Chapter 6
After dinner, they returned to the sitting room, where Harry leaned forward and said, "I guess now is the time to come up with a game plan."
Daphne and Astoria got up to leave the room, "I guess we'll leave you to it."
Harry grabbed Daphne's hand, "No, I want you to stay. You'll have a different point of view than me that still comes from the inside of Hogwarts. I want your input into how we handle this as it will affect you just as much as it does me."
Daphne flashed him a smile, and while he did not see it, Eleanor and Rupert exchanged a significant glance, while Daryn just grinned. Harry looked over to Astoria, "Astoria, you're welcome to stay and ask questions, because you might spot something we overlook. If you have any ideas, the more the merrier."
Astoria grinned, "I think I'm going to like having you as a brother-in-law. Most boys would just tell me to get lost."
All of them sat back down, Harry began, "I think the most obvious thing to begin with is Occlumency training. Snape didn't do a very good job of teaching me, so I am far less than adequate."
"If I can ask, what method did Snape use to teach you, focused visualization of barriers, or misdirection by the production of fake memories?" asked Daryn.
Harry gave him a blank look, "What? All he ever did was tell me to clear my mind, and then fire the Legilimens curse at me over and over." Harry looked back and forth between everyone in the room as all of them besides Astoria were purpling in rage.
Astoria added, "I'm guessing that's not a real way to teach Occlumency. Daddy has begun tutoring me and he has yet to cast the curse against me."
Harry turned to Rupert, "I'm assuming he wasn't even trying to teach me."
Rupert spoke through gritted teeth, "How long was he doing this for?"
"A couple of times a week for a few months."
Daryn gasped, "How are you still sane? Harry, what he did to you is called mind-rape, and at least here in the States is one of the few crimes outside murder we still execute people for."
"I wasn't willing to give in, so I actually managed to force him out a few times. Others I cursed him while he was doing it. I even managed a shield spell one time and got into his head."
Daryn appeared pleased with that news, "That means that you have a natural affinity for the mind arts which will seriously short circuit your tutoring. I should be able to enter your mind and build your shields for you. Once that is done, your mind will instinctively help you to maintain them. I should just have to teach you the basics of keeping your shields at power, and you will easily be able to do the rest."
Rupert sighed, "I'm beginning to wonder if Snape is actually on our side."
Harry asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Think about it, Harry. Snape has to be fooling either Voldemort or Dumbledore. If he is a powerful enough Occlumens to fool Voldemort, he is equally able to lie to Dumbledore."
"I hadn't thought of that. I just assumed the way he treated me was because he hated the Marauders so much, but it is possible that he's still on Voldemort's side as well."
Daphne interjected, "I have a lot more access to Snape and the way he operates than either of you, and I have to say I think you're both wrong. Snape only has one set of loyalties and that is to himself. If I had to guess, I would say he's trying to play both ends against the middle."
Eleanor nodded, "That would fit with what I know of Snape's character. I was the year below him in Slytherin, and he always seemed to be focused on looking out for himself. I know that is normal for Slytherins, but he seemed even more focused than most."
"We'll bring up his crimes at the next Wizengamot meeting, and see if we can't manage to get around Dumbledore's protections and dump Veritaserum down his throat. However, we must focus our attention on how we are going to curtail Dumbledore. He's as much the problem right now as Voldemort," elucidated Rupert.
Daryn asked, "Harry, how much do you know about how the Wizengamot operates?"
Harry shrugged, "Just what I observed at my trial."
Rupert asked, "What trial?"
Harry answered, "When I was accused of underage magic before my fifth year. I was acquitted, but it was a near thing."
Daryn began to laugh, "You were tried in front of full tribunal for underage magic?" Harry nodded, "Yes. What is so funny?"
Rupert was chuckling beside him, "They acknowledged you as an adult, Harry. Minors can't be tried in front of full tribunals. This means that even if they wanted to, they can't protest your emancipation, since they had pre-determined that you were an adult."
Daryn took a deep breath, "Well, we have to give you a crash course in wizarding etiquette for the Wizengamot, political tutoring so that you understand the structure and function of the Wizengamot and Ministry, and you definitely need a new wardrobe befitting a wizard of your standing."
Rupert began, "A brief overview of the Wizengamot begins with the original 250 families that began the government. There are only 184 members at this point, due to several families having multiple votes from lines dying out. You, for example. The Chief Warlock is elected by the members of the Wizengamot, and can be someone that doesn't even possess their own vote, such as Dumbledore. The tribunal that oversees court cases is a revolving panel of 50 members that is chosen twice a year and serve six month terms on the judiciary. We will be selecting a new judiciary at the July Wizengamot session. The Wizengamot also makes all the laws that rule British wizarding society. The Ministry was created to carry out those laws, and is subject to the Wizengamot. The Wizengamot also elects the Minister, who in turn appoints department heads, as the older ones retire or are fired. There are several positions that are purely appointed, and when a minister leaves office, their staff goes with them, Umbridge being a prime example of that. Without Fudge, she would still be a secretary to perhaps a minor department head. The Umbridge family controls the Wentworth seat as regent, until the next Head comes of age. She got that appointment from Fudge."
Daryn took over, "So, with that basic knowledge, what would you like to accomplish?"
Harry chuckled, "I would love to see Fudge, Umbridge, and Dumbledore all thrown out on their head, and to have a law passed making having a Dark Mark an offense punishable by death, but I don't really expect any of that to be feasible. I'm afraid I'm going to have to let out my inner Slytherin, and ask what the rest of you feel are actual realistic goals?"
Eleanor smiled, "Getting Fudge out of office might be easier than you think. The only reason he survived the No Confidence vote in June was because Dumbledore cast the Potter, Peverell, and Black votes in his favor. To oust a Minister before their term ends requires a 2/3 vote. They had 165 of the 167 needed. Your three votes alone would change that. Not to mention, the new Minister would be able to appoint new regents for the three seats that currently have one appointed by Fudge."
"So, assuming we kick Fudge to the curb, who do we support as Minister?"
Rupert shrugged, "The people planning on running against him at the next election include Rufus Scrimgeor, Amelia Bones, Amos Diggory, and Alfonse Lestrange."
"How could a Lestrange gain office?"
"Alfonse is Rabastan and Rudolphus' uncle. He's not a Death Eater, but definitely supports the Pureblood to the exclusion of all else dogma. Diggory is only running, because Dumbledore wants him to, which is why he cast your votes to keep Fudge in office for now, since he doesn't have the votes to get Diggory elected. Amelia and Rufus either one would be good, but I think Amelia would end up being slightly better, since Rufus always seems to me to be the type that is more interested in the appearance of doing a good job than actually doing it. However, you can make your own decision about that since we will need to meet with both of them to prepare the charges against Snape in advance of the session. Presenting the charges at the session will make the trial be before the entire Wizengamot instead of the smaller judiciary. That way we don't take a chance of Dumbledore preloading the panel with people in his pocket."
Harry asked, "How is the Minster elected? Do they have a vote requirement?"
Rupert shook his head, "No. Everyone that runs announces it, and then they vote. Whoever gets the most, wins. If there is a tie, they have another vote with only those two contenders. If it becomes a tie again, the Chief Warlock casts the deciding vote."
"So, we have to make sure that we get enough votes for Amelia."
