Rufus Scrimgeour sat at his new desk in his office deep in thought for the moment. After the deaths of several top death eaters in the middle of some sort of dark ritual, the death of Barty Crouch who had been hiding his death eater son and the imprisonment of an innocent man who had not been given a trial the public had enough. They had kicked out Fudge and in a close election (first of its kind in a hundred years) Scrimgeour was elected minister, and he had wisely chosen several smart advisors to help him, one who was here now, Amanda Bones. She was sitting across from him, her gray hair done up in a bun her square jaw just a little bit less set. She was clad in robes of green and Scrimgeour was clad in robes of black.
Discover moreBooksFan merchandiseFan community platformCartoonsMobile app marketing"You sure this is the best course of action?" Scrimgeour asked Bones.
"Yes, there are rumors that monster who called himself a lord will come back." Bones replied.
"You go by the letter you were given then?" Scrimgeour asked referring to the anonymous letters sent to him and to Bones. "I would like to know who sent them and why?"
"Albus was asking the same thing." Bones replied, "however this will tip the scales in our favor if this monster comes back or another evil lord tries to take his place. Besides the whole world has signed it and we are the last nation to hold out."
"Not anymore." Scrimgeour said signing the document, a copy automatically filed with the goblins. "A nice Christmas present that."
Scrimgeour felt right about this new international law, the muggles he knew had such a law made years before. However unlike the muggles the magical world had, well, magic to enforce this law. It was an anti-slavery bill that made all slavery illegal, not just for most humans but for all sentient creatures. It did not much effect the house elves as they freely bonded with a family as it was but others it would. Humans, goblins, Centaurs, mer-people, and other higher creatures (not animals of course) could not be enslaved against their will. More laws had been put through as well, laws that would keep the trace on underage students. Many of the purebloods did not much like this but it kept students from using magic unfairly at home during the summer.
Discover moreMoviesFan fiction forumComicsFan fiction writingMobile app development"You still don't trust Albus do you?" Bones asked seeing a troubled look on Scrimgeour's face.
"No, he has a werewolf as the defense professor, and before that he had hired a fraud and before that an insane death eater. No I do not trust him."
"There is nothing wrong with Remus Lupin, accept his condition, which is well under control, Severus Snape keeps him in line."
"Ah but who keeps Snape in line then?" Scrimgeour asked pointedly. "Oh he is a good professor, I cannot deny the fact that under him more students have gone on to get NEWTS in potions than any other potions master. It's his past actions I am worried about."
"Well he has done wonders with his house, the Slytherins are mostly peaceful and it seems they use words more than blows." Amanda replied, "that is not it, not fully, I know you would rather the students did not start magical training until seventeen."
Discover moreWriting workshopsDessertsBooks & LiteratureCrossover fictionFiction genre guides"Yes if I had my way they would not start learning until their magical core was fully stable."
If Scrimgeour had his way students would not even start their magical training until they were seventeen, he thought eleven was too young, just because a student's magical core was mostly stable at that age they still were not fully in control of their magic. He was out voted in this of course as most of the world agreed that eleven was the right age to get the child used to using their magic in a controlled way, that way they would not have magic surges in their teens and the statute would not be in danger of being over turned. Besides Scrimgeour knew what would happen if he mentioned that to the professors of Hogwarts, Dumbledore would just send McGonagall to sort him out and secretly McGonagall scared Scrimgeour badly.
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Remus woke up Christmas morning bright and early yawning and walking to his bathroom to shower and dress. The Wolfsbane and the improvements to it make his life so much easier. He remembered how this Christmas had been the last time around, he was so sick and tired that he was unable to even get out of bed that day. Now he was up early and ready for a cup of coffee, right on cue as he finished dressing in a set of green robes (the wardrobe of Frank Longbottom had been given to him by Madam Longbottom as payment for teaching her grandson over the summer, sized so that they fit him perfectly) and walked out to see Dobby had put out the coffee for him. Dobby was clad in green tunic and breeches trimmed in deep red with the Potter crest on the tunic. These items were not considered clothing, no this was a uniform and so did not count as clothing to the proud little elf.
