Chapter 12 - New DirectionsOn Monday morning, Harry got up a little early and went to find Professor Tonks in her classroom before breakfast. She was there, writing notes on the board for her first class.
"Professor Tonks, do you have a moment?"
She turned around and smiled at him. "Of course, Mr Potter. What can I help you with?"
"I, uh, I was speaking with Professor Flitwick the other day and he suggested I talk to a solicitor about a personal matter. He recommended your husband in particular. Would you be able to arrange an appointment for him to come here, so that we might talk?" Harry asked hopefully.
Her smile twisted wryly. "That was unexpected, but I can pass on the message. If you'll give me a topic, that might help as well."
"Oh, right," Harry said a little bashfully. "This is in regards to my parents' Will. Madam Bones will be visiting me on Saturday at ten and that might be a good time."
The professor looked very surprised. "I see. I'll pass the message along and let you know tomorrow."
"Thank you. I'll see you in class tomorrow." Harry left happily, heading towards the Great Hall for breakfast and to meet his bond-mates. He was also looking forward to see the Daily Prophet this morning.
Ginny and Hermione were waiting for him at the Gryffindor table where he slipped into his usual place between them. They each gave him a questioning look and he nodded and smiled. They smiled back and continued to eat.
"What?" Ron asked, sitting across from them.
Harry wondered why he had picked this time to be observant. "Nothing important, I just had a quick talk with Professor Tonks."
Ron nodded and went back to eating.
Harry looked at Ginny, who gave him a look that he interpreted as "What do you expect?" and returned to her breakfast.
The owls arrived a short time later, and Hermione gasped as she read the headlines. "Look, Harry!" She turned it to him and he read: Sirius Black Is Innocent!
Harry grinned. "Finally!"
"You knew?" Dean asked from across the table.
"Yes, I helped piece the story together about what really happened. He's my godfather," Harry said proudly.
"But…" Seamus started to object, looking lost.
"Yeah, I know," Harry agreed. "Once again, common knowledge is wrong and the Ministry made another horrible mistake by putting an innocent man in prison." He looked at Hermione. "Does it say anything about what they did because of their mistake?"
Hermione skimmed the article. "Let's see… Peter Pettigrew was found guilty of fourteen counts of murder, two of those for your parents… Sirius Black was tried in absentia and found not guilty… You're credited with finding the truth… The Ministry apologized and promises to buy him a new wand… Compensation will be set at some future time… The Dementors around Hogwarts have been returned to Azkaban… Um, those are the highlights, Harry."
"And nothing about punishments for Barty Crouch or former Minister Bagnold for what they did?" Harry asked.
"No, only that an investigation on how this happened will be conducted," she answered.
Harry shook his head. "At least he's out. I think I'll write him a letter during History, since I'm ahead in the book."
Hermione gave him a slightly disapproving look, but she did not object verbally.
The next morning, Dumbledore stopped Harry and his bond-mates as they neared the Great Hall for breakfast. "Harry, may I have a quick word please?"
"Yes, sir." Harry walked over while the girls waited for him.
"I have talked to Professor Lupin about your trip to Hogsmeade and we've made arrangements for the Saturday after next. So you have about a week and a half if you'd like to arrange a meeting with your godfather for that same day."
"Thank you, sir. I'll send him a letter."
"You're welcome. Glad I could help," Dumbledore told him with a smile and a twinkle.
Harry walked back over to Hermione and Ginny. "Our trip to Hogsmeade is Saturday, a week and half from now. I'm going to send a letter to Sirius and see if he can meet us then."
"Good idea," Ginny said. Hermione agreed as well.
The arrival of the owls that morning brought Hedwig to visit. "Hedwig?" Harry was surprised to see her so soon. He petted her with one hand while he removed the letter with the other hand. Ginny fed Hedwig some bacon while Hermione moved an extra goblet over and filled it with water for her.
Harry,
I can't tell you 'thank you' enough for what you've done for me, although I do plan to try. As soon as I saw your letter, I rushed to Hogsmeade and found a newspaper. I was so surprised to read what you have done for me. You're very special, kiddo. I'll be in contact with you as soon as I take care of a few things, and then we can get together. I can't wait to see you again.
