Chapter- 7 : Fate Part - 7

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And then it came to him. Hadn't Professor Dumbledore warned Fudge that this very thing might happen during that unpleasant day in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts, back near the end of June?

Was the Minister still so prepared to ignore the truth as he was back then? All current evidence pointed to the answer to that question being a resolute "yes" but Harry knew that he had to try.

Turning his attention back on Fudge, Harry said "There is one other, of course, who could have ordered those Dementors to attack me in Little Whinging."

Fudge caught on to exactly what Harry was getting at and replied "He's not back."

Harry scowled "Still ignoring everything that the Headmaster told you back in June, Minister? Are you still so determined to ignore the fact that your perfect little world is in danger once again?"

Silence greeted this. Harry could not help but notice that Fudge, the toad-lady and several other members of the Wizengamot looked triumphant now.

Not the reaction he was expecting.

Madam Bones leaned forward slightly in her seat and spoke "Mr Potter, Albus Dumbledore withdrew his statements regarding the alleged return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named a month ago."

Harry stared back up at her feeling stunned. "Withdrew his statements?" Did that mean Dumbledore had reason to believe that he, Harry, was not telling the truth? But that was preposterous. Dumbledore had questioned the Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. himself, under the influence of truth serum. It just did not make any sense.

"Or does it?" asked a voice from somewhere in the back of Harry's mind. Harry blinked at the question, and thought on it. Dumbledore had changed his mind and withdrawn all his comments regarding the return of Lord Voldemort. Why? The answer to that hit Harry like a ton of bricks. Obviously Dumbledore stood to gain somehow if he kept quiet on the subject. Perhaps Fudge had bullied the rest of the Wizengamot into threatening to force Dumbledore out of his Chief Warlock post is he didn't stop. Apparently Dumbledore had done so, but why hadn't he informed Harry?

"So you can take the fall." replied the voice in the back of his mind.

"Why?" Harry wondered.

"Because by detaching himself from you, he will look better in the eyes of the Ministry." the voice said.

And suddenly it all made sense: the lack of contact with people he knew, the lack of news, no one showing up to help him today; it was probably all done upon Dumbledore's orders to keep himself looking good to those in power. And those who were watching him at Privet Drive were doing so, not for his safety, but to make sure he didn't do anything that would make Dumbledore look bad. They were probably checking to make sure he didn't send a letter to the Daily Prophet or something; they sure as hell hadn't been of any use to him when he was attacked!

Harry looked up at the hundred or so faces before him and saw that every single one was watching him intently. And Harry came to the sudden realisation that if he wanted to keep his wand in one piece, he would need a change in tactics.

One method immediately sprang to mind, but the question was whether or not he could do it.

"A very Slytherin plan." the voice noted.

Harry would normally have shied away from anything that might associate him with the Slytherin House of Hogwarts, but acting like a Gryffindor had gotten him nowhere. It was time to let his Slytherin side out to play.

Slowly he stood from his seat and stepped forward before bowing low to the Wizengamot and saying "My sincere apologies. It appears that the plans have been changed and that Dumbledore did not see fit to inform me of the situation."

The murmur of the Wizengamot grew loud very fast following that statement, and Harry was pleased to see that Fudge looked positively overjoyed at his "divulgence."

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