Chapter 86:
Albus couldn't believe what he was hearing. How had it come to this? The brat was supposed to be malleable, to be a clone of his useless father, a perfect soldier for the Light, ready to do his bidding and die.
How had his carefully laid plans failed? Clearly some of his magical blocks had come unbound, but surely some still held? He didn't feel an overwhelming power from the child and he doubted he was skilled enough to mask his magic at the age of twelve.
How the trial had gone so wrong he would never know. And Sirius—how dare he be freed! Albus had worked so hard to ensure he was locked away. Getting him sent straight to Azkaban without a trial hadn't been easy and it had taken a lot of skill to hide the fact for a decade. How Harry had found out he didn't know and he wanted to. Being in the dark wasn't right - he needed answers! The boy was destroying years of work, turing his own people against him; even Severus, a man he had depended on hating Harry, was supporting the brat!
He would have to work harder next year to regain his influence on the boy. Perhaps he would benefit from having a younger female friend? Ronald had failed miserably but Ginevra, she had potential. Yes, she would be perfect....
4th August 1992
After the trial yesterday, the three of them had returned to Grimmauld Place happy with the result. Sirius even asked Kreacher to make a cake in celebration of the result, which the house-elf did, albeit reluctantly.
"You know this is only a temporary victory, right? He won't stop," Harry warned the two men, who were happily toasting to the result.
Sirius sighed and sat down. "I know, but I want to celebrate this little victory. We have some breathing room for now - he's officially locked out of your accounts and he has no power over you other than being your Headmaster."
Harry nodded. He was reluctant to celebrate yet as he knew how tricky the man could be. He would have contingency plans, Harry would bet his magic on it. Eventually leaving the men to their alcohol, he made his way upstairs.