To See A Falling Star

Impeachment And Cream

By Lady FoxFire

January 26, 2004

"It's not right!" Colin ranted furiously as he paced back and forth in front of the blazing fire. "I mean, he's Harry Potter! He shouldn't be sold like... like... like cattle!"

"Oh, so you're saying it's not right to sell him since he's Harry Potter?" Melissa, a second year Muggle born witch, contended angrily.

"Of course!" Colin countered in shock. "After all, he's Harry Potter. He saved the world from You-Know-Who!"

"Oh, so because it's Harry Potter, it's different?" Melissa said, her eyes darkening with anger, and her face turning grim. "So if my cousin, who is handicapped, were a witch, then it would be alright to sell her?"

"No!" Colin retorted in a tone one would reserve for a small child. "Of course not!"

"But weren't you the one who said that because he saved the world, he shouldn't be sold? You didn't say that Le sang de Magie was wrong, just because it was wrong to sell anyone!" Melissa pointed out venomously.

"I meant that!" Colin sputtered in outrage. "You're twisting my words around!"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

The youngest Wesley's outburst shocked the room into silence.

"You stop talking that way! No one is selling Harry!" Ginny snapped as she glared at Colin and Melissa. "If you keep talking like that, I'll... I'll..."

"Ginny," Ron called softly as he strode over to his baby sister and gathered her in his arms. "It will be alright," he whispered comfortingly into her hair as he gently rubbed her back. "The Headmaster won't let anything happen to Harry. You'll see."

Ginny's shoulders slumped in defeat as she allowed her brother to hold her. "It's not fair...it's not fair," Ginny repeated over and over again, hiding her face in Ron's shoulder.

"I can't believe that the wizarding community would condone this... this atrocity!" Hermione exclaimed in a huff, as she stalked back and forth, seething like a saber-toothed tiger that warned others to avoid her path.

"A lot of people won't stand for it, Hermione," Neville assured, looking up from the Herbology book he was reading, "but you have to understand what a status symbol it would be to own the Boy Who Lived."

"A status symbol!" Hermione bellowed in outrage, stopping to glare at Neville.

"Yeah, and think of the kids," Seamus suggested from where Dean and he were playing chess. "Can you imagine how it would be to say your parent is Harry Potter? It would be like saying my mum's the Queen of England."

Conversation around the common room petered off as Seamus's words were repeated by students as they realized what Harry's future would be like if he were sold.

Before any argument broke out, the portal door opened, ushering Snuffles and Harry in with Professor Lupin following close at their heels.

The entire room stared in silence at the Boy Who Would Be Sold and their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, waiting for someone to say something.

"Well, either someone fed Gryffindor a voice stealing potion, or everyone is standing there gapping at us like fish out of water," Harry stated with a half of a smile, his damaged eyes hidden behind his sunglasses

"Actually, I think they're trying to attract birds," Remus replied in a thoughtful tone, his eyes crinkled in amusement.

"Ah," Harry mused in a knowing tone. "Mouth open just waiting for a bird to land in it and build a nest?"

"Exactly," Remus concluded with a snort. "They remind me of what happened to fourth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs in potion class during my second year. Somehow, there was a mix up and the class drank a potion that froze their mouths open. Of course, Professor Vatblasky refuses to allow Poppy... umm, I mean Madam Pomfrey to cure them." Remus chuckled as he remembered the event. "It took a week for it to finally wear off."

"You wouldn't happen to know what the potion was?" Ron asked with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Ronald Andrew Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed with arms akimbo and a frown firmly etched in her face, using what can only be described as a mother's 'You're in BIG trouble, young man' tone of voice.

"But Hermione," Ron whined as he looked at her with an innocent expression on his face, "I only want to how so you can prepare an antidote. You know how my brothers are. They'll find out what was used and then they'll test it on some poor, unsuspecting soul."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, her arms folded over her chest. "I'll believe that when pigs fly," she snipped sardonically as she tapped her foot.

Ron cocked his head to the side, confusion clearly written on his face. "But they do."

"They... Pigs... They do?" Hermione stammered incredulity as she looked at Ron in confusion.

"Of course they do," Ron said. "My Uncle Andrew, on Mum's side, raises Welsh Winged Pigs..."

As Ron explained how pigs could fly to Hermione and the other Muggle born students, Remus had a chance to observe the Gryffindor common room.

His eyes roamed about, lingering once in a while on select couches or tapestries. But his eyes lit up when he spied four words painted above the door to the common room in dark blue paint. "Lions roar and snakes..." he whispered to himself.

