Chapter III –Between Bombs and Healers–
Chapter III
–Between Bombs and Healers–
Monday, 3 April 2000
HJP’s POV
They stopped by the kindergarten floor and walked to the cafeteria. Harry served three plates and two mugs of coffee and one glass with chocolate milk. He sat down to eat as the Waiter offered the Minister a child highchair for Teddy. Teddy was sat down with his own pastry, while they ate. Harry was halfway through his mug, when the cafeteria doors opened and one of Teddy’s teachers entered.
“Mrs Cattermole.” The woman stopped on her walking to the counter and then smiled sadly back. “Teddy, look who’s there.”
Teddy looked and then grabbed his milk a little too tightly close, when he made a move to drink, though, he showered himself.
“Get another one.” The early-forties woman said to the Waiter as Teddy whined at the literally spilled milk. “Minister.” She bowed her head and the man nodded back over the newspaper. “Here, Heir Potter. Careful this time.”
Teddy accepted his new glass and babbled thank you, before drinking carefully while the woman accepted her own coffee cup to go.
“How many clothes he still has? I haven’t stopped home all weekend.”
“Do not worry. We have enough for the whole day.” Teacher argued soothingly. “Are you ready? Then say goodbye to your Daddy before I go change those dirty clothes.”
Harry gave Teddy a kiss before he was picked up by his kindergarten teacher and taken away while waving goodbye.
“Didn’t want her to take him before he finished?” Minister asked and Harry hummed affirmatively.
“Apologies for this.” Harry argued to the Waiter who waved it off.
“I’ll get non-breakable glasses for children.” He argued. “I’m sure the big Boss would finally see the reasoning why and approve.” He added tilting his head towards Minister pointedly.
Harry smiled amused as said Minister limited to pass over the newspaper’s page, pretending ignorance. Finally the two left back to the lifts.
“Tell the Lestranges and Malfoys to meet me at my office.” Harry sent his Patronus only to frown at the fact that it wasn’t a stag. “Something wrong?”
“My… Corporeal Patronus… it isn’t showing it’s full form. It ain’t a stag anymore yet it’s new form is still unclear.”
Minister hummed as they entered the lifts.
“You said yourself that you had a mind-block. An idea of who you were, most likely. Maybe your inner animal is showing that change.”
“You saying I saw myself as my father who I have no memories of whatsoever?” Harry asked horrified and Minister nodded. “Teddy’s Mum’s Corporeal Patronus changed to a wolf when she fell in love with his father.”
Minister hummed as the lifts descended.
“Are you in love?” The older retorted and Harry’s face turned deep red at the personal question. “It’s too close to the block. It’s most likely the fact that you always looked at yourself and pictured your father, even if instinctively.”
Harry nodded shyly. They arrived the bottom floor and walked down the hallway to the office.
“According to the updated changes, you have an hour before a meeting with the Hospital Board.”
“Doesn’t give me much time to get ready then.” Minister grumbled.
Harry made a show of looking at the exact line where it was written on the agenda.
“I believe this to be your handwriting, Sir.” Harry pinpointed their usual back and forth banter.
Minister sent back an amused look. They entered the office just before the lifts opened. Harry looked to find the three Lestranges and three Malfoys.
“Was that them?” Minister asked and Harry hummed affirmatively. “Get the meeting room ready.”
Harry knew that Bellatrix wouldn’t let any Rebel close to the Minister so didn’t argue about leaving the man alone and left to the massive meeting room.
–MoMsL–
LV’s POV
“Narcissa.” Voldemort called and the blonde Witch approached, leaning down on her heels beside his chair so they could speak in privacy. “Edward will require changes of clothes at the kindergarten. The Muggleborn said there was no need but she was just being kind.” He whispered at her.
“I’ll go to my late sister’s cottage right away.” The Witch agreed, stood and left.
Voldemort turned towards the others and offered the newspaper.
“Rebels are claiming it wasn’t them.”
Bellatrix snarled in outrage, while Rodolphus and Lucius looked for the article. A bang-like sound made them all look towards the meeting room and Harry showed up, his clothes barely ashes with only his glasses, wand and agenda still intact somehow. Voldemort gasped, unable to look away from the skin that the rags were barely hiding anymore.
“Warn your mother that Lord Potter also requires clothes.” Voldemort heard Rabastan order Draco, who nodded and run away to the lifts.
Rodolphus took out his outing robe, while walking out the office towards the meeting room and pulled it around Harry hiding him from view, before taking the wand and agenda from his shaking hands, who blushed at the protectiveness. Lucius set a glass of water before Voldemort, who drank it in one go to will his own body to calm down so he could think rationally. He knew his Lieutenants had realized his inability to think straight and had taken action to help him.
“There was a chewing gum under your chair. When I managed to get it out it…”
“They are turning creative.” Voldemort groaned. “Bella, go do a strict look through the entire room just to be certain.”
“And the corridor.” The brunette Witch agreed and hurried to the meeting room as Harry was guided inside the office.
The Aurors arrived and gasped at Harry’s blackened skin and shivering body.
“A bomb in the meeting room under my chair. It’s a wonder that nothing worse happened.” Voldemort snarled. “Bring him to your locker rooms for a cleaning and calming shower.” He ordered and the Aurors didn’t even dare to open their mouths even though it was clear that they wanted to do anything but to help the Minister’s known Lapdog. “Heir Malfoy has gone to fetch a change of clothes, send a Patronus to warn him where to find Lord Potter.” Voldemort added, making sure to state the title to force them to show Harry respect.
