Bonded chapter 85

Chapter 85 -

"Oh, so that's how it is now?" Asked Harry with a humourless laugh.

It had been a few days since Dolores Umbridge's 'unfortunate' demise. The first clue people had that she was no longer amongst the living was when she didn't show up to any of her classes. None of the students told the other teachers, all simply happy that they had less time to spend with the woman. The second clue was when the woman didn't answer any summons from Fudge or Dumbledore. It wasn't until a whole two days had passed before anyone had bothered to go to the bloody woman's office. 'Bloody' is an accurate description right now, by the way.

The aurors arrived almost immediately after, and all the members of staff were questioned first. Then the aurors started moving on to questioning students. And naturally, Harry was the first student they wanted to talk to. Harry shook his head in disbelief as he looked at the two people sitting in front of him in an empty classroom. One of whom was Auror Proudfoot, not someone that Harry really knew, but he knew who the other woman was. Amelia Bones, the head of the DMLE and Tonks's ex-boss.

"I fail to see what's so funny, Mr Potter." Amelia frowned as she stared at the young man sitting opposite her. She wasn't sure what to expect when she came to meet the 'Boy Who Lived', a worldwide celebrity and currently one of the biggest headaches of the Minister of Magic. The boy who caused the entire government to shake like crazy when he announced that Voldemort was back.

"Why are you here?" He asked with a small laugh and a big grin.

"The DMLE's job is to investigate murders, you know," She said dryly. Half a laugh escaped Harry's lips before he managed to shut his mouth, his lips twisted into an amused smile as Venom laughed loudly in his head.

"Is it now?" Harry asked in wonder, as if he had just learnt something amazing and new. "That's funny. Really funny, quite interesting. You see, I recall a short while back that a certain someone - Me, you twits - had complained quite loudly and publicly that there was a very dangerous mass murderer running about." He said casually, Proudfoot grimaced while Amelia's mouth tightened slightly as if something unpleasant had brushed over her tongue. "Not to mention that I did come back with two dead bodies. Given the lack of a prison cell, you obviously don't have any proof that it's me who did it. Therefore, I would assume that you believe it was someone else who did the dirty deed. Have you found the person yet?" He asked knowingly.

"We are still investigating that," Proudfoot said in a stiff voice.

"You know you're investigation would go a lot better if one of you had the necessary amount of brain cells required to realise that taking a moment to talk to the only available and willing witness would undoubtedly speed up your investigation." He stated matter-of-factly. "Did you know that?" He asked, sounding like he genuinely wanted to know the answer.

"Your point has been made, Mr Potter," Amelia said with a short huff. "You're also just as aware as I am that the Minister is not a fan of you right now, and does not wish for me to proceed with the investigation."

"All I am hearing is you don't have the backbone necessary to force the issue and do your job, knowing that it could very well result in more deaths," Harry shrugged.

"What would you have me do?" Amelia glared at him. "Put all my weight behind you and lose my job?! What good would I be then to anyone when I have no authority or power?"

"So, you want me to help in this investigation?" Snorted Harry. "Why would I help a law enforcement agency that not only fired my best friend, isn't going after the killer of my parents and is also only capable of acting when a guy I don't like wishes it to be? You want my help?" Harry leaned forward. "Screw you. Screw you all."

"Mr Potter," Auror Proudfoot spoke up while his boss stared at the teenager in front of him with a face that was nearly purple with anger. "There are consequences to not helping aurors with an investigation. At the very least, it makes it seem like you're somewhat involved."

"Oh yeah, that'll make a good headline," Harry leaned back in his chair. "How long before Minister Fudge decides to use the opportunity of Umbitch's death to get me or Dumbledore out of the school, huh?" He asked knowingly.

"Mr Potter, answer the question," Amelia said, using a tone she often used when dealing with troublesome aurors. Proudfoot flinched slightly while Harry simply stared at Amelia.

"You know, if I am being interrogated, then I really should have a lawyer with me, that's what Tonks told me." He said in a thoughtful tone.

"This is not a..." Amelia paused and took a breath, a very deep one. "Mr Potter," She continued in a slightly calmer tone. "This is not an interrogation, it's an informal inquiry."

"In that case, I'd like to informally ask you to fuck yourselves," Harry stated as stood up. "You're interrogating me because you know I don't like Umbridge, and you suspect me. Take me to court if you want. I didn't kill the bitch, even though I really, really wish I did. Now, if you want to talk to me, call my lawyer." He said.

"Mr Potter, this is a serious matter," Amelia said when he looked like he was about to start walking. "A woman is dead. I assure you, I was no fan of her either."

"She tortured you as well, huh?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Only with her presence," Amelia sighed. "As I said, I'm not a fan of her. However, the fact that she was killed in this castle means that there's a potential danger to everyone else. We need to get on top of the matter before it gets worse. I'm asking you to please put aside your feelings for the safety of yourself and your class fellows. My niece goes to this school, I'd sleep a lot easier at night, knowing that she was safe." She finished, staring up at Harry, who stared impassively back at her. A few rather tense moments of silence passed before Harry spoke up.