Daphne snorted, "The Boy-Who-Lived announcing that he supports her for Minister would basically put that in the bag. Most of the neutrals would be swayed by that, and Daddy voting for her would push the rest that aren't already in her camp. That should be more than enough, since Dumbledore's people will vote for Diggory, and the Darks will vote for Lestrange, with the neutral vote being split between Scrimgeor and Bones."
Rupert nodded, "She's spot on. I lead one of the neutral coalitions, and we represent 27 votes. Amelia leads the other main one that has 21. If you take your three votes from Dumbledore's camp, and then sway another 15 neutrals, she should have it."
Eleanor broke in, "That would make it close. Dumbledore controls 45 votes without Harry's. Lestrange can count on 52. The remaining 153 votes are amongst the neutrals. You're gunning for 63 votes, but that only works if several of the neutrals go either to Diggory or Lestrange. If they all vote for Scrimgeor, he still wins with 90 votes. Now, I think you can count on about 10 going to Lestrange, and about a dozen for Diggory. That, however, still pits you three votes shy if you plan to beat Scrimgeor."
Daphne laughed, "I think all of you are underestimating the sway Harry will have on them. Not to mention, if you throw Snape's trial in before calling for the vote of No Confidence, you'll drag Dumbledore's name through the mud, show the Dark Supporters in a bad light at the same time, and probably cost both sides some support. Combining that with Amelia coming out looking good as the prosecutor of the case, and I think she would be a shoe in."
Harry leaned back and smiled, "I have been a bit apprehensive about marrying you, Daphne, but I don't think I am going to have any problems with it at this point. I absolutely love how your mind works."
Daphne smirked, "I'm not particularly happy about being forced into a marriage, but I guess I could do worse than you, Harry."
Harry's smile grew bigger for a moment, and then grew grim, "Back to business, I'm afraid. I do believe that we were promised an explanation about Dumbledore and Grindelwald."
Daryn took up the explanation, "This is basically unknown in Europe, but Dumbledore didn't kill Grindelwald. The battle with him in Bavaria was actually staged and the fight was with a homunculus. It isn't widely known in Britain, but when they were young Dumbledore and Grindelwald were lovers. They only split ways when Dumbledore's sister Arianna was killed in a duel between Aberforth and Grindelwald that Albus tried to intervene in."
Daphne interrupted, "Who is Aberforth?"
Harry answered, "Dumbledore's brother. Moody pointed him out to me in a picture he had of the original Order of the Phoenix."
Daryn continued, "Instead of fighting Grindelwald, whom Albus knew he couldn't beat in a straight duel, he went to him and begged to be allowed to join back up with him. Loving Dumbledore proved to be his downfall. They stayed together that night, and Dumbledore drugged him, stole his wand and Obliviated his memory and dropped him in Nurmengard under and assumed name."
"How could you possibly know all this?" asked Harry.
Daryn replied, "My father was Ambassador to Germany about twenty years ago, and recognized Grindelwald on a tour of the prison. Using his connections, he had him removed in secret from the prison and another prisoner that was close to death Polyjuiced to look like him. We broke the Obliviation on his mind and Grindelwald spilled everything about Albus Dumbledore. We put him in a magic suppression cell, and he died several years ago, but didn't pass on which leads us to believe that he had a Horcrux. His spirit is still contained within the cell."
Astoria asked, "What is a Horcrux?"
Rupert answered her, "It's a particularly vile piece of Dark Magic that allows someone to put a piece of their soul into an object, and thus defeat death. Their bodies can still be killed, but they will always be able to regenerate a new homunculus form. We have reason to believe the Dark Lord did the same thing."
Harry nodded, "Knowing what it is, I'm certain he did. One question, though. What happens to the wraith form if their Horcrux is destroyed?"
Daryn said, "They pass on unless they are actively possessing a physical creature. If they are possessing something or someone, then they survive until the host dies, and then they pass on."
"What if someone made more than one?"
Daryn shuddered, "In recorded history, no one has ever attempted such a thing,"
Harry gritted his teeth, "I think Voldemort did. I destroyed what I am fairly certain was a Horcrux in my second year, and Voldemort is still kicking, so he must have more than one."
Daryn shook his head, "Harry, Horcruxes are extremely difficult to destroy. Even as powerful as you are, you wouldn't have been capable of any of the magic to actually destroy one at that age."
Harry grinned, "I didn't use magic. I stabbed it with a basilisk fang,"
Daryn asked, "Where the heck did you get a basilisk fang?"
"I pulled it out of my arm."
Daphne looked at him incredulously, "Do you mean to tell me that the rumor that was flying around at the end of second year about you killing a basilisk in the school was true? Snape assured us it was just people trying to bolster your reputation."
Harry snorted, "Snape would say anything to make me look bad."
Rupert looked at him incredulously, "So, it is true?"
Harry nodded, "Of course. I stabbed it through the head with Gryffindor's sword, and one of its fangs hit me in the arm. Fawkes healed me, and then I used the fang to stab the diary which was attempting to come back to life by draining Ginny Weasley of her life force."
"That sounds like a Horcrux to me," said Daryn.
"One thing I'm curious about is how Dumbledore can manage to do some of the stuff he does, and still have a phoenix companion?" asked Harry.
Daphne patted Harry on the leg, "I'll answer that one, Harry. Dumbledore used Newt Scamander to perpetuate the idea that phoenixes only serve those that are tied to the light. We know that to be untrue, since Daryn has a phoenix companion as well."
Daryn nodded, "Phoenixes are drawn to certain personality characteristics based on the type of phoenix. Also, you have to be at least Sorcerer class to bond with one, or their magic will destroy you. Once we have your block removed, you will probably attract a phoenix in relatively short order, Harry. Then, hopefully you can dispel the fact that the common witch and wizard thinks the sun shines out of Albus' ass because of that phoenix."
The rest of the next two weeks passed with lessons in etiquette, Occlumency, politics, and finance. They threw in a shopping trip, and managed to use the International Floo to set up a meeting with Amelia Bones on the thirteenth of July. Before Harry knew it, it was time to return to Britain and begin to face his destiny.
Britain, however, would never be the same, since the wizard that left Britain bore little resemblance to the wizard coming back.
A/N: I had to change something in Chapter Three. I realized that I left out the declaration of guardianship in the Potter wills. That has now been corrected.
Chapter 7
Daryn stuck out his hand to Harry, "It has been a pleasure teaching you, Harry."
Harry grinned as he shook his hand, "I can never thank you enough for this."
"Yes, you can. Take that pompous prick down within your own country, so he will stop giving us headaches on the international front, and I will consider that thanks enough."
"I will do my best, and with a little luck we might even get him out of Hogwarts."
The girls all gave Daryn a hug, while Rupert shook his hand and then the five returning to Britain grabbed the Portkey, and they went spinning across the ocean. Upon arriving in Britain, Eleanor took Astoria with her to go back to the house, since it had been unoccupied for two weeks, while Rupert, Daphne, and Harry headed for Diagon Alley. Harry kept his hood up so no one would recognize him, and to hopefully avoid a confrontation with Dumbledore until the Wizengamot session.
The three of them arrived at Gringotts without incident, and asked the first available teller if Runetooth had time to meet with them. After a few moments of activity behind the counter, they were ushered to Runetooth's office, where they were greeted and asked to sit down. "What can Gringotts do for you, Lord Potter?"
Harry replied, "We would like to complete our discussion concerning my finances that was cut short, and also to inquire about how difficult it would be for Gringotts to break the block that Dumbledore placed on my magic."
