Harry Potter and The Tomb of Hogwarts

HARRY POTTER and

The Tomb of Hogwarts

Chapter 3

Lupin, Dumbledore, Fudge

Harry had woken at five thirty, and by six, it was obvious that he was not going to get any more sleep. So he got up, stretched, and quickly made up his bed.

He gathered a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom where he took a nice hot bath. After he dried off, he went to the sink to finish washing up.

As he brushed his teeth he noticed a small patch of hair beginning to grow on his chin. Of course, it was only a few short hairs and was barely visible, so it was no surprise that he hadn't seen it before. Still, it was a start, and Harry had to smile. He was beginning to grow a beard. Well, okay, maybe not a beard, but it was hair all the same. Harry made a mental note to ask Lupin to take him to Diagon Alley for a razor when he got back on Monday.

After he finished cleaning up Harry went back in to his room to put on one of his nicest robe for his trip to the Ministry. After checking his appearance in the closet mirror, he decided to go downstairs to the kitchen for something to eat. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Dobby running around in the kitchen. It looked like he was cooking breakfast.

"Dobby, what are you doing up so early," he asked. It was only a six thirty, and Dobby had been up with Harry less than five hours earlier.

"Dobby is cooking breakfast for Harry Potter, sir."

"That's not what I mean, Dobby. I mean what are you doing up this early. You should get some sleep."

"Dobby had already had his sleep today, Harry Potter sir. Dobby is sleeping for a whole hour, Harry Potter sir. It is all we house-elves is needing."

"Wow," Harry said, enviously. There had been many a night where Harry only slept for less than an hour and he was always exhausted, especially when his dreams included Voldemort.

Dobby snapped Harry back to life when he placed a steaming bowl of hot cereal in front of him. Before Harry could even pick up his spoon, a bowl of fruit appeared, followed by several plates of eggs with bacon and ham grilled up with a tomato, oat cakes, crumpets, and toasts and with strawberry and grape jams, and a large pot of breakfast tea.

"Is there anything else you is needing, Harry Potter, sir?" Dobby asked.

"Oh no, Dobby," Harry said with a slight chuckle. "I don't know how I'll eat even half of this."

Dobby's ears fell, and Harry knew at once that he had misspoken.

"Oh Dobby, I'm sorry. It all looks great. It's just a bit much for one person. But everything looks so good, I'm sure Lupin will love to have some soon too."

"Have some what?" came Lupin's voice from the hallway.

"Lupin!" called Harry, jumping to his feet. He pointed to the food on the table as he continued, "I was just about to eat. Dobby made us this great breakfast."

Lupin let a small chuckle escape before stifling it into a cough. He looked up at Harry, then over to Dobby.

"Dobby, would it be alright if I ate some of this?" he asked with a grin.

"Oh yes, Mr. Lupin sir. Whatever Sir wants, Dobby can cook for you. What is Sir wanting Dobby to make for him?"

"Oh, I think this is just about perfect for Harry and me."

"Definitely," Harry added. "This is absolutely perfect."

Both he and Lupin sat down at the table and began adding food to their plates. Harry took some eggs, ham, and a couple of oak cakes. Lupin took some eggs, added several slices of bacon, some ham with grilled tomato, half of the crumpets, and a warm bowl of oat cereal.

They ate in silence for several minutes, just enjoying the good food, before Harry finally broke the silence.

"Wow Dobby," he began. "This is really good."

"Indeed," chimed Lupin. "This is one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time."

"Thank you, sirs. Dobby is happy to be of assistance."

"Just keep up the good work Dobby," Harry added.

"Too right. And if you have any food left over, put it in the cooler. I'll eat it later."

"Yes sir, Mr. Lupin, sir."

Harry and Lupin talk a bit more during breakfast. Harry was anxious to find out what was going to happen at the ministry, but Remus had told Dumbledore that he would not say anything, so he settled for talking about what was to happen over the next few weeks.

They tried to avoid talking about Sirius whenever possible, and other than a few exceptions, they were quite successful. They finished breakfast at seven-thirty, and went upstairs to feed Buckbeak, a hippogriff that Sirius had been taking care of for the past two years. He usually ate half a dozen rabbits, but today he had to settle for a bag of rats.

