Chapter Text
Someone Finally Noticed - A Harry Potter Tale
**OO**
A/N: Thanks to my wonderful Beta, LtsHrIt4ThBoyz.
AU story, short and will be too fast for some. No apologies, as roller coasters can be fun.
**OO**
Welcome to the fireside.
**OO**
Chapter 2
Minerva was in her office, marking, when suddenly, the wards notified her there was something strange happening on the seventh floor corridor. The painting over her desk had a new occupant.
“Oh dear! Someone is screaming like a banshee! Near where the trolls are attempting ballet! Please come!”
Before she left her office, Minerva hit a ward that would notify the students to return to their common rooms. And alert her fellow professors.
Better to have the students in the best warded areas of the castle, and have it be for nothin’ than not react to an emergency.
Donning her pointed hat, she left her office to track down this mystery.
**OO**
The pain in Harry’s forehead drove him to his knees, but unlike Quirrell, he was not shrieking, just quietly crying. He’d been trained ‘well’.
Neville and Hermione tried to keep the cloak covering him, but Harry needed air, so he’d pulled the cloak down, exposing his head.
Just then, Harry’s scar burst open, and a black mist flew from Harry’s head, straight into the diadem on the man’s head.
Other bits of mist joined it over the next minute or so.
Just as the pain from Harry’s scar reduced to merely throbbing, he suddenly couldn’t see through his new glasses; the ones that Madam Pomfrey had just gotten him. Just trying to see through them gave him an immediate headache. He grabbed them off his aching eyes and wondered as the world came into perfect view!
Automatically dropping the glasses into his pocket for safekeeping, and pressing a pocket handkerchief to his head, to stop the blood oozing into his eye, some instinct made him pull the cloak back over himself.
Professor Quirrell stumbled and collapsed just feet from the still open door. His attempts to remove the crown weakened as his screaming slowly diminished. His skin bubbled, and suddenly the silence was awful!
To the shock of the already traumatized children, another figure emerged from the room. The mysterious door shut behind him. The man seemed to debate for a moment, but went forward.
It appeared to be a younger man, dressed in older styled robes. His features seemed still indistinct but before their very eyes, he seemed to come into sharper focus; he was handsome, perhaps middle aged; mahogany haired with just a touch of grey at the temples, with vivid blue eyes that immediately turned to a malevolent crimson.
The figure stooped over the professor, reaching for the crown now resting on the stone floor. “Oh, so sorry Quirrell, not to be able to fulfill my promises to you. Such a shame, but you, sadly, are dead. What’s a man to do?”
The figure crowned himself, standing up straight, tall, majestic; the three children felt his power, but this was no benevolent ruler to welcome.
The figure laughed and proclaimed, “Lord Voldemort lives! No wonder the books said only one was needed. Well, there goes that curse on Defense Against the Dark Arts. Maybe Dumbledore will keep me on.” the man laughed again and then tossed off all humor; becoming deadly serious. “I need to find that Potter brat, kill him, and gather my followers.” And he was looking down the corridor where they hid when he said it!
Harry knew that somehow, this being knew he was there, under the cloak!
Neville was anchored there in fear. Hermione wasn’t sure what she had just witnessed, but was quite sure that this was without doubt the most evil being she had ever seen.
Harry knew he had no defense against this monster. He whispered his plan and begged Neville to get the witch to safety. Hermione tried to stop him, but he pushed them down the corridor. Both of his friends were still within his cloak. He commanded. “Run! Don’t stop!”
Harry stepped out into the corridor in front of his enemy. He didn’t have his wand in his hand.
“Go ahead. Kill me. But you will not kill my friends.”
After a diatribe of how foolish Harry had been to try and defy the Dark Lord, the killing curse was hurled his way.
The boy didn’t dodge, didn’t move an inch. And, just like before, it failed to kill his target.
The boy had love in his heart; there was no hatred, or sense of revenge. He just wanted to protect his friends.
The curse bounced off the rune on his forehead, and reflected straight back towards the wizard who’d cast the curse.
Strings cut, and no horcruxes left, Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka the great Lord Voldemort, was cut down yet again. This time, for the last time.