Runetooth nodded, "The block will have to be removed by ritual. If you would like, we could have the ritual prepared for tomorrow."
Harry nodded, "That would be acceptable. We have a meeting with Amelia Bones at the Ministry later today, but tomorrow is free other than strategy planning for the Wizengamot session on the 15th."
Runetooth inquired, "Is it your intent to claim your votes from Dumbledore?" "It is."
"Then, you will need an official Writ of Emancipation with both the Ministry and Gringotts seals. I will have that prepared for you to pick up after your ritual tomorrow."
Rupert asked, "As to the funds that were removed from Harry's vaults without permission, what avenues to re-obtaining the funds does Gringotts have?"
Runetooth answered, "If the person removing the funds has an account with Gringotts that has the funds available, we can merely retrieve the money, and inform them after the fact. If they do not, Gringotts can bar them from doing any business with the bank until the funds are returned. Otherwise, it would be necessary to go through Ministry channels and pursue it as a trial matter before the Wizengamot."
Daphne asked, "Does Dumbledore have the funds available to retrieve?"
Runetooth consulted something on his desk and shook his head, "Dumbledore has two accounts open at Gringotts, his personal one, and another that can be accessed by a list of people that all belong to the Order. The two accounts combined have only slightly better than half of the amount owed."
Harry instructed, "Put in an order to have the funds confiscated day after tomorrow. We'll discuss the remaining amount with Amelia this afternoon."
Daphne asked, "What about the Weasleys?"
Harry shook his head, "I'm going to take that up with Arthur as a matter between two Heads of House. I have no doubt once he has been made aware of the situation that his personal honor will require him to do everything in his power to correct it."
Rupert nodded, "That would fit with my impression of Arthur. He's a fine man, he simply lets Molly get away with too much."
Harry turned back to Runetooth, "Speaking of the Weasleys, does Gringotts have a copy of the betrothal contract that Dumbledore attempted to put in place between Ginny and I?"
Runetooth nodded, "Yes, we have a copy of the document. I will have one for you tomorrow, as well."
Daphne interjected, "Well then, I guess the only thing remaining with our business here is to get our contract from the vault."
Harry sighed, "Yes, its high time you saw the contract." He turned to Runetooth again, "Could you have someone escort us to the Potter Heirloom Vault?"
Runetooth nodded and pressed a rune on his desk and another goblin came into the room, and escorted them to the track and down to the vault. Once there, the three of them fanned out and looked for the contract. Rupert found it in short order, but could not remove it, since he was not a Potter. Harry also found a pile of enchanted daggers, and strapped one to his waist to have a backup. Daphne admired the dagger, and Harry said, "Pick one for yourself, as well. There's no telling what kind of mess you'll be mixed up in at Hogwarts as my betrothed."
Daphne nodded and picked out her own dagger, and then the three of them rode back to the lobby and made for the Leaky Cauldron to Floo back to the Greengrasses. Once there, they sat down and enjoyed lunch, before Rupert and Eleanor flooed to the Ministry with Harry under his Invisibility Cloak. They had made the appointment with Amelia under the auspices of talking about the election for Minister and having Rupert's coalition vote for her. They didn't make mention of Harry or any other business, so as not to tip off Dumbledore to Harry's whereabouts.
Rupert and Eleanor were admitted to Amelia'a office, while making sure to hold the door open long enough for Harry to slip in. Once they were seated, Amelia began, "Lord Greengrass, I was pleased when you contacted me to offer your support for my bid for Minister. However, I am somewhat confused as to why, since the vote of No Confidence failed, and with Dumbledore supporting Cornelius, it seems likely to fail at the next session as well."
Rupert smiled, "That would be because you aren't aware of certain events that will curtail Dumbledore's influence. I apologize for deceiving you about the reason for our meeting, but I had to make sure that Dumbledore would not look to closely into our comings and goings."
"Why is that?"
"That will be revealed shortly, but I must ask you to contain yourself, because the three of us are not alone, and we don't need anyone else to know about our guest," answered Rupert.
Amelia had her wand drawn and pointed at Rupert in the blink of an eye. He raised his hands, "I know it is unorthodox to sneak someone into a meeting, but this was necessary, as you will see when their identity is revealed. Harry, if you will."
Harry pulled the invisibility cloak off of himself, and took one of the other chairs in the room, "Madam Bones, I ask your forgiveness for startling you, but I needed to stay below Dumbledore's radar."
Amelia relaxed, although she kept her wand in her hand, "Why is that, Mr. Potter? I have always been under the impression that you were a Dumbledore supporter."
Harry nodded, "I was until he got my godfather killed with his stupidity, and then I discovered that he had Obliviated certain knowledge from me."
"What knowledge was that?"
Eleanor answered her, "Harry had the knowledge that he was a lord removed from his mind, so that he wouldn't interfere with Dumbledore controlling his votes. Also, there is an old betrothal contract between House Greengrass and House Potter that has never been executed. The goblins made Harry aware of it, and Dumbledore also obliviated that knowledge from him."
Amelia sat back, "Such accusations would undoubtedly do damage to Dumbledore's reputation, but I don't think they would change anything in the Wizengamot, since Memory Charms are almost impossible detect after a couple of days. Thus, making it impossible to prove such an accusation."
Harry chuckled, "While that is true, it is simply what set the stage for our current maneuvering. The fact that I was emancipated by my guardian and it has been recognized by the Ministry allows me to claim all three of Dumbledore's votes. According to what Rupert told me of the last vote of No Confidence, that should be enough to tip the scales."
Amelia looked shocked, "What guardian, and what do you mean that the Ministry recognized it?"
"Sirius Black was my magical guardian, not Dumbledore as he claimed to be. Sirius' will emancipated me."
Amelia interrupted, "That could be problematic, then. Since Sirius was a convicted criminal, the Ministry won't recognize his will or the emancipation."
Rupert coughed, "Amelia, I realize you weren't a member of the Wizengamot at the time, so you may be unaware, but Sirius Black was never given a trial, thus they have no basis to ignore his will. Not to mention, the Ministry has already recognized Harry as an adult, since he was given a trial before a full tribunal of the Wizengamot. Also, he was forced to participate in the Tri-Wizard tournament, which I have since researched and before implementing the tournament, the Ministry did change the underlying contract to state that adulthood was a condition of participation. So, that makes twice that the Ministry has recognized Harry as an adult. The goblins have already filed the emancipation quietly, and the records department didn't make a fuss, which means the magic of the documents was binding."
Amelia smiled, "As long as Harry shows up with a Writ of Emancipation to the Wizengamot meeting, no one will be able to stop him from taking his seats."
Harry nodded, "That is one of the things we wanted to talk to you about. We think that it will carry more weight for you to introduce me at the session than Rupert, since it will quickly become known that I am betrothed to his daughter Daphne."
"I would be happy too. However, even taking those three votes from Dumbledore may not be enough to get me elected Minister. Rufus has a strong following as the son of Lord Scrimgeor, and Diggory will have a lot of popular support."
Eleanor grinned, "That is why we want you to allow Harry to be your designated speaker prior to the election. The Boy-Who-Lived publicly decrying Dumbledore combined with him offering support to you will sway a large number of the undecided neutrals to your camp. Rupert's block will support you, and we can hopefully pull a few of Dumbledore's supporters into the middle. Worst case scenario would see Rufus into the top spot, but we think that you should be able to pull off the votes."
