Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
The Time Meddlers
Chapter Nineteen - Returning to Hogwarts
Minister Fudge Assassinated!
By Anna Jesse
Minister of Magic Cornelius Oswald Fudge was scheduled to have a meeting with Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, early this morning, but did not show up. Madam Bones immediately contacted the aurors guarding his home. They went inside to find that he had been a victim of the Killing Curse. Thus far it is unknown how someone slipped past the guards, but one thing is clear. Minister Fudge was murdered some time last night. He was still dressed for work when he was found, so it is likely that the killer had been hiding in the house when Fudge arrived.
Although no direct evidence has been found linking her to this death, Bellatrix Lestrange is the prime suspect of this, the latest in a series of killings since her escape from Azkaban earlier this year.
The Wizengamot has appointed Amelia Bones as Minister, and her position of D.M.L.E. Director has been given to former Head Auror, Rufus Scrimgeour. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the most senior Auror, has been appointed Head Auror.
Harry and Hermione gaped at the special edition of the Daily Prophet that had arrived at the Granger residence during dinner. Since Hermione's parents were at the table, the time travelers, who were sitting next to each other sharing the paper, couldn't freely discuss the implications of this. It was the day after Harry had killed Voldemort, and they thought their task was done.
"What's wrong? You two look like you've seen a ghost," asked Marissa.
"The Minister of Magic was killed," said Hermione, knowing it was perfectly fine to give that information.
"What?" replied both adult Grangers.
Harry said, "It's as if the Prime Minister was killed."
"Oh my," said Marissa. "That is shocking."
"Yeah," agreed Adam.
After Hermione's parents had read the article, Marissa asked, "What do you know about this Amelia Bones?"
"She's a fair person who will actually try to get all the facts before making a decision," said Harry quickly, before remembering that he officially hadn't met her.
"Her niece, Susan, is one of our classmates," added Hermione. "She's always spoken highly of her."
"She should be a lot better than Fudge, anyway," said Harry.
"Better? In what way?" asked Adam.
Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Harry said, "Well, based off of his associations, it's quite easy to tell that Fudge was corrupt. He was close friends with the murderers who used to serve Voldemort before he was vanquished - Death Eaters. They'd immediately said they'd been bewitched to stay out of jail, and have steadily worked with the government to push Voldemort's agenda forward ever since."
"At least until this year," added Hermione.
"What do you mean?" asked her mother.
"Well, it seems that every one of them has died in the past year."
"What?" asked both parents at once.
"Most of them seemed to be accidents," said Hermione.
"Although the worst one, who was Fudge's best friend and Draco Malfoy's father," said Harry.
"We've told you about Draco?" asked Hermione, to which they both nodded.
"His father was killed and robbed a few weeks ago in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Wizarding Britain - Knockturn Alley."
With a look of concern, Adam said, "It sounds like there's a vigilante loose." He took a deep breath. "Not that I approve of that, but if what you said is true, those people deserved it."
"As far as we can tell from the public records, the only Death Eater not in prison who's still alive is Snape."
Both parents looked shocked. "That horrible teacher who got sacked was one of them?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah. Dumbledore personally vouched for him to get him out of jail, and then let him torment students for years, claiming he trusted him no matter how many complaints were made."
"It sounds like the Wizarding world is more dangerous than we'd thought," said Marissa, looking worried.
"Actually," argued Harry. "It's probably a lot safer now."
"Those now dead people were the ones most likely to want to kill Harry for revenge," added Hermione. The Granger parents had naturally heard the story of the Boy-Who-Lived and understood.
"So this vigilante has actually made the world safer for people like you?" clarified Adam.
"I think so," answered Harry. "And I also feel safer with Amelia Bones as Minister." Harry and Hermione both knew something was wrong, but after reasoning that out, even if they couldn't speak freely, they did realize that whoever killed Fudge did actually perform a great service to the Wizarding World, whether deliberately or not. They'd still need to talk in detail about the implications of what had happened, though.
--TM--
"Well, what do you think?" Harry asked Hermione as soon as they were alone inside his apartment/trunk. They'd told her parents that they were going to be practicing Transfiguration.
"Well," she replied while beginning to pace, "Obviously something we've done has changed the timeline drastically."
"I wonder if we've inspired another vigilante."
"I don't think so," argued Hermione. "Fudge may have been incompetent and corrupt, but he was not a Death Eater, so he wouldn't have been killed along with them, especially since they're no longer influencing him."
Harry grimaced. "He may have even become a half-way decent Minister without Lucius whispering in his ear while dropping Galleons in his pockets."
"Whoever did this, I think, is responsible for the Flamels' deaths, and probably the other disappearances as well."
Harry sat down, looking horrified. "It's our fault. We were so obsessed with stopping Voldemort, that we didn't think that we'd cause another murderer to come out of nowhere. We know he's not a Death Eater, unless it's Snape."
"Unlikely," replied Hermione, "but not impossible." She took a deep breath. "Here we go again, talking like the only bad people in the whole world have to be connected to Riddle in some way." She looked her boyfriend in the eyes. "Voldemort did not invent evil."
