Saturday, June 29th, 1994
Harry stepped out of his new bedroom and crossed the hallway, then entered his father's old study. His eyes widened as he looked around the room. It didn't take long at all to find the House Potter Family Tree. The wallpaper around the room was the Family Tree. It reminded him the the Black Family Tapestry at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, and he wondered if this was the norm in the wizarding world.
Like the tapestry at Grimmauld Place, the facial caricatures of his ancestors were imprinted into the fabric of the wallpaper, and several of them were animated. To his left, the Tapestry started at the beginning of the Family Tree, with the Peverell family, then skipped three generations when the great-granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell – one of the legendary Three Brothers – married a Potter. The tapestry wrapped around the entire room, ending on the wall to Harry's right, leaving a big blank space for future family.
Harry walked over to the wall which highlighted the last of the Potters. He found a picture of his grandfather, Charlus Potter. Charlus was a handsome man, and Harry could see the resemblance between Charlus and himself. A line extended left to Dorea Potter ('nee Black) and branched downward to Harry's father James. Another line extended left showing a picture of his mother, Lily. Below his parents, Harry found a picture of himself, almost a mirror reflection staring back at him. And floating in her own little space nearby was a picture of Hermione, with her own parents, branched above her – honorary members of the House of Potter, at least until Harry married Hermione, then they would be officially family. The thought made Harry feel warm inside.
"The pictures are self-updating," Harry realized out loud.
"Harry?" Hermione's voice rang out, as she stepped into the room, "There you are. Wow! This is amazing!"
"Look at this, Hermione," Harry said; Hermione walked over to him and he pointed at their pictures. "The pictures update by themselves."
"Yeah," Hermione said, "I bet they update every birthday. It is a good thing there is all this space left. What with how many wives you'll be taking on."
"Yeah," Harry said; he turned and looked around the room. "Hmm... if I was a safe, where would I be?"
"Well," Hermione said, as she looked around, "There's no portraits for it to hide behind. How about the bookshelf?"
Harry nodded and walked over to the bookshelf behind a large mahogany desk, complete with a comfortable-looking black leather chair. He found a book-end, and tugged on it, but it refused to budge. He tried the three others on the shelf but nothing happened.
"Well, it isn't the same as the study on the first floor," Harry said.
Hermione walked over to the bookshelf, and ran a finger across the books, then stopped on a particular one: The King James Bible.
"'King James'," she said, "I could imagine your father liking that. Strange, though. I never thought of wizards as very religious people. I wonder..."
She took the book from the shelf, but nothing happened. Hermione shrugged and opened it. Suddenly, Harry jumped back as, below him, a section of the floor moved, revealing a steel door of a safe, its face upwards. Harry bent down on his knees and studied it. He expected to find a lock that required his Signet Ring to open it, and was therefore surprised when he found a rolling lock with four digits, numbered one to ten.
"Four numbers," Harry said, "What do you think? My birthday? Dad's birthday?"
"Too obvious," Hermione said, "Hmm... I think it is in this book."
She proceeded to turn through pages for a full minute, before she stopped.
"I do believe I found it," Hermione said, "Book of Matthew, Chapter 27, verses 9 and 10. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me."
"The Potter's Field," Harry echoed.
"Sounds like something your father might like," Hermione said, "Try 2-7-1-0."
Harry did as was instructed, and he grinned as he heard a mechanical sound and opened the safe's door.
"You are absolutely brilliant, Hermione," he said.
Hermione blushed and smiled. Harry looked down into the safe and reached into it. He pulled out a thick, hard-leather book and looked at it. He smiled when he saw the Potter crest etched into the leather on the front of the book.
"This is it, Hermione," Harry said, as he ran his fingers over the crest, "The Potter Family Grimoire."
"There must be hundreds of pages in there!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Yes, I'll give you permission to look at it," Harry said.
"Oh, no, you shouldn't!" Hermione said, "That is for a Potter's eyes only."
"Really?" Harry asked, with a smirk, "You don't think my father ever let his friends look at it? Besides, in a few years, you will be a Potter. I'm sure my father and grandfather would not mind."
