HPWW21-26
Chapter 021
"So, I had to make a difficult decision. That decision was whether or not to tell Dumbledore the information about Quirrell, and thereby risk him discovering I wasn't as dense as he thought me to be; or, keeping Mum about it, thereby risking the residents of the castle to actions Quirrell or his spirit 'hitch-hiker' might launch against them.
"To me, the answer was obvious. It was time to do what was right for all, rather than just what was right for me."
Again Memory-Harry faded away to be replaced with a memory of Harry running along the corridor that led to the Headmaster's gargoyle guardian.
With barely a pause, Harry almost shouted the then current password to the gargoyle, who leapt to the side to allow Harry ingress. Harry practically bolted up the upwardly rotating stairs.
Almost slamming the Headmaster's door aside, Harry barrelled in before coming up short and looking around, almost in awe.
"What brings you up to my office, young Harry?" twinkled a slightly smirking Dumbledore.
Snapping out of his stunned reaction, Harry quickly made his way to the Headmaster's desk at the other end of the room. "Headmaster! You need to know! The students are in danger! Professor Quirrell is being possessed by, I think, Voldemort's ghost!"
Dumbledore frowned as if the news was terrible. However, he drew his wand and said, "I'm very surprised you figured it out so quickly, Harry my boy."
As Harry appeared to gape back in what appeared to be his own shock Dumbledore drew his wand on him, the Headmaster continued, "It's too early for you to learn that."
As Harry continued to stand there, his expression slowly changing to one of great anger, Dumbledore lifted his wand and cast at him.
"Obliviate!" the old man snapped out. And the light blue charm zipped from his wand to Harry's chest.
As Harry's expression seemed to go blank and his eyes glassy-eyed, Dumbledore said, "You and I had a short talk about how well you're fitting in to Hogwarts' life, Harry. You have no interest in wondering if Professor Quirrell is being possessed. However, you believe Professor Snape may be trying to get into the forbidden third floor corridor to get what is being protected there."
As Dumbledore lowered his wand and quickly slipped it back into his belt, he rose as Harry's relaxed expression regained liveliness and his eyes seemed to clear.
As Dumbledore walked around his desk, he said, "Thank you for coming to see me, Harry my boy. I'm glad you're fitting in and enjoying yourself."
"Errr..." said Harry, before he seemed to think of how to reply. "Thank you, Sir."
"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "You may go. And don't worry so much about Professor Snape, my boy."
Harry gave a little nod before he quickly left.
Once he was back past the gargoyle he suddenly stopped and seemed to stand still for a long moment. Suddenly, he spun back to stare at the gargoyle with an expression of great fury on his face.
And the memory ended, bringing Memory-Harry back.
"So, as you witnessed, Dumbledore both knew of Quirinus Quirrell's possession, knew that possession was by the shade of 'Voldemonkey', and, when I raised the issue with him expecting him to put the students first, tried to Obliviate me of the knowledge and further used the Obliviation charm to try and redirect my thoughts to it being Severus Snape going after the Philosopher's Stone. He did not want me knowing the truth.
"For you parents of students and actual students in the audience, if you haven't already figured it out, Albus Dumbledore deliberately put the children of magical Britain at great risk. He did it both knowingly and intentionally. That's premeditated child endangerment times as many students as were under-aged at the time who resided in the castle. Each case is, of course, a crime punishable by the loss of every position of authority he holds, at a minimum; and a long-term stay in Azkaban, if not execution via the Veil, at a maximum - for each.
"And that, of course, does not count the illegal obliviations."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
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From where they were all sitting parents, students, Ministry personnel, journalists, others who had an interest in watching the first task, staff of the visiting schools and even the few remaining Hogwarts staff who were in attendance and had not otherwise been taken into custody spent at least a few moments staring at Dumbledore in both fear and anger.
From where he was still sitting with Madam Bones's wand firmly jabbed into his neck, Dumbledore did not need his great wealth of experience to know, without any doubt, that his tenure as Headmaster was now over; as were his roles as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. Nor, at the moment, was he able to see any strategy he could employ that would keep him out of Azkaban.
He knew representatives of the wizarding world's news media were also in attendance; and that what young Potter was doing would be the lead news stories on both wireless and in the printed news press by that evening, at the latest. He had no hope of stopping it happening. He'd need to be out of the clutches of the DMLE well before either made it all public for him to have any hope, no matter how slim, of effecting that. And, with the amount of information Harry was making available and knew Bones would be asking him about, he would be lucky to be out of her clutches by the next afternoon at the earliest; if he was out of her clutches, ever again.