Amelia sighed, "I can't say I like it, but it seems our best shot. I wish we had something more to push favor into my column, but we work with what we have." Harry laughed delightedly, "I'm assuming that putting one of Dumbledore's teachers and trusted confidant's on trial prior to calling for a vote of No Confidence would put a damper on him."
"Who, and for what?"
"Snape. Mind rape of the Boy-Who-Lived."
Amelia's eyes darkened, "When did he do this?"
"For several months after the Christmas holidays last term. He was supposed to be giving me Occlumency lessons, but used them as an excuse to abuse me. I figure bringing him up on those charges should be enough to have him actually tried for his Death Eater activities rather than having it swept under a rug, because Dumbledore said he was a spy."
Amelia nodded, "That would severely damage Dumbledore. It might just be enough to make a push at having him removed as Chief Warlock."
Rupert shook his head, "We need to wait until the August session to try that. If we try to go too far too fast, we will make a very loud thud when we fall. We're planning on contacting Madame Longbottom, to bring up conduct issues for Snape at the next Board of Governors meeting. We're hoping that giving Dumbledore a month to prove all the accusations against him correct as he attempts to regain control of Harry, and Hogwart's dirty laundry being aired will be enough of a stain on his reputation to have him removed by then."
Harry continued, "Also, we intend to serve him with a Writ of Recovery tomorrow, as he had money removed from the Potter vaults that he wasn't authorized to remove."
Amelia shook her head, "That won't work. The Ministry had him named your magical guardian. He would have been allowed to get small amounts of money for your upkeep."
"He took a million galleons as one shot, and put it into an account to run the Order of the Phoenix. That hardly qualifies as my upkeep. In addition, he used his position as Chief Warlock to have my parents' will sealed, which would have precluded the Ministry's ability to have him declared my guardian in the first place."
Amelia nodded, "Well, the Wizengamot session is day after tomorrow, what do you have planned in the meantime?"
Harry responded, "I have to go to Gringott's in the morning to have the block that Dumbledore placed on my core removed, while Rupert is going to spend the morning softening up some other votes."
Amelia sucked in a breath at Harry's mention of a blocked core, "Have Gringotts swear out paperwork with their seal on it about removing the block. That will be a serious blow to Dumbldore."
Rupert looked quizzical, "I'm confused as to how that could present a problem for him. Blocking someone's magic when they are young is permissible."
Amelia shook her head, "I know, but that is only under certain circumstances. The first being parental permission, which he did not have, the second being that it is registered with the Ministry, which it is not, and the third being that the block is removed upon the recipients 11th birthday in order to record an accurate HMI, which it was obviously not."
Harry nodded, "Cool, just one more nail in the old man's coffin. I'm certainly going to enjoy seeing the look on his face when he realizes I'm taking some of his power away."
After that the meeting broke up, and the Greengrasses headed home, where Harry flooed Neville and set up the meeting with his grandmother the next afternoon, warning him to be quiet about the fact that Harry had been in contact with him.
Chapter 8
The next day, Harry traveled to Gringotts on his own, and met quickly with Runetooth, who took Harry to the ritual room, which was a stone chamber with an altar in the middle.
While on the way to the ritual room, Harry said, "Amelia Bones wants me to have Gringotts swear out a document with your seal denoting that you removed the block from me today."
Runetooth nodded, "I will have that done while the ritual is taking place and will have it with your other documents when you are done." The two of them entered the ritual room and Runetooth indicated Harry to go to the altar, "You must remove all your clothing, and then lay down on the altar. Three goblin shamans will enter and begin the ritual. It is imperative that all of your body remain on the altar during the whole ritual, so try to move as little as possible."
Harry stepped onto the altar, "Why do I have to remove my clothes?"
Runetooth shook his head, "I don't know why humans are so concerned with modesty, however the reason is simple. Any clothing that you are wearing when the block is broken would be incinerated by the magical backlash that will occur when your power is unblocked. We will return the items to you upon completion of the ritual."
Harry sighed, "Very well." He proceeded to disrobe, and laid down on the altar. Runetooth gathered his clothing and left the room. Moments later, the goblin shamans entered the room, and began chanting. Given that the invocations were in Gobbldegook, Harry didn't understand anything they said, but after several minutes he began to feel pressure inside his chest, as if something was trying to escape. He did as instructed and stayed as still as possible, but the pressure just continued to build until it became excruciatingly painful. Just as Harry was about to scream that he couldn't take anymore, there was a loud snapping sound that echoed through the room, and then a surge of power was released and infused through Harry. It washed away the aches that had been created and he felt better than he ever had before.
Harry sat up on the altar, and each of the three shamans bowed to him, and then filed from the room. Runetooth returned with Harry's clothes and laid them down. Harry quickly dressed and put on his glasses. Once he did, he discovered that his vision went blurry. As he removed them it cleared. "Was the ritual supposed to correct my vision?"
Runetooth shrugged, "There are numerous side effects to unbinding a wizard's magic like this. I can only assume that your poor vision was a condition caused by the block, and removing it allowed your magic to fix the problem. Very few wizards experience problems such as poor eyesight until they grow old. Had you not noticed that you were the only student at Hogwarts wearing glasses?"
Harry nodded, "I just assumed they had contacts."
"The wizarding world has no such thing. The Muggleborns might possibly use such a device, but no Pureblood would even know how."
"I suppose that makes sense. Well, if you have all the paperwork I need, I will be off. I have an appointment with Madam Longbottom after lunch, and the Greengrasses are meeting me there."
Runetooth turned and walked out of the room, "If you will follow me to my office, Mr. Potter, I have all the paperwork there." The two of them made their way through the corridors to the office, where Runetooth settled behind his desk, "Here is your Writ of Emancipation, this is the Writ of Recovery for you to present Dumbledore with, and this is a copy of the contract with the Weasleys."
Harry took the proffered documents and said, "Thank you, Runetooth. Gringotts and you have been most helpful."
Runetooth responded, "Good luck, Mr. Potter. The moment you hand that Writ of Recovery to Dumbledore, the magic will alert us, and we will lock down his accounts. At which point, the amount that he owes on the contract will magically update to what is remaining. I would recommend having someone serve him prior to the session beginning, as that will have him off-balance to start with."
"I welcome your advice, and will do so. With that I shall take my leave."
Harry nodded good-bye to the goblin and made his way out of Gringotts. In his haste he forgot to put up his hood, and as he made his way into the Leaky Cauldron to floo away, he was spotted from a distance by none other than Nymphadora Tonks, who rushed after him, but was too late to hear where he went. She immediately rushed to the Apparition point and Apparated to Hogwarts. She quickly made her way to the Headmaster's office, "Albus, I just spotted Harry."
"Where?"
"He was going into the Leaky Cauldron, but had flooed away before I could get to him. So, I didn't hear his destination."
Dumbledore nodded, "I will alert the others that he was spotted. This means that he is no longer hiding if he was in Diagon Alley. We will be able to return him to his relatives soon, then. Return to Diagon Alley, Nymphadora, and continue your vigil. He may have other business there, and return."
Tonks left his office and was making her away across the grounds, when she ran into Minerva. Minerva asked, "Why are you at Hogwarts, Nymphadora?"
Tonks replied, "I saw Harry in Diagon Alley. He flooed away before I could get to him in the Leaky Cauldron, so I came to report to Dumbledore as soon as I could."
Minerva asked, "How did young Harry look. He has been missing for two weeks."
Tonks paused to think, "He seemed fine. So, he hasn't been mistreated by whoever he's been hiding with. What I can't figure out is why he's hiding in the first place."
