FicWad

At 1:35 AM on the sixth of July, in the large master bedroom of the Bones’ home, Amelia woke in a hurry. The wards around the manor had just fallen. Plucking her wand from the bedside table, she alerted her niece and commanded: “Susan! Leave! NOW!”

Susan Bones also woke as the wards fell. She immediately followed her aunt’s command, activating her portkey, with the command: “Deus ex Machina!” The portkey dropped her into the lounge at 12 Grimmauld place. Thumping from above her, alerted her to the presence of others in the house. The thumping got louder as footsteps rapidly descended the wooden staircase. Looking up she saw Harry Potter standing at the top of the landing, in a cream colored, crossover tunic, which was worn over tan breeches and knee high brown boots, with a heavier ‘V’ shaped drape coming over his shoulders and forming an apron in front, cinched at the waist by a thick leather belt. Clipped to the belt was a shiny cylinder of silver and black, about a foot long. He trotted down the stairs, and striding toward her, spoke in what Susan had learned to call ‘his command voice’.

“Susan. Give me your portkey.” He held out his hand and Susan obediently dropped the device into his palm.

“What’s the trigger?” She told him and Harry vanished in a swirl of light. Her first coherent thought was: ‘Why’s Harry dressed like Luke Skywalker?’

****

Through the floo, the room filled quickly with Albus Dumbledore and his Order members, all demanding to know what had happened. Dumbledore gazed at her thoughtfully. Susan could feel his mental fingertips brushing at her shields. Her aunt Amelia had warned her of the headmaster’s ability and had her practice her mental shields until nobody in the Auror Department could get through. Not even Moody. She strengthened them from the inside so he wouldn’t feel their firming. All he could get was a series of disjointed images having to do with an erotic dream starring Harry and the chaos of her awakening. No note of the Jedi-Harry escaped. Dumbledore gathered his people and headed into the dining room for a meeting.

“What about my Auntie!?!” Susan screeched.

“I shall contact the Auror department.” Dumbledore spoke in his most condescending tone. “They will see to her safety.” The ancient wizard turned from the frantic Susan and ushered his minions into the room, closed and sealed the door. With the floo right there, Susan knew Dumbledore had no such intention. She threw a pinch of the glittering powder into the fire and called: “Ministry of Magic! Aurors department!”

A familiar face answered her call…Hestia Jones was the duty Auror. ““Auror’s emergency…oh, hello, Susan! What’s up?””

“Death Eaters are attacking Bones manor. Auntie had me use a portkey to get here to Harry’s place and he went to help her. Dumbledore’s here. He said he’d contact you, but I don’t think he has. In fact, I don’t think he’s doing anything.”

“Yeah, we just got the alert, we're getting ready to hit your house. About Dumbledore, though...Ummm...I’ll have to check on that, but for now, I'm sending the rapid response team. Bones Manor?”

“Yeah! Please hurry, ‘Tia. Auntie needs our help!”

Hestia withdrew her head from the fire and Susan could hear her call out orders to the team of Aurors, before the flames once again turned their usual yellows and oranges.


Susan stood before the antique settee, fuming at Dumbledore’s utter lack of concern, when Hermione Granger descended the stairs, wearing a housecoat and from what Susan could see, nothing else. She looked sleepy and definitely…rumpled. Instantly the lust she’d long held for a certain green-eyed Quidditch god, as a previous alumnus had coined him, sprang to the fore. Hermione hugged her friend and bade her sit.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a time, each knowing that Amelia Bones’ life hung in the balance. No topic of discussion seemed appropriate for the two girls, so they simply sat, arms wrapped around each other, staring at the flames.


“How was he?” Susan finally ventured.

“Oh my God! He was wonderful! He has this lovely thing he does with his tongue…did you know he knows three entire runic alphabets?”

“And just how do you know that?” Susan queried, already suspecting the answer.

“He traced each one onto my clit with his tongue.” Hermione returned smugly.

Susan almost fainted.



Several minutes later, Harry and Amelia Bones arrived via Susan’s portkey. Amelia was battered and bleeding. Harry looked mussed but otherwise in good condition. As soon as she arrived, Susan flew into her arms. A fierce hug and a few whispered words of comfort, and Amelia excused herself and went directly to the floo, where she contacted the Aurors and ordered them to send a clean-up crew to her home and a battle ready detachment of Aurors and Hit-Wizards to Vance’s house. When informed of the dispatch of the rapid response team to her own home, she shot a look of gratitude to her niece and ordered that they be recalled them and sent to Vance’s home as well. She told them she would be joining them there. Harry flicked his fingers and a thick parchment envelope soared into his hand. He handed it to Mme. Bones, and asked: “Please get these filed as rapidly and quietly as you can. Quite a bit is riding on it.”

Thanking Harry as Lord Potter, she flung herself into the green flames and vanished.

“Harry?” Hermione asked. “Why are you dressed up as a Jedi Knight?”

Harry held out his hands to both his lover and his guest. “Let’s go upstairs and I’ll tell you what I can.” Together, they ascended the stairs and entered Harry’s room.