'Merlin's balls!' he mentally cursed. 'The Daily Prophet, at least, will parade this story for weeks!'
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―==(oIo)==―
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Chuckling with a laugh that sounded almost evil, Memory-Harry continued. "Of course, stupid me, I kept trying.
"Oh, not that time," he corrected. "I meant at other times over the past three years.
"I, again, tried to get the old bastard to act when I complained directly to him about the way I was being illegally treated at the beginning of second year, when I figured out it was a basilisk even before Hermione did, when I told him - yet again - about how the Dursleys treated me, and all the rest of the times I kept going to him. On just about each and every occasion he attempted to Obliviate me and redirect my thoughts away from what I knew to be the truth.
"For second year that includes: He knew the exact moment when the dark artefact that compulsed a student to release the basilisk, Slytherin's supposed monster, was brought into the school; he knew who the student was; he knew it was a basilisk petrifying the students; and he knew a lot more than just that."
"You'll also recall when earlier I told you I ran from my summer prison of Durzkaban after blowing up 'Marge the Barge'," continued Memory-Harry. "And how I spent the next three weeks in Diagon Alley.
Chapter 022
"You'll also recall I told you about how Dumbledore has been stealing from my inheritance.
"What I've already told you, though, wasn't all of it.
"When I went to Gringotts and explained the situation to them, the goblins immediately wanted to go after Dumbledore for everything he had. However, I begged them to hold off. At first, this surprised them; and they thought me weak. However, once I explained why, they were all for it and just as willing to go along with my plan.
"You see, I like to read muggle crime fiction. I'm a big fan of that genre. And one of the things I learned from reading those books is that, if you want to find out what happened to evidence, you 'follow the money trail'. I had the goblins hold off from acting by suggesting they wait for the next time Dumbledore accessed my accounts and made moves to steal yet more gold from me. And the goblins, through use of their own magics, placed tracking charms on the gold before it left their lands.
"From that they were able to track it. The monies went into quite a number of different accounts, both in the wizarding world and the muggle world. Most of it went into Dumbledore's private accounts he had set up using others to set them up for him. A very small amount went into the account of one Molly Weasley under her maiden name of Margaret Prewett. Another small amount went into a Barclays account - that's a muggle bank - under the name Vernon Dursley - that's my Uncle, who always claims I'm a financial burden on them. But, most of the rest of it goes to the same bank under the name 'White Bumblebee Enterprises'; 'Albus' is Latin for 'White' and 'Dumbledore' is an old-fashioned term for what is today known as a bumblebee. Therefore, 'White Bumblebee Enterprises' easily translates to 'Albus Dumbledore Enterprises'.
"While Harry, down there," said memory-Harry, gesturing to where real-Harry was still lounging, "Is trying to come up with ideas how to complete his task, the Goblins are currently in the process of recovering all the gold that has been stolen by Dumbledore from the Potter vaults. By the time they're finished, they assure me, Albus Dumbledore will be close to being completely broke and bankrupt. Plus, they're also recovering the money from both Vernon Dursley and Molly Weasley."
That had quite a few of the audience shocked to their very magical cores, and they could already tell Harry wasn't done yet.
"However, gold is not all Albus Dumbledore has stolen from the House of Potter," he continued. "He's also stolen family heirlooms and artefacts. These, too, the goblins are tracking down.
"And, finally, should Albus Dumbledore venture onto goblin soil before matters between he, the House of Potter and the goblins are resolved, he shall consider his life forfeit. The goblins are very much hoping to introduce old Albus to one of their security dragons - up close and personal like."
He laughed; cackled, really.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
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Again, Dumbledore groaned. That money was meant to be his retirement fund. He was planning on retiring as soon as he had vanquished Tom, for good.
He also knew that, once the goblins recovered all the money from his accounts he'd been carefully taking from the boy's, he'd be close to flat broke. His robes cost quite a lot. And that, once Molly learned of the money missing from her own maiden family account, she'd be coming after him with that screech she called a voice.
He really didn't know which would be worse.
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―==(oIo)==―
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"Moving on to third year. Dumbledore knew Sirius Black was innocent, he knew the school wards in his standard configuration for them would not keep the dementors out but did know he could easily adjust said wards so they couldn't come in, he knew Black knew about at least one of the secret tunnels under the wards and he knew Black would use at least one of them to come into the school. But, I do not know for sure if he knew Ron Weasley's pet rat, Scabbers, was actually the animagus form of Peter Pettigrew, or not," continued Memory-Harry, not in the least bit interested in Dumbledore's thoughts. "That's something for the DMLE to ask him.
