Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Manors and Manners
Chapter 35: Manors and Manners
Dark Lord Tom Riddle aka Voldemort Reembodied Thanks to Nefarious Triwizard Plot!
Written by: Luna Lovegood
We at the Quibbler take our news seriously. While many have accused us of fanciful flights and wondrous ponderings we always strive to deliver the story. Our reputation for intriguing and unusual reports is well deserved as the Quibbler has historically tried to stay mainly on the fringes of what is known. We do this intentionally in an effort to satisfy the sense of adventure and wonder that is so often missing from other publications.
This story and the one below it however are different. Previously we have interviewed Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, Triwizard Co-Champion. We have also reported on some of the extreme circumstances that he becomes involved in. We have always reported only the facts when it comes to Harry Potter. Mr. Potter's life tends to be far too extreme to risk embellishments. That is why we ask you to not assume we have written this story as part of a prank or an unsubstantiated rumor. The accounts in this report have been largely verified by several sources including the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
We originally were asked to hold off on publishing this story, and we wished to allow for initial measures to be taken and for the Ministry of Magic to be allowed to break the news first. Unfortunately, as the largest leading report for the past two weeks was the current winner of Brightest Smile…it appears our hope for action was unfounded. As such, we will not maintain the silence any longer. What follows is a brief explanation of the events surrounding the Final Task in the Triwizard Tournament…
Sirius smirked as he watched Remus finish reading Luna's new article and nodding appreciatively. "The girl's good isn't she, Moony?"
"That she is indeed. You'd never know she was only fourteen from how she writes these articles," Remus said. "I especially like the bit at the end guaranteeing their readers that a weekly defense column will be included from now on."
"Oh?" Sirius' grin widened far enough to split his face in half. "Did you catch who was going to be writing those?"
Remus shook his head. His nostrils flared as he caught Sirius' far too pleased expression. "You didn't…"
"I did!" Sirius said pumping his arm in the air. "What better person to write a defense column than a recently inducted Auror, Wizengamot member, Head of House Black and escapee from Azkaban? The job was practically written for me, Moony!" Sirius moved over and clapped his friend on the back as Remus just sighed heavily. "Perk up old buddy. You get to write a few guest sections too you know!"
"I what?!" the werewolf sputtered. "When did I agree to that?"
"Just now. Glad to have your help. I'm a busy man after all." Sirius laughed and pulled Remus to his feet. "Come on, we have to get going or we're going to be late."
Remus nodded and dropped the paper onto the table. The article below the one with Voldemort was face up – the one describing Lily Potter's 'miraculous revival'. "I still have a hard time believing all this, Padfoot."
"Which part, the one with Potter Manor being restored, the one with Voldemort getting resurrected, or the one with our deceased female friend also being resurrected?"
Remus snorted. "Well when you put it like that, all of them. However what I was specifically referring to was Lily. I know we were both there in that graveyard the other night…but it still seems surreal. We didn't exactly stay to talk to her. I feel like we almost ran away…are we even sure that she remembers anything?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "We didn't stay so that Harry could have some time to deal with it without us hovering over him. Or…well…fawning over Lily…And of course she remembers!"
"You can't know that for certain, Sirius. It's not every day that someone returns from the dead you know," Remus said shaking his head in exasperation.
"Well, Moony, unlike you I do know for certain that she remembers us. I called Shiva last night to see if she needed any help and how things were going." Sirius held himself up in a regal pose. He managed to hold it for a few seconds before his shoulders slumped. "They're all as good as can be expected I suppose. Harry's not exactly being enthusiastic, but it sounded like he's starting to open up a bit. Lily is walling off again like she used to. I just hope she lets it all out before she cracks."
Remus cringed. "Damn. I suppose I shouldn't be very surprised. She did just lose James after all."
Sirius pushed the door to Grimmauld open and herded his friend outside before locking up and walking into the garden. Sighing he shook his head. "It's not just James, Remus. Bloody hell, it's probably not even mostly James. You do know how much they were fighting towards the end don't you?"
Remus paused and looked to Sirius with a frown. "James' letters made it seem insignificant."
"It wasn't. I don't know specifics – didn't want to know at the time. But it wasn't nothing." Sirius scowled. "Not that it really matters anymore anyway. Harry's a teenager, Dumbledore is a murderous bastard, her son has been all but adopted by a school teacher barely out of her teens, oh and Harry has a 'harem'. None of this is going to be easy for her."
Sirius sighed and turned to fully face his friend. "Remus, you've ditched a lot of the old annoying habits of hanging back and being depressing. If you're going to have a relapse then let me know now so you deal with it before meeting everyone. The last thing they need at the moment is a depressed werewolf."
Remus' eyes narrowed for an instant before he started chuckling. "I feel like I should probably take that as an insult. Instead I'm going to take it for the rebuke it was intended to be and humbly state my apology. I promise I will endeavor to be upbeat and totally not depressing today."
"Good," Sirius replied his face splitting into a wide grin again. "Then let's go see our friends."
Hermione nervously wrung her hands as Fleur slipped on her shoes. "Are you sure? Maybe just you should go? Or just me? Or perhaps I should call Luna? Maybe Daphne? Neville would be good too. Even Fred and George might be better. And – "
"Mione," Fleur said smiling as she got up and put her arms on the brunette's shoulders, "calm down. 'arry will be fine wiz just you and me. Luna has already said she will stop by later in ze week and I would be willing to bet good money zat Daphne will be around before ze day is zrough. If only to see ze skeleton on display." Fleur paused and nodded contemplatively. "I admit, I am looking forward to zat part myself. Anyway, you know zat Neville will not be allowed to meet Lily until his grandmuzzer can make it somezing formal which means he can't meet up wiz 'arry just yet. And do you really want to subject the poor woman to Fred and George zis fast?"
Hermione's mouth opened and closed a few times before she chuckled and shook her head. "Well when you put it like that…" Then she shuddered and leaned into Fleur. "I'm still scared though, Fleur. He's going to be so confused and I don't know if I can help him through this. This isn't like the battles or accidents he's been in. This is social. This is…not my field."
Fleur pulled back slightly and leaned down to lightly kiss Hermione. "Relax, love. You simply need to be zere for him and to listen if he needs to talk. Both zings that you already do. I can help wiz ze bigger things if needed. I doubt we will need to help much zough. Tonks stayed wiz him last night remember? She will have helped him to feel better and open up."
"You're right. I'm being foolish," Hermione said steeling her gaze and briefly hugging Fleur. "Thanks. I wish my parents hadn't called the other night. I know they were worried and I know that you and Tonks were still there for him but…"
"It is not ze first impression you wished to leave on ze muzzer of your boyfriend, no?" Fleur teased.
