Chapter 19
The Slytherin first year girl's dorm was buzzing with energy and excitement next morning. Luna was hyper at the prospect of sitting-in on a day's classes at Hogwarts, her enthusiasm was so infectious that it carried the other girls along too. As they all headed down to meet the guys before heading for breakfast, Susan noted Pansy appeared troubled about something and quietly asked her what was wrong. Hermione and Susan both hoped Luna would be joining them in second year come September so she was keen to sort any problems Pansy had with this now.
"Oh Susan, I think Luna's great and can't wait until she's here full time. I was more concerned about Dudley. He doesn't have magic yet he's going to be taking classes with us today, I don't think that's fair on poor Dudley."
Susan's smile was wide and genuine. She was really pleased that Pansy had thought of Dudley, though she might see another side to Luna if she made a play for him. "Trust me Pansy, his mum and dad wouldn't have allowed this if they didn't know Dudley could cope with it."
"But Susan, we've got defence first. He could get hurt!"
"Not gonna happen Pansy, we've been getting defence lessons for years from the same person who will be teaching us this morning. You saw what he did to Malfoy with swords, even if Draco had used his wand Dudley would still have beat him in a duel. Professor Black knows exactly what Dudley is capable of and won't let any harm come to him. After that we have herbology, something Dudley is nearly as good at as Neville. He'll be fine, or Luna and Hermione will be extracting retribution again."
This had Pansy shaking her head in bafflement. "It's not that I don't believe you Susan, it's just a lot to take in that a muggle can defend themselves from magic. It goes against everything I've been taught before coming to Hogwarts. Then again, loads of things in Hogwarts have been so different than I expected. I never thought I would have as much fun, or as many friends." Pansy was now blushing as she revealed the next bit. "Dudley is different from anyone I've ever met, not that I've met any other muggles. The three of those boys are just so... I don't know how to put it into words."
The blush told Susan some of the words she was thinking of, it was with a chuckle that she answered Pansy. "Oh, hot, hunks or gorgeous usually works for me." She put her arm around her dorm mate. "A word of advice, Neville is really the only one who's unattached so you better get in quick if your interested."
Pansy's blush had now reached epic proportions but this was information she needed to know. "I thought you and Neville were close?"
"We're very close but I love all three of those boys as my brothers, I just don't see that ever changing. We're like a family, with Hermione as my big sis while Luna is the baby of the group. We all grew up together, went to school together and even live together for some parts of the year. I'll tell you something though, any potential boyfriend of mine is going to have a lot to live up to, not to mention three brothers watching to see they behave themselves. Not that I can't take care of myself mind you, my aunt made sure all us girls knew how to fight dirty if we needed to."
The two girls walked arm in arm to catch up with the rest of the group. Pansy wasn't even sure what she was feeling this morning, that was until Susan put it into words. In any first year potential boyfriend survey, those three boys would be close to the top amongst all her peers. That Neville was the only one unattached narrowed the field somewhat but he was hardly a consolation prize. That he was the only one of the trio of boys who was a pureblood never entered Pansy's thoughts, the circumstances of someone's birth had become of no relevance to the first year Slytherins. Their eyes had been well and truly opened by their new friends. Not by preaching any particular doctrine at them either, just the six of them being themselves was more than enough to make a difference to the rest of Slytherin.
-oOoOo-
Ron Weasley sat in defence, seething with anger. The reluctant Hufflepuff had been keeping his head down and staying out of trouble, something that seemed a lot easier to do now that Malfoy had left. The reason for that anger was sitting at the front, amongst his friends. Here was this muggle who had cost his older brothers detentions now sitting in a Hogwarts class, it just wasn't right. As the professor was laying out today's lesson plan, Ron just had to stick his hand up.
Sirius saw the Weasley boy had raised his head above the parapet for the first time so gave him the opportunity to ask his question, he was rather taken aback after he did.
"Sir, some people in the class don't have magic, how are they going to take part? Three of my brothers received detentions after muggles suffered side effects from a prank, I wouldn't like to get into trouble just for doing what I'm supposed to in class."
Sirius refrained from mentioning that Ron managed to garner quite enough detentions without any outside help, he decided just to set the record straight. "Mr Weasley, your brothers received their punishments because their prank was potentially lethal to a member of the Hogwarts community, namely my daughter. As to Mr Dursley's abilities, they're more than adequate to cope with what we had planned for this morning's lesson. As I was saying, I had hoped today would see us put our dodging skills and spell accuracy to the test in some live practice..."
This time Ron didn't put his hand up, rather just interrupted Professor Black in the middle of his lesson. "That's exactly what I mean, I don't want to get detentions if a spell of mine hits a muggle in class."
By way of an answer, Sirius' wand flashed into his hand and a stinging hex flew at Dudley. He of course had already moved. "Does that answer your question Mr Weasley? I don't think you need to worry about hitting Mr Dursley with a curse..."
"He knew you were going to do that, that's why he moved."
"No Mr Weasley, unlike you he just pays attention to his surroundings. He also doesn't interrupt his professor during class as he knows this is something that annoys me intensely. Doing so just means that person has volunteered to assist me in my latest demonstration. Weasley and Dursley, front and centre."
Dudley had been sitting with Luna amongst the Slytherins while Ron had been at the back on his own, by the time the Hufflepuff slinked his way down Sirius had formulated a plan.
"Now Mr Weasley, you are going to practice your accuracy against Mr Dursley. The rules are stinging hexes only, and please pay particular attention to your environment. Go to either end of the class and then you can begin." Sirius perched on the edge of the desk Dudley had just vacated, wand in hand in case he needed to shield any of the other students.
Ron waited until he was ordered to begin, thus absolving him from any blame. In his mind, there could only be one outcome here. Even when the boy easily dodged his first two stinging hexes, Ron was still supremely confident. He started edging closer to cut down on the time his victim had to react, nearly shitting himself when one of those lightsabre things appeared in his hand and batted the hex away. They slowly circled one another with his hexes now being dodged or deflected, Ron daren't move any closer though since the muggle was now armed and looked exceedingly dangerous.
A shout of 'down Dud' had Ron confused until the boy in front of him dropped to the floor, just as a powerful stinging hex hit directly on his right hand. Ron's wand hitting the floor was cause for loud celebration before Professor Black clamped down on it, drawing the two boys to either side of him.
