Chapter 968 - Ch: 25-27

Chapter 25: Agenda's.

Dumbledore looked over at the assembled group at the center of the maze. It was a very diverse representation of most aspects of Wizarding Society. 'A society that is going to have to band together to make sacrifices in order to defeat Voldemort.' He thought idly.

Deciding that the upcoming conversation would be best suited for someplace private, Dumbledore said, "Why don't we all head up to my office to discuss the situation." He turned and headed out of the maze, a quiet, thoughtful, group trailing behind him sedately.

When he reached the entrance of the maze, Dumbledore stopped and turned to face the gathered crowd. He used the Sonorous Charm and began speaking in an upbeat tone, "Ladies and gentleman, Harry Potter has won the Triwizard Tournament." The applause from the Hogwarts students was loud, but it was thunderous from the Gryffindors. When the applause had died down, Dumbledore continued, "Please head up to the Great hall for the awards ceremony and the following party."

Dumbledore waited for everyone to begin filing from the stadium before he began leading the group up to his office. It was easier to blend in with the crown to hide the fact that Harry Potter was not among them.

When they reached the confines of his office, Dumbledore conjured chairs for everyone and proceeded to seat himself behind his desk. He lamented that 'It's a shame that Minerva removed the charms from Mr. Potter. They would have been ideal for locating him.'

After a few more minutes silence, an annoyed Remus finally snapped, "This is getting us no where. Albus, why don't you send your Phoenix to find Harry?"

Before Dumbledore could answer, Hermione blurted out excitedly, "Of course. Fawkes helped Harry in the Chamber of Secrets!" Expectantly, she looked over at the Headmaster, only to be disheartened by the solemn look on his weathered face.

Resigned, Dumbledore admitted, "I am afraid that Fawkes will not be able to locate Mr. Potter in the same manner as before." He deliberately didn't explain the reasons why in the hopes that Cornelius wouldn't find out that he and Harry were at odds with each other.

"Why not, Albus? You use him to send messages to people all of the time." Minerva McGonagall asked in confusion. She had witnessed Fawkes deliver messages to various people over the years.

Hermione was looking shrewdly at the headmaster. She was putting the pieces together about what Dumbledore hadn't said earlier. She narrowed her eyes at him when she realized that his statement was really about Harry's lack of faith in him, not the Phoenix's lack of ability at finding someone.

Dumbledore caught the look on Hermione's face and realized that he had to do something quickly or she would expose that secret to Fudge. Returning to his doting grandfather voice, he said, "Of course, Minerva. That merely slipped my mind." He turned his back to everyone and quickly penned a short missive to Harry, while silently spelling the note into a Portkey. When he was finished, he turned to Fawkes and said, "Please take this to Harry Potter and wait for a reply if he is not in danger. If he is, bring him here at once."

He knew that everyone would see through the ruse except for the ones that it was put on for. Fudge and the three Triwizard Champions needed to believe that he would take care of things. The last thing that he wanted was for Fudge to get wind of the rift between himself and Mr. Potter. That could lead to Lucius Malfoy using Fudge to make inroads into Harry Potter's life. It was something that he desperately wanted to avoid, especially with the darker path that the boy had been traveling lately.

Hermione stood up abruptly, she had an idea but it was not something that she wanted anyone other than Remus, Sirius, and perhaps Ms. Tonks to hear. In a shaky voice, she said, "Headmaster, would it be alright if Mr. Lupin escorted me out for a bit? I need to take a walk to help me calm down."

Dumbledore gave her a calculating look, he knew that she must have some type of idea but she didn't want to expose whatever secret she was protecting in mixed company. Deciding that he would rather have Harry Potter back safe and sound, rather than know her secret, he replied, "Of course, Ms. Granger. Do you want anyone else to go with you?"

She answered immediately so no one else would volunteer, "No thank you, sir." She proceeded to the door with Remus and Sirius in his Animagus form following her. Hermione figured that if they left behind Ms. Tonks they would hear everything that was said later.

Quickly, she made her way to the Room of Requirement and thought about a secure location. When the door appeared, she led them inside.

While they were walking towards the Room, she had gotten a fresh wave of feelings from Harry. She sensed his relief, exhaustion, and remorse from the ordeal. During the third task and beyond, she had been clamping down on her feelings, only letting her love and support pour through so she wouldn't distract him. Now that she knew he was safe, she let the other feelings flow through their bond as well.

Turning to the perplexed duo, she said, "Harry is fine. My guess is that he is at my parent's house, the library to be specific." Seeing the questioning looks on the two men's faces, she continued, "Please hold your questions about how I know until we are with Harry and my parents." She paused and then called out, "Dobby!"

With a small pop, the tiny little elf appeared in front of them and said despondently, "Hello, Miss. How may I assist you?"

Hermione said in a kind voice, "Can you take us to my parent's house please? Harry is there."

Dobby immediately perked up in relief when his mistress confirmed Master Harry's safety. His relief was audible in his tiny voice when he spoke, "It would be my pleasure! I will have to make two trips though." He clasped hands with Hermione and Sirius and vanished from Hogwarts before quickly reappearing to grab Remus.

Voldemort's rage at the boy's escape quickly turned to cold calculation. 'Perhaps it is better if the boy is free to confront Dumbledore and divide the attention directed towards my activities.' he thought idly as he twirled his wand through his fingers.

He needed time to reassess what had happened this evening. Something had gone wrong, he could feel it. He felt different somehow, more whole than he had before.

The death of Wormtail would not be a loss. Voldemort knew that only one other person knew what he looked like without the glamour, Harry Potter. The incompetent fool of a servant would never have been able to keep that a secret. He had planned on killing the idiot before the night was through anyway; Potter had just done the job for him. Now the only one with the correct information about the ritual would be the boy and he decided that he would worry about that later.

Turning his attention to his assembled Death Eaters, he said in his low sibilant tone, "Lucius make sure that Fudge thinks that all of this was the work of Sirius Black. I want him so hunted that he will either be killed or kissed by Dementors on sight."

Shifting his focus to McNair, he hissed out, "Black's Animagus form is similar to a large black Grim. Quietly spread that around the law enforcement division."

Voldemort paused in thought, he knew things would move quickly and he wanted to be prepared as best as he could. Stepping up some of his plans would work to his advantage. "We will free our comrades in Azkaban by the end of the week and Black will take he blame for that as well. Anyone not given a specific assignment is to be working on this plan as well as gathering information inside the Ministry of Magic. If you have a clear chance to use the Imperious Curse and not get caught, do it. The only ones I don't want touched are Fudge and his immediate staff. They are going to do all of our dirty work on their own under Lucius' influence. That way if we need to pin something on them later, we can."

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward and kneeled down before Voldemort. His aristocratic voice was crisp, even behind the white mask, as he spoke, "My Lord, my family would be honored if you were to take up residence at our family manor."

"Thank you, Lucius. Your offer is most kind but I must decline." Seeing the confused and disappointed look in his servant's eyes, he continued in a lecturing tone, "Dumbledore suspects you of being a Death Eater. No, I will require a safer place to call home. I need someplace where Dumbledore would never suspect me to reside. Now, arise, Lucius and see to your assignment."

Turning to gaze at the rest of his followers, he hissed out, "Begin your tasks. I will contact everyone in a few days. I want Dumbledore looking for me. Do nothing to tip your hand to him or the Order of the Phoenix."

Focusing on the entrance to the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort turned on the spot and vanished with only the softest of pops to mark his departure.

Annabelle Granger was lying in the window seat of their library, reading, when a thunderous clap startled her from her isolation. She gazed up in time to see Harry fall to his hands and knees with a groan. Urgently, she cried out, "JOHN! Get in here. Harry just appeared out of no where!"

Her book forgotten, she rushed over to the fallen teen, her mothering instincts kicking in. Softly, so as not to startle him, she reached out and lightly touched his shoulder as she crouched down in front of him. Her voice was full of concern as she spoke softly, "Harry? Are you alright?"

When he looked up at her, she gasped. The look of despair on his face and in his eyes was something that should never grace the visage of a young boy. She held her arms open to him, and to her surprise, he practically launched himself into her embrace.

That was how John Granger found them two of them when he rushed into the library followed closely by the tiny form of Winky.

Harry was crying silently, more in relief than anything. His silent sobs and shaking shoulders told a tale that concerned both adults.

John's voice was soft, yet apprehensive, when he finally spoke from his spot on the floor next to them, "Are you okay? Is Hermione alright?"

Harry lifted his head to meet Mr. Grangers. Tilting his head slightly to the side in concentration, he croaked out, "Yes, she's fine." He paused a moment and closed his eyes while focusing on Hermione, "She is anxious and I think that she is on her way here."

Before either of them could question his statements, there was a pop and Dobby appeared with Hermione and Sirius.