Sirius
Harry smiled and showed the note to each of his girls.
"I'm so happy for you, Harry!" Ginny squealed and gave him a hug.
Hermione gave him a hug next. "Are you going to tell him about Saturday after next?"
"I will. I can hardly wait to meet him and see what he's like," Harry said with a grin.
"What who's like?" Ron asked.
"Sirius. He is my godfather and should have raised me." Harry was very happy.
"Harry? Where will you live?" Hermione asked a little hesitantly.
He looked at his best friend and grabbed her hand that was twisting nervously in her lap. "I don't plan to move. That's what you're asking, aren't you?"
She nodded and smiled at him. "I'm glad."
"Me too. Sirius will be a part of my life, just like Dan and Emma are too. I'll spend time with both," he assured her, which made Hermione smile happily. Harry looked at Ginny and she seemed happy for him too.
A tan owl, easily recognizable as Archimedes, flew in just as most of the other owls were leaving and landed in front of Harry. Harry pulled the letter off and looked at Hermione, who shrugged as she petted the family owl and gave him some ham. Harry opened the letter and the two girls leaned over to read with him.
Harry,
We were surprised to see your name in the newspaper this morning. It looks like they left a lot out as far as what happened to you and what you did. Please write ASAP and let us know.
Love,
Emma
"I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised about her asking," Harry said as he finished reading. "I don't think they should be too upset considering all I did was interview some people. Do you?" he asked Hermione.
"No, that should be fine. You should mention that Professor Lupin captured Pettigrew though," she suggested.
"Right, good idea."
As they got up to go to class, Ron got his attention. "Harry, can I talk you for a minute? Just the two of us?"
Harry had noticed a few strange looks from his sometime friend since he had received Sirius's letter and wondered if Ron was about to tell him what they were about. They walked over to the side of the Great Hall.
"What's up, Ron?"
"Uh, you were hugging Ginny back there."
"We were both hugging each other. So?" Harry wondered what this was about.
"And she spends a lot of time with you."
"She does." Harry managed not to roll his eyes only with huge effort. "So?"
Ron looked uncomfortable. "Do you, uh, do you fancy her?"
Harry could not believe Ron was asking this. "Ron, she's one of my two best friends and just like my other best friend, Ginny is a girl. I've found that girls like to hug when they're happy."
"Yeah, but do you fancy her?" Ron did not seem to want to let go of the issue.
Harry didn't bother with the effort this time and rolled his eyes anyway. "I don't know, Ron. When I figure it out, you'll be the … fourth to know, right after myself, Ginny, and Hermione." Harry walked away, leaving Ron looking very confused.
"What did he want?" Ginny asked when Harry joined the girls.
Harry grinned at her. "He wanted to know if I fancied you." Both girls giggled.
"What did you tell him?" Ginny looked at him very expectantly.
"I told him he'd be the fourth to know when I figured it out."
Ginny giggled and Hermione chuckled.
"He's so thick and clueless. I'll talk to him later to better help him to understand that he has no say in the matter," Ginny shook her head. "See you two at lunch," she said as she left for her first class of the day.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other and they both chuckled again. "If he only knew the way things really are," she whispered to him.
"I hope to postpone that conversation for as long as possible," Harry whispered back fervently.
When they walked into Potions class, Professor Tonks walked over and handed him a sealed note before returning to the front of the class. Harry quickly opened it. Ted Tonks agreed to meet him on Saturday and Harry needed to bring his copy of the Will. That put a smile on Harry's face as class started.
That evening, Harry wrote his "mother" a letter explaining what had happened and how he had done nothing more than talk to people and solve a mystery. It took several tries to ensure that there was no hint of danger in the letter. Satisfied at last, Harry gave it to Hedwig to deliver.
Come Saturday morning, Harry was very nervous about each of his two meetings. He knew he was not in trouble, and yet he recognized the importance of each meeting. Of course, part of the problem was that he knew Dumbledore would be at one and Harry was not sure how he felt about that.
