Chapter 12 - Wormtail and Rita
Harry, Hermione, Doug, and Emma met with the Grangers early Sunday morning.
"What is my cut from yesterday?" Doug asked eagerly.
"Don't be so impatient, Doug." Emma chided him.
"I want my cut so I can finally buy my own place. I love you guys, but a man's got to have his own place away from work, you know?" Doug said, rubbing his hands together.
"You're going to get your own place? When did you decide this, you never mentioned it before Ashley moved into your tent."
"I decided yesterday, when I took a nap while Harry and I were waiting for you and Emily."
"When did you do that, Doug?" Hermione spotted Doug's lapse immediately.
"Before you and Emily arrived at the Leaky Cauldron." Doug admitted guiltily.
"Maybe we should re-examine the plan on who gets how much of a share," Hermione threatened.
"I will work hard from now on to make up for it, I swear," Doug said quickly, as he really didn't want to get a reduction in his share of the booty.
"Okay now, moving on, how much did we get yesterday?" Hermione said, much to Doug's visible relief.
"Alice was here going over some books when Emily and Hermione turned up with the loot. After reading a few titles of the books you brought back, Alice was really thrilled with your finds. We allowed her to read the books once she totaled up all of the gold and Muggle pounds we received. She readily agreed, I think we will work well together. In fact, she already reminds me of Hermione so much in her love of books. Anyway, the first hoard contained 50 thousand galleons and 50 thousand pounds, the second hoard had 10 thousand galleons and 10 thousand pounds and the final hoard had 10 thousand galleons with another 10 thousand pounds that we gave immediately to the orphanage. We spent 10 thousand dollars or 2,000 galleons on curse-breaking materials, books, meals, lodgings, food, toys and chickens. By the way, what were the chickens for, as it was quite an expense?"
"You don't want to know, mum. Trust me, you really don't want to know." Hermione shuddered.
"As I was saying, that leaves us with a grand total of 70 thousand galleons and 70 thousand thousand pounds. If you subtract our expenses, including the 60 thousand pound donation to the orphanage, we received a grand total of 70 thousand galleons. That means, Doug, that your share is seven thousand galleons while Emily's cut is three thousand and five hundred," Emma said.
"Not enough for a good place, but enough to rent a okay place," Doug said, clearly disappointed.
"If you want, we can lend the rest to you interest-free, as long as you don't mind buying something close by and allow us to use your Floo for transport. Same offer goes for you, Emily. We do have the galleons right now."
Doug jumped at the offer. "Definitely, yes. You can even use my place as a mail centre. I need my own space. I think it is the werewolf in me."
"Will you have any difficulties due to your condition?" Dan asked.
"I will have to pay a few bribes. You guys can fork it over, as you'll be using it too," Doug added, cheekily.
"We're fine with that. How long do you think it will take?" Dan said.
"It should be very quick with the goblins handling all the details. If you're willing to pay enough, the Floo can be connected the same day."
"What about you, Emily?" Emma asked.
"I prefer staying here, close to all those books," Emily admitted.
"Is Alice moving in or is she staying at her own place?" Harry inquired.
"She's staying with me. We both love reading and we enjoy discussing our mutual interests. If you want, you can use the rest of the tent as a temporary library?" Emily suggested.
"Are you sure, the library is growing at a truly alarming rate, you might be buried alive in books at this rate," Dan added in jest. Both Hermione and Emma punched him.
"I don't think it's really all that bad. We prefer having the library close, so that if we want to look something up, we don't have to go to the sorting tent to track it down and go all the way back to my tent. It also allow Alice better access to keep everything organised, which makes it much easier for all of us to find what we need."
"That reminds me. Can you copy all of the Potions books we've collected so far? I want Ashley to have access to all the Potions texts without being forced to hunt through everything else we've got," Hermione added.
"Okay. Do want me to take care of it immediately or do you want to continue with the vanishing cabinet replicas?"
"Keep working on the vanishing cabinets, but if you need to take a break from that, make copies of the Potions texts. Sorting items for Remus to sell isn't our top priority anymore, as we're getting plenty of outside income and none of us care much for working with Remus anyway."
"Remus has also been ostracised by the Outcast community because of what he tried to do," Doug commented. "Loyalty is a huge thing for them and Remus's behavior really doesn't sit well with them at all."
"What did Remus do?" Emily asked.
"Didn't you hear about it yesterday in the car?" Emma asked, surprised.
"I wasn't really paying attention, I was reading." Emily admitted, sheepishly.
"It doesn't really matter now. Moving on. Mum and Dad, what are you doing this morning?"
"We're going out to look at prospective houses with the real estate agent, dear," Emma replied. "Why do you ask?"
"If you weren't too busy, I thought you might want to accompany us to see the Outcast leader about purchasing the apothecary, funding the new Outcast school and possibly buying a US newspaper to start changing a few people's opinions about what Outcast has to offer," Hermione said, matter-of-factly.
"I think you should let us take care of that. We're the adults here, after all. Dan and I can set up a lunch meeting with their leader during the week and sort out what needs to be done."
"But you don't know what we want to do. I should at least be there to handle any problems that might come up," Hermione complained.
"No. Don't you trust us dear? Why don't you tell us what you want and we can decide whether it's viable or not?" Emma countered.
"First, we want to buy the apothecary in Diagon Alley so Ashley can take control of the potions ingredients market," Hermione started.
"We should wait, I think. With all the potion ingredients you collected from the first stash, you can get the store at a considerably cheaper price, especially once demand for those ingredients starts falling. See, it that's one thing handled already. We really need to think things through and decide what's best before rushing in without a plan."
"I'll grant you that, I didn't think that far ahead. Next one, we should give the money we allocated to the Outcast organisation, but with specific conditions attached to it. For example, the monies can only be used for the Outcast schools."
"We need to work out what the exact conditions will be before we do anything, as I doubt they'll be inclined to accept a completely open-ended agreement."
"I think the professors at the school should be offered additional funding, resources and access to rare books in return for keeping our agreement secret, plus a proportion of any money they make from their discoveries, first dibs on turning any discoveries into viable commercial ideas and they should also agree to provide any assistance that we may require on the odd occasion," Harry suggested.
"I think their professors would go for that." Doug said, nodding briskly.
"Where are we going to get the extra funding for the professors? We might have plenty of funds now, but we're going through them at a rather alarming rate. We need to purchase a new house for ourselves, we have to buy a house for Doug, we still need to purchase the apothecary and there's the cost of the potion business itself, plus wages for our employees, supplies for the vanishing cabinet project, taxes, the piles of blank books you've been buying and plenty of other costs. And that's just off the top of my head," Dan pointed out.
