Scheming

March 4, 1997

The Daily Prophet

SNAKES AMIDST THE LIONS

Betrayal of the worst kind

Rita Skeeter, reporter

I've just received this communique from friends of Harry Potter, the missing Boy Who Lived, and I am shocked and appalled at the tone of the vicious words. I will include it here, and offer my own opinion on the matter.

Dear Miss Skeeter,

How DARE you malign the reputation and good name of the greatest wizard ever born! He is a paragon of virtue, and would NEVER stoop so low as to 'peddle' Harry Potter to the Dark Lord just to keep our world safe.

For your information, Harry Potter betrayed us ALL by running into Voldemort's arms WILLINGLY. I was there; I saw him DANCING with the Dark Lord. He's brought nothing but shame to House Potter, and he's turned his back on all of the ideals his parents had sacrificed their LIVES for. He is nothing but a COWARD who ran away at the first sign of difficulty. That you would waste your venom on a person who has deserved absolutely NONE of it makes you no better than Voldemort.

Hermione Granger

Ron Weasley

There you have it, folks. Apparently Harry Potter had his own Pettigrews amongst those who would call him friend. I, for one, am saddened that he'd never had the loyalty of anyone in the wizarding world, including me. Wherever you are, Mr. Potter, I hope you can be happy now.

Albus stared at the paper for a time, proud that his Gryffindors felt such devotion to him, and angered at the baseless accusations levied against his spies within the school. Ron and Hermione had done their jobs properly, ensuring that Harry had continued to receive the treatment he'd needed to make him a pliable, willing weapon for the Greater Good. As long as none of that information ever got out, the wizarding world would follow Dumbledore's lead in dealing with the recalcitrant teenager. Now, he thought, if only I could find the blasted boy…

March 9, 1997

The Daily Prophet

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW!

Words from the mouths of TRUE friends

Rita Skeeter, reporter

I have been very fortunate in that I was contacted by Harry Potter's real friends and allies. Several of the students from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin reached out to me, to offer me the interview of a lifetime! They were willing to sit down with me and tell the truth from their perspective. I have no reason to doubt them; after all, two of the interviewees are actually from Potter's rival house!

RS: Thank you so much for speaking with me.

NL: It's our pleasure. I am Neville Longbottom, and with me are Luna Lovegood, Blaise Zabini, and Draco Malfoy.

RS: I'm very happy to meet you all. Before we get down to brass tacks, why have two Slytherins come with you? I know about the rivalries, and I also know that Mr. Malfoy had butted heads with most of the Gryffindors. To see him here, defending Potter, is a little surprising.

DM: Blaise and I are here to dispel the lies that were spread through most of our time at Hogwarts. You see, Harry had reached out to me in second year. I saw how...neglected he was when he came back from the summer hols, and I was worried. I talked to Blaise about it, and I guess Harry overheard, because the following day he came to me and offered his hand in truce. We'd developed a close, brotherly bond through the years, and he came to understand that I would be there for him, in any capacity.

RS: That is surprising, Mr. Malfoy, as I had received information that Mr. Potter hated you.

BZ: That's one of the biggest lies that we'd like to dispel. You see, when Harry was orphaned in October 1981, Narcissa Malfoy went immediately to the Ministry, to petition for custody of Harry. Of course, the headmaster couldn't have that; it would interfere with his plans too much to have Harry raised by someone who wanted him and would love him, so Dumbledore interfered by slandering the Malfoys. Since the Malfoys were considered Dark followers, and henchmen to Voldemort, it didn't take much for her petition to be denied.

RS: So you're saying that Dumbledore interfered with a petition of custody, knowing that a magical family would be the first to be considered as guardians for a magical orphan.

NL: I'll go you one better; Dumbledore knew how the Dursleys would treat Harry, and couldn't care less. He thought the abuse, starvation and neglect would turn Harry into his grateful puppet martyr, willing to sacrifice his life to save the wizarding world.

LL: It didn't help matters any that Harry wasn't allowed to make friends. His cousin ensured that by bullying and threatening anyone who wanted to befriend Harry. When he came to Hogwarts, things were even worse. Anyone wanting to befriend him only looked at him for his status as the Chosen One, and neglected to see the hurt, lost, lonely soul within.

Is it any wonder that he turned to people who were similar to him? Neville's upbringing, by his grandmother and great uncle, ensured that he would lack the sort of self-confidence needed to survive in the school. I lost my mother at a very young age, and her spirit has connected with me, allowing me to see things others can't. So I was bullied and shunned in Hogwarts, by my own house as well as the others.

Harry saw something in each of us that he nurtured, and we became his most devoted friends and family. I know that Blaise Zabini is the youngest in his family, and his father has ignored him in order to groom his oldest brother to take over the enterprises. (Mr. Zabini looked shocked for a moment; I felt great sympathy for him, but Mr. Malfoy wrapped a comforting arm around his friend and soothed the lingering pain I could see in his eyes.)

RS: I understand why the rest of you have championed Mr. Potter, but why are you friends with him, Mr. Malfoy?

DM: I've wanted to be Harry Potter's friend since I was eight. My father told me that I should befriend him, because he would grow into the Potter legacy, and would be a worthy ally in the coming years. Unfortunately, I acted like an entitled snot when he met me for the first time, which did not endear him to me at all. I still wanted to be his friend, and I watched as he drifted through the halls of Hogwarts.

When Blaise and I spoke about Harry's treatment with his relatives, we were anxious to do anything to get him out of that situation. I'd contacted my father, in hopes that he would have some ideas on how to wrest control of Harry's future from the headmaster. The rest, you know. Harry has been adopted by my family, and we did a blood brother bond, so now he's safe, and no one will be able to abuse him ever again.

