zecorezecron
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Did she ever appear in person? For all we know, she could have been BFFs with Umbridge
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Tanya’s Hogwarts Adventures (Youjo Senki, Harry Potter)
- Thread starter Half_Baked_cat
- Start date
Reynard69
Foxes are Fantastic
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IIRC she only ever appeared in person during Harry's trial, where she only really gave official lines. Most of what we know about her comes from Hannah and other people mentioning her briefly. No kids, had a brother and husband both of whom died in voldie's first round.
zecorezecron
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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I must have been thinking of someone else. My books are 1200 miles away, so I can't check, but didn't some lady go missing just before Voldie resurrected? I could have sworn it was Bones, but I guess was remembering wrong.
Xintax
Versed in the lewd.
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You're thinking of the woman who was part of the magical games department and no it definitely wasn't Bones her name is slipping me at the moment.
Reynard69
Foxes are Fantastic
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Bertha Jorkins is the woman who Voldemort ate before contacting Barty Crouch Jr. Madam Bones was killed after Voldie was already back, but still hiding from the ministry. Book 6 im pretty sure
Demensional Wonderer
Goghie my beloved
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Finally had a chance to read the chapter.
So, this may be a dumb question- but why can't they just transfigure something into a rooster if they can't obtain an already alive one?
I can assume there is a reason they don't but i am unsure if i perhaps missed the explanation in the chapter.
So, this may be a dumb question- but why can't they just transfigure something into a rooster if they can't obtain an already alive one?
I can assume there is a reason they don't but i am unsure if i perhaps missed the explanation in the chapter.
I'm let Loose. From the Noose!
Half_Baked_cat
Not too sore, are you?
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Sirius Black
Eleven years in prison. Sirius was not sure how exact that was as prisoners rarely got visitors, especially those kept in the deepest parts of Azkaban, but it seemed about right that it was pretty close as while the prison was always cold, even in the summers, with the dementors' presence, there was a subtle change to the temperature that felt even cooler. Fall had seemingly arrived. And his cousin had recently become rather rowdy and excitable over something.
The taunting had quieted over the years of them being stuck in cells near each other with Sirius having long since stopped rising to her baiting taunts to wallow in his failures. Failures as a friend. Failures as a godfather. Failures as a killer. Locked away for killing a man who was still out there somewhere, hiding.
But now the taunting was back. Bellatrix was cackling, only quieting when the dementors came by with their rations. And her excitement had spread to the other Death Eaters. Sirius was certain she had finally cracked by claiming Voldemort was back. The Dark Lord was dead, about the only good thing about Sirius's failure as a friend was that it somehow led to the Dark Lord's demise.
Sirius would trade that for having his best friend alive, even if he was still stuck in Azkaban for over a decade. At least James would still be around.
Knowing James though, Sirius had to admit that he probably would have accepted his death if it meant saving others. Heh. Sirius was the same in many ways. It should have been him instead of James to die to take out the Dark Lord.
It was possibly weeks after Bellatrix first started getting excited that it happened. A commotion was echoing as a figure came down the halls, the dementors leading the figure, seemingly excited.
Sirius did not recognize the figure as he peered out of his cell. A dark skinned woman confidently strutting down the hall. Then Sirius saw HIM.
"Wormtail you coward!" He yelled out, causing the ratfaced man to jump at the sudden ferocity.
The woman raised an eyebrow over her face marked in bone white to look like a skull before taking a swig from a bottle and turning to look at Pettigrew. "A friend of yours?" She asked with a wry smirk.
"S-Sirius Black," Pettigrew said in a sniveling voice. "It's been a while." He turned to the woman and gave a slight bow. "This is the man who was supposed to be the secret keeper."
Sirius roared, trying to claw at Pettigrew from behind the bars.
"Ah yes, I remember you now," the woman said. "Wormtail, silence him."
"Yes, my Lord," Pettigrew said, bowing before pulling out a wand and pointing out at Sirius. "Petrificus Totalus."
Sirius fell backwards as his arms snapped to his sides.
"For what it's worth, I am sorry, but none of you could understand."
Sirius could only growl in his throat as his body and mouth were locked into position.
"Crucius," Peter said and Sirius felt blades run through his body as the yellow spell slammed into his prone form. It may have been over a decade since his last exposure to the spell, but Sirius could tell it was far from the worst it could be. You have to really want to hurt the person in order to get the most out of it and Pettigrew had always been too spineless to put much into anything he did. He couldn't even keep it going long before Sirius felt the spell end.
Lying there, Sirius breathed deeply through his nose.
"Very good," that woman practically hissed out with a chuckle. "Now, let's find my followers."
Sirius couldn't see what was going on, but he could hear the sound of one of the cell doors nearby opening on its rusty hinges.
"Who are you?" Bellatrix curtly asked.
"I suppose you would not recognize me but I would think one of my most loyal, and powerful, followers would be able to tell I've returned."
"Master!" Bellatrix sounded surprised. "I knew you would come for us."
"Arrise. It has been a long time, but I do reward loyalty."
There was a moment of silence that followed before Sirius heard footsteps start moving away from his cell. "Come along, we have my other followers to gather together. Plans are in motion for my return and I have need of you."
It took time for Sirius to be able to move again. Knowing that traitor had been so close to him, taunting him with his presence, made Sirius act rashly.
Sirius morphed into an emancipated black dog growling in anger, and slipped through the bars on his cell. Sniffing the air, he picked up the trail of Pettigrew, following after his former friend all the way to the dock where the trail disappeared.
With no plan, no real direction, and only emotion to propel him, Sirius jumped into the frigid water and began swimming.
Spite was a hell of a drug, as despite the frigid temperatures and even the falling snow, Sirius kept doggy paddling all the way to shore somewhere on the British coast. With no idea where to start looking for where Pettigrew was hiding, Sirius made his way to his old home in the heart of London.
Number 12 Grimmauld Place was looking rather run down as the years had not been kind to it, but Sirius managed to apparate into the front hall after seeing from the outside all the lights seemed to be off. News rarely made it into the prison, but Sirius had been informed of his mother's death. Apparently he never got disinherited.
It did not matter to Sirius as he began to search the house, finding his wand in his old bedroom that seemed to have been fixed up in the last decade or so before falling into disrepair. Sirius scowled as he figured out why he might have inherited the Black Estate.
His mother believed he really had betrayed his friends in the end and seemed to have tried to honor him in her own twisted way.
Sirius tightened his grip on his wand before grabbing the key to the Black Vault and changing into some clean clothes.
"The master returns," an old voice called out mockingly.
"Kreacher," Sirius growled out. He never liked the old house elf and glared at the wretched face of the small creature. Sirius started to open his mouth to order the house elf away before he clicked his mouth shut. Sirius would freely admit he was never the brains of his friend group, always the most impulsive member of the Marauders, but a decade in a cell can give someone a modicum of ability to think twice. "Clean my bedroom."
Sirius eyed the house. There were a lot of bad memories tied up in the place, but he had nowhere else to go for now.
"I will be taking up residence here. I've got some business to attend to."
Kreacher bowed in a mocking manner. "Of course. Kreacher will get right on that." Sirius didn't pay attention to what Kreacher muttered as he disappeared to get started on the task.
With that, Sirius apparated himself to the designated location outside Gringotts and entered the bank. He got several looks by the patrons as he got in line, but no one seemed to recognize him. That likely meant no one knew he had escaped yet.
His long beard and ragged hair likely helped hide his identity as the only thing really clean about him currently was his clothes.
The rage at seeing Pettigrew had lowered to a simmer, giving Sirius the ability to think about his next move. He had no idea where the coward was hiding, but a few details began to slot into place in his mind.
That woman Pettigrew was with, he called her his Lord. And she seemed to claim to be Bellatrix's Master. Bellatrix had always been a bit off her rocker even as a child, but there was no way Pettigrew would confuse some random woman for the Dark Lord. He was a coward, not a complete imbecile.
That meant the Dark Lord was back. Sirius growled to himself as he stepped forward in the queue, earning him concerned looks.
Sirius mulled the thought over in his head as he got to the front of the line and called over to one of the goblins manning the teller desk.
"Name and purpose of visit," the goblin said, not even bothering to look up from his work.
Sirius placed the vault key onto the desk. "Sirius Black here to withdraw from the Black Family Vault and exchange some funds for Muggle currency," Sirius said softly to not announce his presence to the entire bank.