He, Hermione, and Ginny had talked about this morning extensively over the last week. On one hand, Dumbledore was considered the leader of "the good side" and he seemed to try to do what was right. On the other hand, he had made a number of rather large mistakes with Harry, and was withholding information that Harry thought he should have. In the end, he was a little confused about how to feel about and deal with the aged wizard. Therefore, he was being cautious.
At the moment, he was standing outside the front door of the castle with Ginny and Hermione, waiting and watching the path to Hogsmeade. Each girl was doing her best to calm him: Ginny by placing a hand on his arm and rubbing lightly, and Hermione by whispering calming words to him. He appreciated both of them.
Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway to the castle and looked out. He had two rather large concerns at the moment, and he was not sure which was the most problematic. Not too far in front of him were Harry Potter and his two closest friends. Almost two years ago, Harry had forced a change in many of his plans by changing his guardians from the Dursleys to the Grangers. That one change had forced a number of other changes as well. Even now, things were still changing and he had no idea how to get his plans back on track. In fact, he was starting to seriously entertain the possibility that it was not possible to get his previous plans "back on track" and that he would have to come up with entirely new plans to deal with Harry Potter and Voldemort.
Closely related to that, Albus was not sure what to do about Voldemort now. He had hoped to lure him into a trap two years ago, to show the world that the Dark Wizard was still alive so the war could be restarted and the evil defeated forever. That had required him to lead Harry down the appropriate path, but that path was now gone. With that change to his plans, he was presently unsure how to demonstrate that Voldemort was still alive before he did something truly evil or regained a body. Worse still, Albus feared that the meeting this morning might force him to make a choice in this battle before he had a chance to actually make new plans with forethought. Decisions made on the spot seldom turned out well in the long run.
Harry finally saw his visitors coming. He noted that there were four people walking up the path from Hogsmeade and wondered if one of them was Sirius. Sirius had replied to his last letter and said he would meet them in Hogsmeade a week from today, so Harry did not think his godfather would show up now, but he also did not know who else might come with Madam Bones or Ted Tonks. Perhaps Madam Bones was bringing two other Aurors as guards, he considered.
The girls waited silently, Hermione on his left and Ginny on his right. A part of him found it interesting that they almost always took the same positions, even moving around him if necessary.
The four visitors, one woman and three men, seemed to be chatting amicably as they approached Harry.
"Mr Potter, it's good to see you again."
"Madam Bones." Harry gave a small bow to the speaker, whom he recognised from her previous visit.
"I understand you also have a meeting with Ted Tonks?" She held her hand out, indicating the man on Harry's far left.
"Mr Tonks." Harry shook the man's hand. He appeared to be middle-aged, with sandy brown hair that was thinning, and had a bit of a beer belly. He also had an easy-going smile.
"Mr Potter, I'm pleased to meet you. My wife has said you're a good student," the solicitor told him.
"Thank you," Harry replied, reddening only slightly in embarrassment.
"I hope you don't mind, Mr Potter, but I brought a couple of associates with me who I feel can add to this discussion and perhaps even give us some good advice." Bones indicated the man on her left. "This is Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of the Aurors."
"Mr Potter."
"Mr Scrimgeour." They shook hands. Scrimgeour was an older with hair that was turning grey, and had walked with a slight limp. He appeared as no-nonsense as Madam Bones.
"And this is Algernon Croaker, the head of the Department of Mysteries," Bones introduced the man on her right.
"Mr Potter, it's a pleasure."
"Mr Croaker." Harry shook his hand too. He was a very thin man with dark hair and a scar on the left side of his jaw. It was very hard to guess his age.
The man smiled thinly before stepping back to his place. "I see that your Headmaster is waiting in the doorway. I presume he will be joining us?"
"I would not be surprised if he tries to," Harry replied. "I'm not sure how I feel about that, so I will leave that decision up to you."
"It might be useful for him to join us," Croaker said. Bones and Scrimgeour did not object.
Harry looked at the solicitor. "Mr Tonks, I would assume you need a little time to read the document in question. If you don't mind, I will meet with the others first and then you afterwards. In addition, my two best friends will be available to answer most questions you might have. They have my full trust. This is Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley."
Ted Tonks smiled at them. "Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, I'll be delighted to have your company. My wife tells me good things about you two as well." Both girls blushed slightly at the compliment.