Minerva mused, "Why indeed? Carry on, Tonks. I dare say you have work to do."
Later that afternoon, the Greengrasses and Harry flooed into Longbottom manor. Neville greeted them, "Damn, Harry. Do you know how many times I've gotten letters and visits from people asking about you in the last two weeks? I've gotten daily reminders from Dumbledore and several other people to make sure I report to them if I hear from you."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Did you report that you had heard from me?"
Neville looked disgusted, "Of course not. I didn't even inform Gran that you were coming today. I just said that it was the Greengrasses that wanted to discuss something concerning the Board of Governors meeting with her."
Harry smiled, "I knew I could count on you. As for introductions, this is Rupert and Eleanor Greengrass, their daughter Astoria, and their daughter and my betrothed, Daphne."
Neville gaped, "Bloody hell. No wonder you went into hiding. Most of our friends are going to hit the roof when they find out you're betrothed to a Slytherin."
Harry nodded, "I know. So, what do you think about it?"
Neville shrugged, "Daphne has never made fun of me at Hogwarts, so its fine. Now, if it were Pansy Parkinson, I would have to ask if you were out of your mind?"
Daphne laughed, "I knew there had to be a reason that you were the first of his friends that Harry decided to contact. I think Slytherin would have been a lot more fun over the years with the two of you instead of that prick Malfoy."
Neville winked, "Well, I'll lead all of you into the parlor. My Gran is waiting."
Rupert walked behind Neville with Harry bringing up the rear, so as to not startle the woman. Rupert bowed to Augusta and said, "I thank you, Lady Longbottom, for taking the time to see us today."
Augusta nodded, and was about to reply when she caught sight of Harry, "Harry Potter! Albus Dumbledore has been most insistent that he be notified if you contact Neville."
She stood to head for the Floo, when Neville stepped into her path. He shook his head at her, "Gran, you need to sit down and listen to them. Harry does not want Dumbledore aware of his presence."
Augusta Longbottom's mouth drew into a thin line, "Neville, you will move out of my way. I have a Floo call to make."
He replied, "No."
"Neville, you need to remember to whom you are speaking."
"And you, Gran, need to recall just who will be Head of the House of Longbottom in a year."
That comment caused Augusta to step back in shock. Neville continued, "I will attain my majority next July, and I will officially become the Head of House. I will no longer need Great Uncle to stand as proxy. If you would like to remain a member of this family at that time, you will sit and listen."
Harry started forward to intervene, but Rupert gripped his arm and shook his head. Harry subsided.
Augusta took a moment to compose herself, and then sat. She took a deep breath, and then, "Lord Greengrass, if you and your family would have a seat, I will listen to what you and Mr. Potter have come here to tell me today."
Between Neville, Daphne, and Harry, they filled her in on the dealings at Hogwarts over the last five years, with Rupert and Eleanor filling in occasional details from outside Hogwarts. Once they were finished, there was little in Augusta's eyes but rage.
"So, what would you like done about it? I'm certain you have an agenda, or you wouldn't have come here."
Rupert explained, "Well, Snape will be dealt with at the Wizengamot session tomorrow. Harry was emancipated by Sirius' will and will be assuming his seats. Amelia is going to bring charges against him for the mind rape. At the very least, that will cost him his job. Not even Dumbledore will be able to protect him from that. The backlash from the parents would be unstoppable if they didn't remove him from Hogwarts. Our ultimate goal is the removal of Dumbledore as Headmaster, but we don't have the ammunition to damage his reputation enough for that, yet. What we would like to propose is a greater degree of oversight on his dealings at Hogwarts. No more unilateral hires that bypass the board, and anything else that we can impose to curtail his activities."
Augusta nodded, "You can count on me to voice such proposals, and I daresay with testimony from young Mr. Potter, that we will be able to sway enough of the Board. I am the chair now that Lucius Malfoy was taken to prison. So, I need five of the other eleven votes to go along with me on this."
The party sat and talked about less consequential things including Daphne and Harry's betrothal for quite awhile that afternoon. As the meeting was breaking up and they were preparing to leave, Augusta stood and placed both of her hands on Neville's shoulders, "Neville, I want your friends to witness this. While I'm not exactly happy about how you did it, I have never been more proud of you than when you stood up to me for what you felt was right. I have faith that you will make an excellent Head of House Longbottom."
Harry gave Neville a thumbs up, as Neville's eyes filled with tears and he hugged his Gran.
Later that evening, the Order was assembled at Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore rose and got everyone's attention, "Yes, by now everyone should be aware that Harry was spotted today. I have a Wizengamot session tomorrow, and I will speak with Amelia Bones to hopefully get the Ministry involved in discovering why Harry has been in hiding."
Remus commented, "He may just want to mourn Sirius' without handlers around."
"Be that as it may, Remus, Harry cannot simply roam around. He is in great danger from the Death Eaters and Voldemort."
Minerva spoke up, "Speaking of You-Know-Who, what are we going to do about him? He's been quiet so far this summer, and we haven't done anything to be prepared for when he does become active again."
Moody nodded, "The only thing we've done is look for Potter. We should be going after Death Eaters, while Voldemort is recuperating from whatever Potter did to him at the Ministry."
Dumbledore shook his head, "Finding Harry is our priority. We must get him back under our watch, so that we can make sure that he is safe and isn't being unduly influenced by someone."
Dumbledore handed out assignments for various people, and then the meeting broke up. Remus cornered Minerva, "I know you noticed it too, Minerva. Dumbledore is far more worried about someone influencing Harry than he is his safety. He just keeps parroting that line like its some kind of mantra."
Minerva nodded, "I'm beginning to wonder precisely what Albus is so worried that Harry will find out. Over the years, he's been extremely careful not to let Harry learn too much about the wizarding world. He's limited his exposure to school and the few people he deems trustworthy."
Remus asked, "Do you think that he just doesn't want Harry to know about his political power? If Harry were to claim his voting rights next year, he would take those votes away from Dumbledore."
"Surely, Albus isn't worried about that. He would still be the Chief Warlock. He also has a strong voting block, and I can't see Harry going against the light anyway."
Remus shrugged, "I don't know, but my intuition is telling me something is wrong. I just don't know what it is."
Minerva patted him on the shoulder, "I fear we won't know until we find Mr. Potter. We'll have to save our questions till then."
"Yes, we will."
Chapter 9
Rupert and Harry were standing in a room just off the main Wizengamot chamber. Rupert grinned as he watched Harry take a deep breath in an attempt to steady his nerves. "Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Harry intoned.
"Just relax. You're as prepared for this as it was possible to make you. You'll be fine. I'll leave the door cracked when I go out so that you can hear the beginning proceeding, and then as soon as Dumbledore asks if there is any preliminery business, Amelia will announce you."
Harry nodded, "Then, I go in and hand my paperwork to Dumbledore. As soon as I'm invested, then I hit him with the Writ of Recovery, and you and Amelia will handle the rest of the accusations."
Rupert clapped him on the back, "See, I told you that you were prepared. I'll be waiting for you to take your seat out there."
With that Rupert walked out into the main chamber, leaving the door slightly ajar so that Harry could hear. The only thing he heard for several minutes was the shuffling of feet and murmured greetings as each of the Lords and Ladies found their way to their seats.