The goblin picked the key up and looked at it carefully, verifying something about it before giving a sharp nod, snapping his fingers to get the attention of another goblin that would drive the cart down to the vault, and handed the key back. "Next Customer!" the goblin called out as Sirius followed the other goblin down deep under the bank on the mine carts.
After taking care of his business at the bank, Sirius moved through Diagon Alley with purpose, purchasing a newspaper from a stand as he passed by before slipping through the Leaky Cauldron and out into Muggle London. Sirius would have loved to get a meal at the Leaky Cauldron, but spending too much time near old man Tom could blow his identity. The barkeep had worked there for a long time and had an incredible memory for people. Even passing through the pub was a risk when Sirius saw the man behind the counter.
Luckily Tom didn't recognize Sirius right away.
Muggle London had changed a lot since Sirius had last been there, but the old Muggle chip shop he and his friends would occasionally sneak to during the summers was still there. It had been a thrill back then to trick the muggles working there that they were just normal kids. Sirius pushed those thoughts aside as he ordered a large basket of fish and chips before taking a corner spot that he wouldn't be easily seen in and took out his copy of the Daily Prophet.
He got the date and began to scan through the articles quickly before quickly shoving the paper to the side as he noticed the waitress approach with his food.
She was a cute young thing with a polite smile plastered on her face. There was a time when Sirius may have tried flirting with her when she dropped the basket of fried food off, but Sirius was not in the mood. He had a rat to kill.
Sirius ate and thought. It was late December eleven years after he was sentenced to Azkaban. Harry would be in his second year.
Harry would be in his second year.
Sirius paused eating for a moment as that thought sunk in.
If he was right about who that woman was, then Harry was likely in danger.
The Dark Lord was not known for his mercy and had tried to kill Harry as a baby. There was no reason to assume he wouldn't try again now that he was back.
Sirius began to slowly return to eating his meal as he thought about things. He ended up in prison because he went off half-cocked, so he needed to be more careful if he was going to protect Harry.
If he remembered correctly, Harry would likely have ended up at his aunt's place considering what Bellatrix did to the Longbottoms and his own incarceration. Even if that was the case though, it was winter. There was a good chance Harry was staying at Hogwarts for the Winter Break.
Sirius finished his meal, stuffed the newspaper into his pocket, and left the store before finding an alley he could use to apparate back to the Black Estate. Sirius would need to prepare to see his godson, though he would have to remain hidden, but first he would need to properly clean up and feel human again, even if just momentarily.
Sirius trimmed his facial hair into what he thought was a rather roguish Van Dyke and managed to get his hair combed out enough to trim it down to a length he liked. The gaunt cheeks of barely being fed for a decade did nothing to help Sirius's looks, but he thought he at least looked presentable if anyone did recognize him.
With that, Sirius laid in a decent bed for the first time in a decade and passed out.
The next day saw him traveling to Hogsmeade Village and slipping into the Shrieking Shack to take the secret passage to Hogwarts under the Whomping Willow and at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
It was nearing mid day by the time the first students came out to the snow covered grounds to play.
There was no mistaking Harry. He was the spitting image of his father Sirius was watching from. He seemed to be good friends with a gaggle of red headed children. There was only one family Sirius was familiar with that many kids and that shade of hair.
Sirius wagged his tail at seeing Harry had to be in Gryffindor for him to be friends with the Weasleys. There was also a blonde boy and two blonde girls that were with them. Sirius briefly thought the older two may be twins considering they appeared to be about the same age, but the hair wasn't the same shade of blonde. The two girls had much closer blonde hair to each other than to the boy, so Sirius made the assumption the girls were sisters and the boy was just an unrelated blonde boy. Along with the group were two other, larger boys. Large compared to Harry and the group his age, the older Weasley boys were significantly taller than the rest.
It did Sirius's heart good to see his godson was so popular to have a large group of friends.
That was how Sirius spent most of his days for the next month. Going to Hogwarts to watch over Harry and his friends and look out for Pettigrew and any Death Eaters before going to Muggle London to have a hearty meal and returning to the Black Estate to read the news.
It was shortly after the breakout was reported that Sirius noticed the presence of dementors around Hogsmeade and the edges of Hogwarts's lands. Sirius was able to easily slip by the dementors, particularly in the emotionally simpler dog form.
Sirius still hadn't seen any signs of Pettigrew or the Death Eaters in the nearly full month he had been free as he wandered Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley as a dog nor on Hogwarts ground. Students returned and there was a tension in the air Sirius could feel. One that temporarily broke one Saturday morning as seemingly the entire school headed down to the Quidditch pitch. Slytherin vs Ravenclaw.
Serius took a spot near the stands the Gryffindor students sat in, keeping an eye on Harry while getting a good view of the match.
The two teams were off, though Sirius only paid as much attention to who was on each team to keep up with the commentary as he did not know who the kids were, though he was familiar with the family members of several of the Slytherin players.
Sirius's tail wagged as he listened to the commentary as the kid doing it was good. Quick with action reports and making fast paced quips and color commentary as the fast paced game went on. It was fun. Sirius remembered what being happy was like.
And then it began to get cold and a midday fog began to set in. Sirius moved closer to the stands and whimpered as he began to curl up. The dementors had come.
Looking up into the stands, Sirius was helpless as he saw his godson pass out in the stands, but his friends were there to help. Nearly all of them moved to help even as the effects of the dementors began to affect them.
All but the little blonde girl.
She stood up, a fierce determination in her body language. She looked around, though Sirius was beginning to doubt she was seeing the world as it was when she opened her mouth and said something in a commanding tone.
She continued to give what sounded like orders, though Sirius could only tell that she was speaking German, as she hopped off the stands, pulling out her wand as she charged into the crowd of dementors.
Sirius was slack jawed as he watched her attempt to stab a dementor with her wand. Even the dementors seemed confused by her actions. Her attacks did no damage, but she was ferocious in her attacks, never staying still long as she moved between the dementors, slashing at them with a wand simmering in some sort of effect.
Soon the girl was joined by the silvery forms of several Patronus chasing off the dementors. The girl began to give chase before a red stunning spell slammed into her back.
She kept moving forwards, seemingly unaware of the attempted stunning as more stunners were sent at her. Sirius would have guessed it took a full dozen before she fell slowly to her knees. She reached forwards, saying something in German before finally falling to the ground.
Sirius recognized her as one of Harry's friends from the winter break and was overcome by the feeling that Harry had made a very wise decision being a friend of hers because he would hate to get on her bad side.
Sirius chose to retreat back to the Shrieking Shack before returning to London where he found a sweets shop to get some chocolate. A bar for himself, then a bar for Harry. Then, with another moment's thought, he got a couple extra bars for Harry to share with his friend.
Sirius would need to find an owl to send the muggle chocolates to Harry and his friend, but when he got back to the Black Estate, he wrote a quick note to attach to the chocolates.
"Saw you and your blonde girlfriend had strong reactions to dementors. Just in case they come back."
—-
Chapter Footnote: If Sirius is a dog, how can he tell what hair color different people have? Well, it is because he isn't always color blind. He knew people with a variety of hair colors and got an idea of what those look like while a dog. There are certain colors that can trip him up though when he makes assumptions about certain things.
1. Grey and blonde can be mixed up easily, so someone young with grey or silver hair he would think is blonde.
2. Dyed hair like green, pink, and purple would really mess with him. Depending on shade, he could think they are red or some shade of brunette. A particularly dark one may even look basically black to him.
He is assuming these kids have normal shades of hair and haven't gone grey yet and making the best guess he can. He happens to be right, but he was making a leap of assumption.
Eleven years in prison. Sirius was not sure how exact that was as prisoners rarely got visitors, especially those kept in the deepest parts of Azkaban, but it seemed about right that it was pretty close as while the prison was always cold, even in the summers, with the dementors' presence, there was a subtle change to the temperature that felt even cooler. Fall had seemingly arrived. And his cousin had recently become rather rowdy and excitable over something.
The taunting had quieted over the years of them being stuck in cells near each other with Sirius having long since stopped rising to her baiting taunts to wallow in his failures. Failures as a friend. Failures as a godfather. Failures as a killer. Locked away for killing a man who was still out there somewhere, hiding.
But now the taunting was back. Bellatrix was cackling, only quieting when the dementors came by with their rations. And her excitement had spread to the other Death Eaters. Sirius was certain she had finally cracked by claiming Voldemort was back. The Dark Lord was dead, about the only good thing about Sirius's failure as a friend was that it somehow led to the Dark Lord's demise.