**OO**
Simultaneously to Voldy reforming…
Severus looked at his arm in horror where the hated tattoo suddenly and painfully darkened; signifying the return of the nightmare being that had burned the abomination into his flesh. NO!
He knew he should have spoken up when Dumbledore came up with the ridiculous plan to host that Philosopher's Stone. He knew this would happen. In the bottom of his heart, he just knew it.
And now Potter was in danger! A mere child.
At no point did he ever feel that anyone other than Lily had been responsible for his former master's demise. However temporary.
He ran not to Dumbledore, but to McGonagall. The woman controlled the wards. They had to do something to contain this monstrosity. His little snakes were in danger! Potter was in dire danger!
He tried but couldn’t summon the happy thoughts needed to send a patronus; his swift feet were nearly as fast.
**OO**
Portraits had reported screaming, but it had taken time to gather forces together.
They were close enough to hear when the fatal words ‘ Avada Kedavra ’ were cast. Followed by an agonized scream of “NOOoooo!” And the sound of two bodies hitting the stone floor. Some of the staff stopped, but Professor McGonagall kept going, a flying phoenix keeping up with her; Severus Snape suddenly faltered at her side.
They arrived just in time to see the fallen man and the Potter child laying in the corridor. Just beyond the adult, there was yet another body. Or rather, a puddle of revolting goo.
Suddenly, the feeling of oppression that Severus had been fighting in coming to Potter’s aid, was gone. He was free. He didn’t even need to check his arm to know it.
That terrible tattoo was gone; from his arm, mind, heart and soul.
He stared at the man at the end of the corridor; the Dark Lord was dead. It had to be him.
**OO**
“Oh my goodness? Was that Tom Riddle?” the animagus bounded forward.
A message patronus reached her just then, “Intruder in Gryffindor! Captured.”
While she sent a return patronus to acknowledge Angus Wood’s message, Flitwick stopped to talk to Potter for a moment.
Severus went to cast diagnostic spells not on the puddle, but on the downed wizard. The puddle was human shaped, with clothing, but clearly no longer living. The other wizard had an ancient looking crown lying next to him.
**OO**
Flitwick wasn’t as proficient as a healer but had learned a fair bit on the dueling circuit. “How are you feeling Mr Potter? You’re clearly alive. You weren’t hit, were you?”
Harry sat up as he spoke to the kind Charms teacher. “I feel tired sir. Please? Are Neville and Hermione okay? That spell was awful, but I don’t think it went right. I mean, the green light bounced right back and hit that man! Is he okay?”
Filius had to sit down next to Potter. He felt a bit dizzy all of a sudden.
Minerva, finished with her message, came over to check on her ward. “Are ye alright? Your head? Oh dear, and you Filius? Are ye are alright? Why don’t ye both go down to the infirmary. Here, Sinestra, Take Potter and Flitwick with ye. I can’t form words right now Potter, but we’ll talk.”
“Please ma’am, call me Harry. And I’d like that.”
She’d heard what the boy said about the confrontation, but her mind couldn’t comprehend it. No wonder Albus sent the boy to live with the muggles! Easier to do that, than confront what had happened that terrible Halloween.
At least she had no desire to do any such thing with Harry, except get him seen. “Oh, and call that Greengrass boy back. I want a full healer workup.
“Filius? Please, stay with the boy until I get there. Oh my! What a time for Albus to be gone. Juniper?”
The head elf of Hogwarts popped in.
“Please ward this corridor until the aurors get here. No one, not even Albus, is to disturb anything there.”
Filius offered Severus a drink from a small flask. The grog was not something he drank often or on duty, but a sip would work for both calming and pepping up.
Severus jumped a bit, looked at the downed dark lord, and growled. “You said there was an intruder to take care of, Headmistress?”
Disregarding his turn of phrase, Minerva was Boudicca incarnate. She was ready to face whatever danger awaited.
“Fawkes! Take Severus and I to Gryffindor!”
She had no idea that she was about to run into yet another ‘dead’ person in Gryffindor tower. A living, if recently beat up, Peter Pettigrew.
**OO**
There were many scowls seeing the unwanted Death Eater in their common room, but the older students noticed that his entire demeanor had changed.