Then, Dumbledore's voice rang out, "As Chief warlock, I, Albus Dumbledore, call this, the seventh session of the Wizengamot in the year 1996 to order. Now, before we begin this month's agenda, does anyone have any preliminary business?"
Amelia stood, and said, "It has come to my attention in the past few days that we have a new Lord to invest as he has reached his majority."
Lord Longbottom, who had been clued in on the proceedings by Augusta stood, "What lord is this? We have no records that any of the proxied Lords were coming of age."
Amelia nodded, "This is true, Lord Longbottom. However, this Lord was emancipated with the death of his legal and magical guardian, and thus attained his majority."
By this point, Dumbledore, who was no fool, assumed Amelia was referring to Harry and said, "This is nonsense. For an emancipation to be legal, it has to be recognized by both Gringotts and the Ministry."
Amelia smiled, which Dumbledore felt boded ill for him, "Such emancipation has been recognized by both, along with the Wizengamot. I refer to Lord Harry James Potter."
Harry took this as his cue to enter, and walked proudly into the room wearing his Potter familial robes, with the Black and Peverell crests on the opposite breast to the Potter crest. Dumbledore snarled, "This is preposterous. I am Harry's magical guardian, and I have certainly never emancipated him."
Harry stepped forward, and presented Dumbledore with his Writ of Emancipation, "As you can see, that has both the Ministry and Gringotts seals, so it is legal, which also calls into question your claims to have been my legal guardian."
Dumbledore gave Harry a vehement glare, "I refuse to recognize this. Mr. Potter will not be invested today."
Lord Greengrass rose, "You have no choice. To deny Lord Potter his investiture would defy your oaths to the Wizengamot charter as Chief Warlock, and the penalty for such a thing would be harsh."
Dumbledore turned to look at Harry for a moment, and pretended to be thinking, while attempting to invade Harry's mind with Legilimency. His probe was soundly rebuffed. He stepped back in shock, and then relented, "Very well."
Harry's investing was handled quickly and then he took his place sitting next to Amelia Bones.
Albus stood, "Does anyone else have preliminary business before the Wizengamot?"
Harry stood, "I have in my hands a Writ of Recovery from Gringotts that is to be served upon you, Albus Dumbledore, for the theft of one million galleons from the Potter vaults while you were masquerading as my magical guardian." Harry walked over to Dumbledore and placed the writ in his hands to the shock of the entire Wizengamot, who were very soon in an uproar. Harry resumed his seat and sat smiling at the rage that was quickly becoming apparent on Dumbledore's face, while the Wizengamot chamber rang with the protests of old families, both light and dark, who were imagining the same thing occurring to one of their own children.
Once, the chamber had been brought back to order, Dumbledore resigned himself to ask for a third time, "Does anyone else have preliminary business before the Wizengamot?"
When, Amelia stood again, Dumbledore bowed his head. It was obvious to him what Harry had spent the last two weeks doing, and it was just as obvious that there was little he would be able to do within the constraints of the chamber to stop it. Amelia began, "It has come to the attention of the DMLE that there have been crimes perpetuated at Hogwarts. It is also felt by the Ministry that awaiting for a new judiciary tribunal to be selected and form an agenda would be a grave disservice to the students of Hogwarts. So, we propose that the trial take place in front of the entire Wizengamot."
Lord Longbottom, who had long been one of Dumbledore's supporters stood, "I second the motion."
Having a member of his own camp turn on him left Dumbledore with little choice but to call a vote. Given the tumult from earlier, and the number of members who had children or grandchildren at Hogwarts, the vote wasn't even close. 213 in favor and thirty against with seven abstentions. Once the vote was over, Dumbledore asked, "What supposed crime do you speak of?"
Amelia signaled one of the Aurors to get the prisoner, "There is no supposed about it, Chief Warlock. We have undeniable proof that Severus Snape mind raped Lord Potter under the pretense of giving him Occlumency lessons at your behest last term."
Dumbledore went ashen as Snape was led into the chamber and chaos reined again. He was administered Veritaserum, and then placed in front of the assembly. Amelia stepped forward as his questioner. She began, "Severus Snape, did you use the supposed Occlumency lessons of Lord Potter as an excuse to fire the Legilimens curse at him repeatedly?"
"Yes."
"Were you aware that this method is considered mind rape by the Ministry and is punishable by ten years in Azkaban per offense?"
"Yes."
"How many times were you guilty of such an offense?"
"Twice a week for eleven weeks."
Amelia turned to the Wizengamot, "We have more evidence if it is necessary, but I think such an admission is enough to establish guilt. What says the Wizengamot?"
Lord Diggory stood, "Knowing that this scum was in charge of Cedric for six years fills me with disgust. I say that we have heard enough and that we vote now."
The clamor for a vote forced Dumbledore into calling one. The only votes for acquittal were a couple of the openly Dark families that were simply trying to gain grace with Lord Voldemort. Snape was sentenced to 220 years in Azkaban and then led away. Once he was gone from the room, Dumbledore again asked, "Does anyone else have preliminary business before the Wizengamot?"
Dumbledore almost cringed when Harry stood. Cornelius Fudge shouted, "This is getting ridiculous. I have a Ministry to run, and don't have all day to devote to this."
Harry graced Fudge with a predatory smile, "Well, Minister, we shall have to see what we can do about clearing up some of your day for you. I call for a vote of No Confidence in Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."
The Vote of No Confidence passed 180 to 70. Then, the election of the next minister began immediately. Harry nominated Amelia Bones. Lord Lestrange was nominated by another of the dark families, and Lord Scrimgeor nominated his son, Rufus, who was immediately sent for. Dumbledore stood and nominated Lord Diggory, who had this to say, "I decline to run for Minister at this time, and encourage any who had planned to vote for me to cast your vote for Amelia Bones instead." This pulled the rug completely out from under Dumbledore, who was left floundering without a viable light side candidate.
Harry spoke on Amelia's behalf pointing out her impartiality and willingness to listen to both side before taking decisive action. Lord Lestrange and Rufus both spoke on their own behalf, but neither of them could dent the picture that Harry had built in his speech about the state of affairs in the wizarding world. The vote when it was cast was far more favorable than they could have hoped for. Amelia received 147 votes, claiming a large share of the neutrals and most of Dumbledore's support on the plea of Amos Diggory.
Dumbledore asked the fated question one last time, and breathed a sigh of relief when no one stood. so, with a new Minister of Magic the session of the Wizengamot finally got to its agenda for the month of July.
Directly after the session was over, Harry stopped to speak to Amelia for a moment, and then took off with Rupert Greengrass, ignoring Dumbledore's attempts to stop him. The two of them quickly searched out the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office and found Arthur in the office alone. He saw Harry and jumped up, "Harry, we've been so worried about you. Dumbledore has had the Order searching for you non-stop. Does he know where you are?"
Harry chuckled, "I daresay he knows that I'm in the Ministry, but he wishes I were anywhere but."
Arthur paused, "I'm confused. Why would Albus not want you in the ministry?"
"I was emancipated in Sirius' will and was invested in the Wizengamot this morning. Having his three votes stripped from him has Dumbledore in a bit of a snit."
"Very well. I can't pretend to understand where the animosity between you and Albus is coming from, but I'm just glad that you're ok." He stuck out his hand to Lord Greengrass, "I apologize for ignoring you, Rupert, but Harry was my focus."
Rupert shook his hand, "I understand. If I hadn't known where Harry was the last two weeks I would have been frantic as well."
Arthur raised one eyebrow, "I was unaware that you were acquainted with Harry."
