New Characters: (In order of mention/appearance)
Walden Macnair (Dark Wizard)
Percy Weasley (Wizard, Secretary to the Minister of Magic)
Cornelius Fudge (Minister of Magic)
Amelia Bones (Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement)
Fergus Murphy (Wizard, Muggle Liaison Office)
Hermes (Percy's Owl)
The news that Angels were real and that one was now living in Hogwarts was top secret; meaning that by the next day it had spread like wildfire throughout the student body. From there the students sent owls to their families telling them all about the angel that had appeared in Hogwarts looking for their Defense Professors, the Weasleys included. Arthur and Molly Weasley read over the letters back from their children, each excitedly telling them every detail of his arrival, with some extra information from Ron about him running away from other angels. They laughed over Ginny's letter thinking she was just making up stories, but when the twins collaborated the story and finally reading Ron's letter they were suddenly very concerned.
They decided to hold their questions until the Order meeting, where hopefully Dumbledore could fill in the blanks.
The Weasley's weren't the only concerned family. The Malfoys received the same type of letter from Draco. Lucius immediately requested an audience with the Dark Lord and found on his arrival that he was not the only one to have been told about the strange Angel.
"We must know more about this creature, but we must not reveal ourselves." Voldemort stood in front of his followers, his hand resting on Nagini's head. "With our inability to acquire more information about these Hunters through Legilimens," He paused, his gaze falling on Antonin Dolohov, who's bow deepened "We must find an alternate source.".
Lucius stepped forward. "What about the Ministry, My Lord? Dumbledore has hired on Muggles and now is hosting what the students are calling an Angel. This should be enough to request an Inquiry, 'if only for the safety of the students.'"
Walden Macnair, a tall muscular man with a black mustache stepped forward. "As the Executioner for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, I will request to join the Inquiry as well, my Lord."
The room was silent and still, the only movement being Voldemort stroking Nagini who had slithered down his shoulder to rest her head in his hand. The two men waited, and the silence dragged on.
"An Inquiry..." Voldemort said, "may be exactly what we need. Lucius you will speak with the Minister in the morning. I shall be expecting great thing from you both. Do. Not. Fail. Me." The two stepped back into the line.
With a wave the Dark Lord dismissed them and the Death Eaters disapparated leaving the Dark Lord with his thoughts.
Percy Weasley sat behind Cornelius Fudge the Minister of Magic as he gathered to discuss the newest rumors from Hogwarts. The meeting was held around a large round table with the Minister's Chair raised, and a permanent Amplifying Charm on the table to allow any speaker to be heard by all gathered.
The table was filled with more people then Percy had seen before including: Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary, Amelia Bones the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, as well as representatives from the Wizengamot; the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, mainly from the Beings division; Muggle Liaison Office; and the Hogwarts School Governors. He was also surprised to see a few of Fudges financial supporters as well, including Lucius Malfoy.
When everyone had finished arriving the Minister stood up. "Thank you for coming on short notice. As you have no doubt heard, there are strange rumors coming from Hogwarts." A general murmur of agreement filled the room.
"We are as of yet unsure how much of these rumors are true but we take the safety of the students as our highest priority." Percy nodded as he listened. The Minister had rehearsed this speech to him multiple times to make sure it was perfect. "As of now the rumors are: First Muggles are teaching at Hogwarts, and although we cannot interfere with who Dumbledore hires as teachers, we will be sending a select group to investigate their ability to provide the students with a proper education. As well verify that these Muggles are not violating the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.
"And Second: An Angel is living at Hogwarts. For this we will be including members of our Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures with at least one member of each Division until we are able to classify which Division will be charged with becoming their Liaison.
"With the approval of those in this room we are requesting an official Inquiry."
Fudge sat down for others to take the floor. He pulled out his pocket handkerchief, using it to wipe some of the sweat off of his forehead.
Amelia Bones stood. "Will you also be investigating the rumors started by Dumbledore and Harry Potter that You-Know-Who has returned?" she asked before sitting down.
Fudge stiffened but it was Umbridge who stood up to answer.
"Hem, hem. Some untrustworthy persons have informed people that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead, but this is a lie. The Minister of Magic's office personally guarantees that you are not in any danger from any Dark wizard. Especially not one who has been confirmed dead." She said softly, then took a seat with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.
A representative from the Muggle Liaison Office stood up. He was too far away to make out clearly but Percy thought he might be Fergus Murphy. "One of the letters I received from a student, mentioned that these muggles considered themselves 'Hunters,' and that they had known about and killed many of the Magical community." Gasps could be heard from around the room, but many who knew students at the school nodded. "This term is unknown to our Office, and we have no records of muggles that fall in line with what they are claiming. We will of course be adding this to our investigation."
