Chapter 60
Sirius Black looked on gleefully as a depressed and sleep deprived Dumbledore walked into the Wizengamot chamber. The absence of Fawkes and the dementor's presence had prevented Dumbledore from getting much sleep. His wrinkled robes and visible ash stains, made it obvious he had not changed from yesterday. A court official directed him to the defendants' table to his distaste. Waiting for him at the table were Lockhart, Hagrid and Ginny. They were all giving him death glares. When they smelt and saw the headmaster coming, there was a lot of jostling for the seat furthest away from him. Hagrid won as he was the biggest, Ginny came in second (even though Hagrid was giving Ginny death stares) and Lockhart who had magical restraints on was forced to sit next to the smelly Headmaster. Severus Snape stumbled in looking like he had been run over by a bus arrived just before the Chief Warlock announced his findings.
After reviewing the investigations, the Chief Warlock announced his judgments.
"We wish to begin by clearing Rubeus Hagrid of all charges. The ministry apologizes for the trouble we caused you, Mr. Hagrid. In compensation for the damage we have inadvertently done to you, we reward you 50 thousand galleons plus the late Muriel Prewitt's estate. The ministry authorizes you to purchase a replacement wand and will cover the cost. Mr. Hagrid, do you wish to challenge this judgment?"
"No, your honour" Hagrid replied happily.
"Severus Tobias Snape, we find you guilty of professional negligence causing death. You will surrender the Prince inheritance to Lord Black to compensate him for the lost of his heir. Do you wish to challenge this decision, Mr. Snape?"
"No, your honour" Snape replied weakly.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, we find you guilty of being accomplice to murder. Due to your age, we, the Wizengamot recommend that your permanent record show five failed attempts on all your OWLs. This makes it illegal for you to use your wand without adult supervision until you are 21 years old and disqualifies you from taking your NEWTs. Do you wish to challenge this judgment?"
"No, your honour" Ginny replied timidly. Her lawyer had told her this was the best possible outcome they could hope to achieve. She was extremely lucky not to go to prison based on the evidence they had obtained. The massive gaps in her memory did not help matters as it made impossible for her to defend herself against the charges. Sirius used the memory gaps to imply that she was doing things at Dumbledore's request.
"Mr. Lockhart, we order that you be remain in custody until your statements before this inquiry has been investigated. If your statements are substantiated by third parties, we recommend that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement proceed with the normal prosecution process. Please take him away." The Chief Warlock ordered. This left Dumbledore alone on the defendants' table.
"Mr. Albus Dumbledore, we find your actions despicable and criminal. Your refusal to testify leaves a lot of questions unanswered. If it was up to me, you would be going to prison but the Wizengamot has decided the following. Your vaults will be seized and passed to Lord Black to compensate him for the lost of his heir. Gringotts has been informed that you are no longer to be allow access to any vaults. You are no longer eligible for guardianship over any minor which of course includes your previous defunct magical guardianship for muggle-born students. We strongly recommend that you be removed from the position of headmaster of Hogwarts. Do you wish to challenge this judgment?"
"I definitely do" Dumbledore replied quickly.
"Until your repeal can be heard, my judgment stands. This inquiry is closed" The Chief Warlock announced before making his exit. Dumbledore was the first one out of his seat heading straight for the whip of the largest Wizengamot faction. Everyone could tell he was desperately trying to reduce his sentence. When suddenly Dumbledore dropped onto his knees and wailed.
"Please don't let them take everything away from me" Dumbledore whinged pathetically.
"Albus, you are extremely lucky not to be in prison right now. I would not push my luck if I was you" The whip said before turning his back on Dumbledore and leaving the old wizard on the ground with his reputation in ruins.
He got up and straightened his robes and walked out of the chamber with as much dignity as he could manage. Just outside the doors, the chairman of the Hogwarts school board approached him with letter in hand.
"I am sorry, professor but we, the school board, have no choice but to suspend you from Hogwarts. If we don't take some sort of action against you then we would be crucified ourselves." the chairman explained to Dumbledore.
"It is not your fault" Dumbledore said somberly.
"We will organize someone to give you back your belongings" The chairman said abruptly.
"Can I not go to Hogwarts to pack up myself?" Dumbledore asked disbelievingly.
"Sorry but for you to waltz into Hogwarts right now is not a good idea. If the public reaction eases long enough we might be able to give you back your job. So keep your head down and stay out of trouble" The chairman replied before leaving a depressed Dumbledore just standing there with nowhere to go.
"Things cannot get any worse" Dumbledore said to himself. At that moment, his new dementor familiar came rushing towards him. Not wanting to stick around and remind the public of his new familiar, Dumbledore raced to the nearest public floo. He first tried his brother's pub only to be knocked back. Thinking that someone else was probably using the fireplace, he flooed to the Three Broomsticks and made his way on foot to his brother's pub. He was shocked to see his brother sitting on the street with a few belongings next to him. As soon as, Aberforth saw his brother, he took out his wand and petrified Albus. He vanished Albus' clothes and put him in the goats enclosure. It was not long before Albus learnt why goats were called randy.
"This is taste of your own medicine! How does it feel to be on the receiving end for once?" Aberforth yelled.
It was nightfall before a bloodied and bruised Albus was released from the goats enclosure. The first question Albus asked his brother was.
"What did you do that for?" Dumbledore asked his brother dazedly.
"You got me chucked out of my home and I lost my business" Aberforth said angrily.
"How did that happen?" Albus asked confused.
"Do you remember how mum left us this pub?" Aberforth asked leadingly.
"If I remember correctly, it was fifty fifty so there was no arguments about favouritism" Albus said slowly.
"The goblins decided that you own more of the pub than I do since you did not withdraw any money from the business and I lived in the pub rent free for most of my life. So when your assets were frozen by the courts, I was chucked out of this place" Aberforth said looking at this brother with distain.
"I am sorry you got dragged into this mess" Albus replied sincerely.
A satisfied Sirius Black headed for his meeting with Remus. He knew that Dumbledore was not out of the game. The entire performance in the Wizengamot Chamber where he made his plea was just an act. Dumbledore was a very smart operator and would have prepared for such a scenario by hiding money in the muggle world under fake identities. His performance was to an attempt to lull his opponents into writing him off so he could strike from the shadows. This made Dumbledore even more dangerous now than he was ever was before. Sirius was brought out of his thoughts by the arrival of Remus.
"Moony, my old friend; what has been happening?" Sirius asked.
"Wondering where the hell you have been" Remus replied as he hugged his friend.
"Dodging assassination attempts" Sirius replied seriously.
"That is why you should leave politics to the professionals. Dumbledore is great to have survived so long" Remus said.
"I have absolutely no faith in Dumbledore; just look what happened to me when I trusted him. Ten years in prison for a crime I didn't commit" Sirius said stiffly.
"Dumbledore made a mistake. He is only human but he wants what is best for everyone" Remus said trying to convince Sirius.
"You must be extremely gullible to be believe that. Have you not read the various newspapers about his wrong doing?" Sirius asked disbelievingly.
"That is just the journalists making stuff up to sell more newspapers. They should go to prison for what they are doing to such a great man" Remus said blindly.
"Have you not followed the inquiry about the Chamber of Secrets?" Sirius asked with shock.
"That is just a witch hunt" Remus replied to the disappointment of Sirius.
"You need to face the reality that Dumbledore is not a good man" Sirius replied.
"Never going to happen" Remus replied with determination.
"I think we can agree to disagree on that. So what have you been doing?" Sirius asked deciding not to pursue this line of conversation any longer.
"I have been looking for work but you know how hard it is for someone with my furry problem" Remus said somberly.
"Have you tried looking overseas? I heard there are a lot of opportunities abroad" Sirius asked.
"I have tried but the countries with the opportunities are refusing me entry for some reason" Remus replied with consternation.
"Could it be your association with Dumbledore. He is not looked on favorably in a lot countries" Sirius said honestly.
"Dumbledore has a great reputation all over the world. I am sure it not that" Remus said dismissively.
"I think you are behind the times. Anyway, if you are looking for work I might have something for you" Sirius said.
"What is the job?" Remus asked eagerly.
"You know the mirrors James and I had?" Sirius asked.
"You mean, the ones which allow you to communicate with each other?" Remus replied.
"Those are the ones. I need you to write instructions on how to make them" Sirius said.
"I need the original mirrors and our notebooks, but sure" Remus replied.
"I get you those stuff tomorrow and do you think you can have done by next month?" Sirius asked
"It should not be a problem" Remus replied.
They then turned to less serious matters in order to avoid another argument.
