A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

Dumbledore has made his move... Amelia puts her foot down.

-x-X-x-

“I assure you, I and my Aurors are well-versed in the operation of pensieves, Headmaster Dumbledore. I must insist that you vacate the room immediately.”

Wow. Harry has to admit, he was already impressed with Amelia Bones… but now he’s even more impressed. There aren’t many people out there who are willing to stand up to Albus Dumbledore. Was it because the aged wizard had been part of the regime back when Sirius was thrown into Azkaban without a trial? Or was it because she’d sussed out that Dumbledore had played some part in the events of last year and she was worried he’d willfully try to contaminate the investigation now to make himself look good?

In the end, Amelia’s reasoning remains a mystery… but ultimately it doesn’t matter. She’s said what she’s said and though Dumbledore is clearly surprised for a moment at her audacity, he doesn’t take it lying down. With a grandfatherly smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, the Hogwarts Headmaster chuckles good-naturedly and shakes his head.

“I’m afraid I can’t let such a priceless artifact out of my sight, my dear Amelia. My ancestors would roll over in their graves. Please, I promise I won’t be a bother. If you’d rather I stay back and out of the way, I can certainly do that.”

Amelia’s eyes flash at his use of her first name, and while Dumbledore might have thought he was being subtle or sneaky in invoking their ancient teacher-student relationship by stripping away her titles and treating her like a child instead of the adult she was… he wasn’t being subtle or sneaky in the slightest.

“That’s Madam or Director to you, Headmaster Dumbledore. And no, I’d rather you leave the room entirely. But if you can’t do that and you refuse to relinquish your family pensieve for our temporary use, then I suppose I’ll just have to return to the DMLE and make use of our own pensieves after all.”

Oh? Was Amelia giving in? Dumbledore certainly seems to think so given the way he remains all smiles as he folds his hands in the sleeves of his robes in front of him and inclines his head in a ‘regretful’ bow.

“If that is what you feel you must do, then very well. I shall make sure young Harry here makes it back to his dorm room and then I’ll see you out.”

And then the old man even has the audacity to glance over at Harry and wink at him. To be fair, Amelia doesn’t see this. She’s too busy looking at Harry as well. Still, it’s such a hilarious moment, where Dumbledore clearly thinks he’s getting the better of the Aurors on Harry’s behalf and endearing himself further to the younger wizard in the process. That couldn’t be further from the truth of course, but Albus didn’t know that.

Still, Harry is just considering whether he should interject when Amelia… well, she takes the option right out of his hands.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. You see, Mister Potter is under arrest.”

Oh? The look on Dumbledore’s face is worth it alone, Harry reflects, even as Amelia gestures sharply to Tonks. The young metamorph Auror goes wide-eyed for a moment before jolting forward when Amelia repeats the gesture. Suddenly, Tonks is at Harry’s side and grabbing him by the arm, yanking him firmly but gently to his feet.

“U-Um… wotcher Harry… please come quietly…”

Young Tonks is so nervous and cute it’s hilarious. Harry just gives her a reassuring smile and nod, making it clear he’s not going to fight her on this. The relief that fills her gaze is downright adorable. Dumbledore, meanwhile, is now struggling to catch up. Poor man, in his old age he’s not nearly as adaptable to new situations as he once was.

“What… I must protest quite strongly, Director! On what grounds are you arresting my student?!”

Looking faintly amused and increasingly smug, Amelia just shakes her head.

“Apologies, Headmaster… but you aren’t entitled to that information. Harry Potter has confessed to committing several crimes. For that, I am well within my rights to make his arrest.”

Raising himself up to his full height, Dumbledore lets a bit of his grandfatherly persona flake away and his authoritative presence leak free.

“I would remind you, Madam Bones… I am not just the Headmaster of this school, but also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. I could order you to tell me what this is about.”

Stiffening up again in response, Amelia narrows her eyes at Dumbledore, not backing down even slightly.

“You could, Chief Warlock… if you went through the proper channels first. You could do the same through your position as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, I suppose. Both would take time, however. Feel free to begin exploring those avenues if you like. For the time being, I am taking Mister Potter into custody whether you like it or not.”

