Harry Potter could be found on this night in the middle of July seated at one of the many newly furnished tables at 'Moony Nights' with several tomes spread open at random pages surrounding him.
Immediately upon returning to their new home in the inn after his first year at Hogwarts, Harry spent most of his first night going over his thoughts of Hogwarts, his results, his friends and opinions of his teachers with Remus. He had also related the information about Tonks's parents to the werewolf.
"Mrs. Tonks said she'd see us and possibly represent us if we're going to take any action against the Ministry" Harry has informed his guardian.
"Andy?" Remus asked with a confused frown "She's a lawyer now?" he asked, still confused.
"Nymphadora mentioned something about you two being friends back during the first war" Harry commented thoughtfully "She and her husband run a Law firm based in Chichester Alley over near Manchester" he informed "Mrs. Tonks is the solicitor while her husband takes care of all the courtroom work" he paused "they have a good reputation that stems from their impressive win loss ratio" he began "Most neutral and wealthy families hire them for their services; Archades was actually the one to mention the Zabinis having hired them on more then one occasion."
Remus looked thoughtful for a moment before frowning "I won't be able to afford them and I refuse to take any more money from you, I feel bad enough as it is…" he was stopped when Harry waved his concerns off.
"Shut up will you?" Harry said, sending a glare at the man "If you must, look at it like this" he paused, making sure Remus was listening "I've already put a large amount of my money into this place, what sense would it make for me to not provide more for legal support if by not doing so it will fail? Do you suggest I throw away my money and abandon this investment?"
"I know what you mean…but I just…"
"But nothing Remus, I know how you feel about charity, but I'm trying to help you here so just accept it okay?" seeing Remus look dejected, Harry decided to go easy on him "Besides, you can just add this to the fees later on that you want to pay me back."
"We don't even know this will be successful Harry…" he said, sounding dejected, making Harry groan in frustration.
"You can be so annoying sometimes!" Harry said sounding frustrated, before calming down so he could continue "there has never, and I mean ever, been an establishment that can offer a safe haven for 'dark creatures' in England" he informed "I looked it up when you first sent me the letter, the only thing remotely close to this place in all of Europe would be a vampire safe house in Romania that doubles as a blood bank, and even then, the vampires have to go through heavy security checks if they want safety or blood" he said, in exasperation "Moony Nights is just what the dark creature community has been hoping for ever since prejudice has become common place in the magical world" he paused, sipping his water before continuing "if anything, you'll most likely find that you won't have enough room to house all of your guests, which is probably why you'll probably want to consider expanding underground like Gringotts, that and hire a staff of house elves."
Remus looked shocked at the information about no-one else having tried this before, ever, in Europe – it sounded extremely unlikely, so he voiced his thoughts.
"I never said they haven't tried" Harry corrected "there have been several attempts in Russia, Belgium, Sweden, Holland, Italy and Greece but they are all, at some point in their creation, stopped before opening" he said, reciting what he had learned from his research.
"What luck will we have opening then?" Remus asked, sounding dejected again. Harry smiled slightly when Remus included him in their planning like this, it made him feel needed and respected "I mean, England is probably the worst country in Europe and the least lenient when it comes to accepting 'dark creatures'".
"We have an advantage over the others" Harry stated "The minister is an idiot, plain and simple, and he also has idiots working in his administration, one of whom is the very same woman who vetoed your request for warding and thus, construction and opening of 'Moony Nights'."
"I can understand Fudge" he said slowly "his ambition is the only reason he ever became minister, ruthless as the rest of them but sadly, only possessing the brain power of a troll" they both snickered at that "but how will that help us? He'll just be more adamant about keeping us closed, given his well known views of the 'dark creature' population" he said, sounding exasperated.
"We can discuss it with Mrs. And Mr. Tonks when we visit for dinner tomorrow night" he answered "however, Delores Umbridge will be the key to winning this case in my opinion, we just need to attack her and make her look bad" he said, "make her look bad enough, Fudge will do whatever he can to distance himself from her and help his public image, even if that means going against her."
Remus couldn't help but let out a loud laugh. Trust Harry to find the simplest and most efficient way to get things done, even if he had to take down a few high ranking ministry officials to do so.