Hermione's face blushed bright red. "Not really, no. We know he didn't need all of us hovering, but does she know that? Ugh, this is pointless. I'm just going to get worked up again. Mum, Dad," Hermione shouted turning to the stairs, "we're heading out!"
Richard and Emma came down the stairs dressed for work and moved to hug both girls in the hallway. "Good timing, sweety," Emma said, "we're just about ready to leave ourselves."
"Hermione, your mother and I greatly appreciate you coming home when we asked. Next time you go silent for ages please do try and call first. Especially if you've said you'll only be gone for a short while and there's a known terrorist who dislikes you on the loose."
Hermione nodded hurriedly staring at the floor. "I'm sorry, Dad. Just everything started happening so quickly and with Harry's mum…"
Richard hugged her and pulled back smiling. "I don't pretend to understand just how you four make this work, but it's blatantly obvious you care deeply for each other. You go take care of your partner girls," Richard said smiling at Fleur and Hermione. "Fleur, I'm trusting you to make sure she calls if something else major happens."
"I will, Richard. Zank you for your hospitality last night."
"It was a pleasure, dear," Emma said. "Run along girls. Say hello to the rest of your friends for us. Hermione, do try to come back for a bit longer stay at some point this summer if you can. I love you."
"I love you too, Mum, Dad." Hermione gave her parents one last hug before walking outside with Fleur holding her hand. "Okay. Let's go."
Daphne's day had not been off to a good start. Tracey had elected to spend time with Luna ostensibly to keep the girl happy and allow Daphne time to be near Harry without complications. While that was all true and perfectly understandable – it was actually downright sweet – the unforeseen side effect of that was leaving Daphne alone with her father.
Normally this wouldn't be a huge problem. Marcus Greengrass was not an evil man. He just wasn't a good man. There had never been much love between Marcus and Daphne. She had originally thought he hated her though eventually realized he was simply disappointed in her gender rather than anything she had done or not done specifically. He needed an Heir to inherit the legacy he'd built. Daphne being a woman made such a thing vastly more complicated and annoying for him. In turn, Daphne had always felt that he used far too heavy a hand in nearly all aspects of life, from his business dealings to his punishments. She'd swiftly grown to distance herself from him while maintaining the veneer of a Pureblood Princess that would always keep him mostly satisfied with her and convinced she could be left to her own devices.
All they'd ever truly needed to function amicably together was a buffer. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't something she'd ever complain about. Unfortunately, this summer had removed all normal buffers from their relationship. Her mother and Astoria had gone to Paris for a week in order to visit with the Delacours. Daphne had been pleasantly surprised to find that Astoria had struck up an odd friendship with Gabrielle. How that little tidbit had slipped under her radar the entire school year was something she'd have to seriously interrogate Astoria about upon her sister's return. Really, the girl was becoming far too adept at using her perky personality to mask her deeper goals. Hiding things from others was fine; hiding things from her sister was not so fine.
With her sister and mother gone though and Tracey vanished for the day…that left Marcus and Daphne eating breakfast alone together. Her father had been increasingly agitated throughout the entirety of the last year and as Daphne quietly laid the plate of breakfast in front of him he stared up at her with a coldly calculating gaze. A shiver of apprehension ran down Daphne's spine as she took her seat across from him in the Heir position.
"Daphne," Marcus said in a perfectly calm and rational tone. That wasn't ominous at all. "Where do you stand with the young Lord Potter?"
Daphne barely managed to hold in her scowl. Of course he was going to ask about Harry. His precious Heir had to be secured and his continued family name ensured. "I am in good standing with Harry, Father. He respects me and his legal guardian approves of me. His primary partners are amenable to opening talks in the future."
"According to the papers Lily Potter has recently awakened as well. Where do you stand with her? Her opinion is going to be extremely important to the boy and therefore the negotiations in general."
This time Daphne couldn't prevent the twitching of her lip though at least she kept from growling. Her voice was remarkably controlled when she replied. "I'm surprised you heard that, Father. I wouldn't think you read the Quibbler."
"I don't. However Jeannette does and she brought it up while I met with her husband. Your standing, Daphne?"
"I haven't spoken to her yet. I felt the best course of action was to allow for her to meet and speak with her son before bombarding her with anything else." Considering she'd only been among the living for a few days how Marcus had expected Daphne to meet with the woman was utterly beyond speculation. "I hope to make a favorable impression while inspecting their restored Manor today."
Marcus rubbed his chin nodding. "Very well. Ensure you do. I grow tired of waiting for this, Daphne. Either cement your status as the boy's betrothed soon or I will be forced to pursue other options."
Daphne froze. Dimly she realized her hands were clenched into fists and made a conscious effort to relax them. This, this right here was a large part of the real reason she had refused to accept Harry's paramours' offer of speaking with him about her attraction. She was certainly interested. She had Tracey's blessing. And she had a father who was basically forcing her to enter into a political marriage before she hit sixteen. While she wanted to try and be with Harry Potter she did not want it to be because she had been cornered by Marcus Greengrass. This was going to be her decision and no one else's! Daphne was in control of her own life and if she had to be thrown out of her family and made nameless in order to prove that then she would do so!
"Father, I believe I have made myself very clear on this matter. I am maintaining my own course here perfectly well. You need not be concerned," she said. Her calm veneer shattered ever so slightly more with part of her frustration seeping into her tone.
"If only I could trust that," her father sighed. "I know of your…dealings…with Tracey Davis. I am no fool and you have learned well from me even if you haven't enjoyed it. Daphne, I no longer believe that you have any interest in Harry Potter other than a convenient cover for your true relationship." He scowled and wiped his lips briefly while Daphne just glared and clenched her fists again. "I don't give a toss if you want to keep that girl on the side for the rest of your life. I don't care if your husband only exists to provide you with semen for a baby. I do care though that you have a baby and a husband! Appearances must be maintained and I will not let this family disappear to appease your heart. Do not toy with me, Daphne. Use the boy for cover or find someone else. Either way ensure you do something, girl! This misdirection and stalling is unbecoming of you and not at all indicative of my Heir. Keep trying my patience and I will assume you are playing power games with me and act accordingly."
His piece said, Marcus pushed his plate aside and left the room. Daphne finally allowed the angry growl loose as she rose to clean the plates. Taking her father's plate to the sink she turned back to her own half eaten dish. Starting slightly at the sight of several small blood droplets near her setting, Daphne turned her hands over and noticed for the first time that she had dug her nails into her palms hard enough to draw blood. Letting out another frustrated sigh, Daphne cast a quick healing spell on her hands and finished cleaning the table, her appetite gone entirely.
