Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
The Time Meddlers
Chapter Fifteen - Misdirection and Misconceptions
The room was pitch black and quiet as Harry and Hermione crouched down in the shadows. They'd been hiding for over ten minutes and could hear someone breathing near them as they silently waited for the right moment. It was the same day that the newspaper article about `Bellatrix's breakout' had come out, and the young couple was on another mission.
Just when they thought they couldn't keep out of sight any longer, they heard footsteps, as well as voices, coming from the doorway. They were about to get more company. After straining to hear the voices, Harry determined that their primary target was among the approaching group, so he tapped Hermione on the shoulder and whispered, "Get ready."
Both of them pulled their wands out and pointed them toward the doorway. Someone walked into the room and said, "Lights."
As soon as the room lit up, Harry and Hermione performed their spells while everyone else shouted, "SURPRISE!"
Ron Weasley was standing in the doorway in shock as he watched the decorative sparks flying from their wands like fireworks. Seamus and Dean, who were on either side of him, said, "Happy Birthday, Ron!"
Soon, the rest of the people in the room, mostly first-year Gryffindors, wished Ron a happy birthday as well. Finally, the youngest male Weasley asked, "Is there a cake here?"
Harry, Hermione, and most of the others, laughed at that question while Dean pointed out the Quaffle-shaped cake that was on a table in the corner. One couldn't help but notice that right next to it was a stack of presents.
About a half-hour into the party, Harry was sitting down at a table between Neville and Hermione. It was easy to see how happy Ron was as he opened the presents everyone had gotten him. They weren't much - Harry, for example, had bought him a package of chocolate frogs - but that was all it took to make the redhead happy. Harry turned to his unofficial girlfriend and whispered, "We should've done this the first time around."
She replied, just as quietly, "I know." She sighed before continuing, "I think though, that you gave Seamus and Dean the idea. Haven't you noticed that there have been a lot more birthday parties here since you threw that one for me?"
Harry grinned. "I believe that was the only time I ever surprised you." He then turned to Neville and asked, "Are you alright? I mean with the article this morning?"
Neville looked surprised. "What? I mean, why wouldn't I be?"
With a very serious expression on his face, Harry whispered, "I know about your parents. They're heroes."
Neville looked down. "Oh. I mean, I know they're heroes. It's just…"
"I understand, Nev. If I could keep my story secret, I would, too." Harry sighed. "I'm sure Bellatrix won't be coming after you or your grandmother. After all those years in Azkaban, she probably doesn't remember your family."
"I hope you're right," replied Neville softly, "but part of me wants to get revenge when I've learned enough."
Harry shrugged his shoulders as he tried to comfort his friend who was troubled over the lie he'd perpetrated on Wizarding Britain. "Well, hopefully the aurors will have taken care of her before then."
"Hopefully."
--HP--
The next day, Harry and Hermione were at breakfast when an owl flew to Harry. He fed the bird a piece of bacon after removing its package. He was surprised to see Kingsley Shacklebolt's familiar writing.
Tox
As I'm sure you're aware, Sirius Black was murdered in Azkaban during Bellatrix Lestrange's escape. I can't tell you how sorry I am that he was killed before he could be freed. What the Daily Prophet didn't report was that Peter Pettigrew was the one wizard Bellatrix killed who wasn't part of her family. Now, although it hasn't been made public, Pettigrew's presence and death in Azkaban is part of the Ministry's records. I think that the `powers that be' may not be as adamant about keeping Sirius' record dirty now. If you'd like, I can work toward clearing Sirius Black's name posthumously, so that he at least won't always be remembered as a criminal. This will take a lot of time and effort, but if this is important to you, I'll do my best to make it happen. Let me know.
Sincerely,
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Later that day, Harry, Hermione and Sirius were sitting in the trunk apartment, and Harry had read the note to the others.
Hermione looked at Sirius and asked, "What do you think?"
Sirius scratched his chin for a few moments and said, "If my name gets cleared, then I should be able to…resurface as a free man."
"Or you could be blamed for those other deaths," said Harry.
"Or else you'd have to turn us in," added Hermione thoughtfully.
"So, I can't resurface either way, then?" Padfoot asked, looking each of them in the eye.