Hermione cried out in relief, "Harry!" as she rushed forward to embrace him.

Annabelle had sat back to let her daughter hug Harry. She was a bit shocked by this turn of events.

John was reaching towards his wife when he noticed the blood covering her side where Harry's arm had wrapped around her. Very calmly, he said, "Winky, please fetch my first aid kit, Harry is injured."

That simple statement sparked everyone into action.

Hermione immediately held Harry at arms length so she could get a good look at him.

Sirius stepped over to the two teens and gently separated them while saying softly, "Harry, lie down so we can check you over for injuries."

Annabelle was silently berating herself for missing any signs of injury when Harry first appeared. He wasn't in any obvious pain and his clothes were too dark to show any blood.

Before any of them could get too deep into their examinations, Harry croaked out, "My left arm was slashed with a ritual knife and I banged my head on a gravestone when the Portkey slammed me into the ground."

Dobby had just returned with Remus in time for both of them to hear Harry's explanation of his injuries.

Remus stepped over to Harry's prone form and knelt down next to his pseudo nephew, "Let me see your arm please, Harry."

Slowly, and very carefully, Harry pulled up his left sleeve. There was a long cut where the blade had sliced through the skin. It was fairly deep and still bleeding slightly.

Everyone was a bit surprised that Harry hadn't said anything sooner about the injury. It was obviously painful but he didn't as much as flinch when he rolled up his sleeve.

Tentatively, Remus asked, "Harry, you said that the cut was from a ritual knife?" When Harry nodded yes, he continued speaking calmly, "I'm afraid that it's going to leave a scar. I can heal it but that wound is highly magical."

Harry mumbled softly under his breath, his voice was resigned and bitter, "What's one more scar for the collection?"

Everyone had heard him clearly but no one quite knew how to respond to his comment so they all stayed quiet while Remus healed the wound. A long thin purple scar was left behind as a permanent reminder of Harry's horrifying experience as part of Voldemort's resurrection.

Hermione had been holding Harry's right hand the entire time that Remus was healing the wound. She could feel a change in him, and in their bond. He felt stronger magically and their bond was deeper, clearer than before. She looked up into his beautiful green eyes and found him looking directly back at her. The same thoughts were mirrored in their thoughtful expressions.

Annabelle had been watching the interaction between Harry and Hermione. Something was different from before. They were close when they had visited last time, now they seemed to be able to sense each other and their thoughts. Curious, she said aloud, "How long have you two been able to sense each other's thoughts and locations?"

John, Remus, and Sirius were stunned into inactivity by her statement. When neither teen moved to disabuse the notion, they all knew that something was going on.

Sirius and Remus realized that Hermione mentioned knowing where Harry was right before Dobby brought them here, proving that she knew exactly where Harry was at the moment.

Not the most patient of men, Sirius blurted out, "Okay you two. What is going on here? Does this have to do with Voldemort's return?"

John and Annabelle were worried at the news of the Dark Lord's return. Through their long talks with Sirius, Remus, the two elves, and Dora they picked up quite a bit about the Wizarding World and Voldemort's reign of terror.

Harry and Hermione shared a look, an entire conversation passing in the blink of an eye, before Harry spoke in his low, modulated voice, "Partly, our connection became clearer after Voldemort was returned to his body."

Concerned, John asked, "What do you mean; your connection?"

This time it was Hermione who spoke. Her tone was crisp and clear, "We've been able to feel each other's emotions since just before the first task. Everything became clearer after Voldemort got his body back. Now we can tell roughly where the other is located at any given moment if we concentrate hard enough."

Deciding that it would be best to come clean before the questions started, Harry said, "As soon as I severed the dark tendrils of magic from my scar, I felt something leave me and my connection to Hermione became clearer. I wasn't able to focus on it until I was safe here though."

Turning to Hermione, Harry grasped both of her hands in his and said, "He's gone. I don't get any more flashes of his emotions and I'm positive that I heard him screaming in rage when I Apparated here."

Hermione, Remus, and Sirius were all flabbergasted. Harry had Apparated hundreds of kilometers and then through the Fidelius Charm on his first attempt while being chased by Voldemort.

Before anyone else could speak there was a brilliant flash of flames and Fawkes appeared on the mantle. He had a letter clasped in his beak and everyone was sure that it was for Harry.

Tentatively, Harry stretched out his magical senses and scanned the letter and Fawkes. The letter was magical and that concerned Harry but the feeling he got from the Phoenix was entirely different. He could feel the magical energy pouring through the beautiful bird.

Fawkes gave an indignant squawk when he felt Harry's magic wash over him. When the feeling withdrew, he ruffled his feathers to show his annoyance.

Harry said apologetically, "Sorry about that, Fawkes. I'm still learning how to control that skill." Reaching into his vest pocket, he pulled out an owl treat and offered it to the Phoenix as a gesture of peace.

Before anyone could touch the letter, Harry warned, "Don't pick up that envelope, it's highly magical. My guess is that Dumbledore made it into a Portkey." While Fawkes was munching on the treat, Harry was absent mindedly scratching the swan sized bird gently like he would with Hedwig.

He knew that Hermione was highly amused with his antics and concerned about the Portkey but he couldn't figure out why everyone else was staring at him. Confused, Harry said, "What?"

The Grangers had only seen pictures of a Phoenix before. Seeing one in person was entirely different. They felt heartened by its presence and a bit awed at Harry's comfort level with the magnificent bird.

Remus was beginning to put together the pieces of the puzzle in his mind. So many little things were falling into place now. He was amazed that he hadn't spotted it before. With a touch of envy in his voice, he said wistfully, "How long have you two been bonded?"

Annabelle's confused voice rang out, "Bonded?"

John's heart leapt into his throat upon hearing Annabelle's question. His discomfort only grew when Sirius spoke up.

"They're too young to be bonded, Remus." When neither of the teens moved to deny, or clarify, anything, Sirius slumped into a chair and mumbled, "Married at fourteen, Lily is gonna kill me."

Hermione and Harry cringed when they heard what Sirius had mumbled. Their plans for breaking this to everyone gently went up in smoke like one of Neville's potions.

Harry forestalled any more discussion on their marriage by saying, "Dumbledore wants me back at Hogwarts pretty badly. My guess is that if the Portkey didn't work, Fawkes would teleport me back. What do you think I should do?"

In all of the excitement, everyone had forgotten about the Headmaster. Annabelle could see that her husband was going to need some time to come to grips with everything. Turning to face the two teens, she said in her authoritative parent voice, "Please be safe and you will both return soon so we can talk about this bond and marriage later." She stepped over and gave each of them a hug before returning to her equally shocked husband.

Remus broke free of his stupor and said, "Harry, I think that you should go back in a few minutes. Let the three of us return to Dumbledore's office first. That way we are all there when you show up."

Harry glanced at everyone and hugged Hermione before stepping back to let Dobby bring them back to Hogwarts. He waited in uncomfortable silence with Hermione's parents for five minutes before he drew his wand and stepped over to the Portkey. With a flick of his wrist, he incinerated the letter turned Portkey so no one would touch it by accident.

Turning to face his in-laws, he said, "I love Hermione and I would do anything to protect her. Thank you for being here for me; this was the first place that I could think of that felt safe." Facing the Phoenix, he asked, "Are you ready to take me back?"

Fawkes trilled and launched himself into the air above Harry.

Harry reached up and grabbed a handful of tail feathers and they were gone in a flash of flames leaving behind two very confused, shocked, and concerned Grangers.

Voldemort was making his way through the Ministry without any opposition. No one was looking for Tom Riddle, Jr. so he was able to move about unopposed.

There was only a skeleton crew on duty this evening due to the Triwizard Tournament's final task. That was why no one noticed a lone figure entering the Department of Mysteries on a mission.

He knew of the existence of the Hall of Prophecy, deep within the Department of Mysteries, thanks to Rookwood. He had never been able to visit the Hall before because of the heightened security due to his reign of terror. Now that everyone believed him to be dead, things had gotten lax. Voldemort saw no one during his casual walk into the Department of Mysteries.

The total lack of security made his task that much easier. He knew exactly where the Prophecy Sphere was located and when he arrived at the shelf, he reverently removed the tiny glass orb.

The unearthly voice that emanated from the sphere was both chilling and exciting at the same time. 'Finally, I will know the entire contents of the prophecy.' He thought to himself excitedly. When the prophecy was completely recited, the sphere went dark and he carefully placed it back on the shelf in the exact spot.

Voldemort didn't know whether to be angry at himself or at Severus for not hearing the entire prophecy. He had inadvertently marked Harry Potter as his equal, something that he firmly believed he didn't have before that fateful night in Godric's Hollow. The troubling part was that the boy now had a power that he didn't know. They might be magical equals now but experience was still on his side.