"Well, alright," Hermione said, "There must be a lot of good knowledge in there. Spells that your family created over the decades and centuries! Stories over the years, about your family."
"It will be a good read, that's for sure," Harry said.
He set the book aside and reached back into the safe. But he found nothing else inside.
"If there was anything else, Dad must have removed it," Harry said, "Decided to leave the Grimoire just to be safe. Hmm... once I sort through my trunk, I think I'll put the Elder Wand and Resurrection Stone in here."
"Won't you need the Wand in the graveyard?" Hermione asked. "Your own wand doesn't work against his."
"Yeah, but that isn't for another year," Harry said, "Just less than a year actually. I think it would be best to keep them in here, away from the Cloak. I'm not exactly sure what they'll do whilst in the vicinity of each other."
"I don't think I want to know," Hermione said.
Harry nodded in agreement, and closed the safe. Hermione returned the Bible to the bookshelf, and the floor returned to its normal position, hiding the safe from view.
"I'll read this later," Harry said, "How about we take a tour of the rest of the house and Grounds?"
Hermione agreed, and the young couple made their way out of the study and started off into the rest of the house.
Meanwhile at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore was relaxing in his comfortable chair at his desk. He was quite exhausted. It had been a long morning already. He had gone to the Ministry at about seven-o-clock that morning for an early meeting with the committee for the Triwizard Tournament.
Albus wanted to personally hex whoever had come up with the idea for an early meeting. Everyone in the meeting was too tired to get anything done for the first hour, and most of the early conversation was small talk. Then when the meeting finally moved forward, Ludo Bagman wanted to know who the Heads of the schools thought might be the popular choice for their champion. Olympe Maxime, the Beauxbatons Headmistress boasted on about five possible champions. When she mentioned the possibility of a Veela student becoming champion, Durmstrang Headmaster Igor Karkaroff couldn't help but sneer and turn up his nose at the thought. Maxime had noticed this, unfortunately, and had started a huge fuss that turned into an argument between the two Heads. That put off any possible chance of progress for another half-hour.
When progress finally continued, not much was done. There was talk of banning all ideas for a water-based task, because Veela had a weakness to water, but Ludo, Bartemius Crouch, and Karkaroff wouldn't have it. Albus agreed with the majority just to get a move on with the meeting.
Finally, when the meeting was over with, and Albus was making his way through the Atrium in order to use the Floo Network, he couldn't help but notice more people were glaring at him than usual. And he didn't know why.
Albus heaved a deep sigh and tapped his fingers on the desk.
"Blossom!" he called out.
A young female house-elf appeared in the center of his office.
"Yes, Master Head?" Blossom asked.
"Please bring me my morning post," Albus said.
"Would Master Head like Blossom to remove the Howlers?" Blossom asked.
"How many are there?" Albus replied.
"Fifteen, Master Head," Blossom said.
"Fifteen?!" Albus exclaimed; he usually only got five per day.
"And more coming in," Blossom said.
"My goodness," Albus said, "Destroy them. I have no time for them today. Bring me the rest of my post."
Blossom snapped her fingers and the new issue of the Daily Prophet appeared, followed by several pieces of post on top of it.
"Any urgent news I should know about regarding Hogwarts?" Albus asked.
"Yes, Master Head," Blossom said, "Eleven house-elves have disappeared from the premises."
Albus stared at the elf. "Eleven?! Did they have anything in common."
"Ten of the elves belong to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter," Blossom said.
Albus swore under his breath. He knew he should have seen this coming.
"And the other?" he asked, "What was their name?"
"Dobby, sir," Blossom said.
"Fine," Albus said, "If that is all, you may go."
Blossom snapped her fingers and vanished. Albus growled and cursed under his breath. If Harry Potter had reclaimed his family's elves, that meant there was a good chance he was back at his family Manor in Northampton. And if Sirius Black had accompanied him, it was quite likely the man had told Harry about the Wards, including how to disable the alien enchantments, which meant the Fidelius Charm and all other enchantments Albus had set long ago were gone!
