Harry Potter and the Goblin King | By : GeminiFaerie Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 29138 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 14 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Labyrinth, nor any of the characters from said books/movies and I make no money from this story. |
Once in Muggle London, Harry raised his hand and signaled a cab to take them to his relative's house so that he could get his belongings.
"Number Four Privet Drive in Little Whigning," He instructed the driver, and the group piled into the back seat, even though it was slightly crowded.
"What is this thing?" Draco demanded in a whisper, "I mean, I know it's a car but…why is it so small? The driver is so close to us, and the four of us barely fit in here!"
"This is a cab," Harry replied, looking at Draco strangely, "You can hail a cab by stepping to the edge of the curb and raising your hand, or you can use a Muggle phone and arrange to be picked up at a certain time; what type of car are you used to driving in?"
"A limousine," Narcissa replied, "Whenever Lucius had to conduct business in the Muggle world we would take limousine; this is much smaller."
"And less expensive," Harry said, "A limo may be larger and give you more privacy, but a cab costs less and usually travels faster; we should be at my relatives in about twenty minutes."
Forty-five minutes later…
"You said twenty minutes," Draco grumbled as the cab drove off after dropping them off in front of Number 4 Privet Drive, "That took an hour! Honestly; we should have taken the Knight Bus!"
"It's not my fault there was an accident!" Harry protested, "As for the Knight Bus…well, if I have my way I won't be riding it again anytime soon!"
"You shouldn't take the Knight Bus," Luna agreed, "It's paid for by members of the Rotfang Conspiracy."
"When did you ride the Knight Bus?" Draco demanded, "Mother wouldn't let me ride it because she said it was too dangerous."
"She's right; it is dangerous," Harry informed him, "About a week before the beginning of Third Year my uncle's sister came for a visit and made me mad by insulting my parents-she was ten times worse than you ever were, Draco. I-"
"I always thought I did a splendid job of annoying you about your parents," Draco interrupted, "What could she have possibly said that was so much worse?"
"You basically made fun of me for having no parents," Harry told him, "Marge, on the other hand, told me that my parents were worthless drunks; granted, she got this information from Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia-they couldn't tell Marge my parents were magical, so they said that they were freaks, my dad was a jobless drunk and they died in a car crash. Marge was comparing me to a litter of puppies that she had at home, saying how she had a scrawny, runty-looking one drowned; said that if I were a dog she would have had me taken care of and that it wasn't Aunt Petunia's fault because…"he paused for a moment, closing his eyes to recall what Marge had said, "…'if there's something wrong with the bitch…'" he opened his eyes, "I don't remember her exact wording, but she basically said my mom and dad were bad people and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Anyway, I got really pissed off and my magic got away from me; I accidentally inflated Marge, then I directed my magic to open the cupboard under the stairs where all my belongings were, ran outside, and tripped with my wand lit and somehow summoned the Knight Bus. If the ministry hadn't been so worried about Sirius escaping from Azkaban and supposedly coming to kill me I would have been in big trouble, but instead I got to spend the last week of summer in a room at the Leaky Cauldron, and Fortescue gave me free ice cream every day."
"Lucky," Draco said, "You blew up your uncle's sister and, instead of getting in trouble, you got free ice cream!"
"Yes well, from what Harry has said he probably deserved the free ice cream," Narcissa pointed out, "Having to listen to your own relatives spout off lies about your mother! I'm so sorry you had to go through that Harry dear." She gave Harry a hug which he returned gratefully.
"Thanks," he smiled as he pulled away, "but it's okay; after today I won't ever have to deal with them again, Dudley should be the only one home, and he shouldn't give us any problems because he's scared to death of adult wizards; all you have to do is pull out your wand if he bothers you and he'll run away and hide until we're gone. Ready?"
"I don't like this house," Luna said softly, "I can sense whifflehammers inside, and they're bloodthirsty; so bloodthirsty…" she trailed off and looked at Harry, "We have to hurry in here, and don't go off by yourself, promise me Harry!"