The three from the Ministry nodded and said a brief hello to the girls.
"If you'll excuse us, I'll meet with you as soon as I can, Mr Tonks. Hermione has the document you need," Harry told the solicitor.
"Of course, Mr Potter."
"Madam Bones?" Harry turned and walked towards the castle. He stopped at the doorway because the Headmaster was there.
"Amelia. Rufus. Algernon." Dumbledore greeted each by name, his easy familiarity showing they had known each other for many years.
"Albus," Bones spoke for the group. "If you plan to join us, would you kindly lead us to a room?"
"Of course." Dumbledore turned and led them to the nearby Trophy Room.
Harry saw Hermione leading the other group off to a classroom they had already scouted out.
Inside the Trophy Room, Dumbledore cast several privacy spells over the doors while Bones conjured a round table and five chairs. Croaker reached into his robes and pulled out a small stone bowl and placed it in the middle of the table. Harry took the chair with Croaker on his left and Dumbledore on his right.
"Mr Potter," Bones took charge as they all sat, "this is a Pensieve. It will allow us to see your memory of the event in the Chamber of Secrets. It will not hurt you, nor are you in any trouble for what you've done. This meeting is to share information, and from the information we gather and share, I hope that good decisions and plans for the Wizarding World can be made."
Hermione had told him about Pensieves, but he had never seen or used one. "Yes ma'am. What do I need to do?" Harry's nervousness had gone away during the greeting outside, but it was coming back now.
"Touch your wand to your temple and think of the memory you want to share, then slowly pull your wand away and place the substance on the tip of your wand into the bowl," she instructed. "That will produce a copy of the memory."
Harry thought about what happened last year and did as he was told. As he pulled his wand away, a silvery mass, tangled up like spaghetti, was attached to the end of his wand. He dropped it into the bowl.
"Very good," Bones said. She used her wand to tap a rune on the bowl and a miniature Harry standing in a cave staring at the door to the Chamber of Secrets was projected above the stone bowl. They all watched Harry hiss at the door and it opened. Bones and Scrimgeour looked a little alarmed, while Croaker's interested expression never changed.
The memory continued and showed everything as Harry saw it, from him walking in until Riddle was destroyed and before the bonding. Harry did not think they needed to see anything beyond that. When the memory stopped, everyone looked at each other, but no one said anything for a long moment.
"Thank you, Harry," Dumbledore said, breaking the long silence. "Even knowing the story beforehand does not compare to seeing that."
Amelia Bones cleared her throat for a second. "I'm impressed, Mr Potter. I'm not sure how many of my Aurors would have lived through that if they had been in your position, but I suspect it would have been damn few." She looked at Scrimgeour.
The man shook his head in amazement. "I'm afraid I have to agree," Scrimgeour said quietly, still coming to grips with what he had seen.
"You have my congratulations as well," Croaker said with a nod, "but I am most disturbed by the implications of this." He looked at Dumbledore.
"What do you mean?" Bones asked.
Croaker's stare never wavered. "How long have you known he didn't fully die?"
"What?" Scrimgeour asked, looking and indeed sounding perturbed. Bones did not look any happier.
"We've just seen evidence that Voldemort did not fully die in 1981. How long, Albus?" Croaker waited.
After a long pause, Dumbledore finally said, "I've suspected it since the beginning, but I've never seen concrete evidence until this."
Croaker's eyes narrowed. "You've had other - partial - evidence?"
Dumbledore paused again. He was trying to decide what to do. Did he want to form an alliance with these people? He felt a mild brush against his Occlumency shields and quickly looked up.
Croaker was giving him a piercing look. "You might be the most magically powerful person in the room, Albus, but I represent a very powerful force as well. You may have many political contacts, but I have contacts of a dozen people just like myself in the field of magical research: people who trust me as I trust them, with a breadth of knowledge you can not hope to match, Albus. Do not go this alone; it would be folly."
Harry watched the struggle going on in front of him in awe. He sat very still, hoping he would not be noticed for the moment.
