Before the Rebirth
It was hard to get used to. Waking up without fearing for your life, without nightmares plaguing your mind and without that constant need to look over your shoulder. Harry still could not quite believe what he saw when he woke up in the morning. The bed was nice, much softer than he had been used to; the fact that his room was almost the size of the Gryffindor common room was another thing he needed to get used to. But all in all? It had been four amazing months since he found his aunt and cousin.
Celeste had hounded him ever since they met. She wanted to hear everything about his life form his own mouth, not the things she saw while watching over him. He also learned a lot about Celeste's life, mostly about how it was growing up here, how it was to find out that there was someone out there that was supposed to have been like your brother, only he wasn't here.
Grinning to himself, Harry made his way out of bed and quickly dressed in some of the new clothes Annabeth had gotten for him. They looked nice, perhaps a little too fancy for Harry's taste, but he could get used to it.
Annabeth was sitting and eating breakfast when he arrived. She greeted him with a silent nod as she read her morning paper. Harry smiled in return, he'd learned that Annabeth would be absorbed by the paper until she had read it through, until then he would grab his own breakfast.
He was halfway through his sandwich when Annabeth slammed the newspaper down with a roar of "What?!" so loud that he could have sworn he heard the windows rattle.
"What's wrong, Ann?" Harry asked using the nickname he had learned to use over the months.
She looked up at him, pure fury rolling off her. "That British carogna of a Minister, that is what's wrong. Look at this!" she yelled in anger as she tossed the folded paper over the table for him to see.
It was a copy of the WWWN Paper (World Wide Wizarding News). In the section from Britain, a small part of it declared Harry a dangerous terrorist and that he had escaped from punishment in Britain. They were asking for help in capturing "this dangerous and volatile Wizard," so that he could face proper justice.
To be honest?
It barely scratched at Harry. He had gotten so used to the Prophet's abuse that he didn't really care anymore what any paper wrote about him, but from the look on his aunts face, she clearly cared.
"They could have done worse." He commented with a shrug.
"Harry this isn't the Prophet!" Annabeth yelled. "The very fact that this could have gotten into the WWWN without approval is psychotic!" She rose from the table and headed towards the door. She stopped in the doorway and called over her shoulder. "I'll be making some calls, don't disturb me for the next few hours."
Harry nodded in response and returned to his breakfast. Maybe she would get the paper to take it back, or maybe she would talk to someone in the Italian ministry. Shrugging to himself, he grabbed a banana and headed towards his room. Just how much could she really be doing?
' What did I expect, she's a Potter and an Evans…' Harry thought tiredly as he stared out over the huge room they were seated in. The room was circular, built much like the colosseum of old. In the spot where the emperor would have sat, there sat five elderly looking wizards. Harry himself was sitting next to Annabeth by a table in the middle of the floor.
His aunt had gone and called an emergency meeting of the ICW to correct what Britain had declared in the paper.
"Annabeth Potter." One of the elderly wizards, a man with a short brown-gray beard, called as he stood. "You have called us all here together. Bring forward your case."
Annabeth rose with a deep breath. "Gathered members of the ICW and honored guests. I have called this meeting to discuss the recent distribution of misinformation among our people."
The five elderly wizards nodded, having been briefed before entering the meeting today. "Continue." The same one as before said.
"I'm sure many of you remember a week ago, Britain released a statement and warning that, Harry James Potter, a dangerous terrorist, was loose in our world. I've come to tell you that this is a lie and demand the statement be retracted." Annabeth announced loudly as she strode in front of the table.
There were a few quiet murmurings from the gathered members. It was known that Britain had been in quite a bit of turmoil the last fifty years. It had come to an end recently with the death of their "Dark Lord Voldemort," but apparently that wasn't the end of it.
"What proof do you have?" Asked one of the five. A women, the youngest of the group, with long silver hair.
"The memories and testimony of Harry James Potter himself, my nephew!" She declared and gestured shortly to Harry sitting at the table.
Again there was murmuring and people began wondering why Britain hadn't intervened yet. Everyone turned and looked upon the British minster. He was looking grim, presumably from all the information coming to light. Harry didn't really care for the man, Kingsley Shacklebolt had always been Dumbledore's man before everyone else's, even after the crummy old bastard had died.
