AN :
If we hit 150 power stones by tomorrow, I will release an extra chapter.
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"Tonks, it's time, but first I need to talk to the rest of your family as well," Harry stated in a no-nonsense tone, deciding that since Sirius's court hearing was just over three days away, they would need time to emotionally prepare themselves.
"So you're finally going to tell me what the big deal is, and what you've been up to over the last couple of weeks," she said excitedly, since she'd been pestering him about it daily.
"Yes, but your mum and dad should hear this news as well."
"Ok, boss," she stated with a bit of a grin, before finishing with a half salute and heading to pack up her things. About half an hour later, they were at Tonks' house, first taking Harry's Portkey to Diagon Alley and then using one of the public Floos to get to the Tonks' home.
The house was very homely, with pictures of the family on the fireplace, including several of a young Tonks. In many ways, it was what he considered to be a perfect home, one which he could easily imagine himself growing up in. "How cute," he said, while innocently examining a picture of baby Tonks, who was waving at him. By God, he loved magical pictures and how they could really capture the moment.
"Give me that," she demanded before snatching it out of his hand, muttering something about not believing her mum had put it back up there.
"When will your parents be home?" Harry asked.
"A couple hours yet."
"Ah, so we wait," he stated.
"Can't you tell me now?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please with a cherry on top?"
Letting out a tired sigh, Harry mentally groaned, *It's going to be a long wait*, as Tonks continued to pester him.
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( Sometime later )
"It's a pleasure to meet both of you at last," Harry greeted, shaking Ted's hand, getting the impression he was the laid-back one in the pair, whilst Tonks' mother, Andromeda, seemed to be the sterner of the two, which was clearly from her upbringing as a daughter of the Black family.
"Indeed, it's a pleasure to see you again. I haven't seen you since you were a baby; we were distant friends of your parents," Ted explained.
"I know, and I also know you are distant family, making Tonks here my cousin," he said calmly, catching them by surprise, particularly Tonks, whom he had never mentioned it to.
"Cousin? Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded angrily.
"Nymphadora, manners!" her mother exclaimed.
"It's fine," Harry interrupted, putting a stop to whatever argument was about to start. "First, I've only found out recently, and second, it wasn't really important at the time, and I had other more pressing concerns to worry about. That's why I'm here. So, can we sit down? Because those concerns will directly affect you, as they involve the Black family." This caused all three of them to snap their attention to him.
"Of course," Andromeda said, taking control of the situation. "This way," she added, before leading them into the dining room so they could talk it over.
"So, what is it you wish to discuss about my former family?" she asked somewhat bitterly.
"Well, let me start at the beginning," he requested. "It will be easier to understand."
"Of course."
"Now, about a year ago, I found out about the magical world, since I had been living with my non-magical relatives, who had kept such knowledge from me. The goblins informed me of my heritage and status, as well as the safeguards my family put in place to help me in case of their deaths," he explained somewhat coldly, stating only the necessary facts.
"One such safeguard was a vault prepared with books, journals, and other things of importance. In short, it was a vault containing my heritage and other valuables that only I could access, to prevent anyone else from getting hold of these items.
After all, I wouldn't have been the first orphan to be stolen from during a war, if for whatever reason I got a Ministry-selected guardian. However, as it turned out, my parents' will was never read; it was just sealed at the time due to Sirius Black being my magical guardian and being believed responsible for my parents' deaths. So, the Headmaster placed me with my mother's sister, since I would be out of the way and hence safe from harm."
"You said *believed*," Andromeda stated, catching his choice of words and interrupting his tale.
"Indeed. Your cousin Sirius never actually had a court hearing. He was just thrown in jail without a trial," he said, looking only at Tonks' mother before continuing his explanation.
"One of the items left in the vault was my mother's journals, in which she recorded almost everything from her childhood up to the night before her death. This journal states that Sirius was not the Secret Keeper, but a decoy, with the purpose of drawing attention away from Peter, who had agreed to be their Secret Keeper instead. And the journal states rather clearly that they encouraged the idea of Sirius being their Secret Keeper, in order to mislead whatever spy was in the Order of the Phoenix," he explained.
Harry watched their faces as they went through a series of emotions—anger, happiness, confusion, relief, and more.
"So Sirius could be innocent," Tonks said.
"He is," he stated with certainty. "Over the last couple of weeks, I have been working with Madam Bones to arrange a court hearing. Sirius is currently in a safe house, but from Madam Bones' own questioning of Sirius, all evidence proves the man was set up, and Peter was Lord Voldemort's spy within the Order."
"I knew Sirius was innocent. I never believed it when they told me," Andromeda stated, while her husband rested a hand on her shoulder, comforting her.
"We have to tell everyone," Ted said, getting up to go over to the fireplace.
"I wouldn't if I were you. If you tell anyone, you risk Sirius being killed before he ever has a public court hearing," he stated plainly before offering an explanation. "Because several people have profited during Sirius's imprisonment, they risk losing everything if he is freed."
"What do you mean?" Tonks asked.
"Simple. First of all, who is currently holding the Black seat in the Wizengamot?" he asked. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "Lord Malfoy, and through your mother's sister, Bellatrix, he also holds the Lestrange vote by default because of her Black blood, which he loses if Sirius is released.
He also loses access to these vaults, and his son will lose his status as default heir to the Black family. All of Lord Malfoy's recent success is in no small part due to his marriage into the Black family, and with Sirius freed, he loses a lot of power and influence," Harry explained while looking at his cousin, who seemed to be catching on.
"He would have Sirius killed, wouldn't he?" Andromeda stated plainly.
"Indeed, or have the case rigged as much as possible. If Sirius is freed, he stands to lose so much, and I'm sure Lord Malfoy has broken at least one clause in his marriage agreement. When Sirius is released, the Malfoy family will go from being the top dogs to a third-rate power in a matter of days, leaving them open to attack from all sides. Hence the reason the court case has been kept secret—only I, Madam Bones, and the Aurors guarding Sirius know of it, until now," he said, looking around the table.
"This is but the tip of the iceberg. With Sirius freed, he will be my proxy, which will put him in control of my votes, as well as the Blacks' and Lestranges', and he will effectively hold the single most votes within the Wizengamot and control the balance of power.
You will probably be reinstated into the Black family, which, in short, will become one of the big powerhouses in Britain, and hence you will be affected," Harry said before going into an explanation of what was going to happen over the next half-hour, listing everyone's motives that he could think of. He answered Tonks' and Ted's questions, while Andromeda seemed to just nod, understanding what would happen, since she was raised around politics.
"Finally, the reason why the Headmaster can't be trusted is because, first, he loses my votes, and second, Sirius will be in a position to gather the houses that may be disillusioned with the Headmaster or who only allied with him to stop individuals such as Lucius—and the same goes for Lucius' own supporters." Seeing them nod, he continued, "Also, someone has been leaching funds off the Potter vaults, and with Sirius being freed, he can authorize a full investigation," he said to the shocked table before adding an even bigger bombshell.
"The key suspect is the Chief Warlock," he stated bluntly, seeing no reason to sugarcoat it.
"I need a drink," Ted said, getting up from the table and moving to the whiskey cabinet.
"I think we all do," Andromeda said, getting up to get some glasses. Tonks just sat there, stunned at what she had just heard, since she—like most of Britain—believed the Headmaster was incorruptible.
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Hey guys I really need some power stones to Elevate the ranking :)
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