Chapter Text
31st October 1981
Voldemort stood outside the house sheltering the trio of Potters. Why they had not used the Fidelius Charm to hide, was a mystery to him. He readied his wand, determined to make this quick & painless. Casting a silent Bombarda at the door, he stalked into the house, facing the patriarch & current Lord of House Potter: James. James glared at him, wand ready to cast. A pity then, that Voldemort did not even give him a chance to fire a spell. 1 Avada Kedavra later, Voldemort was heading to the nursery. Lily Potter stood in front of her son, Harry, who was half awake.
Voldemort whispered, "I'll make this quick & easy for you. Stand aside. You'll live."
"Fat chance." Lily was not budging.
"I warned you. Avada Kedavra."
Lily's cold body hit the floor a second later. Voldemort advanced onto Harry, noticing that the little baby had eyes the same colour as Lily. Voldemort stared into the eyes that held no fear at seeing him. A few seconds passed, but the staring contest went on. But it was those seconds that cost Voldemort. He was hit with a Cutting Curse, a Petrification Charm & a Bombarding Charm. Though they did not harm him, he still felt the impact as he was hurled onto the floor. He looked up to see a trio of young men, murder set in their eyes. He knew only one of them: Remus Lupin, a werewolf. Fenrir Greyback had bitten him when he was just 6 years old, at the behest of Lupin's mother, who had discovered that Remus was suffering from cancer. The lycanthropy helped kill off any diseases in the body, essentially making Lupin immune to anything, at the cost of a painful transformation at full moon.
He did not recognise the other two men, the shorter one of whom summoned Harry to him. He hugged the baby like there was no tomorrow. "Finish him. I will wait."
The third man had curly black hair, muscles that stretched his clothes to their seams, & a wolfish grin plastered on his face. "I've been waiting a long time for this, Voldy."
Voldemort stood up, eyeing the three. "And just who might you be?"
"Sirius Orion of House Black. Heir to the House of Black. Grandson of Lord Arcturus Black III. Brother of Regulus Arcturus Black. Cousin of Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy & Bellatrix Lestrange. Friend of James & Lily Potter. Godfather to Harry Potter." The grin turned sadistic. "And your doom."
Voldemort realised how badly he had screwed up. If not the fact that the man in front of him was a Black, it became worse as the rest of the relations poured out. He never even dreamt of taking on Arcturus Black. He knew that the Lord of the House of Black would & could put him 6 feet under, without so much as getting from his proverbial chair. And if Sirius was even a quarter of that, Voldemort was in serious trouble. He raised his wand, but the entire room twisted, as if they were on a merry-go-round.
Sirius' voice carried over, "Ever since my mother threw me out of the house, my uncle & grandfather took me in. I trained under them before you decided to court war on Britain. And so they told me, if I were to ever face you in combat, to tell you this: Sending you to Azkaban would be a mercy, killing you would be inhumane for all the lives you have taken. They showed me the way that we Blacks take revenge on our enemies. You'll be sorry you ever decided to mess with us."
The room stopped spinning, Voldemort looking at the trio again. Lupin was glowing shades of red, blue & yellow. Sirius was glowing black. The third member was nowhere to be seen. Sirius declared, "I was top of my class in Defense against the Dark Arts. Remus was top of the class in Ancient Runes. You're about to find out why." With that declaration, the duo rushed Voldemort. Hexes, Curses, Jinxes & even Unforgivables were exchanged. But Voldemort did not realise one thing: While he was certainly more powerful than the two of them, they had known each other for 7 years. They knew each other's fighting style, preferred spells, as well as speeds. Sirius was always on the offensive, with Remus shielding him & using any openings he got to fire Runic spells at Voldemort, which were weathering down the shields.
Sirius finally got a wide opening, hurling a spell of Severus Snape's creation: Sectumsempra. The cuts along Voldemort's body erupted with blood pouring out of them like waterfalls. Remus followed up with a Runic Sealing Blast, ensuring that Voldemort died without trying to take them out as well. Once Remus smelled the body going cold, they eased up. Peter had taken shelter in a house that belonged to Dorcas Meadows, who Voldemort had personally dueled & defeated, sending Dorcas to St. Mungos due to long term exposure to the Crutiatus Curse. Sirius & Remus found him there, shielding Harry with his body, wand drawn with red sparks coming out. Once he saw who it was, he lowered his wand.
"He is dead Peter. We've contacted the Aurors. Shacklebolt, Moody & my Uncle are handling things. Let's get little Harry out of here. We can take him to Grimmauld Place. The wards protecting it are among the oldest in Britain. Even Albus can't get through without a Black being there to help him."
Peter's lip quivered, "James, Lily, Dorcas, Marlene. They're gone. They're really gone."
Remus crouched, looking Peter in the eyes. "Yes. Come on. Let's not cry in front of Harry."
Remus hauled Peter to his feet. They went out, nodded to Moody, who noticed the baby Peter was carrying. "Taking him to your place, Sirius?"
"Yes Mad-Eye. Until we get confirmation that the Death Eaters have been rounded up, Harry will not be seen by the public. If I have to stun them all to do so, I will."
"Right. Sorry for your loss gentlemen. I know how tightly knit the Marauders were."
The trio walked a distance away, where Sirius' bike was parked. He hopped on & started the engine. Peter went into the sidecar with Harry, Remus casting a gyroscopic rune on it for balance. He jumped on behind Sirius, & the sound of a bike faded into the night.
Moody watched them go, then turned to the Ministry forces that were present. They combed through the house, cataloging everything. Voldemort's body was thrown in a cell without care, while James & Lily were carried out carefully.
Sirius drove the bike into the garage of the house. He had no desire to return here, but considering this was the strongest Black property, in terms of wards, it was safer to keep Harry here. As they got out of the garage, into the house, a pop was heard & they saw the house elf, Kreacher sneering at them. Sirius snapped, "Don't even say anything Kreacher. I just lost two friends tonight, & their sleeping son is with us. Anything you want to say, you say tomorrow." Kreacher nodded, understanding that a child was more important than his anger at Sirius. Remus took Harry from Peter, who collapsed at the table, sobbing like there was no tomorrow.
A new voice flowed towards them. "Sirius, I see your need for subtlety is well warranted."
Sirius did not bother turning out. "Grandfather. Please do not say anything that could make the three of us snap. We are running on adrenaline & terror at this point."
"I am aware. I will administer all three of you Draughts of Dreamless Sleep, so at least in the morning you will be coherent. Remus, I see you have young Harry with you. Come with me, I have set up a room for him. I will watch him tonight."
Footsteps echoed as the two of them walked away. Sirius sat at the table opposite Peter, who had stopped sobbing, but was fighting his body's need to sleep. His wounds were superficial, Kreacher could help clean them up. But they sat in silence, unwilling to move. Sirius' godfather senses were on high alert, allowing him to feel if anything happened to Harry. But all he got as feedback was a sleeping child. Remus came down later, with Arcturus in tow. The latter held three vials of the potion he had promised to give them. He silently slid them across the table, each Marauder taking a good amount of time before drinking them. Soon, they were snoring at the table, but Arcturus did not mind. After all, he had been through a similar situation decades ago, when Grindlewald had laid siege to Europe. The young men in front of him deserved rest, even if it was till the morning. Arcturus called out, "Kreacher."
The elf appeared, looking at the old man with respect. "Yes Lord?"
"You know I am Lord of House Black. Sirius is my Heir. You will treat him as you have treated me. Walburga was a bigot who could not see past her own desires. You will treat his friends the same as me. Have I made myself clear?" The old man's eyes blazed with the fury that their House was known for. Kreacher gulped and nodded, going back to his room. Arcturus went to Harry's room, which was dark to help the child fall off to sleep faster. He set himself in a chair where he could watch the door & the crib. No one would be trying to kidnap Harry while he was around. After all, it was not for nothing that Arcturus had earned the title of best dueler in Europe for 20 straight years. He felt for the poor soul who came knocking to their front door.
Arcturus went down the moment Harry started moving, since Sirius had burst into the room with his godfather senses alerting him of Harry being awake. He watched as Remus & Peter were still snoring away, chuckling to himself. It was nearly 8 am, but the outside world had yet to rise. Arcturus let the duo be, walking into the kitchen to grab his favourite breakfast: Sausages & Waffles. Not very healthy, but Arcturus indulged himself now & again. As he ate, Remus woke up. The werewolf blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings. He bowed to the Lord of the House, but the latter waved it away. Remus then sent a Patronus message to Amelia Bones, saying that the three of them were not going to leave Harry alone, & to let him know what he could do for them while under self-imposed house arrest. Peter woke up as Remus went for a bath, Arcturus giving his condolences to him. Remus came down later, looking slightly better. Peter went in, saying that he would not come down for at least an hour. Sirius joined them soon with Harry, who was looking around at the new place. He was quite happy eating his food, but then the inevitable question came. "Mama? Dada?"
Arcturus saw as his grandson & his grandson's friend paled, both looking at each other. Remus started tearing up again, while Sirius looked like he wanted to turn the Killing Curse on himself. Recognising the situation for what it was, the oldest in the room turned to Harry, who was looking at him with big green eyes. "Harry." Arcturus spoke slowly so that Harry's attention was all on him. "Your mama & dada are in a better place than us." Harry tilted his head, almost like he was questioning them. "You had to stay here, so that you can also go there later." Harry did not say anything, but he turned back to Sirius, "Pafoo?"
Sirius wiped his eyes & faced Harry. "Yes, Prongslet?"
Harry smiled & spread his arms, " 'Ug?"
"Yes Prongslet." Sirius engulfed Harry, promising not to let him ever go anywhere.
Remus got up & went to the kitchen. Arcturus followed him. He may not have been a mind healer, but he knew that Remus needed to talk. "Remus?"
"I can't bear to look at him sir. Lily's eyes. James' hair. I'd rather cut my own heart out than do that."
"Absolutely not!" Arcturus' hand slammed onto Remus' in a second, his voice nearly thundering. "Harry is an innocent babe. I will not have you leaving him, not when you three are the closest to parents he will ever have."
Remus looked at Arcturus, with the look of a man who had lost everything in life. Arcturus glared back, almost daring the werewolf to fight him. He would be glad if that happened. Remus needed to let out that negative energy. Remus' shoulders slumped as he walked back to the dining room. All would be good for now. He took over from Sirius, who walked up to his grandfather. "Why?"
"Why what?" Even Arcturus did not know the depth of the question.
"You told Harry his parents were in a better place. Why not tell him the truth?"
Arcturus just smiled, "But I did tell him the truth. At least in the afterlife, all souls know peace. No one hunts for another out of spite, only for love & companionship."
Sirius lunged forward, hugging his grandfather tightly, "Thank you. Thank you. You have no idea what that means to me."
Peter joined them after a long while, the rat animagus having cut his long hair, shaved his facial hair & trimmed his nails. His wand hung in the holster, but his fingers twitched, as if he expected ghosts to jump out of the walls & attack them. They went through the day with Harry under their supervision. Harry was causing all sorts of accidental magic, but nothing that was harmful. It was more when he wanted something out of his reach. As he lay down for his afternoon nap, Arcturus summoned all three friends.
"I want a list of all Marauders, with their status. Alive, incapacitated, dead. It is time to surround yourself with people you trust."
Peter said, "We are in this room. Only one Marauder is dead: James Potter, Prongs."
"That's a lie & even I know that. I've seen your group. I know they were from different years as well. Make that list & give it to me."
Sirius brought in a piece of parchment, a quill & a large ink pot. He started writing.
Marauders
James Potter (Stag: Prongs) - Dead
Sirius Black (Grimm: Padfoot) - Alive
Peter Pettigrew (Rat: Wormtail) - Alive
Remus Lupin (Werewolf: Moony) - Alive
Frank Longbottom (Bear: Beast) - Alive
Alice Longbottom (Unicorn: Horn) - Incapacitated
Severus Snape (Vampire: Alucard) - Alive
Lily Potter (Petals) - Dead
Regulus Black (Bat: Chiro) - Dead
Amelia Bones (Harpy Veela: Alecto) - Alive
Dorcas Meadows (Hawk: Talon) - Incapacitated
Marlene Macdonald (Snake: Fang) - Dead
Barty Crouch Jr. (Tiger: Claw) - Incapacitated
Peter chocked seeing Alice's name, but some tension went away on seeing her status. Sirius finished the list & handed it to Arcturus, who read it carefully. He finished and asked, "I see some animagi, some creatures, a regular human. Explain."
Remus took a deep breath in. "That was because of me. My werewolf status was a trigger for Snape's dormant side to emerge. Amelia was a couple years our senior. As soon as Snape turned, her Harpy side emerged. We had known she was a Veela, but the Harpy was new. Later we learned that their more violent side is a Harpy."
Peter took over. "In our third year, James & I decided to become animagi to keep Remus company. We had discovered what he was at the end of second year. Sirius joined us as well. Frank was a year senior to us, so to make sure we were safe, he also went through the process a year after us. He had a thought that a person's Patronus & animagus form would be the same most of the time. He was correct. My animagus is a rat, but my Patronus is not. It is a dragon. Frank ended up as a bear. By the time we were in fifth year, the Marauders had gone from just us four, to the list in front of you. Most of them were in our year. Sirius wanted to include his cousins, but Andromeda had already graduated by then, Narcissa refused to have anything to do with us, and Bellatrix had as good as flown the family coop."
Sirius ended the tale, grief present in his voice. "Once the threat of Voldemort came up, we all signed up to be part of Albus' Order. All of us had our specialties. Some of us excelled at Charms, others Dark Arts, many in Transfiguration. Remus here was the only one successful at putting Runes on his body. Most of his skin is full of tattoos. Frank did the same, but with his clothing. I laid waste to the Death Eaters with both Dark Arts as well as the hand-to-hand training you & Uncle Alphard gave me. There was a prophecy that Albus received, but I believe there could have been two outcomes to it. It spoke of a person born as the seventh month dies. Only 2 children were born in July: Harry Potter & Neville Longbottom. Frank & Alice went into hiding in Longbottom Manor, while James & Lily went to Godric's Hollow. You know the rest."
Arcturus nodded as his mind wandered across possibilities. Just then, a silver hummingbird entered the room they were in, Moody's voice coming from it.
"Sirius, Remus, Peter. We've have finished canvassing the Potter home in Godric's Hollow. There are some personal effects of James & Lily were have checked for anything suspicious. I will be sending an elf with them soon. However, we need 1 of you to identify their bodies. They are in the Ministry. The funeral is scheduled in 7 days, at Godric's Hollow. I know Lily has a sister, so her invitation is at your discretion. I understand if you do not want to bring Harry for this. Once again, my condolences to all three of you. Stay vigilant."
The hummingbird faded after the last word. Remus quipped, "Who knew Moody had a heart?"
Arcturus turned his gaze on the trio. Power flashed in his eyes. "You three are going to the funeral. I will stay here with Harry. If anyone tries to get in, they have to deal with the wards. Even if the wards fail, they'll have to deal with Kreacher. After that, me."
The elf came, as Moody promised. James' trunk was filled with his pranking material, his broom, wand & Invisibility Cloak. Lily's trunk contained her notes on Charms, her theories on them, as well as her Potions work.
Remus quietly segregated all the items, labelling them. Peter had gone to be with Harry, while Sirius & Arcturus were setting up everyone's rooms. Peter had no one to go back to, his house having been razed by the Carrow twins. His parents had died while he was still in school, leaving him no living relative. Remus had been told never to return home, by his father, when he found out about the lycanthropy. Arcturus was more than happy to have them.
While they were having dinner that night, Peter spoke up, for the first time in six hours. "I will invite Lily's sister for her funeral. If she declines, that's on her."
Sirius looked up, ready to argue, but thought against it. Remus noticed, but he did not say anything, not with Harry next to them. Harry had noticed the somber mood at the table, but was still a bundle of happy energy. Arcturus smiled at him, receiving a very gummy smile in return. Once they put Harry to bed, they warded his room, his crib, with Remus placing a rune under the crib to protect him. Since it was still early into the night, not even 10 pm, Peter took his leave to inform Lily's sister. Arcturus cast a strong glamour on him, enough to last a few hours. As a precaution, he cast a few cuts on Peter's face & body. Hopefully he would not be recognised.
Peter stepped out of the wards, turning into a rat. He raced away towards Privet Drive, his stamina greater than the previous night. He let his grief drive him, shut away as it was behind his Occumelency Shields. The Blacks had a Magical Inheritance that was the shield, awakened at the age of 15. Remus' mind was immune to Leglimency, courtesy lycanthropy. Peter had learned it from Severus, & further continued under Arcturus. He'd never reach the level of a Black, but at least he was strong enough to prevent most semi-amateurs from entering his head.
He arrived at Privet Drive after an hour. He transformed out of the sight of cameras & houses, walking towards Number 4. He knocked on the door, steeling himself.
Petunia Dursley nee Evans opening the door, not recognising him. He took the chance to speak first.
"Good evening Petunia. It is my unfortunate destiny to tell you that your sister, Lily Potter nee Evans, was murdered last night. The funeral will be in 7 days in Godric's Hollow."
Petunia looked him in the eyes before replying, "I had a sister, she died at age 11. Do not ever darken my doorstep with your presence again." She slammed the door in his face, causing Peter to sigh as he trudged away. He walked a kilometre before transforming & racing away. Some things never changed. Petunia still hated her sister, that much was glaringly obvious.
Petunia went back to the living room, her husband sitting on the sofa. He asked, "Who was that?"
"Nobody Vernon. Just a man asking for directions."
"I see."
Vernon knew his wife was lying through her teeth. He'd seen it enough of times, but those were mainly things that never involved him. But this was massive. He'd heard the entire exchange. Petunia had basically told the man outside that Lily, her blood sister, was dead to her for the past 10 years. But he refused to say anything to her. Thankfully, he had an address, & a date. He would go to Lily's funeral, even if it ended up with Petunia divorcing him.
Unknown to Petunia, & everyone who had ever interacted with him, Vernon Dursley was a man blessed by Hestia. The Goddess of the Hearth & Family had blessed him when he had been in Greece as a teenager. The details were unimportant, but enough for her to take notice. Now his domain of family was asking for Petunia's blood. It wanted vengeance. But Vernon would substitute it for peace.
Petunia went up to sleep, Dudley already in his crib. Vernon joined his hands & closed his eyes in a silent prayer to Hestia. She was the only Olympian allowed to interact with mortals, but only in the borders of Greece. But answering prayers was easy enough for her. Feeling his prayer received, Vernon got up & left the living room.
Remus was in the room where Harry was sleeping. He had 2 weeks before the full moon, so he had decided to take watch on the baby. He heard Peter walk up the stairs & enter the room quietly. He nodded to Remus, who gave him a thumbs up.
Peter closed the door & went back to his room, seeing Arcturus outside. "She won't come. She said her sister died at age 11. So no one will come from her side, it seems."
"Let her be. We need to talk about you now."
Peter was startled. "Me? Why?"
"You know what it is like to be an orphan. At this moment, you & Harry are similar."
"Respectfully sir. I have memories of my parents. Harry won't even have that. We are not similar. I was an orphan for 2 years, before attaining my majority."
"Very well. What's the plan for the next few days?"
"Remus has done what he can with James & Lily's things. Some of the stuff will be left for Harry as he grows older. Some items will be taken to the funeral."
"How do you plan to care for Harry after that? None of you are female last I checked."
Peter looked a bit scared when he answered. "Andromeda Tonks nee Black. She's the closest female relative to Sirius who won't kill Harry on sight. Narcissa would have been an option since she has a boy Harry's age, but Lucius Malfoy is her husband. Bellatrix is a Death Eater, I dueled her a few times."
"And came out alive. Impressive. I will remove her from the family tree, now that you've stated she is a Death Eater. Andromeda shall be reinstated. Thank you for this information Peter. Good night."
"Good night sir."
Albus Dumbledore staggered back into his room at Hogwarts. The past 24 hours had done a number on his mind & body. The Potters were dead, Harry was with Sirius, Dorcas & Alice were out of commission for a while, Barty Crouch Jr. was with his father. He had just come back from a trial of 6 Death Eaters, three of which were the Lestranges: Bellatrix, Rabastan, Rudolphus. Two were the Carrow Twins, Amycus & Alecto. The sixth was a distant relative of the Greengrass family. All were given life in Azkaban. He had tried to get them the Dementor's Kiss, but the Ministry overruled him. He sent a Patronus message to Arcturus Black before he went to sleep. "I know Sirius has Harry. Do not allow them to make a public appearance till New Year, at the very least."
Far below him, deep in a hall where no sunlight reached, a stone that had vibrating for centuries slowed down over the course of the night, before the vibrations stopped altogether.
21st March 1981
Far to the East, under the ruins of a city that was one an empire's ceremonial capital surrounded by the Zagros Mountains, three pairs of brown eyes opened. The bodies connected to them started to move towards the surface. Once above, they turned their attention to an empty spot of land, a tremor moving out from their feet. In a pool hidden by magic, a pair of blue eyes opened in response. The water churned as a figure emerged from it, lightning pulsing across its limbs. Four pairs of eyes turned to an alcove in the ruins. A thin, white mist was curling off the stones, despite the stones not being hot enough for the air to react that way. The mist curled tighter, revealing two bodies in suspended animation. The bodies floated to the ground, where they stood ramrod straight, opening their eyes to reveal pure white. Without a word, all six of them trudged towards the centre of the ruins. There was nothing to see, but a few seconds later, a column of fire erupted from the ground. Two bodies emerged from it, bright orange eyes making contact with the other twelve eyes.
The body with blue eyes looked towards the west. A finger was lifted in that direction, followed by a raspy male voice that had not been used in 1300 years. "We march tonight."
Seven other male voices sounded in agreement, "Then lead us."
As they left the ruins, a flash of their respective elements surrounded their bodies. As the flash reduced, each male was clothed in white. A cape billowed out behind them, taking on different colours depending on the eye colour of the person. A white turban atop their heads, they pulled down a cloth that was tied just below it. Their entire face disappeared, save for their eyes. As the night dragged on, they disappeared into the landscape.
Notes:
Who do you think these 8 males are, & what do they have to do with waking up now? Where does their allegiance lie?
Summary of the Marauders, with their other name, & status:
James Potter (Stag: Prongs) - Dead
Sirius Black (Grimm: Padfoot) - Alive
Peter Pettigrew (Rat: Wormtail) - Alive
Remus Lupin (Werewolf: Moony) - Alive
Frank Longbottom (Bear: Beast) - Alive
Alice Longbottom (Unicorn: Horn) - Incapacitated
Severus Snape (Vampire: Alucard) - Alive
Lily Potter (Petals) - Dead
Regulus Black (Bat: Chiro) - Dead
Amelia Bones (Harpy Veela: Alecto) - Alive
Dorcas Meadows (Hawk: Talon) - Incapacitated
Marlene Macdonald (Snake: Fang) - Dead
Barty Crouch Jr. (Tiger: Claw) - Incapacitated
Chapter 2: Whispers in the night
Summary:
The Potter funeral is underway, after a week. Vernon makes a surprise appearance to pay his respects. Albus tries to sustain the wards with his life-force. A new figure makes an appearance, startling all. Sirius tries to make sense of his new role in Harry's life.
Notes:
This won't be as emotionally charged as the previous chapter. I cannot write scenes with very strong emotion one after the other.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
7th November 1981
Godric's Hollow had seen funerals before. But never had it seen funerals with wards erected to protect them. The cemetery was crowded, but enough for people to swing their arms around. Sirius stood beside James' coffin while everyone came to pay respects. Due to the shock of the war that had ended just a week ago, it was astonishing that there were people willing to come. Remus stood between both the coffins, while Peter took a vigil next to Lily's coffin. People came, people stayed, people left. It was not surprising to any of them. But the real surprise came when a cane touched upon the stones of the cemetery, its wielder having platinum-blond hair.
Remus stared in shock as Lucius Malfoy walked slowly towards them, taking his hat off as a sign of respect for the dead. He stopped first at Lily's coffin, kneeling to it before placing two gold coins on her eyes. He walked slowly around to James' coffin, bowing deep this time, before placing two more gold coins on his eyes. He whispered a short prayer for their souls to find peace, Sirius easily following along the Ancient Greek. After Lucius finished, he looked them all in the eye. "My deepest condolences to you three. I have seen how close you all were. I hope you do move on, without straying back to the past too long."
Sirius blinked, as if coming out of a trance. "How come you are here? I thought you..."
Lucius cut him off gently, "Many reasons Sirius. My wife being the main one. She knew you would be here, but did not want to bring Draco. So I came representing my family. My father would curse me alive if he found out I did not pay my respects to a man & a woman who have done so much for our country. I also did not want you to be alone. True, you have each other & I have no relation to either of the Potters, but this is the least I could do, & I intend to give more than my least. I also know that Draco is their son's age. If Voldemort had come knocking on our door, & the situation reversed, the Potters would have been among my first choices to raise Draco."
Remus was about to say something, when he saw a large man enter the cemetery. He was not exactly fat, but slightly on the rounder side, nothing a few months of exercise could not shave off. He removed his hat, straightened himself & walked to Lily's coffin, Peter moving out of the way for him. The man half-bowed to Lily, saying, "I know I am the last person you expected to see here, but someone had to come for your side of the family."
Hearing this, Peter asked, "Who are you?"
"Vernon Dursley, Lily Potter's brother-in-law. Hello Sirius Black." The last sentence forced the young Heir to snap his head from Lucius to Vernon so fast, both men feared he would get whiplash.
"I cannot say I expected Petunia's husband here."
Vernon waved it off. "My sister-in-law was a great woman. She was the one who helped my son when he was suffering from jaundice, with the doctors ready to pull him from the medicines. She is the one who showed me the good of your world. My wife may not come, being stuck in her ways, but I am my own man. My son is the last blood relation she has on this side of the family, & I intend to honour that. Dudley will grow up knowing how great his aunt Lily Potter was, even if the facts have to tweaked."
Lucius was surprised at a Muggle speaking so freely. Maybe his father's views were indeed outdated. Good thing then, that he was dead. He did not say anything, as Sirius stood & walked to Vernon. "Apologies for what we did at your wedding."
Vernon let out a small laugh, "Are you kidding? It was the best fun I'd had in years. I will take your leave now, but I do hope to meet my nephew at least once before I die."
"Nothing before New Year, I am afraid."
"I have time. Do take care of yourselves."
Vernon turned & walked away, his conscience clear. If Petunia was going to divorce him, at least he would be able to sleep at night, knowing the reason for the divorce.
Lucius looked at Remus, "What a unique Muggle."
Sirius said, "Lily's sister is a bigot like my mother, but at least her husband seems a decent bloke."
Lucius nodded. Then he saw Hogwarts professors entering. Albus, Minerva, Filius, Slughorn. Even Pomfrey was with them. They all were dressed in black, unusual to see Albus or Pomfrey in black. Minerva broke down looking at James' cold face, while Filius was barely holding on seeing Lily. Albus stood between the coffins, as if hoping they would rise & shout "PRANKED!" Slughorn just shook his head & bowed his head, asking for the forgiveness of the souls of the dead for any problems he had caused them. Pomfrey just took her wand out & cast a diagnostic on both the bodies, probably reminiscing of the times she did it for James when his pranks backfired or had unexpected consequences. Lucius felt as if he was intruding on a private family moment. Just then, he felt a hand grip his forearm tightly. He turned to see Minerva, whose eyes were red with all the crying. She whispered, just enough for him to hear, "Look out for them Lucius. I do not want to attend another funeral in my lifetime, of those younger than me."
Lucius held her hand as she shook with grief. "I will make sure you never hear the rumours of a funeral."
Minerva nodded, turned around and walked away to Pomfrey. The latter guided her out to a nearby bench. Albus tapped Filius on the shoulder, but the half-goblin took no notice. Peter could see the tears falling down his face. The former dueling champion took his wand out, casting a Patronus in honour of both his former students. A raven soared above them, before circling the coffins a few times & fading out. The professors left the four of them as they went back to Hogwarts. After twenty minutes of no one coming, Sirius took his wand out & closed the coffin lids. Lucius joined them in levitating the coffins into the graves, covering them with earth afterwards. As a finishing touch, Lucius flicked his wand, causing two designs on the mud: a stag on James, & a swirl of petals on Lily.
As they left the graveyard, Sirius turned to Lucius, "I need to apologise to you. I assumed you were also a Death Eater, which is why Narcissa wanted nothing to do with us."
"Sirius, let me assure you, my father may have been Voldemort's follower. I am not. The moment I claimed Lordship, I ejected every single person that my father ever allowed in. I plan to start anew. As of now, only Narcissa & Draco can access the manor apart from myself. Narcissa also wants to meet you, show you Draco & allow him to meet his cousin. We may have had screwed-up childhoods, but I'll be damned if our children cannot be given a better one. I know that you have Harry in Grimmauld Place, so I am not concerned about any attack on his person. When you feel alright with it, invite us. We will come." With that, Lucius walked away from them, apparating to Malfoy Manor.
21st June 1981
The eight males knew that they had been asleep for centuries, but when they started coming across cities, they knew that gentle integration into society was needed. They vanished their clothes, cloaks & headgear, adopting the look of some locals they had seen in passing. Their internal compass told them that they needed to start heading north as well. As they crossed from Turkey into Greece, a sense of foreboding came over them. They walked on, senses on high alert. It was not until they came to Athens, that something happened.
A flash of orange light revealed a nine-year old girl in front of them, though they knew that it was a deity. They sized each other up, before the deity spoke, "Shall we sit down? This conversation may take a while."
All of them sat at a hearth in the public square, with the girl starting off. "My name is Hestia. Oldest of the Olympians, Keeper of the Flame of the Hearth, Goddess of the Hearth & of Family. I know who you are, since the moment you crossed into Greece. I will not fight you, but I will have to ask you to keep the peace here. Only I am allowed to move around the mortal plane, since I am the Goddess of Family. I can bless you within these borders, but nothing more."
The male with blue eyes replied, "Thank you Lady Hestia. We welcome your hospitality & assurance. We just need to keep moving west. It will be a long journey for us."
"Very well. At least eat & drink before you leave." A plate of biscuits & glasses of tea levitated towards the octet. Each male gave thanks before consuming the items. Once they were done, Hestia blessed them for a short while, as they would need to cross harsh terrain from here on out. All eight left Athens with a sense of gratitude.
8th November 1981
Kreacher made sure that Harry was properly bathed, clothed & fed, before snapping his fingers & making the boy giggle with laughter. The four males in the room sighed looking at his exuberant display. Sirius said, "I am calling Narcissa & Andromeda from tomorrow. Andromeda is already connected to our Floo. Kreacher can't keep playing nursemaid, even if elf magic is better than ours. It still needs a human touch."
"The Floo needs to be connected to Malfoy Manor though." Peter spoke up.
Remus waved his wand, forming a Patronus almost identical to his creature self. "I can send a message to Malfoy to be ready. That works?"
"Yes. I doubt Narcissa will be happy to see me though. The only Black Sheep of the Black Family."
Arcturus laughed. "Sirius, Walburga knew the family history for five generations above herself. She did not know that we have had plenty of Ravenclaws & Hufflepuffs in our family. The only thing she was right about was you being the first Gryffindor in the Black Family. And the Sorting Hat had wanted to place Narcissa in Ravenclaw, just so you know."
"Hmmm." Sirius did not look interested. Remus sent a message to Lucius Malfoy to be ready near the Floo. Sirius threw his head in, calling for Malfoy Manor. After a short conversation, Sirius pulled his head out of the fireplace. He smiled & told them, "We are connected now."
Peter allowed himself a small smile. Remus just nodded. The four men sat in comfortable silence. Just then, the Floo pinged; someone was about to enter. One quick look at each other, the Marauders took up fighting stances. Kreacher bolted from the room, Harry in tow. Arcturus raised his wand while still on his seat, the wand spitting red sparks. From the fireplace emerged Andromeda Tonks, hair as curly as Sirius remembered. Her wand was in her hand, as if she knew they were waiting for her. A steely voice came out of her, "Where is my nephew? Narcissa told me he was here."
Arcturus gave a disappointing look at her. "Granddaughter, where are your manners? What happened to greeting your family?"
Andromeda tilted her head, as if considering the question, "All four of you are here, with wands pointed at me. If you're well enough to duel, you're well enough in my book."
Sirius dropped his arm, smiling away. "It's Andromeda herself. Drop your wands. Good to see you cousin. I wish it was under better circumstances."
"Likewise Sirius. Now, where's Harry?"
"Kreacher!"
The elf popped in, snarling before he realised who had arrived. His demeanor changed but he was still on guard.
"Bring Harry here. Andromeda is going to perform a check-up."
Kreacher nodded and brought Harry after a moment. Andromeda brought out her Healer kit, waved her wand over Harry & watched as a parchment started listing different things. This was going to take a while.
Andromeda turned back to the seated men. "Grandfather, Cousin, Remus, Peter. I take it time has not been kind to you."
Remus shook his head. Peter spoke up, "We're still in shock. But we are recovering. By Yule or New Years, we plan to take Harry out. Till then, all of us are confined to this place. Our only interactions are through the Floo or Patronus messages. I've only made one leave for a few hours since last week. And of course, we were all at the funeral."
Andromeda acknowledged his response with a nod. She thought back to her husband & her daughter, currently in their quaint little home. She knew that Nymphadora would want to meet Harry, but she had to respect the privacy that the Marauders & her grandfather wanted.
Just then, the parchment pinged. Andromeda walked over to it, seeing if there was any anomaly detected. Apart from a slightly larger core for his age, Harry was perfectly fine. He already had a few instances of accidental magic, so his wizarding status was assured. Andromeda administered a potion to Harry, to give him some energy to burn through the day. She closed her kit, sitting down with the men.
"So, when do you want me to come next? Cissy is also ready to come. She told me yesterday about your meeting with Lucius."
"Andy, I think if you came next month to check in on Harry, that would be great. We are not opening Grimmauld Place for everyone, for at least 2 months. You can visit via the Floo." Sirius sounded enthusiastic when he said that.
Arcturus sat forward, having been quiet for a while. "Since you are Harry's godfather, why don't you blood adopt him? Takes care of any grey areas in the legalities of things. I wouldn't put it past the Ministry to try & make a move on him. They'd make him a symbol, use him to better their image."
A growl sounded from Remus at the thought of that happening to the son of his late dorm mate. Sirius shook his head, "That will take away any vestige of the Potter line. The House of Black has curly hair, & dark eyes. If I blood adopt him, we can say goodbye to Lily's green pools & James' messy hair. As much as I have considered this, I cannot do my two friends out of their son, even if they are dead."
Peter was not really paying attention to the conversation. His mind was back with Alice & Dorcas, two ladies who he had loved at different stages of his teenage years. He was no fighter like Sirius, nor a strategist like Remus, but he could get in & out of places easily. This had caused him to become a spy for Albus' Order. It was thanks to him that they had caught Dolohov casting the Dark Mark, capturing him before he could vanish into the day. He decided to approach Arcturus to mentor him, but only after things had settled down.
12th November 1981
Albus Dumbledore was signing papers related to Wizgamenot. He had half a mind to burn them & claim that he had never received them. By the time he finished, it was nearly dawn. He sighed & went for a bath. He had recently lifted the Battle Wards around Hogwarts, once he was sure that there was no threat to the student body. If he had applied Siege Wards or War Wards, the students would have never been able to leave the building. At least Battle Wards gave them a luxury of walking to the Edge of the Forbidden Forest or the Black Lake. He felt a ping in the wards, stronger than any student or faculty. Being the Headmaster, he was keyed into the wards of the castle, as well as the surrounding areas. The only other ones keyed into the wards were the Heads of Houses: Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout & Horace Slughorn. He moved quickly through the corridors, causing the corridors to change for him. He ended up at the Great Hall, an hour before breakfast, just as the four Heads emerged from their respective staircases.
Flitwick's wand already in hand, they opened the door & saw a single person standing there, as if waiting for them. He was dressed in white, with a blue cloak moving slightly in the wind. His face was hidden behind a white helmet, with only blue eyes visible. His hands were in front of them, clasped. Evidently he had no weapons on him, or else the wards would have ejected him. Albus spoke first, "Welcome to Hogwarts. Who are you?"
The man waved his hand, vanishing his cloak & helmet. He had a pale complexion, sharp calculating eyes, with an expression that showed he was not innocent of the ways of the world. Albus could see war trauma in his eyes, as much as he tried to hide it. The reply to Albus' question came, "I come from a time long past. I was one of many protectors of an empire that collapsed over a millennium over. I was a God's avatar, as were my companions. We awoken 8 months ago, & have made the journey from the far east. We once guarded our empire from Greece, North Africa all the way to the Central Asian Plains & India. Lady Fate had promised us that we would be woken in time to prevent the world from going to hell."
Flitwick interjected, "We already went to hell & back a month ago. Where we you & your companions then?"
The man smiled, a genuine grin like he had expected this. "We were asleep for 1300 years. We were sustained by the lingering background magic of our resting place. Our captors gave us the grace of sealing ourselves away, vowing that no one from the magical world or otherwise would disturb us. After we woke up, we barely had energy to walk for over an hour. We had to keep stopping, even going to places thriving in magic to give ourselves a boost. Even now, we are not even at half strength. We can last two days without food, water and sleep, but then we need a 12 hour sleep. We also have read & heard about what has happened in the magical world in the past 1300 years, as well as the non-magical world. We are almost up to date as well."
Horace's audible gasp could be heard. All heads turned to him. He pointed to the blue-eyed man, "You are from the Persian Empire."
"Indeed. I was waiting to see how long it would take to make the connection. I am the most powerful Persian Magician, & I am not even exaggerating. I command the water element, which also allows me to control ice & water vapour. I can also turn into water vapour to cover distances quickly, if needed. I can also turn into water to sink & travel in water bodies. If anything has a drop of water in it, I can control it."
Flitwick's wand was still out, but he dropped his hand. "Where are your companions? We also would like your names."
"Very well." The man turned around & send a single bolt of lightning into the sky. From the air in front of them, two figures appeared in a sort of mist. Both had pure white eyes. They bowed to the five wizards. "These are Kawas & Khurshed. They command the air element, allowing them to turn into wisps of air as well. Perfect spies & assassins."
The ground rumbled & three boys with brown eyes rose up from it. They were all muscular, more than the other three already present. They regarded the wizards with cold stares. "The earth element users: Cyrus, Jamshed & Sarosh. They are the tanks of our team. They can deal damage as well as they receive damage. They can sink into the earth & traverse great distances underground, so long as there is a connection between their origin & destination."
The temperature spiked suddenly, even though the sun was still hidden behind clouds. Two columns of fire erupted behind the air users. Two orange-eyed boys walked out of the columns in complete sync. "Meet Xerxes & Artaxerxes. Our fire users, as you would have deduced. They can use light rays to travel, latching onto the sunrays to get across long distances. They can also absorb flames & heat from any source. A small candle, or a forest fire, it won't matter. Heat is heat, fire is fire."
Minerva spoke up, "You've introduced your team. But what is your name?"
"My name is Darius, ma'am. I am the leader of this team."
Albus took charge of proceedings, "Now that introductions are to be made, allow me to tell you about ourselves." He gave them a brief rundown on Hogwarts, themselves as well as Wizarding Britain. After he had finished, Xerxes spoke up. "Headmaster, I see that in your duties, you may not have realised the wards around the castle are failing."
Albus stared at him in shock, & immediately checked in with the wards. Nothing felt amiss, but then Filius pointed above them. They could see the ward, which was bad. Wards only showed themselves before they failed, or collapsed. Minerva said, "You can check on the wardstone, we will get the students out. If we have a ward collapse, I want them as far away as possible."
Albus sunk himself behind his Occumelency shields. Now was time for a general to emerge. "Get your students to Hogsmeade. Curfew is still active. The common rooms are not yet open. I will go & check on the wardstone."
They scattered into five different directions, nine of them racing for the Headmaster's office. Once there, Albus took out a purple stone from his drawer. He threw it on the ground, a swirling portal forming. They all jumped in.
Deep below Hogwarts, in a room with no entry, exit, door or window
All of them tumbled into a hall that was lit by large torches mounted on the walls, a purple flame on each of them. The hall itself was about 20 metres long & 10 metres wide. The floor consisted of large grey stone tiles, while the ceiling was not visible. The centre of the room had intricate patterns on the floor, with thin purple lines spiraling each part of it. Those were ward markings, Darius recognised. After all, the Persians were the ones who had invented warding, but in a much more raw form than Europe. European goblins had been taught warding, taking the knowledge back to Europe with them, where it was refined to its present state. At the centre of the markings lay a pure white rectangle, the wardstone itself. It was surrounded by a purple haze, a combination of charms to protect it from those with ill will. Albus took a look at it & sunk to his knees, "It's dead! The wardstone is no longer active!"
Cyrus knelt next to Dumbledore. "We can still save it, remove the protections & levitate it to us. Get goblins here. They can help repair it."
Albus steeled himself. People who did not know him an hour ago were ready to risk it all for Hogwarts, he owed them a chance to prove themselves & their intentions. He stepped forward & started taking down the protections, since the Headmaster was the only person in Hogwarts with the knowledge to do so. The others took in the rest of the room. Four walls surrounded them, reaching high into the darkness. One was red with a lion design on it. Closer inspection showed that thin gold sheets had been hammered into the wall to form that shape. Another wall was yellow, with a badger on it. The badger was made out of obsidian. The next wall, opposite the red one, was blue. It had the shape of a raven on it, the raven made out of bronze. The last wall, opposite the yellow one, was green with a silver snake on it. Power emanated from each wall, as if they contained something ethereal.
Dumbledore tore through the last protection, stepping next to the wardstone & levitating it. It was a simple cuboid, made from solid stone. It may have been pure white on top, but the sides were black, grey, faded white. Some parts had even chipped away. Dumbledore allowed Kawas & Khurshed to take over from him, rushing towards the portal to get goblins. As the eight of them waited, a silver cat bounded out of the walls, speaking in Minerva's voice, "The students are safe. All staff are out. If this is the last time we speak, Godspeed."
As the Patronus faded, Darius quipped, "Not even been here an hour, but we've finally got something to get the blood pumping."
Artaxerxes nodded. "Do you guys also feel your respective magic getting a tug from the stone?" Nods were seen around. The room shook at some point after that, as if an earthquake had hit Hogwarts, but the trio commanding earth stabilised it. They were far enough underground to use their powers without worrying about others.
After what seemed like half an hour, Dumbledore came out of the portal, followed by ten goblins. The head goblin yelled out orders in his native tongue. Wardmasters & cursebreakers were among their ranks. They took over the wardstone from Kawas & Khurshed, allowing the duo a reprieve. But as they scanned the stone, their expressions became grim. Albus was holding out on hope. He had tied his life-force to the wards before going to get the goblins, & had set up Siege Wards to protect Hogsmeade from the fallout, in case a ward collapsed without him realising. The head goblin was casting spells onto the wardstone, but no visible reaction was taking place. He consulted books that they had brought as well. One wardmaster was sitting near the read wall, legs crossed in meditation. The head goblin turned to Dumbledore with an answer, "We cannot save the wardstone. The only things that can bring it back to power have been lost to time."
The goblin meditating near the red wall was now floating high in the air. His eyes shot open as he sensed something that no one else had. He dropped down & ran towards the eight males.
"YOU! YOU CAN HELP CURE THE WARDSTONE!"
Albus asked, "How can they? They are not even from Britain, or even this time. They've been asleep for over a millennium."
The wardmaster grabbed the book the head goblin was holding, rattling off as he read, "We need pure water, purifying fire, impurity-free earth, and air touched by the hand of a God. In that specific order. The water on the stone, the fire in the room, the earth under & around the stone, the air to fill this room."
Albus was lost, and it showed on his face. But the boys understood. This may have been a reason why they had woken up. Perhaps the first step to prevent hell rising on earth was to secure strongholds. And Hogwarts counted as a stronghold. Darius stepped up, as did Artaxerxes, Sarosh & Kawas. The goblins went to a far corner of the room, dragging Albus with them. The wardmaster & head goblin kept the stone afloat as they gave out instructions.
"We need the water to be pure, fast & swirling. It should touch every exposed part of the wardstone. Go."
Darius' hands glowed blue, water erupting from his palms. He churned the water as fast as he could without losing control, then stepped up to the stone. The water hit it like a sanding machine, but they could see the stone gleaming as the water powered through on its journey. As soon as Darius was done, he vanished the water back into his hands.
Artaxerxes was next. "Set fire to the floor, the walls & the ceiling. Once the walls catch fire, the flames will get to the ceiling on their own. You focus on keeping a supply of flames going." Artaxerxes nodded, his hands turning orange before flames emerged & moved out from him towards the walls. As promised, the flames shot up the walls with a will of their own, and all six sides of the hall glowed bright, the ceiling was illuminated, about 30 metres above their heads. As soon as Artaxerxes was told, he cut the flames, allowing them to race to the walls & vanish on their own. He stepped back as Sarosh took his place.
"Go to the place where the wardstone was, use your earth powers to clean out the impurities, replacing it with your own impurity-free earth." Sarosh took his stance on top of the gap where the stone used to be. It took him ten minutes, but the gap was cleaned & replenished. Kawas was finally told to "Saturate the hall with as much air as possible, & if any stale air is present, filter it out."
Kawas flew up to the actual centre of the room, 15 metres above the gap for the wardstone. His eyes were closed in concentration as his hands turned white, & the wind in the chamber picked up, which should have been impossible given that there was no opening in the chamber. Five minutes later, he flew down to stand with his friends. The goblins looked happy with them, snapping their fingers to cast more spells on the wardstone. They looked at Albus, who looked like he was praying to every deity in the world. They walked towards the gap, Albus levitating the stone to prepare it for a gentle sink into the gap. As soon as the wardstone was back in place, the protection enchantments snapped back on their own. A low hum echoed in the chamber, each wall glowing its own colour. The animal designs themselves seemed to move, but that could have been a trick of the light. Albus found his own life-force thrown back at him as he was ejected from holding up the wards. They all exited the portal with speed, not noticing the wardstone itself glowing purple. Nor did they notice four ghosts that briefly appeared around it.
Hogsmeade, just after the wardstone was put back into place.
Minerva, Horace, Pomona & Filius all felt the wards snapping back into place. Hopefully Albus did not have to hold them with his own life-force. The students looked anxious as they noticed a purple colour take over the building & the surrounding areas, till it reached the borders of Hogsmeade before fading away. Looking down the carriage path to the castle, they noticed nine figures approaching. A cheer went up as Dumbledore announced that the castle wards were now repaired, and were as good as new. Breakfast was to be had in Hogsmeade, with classes suspended for the day. Albus cast a defensive ward around Hogsmeade to ensure no one went wandering off, leaving the only exit in the direction of the castle. As they sat & ate, the students approached the newcomers, questions on their mind. So Khurshed took the initiative to make himself the centre of attention, regaling them with stories of their past, carefully omitting details not meant for anyone under 16 years of age. Darius had taken to exploring the village, when he found a nice view of Hogwarts from a small cliff near Honeydukes. It was from there that he noticed a small figure walking up to the castle. He quickly ran to get Albus, pointing him in the direction of the figure. Albus snapped up his wand, signaling to the Heads of House to follow them. Darius brought in the people who had fixed the wardstone. They were the more powerful users of each element, so if a fight did break out, he wanted to inflict maximum damage.