Harry had grown quite fond of Buckbeak. He first met Buckbeak in Hagrid's first Care of Magical Creatures class. Harry had volunteered to try to approach Buckbeak, and after a few minutes, Harry was flying on Buckbeak's back. He hadn't enjoyed it as much as riding a broom, but he rode him more for Hagrid's benefit than anything else.

As the year had gone by, Harry had seen Buckbeak several more times, and eventually he grew to like Buckbeak. He never rode Buckbeak again, but Harry still liked Buckbeak, and had come to enjoy his company.

He wanted to spend a few minutes with Buckbeak while he was here, as he hadn't seen him since Sirius had died. He found it was a very soothing to be around Buckbeak, especially when he laid his head on Buckbeak's side, listened to his soft breathing and the rhythm of his heartbeat. He sat down next to Buckbeak and set his head on Buckbeak's side and let his head move up and down with each breath that Buckbeak took.

Harry felt very relaxed then, as though he had no worries in the world. He closed his eyes and let go. And then he felt himself lift off the ground.

He was on his broom, flying over the Quidditch field back at Hogwarts. He flew higher and higher, looking over the field and watching as each team fought over the Quaffle, sending Bludgers back and forth at each other. Harry dove over the Gryffindor bleachers and swooped just feet over the crowd, pulling up a few feet high as he soared over Hagrid's head, all the while they cheered him on.

He flew around the field twice before coming to a hover five meters above the Slytherin Goals. He sat there a few moments, watching the action, when a glint of gold caught his eye. And there, fifty meters away from it, Malfoy turned and went into a dive, and Harry smiled. He was at least thirty meters further away from the snitch as Malfoy, but Harry knew he'd get there first.

He dove, going straight at the ground, using gravity to pull him even faster and he pulled up, riding mere feet above the ground, heading straight for the snitch. As he got closer to the snitch, Malfoy clung tighter to his broom and dove, trying to reach it before Harry. But it was no use, and Harry knew it. Soon, Harry was mere inches from the snitch, reaching his hand out and he passed Malfoy, moving in closer, and with his fingers stretched beyond their own abilities, he grabbed onto the snitch, pulled up, and the crowd went wild.

"Harry! Harry! Harry!" they chanted. It seemed that everyone was calling his name as he flew around the field, raising the snitch above his head in victory. "Harry! Harry! Harry!" They continued to roar.

He was sure he could even pick out some of the chants. He could hear Hermione and Ron cheering with Hagrid, and McGonagall, Ginny and Neville, and even Lupin.

"Harry!"

His eyes flew open. Buckbeak lifted his head towards the door, but otherwise stayed still.

Lupin was swatting over him, his arm lighting shaking Harry's shoulder.

Harry looked blankly up at Lupin. He had completely forgotten that Lupin was in the house. But then, as he looked up at Lupin, he began to realize that he hadn't forgotten about Lupin, he had entirely forgotten he was even at Grimmauld Place. His dream was so vivid, he was sure he had really been in a Quidditch match back at Hogwarts.

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head, "what time is it?" Lupin smiled.

"It's almost nine. I was just coming in to make sure you were ready for Professor Dumbledore, and I now see I was right. He should be here soon, so why don't you go get washed up and meet me in the living room. We'll wait for him there."

Harry sat up, gave Buckbeak a little tickle between his ears, and headed out.

He headed to the bathroom, cleaned up, and walked into the living room just as Dumbledore came out of the fireplace. How he always landed on his feet, Harry didn't know, but he knew he'd have to ask him later. Harry felt lucky if he didn't fall flat on his face.

Dumbledore brushed the soot off his shoulders and looked up at Harry, a large smile crossing his face.

"Ah, Harry," he began. "Good to see you again."

"Hello Professor," Harry replied.

"Would you mind if I had a spot of tea before we left? The Minister is not expecting us until nine-thirty, and I would like to take a few moments to prepare you for our meeting with the Minister."

"Yes, Professor," Harry replied curtly. "Let me get you some tea."

