Chapter 9: What Happened to the Rest?

Thanks for all the reviews.

Thanks to my betas, poisonivy9675, darrelldeam and alix33, for looking this over. All mistakes are my own.

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About a month before that school year ended, Dumbledore lost all his positions when all his manipulations came out. That and he continuously ranted that Voldemort wasn't gone, which was true, but no one else knew that, and that Harry had to die. The Wizengamot felt he had finally snapped and told him to piss off.

One night he went to his brother's tavern and got very drunk. Aberforth, seeing this as a golden opportunity to get back at him for the death of their younger sister, bound his older brother's magic, stole his wand, and kept him as a worker in the pub. Albus was kept out of the eye of the public and made to work cleaning the rooms and kitchen, and tending the goats. He was sequestered in the smallest room of the inn, located behind the always hot kitchen. His beard was removed, and his hair cut. All of his fancy robes were banished, and he had to wear some of his brother's clothes.

Aberforth made sure to let him know why he was being treated the way he was. His constant putdowns and reminders of his youthful follies took a toll on Albus, making him realize just what he put Harry through. However, it was for the Greater Good, so the old man didn't feel the need to apologize to young Harry.

Harry wanted to find out for himself just how his old headmaster was being punished, so he took Neville and Fleur to Hogs Head one Hogsmeade's weekend. They sat themselves at a table in the back and ordered bottled butterbeer, thinking it was really the only safe drink in the dusty tavern.

Harry asked Aberforth to join them for a minute. "So, Mr. Dumbledore," the dark-haired teen started, "I was wondering how your brother was doing." He tried to be nonchalant and hoped he was coming off as just a curious student.

"Albus is fine," hedged the younger brother as he stroked his beard. "He is working off an old debt to our family. I make sure he has plenty to eat and that he has a place to sleep." He was trying not to be cagey and was pulling it off well, but for the eyes.

Harry could see the shiftiness in the man's eyes, and he recognized it from the way the Dursleys used to spout the same answer when they were questioned about him. Only they would say that he got what he needed and that he should be thankful that he got that much. He didn't think his friends would see it, but he did. Neville might, but he hoped the boy didn't.

"Any idea why Fawkes hasn't come to take him away? I mean, I would think the headmaster would want to retire peacefully and not work the rest of his life," Harry asked, tilting his head. It was something that bugged him ever since he heard that Dumbledore was here. Why hadn't the phoenix come and taken the old man away?

"It is only a rumor that that firebird is Albus's familiar. Fawkes is bound to Hogwarts and the current headmaster," Aberforth explained to the confused teens.

"So, ze 'eadmaster is well taken care of?" Fleur asked kindly. She was not privy to the oldest Dumbledore's manipulations. If things worked out for her and Harry then he would tell her everything, but right now they were friends with the option for more later. All she knew was what the newspapers said, and they only said that the old man had been asked to step down due to old age.

"He has a roof over his head, clothes on his back and food to eat. It's more than he deserves after what he did to our family," the bartender spat, then collected himself and gave a wan smile. "I make sure he is cared for. Don't you worry your pretty little head about him," the old man said as he patted her arm.

Harry put his hand on her arm in a show of comfort and said, "I'm sure he's fine."

"Besides," the younger Dumbledore brother stated, "it is for 'the greater good' that I look after my deranged brother. Wouldn't want him to cause any more trouble, would we? He's still going on that the Dark Lord lives and that Mr. Potter here has to die. Only someone whose mind has snapped would say such bold statements without any proof." With that he shook his head sadly and removed himself from the table and went back behind the bar.

"Do you believe him, Harry?" Neville asked, turning towards his friend. He knew that he had been in the running for the prophecy. If Voldemort had come to his house first, his life might have been worse than Harry's if Dumbledore got ahold of him. His Gran worshipped the ground that conniving old man walked on. She would have done anything he asked, even if it was to put Neville in an orphanage, 'for the Greater Good'.

"Oh, I'm sure Dumbledore is being taken care of as much as the Dursleys took care of me." the green-eyed teen said with a nod. "Don't be too worried about him. He'll live." He was pleased that Dumbledore now knew what it felt like to be cared for by a loving family.

They chatted a bit more and then went back to the castle.

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A week later the Quibbler appeared with the headline:

Minister Fudge and Cabinet Found Derelict of Duty.