The figure had long since entered the castle, though Dumbledore said that nothing had registered on the wards, & he was keyed into them for sure. The nine of them made it to the entrance of the castle, Filius drawing his wand, Horace drinking a potion of Liquid Luck, Minerva transforming into a cat & slipping away, to get to the other side of the hall. Sprout gripped her staff & twirled it in a circle, her clothes turning into armour. She was not taking chances. Dumbledore nodded & hit the door with a bombarding charm. The doors opened slowly & they marched in, taking in the scene.
The Great Hall was still as it had been a few hours back, when Darius & his team had first arrived. The only difference was that there was a lady sitting on a chair above & behind Albus'. She was fair, had hair that changed colour every few moments, slender arms, and an hourglass figure. Her eyes glowed purple, the same as the enchantments in the hall that they had come from. The same colour as the stone used to open the portal to the hall. Her nails had the same shade of purple. She regarded them as they moved closer, getting off the chair, or rather throne (it was far more intricately detailed than Albus', as well as more decorated). She landed on the floor gracefully, her eyes very distracting. Her dress was also purple, making Darius nickname her "Lady Purple" in his head. She wore a swimsuit-esque dress till her shins, with thin strands going off the shoulder straps & onto her arms, forming a structure like a bracer. She wore a necklace that had an amethyst in it. While the dress looked normal, there were metallic glints on it, as if it was armour.
Albus raised his wand, "I do not know who you are, but I will not have you endangering anyone."
A hearty laugh echoed through the Great Hall. "Me? Endanger those under my care? Never." Her voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the power behind it. This woman could wipe the floor with them & not break a sweat. Kawas' mind suddenly put a few things together. He turned to Albus, "She's no danger to anyone, unless they threaten her. I believe we are looking at the spirit of Hogwarts herself. The purple is what is giving it away."
Albus blinked, slowly lowering his wand. "That would explain why I never felt anything from the wards."
"Indeed young Albus. How can you feel something that is a part of you?" The woman's question was thrown with a smile on her face. Minerva showed up at that moment, turning back to human as she stood with them. The woman waved her hand around the room, causing the tables to clean themselves, the ceiling enchantment fading while it opened to the real sky. The Great Hall now had no roof. The dias, which had just the faculty table, now had a raised throne behind it. Albus was dumbfounded. Even he could not do all that being the Headmaster. The woman continued, "As Kawas here said, I am indeed the spirit of Hogwarts. How you may ask? It's a simple story. The Founders stumbled upon this land, finding a good combination of latent magic here. But this land was not theirs to take. They met the owner of the land & told their plan of building the school to teach magic. After extracting a promise from them, the owner allowed the land to be used for a school only. The Founders have Houses named after them, yes. But the owner of the land got a higher honour, as part of the promise extracted."
Horace understood where this was going. "The owner's name. It was Hogwarts. The school is named after them."
Purple eyes flared in recognition. "Yes Horace. The school was named after them. To make sure they were not separated from the school, the Founder's laid the body to rest in an unmarked grave. I believe you know what I am talking about."
It was Pomona's time to answer, "The wardstone chamber. That is the grave."
"Yes little Pomona. The Founders were also buried there, though they died much later. The person became a wardstone for the castle & grounds, protecting them from beyond the veil."
"It is you, is it not? You were the owner of the lands. Your name was Lady Hogwarts. You were buried here, the wards being fueled by your desire to protect." Filius' quick brain making all connections.
The woman smiled brightly. "Exactly Filius. I used to frequent these halls, but over time the Headmasters here used my wards for nefarious purposes, causing the wardstone to start losing power. I lost all my power a few days ago, but my revival was unexpected. I know for a fact that it is impossible to get air touched by a God."
Darius interjected, "That would be us, Lady Hogwarts. We are from the Persian Empire, so our magic comes directly from a God. That is what helped bring you back."
Lady Hogwarts sized up all four of them. "Interesting. Tell me Darius, what brings you so far from home?"
Darius grit his teeth, "Destiny."
"Fair enough. Now, I must ask you, when are you bringing the children in? I cannot wait to meet them. Also, I must inform you that there are some Houses I wish to meet. They were the first to send help in making the school, as well as the first to send students here."
"Which Houses are those, Lady Hogwarts?" Horace asked.
"I wish to meet Black, Bones, Longbottom, Ollivander, Nott, Gryffindor, Slytherin & Peverell. I sense that none of them have had members in the castle for a few years."
Minerva sniffed, "The last three Houses died out. There are no descendants left."
"Impossible. Those Houses are blessed by me to have at least a single descendant alive at any time. We will have to find them, then."
12th November 1981
Arcturus was enjoying the gossip section of the Daily Prophet, when a phoenix Patronus emerged through the window of the living room. It spoke with Albus' voice, "Arcturus, your presence is requested at Hogwarts at the end of this month. Please come around noon. Full regalia if you want." The phoenix faded away as Peter raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds ominous."
Sirius was busy thinking why Albus wanted his grandfather, that too at Hogwarts. They had no common political ideologies, no common outlook on life, & different views on squibs. Meanwhile, Remus was keeping Harry entertained with Narcissa, who had arrived when Sirius asked for her help with Harry. She had emerged from the fireplace, asked Sirius where Harry was, stopped to greet Arcturus & the other male wizards in the house, & rushed to where Harry was, Kreacher keeping him company. She was a mother, & knew that Harry would have to grow up not knowing Lily Potter except through stories by those who were close to her. But Narcissa was going to be damned if she let Harry grow up without a maternal figure in his life. Andromeda had agreed with her on that. Both of them were already mothers, Narcissa's Draco being Harry's age. What was one more kid added to their lives? Harry's godfather was Sirius, their cousin. They were already aunts anyways. Alice Longbottom was his godmother, but she was incapacitated, according to Andromeda. Neville was his godbrother, being Alice's son with Frank.
Sirius had no idea how to be a father. An uncle, yes. He had always imagined himself spoiling Harry. This was new territory for him. He would have to turn to Frank & Lucius for help. Ted Tonks, Andromeda's husband, would be able to help prepare them for the future, their daughter six years older than Harry. But that was a problem for another day.
Notes:
Persian Magic Users, with their element:
Darius: Water
Xerxes & Artaxerxes: Fire
Cyrus, Jamshed, Sarosh: Earth
Kawas & Khurshed: Air
Chapter 3: Change is a must for survival
Summary:
Things start to change at Hogwarts. Remus confronts Moony. Lady Hogwarts meets the families. Harry meets Draco for the first time, along with Neville.
Notes:
Things will speed up post this chapter, don't worry.
Chapter Text
21st November 1981
Lucius Malfoy walked the corridors of Hogwarts. He knew some corridors better than others, having been a Prefect as a student as well as a Member of the Governors of Hogwarts. He may not have been keyed into the wards like Albus, but being in Hogwarts gave him a sort of sixth sense about what was happening around him. He had been invited by Albus to talk about the future of the school, which Lucius was grateful for. Some things had to updated in Hogwarts, as well as the standing of the school (which had fallen in the past 2 decades). They were the sixth-best school in Europe, but outside the top fifteen in the world. Albus had done everything in his power to keep things afloat, but without him they would have sunk even lower.
He reached the door of the office, knocking twice before entering. The office was as messy as he remembered it from his last meeting, but if Albus was working well in these conditions, he was not going to stop him. The Headmaster smiled as Lucius sat down. "How are you Lord Malfoy? How's the family?"
"I am perfectly fine Headmaster. Narcissa & Draco are in good health. Draco has had his first bout of accidental magic just last week, so we hope to see a Hogwarts letter in 10 years, though if you can write up one for now that'd be nice as well." Lucius' eyes twinkled as he asked the age-old joke of magical parents discovering their child was following their footsteps.
Albus chuckled, "Now now Lord Malfoy, that would be cheating. But on the subject of letters, I have something to show you, that will segue into why I asked for you, & not any other Governor."
Lucius' curiosity was aroused. He watched as Albus pulled out an envelope with a broken seal. He brought out a letter that he handed to Lucius.
Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,
I hope you're doing well. My reason for writing this letter is unifold, but let me assure you that I write this with sincerity in my heart.
Hogwarts has lost its standing in the Wizarding World. I have had students who came to my school since their parents did not feel Hogwarts was up to the modern standards of what Magic is. I am well aware that the sheer amount of politics alone when dealing with your Ministry is enough to turn a person's hair grey. Even though your are outside the purview of the Ministry, they still have a hand in the running of the school. The fact that you are still there & have not let Hogwarts fall to the Ministry is commendable. I know you have other duties that occupy your time, so you cannot dedicate them all to Hogwarts, but I would request you to release those positions to those younger than you, who know what they are dealing with. It would then be easier for you to manage Hogwarts. Britain is too orthodox & backwards in their thinking. Just look at how you treat werewolves. You think them pariahs, shun them, make them hate themselves. Look at the other countries of Europe. They given them help, offer them power, give them responsibility. The last time a werewolf was ostracised in France was 1899. That's nearly a century ago. Creatures are not something to be feared. Most of them had no hand in what caused them to exist in the first place. They are also part of society. They are what makes society unique, in my opinion. I know for a fact that vampires are given votes in the Balkan states. There are werewolf reserves in all countries of east & central Europe, with a new one being built in Spain.
Please understand that while you are a great man, you are still human. You are fallible. One scent of fear from you, they will be hounding you like vultures on a carcass.
Yours faithfully,
Monsieur Delacour
Lucius finished reading it. He looked at Albus, right in the eyes. "I cannot find fault in this. He is right. Even if he had to call our Ministry out like that. I am sure he wanted to put some choice words in there as well."
Albus nodded. "Delacour was never one to beat around the bush. I have considered this letter, among other things, to plan my vacating my positions in the Wizgamenot & ICW."
"I understand. It will not be an easy decision to make. If you pursue that path, you'll be giving up a lot power."
"Indeed. But this brings me to another point I had wished to speak to you about."
"I am all ears."
"I want to stop the House Cup. No more points, no more inter-house rivalry that leads to students believing that their whole personality depends on a single common room. The Houses will be there as usual, but nothing more. We still have to honour the Founders."
Lucius considered this. While it would have its merits, he could see parents complaining about how their child was not what they expected when they heard about the House Sorting. It would take a lot of time to repair bridges between Houses, particularly Gryffindor & Slytherin. Old rivalries had been started in Hogwarts, some still festering to this day. "I can see the benefits Headmaster, but unless you have something to back it up, I fear you will not get approval for this."
A soft voice came from behind him, "Not even the backing of a Founder herself?"
Malfoy's wand was in his hand as he spun around, the tip of the wand six inches from her forehead. The young girl, essentially wreathed in purple, laughed as she poured magic out of herself & forced the wand to be lowered. Lucius asked, "Who are you my Lady? I do not recognise you from any Hogwarts portrait."
"That is because I do not have one, though I am a Founder."
Albus stood up & made his way around the table. "Lucius, this is another thing I wished to talk to you about." He then explained the ward failing, the quest to repair the wardstone, ending with the emergence of Lady Hogwarts & her story. To say Lucius was shocked was an understatement. His brain tried to wrap around the information, but he was struggling. He sat down as Albus & Lady Hogwarts walked to Albus' side of the table, opening a curtain from where Lucius could see the Quidditch stadium. He saw two people floating in the air & realised that they were the Persian Magicians. Albus spoke about how they were there to stay & protect Hogwarts from threats. Their leader was currently at the bottom of the Black Lake, trying to soak up some magic to refill his tanks. The earth users were in the Forbidden Forest, hidden from view underground for the same purpose. The fire users on the other hand, had gone to the Astronomy Towers, turned the telescopes towards the sun & sat in the concentrated light. For them it was far from harmful. This is was their fuel. Later they would fly into the sky & absorb the heat coming their way.
Lady Hogwarts took over from Dumbledore, "When the school was created, the Houses were created to separate students by their most defining trait, but school unity was also important. The students knew that the colours they wore for seven years were temporary. They were allowed into each other's common rooms as if they were of that House. Their personality was not shaped by the colour. It has saddened me to see the state of affairs now. You are as far opposite as you can be from the intended purpose of the House sorting. Besides, the Founders are long dead now. Doing this is only insulting their memory. Godric & Salazar were brothers in all but blood. Helga & Rowena were like their sisters. Rivalry was there, yes. But it never spilled towards the student body."
Lucius smiled. Albus had a fighter in his corner. But the Hogwarts charter would have to be considered also. If there was a provision for a Founder to overrule them all, it helped Albus. Otherwise this would be a drawn out battle. Lady Hogwarts pressed on. "Aside from ending the House Cup, Albus wants to adopt some old customs, as well as new ones."
"Oh? I daresay the Ministry or the Governors will enjoy this?"
Dumbledore let out a hearty laugh. "Lucius, I wish to bring back the traditions of Samhain & Yule. Imbolc is also under consideration. I want to restart classes that were taught in my day, which are used today as well. Alchemy in particular. I admit I am partial to it, but it would help students broaden their horizons. Warding is a subject in great demand across central Europe. Divination I wish to get rid of, but the Ministry has arm-twisted me here, considering Sibyl is an actual Seer. As for new traditions, I want to introduce Muggle sciences, as well as sports. Football is popular across the world, that could be a start. Boxing as well, seeing as how students seem to have pent-up frustration at times. I cannot use the Room of Requirement for all this since it can only take on one form at a time. I want this castle to be bustling with activity. I want to see wonder in the eyes of the children." He let out a sigh at the end of his speech, as if he had already resigned himself to the fact that it would not work.
"Albus, you might as well break the Statute of Secrecy at this point. Why we even have it, I don't know. My father, for all his faults, did try to get it changed so that we could slowly introduce our world over time, integrate it with the Muggle world, but he was threatened to the point of an Unspeakable getting him out of the mess."
Lady Hogwarts heard the entire exchange, watching as Lucius twirled his cane. She had similar thoughts as Albus, but she could remember a time when wizards & witches interacted freely with non-magical people, & nobody had an issue with it. She spoke, almost to herself. "There used to be a thousand students in Hogwarts, even in the Dark Ages. We had scores of teachers, for different subjects, teaching different years." Her mind went back to those times, with students all over the castle. Life used to better then. They had not revealed her to the school, but she wanted it to be soon. Only the staff & the Persians knew she existed.
Lucius glanced at the letter left on the desk, then back to Albus. "The Persian Magicians. Can we trust them?"
"I trust them."
"That's not enough Albus. Would you allow them to take your life if you went over to the Dark side?"
"Perhaps not."
"I can vouch for them." Lady Hogwarts spoke in her normal voice. "When I came to, I felt like I was back in the early days of the school. Only their magic made it possible. Also, I can feel their emotions while they are within the wards. They are not pure of heart, in the way you normally think. But they are strong. They know things. But they have no ill will towards us."
Malfoy stowed his wand back in the holster. "Then it is settled. We trust them. Do they know of your plan to modernise Hogwarts?"
"They are supportive of it. Once we get confirmation that the modernisation can be done, they will help us. They want to first reinforce the wards of the castle. Their plan is to ward each floor, then cast a ward over each corridor & room, followed by sitting places in those rooms. The beds in the dorms will also be warded. In short, we may not have to use War Wards or Siege Wards to protect those in the castle. Lady Hogwarts has also told me of a chamber which used to be a great place to get away from the chaos of the school. Apparently, it was used for apprenticeships whenever the student could not leave the school."
"What chamber?"
Lady Hogwarts smirked. "Just as Godric gave to the school the Sorting Hat, Rowena the Room of Requirement, and Helga the castle foundation, Salazar also gave the castle a safe room, for want of a better term."
"Where is this chamber?"
"It is called the Chamber of Secrets nowadays, though that is a misnomer. Salazar gave it to the school for apprenticeships & emergencies. He made it so only the language of snakes, Parsel, could be used to open it. He also gave Hogwarts its greatest protector: Pytho the Basilisk."
Lucius fainted.
23rd November 1981
Remus was meditating in the living room of Grimmauld Place. The full moon had come & gone, leaving him weak for two days. Arcturus had suggested meditation to help calm his mind & deal with the pain. As he concentrated, he felt a disturbance within his mind. He focused on it & found himself face-to-face with his alternate persona: Moony the werewolf. Remus knew that neither of them could harm the other. He looked carefully at Moony, the latter looking worse for wear. Physically, he looked fine, but the eyes looked sad.
Remus crossed his hands across this chest. "What? I never thought you were an emotional creature." His voice had a snap to it, which made Moony look at him with a bit of fear. Not expecting any reaction, Remus prepared to leave this space & break his meditation.
"Wait." A pained voice carried from Moony's throat. Remus froze. This was unexpected. "The potion you take. That is what is killing me."
"It's the only thing that prevents me from turning others into werewolves! Do you not understand? If you had control, you'd kill without remorse. At least you still come out every month. Be happy I haven't killed myself! The only reason you appeared every month was because of the potion. And the only reason you haven't killed or turned anyone is because of my friends! They risked everything to become animagi, expulsion included! I ate chocolate for 3 years straight, after each meal, to try & kill you. Unfortunately, I am still bound to you. So help me understand why I need to stop taking the potion, since I will feel the transformation pain anyways." Remus yelled, his hatred for Moony coming to the fore.
Moony's eyes glistened, as if he was ready to cry. "You never understood. All I wanted was to meet you. But you kept shutting yourself in, letting me take over for just the one night. Then you reversed the process when you took the potion. You never wanted to meet me. I have had access to all your emotions & not once did you feel anything but hatred for me."
"We will never meet. You are a bloodthirsty creature. Why would we ever align ourselves?"
Moony's tears really did fall. "Ask my sire then. Ask him why he did it. Ask him how he keeps himself in check."
With that, Remus was ejected from his mind, his eyes opening back at Grimmauld Place. Peter sat on a chair to his side, Arcturus opposite him. Remus got himself up & went to his room. The nerve of Moony to even suggest they could have been aligned. He slammed the door behind him. "Kreacher!"
The elf came into view, "Yes master Lupin?"
"Go to Diagon Alley, get me as much chocolate as you can. Get me Wolfsbane Potion as well, if it is available. Chocolate is the priority. See how much of each you can get in this amount." He handed Kreacher a pouch with fifty gold coins in it. Kreacher nodded & vanished. A short knock at the door sounded, Arcturus entering the room. He casually asked, "How was the meditation?"
"This effort was wasted. I met something I thought I never would."
"Oh? Who?" Arcturus' face became questioning.
Remus spat, "Moony. My werewolf form."
"And why is it bad? You've already named him. Clearly you have some level of affection for him?"
Remus' head whipped around. What had Arcturus just said? "Affection? He is the literal bane of my existence." The sentence came out like a snarl, but Arcturus looked unimpressed. He had fought more peaceful wizards who were far more dangerous than a werewolf.
"How can he be the bane of your existence? He should be your ally, if nothing else." Remus was tempted to try & rip Arcturus' throat out. He was a person with a short fuse, not as short as Sirius, but comparable. His conversation with Moony had upset him as well.
"You have no idea what he said."
"Then tell me." Arcturus' simple reply caused Remus to tell him about their conversation. Arcturus' reaction was unexpected. He smiled and said, "Then I believe you know what to do. Seek out Fenrir Greyback. I am sure he would be ready to answer your questions. I wouldn't be surprised if he invites you to join his pack."
"I am never leaving my pack, my friends. You could pay me the entire Black fortune & I still would not leave."
"Just for the full moon nights, Remus. We know that Moony will not harm animals, as your Marauder group has proved. But if you were around werewolves, you would be far better off. If it is just one or two nights a month, it's not a bad pay-off." Arcturus voice made it seem as if he wasn't suggesting things.
Remus nodded slowly, taking in Arcturus' words. If possible, he would ask Fenrir to take the werewolf out of him. The next full moon was in December, still some time away. He would contemplate till then. He watched as Sirius made illusions for Harry to watch, out in the corridor. Harry was watching with unwavering focus, giggling away. Sirius caught Remus' eye & winked at him. Just then, Peter came running up the stairs from the living room, eyes wide. "Alice is out of danger. She's been shifted from the hospital to Longbottom Manor. Frank's Patronus just came in. He also said that he's been invited to Hogwarts at the end of the month, but he doesn't know why."
Arcturus moved first. He thanked Peter for the information, moving to the fireplace. He had a few calls to make. One to Amelia Bones, one to the patriarch of the House of Nott. If things were what he thought, things were going to change in Britain.
30th November 1981
Albus paced his office, worried. Ever since his meeting with Lucius, he & Lady Hogwarts had combed the Hogwarts charter to see if her word held weight as a Founder. If it did, was it enough to overrule any decision made? They had gone through the school, checking hidden passageways, opening them or closing them due to safety, finding & removing curses placed on classrooms, armour pieces, & for some reason the position of the Defense against Dark Arts had a curse that not even Lady Hogwarts could remove. They had gone down to the Chamber of Secrets, where Pytho had been sleeping. It turned out that Pytho had been awakened by Slytherin's heir 50 years ago to kill some of the muggleborns, but instead only got Myrtle Warren, who currently inhabited the bathroom that housed the entrance of the Chamber. Albus was stunned to hear this revelation, but could not get Hagrid's wand repaired after this proof, since basilisk breeding was illegal in Britain, though Pytho had been born long before that law ever came into effect.
Pytho was the guardian of Hogwarts. She could not leave the grounds within the wards, but would fight for every soul she felt within it. Her gaze was not effective against any of the Founders, so Lady Hogwarts was immune, another point in Albus' favour. Parseltongues were also immune. But she had an eyelid that prevented her gaze from killing. This eyelid was active when speaking to Albus. Pytho used the plumbing to get around, and before it existed, she used to leave past curfew hours, keeping faculty & prefects company. The Chamber of Secrets itself had provisions to house about 500 people for about 6 months, with self-replenishing stores of food, a constant supply of water from the nearby mountains, & rooms that could be used for both sleeping & studying. Salazar's personal library was open to all who wished to further their knowledge, warded so that those with evil intent would be forcefully thrown out of the Chamber.
The Room of Requirement would be opened to all the students in January, but till then it was a secret from those who did not know about it. There was a few clauses in the charter that allowed the Headmaster to increase the students' non-academic activities, he needed the support of the Heads of Houses, two Governors of Hogwarts & one Founding Family. Since there were no heirs to any House currently in the school, Lady Hogwarts was the only available option. And she had long since advocated for changes. Maybe Founding Family could also refer to the Ancient & Noble Houses, who were invited to this meeting. Lucius had given his approval at their first meeting. Minerva & Filius had pledged their support, the latter not needing to be convinced unlike the former. Horace was skeptical but wanted to see how things panned out. Pomona was opposed at first until she understood the angle Albus was coming from. Since the Ministry had no hold over Hogwarts, they were not required at the meeting, which gave Albus much needed relief.
Concerning the 8 Houses that Lady Hogwarts had wanted to meet, Albus had dispatched Patronus messages to Arcturus Black, Frank Longbottom, Thaddeus Nott, Amelia Bones, and Garrick Ollivander. Lady Hogwarts kept insisting that the Houses of Peverell, Gryffindor & Slytherin had members alive, but they could not find any proof. They had decided to mark all three Houses as in absentia.
As the time arrived, he left his office, moving to the Great Hall. As he predicted, he was there first. Minerva arrived after a minute, followed by Horace, Pomona & Flitwick. They took their respective seats at the large table, with Albus sitting on a side seat, leaving the seat at the head of the table empty. Flitwick understood the move they were trying to play. Only Founders sat the head of the table. If not them, the Headmaster of Hogwarts took their place. A few minutes passed, and they felt multiple pings on the wards: the Governors had arrived. Lucius walked in first, the sound of his cane on the floor echoing. Behind him came a familiar figure that Albus hoped would aid him in this battle: Ted Tonks, Andromeda Black's husband & by extension, Lucius Malfoy's brother-in-law. He was the one muggleborn wizard or witch allowed on the Governors' board, since the charter mandated that there be a provision for outside opinion, by virtue of having experienced both the magical & the muggle worlds. He had been in Hufflepuff during school, always among the top five across all subjects. He was a lawyer by profession, catering to both magical & muggle clients. His wealth of experience was not lost on the Governors, which they had cited when they inducted him into the Board. A few of the Governors were old students who Dumbledore was sure would have gotten into politics, but had chosen a different route. As they took their seats, Lucius glanced at the empty seat & then to Albus, who nodded briefly. Lucius' lips curled into a genuine smile; this was going to be a very interesting meeting. Five more pings on the wards told Albus that they would be conducting the meeting shortly.
Frank Longbottom walked into the Great Hall with Amelia Bones. Frank was dressed in Auror robes, while Amelia wore her Ministry uniform. Both looked anxious, which was understandable since they had children at home, and leaving them alone was not something they wanted to do. Garrick Ollivander came in right as they took their seats, for once not looking like the slightly eccentric wand-seller. He was dressed in Wizgamenot robes, freshly cleaned & pressed. His exposed hands bore the glow of runes. Anyone who was in the business of wand-crafting or selling knew the importance of those runes. They basically protected Garrick from any outburst of magic from the wands, in short. His eyes were sharp, looking across the table assessing each person. He had given wands to the majority of those present. He knew exactly what made them tick, literally. Thaddeus Nott walked in a quick pace. His face was that of curiosity & concern. The last person to walk in was felt before they were seen or heard.
Arcturus Black was the Lord of the Ancient & Most Noble House of Black, the darkest, richest & most powerful family in magical Britain. His exploits were the stuff of legends: taking down a group of trolls aged 8, youngest Rune Master in Britain aged 16 (some of his rune sequences had been used when the Ministry was trying to stabilise the Department of Mysteries in the early 1930's), European Dueling Champion for 20 years consecutively (until he decided to step away and "let someone try & match the record"), youngest Chief Warlock of the Wizgamenot (position given up after 3 years), first person to walk into a Vampire Coven & return without a scratch after slaughtering all of them with his bare hands. He was also was known for his effortless wandless casting, which Dumbledore could not match. Sure the latter knew how to do it, but not at the speed or accuracy that Arcturus did. He had become a wardmaster with Gringotts while still at Hogwarts, since Warding was a subject taught during his school years, and his teachers had suggested he learn from the goblins, since no one was better than them. Suffice to say, Arcturus could duel the entire group currently assembled at the table, & take down most of them with ease. The older ones would take some time, but he would still win.
His silhouette came up at the entrance of the Great Hall. The man looked like he was dressed for war. Wizgamenot cloak, Dueling robes, Black Family Lordship ring on full display, ceremonial longsword on his side, Black Family Lordship cane knocking on the floor. Those who knew Arcturus knew that his wand was stowed inside, ready to either cast from within the cane or quick release into his hand. He was wearing dragonhide armour below the clothes, since this was a new situation for him, with not a lot of known variables. He had never been invited to the school before, and he had never become a Governor anyways. He took his demarcated seat near the end of the table. He glanced around, taking in who was sitting where. Albus got up from his place to start the meeting.
"Welcome professors, Governors, Lords & Lady of the Ancient & Noble Houses. I have called this meeting at the behest of a Founding Member of Hogwarts. The seat at the head of the table is hers. She has been in contact with me for the past two weeks. We have many ideas that align, but due to the Hogwarts charter, we need to conduct this meeting, so that no one directly responsible for Hogwarts is kept in the dark."
Frank's voice carried over, "What do you mean by "Founding Member"? Should it not be "Founder"? I can understand the Governors being here, as well as the four Heads of House, but the five of us here are neither. We are just Lords of Ancient & Noble Houses."
Albus smiled, as if he had expected this question. "Yes Lord Longbottom. It is indeed a Founding Member, yet to be confirmed as a Founder, though in my mind it is clear she is a Founder in the ways that matter. As for why you all are here, simple. She requested your presence, since your families contributed to the making of Hogwarts, as well as sending each magical member of your family here, without exception. There are three other families that are not present, as you can see. The remainder of your Ancient & Noble group: Slytherin, Gryffindor & Peverell, though the Founding Member maintains that she blessed them to always have a descendant alive at any time."
Ted Tonks was the next to speak up. "So where is the Founding Member? Highly unusual to call for a meeting & not attend it."
"She is waiting for me to call to her. She knew her presence would cause a few feathers to be ruffled without explanation, so she wanted me to lay some groundwork before arriving."
Lucius smirked. He was the head of the Governors, so he had the final say for them. "Let her come here. We can start our discussions then."
No sooner had he said that, than he felt the magic in the room becoming denser. Lady Hogwarts had closed the roof of the Great Hall after Lucius had left the meeting with Dumbledore, so as not to cause a panic for the students. Now, since the Headmaster had sent everyone home earlier than usual, just the day prior to the meeting, without exception, Lady Hogwarts could flex her power as much as possible without anyone outside of the meeting knowing. The other Governors looked uncomfortable at the increase in level of magic, while the House Lords & Lady kept glancing around, not looking uncomfortable at all. A purple mist formed around the empty chair, culminating into the figure of Lady Hogwarts, as she was the day Lucius had met her.
She rose as if she had all the time in the world. "Hello everyone. I am Lady Hogwarts, the person on whose land the school which bares my name has been built. I am not a spirit, but a person, though for many centuries, it was my grave that powered the wards of the school. I am sure you are skeptical, so let me lay your worries to rest. I was there when Godric, Helga, Rowena & Salazar came into this valley, searching for a place wreathed in magic. My family had owned this land for at least 7 generations before me. I was the last member of my family, ready to give the lands back to nature when I passed. But when the four of them requested I help them, I extracted a promise that it would only be a school that they built. Helga gave the castle its foundation. All of us gave it our all, brick by brick. At the same time, six other families from across the isles heard about us, and put themselves in a position to help. Five of them sit here in front of us, while the Peverell family is regrettably absent. Once the school was ready, all eight of your families sent their magical members to Hogwarts. Not one magical member has missed their education here. The fact that all of you are "Ancient & Noble" is a happy coincidence and not a consequence of that. When I died, the Four Founders placed my body within stone, enchanting it to generate wards. My desire to protect, fueled the wards as soon as the stone went into the ground. As the other Founders died, they were also buried near my resting place. Our combined power keeps the wards active. Till here, any questions?"
Amelia Bones, the only female from the group of eight asked, "I have been a prefect in Hogwarts. I have combed every inch of the halls & the secret passages. But I have never found a grave, let alone five of them. Why is that?"
"That, Lady Amelia, is because only the Headmaster of Hogwarts can access the wardstone. It is also hidden in a way that you will never find it by conventional means."
"Thank you for clarifying that. Please continue."
"My wards have been active for a millennium. Recently they failed. It would have triggered a ward collapse, leaving Hogwarts as a pile of rubble. Fortunately, Headmaster Dumbledore here was able to restore the wardstone with the help of Gringotts. For obvious reasons, only the faculty at Hogwarts knows about this. The students believe it was a routine updating of wards. Due to the restoration of the wardstone, my spirit was able to release itself from the stone. After that, it was simply a matter of creating a new body of myself. Of course I had help: the ghosts of the other Four Founders. After that, I came to the Great Hall, which was empty. Soon Albus & the Heads of House appeared & confronted me until I told them who I was. Albus & I have had long discussions about the history of Hogwarts, and I am equal parts pleased at the progress made, as well as disappointed at the backward & orthodox thinking of magical Britain."
Silence fell upon the table, everyone looking at each other with questions written on their face. There was so much to unravel here. Arcturus read the room and took charge. "Lady Hogwarts, Headmaster. I appreciate the invite for this meeting, but I assume that you did not call us just for a history lesson."
"Indeed not young Arcturus." Lady Hogwarts replied nonchalantly. He arched his eyebrow at the humour in her voice, but even he had a small smile on his face at being called "young". He was the oldest person at the table, after all. "In the course of our discussions, I have come to realise that Hogwarts needs to abandon certain ideologies. And by extension, magical Britain. Albus here was kind enough to let me see through his memories for a first person view of things. And to say I was shocked at the end of things would be an understatement."
Thaddeus Nott had kept quiet till now. But even his curiosity piqued. "Are these going to be easy changes or hard changes?"
Albus spoke up, "It depends on your meaning of easy and hard, Lord Nott."
"Just checking."
Lady Hogwarts drew in a breath, looked at each person sitting in front of her before starting, "The first thing that I want gone, is the House Cup. It was never about competition. It was always about putting like-minded people together, to prevent clashes. Allow me to explain to you. When the school was created, the Houses were created to separate students by their most defining trait, but school unity was also important. The students knew that the colours they wore for seven years were temporary. They were allowed into each other's common rooms as if they were of that House. Their personality was not shaped by the colour. You are as far opposite as you can be from the intended purpose of the House sorting. Besides, the Founders are long dead now. Doing this is only insulting their memory. Godric & Salazar were brothers in all but blood. Helga & Rowena were like their sisters. I am not saying to stop the sorting system, keep it. Just don't make it a competition. I open the floor to discussion."
The first few seconds were tense, as if they were waiting for a bomb to go off. But then something surprising happened. No one objected. Even Albus was surprised. He expected the former Slytherins to object, if not the former Gryffindors. Ted looked at Albus & asked, "What does the Hogwarts charter say about making changes?"
"I need approval from all Heads of House, two Governors & a Founding Family. Now, that last caveat is a grey area. Does Founding Family refer to that of the four Houses, or does it extend to the Ancient & Noble Houses as well, since they were instrumental is making Hogwarts? By that logic, does Lady Hogwarts also count as a Founder, and not just a Founding Member?"
One of the Governors, a former Slytherin named Thomas Creevey, Albus remembered, raised his wand, "Technically she can be both. She provided the land for the school. True, the Founders already knew each other, but she was also as vital in the plan of building Hogwarts from the ground up. Founding Members are those that normally join when the plans are ready to take off, but she was there from before the first brick was laid by Helga Hufflepuff. In my opinion, she's a Founder as well. Besides, if she is a Founder, she is a Founding Member as well. The converse will not be true though: A Founding Member may or may not be a Founder as well. And with your question regarding the Ancient & Noble Houses, I would put them almost in the same category. Since we do not have records to show exactly what the contribution of each House was at that time, I would say we can keep them as Founding Members, so that it is easier for you to have decisions deliberated."
"Agreed." Amelia said. "Even if she wasn't a Founding Member, you have my approval for this change of the House Cup. I assume you want it to run its course till the end of this year?"
"Yes Lady Bones, this June will be the last time the gems fall in the hourglasses."
Lady Hogwarts smiled. "Then let us put it to vote. All those in favour of ending the House Cup after this coming June, raise your wands."
Albus was shocked at the support he got. All 4 Heads of Houses, Lucius, Ted, Thomas, 2 more Governors, Amelia, Arcturus & Thaddeus raised their wands. Lady Hogwarts simply raised her hand. The magic flowed from each of them, and they felt a change in the air around them. It was less charged with tension than usual.
"Very well. First item on the list is over with. Next, we wanted to bring back some old customs. For now, we were thinking of Samhain, Yule & Imbolc, though we aren't too sure about Imbolc. We want to teach them the customs, help them understand the origins of magic, of wonder." Albus' voice was heavy at this.
Garrick Ollivander shook his head & spoke for the first time, "We can vote to bring it back, no issue there. But how many will be willing to learn, and then carry it forward to the next generation? You'll need at least ten years to see any sort of fruit being borne from this."
"Then I suggest we start now. Our children will be here in ten years, and it is imperative that they know what is being done, should anyone ask them." Thaddeus put his point forward. True, his son Theodore, Amelia's niece Susan, Frank's son Neville & Lucius' son Draco were all slated to start their Hogwarts journey in 10 years. Ted's daughter, Nymphadora was also to start in a few years. "If you want, make it a compulsion to learn about magical traditions, Albus. We won't stop you. We can all pool in and help procure materials for learning. Merlin knows our respective home libraries are filled with books, tomes & grimoires that we don't even read. It would be good to see this go through."
"Funny you should mention that, young Thaddeus." Lady Hogwarts pulled her shoulders back. "We wanted to introduce some subjects that have been lost to time as well, but we can get to that later in this meeting."
Arcturus simply glanced around the table, noting the interest of all members was high. This could be the most productive school meeting in years. He spoke up, "If you want to make it a compulsion to learn about magical traditions, it is only fair that those brought up only around magic be made to study about muggle culture & traditions. At least till their OWLs. It cannot be an elective subject anymore. It should be a core subject from the moment a new student sets foot into Hogwarts."
"The Ministry will get involved the moment we start making changes to the curriculum. Even though they just act as middle-men for the exams. The ICW proctors the exams. The Ministry makes sure that we get the papers to give the exams, and then sends the scripts off to the ICW after the exams. Our new Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, is absolutely paranoid that Albus here will be after his position." Lucius added on.
Lady Hogwarts' smile vanished. The magic in the room became denser. "Let them try and interfere with the students. I will have their hearts. I am a Founder, as we have just established in this meeting. If I do not have the best interests of my wards, the children, at heart, who will?" Her voice turned into a snarl.
Then the moment passed, her smile returning as if nothing had happened. She continued, "So, shall we vote to have Muggle studies as a core subject till OWL year for Purebloods, and the same for Magical Traditions for Muggleborns? Before you ask, Half-bloods will be encouraged to take up the subject that they know less about."
A number of wands were raised, easily passing the motion. Thaddeus said, "We will get you the texts on our traditions, you get a teacher or two." Albus nodded.
Lady Hogwarts then continued, "I wish to introduce Muggle Science as well. This will be a bit tricky since I would appreciate a united front on this matter."
The table exploded with discussion, stopping as soon as Frank set off a blasting spell. "We are biting off more than we can chew, curriculum-wise. Let's table this for a few years later. The Ministry will try and stonewall us for any change they see that could disturb the status quo."
Lady Hogwarts ceded the floor to Minerva. She wanted to introduce Football & Boxing as two sports in Hogwarts. Ted said, "There is a good amount of merit in this. And I am not talking as a Muggleborn, but as a Governor." This motion passed with just 2 Governors & Amelia not voting in favour.
Ollivander spoke up, "If the Ministry tries to interfere, all of us are culpable if they take over the school. I don't trust a single person in there, especially those directly under Fudge."
Minerva continued, "Divination cannot be removed, since our current faculty is an actual Seer, though we all know our students are not. Most students take it to get an easy grade. Potions is a subject that requires focus however. Horace cannot keep up with the demand of students across all 7 years. So we want to bring in an additional faculty, one who would oversee the NEWT students in 6th and 7th Year."
Horace stood up. "Thank you Minerva. With all of you as my witness, I would like to bring in Severus Snape as the newest addition to the faculty."
A small debate started at the table, with the end result of Severus being approved to start by September, pending his acceptance. He would not be able to control who came into his class for the first year, but he could make it clear by the end of the year. Being the youngest ever Potions Master in Britain's history sure had certain advantages. He was fresh out of school, he knew exactly what had to be done.
Considering the time they had been sitting, they all agreed to a recess. Ted went to Lady Tonks and bowed deep. "Pleasure to meet you. I hope you've been doing well since coming out of your slumber."
Albus snickered, Ted was ever the charmer. He had married into the Black Family, and knew that his life was never going to be the same again. He was a good husband & a good father, which was rare nowadays. Still, it didn't hurt to have him in their corner as well.
Lady Hogwarts smiled as she extended her hand towards his chest. His eyes narrowed but he did nothing. As Lady Hogwarts touched his sternum, purple light, her signature, swarmed all over him, though he didn't react to it. As the purple light receded, Lady Hogwarts said, "That was interesting."
Ted asked, "In what way?"
"You are a muggleborn, yet your core is stronger than most others that I have felt in these weeks. I honestly don't know what to make of that."
"Oh. I did not know that."
"To answer your first question, Ted, I have been doing well since coming back here. Albus has been an excellent host."
Ted nodded, unsure what to say. But then, Minerva called the meeting back to order. As they settled down, Flitwick stood up. His moustache twitched as it did when he was excited, Thomas recalled. "Well everyone. It falls upon me to talk about two famous places within this castle. You all have been in the first place: The Room of Requirement, also called the Come and Go Room. It was built by Rowena Ravenclaw to help students study & practice spells in peace. We plan to open it to all when the students come back in January. Lady Hogwarts will keep a watch on that room to make sure no one tries to make it something sinister or harmful to others. The other place is the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, it is real. Albus & Lady Hogwarts have gone down there. There is a basilisk bred by Salazar Slytherin himself, to be a guardian of Hogwarts. Parseltongues are completely immune to its gaze, but it has an additional eyelid that can prevent accidental deaths. The entrance to the chamber is opened by the Parsel language. Lady Hogwarts herself can override the charm to force it open, & she speaks Parsel as well, having learnt it from Salazar Slytherin himself. After all, it is a language, it is learnable. The Chamber of Secrets itself is a room that can be used for safety, like a bunker. It contains a mini library as well as potions laboratory." He paused to take a breath.
Creevey spoke up, "We can open the Room of Requirement, but not the Chamber of Secrets. I do not think we need to officially vote on this, considering all of us have used the Room for our own escapades, and this is a purely internal matter. However, we do not know which student is a Parseltongue. If the basilisk is indeed a Guardian, it must be having its ways of getting around the castle, correct?"
Albus nodded, "Indeed Thomas. Pytho can use the plumbing to move around the castle, and has memorised all routes. She used to keep the prefects & faculty company in the early years of the castle. She was born well before the anti-basilisk law was passed. Her presence in the castle could well help bolster our reputation as a school welcoming of creatures. After all, Amelia here is a Harpy Veela, Severus is a Vampire, Remus a Werewolf. Filius here has Goblin heritage as well, while Hagrid is a half-Giant and you will all agree he is one of the most gentle souls that you have ever met. Having another creature could boost our reputation. I admit this smells of politics, but I recently received a letter from France that has caused me concern about our slipping reputation. As a result, I wish to dedicate my life to Hogwarts now. My positions in the Wizgamenot & the ICW will come to a close very soon. The letters have already been sent out. Hopefully, Cornelius' fear will be allayed now."
Arcturus clapped softly. "I did not think you would give up those powerful positions. But you do understand that the Ministry will try to put a stooge in your place at the Wizgamenot."
"Ah, I am well aware of that, which is why I gave my own nomination, which cannot be ignored. And this person will be the best person to handle the post of Chief Warlock."
Lucius thought he understood, "Ogden? I admit he is a fair choice. His family has been neutral in the past 400 years in any sort of skirmish. Or is it Greengrass? Even he is a neutral."
Albus shook his head. "Nope. For the first time is 200 years, the Chief Warlock position will be taken by the Head of a Dark family, should they assent to it. If they do, no power in the Ministry can stop them from directly taking my place. Not even a vote can be called for. With all of you as witness, especially the Heads of Ancient & Noble Houses, I nominate Lucius Malfoy as my successor as Chief Warlock of the Wizgamenot."
Lucius choked on air. This was the last thing he expected. He would have understood if Albus had nominated Thaddeus, or even Arcturus. But himself? This was a dream. He looked at Albus, only to see Lady Hogwarts grinning ear to ear. This had to have been her idea. "Headmaster, why?"
"Quite simple. You are among the youngest of the Lords & Ladies in the Wizgamenot. You understand the changes that are happening in the world better than me. Besides, Cornelius will actually be happy it is someone he has spoken to a lot. You also understand politics, and I fear I have forgotten what it feels like to be sitting among the Wizgamenot. You have a son who will soon be joining Hogwarts, so I know you have the best interests of Magical Britain at heart, in some measure. I should step away while I can, of my own volition."
Lucius held his breath after Albus finished his speech. There was a lot riding on this. "I accept your nomination of myself as your successor, and will endeavour to hold the position to the same standard as you did."
All at the table raised their wands, setting off Lumos charms. Horace stood up, his legs shaking due to old age. He had led a fast life, so even though he was slightly younger than Albus, it was catching up to him now. "Well, I believe that one thing we have not touched upon is the fortifications of Hogwarts. We have our wards, in addition to the wizards & witches that inhabit it. We have the armours that can be called upon to help us. We have Pytho. But recently, Hogwarts has received a gift from a time long past. Lady Hogwarts, if you could please?"
Lady Hogwarts flicked her hand, causing the roof to open above the Great Hall. Every person present stared in wonder at the open sky, but then their attention was focused on eight figures who were floating in the air, descending slowly. Frank & Amelia had their wands in their hands instantly, but Lady Hogwarts forced them to lower their wands. "Wait. These are the people who helped release me. They are trustworthy."
As she spoke, the figures touched the floor. They were dressed almost identically: all-white clothes, a white helmet that had been forced upwards to reveal their faces. They had nearly the same expression on their faces, & from their eyes it was evident that these young men had seen all the sides of war: the bad and the ugly. The main difference was the cloaks they wore. One had a blue cloak, two had orange, three brown & the last two white, identical to their clothes. Their eyes were the colour of their respective cloaks. On their side, they each had a small silver mace. The heads of the maces were different, but too far to make out. They walked towards Lady Hogwarts, bending their knees at her presence. As Lady Hogwarts started speaking, they rose up and stared at the table.
"These eight are the last of the Persian Magicians. They are masters of the four elements: water, fire, earth, air. Their magic is what the goblins used to reactivate my wardstone. They were able to bring it back to what it was the moment I had been laid to rest by the Founders. But since they had also overpowered the stone, it was enough for me to emerge. You know the rest. At my request, they have agreed to be guardians of Hogwarts. Unlike Pytho, they can move anywhere, as long as it is within the wards of the grounds. The maces you see at their sides are symbolic. No one can pick up their maces, and they cannot pick up another's. These are ancient magics that even I will not understand in totality. Boys, you have the floor."
The person with the blue cloak strode forward. "I hope everyone is alright. Lady Hogwarts has already introduced us, so I can get to the specifics. I am Darius, commander of the water element. The fire commanders are Xerxes & Artaxerxes, the orange cloaks. Cyrus, Jamshed & Sarosh have power of earth, as depicted by their brown cloaks. The last two are Kawas & Khurshed, our air commanders. We have been asleep for 13 centuries, since the fall of the Persian Empire. Destiny has deemed it time for us to awaken & make sure the world does not go to hell, as it has in the past. The maces you are looking at are enchanted by our ancestors, to only work for us. So even if you try, you could not even levitate it. These are the equivalent of our wands, though we can easily defend ourselves from magic attacks & most mortal attacks without them. My mace has a horse head, I don't know why. Horses have no connection to the sea. The fire users have phoenix heads, which make sense. The air commanders have falcon heads, while the earth users have a bull head on their mace. We also have made a request to Lady Hogwarts to teach in the school, although our subject, or subjects, would be non-academic in nature. We wish to teach your children the way of the warrior. Do not make a hasty decision, we can wait till term ends in June. After all, there is a full month before the letters are sent out after that. We will await your answer then."
Darius stepped back as Horace stood up again. "The armours in Hogwarts, as mentioned earlier have magical properties that no one knew about, except Lady Hogwarts & the Founders. There are exactly 88 of them. Does anyone know the significance of that number?"