At that moment, Dobby appeared out of nowhere holding a tea tray just above his head. Harry thanked him for the tea, took the tray, and set it down on the dining room table.

"May I pour you a cup, sir?" Harry asked, lifting the teapot towards the closest cup to Dumbledore.

"Thank you Harry," Dumbledore said with a polite smile.

Harry poured them each a cup of tea, putting some honey in his own cup and adding two lumps to Dumbledore's. They both took a moment to try out their teas, and Harry noticed that Dumbledore was pouring some dark brown liquid into his own.

"Would you care for some vanilla Harry?"

Harry looked down at his own cup. "Maybe on the next cup sir. I don't think vanilla and honey would go well together," he said rather timidly.

"Yes. I believe you're right. I once added a spot of lemon to a cup of green tea. Little did I know that my gracious host had already added some cocoa. Mind you, I never made that mistake again," Dumbledore said with soft chuckle, which of course caused Harry to smile broadly back at him. It was always nice to hear Dumbledore speak of the mistakes he had made in his past. It made him seem just a bit more human.

"Now, I believe we have a few things to discuss about our trip to the Minister's office today."

"I was a bit curious about that, sir," Harry said in a questioning sort of tone. "Professor McGonagall said something about making some arrangements for me?"

"Indeed. I understand that Professor McGonagall also spoke to you about taking some private lessons with her?"

"You mean the Animagus training?" Harry asked.

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "Well, as I am sure you're aware by now you must register with the Ministry of Magic when you complete you Animagus training. Of course, this is normally public record, but we believe that it better to be left unknown to the general public. For that very reason, the Minister has graciously agreed to allow us to bypass this rule in your registry. You see, a wizard normally registers his Animagus form in front of the full Wizengamot. However, the Minister is allowing us to have you register now, and you will do so privately instead of in front of the Wizengamot. The registry file will be written on a protected parchment that only the current Minister or those who sign it will be allowed to read."

"So I'll be keeping my Animagus training private?" Harry asked. "But Hermione and Ron will be able to know, right?"

"Certainly. And arrangements have been made for them for a later time. But right now, let's return to our meeting with the Minister today. You see, Harry, as well as registering your Animagus form, we will also register the official transfer Sirius' inheritance to you. In addition, and you must promise not to speak of this to anyone, with the exception of Mr. Weasley and Ms Granger, but the Minister has agreed to grant you one additional privilege. One that you would not normally get for another year."

Harry's mind was suddenly racing. Dumbledore couldn't be talking about what Harry thought he was talking about. But even before the words reached his mouth, it seemed Harry's face had asked the question for him, for a moment later, Dumbledore was answering the question for him.

"That's right Harry. The Minister will be granting you a Magic Permit which will allow you to use magic outside of Hogwarts. But don't get too excited, Harry. This does not mean you can do magic as you please. It would be best if the wizarding world did not know, as it could draw more attention to you from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. All we want is for you to be able to practice magic while you are here at the house, at Privet Drive, or at The Burrow. Of course, if you need to protect yourself, you may do so without worrying about underage magic like last summer, but we are taking every precaution to ensure that doesn't happen again. However, as long as Voldemort is still out there, you must keep your guard up."

Harry began to notice a distinct change in Dumbledore's look during their conversation. It had gone from a very pleasant smile to a stern look of concern. It made him look as though he had aged fifteen years over the past five minutes.

"Remember, Harry," he continued, "that Voldemort has no more news about the prophecy since the incident at the ministry, and it's safe to assume that he won't stop searching until he finds out everything he can about that prophecy. Of course, we are trying our best to keep him from knowing anything for as long as possible, but he does seem to have a way of finding things out." Again, Dumbledore was looking at Harry over his spectacles, and the look he gave Harry gave him the shivers.

"I've noticed," Harry agreed.

"Now, I don't want to worry you, Harry. I simply believe it is about time we begin to treat you as the man you are becoming instead of a child. If we had done so before, well..." Dumbledore didn't continue, but simply looked down and appeared to be studying his shoes for a moment or two. When he looked up, his attitude had changed to a much more kindly expression, his smile back in full swing again, and as usual, it lifted Harry's spirit just to see Dumbledore smile.

