards invited me to the reading. He realized something strange was going on when Pettigrew was still invited to the reading.”

“You're telling us Black didn't kill Pettigrew and may have been innocent all along?” Fudge whispered.

“He may not have killed Pettigrew but there are still 13 muggles dead.” Amelia growled out. “Having a reason to go after Pettigrew does not excuse their deaths.”

“You're right Amelia, I hate to say this but I think we're going to have to open up an investigation into the Sirius Black case from the beginning.” Fudge moaned.

“I think the quickest way to get this done is to openly state that we are investigating the case and ask Black to come in.” she responded.

“I doubt Black will turn himself over to the ministry but he may be willing to talk to you if a third party is involved. We might be able to ask the goblins to be a neutral third party for us.” Jupiter suggested.

The three of them continued to discuss the pros and cons of involving Gringotts and what steps needed to be taken to reopen the case.

--------
With everything hashed out and the meeting about to end Amelia decided to give them one good bit of news.

“Glenda has worked with the board and they have agreed to finance mind healers coming to the school to see the students most affected. They will also make themselves available to the student body.” she said.

“Well, that's a bit of good news.” Fudge said easing back into his chair.

-+-----

Harry sat in his room at the Cauldron thinking about the day's events as Hedwig groomed his hair. Ron thought it was weird but Harry always found it soothing when she did it, and he could use a bit of comfort right now.

Sure he had always missed his parents but it was hard to miss someone you didn't know. Now that he had heard their voices, seen them interacting with people, and been reassured of their love, the pain was sharper. He had assumed they loved him if they were willing to die for him but to have them declare it was a confusing jumble of comfort and pain.

It would take a while for his emotions to settle and dull again. To take his mind off of those complicated feelings he switched gears to Richard.

He was hopeful about him. His father seemed very fond of Richard and Harry felt like he was being sincere when they spoke after the meeting. He really wanted to hear stories about his father growing up and what his grandparents had been like. He would test the waters and write a short letter to Richard in the morning.

After that he would have to write a letter to Goldfeather about the Potter accounts. Farley had asked him to have an audit run starting a year before his parents died. She wanted to make sure there had not been any unauthorized charges and wanted to see if Mills, Lowback, and Nott had been on retainer all these years.

She also wanted Goldfeather to check into any active contracts the Potters have and any that expired after his father's passing.

He had also received the good news that they had found his mail. Apparently he had multiple mailboxes at the Ministry of Magic containing thousands of letters and packages for him. He had no idea how he was going to deal with that.

To top everything off he was nervous about the interview that would come out tomorrow. He had pulled himself together to get it done after lunch but he didn’t know how he felt about it. Farley had sent him the questions to prepare but his head wasn’t really in it. However, everyone had assured him afterwards that he did a good job. They had been straight with him so far so he was going to trust them.

Harry spent the rest of the evening trying to settle his emotions and trying to figure out what his next steps should be.

---

Cornelius looked over at the sound of the floo being activated.” Please don't let this be anything connected to Potter again.” He muttered walking over.

That was the best he could ask for because anybody trying to contact him this late would have nothing good to say.

“I guess I should have been more specific,'' he said reading the location. Supreme Mugwump office of the ICW. “I should have included Dumbledore in that request.”

Taking a deep breath he prepared himself to deal with whatever unpleasantness Albus had to offer at this hour. "Albus!” He greeted with fake enthusiasm. “What can I do for you this fine evening?”

The man in question greeted him with his fake disappointed grandfatherly act and jumped right to the point.

”Cornelius my boy, I am very concerned about this article I received from the Daily Prophet. I'm sure you've seen the article about the happenings from last semester. You must have your hands full trying to set the record straight and explain why certain steps were necessary. I just wanted to give you a bit of advice.”

“Oh yes Albus, I've been so busy over here dealing with the fallout. If only the ICW didn't have to call you away. I've been hoping to get some time with you and ask your advice. What do you think I should do?” Cornelius answered with his usual bit of simpering that was usually enough to stroke the old snake’s ego and get answers out of him.

“Of course my boy I'm always here when you need me. I think you should reach out to the editor and advise him to keep an eye on this reporter. I would also make a few statements about how none of the students had any lasting damage and that the beast was caught and killed.

But the more important matter is how they stumbled upon the story in the first place. It wasn't just some student or parent reaching out to the paper. There was a lot of background information from the past and way too many details about what happened during the term. I think you should have the editor question the reporter on her sources.” he said losing his façade.

“Oh I'm already ahead of you on that Albus. Apparently Amelia Bones heard about what happened from her niece and started looking into the situation. She made enough waves to attract a reporter and here we are.” Cornelius answered hoping that would stop any more digging.

“I see,” Dumbledore said, dropping the grandfatherly act for a second time. Regrouping he continued, “then I advise you to keep a better watch on Bones. If she keeps digging into things like this she could be a problem in the future. It seems to me as if she is trying to stir up trouble for you. She isn't usually very political but she seems to be setting herself up to be a contender in the next election. I would be wary of her, my boy.”.

“I think” he continued, “you should start looking into her before she truly strikes against you. It's always good to know who your competition may be.”

“Oh yes Albus, I hadn't thought of that. I'll start looking into her right away. I thought she was just concerned for her niece but now that you pointed it out, obviously she is trying to sully my name.” Cornelius responded, trying to sound contrite.

Dumbledore peered at him over his glasses as if to check for his sincerity, gave a quick nod and then smiled. “Then I'll leave it in your capable hands my boy. Now, has there been any updates on the Black case?”

“No, unfortunately we have not caught Black or had any real updates on his location.” Cornelius answered honestly.

“And Mr. Potter? Has anything else come up with him?”

Shifting around to make himself look guilty as he would have had Amelia not talked some sense into him. Cornelius answered `''No.”

Giving it a second to settle he continued “I have not heard of any problems arising from The Cauldron or Potter. Should I be keeping a closer watch on him? I guess I could send some aurors down there to babysit him.” Cornelius continued as if he had just come up with a brilliant idea.

“Oh no need for that Cornelius. I'm sure Mr. Potter is doing just fine.” Dumbledore assured him, looking satisfied that Cornelius had not taken any particular interest into the boy.

“Now you must excuse me I should be getting back to ICW business. Don't hesitate to contact me if you find out anything concerning Bones or her investigation into last year.”

“Of course Albus! Thank you again for the advice. I'll have someone looking into Bones right away.” and with that the floo connection shut down.

Chapter Text

“I plan to bring Malfoy in for interrogation this afternoon,” Jupiter told Amelia as he sat down in front of her desk.

