Lightning Strikes Twice Ch. 33 (Harry Potter) (Patreon)

A/N: Harry leaves things in Amelia's hands~

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Harry makes his choice, which in the end is to do nothing at all. While he fully intends to one day either control or do away with this government body and its bureaucratic nonsense, the fact is that he’s not quite there yet and he knows it. Harry could have spoken up here, but he’d more than likely make a fool of himself, probably not through any fault of his own but purely because of his youthful appearance and perceived lack of experience.

Likewise, he also discards the idea of telling Amelia to back off. If the DMLE Director wants to try and go toe to toe with Lucius Malfoy over Severus Snape, Harry isn’t going to stop her. After all, if he wants to make her the next Minister of Magic, she needs to be able to show she can stand up to thugs like Lucius who had Fudge in their back pocket.

And so Harry stands back and lets the professional do her thing, curious to see what Amelia will do next with no interference on his part.

Smiling slightly, Madam Bones tilts her head to the side.

“Upstanding Professor. Is that right, Lord Malfoy?”

Oh? Harry wonders if perhaps Amelia is going a similar route to what he’d considered doing, all of her own volition.

Lucius narrows his eyes and thins out his lips.

“Yes, I’d certainly say so given the lack of complaints.”

When Amelia’s smile widens, Lucius stiffens up. But before either of them can speak…

“Now see here, Lucius! Don’t go telling lies before these Lords and Ladies when I’M in attendance!”

Both Amelia and Lucius turn in the direction of the speaker, Lucius’ head whipping around and Amelia much more casual as Augusta Longbottom, Matriarch of the Longbottom Family, makes herself heard.

“I sit on the Board of Governors at Hogwarts just the same as you, Lucius. I’ve sat it longer than you, in fact, just as I’ve sat in this Wizengamot longer than you!”

The older witch is certainly taking advantage of her advanced age here, Harry can’t help but note. But she’s on a roll and no one seems to be willing or able to stop her. Not even Lucius Malfoy himself.

“Augusta-!”

“Don’t you Augusta me, Lucius! You and I both know that Professor Severus Snape has garnered more official complaints from students, parents, AND professors year over year than ANY other Professor in Hogwarts’ last several decades!”

Lucius grimaces and Harry can’t help but be delighted as a rush of whispers and murmurs washes over the Wizengamot. Everyone who also sits on the Board of Governors is suddenly looking uncomfortable, while everyone who is not is looking undeniably curious. But even then, Augusta isn’t done.

“You and Dumbledore might present a united front whenever these complaints come up to have them dismissed, but if the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has something to say about all of this, I for one would like to hear her out!”

Harry’s eyes dart to the Hogwarts Headmaster and Wizengamot’s Chief Warlock. The old wizard is looking significantly discomfited by all of this. And also uncharacteristically quiet, Harry realizes. Perhaps Albus had been trying to float under the radar, so to speak? Only, now his name has left Augusta’s lips. The cat is out of the bag.

Clapping his hands together, the aged wizard gives everyone a grandfatherly smile.

“I do believe we’ve gotten beyond the bounds of today’s trial, lords and ladies. I’m not entirely sure that-!”

“I must insist, Chief Warlock. In fact, I agree with Lady Longbottom. The information I’ve uncovered, while not directly relevant to Lord Black’s unlawful incarceration, is incredibly relevant to the Wizengamot at large. They deserve to know what sort of man Severus Snape is, and the damage he’s done to Wizarding Society.”

Amelia’s no-nonsense tone leaves the entire Wizengamot in a bit of a quiet uproar. The murmuring has never been louder, but nobody is shouting. Dumbledore, meanwhile, has lost the grandfatherly look altogether and looks as though he’s carved from incredibly craggily stone as he stares down at Amelia. However, the DMLE Director doesn’t back down, staring right back at him challengingly.

“… Very well, Madam Bones. Continue.”

Nodding, Amelia whips out her wand and begins summoning strands of light that turn into words and, much to Harry’s amusement, graphs. Then, she begins to walk the Wizengamot through something Harry already knows… the sheer damage that Severus Snape has done to the Wizarding World over this past generation that he’s been the Potions Master at Hogwarts.