If the whole situation wasn't so serious, he would have broken down laughing at the idea of Sybil Trelawney giving an actual prophecy. Unfortunately, he had made it an active one by attempting to murder the Potter boy before gathering all of the facts.

As he made his way out of the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort was deep in thought about what to do about this entire mess. Prophecies were tricky things. He had activated this one but the question was; did it have to go any further? The boy may not come after him, especially if he made no further attempts on his life. The problem was that he hated having an equal, especially one that could destroy him. For now, he would let things develop and he would watch Harry Potter as close as possible.

He smiled at the night guard and waved goodbye as he left the atrium. Chuckling at the thought of what the guard's reaction would have been if he knew who had just wished him a good evening, Voldemort Apparated away to find a place to stage his operations.

Fudge was getting nervous, what was he going to do if the Boy-Who-Lived died on his watch? There was no way that Voldemort could be back no matter what these people said, he died thirteen years ago. Sirius Black was an at large, deranged killer, that he was sure was behind this entire mess. Peter Pettigrew found out, along with a street full of muggles, how insane and destructive Black could be.

Turning his attention to the Headmaster, he said in his annoyingly nasal tone, "What are we going to do, Dumbledore? Black is a mass murderer that will stop at nothing to finish the Potter boy. I know, I met him in Azkaban and he was mumbling about getting to the boy while in Hogwarts."

Just as Dumbledore was about to answer, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius in dog form returned to his office. None of them had that distressed look about them that they had before they left, so he figured that they had been successful in whatever they were doing to locate Mr. Potter.

They were all settling back into their seats when Fawkes reappeared in a flash of flames with an obviously irate Harry Potter.

Harry fixed his fiery gaze upon Dumbledore, his voice had a low melodic timbre when he spoke, "Voldemort is back."

Chapter 26: Political Posturing.

When Dumbledore had ushered everyone up to the castle, she knew that something was amiss. There was no way that Harry Potter wouldn't have been asked to take a bow. She had stayed in her seat and watched the group with Dumbledore, scanning their midst for a sign of the youngest Champion.

Discovering his absence from their group, she followed them at a discrete distance. Hermione Granger looked anything but happy when she should have been ecstatic over his win. Something was very wrong and she realized that Harry Potter was missing. Ruefully, she thought to herself, 'It has finally begun. Nothing to do now except, wait.' 

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, and a large dog that she was pretty sure was an Animagus, walked out of the Headmaster's Office looking grim. She almost missed it when Hermione Granger's steps faltered before she resumed her pace with a lighter look upon her face. 'Now, that was interesting. Is she tied to Harry Potter somehow?' she thought curiously.

She quickly decided that whatever the unlikely trio in front of her was doing, it was far more interesting than waiting in the shadows outside of Dumbledore's office. The young woman let them get half a corridor away before starting to follow, sticking to the shadows as best as she could.

Had anyone been able to see her face at that moment, it would have clearly shown confusion when she arrived to an empty hallway on the seventh floor. She knew that there was no way that they had simply disappeared so the answer was that there was a secret room around here somewhere.

Resigned, she stepped into an alcove, put up a Notice-Me-Not charm on the entrance, and sat down to wait. Surprisingly, her wait was very short. A door simply appeared on the far wall of the hall and the trio stepped out. When the door closed, it disappeared, and a blank wall remained. She decided that she would come back later to try to figure out how to get inside the mysterious room.

Taking a closer look at their faces, the young teen noticed that they all looked relieved. 'They must have talked to Harry,' she thought idly as she watched them head back towards the Headmaster's Office. With these new discoveries on her mind, she slowly made her way back down to the Great Hall. Whatever was coming, it would be announced after the awards ceremony.

The silence in Albus Dumbledore's office was complete. No person or portrait made as much as a peep. The crackling of the logs in the fire provided the only ambient noise as everyone thought about what it meant to their little world now that Harry Potter had claimed that Voldemort had returned.

If the situation weren't so dire, Harry would have laughed aloud. As it was, he focused on Fudge's reaction to the news. He already knew that Dumbledore wouldn't say anything until he had thought it over for a bit.

Cornelius Fudge knew that the Potter boy was going to claim that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back, but hearing it made it seem that much more ludicrous. There was no way that it could be true, his voice faltered as he stammered out, "No, not possible. This is the work of that lunatic, Black! Where is the Triwizard Cup?"

Inwardly sighing, Harry's voice betrayed no emotion as he spoke, "If you would like the Cup back, just ask Voldemort, he has it or it's still lying on the ground in some graveyard. I was a bit busy running for my life to stop and pick it up."

Fleur, Cedric, and Viktor were listening, enraptured, as Harry told them that he had been face to face with the Dark Lord. He seemed to be telling the truth but they were still wary of it. It would wreck their little worlds and they weren't ready for that. Like most of the Wizarding Populace, if it wasn't staring them in the face, they preferred to ignore the situation.

Dumbledore was watching Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Fudge closely; he ignored the Champions because they would follow his lead when the time came. Remus and Hermione didn't seem surprised; he surmised that they had all spoken briefly somehow before everyone showed up in the office.

He crossed his fingers and slowly tapped his chin with his thumbs, lost in thought. He was trying to formulate his response in such a way that wouldn't irritate everyone present. Buying more time, he turned to the other three Triwizard Champions and said, "You may return to the Great Hall for the award ceremony and party." Giving each of them a piercing gaze, he said, "Do not speak of what happened here this evening. It could lead to dire consequences if you did."

Remus understood the threat hidden in the Headmaster's words but he doubted that any of the Champions had noticed it. 'It's impossible for them to not talk about what they heard here. Before tonight, everyone in the school will know that Harry Potter claimed that Voldemort has returned.'

Fudge was shifting colors like a kaleidoscope, white and red were the two most prevalent ones. Dumbledore figured that Fudge was warring with himself on which way to proceed. Ultimately, he knew that Fudge would only do what Lucius told him so this was mostly to allow Fudge the illusion that he actually thought for himself.

Deciding to see if he could indebt Sirius Black to him, Dumbledore said, "Minister, we have proof that Sirius Black is innocent. Peter Pettigrew was the Potter's Secret Keeper and he betrayed them to Voldemort."

Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Hermione were interested in the direction this conversation was taking. This was a blatant attempt at manipulation by Dumbledore, but if it freed Sirius, that was good enough for them. They knew enough about the Headmaster's manipulative side to ignore the fact that he wanted them indebted to them for this attempt, successful or not.

Fudge was shocked at this statement, but he quickly recovered his long-standing view on the Black situation. His voice was sarcastic as he spoke, "Really, Dumbledore. Do you happen to have Peter Pettigrew locked up? Without a body, you have no case. You know that Veritaserum isn't fool proof. One good Memory Modification Charm and anyone would believe, under the serum's influence, that they had seen Pettigrew alive. The same goes for Pensive Memories. They can be altered or faked entirely, that is why they aren't allowed in court, and we rely mainly on eye witness accounts."

Dumbledore knew that this was a sticking point but he had thought of a way around this, "Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Remus Lupin, and a Mr. Ronald Weasley have all seen Pettigrew alive and well, Minister. I told you as much one year ago and yet you did nothing." He finished, pushing as much of the blame for Sirius' fugitive status onto the Minister as he could.

Harry's heart plummeted in his chest. He had effectively ensured that Sirius would never be free when he accidentally killed Wormtail in the graveyard. 'Voldemort knew what he was doing when he burned the body,' he thought bitterly as he listened to the political maneuverings. One thing was for certain, there was no way that he was going to mention a dead Pettigrew in the presence of anyone other than those he absolutely trusted.

Hermione felt the bitterness from Harry when Wormtail was mentioned and she knew it didn't bode well for Sirius.

Fudge smirked at Dumbledore and replied, "Your own Potions Professor, Severus Snape, gave a statement to Law Enforcement last year stating that Black had Confunded everyone that evening when he escaped. Their testimony is worthless and you know it. Don't waste my time without a body; I'm not going to look like a fool by bringing that up without iron clad proof."

Hermione was outraged that their justice system seemed so barbaric. However, as she thought about it, it became clear that because there were so many different magical ways to alter things, that it was almost impossible to have any real semblance of legal proceedings. Trials were useless unless there were dozens of eyewitnesses. 'Poor, Sirius.' She thought to herself when she realized why he had been sent to Azkaban without a trial, the Wizengamot felt it didn't need to bother because there were so many witnesses.

Remus was angry; he knew that Dumbledore or Fudge could have ordered a trial to confirm some of the facts. The murder of the muggles was probably a lost cause without Peter, but it could have come out that Sirius wasn't the Potter's Secret Keeper. The members of the Wizengamot didn't feel the need to explore what they considered a non-issue and Dumbledore didn't seem to expend any effort to capture Peter either. Remus' resolve to capture Wormtail alive solidified.