"Do you remember that time James turned the entire Slytherin Quidditch team's robes into tight male ballerina costumes. The laughter in the Great Hall was enormous especially since they had just finished practicing outside in the middle of winter so they all had shrinkage problems. After that Levine, the Slytherin Chaser at the time, started having trouble with his girlfriend MacAdams" Sirius said with a chuckle.
"My personal favourite was the time you stuck Snape's lips to Slughorn's butt. How on earth did you do that prank?" Remus asked in amused tone of voice.
"I heard that they were going to be working on a potion during lunch. So just before lunch I made a potion that creates a noxious vapour which would knock anyone out. Put the cauldron under a notice me not charm. During lunch, when I said I needed to go to the bathroom, I was really going to Slughorn's classroom. It was really easy for me to attach Snape's lips to Slughorn's ass with superglue. They were lucky I did not do something worse to them. I was tempted to superglue Snape's tongue up Slughorn's butt" Sirius explained.
"That was absolutely brilliant. Since everyone saw you during lunch they did not suspect you to be the culprit. Lily was suspected for a while since she was in the library at the time studying for an exam. Did you ever tell her you were responsible?" Remus asked.
"Are you crazy? She would have killed me" Sirius replied.
Reluctantly Sirius got up and said, "I have to go to another meeting."
"Who with?" Remus asked curiously.
"No one you know" Sirius replied. He took an international floo connection to Transylvania where he was meant by Emily.
"Are you sure I have to meet the Count? I heard the stories about what he does to non-vampires." Sirius asked with fear.
"We need their help. Vampires are the world experts on soul and blood magic and if we wish to learn how to destroy horcruxes without killing Harry then we will need their knowledge" Emily explained.
"Why can't Dan, Grant or Harry do this?" Sirius whinged.
"Dan and Grant are not magical enough and Harry is too young. Stop being a baby and go meet Count Dracula. He is not that bad" Emily said as she pushed Sirius towards a massive door before following him.
"Welcome to Count Dracula's home. We have been expecting you, please follow me, Lord Black" the Gypsy Butler said. They were lead through a very dark mansion to the formal dining room.
"Lord Sirius Black here to see you, my lord" the Butler announced.
"Thank you, you may leave" Count Dracula said to his butler.
Sirius and Emily entered a room lit by candles. The room was dominated by a massive dining table. At the end furthest away from Sirius sat the Count and his coven.
"Welcome to my home, Lord Black. I have heard good things about you from our mutual allies, the Outcast organisation" The Count said.
"Thank you for meeting me, my lord count" Sirius said as he and Emily bowed.
"No need for formalities between friends. Please call me, Vlad and these are my wives, Tatjana, Druzella, Lucy and Cassandra" the count replied.
"Thank you, Vlad. Please call me, Sirius. This is my colleague, Emily" Sirius replied.
"Why don't we retire to my study and leave the ladies to get acquainted?" Dracula suggested. Seeing Sirius's reluctance, he added. "You have my assurance that nothing will happen to your colleague" the Count said.
"That sounds great" Sirius replied happily while Emily was pleading with her eyes not to leave her.
Once Sirius was alone with Dracula "If you don't mind me saying so, You have very beautiful wives, Vlad."
"They might look lovely now but you would not agree after you experience their first month of pms together. Four women all angry at the same time. It is a nightmare."
"At least you get a nice snack out of it, every month" Sirius replied to try to lighten the mood.
"If only. They do not bleed as they can no longer become pregnant due to the vampire curse. But for some reason they still experience the cramps and the mood swings" the Count said exasperatedly.
"Have they tried the magical potion?" Sirius replied remembering the recent success of Emma's first venture. The sale of the potion to ease period pain for muggles was so great that they have been unable to keep up with demand. As soon as the stock arrives in stores, it is sold out days before the next shipment is schedule to arrive. Rumour has it that some women who have particularly difficult periods are stockpiling the potion because it is so effective and they are scared that some organisation will attempt to stop its sale. Quiet a few pharmaceutical companies were not happy as it has greatly reduce their sales and profit as a result.
"It does not work with them" the Count said somberly.
"How about the birth control pill? I have heard it helps regular and eases periods in some women" Sirius.
"I will suggest that" Dracula replied thoughtfully. "So let us get down to business. Your organisation wishes to learn things from us in particularly blood and soul magic."
"That is correct. Vampires are the world experts in those areas according to our sources" Sirius replied.
"Well we are definitely the experts in blood magic but our knowledge of soul magic is limited. The ancients Egyptians and the Chinese studied soul magic a lot more than us. Do you have a particular reason for the request?" Dracula asked.
"Well…" Sirius replied hesitantly as he was unsure whether he should tell Dracula about their reason.
"You might as well tell me. As you are well aware, any agreement with vampires are sealed by an exchange of blood which you don't necessarily have to drink. What you might not know is that we find out a lot of about the person when we drink their blood. That is if we are strong enough to overcome their will. So you might as well tell me" Dracula said.
"We trying to get rid of Horcruxes without destroying the container" Sirius said.
"I cannot think of any method off the top of my head. Your researchers might be able to find something in my private library. But you might be better off looking for my map of ancient Egypt. It has the locations of tombs that even the goblins have no clue about. That will give you access to knowledge that the ancient egyptians had on the soul. I can also introduce you to the eternal emperor of China" Dracula said with a pondering expression.
"That would be brilliant" Sirius replied excitedly.
"What are you willing to offer?" Dracula asked.
"What do you want?" Sirius asked calmly.
"I want your organisation to find out what makes the soil around here special. It is very difficult to travel when you need to bring soil from home everywhere you go. There are countries I have never been to because they don't allow my soil to enter like Australia" Dracula said with slight annoyance.
"I think we can agree to that" Sirius replied.
After an exchange of oaths, Dracula drank some of Sirius' blood before giving him a blood replenishing potion.
"So what did you find?" Sirius asked.
"You are in a desperate search for love but you are scare of commitment due to your fear of abandonment. That is why you sleep around all the time."
"Do you have any advice for me?" Sirius asked with a smile.
"Never turn your in-laws. It will make eternal life a nightmare" Dracula replied jokingly.
"Speaking from experience I see. Maybe I should negotiate with your in-laws instead" Sirius teased.
"They are no longer around. I had to sacrifice one of my villas in order to get rid of them but it was well worth it" Dracula said with a sly smile.
"Does your wife know?" Sirius asked with smirk.
"No and if you don't want any of your secrets to see the light of day then you will not tell them" Dracula said with a slight threat.
"Alright. Do you have any real advice for me?" Sirius asked.
"You need to forgive your mother. She was not really an evil person. No one is totally evil, look at me. I am called Vlad the impaler, known for killing thousands. What is not commonly known is that most of my kills were foreigners looking to invade my lands. I prefer getting blood from my servants, who I occasionally turn either by accident or on purpose. The people I turn are supposed to be the protectors of my people but that does not always work out that way. Anyway what I am trying to say is once you understand people then no one is truly evil they are just different. So I want you to try to understand your mother. Describe your mother to me" Vlad suggested.
"Well, she hated me" Sirius said somberly.
"Not true. If she truly hated you then you would be dead" Dracula said.
"Then why did she drive me away?" Sirius asked.
"Look at her friends. What would have happened if you had stuck around?" Dracula asked.
"I would have been killed" Sirius replied softly. "Then why does her portrait hate me so much?"
"How would you like it if you died alone?" Dracula drawled.
"I would not like it" Sirius admitted. "Why could she not change friends?"
"Before I answer that question think about pureblood philosophies. It is all about maintaining the status quo. If change does occur then these people would be left behind and forgotten. No one wants to be forgotten. So fear is what motivates these people. If your mother was brought up with these beliefs, who else can she relate to besides her existing circle of friends?" Dracula asked.
"So she was a lot more stuck than I was" Sirius realized.
"Old people find it harder to change then young people. She did not abandon you. You were her child, she loved you no matter what path you choose" Vlad said as he got up to give Sirius some space. He could tell, Sirius was on the verge of crying.
It took some time for Sirius to regain he composure. Once he was ready he went back into the dining where a wide eyed blushing Emily was waiting.
"Is something wrong?" Sirius asked.
"No, let us get out of here" Emily said quickly as she grabbed Sirius's arm and lead him away.
"I have not said my goodbyes" Sirius complained.
"They are otherwise occupied" Emily replied as she became redder.
Sirius met with Grant at the Grangers home.
"How did the meeting with the Count go?" Grant asked.
"It went well. We are getting access to his private library and he is going to introduce us to the Chinese Emperor" Sirius replied.
"That is great. I will send some of our researchers over tomorrow" Grant replied excitedly.
"I heard you hired Filch. How is that going?" Sirius asked curiously.
"He has been absolutely brilliant. We hired him as an interrogator on loan to the US government. Every prisoner he has interviewed has revealed more than they have done under truth serum. Prisoners are so scared of him that they start talking as soon as he enters the room."