Harry can’t help but be impressed. He would have likely gone in a similar direction if he’d actually chosen to insert himself into the conversation… however, as Amelia speaks in an impassioned tone that brooks no argument, he realizes he would have made a fool of himself and come across as rather childish.

See, Harry would have been more inclined to bring up Slytherin’s win streak in points to showcase Severus Snape’s blatant favoritism. The fact that it took until Harry himself arrived for something to change only showed just how unfair of a man Snape was. Especially since Dumbledore himself had to be equally unfair by giving Harry and his friends boatloads of points at the end of the year just to erase Snape’s constant point manipulation.

… But Hogwarts was decades behind most of these Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot. In some cases, it was even a century behind them. Hearing about how Snape would take points from other Houses more than his own wouldn’t have swayed them. It would have just made Harry look like a petulant child.

On the other hand…

“And so, as the esteemed members of the Wizengamot can see, the numbers of wizards and witches who are successfully earning their NEWTs in Potions has dropped dramatically in the last decade and a half, from fifty percent to twenty-five percent. More than that, when you take out the Slytherins from this number, it drops further… to ten percent.”

There’s a hush over the Wizengamot now as they process this revelation. Truthfully, earning a Potions NEWT wasn’t easy. It wasn’t supposed to be. A fifty percent pass rate was pretty damn good before Snape got his hands on the Potions Class. But only ten percent of all non-Slytherin wizards and witches getting their NEWT in Potions? That didn’t speak of a tough but fair learning environment. That spoke of a rot at the core of their society’s educational institution.

“And for any who might still not understand the significance of these numbers, do keep in mind that we require at least an E on a Potions NEWT for all wizards and witches aspiring to be healers. To become an auror, one needs at least five Es or better on their NEWTs. Suffice to say, the numbers of new applicants for both positions has been dropping year over year ever since Severus Snape became the Potions Professor at Hogwarts.”

And there it was. Hit them where it really hit. Sure, most of the people in the Wizengamot might not have been Hogwarts Students in decades, but they still had children and grandchildren. And the majority of them were not actually Slytherins. Even if they were, it didn’t mean their children and grandchildren were necessarily Slytherins.

There are looks exchanged across the entire Wizengamot, and even Lucius Malfoy doesn’t seem to have anything to say anymore. Nor does Dumbledore. In the end…

“I call for a formal inquiry into Professor Severus Snape! Let him be brought before this body to answer for not just his lies to former Minister Fudge, but also for his conduct as a Hogwarts Professor for all these many years!”

Augusta Longbottom’s call to action causes quite a stir. It’s only a moment before someone seconds the inquiry, and then someone else thirds it. Before long, the entire Wizengamot is all but clamoring for Severus Snape’s head. Ultimately, not even Dumbledore can stop it now.

The Chief Warlock looks weary as he brings his hands together again, quieting everyone down.

“… Very well. The call for formal inquiry has been heard, seconded, and thirded. Let us vote on the issue.”

Harry isn’t surprised when over eighty percent of the Wizengamot votes for the formal inquiry to go through. And he can’t help but gleefully enjoy the soured look on Lucius Malfoy’s face. He also rather likes the triumphant expression on Amelia’s face as well. She looks pleased as can be, and that in turn makes her look all the more beautiful.

Finally, Dumbledore bows his head.

“The vote for formal inquiry passes. Professor Severus Snape will be called to answer to the Wizengamot two weeks from now. Gather your questions esteemed Lords and Ladies. We shall see what comes then.”

As tired as Dumbledore is, he doesn’t even stop Amelia from having her team of aurors usher Harry out through a side door. Harry, meanwhile, appreciates being able to dodge the crowd of reporters that are no doubt waiting right outside the Wizengamot’s main entrance.

In the end, the next few hours are quite the whirl, but he ultimately finds himself dropped back at Hogwarts rather unceremoniously. He’d hoped to get the chance to request Tonks be assigned to him on a more long term basis, but alas… he’d have to wait for later.