"I promise," Harry said, startled by her insistence, "We'll be in and out in just a few minutes," he looked at Narcissa, "Can you open a portal to take us out of here?"
"Of course," Narcissa said, "That will be the fastest way for us to get home. Come on Luna dear," she took the girl's hand, "We'll stick together and protect one another if it comes to it." She nodded to Harry, "Go ahead Harry; we'll be right behind you."
"Wait;" Draco grabbed Harry's hand as he was about to open the door, "I'll go first, since you don't have your wand." Harry nodded and allowed the blonde to precede him into the house. Once everyone was inside they shut the door and looked around; the living room was empty, but Harry could hear noise coming from upstairs.
"Dudley must be in his room," he said quietly, "All of my belongings are in the cupboard down here, so he probably won't even realize we're here." He walked over to the cupboard under the stairs with Draco close behind him, opened the door, and reached in to pull the string that turned the light on; the bare bulb illuminated a small storage space which contained a small cot, Harry's school trunk, and a few battered-looking toys.
"Why is there a bed in here?" Draco demanded in a whisper, "This is a closet; surely no one sleeps in here!"
"Not anymore," Harry replied, glancing over his shoulder as he grabbed the handle on his trunk, "this used to be my room before I got my Hogwarts letter; after that they moved me into the room where they put all of my cousin's broken toys."
"What?" Draco exclaimed loudly and they heard a thump from overhead, "Those Muggles made you sleep in a closet? How dare they?"
"Yes, I slept in the cupboard," Harry said, "But it was a long time ago and I'm over it; now maybe we should get out of here since your yelling probably alerted the entire neighborhood to our presence."
"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Narcissa said in a strained voice, "Hello Albus, Severus; what brings you here?" Harry spun around only to see the back of Draco's head, but by leaning to the side a bit he could see Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape standing in the Dursley's living room.
"I needed to speak to Harry," Dumbledore replied, "and since he was too busy to speak with me at the bank, I decided to come visit him at his home;" he looked over Draco's shoulders to look at Harry, "Where are your manners my dear boy? Aren't you going to offer us some refreshments; perhaps a spot of tea and a snack?"
"If you were invited guests I would gladly offer you some tea," Harry glared at him, "but I don't remember inviting you here; besides, this isn't my home any longer."
"I admit it was terribly rude of us to drop in without an invitation," Dumbledore replied, that damn twinkle still present in his blue eyes, "however we have some very important matters to discuss. As for this no longer being your home, well, where else would you live? You are my responsibility until you turn seventeen, and I've already told you why this is the safest place for you to stay."
"Really Potter," Snape sneered at him, "must you always cause trouble? I am unable to even enjoy my summer without having to deal with your acts of rebellion." Harry flushed with anger, but before he could reply Draco spoke up.
"A fat lot you know about it," he informed the potions professor, "Dumbledore there is the one causing problems; Harry is merely here to get his belongings so we can go home. There is really no need for you to be here, Godfather; we have everything under control."
"Actually," Harry spoke up, "There is one reason for him to be here." He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out an iron-bound box; "I heard my parent's wills today," he informed Snape, "and my mother left this for you; I have no idea what's inside it, but she said you would be the only one who can open it." He tried to move around Draco so he could hand the box to the dour-looking potions master, but the blonde refused to let him by. "Draco! This is ridiculous! Move out of the way!" As he was trying to get around Draco, no one noticed Luna slipping behind him and leaning down to open his trunk.
"No," Draco said, taking the box from him, "We both know how Severus feels about you, and I don't trust Dumbledore, therefore you will remain safe behind me; you don't even have your wand, remember?" Harry glared at the Slytherin but sullenly nodded his agreement and allowed Draco to take the box from him and hand it to Snape.
"We have business to attend to right now Severus," Albus said, "Why don't you let me hold onto this until the proper time comes for you to open it?" He reached out to grab the box, but Draco pulled it out of his reach.