"Is Filch torturing prisoners?"
"He has not tortured a single prison. What he does is bring in a bunch of old torture instruments with him to every interrogation. If he thinks a prisoner is lying then he starts describing how a particular instrument is used. So far he has not explained even half of his tools. I heard that the American Aurors are betting on how many prisoners it would take before he has to explain all his tools."
"It has to be a massive number since Filch has been building up his anger at witches and wizards for many years working at Hogwarts."
"That would explain why he is enjoying it so much. I thought he was insane for working those ridiculous hours and not claiming any overtime."
"Speaking of British ex-pats. Did you get Mr. Ollivander to go over to America?"
"He jumped at the chance to get away from Dumbledore. Now he keeps saying, he should have moved earlier."
"Why is he so happy with the move?"
"Mr. Ollivander has been kept busy with a massive demand for his wands. He has been so busy that he had to take on two apprentices to help him make new wands as he sold all his pre-prepared ones."
"If he is making new wands then where is he getting the materials from? Is there any sources in America?"
"There are quite a few sources in America including the farm at the Grangers Institution. But he does not need to go out by himself to collect them. Ollivander is paying the centaurs to do the legwork for them. They need the money for pre-natal as the centaurs are experiencing a population boom. The alliance with the Outcast organisation means their territories are safe and they are starting a new tribe near the Granger Institute."
"Is Ollivander paying the centaurs enough for medical expenses?"
"No. Mr. Ollivander is not paying them near enough to pay for their medical expenses. It is just a side business for them. The majority of the centaurs income comes from selling wild potion ingredients they gather. It is more potent then farmed ones and makes potions extra effective. Ashley is the main buyer as non-alliance potioneers need to pay a premium. This arrangement is killing our potion making competition."
"Can Ollivander afford to pay the centaurs?"
"If he kept the price the same then he would not be able to pay them but he has double the price of his wands."
"People are willing to pay that much for their wands?"
"You better believe it. His wands are still in great demand. In fact after he raised his prices, people were still going to the US ministry of Magic claiming they sat on their old wands so that they could replace them with his creations."
Harry and Hermione were shocked like everyone else to discover that Professor Lockhart was an assassin. He was involved in planning everything that occurred in the last few days. Most of their plans went off without a hitch but Lockhart revelations were totally unexpected. As the saying goes, no plan survives contact with the enemy. For so much of their plans to be successful, they knew they had outside help. Hermione and Emily had one speculated that magic might be the one helping them. The magical world was being destroyed by the purebloods for their own selfish desires. Dragons were being killed for their meat and potion ingredients, house elves were being worked to death without reproducing, centaurs were being hunted for sport, suicides amongst werewolves were so high due to the restrictions placed on them and the list goes on. Things needed change and that is what he and Hermione were trying to do. A lot of progress had been made in North and South America, Asia and the Pacific. Europe was resisting the change. While Africa and the Middle East were too unstable. These thoughts were interrupted when one of the aurors ordered everyone to the Great Hall.
"I wonder what is happening?" Harry asked.
"We will find out soon" Hermione replied.
The Great Hall was packed. All the professors and students were present along with aurors who guarded the doors. McGonagall was sitting in her usual seat to the right of the empty headmaster chair. The perplexed look on McGonagall's face told everyone that she had not called this meeting. Once Harry and Hermione were seated, the main door to the Great Hall opened. In walked two unfamiliar people who headed to the head table.
Professor McGonagall asked. "Can I help you?" Neither of them responded. Once they were in front of the Headmaster's seat, one of them pulled out a scroll.
"Due to the professors inability to protect the students, Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge has made the following educational decree. Mr. Albus Dumbledore and Madam Minerva McGonagall are fired from the positions of Headmaster and deputy headmistress of Hogwarts. They will be replaced by Madam hopkirk and Mr. Hopkirk" McGonagall looked to be in shock while the students were gossiping like crazy.
"I am Malfafa Hopkirk, your new Headmistress. If you are wondering what qualifies me for the Headmistress position then you should know that I headed the misuse of magic department at Ministry for the last 5 years. Ably assisted by my new deputy Tony Hopkirk who will also teach DADA."
Omake
November 1981
Albus Dumbledore tried to look stern as Lord Dobbin walked towards but inside he was doing a happy dance. Lord Dobbin was the fifth member of the Wizengamot to approach him about their son, grandson, daughter, niece or nephew who were being held for being a death eater.
"Lord Dobbin, nice to see. Can I help you with something?"
"Let us cut to the chase. I need your help to get my grandson released,"
"I am officer of the courts. You are asking me to pervert the course of justice, I should get you arrested,"
"Stop playing around. We both know that would never stick. I would not even get a slap on the wrist. If you want to play that game then we can. A no-confidence motion against the Chief Warlock is not hard to arrange. Maybe I will have better luck with your successor" Lord Dobbin threatened.
"You would not dare. Besides you don't have the numbers."
"How many members of your factions know about your true nature? I am pretty sure that I can steal enough away to get you ousted."
"Okay. What exactly do you want?" Dumbledore said in defeat.
"I want my grandson immediately released and all charges against him dropped."
"That would not be possible. Too many aurors know that your grandson is a death eater. The rumour mill will destroy him."
"What would you suggest?"
"I get him released into my custody. At the trial, he claims to be under the imperius curse and it is all done without truth serum. If he can be convincing then your grandson would be exonerated." Dumbledore suggested.
"I can live with that."
"This is not free you know."
"What do you want?"
"I want you to join my faction."
"Never going to happen. How about my support on that werewolf rights legislations?"
"I do not care about such legislation and you know it. My personal voting record on such matters is always abstain. What I want is immunity from all prosecution."
"You will have to speak to the Minister for that since she is only one who can offer you a pardon."
"We both know that the Wizengamot can invalidate a pardon or a new Minister. I want an oath that you would never support any prosecution against me."
"Oaths are a serious matter and I do not trust enough to give you such a free pass. The most I can offer is a blood contract stating that I will never support your imprisonment."
"Alright but only if the contract is for your entire family and not just yourself. Since all you will have to do is step down and let your son vote in your stead."
"Agreed" Lord Dobbin said reluctantly. He felt like he just did a deal with the devil.
"Nice doing business with you, Lord Dobbin" Dumbledore replied cheerfully.
A little later Dumbledore was at the cell of Lord Dobbin's grandson. He quickly spelled the cell into privacy and secrecy wards.
"Do you want to get out?" Dumbledore asked.
"Of course. How much is it going to cost me to get out?"
"How much money do you have?"
"I can probably get a hundred thousand galleons."
"Would you need help from someone to get that money?"
"I will have to ask my grandfather."
"That is no good. The more people who know the greater chance of being caught. Besides I do not want to get blackmailed by your grandfather. How much do you have in ready cash?"
"A little over Ten thousand galleons."
"Alright. This is what we do. For the ten thousand galleons, I will get you released. At trial, I would use my power as Chief Warlock to prevent them from using truth serum so that you can claim you were under the imperius curse."
"That sounds like a good plan. Are you going to let me go now?"
"First you swear an unbreakable oath to give me the ten thousand galleons for your release and promise to never tell anyone about this deal" Dumbledore replied. The oath was sworn and Dumbledore walked away with ten thousand galleons which he converted into swiss francs via the dwarves so it could not be traced.
A/N Sorry for the delay. For the reviewer who asked where is the basilisk. It is still in the chamber of secrets but separated from the school and goblins by an ever replenishing wall of waste from the Grangers mining operations. So the harder the goblins work to gain access to the snake, the less waste and toxic materials that the Granger would have to get rid of
Chapter 61
A recently released Mrs. Figg waited outside the new Headmistress office. Dumbledore had personally manipulated the muggle authorities into dropping all charges against her so that she could replace Filch and act as another pair of ears at the school. It was a risk free act on Dumbledore's part as the Wizengamot would never allow him to go to jail for something they consider as a minor breach of the law and his reputation was currently so bad that he believed that it could not get any lower. Mrs. Figg was now indebted to Dumbledore and thus more loyal.
"Come in", called Ms. Hopkirk the new headmistress of Hogwarts.
"Hello, I am Mrs Figg, your new caretaker", Mrs. Figg slightly anxiously.
"I did not hire you. You must be mistaken", Ms. Hopkirk replied.
"Professor McGonagall hired me when she was interim Headmistress. We had completed all paperwork before you arrived" Mrs. Figg replied warily.
"We will see about that. Stay here and do not touch anything." The headmistress ordered before heading to Professor McGonagall's new office.
"Why did you not tell me, you hired someone?" Ms. Hopkirk demanded.