Checking the time, Daphne moved to the Floo. She was a few minutes early, but it seemed appropriate to take her leave rather than risk running into her father again. Harry would understand. He probably wouldn't even notice she was early at all, Daphne thought with a small grin. The boy got far too consumed in the bigger picture and lost sight of the minutia at times.
Tossing a pinch of powder into the fire grate she called out, "Potter Manor. No hypocrites allowed." Harry's version of a pass code was entertaining if somewhat unsecure. The familiar whirling swept over her and the trip was only interrupted by a slight tingling just before she stepped out of the receiving fireplace.
"I will never understand how you all make that look so easy," a familiar, mildly annoyed voice sounded from just off to her left.
Daphne shook her head at Harry and chuckled. "And we in turn will never understand how you manage to fail so spectacularly from a simple Floo trip. Hello, Harry."
"Hey, Daph. How's it going?" Harry asked laughing along with her. "You're a little early…I think…maybe…I kinda lost track of time and didn't want to find a clock…"
"You could've just used a tempus spell," she said arching her eyebrows. Harry's wide eyes and small gape only served to add to her amusement.
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "I keep forgetting that I'm not at the Dursleys anymore so I can actually do small spells and things during the summer. You'd think I'd have learned by now."
"Well it has only been one real summer you've been in a wizarding household," she said shrugging. "You can't be expected to drop every old habit right away. Besides, I imagine Shiva would try to limit it somewhat if only to at least attempt to maintain the spirit of the underage magic law."
Harry grunted. "Maybe before we heard a prophecy saying that Riddle is going to gun for me explicitly. Now between her and Lily, she's probably going to be enforcing mandatory training 12 hours a day soon."
Daphne turned an intense gaze on him. "I didn't think either of you believed the prophecy meant you'd be dueling him one on one?"
Harry shrugged again. "Honestly, Daph? Do I think it's set in stone because of a prophecy? Hell no. Do I think my worst good luck ever is going to end up with me facing off against him one way or another just because Fate apparently hates me? Pretty much, yeah."
Daphne groaned and managed to avoid facepalming. "Well at least you got your mother back. Fate can't hate you that much."
"Yeah cause that hasn't been awkward as hell," Harry muttered. Daphne's eyes narrowed at that but Harry smiled and looked up at her before she could say anything. "Come on, I'll show you around a bit. Snapfist is with Lily and the others in the study. We're waiting for the others before the official tour starts."
"Then how are you going to show me around?" Daphne teased with a grin.
Harry chuckled. "Okay you caught me. I just want to show off the basilisk skeleton. It looks amazing!"
Daphne laughed at his enthusiasm. "Good to know. I admit I'm looking forward to seeing it myself. You didn't have any issues with Snapfist did you?"
"Huh?" Harry asked looking confused. His face scrunched up then relaxed. "Oh, you mean did he give me a hard time for freaking out the other day?" Daphne nodded. "He pretended to for a minute or so, but admitted almost immediately he understood why I was rather…short. Just asked me to try and be more polite the next time I had a minor breakdown." Harry snorted and shook his head in exasperation. "Like I can control that."
Daphne shrugged. "Well you didn't start tossing spells or kicking up a magical wind so I think you were rather restrained as it was. Anyway, I really think you should change the pass code to open the Floo, Harry. It's far too simple."
Harry stopped walking and turned to her smiling widely. Daphne just lifted an eyebrow in response waiting for him to explain why he appeared to have caught the canary. "Nice to see that Gryfferins can outfox Slythindors. The pass code is mostly a funny ruse. I did originally want it to be 'no Toads allowed' but with the Umbitch dead it kind of seemed like a waste of a joke. Anyway, it just serves to shunt you from the primary Floo to the personal one. The wards are the real protection, Daph."
"What wards work through the Floo?" she asked incredulous.
"Shiva, Bill and I added a bit to the goblins' work. A slight modification to the Anchor lets the ward scheme penetrate into the Floo stream. Anyone coming in without permission is bounced to a random grate somewhere down the line. Anyone coming in without permission and with hostile intent is…basically slapped back to their origination point with a hammer." He rubbed a hand through his hair and grinned guiltily. "The pass code does help the wards to identify people, but it's just an initial targeting section. You and most of the others are already keyed in by blood. I still need to get Remus, Amelia, Neville and Hannah when they stop by but the main group is mostly good otherwise."
Daphne's mouth fell open and she couldn't help the shiver of shock that ran through her. She was not above admitting to herself that there was a hefty amount of pride and happiness that he'd trusted her enough to preemptively key her into his home's defenses. "When did you get my blood to key me into the wards?" she finally asked after floundering for something to say.
Harry shrugged. "Uh, sometime before the Yule Ball was announced I think. It was back when I still planned to come and inspect this place during the winter hols."
"Impressive foresight," she said finally pushing down her reaction and managing to smile at him. "Thanks for letting me in, Harry."
"You're my friend. Of course I was going to let you in here if you ever wanted in," he said shrugging. She blushed slightly realizing that to him it really was just that simple.
A knock sounded from the next room over and Harry turned walking forward. "I got it!" he called. "Come on, Daph. Entrance hall is through here."
Daphne stepped forward quickly to follow her friend but as soon as she walked through the door she gasped in surprise. Hanging several meters above her and twisting idly in the air was the skeleton of the giant basilisk they had killed. Some of the initial effect was likely lost since they were at the tail of the beast though it was certainly impressive enough as it was. Her mouth lifted in a half smirk thinking back to the battle with the creature. Sure she hadn't actually done much damage, but she'd still participated in bringing it down. It was nice to imagine what she'd be capable of in the future if she could do that at twelve.
"Mione! Fleur! You're here!" Daphne heard Harry yell and she turned to see the newcomers step into the house. The basilisk's head turned its empty gaze down on them and opened its mouth in a not entirely silent hiss. Hermione and Fleur both froze and stared up at the thing as it examined them. Harry, completely unfazed, pulled them both into a hug and leaned in to kiss first Hermione and then Fleur. Daphne felt a brief pang of longing though her expression was steeled back into a welcoming smile before any of the three pulled away and looked back at her.
"It's nice to see you too, Harry. Hello, Daphne," Hermione said with a wide grin.
"Hello. I see you've met Mr. Skelly," Daphne said walking towards them.
Fleur laughed as she nodded. "I do not know about zis nickname, but ze beast is…most impressive. You two truly slaughtered zis at twelve?"
Harry winced. "I wouldn't say slaughtered. More like 'got in a lucky shot'. But yeah, we did."