Harry was silently fuming again. Frustrated, he thought, 'Well, Sirius can never come in to face trial. A trial would see him sent back to Azkaban for the murders that Wormtail committed that fateful day.' 

Sirius Black was sitting on the floor, trying very hard not to bite the two posturing politicians in front of him. He had never realized how thoroughly that the rat had framed him, until now. He would remain a fugitive for the rest of his long life. Resigned, he lay his head down on Harry's feet, and concentrated on what was being discussed.

Something that Harry had said was tickling his thoughts, turning to him, Dumbledore said in his kind voice, "Mr. Potter, where were taken when you were Portkeyed away?"

Harry paused a moment to gather his thoughts before answering. He didn't want to give away too much so he 'Fudged' the truth slightly to suit his needs as he spoke, "I hit my head and was knocked out when I arrived. When I woke up, Voldemort was standing in front of me and he was torturing someone in a white mask and a black robe. Pettigrew was kneeling on the ground about ten feet from me along with a half a dozen or so other figures in black robes and white masks."

Still trying to earn points with Harry, Dumbledore said, "You see, Cornelius, Mr. Potter says he saw Pettigrew and Voldemort at the same time this evening."

"Rubbish. Who knows what spells were used on this boy by Black? The Dark Lord is dead, Dumbledore. You don't just come back to life after being dead for thirteen years!" spittle was flying from the corners of Fudge's mouth as he spoke.

The research that Remus had been doing about Harry's connection flooded to the front of his thoughts from Fudge's declaration. He paled considerably when he realized what that scar on Harry's head really was, a Horcrux.

Dumbledore saw Remus stiffen out of the corner of his eye. 'Did he know something about Horcruxes?' he thought in concern. Trying to distract Remus and remain in control of the fast changing situation, he said in his kindest tone, "Harry, were you injured other than hitting your head?"

Pensively, Harry thought, 'He's looking for something, almost as if he knows what Voldemort did to regain a body.' Deciding to throw some of Dumbledore's own tactics back at him, Harry answered with a question of his own, "Do you have an idea how Voldemort got a body back?"

Fudge realized that they were ignoring him in favor of talking about a dead Dark Lord. Irritated, he snapped, "Enough of this foolishness. Mr. Potter obviously doesn't know where he was taken, or by whom, so we can close this discussion and get on with the award ceremony to close the tournament." Rising from his chair, Fudge said, "I expect all of you down in the Great Hall in fifteen minutes for the award ceremony."

As he walked down to the Great Hall, Fudge was trying to come up with an acceptable story to cover the loss of the Triwizard Cup. He never noticed the young woman standing in the shadows watching him as he strode hurriedly past, lost in thought.

The room was silent for a few minutes after the Minister left for the Great Hall. Everyone was lost in their thoughts, trying to sort out what had just been discussed.

After a few minutes, Dumbledore finally spoke, his tone was gravely serious, "What really happened this evening, Harry?"

Not willing to play games right now, Harry coolly replied, "You seem to have some thoughts on the matter, sir. Why don't you tell me how Voldemort got a new body?"

Harry just sat there, gazing around the room, thinking. He wasn't going to answer any questions without getting his own answered first.

Dumbledore was a bit surprised. Usually when people were faced with uncomfortable silences, they got nervous and started to speak. The fact that none of his guests had uttered a single word told him that they wanted answers to difficult questions. Tentatively, he spoke, "There are a number of things that Voldemort could have done to get a new body. You said that you were in a graveyard?"

Harry nodded yes, but he still wouldn't speak until he got some answers.

"There is a dark ritual that requires a few ingredients. One of them is a bone from a family member." Dumbledore paused and leaned forward in his chair, his gaze fixed only upon Harry Potter as he continued, "The other two are a willing sacrifice and blood forcibly taken. I'll ask you again, were you injured in the graveyard, Harry?"

Not really seeing a way out of this predicament, Harry answered, "Yes, Wormtail took some blood from me after he cut off his own hand." He could have sworn that a small smile seemed to pass across Dumbledore's face, but it was gone so fast he wondered if he could have imagined it.

Sirius had transformed back into his human form a few minutes after Fudge had left the room. He was having a hard time not cursing aloud when he heard Harry describe the ritual. It was going to be very hard for him to not kill that traitor, Peter, the next time that they crossed paths.

Remus knew that the ritual would have an unintended side effect if it were successful. The Horcrux inside of Harry's scar would strengthen their bond as well as provide Harry with his own version of a Horcrux. It meant that Harry would be able to come back from the dead once. Suppressing a shudder, Remus said in a low voice that was almost a whisper, "I would like to see your research notes on that ritual, Albus. We need to know what the possible side effects are."

Dumbledore was slightly nervous about Remus' request. He didn't want anyone finding out Harry was a Horcrux and that he now had a version of one himself. If the public ever got wind of that information, Harry would be labeled a Dark Lord and become hunted. The risk of him being killed before he could fulfill the prophecy was too great. Therefore, he lied, "I don't have those books anymore. I only borrowed them and I took no notes so I wouldn't accidentally leave directions for someone else to travel that dark path."

Remus knew that he was being lied to. There was no way that Dumbledore had let those books go. He would just have to figure something else out in order to get the books. Resigned, he asked, "Do you have the names of the books? Perhaps I could track them down so I can do some research?"

Sighing in resignation, Dumbledore said in a regretful tone, "I'm afraid that I don't. Those books were so old that they didn't have titles, just leather bindings." He made a show of pulling out his pocket watch and stood up after checking the time elapsed before speaking, "We need to head down to the Great Hall for the award ceremony."

He beckoned them towards the door and after they had filed out, he closed it behind them and followed them down to the Great Hall in silence. Dumbledore was thankful that one possible plan that he had figured out was starting to progress properly. Voldemort had miscalculated and provided Harry with the perfect way to sacrifice himself while taking out a piece of Voldemort's soul. The act would also remove Harry's pseudo Horcrux from existence, as it would be used to bring him back to life.

Remus was itching to get back to the library and start researching ways to remove the Horcrux from Harry when he remember Harry saying something about Voldemort's presence in his mind was gone. Slightly relieved, Remus vowed to find the underlying cause of this mystery as soon as he was back at the Black ancestral home.

Harry and Hermione were holding hands on the way down to the ceremony, both lost in their thoughts about what was coming in the future. He gave her petite hand a gentle squeeze and pushed his feelings for her through the bond.

Hermione returned the gesture and smiled at him before kissing his cheek. She was relieved that he had made it back alive. She realized that things would be very different now and that Remus and Sirius were very smart to move her family ahead of time to keep them safe. Hermione was unsure what the Wizarding World's response would be to this news, however, she did know that it wasn't going to be a good one. As a society, witches and wizards were too wrapped up in their own little worlds and they would do almost everything to ignore the evidence in front of them when it disrupted their beliefs and day-to-day lives.

When they entered the Great Hall, the applause was deafening. Students, parents, and other spectators were crowded into the large room leaving only a tiny walkway up to the raised platform where the teacher's table normally sat.

Cornelius Fudge was sitting on the side of the dais next to the other three Triwizard Champions. There was no sign of Ludo Bagman but Barty Crouch, Sr.'s replacement, Percy Weasley, was there. As Harry made his way up to the stage, Remus, Sirius in dog form, and Hermione moved off towards the Gryffindor Table where Neville and Ginny were waving to them.

Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore stepped up to the lectern and began speaking, "Tonight marks the end of the Triwizard Tournament. I would like to thank everyone that helped make this event possible. This event is one steeped in history and I am glad that we were able to resurrect it with only minimal changes to the rules which proved to be a major success." He was glossing over the fact that Harry was underage but only a few people would remember that tiny footnote if he could help it.

Continuing his speech, Dumbledore said cheerfully, "Let us all give a warm round of applause for our Triwizard Champions! They have fought through difficult tasks, proven their mettle, and made their schools, and countries, proud." He paused to let the applause die down before he resumed speaking, "It is with great pleasure that I introduce this years Triwizard Champion, Hogwarts very own Harry Potter!"

Grudgingly, Harry stood up from his chair and made his way over to where Professor Dumbledore was standing, clapping along with the crowd. When he stopped next to Dumbledore, he quietly said, "Thank you."

Dumbledore turned to face the crowd and announced, "Let's welcome our Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge to present the prize!"

The applause was lack luster at best and Fudge was internally scowling. He figured that he would use this event, and the Potter boy's prestige, to help bolster support. With a big smile on his face, Fudge stepped up to the lectern and addressed the assembled crowd, "Thank you for your kind welcome. Under my direction, the Ministry of Magic worked very hard to make this event happen. I would like to thank Beauxbatons and Durmstrang for agreeing to participate in the tournament this year. Talks are already under way for another tournament to be held at one of their fine institutions in two years and I'm sure that Hogwarts will be up to the challenge."

