Last time:

There was nothing more to do then just wait for the conversation to be over. He assumed that would be when they would confront him about the detentions, and he was dreading it. Instead of concentrating on that, however, he worked on calming his troubled mind. He suspected that he would need to have all of his wits about him when the time came.

Severus growled mentally, frustrated beyond belief at Albus' stubbornness. The old fool was steadfastly trying to de-rail any attempt made to even approach the Toad on this heinous matter. While the Headmaster might agree that something had to be done, he didn't wish to ruffle the Ministry's feathers anymore than what they already are. Damn the Ministry, and their ruffled feathers! This crime could not go unpunished. The child had been through enough as it was, he did not need the few adults he trusted proving him right in his assumption that the older generations were not to be trusted. Especially after the effort Harry had made this summer to try and overcome his hatred of the Potions Master. Severus knew better than any how tenuous trust was, and how precious. He would not waste this chance to solidify said trust. He just wondered how he was going to achieve that goal; Albus' refusal made it even harder for him to do just that.

Harry watches the argument quietly from where he was sitting. Though he didn't understand quite what it entailed, he knew it was about him. He caught some words like `Toad` and `Ministry`, though that was pretty much it. He didn't quite know what to make of that, though he suspected they were trying to figure a way around the Ministry to get at Umbridge. He winced as he felt Draco's almost instant interest in the subject. His BondMate sent ~Tell them what we were told about the bracer. The SoNA may be able to help in this matter!~ Harry sighed, but knew it was only truth that Draco said. He then tried to get the adults' attention, though he was very nervous about the whole process.

Severus blinked slightly as he heard Harry's soft voice trying to get their attention. Turning away from the stubborn Headmaster, he looked at the boy. The child appeared nervous and unsure, though there was a spark of something within those green eyes. Had one of the two thought of something? Going over to Harry, he knelt down to listen to what the child had to say. What was said was almost too incredible to believe. It turned out that the SoNA bracers could be used as communicators, in a way, and that Harry could contact Sel whenever he was in need. Smiling just enough to encourage the boy, he motioned for the Animagus to continue.

Harry just barely returned the smile, and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the bracer he'd been given after is Animagus test. He gazed at it lovingly, as it was a firm proof that he was never alone anymore. Shaking himself out of his maudlin feelings, he began to tap in the sequence he'd been taught. A cheetah's running beat on the paw print, then a double tap on the bird's talon, then three taps on the paw print again. The first two sequences on the paw print and talon were to signal who was calling. The last sequence was the message: one would have been in need of assistance, two would have been growing emergency, but three was 'Come ASAP!' The amount of taps often determined the speed of a SoNA official to come to the aid of the member in need. The three taps were only used in dire emergency, when it was needed for someone to come within five or so minutes of the call. Harry figured that this was a dire enough emergency, as they wouldn't wish to wait and have the Ministry get wind of what was going on before Sel could reach them.

Severus watched his Floo with expectation once Harry had finished 'dialing in' the message. So it was with no surprise that the fire turned green some five minutes later, or that the slender form of Selene stepped out of the fire. The leading SoNA member of the Britain branch had a look that would have done Albus, at his fiercest, proud. Her eyes were hard, and there was a determined look to her face. She glanced over all three of them, before her eyes landed on Harry. She was by his side in an instant, checking to see what was wrong before anyone had even had a chance to speak. When she had seen the damage the Blood Quill had done upon the boy, she seemed even more infuriated.

"I'm going to call my herd members. Once they are here, they can help Harry, both with the damage done to his body, and with retrieving the memory of the use of those Quills. We'll need that memory. I will also be contacting Fudge, as he will need to be here shortly. Albus, get some of the faculty together and guard that woman! We can't have her escaping or contacting Fudge before I can!" Her tone left no doubt about her righteous anger, or her determination to get the Toad convicted of her crime. She had far more power in this matter then Fudge did, and Fudge knew it. This was a big breach in the treaty if he didn't act upon one of the most major laws that had been put in place for the protection of the SoNA members.

Albus sighed mentally, knowing that there was nothing he could do about this. He nodded to Severus, and Flooed back to his own office. Once he was gone, Sel used the Floo to contact two of her herd members. When they came, they were directed over to Harry. One was a petit female, little taller than Harry, with jet black hair and liquid brown eyes. The other was as tall as Sel, and as thin. But she seemed to be half the age of the ancient leader. This was the one who set about healing the nerve damage and wounds the Quill caused. No one spoke much, though Sel had departed with a few words to Severus to stay put for the moment.

Severus did as he was asked, mostly because he didn't wish to leave the child that was starting to grow on his heart alone. Instead, he pulled up a seat, and sat as close as was possible to the trio of Animagus. Harry seemed cowed by the adults around him, but he behaved as well as he could. He was reluctant to give the memories up, but was finally cajoled into doing so by Draco and the other two Animagus. It was a relief, however, to finally feel his body stop shaking. Until that point, he didn't know just how much damage had been done to his body by the last detention and that Quill that looked like basilisk venom. He idly wondered, in the back of his mind, just what Sel was going to say to Fudge to get him to listen and agree when it concerned the one Fudge had been calling a liar all summer. He needn't have worried on that count, for Lune's Alicorn was giving the Minister a piece of her mind.

At the Ministry of Magic, Fudge's office

Selene grinned quietly to herself as she managed to get into Fudge's office with little trouble. The secretary had easily recognized her, and was reluctant to do anything that might anger the Animagus. Not that there was anything the poor secretary could do that would anger Sel further. She was already extremely pissed about Fudge's attitude towards Harry. The newest Animagus members were just children, and that fool had the gall to put that Toad of a woman in charge of teaching Defense at Hogwarts. So it was with understandable anger that she stormed into Fudge's office. The man himself looked surprised, and displeased, to see the SoNA official at this late hour.

Sel, grinning, spat at him "Oh get that scowl off your face, Cornelius, unless you wish me to stick it there. You've messed up again, and this time you're going to have to bow down to the wisdom of others; unless you truly wish to break the treaty with us!"

This, of course, had Fudge paling instantly. The man knew that it was only because of the ancient treaty that the SoNA members didn't mess with affairs of state. If he angered them to the point where they considered it a breach of trust, his term in office would be over, and the Ministry would be under their control. They had made sure that was intertwined with all the laws they had written together with the first Minister of Magic. It had been to both party's benefit to make and keep the treaty for so long. Fudge was the only one since that had come even close to returning the Ministry to the time before the treaty. As this was not what he wanted, he agreed to at least listen to Selene. Though, he didn't think he would much like what the woman had to say. That was the understatement of the century, as he would truly despise what Selene had to present before him that ominous night.