Chapter 1

Founders' Business

A chill wind blew across the Hogwarts courtyard. Many years had passed since the battle with Voldemort, and much of the castle had been restored to a fraction of its former glory, but the courtyard remained littered with pieces of the surrounding walls. Portions of the wall had been destroyed to such degrees that repairs had become nearly impossible. It is in these places where students will frequently gather, whether consciously or not. On this particular day, only two students were currently situated in the courtyard.

"No, Lysander!" The shorter one said. He had a stocky build which seemed to compliment his messy brown hair and equally brown eyes. He wore the autumn uniform with a yellow and black scarf to protect against the unseasonable chill.

"But Chuck," The second one was taller, with pale blond hair that hung into his half-lidded blue eyes. He wore a summer uniform despite the mid-autumn chills, accompanied only by a satchel decorated with blue and bronze stripes. "In the two years you've known me, how many explosions have we caused?"

"Too many." Chuck responded. "And I always end up getting hauled off to detention for it."

"For the record, we've caused eighty-seven so far, and-."

"You keep track!" Chuck exclaimed.

"No," Lysander replied, matter-of-factly. "But Professor Binns does. I'm usually up in his room dusting out the spare textbooks. Anyway, you haven't had to take detention for the last eighteen. The teachers know the pattern by now, so could you just give it a try?"

Chuck sighed. "Lysander Scamander, you are an oddball of the highest degree, and a bully of the worst variety. I don't know how you manage to talk me into these things."

Lysander smiled. "Because you've never taken a day of notes in your life, that's why."

"Oh yeah," Chuck mused. "That explains it." He pulled out his wand, pointing it at a shrub Professor Longbottom hadn't yet trimmed back. "How does it go again?"

"Try the charm blendenius, emphasis on the 'den'."

Chuck gave him an odd look before shrugging his shoulders. "Blendenius? What's it supposed to do?"

Lysander tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "It's a fusion charm. If it works, I might get a week of detention."

Chuck shook his head. "Well, that's a week before any other experiments." He looked back at the bush, gave a swish and a flick, and stated with a loud clear voice, "Blendenius!" The bush gave a weak stretch upward before letting out a sigh and resuming its previous state. Chuck looked at Lysander, one eyebrow raised.

Lysander smiled. "I'd call that a positive test." He said.

"As cunning in your tests as ever." A voice came from behind Lysander. Both he and Chuck turned around to see who spoke. A young girl stood there, her pale blond hair nearly invisible in the misty morning. She was dressed in a peculiar amalgamation of uniforms. She wore the autumn uniform, complete with a scarf, but stubbornly refused to change out her summer skirt for something warmer.

"Hello Pleiades." Lysander replied calmly. "Decided to escape the frosty Slytherin common room?"

Pleiades rolled her eyes. "They won't turn up the lights even in winter! I mean, usually we get a good bit of light through the windows, but when the lake's frozen over, we can't see a thing!" She sighed. "So I came up to see what you two were up to."

"Well it seems to be about as interesting as stumbling your way through the dungeons, the spell didn't work."

"Au contraire, my friend." Pleiades said. "Look at the bush, the leaves are sparkling slightly in the sunlight."

"Yes, but it was supposed to be a fusion charm."

"No it wasn't." Lysander cut in. "I misinformed you as a part of the test. I always wanted to know if it was the thought or the incantation itself that made the spell."

Chuck looked from Lysander to Pleiades. "So, it was supposed to be nothing more than a bedazzling hex?"

"Did someone say hex?" Another young girl came walking into the courtyard, her outfit quite a bit more fitting for the season. She had brown hair that hung loosely halfway down her back. Her eyes were similarly bland, but the expression in them was daring and filled with energy.

"Hey Mary Ann." Pleiades and Chuck chorused, Lysander joining in a beat later.

"You didn't answer me. Did someone say hex?" Her voice was not unkind, but had a fierce undertone to it that conveyed her distaste for formalities.

"Yeah, I did." Chuck replied. "Lysander over here was having me run a test for him."

"Aahh…" Her voice filled with sorrow. "I thought maybe we were finally waging war on those gorillas from Slytherin, no offense." Her last remark was directed at Pleiades.

"None taken. It's more of an insult to the house that they were sorted into proud Slytherin." Her smile hadn't even flickered on her face, although her eyes were subtly frostier than they had been a moment before.

There was a moment of silence, which Lysander broke."So, Mary Ann, why have you come to join us? You don't usually leave the great hall before dinner's over. "

Mary Ann looked taken aback. "What makes you think dinner didn't end, and I just came out to join you?"

"I can smell your father's famed chocolate soufflé, not something you would have left without reason."

Mary Ann looked back toward the great hall longingly, and then shook her head. "No, that can wait." She looked toward the three other students. "I got a tip-off about an undiscovered secret passageway, with an ancient treasure deep inside."

