Chapter 12
Foreigners Try to Kill British Citizens
By Rita Skeeter
Yesterday, February 21st, was the second task of the Tri-Wizard tournament held at Hogwarts. Three student hostages, all Hogwarts students and all British, were placed in the Black Lake to be rescued by the Bulgarian, French, and Hogwarts Champions. Brave Cedric Diggory, still suffering from his courageous attempt at the First Task, was utterly devastated that his beloved and doting girlfriend was in the lake. Six people were in that lake. Only the two foreigners exited conscious and unharmed.
This reporter wasn't born yesterday. It is only plausible that the Bulgarian whose school specializes in the Dark Arts and the French girl who has been outed as a Veela attacked the four Hogwarts students. We have all heard of the vicious harpy a Veela is and is there much doubt that the Bulgarian boy whose eyes roam toward young girls is a dark wizard in training?
I think not. At present all four students are fighting for their lives at St. Mungo's. We at the Daily Prophet wish young Cedric Diggory the very best as he fights for his life. It would be heartbreaking if he or his young lady die because of the underhanded, dirty, vile, and evil tactics of the two foreigners.
The Ministers of Magic of France and Bulgaria both deny that their citizens tried to kill our innocent children. But as we in Britain know, we cannot trust such wicked foreign peoples. Who thought it was a good idea to let a Veela of all creatures even compete? Should she even be able to compete? And the Bulgarian looks to be part troll. We will be investigating these accusations to verify their authenticity. One thing is very clear; Bulgaria and France can only be our enemies from now on. We cannot tolerate our citizens being killed on our soil by their dirty tactics. Let us show them what we think of them!
Cornelius Fudge gazed at the article. Three hours ago it had arrived. A half-hour ago the Minister of France and the Minister of Bulgaria had both been in to see him. They had withdrawn their support for the tournament and demanded both an apology and the dissolution of the tournament. With Amos Diggory raging about his son nearly dying again, Fudge saw no political gain in trying to keep the tournament going. He too had signed his name to the dissolution statement. It did not help that already the two other champions were being sent hexes, curses, vile solutions and concoctions and more in howlers. Rita Skeeter had declared two of their allies to be enemies and Britain would find itself without two allies soon.
Albus Dumbledore was of a similar mind. There was no doubt that France and Bulgaria would pull all support from England after this article. The British Isles would be far more isolated than before. He debated using his name to assure people that France and Bulgaria were friends, not enemies, but that didn't seem beneficial. Not to him at least. His concerns had always been about Britain as a power and they still held that power; the ICW wouldn't let member nations pull out easily.
Harry looked at the paper Raphael had sent them. Rita Skeeter had struck again. "I see they're going hardcore isolationist," Hermione mused, her head tilted as she read it with him.
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I kind of feel bad for Krum and Delacour. I mean they didn't seem to be bad people. They probably just helped out the Hogwarts students in the lake."
"But something bad happened to the students and rather than blame the all-powerful great man Albus Dumbledore who makes no mistakes, they lay the blame at the door of the other champions."
"Kind of like how it was my fault Cedric got hurt by that dragon," Harry answered.
"The papers said that?" Sirius asked.
"No, the students of Hogwarts said that," Hermione responded, "they thought Harry should have competed and died facing the dragon. That way Cedric would be okay."
"And they didn't care that Harry could die?"
"They hated me," Harry said. "I was worse than Voldemort to them."
The Grangers both frowned at that. To think that the young man they regarded so highly, that they both looked at as a son, could be deemed evil and deserving to die was both disturbing and ridiculous. Emma leaned over and hugged Harry, "I'm so glad we're out of Britain." Harry smiled into the hug. Emma viewed herself as his adoptive mother and Harry had been surprised initially that anyone, let alone his girlfriend's mother, wanted to look after him as though he was her son. But he definitely appreciated it. Having a support system that wasn't just Hermione was really great and he could see that it lifted a weight on Hermione's shoulders knowing that her parents and Sirius and Daniela were all there for Harry too.
"Well we know what France and Bulgaria's response is," Daniela said, entering the kitchen and placing a paper on the table. It was a Spanish paper but there were two articles on the front page about France and Bulgaria outraged with the treatment their citizens were receiving in Britain.
"Do you think they'll take action?" Emma asked.
"Apparently Krum and Delacour were ushered out of Britain and as soon as they stepped foot on their native soil they took a secondary portkey to Italy, where their families have already moved to. Viktor Krum is a Bulgarian quidditch superstar. That they've lost him because of the ICW is going to be tough to swallow," Daniela said.
"Quidditch is a really big deal in Bulgaria," Sirius said. "Kind of like futból in Brazil. Losing Krum would be like losing Pelé. A knife in the heart of every citizen." With that explanation Dan and Emma both nodded in understanding.
St. Mungo's was filled with family of students, though for two of those students there were only two people. For Xeno Lovegood it was the death of his wife all over again and he vowed that if Luna lived he would take her out of Britain. This was an island of bad memories. Perhaps with a fresh start they both would heal. Augusta Longbottom, on the other hand, was spitting mad and most of her vitriol was aimed toward the Ministry organizers who had used her grandson in the tournament without her permission.
Cedric Diggory's condition was not as dire this time. Cho Chang was the worst off but Cedric, once he was conscious, sat by her bedside. None of the students were in grave condition, though Cho was the most severe case. Cho's parents were outraged but that paled in comparison to Amos Diggory. The man was loud, belligerent, and his target was the Ministry of Magic and Albus Dumbledore. Everyone within St. Mungo's heard his long tirades about the callous nature of both but no one really took them seriously.
After all, he was an aggrieved father who couldn't be rational after what had happened to his son. As Dumbledore had rightly pointed out, he couldn't be taken seriously. And everyone knew that old Augusta Longbottom had gone a bit crazy after her son and daughter-in-law had been kidnapped and then found dead. Both individuals were written off and trust remained in Albus Dumbledore. Most people had always seen the Ministry as incompetent but effective so that they'd made a mistake was acceptable, and of course there was the fact that the two foreigners had been just fine after the second task. That they had done something to the others was only logical.
