Previously

"Ron, he had a glamour on… with Dumbledore bound, do you think it failed?"

The words made Harry still, he had forgotten about Ron's seemingly healed appearance last night with everything else that had happened. He hadn't heard anything, but then again, most students had been herded out of the room by staff by that point. Ron also had a leech attached to him… Harry shuddered. He might loath the boy, but a small part of him would always remember his first friend. It may have been fake, but for years Harry had thought of the redhead as a brother.

"Hopefully that's all it did," he replied.

/

Meanwhile in the Hogwarts infirmary.

Ron lay in the bed feeling numb, last night he had for a moment thought that his life was getting back on track. Yes, he had bollocksed up the first task, but he could redeem himself, No, he would redeem himself. He would show everybody who laughed at him, everybody who doubted him, that he was just as good, No, better than that slimy traitor Harry Potter… at least that's what he had thought.

Dumledore had finally come through with the necklace, and while wearing it didn't soothe the pain or heal him, it did make him feel better as he no longer looked like a monster.

But now… now he is back where he started, no, he has even less than what he started with, before he still had faith. Faith in his goals, in what he was doing, and in Dumbledore… but now… he just didn't know what to believe. He wanted to just go to sleep and when he woke up for this all to be a bad dream.

Why did the headmaster do that? He knew that Potter was evil, but attacking him in public like that? Ron shook his head, causing the tension inside it to double, momentarily blinding him because of the pain. His brain hurt, everything hurt… he just wanted it all to stop… For things to go back to how they were.

"Mr Weasley, I have a dose of pain relief for you," Madame Pomfrey said, the old matron looking at him with worried eyes.

Ron eyed the vial in her hand, taking it after a moment of hesitation, "Thank you."

"Try and get some sleep dear," she advised, unable to give him anything to help with the amount of other potions he was on for his burns.

/

Walking through the Ministry of Magic, Harry noted that it was even busier than usual.

"Look at them, the bloody sheep," Sirius hissed, looking around them with scorn.

"Think they're here for the old man?" Harry asked, eying the reporters with amusement.

"Without a doubt."

"Then they will be in for a shock."

"I hope Amelias got decent guards on him, I wouldn't put it past his more enthusiastic followers to try something to free him from his hospital bed."

Harry hummed, a part of him hoped they did, as it would give them a chance to enact their revenge. Oh, he knew the old man would suffer in Azkaban, but that would be a distant suffering, Harry wanted his revenge to be much more personal.

Sirius eyed him, "...or not?"

Harry let out a soft laugh, "I don't doubt Amelia has put her best on the job."

Entering a lift, Sirius spoke the number to get them to the floor for the department of magical law. Although on exiting the lift, Harry couldn't help but wonder if they had ended up on the wrong floor, if it was busy downstairs, then it was absolute bedlam here; Auror's, clerks, hit wizards and what looked like a number of international representatives all rushed around, shouting over one another in a bid to be heard.

Letting out a low whistle, Sirius looked around the pandemonium, "damn."

"This isn't even the worst of it," a distinctive grumbled voice said from next to them.

Turning to face the man, Harry wasn't surprised to see Moody, although the man was looking a little worse for wear, "professor," he greeted.

The man's magical eye rolled over them both quickly, "Lord Black, heir Potter-Black, I take it you're here to give your statements?"

"We are, but if it is easier we can come back another time?" Harry offered, casting his eyes around the room.

Moody cast a dark look around, "bah, these roaches won't be going anywhere for a while, best to get this over with while it's still fresh on your minds."

Harry nodded his understanding, "after you."

They followed him through the chaos, more than once having to pause to avoid collision with somebody rushing about, entering a large office, Harry felt a smidgen of pity towards madame Bones, who looked like she hadn't slept in days.

/

The wards to her office pinged to allow Alastor entry, which sadly also have the side effects of allowing the noise from outside to enter, causing the headache that she couldn't shift to pound behind her eyes.

"Got two for you," the retired man said, although, perhaps "retired" was too strong a word as it looked like he was here to stay for a while yet, or at least until this situation with Dumbledore was sorted.

Looking up from what seemed to be her never ending pile of paperwork, she cast a glance towards the teen who she was sure was the cause for the majority of her problems. A look that was perhaps darker than intended, if his sheepish smile back was anything to go on.