It was also quite likely that Harry had taken control of the Permission Wards. It was plainly obvious that Harry didn't trust Albus, something that peeved him to no end. There was no possible chance that Harry would have placed him on the Permission Ward. Which meant there was no possible chance Albus could get into Potter Manor. Albus had tried several times to get into the Manor and had failed every single time. Even with the lack of house-elves at the Manor – thanks to Albus' own brilliant idea – the wards should have powered down to almost nothing. But the Manor was old, and the protective enchantments had been on the building and its surrounding grounds for a long time. They were still strong – strong enough to deter Albus. Even the attempt at overcharging the wards with house-elf magic had failed! This meant Albus could not take what he most wanted from Potter Manor: The Potter Family Grimoire.
If Harry hadn't found the Grimoire yet, it wouldn't be very long before he did find it. There was magic in that book that even Albus Dumbledore envied. The Potter Family magic was very strong, dating back to the teachings of Isabelle Peverell, the great-granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell. Isabelle had probably learned much from her great-grandfather through her father's and grandfather's teachings. And that was only the tip of the beanpole. There was a lot more in the Grimoire. If only Albus could get his hands on it!
But, alas, he knew it would likely not be. With eleven house-elves – because Albus was sure Harry had also hired Dobby, who he had freed from Lucius Malfoy's snare – the enchantments surrounding Potter Manor would strengthen once again.
Damn the Potter brat! Why could he not do what Albus wanted him to do? Why did the brat continuously choose to defy him? It wasn't long ago that the boy had looked up to him like a grandfatherly mentor – which was what Albus wanted, of course. How things had turned for the worst so quickly.
Albus shook these thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus. His plans to snare Potter could still work. Allowing the boy these small victories was okay. The Greater Good would win out in the end.
Albus picked up the Daily Prophet, spilling the post on top of it onto the desk, and looked at the front page. He nearly dropped the newspaper when he found a picture of himself staring back at him! The large bold letters above his picture read "DUMBLEDORE: KIND HEADMASTER OR KIDNAPPER?" Albus narrowed his eyes when he found the name of the article's author. Rita Skeeter. That woman was a thorn in his side since the day she took her job at the Daily Prophet. Knowing he would regret it, Albus began to read the article:
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot,
and member of the Order of Merlin, First Class, is often seen
as a grandfatherly like mentor to the students in the legendary
school he leads on a day-to-day basis. Often depicted as a kind
old wizard who likes using odd phrases and whistling merry
tunes while trotting along the corridors of Hogwarts.
Is he really a kind old man? Or is this just a mask, a hidden
persona used to fool those who have coined him as "The Leader
Of The Light"?
This reporter is sure her avid readers remember her article about
Sirius Black's trial, and the exclusive one-on-one interview with
the former prisoner of Azkaban. But this reporter may have also
uncovered something bigger than an innocent man who spent over
a decade in prison.
During his testimony, Sirius Black told a heartfelt story about the
tragic night James and Lily Potter was murdered. Black also told
of his encounter with a staff-member of Hogwarts – who shall remain
anonymous – who was sent by Albus Dumbledore to the Potter
cottage in Godric's Hollow to retrieve the young Harry Potter, who
had barely survived the attack that left his parents dead. Sirius
Black confronted the staff member, asking that the individual hand
Harry Potter over to him, as Black was his godfather.
What did the staff-member do, you ask? I'll tell you, my dear readers.
He refused. And refused again, even after Black asked him again, just
as nicely. What did the staff-member do next? He told Black that Albus
Dumbledore had given him orders to take young Harry Potter to Albus.
Yes, away from his own godfather, whom should have had custody from
that very night, as was his duty given by James and Lily Potter.
The staff-member took Harry Potter to the home of the boy's Muggle
relatives, where Albus Dumbledore was waiting. When all was said and
done, Albus had placed the boy on the doorstep of the Muggles' house
in the middle of a chilly, dreary, early November night! And even worse?