"Very well done Mr Weasley, and ten points to Hufflepuff."
"But sir, I lost because he cheated..."
"Remember the rules Mr Weasley, you used them really well. Closing in to take away his ability to dodge, and then falling back out of range of his weapon. Where you got caught out was in your belief that Mr Dursley was on his own. Let me ask you this, if you were fighting your brother Fred - would you ignore George?"
"What, no! You would need to keep an eye on both."
"That's exactly what happened here Mr Weasley, and you got the points for also demonstrating what I keep reminding everyone they need to do. You have always to be aware of your environment, you can't assume other people will stand there and not interfere."
The professor glanced toward his godson. "Mr Potter, five points from Slytherin. I will not have students shouting out in my class."
This stunned the rest of the class until Dudley interrupted. "Excuse me Professor Black, is this the revenge you swore against us when we pulled that move on you?"
"Mr Dursley, if you think a measly five points counts as my revenge then you're sadly mistaken. I would also like to point out that it was five stinging hexes I was hit with, not one. I intend to seek retribution on your full motley crew. With people staying over the holidays, I'll even have an audience!"
This drew a wide smile from Dudley. "I think I just heard the gauntlet being thrown down guys. Only one thing left to say, bring it on...sir."
Ron couldn't help but state the obvious to the rest of the class. "You pulled that stunt on Professor Black?"
"Hey, it worked on dad too! Someone deliberately didn't tell him what we came up with, he at least managed to block a couple of the hexes. The only reason they haven't pranked us back yet is in the hope we can catch Remus out as well."
Sirius tried to be stern but there were six people there who recognised the laughter in his eyes. "Right class, we need the next pair to come forward. Any volunteers?"
It was a confused Ron Weasley who made his way back to his seat. In his mind, he'd just lost a duel because the other person cheated. How the hell did he end up earning his first house points and praise from a professor? Ron was finding his entire Hogwarts experience confusing and couldn't wait for the holidays so he could talk the situation over with his dad.
-oOoOo-
The herbology class were just getting ready to leave the greenhouses and head for lunch when the group's mirrors sounded the alarm linked to Dumbledore, halting all of the class in their tracks. None of the six thought it was coincidence that they were furthest away from safety at the moment and, after spotting on the map where the old wizard had positioned himself, were quickly convinced of this.
"He knows where we are, what time the period ends and that we need to pass him to get to the castle."
Harry had more to add to Hermione's observations. "Mum, dad and Sirius are going to have to cover a lot of open ground to get to him, they'll be sitting ducks!"
"So will we be if we stay here, he'll come for us and only Professor Sprout is here." Susan's remarks had a few of them glancing at the little round witch, she was at the other end of the greenhouse tidying up and didn't inspire any confidence.
"We can't let them come charging into an invisible Dumbledore, we need to create a diversion. Hermione, give me a book."
She handed one over and Dudley placed his mirror in it. Hermione had her wand already in her hand and held by her side, part of her though just had to sound a note of caution. "You do realise that this will get us grounded until we're at least seventeen?"
Dudley was unrepentant. "Better that than mum or dad getting hurt, we have surprise on our side so let's use it."
It quickly became apparent that none of their friends were prepared to wait behind either, and there wasn't time to argue.
-oOoOo-
Albus knew the Gryffindors had herbology today, timing his arrival just inside the wards to coincide with the class ending. He was slightly concerned when he observed the group hesitating but dismissed this worry as they hadn't called out to their professor. The young minds were obviously having some sort of academic debate while they made their way to lunch. One of them now had a book out and was reading a passage aloud to his classmates.
The former headmaster had a chuckle to himself as he realised just how far the school and ministry were willing to go with their efforts to fool him, dressing both boys in Slytherin robes was taking the whole deception too far in Albus' opinion. When the attack came, it was so sudden, so organised and so totally unexpected that he was caught completely by surprise.
-oOoOo-
Dudley had the book open and his map held in the middle of it, the others needed their hands free for their wands. He was also having to talk rather loudly to offset the noise coming from all their mirrors as the adults desperately tried to contact them, obviously to tell them not to do what they were attempting. At the speed his dad and Sirius were heading in their direction, it was clear Prancer and Padfoot would be bounding to meet them within seconds. Their job was to buy their family those precious seconds by keeping Dumbledore's attention on them.
As they got closer to their target, Dudley was running out of things to say. "...and as you can see here, it clearly states the old whiskered wanker prefers to live in the shade. It shuns the light and needs loads of manure to flourish. In fact the perfect spot for this horrible member of the creeper family would be right over there!" With that, Dudley pointed directly at a disillusioned Dumbledore. This was the agreed upon signal, every first year there fired a curse where Dudley was pointing.
The torrent of curses caused Dumbledore to become visible, and required the shocked wizard to erect a shield for protection. The first years now scattered while still firing curses. They certainly didn't think these would actually bring Dumbledore down, just keep him so busy he wouldn't notice the real danger until it was right on top of him.
James' terror lent Prancer wings as the stag sped to his family's aid. As he galloped across the open ground, he immediately could see what the kids were trying to pull off here and was immensely proud of them. The parent just hoped they were all okay so he could rip strips off them later for being so bloody reckless.
The instant he thought he was close enough, Prancer became an enraged Lord Potter who wanted the old bastard's attention now solely on him. With a scream of 'Dumbledore' he cast the most powerful bludgeoning hex he could at the old bastard.
Albus barely managed to reinforce his shield I time to deal with this new level of threat when he noticed a big black dog become Sirius Black, also firing curses while moving across to try and prevent his escape. Albus was suddenly under attack from two powerful wizards and could clearly see the witch with a mane of red hair racing toward the fight to increase those odds.
With his mission blown completely, Dumbledore's only concern now was to extract himself from this situation. It had been many years since he'd fought with opponents of this ability, never mind power. There would certainly be more Hogwarts staff and ministry aurors already on their way to join the fight so Albus needed a passport to get out of here.
The kids had done what they set out to and were getting their arses away from the fight as quickly as possible when Luna was suddenly flying through the air. The little blond then found herself landing in Dumbledore's grasp with a wand pointing at her head. "Lower your wands and we can all walk away from here without anyone getting hurt."
James had instantly lowered his wand before seeing his son charge straight at the old bastard, shouting his name didn't slow Dudley down one iota.
