Chapter 223: Much to the Minister's Disappointment

Disclaimer: 

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 223: Much to the Minister's Disappointment

"That could not have been just a Patronus, Mister Potter. There had to be more to it," the Minister insisted.

Harry could feel the suspicious glances from everyone in the room. But he cared little for that right now. They will have to take whatever answer he gives them.

"The light, people have described it to us. It appears too strong for a simple Patronus," Dawlish commented.

Lord Parkinson also wanted to know more. But Harry not giving the Minister any satisfactory answer was going to be good for him in the end, so he remained silent.

"I never said it was a simple one. You can put a lot of extra magic when creating the Patronus. It's not just about positive emotions. You can also change its size and shape," Harry explained.

"That should not be possible. The Patronus shape is determined b-"

Harry's wand was ejected from its holster and appeared in his hand. "Expecto Patronum!" A flash of light was shot out of his wand, startling the three men in the process.

Dawlish had also called his wand by pure instinct after the sudden spell being cast.

Lord Parkinson's eyes had become a lot sharper, and his hand was already inside his robes.

And the Minister spilled all the tea after kicking the table during his moment of shock.

"Sorry about that…I thought that a demonstration would be quicker." Harry extended his left hand, and a small white bird landed on it.

"The witness claimed to have seen something resembling a deer or a stag," Dawlish observed the little bird with attention.

"As I said before…I can change the shape and size of my Patronus."

"Is that an eagle?" The Minister asked.

"It's an owl…her name is Hedwig," Harry answered.

"She is beautiful," Lily got her face closer to see it better.

"She was…" Harry said softly.

"Albus," the Minister addressed the Headmaster. "How come we haven't heard anything about such a talented student before?"

"We like to give our students their privacy. If fame is what they want…then it is up to them to search for it," Dumbledore glanced at Harry. 

"Mister Potter here…he values his privacy."

Fudge frowned. "And what about the Boy Who Lived? How is he doing? I heard many rumors about him having some incredible dormant powers or something. How is that going?..." 

'Maybe I can at least bring some positive news about that boy instead.' 

The Minister had to admit that he expected more from Longbottom. Had he been more brilliant, he could use him to further his career.

"Still dormant I'm afraid…" Dumbledore said.

The Minister clenched his teeth and cursed something to himself.

"Well…for my part, I have found Harry's answer satisfactory," Dawlish looked at his side. "Minister?..."

"Eh?...ah, yes…quite satisfactory," the Minister said. He didn't truly believe that…so far, he had found nothing that could help him. Perhaps, if he could trade something for that Potter Family spell…but currently, the Minister had not much gold to offer.

Since Malfoy's death, his pockets have been a lot emptier. He gets some 'donations' from Parkinson and a few other Lords, of course. But they are nowhere near as rich as Malfoy had been.

"If there is nothing else to discuss…shall we end it here?" Lord Parkinson suggested.

The Minister threw him a nasty glare. How can he say that? They needed to get something… "Oh, wait. There is a very important detail missing. Perhaps, Mister Potter can clarify it for us…what happened to the dementors?"

"They must have flown away. What other explanation is there?" Dawlish concluded. After all, it is a known fact that dementors are impossible to kill. No matter how potent Harry's Patronus had been, it would not have destroyed them.

"Yes..but where? They all claimed to have seen those creatures…disappear. Where did they go, Mister Potter?" the Minister asked. At this point, his best chance was to at least, find those dementors.

He had already checked with the guards stationed at Azkaban, so he was sure they did not come from the prison.

But the Ministry had claimed repeatedly, to have full control over the dementor population.

The Minister himself had, very recently, stood before several reporters and sworn to them that everything was under control, once some rumors about dementors sneaking into nearby villages in order to feed on the muggles. 'They are going to say it was my fault now!' He cursed.

Then…glanced at the young boy with expectant eyes. "So, Mister Potter…where did they go?"

"I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you there, Minister. I only saw them ascending higher into the air...I did not see where they went after that," Harry told him. There was no way he could explain they were dead. And yes, he knew this was going to make the Minister look bad, but for the most part, Minister Fudge was really good at doing that by himself.

"I see…" He said with disappointment. But then he looked at Dumbledore. "And where were you during all this commotion?"

"I was making sure the rest of the students were able to evacuate the premises safely. " The Headmaster glanced at Harry. "When I saw Mister Potter's powerful Patronus, I knew that no further action was going to be required to force the dementors away from the field." The old man's eyes became sharp as he moved them back to the Minister. "Are you looking for someone to take the blame, Cornelius?"

The Minister became flushed. That was exactly what he was doing. "I am not doing such a thing!" He then stood up. "Let's go, this meeting is over." 

He gave Harry and his mother a polite nod. "Mister Potter, Lady Potter…it was a pleasure to meet you."

Dawlish and Lord Parkinson also stood up.

Lord Parkinson left right behind the Minister without saying a word. The auror glanced at them. "Well then… I'll take my leave. I'm sorry about the bother, Lily. You know how those things are…Ill inform James that everything went well."

"Is okay. Thank you, John," said Lily.

Once the door closed, Lily spoke again.

"Was any of that true?" She asked him.

"Some of it was," Harry said.

"The second spell…those chains gave out a similar feeling to a Patronus," said Dumbledore. "Did you create a variation?"

"Expecto Custodia. It uses the same principle, different forming. I can write it down for you," Harry offered the Headmaster.

The Headmaster chuckled. "This old man has learned enough already, but I appreciate the offer. You should, however, remember to pass down your knowledge for future generations…it would be a shame if all of that wonderful magic got lost…after all, no one lives forever."

"I'll keep it in mind…" Harry said. 

"Hey, my son is still young. He is not going anywhere. He can pass everything down to my grandchildren. Isn't that right?" Lily told him with a warm grin on her face.

"Of course." He hated lying to her.

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