raised by dementor

chapter 51

"I still do not understand what brought you here," the creature announced the second they had arrived, they were a few feet from the front door and Harry could tell his companion was indeed perplexed.
"Well the sooner we find out the sooner we get Pettigrew," Harry answered, the creature said nothing but followed him with some interest towards the house, using his senses Harry quickly worked out no one was there.
"We searched this house what is it you desire?" the creature almost demanded and Harry enjoyed it's confusion, for once he had something of it. Instead of answering Harry reached into his senses, he knew someone had to be here, he had seen them in Dumbledore's own mind. Then he felt something, not a person but a ward, similar to the one he and the others had placed two years ago on the third floor.
"Over here," Harry informed his hooded companion who walked over the stairs, it was plain wood and there was no door or opening. Harry however waved his hand over the mid section, he grabbed the ward with his mental powers and pulled it away, a door was there.
"Incredible, so Dumbledore is hiding more here," the creature pointed out and suddenly Harry could tell it was wary, having your right hand man act in this way had to be worrying if nothing else. Dumbledore was hiding things and Harry knew he had to find out what
"This way," Harry called to it as he looked inside the door, as he suspected there was a staircase, one he followed down to a large metal door, it had rusted slightly, very slightly and that was the only sign it had been there a long while.
"Allow me," the creature said plainly extending one hand, the air was then alight with energy and a few second the door had been thrown off its hinges.
"So what is it? What brought you here," the creature asked again thinking once it had helped Harry would open up, however Harry was not looking at it, he was looking at what was obviously a bed.
"Not what, who," Harry corrected as light flooded the room, he used a lumos spell and now they both saw a woman lying in the bed. She was elderly to say the least, pale sickly skin and a thin frame that looked so delicate it would snap, yellow and black teeth with a wrinkled face and one eye that was bad, short grey hair hung off her head like a disease, one that wanted to let go.
"Hello? "a weak voice managed to whimper, the creature fell silent and Harry slowly moved over to the old woman, she had been very different in the memory, but that had been a good eleven years ago.
"Hello," Harry greeted unsure of what to say to her, he had no idea who she was nor why she was here, he could see a pipe above her which must have given her food once a day judging by the dried marks and a tap for water, one that had not been used for a while.
"Did he send you?" was the next question from her gasped breath
"No one sent us," Harry answered and he chose this moment to enter her mind, there was no protection, instead he saw a little girl attacked by muggles, he saw a young man brilliant in every way and then a duel that ended in her being hurt. Then he saw eighty years or more of the same room and Dumbledore's voice above, he heard thing; pointless things mostly; out of context and useless. Then he saw a name
"Ariana Dumbledore," he breathed, Dumbledore's sister? He didn't even know the old man had one
"What?" the creature took this moment to interject "But she's supposed to be dead,"
"He said that so he could hide me away," she answered in something of a daze, she seemed unsure of this was happening,
"We can get you out of here," Harry offered but he sensed something wrong, she was dying, she had been in this room most of her life and now it seemed as if she would die in it.
"No, you need to listen. My brother is planning a coup, he wants to take control of the ministry and a group," she began slowly finally reciting years of overhearing conversation. Dumbledore had meetings upstairs and he kept this house secret from everyone else, however the meetings were no longer secret.
"A coup?" the creature asked darkly, he was finally what he had suspected confirmed.
"Yes, at Hogwarts. He has people there who are going to help him, he has children, Wizengamot children," she answered through heavy breaths
"Who could vote him in power if blackmailed," the creature deduced and Ariana gave a slight nod to confirm it,
"Yes, it's his master plan but I heard it all, please stop him," she begged and Harry saw this was the only she had, she wanted the man who kept her here to pay for what he did and fail. Something Harry would help her with
"We will," he vowed lowly realising he was talking to a woman who had minutes left, the creature was looking at them oddly as Harry took Ariana's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"Come on," Harry decided, she was not going to die in this room, she had spent far too long in it and surprisingly the creature stepped in, he flicked Lily Potter's dead hand and lifted her into the air, he carried her gently out of the room and laid her outside.
"Fresh air," Ariana had no idea what was going on but she feel the difference "Thank you,"
Her last words left her body as well as a final breath and Harry felt humbled, he had arrived just in time and helped a woman not die in her prison.
"Odd," the creature mumbled and Harry turned around
"What?" he asked,
"I was wrong, your emotion has made you more powerful," it was confused, shocked and also humbled so it was no surprise neither of them said anything for a short time.
"If he's planning a coup you got us out of there in time," the creature pointed out eventually realising he had to deal with what Ariana had said.
"What makes you think it's today/" Harry asked
"He invited me to the castle in the early morning, he intended to spring a trap and the group I helped found would hit me with killing curses, this body would give way, he was asleep because he needed energy for a coup," the creature answered angrily.