Everyone looked confused at that very particular number, glancing at each other hoping someone had an answer. To everyone's surprise, Garrick & Thaddeus exchanged a knowing smile and spoke together, "The constellations in the night sky are 88 in number."
Horace grinned. "Exactly. The armours are based on the constellations, and their respective properties are due to a magic created by Helga & Salazar. They can transform into their constellation form, their armour form or in extreme circumstances, form over a human to either protect them or get them somewhere safe without harm."
One of the Governors who had voted for everything raised his wand. "With all these protections, I think Hogwarts is more protected than some of our manors. No offence to any of the Ancient & Noble Houses, but the parallels of the protections here to your homes are striking."
Thaddeus laughed loudly. "My dear Selwyn, you have no idea. Most of our wards are illegal today, but had to be grandfathered in due to being nearly impossible to take down without severe harm to those keyed in to them. If anything, the wards around the castle are much safer than ours, most of which would kill you before you knew you had stepped in them."
Selwyn shuddered at the thought. Lady Hogwarts looked around the table. Everyone who had to know everything was present. Her heart still ached at not seeing the Gryffindor, Slytherin & Peverell families there. As she was about to call the meeting to a close, Albus spoke up. "Lord Longbottom, all of your family has been in Gryffindor, correct?"
Frank's brow furrowed, but he nodded. Albus looked at Lady Hogwarts, knowing what she was thinking. She snapped her fingers, the Sorting Hat emerging on the table. She looked at Frank, "Put your hand inside it."
Frank did so, pulling out Godric's sword. The metal was still sharp, even after centuries of disuse. Lady Hogwarts felt tears brimming up. "I believe we have found Lord Gryffindor. But I sense there is another, though their line has reaches across all four Houses."
Frank put the sword back in the hat, wary about the edge it had. Arcturus was amused seeing this turn of events. Thaddeus looked at Frank as if seeing him in a new light. Amelia on the other hand looked gobsmacked. Lady Hogwarts called the meeting to a close, and everyone left for their homes. Albus looked up at the sky & said, "Lady Hogwarts, I believe you should meet the students when school opens in January. We can then give them all the updates. The seventh years will not be affected, but everyone else will have at least one year of trying to adjust to the new normal."
2nd December 1981
Narcissa Malfoy & Alice Longbottom were seated in the living room of Grimmauld Place, with their children. Alice was nervous, she had heard all sorts of stories about Grimmauld Place. Narcissa gently reassured her that nothing would happen. They waited for Sirius to bring Harry down so that he could meet his cousin Draco & his godbrother Neville. Arcturus kept them company.
About ten minutes after their arrival, Sirius brought Harry down. He was flanked by Remus & Peter, the latter with his wand ready. Arcturus had warned them that Peter was even more paranoid than Sirius, mainly due to Sirius knowing what was happening with Harry due to his godfather senses.
Alice smiled as she made eye contact with Harry. As his godmother, she had to step into the maternal role in his life. Narcissa had told her that even Andromeda & herself had planned the same thing, in case Alice was never released from St. Mungos. But she did not mind sharing that responsibility with the two sisters, since that meant she would also play a role in Draco's & Nymphadora's upbringing.
Harry saw Neville & Draco, making happy baby sounds at seeing someone his size. Before long, the three boys were occupied with each other, speaking Merlin knows what with their teeth still not yet fully out of their gums. But they seemed happy in each other's company. The adults sat around them in a loose circle, making sure they didn't escape. Kreacher was happily whistling away in the kitchen as he whipped up a proper lunch for the first time in years.
As the kids folled around, Arcturus looked the ladies in the eyes and asked, "Your husbands told you what happened 2 days ago, I hope?"
Alice replied, "Yes. Though it was a bit of a shock learning he is now Lord Gryffindor. He has to share the title with someone else though, whose family has been spread across all 4 Houses."
Sirius snickered, "That can be literally 90% of our Magical Population. Even I can be Lord Gryffindor, being the first person to dress in red & gold in my family. And the Blacks have been in all 4 Houses."
The image of Sirius wielding the sword of Godric Gryffindor, with his signature grin, sent a shudder through Narcissa. They spoke at length about the meeting, even though Arcturus had told the three of them all about it. That was when Peter had an idea.
"With all these changes coming to Hogwarts, why not establish classes that prepare a child for the magical side of things? Muggleborns would welcome it, the half-bloods would enjoy a break for that time, and the purebloods have the option to join. At least this way, everyone is on a similar footing when the Sorting Hat makes its decisions."
Alice considered this. Peter was not longer the same man who used to crush on her. The war had changed him, for the better. He had to now step into the role of an Uncle for Harry, and maybe for Neville & Draco as well. However, Remus was the one who spoke first.
"Not that it's a bad idea, but then the Ministry will definitely get involved, and start pushing their propaganda on the students. The only way they won't interfere is if this idea of a "pre-Hogwarts" is not made public information. And then, you still have to find a way to contact the Muggleborns, if they are receptive to the idea."
Narcissa perked up. "We can always ask Minerva for the lists. After all, she is the one who sends the letters out in July. But we cannot do all this in August, when everyone is doing last-minute shopping, going on trips with their children, or even preparing for Hogwarts."
Arcturus continued as Narcisaa took a breath, "That still leaves us with the Ministry issue. How do we make sure this doesn't filter to them, and eventually Fudge?"
Peter saw the direction his conversation starter was going. On a whim, he turned to Arcturus, "What if we did it on private property? The Ministry won't be able to touch us there. It would be trespassing, at the very least, depending on how far they try and flex their muscle. And I am not saying do it in August. Not the whole month anyways, maybe a week at best. We just need to prepare them for the magic. We don't need to explain every intricate part. There has to be an element of doing and finding out themselves. Things like how to address goblins, how our economy works, what are the various careers to choose from, where to find the Hogwarts Express, which families hold power, how the Ministry of Magic functions. Even a rudimentary understanding of things will go a long way in establishing a good base for children. The biggest beneficiaries: Muggleborns & their families."
There was a stunned silence across the room, even the kids had stopped playing. Kreacher popped in, shielding the three of them. In his hand was a butcher's knife. As he looked around, he lowered the knife.
"Terribly sorry about that. I heard the boys go dead quiet, so I assumed the worst. Never a good thing when kids go quiet like that. Figured something must have happened to you. Anyways, I'd better get back to cooking."
He cast a tickling charm at the three kids, causing them to roll around on the floor, giggling away. He popped away.
Sirius shrugged, turning into his animagus form, a big black dog. He sat down near them, and soon they were climbing all over him, to the amusement of everyone around them.
Chapter 4: All New Things
Summary:
The Ministry is not happy with Albus. Lucius gets Albus' job. The Marauders reunite. Remus meets with Fenrir Greyback.
Notes:
So, we are going to see the Minister lose his mind a tiny bit, and the first meeting of the Marauders. They all have different roles, & this group is just a small family. Lucius as Chief Warlock is surprisingly well received.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
15th December 1981
Albus strolled through the corridors of the Ministry of Magic. He was heading to the last Wizgamenot meeting of the year, where he planned to step down & hand over his position to a certain Lucius Malfoy. Known only to a select few, Frank was planning to claim the Lordship of the Ancient & Noble House of Gryffindor. Lucius was already in the meeting chamber, as was his custom ever since he had been given his Lordship. As he neared the doors of the chamber, he met Lord Ogden.
Bob Ogden was a man of nearly 8 decades, but held himself much like Albus: straight-backed, confident & a smile on his lips. Ogden was also a fighter during the Grindlewald years, meaning he had no problems fighting dirty if the situation called for it. Despite being from a neutral family, he was always ready to throw down. He could give as good as he could take. His polite mannerisms went out of the window when he was threatened, and his stare was normally enough to cause even the staunchest of Dark Wizards to think twice before attacking him.
"Hello Albus. All set for one more meeting before a nice long 3 month break?"
"Bob, I think it might be a bit longer than that." Albus' twinkle was not lost on him.
Taking a second to understand, Bob's grin stretched ear to ear. "I cannot wait for the Minister to hear this." He walked on with Albus, talking about the latest in his life. As they entered the Wizgamenot chamber, they saw Lucius talking to Cygnus Greengrass, Lord of the House of Greengrass. Lucius spotted them & gave a brief nod, acknowledging their presence. The other Lords & Ladies filtered into the room. Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, strutted into the room with Dolores Umbridge behind him about ten minutes after Albus had.
"Greetings Lords & Ladies. I know everyone is ready to go home, so I trust this will be a short meeting. Albus, you have the floor." Cornelius spoke.
"Thank you Minister. Before we open for any formal discussion, is there anyone who would like to make changes to their House allegiance, or claim seats?" This question was a formality, as far as Fudge was concerned, but now there would actually be an impact. Frank Longbottom stood up, his Lordship rings (Longbottom & Gryffindor) on full display. Lucius snickered while Albus watched on with pride.
"I wish to claim the seat of Gryffindor, as proven by the Lordship ring I now possess. There is another who also has an equal claim of Lordship, & I will cede the seat when they come."
The seat of Gryffindor lit up, as did the ring. It faded slowly & a soft round of applause rung out. Fudge looked like a flashbang charm had gone up in his face, while Umbridge's jaw was hanging loose. Albus continued, "Thank you Lord Longbottom. Or should we refer to you as Lord Gryffindor now?"
"Longbottom is alright, Chief Warlock."
"Since no one else has anything to declare, I will now state my own business here." A number of heads snapped up towards him. A few, like Arcturus, Thaddeus, Frank, Lucius, Amelia, Garrick (who was here to express unity for the Ancient & Noble Houses when Lucius' name came up), Selwyn, Creevey, already knew what was coming. "I wish for this to be my last session as Chief Warlock of the Wizgamenot, simultaneously stepping away from my role as Britain's representative in the ICW, from which I have already resigned as Supreme Mugwump."
Everyone in the hall sat up a bit straighter. Things were getting interesting now.
Fudge could not believe his ears. This was like a gift for him. Now Albus would be well out of his way. But he had to maintain appearences. "Thank you Albus. You have served this body with dedication unmatched for the past few decades. I am sure whoever we vote to be your successor will have big shoes to fill."
"Ah, Minister. Thank you for those kind words. But I am not so cruel as to force a vote upon the Wizgamenot so close to Christmas, & potentially cause bad blood among its members. I have a nomination myself, as is my right as the outgoing Chief Warlock. The person asked has already consented to taking my place."
Fudge's face drained. He looked at Umbridge, who was gritting her teeth. "Who is this person whom you have seen fit to replace you?" The cat-loving witch asked.
"None other than Lucius Malfoy, Lord of the House of Malfoy." Lucius stood up from his seat, with an appreciative look towards his old Headmaster, soon to be his son's headmaster.
"I once again accept your nomination of my person, Chief Warlock." He did a deep bow towards the old man. Albus noted that Bob & Cygnus, the two men who Lucius had thought were to be his successors, shared a knowing look & a smile that showed they had no ill will towards either the outgoing or the incoming Chief Warlock.
Fudge swallowed. Hopefully no one would second this nomination. "Anyone who seconds this nomination?"
To his utter shock, the first wands raised were from people who had nothing in common. The Houses of Black, Longbottom/Gryffindor, Bones, Nott, Ollivander, Ogden, Greengrass, and Creevey were all seconding the nomination. All the Ancient & Noble Houses in attendance sharing the same thought was something that had last happened a century after the Ministry of Magic had been formed. "Very well, as Minister of Magic, I recognise Lucius Malfoy as the new Chief Warlock. Lucius, please come up & take your place on the dias. Albus, you may step aside."
Albus hopped off the stand as Lucius walked towards him, his Wizgamenot robes changing to that of the Chief Warlocks. Albus' robes did the opposite. He walked towards his family seat, unlocking it with his Lordship ring & sitting down on the comfortable leather. Lucius took the stand, looking as if he was born to be Chief Warlock. His hands were behind his back, as if he was planning a speech. "My Lords & Ladies of the Wizgamenot, thank you for seconding my nomination as Chief Warlock. I do not intend to propose anything on the floor today. I wish all of you a happy Yule, & New Year ahead. When we return next year, I have a few proposals to discuss & debate before them being put to vote. I also am willing to represent Britain in the ICW. I have many years, if not decades, to go before I can dream of taking up the Supreme Mugwump position. Thank you for your time. I declare this meeting over." Lucius banged the gavel by his side, allowing the wizards assembled to move about freely. Albus could not be prouder of his former student. Yes, he had to learn a bit in the art of being subtle, but that was not an overnight success to be had. Albus himself had taken 5 years to get to where he was.
Albus turned to leave, but Cygnus & Bob cornered him. Both had neutral faces, but Albus wasn't sure what they wanted. Cygnus spoke first, "You know Albus, both of us were surprised when you said that Lucius had already accepted his position." There was a brief pause as Bob continued, "We know why you did it, so we cannot blame you for playing the long game with Fudge here. Lucius is a Hogwarts Governor, his son will be joining in 10 years. He is from a Dark Family, so his biases are actually less than that of any Light family. He is one of the youngest in this chamber above the age of 17, has had political training since he as 14 & is related to the House of Black by virtue of his marriage."
Cygnus completed the rest, "His contacts & resources are plentiful, but combine that with the Blacks, and you have one heck of an ally." A smile broke out on Cygnus' face. "You chose correct Albus. The Light families may have their own prejudices to think about first, and us neutrals would be overly cautious."
"I am glad both of you are alright with this. Now, I must take your leave. I have a trip to France in a few days, and I haven't started packing yet."
17th December 1981
Arcturus was furious. His own grandson was somehow alive & dead at the same time, and he had no idea how. He hated not knowing things, even a single percent of facts was helpful no matter what the problem at hand was. Yet Sirius was sure that Regulus was dead, but the family tree said otherwise. Regulus' name had not faded, still in big, bold lettering.
He had gone through the books in his library for the past 3 days, leaving it just for sleeping in his room. He had searched everything related to death, the veil between life & death, even going so far as looking up necromancy, but he still turned up empty. He had already sent the books on magical traditions to Hogwarts, but that was barely a dent in his book collection.
Sitting down in his recliner, he gazed at the mess his favourite room had become. Books spread out all across the table, some even on chairs. He had been careful not to use any spells around the books, since the some of them dated back to the Founding of the Ancient & Noble House of Black. Peter entered, looking around till he found the older man. He came over next to him & knelt to be at eye level. "Tough day?"
"Worse than that. Regulus is somehow alive, as the family tree states. But Sirius is sure that he is dead. My Lordship ring only detects four people as next in line for the Black Lordship: Sirius, who is my declared Heir, Andromeda who is his oldest cousin, Bellatrix who is in Azkaban & Narcissa who is married to Lucius Malfoy. So where on earth is Regulus? If I can at least find out which part of earth he is on, I can get there & conduct an investigation."
Peter tilted his head, "Why not use a Patronus? They will travel right to the recipient. Just cast yours, give it a message, follow its path. Done."
Arcturus regarded Peter with a curious look. Maybe there was potential in this young Marauder. "Very well. I hope this works." A twirl of his fingers causes a silver lion to emerge. It stood nearly as tall as Peter. It turned towards the caster.
"Carry this message to Regulus Arcturus Black. Where are you? Are you still with us in the world?"
The lion waited a few seconds, before turning & running through the wall. Arcturus & Peter were up in an instant, the latter casting his own dragon Patronus, "Padfoot, Moony. I am with your grandfather. We may have a lead on Chiro. Stay at home till we come back. If we do not come back in 24 hours, send Kreacher."
They raced out of the door to see the lion bounding across rooftops. Arcturus grabbed Peter's hand and started apparating in the direction of the silver beast. They followed it for nearly 3 hours when it came to a stop near the shores of the sea. There was a steep drop from where they were, but the lion was looking at a cave that had formed in a large rock just across from them. However, the lion seemed reluctant to go any further, keeping its eyes peeled to the cave. Peter sent out a small revealing spell, which showed that they were alone.
Arcturus apparated them to the mouth of the cave, the lion not following them. He dissolved it & cast another one, with the same message. The lion ran into the cave, though it triggered the wards around the cave. Arcturus didn't care. He tore through the wards, finding them ridiculously novice. As they went deeper into the cave, they came across a small island inside, surrounded by a moat of water, and something else. Another revealing charm showed nothing, but Arcturus wasn't taking chances. The lion was staring at the water, as if waiting for something to emerge from it. He dipped his hand in, feeling it to be denser than usual. But it was still water. As he withdrew his hand, he felt something latch onto his fingers. It became stronger as he brought his hand closer towards himself, but suddenly stopped pulling.
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a whitish monster erupted from the depths. It was humanoid, translucent, and very much dead. It moved slowly towards the shore and Peter could only say one word, "Inferi."
Arcturus cursed as he hit the creature with a bombarding spell. It fell back into the water, now the water in front of them was teeming with bubbles, as more Inferi made their way to the surface. The next one that erupted, was much more recent. Its clothes were half torn, it still had skin on itself, and it had a ring on the finger. Peter took two steps back as the lion carried out its message, dissolving.
Risking a glance over at Arcturus, Peter saw his face shrink, lose colour & tears come up in his eyes. Peter realised why the ring looked familiar: it was Regulus' good luck ring. Regulus had become one of the undead. Arcturus called out, "Keep them back. I need to see my grandson."
The duo started casting spells at every other Infernus that came in front of them. Regulus came towards them at a slow pace, but seemed hesitant with each step. Having cleared out as much as possible, Peter cast a temporary shield around them. Nothing could get in or out without him touching it. Arcturus revealed his wand now, standing between the two of them. His voice shook, "Regulus. What happened?"
The Infernus had no response to give, but stopped in its tracks. Arcturus cast a charm that brought the earth up to lock his legs in place. He then touched Regulus' head with the tip of his wand. "Leglimens."
Arcturus' mind was filled with images from Regulus' point of view. He saw Voldemort's ranks get infiltrated, secrets get revealed and saw why Regulus had come to the cave: to get his hands on the Horcrux. As he left his grandson's mind, the Infernus looked at him with wide eyes. A small word left his mouth, "Grandpa?"
Arcturus cried as he watched the Infernus crumble & dissolve into sludge in front of him. Peter was struggling to maintain the shield, but unknown to him Arcturus was waiting for that. Now that he had all the information, the old man was ready to declare war. He called out to Peter, "I need you to get to the centre island where the basin is located. You cannot fly there, but I can throw you there. There is a locket in there. I need you to reach in & grab it. The water will slowly dissolve your skin, so be quick about it & I can get it healed once we get reach home. Once you get it, I'll summon you across."
Peter nodded, fear written on his face. He dropped the shield & transformed. Arcturus picked him up and hurled him as far as possible, before hitting him with a bombarding spell. Peter landed on the sand in front of the basin. He saw the locket in the water & plunged his left hand in. The water started to eat away at his skin, but he got the locket out of there. The spells it was laced with felt among the worst he had ever experienced. Arcturus summoned him back & said, "That is a Horcrux of Voldemort. Only two things in the world will destroy it: Basilisk Venom or Fiendfyre. What do you think we should do?"
Peter looked at him with acid in his eyes. He set the locket down, saying, "Get ready to apparate us as far as possible. I will channel a lot of willpower into this."
Arcturus performed another banishing charm at the incoming Inferi. He then caused the water to rise up and surround them. At least the flames of the next spell would be contained and die out without a lot of collateral damage to the cave itself. Peter placed his wand's tip on the locket's surface, expression dead set on going through with a spell that he had cast once before. "INCENDIO DIABOLICA! DIABLO FLAMAS! FIENDFYRE!"
His wand shot out flames that consumed the locket. They both heard a distorted scream as the locket burned, giving off ink-like smoke. Peter cut off his supply of the flames & the duo apparated outside the cave. They could see the glow of fire on the cave walls, and it soon shut off. They made their way back towards the locket, only to find that it had been mildly charred. Peter fell to his knees, "HOW IN MERLIN'S NAME DID IT SURVIVE?"
Arcturus levitated & inspected it. On the underside of the locket was a silver snake in the form of the letter "S". Arcturus cursed. "This is Salazar Slytherin's locket. Voldemort must have found it & stolen it away for this nefarious purpose. I am willing to bet the Horcrux is inside the locket, not the locket itself."
Peter looked up, "Then let's open it."
"No. I already tried. I have a feeling that this will only open to a specific phrase, in Parsel. And more specifically, a Parseltongue who is descended from Salazar Slytherin. We will take it back with us, keep it under wards. From my knowledge of Horcruxes, this thing is very dangerous in the hands of madmen. If Voldemort created one, there is no telling how many more he created. This is among the foulest of magics. Even Gellert Grindlewald never stooped so low. He had the honour to fight in his entirety, not stow away part of his soul for immortality."
Getting back to Grimmauld Place was easy, but the moment they walked through the wards the locket was nearly ripped from Arcturus' hands. Arcturus had to wrestle it to the door, while Peter kept pulling him closer to the door, where the wards would not effect the locket. As soon as they got inside the door, the feeling cut off, but Kreacher was standing there, fingers ready to snap. He looked between the two of them, then to the locket. "Filthy magic that is. Best take the locket to the basement."
Arcturus nodded & cast some spells on it, cutting off most of the effect the Horcrux was having on Peter. Thanks to his Occumelency, he wasn't effected, but Peter's shields would crumble after prolonged exposure. Peter cast his own wards around it, while Kreacher also wove a wordless charm around it. They took it to the basement, where Arcturus kept old relics. The basement was warded almost as tightly as the entire house, but each relic had its own dedicated ward around it, to prevent anyone from accidently summoning them or touching them. The locket was put on a stand, which immediately threw up iron bars and surrounded it, like it was a prisoner. Peter felt the feeling cut off completely. They left the basement and entered the living room, where Peter slumped on a chair. He opened his Occumelency shields, allowing all the recent emotion to overwhelm him. His tears burst forth, loudly. Arcturus sat near him and waited till Peter stopped crying. He looked Peter in the eyes and said, "I think you should call the Marauders for a meeting. The last time you all did meet, it was the end of your sixth year, at Hogsmeade. Sirius told me as much. Maybe everyone should be put on the same page, hearing the news as it is & not a watered-down version."
"What news?" Sirius called out as he emerged from Harry's room and onto the corridor that overlooked the living room. Peter sighed and called out, "Kreacher!"
The elf popped in, a questioning look on his face. Peter looked them both in the eyes, knowing that he was going to have to deal with a lot of tears. "Chiro is dead. He was an Infernus, which is why the family tree refused to acknowledge him dead. We found out where he was, and while we were dealing with things around us, he died." It was not the full truth, but there were no lies told. Sirius' eyes lost some of the light they harboured. He clenched his fists. His magic was pulsing wildly, even with his Occumelency shields in full effect. Even Kreacher was maybe a moment away from crying.
Without meaning to, Sirius fueled his magic into a ball in front of him, blasting it at no particular target. Everywhere it was about to hit, Arcturus was wandlessly deflecting it. He could keep this up for a long time. Remus came out from his room, looking fully energised after his transformation. He was going to meet Greyback soon. As Sirius' balled-up magic slowed & fizzled out, Arcturus spoke up, "We call for all the Marauders. Voldemort went after the Potters, he went after Dorcas, and he got Regulus killed as well. Maybe it is time you brought the full force of your group down on him. Kreacher, I believe we will need to prepare quite a few rooms for our guests. We can call them in for Yule & New Years. Those with children will be quite safe here. Oh, and we will pass on the invite to the Malfoy & the Tonks families. Today is the 17th, let's call them in 5 days time, say noon. That gives them time to prepare and come, as well as us to prepare to host them. Patronus messages only. Just state why you are calling them, and that before they object, they should know that the Lord of House Black is calling for this meeting. Give them the address & tell them that we will admit them within the wards. Remus, I believe Dorcas will be released tomorrow. If you want to go in person, that would be better. I can cast the glamour for you."
Peter was already casting his Patronus to call Severus. The most difficult person to get would be Barty Crouch Junior, who was currently under his father's care. He had been Regulus' closest friend in Hogwarts, well before they had joined the Marauders. After he was done, Arcturus took him to a healing room to reverse the damage done to his hand by the water in the cave's basin.
22nd December 1981
As the clock struck 11 am, the wards of Grimmauld Place pinged. Arcturus had just finished arranging the chairs in the living room, when he felt it. He apparated down to the front door to see not one, but seven people: Frank, Alice & Neville Longbottom; Lucius, Narcissa & Draco Malfoy, and Dorcas Meadows. He quickly walked down the front steps &, one by one, took their hands walking them through the wards into the building. As soon as Frank stepped in, as the last person, Arcturus guided them to the living room, where refreshments were ready. Sirius, Remus & Peter were getting Harry ready to meet his friends, so they would take some time.
They all sat on the chairs or couches, Lucius feeling slightly uncomfortable under the piercing stare of Lord Black. Frank started, "Lord Black, thank you for extending this courtesy to us. Unfortunately, my mother did not join us, stating that someone had to keep the wards active around the Manor, also stating that it was just the three of us you had called and no one else from the family."
"That is correct Lord Longbottom. This invitation actually has a few layers, and I do not think Augusta would have been amenable to them. Tell me, how are both your boys? Since I last saw them a few weeks ago, they seemed to have put on a bit of weight."
Narcissa laughed, "Yes. Draco has put on a bit, though we suspect that his core might be shaping up now. Dorcas, how are you now?"
The former Slytherin looked outright scared in the presence of Lord Black. She swallowed and spoke, "I am alright now, but the occasional tremors in my body will take a while to fade. The healers have told me that I cannot cast any magic till at least New Years. But I do not trust myself to stay alone, so I plan on selling my house in Godric's Hollow. I only stayed there because James & Lily asked me to, should they need to send Harry there. It has the most basic protections on it, nothing like your Manors. So I don't have any worries about giving it away. I will find a place for myself, or stay in the Leaky Cauldron for some time till I land a job."
Arcturus guffawed, "I am afraid that will not be easy. Besides, you will get an offer to stay soon enough."
Dorcas looked confused, "I do not understand Lord Black."
"You will find out soon enough."
Just then, Sirius came down the stairs with Harry in his arms. Upon seeing the other two boys, Harry squealed in delight. Remus followed him, while Peter just jumped from the balcony onto the ground floor. Dorcas smiled at seeing the little boy, while Narcissa handed Draco to Lucius, taking Harry from Sirius & casting a diagnostic charm on him. Finding everything clear, she exchanged a look with Alice, who jutted her chin towards Dorcas. Narcissa smiled & promptly placed the little boy into Dorcas' arms, who was surprised but held tightly onto him. A few more pings sounded over the next 30 minutes as the remaining Marauders arrived: Severus Snape completely cloaked to avoid the sun, Amelia Bones with her niece Susan Bones in tow, Barty Crouch Jr. who had sustained multiple broken bones, burns, boils & curses when fighting the Death Eaters. The only ones left were Andromeda, Ted & Nymphadora. They arrived via Floo, since Sirius had already keyed them into the wards. Arcturus had disowned & disinherited Bellatrix days before, so there was no fear of her ever stepping foot into any Black property.
As pleasantries were exchanged, Remus took his wand out, sending a blasting charm up that did not do any damage. All eyes turned to him as he said, "Welcome to Grimmauld Place. For most of you, this is your first time here. I am pleased to inform you that Lord Black has made a decision of hosting all of us, for Yule & New Years, as well as beyond that. Please take your seats at the table."
Arcturus lazily waved his hand, causing a round table to pop out of thin air, large enough to seat all of them, with space to spare. Each person sat where they wanted, with Amelia, Alice, Dorcas, Narcissa & Andromeda keeping the children on their laps. Arcturus smirked at the thought of conducting a meeting of those who were essentially pranksters till a few years before. He stood up, "As Remus said, and all of you were informed in the invites, I am hosting all of you here till New Years. However, there is a part which he did not mention. Each and every person present here today has a permanent room in this house. The Ancient & Noble House of Black hereby extends the invitation of hosting you all at 12 Grimmauld Place for the rest of your lives." The silence that fell across the table could have been cut through with a butcher's knife. Arcturus continued, "I also wish to clarify before anyone says anything: this is not Black Manor, where guests have temporary quarters. This house has no word called "Black" in its address or designation. Therefore, it is easier to host permanent guests here. Though I think calling you guests any further is likely to get me hexed by Sirius. You are all a family, and I just so happen to be the grandfather of one of the Founders of your family. Hence, you become part of my family in all ways that matter. Grimmauld Place is now yours to use as you so wish."
Severus was the first to recover, "Lord Black, I thank you for this invitation & proclamation of us being part of your family. But some of us are..."
"Severus, please. I am already hosting a werewolf. It won't be a problem to host a vampire, and a veela as well. Besides, if you think there will be a problem with them when it comes to your alter egos, the wards of this house are already there to prevent such fighting. My ancestors were paranoid enough to think of everything in their present as well as their future, long after they were gone. The wards here also sense emotion & intent, one of the underlying principles of magic. So no one is in danger here."
Severus' mouth opened & closed. His worries were evidently unfounded. He looked across to Amelia, whose tension also seemed to evaporate. They both looked at Remus, who gave them a smile. Arcturus watched them. He was happy that he had covered that dangerous conversation quickly. Reaching into his robes, he brought out the locket. Placing it on the table, he said, "Do not touch it. What I am about to tell you will leave some of you in anger, some in disbelief, while some might get trauma. But I feel all of you should hear this. I will cast a simple spell to knock out the children for now. This is not for their ears. Yes Nymphadora, you too." A twirl of his wand, and the children were fast asleep.
"This is Salazar Slytherin's locket. Nothing wrong there. Except that it houses a piece of Voldemort's soul. A Horcrux. We cannot open it. The running theory is that only someone speaking in Parsel, descended from Salazar can open it. I gave it to Gringotts, but they said that nothing could done unless I open it. I even contacted a few overseas associates of mine who specialise in cursebreaking, but they said the same thing. I even contacted someone in Hogwarts, but she refused to touch it, stating that I dare not bring such a vile thing near the school again. But even for all her strengths, she could not force it open. So for now, this Horcrux is as good as sealed away."
Amelia kept her eyes fixed on the locket, "When you say in Hogwarts, do you mean a certain purple-favouring person?"
"Indeed."
Frank cursed under his breath. If Lady Hogwarts could not do it, they had no chance. According to Arcturus, even Fiendfyre would not destroy the locket, forget the Horcrux inside. But something was missing, some crucial fact. Barty looked at Arcturus, "But how did you come across this, Lord Black?"
"The Black family tree refused to acknowledge Regulus as dead. Peter suggested a Patronus message could guide us to him. It did. We ended up in a warded cave near the sea. Inside the cave was a basin containing the locket. Surrounding the basin was a moat of water, and Inferi. Regulus was one such Infernus. I reached into his mind to see how he had ended up there. He had infiltrated Voldemort's ranks, found out about this Horcrux and tried to steal it. But he failed to do so, getting caught by the Inferi in the water & being dragged down, becoming one himself. As I released myself from his mind, there was a moment of recognition in his eyes, before he dissolved and died at my feet. His last word was "grandpa", phrased like a question, as if he couldn't believe it was me."
Dorcas held Harry closer to herself, as if worried he might slip away from her. The bastard who had tortured her had also split his soul, at least once. No way was she allowing him to live. Looking around, she could see all parents doing the same with their children. Even those without, like Severus, Remus, Peter, Sirius, Barty, they looked ready to carve their way through Death Eater ranks again. Arcturus continued, "I feel this is not the only Horcrux Voldemort created. There might be more, the limit being seven for a single person. If you ever come across them, bring them here. We will destroy them in the safety of Grimmauld Place, so no one can accuse you of using Dark magic. From today, the House of Black goes to war against Voldemort."
Frank brandished his fused Lordship rings, "The House of Longbottom & the House of Gryffindor stand with you."
Amelia showed off her Ladyship ring, "The House of Bones stands with you."
Only the Ancient & Noble Houses could declare war. The other houses, the Noble ones, could only agree or disagree with the Ancient Houses that they were allied to or were vassals of. So Lucius could agree or disagree with Arcturus directly, but in private.
The heavy part of the meeting over, Arcturus waved his hand, causing the children to wake up from their nap, all looking refreshed. Remus took charge, "The legacy of the Marauders is now passed on. Neville, Draco, Harry & Susan will be the next Marauders, but pranking will be just a part of what they do. They can help others, become greats in their respective fields. But they will never torment others just for the sake of it. They will be better than us."
Andromeda perked up, "What about Dora?"
"Andromeda, she will be in her final year when these four arrive. I do not think she will ever consider herself as a Marauder."
Dora looked up at the werewolf, with a wide smile, "That's alright. I can always help them whenever they need something. Maybe a midnight snack or even a funny story."
"Glad to hear that my little Metamorphagus." Remus beamed at her. "Severus, I was wondering if you would accompany me tonight to Knockturn."
Severus nodded, with Barty saying he would also come. The meeting over, everyone split up to be taken to their respective rooms. Most wanted to take a tour of the house, so Andromeda, Narcissa, Sirius & Kreacher said they would show them around. Arcturus placed the Horcrux back in the basement, locking it up & leaving. Remus, Severus & Barty left after dinner.
Arriving in Knockturn Alley, Severus' senses went on high alert. It was not the first time he was here, but no risks were to be taken. Remus took them to a small pub whose name had long since faded away on the sign. Once inside, they sat at a table, waiting. Before long, Remus' contact walked in. He looked around before spotting them, a grin plastered on his face. As he sat down opposite them, he spoke, "Hello cub. How long has it been?"
"Fifteen years. A decade and a half since you changed my life."
Barty understood who it was in front of them. "Fenrir Greyback. Britain's most wanted werewolf. Sire of at least 50 werewolves in the past decade."
Greyback nodded solemnly. "All of those werewolves were consensually sired. I gave a pack to those who were not welcome at their home."
Remus interjected, "I never gave my consent."
Fenrir turned to face him, looking old for once. "Your mother did not want you to suffer. She contacted me when your father was away. I explained everything to her, the pros and the cons. She was conflicted, let me assure you. But she wanted to see her son grow into a better man than his father, so she allowed me to bite you. You were already confirmed as a Hogwarts student, and would need a place to transform safely. So I contacted Albus closer to your ninth birthday & explained the situation. He said that he could not have you transform within the wards, so I constructed the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. The tunnel to the grounds were made by Flitwick, while Pomona enchanted it to never collapse. The Whomping Willow was given as a gift to Pomona by me, a year before you started, to avoid suspicion. After that, I frequented Hogsmeade every single full moon for three years. Then I noticed your friends become animagi for you, so I realised that I had to step back. And it turned out fantastic for you, if I may say so myself. Granted, the Wolfsbane potion can be a bitch, but at least you are in control."
Fenrir's calm demeanour irked Remus. He sounded as if he was enjoying the conversation. "I spoke to Moony recently. I had no intention to do so, but I did. He said the potion was killing him, but that there is a way for me to align with him."
Fenrir's eyes widened. "You spoke to him this early into your life? Sweet. It normally takes 50 years or so before that happens. He would have told you to seek me out, which is why we are here, correct?"
Remus looked ashamed, "Yes. Even Arcturus suggested this. He also said that if I have to be a part of your pack, just for the full moons, it was a worthy pay-off."
"I respect Lord Black a lot. If he says to jump, everyone better jump. Very well, what I am about to teach you is werewolf-only knowledge, so I would request your friends to come back after some time."
Severus' wand was in his hand, while Barty growled, "We are here in his support. Frankly, we don't trust you just yet."
"Alright. Remus, I want you to understand, the werewolf is as much a part of you, as you are a part of them. You think it is a monster, I get it. But understand that a werewolf is also a sentient creature. The easiest way to align yourself with your werewolf is to not resist it. The more you resist it, the greater the pain you feel upon transformation. Once you stop resisting, the flow is almost fluid. You won't even feel it happen. Once you get the hang of not resisting, you'll be able to transform at the drop of a hat. Not just on full-moon nights, but even in the peak of day. Your claws & teeth will still be able to cause people to become werewolves, so be careful with them. Of course, you won't be able to sire those who are already creatures, so your vampire friend here is out of question. Stop taking the Wolfsbane potion. Your werewolf will heal on its own. Also, eat as much chocolate as your like, it does nothing to the werewolf. Meditate as often as possible, it will help connect you and Moony, as you call him. If you ever want to join my pack during full-moon transformations, come down to Dover beach. It is an unofficial werewolf reserve created by the Ministry of Magic, back when they wouldn't be caught dead helping creatures. A lot has changed since then, but Britain is far behind the rest of the world in cases like this. I look forward to seeing your progress, cub. You have one of the hardest wills I have seen. Do not disappoint me."
With that said, Fenrir got up and walked out of the pub, the three of them still sitting at the table. Barty whispered, "Looks like you've got a job to do Remus."
"Indeed I do. Let's get back to the house. Arcturus will be pleased with this conversation."
Notes:
Before you guys jump on me about Regulus & Kreacher finding the Horcrux, this is where Regulus did find out about the Horcrux, but Kreacher never found out. Kreacher only knows that Regulus went missing during the war, but cannot sense him anywhere. So he also assumes Regulus is dead.
Chapter 5: An outside perspective
Summary:
Dumbledore uses his holiday time to explore how other countries have modernised themselves. He introduces Lucius to the ICW as well. They learn about a secret that dates back centuries regarding the Statute of Secrecy. Lady Hogwarts has explored Britain and has an idea on how to help boost the magical population.
Notes:
I will try to go a bit quickly through the time-skips, sticking only to significant events.
Chapter Text
18th December 1981
Albus appeared in the French Ministry of Magic, luggage shrunk in his pocket. Fawkes, his phoenix familiar trilled as it sensed freedom coming shortly. He cleared the French customs and walked out into the open air of Paris. Fawkes took off from his shoulder.
Albus smiled and walked in the direction of the house of his Alchemy mentor, Nicholas Flamel. He always had a room at the Flamel house, but he always wrote to them before coming to France, to ensure he wasn't coming at a wrong time.
20 minutes later, he was standing outside a rather a posh looking home. On the outside, it looked simple, but there were wards around it that could easily take on the average wizard or witch, if they were not prepared for it. One ward caused the person to forget where they had been, while also relocating them halfway out of Paris, at a random location. But Albus did not fear these wards. He had been there when some of the newer ones had been cast. He rang the bell and waited.
Nicholas opened the door, smiling. "Come on in Albus. I suspect that your time with me in France will be short, given the details of your letter. Freshen up, then we can talk."
Albus made his way to the guest bedroom, where he quickly unpacked his suitcase. He washed his face and went back down, where Nicholas was waiting with a cup of tea.
"Mentor, it has been a while. I trust you are well. I assume you've heard about Voldemort?"
"Indeed I am well. Yes, I heard about Voldemort, and I wish to express my condolences for all losses."
"Thank you."
"As for your letter, I can safely say that you have a lot to explore. Start with the school, then the Ministry. I can help you out in both cases. The school is not opening before the middle of January, so there will be enough time and space for you to see everything that is on offer."
"Alright. When do leave?"
"We can leave in 30 minutes. I have a potion that is near completion. All I have to do is take it off the burner soon and bottle it up."
"I am amenable to that."
30 minutes later, both men left for the magical school of France: Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Located in the Pyrenees, the school had hosted French, Andorran, Spanish & Portuguese students since the days of the first ever batch. Nicholas' wife, Pernelle was the Headmistress there, which was why he did not require a personal invitation to go there. Albus did, however, so Nicholas was able to procure him one. It turned out that students did not leave together for the Academy, like in Britain. There was a specific date range provided to all families before the previous academic year was completed, and the students could come at any time during those dates, even midnight. They were also allowed to go back home between those dates for whatever reason, provided they returned before the final date. There were 1000 non-creature students currently, with 200 creature students attending. Also, the Academy students started at the age of 9, until they were 18 years of age giving them 10 years of education as opposed to the 7 years at Hogwarts. Albus was stunned by this revelation, but he was even more stunned to see the security of the Academy.
Werewolves, vampires and argoyles were scattered across the grounds. The werewolves could patrol the grounds at any time, while the vampires had the buildings to themselves. They were not averse to sunlight, like in Britain, but spending too much time outside tended to burn them. The gargoyles were statues on the buildings, on the fountains, but there were some living, breathing gargoyles flying in the sky as well, which Nicholas told Albus was warded against outside viewing, which made sense. The vampires took over the grounds jointly with the gargoyles on full-moon nights.
Getting inside the main building, it was clear to see that Beauxbatons was clearly a school with greater focus on the individual students it hosted, rather than the Houses they were sorted into. Students were encouraged to interact with all, including those who were not their age. They ran a four day full week, with half a day either on Friday or on Saturday. It was explicitly written in the school charter that Sunday could not be used for teaching.
As they walked towards Pernelle's office, Albus saw a number of sports being played by students who had stayed back. Nicholas noticed and elaborated, "We have Quidditch, Gobstones and Runic tournaments held year-round. We also have muggle sports like racing, wrestling, football, rugby, fencing which was started 20 years ago, as well as sports for creatures as well. Dedicated races for them, wrestling for the werewolves, flying races for the gargoyles and faeries. House points are offered by the winnings and placements of those tournaments, not for individualistic performances in classes. Pernelle shut down the beauty competition for the veela in her second year as Headmistress."
"You have faeries here!?" Albus all but stopped his walking. "Aren't they... the promises, names..." He could not even form a sentence properly, with his mind thinking about all the possibilities of what could go wrong having a single faerie around, let alone multiple.
Nicholas laughed at his former apprentice. "Indeed. You'd be surprised to know how many of them are full, how many are half, how many are quarter. And they are all under the school charter, which states that none can go around "taking things of other individuals that could end up harming them during the course of their life, before during and after they leave the grounds of the school." This is not Britain, where the laws are half-cooked, mainly archaic, definitely bigoted, and require people to look via the spirit of the law, rather than the letter of the law."
Albus nodded and they continued into Pernelle's office. She was just 5 years Nicholas' junior, but both of them were now over 300 years old, so time felt different to them. They were also the oldest pranksters in the magical world, both by age and the duration of their prank: The Philosopher's Stone. Albus knew about it of course, he had been there one to pick out the small rock that they had cast magic over and pretended it was the source of their magic. Of course, they had done this before, and whenever the stone used at a particular time broke by any cause, they just picked another one to cast magic across. Albus had picked out the current stone nearly 60 years ago, the 23rd to keep the coveted name.
Pernelle had aged gracefully, though at this point it was getting old telling her that. Pleasantries exchanged, she gave Albus a 3 hour history lesson on magical France, their laws, their school and their association with other countries. Nicholas explained the politics of France, the structure of their Ministry and the agreements in place with certain other counties' Ministries. Albus absorbed all the knowledge that they gave him, in the capacity of Headmistress and politician, not as his former mentor and wife. The food they offered him was a welcome break from the food he usually consumed 9 months of the year.
Coming out of that meeting, Albus' head was swimming. Britain had a long way to go before catching up to France. If they started picking up in January of 1982, they would certainly catch up to where France was, currently, by the turn of the decade, hopefully.
Nicholas brought him back & took him around muggle Paris, with Albus getting a packet of Lemon Drops. They did some sightseeing, before Nicholas took him to the Ministry as evening fell. He met with Delacour, who was more than happy that Albus had heeded his letter. Even though Albus may not live to see the complete fruits of his labours, the biggest step forward in any direction was always the first. Nicholas left Albus to him, heading home.
Delacour turned to Albus, "You've been to the school I hear."
Albus blushed. "Yes. It was indeed a lovely experience. I don't think I would have ever been invited even as the Supreme Mugwump."
"No, you wouldn't have been. Maybe, just in the capacity of Hogwarts Headmaster, but even that is a stretch. The fact that you had an appointment with the Headmistress herself is one that most people would believe right away, even if she is the wife of your former mentor."
"I see. You said you wanted me to meet some members of your Ministry in your last letter. Why would you want that?"
Delacour chuckled, "My dear Albus, we may be part of countries that have been bitter rivals for centuries, but even I hate to see a rival doing so badly, that the thought of competing with them wells up sympathy in my heart."
"I did not know you were so emotional."
"I have a half-veela as a wife, with a daughter who is pretty much her clone. Trust me, being emotional has helped me out in a lot of occasions with them. But back to the topic, these politicians are here to show you how to frame laws. Don't say you don't need it, even you are not above the law."
"Be that as it may, wouldn't it be more prudent to have a politician from my side meet with them?"
"Absolutely not! There are limits to what even we can show other countries' citizens, no matter their post. The only way to get unrestricted but monitored access is to obtain an invite through the ICW."
Dumbledore understood the implication that Delacour had all but said. Lucius would have to begin his Chief Warlock duties earlier than expected. If possible, Bob & Cygnus would also accompany him, having the best idea about the Wizgamenot chamber, with Bob being the oldest person in the room and Cygnus the most neutral person in the room along with him.
Delacour took Albus down a hallway, where he could see various doors with the designation and name of the person on it. They stopped in front of the door behind which was the person who looked through all the laws, editing them to make them airtight. Another hour-long meeting transpired, during which Albus made up his mind about getting Lucius, Bob and Cygnus into France. Bob would be the easiest to convince, but Lucius & Cygnus both had children barely two years old.
As Albus walked back into the Flamel house, he was greeted with a smile. He returned it and stated that he had gleaned as much information as possible from France, now he wanted to visit the Benelux countries, so he had to go back to Britain to apply for another Portkey.
Nicholas looked at him as if he'd lost his head. "You are in the European Union. No one is going to question your travelling here. You could take a muggle train to Brussels and no one would even ask you for your passport. Besides, if you're going that way, you might as well go the muggle way." Nicholas paused, as if considering something. He snapped his fingers, "You know what, I am going to be your guide around Europe. I am not going to be put out in any way, and Pernelle's become used to my spontaneous travelling across the world. Maybe she will join us." Albus went to pack his trunk for the next morning, while Nicholas sent a Patronus to his wife explaining what was happening.
31st December 1981
Albus staggered back into his room at the Flamel house. For 2 weeks, he'd been on the move across magical Europe, as well as parts of muggle Europe. Nicholas, and later Pernelle, had been with him every step of the way. He supposed he was still a young boy finding his way around, in their minds. Which was not completely untrue since he was less than half their age, at least a third of it.
The cultural shocks that had been delivered over the past 2 weeks of travel were still fresh in his mind. The Benelux magical School, as it was called, had students come over from Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as the name suggested. They put a focus on elemental magic and creature empowerment above all else. They'd fallen behind in the past 2 decades, but that was more due to the fact that a massive storm had formed without warning and cleared some costal towns before it had been brought under control. Many students had been killed in that storm. They were slowly getting those numbers back up, but it was slow work.
Dumstrang Institute in Scandinavia housed students from all Nordic countries, as well as some students from Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus & Ukraine. They had an emphasis on dueling & Dark Arts, though it was more the understanding of Dark Arts. The Headmaster there, Igor Karkaroff was a former Death Eater who had been granted mercy simply because he gave the British Wizgamenot names of all Death Eaters he knew about. Not that it was voluntary, since he had been dosed with veritaserum. But he was genuinely trying to make amends for his former life. Dumbledore was happy to see this side of the man.