"Fun morning?" Lord Black asked, silver eyes bouncing in what could only be described as sadistic glee.

"I am one more problem away from cursing everybody outside my office into St. Mungos for extended stays," she muttered darkly.

Harrison twitched, "ah, then perhaps we should wait…"

Amelia groaned, she knew it, "no, don't wait, let me have it."

Amelia carefully removed her wand and put it on the side of her desk to ensure she didn't make good on her joking threat from earlier. How could these two keep such ghastly crimes from her? why? What Albus had done, what he had been doing for years… it was beyond her worst fears.

"Why didn't you report him earlier? She asked.

"When he had the power of the entire wizarding world behind him?"

"Nobody is above the law!" she exclaimed, although a bitter part of her knew they were right.

"We had to wait, if we had come forward he would have wriggled his way out of it, or disappeared," Harrison said, eyes imploring her to understand.

Still looking at the documents, not just theirs but from many of those who she knew they were close to, the implications caused her stomach to tighten… just how many people had Dumbledore influenced, how far did his corruption run? She knew that as soon as she had the time she would be at Gringotts herself, ensuring she didn't have any compulsions.

"Still, you could have come to me privately," she said, hurt that they had not trusted her. She had lived her whole life as a pillar for justice, she had stood up and fought for what was right even when she was scorned for it.

"And put you in danger? Look at what he has done, the man has no scruples. Think of Susan, you are all she has," Sirius responded.

Amelia wanted to argue, they had withheld evidence, but she knew she wouldn't win, she could see the matching fire in their eyes.

"Is this everything you know?" she asked, eyes focused on Harrison, as although he was a child, she didn't doubt it was him who had discovered Dumbledore's plots, him who had brought about the once great man's fall. She didn't have any proof, doubted she ever would, but her gut told her, and she knew better than to ignore her gut when it came to these things.

"I don't have proof," the teen started pausing for a moment, "but, after the goblet, when Lady Magic punished those who entered me, well… Dumbledore was punished. His magic was weakened… recently though it has been back to normal, which shouldn't have happened. Like I said, I dont have proof, but there are rumours about him using a magical leech…"

Amelia let out a breath, closing her eyes in shock and disgust, she repeated herself, "you should have come to me earlier."

Sirius nodded his head to her, "maybe, but we're here now."

After wrapping up their formal statements about what had happened last night, as well as going over their discoveries from over the last few years, and having them sign them with blood quills to show their authenticity, Amelia allowed her head to drop into her hands. The horrific details of the documents now in her possession finally hit her. Oh, she had known that Dumbledore was not the gleaming beacon of light that he portrayed himself to be, but the reality was so much worse than she had ever dreamt.

"I think I should also give evidence," the gruff voice of her former mentor announced, drawing her attention back to the room and reminding her that Moody had been with her the entire time.

"Why?"

"Albus has been my friend for a long time, or so I thought. The man I thought I knew would never do what he has done…" he trailed off, his face hard with betrayal and shock, "anyway, he has told me things over the years… things that I think will help you."

Amelia nodded and waved her hand, summoning more parchment to begin the task, though internally she just wanted to curl up and sleep for a week. She would need to call for an emergency Wizengamot meeting, maybe even an ICW tribunal…

"I need you to be at the hospital, when he wakes up I want to be the first to know," Amelia instructed.

"So much for retirement."

"You can retire when you're dead."

/

Meanwhile at St. Mungos.

Calypso ran another scan on the comatosed woman in front of her, horror filling her as the results remained the same, her magical core was no longer able to channel magic beyond that of a child. She was not quite a squib, but no longer could she be considered a witch; the best way to describe it would be to say that Molly Weasley was magically crippled… and the cause of it was lying a room over.

Calypso had never been a diehard Dumbledore fan, as a pureblood whose family had remained neutral during the last few wars, and whose members couldn't boast great fame or fortune, she had never drawn the man's eye like her more extravagant peers. Therefore she had not been blinded by him like so many of them, she had seen more clearly as often outsiders do, yet still she could never have imagined the old man doing something like this, something so horrific.

She had known Mrs Weasley's magical drain was unnatural yet she hadn't even considered a leech as such things were so rare today, the branch of magic considered archaic and almost never weaponised like this… it was the ultimate betrayal of trust and magic.

With one last pity filled glance, she stepped from the room, only to collide with somebody.

