How the Dark Lord Played the Wizarding World

“You’re under arrest for the attempted poisoning of Harry Potter, child abandonment, accessory to child abuse twice, breaking the Statute of Secrecy, sedition, violating Hogwarts’ charter in regards to orphans and children in abusive households, kidnapping, casting illegal wards on a muggle domicile, multiple uses of the imperius curse, illegal use of legilimency on minors without permission, multiple counts of the use of illegal potions on students and staff, endangering the lives of children with a Class XXXXX basilisk and Class XXXX cerberus and illegally banning Dark beings from gaining their rightful magical education,” John Dawlish said with relish as he slapped the magic-suppressing handcuffs on the former headmaster. Albus bluffed and blustered all the way down the spiral stairs and into the seventh floor corridor which was filled with students on their way to lunch.

At each floor, Dawlish took great delight in blaring the old man’s crimes to all and sundry. When they got to the third floor, Ron helpfully pointed out where the cerberus was kept in their first year as well as the purpose for the three-headed dog. “We’ll be adding manipulating children into performing dangerous acts for purposes unknown to your charges,” John chirped in the old man’s ear, earning a scowl from the former headmaster.

On the second floor, amongst the staring students, were several known Death Eaters. “There are Death Eaters in my school,” Dumbledore shouted, staring at Rodolphus Lestrange, who held Hufflepuff’s cup in his large hands. Dobby, Harry’s house elf, was standing near Wilkes and Rosier, wearing Slytherin’s missing locket. “Why aren’t you arresting them?”

“Death Eaters, you say?” Kingsley queried in confusion. “I see no Death Eaters here.” There was glee bleeding into the bald Auror’s voice; after hearing about everything that the old man had done to Harry Potter, he’d finally lost the reverence with which he’d viewed the former headmaster for so many years, since before the Auror left Hogwarts. Finally, on the first floor, they passed Harry, who was holding up his left hand. On his ring finger was the Peverell ring holding the Resurrection stone, unbeknownst to the raven. Beside him was Draco whoappeared to be writing in a diary with the initials TMR on the cover in gold.

“You must listen to me!” Albus bellowed as he struggled to get free. “Those students and Death Eaters are holding objects that could see the end of Voldemort! They must be destroyed so that we can rid ourselves of his evil!” At the end of the line stood Severus Snape and Remus Lupin, two men whom Albus had assumed would always be faithful to him. Around their feet twined Nagini, Voldemort’s familiar. Her head rose to eye level with the old man as they paused at the end of the line and she hissed, spitting venom into his eyes. “Gah,” the old man screamed as he struggled to try and get rid of the sticky mess. “Get it off! Get it off!” Dawlish flicked his wand to banish the poison, but it was too late. Albus Dumbledore was blind.

“This special session of the Wizengamot will now come to order,” Amelia said as she tapped her gavel on the railing. The gallery was packed with students, professors and reporters, as well as many of the Dark Lord’s forces, there to see the end of the worst tyrant that the wizarding world had ever seen. The defendant’s eyes were bandaged; there was nothing that the Healers could do to reverse the damage that Nagini’s venom had done to the old man’s vision. “We have before us a laundry list of charges placed against the former headmaster of Hogwarts, and with the testimonies and memories provided by a very large number of people, including the students and professors of Hogwarts, we have made a decision.

“Albus Dumbledore, for your many egregious crimes against the wizarding world and Harry Potter, it is the decision of the Wizengamot that you be sent through the death veil, located in the Department of Mysteries. There is so much wrong with our corner of the wizarding world, and much of it can be laid at your feet. With someone else in charge of the Ministry, who considers all of his people, rather than a special few, we hope to repair the damage your interference in our laws and our way of life has caused. Take him away.” Dumbledore did not put up a fight when he was led away in chains. Since being blinded, he had lost the will to live because he couldn’t guide, direct and manage everything to his satisfaction anymore.

It was a giddy, yet no less solemn procession that made its way to the Department of Mysteries and the veil through which Harry had helped Sirius Black the year before, with Bones and Malfoy leading them. Harry, Draco, Neville and Tom were in the center of several Auror guards to protect them from any unwanted attention. At the veil, the victims of Dumbledore’s greed and manipulation stood to witness his sentence. “Are there any last words, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore?” the Minister asked quietly. The old man didn’t respond; he was too busy feeling sorry for himself at his catastrophic failures to become the beacon of hope for the wizarding world.

“I have something to say,” Harry offered into the silence. At both Amelia’s and Lucius’ nods the raven stepped forward until he was right in front of Dumbledore. “For sixteen years you meddled in my life,” the raven said angrily. “You placed me with people whom I did not consider family in any way. You allowed me to be abused, neglected and starved for so long that I don’t think I’ll ever be completely healthy. You pushed me into doing things that no child should ever have to do, all the while whispering to me that it was required if I wanted to stay in this new world, with people just like me.