"Does it have to hiss at us every time we walk in?" Hermione asked glaring at the skeleton.
"It's charmed to do that to whoever's at the front door. Fleur, you can apparate directly into this room now that you've seen it so it won't bother you if you do that. Mione, as long as you use something besides the front door it won't pay any attention to you."
Hermione nodded. "Good to know. Harry…" she paused as she ran her eyes up and down his body carefully checking him over, "are you alright?"
He held up one hand and waved it back and forth in a so-so motion. "I've been better. Tonks helped last night. I did talk with Lily yesterday and this morning though and it's not as awkward as it was originally. I feel a bit bad though that I was rather comforted when I woke up and she was brewing a hangover potion."
Fleur cocked her head at that. "Zat does seem a bit…unusual, 'arry."
"Shiva told her most of my life story last night it seems. It's…comforting to know that she was upset enough to end up with a hangover. I'm not happy she had a headache, I'm happy she cared." All three girls winced and were suitably impressed at the woman's ability to be able to brew a potion after hearing all of that. "They stopped just before hitting this last year I think. Shiva mentioned this morning that she wanted Lily conscious for today and not off trying to murder Dumbledore or finding the Umbitch's remains so she could reanimate her and kill her again."
"Which was a very good idea if your last year was worse than the first three," Lily Potter said a trace of both amusement and exasperation as she walked into the entrance hall. "I don't even want to know who James and I pissed off to give you such bad luck, Harry. Hello girls. Fleur, Hermione, nice to see you again. You must be Daphne."
Daphne curtsied and nodded. "Yes, Milady. I'm Daphne Greengrass. It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Potter."
A wince and flash of pain darkened Lily's features though both were gone so quickly Daphne almost thought she'd imagined it. "Lily is fine dear. If you're not comfortable with that, Mrs. Potter is okay too. That one does make me feel a bit…well old, but I suppose I should get used to it."
"Lily then," Daphne said smiling back at the woman. She was remarkably polite and upbeat for a dead woman. She also hid her pain well like Harry.
"Er, Mrs. – Lily – has the Manor changed much since you were first here?" Hermione asked waving a hand to encompass the grounds.
Lily shrugged. "I haven't explored much yet and honestly I hadn't spent much time here to begin with before it was damaged. Snapfist was saying they kept most of the arrangements the same in the reconstruction. Ragnok apparently got a kick out of the trophy room. The way Snapfist tells it, the man seemed positively giddy that the old wyvern head survived." She shook her head. "Men and their trophies. Honestly, I practically fainted when I walked in here and saw this thing!" she gestured towards the slithering skeleton above. "I can't believe Daphne and Harry fought this alone before hitting their teens! Daphne, you have my respect and I seriously hope you have your parents' too. If not, bring them here and take them through the front door," Lily said shuddering slightly.
Daphne blushed at the woman's praise. While she had told her father she wanted to make a good impression she hadn't actually believed that she'd stand a chance of impressing Harry's mother. Certainly not this quickly. That Lily was singing her praises without even having gotten to know her beyond second hand stories…and especially after what her father had said just a short while ago…Dammit she might not make it until the start of September if this was the sort of in-law she could look forward to by dating Harry. "Thanks, Lily," she finally managed to mumble.
"Let's go back to others," Harry said. He wrapped an arm around Hermione and tugged gently. "Come on, Mione, we're hanging out in the library."
Daphne had to cover her mouth to stifle her laugh as the brunette's eyes widened and her breathing picked up. Before any of the others could say anything, Hermione had started walking at of the room at a pace that was practically dragging Harry behind her.
Lily watched their guests with a small smile as they explored the small library. Hermione seemed to be a girl after her own heart, eagerly flitting from shelf to shelf and taking notes on what she wanted to read and in which order. The brunette witch had barely paid any attention at all to the other occupants beyond the initial pleasantries though she did still surreptitiously glance at Harry whenever he fell too silent only returning to her books when he started talking to the group again or made a small gesture that seemed to satisfy Hermione.
Fleur was far more engaging now that she wasn't consumed with worrying about her…partner. Lily suppressed a small grimace at that. The fact that her son was not only dating, but dating all three girls at once was more than enough to spur a return of the headache she'd woken up with. The French Veela certainly didn't make it easy to forget that fact. She used almost any excuse to kiss or touch Harry and he tended to respond in kind. Fleur seemed easy to like and she definitely had a healthy amount of respect for the young woman's skills to have gotten through her own set of challenges last year even if the details were still mostly clouded in shadow.
Daphne on the other hand was an enigma. To most appearances, Daphne Greengrass was a typical Pureblood Princess with a haughty air and a superior attitude. When she engaged with most she was brusque, but polite and knowing while still being respectful. However near Harry her demeanor shifted quite largely. She was still thoughtful and careful, but it was tempered with an obvious humor and exasperation. The effect was enough of a difference that Lily was reminded strongly of Andromeda Tonks. One of the reasons she had so adored Andi was because the woman was a perfect blend of the skills and experience in purebloods coupled with the joy and openness in most Muggleborns. Daphne seemed to be quite similar in that regard and it bode well for the girl's prospects in whatever she aimed to achieve both personal and professional.
Tonks as a direct contrast was busy arguing with Dobby over what color the walls should be painted. The little house elf was insisting that a gold and red scheme be used in the majority of the manor while Tonks was trying to make a case for some Hufflepuff colors. Her efforts to prove her point by standing against various walls and shifting her hair to match her stated preferences was hilarious to watch. Completely unbecoming of proper behavior, but that was a large part of what made it so much fun. Lily had almost fallen to the floor in shock as she caught a quick glimpse of the goblin laughing at Tonks' antics!
That Harry had managed to get such good friends in spite of his…history…warmed Lily's heart. It proved that Harry was still her sweet little boy even if that wasn't quite as literal as it used to be.
A deep knock sounded throughout the hall followed by a pathetic little scream of terror. Several heads turned to the door to the library while Lily just rolled her eyes. "We're in the library, Sirius!" she yelled. "Stop playing with Skelly and come in!"
"Hey, that thing's scary!" Sirius pouted walking in with Remus following close behind. While Sirius had obviously played it up, Moony was looking rather pale. Lily couldn't help the twinge of satisfaction at making the man squirm a bit. Sure, he hadn't betrayed them – Shiva had cleared that up – but he still hadn't even bothered to try and contact Harry before the situation was forced onto him. While she respected that he'd made changes to his life she wasn't going to give him a free pass until she made certain that he had earned that pass.