The Boy-Who-Lived frowned. "Probably not. Damn. I shouldn't have killed those others. I should've just…"
"I'd have killed Wormtail without a second thought," interrupted Sirius. "He betrayed your parents." He sighed. "I know what the others did as well. I was friends with Frank and Alice Longbottom. The Lestranges deserved worse than you gave them. Killing someone in Azkaban can be considered an act of mercy, believe me." Black's eyes still had a very haunted expression in them, from the Hell he'd been forced to endure for over ten years. He shrugged his shoulders. "Even if I can't reclaim my identity either way, I'd rather not be remembered as a murderer and traitor, so try to get my name cleared." He then grinned. "I'm glad I named you my heir before I went to Azkaban then. Otherwise, the Malfoy family would've gotten everything."
"Alright," agreed Harry. "I'll write Kingsley back now."
--HP--
The month of March seemed to fly by. Kingsley wrote them back and said he'd do his best to clear Sirius' name. Harry did get a letter from Gringotts about Sirius' will reading, and Harry arranged to sneak there using the Time-Turner so he wouldn't be missed. He was in disguise until he was alone with the goblins, who confirmed that he had indeed inherited the Black family's entire estate. Of course, Harry had no intention of using any of it. He did take out a few hundred Galleons to give Sirius for spending money.
Padfoot was recovering nicely from his stay in Azkaban with the medicinal potions Hermione brewed for him. He already looked much better than he had the first time Harry saw him in the original timeline - almost a year after he'd escaped prison. He didn't look like a pale skeleton anymore.
Fortunately, the Grangers didn't enter the trunk/apartment through their Vanishing Cabinet during that month, because Harry didn't really want to have to explain why there was a man living there, even though they did have a cover story. By the end of the month, Sirius wanted to go after the Horcruxes.
"No," replied Harry.
"Come on, Harry. Tell me where they're located and I can get them. I promise I'll be careful. I've just got to get out of here and do something!"
"But I don't want you getting killed, Sirius," argued Harry while Hermione silently watched. "It was painful enough watching it happen once."
He swallowed and blinked back tears he hadn't shed when his godfather died. At the time, he convinced himself that mourning was useless anyway, and Sirius would've wanted him happy. He ended up wasting an entire year doing nothing but playing Quidditch, following Draco and dreaming about Ginny instead of preparing for war. Dumbledore stretching his three-hour lecture on Horcruxes to almost an entire year didn't help either. The point was that Harry hadn't properly mourned and now those suppressed emotions were close to coming to the surface.
Padfoot walked up to Harry and put his hand on his shoulder. "I know this has been difficult for you, cub, and I sympathize, but I have got to get out of here before I lose my mind.
"There is one Horcrux you could acquire in relative safety," Hermione chimed in. "In the house you grew up in."
Sirius stiffened. "I don't want to go there. That's much worse than this place."
"But it could be renovated," said Hermione.
Harry added, "With Kreacher's help…"
"That crazy elf! No matter what you said…"
"Kreacher's last order from your brother was to destroy that locket," said Hermione firmly. "If you help him do that, it'll help him a lot."
"Fine," said Sirius, giving in. "At least I'll be doing something."
--HP--
Sirius, Harry and Hermione stood outside of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place at 2 a.m. Of course, all three of them were invisible. Harry and Hermione were under their cloaks while Sirius was disillusioned. Padfoot walked up to the door and grabbed the handle. Harry was looking around to make sure no one heard the lock click, recognizing the true owner, and that no one saw the door open and then close as the trio entered.
The first thing Harry noticed in the pitch black house was the stench. It smelled like something had died there years before. Sirius said, "Lights," causing the old lamps to light, and then pointed his wand at his head and performed the bubble-head charm. Thirty seconds later, the three companions (now visible, and all with bubble-heads so they didn't have to breathe the filthy air) were scourgifying the floor in front of them when there was a loud `pop.'
An old, ugly and mean looking elf appeared in front of them and screamed, "Who dares disturb the ancient and noble house of Black? Kreacher is killing the intruders to his mistress' house!" He pointed his hand menacingly at him.
"Stop, Kreacher!" shouted Padfoot. "I'm your master, and the master of this house - Sirius Black!"
The elf's eyes bulged out as he realized to whom he was speaking. "The blood traitor has returned. Kreacher has heard he was dead. Such a shame he isn't. Oh, the shame that Kreacher has to endure, obeying such an unfit master."
"Shut up!" shouted Sirius at the same moment Hermione said kindly, "Hello, Kreacher. How are you?"
The elf glared at Hermione, but was unable to speak because of his master's orders. Padfoot said, "Just before Regulus died, he gave you a job to do, didn't he?"