“I did everything you asked, and in return received pain and suffering. I was betrayed by those I thought cared for me, and I was made to endure my own Pettigrew amongst the very limited friends I was permitted to have. You controlled and micromanaged every aspect of my life and acted like it was some sort of gift to have your undivided attention. All this because you were hungry for power from the moment you met your lover, Gellert Grindelwald. My parents trusted you. They looked up to you, and this is how you repay their faith. I hope that your next great adventure is filled with so much hell that you’ll be begging for forgiveness. I hope my parents do to you what I’m positive they’re doing to Black. I hope your sister tears you apart and then puts you back together, all so she can do it again. You are a small, petty, mean, worthless human being and the wizarding world will be far better without you in it.” Harry placed his hands on the old man’s shoulders and shoved, making him stumble backward as he fell through the veil.

“Good riddance to bad rubbish,” Tom quipped into the shocked silence. “Albus may have spied on me and restricted my actions during school, but I never received the kind of concentrated attention that my fiancé has.” Harry’s head whipped around at those words; he’d been staring at the veil for a few moments, feeling the satisfaction of a job well done, and was completely blindsided by the sudden announcement.

“F-fiancé?” he asked, voice trembling. At Riddle’s nod, the raven launched himself into the older man’s arms, wrapping himself around Voldemort and burrowing his face into the other man’s neck.

“How did you not know that, Harry?” Voldemort asked softly as he cuddled his love close. “You’re wearing the Peverell ring on your left ring finger. How could you miss the significance of that?”

“I...I thought it was just part of rubbing it in Dumbledore’s face that we had all of the...erm...items in one place and that he’d lost,” the teen murmured, tightening his arms and legs and making the Dark Lord stagger slightly.

“Congratulations to the both of you,” Lucius told them with a fond smile. “Now, I think that your announcement and the end of Dumbledore’s reign as master manipulator and child abuser calls for a celebration!”

After a night of partying the likes of which no one had seen the Malfoys put on, everyone had crashed in various rooms scattered about the manor and all was silent for the first time since Harry had arrived those many months ago. Harry couldn’t sleep; he was very worried about what his parents would think of his choices, so he was sitting in a small salon near the back of the large house, staring out at the expansive lawns and watching the albino peacocks ghost their way through the dark. He was restlessly turning the ring in his hand; he’d taken it off to stare closely at it for a few moments before he began to play with it. “Harry?” a soft feminine voice said. “Is that really you?” The teen’s head snapped around in unbridled shock at the voice, only ever having heard it in nightmares. There, standing before him, were his parents, staring at him in astonishment and wonder

“Mum?” he asked querulously.

“Yes, baby,” Lily sighed out in overwhelming joy, “it’s me.”

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

“You summoned us, sport,” his father replied with a crooked grin. His hazel eyes were filled with such love and pride that Harry was a bit overwhelmed. “We can’t stay long; we’re not meant for this world and being held here causes a bit of a strain on our souls.”

“I’m sorry,” the raven mumbled, head down and eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t mean to cause you any discomfort.”

“Harry,” Lily said chidingly, “you’re not causing us any discomfort. We’re glad to be here. We’ve wanted to talk to you for so long, so let’s not waste this opportunity we have right now.”

“Do...do you know what’s going on?” their son asked hesitantly.

“We do,” James told his son flatly. Harry winced at the rather restrictive tone to his father’s voice and the man quickly continued. “We don’t think anything bad about you, son. We’re infuriated at Dumbledore and Black. You did absolutely nothing wrong, and we couldn’t be prouder of you if we tried. Getting rid of the headmaster was the best thing you could’ve done for our world, and you did it in the style of the Marauders. I’m bursting at the seams, I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Harry told his patriarch with a wide smile.

“Yes, darling, we are so pleased with the way you took charge of your life,” Lily concurred with her own teary smile. “Now, a few things before we go. Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore are being held in limbo. What this means is that they’re trapped in their own space with nothing but the sounds of their loved ones ripping into them every second of eternity. They’re being made to feel the torture that they had subjected you to, and it’s an endless punishment. The powers that be were not happy with the way they treated, and I quote, ‘one of their special souls’.

“Things are going to move quite rapidly from now on as our world is shoved into the twentieth century. All of you are going to be at the forefront of the changes, and all of you are going to be the example that other wizarding nations will follow in order to achieve a lasting peace. Your extended family will grow with children, nieces and nephews galore and you’ll never want for anything. Your father and I wholeheartedly approve of the young man that has stolen your heart. He’s been good for you and will remain the rock to which you can cling when things get to be too much. You’re happy and safe, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. Tell Severus that I’ve forgiven him and that I’m happy that Remus and he are finally moving forward with their lives together. Now, it’s time to let us go, baby. You have a long and fulfilling life ahead of you.”

“Bye Mum. Bye Dad,” Harry murmured as he dropped the ring from his fingers. Tears shimmered in his eyes as he watched his parents fade away before turning to the doorway where Tom was standing, mouth hanging open in shock. “You heard all that?” he asked his fiancé quietly.

“I did,” the older man answered as he stepped into the room. “I did not expect to hear unreserved approval from your parents, but I must say that I’m very pleased that they’ve accepted the situation.”

“S’not like they had much choice,” Harry snarked with amusement. He sobered and looked at his soon-to-be husband with a wry smile. “Well, I suppose it’s time to get started with that future they’d explained. I’m actually looking forward to having a family with you.”

“And I with you,” Tom responded as he pulled Harry from the chair and into his arms. “I love you with everything I am, and everything I have.”

“I love you with the whole of my heart and soul,” the raven answered with a small smile. “I can’t think of a better person to lead us into the future than you.”