"In her will Lily said she had something important to tell you but Dumbledore made her swear to keep it a secret as long as she lived," Draco informed his godfather, "Do you really want to trust him with something like this?" He moved to the side a little to better hide Luna from the watchful eyes of Dumbledore as she sifted quietly through Harry's trunk-most likely searching for his wand.
"I will hold onto it," Snape said, taking the box from Draco; he gave a grudging nod to Harry; "Thank you for giving this to me."
"It's what my mother wanted," Harry replied, "Maybe you should ask yourself why you didn't receive it before now; after all, someone-" he glared at Dumbledore-"had to have listened to he will after she died; my parents possessions should have been distributed long ago according to their wishes." He turned his attention to Dumbledore, "As for you being my guardian, Professor-as of today I am no longer considered a minor; my parents stated in their wills that I was to be considered an adult on my sixteenth birthday if both they and Sirius had passed away. You want to know where I plan to stay? With my fiancé." He took hold of Draco's hand, still making sure to stand slightly behind the older boy, and the blonde looked over his shoulder, pressing his lips to Harry's in a brief kiss.
"You approve of this, Narcissa?" Snape asked drily; "I'm surprised at you."
"Of course I approve," Narcissa replied coolly, "Harry is a fine young man; very powerful and also caring and loyal. You should come by sometime and I'll tell you what he went through over the past twenty-four hours, although that is nothing to what he has had to put up with from his relatives; did you know they used to make him sleep in a cupboard?"
"Are you really going to listen to this nonsense, Severus?" Dumbledore demanded, "Harry is a very disturbed young man and, as you yourself have pointed out numerous times, he will do anything to get attention." Snape didn't reply to Dumbledore but maintained eye-contact with Narcissa.
"I know Petunia was always jealous of Lily," he said, "She felt left out because Lily could do magic and she couldn't; you're saying she took out her jealousy of Lily on Mr. Potter?"
"Much the same as you took out your hatred of James on the boy," Narcissa said softly, "It can be hard sometimes, can't it; to separate the child from memories of their parents?"
"I will consider what you have said," Snape nodded to her, "Now, as for Potter's emancipation; you have proof of this?" Harry nodded and handed the document provided to him by Nagnok to Draco, who passed it along to Snape. "Yes, it appears everything is in order," Snape showed the document to Dumbledore, who frowned, the twinkle finally fading from his eyes, "Very well, Potter; it looks like we have no right to detain you and, as you are now an adult, you are free to go where you will. Dare I hope that your new adult status means you won't be returning to Hogwarts to torment me this year?" Harry stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed at the realization that Snape at made a joke, before replying.
"Sorry Professor," he grinned, "but I have every intention of returning to school so I can finish my education; besides Draco said he wouldn't let…now how did he word it? He didn't want to share his castle with 'some un-educated cretin'. Don't worry though; unless a miracle occurred during exams I doubt I got an OWL in potions, so at least you won't have to deal with me in class." His smile brightened as Luna slipped something into his hand; he felt the familiar smooth length of Holly beneath his fingertips and he slipped his hand in his pocket to keep it out of Dumbledore's sight. "Now, Professor Dumbledore-I have been up for a very long time, and encountered "dangers untold and hardships un-numbered", so I would very much like to go home; unless you have something important to say I will see you on the first of September. Narcissa; would you shrink my trunk for me?" Harry knew he could do it himself now, but he didn't want Dumbledore to know he had his wand yet.
"Of course," Narcissa smiled and waved her wand, shrinking Harry's trunk down to something that would fit in his pocket; he let go of Draco's hand so that he could keep his wand in his right hand and slipped the trunk in his pocket, "Are we ready to go now?"
"Yes," Harry said firmly, taking Draco's hand again and letting Narcissa and Luna leave first, "Should we take the Knight Bus?"