Could this be the way forward, Albus asked himself. Since he could not make his original plans work anymore, perhaps if he shared the burden? He knew he would have to work behind the scenes to stay in control, but Croaker's knowledge could be very beneficial. It could also speed the process up.
It took nearly half a minute, but Dumbledore finally inclined his head very slightly. "Tentatively?"
"Alliances must start somewhere," Croaker said. He looked to Bones who nodded.
Dumbledore relaxed a little. "Almost two years ago our Defence teacher mysteriously died."
"I remember. Quirrell, wasn't it?" Croaker asked.
Dumbledore nodded. "We could never fully explain why he died, but it looked like he had a seizure. I believe Voldemort was involved somehow." He did not want to mention that Quirrell had probably been possessed. That would have brought up a question he did not want to answer.
"That was shortly after the removal of the Philosopher's Stone, was it not?" Bones asked.
"It was, and that timing is what makes me wonder about it," Dumbledore said.
Croaker turned to Harry. "I saw you pick up the destroyed book at the end. What became of it?"
Harry was startled to be suddenly brought back into the conversation. "I, uh, I gave it the Headmaster."
"It is in my office." Dumbledore answered the implied question from Croaker's look, "There are traces of residual magic on it, but not enough to help me know what it was."
"The girl was possessed, was she not?" Croaker asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore replied while Harry nodded.
"There is only one known way, that I'm aware of, to do that that from an object." Croaker looked uncomfortable as he looked to his two companions. "The only question left is if Mr Potter truly ended Voldemort's ability to return or if there are more soul containers left."
"What are you talking about?" Scrimgeour asked.
Harry thought that an excellent question, given that he was lost as well. Bones also did not seem to immediately know the answer either.
"Voldemort put parts of himself, fragments of his soul, into containers, such as that diary," Croaker explained. "While they exist, Voldemort will not pass on to the other side and he can be resurrected. If he only created one container, then he is well and truly dead now thanks to Mr Potter's actions. If he made more, then he can still return at some future time."
Bones shook her head. "Shit!"
"Crude but accurate," Croaker agreed levelly. "The problem is made worse by our present Minister."
"I believe 'political nightmare' would be more accurate," Scrimgeour added softly.
"And the Wizengamot will be of no help either," Dumbledore said. "In fact, a number of them would work against us."
"It starts with us five," Croaker said as he looked around the table.
"Seven," Harry quickly said. "I will have to tell Hermione and Ginny. I'll swear them to secrecy, but I'll have to tell them."
"Why?" Bones asked.
"Actually, that might be a very good idea," Dumbledore said with his twinkle appearing for the first time in the meeting. "Miss Granger is one of the most intelligent students in the school and Miss Weasley is not far behind her."
"We do everything together," Harry told her. "I trust them with my life, as they trust me. They would be here now if they did not have to be with Mr Tonks."
Harry noticed that Croaker was looking at him very intently for a moment before the man reached into his robes and pulled out a short quill and a scrap of parchment. He wrote quickly and then folded it and handed it to Harry. Everyone watched him take it and slowly open it near his face. The note contained only a single word: "Bonded?" He went wide-eyed at the question, wondering how the man could possibly know.
"I think that answers my question, and I fully agree with Harry's request to tell the two young ladies." Croaker pulled out his wand and Vanished the paper Harry had placed face down on the table. "Moving on, we must decide what to do next."
Bones looked at Croaker for a few seconds and then nodded in acceptance of his decision and slightly unusual behaviour. Scrimgeour accepted the man's lead as well. Dumbledore said nothing, but looked at Harry thoughtfully.
"Is there any way to ascertain whether Mr Potter's recent actions have ended the problem or if there is another soul container?" Bones asked.
"Not that I'm aware of, but we must be on the lookout for others," Croaker said.
"Would it help to interview the Death Eaters we have in Azkaban?" Scrimgeour suggested.
"Excellent idea," Dumbledore agreed. "We should also start researching Tom Riddle's past, from 1945 until 1981. There should be clues in his history."
"Can the two of you start with the Death Eaters?" Croaker asked as he looked at the two from the MLE.
"Yes, we'll start that, and we can keep it covert," Bones agreed.