He paused to gauge the crowd's reaction. There was a large smattering of excited murmurs about the next tournament, continuing, he said, "To that end, we have commissioned the construction of a new trophy for the winner of the tournament. This new trophy will be passed down from victor to victor after each tournament. The winner's name, and tournament date and location, will be engraved on the base of the trophy, forever immortalizing them."

Turning to face Harry Potter, he waived the boy up to stand next to him. Excitedly, Fudge said, "It is my great honor to bestow the first place prize of one thousand galleons to Harry Potter! The new trophy will be delivered to him upon its completion and at the completion of the next tournament; Mr. Potter will pass it along to the next champion." He reached out and shook Harry Potter's hand enthusiastically for the cameras while holding out the sack of gold to him.

Harry had plastered a fake smile on his face as he accepted his prize money with a mumbled, "Thank you." He knew that there was no chance that Fudge would let him speak out of fear that he would announce Voldemort's return. Taking his prize money, he made his way down from the platform and over to the Gryffindor Table to sit next to Hermione.

Dumbledore stepped back up to the lectern and addressed the crowd, "Thus concludes the award ceremony. Now, let the party begin!" He clapped his hands and the tables filled with an assortment of drinks, food, and sweets. He didn't think that the time was right to announce Voldemort's return, yet.

By keeping things silent, Dumbledore hoped that it would make things easier to track the Death Eaters and Voldemort. The quicker that he reassembled the Order of the Phoenix, the better, and he planned to do that immediately following the ceremony.

Harry was sitting with Hermione, Remus, Neville, and Ginny while Sirius was under the table at their feet. He wanted nothing more than to leave before someone else cornered him and asked him about the tournament. He still wasn't sure if he should have alerted the entire school about Voldemort's return or not but he was pretty sure that the rumor mill would be going strong and that a large portion of the school would know by morning.

Deciding that they had lingered long enough, Harry said, "Come on, let's get out of here."

They waived goodbye to Neville and Ginny before making their way out of the Great Hall.

When they reached the Room of Requirement, Harry sealed the room and called out, "Dobby, Winky!" After the two elves appeared, he said, "Would you please move all of our things to Hermione's house? We won't be staying here at night any more. Do you think that you two will be able to bring Hermione and me back and forth to school each day?"

Dobby and Winky looked at each other before Winky replied enthusiastically, "Yes, Master Harry. We would be honored to bring you to Hogwarts and then home each day."

Relieved, Harry replied, "Thank you. Once you have taken us back home, would you retrieve our things from our dorm rooms?"

The two elves each grabbed two pairs of hands and popped back to the Grangers.

When they arrived in the entryway, Hermione turned to Harry and said worriedly, "Don't we have to stay at school during the semester?"

Everyone perked up at the question, looking forward to Harry's answer, when he spoke, "Nope. I checked the rulebook and nowhere does it mention that we have to live in the castle during the year. It is probably a tradition from hundreds of years ago when it was easier, and safer, to have magical children in one central place at all times. It doesn't make sense anymore for Hogwarts to be a boarding only school. What about the families that live in Hogsmeade? Why should they have to send their kids to live in a castle that they could walk to every morning?"

Hermione frowned in thought; she had never considered the option of commuting to school at Hogwarts. Now that they had the means to commute each day, it made much more sense and it would be a lot safer. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but she still had trouble sleeping in Gryffindor Tower. Harry knew, she couldn't keep that from him, but he was supportive and she realized that he was really doing this for her. With tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, she stepped up to Harry and pulled him into a loving hug. After a few seconds, she leaned back and kissed him tenderly on the lips before saying, "Thank you."

Harry knew what she was referring to, so he smiled back and said, "You're welcome. Now, why don't we go and find you parents and face the music?"

She gulped nervously but when she noticed that Harry wasn't bothered, she calmed down some and they left for the library in search of her parents.

Chapter 27: Plans and answers.

While Harry and Hermione were just sitting down to discuss the evening's events and their marriage; Voldemort was arranging a different type of meeting.

He was sitting in an abandoned home, on the outskirts of Godric's Hollow. The house was a modest home that had seen better days. There was a layer of dust covering everything. The remaining furniture was covered in sheets that had long since faded from their original white, leaving everything with a grayish, yellowing tint.

Focusing on his connection to his servants, Voldemort summoned Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape to his presence. He wanted an update from Malfoy and a private word with his wayward spy, Severus.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a faint popping noise from the back yard. A few seconds later, a very regal looking Lucius Malfoy entered the room and Voldemort gestured for him to take a seat. He knew that Lucius would arrive first due to Severus being under the watchful eye of Dumbledore.

Lucius looked around at the interior of the house and mentally scoffed. He felt it was below his station, and his lords, to be here. Pulling out his wand, he removed the furniture cover and cleaned his chair with a quick flick of his wrist. Satisfied that the chair was now clean, he sat down and said, "Greetings, sir. How can I serve you?"

Voldemort focused his unflinching gaze on one of his most trusted servants, looking for any sense of betrayal. Sensing none, he said in his low, hissing voice, "Lucius, were you able to set up a meeting with Fudge for tomorrow?"

"I did, Milord. Is there something specific that you would like me to discuss?" he asked curiously.

Leaning slightly forward in his chair, Voldemort replied, "There is. I want you to put forth the suggestion that you have heard that Dumbledore is quietly making a power play at the Ministry with the goal of taking the job of Minister as his goal. Fudge is gullible enough that he will buy that and begin taking steps to make Dumbledore look like an incompetent."

Lucius nodded his head in understanding as he thought over his Master's plan. Finding no obvious flaws, he asked in his aristocratic drawl, "Is there anything you want done about Sirius Black? I have a few ideas that will make it almost impossible for him ever be declared innocent."

He paused to wait for Voldemort's nod of acknowledgement of understanding before continuing to speak, "I think that we should leak the details of Black's escape to the press. Severus' was smart enough to visit the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and fill out a report stating that Black had Confunded Potter, Lupin, the Mudblood Granger, and the Blood Traitor Weasley boy. That calls into question any testimony that they could give about Pettigrew being alive and without a body there is no way that they could free him."

Voldemort nodded in agreement before speaking, "Excellent, make sure you keep an eye out while you are there. I left the prophecy in the Hall of Prophecies in order to draw the boy, and hopefully Black, out into the open. Keep your eyes open for any sign of them trying to obtain the prophecy. If you see Black, kill him and summon the Aurors."

Rising from his seat, Lucius gave his master a bow as he said, "As you command, Milord." He strode from the small house and Apparated back to his manor to go over the finer details for tomorrow's meeting.

Severus Snape was having a bad day. The stinking Potter boy had won the Triwizard Tournament and then his Dark Mark flared black when the Dark Lord summoned him. It could only have been from the Dark Lord, the mark had been growing steadily darker all year.

Pulling up his left sleeve, he looked at the now black tattoo that was magically bound upon his arm and frowned. This was his second summons of the evening. To delay longer would certainly mean a painful reunion. Getting up stiffly from his chair, he stepped over to the Headmaster and whispered into his ear, "I am being summoned again, if I do not go, my position as your spy will be lost, and my life forfeit."

Albus didn't even look over at his spy, he just nodded his head while mumbling softly, "Be careful, Severus." It wasn't lost on him that Severus had been called shortly after Harry Potter had left the Great Hall. Unable to leave the party just yet, he sighed and stepped over to speak with one of his admirers.

As soon as he reached the gates, Snape disappeared with a pop. He immediately took in his surroundings; he was much more vigilant since being attacked by Black, before opening the door in front of him and stepping inside the small house.

Once his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he saw a very alive, and healthy, Voldemort sitting in a chair looking directly at him. Quickly going down on one knee, he said reverently, "It is good to see you, Milord. How may I be of assistance?"

Voldemort was watching Severus carefully. The man moved stiffly, as if recovering from injuries. He did not get any sense of emotion though; he knew that his spy was a very accomplished Occlumens. His voice was low, full of the promise of pain, when he finally spoke after a few minutes, "Rise, Severus. I see that you were finally able to get away from Dumbledore, or were you hoping that I would forget to call you?" His gaze never left Severus' face. He was searching for the tiniest flicker of betrayal.

Keeping his Occlumency Shields up, Snape said pleadingly, "Never, Milord. I was biding my time so that Dumbledore knew that I had ignored your first summons. He thinks that he let me return to you so that I may report back to him with the details of your plans."

Snape was studying the Dark Lord's appearance. He looked slightly different than he did thirteen years ago. The damage some of the dark rituals that his master had undergone seemed to be gone. Whatever method that Voldemort had used to return to his body had worked wonderfully.