The 11 Balkan Countries had a single magical school, located in Greece: Hecate's school of the Arcane. This was currently the best magical school in Europe, coming up second overall in the world to Brazil's Castelobruxo (which emphasised on Herbology & Magizoology). Hecate's school offered 41 electives, and taught students from the age of 9 till 21, serving as a college as well. Muggle subjects were enforced in the earlier years, so that the graduated students would be able to blend in seamlessly with the outside world. The Headmistress was Hecate herself, because that's who the school was named after. She was the Titaness of Magic, so it stood to reason that she taught in the school as well, unlike Albus at Hogwarts.
Hungary, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Germany, Poland & Switzerland sent their magical children to Vienna, which was the city of Magieschule. The school had come up during the 1500's, considered one of the younger magical schools of the world. This school put emphasis on art forms, and had been known to produce the most podium finishers during the annual magical art competition hosted by France. No art form was restricted, except if it proved to be harmful for spectators or the magician themselves. The old Headmaster had resigned his post after 25 years, wishing to give the younger generation a chance at handling the school. To Albus & Nicholas' surprise, the new Headmaster was the grandson of Gellert Grindlewald. He knew all about what had happened with his grandfather, but had decided to let history be the final judge. Gellert was still under house arrest in Nurmengrad, in the Austrian Alps, locked under wards that prevented him from so much as sending a Patronus message out. New wards had been added to reinforce the security, while his grandson had seen to it that he would die in his house. The young man had only one regret, he could not find enough time to glean all of Gellert's knowledge. Albus knew that Gellert was also a very wise & logical person, who had said a lot of times that it was the duty of the old generations to teach the young generations how not to make the mistakes that they committed.
The Italians had their own school, hidden in plain sight. The Vatican City had been built with the intent of religion, but magic had always been strong there, so it was no surprise that the school was built into the Vatican City as a whole. The magical side of things was well hidden, with only the Pope knowing about it. The school was called Vatican Academy, paying homage to the location. It offered 28 electives, and laid emphasis on Battle Magic, a niche part of Transfiguration.
The only school Nicholas could not take him to was the Russian one. It was located in St. Petersburg, but that was the extent of knowledge that both men had, in addition to the fact that it produced a startling number of politicians & diplomats.
Albus had collected all this information & stored it behind his Occumelency shields. He would need them once he returned to Britain. He wrote to the ICW, stating that he would be introducing Lucius Malfoy as his successor, as was his right. He could therefore visit the ICW chambers for one last time, getting Lucius an invite with Delacour. The next meeting was on the 3rd of January. Hogwarts did not open till the 10th. Good timing. He wondered how Lady Hogwarts was going to react to his memories.
3rd January 1982
As Lucius Malfoy made his way to the office of the Chief Warlock, now his, he was approached by Fudge. Everyone knew the man did not have a spine to talk home about, which was true even back in his school days. He had been a Slytherin, and Lucius remembered him vaguely during his first year, which was Fudge's seventh. Fudge smiled, "Hello Lucius. I know you are heading for the ICW meeting, but I just wanted to tell you that I have reason to suspect that Sirius Black is a disguised Death Eater, just without the mark. Perhaps he wishes to make Harry a Death Eater."
Lucius marveled at the imagination of the senior man. Sirius had stepped out in the afternoon of New Years, heading to Diagon Alley with Harry now that their self-imposed exile was over. The Daily Prophet caught wind of this, and Rita Skeeter, the insensitive witch, openly asked about making Harry a Dark Lord. Sirius had replied that Harry was going to be following a dark path, one that did not harm people but caused them a bit of discomfort. In short, Sirius was going to raise Harry as a prankster. Lucius had only laughed when he read that article, but Arcturus had removed that part of the newspaper & had it framed in the living room of Grimmauld Place, on full display for anyone to see. Arcturus was proud of the comment and the implications of it.
Lucius bid the minister farewell before entering his office and bolting it. He threw some Floo powder into the fireplace, "ICW Headquarters."
Ten minutes later, he was having a discussion about creatures with Delacour, the French Warlock. He had managed to sort out an invite to the French Ministry. He knew that Albus wanted Bob & Cygnus as well, but Cygnus had a daughter and a bloodline curse to worry about. Their discussion went on for about 30 minutes, giving Lucius a lot of ammunition to hit the British Ministry of Magic with, and still have some left over. He was due to return back with Dumbledore at the end of the day.
During their conversation, Delacour asked, "How do you plan to deal with the Statute of Secrecy?"
Lucius replied, "My father tried to do away with it, but things took a turn for the worse. An Unspeakable had to get him out of a spot. Why do you ask?"
"I thought you knew. Britain and Ireland have wards along their borders, which prevent muggles coming from outside to remember that magic exists. Leaving the country will regenerate those memories, and if the person is a citizen of Britain, it acts as a permanent Obliviating charm. It is quite a complex piece of magic, even we do not know all the intricacies and conditions placed on it. If a person sets foot into any European country, the magical elements are shielded from them, but only the parts that are unexplainable. The European Union did this decades ago, without raising a fuss. The schools are also warded against muggles, but everything else is pretty much open to them. Why do you think we have good relations with them?"
"WHAT!?" Dumbledore looked as if someone had kicked Fawkes.
Delacour frowned, "I thought you knew this Albus, being the Chief Warlock for so long. Your Ministry had set it up in the early 16th Century, so your muggles and squib lines descended from thereafter, have essentially no idea about their heritage. I cannot say for the rest of the world, but Europe has kept to the minimum in regards to the Statute of Secrecy, doing just enough to ensure it is followed."
Lucius sat down hard. This was a revelation. He was ready to rip Fudge limb from limb, then go after his supporters. He looked at Albus, both having the same thought: Lady Hogwarts would storm the Ministry when they told her about this. He distracted himself by asking for an invite for Bob Ogden, to see the law constructions of France. Lucius himself was French by ancestry, so maybe it would give him an edge. Delacour shook his head, until Lucius had proved himself, they would not allow him to bring another with him. He nodded his understanding. Later, Dumbledore addressed the ICW gathering, formally stepping down from his position as Supreme Mugwump as well as Britain's representative, Lucius taking over the latter position. Delacour was voted in as the Supreme Mugwump. Little discussion was held in regards to updates of various countries, but nothing that was required to be voted upon. Ilvermorny was planning to open a second branch on the west coast of USA, for the winter months, but that was as exciting as things got. Lucius & Albus headed back to Lucius' office, which was Albus' former office.
Albus sat on the visitor's chair, while Lucius conjured up some food. Albus remarked, "I had forgotten what it feels like to be on this side of the room. Maybe a few more visits here, and it will feel like nothing has changed."
Lucius gave him a smile, "Perhaps. Or now that you've got more free time, you will see me as a Governor of Hogwarts, with me still in the visitor's chair. That's a position you will vacate when you go on your next great adventure."
"True. Now, how do you want to tackle the news you received from Delacour?"
"How, you ask? I need to ward my body against physical and magical damage, firstly. But I am pretty sure Lady Hogwarts would just render them neutral before casting at me."
"We both put our memories in the pensieve in my office and all of us will see it. But I think that showing my memories to the Governors and the Ancient Houses will give us more perspectives. Also, I will be introducing Lady Hogwarts when we open again, in another week. I plan for Pytho to help out as well, though the Chamber of Secrets will be shut for now. Implementing all changes we spoke about will take time, of course. May I expect you in my office at Hogwarts for a private meeting with Lady Hogwarts, in a few moments?"
Lucius nodded. Albus rose and used the fireplace's Floo network to get back to his office. Fawkes was out for a flight, and would return shortly before dusk. A knock on the door announced Lady Hogwarts' presence. She smiled at Albus, who merely blushed. Lucius entered just as she shut the door.
"Good evening Albus, Lucius. Did you enjoy your holiday in France? How did the ICW meeting go?"
"I am quite well, thank you for asking." A snort from the female in the room implied that the sarcasm was not lost on her. "France was very educational. I met up with my old mentor, Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Pernelle. She is the Headmistress of Beauxbatons. I also met with Delacour, who showed me around the Ministry. Suffice to say: Britain has a lot of catching up to do. We are perhaps a century behind France, and while we can catch up quickly, the Ministry is bound to be an obstacle in our path. How was your holiday, Lady Hogwarts?"
"Very interesting, I can tell you that much. If the Ministry tries to interfere with the running of the school, I can show them that I do not mean to protect my wards in word only. Action will be taken against them. Also, the Persians are most excited to see the children again, and they have had a moderate response to their proposal of classes. I do not expect every student to turn up to every session, but Darius did tell me that they could help in Occumelency and Warding, at least the basics of both. They will use the time till June to create an awareness, then if enough students want, they make it an unofficial class. I have also done a bit of exploring on the muggle side of things, and you cannot imagine how many squib lines are there on this island, unaware of their heritage." The last sentence was spoken with a slight strain and upward pitch of voice. Lady Hogwarts sounded as if she wanted to personally reach out to them and make them aware of their heritage.
"I see. Then perhaps this is a good segue into something we have learnt at the ICW meeting." Albus opened his Occumelency shields and Lady Hogwarts had a look at the memory he was showing. She left his mind, causing him to erect the shields again, but the glare on Lady Hogwarts' face was dangerous enough to warrant a physical shield in front of him. Lucius had slipped past her and sat on the side of the table.
"You mean to tell me, that for nearly 5 centuries, British muggles have been living in ignorance of magic?" Her low tone could have cut glass, and her fists were clenched. The magic thickened in the air, and Lucius found it hard to breathe. Albus was not faring much better, but his own magic was actively trying to hold back the senior woman's. It was failing at that job. Seeing Lucius go green in the face, Lady Hogwarts forced her magic to subside. He looked at her gratefully, as if she had saved him from a terrible fate, rather than being the one who had put him in that terrible fate.
He answered, "Yes Lady Hogwarts. Believe me, this felt like a betrayal by our own Ministry. We cannot fight it, and given how Delacour described it, nothing short of Wardmasters, Cursebreakers, Runemasters and Unspeakables, working together and around the clock would be able to bring it down. It is too complicated and well-structured, with a lot of contingencies placed on it."
"I see. What else did you learn?"
Albus' pensieve came out from its cabinet. Albus took out his memories of December and placed them in the liquid. All three of them put their heads in to watch. Nearly an hour later, they emerged, with Lucius half in shock at seeing magical Europe's progress. Lady Hogwarts on the other hand, looked ready to raze the Ministry to the ground. She simply said, "I am going to start bringing the squib lines back into the fold. I do not care what your Minister has to say about it. Call a meeting of the Governors and the Ancient House Heads, along with the 4 Heads of House. I want it to be in 2 days, at noon. No exceptions." The final 3 sentences were said with bite. No prisoners were going to be taken.
5th January 1982
Thomas Creevey walked down the Great Hall towards the meeting table set up. He wanted to be with his wife and son, who was not even a year old. Unfortunately, the meeting he was coming to had been called by Lady Hogwarts, and he was not stupid so as to defy her will. He was the second-last person to arrive, the last being Garrick Ollivander. Once all were seated, Lady Hogwarts welcomed them and launched into a rant about magical Britain not being good enough. That was not new news. Everyone knew it, they were just afraid to say it. Lady Hogwarts had Albus show his memories of Europe to the assembled group, which also included the Persians. Suffice to say, with the exception of Arcturus Black, every single person at the table was experiencing emotions that had no relation to happiness or contentment. Lady Hogwarts' mood seemed to have reached into all of them.
Thomas himself was disappointed. He knew that Fudge was a tough nut to crack, but he was boneheaded enough not to see good things even if they were laid out in front of him. Frank & Amelia were the only people in the Ministry who could get close enough to understand what was going on inside the Minister's office. He was brought back to the present with Lady Hogwarts nearly shouting, "I do not care if I have to get Fenrir Greyback inside the castle to help the students who were bitten by him, or those he sired! He has experience in these matters, and if he has any evil intent the wards will eject him so fast he will be back in London by the time he blinks his eyes!"
A stunned silence enveloped the table. Purple haze was curling off her skin, which Thomas took to believe that she was mightily off her usual mood. She continued, "I will not do anything to affect the coming full year's batch, but I will start awakening the magic in those who are coming in just over 12 months. Prepare for an influx of students that you have not seen in your lifetimes. By the turn of this decade, I will personally make sure there are no more squibs living in Britain. Thank you for coming to this meeting. I will see you after the school term ends in June." She turned into purple light and vanished.
Everyone looked nervous as they left the castle, Arcturus included. Darius and his group went back to the warding that they had started during the holidays. It was tedious work, having to manipulate the existing refreshed wards so that their own could be integrated without problems or threat of collapse. They had completed the dungeons, the kitchens, Hufflepuff & Slytherin Dorms, ground floor, Great Hall and the entire first to third floors. They still had four more floors to go, the Astronomy and Divination towers, along with the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Dorms, the rooftops of Hogwarts, the Greenhouses and the Forbidden Forest, which some of them were starting to map out, so it became easier for others to traverse through it, not that anyone did. The gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, had been asked to provide all the information he had about the grounds, and the creatures on the grounds & Forest. He was more than happy to help. At the rate things were going, they would be able to ward the remaining parts by the end of January.
Chapter 6: A familial addition
Summary:
Vernon Dursley sees something happen that should not be possible. He seeks out Sirius to know more about their world. Petunia gives him an ultimatum. Albus initiates the changes in Hogwarts. Students start learning a new subject, though unofficially.
Chapter Text
9th January 1982
Vernon was sipping his morning coffee while trying to solve the crossword in the newspaper. It was a bit tougher than usual, but that added to the challenge. Petunia sat eating her toast, keeping her eye on Dudley who was busy with his porridge. Being a baby, accidents were expected, after all, none should be able to eat every bit of their food without wasting a bit. But what nobody had told the Dursley's to expect was a floating spoon gently bringing the food towards the baby's mouth.
Petunia saw this happen, rubbing her eyes to check if she was not seeing things. She was not. She nudged her husband, "Vernon. You might want to have a look at this."
Vernon looked at Dudley, then the spoon floating at him. Dudley did not seem to realise the reaction of the adults next to him, focused only on the spoon. As soon as the spoon was in his mouth, he closed it and the spoon gently extracted itself. Petunia was beside herself in anger. Just as when Lily displayed signs of magic, Petunia was overcome with jealousy, anger and pain. Why did it have to be Dudley? She met Vernon's eyes, expecting to see some resemblance of what she was feeling. But all she saw was a faint smile and a look of pride on his face. Her heart sank. How could he be happy at this, especially after what his brother-in-law's friend had done at their wedding?
She kept her cool and made sure Dudley finished his porridge the proper way. Vernon took over and gave him a bath, keeping their boy nice and warm. Dudley was then put in a fort of pillows, where he happily rolled around. The adults walked into the kitchen, from where they could keep an eye on him. Petunia started, "Dudley is going to be labelled a freak for life. Our standing in Privet Drive will take a tumble." Her eyes were close to watering. Vernon was not of the same opinion as her.
"He is still our son. So he has something that can normally be found in books and stories. Big deal. We are his parents, we should know what we are dealing with. Besides, it is not Dudley's fault he possesses magic. It could be genetic. It could be chance. We must help him focus and control his magic. We may need outside help as well, people who know how to deal with this. Guidance will always be provided to those who ask for it."
Petunia could not believe her ears. This was the same Vernon Dursley who had been humiliated with the use of magic in his own wedding. By all rights, he should have been calling for the heads of those who had done him such wrong on one of the biggest days of his life. Yet he was almost championing their rights as if they were human beings. Petunia knew from firsthand experience that they were not. They were freaks, people who had no morals, the worst of the worst. Each of them deserved to be carted off to the jails for life, never to be let out. If she got her way with Vernon, Dudley would receive a warning not to do magic again. If he still did it, her hands were there to solve the issue of insubordination.
She spoke up, "Vernon, I will not share my house with a freak. You do not know what he is capable of."
"And neither do you." The quick reply come. "Petunia, he is our son. He deserves our love, not our hate. Please, he is as much your flesh and blood as he is mine."
Petunia ground her teeth, "No child of mine should be able to learn magic, must less possess it. If you will not stand with me, Vernon, you stand against me. Decide what you want, because I will not have this around me. If I have to, I will beat it out of him."
Hearing that, Vernon's blessing from Hestia flared up. His protectiveness of Dudley was known to all friends and associates. He spoke menacingly, "Touch a hair on my son for his magical ability, and you will live just enough to regret it."
Petunia made up her mind. If Vernon wouldn't allow her to touch Dudley, she would simply send him away. Orphanages were always looking for parents to adopt a child so that families could be whole. Unknown to her, Vernon had already made up his mind at the table. He wanted a divorce. He could see how Petunia had spiraled at just the sight of Dudley doing magic at not even 2 years old. She would leave scars on the child if he continued this growing up. Divorce was the next best way to get things sorted. Of course, if Petunia did see Dudley, it would be under Vernon's supervision, or that of someone he trusted. But for now, he needed a place.
Petunia agreed to a divorce as long as she got the house and never saw either of them again. Those were her words. Vernon had the divorce papers drawn up in a few hours with the help of their lawyer. They went to court that afternoon and by evening were no longer husband and wife. The average person would suspect that this was premeditated, but only Vernon knew that Hestia had come through. It was her divine authority that allowed everything to be pushed to the side so that her blessed mortal could have what he wanted. She felt no remorse for Petunia, who had just divorced a good man. She watched him get his belongings into large trunks, stuff them in the car, put Dudley securely in the seat and turn back to Petunia to say the final words he would ever tell her while in the confines of Number 4 Privet Drive, "I had hoped you had gotten over yourself after your sister turned out to be magical. But all that made you was bitter. I hope no man marries you for what you are. Farewell."
Vernon drove to his sister's house, some ten kilometres away. Marge was waiting for him. Petunia had called her and told her everything honestly, but Marge did not care that Dudley was magical. He was still her nephew first. Vernon also told her about the day's events. He asked her to watch Dudley while he went to the phone book to find a name. He ran through the letter "B", till he found a name "Arcturus Black" at 12 Grimmauld Place. That rang a bell. Grimmauld Place had no number 12. You had 10, 11, 13, 14, but no 12. Realising that this might be due to magic, Vernon got back in the car and drove quickly.
As expected, he arrived at Grimmauld Place, passing numbers 10 and then 14 on his right, with 11 and 13 on his left. No 12 in sight. He parked the car and stared at the wall between 10 and 14. He knew that they had to be there. He may not have been magical, but common sense had to prevail even with magic, to a certain extent. He was ready to turn back and head to the car when nothing happened after 10 minutes. Just then, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, with a familiar voice sounding, "Either I am seeing things, or you are someone who has taken the form of Vernon Dursley." There was a hint of humour in the voice of Remus Lupin.
Vernon turned around, "Remus Lupin. You were the sharpest in the entire group. I remember you."
"Thank you. Now tell me, what brings you to this side of London?"
Vernon smiled, "Dudley is displaying signs of magic. Just this morning he caused a spoon to feed him porridge. This is the first time Petunia and I saw it happen. Petunia was not happy, wanting to beat the magic out of him." Remus' eyes narrowed at the threat to the baby. "However, we had a disagreement in how to raise Dudley, which led to us getting a divorce this afternoon. For all intents and purposes, Petunia is now an Evans again. She got the house and has no desire to see either myself or Dudley again. I am currently at my sister's house, but I do not think we can proof the house against magic, since we have no idea what Dudley can do. I need help, plain and simple."
A new voice carried from behind them, near 10 Grimmauld Place, "Then help shall be given, Mr. Dursley. No one should have to navigate the magical world, much less a child, by trial and error."
An old man stood on the front steps of Number 10, no Number 12 Grimmauld Place. 10 and 14 had been shifted to accommodate the new building. So Vernon had been right: 12 Grimmauld Place did exist, just hidden by magic. The man was fit, looked strong and had a look that said he was well-versed with what the worst of the world could be like. He continued, "But I do want to know how you found us, considering you are not magical."
Vernon smirked, "The phone book. Black is not a common surname, so finding it was easy. The address was another giveaway. I have lived in London for the past 10 years, so I always knew about the anomaly that, physically there is no Grimmauld Place on the maps. But it is in the phone book. Sneaky, but no one checks every single address."
Arcturus returned the smirk, "Interesting. You are a sharp one, Vernon Dursley. If you don't mind, may I have a look at your memories of today?"
"Sure. I have nothing to hide." He felt a slight sting in his forehead which receded in about 30 seconds. Arcturus nodded to Remus, who led Vernon to the front steps. Vernon felt funny and turned to leave, but Arcturus grabbed his hand and steered him up the stairs, the feeling receding.
"Sorry about that. This house is protected by layers of magic, one of which forces the non-magicals to turn around and leave the street if they get too close to the house. Now that I am holding you and bringing you inside, the protections will not have an effect on you from here on out."
Walking into the living room of the building, Vernon felt small. He could see a lot of people sitting and walking all over the place. He even saw someone floating across the room, shooting him a curious look. Arcturus waved his hand, a small explosion sounding off. Everyone turned to look at him.
"Now that I have your attention. This here is Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle from his mother's side. His son, Dudley, is magical and I have read his mind to confirm the same. Petunia and he are divorced due to a difference in opinion about how they wanted to raise their child."
A small silence fell over the room, broken by a pale man with long hair striding towards Vernon. He spoke, "My name is Severus Snape, though I go by Severus Prince as well. Lily and Petunia were my neighbours growing up. I know your ex-wife well, and you did the right thing by making sure Dudley is as far away from her as possible. I will help both of you in any way possible. Harry is also here, at Grimmauld Place, since Sirius Black is his godfather."
"Thank you Severus." Vernon said.
Arcturus continued, "I extend an invitation to you and Dudley, to stay here indefinitely. This house has seen magic since it was built, so anything that occurs here will be contained. I do not think that your sister will be able to keep up with all the magical bursts. You can still visit her of course, the only thing changing will be your residential address to 12 Grimmauld Place."
Vernon was a bit in shock. He had come to ask for help to magic-proof Marge's house, if it was possible. He had just been offered a permanent stay in someone's house instead. Remus whispered, "Everyone you see before you has a permanent room here. Trust me, you won't regret taking the offer."
Vernon saw the people looking at him expectantly. He turned to Arcturus, "I accept your gracious offer, and do not wish to be a burden on you or your family."
Arcturus laughed loudly, as did some others. Seeing Vernon's confused look, Sirius came out of the crowd and clapped him on the back. "Vernon, the Black Family is filthy rich. We can buy out entire cities and it wouldn't even make a dent of 1% in our fortunes. And we have investments across the world, magical and non-magical. Believe me, you will never be a burden. And besides, grandfather here is the Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. His word is final in this family. Now, let's get Dudley from your sister. Merlin knows how much accidental magic he has already done. Lucius, Dorcas, you coming?"
A man with platinum-blonde hair walked towards them. Vernon recognised him from the Potter's funeral. A woman came next to them, brown hair looking quite untamable. They got to the garage and Sirius jumped on the bike present there, Dorcas getting into the sidecar. Vernon & Lucius got into the former's car and both vehicles sped off for Marge's house.
Upon arrival, they were greeted by a woman with odd streaks of colour in her hair. Vernon's eyes widened as she laughed, "Dudley may not remember any of this, but he has good colour sense. He's got the dogs doing tricks as well."
All of them entered the living room, where Dudley was somehow floating while the dogs next to him were dancing as if they had been trained all their life. Lucius held his face to avoid laughing but failed miserably. Dorcas just smiled while Sirius was rolling on the floor laughing his guts out.
The room itself was a bit of a mess, but a bit of wandless magic from Lucius fixed it up to what it had been before the Dursleys had arrived. Dorcas slowly reached her hand out to Dudley, who almost teleported into her arms. The dogs looked miffed that their entertainment was gone, but Marge sent them a glare. Vernon explained the situation to her, and she agreed that staying around magical people was better than staying with her, especially since there was no magical help in the area. They took Vernon's trunks and sent them to Grimmauld Place. Sirius wanted to add Marge's fireplace to their Floo Network, but Marge insisted that they wait till Dudley was a bit older.
Coming back to Grimmauld Place, Kreacher took Vernon to his new room, insisting on looking after the baby. Since Vernon knew he was already looing after Harry, Draco, Neville and Susan (whenever she did come over), he had no problems with it. At dinner, Arcturus introduced the entire group, as well as Sirius' cousins. Sirius slid a paper containing names of the Marauders, so Vernon knew who was being spoken about, since they had a habit of referring to others by their alter ego's names.
It turned out, Lucius and Ted had quite high posts in the magical world, and Ted being a lawyer in both worlds helped as well. Severus was a Potions Master, but Lord Black himself was a master of different spheres. Each person in Grimmauld Place specialised in different fields, and Severus was the only one who had invented spells. Frank and Remus were essentially Rune experts, in three different languages. Barty and Peter were expert spies, while Andromeda was a certified Healer, Narcissa knowing basics and a bit more, taught by Andromeda herself. Alice was a smooth talker, while Sirius was a master fencer, taught by his Uncle Alphard. Amelia worked in the Ministry of Magic herself, as did Frank. Kreacher was their resident house-elf, and on occasion elves from the others' houses popped in to keep in company or help maintain Grimmauld Place. During their conversation post-dinner, when all the children had been put to sleep in warded rooms, it was announced that Lucius & Narcissa wanted to give Draco a muggle education, should the need ever arise for him to leave the magical world. Frank and Alice were fence-sitting about doing the same for Neville, but Sirius had decided that Harry would be doing the same, as had Amelia. Andromeda and Ted had already enrolled Nymphadora in a muggle school near their place, and she would be starting in September. All eyes turned to Vernon, who said that he was hoping to think about it next year, once Dudley started understanding the world around him. It was at that time that he realised that Dudley would have maternal figures around himself, but the lack of an actual mother was there, almost like Harry. But Harry had a godmother, Alice. Dudley had no godfather or godmother.
Vernon felt a sting in his head again, receding just as quickly as it came. He said nothing for the remainder of the conversation, and everyone left for their respective homes. Dorcas was the only one who was staying permanently in Grimmauld Place since she had sold off her old house. Peter and Remus stayed as well, since it gave them access to Harry instantly, and they were his uncles, since Sirius had to step into the role of godfather, and maybe soon the role of father itself. Arcturus stopped him as he got up from his chair.
"You do not have to worry Vernon. Dudley had enough motherly attention around him. If Alice had not been released from the hospital, Andromeda and Narcissa were both ready to step into motherly roles for him. After Alice was released, she was more than happy to share her godmother role with them, and as such she also started taking care of Draco and Nymphadora. So if you think about it, none of the children are growing up without maternal figures. Every child here has a godmother and a godfather. Though in my not-so-very-humble opinion, that title is just a title. I have seen horrible things done to children by their biological parents, to the point where they consider anyone else who treats them better as their parents. Family is not just blood. It is the people who care about you, who stick with you, who pick you up when you are down. If something were to happen to you, I am pretty sure Amelia might adopt Dudley as her own, seeing as she has no children of her own. Maybe Remus or Peter would do the same. The point stands, Dudley will be well cared for, and the adults in his life will not let him down. You are his father, nothing will ever change that. Petunia may have been the one to give birth to him, but her recent actions do not allow her the title of "Mother." Think about this for now. Tomorrow you will wake up better than today."
Vernon nodded and went to his room, where Dudley was sleeping in his crib. He kissed him on the head and went to change. Coming back, he softly lay down on the bed and pulled the covers on top of himself. It had been a long day, he was going to sleep well.
10th January 1982
Albus watched as the students filled the Great Hall. As soon as the last person sat, he stood up for customary announcements. "I hope all of you have had a great Christmas and New Year. In the course of your absence, we have changed a few things at Hogwarts. Some changes will be immediate, and some will take place later. One such change is that this will be the last year that the House Cup takes place. Before you start talking amongst yourselves, I must mention that the House Cup was never intended to take place the way it has been for the past decades. For further explanations, I cede my place to a Founder of this school, the person on whose lands the castle was built, and in whose honour the Founders of the four Houses named the school. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Lady Hogwarts." He moved away from the podium he was standing on, purple mist rising from the ground. The mist solidified as a female with purple eyes, a purple metallic dress and an amethyst necklace. As always, her hair was shifting colours. She smiled at Albus, before turning her attention to the stunned audience.
"Greetings children. I am Lady Hogwarts. I am the school spirit as well as a Founder of the school. Think of it as if I had been in a sleep for hundreds of years, and have been awoken now. I knew the Founders personally, and how they intended the school to be run. I can assure you, the current state of affairs would make them very sad. The whole point of the sorting was to divide you based on your most dominant trait, not to make the House define who you are for the rest of your life. Your Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry, I am disappointed to hear about the depths it has gone to. Godric and Salazar would give you a stern talking to if they could. They were brothers-in-arms, and would have died for each other. I am not saying you also need to do that, but put your petty rivalry aside. Students used to freely go to other Common Rooms, without fear of being targeted for being different. So, as Albus said, this June will be the final time that you gain or lose House points. The sorting will continue though. We will also be introducing unofficial classes, though they will be compulsory to attend. Think of this as an honest experiment. We have a mixture of students here, those from the muggle world as well as the magical. It is not possible to learn about the other world quickly, which is why we wish to make it compulsory for all students raised a certain way to learn about the other way. Purebloods learn about the muggle world with its traditions, while Muggleborns will learn about the magical world and its traditions. You are to help each other understand and broaden their horizons, not insult them for their lack of knowledge or asking of questions." The last sentence was spoken with an edge, as if Lady Hogwarts was daring the students to go against her. She continued, "Half-bloods are encouraged to take up the world they know less about. We have brought in an updated curriculum for Muggle Studies, and it will be properly revamped in time for the next academic year. Magical Traditions will be taught by Albus and myself. If things go right, we can make it a compulsory class next academic year, all the way till your fifth year. Former students of Hogwarts have been kind to give us books on Magical Traditions to use as reference material. The same goes for Muggle studies. We will also be introducing 2 sports as well, Football and Boxing. These will be gendered teams, since both rely heavily on the physicality of the person, not any implements the person has. So there will be one male and one female team per house for both sports. Tryouts will be next week. We have called some former students who are well-versed in them to help out. Once we have teams, we will post a tournament schedule by the end of January. Those already on the Quidditch team cannot apply, whether reserve player or not. Those applying for football cannot apply for boxing and vice-versa. We are trying to engage everyone across all Houses."
Lady Hogwarts paused, gauging the reaction of the audience, most of whom were too stunned to speak. But then, clapping ensued from the Slytherins, with some of them even standing up and taking off their hats and bowing deep. That was a reaction she was not expecting. The clapping continued, getting louder as each House stood up as well. Lady Hogwarts blushed at the sight. After five minutes, she bade them all to sit down. "Thank you for that. I was expecting protests, but considering everyone of you was genuine in this, I feel happy. We are also opening up a room on the seventh floor, which some of you already know about: The Room of Requirement. It can change form to suit the person's needs, but I have locked it down so that nothing dangerous is created in it. The doors will be permanently opened, so you do not have to worry about finding it. We have also found the original guardian of Hogwarts. Please do not start shouting, it is a Basilisk called Pytho who was bred by Salazar himself. She used to accompany faculty and prefects during their curfew walks. She has an inner eyelid to prevent deaths of anyone staring into her eyes. Yes, before you ask, you need to learn Parsel to understand her. Yes, Parsel can be learned, it is a language after all. I will be teaching the prefects that myself, and I have already taught most of the faculty. The armours in Hogwarts are based on the 88 constellations in the sky. If for some reason you are threatened or attacked, they will step in to protect you. We will also be putting up signs across all staircases and corridors, giving directions to the classes." Lady Hogwarts paused again to catch her breath, only for the Ravenclaws to begin clapping, the rest following their lead. To finish her announcement, Lady Hogwarts said, "The Persian Magicians are here to stay. They have requested to teach you four subjects, all of which are unofficial and not compulsory: Occumelency, Magic Manipulation, Levitation and Warding. We have given assent, and based on the feedback you give us in June, we could either make them an official subject or leave it as unofficial. Details about the classes will be posted in the Common Rooms tomorrow after lunch. The classes start on 31st of January. Pick a subject you wish to learn. There is no age or gender bar. And for the final announcements, anyone having any problems that are out of their control, or feel as if it is too overwhelming, please reach out to your Head of House, Albus next and if they are not available, call for me. No matter where you are, I will find you and help. The wards have updated to now start catching students who intentionally wish to harm others, either through spells, physically or verbally or emotionally. Bullying will not be tolerated from this instant. Now, if you could turn your attention to the ceiling, I have something you might want to see." A snap of her fingers, and the enchanted ceiling started to fade, leaving behind a regular wooden one. The ceiling split into two parts, which slid down the walls, revealing the night sky. A lot of whistles, claps, ooohs, and aaahs could be seen and heard, leading to Albus smiling. He gave the order to the elves to send the dinner up, and for the students to dig in.
Looking at Lady Hogwarts, as well as the rest of the staff, Albus allowed himself a generous smile. Things could have gone a lot worse.
31st January 1982
Darius surveyed the students as they took their place in a classroom on the 2nd floor. It was evening time, after the final classes of the day had been let off, and there was a lot of time till dinner. He intended to make full use of the time allotted. Among the changes that had been brought in during the month, Pytho had been a hit with the prefects, even though they could not understand her. The list of sports teams had been revealed in the morning, and the excitement in the students was visible on their faces. During the weekend that followed the students' return, Horace had given them the news that all of Slytherin, without exception, were happy to see an impartial authority at Hogwarts. As a result, they were more than happy to set aside their bias and rivalry with Gryffindor. After all, since Lady Hogwarts personally knew the Founders, she would realise that the rivalry was wrong. It would not be an overnight change, but they were willing to extend an olive branch. They saw it that Friday, when a few Slytherin's went over to the Gryffindor table and asked if they could sit there. The Gryffindors hesitated, but nodded their assent. Seeing that, there was movement across all four tables. Hufflepuff was slightly crowded, since everyone seemed to have friends there. By dinner, all four tables were mixed up. Albus had remarked that the last time he had seen something like this happen was in 1930. Study groups had also been formed, and Albus had tentatively suggested having the older students mentor the third years and younger in case they were unable to keep up with their classes. The Ravenclaws had taken to it with a passion, with a few Slytherins. They had set up in different rooms across the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors. Darius and his team had set up on the 2nd floor, to teach Warding and Occumelency. Occumelency was not a subject ever taught at Hogwarts, since it was assumed that family members would do that. Warding was a subject that had been discontinued in 1965, since the Ministry believed it did not show Britain in good light. Albus had tried to fight it, but was overruled. An entire generation had missed out on an interesting subject, in Artaxerxes' opinion.
Only nine students had come to Darius. He was going to do an introductory session with them, to gauge how they felt about the classes. He would ask them which subject they wanted to tackle first. All four Houses were represented: three Slytherins, three Gryffindors, two Ravenclaws & a single Hufflepuff. They were all 6th years, which was not really surprising. No one from third year or younger would be interested in the subjects, while fifth and seventh years had their OWLs and NEWTs coming up respectively. Fourth years were busy trying to be everywhere at the same time, but the sixth years had far less subjects to tackle. Darius smiled at the assembled students, "Good evening. My name is Darius. You have interacted with my team during this month, at some point or the other, but I believe this is my first interaction with students. We are to teach you Warding and Occumelency, two subjects that have nothing in common. While we have our classes and discussions, I want you to interact as much as possible. Both subjects are complex. Ideally, I would prefer to start teaching you from age 11, but I'd rather not risk your other subjects. Any questions?"
One of the Slytherins raised her hand, "My name is Maria Higgs. Are you happy with this turnout?"
"Well, Maria. I am actually. This group size allows me to focus on each of you better. Now, I want you all to discuss what you want me to teach you first."
All nine students put their heads together, discussing softly, as if they were discussing war strategy. Two minutes later, Maria spoke up, "We would like to learn Warding, please."
"Very well. I want you to listen first, understand and then start taking notes in any way you want. Wands will not be used for now. But I must warn you, we Persians do not use wands while warding. So I may teach you some wandless magic as well. I have studied the older books that were used when Warding used to be taught here. Some information is correct, but most of it is horribly incorrect. As such, I am willing to take liberties while teaching you. Now, have any of you ever attempted to study warding before this year?" Not one hand was raised. "Very well. This makes things easier for me. I will teach you from scratch. Warding was invented by Persians about 4,000 years ago. Sometime around the early 5th Century, European Goblins had made their way to the heart of the empire. They wanted to learn warding as well, which we taught them. They took the knowledge back to Europe and over the centuries, it has become simplified. Persian wards are made up of raw power. If a ward fits across the intended object and doesn't collapse or fade, we leave it like that. If it works, why risk a change and destroy it? If someone tried to force their way through the wards, they would be torn apart mentally. Most wards that were used in the empire are still intact, more so due to the fact that they are too powerful to be destroyed. Some of them even feed off the magic used to bring them down, reinforcing them. Unlike modern wards, we did not use wardstones to anchor the wards. Can anyone take a guess why? State your name first and then your answer."
The lone Hufflepuff raised her hand, "Felicity Jones. Would it be because the object warded could not be moved, either by magical or physical means?"
"Explain."
"If you had to ward an object like a gate, the object in question is too large to be moved, so the wards are placed around it with the knowledge that the gate cannot be brought down or moved unless the wards are brought down, but the wards cannot be brought down unless the gate is destroyed." She sounded less sure with every word she said, ending her answer in a whisper.
"You have the gist of it, I will give you that. Here's what I did not tell you: we anchored the wards to the object itself. So here you have an endless loop, in a way. A simple Catch-22, to make things easier for you to understand."
One Ravenclaw raised his hand, "Felix Flint here. If your wards were this secure around the object, why did you say that the knowledge got simple?"
"Well, if you have more than one option to ward an object, you would choose the simple one, correct? Given that our resources and knowledge of magic was, for that time period, modern, it seemed appropriate. Things did not get simple overnight. Decades of experimentation led to wards being what they are today. You and I could ward the same object exactly the same, but use different methods and have a different outcome of a ward defense. If I ward with my knowledge of 1300 years ago, and you ward with knowledge of just a year ago, you would have a much more simple ward, while mine would be the same, but in a much more raw form." Felix nodded slowly, grasping the words.
"Before we get to wards specifically, I should instruct you on actual magic. Intent matters when casting. After all, it is one of the four parts of magic, the others being a medium, visualisation and emotion. All four of these are the pillars of magic. Note it down. Magic can be Light, it can be Grey, it can be Dark. Dark magic does not mean evil magic. The output of the spell may not be savoury, but if that is what the output is supposed to be, you cannot do anything. Any magical construct is real. Wards, Charms, Transfigured items, it makes no difference. If even one of your senses are triggered by a magical construct, it is real. Note that there are permanent wards, and temporary ones. The temporary ones are those that reply on the caster's magic, using it to fuel themselves. Permanent wards are those that either rely on familial magic, like those on houses; those that rely on wardstones, like the one we have here at Hogwarts; those that are fueled by the energy of a place, like those in historical sites long abandoned. A simple example of this is the Parthenon. It is no longer used as a temple, but the magic there is so strong that it still fuels the wards that were cast over it millennia ago."
Darius gave the students a moment as they noted things down. The next Slytherin, also a girl, spoke up, "Merula Snyde here. I was wondering, what exactly can you use wards for, apart from protecting and defending?"
"Starting easy I see. Well, you can use wards for concealment as well. Many modern spells are modified wards, like the Protego spell. I assume all of you can cast it?" Nine heads bobbed up and down. "Good. Now, do you know the variants of the spell?" Only Maria nodded, saying, "Protego Maxima."
"That is correct Maria. The other variants are Protego Totalum, Protego Horribilis, and Protego Diabolica. The last one is actually a merged spell with Expecto Patronum."
The hand of Felix' housemate shot up, "Jacob Smith. Could you show us how this works please?"
"Very well. I will cast verbally for you, but do not attempt any spell taught here outside this class, and do not attempt it unless under supervision of a faculty member. I am trusting you with this. Break my trust and you will never see the inside of this classroom again. Diffindo." A crack appeared in the floor where Darius had his index finger pointed. He slowly turned a circle in his place, creating a small circular moat around himself. Lifting his hand, he turned his fingers inward, one following the other, "Protego Diabolica." Silver light emerged from his fingers, hitting the moat and roaring into large blue flames. He continued, "These flames protect me from those I see as enemies. Only those I trust will be able to walk through the fire with no problems. The fire doesn't burn you in the traditional sense, it eats away at your core until nothing is left." A wave of his hand and the flames cut off. Another wave and the floor repaired itself.
Maria's hand was in the air, "What do the other spells do?"
"Protego is the simplest variant, and I just told you what Protego Diabolica does. Protego Totalum protects an area or dwelling for an extended period of time. Protego Horribilis is particularly effective at shielding the caster from Dark magic. There is another variant called Protego Duo, which is more powerful than the standard Protego, deflecting the incoming spell back at the caster. But due to its double nature, it exhausts the magic of the caster very fast. It is used mainly among the dueling circuits of Europe, from what I understand. Protego Maxima is used to form near impregnable barriers, and is often used in conjunction with Fianto Duri and Repello Inimicum."
Felicity spoke up, "Can we ward our mind as well? Given that warding can be applied to any..." She did not get to finish that sentence.
Darius' eyes widened, his magic filling the room completely, almost to the point of overwhelming the students. He wrestled it back and replied, "Firstly, that is Occumelency, not warding. And secondly, do not ever, ever try to ward your mind. It will be akin to torture. Even if you are successful, you may need someone else to take down the wards. They will not know what they are doing, which will lead to either your death, their death, or something worse than death for all parties involved. Wards can be used on the outer body, but do not even try to ward something you cannot fully see, or ward something that is still connected to something you do not intend to ward."
Finally, a Gryffindor raised his hand. "Max Bygraves. You said you would teach us how to ward, wandlessly. What if we do not need wands at all?" A hopeful undertone was there in his voice.
Darius tilted his head, gauging the student. He tapped his forearm in thought. Coming out of his mind, Darius answered, "You all have had your wands for at least the past six years of your life. Would you be willing to give them up for the time being?" Not everyone looked sure about themselves. This was to be expected. Jacob answered, "We may not have our wands at all times. Perhaps starting off wandlessly from the beginning might help us. You guys agree?" He cast a look across the other eight students, all of whom looked at their holstered wands, then to Darius. Then they placed their wands on the table in front of them, as if giving them up.
Darius nodded, understanding the implication. "Very well. If you want to go this way, I can help you. Even though my mace functions like my wand, you have never actually seen me use it. I guess this puts us on equal terms." He removed the silver horse-headed mace from his belt and placed it on the table behind him. "Now, I want you all to first feel for your own magic. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Sit in a comfortable position. Clear your mind as best you can. It will feel different for each one of you. When you feel a small vibration across your skin, that will be your magic. It is always going to resonate with you, not anyone else. Focus on that and maintain the feeling."
All nine of them were soon meditating. Darius observed them. Part of his magic was his own, part of it was from a god from a long time ago. As a result, he could see their magic. It was beautiful: different colours moving around, interacting with the immediate environment, turning into different shapes and bursting randomly. All signs of healthy cores. Slowly, Maria and Felix had their magics surround them completely, while Merula was getting there slowly but surely. Jacob and Max were struggling to bring in theirs. Felicity was getting hers to surround herself, but it kept expanding again. Her control on her magic was not great. The others were able to hold their magic steady, but not bring it to surround themselves. Darius could see the strain on their faces. After fifteen minutes, he said, "Alright, maintain the feeling and open your eyes." As they did so, the ones who had not yet introduced themselves had tears in their eyes. Darius went over to them, "What's wrong?" He knew the answer, but wanted them to feel confident enough to tell him. One boy said, "We couldn't do it. Our magic did not respond to us. We are not strong enough."
Darius nodded sympathetically. "Do you wish to leave and try later?"
"We can try later, but we should get our magic under control first. We'd only slow your classes down. We really wanted to learn."
"Look, it is completely fine. it was never going to be easy. I do not think anyone has tried to teach you what I am. If you want, go to any Persian. They can help you in this regard. Or they could teach you Occumelency instead. All of us who protected the empire had to undergo it, so that we would not be spilling secrets if captured by an enemy. Trust me, you are not the first, or the last people to have little control on your magic. It happens all the time. With Occumelency, your mind gets disciplined." The boys nodded in understanding as they packed their bags and left the class. Darius turned back to those who remained. Both Slytherins Merula and Maria looked at him expectantly. Felix and Jacob, whose blue ties reflected their eyes, were merely waiting for him to continue. The lone Gryffindor Max, and lone Hufflepuff Felicity were sitting together.
"I will not say I expected so many of you to stay, so I am quite impressed. Your magics are strong, and you did manage to bring them somewhat under control. Now, I want you to raise your dominant hand and cast a simple Protego spell, and maintain it. I won't cast anything, I want to see the strength of your spell. Begin." Arms raised, the children were surprised to see that a white shield did appear in front of them, but it was very translucent. They needed to strengthen it.
So, for the remainder of the class, all six students were repeatedly casting protection charms. Darius observed them, pointed out anything he found lacking, and towards the end of the class, gave them a single triangular stone each. His instructions were simple, "Perform a simple Protego charm on this, and keep it up while you attend classes. Do not try it before sleeping, your magic is not strong enough yet to subconsciously maintain the ward. Try to do this without a wand, so you get the hang of things. I will see you here tomorrow, same time. Enjoy the rest of your evening."
All of them left the room, quite happy that they had managed one wandless spell, though it was cast verbally. Lady Hogwarts watched as they made way for the Great Hall. She turned to see Darius closing the door of the room, saying, "I would say that they are naturals at this, but that would be false. Their hearts are in the right place, they just need to practice more. Of course, having a wand on them is an advantage, but I am trying to remove that aid, at least for Warding. It will give them a lot of confidence to be able to wandlessly cast."
"I see you've taken quite the practical approach here. Kawas and Khurshed tried to get the students to levitate using their magic, in the Room of Requirement, but the students' magic was wild and lashed out quite a bit. Cyrus, Sarosh and Jamshed are teaching their group how to manipulate latent magic from within the earth, so they used the open grounds. Xerxes and Artaxerxes are teaching Occumelency. Since today was the first classes for all, I look forward to hearing the feedbacks from you later in the coming week. Out of all four, only Warding and Magic Manipulation used to be taught here, though it used to be called Magical Mayhem."
"All of us can teach all four subjects. I admit I was surprised when they requested for Warding. But I will judge them on their merit."
"That is all I ask for Darius. Thank you for believing in our dream."
Notes:
Would love to hear your thoughts about this chapter. I did some research and it turns out Bill Weasley joined Hogwarts in 1982, so that was a pleasant surprise, given his profession in the books.
Chapter 7: Through the ages
Summary:
This deals with the children of Grimmauld Place, through their infant years and into their childhood schooling. The adults in their lives start tutoring them in Magical Traditions. The chapter ends with their leaving for Hogwarts. A few references to Hogwarts' progress are also mentioned.