"Now, for this year. The intent wards of Hogwarts are such that Albus Dumbledore is completely aware that the person pretending to be Professor Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody is, in fact, not. That person is actually Barty Crouch Junior under the effects of Polyjuice Potion. The reason why he is not dead is because his own father, who was Director of the DMLE at the time and is currently sitting among the judges, switched his son with his terminally-ill wife using - you might have guessed it, but I very much doubt it - Polyjuice Potion, to smuggle said son out of Azkaban."
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―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
From where she was sitting, Amelia heard the gasp and look of shocked terror that suddenly broke out on Barty Crouch Senior's face, and immediately stunned him as the man suddenly shot to his feet looking to flee.
Before she could say anything, Rufus Scrimgeour, who had returned to standing at her shoulder, said, "Magical suppression 'cuffs and portkeyed to a nice cell at the DMLE; yes, Ma'am."
Bones gave a slightly amused snort that her imminent order was quoted to her before she could utter it. She added, "And send someone to stun and arrest the fake Moody."
"Yes, Ma'am," nodded Scrimgeour as he sent another auror off to go and do just that as he moved towards Senior.
Her rising to extraordinary heights trust in the young Potter boy now had her not even questioning if he was wrong or not. Senior's reaction was more than enough to confirm it for her.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
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"Dumbledore was also aware my name was very likely to come out of the Goblet as a fourth competitor, or just as the representative competitor for Hogwarts," continued memory-Harry. "He knew it, because he knew Barty Junior, Polyjuiced as Alastor Moody, was very likely going to confound the Goblet to spit my name out. That's why he put up nothing more than a simple age line as the security for the Goblet.
"And, yes, Madam Bones, I have copies of each and every memory of those events," he said.
From in the stands, Madam Bones gave an almost snort-like grunt of acknowledgement.
Memory-Harry then seemed to give a sigh before he stood up straight and practically barked, "Right! That's the history lesson complete.
"And... it also marks the end of the entertainment."
Memory-Harry then turned to 'look' to where Real-Harry was still lounging back on the banana-lounge. "Alright, Harry..."
When Real-Harry didn't seem to notice Memory-Harry was supposedly now addressing him, Memory-Harry tried to 'gain his attention'. "Harry."
No response.
"Harry!"
Still no response.
"HARRY!"
Real-Harry almost jumped off the lounge in surprise before his head snapped to look at Memory-Harry. "Hunh?"
Memory-Harry smirked and said, "Your turn."
As if suddenly understanding, Real-Harry suddenly said, "Ah!"
The final memory winked out.
He quickly stood, tossing his novel into the ex-Army echelon bag. Then folded up the portable lounge, also stuffing that into the bag.
Once he was done, he then pulled the rack of empty vials out, deactivated the pensieve and began pulling the strands of memory out, dropping them into vials one at a time.
That took a few minutes.
Meanwhile, the audience - who still hadn't broken up and left - quietly sat and talked among themselves while keeping one eye on Harry as he worked.
Chapter 023
Once all the memories were removed from the pensieve he then packed both it and the plinth on which it stood into the bag. Finally, he dropped the rack of full-once-more vials on top before zipping the bag closed.
Then he stood up and looked around, as the audience returned to once more silently watching him.
With a cheeky grin, he then looked to blow on the tips of the fingers of his right hand before then rubbing his thumb over the balls of them. With a large overly done gesture to be sure everyone saw him do it he snapped his fingers. Instantly, the bag disappeared in a flash of white light.
He then drew his wand and pressed the tip of it to his jaw. "Sonorus."
Looking about with his cheeky grin he said, "I bet none of you have yet worked out how I'm doing that, have you?"
When he received no answer he gave a chuckle.
"Well, that was the entertainment for you while I sat and figured out how I was going to complete this task," he said, his voice again carrying across the arena. "I'd actually figured out a number of possible ideas by about halfway through it. But, I thought you might like to see the end of it before I shut it off.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
With everything now cleared away Harry stood tall and proud while smirking at the audience, but mainly at the VIP box.
"As you now know," he began. "I think most witches and wizards are... not just daft... but daft morons.
"So, in order to complete this task, I considered the straightforward approach first. I mean, the approach that should not work because it's so obvious."
Removing the wand tip from his jaw line he dropped it into his pocket, for the moment.
He then held his left hand, palm upwards and out to his side. Then he pointed his right index finger at it before, with the similar gesture as before, snapped his fingers.