The article went on to state that because of the woeful neglect of Minister Fudge during Harry's third year, and the trials of the Tri-wizarding Tournament, he and his cabinet—including a certain Ms. Umbridge— were booted out of the Ministry. Every law passed while that man and his coconspirators were in office was being reviewed and many were to be overturned.

Mr. Fudge never regained a station in the elite of the wizarding world and found that no one would listen to a word he said. His cabinet was in much the same position. Umbridge was found to have broken many laws and sentenced to Azkaban. Harry didn't know the woman, but from what he was reading, he was glad he missed that spell work.

The rest of Harry's time at Hogwarts was almost boring for him. No teachers trying to kill him. No beasts set on the school that he needed to rescue anyone from. No Dark Lord turning up to try and do him in. Dumbledore was gone so he didn't have the headmaster trying to tell him where to live. He lived with Sirius at Potter Manor with his parents' portraits. He did keep up with gossip though.

Lucius and Narcissa both had to find work at the Ministry, in low-ranking jobs. Lucius had been given work under Arthur in the Department of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. He was fired quickly, however, for not taking the job seriously and was reassigned to the Goblin Liaison. Because of his attitude his only contact was with Fleur. That position lasted six months. Mr. Malfoy found himself being shuffled from Dept. after Dept., until Bagman took pity on him and gave him a job as a file clerk.

The Malfoy Manor fell into disrepair, and they had to sell all their house elves. Soon Narcissa had to stay home to keep the house from completely falling apart. Lucius tried to sell all his Dark artifacts, only to find they had all disappeared. He put it together that someone made a wish, but he thought it was Ron and resigned to himself that there was little he could do against a vengeance demon. It wasn't until killing curses were hurled at him in the streets that he understood just how far this wish went.

Draco's toys and other expensive items were sold, and he was now wearing secondhand clothing. The account set up for him was not large and it only covered the basics, and food was a necessity that was bought first. The Malfoy name never recovered.

Many Dark families found themselves on the tail end of this wish, but since they never did anything directly to Harry and his family, they only got slaps on the wrist, such as losing their positions in the Ministry and their Dark objects disappearing.

Rita Skeeter was demoted to writing the household column. She lost her lawsuit and had to register her Animagus form as well. With Harry getting a solicitor and heading the team against her, she lost big time. She was broke and in despair. She was never a top reporter because the Daily Prophet lost a lot of its readers. Because she had to register, she never got to spy as much. Most people were liable to smack bugs as soon as they saw them now, thanks to it being known that it could be her.

The Quibbler became the number one paper and the Lovegoods became very well off because of it. Many of the animals they claimed to be real were soon found, giving the publication a lot of creditability. Harry made sure they always got his interviews first. He and Luna were fast friends and Harry made sure that the little blonde had more friends in all the Houses. The more that people knew of the quirky young lady, the more they understood her. When all those creatures were exposed the students of Hogwarts made sure that Luna was protected from the disbelievers.

Mr. Flanagan stayed on for three more years, and Hogwarts blossomed under his tenure. He was strict with the students, but fair. Bullying was met with suspension and then expulsion. All the taking and giving of House points went through his office. If a teacher was found playing favorites, then he acted. The professors that had shunned Harry soon found themselves worrying about their job.

Sprout retired the year after the Triwizard Tournament when her actions against Harry were discovered and the fact that she had acted unprofessional and shunned Harry in class and never stopped her House from their vicious gossip during his second and fourth years. Cedric also expressed his great disappointment in his Head of House. After all, he had told her Harry hadn't done anything wrong.

McGonagall had to give up her posts as Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor when it was brought to light that she too never stopped the gossip and ostracism. Especially, of one of her own House. Sirius took the job as Head of Gryffindor for the time he stayed on at Hogwarts. McGonagall kept her teacher's job only because she was the best.

Professor Flitwick was given the Deputy Headmaster title but had to give up the Head of House for Ravenclaw. When it was found that that House had the worst of the bullies, it was decided that too many positions was a bad thing.

Professor Vector took over for Ravenclaw and she was far stricter than Flitwick ever was. Soon enough students that had gotten away with bullying and stealing were suspended and privileges were taken away. Cho Chang lost her spot on the Quidditch team, and her cohorts found themselves on the verge of expulsion.

One day, during summer break of his fifth year, Harry wondered about the other Marauder. "Hey, Sirius, whatever happened to Professor Lupin?" he asked. He really only just thought of the man. Remus Lupin had promised to keep in touch, but never did.