"Good morning professor Remus sir!" Dobby said grinning and bowing to Remus, "Dobby is happy to see you is up and well today!"
"I am glad to be up, I cannot miss your good coffee!" Remus said getting the elf to blush then grin widely.
"Someone make coffee?" Sirius said coming out of the bedroom managing to look somewhat presentable this morning, he took the pot and a cup after Remus and sipped the wonderful brew. "Dobby I would allow you to bond with my house if you were not bonded to Harry."
"Lord Black is a great wizard!" Dobby said bursting into tears of joy, "he is best lord Black to Dobby!"
"I do my best," Sirius said, "Harry should be here soon, hope I got enough for him."
"You are going to spoil him rotten." Remus said shaking his head.
"Well he needs it, his relations gave him house room, food and not much else you know." Sirius replied, "I have a lot to make up for."
The small sitting room of the suite of rooms Remus had been given had a good sized tree in the corner decorated with stags, shaggy dogs, wolves and lots of other woodland creatures. A star at the top twinkled down at them and at the foot of the tree stood a high stack of presents almost all for Harry. As if on cue the young wizard knocked at the door and entered the sitting room. He was clad in his dress robes and thanks to both Sirius and Remus's lessons carried himself like the head of house he was. The Potter ring on his right hand completed the image of lord Baron Potter that he was even at his young age. He still would have a guardian until he came of age of course but he was, as the last of his house had the right to wear the Potter ring, when he reached the age of thirty he would be able to run for a seat on the Wizengamot.
"Good morning Harry, coffee?" Sirius asked the teen handing him a cup.
"Only one Sirius, he will have enough energy with all the sweets today, in fact that is your last cup too." Remus said to his good friend.
"Yes mother." Sirius said sipping his second cup.
"Good morning Dobby." Harry said to the small elf before him handing him a small package, "I got you something."
"Master Harry is too good to Dobby!" Dobby said unwrapping a large bar of chocolate, (house elves do love the wonderful sweet and they would chose this over gold if offered gold) a large grin spreading over his face. "Thank you master Harry!"
Harry got down on the elf's level and hugged him letting the elf hug him back fiercely. Dobby was family, truly family, in fact when Harry's parents died and he was sent to his aunt and uncle the last horrible act that Brutus Malfoy had done was buy up Dobby when he had no right to do so. Dobby really did belong to Harry as all his family had for generations. It was no wonder he had a hard time with the Malfoy family and Lucius lost patience with him. If Lucius had known the elf had been stole from another family he would have been appalled, even though he did not give much thought to his servants even he would have seen this as a barbaric act. Yet Harry had learned the truth just recently and had told Dobby who had been in conflict feeling badly how he never could bond fully with the Malfoy's (though he had tried he really had). He had never truly been the Malfoy's even if he was forced to work for them, he belonged to the house Potter and was truly home. In fact that was what called him to protect Harry in Harry's second year, his true master was in trouble though at that time he did not fully know he had been stolen but did now.
"So let's start with presents shall we?" Sirius said grinning.
"Harry gets to start." Remus said.
"Are, are all these for me?" Harry asked looking at all the gifts in awe, he had already unwrapped his gifts from the Weasleys and had his warm green Weasley sweater on under his robes. "You did not have to this is brilliant!"
"We did, well I did, I missed so much of your life Harry, I owe you this." Sirius said, "you are all the family besides Remus here I have left."
"Go ahead Harry." Remus said quietly.
Harry did not need telling twice and he started into the stack of presents. He got a book on Animagmus training from Sirius, new Quidditch gear, clothes and lots of sweets (mostly chocolate), some Turkish Delight (which Harry liked a lot) and treacle tarts. Sirius handed him a long thin package that Harry took and opened slowly looking at the Firebolt before him. He looked up at Sirius stunned and so very happy at his extremely good fortune and then at the broom, the best on the market there was. He gave Sirius a fierce hug to show him how much this meant to him.