Cautiously, Severus quietly spoke, "Milord, what happened? How did you manage to return to us?"

His eyes narrowed slightly at the question, there were only a few people that knew what he had done to return to a body. Voldemort was certain that Dumbledore would figure it out quickly once he got the details from Harry Potter.

Throwing his servant a bone, his sibilant voice rang out, "I used a dark ritual to regain my body. Now, I have a task for you that I think you will find most enjoyable. I want you to kill Sirius Black. He will be showing up at the Department of Mysteries to get into the Hall of Prophecy with Harry Potter sometime after school is finished, I'm sure of it. Do not harm the boy unless you have no other choice, the werewolf and anyone else with them is expendable."

Severus had mixed feelings about this assignment. He knew that it would forever change his relationship with one of his two masters depending upon his success or failure. His desire to see Black dead was great and his voice was laced with appreciation when he spoke, "Thank you, Milord. I will enjoy completing this assignment. May I have some of the other's assist me?"

"Only use our brethren that are currently employed at the ministry, or an Imperioused employee. We don't want to arouse too much suspicion about our activities." The Dark Lord replied in his low, hissing, voice.

Pausing in thought, Voldemort was trying to decide what to do about Dumbledore. Coming to a decision, he said, "Tell Dumbledore that I am seeking the complete prophecy and searching for Harry Potter. I want him focused on multiple things to stretch his forces while we take care of other matters."

Snape had a small smile playing across his lips in anticipation as he replied, "I will see to it at once, sir. Is there anything else that you require from me?"

Voldemort looked into the face of his spy and said, "Yes, write down a list of all of the members of the Order of the Phoenix that you can remember before you go." When he received the list from his servant, he hissed out, "Do not come to the main summoning until you leave Hogwarts for the summer. If I call you separately, then do your best to seek me out."

He kept his voice controlled, his low silky tone returning, "Of course, master. I await your summons." Receiving a hand gesture of dismissal from the Dark Lord, Snape rose from his seat and silently swept from the house before Apparating back to the gates of Hogwarts.

Slowly, concentrating on the magic in the house, Voldemort stood up and began looking around for anything that could be of use to him. There was some magical residue in one of the rear bedrooms but in the basement, it was almost overwhelming. Deciding to start with the basement first, he carefully headed down there, his magical senses stretched to their maximum.

Stepping fully into the musty basement, Voldemort took stock of his surroundings. There were scorch marks all over the room indicating a duel had taken place. It was the wild magic in the air that surprised him. Something terrible must have happened to release that much of it from one person. Walking the perimeter of the room, he stopped when he came to the spot where the wild magic had been released. Looking closely at the floor, he saw the old blood stain that indicated where the person had probably died. The question was, 'Who was it that died and how?' 

After carefully searching the basement, he found nothing else of value so he headed up to the upstairs bedroom where he felt the touch of magic before. The bedroom was a modest size, something suitable for the first-born child, but not opulent. There was a small desk beneath the window that looked like it had seen a lot of use. The double bed was tucked into the corner next to a nightstand and a bookcase that still held quite a few titles, many of them from the late eighteen hundreds.

Perusing the titles of the books, Voldemort noticed that one of them had a piece of parchment sticking out of the pages. He waved his wand over the bookcase to check for spells, finding none; he plucked the book free and opened it to the page with the parchment sticking out. The book was nothing special; he had read it himself during his Hogwarts years.

The parchment piqued his interest. It was a missive between two people that had great affection for each other. Quickly re-reading the note, he picked up small details that he had missed in his initial perusal. Gleefully, he thought, 'I always wondered and here is the proof I need.' Pocketing the letter, Voldemort began to search the room in earnest for any other small tidbit that could help his cause.

He would ward the house with everything short of the Fidelius Charm before he retired for the evening. However, he had an important neighbor to visit before he turned in.

In London, John Granger was still sitting on the love seat in the library, shock plainly visible on his face. Every few minutes he would softly mutter, "Married?"

Annabelle sighed; she was having a hard time accepting that her daughter and Harry were married too. However, she knew that her husband was finding it much more difficult to accept. Fathers and daughters had that special relationship that was often very hard for men to let go as it changed into something new.

She was startled from her reverie when she heard the unmistakable sound of her daughter's voice.

"Mum, Dad?" Hermione called out to her parents.

Annabelle answered automatically, "Up here, sweetie."

Harry quirked an eyebrow at Hermione and mouthed, 'Sweetie?'

Hermione growled at him in a low voice, "Don't even think about it, buster."

Chuckling, the two teens entered the room hand in hand. Harry looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Granger sitting on the love seat together and said, "Hello. Are you two okay?" when he noticed the look on Mr. Granger's face.

Harry and Hermione were sitting together in one of the overstuffed chairs in the library while Sirius and Remus occupied the other couch. The coffee table was between them and a light tea service had been set out by the elves.

Deciding that someone had to start, Annabelle spoke first, her voice was soft and reassuring, "We aren't angry, just confused about how you two ended up married. Would you rather talk about that or about what happened tonight first?"

Harry could feel Hermione's apprehension through their bond. Wanting to ease her mind, he calmly said, "Why don't we start with what happened this evening. It is all interconnected but Voldemort is the bigger issue."

He paused to gather his thoughts and to look at everyone in the room before continuing, "As you already know, Voldemort regained a body this evening using some bones, Wormtail's hand, and my blood." Turning to Remus, Harry asked, "Do you know what ritual he used?"

Remus was worried how Harry would react upon learning that he now had his own version of a Horcrux. He kept his voice as calm as possible when he spoke, "There are a couple of dark rituals that he could have used to regain a body. It sounds like he needed your blood to complete the ritual and to forge a deeper connection with you. You mentioned that your connection changed. What did you do to modify the ritual?"

Harry was trying to recall his exact words in the graveyard; his voice was a whisper as he focused on his memories, "The ritual called for 'Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken.' I changed it by giving my blood willingly. When Wormtail dropped my blood into the cauldron, there was a pulling sensation from my scar. I concentrated and snapped the dark tendrils of magic surrounding it. Before I passed out, I felt something leave my scar and now my connection to Hermione is much clearer."

"Well," Remus said pensively, "that would explain why your connection is different now." He wanted to talk with the other adults before springing the Horcrux upon Harry and Hermione.

Finally, Sirius spoke up, his voice full of curiosity, "Harry, how did you escape? I know that they must have tied you up to get your blood."

Harry looked over at everyone present, with a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. He turned to Hermione and squeezed her hands while pushing his feelings of love towards her. Softly, he whispered to her, "Don't be afraid, I love you."

Releasing her hands, he stepped into the center of the room and transformed.

Visceral reactions are very hard to suppress. When Harry transformed, Annabelle screamed, John pulled his wife behind him, Remus scrambled to his feet, and Sirius almost toppled from his chair in fright. Hermione was the only one that didn't react. Her trust in Harry was absolute and she just sat there studying his form.

Harry reared up the upper portion of his body while coiling the lower. He was still trying to figure out the different feeling of his Animagus form. Slow he slithered over to Hermione and put the upper half of his body across her knees.

Sirius had regained his wits about him and he mumbled, "Snakes, why did he have to be a snake?" He flopped down into his chair and kept his eyes on his godson in his Animagus form.

Hermione reached out and ran a finger down the center of the snake's head and down its back. About two feet down his back, she reached something that surprised her. What she mistook for markings were actually a pair of wings wrapped tightly to his body. Puzzled, she spoke to the snake, "Harry! Did you know that you have a pair of wings?"

The sight of a three-meter snake whipping its head around in surprise was almost comical had it not been so fast. Sirius had started at the sudden movement while everyone else either flinched or just sat still.

Harry realized what felt different now. He knew he was larger, but the wings were a pleasant surprise. Slowly, he extended his wings and looked at them before folding them back up where they blended almost seamlessly against his scales. He wanted everyone to get a good look at his form so he slithered over to Remus next.

Remus knelt down to gaze into Harry's eyes. The brilliant shade of green really stood out against the black scales, almost mesmerizing in their intensity. The wolf inside of him was howling, it could sense the predator in front of him but he firmly pushed the feeling away. Harry was family and he made the wolf understand that.

Tentatively, Remus asked, "May I touch your scales?"

Harry gave a nod yes, and slowly began slithering up into Remus' lap.

The wolf was raging inside of him as Harry began coiling up in his lap. Its fight or flight response kicking in, however, Remus' will was stronger. He now controlled the wolf inside of him and he was able to squash the impulse.

Turning his gaze to Hermione's parents, he said, "It's safe, you can come over and pet him. Just be mindful of the wings." Looking down at Harry's coiled form, he said, "You're really heavy, Harry." He started laughing when the snake's head reared up to look directly into his eyes, with what could only be interpreted as a glare on its face.