"Ahh, I see that you have discovered one of the great mysteries of the Gryffindor Tower," Fred, or perhaps it was George, announced with a smug air as the red headed boy walked over to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, his brother just a few steps behind. "The unfinished prank. Well, we assume it's unfinished anyway."

"No one knows who painted this glorious message, what inspiring message they were trying to pass on to future generations of Gryffindors, or what terrible calamity stopped them from finishing," the other twin explained solemnly as he stood next to his brother. "These unanswered questions have haunted many a Gryffindor for years."

"Someone tell Colin to get his camera ready," Harry whispered out of the side of this mouth, a small sly smile on his face.

And evil grin stretched across Ron's face a he realized what was about to happen, "Oh, this is all too perfect," he muttered with a cackle as he eagerly followed every move.

"Lions roar and snakes crawl at their feet or something like that. You would have to ask Padfoot. After all, it was his idea," Remus mused with a shrug of his shoulders as he continued to stare up at the message, a whimsical smile on his face.

"Padfoot?" George chocked in surprise at the sound of his hero's name.

"You knew Padfoot?" Fred gasped in awe, his eyes wide with the mention of one of the Marauders.

Remus nodded his head as he looked at the twins. "Of course, the writing was supposed to change: different colors, a new inspiring message for the day--that type of thing."

"So what happened?" Fred asked curiously as he gazed upon the unfinished prank with a new respect.

"Why did they stop?" Jordan Lee posed as he stepped up to Fred's shoulder. "From what Gred and Feorge have told me, there was nothing that could stop them."

"Only one person could ever stop us. The fiercest and most feared of all Muggle born witches ever to attend Hogwarts," Remus whispered with fear and dread as if speaking of this witch would cause her to appear.

"Lily Evans," Dennis, Colin's little brother, whispered with reverence, his eyes wide. "What was she like?"

"I bet she was like Snape," Jordan stated with a sniff. "She was probably mean and evil just like the slimy git. And so ugly that she couldn't look in a mirror without it breaking."

"HEY! SHE WAS MY MUM!" Harry exclaimed angrily, jumping to defend his mother's honor.

Remus chuckled a bit in amusement. "Actually, Lily was beautiful and the kindest person you would ever meet. But she had one hell of a temper and a knock-out uppercut," He explained, massaging his jaw. "I've noticed that it seems to be one thing that all women with red hair share.

"But back to my story...Padfoot had just finished painting the word snake when Lily came down the stairs from the girls' dorm. Being a Perfect, she of course confiscated the paint and hid it in some unknown location. The only thing to save us from receiving a detention or losing points for the prank was Prongs's fast talking." Remus looked back up at the unfinished prank again. "We were never able to find that paint, either."

"I always wondered why there were paint cans hidden in our dorm rooms," Alicia mumbled.

"You helped!" George cried as he suddenly realized what Remus has said.

Fred looked at his brother then at Professor Lupin in confusion for only a moment before it hit him. "You were helping the Marauders!"

"Allow me to introduce myself," Remus began very formally in a voice one would normally associate with Gilderoy Lockhart, bowing deeply with a heavily flourished to those assembled in the common room, "Messr. Moony at your service."

"Moo... Moo... Moo..." Fred jabbered listlessly over and over again as his brother George pointed at the teacher, his mouth opening and closing as if he were a fish out of water.

"Moony," Ron asserted firmly in a know-it-all voice. "Just like Harry's father was Prongs and his Godfather was Padfoot."

George's eyes rolled up into his head before collapsing to the floor at Remus's feet.

"You knew!" Fred screeched in a high-pitched voice that made people wince in pain.

"Yep," Ron affirmed very proudly, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "I've know since my third year."

"Third year!" Fred squeaked his eyes bugging out.

"Don't forget to tell your brothers how the Marauders got their names," Hermione reminded with an encouraging nudge.

"You knew too!" Fred yelped as he turned and stared at Hermione, who only grinned and nodded her head as solemnly as she could.

"I can't believe you didn't know!" Ginny blurted with a dramatic sigh as she rolled her eyes at her brothers. "Professor Lupin is Moony 'cause he's a werewolf."

At this point, Fred's eyes rolled up into his head before he joined his brother on the floor.

Ginny looked up from where her brothers lay to Remus. "Did I guess right?" she asked innocently. "Isn't that why you're called Moony?"

Harry bit his lips to keep from laughing as Ron beamed proudly at his baby sister.

"If I didn't know better, I would say she was Lily's reincarnate," Remus said to Harry and Snuffles.

"Umm, who were the Marauders?" a small first year boy asked nervously.

