Disclaimer: The characters and the world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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Welcome to the first chapter in the year 2017. I really hope I'll be able to write more this year and keep the updates coming. Now, enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 12: Enemy Within

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On a sunny Sunday morning, James, Rosie and Al were still stuck in the Hospital Wing, bored to the brink of madness. The chirping of the birds outside the windows was being interrupted by the deafeningly loud, rhythmical sound of Hagid snoring as he napped on his stool. Rosie had managed to intercept several books on healing from Hannah and expanded her knowledge while the boys played wizarding chess.

James smirked slyly, staring at the board. "Queen to E4," he commanded and the queen marched toward Al's king and brutally smashed his head off, much to James's amusement. He chuckled gleefully . "Oh, Al, you totally suck at chess!"

Al gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Next time, I'll beat you."

"You've been saying that for the last nine games, little brother. Accept my victory!" James's triumphant laughter got louder and obnoxious, earning him a glare from Hannah. He turned to talk to his cousin. "Rosie, do you have any candy left? I already ate mine and Al's."

Rosie lowered her book and stared at him with indignation. "You're such a glutton, James. No wonder you got possessed by the ghost; you have no self-control." She gasped and pressed her hand to her mouth when she realized what she just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that!" she apologized to James.

Then, passing by snoring Hagrid, Harry Potter entered the Hospital Wing. His navy blue robes billowed after him, and the pointy hat was crooked on his head.

Both Potter boys exclaimed simultaneously, "Dad!"

Al shifted on his bed, anxious to hear the news. Since the appearance of the ghost of Voldemort, Hogwarts had been flooded with aurors, led by Harry Potter. The department had pulled all the available wizards they could; even Aunt Hermione flooed in. Al was curious whether they made a significant discovery. "Have you found the ghost?"

His dad readjusted his glasses and bit his lower lip like he frequently did when something was wrong. "We're almost done with the search, but he vanished into thin air," he said.

"Did he flee the castle to haunt some other place?" James asked.

Their dad hesitated with the answer. Eventually, he shook his head and told them, "Not necessarily. He might have hid somewhere. Hogwarts is a big place; it might take a while to check every corner." Seeing the looks of distress and tension on his sons' faces, he smiled and gave them hefty pats on their shoulders. "Don't worry, though. We'll hunt Voldemort's ghost down and get rid of him for good. There's nothing to fear."

Al eyed his dad doubtfully. He was pretty sure that if the phantom of the dark wizard possessed a person once, he could do it again. The mere thought of the nose-less apparition lurking about made his stomach twist and growl. Or it was hunger; James ate his breakfast when Al wasn't looking.

A flash of red caught Al's attention. It was Uncle Ron popping by. "Harry, Ginny wants just flooed and told me to tell you to hurry up. Lily misses you," he informed and ran to say his sappy goodbyes to Rosie. His daughter twisted and fussed in his embrace, but he wouldn't spare her the onslaught of hugs and kisses. Sometimes, Al wondered if Uncle Ron was aware that his daughter was eleven, not three.

"Let's go, Ron," Harry Potter said, before hugging his sons. "Steer clear of trouble, boys. I'll see you at Christmas, okay?"

James and Al flashed him twin, angelic smiles and waved to him. "Bye, dad!"

Together with Rosie, they watched their fathers leave. It was kind of nice to see their parents in the trying time, but all the smothering with love wore them out. The Potter brothers were holding up somehow, but Rosie was at her wit's end. Her dad had even cut meat and potatoes in small pieces for her so that she wouldn't have to exert herself.

Hannah Longbottom strolled from her love lair in the Nurse's Office, grinning happily. Al guessed that there must have been some connection with Neville staying here overnight and weird noises coming from the office. Keeping something behind her back, she made a beeline for her patients' beds. "How are you feeling, Potters?"

Al patted his growling belly. "Peckish."

"I've got some good news for you, then. You're free to go and catch supper in the Great Hall," Hannah said and threw three piles of crumpled clothes onto the kids' beds. "Your clothes straight from the laundry."

James stretched his arms and squealed in delight."Yes, finally! All the resting and sleeping made me feel tired. Does it make any sense?"

"None whatsoever," Al replied with a smile. He too was glad to be finally out of the Hospital Wing. It was better than sleeping with a bunch of grumpy Slytherins in a damp, windowless dungeon, but the constant of surveillance the teachers and Hannah got on his nerves.

Behind the screens, the three patients changed into their regular clothes. Al noticed that his trousers and t-shirt smelled fresh and nice, but they were horribly crumpled. They looked almost as though someone had dumped them onto the floor and rolled around over them.

