Chapter 33 : The Press Conference. - The Game Must Go On In High School Dxd

Disclaimer : I own nothing.

Chapter 33 : The Press Conference.

- Shin –

After returning back home, I slumped down on my couch. The next phase will be taken care of by Meredith. She is much better at 'convincing' people than I am. I have to plan for what is going to happen the day after in the conference.

I know the plan. To be perfectly honest, I can really understand the reason behind the 'hell hath not fury' saying when I imagine the result of the plan.

It would be better to just kill off the enemy than do….this.

Fair enough to say that I am proud of my love.

The other girls are just that scary.

Hermione left the idiot Alex a twitching broken mess by the time she was done with him. I did pay a visit just to see what had happened. Fair to say that I learned some new things about torture that day.

Honestly hearing what happened to her when she was torturing the filth was making it bearable and I am someone who mind-broke an insane Fallen Angel.

It makes me wonder what will happen to Ron when he is delivered here.

That bastard was on top of the shit list followed right behind by Molly Weasley. Oh yeah, they're so fucked.

I pushed away the thoughts from my mind.

Rias came and snuggled into my side.

"Is it done already?"

"Hmm."

"Are you alright Shin?"

"I am."

….

A peaceful silence descended in the room and we enjoyed it.

Sometimes a moment of silence is much more comforting than a thousand words.

I get you Ophis.

I continued after a while, "I was thinking about how much my life changed. One day I was a helpless toy of other's whims and now I can erase those people with the snap of a finger." I let out a breath and held her closer to me and continued, "I am afraid sometimes that I will lose myself in this power."

It is true after all. It was too easy to get influenced by this kind of power.

"If that happens, I will just have to drag you back to me till you are fine again."

And just like that the worries left my body all at once.

Those few words cause so much relief.

I may not have had a solid romantic relationship in my last life. Maybe it was due to my own issues or maybe because I didn't find anyone like that.

I was too casual with relationships in my last life.

Now however I don't know if I will ever be able to see those same people again. It didn't settle in when I just arrived in this world. But now when a decent amount of time has passed, the reality is dawning on me this time.

I think that Gamers Mind can help me remain calm but again it is not all powerful and it doesn't help me deal with the problem itself.

It only prevents my mind from shutting down due to extreme emotions.

The fact that I was in a completely different world….still hits.

This is one of the reasons why I have started taking my relationships more seriously here this time.

This world might have been fiction for me….but now it is my new reality. The girls that were just on screen anime characters are now a part of my life, my grip on Rias tightened, my loved ones this time.

"Oh you are back already? Did the fight finish so fast?" I turned my head in the direction of the voice.

Luna was here with her usual spacey look.

"Hmm, it is done already. Meredith is taking care of things now."

"So can I tell Daddy about it already?"

"No Luna." Rias' voice came in reply here.

She looked towards her as she continued, "It will be better if this is not revealed right now. People of Wizarding Britain are deferring to Shin because they want Shin to fight off Voldemort. As soon as that goal is achieved, they will forget it all the very next day. We will lose much of the political capital that we have right now. This is why we need Voldemort to continue existing. Shin can make it so that the effect of Voldemort's attacks are reduced as soon as Shin takes charge. This will allow us to take and establish ourselves and make people depend on us. We can also eliminate our competitors or anyone in the way of our plans. The Weasleys are on the top of the list here. After this is all done, Voldemort can die in a heroic duel with whoever will take command of the wizarding world since I know that Shin doesn't want anything to do with it. Maybe make a muggleborn take up this position and promote them. It will keep us in a safe position."

Yup, Merlin's lessons are definitely paying up here.

This Rias can destroy an entire community with a calm smile on her face with nothing but her plans.

Me likey.

"Oh so we can't print the defeat of Voldemort in Quibbler?" Luna seemed a little down though.

"Well I think the Quibbler will have many many more followers after what happens the day after tomorrow. I hope you are done with your side of the work?" Rias asked.

Luna instantly lit up brightly at this. "Yes. It was very informative too. I didn't know Kuroka could do things like that. I assume that having someone's bones turn as hot as magma and blood feel like ice at the same time is not a pleasant feeling. That however made questioning them much easier. I learned that it was just an illusion to make the enemies feel like this. I wonder if Youjutsu can be learned by others? I would love to learn illusion magic like that. I can use it to hide and search for magical creatures that flee when they sense others."

The fuck.

Are all the girls around me closet sadists?

Then again I expected something like this from Kuroka given her past and the current background though, but Demonic fucking crap if that isn't scary.

"I am sure we can find a way for it Luna. If not then I can always make something for you to do it." I smiled as she sat down on my other side and I stroked her head.

I strangely never felt lust towards her. She was very dear to me, that much I could accept. But it never strayed towards anything lustful. Maybe like a little sister more than anything.

It was different from what I felt towards Rias because I was attracted to her both physically and emotionally. The same for the other girls.

Well this feeling was good as well. Sticking my dick in every girl does get old after sometime.

We rested there for a while until I felt a weight on my lap. On looking closely, I found a little black cat lazily taking a nap on my lap.

Kuroka has been doing most of the work for the conference the day after tomorrow. I will have to make a gift for her too.

I do have something in mind for her too.

Maybe I should hurry and make it soon.

That brought my thoughts towards the Gacha Tickets that were collecting in my inventory.

I had used them in sets of ten for about a month but after gaining the production classes, most of the drops were raw materials. The only good summon that I have is my now Queen piece though.

I have been saving them for a set once more and maybe some for the next world jump.

I have a little over seventy right now with the amount of grinding that Rias, I and our peerages have done all this while.

Well ten wouldn't hurt now I guess.

I pulled the gacha tokens from my inventory and let it roll.

Mythril Ore obtained.

Nightblood Grass obtained.

Ring of Agility obtained.

Soul Crystal (Belserion) obtained.

Verdant wind crystals obtained.

Companion Gem : Restia Ashdoll.

Manga set : Boku no hero Academia obtained.

Rare Candy obtained.

Pokemon Egg obtained.

Skill Orb : Quirk (Zero Gravity).

Oh wow, this roll was quite nice.

It had been forever since I got another skill orb.

This brought a smile of satisfaction to my face.

It was just in time to hear people enter the room.

Shion entered the room followed by Sakuya.

"You seem quite happy, Master. Did something good happen?" Shion asked as she took a seat on the couch in front of me and I sensed Kuroka looking at her.

"Hmm, yes something good did happen. I am finally free of the prophecy and I can concentrate on my own training and business without worrying about it. I also got a decent trinket for that. Oh that reminds me, "I looked towards Kuroka, "I have an idea for an artifact for you but what shape do you want it to be?"

Kuroka looked towards me and then began to shift forms, and suddenly I felt something much softer than her soft fur on my lap which in turn made me extremely hard.

She even shifted her butt a few times to adjust her position, putting my dick right between her butt cheeks.

This naughty little cat.

"Oh, you are making a gift for me nyaa? What shape do I want it to be? Hmm….I want it to be a ring. Like an engagement ring and you can propose to me with it and then we can make a lot of kitties nyaa~." she would have continued her fantasy if the sound of something cracking didn't interrupt her.

Shion had cracked the table that she was holding.

Ah, she does get a little jealous over this.

I mean even Rias pouts when Kuroka gets all flirty and as for Akeno….well I have no idea what goes on between the two of them.

They never fight in front of me but the silent atmosphere between them makes it hard to breathe for weaker men in such a situation.

Though Shion is a completely different case. I can't have someone like Shion who can smash a normal Demon Lord into dirt lose control in a situation like this.

"Shin-sama….who is this….this annoying cat."

"And who is this annoying musclehead Shinyaa~"

Oh Boy.

Whoever said having a Harem was easy is dumb and this is with all the skill I have.

"Kuroka meet Shion, Shion is my Rook and Shion meet Kuroka, she is someone very close to me."

Shion perked up and added, "I am Shin-sama's bodyguard and cook too." The way she said it looking so smug was something I actually think is adorable.

"Well, I am Shin's girlfriend and mother of the kitties that he will give me in the future." And then she starts rubbing her body on me.