"Was the hissing too much?" Harry asked innocently. Lily chuckled. Maybe some of the others could tell if he was genuinely asking or teasing but she certainly couldn't. "I was originally going to just have it hanging up there, but when the goblins mentioned they could have it animated a bit I might have went a bit overboard with the effects."
Tonks' hair and most of her body turned green with her tongue flicking out and lengthening into a split snake's tongue. "I sssink thisss big brothersssss of mine issssss perfectssss."
Every single occupant of the house turned to stare at Tonks who just stared back at them all. It took a full ten seconds before everyone was clutching their sides and wiping their eyes from their laughter. Tonks grinned, bowed and morphed back to her normal form. "Aww shucks folks. Thanks."
When people had finally calmed down Sirius moved to warmly embrace Lily. "It's good to see you up and about, Lils. I missed you."
"Well, I wish I could say I missed you too but…" she said shrugging and giving him a small smile in return.
"Yeah, I know. I talked with you friend earlier. I know the basics. Look on the bright side though, Lils, at least you're still crazy young!"
She snorted and shook her head genially while Remus stepped forward with a sigh. "Sirius, while that may be true, there's probably a far better way to put it. Hello, Lily. I'm pleased to see you again as well. Also, I hope you'll accept my apologies for not doing more for Harry while it would have counted. I was rather taken to task with my poor behavior – well deservedly so – and while I can't change the past I can try to atone for it in the future."
Lily's eyes narrowed as she searched his features. He seemed genuine and that he'd freely offered the sentiment before she'd even had the chance to tear into him was something…Slowly she nodded and pulled him into a very brief hug. "Ensure you keep doing right by my family in the future Remus and we're okay. Step out of line again though and I will not be as nice."
Shiva groaned. "Ugh, Remus, don't piss her off. I had a hard enough time keeping her from tearing off after Lockhart and Dumbledore. You might be a werewolf, but you're still a heck of alot easier to find than those two."
"Actually, Flophart is easy to find. He's still in St. Mungos," Daphne said nonchalantly. "I hear they've gotten him to the point of being able to ask for food and loo trips again. If Lily wants to go torture him a bit I'm all for that. I can even show you his room."
Hermione paused in her inspection of one of the shelves and peered at Daphne curiously. "Oh really? Daphne, have you paid visits to the man?"
"Well he may have developed some intense itching in rather uncomfortable places while I was checking on some other patients. A few times. That he can't actually explain what the problem is…was sadly unfortunate," the Slytherin said with a wicked grin. Hermione just shook her head in exasperation though she didn't appear to have any actual issues with her friend's actions.
Lily chuckled and eyed the girl appreciatively. Daphne certainly had a vindictive side to her. "Well, that certainly helps diminish my need for justice. Though I may have to pay some visits and try out some of my more experimental potions on him." She grinned widely.
Snapfist stood and looked at her flashing a toothy smile. "I see why you have a good reputation with the Nation, Mrs. Potter. If we aren't waiting on more perhaps we should start the tour?"
"Sure. Lead on, Account Manager."
The group passed through the entrance hall again as they moved to the East Wing when the basilisk skeleton started hissing at the door and chime sounded. Harry gave an annoyed sigh. "That's the signal that someone is approaching who doesn't have hostile intent against any of the people keyed into the wards. Give me a second to see who it is."
Daphne gave an annoyed huff and moved to follow him. "It's quite possible it's my father. He was rather…forward this morning and it would certainly be in character for him to drop by, introduce himself and see how things were going. I'll get rid of him if it is."
Harry pulled the door open and blinked in surprise at two Aurors just stepping up to the door. "Err, hello?" He recognized Dawlish, but while the other one seemed vaguely familiar he couldn't place a name to the face.
"Mr. Potter," Dawlish said with his face set firmly into an expression caught between disgust and fear, "we're here for the abomination. Please stand aside."
"Abomination?" Harry asked looking to Daphne who just shrugged mirroring his confusion. "Uh, I know the skeleton might be a bit much, but I wouldn't call it an abomination. That seems rather harsh."
The second Auror stepped frowned. "Skeleton? So you've already killed it!?"
"Yeeeaaaah," Harry said slowly as if speaking to children. "This was really big news over two years ago…Daphne and I killed the basilisk and it's hanging here…what skeleton did you think I meant?"
"Harry? Either invite them in or lock them out. I want to see the rest of this place," Lily called.
Both Aurors froze. "It's alive!" Dawlish yelled. "Savage, protect the kids I'll get the creature!" Dawlish and Savage whipped out their wands and had time to take a single step forward before staring dumbly ahead.
Harry and Daphne were back to back in front of the two Aurors blocking the door. Both teens had their wands out pointed at one Auror each. Harry had his left hand pulled back with his palm extended, the Knockback tattoo glowing slightly which matched the Boomstone tattoo glowing on his hand clutching his wand. Daphne in turn had pulled a Freezer rune stone from somewhere and was clutching it in her off hand. Harry was carefully positioned so that the skin on his right hand was brushing against Daphne's left in case he had to use the Boomstone. To helpfully increase their image of unstoppable badasses Skelly leaned her head down behind them and unhinged her toothy jaw letting out a very loud hiss.
"Put your wands down and step back from the door," Harry said remarkably calmly considering how badly he wanted to curse these two idiots.
"There is no necromantic abomination present in this household, Aurors," Daphne said all joking gone and steel edging her voice. "I kindly recommend you take your leave immediately before a misunderstanding occurs. You are in the process of invading a Lord's manor with faulty justification. You are not here under orders. Director Amelia Bones would have nipped that right in the bud. Head Auror Scrimgeour has also already been informed of Lily Potter's return to health so he has not authorized this either."
The corner of Harry's lip twitched as he saw Dawlish visibly gulp. Savage just sneered. "Out of the way children. You've obviously been confounded by someone."
Harry growled and Daphne's eyes narrowed to slits. Before either could act the rest of the group stepped up behind them with Lily in the front. "I'm a necromantic abomination now? Well, I suppose I shouldn't really be too surprised about that. Am I supposed to be decaying and putrid too? Do I eat brains?"
Dawlish gaped at the sarcastic comments, his wand lowering slightly. Savage however shifted his aim to point over Harry's shoulder. His lips moved to start casting a spell when he was thrown off his feet. Harry's disarming charm hit the man at the same time that his Knockback blast slammed into his chest. Daphne's body bind jinx hit him barely half a second afterwards. Both teens turned their wands on Dawlish not even bothering to notice who had raised a shield behind them. "Your move, Auror Dawlish," Harry said quietly.
Dawlish slowly held up one hand and lowered his wand though he didn't sheathe it. "I have to take…it into custody, Lord Potter. Necromancy is the only explanation here. I don't know how it's tricking you or who's controlling it, but I promise you we will find out and hunt them down."
