15. Domination

— Clara POV —

The next double period, after lunch, was potions, where I saw Professor Snape for the first time, though I had read about his accomplishments on potions in various journals. He started with a grand introduction of himself and his choice of career, potions, which boiled down to: „I can teach you everything you need to know, if you put in a lot of effort", which already foreshadowed his teaching style, which wasn't really as bad as rumors said. Though I was apparently the only one who thought that. In potions, contrary to transfiguration, we instantly started with a practical lesson, the cure for boils potion, which wasn't much harder than cooking, but still. Luna and I had already decided to partner beforehand, which we also promptly did. Everything went really well, for the whole class, until something happened.

You see, I sat in the far left corner of the room and while I didn't know if he started or ended with me, Professor Snape tried a legilimency probe if not really just blatant mind rape on me, which started with two probing attacks, which didn't give him anything about me, not even the strength of my mind arts, until after another five minutes, shortly after Luna and I had bottled our „adequate" potion, he tried a third time, this time starting with a lot more strength, which still didn't bring him anything in anyway, after which he apparently decided to just try a full on brute force of my minds defenses, which ended badly, as he just barely made it to the first counterattack part of my mind's defenses.

What followed was an enraged Dumbledore, a lot of bureaucracy, blatant disregard for most laws and a screaming and probably braindead Professor Snape. The whole process looked something like this: Professor Snape collapsed, everyone started panicking, multiple cauldrons exploded, everyone left the room and at least some had the great idea to save Professor Snape's life or well, what was left of it. Afterwards came Dumbledore, sprinting down the hall, probably alerted by the wards, with Poppy coming in a few minutes later, alerted by the headmaster himself I would guess, though I didn't know how. Afterwards a lot of interrogation and questioning happened, where I also played just another victim. That act was dispelled, the moment Dumbledore sent out a legilimency probe, which only three resisted and apparently the other two also not completely, as I was singled out after that.

What followed was an hour of Dumbledore talking, trying to coax me into answering his questions, which he failed, as I just kept my mouth shut, though I could see why he was such a good politic. After that, luckily, Henry came, notified by who I assumed were either of the Professor Ollivander's, though with a lot of resistance from Dumbledore, though the wards still gave him access, no doubt the work of Hogwarts itself, I could see that on Dumbledores panicked face, the moment the wards slipped out of his grasps. The next hour was spent arguing between Henry and Dumbledore, with what right he was interrogating me and him bullheadedly denying it.

After that clown show was over, I just sat there, next to Henry, while Dumbledore was floocalling someone, probably some ministry clerk for the aurors, if I had to take a guess. Henry and I had a short mental conversion, about what exactly happened, but nothing more, I wanted nothing more, expect it being over already. A few minutes later, which was honestly a pathetic response time for magical law enforcement, multiple aurors came through, before someone I already knew came though, they made the mistake of holding me at wand point. Nothin really happened in the end, but out of nothingness, no sound, no turbulence, Andy just appeared next to me, standing there with a cone of ice near his mouth, looking as perplexed as everyone else in the room, before starting to curse about god knows what, ok let us be honest, about me and my weird luck/life, though luckily no one fired a spell this time around. A little bit later also came a stressed looking Mad-Eye, practically running through the floo, apparently having heard my name in passing, before rushing to help, the aurors mind you, as he was afraid it wouldn't end very well, if a fight broke out.

Breathing in and out a few times, still gasping for breath, in his normal voice shouted: „Wands down, now!" Which was shortly followed by someone else saying: „Keep your damn wands up!", though I didn't know who that person was. Afterwards came another clown show, lucky me, two at the same day!While they argued, I also realized who the other auror was, apparently someone named Rufus Scrimgeour, which was quite a handful. Later, after only those two were left of the aurors, the others having been sent back, I also learnt that he apparently was head auror, though for that his conduct was kind of unfitting.

That storm cooled down pretty quickly though, as afterwards the head auror demanded my wand, which I promptly ignored before giving my wand as well as staff to Andy, before speaking for the first time: „You are free to cast a few identification spells and similars on them, but they won't leave Andys possession. Mad-Eye, if you would be so kind as do do it, I trust you tremendously more than that man." A weird silence followed, before Mad-Eye started right into an in depth analysis of who that wand and staff belong to, what spells were cast and what their approximate effect was. The head auror though, still demanded the foci and even tried to take them forcefully, though that had an abrupt stop, as a small invisible wind blade cut minimally into his skin, letting exactly one drop of blood flow out, clear enough for anyone to see. „I wouldn't do that if I were you. That man's and her family are probably the one thing you should personally fear and if not you should at least fear them for their capability of destroying the whole ministry in seconds, if they really wanted to." mumbled Mad-Eye, barely perceptible to everyone in the room while still tirelessly casting spells onto my staff, murmuring and cursing about some things I hadn't yet studied, while also looking very intrigued. In the end I was still escorted to a ministry interrogation room by five out of six men in that office. The first thing I did, was demand to have my lawyer present. Only problem that I knew no one, though I had read about a lawyer called Ted Tonks, who made a few waves these last few years. It cost a few galleons and needed a few hours to contact, but the next morning I had a meeting with him.