"The greatest pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen," Ron replied smugly, his ear-splitting grin taking up his whole face.

"What types of pranks?" someone from the back of the crowd asked.

"Did you play any on Professor Snape?" another Gryffindor called out.

"Of course! But you need to remember that at that time, Professor Snape was also a student," Remus clarified.

"See! I told you he wasn't an immortal demon raised up from the pits of Hell to torment us!" A third year girl with dark brown hair whispered furiously to her fellow classmate.

"Fine then, he's possessed by a demon," the blond boy retorted as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the girl. "But my brother Sean said he once saw him spit up green slime, and that he can turn his head all away around. That's a sign that he's possessed. I saw it in a movie once."

"Snape isn't a demon from Hell, nor is he possessed," Dean assured, interrupting the pending argument. "He's just a mutated humanoid bat creature who's come to Hogwarts to suck the life out of students. Besides, I believe that only twelve year old girls from Georgetown can be possessed by a demon that spits up green slime."

"I don't get it," Ron whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I'll explain later," Hermione muttered her reply.

"Please tell us about some of the pranks you pulled as a student!" A second year girl with big steel grey eyes begged.

"YEAH, TELL US!"

"Alright, but first, someone needs to wake these two," Remus announced with a nod toward the twins. "I'm sure they would be devastated to miss of some of the pranks we pulled."

Immediately Ginny had her wand in hands. "I'll do it," Ginny volunteered in a singsong voice, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Conglacio aquaeductus!" she exclaimed with a wave and a flick.

From out of nowhere ice cold water poured down upon the two unconscious boys.

"Who? What? Why? When? How?" The twins sputtered as they wiped their wet hair from their face with their teeth chattering and their lips slightly blue.

"I've always wanted to do that to them," Angelina grumbled darkly amidst the chortles of her fellows.

"Same here," Katie replied as Alicia nodded her head in agreement.

"What's going on?" Fred asked as he looked up at everyone.

"Professor Lupin was about to tell us about some of the pranks he played when he was a student," a small second year girl explained excitedly.

"Stories..." George started to say, his eyes fill with longing.

"...From the great and oh-so-wonderful Marauders?" Fred finished his brother's sentence.

Immediately the twins were on their knees at Remus's feet. "Do tell, oh great one," Fred begged as he bowed, arms out stretched in front of him in renewed awe, worshipping his hero.

"Teach us to become great masters of pranks, oh wise and wonderful teacher." George said, mimicking his brother's actions

Remus glanced over at Padfoot, who looked liked he'd swallowed a hair ball, and then back at the twins, "Right...Well in our third year we..."

While Remus told those gathered around him about his time as a Marauder, the Head of Gryffindor House slipped into the tower unnoticed.

Minerva McGonagall stopped and listened to the story about how the Marauders filled the Slytherins common room full of green gelatin. She soon covered her mouth to muffle her giggles.

"And of course, once they entered the Great Hall, we had to dump the whipped cream over them. All that was needed was for them to be topped off with a green cherry or perhaps a slice of kiwi fruit."

The room erupted into chuckles and giggles at the image of their dreaded Potions Master and other well off purebloods looking like a Muggle dessert.

"What was you favorite prank?" someone from the back of the room asked as the laughter died down

"What about the professors? Did you prank any of them?"

A mischievous look crept across Remus's face, "Yeah," he continued with a smirk on his face, oblivious to the Deputy Headmistress's formidable presence behind him. "We pranked every single teacher at least three times before we graduated. But my favorite prank... well my favorite prank on a teacher was the first one we'd pulled on Professor McGonagall."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed as she listened to what her former student's words. A few students noticed her presence but a quick glance from her cold steely eyes stopped any thought of warning their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.

"By now, everyone with the exception of the first years should know that our beloved Transfiguration professor is an Animagus--a tabby cat to be exact." A smirk appeared on Remus's face as he continued. "You need to remember that to become an Animagus is a difficult and dangerous undertaking. It is not something people should do by themselves. It takes special training and guidance from a trained Animagus for one to successfully access one's inner animal."

Snuffles let out a snort at this comment while Harry, Hermione and Ron tried to hide their laughter.

"But I'm straying from my tale," Remus announced with the mysterious air of a storyteller as he picked up the tale once again. "It was the winter of our sixth year, and for reasons that will remain nameless," Remus cheeks reddened at the thought of a childhood incident, "Professor McGonagall was able to force us to promise on our wands not to prank any of the Houses for two whole months."