/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Amelia’s memories:

Amelia felt the portkey activate and sighed in relief. Now that Susan was safely away, she organized her defense. She rigged a barricade in a room built into the hillside. She knew they would eventually get to her, but she’d get most of them in the doing. She grinned in grim satisfaction at the thought of costing Voldemort so many of his lackeys.

Complying with Harry’s request, she fired off two signal darts. One to the duty Auror, and the other to Dumbledore, telling them what was happening. Then she prepared for the onslaught.

More than fourty Death Eaters swarmed her home, casting curses in every direction. It was a training mission for newly marked Death Eaters that would soon go terribly wrong for the black-robed terrorists. As soon as they realized there was no real opposition, they began their searching for the two Bones women. Finding Susan’s room empty, they turned their efforts to locating her aunt. The Deez quickly filled the holdout, and began to fire a variety of curses at her.

Amelia easily summoned things into the paths of the deadlier spells, but she knew that with this sort of offset, it was only a matter of time before they killed her. She cast her first lethal spell since the end of the last war. A Death Eater stared in shock at the nasty hole that the orange blast left behind as it bored through his chest, before he crumpled bonelessly to the tiles. For a few seconds after he fell, the other Deez looked alternately at her and the dead comrade, before attacking with a vengeance. The delay gave her time to set up a rotating field of flying objects to catch or deflect the curses. She set to, firing off lethal spells through her own shield. Each shot struck a Death Eater and for several more seconds, her chances of survival seemed to grow. Unfortunately, the Deez took exception to her actions and proved that on that night; they weren’t as cowardly as they usually were.

Amelia soon realized that her defense wasn’t as good as she had hoped. There were just too many attackers. She had her choice of targets, but they were all focused on one…her, and more curses were getting through than she’d expected. She’d managed to avoid them for the time being, but knew it was only a matter of time.

Then, in a surprisingly well-developed light baritone, came a tune that she knew.

“Here I come to save the day!”

She felt herself sag in relief at hearing their agreed upon password.

The song echoed through the hallway, stilling the Death Eaters for a few precious seconds. She sang out the silly tune’s refrain, loud and clear: “Mighty Mouse is on the way!”

A figure entered through the hallway from Susan’s room, wearing familiar clothing. Unlike the Death Eaters, Amelia did know what a Jedi knight was, thanks to Susan’s fascination with the muggle cinema. She also recognized the raven-haired youth she’d spoken with only weeks before, though tonight he wore no glasses.

With a snap-hiss, the lightsaber flared to life.

~Let us pray that thing works as it’s supposed to.~ She thought, firing another spell, and decapitating another Death Eater. The Deez now facing two opponents began firing wildly. Harry deflected all the curses aimed his way, killing or injuring a number of Voldemort’s minions. He made a pushing gesture at two Death Eaters, both of whom flew through the air, and onto the blades of two ancient, ceremonial spears that Amelia had wanted to get rid of, as she felt they were a danger to Susan. Now, she was glad she hadn’t. Both Death Eaters died, staring in shock at the bloody, leaf shaped blades protruding from their respective chests. Harry took a running leap and somersaulted over the black-robed pests. Landing in the midst of them he swung his lightsaber in a flat arc, slicing the heads off at least seven, including the leader of the bunch, a stringy-haired, emaciated and utterly psychotic woman named Bellatrix. As they fell, both a reductor curse launched by Bones, and a killing curse fired from a Death Eater, flew towards him. Harry simply deflected the orange energy into one Death Eater and the green into another, then waded into the one who’d cast the lethal spell. A swift slice and the man was wandless…and handless. He fell screaming to the parquet. A quick backthrust took another. Three more fell to his blade, and four more to Amelia’s hexes, before the remaining few, knowing they had no chance at winning, and foolishly thinking their punishment from the dark lord would be preferable to certain death at the hands of this unknown maniac, portkeyed away.


As soon as they left, Amelia cancelled her barricade charm, and stood. “Sorry for that!” She called apologizing for the reductor. Harry grinned at her, deactivating his lightsaber. She fired a stunner into the downed Death Eater. A quick police-up and three more surviving Death eaters were stunned, stripped naked and bound. If they carried any magical devices, they’d have to be either inside heir bodies or invisible. In any case, her Aurors would interrogate them. Not Fudge’s crew.


“Thank you…erm…” She faltered, not knowing the proper address for a noble who was also a Jedi knight.

Harry turned and smiled grimly: “You’re welcome, Madam Bones. Emmeline Vance’s home is due to be attacked tonight as well. Less than an hour, if I’m not mistaken. Hopefully you can prevent that.”

“Indeed.”

“One more thing. Remember the conversation we had at the Three Broomsticks?”

“I do.”

“I have the Writ’s of Conquest all filled in, but if I tried to file them, Dumbledore would be there in a heartbeat, and I really don’t want him to know what I’m up to just yet. Will you file them? They’re all legal and above board. Graswold insisted on that."

“I shall have Connie handle it. She is my protégé. I trust her with Susan’s life.”

“Good enough.”

“Right, then.” Amelia turned to the floo only to find it inoperative. “I suspect the Death Eaters have killed Madam Edgecomb.”