“Is St. Mungo's officially releasing him or are you just taking him off their hands?” She asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Do you care either way?”

“No, not in my official capacity. The prisoner Lucius Malfoy has been officially given over to the Department of Mysteries until further notice. Once they have obtained a full list of his crimes he can be given back to the DMLE for judgment and punishment.”

“What about you, what's on your agenda for today?”

"I have a meeting with Madam Longbottom to set up a committee to review the cases of those sent to Azkaban between 1980 - 83. Many of those trials were just for show and not everyone had the opportunity to defend themselves. Some of the lower death eaters were even tried as groups." She said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“You had better tie everyone up with secrecy spells from the start. When it gets out it's going to cause a stir. The only thing you can do is mitigate the damage and keep it from leaking too soon.”

"Sure, a stir" she said sarcastically. "The only good thing I can say about the situation is that the majority of these trials were held by a small number of people and they can all deal with the backlash of their choices. I have no problem hanging them out to dry."

Changing the topic she continued, “I spoke to Lord Davies yesterday about going over laws that had been passed by one vote that the Potter votes have been attached to.”

"Yes, Lord Davies was a good choice." Jupiter agreed. "As far as I know he's neither a follower of Dumbledore nor Riddle. Hopefully that will allow him to make more objective decisions."

“Now, if there aren't any more updates, what did you need my help with?” he asked.

Opening her desk Amelia pulled out two letters and handed them over. "This last week has been chaotic and it all started with a letter. With everything that has happened I can't help wondering who exactly this concerned citizen is. The letters are about two very different topics and the tone also differs as well, but the handwriting is similar and both are signed by a concerned citizen."

Jupiter took a minute to read through both letters before answering. “Yes, I see what you mean. Both seem innocent enough but the fallout from them has been massive. Whoever wrote these wanted us to go digging for ourselves. The question is, was this the end goal or were we being tested for something bigger?”

“Please don't let it be something bigger! I think we've had enough revelations this year. Can't we save some dirty secrets for next year”? She pleaded.

“Don't worry my dear, there are always more dirty secrets to be dug up,'' he answered with a chuckle.

“If you don't mind, I'll take these with me and try to track down their owner.”

“I would appreciate that, and I will let you know if I receive any more eye twitching letters.”

—---

“Potter Breaks His Silence”

After so many years leaving us wondering, I was able to snag an exclusive interview with Harry Potter and his representatives from Second Horizon.

Q: Tell us about your childhood, where did you grow up?

Harry Potter: I was placed with my muggle relatives and didn't know about the wizarding world growing up.

Q: That must have been awful to find out this was kept from you.

HP: Yes, finding out about the wizarding world was amazing but I wish I had the opportunity to have grown up in both worlds.

Harry sat at the table in his room eating breakfast and looking over his copy of the day’s Daily Prophet. It wasn’t bad but he came off a little stiff. However, he couldn’t complain considering all of the emotions he had been trying to hide. He appreciated the format June decided to go with. It probably hid a lot of the awkwardness and allowed the reader to see his actual response instead of a jazzed up summary that some of the other reporters did.

June Fairweather had interviewed him independently and sold the interview to the Daily Prophet and internationally Wich Weekly. Farley said that this was the most press he had gotten since November of 81’.

As far as he could tell she had kept her promise and had not changed or exaggerated anything he said. The interview had covered everything from finding out he was a wizard, to how he felt about his fame, his favorite subjects and activities at school, and how the events of last year went down from his perspective.

He had been weary of bringing up his parseltongue abilities but Farley said that it would come up again when they went down to the chamber and it was better for people to hear about it from him then some reporter trying to cause a stir.

It also allowed him to point out how narrow-minded people were without coming across as accusatory. Adults could point at the children at school and say how dumb they were acting without having to self-reflect about it.

Harry hoped it didn't backfire once he got back to Hogwarts. He wouldn't be surprised if he was met with anger that he let the world know how they had acted last year.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at his door.

"Up and at em Hair-Bear!" That wasn't really a password but nobody else was calling him Hair-Bear but Tonks.

Letting the two aurors in he asked if they noticed people's reaction to the Prophet?

“They're even more in a tizzy than they were over the Chamber article. I even saw a few groups of people at the Ministry gathered around talking about it. Honestly, Hair-bear I think you might want to keep a low profile today.” Tonks said.

With a huff Harry sat down. “Right, I'd rather not be mobbed today over this.”

“So, Kings and I were talking and we came up with a brilliant idea!”

“What is this brilliant idea?” He asked suspiciously.

“We are going to play tourists today!”

“What?”

“Well, I'm going to take a guess and say you haven't been around London before. So we're going to take you sightseeing the muggle away. We will get some tickets for those hop-on hop off buses and let it take us around the city. They will tell us the muggle history and Kings and I will tell you the magical history. What do you think?”

“Actually, that is a brilliant idea Tonks!” Harry said, getting excited. “I could actually use a break from the magical world. And I've always wanted to see Shakespeare's Globe theatre. My aunt was obsessed with theatre for a while and I learned a lot about him.”

“Then it’s settled, we will be Tourist for the day."

—-

Howards looked up at the knock on his open door to see Farley striding in.

“How did the meeting go?" she asked, taking a seat.

“It went how I expected. They all had different levels of knowledge about the situation and the wizarding world. So I decided to take it from the top and explain the full events of the term and why exactly they shouldn't take their children out of Hogwarts.” Howards explained leaning back into his chair and massaging his temples.

“Most of it wasn't new information considering I explained most of this in my original letters to them, but having another set of parents to commiserate with and see how it might have been worse for their child brought them together as a group. By the time I was done speaking they seemed to have turned into a support group and were discussing the pros and cons of the suit and what they would like to ask for.”

“So they have all agreed to join the suit?”

“Yes, they have all formally joined the suit.” He said with a smile breaking across his face. “You know these cases are usually an uphill battle with very little reward at the end. However,” he said with his smile turning sharp, “I do believe this battle will be on more even ground and I don't plan on taking any prisoners. It's time our enemies bloody the waters a little.”

“So ... I see we've been reading Tolkien again.” Farley said with a giggle.

Howards couldn't help but give in to his own laughter. “You know it helps me get into a good headspace when going against powerful entities. But seriously, I think this time will be different. We have a heavy hitter attached to this case and public opinion is in our favor right now.”

Chapter Text

"I expected better of you Arthur. You found out that Voldemort almost came back and didn't inform me? And didn't even take your daughter to St. Mungo's to be checked out after being possessed? What were you thinking?"