Voldemort had been very annoyed when Harry Potter left Britain. But looking back, he thought it was the best thing to happen to him. Potter would have killed him. Dumbledore would never kill him. The old man would put effort into 'saving' him, if Voldemort should ever get caught. And he had no intention of getting caught. Already his numbers had grown. He had gone from two loyal followers to ten followers. Holed up in Riddle Manor now that he was stronger he had already begun plotting how to break his most loyal followers out of Azkaban. The house was thoroughly protected and he had followers happy to fund him. Life was looking up for the Dark Lord. He looked forward to shaking up the magical world.
To celebrate Harry's second quidditch victory Sirius took him to get some seeker armor. As they sat Harry asked, "Sirius, you already told me about how my dad and the Marauders were bullies. What was my mum like?"
Sirius sighed, "Well she was about as smart as Hermione, maybe not as quick as her though. I've never met anyone as quick and intelligent as your Hermione. Harry your mother was a muggleborn like most in Hogwarts. They gave up non-magical culture to immerse themselves in the magical world. They want to blend in but in so doing they distance themselves from their muggle relatives."
"Hermione would never do that," Harry said, frowning at the thought.
"No she wouldn't," Sirius agreed. "That's what makes your girlfriend so unique from a British perspective. That immersion in magical culture makes non-magical families in Britain grow resentful of their magical relatives."
"Like Aunt Petunia?"
"From what I know they weren't super close but when Lily went off to Hogwarts that was that. She abandoned her family in favor of the school. Her muggle friends were tossed aside for her magical ones and it just went from there."
Harry frowned. He couldn't imagine Hermione ever choosing the magical world over her parents. Not even if he was staying in the magical world. While she loved him, her parents were just too important to give up. Having spent time with them he understood. "My mom sounds kind of shallow."
"She was a generous person to those she deemed deserved it, and protective of those who couldn't protect themselves; but Lily was certainly shallow at times. Her appearance reflected vanity you might not have expected from her. She was a bookworm but I don't think she was particularly proud of it."
"Not like Hermione?"
"Definitely not like Hermione," Sirius chuckled. "Your parents weren't perfect angels, Harry. They had their flaws. Perhaps some were particularly bad but we can't choose our parents. Mine were monsters."
Harry nodded before asking something that had been bugging him. "Why didn't they head to one of their other properties when Voldemort went after them? I mean, I have houses all over the world and Potter Manor was impossible for anyone without permission to get access to."
"Dumbledore," Sirius sighed. "He assured them that Godric's Hollow was the safest place to be. None of us doubted him. He's a great wizard, the only one Voldemort's afraid of…all that crap," Sirius frowned, "even when I was thrown in prison without a trial I still believed in the old bastard. It took seeing what happened to you and Hermione in Hogwarts for me to see that he was out for his own ends."
"I'm never going back there," Harry said.
"I don't blame you," Sirius said, "I'm not either. I think the old man has taken enough from us both."
Harry nodded and Sirius put his arm around him. "Do you think my parents would have liked Hermione?"
"They'd have loved how happy she makes you," he answered, "I think they could both have learned a great deal from the two of you actually. For all the growing up that James went through, he was still an immature arse at heart. And your mum just couldn't reconcile the two worlds she straddled. It was one or the other for her."
Harry thought about that as they headed to the car. Sirius had decided to go with non-magical transport, and while he'd purchased a new motorcycle he'd also bought a car. Harry wasn't surprised. Sirius loved showing off and a car let him do just that. Sliding into the car Harry smiled at his godfather, "Thanks for the new armor Sirius."
"Well I know that I will feel better seeing you flying in the armor."
"Hermione will too," Harry nodded.
"That's what I mean," Sirius chuckled, "she digs her fingers into my arm when she gets nervous during your games." Harry couldn't suppress the smile on his face. That was so Hermione.
Harry took to the skies with his team, smiling at the five people in the stands wearing his name and number. Every Friday in their school you could wear team kits and he always wore Hermione's jersey and she always wore his. He slid his goggles on and took a calming breath. Being in the air was always fun but he took his role as seeker a bit more seriously being on a team that wasn't particularly outstanding. There was an urgency. The last game had been 150-130 with his team winning. The scary part was that Adrián was a great keeper and thanks to him the score against them was less than it should have been. But the rest of the team needed alot of work.
Fortunately, he had a girlfriend whose answer to everything was books. In those books Harry learned about helpful training exercises and, having watched Hermione's team practice, saw some things that his team could use too if he adapted them. So Harry had, with team captain Adrián's permission, started leading training. They had begun to improve already. He just hoped that they proved to be able to take that practice and turn it into positive results in the games. They couldn't depend on him and Adrián for every victory.
He flew up above the teams to scan for the snitch. This game was against Vogora's all-boys team and Harry wanted to beat them. They were ranked first and it would set the stage well for the rest of their season. Gazing around for the snitch he paid the game attention only through the announcer's words. His team had the quaffle and were soaring forward in unison when they were dispossessed and the other team raced forward only for the chaser to drop the quaffle when a bludger hit him.
Harry saw the other team swerving into formation towards the chasers, who on his team were all small girls. Harry stretched out on his broom and shot off to break up the defense. The cheers when Lilliana scored were deafening and Harry gave a wave of acknowledgment before heading back to his hunt for the snitch.
After Hermione had been injured during her most recent game Harry had, for the first time, felt what she did when he played Quidditch at Hogwarts. He'd always kind of shrugged off Hermione's concerns. Even Ron had told him that after particularly bad injuries Hermione would stay by his side until she was kicked out of the infirmary. But Harry had always written it off as Hermione being a little over-protective. He certainly hadn't felt over-protective when, after a minor ankle injury, he'd insisted on carrying Hermione around on his back. Although his reaction was probably more extreme than hers he certainly understood how Hermione felt watching him fly.