The elf looked astonished as he muttered, "How does Master know…"
He told you to destroy a certain locket, didn't he?" The elf was silent and appeared frightened. Sirius glanced at Hermione, and in a much kinder voice said, "We're here to help you finish the job, so that Regulus won't have died in vain." He gave the surprised elf a small smile. "You do want to carry out his last order, don't you?"
"Yes," Kreacher replied in a soft voice. "Master Regulus was kind to Kreacher."
"Then bring us the locket and we'll help you destroy it." With a loud crack, the elf disappeared. Thirty seconds later, he was back with the locket in his hands.
"WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS!?!" shouted a painting far too familiar to Harry and Hermione. Sirius charged up the stairs and gaped at it.
"Mother," he finally said.
"Blood-traitor!" she shouted at her son. "I…"
"SHUT UP!" he shouted louder than the painting. She surprisingly quieted down.
"Good," said Sirius. Turning to the house elf, Sirius said, "Set the locket in the oven."
"Kreacher is trying to burn this locket to destroy it, but it isn't working," said the now sobbing house elf, still holding the locket.
"Not with Fiendfyre," replied Padfoot.
"Fiendfyre?" repeated Hermione, her eyes wide. "That is one way to destroy them, but it's hard to…"
"Control?" asked Sirius with a grin as he pulled out the custom wand Harry had bought for him at Wendelin's Wands the day before. "It is very difficult to control. Although all Blacks are taught to be able to do that, we don't have to rely on our ability to keep it under our control. This oven can. It was often used to dispose of evidence by previous family members. Put the locket in there."
The elf obeyed, and then Harry placed Ravenclaw's Tiara, which he'd brought along, inside the oven, too. Sirius, with his left hand on the oven door, pointed his wand in the oven and performed the spell, slamming the door shut immediately.
Harry could feel the room itself get hotter, but nothing else to indicate what was happening as the five occupants of the room watched and waited. After about thirty seconds, a loud scream of agony came from inside the stove, followed immediately by another.
"That should be it," said Harry.
"Let's just give it another minute," replied Padfoot. "To be sure."
After another minute, Sirius pointed his wand at the stove and said, "Frigus." It was obviously a command to the stove to put out Fiendfyre, because five seconds later, Padfoot opened it to reveal that it was perfectly cool inside it and all that was left behind were ashes. He turned to Kreacher. "You've done a good job. Thank you."
"Now Master Regulus' last order is being finished!" said the elf happily.
"You're not to tell anyone that you've seen me or that I'm alive. If someone says I'm dead and you belong to Harry Potter, pretend to believe them. Is that understood?"
"Yes, master."
"Clean up this place, too. This is a pigsty instead of a noble house."
"Yes, master."
"Maybe Winky can help," suggested Harry. "It is a big job."
Sirius sighed. "Alright."
Harry called Winky, who happily agreed to help clean up Black Manor with Kreacher. Sirius then gave Kreacher the choice of destroying Mrs. Black's portrait or moving it to another room that would get a silencing charm placed on it. Kreacher took the painting down.
"We need to put up the Fidelius Charm on the house," interjected Hermione.
After some discussion, it was decided that Hermione Granger would be the least likely person there to be the Secret-Keeper, so she was elected for that role.
--HP--
Harry was sitting in the Room of Requirement when he looked up from his latest comic book at his unofficial girlfriend in surprise. It was the end of March and they had just returned from Hagrid's hut, where they'd confirmed, through discreet inquiry, that none of the unicorns had been attacked this year. Therefore, they assumed that Voldemort had indeed returned to Albania when his servant - Quirrel - had died at the hands of the Goblins. Hermione had just told Harry that they needed to begin revising for the end of year exams.
"Why should we start studying for the end of year exams? Both of us could easily…"
"It would look bad if we weren't studying," Hermione interrupted him.
He grinned. "You, maybe, but me…"
"You are one of the top students in our year," she admonished. "You'll have to study to convince people that you're not cheating."
"But…"
"Your only other option is to start acting stupid and purposely failing your exams."
Harry did his best not to show advanced knowledge in his classes, but he didn't want to pretend he was an idiot and nearly fail every class. If he took that too far, he could wind up failing out of Hogwarts. He actually enjoyed being admired for his schoolwork and knew the love of his life was correct. He sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, but I'll be really bored."