I actually found that Youkai did this to leave their scents on their territories much like animals but it was actually an action of endearment.

The two stared off at each other and while Kuroka wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in a firestorm against Shion in a fight, it didn't mean that she didn't have any less courage.

"Okay calm down you two. Please get along together. Also Kuroka, are you sure that you want a ring shaped artifact?" I asked once more.

I have an idea on what to give her. It will be much more suitable to her than me.

"Yes nyaa. A ring will be nice because it will not interfere with my fighting style. I don't use weapons."

Hmm I thought so.

"Okay, then I need to prepare for the artifact. You all need to prepare for the new tomorrow too. I'll be off for now."

And saying so I left for the workshop in this place.

Too much work to do.

The world jump is also unlocked.

You can do it whenever you want.

I will hold it for now.

I don't know what to expect in the next world so I need to prepare for it.

Moreover I won't leave this place with unfinished businesses here.

I brought out the Mithril Ores.

It will be a pain to process this metal. If I didn't have the notes of Flamel, it would have been even worse. This metal cannot be processed by normal metal processing techniques and not even magic because it just conducts magic and it makes the impurities mix with the metal.

The only way to do so is by using Alchemy. Flamel had worked the details out much better when he was going over the choices of suitable metals for the alchemy processes. The processing of this particular metal was also noted in his notes.

"Ciel, help me out."

Ciel changed into his Phoenix form to provide me with fire.

After ascending a rank, Ciel has grown much stronger too, though far from what he can get. I ate the flames and felt my power rise as I used my Alchemy skill.

This is going to take a while.

- Scene Change –

I woke up to see crimson hair in front of my eyes. I don't know when I had fallen asleep last night but I am sure it wasn't in this room.

I think she carried me to bed. On the other side was Sakuya and Akeno I also felt someone wrapped around my waist. Kuroka also joined in.

I need a bigger bed.

I looked around and kissed the girls as I woke up.

"I thought that you will sleep till later today seeing as how tired you were." came Sakuya's voice.

"The last experiment took more time than I thought it would. I was extremely exhausted after that even with my increased power."

"You should take it easy now, Shin. I know that we need to get stronger but don't burn yourself out." Rias woke up as well.

"I had been putting it off for a while now. It is finally done."

"What can this one do?" asked Rias.

My lips curved into a wide smile as I looked at her.

"Well, let's say that after this Kuroka can pass herself off as a Senju easily." And cue the wide eyes.

"….you are joking right?"

"Nope."

"But Mokuton….when did you get that?"

"Around a month ago. I thought that with Kuroka's mastery with Senjutsu, this skill will help her more than anything. Also, Mokuton was known to calm down the violent chakra of the tailed beasts so I am guessing that it might also help her collect Senjutsu chakra without getting influenced much by the world."

"That….does make sense. It could be why Hashirama could master Senjutsu so easily."

"I also think that she can use it with her fighting style. Poisons and trees mix well enough. On a side note, this will help our herb farms a lot." I thought of reasons.

"Hmm it does sound reasonable. This way our production will not be stopped due to shortage of herbs. I had thought of rearing groups of magical creatures whose body parts we will need as raw materials by using potions on them. I wanted to see if the scales, fur, nails, fangs or other body parts can be regenerated by using the limb regeneration potions on the animals. Similarly the Blood Replenishment potions or health potions for the blood extraction sights. This can significantly boost our production methods."

….That is quite smart.

"It is an absolutely wonderful plan Rias-sama." Sakuya approved as well.

"I will have to check if the quality doesn't drop because of the use of potions but I don't think it should. It should work well." I smiled at her, "Ah what would I do without this wonderful wife of mine." I kissed her lips once more. She blushed but she is getting resistant to my usual teasing now. It's still cute though.

We talked for a while till the others woke up as well and then we got ready for our days.

- Fleur –

Fleur was sitting in front of her current target and trying to fish for any information she could. That said, this particular old woman was quite shrewd. Nothing like Dumbledore who was too confident in his abilities and left a lot of holes, not like Voldemort who was too barbaric to even consider things like holes in his plans. This is someone who has lived for this long and kept her house afloat and independent even among the giants.

Her task this time however was to investigate her. Rias had found the behavior of Augusta Longbottom extremely weird from the previous information. She had always acted as a follower of Dumbledore but that said it was only through her son and daughter-in-law who had joined the war against Voldemort in the Order of the Phoenix that she had directly gotten involved and sided with Dumbledore. It could also be seen as Dumbledore manipulating her children to bring her to his side and then she kept her involvement to the minimum.

Now this would be something that Rias would let slide because it showed that she wanted to be left on her own. However the attitude she showed during the meeting was completely different. She took an active approach towards the questioning and put the hardcore Dumbledore supporters at the point where they had to answer the questions or get called out on their bullshit.

So now because of this she is sitting in front of Augusta Longbottom, inside the Longbottom manor.

"How many cubes of sugar would you like in your tea Ms. Delacour?" asked the Longbottom woman.

"Two will be fine." The house elf did just that and presented it to Fleur who took the cup and looked towards her host starting the conversation, "May I know why Madam Longbottom has contacted me?"

"I have just found out that Lord Black has asked to be contacted through you. I wished to get in contact with him to discuss an alliance with House Longbottom but his whereabouts are unknown to anyone but you. I do understand the need for such precautions but in such trying times, we need to form alliances to get as much help as we can. I wished to discuss it with Lord Black in person."

Fleur looked towards the woman for a second before asking her side as her mind comprehended the situation. The Longbottoms were age-old allies of the Potters. Their businesses had complimented each other with one being poitioneers and the other being owners of herb farms. It was mostly ruined for the Potters when James Potter took reign. The potions business was more or less ruined because of the petty bias that the Potter Head had about the subject. He used most of his money to fund the Order while the rest he used for the Broom business and Quidditch teams, which didn't turn out so well in the end. If Lily Potter had been sane enough without the potion addled head of hers, she could have prevented this from happening or rather at least saved the potion business from going under.

Now however right here the Longbottoms wanted to make an alliance with the so-called leader of the dark side houses, Blacks.

"It is indeed true that I was recruited by Lady Black under recommendation of Lord Black whom I had the pleasure of knowing during the Triwizard Tournament. I believe the House of Black has a current alliance with the Bones, Greengrass, Brown and Mcmillan Houses. Would Madam Longbottom be joining the alliance?" Fleur asked, trying to fish for any information.

Throwing around the news that she was recruited by the enigmatic Lady Black and recommended by Lord Black would make her think that she was someone close to Lady Black who was mostly in the unknown right now. This will prevent her from throwing around stray comments in order to not offend the Lady Fleur served and ruining any chances of alliance before it could happen.

Augusta Longbottom has been playing this game longer than most people to know the implications of the words as she wisely swallowed whatever words she had in her mouth and answered, "That would be correct. The current situation with the Potter Alliance is no longer viable for House Longbottom to keep its image in the wizarding world. The behavior that Lord Potter has been exhibiting has been less than appealing among the upper circle of wizarding Britain….but it was hard to intervene because it was then his time. The House of Longbottom would have suffered a lot to break the alliance back then and could only side with the Dark faction whom I would rather die than collude with." The last bit was spoken with a great amount of vitriol in her voice. "The Neutrals were already with Sirius Black who was known to be a good friend of Lord Potter and so I was not left with any other options. It was the lesser of the two evils if you will. The new circumstances have however given me the edge to pull out of the alliance and ally with others who would be the best for the future of the Longbottom House. I wish to discuss these matters with the Head of House Black over a cup of tea. If that will be fine with them, the earlier the better.

Fleur took a moment to take in whatever was said.

It was quite understandable too. The hint of compulsion from her side and a look inside her mind also gave her the same result though with much finer details.

She was also quite jealous of the fate of her house. Nevile was also a candidate for the Prophecy. She had known this but then the way Nevile turned out to be and compared to the Potters had left them in dust. Their child was hailed the hero of the whole wizarding Britain while she who had her children crippled was left with nothing. To top it off, Nevile was used as the butt of most of the jokes of the idiotic Potter boy who targeted the meek Longbottom Heir. This had led to a long period of frustration and anger in Augusta Longbottom for the circumstances. It was all the anger directed against Voldemort, Dumbledore, the Potters, the Weasleys and even her own grandchild that had led her to stew in it for all this while.