Albus noticed this child running at him wasn't wearing robes, and hearing Potter call his name revealed the boy's identity. Knowing the lad was a muggle saw Albus just nonchalantly fire a low powered stunner at the boy. When a glowing rod appeared in the boy's hand and deflected his curse, Albus was astonished.
Seeing this old fart fire a curse at Dudley shocked Luna into action. Mentally thanking Aunt Amelia for the lessons, she put her training to good use. Her teeth sank into the arm holding her while her elbow fired sharply into this old fart's gut. Luna wouldn't be surprised if the heel of her sensible shoe managed to break a few bones in Dumbledore's instep with the force she used to stamp on it. This rapid triple physical assault had the old wizard crying out in pain, quickly releasing the little wildcat that had caused it.
When Harry screamed "Down Dud!" Luna knew exactly what was coming next. Having broken Dumbledore's hold, she flung herself flat on the grass.
The entire class had all been running toward the castle, actually managing to pass Dumbledore, when Luna had been snatched away. This was particularly bad news for the old wizard. Seeing Luna hit the deck too was all the encouragement an enraged Harry and Hermione needed.
At the age of four, Harry and Hermione had managed to inadvertently blast Sirius across the room when the marauder woke both toddlers by spraying cold water on them as they snuggled together in bed. That was the only time they had used their power together, and it had been an accident. The shock they got that morning had terrified both children and prevented them ever repeating that act, someone they loved had been really hurt by them. This fear remained as they grew older and more powerful but this man had just shown he was a very real threat to them and their family. He'd dared to snatch Luna and fire a curse at Dudley, Harry and Hermione both shot everything they had at Dumbledore.
An unprepared Dumbledore was hit with the force of a twister and flung arse over tit until the greenhouse the kids had just left arrested his flight. He smashed right into the old structure and shattered the three side supports he hit, collapsing almost half of the glass roof on top of him in the process. Thankfully, Professor Sprout had raced out to join the fight otherwise she could have been seriously injured.
Dudley crawled on his hands and knees until he covered the few yards needed to reach Luna, the shocked little blond clung to him for dear life. It was only seconds later they were hit by their friends arriving as everyone sought assurance they were all okay. The six were all on the grass, sharing tears and hugs when a stern voice drew them promptly back to the present. "You lot are in so much trouble, I don't even know where to start!" Lily promptly burst into tears and jumped into the middle of the group hug, needing the reassurance all her children were indeed fine.
James, Sirius and Pomona cautiously approached the badly damaged greenhouse, wands ready in case Dumbledore needed to be restrained. The groan emanating from the bloody heap was the only indication that the former headmaster was still alive. Minerva quickly arrived with Filius and found it hard to believe that the raggedy bundle lying here was once one of the most respected wizards in the world. Knowing that Amelia and Barty would be already on their way with everything they had available, she cast a stasis charm on her former mentor. She didn't want him to bleed to death before getting a chance to provide some answers, Minerva hoped for something a little more substantial than the 'greater good' shit he used to be fond of quoting.
Leaving Filius and Sirius to guard Dumbledore, Minerva sent Pomona toward the gates so she could direct the ministry straight to the battle scene. The headmistress then turned her attention to the students still here, particularly the six still on the ground.
"How you four ended up in Slytherin is a mystery to me. I also can't make my mind up whether to give you special awards or detention until the end of seventh year. That was without doubt the bravest and stupidest thing it has ever been my displeasure to witness. The sight of Mr Dursley here attacking Albus Dumbledore with a toy is a memory that will stay with me until the grave."
"If there are any obliviators in the ministry squad, I just might let them take that memory away. Terrified the bloody life out of me!"
Dudley had his head down. "Sorry mum, but he had Luna..."
Lily lifted her son's head and kissed his cheek. "And I knew exactly what you would do as soon as I saw that, I think that's what terrified me the most. I've never been prouder of all of you, but expect to be grounded after I explain to the rest of the family exactly what happened here. Susan and Neville, prepare for incoming."
They all turned to see Frank, Alice and Amelia leading the charge of aurors in their direction. Susan and Neville jumped up and ran toward them.
James currently had his arms tightly around Harry and Dudley's shoulders. That both boys had a girl in their arms pleased him immensely. "I agree with the headmistress, bloody Gryffindors the lot of you. Just because we made you a lightsaber Dudley doesn't mean you have to go and take out Darth Vader with it!"
"Dad please, not the 'I'm your father Luke' line. I think I would throw up with just the thought of that."
Sirius sauntered over while filling a just arrived Remus in on exactly what happened. The honorary uncle couldn't help but show his feelings as the entire group was once more together. "It was bad enough watching the scene unfold on my mirror, hearing about it is even worse. What the hell were you lot thinking? Those mirrors and alarms were meant to keep you six out of trouble, not help you go looking for it."
Hermione was very quick to defended her boys. "We could see from where Dumbledore had positioned himself that our family would need to cross a lot of open ground before they could fire a curse. You taught us not to do that Uncle Remus, but at least three professors would have come charging down here anyway. We tried to keep Dumbledore watching us to give them a chance."
James leaned down to kiss his almost daughter on the cheek. "They saved our bacon Remus. I was going to charge Dumbledore as Prancer and hope to distract him enough so old Padfoot there could bite him on the arse."
"I bit him on the arm, and that was bad enough. I might never get the taste out of my mouth."
Sirius had picked up Dudley's lightsaber from where he'd dropped it in his haste to get to Luna. "You realise we could make another fortune selling lightsabers? Just think of the advertising possibilities, "the Toy that defeated Albus Dumbledore" I think they might even outsell the communication mirrors."
Hermione just couldn't resist a quip. "I suppose that's better than the boy-who-defeated-Dumbledore, now there's a Daily Prophet headline if ever I heard one."
On hearing that the aurors were now on site, Emma, Dan and Aurora had all raced to be with their family. Emma was currently reassuring a sniffling Luna that her mum and Dad were on their way to Hogwarts. The reality of the situation she had found herself in was beginning to hit their youngest member, she refused to move from Dudley's arms.
Amelia was the head of the DMLE though and needed to get her facts straight here. "So let me see if I've got this right. Slytherin and Gryffindor first years, with two guests, took down Dumbledore?"