"Excuse me…" she trailed off, words dying as she looked into broken blue eyes. Aurthur Weasley wasn't a famous man by any means but she had seen him a few times over the years, yet the man before her now was a shadow of who he had been, thin, pale and looking more lost than she could stand.

"How is she?" he asked, voice hoarse.

Calypso paused, swallowing to try and relieve her suddenly dry mouth, "I'm sorry sir, I'm just a trainee, I can go get a healer for you?" she offered, hoping he would take her up on it.

"Please, just tell me," the man begged.

"The same as before," she replied, voice soft before adding, "I'm sorry."

The man sagged, what appeared to be his last hope dying within him, "why?... Why would she?... Why would he?" he muttered more to himself.

"I've always believed that talking to people when they're in a coma helps them, it offers comfort and reminds them they are not alone, it helps bring them back."

Arthur nodded, although he made no moves towards entering the room. Instead his eyes wandered towards the heavily warded, auror guarded door. Broken eyes turning to steel the longer his gaze lingered.

/

Marvolo let out a sigh as his little raven left to start stage one of their plan, he however had a different goal for today; with a lurch, the luxurious interior of Malfoy Manor disappeared and the inside of Chief Ragnoks office appeared. Out of the nine people who had been touching the portkey only six had remained standing, Marvolo, Lucius, Barty, Bellatrix, Rookwood and Travers, unfortunately the Lestrange brothers landed with a heap, dragging Mulciber with them.

"You seem to have gained another follower," the goblin chief commented, eyeing up the surprisingly alive heir to the Crouch family.

Barty twitched, uncomfortable being observed with such intensity by somebody so powerful, "rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated chief Ragnok," he said with a respectful nod of his head.

"So it would seem."

"I trust one more set of documents won't be beyond your great skill?" Marvolo commented, hand almost subconsciously wavering over his wand, gently caressing the wood.

Ragnok snorted, he didn't fear the wizard before him, not truly, "indeed not. Fortunately Harrison gave me prior warning, such a considerate young wizard."

Marvolo inclined his head, he didn't truly understand the relationship his mate had with the goblins, but he appreciated it and although it might not show, he did respect the goblins themselves, "he is a true embodiment of the phrase, 'ones better half'."

The goblin let out a rough laugh at that, "at least you know your place."

The gathered Death Eaters all paused, some offended at the insult to their chosen lord, but the majority more fascinated by this new aspect of him they had never before seen. They had all had the chance to meet the boy known as Harry Potter, and they could all agree that their lord was lucky to have a mate with such potential.

"Shall we get on to business my lord?" Lucius asked, ever the consummate businessman, after it became clear their lord was not offended.

"Indeed," Marvolo agreed, settling in to read about his faithful followers' new identities.

/

Harry returned to Malfoy manor alone after finishing at the ministry, Sirius going to Grimmauld to check in with Remus, only to find an almost tangible air of excitement. Marvolo's followers, who had steadily been recovering, were practically vibrating as they moved between themselves talking animatedly.

Seeing his mate standing to the side nursing a glass of wine, Harry wove between the crowd, nodding in greeting to those who greeted him.

"It went well then?" he asked as he approached.

Marvolo opened his arms, allowing his raven to bury himself into his side, as always them being together soothed their souls and caused them both to relax, "a veritable success."

"I'm glad," Harry replied, relishing in how their magic connected without conscious thought or effort, "how has Barty been?"

Barty had only joined them days earlier, Harry hadn't even known he was at the manor until this morning when the man had appeared at breakfast. He had had to quickly penned a message to Ragnok to give him at least a small amount of warning when he had discovered Lucius had managed to recover the man.

"He seems to be enjoying the freedom found being away from his fathers tender mercy," Marvolo commented, indicating with his glass over to where the man was currently engaged in a whispered conversation with a blushing Rabastan Lestrange.

Watching their interaction Harry let out a wistful sigh, "were they together before your fall?" he asked.

Marvolo hummed, "I didn't have the capacity to see it, but I think so, they were also very close with Evan Rosier."

"He was killed by Moody, right?"

"From what i've been told, though he took down several others with him."

"What of his father, Crouch Sr?" Harry asked, drawing the conversation back to Barty who was clearly enjoying himself if the satisfied look on his face was any indication.