Oh this was turning out to be more than what she could have hoped to find, all for the good though.

Augusta had then completely neglected her own treatment of Nevile and how she had tried to make him into a clone of Frank Longbottom. She had however asked her long-time friend Minerva Mcgonagall to keep an eye on her grandchild but that too was for naught because the ones who tormented Nevile were the favourite students of the Headmaster and thus no action against them was approved at all. She was quite ecstatic when she found out the news about Lord Black or rather Shin being the true Boy-who-lived from her cousin who worked as an Unspeakable and had started planning since that very moment.

"In that case, I will let my Lord know of it. Would there be anything else that you would like me to convey?" Fleur asked having gotten the information she needed form the lady in front of her.

"That will be enough for now. I would like to ask him his thoughts about where he will be attending school this year. It seems that he has taken his name from the list. I am very displeased by the standards of Hogwarts during these last few years and would like to see what my grandson can do for other options."

Fleur nodded for her part. This was just fishing for information.

"My Lord has been taking private lessons and will appear directly for his NEWTs when he is ready. I will convey this to my Lord." Fleur said as she stood up. "I thank you for the wonderful tea Madam Longbottom. It was a pleasure meeting you."

The old lady walked her to the floo and she left for home. There was a lot to report.

The Longbottoms could be a valuable ally for Shin and Rias considering their plans for making plantations in the wizarding world.

The only problem is whatever political agenda Augusta will try to push through the wizengamot or her maneuvers to gain control of the alliance….but that was a distant dream though. She had been through Merlin's classes on politics. The teacher of King Arthur was much more shrewd than what Augusta thought herself to be.

If she is stupid enough to try anything, she will simple crash and burn.

- Minerva McGonagall –

Mirerva was having a massive problem right now.

The Weasleys were all holed up inside of the Leaky Cauldron since the Burrow was burned to cinders.

This brought another headache that was Alex Potter.

The former Boy-who-Lived was already adding to her stress with his less than commendable behavior. The treatment of people like Nevile Longbottom was only one of the cases that was brought to her notice and that too because it was the grandmother of the said student doing so and not the student himself. She knew that there were many other normal students who were being bullied by him and suffered simply because Dumbledore shielded him from everything.

Now all of that was coming as a headache to her while Dumbledore himself slept peacefully in the infirmary.

The infirmary also housed the youngest Weasley boy after he was attacked by the possessed Alex Potter and injured in the Potter Manor.

The injuries were not that severe but he was still occupying a bed in the infirmary rather than joining his family in the Leaky Cauldron to laze around.

If only this had been all, she could have somehow managed it but the constant stream of owls and howlers addressed to Dumbledore which all came to her as the acting Headmistress of the school, in which the parents are demanding their children be sent back home because they let a Dark Lord live between their children. All of a sudden all the people who were bullied by Alex Potter and Ronald Weasley started coming forward and it was not just the Slytherins but also the Ravenclaws and Huffelpuffs. Some had also accused them of sexual harassment and that charge was more than what was within her pay scale. The worst part was that she couldn't deny anything from the children as Poppy did check and found obvious signs of Obliviations on many such girls.

She suddenly had a thought which made her shiver. There was another girl who hadn't appeared since the start of the school year. Her favourite student had been absent this year and had even left the school altogether.

Did something happen to Hermione Granger? She was also being vilified as a Dark Witch who was only the top of the year because she was taught by the Dark Lord to become a second Bellatrix Lestrange. Many were postulating that she joined her Lord at the start of the year as soon as she could.

The Great Hall had a very indescribable atmosphere over it. The students were either terrified or had that nauseating glint in their eyes that she had seen in the Death Eaters. Snape had been intolerable as well. Unlike usual where the Headmaster was there to leash him in, even if it was for show, there was no one to stop him and Minerva couldn't directly send him away due to him being the spy of the Order.

Just as she was thinking these, an owl flew in with the daily issue of the Daily Prophet. She picked it up and tried to change her thoughts with some news.

That however changed when she saw the first page of the Prophet. The face on it gave her the shivers or rather the vacant look in those dead eyes.

She couldn't concentrate on the noise that erupted in the Great Hall, nor could she focus on the food in front of her or her colleagues calling out to her. All that was running in her mind right now was the dead face of James Potter.

She ran out of the Great hall towards her office to get to her floo network. On the way she did notice the look of glee on the face of Snape which disgusted her to the extreme just imagining the reason.

For now this news takes much more precedence over anything else.

- Shin –

I looked at the letters brought to me by Fleur as a thousand thoughts ran through my mind.

The letters were from Gringotts inviting me to the Will Reading of James Charlus Potter to be held two days later.

James Potter died?

I know that I didn't put the shadows on him because I used the last ones on Alex, the Weasleys and Snape as the original one on Snape had to be left near Dumbledore in Hogwarts. I also kept one in Moody's shadow to kill him off in his sleep which would be done after seeing his reaction to tomorrow's conference.

This however was a surprise.

I looked to my side at Rias who was reading the letter along with me and saw a glint of amusement pass through her eyes.

Does she know about it?

The Prophet already has the news about his death.

It says that James Potter's body was portkeyed to Diagon Alley and on his body several counts of cruciatus were found and the death was due to the killing curse as per the reports of the investigators?

I would have been convinced it was Voldemort if I hadn't killed him off myself. It was none of the Death Eaters as well.

Did someone take this opportunity to play the oriole in this situation?

"It seems like the bomb did its work." Rias commented from beside me, making me snap my head in her direction at once.

Wow.

"It was really….her?" I asked surprised.

I mean I knew she would do something, but this?

With how addled her mind had been all this time, I am surprised that she could plan things so well.

"I am pretty much certain right now that it is her but after we go to the will reading, we can be absolutely sure though."

"Is it who I think it is?" I heard Fleur's voice from across the table.

I saw that Rias just nodded to her but she was still looking at me.

"What will you do Shin?" she asked as she placed her hand over mine.

Hah….What should I do?

It's not like I hate her?

I don't even know her that well. Can we really hate people whom we don't even know?

The only reason I didn't want Lily near me was because she would try to Mother me. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with her feelings for Harry. It is just that I am not Harry and I still remember my mother well enough and don't really want to replace her with anyone. Dealing with the issues of my past life and my changed views towards relationships have been taking its toll on me no matter how much I want to deny it. My Gamers Mind won't help me with this at all. I need to resolve this on my own this time.

She is actually a victim in all of this. Just as bad as Harry, maybe even worse too because Harry at least had control over his mind. She was trapped in her own body all this time.

"I….don't really know….I have no idea how to deal with her. I know….that I don't hate her at least….I just don't know how to feel about her. She hasn't really interacted with me much all this time. I have almost no memories of her from childhood. It is just that she is more or less a stranger to me. I know it sounds so odd that someone's own mother could be a stranger but it oddly is true for me. I actually don't hate her….because I don't know her well enough for it. I maybe did resent her for not paying attention to me, but she did that because she was under the effects of the potions. I really have no real reason to hate her at all."

….

The room was silent for a while.

It was honestly Harry's feelings minus his teenage angst, however righteous it might be.

He didn't really know how to feel about her or hate her at all.

"Then you should give her a chance. She did all this for you after all. Even if you can't have her as a mother, you can still have her as a friend. I mean fighting potions for a decade based on just her feelings for you has to count for something right?" Rias smiled while she hugged me.

Well….an Affection and Obedience score above 90 is always helpful.

I nodded in agreement.

After a few more moments of silence, Fleur relayed the talks she had in her meeting with Augusta Longbottom.

"So, she wants an alliance with us? Hmm, what is your opinion about her Fleur?"