Saying it aloud seemed to bring home the enormity of what they had just done, Amelia wasn't quite finished though. The head of the DMLE then provided the six kids with a piece of news none of them had thought of. "There is a rather substantial reward for the capture of Dumbledore. From what I've just heard, you kids have earned it."
"Oh it wasn't just us six, everyone helped."
"Hermione's right aunty, even Lavender Brown stood and fired a curse at him. She may have missed but she still stood there so certainly deserves a share of any reward. All our friends and classmates stood with us."
Sirius was wearing his best pretend pout. "Hey Prancer, what was the point of us racing out here if we weren't needed? It's my favourite lunch today too."
Lily soon sorted him out, indicating the witch who was currently wrapped in his arms. "And you left your wife and daughter sitting there without a word of explanation. Aurora's far too forgiving, she should at least get a nice dinner date out of you."
Minerva chose this moment to intercede as headmistress. "I think we should all head off to lunch. After all that excitement, I also think classes should be cancelled this afternoon. Perhaps arrangements could be made to put something on that wonderful screen, we could all do with a break.
Barty was personally supervising Dumbledore's transport to a secure facility in St Mungo's for treatment. He was quite happy to give Amelia time to see all her family had come through this unscathed.
It was with a heavy heart Barty watched the extended family all greet one another and focus on the children's welfare. As far as he was concerned, the old bastard lying here had a hand in robbing the minister of a similar future. His last act as minister of magic would be to ensure Dumbledore got what was coming to him.
Minerva had instantly provided Barty with a portkey to take Dumbledore through the Hogwarts wards before she had gone to check on her students. It was time to get this over with, and discover how the old bastard got his hands on a first year Gryffindor timetable.
As the group was making its way back to the castle, James couldn't fail to notice that something was troubling Harry and Hermione. Fearing that he knew what was coming next, he asked his son what was bothering him. His answer shouldn't have been a surprise but it was.
"Dad was...was the old man okay?"
"Considering you both blasted him into a greenhouse, I think Dumbledore was as okay as he could be. Don't worry, the minister will make sure the old goat is fit enough to stand trial."
Seeing the relief on both faces was a reminder to them all of their ages. "We were going to try and stun him but when Luna managed to break free..."
Emma wrapped her daughter in a hug as Hermione started to cry. "I thought we'd killed him."
James now had his arm around Harry, Lily didn't appear ready to let Dudley go anytime soon. He tried to lighten the mood. "Here was me worried that we would all be heading home after lunch, I thought this attack would be the last straw. Does this mean you're not ready to leave Hogwarts?"
It was Harry who answered. "You saw our friends dad, they haven't had the same training as us but they all stood beside us. Even the Gryffindors who we don't know that well. I don't think we should leave our friends, and hopefully that's the last of the trouble."
Hermione was fighting against the tears as she offered a suggestion. "Perhaps we should get to know the Gryffindors better, could they stay over during the holidays too?"
After the morning they'd just had, the kids were going to be granted just about anything they asked for. Adding another four kids to the guest list would be no trouble at all, especially since James was already their head of house.
The group's reception as they entered the school was loud and enthusiastic. A bunch of firsties had just captured wizarding Britain's most wanted criminal, there were students up on the tables applauding like crazy. Minerva had been proven right, cancelling classes this afternoon was really their only option. Dan suggested a movie they might like to broadcast and Remus promised to take care of it.
-oOoOo-
Barty was heading back to Hogwarts with a much lighter heart. He had originally been worried that Dumbledore had accomplices inside the castle, that would have been a very bad situation. The healers had patched him up enough to get some veritaserum down his throat, quickly discovering his secret. Barty had to reluctantly tip his hat to the sleekit old bastard, he'd managed to fool everyone. It wasn't hard to imagine Dumbledore having a chuckle to himself as he sat down to eat the same dinner as everyone else in Hogwarts, using his elf had been a stroke of genius.
Those same healers though hadn't been too sure of Dumbledore's mental state, they were already convinced there was more than a touch of senility present. The degree of this senility would probably determine where Dumbledore spent the rest of his life. Barty was just glad to see it over. He entered the great hall to find everyone had their eyes riveted to the Danovision, clearly engrossed in what was being displayed there. Barty took his usual seat beside Minerva, only to discover she was the same.
She tried to bring him up to date on the classic adaptation of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' that was playing out on screen. Minerva couldn't help but draw parallels between the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, and Dumbledore. Ebenezer may have worshiped gold to the detriment of everything else in his life, Albus had a different vice. He had a narrow vision of what the future should be, and proceeded to manipulate anyone and everyone to bring his vision to fruition.
Minerva though was forced to concede that no amount of ghostly visits would have deflected Albus from his chosen course, poor Tiny Tim would have been sacrificed on Albus Dumbledore's altar of the greater good. Her heart really hardened at the truth in those thoughts, her former mentor and friend deserved everything that was surly coming his way.
Chapter 20
Barty couldn't help but gaze over the happy, smiling faces that filled the great hall, he really couldn't wait to be part of the Hogwarts family. The minister had in his possession items that should make some of those smiles even bigger. Minerva had contacted the parents of all those first year involved in today's incident, to ensure them their children were perfectly safe and invite them all along to dinner if they so wished. Thanks to all the quidditch visitors, Hogwarts was getting well used to dealing with guests. After first getting Minerva's permission, Barty made his way to the podium to address the entire hall.
"Good evening everyone, if I could please have your attention for just a few moments? I promise to keep this short and sweet. As the entire school now knows, Hogwarts had an unwelcome visitor earlier today. The former headmaster of this wonderful establishment made the mistake of thinking Hogwarts was still the same school from when he was in charge, a mistake that will see him locked up for the rest of his life."
This drew a loud cheer from everyone in the hall.
"I have been privileged to witness the changes that have slowly but surely returned Hogwarts once more to her rightful place, as the premier magical school in the world."
The cheering this time was louder and lasted longer.
"I can't think of any other magical school where a group of first years could take down the country's most wanted criminal, and it's those same group of first years I would like to honour tonight."
The cheering this time could have been heard in Hogsmead.
Minerva joined him at the podium and began calling her students out one at a time by house. When she got to both guests, the headmistress got another surprise. All the Slytherin prefects stood and asked to be heard.
"Headmistress, there can't be many people in the hall who would bet against Miss Lovegood joining her friends here in Slytherin after the sorting feast this September. Our house would like to offer an honouree membership to Mr Dudley Dursley, before Gryffindor House get around to thinking of it."