Percy noticed a few of the wizards and witches in the room shift uncomfortably when Fergus had said 'Hunters'.
Amelia Bones stood up and waited until the room had quieted down again before speaking. "The term 'Hunter' is considered taboo because the only people who interact with them are Dark wizards and witches. That is why it has not been included in your records Mr. Murphy." Bones sat back down.
Heavy silence filled the room.
Someone stood up at the far end of the table, and although Percy squinted but he couldn't tell who it was. "How...how can muggles kill…" they stopped, cleared their throat and started over. "When will the Inquiry be arriving at Hogwarts?"
"They will be arriving in two weeks. We will make sure that all the needed preparations are meet." Fudge cleared his throat. "All those for the Inquiry?"
The vote was unanimously approved.
Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at their usual table in Defense Against the Dark Arts. They had arrived early with the rest of the class and Harry could tell that Hermione wasn't going to leave without answers.
"I guess since everyone is here we'll start early." Sam said as he stood up to start the lesson.
Hermione's hand was in the air before he could finish the sentence. "Is it true that the man who appeared in the Great Hall is an angel?"
Sam looked back at Dean and rolled his eyes, when he mouthed 'Told you.'
Sam sat on his desk. "Before we get into that, we should clarify one thing." All the students leaned forward hanging on his every word. "There is no 'true' religion. It's more of an all religions are true, deal. They all existed, and some are still don't think that just because angels are real that means it's the be all end all of everything. But since you are specifically asking about angels…"
Sam looked back at Dean who rolled his eyes. "You know I don't have to call him every time."
"He always answers your calls." Sam said.
"Not always." Dean said cryptically but he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Dear Castiel, get your feathery ass down here." Then he opened one eye and looked around the room.
The students all stared at him as if he were insane. Harry wasn't sure what he was expecting but for one of the professors to pray, although it wasn't like any prayer he remembered, was definitely not it.
The faint sound of wings filled the class, reminding Harry of the sound he had heard the first time the angel had appeared in the Great Hall.
"Hello Dean." Castiel said, from where he had appeared just next to Dean. Harry was surprised to notice he was still wearing the trenchcoat that he had arrived in, although there wasn't any blood on him this time.
Hermione's hand was back in the air. "How did you do that? You're not suppose to be able to Apparate in Hogwarts."
Castiel looked at her for a moment then looked at Sam and Dean who both gave a nod for him to answer.
"I'm not Apparating." He said but didn't elaborate.
Sam grinned.
Pansy Parkinson raised her hand. "What is Heaven like? Do angels really sit on clouds and play Harps?"
Castiel tilted his head to the side studying the girl. "This concept of heaven is heavily circulated but no that is not what it is like. Of course, there isn't one heaven. Each soul generates it's own paradise. Although in some very exceptional cases, like soulmate, some people can share a heaven." For some reason that Harry didn't understand Cas looked at the two brother for a moment. Sam and Dean also smiled at each other, before turning back to listen to Cas. "I favored the eternal tuesday afternoon of an autistic man who drowned in a bathtub in 1953."
"Mine was the Fourth of July 1996, when Sam and I burned down a field." Dean said without thinking.
"You've been to heaven?" A few of the students said in unison, the Trio included.
"You've died?" Draco said, and suddenly the atmosphere in the room was so heavy you could almost touch it. He was the only one who seemed to have realised what that statement truly meant. "Did it hurt?"
Dean looked down at his hands as he tried to figure out how to answer the question. "It depends on how you die. Sometime dying is the easy part. You make your choice and you make your peace with it." He barked a humorless laugh. "But Winchesters could never stand to see each other die. That was always worse than dying...or even what came after that…"
Harry glanced at Sam who was rubbing the palm of his hand with his thumb, and for a second he thought he saw guilt flicker across his face.
"But between Heaven, Hell and Purgatory... being alive, hunting, driving my baby down the highway and being with my brother was alway better."
"Plus Angels are dicks." Dean said.
The class giggled, the heavy atmosphere breaking.
"What is God like?" Ron asked.
"Missing." Sam said sadly.
"He left heaven not long after the Fall." Castiel said.
The class seemed to take a moment to absorb all the information they had gotten. Well... all but one.
Hermione's hand was back in the air. "What about Kevin Tran. Is he really just a muggle?"