Amelia had barely let the father and daughter duo sit before she started in on them. It had been a trying week and she did not have the energy to spare coddling them.

Whether he was surprised by her knowledge of the situation or her reprimand for not having his daughter receive the medical attention the situation deserved, the man looked shocked at her statement.

After fumbling with his words he finally settled on "Did Albus talk to you?"

"No Arthur, neither you nor Albus spoke to me and that is the problem. Children in the castle were being petrified and the DOM was not notified. An extremely dangerous creature was found in the castle and the DOM was not notified. Your daughter was possessed by the spirit of the Dark Lord and the DOM was not notified!

I would have expected you to come to me as a colleague, a concerned parent, or even a friend. My Susan goes to that school Arthur! She could have easily been in your daughter's position."

She stopped to take a few breaths and calm herself. It would not do to take out all of her frustration on the man. Especially not in front of his daughter who had become extremely pale with the revelation of Amelia's knowledge.

Feeling more in control Amelia turned to the young girl. "Ms. Weasley, I know you have had a rough year but I am going to ask you to be brave and tell me what happened." She turned to Arthur for his permission before taking out a reviewer and placing it on the table.

The girl seemed to struggle with what to do before turning to her father who placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a nod.

A look of determination came across her face as she started her tale. "When we got home from shopping for our school supplies, I noticed an extra book. It was a small black book with the name Tom Marvolo Riddle on the cover...."

—------

As Harry and his guards walked to Gringotts, he noticed that the alley was the busiest it had been since he had started living at the Cauldron.

The streets were packed with people hurrying about with their arms full. However, when they caught sight of him they would slow down and stare, but maintain their distance. Some would turn to their neighbor and whisper and others would give him a small wave in greeting.

Obviously this new attention was from his interview but he appreciated that they were keeping their distance whether they approved of him or not. He guessed they took into consideration his first time coming to the alley and being mobbed.

Turning to his guards he asked 'I know why they're all looking at me but why are the alleys so busy right now? I haven't received my Hogwarts letter yet."

"You must not have read the Prophet this morning, '' Kingsley answered. "By early evening everyone had either read the interview or got the highlights through the wireless. Shop owners were pulling goods labeled as Harry Potter approved or recommended by the afternoon and by the end of the day aurors had to break up a group of angry clients outside of Mills, Lowback and Nott." A small smirk formed on his face at this last statement.

"Most of them being clients who had been told that since they shared a legal firm that they had been able to get approval for their endorsements through the law firm. Others that had simply acquired their services based on the fact that they represented you were sending out owls to fire them.

On the other side of things, were the people returning goods that were Harry Potter endorsed. The crowds were less angry but still very disruptive. The ministry has sent out aurors to patrol the streets and keep the peace for the next few days until things settle down.”

—---

Amelia tried to keep her expression neutral but she was quite displeased with one Ginevra Weasley. The girl had realized the book was dangerous and instead of bringing it to a teacher or even letting her family know, she had tried to cover everything up.

She had run the gamut of trying to dispose of it to stealing it back from Harry Potter. All while her fellow students were being attacked. Any one of those incidents could have turned deadly and she would have had a hand in it.

Arthur on the other hand was not faring quite so well. Amelia could honestly say she had never seen the man look quite so angry. He was usually mild-mannered and took everything in stride. However, his daughter's actions over the last year seemed to have been too much for him.

"Ginny, your mother and I were under the impression that the book compelled you to write in it and you were unaware of the damage it could be doing. But you knew from the start that something was not right. You waking up with blood on your hands surrounded by dead roosters should have had you running to McGonagall or at least letting one of your brothers know.

However you brushed that aside, continued to dismiss your missing time, tried to get rid of the book and then stole it back when you thought it could be linked back to you, and the only reason we know any of this happened was because you almost died. You saw your yearmate end up in the hospital, saw Percy's distress over his girlfriend, and Ron followed suit over Hermione, and you still said nothing?" The man exclaimed, his voice had risen as he continued to question his daughter.

"But Dad, I didn't really know what was happening. Not until it was too late." The girl tried to explain. Her eyes welled with tears.

“It only became too late Ginny because you said nothing in all the months leading up to it. Why did you let it continue so long?”

"I'm sorry Daddy! Tom was just so nice. He made me feel special. I didn't know he was making me hurt people. Then when I started to question things he got mean and said that I would get in trouble. That I would be expelled and maybe end up in Azkaban. I didn't know what else to do." The tears were rolling down her cheeks by the end of her explanation.

Yet both Arthur and Amelia were unmoved. To save herself from getting into trouble she allowed her fellow classmates and friends of her brothers to be hurt.

Not knowing what to say to his daughter Arthur turned to Amelia. "I swear I did not know any of this Amelia. When Albus explained things too Molly and I, Ginny was purely the victim. She made the unwise decision to write in a book that responded and she became entrapped. We did not hear any of this during that meeting" He said side-eyeing his daughter.

“Are you going to arrest me?” Ginny questioned, still focused on the consequences of her actions.

Annoyed, Amelia answered. “No Ms. Weasley, you will not be arrested. However, we will have to review the situation and there will be consequences for your actions. In the meantime,” she said, now turning to Arthur, “I suggest you take your daughter to St. Mungo’s to see a mind healer. Who knows what being under the influence of Voldemort's spirit did to her mind. It will also help us decide what type of punishment she will receive.”

“I understand Amelia, thank you.” Giving a final nod he stood up, collected his crying daughter, and left the office.

—--

Farley stepped out of the floo and into an owlery. The office was covered with post owls perched on any available surface while other owls flew in and out. Walking fully into the office and taking a spin around she noticed Lois and two other solicitors running about.

"Lois, what is going on in here!"

"These are all owls concerning Mr. Potter. They started coming in last evening and when I got here the office was full of them. I've been taking the letters and sending them on their way to clear out the office. Please start grabbing owls and stacking up the letters.”

—
Harry got comfortable as Goldfeather opened the file at the top of his stack. Kingsley and Tonks were allowed to follow him down to Goldfeather's office but were made to stand outside of the door for privacy.

"With your parent's wills enacted you have officially become the Potter Lord apparent. According to ministry law you cannot take up the lordship until you are 15 and have passed your OWLs. However, in the meantime you may appoint a regent to represent your family in your stead. I have already set an appointment with Ms. Farley to go over any outstanding obligations to and for the Potter family" Goldfeather explained.