"We've eliminated him, only to find some other killer to take his place," conceded Harry as he put his head in his hands. "Why can't anything ever just go right?"
"You do know that we'll have to somehow stop this person, don't you?" asked Hermione. "We are responsible."
Harry took a deep breath as he nodded. "I know," he mumbled. "Just when I thought we would be able to relax and live happily ever after."
--TM--
The next day had an article in the Daily Prophet where Dumbledore was interviewed and said that he believed that all the recent disappearances and deaths were the work of Bellatrix Lestrange and were part of an effort to bring back You-Know-Who.
"Obviously the reporter replaced the name Voldemort," said Harry with a grin. "They're still afraid of that corpse."
"Well," said Hermione, "They don't know that he's been completely eliminated."
"But they also don't know that he survived Godric's Hollow," countered Harry.
"It seems that Dumbledore is truly convinced that Voldemort will return soon," said Hermione. "Shouldn't he be trying to train you to fight him?"
Harry laughed. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore's…ghost told us?" said Harry as he recounted their conversation with Albus in the in-between place after they'd died. "He expected me to let Riddle Avada Kedavra me. That was his plan."
"That was so preposterous! I mean, even if you purposely dropped your guard, there are a million other curses he could use on you beside the Killing Curse. Ones that would be painful, so he could…" She closed her mouth, not bearing to say what she was thinking.
"Enjoy watching me die a slow, agonizing death? Yep. Since he had problems with that curse ten years ago, I'd say he'd be less likely to try it again. Sectumsempra would work just as well for him, and that wouldn't have eliminated the Horcrux. And he'd have enjoyed watching me bleed to death while letting his followers use the Cruciatus on me."
"Yeah."
--TM--
The summer ended quickly after that, with Harry and Hermione continuing to train so that they'd be able to fight the new rising evil once they had a clue where to find him. Harry had decided that no matter what, he wasn't going to return to the Dursleys. Whatever dubious protection was there, it was made to only protect him from Voldemort and Death Eaters, not every wizard in the world. Also, with all the Death Eaters taken care of, there were much fewer people who would try to kill him around.
Harry had Sirius (as Terry Cochran) send a letter to Narcissa Malfoy offering to purchase Dobby to help him with his joke shop. She had been reluctant to sell a house elf to a muggle-born, but had needed the money with Lucius no longer robbing muggles to provide for his family's luxurious needs. Harry and Hermione weren't sure whether Narcissa was actually a Death Eater or not, and didn't consider her a threat. Besides, Harry didn't really want to make Draco an orphan. For those reasons, they'd let her live, but would be watching her. In the end, Terry and Narcissa came to a deal, so Dobby was working at The Troublemaker's Paradise. They hadn't yet decided whether or not to let Dobby know his new master's true identity, but the main point was that the elf was no longer being abused. His first order had been to never punish himself.
--TM--
"Stay safe, Hermione," said Marissa Granger as she hugged her daughter goodbye. "I love you." The Grangers and Harry had just arrived on Platform Nine and Three Quarters about twenty minutes before the train was scheduled to leave. Harry had breathed a sigh of relief when he found that the barrier hadn't been sealed, even though he knew Dobby had no reason to prevent him from attending Hogwarts.
"I will," replied Hermione. "I love you, too."
"Take care, Harry," said Adam Granger, while shaking the Boy-Who-Lived's hand. "And try to keep an eye on my daughter."
With a grin, Harry answered, "As much as she'll let me."
In a low voice, Adam added, "Don't forget your appointments to have your braces adjusted."
"We won't."
After Marissa had hugged Harry while Adam hugged Hermione, the two kids boarded the train. It only took a few minutes to find a compartment with only one occupant - Neville Longbottom.
"Hey, Nev," said Harry as the young couple sat down.
"Hi guys." After a moment, Neville looked slightly confused. "Where are your trunks?"
"Oh," said Harry with a grin. "They're in my watch. It's actually a shrunken trunk and has plenty of room to store another one in it." He didn't want to tell Neville everything about his trunk, but didn't see any harm in this information.
"You had that watch all last year," he replied suspiciously.
"Er, well, that's because Hagrid took me to Diagon Alley last year and had me get a regular trunk. I went back and bought this. I wasn't sure if I'd get in trouble for doing that or not, so I kept it secret last year."
"Oh."
"How was your summer, Neville?" asked Hermione, changing the subject. Before he could answer, the compartment door was opened and all three occupants turned their attention to face a little girl who had red hair and a trunk almost bigger than she was. Neither Harry nor Hermione would ever mistake that girl for someone else. Harry blinked for a moment at the memory that this girl, along with Luna, Parvati and Cho, had been killed by the Death Eaters simply for having dated him briefly.
"Er, hello," said the slightly shy girl. "Can I sit here? My family got here a bit late, so everywhere else seems full."
"Sure, come on in. I'm Neville Longbottom."
"Ginny Weasley. Thanks."