Chapter Text
1st March 1982
The children of Grimmauld Place were growing quickly, their parents and godparents almost running after them at every turn. The only ones who were relaxed were Arcturus and Remus. Dorcas had accepted to be Draco's godmother the previous month, partnered with Severus, so she got roped into the running around as well. The only one who was easier to handle was Nymphadora, who kept encouraging the tiny tots. More often than not, it was Arcturus who had to put a stop to the chaos, though the expression on his face showed that he did not like doing it.
All of them were having bouts of accidental magic, which Kreacher was more than happy to see. The adults had decided that when the children grew older, and were about to start Hogwarts, they would teach them Pureblood etiquette. It would take them a long way in magical circles. Harry and Dudley were getting thick as thieves, while Draco and Susan were inseparable at times. Amelia had locked eyes with Narcissa on more than one occasion, shaking her head. Narcissa could only smirk and wave Amelia's worries away. Neville had taken after Nymphadora and was quite happy to sit back and watch the chaos being created, though he did partake in it as well. Vernon initially felt unsure about Dudley's place among them, but Peter and Barty took him aside and explained that kids would be kids, blood-status was the last thing in their heads, and would not be in their heads until they grew much older. And even then, their parents were there to make sure it stayed out of their heads. Amelia had been chosen to become Dudley's godmother and Barty his godfather. Peter was Susan's godfather, and was partnered with Narcissa as the godmother. Neville's godmother had been Lily Potter, but she was dead. His godfather was Lucius Malfoy. Nymphadora's godparents were from her dad's schoolfriends, so they did not get a chance to visit Grimmauld Place per Arcturus' instructions. But he had no problem with her meeting them elsewhere.
Lucius received monthly reports on Hogwarts' progress, which was slow and looked promising. The four new unofficial classes had started, and the Persians had taken a shine to the students, and vice versa. The classes were all well-received, and the sports were fun as well. A small boxing tournament had been held in the middle of February, which Ravenclaw had won across both genders, shocking a number of the audience. Football was taking time to learn, but there would be a tournament in April. The study groups had not taken off as Albus would have liked, but at least they were happening. Bullying had come to a low level, and insults had been taken over by friendly jibes, nothing to be concerned about. Pytho had been an instant hit with the prefects, especially Slytherin. They were learning Parsel, but it was not easy since none of the current prefects were descended from a Parseltongue. Frank, Amelia and Arcturus also received the same reports, since they too had voted on the changes. What they were all surprised by, was Lady Hogwarts' declaration of making sure no squibs were left by the time the decade changed. Of course, Dudley was looked at again by Andromeda, since it was known he was descended from a squib line from his mother's side. But his core was all natural, with no outside influence on it. It was not as large as Draco's or Neville's, but just about the same size as his cousin's.
There was never a dull moment at Grimmauld Place.
1st May 1982
Grimmauld Place was bustling with activity, since there had been a Patronus message from Kingsley Shacklebolt. Apparently Fudge wanted to meet Harry, and refused to take no for an answer, even after Kingsley and another Auror named John Dawlish tried to dissuade him. Fudge would arrive at Grimmauld Place at exactly noon. That gave the residents 3 hours to prepare. The first thing they did was feed the children, bathe them and take them to the library, which was warded to be soundproof. Kreacher, Peter and Dorcas would stay with them. The rest of the adults were busy casting spells to keep the place clean, though Kreacher and the Malfoy elves had already seen to it. Arcturus on the other hand, had no thoughts about keying the Minister into the wards. If he was feeling benevolent, he would key Fudge in for a single time.
Multiple pings sounded against the wards, alerting Arcturus to the arrival of the Ministry officials. He opened the front door to see Fudge, Umbridge, Kingsley, John, as well as some reporters from the Daily Prophet. Seeing them, Arcturus had half a mind to just tell the entire group to leave, but decided to play it cool. Kingsley and Dawlish looked very apologetic, but Arcturus knew that they could not do much without jeopardising their careers. "Minister. How do you do?"
"Lord Black. I am quite fine, thank you for asking. I know this is a bit of a surprise for you, me landing up without warning, but I had to make certain for myself."
"Make certain what?"
"That Harry Potter was being treated right by your family."
Arcturus was ready to hex the lot of them. The insinuation that they would not treat Harry right, they had some nerve saying it out loud. "I can assure you Minister, Sirius is doing all he can for young Harry."
"I see, then you wouldn't mind if we just checked?" Without waiting for an answer, Fudge nearly placed his foot on the first step, only for John to yank him back.
"Minister. Have you forgotten where we are? This house has wards that had to be grandfathered in." He said in a single breath, almost as if reprimanding a child for taking something that had been denied previously to them.
Arcturus nodded at John's statement. Fudge and Umbridge paled. Seeing their discomfort, Kingsley stepped up and gave a deep bow, which Fudge had not done. "Lord Black. It is an honour to meet you for the first time. Forgive this intrusion on your property and into your time. With your approval, we would like to meet young Harry, since we know he is under your care."
Sirius, who was standing behind Arcturus called out, "We will key you through the wards, one at a time. Please be patient."
Soon, all the visitors were standing in the living room, looking around. Umbridge tried to get close to one cabinet, only for Narcissa to stop her in her tracks. "I wouldn't do that. Some objects in here are cursed, so we store them away." The voice was quite casual, as if what she had just said was common knowledge.
Umbridge's nose twitched. "What are you even doing here? You're a Malfoy."
Lucius, who was talking animatedly with Kingsley turned to face the two women, "Madam Undersecretary, have care how you speak to my wife. She may be a Malfoy now, but she is a Black by blood, the youngest Granddaughter of your gracious host. You will do well to remember that they have very short tempers." His tone was crisp and final, leaving no room for argument. Umbridge walked back to Fudge, who was waiting while Harry was brought from the library. All the Marauders were present, and Vernon had been told to stay out of sight since Umbridge had a superiority complex around muggles.
Alice came into the room holding Harry, while Sirius looked on with pride at both of them. Harry looked at the new people that were present, but Fudge did not notice the slight curiosity on his face. He strode up to Alice and asked, "Are you alright taking care of him and your son at the same time? With your husband away on Auror duties, I know it cannot have been easy to cater to both their needs."
Frank heard Fudge's words and was about to stand to defend his wife, but Remus' hand came down hard on his shoulder. Ever since Remus had started meeting with Fenrir's pack on full-moon nights, he began to look healthier. Moony and he were not completely aligned, but Fenrir assured him that it would take time, given that he'd been cutting himself off from his other side for many years. As a result of the past few months, Remus had gotten stronger in his human form. So the one hand on Frank's shoulder was enough to sit him back down, and Frank did not a small build about him. Sirius on the other hand had no problems defending Alice, "She's been wonderful Minister. In fact, the Longbottoms come over every Friday evening, leaving Monday morning. Alice takes over from me then, so I can relax. Of course I am still around, but it makes an almost equal split between the two of us. I also take care of Neville in case Lucius is unavailable."
Fudge looked up at Sirius, clearly not expecting such an answer. "I see. And what about his vaccinations, his health in general?"
"My cousin Andromeda drops in, since she is a certified healer. Narcissa also knows basic healing, and she drops in almost everyday anyways, to chat with us."
"What about his social skills? You've been around for the past five months, I know that much. But shouldn't he be with someone his age?" Fudge sounded as if he was desperately grasping at straws to find an excuse to take Harry away. By now even Barty, who had the most amount of patience and the longest temper among all the Marauders, looked like he was ready to strangle Fudge.
He spoke up, "Minister, I stay here half the time, since my father is often busy at the Ministry. Harry has friends his own age: Neville Longbottom, his cousin Draco Malfoy, Susan Bones, Nymphadora Tonks. His social circle is quite alright. It is never a dull moment when they are around."
Fudge looked defeated, but Umbridge started off, "How could a Pureblood family, whose stance of blood-supremacy is well known, take in a half-blood child?" Her voice was as horrible as Lucius could remember it, being only a few years her junior in Hogwarts. Her own stance on blood-supremacy was well known to the Marauders.
Amelia looked like she wanted to give the woman a piece of her mind, but a strong look from Andromeda stopped her. Taking this as an opening, Remus answered, "Well, family is not those who are your blood. I know Sirius' parents treated him horribly most of his life. It was not surprising that he ran from them at the first opportunity, straight into the loving embrace of the Potters. And James' mother, Dorea was a Black herself. She managed to get him out of the dangerous spiral he was getting sent into, understanding the pain of being a part of House Black, and its Heir as well. Regulus all but followed him within a few weeks. It was little wonder that James named him Harry's godfather, since Sirius did not share his parents' ideals."
Sirius continued, "That's true. I consider the Potters my actual parents, though I only got to know them for a few years. I have no regrets about running away from home. Grandfather never actually disowned or disinherited me, so I am still very much the Heir to House Black." There was pride all across his face at the proclamation.
Umbridge looked like she had swallowed a lemon, "You, a Gryffindor, are the Heir to a Slytherin family?"
Arcturus sighed, "The Blacks may have predominantly been in Slytherin, but we have had many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws in our ancestry. Sirius is the first Gryffindor we have had. Narcissa was almost put into Ravenclaw, but Regulus was sorted there."
All eyes turned to Lady Malfoy, who nodded. "My baby cousin was a bit of bookworm."
The Daily Prophet's representatives had their quills out, writing furiously. They had not taken any pictures yet, as per Arcturus' instructions. Fudge nodded resignedly. "Very well. I suppose that concludes the purpose of the visit. Harry Potter is well taken care of, under Alice Longbottom and Sirius Black." Neither godparent looked amused at the use of all three of their surnames names. Oblivious, Fudge spoke on, "I'll just get a picture with the little boy and we will be on our way." He took two steps towards Alice, who took three huge ones back, right into Frank's arms. Sirius stepped in between Fudge and his target, while everyone other member in the room had their wands on display, pointing at different visitors. Only Arcturus and Remus had not drawn their wands- Arcturus since he could wandlessly cast, Remus because his stronger physiology could tank a few spells while he cut loose at the visitors. Frank and Amelia had their wands out, but were hesitant about lifting their hands. Frank could still body-check a few spells with his rune-lined clothes, which had started to glow. John and Kingsley looked torn between defending their overall boss and defending the child from him. Barty, the only legal animagus in the group, had transformed into a Siberian Tiger, and was glaring at the people with cameras. One word from Arcturus or Sirius, he'd damage them beyond salvation.
Umbridge foolishly tried to pull rank on them, "You will allow your Minister to do what he wants. You are under his jurisdiction."
Severus' voice carried from behind her. "Be that as it may, you all are here as guests at the behest of the Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. Unless he gives his leave, you can forget about it. The rules of Xenia apply to you to not overstay your privileges. He has not given permission for the camera lenses to be opened yet. You can stand next to Harry all you want, not a single picture will be taken."
Looking around, Fudge could see that this was one battle he would not win. Unfortunately for him, Ted Tonks was also present and was grinning like he'd just won the lottery. Lucius Malfoy was the Chief Warlock, and could use his position to call for Fudge's head. Hopefully neither would do anything to him. He turned back and said, "No pictures, we have our memories as well. Let's leave."
They all walked to the front door, where Andromeda and Narcissa stood, wands still out. The two sisters looked deadly, and their piercing stares scared of the younger people in the group. Kingsley and John made to leave, but Sirius held them back, "Not just yet, you two. We need to have a chat." Those eleven words were enough to freeze the men in place. The door shut and the sisters started removing the signatures of the visitors from the wards. They would not be able to walk into Grimmauld Place without Arcturus or Sirius leading them in.
John mentally started composing his obituary. He was in a room surrounded by four members of the most dangerous family in Europe. One male was an animagus, though illegal, the other male could cast wandlessly and wordlessly. Between the two females, they knew how to put a body back together, which meant that they knew how to take one apart. Other people in the room included a vampire, a harpy veela, a werewolf who had Runes on his skin, an Auror Colleague who knew how to construct Runes at a moment's notice, and a woman whose animagus form would be able to turn them into Swiss cheese. The most dangerous in the room was a Siberian Tiger that was currently licking its chops while staring at them. Kingsley did not look good either. His sweat was visible along his shiny bald head, despite the cool of the room.
Frank started the conversation, "Did you know the specifics of what he had planned?" Both men shook their heads. The fact that they had found out in the first place was because Fudge had specifically requested them. Even after failing to stop Fudge from coming, Kingsley had sent his Patronus to give them a warning. "Not good enough boys. I may work with you, but outside work I am a family man. Fudge coming after Harry doesn't bode well for the little fellow."
Arcturus turned to Sirius, "You still believe they won't make Harry a symbol? Had you blood-adopted him, they wouldn't have been able to make a move like they attempted just a few minutes ago."
Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose, "Grandfather, I won't have James and Lily's memories or legacy fade away like that. If Harry is willing, I will do it before he goes to Hogwarts. But if he says no, I will not ask a second time."
John and Kingsley looked at each other. They had discussed this before, with Moody. But they had not believed that Fudge would actually attempt something as blatant as that. Remus turned his attention back to the duo. "You will leave, since you have no information that would be useful to us. Breathe a word of this meeting to a single soul, Severus will be feeding from your corpse after I am through with you." Both men's heart rates spiked. That was not an image they needed with an apex predator sitting next to them. Arcturus waved them away and they power-walked towards the entrance. As soon as they were out of the wards, they apparated back to the Ministry and went for a drink to calm their nerves.
1st August 1982
Severus bid farewell to Grimmauld Place as he took up his new role as Potions Professor for the final 2 years of students. His expertise had been wildly sought after across Europe, since his methods were saving resources in the making of many expensive potions. In June, he'd been invited to Magieschule to help them with their 1st years' Potions curriculum. They had felt it was slightly outdated, and wanted to modernise it. Suffice to say, they ended up changing half of it. Draco was sad to see his godfather leave him, and he was not the only one. All the children were unhappy to see "Uncle Sev" leave. But he would be back for Samhain, so they only had to wait 3 months. Time flies for children, so an idea was floated to take them on a holiday outside the country for 2 weeks, so that the Tonks family had time to prepare to send Nymphadora to school. Since the children would not remember much, bar Nymphadora, they decided to go to Greece.
Two days later, bags were packed, documents were filled, and children were fed before they left Grimmauld Place. All wards, entrances and exits were locked down, and Kreacher had gone over to Malfoy Manor to prevent him feeling lonely. They got to Heathrow airport via cab, then headed through check-in. British Airways both ways, First Class. Lucius had offered to split the costs, but Arcturus insisted that Lucius pay for all expenses in Greece instead, which the younger man was amenable to. The children were put to sleep once the flight reached cruising altitude. Small conversation was made as most of the group had never been to the Balkans. Ted, Arcturus and Peter had, though for different reasons. Ted had gone on holiday with his family as a teenager, Arcturus had gone to study Greek Runes, Peter had gone as spy on hearing that Voldemort was trying to gather international support for his Death Eaters. Fortunately for them, Voldemort never received any sort of aid. Everyone listened as they spoke of the magical and muggle sides of Greece. Lucius wanted to visit Hecate's school of the Arcane, but as a tourist with a son who could potentially study there.
Hours later, the plane touched down and they grabbed their suitcases from the conveyor belt. Clearing customs was a smooth affair, once the officers noticed the size of their group and the children cradled in their arms. They exited the airport and the hot breeze that came their way forced them all to shed the excess layers of clothing. They made the kids drink water and carried on to the hotel. It was a magical one, so even if there were outbursts of accidental magic, it would be contained. The receptionist recognised Lord Black as the person who had helped out her parents 10 years ago, just before she had started her schooling. After that, they were treated like royalty. When asking about the school, they were given pretty much the same information that Albus had given them in his memories 7 months prior. Since the school had not yet started, they were allowed to go as tourists and view it. If they wanted to meet the Headmistress, they had to book an appointment. Glancing around, Lucius saw that almost everyone was interested in seeing the school. Ted nodded and booked an appointment for the next day. Not even an hour later, they were told that they could go now, since the Headmistress was curious as to why Hogwarts-bound students' parents were interested in her school. They were given a Portkey that would take them straight to the school boundaries. It was one specially made with children under 9 in mind, so they would not feel disoriented.
They appeared at the side of a hill, overlooking a cluster of ruins and modern buildings. The magic in the air was palpable and Remus felt completely at home, for once. His werewolf side seemed content to curl up and have a nap in the shade of a tree or a rock. Amelia felt as if she had come back home as well, her harpy side not even felt now. Susan squealed with excitement as she spotted a woman floating in the air, forty feet ahead of them and thirty feet above the ground.
She seemed to phase in and out of reality with two copies of herself following her movement. In her hands were two torches, burning with passion. She floated down to the group and smiled. Her garments seemed to shift between white, grey and dark grey. Her eyes were the perfect shade of black, if Andromeda could voice her thoughts. Her hair looked even wilder than Dorcas', but it was her arms that stole the show. She had muscular arms, though not too thick. Her veins were visible as they crisscrossed her arms, all the way to her wrist where they seemed to be stopped and circled around it, covering them with a slight blueish-green colour. Her voice was rich, with silky undertones and a grounding effect.
"Welcome to Greece. My name is Hecate, Headmistress of Hecate's school of the Arcane, the magical school for Balkans. How do you do?"
They had already decided that Barty would make their introduction, having the highest patience among them all. Since they were dealing with a figure of myth, it was best to play it safely. He reached out and shook her hand. "Lady Hecate. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. My name is Barty Crouch Jr., and I speak for all of us when I say that we are all quite well."
The Titaness gave him a look-over, as if trying to decide what he would taste like. She stared into his eyes, but his Occumelency shields were strong. Regulus had taught him, after all. And even if that failed, the Crouch family Magical Inheritance was that their Patronus or Animagus form would fight against the Leglimens. But Hecate simply wiped the shields away and tamed the tiger that was snarling behind them. He staggered back as his body shook from the probe, but Hecate held up her palm and righted him up. Barty tried to contain his shock, but with his shields wiped away, his expression was there for all to see.
"Interesting, Mister Crouch. You had a formidable defense, but against a Titaness like me, one of the many who gave magic to the world, you stood no chance. I will give you back your tiger and your shield, do not worry. Now that I have all of your attentions, let us retire to a more comfortable place." A wave of her hand, and they were all sitting down in a large room, with couches, single armchairs, cribs, a large table and a lot of food. The children were placed in the cribs as Dora watched over them, listening to the conversation as well. Hecate sat so that she had a view of all of them. "So, why do Hogwarts-bound students, with their parents and godparents, wish to see my school? It is only for students from the Balkan states, with a few exceptions from Turkey allowed each year. Curious indeed."
Barty cleared his throat, "Well, we'd heard such great things about your school, so we wanted to see it first-hand as well. Since we were planning on visiting Greece, we thought we would take a chance to see this place as well. And since we are being honest, you have students in here till they are 21, which means you have a college here as well. We were hoping to send the kids here one day for further studies."
Hecate tapped her chin, "I see. I am going to have to look into your minds, since there is something else here that you either do not know, or have some idea about." Arcturus, Lucius, Frank and Amelia exchanged worried looks but nodded anyways. Hecate stared into each one's eyes, smiling when she finished. "It takes a lot of guts to enact changes on the scale you have done. Personally, I do not think that the Persians will ever betray you, as much as you suspect it Amelia. Vernon, it is surprising how well you adapted to this change in lifestyle. Tell me, why did you do it?"
Vernon's chest swelled with pride as he replied, "Dudley is still my son. The fact that he has magic is just a small part of why I am being careful of him. He deserves love, not hate. It is not something he can control at the moment."
"I can see why you carry the blessing of Hestia in you. Back to the topic, yes we do have a college here open for everyone in the magical world. I can show you the difference between the school and the college."
And so, for the next 3 hours, they spoke about the academics, the non-academics, the career opportunities, some famous alumni who made it big in England. She showed them around the campus, which was about 80% the size of Hogwarts. Towards the end of the discussion, she gave her card to Barty and said, "When you feel like coming here to study, either you or the kids, do let me know beforehand so that I can prepare your letters."
They left the campus armed with knowledge that not even money could buy.
31st October 1982
Severus had been having a great day. Each student knew where all the supplies were, what items were kept in which cabinet, when to stir and when to heat. He was particularly impressed by Felix Flint, who had cast a wandless and wordless protection spell to prevent him and Merula Snyde from getting hit with the hot liquid of his cauldron when he added eagle feathers just a minute too early. Now that the House Cup had been stopped, Severus could not give out points, but he did compliment Felix after the lesson. Felix said that it was all thanks to the warding lessons by the Persian Magician Darius. Severus had met them of course, with their lessons staying on as unofficial and non-compulsory.
Magical Traditions had become part of the curriculum, as well as Muggle Studies. They were now enforced from the first to the fifth years, with the current first years being the batch to write exams on it by the end of May next year. How times had changed since he had been a student just a few years ago. Maria Higgs had been made Head Girl, which had not come as a surprise to anyone. She was top of her class in studies, Quidditch Captain, a semi-decent Leglimens, according to the Persian Xerxes. Severus was not the Head of Slytherin House, but Horace had made it clear to him a few days ago that he would be retiring from teaching in June 1984. Albus was not yet aware, but he would be made aware at the start of the next year. The final class had let out for the day, and Severus was ready to get back to Grimmauld Place. He would fly there, rather than Floo. He wanted it to be a surprise.
His relatively new Comet 220 was on its hooks on the walls. Severus had been a Chaser for the Slytherin Quidditch team, breaking and setting the record for most number of points scored by a Chaser across the Quidditch season, for four years straight. The other two years, James Potter from Gryffindor and Barty Crouch Jr. from Ravenclaw were the highest point scorers, but they had not come close to Severus' points tally. Severus had even been scouted by Quidditch teams, but he turned down any offers that came his way, preferring to further his knowledge in Potions. He only used his broom for recreational flights, as well as participate in the staff's Quidditch match, which Albus had started this year, as a curtain-raiser to the year. While he was lost in the memories his body worked on its own, closing drawers, locking cupboards, shutting down the fireplace. He sent a Patronus message to Maria, stating that he would be unavailable the rest of the day, and that he would only open his office and private quarters the following morning. A quick glance around showed him that all he had left to do was grab his broom and leave the castle. He did so, the slow rush of blood warming his arms and legs. As he was about to leave the castle entrance, he heard Lady Hogwarts' voice, "Leaving for the day, Prince?"
Severus turned around, his shoulder-length hair gleaming under the setting sun. "Yes Lady Hogwarts. I will be back tomorrow in time for breakfast. I will not miss out on my teaching. I am going to see my godson and his extended family."
Lady Hogwarts tilted her head, "The Marauders, correct?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Have a safe flight both ways." Lady Hogwarts turned and headed towards the Great Hall.
Severus mounted his broom and pushed off. The Comet 220 may not have been the fastest broom, but it was the best broom for long flights. He would be in London within three hours, going nearly supersonic most of the way, once he had cleared the low-hanging clouds. He lowered himself once he reached the outskirts of London, following the trail of magical markers visible only to himself as their caster, to line up for a landing at Grimmauld Place. It was a five hundred metre stretch from the first marker to Grimmauld Place, so Severus could align himself properly for the landing. As soon as his feet touch the rooftop, Kreacher popped into view, grinning. "Severus is here. I'm so happy." The elf did a small dance, which Severus found amusing. He grabbed the wizard and they appeared in the living room of Grimmauld Place. All decorations were up, from pumpkins to bats, cobwebs and even a fake spider. Remus and Frank pulled Severus into a hug. "You've been gone a long time Alucard." They used his Marauder name.
"I have been gone 3 months. That is hardly long."
Frank shook his head, "The kids have been asking about you every week. Try explaining that it was not a long time, to them."
Severus chuckled to himself and climbed the stairs to the playroom, where all the children were, Dora included. They saw him and their eyes gleamed with mischief. Severus smiled. This was going to be a happy evening.
1983-1990
The Marauders may have had a rough childhood in some form, but their kids were getting everything they could not. Harry, Dudley, Draco, Susan and Neville attended St. George's school which was not even a five-minute walk from Grimmauld Place. The adults had taken up muggle jobs, while Vernon still had his old one at Grunnings. Lucius worked part-time with Ted, since his Wizgamenot duties took precedence over anything else. Barty had become a mathematics tutor for middle-schoolers, and was being paid quite handsomely. Sirius had picked up work in a bar, which turned a pretty profit on weekends, with the sports fans accounting for 90% of the earnings. Frank stayed on as an Auror, while Alice had decided that she was going to be a housewife. Andromeda had convinced Narcissa to become a full-time healer like herself. Dorcas found a job as security guard at the Natural History Museum. She kept getting placed all over the museum, that within two years she had the tours memorised. She applied to be a tour guide instead, and was accepted. She brought in a big chunk of money, on top of the tips people gave her. Amelia still worked at the Ministry, with Mad-Eye Moody pushing her to be the best version of herself. Peter was the only one who kept getting rejected from jobs. Even Remus had a daytime job which allowed him to use his werewolf physiology, not that anyone realised, he was working in construction. Peter had eventually asked Arcturus for help, which led to Peter getting a contractual job in Gringotts, as a Cursebreaker. The only caveat of this job was that he had to go wherever they told him. One year he was in Egypt, the next in Canada, the third year in one of the Pacific Island Nations. It was a demanding job, but he would not betray either the trust of Gringotts, or the trust of Arcturus. They had to teach him a bit, but most it was learned from Arcturus himself. Peter had proved to be a great asset, but Gringotts would not make him a permanent employee.
While at school, the children had formed friendships easily, and most teachers had nothing but compliments for them. A few teachers had tried to find fault with them, but even they gave up by the time they were 9 years old. The worst thing they had done was slap a bully for threatening Susan. Draco felt no remorse as they stood in the principal's office, knowing that the security camera had captured all audio & video necessary. Neville felt slightly bad about getting the bully into trouble, but understood that it had to be done. Dudley and Harry had taken up a stance as Susan's bodyguards. The bully was handed a two-week suspension, with the threat of expulsion at the next instance. But the worst thing that happened outside of school was in November of 1990.
Draco had contracted Dragon Pox. The Healers at St. Mungos had told his parents that it was not uncommon for a vaccinated child to get the disease, but the rate at which things were going was not normal. Draco's body temperature had gone up and then crashed, then up again. His body was covered in the red bumps, and he could not even open his eyes properly. The school nurse had told them to take as much time as they needed, if they wanted to come back in January that was fine. Harry and Neville looked at the bed where their friend and cousin lay, the only sign of life was his chest rising and falling. Narcissa had Andromeda next to her in support, while Lucius had Frank's hand on his back. The latest battery of experimental medicines had been administered, with no effect on the young boy. He may not live to see his 11th birthday at this rate, given that his insides were slowly shutting down with the fluctuation of core temperature. The Healer said, "Nothing short of shutting down his immune system and almost immediately restarting it will be of any benefit. And even that is a long shot. At this rate, he will stay alive another month, maybe two."
Frank had taken the two godbrothers back to Grimmauld Place, where Alice and Arcturus took over. He explained the situation, and for once even Arcturus looked defeated. His great-grandson was on his deathbed, and he could do nothing about it. Frank went back to St. Mungos with Ted, Sirius having already arrived. Hearing what the Healer had said, Sirius turned to Lucius with a crazed look in his eyes. "There may be a way to get Draco back on his feet with no risk of illness, though it will be painful in the long run. The only other way would be to shut down his core and restart it, as they have said. But he will be a squib in that case, since most magic will go into fighting off the disease."
Narcissa broke down into another fit of sobs on Andromeda's shoulder. Frank and Ted stared at the small blond on the bed, who had seemed to register what was being said, given that he was turning his head towards them. Lucius whispered, "I will do what it takes to see him alive and healthy again. Damn the consequences onto my head."
Sirius nodded, "Wait here. This may take time."
"I have time." Draco's soft and pained voice carried over to them. Almost immediately, Lucius was gently stroking Draco's hair, holding back his tears. If it was not for the situation, Sirius would have laughed at his nephew's sense of timing. He raced through the Floo to Grimmauld Place, then out of the door, changing into Padfoot, his animagus form, a large Grimm. He raced towards Remus' construction site and made sure the latter got an eyeful of him. Remus clocked out of work for the day and they both went to Grimmauld. Everyone knew about Draco's condition since he had been taken to St. Mungos two weeks before. They went through to St. Mungos and that is when Remus understood what Sirius wanted him to do. He outright refused, saying that the next full moon was three weeks away. If they were ready to wait that long, for him to bite or scratch Draco, he wanted verbal & written consent and permission from all involved parties.
Ted saw the entire exchange and asked, "Why not Greyback, if you want this done now? He can change at will, so I do not think there will be a problem of him just showing up and doing what is needed."
Lucius looked at Remus, who nodded. "Moony wants to come out and help Draco, but considering that he and I cannot align even after so many years, he is not willing to risk it. We do not know if it would work in our current state. Fenrir would be the better bet."
Andromeda met Sirius' eyes, then the Malfoys'. Getting the approvals, she said, "Call him. He won't try a stunt with three members of House Black this close to him."
Sirius cast his hound Patronus, "Fenrir Greyback. My name is Sirius Orion of House Black. My friend Remus Lupin has approved what I am about to ask of you. My nephew Draco Malfoy is lying in St. Mungos, suffering from Dragon Pox. The Healers are giving him two months to live at best. We wish for Draco to live long, and the only way we are being told is by shutting down his immune system, and then restarting it. That would essentially shut down his core, and render him a squib. The only other option is what you did for Remus when he was younger. Come to St. Mungos, fifth floor and ask for Draco Malfoy. Say that the Heir of House Black has called you. You will be substantially compensated." The hound raced out of the window. It was now a waiting game. Not twenty minutes later, a receptionist escorted Fenrir himself into the room, with Amelia Bones right behind him, wand out and aimed at his back.
"I will not hesitate to cast an Unforgivable. Watch it."
Fenrir nodded and looked at the others, two extremely sad, two having their shields up at full power, and one curiously watching on. He walked over to Draco, who was too out of it to even open his eyes. Ted produced a paper that contained the signatures of Andromeda, Sirius, Lucius, Narcissa and himself. They would allow Fenrir to turn Draco into a werewolf, but it had to be as gentle as possible. Fenrir signed it himself and turned back to Draco. He whispered, "If you can hear me Draco, this might sting or burn a little."
Draco's face became pained as he replied, "It cannot be worse than what I am going through."
"Just relax now." Fenrir's teeth turned into fangs as the werewolf side of him took over. He carefully lifted Draco's top so that his ribcage and abdomen were visible. He looked around again and saw Lucius give him a small nod. He sank his teeth into Draco's soft flesh, letting the venom do its work. After two seconds, he released his jaws and let the wound bleed a little bit. After a few minutes, the puncture wounds healed on their own, and the Dragon Pox began to fade across Draco's body. Fenrir took many steps away and said, "His body is going to change itself on the inside first. He will be knocked out most of today, so have someone here with him when he wakes up. Since the full-moon is in three weeks, he has time to prepare for his first transformation. Remus, help him out. Do not give him Wolfsbane to ease the pain. The first transformation is always the most painful. Have plenty of chocolate on hand for him as the time grows closer. Once he is above 15, give him the choice to join my pack for transformations, like Remus is doing."
Lucius spoke, "Thank you Mr. Greyback. You have no idea how much this means to us. Tell us how much you wish to be compensated, and the money will be in your vault by the end of this week."
"I will send the bill to House Black, since Heir Black is the one who called me here. I pray you have an easy first time with young Draco." Fenrir slipped out of the room and back onto the street, knowing in his heart that he had done the right thing. No one ever called him to sire young children unless they were desperate- Lucius and Narcissa were very desperate.
Harry and the others were overjoyed when Draco came back to Grimmauld, but when they had heard about the options given to Draco, they agreed that changing form once a month was a good pay-off, given that he was essentially immune to anything now. His schoolmates were happy to see him back so soon, saying that it was a miracle he was on his feet, given the reports that Harry had been giving them.
As the full moon rolled around, Draco started getting sicker. Remus saw the signs and immediately got Kreacher to use the chocolate in any way he wished. To say Kreacher went overboard would be correct. Hot Chocolate lined most the fridge's top shelf, with Dark Chocolate Cake on the shelf below it. He'd made Milk Chocolate figurines as well. Since Remus only ordered chocolate on occasion, they had to buy the batch for Draco.
Even Harry and Dudley helped in shaping the figurines into dragons and peacocks. Dragons because of Draco's namesake, peacocks because they were on the crest of the Malfoy family. Susan kept him company and kept talking to him to make sure he stayed alert, while Neville read him storybooks that he had recently bought. Given that Neville had been diagnosed as mildly dyslexic, this was a huge step. Thankfully the print of the books being black on white paper was easy on his eyes and brain.
As the day of the full moon came, Harry went to ask Sirius if there was any way they could help. Sirius shook his head, "Sorry Harry, but Remus is the best we have. He knows what Draco is going through and will be able to help keep him from lashing out."
"But you guys helped Uncle Moony out as well." Harry protested. Though everyone knew the distinction between Remus and Moony, the kids still called him Uncle Moony or Uncle Remus, since in their minds, the body was the same. They had watched a few times that Remus stayed at home for the full moon, that the Marauders kept him company in their animagus forms. It was those nights that one adult from the Malfoy or the Tonks family stayed with them. Arcturus mainly kept an eye on the animals outside, knowing he could easily stun them if things went south, and Moony developed a bloodlust. "Why can't we also help Draco in a similar, if not the same, way?"
Sirius' head snapped to Harry, since he had been thinking of an age-appropriate answer to give his godson. Before he could say anything, Frank stepped out from behind the door. "Your father, godfather and uncle were young and dumb. I am pretty sure Minerva knew what they were doing, and probably kept an eye out in case they did anything stupid. They did the full ritual, to get their actual animagus forms. If they had done the fast-track ritual, they would have become their Patronus forms. Not much change, but Peter would have been a large dragon, even as a teenager. Can you imagine trying to hide a dragon on Hogwarts' grounds?"
Harry shook his head. "Wasn't that your theory, that animagus forms and patronuses were the same for each person, most of the time?"
"Yes. And coming back to the point, none of you kids should be thinking about becoming animagi till your 17th birthdays, once your core settles properly. Many things could have gone wrong for these three. Heck, it is because of them that even I became an animagus, as you know. Barty is the only legal animagus in our group."
"But Draco will all alone in Hogwarts. We are going next year." Harry protested as Neville and Susan also came to see what Harry was talking about.
Frank shook his head, "Severus is in Hogwarts, he can always keep a look out for his godson." True, Severus was a vampire, a werewolf's natural enemy, but he could always watch from a distance. And the kids had been told about the preparations that had been made for Remus when he had been a student, courtesy Fenrir Greyback. Their respect for him did go up a bit at that. When Severus had been told about the changes in Draco, he had almost destroyed his office in a fit of rage. Only Lady Hogwarts, who had sensed his unnatural rage, kept him from committing destruction of his, as well as the school's property.
While Fenrir was not the only werewolf who had sired others across the British Isles and Ireland, he was the only one who kept an eye on all of them. Most of his permanent pack consisted of those who had been left out of their houses. He had given them a home in his pack, with a permanent address in an abandoned castle near the border of Wales and England. It had belonged to the now extinct Peverell family, but the house elves had welcomed them, saying that the fact they were still alive meant that there was an Heir or a Lord of the family still around. And the fact that the castle was now being used was more than enough for them. The Peverell family had not been averse to creatures, frequently seen in vampire balls or werewolf packs, completely at ease around them. Fenrir appreciated the gesture, and wished to ward the castle, but the elves had told him it was not possible due to him not being a Peverell. But they did cast small protections spells on each individual that came into their home. Fenrir had told Remus all this sometime in 1986.
Harry accepted that there wasn't much they could do for Draco. Neville put his arm across Harry's back, patting him on the shoulder. Susan looked sad at the reality Draco was going to have to face. Lucius had attempted to pass a bill on werewolf rights in the Wizgamenot in 1984, but Fudge had shut it down fast.
It didn't help that Umbridge also voted against it, despite the fact that her own brother was a werewolf who now stayed in Fenrir's pack, due to being disowned. According to sources near Umbridge, it would have been better if he had died, so the family name was not tarnished. Given that they were both half-bloods with only six generations of magicals, Lucius wondered what tarnishing could be done to them. It was not as if they'd contributed significantly to the community, apart from one witch in the late 1800's who'd managed to figure out the Arithmancy for a complex spell that was required, for some odd reason, to be cast exactly at dawn. That had led to a breakthrough in how to control Dementors, in some fashion.
Arcturus had managed to get a bill passed for veelas, since it was known that they were normally peaceful creatures unless attacked or provoked. Amelia slept a lot better after that, knowing her job was secure. Severus was also safe at Hogwarts, since the Ministry had no hold on it, being formed only 250 years prior while Hogwarts was over a millennium old.
With those recollections in mind, the children were ushered to the room where they normally watched Remus and the Marauders in full moon nights. Only now, it had Draco as well. Remus had created stretchable pants, so that his werewolf form was not completely naked, least of all in front of Susan and the other women. Sirius teased that in a few years, Draco would not be feeling so shy. That had earned him a clip on the head by Narcissa, who told him to stop trying to corrupt Draco at an early age. Draco just smiled. As the sun set, the humans started shifting onto their animagi forms. Lucius and Narcissa stayed with the children, while Andromeda stayed on the ground, just behind the door. If anything went wrong, she would be the one to stun and bind Draco before he went completely out of control.
The moon rose and was hidden behind clouds, which gave Draco a few minutes of respite. Remus had already told him what to expect. As the moon light burst through and onto the ground, Draco doubled over in pain. His bones were wrenching themselves in unnatural ways. His teeth were getting longer, while his senses exploded. They'd been getting stronger marginally day-by-day for the past seven days, but this was a lot more than marginal. His eyes went from grey to amber, while his nose and jaws started elongating. The pants held as his waist slightly expanded along with his hips. His feet turned into paws and he grew a lot of hair across his body.
As the pain subsided, he realised that he was flat on the ground, face down. He slowly picked himself up, taking in the smells, sights and sounds. In front of him was an adult werewolf about twice his size, and surrounding them was a bear, a tiger, a rat, a unicorn, a hawk and a large black dog. The combined smells masked anything else around him. That is when he saw the people at the window above them, on the second floor. His wild side triggered, he ran towards them. Before he even made it ten metres from his starting position, he felt the dog tackle him at his legs, while the hawk shot like a missile for his chest, both of them knocking him down. The bear bounded over and placed its front paw on his chest. There was no way he was getting up from that, not with the kind of weight the bear was putting down on him. He clawed and snapped his jaws for all his worth, but the bear did not move. In fact, the bear seemed amused by this.
All this while, the adult werewolf came and sat down next to Draco, softly whining, growling and licking Draco's werewolf cheek on occasion. Draco slowly calmed down as his bloodlust left him. But the bear did not let up. In fact, it looked over to the tiger, which had a sort of smile on him. The huge striped beast came over and promptly sat down on the werewolf, completely covering its body except for the head. Then it went limp. All Draco would be able to do now was breathe. The hawk rested on the tiger, snuggling into the fur on its back.
Narcissa guided the children inside and asks them gently if they now realised what Draco would be going through every month. They nodded knowing that they could not do anything. Susan asked if there was an animagus in Hogwarts, but Lucius said that the two there would not be able to help Draco, since one was Gryffindor House Head Minerva McGonagall and the other was Runes faculty Batsheda Babbling, who had been bullied a lot in school, to the point where her final three years of education were in Dumstrang. She had refused to work with kids, unless it was to counsel them, since she still had traumatic memories of Hogwarts. Top of that list was being thrown from the sixth floor balcony by a group of Slytherins. Had it not been for Filius, who halted her fall, Batsheda could have died and the bullies sent to Azkaban for murder.
Susan suggested Draco get sorted into Gryffindor, but Lucius explained that the best bet would be Ravenclaw, since his own great-grandfather was the last Malfoy to be sorted there. Arcturus came in and gave them a bit of backstory on most families that had attended Hogwarts. They had known most of this, since Frank and Peter had drilled it into their heads when they were 8 years old.
The children went back to their shared room that Arcturus had set up when in September, so that they got used to staying at Hogwarts. They first got the room when they showed interest in doing jigsaw puzzles. Arcturus cleared out six bedrooms and made them one. The furniture took some time to sort, but they had all adjusted. Susan had her own curtained section with a bathroom, but she didn't like it. It wasn't like the boys she grew up with were perverts. Sure, they'd be fueled by hormones in a few years, but that was in the future. Nymphadora had her own room, which she was fine with.
Dawn arrived with Draco groaning as his body changed back to human. Remus was already back to his old self. Most of the Marauders were watching Draco, waiting for him to react. They got him into the house where Andromeda checked his parameters. Getting the all clear, they went to the dining room where the kids were waiting. Hot Chocolate awaited Draco, and he slowly sipped it. They had school in a few hours, so Narcissa gave him a Pepper-up potion to take as close to school starting as possible. Then he could come home and sleep all he wanted.
Neville made sure Draco stayed awake and didn't walk into anyone on accident. Harry made sure he did his classwork, while Susan and Dudley made sure he didn't snap at anyone in the foul mood he was slowly going into. Once they got him to Grimmauld Place, they made sure he went straight to bed, continuing with the puzzle they had started the previous week. Ironically, it was a picture of a family of different canines: dogs, coyotes, wolves, jackals, foxes. Draco had not been happy with that, but they had wanted to frame it above his bed, so he couldn't say no. Each of them had their own puzzles shrunken and above their beds. Arcturus planned to expand the room even more, or create a pocket space within the room so it could expand on the inside, but stay the same on the outside. Since the age of 5, the kids had gone through puzzle after puzzle. From small 60 piece ones to the current 500 piece one.
25th December 1990
Christmas morning came early for the adults, who were busy sorting through all the gifts they had prepared for the kids. They were all the same, but keeping them hidden had been a task. It took Kreacher warding the gifts and hiding them all over Grimmauld Place to keep the kids from finding out.
Most gifts were things the Marauders had used in school, and these were new and improved versions. As the young ones trooped on downstairs, they were given a heavy breakfast, which Severus and Remus had made with the help of Kreacher, though it was more like Kreacher ordering them around. Once that was done, they took the children to the Christmas Tree, Dora not included since she was at Hogwarts. Neville missed her company, but Andromeda made sure that her daughter still wrote letters to everyone at Grimmauld Place.
As they opened their presents, everyone chipped in to explain what each item was. They all got a copy of the Marauders Map, which showed the castle floor by floor, as well as the locations of each person, statue, passageway, portrait, and animal in it. It could reveal who was Polyjuiced as well, with both names printed. It would activate once they were in Hogwarts, deactivating everytime they left it. It had been an invention of Remus & Frank, who were great with Runes, and Barty who was an expert at Field Charms. The Runes were keyed to the wards of Hogwarts, which explained its timing of activating. No one knew about this, not even Albus Dumbledore, since the map was originally created as a way to avoid getting into trouble for sneaking out, cutting classes, pranking, and other Marauder activities. Each map was connected to the person they were given to, by their core. They looked like ordinary pieces of parchment, but would turn into their true selves if the person using it pushed a bit of their own magic into it. Which meant that Harry could use his own magic to open his map and close it, but Susan would not be able to use her magic to open his map.
Up next were the Quick-Step boots, modeled on Japanese Tabi shoes. These could take a person between two places in half the time it would take them to walk the same distance. They were navy blue shoes which went up beyond the ankle, with gold hooks in place to catch the thread running down the side, so the shoe would not open. Only the big toe was separated, and the sole was a bright orange. When activated, the shoes could be almost soundproof, and leave explosions in the wearer's wake, to disguise the actual foot size. The explosions were not soundproof however. The shoe would expand to fit the person, but the sole would have to keep getting changed as it suffered wear and tear. This had been an invention by the Late Marlene Macdonald, as a way to sneak out during curfew.
The next thing they found were a pair of knitted grey gloves with finger holes that were knitted dark blue. This invention was purely Alice, who had to use them to discourage boys from getting handsy with her. She showed them how it would deliver a mild shock to the person it was aimed at, with no backlash to the user. Augusta had knitted the gloves on request, while Alice enchanted them. The dark blue colour could not be changed, since that was the colour that seemed to conduct lightning the best.
Up next was a jacket that had a detachable hood and detachable sleeves. Those parts were attached by zips to the main body, which was made of dragonhide. It was light and would resist most spells, though they could not stop Unforgivables. The sleeves were made from Acromantula silk, which allowed them to stretch quite a bit and still return to their original shape. If they were attacked physically, the silk could stretch without tearing and prevent actual harm on the arms. Apparently this had been Severus' idea. He knew that Hagrid had an Acromantula friend that he had raised while still at school, so asking Hagrid to procure the silk was not out of question. Apparently Aragog, the Acromantula in question, was delighted to hear that their webs would be utilised for something apart from capturing prey. He gave Hagrid the best and strongest silk the colony had. These jackets could be worn over the usual uniform in any fashion, and if they only wanted to use the main body of it, they could slip it under their tops. Dorcas suggested that they wait to see what House they were sorted into, then colour and customise the jackets accordingly.
While the kids were getting to grips with the gifts, Sirius pulled out James' invisibility cloak, saying that it was a family heirloom. Arcturus took one look at it and said, "That is one of the Deathly Hallows by the way. I can feel the ancient magic from here."
Sirius glanced between Harry and the cloak, as if reconsidering his choice to give it to his godson. He asked, "How dangerous?"
"Very. It can drive the user to insanity with prolonged exposure. The Elder Wand can do the same, unless it is content with its user. The Resurrection Stone keeps the user addicted to the shade of the person they summon, so it indirectly causes madness."
Draco immediately put his arm across Harry, preventing him from moving forward. "I prefer my cousin sane. He may be bat-shit crazy, but not insane. I won't allow it." Harry huffed and crossed his arms, mock-glaring at Draco. Dudley added, "Same. I am not losing my only family member to a cloak. I can drive him mad if you want, instead." That earned a laugh from Vernon, who had been watching the gift-giving with interest. Of course, he had also contributed a bit in getting the gifts smuggled into Grimmauld Place without the children knowing. That argument settled, Arcturus took the cloak from Sirius, summoned Kreacher and went into the basement. He came back after 5 minutes. "The cloak is locked under tight wards, wizard and elf. It will not degrade over time, so we can figure out what to do with it later."
The next gift to the kids was a mask. This was not to conceal their identity, but to help them breathe in difficult times. It would act as a Bubble-Head Charm without the actual bubble. All the air they exhaled would be recycled back through as clean air to inhale. Underwater, it could also form a bike helmet over the person, complete with a visor to protect their eyes. The only downside was that they would not be able to hear each other underwater. On ground they would be audible however. Using it during Potions was also possible, so they did not breathe in the fumes.
Contact lenses were given out next. This had been Vernon's idea, with a slight tweak. What if someone was invisible and sneaking up on their progeny? He had suggested spectacles, but none of them wanted to have bulky things on the kids' faces. So they got to contact lenses. The Black Sisters had worked on the Runes, while their husbands had put their heads together to try and think of every possible situation that could come up in Hogwarts. While there was no colour on the lenses, they would sparkle quite a bit to the outsider. The lenses could spot invisible people, see magical trails that a person left as their magic leaked out of them. Narcissa refused to let the lenses give the person the ability to see through objects, for obvious reasons. So they gave it the power to highlight dangerous items like weapons, wands and potions that a person had on them.