"Bartemius Crouch Sr is currently under the imperious, and is to act as he always has… for now."

"How did Barty take that decision?"

"Revenge will be his once our plans are finalised, for now he understands the need for subtly. They all do."

"No more war," Harry warned.

"What need do we have for war, my soul? when the world will be ours for the taking without it."

"Such confidence, it truly must have gone very well for you today."

"Our greatest enemy lies powerless in a hospital bed, magically crippled and reputation destroyed, guarded by the very people who once worshipped him. My followers have all been given a chance to one day rejoin society freely, and you my raven, are here in my arms. So, you'll have to forgive me for my confidence but today is a good day."

Harry hummed, reaching out with his magic he basked in their combined power. After a few moments enjoying the feel he withdrew his magic, before deciding on a while to steal the half full wine glass from Marvolo's hand and took a deep swallow, pulling a face as the flavours did not agree with his palate.

"I feel the need to remind you that you're currently underage," Marvolo commented, accepting the glass back and draining it of its contents, making a point to drink from the same spot as Harrison, enjoying the dark look the younger sent him.

"And you say I'm the one testing you?"

"Payback darling, is a bitch, or so I'm told."

Shaking his head in amusement Harry looked around the room, "Today may be a win, but I doubt it's over yet, Albus will have back up plans, he's not one to give up or go down without a fight."

"Of that I have no doubt, but for today we shall relish in our victory."

/

Consciousness did not come gently to him as Albus awoke with a cry of pain, a deep soul searing emptiness filled him and he couldn't help but wish for the oblivion that unconsciousness offered.

"Mr Dumbledore?" a stern voice asked, drawing his attention from his pain, "are you with us?"

"Where?" he asked, forcing himself to focus on where he was.. It took him a moment but once he did… How did he get to St. Mungos? Why was he here… the last thing he remembered… Tom!

"You're in St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies. You were brought here last night, after you lost consciousness at Hogwarts."

Albus struggled, realising he was bound to the bed, it was then that he also noted the aurors, "why am I bound?" he asked, "do you not know who I am? You're making a grave mistake, it is not me you should be after but Lord Voldemort! He was there last night! He attacked me!"

"Enough Albus," a tired voice said, "enough with the lies."

"Alastor, my old friend. You must believe me!"

"There was a time I would have done anything for you, followed you into the fire without hesitation… Now though, now I'm wondering if I have ever known you…"

"What do you mean?"

"I know about the compulsions Albus… How many children have you twisted over the years? How many victims do you have? And let's not even start on the leeches, Molly Weasley will be lucky if she can ever power a lumos again, and the boy; They've had to put him on a constant watch as they fear he's likely to take his own life. His magic is rejecting him."

Albus cringed in the face of the accusations, he had been forced to act over the years, to help people reach their true potential for the greater good, they surely understood that… "I have only ever acted for the benefit of us all, for the greater good."

"Did you know the last man who championed those words is currently locked up in his own fortress? Gellert Grindelwald also thought he was acting to benefit us all."

"I am nothing like him," Albus screamed, he was a beacon of light, nothing like Gellert, who relished in war and darkness… Gellert who seduced and sinned.

Seeing her patient getting distressed, Healer Burke was forced to step in, although truthfully she didn't want to, she was bound by oath to help those in her care, "that's enough. We still need to run some tests on Mr Dumbledore."

"Then I will leave you to your patient," Alastor said, casting one last dark look to the fallen man, "I will also inform Madam Bones that the suspect is awake."

/

With a file thicker than any she had ever made for a single person Amelia walked towards the minister's office, oh how she wished they had a more competent leader in place, as without doubt the next few days would be made even more difficult and long, due to Fudge's incompetence.

Ever since Albus had collapsed she had had little sleep and even less good news, running on fumes, she prayed to magic that the minister would for once act accordingly.

Knocking, she entered the room and barely withheld her sneer at the presence of madame Umbridge, "minister, we need to call an emergency Wizengamot meeting," she announced without hesitation.

"Oh madam Bones," the senior undersecretary giggled, her presence in Fudges office at such an early hour in the morning not something Amelia wanted to think too deeply about, "we need not do anything, i'm sure what you meant to say is the minister must call a meeting."

Amelia sent her a look which had the woman taking a step back before turning her eyes back to the pale man who had seemingly picked up on her tone, "now minister," she told him, before handing him the folder.