Cheerfully, Al set off with James and Rosie by his side. He was a bit disgruntled, though, for Hannah treaded behind them like a persistent spectre. With her hand drawn, she watched her surroundings vigilantly. Al sighed and asked her, "Why are you following us?"

"Because Neville will divorce me if I leave you unprotected for even a minute," she rebutted, stopping the trio so that she could check out if the corridor behind a corner was secure. "The teachers aren't quite done ghost-proofing the castle yet, so we need to be careful."

On their way from the Hospital Wing, Al noticed that they hadn't passed by a single person. It was Sunday, a day free from classes. Students should loiter around, wandering packs and play pranks on each other. As soon as they reached the Great Hall, Al realized where everyone was.

A group of seventh-year Ravenclaws stood in front of the huge door, huffing and complain. Al spotted Victoire, gesturing wildly as she was telling her friend some story. The Ravenclaws were gathered in an unruly like, waiting to crawl through a device that looked like a cardboard box. Every time a student got on their fours to crawl through it into the Great Hall, a green sparks came out, showering an unsuspecting victim, and a Christmas song started to play.

"Why there's a line in front of the Great Hall?" Al asked Hannah and pointed at the cardboard device of Christmas merriment. "And what's with that weird, glowing box?"

"It's a Phantom Detector," Hannah explained. "You're supposed to crawl through it and, if it detects a ghost possessing your body, it will beep and glow red."

Al stared at Victoire getting on all fours and muttering curses as she crawled through the Phantom Detector; it glowed green. He ran his fingers through his uncombed, black hair. Dad told us that Voldemort's ghost might be in hiding. If it possible for it to hide inside a person? Glancing at James, he inquired, "Vector suspects the ghost possessed someone else, doesn't she?"

"It is possible," Hannah admitted reluctantly. When the Ravenclaws cleared the Phantom Detector, she pushed Al, James and Rosie toward the device, nearly shoving them through it. "Go!"

The Hogwarts' janitor, a quiet man who had been unnoticed by Al until now, called in a gruff voice, "Next!" With his strong, calloused hands, he dragged Al through the detector, which covered him in stinging, green sparks, and pushed him away. "Clear!"

Once he passed the test, Al got intercepted by Professor Wendell, the male-looking which who taught transfiguration. "Go sit by your house's table," she ordered him quickly and prepared to catch Rosie.

Al waddled over to the Slytherin table and took his usual place, with the other first-years and the prefects. Barely his buttocks connected to the wooden bench, he found himself surrounded by his housemates. They circled him like a bunch of hungry sharks swim around a gravely wounded whale.

Grace Baxter leaned across the table, eying Al in a somewhat intimidating fashion. It was a surprise to see her looking so fierce and intense. "Potter!" she exclaimed. "What's going on here? Last night, Professor Parkinson drove us from our dormitories to sleep on the floor in the Great Hall. With Gryffindors!" Over Al's head, she glared at the house of red and gold with malice.

"Really?" Al gulped and tried to diffuse the uncomfortable tension with a sheepish smile; it didn't work. The Slytherins kept staring at him. Come to think of it, they all have dark bags under their eyes and smell not quite fresh. Not to mention that they all look like minions of hell, with the way they're glaring at me.

Nancy Ethelston took a hold of his shoulder and started shaking Al. "Look, we know that you know what's going on here. Tell us!" she insistent.

"You're mistaken . . . " Al tried, but Quin Travers cut him off.

"We're not idiots, Potter." He barked through clenched teeth. "First, you land in the Hospital Wing for some mysterious reason and no one is allowed to even visit you . . ."

Al blinked, startled. "You wanted to visit me?"

Quin ignored him. "The next thing we know, is all teachers flipping and rounding all the students up here. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws got their dormitories and common rooms searched last night. They said, the teachers went even through their underwear and ripped the mattresses open."

Grace took it from there. She shoved Quin aside and glared at Al over her purple-rimmed, hipster glasses. "And, as we speak, they're searching through my underwear too! I have so many regrets . . . " She let out a moan of ultimate anguish. "What possessed me to buy undies with my name on them?"

Barnaby Selwyn tugged Al his way, demanding, "What made the teachers panic?"

"Did someone try to kidnap you?" one of the older Slytherins inquired and offered, "If so, I know some horrible curses, my dad taught me."

"Do we have another monster on the loose?" Friedwulfa Palmer asked in a terrified voice and shrieked at the thought.

Someone save me, Al prayed in his mind. Strangely enough, his desperate pleas got answered when the door to the Great Hall flew open. Immediately, heavy storm clouds gathered under the enchanted ceiling and a lightning illuminated the grand chamber.

Professor Vector, looking particularly ticked off, stomped inside, heading straight for the Slytherin table. Flanking her and struggling to keep up with her, were Teddy Lupin and Professor Parkinson. Both looked pale and unnerved.

