Chapter- 24 : Desperation Part - 6

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Sacrifice.

Was that what he was doing?

He was angry, yes; he had every right to be. But there was a line he had never and would never cross and that one word made him wonder if he was about to.

Sacrifice.

Sod the Order and Voldemort and the Ministry all to eternal damnation, but he couldn't.

He slumped in his chair in defeat and hid his head in his hands

"So what would you have me do?" he asked, suddenly so very tired. "Am I to let them just go free, for the greater good?"

"Of course not," she said, disgusted and he perked up a little. "You did what you should have and alerted the Aurors. Doing so through me is unconventional, but acceptable in this case. If they have broken the law then we'll throw the book at them. That is how the system works."

Harry frowned. "But you just said-"

"When we do so, however," she interrupted, "is critical in this instance. With You-Know-Who terrorising the country once more we have bigger fish to fry."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, regaining her equilibrium. "I would propose that we postpone the pursuit of legal action until the Dark Lord and his followers are captured or killed. Would that be acceptable to you?"

Harry exhaled heavily. Part of him wanted the Order to burn in the fiery pits of hell, but he couldn't deny that he wanted Voldemort and his flunkies to do the same. Did it really matter which set preceded the other?

"Your word," he said softly as he held her eyes. "I want your world that you'll not let this be swept under the rug if I agree to hold off for now."

She nodded solemnly. "You have it."

Harry collapsed in his chair, his head reeling with all the sodding changes in his life. "So what do I do now," he asked, completely at a loss.

Madam Bones shrugged. "I'll do some quick research about your rights and circumstances, but I advise you to be careful and lay low while I do so."

Wordlessly Harry gestured for her to continue.

"Like I said, an argument could be made that you are not a conventional human, or at least don't have the rights of one. Are you familiar with laws pertaining to beings and creatures?"

"Only that they're prejudiced," he muttered as he let his head loll back, already feeling where this was going.

"That is one way to describe them," she allowed. "It would be best if you did not fall afoul of them."

"Fantastic," he muttered.

For a few minutes the pair of them sat in silence, each pondering the boatload of information they had just received.

Harry was the first to break it. "What about the little stuff? For example, I have an Apparition Licence back home."

"Well that one isn't valid here," she said apologetically. "You'll have to apply for a new one. Which you can't because you're not actually a British citizen."

He let out a thouroughly frustrated whine. "What if I break the law? Aren't you supposed to contact my home country in such a case? Pretty tough when I have none available."

She rolled her eyes at his petulant behaviour. "You would make a horrible barrister. As a counterargument I could posit that the Veil is a valid method of extradition in your case."

Harry exhaled loudly. "So presumably I have no legal rights, no resources and no home."

"I'll try to find exactly what laws apply to you," she said kindly. "If you're staying here then you'll need at least British citizenship, though I'll have to look up how to apply for it as you're a special case. In return, however, if you remember anything else I want you to let me know immediately."

She smirked. "The Aurors may be understaffed and underfunded but with advance notice of attacks we can make what little we have count."

Harry gave a brisk nod. He was probably going to do that anyway. It was a relief, actually, to be able to hand off responsibility of his knowledge to the woman. A measure of revenge for all those killed on his own world, as it were.

For a moment he considered spilling the Horcrux secret. Doing so would absolve him of any and all responsibility, but he was reluctant. It was clear Madam Bones would follow the letter of the law and probably involve others. And nothing ever stayed secret in the Ministry.

While he didn't want to fight Voldemort again and had no plans to do so, he didn't feel like helping the blighter either. Giving him advance notice and the opportunity to hide his soul pieces in different places would do exactly that.

When Harry didn't offer any more information Madam Bones stood, once more wincing and gripping her side. "Either way, I thank you for helping save my life, and possibly a whole host of others."

Recognising the dismissal Harry nodded to her and made to leave. Getting the Order their just desserts was more complicated than it first appeared. But, it would seem he did finally make an ally in this world.

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If you're eager to delve deeper into the story, consider joining my Patreon for exclusive content and early access to new chapters

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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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