Chapter Text
Ch. 42 Of In-Laws, Awards and Assassinations
26th December 1994
Late evening, a few hours before Dinner time
"Looking good pup. One must look sharp when meeting their future in-laws." Sirius said cheekily. Harry rolled his eyes in response. In a few minutes, he was going to go to Greengrass Manor to meet Lord and Lady Greengrass and have dinner with them. Harry had been called in his capacity as Head of House Potter, so he was going to go alone. Sirius and Remus weren't coming with him.
"All the best Harry." Remus said. "You will need it, as you're meeting Daphne's father. He'll likely give you the shovel talk and intimidate you. You know, if you hurt my daughter speech?" He added with a grin.
"Alright. I will handle whatever Lord Greengrass throws at me. I am sure he won't be too harsh." Harry replied, internally scoffing at that thought. He was damn sure that Cyrus Greengrass wasn't going to be more intimidating than a Basilisk, a Dragon or a Chimera.
"Good luck Lionheart." Sirius said, echoing Remus's words.
Hedwig trilled from her perch, the phoenix song filling the house up. Harry smiled at her. She flew to his shoulder and nuzzled his face, nipped at his ear before flashing back to her Perch.
He checked over himself once again. His Formal black robes with the Potter and the Black crest were looking perfect. His watch was there, necklace: check, wands: check, Heir rings: Visible and proudly displayed. Cologne: Applied. The gift: check.
It was customary to give the host a small token of appreciation when going for a formal occasion to their house, especially for the first time. Harry had bought the finest mead available in market to gift it to Lord and Lady Greengrass.
"Okay. Bye. See you both later. Greengrass Manor, Activate." Harry said, activating the portkey on the letter that had borne the official invitation to dinner.
He landed gracefully in a pristine parlor. It screamed of wealth and grandeur. There was a faint trace of Rosemary in the air making the house smell nice. The sound of cackling of fire filled the room as the floo-fireplace burned merrily feeling the room with warmth.
An house elf popped in and bowed to Harry.
"Are you Heir Potter?" She asked inquisitively after bowing.
"Yes I am. Please inform Lord and Lady Greengrass that I have arrived."
The elf nodded and popped away. Harry checked his watch. He was on time... well, a minute and a half early but that didn't really matter. Better to arrive early than be late, even fashionably so, especially when meeting someone of a higher station than yourself. Yes, Harry was Heir Potter and Heir Black, but Cyrus Greengrass wasLordGreengrass. Being a Lord, he technically outranked Harry, by a minimal margin, but outranked him nonetheless. Of course, when Harry turned seventeen, he would outrank every single person in Magical Britain due to his titles: Lord Potter, Lord Black, Savior of the magical world and of course, winner of the Order of Merlin- First Class. But till then, he had to follow the etiquettes.
If he had been of a higher station, he could've been fashionably late but he wasn't.
The door to the parlor opened and Lord and Lady Greengrass strolled in followed by Daphne and Astoria. All of them were dressed in formal robes befitting their status. "Lord Greengrass. It is nice to see you again. Please accept this small token by House Potter." Harry said, shaking hands with Lord Greengrass and handing him the gift.
"Thank you Heir Potter-Black but, I remember asking you to call me Cyrus."
Harry smirked at the statement. "Quite hypocritical of you to say that when I remember asking you to call me Harry too."
They shared a chuckle. "Quite true, Harry. Let me introduce you to my wife and Daphne's and Astoria's mother, Roxanne Greengrass." Cyrus said gesturing to the lady beside him. Harry could totally see where Daphne got her looks from.
Harry gave her a charming smile. "Lady Greengrass, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Are you sure you're Daphne and Astoria's mother though?"
She raised an eyebrow, "Yes I am. Why do you ask?"
"Because you look more like their older sister than their mother, Lady Greengrass." Harry replied with his patented charming grin.
Her lips quirked before she outright burst into laughter. "Oh, you have definitely inherited James Potter's charm and his cheek." She said chuckling. Harry just grinned at her before turning to Daphne and Astoria.
Daphne came forward and extended her hand. Harry kissed it. "Daphne." She nodded and stepped away to stand beside him, just before a little blonde missile slammed into Harry.
"How are you Harry? It is so good to see you. Did you miss me? Did you write to Daphne yet? How is staying away from her feeling?"
"Astoria!" Mrs. Greengrass chastised.
Harry was amused by the whole scenario. He gently pulled Astoria away. "We met four days ago Astoria and I bid goodbye to your sister at the express barely twenty-four hours ago." Harry replied, ruffling her hair. She scowled and batted Harry's hand away.
Astoria had gone home early with most students below the fourth year due to the Yule ball being held.
"I am sorry for my youngest's behavior, Heir Potter. She can be a little... mischievous at times." Her mother said.
Harry nodded. "Oh, I know that already Lady Greengrass." He said waving her off as he casted a smirk at Astoria and she pouted. "And please call me Harry."
"Then you must call me Roxanne, dear. Now, please join us in the living room." Harry nodded and followed them to the living room, with Daphne walking by his side.
They entered a posh yet comfortable living room. The walls had a soft colour scheme and were adorned with portraits of Greengrass ancestors, most of whom were dozing and other photos of the family. Harry's eyes fell of one particular portrait and he nearly faltered in his steps. Daphne caught it though.
"That is Ophelia Black nee Greengrass." Daphne said looking where Harry was seeing.
"I know. I didn't expect to find a portrait of her. Arcturus Black doesn't have a portrait... atleast I didn't find one. So, I assumed that even his wife won't."
Ophelia Black nee Greengrass was the wife of Arcturus Black, Sirius's Grandfather. She had also fought against Grindelwald and was one of the founding members of the Dragon Legion. She was also a world renowned Duelist.
At Arcturus Black's name, Ophelia's eyes shot open and she looked at him and frowned. "Charlus? No... you're not Charlus... is it you James?"
Daphne looked at Harry and nodded. He stepped forward. "No ma'am. I am Harry Potter, Charlus Potter's grandson and James Potter's son."
"Then introduce yourself properly young man. Your family name and titles are important when you are introducing yourself for the first time." She replied in a tone that reminded Harry of Professor McGonagall.
"Very well," He replied. "I am Harry James Potter, Son of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans, The Head of the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, Heir of Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Recipient of the Order of Merlin first class, The Boy-who-lived, savior of magical Britain, Under eighteen World Dueling Champion and currently a Triwizard Champion."
Ophelia blinked at him.