This drew a mixture of cheers and laughter at the good-natured jibe against the house of the lions. That Slytherin had just invited a muggle to join their ranks might have been a shock to the adults in the hall, the students found it rather easy to accept.
Minerva knew she had to play this calmly and by the book, even though her insides were doing the dashing white sergeant from joy at her students' casual acceptance of this momentous situation. "I have absolutely no objections, but the final say must rest with the Head of Slytherin and Mr Dursley."
Sirius was on his feet within seconds. "Do I want the full set in Slytherin? Hell yes!"
All eyes now shifted to Dudley for his answer, it wasn't a hard decision for him to make. "I would be honoured and delighted to accept membership of the best house in Hogwarts. Sorry Dad!"
Slytherin house was now on its feet and applauding their newest member, while the other three houses were laughing at the different reactions coming from the staff table. Sirius was still on his feet, applauding with the rest of his house, while James was sitting with his arms crossed and a pout on his face.
While his public demeanour played to Dudley's joke, inside James Potter was probably more delighted than Minerva. He had even more reasons to be. Just over a decade ago, he had made a promise to raise his two sons in a way that one of them being a wizard wouldn't ruin their relationship as they got older. One glance was all that was needed to see the tears of happiness slowly escaping from his wife's wonderfully expressive emerald eyes. Their boys truly were brothers, brothers that wouldn't suffer the fate of their respective mothers.
Barty was delighted that once more he was able to witness history being made. Like Minerva though, the Minister of Magic was happy to underplay the event. Neither wanted to draw attention to just how big a deal this actually was. That the youth of their society could come this far merely a decade after their parents were fighting a civil war over blood issues was astonishing, it also made him more determined than ever to work in the castle. He was really delighted though to be able to reward these children tonight, further enhancing the positive message Hogwarts was now pioneering and projecting to the rest of the country.
"When these brave young souls took a positive and pro-active response to today's intrusion, I'm sure that the prospect of rewards didn't even enter their minds. Nevertheless, there was rather a large price on Dumbledore's head."
This now had the entire hall hanging on Barty's every word. "The ministry were so delighted with the actions of these brave young people standing before us that they even increased that reward."
Barty knew he now had the entire hall eating out the palm of his hand, he let the silence drag on for a moment before revealing the good news. "The original reward was one hundred thousand galleons, but we didn't think that was enough. Each of the eighteen youngsters involved will receive a ministry bank draft for the sum of...Ten Thousand Galleons."
The cheering now rattled the rafters as the minister of magic shook each of the children's hand before handing them what was a small fortune.
They were soon joined by eighteen sets of very proud parents and guardians, Hermione made straight for her father. "Dad, I want to pay for the screen I destroyed."
"Hermione love, it was just a prototype that would eventually have been replaced. You don't have to..."
"Yes dad, I do. Let me pay for the new screen then? It would become Hogwarts property and stay here after the trial period ended."
PMP had always intended to gift a screen to the school for allowing them to test their system here but Dan could see this was something his daughter really wanted to do. Hermione had been ashamed of her behaviour that morning and this was her own personal way of atoning for it. "Okay, but you better believe there will be a large staff discount involved."
Lavender had been struck dumb with tonight's events but that could never last for long. Hearing Hermione talking to her father suddenly gave the bubbly Gryffindor an idea of what her first purchase should be from her new wealth. "Pav, this means we can buy those new communication mirrors. We'll be able to keep in touch during the holidays."
Dean on the other hand new exactly what he would like to spend some of this money on. "I'm keeping mine for when the lightsabers go on sale, that was just awesome Dudley."
This was met with total agreement from the rest of the students and led to a request from Barty. "I've heard about these toys but never actually seen one, would you mind?"
Dudley unclipped it from his belt and activated the now iconic toy.
Dean's dad couldn't help himself, he was a bit of a Star Wars geek that was almost salivating at the thought of having his own lightsaber. ""Excuse me for asking, but I thought Dudley here was non magical like me. Does this mean I could buy a lightsaber?"
James decided to put this issue to bed once and for all. "Sorry Mr Thomas, and everyone else, but PMP will not be mass producing lightsabers."
The groans of disappointment that greeted this announcement forced James to explain his decision. "We built these for the kids as prototypes, basically just to see if it could be done. The beam that you see is a controlled variation of a shield spell, interwoven with a stinging hex. You'll see a small hole in the bottom, this is for a wand to cast a specific spell to recharge the storage crystal inside. All this is pretty simple." The stares this generated indicated that, while this might be 'simple' for PMP, they thought this was pretty impressive stuff.
"The real problem was complying with the statue of secrecy, we couldn't have these falling into unsuspecting non magical's hands."
Dudley knew what was expected of him and closed down the beam before handing it over to Dean's dad. The reverence that he accepted the lightsaber with was soon replaced by disappointment as pressing the activate button produced no results. Dean was met by the same lack of results, as was the minister before James offered an explanation. "The device has an in-built system that will recognise the hand that wields it, this one is set to work for Dudley and no one else. This device protects our secrets but basically prevents mass production."
Barty didn't make it to be Minister of Magic by being stupid so had a question. "I can appreciate the need for something like that but don't you face the same problems with your mirror systems?"
Xeno was never one to miss a marketing opportunity. "Well, if you read this week's issue of the Quibbler, all will be explained. We have a full review of the items, including an entire article highlighting the unique security code for each set and a simple step-by-step guide on how to tie the mirrors to their users."
James was well used to their friend by now and just continued from where Xeno had left off. "The mirrors our kids have operate by voice recognition and a password to unlock the device. Charming mirrors to interact with their user have been available in our society for about as long as magical portraits. We didn't have to reinvent the wheel, just find new uses for it."
Dudley once more lit his lightsaber, just to show that it would still work with him. Dean's dad consoled himself with the fact that, at least he'd seen one working. "That really is a pity, you could have ended up a millionaire selling these."
This drew a deep chuckle from Barty. "Mr Thomas, Lord Potter and Lord Black are already millionaires, many times over."
This floored the London bus driver, his son was being taught by two millionaire Lords, and their wives.
That there would be no lightsabers had dented the mood, it was time to fix that. Susan had a quick glance toward Harry, his nod was all she needed. "Dean, would you, Lavender, Parvati, and Seamus like to spend some of the Christmas holidays with us at Potter Manor? All the first year Slytherins will be there too."