"The potion business should be an easy success, Dan. We have the potion ingredients on hand and, thanks to Snape, we know who the the biggest customers are. And one of our main competitors, Snape, is out of commission for the moment and will be out of the picture completely before long," Harry argued.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Harry. Our potions-maker doesn't have the wide reputation that Snape or the other established European potions suppliers all have. That will be a big disadvantage for us, especially when the business first gets off the ground. Ashley will need to work hard to build up a clientele and start to getting her work published in order to build herself up as a reputable potions supplier."
"I guess we should forget about buying out a magical newspaper in the US, at least for now," Harry said, disappointed.
"True, but we can buy shares in one of the magical newspapers, so we'll have a say in what gets printed," Dan said in conciliation.
"We still need to convert some of the galleons into British pounds, so the Grangers can buy the property they want in cash. Doug, do you think the Outcast organisation can convert it without going through the goblins? I am positive the British Ministry of Magic is getting a cut of any magical-Muggle monetary conversions, even though I can't prove it. Not yet, anyway. I want to avoid that, if at all possible," Harry insisted.
"I'm pretty sure that can be done, but I'll check and make sure," Doug replied.
"We should convert the majority of the expected price of the house right now and use the goblins to convert the difference. That's assuming, of course, that it's even possible for the Outcast organisation to do so. Remember to increase taxes and duties in the calculations," Harry reminded them.
"We had better head off to see our real estate agent, since you are not going to see the Outcast people today. What will you be doing while were out?" Emma asked.
"I don't know?" Hermione said.
"How about we interrogate a certain rat we both know?" Harry suggested.
"I just finished a batch of Veritaserum. We can use that on dear Scabbers," Hermione added.
"I am just going to add a little memory before we begin the interrogation." Harry said.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.
"Trust me, you'll like it. Just wait." Harry teased.
"Who are we talking about and is it even possible to adjust a memory well enough to actually fool Veritaserum?" Emily asked.
"The rat you have been caring for is known as Scabbers, also Wormtail. But you might know him more notoriously as the former Marauder, Peter Pettigrew."
"What? But he's dead, Harry!"
"No, he was the person who betrayed my family to the Dark Lord and framed Sirius Black for murder. Dumbledore knew all along and did nothing. I'll be using a technique that Tom Riddle developed, it will make Pettigrew believe something is true, even though it's not," Harry said.
"Where are we going to interrogate Wormtail?" Hermione asked.
"I was thinking the cage Doug uses for his werewolf transformations. That is, if Doug doesn't mind?" Harry suggested.
"Go ahead," Doug said, with obvious interest.
Emma and Dan headed for an afternoon of house-hunting, Emily got to work on the vanishing cabinet project, Doug started his search for his new home and Harry and Hermione made preparations for their interrogation of Wormtail.
Harry spelled Wormtail back his human form and adjusted his memory just before Hermione force-fed him a dose of Veritaserum. They then trapped Wormtail in a magically electrified cage that would render him unconscious but alive, should he attempt to escape. Wormtail twice attempted to do just that before the interrogation began; the second time he was too exhausted and injured to risk having a third go at his makeshift prison.
Seeing that Wormtail had finally accepted his fate, Harry began the interrogation, with Hermione there to observe.
"What is your full name?"
"Peter Pettigrew."
"What is your date of birth?"
"15 May 1960"
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"Yes"
"When did you join the Death Eaters?"
"1979."
"Why did you join?"
"The light side could not win and I always wanted to be on the winning side."
"Why did you go into hiding?"
"If I was found alive, my fellow Dead Eaters would kill me or I would be sent to prison."
"Why would you be sent to prison?"
"Since I was one who really betrayed the Potters and murdered those Muggles."
"Are you saying you were the secret-keeper for the Potter family, not Sirius Black?"
"Yes."
"Was Sirius Black ever the Potter secret-keeper?"
"No, the Potters changed their minds and chose me at the last minute, at Sirius' suggestion."
"Who knew about the change?"
"Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Dark Lord and Lucius Malfoy."
"How did Albus Dumbledore know you were a Death Eater?"
"He saw the Death Eater tattoo on my arm and never said a thing."
"What about Lucius Malfoy?"
"He recruited me to be a Death Eater and he was there when I told the Dark Lord where the Potter family had hidden."
"What happened on Halloween 1981?"
"I took the Dark Lord to the Potter home. The Dark Lord went in and I stayed near the door keeping watch for intruders. James Potter and the Dark Lord fought a vicious battle, but then James went down. I heard Lily Potter cry out, "Not my son!" before being killed herself. Then I saw the green flash of a killing curse followed by and explosion and Harry Potter crying. I found no trace of the Dark Lord, only his wand. I left the scene right after."
"What happened on the day of your supposed death and Sirius' arrest?"
"Sirius had me cornered. He sent a slicing curse at me and cut off my toe. I had to get away, so I sent a blasting curse at a nearby gas line, causing the explosion that killed all those Muggles. I used the opportunity to shift into my rat form and escape."
"Please explain shift into a rat?"
"I am a rat Animagus."
"Where have you being hiding for the last ten years?"
"I have being hiding as Percy Weasley's pet rat, Scabbers."
"Do you go by any other names?"
"Wormtail."
The interrogation continued until lunch time when Peter was forced to change back into Scabbers after Harry retrieved Voldemort's wand. Hermione then put her memories of the interrogation into a series of vials to be passed on to Rita Skeeter at their next meeting.
"What memories did you adjust?" Hermione asked Harry after she finished collecting the memories.
"I added the memories of Dumbledore and Malfoy, but I removed Wormtail's memory of collecting Voldemort's wand. So we can use it to blame Voldemort for some of the things we'll have to do."
Doug and an invisible Hermione then left for their appointment with Rita while Harry continued to pump Wormtail for information on Voldemort's plans.
Doug and Hermione went straight to the room he had rented at the Leaky on the previous day. Doug then cast a silencing and notice-me-not charm on the corner where Hermione would be hiding under the invisibility cloak. Then he went down to the bar to meet Rita while Hermione prepared the pensieve along with the memories they wanted Rita to see. Rita and Doug came back upstairs after some time.
"You're telling me that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, two Hogwarts first years, had to deal with a troll all by themselves, without any help from their professors?"
"I have the memories right here, you can see for yourself."
"I am loving this arrangement with Harry." Rita exclaimed in delight.