"Not so fast!" Dumbledore said, leaping forward to grab hold of Harry's arm; the move was unexpected enough that Harry lost his grip on Draco's hand and was pulled to the other side of the living room; "I know you are unhappy with me Harry, but I can't allow you to leave with them; everything I have done was for the greater good-I had to make you strong so that you will be able to defeat Voldemort when the time comes. Do you know how powerful he is?"
"Let me go!" Harry protested, fighting against the headmaster's hold, "If Voldemort's so dangerous why don't you defeat him?" He demanded, "Everyone knows that you're the only one he was ever afraid of! Is it because of that stupid prophesy? Or is it because you're not really as powerful as they say you are? Maybe you're just a fraud-ow!" Harry glared up at Dumbledore from where he had been pushed onto the floor.
"You don't understand," Dumbledore said coldly, all pretense of being a kindly old grandfather gone, "Voldemort put the prophesy in motion, so now it must be carried out!" He quoted a line from the prophesy, "'…and the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal…'; do you think that scar and the ability to speak parseltongue are the only things he gave you? You're such a stupid child! Crucio!" Harry cried out in pain and shock as the curse hit him; it was ten times worse than when Voldemort had used the same curse on him back in the graveyard-it felt more like the brief time when Voldemort had shared his body back at the ministry.
"Protego!" Harry vaguely recognized that someone had cast a shield spell in front of him and felt relief as the pain faded, "Harry! Are you alright?" Draco helped him into a sitting position and Harry winced as a new wave of pain washed over him.
"I'll be okay," he assured the blonde, "I just have to wait for the residual-Hermione taught me that word-pain to go away. Help me stand." Draco pulled Harry to his feet and wrapped on arm around the brunette's waist to support him.
"You're all idiots!" Dumbledore said, "If the boy can't even dodge a simple curse how do you expect him to fight against Voldemort and his horcruxes?" He raised his wand to cast another spell, but stopped when Luna threw something at him. "Mushrooms?" he looked at the young blonde girl, confusion on his face, "You think to stop me with mushrooms?" Without considering the consequences, Harry pushed Draco away from him and then fired two non-verbal spells in rapid succession; the first knocked Snape backward into the wall, and the second spell caused Luna's mushroom necklace to burst into flames. As the necklace burned the mushrooms released a deadly-looking red gas into the air, and Harry fell to his knees as he accidentally inhaled some; the world spun around him for a few moments and he saw Draco's worried grey eyes above him and then everything went black.
When Harry regained consciousness, he was surprised to find himself in a familiar, bright orange room.
"Wh-what happened?" he asked, wincing at his dry throat.
"Harry!" he was engulfed in a tight hug that had him coughing as he fought for breath; "Oh no; I'm sorry Harry! I've just been so worried about you; are you okay?" He looked up into the warm brown eyes of Hermione and smiled at her reassuringly.
"Water," he rasped, and she hastened to hand him a glass of cold water, "What am I doing at the Burrow 'Mione? And where's Draco?"
"The Malfoy's brought you here," Hermione informed him, "They told Mrs. Weasley that you inhaled some poisonous fumes and that this was the only place they knew you would be safe. Then, well, I'm afraid Mrs. Weasley thought that Draco did this to you, so she sent Luna to her father's house and then called the aurors and-"
"What?" Harry exclaimed, "Where the hell are Draco and Narcissa?"
"Harry James Potter!" Molly scolded as she entered the room with Severus close behind, "You will watch your language young man! I will forgive it this once due to your delicate health-"
"Forget my health!" Harry interrupted, "I want to know where my fiancé is! How could you call the aurors without any evidence? Did they take them to Azkaban?"
"I don't know what you mean by your fiancé," Molly stated fussing over Harry and adjusting his blankets, "However the aurors did take the Malfoy's away; them bringing you here poisoned was all the proof that was needed, what with Lucius being a confirmed Death Eater and all. Now, Harry dear, let Severus take a look at you to make sure there are no lingering side-effects." She tried to move away but Harry grabbed her wrist.