“More likely, Madam Edgecomb is actively supporting them. Marietta turned the defense study group in to the toad-woman, because her mother told her to. Either way, why don’t you come to my place in London? You can floo or even apparate from there.”

“Thank you, Lord Potter…or should I say: ‘Knight Potter’?”

“Just Harry, please.” Harry grinned, then added: “Touch the portkey and we’ll be off.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After Amelia had departed, Harry led Hermione and Susan up the stairs. Once in the bedroom, he unhooked his lightsaber and set it to the side.

“OK, Harry…” Hermione demanded. “Spill!”

“Demanding little wench, isn’t she?” Harry asked in an aside to Susan. Though Susan nodded, a smile filling her face, Hermione wasn’t as amused.

She spoke in a sultry voice: “You know, Harry, I could always go elsewhere for my…gratification.” ~Ha! Top that!~

“~~An empty threat and you know it!~~” Harry hissed in Parseltongue. Hermione immediately flushed darkly and shivered in lust. The flush could be traced down into her robe as far as it was open. Susan laughed out loud.

“Oh hush, you!” Hermione swatted her friend’s arm.

OK, here’s the story…” And Harry began to recount his tale once more. He gave them an abbreviated version of is life, including but not focusing on the abuse he’d suffered at the hands of all three Dursleys, the Headmaster’s tacit approval and assistance, and the Goldbergian tests they’d had to face each year. He finished off by telling them about his death and it’s aftermath, including the decisions made and his reasons for returning. By the time he was finished, Susan was weeping tears of compassion and rage and Hermione was more than ready to kill!

He gathered his friends into a warm embrace and held them until they’d calmed. As he released Hermione, he’d kissed her gently, and said: “I intend to form a corps of Jedi-trained people, to deal with the Deez while I destroy Voldemort. After that, I’m hoping to set up a real Jedi academy.” He didn’t include his plans to deal with the ‘other’ dark lord.

A demonstration of his lightsaber and some of the few Jedi tricks he’d practiced, was followed by arguments of all kinds, until Harry felt the wards on the floo go off. “Susan, your aunt’s here.” He stood and picked up his lightsaber while taking Susan’s arm. “Don’t do anything stupid.” He ordered, though his tone was kind. He let go and the three of them headed toward the stairs.

****

As had occurred less than an hour before, the floo erupted with green flames. Amelia whirled to a stop bearing the unconscious body of Emmeline Vance. Following closely behind her were Tonks, Shacklebolt, Jones, and three other Aurors. She laid her burden on the nearest couch, touched her wand to her throat, and called out in a greatly amplified voice: “Hullo the house! We need medical attention here!”

Poppy Pomfrey bustled through the door to the kitchen, and upon seeing the wounded Vance, went into full-healer mode. Kingsley and Tonks chivvied the other Aurors thorough the floo to the ministry to arrange a clean-up detail for the dead and wounded Deez at both Bones’ Manor and Vance’s house, though Jones remained behind to assist the healer.

Behind her, Dumbledore entered the lounge, Severus Snape in his shadow.

“Ah! Amelia. Welcome to Black Manor. While I am more than happy to see you alive, may I inquire as to how you survived the Death Eaters, and how you got through the security protocols here? He held his wand lightly in his hand, and everybody present knew that if the answers didn’t suit him, he’d attack.

“I believe the answer to both those questions would be: ‘Me’!” Harry stepped lightly down the stairs with his arm wrapped around Hermione. In his other hand he carried a slender metal cylinder about a foot long. Beside them was Susan Bones, who squealed and tried to rush to her bruised and beaten Aunt. As one, both Harry and Hermione held her arms, preventing her from dashing across the line of fire.

“Harry! What are you doing here? You should be with the Dursleys, where it is safe!”

“It isn’t.” Harry stepped down the stairs while Hermione gently restrained Susan and whispered something into her ear. Eyes wide, Susan stopped struggling. Amelia appreciated what they were doing; knowing better than most, how a stray curse in a fight could kill as easily as one that had been aimed.

“I beg your pardon?” Dumbledore queried, wondering how Harry had managed to slip his lead.

“It isn’t safe. The Dursley’s house has never been safe for me. The Dursleys hate magic with a passion. They hate anything they don’t consider to be ‘normal’. You know that. What’s more, you knew that when you dropped me off on their doorstep like a bottle of milk. They have abused me from the day you placed me there.”

“Just like your misbegotten father!” Snape offered his two knuts. “Arrogant and spoilt. Nothing is good enough for you is it, Potter? All the effort the Order has expended to keep your worthless skin intact and you…”

“Severus!” Dumbledore snapped, giving the double agent just enough time to insult Harry, before clamping down. It was a game they’d played often. The Death Eater slunk back to a corner and waited for another chance to strike.

Dumbledore returned his attention to the subject of his obsession. Adopting his ‘concerned grandfather’ persona, he began to lecture in his ‘disapproving tone for wayward children, #7’.

“Harry, the blood protections I invoked…”

“Are based on shared blood, yes, I know that.” Harry interrupted. Something he’d never done before. Quite frankly Albus was shocked. Few dared to interrupt him! Snape was livid! Harry seemed to not care and went on.