Harry wasn't surprised by the announcement. The books he got from the library had given him a basic understanding of how the Lord system worked. He was relieved he would have a few more years to figure things out before he took it up.

Continuing, Goldfeather said "you are also now the Lord apparent of the Fleamont family. Of which you are also the last member. The title was passed on to your father who never claimed it and it has now passed on to you. Again, you will not be able to take up the lordship until you are 15 and have passed your OWLs. The title comes with the gold previously stated, three patents, and a number of contracts that have been waiting for renewal for the last 19 years."

Now that was a little unexpected. Harry had assumed there was only gold attached to that lordship and he would be able to absorb the Fleamont family into the Potter family.

"What contracts need to be renewed?"

"The Fleamonts created three medical potions and have maintained their patent on them for the last hundred years. The contracts are with hospitals around the world."

Hospitals around the world were waiting on a contract renewal to be able to treat patients! His family was holding up people getting better?

"Is it possible for me to renew these contracts before I take up the lordship? I can't imagine the number of people who have gone untreated because of this."

Noticing the boy's distress Goldfeather clarified "The potions are not the only treatment developed for those problems. Maybe they were when they were first created, now they're simply an alternative option."

Going back to Harry's question he explained "As the heir you can renew contracts but you cannot create new ones. I will add these to the list to be discussed with Ms. Farley."

Relief washed through Harry with the knowledge that he was not stopping people from getting treatment and that he could renew the contracts.

"Next are your newly obtained Lordships. Since the Slytherin and Gryffindor Lordships were established before the Council of Magic was formed, they are grandfathered in with their personal charters. Which means that you are able to take up the lordship at this time.
As discussed, neither comes with any monetary attachments but combined you now own 50% of Hogwarts."

Harry hadn't given this topic much thought since the last time he was here. The thought of taking up the lordships of such renowned families let alone owning Hogwarts was too much to process with everything else going on.

"I will let your solicitors go over exactly what rights and responsibilities you now have." Goldfeather said closing that folder and opening another.

"This last lordship has been passed down through your family for generations without claim. You are now the Lord apparent of the Paverell family. They are also an old family who were grandfathered in with their charter. Meaning you are able to claim the lordship at this time if you so choose."

Harry was confused, why had his family passed on taking up the lordship for generations? There must be something he was missing.

"Do you know why they would leave the lordship unclaimed?"

Goldfeather considered the question before answering "The Peverells have a very complicated history. If you are familiar with the story of the Tales of Beedle the Bard, this is the same family the brothers belong to. They were a powerful family that had a lot of dark dealings in the past. If I were to guess, I would say your family did not want to take on that burden."

That made sense. Harry wasn't familiar with the story Goldfeather was talking about but he could understand his family's reluctance to tie themselves to a dark family and have to clean up their mess. Harry already had the Slytherin lordship to deal with; he didn't need to take on any other questionable families.

"Last but not least is the Harry Potter vault."

What the heck was the Harry Potter vault? Looking through the paperwork he had received last time, all the vaults were associated with the Potter family. Even his personal vault was still called the Potter heir vault.

"This vault was created in your name as a number of people named you as a beneficiary in their will. For a time, it was popular to leave a small amount of gold in appreciation to Harry Potter in one's will. As of now the vault has roughly 20,000 galleons."

Harry resisted the urge to slam his face into his hands. He understood that people appreciated that the war was over and that their families were safe once again, but he didn't know how to accept that appreciation. He didn't remember that night and he doubted he did anything special to survive it. It was awkward to accept gratitude for something he didn't remember doing.

"Would you like to transfer the money into your account or leave it as is? Do be aware that the vault is classified as a standard account and is receiving regular security and maintenance fees."

Harry wasn't sure what that meant but it had been sitting there for the last 10 years and it could wait a few more days.

"Do you have any questions?"

"No sir, I think I understand the basics and any other questions can be directed towards my solicitors."

"In that case, I will send you along to Aurora for your follow-up appointment."

"Thank you master Goldfeather. May your gold flow and your enemies weep." Harry said, standing up and collecting his files.

Chapter Text

As Harry laid on the hospital bed and Aurora walked around him chanting, he tried to memorize the phrase she kept repeating almost as if it were the chorus to a song. She would then say a new phrase as if it were the verse of a song and a different stone would light up. But she would always go back to “the chorus". He was hoping to learn some healing magic in case he was forced to return to the Dursleys but he wasn’t sure this would work for him. The language was so very different from English and if he had learned one thing from last year, it was that a miscast spell could do a lot of damage.

He had planned on asking Aurora about her magic when he came for his follow up, but he had forgotten how stern she was. McGonagall had nothing on her. Aurora had allowed Kingsley and Tonks to look through the room before stationing them outside and closing the door. Then she waved him to the bed where everything was already set up for him. He had barely sat down before she started shooting questions at him about his consistency with the potions, the effects he had noticed, and any other medical concerns that might have been missed.

When he said no, she gave him a sharp look and asked about his glasses. He explained how his aunt grabbed the pair from a bin but that they worked just fine for him. From the snort she gave, Harry didn’t think she believed him. He turned his focus to the present as the chanting came to an end.

“The potions have helped heal a good bit of the damage. I would like you to continue taking a milder dose every other day for the next two weeks. I will also give you some reading material on healthy eating. With the proper diet you can sustain the nutrient levels naturally.”

“Great, I hate taking potions but you can’t argue with their efficiency. The muggles would have taken months to fix me up”.

“I didn’t say you were fixed. Just that your body is now in a position to obtain maximum health.”

“Oh.” Harry said, deflating slightly. As much as he liked Aurora, he was hoping to not have to come back for a third visit. He wanted to get the blocks off his magic as soon as possible.

“The blood sample test came back and somehow you have traces of both basilisk venom and phoenix tears in your blood. Thankfully they are quietly co-existing. However, you need to be even more careful with your blood in the future. Any potion that is customized with your blood needs to take into consideration the extra ingredients. I would also advise you to never add your blood into rituals that involve other people. The chances of things going wrong for the others are very high.” She said, giving him a stern look.

Harry didn’t even know you could customize a potion with your blood. Snape probably didn’t cover that with the younger years, and what the heck were rituals? Not in the mood to get into new branches of magic, he simply responded “Ok, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“The last time you were here I was looking for unknown injuries. I expected damage to your eyes because you wear glasses. I didn’t think to check the prescription on them. That was an oversight on my part. However, the potions were able to correct some of the damage done to your retina. If you would hand me your glasses, I will adjust the lenses to your current needs.”