Ron quickly explained the situation, before he was even asked, “We were just playing chess here in the common room, when my pocket tore open, and Scabbers, my rat, turned into a man. For no reason! And he was sitting on me!”
Percy continued, “I stunned him, but not before several people hit him, thinking he was a danger.”
“Did anyone summon an auror? No? Percy, use the floo in my office, and get Mad-eye up here. Ye know him?”
“Yes ma’am. He actually eats dinner with us. The family I mean.”
“Shows he counts yer parents as friends. Ask him to bring two teams. Severus, could I bother you for a bit of Veritaserum. I can’t help but be curious why an old Marauder like him would fake his death, and masquerade as a child’s pet for how many years? I remember Percy bringin’ him his first year.”
Ron wanted his moment of fame. “Oh, he had him first; Percy found him when he was five!”
Severus observed, “Ten years; that tracks. Dittany? Please, meet me with my kit in Minerva’s office. No need to traumatize the children any further with whatever exploits this person has been up to.”
The administrator added a few bindings on the animagus, and stunned him again just to be sure.
Turning to the other Prefects she requested, “Please escort any children overtly affected to the infirmary, otherwise keep the rest here until we can get some additional healers here from St Mungos. Understood?”
At the acknowledgement, she cast mobilicorpus on the rat animagus and with the potions master, started to make their exit.
At the door, Snape turned to the assembled Gryffindors. “I think you will find Potions classes greatly changed from what they have been. I have been released from something that was comparable to an imperius. I will likely explain more later. Prefects? You may gently summon my personal elf Dittany to relay any food or drink requests to the kitchen until the lockdown is lifted.
“You had an unknown wizard show up unexpectedly. All of you responded in a manner that befits the bravery of your house. Ten points. Each.”
A returning Percy couldn’t help it. He started to clap. “Thank you, sir. And good luck!” The rest of the house joined in the applause.
Minerva remembered, and asked Percy to check on Neville and Hermione to make sure they were there. And send them to the infirmary if so.
Just then, the two first years came running. “Professor! Professors! We need help!”
“Fash yerselves, students. All will be well. Mr Wood? I mean Angus? Can you please escort these two to the infirmary? Bless ye for learning the patronus.”
Turning back to Neville and Hermione, she gently explained, “Mr Potter will already be there to meet ye. Go along now!”
The professors continued to Minerva’s office, a little smile appeared on the cat animagus’ face.
‘Good. When I do take over, I don’t have to immediately fire our resident potions master.’ She thought to herself.
Wishing to be in three places at once, she happily accepted the truth serum from Severus.
What she was about to do was illegal for the Ministry . But she had to know what this man had been up to in her school.
**OO**
Minerva couldn’t believe what she’d been hearing. Other than petty theft, the rat had stayed with the Weasleys for the food! Well, and to be in the family of an Order member and keep an eye open for the Dark Lord to return.
She was grateful that she had turned the rat over to Alastor Moody, as within minutes of the respected auror’s leaving, Minister Fudge himself showed up.
“What is this nonsense I’ve been hearing? Dark lords and three-headed dogs? Peter Pettigrew running around? Where’s Dumbledore?” Fudge demanded.
Minerva had dealt with this poser when he was a teenager trying to get a date; he had no power to ruffle her feathers. “Minister Fudge, you are always welcome at Hogwarts. How nice to see you.”
The wizard blushed at his bad manners, and pulled off his hat, “I apologize, Minerva. Do you know where Dumbledore is?”
The woman pointed to a chair in front of her desk,“Shall I call for refreshments? Oddment? Tea please?”
Once delivered, she poured the ill-dressed wizard a cup just how he preferred before pouring her own. “Albus told me that he was heading to the Ministry to remove me as Harry Potter’s guardian. I presumed that he was there, but he still isn’t back.”
“The boy should never have been put with muggles. Lucius offered to take the Potter lad in…”
“I am a witch of House Potter, in good standing, Minister. I was James’ godmother, or did you forget that? I know that I was on the Potter will. And no. When James was setting it up, he would ne’er have muggles on it. Never! Please tell me that you’re not takin’ any of Albus’ babblings seriously?” Minerva’s eyes narrowed, pinning him to his chair.