“They are also powered by love. The love of family, at the very least. That sort of love doesn’t exist there. They don’t even love themselves, and they utterly despise me. You are responsible for a great deal of that hatred. By not giving them any choice at all, you invoked that hatred. You forced them to accept into their home, someone they considered anathema, and did so without even considering their feelings. You frightened them into taking me in, by telling them that the Death Eaters who were still at large would undoubtedly ‘find’ them if they didn’t do exactly as you ordered. The fourty galleons you transferred from my family’s vault, every month, while enough to take care of an additional mouth…if spent carefully, it was hardly enough to compensate them for the disruption of their ‘perfect little upper-middle class lives’.

You told me after that debacle at the ministry, that as long as I could call that prison my home, I would be protected. Guess what, old man. I have never called that place ‘home’. It was only the place I had to stay until I could somehow escape, which means that those vaunted wards never existed. I first ran away from Durzkaban before I turned four. Even after only a couple of years of the beatings and starvation, I was desperate to escape. I was found…caught really, by one of your ‘burned turkeys’, who returned me to prison.

Vernon beat me that day until I bled. He told me he could get away with doing anything he wanted just as long as he didn’t kill me. You knew about it, because I remember seeing you healing my injuries. Then you left…until the next time. He first broke my arm a month later. You returned to heal it. He immediately re-broke it. Every time you came by to heal the injuries he gave me, he gave them to me again. Petunia wasn’t any better. She’d stand and watch, give him tips on how to hurt me even more, or actually join in. Vernon liked his belt. Petunia preferred that fucking frypan, or sometimes that leather whip she hides in her wardrobe. Dudley just loves using his fists.”

Harry glared, then asked: “Now, you tell me. Is that home?”

Half the people in the room were gaping while the others were glaring daggers at the man to whom they’d sworn their allegiance.

“Nevertheless, you will return to the Dursley’s house." Dumbledore’s voice went cold. "I placed you there for a reason, and there you will remain.” Everybody there shivered in fright at the change that fell over the usually genial headmaster.

“No.”

“Then you give me no choice.” Dumbledore’s wand whipped up, and even before the silent jet of scarlet energy flew, Harry’s lightsaber flashed to life with a snap-hiss, and the stunner reflected back on its caster. Instantly, Dumbledore flew back into the parlor’s wall and slumped to the floor. Harry was rather surprised to see the amount of power the ancient wizard had put into the spell. The whiplash of the spell, which he felt clearly through the grip of his lightsaber, could have seriously injured him, had it struck. He deactivated the weapon, and with his own wand, cast an Incarcerus.

Snape took that chance to aim his own wand, only to find Harry suddenly several feet closer than he’d been before, and his eyes crossed to see the glowing tip of that magical sword motionless at a point some half an inch from his nose. He could actually feel the swirling energy emanating from the weapon.

His nose itched.

“Unless you like the smell of burning snot, you’ll drop that wand, Death Eater!”

For the first time since he’d met Voldemort, Severus Snape was overwhelmed by the feeling of raw power emanating from any single person…and that included Dumbledore! Seeing his death in the emerald green eyes, Snape did the smart thing. He held his wand to the side, intending to step on it, in case Madam Bones decided to take it for testing. He dropped it and stepped out to destroy his sentence to Azkaban, only to find it floating in exactly the same place he’d released it. With a tiny gesture, Harry sent the wand to Amelia who captured it in a clear bag, marked ‘EVIDENCE’. The glowing blade never faltered.

“Madam Bones…” Harry spoke in a deadly voice. “Despite the headmaster’s denials, there is more than sufficient evidence to show that not only does Severus Snape wear his dark mark voluntarily, he does so with both pride and pleasure. I suggest you test that Death Eater’s wand before Dumbledore can interfere, and then make your own decision.”

“Mister Potter, I would be more than happy to do so.”

“You might also find a way to question him. I strongly suspect he is immune to Veritaserum, as he carries a bottle of it on his person at all times. He’s also a capable enough Occlumens to fool Dumbledore into believing he’s working for him rather than Voldemort.” Harry sneered at the obligatory shudder that ran through the room.

“I shall take that under advisement. Anything else?”

“Yes. Why don’t you ask him what he knows about the murder of one of your best Aurors and his wife, on the thirty first October sixteen years ago. You’ll find something very interesting.”

Snape paled. ~He knows!~

Harry answered the unspoken thought. “Yeah. He does.”


Amelia called for Aurors and gave them ordered to detain Snape in a safe house rather than the ministry holding cells.

As soon as Snape was gone, Harry aimed his wand at the meddlesome old man’s forehead and muttered: “Obliviate!” A pale grey beam enveloped Albus’ head, and his face relaxed. Harry leaned into the force and spoke clearly: “You are disappointed that I have chosen to do without the dubious protections of the Dursley’s home, but understand that the wards there are so weakened by their hatred, as to be useless. Add to that, since Voldemort used my blood to regain his body, any wards tuned to my mother’s blood, would allow him through. While you’d prefer I remain there, you also accept you have no legal or moral right to interfere with my life any longer. The pureblood ‘end-of-line’ codicil has been invoked and cannot be bypassed. As the head of two ancient and noble houses, I am emancipated in both wizarding and muggle worlds, and therefore responsible for my own actions.” Harry stepped back to his former position and cast a finite on the binding hex. The ropes vanished and Amelia cast an ‘Enervate’.

