Renouncing Magic's Child

Harry woke up, ... been asleep very long.

"Should have downed the entire potion," Severus muttered.

Seamus sighed. They should have known better than to think that everything would calm down now Harry was in the hospital wing.

Then he heard whispering ... Nothing else can have happened, can it?"

"Of course it could!" Ron said. "This is Harry we're talking about."

Harry opened his eyes ... what are they arguing about?"

Minerva frowned, remembering just why she had been shouting. She still hadn't forgiven Fudge for bringing that thing into the castle. Witnessing the kiss was one thing she had hoped never to experience. She couldn't say that anymore, thanks to him.

Now Harry could hear ... brought it inside the castle!" yelled Professor McGonagall.

"Brought what into the castle?" Lucius asked, growing concerned.

"A dementor!" Minerva huffed.

Amelia blinked rapidly. "WHAT?"

"When Dumbledore finds out -" ... don't you think you'd do better to -"

"He's quite rude, isn't he?" Luna sighed. "Full of wrackspurts."

But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward.

They all stared at the book, waiting to hear what the headmaster would think of what the minister had done.

"What has happened?" ... stand guard over Barty Crouch -"

Barty frowned. He had a bad feeling about this dementor. If Professor McGonagall was no longer guarding him, he was most likely no longer among the living.

"There is no need to stand guard ... "The Minister has seen to that!"

Amelia was flabbergasted. Surely, the minister hadn't authorised the dementor to kiss Crouch without so much as interviewing him? Where were her aurors? Things were much worse than she had thought if the minister thought he could get away with this. She'd known for some time that the minister was corrupt. She'd been building a case against him for the past year. But this was beyond the pale. She needed to take a closer look at that investigation. It needed to be a priority or they wouldn't be able to make half the changes they wanted to make.

Harry had never seen Professor McGonagall lose control like this.

"I wasn't proud of it," Minerva said softly. "But I never wanted to see that... And it wasn't right. He didn't get interviewed or a trial or anything."

There were angry blotches ... office where Barty Crouch -"

Barty shuddered. To think that had been his fate... The Dementor's Kiss.

"I told him you ... interviewing a possibly dangerous -"

"Why was he interviewing Crouch in the first place?" Amelia demanded. "Where were the aurors?"

"He refused to call them," Minerva grumbled.

"He does not have the authority for that," Amelia replied coolly. This couldn't be allowed. What was the point in having laws, if even the minister for magic ignored them?

But Professor ... down on Crouch and - and -"

Moody wrapped his arm tighter around Barty. The poor lad clearly needed someone in his corner.

Harry felt a chill in his stomach ... He was worse than dead.

No one spoke. They were stunned into silence. While they knew Crouch was supposed to be imprisoned in Azkaban, it didn't really excuse what Fudge had done. To just have him kissed like that without following due process. Not to mention the fact that the kiss itself was abhorrent. Besides, they'd heard Crouch's story and they couldn't help but pity him.

"By all accounts, ... why he killed those people."

Amelia found herself nodding in agreement with Dumbledore. Something she rarely ever did.

"Why he killed them? ... You-Know-Who's instructions!"

Amelia sighed. The minister wasn't likely to believe them. And she could just imagine how he would make things difficult for Harry. Isabeau Lemaire was muttering to herself in French, her frustration evident to those around her.

"Lord Voldemort was giving ... restored to his body."

Moody rolled his eye - the none magical one. He wasn't sure why Albus was bothering to try and get the minister on side. Fudge was short sighted at best.

Fudge looked ... Come now, Dumbledore..."

"He doesn't believe them?" young Hermione asked.

"Of course not," Moody growled. "The minister cares more for himself and his political ambitions than whether or not you-know-who is alive or dead. The return of you-know-who during his tenure as minister, it would destroy him."

"He'd be waving goodbye to that noble house he's aiming for upon retirement," Amelia piped in.

"As Minerva and Severus ... word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore..."

Barty glared at the book, imagining it was Fudge's face. He'd like nothing better than to hex him.

"When Harry touched ... question Harry tonight."

"So thoughtful," Sirius muttered, annoyed. "Didn't stop him from interrogating Harry himself."

Fudge's curious smile ... baring his teeth at Fudge.

Severus rolled his eyes indulgently. "Good puppy."

"Certainly, I believe Harry," ... and a boy who... well..."

"What does he mean by that?" Fred asked at the exact same time George asked, "What's he got against Harry?"

Fudge shot Harry ... Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," he said quietly.

Rita smirked at being mentioned again. Her younger self was beginning to see a horrible trend. Her older self had made it impossible for the Prince to be taken seriously. Something that was necessary with war hanging over them all. She might not care for most people. But she didn't particularly want to live through a second war. And she definitely didn't want to be responsible for you-know-who winning. Her self preservation wouldn't allow it.

Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley ... funny turns all over the place -"

Remus glared angrily at the book, growling lowly.

"I think we're all in agreement that the minister needs to go," Sirius said softly, although there was steel hidden under his words.

"I assume that you ... Possibly - hallucinations?"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Listen to me, Cornelius," ... as an alarm bell before..."

"There are many things you've not heard of before Minister," Rookwood said snidely.

"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" ... Lucius Malfoy -"

Lucius sighed. "He won't believe you. He's been taking money from death eaters since before he became minister."

"Are you admitting to bribing the minister?" Amelia asked.

"I did what I had to. I needed to be free to protect my family." Lucius took his wife's hand, kissing the back of it.