Minerva didn’t know why, but the minute that Albus was at the Ministry, Hogwarts had transferred the wards to her. Something that she thought that Albus had done while he was absent. He had done so before. The castle lent her a bit of power, and sitting on her chair, looking at the Minister, he felt he had made a mistake in coming here.
Cornelius sipped his tea, and was worried for a moment that he was about to earn another detention from this woman. Then he remembered he was not only out of school, he was the leader of their world! Well, at least in Britain.
“Of course, Professor. You would make a fine guardian. I’m sure Lucius will have his hands busy with just the one boy. And you’ll be very busy at school. The boy won’t be out and about until he’s older.” Clearly the Minister was talking himself into her point of view.
“Thank ye for stopping by. Now, I have some things to take care of. Oh, and please let me know when Sirius Black is getting a trial. Clearly, he either ne’er had one to begin with, or was put into Azkaban for nefarious purposes.”
“Black, yes, well. I will have to…don’t want to make the Ministry look foolish.” Said the man with the lime green bowler.
“I’m sure the Ministry can survive a bit of truth. Think of the photograph for the paper. You and I standing proudly with the Boy-Who-Lived and his sworn godfather. As long as it's a fair trial, there’s nothing to worry about. Or it might just be the three of us if he’s guilty. But if he’s not, you become the child’s hero. That is something Dumbledore could never become.” Minerva shared.
“Yes, well. I’ll…get that arranged, and of course you’ll be my special guest. You and the boy-who-lived. Good, good. Thank you for working with me in this endeavor, Professor. Well, I need to find Dumbledore, and find out what he’s been up to. Good day.”
Minerva nodded, and went about her multiplied tasks. She promised herself to stop using the time turner tomorrow; just as soon as she got a bit of sleep, got caught up on everything on her desk, and finally had that talk with Harry Potter!
She never did worry about Albus, as he was constantly disappearing for days, weeks or even months. The woman touched base with the various aurors in the castle, rearranged priorities, and went to see Harry sooner rather than later.
**OO**
Fudge searched for Albus in a night-quiet Ministry, never thinking of asking an elf for help. He hadn’t checked everywhere, just the obvious places before giving up, leaving a note at his secretary’s desk to summon Albus for early the next morning, and went home.
What neither Fudge nor McGonagall knew was that Albus had been kidnapped. Well, birdnapped.
**OO**
Minerva had no idea that Fawkes had grabbed Albus from the Ministry as his wand was being tested, and flamed him to a cell in Azkaban – the high security section. He was left there with only his emergency portkeys, a partial bag of lemon drops, and no wand. At all.
And the portkeys wouldn’t work through Azkaban wards!
He did worry about his wand. It gave him power. The Elder Wand. The school wards too gave him power, and he couldn’t feel them. He should be able to, even from here. Oh no! Was that dementors? He had never been able to do many things wandlessly. Just a few parlor tricks. Certainly nothing as demanding as a patronus. No!
Memories flooded him; one of casting the fidelius for James and Lily, making a marked Death Eater the secret keeper. He saw Arianna’s death over and over as another hit. Gellert rejecting him for the love of a woman. It was awful! All of it.
But there was no reasoning with the monsters of Azkaban.
The eternal bird wanted Justice – for Harry, for Hagrid, for Severus. All of the people Albus had hurt with his manipulations.
And maybe even a bit of justice for a little boy that might not have been a dark lord if Dumbledore had tried to help him, and show him love.
**OO**
When Minerva made her way to the infirmary, it was to find Severus making a list for Poppy.
“Headmistress. I have potions to make for Harry and Neville. And before you scold, please know that both boys requested that I call them by their first names.”
Hermione piped up, “Me too! Oh, it’s happening again. Sorry! It’s the potions. I will try to be quiet now.”
“How are they?” Minerva asked.
Harry giggled, “We’re fine ma’am. Just fine. I got an owl message here. Isn't it great that we use owls? Hedwig is so amazing. You’re my new guardian, officially. Thank you ma’am. Thank you.”
“I think the medicine to dim the trauma is reacting badly to the calming draught. They’re all a little loopy right now.” Severus explained.
“I’m keeping them here. Are the aurors gone? With their treasures?” Poppy asked.
Neville giggled. “Voldemort was all ‘I’m King of the World’ with that crown. Didn’t wear it long now, did he?”