"Now Harry," he said brightly, "we will be taking the Floo network to the Minister's office, and it's just about time that we go. We don't want to keep the Minister waiting."

And with that, Dumbledore put down his cup, stood, and headed for the kitchen.

Harry put down his cup, looked down at Dobby who had just come up beside him, and handed him the tea tray.

"Thanks for the tea, Dobby. It was quite good."

"Thank you Harry Potter, sir."

Harry smiled, then turned and looked over at Lupin who was still sitting in the recliner, head laid back as though he were asleep.

"Remus?" Harry called reluctantly. He still wasn't used to calling him that.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Sorry. Wasn't sure if you were awake. I just wanted to say bye. I don't know how long I'll be at the Ministry for."

"Don't worry, Harry," he replied with a smile. "Everything will be fine here. Dobby and I will clean up around the house for a bit and make lunch for when you get back."

"Okay, I guess we're off then," Harry said with a groan.

Lupin stood up and joined Harry as he entered the kitchen, shaking his hand while patting him on the shoulder.

"Good luck, Harry, and you be mindful of those grates," he said with a wink. "Some of the fireplace grates nearest to the Ministry come a bit too close for comfort, if you know what I mean." Lupin smiled at him to give him an extra bout of support.

"Thank you Proff..." Harry stuttered, "Err... Remus. You know, it's really going to take some time to get used to that."

"Not to worry, Harry. We have all summer. Now get going. We don't want to keep Fudge waiting, now do we?" he said with another wink.

Harry gave him a quick hug before he realized what he was doing, then broke away quickly and headed into the fireplace.

Dumbledore already had a roaring fire going and Harry guessed Dumbledore had started it while he had been talking to Remus.

Dumbledore took out a small leather pouch of what looked like snow white with glints of gold.

"Harry," he said as he opened the pouch for Harry, "this is a very special type of Floo powder. It opens a set of Floo channels off limits to all but a few people, and it only goes to a select number of places including the Minister's private office. Just call out 'The Office of Cornelius Fudge' and it will bring you straight to his office. I'll go first as the Minister tends to get a bit jumpy these days."

For a moment Harry thought he saw an almost mischievous smirk cross the Professor's mouth before he ducked into the fireplace, and a moment later, he was gone.

Harry waited until the flames died down a bit, stepped into the fireplace, and turned around. He nodded at Remus and Dobby standing next to each other, dropped the Floo powder, and called out 'The Office of Cornelius Fudge,' and felt the soft flames consume him.

The kitchen disappeared as the flames swarmed around him, and he began to twist and turn through the Floo network. He noticed as he was flying through the network that he hadn't seen any living rooms or kitchens, but just a few offices. Dumbledore was right. This didn't seem to be open to many people at all.

But Harry didn't have much time to think about that as only a few moments before he came to the Minister's fireplace. He landed on all fours, but at least he was upright, which was better than he had come out most of the time. He stood quickly and brushed himself off. He looked around for Dumbledore and found him taking a seat with Fudge, one empty seat left between them.

He stepped forward, not exactly what to do or how to act. It had been less than two months ago that Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, had been telling everyone that Harry was a lying, attention-craving child, and had done his best to verbally attack Harry as often as possible. Now, here he was, talking to Professor Dumbledore with all the exuberance and confidence of a teacher seeing his favourite student after years of being apart. It was infuriating. Harry's blood was beginning to boil when Dumbledore spoke up.

"Harry, you remember Minister Fudge, don't you?" His eyes rose as he said this, giving him a knowing look. Harry smiled quickly, hoping that Fudge wouldn't notice the uncomfortable air between them. He turned and looked at Fudge as he responded.

"Yes sir," he said in a bored voice. "We've met a few of times. The Minister had spoken to school champions during the Triwizard Tournament."

"That's right Harry," Fudge said with a big smile, "and if I remember right, you won that tournament."

It was all Harry could do not to scream at him. He'd prodded Fudge into talking about the tournament to bring up what had happened afterwards, how it was Fudge who had ordered the cover-up about the final challenge of the tournament, and more specifically, the murder of Cedric Diggory by Lord Voldemort afterwards.