Dumbledore woke to find Amelia kneeling at his side, oozing concern. “Albus, are you alright?”

“Yes, quite. What…what happened?”

“Oddest thing, that. You saw Mister Potter there and seemed to just…faint.” She helped him climb to his feet.

“Harry? What are you doing here? You should be with the Dursley’s. It is the only place you are protected from Voldemort’s associates.”

“I moved out at the beginning of summer, remember? They told me I was no longer welcome there, blood protections or not. I’ve been living here since.”

“Odd. I don’t recall that. Surely they weren’t serious.”

“I dunno.” Harry scratched the side of his chin and sounded like he was thinking hard. “Vernon Dursley, shouting vile epithets at me, while waving a fowling piece under my nose…somehow, I think he was pretty serious.”

****

Hearing this, Remus slipped from the room and apparated to Tonks’ apartment. He flooed the Auror Department and called for her, telling the duty Auror to tell her it was a code ‘H’.

Within a minute, she appeared in the kitchen.

“Remmie, what the hell are you doing citing a code ‘H’?” She hissed in irritation. “The Aurors aren’t stupid, you know!”

“I had to get you’re here fast. We’ll change the code later. Just now, we need to do some emergency damage control.”

“What’s happened?”

“Dumbledore discovered Harry at #12. He tried to stun him but Harry used that lightsaber of his, to reflect the spell.”

“You mean it really worked?” Tonks was nearly giddy at the prospect of a functioning lightsaber.

“Yeah. Surprising as it may be, it actually worked.” Remus grinned with pride at Harry’s unique accomplishment. “That’s for later. Just now, we have to get to the Dursleys before Dumbledore does, and plant Harry’s story.”

“What story?”

“Harry told Albus some cock and bull about Vernon Dursley telling him he was not welcome there, protections or not, shouting vile epithets and waving a fouling piece under his nose.”

“Yeah, that sounds about like Vernon.”

“Well, Albus is most likely going to check, probably tomorrow morning, so we need to get their stories straight. Tonight we need to go to #4 and plant some memories.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

****

Two minutes later, two black clad figures appeared behind Number four Privet Drive. Mundungus Fletcher was on duty again, and was sleeping off a bender, again. Tonks used her second wand to cast a sleeping charm on him…just in case. A swift check of the area, told them nobody else was about.

Together they two entered the home and a few minutes later, left as quietly as they’d come. Tonks ended the sleeping charm and they vanished silently.

****

At Grimmauld Place, since the excitement was over, and there were persons in the home that he did not trust, namely Amelia and Susan Bones, Albus felt it a good idea to get them out as quickly as possible. However, to his chagrin, Harry insisted Susan and Amelia could stay. Instead, he escorted the few lingering members of the order through the floo.

Harry signaled Amelia to stay behind as the rest left. She eased back into the next room and waited.

“Harry, I really must insist you go somewhere we can provide suitable protections. This house may not be safe for you.”

“Headmaster, this is my house now. It’s surrounded by all kinds of wards imaginable, and you have it under Fidelus, with yourself as secret keeper. What place could possibly be safer?”

Albus had no answer. If he admitted Harry was safe, he had no justifiable reason to try to remove him. If the place was compromised, than he was at fault, because he was the secret keeper. Either way he would look foolish. He opted to look less foolish and more concerned.

“I am only concerned for your welfare, Harry. If you insist, I cannot force you to leave. This house is well protected, after all. I would, however, hope you would allow a few of the order to remain for your protection.”

“Sure. How about Remus and Tonks?” He suggested.

Dumbledore winced at Harry’s security breach. If Amelia Bones ever discovered the two Aurors involvement with the order, Hestia’s too, they would be out of their jobs, and he would need to corrupt more pawns. He spoke quickly to cover Harry’s gaffe.

“I was thinking Sever…”

“Not a fucking chance! The Death Eater is not welcome here under the best of circumstances. I will not have him here while I’m asleep!”

“Harry, Severus has my fullest confidence.” As if that should be enough to convince the boy.

“Yours maybe. Not mine. Not ever. The answer is no.” Harry growled, then leaned into the force and sent heavy ‘suggestion’ to Dumbledore to leave. Surprisingly enough, the old man shrugged and turned to the fireplace.

Still he had to have his last word: “I’d thought you had become more mature Harry, considering the price we paid for your last mistake.” Before he whirled away in the green flames.

“I’m more than happy to prove you wrong, Lord Manipuladore.” Harry snarled into the fading fire.

When they were alone, Amelia returned to the parlor and asked: “What’s up?”

“When Dumbledore finds out you’ve arrested his pet Death Eater, he’s not going to be happy. I’d be ready to fly on a moment’s notice, if I were you. By arresting Snape, you’ve placed yourself on his list of ‘obstacles to eliminate’. He may even have Fudge sack you, or worse, he may be able to ‘arrange’ another attack on you. That isn’t part of what happened the last time, so I don’t know. Just be prepared

“Mister Potter, I am well aware of the dangers inherent in my position.”