There’s a lot of people he has to deal with once he’s back at Hogwarts, but thankfully Dumbledore isn’t one of them. The Headmaster is probably too busy putting out the proverbial fires and trying to prepare Snape for his questioning at this point. Ultimately, Harry is able to get a bite to eat from the House Elves and then make excuses for why he wants to turn in early.

Then, he makes it seem like he’s in his bed and sneaks out again, heading away from Hogwarts once more and back over to the Ministry of Magic where he slips into Amelia’s office to lie in wait.

At this point, sneaking around the Ministry and more specifically the DMLE is starting to feel like old hat. It’s just too bad that Amelia is such a busy woman, because Harry finds he has to wait for a while before she finally shows up. Still, that glow of triumph and victory that she’d had back in the Wizengamot remains, even as she sits down at her desk looking ready to get right back to work.

Revealing himself in his shadowy form, Harry chuckles darkly.

“Do you ever take some time to yourself, Director? You had quite the win today. You could stand to relax a little bit.”

She jolts at his sudden voice, looking to his shadowed presence as she presses her lips together rather tightly.

“… You know about what happened in the Wizengamot then?”

Deciding to throw her a bone, Harry tilts his head to the side.

“I was there, Director. You put on a spectacular performance. Tell me, did you and Augusta plan that ahead of time, or was it pure serendipity that she paved the way for you so readily?”

He can see in the brilliant witch’s eyes that she finds that first bit of information very interesting. She probably hasn’t given up on figuring out who he is, and now he’s just narrowed the list down considerably. The Wizengamot had over a hundred wizards and witches among its number, but that was still a much shorter list then say… every wizard and witch in the world.

Besides, she probably had herself convinced that he was a wizard at this point based on his tone and mannerisms, so that narrowed the list down even further.

“… Lady Longbottom and I aren’t that close. She’s a bit older than I am, in case you hadn’t noticed. No, we didn’t plan that ahead of time. I always intended to push as hard as I could to be allowed to present the evidence of Snape’s malfeasance, but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it or not. Augusta… she paved the way quite nicely, just like you said.”

Harry hums, coming closer to the desk. Interestingly, Amelia stiffens up as he approaches. But not in fear or trepidation. No, he detects a hint of anticipation from her. Like she was expecting something. He’s not sure what, but he knows what she deserves.

“Good work, Director. You did amazing today.”

Red crawls up Amelia’s neck under her collar. She swallows thickly even as she tries to maintain decorum.

“T-Thank you. I… I could not have done it without your help.”

Words of affirmation seem to be the Director’s love language. Circling the desk, Harry shakes his head.

“I pointed you in the right direction, that’s all. Everything else was you. Well done.”

She’s tenser than ever as he gets physically closer to her. It’s almost like she wants something from the way she keeps stealing glances down at his hand. But surely not, right? And yet… Harry hums and then just decides to go for it. He lifts his hand up slowly so as to not spook her. Amelia’s eyes follow but she makes no move to stop him or move away, even as he brings his hand down upon her head.

It feels weird to pat the older witch’s head however, so he quickly turns the gesture into a caress, running his fingers through Amelia’s locks in wonder as the strong, independent woman just… lets him. In fact, she shivers a little bit in a way he can tell indicates delight, even as his hand falls from her hair to her shoulder.

Giving her shoulder a good squeeze, Harry considers the situation for a long moment. The Director of the DMLE was acting surprisingly submissive right now. At the very least, she was showing a startling lack of initiative or aggression over his actions. Sure, part of her might feel like she owed him, but he didn’t think Amelia Bones would let something like that keep her from stopping him if she hated what he was doing.

… Was it possible that he’d somewhat misjudged the beautiful witch? Was it possible that Amelia had hidden depths he wasn’t aware of.

Neither of them has said a single thing since his last words of affirmation. And yet, as he holds her shoulder and Amelia sits there frozen in her chair, Harry doesn’t actually know what to say. Nor does he know what to do.

Perhaps it would be better to back off here. But could he really afford to back off? He’d come back in time to exploit the advantage that extra years gave him to the fullest extent. And that included exploiting people along the way. It was for their own good, really. He was trying to save everyone, so he couldn’t really hold back. Not now, not ever…