"And that's not all. Harry and his friend, Hermione, investigated the Troll incident themselves and discovered that Sirius Black did not betray the Potters as was thought. Peter Pettigrew was the true culprit and is responsible for the Potters' deaths.
"You have actual evidence of this?" Rita asked, stunned.
"Yes, but this last thing needs to be kept quiet for a little longer."
"How long do I have to sit on the biggest miscarriage of justice in modern wizarding memory?"
"Just until, say, the middle of the week. As soon as Pettigrew is in Auror custody, you can go ahead and print your story. If your editor wants to know why you held off, just tell him you were investigating the facts since a lot of powerful people are involved."
"That sounds good to me. Can I see those memories now?" Rita said, excitedly.
Rita spent a long while carefully examining the memories along with Doug.
"I agree, all of this looks really bad for Dumbledore. But I don't know if I'm willing or ready to go up against Lucius Malfoy."
"How about we give you 200 galleons if Fudge can ensure Sirius' safety and a fair trial? We know you are on good terms with Minister Fudge. You have the necessary connections to get it done."
"How about 1,000 galleons? After all, this will mean taking on Lucius Malfoy. Who is someone you really don't mess with," Rita countered.
"300 galleons, since you have evidence to prove that his story about being under Imperius is patently false.
"800 galleons, since I doubt Peter will dare to mention Malfoy's name in trial."
"500 galleons is my last and final offer."
"Deal," Rita agreed.
"200 galleons for the deposit and the rest on delivery," Doug told her.
"300 galleons for deposit and the rest on delivery," Rita countered.
Doug hands over the 300 galleons to an eager Rita.
"This is looks like the beginning of a fruitful relationship." Rita told him as she accepted a bulging sack of galleons.
"By the way, do you have any information that might encourage the apothecary in Diagon Alley to sell their business?"
"I just might."
"We are willing to pay you 50 galleons upfront for the information. If the information is correct and we are successful then we are willing to pay you a substantial bonus."
"Let me get back to you on that one," Rita says as her head fairly spun with plots to obtain the needed information.
Rita slipped the vials of memories into her purse and left a considerably richer woman.
Hermione and Doug packed up the pensieve and headed back home after paying Tom for the use of the room.
Hemione waited while Harry Obliviated Wormtail's memories of their encounter and his brief stay in the Granger home. Then they slipped the unconscious Scabbers back into a travelling cage and headed back to Hogwarts.
Chapter 13
Harry woke up early on Monday morning to ensure he would have the pleasure of witnessing the fallout from Rita's latest article. He waited impatiently for Hermione to get up and get dressed so they could go to the Great Hall together.
As soon as they were in the halls, Harry turned to Hermione excitedly. "Do you think Rita's article about the troll will be in today's newspaper?"
"I hope so. We want to make sure that Dumbledore doesn't find out. Plus, the longer it takes for him to react, the more impact the article has and the more damage will be done to Dumbledore's reputation."
"I need you to do a little research for me today, Hermione."
"What do you have in mind?"
"I need you to research Portkey targeting."
"I think I see where you're going with this. That shouldn't be too hard."
They arrived at the Ravenclaw table and chose a seat closer to the staff table than they usually did, but not so close as to arouse suspicion.
Dumbledore came down early and started eating his breakfast as quickly as possible. Just as Dumbledore finished eating, the Dailey Prophet arrived and he took his copy as he left without reacting. The gobsmacked expressions on the other professors' faces were pretty funny and had them both stifling laughter. Snape's reaction would have been even funnier, but with the Potions professor a current resident in the infirmary, that was one pleasure they were, sadly, forced to do without.
Draco and his cronies looked highly pissed off, but they didn't dare approach Harry for comment. They still preferred to avoid Harry like the plague as they were convinced that the enemies curse really did exist. Ron and Neville looked even worse, they were visibly fuming. Harry suspected that Ron was particularly furious because his name wasn't mentioned in Rita's article, while a mudblood like Hermione was. Ron and Neville were still really sleep-deprived and were too exhausted to follow them around as before, but Harry could tell they were somehow managing to adjust to their new sleepless state and suspected that the annoying pair would go back to stalking himself and Hermione before long.
Settling back in his seat, Harry unfolded the newspaper and began reading Rita's article.
Dumbledore Unleashes Troll On Defenseless Students
By Rita Skeeter
On Halloween, I was stunned to discover, a troll somehow managed to gain access to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is purportedly the most secure location in magical Britain. The troll stumbled across what it thought were two helpless first year students, who could have easily been killed. Were the professors of Hogwarts on hand to protect these defenseless students? No, the young students were left to fend for themselves. Luckily, the students in question happened to be Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived, and his best friend, Hermione Granger. Fortunately, the gifted duo were able to make short work of the troll, all on their own.
Did these brave students get any awards, points or even a simple public acknowledgement of their achievement? No. In fact, this reporter has learned that Mr. Potter and Miss Granger were forced to spend the night in the infirmary, even though neither student had suffered a single injury. Was there even an investigation to find out exactly how a troll happened to gain access to the halls of Hogwarts, putting the lives of hundreds of students at risk? I have looked into the matter and was stunned to find that nothing was said to the students or parents about any such investigation. It appears that Dumbledore merely informed his students that the troll had been removed from the school. Such blatant subterfuge begs the following questions: Is Albus Dumbledore truly fit to be the headmaster of such a prestigious wizarding school? And should we continue to entrust this individual with the lives of our precious children?
One concerned citizen, someone who has regular contact with Hogwarts students, informed me of exactly what transpired that night. Being the tireless investigating reporter that I am, I was able to gain confirmation for this story from several other reliable sources. Since the professors do not appear to believe student safety to be a serious issue, I believe we must call upon independent investigators from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to look into this matter. I will continue to investigate goings on at Hogwarts and will keep you informed as this story continues to unfold.
Not long after lunch, Harry and Hermione were approached by Professor Flitwick.
"Mister Potter and Miss Granger, you will please report to the Headmaster's office immediately."
"Do you mind accompanying us as our adult representative?" Hermione requested, smiling faintly.
"Well... I suppose I could," Professor Flitwick replied, with some reluctance.
They walked together to the Headmaster's office in perfect silence.
"Good afternoon Harry, Hermione. Please take a seat. You may go, Professor Flitwick."
"We would like Professor Flitwick to remain as our adult representative," Hermione informed him.
Professor Dumbledore was clearly unhappy with this situation and the alteration of his plans.
"Fine. Would like like to explain to me precisely why you obviously felt the need to inform the media about private Hogwarts business without my permission?" Dumbledore demanded.