Harry heard the sound of a hand slapping a face behind him though he just groaned. "Have you listened to a single thing we've said? Did you even bothering to read the article in the paper or did you just run off half-cocked after catching a glimpse of the headline?"
The guilty expression on the Auror's face was answer enough. Daphne glared at him. "Allow me to summarize for you in that case. Lily Potter was in a state of deep enchanted sleep while augmenting Harry Potter's protection. As the specific requirements to break this enchantment were previously unfulfilled thanks to an ignored will only recently was the spell broken. Lily Potter never died; she simply slept. Her status was confirmed by two separate licensed Healers, three Heads of Ancient Houses and the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"Now get your partner and get the hell off my property!" Harry finished shouting.
"I'll take it from here, Lord Potter," Amelia Bones said as she walked up the path. "Tonks, thank you for calling. I see we have a bit of trouble here." She paused as she stopped by Savage. A flick of her wand had the man standing in front of her next to Dawlish though still frozen by the body bind. "Dawlish, explain."
Dawlish's face paled even further as he stumbled over his words. "Ma'am, Savage and I saw the article in the Quibbler on Proudfoot's desk this morning. We…well it's only natural to assume necromancy or other Dark Magic when dealing with a reanimation! We didn't want to waste any time since who knows what someone without any morals like that would do with their creation left near Harry Potter…"
Lily held up her hand from beyond Harry and Daphne. "They did sound like they tried to protect the teens. Sort of at least," she said jovially. Harry wanted to be frustrated with her for joking under these circumstances, but if she was anything like him he knew she was probably doing it in a deliberate effort to avoid going for her own wand.
"What am I going to do with you two?" Bones sighed. "Unpaid leave for one week. Paid leave for another week after that. Both of you are then going back through the last three months of the Auror Training Program. Savage, while this is technically your first offense your general attitude has been severely lacking especially concerning safety and procedure. Dawlish…goddammit Dawlish! You are a good Auror when you can pull head out of your arse and we need good Aurors now more than ever! Initiative is fine and commendable even, but we check facts first for a reason!" She waved her wand again and the spell holding Savage dropped. He proceeded to drop his head in shame. "Get out of here both of you."
The two Aurors hurried off the property and Bones turned to the group with a sigh. "I apologize for that. Lily…ugh I'll talk to my department immediately to make sure this doesn't happen again. It was scheduled for before everyone went home for the day originally. I'm sorry for the disruption." She started to turn, but stopped and gave a small amused shake of her head at Harry and Daphne who had finally holstered their wands and moved slightly apart. "I've seen Dawlish go up against a werewolf while transformed and not break a sweat. I don't know what you people did to him, but I sincerely hope you join our ranks when you graduate. Good day, everyone."
As Amelia walked back down the driveway Harry slammed the front door and scowled. "They obviously had hostile intent to…Lily at least. Why the hell didn't the wards trigger?" he asked aloud frowning down at the floor.
Shiva laid a soft hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "She's not entered into them, kid. We were going to do that when we got to the Anchor. Nobody expected an attack in the half hour we've been here."
Harry's scowl deepened further but Hermione moved forward to kiss his cheek before he could say anything. "That was quite impressive, Harry. I believe I told you once before that Daphne was a good second for you and an equal in battle. There's all the proof you need."
Tonks gave them a thumbs up with her hair a mix between emerald green and scarlet red. Harry, suitably distracted just ran a hand through his hair and huffed.
"I am so glad I came to this personally!" Snapfist said clapping his hands together and smiling. "Come, let's go to that Ward Anchor first."
As the group moved to follow Snapfist, Harry noticed Lily eyeing Daphne and giving the girl a very affirming nod of acknowledgement.
Shortly after the Manor tour ended the group had had dinner together with everyone departing except for Hermione, Fleur and Tonks. Lily found it somewhat hard to ignore that all three girls were bunking in her son's bedroom. No matter how many assurances she'd received that this wasn't something new it didn't change that he seemed far too young.
Leaning back against the wall behind her she used her butterbeer to salute a picture of a young black haired girl on the end table nearby. "Quite the hypocrite I'm being huh, Marlene? I was sleeping with you at 15 and now I'm getting angry with my son for doing the same thing. I guess it's different when they're our own children." Lily scowled and drained her drink. Marlene had died only a few weeks before Lily and James had gone into hiding. While their fling hadn't lasted long they'd stayed friends ever since and her death had hurt quite a lot. That Marlene's entire family had been wiped out at the same time just made it even worse.
Lily turned from the picture and walked back towards her room. Harry had offered the master bedroom but she'd turned him down. That room was supposed to be for the lord of the manor and she didn't really qualify for that position anymore. Granted, she'd actually never qualified for the position. James' parents had died in the same attack that destroyed the Manor so she'd never even set foot in the room before this morning. It was easy to let Harry have that area. The larger quarters would at least make things simpler for his sleeping arrangements.
The hallway split and instead of turning towards her bedroom, Lily found herself going to other way. She stopped in front of James' old room. Slowly, with a slight tremble Lily pushed the door open and walked inside. The goblins had indeed been thorough. If nothing else in the house had made that clear this room did. There were still some of the pictures and posters that James had decorated hanging in the same spots. Her old attempt at knitting a blanket was draped across the back of the chair just like she'd left it. The bed's sheets had that same eye-watering combination of brilliant red, blazing gold and fluttering snitches.
Lily sat down on the bed and pulled a small bear from the side table. She'd bought that as soon as she found out she was pregnant. Every kid liked bears and while stuffed dragons were largely the preferred option among magical families she'd wanted her child to grow up with a connection to the Muggle world. Harry had grown up with that connection. He'd grown up with Petunia. With the same woman who'd stated multiple times he should die before even being born. With the aunt who'd stuffed him in a cupboard because he was special and she wasn't. Her son had grown up completely alone because she and James had been too busy arguing to bother telling people how her research was progressing.
Everything she'd ruthlessly pushed down since first opening her eyes and seeing a coffin bubbled up to the surface. Lily clutched the bear to her chest, squeezed her eyes shut and started sobbing. Her breath hitched and her arms trembled. She couldn't fix this. She couldn't fix anything. She'd damned her son to hell while trying to save him. How was she supposed to justify that?
Lily barely even registered when a soft arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her head down to rest on a shoulder. She could only cry harder and squeeze the bear tighter. "Shh, it's okay," a quiet voice said. Lily shook her head and kept crying. "Let it out. Harry does the same thing. You can't keep this shite bottled up because it just gets worse and worse."
