Amber held on to Sirius as they slowly moved across the floor, it could hardly be called dancing but she wasn't going to complain. Asking her aunt if there was a job available as she was sick of the discrimination she faced in Britain was, without a doubt the best decision she ever made. The man who currently held her in his arms was everything she'd dreamed about since being a little girl and then some; tall, dark and hansom just didn't do Sirius justice.
They had gone dancing and she couldn't help but smile as Mr and Mrs Lupin glided past, her aunt was glowing with happiness as she held onto her husband. Pregnancy really suited her and Amber was slightly envious, though she hoped lord Black would ask her to be his lady one day soon. She didn't understand everything that was going on but trusted this wizard with her life, she could tell he was holding back and was sure it had nothing to do with her being a squib.
Their reactions last night when they discovered Millicent had killed that snake had been so over the top that she had felt uncomfortable, until she saw her aunt pounce on Remus and kiss him as though their lives had been saved. Whatever generated the party atmosphere she was grateful for it as she was having a splendid evening.
Emma clung to her husband as they danced, both had almost cried in relief at the destruction of the last horcrux, this could now be ended and their kids lead a near normal life. Yes they would have to face a dragon each but Harry had beaten it last time and they were so much more powerful now. They now had the opportunity to sit back and do nothing as a now mortal Riddle had to come to the tournament or die, they were both praying for the second option but would be there just in case - as would Amelia with everything she had.
This was a lovely night but next week could easily eclipse it, if the afternoon produced the right result then everyone would be dancing next Saturday night. For the first time since the attack that day in Gringotts she was starting to believe her family might just emerge from this war unscathed.
....
The frigging squirrel had its tail in a tuft once more, that high-pitched voice sounded so out of place with the snarling snout that it became surreal. Bella likened it to her sister Cissi wearing her number one haughty expression while farting 'God save the Queen' in tune; the two just didn't belong together.
How he ever expected purebloods to kneel at the paws of Riddle the rodent was beyond her, only the potions she was taking kept her from skewering a squirrel and now the great bushy tailed one was ordering her around again.
Bella suspected that she was the only death eater left in Britain, unfortunately they could neither confirm nor deny this as stupid squirrel had been hopping mad and tortured to death the only person they had with a dark mark.
She was aware that these potions were addictive and rapidly affecting her personality but the alternative of facing up to the reality she now found herself in was just too much for the pureblood. Better to be bombed out your head than trying to cut those pointed furry ears off with a blunt instrument, chewing them off was no longer an option available to her. Searching for food was one thing but how the hell was she supposed to eat nuts without teeth? Squirrel soup or stew was going to be on the menu shortly as she didn't know how much longer she could stomach this.
When Bella found a copy of today's Prophet she could now work out exactly how long that would be. If he didn't kill her for bringing him the news that Tom Marvolo Riddle had to compete in a tournament or lose his magic then in a week he would be getting his nuts dry-roasted in hell and Bella would be free.
....
Xenophilius Lovegood was chuckling to himself as he came up with more and more ludicrous headlines for tomorrow's special edition, the Prophet thought they had stolen a march on the wily editor with their Hogwarts story but he wished he could see their faces tomorrow when they read this. It was with a sigh that he scrapped all the headlines featuring Voldesquirrel or Squirrelmort, instead deciding on the provocative headline that screamed across the front page.
Black Magic defeats Dark Ritual
Lord Sirius Orion Black was wrongly sent to Azkaban for a crime that saw the man he considered a brother murdered by Voldemort, his actual brother Regulus was also murdered by the direct orders of the self styled dark lord for fighting against him. Regulus had been courted by the dark side and enticed to join before even coming of age, evidence has been presented to the ministry that proves beyond doubt that this young wizard was fighting for the light side when he was killed and has had his name exonerated of any wrongdoing.
It is with this background that Lord Black has sworn to aid his godson Lord Potter in the fight against Voldemort and on Halloween dealt him a massive blow.
" We were aware there was a certain dark ritual that could have returned Riddle to a body and took measures against this. We swapped one of the critical ingredients, which had devastating effects on the result. Lord Voldemort has returned in a new body, unfortunately for him it's in the form of a six-foot squirrel! The leader of the pureblood supremacy movement is not only a half-blood but now has a cute busy tail and a voice so high it would make a Eunuch sound like a baritone."
The following photographs show the Potters banishing the bushy-tailed one up a tree before capturing his wand, which was later snapped at Hogwarts. Lord Black described what happened that night.
" The couple in the picture are Ronald Weasley being rescued by his betrothed Millicent Bulstrode after they were abducted earlier in the day from Hogsmead. Both Lord Potter and myself have recommended this courageous witch for an Order of Merlin for facing the three most dangerous terrorists in the country without a wand and still managed to save her wizard. Not only that but she killed Riddles familiar, a very large poisonous snake and severally injured Bellatrix Lestrange while making their escape from the shrieking squirrel. Voldemort was so upset at the result of the ritual that he tortured Peter Pettigrew to death, poetic justice for the rat who betrayed the Potters to his master on another Halloween night."
As this blow was being delivered in a graveyard, another plan to defeat Voldemort was coming to life at Hogwarts with 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' being forced by binding magical contract to compete in the now Hex-wizard tournament or lose his magic. Hogwarts will be crawling with ministry aurors hoping he'll show up and though the use of glamour's or polyjuice can't be discounted it only works within the same species as the recipient. This reporter fails to see the benefit of turning into a six-foot chipmunk or gerbil as a means of disguise, even ministry aurors aren't that stupid.
Lord Black also explained Dumbledore's actions that night, "Earlier in the Summer Lord Potter had dropped charges against Dumbledore providing he would resign his political positions of power in the wizarding world. When it came to light that three Hogwarts students were missing and the headmaster wasn't even aware of the problem, Minister Bones was left with no option but to recommend Hogwarts come under ministerial control, especially considering the charges faced by the latest head of Slytherin. This left Dumbledore with no job and about to be charged with serious multiple breaches of wizarding law, he decided to go out with a bang by firing a deadly curse into a group of youngsters."
This editor for one will be eternally grateful that Lord Potter was there otherwise I would be writing an obituary for my thirteen-year-old daughter who was in the group that the 'headmaster' tried to murder with a deadly curse.
Another person delighted with Lord Potter's actions is the current Hogwarts head of Gryffindor, Percy Weasley.
" When my fiancée and I accepted teaching posts at Hogwarts we assumed the headmaster would aid us in this new challenge, instead he poured administrative tasks that he himself was meant to fulfil in our direction with the result that I didn't even know my brother had been abducted by death eaters. The revelations of Slughorn's behaviour sent me over the edge, this person was directly responsible for my sister and fiancée almost being killed by means of a diary he helped create. I only wish there was a worse punishment than a Dementors kiss that could be applied here."
On the conduct of Dumbledore the former head boy was even more scathing, "the Potter's had their eight-year-old adopted daughter with them and Dumbledore fired a curse that would have cut the little girl in half. This once respected wizard committed this atrocity in full view of the youth of the wizarding world. Only Lord Potter's extraordinary actions prevented a bloodbath in the great hall of Hogwarts."
This great wizard once shone as bright as the robes he famously wore but when we looked beneath the surface what faced us was a whole web of lies and duplicity, theft and abuse of power.
The ministry had been building a cast iron case against Dumbledore but his actions of Halloween speak for themselves, this was not an action that any light sided wizard could even contemplate far less attempt. It would now appear that we have had another dark lord in our midst all these years without even knowing it, like a muggle magician he used his colourful robes and personality as a ruse to fool the public so they couldn't see what he was really up to.