Harry handed over his glasses a little confused. He hadn’t noticed a difference in his sight. Maybe there wasn’t a big difference and the prescription only changed a little bit. Taking his glasses back, he stood corrected.

“Wow! I have never seen so clearly before” Harry said, looking around the room in amazement. “I didn’t realize how blurred my vision was before this. I can even read the clock above the door now! We are definitely winning the quidditch cup this year!”

“Mr. Potter, I have no idea how you were functioning in everyday life, little alone playing quidditch with your old prescription.” Aurora said in exasperation.

“I don’t know either, I guess I was just used to it.” He answered with a shrug.

“Moving on, I would like to regrow the bones in your left hand. The potions have helped to strengthen them but they have been broken and healed incorrectly so many times, the left will never be as strong as the new bones in the right hand. I would like to even them out.”

“Will this involve skele-gro, because I’m really not a fan?”

“If you come back this evening, I can remove the bones and you can sleep through the potion.”

“That's what happened last time and I woke up to a house elf jumping on me and another student petrified.” This was not the procedure he was hoping for. He was hoping to have the blocks released on his core not regrow his fingers.

“I assure you Mr. Potter there will be no random house elf visits nor petrified patience coming in to wake you up.”

“All right, I guess it's better to get it done quickly. I'll talk to Kingsley and Tonks about staying here for the night.”

“Now, moving on from your physical health to your magical health. I don't see any changes to your core. I have spoken to a few colleagues and they all agree that for now the block is secure but it must be removed before your majority. However, your magic may be harder for you to control and they suggest you have them removed at the beginning of summer break so you have time to adjust.”

That was not what he wanted to hear but at least there was a solution.

“As I was focusing on your eyes I noticed a strange bit of magical interference in that area. It could be because of the dark magic that made contact there, but I will pass it along to my colleagues to get their opinion. You will probably need to do a purification ritual before we release the blocks on your core. We wouldn’t want something like that to mix in with your magic.” Aurora explained.

Harry didn’t like the sound of that but Aurora didn’t seem concerned. If he just needed to do some purification ritual then it must not be a big deal. He would have to pick up a book about rituals the next time they went to the library.

---

“Knock knock, are you busy?” Jupiter asked, stepping into Amelia's office.

“I'm just finishing up my report on my meeting with Arthur Weasley and his daughter Ginevra.”

“Oh, they were cutting it close. How did it go?”

“See for yourself”, Amelia said, taking out a ball and placing it in its holder. Jupiter took a seat and started the memory.

When the memory ended he sat back in the chair and rubbed his face. “Well that was disappointing. As bad as it sounds I was hoping she was far more under his control than she was.”

“This is such a mess! I don't know what to do about her. On one hand I want to throw the book at her for endangering my Susan and those other children. On the other hand, she's an 11-year-old child who was afraid. She knew to be suspicious of the diary and when it proved itself to be a dark object she placed her... Freedom? Unaccountability? ... I don't know, she placed herself above all the rest. Even if their lives could be in danger." Amelia said, looking to her colleague for guidance.

“It's a tough choice to make Amelia. She does need to be accountable for her actions and the harm she caused. However, while frustratingly unnecessary, the damage done was unintentional. I think you should wait until she sees the mind healer and we have a better idea of what kind of damage Voldemort left behind. How much of her behavior was influenced by that diary and how much of it was just her being a selfish child?”

“I suppose you're right”. Amelia said, placing the reviewer back into her drawer.

---------

“Have you decided what you plan to do about your mail Mr. Potter?" Farley asked with an amused smile unfolding across her face.

“Well, I was complaining about it to Tonks and Kingsley, and they had a few suggestions. Kingsley said I should have everything checked for curses before anything else.”

“I agree, I was going to suggest that to you as well.”

“Tonks said I should donate any unwanted toys to St. Mungo's”

“That's a nice suggestion. I'm sure the hospital and the patients who received the gifts will appreciate that.”

“But, I don't want everyone to know I did that. I'm sure the people who sent those toys wanted me to play with them but I'm probably too old for most of them. So I would like to anonymously donate everything.”

“That can be arranged Mr. Potter, and what about the actual sorting?”

“Well, maybe I can hire somebody to help me go through it?”

“That can be arranged. In fact, a little birdie told me that a certain house elf is looking for work.” Farley replied, her hands coming up to block half of her face as if she were telling a secret.

“Dobby? I wondered what happened to him. Is he all right?”

“As far as I know, yes. He helped Madame Bones with her investigation into the Chamber of Secrets. During their interview he mentioned that he was looking for work.”

“Then yes! The little guy is very excitable but he gets the job done.” Harry said, rubbing his arm.

“I will look into his whereabouts and arrange a meeting. Now, onto the issue of people using your name/likeness without permission. Before your interview I had reached out to a number of companies asking them to stop using your name to promote their products. They have all responded with apologies and assurances that they will stop. A few also sent along gift cards with their apologies”. Farley said, sliding an envelope over to him.

“Since your interview came out we have received letters from companies all over the world apologizing for using your name to endorse their products. Most were under the impression that they had your permission through Mills, Lowback, and Nott. Many have also sent along gift cards and a few Gringotts slips in recompense. How would you like to handle these cases?”

“Well, if they thought they had permission and would agree to not continue using me, then I am willing to let it go. They didn’t really do anything wrong.”

“Ok, then I will let them know that no further action will be taken as long as they stop any promotion that includes you/ your likeness. However, I do hope you aren’t going to let Mills, Lowback, and Nott get away with their actions. They have been taking advantage of your absence and youth to scam all of these people.” Farley said, giving him a look similar to Hermione when she wanted him to go to the library with her to work on assignments.

“No?... What do you think I should do?”

“I suggest that you sue them for misrepresentation and malfeasance. They purposefully led people to believe that they were in contact with you and that you or your guardian gave permission to these companies to use you in their promotions. Goldfeather confirmed that they have been on retainer since your parents’ passing. So we can also go after them for malpractice. All you have to do Mr. Potter is give us the go ahead. Howards will be more than happy to take on this case.”

Seeing the mess they made, the people they deceived, and the way they treated him in their office, Harry gave in, “Yes, go ahead.”

“Perfect, as for the books, they are a little trickier. Those that were written for historical value have a right to talk about what happened, but now that they know that their representation of you is incorrect, they will amend it.

The books that were for entertainment have asked to be able to share a portion of the revenue with you, and retroactively pay you that revenue to be able to continue printing their books.”

Harry wasn't sure how to feel about that. He understood keeping the historical books. Technically he did have some part in history. However, the children's books made him out to be some huge hero that he wasn't. It gave people a false impression of him that he was unable and unwilling to live up to.