Harry laughed, "I am betrothed to his oldest daughter. It would make sense for him to be worried."
Arthur dropped onto his desk, "Betrothed?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, that is why we're here. Dumbledore has done everything in his power, and a few things that aren't to keep me from learning of the betrothal contract, even going so far as to obliviate me and Rupert of our knowledge of the contract. He also stole the Greengrass copy, but luckily was unable to access the Potter heirloom vault to get my copy."
Arthur stood and walked back around his desk and sat down. He offered seats to the two of them and then asked, "I can understand your animosity now, but I don't understand why you have come to see me about it. This would be best taken up with Amelia as Head of the DMLE."
Harry laughed, "I see that the gossip hasn't made it upstairs. yet. Amelia Bones is now the Minister of Magic. We just ousted Fudge a few hours ago." Harry gave Arthur a few moments to compose himself from the shock and then his expression grew grim, "The reason I'm here is for a matter of treachery. I'm sorry to tell you that your wife was in on Dumbledore's game, and in addition has been removing money from my trust account the last two years, as she had gotten my key."
The color drained from his face, "Are you certain? How do you know Molly is involved?"
"Gringotts informed me at the beginning of summer that she had been taking the money from my trust account, and we have this." He placed the copy of the betrothal contract between Harry and Ginny on the desk. Arthur picked up the document and looked it over. The signatures of Molly and Albus at the bottom sealed any protest that he might have had.
He sighed, "As the injured party in this matter, Lord Potter, what would you like done?"
Harry steepled his fingers, "I will leave Molly's punishment up to you as her Head of House, but I must say that the punishment should fit the crime. Also, I want to know if any other member of your family was involved, and to what extent. If you invoke Head of House, none of them will be able to lie to you. I would like to be present but unobserved for that questioning."
"I have no problem with that, but how will you remain unobserved at the Burrow?"
Harry grinned, and with a movement disappeared, "I have an Invisibility cloak."
They made arrangements for Harry to meet Arthur and Apparate to the Burrow with him after work to question the members of the family still at home.
Chapter 10
Harry met Arthur that afternoon, and as the two of them left the Ministry and headed for the Apparition point, Arthur commented, "I flooed Fred and George and told them to be at the Burrow this evening. They're going to close early, since I told them it was important."
Harry nodded, "I'm hoping none of the children are involved, but its best to know. Also, I need to get in to visit the twin's shop. I'm assuming that they have come up with some great stuff."
Arthur grinned, "Molly hates the store, but I find it exceptionally funny, and they're making plenty of money to support themselves. They even offered to get Ron and Ginny new books and robes for the coming year."
"That fits what I know of them. They love to goof off, but they're extremely loyal which has me convinced they aren't involved."
"I hope not. Punishing my wife is going to be difficult enough. I daresay punishing one of my children will be worse."
"I don't mean to pry, but what are you intending to do about Molly?"
Arthur sighed, "That depends on her level of complicity. If she was being led astray by Dumbledore, I will be lenient. If, however, she was fully complicit in the plot, I have no choice but to cast her from the House of Weasley. With such a stain on her honor, the Prewitts won't accept her back either. For a Pureblood to be nameless in our society is one of the worst fates possible short of Azkaban."
Harry agreed, "Yes, that would destroy most of them since they depend so much on a family name to take them places. The punishment for Molly is acceptable, and I will hold any Weasley not specifically complicit blameless."
Arthur patted him on the back, "Thank you. Such a declaration will go a long way to repairing the Weasley honor." The two of them arrived at the Apparition point, and Harry stopped Arthur.
He said, "Before we head into this conversation, let's step into the Cauldron, and grab a private corner. I have a few other things to explain to you about today." The two of them sat in the corner, and after ordering a couple of Butterbeers, Harry proceeded to explain his emancipation and a few other things that Arthur was unaware of.
Then, they returned to the Apparition point, and Harry swirled his cloak over himself, and then they popped away. The two arrived at the Burrow and Arthur walked up to the door stealing himself for the confrontation about to take place. He could see Molly through the window puttering in the kitchen, and based on the sounds coming from inside the twins had already arrived.
He took a deep breath and opened the kitchen door, and walked in. Molly greeted him, as always, and then the children came traipsing down the stairs. Fred asked, "So, what's so important, Dad?"
Arthur motioned for them all to sit at the table, and then said, "I am calling a Weasley Convocation as Head of House."
Molly gasped. The twins eyes widened, while Ron just looked confused. He asked, "What's a convocation?"
Ginny gave him a dirty look, "Did you not pay any attention to anything you're supposed to know? A convocation is when the Head of House believes that someone has done something that is against the family, or impugns the family honor."
Arthur smiled at Ginny, praying in his mind that his youngest child was not involved, "That's correct, Ginny. Now, let's have your oaths."
Again, Ron showed his ignorance, "What oath?"
George explained this time, "You have to make an oath against your honor as part of the family to tell the truth. If you lie to the Head of House after that, the family magicks extract a harsh penalty."
"What?"
Molly replied ashen faced, "Your magic."
Ron turned red, "I refuse to take such an oath."
Arthur replied, "If you refuse to take the oath, Ron, you will be summarily cast from the family, and then you will no longer be allowed to live at the Burrow, or claim to be a Weasley."
Ron spluttered, "This is crazy. What reason could you possibly have to do such a thing to us?"
The twins just gave Ron a disgusted look, and took their oath. Ginny followed just behind, and then Molly did so, though she appeared reluctant. Arthur looked at Ron, "Now, is the time to decide. You know the consequences."
"Bloody hell. Fine, then. I, Ronald Bilius Weasley, swear on my honor to be truthful in all my statements to my Head of House while this convocation lasts." A flash of light came from them as Arthur sealed the convocation with his own magic and rights as Head of House.
The first question from his mouth set the stage for the meeting, "How many of you were aware that Molly had negotiated a betrothal contract between Ginny and Harry Potter?"
Ginny and the twins looked flabbergasted, while the tips of Ron's ears darkened, and Molly's face reddened with anger. Arthur repeated the question and added, "I'm waiting for an answer."
The twins both stood and intoned in concert, "Dad, we had no idea about anything of that nature, and demand that Mother be punished for such an offense, or we will disown ourselves from House Weasley."
That statement was all it took for Molly's anger to pop, "You ungrateful wretches. I only did what I could for the betterment of the family."
By this point Ginny was crying as she repeated over and over again that she didn't know. Arthur ignored Molly for a moment and turned to Ron, "What did you know about this, Ronald?"
Ron replied, "I didn't know about a contract, but Mum told me that since I was friends with Harry after first year that I was supposed to make sure he didn't get into a relationship with any girls, so that Ginny would have her chance. I got chewed out in fourth year, because she thought Harry was dating Hermione, and then again last year, when she found out about Cho Chang. She didn't tell my why except that it was for the good of the family."
Arthur nodded, "Molly, you appear to think that the contract was for the good of the family. Explain to me how you gaining control of half the Potter fortune, and Albus Dumbledore getting the other half was in any way for the good of the Weasley family."
Molly paled, "You've seen the contract."
Arthur nodded, "I am also aware that you have been stealing from Harry. I want to know where the money is?"
Molly slumped, "Its in a box in our closet. I was holding it for when You-Know-Who took over."
"What do you mean by that?"