Sirius would trade that for having his best friend alive, even if he was still stuck in Azkaban for over a decade. At least James would still be around.
Knowing James though, Sirius had to admit that he probably would have accepted his death if it meant saving others. Heh. Sirius was the same in many ways. It should have been him instead of James to die to take out the Dark Lord.
It was possibly weeks after Bellatrix first started getting excited that it happened. A commotion was echoing as a figure came down the halls, the dementors leading the figure, seemingly excited.
Sirius did not recognize the figure as he peered out of his cell. A dark skinned woman confidently strutting down the hall. Then Sirius saw HIM.
"Wormtail you coward!" He yelled out, causing the ratfaced man to jump at the sudden ferocity.
The woman raised an eyebrow over her face marked in bone white to look like a skull before taking a swig from a bottle and turning to look at Pettigrew. "A friend of yours?" She asked with a wry smirk.
"S-Sirius Black," Pettigrew said in a sniveling voice. "It's been a while." He turned to the woman and gave a slight bow. "This is the man who was supposed to be the secret keeper."
Sirius roared, trying to claw at Pettigrew from behind the bars.
"Ah yes, I remember you now," the woman said. "Wormtail, silence him."
"Yes, my Lord," Pettigrew said, bowing before pulling out a wand and pointing out at Sirius. "Petrificus Totalus."
Sirius fell backwards as his arms snapped to his sides.
"For what it's worth, I am sorry, but none of you could understand."
Sirius could only growl in his throat as his body and mouth were locked into position.
"Crucius," Peter said and Sirius felt blades run through his body as the yellow spell slammed into his prone form. It may have been over a decade since his last exposure to the spell, but Sirius could tell it was far from the worst it could be. You have to really want to hurt the person in order to get the most out of it and Pettigrew had always been too spineless to put much into anything he did. He couldn't even keep it going long before Sirius felt the spell end.
Lying there, Sirius breathed deeply through his nose.
"Very good," that woman practically hissed out with a chuckle. "Now, let's find my followers."
Sirius couldn't see what was going on, but he could hear the sound of one of the cell doors nearby opening on its rusty hinges.
"Who are you?" Bellatrix curtly asked.
"I suppose you would not recognize me but I would think one of my most loyal, and powerful, followers would be able to tell I've returned."
"Master!" Bellatrix sounded surprised. "I knew you would come for us."
"Arrise. It has been a long time, but I do reward loyalty."
There was a moment of silence that followed before Sirius heard footsteps start moving away from his cell. "Come along, we have my other followers to gather together. Plans are in motion for my return and I have need of you."
It took time for Sirius to be able to move again. Knowing that traitor had been so close to him, taunting him with his presence, made Sirius act rashly.
Sirius morphed into an emancipated black dog growling in anger, and slipped through the bars on his cell. Sniffing the air, he picked up the trail of Pettigrew, following after his former friend all the way to the dock where the trail disappeared.
With no plan, no real direction, and only emotion to propel him, Sirius jumped into the frigid water and began swimming.
Spite was a hell of a drug, as despite the frigid temperatures and even the falling snow, Sirius kept doggy paddling all the way to shore somewhere on the British coast. With no idea where to start looking for where Pettigrew was hiding, Sirius made his way to his old home in the heart of London.
Number 12 Grimmauld Place was looking rather run down as the years had not been kind to it, but Sirius managed to apparate into the front hall after seeing from the outside all the lights seemed to be off. News rarely made it into the prison, but Sirius had been informed of his mother's death. Apparently he never got disinherited.
It did not matter to Sirius as he began to search the house, finding his wand in his old bedroom that seemed to have been fixed up in the last decade or so before falling into disrepair. Sirius scowled as he figured out why he might have inherited the Black Estate.
His mother believed he really had betrayed his friends in the end and seemed to have tried to honor him in her own twisted way.
Sirius tightened his grip on his wand before grabbing the key to the Black Vault and changing into some clean clothes.
"The master returns," an old voice called out mockingly.
"Kreacher," Sirius growled out. He never liked the old house elf and glared at the wretched face of the small creature. Sirius started to open his mouth to order the house elf away before he clicked his mouth shut. Sirius would freely admit he was never the brains of his friend group, always the most impulsive member of the Marauders, but a decade in a cell can give someone a modicum of ability to think twice. "Clean my bedroom."
Sirius eyed the house. There were a lot of bad memories tied up in the place, but he had nowhere else to go for now.
"I will be taking up residence here. I've got some business to attend to."
Kreacher bowed in a mocking manner. "Of course. Kreacher will get right on that." Sirius didn't pay attention to what Kreacher muttered as he disappeared to get started on the task.
With that, Sirius apparated himself to the designated location outside Gringotts and entered the bank. He got several looks by the patrons as he got in line, but no one seemed to recognize him. That likely meant no one knew he had escaped yet.
His long beard and ragged hair likely helped hide his identity as the only thing really clean about him currently was his clothes.
The rage at seeing Pettigrew had lowered to a simmer, giving Sirius the ability to think about his next move. He had no idea where the coward was hiding, but a few details began to slot into place in his mind.
That woman Pettigrew was with, he called her his Lord. And she seemed to claim to be Bellatrix's Master. Bellatrix had always been a bit off her rocker even as a child, but there was no way Pettigrew would confuse some random woman for the Dark Lord. He was a coward, not a complete imbecile.
That meant the Dark Lord was back. Sirius growled to himself as he stepped forward in the queue, earning him concerned looks.
Sirius mulled the thought over in his head as he got to the front of the line and called over to one of the goblins manning the teller desk.
"Name and purpose of visit," the goblin said, not even bothering to look up from his work.
Sirius placed the vault key onto the desk. "Sirius Black here to withdraw from the Black Family Vault and exchange some funds for Muggle currency," Sirius said softly to not announce his presence to the entire bank.
The goblin picked the key up and looked at it carefully, verifying something about it before giving a sharp nod, snapping his fingers to get the attention of another goblin that would drive the cart down to the vault, and handed the key back. "Next Customer!" the goblin called out as Sirius followed the other goblin down deep under the bank on the mine carts.
After taking care of his business at the bank, Sirius moved through Diagon Alley with purpose, purchasing a newspaper from a stand as he passed by before slipping through the Leaky Cauldron and out into Muggle London. Sirius would have loved to get a meal at the Leaky Cauldron, but spending too much time near old man Tom could blow his identity. The barkeep had worked there for a long time and had an incredible memory for people. Even passing through the pub was a risk when Sirius saw the man behind the counter.
Luckily Tom didn't recognize Sirius right away.
Muggle London had changed a lot since Sirius had last been there, but the old Muggle chip shop he and his friends would occasionally sneak to during the summers was still there. It had been a thrill back then to trick the muggles working there that they were just normal kids. Sirius pushed those thoughts aside as he ordered a large basket of fish and chips before taking a corner spot that he wouldn't be easily seen in and took out his copy of the Daily Prophet.
He got the date and began to scan through the articles quickly before quickly shoving the paper to the side as he noticed the waitress approach with his food.
She was a cute young thing with a polite smile plastered on her face. There was a time when Sirius may have tried flirting with her when she dropped the basket of fried food off, but Sirius was not in the mood. He had a rat to kill.
Sirius ate and thought. It was late December eleven years after he was sentenced to Azkaban. Harry would be in his second year.
Harry would be in his second year.
Sirius paused eating for a moment as that thought sunk in.
If he was right about who that woman was, then Harry was likely in danger.
The Dark Lord was not known for his mercy and had tried to kill Harry as a baby. There was no reason to assume he wouldn't try again now that he was back.
Sirius began to slowly return to eating his meal as he thought about things. He ended up in prison because he went off half-cocked, so he needed to be more careful if he was going to protect Harry.
If he remembered correctly, Harry would likely have ended up at his aunt's place considering what Bellatrix did to the Longbottoms and his own incarceration. Even if that was the case though, it was winter. There was a good chance Harry was staying at Hogwarts for the Winter Break.
Sirius finished his meal, stuffed the newspaper into his pocket, and left the store before finding an alley he could use to apparate back to the Black Estate. Sirius would need to prepare to see his godson, though he would have to remain hidden, but first he would need to properly clean up and feel human again, even if just momentarily.