Seeing the conflict Farley said “May I make a suggestion?” At Harry's nod she continued. “What if you required that they write a statement in the beginning of each book explaining that this is a work of fantasy. That you did not do any of the things written in those books and the stories are of the author's imagination.”

“Yeah, I guess that could work for now. I still don't like the books, but I understand that the authors put a lot of time into creating them and it is their source of livelihood.”

“What if you worked with some of them on a few new books about your actual adventures?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well Mr. Potter, most Hogwarts students do not fight a troll in the corridors, or go through a dangerous maze of traps, or fly a car to school, or kill a basilisk in the legendary Chamber of Secrets. Those are all your actual accomplishments and highly entertaining stories for those not a part of the adventure. Of course you can leave out any sensitive information. The authors can get a watered down version of the story and then they can write it.”

Harry didn't know which was worse, people reading about him going on fake adventures or people reading about him going on his real adventures. He would rather they focused on something else entirely. Why couldn't the authors just create a new hero to go on their adventures?

“Consider this Mr. Potter” Farley continued in a gentler tone. "When people first meet you, the first thing they associate you with is of course that Halloween night. The younger children will have read the adventure books but Hogwarts age students and adults wouldn't use that as their main reference. If we put out these books based on your last few years, their perception of you will still be heroic, but it will be more current and hopefully a less painful topic to bring up.”

She did have a point. People constantly walking up to him and thanking him for doing something he didn't remember while his parents were murdered was not a great experience. He would much rather talk about the ridiculousness of how he, Ron, and Hermione took out a troll as first years.

“Okay, you have a good point. I'll consider it a little more.”

“Great, now on to the contracts that Goldfeather sent over from the Fleamont estate.”

Farley went over the hospitals looking to renew permission to brew the medical potions his Fleamont ancestors had created. She would set up meetings with them in the coming weeks.

“Goldfeather will enjoy negotiating your fee with these hospitals.” She said, amusement creeping into her voice.

“Let’s keep it as a small fee. I already have a lot of money. I don’t want people unable to get treatment because of the price. That has to be part of the contract. The hospitals can’t overcharge people for the potions.”

“As you wish Mr. Potter.” She agreed with a small nod of approval.

“Lastly, Goldfeather sent over the copy of your family tree you requested and the memory orbs your father wanted delivered on your last 11 birthdays,” Farley said, bringing out a tube and a black velvet box from behind her desk.

Chapter Text

Amelia was packing up her office for the day. Considering how the past week had gone she did not have high hopes that the next would be any calmer, especially after the exploration of the Chamber of Secrets on Tuesday.

She could only imagine what horrors they would discover in that chamber and the fallout that would need to be dealt with. The whole thing made a shiver run down her spine that she would never admit to out loud.

Which is why she had decided to take Susan on their shopping trip this weekend. She had already informed her staff that she would be unavailable until Tuesday. When she had told Susan of her idea the night before she had been both excited and disappointed. Excited to finally be going on this trip but disappointed that it was shorter than they had planned. However, Susan was practical and understood that a guaranteed 3 days was better than a maybe five day trip.

Now all she had to do was go over one last report and check in with Barty before she left.

The Knocking on her door signaled a third item, get rid of whoever was at her door as quickly as possible.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal Jupiter for a second time that day.

"Oh no, what happened?"

“Nothing that I'm aware of, why?” Jupiter asked, looking confused.

"I don't usually get two visits from you in a day." Amelia explained with a sigh of relief. "If nothing has gone wrong, what are you doing back here?"

"I heard you were going on vacation and wouldn't be back until Tuesday. I wanted to ask if one of my unspeakables could join your team when you go to search the Chamber of Secrets. I know your team is very capable but there are certain magics I would like checked for that are not well known but very dangerous. Considering who we are dealing with, I want to make sure everything is checked before Dumbledore is able to interfere."

"Of course, after what we know about the diary, I would appreciate one of your unspeakables coming with us."

"May I also suggest that we take advantage of the governors’ invitation while Albus is preoccupied and take a little look around the castle. Considering all the things that have happened to Mr. Potter in the last two years, I think we need to do a check for dark magic around the castle and look for any particular weak points in the wards."

"I cannot officially give permission for that to happen without the governors’ knowledge, but if one of your unspeakables were to get lost after so many years removed from the castle, it would be understandable."

"And if they find something?"

"Depending on the severity, the Ministry could step in for the safety of the staff and students or we would have to bring it to the governors’ attention. In that case, Dumbledore will be informed and will stick his crooked nose into it."

“Ahh, that may not be as much of a problem as you think it will be. I've heard a few things that make me think Hogwarts will be getting a few changes soon.”

“Jupiter, I appreciate your need for secrecy in your line of work but I am not in the mood for cloak and dagger conversations. I'm trying to get out of this office as quickly as possible.”

"Right, sorry." He said with a chuckle. “It's one more thing attached to the Potter case but that's as much as I can hint about right now. It's not a bad thing and I'm sure you will be hearing more about it soon enough."

"Fine, thank you for the heads up." She said with a huff and put her stamp of approval on the last report for the day.

"And with that I will get out of your hair." Jupiter said standing to leave.

“Before you go, may I ask what your interest in Harry Potter is?”

“My interest in Harry Potter? My dear lady, isn't everybody interested in Harry Potter?”

"True, but I know you, at least I think I do. From the start you have seemed personally invested in the Potter case. The fact that you had yearly meetings with Dumbledore to be updated on Potter is already strange. However, since this whole thing has started you have personally been involved instead of assigning one of your senior members to take over. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate working with you directly but you usually back off once the ball has started rolling and we deal with your senior staff." Amelia explained as Jupiter sat back down in his chair.

"So I will ask you again, what is your interest in Harry Potter?"

Of course the head of the DMLE would sniff out a secret. "I was very close with Fleamont and Euphamenia Potter. I feel like I owe it to them to keep an eye on their grandchild. Although, it seems like I haven't been doing a good job of it."

"Oh" despite working with the man for years and feeling as if she knew him, Amelia was forced to remember that she had never actually seen his face. At least not his true one. Like the rest of his department, Jupiter normally wore his cloak up and had his face disguised. When he met with the Minister and other heads of department he would lower his hood but the face you saw still wasn't his. She had no idea who this man was outside of his role. For all she knew he could have been Fleamont Potter's best friend.

_______

Albus was finally able to pack up his office and officially put an end to the summer session of the ICW. The last day was only supposed to be a half day but people had been distracted and slowed everything down.

