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If This Is How You Treat Your Heroes...	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Lucius Views: 96986 -:- Recommendations : 12 -:- Currently Reading : 15
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make no form of profit off this story

Chapter List
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Chapter 20

Beta'd by the most wonderful, amazing and stupendous Tenchi. Woman, you are the best and love you for all you do for me!

Sitting in the Gryffindor tower after talking with Madam Bones and a couple of Aurors she didn't know, Hermione was trying to pay attention to what Ron and Ginny had to say. After all, the two had just finished their own talk with the Aurors, so there was much she wanted to hear. However, she couldn't quite manage that. Instead, her focus was on the front page of the Seer, eyes locked on the picture of Harry and Sirius gracing it. She knew what the article said by now, of course, as she'd read it a few times, but the picture was almost like a confirmation that it was all real.
Reaching out with a trembling hand, she stroked her fingers over the picture, smiling sadly as she watched Harry lean into Sirius and Sirius ruffle Harry's hair. Shaking her head, she sighed. At least the two were together and safe. That's all that mattered, she supposed. Sirius was protected and in no danger of being Kissed. Harry had someone to look out for him. Well, two someones if she read it right. Professor Lupin was with them. That was good. Harry needed people to look out for him as it appeared everything said so far was true.
Sighing, shoulders slumping, she looked in Ginny's direction when her friend said her name.
Looking at the paper Hermione was holding, Ginny said, “I cut the picture out of the paper and am saving it. I think it's the only one we have of Harry and Sirius, either one.”
Glancing down at the paper again, Hermione said, quietly, “I think I will too. Colin has a bunch of him, but I won't ask for any of them. I think he's trying to sell them, actually. This is a good one, so I'll keep it.”
“What did you tell Madam Bones,” Ron asked quietly, shifting around, glancing at the others in the common room. Most weren't there, as they were being questioned by the Aurors right now. As the three of them knew Harry so well, they were talked to first and it took the longest.
“I told them everything,” Hermione said, bluntly, looking at him. “The complete truth about everything they asked. This is a right mess and I'm not going to hide anything anymore. Harry was hurt so badly because so many of us said nothing. The same with Sirius. No, I wasn't going to even try to protect anyone. They're adults, they can handle it on their own.”
“I did as well,” Ginny confirmed with a nod. “Mum said to tell them everything, so I did.”
“So did I,” Ron admitted. Quietly, glancing around again, he said, “The stuff from here at school wasn't a problem. That was easy enough to talk about. They seemed real interested in what happened with Sirius. That's expected though. The only part I was uncomfortable with was Dumbledore and the stuff about the Order. I mean, they asked some really strange questions about that. Some of what they wanted to know made me wonder if I should tell them or not. I mean, it could put plenty of people in danger or trouble.”
“That's their problem to deal with, not ours,” Hermione told him firmly, shaking her head. “I mean, like with Professor Snape. If they didn't want us to know, they could have kept it a secret like they did so much else. They didn't. The same with other areas like Professor Dumbledore and his plans.”
“Hermione's right,” Ginny nodded. “I mean, someone, somewhere, had to realize that there might be a reason we had to give some of the information up at some point. If they didn't want us knowing, they had ways of making sure we didn't, like with some of the meetings and what was said.” Lowering her voice, she looked around then added, “Which makes me wonder if someone did want us knowing some of this. And why they would want us to. Something is really screwy here about parts of this mess. I just don't know what it is other than it relates to Dumbledore. I mean, from the way Madam Bones asked questions, I felt like Professor Dumbledore was trying to recruit us for something, somewhere. At least that's how it seemed to me. I told her that mum and dad always said we were out of it until we reached the legal age but--” trailing off, she shrugged.
“I got that feeling too,” Ron confirmed with a nod. “I mean, some of those questions were pretty direct about Dumbledore. The Snape part I got. I mean, they asked all kinds about him for obvious reasons. It was like they were fishing for information about Dumbledore though.”
“And none of what they asked about will lead to anything good,” Hermione said quietly, once more looking down at the picture of Harry and Sirius. Letting out a shuddering sigh, she said, not looking up, “If everything in the papers is true, something I'm sure of since we can confirm a lot of it, Professor Dumbledore is in a lot of trouble over it. I mean—we knew some of it and told. He didn't do anything and seemed to know even more. I don't know what to think anymore.”