This silenced the entire group until Luna chipped in. "Oh please come, we'll have a great time. Our parents usually arrange things like a trip to the local panto, a fairground visit and there's always a football match in there somewhere."
When the rest of the Slytherins offered encouragement too, their minds were made-up. Having all the parents there meant that arrangements were quickly made, and they even picked-up a Ravenclaw stowaway. James and Lily did everything in their power to keep Harry and Dudley close, they weren't about to separate a set of twins over the holidays.
As the group of first year Slytherins made their way back to their table, they discovered Ron Weasley in their path. It was deja vu except for the hair colour as he zeroed in on Dudley, Ron's hand though was empty as he offered it for shaking.
"What you did today was brilliant, and I can now claim you practiced the move that brought down Dumbledore on me. Thanks."
It was a bemused Dudley who shook the happy Hufflepuff's hand. As they got back to their table though, he couldn't help commenting on what just happened. "Okay, was it just me or did anyone else think that was weird?"
Susan, as usual, was first with her answer. "Oh I'm with you Dud, definitely weird. Then again, he's a pureblood - they're all weird!"
That Susan Bones was from one of the most respected pureblood families in Britain helped her housemates see the joke. That Neville, whose pedigree was every bit as impeachable as Susan's, provided a tagline got the rest of them laughing. "Well, all the ones that we know are anyway."
-oOoOo-
It was a Minister of Magic in a reflective mood that shared his usual small dram with Minerva in her office later that night.
"I thought you'd be happier Barty, are you reconsidering your decision to leave the ministry?"
"Oh Merlin no, I hope to be out of there for the New Year. Catching Dumbledore just reopened a few old wounds I thought had healed long ago Minerva. I personally hold Dumbledore almost as responsible for my son's untimely death as Voldemort."
Minerva had no intention of defending Dumbledore, just easing Barty's pain. "I taught Barty junior too, and I never noticed anything untoward. I can't help feeling we failed an entire generation..."
"No Minerva, there is certainly enough blame for my son's death to go around but I can't see any of it stopping at your door. I carry my own mountain of guilt over this, a father who was so wrapped up in his career that he couldn't see what was happening in his own house. No, my grudge against Dumbledore is a lot more specific and goes much deeper than him being Headmaster of Hogwarts at the time."
Now that he'd said this much, Barty had to take it further. "Dumbledore knew that my son had joined the death eaters, he got the information from Snape. Did he have a quiet word with me about this? No, he kept quiet about it and then used this information to try and blackmail me into releasing Snape before his boy could be questioned. Dumbledore came to me with his 'proposal' on the same day my son took his own life."
Minerva's gasp of horror was the only sound to be heard, Barty's gaze was locked onto the glass of amber liquid in his hand.
"You have no idea how many nights I've spent torturing myself, wondering whether I could have saved Barty if Dumbledore had come to me earlier? He had all this vital information but reckoned no one other than Albus bloody Dumbledore should know about it, I can't help wondering how many lives were ruined by his inactions."
Barty needed a sip of his single malt before he could continue. "I also couldn't help wondering what fate would have befallen those children who I rewarded earlier if Dumbledore's plans hadn't been thwarted. Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom would certainly have faired differently, and I just couldn't see Dudley Dursley being invited to join Slytherin if Dumbledore had still been headmaster."
The Minister of Magic felt the comforting touch of the Headmistress as Minerva gently ran her hand along his arm. "Thankfully Barty, that is something we will never know. I only hope that Dumbledore now pays for his actions."
"The healers were all certain it was his long period of self-imposed isolation that's responsible for his now diminished mental awareness. Since all of his crimes were committed before this period, I intend to push for Azkaban to be his new home for the remainder of his life. That he was caught on Hogwarts grounds should certainly help my case, most of the Wizengamot have family currently enrolled here. He's going down Minerva, and he's going down for good."
-oOoOo-
Harry was currently going down to their common room. Lying in bed while unable to sleep was not a recommended way to spend the night. His whole demeanour changed when he spotted Hermione already sitting on their favourite sofa, both clearly felt better the instant he joined her.
"I guess you couldn't sleep either?"
"Oh Harry, every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing that old man crash into the greenhouse. It doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that he was a criminal who wanted to harm you, my mind just sees a decrepit old man that we nearly killed."
"I know Hermione, my mind is playing the exact same tricks on me. That's what brought me down here, though I would have come much sooner had I known you were waiting on me."
Both were now wrapped comfortingly in each other's arms, the calming effect was almost instantaneous . This saw Harry bemoaning their current situation. "I can't wait to get home, sleeping this far from you is pure torture. The thought of spending another six and a half years like this is making me reconsider staying in Hogwarts."
"There is a way we could shorten that time, apart from asking our head of house to get a bigger sofa in here."
Harry was now really interested in what Hermione was going to say next, she didn't disappoint. "There is a suite of rooms set aside for the head girl and boy. Providing we both got those positions, that would take a year off our time."
Harry thought this was a great idea but could see a downside. "If I spent a year living with you, I could never go back to being apart again."
Hermione of course had an answer for that too. "Well then, we'll just have to get married when we leave Hogwarts."
Harry kissed his betrothed to show his enthusiastic support for that idea. "I had to promise your dad we would wait until we left school, the following day works for me."
With their minds now focused on pleasanter things, both were soon sleeping soundly.
They hadn't been asleep long when Dudley came down with a blanket from Harry's bed, spreading it over the couple as they snuggled in together. He found himself joined by Luna and Susan, armed with another blanket that they'd removed from Hermione's now unoccupied four poster.
Susan draped this one over them too while speaking barely above a whisper. "These two were always going to end up down here tonight. Well I'm going back to bed, I intend to continue dreaming about what I'm going to spend all that money on."
She whispered goodnight to Dudley and Luna before heading back up to the dorm. Luna slipped her hand into Dudley's. "I never got the chance to say thanks for today, you came running to my rescue again."
"You don't have to say thanks Luna, it's me who should be saying sorry. It was my harebrained scheme that got you captured in the first place. If anything had happened to you..."