Sirius trimmed his facial hair into what he thought was a rather roguish Van Dyke and managed to get his hair combed out enough to trim it down to a length he liked. The gaunt cheeks of barely being fed for a decade did nothing to help Sirius's looks, but he thought he at least looked presentable if anyone did recognize him.
With that, Sirius laid in a decent bed for the first time in a decade and passed out.
The next day saw him traveling to Hogsmeade Village and slipping into the Shrieking Shack to take the secret passage to Hogwarts under the Whomping Willow and at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
It was nearing mid day by the time the first students came out to the snow covered grounds to play.
There was no mistaking Harry. He was the spitting image of his father Sirius was watching from. He seemed to be good friends with a gaggle of red headed children. There was only one family Sirius was familiar with that many kids and that shade of hair.
Sirius wagged his tail at seeing Harry had to be in Gryffindor for him to be friends with the Weasleys. There was also a blonde boy and two blonde girls that were with them. Sirius briefly thought the older two may be twins considering they appeared to be about the same age, but the hair wasn't the same shade of blonde. The two girls had much closer blonde hair to each other than to the boy, so Sirius made the assumption the girls were sisters and the boy was just an unrelated blonde boy. Along with the group were two other, larger boys. Large compared to Harry and the group his age, the older Weasley boys were significantly taller than the rest.
It did Sirius's heart good to see his godson was so popular to have a large group of friends.
That was how Sirius spent most of his days for the next month. Going to Hogwarts to watch over Harry and his friends and look out for Pettigrew and any Death Eaters before going to Muggle London to have a hearty meal and returning to the Black Estate to read the news.
It was shortly after the breakout was reported that Sirius noticed the presence of dementors around Hogsmeade and the edges of Hogwarts's lands. Sirius was able to easily slip by the dementors, particularly in the emotionally simpler dog form.
Sirius still hadn't seen any signs of Pettigrew or the Death Eaters in the nearly full month he had been free as he wandered Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley as a dog nor on Hogwarts ground. Students returned and there was a tension in the air Sirius could feel. One that temporarily broke one Saturday morning as seemingly the entire school headed down to the Quidditch pitch. Slytherin vs Ravenclaw.
Serius took a spot near the stands the Gryffindor students sat in, keeping an eye on Harry while getting a good view of the match.
The two teams were off, though Sirius only paid as much attention to who was on each team to keep up with the commentary as he did not know who the kids were, though he was familiar with the family members of several of the Slytherin players.
Sirius's tail wagged as he listened to the commentary as the kid doing it was good. Quick with action reports and making fast paced quips and color commentary as the fast paced game went on. It was fun. Sirius remembered what being happy was like.
And then it began to get cold and a midday fog began to set in. Sirius moved closer to the stands and whimpered as he began to curl up. The dementors had come.
Looking up into the stands, Sirius was helpless as he saw his godson pass out in the stands, but his friends were there to help. Nearly all of them moved to help even as the effects of the dementors began to affect them.
All but the little blonde girl.
She stood up, a fierce determination in her body language. She looked around, though Sirius was beginning to doubt she was seeing the world as it was when she opened her mouth and said something in a commanding tone.
She continued to give what sounded like orders, though Sirius could only tell that she was speaking German, as she hopped off the stands, pulling out her wand as she charged into the crowd of dementors.
Sirius was slack jawed as he watched her attempt to stab a dementor with her wand. Even the dementors seemed confused by her actions. Her attacks did no damage, but she was ferocious in her attacks, never staying still long as she moved between the dementors, slashing at them with a wand simmering in some sort of effect.
Soon the girl was joined by the silvery forms of several Patronus chasing off the dementors. The girl began to give chase before a red stunning spell slammed into her back.
She kept moving forwards, seemingly unaware of the attempted stunning as more stunners were sent at her. Sirius would have guessed it took a full dozen before she fell slowly to her knees. She reached forwards, saying something in German before finally falling to the ground.
Sirius recognized her as one of Harry's friends from the winter break and was overcome by the feeling that Harry had made a very wise decision being a friend of hers because he would hate to get on her bad side.
Sirius chose to retreat back to the Shrieking Shack before returning to London where he found a sweets shop to get some chocolate. A bar for himself, then a bar for Harry. Then, with another moment's thought, he got a couple extra bars for Harry to share with his friend.
Sirius would need to find an owl to send the muggle chocolates to Harry and his friend, but when he got back to the Black Estate, he wrote a quick note to attach to the chocolates.
"Saw you and your blonde girlfriend had strong reactions to dementors. Just in case they come back."
—-
Chapter Footnote: If Sirius is a dog, how can he tell what hair color different people have? Well, it is because he isn't always color blind. He knew people with a variety of hair colors and got an idea of what those look like while a dog. There are certain colors that can trip him up though when he makes assumptions about certain things.
1. Grey and blonde can be mixed up easily, so someone young with grey or silver hair he would think is blonde.
2. Dyed hair like green, pink, and purple would really mess with him. Depending on shade, he could think they are red or some shade of brunette. A particularly dark one may even look basically black to him.
He is assuming these kids have normal shades of hair and haven't gone grey yet and making the best guess he can. He happens to be right, but he was making a leap of assumption.
Unclouded
Unthawed Freeloader
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Cosmic Dream
dreaming of utopia
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Wait, so someone shot the girl trying to fight the Dementors in the back? In the open, with a thousand people looking on? And Sirius doesn't care?
sting2071232
Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?
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I think it was more that Tanya got a bad reaction with the dementors and was in a berserk state having a flashback to the war. The stuns was her friends getting her to stop trying to stab the dementors.Wait, so someone shot the girl trying to fight the Dementors in the back? In the open, with a thousand people looking on? And Sirius doesn't care?
zecorezecron
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Yes. Because she was running toward the soul sucking monsters and trying to throw hands with them. She was stunned for her own safety, much like how one might tackle someone trying to jump in front of a train.Wait, so someone shot the girl trying to fight the Dementors in the back? In the open, with a thousand people looking on? And Sirius doesn't care?
x+y=1
Accidentally Nocturnal
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I am pretty sure she wasn't trying to fight the Dementors, but instead fighting whatever she was being made to see by them. Just because it was currently aimed their way doesn't mean that won't change.Wait, so someone shot the girl trying to fight the Dementors in the back? In the open, with a thousand people looking on? And Sirius doesn't care?
Also what zecorezecron said.
Cosmic Dream
dreaming of utopia
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If she's trying to stab them with her wand, then she's in melee range. Stunned within melee range of a dementor = quick soul snack. Still seems like a terrible idea to me, but maybe I'm not entirely clear on the exact situation.
armorfiend
Know what you're doing yet?
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If a pun, funny tho.
Emancipated: freed, generally from slavery
Emaciated: starved and thin
Kolarthecool
Eyes Without, Eyes Within
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Good thing she was talking in German, or the Empires version of it. Can't imagine it being easy to explain things if she was giving orders in English about killing enemy soldiers.
She was stunned after the Dementors were scared off and she tried to chase them, the Patroni around her would have kept her safe from getting kissed.
She was stunned after the Dementors were scared off and she tried to chase them, the Patroni around her would have kept her safe from getting kissed.
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Reynard69
Foxes are Fantastic
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it is a horrifically terrible idea. But there was also a bunch of patroni in the area.
quasit17
Getting sticky.
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The Unicorn
Well worn.
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That's assuming the language she was speaking was close enough to HP world's German to be mutually comprehensible, and that Tanya was shouting comprehensible sentences while literally frothing at the mouth.
I don't think either of those is a safe bet, both together pretty much guarantee no one knows what she was shouting.
That’s the Price of a Mile
Half_Baked_cat
Not too sore, are you?
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Albus Dumbledore
Albus sat in his office, a pounding headache threatening to form as the stresses of everything currently going on weighed on his mind. Most prominently was Voldemort and the mess he was stirring up in the shadows. With some good fortune, the prison break would be the last thing done for a while, and Albus can focus on trying to advise Cornelius in directions that will help delay the demand for the no confidence vote a few months longer.
Albus had no illusions about the vote happening within a year as Cornelius's popularity was rapidly diminishing, leading the Minister to increasingly erratic actions to appear to be doing something, anything, about the situation.
Unfortunately, it seemed to be the wrong move, as each attempt seemed to be an unpopular one. At least, that was how the Daily Prophet was spinning it, and it seemed that Cornelius's influence with the paper had seemingly vanished as they sensed the tide turning against him, though Albus knew the true reason was likely the work of the Death Eaters.