Fleur took a moment to collect her thoughts before she replied, "I personally think that she really wants the alliance to distance herself from the Light side. They had her in a very difficult situation and made the life of her grandson a literal hell in school. Hermione did confirm that inside the House, Nevile was the butt of their jokes all the time and this aggravated his lack of confidence even more….especially when it was Dumbledore himself protecting Alex Potter and Ronald Weasley. It confirmed in his mind that he was in the wrong when no one tried to help him at all. A truly sad case too. She will however try to influence you in the alliance after she consolidates her position. The Longbottoms are an old and wealthy house after all, and while not as rich and influential as the Blacks, they do have a lot of influence as well. Augusta did manage to keep most of it even when forced to be in the Light Faction. I think she will make a power play soon enough."

"It won't really matter after tomorrow's meeting. If she persists in her aim to disrupt the alliance, she will….have an unfortunate accident. Nevile Longbottom from what I have read about him in the file, is already of age and can take his Lordship. If he needs any help, Shin can do so or we can assign someone to guide him to properly take his place in the alliance. Their herbology business can help us….but it is not at all a necessity for us either. If they become a problem, a random Death Eater attack can finish off the problem for us."

"Good enough." I agreed. "How is the situation in the Ministry at the news though? Do they suspect anyone in the investigation for this case?" I asked.

"Their first doubt was Voldemort as it seemed too much like the Death Eater attack for anyone to doubt." We nodded at this. There is after all a slight chance that it might really be that. "Their second doubt was on Lily Potter as she had accused him of the said crimes in the DMLE. This however was ruled out when Lily Potter's alibi were found in the Leaky Cauldron seeing the witch drink her woes away. She was seen by too many people for it to be a viable doubt. Although they can't just accuse her of using Polyjuice in this case. It would cause too many problems and the Potters have been under fire for the last few days, especially Lord Potter at that." She paused here, "The third is…." she however didn't complete it.

"Me." I completed this one for her.

She nodded in agreement.

"Well, I can have as many alibis as I want so this will be no problem, continue."

"It will still be better for you to appear before the DMLE and present your alibi."

I nodded once more.

"Anyways, are we ready for tomorrow's plans?" I asked changing the subject.

Everyone looked at me, catching the hint and answered, "We have. I have checked with Kuroka and the target is already programmed according to what we want. He will answer whatever we want him to answer."

"What about the plans for the Weasleys?" I asked, looking at Hermione.

"We did manage to contact a certain Percival Weasley who we convinced to disclose the plans for Hermione that his family had during the Press Conference under Veritaserum. He will do so under the guilt after watching his world falling apart after his house was burned and a few other bad things. Penelope was quite happy with this because she had actually been humiliated when he had sided with his mother and passively watched as Molly Weasley had slandered her of being a gold digging scarlet woman. It will be quite satisfying to see these comments turned towards her. This will cause the Weasleys to try and escape and we can then get our hands on Ronald and Molly Weasely. The others can do whatever they want because they were not directly involved in the potioning or the plans. The girl, Ginny Weasley, was more or less a puppet trained to believe that she will be the Lady Potter as Alex Potter's wife. She is currently in deep shock after the recent revelations."

"They wouldn't have registered the case if it was Hermione complaining. Even if they did, it was a Muggleborn against a pureblood family. It was a decided case. Hermione would have never won. This will give her a better chance. I want to see the look on their faces when Hermione sits on the Peverell seat as the regent of the House in the next meeting." Rias smiled slightly.

It would be fun, not gonna lie.

I am looking forward to it too.

"Have we been called by Madam Bones?" I asked changing the subject.

"Not yet. Even if they suspect us, they don't have enough proof to call us for an investigation, especially after the last scandal. The public is already in an uproar and trying to touch you right now isn't the smart move. It's not like they haven't ignored these kinds of things before."

"Then we prepare for tomorrow's conference. Luna has today's Quibbler been printed already?"

"Printed and circulated. We have also invited many journalists for the conference tomorrow and this includes ones from different countries as well. Daddy has already booked the front row seats and is preparing questions right now. I haven't seen him this happy for such a long time too." Luna smiled.

"Good then. Let's complete the final phase of the plan tomorrow. In the meanwhile, what happened to…. Alex?"

The room was silenced once more.

I am getting good at this. I can probably get the silence for Ophis on my own now.

It was then Rias answered my question, "Alex Potter suffered from a mental breakdown and has been rendered brain dead since a day ago."

….

"Okay."

After that not many words were spoken as we all prepared for the conference tomorrow.

- Augusta Longbottom –

Augusta Longbottom sat in the front row of the halls booked by Lord Black for the press conference that has been organized all of a sudden.

Her sources did tell her that this conference will reveal many secrets that will overturn the political arena of Wizarding Britain. She had scoffed at that mentally.

Sure, the boy was sitting in a position of importance right now and held enough political power but the wizarding Britain's political structure had stood its place for over a thousand years. Overturning it is not a game for children.

She however had to make an appearance to show her goodwill. She had after all gotten a positive reply to her proposal of an alliance the very next day.

The coincidental death of James Potter had eased her mind even more.

Now she only had to meet the boy and his wife and secure a place in the alliance. The green children can barely be expected to keep pace with the experienced politicians.

She looked around to see a familiar face among the crowd. The Interim Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones took a seat near her along with the Interim Head of DMLE, Rufus Scrimgeour.

The Bones were a part of the alliance and it would be a good place to start with. This is why children never stood a chance against her.

"Ameila, fancy seeing you here. I didn't expect the Minister of Magic attending the likes of ….this, whatever you call this? Children nowadays are not at all educated in the ways of subtlety. I can understand this being the case with Lord Black due to unfortunate circumstances but it is true nonetheless. The fact that the current Lady Black didn't stop this, says things about her as well."

The look that Amelia gave her gave Augusta a bad feeling all of a sudden.

"I am sure that the House of Black has its reasons for it. I have met both Lord and Lady Black and can say with utmost confidence that they are anything but subtle and efficient in the way they work."

That was not a reply she had expected of her.

Before she could say anything more, she saw the others walking into the conference as well.

Lily Potter who because the divorce never passed before James Potter's death and thus became a widow instead walked in as she took a seat on the other side of the room. She was soon followed by Minerva McGonagall, Serverus Snape and the other staff of Hogwarts.

And last but not the least Albus Dumbledore, who was not seen anywhere recently arrived here as well.

The reaction to the appearance of the Headmaster was varied due to the recent revelations or the number of people going up to meet him would have been more.

It seems that jumping ships was a good idea.

The attitude of Minister Bones and Scrimgeour towards Dumbledore was also evident of this fact because neither got up from their seat.

Dumbledore walked up to them with that irritating, read condescending smile on his face.

"Amelia, how have you been? It has been a long time since we saw each other. I must apologise because I had been predisposed for some time now. The recent business had been a little tough on me and I had been investigating it thoroughly. It is really a shame that the public must see this in such a light….but they will surely come along and see the light. With Voldemort out there, we must all work together in these trying times. I will come over to discuss some measures we could take after this but first I must talk to young Harry and Lily. They have been through a great trial. Losing their father and husband respectively must weigh heavily on their minds. Young children need a soft hand to guide them. After all, everyone deserves a second chance." and here his smile got even more condescending if that was even possible, "I also have some complaints regarding the uncle and aunt of Harry, Lily's little sister and her husband I mean. Surely you can understand the concept of tough love I mean. There was no need to involve the Law Enforcement in this. The act of destroying a happy family is the worst one in this world. I am sure you can understand that. We will have a detailed talk after this."

Augusta saw Amelia gripping the chair harder and harder with every word that was said. Dumbledore had this talent of making his listeners angry quite easily.

Thankfully there were no seats near her or Amelia and so they were forced to take a different set of seats quite far away from them.

Thank Merlin for small mercies.

Soon the press was also in place, Rita Skeeter and even Xenophilius Lovegood were in place.

She had heard from Nevile that the Daughter of Xenophilius Lovegood was very close to Lord Black.

The real surprise was when the members of the DMLE started surrounding the place with aurors. She looked toward the Minister and Amelia answered, "For security reasons. We were told that this meeting will have revelations that might cause quite some panic and the auror force will be needed to keep them under control."

"And you allowed them? What were you thinking, Amelia?"

"Hngh as if Lord Black will listen to what we say?" snorted Scrimgeour.

Oh, so the DMLE Head was not quite fond of the new Lord Black.

