I do not own The Harry Potter book series or associated characters of said book series. All rights belong to their respective owners.

A/N: This isn't anything to special, just an idea I had that I want to start getting out in words. Sorry for any errors with spelling or grammar, editing doesn't come easy to me so I may have rushed that a bit.

Very few would ever consider the notion that Hogwarts may be sentient. Most considered things such as the moving stairs, trap corridors and even the occasional disappearing/reappearing room to be the products of powerful wards, runes, or even curses. But Hogwarts was indeed sentient, having been built atop a convergence of ley lines. That, along with the yearly gathering of children had been what formed her sentience. Each child had desires, Hogwarts had formed her sentience by trying to fulfill those desires as the original runes and wards had required her too, under the command to care for them. The result after many hundreds of years was a motherly persona that desired to protect and care for each of her wards. It was with this desire in mind that she considered what to do with the only ghost that she allowed to physically manifest itself.

Peeves the Poltergeist was often times, some students (and staff) would say, more of a problem than even some of the rivalries and biases that hindered students year after year… Hogwarts had considered this many time before. But she could never find it in herself to do so. After all, he had once been a student… However, he was no longer such, and while he had yet refrained from doing anything that could permanently or fatally injury one of her wards, he had come close. She knew his type, he wouldn't change his ways in a single day or ten, he wouldn't change in even a hundred years. So she focused her magic and created a simple message that only a ghost would receive.

"You have a day. If you wish to remain, then prove to me that you are worthy of it"

If Hogwarts could sigh then she would. Peeves had gone almost as soon as he got the message. He was still in the castle, she could sense at least that much. But Her magic, even after so many years was mostly gathered in only a few key locations; the headmasters office, the Great Hall, the Come and Go room… just to name a few. Of course, if Peeves thought that he could hide away from such rooms in order to remain then he would be quite surprised tonight. Hogwarts may not know everything, but she was still rather powerful.

It was to her curiosity that Peeves returned to the place he had first received her message just a few meager hours before the end of the day. Hogwarts had considered just exorcising him and getting it over with many times in the time between when she sent the message and now.

She would be very glad she hadn't. For if what he said was true…

"A deadly tree, trolls, a magic stone placed as a trap! This isn't a good prank my great Hogwarts! These are bad pranks! That can kill! The DADA teacher wants to kill a student I'm sure of it! there is also a murderer who sleeps amongst the Gryffindors! Peeves never does bad pranks! Just funny ones!"

Hogwarts, by this time the next day would hardly remember her thoughts on removing Peeves from her halls. At this time however, she found she still doubted the inappropriate prankster ghost. So she asked her house elves which cared for her so well to check on such matters.

When Hogwarts felt one of such house elves magic fade before seemingly popping out of existence… well, a muggle would call it a panic attack. A wizard would more accurately call it a sudden and extreme magical shift along the ley lines. The fact that another house elf did indeed confirm that at least some of such things were within her halls did not help this, panic attack, as it were.

There was monsters within her walls. Traps meant to capture or kill, and Murderers! Or at least wanna be murderers within her very halls. She had to do something! She couldn't leave the school as it was! Direct action had to be taken! Obviously the current headmaster had failed to consider the safety of the students otherwise such situations would not be present. Hogwarts made the executive decision and decided that Dumbledore was most definitely not trustworthy. But how would she remove the threats from the students?!

A sudden Idea made itself know to her then. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best solution a sentient castle could have (or ever would, given how few sentient castle actually exist) reach.

Dumbledore had maintained Hogwarts and the magical wards and runes that protected her students for years. He knew every runes and every ward and what they did. He knew how many were active and how many were not. Or at least, he thought he did. His first warning to something being wrong was when, to his astonishment, the passive and inactivated wards that surrounded the castle suddenly came to life. Only a week into terms and the castle was on the fritz, at least that's how some muggles he'd met would describe it. However, he'd just assumed it was the castles natural reaction to having a possessed wizard within its halls. this was the first time that had ever happened as far as he knew. Maybe a passive ward that was hidden or that he simply was unaware of had sensed the dark magic? He could sort the whole thing out soon enough, he just needed to find the ward stone cluster and make sure nothing that wasn't apart of his plans took place.

However, although he had seen and used the rune stone room many times, he couldn't find it, and the very next day something else was amiss. It started with one student, a tiny third year girl from Ravenclaw who had warned him that something was wrong with the house elves. he thanked her and promised to look into it. But before he could, the financial statement from Gringotts arrived. Hadn't that been a surprise! Rather than simply buying enough food over the week for the students and staff to eat three square meals a day… The house elves had bought enough food to feed an army for nearly fifteen years. Fifteen years! The costs were huge and more than the school could afford! He would have to have a meeting with staff and elves to find out how this happened. But that may take to much time. Best to just call the head elf over right away

"Jugz!" Dumbledore spoke from his seat inside his office. Suddenly a very elderly elf appeared.

"Jugz be's very busy Headmaster Dumblesdores! Whats do you's be wants'n?" Of course, Dumbledore was more than used to House elf speech patterns and the translation of such. But he wasn't used to such a… irritated response. Wait, did he say he was busy? Albus hadn't assigned him or any other house elves anything more than the usual! Jugz had never been less than excited to talk with the Headmaster before. What was happening?

"Busy? If you don't mind me asking, what with?" Albus felt this was a perfectly acceptable way of asking. However, given the way Jugz was looking at him he felt he may have done something wrong.

"Headmaster doesn't be knowing?" The elf's eyes widened as if realizing something then.

"Mistress has nots spoke to yous! Me's not be's certain if tell'n you's be's good idea's!" Without even bothering to mute the sound of elf apparition Jugz popped away. Albus was left staring at the now vacant spot.

"Jugz?" There was no response.

"What in the name of Merlin is happening?" Albus felt panicked. As Headmaster to the school it was required of the elves for them to answer to him and him only… unless a founder or heir of a founder was in contact. Suddenly springing up, Albus went straight to his shelf. Picking out three books, he immediately returned to his desk. With a flourish of the Elder Wand all three books flung open. Each one turning until they reached the pages that Albus was searching for. Leaning in to get a good look at all three, he gave a frown at the results. He would admit to himself that he should have perhaps looked at this more often. As it was, the books already had a thin layer of dust since he last opened them.

Nevertheless, they were useless to him. Telling him nothing he didn't already know. Slightly panicked and worried for what was happening Dumbledore called each head of house to his office. This needed to be resolved before it was too late.

Hogwarts had already waited longer than she was comfortable doing. It was time. A sort of magical quantum appeared then, invisible to any living being, and, having already selected each living creature she wanted to protect. She expelled a magical force that swept all through the castle. A few moments later, only the students the most trusted house elves, and the students familiars remained. Hogwarts, satisfied, allowed herself to fall into a sort of magical recharge, using the ley lines. The students were finally safe…

"Albus… where are we? Weren't we just in your office?"

Albus Dumbledore turned his head to look at his deputy, one professor McGonagall. Ignoring all the other professors asking various other questions.

"Why, Minerva, I do believe we have been moved from my office to here in Diagon alley."

This hadn't been quite what Albus had been expecting to happen. The few moments between calling Jugz into his office, and the arrival of his senior staff had given him a little time to analyze the newly activated wards. He knew the wards would expel all dark artifacts, but he had assumed it would keep most everything else... Yet, here he, and every teacher from Hogwarts was. He didn't expect this to be to much of a problem, but he was still dreading the Howlers he knew to be arriving soon.