"There is more Harry." Sirius said, "I bought the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams Nimbus 2001 brooms. The playing field had to be leveled."
"Good, Slytherin will be so upset." Harry said grinning, "only one who has any talent is Draco."
"I thought you said he could not fly." Remus said.
"That is just to rile him up, he is a good match to me." Harry replied.
"I am going to kill that slimy snake, Snape has gone too far this time!" Sirius said having unwrapped a box that was for him and taking out a flea collar in extra large. "This is not funny, not funny at all!"
"You sent him a stuffed snake." Remus replied unwrapping his gift from Severus, a red rubber ball and several books. "Now that is funny, oh and he got me some books how kind of him!"
Harry grinned, it was good to see that Snape and his godfathers could give gifts even if they were a bit funny. He had sent Snape a gift wishing him a happy Christmas, it was a crystal decanter in the shape of a snake with green and silver M&Ms in it, a wonderful muggle sweet. Harry saw a thin package and unwrapped it to find a very old thin book. He saw it was a book on Occulumency and he saw a note with it that said us this well and you will get the second half of your gift, S. Snape. Harry looked at the old tome with reverence.
"Who is that from?" Sirius asked Harry.
"Professor Snape, he gave me a book on Occulumency." Harry said, "Remus told me he was a Legilimens and that I needed to learn this but he could not find a book."
"That is very rare, very few books are out there on Occulumency." Remus said, "I am a natural due to my condition and Sirius is one due to his being an Animagmus."
"You have to know this to be an Animagmus?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes, there is a reason why the Animagmus is required to be registered, if one does not have control of their mind they cannot control the beast." Sirius said, "this is the reason it took us so long to become Animagmus, we could not start the transformation unless we were proficient at Occulumency, guess Snape is fulfilling that life debt he owes your family."
"Oh he did that long ago." Harry said, "first year he managed to keep Quirrell from dropping me from my broom, second year and of course all the potions he makes for the hospital wing that have been used in part to save me as well as others."
"Severus is not as evil as he wants others to believe." Remus said, "I offered to pay for the Wolfsbane but he refused, but he did let me be his lab rat and he well even is paying me for it!"
"Really? I never thought him ever that good." Sirius said, "he will always be a slimy snake to me."
Remus knew that Sirius would have a hard time accepting Severus but he hoped in time he would. Harry was starting to be nicer to the man and he hoped that the hatred between house Potter and house Snape would end. Harry was more like Lily than James, in fact if he did not wear glasses he would look like Lily with his father's hair and nose. That was really all he got from his father as even his build was more his mother. Things were looking up even with all that had to be done still. Remus knew Harry would have to fight but he was going to make sure the odds this time were on the side of good not on the side of evil this time.
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So I got the feeling from JKR that young children can do magic but cannot control it all that well until they reach a certain age. The age they can start to use a wand and use magic is as we know eleven. However Harry still had times his magic still got away from him (remember aunt Marge?) and that has to be normal as Fudge did not think he needed to be punished for that (at the time that is yes he tried later but that did not hold water as it was accidental magic). Yea I gave Scrimgeour my own personally mixed with cannon having him wanting students to wait until their magical core is solid at seventeen to start their magical training. But I digress here.
Now we know Severus did not much like Harry in cannon, that is true, and he will still be hard but not harsh with the boy as Harry is being much nicer and more respectful of him and Severus appreciates that though he will not show it to the boy. As Harry is truly studying now Severus saw he could allow him the book as he is sure he will use it. He is not doing this because he likes the boy, no not at all he is doing it to protect, I mean prepare Harry. Oh and the promise of the second part of his gift? It will be really good and Harry will love it because he will learn Occulumency this time! He does want to become an Animagmus after all.