“I know you are. Still, no matter what, I want you to know my offer of sanctuary stands. You and Susan are welcome to stay here for as long as you want.”

“Thank you, Harry. Would you allow Susan to stay here for the time being?”

“Of course.”

Amelia Bones explained her decision to her niece and left through the floo.

****

6th July. 8:30 AM, The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole.

“Dad?” Came a voice filled with worry.

Arthur raised his eyes to his youngest son. “Yes, Ron?”

“Umm. Dad are we…me ‘n Ginny, that is, are we gonna get into trouble over the Department of Mysteries?” Ron asked in a rush.

Arthur was actually grateful for the opportunity. He’d been thinking hard, over the past weeks about investigating Harry’s statement concerning compulsions, and here, his son had given him the perfect way to check. His friend, Algernon Croaker, in the DoM, would help him check his kids.

Arthur frowned for a second, then replied. “Well…I haven’t heard anything about it, as a matter of fact. I think I’ll go to the DoM today, and speak to someone there. They might want to question you, as to what actually happened, but I really don’t think there’ll be any trouble.”

Molly entered the room just then and handed Arthur his cloak. Here you are, dear. Good morning, Ron, You’re up early.”

“Hi mum. I just wanted to ask about the Department of Mysteries.”

“Don’t you worry about that. Albus has explained everything to everyone who needs to know. You just worry about getting better. Those scars haven’t healed as well as I’d like.”

Molly nattered on while simultaneously kissing Arthur good-bye, bustling Ron off to the kitchen and beginning to make breakfast.

Arthur smiled fondly, walked out the door and apparated to the ministry.


****

A blond head poked its way into Algernon Croaker’s office, and called out: “Oi, Algie!” Weasley’s here to chat!” before withdrawing.

“Well, it’s about damn time!” Croaker grumped. He put on his hooded robe and went to the security area to escort his guest to a briefing room.

“Hello, Arthur. How’s things?”

“As well as can be expected. I have a few questions of you and my son has one.”

“Your son? Ron, is it?”

“Yes. I suppose you can guess what he wants to know."

“Aye. He’s likely worried he’s going to Azkaban for breaking in here three weeks ago."

“Just so.”

“Tell him not to worry. We got the entire thing on the recording charms. He managed to do something pretty stupid in trying to summon the memory cells, but he was under a Confundus at the time. The weal’s healing OK?”

“Not as well as Molly would like.”

“I’ll have the healer give you a salve, specific to that kind of injury.”

“I’d actually like to discuss something a bit more disturbing.”

“And that would be?”

“Harry Potter.”

“What of him?”

“We were guarding that prophesy without knowing what it said…”

“Can’t tell you that, Artie. You know that.”

“I do and that’s not what I’m concerned with. It’s something he told me at the train station the day they all got back from Hogwarts.”

“And what would that be?”

Arthur went on to describe as well as he could how Harry had been treated by his muggle relatives…at Dumbledore’s behest, and the unusual tests the headmaster had put them through. By the time he was finished, Croaker was fuming. The old man had surely gone ‘round the twist this time!

At the end, Arthur said: “He mentioned that he’d found several compulsions on his friend Hermione Granger. He’d removed most of them by himself, it’s really not that hard to do, but he found a couple more that he needed help with. He told me that his elf, Dobby had located Miss Granger’s blood in Dumbledore’s possession, along with a signed and blood-sealed concubine’s contract to my son. She doesn’t remember signing any such contract, and that makes me worry. If Albus could do that to his ‘golden boy’, and to Harry’s closest friend, imagine what else he could do. I’d like to know if he’s placed any compulsions on my children.”

“Alright. I suppose we could check…and keep him in the dark. How to get them here?”

“Well, Molly trusts Albus implicitly, though I’m not certain she should. I’d like to bring Ron and Ginny here, for ‘questioning’. Molly will want to come along, of course, but when I do, could you check them all for any signs of compulsions?”

“I suppose we can do that. Here, I’ll work up a summons for them both, so it looks legal.”

“Thank you.”

“No thanks needed, Artie. You saved my life at the cost of your legs…even if you got them back, you lost your position. I still owe you.”


****

9:00 AM, 12 Grimmauld Place

Winky woke Harry and Hermione, by knocking cautiously against the doorjamb.

As Harry sat up, and Hermione bundled closer into his side, she announced: “Good morning master Harry. They is a visitor in the parlor.”

“A visitor?” Harry asked. At Winky’s nod he said: “OK. Please make him comfortable and offer him some tea and something to eat.”

“She… Winky corrected. “Has asked for scrambled nargle’s eggs. Do you know where to find nargle’s eggs?”

“Umm, I think they’re extinct. Ask her if she’ll settle for hen’s eggs, and add two rashers of bacon, crisp, one sesame bagel, sliced and toasted with cream cheese and raspberry jam.”

Winky nodded her head and departed.

“Harry?” Came Hermione’s voice from near his waist. “How do you know what Luna eats for breakfast?”

“Although we’re separated by the ‘Puffs, she sits almost directly across from me. I can usually see what she chooses.”

