a different harry potter

Wildwood

Minerva McGonagall stared down at the missive in

her hand. It was a summons to Septima Vector's home. Minerva sighed after reading the short note a second time, and then burned it as directed. 'What could she have found?' Minerva wondered as she vanished the ashes from her desk. She had expected Septima to report back to her in person at the school or to just send a note that all went well that she could follow up on in more detail later. 'Something must have been wrong, Minerva could not help but think. Resolved, she rose from her desk and began to walk purposefully from her office to the gates of Hogwarts so that she could apparate to the coordinates she had been given. She had to know.

She reappeared moments later in front of a small cottage with riotous flowers out front and found herself remembering Septima's mother, her dear friend Maureen MacDougal. Maureen had always loved flowers. Pushing back the memories, she made her way to the front door and knocked briskly.

"Minerva, it's wonderful to see you," Septima greeted her friend and colleague who had been much like an aunt to her during her youth. "Come in, please."

"Thank you, Septima," she returned the greeting. "I was a little surprised to receive your invitation."

"I thought it best to talk here," Septima returned ushering the older woman towards her favorite room near the back of the house. She did not add that she trusted her own home and wards to hold up against any attempts at eavesdropping. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, thank you. You have a lovely home," Minerva stated taking in her surroundings as Septima made tea in the nearby kitchen.

"Thank you, I enjoy it," Septima returned as she finished putting together the tea and carried it to the table in the sitting room. She had expected the older woman to arrive that evening, and been ready for it. She served up the tea as both women took a seat, and strengthened her resolve.

"I knew you would want an update sooner rather than later, and frankly, I feel a bit out of my depth," Septima began as she waited for her tea to cool slightly. Minerva frowned.

"I sincerely doubt that my dear, you are a bright young woman." Septima smiled at the other woman's words.

"I cannot share everything that I learned today with you because it is not my story to tell. I do have permission to share some things with you, and I will need your help and advice. But first, I also need you to swear that you will not reveal what is discussed here tonight with anyone other than myself or Harry Potter without first obtaining my permission."

"Oh my," Minerva could not prevent the soft exclamation from escaping. "Is Harry alright?"

"For now, he is safe. But I need more information in order to plan for how to keep him safe, and I need your word." Septima paused there, and Minerva withdrew her wand from her sleeve."I, Minerva McGonagall, do hereby swear on my magic not to reveal what is shared with me tonight to anyone except for Septima Vector and Harry Potter without first obtaining the permission of Septima Vector," a white flash sealed the oath, and Septima expressed her thanks.

"First, I really need more information," Septima began and Minerva nodded for her to continue. "Why was Harry left with his muggle relatives?"

"Albus said it was the safest place for him," Minerva stated simply.

"Did he state why that was the case? After all, his muggles relatives would have no real defense against wizards or witches."

"When I pushed he said that no one meaning Harry harm would be able to pass through the wards on his relatives' home because of the blood tie between Lily and Petunia."

"When was he placed there?"

"He was placed there on the night of November 1, though Albus had apparently made the decision to have him placed there just after it happened on the 31st. I know because he told that right after it happened. I then spent the day watching the Dursleys to observe what sort of people they were. I was not impressed. They were the worst sort of people. But Albus was determined that he would be safest there."

"When was Sirius Black arrested?"

"I'm not certain exactly, though I believe it was sometime on the 1st or 2nd," she replied with a frown. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I heard that he was Harry's godfather. Shouldn't Harry have gone directly to him?" Minerva frowned at the statement.

"I suppose, but he betrayed the Potters location to You Know Who. Little Harry would not have been safe with him."

"Why did the Headmaster place Harry with someone rather than allowing Wizarding Child Services to do so?"

"I do not know for certain. However, knowing Albus, he was probably concerned with the boy's safety, and did not trust the Ministry to do so. Those were difficult times, and it was hard to know who to trust. No one would have suspected Black to betray the Potters, but he did."

"Did you attend the trial?"

"No, I did not."

"Why did no one check on Harry over the years?"

"To my knowledge only Albus, Hagrid, and myself knew where the boy was placed. Albus always reassured me that he was fine. I began to notice several months ago that I had made notes of my intentions to visit Harry to see for myself, but was always prevented from doing so. That's why I asked you to do so. I can only guess that Albus has done something that causes me to forget or to do something else each time I start to visit Harry. It took me until a month or so ago, just to be able to request that someone else do it."

"Are you prepared to go against the Headmaster if necessary in terms of what is best for Harry?" Minerva paused at those words.

"Albus Dumbledore is not an easy opponent to set yourself against," she finally managed speaking carefully.

"I know, but for some reason, he has taken several steps to insure that Harry be placed with his relatives, and yet has not taken any steps to ensure that Harry would actually be cared for and safe there," Septima informed the older woman carefully.

"How bad is it?" Minerva asked after several long moments of silence.

"He will never recover fully," Septima stated thinking of the statements of Healer Stanhope. "He will be taking a battery of potions for some time, and requires regular check-ups to attempt to undo the worst of the physical damage. He's unnaturally quiet, soft spoken, and polite. He has asked surprisingly few questions, and has handled things amazingly well considering his age."