With yet another flash of white light, the golden egg disappeared from the dragon's nest and appeared on his left palm, as if it apparated there.
Taking his wand out of his pocket again, he placed the tip back to his jaw and said, "Hunh! How about that? The organisers of this task were as big a bunch of daft morons as I thought.
"However, you all probably think I cheated or something to get the egg. So that you know I didn't, I'll put it back and try a different method."
Tucking his wand under his left armpit this time, he again snapped his fingers and the egg disappeared from his hand before immediately reappearing on the nest. The dragon didn't notice either the time it disappeared or the time it reappeared. It was still somewhat dozing.
Plucking his wand from under his arm he returned it to his jaw. "Let's try a simple fourth year charm."
He then aimed the wand towards the dragon's nest. "Accio golden egg!" he firmly intoned.
Nothing happened. Again, he used the Sonorus.
"Hunh!" he exclaimed. "Since the first idea worked I'd thought that one would too. Maybe wizard-kind aren't as daft as I thought.
"Let's try a switching charm. That's a third year Transfiguration charm." He bent down and picked up a pebble, holding it on the palm of his left hand, which he held palm up as when Dobby used elf magic to translocate the egg there a little earlier.
"Permuto!" he called, first indicating the egg before then indicating the pebble.
Surprising the audience but not surprising him so much, the egg suddenly appeared on his palm. Though, he did almost drop it when it did, as he truly did not expect it to work.
Returning the wand to his jaw he sighed, "Well, I had such high hopes I'd not be disappointed by the organisers of this event. Sadly, they've proven themselves to be daft, just like the rest."
Tucking the wand back under his left arm he again snapped his fingers. And, again, the egg appeared back in the nest; before returning the wand tip to his jaw.
"Well, that was a simple third year transfiguration charm," he sighed again. "Let's make it a little more difficult by seeing if using only first year charms will accomplish the task. Professor Flitwick taught us these in our first year."
With the pebble still on his palm he pointed to it with his wand and intoned, "Nomen Harry's Pebble. That's named it. Gluten! That's made it capable of sticking to the next object it touches. And... Wingardium Leviosa!"
With his wand guiding it, Harry levitated it down the length of the arena until he guided it to touching the very top of the egg.
As soon as he cancelled the charm the pebble dropped only a fraction of an inch before contacting the top of the egg, and affixed there.
With a smirk he again pointed his wand at the egg. But, this time, had his mind's eye firmly on the pebble, Harry's Pebble, that now stuck to the top of the egg.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he again intoned. And the pebble, with the egg firmly glued to it, levitated.
Then it was only a matter of using his wand to guide it, before he flew it slowly back to his hand.
As soon as he dropped it onto his palm he returned his wand-tip to his jaw. "Three first year charms," he said. "I find myself soooo disappointed. I actually thought this was supposed to be, and was going to be, a challenging event for seventh years. That even a first year could accomplish it - with little danger to themselves - is, quite frankly, disappointing."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
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More focussed on what he was doing than anything else, Harry had no idea the other three champions had been standing at the Champions' entrance to the arena, along with the dragon handlers, since before the first hour of his 'presentation' had even passed.
As Harry demonstrated how to accomplish the task with no more than first year charms Cedric Diggory, the supposed Hogwarts Champion, almost sulkily said, "He's making us look like idiots."
Durmstrang Champion Viktor Krum, muttered, "He's making everyvun look like idiots.".
"Non," sighed the Beauxbatons Champion and part-Veela, Fleur Delacour. "Ee's doing what we should 'ave thought of do-eeng. We made ourselfs look like ee-dee-ots."
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―==(oIo)==―
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Though not as disappointed as he professed to be, with his egg in his hand Harry was still a long moment before he said, "Still, as I now have my egg and all I need to complete the task is to step out of the enclosure, I should bid you, as they say in France, 'adieu'.
"However, that will not give you leave to harass me in any way, shape or form. I remind you that, even though a task will not then be under-way, interfering with me can still be viewed as interfering in the Tournament. And I will look very... poorly... on that.
"As I said at the beginning of my little presentation, I am no longer in a forgiving mood. Secondly, I've given you all ample evidence I am not the Harry Potter you thought me to be. As I no longer have to play a role, I will no longer do so. You have all been warned; and it is the only warning you're ever going to get."
Dropping his voice to an almost-snarl he declared, "It is time for you all to learn it is very unwise to... fuck with a Potter."