Harry heard Remus coming down the stairs finally, after having had to wait an hour for the man to get ready. The man had decided with simple dark grey slacks, a tight black shirt and a dinner jacket matching his pants in colour. The only way you would be able to tell he was a wizard was the fact that he still chose to wear his black dragon hide shoes which looked enough like leather to not be noticeable. Harry had to admit that he looked almost handsome, as if he were trying to impress someone, which amused him.
"You're aware we are going to Misses and Mister Tonks' house tonight right?" Harry asked with amusement laced in his voice.
Remus looked down at his clothes in confusion "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"
Harry chuckled and waved him off "No, no, quite the opposite in fact."
Remus shook his head in annoyance, nodding at Harry's choice in clothes. Cargo pants, a tight tee shirt, denim jacket and his favourite high tops. The boy had also removed the glamour hiding his three piercings he usually left on during the school year to avoid trouble revealing two diamondstuds, one in each lobe, and a simple white gold hoop in his upper left ear.
"You comment on my dress, what's with the diamonds?"
Harry looked unconcerned by the comment "What? I think they look good" he said with a shrug "I also got them enchanted at Gringotts to inform me if something I am about to eat has any foreign substances in it."
Remus looked thoughtful for a moment "I always wondered how that worked…"
"They heat up when they sense it, it's only enough to warn me, not enough to burn me, I tested it out already" he said automatically as they began to walk out of the inn.
"No, I mean how is it that the charm can tell if a certain substance in a food is foreign and simply not part of the ingredients itself…" he said with a grin, faking a thoughtful look.
Harry froze mid step and turned slowly to Remus, a puzzled frown on his face "That…is something I'll need to ask the goblins about one day…lets just chalk it up to magic and be done with it…"
Remus grinned "For now" Harry couldn't help but agree. The two exited the inn and Remus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder before they disappeared with a loud 'pop'.
The house they had appeared before looked to be in the middle of London suburbia. It wasn't so late that the street was bathed in darkness, so they were able to see fairly far down the street after they exited the alleyway they had appeared in, courtesy of Nymphadora who had given them instructions on how to get to their house. The house and the others on the street were eerily similar, probably all done by the same architect, built with brick and black roof tiles.
Harry noticed, with amusement, that of all the houses down the street, the Tonks's house was the only one without a car parked out front, but, surprisingly, their garden was definitely the best looking with neatly trimmed hedges, beautiful flower gardens and lush green grass; odd for a family who would barely spend much of their time at home given their professions or status.
"You ready?" Remus asked by his side, the duo not really feeling out of place given that their last house was in a suburb not unlike this one.
"Yeah, and before I forget" Harry said, leaning closer to the man "Nymphadora, she'll be the girl we see, around seventeen years old, she hates it when people shorten her name and butcher it" he said, mentally cackling at his brilliant prank idea "you want to use her full name whenever talking to her, just to be safe and all."
Not thinking he would be pranked at a meeting such as this, he thought nothing of it and nodded in agreement "Seventeen already? I remember when Nymphadora was a little five year old running around and causing trouble whenever I saw her at…well, never mind that…" he cut off as a dark look came across his face.
Harry took note of this and new he was talking about his godfather, he knew better then to press the issue though – that betrayal had left deep wounds in the old wolf.
Harry rang the doorbell as Remus pat himself down, dusting off an imaginary speck of dirt which was stopped when Harry swiftly kicked him in the shin when he saw the door opening to reveal a brown haired man with a kind, yet tired looking face and grey eyes.
"Ah, you must be Remus Lupin" the man said, addressing Remus and shaking his hand before he turned to Harry "and you're Harry Potter, Dora has told as a fair bit about you, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Ted Tonks."
Harry shoot his hand with a firm grip and nodded politely "Likewise, what did Nymphadora say about me?" he asked, ignoring the man's raised eyebrow as he did so.
"She's told us how you're helping her with her Auror training at school" he said, looking thankfully at Harry "she has her heart set on that mentoring position with Alastor Moody when she graduates, I'm sure your help is appreciated."
"I do what I can" Harry said, knowing Remus wouldn't be surprised as they had already covered his dealings with the girl in their letters.
"Yes; to be honest, I'm quite surprised that a first year could help her at all to be honest" he said, peering down at the emerald eyed boy "all I remember knowing at Hogwarts in my first year was the levitation charm, amongst some other useless spells" he said with a chuckle.
Remus decided he'd put his two cents into the conversation, having stayed quiet since he arrived "Harry's always been interested in magic ever since he was little, he's especially skilled at Transfiguration and Charms and constantly reads advanced books as independent study" Harry ignored the two as they talked about his academic prowess.