It would seem that some well known law firm had gotten itself into a cauldron of hot water with a lot of important clients. He had heard all sorts of names being thrown out as he walked around. He had even heard the name Harry Potter come up once in a while. Apparently the firm represented a large majority of purebloods in the UK.

Albus would be worried if he ever used outside counsel on legal matters. However, he was a highly intelligent man who had been around for decades and didn't need to seek out legal counsel. He had all the books he needed on his shelves to answer any questions he may have.

The other distraction seemed to be a Witch Weekly article. He hadn't realized it was so popular internationally. He was absolutely disgusted by the amount of colleagues who he saw reading that trash today. He couldn't believe they let gossip distract them from their work.

He had found himself scolding representatives all day for focusing on gossip rather than paying attention to the session and passing the last two laws on their roster.

Next year, he would make sure to ban that gossip rag from entering the building. He would not have it disrupting another session.

Taking one last look around he spotted the unopened Daily Prophet from the day before. That was the last Prophet scheduled to be delivered to him here. He expected he would find today’s paper waiting for him on his desk. After the long day he had had, he would hold off on dealing with Cornelius and his problems until the morning.

—---
Haggler was relaxing in his new office enjoying an end of the week drink with his newest business partner. He had been skeptical about his first assignment but it was proving to be most enjoyable, and lucrative considering this was only the first week.

At first he thought he was being punished. Why would his first account be assigned to a portrait? This had to be some kind of punishment for something he had done. However, it was shaping up to be a very exciting account.

It had only been a few days but he had already been introduced to crazy muggle inventions, negotiated the harvesting of a basilisk, seen a prominent pureblood lord arrested, and had to be the peacekeeper between his mother and his client.

That was all outside of the general conversations he had with his client. Harry Potter was a very interesting man, or portrait. No matter how one looked at it, the essence of Harry Potter was knowledgeable, not just on future investments but a wide scope of topics. Haggler had found himself staying after hours to continue his discussions with Harry.

If things continued this way, having the portrait of Harry Potter as his first client will have been a great gift from his uncle.

“I wonder how future Harry is doing?” Haggler said, leaning back into his chair.

“He's probably running around trying to figure out this new future.” The portrait answered with a chuckle.

“You don't think he would stop by the bank and ask you?”

After a brief pause the portrait answered, "considering that didn't cross my mind at first. I'll give him a few days before he thinks about it.”

“Do you think he'll like what he finds?”

“I can only hope so. To be honest, we've based the future of the wizarding world upon my knowledge and the luck of young Harry”

“You don't seem nearly as concerned as one would think” the goblin answered, looking mildly concerned himself.

“Well, as you've already seen, a little bit of my knowledge and a lot of Potter luck has got Lucius Malfoy in custody and the wizarding world up into multiple tizzies.

When we started this we had only planned on making two major ripples. The likes of which we did not expect to see the repercussions of until early next year or the end of Harry's fourth.

I honestly don't know how things are going to go from here on out with these changes already. I can only hope that I know our enemies as well as I think I do and that the Potter luck sees us through.”

“Here here!” Haggler said, raising his glass and finishing its contents.

He was now starting to remember why he thought this might be a punishment.

—-----

Harry shifted in the bed and made himself comfortable as Aurora handed over the skele-gro. She had vanished the weaker bones and immobilized his arm so it wouldn’t flop around and disturb the growing of his new ones.

After Farley had updated him on the class action and the Dursley cases, he and his bodyguards had gone out to lunch in the muggle world. He needed a little break before jumping back into the crowds of staring people.

While at lunch he had gotten two surprise invitations. The first coming from Tonks. She had spoken to her family last night about the article and her mother suggested that Harry spend Saturday with the Tonks. They were kind of family and her mother thought Harry could use a break from Diagon Alley and all the people in it.

Harry had been unsure at first but Tonks assured him that the invitation was genuine and her mother would love to meet him. Although distantly related, it would be nice to have relatives out there that actually liked him. So he had said yes to the invitation and now had Saturday plans.

The second invitation had come from Neville Longbottom. Despite sharing the same house and dorm for the last 2 years, the two had never gotten close.

It had been a shock to find out that he was his godbrother. He had wanted to question the other boy about how much he knew before the reading but he had been distracted by the revelations of his father's will and the people from that reading.

By the time Harry had found time for himself, the second reading was starting. He had thought the first reading had been emotional, he had not been prepared for his mother's memory orb. People had talked about his father on and off but few mentioned his mother. Sure, he had the album Hagrid gave him but the pictures, even moving, did not do her justice.

Despite not having time to talk after the reading, he and Neville seem to have bonded over the loss of their mothers. He had found somebody who could understand some of what he was going through. Before leaving, the boys had promised to write to each other. However, Harry had not expected much more than a simple update.

Before leaving Second Horizon, Kingsley had handed over a letter that had arrived during his meeting with Farley. Harry had opened the letter during a lull in the conversation at lunch.

In his letter, Neville had apologized for not explaining things to Harry or recognizing that Harry didn't know certain customs. He had turned a blind eye when people talked about Harry and his lack of etiquette. He had assumed that Harry knew and was just rejecting it like the Weasleys did. Neville had pledged to be a better friend and hoped that they could truly become godbrothers.

He had also given Harry an open invitation to Longbottom Manor and then explained that an open invitation was only given to those trusted by the family. That this invitation was requested by the heir and approved by the acting head of the family, his grandmother.

He really hoped Harry would be able to come over before the start of the next term but understood that Harry may have a lot on his plate before then.

Despite not being close, he had always gotten along with Neville and enjoyed the quieter boy’s company. He would write him back in the morning and reassure him that there were no hard feelings and he would love to visit the manor and get to know his godbrother better. Maybe he could visit on the day the Chamber article came out. He was used to eyes following him around at school but they were school children. Having random adults stare at him felt different, more threatening somehow.

Starting to feel the potion kick in, he grabbed the dreamless sleep and hoped for a quiet night.

Chapter Text

Harry woke up after an uneventful night to his arm healed and Marigold placing a delicious smelling tray at the bottom of his bed.

“Good morning Marigold” he said as he stretched. She gave him a small, shy smile in return and hurried away.

“I want to check that arm before you freshen up and eat," Aurora's voice came from her desk in the corner.

After a clean bill of health, Harry freshened up, had his breakfast, and replied to Neville's letter. He let the quieter boy know that there were no hard feelings and that he would love to spend time at the manor this summer.

