Chapter 134: The Witness
"I will." Harry nodded before he placed his memory in, starting from when he picked up the prophecy and finishing after Voldemort and Apophis's escape. Harry and Madam Bones placed their heads in the pensive, a short while later they exited. Dumbledore looked slightly offended that he was not trusted to behave and also very irritated since he was not allowed to view the memory.
"I must say," Madam Bones looked at Harry as if she was seeing him for the first time. "I am incredibly impressed, are you by any chance considering a career as an auror?" She asked, a hint of hope in her voice.
"Not at the moment," Harry shook his head. "but you have proof that that was Lucius Malfoy, right?"
"Indeed," Madam Bones nodded, she frowned for a second and glance at Dumbledore before looking back at the auror standing in the doorway. "You may leave now," She told him, he nodded before leaving, closing the door as he did so. "Now Mr Potter, I..."
"Do forgive me," Dumbledore interrupted. "but If I may, can I ask what was viewed in the memory?"
"Just everything from when I picked up the prophecy to right after you fucked up the whole situation." Harry shrugged.
"Language Harry," Dumbledore frowned. "but could either of you perhaps explain in more detail just exactly what..."
"Mr Dumbledore," Amelia Bones interrupted him, making sure to emphasize the 'Mr' part. "can I remind you that you are as of this moment nothing more than an above average wizard? You have no government positions and are not even Mr Potter's headmaster so you do not at the moment have permission to begin interrogating him."
"My apologies Amelia, I simply..."
"That is Director or Madam Bones, Mr Dumbledore." Madam Bones said in a firm voice that threatened punishment if he did not hear her words and obey them, while she was a light sided witch she was not a supporter of Dumbledore, a fact that surprised many people but it was true. Amelia remembered the last war, just like how she remembered her brothers following Dumbledore and being part of his order. They told her how he had refused to give more information than necessary and how it resulted in problems for many of the order, then one day her brothers died while on some mission from Dumbledore.
Unfortunately for her there was no proof that they were doing a mission for Dumbledore, if there was then she would have had the old man brought in front of a court and forced to tell everyone what mission he had sent her brothers on and why he had sent them. She had kept control of her emotions as she knew that at the time Dumbledore was far too high up and despite his flaws he was a source of good for people, hope if nothing else.
Any bad feelings she had felt about Dumbledore had resurfaced quickly when Susan, her beloved niece, kept telling her about rumors involving Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. Rumors such as him fighting a troll, an army of acromantulas, a basilisk, killing a teacher, tricking the goblet of fire and fighting off an army of dementors to name a few. Every time Amelia wanted to investigate but Dumbledore had always stopped any investigations, claiming that they were all just rumors or he had everything under control or something like that, that was enough for most people and she wasn't able to do much since Dumbledore had the Minister's ear at the time.
When the Minister started his hate campaign against Dumbledore she was of two minds, on the one hand she was glad that Dumbledore finally had less control as she had always thought he had too much power and too many positions, important ones. But on the other hand she wasn't quite sure if it was the best time to do so because it was very possible for Voldemort to have actually been back. Pettigrew's trial proved that he was not back, or at least proved that Pettigrew did not believe he was back.
Dumbledore attacking Minister Fudge was not something she believed, nor did she believe that he had sent that 'Apophis' character to assassinate Fudge, that was simply not Dumbledore's style. The fact that Lucius Malfoy, a former death eater, of all people happening to be there to save him would have meant alarm bells or at the very least something to think about if you were anybody but Fudge.
Now that Voldemort was proven to be back Amelia realized that Dumbledore was needed, that the people of Wizarding Britain would look towards two people the most, Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. This meant that Dumbledore was likely going to regain some power, probably not all of it but still some, he was 'needed' after all. Personally Amelia thought the war would be much better if people simply acted instead of looking for heroes and knights to save them from the big, bad evil men.
"My apologies Am...Madam Bones." Dumbledore amended. "All I merely ask is that I be allowed to view the memory so I may offer my help."
"I am still feeling what happened the last time you 'offered your help'." Harry said as he gestured to his side. "Tell me Dumbledore, did you just want me out of the spotlight so you could properly show off or were you stupid enough to think that hitting me with a wandless spell in the middle of a fight or telling me to 'get back' while you handled two powerful wizards, which happened to be Voldemort and his bloody heir, would protect me?!" Harry demanded, causing Dumbledore to wince.
"Harry...I...I cannot apologies enough for that, that was a mistake on my part."
"Mistake?" Harry snorted. "You happen to be making a lot of those Dumbledore."
"I agree with Mr Potter," Madam Bones said. "I mean honestly Dumbledore, you knew that this Apophis was a powerful wizard, yet you were about to take on him and Voldemort?!" She asked with high amounts of disbelief. "Voldemort, who happened to be feared across all of country and is widely considered to be your magical equal, yet you were about to fight him and his heir?!"
"I was not going to fight them both," Dumbledore said in a defensive voice. "I was going to challenge Voldemort to a duel while..."
"While his crazy heir would just stand there?" Harry interrupted while raising an eyebrow. "You didn't consider the possibility that they would both attack you?"
"Mr Potter, you are the one who was about to fight them both on your own before I arrived." Dumbledore reminded him.
"Nope," Harry said after making a buzzer sound. "not the same. It was me against Voldemort, his heir and at least ten death eaters. I couldn't apparate out or reach the floo or apparition points without getting killed, my goal was to simply stall them until people arrived or until I was able to find a way to escape."
"Dumbledore," Madam Bones said before Dumbledore could respond. "you are probably the only wizard capable of fighting Voldemort, no offense to Mr Potter but he simply doesn't have your years of experience or vast spell knowledge, but from what I have seen in two different memories I would say that Mr Potter is Apophis's equal, if not slightly better. The two of you should have done what Mr Potter had suggested, pick an opponent and get to fighting. Together you two could have probably captured them or at the very least challenged and perhaps injured them."
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