"What about my case?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That is still being investigated," Amelia said in a tired voice.

"Yeah, well, when you sort that out, then let me know and we can continue this 'informal inquiry of yours'." Harry shrugged.

"But there is a present danger in this school that we need to take care of as soon as possible!" Proudfoot protested.

"This potential danger has only killed one person that we know of, and that's only presuming that the incompetent bitch didn't just botch a spell and kill herself." Harry pointed out in a calm voice. "The threat I reported has been rumoured to have killed dozens by himself, and his death count goes up into triple digits when you consider the damage done by his merry band of followers as well. It might have escaped your notice, but mass murder is a far more serious crime than regular murder. You want your niece to be safe, Madam Bones? Yet you're not doing anything to stop the guy who could very well sneak up at night and burn her house with her in it if she doesn't obey him. Do your job properly and I'll informly recite the fucking alphabet backwards for you if you want, until then you can talk to my lawyer." He said before turning and walking out of the classroom.

'Well, that was fun,' Venom said in a cheery voice.

'Sometimes I'm wondering if we should just burn the whole government to the ground and start again fresh,' Harry replied.

'I call dibs on being King,' Was Venom's reply.

'As your 'Co-King' I suggest that we make Fudge the royal jester.'

'Denied, I don't like his face.'

(.)

"You know, the last time someone asked me out on a date, they took me to a Quidditch match," Tonks yelled over the howling wind.

Harry grinned over his shoulder at her. The pair of them were currently sitting upon Harry's Firebolt broom (thanks, Sirius) and were flying very close towards Azkaban prison; they could tell that they were getting close as the weather was getting unbearably worse. Much like the dementors of Azkaban, the weather was cold and lifeless. Furious rain, combined with black clouds and wild wind, was not a good combination for those riding on a broom. Thankfully, a few spells took care of the issue, still even with that, it was getting quite intimidating.

"Don't worry," Harry told her as she wrapped her arms tighter around his body. "We're almost there. You remember the plan?"

"Like you told me a dozen times, yeah," Tonks nodded as they got closer, and she was finally able to see Azkaban. She remembered the few times when she had done guard duty for Azkaban; she hated it. She could still picture the dark, empty stonewalls and the prison trying to grab and scratch at her from behind the metal bars that kept them inside their cells. The outside wasn't any better looking. A large grey fortress, from the top it was shaped like a triangle. It was tall enough to pierce into the sky, erupting from the island it was on, which appeared to be one massive rock. The dementors flew around the prison like watchdogs, warning that anyone who got close would be in danger of getting their soul sucked out.

"Shame we can't bust out the 'patronus' charm," Tonks groaned.

"Stick to the plan," Harry said before flying higher and higher into the sky, passing through the dark clouds. It was a good thing that he had a shield charm covering them; not only did it prevent the rain and wind from battering into them, it also blocked the odd lightning bolt that had come their way. Once they were high enough that they were no longer visible to the regular human eye, Harry became covered in the signature Venom goo, adopting his sleek, regular-sized form.

"Hi Tonks," Venom greeted her before suddenly hopping to his feet on the broom. Tonks's hands quickly grabbed onto the broom. "Bye, Tonks," Venom said before leaping off the broom. He shot downwards towards the prison like a human-sized bullet. He narrowly avoided crashing into a dementor on the way down. As he neared the prison, his hands pressed together in front of him, black tentacles extended from both his hands, followed by some more from his body. They formed into a giant, drill-shaped structure that covered his entire upper body. Venom, now with his top half in the shape of a drill, pierced through the roof of the prison and landed on the top floor.

Turning back to his regular Venom shape, he looked around and found himself exactly where he needed to be. The top floor, filled with the worst that the wizarding world had to offer. Murderers, rapists, Death Eaters and those that were all three. Venom knew every single one here; they all served under Voldemort, every single one of them served; they deserved death. They weren't redeemable; he knew what was in their hearts, and they were no good to anyone alive, except Voldemort.

"What are you?!" Bellatrix shrieked from her cell. Her once beautiful face was now crazed, hollow and pale as it pressed against the cold metal bars. Her long fingers wrapped around the same bars with her fingernails digging into her own palm.

"We are Venom, last of our family, slayer of dark lords and wrecker of your shit," Venom announced.

"Filthy half-breed, creature!" Bellatrix screeched as several other inmates began spouting out whatever unoriginal insults they could. "You don't intimidate us! Our master will rise, he will do so again and again and again! He can't be stopped! He can't be killed!"