That had him flying a bit more carefully. Quidditch was much more dangerous than futból, and Harry knew that. He flew over the game, scanning for the snitch. In the ten minutes since he'd helped his team score the girls had managed to score once more. Harry was relieved that their confidence was growing. Just then he saw it. Just a few feet off of the ground the snitch was hovering. Harry dove.
He was vaguely aware of the announcers saying that he must have seen the snitch. He was very aware that his opposite number was streaking toward him to get there first but Harry had a Firebolt. The other boy was on a Spanish broom that Harry knew wasn't as fast. The Italians made some fast brooms; in fact the Ferrari car company was working on making a broom as fast, possibly faster, than the Firebolt. But Spain's brooms didn't compare to the Italian models and that meant the other boy couldn't even prevent Harry from getting the snitch. He'd been too far away and the Firebolt was too quick. Harry released one hand from the broom and made the catch, immediately angling the broomstick up and soaring upwards holding the gold ball in his hand as the crowd roared and applauded. A quick glance saw that Emma looked white as a sheet and Hermione was smiling but he knew that look in her eyes. He'd be in trouble for scaring them both.
The final score was 170-10, the all-boy team scoring just once in the time from the second goal and Harry heading for the snitch. He took a quick shower and got dressed. He exited the locker room, his broom in his hand, only to feel Hermione physically leap on him, "You idiot you scared me half to death!"
"Sorry," Harry said. "But I won. And I'm okay."
"Which is why I'm hugging you and not killing you," Hermione mumbled into his shoulder, making Harry smile. If she was willing to joke about killing him then she wasn't too mad.
"Aside from that how did we do?"
"You all played really well," she said, releasing him and walking out with him, her arms around his waist. "But you were the best. Even if you scared me."
"I don't mean to scare you," he said.
"I know you don't," Hermione sighed, "I wasn't as scared as my mum though. She was terrified."
"How should I make it up to her?"
"Oh I'm not making it easy for you," Hermione smiled. "You're on your own." Harry merely smirked. He'd work it out somehow.
One week before spring break they received the Daily Prophet again from Katabisi. It was all about a breakout from Azkaban and the disappearance of Voldemort's followers that had been imprisoned within its walls. Harry could see nothing about what action was being taken to find those violent monsters.
While the British newspaper offered no news about the current state of affairs (well, nothing believable anyway), the Spanish, American, and Italian ones they received all were treasure troves of what was going on on the British Isles. The Lovegoods had gone to the United States and Luna Lovegood attended Salem Academy in Massachusetts. The Krums and Delacours were welcomed in Italy and they had both opted to take tests to finish their educations rather than switch schools. Viktor Krum had been scooped up by an Italian quidditch team afterwards. Fleur Delacour worked for Katabisi. The Diggorys, Changs, and Longbottoms all remained behind and Albus Dumbledore had Amos Diggory and Augusta Longbottom written off as crackpots. Diggory had even been fired from his job at the ministry.
France and Bulgaria both left the ICW. Italy and Spain had, after a very long meeting in which Daniela said the Spaniards and Italians reveled in the begging of the French and Bulgarians, granted them help to modernize their societies and integrate them. Mostly because of the United Nations and European Union though; they really felt no sympathy for the two magical nations who had dug their own holes. Germany followed suit, as did Russia and Austria. The UN and EU, and other worldwide bodies, helped the five nations step into the modern age which was no small task. It would be, according to Daniela, a very long process that would take no less than ten years.
Those who lived in Potter Estate found themselves only giving the goings on in England a passing interest. The Grangers had opened a new practice within Madrid, and their days were busy with that. Sirius' therapy was paying off big dividends. He'd decided he was going to try his hand at writing to share what his life had been like during Voldemort's first reign and his unlawful imprisonment in Azkaban. It had all started when he'd begun keeping a dream journal at his therapist's request. The details of his nightmares and his memories had the therapist suggest Sirius write about them in the hopes that writing it down would stop the nightmares.
It helped somewhat, but as Sirius wrote he thought about how much it would enrage Dumbledore if outside of England what the old manipulator had done to Harry and Sirius was published and common knowledge. It certainly would offer them yet one more layer of protection and anything that protected Harry was a good idea as far as Sirius was concerned. Daniela's father was a solicitor, working for a publishing house. Sirius asked him if he thought there would be demand for it, adding on that he'd want all proceeds to benefit orphans and refugees around the world.
Señor Ramos talked to his company and they had indicated they would very much like to publish such a book. They assigned an editor who helped Sirius with telling his story but they largely left it untouched other than minor corrections. It was important, they said, that the book quite obviously come from Sirius and be his own words. Harry gave Sirius memories of his own traumas. He approved of what Sirius was doing, and thought it was a very good prank that the whole world would know but the countries trapped in the ICW.
"Let's see you catch a snitch inches off the ground," Harry said, puffing out his cheeks in frustration. His loving, caring, kind, wonderful girlfriend had just beat him in keepy-up. For the fifth time in a row. Harry had never realized how much he hated losing until that moment. And the worst part was that Hermione wasn't even taunting him or being smug about it. She was, horror of horrors, offering him help!
"Harry I've been doing this for going on ten years. I know what I'm doing. I can give you tips…" Their school was having a fundraiser and the event was keepy-up. Harry could see why. They were futból mad and quidditch wasn't a sport where such things could be done. Quidditch balls were single purpose and that purpose was a very specific one that couldn't really be utilized any other way. Not so with the ball Hermione was so used to playing with. "It's just for charity," Hermione said. "At least let me help you for that?" Harry nodded and Hermione smiled and kissed him. Several minutes later when they parted Harry was positive he'd made the right decision. If for nothing else than that kiss.