"Let me tell you that this went beyond being cruel and unusual punishment; for pranksters like us, this was the Kiss of Death. " Remus shivered at the memory. "Anyone could pull pranks and jokes on us and we could not raise one finger against them until our promise was fulfilled. Imagine what it would be like to have the Slytherins pull prank after prank on us while they gloated over the fact we couldn't do a thing."

"Even our mum isn't that cruel," the twins said as they commiserated in sympathy.

"By the second week, Padfoot was in a bad way. He was almost crazed from seeing all the opportunities pass us by, unable to pull a single prank or joke, when he made a comment that caused an epiphany among us all. We realize that while we promised not to prank any of the Houses, but we didn't promise not to prank any of the staff."

"Epiphany?" Fred whispered in question to his brother.

"It means the idea smacked them across the head like I'm about to, if you don't keep your mouth shut," Alicia snarled quietly at the twins.

"As soon as we had realized this, we started to plan. Binns, Vatblasky, not even our venerable Headmaster was immune from our revenge, but we save our best for one person: our beloved Professor Minerva McGonagall."

"It took us over a week until we'd agreed upon a plan which we christened Operation: Here, Kitty Kitty. We had decided to let McGonagall experience the wrath of the Marauders in threefold."

"Stage One: Viva La Fleas," Remus cheered with an evil smirk. "We gave Professor McGonagall a case of fleas that no pest removing charm or potion would be able to rid. If she transformed into a human, the fleas would vanish as if they were never there, but as soon as she changed back into a cat, they returned with vengeance." Remus chuckled. "This went on for an entire month."

McGonagall gritted her teach, her wand tightly grasped in her hand as she listened to her fellow professor go on with the tale of how the Marauders had pranked her years ago.

"Stage Two, we nicknamed Cat Toys from Hell," Remus explained. "We set it up so that catnip-filled toys would show up at odd times and places. Now, that may not sound like anything, but imagine what it would be like to find hundreds of cat toys stuffed into your classroom every single day during all hours of the day and night. We had them appear under her pillows, on her dinner plate, in her pockets, and even in the shower. The hardest part was tying the spell so that her own magic supplied it, making it impossible for her to track it back to us."

"Eventually, she called us into her office and told us to stop it, at which time Prongs reminded her that we had sworn not to pull any prank. After all, we had promised not to prank our fellow students."

"Remind me to NEVER piss Remus off," Ron whispered to Harry, who only nodded his head in agreement.

"McGonagall's confrontation was our signal to begin Stage Three: Jake the Mouse," Remus continued, ignoring Ron's comment.

"Jake the Mouse?" Harry asked, his eyebrow raised above his sunglasses.

Remus shrugged his shoulders. "You know what Padfoot's sense of humor is like."

Harry snorted. "Warped and twisted," he answered as he shook his head, a smirk spread across his face.

"Exactly," Remus agreed with a cheesy grin. "Now, a little known fact is that Animagi have a tendency to develop the traits that their animal forms have while still in their human form. For example, an Animagus who transforms into a dog may growl at people they don't like or shake after getting out of a shower while in their human form. Cat Animagi have a tendency to be clean freaks and a dislike of small, furry, rodent-like creatures."

"So Padfoot created Jake, a masterpiece of such grandeur that I doubt could ever be duplicated. Jake is a tiny blue ghost of a mouse whose job was to haunt Professor McGonagall's rooms, but only when she was alone. It wouldn't appear when anyone else was there. Even the school ghosts couldn't find it."

"No trap or spell could catch him. And if McGonagall had tried to find him as a cat... well, it's hard to catch something that doesn't have a scent. Just imagine how McGonagall, as a cat, tried to chase this tiny blue mouse around..."

"REMUS JOTHANIN LUPIN!" Professor McGonagall cried in a firm, commanding voice as she grabbed her former student by the ear. "You are in big trouble, young man."

Everyone stared in utterly stunned silence as the Head of Gryffindor dragged their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher out of the tower by his ear, berating him the whole time.

"I didn't know you could get detention after you graduate," Jake Slope, a sixth year boy, mused breathlessly once the door was shut.

"Only if you're a Gryffindor," Jordan Lee answered bemusedly, his eyes still glued on the door. "Only if you're a Gryffindor."

"So what did the Headmaster want?" Colin asked as he bounced with excitement.

"Are they really going to sell you?" Dennis, Colin's little brother asked curiously.

"No way! Dumbledore will stop them! Won't he, Harry?" Someone shouted from the crowd.

Harry sighed and shook his head sadly. "Let me sit down. This is going to take a while to explain."