The man led the two of them into the living room where there was several couches surrounding a large brick fireplace for them to sit in. Ted took out a bottle of whiskey and poured a glass for Remus and himself while Harry sat patiently, letting the two talk while he tuned them out and looked around the room. There were several regular muggle photos around the room with the three members of the Tonks family at various landmarks around the world; the Eiffel tower, great wall of China, the Leaning tower of Pisa and Ayers Rock to name a few.
"Harry!" Remus barked, getting the boy's attention.
"Sorry, I zoned out, you want something?" he asked, done with looking around the room.
"Actually, I was telling Ted about how you love football – Ted says he's a fan too" he said, motioning to the grinning fan.
"Oh? You who do you follow?" Harry asked, his interest having been piqued.
"Newcastle, I've been a fan all my life – I was devastated when I first went to Hogwarts and found out I couldn't watch the games and hear the results. Who do you follow?"
"Arsenal" he replied with a grin "I know how you feel though, luckily Remus sends me the muggle paper with his letters letting me have the results, even if they are a few weeks old, at least I know" he said, before grinning again "I do believe Henry ran circles around Newcastle the last time they met, best player in the world in my opinion…"
Remus smiled as the two began to argue in good fun about Football, the one, non academic, subject he could talk about for hours. This lasted for several minutes until a tall, beautiful, brown haired woman with dark eyes and aristocratic features walked into the room sporting a trey of tea and a soft drink for Harry.
"I'm telling you, if you guys ever lose Shearer, you're done for…" Harry trailed off, he too finally noticing their new guest.
"Hello Remus, and you must be Harry" he said, her soft features relaxing into a smile "I'm surprised Ted hasn't kicked you out yet; Insulting Alan Shearer is a cardinal offence in his book" she said, grinning at her husband who crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.
"I was about to, but I remembered we're here to talk business, regardless of this poor lad's sorry knowledge of football" he said with a grin. Harry ignored the jab in favour of introducing himself to Mrs. Tonks.
"Harry Potter ma'am, you're daughter speaks highly of you" he introduced, taking her offered hand and brushing his lips against her fingers, as customary in pureblood tradition. Harry knew Andromeda Tonks was once a Black, a family who believed in blood supremacy quite a lot and usually always sided with dark wizards in history, so she would appreciate the formalities, regardless if she went against her family and married a muggle-born.
Andromeda fake sighed as she fanned herself and grinned at her husband "Quite the charmer this lad is, sorry Teddy, I've always dreamed about having my very own boy-toy, I can tell he'll be quite a strapping young man in a few years" the beautiful woman joked as Teddy puffed up in fake indignation.
"All you damn Potters are the same!" he ranted "Taking all the women for yourselves, this one's mine! Mine I tell yeh!" he yanked his wife down to the couch and away from Harry who just rolled his eyes in amusement at their antics while Remus chuckled.
"Where's Nymphadora? I figured she'd be bothering me by now" Harry wondered out loud, only for his question to be answered by a few loud thumps followed by a much louder one and a girl cursing from the other room.
"In here Dora" Ted called, shaking his head at his daughter's antics. Tonks entered the room, Harry noted, looking much prettier then she had ever looked at school with purple hair and orange eyes.
"Hey Harry…" she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Remus sitting beside him. Ted and Andromeda shared identical grins when the young girl blushed brightly at the sight of the werewolf, though, that didn't last long when he opened his mouth.
"You must be Nymphadora?" Remus said with a smile, which changed into a look of horror when he was suddenly at the business end of her wand and blasted over the couch with a weak blasting hex.
"Don't call me that!" she shrieked "You put him up to that, didn't you Potter?!" she said, glaring angrily at him as Remus groaned from behind the couch and retook his seat, eyeing the girl warily.
"I have no idea what you mean Nymphadora" he said, seeing her go for her wand, Harry raised an eyebrow at her "so, are we going to continue our training next year Nymphadora?" he asked, a grin on his face. The girl faltered in her draw before putting it away while glaring at the boy.
"None of you can call me that except for him, Tonks will do" she said, still glaring at the boy "that is until his usefulness has served its purpose" she finished with an evil grin which Harry responded to with a thoughtful 'hum'.