When Harry beat an unsuspecting Sirius at keepy-up (the pureblood having no clue how to work a ball without magic or your hands) he felt that letting Hermione teach him was worth it. Even if it annoyed him. He knew it was ludicrous. He didn't mind her helping with his schoolwork or anything like that. If he had to guess, Harry would guess that he just expected to be the more athletic of the two of them. Hermione had, before they'd left England, always been the consummate bookworm. She was only tanned in the summer and fall because she would read her books outside. At least, that's what he thought. She'd always hidden her prowess from Hogwarts; Harry wondered if it was because of Ron's vocal disdain of non-magical sports. The image of Ron prodding Dean's West Ham poster with his wand leaped into Harry's mind at that thought.
Magicals in Britain loved the violence of quidditch. Aside from the occasional dirty tackle, futból lacked that violence. Harry could recall vividly how the favorite matches of his Hogwarts classmates were the ones where both teams were pummeling each other. The 'World Cup' match between Bulgaria and Ireland had been more of a fistfight on broomsticks than it had a game. Given their opinions of what constituted a 'real sport' (Ron's words to Dean in an argument over quidditch vs futból) Harry wasn't surprised that Hermione had kept her athleticism quiet. It would just be one more thing for her to be targeted for.
Ron Weasley was miserable. And in hiding. With the termination of the tournament in February, Dumbledore had announced they'd have Quidditch again. Everyone, including Ron, was elated. But then Gryffindor realized that their seeker, Harry Potter, had left the school. And they no longer had Oliver Wood either, as he'd graduated the previous year. They were the two best players on the team. Eager to be the hero again, Ron tried out for keeper. With Ginny as the seeker they had four Weasleys on the team. Immediately Ron had seen how his mum would be so proud that he led Gryffindor to victory, that four Weasleys were heroes of Gryffindor and Hogwarts. It had to be.
Their first game had been against Hufflepuff. Without Diggory the 'puffs were just mediocre. Ron was certain Gryffindor would destroy them. He had underestimated just how good Oliver Wood was, his own abilities, and of course Harry's importance to the team. Gryffindor had lost, 230-70. Ginny joined her brother in the ranks of Gryffindor's top targets. Their second game had been against Slytherin. Ginny had been knocked off her broom by a bludger and rather than have sympathy for the girl Gryffindor had thrown at Ron and Ginny the taunt that Harry would have caught the snitch in both games and Harry wouldn't have fallen off his broom from a bludger.
It had been a slap in the face to Ron. On the one hand, he'd become so low on the totem pole that even Harry who had left Britain and bankrupted it after cheating to get into the tournament before chickening out was higher than him. On the other, he'd always assumed that Harry had listened to all of his quidditch talk and done what he said. Ron didn't tend to actually watch Harry play. The seeker could change the game completely but they just flew above the team play for the majority of the game. That was boring. Ron wanted to see the action of the chasers, keepers, and beaters. Ron had only ever watched when Hermione would shout out that Harry'd seen the snitch. She was the only person who could actually sit there and watch just Harry the whole time. Mental she was.
So for all Ron knew, Harry did what Ron had always told him to do and that was why he was such a great seeker. He'd always been annoyed that Harry never gave him any credit for his performances. Now it was apparent that Harry had never taken Ron's advice at all. Ginny had been given the same advice Ron had told Harry but even doing everything he said she'd not got the snitch in either game. And Ron's performance as keeper had seen them lose to Slytherin.
Which was why Ron was hiding and miserable. The game had been horrible. The three chasers had been great again but Ron hadn't made a single save, making the score before the snitch was caught 100-60. And the opposing keeper had made five saves. And then there was the look on Malfoy's face when he caught the snitch. Losing to Slytherin was bad enough but losing to Malfoy? That specifically was just too much.
Draco Malfoy was elated. Not only had he thoroughly beaten Gryffindor but he'd also received the letter that had made him play that day. His mother was being released. With Voldemort's visual reappearance in Diagon Alley a few days ago the ministry had finally had to concede that his father had been killed by Voldemort. Narcissa Malfoy was being released and she'd written her son, telling him that she was taking him and they were leaving the country immediately.
It was the good news that dragged him out of his dejected funk. He had to play. Had to humiliate Weasley before he left for good. The ministry had paid her compensation for her time unlawfully imprisoned and if they took all of their property then they'd be able to sell some things to get by when they got to wherever they were going. His mother would be arriving tomorrow to get him out of school and they would leave immediately. The house elves were packing up the house. He regretted that he had to pack up and couldn't celebrate with his house but he'd finally get to see his mother again and Draco couldn't wait to see her.
Chapter 13
Albus Dumbledore was running out of ideas. Remus had blown his cover and been denied entrance into Spain and his only other option, Nymphadora Tonks, wanted nothing to do with his plans for Harry. Neville Longbottom wasn't an option thanks to his grandmother and Draco Malfoy, who was a longshot at best, had been spirited out of the country by his mother. At the end of the day, he needed Harry Potter and not even claiming guardianship for the lad had worked. Spain had rebuffed his claims by pointing out that Sirius Black had never even been given a trial for his alleged crimes.
Where had his plans gone so wrong? The Weasley family had welcomed the lad in with open arms just as he'd intended. Harry'd met them first at King's Cross just as he'd intended. Ronald Weasley had captured Harry as his friend just as he'd intended. He'd even ostracized Hermione Granger from Gryffindor. But then Harry had to befriend the girl and save her life. Not that Albus could lay the blame at the girl's feet. Ron hadn't let them be alone and even managed to keep her and Harry apart the previous year. Although, Lupin hadn't attached himself to Harry like Albus had wanted. The werewolf kept a distance from the lad out of guilt that the headmaster couldn't understand. Sirius Black breaking out of Azkaban hadn't been on the menu, nor had Harry and Hermione saving the cur's life.
Of course, none of those things on their own were the problem. The problem was Ronald Weasley. The lad's intense jealousy, desire for power, and questionable allegiance had driven Harry into Granger's arms and then the both of them out of the castle. And so Albus Dumbledore decided to do something that was without a doubt a plea to get Harry back at Hogwarts.
Weasley Sent Our Hero Away!