Snape made a sudden ... donations to excellent causes -"

"Including his pockets," Lucius said.

"Macnair!" ... Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" said Fudge angrily.

"He's not even going to consider that they might have not deserved to be acquitted?" Susan Bones asked, horrified.

"You could have found ... random work of a lunatic!"

"Utter insanity," Fortescue said, shaking his head.

"I see no evidence to the contrary!" ... Voldemort could have risen.

"People don't like to believe that their worst fears are coming true," Luna murmured. "And Fudge is not a brave man. He's too riddled with wrackspurts."

"Voldemort has returned," ... control of the dementors -"

"They should never have been used as prison guards in the first place," Claudius said crossly.

"Preposterous!" ... thirteen years ago!"

Several people were nodding their agreement, mostly those that had seen how the dementors were used during the wars.

Fudge was opening ... envoys to the giants."

"He'll never agree to that," Amelia said with a sigh.

"Envoys to the giants?" ... their rights and their freedom!"

Albus sighed. Wixen kind could be so very short sighted.

"You - you cannot be serious!" ... end of my career -"

"Nice to see where his priorities lie," Tonks said.

"You are blinded," ... destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"

"HEAR HEAR!" Fred and George shouted.

"Insane," ... I shall act as I see fit."

Lucius sighed. "He'll take that as a threat."

Dumbledore's voice carried ... we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."

Amelia sighed. She wished her older self wasn't dead. She'd love to know what she knew about all this.

It seemed Fudge ... he just can't be..."

Augusta sighed. She had to admit she couldn't quite bring herself to blame the minister for being scared. She could blame him for many things but not his fear.

Snape strode forward ... welcome back into the fold."

Several of the younger children gasped at the mention of the dark mark. They'd never even heard of it before this book and yet the mark terrified them.

Fudge stepped back ... but under the circumstances..."

"I really don't like the minister," Ron muttered.

He crammed his bowler hat ... I can count on you and Arthur?"

"This is the start of the war," Croaker said. "Things will only get worse from here."

"Of course you can," ... lacks proper wizarding pride."

"Fudge is a fool," Tonks muttered mutinously.

"Then I need to send a message ... I am interfering at the Ministry -"

Amelia laughed. It wouldn't matter if he interfered or not at the ministry, Fudge would be paranoid regardless.

"Leave it to me," ... Madame Maxime."

Hagrid grinned. "She came with me alright."

Professor McGonagall nodded ... I think Dobby will look after her for us."

Barty smiled weakly to hear that Winky would be looked after.

"Very - very well," ... turned back into a man.

Sirius sighed, wondering what the headmaster would ask of him. He had a horrible feeling his older self was about to leave Harry alone. Regardless of the trauma he'd just suffered.

Mrs. Weasley screamed .... "It's okay!"

"Ronald! Did you just tell me to shut up?" Mrs Weasley's eyes were wide in surprise. She hadn't heard him. She'd completely missed that.

Snape had not yelled ... "What is he doing here?"

Severus grimaced. Their relationship was still new but the idea of hating Sirius... Well, it just didn't seem possible anymore.

"He is here at my invitation," ... trust each other."

"Who knew all that was needed for those two to get along was a little..." Ron whispered to Hermione.

"RONALD!" She hissed angrily.

Harry thought Dumbledore ... there is no hope for any us.

Albus sighed. That was true now as much as it was then.

Very slowly ... They let go extremely quickly.

No one said anything but the Weasley twins certainly looked like they were struggling not to laugh.

"That will do to be going on with," ... Sirius, I need you to set off at once.

"Absolutely not!" Sirius said crossly.

You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher - the old crowd.

"Mundungus Fletcher?" Amelia asked in disgust.

No one bothered to defend Mundungus.

Lie low at Lupin's ... "I promise you.

Harry tried not to resent that promise. He hadn't kept it. He'd been locked up along at Privet Drive almost all summer.

But I must do ... Then he was gone.

Sirius was so disappointed in his older self. He understood that the other man hadn't received treatment for his time in Azkaban. But still... How could he just leave like that?

"Severus,".... if you are prepared..."

Severus paled. He had known it would happen. But he wasn't prepared to hear about his future self's part in a second war.

"I am," ... Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.

The two men glanced at each other. They were relieved that none of this was necessary now. But they could help fearing this new unchartered future. They had no idea what was to come.

It was several minutes ... None of them spoke for a very long time.

"What now?" Astoria asked. "Does Harry just go back to class the next morning? Not having parents sucks."

"Astoria!" Daphne chided her.

"What? It does? If that happened to either of us, we'd have been allowed to go home," Astoria said, speaking up to defend her younger self.

"You've got to take ... buy with your winnings!"

Harry grinned at the mention of his winnings. He hadn't wanted them. But he was happy with what the twins had achieved with that money.

"I don't want that gold," ... It should've been Cedric's."

Several people looked at Harry like he was crazy.

The thing against ... "It wasn't your fault. Harry," Mrs. Weasley whispered.

"She's right, you know," Cedric said.

"I told him ... He wished Ron would look away.

Ron grimaced. "Sorry, mate."

Mrs. Weasley set the potion down ... as though by a mother.

Mrs Weasley smiled sadly at him.

The full weight of everything ... howl of misery fighting to get out of him.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed.

There was a loud slamming noise ... tight in her hand.

Several people glanced at Hermione in confusion. What was she up to? Rita glared angrily at her.

"Sorry," ... thought no more.

"Just one more chapter," Charlie said.

"And three more books," Bill said.

"And that," Charlie sighed.