This reporter learned recently that the Muggle relatives had been forbidden
to raise Harry Potter, per his parents' Final Will and word!
You heard that right, readers! Albus Dumbledore kidnapped Harry Potter
from his godfather – and rightful guardian – and placed him on the steps
of Muggles who his parents did not approve as guardians. Harry remained
there for over a decade! A decade without the Boy-Who-Lived in the wizarding
world, all because of Albus Dumbledore.
This reporter was absolutely shocked when she heard of this, and wanted her
readers to know that Albus Dumbledore is not the man everyone truly believes
he really is!
This is not the last this reporter has on Albus Dumbledore. Oh, no, readers. This
is but the first of a series of articles in which we will learn who Albus Dumbledore,
the "Leader of the Light" truly is.
Albus dropped the article, and stared forward into his office, his brow furrowed. How dare Rita Skeeter write this article about him? And worse, most of it had been the whole truth, even though she had added her own usual relish to it! Now Albus knew why so many people were glaring at him at the Ministry of Magic. They had obviously read Skeeter's article.
This was not good. Albus knew he needed to do something about this and immediately. Rita Skeeter was not the kind of reporter you could just demand a retraction from. And the editors of the Daily Prophet loved the response Skeeter's articles gave, especially if it promised more readers.
Albus then smiled widely, as a thought came to his mind. If he had read the tales by Dr. Seuss, he might have compared it to the Grinch's smile. He knew exactly how to even things up in the playing field and turn things his way.
He stood from his chair and faced his phoenix, Fawkes.
"Fawkes," he said, "Take me to Diagon Alley. Now!"
Half-an-hour later, Rita Skeeter was in her office at the Daily Prophet. She was sipping from a tumbler of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, congratulating herself on a fine opening article in what promised to be an excellent series on Albus Dumbledore. That is, if Harry Potter came through with his promise. She was sure he would, especially since he didn't approve of the kind of bad publicity she could cause him and his friends and allies.
The bottle of Firewhiskey had come from Barnabus Cuffe, her boss and Editor-In-Chief at the Daily Prophet, as a reward for a fine article that guaranteed readers. Cuffe loved the article for the most part. Though he did have issues with the whole "anonymous Hogwarts staff member" portion of her article. Rita refused to name the staff-member, keeping her promise to Harry Potter. Telling Cuffe about it would only cause him to tell her to investigate the staff member, and this was not something Rita could afford right now.
Suddenly, Rita heard a loud commotion outside her office window. She walked over to the window and her eyes widened at the sight she found. A large crowd of witches and wizards were standing in front of the Daily Prophet.
"There she is!" a wizard roared, pointing at Rita.
Rita smiled. Adoring fans! How she loved them! She waved at the crowd. All of a sudden, a tomato hit her smack-dab in the forehead, sending her reeling and falling backward. She stood up and looked out the window again.
"Who did that?" Rita demanded, "I will find out!"
"And what?" a witch said, "Write about us too? Taint us with your poisonous quills? How dare you accuse Albus Dumbledore like that?!"
"Yeah!" a wizard said, "You're just jealous!"
The crowd turned raucous, and started to throw hexes toward her office window. Rita shrieked; it had turned into a full out riot! She ran away from the window just in time as a Bombardment Curse hit her window, causing a large hole in the wall. She immediately transformed into her beetle Animagus, and took flight, dodging curses and hexes as she escaped through the large hole in the wall and into the air.
Albus Dumbledore looked on, from a distance and Disillusioned as the riotous crowd continued their physical and verbal assault toward the Daily Prophet. Suddenly, Aurors and other Ministry officials began charging toward the crowd on three sides. Albus waved his wand toward the crowd, and they only became more raucous, this time turning their assault on the Ministry officials.
Chaos. Albus Dumbledore craved it. All one needed to cause a riot was a few simple area-wide Confundus enchantments. Soon, word would get out that the rioters had targeted Rita Skeeter, angry at her article about him, and the focus would turn on Rita instead of himself.