"And who," Pleiades said sarcastically. "Gave you this tip?" She had a right to be sarcastic, as their last alleged tip off had proven to be little more than a lost supply-closet.

Mary Ann smiled. "Someone who ought to know. And if you come with me, he's agreed to show us the way."

Chuck shrugged, pulling out his wand and walking toward Mary Ann. "I'll go along."

Pleiades walked toward Mary Ann as well. "It'll beat sitting around here all day."

All three of them looked at Lysander, who had continued examining the bush Chuck had charmed. Silence reigned for a few moments more. Pleiades gave a small cough, jerking Lysander from his thoughts. "Oh, um, sure, I'll come along."

"Good! Now, we're off to the greenhouses." Mary Ann marched off smartly, Chuck close behind, Pleiades trailing behind him, and Lysander walking behind them all.

When Lysander finally arrived at the greenhouses, everyone else was already in conversation with a ghost. The ghost in question was not simply a random specter from around the castle, but was in fact the ghost of Hufflepuff common room, the Fat Friar.

"Thank you for coming," He looked each of the students in the eyes. "All of you."

"No problem." Mary Ann replied before any of the others could get a word out. "This kind of thing is easy, especially for a weekend."

A sad expression crossed the friar's face. "You don't know what you're talking about, my dear. To pass the trials before you… Never mind, all will be revealed once you have taken the first step. If any of you have any doubts about this, I suggest you leave."

Once again, Mary Ann replied before anyone else could get a word in. "We're not scared! We face these kinds of odds before breakfast."

Despite Mary Ann's claims, Pleiades suddenly began shivering fiercely. She clung to Lysander's arm, her voice becoming quiet and whimpering, much like a child's. "You'll protect me, right? My strong Bishop?"

Lysander smiled at Pleiades, putting on a tone of voice that sounded much like a protective older brother. "Pleiades…" A sarcastic note entered his voice. "Puppy dog eyes and chess metaphors don't mix well."

Pleiades scowled, stepping away from Lysander, though not releasing his arm. "It'd work on any guy with emotions." She snapped back.

"Any guy with more emotions than sense wouldn't understand the chess metaphor in the first place." Lysander replied smoothly.

Mary Ann had turned, raising her eyebrow at this quiet conversation. Lysander nodded, conveying that both of them were quite ready to go through whatever lay ahead.

Mary Ann turned back to the friar. "We're all ready to go."

The friar bowed, crossing himself in the process. "Come with me." He floated off around the main greenhouses.

As they passed each greenhouse, Chuck became slightly more concerned. "Um, Lysander?"

"Yeah Chuck?"

"Isn't that the greenhouse for the seventh year NEWTs?" Chuck pointed at the last greenhouse, which they were nearly equal with.

"Why, it is." A puzzled expression crossed his face. "But the good friar is passing right on by it. Perhaps we're going to face a worse set of tests."

Chuck shivered. "How? We're barely in our third year! I can barely handle the Venomous Tentacula on a good day!"

Lysander smiled. "There is a distinct difference between what we learn in herbology, and what we'll need to pass through here." Chuck gave a very confused look at Lysander. "In herbology, Chuck, we learn to care for plants, what we need to do here is destroy them or merely get past them." He flexed his fingers experimentally. "And there are a few spells I've been terribly anxious to try out."

Despite Chuck's concerns, they kept on walking, past all the greenhouses, and onwards toward the Forbidden Forest. They finally came to a stop, strangely enough, at the door to Hagrid's Hut. The friar turned toward Chuck, a small, kind smile on his face. "Would you mind knocking for me? I'd rather not fall through the door again." Chuck returned the smile, if a bit more hesitantly, and knocked.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Hagrid's unmistakable voice was coming from behind everyone. They turned to see the famed gamekeeper of Hogwarts, walking with massive strides toward them from the castle.

The friar turned his eyes to heaven, and then sighed. He called out to Hagrid, only the barest hint of annoyance in his voice. "I asked you to be ready at the hut. What was so important that you couldn't have fulfilled that small piece of responsibility?"

The group could hear a faint, "Not used to being ordered 'round by ghosts…" coming from Hagrid.

The friar sighed, muttering under his breath. "As representatives of the founders, we theoretically outrank the headmistress, but Dumbledore's reign made us a bit too complacent." He raised his voice so that Hagrid could hear him. "I told you this was founders' business."

"The ruddy founders waited this long, an they can wait a few more ruddy minutes." Hagrid roared back. He came to a stop before the group, towering over them. Everyone stepped aside to let Hagrid past. He unlocked the door with a key larger than some wands, and stepped back. "Do what ye feel needs to be done." He directed toward the friar. "And stay away from my desk. Lessons are supposed to be a surprise." This he directed toward the group. He then walked back toward the castle.