"Did I miss anything?" Harry asked turning to Daphne.
"The youngest seeker in a century." She replied.
"Slayer of Slytherin's Basilisk." Astoria piped up.
"Chimera slayer." Daphne added.
"Youngest Person to win the WDL." Astoria reciprocated.
"Boy-who-catches-dark-wizards."
"Youngest Person to receive an Order of Merlin."
"Winner of Teen witch weekly's most charming smile award." Daphne added the last part with a dreamy smile.
"Wait a second" Harry stopped them. "When did I win Witch Weekly's most charming smile award? And who the hell gave it to me?"
"Oh, its in today's edition — The Christmas edition. You've made the front page." Astoria replied before running out of the room, likely to fetch the magazine.
Harry groaned.
"Oh, and the most eligible bachelor in Magical Britain. That was also in today's edition." Daphne added and Harry put his head in his hands, mush to the amusem*nt of Lord and Lady Greengrass.
Ophelia Black stared at him for a few minutes before breaking out of her stupor and said, "That is an awful lot of titles for a sixteen year old."
"I am fourteen, the same age as Daphne" Harry replied automatically.
"Very well. That is an awful lot of titles for a sixteen year old. Now, I am Ophelia Black nee Greengrass, wife of Baron Arcturus Black and the former Lady Black. Member of the Dragon Legion and three times World Dueling Champion. It is a pleasure to meet you Heir Potter-Black. If you don't mind me asking, how did you come to win an Order of Merlin and a first class at that?"
"He hasn't actually won it yet." Cyrus stated.
"The ceremony's in four days. And it was announced in the paper ages ago. So, your point is moot" Harry replied dryly.
"True."
"And to answer your question Lady Black, it is a long story. Daphne would tell you some day on my behalf. Now, I wished to enquire if your husband, Arcturus Black has made a portrait or not. We didn't find one in the Somerset Manor or in the Black Vault at Gringotts. House Black needs a portrait of one of its most distinguished and respected lords. I even didn't find your portrait and we were assuming till now that you both haven't made one."
"No, Arcturus had made a portrait. Infact Charlus, Dorea, Arcturus and I put a commission for our portraits together shortly after James started Hogwarts. But, I do not know where his portrait is. I haven't seen either of their portraits since... I don't know... What is today's date?"
"December 26th 1994." Mrs. Greengrass replied.
"Oh," Ophelia said sadly. "I have been dead for more than a couple of decades already then."
That was when Astoria came into the room with a magazine in her hand. The front page showed Harry standing in his battle robes. It was the photo taken at the weighing of the wands ceremony.
"Thank you Astoria." Harry dryly said before flipping through the pages. Several pages had his photos and several were from the Yule Ball. One whole page was dedicated to him and was titled 'The Heart-throb of Witches: The Lord Potter.
"Oh seriously, come on! They are now overdoing it!" Harry moaned.
The article had photos of him and Susan standing together arm in arm, and others dancing with other girls: One with Fleur Delacour, Hermione, Katie Bell, Amelia Bones and hilariously, even Professor McGonagall.
On cue, Roxanne blurted. "You danced with Kitty Mc-G!?"
Harry's head snapped towards her at McGonagall's nick name. Roxanne blushed. "Err—I meant Professor McGonagall."
Daphne and Astoria burst out laughing. Harry gave her an amused smile and remembered how he had been roped into dancing with McGonagall of all people
FLASHBACK
Harry was standing having the wonderful fruit punch that the house elves had prepared with Susan, Hermione, Ron and Luna standing beside him. That was when the Weasley twins along with the flying foxes and Lee Jordan popped up from besides them all of a sudden.
"Lookie lookie,. Who we have here. The famed golden Trio and dear Ms. Bones."
"How are you all?"
"Enjoying the Ball?"
The Weasley twins said in their customary twin-speech.
"We are doing well, thank you for asking. You both have snortywracks in your head." Luna said pleasantly.
"Err... Okay." Fred(or George) said completely thrown off by her statement.
"Anyways, we were discussing how Harrykins here is the pride of Gryffindor." The other twin said.
"Yes, the truest Gryffindor of us all."
"The pride of Gryffindor house."
"What do you two want?" Harry asked, cutting through their dramatic speech.
"Coming to that—"
"—Harrykins, patience."
"So, then we saw poor old McGonagall standing all alone."
"But, we didn't have guts to ask her to a dance."
"You know how she gets—"
"—probably would have given us detention."
"Then Lee said that no one—"
"—was brave enough to do that in the student body."
"But, our dear dates here—"
"— The flying foxes of Gryffindor—"
"—said that you could do it."
"So, here we are." They finished together. Luna started giggling, finding the twin speech extremely funny as Susan watched them both like a tennis match.
"So, you want to know if I can ask Professor McGonagall to a dance or not?."
"Yes—"
"— Harrykins. They said—"
"—that you are a quintessential Gryffindor."
"But no pressure!"
"Hmm... Decisions, decisions." Harry replied, thinking whether or not he should do it.
"You can do it Harry." The three chasers remarked.
"I bet 5 G that even Harry isn't Gryffindor enough to do that... and succeed." Lee said.
"I will take that bet. Harry will succeed." Ron said and Hermione frowned at him.
"Well, Damn. Even I am taking that bet by the way Lee. Better have 10 G ready." Harry replied before walking towards McGonagall.
He walked up to her and said, "Good evening Professor McGonagall."
"Good evening, Mr. Potter. Are you enjoying the ball Mr. Potter?"
"Quite so Professor. The arrangements are wonderful. But, you are just standing here professor. Can I interest you in a dance?"
McGonagall raised an eyebrow and glanced around the hall before her lips quirked.
Unknown to Harry, McGonagall had felt a Deja vu as she remembered James Potter doing the exact same thing at a ministry ball that she had attended a couple of decades or so ago. He had used the exact same words while his friends were standing there looking at James in anticipation.
"Very well, Mr. Potter. But, if you step on my toes, I will put you in detention. Am I understood?" She said sternly.
Harry gulped. McGonagall was a scary woman. "Loud and clear Professor."
She extended her hand and Harry took it and led her for a dance. Several students and even teachers stared at them as they started dancing. But, both the student and the teacher ignored them.
FLASHBACK ENDS
"The Weasley twins placed a bet on me." Harry said with a shrug. "I went and did it. But, like seriously?" Harry added waving the magazine around. "Susan was my date, alright. I barely know Delacour, Hermione is the closest thing I have to a sibling, Katie is like my sister too, Amelia's dating my godfather, and McGonagall of all people!?"