"Meanwhile Albus and I will start the research into Voldemort's past." Croaker looked to Dumbledore and received a nod. "Mr Potter, at this time your task is to start learning to defend yourself as much as you can, as I believe you will have more to do later." He paused and looked at Dumbledore.
"No, Algernon, it is not yet time," Dumbledore said firmly, answering the implied question.
Harry noticed that Bones and Scrimgeour looked as puzzled about this as he felt.
"You would deny him what is his to know?" Croaker sounded surprised.
"I would deny the burden for as long as possible," Dumbledore answered. "It can not help."
Harry suddenly understood. He looked at Croaker. "You know why my parents went into hiding. You know the truth Dumbledore will not tell me, don't you?"
"I…"
"No! I forbid it." Dumbledore interrupted, his power flaring.
Croaker shifted slightly, although his gaze never left Dumbledore. "I do not have the answer, Mr Potter, but I do know how to get the answer."
"How?" Harry quietly asked, determined to have his answer. He was seething on the inside at Dumbledore's repeated refusal to tell him about this mystery, although he was doing his best to look normal.
"Come visit me at the Ministry during your holiday and I will show you," Croaker offered.
"You would fracture our alliance so soon?" Dumbledore threatened.
"I would treat Mr Potter as a person, Albus. If what I suspect is true, he has more right to the truth than you do," Croaker said, not backing down.
It was silent for a long moment.
"I believe we all have our assignments," Dumbledore finally said. No one said anything, so he stood.
Harry realized this was the end of the meeting. As everyone started to leave, he hurried over to the head of the MLE. "Madam Bones? Since you have been so helpful to me, could I ask you to stay for a few more minutes to help me with something else?"
The normally stern woman smiled at him. "Certainly, Mr Potter. You've been most helpful this morning; the least I can do is to return the favour."
"Harry, I'm available to help as well," Dumbledore offered.
"No thank you, Headmaster," Harry replied with a forced smile. "This is personal business." He turned his back, not really wanting to know what the Headmaster's reaction to his rejection was.
As they reached the entrance hall, Harry turned to Croaker. "Mr Croaker, thank you for your kind offer. I'll send you a letter for an appointment."
"You're most welcome, Mr Potter. I look forward to our meeting," Croaker said with a bow.
"Mr Potter." Scrimgeour gave a curt nod and started walking off with Croaker.
"Madam Bones, if you'll come with me, please?" Harry led her down a corridor, leaving Dumbledore behind. At the appropriate door, Harry knocked twice, paused, and then knocked once more. A moment later, Hermione opened the door.
Once the newcomers were inside, Ted Tonks put the privacy charms back up. "You have good timing, Mr Potter. Miss Granger and Miss Weasley have been most helpful in explaining a few things and I believe I can explain your options." He nodded to Bones to acknowledge her presence.
"May I ask why I'm here?" Bones looked at Harry.
"Madam Bones, I discovered my parents' Will this summer and we've also found that it was never executed," Harry explained. "Also, actions were taken by some people that were in direct violation of my parents' Will."
"I understand. Is it correct for me to assume that you're concerned that laws may have been broken?" Bone asked very seriously.
"That is a valid concern. I don't know that I'll do anything about it, but I would like to know my options," Harry told her.
"Very well." She leaned back in her chair and looked carefully at Ted Tonks.
The man cleared his throat. "Yes, well, let me explain the Will, then we can discuss what needs to be done. The first issue is why it was never executed. The original firm of Wilkes and Wilkes was unable to provide service due to their death very shortly before the death of James and Lily Potter. The matter is further complicated by the fact that the backup executor was incarcerated and never allowed to execute or have a proxy execute the Will."
Bones shook her head ruefully. "Let me guess, the executor was Sirius Black."
"The backup executor after the solicitors, but otherwise correct," Tonks answered.
"I am so sorry, Mr Potter," Bones apologized. "The Ministry has failed you in several ways."
"Thank you, Madam Bones," Harry said graciously. He looked back at Tonks.
"But now that we know about the Will, I can help execute it if you will hire me. The charge will be thirty Galleons for a simple one like this."
"Please," Harry asked.