Cedric had been killed at the end of Harry's fifth year at the ceremony which brought about Voldemort's return. When Harry returned to the school with Cedric's body, Fudge refuted Harry's account of what had happened and interrupted Harry before he could tell people what happened. Over the course of the next year, Fudge had made it his mission to ensure that the public thought of Harry as a liar, never even considering the thought that Harry might be telling the truth. But what really upset Harry was how Fudge had written off Cedric's death and calling Harry a fading celebrity trying to regain fame by lying about the events that led to Cedric's death.

The urge to shout this at the Minister was great, but Harry was going to restrain himself, at least for now, so he replied shortly, "I try to not think about it. That was a rough time for me." At least it was all true, he thought.

"Oh, uh, yes, well, indeed it was. Jolly sorry about all that business. Nothing we can do about that now though. You must look towards the future and all."

"Indeed," chimed Dumbledore. "I think it best if we begin. We wouldn't want to keep you from your duties any longer than necessary."

"Thank you, Dumbledore," Fudge said anxiously. "Yes. We must get going. Lots to do today."

Fudge stood and walked over to the door and stuck his head out. He starting talking to someone, but Harry couldn't tell what he was saying. However, it became apparent soon after who he had been talking to when a moment later Percy Weasley walked into the room carrying some rolls of parchment and a quill. He followed Fudge back to the table where Harry and Dumbledore were sitting and Fudge took his seat, and Fudge addressed Harry and Dumbledore again.

"Well Harry, I understand that Dumbledore has already brought you up to speed on why we are here, so Weasley here will only summarize things for the record."

Percy unrolled the first parchment, cleared his throat, and began.

"Before we begin, everyone present needs to know that the three contracts being signed here today are protected by secrecy charms. Essentially, only Mr. Fudge, Professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and those listed on the exemption list at the bottom of each contract may speak freely about the contents of the contracts. Additionally, additions to the exemption list must be authorized by at least two of you. Are there any questions thus far?"

Harry spoke up quickly.

"So basically, I can't talk about this to anyone unless I get permission from the Minister of Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Precisely," answered Fudge. "The three of us will sign the contract before we leave. Percy here will also sign, but he will be signing as a witness only and will not be required to participate in adding to the exemption list the way the rest of us will."

"Okay," Harry said with a short pause, then asked "But what if someone overhears us talking to each other."

"Good question," replied Fudge quickly. "Anyone who happens to overhear us talking would not understand us. It would sound like nothing more than mumbling to them. It's a basic charm used on some of our more important contracts to keep prying ears from hearing too much."

"Oh, Okay. Got it," Harry nodded, hoping he understood.

"Good. Good," Fudge echoed. "Mr. Weasley, please continue."

Percy cleared his throat again and continued.

"The following people are already on the exemption list and will able to discuss the contents of the contract amongst themselves as well as the three of you; Hogwarts Professors Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Rubeus Hagrid, and Severus Snape, Hogwarts student Hermione Granger, and the Weasley Family including Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charles, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny, and the squib Arabella Figg. The named above are subject to all restrictions and charms included in the contract that follows and must be notified of said restrictions before the contract will take effect. Does everyone understand and agree to the stipulations of the contract?"

Both Dumbledore and Fudge agreed, but Harry was stunned to answer. He hadn't thought about all of the people involved in what he was doing. All of those people were bound by a magical contract just because Harry was going to learn to be an Animagus and have the right to use magic in cases of emergencies outside of school. It was all way too much.

"Harry?"

Why were so many people involved in such a small thing? Why was he so important that a dozen different people had to swear to keep quite or not know?

"Harry?" someone called again.

It was Dumbledore. This time his voice was much more firm and it brought Harry out of his inner thoughts.

"Sorry?" he said meekly.

"Are you alright Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry paused for moment thinking, and then he responded abruptly.

"It's just that it seems there are so many people agreeing to protect these secrets. It just seems so much just to protect me. Am I really so important that I have to put all of those people through this? It just doesn't seem right."

Again, it was Dumbledore who spoke up.