So, for now, all Albus could do is delay the inevitable while doing what he could to bolster Arthur's image. There were several other like minded individuals who seemed to be angling for the position themselves that would likely have a far easier time getting elected, but Albus had serious concerns about what that sort of power would do to them. Take Amelia Bones as an example, she is a staunch defender of the rule of law and was exceedingly helpful during the last wizarding war, but she would likely support expanding the presence and power of the Law Enforcement Officers and create a police state in all but name.
Albus could remember traveling through several police states in his younger days, especially when Albus was going against his former lover, Gellert. The fear of the populous and the sadistic glee of the officers was palpable. Even if created for good intentions, the temptation to use and keep expanding such a force to quiet any dissenters was there. And that was just one of the possible candidates that Albus would nominally support over Malfoy and his plans to bring forth Voldemort's agenda.
On top of the domestic political issues was the international ones arranging the Triwizard tournament. Which was, thankfully, going far more smoothly, though Albus had been roped into also being the liaison to the magical creatures on Hogwarts grounds, not unfairly Albus had to concede, but it still took time and effort to arrange things for the coming tasks and comments from the one who had just jumped herself up to top of his priority list meant that several of the tasks had to be completely redesigned from scratch to make them more entertaining as a spectator sport along with extra events lined up.
Speaking of Miss Degurechaff, the possibly fae student just had a rather unfortunate reaction to the presence of Dementors while Albus was catching up on some paperwork. The irony of attempting to be responsible and not going to watch a fun Quidditch match resulting in more headache inducing stress was not lost on Albus. Her reaction, combined with Harry's fainting, meant that lessons in the Patronus Charm would need to be provided. Unfortunately, Albus had to hire a rather incompetent chap for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher due to a lack of qualified candidates and not wanting to possibly lose Severus to the curse on the position as the man likely would happily allow himself to perish to whatever came along to remove him from the post.
What was more pressing was the cause of her reaction. Dementors are horrible creatures if they could even be called a creature. A being of despair, more physical than a ghost or a poltergeist, yet not entirely there. Soul sucking monsters whose very presence saps the area of any joy, sending people into their worst memories.
For most people, that meant they became depressed, lethargic, and miserable. For those with particularly strong bad memories, it was uncommon, but not unheard of, to pass out into a nightmare.
From what Albus was informed of, Miss Degurechaff had reacted with rage, aggression, and recklessness. There was not a single comparable instance of a reaction like this that Albus could think of and he had no time to try researching if there was something similar, so he was left only with speculation.
As far as he knew, Miss Degurechaff had been left as a baby at the orphanage's doorstep with only a note with her name written on it. From there, she grew up into a polite, helpful, albeit unusual child. Coming to Hogwarts, she showed signs of advanced skills in magic for her apparent age and especially for her apparent background. In particular, she displayed extremely proficient skills in highly violent forms of magic when she had killed the troll.
It was entirely possible she was another Tom Riddle in the making, except Albus had been keeping a close eye on her and it seemed her helpful nature was more genuine than Tom's was, helping without being asked nor for the adulation of those around her. Indeed, she was a rather humble student all things considered.
There were questions on questions with the young lady that Albus needed answered. And for the good of mitigating future migraines, sooner rather than later.
So Albus sat at his desk, glass of whiskey in hand as he stared at two items on his desk and considered if he was going to do what he was pondering.
The first item was a chocolate truffle, neatly wrapped up in a colorful bit of foil. A delightful ball of chocolate filled with a dark chocolate ganache and dusted in a dark chocolate. Considering Miss Degurechaff's preferences, Albus was certain she would enjoy it and chocolate was an amazingly effective cure for the after effects of being in the presence of Dementors.
The second item was a tiny glass vial filled with a clear liquid. Dust coated the cork stopper and the yellowing tag that identified the contents, perfectly preserved thanks to a stasis charm. Veritaserum. The truth potion. A mere drop would cause a person to tell nothing but the truth.
It was a highly controlled substance. Very few potion masters could brew it safely and the use of it was extremely limited. To use it on a child would see Albus put away for years if anyone found out and tried to prosecute him over it.
But Albus knew no one would know. This batch was brewed over a decade ago, during the Wizarding War against Voldemort so no one was aware he had the vial of it. He was safely in Hogwarts Castle, where he was Headmaster and his decisions were effectively absolute. He would be doing it at night when no one alone would be any the wiser.
There was no question of getting caught. It was a question of ethics and morals. Was it the right thing to do? Would he be helping one of his students by invading the privacy of her secrets? Or was he just satisfying his own curiosity?
Laws were not the supreme decider of what was moral, of what the Greater Good should be, but they were an indicator of what was wrong. Would he be doing right if he did this?
Albus drank from his glass of whiskey, letting the burn warm him up and steel his nerves for what he was to do. With great care he unwrapped the truffle, unstoppered the vial, and carefully allowed one thick drop to fall onto the confection.
The deed was not done yet, but the prop was made. Albus took a measured moment to close the vial up and return it to his stash of potions before tapping the truffle with his wand so that it would be wrapped back up with no signs of having ever been unwrapped.
Slipping the small item into his pocket, Albus made his way to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was in the office to the side when Albus entered, leaving him with just the young Miss Moon, petrified in her bed, Harry looking to be beginning to stir from his sleep, and Miss Degurechaff, still stunned and unmoving.
The rather violent manner Miss Degurechaff had acted prior to being stunned, and the number of reported stunners it took to make her go down, warranted extra caution for her revival and it was decided that Albus would need to be on hand when she was revived to ensure the safety of herself and those around her.
Passing her, Albus left the truffle among a rather large display of get well soon items, including many chocolates, what appeared to be a mug of self heating coffee, several cards, and a toilet seat.
Albus chuckled lightly to himself as he took a seat next to Harry's bed. The boy would likely want to know what happened to get him sent to the hospital wing and Albus would be happy to aid him in illuminating the situation.
"Ah, you're awake," Albus said as he saw the tell-tale signs of someone crossing the border from sleep to wakefulness.
"Professor?" Harry asked, sitting up and squinting as he looked around.
Albus picked up Harry's glasses and handed them over along with a chocolate from Harry's smaller stack of get well soon gifts. "Here you go, and do have some chocolate. It will help with the after effects," Albus said, giving a grandfatherly smile.
"What happened?" Harry asked, looking at Albus before taking a bite from the bar of chocolate and looking far more relaxed instantly as the candy did its magic to combat dementor influences.
"The ministry, against my wishes, had set up guards around the school's property looking for escaped criminals," Albus began. "Horrible creatures known as dementors. They were supposed to stay at the edges of the school grounds, but all the joy and excitement of the Quidditch match tempted them to come to the pitch. For most people the effects are not nearly as severe as those you faced, because most people do not have the sort of bad experiences you have endured."
Albus laid a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder and gave a light squeeze. "If you wish to talk about it, we can do so another time. You and Miss Degurechaff will be having some extra lessons on a counter to the dementors, and we can discuss it then."
Harry was rather expressive with his emotions and his concern and confusion over the mention of his friend was easy to see. It warmed Albus's heart that his first thought was concern for another.
"What happened to Tanya?" Harry asked.
"She, like yourself, had a rather strong reaction to the presence of the dementors. I am sure your friends will be able to give a much better description of the events than I could as I was not at the match to see what transpired."
Harry nodded and became thoughtful, looking like he was going to say something. After a moment of silence, Albus conjured a bag and had all the get well gifts Harry received put into the bag.
"Now I am sure you would rather sleep in your own, soft bed rather than on the much firmer mattresses here in the hospital wing," Albus said, helping Harry up. "I'll let Madam Pomfrey know you are awake and feeling better."
"Thank you Professor," Harry said with a smile.
"Of course," Albus replied, leading Harry to the door and taking a moment to watch the lad head back to the Gryffindor tower.
The kind smile dropped from Albus's face as he turned towards Miss Degurechaff's bed. "Now for you," Albus quietly said to himself, taking a seat similarly to where he was when Harry woke up.
Albus carefully schooled his face into a kind mask as he looked at the young girl's prone form. He took a moment to marvel at how her features while asleep truly could be described as angelic, how small she was, and at how it would be so easy to believe that she was not capable of the sort of extremely brutal violence she has displayed on the rare occasion she did become violent.