By Rita Skeeter
Today Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, announced the expulsion of student Ronald Bilius Weasley. The reason, as explained by the prestigious headmaster, was because of the bullying that had been happening nonstop within Gryffindor House. Weasley was the ringleader of what the headmaster calls excessive, aggressive, and dangerous bullying and assault on Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. The headmaster went on to state that Weasley was also being brought up on charges in regards to an attempted sexual assault on Granger.
Minerva McGonagall was also punished, losing the title of Deputy Headmistress, and has also been removed as the Head of House of Gryffindor. Severus Snape has been given the title Deputy Headmaster, though at present there is no Head of House for Gryffindor, which is facing serious censures as a result of the gang-like mentality of the group and of course the violence they directed toward two students of their own.
This reporter is outraged that such activities were happening within Hogwarts and it is no surprise now that Potter and Granger left Britain in the manner they did. Mr. Weasley's actions have decimated our economy and also risked our safety, as You-Know-Who has returned and has already begun attempting to regain power.
Without Harry Potter, Britain is doomed. Please come home Harry! We need you!
Harry stared at the paper, "Is this a joke?"
"I think this just highlights everything that's wrong with Britain," Hermione said.
"No, I know Skeeter is a slimeball and they're all happy to blame others for what they do. I mean Dumbledore. Does he seriously expect us to return now that he's punishing Ron months after the fact?"
"Maybe he's getting desperate. Voldemort is getting stronger and stronger and rather than try to kill him himself or find a different solution, he's just going to the standby of get Harry and make him do it," Hermione reasoned.
"Idiotic old man," Sirius growled.
"As horrible as what this Ronald did was," Emma said, "I still don't think he deserves this punishment. He's not just been expelled, but vilified. He's the bad guy. He might be a stupid fourteen year old boy but for that old man to just put all the blame on him is disgusting."
Dan nodded, "The Weasel wasn't the only one to target you two and the others don't seem to be getting punished. Not to mention the old man was fine to let it happen. He never stepped in while you were there."
"Like I said, this article highlights everything that's wrong with Britain," Hermione said.
The roar of the stadium as Harry lifted the Quidditch Junior League Cup with his school team was massive. It eclipsed anything he'd ever heard at Hogwarts and this season, his sixth year in school and second full term at Vogora, had been perfect. They had never lost a match. Last year, his fifth year, they'd begun to attract more talented players. Some of the girls and boys from the single gender teams had jumped to their team and after a year together they had played in perfect harmony.
It had been a fantastic year. Fans invaded the pitch and Harry, the captain of the squad, passed the cup on just in time for his arms to be full of his girlfriend, who kissed him rather passionately considering they were in public. He returned the kiss and when they parted for breath she spoke, "Congratulations love."
"Thanks," he said. "Think your medal has room for mine next to it?"
"We'll make space," she responded, kissing him again. The previous week Real Vogora had succeeded in a first; they'd won the league cup. It had been a tighter race than his; after Hermione had humiliated the boys in her first game at the school all the male teams had stepped up their game against them. They'd lost to two of the male teams, and drawn against another while winning the fourth. Those were the only two defeats of their season though, and even in the defeats they'd scored, making their goal difference smaller than the other teams.
Harry had been elated for Hermione, just as he knew she was for him. They were always each other's biggest fan and he took great pride in her accomplishments. He glanced over at the stands to see the Grangers and the Blacks standing and applauding. Shortly before school started for their fifth year, Sirius and Daniela had been married. They still lived at Potter Estate but they had a whole wing to themselves for privacy and once Harry turned eighteen Sirius said they'd move out. He'd bought the mansion next door, actually, and it was undergoing some major renovations. It had been just on the verge of falling apart when he'd bought it.
Sirius' mansion also had a nice cottage on the grounds which he destroyed and rebuilt with road access, gifting it to the Grangers. The dentists would not accept such an act from Harry, but from Sirius they would and Harry and Sirius both knew that. Harry was pretty sure the Sorting Hat of Hogwarts was off its rocker. Sirius and Hermione were the most Slytherin people he'd ever met.
Life in Spain had settled down into a sort of normalcy. Sirius was married and his book was an instant worldwide bestseller. He'd even had a book tour, which amused the entire household to no end because at the end of the day, Sirius was still a lighthearted jokester. Daniela still traveled for work and Sirius was happy to go with her, bestowing all parenting duties (as he called them) on the Grangers for the two teens.
The Grangers were successful at their practice, and for Harry and Hermione life at school was delightfully free of monsters, dark lords, and their followers. They made friends and settled in well and thanks to Harry's therapist Harry had improved mentally and emotionally. He still carried mental scars from his childhood with the Dursleys but he had lost that need to be a hero and desire to be needed and belong, which to Hermione were massive improvements.
Life in Britain wasn't the same picture of happiness. Through the UN, EU, and some discreet work from Katabisi muggleborns were shipped out of Britain to Italy, Spain, the USA, South America, and other countries and continents. It was a lack of income that further crippled the magical British economy, not that that was a major concern with Voldemort running loose. The Ministry of Magic had seemingly just given in to what was the inevitable takeover by Voldemort.
The Weasley family had been utterly devastated by the expulsion of Ron. He'd subsequently been arrested. Ginny soon found herself under investigation for the Chamber of Secrets her first year, and was soon expelled as well. Both of them had their wands snapped. Arthur and Percy were fired from the Ministry and Bill was let go from Gringotts. Only Charlie kept his job.
Dumbledore refused to offer the Weasley family any help, washing his hands of them in his bid to get Harry back. When it failed he found that while he managed to keep Ron out of Azkaban, he'd lost all credibility. Even the highly gullible magical public took issue with his flip-flopping when he tried to once more vilify Harry Potter when the lad failed to return to Britain. His supporters had rapidly abandoned him, questioning his sanity in the process, and any attempts he made to stop Voldemort seemed hollow.