"So, should we get down to business then?" Andromeda asked, as Remus cleared his head of the cobwebs after Tonks's attack, glaring at Harry in the process who was sitting there looking smug as ever.
"Yes, well, Delores Umbridge has denied my request personally to set up professional wards around Moony Night, and without the wards, we can't open" he explained in a nutshell.
"What's Moony Nights?" Ted asked with a confused frown.
"Ah, its an inn slash tavern slash safe house for everyone, but mainly dark creatures, set up in Knockturn Alley" he elaborated.
Ted and Andromeda shared a look of understanding as Tonks looked on in confusion "I don't see the problem…"
"Dora, the person who denied Remus's request to place wards around his new property, Delores Umbridge, is the senior undersecretary to Minister Fudge and is avidly against all 'half-breeds' of any species, going as far as to pass bills in the Wizengamot restricting their rights and powers in the Wizarding world" Ted explained "she's a foul woman who somehow…"
Harry covered his mouth as he coughed something that sounded suspiciously like "Fudge" which earned chuckles all around the room.
"…yes, she somehow got a position of power within the ministry and connections in high places."
"This won't be an easy case to win" Andromeda warned "you're not the first person to have an idea like this, only to fail" she said, sounding oddly serious, a contrast to her behaviour before.
"I understand that, but I need to try, right? Besides, Harry had a fairly good idea that I think would work if we had the material you would need…"
All eyes turned to the boy who leaned forward and pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose as he began to explain "We all know Fudge is an idiot" he began "we can manipulate him to pass the request for us, without having to fight for it if we play our cards right…I think, if we crucify Umbridge…"
"Which we would be well within our rights to do as her character may have 'impaired' her decision making abilities" Ted helpfully supplied.
"Yes, if we crucify her in front of so many important people in the Wizengamot, Fudge will want to distance himself from her as much as possible to save face and keep his public image as good as possible… that and surely Umbridge's actions in the Wizengamot with her restriction bills have caused some form of retaliation in the magical world that we can blame her for…"
Andromeda smiled at Harry while Ted looked thoughtful "That's surprisingly well thought out and could very well work if we can find ant statistics that directly link Delores's racist bills to uprising in violence caused by 'dark-creatures'… I'll have Andromeda look into that."
"Does that mean you'll take the case?" Remus asked with excitement.
Ted chuckled, rising his whisky glass at the werewolf "Mr. Lupin, you seem to think I have a choice in the matter" he said with another chuckle. Seeing Remus's confused look, he motioned towards his daughter "with the way Dora has been looking at you for the past twenty minutes, I'm afraid she'll hurt me if I did otherwise – Excuse me."
The man wisely dived behind his couch as a mortified Nymphadora Tonks sent several curses and jinxes at her father, some borderline harmful, as Remus blushed at the attention and Andromeda chuckled at the sight.
Harry merely sat back in his chair sipping on the coke Andromeda had given him, thinking of the trial that was to come.
The Ministry of Magic itself was an impressive structure that was built underground the heart of London. Normally, there are two ways to enter the building, one would be to Floo directly in to the Atrium and the other would be to use the visitor's entrance which was a simple red phone booth in an unremarkable street where one would have to type in the code 'M-A-G-I-C' in numbers to gain access – not very original.
Harry, Remus and Ted arrived via the Floo and appeared in the Atrium. Harry's feet landed somewhat harshly on the hard wood floor after leaving the fireplace. He moved out of the way so Remus and Ted could arrive without trouble as he looked around. The ceiling was a weird peacock blue that was adorned with moving golden symbols and at least 50 feet high, there were also two magnificent golden stair cases leading up to a balcony that went around the huge room leading to some offices and bathrooms, most likely. Down both sides of the hall, fireplaces were built into the walls. The left side seemed to be for witches and wizards to arrive while the right side seemed to be used for departures – Today seemed to be a busy day.
Harry followed Remus and Ted passed the 'Fountain of Magical Brethren' which had a large feature in the centre of it. The golden statues depicting a Wizard, a Witch, a Centaur, a Goblin and a House-elf, sprout water in the surrounding pool of water and upon closer inspection, one could tell that the water coming from each statue had a different colour to it and when combined in the pool, created a beautiful effect.
The there of them reached a large golden gate guarded by a single man who seemed to be checking people's identities, issuing badges and checking wands. As they waited in line, Harry snorted in amusement at the large picture of Fudge overhead smiling at the reporters asking him questions and flashing pictures, from memory, it looked to be the picture that was on the front page of the 'Prophet'.