She got up from her chair and gave him a heart-stopping kiss that lasted longer than a minute and sat back down. While he still had a goofy grin on his face, Hermione said, "Now I need to come up with our study schedule."
--HP--
"Gemino!" The wizard was pointing his wand and a small bag of a white powder. It was Spring Break at the school he was headmaster of, so he had time to work on his `other' job. He grinned as a duplicate bag of cocaine appeared next to the first one and tossed it into the box with the others.
Igor Karkaroff had learned long ago that it was quite easy to duplicate the drugs that muggle scum loved to buy for so much money. So what if it ruined their lives or even killed them. They were worthless animals, anyway. He pointed his wand at the original bag of drugs and duplicated it again.
"Well, well, well," came a muffled male voice from behind him. "I see you're keeping busy, Igor."
He quickly turned to see three cloaked figures, one taller than the other two, with wands pointed at him.
"Are you making those drugs for muggles or your own students?" came another muffled voice from one of the shorter figures, but this one sounded female.
"Mostly the muggle filth," he answered, while carefully moving his left hand behind his back. "Although I have occasionally made sure that the Mudbloods that sometimes slip through the cracks and get into my school get an exceptionally high dose."
"You kill your own students?" asked the other short cloaked figure. His muffled voice sounded male.
With a calm grin, he answered, "Yes, but only Mudbloods," before his left hand came from behind his back holding a wand. He made a quick slashing movement and a yellow beam cut across all three.
"Protego!" shouted the cloaked Harry Potter while his companions raised their shields silently. The curse slammed into his barrier, shattering it and continued. It appeared weaker when it hit him, but it did hit him. It felt as if a knife had sliced across his stomach and could feel the blood flowing from his wound. Concentrating as hard as he could, he sent out a silent Stupefy before the former Death Eater could cast another spell. They had wanted his death to look a drug overdose, so he couldn't use a spell that would cause Karkaroff unexplained injuries. The red beam hit him and he fell unconscious to the floor.
Harry put his arm and hand on his wound, finally allowing himself to react to the pain he was in. He looked to his companions, who were doing the same thing. "What was that spell?"
"Some sort of modified cutting charm," said Sirius, who was now pointing his wand at his wound, healing it.
"Good think it wasn't Sectumsempra," commented Harry.
"That would've been much harder to do silently," said Hermione, who was also healing herself.
Harry pointed his wand at his wound and did a healing spell of his own. He breathed a sigh of relief when the pain ended. "We'd better clean up this blood," he said before pointing his wand at the crimson liquid on the floor.
Within minutes, they'd left the cabin looking as it had when they'd entered, with two exceptions. Igor Karkaroff was now lying on the floor dead, apparently from drug overdose, and nothing magical was in the room. They made an anonymous call to the muggle police to make sure they found him and the drugs.
--HP--
Margaret Tuttle was a hardworking muggle-born woman who had graduated Hogwarts five years before and had opened a small bookstore specializing in muggle literature. It was her goal to help the Wizarding world to better understand the muggles and to realize they were more than an amusing animal to study. She truly was disgusted the way some wizards loved to talk about how muggles did some things as though they were a beloved pet instead of human beings who happen to not have magic.
She magically locked up the shop and activated the security wards, looking forward to a nice, quiet evening with her husband and baby. She noticed that the street was unusually empty, but shrugged it off. She took a step forward, intent on Apparating home when a red beam of light hit her in the back. She fell onto the street, face first, unconscious.
A cloaked figure, wand in hand, walked up from behind the woman. "Filthy Mudblood! Oh well, at least you'll finally have a worthy purpose so your pathetic life will have meaning. Your death will be the perfect sacrifice for the fortitudo increbresco ritual." With a chuckle, the cloaked figure bent down, grabbed Margaret Tuttle's arm and disappeared just after removing the wards around the area that had prevented any witnesses.
--HP--
The news of a muggle-born storekeeper disappearing never made the Daily Prophet, but the unfortunate accident Theodore Nott, Senior suffered in May did. It would seem that he had accidentally Apparated onto a railroad track just before a train hit him.
"How unlucky," Hermione commented as she browsed the newspaper. In truth, she, Harry and Sirius had found him with the Imperius curse on a little muggle boy, leading him to an abandoned shack near that railroad track. All three were disgusted by the crimes against muggles that every free Death Eater had apparently been doing regularly since the Ministry released them because of their `Imperius' pleas.