Snuffles diligently lead Harry through the crowd of Gryffindors until Harry could sit down on the plush couch before the crackling fire. The Weasley clan stood guard, while Hermione hovered nearby like an advisor for a king.

"I'll tell you what I can, and please hold any questions or comments until I'm done," Harry started heavily. "To begin with... yes, I am being auctioned off and no, the Headmaster cannot stop it, even through he's my legal guardian. In seven days, Dumbledore will announce the official rules, along with the day the bidding begins and the initial bid. Are there any questions?"

The room erupted into a cacophony of voices.

"SILENCE!" Hermione commanded in a firm voice, her hands on her hips, looking eerily like a younger version of their transfiguration professor. "Harry can't answer your questions if you keep shouting them out all at once, especially when you're shouting the same questions. Raise your hands if you have a question."

Hands shot into the air before Hermione even finished her comment. A few students had both hands raised, while a few others were jumping up and down wildly flailing their arms.

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes at the antics of her fellow Gryffindors.

"Rachael Steveson," Ron called out while Hermione looked on in disgust at the antics of her fellow Gryffindors.

The students grew silent as the turned their attention towards the wiry second year girl.

"I was wondering, can a Muggleborn bid?" she asked nervously. "My family is well off.... I mean, I'm sure I can talk my parents into bidding if we can bid. So can we?"

Harry cocked his head to the side; an air of thoughtfulness surrounded him. "I don't see why not. As far as I know there isn't anything in the rules that says a Muggleborn can't place a bid, but I'll check with the Headmaster to make sure."

"Awesome," Rachael squealed, "I always wanted a brother."

Some chucked at Rachael's comment while others threw their hands back into the air.

"You seem to be taking this pretty calmly. How come?" a visiting Ravenclaw stated with a superior attitude as he stared down at Harry and the others.

Harry snorted. "First, I'm exhausted. Secondly, you should see what's left of Dumbledore's office. And finally, I would like to see you try to be upset after being fed one of Snape's calming potions."

"Oh," the Ravenclaw uttered meekly as he glanced around at the surrounding Gryffindors who glared at him.

"Can they sell you to guys as well as to girls?" Andrew Kirke, a sixth year shouted out.

"If you're asking if my sexual preference matters, then no, it doesn't. All that matters is that the payment is full upon conclusion of the sale," Harry stated bitterly.

"You mean your happiness doesn't mean anything? You can be sold to someone you have no interest in! You can be sold to be..." gasped Katie.

"Sold to be raped. Forced to father or bear the child of that rape. Passed around from family to family for a price. And it's all completely legal," Harry stated bluntly, not trying to hide the truth from the innocent ears of younger students.

Gryffindor were stunned into silence.

"That's not right!"

"There has to be a way to stop it!"

"Hermione, you know everything. You have to know of a way to stop it!"

Hermione looked around at all the hopeful faces that believed in her before she turned her face to the floor, her inability to look at anyone for answer.

"What if Fudge wasn't the Minister anymore? Could the new Minister stop it?" Neville suggested desperately.

Hermione head shot up, her eyes glazed over as she reviewed everything she'd read about Le sang de Magie. "Maybe," she said cautiously. "It can't be revoked, but...it could be placed on hold. Yes, it could be placed on hold until Harry finds someone he wants to be with, and then he could be sold to that person."

"But we have to get Fudge out of office first. And we can't exactly murder the bastard now, can we?" Jordan Lee said.

"No, but we can have him impeached for his crime," Hermione said, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Impeached? What does that mean?" a youthful voice said from the back of the room.

"Impeach. To be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors," Hermione stated as if reading from dictionary.

"Can he be impeached?" Dean asked. "I mean, I know how government officials are removed from office in the Muggle government, but I have no idea about how it's set up in the wizarding community."

"It's different," Kenneth Towler, a seventh year, said. "The wizarding system of election is similar to that of the Americans. I think our system inspired the Yanks to create the same system when deciding who their leader is. Basically, every adult wizard has the chance to cast one vote for the new Minister." Kenneth's brow furrowed in thought. "Perhaps the Yanks stole the same idea for the removal of officials."

"So how does the American system work?" Parvati asked.

Everyone turned towards Kenneth for an explanation.

"Well... I think they have a referendum, and then the people get a chance to vote," Kenneth answered.

"Referendum?"

"That won't work!" exclaimed Victoria Frobisher, a quiet girl that most people overlooked. "A referendum is for laws and such. In any case, the Ministry would have to enact that, and we know Fudge won't allow that. What we need is a petition that will force the Ministry to allow... allow a recall!"