Harry blinked innocently. "We said nothing at all to Miss Skeeter about the matter. However, Hermione did tell her parents about what happened. They most likely contacted the Prophet as they were unsatisfied with your response to the situation. Or lack thereof." As he responded to Dumbledore's question, Harry suddenly felt the headmaster attempting to use Legilimency to access his mind.
Just as Dumbledore was about to be hypnotised by Harry's hexed spectacles, Dumbledore abruptly stopped and started looking at Hermione. He then attempted to gain access to her mind, but was foiled as Hermione's mental shields were too strong for a passive form of Legilimency.
"I think it is for the best if you are no longer permitted access to the outside world. You will both no longer be permitted access to any of the owls, your personal owl included."
"My mentor will not appreciate your interference with our communication. He expects regular owls from me and will become very suspicious if he doesn't hear from me in a timely manner," Harry replied.
"I am your magical guardian to you both as the headmaster of Hogwarts, and I say you will no longer be permitted to enjoy contact with your mentor."
"If you want to play rough, then hear this: my mentor has informed me that he has support at the highest levels of the goblin hierarchy and he can and will charge you with the crime of thievery within the Goblin Nation. Any and all accounts you have access to will be seized. By the way, that will include the Hogwarts school account. Should you enter any branch of Gringott's, you will be immediately arrested, charged and imprisoned for life, as the goblins consider thievery to be a major crime." Harry stared the headmaster down and Dumbledore gulped, with fear plain in his watery blue eyes.
"Well, I never! Professor Dumbledore did not and would never steal anything from anyone!" Professor Flitwick loudly declared.
"He stole fifty thousand galleons worth of Basilisk parts and admitted it to a third party," Harry informed him. The lack of response from Dumbledore confirmed Harry's story, which visibly upset Professor Flitwick.
"I demand to know who your mentor is." Dumbledore furiously demanded, his kind, grandfatherly persona evaporating before their very eyes.
"Knowledge is power. So why would I grant my declared enemy any power?" At that, Harry turned and prepared to leave with Hermione guarding his back, just in case Dumbledore decided to try anything further. Just Harry was about to exit, he turned to add one final warning.
"Incidentally, if you attempt to cause harm to or detain Hermione or myself in any way, shape or form-that includes including trying to Obliviate us, restrict our movements or having us followed-my mentor will find out during our holiday and will not hesitate to take swift legal action. You have been warned."
Professor Flitwick was obviously thinking about remaining behind to discuss the matter with his employer when Harry turned to him with a tight smile.
"I recommend you to leave with us. Professor Dumbledore will most likely wipe your memory of this encounter as soon as we're gone."
"He can try, but wizarding mind magics are not effective with me. I will speak to you two later about what has being happening." Flitwick replied. Harry and Hermione nodded to the diminutive professor and made their exit. As soon as they were outside hearing range, both students sighed with relief.
"That was very close," Harry said, some moments later.
"I think I will go straightaway to make sure both our doors are warded completely. Harry, would you mind going to my parents to arrange for Emily to purchase us some protective necklaces? Next time that Basilisk sheds, we are going to make some body armour for ourselves," Hermione said, her mind whirring busily in planning mode.
"Why don't I give the Basilisk an extra-good feeding and see if I can't speed up the shedding process?"
"Yes, definitely do that. You should also ask Emily if she can find that book about how you can help an animal speed up the shedding of its skin. I remember something about a spell like that from when we were researching Basilisks. You probably have to shoot the spell into its mouth, I think, as Basilisk skin is extraordinarily resistant to magic. That's why we really need to make armour from it."
They each headed off to accomplish their tasks, using the Headmaster's meeting as an excuse for not attending their assigned class. Classes were a real nightmare now, with so many students gawking at them everywhere they went. Mandy and her friends Lisa and Isobel, had asked them at breakfast if the articles were true, and for more details about what happened. When they finally shared a class with the Hufflepuffs, Susan, Hannah and Justin all asked the same things as Mandy and her friends. Just before lunch, Harry hid using one of the invisibility cloaks and the Marauders' Map and silently cast the diarrhea curse on Dumbledore as he passed by on his way to the Great Hall.
Lunch was hilarious with so many people staring at them. Halfway through lunch, a red-faced Dumbledore suddenly fled the staff table in search of the closest bathroom. The instant the headmaster was gone, Professor Flitwick started whispering to his fellow professors, who were visibly shocked by what their colleague was telling them.
"I guess Professor Flitwick is telling them about the stolen Basilisk parts," Harry whispered to Hermione.
"What do you think are the odds of Professor Flitwick asking to speak to us after lunch?" Hermione whispered back.
"Pretty good, definitely not something I would bet against," Harry replied.
As Hermione had predicted, Professor Flitwick approached them just as soon as he finished his lunch. As he led them to his office, Harry quickly warded the room with a strong privacy spell.
"Sir, we are going tell you a few things that you might find hard to believe, but they are true, nonetheless."
"Okay, I am willing listen with an open mind."
"Hermione has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I went to see someone with Hermione for company in an attempt to undo the damage that the Dursley family had inflicted on me over the years. This person was able to indentify several loyalty and compulsion charms placed on me by Professor Dumbledore, that were specifically keyed to his person. Professor, would you like Hermione to check to see if similar charms have been placed on you?"
"Why don't I call the other Heads of House? With the exception of Professor Snape, of course, as he is incapacitated at the moment. That way, Hermione can examine us all with me there to verify whatever she might find," Professor Flitwick suggested after a few moments of thought.
"That sounds find to me, but they all must swear they will keep everything completely confidential. We should also include Madam Pomfrey, as what we're about to do can be considered medical in nature," Harry replied.
"That's an excellent idea, Mr. Potter."
Hermione then removed the privacy spells on the room as soon as they decided that the meeting should take place after dinner, so as to avoid any interruptions. Professor Snape was still in the infirmary fighting a severe magic-resistant infection and Professor Dumbledore was kept busy fighting to keep his Chief Warlock position. As a result, that day's double Potions turned into a free period, much to the delight of their fellow students. To pass the time, Harry took over the research for developing a Portkey targeting charm while Hermione went home to brew the dementia potion and get started teaching Ashley some of Snape's discoveries.
By the end of the free period, Hermione had finished brewing the dementia potion and had demonstrated to Ashley three of the improved potions that Snape had devised.