"You were not around at the time and her employment paperwork was included in the stack I gave you", McGonagall replied calmly.
"I don't want her. You can get rid of her" Ms. Hopkirk said annoyed.
"I can, but it would cost the school a lot of money in penalty fees" McGonagall said straight-faced.
"How could you sign such a contract?" the headmistress said in disbelief, she had thought that McGonagall had a decent head on her shoulders.
"Professor Dumbledore started the process. If I did not sign then the school was going to have to pay a hefty penalty fee" McGonagall said.
"So we are stuck with her?" Hopkirk asked with disquiet.
"Yes", McGonagall said with finality.
"What are you doing?" the headmistress asked as noticed McGonagall was packing a bag full of books.
"I was just returning some books to Albus", McGonagall said innocuously.
"His belongings were packed by the house elves and then return to him. Why are you sending him extra books?" Hopkirk said suspiciously.
"I was just sending him some reading materials", McGonagall replied.
"I hope those books are from your personal library because if you are sending any of the school's books I would regard that as stealing", Hopkirk said with sly smile.
"I resent the accusation. I would never steal from the school. Besides Headmaster Dumbledore was a respected member of staff for over 50 years. He has earned the right to borrow some reading materials from the school", McGonagall said with resentment.
"You might believe that but I do not. If he borrowed any books from the school already then I want them returned immediately. For your assistance in Dumbledore's illegal use of Hogwarts property, I am banning you from the school's restricted library section and you are no longer allowed to give out library passes", Hopkirk said finality.
"This is outrageous. I will be contacting the school board about it" McGonagall replied with indignation.
"Go ahead. The ministry would love an excuse to fire the entire board", Hopkirk said with a smile.
"Is that a threat?" McGonagall asked with fury.
"No, just a piece of friendly advice." The new headmistress said as she left a fuming Professor McGonagall behind to inform the librarian of her decisions.
"Madam Pince, please ensure that Professor McGonagall is banned from the restricted section of the library. She can no longer authorize students from getting materials from that section as well", the headmistress said wanting to make sure to get her point across to Madam Pince.
"May I ask why you are taking such drastic action against a professor?"
"I have just discovered that she has illegally been giving the disgraced ex-headmaster Dumbledore school materials."
"You do know that Dumbledore has quite a few books outstanding."
"How many books are we talking about?"
"Let me check the ledger." Madam Pince replied as she opened a massive book. As the librarian flipped through the book, Hopkirk noticed the number of times, the Weasley name appeared in the book.
"Why does the Weasley name appear so often in the book?" The headmaster asked.
"In the Weasleys fifth year, the previous headmaster would usually write out a blank pass for the restricted section. I don't know why but as long as they have a valid pass then I let them through."
"Well that is going to stop. The Weasleys are now forbidden from the library. Please give me a list of the books that they have outstanding. In fact why don't you perform an audit of the restricted section and tell me what books are missing?"
"That is going take me some time to compile those lists."
"Give me the list for Dumbledore and the Weasleys as soon as you can. The audit can be an ongoing program with a progress report every week or so."
"I will start right away. You will have the list for Dumbledore and the Weasleys, first thing tomorrow morning."
"Great."
After dinner the next day, all the Weasleys currently attending Hogwarts assembled at the Headmistress office.
"Enter."
"Mum, Dad, Bill, what are you doing here?" The children exclaimed.
"We don't know. The Headmistress owled us with an urgent meeting request so here we are."
"The reason why I gathered you all today is because this family has a massive list of books outstanding from the school's library. Some of these books are illegal to own like Potions Most Potente and A Complete Guide to Curse Breaking. The most worrying aspect of the situation is the fact that the books have been outstanding for years. I do not know what Dumbledore was thinking letting you graduate with these books still owing. This has got to be stopped. Until the late fees paid and the books returned, the Weasleys are banned from the library."
"You cannot do that!" Percy exclaimed.
"Why can I not?", the headmistress asked with a inquiring brow.
"How are we going to do our homework without access to the library?", Percy asked.
"Not my problem. You are lucky I didn't suspend all of you until all books have been returned. On second thought, if the books are not returned and all outstanding fines paid within two weeks, you will all be suspended", the headmistress said with annoyance.
"Can we work out a payment plan?" Arthur asked desperately.
"It depends, how much can you pay each week?", the headmistress asked.
"Ten galleons", Arthur replied while looking at the twins, who provided the family's only source of income.
"That will not do. Your children would have all graduated before you have repaid the balance of the fines due. That is assuming you return all books immediately. I would require a more substantial repayment scheme if you want any more of your children to graduate", the headmistress intoned with a sense of finality.
"That is all we can afford at the moment. Our eldest son and myself were just let go from our ministry jobs due to the Chamber of Secrets incident. Once we find new jobs then we can pay you more", Arthur pleaded.
"So you have no jobs and no prospects" Ms. Hopkirk summarized.
"We have started a new business together while we look for work", Arthur said naively.
"Everyone knows that most new businesses fail. I will not take the risk that you will not repay the fines so the ban stands. If you are willing to give us some sort of certainty for payment then I would consider lifting the ban", Ms. Hopkirk said reasonably.
"What if we provided you with some manual labour in addition to the weekly payments?" Fred suggested.
"What skills do you have?", the headmistress asked.
"Mum is great in the kitchen", Bill quickly suggested as he would no longer have to eat her food.
"My son, Bill was a curse breaker in training", Arthur added.
"Mrs. Weasley can work in the kitchens on a trial basis and Bill can work on bringing down the ward surrounding the forbidden forest."
"I dropped out of training so I do not know how much help I can be", Bill replied.
"You can always try. Come back tomorrow to start work. The ban on the restricted section still applies but your children can use the general areas of the library."
The twins remained behind as everyone left.
"Can I help you with something?" The headmistress finally asked, after seeing that they were determined to stay behind.
"You do know that both of us are on scholarship?", the twins asked.
"So is every member of your family. Do you think that your father could afford to send all of his children to Hogwarts on his own?" The headmistress laughed at their gullibility. This concerned the twins as they might have accidentally committed fraud. They needed to speak to their father immediately to sort it out.
"By the way, who provided you with the scholarships?" The headmistress asked to determine the strength of their backing. She knew that some scholarships was all about smoothing the way for certain students.
"Sirius Black", George replied absent mindedly. This shocked the headmistress as he could cause problems for her.
"Is your family close to Mr Black?", the headmistress asked quietly.
"No, Only the two of us through his godson, Harry Potter", Fred replied. He knew that if Harry discovered that they had used his godfather's name to help Ron or Percy, he would be furious.
"I am going to lift the library ban for the two of you for now." The headmistress replied as she did not want to cause trouble for her cousin, the current Minister of Magic.
"Thank you Madam." They both said at the same time.
Harry and Hermione walked into Gringotts for the Malfoy Family will reading with Sirius. They had not been mentioned in the will but Sirius had requested their presence which the new Headmistress was more than willing to accommodate. Pansy whose future was hanging by the terms of the will, was already there with her parents. Sirius was quickly lead away by Pansy's parents in order to get to their potential son-in-law.
"Come to witness your doom and my elevation," Pansy asked haughtily.
"I still say that Sirius will send you away before listening to you. A nunnery in Siberia is beautiful this time of the year. The endless amount of snow and the freezing winds will occur for your indefinite duration", Harry said with a sly smile.
"As if he would do that, My parents would never let happen. There are certain drugs that are perfectly legal which will ensure he would listen to my every word", Pansy said a little nervously.
"That is if you can get the potion ingredients. I heard that the cost of potion ingredients have skyrocketed recently", Harry said in an indifferent tone.
"I am sure that my family can afford unlike yours", Pansy replied confidently.
"You would be surprised with what we could afford", Harry said under his breath as the goblin in charge of the reading entered.
"Thank you for coming. You are all here to hear the last will and testament of the late Lucius Malfoy. Let the reading begin."
"This will was written a month before his death. I, Lucius Abraxus Malfoy, of sound mind and body request that my estate be distributed in the following manner.
"60 thousand galleons to my good friend Severus Snape."
The will went on and on listing distributions. It ended with.
"The remainder of my estate and custody of my son, I wish to pass to my wife's cousin, Sirius Black. This ends the reading. Before we do distribute what is listed in the will I would like to inform everyone that the estate would not be able to fulfill a single item of the will. The estate has only 5 thousand galleons, a marriage contract and a wizenagmot vote which will all be passed onto Minister Fudge", the goblin in charge of the malfoy accounts announced.
"What about the house and the mountains of gold?" Minister Fudge exclaimed as he realized that the massive Malfoy fortune was not going to him.
"Returned to the Black Family for breach of contract", the goblin replied in a bored tone.
"I wish to dispute that", Minister Fudge demanded.