The last item given was a mouth guard. One went on the mandible's teeth, while the other on the maxilla's teeth. They had come up with the idea after Regulus had gotten into fisticuffs with a 7th Year Gryffindor in his first year. The Gryffindor had ended the fight by punching Regulus in the jaw, causing his front teeth to fall out. Pomfrey could not regrow his teeth back to their original structure, so she stuck titanium teeth in him. Not only were the teeth readily accepted by the body, Regulus' animagus form years later adopted them as well, allowing him rend anything he caught to shreds, since they could not escape his bite. These mouth guards were also titanium, but had a plastic form as well if they wanted it to change. It was just a simple matter of imagining them as plastic or titanium to shift the forms, but both would change. Draco was just happy they were not made out of silver.
Lucius then announced that since their letters were only coming in July, they would be going to Gringotts in June to get their respective Heirship rings. As they left the tree, Kreacher announced that he had made lamb chops, and that there would be no cutlery. Everyone ran for their lunch, and the dining room was soon full of stuffed, happy people. Amelia also made a comment that the kids were probably more outfitted than the Aurors at the Ministry, but Lucius waved that concern away, saying that the children still had a long way to go before they had the knowledge of an Auror. That had gotten pouts from all five of them.
21st June 1991
Lucius had just received the final letter for the year from Albus. So had Arcturus, Frank and Amelia. Ted must have also gotten his, considering he was also a Governor. Lucius was at Grimmauld Place, ready to head to Gringotts. Severus was going to meet them there directly, while Remus and Peter had elected to stay back with Arcturus. Everyone else had to go as a parent or godparent. Vernon and Dudley did not have to go, but Vernon wanted to show Diagon Alley to Dudley, having been there many times with at least one of the Blacks or Malfoys. No school shopping could be done just yet, since the letters were yet to arrive.
The letter stated that classes had been running smoothly, Lady Hogwarts had also thought of taking up teaching though she was unsure about the subject. She had finally managed to fulfill her promise of making squib lines magical again, and the 1st years of 1991 were estimated to be at least 150 strong. As a result, they were waiting for the letters to go out before they got to rearranging the dorms and common rooms. By the time 1997 rolled around, they could be looking at about a thousand students altogether. They'd managed to get Magical Manipulation approved by the Ministry for the coming academic year, but only for OWLs, since NEWT material had to updated drastically. At least Fudge and Umbridge had taken those classes, known then as Magical Mayhem, so they knew it was a safe subject. It would be started in 1st year and within 6 years, all 5 years would be studying it. The Persians Cyrus, Sarosh and Jamshed would be teaching it, Cyrus taking the first two years, Sarosh the next two and Jamshed the crucial 5th year. The other 3 unofficial and non-compulsory classes would continue as usual. Warding had become a hit across all years, so much so that Darius had to set up a day for every year. He had tried to get the final two years together, but almost everyone had applied for it. Bill Weasley, who had recently graduated, had been so good at Warding that Darius had written him a Letter of Recommendation for Gringotts. He would be working as their employee in Egypt. His younger brother Charlie who had graduated this year, had loved the classes on levitation. As a Seeker for Gryffindor, he experimented in his final year with not needing a broom to play, since his play did not impact anyone else. Unsurprisingly, he became the first player in 107 years to catch the Snitch in every Quidditch game he had played in, across six years in Hogwarts. That was 18 games in succession. He had decided to put his knowledge to good use, applying to become a Dragon Tamer in Romania. He had been accepted the moment they got word about his levitation skills. Kawas and Khurshed wrote their Letter of Recommendation for him. Overall, the past year had seen 22 Letters of Recommendation written across all 4 subjects, though Magical Mayhem was now going to be an official paper, freeing up evening time for the three Persians.
Study groups were now almost a done thing in Hogwarts, with everyone ready to do some revision. While the upper years were more frequent with their own groups, they also made time for the first 2 years, since the latter did not have Hogsmeade weekends. Typically, 3rd years and up did not start their study groups till Halloween ended, while the first two years mainly needed some last minute revision. The sports had been taken to, with requests for more, but Albus could not find age-appropriate sports, though he was considering having track events that pitted housemate against housemate, after having seen a few editions of the Olympics. They had tried to get swimming into the school, but even with underwater heating, the children did not like it very much, so they were scrapping it in July. Pytho was getting bigger, but the magic of the Chamber of Secrets kept making her smaller as she got into it each morning. On occasion, she would come to see the Quidditch games, with a special alcove made for her to stick her head in and view without having to turn much. She was fiercely protective of the muggleborns, given that there was still a random attack on them every now and then. But in the last decade, there had been exactly 7 intentional attacks on them, the offending student's mind read by Lady Hogwarts before they could even muster a shield to protect it. All 7 of them were cases of unrequited love, which got them off with a warning and one day suspension from classes. There had been 16 cases of unintentional attacks, which were deflected spells in the Room of Requirement. The student was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The students whose spells were responsible always took them to the infirmary using the Room's passageway to it, so that they did not lose time. Poppy was more than comfortable handling them. She was not a Battle Mediwitch for nothing. She'd dealt with far worse in Europe.
Over the past decade, they'd had the occasional student who was a creature. Recently, a girl named Marjory had graduated, and she was, for all intents and purposes, an undead. How she had come back to life, she did not know, but a couple in England had adopted her during her time in Hogwarts. Her parents were happy that she was learning magic, and had even placed 3rd overall in her year. When the Ministry had heard about her, they'd tried to get her removed. But since she was a student at Hogwarts, they could touch her. Lady Hogwarts almost made an appearance herself, but the girl was able to cast several jinxes, spells and said that the only thing different about her was that she had come back from the dead. Her pulse was strong, her breathing even and her body still tired after exertion. The Department of Mysteries got involved and when they saw the cause of all the fuss, they chewed out the Ministry officials for wasting their time on what was a living breathing person. Albus had replayed that memory in his pensieve and broadcasted it for all the faculty to watch and laugh at. Even Marjory requested the memory to show her adopted and biological parents. Needless to say, Albus soon got a letter signed by all 5 of them, saying that they were going to use the memory as proof that Marjory was as real and alive as any of them. She'd been accepted in Magieschule as a teaching assistant in Classical Music, which Albus was glad to hear. Her cello play was second to none, and for seven years most of Ravenclaw had been dancing along to the tunes she played.
Lucius read the letter and smiled, hopefully Draco was treated the same way. But his fears were mainly unfounded. Hogwarts had zero tolerance for discriminations of any sort, and bullying of any sort. He looked up to see Frank also holding a letter with Albus' handwriting. The two men spoke simultaneously, "You also read it?"
Frank grinned like a mad man. "I cannot wait for the five of them to get an experience better than ours. Dora may have told them stories about what is currently happening, but what they do themselves for the next seven years is what counts."
"Indeed my fellow Ancient and Noble Lord." Amelia walked up to them with her own letter in hand. "At least Lord Arcturus' veela bill has allowed me to rest easy. Susan also has the same genes I do, but with her friends, old and new, she should be able to keep the harpy in check."
"Yes Alecto. I remember your anger management quite well, considering I was the only one who could get close to you without the fear of you ripping me to shreds."
"Zip it Beast. You're lucky I find you more understanding than most, outside the Marauder circle."
Lucius snickered, "Does my family and the Tonks family also qualify as being within the Marauder circle?"
Frank looked at him as if it was a dumb question, "Of course they both do Lucius. Your son is a Marauder legacy as well."
Children in tow, the adults made their way to Diagon Alley. All of them were speechless, except Draco. He sucked in a breath and said, "Woah!"
Amelia nodded, "Indeed woah. It takes your breath away the first time. Come on, let's get your rings."
That was the easy part of the trip. Susan got her Heirship ring, which had a skull as the crest. Harry got the Potter ring which had a shield and stag on it. Draco's ring contained an albino peacock, and Neville got the fused Longbottom/Gryffindor rings, which had a sword and lion respectively. He could decide which ring to use at any time, since both Houses were Ancient and Noble. Dudley watched on, slightly jealous. But he tramped down those feelings. He had a long way to go before he would be in high standing. He would work just as hard as his friends, if not harder. But he wasn't going to step on people's toes to get a position. His father would not be happy in the least, and neither would Arcturus, who had taken them in when they essentially had nowhere to go. If it took him more time, he'd do it, honestly. Harry had wanted to share his position with his blood cousin, but the goblins said that it would not work, considering Dudley was a muggleborn, though from a squib line. They had tried to trace his heritage, but came up empty after they got to his great-great-grandparents. Dudley didn't care. He was there to forge his own path.
31st July 1991
Harry and Neville's birthday celebrations had wrapped up by afternoon. They had celebrated all their previous birthdays with classmates, but since no one knew what time their Hogwarts letters were coming, they had told everyone that they were not celebrating till they turned 18, using the excuse of it being family traditions. Not everyone had taken it well, but no violence had come off it. After lunch, there was a ping of the wards. Arcturus motioned for the Marauders to stand back, since Hogwarts letters normally came via owl, not via a person unless it was for a muggleborn. Dudley had lived his entire life in Grimmauld Place. He would be considered as good as pureblood. Arcturus opened the door to see Filius Flitwick standing on the stairs, since he had been keyed in decades ago. He held five Hogwarts letters, which made sense. But then Arcturus saw the problem. Coming into the street was a Ministry official. He was too far away to see what was happening, so Arcturus grabbed Filius by the shoulder and slammed the door, activating the wards to repel anyone not over the age of 80 years, just to be safe.
Filius smoothed out his robes and smiled at the gathering, ignoring the wands pointed at him. "Oh for Merlin's sake, I am here to deliver your letters. Potter, Bones, Longbottom, Malfoy, Dursley. There we go. Lucius, I am well aware of Draco's condition, even though you did not publicise it. We are making arrangements for him on the seventh floor. We can work with you on the specifics after your shopping, maybe in the second week of August. You can come to inspect it as well. Remus, I would not suggest you come right away. Students are far too observant nowadays. Draco's secret may not be a secret after December. But we have had werewolves before, so it will be alright. Severus is his godfather, so that's another pair of eyes on the young man. Dudley, I suggest you disguise yourself before you leave. The Ministry wants to be the ones guiding the muggleborns from this year, claiming we teachers can use the extra time to prepare for lessons. As if we are not teaching the same thing year in, year out." He spoke the last sentence with a sarcasm-laden voice. "Also, all of you will have to sit for Muggle Studies classes for five years, since you have grown up in a Pureblood home. Even if you are fully aware of what is happening in the muggle world, it is either that or Pureblood Traditions, which I know for a fact Arcturus has made sure you study and implement here. Anyways, I must be off now. Happy shopping to all of you. See you soon!" Draco and Dudley both nodded absentmindedly, while Frank and Amelia started casting a few spells at Dudley to make him seem like Frank's relative. Filius popped through the Floo back to his office. Arcturus peeked through the window, seeing no one. Taking no chance, he ordered all of them to use his Floo to go to Gringotts and then enter Diagon Alley.
The first stop was at the shop run by Garrick Ollivander. He noticed the group enter, swinging the sign from "Open" to "Closed", which was normal for him whenever he had more than 2 people in for a wand. He inspected them with a critical eye, then turned to Frank. "Are you sure that my wands will suffice for them?"
Frank frowned, "Yes. All of us have bought from you. Nothing ever went wrong with us."
Garrick shook his head, "You do not get it. My wands are not precisely bespoke. They are more of the "best-fit" type, since I can only work with three cores: Phoenix Feather, Dragon Heartstring, Unicorn Hair. The sanctions the Ministry would place on anyone not using those cores in their wands is stupid. Not everyone is cut out for any of those cores. I have not shame in saying Gregorovitch would be a better choice. Let me Floo him in. It will take a minute." He left the confused group behind and came back with a slightly older man, who had a backpack with him, stuffed to the brim. "This is my counterpart from Europe. He makes wands from scratch, perfectly bespoke for the individual. Let us begin."
Gregorovitch introduced himself, then explained his procedure. He would take the measurements, followed by deciding the cores and woods for the wands. He was not a British citizen, so he had no restrictions placed on himself. He took measurements of both their arms, stating that it was always useful to know the wand from the beginning, rather than coming back and having it customised for the other hand, should a person lose their dominant one.
The wand length depended on the length of the arm, the finger size, and the core used. The wand width was dependent on the width of the wrist, size of the grip of the hand, and the type of core used. The wand grip itself, which Gregorovitch always fused with the wand, as opposed to Garrick making it detachable, just depended on the wrist to finger length. The power of a wand depended on the core used in it, the wood it was made out of, and the core of the person wielding it. Wands came in two shapes- perfectly cylindrical, and perfectly conical. All the woods used were found in Britain's forests or Western Europe. The forests in the east had too much raw power, and had overwhelmed the users who had wands made from those trees. So the ICW mandated they leave those forests alone. All cores were taken from magical creatures in Europe. No wand was identical to the next, since no two wizards or witches were identical to each other, even twins. He then made each of them pick a wood that resonated with them the most. Once that was done, he laid out an assortment of cores for them to choose from. Once they had done that, the two wandmakers set about fusing the wood and core together. Both of them had protection Runes activated on themselves and the shop walls glowed as well. Once done, they had the kids come up and give the wands a wave in a specific manner. There was a mini explosion at each turn, which caused Gregorovitch to grin widely.
"Well, that was not very easy to do. But I can say that you will grow up to be very strong individuals. And Miss Bones, I hope you will make sure they don't get into trouble. I've always found boys with new wands quite a handful. Girls listen at least." That incited laughter across the shop. Susan turned to each boy, glaring at them. They had fear across their faces. Good. The message had sunk in. They all left the shop with slightly lighter vaults. But the bookshop, clothes shop, equipment shop and even broom shop was a breeze. They got exactly what they wanted and left. Diagon Alley was certainly crowded, but Lucius mentioned that the real rush would start tomorrow, since there were about 150 letters that had left Hogwarts for their year. They bought trunks that could hold a near limitless amount of books, though the shopkeeper did tell them that he had run an experiment in winter with the bookcase part of the trunk. He kept filling it till he could start seeing books reach upwards. He'd been at it for three hours straight, conjuring books out of thin air and dropping them straight in. At final count, it would take 7,000 books to fill that compartment to capacity. He had not used tomes or grimoires, just regular books under 500 pages. Each trunk had sections divided based on 1st year curriculum, so it would be easy to sort through. Once their electives started, they could come back to the shop for compartment size adjustments. Compartments could be removed and resized to take in more material. Everything would stay upright no matter what kind of tossing the trunk went through.
By the time they came back to Grimmauld Place, they were tired. It was only evening, so a quick nap was called for. Sirius took Harry aside, "Listen. I have to ask you to think about something and let me know by the end of this week. Do you give me permission to blood-adopt you? If you say no, I will not ask a second time. You can come up to me and request it anytime though. Though you will be badgered for a while after that, with The-Boy-Who-Lived nonsense. Only those in this house know the truth of what happened that night. If you say yes, I have full legal rights as your dad, so anyone coming after you will face the wrath of the House of Black."
Harry considered his options and made a decision, "Let me go through this year as Harry Potter. Depending on how this year goes, I will make my decision."
"Thanks Harry. You have no idea how good that makes me feel."
The next day, there was a visitor to Grimmauld Place: Filius. He came via the Floo and told them that Fudge had nearly lost his head when he had tried to force Albus to give up Dudley's location. But the Headmaster also did not know where Dudley was being housed. After all, the magic surrounding the letters was ancient, and he was not about to mess around with it. Discreetly, he had Filius take the five letters, trusting him to find Dudley. Filius had known Dudley was at Grimmauld, being an old and trusted partner-in-crime of Arcturus.
Umbridge had tried using her contacts to locate him, but they came up empty. Vernon was not happy at the Minister's interference. Aside, he had asked Barty if it was possible to blood-adopt Dudley, but Barty refused, saying that the criteria for Dudley to be blood-adopted was to have one or both his parents dead. Even if Petunia was dead to Vernon, it did not count. But Barty did promise to blood-adopt Dudley if Vernon did die, even before the funeral if need be.
Filius shared his memory of the incident, which caused a riot among those present. Even Ted Tonks was watching with glee. This was another round of ammunition he could use against Fudge if ever they needed it. Filius also shared the incident regarding Marjory, which Lucius had already known about. Harry and Dudley were trying to contain their laughter seeing Umbridge's face, but Draco and Neville had no reservations. Susan was holding onto Harry so that she didn't fall down laughing.
1st September 1991
Soon, 1st of September rolled around, and the children saw the Hogwarts Express, at Platform 9¾ of Kings Cross Station, for the first time. Armed with the knowledge that no one was going to pick on them, as well as the Marauder inventions, they hugged each adult and said their goodbyes. Picking an empty compartment, they stowed their trunks above them and waited for the train to leave the station.
Returning back to Grimmauld Place, Vernon remarked, "Now we wait till the kids come back. It will feel strange though, not having them here in the evenings and nights."
Arcturus shook his head, "At least they are all in the same year. Now, the betting pool is open. I will give you the individual odds on & odds against for each student for each house, and the combination odds. Neville is a guaranteed Gryffindor, so he is off the table. Kreacher will be running the bets. You have till dawn tomorrow to place and change your bets. My money is already in."
Frank considered the odds presented in front of him. He decided to wait till night before placing his bets. Alice put in a few Sickles as she felt, but everyone else was waiting. Remus was happy that none of them had taken a pet. The maintenance of those pets would be a nightmare while juggling school work. The letter had said that they were allowed to bring a pet, not that they had to. What they had taken, were a few jigsaw puzzles to complete and put above their beds, just like at Grimmauld Place.
Now all that they had to do was wait for the first letters to come. They would be using their own personal owls, but Arcturus shot them down saying that his owls had grown fat and could use the exercise across the island. That got a few chuckles out of them. Since they had all taken the day off from their respective jobs, they headed out to a nice hotel for lunch.
Notes:
So for wands, I have taken many creative liberties:
Harry: Elm & Thestral Hoof Shaving (9 inches)
Draco: Beech & Werewolf Tooth (8 inches)
Susan: Pine & Veela Hair (9½ inches)
Neville: Oak & Hippogriff Feather (10¾ inches)
Dudley: Pomegranate & Mermaid Scale (9¾ inches)
Chapter 8: Surprises, questions, and chaos (?)
Summary:
The journey to Hogwarts is eventful, to say the least. They get sorted somewhat where they expected, but someone is not happy with it. A look at the highlights of 1st September and 2nd September, 1991.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
1st September 1991
Susan closed to door to their compartment as the five of them relaxed. The journey was going to be long and boring, apart from the countryside around them. Dudley had suggested they play some exploding snap an hour after they had left the station. Getting bored soon, they opened a jigsaw puzzle and set it on the table between them. Each compartment could hold six people at most, 3 on each side, with a dining table in the centre that would fold away when the occupants did not need it. This was a new addition to the Hogwarts Express, which had come in 1987. Each compartment was a pocket space as well, but it could only expand front and back, not sideways. So the capacity of 6 stayed.
Since this was a 625 piece puzzle, their first above 500 pieces, the compartment expanded as required. Draco and Harry set the sides of the puzzle, while Susan and Neville tried to get the inner pieces attached so that it was just a matter of transferring them to the table. Dudley was busy sorting the pieces by colour and shape. They had gotten into this routine without even discussing things, since it felt natural to them. Dudley was the artist in their group so he had his eye for minute details when it came to these puzzles especially colours (hues, tints, and gradients); Susan and Neville were the fastest fingers with their fine motor skills; Harry and Draco were the ones who set everything up. The current puzzle was that of the Hogwarts crest. It was just 30 centimetres by 30 centimetres, which allowed them to properly grasp the pieces with their fingers. They finished the puzzle in just under 2 hours. The trolley came over, and they ordered Chocolate Frogs. Mainly for the cards, but for Draco the chocolate was all his. All the other four did were bite off the heads, take out the cards and hand him the chocolate. Some of it he ate, but the rest went into a stasis container that Arcturus and Remus had constructed. Lucius had helped decorate it with neutral colours. They had started their respective collections when Dora had started her schooling, and whenever she had duplicate cards, she brought them home. Understandably, she had also given her friends, but now her cousins (she considered all five of them her cousins) had 7 long years to grow their collection. All she did was give them a bit of a head start.
They opened another puzzle, 750 pieces. This was going to be tricky since it was a reflection picture, but they got the border sorted out fairly quickly. They had just finished a quarter of it when the compartment door was wrenched open. A red-haired boy with freckles stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a brunette who had the look of "I get what I want." The ginger started off, "I heard Harry Potter was in this compartment."
Dudley's eyes narrowed, they had spoken to very few people since arriving on the platform, mainly Dora and her friends, who they had grown up hearing about and often seen at Grimmauld Place. He'd remember if they spoke to a boy who had hair that red. Across from him, Draco shifted to put himself in front of Harry (who was looking confused), as if he expected a lunge from the boy across the compartment. Susan's hand was holding her wand under the table, while Neville calmly stood up, being the closest to the door. He made his way to the compartment door, essentially blocking the duo. "Hello Ronald Weasley. Pleasure to see you after a while. In answer to your question, if one can call it that, yes Harry Potter is indeed in this compartment."
Weasley glanced around at them slowly before stating, "You I can understand. Why would he sit with this lot? A Malfoy, known as one of the Darker families in Europe. A Bones is still tolerable, considering her family." Dudley nearly wrenched himself from the seat to introduce his fist to Weasley's face, but a look from Harry stopped him. Draco wasn't doing any better, considering Harry had to grab his thigh to stop him from getting up. Draco had inherited his mother's temper and patience, both of which were very dangerous and in short supply. They'd seen him lose his temper a few times when things did not go according to plan. It had not been pretty. Dudley had inherited his father's tolerance for everything, as well as his intolerance at bigots, racists, those who thought themselves superior to others. They had all been taught martial arts at home, but under the condition that they use it in self-defense. It would not be useful against spells, but it gave them quicker reflexes and better agility than most. Susan's facial expression didn't change, but they knew her well enough to know that comment had hurt her, badly. Draco and Dudley both knew that it was just a matter of time before her mask cracked, if more insults were directed at her.
Weasley spotted Dudley and asked, "Who are you? I do not recognise your face or family genes at all."
Dudley forced himself to be civil, "I am Dudley Dursley. I am a muggleborn. My mother was descended from a squib line. Her sister, my aunt, was a witch. So when I showed signs of magic, my father was overjoyed. As for why I am sitting with Harry, we found this compartment at the same time and settled in together. We do have a few things in common as well, as we found out." It was not a lie, just slight omissions of truth. Of course Weasley would not recognise his family genes, he was the first in his family. Second, if one counted aunt Lily. The girl turned her attention to him when he mentioned that he was a muggleborn, but said nothing. He had nothing to say to her, but it felt like she had something to say to him. Oh well, maybe at another time. Weasley took this as an opening, "Leave this compartment, and let your betters sit here."
Neville countered with the smoothness of a lawyer, "Ronald, there is not enough space for both of you here. Besides, you'd be least interested in what we are doing."
The girl glanced at the incomplete puzzle & opened her mouth, "I've read all about Hogwarts and its rules. There was never a rule that said you could bring muggle items into the castle. You'll be caught, and possibly suspended, all on the first day." Jeez, her voice and tone were horrible. Aunt Andromeda would have made her talk with marbles if she ever heard this girl talk. Narcissa would have sat her down and taught her phonetics as well.
Neville grinned, "Find me the rule that says I cannot bring in muggle items that do not run on electricity. Besides, this is a magic puzzle. And I am hoping that we get caught with it." His grin stretched ear to ear, eyes almost squinting as he leaned in towards them. The duo took a step back and walked away at a clip. Neville shook his head as he watched them go to another carriage. He closed the door and sat down. Susan looked at all of them gratefully as Dudley said, "We know each others' tells. We just needed them out as fast as possible." Neville continued joining the pieces with her as Dudley checked them. Draco and Harry fell back into their routine. An hour later they were done, since Dudley also pitched in to help with the joining. This was a picture that had been taken of the Black Lake of Hogwarts with the castle and castle's reflection on the lake. As they set the last piece in, the picture framed itself and shrunk into their bag of puzzles.
While Hogwarts was slowly catching up, Arcturus had a brainwave that maybe putting muggle pictures in frequented hallways could help with the image, even if the effect was marginal. Jigsaw puzzles seemed a good place to start. Albus had approved this of course, with nearly every single Governor giving their assent. The adults had decided to tell them what was happening in Hogwarts the year before. Dora had already been told, but Andromeda had warned her not to say anything until the other 5 were made aware of the situation. Since Ted and Lucius were Governors of Hogwarts, with Amelia, Arcturus and Frank holding 4 of the eight Ancient and Noble titles of those families that had sent students to Hogwarts since the inception, they were able to get the point across to the quintet easily, though it had taken 4 hours, with breaks in the middle. After that, it was an hour of questions, which the adults happily fielded. But they had wanted the kids to have their own perspective and opinion when they entered the castle.
Afternoon became evening, and they decided to sleep for a while in 20 minute shifts, since they had 2 hours to get to Hogsmeade station near Hogwarts. Susan stayed up first, then Dudley, followed by Neville, then Harry and finally Draco, since he slept the lightest. As soon as he woke up, a voice magically broadcasted across the train announced that they were twenty minutes from Hogwarts and to change into their robes. The boys stood inside facing the corridor, covering the glass with their bodies, making sure Susan could change in complete privacy. She trusted them explicitly to the point where she was already considering naming them all godfathers of her children, whether she had one or more. When she mentioned this to Amelia, the day before, Amelia sat her down and gave her the talk of the "birds-and-bees." But she did tell Susan that it was not uncommon for a person to have more than one godchild. However, a child could only have one godfather and one godmother. Susan had taken the conversation to heart. Either she would not have any children, or she would have four children. In her young mind, it was justified.
Once Susan had changed, the boys took turns doing the same. Susan replaced Dudley in the wall, who then stood in Neville's place as the latter put on his robes. Neville took up watch for Harry, who then made sure Draco changed. The full moon was still a week away, so they had time to settle into their new routine, whatever it was. They left their trunks on the train as instructed, making it to the boats where Hagrid was waiting for them, all smiles as usual. He was generally the first face students saw when they arrived at Hogwarts, and even the most hardcore purebloods, who looked down upon any species with disgust or hatred, had acknowledged that Hagrid was a gentle soul, with a smile that could make one forget their fears. Lucius had once said at dinner that "If Albus was kidnapped, the Ministry would send their strongest after the kidnappers. But if someone so much as touched Hagrid with a hint of malevolence, every former student would be armed to the teeth and tearing down the person's stronghold. Blood status would be the last thing on anyone's mind."
The traditional view of Hogwarts from the Black Lake was astonishing. Hagrid saw it on the faces of students, year after year. He had not been allowed to complete his education, but the Governors had seen fit to place him in the position of Gamekeeper, as well as Keeper of the Keys. They knew that his love for magical creatures knew no bounds. His physique was an added bonus with his giant heritage as well. It showed the trust they had in him, even if he had been accused of killing Myrtle Warren nearly half a century ago. He'd never been found guilty, so it was never on his record. He led them off the boats, through a small cave that emptied into a passageway adjacent to the Great Hall. Filius was waiting for him. As soon as they did a headcount to confirm everyone was present, Filius sealed the entrance to the cave. It would be another year before it opened again.
"Good evening everyone. My name is Filius Flitwick. I am the Charms teacher at Hogwarts, and I will guide you to the Great Hall for your sorting in a moment. Please make sure you are presentable. In case any of you are wondering how the sorting will happen, let me assure you that it will be painless. You just need to be calm. As for what it means, you will be told in the Great Hall itself. I look forward it myself each year. And in case no one has told you, you are the largest batch among the current years, and the largest after 1890, at 100 strong. Now, let's go."
Draco did a quick scan of their group. There were actually a lot of faces, so Filius' count of 100 was actually true. This would be an interesting year, especially with the juggling of classes. Weasley was standing towards the back of their group, glaring in their direction. Draco just turned and walked on. As they came into the Great Hall, they were taken aback by the sheer power of the place. To their left, on an elevated stage, was the faculty table. To their right, on the same level as them, were the 4 tables of the Houses. Each student wore the colours of their House, complete with a pointy hat. In front of the faculty table, a stool with a hat on top was waiting. Filius pulled out a scroll that was at least twice his height, but he just laughed with the rest of the students when he pulled it out and expanded it, since it curled around him like a snake. He glanced at the hat, which seemed to smile. Then it saw the students and burst into laughter.
"It is that time of the year again, is it? I was getting bored. Very well, a few minutes for them, an eternity for me. Let's go Filius old chap."
Filius gave the students a thumbs up, before starting. Draco watched as Hannah Abbot went to Hufflepuff, which was expected. Next were a few muggleborns who were sorted between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Then came Susan Bones. She glanced back at the four of them, who just nodded or smiled. She sat down and the hat was placed on her head.
"Hmm. Interesting childhood, Miss Bones."
"Thank you. What's your name?"
"Call me Arthur. Godric was never one for complicated or unique names. Now, I need to see your memories from the age of nine upwards. I cannot tell anyone about another's memories without the consent of either party, but I have perfect recall about each student who ever passed under me. I also have a Leglimency Charm built into me, so that the memory scanning is not painful."
"Alright. You can tell the other four about my memories. What do you see?"
"Well, this is far from a normal childhood I say. You literally have spent twice the time outside your own house than in it. Though I must say, if anyone touches you wrong, those 4 rather strong boys will make life a living hell. And that will not be due to your veela allure, let me add. It seems they are driven more by chivalry than anything else, though it seems to be a dying thing nowadays."
"Whichever House you put me in, can you put the others there as well?"
The hat chuckled, "I wish I could, but until I see their memories, that will not be possible. Besides, from what I see in your head, Neville will have to go to Godric's House, no questions asked. And given your little interaction on the train, I doubt you want to be next to a Weasley, even if I tell you he has 3 older brothers there. So, do you have a preference?"
"I think Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. At least one of the boys will have to be with one of us, given there are 5 in our group and 4 Houses to choose from."
"You're quite mature I say. Now, we can rule out Gryffindor, since they can be a bit thickheaded. Slytherin could be good for you, but at the same time, so could Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff is your safest bet, but you want to push your boundaries as well. Let us take that off the table for now. Will it be a nest you go to, or a pit? I see your brain working quite fast, do try to stop that. Oh my, that was unexpected. Nope, not there either. You, for all your talents, will not cut it in the nest. Ravenclaw out. That leaves Slytherin and Hufflepuff. If you take Slytherin, you will find your Uncle Sev there. If you choose Hufflepuff, that is your safest bet. I have made the deliberation easy for you."
"Hufflepuff then, please."
"Right you are. HUFFLEPUFF."
Susan lifted the hat as her Hogwarts tie changed to yellow and obsidian. Draco was happy for her, but Neville was a bit sad. He'd been hoping she'd choose Ravenclaw. But if the hat had chosen, it probably had a good reason. A few more sortings later, Dudley went up. The hat was on his head as well.
"Hello Mister Dursley."
"Hi there. Mister Dursley is my father actually. Call me Dudley or Master Dursley, that title is for younger boys."
"Ah, I see you've been getting some etiquette training. Now, if you don't mind, I am going to see into the past 2 years of your memory. If you want, I need your consent to let your friends know the same. Susan has already given her consent."
"Go right ahead, on both counts."
"Thank you. Quite a nice life you've had. I have seen most of this from Miss Bones' perspective, but from yours it is quite refreshing. Oh, that must have hurt."
"Yes it did. Good think Aunt Cissa was there when it happened."
"All you boys like to rough house. You'll have plenty of opportunity here, let me assure you."
"I was thinking of joining up for boxing, or as a Beater in Quidditch."
"You'd do quite well in either sport, especially with that attitude. Now, Gryffindor is not an option for you. You may be many things, reckless is not one of them. So we have 3 options left. You are loyal to a fault, a tick for Hufflepuff, but you are quite devious as well. Slytherin would be a shoo-in for you, given what you said on the train to Weasley. Ravenclaw might work at a pinch, but that might cause you to burn out. Tell me, what do you think?"
"I would prefer Hufflepuff, but I want to push myself. As a muggleborn, I want to make my family proud that I can make it on my own merit."
"I see. So the snake pit for you. I look forward to seeing your progress. SLYTHERIN."
Dudley took off the hat and strode towards the table in green. His tie changed to green and silver as he sat. A few yearmates were already there, and he greeted each one, including a few third years who seemed to want him on the Quidditch team. He nodded acknowledgement and turned back to watch the other first years go under the hat. Hermione Granger, the girl who was with Weasley in the train, ended up in Gryffindor. At around the halfway mark, Neville was called. He smiled at Filius, who shook his head sadly as he placed the hat on him.
"Hello little Gryffindor."
"Hi. Wouldn't it be Heir Gryffindor?"
"True, you are. Your father did manage to pull Godric's sword out of me, so you should be able to do that as well. I don't suppose you want to have a debate with me to discuss your options?"
"We both know you still won't listen to me, though Hufflepuff does sound good if I cannot go to Gryffindor."
"You can sit there for every meal from now till June, bar a few specific days, for all I care. But do not try to shun your own housemates as a consequence, you hear me?"
"Yes sir."
"Also, Susan and Dudley gave me permission to talk about their memories to you, Harry and Draco. You want to give the same permission?"
"I do not mind. But only to them."
"Good good. GRYFFINDOR."
Neville's tie turned red and gold as he made his way to the den. A few people were already there from his year, so he sat among them, but he noted twins with Ronald's hair looking at him from across the table: his older brothers Fred and George. They were in third year, and their next older brother Percy was in fifth year. The next brother, Charlie, had passed out just this year, so there was no chance of seeing him, or the oldest brother Bill. Neville had been to their house, called the Burrow, many times. The twins had loved him, while Bill and Charlie were quite accommodating with all his questions. Percy was a little aloof, but still tolerable. Ronald was as opposite from his brothers as could be. The youngest sibling, Ginny, was a shy and introverted girl. She had quite the crush on Harry, despite them never meeting. Next year was going to be a nightmare for Harry, if not the remaining ones. Neville made a mental note to forewarn him. But then he remembered that Granger was also in Gryffindor. She was another case to handle. A few more students got sorted, with four in succession heading to Ravenclaw. Then came Draco. He looked a bit nervous as he sat down.
"Ah, so you are the little werewolf."
Draco panicked, "You won't tell anyone, right?"
"Nope. I cannot anyway. Rather tight enchantments on me, I can assure you. Now, you're not the first werewolf within these walls, I hope you know that. And you are not going to be the last. We've had many creatures come and go, and each year things get better. I see all things that happen in the Headmaster's office you know. And yes, I was there when the girl Marjory was defended by the Unspeakables. If I could, I'd have told off Minister Fudge myself."
"That would have been funny." Draco was now grinning.
"Yes it would have been. Now, let me see. Let's eliminate the possibilities. Based on your memories from age nine, Hufflepuff is the least likely for you. No offence Draco, but Susan being there is not enough of a reason to go there. You'd be miserable, sticking out like a sore thumb, and I don't mean just as a blonde. Gryffindor would be possible, but you want to stay away from Weasley. Jeez, he really has a mouth to run. This looks worse than Dudley's memory. Speaking of which, the other three gave me consent to talk about their memories with you and Harry. Do you want to do the same?"
"That is not a question. Of course."
"Done. Now, you have Ravenclaw and Slytherin left. Your father is not averse to any House, but putting you in Slytherin would be the obvious choice. In Ravenclaw however, you could either push through and become better, but there is a chance you'd crash and burn."
"Where did the others expect me to go?"
"That thought actually never crossed their minds specifically. But Susan wanted all four of you with her, but Neville already negated that option. Somehow, three of you had Slytherin as an option. Though I think that is because you were brought up surrounded plenty of Slytherins. Your mother, father, aunt, grandfather, godfather, godmother. Tell me, what are your thoughts?"
"I'd take Ravenclaw, please. I want to stand out and carve a name for myself, not unlike my father."
"Sounds like a plan then. RAVENCLAW."
Severus was momentarily stunned hearing his godson's sorting. But he was happy as well. Draco had always been a sponge for knowledge, so maybe this was good. He would write to Lucius, but he knew the kids would be doing so anyways. He also had bet money on the sorting, since Arcturus had reached out to him with the idea first. But Severus had to put in the money by 5 in the evening, well before any of the others. Much to his surprise, Theodore Nott, son of Thaddeus, an Ancient and Noble Lord, ended up in Slytherin. Theodore was as much a bookworm as Draco, but Severus was not about to lose an ace in academics. He'd already got Daphne Greengrass, Lord Cygnus' daughter, and she had a mind that ran chaotically but smoothly. Hopefully, this batch of Slytherins also had the sharpness of the previous ones. By and by, others got sorted. Harry Potter was the 70th name called. He walked over to the stool and glanced across the four tables where his friends were. Dora gave him a nod from the Hufflepuff table, giving him two thumbs up for good luck. He would end up with one of them. The hat was placed on top of his head.
"Hello young man."
"Hello sir."
"None of that. I am not a staff member, merely a talking hat that has seen every generation of student come through these halls. Your friends gave me permission to talk about their memories to each of you. I assume you would also do the same?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Now, let me see your memories from the age of nine. Oh my what a surprise. How did you not fall for that?"
"I've lived in that house as long as I can remember. Dudley and I can map out most of it from memory for you."
"No thank you. I have no desire to sit on an elf's head. I say, that looks impressive. No, that wasn't very nice of them. Alright, that makes sense. I must admit, Ollivander saying his wands are not good enough for you is a big step. Do tell me, how are you finding your wand? I can see your memories, but I cannot feel your emotions in said memories."
"It works like a part of me, but since it is just a few months old, I think we might have to have this conversation again before I graduate."
"Works for me. Now, your sorting. You'd do well in just about any house. But you seem to want to stay away from Weasley. Well, that was a factor in deciding where the others went, though a significant one for Draco. The way you lot are trying to avoid him, he might as well have the plague."
Harry winced, "Please don't mention plague or pox. We just got Draco back from the brink of death."
"Fair enough. Though he is growing into his own and accepting that he has to live with this the rest of his life."
"That's good for him. Now, can we treat Gryffindor as a last resort once you explain my options?"
"Sure. Ravenclaw would help expand your horizons, and you've got a mind quite like Draco. If you went to Hufflepuff, you'd live and be treated almost like a king, though that's not what you want. Slytherin might help you become a lethal weapon, though not literally speaking. Dudley went there because he wanted to make his family proud. I assume that means not just your uncle, but everyone who calls Grimmauld Place their home. Susan went to Hufflepuff to play it safe, though Slytherin was an option open to her. If Neville was not Godric's Heir, I would have had Slytherin as his second option after Hufflepuff."
"And Gryffindor?"
"You'd be right at home with Neville, though you'd have to see Weasley in your common room everyday for 7 years. I remember your family you know, not the memories, but the people. Your father was in Gryffindor, as I am sure you know. His father Fleamont was a Hufflepuff, with his brother Charlus being a Slytherin, fierce dueler he was. Your last Ravenclaw ancestor was quite a while back."
"So Gryffindor is out. Sorry Neville, but if I have to see Weasley again, I'd ask for a resort. Is that possible?"
"In extreme cases, yes. But not once you start third year. And it can only happen once. You are thinking about the blood-adoption, aren't you? Let me assure you, it will not change anything about you. You mind stays the same, even if your body changes slightly to match the new family. The last resort that happened was in 1989. Ravenclaw to Hufflepuff. And no, Neville doesn't qualify since he is Godric's heir."
"Bummer. I think Hufflepuff is not an option for me then. I want to get to places on my hard work alone. Between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, I have cousins in both places. I can't pick. I think it is best you decide."
"That certainly helps matters. We've been here nearly five minutes, the longest time so far this year. Remember, you can always come back later and ask to be changed, but only once after this day. RAVENCLAW."
Harry grinned. His tie shifted to blue and bronze, like Draco's. The blonde grinned as Harry sat next to him, greeting those around him. The sorting continued with many muggleborns ending up in Hufflepuff. Towards the end, Ronald Weasley was called and his sorting took a grand 10 minutes, a hat stall as it was called. The hat said it wanted to sort the remainder of the students first. Blaise Zabini went to Slytherin after a minute of silence. The hat went back on Weasley's head and continued where it left off. The call was made for Gryffindor, which he looked chuffed about. He sat down next to Neville, the Heir of Gryffindor looking pleadingly at Harry and Draco to save him. Of the 100 new students, Slytherin had 30, Hufflepuff 28, Ravenclaw 28, Gryffindor only 14. Then Albus Dumbledore stood.
Silence fell as the speech commenced, something about a new generation, school unity. Harry was not interested. That was when Albus stepped aside and a purple glow filled the hall. Lady Hogwarts introduced herself, what she expected from each student, explained about Pytho the basilisk, the armours that were spread out across the castle, and the Persians with their unofficial classes. They already knew most of this, but to see the real thing was something else. Pity the first years could not apply for Quidditch. Harry was really hoping to get on a broom, but he could always focus on his football. Draco was having a similar thought process, but they both decided to wait a year for their Quidditch tryout. Lady Hogwarts ended her speech and clapped twice. Food appeared on the table and everyone dug in as if there was no tomorrow.
They were led to Ravenclaw Tower, where Filius explained the House Rules, what he expected from each of them and that they had 1 week before classes started, so to spend that time exploring the castle and talking to their friends. They headed up to their room, since Ravenclaw students lived in sets of either 3 or 4. Due to Draco's lycanthropy, Harry was paired with him. Terry Boot was their roommate, and he was also a creature, a faerie. Normally faeries were either female or gender-neutral, but he was a male, the first in seven generations of his family. He was sympathetic to Draco's condition, even offering to help keep him supplied with chocolate since his family owned a factory. Harry felt that things had gotten off to a good start as they wrote short letters that explained the train, the sorting and Terry. They changed and crawled into their respective beds, leaving the unpacking for the next day.
2nd September 1991
Neville was miserable by morning. Weasley had been asking too many questions for his liking, from the moment they had entered their dorm room till the time Neville had drawn the bed curtains. The other boys in Gryffindor, Seamus, Dean and Cormac were not that bad. They just patted Neville on the shoulder and told him to let them know if Ron became too much to handle. Not that Granger was any better. She seemed to be of the opinion that the world owed her answers. Being a muggleborn, that seemed to be a valid point, if she was asking about Magical Traditions. But she was essentially demanding answers from Neville about Harry. Apparently, she had read about him in the texts that she deemed necessary to read, for her to be prepared for this side of her life. Suffice to say, she was dead wrong about him. He had no scar on his head, he did not live in a palace, he had not saved any princess from a castle, and he most certainly had not been going across Europe with his muggle family. Neville did not even bother to correct her.
He woke up the next morning, not much better than the night. He glanced around and saw everyone still sleeping. Seizing a chance at hot water, he dove in for a bath, coming out ten minutes later. His mind was fresh, and he quickly changed into some casual clothes, putting his map in the inner pocket of his jacket, removing the sleeves and hood. He donned his Quick-Step boots, forgoing the contact lenses and mouth guard. The mask would not be needed either. He needed to meet Uncle Sev to help him colour his jacket, though he was unsure about the designs he wanted on it. As he entered the common room, he saw Granger's bushy hair exiting the female dorm rooms. Without waiting a second, he bolted for the exit, throwing it open and sprinting until he was at the bottom of the tower. He made for the Great Hall at a more relaxed speed, seeing Susan seated at the Slytherin table with Dudley and a few Slytherin Third Years. Even Hannah Abbot, her cousin, was with her. Neville got his food from the Gryffindor table, exchanged pleasantries with his compatriots and then sat down next to Dudley. Apparently, Dudley was already being courted by the Quidditch team, as a prospective Beater. The only problem was that he would have to wait a year. But Adrian Pucey, a senior Slytherin who happened to be a Chaser on the team, said that there was no problem in training with them as a "firstie". That was how he had started as well, essentially giving him a year's head start over the others who applied for his position. But he still had to earn his place by going through with tryouts. Dudley was thinking about it, while considering boxing as well.
Considering he was a muggleborn, Dudley had felt no discrimination against himself by some of the purebloods in Slytherin. Uncle Sev had made it perfectly clear each year that any form of bigotry would be met with consequences so bad, the student would wished they had been expelled. Needless to say, no one even tried a stunt. Harry and Draco came down after ten minutes, their letters in hand. Susan produced hers, while the other two already had theirs ready. They read through each other's letters just to see they had all points covered. Satisfied, they waited the arrival of Grandpa Arcturus' owl. As more students filled the hall, Neville eased up. No way Granger or Weasley would think to find him at the Slytherin table.
As they continued talking, it seemed that Susan had an uneventful night, since it was almost expected she'd go to Hufflepuff. Draco and Harry wanted to introduce their faerie roommate Terry Boot, but he was sound asleep. He'd had no problems with others knowing about his creature status, and quite proudly wore it on his sleeve. Dudley was with Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Draco had known most of the current Slytherins in their year thanks to them being the children of his father's friends. Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis were the girls he knew. Harry knew of them, rather than actually know them. But Draco had no problem introducing him to all of them. Blaise had a warm smile, while Theodore had his nose stuck in a book. Vincent and Gregory were calm fellows, but Draco had warned Harry that their fathers were Voldemort's supporters. Daphne was the daughter of a neutral family, but Pansy had Death Eater blood in her veins. She did not seem much, but Harry knew better than to underestimate people. Tracey Davis was from a slightly dark family, but only had one aunt who was a Death Eater, now deceased.
As the owls came in, Arcturus' fat eagle owl swooped in, hovering in the air until he saw the five of them, making a divebomb for Harry's breakfast. Pucey laughed as the owl landed as regally as it could, holding out it's leg where a small envelope was attached. Dudley fed it some bacon, while Draco and Harry replaced the envelope with all five of theirs. The owl looked longingly at the food, but then took off. The envelope was sealed with the crest of the House of Black. Draco cracked open the seal and revealed a small letter containing multiple handwritings. Susan glanced at the letter while Dudley and Neville, who sat opposite the trio had to ask what was written. The letter was handed over to them to read.
Dear Grandchildren,
I hope you experienced a happy time on the Hogwarts Express. It is a great place to make friendships, every time you board it. That said, you better not cease interactions with each other. I will send Kreacher up there to make sure, if things end up that way. Anyways, now that you are all sorted, I should confess that I was running a betting pool with your parents and godparents to see who could accurately predict where you ended up. Neville was exempt from this of course, since he is Heir Gryffindor. Even Uncle Sev was in on it. Kreacher will be running up the numbers once your letter is read. So perhaps in the next letter you can see who made the most money and who lost the most. Make use of every opportunity that comes your way. Your parents and godparents will be writing after this.