"We would have been caught in the trap," Harry deduced realising this woman in some ways had saved his life, she had planted a memory which had led to her peace and Harry's safety. All unknowingly but that didn't matter
"What do we do?" Harry asked
"We can do nothing, if he's planning a coup it explains everything but we have no way of stopping him, I know the effects of him in control are formidable but to storm Hogwarts we would need an army," the creature answered. For a second everything was lost and then Harry worked something out
"We have an army," he almost smiled.
Meanwhile
"Tell me," Dumbledore growled as he studied the six he had chained to chairs in his office,
"No," Cho spat suddenly and the old man slapped her hard, she recoiled but did not give any indication of pain
"Is this how schools work now? The headmaster employs a bit of torture, somehow you make yourself look more of a moron every day, from giant dog to torture, the only reason I want to escape is because I don't want to die at the hands of a bearded twat," Draco interrupted suddenly and a few mouths dropped at that. Dumbledore looked dumbstruck, this was supposed to be an interogation, he was supposed to strike fear.
"Brave words Mr Malfoy, perhaps I should target you first," Dumbledore suggested drawing his wand,
"Oh come on, this is not the first or last time I have been threatened and to be honest Cho is scarier than you," Draco commented drawing the man closer
"Your certainly brave for someone tied to a chair," Dumbledore hissed angrily leaning closer to Draco's ear
"And you certainly brave for someone whose about to hit by a bear," Draco grinned as a huge bear paw smacked into the side of his head, the man had been so angry he had gotten so close to Draco Crabbe could reach over. Crabbe who was now in his bear form
"Nice work, ok let's undo this chains and we can go," Draco suggested, the only reason he had allowed the man to get them was because from afar he could have stopped a bear, up close he was done for.
"Wow Draco saved us," Hermione pointed out
"Don't think I still won't hit you," Cho smiled evidently relived
"Look as much fun as banter is we need to go, perhaps outside the school where the old guy won't get us, maybe go to the Dementors they know us, or we know them," Draco suggested once everyone was free.
"I don't think we need to worry too much about that," Luna suddenly interjected looking out of the window dreamily
"Why?" Draco asked knowing this was not the time to talk about strange creatures or plots
"Because they're all invading," she pointed out of the window, outside was a swarm of Dementors descending on the castle, all the guards and more on the horizon and a slight cold entered them, Harry was gone but his influence was not.
Harry
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lucy asked flying next to Harry, he and the creature had appeared just outside the school and Harry had contacted his mother and asked her to help.
"I know it is mum," Harry assured her
"Why? and who is that?" she asked looking and the hooded creature, evidently she was getting a bad sense from him too.
"A friend, sort of look Dumbledore's planning to take over and he's got friends inside the school," Harry began
"A lot of them, the group is large and influential, the great hall will be filled with around fifty people, ten of which are on the council, the others are hired or henchmen, be wary," the creature interupted knowing the members of the group, he also knew they could hold the Dementors at bay, however he would prove more of a challenge.
"How does he know?" Lucy asked obviously confused
"Trust him, he knows what he's talking about," Harry confirmed as another Dementor approached, Lucy quickly engaged in conversation and the creature tapped Harry on the shoulder.
"I told you I was wrong, I was. I told you emotion was making you human and a bad thing, however again I was wrong, I know you think badly of me and I understand it however I do feel somewhat proud. You are powerful and I thought you were suppressing that power by being human, I was wrong you were making yourself more powerful and weakening the monster within you," it began and Harry fell silent, this couldn't be happening. The arrogant monster who told him he would be better off without emotion was saying it was wrong
"We have been working together three weeks and I have seen you loyalty and love for your friends but also love and care for a woman you did not know, I would consider it weakness but what you did was good. Heroic even and you stood up to me countless times because you were right, I am a monster I do not deny it but I realise you are not," the creature sighed
"And is that a bad thing?" Harry asked never understanding the creature's viewpoint
"No, not anymore and I realise that despite you seeing my power you resisted me, you did not become a monster, you did not become like me. You became like Lily and I know she would be proud. You were born so you would be a tool and yet I was wrong, you are better than that and for that reason we are done, after this battle we shall never see each other again," it informed him quickly.
"Why?" Harry asked
"Because I intend to end this, with Pettigrew's death a plan to make Dumbledore a hero will end, he got bored of the plan and attempted this. So I release you, your life is your own and I will vanish into the world," the creature proclaimed and Harry didn't know what to say.
"What about your body?" Harry asked knowing the decayed mess would soon fall apart
"Why do you think I'm here? Dumbledore has attempted to depose me and he has a body, one I intend to take," the creature hissed with a grin under its hood. It seemed some people didn't change that much
"Goodbye, I am going into the school you secure control outside of it and I will ensure each member of our order is destroyed," the creature requested and Harry got the sense this would be the last time they spoke.
"So this is the end?" he asked
"Indeed it is, you know I said when we met in some ways I was your spiritual father, I still think that and I am proud of you," the creature ended before vanishing into the air.
"Where's your friend?" Lucy asked rejoining the conversation
"Gone," Harry answered turning his back on where it had been
"Are you ready?" she asked plainly
"I am, let's end this mum,"