"When I say my fiancé, I'm talking about Draco Malfoy," he informed her coldly, showing her the signet ring on his left hand; Molly gasped but Harry ignored it, "You had my fiancé and his mother arrested because they brought me to you for help;" he glared at Hermione, "Didn't anyone speak up for Draco and Narcissa?
"Of course I did!" Hermione said, "So did Ginny, Fred and George; even Ron defended Draco in his own way-"
"Told Mum he'd have to be completely daft to poison you and then bring you here," Ron said, entering the room along with the twins and Ginny, "She wouldn't listen though; she was right angry at us for going to the goblin kingdom and said we were obviously confounded-"
"And I stand by my opinion, which Albus supports," Molly said firmly, "If you are engaged to that…boy, then it must be some sort of spell!"
"I told you Molly, there is no spell on Potter or your children," Snape said silkily, "As for Albus…well, I wouldn't believe everything he says, after all, he is only human and therefore not infallible. Now, Mr. Potter, lie still for a moment so I can make sure the poison is out of your system." Harry glared at the room in general, but obeyed and remained silent as Snape ran a scan over him. "Hmmm…it appears the poison is gone, however…Molly, if you would kindly clear the room, I need a moment alone with Potter."
"Very well, Severus," Molly agreed, "I'll be waiting just outside if you need me; come on you lot!" She herded her children-and Hermione-out of the room and shut the door behind her.
"We have many things to discuss," Snape began, "however now is not the time for it; Narcissa and Draco are currently being held in a cell at the ministry awaiting a trial, however Dumbledore is pushing to have them Kissed unless they admit what they did to you and turn over Lucius. Don't interrupt!" He scowled at Harry when the brunette opened his mouth to argue, "Now, normally it would take a few days at least for the trial and Draco and his mother would simply remain under house arrest, but Dumbledore is using his influence to have them tried today; we have very little time to get you to the ministry, and I'm afraid Molly will hinder us because Dumbledore instructed her to keep you here out of harm's way until his return."
"Tell the twins," Harry said, "Tell Mrs. Weasley I'm fine but I just need a bit more rest, and then tell her you wanted to speak to the twins about a product of theirs that interests you; when you get them away from her tell them what's going on and they will create a diversion so that I can sneak through the Floo and go…where should I go?"
"Snape Manor," the potions master replied, "I will meet you there and then apparated us to the ministry. Your wand is on the nightstand over there, and bring your invisibility cloak as well;" Snape stood up and walked over to the door; "Oh, and Potter? You might want to put on some actual clothing underneath your robes."
Harry looked down at himself and flushed as he heard the door close; instead of the clothing Narcissa had given him for the ball he was completely naked underneath the blanket although, oddly, the bed was full of spider webs and bits of dried leaves and twigs, and his invisibility cloak and the knife Sirius had given him were also in the bed, along with his shrunken trunk. Shaking his head at the mystery of it all, Harry got out of bed and searched through Ron's clothes until he found some that were only a little too long on him. He used his wand to cut a couple inches off the bottom of the pant legs and rolled up the shirt sleeves; he looked rather sloppy, but everything would be covered by the dress robe Draco had given him, so he wasn't too worried about it. He slipped his wand in his right-hand pocket and his trunk, invisibility cloak, and knife in the other pocket and then climbed back in bed to wait for the twins' diversion. No sooner had he climbed in bed then the door opened and Molly entered.
"Severus says you'll be just fine dear," she smiled at him, "And Albus is taking care of the Malfoy's, so you just rest a bit and I'll wake you for tea, alright?"
"Okay," Harry said softly, adding a fake yawn for effect, "G'night Mrs. Weasley."
"Good-night dear," Molly replied, and he heard the soft click of the door closing as she left. A few minutes later, he heard the thundering of footsteps on the stairs and then Fred and George burst into the room.