"Harry, trust me when I tell you that every person mentioned just now is more than happy to agree to the terms of the agreement. And yes, that does include Professor Snape. We all want to keep you safe, Harry, and I want you to know that I have spoken with every one of the adult wizards and witches mentioned and they have all happily agreed to participate in this contract. Mrs. Weasley spoke to all but Ron and Ginny, as I will be talking to them about all of this on Monday. But they all care deeply about you in their own way, and we are all willing to bare a little burden to protect those we care about."

Harry noticed that as Dumbledore spoke, that glimmer in his eyes grew brighter and brighter. It gave Harry a sense of confidence that he had not had just moments before and he felt something he hadn't felt in all his life. It was knowing those people cared enough about Harry to carry a secret with them, even if no charms had been put on the parchment. The sacrifice they were willing to make on his behalf was overwhelming. When next he spoke, it was with a slightly raised voice.

"Sorry sir. It's just a bit much is all. I'm not used to that many people watching out for me. It's just, well, that it's an awful lot to think about. I'm sorry, where were we?"

"I think we can move on, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. "It seems evident to me that Harry understands the full implications of the contract."

"Yes sir," Harry said quickly. He felt the tension flow out of him, and he wanted to continue without making any more of a scene. He figured if they got through it fast enough, he might just be able to pull it off.

"Very well," chimed Fudge again. "Weasley, please continue."

"Yes sir," Percy said promptly. "The first contract is your basic emancipation contract, limited to subsection three, the legal use of magic for an underage wizard or witch. Basically, this states that the wizard in question, that would be you Harry, may use magic in his residence, in the presence of an adult witch or wizard, and in any case of emergency. Any questions so far?"

"No," Harry replied simply.

"Good then. Contract two is a standard Animagus registration form. It simply states your basic personal information, when you trained to be an Animagus, and which Animagus form you take. The amendments to this contract are that your Animagus form will be added at the completion of your training, as well as the date of your training completion. Any questions?"

"No, I've got it," Harry said.

"Good. Finally, and this is the most simple contract of the three, is the matter of the change of ownership for the property belonging to a Mr. Sirius Black. As the last living male of the Black line, it was his decision to decide where the Black inheritance was to be transferred. As the sole beneficiary of the Black estate all lands, properties, investments and moneys related to the Black estate will herein be transferred to Mr. Harry Potter. Any questions?"

"Nope," said Harry. "I think I've got it all right."

"Very well then," came Fudge, "If we can all sign the contracts. Harry, you will sign here, where it says benefactor, Dumbledore will sign as witness, and Weasley and I will sign as the required Ministry official and Ministry witness."

They all signed on the appropriate lines. Percy signed the contracts last and after he finished with each contract it duplicated into four additional copies. Percy gave each of them a copy, the originals being given to Fudge for what the Minister called "Safe keeping," as though Harry might lose them or something.

As he passed them out, Percy added, "Each of these copies each have lines at the bottom for each of the fourteen individuals I mentioned. They must read and sign the contract before they may speak of it to anyone, and just to let you know, when any of them sign any copy of the contracts, the other contracts will reflect their signatures in kind. Also, each contract is protected with the standard concealment ink which prevents anyone from reading the contract without the proper incantation, listed at the very bottom of each contract. Well, I believe that's everything."

"Very good, Weasley," said Fudge. "Well, if there is nothing else, I do have quite a lot to do today. That business with Azkaban prison is not getting any better."

"What business is..." Harry tried to ask.

"I believe you are right. Cornelius. Harry, let us leave the Minister to his work."

Dumbledore was giving Harry the look that told him to keep his mouth shut and follow Dumbledore's lead.

"Ready when you are, Professor," Harry replied.

"Very good," Dumbledore said before turning from Harry to Fudge and continuing, "Well Cornelius, it was a pleasure as always. I shall see you tomorrow, and as always, if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to owl me at Hogwarts."

"Yes, Dumbledore. I'll do that. Well, off you go then. And Harry," he called looking over at him, "do be careful out there."

Harry felt more threatened by the comment than comforted, but he forced a smile all the same.