"Remus? Well, when I asked him about why he didn't contact you during your time at the Dursleys, he couldn't give me a good answer. He kept whining about being a werewolf, so I asked him 'why not during the rest of the month?' His reply was lame, something about orders from Dumbledore," Sirius said with a casual lift of his shoulder. He was still miffed about that, but he wasn't going to show it to Harry.

"Oh, well, I do know that werewolves have it rough. I mean, they can't find work or anything. I heard there was a woman— ummm, Umbitch or something— that was making laws that to hire one was illegal. So maybe you're being a bit hard on him," Harry suggested tentatively.

He remembered how tired and worn the Professor had looked all through his third year. On the other hand, he also remembered how long it took the man to tell him about his family. The fifteen-year-old was conflicted, because had it not been for the Professor spending all his time teaching him the Patronus Charm, he would have died that year; however, the man did promise to write him and was never heard from.

"You're a good kid, Pup," Sirius said, mussing his godson's hair. "But you have to understand, a wizard can make quite a bit of money in the muggle world. All someone has to do is open a repair shop and fix something broken with a wave of their wand." He held up his hand to stop the question he knew was coming. "No, it is not breaking the Statute if they don't charm it to do anything and they're not seen. Remus was just too proud to take the startup money," he said with a frown. He and James both offered to fund just such a shop for their friend. The werewolf was just too obstinate to take them up on it.

"Okay, I guess. What does Dad think?" Harry asked, looking at the empty portrait on the wall. Ever since they came back to Potter Manor his mum and dad took to disappearing for hours at a time. He didn't even want to think about what they might be doing.

"James agrees with me that Moony should have tried harder to find you and at least let you know about them, if he couldn't take you in. Your mum is very upset by this. She said that had the tables been reversed they'd have taken Remus's child in a heartbeat," the grey-eyed man said with a cringe. Lily had quite a voice on her when she was upset. "Besides, I never really forgave him for thinking me guilty, because he never forgave us for thinking him a spy. We had a long talk about it, after I was freed, and decided maybe we weren't such good friends after all."

It had been more of a shouting match, and Remus had stormed from Potter Manor to parts unknown. It had been the last they had heard from the man.

"Oh, well that's too bad. I know how it feels to lose a childhood friend, what with the way things turned out with mine," Harry said with a bit of remorse. He and Ron were changed by the wish. They were still mates, but not as close as they once were. Ron never could get a hold of his jealousy, and they both felt the brunt of fame, though Cedric took a lot off when he won the tournament. As it was, the three famous wizards couldn't go into public without being mobbed.

Harry didn't feel too bad, he had made many friends across the Houses, and it helped his political career with so many connections. People like Susan Bones, Daphne Greengrass, Blaise Zabini and Michael Corner. With the encouragement of Headmaster Flanagan, study groups were formed and all those who joined benefited.

Viktor and Cedric stayed good friends with the Boy-Who-Lived. They played seeker games many times during the summers. Cedric, with the help of Viktor and Harry, went on to become quite the professional seeker.

When Harry was sixteen, he and Fleur did date for a while, but they parted amicably when Fleur got busy with her job at Gringotts and Harry busy with school. They did keep in touch and went on many dates over the summers; however, they dated other people during those years.

Neville thrived with his parents and got a new wand, since his dad needed his back. Augusta was ridiculed by Frank and Alice for her treatment of their son. Uncle Algie was dismissed from the family and arrested for child abuse and endangerment. Neville married Hannah Abbot and became an Auror for a few years, then went back to his true calling and became the Professor of Herbology. He was in heaven. He was ecstatic that Harry made that wish. He wondered how his life would have turned out had his friend never done that.

The Weasleys flourished yet stayed humble. They used the money from the lawsuit to fix up the Burrow and put the rest aside for future Weasleys. The rooms were better constructed, and the stairs were no longer rickety. Though the furniture was newer it was still homey and modest. They got rid of the ghoul in the attic and with Winky around the gnomes were no longer a problem. They did set up a better Quidditch field for the kids and grandkids to play in.

Harry and Sirius made sure to visit them during the summers. After all, they did take care of Harry when he needed it. That and they were a good family. As long as they didn't harbor the thoughts of Harry marrying Ginny, they got along fine.

Ron, after he graduated, married Kala, to the surprise of everyone. They had met when Ron was hiding from the Hogwarts' girls. They had kept in contact and when Ron turned seventeen, he moved to Romania to get away from the gold-diggers. He became a chef and was soon well known for his hearty dishes. They had two children, one of each gender, and visited the Burrow often. He used his riches to open a restaurant and made quite a bit of money with his wife's recipes.