"Thank you for your trust, Mr Potter. I will need to see the original copy in your vault. Since I don't believe there is any hurry, we can do this during your Christmas break," Tonks suggested.
"That's fine with me," Harry agreed.
"Once I've verified this copy," Tonks continued, "I can fill out the forms and work with Gringotts to disburse the gifts to Sirius Black and to Remus Lupin as specified. I would guess you would like to contest the gift to Peter Pettigrew based on the recent revelation of his betrayal of your parents?"
"Of course!"
Tonks looked at Bones.
"I don't see any problem with that. I can't imagine anyone sticking up for him," she said, "and as he contributed to your parents' death, it should be easy to disqualify him."
"Very good. As you know, Mr Potter, the rest of your parents' estate, holdings, and money all go to you, although you may not access it until you are seventeen. The goblin team that was hired to manage the holdings will continue to do so until you are of age." Tonks looked up from the document. "Do you have any questions on that before we handle the second major declaration?"
"No, sir."
"And now the part the young ladies tell me you are most interested in."
Harry nodded.
"The Will is quite clear on what was to be done. However, there is the problem that the Will was unknown. Because Albus Dumbledore was on the list, no matter how far down he actually came, I'm afraid to say that you have very little legal recourse," Tonks explained.
"But, but … he violated the Will!" Harry objected.
"True," Tonks said as he put the document down on the table in front of him and looked at Harry in the eyes. "The problem you face is that in order to get legal satisfaction, you would have to take Dumbledore before the Wizengamot for judgment. For the Wizengamot to rule in your favour, they would have to again admit that they were wrong in the case of Sirius Black. If you haven't figured it out by now, the Wizengamot never likes to admit they were wrong and only does so about once a century, figuratively speaking. They just admitted error last week and so odds are, not much will come of your claim. If you were lucky, Dumbledore would get his wrist slapped with a thousand Galleon fine, but nothing else would happen. His reputation wouldn't even get a smudge on it over this as he will claim he was trying to protect you and that you did go to stay with family, even if they were Muggles."
Harry looked at him dejectedly. Ginny reached out and covered his hand with hers and gave him her best comforting smile.
"That's my opinion of course. Amelia?" Tonks looked at the woman.
"May I read the section in dispute?" She took the page from the solicitor and quickly read through it before handing it back.
Bones sighed slightly. "Legally, I'm afraid I have to agree. I can't come up with any significant crime to charge him with since he was on the list. Politically, I have to agree as well. In fact, were you to go after Dumbledore for this, your reputation would suffer more than his. You could argue that Dumbledore should have held onto you for a few days or a week to search for your parents' Will before placing you with your aunt. He could probably successfully argue that he did that, since the Wilkes were dead and Black was in Azkaban."
"Quite right," Tonks said. "Ignoring the legal-speak, the Wizengamot would probably say, 'Bad luck, old chap'. If you want compensation from Dumbledore for placing you with the Dursleys, I'd advise you to ask him privately. I imagine he'll say 'no', at which time you should drop it. Of course, I am a solicitor, so if you wish to take legal action, you can hire me to do so and I will do my best for you, even if I do believe you will be severely disappointed in the outcome."
Harry shook his head. "Yet again, truth and justice are denied…"
"Mr Potter, that is why I work so hard at my job," Bones told him. "I want this country to be better. It will not happen overnight, but I will work to make it better a little at a time where I can. Our other meeting is another example of that and I pray you do not lose hope or give up."
Harry nodded. "I understand and no, I won't give up. This is just a setback and it shows me a little more clearly who I can trust and who I can't."
"Albus Dumbledore is not an evil man, Mr Potter. He has his own plans and schemes, as well as good points and bad points. I can tell you that he is heading in the right general direction and I'd rather work with him than against him. However, as you've found, you do have to be careful around him or you will be pushed in the direction he's going instead of where you want to go," Bones warned.
"Thank you for the advice, Director." Harry turned to Tonks. "I already know Dumbledore will not change anything in regards to where I was raised, so I will follow your advice and let the matter drop, but I will never trust him again unless I can verify it."