"Kevin is a Prophet of the Lord." Castiel said in his monotone voice.
"Cas!" Dean exclaimed. "What part of 'Witness Protection' do you not understand?"
"I'm sorry." Cas said looking sheepish.
"Don't worry about it Cas." Sam said patting Cas on his shoulder, "But I think it's time we actually started our lesson."
The class grumbled a little but they all pulled out their notebooks.
"Not today." Sam said with a smile. "If you'll pull out your wands please, we'll be going over some of the defensive spells you'll be required to perform for your O.W.L.'s."
"This is so frustrating!" Hermione said as she paced back and forth later that night in the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry and Ron were trying to catch up on their homework, with no help from Hermione who had told them they deserved it since they had waited so long in the first place.
"I agree." Ron said as he tried to write his Transfiguration homework as big as possible so it wouldn't have to be as long.
"Not that." Hermione replied. "The Winchesters! I feel like every time I finally get one answer there are suddenly twenty more questions I want to ask."
Harry looked up from his own homework. "Well they were hired for a reason. I would expect it to be pretty big to allow Dumbledore to hire muggles in the first place. It seems that Hunting is not as easy as they sometimes make it out to be in classes."
"That may be true but…" Hermione stopped talking when she heard the knock on a nearby window. "Isn't that Hermes?" She asked looking at a handsome screech owl.
"Blimey, it is!" said Ron throwing down his quill and getting to his feet. "What's Percy writing me for?" He took the letter and the owl departed at once.
"Open it!" Hermione said hovering eagerly. Harry nodded.
Dear Ron,
I have only just heard (from no less a person than the Minister of Magic himself) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect.
I was most pleased and surprised when I heard this news and must firstly offer my congratulations. I must admit that I have always been afraid you would take what we might call the "Fred and George" route, rather than following in my footsteps, so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some instead.
But I want to give you more than congratulations, Ron, I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions.
I assume you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of damaging your future more than continued fraternization with that boy. Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter. I am talking here about life after school too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality if you ask me and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of his guilt.
It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter - I know he can be unbalanced and for all I know, violent - but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in Potter's behavior that is troubling you, I urge you to reach out to me and I will be happy to advise you.
Yes I am sure you are surprised to hear this, but I am bound to tell you that people here at the Ministry may have a more accurate view of his and Dumbledore's behavior. I will say no more here but if you look at the Daily Prophet tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing - and see if you can spot yours truly!
I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticize our parents, but I am afraid I can no longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore.
Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter, and congratulations again on becoming prefect.
Your brother
Percy
Harry looked up at Ron.
"Well," he said, trying to sound as though he found the whole thing a joke, "if you want to - sever ties with me, I swear I won't get violent."
"Give it back." Ron growled, holding out his hand, "He is… the world's... biggest...git!" He emphasized each word by tearing the letter until it was confetti then threw it into the fire. He sat back down in front of his homework and angrily started working on it. "We've got to finish this before dawn."
Harry sat down in the next armchair but his quill didn't move from the place he set it down, a large spot of ink was slowly growing on the page in front of him. He knew that half the people in Hogwarts thought him strange, even mad; he knew that the Daily Prophet had been making snide allusions to him for months but there was something about seeing it written down like that in Percy's writing.
Hermione stared back and forth at the two than held out her hand. "Oh give it here."
"What?" said Ron confused.
"Give them to me and I'll correct them."
Harry gratefully pushed his parchments to her, suddenly exhausted.
They had expected to have to comb Hermione's Daily Prophet to find the article Percy had mentioned. However, Hermione gasped as soon as the paper landed in front of her.
"MINISTRY HAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED FOR AN INQUIRY AT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY"
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other before all leaning over and trying to read the article.
"In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic unanimously voted for an Inquiry of the prestigious school.
'The Minister has been growing uneasy about the going-ons at Hogwarts for some time' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley, 'He is now responding to concerns voiced by parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve.'
The Inquiry will be reviewing the recent appointment of their current Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors, muggles who claim to hunt dark creatures unaided. This as well as the arrival of a previously unaccounted for creature who claims to be an Angel, have pushed the Ministry to seek further information for all.
The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of the students at Hogwarts.
'I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation,' said Lucius Malfoy, 41, "many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years, and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation.'
The Inquiry will consist of multiple members of the Ministry including members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Wizengamot; the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and the Muggle Liaison Office. Each department is currently selecting and preparing for a full evaluation of the school, and is scheduled to start the second week of October."
"Well," Harry said after a moment. "This will definitely be interesting."
