Chapter 22: Aftermath and Hurt

Dumbledore smiled at the young blonde woman who sat behind the desk, looking quite... absent, would probably work.

"The Minister will see you now, Mister Dumbledore." the girl said.

"Thank you, Sydney. Enjoy your day, dear." Dumbledore said with a polite smile as he walked into the Minister's office.

"Ah, Albus. Good, good." Fudge said, smiling grimly.

"Cornelius, pleasant as ever." The elder man said kindly.

There was a moment of palpable awkwardness in the ensuing silence before the Minister cleared his throat.

"I believe we have a talk that's long overdue." Fudge said, sitting upright, glad he didn't sigh.

"And I believe this is to do with the Chamber of Secrets, correct?" The Headmaster asked.
Fudge nodded.

"Believe me, Dumbledore, not allowing the Board of Directors of Hogwarts to have Hagrid arrested and keeping you in position was not easy, even through everyone saying otherwise."
Dumbledore scoffed, making Fudge glare.

"Something you want to say?"

"Cornelius, I like you." Dumbledore began slowly, "And I want to keep liking you. As you're very well aware, your job is something I don't want. I have never wanted it, not before you were old enough to want to aspire to something, and certainly not now."

Fudge looked flustered and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off instantly by the Headmaster.

"That you managed to not listen to the worm perched within your ear for once is not something to brag about, but rather something you should attempt to do more often. Now, I assume you've questions, and I will answer some as best I can." Albu continued, letting the younger man finally talk.

"How the hell did a Basilisk get to Hogwarts, and how did it remain undetected this whole time?" He asked.

"As far as my study with your surviving Beast Handlers," Dumbledore said, making Fudge shiver at how he said surviving, "the creature was magically enhanced. How and why, we aren't sure, but as the limited history of Salazar Slytherin suggests, in the end, he regretted having a hand in creating Hogwarts."

"And my handlers?" Fudge asked.

"Handled themselves admirably, I am quite regretful for the unnecessary bloodshed that occurred at my school." Dumbledore said, looking suddenly older at the loss of those at his school. "Hogwarts is, after all, a school, even if one with an unpleasant past.."

"Er.. yes, I am glad to hear that. the survivors are getting a very well earned vacation and recognition, as well as important mentions in the discovery of the Chamber. The dead... well, the families appreciate the compensation, but..." Fudge said, a far away look in his eyes as he remembers crying children and screaming wives.

"As well, the Chamber has been checked, no basilisk eggs, thank Merlin. It seems the magic stunted the otherwise asexual reproduction of the beast." Fudge finished.

"Indeed, and we should be glad so. Now, as to next year," Dumbledore said, frowning, " I need to ask you not to station Dementors of all things at my school."

Fudge gaped.

"How did you-?"

"Cornelius, you know as well as I that there is not a great many people who won't leak news to the press. The article about the escape of Sirius Black and Bellatrix LeStrange is already being worked on, as well as your foolhardy attempt at keeping Hogwarts 'Safe'." Dumbledore said frowning.

"Albus, there were only three Death Eaters who commanded the Dementors, outside of You-Know-Who himself. All of them, save Rabastan LeStrange are dead, and he's in a cell away from the soul suckers." Fudge said. "We have them under control."

"yes, but think about the students. You know as well as I do that Dementors cause serious bouts of depression and mental instability after exposure to them. Do not do this to children who are just trying to learn." Dumbledore argued.

"Albus, Oswald is going to Hogwarts right now. Do you think I want my fourteen year old son around these things? No. But my hands are tied on Wizengamot is pushing this vote, convince them, not me." Fudge said unhappily.

Dumbledore sighed.

"I will try then." Dumbledore said.

"Thank you. One last thing, Albus?" Fudge asked.

"Yes?"

"How did he do it? I've been going over lists of spells, some even of the foulest I could find, and I am at a loss as to how he almost stole the life and strength of a little girl, how he put memories in people's heads. He's dead, and if artifacts like this are around..." Fudge shivered.

"If there are, and I am certain there are, I am beyond certain that these artifacts are extremely limited in quantity. I have a hunch, but I am... unwilling to simply share it. It could be nothing." Dumbledore said.

"I doubt it's nothing, so please, tell me." Fudge said firmly.

Dumbledore stared at the Minister for a moment before drawing his wand. He cast several spells Fudge noticed were privacy charms and other spells he didn't know. Whatever this was…

"I will need an Oath from you, if I am to share this with you." Dumbledore gravely.