"That may be about the best you can do for the moment, Mr Potter. I will start work on executing this will with the various forms required. How about we meet on the twenty-eighth of December to finalize everything?" Tonks asked.
"That will be fine. May I have you do one other thing, Mr Tonks?"
"Certainly, Mr Potter."
"Please create a very simple Will for me. Should I die, please have everything divided evenly between Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley."
Both girls gasped.
"Should something happen to them at the same time, split the rest between Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sirius Black, except for thirty Sickles to Albus Dumbledore," Harry instructed.
Ted Tonks finished his notes and then looked up at his client with a grin. "I suspect only a Muggle-born would recognize the significance of your last request. Would you like me to add a reference for it?"
"Sure. I couldn't tell you where it comes from, but I do know what it means," Harry said, still looking a little upset.
"It comes from a Muggle religious book called 'The Bible'," Tonks explained. "I'll do this immediately as someone such as yourself should have a Will. Just sign all the copies I owl you tomorrow and send all but one of them back, and keep that in a safe place. You can pay me when we meet again in December. That will be another ten Galleons for something so simple. Oh, I almost forgot. Who do you want your executors to be? They will receive a copy of your will."
"For now, yourself, Sirius Black, and Professor Flitwick. That should be spread out enough," Harry said, as if thinking out loud.
"Right," Tonks said as he finished writing the names down. "Unless you have anything else for me, I believe we are done for now."
"Thank you for everything, Mr Tonks." Harry stood and held out his hand.
Tonks shook it. "You're welcome, Mr Potter. I'm sorry I could not help you achieve one of your goals, but I prefer to deal in reality as much as possible."
"And I appreciate your advice." Harry turned. "Director Bones, I thank you as well for your advice and help."
"It was my pleasure, Mr Potter," Bones said with a nod. "As to our other meeting, you don't need secrecy oaths. However, please stress the need for secrecy. Based on the looks I see, I believe you'll have a long conversation here, so I'll leave with Ted," she said with a smile.
Harry looked round and saw two anxious girls watching him. "Thank you again." He watched the two adults leave and Hermione put her privacy spell up.
"What happened in the other meeting, Harry?" Hermione excitedly asked. Ginny looked just as excited to know.
Harry explained what happened, the information that was shared, and what they agreed to. He pointed out that Dumbledore again denied him the knowledge he was after, but Croaker said he could help Harry get it. He also explained about needing to learn to defend himself. Hermione liked the sound of that project, as did Ginny. Harry was not sure how they were going to work that into their already busy schedule - what with school work, French lessons, and Quidditch - but they would find a way.
Albus Dumbledore was very deep in thought as he walked back to his office after the meeting with the Ministry personnel and Harry. He hoped he had not been rash to commit himself to the course of working with the others. How far could he really trust them to do the right thing?
In his office, he noticed that Fawkes was not there; he was probably out hunting for food. Dumbledore strode over to his large window and looked out over the grounds.
Trust was the main issue. Could he trust them to do the right thing for Harry and the Wizarding World? Albus considered the prophecy and the road ahead of Harry. There was also the problem with Harry's curse scar. No, he could not fully trust them. They had never had to face a Dark Lord as he had. He knew best and only he could guide Harry so he did not turn Dark.
Bones and Scrimgeour would take care of the legal side. Croaker was the one he was worried about, especially after his offer to Harry. He had no doubt Croaker would take the boy into the Hall of Prophecies and let him listen to the orb. That was something that could not happen yet. Harry needed more time to experience the good of the Wizarding world, especially that which was offered at Hogwarts.
No, he could not let Harry hear the prophecy yet. It could corrupt him and push him down the wrong path. Even Croaker's advice to start training was borderline problematic. Gaining too much power too soon could cause Harry to become too interested in the Dark Arts. He was all but certain that was what had started Tom Riddle down the wrong path. Well, there was one thing he could do about this. He would take care of it tonight.
((A/N: I never have understood why Dumbledore (in the books) did so much himself, and didn't have a small group working to help him. Sure, he got burned in the first war with a spy, but that can be prevented with an Unbreakable Vow. The one person he did partially trust was a person Harry never did (or really could) trust. It all strikes me as very egotistical on Dumbledore's part.))