Again Dumbledore dropped some of the golden Floo powder into the fireplace, but this time he had Harry go first.

Again he went swirling around until he finally hit the kitchen floor. He stepped up and cleaned himself off. When he looked up however, he got quite a shock. Dumbledore was standing in front of him. But then Harry remembered that Dumbledore could Apparate. He shook his head a bit and laughed at himself. It had been five years since he had learned of the wizarding world and the most basic magic procedures still surprised him.

Dumbledore beckoned him over to the kitchen table and to find the tea tray was already waiting for them. This time it was Dumbledore who poured the tea, adding some vanilla to each cup. Harry took a couple of sips. He was surprised at just how good it was.

"So, Harry, what did you think of the meeting?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

"Well, sir, I don't know what to say."

"Indeed. Well, there are a few things that I have say, Harry, and the first thing is thank you."

"Thank you, Sir? For what?"

"Harry, I know being there in front of the Minister was not the easy for you. I know he has caused you a great deal of grief over the past year, and you still conducted yourself as an adult. I have not known many students who would handle themselves they way you did today. That is why I said thank you before, because you showed such restraint."

"Yea, well, I didn't want to, that's for sure."

"And that is exactly what makes you so different from others. You are willing to do one thing when you would rather do another, just for the sake of those around you. That is a very powerful attitude to have, and it will serve you well in life."

"Yes sir," Harry responded. After a slight pause, he added, "But sir, what was it that Fudge was saying about Azkaban?"

"Yes. Well, you should expect to hear it in the Prophet tomorrow, but essentially, most of the Dementors have disappeared from Azkaban. Because of that, we have had to promote two dozen wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol to Aurors to protect the prison. We feel there will likely be prison break attempts over the next several months. Of course, you already know my position on the Dementors running Azkaban, and it appears the Minister has decided to seek my council on planning for the future."

Again, all Harry could think to do was to nod.

"Now Harry," Dumbledore continued, "you need not concern yourself with those matters just now. All I want you to do is continue your training, and brush up on all of your Defence Against the Dark Arts charms and spells. They will be very important for your class this year. I think you might also find this book on different possible Animagus forms very enlightening."

Dumbledore pulled a book from his cloak and handed it to Harry. It was called The Many Faces of an Animagus. Harry couldn't help but smile.

"I hope it helps. Also, I know many people have told you this over the past two days, but I really want you to keep up with your Occlumency lessons. The teacher you will be working with after you get back to Hogwarts is a real stickler for his students showing results in his classes." Again, Dumbledore stared over his spectacles at Harry with a knowing look.

"So who is my new teacher going to be?" Harry asked.

"You needn't worry about that just now. Just keep up on the lessons, and all will be fine. Now, I'm sorry to say that it is time for me to take my leave. Do say hello to your Aunt for me, wont' you Harry? Such a charming young woman."

Harry stifled a laugh. He stood with Dumbledore and headed for the front door. They said their goodbyes, and Dumbledore headed out.

Over the next few hours, Harry and Lupin spent time together looking through the book that Dumbledore had given him and talking about the meeting at the Ministry. Lupin and Dobby made sandwiches for lunch and they spent the rest of the afternoon playing wizard's chess. Before Harry knew it, it was four o'clock and Mrs. Figg had arrived to take him back home.

He was only going to be gone for a little over a day, so the goodbye this time was nothing so dramatic as when he left King's Cross last Sunday. He gave Dobby a soft handshake, and turned to Lupin. He thought about giving him another quick hug, but changed his mind and gave him a firm handshake instead.

"Well, I'm off then. I guess I'll see you on Monday?" He asked hopefully.

"You can be sure of it Harry," Lupin said with a broad smile. "And you take care, okay?"

"Too right. See you."

"Goodbye," Lupin and Dobby said in unison.

So Harry stepped into the fireplace and opened his mouth to call out Mrs. Figg's home when he realized he didn't know what to say. He stepped back out of the fireplace and turned to Mrs. Figg and said, "Sorry, but what do I say to get to your house?"

"Oh my, Harry. Sorry about that. Forgot you haven't been to my house by Floo. Just say 'House of Arabella Figg' and that should do it."