"Slytherins!" Vector yelled, petrifying them with her stern glare as though she was a basilisk. "We need to talk." She lifted some object, she was holding in her hand.

It looked like a club or a bat used in a muggle game called baseball. Made out of old, chirped wood and simple in design, it looked very much like trash beached after a strong sea storm.

"Does any of you know what this is?" Vector demanded as she waved the bat in front of the eyes of some random fourth-year Slytherin girls. No one asked her, and Al wondered what was the whole commotion about. The headmistress began to stroll along their table. "No? It's an insanely dangerous and ancient artefact which was stolen from Professor's Lupin's office."

Al flinched, glancing at Teddy's pale face and the look of fright painting on it. Then, he shifted his gaze back to the ancient bat. It's the Sceptre of the Fallen, he realized. Thank goodness, someone found it. Voldemort's ghost haunting Hogwarts is enough trouble without a dangerous artefact falling into wrong hands.

Vector didn't appear to be relieved, though. Her furious glare slid over each of the Slytherin students. "You might be wondering why this artefact is of any concern to you. I will tell you. While searching Slytherin's common room, I found it, hidden in the wall. One of you broke into Professor Lupin's office and stole it. I don't have to remind you that theft is unbecoming of a Hogwarts student and will be severely punished."

"We'll expel your butt!" Professor Parkinson yelled out of the blue. When Vector gave her a warning look, she backed away like a scolded student and mumbled, "I'm terribly sorry"

Vector turned her attention back to the Slytherins. "As I was saying, stealing a dark, dangerous object is no light transgression. I will investigate this matter further and, eventually, I'll find the perpetrator. I want him or her to know that." Her piercing stare slowly travelled over each and one of the Slytherins gathered by the table. "Until the thief is discovered, all Slytherin students are to participate in cleaning the castle under the supervision of Hogwarts' janitor, Mr Smith. He'll make sure you'll polish Hogwarts squeaky clean."

At the table, Friedwulfa Palmer hid her face in her hands and sobbed, "I don't want to do the work of House Elves. It's not my fault someone nicked that ugly thing."

Vector weighted the Sceptre of Fallen in her hand and announced, "That is all. You are to stay in Slytherin's dormitories for the reminder of Sunday."

A collective, disgruntled gasp spread among the Slytherins, followed by hushed, yet animated whispers. Students exchanged furious glances; some of the girls even started to cry like Friedwulfa. What made everyone feel even worse, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were giggling, clearly on cloud nine because of Slytherin's misery.

Barnaby Selwyn scowled, glaring at Vector's back. "A house arrest? This week is getting better," he growled, his words drenched in sarcasm.

Al didn't pay any attention to his house mates. Instead, he observed the teachers curiously.

Teddy reached out to relieve Vector of the Sceptre of the Fallen. "Professor Vector, I'll take care of the sceptre right away," he promised and grabbed the artefact, but the headmistress jerked it out of his hold.

"I don't think so, Professor Lupin," she said coldly as she gave him that stern, intimidating look that made everyone feel inferior. "You had it in your custody once, and you let a student steal it from you. I believe, it will be more secure in my possession."

Teddy's hair changed from the safe, brown colour to a dull, lifeless grey, reflecting his mood. He gawked at Vector with his mouth open and the expression in his eyes of a lost, beaten puppy. "I'll set up some protective spells," Teddy pleaded, but Vector was unbent.

"My decision is final, Professor Lupin." She pressed the sceptre to her chest protectively and whirled on her heel. "If you lose another artefact, you may pack your bags," Vector said before storming off.

Teddy, ran his shaking fingers through his mousy hair and nervously bit the inside of his cheek. He sighed deeply, looking as if he was on the brink of breaking into tears. Distraught, he walked away, stumbling into the Hufflepuff table along his way.

Al felt his heart clench as he stared at Teddy. The way Vector treated him was appalling. He didn't deserve it! Clearly, the thief is the only one to blame and Teddy made an honest mistake. Besides, no harm was done.

"Alright, brats." Albus's inner monologue got interrupted by Professor Parkinson who shrieked at her students with a sadistic grin plastered across her pug-like face. "Butts up! You're going back to Slytherin's dormitories. Now, it's time for me to have a little friendly chat with you."

Of course "a friendly chat" was Parkinson's code name for yelling at them. Basically, once in Slytherin's common room, she shouted at them until her throat went sore and she left them to fix herself some potion to remedy that. Quite quickly, Al started to miss the boring time spend at the Hospital Wing with James and Rosie.

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I'd love to thank all the people who review for support. You guys are the reason I keep writing more chapters. You're amazing, and I wish I could hug you!