Before she could think about anything else, the stage in front of her was occupied by the half-breed she had talked to last time. If the new Lord Black was so weak as to fall prey to the allure of a half-breed Veela, then it showed a lot about his prowess and strength. The less said about the Lady who let her husband slip by, the better.

"May I have your attention please? I would request you all to take your seats. Lord Black will be addressing the conference soon."

The people grumbled but still took their place.

It was after a few minutes that the so-called Lord appeared in front of the crowd.

Dressed in a Black Muggle suit with a crimson shirt and a black-green tie. Honestly there is no sense of propriety in the youngsters of today. Why would anyone want to dress like barbarians?

"Hello everyone. I thank you all for coming here on my request. I was getting too many calls and enquiries about my life and so I thought to take care of all this in one go. I don't wish for the news to be twisted and turned into something else entirely so I have called many prominent figures of society to witness it all today."

No sense of tact.

The boy was turning out to be a disappointment at best. She looked over to Amelia and found out that she was actually paying attention and had a serious look on her face.

The boy continued.

"I am sure that all of you have already found out about my childhood so I will not bore you with it. I first found out about my magical heritage at the age of 13 when I received my Hogwarts letter, but I'd rather show everything since, rather than tell you about it. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words….I bet a memory would be worth even more."

And then the pensive was brought to the stage and attached to the projector.

The boy was about to put in his memory into the pensive when a voice interrupted him in between the task.

It was the same irritating voice that had been the bane of her ambitions and the target of her ire all these years but she had been able to do nothing about it.

"Harry my boy do you really think it would be wise to show these memories to everyone? There are many painful things in those memories which I am sure that none of us would like to see and even things that might prove harmful right now if they reach the wrong hands in this war-like situation that we are in right now. I would like it if you kept this to yourself and later I can advise you on what to do with this information." The patronizing voice of Albus Dumbledore resounded throughout the hall echoing because of the silence that followed it. The person in question however remained unmoved.

"Ah yes, these do contain some painful memories. It might cause severe distress in some people. I think you would also feel pained if you saw it." The boy answered and she had to rethink if he was really in the old bastard's pocket until he completed his sentence, "So if anyone thinks or feels that pain, I apologise to them for coming all this way for nothing today but they can….hmm what was the phrase again? Ah yes, pardon my use of crude language….sod off." The commotion that was caused after that did nothing to move the boy as he continued, "Madam Bones, I request you to stop any further interruptions. This will give you all the answers you need today."

The old wizard looked like he was struck between his legs or sucked a rather sour piece of lemon drop.

"Shut up Potter. You are arrogant just like your father." came another growl earning several glares to the owner of the voice for insulting a recently dead man.

"Oh….well same to you. You are just like your father as well….I heard he was a child abuser….Marcus Snape, jailed at the age of 39 for severe abuse of his son and wife and later committed suicide in prison." Lord Black looked at the potion master with a smile, "You must make your Daddy proud Professor. Congratulations."

"I believe that's where they say….burn." whispered the DMLE head to the interim Minister.

"Mr. Potter, please speak with a professor with proper respect." Minerva McGonagall argued.

"But I am speaking exactly in the way I have learned from Professor Snape. Comparing someone to their fathers, dead or alive doesn't matter. Is that perhaps the wrong way to speak? But how can it be so….after all any Professor at Hogwarts….the number one school of magic in the world….what people forget to add is that that was three hundred years ago because it is currently ranked 58th out of 87 schools all over the world….could speak in anything but the most impeccable manner. I also find the fact that with how close you acted to Late James Potter, you didn't say a word about this to him and instead are trying to berate me….I find this extremely confusing Professor McGonagall. Also a kind reminder….It's Lord Black for you. Now if you have finished interrupting this conference, do sit down or if it is painful for you….well I have already given a solution for that now haven't I?"

She could at the very least appreciate the verbal beatdown of these people because they really did make a mockery of the education system at Hogwarts.

Maybe this whole conference will not be such a big farce after all.

- Amelia Bones –

Amelia barely suppressed her smirk at the look on the Hogwarts staff's face.

That abhorrent, annoying old coot Dumbledore had been a thorn in her side for so long. It was always nice to see someone bring him down a peg or two.

Seeing someone like the greasy git Serverus Snape being struck down was just a bonus.

Minerva though she couldn't understand at all. She ….is a good teacher. It's just that she is too much of a Dumbledore fangirl.

Anyways, she had work to do now so she stood up, "Headmaster Dumbledore, if you cannot provide any help to this conversation, I would rather you sit down quietly and tell your staff to do the same. We need some information from Lord Black and he has agreed to offer us the same in this particular way. If you interrupt this conference even once, I will have you thrown out myself."

"Amelia, is that really necessary?"

"SIT DOWN!."

That shut him up.

Lord Black looked at her and offered her a nod and continued with the presentation.

Over the next three and a half hours, she saw the events of Harry Potter's now Harrison Sirius Black's life at Hogwarts upto the end of the fifth year just before the ministry battle too.

At this time, saying she was angry would be like saying that the sun was just warm. No, she was not angry….she was boiling mad right now.

It had taken her the entirety of her command over her Occlumency barriers to not just throw a killing curse at Dumbledore and write it off.

It was only the auror presence in the hall that prevented the same from other occupants of the room.

The disembodied spirit of Voldemort, a thousand year old basilisk controlled by another disembodied spirit of Voldemort and petrifying the students of the school and she didn't even know the full extent of the event. She had heard that there were petrifications but all sorts of dumb reasons were given to her by Fudge before the case was said to be resolved….the concrete information about this case was never offered to her at all.

To think that the children survived this….this thing….was merely a chance of luck.

Even then Lord Black was pierced with a Basilisk Fang and had to rely on the Phoenix tears to save his life.

The Dementors and Pettigrew was another hassle that she wanted to leave behind.

The real drama started with the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The less she said about it the better.

Not a shred of investigation was actually given over to her who was actually responsible for such things and instead it was verbally decided by them that everything was fine. If there had been an investigation, maybe Barty Couch Jr. would have been found out earlier with how many people were closer to Moody. Hell, even Dumbledore is particularly close to Moody so how could he not he identify the same. What about the wards at Hogwarts? Were those things even working?

Did she really send her niece to….that place.

"Safest Place in England my hairy arse." growled Rufus beside her.

She agreed with it wholeheartedly, well sentiment at least.

The traps that were made to keep something which Voldemort had tried to steal according to the knowledge of Dumbledore were crossed by a first year child, who coincidentally also prevented the resurrection of the Dark Lord much earlier than now.

The child who had grown up to be the fine young man standing in front of her now, whom she had grown to respect in these three and a half hours for enduring all of that and not breaking down. She didn't know if she could do the same in his situation.

She looked at the corner toward the seemingly empty corner where a person in a fully covered cloak was standing and nodded. The Unspeakables were watching this too to find out how Voldemort had survived….and it seems that they had found a pretty good clue to the information.

The number of child endangerment cases that she could open on the Hogwarts staff, at least the ones who had set traps in the first year were innumerable as it showed who was really involved. The optional subject teachers would at best get charged for negligence and nothing else though.

And even with all this being done by Lord Black, they all praised that puppet of the Dark Lord all this time while ignoring or downright abusing their savior.

Amelia was not one to believe in the Boy-who-Lived crap but the memories that she saw in front of her were more than enough for her to consider the boy as the savior of her niece with how many times he had indirectly saved her life. She swore to herself that Albus Dumbledore will have hell to pay.

"Now, I know that all of you must have heard of the Prophecy that was in so many rumors. Let me tell you one thing for sure….THE PROPHECY IS REAL." The crowd erupted into a cacophony of noise at this.

Obviously she knew that the prophecy was real. She needed to know….what it actually was.

"The contents of the prophecy are…."

"Harry my boy, I implore you to stop this at once. You will cause irreversible damage to us if this reaches the ears of Voldemort."