Dudley couldn't find any more words to continue, so Luna squeezed his hand in understanding and kissed his cheek in thanks. Even with just the light coming from the dying embers of the fire, she could see Dudley blush as her lips brushed his cheek. "If it wasn't for your idea, people would have been hurt today. It also had an unexpected bonus too, I'll be able to pay for my end of the flat we'll all share while going to university."
"You know you don't have to do that?"
"I know but I had always intended to, this way I won't have to ask mum and dad for it. I agree with Hermione in that we should try to stand on our own two feet. Well, in their case, stand as a couple."
"That's something I agree with too." Calling on all his courage, Dudley bent down and kissed Luna on the cheek. The double meaning in Dudley's words, combined with the kiss, had Luna practically walking on air as she headed in the direction of the first year girl's dorm. Both went to their bed's very happy, though neither of them thought they would be falling asleep anytime soon.
-oOoOo-
While the Prophet had totally buried Dudley's involvement with the demise of Voldemort, Xeno had no such compunctions concerning Dumbledore's downfall. That this time the lad's actions had many witnesses also ended any chance that it would remain secret. Dumbledore once more attempting to break into Hogwarts could have spelt trouble for the headmistress, him being taken down by a muggle with a toy killed those worries stone dead.
The Quibbler was pushing the story from the angle that Dudley's actions allowed others to then take care of magical Britain's most wanted criminal, there was no mention that those 'others' were Harry and Hermione. Again, there were many witnesses to this act but the minister spreading the reward amongst all of the first year involved diverted unwanted attention away from just how powerful the young betrothed couple actually were. The first years were featured as the undoubted heroes of the piece, containing Dumbledore until the staff got there.
Under veritaserum, he had revealed the location of his Glengarry bolt hole. There the aurors soon discovered his memoirs, and they made very interesting reading. Here was every wrongdoing by one of the most magically and politically powerful figures of the last century, all written by his own hand. That his book also contained page after page where he attempted to justify each and every one of these despicable actions ensured that the name Dumbledore would forever be associated with its own brand of infamy.
His claim that Barty murdered his own son was met with derision, especially since Dumbledore freely admitted attempting to blackmail the man on the day his son committed suicide. That this was the same day Dumbledore attempted to murder Severus Snape, while Snape was recovering in a ministry cell, focused the investigation elsewhere. Here was a man who cast an unforgivable curse on an auror to escape capture that night.
Barty Crouch being universally regarded as the best Minister of Magic in living memory saw no investigation heading in his direction. Barty had made no secret of the fact that he badly wanted Dumbledore caught, and these attempted blackmail revelations was explanation enough for the people who mattered. They well remembered just how crazy the ministry had been for the few days after Voldemort's downfall, and that Barty had been in the ministry when his son died. There could be no doubt that most of the credit for destroying the death eaters hung squarely on the shoulders of the man who'd just announced he was resigning as minister. The phrase 'job done' was enough of an epitaph on his time as Minister of Magic.
After Dumbledore was sentenced to life in Azkaban, Barty's last act as minister was to authorise the publishing of Dumbledore's book. Dumbledore was now about to find one of his greatest wishes coming true. He would be delighted to know this very personal labour of love was an instant best-seller, all the profits going to St Mungo's would seriously piss him off though. With his last act as minister, Barty was ensuring that no one person would ever weld that much power again. His advice to the minister elect was to make every prospective ministry employee read the book, and any that didn't throw up should be rejected out of hand. Amelia promised to at least consider it.
-oOoOo-
It was a couple of happy parents who watched their brood head for Hogsmead to catch the express to London. Dan and Emma, with of course Dudley and Luna, would be waiting on them there. The family would all be back home in Crawley tonight and then set off for Potter Manor tomorrow. They would spend Christmas together before their children's Slytherin and Gryffindor friends arrived to spend a few days with them.
The addition of Padma Patil had an unexpected but very welcome effect. Her inclusion led to the other first year Ravenclaws getting to know the group better. Never ones to be left behind in the friendship stakes, the Hufflepuffs took this as their cue to join in as well. Neither Potter could ever remember a year where the new student intake had integrated so well, even the youngest Weasley boy had stopped making such an arse of himself.
The Weasley twins had rushed up to shake James by the hand before heading for the train, their elder brother just marched past with his nose in the air.
Lily was trying not to giggle at the boy's antics as she asked her husband what he'd done to warrant such a snubbing. Percy's glare was like being mauled by a dead flobberworm.
"Oh I put prefect Percy on probation until the end of the year. If I don't see an improvement in his attitude by then, there will be no shiny badge on his robes come September. I want a prefect who can think for themselves and will actually help the younger students, not just quote the Hogwarts rulebook at them. Needless to say, I'm no longer on Percy's Christmas card list."
Lily couldn't hold the attack of the giggles anymore. James just loved the sound she made, which was why he tried to get her giggling as often as possible. His wife though soon wiped the satisfied smirk off his face.
"Speaking of Christmas, I thought we could all go shopping for our gifts tomorrow. That would give us the rest of the holidays to relax - and before you pull a PMP board meeting out of thin air, I should warn you that Aurora is telling Sirius the same."
With that last comment, James knew his fate was sealed. The only thing he could think of that Sirius enjoyed more than shopping for toys would be shopping for toys for his beloved Joy. That, and working on adding a little brother or sister to their family, but they tended to disapprove of couples doing that in Harrods.
-oOoOo-
Thursday 4th June 1998
Dudley sat there and watched his proud parents as they waited for the ceremony to start, Uncle Dan and Aunt Emma also appeared as pleased as punch. Dudley understood he should be feeling a sense of pride too, but the ring currently burning a hole in his pocket demanded all his attention. Dudley Dursley was bricking it big time.
Harry's hand on his shoulder offered some comfort, but not a lot. His words made sense to the young man but nothing was going to help until the deed was done. "Dudley, do you honestly think there's the slightest chance she's going to say no?"
"Oh, that's cute Harry. Especially since I remember a certain someone shitting themself in case he messed up, and you guys were already betrothed with the date of your wedding already picked."
Harry was chuckling as he thought back to the incident Dudley just reminded him of. "Yes, I wanted to make it perfect for Hermione. I forgot the most important thing though, just by me asking meant it was already perfect for Hermione. Luna's going to flip when she sees that ring, that it comes from you is all that will matter to her. Just don't let one rip when you ask her, that's a definite no-no."
"Thanks for those wonderful words of wisdom oh mighty head boy, just remember your own advice when you've to stand up there and give your speech."
