Harry Potter The Surprise

Hermione was left shuddering at that thought but kept up her verbal conversation too. "It's Malfoy all over again. Little bastard curses you in the back but McGonagall and Dumbledore make like it's your fault. The quicker we leave Hogwarts, the better."

With a dead body on the floor, Amelia had some procedures the law required her to run. As Poppy confirmed what they all already knew, Macnair was deceased, Amelia approached the couple.

"Mr Potter, although I witnessed everything that happened, the law states I must examine your wand. Could I please borrow it for a moment?"

Handing it over, they weren't surprised when Amelia cast a charm to determine the last spell cast. Since it clearly wasn't the unforgivable killing curse, Amelia handed Harry his wand back.

The photographer was ecstatic. "I have a picture of the Boy-Who-Lived surviving a killing curse - again."

Amelia was desperate to ask a question, though suspected she wouldn't like the answer. "Mr Potter, did you block that killing curse? Any spell that has the ability to do that, I want to know about it."

"I'm sorry, but that particular spell would only be blocked again in very specific circumstances. You need to be a parselmouth, know the spell, have cast the spell on a Death Eater Riddle marked before they then choose to fire that curse at you."

Fudge was almost shredding his bowler hat between his hands as he nervously played with it. "Amelia, what are we going to do about this?"

Quick as a flash, Harry was on him. Here was a golden opportunity to try and help Sirius again, with no Dumbledore to interfere this time. "Granting my godfather a trial would be a start. 'Sirius Black Innocent' is certainly a better headline for all of us than 'Ministry Death Eater tries to Murder Boy-Who-Lived'. A better headline for me and the Ministry, I'll leave you to work out the deal with Miss Skeeter here."

"Are you so sure your godfather is innocent?"

"Mrs Bones, I'm not offering to fund a new wing at St Mungo's here - I'm simply looking for justice. Use truth serum, ask him any question you want about the murder of my parents and Pettigrew's faked death. To be honest, I shouldn't really need to ask for this. Any self-respecting government would be determined to get to the bottom of this matter. That the Ministry of Magic haven't is a national disgrace and embarrassment. Then again, when you have Death Eaters working there - like Hogwarts has Snape."

No one missed the not subtle in the slightest dig at Lucius Malfoy, or the dig at Snape. Rita though thought she had found a method of getting back at Potter, after the brat had the cheek to burn her lucky quill. "Do you actually know where Sirius Black is?"

Seeing the obvious trap, Harry easily sidestepped it. "The Stewards of houses Potter and Black work very closely together, however none of us have seen Sirius since the night he was here. I don't know where he is, and am prepared to take an oath to that if required."

Using Poppy's floo, Amelia arranged for a couple of aurors to step through and remove Macnair's body. She then had some harsh words for Rita. "Miss Skeeter, this is now an active investigation, and the usual reporting rules apply. I'm certain you know those rules off by heart so I will just go over the important parts.

Macnair's death will be kept quiet while my aurors go over his life with a fine-tooth comb. Should this story leak before that happens, I'll have both of you up on charges. I also want the film from that camera, we might need it for evidence. It will of course be returned to you, in time."

Rita appeared as if she was about to object when Harry sweetened the deal. "I can guarantee you exclusive interviews with myself and my godfather, after his trial of course. I'm sure arrangements could also be made to offer you an exclusive on the trial too."

Amelia's nod saw Rita accept the deal, until her photographer threw a spanner into the works. "What happens when we go back to the paper with nothing?"

That was why Harry and Hermione once more found themselves leading a group toward Myrtle's bathroom.

McGonagall didn't accompany them though. She remained in the infirmary, needing all her Gryffindor courage to approach her friend. "Poppy, could you run the same tests on me that you did on Potter and Granger?"

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