A number of Gryffindors had dazed expressions on their faces from all of the technical legal words being used.

"Can someone explain all of that to us simple Gryffindors in two syllable words or less?" Ron asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "A recall happens when enough people sign a petition demanding a re-election of an official because they don't feel like he's doing his job. If he loses, he's kicked out of office, but if he wins, he gets to finish his term of office."

"But is it legal?" George asked. "Recalls are a Muggle idea; I'm not sure if that is acceptable in the wizard communities."

"And good luck getting any signature," Thomas Abeckeity, a second year wizard said.

"Why do you say that, Thomas?" Hermione eyes glowed with excitement at the idea of inspiring the wizard community into righting a wrong and kicking Fudge out of office.

"My uncle works for the Ministry, and he says if you don't agree with Fudge and his cronies, then you don't have a job," Thomas explained with a shrug.

"He's right, Hermione. Just look at my dad. No promotion and no pay raises since Fudge came into power," Ron explained. "The only reason he doesn't sack my dad is because he has no legal reason to."

"And can you imagine the reaction?" Ginny suggested. "Mum and dad are pretty popular in the wizard community. If Fudge sacked dad without a good reason, it would raise too many questions about how the Ministry is being run. It's easier to hide those who could be a problem and find a reason to sack those who are problems."

"Keeps your friends close and your enemies closer," Harry mused deep in thought.

"Exactly."

"No one who works in the Ministry or has family who work there will sign the petition in fear of losing their job. The only way they'll sign is if there are enough signatures to force the recall, and you can't get enough signatures without them," Thomas stated darkly.

Hope seemed to be sucked out of the common room by Thomas words.

"What about the Muggleborns?" Harry suggested.

"They're in the same boat, Harry," Neville explained. "They either work for the Ministry or have friends or family who do."

"No. I mean..." Harry said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Hermione, your parents pay for you to attend, Hogwarts right?"

"Yeah," Hermione said in confusion by this sudden change of topic.

"So they pay for you to go to Hogwarts, your books, supplies and clothing. And they have no right to say how things are run," Harry stated. "No right to decide on who will be passing laws that will affect their children?"

"I... I don't know," Hermione stuttered at the very idea that Harry proposed.

"And what about Muggles who marry witches or wizards? Do they have any rights?" Harry continued as he pressed the issue.

Many looked over at Seamus, whose mother was married to a Muggle. "I can owl my mum if you want," he said with a shrug.

"Won't they have told my mum and dad? I mean, if they had a right to vote?" asked Natalie MacDonald, a second year, as she looked at the older students.

"No," Ron muttered as he glared at the floor in disgust. "Not if you want to keep the balance of power. Think about it. For each Muggle born... their parents could vote."

"And there are more Muggleborns and half-bloods than purebloods." Angelina states.

"So they're keeping us ignorant so they can have power over us," Hermione growled. A few students shuffled away from her, never taking their eyes from her, waiting for her to attack.

"Or they figure it's your responsibility to find out what your rights are and to exercise them," Geoffrey suggested.

"Either way, they're making sure that those who are in power stay in power," Harry said.

"So what do we do?"

"First, we'll see if recalls are legal. Then, we find out whether Muggles have the right to vote. With the help of the Muggles, we'll be able to take down Fudge." Hermione ordered.

~*~

The portal door swung shut behind Harry and Snuffles as they stepped into a cozy little living room.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry called out nervously, stepping over so that his leg was bumping against Snuffles hindquarters.

"Harry?" a voice called from the top of the stairs, followed by the sound of someone hurrying down them. "Oh Harry! I was praying that you would come to visit," Petunia exclaimed breathlessly when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I would have been here sooner, but things have been... complex," Harry explained as his aunt swept him up in a hug.

"That's alright, Harry. What matter is that you're here, now." Petunia soothed as she brushed a lock of Harry's hair out of this face in a motherly fashion. "So tell me, how are you? What did the doctors say? Can they fix your sight?" she queried anxiously as she guided Harry to the couch next to the window, Snuffles settling down at Harry's feet.

"Right now... no, but the doctors are hopeful that in a few years, they will be able to repair the damage," Harry assured in an encouraging tone. "They're making breakthroughs every day. It's only a matter of time.

"I'm so sorry, Harry." Petunia whispered, her eyes filled with tears as she wrung her hands. "I hope you can forgive me. If I had been stronger..."

"There is nothing to forgive," Harry replied firmly as he reached out blindly for his aunt's hands.

"That's what your Headmaster said, but it's..." sobbed Petunia.

