Amelia Bones looked at the letter with a glazed look in her grey eyes. A lone tear slid down her face and fell on the sheet of parchment. She had received it late at night, at her home instead of at her office, delivered by a beautiful snowy owl. It was a letter from Harry Potter. The boy was claiming that he had proof of Sirius Black's innocence. He hoped that they could to meet on the twenty-ninth of October in secret. Harry claimed that his proof was enough to get Sirius exonerated.
This was a letter sent by Harry, a boy Amelia hadn't seen since he was a baby. She crumpled the letter into a ball as she trembled due to anger and grief. Memories of all those times she had tried for guardianship with her offer being repeatedly rejected flooded once more into her mind. From what she had been able to find out ever since she became the Head of the D.M.L.E., Harry had been sent to live with his maternal aunt. Amelia remembered Lily telling her long ago that Petunia hated magic and that they didn't get along at all. Her heart clenched with guilt.
She had failed them all.
Taking a deep breath, Amelia walked to her bedroom and opened the wardrobe. She flicked her wand and disabled the concealment charm. She reached over and grabbed one of the photographs. There were several other possessions in the closet as well, including an engagement ring. In the picture, she and Sirius were standing side by side, grinning, with his arm around her waist.
Amelia collapsed against the wall, sobbing, holding the picture frame to her chest. She had never been able to get rid of it all. She had never wanted to believe that he had been guilty, but she, like everyone else, had been led to believe that he had been given a trial. If there was even a shred of proof that claimed that he was innocent…
"I'll get you back, Sirius," whispered Amelia in a shaky voice, her cheeks stained with tears. "I promise that I won't let you down this time. And I'll do my best to make it up to you once you are a free man."
With that in mind, the Director of the British Magical Law Enforcement penned a letter to Harry Potter. She had a lot of planning to do.
...
30th October, 2001
Harry was in a daze. His meeting with Amelia Bones had gone very well. They had met in the Shrieking Shack and he had Peter Pettigrew brought to the place by summoning one of his house-elves. Needless to say, Amelia was furious. She had assured him that she would handle everything from her end and also that a letter regarding the trial would reach him when it was due to be held.
But that was not why he was dazed. He spotted Daphne walking towards the Great Hall. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a nearby classroom.
"Harry, what are we doing here?" she hissed.
"I received a letter from your mother. It is an invitation to the Yule Ball at your manor."
"Oh. It was expected. We're betrothed, so it stands to reason that you'd be invited. Why is that a problem?"
Harry looked at her and blood rushed to his face. Daphne was quite amused because she had never seen Harry blush before. He was usually always in control of his emotions.
"I - I can't dance," he admitted quietly.
"You can't dance?" she exclaimed. Having been trained in different classical forms of dance since she was a four-year-old girl, Daphne was understandably horrified. "Why not?"
"It wasn't worth my time," said Harry defensively. "It was better to spend my time studying or practising martial arts. It wasn't even on my list of things I had to learn, but now… I don't want to make a fool of myself at the ball. You told me that you're a trained dancer. Will you please teach me?"
Daphne's lips curved into an amused smile. "You want me to teach you how to dance," she stated.
"Yes," said Harry impassively. He didn't know why he was feeling nervous. It was just a stupid dance. He was quite proficient in martial arts; how different could it possibly be?
"What do I get in return?"
Harry smiled slightly. It was the first time Daphne had actually seen him smile. It was quite startling, but it enhanced his features more, making him look quite adorable.
"A true Slytherin, aren't you, Daphne? But considering the nature of our relationship, don't you think it is inappropriate to ask that of me?"
"I still don't know anything about you, Harry," she snorted, sounding annoyed. "How do you expect me to accept you as my fiancé if you don't tell me anything about yourself? I know that you don't like telling people secrets, but a general overview of your life would be enough. Is that too much to ask?"
Harry paused. She was clearly frustrated with him and truthfully, he couldn't blame her. His trust issues could be rather maddening to others who wanted to get to know him.
"Alright, you teach me how to dance and I'll tell you about my life. Deal?"
Daphne shook his hand. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Potter."
With that, she walked out of the room, not noticing the surprised yet admiring gaze of her fiancé.
....
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