Molly sighed, "Albus told me that he had a grand plan for Harry, but that part of it would require us to allow You-Know-Who to gain control of Britain, so that when the confrontation comes, Harry will be killed by him, and then Albus said he would be able to defeat You-Know-Who after Harry was dead, since Harry and him are linked, and neither will really die unless both of them are killed close together."
Arthur turned to Ron, "Did you know anything about her taking money from Harry?"
Ron nodded, "She gave me some of it to keep me quiet after I found out."
Arthur stood and took out his wand, "I, Arthur Charles Weasley, as Head of House Weasley cast Molly Weasley and Ron Weasley from House Weasley for crimes against one we considered to be our own. You are each now nameless." He took a deep breath, "Fred, George, follow Ron up to his room and allow him to pack his personal possessions, but don't let him take anything that belongs to the family. I will watch Molly." He turned to Ginny, "Will you be alright until I return?"
Ginny was still crying, but attempted to nod. Harry whipped off his cloak, and approached, "I'll stay with her, Arthur."
Arthur nodded, but before anyone could leave the room, Ron lunged at Harry screaming, "Bastard."
Harry sidestepped him while casting a spell to knock him off his feet. As Ron struggled back to his feet, Harry leveled his wand right in between Ron's eyes. He replied, "I could say the same thing about you, since you were supposed to be my best friend. Now, go get your stuff." Harry caught Molly smirking from the corner of his eye, "What pray tell has you so giddy?"
Molly smiled, "I may have been cast from my family, but at least you will be expelled from Hogwarts for doing underage magic."
Harry chuckled, "I seriously doubt that considering that I was emancipated, and am now a recognized adult." Arthur led Molly to their room, while the twins followed Ron, holding him at wand point. Harry patted Ginny on the shoulder, "I'm sorry that you got caught up in this, Ginny."
She shook her head, "It's not your fault, Harry. I just can't believe my mother would do something like that."
"I know. I was under the impression that she felt I was part of the family, but it was all for show." He was about to continue when he saw Dumbledore Apparate in with several members of the Order. He jumped up, "I'm sorry, Ginny, but I don't care to have a confrontation with the old man right now. I have to go. Give my apologies to your father and the twins." He raced for the fireplace and tossed the Floo powder in and whispered Greengrass Manor under his breath, just as Dumbledore and the rest of the Order came into the room.
Albus raced in and asked, "Where is Harry?"
Ginny shrugged, "He went through the floo. I don't know where."
Hearing the commotion, Arthur marched Molly back downstairs, and came face to face with Albus. Albus asked, "Why didn't you alert the rest of the Order that Harry was here?"
Arthur replied coldly, "Harry has no desire to see you, Albus, and neither do I. You have sullied the honor of House Weasley with your manipulations, and I wish for you to leave my home. If you do not, I will call the Ministry and have you arrested. I think Rufus will be quite interested in two of his Aurors assisting you in breaking the law." He gave Kingsley and Tonks a withering look when he said this.
Albus drew himself up as if prepared to do something to Arthur, but then seemed to think better of it considering all of the witnesses at hand. It would not do for him to lose even more support than had already eroded. "Very well. We will leave." Molly grabbed Ron as he was coming down the stairs with the twins still holding him at wand point, and followed the rest of the Order from the house.
That evening at Grimmauld Place the Order convened, and Arthur came in at the last minute. Albus looked surprised, but bit his tongue, knowing that anything he said against Arthur would put him in a bad light, especially given the truths that had been revealed today. Arthur sat next to Bill and leaned over, "We have to talk after the meeting. I don't know if you've heard, but I had to cast Molly and Ron from the family."
Bill's eyes widened. Casting someone from the family was a harsh penalty, and he realized that the two must have done something heinous for Arthur to enact it.
Dumbledore called the meeting to order. He announced, "Harry Potter has been located. Unfortunately, he has been staying with people that have been giving him counsel that is not in his best interests, and it falls to us to ascertain a way to bring him back under our guidance."
Arthur snorted, "Under our guidance? You mean you want Harry back under your thumb. Maybe the Order should benefit from the real story of what happened today."
Albus waved him off, "I don't think the minor details are relevant. It is only important that we get Harry to listen to us again."
Minerva spoke up, "I think that most of us would like to know those insignificant details, Albus. Go ahead, Arthur."
Albus interrupted him before he could speak, "I still don't think it necessary. It will waste time that we could better spend focusing on Harry's rebelliousness."
Moody inserted at this point, "I've heard from some of my contacts, and from what I've been told, I think we need to hear what Arthur has to say. Harry's rebelliousness sounds like it is well founded to me."
Several Order members protested, but the majority wanted Arthur to speak. So, he began, "Harry came to me today to inform me that Albus and Molly conspired together to steal money from his vault, while signing a betrothal contract between Ginny and him."
There were gasps around the room. Hagrid shouted, "Dumbledore woudnna do that."
Minerva gave him an icy stare, "Albus, how could you?"
Albus replied with grace, "I had no idea that Molly was taking money from his vault. I, however, did take money to fund the Order, which was my legal right to do as Harry's guardian. James gave money to fund the Order during the first war, and would have wanted the Potter fortune to be used again."
There were nods around the room, but Arthur scoffed, "While I can't say that I knew James Potter very well, I can say that I doubt he would have wanted you to take money from his child without permission, especially considering that you have never been Harry's guardian."
Kingsley asked, "What do you mean? I wasn't very highly placed in the DMLE back then, but I remember the Ministry awarding custody to Dumbledore."
Arthur replied, "Yes, but that was illegal. Dumbledore used his influence as Chief Warlock to have the Potter will sealed. Sirius was always his guardian, since he wasn't actually convicted, and Sirius' will emancipated Harry."
Moody nodded, "So, that's how Amelia was elected minister today. I know that Dumbledore supported Fudge in a very close vote of No Confidence last month."
Tonks appeared confused, "I don't understand how Harry's emancipation would change a vote in the Wizengamot."
Moody responded gruffly, "That's what happens when you don't pay attention in your Politics and Government class at the Auror Academy. The Potter's have controlled both the Potter vote and the Peverell vote for generations. Dumbledore assumed those votes as Harry's guardian along with the Black proxy, since he argued that it couldn't be discharged by Sirius, since he was in Azkaban. Harry being emancipated would give him control of all three of those votes. The vote of No Confidence was so close last month that three votes switching sides could change the outcome."
Albus stayed silent through all of these accusations, and now felt that it was time for him to enact his grandfatherly charm, "I may have made some mistakes in my dealings with young Harry, but I have only done what I have because I knew Voldemort would be returning. I don't want such mistakes to divide the Order at such a critical time. We need to have Harry cooperating with us, so that we can defeat Voldemort. He's the true enemy."
This speech appeared to sway many of the Order members back to Albus' side, so Arthur stood up in disgust, "I can't listen to anymore of this garbage. I was forced into casting my wife and son out of House Weasley today because they got caught up in your machinations. I, Arthur Charles Weasley, formally resign from the Order of the Phoenix."
Bill followed him to his feet, "I, William Arthur Weasley, formally resign from the Order of the Phoenix."
Kingsley stood, "I, Kingsley Josia Shacklebolt, formally resign from the Order of the Phoenix." A few other minor members also resigned, and began leaving the house, while Dumbledore stood in shock that he lost seven members of his Order. It took all of his self-restraint to maintain his composure. Thus, he did not take note of the looks exchanged between Minerva, Remus, and Alastor that communicated that all three intended to remain in the Order, so that they could keep an eye on one Albus Dumbledore.