Fudge paled. He knew the consequences of breaking a Wizarding Oath. He nodded slowly and drew his wand.

"I, Cornelius Oswald Fudge swear upon my life and magic that i will uphold any and all requirements and such set forth by Albus Dumbledore for the information he shall share herein, so be it." Fudge said, seeing the green light shine.

He gulped audibly as Dumbledore seemed to stare into him.

"You will not attempt any way to circumvent this Oath." he began.

Fudge nodded, a second green light emerging.

"You will share this information with absolutely no one unless I've allowed it, in any way shape or form, written, spoke, telepathically or anyhow."

Another nod and light.

Dumbledore stared at Fudge for a moment, considering his options. He sighed for a moment.

"I believe Voldemort made Horcruxes." Dumbledore said, eyeing the man.

He gave a small start at 'Voldemort', but otherwise had no reaction to the horcruxes.

"Ask Bode, he'll know." Dumbledore said slowly.

Fudge nodded slowly. He knew the Unspeakable had the only access to some of the darkest knowledge found in Britain, besides himself, of course.

Before Fudge could speak further, a dark skinned man burst into the room, looking panicked.

"Minister, We've got reports of the Azkaban breakout starting a small riot, we've lost control of LeStrange's wing."

Fudge looked alarmed.

"Shacklebolt, get Bones and Scrimgeour here, now!" He roared.

The man nodded and ran off. Dumbledore looked slightly amused.

"The hard life of the Minister for Magic." Dumbledore mused.

Fudge chuckled and waved him off.

"I will ask Bode, but thank you, Albus."

"You are very welcome, Cornelius. I really believe you could be a significantly important minister, if you ever learn to escape the pockets you're in." Dumbledore aid, walking out.

Fudge looked thoughtful for a moment before the Head Auror and Magical Law Enforcement Head walked in.

Now was not the time for thinking, it was time for action.

OoooO

"Harry?"

Harry looked up from his desk, seeing Victoria standing at his door. Cyrus was next to her and both looked concerned.

"One second." Harry said. He finished up his letter and sealed it, leaving it on the edge of his desk, noticing both Greengrasses fidgeting nervously.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, seeing how they were behaving. "Is Daphne okay? Are you pregnant?"

"Daphne is fine, son. No baby, we just... have some news." Cyrus said.

Nothing good, Harry thought, seeing their expressions.

"So...?" Harry asked, trying to get a response from the jittery adults.

"We've talked about Sirius Black, your parents' friend?" Victoria questioned.

"Yes, the man who sold them to Voldemort, I'm aware."

Cyrus raised an eyebrow to his wife, a nonverbal 'are you sure?'.

Victoria nodded slightly before continuing.

"Yes, well, it seems Sirius has escaped from prison. And not alone."

Harry was silent for a moment.

"Who else escaped?"

Another moment of silence. It must be bad.

"Bellatrix LeStrange."

"Bellatrix LeStrange?"

"Yes, Bellatrix LeStrange."

"So, this man you've spent almost thirteen years supporting his supposed innocence just escaped from one of the most secure prisons in the world, one that no one has ever, EVER escaped from, and he did so with one of Lord Voldemort's most dangerous followers?" Harry asked.

The ensuing silence said everything he needed to know. He huffed and went back to his desk, tossing the letter he had written in the trash.

"What are you doing?" Victoria asked quietly.

"I wrote this letter to Daphne while she was staying with Uncle Roland, but it seems the overall demeanor was too happy, so I'm starting over." Harry said, writing his new draft.

"Speaking of which, has Daphne said anything...important?" Victoria asked, curious.

Harry stopped and turned around, emerald eyes watching the Greengrasses' body cues.

"Important how?" He asked slowly.

"What would you consider important?" cyrus asked cryptically.

"Schoolwork, upcoming elective class choices, her relationship or my own?" Harry asked, putting some choices up there.

"Close, some is in the right category, but no." Cyrus said, smirking at the boy's cleary irked face.

"So then tell me if it's important." He said.

Both Greengrasses stared at each other before slowly grinning in a predatory sense that reminded him of the Weasley Twins just as they picked a new target.

"That, my dear boy, is something to ask Daphne, isn't it?" Victoria said.

Harry huffed indignantly. They had done this before after he had snuck into the living room once to peak at his Christmas presents when he was six. He had long since learned not to try and argue out, they knew something he didn't and would not relent until he found out.