Albus mentally patted himself on the back as he watched the battle in the street. Soon enough, the Aurors and Ministry officials were victorious, and began to arrest every single rioter. Albus turned to his phoenix and nodded. Master and phoenix disappeared in a plume of phoenix fire, nobody any the wiser that the riot had begun because of one man's fancy spell-work.
An hour later, Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his favorite chair in the sitting room of his elaborate, beautiful and majestic family Manor. A tumbler of gin was in one hand, and a letter in the other. The letter was from a contact in the Ministry.
L,
Earlier this afternoon, there was a large riot in Diagon Alley, in front of the Daily Prophet. Over one-hundred witches and wizards were a part of it. The riot turned heated and out of control. Aurors and Ministry officials attempted to calm the rioters down, but all it did was fuel their rage. They turned on the Aurors and Ministry officials and started attacking them. Shockingly there were no fatalities, just a few injuries on both sides. However, every single one of the rioters were arrested.
Here's the rub. Minister Fudge wants to send a message because of this. He hopes to cease all riots. So he has sentenced every single rioter to six months in Azkaban. However, the idiot, Fudge, didn't take one thing into count. Overcrowding.
This is why I am writing this. I suggest you meet with Fudge post-haste, and give him your advice. I am sure there are several friends in Azkaban whom you would like to see gain their freedom. I think you know what to do.
Good luck.
There was no signature, as usual. But Lucius knew who it was. He sipped on his drink and smiled as he looked at the letter. His contact may be an imbecile, but he wasn't useless. He had a very good idea this time. Lucius would not waste this idea.
He gulped down the rest of the gin and set the glass down. He tapped the letter with his wand, obliterating it from existence, then stood up. He walked over to the Floo, and threw a handful of the green powder into the hearth, turning the fire green.
He was about to step into the Floo when he heard footsteps nearby. He turned his head, and found his son, Draco, standing there.
"Where are you going, Father?" Draco asked.
"The Ministry," Lucius said, "I must meet with Fudge."
He studied his son and found that the boy was dressed appropriately.
"Why don't you come with me, son?" he asked, "Learn exactly how to make the Minister of Magic do your bidding for you."
A smirk crossed Draco's lips. "I would be happy to join you, Father."
Lucius motioned to the Floo and watched as his son stepped into it. Draco vanished a moment later, and Lucius waited for a few moments before he stepped in as well.
"The Ministry of Magic," Lucius said, clearly.
It was time to bring his friends home.
An hour later, Harry, Hermione and Tonks stepped into the large Event Room, where they found Sirius and Remus sitting at the small circular dining table.
The trio had just finished a long self-guided tour of the Manor and surrounding grounds. Harry's face hurt from all the smiling and grinning he had done during the tour. He absolutely loved his family home. He could easily see spending his life here with his future wives and children. While exploring the Grounds, he had fantasized about having picnics amongst the flower gardens with his future wives, as well as playing Quidditch on the Pitch with his children when they were old enough.
While on the tour, Harry, Hermione and Tonks had stopped by the Greenhouse. Hermione had mentioned that she'd like to see the Greenhouse and gardens become lush with plants and crops. Harry had then summoned Melina and spoke to the head-elf about Hermione's idea. Melina happily said she could get a couple of her fellow elves to begin on that very soon. Melina also said that she and a couple of the kitchen elves would go to an elf-friendly wizarding marketplace and buy groceries; she would also by various seeds and plants for the greenhouse and gardens. Harry gave her permission to take the required funds from the Potter Family Vault.
Harry, Hermione and Tonks had also visited the basement on their tour. A portion of the basement reminded Harry of the basement in the Granger House, specifically the drink bar. Harry could just imagine his father and his friends enjoying drinks and company there. Hermione had obviously spotted the similarities to her father's basement, because she commented that she would like to get a dartboard for the bar room, as well as some hay-bales and mannequins to continue their knife-throwing training. Harry promised he would look into it soon.
Sirius and Remus greeted the trio as they made their way over to the table. Sirius was reading the newest issue of the Daily Prophet. His eyes brightened when he saw Harry place the Potter Family Grimoire on the table.
