Chapter 21

With a sigh, Madam Bones popped her wand away, reached into her pocket and withdrew what Harry recognised to be an evidence bag for a wand. She dropped the Elder wand into it, before sealing it and dropping the bagged wand into an inside robe pocket.

"Now yours, Mister Potter," she said, holding her hand back out to him.

Harry sighed and said, "Please remember that my wand was used to cast the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup. And that I was found blameless for it." He then handed the wand over.

Using her own wand, Madam Bones scanned it by again casting the reveal former cast charm on it. The first one to come up was the reveal person charm he'd used outside their apartment the night before; and the second was the Dark Mark. She stopped there.

"You haven't cast anything with your wand except a revealing spell since before the World Cup?" she asked him.

"No, Ma'am," he replied.

She handed his wand back to him. "Then, clearly, you didn't hit the Headmaster with a curse of some fashion."

"No, Ma'am," he said again, as he repocketted the wand.

On his first trip out of the school he planned on buying three wand holsters with anti-summoning charms on them.

When they all walked in to the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey seemed to be berating Shacklebolt while Dawlish and Professor Snape stood back out of the way and apart. Professor Snape appeared amused.

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Madam Bones, striding in and immediately taking charge.

Before Kingsley could even say anything, Madam Pomfrey replied, "Your aurors are attempting to apply magical restraining shackles to my patient. I cannot allow that until my patient has been stabilised. I may need him to be able to use his own magic to aid in healing."

With a frown, Madam Bones said, "Secure him to the bed, but use null-magical restraining shackles to do it. I don't want Albus using wandless casting until I allow it."

Turning to a scandalised Madam Pomfrey, she said, "Sorry, Poppy; but I cannot afford him... deciding to depart from us... before I've had a chance to question him."

"I assure you, he's not going anywhere, Madam Bones," the medi-witch glowered back. "I doubt he'll be on his feet for quite some time."

Both aurors had already stepped forward and secured the Headmaster's wrists to the frame of the bed on either side of where he lay.

With a huff, Madam Pomfrey stepped back to the bedside of the Headmaster and checked. Then she looked up at Professor McGonagall and said, "I'm going to need to call in a mind healer from Saint Mungo's. This is beyond even me."

"Do it," said Professor McGonagall looking back with a short sharp nod.

While they were waiting for the mind healers to arrive and do what they needed to do, Madam Bones took Harry aside and began the questioning part of her investigation.

Harry told her about the bond forming the previous morning, and refused to say how it formed as it was a private and personal matter; told her how they asked for a private apartment from their Heads of House the previous night; and how the Headmaster summoned him to his office, that morning, after breakfast. Harry then went on to say he suspected the Headmaster would want to question him about the bond, though it was not his place to do so; and that he took Daphne and Hermione with him so they, too, could tell the Headmaster it was none of his business. He told her how that, as soon as he refused the Headmaster's not-so-subtle demand to tell him for a second time, he felt the compulsion charm attempt, immediately followed by the Legilimency attempt.

"One of those compulsion charms was attempted on me," said a very miffed Daphne.

"What happened after that happened so fast I can barely understand it," said Harry. "I felt the attempt and it... shattered or was shredded... on something, I think, is the best way to describe it. Do you think it might have something to do with the bond?"

"That's my best guess, Mister Potter," replied a clearly annoyed Madam Bones.

Harry then moved back to Professor McGonagall as - first Daphne, and then Hermione - were called over and interviewed. Finally, Professors McGonagall and Snape were interviewed.

When Professor McGonagall moved to talk to Madam Bones, Harry asked, "Anyone tell them anything about the bond other than it existed?"

Both girls said, "No." However, it clearly upset Hermione a little to do that.

All that time, Harry watched the pair of mind healers that had arrived from Saint Mungo's converse in low voices over the prone form of the Headmaster. On no less that three times, one would hold the old man's eye lids back to reveal the eyeballs, while the other would cast spells.

One of the mind healers had approached Harry and asked him a few questions about what he felt in the attempt, and if there was anything else about it that Harry could tell them. Not really knowing what happened, but still leaving out how he deliberately and almost unconsciously shredded the probe, Harry couldn't - wouldn't - tell them anything that would help them.

Eventually, it was decided to transport the Headmaster to Saint Mungo's, where they'd be working on him there. That told Harry the Headmaster was in a worse way than he thought, and neither would he be back on his feet any time soon.

'At least he'll be out of the way for a while,' he thought with a mental sigh.

When Professor McGonagall returned to them, Harry said, "In all that's happened this morning, Professor; I forgot to tell you I'm withdrawing from Divination."

Looking at him sharply, the Professor asked, "Oh?"

With a nod, Harry said, "With the aid of these two lovely ladies I intend to do self-study to see if I can catch up with them in Ancient Runes."

Surprised, the Professor said, "I'm happy to hear that, Mister Potter. I'll inform Professor Trelawney you're a withdrawal."

Harry smiled back. "Thank you, Professor," he said.

After Madam Bones interviewed Professor Snape, she allowed everyone to leave and to 'go about their business'. Harry and Hermione headed for Care of Magical Creatures, as it was far too late for Herbology. Daphne had a free period.

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