Yet, Albus was an experienced man, who had seen war and battle. There was a coiled tightness in Miss Degurechaff's muscles that showed strength many wizards did not possess. Even relaxed in a stunned sleep, it was clear Miss Degurechaff was someone that cared about her physical prowess. Something only the highest levels of athletes and fighters recognized as providing an extra edge in their chosen fields and something often ignored by those who engaged in the magical theater.
Despite Miss Degurechaff being on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Albus had little doubt about the real reason she chose to do what she could to build up her physicality.
Albus took a deep breath and revived Miss Degurechaff. She sucked in a breath and opened her eyes, wild and unfocused for a moment before calming down swiftly. If Albus wasn't paying close attention, he might have missed it.
"Welcome back," Albus said kindly, letting Miss Degurechaff know she was safe with his voice.
"What happened?" She asked in a rather clipped tone. Albus noted how different she looked and how more rigidly she moved as she sat up. Very precise and disciplined. It was not very different from how she normally moved, just turned up a degree.
Albus folded his hands in front of himself and looked at Miss Degurechaff seriously before beginning his explanation. "Dark creatures known as dementors came into the Quidditch pitch. The effect of their presence caused you to have a rather extreme reaction. It would seem you have a rather unpleasant memory and I was hoping you would be willing to share with me what that memory was."
Albus was trying to give off a compassionate, reasonable attitude so that Miss Degurechaff would willingly reveal the information as he stared into her eyes to get her surface thoughts.
Tanya was quiet for a long moment as she processed what she was told.
Albus was patient as he hoped for her to freely reveal the information.
"I would rather not discuss it, Headmaster," Miss Degurechaff said as she came to her decision. Albus could see in her surface thoughts how strongly she was unwilling to discuss the topic.
Unfortunate. "Oh, forgive an old man," Albus said, regretting what he was about to do as he reached over to the bedside table and picked up the truffle he had placed there earlier. Unwrapping it for Miss Degurechaff and handing it over. "I am sure you are still feeling the effects of the dementors' presence. Chocolate is a rather wonderful cure for it."
Miss Degurechaff gave a slightly pained smile as she accepted the chocolate. "Thank you, sir," She said before popping the chocolate in her mouth. The relief that filled her body as the chocolate did its magic was swift, but quickly overcome by her eyes becoming glassy as the Veritaserum began to come into effect.
Albus dropped the kind mask and sat back, heart aching at the action he had taken. "I am sorry Miss Degurechaff. I truly am, but I need to know. What was the memory you experienced?"
The effect of the potion was clear as Miss Degurechaff opened her mouth to speak. Albus had to quickly shift mental tracks as she did not answer in English, but in some dialect of German Albus did not immediately recognize, but could understand.
"Trenches. It was the trenches on the Rhine. I was not in rotation for aerial missions and instead to supplement the infantry along the front. Our artillery had just fallen silent as we prepared to go over the ridge. Charge the enemy positions across no man's land.
"It was raining. The ground was muddy. It was the best time for such a charge as the enemy spotters would not be as effective as directing their artillery fire. Even with limited visibility, they still returned fire with their artillery.
"I ran. Forwards I ran. Always advancing. Always I must move forwards. To turn back would guarantee a firing squad for cowardice. My only chance was to keep moving forwards, towards enemy fire. If I could kill them before they killed me, I could live one more day. One more day closer till I was rotated back to aerial missions. Safe aerial missions where I had more directions to move in. Aerial missions where I was against far fewer foes that could kill me. Aerial missions where the likelihood I would die was far lower.
"So I ran. I ran until I found the enemy's trench. I was on my own against men twice my height.
"We fought and my gun jammed. I had no time to clear the jam. I had to get into range to stab the men surrounding me. My shields would not help me. They were too close and could stab me through my shields. They were so much bigger than me and their reach meant that they could more easily fend me off or stab me before I could stab them.
"I fought. I was a small target, hard to hit, so I fought. I was scared. I was certain I was about to die. I fought.
"Their blood dripped off my bayonet as I finally had a moment to clear the jam in my rifle. I ran. I was still not safe. The trench was still occupied by enemy soldiers. We had to clear out the enemy forces.
"So I ran. I ran towards the enemy. I ran towards the people that might manage to kill me and away from the people that would kill me if I showed cowardice.
"I ran. I fought. I killed."
Albus was silent as he processed what Miss Degurechaff said. It was clear on the surface of her mind she fully believed everything she said. Albus even caught fragments of the memories passing over the surface of her mind. Smells, sights, sounds. Fragmented and disconnected, but real.
Hell.
A man made hell.
Albus had seen war, but what Miss Degurechaff remembered made what Albus experienced seem almost like a school boy scuffle. One day of hell was the worst of what Albus could only imagine was a series of horrible memories.
"When?" He asked softly, trying to figure out when such a young girl could have experienced such events. Even if she was a fae, the Abbess had seen her grow up. Unless the memories the Abbess, and the other children, were wrong, there was no time for Miss Degurechaff to have fought in a war. There hadn't even been a war in the past decade as far as Albus was aware of.
"Nineteen twenty-six."
The year shocked Albus. Over sixty years ago, yet here was Miss Degurechaff as a mere child. Things were not adding up.
"How old are you?" Albus asked, trying to get something in order.
"Thirteen."
Albus was reading the surface of Miss Degurechaff's mind when she answered. He could see there was a lot more there than just the age she gave, even if the age was true.
There was a thread there Albus could follow. He leaned in and asked, "How can you be thirteen and have been around in nineteen twenty-six?"
"I died and remember."
Albus processed that for a moment. This was her next great adventure. Albus knew one day he would die and move onto what came next, but he did not ever expect to meet someone who remembered their previous adventure.
It was humbling in a way, he reflected, but more questions were raised. He would not be able to get all the answers he sought, but he could get at least one more.
"If you already know as much as you seem to, why go through our school as though you are a normal student?"
"I don't want to make the same mistakes. I don't want to grow old and regretful."
Albus released the grip he hadn't realized he had on his chair. He reflected on his own life choices, the regrets he had. Would he have followed a similar path if he could do it all again, a path meant to avoid the mistakes he made once and learned from?
With age comes wisdom, and Albus could see the wisdom in looking forwards and trying to pick out the path with the least regrets at the end. He would likely do the same with all he now knew. Maybe not in the same manner as Miss Degurechaff, but they likely had different regrets they were learning from.
"Thank you, Miss Degurechaff," Albus said softly to no response as he hasn't asked a question. He summoned a potion from a nearby cabinet, a Dreamless Sleep draught. "Drink this. You'll need your rest."
Miss Degurechaff dutifully did as she was told and drank the potion, the effects steadily putting her to sleep.
Looking at her resting form, Albus thought about what he had done and could feel himself regretting prying as he did. He would have a lot to think and reflect upon, but for now, one more regret would not hurt.
He took out his wand and cast a spell so that the memories of the last few minutes she was awake would be scrambled.
"Confundo," Albus said as he tapped her forehead with his wand.
Albus sat in his office, a pounding headache threatening to form as the stresses of everything currently going on weighed on his mind. Most prominently was Voldemort and the mess he was stirring up in the shadows. With some good fortune, the prison break would be the last thing done for a while, and Albus can focus on trying to advise Cornelius in directions that will help delay the demand for the no confidence vote a few months longer.
Albus had no illusions about the vote happening within a year as Cornelius's popularity was rapidly diminishing, leading the Minister to increasingly erratic actions to appear to be doing something, anything, about the situation.
Unfortunately, it seemed to be the wrong move, as each attempt seemed to be an unpopular one. At least, that was how the Daily Prophet was spinning it, and it seemed that Cornelius's influence with the paper had seemingly vanished as they sensed the tide turning against him, though Albus knew the true reason was likely the work of the Death Eaters.
So, for now, all Albus could do is delay the inevitable while doing what he could to bolster Arthur's image. There were several other like minded individuals who seemed to be angling for the position themselves that would likely have a far easier time getting elected, but Albus had serious concerns about what that sort of power would do to them. Take Amelia Bones as an example, she is a staunch defender of the rule of law and was exceedingly helpful during the last wizarding war, but she would likely support expanding the presence and power of the Law Enforcement Officers and create a police state in all but name.
Albus could remember traveling through several police states in his younger days, especially when Albus was going against his former lover, Gellert. The fear of the populous and the sadistic glee of the officers was palpable. Even if created for good intentions, the temptation to use and keep expanding such a force to quiet any dissenters was there. And that was just one of the possible candidates that Albus would nominally support over Malfoy and his plans to bring forth Voldemort's agenda.