She couldn't help by shout out in annoyance at this, "DUMBLEDORE SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME MERLIN AND MORGANA, I AM GOING TO STRANGLE YOU WITH YOUR OWN BEARD." She was too pissed to hear any words of the goat fucker anymore. "Aurors, if anyone one of the Hogwarts staff tries to leave these halls, take them down with utter brutality. I need them all for questioning today. With what seems like a setup to kill children and resurrect a Dark Lord year after year, I have more than one reason to have them all locked up and behind bars, fill them up with Veritaserum and make them talk like a puppet. I will hold it off till I see the end of this meeting today though."

"Why would that be a problem Headmaster….after all your pet Death Eater Serverus Snape already told him about the Prophecy all those years ago. Wasn't that the reason that they came after us and the Longbottoms. To think that you hired him after all this is something I again find….confusing."

That statement alone silenced the hall completely.

She didn't need to turn her head to know whose magic was rolling off of them in waves.

"I WILL KILL YOU."

Augusta Longbottom roared as she drew her wand pointing it towards the Potions Professor and it was only the already drawn wands of the aurors that prevented it. The man in question who had tried to slip in the confusion was struck by a dozen or so stunners and was bound before he could lift a foot and the same was the case with the ones who tried to help him, namely one old Headmaster.

"Well, that was fun now wasn't it? Minister Bones, please do keep the people stunned for a while longer so that they don't interrupt the conference. I am at a vital time right now." Lord Black said completely unphased by the situation. She even looked to the side towards Lily and saw that she was looking completely lost.

She had known that Snape had been her friend during childhood but to sell them to the Dark Lord and be responsible for all this….it must have been a shock to her.

The same was the case with McGonagall.

"Anyways, before I was oh so rudely interrupted, the contents of the Prophecy are…. 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...'"

Everyone was silent as they listened to the famous prophecy that had the people on edge all this time.

"Now, everyone can see that this prophecy does tell of someone who will bring about the fall of a Dark Lord. My birth parents did defy Voldemort three times and so did the Longbottom couple. I was born at the end of the seventh month and so was Nevile. The mark was when I was attacked, so the prophecy was correct….is what we all believe now don't we."

"What do you mean by that Lord Black?" Amelia asked in confusion.

"Tell me something Minister Bones….when you kill an insect, do you think of it as an equal?"

She shook her head.

"I had been thinking about it for a long time. I was, after all, left to myself after my Godfather died, locked in a room. People have too much time for self-reflection in times like those. I remembered and arranged every incident I could remember, looked at it from an outsider's perspective and came to some really surprising conclusions. Will a Dark Lord ever consider a child as his equal? Since everyone was away or dead in that accident, how did they know that the mark was caused by a Killing Curse and not a stray piece of wooden splinter in the blast? The air had too much Dark magic for some to not have infected the scars giving it the taint. I believe that we or rather I wasn't even given treatment after the incident and was directly thrown at the Dursleys the very same night on the words of one….Albus Dumbledore. So I thought….what if Voldemort didn't actually mark me. Then I thought about what that mark could actually be?"

"What are you insinuating Lord Black?" Amelia asked, confused.

"Tell me something, Minister Bones? Who was it that announced Alex Potter as the defeater of a Dark Lord named Voldemort?"

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Who was also famous for?"

Amelia felt a severe chill run down her spine at the realization as her eyes widened. Around her everyone with a lick of brain had the same reaction, as the words inevitably leaked from her mouth, "for defeating a Dark Lord called Grindelwald."

"In all my time at Hogwarts, I have been attacked time and time again under the watch of Dumbledore, with or without Voldemort. I find it hard to believe that Albus Dumbledore, the so-called greatest wizard in the century wouldn't know a possessed person sitting beside him for over a year when he had known that person prior to the possession. I don't believe that what a second year child could figure out, the identity of the monster petrifying, thank Merlin, not killing children in the school freely, Albus Dumbledore wouldn't know even when he has the control over all of the Hogwarts Wards, House Elves, ghosts as well as the Portraits all over the school. Myrtle had died over fifty years ago and no one even asked her what had happened to her. I don't believe for a single instant that an animagus like Peter Pettigrew could enter the school and attempt an attack on students which killed Professor Lupin and Albus Dumbledore wouldn't even be alerted about it. Don't they claim that Hogwarts was the safest place in England? Was that all hot air? I again don't believe for a single instant that Albus Dumbledore who was a long time and close friend of Alastor Moody couldn't recognize him even when beside him for around a whole year. All of these years, attempts at my life were made. Everytime I escaped with an inch of my life too. It was sheer dumb luck. Luck….that no one could understand, a power that he knows not. One time is an accident, two is coincidence, three is a conspiracy….with how many attacks have been made on myself all this while, I can safely rule out the first two completely. What does that tell you? It seems that a certain someone will not sit until I die. Cannot live until the other dies."

Amelia watched the completely dumbfounded looks on the faces of the people and she was sure that she was sporting the same look on her face.

What was going on?

She wanted to refute it but….what the hell were these proofs? She just couldn't neglect it after her thoughts went on it even once.

Dark Lord Albus Dumbledore?

The Lord, however unaffected by everyone, continued "But that couldn't be true right? How could the leader of Light Albus too many fucking names Dumbledore be a Dark Lord? So obviously I searched for any way to prove my theory wrong….and BOY I wished I hadn't? I know that there will be alot of evidence that will cause much commotion now, so Minister Bones, I request you to have your trusted aurors surround the stage so that no one can kill the….evidence."

Amelia broke up from her stupor and signaled the aurors to surround the stage now.

- Shin -

I saw Dumbles being carried out by Molly and the close gang.

McGonagall however stayed in her seat as if she had been stared at indirectly by a basilisk.

Watching them run around and following what I said was actually quite satisfying. The slight compulsion on the entire hall cast by Merlin did help a lot. Meredith is also helping to subvert their views to what I am saying.

Poor Dumbles won't know what hit him when he wakes up.

The aurors took the position quite fast on Minister Bones' orders.

I really need to commend the people where necessary.

"Well now since we are all protected, let me present to you, the first witness….Wizards and Witches, I give to you….Gellert Grindelwald."

Oh, how I love the sound of chaos.

As Fleur brought in the man from the backstage, even in chains, the people around him stepped back in fear. I wonder what will happen if I bring the Voldemort shadow here to play.

"LORD BLACK!"

"Madam Bones, if you will be so kind as to check the proof for any kind of tampering. We can then administer the Veritaserum and carry on the investigation."

"WAIT HOLD ON JUST A MINUTE. WHY IS A SUPPOSED DEAD AND INFAMOUS DARK LORD HERE IN CHAINS? EXPLAIN YOURSELF LORD BLACK."

"Ah, you see Minister Bones. I needed to find out about Albus Dumbledore, so I started at the start. I went to the people who knew him quite well as a young man. Now, that list didn't extend very far but I did manage to find a person from it, Bathilda Bagshot, the author of The History of Magic as well as the great-aunt of Gellert Grindelwald. Now I know that not many people know this but she is also well connected with the Dumbledore family so I met her and asked her about Albus Dumbledore and I discovered more than I could think of after a bottle or two of firewhiskey. At first I thought that it was due to the alcohol but then she brought out hard evidence and I just couldn't turn my eyes away. I assure you that you can check this with the 'proof' yourself but Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Gindelwald were…. lovers. The famous duel between them never happened because Albus Dumbledore was bound by a ritual to never betray Gellert Grindelwald. It was Gindelwald himself who had gotten injured due to another ritual and Albus Dumbledore had pretended to….vanquish him and instead hid him away. If not then why wasn't the Dark Lord brought in front of the law? Why is he still alive even now? Why is he not paying for all those crimes yet?"

Oh the dramatics. I hope that my bullshitting skill gets a level up from this.

It is actually true that Gellert Grindelwald was injured by something else….but it was not a ritual….instead a devil he had tried to enslave had had a wonderful time with him. I will have to ask Mephisto about it when I meet him.

Apparently the idiot had gotten a summoning parchment of Mephisto who mostly lived in the human world and worked with his magician's organization and instead of making a deal with him, had tried to enslave the old devil with runes. He also thought that the Elder wand probably made him some kind of hot shot.

Well….Ultimate Class strength is not just for show. It was only due to Mephisto being drunk as hell and the Elder Wand that he didn't die right then.