Looking around, making sure no one was paying attention to them, Ginny scooted closer to the two then said, keeping her voice down, “I don't know what mum and dad think here on this mess, but if Professor Dumbledore let all this go on with Harry and knew, like it seems he did, or had a hand in it, I don't want any part of what he's doing. I mean, this is all rotten! Like dumping him on a doorstep with a note, knowing how bad things were and all that. It makes no sense to me. The same with letting other things go on.”
“Yeah, I tend to agree there,” Ron nodded. “I mean, we all knew how bad Harry's family was. We even knew how bad some of the stuff here at school was. It makes no sense.”
Looking at the paper once more, Hermione sighed, shoulders slumping. Shaking her head, she asked, “Ginny? Can you write to your mum and see what she has to say about this? I mean, I'm leaning in that direction myself, but wonder what her and your dad think about it before I make a decision. Can you include all the things they asked us about?”
“I can,” Ginny told her with a firm nod. “Good idea, Hermione. I think I can get it all across without clearly coming across with it.”
Reading though one of the paragraphs in the article where Sirius talked about some of the ones in the Order that professed to care about Harry so much but did nothing, she sighed. “I don't think, from some of what is said here, that Harry is real happy with some people. The same with Sirius. And, if I've read it right, it might be your parents he's talking about.” Shaking her head, Hermione slumped, “I don't know what to say or do here.”
“I read it the same way,” Ginny told her friend softly. Shutting her eyes, her head dropped then she added, voice almost a whisper, “If it's all true, I don't blame them and can understand why they're mad.” After a few deep breaths, she said, “I'll ask mum about that as well. Let's see what she says before we jump to conclusions.”
Moving away from the uncomfortable topic, Hermione cleared her throat then began to ask about some of what the other two overheard of the questioning going on with others.

Huffing, puffing out his mustache, Vernon glowered at the freaks that had just appeared in his living room. The one he recognized as the father of one of the friends of the boy. “Now see here!” He snarled, fully planning to go on a tirade since he was now damned sure of the reason he couldn't get out of his own front door.
Stepping forward, holding onto his hat after a nod from Aries, Arthur said, “Mr. Dursley. I'm Arthur Weasley. I'm sure you remember me. My son, Ron, is friends with your nephew.”
“I remember you. You blew apart my living room,” Vernon bristled, glaring at the man, giving Petunia's hand, which was resting on his bicep, a reassuring pat.
Pleased that the man remembered, Arthur sighed then said, quietly, “The rest of the gentlemen with me are members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. That's the equivalent of your please men. They're here to talk to you about Harry and some charges that have been leveled.”
Snorting, Vernon said, “Whatever the boy's done, it's your problem, not ours. We only have him over the summer. What he does when he's with you lot is of no concern to us. You deal with it.”
“I think, perhaps, I've explained this badly,” Arthur sighed, looking down. “The problems aren't accusations about Harry, but accusations he's made against you, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. Ones that involve abuse, neglect and other serious problems.” Fumbling, he pulled out the copy of the Seer where it talked about Harry's home life then handed it over to the man.
Taking the paper, eyes widening at the moving pictures, Vernon, with Petunia peering over his shoulder, read through what was there quickly, growing pale as he did. Oh, this wasn't good. When he finished, he held the paper tightly and glared at the men. “The boy can say what he wants. There's no proof. My solicitor will ensure nothing comes of this.”

“Mr. Dursley, I don't think you appreciate just how serious this is,” Arthur said, sighing softly. “We aren't like Muggles in that it's Harry's word against yours. We have other ways of verifying what's said. In this case, what Harry said in that paper is backed up by copies of his own memories of the incidents in question, something we know are authentic. In fact, those memories are the reason we're here. It was the DMLE's hope that by having me along, as we've had interactions in the past, you'll understand how serious this situation is. What's going to happen now is you and your wife are going to be arrested and taken to the Ministry. Once there, you can request a solicitor to work with you. You can, of course, have your own, but I would strongly suggest that you let the Ministry provide you one as they are familiar with our laws and how they work in a way yours won't be.”
“You have no right,” Vernon bellowed, going red in the face. “We are not required to abide by your laws.” Hearing his wife whimpering, he patted her hand again, “Nothing to worry about, Petunia. I'll handle this.”
“Oh, but that is where you're wrong, Mr. Dursley,” Aries said, coming up to stand by Arthur. “The crimes you committed are against a Wizarding child, thus fall under our jurisdiction. Not only that, there are our penalties are attached. You're about to learn that we take such crimes far more seriously than Muggles do.” Keeping his eyes locked on the two, seeing the beefy man look like he was going to bellow some more, Aries said, “Take them into custody.” Looking at the two Muggles, he said, “We'll have a solicitor waiting for you when we get there.” Watching as the two were led away, the man still sputtering worthless threats, Aries sighed and shook his head. “Thank you, Arthur. Your help was appreciated.”
Nodding, watching the officers Apparate away with the two, Arthur sighed, “Well, at least that is some form of justice. Even if it's too late.”
“I agree,” Aries sighed, shaking his head. “Why people let this go on for years is beyond me. Mr. Potter will get justice here, we'll make sure of it, but I can see why, from his perspective, it is meaningless now. One shouldn't have to take the step he did to get help. That tells me we have too much in need of repair to be effective.”
Thinking about the returned letters they received that morning, Arthur sighed and nodded. “I agree,” he said softly, looking around at the prison that was Harry's home. “Do you want me to help you identify places from the memories or to point to what I know about?”
“That would be helpful. Let's wait for the tech with the camera, then we'll make our rounds here,” Aries said, glancing at what he could see of the home, a distasteful look on his face.
Nodding, Arthur waited, looking down, unable to shake the guilt.