On top of the domestic political issues was the international ones arranging the Triwizard tournament. Which was, thankfully, going far more smoothly, though Albus had been roped into also being the liaison to the magical creatures on Hogwarts grounds, not unfairly Albus had to concede, but it still took time and effort to arrange things for the coming tasks and comments from the one who had just jumped herself up to top of his priority list meant that several of the tasks had to be completely redesigned from scratch to make them more entertaining as a spectator sport along with extra events lined up.
Speaking of Miss Degurechaff, the possibly fae student just had a rather unfortunate reaction to the presence of Dementors while Albus was catching up on some paperwork. The irony of attempting to be responsible and not going to watch a fun Quidditch match resulting in more headache inducing stress was not lost on Albus. Her reaction, combined with Harry's fainting, meant that lessons in the Patronus Charm would need to be provided. Unfortunately, Albus had to hire a rather incompetent chap for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher due to a lack of qualified candidates and not wanting to possibly lose Severus to the curse on the position as the man likely would happily allow himself to perish to whatever came along to remove him from the post.
What was more pressing was the cause of her reaction. Dementors are horrible creatures if they could even be called a creature. A being of despair, more physical than a ghost or a poltergeist, yet not entirely there. Soul sucking monsters whose very presence saps the area of any joy, sending people into their worst memories.
For most people, that meant they became depressed, lethargic, and miserable. For those with particularly strong bad memories, it was uncommon, but not unheard of, to pass out into a nightmare.
From what Albus was informed of, Miss Degurechaff had reacted with rage, aggression, and recklessness. There was not a single comparable instance of a reaction like this that Albus could think of and he had no time to try researching if there was something similar, so he was left only with speculation.
As far as he knew, Miss Degurechaff had been left as a baby at the orphanage's doorstep with only a note with her name written on it. From there, she grew up into a polite, helpful, albeit unusual child. Coming to Hogwarts, she showed signs of advanced skills in magic for her apparent age and especially for her apparent background. In particular, she displayed extremely proficient skills in highly violent forms of magic when she had killed the troll.
It was entirely possible she was another Tom Riddle in the making, except Albus had been keeping a close eye on her and it seemed her helpful nature was more genuine than Tom's was, helping without being asked nor for the adulation of those around her. Indeed, she was a rather humble student all things considered.
There were questions on questions with the young lady that Albus needed answered. And for the good of mitigating future migraines, sooner rather than later.
So Albus sat at his desk, glass of whiskey in hand as he stared at two items on his desk and considered if he was going to do what he was pondering.
The first item was a chocolate truffle, neatly wrapped up in a colorful bit of foil. A delightful ball of chocolate filled with a dark chocolate ganache and dusted in a dark chocolate. Considering Miss Degurechaff's preferences, Albus was certain she would enjoy it and chocolate was an amazingly effective cure for the after effects of being in the presence of Dementors.
The second item was a tiny glass vial filled with a clear liquid. Dust coated the cork stopper and the yellowing tag that identified the contents, perfectly preserved thanks to a stasis charm. Veritaserum. The truth potion. A mere drop would cause a person to tell nothing but the truth.
It was a highly controlled substance. Very few potion masters could brew it safely and the use of it was extremely limited. To use it on a child would see Albus put away for years if anyone found out and tried to prosecute him over it.
But Albus knew no one would know. This batch was brewed over a decade ago, during the Wizarding War against Voldemort so no one was aware he had the vial of it. He was safely in Hogwarts Castle, where he was Headmaster and his decisions were effectively absolute. He would be doing it at night when no one alone would be any the wiser.
There was no question of getting caught. It was a question of ethics and morals. Was it the right thing to do? Would he be helping one of his students by invading the privacy of her secrets? Or was he just satisfying his own curiosity?
Laws were not the supreme decider of what was moral, of what the Greater Good should be, but they were an indicator of what was wrong. Would he be doing right if he did this?
Albus drank from his glass of whiskey, letting the burn warm him up and steel his nerves for what he was to do. With great care he unwrapped the truffle, unstoppered the vial, and carefully allowed one thick drop to fall onto the confection.
The deed was not done yet, but the prop was made. Albus took a measured moment to close the vial up and return it to his stash of potions before tapping the truffle with his wand so that it would be wrapped back up with no signs of having ever been unwrapped.
Slipping the small item into his pocket, Albus made his way to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was in the office to the side when Albus entered, leaving him with just the young Miss Moon, petrified in her bed, Harry looking to be beginning to stir from his sleep, and Miss Degurechaff, still stunned and unmoving.
The rather violent manner Miss Degurechaff had acted prior to being stunned, and the number of reported stunners it took to make her go down, warranted extra caution for her revival and it was decided that Albus would need to be on hand when she was revived to ensure the safety of herself and those around her.
Passing her, Albus left the truffle among a rather large display of get well soon items, including many chocolates, what appeared to be a mug of self heating coffee, several cards, and a toilet seat.
Albus chuckled lightly to himself as he took a seat next to Harry's bed. The boy would likely want to know what happened to get him sent to the hospital wing and Albus would be happy to aid him in illuminating the situation.
"Ah, you're awake," Albus said as he saw the tell-tale signs of someone crossing the border from sleep to wakefulness.
"Professor?" Harry asked, sitting up and squinting as he looked around.
Albus picked up Harry's glasses and handed them over along with a chocolate from Harry's smaller stack of get well soon gifts. "Here you go, and do have some chocolate. It will help with the after effects," Albus said, giving a grandfatherly smile.
"What happened?" Harry asked, looking at Albus before taking a bite from the bar of chocolate and looking far more relaxed instantly as the candy did its magic to combat dementor influences.
"The ministry, against my wishes, had set up guards around the school's property looking for escaped criminals," Albus began. "Horrible creatures known as dementors. They were supposed to stay at the edges of the school grounds, but all the joy and excitement of the Quidditch match tempted them to come to the pitch. For most people the effects are not nearly as severe as those you faced, because most people do not have the sort of bad experiences you have endured."
Albus laid a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder and gave a light squeeze. "If you wish to talk about it, we can do so another time. You and Miss Degurechaff will be having some extra lessons on a counter to the dementors, and we can discuss it then."
Harry was rather expressive with his emotions and his concern and confusion over the mention of his friend was easy to see. It warmed Albus's heart that his first thought was concern for another.
"What happened to Tanya?" Harry asked.
"She, like yourself, had a rather strong reaction to the presence of the dementors. I am sure your friends will be able to give a much better description of the events than I could as I was not at the match to see what transpired."
Harry nodded and became thoughtful, looking like he was going to say something. After a moment of silence, Albus conjured a bag and had all the get well gifts Harry received put into the bag.
"Now I am sure you would rather sleep in your own, soft bed rather than on the much firmer mattresses here in the hospital wing," Albus said, helping Harry up. "I'll let Madam Pomfrey know you are awake and feeling better."
"Thank you Professor," Harry said with a smile.
"Of course," Albus replied, leading Harry to the door and taking a moment to watch the lad head back to the Gryffindor tower.
The kind smile dropped from Albus's face as he turned towards Miss Degurechaff's bed. "Now for you," Albus quietly said to himself, taking a seat similarly to where he was when Harry woke up.
Albus carefully schooled his face into a kind mask as he looked at the young girl's prone form. He took a moment to marvel at how her features while asleep truly could be described as angelic, how small she was, and at how it would be so easy to believe that she was not capable of the sort of extremely brutal violence she has displayed on the rare occasion she did become violent.
Yet, Albus was an experienced man, who had seen war and battle. There was a coiled tightness in Miss Degurechaff's muscles that showed strength many wizards did not possess. Even relaxed in a stunned sleep, it was clear Miss Degurechaff was someone that cared about her physical prowess. Something only the highest levels of athletes and fighters recognized as providing an extra edge in their chosen fields and something often ignored by those who engaged in the magical theater.
Despite Miss Degurechaff being on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Albus had little doubt about the real reason she chose to do what she could to build up her physicality.
Albus took a deep breath and revived Miss Degurechaff. She sucked in a breath and opened her eyes, wild and unfocused for a moment before calming down swiftly. If Albus wasn't paying close attention, he might have missed it.
"Welcome back," Albus said kindly, letting Miss Degurechaff know she was safe with his voice.
"What happened?" She asked in a rather clipped tone. Albus noted how different she looked and how more rigidly she moved as she sat up. Very precise and disciplined. It was not very different from how she normally moved, just turned up a degree.