As Harry turned to walk back out of the arena with the egg tucked under his off-arm, he heard the voice of Madam Bones using a Sonorus.
"Mister Potter!" she called out.
Harry stopped and turned back, with his head cocked just so it was clear he was listening. "It's Lord Potter, now. After having been declared of-age, by being forced into this Tournament, I've taken up my Lordship."
"My apologies, Lord Potter. Please wait for me just outside the entrance to the arena," she instructed him. "I do not want to see you harm anyone as, like you, I think they just might be too stupid to take your threat seriously."
Harry gave a slight bow to her, knowing she said that as much to protect him as protect those who truly were too stupid to realise they were no longer dealing with the Harry Potter they thought they knew.
And, with that, he strode from the arena. He could see the five dragon handlers rush in while giving him strange looks; and the other three champions, plus Madam Pomfrey, waiting in the entrance for him.
"Lord Potter," called Madam Bones yet again. "You need to be awarded points."
Again stopping and turning to her, he again cast the Sonorus on himself and said, "No, I really don't. There's nothing in the rules of this Merlin-bedamned tournament that states I have to be here for any points awarded to me. And, further, since you've not figured it out yet, I really couldn't give a damn about points, anyway.
"If you feel I have to be awarded points, award me a single, solitary, one point each. After all, it did take me about three hours to accomplish my task; when the three real champions all did it in a few minutes, each."
And, with that, he strode from the arena.
Chapter 024
As Harry finally walked out of the arena, Amelia cancelled the Sonorus charm she'd been using to talk to him and turned to the judges. "You heard the young man, award him one point," she firmly ordered them. "And do that right now."
With the exception of Dumbledore and Crouch, as the judges collected themselves they each indicated a single point each.
When they were done, Amelia then said, "One point for you, Dumbledore." And fired off one point using Dumbledore's own wand. "And, one point for you, Crouch." And fired off another one.
As soon as that was done she firmly said, "Right! Albus Dumbledore, Bartemius Crouch Senior and Cornelius Fudge - you're all under arrest."
Scrimgeour smoothly said, "I believe Mister Crouch is still stunned unconscious, Madam Bones."
"Then tell him he's under arrest when you wake him up in his cell back at the DMLE," she firmly ordered. "In the meantime, I want the following taken into custody, if they're not already as they bloody well should be: Minerva McGonagall, Pomona Sprout, Severus Snape, Filius Flitwick, Poppy Pomfrey, Rubeus Hagrid and - of course - Barty Crouch Junior.
"Then, once we have them back at the DMLE, I want a team of three to go to Lord Potter's home, arrest the two Dursley adults and bring them back to the DMLE. Then send teams to arrest Lucius Malfoy and Molly Weasley.
"While you've sent teams off to do that, a want a team of no less than a dozen aurors sent back here to take charge of the students in the Great Hall. We've just taken into custody the entirety of the senior staff of the school and we need more responsible adults to keep an eye on them.
"Get that done now."
"Yes, Ma'am!" barked Scrimgeour.
"In the meantime, I need to get to Lord Potter and get those memories off him."
"Yes, Ma'am," replied Scrimgeour, a little softer.
As Scrimgeour indicated two other aurors he'd already called up to the VIP box to step forward and take those into custody who were already manacled but still there, Amelia stayed for only a moment to ensure Dumbledore was firmly under the effects of magical suppression 'cuffs and a reintroduced silencing charm before she quickly left the stand to head around to the champions' entrance.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
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As Harry headed for the entrance with his wand in his right hand and 'his' egg tucked under his left arm like he was carrying a rugby ball, he could see the looks on the faces of the other three champions. Their expressions were an interesting mix of awe, anger and not a little fear. Poppy Pomfrey had just moved up to stand with them.
Harry simply gave them all a nod before he stepped up next to them and watched the dragon wranglers remove the somewhat sleepy Hungarian Horntail out of the arena.
After a long few seconds Diggory softly said, "Merlin, Harry!"
"Not what you expected of me, was it?" Harry quietly asked back, not even bothering to look at his fellow Hogwarts student.
It was a long moment before Diggory replied, "No... it wasn't."
That seemed to break the tableau, when Krum asked, "Vhat made you fink uff using furst year charms, Mistur Potter?"
"Using the basics, because I've already come to realise just how daft magic users, in general, are," replied Harry. "I thought about, if I was responsible for organising this event, what would I need to block being used to force competitors to actually have to go and collect the egg by hand? Then thought, knowing how moronicly daft most witches and wizards truly are, actually trying them first. I'm quite disappointed, though not really surprised, that the only charm they seem to have blocked is a direct summoning charm - the 'Accio'."