"Yes," agreed Harry. "People must concentrate harder on their destination when they Apparate." They did feel a twinge of guilt when they saw Theodore Nott, Junior crying as he was led out of the castle to attend the funeral.
--HP--
The next month, when Crabbe Senior suffered his own `accident,' Dumbledore decided that things had gone far enough. He called a meeting with his most trusted staff, Minerva McGonagall and Remus Lupin.
"At first, I wasn't so concerned about all of these happenings, but at least one former Death Eater has died every month for over six months. In fact, I believe that Lucius Malfoy is the last surviving Death Eater to have pled he was under the Imperius Curse.
"I say, let this vigilante have Lucius and be done with it," said Lupin. "He's done enough damage for one lifetime. Look at all the anti-werewolf legislation he and Umbridge…" He chuckled slightly, remembering the picture he'd seen nine months before of her passed out drunk at the Ministry. "…All the legislation they'd passed before she…made her mistake. But Lucius is still at it, and he's got Fudge in his pocket!"
With a twinkle in his eye, Dumbledore calmly replied, "I will admit I'm not overly concerned about Lucius' safety, nor am I planning on providing security for him. My only concern is whether this killer will stop there."
"Albus," said Minerva. "You're just worried about Mr. Snape. Admit it."
"I will admit that Severus' safety is a great concern to me. That's why he lives under the Fidelius Charm. However, I have been wondering if Mrs. Lestrange's unprecedented escape from Azkaban has anything to do with these events. Four Death Eaters were killed during that escape, and it is obvious that she had outside help."
"Do you think she switched sides?" asked Lupin, with a concerned look in his eyes.
"Not entirely," replied the ancient wizard, "but remember that she was loyal to Voldemort, and him alone. Those that escaped incarceration were those who denied their loyalty to him, so, from that point of view, they were unfaithful Death Eaters and Voldemort might have had them killed." He ignored Minerva's flinch when he said the forbidden name.
"What about the others in Azkaban?" asked Minerva.
"I do not know, but it is possible that they had done something disloyal as well."
Minerva looked pale. "So, you believe that You-Know-Who is behind this?"
"I do, indeed. Who else would be so cruel?" The others were silent for a moment. "Which leads me to Harry Potter. Has he been showing either of you his defiance of authority?"
"NEVER! Albus, how dare you?! You're the one who let Snape get away with anything! He will not respect small-minded bullies, and that's all Snape is, no matter how much you trust him!"
"Yet the Boy-Who-Lived has turned you against me already. How long have we been friends?"
"Your complete blindness to Snivellus' behavior is what has turned us against you in this issue, headmaster," said Lupin angrily. "I've spent a lot of time this term talking to Harry about his parents. He's one of the most intelligent and mature eleven-year-olds I've ever met and is a pleasure to teach." After a moment, he added, "His best friend, Hermione Granger, is like that as well."
"I concur with Remus' assessment of both students," said Minerva.
"I believe that is the same thing the staff said about young Tom Riddle, long ago."
"I can't believe you, Albus!" said Minerva. "That boy is no upcoming Dark Lord, I can guarantee you that." She took a deep breath. "I think you're just upset he doesn't want to go back with those…people…you placed him with."
"He must return to the Dursleys for protection, especially with Voldemort on the move." He turned to the werewolf. "Remus, after this term, I'd like for you to investigate these events more closely. The Order will take care of any expenses you might encounter. You're both dismissed."
--HP--
Hermione Granger emerged from Harry's Pensieve with a satisfied grin on her face.
"Well?" asked Harry, expectantly.
"August nineteenth is the date Lucius Malfoy gave Ginny the diary in the original time."
"Then that's the day we'll get him, in Knockturn Alley before he goes to Flourish and Blotts. That way we won't have to search for the diary."
"But what if he doesn't have it this time?" she asked, concerned.
Harry sighed. "Then we'll have to search both Malfoy Manor and his vault. Hopefully, he will have it." Harry paused for a moment before adding, "That reminds me. I'd like to visit the Chamber of Secrets to kill the basilisk before we leave for the summer."
After taking a deep breath, Hermione replied, "I knew you'd want to do that. I hope that you'll at least bring a rooster this time."
He grinned. "If you want to do it the easy way, I suppose…"
"Good," she replied. "I have a few other precautions we can take when we…" She trailed off as a look of concern spread across her face. "Have you figured out a way to get into the Chamber without speaking Parseltongue?"
--HP--
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