Dumbledore had instead hidden him away and played the whole world.

He had since then tried to become a part of the 'real' supernatural world.

The history in this world is indeed messed up.

I am only glad that Volde was as stupid as he was or I'd have had to find another way to track down his horcruxes.

"Well I will leave the stage to you, Minister Bones."

And leave the stage I did. I simply took to the background and enjoyed the show.

While I watched this, I thought of the plans of the girls.

I actually learned a very valuable lesson that day.

NEVER PISS THESE GIRLS OFF!.

The ways they had imagined to tear the reputation of Dumbledore apart were ….innovative to say the least.

Rias wanted to dose him with an Aphrodisiac seeing as how he is so fond of potions and leave him in a room with Grindelwald. Now most would wonder how this could be a bad thing? If anything the old coot would enjoy it all the more. Well that was if we didn't consider the portkey to Diagon Alley he would be fixed to with the keyword….cumming.

I will honestly say that I voted up for this plan at the very time I heard it.

It was only because the other girls voted this out so as to keep the suspicion levels down because Dumbledore and Gindelwald suddenly appearing in the middle of the Alley while cumming would have been too suspicious.

Also even if making those potions were easy for me and I could make it so that they wouldn't get tracked, Dumbledore would have just given a Magical Oath and said that he was under the influence of a potion, which he honestly would have been. The plans also had too many flaws….that said it was the best darn plan in my opinion.

It was actually Luna who made the current plan and boy does she have an eye for detail.

I just had to do the best thing I could do….bullshit, which I was all up for.

I calmly watched as Grindelwald was questioned by Amelia, Rufus and even the press. All the while the reaction of the unadulterated shock on the faces of the Hogwarts staff was a pure joy to watch. I would be surprised if after today, there will be any more Dumbledore supporters from this hall.

Everything from what he did, how he did and why he did and who he was helped with was asked. The death of Ariana Dumbledore was also brought out.

I originally had the plan to resurrect Dumble's sister to fuck her in front of him but then I thought back and realized that the poor girl had a very sad life, I didn't want to upset her after her death too. That somehow made me queasy all of a sudden.

Instead I will use that as a 'Nightmare' curse on him so that he sees it every time he falls asleep.

I waited for around an hour after which the Unspeakables took him away, all locked up in chains.

Ameila walked up to me, "I will need your statements with this Lord Black."

"Hmm, sure. I am happy to help." I smiled. "Anyways, I am not finished with the evidence. I did discover a few more things here and there along with some interesting facts about the followers of Dumbledore too. If I have your permission, I would like to present it here."

"Lord Black, you…." she looked at me with shock.

"Thank You. In that case, I present to you, Percival Weasley." And that stopped whatever she was going to say.

It however was enough for me to do whatever I wanted already.

Percival (Percy) Weasley took the stage and the press focused on him in search for a new scoop.

This is going to be even more fun than I had expected.

- Scene Change –

We got a chance to finally leave the Ministry building when it was nearing 9 PM. To say that today's plans had been a success would be a massive understatement.

The affair with the Weasleys had been much better than I had expected.

The people had tried to play off the case of Hermione under the rug but it did help when I backed her up.

It's just as Rias said, right now they will dance on their heads for me if I wanted.

The Weasleys were called in for investigation and a warrant will be issued against them if they failed to show up.

I don't know what Hermione has planned for each of them but seeing as not all of them were involved, I think some might actually escape.

If it's anything Xenophilius had a blast.

Tomorrow's Quibbler will give the most details out of any newspapers in the entire wizarding Britain. My friendship with Luna is known as well and me saying that it was her who helped me out to find out who was involved just made the job easier.

We had to spend a few hours with the Unspeakables but it had been worth it.

Luna had planned for everything. She had some knowledge of the Unspeakables and their protocols from her mother. Every argument had been taken care of.

Although the slight helping of magic had helped too.

Amelia walked me out of the building. It was easy to see how tired she was just looking at her face. Her hair was in disarray, probably from her pulling at it several times today with the number of shocks that I had given her.

It was well worth it though.

The light side is completely and utterly fucked up after all of this.

The muggleborns were already grouping under Penelope and before this incident, Dumbledore might have made them a scapegoat or said that they had gone 'dark' because they didn't think the sun shined out of his ass but now, even if they form a group, with me offering support to Penelope and jobs to those Muggleborns, no one could directly accuse them of anything without bringing bad publicity to themselves.

The Unspeakables wanted the prophecy orb too but I denied it. I still have some need for it.

I had quoted the reason that there was a question mark beside the 'Dark Lord' written in the prophecy plate.

I wanted to keep it with myself to know that if I kill a Dark Lord, it is the real one.

Otherwise I might even kill Voldemort and the real Dark Lord might still be alive.

They were obviously hesitating but prophecies are strictly a personal property so I did get the final say in it though.

"I really beg this of you, please, if you have such earth-shattering news from the next time, please inform me in private.

"I am sorry, Minister Bones. It is not your fault but of mine because I have actually lost trust in such a thing. I am not blaming you. It is just that I have informed the authorities of these things in private several times already but it has never worked out for me. The news is always suppressed and I am always kicked back even worse than the previous time. This time however I had to show it in a place where everyone knows and cannot refute it at all." She looked at me with some sympathy and annoyance mixed in equal parts. "Can you tell me what happened to the newly revealed Dark Lord and his pet snake?"

"They were both out of our reach as soon as the reveal happened. Dumbledore was hit by multiple stunners and so was Snape and had to be carried off to St. Mungos for emergency. They however escaped there within an hour. I was busy with the aurors and questioning and the little force that was keeping a watch on them didn't stand a chance. Dumbledore had a spare wand….I don't know where and now both of them are wanted fugitives." She looked towards me with extreme seriousness and answered, "We will find them Lord Black. I promise you this on my honour. My brother was a part of his Order back in the previous war….and both he and his wife were killed. I will see to it that he is dragged out of whichever hole they are hiding in myself."

I smiled at her.

The outside still had reporters and people looking at us so it was hard to say or know who was who without Observing everyone of them….It was only on instinct that I sat down and pushed Amelia away just in time to dodge a green ray of light shot right our way.

On turning around, I saw, Albus Dumbledore in all of his idiotic glory stood across me and another spell flying towards me.

It however was interrupted in its path by a slab of marble that was transfigured right in front of me while a shield manifested in front of me in time to shield us from the debris of the blasted marble.

Hermione Granger had saved the day by quick thinking and excellent spellwork again.

I brought out my wand from my robe or rather just manifested it in the wand form this time as I banished the rock fragments on my shield back towards our attackers.

"YOU DAMN BRAT, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!? HOW LONG I HAD PLANNED FOR ALL OF THIS? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD I HAVE WORKED FOR ALL OF THIS, ELIMINATING EACH AND EVERY OBSTACLE AGAINST ME WITH TIME? MANIPULATING PEOPLE, STEALING, KILLING AND CONTROLLING EVERYONE TO GET TO WHERE I AM NOW AND YOU….YOU DARE….RUIN IT ALL. I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU THE DAY YOU WERE BORN." The spit flying out of his mouth was only ignored because of the volley of spells he was throwing our way. I had to hold back to levels that could be explained under wizarding abilities so even though I knew those spells wouldn't even tickle me, I still had to dodge and shield. Hermione on the other hand seemed to be on fire. Magic flowed out of her wand like it was dancing for her. The ground was transfigured into a wall and the crushed wall's stone fragments were transfigured into a swarm of bees. The bees separated and flew towards Dumbledore's way and he countered with a modified flame whip spell which burned half the swarm while the other half was swatted away by a giant transfigured by him.

I know that such things are nothing compared to what the truly strong can do but….damn if it didn't look cool. The game of minds was truly amazing to watch.

Pieces of rocks flew around Dumbledore and covered him from the occasional spells that I was throwing. It was not like I was serious. In fact this will help solidify Hermione's case and elevate her in the eyes of the public who will be watching this tomorrow. I did see Ameila ordering aurors to surround the premise.

The aurors however were too stunned to see such a battle.

The remaining bees turned into a black mist and spread around Dumbledore who was quick to cast a bubblehead charm on his head.