It appeared Delacour was about to say something when Madam Pomfrey said, "Be that as it may, Mister Potter, I need you to come into the Infirmary tent to be checked over―"
"That is not going to happen, Poppy," interrupted Madam Bones, who had just come striding down from the competitors' tent, tailed closely by another auror. "I can assure you, the only thing Lord... not Mister... Potter may be suffering from is from being glared at by the audience. He went nowhere near the dragon."
"Nevertheless, it is my job―" huffed Pomfrey before she was again cut off by Bones.
"Not for the foreseeable future, it's not," disagreed Bones as she stepped in close. "Madam Persephone Pomfrey, while you are not under arrest at this time, I am taking you into custody while certain allegations are investigated."
"What?" asked a shocked Pomfrey.
"You're being taken into custody, Poppy," said Amelia. "While not being placed into magical suppression 'cuffs at this time, you'll be allowed to remain free of them if you follow the directions of Auror Fitzmichaels here." And indicated the young female auror who stood just behind her.
"What? Why?" asked a clearly shocked and somewhat fearful Pomfrey.
"Due to Lord Potter's... history lesson during his task," replied Amelia, "All those who were mentioned are being taken into custody until we know for sure they're not guilty, or otherwise involved in, what's been going on."
"I assure you―" blustered Pomfrey.
"... Of nothing, for now," interrupted Amelia, yet again. Without waiting for Pomfrey to say another word, she gestured for Fitzmichaels to take the witch into custody.
Stepping forward, reaching out and taking Pomfrey lightly by the elbow of her wand arm with her off hand, Fitzmichaels calmly said, "This way, please, Madam Pomfrey."
As a thoroughly confused Poppy Pomfrey was being led away, Amelia finally turned to Harry with a somewhat pained and exasperated expression on her face. Harry just grinned back.
"I believe you have something for me, Lord Potter," she reminded him.
"I do," he nodded, his expression turning serious. Glancing to the competitors' tent he indicated it and said, "Perhaps, if we duck into the tent?"
Giving her own nod she indicated for Harry to precede her. "After you, Lord Potter."
Harry gave a slight snort of amusement but led her over to the tent.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After first asking her if she'd figured out how he 'summoned' his 'bag of destruction', then sent it away again, all with a snap of his fingers; then doing the same thing with the egg; he sigh in disappointment at her when she couldn't figure it out.
"Madam Bones, I have given you all the clues you need," he began. "Firstly, the object I'm focussed on either appears or disappears in a flash of white light, only. Secondly, I snap my fingers. Thirdly, I do not utter an incantation or use a wand; so it is highly unlikely it is I who is casting a spell.
"Now, with that knowledge, think of what creatures do the same?"
When she glared at him with a mild look of frustration he finally relented and told her, "Was it too hard to figure out it was a house elf?"
She then looked back at him with dawning shock. So much, it caused her monocle to fall out of her eye and drop to her breast on the length of its thin gold chain.
As she was clearly embarrassed by the answer - after all, she had house elves of her own - Harry said, "Don't worry that you didn't figure it out. I doubt any one of those who watched me do it figured it out, either."
Chapter 025
She stared at him for another long moment before she gave a grunt, gave herself a bit of a shake of her head and said, "I want those memories."
Chuckling a little, Harry turned to look down to his left and called, "Dobby!"
With a very muted crack the devout little house elf appeared next to Harry's side. The elf was clearly very happy to have been called and was almost bouncing on his little feet in joy.
"It worked, Master Harry?" he asked.
Harry lightly laughed and replied, "It sure did, little buddy. Not one of them figured it out."
"Yes!" the little elf declared before he gave a little fist pump in the air.
Before things got out of hand, Harry gave the elf his instructions. "Dobby, I need you to bring me that rack of memories I had you sort for Madam Bones, plus the documented evidence of Dumbledore's monetary shenanigans the goblins gave me. She needs them."
Without a word, Dobby popped away only to return a few moments later with a large rack of vials, a thick sheaf of parchment and immediately offered it to Harry. This rack was far larger than the one he used in the arena. Each vial contained a strand of memory and was labelled with what the memory covered.
Offering it to the woman he said, "All sorted and labelled, Madam Bones."
Carefully taking it she looked through them before asking, "Lord Potter, could you have your elf put them on the desk in my office?"
"Of course," he replied, before turning to elf. "Dobby?"
"Yes, Master Harry," replied Dobby, before he disappeared with the documents and the rack.