Harry rolled out of the bed and headed for the loo, calling over his shoulder: “You have a choice. You can sleep in or you can join me in the shower!”

Hermione beat him to the bathroom.

A quick but enjoyable wash, and the two headed down the stairs, dressed for a nice summer day.

They found their visitor in the breakfast nook that opened onto the parlor proper.

“Good morning Susan. Hello, Luna.” Harry greeted the two girls.

Susan was seated across the table from Luna, eating her breakfast as well. At Amelia’s insistence, she’d slept over. As soon as Harry and Hermione entered the breakfast nook, Winky served their meals.

“Thank you Winky. Please join us for breakfast.”

“Winky will. Should Winky get Dobby? He is in the conservatory tending the hydrangeas.”

“Please do. Here, we eat as a family.”

With a happy blush, Winky vanished, returning moments later with Dobby who greeted Harry effusively.

“Hello, Harry. Do you really think Nargles are extinct?” The esoteric blond asked.

“Well, I’m not a hundred percent certain, but I’ve never heard of them before I met you, so it would make sense if they were. I could be wrong. You never know.”

“Hmmm.” Luna mused. “I suppose.”

“Luna…” Hermione ventured. “How did you know Harry would be here? For that matter, how did you know where ‘here’ is? This house is under Fidelus.”

“The Blibbering Humdingers told me.” Luna replied.

At Hermione’s stuttering exasperation, she smiled. “Actually, I was visiting Ginny last Christmas and followed Mrs. Weasley through the floo. Poor security, really. When she left that day, I left as well. Rather silly of her to leave by the front door, considering there was a perfectly good floo right there, but there you have it. I committed the area to memory then took the Knight Bus home. This morning, I had the strangest feeling I’d be needed, so I retuned. Since I couldn’t see the door, I put a notice-me-not charm on myself, and just kept walking until I found it.”

“Won’t you get into trouble for using magic?” Hermione wanted to know.

“Oh no. I use my mother’s wand. The one I got at Ollivander’s really doesn’t like me all that much, so I leave it in my trunk most of the time.”

Harry started laughing. Soon Susan joined in and Hermione just looked puzzled. Luna simply waited it out.

Harry explained. “Hermione. When you buy a new wand, it’s expected to be the wand you go through school with. Ollivander is required by the ministry to place tracking charms, on those wands, so they can monitor you out of school. Some of the older families can get around the underage limitations if they use older wands. I’d imagine the Deez have found a way to take that tracker off too, but most people don’t know how the ministry does it. To most, it’s…well…magic.”

“All right. That sounds about right.” She allowed, but added: “Horribly unfair to mugglebornes and those raised here, but about the way the ministry thinks.”

“Well since Luna has a wand from Ollivander’s shop, she has the required tracking charm. There’s nothing that says she has to use that wand. And there’s also nothing that says she can’t use another. It only requires that a new wand has to have that charm.”

“But what about Ron and his family?”

“Those tracking charms are gone. Except for Ron’s wand, as he got that one three years ago. It’s only Molly’s blind devotion to Dumbledore…who wrote that law, as a matter of fact…that keeps her kids in line. None of them knows the charm is gone, so to them, it’s still there.”

“Even the twins?”

“That, I’m not sure about. You never can tell with the twins. They probably know and just play along.”

Hermione was surprisingly accepting of the explanation. She turned to Luna and asked: “So why are you here, Luna?”

“Harry is at risk of falling to the dark side. It’s my responsibility to keep that from happening.”

“How do you know that?” Harry asked.

“My mother came to me in a dream last night. She told me that your goals were admirable, but you have to be very careful how you implement them. It’s a fine line the Jedi must walk. He must be the peacekeeper, but not the lawmaker. He must be an able warrior but not love war. You will be the general, but your love for your fellow man will cause you to make some very hard choices. I’m here to see that the results of those choices don’t lead you to the darkside.”

“Alright. I can see that.” Harry mused.

After breakfast, Harry ascended the stairs to retrieve his lightsaber. He returned to the parlor with the deadly weapon in his hand.

“Susan, Hermione, you’ve both seen this. Luna, this is my lightsaber. What I’d like to do is have each of you try to turn it on.”

He carefully explained the dangers of a lightsaber, and had each of them point the emitter at the wall, before pressing he activation switch.

One after the other, they pressed the switch, and the beam lit with it’s usual snap-hiss’, before settling into a satisfied hum.

“I thought as much. He announced when all three had activated the weapon. “I want you three, along with Remus and Tonks, if I can get them, to form the core of my Jedi.”

“Why Tonks and Remus? They’re both members of the order.”

“Yes, I know, but both are bound to my family in some form or other. I’m going to need instructors to help me teach some sixty to seventy students and having them will make that considerably easier. Both are adults…mostly, quiet, you, and they can be the authority figures the students will need.”

Hermione smirked.

“And us?” Susan asked

“You three, along with Neville, will become my first students. I’ve already formed a house alliance with Longbottom, and when Amelia comes back, I’ll want to form one with house Bones as well. Together we will begin to learn to use the force, and with your help, we’ll select those who will join us. I intend to choose from the current students of Hogwarts, and recent alumni. Since you three know the school better than I do, you’ll have a better chance of making the best selections.”