Cyrus chuckled. "The media is a funny thing Harry. They don't show what is important and exaggerate matters which don't exist. And it isn't only these... magazines. Even the most prominent newspaper in our country is more like a tabloid than a real newspaper."
"True. Especially reporters like Rita Skeeter make it even worse."
"That woman is a pest." Mrs. Greengrass added.
"But, she is remarkably complimentary towards you Harry." Lord Greengrass stated.
Harry just smirked in response.
"You have something on her, don't you? You made her agree to not give you bad press. And from your smirk, I can tell it is something big." Lady Greengrass said. Harry just gave a non-committal shrug.
"You know," She continued, "I would have easily mistaken you for a Slytherin if I didn't know you were a Gryffindor."
Harry chuckled. "We all have a bit of Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw inside of us, just the most dominant wins and we get sorted into that house."
"You said the same thing to me at the end of our second year... The first time we talked." Daphne remarked slipping her arm around his
Harry smiled. "I remember the conversation well."
"Why don't you show Harry around the house, dear? Come for dinner in an hour." Roxanne said and Daphne nodded before pulling Harry with her.
"No detours you two!" Harry heard Astoria yelling after them and giggling as her mother chastised her.
Daphne gave Harry a tour of her beautiful house. It was very much like Harry's own home in Somerset, just bigger and having more Heritage to it. Of course, that was expected since this was the original Manor erected by the Greengrass family- their main ancestral Manor while the house Harry lived in was more like a retirement home than anything else for the late Lord Arcturus Black. The original Black Manor was actually a small castle-fortress rather than a house with expansive grounds, forests, a lake and even several outhouses. Its wards were even deadlier and better than any other place the blacks owned-but, only when the war-wards were activated.
And according to the Potter family Grimoire, the PotterFortress, the ancestral house of the Potters, had security and wards rivalling Hogwarts itself. He couldn't wait to be seventeen and access the Potter Fortress. He was also likely to find the portraits of his ancestors there.
Anyways, the tour of the house was made much more enjoyable for because of Daphne and him kept stealing snogs at regular intervals.
An hour later, as the Lady of the house had requested, Daphne and Harry showed up for dinner. The first thing Harry got was a blast of mouth watering smell of cuisines that had been prepared for dinner. The rest of the Greengrass family was already at the dinner table.
"So you two love birds finally arrived." Astoria remarked.
"We are exactly on time dear sister." Daphne said with warning creeping in her voice. Harry got the feeling that Astoria had been riling Daphne up on her love life and Daphne was irritated by now.
"Yes, yes, you are. How many snogs did you both steal on the way?"
"That is—"
"— none of your business."
"Aww, you both are completing each others sentences now! That is sooo CUTE!"
Daphne went for her wand but Harry slapped her hand away. She gave him a questioning-betrayed look.
"You don't want to get into trouble for using magic during holidays, do you? Your wand would still have the trace."
Daphne groaned. "Great. Damn the ministry! Now I can't even hex the little sh*t." She muttered loud enough for only Harry to hear.
"Don't worry my lady. As you wish." Harry replied and Astoria yelped as a stinging hex impacted her arm.
"Why did you do that?"
"Because your sister couldn't." Harry replied immediately.
"She already has you wrapped around her finger." Astoria muttered and received another stinging hex on her forearm.
"Astoria, shut up and you both, sit. There won't be anymore fighting at the dinner table and no more teasing." Astoria's mother said sternly, glaring at her as her husband chuckled at the antics of the teenagers.
He leaned in and whispered in his wife's ear "Remind you of something?" His wife muttered a quick shut up. Harry only caught that snippet due to his enhanced hearing as he and Daphne took seats at the dinner table.
Soon the food was served and the five started eating while conversing on different topics which mainly revolved around Harry and the Wizengamot's most recent winter session. Apparently, this time the toad had tried to pass a bill affecting Centaurs but it had been sent for reconsideration with many members quoting from Harry's previous speech that he had made against the werewolf law. This time apparently the toad had put up a few arguments which had swayed a few members of the body enough to not outright scrap the bill. She had to revise the bill and present it again in the summer session, where Harry would be present.
Harry wasn't going to let a single bill pass that would suppress the rights of a magical race if he had any say about it.
Soon, the conversation turned to their relationship.
"So, what have you both planned for the future? Will Daphne be Lady Potter or Lady Black? And what of Susan?"
"Daphne can become the Lady of any house she likes. Susan on the other hand, will be entering into a line-continuation contract with me. She won't take my name and remain as Lady Bones. Atleast that is what we three have discussed."
The Greengrass adults nodded.
"Yes... She is the last of her house. Same with you. I heard that Amelia is dating Sirius though."
"She is. But, I am afraid that Sirius's illegal imprisonment with the dementors have left an unpleasant effect. He won't be able to bear children."
"Oh. So, she is forced to take the Bones seat and thus the line continuation contract. Hmmm... So, you will also need a Lady Black."
"Yes I will Cyrus." Harry nodded.
"So, are you okay with this?" Roxanne asked Daphne.
"Susan and I have discussed it especially in the past few weeks. We don't have a problem. We trust Harry enough to treat all of us equally. And we both love him. He won't use us for our status as Heiress of Most Noble and Most Ancient houses like most will."
Harry smiled at that.
"It is your life Daphne... and Harry. So, you should ponder over it more. It is just an advise. I am not saying that it is a bad idea. But, it can turn out to be."
"It is certainly better than marrying someone I don't even know or worse, hate mother."
"Harry, Roxanne is right. I am even more worried about you though. My daughter loves both you and Susan and I know that she would handle it just fine. But, it is you who have to handle three women."
"What are you implying Cyrus Greengrass?" Roxanne asked is a sickly sweet tone.
"N-nothing dear. Just saying."
"So, do you have the contract ready Cyrus?" Harry asked, saving Daphne's father from further embarassment.
"Contract? You mean the Betrothal contract? No, I don't."
Harry blinked before frowning.
"I thought that the point of the dinner invite was to sign the contract."
"Ah, I can see why you thought that. But no. Today I just wanted you to meet the whole family as Harry and not Heir Potter-Black, especially Roxanne. And, I also wished to discuss something important with you which doesn't concern the relationship you have with my daughter. As for the contract, we can sign it on your 15th Birthday too or Daphne's with your guardian present and even a lawyer if you want." Lord Greengrass replied.
"And what do you want to discuss about?"