"You cannot do that. Your claim is only through the marriage contract with Mr. Black which precludes you from such action", the goblin replied.
"I am going to marry him!" Pansy screamed in disgust when she finally realized what was happening. She looked with undisguised horror at her future husband. He was over twenty years older than her with a fat belly. The looks he was sending her was sending shivers down her spine.
"Just think, you will be marrying the most powerful man in Britain Politics", Pansy's dad said in an attempt to console his daughter which failed miserably.
"You will have four years to get use to the idea before you have to go through with the marriage", Pansy's mum said to try to comfort her. This seemed to work.
"I hope you like your future husband. Do you want me to send you some cupcakes? Maybe if you are as fat and ugly as him then he would not want to touch you", Hermione whispered to Pansy which set her off again.
"Knock it off, Hermione. Stop being mean", Harry said trying not to laugh.
"She has been on my case about her future marriage to Sirius ever since the Malfoy debacle, I deserve a little payback", Hermione whined.
"Okay but you are overdoing it at the moment", Harry said with a straight face.
"Alright", Hermione replied unhappily.
"Now that the cat is out of the bag and we don't have classes today. Why don't we check out the Malfoy Mansion?" Harry suggested to joy of Hermione. Hermione's joy could be the result of the jealous looks Pansy was giving them.
"That sounds great. The house is supposedly like a palace and with more rooms than Hogwarts", Hermione replied slyly to rub it in Pansy's face.
"Let us go and find Sirius so that we can get out of here?" Harry suggested before Hermione or Pansy could get into it again. A fight in public was not something they needed.
They found Sirius arguing with Fudge. Their interruption was a relief to Sirius but left a very unhappy Fudge. Fudge was immediately approached by one of the people named in the will regarding their entitlements.
"Thanks for the save. The Minister was not happy that he was not getting as much as he thought was. If you had not interrupted, I believe he might have continued forever or until I gave in", Sirius replied smile.
Harry, Hermione and Sirius were dumped by their goblin made portkey in the Foyer of the Malfoy Mansion.
"Is everyone alright?" Sirius asked as he brushed himself off.
"Yeah", Harry replied as he helped Hermione.
"Yes", Hermione replied with no conviction.
"What is the matter, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"I am just getting flashbacks to when I was a prisoner here. I will be alright in a minute" Hermione replied anxiously.
"Do you want to go to the Le Strange Mansion instead?" Sirius suggested. "I can sort out this place on my own."
"No, I need to do this." Hermione replied with determination.
"You can pee or take a dump on either Lucius or Draco's beds. I know that would make me feel better", Sirius offered.
"Maybe later." Hermione replied with a shaky smile as she appreciated Sirius attempt to cheer her up.
"We should get the houseelves to show us around. How many houseelves do they have?" Harry asked.
"Two, Missy who was Narcissa's personal elf and Moppy who was the new elf working for Lucius", Sirius replied after consulting his paperwork.
"I thought they would have more", Harry said with disappointment.
"They do not last long as the Malfoys use to treat their house elves badly according to my sources", Sirius replied.
"Moppy was she the house elf that Lucius brought from a mysterious source?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. I remember mentioning that to you. But when I went through Malfoy's transactions according to Gringotts there was nothing suspicious. In all likelihood Malfoy did all those transactions in cash so there would be no paper trail", Sirius replied.
"Why don't we ask her where she came from?" Harry suggested.
"Missy, Moppy", Sirius called out. Two house elves appeared. One visibly upset while the other tried to provide some comfort which was very successful.
"What is wrong with her?" Hermione asked with concern.
"Moppy has been crying for days." Missy replied. "Moppy says she failed to protect young master."
Missy's statement made Harry and Hermione feel a little guilty. They were responsible for a house elf drowning herself in guilt.
Hermione crouched down so that she could look at Moppy on eye level.
"It was not your fault. These things happen", Hermione said with as much sincerity as she could manage.
"I tried to return the evil black book to master but master told me to put it back", Moppy sobbed.
"It's alright", Hermione said as she pulled Moppy into a hug.
"I tried to prevent it from going to the big house with lots of children but the stupid girl and her brother flew in a car anyway", Moppy sobbed. "I tried to hide all the stupid girl's stuff but she still would not leave."
"You did all you could", Hermione assured Moppy.
"I tried a lot of other things but I should have kept up spraying the evil black book with that skunk scent."
"We did not hear about that." Harry whispered. While Sirius was on the floor laughing at the thought of Ginny writing in the diary while holding her breath with her eyes watering due to the stench.
"Shhhh", Hermione said to Harry before turning back to Moppy. "Why did you stop?"
"After the stupid girl went on a rampage for some unknown reason. After the rampage everyone put extra security on their trunks including the stupid girl so I could no longer get to the evil black book."
"Voldemort must have temporarily taken over Ginny in order to try to recover the real diary", Harry whispered to Sirius.
"You are not helping. Why don't you two explore the house while I comfort Moppy here?" Hermione suggested in quiet annoyance with eyes flashing.
"We will see you later", Harry said hurriedly as he starts dragging Sirius away.
After racing around the halls on balls and rugs, peeing on beds and into shampoo bottles and generally making a mess. Harry and Sirius went back to check on Hermione. They found Moppy asleep in the arms of Hermione. Harry put a silencing charm on Moppy so that they could talk without disturbing her.
"So how is she doing?" Sirius asked.
"Moppy has a lot of built up guilt which she had to release. I had to listen as she told me every perceived mistake she had ever made", Hermione said sadly.
"Did you find out where she came from?" Harry asked curiously.
"I had to remove some memory charms before she could tell me. Apparently she was born at Hogwarts to two of the school's elves. It is well known amongst the school's house elves that Dumbledore has been making money on the side selling their offsprings to proper pureblood families", Hermione said with disgust.
"It is really sad", Hermione continued. "The school's house elves are being forced to have children so that they could be sold. Once the children are born, the parents never see them again. The parents are forbidden from interacting with their children and the area where the children are raised and trained is separated from the rest of the school. Training involves regular torture and brain washing so they become totally obedient slaves. Children who fail the training are killed and the ones who pass are sold off to proper pureblood families. We need it to stop", Hermione said desperately with tears in her eyes.
"So how can we help them?" Harry asked the emotional Hermione.
"We need to free them. Then bind them so they do not die", Hermione pleaded.
"No single person can bind that many house elves at the same time. That means they are being bound to the school via the warding heart stone. All we need to do is adjust the setup of the stone to release them", Sirius added quietly.
"The Heart stone should not be too hard to find as the information is probably in one of the books we stole from Dumbledore", Hermione replied half lost in thought.
"I will talk to Dobby about preparing the school's house elves for the escape", Harry said with determination.
"Let us head back so that we can begin researching immediately", Hermione suggested.
"I recommend that we plan out everything before we take action. We cannot just release them and hope for the best. Things can spiral out of control very quickly. Harry can focus on finding the stone, Hermione, you can focus on what we need to do to release the house elves including the possibility of stealing the heart stone while I will get our people to either create a new warding heart stone at the Institute or generate a list of potential new owners", Sirius recommended.
"That sounds like a solid plan", Harry replied. Hermione looked unhappy as she wanted to release the house elves as soon as possible, but acceded to the need to have a fool proof plan.
"Let us aim for the end of the school term. That way you two will not become hostages if discovered and the likelihood of discovery would also be minimal", Sirius suggested. Harry immediately nodded while Hermione nodded with a little reluctance. She could see the logic of the plan but was unhappy with how long it will take.
"Can I go now?" Hermione asked.
"I was hoping we could check out the LeStrange Estate as well?" Sirius said.
"Perhaps, we can do it some other time", Hermione asked.
"I really want to play darts with the LeStrange Wedding photos", Sirius replied with a smirk.
"You can do that on your own anytime", Hermione said immediately.
"It is better in pairs. Besides I have created a great points system. Ten points if you hit a death eater, twenty points if you hit an order of the phoenix member, fifty points if you hit one of the LeStranges, a hundred points if you hit Fudge or Umbridge and a hundred and fifty points if you hit one of the Malfoys."
"Speaking of the LeStranges, have you been able to provide treatment to the Longbottoms?" Harry asked.
"No. Augusta is stonewalling us. I think she might be deliberating aiding Dumbledore. From what we have been told from our sources, she has refused every type of treatment the healers have suggested", Sirius said a little bewilderedly.
"Can we sneak in and provide the necessary treatment?" Hermione asked.
"No. She has warded the beds so that no one can enter without her say so. They are blood wards so it is impossible to take down", Sirius replied.
"I guess we just have to wait then", Harry replied.