She watched as he read the file, once flushed face draining of all colour after a few moments, "this… this will ruin me, ruin us all…" he muttered, withdrawing a handkerchief and dabbing at his forehead.

Amelia looked up and prayed to magic to give her strength, "we will not be ruined by the actions of one deranged man. We will not let him win."

"Where is he?" Fudge asked… eyes darting around as if the man in question would pop out of the shadows.

"In St. Mungos under guard. According to the medi witches he is stable enough to move to the ministry holding cells, but for now we are keeping him there."

Fudge nodded quickly, he opened his mouth but paused to wipe the sweat gathering on his brow, "i'll call a meeting now."

Nodding Amelia turned to leave, she still had things to do before the meeting.

/

Lucius jolted as his lordship ring informed him that an emergency meeting had been called, gently extracting himself from his still sleeping wife; he wordlessless cast a tempus, groaning when he saw it was just after 5am. He had 45 minutes to get to the ministry before he would be barred entry to the emergency meeting.

Quickly entering their ensuite, he washed and dressed in the ghastly robes provided to members of the Wizengamot before speedily walking to the floo.

Entering the ministry, he saw a sea of puce robes indicating that most of the lords and ladies on the Wizengamot had managed to get in on time.

"Do you think if you-know-who takes over he can get these ugly things scrapped?" a petulant voice whined to him, drawing his attention to Sirius who looked to be half asleep.

Lucius hated to agree with him but… "one can only hope."

"Shall I add it to my list?"

The question caused both men to jump.

"Lord Gaunt," Lucius greeted, before steering their trio over to where the dark faction had congregated.

After accepting their greeting, many which bordered on fanatical, Marvolo briefly explained why the meeting had been called, watching as their faces morphed for shock, to disgust before settling on rage.

"I've always said it, but now he's proven it. Albus dumbledore is the worst thing to happen to our world," Theon Nott hissed, his aged face reflecting his distaste for the former champion of the light.

"Here here," agreed Corvus Lestrange, contempt dripping from him as he thought about the man who locked away his heirs.

"My lord, What will you do with him now?" Seraphine Avery asked, causing all those in the know to turn to Marvolo.

However, before he could answer a loud bell went through the crowd, indicating it was time to enter the chamber. Still, as he approached the doors he spoke, "I will let him hang himself before the world, what good to our cause is a martyr? I will let his lies be exposed before we get our pound of flesh," he promised.

/

Amelia looked around the stands of gathered lords and ladies, the turn up was more than usual, but then again she was not surprised, even acting fast she didn't doubt that everybody in the room had heard the rumours of what had happened at Hogwarts; nearly all members had family attending the school.

Standing, she quickly brought the room to order, she didn't doubt today would be long and she wanted to get started as soon as possible.

"Madame Bones, why are you prosiding over the session? Where is the chief warlock, where is Dumbledore?" a voice from the light section called out.

"Mr Dumbledore is currently in St. Mungos under auror guard."

The crowd broke unto whispers, the light clearly in shock while the grey and dark factions seemed less surprised and more elated.

"The reason for the meeting is in the packets in front of you," Amelia began, waving her wand so that each member's packet appeared before them.

"What is the meaning of this!" Lord Diggle bellowed after skimming through the first page, one that gave a brief overview of the situation and of the charges, "Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard to have lived, how dare you slander his good name with these false accusations!"

Amelia stood firm, "these are not false accusations," she said, "as you can see before you, I have evidence provided from Gringotts of the crimes Mr dumbledore is accused of. We have eye witness accounts of his most recent misdeeds. The reason for this meeting is not to attest to his innocence or guilt, but merely to see if his crimes warrant him going directly to the ICW or if we shall first face this together."

Marvolo looked around at the pandemonium caused by Albus' crimes coming to light.

"He is a monster of our making, it should be us who deal with him," Corvus said clearly, with almost all of the dark and neutral vote holders nodding along with him.

"You would like that wouldn't you, Death Eater scum!" Lady Jones shouted.

Corvus kept his face blank but many who knew him recognised the flash of fury in his dark blue eyes, "Lady Jones, not only are your accusations unseemly and proven by this very body to be false, your words show the very real fear many of us hold; You can't even contemplate his guilt, which begs the question 'why'?"