"Not here. In my private study."
"Private study dad?" Astoria asked from her seat.
"Of course. There are some important things in there that I will need and Harry will soon be family. Your sister has accepted him as her future husband. On that note, you should choose someone from a lower house if you wish to marry."
"That means anyone except Longbottom." Daphne clarified.
"I am not interested in Longbottom...What about Harry though?" Astoria questioned with an innocent look but the mirth in her eyes could be clearly seen.
"No." Daphne firmly replied
"Aww, you are already so possessive about him." She gushed.
Daphne pinched the bridge of her nose. "Shut up Tori. One more such comment and I am hexing you."
"You can't hex me. Your wand still has the trace."
"Harry can lend me his wand long enough to Hex you. It doesn't have the trace."
"Here you go Daphne." Harry said handing Daphne his ebony wand.
"She already has him wrapped around her finger!" Astoria exclaimed giddily. Daphne took Harry's wand and pointed it at her sister.
"There won't be any spells flying at the dinner table!" Daphne's mother chastised her. "And Astoria, enough is enough!"
"Yes mother." Both the sisters muttered sufficiently cowed. Harry put his wand back into the holster.
"And Harry dear, don't encourage my daughter more."
"Yes ma'am." Harry said grinning at Daphne.
Soon, dinner ended and the family got up. "Harry, Roxanne please accompany me to my office and girls, go back to your rooms. We'll call you when our talk ends."
The three teens raised their eyebrows but compiled with Lord Greengrass's wish. It was clear that he meant business. The two girls went upstairs to their room while Harry followed Lord and Lady Greengrass into a simple study.
The first thing that caught Harry's eye were the chairs that were in the study. They were muggle made office chairs... the one which revolved and had wheels.
"Err, these are special chairs Harry... they are much more comfortable than normal chair and doesn't cause problems with my back." Lord Greengrass said hesitantly and Harry raised an eyebrow.
"They are office chairs that muggles use Cyrus. I am muggle-raised if you forgot." Harry said with amusem*nt as he took a seat meant for visitors and leaned back in it. "I love these chairs." He added.
"Umm... yeah. I do too. It is a life-saver or should I say back-saver." He said with a laugh before taking a seat behind the desk. Lady Greengrass dragged the chair beside Harry to place it next to her husband and sat on it. Lord Greengrass tapped a rune and Harry felt privacy wards go up around the room.
"So, what did you want to talk about Cyrus?"
He wordlessly rummaged through his desk's drawer and handed Harry a daily prophet. "This is the newspaper published on 2nd November 1981. Which was—"
"—exactly two days after my parents died" Harry finished Cyrus's statement as he accepted the paper.
The paper was filled with headlines of the fall of Voldemort or He-who-must-not-be-named as the paper wrote at his hand.
HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED FINALLY KILLED WHILE ATTACKING THE POTTERS;
LILY AND JAMES POTTER MARTYRED, THEIR SON THE ONLY SURVIVER;
HARRY POTTER, THE ONLY PERSON KNOWN TO SURVIVE THE KILLING CURSE;
HARRY POTTER, THE BOY-WHO-LIVED, THE SAVIOR OF MAGICAL WORLD;
"And also the fall of you-know-who." Lord Greengrass added.
"What do you want me to do with this sir?" Harry asked curiously.
"I want you to turn to the third page and read what Dumbledore has to say about the events of the Halloween night Harry and tell me what you can gauge from it. Albus Dumbledore, for all his senile-old man behavior is one of the most powerful and knowledgeable wizard alive and a consummate politician to boot. His words are always calculated. He won't say anything that can potentially backfire on him or be proven false."
"True." Harry agreed. There was a reason after all that the wizened headmaster was so revered and held so many positions in the magical world.
He turned to the third page where Dumbledore's speech was printed.
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE SPEAKS ABOUT THE EVENTS AT THE GODRICS HOLLOW AND THE FALL OF THE DARK LORD
Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, the Chief Warlock and the Supreme Mugwump spoke about the events at Godric's Hollow and the fall of He-who-must-not-be-named on Halloween night. He also speaks about the whereabouts of the savior of the wizarding world, the boy-who-lived, Harry Potter.
"On Halloween night, October 31st 1981, Lord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) attacked the Potter family who were residing in the Godric's hollow under the Fidelius charm. James and Lily Potter had previously evaded Lord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) in battle three times already and have escaped with their life. Also, Auror James Potter is credited for the capture of several death eaters. It was no surprise that Lord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) was after them. So, they had decided to go into hiding under the best security they could find- The Fidelius charm. They were unfortunately betrayed by their Secret keeper and Lord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) found them and attacked the Potter family in hopes to finish them once and for all.
James and Lily Potter were both students of mine and brilliant individuals. They actively fought against the terrorism spread byLord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) and his Death Eaters. They fell to Lord Voldemort's wand on Halloween night.
By what I could gauge from the scene in their cottage, which I am sure the auror reports would elaborate upon, James Potter first confrontedLord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) at the entrance of the cottage and fought him in order to buy his wife and infant son timeto escape. He bravely put on a fight but soon fell, the victim to a killing curse cast by his attacker.
Lily Potter, in the meantime ran upstairs to the nursery and barricaded it the best she could because she didn't have any means of escape.Lord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) had erected Anti-portkey and Anti-apparation wards around the property and the Floo was found to be shut off. Lily Potter, being the brilliant charms prodigy she was, erected several wards on the doorway as fast as she could but,Lord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) broke through them and blasted the door open and immediately disarmed Lily Potter and killed her with a killing curse too.
He then turned to the son of Lily and James Potter and casted yet another killing curse on him. In a miraculous turn of events, the killing curse, instead of hitting young Harry, rebounded on its caster and Lord Voldemort was vanquished.
It is unknown what exactly caused the Killing curse of all spells to be rebounded and led to the young Potter surviving a killing curse completely unscathed save for a lightning bolt scar on his forehead but, it did happen andLord **** (He-who-must-not-be-named) was vanquished, falling to the Potter Family. Unfortunately, the Lord and Lady Potter lost their life in the process and their son was orphaned. Their sacrifice will always be remembered."
We at the Daily Prophet even consulted the Unspeakables in the department of mysteries but, they too are unsure what led to Harry Potter surviving the killing curse with nothing but a scar and the curse rebounding.