The twins did go to the under-17 team for a year and saved enough money to open their shop, which prospered under their management. The boys married Angelina Johnson (Fred) and Alicia Spinnet (George), and had four kids each, much to Molly's delight. They purchased a house not far from the Burrow. It was split down the middle, like a duplex, where there was independent housing on each side. This way they had privacy but were still near each other.

Ginny was stalked by Colin Creevy for a year. He thought they should bond over what happened in her first year. The youngest Weasley finally understood how Harry felt when she was crushing on him. The two actually became good friends over the years, and Colin made a bit of money taking pictures of all the famous people now in Hogwarts. Ginny went on to a career in Quidditch as a chaser, starting with the under-17 team and finishing with the Holly Harpies. She married a French seeker, and moved out of the country when she was seventeen. They only had one child, a girl, but Ginny was content with her life.

The rest of the Weasleys just lived their lives normally, except Percy. The third oldest Weasley boy was demoted from his position and regulated to file clerk in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. His dreams of making it big in the Ministry died when Fudge was removed. He never made it past file clerk and was bitter about it the rest of his life. Molly did her best to make her son feel better, but the young man blamed Harry for his plight.

Had it not been for the articles in the Quibbler, Crouch Jr. would have never been questioned and Percy's boss would not have gotten a prison sentence. Fudge would not have been kicked out of the office and Dumbledore would still be in charge. Oh, the redhead knew it was the work of a wish demon and he fully blamed Harry. He wasn't Head Boy for nothing. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about it as it wasn't against the law.

Katie Bell also joined the under-17 team and went on to be a great seeker with the Holly Harpies. The other Gryffindor quidditch players decided they wanted to do other things in their lives. Oliver did join Puddlemere and became a well-known Keeper.

Hermione went on to become a renowned advocate of creatures' rights. Within three years of graduating, as Head Girl, she was the Head of The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and she was a strict boss. The bushy-haired woman went through that dept. with a dose of salt and cleaned up every office. Many lost their positions and new people, who actually cared about other sentient beings, were hired.

She and Harry were still good friends, they just didn't have time for one another anymore. She stayed happily single, though she did adopt one child, a boy. She stayed with the Ministry until she retired at the age of ninety-five. The laws she passed stayed in place for many generations. House elves were never freed, but those that punished them were fined or incarcerated.

Dobby stayed with Harry for many years. He took care of Potter Manor until he passed away at the ripe old age of 100, which was rather old for a house elf.

Sirius lived with Harry until he became of age. After that he left Hogwarts and roamed the world for a while, basking in his freedom. He finally settled down with an American witch. They had two children, both boys, so Harry wasn't named the Black heir, which the young man was thankful for. He didn't need that notoriety.

Harry did hear rumors, years later, about an ensouled female vampire that had to team up with the Slayer, some Buffy girl, and her friends in order to survive and get protection from a couple of vampires named Spike and Drusilla. There was another ensouled vampire that kept trying to kill Voldemort, named Angel, but Buffy wouldn't let him. When Angel became Angelus, Voldemort attempted to join the deranged vampire, but with the chip in his head all he could do was watch from the sidelines.

When one of Buffy's friends— an earth witch named Willow— resouled Angelus, the male vampire tried harder to stake Voldemort. However, the Slayer made it very clear that since the female vampire had a soul she was not to be staked. Buffy always did have a blind spot on that subject.

Harry laughed his ass off when he learned that Tom had to work with muggles.

When Harry graduated, with ten NEWTs, he went into politics for a few years and got many laws passed to make all magical humans equal in the eyes of the law. He worked with Hermione on creature rights, and they struck up a better relationship between goblins and wizards. Being the Boy-Who-Lived had its perks.

He eventually went into curse-breaking for Gringotts. There he got back together with Fleur, and they got married a year later. They had three kids they named after Fleur's side of the family. His parents' portraits lived with them and happily regaled Harry with their childhood, relatives, and time at Hogwarts.

And they all lived happily ever after—mostly.

Hpbtvshpbtvs

This turned out to be shorter than I thought it would. The end might seem rushed to you guys, but trust me I read it many, many times to see if I could make it less hurried and rewrote parts of it over and over again. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

Thanks to everyone who suggested punishments and rewards.

Remember it is a challenge, so take it up and write one of your own. Just let Scott the Wanderer know.

Rewrite 9/24/24: I didn't change much on this chapter, just made a few corrections and added a small bit.