I just meditated the whole time, which apparently made the aurors watching me through the mirror uncomfortable, which I could live with. I am also very proud of me, that I had no panic attack this whole time. The moment Mr. Tonks entered the room, I also stood up, while shaking his offered hand: „I am Ted Tonks, you can call me Ted though and while your protectors, if that is the right word, have already told me your name, I would also like to hear it from you together with an acceptance of me being your lawyer. That, I promptly gave him: „I am Clara Ali Ollivander, twelfth years old and I accept you as my laywer and thank you for your time." To which he just nodded, before waving his wand a few times, searching for any observation tools and also making the two-way-mirror see through, so that we could see if someone was in that room.

„So, now that the standard stuff is out of the way, what can I do for you?", he said with a slight frown on his lips. „I made Professor Snape braindead, a human vegetable if you will, as an automatic response to a legilimency brute force he sent my way.", I said while looking at him, for any and all reactions. And I was not disappointed. He went stiff, slack jawed trying to process, what I had told him, before gathering himself and asking: „Pardon, but I would like a detailed elaboration of that if you don't mind."

My response was the simple statement: „I am a mind arts guild certified master, though I made that assessment in the USA, so it has little influence here, about a year ago and naturally my mind's defenses are up to the task. I felt him probing lightly two times, which were a pathetic use of legilimency and a third, quite a lot stronger but just as pathetic attack, before he tried a brute force on my mind, which barely brought him behind my first line of defense and also into the range of the first counterattacking defenses, which ended with him braindead of the floor, a lot of cauldrons exploding and a life debt from him to the student who had the foresight to drag him out of the classroom, for all that is worth."

„Ok, we would probably need that certificate, which I am sure I can request with your approval, though it might take a while to arrive. But still, why exactly are you here?"

„I refused to answer Dumbledores questions, which were more than insensible, then he called the aurors, which brought me here after a lot of internal strife between the head auror and Mad-Eye, want me to just show you all that? I would need your permission though", I proposed.

„Why would you need my permission? I can just get the pensieve of th…"

„Oh please, just give me your permission. Pensieves are an affront to any master of the mind arts, you would do good to remember that." After which, after a short pondering, he agreed, giving me permission.

„So, you want to come out or want me to come int?", I asked him, this time while standing before his mental shields, after which he stepped out of his shields, which parted away before his figure: „I must say, those defenses are damn impressive for someone without the gift or talent for any of the mind arts."

That statement was followed by quite a long pause, before I realized: „Oh, you can't speak, can you? Should I just show you?" I received an affirmative nod/response from him, after which I just played the memories of that day, like you would see in a theater or cinema. At some point I realized I had even created the exact replica of a cinema around the projecting, after which I materialized a huge bucket of popcorn next to both of us, before slowly munching away, while Ted looked at those memories. A while I could also see Ted begin to panic, to which I just said: „Time runs differently here, you don't need to think about that", after which Ted visibly relaxed. The ratio was at the moment at 1:20, that didn't mean though, that it is not taxing to activate.

Once Ted was finished watching most of my memories, I just didn't think it necessary to show me meditating for ten hours or so, I needed to wait less than six seconds, before he asked: „Why didn't you tell the aurors or even better show them exactly that?"

"You do know this country's view on the mind arts, don't you? If I really let them view my memories, they would just say I fabricated them, I also was in my full right to defend myself, I didn't even actively counter, so I have no reason to explain anything to anyone beyond that, though I am also a bit paranoid, nearly on the level of Mad-Eye himself", I answered, chuckling at the last part: „I even heard that the wizengamot thinks you can fake oaths through that, which is the most ridiculous thing I have heard in a while. Currently even the oldest mages alive cannot cheat magic out of what is due. There are in fact many texts openly available of such instances, even for the general public. I guess the reason why they think it is possible, is that they mistake loopholes as malfunction of the oath. It is like swearing on your magic, that everything I said about Wednesday is the truth, but I could talk about a different Wednesday than everyone else in the room. That is just frustrating, don't you think so?"

„So, skipping all that useful trivia, you are basically a minor, certified master of the mind arts, who's passive shield defended against a legilimency probe and therefore were just acting in an attempt of self-defense? I can certainly work with that", he said before leaving the room.