After dinner, Professors Sprout, McGonagall and Flitwick, along with Madam Pomfrey all met Harry and Hermione in Professor Flitwick's well-warded office. Professor Flitwick added a series of potent privacy charms and forced everyone present to sign the magical contract that Hermione had designed, complete with an embedded curse that would be unleashed on any violators.
Professor McGonagall was particularly reluctant to sign the agreement, so Harry recounted what he had shared with Professor Flitwick earlier that day.
"So, let me get this straight, Harry. You're telling us that you actually had compulsion and loyalty charms placed on you by Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall said in tones ripe with frank disbelief.
"Yes. There is no way to provide proof of this, as naturally the evidence was destroyed by the removal itself," Harry responded.
"On top of that, you also believe that similar charms might have be placed on us and that these charms are so obscure that a normal detection spell won't detect it. That sounds a bit far-fetched to me," Professor McGonagall said, her expression making it clear she thought the whole idea to be preposterous.
Hermione then demonstrated to Professor Flitwick the advanced detection charm they had learned. After they experimented on some rats, the professor was satisfied that it was a true detection spell and that it was perfectly safe. Finally, they were prepared to perform the first test.
"Professor Sprout, do mind going first? I will be performing the detection spell and we need Poppy to observe just in case anything goes wrong. And I very much doubt if Professor McGonagall would be willing to be our first volunteer," Professor Flitwick smiled at her.
"You're right about that," McGonagall replied, with a sniff of disdain.
"Alright, I trust you implicitly, Filius," Sprout readily agreed. Professor Flitwick promptly cast the spell and an array of colours appeared surrounding Sprout with the radiance of a rainbow. Flitwick then cast another spell to help interpret the specific colours.
Flitwick and Poppy start whispering to each other.
"Pomona, I'm afraid that you do have compulsion and loyalty charms on your person. And they are keyed to and were performed by Dumbledore," Flitwick announced to Sprout.
"I don't believe this rubbish," Professor McGonagall spat and she stormed from the room in a huff.
"Don't worry, I will speak to her later tonight and perform the spell on her as well. Without her knowledge, if necessary," Professor Flitwick added, grimly.
"You will remove Dumbledore's charms from me this instant!" Professor Sprout was flushed with anger. Madam Pomfrey immediately removed the charms and checked her general health, just in case there were any adverse reactions.
Professor Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey examined each other, discovered they had been inflicted with the same compulsion and loyalty charms and got rid of them at once.
"Do you think we should go to the DMLE and report Dumbledore for using charms on us against our will?" Flitwick asked, frowning.
"We were thinking of the same thing after they we found them on Harry. Unfortunately, the detection spell we used is not the standard one used by the Ministry, so it cannot be used as evidence," Hermione stated.
"I see we have no recourse, then. We will just have to be constantly on our guard around Dumbledore. Have you learned to use Occlumency to counter Dumbledore's Legilimency invasions?"
"We will all have to learn, I'm afraid. Dumbledore aside, Poppy needs to be able to protect the privacy of her patients, while the rest of the staff needs to learn it to keep certain students from using it to gain knowledge of exam questions and answers using that particular technique," Flitwick replied.
"Make sure to keep your shields up whenever you're dealing with Dumbledore. And we'll need to check each other on a regular basis to ensure that Dumbledore doesn't reapply the charms we removed," Hermione suggested.
"And never go alone to see Dumbledore. Having no witnesses around gives Dumbledore a prime opportunity to both reapply the charms and Obliviate you at his whim," Harry added.
"Is this why you don't trust Professor Dumbledore?" Professor Sprout asked, shaking her head in dismay.
"This is just one of the many reasons I don't trust him," Harry replied.
"If you don't mind, what are some of the other reasons you don't trust him?" Professor Sprout asked.
"He tried to steal one of my family's heirlooms. The most recent was his appropriation of Potions ingredients that happen to belong to me."
"If you are talking about the Basilisk parts, Dumbledore claimed that he was trying to protect you and lost some of it, purely by accident," Professor Flitwick supplied.
"If you call giving the parts to Snape and allowing him to use them for potions experiments an accident," Harry said, angrily.
"Harry, please calm down." Hermione said softly, rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him.
"Hermione, why don't you tell us exactly what happened?"
"Harry received some Basilisk parts from a friend and he gave Remus the job of selling the parts on his behalf. But Remus reported Harry's business to Dumbledore. Dumbledore then seized the parts from Remus and gave them to Snape, who started using them in his potions experiments. When Harry found out, he threatened to press charges and Dumbledore didn't have any choice but to give the parts back to avoid prosecution. Minus what Snape had already used and effectively stole, since he didn't have the galleons to pay for them. Dumbledore refused to pay for what Snape used and insisted that it was Snape's responsibility. So Remus ended up being stuck with the bill for the parts that were stolen and used," Hermione summarized.
Poppy, Flitwick and Sprout were all taken aback by Dumbledore's actions.
"Is it possible that Remus is also under the influence of Dumbledore's charms?" Poppy wondered.
"No. It so happens that those particular charms don't work on individuals with his unique characteristics," Hermione replied.
They talked for a while before everyone went their separate ways. Harry and Hermione headed straight to the library to continue their research on Portkey charms and helping reptiles to shed their skin. An hour before curfew, they took a trip to the Room of Requirement to test out the Portkey targetting charm (that Hermione had found in yet another rare tome) and the dead skin removal charm. Harry put the charm on a book using Voldemort's wand and had Hermione hide it in a particularly secluded part of the Ravenclaw common room. Again using Voldemort's wand, Harry made a Portkey for the Granger home using the targeting charm.
The targeting charm could defeat wards by creating a temporary and completely undetectable hole in the wards for the Portkey to pass right through.
Harry and Hermione pretended to go to sleep, then they created dummy replicas of themselves in their beds to trick any of their mates who might awaken while they were gone.
After two successful trials after curfew, Harry also placed the charm on Wormtail's Dark Mark.
Harry then went back to the Grangers to collect the farm animals he had asked Emily to acquire earlier in the day. Then he headed to the Chamber of Secrets to feed the Basilisk and place another targeting Portkey charm on a rock in the chamber using one of his many alternate wands. After discussing with the Basilisk about how often it could shed its skin, it turns out that it would shed while it was awake and the process was just about to begin. Harry asked if it was willing to allow him to try out a spell he discovered that would remove all of the dead skin at once. Gaining its assent, Harry successfully removed the dead skin from the snake, collected all the valuable Basilisk parts and cleaned and replaced the catheter that came off with the skin.