When both had gone, she sighed and softly said, "I can't believe you used a house elf like that. And I don't believe I didn't realise that's what you were doing."
Harry gave a snort and said, "You, like pretty much everyone in the magical world, have 'house elf blindness'. They're always there, so you think nothing of them and the powers they wield. And you've forgotten that the wizarding anti-apparation wards of Hogwarts don't bother them in the slightest. Sorry to be so blunt about that; but, it's true."
She gave her own, more lady-like, snort and bobbed her head once in acknowledgement. "True. It is that obvious, we barely think about it."
"Anything else?" he asked. "I've just spent a few hours mainly sitting on my bum while being warily watched by the meanest breed of dragon of all, I didn't have much of a breakfast and I'm now quite famished. I'd like to go and eat; and, I daresay, you have a ton of work awaiting you in your office."
"My Masters and Seniors can handle the initial interrogations and investigations," she replied. "Besides, I haven't had a chance to talk to my niece yet." Then she grinned and almost coyly asked, "Care to escort an old lady up to the Great Hall?"
With a grin of his own, Harry offered his elbow and replied, "I'd be honoured, my lady. And I don't consider you old."
And the two left the tent to head up to the castle.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
As soon as they exited the tent it was to see a great mass of people waiting outside. Clearly, they were all waiting for him. They'd also just as clearly been blocked from entering by two aurors who'd been standing, facing out, just outside the tent flaps.
Madam Bones immediately stepped in front of Harry and glared at the lot of them. "Unless you have specific business with me," she said, "I expect the lot of you to leave, immediately."
That had almost all of them show various expressions ranging from surprise to happiness to hate. But, with the exception of a few, they all began to disperse. Most of them were students and they headed for the castle.
Turning to one of the aurors who'd blocked the entrance, this one a witch, Madam Bones said to her, "Be between us and those students. Make sure they don't stop before they enter the castle."
"Yes, Ma'am," nodded the auror before she moved ahead and started chivvying the stragglers ahead of her.
That left about half a dozen still waiting. These included: Rita Skeeter and her photographer, who was busy snapping photos; but were now both holding back; Karkaroff and Maxime, the Highmaster and Headmistress of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, respectively; and Hermione and Ron.
Ron looked angry and Hermione looked worried.
Eventually, Hermione's patience wore out and she dashed to Harry to wrap him in a hug. "Oh, Harry!" she cried. "What you had to go through with those horrid Dursleys! You should have told us! We'd have understood.
"And... what the Headmaster was doing... I'm glad Madam Bones's people arrested him and took him away. I can't believe I was in awe of that man!"
To stop what he knew was quickly turning into Hermione-babble he placed a vertically-held finger to her lips and made shushing sounds. "Shhh! Hermione, stop."
When she seemed to stop and backed off with a bit of a frown, he said, "I couldn't tell you. While Dumbledore's attempts at obliviations failed on me, they would have worked against you. And I didn't want to see you lose your memories."
Chapter 026
Finally Ron had also had enough and he came almost stomping over. "You just had to get the Headmaster arrested, didn't you?" he snarled. "And McGonagall!"
As he approached, Harry pushed Hermione away slightly and out of the path of Weasley, then changed hands with his egg to his left hand. As soon as the boy was close enough, Harry simply balled his right hand into a fist next to his hip and slugged him one with a right cross, right in the jaw. It was enough to set Weasley on his bum.
As Weasley went down with a half strangled yelp, Madam Bones quickly stepped in and berated him; "Lord Potter!"
"Sorry, Madam Bones," he replied, not in the least contrite. "But the little shit richly deserved it."
"Be that as it may, Lord Potter," she returned. "I cannot, however, let go the fact you assaulted that boy." She seemed to pause for a moment before she said, "As the boy is otherwise not harmed, I shall consider your assault a case of 'Simple Assault' and fine you a total of ten galleons. Expect to receive a fine by owl mail within the next seven days."
"Understood," he replied with a nod.
Meanwhile, Weasley continued to sit on his bum on the grass, one hand on the ground behind him for balance while he rubbed his jaw with the other. He was looking at the two talking, with shock.
"He hit me!" he suddenly blurted.
Finally turning her attention to Weasley, Amelia said, "Yes, I saw. That's why I've fined him ten galleons."
"Though I can certainly understand why you hit him, Harry," said Hermione. "It was still wrong to do so."
"Yes, thank you, Hermione," nodded Harry, barely glancing to her. "As you heard, Madam Bones was just getting through telling me that. As she is the Director of the DMLE and it's her job to do so, I didn't need you to tell me, too."