Meanwhile, In a well hidden muggle house, Albus and his brother were reading books about Dementors. Suddenly an owl flew in and both brothers noticed at the same time. The boredom of researching dementors in order to control them was getting to both brothers. Aberforth made a grab for the attached letter only for Albus to notice and push him out of the way.
"That is my letter!" Albus exclaimed.
His brother did not listen and made another attempt at the letter. It soon became a wrestling match which Aberforth easily won due to his experience in running a pub. Albus was on the ground with his face pressed to the floor. His arm was being pulled to a painful angle by his brother who was kneeing him in the back.
"I surrender! Read that stupid letter if you want so desperately", Albus cried out in pain.
"I do not need you tell me I have won", Aberforth replied as he retrieved the letter. It was a massive scroll that hit Albus on the head when Aberforth started reading it.
"OUCH! That hurts. Watch what you are doing", Albus exclaimed.
"Shut up", Aberforth replied as he started reading the letter. After he was done, Aberforth fainted. Albus took the opportunity to free himself. He was trying to decide whether to get his brother back or read the letter. Curiosity got the better of him and he grabbed the scroll and started reading. It was not long before he too fainted. A few moments after Albus fainted, Aberforth woke. Seeing his brother unconscious as well, Aberforth shaved Albus head and beard leaving him with a handle bar moustache. Once he was done, Aberforth woke his brother up by spraying him with cold water. Albus launched himself at Aberforth but backed down when he was threatened with another drenching.
"How many of the books on the list can you return?" Aberforth asked.
"None", Albus replied honestly.
"Where did they all go?"
"Most of them were lost in fires."
"I told you should not have tried to bind that fire phoenix."
"Some of the books were lost that way but the majority of the books were lost in another fire."
"You are going to have a massive library fine. Even if you win your case and get back your vaults this would wipe you out", Aberforth replied with a shake of his head.
"I guess it is no use fighting the case anymore", Albus said with disappointment.
"These books are they on the list?" Aberforth asked. Albus quickly checked and replied on the negative.
"They must be on Minerva's account. If the new headmistress is taking such a hard line on books then we better return them before Minerva gets in trouble", Albus replied pathetically.
"What are we going to do about the dementor? We cannot just leave it in the basement."
"I guess that we try to train it in the muggle way", Aberforth replied.
"The muggles are idiots", Albus replied with distaste. He did not need to put up a front for his brother.
"What other option do we have?"
"I guess, your right."
A few days later, Aberforth was hiding in some brushes to the right of Albus. He was there in case something went wrong. Opposite Aberforth was a tied up homeless man and in front of Albus was the dementor locked in the house. Albus unlocked the door from a few meters away. The dementor opened the door and flew out. Albus yelled "SIT!" (as though the dementor was a dog) but the dementor ignored him. Instead the dementor flew towards Aberforth to the surprise of the Dumbledores expecting the dementor to head to the homeless guy.
"No. Bad dementor!" Albus yelled with no effect.
It had almost given Aberforth the kiss before Albus recovered and pushed the dementor back indoors.
"That did not work", Albus said.
"No shit Sherlock", Aberforth replied sarcastically. Albus was regretting letting his brother watch US tv muggle dramas.
Chapter 62
Warning mention of dental torture.
Headmistress Hopkirk approached Harry and Hermione as they head to breakfast.
"Good Morning Mr. Potter, Miss Granger."
"Good Morning Madam." They replied.
"Your family has requested both of your presence regarding a family matter." The headmistress informed them. "If you wish to follow me to my office so that you can floo home".
"Can we have breakfast first? I'm hungry". Harry asked as he knew that Molly was going crash and burn as the Hogwarts cook this morning.
"I am sure your parents would not mind waiting. They said it was not an emergency but something that had to be done today. Besides you do not want to miss out on breakfast this morning. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Dumbledore and Mr. Diggory always rave about Mrs. Weasley's cooking. Today we can try some for ourselves".
"I am sure my parents would not mind waiting", Hermione confirmed.
"Then, let us go before all the food is taken", The headmistress suggested.
The Great Hall was filled with students eagerly waiting for a fantastic feast. At the clock struck for the hour food appeared at all the tables simultaneously. Everyone made a rush for the food as they remembered the praises that Cedric and the other people who had sampled Mrs Weasley's cooking before her accident went on and on about how good she was. The anticipation turned to disgust after people's first bite. Harry and Hermione were some of the few people who had not taken any food. Fred and George was enjoying the various reactions people had to the food. Especially the teachers who had to retain their decorum in order to retain the respect of the students. Things turned ugly for the twins when their Quidditch teammates started attacking them due to their lack of warning. Students soon started stealthily returning food to the communal plates. The only people still eating were Ron from Gryffindor and Crabbe and Goyle from Slytherin. It soon became an eating contest between the three of them to see who could eat the most. Ron won after taking multiple dumps (i.e. shits) to lighten his load before continuing his eating.
The Headmistress stormed down to the kitchens after, just one bite.
"How do you like my cooking?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her face filled full of hope.
"Are you trying to kill us woman?" the Headmistress screamed. "That was the foulest thing I have ever tasted. Burnt Kale omelette with Tasco sauce is not food in anyone's language. I don't know what the other stuff was but I was not brave enough to try, you are fired! Get out the kitchen so that the elves can prepare proper food."
"I toil for hours to prepare that meal and this is the thanks I get. You wouldn't know good food if it hit you in the face" Mrs. Weasley said angrily as she flung her apron on the floor.
"You just do not want to admit the truth, which is of course, that you can not cook!" Hopkirk countered.
"You take that back!" Mrs Weasley screamed like a banshee before launching herself at the Headmistress tackling her to the ground. Hopkirk retaliated by pulling Molly's hair and slapping her.
"You evil bitch!" Molly screamed before scratching the Headmistress's face with her nails. The Headmistress responded by hitting Mrs Weasley with a nearby hot pan.
"Ouch! That hurt, You slag!" Molly cussed.
"Mum stop!" Tony, the deputy headmaster ordered. "Both of you stop this instant."
Like schoolgirls caught out of bounds, they both stopped before standing up and looking guiltily at the ground.
"You are both suppose to be adults. Yet you behave like children. Go to the the infirmary. NOW!" Tony commanded.
"Son, I can explain."
"OUT!" Tony yelled.
"Do I still have a job?" Mrs Weasley asked.
"No. You are out of here as soon as you are treated. Never to return here ever again. If their is a problem then we will deal with your husband. Is that understood?" Tony replied as he marched them to the infirmary. Molly nodded sadly in confirmation. Along the way, they came across Percy.
"What happened mum?", Percy asked as saw his mother with scratches and bruises .
"None of your business, Mister", Tony said forcefully.
"If it concerns my mother, it is my business."
"You can ask her later", Tony said before noticing the Prefect's badge.
"By the way, you are no longer a Gryffindor Prefect", Tony said as he snatched the badge off Percy's collar. Percy and Molly both began to protest but Tony silenced them both with a glare.
"We should have remove you before but it was an oversight which I am correcting right now", Tony explained. A depressed Percy sat down heavily as he knew there was no use in protesting.
After leaving the infirmary, the headmistress returned to her office where she found Harry and Hermione waiting for her.
"Here to access the floo?" the Headmistress asked.
"Yes", Harry replied. They then quickly flooed home.
"Mr. Potter and Ms. Potter?" a strange woman asked as they exited the floo.
"Yes", Hermione replied uncertainly.
"Or I meant say Mr. Potter and Miss Granger. By the way, I am Emily Prentiss and the advance placement officer at the Granger Institute. Your parents informed me that your both advanced for your age. How far ahead do you think you are?" Miss Prentiss explained and asked.
"We believed we could take our OWLs and NEWTs right now and pass" Hermione replied a little bashfully.
"Do you mind if I test you now?" Miss Prentiss asked.
"Sure", Harry replied uncertainly.
"Who wants to go first?" Miss Prentiss asked. Harry pushed hermione forward.
"She can go. If I go first then you would be worrying yourself sick about not being prepared", Harry said to Hermione.
"Alright then, shall we begin?" Miss Prentiss asked. Hermione gave Harry the evil eye before agreeing. They went into another room where Hermione got quizzed and was asked to perform a number of demonstrations. Harry was then put through the same tests.
"You are both ready for your OWLs and NEWTs in all the core magical subjects except history. But that is to be expected since Hogwarts focuses solely on goblin rebellions rather than a small part of it, as magical history. I will be recommending you both sit for your OWLs and NEWTs in August in all the core magical subjects except for History".
"Can we sit for history as well?" Hermione pleaded.
"But you are not familiar with that subject matter."
"If you can recommend a few texts then I am sure we can be ready in time".
"Alright. This is a list of books you should familiarise yourself with", Miss Prentiss suggested as she started writing down a list.
