In the end, the story they gave the Ministry was based on the Lovegood family motto. "If you can't lead them with logic, baffle them with bullshit."
Harry provided a memory of his abduction to an audience that included Minister Fudge, Madam Bones, some senior Aurors, a couple of Unspeakables in their cloaks, the Hogwarts senior staff, and an odd toad-like lady in hideous pink robes. The memory ran from when 'Finch' approached him until the start of the fight in the graveyard. He ended the memory just when the Death Eater interfered with the 'duel' between Harry and Voldemort. This lead the viewers to believe that he'd then been knocked out. The memory resumed with a human Harry approaching the village and being found by Gippy the House-Elf.
After the memory was over, Madam Bones said, "With the help of Gippy the House-Elf, I sent a mixed squad of Aurors and Unspeakables to the location in question. There were signs of a fight that matched what was seen in this memory. However, there were also signs that some attempt had been made to sanitize the crime scene. We found curse burns on the grounds, a significant amount of blood, and a few dropped wands. No bodies were found." Hearing that, Harry was glad he'd left rather than to try to finish off the wounded Death Eaters. He'd been in no condition to fight a prepared opponent at that point.
An Unspeakable stepped forward. "The Unspeakables found the area used in the memory ritual to have shown the signs expected in such a powerful necromantic ritual. Additionally, Gringotts has already submitted the notice of the extinction of the Noble House of Nott."
"And what was it that murdered those men?" the pink toad lady demanded. "It had to be some kind of Dark Creature to do that to wizards!" Harry supressed his desire to ask how a creature that killed Dark Wizards was a Dark Creature.
"Those wizards were Death Eaters!" Susan's aunt retorted. "Their dragon dung stories of being under the Imperious Curse are so much fairy dust after seeing the respond to his summons after all this time! Either that or they have the weakest will in the history of magic!" Harry wanted to cheer her on.
"I believe we are done with Mr Potter for now?" Dumbledore asked in a tone that indicated it wasn't really a question.
"What? Oh, yes. Thank you Mr Potter for your part in helping this investigation," Madam Bones said giving Harry a dismissive wave. Fudge was too busy trying to spin this in his head to even notice.
Harry gave the witch a short nod of thanks and left the room. Waiting outside were the Marauders and his friends.
"They're running scared," Harry announced. "I don't think I managed to kill Tom so it's only a matter of time before he comes back. We need to be ready."
.....
War Drums
The last few days of the school year passed in a haze for most of the students at Hogwarts. The Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students left to much fanfare. Tournament Champion Fleur Delacour made a gracious departure speech that no one seeing her arrival would have expected her to make. She, along with Victor Krum and the other Champions made a point of publicly thanking Harry as their 'host'. Once the foreign schools had left, the Hogwarts students made their own preparations to depart the next morning via the Express. But in all of the House dorms the speculation continued on what happened the night of the Tournament.
Slytherin House was no exception to this discussion. Not only had the Dark Lord that many of their parents served returned from the apparent dead, but one of their House mates had been sacrificed along with his entire family. Theo Nott was a respected member of Slytherin. Not necessarily well-liked, the Fourth year was respected as a worthy Slytherin. Nott displayed his share of ambition and cunning. He was also a Pureblood from a Noble House. Nott performed well in his classes and maintained - and improved- his position within the House by various gambits. He had even risen to challenge Draco Malfoy for dominance of the Fourth Year Slytherins when the former was distracted by his participation in the Tournament. By any measure he was destined for a successful career in the Ministry or the Nott Family business. Now he was simply gone.
The sacrifice of the Nott family had shaken the Slytherin students. Many of the students, particularly the older ones along with Malfoy, loudly proclaimed that they would have done the same in service of the Dark Lord given the chance. But even they were shocked deep inside at the extinction of the Nott Family line. The shock amongst the 'neutral' Slytherin students was even more profound. Many of them agreed with their 'dark' counterparts on the goal but believed there were better ways than violence to subdue the Muggleborns. After all, Malfoy Sr. already controlled the Minister and was a short step away from becoming Chief Wizard. Killing the Muggleborns was bad enough but to end a Noble Pureblood line sent chills through their spines.
Several of the "dark" Slytherins were also discussing the vaguely worded notes from home they'd received that hinted at some of what was whispered about Potter causing trouble the night the Dark Lord had returned was true. Draco Malfoy in particular was secretly nervous because he'd not heard a word from either of his parents. Narcissa wrote him almost every day so this silence was worrying to the Fourth year wizard.
Daphne Greengrass was left out of much of the discussions within her House. The blonde girl's relationship with Ron Weasley (a Blood-Traitor but at least he was a Pureblood) and her closeness to Potter ensured that isolation. Daphne received an odd, reluctant respect from her Housemates because of three points. The first point was Daphne was a skilled and powerful witch in her own right. Than there was her friendship with Potter. Potter was a Half-blood from a plebeian family but even the dumbest students in the House of the Cunning recognized Potter as being the most powerful student in the school (even if they would never admit it outside their dorm). The fact there was an air of promised violence that hovered around the wizard made them even more reluctant to cross him. They all remembered Snape's warnings at the start of Second year. The final point was Daphne's circle of friends had ties in all four of the Houses. Slytherins respected that kind of influence and contacts as it could translate into political, economic, and social power.
Daphne personally found it funny how her Housemates watched her and fell silent whenever she entered the Slytherin common room. Seventh year wizards would eavesdrop on her make-up discussions with Tracey Davis hoping to learn something of value on Harry. "Maybe they secretly wanted to become stylists on leaving Hogwarts?" was her laughing response to the clumsy spies.
But today no one was listening into conversations about make-up tips. They would be boarding the Express shortly to take them away from the school and back to their homes for the summer. A summer that had suddenly taken a rather more serious bent. Daphne was passing through the common room with Tracey heading to the Entrance Hall to meet with her friends when a voice stopped her.
"Greengrass," a boy's voice called out. Daphne stopped and turned to the voice. It was Malcolm March, an outgoing Seventh year from a neutral but Dark-leaning family. March was a fairly powerful wizard and already accepted into the Auror training program.
"March," Daphne answered.
"What do you know about these rumours Potter has spread?"
"Rumours?" Daphne responded. "I haven't heard any rumours. You all know Harry provided his memories to the Ministry. The Nott family is now extinct to resurrect a mad man. The goblins have confirmed their deaths at the same time Harry's memories said and in the order they occurred."
Daphne smile slightly. "Unless you think Harry was able to pull of the capture and elimination of the Nott family while simultaneously crafting flawless and extended false memories for the Ministry. In which case than he is even more powerful than Merlin and you really shouldn't be doing anything to annoy him." With a final smirk, Daphne turned and walked out of the Slytherin dorms, a torrent of whispered conversations erupting behind her.
...
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