Yours in good health,
Grandpa Arcturus Sirius Black III
Dear Susan,
We hope you have had a wonderful time in Hogwarts. I know Hannah is also going to be attending, and she will in Hufflepuff, like most of her family. (Amelia) I will tell you, I do not care where you end up, as long as I don't have to hear about an expulsion for you. (Peter) Be happy, stay happy and make sure the others around you also have reasons to be happy. And if anyone bothers you, you can tell the boys, your head of House, and even us. (Narcissa) The Marauder equipment should be a last resort for you, we hope.
Stay strong,
Alecto, Wormtail, Narcissa
Dear Dudley,
I honestly am at a loss here. I can only hope that you have not gotten into a fight yet, verbal or physical. But I will not have you bow down to anyone. You get your tolerance and intolerance all from me, so whatever you do, I am afraid I am partially responsible. Everyone here has assured me you will be alright, but as a muggle it is a bit tough to digest that. Nevertheless, we want you to explore around, make new friends and keep the enemies at a number next to zero please. Enjoy these years, they will not come back.
Be brave,
Vernon, Alecto, Claw
Dear Neville,
So far so good we hope. Being a student under Minerva means you will be held to a high standard, doubly so for you since you're Heir Gryffindor. Make sure you keep your nose clean. We don't want to have to come to Hogwarts before your 4th year, to be told you've been up to shenanigans. But we digress. Have fun, play hard, pray hard, work hard. Your grandmother also sends her regards.
Be good,
Beast, Horn, Lucius
Dear Draco,
We are very proud of this achievement you've got, being a Hogwarts student. Push forward with skill and drive, and there will be nearly nothing that can stop you in your quest. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, but make sure they are disarmed first. Till then, keep cracking on. Make sure your cousins are safe, all four of them. If you need help, you know whom to look out for and reach out to.
Be kind,
Lucius, Narcissa, Talon, Alucard
Dear Harry,
I can say that this is new, the whole father-figure role model in your life. That would be a lie. I am your dad, just not biologically. (Alice will hex me if I say anything different) No matter what you do, you have our full support. Just try not to over-indulge, as you normally do. Be safe, watch out for those Death Eater progeny, since they might be brainwashed into hating you. And no bringing strays in like your habit normally dictates. Kreacher may be happy with the company, but Grandpa Arcturus and I will not be. We made sure it is a family home, nothing more and nothing less. You've got a chance to see what the world has to offer, take it with both hands.
Be smart,
Padfoot, Horn
Dear all,
Since I am not your godparent or parent, I can say with pride that all of you are wonderful children and I have been partly instrumental in that. I want that not to go to your head. Remember, pride comes before the fall. And the fall is a nasty one with horrible side effects.
Be humble,
Moony
They finished reading the letter, setting it down and looking at each other in silence. Pucey was curious as to the contents of the letter, but did not ask since it was their personal business. Just then, Severus came up to them, with a small smile on his face. "Hello little ones. How are we?"
Draco embraced his godfather, "We are fine. What about you?"
"Just fine my little Dragon. We are currently trying to figure out the timetable for this year, since we have a lot of students."
Neville asked, "Uncle Sev, could you help alter our jackets?"
"Of course I will. Meet me in my office at 10, after you finish your breakfast. Adrian, show them the way please. And Neville, it is now Professor Snape or Professor Prince, while we are on Hogwarts grounds. All of you, remember that."
"Yes Professor Snape." The five of them chorused, while Adrian's mind went blank. If Snape knew these 4, apart from his godson Draco, anyone messing with them would be dealing with essentially Old Testament fury. As a half-blood who attended church, that was not something he wished on his enemies.
He was shaken out of his thoughts by Dudley snapping his fingers in front of his face. "You alright Adrian?"
Adrian shook his head. "Nope. The fact that all five of you know our Head of House means you are already one of the most protected students in Hogwarts. I am still digesting that fact."
Susan laughed, "Yes, he is rather terrifying when it comes to his close family."
Just then, a shadow fell between Susan and Harry. Weasley. He looked like he'd been dragged out of bed, down the stairs of the tower, into the Great Hall and then run through a tornado. Granger was just behind him. Adrian wanted to see this play out. He didn't know much about the dynamics of this group, but he could read body language like it was his first language.
Draco straightened up, Harry scowled, Susan seemed to shrink into herself a bit, Dudley looked ready to jump across the table, while Neville looked resigned. In short, Weasley was not welcome among them.
Weasley's voice on the other hand, it was horrible. Adrian's eardrums curled up and begged to die. "Neville, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be with us."
Neville met Weasley's eyes, "We can sit anywhere we want. Have a look around. I can see Percy sitting with the Ravenclaws, a few Slytherins at our table, Hufflepuff seems to have the most of everyone, and I am here. Sure, some nights we can't change the tables, but I wasn't the first to come here, so forcing others to switch tables is not right." His tone was even, calm and slightly bored.
"Doesn't matter. Lions don't sit with snakes. It is a mistake. Even my mother says stopping the House Cup was a mistake." Ron's voice was going higher in pitch.
Susan interjected, "You guys also can sit here, even if it is just for a meal." She tried to broker peace, which Adrian admired. He nodded at her statement, showing no ill feelings to the duo of Gryffindors.
"Honestly Bones, do you expect me to believe you are welcome here? It's only because you're with Harry. Besides, you shouldn't even be in this castle. Creatures like you should know your limits."
Next to Adrian, Marcus Flint stopped breathing. Adrian knew him well enough to know what was coming. Flint was not someone who liked bullies, having been one himself in his first year, till Severus had taken him aside and had a heart-to-heart conversation with Lady Hogwarts sitting in on the meeting. Marcus had come out of that meeting a changed man, apologising to everyone he had tormented. He was two years older than Adrian, in his fifth year.
Marcus was built like a brick wall, despite being on the shorter side. He kept hearing what the ginger was telling the group, deciding to act when the girl was addressed. He turned to face them, "And who are you to decide the rules? You're hanging around a muggleborn yourself anyways. How's that different from being with a half-blood? I honestly don't care for blood status, but since you brought it up, I have to sink to your level."
Susan had gotten up and walked away, much to Weasley's delight. He ignored Marcus' comment and turned to Neville, "See you at lunch, at our table, where you belong." He turned on his heel and walked away with Granger. Neville nodded to the others and followed Susan's path.
Dudley's fist rest on the table. "How is that not bullying? How can he just get away with this?"
Marcus reached around Adrian and patted his shoulder, "The wards will notify the faculty if anything goes in excess. I understand if you want to involve them from now."
Draco nodded, "I can get my godfather onto Weasley. He's known Susan since she was a child, like all of us. He will not take kindly to this insult."
After breakfast, all of them entered Severus' office. Adrian made sure they got in, then went outside to walk around. Severus noticed Susan's eyes, her guarded expression, as well as Neville hovering around her, as if guarding her. This was going to be a difficult talk. Dudley looked ready to hit something.
As they sat, Severus asked, "What happened? You were all chirpy when I left you."
"Ronald Weasley decided he was going to be moral police, and he told Susan she should know her limits, not to be in this castle. He also said that lions don't sit with snakes. Have a look at any of our memories. We met him yesterday on the train and he wasn't any friendlier."
Severus nodded, "I cannot do anything apart from assign him detention, Minerva can do much more damage than I can." He waved his wand, causing butterflies to appear and fly around Susan, distracting her.
"Now then, you want your jackets customised. I can help with that. Take them off please."
Neville was first. He wanted Gryffindor colours, some music notes and a double bass to be his jacket theme. Draco wanted Ravenclaw colours, with a dragon design, claw marks and a crescent moon. Dudley wanted a dash of all colours in Hogwarts, with a few stripes running across the shoulders. Harry wished for a rainbow and leprechauns, being a fan of the Irish Quidditch team. Susan wanted veela sayings all over, while having a pistachio-green colour on the jacket. Severus was only too happy to oblige them.
Dudley brought in the puzzles they had completed, which Severus sent to Albus to inspect, enchant, and place in the passageways. Severus made sure all five of them were mentioned as their creators. He asked for Neville's memories of the train incident as well as the breakfast one, since Minerva would believe that the easiest. He put them in a vial and sent them off with his personal owl. Not even 10 minutes later, the owl came back with a message that Ronald Weasley would be dealt with. Satisfied, the group left Severus' office after half an hour, straight to the Slytherin common room. Dudley led them in, but none of them would be allowed beyond there. Draco drifted to talk to Daphne and Theodore, both of whom were buried in a book they had found in the bookshelf near the entrance of the common room. The title was too smudged to make out, but it was interesting enough that the two biggest bookworms Draco knew did not pay him any attention for a whole minute while he sat in front of them. Once they did realise, they closed the book and made small talk about how their day had been. Daphne was wondering what had gotten Weasley all wound up at breakfast, so Draco gave them a gist. Daphne's reaction was simple, "He better get his head out of his behind, before he's suspended or expelled."
Draco replied, "Professor Snape sent Neville's memories to Professor McGonagall, she said that Weasley would be dealt with." He mentioned about the puzzles they had given as well, which got Blaise's attention from across the room. He had been talking to Neville, regarding Herbology. It was a known fact that Neville had a green arm, not just a green thumb. The Longbottoms had greenhouses that contained almost all the legal plants in Britain, both muggle and non-muggle. Blaise had wanted to visit and see them, but the Longbottoms were waiting till the group were in their 2nd year before inviting others over to their house. Arcturus was planning on relaxing his house rules at New Years. The Malfoys had allowed their house to be visited when Draco turned 9 years old, while Amelia still only met people in public places, or the Ministry.
Tracey was talking to Dudley & Harry, curious as to how they had grown up in a predominantly Slytherin household. She would have gone to Ravenclaw if the Sorting Hat had his way, but she asked for Slytherin. Susan was sitting and having a pleasant conversation with Adrian, wanting to know about the subjects taught by the Persians. Since Magical Manipulation was going to be a Ministry-approved subject, they had options between Occumelency, Warding, and Levitation. Occumelency was not a subject any of them needed, since their Heir rings would protect them from mental intrusions. Dudley would require it though. Warding sounded interesting though. Levitation seemed to be a very chilled out subject, but it was also a tough one to master, according to Adrian, who had taken it. There was a rule that no student could take more than a single subject from those 3, since all classes were held at the same time. But nothing was said about students teaching each other what they learned in those classes. Susan wanted to take Warding, Dudley had decided on Occumelency, since he did not have any mental defenses. Draco and Harry were undecided, and Neville did not want to be stuck with Weasley or Granger for longer than he had to. Knowing Draco and Harry, they'd probably not take Warding, since Arcturus could always teach them. That left Levitation. Being the Quidditch freaks that they were, it would probably come in handy. It had helped Charlie Weasley, so why not them?
Crabbe & Goyle were not in the common room, which was a relief for Draco. Pansy was up in the dorms, according to Daphne, writing a letter to her parents. They lost track of time, which is always expected when one is having a good time. The bell for lunch sounded throughout the castle, and they all went for it. This time, the tables had been made into small squares, which allowed between 9 and 25 people to sit at any one time. Adrian went off to sit with his yearmates, while Daphne, Tracey, Blaise and Theodore sat with them. They found a cozy table near the centre of the Great Hall and settled in. The food that came up was delicious, complete with soup and dessert. As they started their dessert, Draco noticed one of the Weasleys looking at them. It was one of the twins, and all he did was nod at Draco and give him a smile. Unsure what to make of that, Draco turned his attention back to the cake he was set to devour. Since they all had their maps with them, Harry checked for Draco to see which twin it was. It was Fred.
Since they did not need to explore the castle, courtesy of their maps which had updated themselves to the castle's current layout, they decided to walk by the Black Lake. Dudley wanted to meet a mermaid, since his wand core was a mermaid scale. He would not be able to communicate with them, but his curiosity was piqued. They wrapped up lunch and exited the castle, taking in the sights of the hills and mountains around them, the smell of fresh greenery, the sounds of nature, the taste of magic in the air, and the feel of freedom that their minds were currently in. A few trees lined the Black Lake, so they sat in the shade and Dudley ventured close to the water. He dipped his fingers in, but nothing happened. Not giving up, he took out his wand and slowly pushed it under the surface. Once again, nothing happened. Disappointed but not surprised, he came back to them and lay down between Harry and Draco. In a way, Harry was related to each one of them: Neville was his godbrother, Draco his second cousin from Sirius' side, Dudley his first cousin since their mothers were sisters, Susan's great-grandmother had been a Potter, making her a third cousin at the very least (that was a complicated part of the family history that Sirius was not sure about, as was Arcturus). They saw Hagrid coming over to the shore, where a giant tentacle rose up from beneath the dark surface. Hagrid patted it and it playfully curled around his arm. After a moment, the tentacle let go and went down again. Hagrid smiled and walked away. Seeing the confused faces in front of him, he spoke, "That is the Giant Squid. He normally doesn't have to do much, mainly makes sure anyone who falls in is transported back to shore. He does most of it, otherwise the merfolk get them as close to shore as possible, then he pushes them ashore. His name is lost to time, but he has been here for the past 7 centuries."
Draco nodded, while the others kept looking between Hagrid and the surface, expecting another tentacle to emerge. The half-giant went on his way, while they also moved from their spot. They did not enter the Forbidden Forest, on account of it being warded not to let anyone enter or exit. Even if if was not warded, they were not so stupid as to try and enter a place that had the word "Forbidden" before it. They went back into the castle at around 3 pm, which is when Fred and George Weasley intercepted them.
"So, you are the ones."
"Who ickle Ronniekins."
"Accosted on the train."
"And then at breakfast."
It was confusing watching them complete just a part of the sentence before the other took over. Neville was used to this, though the others were not. After all, they had never been invited to The Burrow. Even so, he did not know which twin was Fred or George. He replied, "Yes. We are the ones. My memories were used as proof."
"Ah, that is good. We do not know what suddenly happened to him."
"Ever since we came back from shopping."
"He was obsessed with meeting Harry, just would not shut up about you."
"Well, hopefully he won't bother you now.
"Since our dear Head of House has assigned him lines."
"No idea what he has to write, but it will be for three hours a day, for a week."
"Anyways, he troubles you again, you tell us before a professor. We can sort him out."
"See you guys around."
The twins left them speechless as the five kept moving towards the Hufflepuff common room. Dudley sniggered, "So there goes his fun time of exploring the castle. Almost a whole day's equivalent."
Susan shrugged, "At least you guys did not start throwing spells that you know are beyond our current curriculum. We'd have gotten detention before lunch."
Neville casually dropped his hand onto Susan's shoulder and said with a dreamy expression, "For you Miss Bones, anything."
"Oh please. Don't get so lovey-dovey with me." Susan's face was now the same colour as Neville's tie. They reached the Hufflepuff entrance, from which Hannah was just leaving. She smiled at all of them, saying she was going to the Ravenclaw common room to talk to Terry Boot. As they entered, an earthy smell rose to greet them, making them feel like they were back home. Susan left them to bring out another jigsaw puzzle, this one also 750 pieces, but containing the skyline of London. She set it up on a table, while a final year conjured up some chairs for them. As they settled into their usual routine, a few others also asked if they could join in.
There was no problem, the more the merrier after all. Cedric Diggory helped Draco and Harry, while Justin Finch-Fletchley helped Susan and Neville. Dudley worked alone, since he trusted himself. Others mainly looked at the lone pieces and tried to see where they fit, so it was more a come-and-go story for them. The puzzle wrapped up by around 4.30 pm. As soon as the last piece was placed, it framed itself, with the names of each person who worked on it present at the bottom of the frame, like all the others. Harry joked that all the puzzles they had brought would be finished by the end of the week, just before classes started. Zacharias Smith, a Hufflepuff from their year, stated that he could get more ordered in, since his family had a stake in the German company Ravensburger. Ernie Macmillan, also a Hufflepuff, was also agreeable to do the same, since his family ran a toy shop chain across Europe. Jigsaw puzzles were one of the best-sellers no matter the customer or the type of puzzle. He could even get 3D models of famous places delivered, but those would take a week. The puzzles would be a two-day wait at most.
Susan would coordinate with them as to when they would require new puzzles, with the boys agreeing with her. The seventh year who had conjured the chairs took the framed puzzle to Severus, who was more than happy to hold it. He suggested they make this a regular feature in Hogwarts, since it would lead to a better bonding among students, as well as act like a stress-buster for students. Albus was agreeable, though the students did not know that. But a Governor's meeting could be called in private to make it officially a time period in their schedule. Even so, Albus sent a letter to all five of the Ancient and Noble Lords and Lady, as well as the Governors. All twelve Governors were in agreement, as were the Ancient and Noble Houses. With Lady Hogwarts' approval, an announcement could be made at dinner.
As the day turned to night, Marcus Flint, Aidan Lynch, and Oliver Wood met up to discuss when they would have Quidditch tryouts, so that they did not clash with each other. Hufflepuff had a team that did not require any changes, and their reserves were unchanged from the previous year as well. As a result, Hufflepuff had decided not to hold Quidditch tryouts, which had caused an upset among the 2nd years. The final tryout schedule would be given to the Headmaster, who would have it posted in the common rooms the morning of the last day of the free week, before classes started.
At dinner, Lady Hogwarts took the podium. "Before you all tuck in, I would like to announce that we will be adding a period of free time to all of your schedules, which you can use for a specific activity we have designed. This can be done in the privacy of your common rooms, the study rooms in the library, or in the Great Hall itself. Each year will be given a different timeslot, and you can be assured that it will not interfere with your studies. The activity is completing jigsaw puzzles. Any size, any scene, and you cannot use magic to complete it, we are going to make sure of that. The aim is to help reduce stress among all of you, help create a better bond with your compatriots, and teach you patience as well. Once a piece is placed where it is supposed to be, as long as it is locked with another, it cannot be moved from there. If you want a specific puzzle, apart from what we provide, let your Head of House know. We will do our best to procure it. Once each puzzle is finished, it will frame itself and be transported to us for inspection that it is not charmed or had magic used on it. We hope you enjoy this."
A loud applause erupted from all tables. "And for the final show, look up." Lady Hogwarts snapped her fingers, causing the roof to split into two halves, which slid down the walls. This revealed the sky to all, but the 1st Years were all stunned. The others were now used to this, so they just smiled at their youngest compatriots & continued with their dinner. Once they finished, all went their separate ways. Now that their first proper day in Hogwarts was over, all they had to do was repeat it, for the next 7 years. Susan found her bed, trunk already unpacked and items in her cupboard, changed and hit the sack. Draco and Harry changed while Terry was having a shower, the duo already asleep by the time he emerged. Draco's senses were starting to get stronger, with the full moon due on shortly. Neville had not wasted a second in the common room. Knowing that Ronald was going to be up late, he changed and went to bed, drawing his privacy curtains. Ronald could pound on them as long as he wanted, Neville would not be able to hear him. The curtains could only be opened by the student whose bed it was, Gryffindor's Head of House, the Headmaster, or Lady Hogwarts. So privacy was assured. Dudley stayed up a while, chatting with Theodore about the differences in attitude they had observed from various students in their year, no matter their blood status. Most muggleborns were curious and ready to do anything, not unlike Dudley himself, almost all half-bloods were not concerned about magic having a steep learning curve, while most purebloods were ready for what Hogwarts had to throw at them, since they had been brought up around magic all their lives. The five of them had been told by Professor Flitwick that they all would have to take Muggle Studies till their O.W.Ls.
It was going to be an interesting time ahead.
Notes:
Well, that happened. What are your thoughts on Ronald Weasley & Hermione Granger? I have a plan for them, do not worry.
Chapter 9: A normal week
Summary:
The rest of the non-studying week plays on, with the quintet making friends across all Houses and years. Arcturus is not happy with Ronald Weasley at all.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
2nd September 1991
Arcturus watched as his eagle owl head his way from the garden at the back of 12 Grimmauld Place. As it landed, it stuck out the leg containing five letters, which the old man swiped. He released the owl and went back inside. Once he set the envelopes on the table, he summoned Kreacher.
"I want rooms prepared for this week. They will be staying here." He did not need to specify who he was talking about. Kreacher had seen for a decade exactly who Arcturus surrounded himself with. He summoned a Malfoy elf and gave him instructions to appraise Lucius of the letters having come. By 4 pm, all the Marauders had arrived. Ted Tonks and Andromeda Tonks came bearing Dora's letter as well. Dora had Susan in her house, and she had been told to keep an eye out whenever possible on the others. Arcturus waved his wand, which raised a few eyebrows. The letters merged into one, so that the common parts could be read only once.
Kreacher took the letter before any adults could reach it, hopped on to the table, and cleared his throat like he was going to address a political campaign. His flair for dramatics had not gone down since Arcturus was a child. "To all, we reached Hogwarts safe and sound, and we have made a few friends. Our train journey was great, though Ronald Weasley and a muggleborn called Hermione Granger seemed to think Dudley was their lesser. Ron seems a bully, but the wards have not been triggered yet. Neville is in Gryffindor, Susan in Hufflepuff, Draco and Harry in Ravenclaw, Dudley in Slytherin. Draco and Harry are sharing a room with Terry Boot, a male faerie. He is comfortable having Draco around, much to our surprise. Susan is settling into Hufflepuff nicely, but Neville wants to avoid Weasley and Granger as far as possible. Dudley is already talking to Adrian Pucey of the Slytherin Quidditch team, as a prospective Beater. We have finished 2 puzzles on the train, and might need more before the month is over. Looking forward to hearing back from you, but for the next few days, just exploring. Love, Susan, Harry, Dudley, Draco, Neville."
Kreacher tossed the letter up, causing it to split into its 5 contingent parts. Amelia and Barty were grinning away. After all, they had won the entire betting pool. Remus was miffed that Harry was in Ravenclaw, and that Dudley ended up in Slytherin. He had gotten all bets wrong. The respective parents, godparents and aunt read them in silence. Frank cursed as he read his letter, as did Vernon. They gave each other a glance and Frank said, "Weasley?"
Vernon nodded. Dudley had grown up without Petunia's influence. His father's tolerance and intolerance were his, Barty's patience was strong in him, and Amelia's logical thinking had been a driving force in his early school life. Neville had Frank's temper, Alice's motor skills and Lucius' silver tongue. Both of the boys seeming ready to throw down at the same time was unlikely. Lucius hissed as he read Draco's letter. Amelia on the other hand, looked like she was ready to tear into Ronald Weasley as a harpy. Her eyes narrowed, neck starting to have lines emerging in feather outlines, fingers turning into claws. Without even looking up, Sirius said in warning, "Alecto. The wards won't allow it. You'd have to go back home to do it."
Arcturus took a step away from the table. He knew that his old friend Septimus Weasley would have washed his grandson's mouth with soap for what he said, as well as the tone in which the children described. Kreacher winked at Arcturus and popped to the kitchen, getting supper ready. He was going to have a wonderful time calculating everyone's results of the bet.
3rd September 1991
Susan got out of the Hufflepuff common room for breakfast. All five of them had made it a point to be one of the earlier risers, so as to get hot water for a bath, a few hours more of sunlight, as well as more exploring time. She had kitted herself completely in the Marauder outfit: jacket without sleeves and hood, map in the inside pocket, contact lenses, mask in another pocket, boots at the tightest, gloves in a third jacket pocket. She contemplated putting her mouth guard on, but left it in her cupboard. She saw that she was not just the first of their group to arrive, but in the entire hall as well. As she made her way towards the table, she glanced up and saw that the roof was still open, letting natural light flood into the open space. Her wand was in the holster strapped to the inside of her arm. One thought, and she'd be armed.
"You like it?" Susan turned to see Lady Hogwarts sitting casually at the Ravenclaw table, one leg on top of the other. Her colour scheme had not changed, but it had certainly toned down. Susan nodded, "Yes Lady Hogwarts. It seems nice and not so artificial."
The thistle-themed individual smiled as she looked Susan over. Her gaze was strong, as if she could see past all the layers of clothes, skin, muscle, right to Susan's core. She got up as Susan sat down, remarking, "I hope you do not have to use those gloves, Heir Bones. Even if they won't damage a person beyond their ego, making enemies this early and causing feuds would not be a good thing for someone who is in Helga's House."
"I cannot make any promises."
"That is the best we can hope for now, isn't it?" Lady Hogwarts turned into magenta mist and was gone. Susan wished her drink into existence, apple juice being a stronger drink that coffee at keeping her awake. Soon, Dora and her friends came, though they sat at the Ravenclaw table, with Dora winking at Susan as she passed. Slytherin never came before an hour into breakfast, with Severus prioritising their sleep over everything else. Gryffindor was random, while Hufflepuff was just as random. Ravenclaw always arrived within 30 minutes of breakfast starting. Sure enough, Draco and Harry came out after twenty minutes, Neville just behind them. Dudley came out looking like he'd spent the night having his body reset. They all sat down with Susan, not even caring that Granger was glaring daggers at them. Neville and Dudley faced the Gryffindor table, sitting opposite Draco, Harry and Susan, who faced the Ravenclaw table. Terry Boot came and asked if he could sit with them. Draco nodded and Neville shifted to accommodate him. Draco introduced them, and Terry's smile could have melted even the toughest war veterans, according to Susan. His teeth looked a little unnatural, but that came with being a faerie. Susan felt her veela allure attract her to him, and when she went to ask him about his faerie allure, he acknowledged that he was feeling the same towards her. But he assured her that he would keep it in check, which Susan appreciated, having seen Neville and Dudley's narrowed eyes.
As they wrapped up breakfast, Draco suggested they speak to Filius about what preparations they had got for his transformation every full moon. 30 minutes later, they were on the seventh floor, near the Room of Requirement. Filius took them into a small room that had a bed, some chairs, a small table, and a bathroom. He explained that once the door was shut, it could only be opened from the outside. The room was soundproof, with some compulsion wards to prevent those who were not werewolves to turn around and leave the floor. Draco quite liked the sound of that. They headed to the library to check out a book on Occumelency for Dudley, while the others took Warding. They were still unsure on the subjects they would choose with the Persians, but Dudley was determined to take Occumelency. Having spoken to a few people in their respective Houses, Draco and Harry really wanted to take Levitation, but were unsure how to apply it, since Charlie Weasley was the only reference they had.
Towards noon, they noticed Granger stalking in, taking out a book on the Ministry of Magic. It was a thick book, about 1000 pages of material. Draco only knew this because Theodore had spoken to him once after reading it, quoting page numbers as he rattled off the contents. She gently placed the book down on a nearby table and started reading through it. She kept frowning as she turned pages, but she did not stop. Lunch time arrived and they all checked out their books, Pince giving them a smile for not damaging them. Lunch was a quiet affair, this time at the Ravenclaw table. They had come up with a simple system on the train: Breakfast at the table of whoever reaches first, then lunch at the next one in alphabetical order, and dinner at the third one. Neville did not want to sit next to Weasley and Granger, already keeping them at arm's distance, and then some. Susan spoke as they ate some lamb, "You guys want to explore more, or back to dorms?"
Dudley smiled, "How about an 800 piecer?"
"Nope. We are just getting the hang of 750, that can wait till October. I still have about 7 puzzles in my bag. What about you guys?"
Harry laughed, "14 between Draco and I."
Neville shrugged, "All of mine are with Dudley. I gave them to him yesterday."
Dudley nodded, "Including yours, I have 10."
31 puzzles seemed like a lot, but if they had help in a common room like last time, they'd probably finish in 2 weeks. Terry was sitting a few seats down from them, so he half-yelled, "I can get you some more if you want."
Draco gave him a thumbs up, but stated that once they run out, they'd tell him. Meanwhile, unknown to them, Ronald Weasley was fuming watching their backs. He had no logical reason to do so, apart from the fact that Neville, Heir Gryffindor, was sitting everywhere, but not his own House table. Not much Ronald could do himself, but if there was one person who knew what to do it would be his own mother. He would write to her and tell her to speak to Alice Longbottom. Surely Alice would be able to sort out her son.
Hermione Granger was another story. She was a muggleborn witch, so she assumed that she'd be doing a lot of catching up to be on the level of a pureblood raised around magic all their life. Only for her to come into Hogwarts and realise that almost everyone was on the same footing, with a few outliers. She firmly believed that she could get the highest grades in the entire batch. Unknown to her, there were academic weapons in every House. And one of those weapons, Theodore Nott, had a Magical Inheritance of perfect recall. All he had to do was read a page once and have it committed to memory, down to the punctuation marks. Hermione would be in for a shock soon. Her bossy behaviour had not endeared her to her Housemates completely, but she was sure that they would come running to her once the homework and assignments piled up.
Theodore, Daphne and Blaise were sitting at their own table, enjoying a steak. Daphne glanced over across all tables before turning her head to Blaise, "What are you thinking?"
"Not sure Daph. Maybe I will join the Slytherin football team. You?"
"I think I found my academic rival. Granger."
Theodore moaned, "For crying out loud. We have 4 more days to enjoy. Don't make this about studies now."
Daphne swatted his triceps. "Not all of us are blessed with perfect recall. Heck, I am the opposite. I have a blood curse, so zip it."
Both boys nodded, knowing about the Greengrass blood curse. Daphne and her younger sister Astoria both had it, but Astoria had it worse. There was no cure for it, nor was there a way to make it dormant. Theodore was busy thinking about the next book he'd read. Maybe he could convince his father to send him The Hobbit book during Halloween.
As they finished lunch, each group went their separate ways. Susan and Neville went to the Ravenclaw dorm room, while Dudley said he'd join them after having a talk with Marcus Flint about Occumelency. Draco and Harry brought out a puzzle of the Matterhorn, which was a bit tough considering the amount of greenery it had. Terry happily joined in, settling with Susan and Neville. Dudley started getting stumped with some pieces, giving them off as "trial-and-error." A few other Ravenclaws came by and tried to help, but it was all in passing. Even a few Gryffindors sat with Draco and Harry to speed up whenever the pieces happened to just fall in place. Even with the extra people, this puzzle took them 3 hours. As they finished, the puzzle framed itself, with the names of all who helped appearing on the bottom. Draco joked that at the rate they were going, one entire floor was going to have their puzzles on the walls, instead of portraits. Given that Lady Hogwarts was also invested in making sure jigsaw puzzles were to be brought in, it left them in little doubt.
At dinner, they sat with the Slytherins, the maximum distance from Gryffindor. Neville kept replaying the Sorting Hat's words in his head, but in all honesty, he got along great with everyone, except Ronald and Hermione. He spared them a glance as they trooped back into the common room, with Cormac standing between him and Ronald. Hermione was being taken to her dorm room by Parvati Patil & Lavender Brown, both of whom understood what Neville was going through with Ronald, since they had Hermione as a dormmate.
5th September 1991
Draco was feeling worse as the hours ticked by. Terry was keeping him company in the common room, while Harry had a lie-in. The previous night had seen Draco have a horrible body ache, so Harry stayed up massaging his muscles till he fell asleep, but Harry didn't stop, staying awake till 4 am. He had more than earned his sleep. Terry watched as Draco consumed hot chocolate after hot chocolate as if he had a bottomless pit in his abdomen. He was not as energetic as he had been 3 days prior, and his face had lost some colour. Weasley had joked that his complexion was the same as his hair colour, which even Draco laughed at, while Harry and Susan both glared daggers at the ginger.
Susan and Terry had taken to each other very well, having a somewhat common ancestry, and they compared notes on how they grew up. Terry was happy he did not have the allure problems of veelas, while Susan was glad that she did not have to keep thinking about framing questions or statements every waking moment. Terry had asked how it seemed that no one was feeling her allure, which she happily responded with, "If you talk about my cousins in particular, they have grown up with me, and my aunt whenever she dropped by. You could say they've developed a sort of immunity to the allure. But veela allure is only strong enough to turn heads once the veela in question turns 13, so I have about 2 years left. And while I cannot control people's reactions, my aunt said she will be teaching me how to keep the allure to a minimum. It won't be like trying to control magic, but it is similar with no side effects. That is what she also did while in Hogwarts. The harpy side of things she said she will teach me once we are back under the Bones Manor wards."
"That is good. Better to know beforehand than experience as a surprise."
"Tell me Terry, what is it like for you?"
"My parents made sure I knew how my phrasing of sentences. They also taught me faerie customs, and once we go home in June, they said they will teach me how to fly. I haven't shown my wings to anyone yet, and do not plan to do so until I have been taught and am confident about maintaining control."
Draco looked over at the two of them as he sat on a reclining chair. "Just kiss already."
Susan laughed, while Terry turned to look at him with a slight frown. "I am pretty sure I need the permission of Susan, her aunt, all four of you, Hannah, and maybe some others. Her godparents as well. And quite frankly, the one I dread asking for permission is her aunt, coupled with Hannah. Even your mother, though she is a Black by blood, might be easier to speak to."
Aidan Lynch, who was sitting near Draco, snorted. "You got that one right mate. My father used to say that Amelia Bones scared the living daylights out of him, when they were in Auror training. By the way, I hope you and Draco will be trying out for Quidditch team next year. I know Draco is a good flyer, but Terry is largely unknown."
Terry paled, "I have acrophobia, Aidan. Please don't force the issue."
Draco's sensitive nose picked up on the fear that Terry was giving off. "He's not lying, Lynch." All while keeping his eyes on Terry.
"Very well. You?"
"I will come. Either for the Seeker position or Chaser. But I am contemplating boxing as well, even if it just for this year."
Aidan nodded, though he looked a bit sad at hearing the boxing bit. Terry and Susan went back to their conversation, but it was all forgotten when Dudley and Neville entered the common room, fists red. Neville had a small bag with him, while Dudley seemed to have brought Neville's trunk. It was quite a sight to see, given that almost everyone knew Neville was Heir Gryffindor. Dudley looked ready to go a few rounds in a boxing ring. Aidan was the first one to ask, "What happened? I am assuming this is Gryffindor related?"
Dudley nodded. He looked at Neville, who just shrugged and said in a cold manner, "Tell it here now. Ravenclaws don't mess around with facts."
Dudley addressed the whole room, "Neville and I were talking to Professor Flitwick about something, when Neville had a bad feeling about his dorm room. We essentially raced there, only to find Ronald Weasley poking around his cupboard. Not like trying to pick it up and place it somewhere, but having it open and going through it. He also had Neville's jacket on his own bed, muttering something about changing it, when both of us entered. He tried to deny it, but having the jacket on his bed, with one hand inside the cupboard was enough proof. Neville's yelling was loud enough to be heard in the girl's dorms, since Lavender came rushing out into the common room. I had to stay in the common room, but was on the edge of that and the start of the dorms. Neville here marched out not even 10 minutes later, and I took his trunk. I would have taken him to Slytherin, but was not sure how well it would be taken by the students. Hufflepuff is very overcrowded this year, but since both Houses are located in the dungeons, which are very cold mind you, I thought it best to bring him to Ravenclaw, at least for tonight. Hopefully, it won't be an issue." The last sentence was made almost into a question.
Penelope Clearwater, a fifth year prefect stood up and walked over to Neville. She bent down to come to his eye level and smiled. "We will happily have Neville here, but the details will have to be discussed with Professor Flitwick."
"And I am right here, Miss Clearwater." The small man stood at the entrance to his office, wand in hand as if expecting a fight. "I have no problem with Neville Longbottom staying in Ravenclaw Tower. My only concern is having Heir Gryffindor here. I will speak to Minerva and Lady Hogwarts about this arrangement, but I do not think the school charter has anything to say about this particular situation. Adding to that, I will personally see to it that Ronald Weasley is appropriately punished. Tell me Neville, is this the first time he has done this?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. I will be sure to maintain the punishment to this level. For now, you are an honorary Ravenclaw. I will give you a separate dorm, but for now you can stay with your friends. Draco, Terry, I hope you do not mind." Both boys grinned and shook their heads.
As Flitwick left, the conversation in the room went back to what it had been not even 10 minutes prior. Terry helped Neville bring his trunk to the dorm room, with Dudley catching up with Draco, since the latter had not stepped out of the common room all day. Harry was with Theodore, who was trying to get Harry to just call him Theo. Apparently Blaise was planning to join the Slytherin football team, while Daphne had been ready to open her study books until Severus told her to enjoy the next few days, and not put unnecessary pressure on herself. Dudley had formally accepted Adrian's invite as a firstie-in-training for the Quidditch team as a Beater. But he was free to take up boxing should it become an option. To get Neville's mind off things, Susan pulled out yet another puzzle, though not everyone in the common room joined in this time around. Since Harry was missing and Draco was not as quick as he used to be, Terry teamed up with Draco with Penelope also pitching in.
As Flitwick made his way to the Headmaster's office, he noticed Minerva coming in with a red-faced Ronald Weasley. His hair was just a few shades darker than his face. As they trooped into Albus' office, they noticed that he had tidied up the room quite a bit, so it looked somewhat organised. The old man's eyes went wide as he saw two House heads, a first year students and Lady Hogwarts march in. He'd been hoping to have a snooze soon, but that would be postponed.
"What happened?"
Flitwick took the lead, "I was talking with Neville Longbottom and Dudley Dursley when Neville felt something bad about his dorm room. The two of them raced away after apologising to me. After that I made it to the Ravenclaw common room to make a few announcements, but they were already there. Apparently, Ronald here was going through Neville's cupboard, with Neville's jacket on his own bed, and hand inside Neville's cupboard. Neville yelled at him, grabbed his belongings, stowed them in his trunk and walked to the Ravenclaw common room with Dudley in tow. As of this moment, he is an honorary Ravenclaw. This is the first time Ronald has done such a thing, so his punishment should be to that level."
Albus nodded. He turned to the ginger and asked, "Is this all true?"
"No! His jacket was outside, and his cupboard was already open when I entered."
Lady Hogwarts was standing to the side watching. She looked at Ronald and said, "Ronald, look at me."
As soon as the youngest brother of the Weasley family made eye contact with her, the memories flooded her mind. He wouldn't be any the wiser to it. But Flitwick had been correct. Ronald was guilty. He was a bit curious about Neville's belongings, yes, but that did not excuse what he did and what his intentions were. She turned to Minerva, "Since this is his first offence of such things, we can let him off with a warning, as our new justice system. First time is a warning, second is detention, third is class suspension, fourth is expulsion. Mitigating circumstances aside, obviously."
"But I have not done anything!" Came the protest.
Flitwick half-growled at him, "I can get Professor Snape up here with his freshly brewed veritaserum. Want that?"
Lady Hogwarts was a bit surprised, since Filius rarely took that tone with anyone, let alone first years. Filius continued, "And even if you don't need it, Neville isn't just a Longbottom, he is Heir Gryffindor. Surely your father told all of you. He is the Heir to 2 Ancient and Noble Houses, whose Magical Inheritances combined would probably be enough to flatten Diagon Alley, even with all of its protections. Be happy he has not declared a blood feud with the House of Weasley. You'd be eviscerated before you know what happened."
Ronald paled considerably. He looked almost as bad as Draco currently felt. He said, "I was curious. I wanted to know what was so special about that jacket. I would have returned it eventually."
Minerva face-palmed. "That jacket is as good as a family heirloom. And even if he did not declare a blood feud, you know who would have? Lucius Malfoy, his godfather. I know the older blood feud was settled behind closed doors, but do you really want another one with the same family? And Neville is also related to Lord Arcturus Sirius Black III, through his father's side. Callidora Longbottom nee Black. If he wants to escalate the situation, I have no doubts his father will only have to send a letter to Lord Black." Maybe that last sentence was false, Frank and Arthur was always cordial and had no problems, but Ronald needed to see what could have happened if he had not known Neville for the past decade. Ronald was looking sicker by the minute. Albus put him out of his misery, sending him away. He turned to the others with a hint of a smile, "He got the message. Hopefully his behaviour will improve. We cannot sanction him for the train incident, and I was willing to step in at the meal times, had the others not taken care of it themselves. If this gets out of hand, we may need to tell his brothers to keep an eye on him."
All three nodded and left for different destinations: Filius for his common room, Minerva for the the Quidditch field, Lady Hogwarts to the Room of Requirement, which had been introduced to the newest students just the previous day. She wanted to see what they were doing with Rowena's creation. Nothing untoward was happening, which pleased her. As evening rolled around, the students went between the grounds, the Quidditch pitch, and the Great Hall. Each day had some unique items, and Lady Hogwarts' excursion in the previous year, as well as a few months prior, was instrumental in getting new cuisines introduced into the Hogwarts menu. After all, one cannot cast spells on an empty stomach.
7th September 1991
Ronald had gotten a stern letter from his parents, claiming that they never raised him to go through his friends' belongings, much less their cupboard. Even Hermione had drawn the line at being a kleptomaniac. Neville had not returned from Ravenclaw Tower, though he would by the end of the month.
Draco was getting ready for his transformation. Flitwick had informed the Ravenclaw Prefects about his lycanthropy, and the rest of the House would know the morning after his first transformation in the school. Draco's senses had gone into overdrive, as per usual. Privately, Flitwick had informed Harry, Terry and himself that Fenrir Greyback was going to be brought in over the evening, to aid with the transformation, so as to make sure Draco was not lonely. Since Wolfsbane Potion was off the table, that was the only factor which would not allow Draco's other form to go crazy.
In the letters they had exchanged with Grimmauld Place, Remus had assured Draco that he would come in November and December to be with him. Greyback would not be there during those two months, since he kept to his pack at that time.
As night dragged on, Terry and Harry kept up in shifts to help ease Draco's pain. It wasn't so much physical pain as it was emotional turmoil. Granger had tried to ask what was happening, perhaps put of genuine concern. Draco nearly snapped at her, but Neville pulled him away. Dudley simply told her it was a family disease, which tended to skip generations at random. That seemed to appease the young girl. But they knew it would not be long before she made connections about the timing of his sickness.
The puzzles had continued through the week, with Dudley also introducing them on the Slytherin common room. Suffice to say, even they were having a gala time putting the pieces together. Till now, they had not crossed 900 pieces, but by the end of September, they planned to do at least 1 puzzle of 975 pieces. Even Granger's name had appeared on two puzzles, though no one had actually seen her help out in either. But since the charms on the puzzle recorded every magical signature that had a hand in joining the pieces, there was no cause for concern. Before lunch, all students had to submit their forms about the subject they had chosen to study under the Persians. All three subjects of Warding, Levitation, and Occumelency, were now compulsory to study while at Hogwarts. From 1st to 3rd year, the students would study what they had chosen, with an option to switch to another subject for their 4th and 5th years. Their final 2 years were again an option to either continue the subject chosen prior, or switch again. Dudley had chosen Occumelency, since he was the only one who would not be protected, being a muggleborn. Susan had chosen Warding, since she had no interest in floating off the ground. Draco, Harry and Neville had chosen Levitation, since they wanted to play Quidditch and felt that this would help them. All the while, they heard Granger and Weasley discuss their own choices. Much to Susan's dismay, both had opted for Warding. Now she was tempted to switch, but she had already given Professor Sprout her form. Susan promised to give her notes to the boys, and vice versa. They had been given their schedules in the morning, which allowed them to plan the next day.
Most subjects would be taken with the entire batch, since they all had the same teacher. Only Potions would be taken with each individual House, since Severus preferred lower numbers to keep an eye on everyone easier. Meanwhile, those who had grown up with magic would be studying under Albus himself for Muggle Studies, while Lady Hogwarts took up Magical Traditions. So that was one subject that Weasley and Granger would be split in. None of them would be found lacking in any subject. As they gathered for dinner, which had been brought forward to 7 pm instead of 8 pm, Draco's eyes went to his head of House, Filius Flitwick. He would be escorted to the room for his transformation after dinner, and his nose had already confirmed that Fenrir was in the castle. Flitwick caught his eye and nodded. Since they were at the Ravenclaw table for dinner, Terry was ready to take Draco wherever he needed to go, only for Harry to veto that idea. As everyone dispersed from the Great Hall, Flitwick gently pulled Draco out of line. With the rush of people going up or down, he was not missed. Harry whispered, "Stay calm."
As Flitwick took him up to the room, he asked, "Well Draco. I hope you are ready. The moon will be up soon. We might just push dinner everyday down to 7 pm, so that no one is suspicious. Fenrir is inside the room, waiting for you. We have placed a few more charms in the room to monitor both of your vitals, should we need to do anything between now and the classes tomorrow. I will be here with the matron and your godfather as soon as dawn arrives. Do not fret."
They approached the room, and Fenrir was meditating on the floor. He opened his eyes and spied both individuals. "Professor, Draco. I trust dinner went well."
Flitwick nodded. "I leave him in your capable hands. It will be a bit strange for him, given no animagi this time around."
"That is understandable. Do you wish to stay till we transform?"
"No. I have some paperwork that I have been keeping on hold. And I will have inform Draco's family about how his night went."
"Alright. Good night Professor." Fenrir may have been more monster than man, according to most. But that was a reputation he was willing to live with, if it protected his pack. He had been a Ravenclaw while at Hogwarts, and had Filius as his Professor then. He had learnt more about Goblin history from the small teacher than from the ghost that was Professor Binns. Turning his attention to the boy in front of him, he started the conversation, "Good evening Draco. Nervous?"
"Yes sir."
"Drop the sir, I am merely a guide here. I will be gone by breakfast tomorrow and you will only see me next month." Fenrir chuckled.
"What do you want me to do? Uncle Remus gave me these pants that stretch as the wolf emerges."
"Good. Sit opposite me, we shall meditate to clear our minds. The less chaotic our mind before the transformation, the easier it is to deal with the pain."
Draco crossed his legs, allowing his wrists to rest lightly on his knees. One deep breath in, another deep breath out. They continued this for nearly 20 minutes, till Fenrir told him to lie on the floor. Soon, the pain for bones and muscles restructuring themselves came. After a few moments of pain, Draco carefully stood up. He looked around to see Fenrir also as a werewolf, though the intelligence in his eyes shone through. They sniffed each other, getting used to the scent. To expend some energy, they chased their opposite number around the room. After a few hours, Draco sat down exhausted, while Fenrir looked like he was not even breaking a sweat. The younger one fell asleep at around midnight, while his sire stayed awake another hour.
All the while, Poppy Pomfrey and Severus Snape were monitoring both werewolves' vitals from the infirmary. Once assured that both were asleep, Poppy gave Severus his weekly blood bag. It had a litre of blood that would sustain him for 7 days straight.
8th September 1991
The next morning just after dawn, Draco woke up back in human form, watching as Fenrir slipped on his shirt. "Good sleep?"
"Yes. Thanks for being here."
"No problem cub. I am always there for all werewolves on the Isles. Once you turn fifteen, you have a choice to join the pack for full moons. I told your parents and Remus the same."
"They did tell me that. I might take you up on that offer. And please don't call me a cub."
"Understood kiddo. Enjoy your first day of classes. Make the most of your 7 years here. Even I did, and I was a Ravenclaw as well." Fenrir winked as the door opened and Severus rushed in, acknowledging Fenrir and immediately patting his godson down for injury.
"I am fine, Professor. I slept at midnight. Woke up just now. No injuries, no broken bones." Draco assured the vampire. Fenrir nodded to Flitwick and Poppy as he exited the room, determined to get out of the castle before the students woke up.
Draco made it back to his room, escorted by Flitwick. He had a quick shower and then fell asleep on his bed again, since there was a long time for breakfast to start. Another hour of sleep never hurt.