"Fine, so you're just gonna keep me here, a million possibilities on my mind without telling me until I can ask Daphne, who doesn't return until the week before school starts?" He asked, hoping the guilt angle would work.

"Wow, a million possibilities already? Can't wait to hear how many they'll be by the end of the day." Cyrus said smugly.

"Dammit." Harry said simply.

OoooO

Draco rolled his eyes at his father's antics.

This is the man I'm being groomed to take after? This sniveling wreck? He thought angrily as he watched the house-visiting mind healers tend to his father.

The words "wasn't aware" and "didn't know" floated to him and he found himself unable to stop his eyes from rolling once more.

Excuses. That's all this man made.

Excuses had made the Malfoy name.

And I will be damned if the excuses continue with me. Abraxus, Lucius, I will make sure to make the name Malfoy worth more than the dirt you've tracked on it. Draco thought icily, seeing his father shiver.

Draco glared at the man, becoming more and more angry and disillusioned.

"...And the memories…" Lucius groaned, shivering for dramatic effect, "The memories of some of the most vile things…"

"A weakling. A weak willed fool unable to be whole to himself." Draco whispered harshly. "Only a weak minded individual would be victim to memory implants. You said so yourself, Lucius."

"Draco?" Came a voice to his left.

He turned to Pansy, sighing.

He was beginning to see the downside of having whatever he wanted. Sometimes it turned out he didn't want something as much as he thought. Maybe his parents would allow him to return Parkinson, just as he had with the Nimbus 2000 his father tried getting him.

Either way, he would be careful with what he wanted. For now, he needed to plan. He would hide in his father's shadow, let Lucius think he held control. He would supplant him when the time was right.

After all, a snake always waits for the proper time to strike.

"Draco!" Pansy said again, determined to get his attention.

"Silencio!" Draco muttered, waving his hand absent-mindedly.

The gasp of surprise never left Pansy's lips audibly, and the hungry and proud look Draco got when he realized what had happened made her retreat from the blond to the room she was given in Malfoy Manor.

This summer would be fun.

OoooO

"Albus! Sorry, the place is kind of… why are you- err… what do I owe the visit to?" Remus Lupin asked, seeing his old Headmaster at his doorstep.

"Ahh, I was rather hoping for a chance to talk to you." Dumbledore said politely.

"Uh, sure! Give me a moment." Remus said, gently closing the door.

Dumbledore stood outside, looking around absently, smiling at the sudden crashing, clanking, and swearing he was hearing as the man quickly cleaned his flat.

After a few moments of the chaotic noise there was a moment of silence before a slightly disheveled Lupin opened the door, letting him in.

Albus took a seat at the rather ragged sofa and frowned. He hadn't seen Remus in a good while, the man was rather reclusive, after all, but..

"Remus, if you don't mind me asking, how is work?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus frowned and looked at his home.

"Slow." the man said finally.

"I take it because…?" Dumbledore said in an alluding tone.

Remus nodded hesitantly.

"You do realize that the Potters left you a significant amount in their wills, right?" Albus said carefully, sighing internally as he watched Remus tense slightly.

"Albus, I didn't accept James or Lily's charity when they were alive, I won't take advantage of them now that they're gone." He snapped.

"I understand, Remus," Dumbledore said, holding his hands up placatingly, "But it would do bad for their memories to not be appreciated for their caring."

Remus looked at the floor and closed his eyes, sighing.

"Look, I'll - I'll think about it. Is that all you wanted?" Lupin asked.

"No, actually, there was something I needed to ask, quite seriously." Dumbledore said, pulling a long scroll of parchment from his sleeve, it seemed.

"Yes?" Lupin asked, eyeing the scroll.

"In a very memorable turn of events, I'm sure you heard of what happened in Hogwarts with the Chamber of Secrets and young Mister Potter." Dumbledore said.

"Yes," Lupin said, frowning, "A basilisk that could have attacked us at any time. Awful."

"Yes, well, unfortunately, the beast seems to have eaten my Defense professor, and I am here to offer you the position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said as if discussing the weather.

Lupin stared incredulously for a moment before clearing his throat and sitting up.

"So, your most recent professor just died, and you're offering me his post?" He asked the headmaster, who smiled jovially.

"On point, as usual." Dumbledore chuckled.