"There's nothing we can't kill," Venom said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Let us show you!" He roared before spreading his arms out, dozens of tentacles shot out of him, spreading out in all directions, heading down both ends of the hallway. The tentacles broke through all the cells, piercing through some of the Death Eaters, smashing others with enough force to smash skulls. For Bellatrix, Venom made sure to wrap one of his tentacles around her neck and squeeze hard enough that she couldn't speak. He left her for last, the most loyal and fanatical of Voldemort's servants. He wanted her to die slowly, knowing exactly what real power was.

"My...my master..." She tried to speak, but he squeezed tighter.

"Right downstairs," Venom chuckled. If all was going according to plan, then Tonks, disguised as Voldemort, was currently frightening some of the guards downstairs. He'd better hurry up before she had to resort to using the Patronus charm to stop dementors from taking her soul. Using the charm might just out her, after all, Voldemort wouldn't use the spell, the last thing they needed was for more people to have doubts about whether Voldemort was back or not. "Don't worry, I'll send him right to you as soon as I can. You can spend eternity with him, after all, there is plenty of room in hell." He grunted before snapping her neck.

'That was fun,' Harry said dryly from within Venom. 'Now, come on, let's kill the rest and get out of here with Tonks before shit hits the fan.'

'Yeah, let's kill them all,' Venom said darkly. 'For our family. Then once we're done here, we get Snape.'

'And then Voldemort,' Harry said firmly, his voice just as dark as Venom's.

(.)

Harry let out a small sigh as he walked into the Great Hall, noticing several of the aurors looking at him with suspicion. Originally, there wasn't going to be an auror presence at Hogwarts this year. Since Umbridge's death, that seemed to change. There were at least twenty aurors patrolling around Hogwarts now, all of them seemed suspicious of him. He didn't care; they could judge him and suspect him all they liked, they wouldn't catch him, even if they did find out what he was.

As he sat down at the Gryffindor table, he noticed a collective look of shock on everyone's faces as they all seemed to be sharing newspapers with each other. A few moments later, Hedwig flew in, dropping the latest article of the Quibbler onto the table in front of him. A small smile graced his lips as she landed on his shoulder.

"Thank you," He said, gently tapping her with his head before looking at the article written by Tonks. He had to resist the urge to smile as he saw the picture on the front page. Tonks had made good use of the smoke spell he had taught her; the picture showed her disguised as Voldemort, looking exactly as he did in the graveyard. The concentrated smoke covered her lower body and the broom below her, giving off the image of unassisted flight. The picture showed her as she flew overhead of some guards, all of whom claimed the same thing: Voldemort was back, and the Death Eaters had been killed. The best part of it all was that the picture also managed to contain the dark mark that Harry had left in the sky.

'Let's see Fudge try to deny this,' Venom said in a proud voice.

'The idiot might just try,' Harry replied. 'Still, it would have been fun to watch his face when he hears about it.'

(.)

"No, no, no!" Fudge groaned as he paced back and forth in his office. The newspaper he had just read rested on his desk. Occasionally, he glanced at it, giving it looks that ranged from the ones you'd give someone who insulted your mother to the looks reserved for taxes or a notification that you were going to receive the death penalty.

He had read the latest article of the Daily Prophet, one of his assistants had read the Quibbler and confirmed that it pretty much said the same thing, that Azkaban had been attacked. The only good news he could see from this was that many, many mass murderers had been killed in the attack. Though that did leave him and others to wonder just why they were killed. If it really was 'He Who Must Not Be Named' as many people were claiming, then why would he have killed his own people? Did he deem them weak and not worth keeping alive because they had been captured? He wasn't sure, and to be honest, he didn't really care at the moment. Many guards claimed to have seen you-know-who, and now the newspapers had posted pictures of a destroyed Azkaban with the dark mark, his mark, in the sky.

It wouldn't be long before the public started to demand answers, answers that he didn't have right now. He wanted to claim that this was all just a hoax, a trick played by one of his enemies, but who? Despite his dislike of Dumbledore, even he couldn't bring himself to publicly declare that he thought the man was a mass murderer who broke into Azkaban. There was the Potter boy to consider, but there was no way he could claim that a teenager was responsible for destroying Azkaban, killing dozens of prisoners and getting away without a problem. Still, either he admitted you-know-who was back, which would make him look like a massive idiot given what he had been telling people since the Triwizard cup ended, or he put the blame on someone else, which wouldn't really work that great since he had no proof.

He didn't know what to think or do, especially now since he no longer had Umbridge with him. Despite what people thought, he wasn't blind to all of her flaws. Still, the woman was a hard-working individual who had been invaluable during his time as Minister of Magic. Now, she was dead, he had come to Hogwarts personally to see what was left of her body. When he saw it, he promptly vomited into a bucket that had been prepared by one of the aurors. It seemed like everything was going tits up at once. After a brief mourning period, he had considered using the opportunity to bring Dumbledore to the Ministry as being potentially involved in Dolores's murder, but now, with all that was happening, he held off on that order. He needed to step back for a moment and take the time to think. And then maybe, just maybe, he could get out of this with his career intact.

Right?