"You have ten minutes," George informed him, "We used a new product of ours that stops time in a room for anyone not wearing one of these," he held out his hand to show Harry a gaudy, red-and-gold wristwatch.
"It's still in the trial phase so only lasts between ten and twenty minutes," Fred added, "so you'd better hurry. Do us a favor though? Leave Mum a note so she doesn't go ballistic, okay?"
"Sure," Harry replied, accepting a quill and parchment from George he wrote out a quick note;
Dear Mrs. Weasley,
I'm sorry to leave like this, but I can't just stay here when my family may be in danger; I've gone to make sure they're okay, and I will let you know what happens.
~Harry
"How's that?" he asked the twins.
"Perfect," they chorused, and then ushered him downstairs, "Hurry now!" When they reached the living room, the trio was only slightly shocked to see Luna waiting for them.
"Daddy said I should go with you, Harry," she informed him, "During the summer I'm supposed to get to know my mother's people, and I can't do that while I'm here. So, where does Professor Snape live?" Harry shook his head but didn't bother arguing.
"Just follow me," he told her, before turning to the twins, "Thanks for all your help guys; when I get a chance I have another business proposition to discuss with you."
"No problem mate," Fred grinned.
"Always happy to help our littlest brother," George agreed, handing Harry the pot with Floo powder. Harry grabbed a handful and threw it into the fireplace.
"Snape Manor," he called, and stepped into the green flames, vanishing from sight. When the world was steady again, Harry found himself standing in a dreary drawing room, where Severus Snape was waiting for him along with-
"Wormtail!" he exclaimed, "What is he doing here?" He glared at Snape suspiciously.
"The Dark Lord sent him to help me," Snape replied, flicking his wand to bind Peter Pettigrew in magic ropes, "or, in other words, to spy on me. I know it's too late to help your obnoxious godfather, however I thought we might take him to the ministry with us and have Sirius' name cleared; after hearing what Lily had to tell me, I deeply regret listening to Dumbledore when he told me not to turn this poor excuse for a wizard over to the aurors last summer." The rat animagus was obviously under a silencing spell, because he was unable to make any protest except by glaring at Snape.
"Dumbledore made it so that Sirius couldn't get his name cleared," Harry stated, "Merlin; what else has that manipulative bas-" He fell silent as the fireplace flared up again and Snape aimed his wand. "Wait! I forgot to tell you; Luna's coming too!" He caught the ditzy blonde girl as she fell giggling out of the fireplace.
"And why, exactly, is Lovegood here?" Snape inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"The blibber-" Harry placed a hand over her mouth to prevent her from continuing.
"She's been with me since the beginning and can serve as a witness for Draco and Narcissa," he informed Snape, "Speaking of which; shouldn't we go now? Ow!" He snatched his hand away from Luna's mouth when she bit him.
"Yes, let's go," Snape replied, "Lovegood-did you pass the apparition test in the Fae Realm?"
"Yes," Luna answered, "and I'm wearing the same pair of lucky earrings that I had on when I took the test."
"Good," Snape said, "Then you will take Potter and I shall take Wormtail; apparate to the ministry atrium." Moments later Snape was gone, and the Luna grabbed Harry's arm and-before he could protest-had apparated them to the ministry. "You didn't splinch yourselves; good," Snape said, then he waved his wand and forced Pettigrew into his animagus form, then trapped him inside the iron-bound box that Harry had given him earlier. "Now, we must hurry to the court room; I checked earlier and Dumbledore called in the full Wizengamot for this." He turned and entered the ministry with his robes billowing out behind him and Harry and Luna close on his heels.
The lift ride down to the floor where the hearing was being held seemed to last an eternity, but they finally reached the proper floor and rushed into the courtroom.
"Very well, in light of the testimony of Albus Dumbledore I-" Rufus Scrimegour, the Minister of Magic was interrupted by the doors slamming open.
"Wait!" Snape said, "Harry Potter is here, and he would like to address this court regarding the events that happened today." Everyone in the courtroom stared at the unlikely trio for a moment, and then Scrimegour collected himself.