Voldemort, it turned out, had a much shorter reign than he might have expected. The Queen of England sent in a special magical section of MI-5 shortly after the Ministry folded and Voldemort's untrained, arrogant followers never stood a chance. Voldemort put up more of a fight but despite taking three agents with him, he fell and was incarcerated in a special magical prison that had been commissioned just for him. The horcruxes were sought out by Katabisi curse-breakers, a team of the best in the world to be precise that had been hired by the UN and EU.
With the fall of Voldemort, the Ministry in pieces, and Dumbledore just another old man, the Queen and the rest of Britain were set to take over once more, which they did. Britain was 're-unified' but Spain, Italy, and those outside the ICW all knew that it would be a long time for Britain to improve. In the meantime, the scholarship Harry created was a boon to the muggleborns of Britain. Hogwarts was certainly no longer the 'premier' school it purported to be and many half-bloods began attending schools elsewhere leaving Hogwarts the emptiest it'd ever been with its students primarily purebloods that couldn't afford elsewhere and didn't qualify for scholarships overseas.
Harry yawned and cuddled into Hermione. "I love you," she whispered, turning to get comfortable.
"I love you," he responded. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Being brilliant. Without your plan to get me out of the tournament I could have died. Or been stuck in Britain. I could have been sacrificed by Dumbledore to destroy Voldemort. Which would have been an even more pointless sacrifice because I wasn't a horcrux."
"I consider us equal. You saved me from a troll, I saved you from idiots who think like trolls," Hermione shrugged, "like I always say Harry, they're our problems, not your problems."
He smiled. "For better or worse."
"In times of trolls, dark lords, and huge sudden windfalls of money," Hermione smiled.
"We're going to have awesome wedding vows," Harry said.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she mumbled. "But no engagement until we graduate school."
"Is that before or after university?"
"Engagement before, marriage after," she said. "Harry I planned this when we were fourteen."
"You wouldn't be my Hermione if you hadn't," Harry kissed the top of her head. "Good night my brilliant, amazing girlfriend."
"Good night my sweet and loving boyfriend. Incidentally, Harry," she turned to glance at him, "I think we should recreate that shower we took the morning of the task tomorrow morning. We can really appreciate it now."
Sleep was a long time coming for Harry with that image in his head while his groin was pressed into her arse. Hermione was definitely a Slytherin.
Chapter 14 - Epilogue
-10 years later-
Harry sat at the hospital, a baby in his lap. Hermione came rushing in, "Any news yet?"
He shook his head, "Sirius is still back there with her."
"An Hermy!" Pudgy little fingers reached toward Hermione and Harry gave up his godson to his wife.
"Well hello there," she bounced the black-haired baby boy on her hip, "Is Uncle Harry no fun?"
A rapid head nod had Harry pouting and Hermione chuckling. She kissed her husband, "I left as soon as school let out." Harry nodded and stood, stretching his legs. "She's okay right?"
"Yeah. I called your parents and Daniela's parents and they're on their way. They have more traffic to get through than you do." Hermione worked at Vogora as a teacher, a profession Harry fully supported. He'd learned the best when she'd taught him and as a Charms teacher she was very well loved by the younger students she worked with. She taught years 1-4, with 5-7 being taught by an older Charms master.
She gazed at her godson, "Can you imagine Sirius with two children? I couldn't see him with one until they had Rafael here." Harry still smiled at the name. It was a nod to Raffy the house elf who had told Sirius that Katabisi could help Harry's scar and Raphael the vampire who had introduced the two of them before he'd ended up working for Harry. The little boy was quite smart, which had Harry hoping that Sirius' pranking nature was not inherited. The last thing they needed was someone with Daniela's genius and Sirius' pranking ability.
"I'd love to see him with a daughter," Harry said.
"That would be entertaining," Hermione nodded. "I would wager he'd be putty in her hands though."
"Well that goes without saying," Harry grinned. "How was school?"
"It went well. Banishing charms today so we had a pillow fight."
"So you're the favorite teacher then," Harry laughed.
"I wasn't already?"
"You're my favorite teacher," Harry said, kissing her, "always have been."
"Smooth talker," she teased.
"Maybe a smidge," he conceded. Hermione sat down and Rafael snuggled into her. Harry sat down next to her and slid his arm around her. He knew what was coming next. The Grangers would come in and comments about grandbabies would start being thrown around. Not that he and Hermione didn't want kids; they both did. But after two years of trying without any progress, they both felt rather raw about the issue. Sirius and Daniela getting pregnant so easily both times did not make it easier for either of them but being named godfather and godmother to Rafael was a pleasant surprise.
Thus far, the pair had kept quiet about everything. For Hermione, he knew she saw it as a failure on her part. For Harry, he was worried other people would voice what Hermione already thought and make things worse. He was pretty good at talking her out of her being to blame but if family or friends said something he was worried he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it again. Her fears did not need validation. "It's not your fault," he whispered to her.
"I know Harry," she leaned into him, "I just…I want it to happen for us."
"I know love," he pressed his head against hers, "we're still young. And adoption isn't a bad idea."
"That's true," she nodded. "I love you."
"I love you," he smiled. "I got everything I wanted when I got you, you know. Everything else is extra."
"Harry that's a line."
"It's true though."
"Doesn't make it any less corny or lame," she said. "But the sentiment is appreciated and shared."
While Hermione and Harry might have been struggling to get pregnant, Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang had no such problem. They'd been married right out of Hogwarts and in the eleven years that followed they had three little girls. Cedric worked in Gringotts, below the surface because of his skin, and Cho worked for a shop in Diagon Alley. Amos Diggory was a proud grandfather and happy babysitter, having never found work after standing up to Albus Dumbledore. While magical Britain was under new management, most magicals were bitter and purebloods did not hire those that they deemed as betrayers. Amos Diggory had spoken out against Dumbledore with venom and Dumbledore still had many friends.