Hermione and Harry shouted. “Nope!” in unison. And they all giggled again.
“Where are Neville’s Gran and Miss Granger’s parents?” Minerva asked.
“Please call me Hermione too, ma’am.” Hermione requested with good cheer.
“Parents? Well, guardians? I knew I was forgetting something.” the matron admitted.
“In the morning, Poppy. Please delegate, and get that arranged for tomorrow. The children are in no danger now. Let’s cancel classes tomorrow, that will give us the weekend. Find out who saw what, clear the air. I will not be able to teach for a time…”
“I know the contact floo for the ICW Education Department.” Severus offered.
“Well done, Mr Snape. Twenty points to Slytherin. That gives me an idea. Miss Tonks was a genius at Transfiguration. Even if it is just for a few days, we should get her here to teach at least the younger years while we recover from this…event.”
She then went to sit next to Harry, and just read to all three children for a bit. This helped them relax enough to sleep.
Her elf brought her tea, still warm in its cup, and the woman took two minutes to look at her godson’s son, and just enjoy a moment of peace after a day of chaos.
**OO**
The next morning, Mad-Eye Moody came into the infirmary. He left Pettigrew transfigured as a ferret in a cage. Since it wasn’t his natural form, he couldn't escape.
Once the rat was convicted, Moody planned on transfiguring him into something larger that couldn’t easily escape Azkaban. Or maybe just changing him into a rat, and leaving him in an unbreakable cage.
Alastor planned to ask the young ones for ideas of what they would do to keep the rat trapped.
Mad-eye introduced himself, and got all three children’s statements about what had happened. He took a memory, but the potions they had been given made it nearly impossible to watch. He had been warned by Minerva, and took a calming draught before talking to the children.
“That crown has recently had a nasty bit of magic in it. We’re going to be sending a curse breaker here to make sure you’re alright. But Healer Greengrass knows his stuff.”
“He’s been here sir. No dark magic. At all.” Hermione nodded.
With that, the older wizard handed out presents that the aurors had gotten the trio, and included a gift basket of treats for them to share. They all clapped, and acted younger than they normally would, as they still had potions in their system.
At least they didn’t sound so loopy.
“Thank you, sir. It’s nice to meet you.” Harry shook his hand.
Neville and Hermione too exchanged handshakes with the famous dark wizard catcher.
“I’m not in trouble, am I sir?” Harry asked.
“Nay Potter. If he’d lived, he would likely have been executed for treason. Good job. You might want to look up classes you’ll need to be an auror. You’d be a good one.”
“Once I trained up a bit?” Harry asked a bit cheekily. “Thank you sir. I want to learn everything .”
**OO**
Classes had been canceled but the hadn’t been released from the infirmary until nearly dinner.
“Harry? Do you want to go through your trunk? Look through those books you got?” Neville suggested.
Hermione wanted to see new books too, but none of the three of them were anxious to go near where Voldy had been. Not that they could yet.
It was still being processed, and the castle elves didn’t want any students upset. Well, more than they already were.
Back in Harry and Neville’s dorm room, the three friends sat on Harry’s bed. Inside the stack of books there were several expensive and rare tomes. One was for potions interactions that hadn’t been published in years.
Apparently, permission of the owner of the copyright was needed in order to print more.
“Harry!” Hermione practically screeched. “House Potter! Fleamont Potter wrote this book for his potions classes. They need your permission to print this again!”
Harry looked at the book, and pulled out the catalog from the second hand shop that specialized in rare books.
“Hermione? This cost a hundred galleons when it was first printed. It was meant to be a library resource. Now? They go for ₲2,000. At fifty galleons per pound, that’s still…”
“Backwards sir. Fifty pounds per galleon .” Hermione corrected, going through the History Book that was self updating, and had more than goblin rebellions. “At last! An explanation of the Wizengamot!”
“No way! That would be a hundred thousand pounds! I wonder how much normal textbooks cost? There has to be a cheaper way to mass produce books.” Harry mused.
Neville made some notes. “Buying your own magical press?”
Hermione looked through the book, “Look Neville, Harry. None of the pictures move; there is just print. I think this book could be done as fiction, you know? At a normal publisher. Print your own?”