"Mr. Potter," he nodded a greeting, "Of course, as the injured it is your right to speak at this hearing. Please step forward and give your testimony." He waited until Harry stood in front of him and began his questioning; "Now, according to Albus Dumbledore, he witnessed Draco and Narcissa Malfoy poison you with a very rare mushroom-"
"Excuse me," Harry interrupted as politely as possible, "if you have a pensieve, I would like to allow you to view my memory of what happened a few hours ago."
"I object," Dumbledore spoke up before anyone else could reply, "Mr. Potter is underage, and therefore does not have the right to show us his memory; as his legal guardian-"
"I was emancipated today, in accordance with my parents will," Harry interrupted, handing Scrimgeour the document from Gringotts, "so I don't need Dumbledore's permission for anything." He looked over his shoulder to smile reassuringly at Draco, who was sitting in the same chair Harry had occupied just one year ago; this time, however, the chains were being used to hold the blonde in place. "Also, Minister, I would appreciate it if you could have the chains release Draco; I know he's here under suspicion, but he's still a classmate of mine and only sixteen-I doubt he has a chance to escape from the courtroom, especially since I'm sure you have his wand."
"That seems fair," Scrimegour agreed, and the manacles dropped away from Draco, "These documents also prove to be authentic, so we shall provide a pensieve so that we may review the events that happened earlier this morning; in fact, Albus Dumbledore has accused Draco Malfoy of kidnapping you and placing you under a spell, so perhaps memories of the past twenty-four hours would be useful?"
"Okay," Harry agreed, and they waited a moment for the pensieve to be brought in. Percy Weasley, who happened to be the courtroom aide, set the stone basin in front of Harry and gave him a guarded nod, which Harry responded to with a smile.
Harry placed his wand to his temple and concentrated on memories of the past twenty-four hours, starting with his wish to have his cousin taken by the goblin king, and ending with the scene at his relatives house that morning; he edited out some of his memories-such as the more intense kisses between himself and Draco, and the information about Sirius-but it still took a good few hours for the Wizengamot to review his memories.
When they had finished reviewing the memories the members of the Wizengamot looked at Dumbledore in shock; the so-called "leader of the light" had used an Unforgivable against Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived!
"I move that all charges against Draco Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy neé Black be dropped," Rufus Scrimgour was the first person to find his voice, "All those in favor?" The majority of the people in the stands raised their hands; when it was done only five people were opposed, "Draco Malfoy, I declare you innocent of all charges; Mr. Weasley-please return to Mr. Malfoy his wand, and have Narcissa Malfoy brought in and given back her wand as well."
"Yes sir," Percy bowed and immediately handed Draco his wand; once he had it in hand Draco looked at Harry and ran to the brunette, hugging him tightly.
"You don't know how glad I was to see you," Draco whispered, "When you walked in with Severus, I just knew we were saved!" He kissed Harry fiercely on the mouth before pulling back slightly, eyes burning with emotion, "I love you, Harry Potter."
"I love you too, Draco Malfoy," Harry replied, burying his face in the blonde's neck, "When Snape told me that Dumbledore was pushing for the Kiss…I probably would have joined up with Voldemort if it would save you."
"I hate to interrupt," Scrimegour said apologetically, "However there is still the matter of Albus Dumbledore to be settled; would you like to press charges against him?"
"Aaah!" At that moment Dumbledore let out a terrible cry and crumpled to the floor; seconds later, a black mist rose from his body and a pair of glowing red eyes flashed at them once before the mist vanished.
"What was that?" a frightened voice from the stands demanded, "It looked like Dumbledore was possessed!" Dumbledore stirred and moaned softly before raising his head to look at the members of the Wizengamot.