Neville had finished Hogwarts and married another pureblood, Susan Bones. He worked hard to become an auror but failed the exam, so instead he opened up a plant shop. He'd always loved all things Herbology and he decided to do what he was the best at. Susan worked in the ministry like her aunt and father had.
The Weasleys had it harder. After Ron's expulsion and Arthur's termination from his job they had found themselves destitute. Charlie managed to get a job for Bill in Romania, but the rest of the family was on their own. Arthur found small jobs in the non-magical world but his utter fascination with muggles found him in trouble with the ICW and he was charged with violating the Statute of Secrecy.
Percy and the twins eventually moved to Australia and changed their last name to escape the cloud that followed it. Percy settled down with an Australian witch after a few years there working in their government. Fred and George worked various odd jobs before opening the joke shop they'd always wanted. All three sent money home to their parents each month to help out.
When the British government had taken over the magical side there were no reprieves for the youngest Weasleys. Ginny was placed in St. Mungo's to determine any mental health issues. Several were found (damage from the horcrux she'd been using her first year and some other issues relating to obsessing over one Harry Potter) and she was hospitalized. Ron's role as the ringleader of Gryffindor's bullying, which he'd been so proud of, got him a criminal record and he found it impossible to get any employment even in the non-magical world. Arthur was at least freed from the ICW's charges, the organization being abolished by the queen. But as was possibly expected, most purebloods were offended that non-magicals were attempting to control them. Arthur might be legally free but he was socially ostracized by the magical community of Britain.
Albus Dumbledore himself had been charged by the new government put in place for a very long list of crimes. Most related to Harry Potter and Sirius Black but they were not by any stretch the only ones. The man who had so long been deemed the greatest wizard since Merlin found himself in a prison cell not all that far from Tom Marvolo Riddle with a surprisingly identical prison sentence- life in prison with no possibility of parole.
The prison was state of the art. It used a combination of magical and non-magical technology to restrain the two dangerous men. Ancient Egypt and Japan were experts at binding powerful people to a space, and experts in those cultures had been brought in to do just that.
The cells themselves were bleak. A toilet, a bed, a sink. Nothing else. Voldemort spent his days at first staring at the walls but then one day a guard brought him his meal- Spam and eggs. After that the former dark lord began singing:
Spam Spam Spam Spam
Lovely Spam! Wonderful Spam!
Lovely Spam! Lovely Spam! Lovely Spam! Lovely Spam!
Spam! Spam! Spam! Spam!
Doctors came in and pronounced him insane, and Voldemort's days were spent singing the song until the final horcrux was destroyed. Within a week of its destruction Voldemort was dead.
Dumbledore served eight years in the prison before he died. They were the most horrible years of his life. He had no visitors, but was permitted the newspaper. That was perhaps a worse punishment than anything else as no matter how hard he searched, his name was never mentioned. The focus was on magical Britain's rebuilding and the renovations being done to Hogwarts and its curriculum. Even in Hogwarts articles, Dumbledore's name appeared nowhere. Not even as the former headmaster. He'd have no portrait on the wall of Headmasters. His grand tomb he'd planned to place on Hogwarts' grounds wouldn't be happening either. Albus Dumbledore's greatest fear was to be forgotten. And it had happened. Living like that aged him far more than his hundred+ years on Earth had. He died eight years after his imprisonment and was cremated before his ashes were buried in an unmarked grave.
Harry Potter collapsed on his bed. It was three in the morning and after hours sitting in chairs at the hospital, he was exhausted. It didn't matter if you used a cushioning charm. Hospital chairs were probably designed to be uncomfortable. Daniela was still in labor but Sirius had sent everyone home, promising to call if the baby came. Hermione pulled the sheets back, "Up Harry."
He obeyed, helping her move the blankets back before she entered the bathroom. He got undressed and slid on some boxers before climbing into the bed, sighing as the mattress enveloped him. "How was your day?" Hermione called out from the bathroom.
"Okay," he said. "I never wanted to be this good at managing our fortune. It's incredibly dull."
His wife's laughter made him smile. "The school is looking for a quidditch referee. It's a part-time job and you'd be good at it."
"No one wants to be a referee love," he sighed. "Besides I like flying really, really fast."
"Well aware of that," Hermione said as she entered the bedroom. Harry looked at her and his mouth dropped. She looked really good in that sheer nightgown. "You okay Harry?" He nodded, swallowing and licking his lips as she approached the bed and lifted the sheets to slide into her side. "I suppose we should get some sleep. I have classes tomorrow."
"Or we could stay up for a bit," he said, his eyes dark with lust.
She raised an eyebrow, "Why would we do that? To talk?"
"I guess you could call it a form of communication," Harry said, tilting his head.
She laughed and he grinned, leaning in to kiss her. "You're ridiculous Harry."
"Yet you married me anyway."
"I'd claim temporary insanity but I planned our wedding about three hours after you asked me to be your girlfriend," Hermione grinned, pulling him down onto the bed as they kissed.
"Took you that long?"
"Was a bit busy trying to save your cute arse," she mumbled as she yanked his boxers down past his hips.
Harry wiggled out of them and swiftly divested her of her nightgown, "You did a great job of that."
"Well I couldn't let my future husband die," she teased, earning a chuckle from him. A wave of her hand lowered the lights in the room and Harry happily lost himself in their lovemaking. They might not have a child yet but damn if they didn't have fun trying.
Draco Malfoy and his mother had ended up in the United States of America. After graduating from school he'd become an employee of Katabisi. He was very good with numbers and enjoyed the work, which had surprised him. Draco had nothing when they'd arrived, and the only reason they hadn't starved was his mother's cousin Sirius Black. He'd given them a stipend each month that paid for their living expenses and Draco's schooling until they had managed to get on their feet. Even with his mother finding work, which was minimum wage and part time at first as she'd never worked before in her life, they couldn't afford clothes, school for Draco, or even much food. Without Sirius Black they'd have died.