Albus folded his hands in front of himself and looked at Miss Degurechaff seriously before beginning his explanation. "Dark creatures known as dementors came into the Quidditch pitch. The effect of their presence caused you to have a rather extreme reaction. It would seem you have a rather unpleasant memory and I was hoping you would be willing to share with me what that memory was."
Albus was trying to give off a compassionate, reasonable attitude so that Miss Degurechaff would willingly reveal the information as he stared into her eyes to get her surface thoughts.
Tanya was quiet for a long moment as she processed what she was told.
Albus was patient as he hoped for her to freely reveal the information.
"I would rather not discuss it, Headmaster," Miss Degurechaff said as she came to her decision. Albus could see in her surface thoughts how strongly she was unwilling to discuss the topic.
Unfortunate. "Oh, forgive an old man," Albus said, regretting what he was about to do as he reached over to the bedside table and picked up the truffle he had placed there earlier. Unwrapping it for Miss Degurechaff and handing it over. "I am sure you are still feeling the effects of the dementors' presence. Chocolate is a rather wonderful cure for it."
Miss Degurechaff gave a slightly pained smile as she accepted the chocolate. "Thank you, sir," She said before popping the chocolate in her mouth. The relief that filled her body as the chocolate did its magic was swift, but quickly overcome by her eyes becoming glassy as the Veritaserum began to come into effect.
Albus dropped the kind mask and sat back, heart aching at the action he had taken. "I am sorry Miss Degurechaff. I truly am, but I need to know. What was the memory you experienced?"
The effect of the potion was clear as Miss Degurechaff opened her mouth to speak. Albus had to quickly shift mental tracks as she did not answer in English, but in some dialect of German Albus did not immediately recognize, but could understand.
"Trenches. It was the trenches on the Rhine. I was not in rotation for aerial missions and instead to supplement the infantry along the front. Our artillery had just fallen silent as we prepared to go over the ridge. Charge the enemy positions across no man's land.
"It was raining. The ground was muddy. It was the best time for such a charge as the enemy spotters would not be as effective as directing their artillery fire. Even with limited visibility, they still returned fire with their artillery.
"I ran. Forwards I ran. Always advancing. Always I must move forwards. To turn back would guarantee a firing squad for cowardice. My only chance was to keep moving forwards, towards enemy fire. If I could kill them before they killed me, I could live one more day. One more day closer till I was rotated back to aerial missions. Safe aerial missions where I had more directions to move in. Aerial missions where I was against far fewer foes that could kill me. Aerial missions where the likelihood I would die was far lower.
"So I ran. I ran until I found the enemy's trench. I was on my own against men twice my height.
"We fought and my gun jammed. I had no time to clear the jam. I had to get into range to stab the men surrounding me. My shields would not help me. They were too close and could stab me through my shields. They were so much bigger than me and their reach meant that they could more easily fend me off or stab me before I could stab them.
"I fought. I was a small target, hard to hit, so I fought. I was scared. I was certain I was about to die. I fought.
"Their blood dripped off my bayonet as I finally had a moment to clear the jam in my rifle. I ran. I was still not safe. The trench was still occupied by enemy soldiers. We had to clear out the enemy forces.
"So I ran. I ran towards the enemy. I ran towards the people that might manage to kill me and away from the people that would kill me if I showed cowardice.
"I ran. I fought. I killed."
Albus was silent as he processed what Miss Degurechaff said. It was clear on the surface of her mind she fully believed everything she said. Albus even caught fragments of the memories passing over the surface of her mind. Smells, sights, sounds. Fragmented and disconnected, but real.
Hell.
A man made hell.
Albus had seen war, but what Miss Degurechaff remembered made what Albus experienced seem almost like a school boy scuffle. One day of hell was the worst of what Albus could only imagine was a series of horrible memories.
"When?" He asked softly, trying to figure out when such a young girl could have experienced such events. Even if she was a fae, the Abbess had seen her grow up. Unless the memories the Abbess, and the other children, were wrong, there was no time for Miss Degurechaff to have fought in a war. There hadn't even been a war in the past decade as far as Albus was aware of.
"Nineteen twenty-six."
The year shocked Albus. Over sixty years ago, yet here was Miss Degurechaff as a mere child. Things were not adding up.
"How old are you?" Albus asked, trying to get something in order.
"Thirteen."
Albus was reading the surface of Miss Degurechaff's mind when she answered. He could see there was a lot more there than just the age she gave, even if the age was true.
There was a thread there Albus could follow. He leaned in and asked, "How can you be thirteen and have been around in nineteen twenty-six?"
"I died and remember."
Albus processed that for a moment. This was her next great adventure. Albus knew one day he would die and move onto what came next, but he did not ever expect to meet someone who remembered their previous adventure.
It was humbling in a way, he reflected, but more questions were raised. He would not be able to get all the answers he sought, but he could get at least one more.
"If you already know as much as you seem to, why go through our school as though you are a normal student?"
"I don't want to make the same mistakes. I don't want to grow old and regretful."
Albus released the grip he hadn't realized he had on his chair. He reflected on his own life choices, the regrets he had. Would he have followed a similar path if he could do it all again, a path meant to avoid the mistakes he made once and learned from?
With age comes wisdom, and Albus could see the wisdom in looking forwards and trying to pick out the path with the least regrets at the end. He would likely do the same with all he now knew. Maybe not in the same manner as Miss Degurechaff, but they likely had different regrets they were learning from.
"Thank you, Miss Degurechaff," Albus said softly to no response as he hasn't asked a question. He summoned a potion from a nearby cabinet, a Dreamless Sleep draught. "Drink this. You'll need your rest."
Miss Degurechaff dutifully did as she was told and drank the potion, the effects steadily putting her to sleep.
Looking at her resting form, Albus thought about what he had done and could feel himself regretting prying as he did. He would have a lot to think and reflect upon, but for now, one more regret would not hurt.
He took out his wand and cast a spell so that the memories of the last few minutes she was awake would be scrambled.
"Confundo," Albus said as he tapped her forehead with his wand.
Anonymous Brainwash
Ex-Lurker
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Dick move Dumbledore.
Bright side, he'll probably give Tanya some more slack in the future.
Bright side, he'll probably give Tanya some more slack in the future.
NooneImportant
Know what you're doing yet? Because I don't!
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Albus' moral dilemma, written… actually, really well!
This is the ideal "Greater Good" Dumbledore, when not intentionally being a parody.
Hopefully having a clear explanation will trigger Tanya's rational complex so she calms down when she inevitably goes into panic mode about having her mind messed with.Don't remember but with the whole Being X thing, it may be a hot topic button.
This is the ideal "Greater Good" Dumbledore, when not intentionally being a parody.
Hopefully having a clear explanation will trigger Tanya's rational complex so she calms down when she inevitably goes into panic mode about having her mind messed with.
Prairie Eagle
Getting some practice in, huh?
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I do like this Dumbledore. Not a caricature but a character. Great chapter.
Maleficarum
Versed in the lewd.
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The thing with Dumbledore many people don't seem to understand is… he's HUMAN. He makes mistakes either short term or long term on occasion, and often for good reasons either be it because he's listening too much to one side of morality or pragmatism. But in the end all he wants is true good for people both muggle and magical.
Edit; It's why I despise evil manipulative Dumbledore in fics because it's so badly misrepresenting the character. Especially when MCs in fics that would arguably be more evil than canonical Dumbledore if this Dumbledore wasn't flanderized to hell and back
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Lumiere_DB
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Thank you for the chapter.
Demensional Wonderer
Goghie my beloved
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Wait, when did Tanya make comments about the Triwizard Tournament?
Dissimilate
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Hrmm. First things first. Albus, your positions in the wizarding world give you neither a reason nor a right to invade minds as you see fit. The ends do not in fact justify the means and you need to pay a heavy price for what you just did. Second, Albus has an ego as big as the sky to think he can do what even death cannot. Tanya will remember everything when she wakes up. A Confundus spell will have no effect on what even a death and rebirth fails to erase. But that is okay, as Tanya will hang his actions both over his head and most likely around his neck should he ever try something like that against her again. Former soldiers do not allow little games like this. Congrats Albus.... you will learn personally that curiosity can in fact kill the cat.
John-Smith
Experienced.
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Ah, good to get confirmation we're dealing with a Dark!Dumbledore.
Looking forward to Tanya killing him.
Cube-Chan
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