"Thank you, Miss Prentiss", Hermione said.
"Just try your best and don't make me look bad" She joked. " I will talk to you again once we have all your results" Miss Prentiss said as she got up to leave. Harry and hermione decided to check on Hermione's parents wile they were their before heading back to school. They found them and Sirius decked out in Basilisk armour preparing to leave.
"What is the occassion?" harry asked.
"We are going to meet the goblins in order establish an alliance with them" Dan replied.
"Where is the meeting?"
"At Wembley stadium since its has the necessary capacity and the owners were willing to let us use the grounds after we agreed to pay for fumigation. The police are securing the grounds claiming a training exercise so no one in the public will see what is happening."
"Do you need us to come too?" Hermione offered.
"I rather you did not since it is going to be dangerous as the opponents of the alliance are likely to attack which is why we are dressed like this. Besides Grant is waiting for us in the car to help advise us."
"It is not a car!" Sirius exclaimed "It is a hovercraft as it has no wheels."
"Well it looks like a car to me" Dan repiled.
"The wheels are an illusion. It is practically a box on a flying carpet with two broomsticks for speed."
"Whatever it is, Grant is waiting for us in it with most of our security forces."
"Are you sure it is safe?" Hermione asked with concern.
"These suits are incredibly tough. It is not just made out of Basilisk skin but is reinforced with runes before reinforced by the unique magic of all our existing allies. The Veelas dipped it in a solution they developed which makes it immune to fire, the centaurs added a varnish to make it tough enough to take direct hits from armour piercing bullets without any damage and the leprechaun and dwarfs have added mobile wards to redirect weapons. That is just the stuff I remember. I am sure other measures were added but I don't remember what they are at this very minute", Emma replied thoughtfully.
"Goblin weapons are especially deadly. Are you sure the armour can handle it?" harry asked in concern.
"Yes. We saw it take a hundred directs from a hundred goblin blades without making a dent. The car we are going in is even tougher. It could take two direct hits from missiles at the same time without the driver noticing. This is due to it having the same materials on the outside as these suits while interlocking tiles of basilisk teeth is used to make an extremely tough inner skin. While the skin is supported by a lattice of pure diamonds which makes it practically indestructible", Dan replied confidently.
"Have you ensure the people going with you are loyal?", hermione asked while biting her lip.
"Yes, darling. They all gave an oath before we armed them. Then another before they entered the car", Emma said softly.
"Do you mind if we wait for you here?" A worried Hermione suggested.
"It might be better if you wait for us at our office. Since we are taking our prisoners there", Dan suggested.
"We will be there and good luck all of you. I love you" Hermione said a little tearfully. They replied in turn and left while Harry supported her as they watched them leave. Hermione quickly made her way to her parents dental surgery where she waited anxiously for them to arrive back from their encounter.
Quiet a while later just after dusk, a strange car drove into the office's garage. Emma Granger was first to get out but she was quickly followed by the others. Hermione raced out the door and was about to hug her mother when the King of the Goblins exited the car. This stopped Hermione in her tracks as she knew that showing emotions to a goblin was a sign of weakness which would be exploited. Seeing the Goblin King and his advisors speaking with Emma and Dan, Hermione headed towards Sirius. When the goblins entered the office, Hermione spoke with Sirius.
"Have you reached an agreement with the goblins yet?" After deciding that asking about injuries directly might not be a good idea if more goblins appeared.
"We have not even started negotiating. As we expected quiet a few goblins were opposed to our alliance. They attacked as soon as we entered the stadium. We responded with a hail of tranquilliser darts to take down the leaders before opening up with bullets. They were extremely surprised when our basilisk bullets penetrated their armour as if it was not there", Grant started to explain.
"This idiot, pointing at Sirius, wanted to pitch in by using his wand when I warned him that he should not do it. As quiet a few goblins are sensitive to the fact they are not allowed to use wands. Artists, crafters and engineers are the ones who hate being reminded of this ban as it effects them in their every day lives. If you had used your wand, more goblins would have entered the flay then we would be in trouble especially if the engineers joined in. Thankfully I was able to stop this dimwit so none of our people got hurt. Definitely, cannot say the same for the other side", Grant added as goblins in chains started being brought into the office.
"So all our people are safe?", Hermione asked quietly.
"Yes, not a scratch on us", Grant replied to the relief of Hermione. "Your father was one of the first ones to fire his gun. After he tagged the opposing leader with a tranquilliser dart, he came back to the safety of the car so he did not have to witness the carnage first hand. This idiot" again pointing at Sirius who was looking at them sheepishly, "was not as smart, he stood out in the open watching the on-slaught and risking everyone in the process as their attention was divided between protecting him and killing off the goblins" Grant ended while rolling his eyes.
"Yes mother I was wrong" Sirius said while rolling his eyes. "Tonks already chewed me out for my actions. You do not have to do it again. Besides I did not want to miss the action. Watching as a goblin's head explode or the frustration of the goblins as their weapons had no impact on us was hilarious."
"Remember we will soon going to be allies with them. So do not repeat those comments again. It could hurt our relationship."
"I won't. The battle today resolved all my issues with their race."
"That is Griphook! He is the first goblin I ever met. What is doing here?" Harry exclaimed.
"He was one of the leaders opposed to our treaty. I guess he should be the first goblin we interrogate", Grant replied.
"Do you need me to brew some truth serum?"
"They are immune to the potion. We are probably going to have to use the good old fashion method of torture to get the information out of them," Grant replied as he headed in to make the suggestion.
"Who is going to do the torture?" Hermione asked.
"Your dad", Sirius replied.
"Are you sure he can handled it?"
"He volunteered as he has experience with difficult patients. Screaming people have no effect on him anymore which is why we doing this here. The neighbours are use to kids and some adults screaming as they are brought into surgery."
"We should head back to school", Harry suggested.
"I want to witness the interrogations", Hermione whined.
"I can tell your headmistress that you need to stay overnight", Sirius offered.
"Thanks Sirius, that would be great", Hermione replied quickly and entered the dental/interrogation room before Harry could object.
Griphook was strapped onto the dental chair. His mouth was pried open using clamps. Dan examined the goblin's mouth and grinned when he saw the lack of dental hygiene.
"Your teeth are in such bad shape that I am going to have to remove them all. If you answer all our questions truthfully without any omissions then I can be quick." Dan explained.
"I am not tell you a thing, you shit bag on two legs", Griphook said defiantly.
"We will see about that", Dan replied with a cruel smile. He removed one of the goblin's tooth using an instrument which is usually reserved for large animals. Griphook screamed so loudly it scared the be-jesus out of the other prisoners before starting to cry.
"Please stop", Griphook pleaded or something similar as his mouth still had the clamp in it and he was bleeding from the procedure. Dan poked a hot rod into the wound to seal it making Griphook scream even louder.
The goblin king and his advisors cringed. They soon started to look in awe at Dan as he performed the procedure. To get a goblin warrior to cry so easily was not an easy achievement.
"Remind me to never piss off your dad", Grant whispered to Hermione.
"If you think that is bad you are soon going learn that it is nothing. This what you going to get if you lie", Dan proceeded to perform a root carnal without any anaesthesia. This was too much Hermione as she fled out of the operating room. Harry followed to provide her support. Two hours later Griphook with a single white tooth remaining in his mouth was lead dragged out of the room. Hermione and Harry went back into the operating room.
The goblin king approached Dan and said.
"Good work, brother."
"Thank you, your Majesty."
"You have earned the right to call me, Ragnok."
"Thank you, Ragnok. Please call me, Dan."
"I hope this is the beginning of a long and profitable partnership between us."
"Why don't you discuss the formal terms of our alliance with my second in charge, Grant? He has my absolute trust", Dan replied.
"I look forward to it", The Goblin King said before dragging Grant out the door.
"Are you alright, Dad?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, It was not that bad. I have worse patients before. In fact he did not even make the top ten", replied a weary Dan. No one could tell whether he was joking or not.
"Did Griphook talk?" Hermione asked.
"Let us talk about tomorrow. It has been a long day." Dan suggested.
A tired Grant walked into the Grangers' home before slumping down at the breakfast table.
"Do you want anything?" Emma asked.
"A cup of coffee and some toast would hit the spot." Grant replied. The requested items appeared and Grant devoured eagerly. Once he had finished Grant spoke.
"We have a preliminary agreement with the Goblins. It is very general while we work out a proper agreement. But everyone wants a formal alliance as they are too scared of Dan to really fight it. If we become stuck, I might have to ask you to step in."
"Brilliant job, Grant. Just tell me when you need me and I will be there", Dan responded.
"Sirius has been put in charge of the charity after some fancy paperwork by the goblins", Grant said.
"What charity?" Hermione asked.