In the different lighting, Remus was able to see other colors amongst the scales. Blue, black, red, green, and a very tiny hint of yellow were all present if you looked close enough in the right light. His natural coloring was just very dark and it hid the hints of the other colors. There was only one multi colored, winged, snake that he could think of but he wanted to confirm it in the library before he expressed his thoughts. Magical forms were very rare and Remus wanted to be absolutely positive before he informed everyone.

Cautiously, Annabelle and John came over to get a closer look at Harry in his Animagus form that was now partially draped across Remus' shoulders.

John had always found snakes fascinating and seeing a magical one up close appealed to his inner child. He moved slowly, not knowing how Harry would react to fast movements, and reached a hand out to touch the scales. Puzzled, he said aloud, "Why is he warm and not cold like most snakes?"

Sirius spoke up from across the room, "I think it must be due to his being a magical form. Normally, you take on the attributes of your form. For example, in my dog form, I get the cold, wet nose that is characteristic of my species."

With a smirk on his lips and a smile on his face, Remus said, "Why don't you come over and get a closer look at Harry, Sirius?"

Sirius' voice broke into a high squeak, as he replied, "No thanks. I'm fine right where I am."

Remus smiled and explained to everyone, "Sirius is afraid of snakes."

In a pleading tone, Sirius yelped, "Remus!"

That was all that Harry needed to hear. Slowly, he lowered himself to the floor and began slithering towards his godfather. If a snake could have laughed, he would have been chuckling as he advanced on the rapidly backpedaling form of Sirius Black.

Sirius was pressed against the back of the couch firmly, looking for any way out of this predicament. He took his eyes off Harry and that was his mistake. In that split second, Harry had slithered up Sirius' legs and settled into his lap.

With a tremendous girly shriek, Sirius tossed Harry onto the other side of the couch and sprinted over to stand behind John and Annabelle.

Harry transformed back and lay on the couch laughing at the look on his godfather's face. Getting his mirth under control, Harry said, "I'm sorry Sirius, I couldn't resist. I didn't think that you were afraid of anything."

Drolly, Sirius said, "Ha, ha. Very funny." Moving from his position of safety, he sat back down on the couch.

Harry had moved back next to Hermione and he was holding her hand again.

Hermione was bursting with questions but she wanted to get the rest of this over with before she started asking Harry things.

Remus had settled back into his seat and was gazing over at the two teens on the couch. In a serious tone, he said, "Do you think we can get back to what happened in that graveyard now?" He waited for everyone to settle back in before asking his next question, "What exactly happened when you arrived?"

Harry knew that they all needed to know so he resigned himself to telling them the actual events from earlier that evening. His voice drifted back into the low, well modulated, tone as he spoke, "When I arrived, Wormtail was carrying a small bundle in his arms that turned out to be Voldemort. He attacked my mind through our connection and while I was trying to fight through the pain, Wormtail disarmed and bound me."

There were gasps from Hermione and her mother while Sirius was mumbling something unintelligible under his breath.

Ignoring their responses, Harry pressed on, "Voldemort and I ended up having a nice little chat while I was tied to a gravestone. He told me a few things that finally answer some of the questions that I have had since I learned that he killed my parents."

Sirius, Remus, and Hermione all looked up sharply at his declaration. His voice was so low it was a whisper, "It seems that we are tied together by a prophecy that Dumbledore heard years ago. That is the reason that Voldemort tried to kill me."

Frustrated and angry with Dumbledore, Harry snapped out, "He knew three years ago when I asked him why Voldemort targeted me but he wouldn't answer! Is there a way for me to hear this prophecy without going to the headmaster?"

In a helpful tone, Remus supplied, "I think that there is a record kept somewhere in the Ministry of Magic. Perhaps we can ask Dora when she arrives after her shift is over."

Hermione had begun rubbing Harry's forearm to help sooth his anger. It was pouring through their bond and distracting her thoughts. She pushed her calm feelings and love through their connection in the hopes that it would calm him down so he could continue recounting his ordeal.

Harry turned his head and kissed Hermione's brow in thanks. Finally calmed down, he resumed his tale, "I was so angry at Dumbledore that I missed the beginning of the ritual so I don't know the exact words that were used when Wormtail put that bone in the cauldron with Voldemort."

Sirius spoke up helpfully, "That's alright, Harry. Dumbledore gave us enough of a hint to figure out the gist of the words. Please continue."

Mollified, Harry resumed speaking in his even tone, "I began looking for ways to disrupt the ritual when Pettigrew sliced off his own hand into the cauldron. When he came over to get my blood forcibly, that was when I told him that I gave him my blood freely."

Proudly, Hermione said, "That was really good thinking, Harry."

Inwardly, Remus was worried and relieved at the same time. The altering of the ritual had definitely created a Horcrux for Harry and Harry's efforts had helped to remove Voldemort's Horcrux and sever their connection.

Pausing to take a sip of tea, Harry continued, "I passed out just after I got a good look at Voldemort as he stepped out of the cauldron in his new body."

"When I awoke, Voldemort was busy torturing someone on the ground in front of him, and everyone had forgotten about me. While no one was looking, I transformed and slipped my bonds. Once I was free, I moved behind a large gravestone and hid in the shadows."

He paused, trying to remember every little detail no matter how small because he knew it could be important, before continuing, "Peter Pettigrew had my wand so I knew that I needed it back in order to escape. When Wormtail realized that I was gone, he raised the alarm, and Voldemort sent everyone to look for me."

Hermione had tightened her grip upon Harry's hand unconsciously as he described his ordeal. When she felt Harry squeeze her hand slightly, she slacked her grip a bit and turned her attention back to his story.

Remus took advantage of the pause to ask a question, "Harry, do you remember the name of the grave stone that you were tied to? It could be very important to the ritual."

Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on visualizing the memory, tentatively, he said, "I think it was Riddle, Sr., but I couldn't see the first name."

Hermione practically hopped in her seat upon hearing Harry's answer, excitedly, she replied, "Harry, don't you remember, you told me Voldemort's real name was Tom Marvolo Riddle, that grave was probably a family members!"

Remus paled at Hermione's explanation while Sirius, Annabelle, and John looked on confused.

Before anyone could do or say anything else, Harry pulled his wand out and repeated the example that Voldemort had given him two years ago. He wrote 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' in flaming letters and then swished his wand to rearrange them into reading 'I am Lord Voldemort.'

Sirius was stunned; he had seen that name on a plaque in the trophy room at Hogwarts! Eagerly, he barked out, "He won a special services award to the school in the forties! I cleaned that trophy room enough times and I remember almost every name."

Annabelle had noticed that Remus had gone pale when Harry had mentioned the name on the grave marker. Curiously, she asked, "Remus, what's wrong?"

Remus inwardly cursed at his slip of control, his voice was calm when he replied, "I think I know which ritual Voldemort used to return to a body. Before you all start questioning me," he forestalled them, "I want to return to the Black Library to review a few books to confirm my thoughts."

John joined in the conversation with a very pointed question, "Do many people know that Voldemort's true name is Tom Marvolo Riddle?"

Remus and Sirius were thinking furiously about anyone that might have known about Voldemort's true identity. Before either of them could voice an opinion, Harry's voice cut across the silence, "Dumbledore knows, and I think that Hagrid does too but I'm not sure about him. They went to school together before Riddle got Hagrid expelled for the Chamber of Secrets incident that killed a student fifty two years ago."

The two best friends looked at each other in a grim fashion. Neither one of them was singing Dumbledore's praises now.

A bell tolled downstairs and a few minutes later, Winky escorted Nymphadora Tonks into the room. She smiled and waved to everyone and sat on the sofa between Remus and Sirius. Dora noticed that everyone wore a gamut of expressions ranging from shock, to concern, and outright anger. Concerned, she asked, "Did I interrupt anything?"

Annabelle spoke up quickly to reassure her new friend, "No, Dora. We were just discussing some things about tonight's events."

Not surprised at their topic of conversation, Dora added, "Oh good, I just came from the ministry and it turns out they know that Sirius is an Animagus somehow. They added his description to the wanted posters with an artist's rendering. I don't know who tipped them off though."

Resignedly, Sirius spoke up, "Well, there goes my disguise for spying and getting around town."

John looked over at his friend and said, "Why does it matter? We could just change your hair color and use make up to get the desired effects. No magic would be involved so why would you be discovered if the disguise was good enough?"

Remus, Sirius, and Dora were all stumped; none of them had considered non-magical means of concealment to hide Sirius in plain sight.

Sirius smiled up over at John and said happily, "That's great! Do either of you know how to apply that stuff?"