Harry didn’t understand what she meant, but Hermione made a note to write to her mother.
“She was just here! I should have…no, I didn’t know about this book yet. I can ask her to look it up how to get this republished for me. For you” Hermione offered.
“In return, you can use this book. But only in this room or the common room.” Harry offered. “I really don’t want to lose it.”
Hermione squealed, and hugged Harry.
He froze completely.
“Harry? Harry? Oh no! Did I hurt you?” Hermione worried.
“Was that a hug? Is that what it’s supposed to feel like? All warm and nice and…warm?” Harry asked.
Hermione blushed red, but was saved by a white avian at the window.
“Hedwig! She’s here to take your letter, Hermione.” Harry informed her, petting the smart owl, and letting her know just how brilliant she was.
Neville shook his head, reaching for the Herbology text. “Oh, oh! This is gorgeous! This one has magical pictures, but is also out of print.” He looked on the back, and saw Harry’s great grandmother’s name as the owner of the copyright.
“Potter? You will republish this, just as soon as possible, right?” Neville demanded.
“Yes, sire. Anything you say, sire.” Harry bowed, but saw Neville frowning. “Too soon?
“Just a bit. Give me a couple of weeks.” Neville asked.
“When we do get into the…” Hermione looked around and whispered. They all agreed they had to keep the room a secret.
The boys nodded.
“There are going to be rare books. What do you say? If the copyright has expired, we could publish old books. Have our own bookstore.” Hermione’s vision was just starting.
Harry nodded, “I like it, I do. But we also need to repair that junk and sell it for real money so we can buy food.”
“Why not sell things for gold, and exchange for muggle money. My Uncle Algie is complaining how the Ministry has rules about buying overstock of muggle money at the bank. They always have too much.”
“But don’t magicals eat regular food?” Harry asked. “I could swear that I saw a guy in a purple cloak in Little Whinging once who waved at me. I wanted to ask him who he was, but he disappeared. I would like to have had his help.”
Neville patted Harry’s arm. The trauma was bringing up old trauma, just as Healer Marius predicted. Right, focus on the positive. “Except for dirigible plums, and other magical fruits and vegetables, most magical families eat regular food. You don’t see flying cows here, now do you?”
Hermione looked up from her reading with alarm, “Is that a thing?”
Neville laughed and shook his head. “No, I was using it as an example of what we don’t have.”
Harry was back to smiling. “ So, we can sell things for gold or sterling, and buy food with the regular money and sell it for gold.”
Neville shook his head in confusion. “Wait, I thought we were going to buy food with muggle…oh, right. That’s going to take some time for all of us. I think of gold as normal, you think of, what is it? Stones, no pounds as normal.”
Hermione was writing down ideas, as was Harry. They needed to overcome their fears before they graduated, and get into the Come and Go room long enough to reprint any out-of-date books.
**OO**
A peek of the future…
Later on, before third year, when Harry was trying to decide his electives, he approached the headmistress and asked a favor.
“Ma’am? Have you seen any old houses with attics, and the really old ones have tons of furniture? Some broken, old, worn out.”
“Yes, Harry. I’m guessing you found Hogwarts furniture attic?”
The handsome young wizard nodded, “Yes ma’am. I was thinking. If I brought this stuff down to the old dueling room, we could spread out. Have firsties practice their reparo. Older students could practice color or other charms. Fix things up. Sell them in a shop. You know that Sirius bought that shop in Hogsmeade. He wanted to put a prank store in there, but the city council won’t let him compete with Zonko’s.”
“A second hand store? With students clerking there, during the summers at least. Maybe weekends. I like it.”
“I thought profits could be shared with one third going to Hogwarts for the stuff to begin with, one third to the fixer, and one third to the shop to pay people.”
The Headmistress pondered, and disagreed ameliably, “Half to the shop, and a quarter each to the fixer and Hogwarts would be more than fair.”
“You knew!” Harry accused.
“The castle knows, and also knows that none of ye are thieves. Well done, m’lad. Now. What do ye need to get started?”
Harry tilted his head. “I’ll get with Neville and Hermione, and we’ll let you know. Oh, Fred and George will likely ask to work with us, just to earn some pocket money.”