"Weasley?" asked Harry, pretending to not already know her. "Are you related to…"
"I have four brothers on this train," she interrupted. "And none of them wants to sit with their little sister."
"Gits," muttered Harry as he and Neville got up and put her trunk on the luggage rack.
"Thanks. I didn't catch your names." She indicated the Boy-Who-Lived and the Girl-He-Loved.
"I'm Hermione Granger and this is…Harry Potter."
"Eep!" exclaimed Ginny as her eyes bulged out. Harry could see them look up toward his famous scar before her complexion paled. He couldn't help but grinning as the girl quickly sat down stiffly. It took all his efforts to stop himself from laughing.
He sat down next to Hermione and deliberately put his left arm around her. She smiled in appreciation. This was the most public display of affection they'd ever done (in the future, they hadn't been in the public and now they were waiting until 3rd year to date) and she knew it was to make things clear to Ginny. Harry grinned at the redhead.
"If you'd like to join the Boy-Who-Lived fan club, I'm sure you can find a member in another compartment that'll sell you a headband with a lightning bolt on it. If you'd like to be friends, then my name is Harry - just Harry." He reached out his hand in front of her and she shyly took it, shaking his hand.
"Sorry," Ginny said. "I just…"
"It's alright. A lot of people have that sort of reaction to meeting me, but the fact is that no one knows what happened that night, and I just want to be a normal kid."
"Despite being the youngest Seeker in a century?" asked Ginny with a slight blush.
"Yes," agreed Harry with a shrug. "Despite that." Hermione giggled slightly at that. With a grin, Harry tightened his half-hug for a moment and turned his head to face her. "Are you laughing at me?"
"Of course not. I'm laughing with you."
"I guess I must not have realized I was laughing," he replied playfully, while gazing into his girlfriend's eyes.
"You were," she replied with a smirk.
"Oh," he replied softly. "I guess I must've been."
Although it was easy for the couple to get lost in each other's gaze, they didn't completely allow that to happen in this instance. Part of it was an act to completely dispel any romantic intentions Ginny may have regarding the Boy-Who-Lived. Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he saw Ginny's face get slightly downcast at the obvious affection between Harry and Hermione. He was surprised, though pleased, when Neville softly commented, "You'll have to get used to those two. They seem to disappear into their own little world like that all the time. You'd almost think they were married."
"Are…are they dating?" whispered the redhead.
"They claim not," replied Neville, "but I think they either are or soon will be. They've been inseparable since they met a year ago."
"I see," replied a slightly downcast Ginny.
Hermione thought Ginny had seen enough, so she turned from Harry, still keeping his arm around her shoulders, and asked, "What house do you think you'll be sorted into?"
After Ginny firmly answered, "Gryffindor," the conversation went back to normal.
After being informed that every Weasley in living memory had been in the lion house, Harry noticed someone familiar with blond hair approaching their compartment door. Walking with confidence, head in the air, apparently without a care in the world, this person knocked on the door. Harry couldn't help but notice that flanked on either side of this individual were...radish earrings. Harry smiled and sent a spell at the door, which immediately opened.
A first-year Luna Lovegood, dressed in a pants with one leg yellow, one leg pink, and the rest orange, Hawaiian shirt and butterbeer cap necklace, one red boot and one purple shoe, pulled a trunk on wheels behind her. The piece of luggage seemed completely covered in stickers that seemed to depict different forests she'd been in, with drawings of magical creatures moving all over, switching from sticker to sticker. Harry was willing to bet that at least one of them was supposed to be a crumple-horned Snorkack. As usual, her wand was behind her ear.
"Hello," she said calmly without preamble. "My name is Luna Lovegood. Could I sit here? I suspect most people believe I'm infested with Nargles since they don't want me to sit with them."
As usual, Harry was taken aback by how easily the girl talked about others not wanting to be near her. "You can sit here, Luna."
"Thank you, Harry Potter," she replied dreamily. He hadn't even seen her notice his scar.
After introductions were made, and Luna revealed she already did know Ginny, she sat next to the redhead and across from Harry and Hermione. She seemed to study the couple for a few seconds before pulling a Quibbler out of her pocket and beginning to read.
They continued like that in the compartment for the entire trip. When the snack trolley showed up, they each got something. Harry thought it was odd that Draco didn't `grace them with his presence,' but then again, he'd just lost his father a few weeks before, so he might not be in the mood. When it was about time, the boys left the compartment to allow the girls to change, and then vice-versa. After the train stopped, Neville and Ginny left the compartment first. As Hermione was leaving the room, Luna's eyes got even more expressionless than usual. In an eerily unearthly voice, she began to speak.
"A Shadow of Pain is rising. The boy twice born who has vanquished the Dark Lord will now face this new evil. Crueler than the Dark Lord and twice as foul, the Light created this Shadow…it has the power to cover the world in darkness, extinguishing the Light…yet his Lady of Light stands with him…together, the lovers twice born, the meddlers with time, must shine through the Dark Shadow or fate will destroy the world. A Shadow of Pain is rising…"
--TM--
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