"Wands please" he heard a voice say. Flicking his wrist, his wand was in his hand, as Ted and Remus did the same, handing them over to the man.
"You can gather them on the other side, purpose of your visit tody at the Ministry of Magic?" he asked in a bored tone, leading one to believe he had repeated the same phrase too many times in his life.
"We're here to attend the gathering of the Wizengamot" was Ted's vague reply. He received a nod and received three visitor badges that the three had to pin on their coats. The two men were dressed in formal wizard's robes while Harry decided to go more 'muggle' to make a statement, simply dressing in a dark cardigan, dark blue jeans a shirt with tie matching his cardigan and his high tops. Remus had given him flack for it but he didn't care, he was out to make a statement on this backwards government and he was sure his fashion sense would get their attention, especially if he was the heir to one of the ancient and noble families.
After passing through the golden gate separating the atrium from the lifts leading to the other floors of the Ministry, they stopped to look at the sign labelling each level. They were going to the only floor that was above this one, level ten, where all of the courtrooms for criminal and civil cases are held.
The elevator door opened allowing roughly a dozen people to enter, including Harry, Remus and Ted. Harry also noticed several dozen paper aeroplanes charmed to fly and most likely find someone enter also and hover in mid air.
Ted pressed the button for level 10 as the doors closed and took them up.
Once they arrived one the tenth floor, they were greeted with a room full of wizards and witches. The room itself had a dungeon feel, which was amusing on its own considering it was the highest level in the building, regardless if it was underground or not.
People waited around sitting in the supplied chairs or standing around and waiting patiently as a plump witch with a large scroll would come out occasionally and call out a number, which was immediately followed by someone new entering the court room.
The three had to wait for three whole hours before their number was called, which was mainly spent with Harry discussing the theory behind silent casting with Remus and Ted, who were surprisingly helpful on the subject.
"Number One hundred and twenty seven!" the witch yelled over the noise of the gathered crowd who only increased in size since their arrival.
The courtroom itself consisted of a table in the middle of the room surrounded by an elevated platform with numerous seats which the members of the Wizengamot court sat at to hear the cases before them. The Wizengamot was made up of a small selection of the Wizarding population, mainly Lords and Ladies of ancient and noble houses, however, the problem with that was that no one could represent the muggleborn because it was widely believed that they are not well informed enough on Wizarding politics to serve. Tell that to Ted Tonks the lawyer…
Seated around on the raised platform were the witches and wizards who made up the entire body of the Wizengamot, headed by their Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore. They all wore plum coloured robes with an elaborate silver 'W' on their breasts and were looking the epitome of 'royalty' as they sat above them and looked down on them as if they were insignificant ants.
Ted strode confidently over to the provided oak table and took a seat. Remus took the one provided next to him and Harry next to Remus. He covered the small smirk on his face by interlacing his fingers together and resting them in front of his mouth - covering the bottom half of his face in the process – as several of the more 'proper' witches and wizards sneered at him or in his direction, though he did notice a toad like woman glaring at Remus with something akin to hate in her eyes.
A grey haired, square-jawed woman wearing a monocle who looked to be presiding over this case hefted her wand into the air causing a loud 'bang' to resound around the room and everyone to become silent.
"We are here to hear the case of one Remus John Lupin who is appealing the decision made by one Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, to refuse Remus John Lupin the right to ward the premises of his new business" she began in a commanding voice "The reason given by Madam Umbridge was that the establishment that was to be warded is owned by a…" at this she paused and glared over at the annoyingly smug toad woman who was smiling benignly down at them "dangerous half-breed and if given the opportunity to ward such a large premises within Knockturn Alley, could use said premises as a headquarters for his kind against the ministry."
The absurdity of the claim almost made Harry scoff, but he didn't think to underestimate the stupidity of Wizarding kind.
"While the claims may be unfounded at best, there are laws against non-wizards owning such large establishments and being allowed to ward them, what is the basis of this appeal, this law was passed several years ago" the with said in a stern tone.
"Madam Bones" began Ted, as the woman gave a small smile to him; Harry figured they must see a lot of each other given their jobs "I am appealing against the law in general that disallows my client to run his own business."