"I'm free," he said quietly, "I'm so sorry for what I've done; after the battle at the ministry I was possessed by a portion of Voldemort's soul; I'm not sure what drove him away, but I'm finally myself again." He rose to his feet unsteadily and addressed Amelia Bones, the head of Magical Law Enforcement. "Madame Bones, I am willing to accept punishment for my behavior, however I do request that you keep in mind the fact that I have been possessed; if you would like, I can provide you with a pensieve memory of the battle." Madame Bones looked at the minister for a moment before responding.
"Very well, Albus;" she nodded, "We shall withhold judgment until we have had a chance to review your memories; please…" Harry tuned out of the conversation as he saw Narcissa enter the courtroom; Harry had never seen anyone hasten slowly before, but somehow the stately blonde managed, and she engulfed Harry and Draco in a tight hug.
"Are you alright, Dragon?" when Draco nodded she turned to Harry, "And you Harry; are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Harry replied, "Thankfully Dumbledore still trusts Snape-or at least he did-and he was able to tell me what happened when he checked me over at the Weasley's. Unfortunately, Dumbledore is pretending that he was possessed, so it looks as if he will get out of this mess scot-free." He scowled angrily at the devious headmaster, until Draco drew his attention back to him by squeezing his hand.
"It's just until you get the rest of your financial report from Gringotts," the blonde reminded him, "After you get all the information from them, you will be able to press charges against Dumbledore for going against your parents' wishes. Unless you wish to fight against this now?"
"No," Harry shook his head, "I think I would rather go home; I would say we should stop back by the Weasley's before we leave the realm, but I'm afraid Mrs. Weasley would just call the aurors on you again."
"Perhaps it would be better to meet up with the Weasley's at a later time," Narcissa suggested, "maybe in a neutral setting." She gave Harry a small smile and then turned to Luna, holding a hand out to the blonde girl, "I should be furious at you for bringing that necklace after I told you to leave it behind, but I must say it came in useful; next time, however, perhaps you could give me enough advanced notice so that I can bring an antidote for any poisonous items you feel might be needful?"
"I'll ask the humdingers," Luna said non-commitally, "They're the ones that tell me what could be useful; most people find them annoying, but I've discovered that you can bribe them with sweets and they won't play as many tricks on you."
"That's nice dear," Narcissa smiled, then she raised her hand to get the minister's attention.
"-so I feel that he should be under watch until such time as-sorry; yes, Mrs. Malfoy?" Scrimegour stopped in the middle of what he was saying and turned his attention to Narcissa.
"Thank you, Minister," Narcissa smiled at him, "May we be permitted to leave now? Harry has decided not to press charges at this time, and he is still feeling somewhat ill from inhaling those toxic fumes earlier today."
"Of course," Scrimegour nodded, "You and your son are free to go; if we have any further questions we will send you an owl." Narcissa bowed slightly, Harry and Draco following her lead, and then took Luna's hand-the flighty blonde had started humming and twirling around in circles-and led the group over to the door; she stopped for a moment to address Severus; "Severus, will you be accompanying us today? I'm sure we have much to discuss?"
"Not at the moment," Snape replied, glancing at Dumbledore, who was still appealing to the Wizengamot, "I have things I must attend to first-" he looked at Harry and tapped the iron-bound box, "-but I will send you an owl when I am free; it will be either later today or sometime tomorrow."
"Very well," Narcissa kissed his cheek, "You know you are welcome at any time. Do you mind if we apparated to your home so that we may open a portal back to the realm?"
"I'm afraid you will have to floo," Snape replied, "I don't have Potter or Lovegood keyed into the wards, but you are welcome to use my home to open a portal."
"Thank you," Narcissa nodded, "Take care, Severus." She continued out of the courtroom with Luna in tow and Harry and Draco following behind. Once out of the courtroom, the group rode the lift up to the atrium and Narcissa led them to a long row of fireplaces; one-by-one they took a handful of floo powder and tossed it in the flames, calling out Snape Manor. At Snape's house Narcissa opened a portal and they stepped through it together, each of them heaving a sigh of relief at finally being home.
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