Looking at the man that walked into his house, Albus said, quietly, “What can I do for you Wallias? And would you care for a cup of tea? It's been a while since we've had a chat.”
“No, no tea,” Wallias said with a shake of his head, looking at the old Wizard. “I just popped over to give you a slight heads up about something is all.”
Taking a seat and sipping at his tea, Albus asked, genuinely curious, “What's that?”
“Amelia has called me and my crew back in to help her with this whole debacle. After the last few days, she's about at the end of her rope with things like leaks and people getting their hands on memories that are protected. Getting a right reaming by the French yesterday didn't help matters either. No, she decided she needed some help and gave me a yell.” Looking at the man, raising his chin fractionally, Wallias' eyes hardened and his tone became frosty, “I have to say that what I've seen so far of this mess leads me to believe that some people are going to be spending quite a few years in Azkaban over it. Very high ranking, well respected ones at that. Moody—well, he gave up everything he knew to save his pension. Plenty of others have as well.” Stepping closer to the man in the chair, Wallias said, “It's your head I'm going to be gunning for, Albus. I'll let Amelia take on Fudge. He's nothing but a toy mouse the cat will bat around and is simple. You, though, are a whole other ball of magic, aren't you? Everywhere we look, your name comes up, Albus. In everything. The boy gets dropped on the doorstep, you're involved. An innocent man can be proven innocent but no one says a word, you're name comes in. A child molester is left in a school full of children at your behest. The list is a long one, Albus. And all those crimes keep coming back in your direction. No, I get to play with you. And it'll be fun.” Standing there, stiff, he brushed off his robes then said, conversationally, “You inspire great loyalty, Albus. Too bad you didn't in a young man who had to flee the country. He gave you up, on everything. Amelia is going to ensure those memories can be used in court by pushing through an evidential exception to the law. As bad as this is making everyone look, what do you think the odds are of her getting what she wants?” Looking at the man, he waited, eyes cold.
Sitting there, looking at Wallias, Albus said, “We all make mistakes over our time, you know that. I've made my share. Being smarter than most, mine tend to be bigger, this I know.”
“Oh, Albus, don't try that with me,” Wallias sneered. “If this was one mistake I would accept that and move on, hoping you learned a lesson. No, Albus, this isn't one mistake. This was a series of them that you planned out carefully. The only 'mistake' here is that people now know what you did, nothing more. You made it all sound good and had reasons that they bought. It wasn't until it was laid out in such a bald and concise manner that people are now questioning it. No, Albus, this isn't a mistake. It's one of your manipulations. I just wanted to stop by to let you know I'm aware of what you're doing and on the case. I will give you the one chance you'll have to come in and talk it over with us. It may help reduce charges that are sure to be leveled against you. Nothing, nowhere, is going to make those go away, Albus, but you can help yourself a little.”
Setting his teacup down, Albus folded his hands in his lap and looked at the man then said, softly, “You don't know what's at stake here, Wallias.”
“Yes, I do. I know there is a government scrambling to cover its hindquarters and stop the reaming it's taking because it failed to protect a child. I know there are plenty of Ministry workers, all the way to the Minister himself, that are in a great deal of trouble over what they've done. I know Snape molested many children over his tenure at Hogwarts. I know you are planning something for a teenage boy that probably isn't nice. I know there is a young man in France that is hiding because he couldn't get help from so many that were supposed to protect him. That's what I know, Albus. The other parts? I don't concern myself with those. Nor should you right now. You have bigger worries you need to focus on rather than plots and plans you've hatched over the years. Many of the things you should focus on can land your backside in Azkaban for what you've done.” Stepping back, Wallias said, “I would get a solicitor if I were you, Albus. You're going to need one. Now, I'll let myself out.” Not waiting for an answer, Wallias turned and left, Apparating away.
Watching the man go, Albus ran a trembling hand over his beard, shaking his head. Oh, this wasn't good, not at all!