Well damn. Amelia looks torn between whether she regrets that last bit of technically unnecessary antagonistic language or not, but ultimately she seems quite pleased with herself all the same. Harry has to admit, he’s pretty impressed with her as well. Dumbledore, meanwhile, is seemingly struck speechless as they begin leading Harry out of the room and towards the nearest floo. Until suddenly.

“I’m afraid that as Harry’s Magical Guardian I cannot let you take him with you, Director!”

Oh-ho! At long last, the Headmaster was playing his trump card. Harry turns with Tonks as the young metamorphmagus’ jaw drops at this latest bombshell. Amelia, meanwhile, slowly turns around to face Dumbledore again as well. For a moment, silence reigns. Is this where the Director of the DMLE’s attempt at defying the Wizarding World’s benevolent dictator crumbles?

“… His Magical Guardian, you say.”

Smiling softly, Dumbledore inclines his head.

“Indeed. Young Harry did not have anyone else in the Wizarding World after his parents’ death, so I took over. I’ve managed his magical affairs ever since.”

Tilting her head to the side, Amelia looks far from defeated, Harry finds himself noting.

“I see. And if I were to look into this, if I were to check with the Ministry of Magic… would all of the proper paperwork be filed, Headmaster? Would the t’s be crossed and the i’s dotted? Did you go through the proper channels to name yourself Mister Potter’s Magical Guardian, I wonder?”

Dumbledore furrows his brow but before he can respond, Amelia continues on.

“Because… somehow I doubt it. Somehow, I think that Harry’s actual magical guardian should have been his official godfather, one Sirius Black. A man who I just found out today was never given a trial. A man who was sentenced to over a decade in Azkaban Prison without ever seeing the inside of a court room. I wonder what the Potter Will would say if I were to check it.”

Now, Dumbledore’s face is suspiciously blank.

“… The Potter Will was sealed, I’m afraid.”

But Amelia’s response to that is a wolfish grin.

“I am the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Headmaster Dumbledore. Not one of your students, or their parents. That won’t work on me… I have the authority to unseal such documents.”

Harry’s mouth might be a little open right now. He might be staring with wide eyes as… as Albus Dumbledore backs down.

“… That won’t be necessary, Madam Bones. I am only Mister Potter’s magical guardian insofar as I am the defacto magical guardian of all muggleborn and muggle-raised wizards and witches who walk the halls of Hogwarts. I am afraid… I cannot stop you from taking him. I can merely say in his defense that Harry Potter is a good young man with a heart of gold. He is no criminal.”

Now Dumbledore is looking at Harry apologetically, as if he’s ashamed he’s failed to ‘save’ him from the Aurors. To be honest, Harry is too astonished that Amelia managed to win this little war to properly react. He’s pretty sure he’s got a shocked look on his face, even as Amelia and Tonks escort him to the floo and leave Hogwarts behind.

Amelia Bones was more of a badass than Harry ever could have imagined. He definitely wanted her as Minister of Magic now. And more than that… he wanted her for himself. Working alongside him, tied and bound to him… they could do amazing things together. They could save the whole damn world.

-x-X-x-

Curiously enough, once they get back to the DMLE, Harry finds himself splitting off from Amelia, rather than going with her to one of the DMLE’s actual pensieves. Instead of taking him along, she nods to Tonks.

“Put Mister Potter here in one of the interrogation rooms until I’m ready for him. Make sure he’s comfortable… I’m expecting the memories he’s given me to exonerate him, ultimately.”

Tonks blinks dumbly at that for a moment.

“Err… ma’am? If that’s the case, why didn’t we let him stay at Hogwarts?”

Amelia’s eyes flash as she throws Harry a glance.

“… Because we might need him in a bit.”

Harry raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn’t say a word. In the end, the Director of the DMLE shoots a piercing look in Tonks’ direction.

“Can I count on you, Auror Tonks? Or do I need to find someone else?”

“Y-Yes Madam Bones! I-I mean… no Madam Bones, you can count on me!”

Nervous Young Tonks is so adorable. Harry hides his grin, even as Amelia nods and then turns and walks away. He suspects he knows why she might be splitting off from him now that they’re back at the DMLE… she’s hoping that if she’s alone, she can expect another visit from her mysterious shadowy benefactor, since here in the heart of the Ministry is the only place he’s shown up so far.