"Yesterday, Griphook told us of how Dumbledore stole the Potters money and other muggleborn students. This was actually done without the King's and majority of the other senior globin's knowledge. Griphook could not accept the money directly without being forced to return it so he 'donated' all the money to a charity for scholarships to Hogwarts. No one was going to force a charity to return such funds as it would look bad in the media. As Dumbledore was in charge of the charity, he gave himself a big salary and used the funds to further his own political agenda. The Weasleys all went to Hogwarts as a result of the charity."
"The manipulative bastard!", Harry swore.
"I agree", Hermione said to the surprise of everyone. She would usually tell him off for swearing.
"That is hardly worst thing he did. He would steal blood samples from muggle-born and half-bloods he was the magical guardian for and pass it to his goblin allies. They would use the blood to try to access inactive vaults.Since, muggle-borns are descended from squib relatives, who of course come from so called pure-bloods, any vaults which they could open would have it's contents transferred to the charity in its entirety after the goblins took their fees. The vault would be closed and all records of the transaction would be destroyed so that no one would know it had happen. Fake transfers from the gnomes would be used to hide the receipt of money in the charity records", Grant explained.
"So there are people out there who control seats on the Wizengamot and don't know it", Sirius exclaimed. He quickly realized that Dumbledore did this to protect the status quo. If muggle-borns had a greater say in the Wizengamot then change would be inevitable. By removing their voice, the wizengamot did not have to change.
"Yes".
"Is there anyway to identify the people?" Harry asked.
"No. The Ministry relies on Gringotts to establish control of families. Since all records at Gringotts are destroyed by Dumbledore's allies, the bank has no way of linking individuals to their ancestral roots."
"I thought you could do a blood test to find out who you are related to. Or look at something like the Black family tapestry" Sirius stated.
"I do not know. The goblins however do not have access that type of magic. Probably due to the ban on goblins owning wands. Speaking of the ban, Dumbledore gave his allies a loophole so they could use wands. Using his positions, Dumbledore declared Ireland no mans land claiming that since Ireland is not part of Britain, it is not party to the treaty", Grant replied. Hermione started thinking of ways to remedy the situation using their alliance with the Vampires and their knowledge of blood magic.
"What the fuck was he thinking?" Sirius exclaimed.
"He wanted a change of leadership amongst the goblins. So he formed an alliance with the goblin Hook clan. They helped with the theft's (which the clan would also benefit) and he helped them politically. Dumbledore as the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW allowed his allies to purchase Mithril which is an extremely restricted material as the goblins use it to make weapons. In fact, if we had agreed to an Irish location for the initial meeting, the Hook clan, would now be in charge and they would have put up a better fight against us as they would have been able to use their wands", Grant explained.
"How long has this conspiracy being going on?" Harry asked in disgust. He knew Dumbles was an ass, but never thought the barmy old man would ever do something like this.
"About fifty years, ever since Dumbledore became Headmaster of Hogwarts and became magical guardian to all the muggleborn students and the half bloods who lacked a magical guardian", Grant explained.
"Did we take out all his allies at Gringotts?" Hermione asked.
"We killed or captured most of the Hook clan and their allies. There are only fifty members of the Hook clan left and they are being hunted by the other goblins right now."
"Do they have the resources to escape?" Hermione asked with concern. If these goblins were on the loose with money to burn and revenge on their minds, that could and most likely would spell trouble for all of them.
"No, we caught the clan leader and he spilled the locations of all their secret stashes and allies. Speaking of money, we are getting half of the Hook clan's wealth including weapons, since the potter wealth which was substantial was part of this mess. So we have now the largest collection of Mithril weapons outside of the goblins."
"Lend a few samples of the weapons the Granger Institute. Maybe they can find new uses for them", Hermione suggested.
"Enough questions. Let the poor man get some sleep", Emma said after noticing how tired Grant looked. Grant gratefully took the opportunity to leave.
"I wonder if a coup occurred in the original time?" Harry asked.
"It probably did. That would explain why another goblin uprising did not occur immediately right after the fall of the Dark Lord. They are opportunistic creatures who would take advantage of a wizarding community recovering from civil unrest", Hermione explained.
"I think I can use this to our advantage", Sirius said eagerly as he just worked out something. "By telling people that Dumbledore was arming the goblins for another rebellion, some of his european supporters, who are currently fence sitters after all the recent revelations, might decide to oppose him due to his threat to their way of life. If we provide the ICW with documents as proof then they might be convinced. As they say, the public are sheep if you tell two pieces of truth with every lie you make they swallow the whole thing."
"Are you going to inform the public about the thefts of vaults?" Harry asked.
"There is no point as we don't know which families/muggleborn were affected, other than you. All it would do is hurt our new allies, the goblins. People would ask why did they not stop it", Sirius responded.
"Speaking of funds, I suggest we take a page out of Dumbledore's play book and drain and close the charity before some official from the ministry finds out and gets their grubby hands on it", Emma recommended.
"I agree completely, we can use the funds to reallocate and fund the education of the muggle-born students we taking out of this country to avoid the upcoming war. It would save us heaps of our own money and satisfy the likely charity criteria of educational expenses", Hermione added in support of her mum.
"If their are any money left over, we could use it to build a new latin american school. The Granger Institute has been rejecting a mountain load of student applications as they lack the facilities and the teachers with the language skills to deal with such an influx. As more of the region settles down to peace due to the example set by Mexico, the number of applicants is going sky rocket. Besides we are planning to build a new car plant down there since our current plant is being overwhelmed by demand and that is only going get worse when we introduce our new non-magical car", Dan suggested.
"We have been selling cars?" Hermione asked with surprise.
"Do you know that car we used yesterday. An unarmoured version is selling like hot cakes. It looks like a normal car on the outside but that is just an illusion. During traffic jams, it can fly above it all under invisibility charms and reach its destination. In emergencies it can elongate itself like the knight bus to escape", Dan explained.
"What about the new non-magical car?" Harry asked.
"Recently recruited some of the world's best minds like Stephen Hawkings to our non-magical university. After turning them into Vampires(with their permission of course) so they become immortal, we gave them some time turners and set them to work. Their first invention is a hydrogen car which uses water as its fuel or rather the hydrogen atoms in water. The engine they developed uses magical generated electricity (which keeps the engine production costs down) to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen, then is combusted to fuel the car and make it function", Dan explained. Discussions turn to the other projects the think tank were working on.
That night, memories from the future flooded into the brain of Ronald Weasley and he woke up with a start.
Omake
Fawkes flamed next to Hedwig as she was hunting for her meal.
"I am taking over the companionship with the Potter boy", Fawkes stated arrogantly in bird language.
"Like hell you will" Hedwig screeches in protest. "I found him first. You find your own human."
"Show some respect, young lady. I have been around for thousands of seasons and have seen things you have not even dreamt of. You don't know what is happening and your boy will need my experience and wisdom soon."
"The same experience and wisdom which allowed you to be tripped up by a human many times your junior", Hedwig replied.
"That was not my fault. It was two against one. How would I know that the person who summoned was not alone and that his lover knew how to bind me?" Fawkes replied.
"You were just plain stupid." Hedwig counters.
"Do you want to fight? You will never win", Fawkes asks.
"Bring it on, pigeon brain", Hedwig says before launching her right talon at the phoenix resulting in three great scratch marks appearing. Fawkes counters with a beak strike which does little damage. The owl flies away. Thinking it has the upper hand, Fawkes follows. A cat and mouse pursuit ensues with Hedwig weaving in and out of the trees in the Forbidden Forrest followed closely by the pheonix. Hedwig suddenly stops above a small pool of water. Rather than fly directly at the owl, Fawkes flames to just above Hedwig. He grows his flames until in engulfs Hedwig. A burnt looking owl plummets into the water below.
Fawkes flies down to check on his opponent. Upon not finding anything, he believes that he has burnt to ashes the other bird.
"What a waste of a good bird", Fawkes thinks to himself before turning back towards the castle. Behind him an owl launching itself back up into the air with a helmet full of water. The noise makes Fawkes turn around. He spots the other bird but loses her when he gets blinded by the sun. Taking advantage of the distraction, Hedwig releases the water and the helmet on the pheonix. The water stops Fawkes from being able to flame away while the helmet knocks him unconscious.
The next thing Fawkes knows is that he is in the water with Hedwig on top of him. Her talons were digging into his shoulder.
"Do you admit, you lost?" Hedwig asks.
"Yes", Fawkes replies after being dunked into the water.
"Leave me and my boy alone", Hedwig warned as she dunks him in another time.
"Alright. I wil leave you and your boy alone." Fawkes concedes.
"You swear."
"I swear", Fawkes replies. He is taken to dry ground and released.