Head Auror Scrimgeour signalled at Auror Dawlish, who left with a shy Harry while waving his own wand to form his Patronus.
“I fear that a mole among the Aurors is the only possibility, Minister.” Auror Scrimgeour argued as his men joined Rabastan at checking the corridors.
“The black-skinned one. What’s his name?”
“Kingsley Shacklebolt.”
“Harry always looks in his direction when an attack happens.”
Auror Scrimgeour frowned.
“Lord Potter’s godson and Heir’s mother was Auror Shacklebolt’s apprentice at the Aurors Institute before she married a Werewolf and you fired her.” Lucius offered towards the Head Auror.
Auror Scrimgeour cringed.
“I’ll check him myself.”
The Head Auror bowed his head at Voldemort, then turned around and signalled at Auror Shacklebolt to leave with him. Voldemort returned his attention to the preparation paperwork for the meeting alongside Lucius. Rodolphus staying on protective stance, since his own wife was busy.
–MoMsL–
HP’s POV
Harry left the locker rooms fully dressed, saw Kingsley delivering his own wand to Auror Scrimgeour and then glanced over to the lifts as they opened. He saw the Hospital Board in there and tensed.
“No…” Harry run but the lift closed. “Shit!” He looked for his wand but it had stayed with Rodolphus Lestrange. He closed his eyes and focused. “Expecto Patronum!” He opened his eyes to see the mist appear and then fly through walls until the Minister. {Rebels among the Healers!} He warned while uncertain if it would work.
He run to the lifts and when they stopped they were full. Groaning, Harry run to the old staircase. He sat on the handrail, took a deep breath and let the velocity bring him down. Oh boy he was fast!
Harry stumbled out the handrail against the wall across. With a hand holding the bleeding nose, he run out just before the lifts finished closing behind the Hospital Board.
“Sdop righd dere!”
Minister was beside Harry in an instant.
“Didn’t you just shower?”
“Rebews, Siw.” Harry argued, pinning all the Members against the wall with his pure magic not caring who was Rebel and who wasn’t.
“Why didn’t you send me your Patronus instead of stumbling down the stairs?”
“No wand. I did bud appawendwy didn’d arribe.”
Minister groaned as the Aurors took hold of the Hospital Board for Harry.
“You take your job way too seriously!” One of the people among the Hospital Board’s Members snarled.
Minister signalled at him and the Aurors separated him from the others immediately without even questioning if the man was a Rebel or not. One of the Healers showed both his hands.
“My Lord, Lord Potter needs to be healed before he starts to breath blood.” He called to which Minister nodded and the Healer was released, who approached Harry while picking his own wand. Harry supposed he was part of Minister’s hand-picked squad. “Stand still and try not to breathe too much.”
Harry tried to obey as the Healer quickly healed the broken nose.
“There’s one missing.” Harry put in after being allowed to move again. “There was a younger one in the lift.”
“Antonin?”
“Left in the sixth floor. Wasn’t part of the Board so he went to the cafeteria.” The Healer that healed Harry offered.
Harry tensed as the Minister moved back into Bellatrix’s protection.
“Go, Harry!”
Harry moved towards the lift and didn’t think twice before he apparated directly into the entrance of the kindergarten. The Rebel was under Malfoy and Mrs Malfoy’s wand point.
“Potter, I take it you know what is going on?”
“I did my job way too well so the Rebels turned into attacking my family instead.” Harry argued and knocked on the door. Mrs Cattermole opened, looked at the Rebel and then at him. “Aurors can’t be called because they are handling the ones that just attacked the Minister.”
The teacher nodded.
“I’ll activate the lockdown in the kindergarten.” She agreed, accepted the clothes bag from Mrs Malfoy and closed the door, which disappeared.
“Malfoy, lend me your wand.”
Malfoy looked at Harry confused, then huffed and gave him his wand. Harry measured it to get the feeling and only then he approached the Rebel, who was glaring back.
–MoMsL–
LV’s POV
“Did Potter just… apparate inside a non-apparating area?” The Aurors asked, all stuttering.
“And yet he has to do the job of my secretary/bodyguard and be called the Minister’s Lapdog by everyone after you refuse him the right for a job as an Auror because he is a Sentient instead of Light, Grey or Dark. Not to mention the being a Legal Guardian of a Halfbreed… which I believe to have dismantled those laws decades ago. And anyone still refusing work to Creatures, sons of, or relatives of are to be taken to justice.”
“We never…” The Aurors stuttered and the Hospital Board’s Members glared at them.
“Nymphadora Lupin née Tonks lost her job after wedding a Werewolf. Lord Harry Potter-Black applied but was refused because he has no Magical Core’s colour and has a Halfbreed Heir.” Voldemort retorted, interrupting them.
That made even the Lestranges look at Voldemort surprised. Harry’s new Patronus showed up.
{Mrs Malfoy and Draco Malfoy stopped the attack before I arrived. Mrs Cattermole put the Kindergarten on lockdown. I’m bringing the attacker to the Head Auror and Auror Dawlish.} Harry’s Patronus almost shifted into a figure before it disappeared.
“Who can perform Patronus?” Several Aurors raised their arms. “You are mocking me with the raised arms, aren’t you?” They all blushed. “Which of you can do speaking Patronus?”
“I can.” One Auror offered, stepping forward.
“Warn Auror Scrimgeour of both attacks so he’ll be ready for Harry and then to come meet us in the meeting room. I want the Members to be interrogated in the meeting room to see who is innocent and who came with the intention to attack me.”
The Auror nodded and quickly performed his own Patronus which flew up the ceiling, through it.
(TBC)