"Merlin," Minerva muttered. "I knew they were the worst sort of muggles. I knew, and yet, I allowed him to leave the boy there." Minerva looked down at her tea cup. She needed something stronger.

"I need your help, Minerva. I promised Harry that I would do my best to see that he never have to return there. I intend to do so. I also know that I am no match for Albus Dumbledore."

"Albus needs taken down a peg or two, and I would be more than happy to do so," Minerva practically snarled her brogue getting thicker as she spoke.

"I do not know that a direct challenge would work. The Potters' wills were sealed by the Chief Warlock, so no one knows who they wanted to have guardianship over Harry. However, that is a moot point as a blood test at Gringotts confirmed that Harry has three parents, James Potter, Lily Evans, and Sirius Black. The goblins also informed us that Sirius Black was not convicted of any crime," Septima revealed and watched as the older woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"So Black performed a blood adoption?"

"At least, but only Black likely knows for sure exactly what ritual was used, and who is to say he even remembers after this long in Azkaban. Whatever ritual he used, he is Harry's father and only living parent," Septima stated expressing her own concerns. Minerva could barely contain her shock. The two sat in silence for several moments before Minerva spoke again.

"Albus became the Chief Warlock back in 1975, so if your information is correct, he is the one who sealed the Potters' wills," she informed the younger woman before taking a final sip of her tea. "Do you have something a bit stronger than this?"

"I do," Septima replied and went to fetch a bottle of firewhiskey and fresh glasses. "So it would also fall to Dumbledore to have guaranteed that Sirius Black got a trial," she remarked before taking a long sip of the firewhiskey which burned its' way down her throat.

"Yes, at least in part. Obviously, the Minister could have insisted on a trial at the time as well, and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would also have had some say in any trials," Minerva agreed and drained her own glass betore pouring another.

"Why would he allow someone to be sent to Azkaban without a trial?"

"I don't know. I would never have thought that he would allow that. It certainly does not fit with the image of the man that I have known and worked with for the last forty years," Minerva remarked sipping her second drink more slowly. "I am not so surprised that Minister Bagnold or Barty Crouch would lock up those believed to be Death Eaters. It was a difficult time, and we were losing horribly. People were terrified."

"I do not know who to trust in this beyond you, Minerva, and I do not know what the best course of action is in this case. I do know that no child should be placed in the care of the Dursleys, and I will not go back on my word to Harry to see that he does not go back there."

"Perhaps Albus was unaware of the conditions at the Dursleys. He does always tend to see the good in people, even when others don't," Minerva remarked as she poured herself a third glass of firewhiskey. She wasn't typically one to drink so much so quickly, but the shocking revelations were taking their toll on her.

"Can we take that risk considering he obviously did not check on Harry during his time there? The boy is tiny, Minerva. He looks much younger than he is, until you see his eyes. His eyes reflect someone who is much older. It is disconcerting to say the least. Frankly, I am surprised that the muggles didn't notice and report suspected neglect," Septima stated carefully. "And what if they did, but the reports went nowhere?"

We need to know more, and we need to keep Harry safe."

"Agreed."

"We will need help."

"Who else can we trust?"

"Amelia Bones would be a good witch to have on our side," Minerva remarked swirling the firewhiskey around in her glass as she thought on that.

"Can she be trusted with this?"

"I think so. Amelia has always been fiercely independent, though firm to the rule of law. She won't tolerate placing a child in an abusive home, and would easily prosecute his muggle relatives if it were reported to her. She will not like that someone was sent to Azkaban without a trial either, and would work to correct that oversight. Unfortunately, she may not be able to do anything about it without the support of the Ministry or Albus. We are not at war, so she does not have the same power that Crouch had at the height of the last war. As the Chief Warlock, Albus could demand a hearing for Black, and the Wizengamot would have to react. However, Amelia would either have to work through the Ministry to reopen the case, or gain the support of other Wizengamot members, and bring it to a vote as to whether to have a hearing or not," Minerva explained her frustration evident.

"Would she be able to get the necessary support?"

"I honestly don't know. Albus is very influential, and has a lot of support. If he did not support the measure, I am not sure how many others would do so. Then again, Sirius is a Black, one of the oldest and staunchly pureblooded families we have, and others would not like the precedent that one of them could be sent to Azkaban without a trial whether they were guilty or not. Few things will motivate like the fear that the same thing could happen to you."

"Amelia would likely need some others on her side with some political clout, like Tiberious Ogden or Augusta Longbottom, both are highly respected light sided family leaders."

"Should we approach them as well?"

"I know Augusta better than Tiberious, but do not claim to know either well enough to say. It would be good to have them on our side, and they are certainly capable of standing up to Albus if needed."

"So what we really need is to do some more research, and begin to feel out other possible allies to assist us in this just in case that becomes necessary," Septima stated just to be clear.

"Yes," Minerva agreed with the statement. "It would be far easier if Albus has just honestly made some mistakes and is willing to work with us to correct things."

"We are talking about some pretty large mistakes. I would not wish what I have learned of Harry's upbringing on anyone, and if Sirius Black is innocent then we have condemned an innocent man to a horrible fate. How hard would it have been to check on Harry or to insure that Black had a trial?" Minerva sighed as she considered the truth of the younger woman's statements.

Next chapter will come at 01:43