TSS: Chapter 27: Carefully Calculated Strikes Part II

> *“However,” the Chief Warlock continued, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, “you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.”*
>
>

— Albus Dumbledore giving one final word of advice before being removed from Hogwarts.

## Plot:

Harry receives a message from his solicitor and from Ares Black. Charlotte's Legilimency improves. Dudley is visited by the Department of Mysteries. Charlotte continues to tutor Harry in Legilimency. Mulciber and Jugson are dealt with. Harry gives an interview to the Daily Prophet. Dumbledore is voted out of his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts. Hagrid is removed from the grounds of the castle.

## Summary:

**February 14th, 1993:** In the morning, Harry walks into the Great Hall for breakfast, analysing with disgust the Valentine Day decorations. Once seated at his table, he receives a letter from his solicitor informing him that his plan might prove successful if executed right. Shortly afterwards, he receives a message from Ares Black informing him that she got hold of a memory about the Heir of Slytherin from some fifty-years back, with the only problem being that of getting him out of the castle and into the House of Black in order to view it.

**February 17th, 1993:** In the dungeons, Charlotte finishes another training session in implanting emotions, images and impressions with the help of Legilimency onto Grace who has volunteered to help her train.

**February 19th, 1993:** Dudley, now residing at the Merrymount — Family Support and Crisis Centre, an orphanage, is visited by two members of the Unspeakables — Mundane and MI11. They proceed to store away the boy's more traumatic memories, and the details of their meeting, leaving him with only a compulsion to force him to preserve the International Statute of Secrecy.

**February 20th, 1993:** In the dungeons, Charlotte is tutoring Harry in Legilimency, as it was usual during Saturday evenings. At the end of their session Charlotte informs Harry that she will soon execute her plan to deal with Mulciber and Jugson so that they would not dare to act against her in the foreseeable future.

**February 22nd, 1993:** That night Charlotte executes her plan against Mulciber and Jugson after weeks of using Legilimency on them to push a feeling of suspicion into them. She lures them out of the Slytherin Common Room after curfew and after she defeats them in individual duels she uses Legilimency to push into their minds their own fears, combined with an amount of fear of herself. After she is done, and preparing to return to the Slytherin Common Room, she is surprised by Harry who was ensuring that she was safe. She ends up telling her about her plan, and to her utter relief, she finds that he did not disapprove of it.

**February 28th, 1993:** Using a legal loophole, Harry is able to leave the castle and thus he goes to the Headquarters of the Daily Prophet. There he has a meeting — that was facilitated by Lucius Malfoy — with Rita Skeeter, to whom he gives an interview.

Later that night, he arrives at Black Manor. There Harry is greeted by Bellatrix Black, who informs him that the loophole that he used to leave Hogwarts during times of lock-down is going to be soon voted out. Soon afterwards, Harry views the memory pertaining to the 'capturing' of the Heir of Slytherin some fifty-years in the past. The viewed memory shows him how Hagrid was framed as being the Heir by Emily Riddle. Thus, Harry is able to ascertain that the girl was in fact the Heir. Subsequently, Harry decides to stop writing to her for the time being.

**March 7th, 1993:** The interview that Harry gave to the Daily Prophet, detailing some of his childhood, as a result of the choices made by James Potter and Albus Dumbledore, is published.

**March 12th, 1993:** In the evening Harry heads to Hagrid's Hut. On the way there he meets with Lucius Malfoy, as planned. There they meet with Hagrid, Dumbledore, and somewhat surprisingly, Barty Crouch Sr. They end up informing Dumbledore that the Board of Governors has decided to suspend his as Headmaster of the school. The conversation ends with Hagrid being removed from the grounds, but not before giving a cryptic message about one needing to follow the spiders if they were interested in uncovering the truth — most likely directed at Granger and Charlus Potter, who were hiding under the Potter Invisibility Cloak somewhere in the Hut.

## Characters Introduced:

Mundane.

MI11.