Hestia faltered but quickly rallied, she knew the dark, they wanted to cause chaos and destroy their world by making them doubt Albus, they made the light look weak, "I can't contemplate it because it is ridiculous! He is the light lord, not that that would mean much to you, you dark wizard!"

Corvus sighed, "I will not engage in such childish conversation, nor reduce myself to name calling. Rather, I believe you should call for a vote Madame Bones, as truthfully I truly don't see this meeting ending any other way."

Amelia felt for a moment torn, as a rule she tried to be impartial, yet there were some members of the Wizengamot she did not like, those like Lestrange and Malfoy, who she knew were dirty, who used their money and influence to get away with crimes, yet now she found herself agreeing with them.

"I believe you're correct Lord Lestrange. But fist, Lady Jones, please refrain from such accusations or you will face a fine and be banned from meetings for the foreseeable future," she threatened, please when the aforementioned lady sat down looking chastised, "Now, all those in favour of Mr Dumbledore facing a trial in front of the full Wizengamot raise their wands."

Watching the room light up, Amelia didn't have to wait for the clerk to give the final count to know the outcome, Albus would face trial before his former peers.

"Then it is settled, Albus Dumbledore will face a full trial."

"You can't condemn a man when he's not here!" Lord Doge shouted, he like many in the light were now standing, faces showing their shock and horror.

Amelia fought not to roll her eyes, "nobody has condemned anybody. The trial will go ahead in one week. That gives time for the accused to gather evidence and prepare his defence."

Marvolo hummed, a week, one week and then Albus would be ruined, one week and then he could make a start on the final stages of his plans.

/

Albus couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Do you understand the charges against you?" Amelia repeated.

"You're making a grave mistake my dear girl," he warned, how had it come to this? It was all that damned Potter boys fault, all of his plans had started to unravel once that brat had reentered the magical world. The boy was a beacon for darkness.

"I ask again, do you understand the charges?"

"I have only ever acted as I thought best, for the greater good" he said resolutely.

Amelia let out a breath, nodding to the two aurors in the room, "nobody apart from his law wizard and the healers are to come in here," she warned them, "use whatever force needed to ensure the prisoner remains secure."

Both nodded, looks of confused disgust on their faces as they looked at the man who had fooled them all for so long.

/

Harry couldn't help but smile as Marvolo retold the outcome of the meeting to the rest of those gathered for breakfast.

"Oh Dumbles is going to get it, yes he is,'' Bella cackled.

"What will you do with him, my Lord?" Rabastan asked, brows furrowed.

"We'll let the world see him for who he is, let his reputation be destroyed.." Harry answered, eyes alight with power as he thought of the old man's destruction.

Marvolo allowed himself a moment to relish in his ravens strength before continuing, "and once he is tried and found guilty, well, it's not too hard to break somebody out of Azkaban…" he showed for a moment a hint of the Lord they once knew, cruelty and madness overtaking his expression before swiftly being replaced by forced calm. His mind had truly come a long way since his rebirth.

The former inmates shivered in remembrance of the lord they remembered. Bella cackling in delight at the show of dark power and promise of pain.

"He'll get what he deserves," Harry promised darkly.

"My lord, how many of our fellow Wizengamot members do you think he's dosed over the years?" Lucius asked.

"I wouldn't put it past him to have tried it on many of them… although he would have had to be careful, For all of his faults he isn't a fool."

"Will Bones make it mandatory for everybody to be tested?" Harry wondered allowed

Marvolo hummed, that would be the smart thing to do, though such testing could only be done by the goblins and would cost a small fortune, he doubted the ministry would cover the costs. Though maybe he could argue for the cost to come from Albus's vaults?

"I will suggest it to her, if she has not already thought of it," he promised.

/

Bill struggled to contain his magic when Percy came home and shared the news with them, unlike his father who seemed to have shut down with their mothers condition, Bill felt fired up. He wanted justice, and honestly, he wanted revenge.

"Does this mean that the old man will go to azkaban?" one of the twins asked, both had been a bit subdued since returning home after the ball.

Percy paused briefly, puffing out his chest slightly before continuing, "it is the belief of the ministry that the former headmaster will end up in Azkaban, yes. And as a worker of the ministry I can share with you that based on the evidence Madame Bones provided then it is undoubtedly only a matter of time before he is found guilty."