"Shhhh. It's not your fault, Aunt Petunia. It's Vernon's." Harry countered in a firm tone of voice. "You did what you had to protect Dudley and me. If you want to blame someone, then blame the Ministry. They were supposes to monitor the house."

"But still..."

"It's wasn't your fault," Harry concluded firmly, not giving his aunt a chance to argue.

Petunia's lip quivered as she nodded her head, brushing a lock of Harry's hair out of his face, "Did I ever tell you how proud of you I am? For everything you've gone through, you're still so innocent, so noble, so forgiving. So much like Lily."

Harry's checks reddened as he blushed crimson. "So how are you doing, Aunt Petunia? How's Dudley?"

"Dudley..." Petunia sighed as she looked at the stairs that lead to the upper levels of the tower.

"He's not taking it well?'

"No. No, he's not." Petunia explained with a shake of her head. "He's blaming you for everything. Being pulled out of Smeltings, his father, me... everything."

With a sigh, Harry nodded his head in understanding. "I was hoping...hoping that he would realize the truth once he was away from Vernon's influence."

"So was I," Petunia replied, "but his mind is too wrapped up with his father's lies to see anything beyond what his father had taught him."

The room descended in to silence as Harry and Petunia became lost in their own thoughts of life at Number Four, Privet Drive. The only sounds to be heard were those coming from Snuffles as he whimpered in his sleep.

"Your dog is very beautiful," Petunia mused, finding a safe topic they could discuss.

"Snuffles? Yeah he is," Harry replied, a smirk on his face. "The Headmaster gave him to me. He's part guide dog, part watchdog, and a complete holy terror if he doesn't like you. He's the biggest ham you'll ever meet. He can beg anything out of anyone.

"He must feel that I'm safe with you if he's falling asleep. Either that, or the house elves have been passing him too many doggy treats again, and he's sleeping it off. "

Petunia giggled as Snuffle rolled onto his back, his paws up in the air as he continued to sleep. "He's asleep on his back," she explained to Harry.

"Showing the family jewels to the world," Harry replied with a chuckle. "I'll have to tease him about that later," he mumbled to himself.

"So what's your plan for the future, Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked before Petunia had a chance to ask Harry what had just said.

"Your Headmaster is setting Dudley and me up with a new life someplace in the Americas or Australia," Petunias explained. "New names. New faces. New memories. It will be a fresh start for Dudley and me." Petunia suddenly turned away from Harry, her voice taking on a sad tone, "Only..."

"Only what?" Harry asked, hearing the pain that was in his aunt's voice.

"I won't be able to remember you or Lily," Petunia's voice cracked as she uttered those words. "I'll lose you too. It will be as if you didn't exist. That you were never part of my family."

"You're not losing us, Aunt Petunia," Harry assured with a sniffle. "You won't remember mum or me, but you'll never lose us. We're family."

~*~

"Come in, Harry. Come in," Dumbledore said, his eyes crinkled with glee as he sat behind his desk, a Muggle action figure toy in front of him. "No one else is here, so it's safe for you to transform, Sirius," He assured after the black dog had nosed the door shut.

In less time than it takes for a hummingbird to flap its wing, a tall handsome man appeared where the dog once was.

"Now why don't you two sit down? Would either of you care for a lemon drop?" The Headmaster asked, holding out a crystal bowl full of the tiny lemon candies.

"No," Sirius answered, a grimace showing plainly on his face as he glanced at the harmless looking candy. "No, thank you." Gently he guided Harry over to a chair that was sitting in the sunlight.

"Thank you, but no," Harry replied politely as he slid back into the seat. "Professor McGonagall said that you wanted to see me. Does it have to do with the sale?" Harry asked nervously, plucking at the fabric of his school robes.

"No. No, my dear boy," the Headmaster said quickly as he tried to reassure both of his guests before popping one of the candies into his mouth. "I've spoken to your teacher and we think it would be better for you to learn to read Braille as well as other skills for your condition."

"Braille?" Sirius started in confusion as he dragged a chair closer to Harry's. "What's Braille? And why should Harry be trained in it? Is it some form of magic or defense?"

Harry leaned to the side so that more of his body was in the sunlight. "No, Sirius. Braille is ... well..." Harry chewed on his bottom lip as he tried to think of a way to explain it to his godfather. "It's a written language for blind people. It composed of a series of raised dots. The person runs their fingers over the dots and somehow they can read it."

"Read it? You mean like read a book?" Sirius blinked in disbelief.

"Yes," Harry replied.

"But why? I mean, why does Harry need to learn it? I mean he's going to get his sight back. I know it won't be today or tomorrow, but he will get it back. And in the mean time, there are spells that will read to him," Sirius argued.

