Dumbledore wasn't really sure about that, but he could bluff with the best of them. The school might indeed consider the contract null and void in Harry's case, given that he, who in essence represented the school and all powers contained within it, had indeed snapped Harry's wand.
" Ah, so there is a legal version of the Imperious curse." Harry commented. "You just use it on children. I wonder if the parents of muggle-born children are told. I doubt it because if they knew, they wouldn't let their children within a thousand miles of any magical school."
Dumbledore's face grew stormy at the thought of the spell that insured magical children got a complete education being compared to the Imperious curse. "We do not use the Imperious curse on children."
"You don't." Harry just smirked. "What would you call a spell that forces a child to return somewhere they don't want to go? I suppose it does something to encourage them not to change their minds. That is coercion, Dumbledork. Look it up in a dictionary."
Dumbledore knew there was nothing he could say to change Harry's mind about the purpose of the spell that insured children completed their magical education so he didn't even try.
His face once more an expressionless mask, Harry resigned himself to spending one more year among the hypocrites of the wizarding world, before he could finally be free of it for good. He could probably break the spell, but that would mean going to Hogwarts anyway, since it was probably the source of the spell. The problem was that if the spell had existed since the Founders time, then it was probably woven into the other spells surrounding the castle, which would mean any attempts to negate it, might bring the castle crashing down. Thinking about it for a few moments, Harry decided to comply, at least for now. In a way it was a better solution for the long run, he wouldn't have to rush disposing of whatever property he had in the wizarding world and he would have a chance to make those fools at Hogwarts pay. Yes a much better solution all round.
Deciding not to let Dumbledore know he'd won so soon, Harry asked, "Where's Remus?"
"I'm sorry." Dumbledore hoped he looked puzzled by sudden change of topic. He hadn't expected this question so soon, but he should have.
"Where… is… Remus… Lupin?" Harry repeated a little slower as if talking to a small child. "He wasn't at Azkaban with you last night and he certainly wasn't at that farce of a trial I got, so where is he right now? And while we're on the subject, where's Hedwig? I know she wasn't killed by those fools in Gryffindor House, so where is she?"
Knowing he couldn't avoid the issue, Dumbledore just hoped that Harry wouldn't kill the messenger. "Remus didn't believe you were guilty of killing Neville Longbottom."
Harry snorted. "So someone in the wizarding world had some brains. At least Remus learned, unlike the rest of you, not to judge things by appearance."
"Yes," there wasn't anything else Dumbledore could say to that, given that it was the truth. "Anyway, he was looking for the proof of your innocence, when he was killed."
"How?" Harry growled sounding almost like a wolf himself.
Knowing Harry would get angry if he found out later that any details were withheld, Dumbledore told him what little they knew. "Remus was found dead the night after the full moon. He'd been stabbed with a silver knife."
"Which meant it was someone who knew he was a werewolf. Which would be just about everybody in the wizarding world thanks to Severus 'I can't let go of a grudge' Snape." Harry pointed out.
Dumbledore knew that accusation was true. Prior to Snape's telling the Slytherin's about Lupin's condition, only a handful of people had known about it. "We assumed at the time that it had been someone with a grudge against werewolves who that knew he was one. Anyway, now that you've been proven innocent, we must assume it was a Deatheater, trying to prevent him from learning or possibly revealing the truth. Once they go to trial, we'll know which one it was."
"I'll bet it was Percy." Harry closed his eyes, determined not to let Dumbledore see the pain he was feeling. He would be sure to try and capitalise on it. "Where is he buried?"
Knowing nothing could take away the pain of losing the last link to his parents, Dumbledore did hope this information might ease some of the sorrow. "I had him buried in Godric's Hollow. Next to your parents."
"I'll have to be sure to go visit their graves. It's about time I was allowed to anyway." Harry commented more to himself than anybody else. Burying the pain, at least for a little while, he asked. "Where's Hedwig? Did those fools from Gryffindor kill her after they destroyed everything else I owned, while the teachers stood by and watched?"
"No, Hedwig is alive." The Headmaster was quick to reassure him. "However… I don't know where she is. Miss Granger decided that she would keep Hedwig, but Hedwig must have decided she didn't want to change masters."
"You mean she knew that Granger had betrayed me and wanted nothing to do with her." Harry corrected him. "What did she do?"
"The first time Miss Granger tried to use Hedwig to send a letter, your owl bit her hand to the bone and raked her talons across Miss Granger's head. She took off and hasn't been seen since." Dumbledore told him.
" Good for her. I hope she is okay, but at least she like Remus is free of your world of double-standards." Harry was pleased by the news that Hedwig might still be alive. He hoped she would return to him now that he was free but if she didn't he at least took comfort in the knowledge that beloved familiar wasn't serving one of his two-faced former friends. "If there is nothing else we need to discuss, then I will see you in September."
Dumbledore looked a little sheepish as he said, "There is one other matter."
"What now?" Harry couldn't think of anything else the old bastard could want to do with or to him.
"We need to make arrangements for where you are going to be staying until the start of term." Dumbledore finally said.
" You will be making no living arrangements for me!" Harry got to his feet tired of dealing with the interfering old wizard.
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