"Albus-" Remus began, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"Remus, you're an extremely qualified individual, and as untasteful as it seems, we do need a teacher for the position. I chose to seek you out, yes I could find someone without your "problem", however, I would prefer you for a number of reasons." Dumbledore said, making the man glare slightly at him.

Lupin stared at the man, defeated.

"It's because of my problem that I don't want to. I'm a risk and-"

"Lupin, that is indeed a difficult situation, but you are aware of the heavy availability of that potion. I made sure to pass the law prohibiting over pricing and underproduction. I am aware you take the potion yourself, am I wrong?" Dumbledore asked.

Lupin looked down and shook his head.

"No, you're not wrong."

Dumbledore chuckled.

"My boy, when am I ever wrong?" he asked.

Lupin looked him straight in the eyes, a deep-seated sadness let the aged man know the answer before his younger friend even uttered it.

"Sirius."

There was a moment of silence, followed by a sad sigh.

"Albus, I'm sorry, I just-" Lupin said, worried it'd been too much.

"It's quite alright, Remus. It is an unfortunate thing that sometimes you trust your instinct and beliefs over the truth. All the evidence pointed to Sirius being the spy in our midst, and I even believed him when he said poor Peter had been the one who did that terrible act. But him escaping, and with Madame LeStrange." Albus said, putting an uncomfortable emphasis on the LeStrange name.

"We all did, Albus. But I guess the Black family really does look after its own." Lupin said, glaring at the newspaper.

There was two pictures side by side of the fugitive magicals in question, both looking quite gaunt and mad indeed.

LESTRANGE AND BLACK

DARK WIZARD LIEUTENANTS AT LARGE

In a shocking event that has the International Confederation of Wizards (The ICW) searching every inch of the infamous Azkaban prison, two of the most dangerous convicts within its walls have been confirmed to have escaped.

"We know Black and LeStrange were in You-Know-Who's inner circle of fanatics, and this escape coming so soon after the reports of Slytherin's Basilisk in the legendary and very real Chamber of Secrets seems more than coincidence." said a representative of the Ministry of Magic earlier today in a statement about what the men and women in charge will be doing about the escapees.

For more information on the crimes committed by the pair, see Page 7, the Azkaban report on Page 5.

Albus sighed and sat, looking sadly at the newspaper. He was an educator, a man who despite a turbulent past had grown as a trusting man. This was, for lack of a better word, disheartening. Heartbreaking.

"It's always those closest, I guess." Albus said softly.

Lupin softened a bit at the saddened headmaster.

"Sorry. Sometimes I forget, the thing with Grindelwald.." Lupin said, trailing off.

Albus nodded again. He never kept it private that he and Gellert had been friends, maybe at one point more, but he did what needed be done. He knew about heart wrenching betrayal from your closest friend.

"Heart wrenching. More for the list." Albus said, smiling sadly.

Lupin stared, unsure.

"List?"

"Of words for how this makes me feel."

"Ah. Okay."

After all, what else could Remus say? He felt the same. He looked around his flat before cursing mentally at what he was about to do.

"Fine."

Albus looked up, his eyes twinkling in that way Remus found to be condescending.

"You'll do it then?" Albus asked.

Remus nodded.

"I assume the scroll is the contract?" He asked.

With a wide smile and sharp nod, Dumbledore handed the scroll to the younger man to sign. Remus looked surprised that it had been unanimously signed by the Hogwarts Board of Directors, including Lucius Malfoy.

"Malfoy signed this? Seeing my name? Knowing about-? Remus gaped, not quite believing it. "That's not possible, you faked it!"

"On the contrary, after the chamber debacle, the entire Board asked me to find someone to teach Defense who actually specialized in creatures, seeing as how Gilderoy proved to be a fake. You, my boy, despite your feelings about yourself, have an immense knowledge of dangerous magical creatures, second only perhaps, to Hagrid." Dumbledore said. Remus frowned.

"So why not just ask Hagrid?"

"Because we both know that Rubeus, as knowledgeable as he may be, also has a tendency to not see the inherent danger. He loves the creatures, magical and mundane, whereas you have a more scholarly and wary view of them. You know the defensive countermeasures, antivenoms, ways of subduing significantly better."

Remus couldn't help the small smile that broke across his face. He knew he was being bashful, but even he could see the point.

"I already said I'd do it, Albus, you don't need to sell me further on it." Remus said, reading the contract over.

Albus smiled. Perhaps the next year wouldn't be so bad.

Just maybe.