Striding down the hall at the Ministry, Wallias met up with Rufus just as the man was headed into his office. Smugly, he said, “I just went and poked Albus a little. It was rather fun, actually.”
Giving an amused snort, Rufus asked, ushering his old boss inside and shutting the door, “Does he know you're taking the lead there?”
“Oh, he does,” Wallias said, taking a seat, crossing his legs. “And that he's my focus. My suggestion now is to post someone close to keep an eye on who comes and goes. Also, where the old goat goes himself. He's going to do some covering tactics and try to get things running according to plans again. That'll help all of you.”
Making a note of that, Rufus nodded. “Will do. I have a couple that I can assign.”
“I also made it clear he needs a solicitor. He won't do that, we both know it, but it's out there so it can't bite us.” Wallias told him.
“Good,” Rufus said, leaning back, pleased with this. “Alright, the man is poked and probably riled. Let's delve into the rest and see what we can uncover. I've got everything I can on Albus. I suggest we start putting it all in order and go that way. Maybe you can see something here that Amelia and I can't.”
Leaning forward, Wallias nodded, serious expression on his face. “Let's do this.”

Sitting in his office with Percy, Cornelius was looking at the mass of parchments stacked almost everywhere. In fact, there were so many of them that they were hovering in corners in stacks to keep them out of the way. Quietly, the Minister asked, “What's the running percentage here?”

Sighing, Percy told him as gently as he could, “About 95% are screaming for your head in some way. That goes from simple resignation all the way up to imprisonment and being Kissed. About 3% are backing you. The rest are undecided.”
Fudge leaned back in his chair and looked down, shaking his head sadly. “Have you managed to uncover more of what the DMLE is doing?”
“Some. Not much, honestly. They are being very closed mouthed about whatever it is they are working with. However, I do know that Madam Bones and Rufus are working on two specific people while farming out everything else to others. They also called Wallias and his crew back to help. They, too, are going to work on problem areas.”
“Do I want to know who they are focused on?” Fudge asked with a leery tone.
“You and Albus Dumbledore,” Percy told him honestly. “I know there are others they are looking at and there is some legislation they are blocking out time tomorrow to get through.” Stopping, he leaned back to wait for what Fudge had to say about that.
Shaking his head sadly, the Minister asked, “Is there anyway anyone can think of that I can regain favor or work with what's here?”

“Not that I've heard, no,” Percy said with a sad shake of his head. “Come tomorrow it'll be even worse. The news of the sanctions leveled by France will hit the papers. Once that happens, it's just going to add fuel to the fire. We already look bumbling in the eyes of the people. This will make it worse. There hasn't even been a hint as to what charges might come your way. We also have no idea what the Seer is going to run next in the series. As the Ministry, in general, hasn't been covered yet, it's a safe bet it's coming. When it does, what's already here is going to be worse.”
Wiping his red, sweaty face with his hankie, Fudge sighed dejectedly, looking around. “This is bad,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
“I know,” Percy said, tossing his notes on the desk and leaning back. He didn't mention it, but the fact was he was also worried about himself in the matter. As attached as he was to Fudge, whatever was coming at the Minister was going to splatter him too, probably hard enough that it was going to stick and not come off. No, this wasn't good.
Taking another glance around, watching more letters land in the inbox on his desk, Fudge sighed and shook his head. Gently, he told Percy, “I think you should take the rest of the day off. I'm going to tend to what has to be done then go home and talk a few matters over with my wife. I believe I need to visit my solicitor as well.”
Taking that for what it was, Percy nodded. Standing, he bid the man good day then went to find his desk. When he got there, he fully and completely planned to write out his resignation and distance himself from the man then go into hiding until the worst of this was over. Maybe, somewhere in there, he would go to Madam Bones and offer up what he knew. He wasn't going to come out of this smelling like a rose, he knew that, but he could duck the worst of it and transfer to a different department. That was as good as it was going to get.
Watching Percy go, Fudge shook his head. He knew what he had to do, but didn't want to take that step. No, it rubbed him wrong. However, he wasn't seeing a way around it right now. If he stayed in office, he was going to get his head handed to him. If he left, he was sure that something would come his way but it wouldn't be as bad as it would be otherwise. Sighing dejectedly, he gathered up some things then sent a message out to his solicitor that he was on his way. Standing, he got with his secretary about what needed handled then told her to get him at home if he was needed. With determined steps, he headed out, hoping to have some kind of plan in place before the worst of this started to rain down on them.
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If This Is How You Treat Your Heroes...