Harry then went to the Granger house to drop off the parts he and collected and to leave a note for them to arrange for this batch of Basilisk skin to be made into body armour for the acromantula hunting party, plus another set of armor for himself and Hermione. Measurements of the hunting party would have to be taken, but Herminone had already provided her own and Harry's measurements earlier.
Meanwhile, Hermione was busy sneaking into the infirmary to dose Professor Snape with the dementia potion.
Chapter 14 - Investigation
The next morning during breakfast, Amelia Bones, the Director of Magical Law Enforcement and Susan Bones' aunt, walked into the Great Hall. She was followed closely by a pair of aurors and a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and headed straight for Albus Dumbledore's seat at the staff table.
"May I help you, Amelia?" Dumbledore said in his most grandfatherly manner.
"We have been asked by Minister Fudge to investigate a report of a category XXXX dangerous magical creature running loose in the halls of Hogwarts and putting at risk the precious lives of many of wizarding society's most prominent and influential citizens at risk," Amelia Bones declared.
It was plainly obvious this little speech was something Minister Fudge had specifically instructed her to say.
"The Minister should never have gotten involved in an entirely internal Hogwarts matter. A matter, by the by, that has already been looked into and dealt with to my satisfaction," Dumbledore informed the Ministry delegation, his attitude making it clear that he considered the discussion to be over.
"The Minister happens to disagree, Professor Dumbledore. Minister Fudge has demanded a fully-transparent investigation into the troll incident. And the results of that investigation will be publicly released to show that the Ministry does care deeply about the safety of magical Britain's children. Now, Dumbledore, we would like to know what the results were of your internal investigation into the matter," Amelia demanded.
"Why don't we retire to my office, Madam Bones, so that we can discuss this more privately?" Professor Dumbledore offered.
"I'm afraid that will not be possible. The Minister has insisted that our inquiry and investigation be conducted in a completely visible manner. Now, Professor, if you will kindly answer my question?"
"I must insist that I speak to Minister Fudge before we go any further. I believe we can easily sort all this out without any further fuss," Professor Dumbledore wheedled, smiling genially.
Sensing that the matter was quickly devolving into what would become a political tug-of-war between Fudge and Dumbledore, Amelia decided to take a neutral approach and agreed to a discussion in Dumbledore's office..
"If you insist, than fine, we will move this discussion to your office so we can have the Minister's personal input in this investigation," Amelia agreed, and her delegation followed Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall.
Professor Quirrell was twitching and visibly ill-at-ease. It was obvious that Dumbledore would be occupied for some time with the Ministry inquiry.
At the end of Charms class, Professor Flitwick requested that Harry and Hermione remain behind.
"Thank you for staying, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. First, I want you both to know that I will do everything in my power to protect you from Professor Dumbledore during the school year. I'm afraid, however, there isn't much I can do to help you outside of school, as Dumbledore's reach and influence has expanded greatly over the years."
"We both thank you for your offer, it is very much appreciated," Harry smiled with relief.
"By the by, I did cast the detection charm on Professor McGonagall last night, along with our other professors, but the results were negative."
"Is Professor McGonagall still angry?" Hermione asked.
"Oh my, that is quite the understatement, Miss Granger. I'm afraid that Minerva is much too set in her ways, much to her detriment. The very idea that Professor Dumbledore might not be the man she believes him to be has upset one of the major cornerstones of her life. That being the case, I highly recommend that you both stay away from her as much as possible."
"We will certainly try to do so, sir."
"In your Transfiguration classes, how has she been?"
"She has been okay. Professor McGonagall is extremely strict and we rarely get points from her even if we are the first to successfully perform a new spell. I really hope she doesn't end up becoming as bad as Professor Snape."
"No one is as bad as Professor Snape," Flitwick commented with a shudder. " Incidentally, you should know that the removal of those charms has meant that Professor Sprout and I fully intend to report Professor Snape's unprofessional behaviour to the Hogwarts Board of Governors. I have noticed that much bullying going on in this school that I previously would have ignored, but I am now punishing them. A good many of those students are Slytherins, of course, but I am saddened to see a good many from my own Ravenclaws among their number."
"How could the removal of those charms result in your willingness to deal with bullying?" Harry wondered aloud.
"Professor Dumbledore has always felt that children will be children, and recommended that we all ignore anything but blatant abuse, suggesting that punishing students too frequently or too harshly would anger the parents of those students. I'm now certain that Dumbledore's main focus has become protecting his own position instead of protecting the students who have been entrusted to our care. Our enforced loyalty encouraged us to assist him in protecting that position, I'm afraid."
"When did he tell you this?"
"Oh my, many years ago, Harry, long before even your parents attended this school," Professor Flitwick said, clearly ashamed.
"So all this time, bullying has been completely overlooked, perhaps even subtly encouraged," an outraged Harry demanded.
"Yes," Professor Flitwick responded softly, just before Hermione intervened, telling Harry to calm down and that it was time to leave.
During their free period before lunch, Hermione wanted desperately to go home so that she could teach Ashley more of the improved potions. Unfortunately, she was unable to due to the impending interview she was expecting from the DMLE officials regarding the troll incident. Instead, she and Harry decided to hole up in the library, researching and making copies of books.
At lunch, you could practically cut the tension with a knife at the head table. Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout were the clear leaders of one faction, while Professor McGonagall and Hagrid led the other, with the latter staunchly supporting Professor Dumbledore, while the former were questioning Dumbledore's actions and wondered exactly what the headmaster might be capable of. They were eyeing each other with deep suspicion, but neither side was willing to voice their anger in front of the students.
After surreptitiously observing their professors for several minutes, Harry turned to Hermione and whispered, "I would just love to be a fly on the wall at the next staff meeting."
Hermione burst out laughing.
"I am almost tempted to offer Rita a bundle of to go to that meeting in her beetle form and so she could provide her memory of it to us," Harry added with a grin.
"Hm. It's a thought. Of course, the nice thing is that with the professors all concentrating on each other, they'll have less time to pile more homework on us all."
"If it wasn't for the investigation, this would be the perfect time for Professor Quirrell to make a move on the Philosopher's Stone," Harry speculated.
"Are we going to make a play for the stone?" Hermione asked.
"Nah, it's a fake, the Dumbledore portrait told me it was a fake a few years ago. He wasn't able to get the real one away from the Flamels." Harry replied, matter-of-factly.
"Are you telling me that we actually risked our lives over a fake stone all those years ago?" Hermione demanded, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"Yeah, we did. We just didn't know it at that time," Harry said, darkly.
"Are we going to pretend to protect it this time?" Hermione asked.
"I don't think so. No need for us to be Dumbledore's pansies this time around."