Of course, what she doesn’t know is that HE is that very same shadowy benefactor… and she’s just arrested him and stuck him with Tonks. Not that it’s impossible for Harry to be in two places at once… especially when he has the magic of multiple people at his fingertips at this point.

As Tonks leads him into the last interrogation room in a hallway full of them, Harry barely pays her any mind as he takes a seat where she tells him to take a seat. At the same time, his shadow… doesn’t come with them. The metamorphmagus doesn’t notice this as she closes the door to the interrogation room and locks it shut. Nor does anyone else in the DMLE notice Harry’s shadow moving across the floor, shifting through the natural shadows until it reaches Amelia Bones.

The DMLE Director moves with purpose through her own domain, eventually reaching a room with a pensieve in it. By that point, Harry’s shadow has taken up residence in Amelia’s shadow and his attention is split between the room with the pensieve and the interrogation room where he and Tonks are sat. As Amelia secures the pensieve room and then moves over to the bowl, she looks around for a moment hesitantly… and almost seems relieved when a now familiar shadowy figure rises up next to her.

“You’ve arrested the boy. I thought I sent you to talk to him, not take him into custody.”

His voice is chiding but amused more than anything. He’s expecting Amelia to snap back at him, seeing how she must be riding high on putting Dumbledore in his place like she did. But instead, much to his surprise, she actually flushes a little bit, ducking her head as though she’s ashamed or something.

“… Apologies, but he admitted outright to committing crimes last year. If it wasn’t for the Headmaster I might not have arrested him, but I wanted him close by depending on what the contents of these memories he gave me have in them. Watch them with me?”

Unfortunately, as Harry currently was, he couldn’t take Amelia up on that offer. He was less ‘here’ than he’d ever been before, with his real body still back in the interrogation room with Tonks. Fortunately, he already knew exactly what was in those memories, given he was the one who had given them to her in the first place.

“I already know the contents of that vial. I was there too, after all.”

Amelia’s eyes widen at that revelation, and then narrow.

“… And you still insist you’re not Sirius Black?”

“No, Madam Bones. I am not Sirius Black. Regardless, go ahead. Peruse Potter’s memories at your leisure. See all there is to see in his recollection of last year’s events. I will be waiting when you’re done.”

For a long moment she looks like she wants to talk back… but maybe she spent all of her defiance back with Dumbledore. Harry doesn’t know, but either way she finally nods and pours the memories he gave her into the pensieve before diving in after them. Harry watches her for a moment through his shadow, waiting for her to finish up and come back out. But in the silence of the pensieve room, he suddenly realizes that the interrogation room is not so quiet.

Pulling some of his focus back to his real body, Harry blinks and glances over at Tonks who is blushing surprisingly red right now.

“Err, sorry… I got caught up in my own thoughts. What was that?”

Licking her lips, the young Auror squirms for a moment… before rising from her own seat and circling the table.

“I-I said… Director Bones told me to make sure you’re comfortable, Harry. So I was asking if you were comfortable…”

Coming to his side of the table, Tonks leans back against it, her hands clutching at the edge as she looks down at him meaningfully. Harry looks up at her with a distracted smile and a nod.

“Yeah, I’m comfortable Auror Tonks. Thanks though.”

He doesn’t really think much about Tonks’ request at first, and he’s in fact preparing to focus his attention back on the pensieve room… when Tonks suddenly reaches up and tugs at her top a little bit.

“Ah… are you sure about that? Because I’m REALLY good at making people comfortable, Harry~”

Harry stares as Tonks’ breasts expand quite a bit right before his eyes, making the way she’s tugging at her top show off more and more cleavage that she didn’t have mere moments ago.

… What was happening? Was Tonks… was this who Tonks was at this age? He hadn’t truly met the metamorphmagus until after she’d joined the Order of the Phoenix and fallen head over heels for Remus Lupin. And admittedly, as much as Harry liked Lupin, he was a very serious sort of individual.

… Had Tonks really mellowed out that much in a few short years? There was no way, right? And yet here they were… with Tonks all but propositioning him right here and right now.

[X] Take advantage of Tonks' sudden... nymph-ishness~ - 91%