After that Tonks picked him up and escorted him back to The Cauldron so he could get ready for the day.

Entering the room he was greeted by Erowl having a stare off with Hedwig. His girl didn't seem to appreciate having to share her space with him.

“I assume this is from Ron”, Harry said, detaching the letter.

Mate,
Things have been mental over here! We had to come back from our trip early because Dad and Ginny were called into The Ministry. Somehow, they know about Ginny's involvement with the Chamber.
A couple of days ago, after we had just gotten back from seeing one of those pyramids - they were so cool, you have to go sometime - but an official owl came for Dad demanding that he and Ginny show up to The Ministry.
When mom found out she was in a right state. We had to immediately change plans and come home early.
Wait, I told you about this, right? That we won The Prophet Galleon Draw
and went on a trip to Egypt to see my brother, Bill.
Mate, I've never seen my Dad look so angry. When Dad and Ginny got back yesterday, he called a family meeting and asked us all to tell them what happened during the school year from our perspective.
I feel really bad for Percy now. I didn't think about it at the time. But we only had to deal with Hermione petrified for a few weeks. Penelope was also petrified and Percy had threw it alone.
Anyway, once we were all done, it was Ginny's turn to tell us exactly what happened, and it was really sad, but also really annoying. She kept trying to explain why she hid it from everyone. Like I get it, she didn't want to get in trouble and it was embarrassing. But after being in the Chamber myself, she could have saved us all the trouble by just telling us something weird was going on with a book.
Dad said that they are going to be taking Ginny into St. Mungo's to have her checked to make sure He-who-must-not-be-named hasn't left anything behind. That's the craziest part! There could still be some of him left in my little sister.
And to top it off Scabbers has been acting really strange, I think he might be sick.
Since we are back early I will ask mom if you can stay with us the last week of August.
I hope you're doing alright with the muggles.
Cheers,
Folding the letter back up Harry was happy that Ginny was getting checked on. Especially after how concerned Aurora was about any lingering issues from the chamber.
Harry had only fought a basilisk while Ginny had been possessed by Voldemort. She definitely could use a trip to St. Mungo's.
Pulling out a new outfit and jumping to the shower, Harry got ready as quickly as possible. He was excited to meet Tonk's parents and his distant cousins.
---
Andromeda swiped off the tower of icing she had just put onto the last cupcake and continued to even out the icing left behind.
"Did you start over again?" Ted's voice came from the corner table.
“This one is for Harry, I have to get the lilies right!" She ground out in frustration.
She had spent the last hour icing her cupcakes and drawing a number of flowers onto them. However she was struggling with this last cupcake covered in lilies. She was designing this one especially for Harry and the icing was not cooperating.
“Come now Andy, I'm sure your lilies are beautiful. You're just nervous to meet a new family member who isn't disapproving of you or crazy." He said with a chuckle.
Before Andromeda could respond the floo ignited and out stumbled the young man they were talking about.
Dora had tried to warn them but she was still surprised to see how petite he was. He had the famous Potter hair and striking green eyes. Striking not just because of their color but because of the sadness she recognized in them. A sadness she often saw on days she thought of her family.
The fire flashed again and her daughter fell out.
“Hi mom, dad! This is cousin Harry Potter. Harry, meet my parents Andromeda and Ted Tonks." Dora said, climbing to her feet.
“It's nice to meet you Mr and Mrs Tonks," the boy said with a wave.
“Please call us cousins Andy and Ted. Although our relation is distant, you are family and welcome here.”
------
From the moment Harry had met them he had felt welcomed by the Tonks. He had joined the father and daughter at the table while Cousin Andy finished decorating her cupcakes.
Tonks had updated her parents on what the Alley was like that morning. Quieter than it had been the past few days but it was still early.
Ted had left the kitchen shortly after to watch a game in the living room and had left an open invitation for Harry to join.
However, Harry wanted to stay with Tonks and her mother and learn about the Black family history and as much as they knew about the Potters.
----
The three spent the rest of the morning and afternoon sitting at the kitchen table sipping on tea and eating baked goods while discussing family history.
Harry appreciated how much knowledge Cousin Andy had about the Potter family. It was a strange experience to spend so much time with family members that wanted him around. It was even stranger to have somebody speak so highly of relatives he had never heard of.
As the history lesson wound down Tonks left to join her father to watch a movie and Harry stayed in the kitchen to help Cousin Andy cook.
He found the woman to be as warm as Mrs Weasley but much calmer and more reserved. He could also spend time around her without feeling guilty he was taking her time away from someone else. Nor was he worried about neglecting a friend while he spent time with her.
They spent the rest of the evening enjoying their dinner and telling tales of Tonks’ adventurers at Hogwarts. They weren't nearly as dangerous as Harry's adventures but were much more funny.
When he left he had a full belly and an invitation to return the next day, which he accepted immediately.
By the time Harry crawled into bed that night he felt calmer than he had in the last few days. With his renewed peace he felt strong enough to watch the first orb.
___
After setting up the orb at the table, Harry activated it and waited to see what would happen.
An image of his father appeared looking roughly the same age as the image from the will but much more unsure. This James was smiling awkwardly and scratching the back of his head.
“Hi Harry! Happy Birthday!”, his father said with faked excitement. “I hope you are having lots of fun and cake.
Mommy and daddy wish we could be there with you but we have to stay where we are. Please just remember we miss you so, so much and love you to the moon and back!” he finished as his eyes started to glisten. The recording stopped on the image of James forcing a smile for his 3 year old son.
This was too much for Harry as his own tears began to fall. He restarted the short recording and watched it four more times as he cried the tears his father would not let fall.
—-
After taking a short break to wash his face and calm down Harry was prepared to watch his 4rd birthday orb.
Again James popped up but this time he was wearing a more genuine smile and a cupcake with four candles on top.
“Happy Birthday Prongslet! Look at you, four years old and already so big. No need to have an extra slice for your old man.” he said with an exaggerated wink. “I’ll just have this cupcake if you don’t mind. I personally prefer cupcakes over cake. Your mom makes the best cupcakes. The edges are crunchy but the middle is soft, just the way I like it. What about you? Do you like cake or cupcakes better?” He took a long pause for four year old Harry to respond before continuing.
“I have to go now baby but remember Mommy and daddy miss you so, so much and we love you to the moon and back! Be good for Sirius.” James said, ending this recording with a bigger smile than the last and less tears in his eyes.
This orb also brought tears to his eyes but the accompanying emotions were less intense. Harry watched the recording a few more times before crawling into bed and dreaming about birthdays that could have been.