"Excellent!" he said, "You found it."
"Yeah," Harry said, "I was wondering if you had looked through it at all."
Sirius and Remus both smiled.
"Your father found that very book in your grandfather's office when he was thirteen years old," Remus said, "Your grandfather didn't want him to see the book for a couple more years – didn't consider him mature enough at the time."
"Charlus was quite right," Sirius said, chuckling.
Remus smiled wryly. "Your father copied down several spells during that summer, and when the following September came around, he spent the entire journey on the Hogwarts Express telling us about all the spells he had found. To us Marauders, it was like a goldmine, a real treasure. You see... there are a number of spells and charms and enchantments in there that are used for – well -"
"The word is 'pranks'!" Sirius said, grinning.
"While they're not meant to be pranks," Remus said, "James, Sirius and I – with a minimal amount of help from Wormtail, who simply just listened and usually went along with all the plans – we were able to mold our various discoveries in different ways so they could be used as pranks. Now, I say that, but I must give you a warning about that book. Not every spell, enchantment, et cetera, in that book is fun and games. A lot of it is serious business – no, Sirius!"
Sirius pouted. "You gave me the perfect opening, Moony!"
Remus rolled his eyes as Harry, Hermione and Tonks snickered.
"A good percentage of what you will find in that book," Remus continued, "could be dangerous. High-risk enchantment, rituals, spells, curses. Many dating back centuries, including back to Isabelle Peverell."
"Ignotus Peverell's great-granddaughter," Harry said, remembering seeing her name on the Tapestry.
"I see you found your family tree," Remus said, smiling.
Harry snorted. "Hard to miss it."
"Indeed," Remus said, "Yes, Isabelle Peverell learned a lot of things from her great-grandfather through her father and grandfather. Her husband, a Potter, allowed her to put the knowledge in the book because it was so incredible. Promise me you'll be careful with that book. Promise me and Sirius that you'll talk to us about anything you might want to use."
"I promise," Harry said.
"One more thing about that book," Remus said, "Albus Dumbledore would do anything to get his hands on it."
Hermione huffed. "Even convince Harry's parents to move out of the highly protective Manor and turn over temporary guardianship of the Potter elves to him?"
"Indeed," Remus said, smiling grimly, "Luckily for us, this Manor is very old, and the enchantments have had a long time to cook and soak into the Grounds and air, making it very difficult to break through them."
"Then how on earth did Dumbledore convince my parents to move out of here?" Harry asked.
Sirius and Remus glanced at each other.
"Well, looking back, I could easily think of a couple of reasons," Sirius said. "A few days ago, we told you how the deaths of your grandparents affected your father. He was trying to keep brave for Lily and you, but I think it all began to boil over. Maybe there were just too many difficult memories of his parents in this place. Maybe the place became entirely too large and overwhelming for him all of a sudden. You and your parents – you were a small family. Nothing compared to what you will have in your future with your Betrothed and any children that come from your marriage. Back then, it was merely a small family of three people and a number of elves. I think it all became too much. So perhaps James and Lily decided they wanted to change residences and move to a house that didn't seem so overwhelming."
"Godric's Hollow," Harry said, nodding.
"The cottage in Godric's Hollow was a new property of the House of Potter," Sirius said, "Your father bought it. He didn't inherit it, it wasn't a long-time family residence like Potter Manor. Your father purchased it for himself, his wife and you, a small family. Only his best friends, and Albus Dumbledore, knew about it. When James and Lily and I met your parents, Hermione, and Lily and Emma started planning little play-dates for the two of you, it was always at the Granger house, or out on the town, never in Godric's Hollow."
"They were trying to keep it secret," Harry said, nodding.
"James already knew that he and his family would likely have a need for a safe-house," Sirius said, "So when he bought the place, he made sure it was a secret that few knew about."
"Of all the townspeople in Godric's Hollow," Remus said, "only one citizen knew the Potters lived there: Bathilda Bagshot, the historian. Lily had become quick friends with her, and I believe Bathilda babysat you once or twice. No one else in the town knew the Potters lived there until after that fateful Halloween."