That said he soon coughed blood in time.

The black mist had entered his nose and some of it turned back into its original state as a simple piece of rock inside of his body.

I used a blasting curse simply towards his location until I heard a word and put power behind my spell, "FIENDFYRE" a wave of malignant fire was thrown towards us. The people were already in chaos but I stepped in front of Hermione and raised the Elder wand.

It was actually the fire manipulation from the fire god slayer magic and Devil's magic that helped me out.

I was initially hesitating on using the Devil's magic because of the demonic energy. Now in front of the Fiendfyre, I would have an excuse that it was due to the Fiendfyre and not me that there was a dark taint in the air.

I pushed the fire and my head was hit with loud noises of malicious spirits trying to overcome my mind.

Mental Attack was blocked by Gamers Mind.

The flames were then easily pushed back as it turned in the direction of Dumbledore.

It was right at that time that Dumbledore had a flash of fire beside him and he disappeared soon after in another burst of fire.

The crowd was too stunned to say anything after this display.

I sighed a sigh of relief.

Or they might be relieved not to be actually burned to cinders in the fiendfyre.

The aurors were scampering around.

Amelia seemed to be in distress too as she was commanding them to repair and ward off the area.

"Lord Black are you alright? Would you like to get checked at ST. Mungos?" she enquired.

"I am quite fine due to the timely help of my new friend here, you however have a lot of work to do Minister Bones. It seems we have another Dark Lord at hand. Would you please investigate his previous associates knowing what the Weasleys had done, there might be much more such cases swept under the rug. You will have to excuse me for now, I am quite tired from this little duel. Kreacher."

"I am starting to hate that title. Please call me Amelia from now on. I will personally question each and every known supporter of Dumbledore after this. The appearance of the Phoenix has all but made sure that it was Dumbledore himself and not someone else using polyjuice to pretend it was him. The skills shown were also evidence. I do have to both thank and commend you two," she looked towards the two of us, "for such a quick thinking. It saved the lives of many innocents today."

Hermione joined me as I held her hand and was popped away by the House Elf before she could say anything else.

We found ourselves in the halls of Grimmauld Place.

I looked at the person sitting on the couch in front of us.

On the couch in front of us, in colourful robes and half moonglasses, long white beard completely disheveled and a phoenix on his shoulders sat….Albus Dumbledore giving a smile right towards us.

It was all I saw before darkness took over.

….

- Hermione –

Hermione looked as Shin beside her popped into a burst of white smoke.

"You know, even if it is you in that form, I still want to punch that face. Would you please change it already?"

The Dumbledore in front of her laughed in a manner she had never seen the real Dumbledore ever do and began to shift. The phoenix on his shoulder did the same as it transformed into a blob of gel silverish blue in colour and fell into the lap of the now transformed Shin.

Hermione wouldn't say it out loud but….Luna is an absolutely fucking terrifying genius.

Although Merlin and Meredith cast ample magic behind the scene, even without them all, THIS would still have been believable.

Shin had Dumbledore's habits down to the T.

That condescending tone during the conference, that disappointed grandfatherly look, everything was absolutely perfect that even she would have been fooled.

She knew that she would participate in Rating Games under Rias soon and now she really wanted Luna in the peerage. Rias had already called Dibs and Luna had merely smiled.

Shin was actually happy with whatever Luna wanted.

He was not really interested in Rating Games….also with his peerage, strategies would hardly matter at all and even if it did, Shin is also extremely terrifying at them.

Someone who can calculate almost all probable results backed by a peerage of hax vs a peerage guided by someone who can see the future.

Say what you may about it though, it would be a game worth remembering.

"I believe that all of the targets are already in the dungeon?"

Shin nodded.

"Will you be meeting your mo… Lily today?"

Shin merely looked at her a bit. For a second she thought that she had crossed a line….which she probably did. She was just worried about him but it seems like just like her teacher had said, she still needed to control her bossy attitude a little. It was not until she saw that Shin nodded still a little in thought and then smiled at her that she was relieved. She smiled a little in return.

She for the first time in a while was glad, as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

She just had to fulfill her deal with Rias now….which all of a sudden seemed too much in her favour with how much her life had changed for the better.

- Shin -

+20 Affection with Hermione Granger (60/100)

Perk Gained – Hermione Granger - 50

[Bookworm Magnet]

Bookworm and nerdy types of people are easily attracted to you. Easy Affection, Obedience and Reputation gains with Bookworms and nerds.

After the shower of negative reputation and affection gained today, it was finally nice to see a positive one now.

I just hope that I can return back home soon. The thoughts of what Jibril and the others might have done there in my absence is always waking me up in the middle of the night.

- Interlude (The adventures of Ophis Part 2) –

-Ophis –

She watched as the little red thing splashed and attacked the enemy doing nothing to it.

It was useless.

And annoying.

Just like Baka Red.

She held her Gameboy that she had made some people bring her and started playing this….game thing.

She had made a deal because Baka Tet was smarter than that fool Baka Red and said that if she could defeat them in a game, she can regain her silence again.

This was much better.

It only needed her and no need to rely on the fools that normally surrounded her.

They were noisy too.

So Ophis finally decided to play the game….Pokemon.

She started the game and then got a choice for a starter?

The green one looked like a vegetable that the monkey complained about and she also didn't like it either so she didn't choose it. The red one looked like Baka Red….so she left it too.

That left only the blue one.

A turtle.

She was playing with it and it was working well too.

She will soon catch many pokemon and crush Baka Red and Baka Tet and finally regain her silence.

It was all going well until she met a person in a game who gave her a pokemon for 500$.

He said that it is a special pokemon and that it will become very strong.

She took it too.

It was a little irritating because it reminded her of Baka Red with that red and yellow colour so she named it Baka Red.

That however was put aside because Ddraig was also red and yellow.

She started training her.

That however was when her game progress stopped completely.

This Baka hasn't won a single battle yet.

Even inside a game Baka Red was annoying her.

She even tried to give it her blessing and snake….it did not work.

She looked at the game.

Baka Red used Splash.

The attack has no effect on Caterpie.

Caterpie used Tackle.

Baka Red fainted.

….

That day the entire Khaos Brigade hideout was destroyed by an extremely irritated Dragon God.

Maybe she should visit that Devil who gave her the DvDs. He had many games in that house too. It has been some time now.

_x_x_

Beta Reader: LuluViBritania(FF.N, SB and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th BritannianEmperor(Discord)

Author's Note :

Hot Damn this chapter was too long.

I didn't expect it to be this long at the start but by the time I completed the scene with the meeting between Augusta and Fleur, it was already more than I had expected.

Then I remembered that I had to write about James' death.

That one took some words too.

Then this whole thing with the press conference.

It was basically a publicity stunt by Rias to make Shin the savior of the wizarding world and completely destroy the Light Faction in one fell swoop….both from the inside and outside.

The plan was made by Luna though.

I personally liked Rias' plan much better.

I could have made the scenes much much longer if I wanted but if you really want a scene by scene detail….watch the movie.

I did mention the fate of Remus in that part though.

He passed away in the third year.

Also, there are plenty of Harry Potter fics which show these details, I had no intention to repeat all of that all over again.

This arc was at the end and I didn't want to drag it out longer.

I hope you liked the twist with the Prophecy, the duel even if it was a brief one. I am not really that good at writing fighting scenes.

Now, I will be honest….I had thought of actually ending it when Shin's clone popped. The only reason that I continued was because I personally thought that people would kill me if I pulled that as a cliffhanger.(B:N You're not wrong.)

Many would obviously write about part of Dumbledore using the phoenix to escape and then I would get tons of flames for not checking the facts and all that just so I avoided it all.

I hope you enjoyed the last twist.

Anyways, in the next chapter, we will see the meeting between Shin and Lily. As we have already seen earlier that Shin was convinced by Rias to give Lily a chance and Shin's real reason to avoid Lily, I think I will give it a try.

I will see where it goes on from then though.

Now I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Oh yeah and also the Omake. Ophis is coming back soon.

Good Day, Peace Out.

Chapter 33 - Chapter 33 : The Press Conference.