Hermione blushed in embarrassment but didn't offer another word. She knew Harry's words were a mild rebuke.
"Now, Lord Potter," said Amelia, getting things back on track. "I believe you were escorting me to the Great Hall."
"Yes, I was," said Harry, moving back alongside her and once more offering her elbow.
As the two headed for the castle, Hermione broke out of her shock and embarrassment and hurried to catch up.
It was a good few seconds before Weasley realised he was getting left behind and scrambled to his feet and stormed after the three of them.
"Bloody Potter," he grumbled, though he did keep his distance, this time.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Upon walking into the Great Hall, the first thing Harry noticed was the distinct lack of teaching staff. Of course, the first thing Amelia noticed was her niece rising from the middle of the Hufflepuff table and heading towards her with a puzzled smile on her face. And both noticed how quiet the population of the Hall got as they'd walked in. All eyes were directed towards the two of them.
"Well, that's unusual," muttered Amelia, as she moved to hug her niece.
"I think it'd be safe to say that everything about this day is unusual," said Harry.
She smiled back at him over her niece's shoulder as she hugged her.
Susan piped up and said, "I'm so sorry for how everyone's treated you, Harry. It's clear to everyone now you didn't put your name in the Goblet."
Harry just gave a nod back and then moved to the Gryffindor table, sitting at the end as he'd been doing since the morning after his name came out of the Goblet. Hermione sat with him, just as she also had since that same morning.
As they sat, Amelia was walking to the head table to speak with the few remaining members of staff, while also talking with her niece who'd accompanied her. As she had informed him during their walk up to the castle, none of the senior staff members remained at the castle for the foreseeable short future. With the exception of History of Magic and Astronomy, all other teaching staff were teachers of elective subjects; and History of Magic didn't count as Cuthbert Binns was a ghost. And that made Aurora Sinistra, though one of the youngest Professors, still one of the most senior in authority still remaining.
As Hermione sat she asked, "Are you now going to tell me what's going on?"
"No," he replied. "At least, nothing further than what you learned during the task."
She looked a little hurt at that response.
"Sorry, Hermione," he quietly said. "But, this is all now a DMLE investigation. It'd be best if you remained ignorant of anything else, for the time being. If I remember correctly, I'm not allowed to talk about it anyway."
She gave a combined annoyed and disappointed sigh before she lowered her eyes and nodded back.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Hermione," he said to soothe her. "But there are certain requirements of a DMLE investigation that are ironclad. And witnesses colluding with one another is a big no-no."
Her eyes snapped up to stare at him in shock. "We would never―"
"I know," he said. "However, even the possibility of that is enough to constrain the both of us from talking about the information I brought to light during the task.
"That doesn't mean we can't talk about anything else, though. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Oh," she said in understanding. She seemed to think for a few moments before she asked, "So, your egg? What's that about?"
Giving a nod and smile back, he replied, "According to that idiot, Bagman, it's supposed to contain a clue to the second task. That is, of course, if there actually is going to be a second task."
Confused, she asked, "Whatever do you mean?"
"Hermione, look around you," he replied. "How many of Hogwarts's staff weren't arrested... sorry, 'taken into custody'... by Madam Bones's aurors.
"Think about it," he said as he held up his hand with his fingers spread. Then he started counting off, "They've effectively arrested the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore; the Deputy Headmistress, Transfiguration Mistress and Head of Gryffindor House, Minerva McGonagall; the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House, Severus Snape; the Charms Master and Head of Ravenclaw House, Filius Flitwick; the Herbology Mistress and Head of Hufflepuff House, Pomona Sprout; Professor of Care of Magical Creatures and Keeper of the Keys, Rubeus Hagrid; and the school healer, Poppy Pomfrey.
"Besides Poppy Pomfrey, because she wasn't involved, and besides everything else they've been a party to, the rest are all in trouble for what I showed regarding the traps on the third floor corridor when the Philosopher's Stone was here; and probably a bit about second and third year, too. All of them are just as guilty as the others for deliberately endangering the students of the castle at that time. Madam Bones's people will be wanting to talk to them about that. Of course for some of them, such as Dumbledore and McGonagall, there's a great deal more of which I made clear Madam Bones and her people are going to want to know about. That includes Poppy Pomfrey."
Hermione looked horrified and was about to ask her next question when Madam Bones and her niece separated, with Susan returning to her table, and stepped up to the podium. "Listen up!" she barked.