“Well that stands to reason.”


*****
6 july 3:30 PM

That afternoon, Hermione brought up a rather tender subject.

“Harry?”

“Mmmm?”

“What about the Dursleys?”

“What?”

“What are you going to do about the Dursleys?”

“What do you mean? I hadn’t planned on doing anything…much.”

At Hermione’s suspicious glare, he added: “Actually, that’s a lie. I thought I’d already told you. Sorry. I’m having Carolyn get me a controlling interest in Grunnings, so I can ‘demote’ Vernon to second assistant mailroom clerk. I fully intend to bankrupt them, set them up for embezzlement and tax evasion and expose the way they’ve treated me for the past fifteen years. In other words, I’m going to ruin them socially, politically and economically, so I can watch them destroy each other.”

“Well. I’m impressed! However, much as I agree they need to be taught a greatly overdue lesson, that’s not what I’m taking about.”

Intrigued, Harry gave a brief: “OohKaay.”

“Harry, since you’ve arranged things so that you no longer have to live there, Dumbledore no longer has a use for them. They’re expendable.”

It took Harry only a few seconds to work out the ramifications.

“Shit! You’re right!” Harry spat. “And he’d do just that. Bastard! I can hear him now in his wheezy old voice: “Harry, you must return to your prison in order to protect your worthless relatives from the Death Eaters, regardless that they’ve treated you as a slave, beaten, starved and abused you. You cannot allow them to die, or you would be worse than Voldemort and nearly as bad as I.” Once again, Harry aped Dumbledore’s voice perfectly. Luna stared at Harry for a second before dissolving into a fit of giggles. Susan also laughed but Hermione, tried to show her disapproval, though the corners of her mouth did try to rise…just a little.

“This is serious, Harry, no, don’t you dare!” She added the last in a rush, knowing Harry was going to make a stupid pun.

Harry grinned. “OK, so what do you think I should do?”

“Get them out of there. Dumbledore will have them killed, or he’ll allow their location be leaked to Voldemort’s troops. As much as I despise them nobody deserves that.”

Harry’s sardonic eyebrow greeted her in silence.

“OK, they do, but that’s beside the point. You have to get them out of there.”

Susan chimed in: “Harry, you cannot watch them suffer in poverty if you allow them to be killed by Death Eaters.”

Luna piped in: “She’s right, you know. Remember, revenge is a dish best served with Merlot.”

Hermione goggled at the ethereal blond, while Susan giggled again. Even Harry smirked.


After a brief pause, Harry sighed. “OK. I’ll plant a suggestion to go on holiday. But that’s all.”

“Thank you Harry.”

****

At seven thirty that evening, knowing his relatives would be finishing supper, Harry disillusioned himself, and apparated to Privet Drive.

Outside the kitchen window, he leaned heavily into the force and projected a nearly overwhelming suggestion to the three within, the house, to take a long holiday to Majorca.

Vernon was the first to actually voice the idea and instantly the other two slavishly repeated his words.

Smiling grimly, Harry whispered: “You guys owe me!” before he departed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A/N: While I have Harry’s Jedi Uniform based upon the ones in Episode I, there really isn’t that much difference between them and the one Obi Wan wore in ANH. The only real difference that I could see, is that the lower part of Obi Wan’s tunic is more like a floor length skirt, but that could be due to individual modification. He does live in a desert environment and ground length light colored clothing serves best there. I also believe the two thick strips over the shoulders are in fact, a single, folded and sealed emergency blanket that goes over one shoulder, folds back on itself under the belt and back over the other shoulder to form the apron. If so, that blanket would be between 9 & 10 feet long. The heavy looking cloth under the belt would be another, if smaller one. This would make sense, as the Jedi are supposed to be able to travel lightly and having everything on you is the best way to do that. Ask any Marine. It would also explain the number of shirts they wear.

Dumbledore’s lack of concern for Amelia, is, I feel, the truth. With Fudge on his way out, she is the only ‘real’ threat to Albie’s power. In book five, she showed herself to be scrupulous and fair, and therefore she would be too difficult for him to control, and so, I believe he decided to have her eliminated. In books six and seven, while Scrimgeour opposes Voldemort, he proved to be a pureblooded bigot, a bully and a coward. That makes him controllable by someone with more power, so I believe Dumbledore ‘allowed’ him to take the top spot.

In case anyone didn’t recognize the word Goldbergian, it refers to the ridiculous and overly ornate traps and devices Rube Goldberg came up with to do the simplest things. Warner Brothers used a lot of these in their Roadrunner and Tom & Jerry cartoons.

The ‘Writs of Conquest’ he gave Amelia, are actually legal documents of the middle ages and early renaissance by which he could seize all the assets of the Death Eaters he killed.
My mother’s family used them from 1066 till the end of the 'middle ages' era in Britain.

A fouling piece is a small bore, breach-loaded shotgun. Unlike most other firearms, in the 1990’s, they were still allowed in Britain for hunting quail and pheasant.

I don’t own Mighty Mouse either. That belongs to Terrytunes and 20th Century Fox.