We further asked Albus Dumbledore about the whereabouts of our savior to which he replied, "I have placed Harry Potter with his new guardians and sent them to a safe place, protected by extensive wards for the safety of the boy. There are several death eaters still out there who will wish to harm him to take revenge. In such a case, his safety is paramount. Also, for those who wish to sent him gifts, on behalf of Harry, I thank them. Harry won't be receiving ANY mail though. This is also something done for his safety. So, his well wishers won't be able to send him gifts or letters and I would ask them to not waste their time trying."
He refused to name who were the Boy-who-lived guardians though and where he was taken. We hope that Harry Potter is safe and leads a happy life while we await his return to the wizarding world.
For more on Fidelius charm, pg.5
Statement by the DOM, pg.4
For more on house Potter, pg. 4
For more on Lily and James Potter, pg.5
Harry put the paper down and looked at the Greengrass parents who were looking at him.
"So? What did you pick up Harry?"
"He never once specified who was the one whom Voldemort actually fell to." They flinched at the name as Harry casually shrugged. "And I suppose that is true. No one knows how I survived the curse. According to me too, it was my parents who did something to ensure my survival. What? I don't know. No one does."
Harry didn't dare mention the other thing that he had noticed: Lord Voldemort was vanquished. Not killed. Not dead. Vanquished.
But, he was afraid that Lord Greengrass would point that very fact out. Another part of him thought about why would Lord Greengrass bring up Voldemort?
"True. But, that was not what I wished for you to see. No, I wished for you to see that Dumbledore never said that you-know-who is dead. Vanquished, not dead."
Harry controlled his reactions with Occlumency.
His fears had come true. Lord Greengrass had picked up the one thing that was to remain a secret. The news that Lord Voldemort wasdefinitelyalive couldn't get out under any circ*mstances. He had made two bids to return to power and regain a body already. If he had support, he would most likely succeed.
Thirteen years ago, several death eaters had tried searching for him and that was when several had been caught, both within the country and outside. Some were even killed when they tried to resist against the aurors. They had failed that time. Now, they won't as the death eaters who were left out of Azkaban were either pardoned or unknown. There wasn't any security force looking out to stop them.
Harry raised an eyebrow at Cyrus.
"What I am saying is that you-know-who may not be as dead as we thought. He may be alive."
"And... are you saying this only based on a single word from Dumbledore?"
"No. Well, Dumbledore wouldn't have chosen his words like he did if he also didn't suspect of this fact. But, I have something more. I was an Auror during the blood war against you-know-who Harry. They were terrible times to live in. I have seen that monster fight. He could regrow limbs that had been cut off within a few minutes. Most injuries that the aurors and hit-wizards inflicted upon him healed in front of our eyes Harry. He was too... inhumane to die that easily."
He took a deep breath and shuddered at the memory. Harry remembered that Cyrus had ended up in St. Mungo's Hospital for several weeks due to a injury to his back. Magic had saved him from being crippled for life. That had happened near the end of the war... In the May 1981 infact.
"Anyways, that is not all. Tell me Harry, what do you know about the dark mark?"
"Many things sir. Tell me what you know. The information that I have will likely blow your brain out of the window."
The Greengrass parents shared a look before Cyrus turned back to him.
"If you think so. Very well. Whatever I have about the subject is from what Barty Crouch, the then head of DMLE had told my father and a little of my own research. So, the dark mark is a tattoo that each and every death eater is branded with. It is a mark of their servitude to you-know-who. The Unspeakables suspect that it was a variation of the protean charm. And it is no mere mark. It aided Death Eaters to communicate with each other and reach to their master when he called them, instinctively without even knowing the location they were going to. It is also suspected that a death eater can't take the mark without consent but, it was a speculation. There isn't any concrete proof." Lord Greengrass said.
"Anything else?"
"It is tied to you-know-who. Once he fell to your family on Halloween of '81, the mark on the death eaters arms almost faded to nothing."
Harry gave him a light applause.
"Good research Lord Greengrass. Whatever you have gathered is very good as compared to what the public knows."
"And what is it thatyouknow?" Roxanne asked.
"Will you consent to a vow of silence?"
"Why?"
"If you want to know what I know, you have to swear a vow of silence. The information is too sensitive to get leaked."
A vow of silence was a customary oath that was very common especially when working with legal or sensitive information. The Hippocratic Oath that the healers took and the vows of the Unspeakables were variations to the vow of silence. If the Greengrass parents took the oath, they won't be able to tell anyone whatever Harry told them to anyone in by any means or in any form without Harry's exclusive permission. Their magic would forbid it. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't tell anyone.
"Very well. We'll take the oath. Roxanne?"
She nodded and they both took the vow of silence.
"Very well. Whatever you have gathered Lord Greengrass is actually very good but, it is by no means precise or completely correct." Lord Greengrass raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"The dark mark is the symbol of Lord Voldemort's servitude." The two adults flinched at the name. " and, as you said, it is no mere tattoo. The dark mark isn't a variation of the protean charm though, neither is it a charm at all. No, the dark mark is created with a combination of soul magic, Sacrificial magic and parselmagic put together. Tell me, do you know anything about the Egyptian enslavement ritual?"
Both of them choked on the air. "How in the name of Merlin do you know about that!?" Roxanne asked.
"I make it a point to research everything about my enemy especially one as dangerous as Voldemort. Now, what do you know about it."
"It was a ritual used by ancient Egyptians to enslave other people. The person enslaved would loose all free will of their own. They became bound to the wizard or witch who performed the ritual."
"True. But, that is not the part I wanted. The ritual also formed a connection of the slave with the master. The master would know about the slave's whereabouts, their emotions, their loyalty etc. whenever they wished so. They could also torture the servant on their whims with a mere thought. The dark mark works on a similar principle. Voldemort would know where any of his death eaters are even if they go under extensive wards. He can torture them through the mark and even summon them if he wishes. He also modified the ritual to a certain extent. Instead of loosing their free will, the servant would keep their free will and magic. Can you guess why?"
They shook their heads.
"Because, it would hinder their magic casting if they lost their free will. They won't be able to muster up the intent required to cast the spells. That was what happened to the Egyptian slaves. They became worse then house elves. They could only do what their master asked. If their master didn't tell them, they couldn't do it. That included daily activities like eating and nature's call too. They were of no use in battle. Voldemort kept their free will intact, instead making the mark act like a loyalty potion. So, Death eaters are basically normal witches and wizards who are loyal to Voldemort. Not slaves but loyal soldiers."
"So, the ones bearing the mark are instinctively loyal to you-know-who unless they have enough mental fortitude to throw it off?" Roxanne asked.