At the mention of her son Lily's breath hitched again. She tried to pull back vigorously shaking her head. "I left him alone!" she shouted. "I left him alone for years!"
"You saved him." Lily finally managed to pull enough coherent thought together to recognize that Shiva was the one holding her and trying to calm her down. "Did he end up having a shitty childhood? Yeah. That's not on you, Lily. We read your will and your husband's. Harry doesn't blame you at all for being stuck with the Dursleys. You had no way of knowing that your wishes would be completely ignored."
"It doesn't matter! I should have known! I knew what bigoted arses the wizarding world created. I ranted about them enough to realize that it was likely to happen! I should have told someone about what I was trying to do! If I had told someone than I could've raised him!" Lily gave up trying to move away and collapsed back down into Shiva's embrace. "I was too busy trying to make James understand why I was so determined. Why I was set on that course. Why I couldn't afford to do any other research. Why I wasn't trying to be a Merlin-be-damned martyr! We gave up understanding each other's positions! I ignored everything except finishing it! I didn't explain anything!"
"I'm glad you didn't," Shiva said quietly. The complete incongruity of that statement jolted Lily out of her sobs. She pulled back to stare wide eyed at the other woman. "I don't mean that I'm glad Harry grew up the way he did or that you got trapped in stasis for a decade. I mean, I'm glad you got it working in time. If you hadn't been so focused your son would've died, Lily. You saved him. You gave him a chance. I've patched over his wounds, but I never would have even met him if you hadn't saved him to begin with." Shiva smiled and hugged Lily. This time instead of a comforting embrace, it was a thankful one. "I love that boy like he was my own flesh and blood and I can't thank you enough for letting him live long enough that I could meet him."
Lily started crying again at that and she clung to Shiva tighter. She hadn't looked at it from that angle before, but the professor was right. If she had stopped working, there was a good chance she wouldn't have been ready for when Voldemort showed up on their doorstep. Harry's life had been hard…but Shiva was right. He was alive. And she could start doing everything in her power to make sure that she made up for all the years she had missed with him.
Severus Snape sat down to his breakfast and morning tea without his usual sneer. Dumbledore had been removed long enough that Snape was beginning to see the benefits of having one of his masters gone for good. Bones a hardass bitch who made no secret of disliking him, but she was fair and forthright with her explanations and orders; two things that Dumbledore had never been. To make matters even better, the idiot Lucius had managed to let Narcissa walk away from him! While she was unable to make a deep dent in the man's finances the money she had taken was rather impressive and rumors were running rampant that Black was going to file for a divorce on her behalf on 'breach of contract' grounds reclaiming a sizable dowry. The Dark Lord's displeasure was firmly centered onto Lucius leaving Severus free to do whatever he wanted in the meantime. All in all, it was an excellent start to the summer months.
He opened yesterday's papers to see what amusing anecdote the insane Lovegoods had come up with this time. Reading the article on Voldemort's return was rather anticlimactic as there were no embellishments or conspiracy theories. Moving on he flipped to read below the fold. The headline of the article barely registered on his first pass.
Lily Potter's Miraculous Revival! A Strengthening Ritual Gone Wrong Thanks to Wizengamot Mismanagement
Written by: Luna Lovegood
Many of you may think a joke article. As was stated in the first section, it is not. You read that correctly. Lily Potter has regained consciousness after remaining in an enchanted sleep for nearly fourteen years. She –
Snape spit out the tea he was drinking as he stared at the paper in front of him. Moving so quickly the table bounced backwards, he lunged forwards and gripped the Quibbler like his very life depended on it. Hurriedly he started reading the entire thing.
She was initially forced into the magical slumber during the night of Voldemort's attack on the Potter household in Godric's Hollow. The Dark Lord unknowingly completed the final component of an ancient ritual that allowed Mrs. Potter to strengthen her son's natural defenses. This is what led directly to Voldemort's initial defeat. The final segment after the danger had passed was for the young Harry Potter to come into contact with his slumbering mother passing back the enhancement and allowing her to wake.
In a tragic series of events, this never came to pass. The Chief Warlock of the time, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sealed the wills that explained this step of the ritual thereby refusing to permit it to be performed. It is unknown whether Dumbledore took this step knowing the true ramifications or not, but the fact remains that he vastly overstepped his bounds in this instance. By ignoring the final stipulations of James and Lily Potter, Albus Dumbledore led to the burying alive of a healthy if unresponsive woman for over a decade.
Upon the recent completion of the Triwizard Tournament and with the return of Tom Riddle, Harry Potter felt it was appropriate to follow the last wishes of his parents. Upon paying his respects, Mr. Potter and all others present were quite surprised to observe the long overdue completion of the original ritual and the revival of Lily Potter. She has since been examined by several certified Healers and pronounced in perfect health. The Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has also signed off on Mrs. Potter's status saying, "There is no evidence of Dark Magic here at all. While Mrs. Potter does not remember the exact ritual she used, it's evident that this was family magic and likely is unable to be spoken of with outsiders to begin with. Mrs. Potter's survival is certainly unexpected, but rare and unusual Light magic should not be mistaken for Dark."
Mrs. Potter is currently recovering from her lost time with her remaining family. Any inquiries into her current health and status are authorized to be directed through either Quibbler staff or Madame Bones.
Snape's hands shook as he finished the article. "It's a trick. It has to be a trick. I held her body. She was dead. I know she was dead!" He stood up so quickly that the kitchen table flipped over on its side. Running to the door, Snape took just enough time to grab his jacket before rushing far enough off his property to apparate. He didn't notice at all when he arrived at the Dursley household missing a bit of hair above his left ear. Moving to the door he knocked twice. He waited for a moment and knocked again. He waited less than a second and proceeded to knock again. And again. And again. His hand was raised for another knock when the door opened and Snape's fist nearly collided with the horse-faced woman instead of the wood.
Rearing back and resisting the supreme urge to curse Petunia Dursley née Evans out, Snape took a shuddering breath. "Is she here? I need to see her."
"I know you…" Petunia said her eyes narrowing. Her lips twisted into a grimace a few moments later. "Snake something. Snape, that was it. Snake Snape. What do you want? The boy hasn't been here since the beginning of summer last year. He'll never be back now and thank goodness for that. We want nothing more to do with your kind!"
Snape's fists clenched and he only barely managed to not draw his wand on the obstinate bitch who was every bit as horrible as he remembered. "I don't care about Harry Potter! I want to see Lily you imbecilic woman!"
Petunia snorted and moved to close the door. "Try the graveyard then. In case you haven't heard, that woman died fourteen years ago. If you people even use graveyards." The door slammed shut.