"What about my mollywobbles? Will he face punishment for what he has done to her…?" Authur whispered, voice weak and full of emotion "your mother… She is just as entitled to justice. Albus must have forced her, tricked her…" he trailed off… his sons not knowing if he truly believed his words or simply wished for them to be true. At times he seemed fired up and ready to battle the old man, but those times were few and far between.

The twins shared a look, knowing that their mother wouldn't have needed tricking to do what Dumbledore said, a look caught by both of their brothers but ignored for now

"I'm sure it will come up in the trial," Percy replied to their father, looking rather uncomfortable at the reminder that their mother was so caught up in the old man's schemes.

"What about Ron?" Bill asked, he had been in contact with Madame Pomfrey and it was not looking good for his younger brother, he needed to be seen by specialist healers, healers that he knew they would never be able to pay for.

"My poor son…" Arthur whispered, seemingly to himself.

"Do you want to come with me to visit him?" Bill asked, he had been visiting him alone as Percy had been busy with work, Charlie was still in Romania unable to come straight away, and the twins… Well, the one time he had forced them to join him, Ron had had a fit.

"I can't, I've failed him, failed you all.." Arthur said before shutting down, eyes going vacant as he stared into space.

The twins frowned at this reaction, there was something bothering them but they couldn't put their fingers on it. Similarly the elder two brothers shared a look of deep concern.

"You haven't failed us dad," Bill said, but there was no reaction to his words.

Seeing that their father wouldn't be joining him, Bill stood and walked to the floo, he would spend the morning with Ron and hopefully be able to return with him, "you two will behave?" he asked the twins.

"Who us?-"

"-We will be the pinnacle of good behaviour."

Smiling at their response, albeit smally, Bill entered the floo, "Hogwarts infirmary."

Once Bill was gone, the twins shared a look; Their father had initially been fired up about their mothers state, but the last few days it was like his fighting spirit had died and instead he seemed lost. They wanted advice, and they wanted to keep their chosen lord informed of what was happening, as even though he didn't acknowledge it yet, they knew Harry would one day be their lord.

/

With Malfoy manor now playing host to Marvolo's recovered followers, Harry found himself at Grimmauld Place whenever he wanted a few moments of peace. Therefore finding him lounging in the library surrounded by numerous ancient and in some cases illegal tomes, wasn't a surprise to Sirius. What was surprising was the fact he wasn't reading a book but a letter.

"What's with the frown pup?" he asked, entering the room with a skip.

Harry paused his reread of the twins' latest update and passed the letter across to Sirius, watching the man read it with an indistinguishable expression.

Little lord,

Now don't frown like that Harrykins, we know, we know, you're not a lord… YET!

But all jokes aside, tragic we know, we wanted to keep you up to date, as you know our mother, as much as it pains us to call her that, is still in St. Mungos, we are not supposed to know this but we overheard our father talking to Bill, and well it seems like she got her just deserts; Her magic is gone, backlash from the leech ruptured her pathways… She's basically a squib.

When dad first came home he seemed so angry about it, but now, he looks so broken, like a part of him is missing… he's not himself. We don't know what to do, other than try to be here and make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid. If it wasn't for us reminding him we doubt he would even look after himself. He's not even up for visiting little Ronniekins.

Who, speaking of, has reverted back to his normal face, or rather the scarred remains of his face… a true reflection of his inner beauty if you ask us. Bill had been trying to reach out to other healers to see him but it's slow going. Rons magic is also acting funny apparently but We don't know much about that yet. Hopefully we will find out more,

Your eternal servants in all things mayhem,

Gred & Forge.

/

"Is it my fault Aurthur is suffering?" he asked once he saw Sirius was finished.

Sirius let out a breath, "did you force Molly or the younger two children to act as they did?"

"Well no, but…"

"No buts, you're not responsible for the actions of others, and at the end of the day, they're not the only family who're going to go through tragedies because of Albus Dumbledore. He chose his actions and as a result you chose yours." Sirius said, before adding, "I'm surprised you're bothered by this, when I know for a fact you've killed and tortured people."

Harry blinked at that, surprised not only by the fact that Sirius was so casual in his announcement of his misdeeds, but also that he was right, why was he so bothered by this? compared to what he had done, what he was prepared to do, it was nothing… closing his eyes he spent a moment reflecting on his thoughts and feelings.