"Yes. Also, Lord Voldemort can draw some magic from each of his followers when he needs. Not all, but some. It is one of the reasons he is so powerful."
"He can draw... magic from his followers, like use their magic to cast spells?" Harry nodded at Cyrus's question. "Bloody Hell! How is that possible?"
"Nothing is impossible when it comes to magic sir. As to how, it is due to the sacrificial magic ritual. The death eaters have an initiation ceremony. They are made to kill a human being, magical or non-magical and then, Voldemort marks them. The sacrifice... the murder, serves as a sacrifice to bind the Death Eater under the Dark mark. The sacrifice forges a connection between Voldemort and the Death Eater by soul and by magic. The chant is in Parseltounge that brands them."
The Greengrass Parents were silent for a few moments. Harry leaned back in his chair, waiting for them to process the information.
"So, to summarize, the dark mark that is branded serves several function. One, it acts like a loyalty potion making the marked person loyal to you-know-who. It also makes him privy to the location of his death eaters, summon them at will, torture them through the mark on his whims and also allows him to draw magical power from their reserves when needed." Lady Greengrass said.
"Yes. That is about right. I think it also helps them communicate. I am not sure, but it may be a possibility."
"I need a drink." Cyrus said after a few more minutes of silence. "Roxanne, Fire-whiskey?"
"Yes."
"Harry, will you take anything?"
"A butterbeer if it isn't a problem." Harry replied. He nodded and went to get the drinks, leaving his wife and Harry alone.
She smiled weakly at him. "How do you know this Harry?"
"Research. A lot of research. Some of it was even done by my parents and I elaborated on it."
"Who else knows?"
"Perhaps Dumbledore. He may know this, less than this or maybe even something more. But, he will know something beyond what you have told me." Harry replied.
"So, by everything you know, do you also think you-know who isn't dead then?" Cyrus asked as he walked back into the room with a two bottles and two glasses, closing the door behind him. He handed the butterbeer to Harry and looked at him inquisitively.
Harry leaned back into his chair before he let out a sigh. "I do not think so Lord Greengrass..." The adults raised their eyebrows. "Iknowso. Lord Voldemort is definitely alive. He is more than a ghost and less than a human currently. A wraith. But, he isn't dead."
"WHAT? How... What? How do you know that?" They sputtered.
Harry opened the butterbeer and took a sip contemplating if he should tell them or not. He made the call to tell them.
"Because I have faced him after the Halloween night. Twice. Once in early June 1992 and once in May 1993."
"WHAT!?" Both of them shouted.
"Yes. You have heard how Quirrell, our DADA professor was actually a dark wizard and wanted to kill me? Well, he was being possesed by Voldemort. He wanted the philosopher's stone to regain his body but his plans were thwarted. The following year the chamber of secret incident took place... The artifact that possesed the girl was Voldemort's... I faced his ghost, his 16 year old wrath down in the chamber."
Lord Greengrass kept silent and poured two glasses of Fire-whiskey, handed one to his wife and downed the whole glass in one shot. Roxanne also downed half the glass in a single sip.
"You know, if it hadn't beenyoutelling me this, I would have thought all of this was a lie Harry." Cyrus sighed and poured himself another drink.
They sat in silence sipping their drinks.
"But, what was it that you actually wanted to talk about Cyrus?"
"Ah, yes. You did blow our minds out of the window as you told... Yeah, we were discussing about the dark mark. The mark which had faded almost to nothing is darkening again."
"Excuse me?"
"The dark mark—"
"I heard you the first time Lord Greengrass. Where did you hear this? Are you sure?"
He nodded solemnly. "Harry... I need to deal with some... unsavory sort of people especially for my potions ingredient business. There are whispers among them Harry. The dark mark is gaining colour. Some are worried, some are waiting and some, they are happy. Some are even thinking of fleeing the country Harry. The last time it happened was in 1992, but it was brief. This one, it started since the Quidditch World cup and is steadily gaining colour. See these photos." He handed Harry four photographs.
One was the dark mark branded and in its full glory. One was of a mark that was barely visible, another was a little darker than the first and the last one was like an intermediate between the first and second photo.
"The first photo is the picture of the mark taken in 1979... at the height ofhispower. The second photo was taken exactly one year after his fall, on 1st November 1982, the third photo was taken two days after the attacks in the Quidditch World Cup. The last was taken a week and a half ago."
Harry suddenly recollected the night of the Yule Ball... specifically the conversation between Karkaroff and Snape.
Harry slumped in his chair. Voldemort was making a bid to return to power... again. The first two times, Harry had managed to foil his plans. This time, it seemed that Voldemort had a better plan. He had already gained a lot of power. Voldemort had managed to enter him into a deadly tournament. What was his plan?
He also remembered the Prophecy that the divination teacher had given.
Did Voldemort want him out of the way before he returned? Or was the plan something else?
He looked at Lord and Lady Greengrass, who were mirroring his grim expression.
"Why are you tellingmethis?"
"Harry," Cyrus sighed. "You are going to be the hope if He-who-must-not-be-named returns. You ended him the first time. You are known for several feats of magic. You are perhaps the most politically powerful person in the country bar Dumbledore... well, once you are seventeen anyways. You are a symbol of hope Harry. And you are perhaps the only one capable enough to defeat him. House Greengrass will rally behind you Harry."
Harry sat up straight. Cyrus Greengrass had offered an alliance. If Voldemort returned, House Greengrass would fight under his banner.
"Yes Harry. Cyrus speaks the truth. You are an exceptional wizard. You took down eleven death eaters without a single scratch on your body at the World cup. You killed a Chimera. And you are fourteen. I don't think any person can boast of the feats you have achieved that too at such a young age. And the main point is, House Greengrass has been a neutral house since centuries. We were of course against You-know-who in the war with Cyrus being an auror and all, but it was a close thing. Near the end... The whole of 1981 till he fell, the death eaters were pressurizing us to rally under their banner. If he hadn't fallen to your family... We would have been forced to join him for the safety of our family especially our Daphne. They were dark times Harry. I still remember the night of October 31st... At night we were seriously contemplating what to do. We brainstormed everything from fleeing to running for Dumbledore's protection to bending to the pressure that the dark lord was putting on us to join. We had received yet another death threat earlier that day saying if we didn't join they would end our family. Next morning, we heard that the dark lord had fallen. Only I know what amount of... Happiness and relief I got when I heard the news." She said hanging her head.
