Wizards and Whispers

Albus Dumbledore opened his newspaper on Boxing Day to find a most distressing headline.

HARRY POTTER'S GRAVE VANDALISED!

In a shocking act of Christmas hooliganism, Harry Potter's tombstone in Godric's Hollow was destroyed in the early morning hours of Christmas Day, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. It is unknown who committed this terrible crime, or with what motive, but highly placed sources within the Ministry of Magic indicated that it may be the work of remaining followers of the Dark wizard He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

'I don't think there's any doubt, really, that Death Eaters were behind it,' one source stated, having agreed to an interview only on condition of anonymity. 'Who else would have anything against Harry Potter?'

By a happy coincidence, four underage wizards were in the near vicinity of the cemetery at the time of the incident, and Ministry wizards were able to use the Trace to ascertain that the Blasting Curse was used at 1:03 am, December 25, in the cemetery of the parish church of St Godric of Finchale. It is considered very likely that this was the curse used to reduce Harry Potter's gravestone to rubble. Ministry officials have refused to release the names of the four underage wizards, though our sources have assured us that none of the children is considered a suspect at this time.

'The Trace can tell us what magic was done around an underage wizard, when and where,' one Ministry official clarified. 'It cannot, unfortunately, tell us who was responsible for a particular spell.'

When asked whether it was suspicious that four underage wizards were out and about in the early hours of Christmas Day, Ministry officials claimed that a Christmas service had concluded shortly before the incident, and that the children had apparently been present at the service.

'We will find the perpetrator of this heinous crime and bring him to justice,' said Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic. 'The Boy who Lived is a symbol of hope to the wizarding population of Britain, and we will not allow malcontents to stir up trouble in this peaceful society that we have rebuilt from the ashes of the war.'

Dumbledore put down the paper and took out a quill. He wanted very much to ascertain the identities of these four underage wizards, suspecting that they might hold the key to finding the vandal. Ministry policy might prohibit the release of that information to the general public, but Dumbledore was hardly the general public. Who in the Ministry would object to such a reasonable request from the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot?

...

Dumbledore sat in his office quietly, sipping a cup of hot tea as he waited for Remus Lupin to arrive. He had sent for the werewolf immediately upon learning that one of the unnamed underage wizards who had been detected within the vicinity of the incident was none other than Aries Black, the son of the one person in England whom Dumbledore thought to have more cause than any other to try to take vengeance on poor Harry Potter, even after the boy's death.

Remus knocked on the door.

'Come in,' Dumbledore called out, and the young wizard entered the office. 'Ah, hello, Remus. Please have a seat.' Remus sat down across the desk from Dumbledore, and the Headmaster offered him a sweet, which the werewolf declined.

'You had a good Christmas, I trust?' Dumbledore asked.

'Very nice, Professor, thank you,' Remus replied. 'How was yours?'

'Quite pleasant, thank you.'

'How can I be of service, Professor?' Remus asked politely.

'I have learnt from my sources at the Ministry that Aries Black was one of the four underage wizards who was present at the scene of the recent destruction of Harry Potter's tombstone,' Dumbledore said.

Remus frowned. 'Professor, we both know that Harry Potter's body does not rest alongside his parents.'

Dumbledore opened his hands slightly, conceding the point. 'Be that as it may, Remus, the marker is nonetheless a potent symbol for wizards and witches throughout Britain. Its destruction can have only one purpose: to strike terror into the hearts of innocent people.' He paused. 'I was wondering if you knew anything about it.'

Remus shook his head. 'I've already spoken with the Ministry about it. Aries came to Godric's Hollow that evening with me. Sirius had a...romantic encounter scheduled for that evening, and I didn't want the boy to be alone.'

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. 'A romantic encounter on Christmas Eve?'

'You know Sirius,' Remus shrugged. 'I wanted to take Aries to a Christmas Eve service, expose him to a little bit of a wider world than what he's grown up with amongst the Blacks.'

'A laudable purpose,' Dumbledore said. 'Why did you take him to Godric's Hollow?'

'I have good memories associated with that church,' Remus explained. 'Because of the Potters.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'Did you see anything of interest at the time of the incident?'

Remus shook his head. 'As soon as I heard the explosion, I took Aries back home by Side-Along Apparition. I didn't want to take any chances with his safety.'

'Very sensible of you.' Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. 'Sirius Black is one of very few people who would have the motive to destroy Harry's tombstone. Is it possible that he came separately to Godric's Hollow whilst you thought he was out?'

'I'm afraid that's impossible, Professor,' Remus said. 'Sirius was with his female companion at the time of the explosion.'

'How can you be sure?' Dumbledore asked.

Remus blushed. 'When I brought Aries home, the young lady in question was still present.'

'I see.' The aged Headmaster sighed. 'In that case, it appears that we must search elsewhere for the culprit.' He paused. 'Remus, what do you think of Aries Black?'

'I find him to be a delightful child,' Remus replied. 'Rather rambunctious, perhaps, and overly fond of mischief, but basically decent. He's very close to his cousin, Draco Malfoy, and they seem utterly devoted to each other.' He paused sadly. 'They actually remind me a bit of James and Sirius.'

'Any sign of an unhealthy propensity towards the Dark Arts?'

Remus shook his head. 'Aries is somewhat familiar with them, of course, as are most young wizards of his family background, but I have seen no evidence of a particular inclination towards Dark magic.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'Thank you, Remus. We shall speak again soon.'

Remus rose from his chair. 'I look forward to it, Professor.'

.....

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