"Right," Harry replied. He stepped back into the fireplace and a few moments later he tumbled out of the fireplace and rolled to a stop in front of her living room couch. A few minutes later he was back in front of his house with Mrs. Figg.

"Well, go on dear. I'd think they would be preparing dinner right about now and I'm sure you've worked up quite an appetite today. Now I'll see you on Monday, eight o'clock."

"Right. And thanks for letting me use your fireplace to go to Sirius's house."

"It's my pleasure, dear. And if there is anything else that you need, just let me know. Now get going. Don't want you being late now."

"Okay. Well, I'll see you Monday," he said with a smile, they turned and headed in.

As he closed the door he waved back at Mrs. Figg, then closed the door and headed upstairs to his bed. However, he only made it half way up the stairs before Uncle Vernon's voice boomed from the kitchen.

"Is that you, boy?" he shouted.

Harry's head fell. He had hoped to go up to his room and avoid the Dursleys until he left on Monday. But he turned around and went back downstairs and into the kitchen.

He opened the kitchen door to find Aunt Petunia cooking dinner while Uncle Vernon sat at the dinner table reading the paper. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, Uncle Vernon lowered his paper and looked over at him.

"Well, boy, Petunia has told me that you think you are going to be going over to that house of your Godfather's throughout the week."

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"Well think again. You're old enough to start doing more chores around the house and I'm not going to let you just keep living here without pulling your own weight around here. Starting tomorrow, Petunia is going to have a list of chores that you will be doing each day."

"But I have things I have to do over at the other house. I have friends coming over, plus I have Occlumency lessons, plus charms."

"Don't you try that with me, boy. You can't be doing magic outside of that school of yours and you know it." Uncle Vernon had a large, smug smile cross his face.

Harry's face had begun to turn red when something suddenly crossed his mind. Harry countered Uncle Vernon's smile with an even larger one of his own as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small parchment. He unfolded it, looked at the bottom of the parchment and said, Aperio hi pactum enim mei amicus.

The words glowed white for a moment, and Harry was sure he had said the incantation correctly. He handed it to Uncle Vernon as his smile grew even wider.

"What's this?" Vernon asked as he jerked the parchment from Harry's hand. However, as Uncle Vernon's eyes moved down the page his look went from anger to one of absolute horror, and by the end of the page he looked whiter that the parchment.

"What is it Vernon?" Aunt Petunia asked. Vernon handed it over to Petunia with a shaking hand. She was no more than a third of the way through the parchment when a small squeak escaped her lips. It was all Harry could do not to break out laughing.

"So I guess I'll just be practicing my magic here then. But don't worry. I only have a few dozen spells I have to work on. I just hope I can stop setting things on fire," he said, just inches from bursting out laughing. Vernon and Petunia, on the other hand, looked ready to faint.

"I will not have you doing that, that, stuff in my house," he said, barely getting the words out of his mouth.

"Well, I have to do it somewhere. That's why Professor Dumbledore wanted me to go to Sirius's house. That way I could do magic without doing it here." This was the first time that Harry had deliberately said the "M" word without worrying about being punished. He was sure that they were more afraid of what he might do to them than they were with his saying magic in front of them. But it didn't take long for Uncle Vernon to respond, and it was just as Harry expected.

"Fine. Go there if you must. But I don't want to hear another word from you for the rest of the year. Not a single word. Do you understand boy?" he half snarled at Harry.

"Sure. Thanks. I'll just be going to my room then," he said, grabbed the parchments back, and headed out of the kitchen. The moment the kitchen door had shut, Harry ran up the stairs two at a time. By the time he reached the top of the stairs his eyes were watering from pent up laughter and he began to laugh as quietly as possible as he headed to his room.

He opened his door and started towards his desk to put away his parchments when he noticed something off towards his bed. He turned and saw something that made him to grab hold of the desk to keep him from collapsing.

Over on his bed, sitting with his school books scattered around him, Dudley stared blankly back at Harry, Harry's wand in his hand, a white feather floating just above his head.

Coming Soon

Chapter 4

Dudley's Secret