"Lady Greengrass... there is no need to feel ashamed. The duty of a Lord and Lady is first and foremost to the safety of their family. We don't need to ponder on the what if's."
"True." Cyrus said nodding his head. "We want to be prepared this time Harry. If we ally with you, we won't need to join you-know-who. Pure-blood supremacy may benefit us but it isn't the right thing to do. He is a terrorist first and foremost despite he may call himself a revolutionary championing pure-blood supremacy."
Harry laughed. He outright burst into laughter.
"What is it that you find so funny?" Mrs. Greengrass asked bewildered.
"Oh, nothing much except for the fact that a bastard son of a muggle and a near squib is the champion of pure-bloods."
"What?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Voldemort isn't his real name. His name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. The name he uses is an Anagram." Harry took his wand out and wrote the name with flaming letters in the air like Tom had done in the chamber. The letters rearranged into "I AM LORD VOLDEMORT"
"THE f*ck!" Lord Greengrass yelled as his wife gaped at the letters.
"Yes, Tom Riddle, the son of Merope Gaunt, a near squib. The Gaunt line is the bastardized descendant of Salazar Slytherin and is noted for a vein of instability and violence that flourished through the generations due to their habit of marrying their own cousins. Anyways, back to Voldemort, well, Merope Gaunt fell in love... one-sided love I might add, with a muggle named Thomas Riddle, a guy who lived in her neighborhood." Harry continued.
"He didn't return her feelings so Merope fed him a love potion and fell pregnant. Thinking that impregnating her would give Thomas a sense of duty to be with her, she stopped feeding him love potions. It turned out that Thomas became angry when he came to know that his wife was a witch and kicked her out. Soon, Tom Riddle was born at Wool's orphanage in London on 31st of December 1926 and his mother died soon after childbirth, naming the child after his father. The child was known as Tom Riddle."
The adults just poured themselves another drink and gulped it down in one shot. They repeated the action.
"Ok. Damn. I say, you can tell us all you know about the Dark Lord some other day. This is enough information overload as it is. The crux of the matter is that he's regaining power. He may return soon. And if he returns, House Greengrass will rally behind House Potter. I want protection of House Potter. This is the option we didn't have last time. Some of our family ideologies went against Dumbledore's at that time and they still do. We aren't going to join you-know-who. You have emerged as my third and last option Harry. You dating my daughter was much more of a boon than I initially thought for my House. What do you say."
"Will you be willing to stand against Voldemort... like fighting against him or do you want complete safety... like go into hiding?"
"The former. If I wanted to go into hiding, I would have done it myself Harry." Cyrus replied.
"So... what do you mean by gaining the protection of House Potter?"
"You don't know?" Lady Greengrass asked.
"I am afraid not ma'am."
"Ah, with the savviness you displayed in the Wizengamot, I thought you would know... Well, the protection means that in case of a threat you will lend us support, be it financial, political or magical in nature. Well, we don't need money as we already have plenty but by financial I meant contacts that are required to buy a few exclusive, not strictly legal things if you get what I am talking about. Political is self-explanatory."
"And by magical you mean that your enemy will be my enemy and vice-versa unless our interests conflict. If anyone dares harm you, I will protect you and seek retribution too if needed. Right?" She nodded. "Ah. House Potter agrees then."
There were a very few capable ofdefeatingHarry in a single duel by now. He had trained that much and tothatlevel. Probably only Voldemort and Dumbledore could defeat him now to be honest.
It was wise to seek shelter behind him if war broke out. Putting House Greengrass under his protection would be akin to saying 'Try to harm them and I will deal with you personally.' And by now, many people feared Harry. He had captured eleven death eaters without a single scratch on his body and killed a Chimera too. People had enough reason to be scared to go against him.
"Thank you Harry." Lord Greengrass said looking a bit relieved.
Harry looked at his watch. He had promised Sirius to be home around 10. It was 10:09 PM already!
"Lord Greengrass, I am sorry but I have to leave sir. Sirius and Remus would worry if I am late." Harry said in a worried tone. Sirius could become a really big mother hen sometimes.
"Oh gods! Look at the time! Never felt when the time passed. I will call Daphne and you can say goodbye. We will continue this discussion some other day... probably when you come for Summer Holidays, eh." Lord Greengrass said rising from his seat.
"It was nice meeting you Harry. Even if you did blow my mind out of the window." Lady Greengrass said smiling at Harry.
"It was nice meeting you too Lady Greengrass. But, before I go, I must ask you to keep all of this to yourself. We do not want to induce mass panic and have people sticking their heads in the sand like Ostriches."
"They would probably say that we are going senile if we bring this out in public right now." Cyrus said with a laugh.
"True." Harry said, getting up himself and followed him outside with Lady Greengrass trailing behind him.
Daphne and Astoria were already waiting for them outside. Daphne cast him a questioning look and Harry nodded in reassurance.
They went to the floo fire-place and Lord Greengrass gave a light slap on Harry's back. "It was nice meeting you Harry. I hope we will meet soon again." He said with a smile.
Lady Greengrass gave him a hug and mirrored her husband's words.
Astoria too hugged him and the three left Harry and Daphne alone bidding Harry a good-night. It looked like Astoria was going to add her input but kept quiet when her mother shot her a look.
"What happened in there Harry? Was it anything serious?"
"A serious talk? Yes. It was about politics actually. House Potter and Greengrass alliance of sorts. He wanted to talk to me like Lord to Lord."
Daphne hummed and gave him a hug before she leaned in for a kiss. Harry reciprocated it and soon they were snogging each other with vigor before Harry had to leave to go back to his house. Sirius would be waiting.
And he needed to have a conversation with his two mentors.
31st December 1994
Atrium, British Ministry of Magic
Harry floo-travelled into the atrium of the ministry of Magic and was soon followed his date, Susan, Amelia and finally Sirius. All were dressed immaculately in formal acromantula-silk dress robes befitting their status in the wizarding world.
Sometimes Harry thought that he spent more on these types of robes than his school supplies put together. Thankfully the Potter and Black families were loaded and their investments were vast. Whatever they spent was replenished within a week or two.
Susan took Harry's elbow as Amelia did the same with Sirius. They were soon greeted by the Minister of Magic.
"Harry, Sirius, Amelia! Welcome!" Fudge greeted in a jovial voice with familiarity like he was seeing an old friend. If he wasn't the minister of magic, it would have been considered a serious offense to give the first greeting by first name at a such formal, high-profile event. But, to the people who were nearby, it seemed that Harry, Sirius and Madame Bones were close friends with the Minister.