Seeing that he had everyone's attention, he continued "I have no idea how this law was passed by this honourable body, but apparently it has, and not only has it been completely ineffective, its existence has only served to degrade the non-wizard population and force them into a state of desperation…"
"Hem, hem" interrupted the woman "I don't want to put words in your mouth Mister Tonks, but it sounds awfully like you are saying the ministry are incompetent."
"I'm sorry Delores for causing you to believe I would insinuate such a despicable thing" he said, regret laced within his words "no, I was saying that the Minister and his staff" he said, looking towards Umbridge coldly "are solely responsible for the murders of hundreds of innocent people because of their bigoted and racist views and laws."
Seeing the women turn an angry scarlet and the minister himself who was amongst the elders of the Wizengamot begin to sputter in indignation he pressed on "You all, as a body, passed a law that basically destroyed any possibility that someone like Mister Lupin could lead a happy and prosperous life" he said, not allowing Umbridge to speak "how do you expect to keep order in this country if you are oppressing an entire species of people that make up a good percentage of our population?"
"You've made your point Mr. Tonks, please continue" interrupted Madam Bones before things got out of hand.
"Madam Bones, since Madam Umbridge passed her bill on the restriction of Werewolf and other half-breed rights, werewolf attacks have increased by 13, all of which were made against the ministry's Aurors trying to apprehend innocent half-breeds to be detained by the ministry in accordance to said law, something I'm sure you're aware of" he paused "the passing of this law not only is a disgrace on its own, but it has resulted in innocent wizard deaths, thereby, making Umbridge a murderer indirectly."
"THEY MADE THEIR OWN CHOICE TO ATTACK LIKE THE FILTHY HALF-BREEDS THEY ARE!" Umbridge suddenly yelled, having had enough of the attack on her character.
Ignoring her outburst completely, Ted continued "However, a bill cannot be passed without the consent of the Minister, so the blame is not solely on Madam Umbridge, but Minister Fudge also for allowing this to happen" he said; everyone turned to the minister as he paled at the implications.
Seeing that it would be political suicide if he admitted to passing such laws which basically forced the werewolf population to kill and rebel, he did the only thing available to him "I did not knowingly pass such a bill, nor would I do so now if I knew of its contents, I am disgusted with Madam Umbridge's behaviour and beliefs."
Umbridge looked murderous before turning her sickly sweet smile towards Remus "He cannot get permission to erect the wards regardless" she said in her sugary high pitched voice "even without the law restrictingwerewolf rights" she said, spitting the name of his kind in disgust "there is still the law forbidden foreigners and non-wizards from erecting wards on such a large scale on any property in the Ministry's jurisdiction that has been in effect since the last Goblin rebellion" she said, a victorious smirk on her face.
"Regrettably she is correct Mister Tonks" Madam Bones said with a sigh and a slight glare towards Umbridge "we can pass a vote to abolish the 'Werewolf civil rights restriction' act but we still cannot allow someone of half-breed status to erect wards less we grant the Goblins another chance to rebel against the Ministry."
"That's fine Madam Bones, because a half-breed does not own the establishment named 'Moony Nights'" Ted said with a grin, causing the hall to erupt in chaos.
"Order, order!" Bones yelled, sending off sparks from her wand.
"What was the point of this hearing if a werewolf does not own this establishment Mister Tonks?" Bones asked, after calming everyone down.
"To have a ridiculous law abolished of course" Ted answered immediately "and I never said Mister Lupin didn't own the property named 'Moony Nights', however, he is merely a partial owner not holding the majority shares."
"He's lying" Umbridge yelled "who is this mysterious owner then, if you're going to insist on spreading lies!"
His hands still covering the lower half of his face, Harry spoke up "That would be me."
Instant silence was met by this claim as the Wizengamot only saw a boy dressed in muggle clothing addressing them.
"The werewolf coerced a muggle to sponsor him? It is still futile, he is not a wizard!" she yelled in triumph.
Harry stood from his chair and rounded the table, leaning against the heavy oak and crossing his arms over his chest "Mister Lupin coerced me into nothing" he said, his voice calm yet carrying across the entire room. Harry was pleased to see Dumbledore's eyebrows shoot up past his hairline in surprise before a small smirk appeared on his bearded face "and I would advise against insulting the heir of the Most ancient and noble house of Potter in the future, I can, and will do what I wish with my money" he said, still staring Umbridge down.