"Should we maybe help our replacement pansies along?" Hermione asked seriously.
"Nah!" They both said before bursting out in laughter.
"When do you think they will interview us?" Hermione asked.
"I'm guessing sometime this afternoon. Did you notice that Professor Quirrell isn't at the head table? I expect he's being interviewed right now."
"I want to have it over and done with so that I can get back to teaching Ashley and seeing my parents," Hermione complained.
"You like Ashley?"
"That's not why I feel so driven to teach her. I really, really want to see Snape's reaction as his life work gets published under someone else's name and knowing that there's not a single thing he can do about it. His frustration and anger with his inability to do anything will speed up the effectiveness of the dementia potion too," Hermione said with conviction.
"Do you really hate Snape that much, Hermione?" Harry asked in concern.
"Yes, I do. Remember, he was the dirty bastard who made the love potion that ended in my rape," spat a furious Hermione.
"Maybe you should dose him with a potion specifically keyed to Dumbledore," Harry suggested in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"He probably is already doing Dumbledore for his protection, why should we help him along?"
"Maybe we should dose Ron and Draco Malfoy to love each other. Can you imagine that one?"
"Ron would probably enjoy it too much. Especially if Draco paid him back with expensive gifts and clothes instead of his usual hand-me-downs."
"Hm. How about Molly Weasley with Lucius Malfoy? A one-sided love affair with Molly following Lucius like a puppy everywhere he goes?"
"We could never be that cruel to the Weasley twins."
"When should we hand in Wormtail, do you think?" Harry asked.
"I was thinking we should turn him in right after the Ministry finishes their investigation. That way, Professor Dumbledore has to take the heat of the troll incident then deal with the added fallout of him being outed as the one who was responsible for putting an innocent man in Azkaban."
"That's perfect. I totally agree."
"We should start heading to class now, we don't want to be late for Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall still on our case," Harry said as he stretched and grabbed his books.
"You're right, of course. Let's go," Hermione added, grabbing her things and exiting the library.
Professor McGonagall was particularly tough on them in class, but nothing too over the top. Then they had DADA with Professor Quirrell. The professor was obviously scared shitless by the troll investigation and would jump like a toad at the slightest sound. Just before the end of class, Professor McGonagall came to retrieve Hermione for her interview with the aurors. As Hermione and Professor McGonagall walked to the interview, therewas an uncomfortable silence between them.
Just before they reached the meeting room, Professor McGonagall could hold it in no longer. "What you trying to do to Dumbledore is just not right, young lady. You are trying to destroy the reputation of a very great man. A person I happen to greatly admire and respect. Your accusations cannot possibly be true. I happen to well know the man he is and he would never do the terrible things you are accusing him of."
"We trying to show you the kind of man Dumbledore really is, not the fake persona he hides beind in public. You're only seeing what he wants you to see. But no one can possibly get to level of influence and power Dumbledore has attained over the years by being faultlessly kind and good all the time. A nice man would be eaten alive by the political predators out there. Dumbledore is a skilled actor and you're hardly the first person nor the last to be fooled by his masterful performance, Professor. You need to learn to think for yourself and not blindly accept his words at face value."
"I guess we will have to agree to disagree for now, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said as she opened the door of the classroom that was being used for the interrogations.
"Good afternoon, Miss Granger. Thank you for joining us. I am Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. From your right is Senior Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, Senior Auror John Dawlish and from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division, Amos Diggory." Amelia said in introduction.
Hermione and the Ministry officials nodded to each other in greeting and were seated.
"Do you mind if I get an adult to represent my interests?" Hermione asked.
"That is what Professor McGonagall is here for, in her capacity as Deputy Headmistress." Amelia replied.
"I must admit that I don't trust Professor McGonagall to protect my interests to the best of her ability. Is it possible for my Head of House, Professor Flitwick, to represent me instead?" Hermione asked Amelia at the outrage of Professor McGonagall.
"Are you questioning my professionalism?" Professor McGonagall demanded.
"I am saying that you have interests of your own that preclude you from effectively representing mine. If my best interests should happen to conflict with that of Hogwarts or Professor Dumbledore, which would you choose ?" Hermione said in response.
Professor McGonagall was too visibly furious to respond.
Seizing this opportunity, Hermione added, "Maybe it would be for the best for Professor McGonagall to retrieve Professor Flitwick? That will give us both a few minutes to calm down."
Professor McGonagall could see she wouldn't be getting any support from anyone else in the room, so she turned on her heel and left before she was actually forced to leave. As soon as Professor McGonagall was out of earshot, Hermione pulled a Pensieve out her bag along with a few vials.
"These contain Harry's and my memories of our encounter with the troll on Halloween night. Do you need to borrow my Pensieve?" Hermione said.
"Why don't we borrow it and return it to you later as we did not bring one with us? Would you like us to watch it right now?"
"That is up to you. Do you mind meeting Harry and myself after your investigation of the troll is complete?"
"I don't see why not. I will say I had to return your Pensieve. By the way, where did you get a Pensieve in the first place? They are quite expensive and rare, as I'm sure you know," Amelia replied.
"Harry got it as a gift from one of his wealthier fans. How long do you think this investigation is going to take?" Hermione asked, curiously.
"There will be at least one more day of interviews, we have already interviewed Hagrid, Professor Quirrell and Filch. We still need to interview the other professors, including Professor Snape. Of course, we have yet to interview Harry himself. We may possibly conduct a few second interviews that we deem necessary. After that, we each have to fill out our reports and submit them."
"I expected you to say a day or so. Not so much detail."
"This investigation needs to be completely above board as Minister Fudge wants to show our caring side. By the way, do you mind telling me what you have against Professor McGonagall?" Amelia asked, frowning slightly.
"Professor McGonagall believes that Dumbledore is practically Merlin reincarnated, while I think he is a highly flawed and dangerous individual," Hermione replied.
Professor Flitwick and McGonagall arrived at just that moment. Professor McGonagall must have heard what they were saying, as she was staring at Hermione in horror.
"Since everyone is here, let us begin the interview," Amelia intoned, with everyone nodding their assent.
"Will you state your full name for the record, if you please?" Amelia said in a professional manner.
"Hermione Jean Granger."
"When were you born?" Amelia asked
"19 September 1979."
"Please tell us, in your own words, what exactly transpired on the evening of 31 October 1991."
"Harry and I were in the library studying, when we realized that it was time for dinner. So we made our way to the kitchens to avoid the Halloween feast celebration."
