"Yes," she shrugged. "But an important one. And don't go thinking this is a muggle third degree or anything. As you're now a recognised Lord they're going to be very wary about how they approach you with their questions. They're going to be exceedingly polite... but wary." "Because, as far as they know, I'm an unknown." he said.
"Yes," she replied.
Sirius cut back in and said, "For what it's worth, I think you should go, too."
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "I should."
He thought about it for a few moments before he said, "Fine. I'll go. However, I'm not going to turn up via the public floos in the atrium and have to tolerate all that crap getting through bullshit security to visit her."
Looking to Sirius, he said, "Let her know I'm willing to meet with her... on her turf... but I'll need to be granted direct floo access to her office or whatnot."
"Good idea," said Luna.
"You'll need another owl to send her a response," he said. "Can someone organise that― wait. Have Dobby take it to the owl post office in Diagon and send it that way."
"You don't want to use Hedwig for this," said Sirius. "Smart."
After writing his letter and having it gone over by both Harry and Luna, then making the minor corrections they suggested, Sirius had Dobby take it to Diagon for him.
Late the next morning and after a long 'briefing' from both Sirius and Luna about how to behave when meeting with the Minister, Harry was finally given the all-clear by both his godfather and girlfriend he could go.
While rolling his eyes in front of them, he took the floo to the Leaky Cauldron and waited for ten seconds shy of his meeting time with Minister Bones. He needed only wait less than a quarter minute. Then he cast a silencing charm over himself and the floo grate before tossing a large pinch of the available 'public' floo powder into the flames and firmly calling, "Minister's Office, Ministry of Magic."
He waited for the connection; then, giving the temporary password he was told, said, "Lord Peverell, visiting." And, after first taking a deep breath, immediately stepped in.
Elbows tucked in he allowed the floo network to carry him the short distance to his destination, waited the half second as he came to a stop and stepped out.
Unlike 'Harry Potter', 'Lord Hardwin Peverell' knew how to use a floo - even if it did take he and Luna stepping back and forth between The Rookery and Grimmauld Place quite a few times before he finally worked out what he'd been doing wrong before.
No one, until then, had bothered to tell him he needed to pause that half second on arrival before stepping out. However, to be fair, it was because there were very few people who had his reflexes that would otherwise step out too soon.
He stepped into the Minister's office to find four wands pointed at him from four widely-spaced places in the room. Two of those were either side of him and one was the Minister's own.
Straightening up from the crouch he was in to step out of the fireplace, he had one eyebrow cocked and a smirk on his face. "I must say, Minister... if this is the nature of your hospitality when receiving guests... I would have decided to be just as rude and ignored your invitation."
Unsurprisingly, Minister Amelia Bones only very slightly coloured in her cheeks. However, the tip of her wand never wavered. Instead she firmly, but softly, demanded, "Password, please, Lord Peverell." "Lady Bones is soon to marry Edward Carmichael," he wryly returned. "At least you said, 'Please'."
As Bones lowered her wand in barely concealed relief, so did the other three.
"I will not apologise," she said. "There've been far too many assassination attempts on my life since that... man... has been back."
She then gestured to a chair before her desk, a nice and comfy one, and said, "Please. Take a seat."
"Oh?" he asked, as he moved to the indicated chair. As he sat he smirked and asked, "That then begs the questions; just how many is 'sufficient' assassination attempts? And how many is not enough?"
As she sat herself, she paused as she blinked back in surprise, gave a slight snort of amusement and finished sitting. "Very clever," she drolly replied. He grinned and said, "I thought so."
The bare flicker of a grin passed across her face before she'd managed to school it back to one of pleasant demeanour.
As she then sat there, critically examining him, he asked, "Well, Minister? Do I pass?"
A little confused, she asked, "What do you mean?"
"You've been eyeing me off," he replied. "Do I pass whatever visual examination you were making of me? And, will you please tell your attack dogs to stop staring at the back of my head? It's quite rude, you know."
She gave a very slight wince before she softly replied, "Sorry." She gave a slight flick of her fingers and Harry heard the three aurors behind him all move about a little.
Then her posture changed slightly and she said, "You are somewhat of a puzzle, Lord Peverell." "Oh?"
"I would like to know both where your family... specifically, you... has been hiding for quite a number of generations and why you've suddenly turned up."
He gave a slight snort of amusement and replied, "You would not believe me if I told you. As such, it would be pointless."
"Try me," she almost, though not quite, demanded.
He thought about it for a long moment before he replied, "Very well. Walk outside on a cloudless night. Look up at the brightest star in the sky; it's in the constellation of Canis Majoris. It's name is Sirius, but is often called the Dog Star. And it's actually a binary star; caused by two stars with one, Sirius B, orbiting another, Sirius A.
"Also orbiting Sirius A is a planet. For many years, that planet was my home. And, very recently, I returned to Earth with the assistance of the muggle United States military.
"Does that answer your question?"
At first she looked at him in shock, then that shock turned to slight frustration. "You only had to state you did not wish to divulge that information."
He grinned back and said, "I know."
With a shake of her head she then leaned forward in her chair to rest her elbows on her desk blotter. And said, "I wanted to talk to you about the attacks upon you by Albus Dumbledore; both times, after you stepped out of Gringotts, I believe."
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