He was grateful for the help. Draco'd never really been in a position to feel gratitude before but he had then. Draco had put more effort into his schooling in the States, and he graduated with high grades. His father would have been horrified. Draco had met a muggleborn at work and fallen head over heels for the woman. After a year of dating he'd proposed and one year after that they'd been married.
Luna Lovegood, who had also moved to the United States with her only remaining parent, ended up moving to Brazil after school. The rainforests of the Amazon seemed the perfect place for unknown magical creatures and she ended up exploring the forests thoroughly over the years, finding and documenting new magical creatures.
Harry and Hermione woke to the news that Daniela had delivered a little girl. After a quick shower and breakfast they headed to the hospital together. Daniela was awake but looked exhausted. "Hola," Hermione said, smiling at the older woman.
"She's already preventing me from sleep," Daniela said, smiling at the younger couple and relinquishing the newborn to Hermione.
Harry looked around, "Where's Rafael?"
"My parents took him to their place last night so Sirius could stay with me. He's getting me some breakfast right now. Say hello to your goddaughter," Daniela smiled. "Juanita Harriet Ramos Black."
"Harriet?"
"It was Harry's sage words that had Sirius committing so strongly and so quickly to me. You said if I was half as great as Hermione he should never let go," she smiled at him, "We were always going to name a boy after Raffy and Raphael and we were always going to name a girl after the two of you. Juanita for your middle name, Hermione, and Harriet for your first name, Harry."
Hermione gazed at her goddaughter, "You are going to have your daddy wrapped around your finger," she smiled.
"Already does," Daniela grinned. "You should have seen Sirius with her. He's worse than he was with Rafael."
Harry couldn't wait to see that. Sirius had treated newborn Rafael like he was going to break if someone breathed too hard on him. Hermione had theorized that Sirius was afraid that Daniela would kill him if he in some way harmed their child but Harry thought it had more to do with Sirius afraid of losing this wonderful life he had. That was a result of Azkaban that was never going to go away and Harry knew that.
He felt similar because of the Dursleys. He never forgot an anniversary, birthday, or other holiday out of fear that if he did Hermione would leave him. It was an absurd thought; Hermione wasn't that shallow and if she was Harry wouldn't be interested in her. But he felt that fear no matter how irrational it was and he went out of his way to show his appreciation for Hermione on those days. Some things you just couldn't shake, his therapist said. Harry definitely agreed. Hermione had slowly acclimated Harry to physical contact and loving touches to the point that Harry initiated such contact as well but there was nothing either of them could do to soothe that childlike fear of him losing her because he wasn't good enough or he screwed up.
Hermione passed Juanita to him and he gazed at the little girl. She looked alot like the baby pictures he'd seen of Daniela, which would no doubt have Sirius watching her like a hawk. She was adorable though. "I can't wait to buy her her first broomstick," Harry said.
"Hermione slap your husband please," Daniela said, closing her eyes. "I'm too tired."
Hermione smacked Harry on the back of his head, "This is why I'm godmother. Someone has to be responsible."
"I'm responsible," Harry pouted.
"In most things," Hermione said. "Flying is not one of those things though." Harry smirked. She wasn't wrong. He loved an incredibly fast broom. And he did particularly stupid things on those fast brooms. Nothing to get himself killed but he'd had plenty of broken bones.
Remus Lupin had believed in Albus Dumbledore up until the old man's death. He just could not even begin to consider that the old man could have been wrong or evil. Even when faced with his crimes Remus rationalized Dumbledore's actions. Someone was framing him or it wasn't that bad or Dumbledore himself had been deceived and had he known, he'd have fixed whatever was wrong. There were many people who thought similarly, and there were enough to keep the pious image of Albus Dumbledore alive even after his death. Then the details of his crimes were released, crimes that had never before been discussed.
Remus' faith in the old man was unshakable, but not everyone who still believed in the old man felt the same. What he'd done to Harry Potter had come out in more detail than ever before and it horrified most of them. Very few held to Dumbledore's greatness and goodness after that. Remus did, though, and he found himself more alone than ever as a result.
Minerva McGonagall, on the other hand, had her image of Albus Dumbledore utterly shattered when he'd thrown her under the bus for following his directions regarding the situation with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger. She'd had no problem testifying against him. It might not fix what had happened to those he'd victimized but it did ease her conscience and guilt regarding her refusal to stand up for Mr. Potter and Miss Granger and if she could redeem her soul for following his bad advice, she knew that making sure Albus Dumbledore got what he deserved was the only way. Minerva moved overseas to the United States and taught at the Salem Academy for twenty years before retiring. She might have blindly followed Dumbledore but she was a master at Transfiguration and she loved teaching. She never had as much power as she did under him again but that suited her just fine.
Severus Snape found himself arrested for his many crimes and with no Dumbledore to save him he was sentenced to Azkaban. He did not leave the island alive.
Their visit with Daniela was short as Hermione had to get to work. Harry drove her to school, kissing her goodbye when they arrived. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too."
"While I was waiting at the hospital yesterday I thought maybe we could escape for a weekend to Switzerland. Avoid all the grandchild talk and just spend some time together in that chalet."
"That sounds like heaven," she smiled. "You are the best husband ever Harry," she kissed him again. "El Clásico is this weekend so the school's having a three-day weekend. We'd get an extra day."
Harry liked the sound of that. "I'll have Winky make sure the chalet is ready and I'll arrange for our travel. You just worry about your wardrobe."
"Or lack thereof," she whispered into his ear before saying goodbye and exiting the car. Harry gazed after her. That hat had to be under some sort of spell or something to place his Hermione in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. On the other hand, he mused as he headed to Katabisi to arrange their weekend, Slytherin might not have been able to handle a true Slytherin like his Hermione. She'd have embarrassed all of them thoroughly.
-Epilogue to the Epilogue-
Three years after the birth of their goddaughter Harry and Hermione finally had their own pregnancy. And to their surprise it was twins. Aidan Drake Granger-Potter and Melisandra Cassidy Granger-Potter were born to two happy parents, two ecstatic grandparents, and three euphoric house elves.