"Why did you choose to go to the kitchens instead of the Great Hall?" Amelia interjected.
"Harry doesn't like to celebrate Halloween because it happens to be the night his parents were murdered."
"I see. Please continue."
"We were heading to the kitchens, but I needed to use the lavatory before going to eat. So we stopped at the one nearest the kitchens, and I told Harry to wash his hands before dinner while I freshened up. While I was in the lav, Harry suddenly told me to hurry up, that he thought he heard something. I thought it was just Harry being hungry and impatient, so I took a bit longer than I should have, I guess. After a couple minutes, he warned me to stay in the bathroom, that he had seen a troll outside. Naturally, I thought Harry was just joking, but when I opened the door, I saw there really was a troll and it was trying to keep its balance on a sheet of ice. I screamed and Banished the troll away from me, and it slid very fast across the ice and up and over the railings. That was when Dumbledore and the other professors arrived on the scene. At that point, we were questioned and forced to go to the infirmary, without further question or acknowledgement.
"That will be all, Miss Granger. Thank you for lending us your pensieve. We will examine yours and Mr. Potter's memories of the event and will return it to you as soon as possible."
Professor McGonagall asked "Exactly where did you get that Pensieve from, Miss Granger?"
"Harry gets a great many gifts from his admirers around the world. This Pensieve happens to be one of those gifts. We use it for study and, I have checked to make sure that it is not against school rules, Professor.
Professor McGonagall did not look happy.
Hermione smiled her goodbye and quickly left the room.
Harry's interview took place right after dinnner, but the interview was cut short as most of the questions had either been answered by other people or by his and Hermione's memories of the event in question. Due to the investigation, Hermione wasn't able to teach Ashley and Harry had to postpone the hunting party's tour of the Forbidden Forest's acromantula lairs.
The Ministry's investigation into the troll incident was soon complete. On Thursday evening, Amelia Bones approached Harry and Hermione privately after turning in one copy of her report to Dumbledore, and they found an empty classroom for their discussion.
"Here is your Pensieve, my dear," Amelia handed it to Hermione with a smile of thanks.
"May I ask what you wrote in your report, Madam Bones?" Hermione asked.
"Believe me, you be reading all about in tomorrow's paper as I have no doubt the press has recieved their copies of the report by now. It said that Professor Quirrell tried to take on more responsibility than he could handle and it got too much for him, putting student lives at grave risk. It was a political report as Minister Fudge wanted to highlight Dumbledore's failings, while Dumbledore was most interested in protecting his secrets from discovery. In the end, it criticised Dumbledore for his handling of the matter and reprimanded Quirrel for dereliction of his duties.
"What did you leave out of the report?"
"That, I cannot say. You wanted to talk to me?"
"We need your help."
"I will do what I can, but I can't make you any promises. Personally, I think you should have both been rewarded handsomely for your actions."
"This is going to be quite shocking, so I need you to listen and keep an open mind about what I'm about to tell you. I have a private letter from my parents that states that Sirius Black was not, in fact, their secret keeper. Peter Pettigrew was and Professor Dumbledore was fully aware of this. I know this is quite an revelation, but it happens to be the truth. Since Dumbledore is so powerful and we have no proof except for my parents' letter. There was nothing we could do to get him justice, that is, until the troll incident.
After the troll incident, we secretly began our own investigation and made a discovery that we never expected to find. We found out that Peter Pettigrew was actually hiding in the Gryffindor dorms. This part has to remain a secret as we made that discovery using one of the few possessions I have left from my father. It's called the Marauders' Map and it shows the layout and whereabouts of everyone in Hogwarts. I learned from the letter that Pettigrew's Marauder nickname was Wormtail, because his Animagus form happened to be a rat. So we hunted and found the traitorous rat himself right here in Hogwarts. We are hoping that with the letter and Wormtail himself, you can prove that my godfather, Sirius Black, is innocent of the murders he was convicted of.
Amelia was in shock. This was not only a huge relevelation, but a very dangerous one as well.
"Do you want us to bring him to you now?" Harry asked. All Amelia could do was nod her head, speechlessly. Hermione rushed off to collect the rat and, hopefully, bring him to justice.
"I have a pretty good idea about exactly how damaging this could be, so you should have this too," Harry handed her a small handwritten book. The book contained all of the secrets that Snape knew and some of Voldemort's as well. Harry had spent a good part of the previous evening transcribing his notes to pass on to Madam Bones.
"What is this?"
"Someone gave me their little black book of secrets, I'm hoping they will help you clear my godfather's good name."
Amelia started reading it. If some of the revelations were true then the damage this could cause to some of the most senior Ministry officials was beyond measure. Some, she decided, she needed to investigate at once.
"I know what you are thinking," Harry said softly. "Please get Sirius out of Azkaban before anyone learns about your investigation."
"Do you know who gave you this?" Amelia asked.
"No, I gave you a copy as the original has some secrets that would devastate many innocent people. I have the original in a very safe place. Not Gringott's by the way."
Amelia did not know which what the biggest shock. The revelation that Sirius was completely innocent, that Dumbledore allowed Sirius to be convicted even though he knew Sirius was innocent, the fact that Peter Pettigrew was alive or some of the other shocking secrets in the little black book.
Hermione soon returned with an obviously terrified Wormtail and a big glass of water.
"I thought you might need this," Hermione said, handing a grateful Amelia the glass of water.
"I suspected that you might prefer a glass of something a bit stronger, but we don't have access to that. So this will have to do."
"Do you mind if I stay here for a little while to gather my nerves? I really need a little time to recover from all the shocks you've given me tonight."
"Take all the time you need. Would you rather we left you alone?"
"No, please stay. I have a few questions for you and I probably even more in a few days."
"When did you first discover Peter Pettigrew?"
"Last weekend."
"Are you certain that this is indeed Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes."
"Even if Sirius is innocent of the betrayal of the Potters, he is still guilty of killing those innocent Muggles."
"That isn't true either. After I got my letter, I emptied out my trust vault to pay a few Muggleborns to help out my godfather. I found out that Sirius was never put on trial and the investigation itself didn't support the assumption of Sirius' guilt either. He was simply locked away in Azkaban and forgotten."
Amelia questioned Harry for another half an hour before she was finally ready to leave.
"I will try my best to get your godfather released, Harry, but I can't make you a guarantee. Same with with the rest, but I will do my very best to do what I can," Amelia added, then left.
A/N Thank you to all my reviewers. I will be using a few of your suggestions in coming chapters.
I wish to thank my beta again for her great work.
Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story even with the early problems I had.