Snape growled and twisted on the spot apparating away. He landed in the alley near Babbling's flat minus more hair a bit of his right shoe. He knew his colleague's address through the benefit of working at the school not to mention her recent status regarding the Potter spawn. Never as grateful for that as right now Snape charged around the corner and up the steps tripping ever so slightly at his unbalanced right leg. Snape scowled at the delay. He'd been stupid to try Petunia first. Of course Lily would never go back that woman! She'd have gone to her son.
He pulled up outside the door and started knocking continuously. When no one responded after nearly thirty seconds he was about to start banging and casting spells at the door. Before he could start on that though, the flat across the hall opened at an annoyed man poked his head out. "Will you keep that racket down! Some of us are trying to sleep in you know."
"I need to get into this flat. It is extremely urgent," Snape snarled.
"Well unless it's burning down come back when they're home, idiot."
Snape froze. "You know they are gone? Where did they go?"
"How the hell should I know? We're not friends. I just saw the women and her kid heading out yesterday morning with their friend and they never came back. Now stop knocking on the bloody door and go the hell away before I call the police on the disturbance you're making!"
Another door slammed in Snape's face and his lips lifted in a snarl. Where would they have – Potter Manor.
Snape ran down to the alleyway tripping over more stairs on the way and apparated again. This time he lost a bit of the end of his robes as well as more hair from above his left ear. He didn't bother slowing down and ran full tilt to the front door of the manor. A dim hissing sounded beyond the barrier to his progress but he paid it no mind. He started banging incessantly on the door. His jacket was only half put on still and it flapped hard enough to slam into the door with dull thuds after his fists landed. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and the Potter spawn stared out at him.
"Snape?" Potter asked in confusion. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "This is weird dream."
"You are not dreaming you dunderhead," Snape growled. "Where is she? I need to see her. Is she here?!"
Potter frowned and stood straighter, most of the tiredness in his gaze swapping for annoyance. "Oh, of course you're here for my mother. Finally got around to reading the paper huh, Snape?" Potter scowled and glared at him. "She's sleeping right now. Come back at a decent hour."
"Let me see her now," Snape snarled.
Potter's scowl turned into a wry grin. "Sucks being on the other side of things doesn't it?" The boy's gaze took in Snape's appearance and he groaned. "Luckily I'm not as cruel as you are. Wait in the lobby. I'll go see if she's awake and interested in talking to you right now. If not you have to promise to leave and let her be the first one to contact you. Deal?"
Snape's lips curled, but he gave a curt nod. It would at least get him into the Manor. He knew she'd be willing to speak with him. It was Lily. Lily was always willing to listen.
Potter pulled the door wide and gestured him inside. Snape took a single step beyond the threshold and froze solid as a giant skeletal snake head settled in his path hissing with its jaw hinged wide. Potter's snickering followed shortly after. Snape turned to glare at the boy's back as he left the room while the basilisk skeleton drifted back up to slither nearer to the ceiling.
Snape looked down at his clothes and for the first time noticed his lack of decorum. With a wince he finished pulling his jacket onto his other arm and tied the laces on his left shoe before tucking in his shirt. He was still trying to figure out what he could do with his right shoe when footsteps sounded in the hall. Abandoning his current attempts at damage control, he turned his eyes upwards.
Standing in the middle of one of the hallways was a vision of beauty. Her red hair framed her face just as he remembered it. Her clothes were the same style she always preferred, toeing the line between magical and Muggle. Her arms were crossed in the typical manner she always reserved for when she was annoyed with someone and her face was set in the careful mask that he had never quite been able to read. It was true…Lily Potter was alive!
"Lily…" Snape said stepping forward, his voice thick with emotion.
Lily's eyes narrowed and the edge of her mouth twitched. The voice that issued out of those perfect lips was cold and laced with disgust. "Severus. You have a lot of nerve showing up here like this. Just what do you want?"
Paracela Fulcanelli stood up from her weekly chat with Albus Dumbledore all smiles. "Well," she said, "thanks for finally telling us about that thing with the ring. I don't get why you're obsessed with that at all. You realize what I'm missing by talking to you for so long about this don't you? I missed three different autograph sessions to have this chat!" Albus scowled and tried to respond. The frustrating woman had silenced him as soon as she stood though so nothing came out. "Whatever, you deserve a reward for finishing up your tale I suppose. How about a paper, Al? Don't worry, it's enchanted so that it just looked like one of the Muggle tabloids if anyone non-magical looks at it. Well, Squibs too. You're excepted thanks to a bit of sympathetic magic. Enjoy. I particularly enjoyed the second article on the front page." Paracela gave an evil little grin that set Albus' hairs on end. She left the paper and walked out laughing to herself.
Albus frowned and picked up the copy of the Quibbler to see what could be so ill boding that Perenelle would think it fit to torture him with. He skimmed the article regarding Voldemort. Unsurprising and matching mostly what Harry had previously stated with a few additional details. Getting to the second article caused every muscle in Albus' body to freeze.
Lily Potter was alive.
He reread the article.
He reread the article a third time.
All color drained out of Albus' face. "He's finally done it," Albus whispered dimly noting that he had use of his voice again. "Harry has broken the boundaries that even Voldemort feared to tread. I knew he needed to be stopped before the worst could happen and now…this?! The sheep believe it to be a good thing too?! Harry was masterful in his acquisition of such a powerful spinster so early in his rise…To reanimate his mother into a nefarious Dark Creature…I must get out! I must stop him! The boy will be the end of us all!"
Albus clutched the paper like a lifeline and ran to the door leading into the courtyard. He wasn't as spry as he used to be but he could still force the gate with a long enough lever. The pool skimmer might work. He'd just managed to get the skimmer lodged into the gate hinge when one of the orderlies came over and gently put his hands over Albus'. "What seems to be the problem, Mr. Brian?"
"I must leave! It is urgent! Look!" Albus thrust the Quibbler into the man's hands. "You see? They believe he's justified in what does! They believe her reanimation is good when all it proves is that Harry has fallen to depths not seen since the times of Egypt and Atlantis! I have to get back and save them from him before his evil can spread across the globe!"
The orderly examined the paper carefully nodding slowly. For a brief moment, Albus' eyes shown with righteous promise and hope. "Al, I can understand why you would think that the alien bringing someone back from the dead would be a bad thing, but you have to remember that tabloids doctor these types of photos all the time. It's not real, it's a just a fake. Nobody is going to corrupt the world with alien resurrection machines or Atlantean death beams."
Albus tore the paper out of the man's hand and scowled. "You fool. It's not aliens or death beams! It's MAGIC!"
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