"I think that I'm bothered more by the fact that I'm not truly upset and I think once upon a time I would have been… Arthur was always kind to me, he never pushed me to be anything but myself, he was a good man… his life will never be the same thanks to me, and that should make me feel at the least guilty, but, when I think about it, I'm not really bothered. Molly, Ron and Ginny, they stood against me, I'm more bothered that I'm not bothered. I'm bothered because I think I'm becoming something and someone who I don't recognise."

Sirius blinked, "I've never really met him, or at least never gotten the chance to know him beyond a face in the crowd, but I think that if it was me, then I wouldn't want to be married to a person like Molly. She used her children as weapons and pawns, she betrayed her marriage using that leech and well, she was willing to destroy you… I'm not saying he'll understand or forgive you if he knew about your involvement, as at the end of the day they're still his children… but one day he will probably be grateful to be free of her…

As for who you are becoming, well you are soul bonded to the dark lord, you're his equal. How much influence you have over one another will never be known. I'm not saying you're going to lose your nose and start cursing babies, but that you're changing isn't surprising. As long as you're still you then it doesn't matter, all I care about is your happiness and safety."

Harry blinked back the tears that had gathered in his eyes, internally cursing his ridiculous teenage body. He had noted recently that his emotions were more erratic, he had been utilising him occlumency more often, and while he would love to blame his bond with Marvolo, he was pretty sure it wasn't all his fault, but rather an unfortunate mixture of both teenage hormones as well as formally insane soul mate.

"Still, I will write to the twins a few suggestions, they've already lost their mother, at least as far as their relationship is concerned, I don't want them to lose their father as well.

/

Albus stared at the ceiling of his room, he had counted the ceiling tiles 12 times as a way to keep himself busy after his repeated attempts at talking to his guards had resulted in them threatening to silence him. The audacity of them had ironically left him speechless, how dare they? Did they not know who he was? Oh how he wishes to make them pay, still he knew he would have his revenge…

To alleviate his boredom he was considering attempting to break his bindings once again, but his magic was not responding, it was worse than when the blasted goblet had cursed him. Still he rallied and was about to try overpowering them when he felt it… A static in the air, the type of sensation you feel moments before electricity strikes.

Sitting up as much as he was able with his bindings on, he noticed the wary looks of the guards, they too had clearly felt the same thing as him.

"what…?!" the younger one said before slumping over with a flash of red light, his colleague spun in alarm before joining him on the floor.

Albus eyed the room suspiciously, unsure if those who had attacked his guards were friends or foes, he wouldn't put it past Tom to take advantage of his current situation. "Who…?" he started to say, but he words died in his mouth as young Nymphadora Tonks appeared from under an invisibility cloak with her mentor Hestia Jones at her side.

"Great Circe Albus, how dare they treat you like this?!" came another voice that filled the headmaster with Glee as Dedalus Diggle appeared.

"They're simply misguided souls, they have fallen under the sway of the dark, " he offered as the two witches set about freeing him of his bindings.

"Still, to treat you like a common criminal after all you have done for us… it's a disgrace!" his old friend ranted as he sent spells at the guards, ones albus recognised as memory alterations and sleeping charms.

Once free, Albus felt a moment of panic as his magic was still gone, though he tried not to show it, he had hoped the bindings were magic suppression but based on how sluggish and drained he felt, he suspected that his leeches had fallen and he was once again powerless.

"Come, we must move quickly," Diggle warned.

"Do you have a plan?" Albus asked as he approached him, taking the offered cloak with a look of barely concealed disgust, once upon a time he wouldn't have needed such cheap tricks.

"A safe house with others who support you," the other man offered, "we won't let the dark forces besmirch your name and lead us to anarchy."

"We need to go now sir, the enchantment I cast on the door won't last for long," Nymphadora interrupted hesitantly.

Albus cast a look over the young Metamorphmagus, when she had been a student he had taken her under his wing and helped steer her towards the light, even introducing her to Hestia so she could be taken under the older witches wing. She was clearly nervous, her hair a ghostly white instead of one of the usual vibrant colours she seemed to favour. Still that she had chosen to join him, to fight for the light was a good sign. It seemed not all was lost.

"Then let's take our leave," Albus said, waving his arm towards the door, he would have to follow their lead until he managed to sort out his magic issues.

/