As they headed down for breakfast, word was going around that they still had another day before they started i.e. their classes would start on the 9th. Terry looked confused, until Harry reminded him that it was currently a Sunday, and no classes happened on the weekends. Terry had blushed quite a bit after that realisation. Over at the Slytherin table, which is where they were sitting for breakfast, Severus came over and addressed Daphne, "Miss Greengrass, since there is just a day before your classes start for the first time here, I allow you to open your books at your leisure. Study group schedules will be posted in the common rooms by afternoon. I do not expect some of you to actually need them. They are open for all to join at any time, headed by those in a higher class than you. If you wish to form an independent study groups of only those within your year, please inform Professor Flitwick or myself prior to doing so. We are in charge of the study groups. We can clear out a classroom for you, or even a private room in the library. But the study groups for 1st to 3rd years are only on the weekends. This is mainly due to the lighter workload we give you. I wish you a pleasant day ahead."
He walked away to address a few senior students, while Daphne grinned like Christmas had come early. Theo just groaned, while Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle & Dudley looked self-assured. Granger looked like she had just been issued a challenge, while Weasley looked horrified. Elsewhere, the twin pranksters of Gryffindor exchanged a knowing look while their elder brother had a grin on his face. Whatever Minerva had told her table seemed to have a mostly positive effect on them.
Post breakfast, Draco went to the grounds to soak up some sun, while Dudley and Harry set off to explore the Room of Requirement, which none of their group had actually visited. Neville was talking to Pomona Sprout about their Herbology lesson plan, since he had a green arm. Susan was off to visit Severus, having a liking for Potions. The Slytherin Quidditch team was due to practice that afternoon, and since Dudley was not allowed due to the fact that he did not have his flying lessons yet, he was allowed to watch from the stands. Of course, Dudley did know how to handle himself on a broom since Barty had taught all five of them at the age of 6.
Being a Chaser himself, he expected all of them to make their respective House teams as one, but soon realised he would get a Beater in Dudley, a Seeker in Harry, a Chaser or a Seeker in Draco, and a Keeper in Neville. Susan would have been a Seeker, but she was not ready to take to the game, despite Amelia being a Hufflepuff Seeker herself back in her day. Sirius had been a Beater for Gryffindor, while Lucius was a Chaser in Slytherin. Narcissa had been a reserve Seeker, playing only 3 games in 4 years. Dorcas never played, and Arcturus himself was a Seeker for Slytherin. Peter had been a commentator with Remus, and Snape was a Chaser record holder across the school. Frank and Alice were Beater and reserve Chaser respectively.
In short, everyone at 12 Grimmauld Place knew how to fly and play the game. Vernon, thankfully, had learned how to fly, though it was not looked upon in a nice way that a muggle with no magic was using a broom. He knew the basics of flying, and refused to do fancy moves for fear of falling off.
As the day became warmer, Dudley headed outside. Susan was in the greenhouses with Pomona, Neville in the Potions classroom to scout out all the stores, which amused Severus to no end. Draco was still recovering but at least made an effort to be out of the Ravenclaw common room. Harry was in Rubeus Hagrid's hut, talking about creatures that Hagrid had kept over the years.
Dudley was aware that Granger was following him, more so because he could see her shadow off to his left. He turned around and faced her. "What's going on Granger? You've been shadowing me ever since I left the castle."
The girl did blush, having been found out. "You are a muggleborn, correct?"
Dudley frowned but nodded. She continued, "How are you so close to Harry? It can't just be the fact that you sat in the same train compartment as him."
Dudley considered lying, but the cat would be out of the bag soon enough. "He is my cousin. His mum and my mum were sisters. We basically grew up together." Well that last part was true.
"Then how are you taking Muggle Studies?"
"Like I said, we grew up together. We have more exposure to the magical side of things, even though we went to the same primary school." Again, all true statements.
Granger's eyes narrowed. She was trying to find a gap to exploit, but Dudley had given her none. "Fine. I guess I will find out on my own." She turned on her heel and briskly walked back towards the castle.
Dudley decided to write home, since he didn't like the way she was asking him questions. The tone, the body language, nothing of them was positive. Both her and Weasley had left them alone most of the week, so why the sudden interest in them again? He turned and headed the way he had been going. He intended to ask Marcus Flint something about Runes, even if it was way above their current syllabus.
As afternoon turned into evening, Dudley was back in his dorm room. Slytherin had an awesome common room that was built in the dungeons of Hogwarts, like Hufflepuff. Unlike Hufflepuff, they got a view of the Black Lake, both above and below the water. Since there was no restriction on space, the common room had been well below, so the ceiling was high enough to give them a view above the water surface. Parts of the wall facing the lake had been removed and reinforced with glass. That way, they could see underwater. The Giant Squid was a regular feature, as were the mermaids. Grindylows were also abundant, though they were a rare sight. Adrian had also mentioned that there was a rumour of a Siren colony in the darkest depths of the lake.
Each student had to share a room with 3 others, and with the space they could afford, they could always create more dorm rooms. Professor Snape had his office adjoining the common room, so there was a door connecting the two.
Dudley went to his side of the room and started packing materials for the next day. Parchment, books, quills, inkpots, text books, and his wand. Though it was not going to leave his person, he did prefer keeping it in his bag overnight. At dinner, they all sat at their own tables, mandated for that night. Dumbledore gave a speech about the upcoming academic year, his own expectations, and then the food arrived.
As they left for their respective dorms, Susan flashed all the boys a big smile and mouthed, "All the best." to them, as if she wouldn't be seeing them in class soon. Since their batch was rather large, their routine was going to be split to accommodate 2 Houses at a time, for most subjects, like they had done over a decade ago. This would be the first time doing so in 10 years. If the batch had been smaller, they'd have considered putting all 4 Houses together for each class baring Potions and Flying.
Smiling as he hit the pillow, Dudley whispered to himself, "Hello new world. Hello 7 years of fun."
Notes:
So, subject choices:
Susan: Warding
Dudley: Occumelency
Neville, Draco, Harry: Levitation
Chapter 10: Academia, with a touch of Fun Stuff
Summary:
We'll be going through the first 2 weeks of studies at Hogwarts. And before you ask, Voldemort will not be making an appearance here. This is to show that the kids are having a close-to-regular time just being kids.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
9th September 1991
Susan practically tumbled out of her bed, which woke up Hannah. Seeing Susan rush to the bathroom, she went back to sleep. Susan's habit of waking up as soon as curfew ended was not healthy. Susan grabbed her bag and headed to breakfast. Hufflepuff may have been called the House of loyalty, but Susan was loyal to those who gave her respect, first and foremost. She didn't trust most of the students in Hogwarts, since it was a well known fact that Amelia was one of the senior figures in the DMLE. A consequence of that was most students trying to get on her good side, and failing miserably. Susan pushed all those thoughts out of her mind as she got to the Hufflepuff table. Again, she was the first person in the entire castle to reach the Great Hall, though Lady Hogwarts was not there.
She drank her apple juice slowly, waiting for others to arrive. Dudley walked in about 20 minutes after her, and they were psyching themselves up for the classes ahead. Harry, Draco, and Neville came down after nearly 45 minutes. Draco still had to shower and grab his bag, but he was not too concerned about the time. Granger entered the Great Hall as he was leaving, shooting him a curious look. Draco ignored it. She grabbed her own food and went to sit with the four of them. While they did not say anything, she could feel that she was being judged. Unable to take it, she whipped her head up and asked, "What problem do you have with me?"
Dudley looked at Neville, who shrugged. Susan tilted her head, as if pondering an answer, but Harry spoke up, "You're bossy, have nearly no social awareness, have not actually introduced yourself to us, are way too reliant on books from what we have seen and heard, and believe that teachers are essentially infallible. Did I get all that right?"
The bushy-haired girl was shocked. Never had she been called out like this. Sure, her parents had said something like that before, but she had overcome it quickly enough. She blinked slowly before responding, "Well, I guess we will only know how reliant I am on books, when you complain about the loads of assignments we get."
"Cheers to that Granger." Susan smirked.
"My name is Hermione, not Granger." She was getting annoyed at being called by her surname.
"How can you be Hermione Granger, but not Granger?" Harry's face was that of inquisitiveness, but his tone was that of pulling a fast one. Dudley hid his smirk well, but Susan felt a grin trying to form on her face. Breakfast wrapped up quickly after that, with no further conversation.
First class for Susan and Dudley was Charms. Professor Flitwick smiled as they walked in, waiting for the rest in their Houses to come. He instructed them on the lesson plan, how he had planned his tests, and what he expected from them by December, their term exams. They started off with the Lumos charm, which had the tip of their wands light up. The small man encouraged them to imagine different colours for their lights, saying that the white light produced was very basic. Intent, he said, was important when casting. It was a pillar of magic, along with a medium, visualisation, and emotion. Susan found having a yellow and a pink light on her wand was easier than other colours, while Dudley's easiest casting came with a red and a grey light. Since they had got it done first, albeit after nearly 10 attempts, Flitwick asked them to help the others. Technically, what he had made them do was silent casting, since there were words to produce those specific colours. But it was always best to start as early as possible, and with something small. A Lumos charm hardly required energy to cast, unless maintained for a long period and at higher intensity. After that, they headed for Transfiguration, where Professor McGonagall explained the basics, the common problems, as well as the consequences of messing about in her class. No actual work was done, but it was a relief to regain some of their earlier spent magic from Charms.
Post Transfiguration, Susan headed to Potions, with Dudley going to the library with the rest of Slytherin. Every House had one period of library, and that was typically shared with all 7 years. Susan was glad that it was just the Hufflepuffs. Professor Snape was easy-going, made sure they understood what they would be doing first, and then followed up with a small quiz. They went for lunch, and Susan made a beeline for the Ravenclaw table. Both Draco and Harry looked like someone had taken away their favourite books. Neville was trying to comfort them, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"What happened, Nev?"
"Put it this way, if House points was still a thing, Gryffindor would have gained 100 before lunch, from just Granger's contribution."
"She's obsessive?"
Draco snorted and Harry spoke dryly, "More like a parrot. I stand by what I said in morning. If she doesn't change her attitude, she'll be shunned by her own dormmates."
Dudley snuck a glance at the Gryffindor table. Granger was sitting with Cormac, and saying something that was getting his face scrunched up with every passing second. "Hold up guys. I think it is time to make inroads into the lion's den. No offence Neville."
"None taken. Go on."
Dudley got up, expertly moving himself towards the Weasley twins. They noticed him coming and separated themselves so he was shielded on both sides. "Afternoon chaps."
"Hello little snakelet."
"How can we help?"
Dudley's head swung both ways before he replied, "I need Cormac to visit the Slytherin common room this evening, discreetly." He pointed him out for good measure.
The twins looked at Cormac, then at Dudley before speaking in unison, "He will be there after dinner."
"Thank you. Could you guys please confirm who is Fred and who is George?"
"No can do. If you cannot tell by your 4th year, our 6th, we will tell you. Deal?"
"Sounds good."
"See you around, snakelet."
After that, Neville went with Dudley for History of Magic, which was a right bore. The only good thing was that the next period was Muggle Studies taught by Albus Dumbledore himself. Being a half-blood, which he had no problems talking about, he had walked both worlds. He knew that the majority of the class were children who had rarely been to the non-magical side of the world. He was patient, and even invited Draco & Neville to talk about their experiences, since they were purebloods who had taken a very muggle start to their education. By the end of the class, questions were being asked left, right and centre, to the point of a study group being planned for the weekend, depending on which day they would have the Persian-taught subjects.
The academics ended early for them, and they all settled in common rooms of their choice. Now that the studies had begun, doing the puzzles would take time. Dudley had the puzzles in his possession put in plain sight, with Severus transfiguring multiple tables to put them on. Anyone who walked in could place the pieces. Filius did the same for Draco and Harry's puzzles, while Pomona was a little skeptical at first, but relented to do the same for Susan. The puzzles would be over much sooner than expected, so Zacharias & Ernie would have to be told soon. Later, towards dinner, the schedule for the Persian-taught subjects was put up. It was divided year-wise, and would be starting from that upcoming Saturday. 1st years would be on Saturday, 2nd years on Sunday, 3rd years on Monday, 4th years on Tuesday, 5th years on Wednesday, 6th years on Thursday, and 7th years on Friday.
Dudley watched as Cormac entered the Slytherin common room, not his first time there. He had an elder sibling in 6th year. He spotted Dudley and nodded. Dudley asked, "What was Granger talking about at lunch? You looked you wanted to run."
"Don't worry, it was not about you guys. She was complaining that the House Cup needs to be brought back. She answered every question in each class we had, and felt that she deserved more recognition."
"Hasn't the House Cup been stopped for over a decade?"
Penelope Clearwater, who was speaking to one of her friends, looked over to them and said, "Each year will have some students who want to challenge the new normal. Trust me, by the time next January comes around, or the next academic year, they all calm down and accept it."
Cormac nodded at her, taking in the information. "Weasley has more or less settled down, though with the amount of whining he does, I am surprised Dean or Seamus haven't complained about the noise pollution."
A few older Slytherins snickered, but refused to comment. They were engrossed in their own discussion, which sounded more like pranking. Theo, who was listening with avid interest, asked, "What is the redhead's biggest fear?"
"Not sure. All I know is that it is an animal."
"That narrows it down." The sarcasm was heavy in the statement.
11th September 1991
Defense against the Dark Arts, taught by Quirrell, followed the same pattern as the other classes, but followed with a bit of trivia.
"Who knows what Family Magical Inheritances are?"
A joint class of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor looked like a peaceful setting, but the few days of background had proved it was anything but. Granger's hand shot up, as did Dean Thomas'. Weasley didn't bother, and Seamus just put his head in his hands. Terry raised his hand from those in the blue.
"Thomas, you first. Boot, next."
Dean Thomas, a dark-skinned muggleborn, said, "A Family Magical Inheritance is magic that is passed down from parent to child, as part of their being. It cannot be learned by someone outside the family, but it can be honed."
"Almost correct. Boot."
"On similar lines to Dean, but not all Family Magical Inheritances are unlearnable. Some are arts that can be taught."
"Absolutely. Well done both of you. All the Purebloods in Britain have a Magical Inheritances passed down from both parents. However, it depends on which parent has the stronger genes, that the child will inherit that particular inheritance. If you are a half blood, you get the Magical Inheritance from your magical parent, even if one parent is a muggle. Magic makes no discrimination between muggles outright, and muggleborn magicians. To drive this point home, allow me to introduce the various rankings of the Wizgamenot." A chalk started writing on the board in tandem with his speech. "The Wizgamenot is the magical parliament of Britain. Here, your have seats held by different families, also called Houses. This is not unlike the Hogwarts Houses. The highest rank is of 'Most Ancient & Noble'. There are 8 such Houses: Black, Bones, Longbottom, Ollivander, Nott, Gryffindor, Slytherin & Peverell. They have been around since before Hogwarts existed. The next highest rank is that of 'Noble'. These Houses are much younger, and do not have their origins in Britain, unlike the previous 8. And before you say anything, I am well aware that a branch of the Nott family came in from Norway. That branch is now called the House of Lovegood. Do not confuse the two. The lowest rank in the Wizgamenot is simply called 'House'. Basically, any muggleborn in this class would be the first of the 'House of X'. If they have a magical child, and that child has a magical child, the grandchild is entitled to a Wizgamenot seat. They are then considered the Lord or Lady of their House. But for that to happen, the first three consecutive generations must be magical. Only upon getting a Wizgamenot seat, does the family magic of the House emerge. Unfortunately, the previous two generations will not receive this blessing. All families have charters, which dictate how the family is to be run, who is in charge of what, who are eligible for Lordship, Ladyship, Madamship, Heirship. If two families have many children, it is possible that they will split the Lordships of each family the best way they can. A unique charter exists for the Prewett family. Their Lordship must be taken over by the eldest pair of twins in the family. The only person alive with their blood is married to a Weasley. Their eldest son, who joined 9 years before you, will take the Weasley Lordship. The Prewett Lordship will be taken by the twins, who are younger than him. In fact, some of you know them as Fred and George Weasley."
Quirrell paused, allowing everyone to catch up. "That is why the Wizgamenot is ever expanding in seat number. If a family dies off for whatever reason, and there is not a single person of their blood alive, in any fashion, their seats go dark forever. All their properties are given to Gringotts, and their vaults are frozen."
Draco raised his hand, "What does this have to do with Dark Arts?"
"I was hoping someone would ask. Well, if you wish to learn about Dark Arts, you have to learn about the origin of the arts. And where better to start than with family? I know this became a slight history lesson, but you need to know this."
"Thank you sir."
"Now, I am giving you these sheets, to be filled individually. These contain names of all Wizarding Families in Britain as well as Ireland & France, who have members alive, with the Magical Inheritance running through them. I want you to do your research and write down each family's Inheritance. If you want, you can explain, but keep it brief. And remember, all Inheritances kick in at the age of 17. You cannot force it to come early." Sheets of parchment appeared in front of each student, with a lot of names on them. Just then, the bell rang for lunch. All of them got up to leave.
Draco and Harry looked across the room to Neville, who was grinning back at them. They finally had an excuse to raid the library. Dudley would be getting his sheet after lunch, with Susan. The three of them scribbled their own Inheritances before leaving the classroom, knowing some people would come looking for them. The Longbottom Inheritance was that they were born leaders, and could train their voice to lead armies who would follow without question. The Malfoy Inheritance was a silver tongue, which no doubt helped Lucius while dealing with politics. The Potter Inheritance was a subtle one. They were defenders, protectors of those who could not stand up for themselves. Gryffindor Inheritance was being able to generate & channel power through one's limbs, either magical or physical, a sort of burst of wandless & wordless magic that drained the caster significantly.
Lunch was a fun affair, and Neville decided to sit on his own at the Gryffindor table, to test the waters. Almost instantly, Granger decided to switch seats to talk to him. Susan growled seeing that, but Dudley put his hand on her wrist, shaking his head. Meanwhile, Neville was being grilled about the assignment.
"Come on, Neville. I am your batchmate, you have to help me out with this. I did not grow up in your world, after all." Her tone was bordering on sickly sweet. Neville turned to her and replied with a hard tone.
"Funny, even I do not know everything, despite being a pureblood. I will be going to the library this evening to find my answers."
That got her to shut up. Cormac, who was sitting opposite Neville, raised an eyebrow. He was probably wondering about Neville's tone, but Neville was not willing to answer.
After classes ended, Neville slipped into the library, looking for his group. Pince directed him to a table near the middle of the library, where he settled down. Pulling out the DADA sheet, he went to get some books which had been written on the pureblood families of Britain. From there, he would diversify into the other families. Fortunately, Dudley & Draco had managed to find a book that explained the passage of Inheritances, so they could do some extra reading. As they kept going through the names, leaving the ones they did not know blank, Dudley had a brainwave. He got up and walked to another table where Tracey Davis, Daphne Greengrass and Hannah Abbott were sitting. Ignoring Hannah's sudden blush and Daphne's curious looks, he spoke, "Good evening. Since we have all got the same DADA assignment, would it be alright if I asked you to join us?"
Hannah shook her head. "Thanks Dudley, but we would prefer it just be the three of us. But considering this is the DADA assignment, we can help each other. Abbott Inheritance is a Golden Tongue, allowing us to speak and understand any language we here. Reading is unfortunately not a part of this. Greengrass Inheritance is Natural Glamours, with Davis Inheritance being Beastspeak, a Golden Tongue meant for all kinds of animals, magical and otherwise."
"Thank you so much for that. In return, may I give you the other 5 Inheritances from our side?"
Daphne frowned, "Five? There are only 4 from your group."
Dudley smirked, "I thought you knew. Neville is Heir Gryffindor. He is currently the only person in school who cannot change to another House if he wanted to."
Daphne's jaw hit the ground. This was news to her. Tracey noticed her friend's mind still processing the information, so she prompted, "What are the other 5 Inheritances?"
"Malfoy is Silver Tongue, Potter is a Defender or Protector, either word is fine. Bones is Non-Soul Necromancy. Longbottom is Leader's Command. Gryffindor is Power Generation, magical or physical."
Tracey asked, "What about Dursley?" She didn't mean it as a jab at him being the first of his name, and he understood it.
Taking her question in stride, he answered, "Perhaps it would be attention to detail, or something along those lines."
Daphne was impressed. Dudley seemed to be growing into his own with every passing day. He had told her how he ended up in Slytherin, and even Zabini, a person who kept a neutral face at almost all times, understood why he did it and had even cracked a smile. If Dudley did join the Quidditch team, he would be getting a lot more muscle on his body and....why was she thinking like that!? She was supposed to stay focused. Dudley took their leave and sat back down with his group, relaying the information acquired. Harry looked in the direction of the trio, nodded in acknowledgment and got back to work. Granger came in soon after with her own sheet and started asking them their own Inheritances. However, she did not ask Neville about the Gryffindor Inheritance, which surprised Susan. Either the girl did not know the truth about Neville, or she did not believe that he might know something about it. Gryffindor & Slytherin's Inheritances were described widely in the books they had taken off the shelves, and not given concisely enough. Slytherin had been some guesswork by the group, when they started eliminating possibilities. It was Neville who pointed out that being able to cast in the language of snakes, Parsel, was something that was repeatedly mentioned among Slytherin's descendants. So they decided to go with the Inheritance of Parselmagic.
They filled in the Inheritances that they were sure of first. Then they came across one that did not sound familiar to them at all, Prince. Neville dove into the book and found the name, but next to nothing came up except "having a strong will of mind." At first, Susan assumed it was another way of saying Occumelency, but Harry shook his head. They ignored it and went through others. The Irish Wizarding Families were a separate section, but since there were only four listed, it made things easier. Finnigan, Macmillan, Macdonald, McLaggen. Since they had three of those families in their year itself, it was easy to ask around, considering the books did not list them. Spying Seamus and Cormac entering the library, Dudley dragged them to the table to get a quick history lesson, which the duo were happy to provide.
Apparently, these four families were blessed by a Celtic God around the same time, around two thousand years prior. While the blessing of magic was present, they were also blessed to have magic flowing through their bloodline, no matter who they married as long as it was not within the family. Since the blessing had happened before the concept of boundaries existed, their ancestral places were at different corners of the island. The four families had been given elemental Inheritances, though not the classical elements. Finnigan's got Pyromancy, causing Susan to laugh stating, "Explains why everything keeps blowing up around you." Seamus nodded and said that even his wand had to be made to balance out the fire, given that he had a tendency to get excited quickly, causing his magic to accidentally ignite things around himself. Given that Inheritances only emerged at the age of 17, this was seen as purely accidental magic. It also meant that the child's core was stronger than expected for that age. Macmillan's had the Inheritance of Metal Psychometry, which allowed him to understand an object just by touching it. That was how his family was so good at blacksmithing and engineering. The McLaggen family had Dendrokinesis, which Hermione did not understand in the beginning. Cormac thought for a minute and explained, "Controlling any form of plant matter, like wood, sap, leaves, fruits. My family's orchards have stood the test of time thanks to this. We supply nearly 3 cities in Ireland with our produce, and 2 in Britain. To an extent, we could create entire forests, but that would seriously hamper the environment around. My older cousins keep going to the areas of high vegetation, so even if they do grow many trees, it won't be noticed considering the size of the forest they are in."
The Macdonald family was a sore point for Harry, Neville and Susan, given that Marlene, who was a Marauder, was dead. But Cormac was able to confirm living relatives who went to Ilvermorny. He had to rack his head to remember their Inheritance, which turned out to be Mediumship, the ability to talk to spirits. They continued till dinner, but Granger stayed back. Neville shrugged, not his problem if his housemate did not eat on time. They quickly ate and split back to their respective beds, determined to call it a night early.
12th September 1991
Arcturus sat in his study, wondering about the future of his family. Lady Hogwarts had blessed his ancestors that there would always be someone to carry on the family name. But now there was a problem. Apart from himself, there were four others who fulfilled the criteria. And any decision he made would change the course of their future. Alphard was technically the next in line, being the next oldest male with Black Blood, then Sirius, then Draco, then Harry. Their Family Charter was vague on who could inherit the title: The oldest male with Black Blood may take up the Lordship, with closest ties to the main family line. The main family line can change, depending on who the Lord of the House is.
Alphard was Arcturus' nephew from his cousin Pollux' side, Cygnus Black's elder brother and uncle to the 5 cousins. He was a headstrong and tenacious man, with a sharp wit to rival even Flitwick. Arcturus pinched the bridge of his nose and came to a decision. He sent owls to Alphard, Sirius, Lucius & Narcissa, as well as Frank & Alice. He knew that the only way Neville took up Lordship of the House of Black was if nearly 30 other people had to die, but he would not hide that information.
At 3 pm, all requested parties were present in front of him. He decided to rip the band aid off.
"I have asked you all here to discuss the future of this family. Currently, Sirius is my heir due to being my direct grandson. If I die, he gets the Lordship, unless I decide to give it to Alphard here. We all know what the Family Charter says. Harry could be next since he is Sirius' godson, but since he is younger than Draco, they could have a duel for it. Both of them are anyways getting the Lordships of their respective fathers in a few years."
Frank raised his hand, "All due respect, but what does that have to do with me? I know my grandmother was a Black, but that is too far from the main line to inherit. Besides, Neville already has Longbottom and Gryffindor Heirship. I am just happy he does not have the Fortesque Heirship from Alice's side."
Arcturus nodded, "I wanted you here since all of you had to hear it from me, so no Chinese Whispers are played. Besides, I think Harry will be getting a few more Heirships coming his way. I have had a busy week doing research you see."
Sirius crossed his arms and asked, "What research?"
"Genealogy. I was able to trace a few families to modern times, whose seats in the Wizgamenot are dormant. Imagine my surprise that the Peverell family's last ever member married into the Potter family, Hardwin Potter to be precise."
Alphard smirked, "So young Harry gets an Ancient House as well. That is nice."
Arcturus' eyes twinkled, "It gets better. Somewhere around the 1500's, that family married into another family. Surname Gdor."
Narcissa set her cup of tea down, "That literally sounds like a Star Wars planet."
"That surname happens to be the same as Gryffindor, just with letters removed. And that started another rabbit hole to find the ancestry of it, to make sure it was not just a coincidence. And bingo, it is the Gryffindor line. I checked it against Frank's ancestry. Lo & behold, it matches. Harry can take up Peverell, Potter, Gryffindor, and perhaps Black."
Sirius glared at his grandfather, "No. We will not discuss and finalise this without the three of them present. They deserve to know everything. And it will not be enough in a letter."
"I agree." Alice said. "As Harry's godmother, I cannot in good conscience make a decision for him. He will obviously inherit Potter and Peverell, but the other two Houses are off the table for now. We can talk to them in Yule about this."
Narcissa & Lucius voices their assent as well. Alphard just smirked and said, "Even if I take up the Lordship, I am giving back to Sirius the moment I pass away. In a way, that ensures the Lordship goes generationally."
"Very well. See you later everyone. You've given me a bit to think about."
13th September 1991
Hermione Granger was angry. Not only had she got low marks in DADA assignment, but the Ravenclaw duo of Harry & Draco had creamed it. They'd destroyed the rest of the batch by getting all answers correct. She turned to look at Neville who was sitting beside her, "So much for your friends. I know you sat together for this assignment, so how did they do better than others?"
She expected Neville to be angry, but he just smiled. "The fact that they were able to find each and every House mentioned, via many means should be enough. They even asked if I wanted help on the more difficult ones, but I refused on principle. Besides, we will get our answers soon enough."
"It's not fair. How did they manage that?"
"Guess we will find out soon enough."
Quirrell strode up to the front of the class, having distributed all parchments. He tapped the board as the chalk flew up to start writing the top ten of the class. "In joint first place, Harry Potter & Draco Malfoy, 100%. Joint third place, Dudley Dursley, Susan Bones, Neville Longbottom, 94%. Joint sixth place, Daphne Greengrass & Tracey Davis, 90%. Eighth place, Dean Thomas, 86%. Ninth place, Ursula Dawson, 80%. Joint tenth place, Hermione Granger & Terry Boot, 75%. If I remove all those who grew up with magic, Dean Thomas would be the highest scoring student. If I removed Purebloods, who I know are given an understanding of this, Harry Potter is the highest scoring student. I must appreciate those who did not grow up with magic, since finding this information could not have been easy in books. Comparing just the overall top ten here to the Hufflepuff-Slytherin group only, you have just edged them. Keep up the good work. Now, how did you two know the Prince Inheritance?"
Draco stood up, "Professor Snape is of the Prince line, he just uses that title when in the Ministry."
Granger was shocked. "That's cheating! He asked a professor for help!"
"He is actually my godfather, and he had told me about his maternal family before I came here. Putting two and two together was not hard, but we were just told to do our research. If you wanted, you could have asked the Headmaster for help as well. You'd have also topped the class for this assignment."
Quirrell nodded and announced back to the class, "Some students have asked for their marks not to be revealed. I believe Theodore Nott actually went above and beyond the scope of the assignment, scoring 101%. I have not listed him here since he asked me not to."
Granger shouted, "How!?"
"He also added in those families who have just gotten their own Inheritances, basically those who are third generation magicals whose grandparents were muggleborns. Granted, he only managed 5 families, but it was still more than any of you."
Neville smirked. Granger was being slammed by reality hard. He was not living in Gryffindor Tower presently, but he had heard stories about what activities she would get up to. Those included but were not limited to: Attempting to force homework time on the whole House (the Prefects shot it down in a minute), stop the pranks by Fred & George (good luck with that), form a study group for all first years (that discussion ended with Seamus nearly losing his temper). In short, she was not cutting a popular figure in her own House. Neville supposed he could take control of the House, being the Heir. But then he would be undermining the teachers.
As they headed for lunch, they sat with the Hufflepuffs. Harry then mentioned that he would like to get into wand making. Given that they had not even a month in Hogwarts, Dudley asked his cousin where that thought had come from.
"It seems like a nice profession, a bit laid-back, but at the same time it can be time-sensitive. You saw how long our wands took, and the intricacies of it all."
Draco sipped his juice before replying, "Write home and ask if Ollivander would be willing to have you in the shop. He may want to see if you have the aptitude for it. I cannot think of many who become wand makers if no one in their family was one. We have a free period after lunch, might as well use that time to write."
Susan joined in, "Don't be disappointed though, if Ollivander says you cannot work for him. All wand makers like to have their secrets."
Harry nodded. Ronald Weasley had been listening to their conversation from slightly down the table. He was puzzled as to why Harry Potter would want to work so early on in his life, when he should be enjoying himself.
Their next class was Magical Manipulation. This was taught by the Persians Cyrus, Sarosh & Jamshed. Their first order of business was to make sure everyone put their books and wands away, to meditate for 15 minutes. They were supposed to feel their magics and that of those around them. They explained the similarities of the Persian way the subject was taught, and the ways it was taught in the 1900s. Along with that came a history of the subject, which made Susan & Dudley groan in despair while Draco cackled like an evil spirit.
14th September 1991
Susan headed for the Warding classroom, right after breakfast. Out of the century of students in her year, only 17 had chosen to take Warding across all four Houses. She was accompanied by Ronald and Hermione. Most of the group were Gryffindors & Slytherins. She just hoped that their instructor, Darius, did not lose his temper at Hermione's incessant questioning. Terry was the sole Ravenclaw of the 17, but his choices were simpler to make. Faerie minds were chaotic, so chaotic that not even a Master Leglimens could break through without getting backlash. So Occumelency was already sorted for him. He did not need to learn Levitation since he had his wings. Being a Faerie was enough to disrupt local magics, and the person would only get stronger over time. So Magical Manipulation was actually going to be Terry's favourite subject.
Susan sat herself down in the front, with Hermione sitting next to her. Darius was watching as the last few sat down. He waved his hand and the door shut itself gently, along with a blue dome forming across the walls. He grinned at them, "Good morning everyone. I hope you guys are ready for a hard 3 hours of work. My name is Darius. I am a Persian from a time long past, and Warding will be taught to you every Saturday between 10 am & 1 pm. The doors are sealed at 10.05 am, opening only at 11 am again. I give breaks at 11 am & 12.30 pm. Once we are done for the day, you do not need to come back. If you have any questions, either ask me at the end of the lesson, during the breaks, or after lunch. I will be outside on the grounds after lunch hours. While we do have a provision of changing classes after 3rd year, I hope you do not, since I will be covering curriculum once a week, on Saturdays, for the aforementioned 3 hours. I cannot wait to write Letters of Recommendation for you at the end of your 7th year, if you manage to raise the bar and shatter my expectations. Any questions before I start?"
Hermione's hand was up. "Hermione Granger. How old are you?"
The whole class looked in stunned silence at her, while Darius threw his head back and laughed, "Fair enough question. I am almost 1450 years old."
"And do you have Ministry Certification to teach this course, given how tough it is?" This question nearly caused Susan to hex her. Darius just smiled.
"If you are questioning whether I am capable of teaching this subject, let me assure you I am. Persians invented Warding. As for your question on my Certification, no I do not possess such a document. I believe you will find my expertise on this subject so good that Gringotts took some of the most promising Warding students I taught over the past decade. They are my pride and joy, worth more than any Certification the Ministry can provide. I hope that answers your question."
Hermione sat down, her mind freezing. Susan understood how she felt.
Darius continued, "You are a bit to young to be casting wards, but there is a way around it. We need to increase your Magical Core strength. For that, I request you to put in regular exercise, in any way shape or form. I will teach you the theory first, and we can go over the history of Warding, from the time we invented it, till the modern day." He continued on for a bit, before telling them to start writing down while he explained concepts. Susan felt happy that she had taken this class. Maybe she could take this up in the future.
15th September 1991
Garrick Ollivander was used to seeing some movement in Diagon Alley throughout the year. Some shops had business in the muggle world as well, using the Leaky Cauldron as a front for selling their goods. What he was not used to seeing, was guardians of Hogwarts students come into his shop, especially when he knew that he did not craft a wand for either of the children under the guardianship of the duo that had just entered: Alice Longbottom & Sirius Black.
"Good morning Lady Longbottom, Heir Black. How do you do?"
Alice smiled in reply, "Lord Ollivander. We are fine. We actually have a letter for you to read."
Garrick was puzzled. Anyone who wanted to write to him could just send an owl. Sirius took out a parchment from his jacket and presented it to him. Garrick read through it, very surprised by the end of it.
"Hey Horn, Padfoot. I know you expect a letter at least once a week on my progress here, but I have a question. Do you think it would be possible for me to work with Ollivander over the summer? It is just a thought I had while at lunch. Draco, Dudley & Susan said to write ahead and see what happens. If you could ask him, that would be great. H.J.P."
Garrick sat down, contemplating. Sure, this was just a random thought of a pre-teen, but he could sense the intent with which the letter was written. After all, the Ollivander Family Inheritance was seeing magic in and around everything. That was why they were such good wand makers. They even had Enchanters, Artificers among other professions in the family. Put simply, they were the most magically attuned people in Britain, and it came naturally to them. He waved his hand, his wand hidden up his sleeve, & two chairs were transfigured for Harry's godparents, who sat down. Garrick glanced back into the depths of the shop, where scores of wands lay in their boxes. Some were crafted by his father, grandfather, countless uncles. They would be wielded long after his death, and his successor's death. Some wands were now deemed illegal due to their cores, so he could not even sell them to adults. But the back of the shop was beyond chaos. Sorting through it would take even Garrick a while.
He put down the letter and faced Sirius, "I am assuming you know the Potter Inheritance?"
"Yep. Protectors or Defenders. I believe it is people the inheritance refers to."
Alice nodded in agreement. Garrick shook his head, "It means anything that is sentient. Trees, plants, animals, creatures, wands."
Alice perked up, "Wands?"
"Indeed. Wands choose the wizard. How would they be able to do that without being sentient? The wood, the core and some people even have their own blood put in so that it is keyed to their bloodline, or specifically to themselves. Anyways, I am getting away from the topic. While I do appreciate Harry's enthusiasm, I cannot in good conscience allow him to dream of becoming a wand maker. The reason is that he does not possess my Family Inheritance of sensing magic. However, I am willing to compensate for that. While I can't have him make wands, I will let him work in my shop in different capacities. Is that fair enough?"
Alice looked at Sirius before asking, "Will you show him some tricks of the trade?"
"I cannot show everything, but I will make that call as he progresses through his work."
The godparents nodded. This was the best they would get from a person like Ollivander. The older man flipped the parchment over and wrote his response. "Dear Harry. Thank you for considering taking up wand making. I have spoken to your godparents, and I do not mind having you over next summer. I will start small with you and we can slowly work upwards. However, I have explained to your godparents that you will not be able to actually make wands, due to your Family Inheritance. For now, I want you to be proficient in Potions, Charms, Astronomy & Herbology. DADA is an added bonus as well. I am not looking for you to top your class, but I expect a minimum of Exceeds Expectations in all of the above subjects. That does not mean you slack off in others, young man. I look forward to meeting you as an apprentice, even if you are way too young. Keep smiling, keep learning. Garrick Ollivander."
"Thank you very much Lord Ollivander."
"My pleasure."
16th September 1991
Dudley was gushing about Occumelency. No Pureblood had taken the subject, but almost every muggleborn had. From what he had heard over the weekend, 17 people had taken up Warding. 50 had taken to Levitation, mostly the Quidditch fanatics. The remaining 33 had chosen Occumelency. It was a slow subject to learn, with an even longer time to master. Xerxes & Artaxerxes had given them many ideas on how to shield their minds, and told them to do their own research and state their opinions & perspectives the next class.
He sat with the Ravenclaws for breakfast, awaiting the letter from home. Harry had sent a letter just days before, so hopefully they got a reply for his query as well. Draco pointed at the owl heading their way, which looked healthier than it did two weeks ago. Two letters were tied to its legs. One was Harry's old letter, and the other was for all of them. Harry read his letter and was surprised by Ollivander's frankness. But at least the wand maker had allowed him to work the next summer. That was a win in his book. Keeping up his grades would not be an issue, given that he was a sponge for information. The letter for them all was nothing exceptional, but it did share the good news about Barty applying for his Mastery in Field Charms, which he was already exceptional at. He had to be, given that he had created their versions of the Marauder's Map. Remus had once quipped that Barty was so good in academics, that the rest of the batch had to fight it out to determine who was coming second to him at the end of the year. More often than not, it was Regulus for 3 straight years, before it became Kingsley Shacklebolt for the other 4 years. Coincidentally, all three of them were Ravenclaws. Barty was going to Greece to get his Mastery, and hopefully apprentice under one of the best trackers in Europe: Diana Phaesporia. Frank had been made Head Auror, while Rufus Scrimgeour took a sabbatical to be with his family.
Hermione Granger had mellowed down a bit since the first time they had seen her, not that it meant that she was their friend. She had a long way to go before that. Ronald Weasley seemed to have understood that actions have consequences, but he still refused to apologise to Neville. Neither of them had set foot into a Common Room apart from their own, despite Susan inviting them over to Hufflepuff.
Their first lesson for the day was flying, and would be taken up House-wise till lunch. Hooch could tell that most of the magically raised were holding back, so she changed the rules: Muggleborns first, since they were new to this and would need more time. With one hour to go, she sent them all back to the castle. She then turned to the few left and grinned, "Show me what you got. Six at a time."
The quintet grabbed the brooms, Nimbus 2000's all of them. Frank and Barty had made the contribution just over a year prior, knowing how bad the school brooms were in their time. Ronald also grabbed a broom and took off after them. He had grown up playing Quidditch with his older brothers, who were Beaters & a Seeker, but he had nothing on the five of them who grew up under Barty's tutelage. Hooch recognised Barty's signature Quaffle slide in Draco, as well as Sirius' quick turning in Dudley. She knew that though Dudley was a muggleborn, he practically grew up a Pureblood. Augusta Longbottom was her childhood friend and had told her about Neville's upbringing in 1988, when she visited the Longbottom household.
After the hour had elapsed, the students made for the showers, followed by a heavy lunch. They sat at the Slytherin table, which is why they were surprised when Ronald came up to them and sat next to Susan. Susan tensed, while Draco was ready to start hexing him. Dudley forced his fist to relax, with Neville glaring at the redhead. He asked, "What do you want?"
"Where the hell did you learn to fly like that? Malfoy I understand, you I understand. But Dudley?"
Dudley smirked, "I grew up with Harry. Picked up a few tricks myself."
"No way the House of Black allowed..."
Draco interjected, "You might want to rephrase whatever you are going to say, Weasley. Harry is a Black from his paternal grandmother, I am a Black through my mother, Neville's great-grandmother was also a Black. You also have Black blood in your veins, through both your grandmothers. Sure, three of us are Purebloods, god I hate using that term even though it is the easiest to describe the situation, but it still stands: And besides, the House of Black has branches that are related to muggleborns as well as muggles themselves. Grandpa Arcturus does not stand for the nonsense of his ancestors."
Ronald shut himself up. Meanwhile, Susan switched places with Adrian Pucey, who was wrapping up his meal. Her being a Veela was old news, but Ronald's comments in the hallways, veiled as they were, still stung a bit. It was different from a ribbing by the four boys she grew up with, they knew what worked as a joke and what did not. Neville had no classes for the rest of the day, save Astronomy at night, but Ravenclaw had Double Potions, Hufflepuff had Double Charms, Slytherin Double Transfiguration. The weekly schedule would keep changing on Sunday mornings, the only constants were the three Persian subjects. This kept everyone on their toes to finish any assignments. Today's schedule meant that everyone had an entire evening block free to do whatever they wanted. Dudley spoke up, "Puzzles before dinner?"
Neville nodded, "Ravenclaw Tower first. Most of the puzzles are there."
Everyone within earshot nodded. Susan got up to relay the message to the Hufflepuffs, while Harry did the same for Ravenclaw. Soon, the three Houses were in their respective classes and wishing the time could run faster. Severus caught onto this fact when he saw Draco and Harry keep glancing at the clock. They were brewing part of a potion that would take 3 more classes to finish, so no one was trying to speed through it. He smirked as soon as the time was up, everyone casting a stasis spell on their potions. He had taught them this on the first day, making sure they did not have to start from scratch unless warranted. They raced back up to their dorms, changing and freshening up. Then chaos descended into the common room, with all four Houses having representation across all years coming in. Flitwick grinned as he cleared the furniture to the edges of the room, as well as getting more tables brought in to help keep the puzzles up. Some puzzles had 500 pieces, some 625, some 750. Everyone got in on it, while the five of them, for once, split up across the room. Ronald and Hermione also came, though they kept glancing around as if preparing to be hit by a spell. The Prefects of Ravenclaw kept order, while the House Elves brought in food & drink. It took them from 4 pm to 7 pm, then from 8 pm to 9 pm to finish all the puzzles. Since Gryffindor had Astronomy later, everyone turned to the Hufflepuff common room until curfew struck. Now, just the Slytherin common room was left, though there were just 3 puzzles left there. Adrian joked that it was more likely the upper years would do those through the night to get their mind off the studies. Susan had a word with Ernie & Zacharias (who insisted they call him Zach, if they called Theodore Theo) to get some more puzzles into the castle during the course of the week. The boys would write to their families the next day itself.
That night, Flitwick held a House meeting. Everyone had to be in the common room and air any problems they faced whether academic or otherwise. Once those were cleared, he looked at Draco & Harry pointedly. The duo strode up to him as he turned his attention back to the gathering.
"What I am about to say is going to get most, if not all, of your hackles up. But please listen completely before you form your opinions. Draco, all yours."
Draco looked around and started, "Last year I was diagnosed with Dragon Pox. I was pumped full of experimental medications, but my body was shutting down. The only way to get better was to shut down my immune system and then start it up again. I would have been rendered a squib if that happened. My parents were ready to do that if it meant that I lived. My uncle found another solution, which involved me going through a whole day of sleep once the...venom took hold of my body and stopped the Dragon Pox." He looked around, almost ready to hide from the crowd eyeing him.
Rodger Davies, a second year, raised his hand when it became evident that Draco was struggling for words, "You're a werewolf. Plain and simple."
Harry stepped up, "He is. It was the best option presented to us, if we wanted to keep his magic intact. Anyone got a problem with that?" His tone became sharp, almost daring people to talk back at him.
Aidan stood up from his seat, turning to face the audience, "Werewolves turn on the night of the full moon, once or twice a month. That is 12 nights out of 365 entire days. The rest of the time, they are still human. Anyone who treats Draco differently will face consequences." His tone left no room for argument.
Flitwick nodded, "And before you start thinking of warding your dorms, there is a room for Draco to safely transform. I will be taking him there each time for the next 7 years. His godfather is Professor Snape, so you understand what his reaction would be if you ill-treated Draco."
Penelope stood up, "One of our more recent and famous Ravenclaw Alumni is Fenrir Greyback himself. If anything, we should be honoured that we have another werewolf among us. Is there anything we can do to make Draco more comfortable as a werewolf?"
Flitwick nodded, "Indeed Fenrir was one of the most outstanding students we had, irrespective of his alter ego. As for helping Draco, he himself will be coming to Hogwarts to help Draco through his transformative nights. Since wolves are pack animals, the presence of another animal is always welcome. As long as the scent is not human, Draco will not go feral while transformed."
Cho Chang had a brainwave and nearly jumped out of her seat, "Sir, Terrence Higgs of Slytherin is a fox animagus. As a fellow canine, surely he can also help Draco."
Flitwick raised an eyebrow, "Well, Heir Higgs is well above age, though how you know his form is something I will talk to you both privately about, with Professor Snape."
Draco looked at Harry, who whispered, "No one will do anything to you in this space. Unless they want Professors Flitwick, Snape, Dumbledore as well as Fenrir hounding them till their end of days."
Flitwick dismissed all of them to sleep before going to his room and sending a message to Severus via Floo, telling him how the meeting went, along with his desire to see Terrence Higgs the next day.
Notes:
Magical Inheritances: (These could be considered canon for some, and others I have just pieced together as and how. I am trying to at least give these families some stock.) [List will be expanded on as and when.]
Abbott: Golden Tongue
Blacks: Occumelency
Bones: Non-Soul Necromancy
Crouch: Animagus/Patronus protecting their mind
Davis: Beastspeak (Golden Tongue for animals, magical and otherwise)
Delacour: Charmspeak
Dumbledore: Pyromancy
Finnigan: Pyromancy
Greengrass: Natural Glamour
Gryffindor: Power generation, magical or physical
Longbottom: Leader's command
Lovegood: True Sight
Macdonald: Mediumship
Macmillan: Metal Psychometry
Malfoy: Silver Tongue
McLaggen: Dendrokinesis
Nott: Perfect Recall
Ollivander: Seeing magic in and around everything
Patil: Hydromancy
Peverell: Soul Necromancy
Potter: Defenders/Protectors
Prewett: Getting in syncronisation while doing activities
Prince: Leglimency
Slytherin: Parselmagic
Weasley: Master Strategists
mary410 on Chapter 1 Sat 19 Jul 2025 07:29AM UTC
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foss_in_the_box on Chapter 1 Sat 19 Jul 2025 07:35AM UTC
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