"Hey, could be worse, I could have a best man speech to give on Saturday."
This got a groan out of Dudley, he was left wishing the Slytherin robes he was currently wearing had a hood so he could pull it over his head and hide. "Is this pick on Dudley day?"
Sensing his distress brought a beautiful blonde witch to his aid. Hearing his last comment saw Luna pull no punches. "Nobody better be picking on my boyfriend, you nervous love?"
Dudley's nod of affirmation saw Luna offering her own brand of logic. "The first non magical student to graduate from Hogwarts shouldn't be feeling nervous, sitting four N.E.W.T.'s is a fantastic achievement."
"It's nothing to do with that. I made a promise to your dad that I'm about to break, only by a matter of minutes though but I can't wait any longer." Dudley dropped to one knee on the raised platform containing all the graduating students, a box with a diamond ring was now in his hand. "Luna, would you do me the honour of being my wife?"
Dudley didn't hear his mother's joyous shriek, nor did he see Harry and Hermione bouncing up and down with excitement. His entire attention was focused on the woman he'd loved for years. Time appeared to stand still as he watched her eyes fill with tears, it was the wide smile that suddenly graced her lips that allowed his heart to continue beating.
"I've wanted you to ask me that question since I was about nine, of course I'll marry you!"
Dudley slipped the ring on her finger before rising to kiss his fiancée, this was the signal for the rest of the world to intrude. It was like taking the mute button off as suddenly the noise was incredible and they were surrounded by their friends.
The Hogwarts graduating ceremony was rapidly spiraling toward pandemonium before the headmistress stepped in to regain control. "Mr Dursley, kindly unhand Miss Lovegood and stop interrupting this ceremony. You are all still my students until we finish here today. I knew you lot were trouble the moment I laid eyes on you. My first clue was a Bones being sorted into Slytherin, and things just went downhill from there." Minerva's wide smile was not the rarity it used to be, telling the graduating students - and the large audience that she was joking.
"Year after year I stand here and say goodbye to our graduating students, but I can say in all honesty that this group here have been an exceptional bunch. I don't even have to wonder when I will see them again as we are all attending a certain wedding this Saturday. It therefore gives me great pleasure to call on our head girl to perform her last official duties as Miss Granger, and our head boy who of course is also her soon to be husband Mr Potter."
The applause was thunderous as Hermione and Harry came forward to speak, Emma was engrossed in their leaving speech until she noticed her best friend in tears. "Are those happy tears Lily?"
"Oh Emma, I just watched one of my son's get engaged to a wonderful girl and our other gets married on Saturday. I really couldn't be happier but my mind drifted back to our first meeting, all those years ago. I guess it began when I was wishing Petunia could have witnessed her son becoming engaged, or even just seen what a fine young man Dudley has grown into. I started wondering what would have happened if Hermione didn't come over that day in the clinic, we would have spent a very different Halloween if you hadn't invited us back for tea. No matter how many times I say it, I can still never thank you enough for that day."
"Lily, we've been family for years, and this weekend makes it official. Let's have no more talk of needing to thank me, looking up on that stage is all the thanks I'll ever need. All our children have grown up healthy and incredibly happy, what else could a mother possibly want?"
Dan, James and Sirius were sitting behind the ladies, pretending not to be listening to every word. Little James Black was sitting on his father's knee, getting a break from his two adoring elder sisters and revelling in the male company. They had heard the speeches before, Harry and Hermione had practiced them on the family last night. Both were certainly more nervous about this than their wedding at the weekend, that reminded Sirius of a question he wanted to ask.
"So, have we found out any more about this mystery girl Moony's taking as his date to the wedding?"
James shook his head. "All I know is that she's young, beautiful and Lily has promised to hex my bits off if I as much as say anything out of line."
Dan pretty much agreed with James. "Emma may not be able to hex me but her warning was every bit as eye wateringly painful, and you just know the kids love their Uncle Remus."
"Yeah, Joy and Hope threatened not to speak to me. We'll just have to get creative and prank him on the Sunday. I can't believe we all ended up henpecked!"
As the speeches ended, they stood to applaud the outgoing head boy and girl. Their behaviour was pretty outgoing as well as they kissed on stage.
"I don't mind the henpecked bit so much, it's the thought that Lily and I could be grandparents before we hit forty that gives me sleepless nights."
Dan knew they were all looking forward to becoming grandparents, just not for a few years yet. "Those four will all want to finish university before starting a family, my money would be on Frank and Alice having that honour first. I think Pansy is quite taken with the idea of being a housewife for her auror husband, there will be a ring there shortly."
"I always thought he and Susan would get together but it just never came to pass. Watching Susan actually terrifies the life out of me. She's beautiful, wealthy, niece to the minister and, apart from our three, has every boy above fourth year drooling over her. I don't know how Amelia copes, I'm thinking of locking my two girls away until they're at least twenty eight!"
James just couldn't help teasing his friend. "Yes, Merlin forbid they meet the equivalent of a young Sirius Black."
The look of dread on his face had Dan and James quietly laughing at his discomfort. "When I first heard my little girl was forming a bond with a boy, I didn't know what to make of it. Now, I think it's the best thing that ever happened to our family and I'm looking forward to walking her down the aisle. Our Dudley just picked himself one hell of a girl too."
The rest of the family began making their way over and there were congratulatory hugs all round.
-oOoOo-
Harry stood with his arm around his bride to be, they were taking a last glance at the apartments that had been their home for the last year. "I thought I would miss this place more but I'm ready to go home."
Hermione rested her head on his now broad shoulders. "I've been very happy here, that was easily the best year we spent at Hogwarts."
"Oh I agree, but then I would be happy anywhere as long as I was with you."
"Smooth Potter, very smooth but I know what you mean. Never having to sleep apart from you again is something I'm really looking forward to."
"We've just spent the best part of a year living together love, and I have no intention of being separated ever again. Even if I have to borrow my dad's cloak, I'll be with you every night up to, and including Saturday."
Dudley and Luna entered to find the both of them currently engaged in a deep kiss. "Told you love, Hermione would have all their packing done last night. If you two don't get a move on, we're gonna miss the train."
With one final look around, they left Slytherin and Hogwarts - Oxford University and the rest of their lives beckoned.
The End
A/N Thanks for Reading.