Getting over the shock that this supposed muggle was indeed Harry Potter, the heir of an extremely wealthy family, she sneered at him and continued "Regardless, you are not of majority and cannot gain access to your family vaults; nice try boy, but you fail" she said with a smirk.
Harry only tilted his head, knowing his lack of reaction was annoying her – she was expecting him to explode like some fool child but nothing of the sort will happen today "That may be true, but I can request the manager of my funds to make investments on my behalf, and, should I chose to sell my controlling shares for a galleon after the wards are erected, I'm afraid there's nothing you or the ministry can do about it" he said, deciding to rub salt in the wound.
"He's obviously a dark wizard in training, supporting such filthy half-breeds!" Umbridge yelled towards Bones, who was growing increasingly tired of the woman's voice "Should a werewolf gain control of such an establishment, there will be consequences, you must see this!"
Ted decided to speak up again "Going by your logic and obvious distaste for dark wizards" he said blandly "Master Malfoy should not be given the right to own any businesses either" seeing the Malfoy head not even try to defend himself, he continued "a man who is suspected, though supposedly cleared" he amended, when he saw Bones frown "to be a criminal is allowed to run his businesses yet a man who is nothing short of an upstanding citizen like Mister Lupin to be denied because he is a werewolf? It is a joke in itself" he said, pausing before delivering his closing statement "The most dangerous criminal in the last fifty years was indeed a wizard, yet we are here, arguing about dangerous werewolves when said wizards are still running around today."
There was silence in the room as Umbridge silently fumed, glaring silently at Harry, Remus and Ted.
"The Wizengamot will require ten minutes to discuss the particulars of this case before coming to a decision" Dumbledore said from his position at the head of the Wizengamot while he secretly smiled down at the trio on the floor.
Unsurprisingly, ten minutes later returned a positive verdict, much to Remus's delight.
On their way out, they were confronted by the toad women herself smiling pleasantly at them, her wand gripped tightly in her right hand, the only indication that she was angry.
"You have made yourself an enemy today boy" she addressed Harry "humiliating me like that in front of the Wizengamot, an enemy you will learn to respect and dread, I assure you."
Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously as he moved to approach the toad woman as Remus put a comforting hand on his shoulder "Are you threatening me Delores?" he asked dangerously and despite her earlier bravado, Umbridge couldn't help but shiver.
"Just watch your back Potter, for a werewolf won't always have it" she said, sneering at him before storming off.
"Well" Remus said, trying to lift the mood "today was a success I think, would you and your family like to come to Moony nights tonight Ted? I can give you a tour and we can celebrate our victory, the wards should be done by then too."
Ted smiled at Remus and nodded "I'm sure the girls would love that, I'll see you tonight Remus, I need to finish up some things here before leaving."
The three shook hands and departed, proud that they had achieved something many have dreamed of doing in the past.
Harry sat comfortably in his bunk in Ravenclaw tower, and honestly, he was glad to be back. He had missed the regular crazy antics of Archades and Stephanie berating him for seemingly nothing.
He has received several letters from Archades over the holidays, and surprisingly, a few from Cedric and Stephanie too to which he had replied in kind – it was weird having friend to correspond with over the summer holidays to him.
For the remainder of the holidays, after the trial, Harry had confronted Remus about silent casting and advancing his Occlumency training, both of which he had no experience in but he did aid in purchasing books about them.
Silent casting and Occlumency surprisingly somewhat went hand in hand. To cast a spell silently, one only had to focus on the intent of the spell as they cast it; the actual incantation was merely a means to verbally express one's intent, which is remarkably simpler for a young mind to comprehend. Though casting silently made mastering spells much harder, Harry didn't shy away from it and welcomed the challenge, vowing to learn all his spells that way seeing it as a great advantage.
The next stage of Occlumency was the step Harry was most interested in, shielding one's mind from external influences and intrusions instead of clearing it. When one's mind is shielded, they can become impervious to controlling spells, substances and enchantments like the Imperious curse, a Love Potion or the allure of a Siren's song. It also allowed someone to outright block access to their mind, which is helpful during a duel if you are facing off against a Legilimens who would simply read your surface thoughts to see what spells you intend to cast next.
This step of Occlumency was the most difficult however because it required a small amount of wandless magic to erect magical shields within the mind to protect it, that didn't mean Harry wouldn't have it mastered as soon as possible though.
Looking over to the sleeping Archades, he decided to follow his lead and get to bed also; tomorrow would be a big day.