"Harry James Potter, rise." Ordered one of the five, an elderly woman with gray hair.
Harry stood and waited.
"You have been declared a terrorist and a danger by the British Ministry. Explain, in your own words, what led to these events." The woman ordered.
And he did. All of it. From he began in his first year, to his defeat of Voldemort in his seventh. During the tale there was more than one yell of anger or disbelief. Some of the stories that he was telling shocked the audience, they knew things were bad in Britain, but this bad?
When he was finally done with his story he sat back down and waited.
"Is there anyone present today who will confirm what Mr. Potter has said?" Asked the same elderly witch.
"I will!" Yelled a female voice that Harry was very familiar with. He felt himself choke up a little as a girl with a dreamy expression and long shining silver hair stepped forward from the visitors' gallery and held her wand to her throat.
"State your name." Asked the elderly witch.
"Luna Lovegood." Luna replied, using the Sonorous charm to spread her voice to the entire room.
"Continue then." The witch demanded after she had written down the name.
"I can confirm everything Mr. Potter has said past his second year. Everything he said I have either heard or witnessed alongside him. What he said about our Ministry being corrupt is certainly true as well. The Lovegood family has already departed from Britain and cut our ties to the country. We are currently residing in southern Italy where we plan to stay." Luna declared loudly with a knowing smile towards her friend.
Harry was surprised enough that someone from Britain would defend him. That Luna had moved to Italy was a bigger surprise, though a welcome one. He would have to ask Annabeth for a way to contact them.
Unknown to Harry most of the gathered Witches and Wizards were feeling very envious of the Italian Minister whom was grinning up a storm. The Lovegood family was known worldwide as amazing potioneers, it was an absolute coup to have acquired them.
"Anyone else?" The elderly witch asked one more time.
"I will confirm his statements as well!" yelled a male voice. One that Harry knew really well too, it was one of his best friends from Hogwarts.
"Name?"
"Neville Longbottom."
"Continue."
"I've known Harry since we started Hogwarts and everything he has told is true. I still dread to remember some of the things he was forced to endure at the hands of Dumbledore and his loyalists. Much like the Lovegoods, the Longbottoms are soon leaving Britain for good. We have sizable family in the United States and plan to join them soon. But as for the matter here today. Under no circumstance could or should Harry be declared a danger to anyone. He is one of the bravest and most selfless people I have ever had the honor of knowing, and if anyone here still thinks different after his hearing his story… then you are all damn fools."
Everyone was speechless as the young Lord Longbottom took his seat once again. Harry was just stunned that Neville had grown so much since the battle of Hogwarts. Sure, he had really manned up and killed Nagini, but he just stood in front of the entire ICW and had the stones to call them fools. It made Harry swell with pride that his friend had come so far, he only hoped they would meet again.
The meeting continued with Harry's memories being displayed for the entire gathering to see. They were there for almost twelve hours before they had shifted through all the important evidence. By the end of it, Harry wasn't sure if there was any part of his life that the gathered people didn't know about. Though he did feel a bit happy with how angry the rest of the leaders was at Britain, bot for the treatment of him and the way Hogwarts was run.
At the end of it all, one of the five stood up. He was a tall man, probably somewhere in his fifties. A long black beard hung from his chin and his crimson eyes were glaring across the entire hall.
"Well, I think we can all see that Britain's claim that this young man is dangerous is pure dragon dung." He started with a glare towards the British minister. "It is therefore our decision that the statement shall be withdrawn and the current manhunt for Harry James Potter be stopped. Clearly he has deserved some peace, so in addition to all of this, no one is to go near Harry James Potter unless he personally invites you to do so." He seemed to be ready to leave, before stopping and turning one again, glaring towards the British minster. "And we shall be having words, Minister Shacklebolt, about your punishment of young Mr. Potter."
With those words the man left the room, his four coworkers leaving right behind him. It was a flood as everyone tried to leave the room at the same time, which is why Annabeth had them wait in the middle of the room for everyone else to leave. While they were waiting, Harry followed the two that had stood up from him as they made their way down from the visitors gallery and over towards them. As they stood in front of him, he could only smile widely at the two.
"Hey you two, it's been a while."