"And what if Harry wants to enter the Muggle world, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked patiently. "He can't use those spells if he's among Muggles."

"Well, I'll be there," Sirius retorted with conviction. "I'll read to him."

Harry shook his head in sad amusement, "Sirius, you can't be with me for the rest of my life, waiting on me hand and foot."

"Yes I can," Sirius replied automatically. "Anyway, why would you want to go into the Muggle world? I mean what do they have that you can't get here?"

"The Muggle world is friendlier to the blind," Harry said simply. "I assume that I would be taught other things besides Braille," Harry stated as he turned towards Dumbledore.

The Headmaster nodded his head. "Of course, Harry. Aside from learning to read and write in Braille, you'll be taught how to move around in unfamiliar places when you don't have a guide animal with you. Furthermore, you will undergo counseling."

Harry raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore's comment. "Counseling?"

"So you can learn what options there are for your future," Dumbledore explained carefully. "Also, you would be given the opportunity to deal with your anger and grief over your loss with a neutral party."

"Of course." Harry turned his face away from Dumbledore and Sirius so they could not see the pain on his face. "So who's going to teach me? One of the professors or someone from St Mungos?" he asked, his voice cracking from his emotions he held in check.

"Nikolas Baumgartner," Dumbledore replied with a glance over at Sirius. "He works with the blind in the Muggle communities."

"Nikolas Baumgartner," Sirius repeated the name in surprise.

"Sirius?" Harry reached out towards the sound of his godfather's voice, his hand shaking with concern.

Sirius grasped Harry's hand. "It's okay, Harry," Sirius mollified reassuringly. "The name just took me by surprise."

"All right," Harry breathed out nervously. "Is he someone you know?"

"No. He's someone I've heard of," Sirius said with a shake of his head. "Someone from before you were born."

"Someone famous?" Harry asked curiously

"More like infamous," Sirius explained. "Nikolas Baumgartner...well it was a big scandal at the time. I guess I'll have to start at the beginning for you to understand."

"The Baumgartners are a pureblood family from across the Channel. The family is almost as old as the Potter line, and they are far richer than the Malfoys."

"In other words, they're really powerful," Harry interrupted.

"Exactly," Sirius agreed. "Now, the head of the Baumgartner family only had one son, Nikolas, and since Nikolas was the only male heir, Lord Baumgartner decided to raise his son at the family estate and have him educated by a series of tutors instead of sending him to one of the wizarding schools."

"When Nikolas turned seventeen, the family began the process of finding him a bride..."

"A bride!" Harry sputtered, outrage clearly written across his face. "You mean an arranged marriage, or were they trying to buy him one?"

"Arranged. You have to understand, Harry, that at one time, it was quite common for the pureblood families, but it fell out of favor as more and more Muggleborns joined the wizard community," Dumbledore explained.

"Now, Nikolas's parents had found him the prefect pureblood bride for him, Larissa Chagall, I think that was her name. Everything was going as plan, and as Larissa's parents were about to sign the contract, their daughter came running in, shouting at her parents that she would marry a Muggleborn wizard before she would marry a Squib."

"Of course, the girl's parents were confused by her statement, but when they had calmed her down, she'd told them how she discovered he was a Squib. Of course the Baumgartners tried to deny the girl's statement, but with a visit from a Mediwizard, it was soon discovered that Nikolas was really a Squib."

"What? How? I mean he was a wizard. He could do magic." Harry sputtered, mystified by the turn of events in the story.

"No, he couldn't," Sirius countered with a shake of his head. "When he was born, his parents had discovered that he was a Squib. You have to understand, Harry that some wizards see the birth of a Squib as a sign that the family is loosing their magic, so they treat the family like they are Muggleborns or worse."

"From what I remember, the family had a pendant that gave the wearer magic. They had given it to Nikolas, telling him it was something to protect him, and that he was never to take it off. He grew up never knowing he wasn't a wizard. And when Larissa, a girl that was to be his wife, asked him to see it..."

"He took it off," Harry said as he nodded his head in understanding. "So what happened to Nikolas?"

"That is where I come in," Dumbledore said suddenly, reminding the two younger men that he was still in the room with them. "Nikolas's great uncle, Raynor, who is a dear friend of mine, came to ask for my help."

"And you did,"

Dumbledore nodded his head. "Yes, I did. I have many contacts in the Muggle world, and was therefore able to help Nikolas to create a life there. One in which he has been successful and content."

"And now you're bringing him back. Bringing him back to teach me."