"So it is entirely possible my parents moved out of this house on their own accord," Harry said, "They weren't coerced."
"Oh. Dumbledore might have stirred the pot a little," Sirius said, "But I don't think he was entirely to blame."
Harry nodded. "That makes me feel a bit better."
"Speaking of Dumbledore," Sirius said, "Look at this. Rita Skeeter published the first of her promised series on Albus Dumbledore today."
He shoved the newspaper across the table, and Harry spread the front page out so that he, Hermione and Tonks could read it. Harry was grinning again by the time he finished it.
"Well, at least threatening Rita didn't throw her off her game," he said.
"She labeled Hagrid as 'an anonymous staff member of Hogwarts'," Hermione said, "That was awfully nice of her. Never expected that out of her."
"Seems she is doing her best to keep her promise to you," Tonks said.
Suddenly, Dobby appeared near the table, and walked over to Sirius.
"Post for Harry Potter's Godfather," Dobby said, handing the letter to Sirius.
"Thank you, Dobby," Sirius said.
"Dobby and his fellow kitchen elves are beginning preparations for dinner," Dobby said, "It will be done in one hour."
"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said, "I'm sure it will be delicious. You may be excused."
Dobby nodded once and vanished. Meanwhile, Sirius was reading through his letter. His expression grew grimmer as he continued.
"Well... shit," Sirius muttered.
"Language, Sirius!" Remus and Hermione both scolded in unison.
Harry and Tonks snickered.
"What's wrong, Padfoot?" Remus asked, "Amelia break up with you before the first date?"
"Worse," Sirius said, "Much, much worse. There was a large and raucous riot in front of the Daily Prophet just a couple hours ago. A hundred large. They were angry with Rita for the article about Dumbledore. Rita's office has a very large hole in the outer wall. Rita's fine though. Aurors and Ministry officials swarmed in to stop the riot, and the rioters turned on them."
"Oh, no!" Hermione gasped.
"There was a battle, which injured several," Sirius said, "And resulted in every single rioter getting arrested. Amelia says Fudge wants to send a message, warning the public about what will happen if there are future outbreaks of riots. He sentenced all rioters to six months in Azkaban."
"That is cruel and unusual!" Hermione exclaimed. "And yet I am not surprised."
"It gets even worse," Sirius said, "Because of the new prisoners, there will be overcrowding in Azkaban. Several prisoners will be set free on so-called 'good behavior.'"
"Like who?" Harry asked, "Molly Weasley and those in Cell Block A?"
"You would think so, wouldn't you?" Sirius said, "Because that would be the right thing to do. Nope. You see, it all boils down to whom advised Fudge on who to set free for 'good behavior'. Amelia says it was none other than Lucius Malfoy."
"No effing way!" Harry growled, "I'll give you three guesses who he suggested be free."
"Death Eaters," Tonks said.
"Surely Fudge didn't allow it?" Hermione asked.
"Amelia reckons Lucius paid a hearty donation to Fudge," Sirius said, "Because Fudge did allow it. He put his foot down. Cousin Bellatrix, her husband and his brother aren't being set free. Apparently Augusta Longbottom got to Fudge as well and made sure they wouldn't be set free."
"Formidable woman like her," Tonks said, "She could scare the crap out of anyone, including Fudge."
"Yep," Sirius said, "However, several other Death Eaters are being set free."
"Give me that," Harry said, "Please."
Sirius handed the letter to Harry. He read through it and looked at the various names. One stuck out like a sore thumb. Harry showed the letter to Hermione, and pointed at the name. She whimpered and covered her mouth.
"What's wrong?" Remus asked.
"Antonin Dolohov," Harry said, "He came very, very close to killing Hermione in the last timeline. Don't worry, Hermione. He won't harm you ever again. I'll make sure of it."
Hermione nodded, as tears pooled in her eyes. Seeing her reaction heightened Harry's resolve.
"It appears our assassination list has just grown quite a bit," Harry said, "We're not wasting another moment. It is time to begin making plans. We have a long road ahead of us."