RS: I had heard rumors about a 'Golden Trio'. Would anyone care to elaborate on that?

LL: That's the name that everyone in the school gave to Harry and his supposed friends, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, because they went everywhere and did everything together.

RS: Why supposed friends? I've heard from them, as well as a few others, that the three are great friends, and inseparable.

NL: That's what they and the headmaster would have everyone believe. It isn't true. Harry befriended Ron in their first year because Weasley seemed to be as ignorant of the magical world as Harry was. He'd thought he'd found a friend for life in the Weasel. They both really disliked Hermione at first; she is brilliant and makes sure that everyone knows it, every single day. But, when the troll was let into the school in first year, and she was trapped in a bathroom on the second floor, the boys went to her rescue, and they became fast friends.

I can't help but think that the whole thing was engineered so that Harry would get close to the people that Dumbledore wanted him to befriend. It's only logical; after all, the headmaster has been controlling Harry's life almost from birth.

BZ: Behind Harry's back, however, it's a different story. I've come upon Weasley and Granger many a time, sequestered in a secluded alcove and whispering about Potter. To his face, they seem to be the devoted, loving friends that he wanted. Behind his back, however, they schemed to push him into the 'adventures' that shaped his life in Hogwarts, encouraged by Albus Dumbledore.

LL: It's true. I've heard those conversations myself. Since I'm not taken at all seriously in the school, most don't even acknowledge that I'm there, so I hear a lot of secrets. Those two were never on Harry's side; they only did what the headmaster ordered, and they did it with pride.

There you have it, gentle readers. Albus Dumbledore treated a wizarding child like a throwaway. It's no wonder he abandoned us all; we gave him no real choice.

Things at Slytherin Manor moved on steadily. No one bothered to read any of the Daily Prophet stories; at least, not while Harry was around. True to his word, Tom had ensured that nothing from the outside world would disrupt his husband's happy, fulfilling life. Today, however, was something special. Harry's cousin, who had obtained his Healer's license, was coming by to perform his first official prenatal checks, and he was bringing his family.

Harry was sequestered in his rooms, lightly stroking his baby bump and talking softly to his little girl, who had begun to thump gently at the raven's belly. Every time he felt her soft, fluttering touch, he grinned widely, emerald eyes misty with excited tears. It was into this contemplative scene that Tom had brought Kyrian and his family.

"Love?" he said softly, loath to disturb the tender moment. The raven's head snapped to his husband, a wide smile on his face, that widened even further at the sight of his cousin. He frowned, however, at the sight of all the extra people.

"Hey, cuz," Kyrian said quietly as he stepped into the room, followed by his family. "I'd like to introduce you to my mum, Jennifer." He indicated a statuesque blonde with sparkling blue eyes. "This is my dad, Charlus." The man was a mirror image of Harry, to the raven's shock. "Here we have your cousins." He pulled the smallest girl forward first. "This is Juliette, and she's eight." Harry grinned at the little girl happily. "This," pulling the smallest boy forward, "is Jeffrey, and he's ten. This," pulling the next smallest boy forward, "is James, and he's thirteen." Harry's eyes brightened in happiness, knowing that there was a namesake for his dad out there. "And finally, this," he pulled two identical girls forward, "is Jasmine and Jessica, and they're fifteen."

"Wow," Harry whispered, awed. "I'm so happy to meet you all. You have know idea how much I wanted family. How did you escape a 'J' name, Kyrian?"

"We're happy to meet you, as well, Harry," Charlus said with a nod. "We've been very anxious to finally meet our long lost nephew. As for Kyrian, well, since he was our firstborn, I had the honor of naming him. I didn't expect that my lovely wife would exhaust the letter J on the rest of the children." She scrunched her nose up at him in mock annoyance, making Harry chuckle fondly. They're Potters, all right, he thought happily. Can't wait to really get to know them.

"Why don't you sit down, and I'll call for refreshments. I have so many questions to ask." Everyone found a place to sit, and waited until Sprite had served the food and beverages. Everyone took something, and it was silent for a spell until appetites had been slaked. "Why didn't you come visit me?" the raven finally asked the most important question, to him, first.

There were several long moments before an answer was given, in which Harry watched the play of emotions across his uncle's face. "We wanted to," the man began, clearing the sudden lump in his throat. Though his brother was lost to him so many years ago, he still grieved for the emptiness he felt at the loss. "I even came back here to try and find you. Everyone I asked told me that they didn't know where you were; that Albus Dumbledore had placed you somewhere where you would be safe. So, I asked him.

"He told me that you were in a very secure, safe place, hidden away from the wizarding world so that the Death Eaters couldn't find you. He wouldn't tell me where, and when I threatened legal action, he just laughed in my face. Told me that the Ministry would do nothing to help me. That his word was law, as he was the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and the Supreme Mugwump of the ICP. He told me that his defeat of Grindelwald secured his place as the unofficial ruler of the wizarding world.

"His arrogance sickened me, but I could see that what he said was true. I'd spoken to a great many people in my quest to find you, and nearly every single one of them spoke of that man with a reverence that bordered on worship. I knew next to nothing about Lily's family, so I didn't know she had a sister. She never spoke of her; I guess there was just too much bad blood between them."

"At least you tried," Harry said sadly, "and from the sounds of it, you put a lot of effort into finding me. Thank you. I'm glad that I've found you now, when it's safe for me to acknowledge you as my family. Would you like to stay at the manor for a while? I'm sure my husband would be happy to set you up with an entire wing for your use. I'd like to keep you here, so that we may get to know each other better."

"We'd love that," Jennifer told the pregnant young man with a smile. She leaned forward and brushed a kiss to Harry's forehead. "Welcome to the family."