“Keeping the twins out of the castle during their OWL year? And offering a job or jobs to others? I’m proud of ye, son. I am.”
“Thank you, professor. See you at dinner.” Harry winked, snatching another biscuit from the plate as he stood.
“Scamp. See you then.”
Professor McGonagall had only given him rare hugs and smiles, but her approval made his heart sing.
Oh! And maybe the shop could sell some of the self-published books that didn’t need magical pictures.
Everyone was clamoring for more of those.
**OO**
Back to Hogwarts, Harry’s first year…
With Pettigrew’s capture, it should have been easy for the Ministry to admit there was a mistake. It took time, a few blackmail threats, a few more bribes in terms of public appearances which Harry had suggested. In all, Sirius Black was finally freed.
Finding Voldy’s old wand on Pettigrew was just one of the many reasons the rat gained a one way ticket through the veil.
The man who had set him up to be the Potter’s secret keeper, who arranged for Harry to be kept ‘humble’, and had done a myriad of other crimes had been found at the prison, and returned to the Ministry for a trial.
He was given a one-way ticket back to the holiday paradise of Azkaban.
There was one complication. Pettigrew’s capture would mean that McGonagall’s guardianship was about to be challenged. By the person it helped the most.
Sirius Black.
So, Minerva did what she does, and compromised.
**OO**
The castle added a suite of rooms next to hers with a door connected to Harry’s bedroom, but not her suite.
She had to endure that Marauder for seven years. She wasn’t inviting pranks into her life and private rooms.
After some health treatments, Sirius was offered to teach the lower years potions. Which meant that Severus and Sirius had to get along.
It wasn’t long before Remus Lupin, aka Moony, was also brought on staff to teach DADA. Remus was going to be staying in a warded dungeon basement somewhere safe on the nights of the full moon.
Severus and Sirius would publicly duel to see who got the privilege of substituting for him, and turned it into quite a learning experience for the student audience. No dangerous spells were allowed, though after the duck suit with pink tutu and ballet slippers, Filius decreed that there would be no more prank spells that embarrassed anyone.
Severus pouted at that, and tried to argue that Sirius was cute in that get up.
Snape really had been cursed to be nasty to Gryffindors, and highly toxic to everyone. Somehow, the Dark Lord had found out that Severus had betrayed him, and was trying to get him fired. And away from the safety of Dumbledore’s protection. But then he’d killed the Potter parents, and tried to kill Lily Potter’s son.
Making the mistake not once, but twice. Well, he was out of chances. No more coming back for Moldyshorts, as Harry called him.
School settled down, as much as a magical school for preteens and teens could.
Our young heroes learned love, laughter, and how to run away from pranks.
Fred and George named their firstborn children after Moony and Padfoot. Which would have been okay, except Fred’s first child was a little princess, and Angelina was Not Amused.
But that too was in the future.
**OO**
Yule break, train ride to London
Neville sat on the train home for Christmas. With a matching wand, and doing lots of spells everyday, the boy was fit, trim, and ready to celebrate Yule with his family and friends.
“Doing anything special for Christmas this year, Harry?” Hermione asked gently, knowing it was going to be the first with his extended family. People who liked him.
“Yes I am, Hermione. I'm going to revise my notes, read up for next term, get all of my homework done…”
“Prat!”
“Hey! The Headmistress of the school is my guardian! Do you think I want to be late on anything? Or get an ‘A’ when I should get at least an ‘EE’?” Harry asked.
Neville and Hermione shared a look, before the young witch sighed, “You’re right Harry.”
“Gotcha! Padfoot. Moony and I are going snowboarding, and doing something boring on Boxing Day.”
Neville stuck his tongue out at that, as it was his family inviting them both to Cherry Hill for a family party.
And Christmas would be a good one for them all. Harry didn’t mind riding the train, only to turn around, and return to Hogsmeade. They were going to get a Christmas tree, and decorate it. His very first that he remembered.
The holiday was wonderful, as was the rest of term. In fact…
They all lived happily ever after.
-fin-
**OO**
*Grog was used without permission, found in RobSt’s Harry Crow. My first ever fanfic, and one of the best ones I have ever read. Please read if you haven’t!
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8186071/1/Harry-Crow