John turned to his wife briefly before looking back at Sirius and said, "Oh, I think that you are in for a treat. Annabelle is quite good with makeup. She used to make the most elaborate costumes for Hermione and herself."

"That's great! It would enable me to get to Gringotts undiscovered so I can straighten some things out." Sirius replied.

Remus turned towards Dora and said, "We were just talking about the true identity of Voldemort. For some reason it isn't common knowledge about his real identity. Do you think that you could help us there?"

Dora was excited and everyone could hear it in her voice, "I would love to. I can add it to his file quietly. Once we can prove that he is back they will reopen his file and find all of the new information."

Annabelle piped up with another question, "Dora, why don't you also create another file on Tom Marvolo Riddle, Voldemort's real name, and tie some crimes to it? That way the law enforcement is looking for him but they won't know it's really Voldemort."

Deciding that he could add to the discussion, Harry spoke up, "I know what disguise Voldemort is using as Tom Riddle."

This statement brought the adult's attention back to Harry. It was Remus that spoke up first, "What do you mean, disguise?"

Screwing up his courage, Harry replied, his voice low, "He doesn't look human anymore. I saw him briefly before I passed out. When I saw him again later, he looked like an older version of the shade that I faced off against in the Chamber of Secrets two years ago."

Dora almost fell off the couch she was so surprised, "Chamber of Secrets?" she blurted out.

Remus patted her on the knee and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, Dora. Harry took care of that problem. We can tell you the tale later. Now, will you please tell us what he really looks like, Harry?"

Hermione had wrapped Harry's arm over her shoulder so she could cuddle up next to him to provide support as he retold the harder parts of his evening. She was very thankful that he had managed to escape using his hidden skills.

The corner of Harry's mouth curled up in a small smile when Hermione tucked herself underneath his arm. Giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, he began telling them what Voldemort looked like now, "He is completely hairless with no nose and very thin pale pink lips. His eyes and nose are slits and there is a red rim around the iris of his eyes."

Everyone was digesting this new bit of news and Dora was taking notes on a pad of paper. She stopped writing and asked, "What does he look like when he is wearing a glamour?"

Harry's answer was immediate, both images were burned into his memory forever, "He's tall with shoulder length dark brown hair, blue green eyes, and has a thin build. Visibly, I would guess his age to be in the forties but based upon what Sirius said, I think he is really in his late sixties."

"That sounds about right, most witches and wizards age much slower than non-magical people. Professor Dumbledore is somewhere around one hundred and fifty years old but he looks to be in his eighties." Dora supplied helpfully.

John was curious about the rest of the story regarding Harry's escape, "What happened once you hid?"

Harry was a bit nervous about the next part; he had unknowingly made it nigh impossible to free Sirius with his actions. Turning to look at his godfather, he said in a voice filled with regret, "I'm sorry, Sirius. Peter Pettigrew is dead."

Sirius, Remus, and Dora all slumped back into the couch shocked. They had all hoped to capture the traitor and use him to clear Sirius. Now, those plans were dashed upon the rocks like ships in a storm. Struggling to maintain his demeanor, Sirius croaked out, "How did he die?"

Harry was fighting back tears, he knew what Wormtail's death had denied him, but it was even worse for Sirius. His chance at freedom had taken a severe hit. Harry's voice was just a whisper when he finally spoke after a few seconds, "I bit him, and about sixty seconds later he was dead."

Confused about how Harry biting Wormtail could lead to his death, Dora asked, "How does your biting him lead to his death in a minute?"

Looking for permission, Harry glanced between Sirius and Remus. When the both gave him a nod yes, he reluctantly untangled himself from Hermione and transformed.

Dora's reaction didn't disappoint, she shrieked and almost climbed into Remus' lap. Evidently, she shared Sirius' fear of snakes.

Quickly changing back, Harry rejoined Hermione and put his arm around her again while she snuggled into a comfortable position. Looking over at Dora, he smugly said, "Boo."

Regaining her composure, Dora began blushing furiously when she realized that she was half sitting, half climbing on Remus. To make matters worse, when she looked into Remus' eyes, he gave her that wolfish grin that made her insides melt. She gave a slight, "Eeep." before settling back into her seat.

Glaring at Harry, Dora said playfully, "Blimey, Harry. That was impressive. If you scare me like that again, I'm going to have a nice new pair of snake skin shoes with a matching bag and belt."

Harry was grinning back at Dora. He liked her, she didn't beat around the bush like most adults, and he found it very refreshing. He sobered up pretty quickly when Annabelle asked another question.

"What happened after you bit Peter?"

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Harry said, "Voldemort incinerated Pettigrew's body. In my anger, I sent a silent Blasting Curse at him. Unfortunately, he managed to erect a shield and the blast only sent him flying. He Disapparated in midair and returned to the exact spot that he had been standing but I had already started running as soon as my curse connected with his shield."

He paused and looked over at Hermione's parents before sweeping his gaze over the rest of the enthralled adults. They were hanging on his every word, looking for any clues that could help them later, "The noise from his Apparition made me realize that I could do that too." Seeing the looks of disbelief on everyone's faces, he continued, "I had Apparated when I was in primary school so I knew that I could do it again. I concentrated really hard on someplace safe and I ended up here."

It was Annabelle that spoke up next; her voice was full of relief, "We are all thankful that you were able to escape that madman safely." She glanced down at her watch and realized that it was getting late.

Turning her attention to the elves that had been sitting quietly over by the fire the entire time, she startled everyone else when she said, "Dobby, Winky, would you please show Harry and Hermione to their room?"

John's head snapped up when he heard his wife use the singular room instead of rooms. He acquiesced when she squeezed his hand hard. He knew that they would talk about this later. Belatedly, he realized that it was actually humorous when he saw the looks on the teen's faces.

Harry and Hermione had turned beet red and were both shifting in their seat nervously.

Sirius cottoned on to Annabelle's plan quickly and he added in a light tone, "Come on you two, up to bed. Winky and Dobby have a nice room set up with all of your stuff."

Dora almost snickered when she saw Harry pale at the mention of sharing a room with Hermione. Throwing fuel on the fire, she gleefully said, "Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure that Hermione doesn't hog the bed or steal the covers."

Harry and Hermione practically fled from the library following Winky up to their room. After Dora's comments, they feared further ones from everyone else and their pace quickened.

Hermione could have sworn that she heard laughter erupting from the library before it was abruptly cut off with what she surmised was a Silencing Charm of some type.

When they arrived at their room, she almost walked into Harry. He had stopped cold in the doorway. Nervously, Harry stammered out, "Th-There's only one bed."

She could feel his emotions flowing through the bond and she was sure that hers were in just as much turmoil. With a wicked glint in her eyes, Hermione stepped right up to Harry and nipped his earlobe while purring, "I usually don't wear much to bed either. I hope you're not a bed hog, Mr. Potter." She sashayed into the room exaggerating the swing of her hips as she walked over to the en-suite bathroom to get ready for bed. She was determined to not let the spur of the moment prank by the adults bother her and to take full advantage of the situation.

The truth of the matter was that the best night of sleep that she had had since the second task had been in Harry's arms that one night that they had both fallen asleep in the Room of Requirement. It was something that she longed for again and they had just unknowingly provided her with something she desperately wanted.

It was a full five minutes later before Harry was coherent enough to step into the room and close the door. He was positive that no matter what, this was going to be a very long night.

When Hermione glided out of the bathroom in her nightdress, he gulped. Stunned by her beauty, he nervously squeaked, "I'll just get ready for bed then." as he walked towards the bathroom.

In his state of distraction, he stumbled over his own feet before catching himself and closing the bathroom door behind him. Slowly sliding down the closed door, he shuddered when Hermione's lilting laughter floated through the door followed by what he dubbed, 'The Voice.'

Hermione's seductive, husky, whisper called out through the bathroom door, "I'll be in bed, waiting."

Harry was terrorized. His emotions and body were at war with each other. He had just escaped from the person that most people considered the most evil Dark Lord in a century but he was absolutely terrified, and excited, by the thought of Hermione in that nightdress waiting for him in bed.

Screwing up his courage, Harry finished getting ready for bed and stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He noticed that Hermione had dimmed the lights and his side of the bed was already turned down.

He slipped under the covers and removed his t-shirt and glasses. Harry stiffened, in more ways than one, when Hermione pressed her body into his and began making herself comfortable. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer before leaning down and kissing her tenderly on the lips. His voice was full of love as he whispered, "I love you, Mrs. Potter."

Hermione flushed with pleasure at those words and she replied lovingly, "And I you, my husband."

The two teens shared a few more kisses before drifting into a blissful sleep, entwined with each other. For the first time since that night in the Room of Requirement, the nightmares were kept at bay and they enjoyed a peaceful, refreshing, sleep.