Chapter 015

"I was forced by Dumbledore to remain with my muggle relatives for almost eight weeks - and it was forced, as I truly had no desire to be there and believed I had nowhere else to go - until I was picked up by Arthur Weasley and his boys and was taken to their home, The Burrow, in Ottery Saint Catchpole about a week after my birthday."

Memory-Harry paused for a moment before he continued. "I stayed with the Weasleys for the last few weeks of the summer break. And, yes, as everyone no doubt knows by now, I did attend the World Cup. By now, everyone has a... belief... as to what happened a couple hours after the Cup finished.

"As per usual, your belief has been skewed by outside forces; forces, that don't want you to know the truth. The Ministry don't want you to know the truth because they'd rather you be ill-informed and happy, than properly informed and worried. Here's what happened according to my memories of the event."

Memory-Harry faded out and the next memory started. Just as Memory-Harry attested, the memory showed what happened after the Cup from the point of Harry being woken to when they finally returned to the tent. Then returned to Memory-Harry.

"And that brought us up to returning to here, Hogwarts, on the First," said Memory-Harry.

He paused for a long moment before his expression turned almost feral as his posture shifted until he stood more upright, more proud. And he smirked.

It gave him an appearance none of them had seen of him before. It was quite pureblood in appearance, the way he stood. Those who had met James Potter while he was alive immediately recognised it. Here stood a true Potter.

From where he still sat in the VIP and judges area and unable to do anything, as soon as he saw the shift in Harry's demeanour, stance and saw the expression on the boy's face, Dumbledore felt a moment of prescience as dread passed through his veins. And he shuddered in fear as to what it meant.

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―==(oIo)==―

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Back in the arena Memory-Harry 'looked' up to the VIP stand and spoke in a voice that exuded confidence, authority and power. "Madam Bones, if you haven't already guessed, now is the time to keep your attention focussed on Dumbledore. He's about to hear information that will show him he has greatly underestimated me. The information you are all about to hear, especially him, will show just how badly I've been underestimated by everyone. The information I'm about to impart upon you all will completely change your world-view of both myself and events that have surrounded me.

"Many of you will have a hard time believing what I'm about to tell you; and, via memories, show you. At this time I remind you that I - or, rather, Harry down there..." and gestured to where Real-Harry was apparently still reading a novel as he relaxed on the sun lounge, "... Swore a magical oath on his magic, his life and his very soul that what memories you are shown through this pensieve are a true and accurate account."

Again Memory-Harry paused for a long moment.

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―==(oIo)==―

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Meanwhile, up in the stands, everyone remained completely silent. Though they'd now been sitting there for over two hours, no one wanted to leave. They all instinctively understood that what they were about to learn would be true; and, would indeed, shake the foundations of their beliefs.

Even though Potter had threatened them with stripping them of their magic if they so much as made too much noise, they now no longer cared. No one wanted to miss what would happen next.

Very few gave any thought any longer to there still being a Hungarian Horntail dragon at the other end of the arena. The dragon was now lying in wary repose, curled up as close as it could get to its nest while keeping an eye on the little human wizard at the other end with its magical device showing scenes of different things. Soon after it entered the little wizard made no moves towards it or its eggs, so it made no aggressive moves back. It would conserve its energy for if it would be needed later.

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―==(oIo)==―

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Memory-Harry held the smirk and the apparent stare at the VIP stand for a long couple of seconds before he began to speak again.

"'Everyone knows' is a term I hear far too many wizards and witches say," he said. "Everyone knows what befell the Potters in Godric's Hollow on the evening of the thirty-first of October, 1981. Everyone knows the Killing Curse rips the soul from the victim, while also leaving no mark upon the victim's body. Everyone knows Sirius Black betrayed them, led He-Who to their cottage, then went on to kill Peter Pettigrew and a dozen muggles a few days later. Everyone knows―"

He gave a snort and said, "But I know that everyone is wrong!

"I've already shown you evidence that Peter Pettigrew is alive... or, was at least alive on the ninth of June, earlier this year. At that same time I also showed you that Sirius Black is completely innocent of the crimes for which he was dumped into Azkaban without even a trial. So, that shows you quite a significant portion of what you believe to have happened that night in Godric's Hollow - and what happened a few days later regarding the supposed death of Peter Pettigrew and those muggles - is wrong. You now know that what 'everyone knows' is wrong. It is a lie!

"Now for the second point I raised; that 'everyone knows' the Killing Curse rips the soul from the body.

"Well... news flash, people: that's not true, either."

Memory-Harry gave that a while to sink into the consciousness of 'his' audience before he continued. And, just as Harry thought it would, it caused a mass gasp of shock and surprise among those watching from the stands.

"You, see," he began again, "What the Killing Curse does is strip the mind of every piece of knowledge. It wipes the mind bank - including all the autonomic systems. The brain forgets to send the information it needs to run the automatic biological systems; the heart to pump, the diaphragm to cause the lungs to regularly inflate and deflate, the stomach and intestines to process food and waste, the consciousness to receive information from the five senses, etcetera. Without the heart beating, without the lungs pumping, the body dies.

"In pure essence, the Killing Curse is nothing more than a very high powered Obliviation charm. That's why the Killing Curse, just like the Obliviation charm, leaves no physical mark on the body.

"And it's that knowledge that leads to the answer - the riddle, if you will, that has plagued the wizarding world since that horrid night - as to why I managed to survive being hit with the Killing Curse."

Again he paused and smirked, before aiming that smirk directly at the VIP seats.

"You see," he began as his smirk widened into a grin, "I'm immune to any and all mind-controlling magic; including the Killing Curse, the Confundus Charm, other Compulsion Charms and... the Obliviation Charm."

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―==(oIo)==―

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Up in the stand Dumbledore gave a physical start, which had Bones again firmly jab her wand tip into the back of his neck. He didn't even feel it.

'Oh, shyte!' he thought, as all colour drained from his face and he began to feel quite sick and faint.

He now knew what the Potter boy's plan was. Though loathe to, he had to admit it was brilliant.