"Cornelius. It is good to see you again." Sirius replied as he shook his hand and Harry followed his Godfather's actions. Soon the party of four broke and Sirius and Harry took their dates in different directions to talk to different people. Sirius and Amelia began conversing with Lord Ogden while Harry steered Susan to where Lord Albertos was standing.
"Lord Albertos." Harry greeted the man.
Lord Albertos was a man in his early seventies. His white hair was streaked with occasional brown Hair which must have been his natural hair colour when he was younger. He had heterochromatic eyes: One blue, one brown.
"Heir Potter-Black." He greeted back. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person. And, I am afraid that I do not know who is your date."
"Lord Albertos, meet Susan Bones, the Heiress of House Bones." Harry introduced her.
"Oh, look at you! You have grown so much Susan. Last I saw you, you were a little tyke playing with dolls. And look at you now!"
"You knew me as a child?"
"Not exactly... I had came to meet Amelia once for some urgent work and had seen you there. You came and offered me a cup of tea... imaginary one."
Harry snickered as Susan blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh, I had even seen you as a child Heir Potter. You were six months old that time. When I lifted you in my arms, you turned my hair pink. I still remember it. I lifted you and a few seconds later, James Potter was rolling on the floor with laughter. It took me five minutes to actually realize what had exactly happened and whatever I did, couldn't reverse it! I had to go to St. Mungo's and there they said that the magic would wear off in a couple of days. My hair was pink for three and a half days!"
"Err... I am sorry for the actions of my younger self sir." Harry apologized. It was accidental magic! He hadn't done it on purpose!
"Oh, no need to apologize to him Heir Potter." A feminine voice called from behind. Harry turned and saw Lady Albertos walking towards him with Griselda Marchbanks in tow and a few other ladies. "It was very funny to see my husband with pink hair. It was a welcome change."
"Lady Albertos. Madame Marchbanks." Harry greeted kissing their knuckles. He was soon roped into conversation with them. He came to know that he could sit for all his OWLS as soon as he turned fifteen if he wished to. For NEWTs he needed to be seventeen. He just needed to come to her office and give the exams given that he had informed her two days ago that he was going to come and write the exams of specified subjects.
Harry decided to give the exams for a few subjects which he didn't learn at Hogwarts for his OWLs before his fifth year started.
Soon, they took seats at circular tables. Harry and Susan sat once again on the head table with Sirius, Amelia, Fudge, Dumbledore, the Greengrass family, Lord and Lady Albertos, and finally Augusta Longbottom. Apparently she hadn't seen it fit to bring Neville with her probably believing he would mess up. Neville's Grandmother was perhaps the biggest reason for the boy's lack of confidence.
Dinner was soon served by several waiters. One had to tap their dish with their wand and place their order. The waiters would then bring their order.
The conversation on their table picked up. Surprisingly the talk involved very little of politics or Wizengamot talk. With the most politically powerful people sitting together on a single table and conversing, Harry had expected the main topic of discussion to be politics. Instead the topic varied from the latest Quidditch match to the Triwizard tournament. When the Triwizard topic had been arisen, Harry had became the center of attention at the table. They talked about what mistakes each champion made and how could it have turned out differently. They even discussed what they would have done in the champion's place.
Soon after dinner ended and the remnants of the deserts cleared, Fudge left his seat and went up on the stage that had been built in the Atrium. He tapped the mic twice and cleared his throat.
"Ladies and Gentlemen." He said beaming at everyone in the Atrium. "It is my genuine pleasure to see you all present at such a momentous occasion and I hope that you all enjoyed the food that we served. Today, we have gathered here for two main reasons. One, is of course the annual ball hosted by the Ministry of Magic. The ball will begin in a few minutes by the way, but, before we proceed to enjoy our evening, we have to do something very important." He said.
"Today, we have also gathered here to honor the actions of a hero. He bravely fought a dozen Death Eaters to protect a family whom he didn't even know just because it was the right thing to do. He successfully subdued those death eaters who were attacking innocents at the Quidditch World Cup and has done Britain a great service and that too, not for the first time. The ministry, on behalf of Magical Britain, has decided to award him the highest civilian award in the country, The Order of Merlin-First Class. Without further adieu, I would like to call Harry James Potter on the stage to receive his award. Please put your hands together on this momentous occasion!"
Amidst thunderous applause, Harry strolled forward and ascended upon the stage.
"May I please call the Chief Warlock upon the stage to hand him the Merlin shield and the Certificate." Fudge added and Dumbledore also followed Harry onto the stage, his eyes twinkling like stars.
An assistant quickly came forward with a tray. Fudge took his position on Harry's right as Dumbledore picked up the Merlin shield from the tray and handed it to Harry and they both posed for the camera.
The Merlin Shield was actually a circular plate made of solid gold, a feet long in diameter and 1Kg in weight. It had Harry's name engraved on it in a flowery script.
HARRY JAMES POTTER
ORDER OF MERLIN
FIRST CLASS
Next Dumbledore handed him the official certificate of the achievement and the service he had done to the country. They posed again and this time, even Fudge joined them. Several flashes went off from the media cameras as thunderous applause filled the ministry atrium once again. Harry gave the crowd another of his charming smiles.
Fudge slowly slipped away and cast a sonorous on himself and announced, "May I now call upon Harry Potter to speak a few words."
If Salazar and Helga hadn't warned him, Harry would have been shocked. Apparently, it was a tradition not to tell the recipient of the award that they had to make a speech. They just announced it after the award was received. It had to be impromptu.
Harry walked to the center of the stage as Dumbledore and Fudge went back to the table and sat down.
The crowd quietened as Harry cleared his throat and gave the crowd a smile. "Good evening everyone. I did be lying if I said that I didn't expect that I would be called upon to make a speech today." There were a few chuckles around the room.
"I would say I am extremely honored to receive such an prestigious award. I would just say that I did what I thought was right. I never—"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" A man, standing a little distance away from the stage yelled pointing his wand at Harry . A sickly green beam of light shot from the man's wand but was intercepted by a marble block that Harry conjured. He had conjured it wandlessly as he flicked his wand in his hand, making it look like a very quick action.
Many people screamed.
The marble block exploded as the killing curse impacted it. Harry converted the debris into spikes and banished it at the man who had tried to kill him. But, it seemed he wasn't alone. A magical shield intercepted the spikes and spells started raining down on Harry from all sides. Unfortunately for the attackers, Harry was already in action.
