Reading the findings, Severus made sure to keep his face blank. The results were both surprising and not; he supposed a small part of him had been holding out hope that this would all turn out to be a mistake. Yet now he had the proof, laid out bare in front of him. "Shall we continue?" Maeve asked, her eyes holding no pity.
"Yes," Severus said.
~
Malfoy Yule ball, 24th December 1992
Finally free from the party, Harry let out a breath as he followed Sirius and Remus into Lucius' office along with Severus. He had enjoyed the party more than he thought he would but that was mainly down to his interaction with Quirrell. Feeling the office wards snap into place, Harry allowed himself to relax his hold on his magic. He liked being able to release the rigid hold he had on his core now that more people were aware of him. Hearing the tinkling of glasses, Harry was for a second tempted to ask for some fire whiskey before he remembered his body was that of a 12 year old.
"So, I take it from your jubilant moods the ritual to start our Lord's return was a success?" Lucius asked after serving the drinks.
"It was," Harry said, giving the tumbler one last fleeting glance before his resolve hardened. "Have you visited Gringotts yet?"
The two men in question shared looks before allowing their displeasures to shine through. "We have." "And?"
"Although not as bad as any of yours we both had compulsions and blocks placed on us."
"Mine made my... less than savoury personality traits more pronounced," Lucius said, taking a sip of the amber liquid, "I believe they made me more susceptible to both my father and the Dark Lord's wishes. I cannot say they are what made me join but without them I think I would have been less passive in my blind support.
"I believe they also made me less tolerant to things I previously did not care about, such as muggleborns. I cannot say I love them but I used to be a lot more open towards them as a child. I only disliked the fact our culture and heritage was dwindling, yet at Hogwarts my views changed towards hating them. Now this could easily have been because of the culture at the time, especially in Slytherin, however I think that the compulsions helped this monumentally."
Harry nodded. He hadn't expected Lucius to have had as many charms or compulsions. The idea of Dumbledore dosing everybody was ridiculous and if he did he would have been caught long before now.
"I take it your magic was left alone?" Remus asked.
"Yes, I had no blocks on my core," Lucius confirmed.
"Well that's something," taking a large drink.
Sirius
said,
"What about you, professor?" Harry asked Severus who looked to be nursing his drink.
"I had multiple compulsions affecting my personality. I believe they made me less social with my peers and may have contributed to my delving into the Darker arts of magic. I believe they also contributed to my attitudes towards certain individuals and groups of people. Unlike Lucius, I also had a 20% block on my magical core and a further 50% on my inherited blood magics, which in the Prince family is spell crafting." Harry blinked at the no nonsense way Severus spoke, hearing the underlying fury.
"It makes you wonder how he is getting away with this," Harry mused.
"Oh?" Severus said.
"Well, the tests show clearly what's been done and by who. It concerns me that this hasn't come out," Harry explained.
"I don't know many people who would take the test," Sirius said.
"Muggleborns are muggleborns, therefore they are coming into a new world. Everybody else knows who they are or at least what family they come from. It's actually very rare for people to take inheritance tests. It's usually halfbloods or orphans who suspect they're halfbloods who take the tests and I doubt Dumbledore has much use for such people." Lucius said.
Harry nodded. That made sense, but he was still amazed that Dumbledore had gotten away with this for so long.
"I suspect he picks people from families he knows are involved in politics or who he thinks he can manipulate easily. He picks the outsiders as the ones he can fully twist and shape into the puppets he wants," Harry said, thinking about Dumbledore's reasons. "I agree," Remus said, thinking about his own situation. He had been blinded by his gratitude towards Dumbledore for years - he hadn't thought to ever question the man or his motives. He was his saviour.
Eventually the small meeting died down as they shared their theories about Dumbledore's plans.
Grimmauld place, December 25th, 1992
~
Waking up Harry felt a small smile build on his face, although they celebrated a traditional Yule, the giving of presents was still something that he liked to participate in. Stretching, Harry allowed himself a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet. However, that soon shattered when he f elt Sirius arriving, his sensitivity to magic in particular Sirius with whom he shared a bond was growing. Allowing his magic to be free was showing Harry just how stifled he had been in his last life and just how much he keeps hidden behind his shields when he is at Hogwarts. His magic was growing and developing in leaps and bounds, and Harry along with it.
"Wake up Harry! We have PRESENTS!" Sirius shouted, his excitement clear before turning into Padfoot and jumping into the bed, smothering him.
Laughing at his antics and trying to avoid the dog's sloppy kisses, Harry eventually freed himself by sending a freezing charm at Sirius.
Hearing laughter, Harry looked up in time to catch the blinding flash of a camera.
"I see he decided to wake you in a similar fashion as he did me," Remus said, putting the camera away.
"He's like a giant child," Harry said, smirking when he saw Sirius's eyes narrow.
"A puppy," Remus said in agreement, making Harry laugh more. "Come on, unfreeze him so we can all eat,"
Without a thought Harry waved a hand, unfreezing the animagus, the wandless magic coming easily to him.
Sirius shook out his fur before turning back into himself, and launching himself at Harry.
"Who needs presents?"
food
when
we
have
"I do," Remus deadpanned from the door.
"We can eat later," Sirius said in a decisive tone, before standing and dragging Harry bodily towards the door. Remus shook his head lightly as he watched them, glad that Sirius was behaving how he had when they were younger. He had always been the most excited about Yule and giving presents when they were younger, and he had been worried that the damage Azkaban had done to his old friend would be too severe. He was glad his worries were proving to be unfounded. Hearing a crash followed by Harry's unmistakable laugh, Remus sighed and quickly caught up to the pair who were in the informal sitting room, surrounded by brightly wrapped presents and a sullen Kreacher.
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