Chapter 14 - Repercussions
Amelia Bones happily received the opportunity to make a break at receiving by own a letter from her niece Susan. The last days were extremely busy in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The capture of Peter Pettigrew was a big surprise to everyone. The man was considered a martyr and a hero, to find him to be a coward criminal was a big deception. To find that a noble from one of the more traditional magical families in the Kingdom past more than a decade in jail without receiving a trial, and worst, totally innocent of the accusations, certainly would cause tremendous political repercussions and could bring serious change in the structure of power in the magical community.
Although all the implications of these revelations, obtained with high doses of Veritaserum and patience, what impressed Amelia the most was something totally different. In exchange for a more substantive meal than the porridge and bread usually given to the prisoners, Pettigrew gave Amelia some memories to be viewed in a pensieve, one of them tremendously important, whose consequences the boss of the Magical Police still was trying to comprehend.
The memory started outside the Potter's home, Peter at their entrance door, looking at the lifeless body of his ex-friend James, trying to comprehend the extension of his betrayal to the family that always treated him so well, when a sudden explosion upstairs broke him from his considerations.
Running upstairs, Peter then entered the nursery to find a shocking view. Four aspects were noticeable in this view: the ceiling and one of the walls of the room completely destroyed, a domo of energy glowing in the region were little Harry and his mother must be, the robes and wand of Voldemort fallen on the floor, and finally, a black spectre, what had remained of Voldemort, writhing as if in great pain, slowly floating up and to the west of where Peter was.
Pettigrew rest there one or two minutes, seeing the spectre of his former master float away, until a falling bean woke him up from his daydreaming. Seeing the domo of energy still active and powerful, and felling the danger of landslip and the eminent arrival of aurors, Peter caught Voldemort's wand and hurried fled from the site.
That domo of energy was intriguing, but Amelia hadn't conditions to comprehend what happened just from Pettigrew's memory, and she was sure even the Unspeakables would have trouble to find out what it was. But about the spectre floating away she was quite sure: it was proof that Voldemort was not totally destroyed that night. And the cause his partial survival she would force the Department of Mysteries to find and reveal to her with all her might. It was essential to complete the destruction of that monster before he could find a way to return to a body and restart his atrocities. She owned it to her brother Edgar, secure that her niece Susan could live in a world free from that evil.
As a rest from so much mysteries and surprising revelations, Amelia immediately started reading her niece's letter. She liked to know that the girl was making new friends, even if a little worried about how much this Paul boy occupied her niece's attention. Was the girl walking into her first crush already?
The rest of the letter, however, was much more problematic. To find that a little group of new students was capable of interference with the millenary tradition of house sorting was shocking. She never thought the castle was so enchanted to be able to alter its own way of working to accept a new idea of how to do things. She felt as if the castle had some form of sentience, and that frightened her.
The next point in the letter make her blood boiled in anger: a teacher attacking a child under his care! To read The Critical Thinker wasn't something a Ministry's employee could do without consequences inside the Ministry for Magic, but that all of them read it frequently was a bad concealed secret, only protected by the privacy of their homes. Even with the Ministry against the magazine, it was too incendiary to be avoided and, better of all, it wasn't on the Minister's pocket, so you have things reported as they were, and not as the Minister wants they reported.
And Amelia had read with attention every single article published, and since she had read the accusations about Hogwarts' Potion Master, she was expecting for the first chance to look at him under her professional capacity. She had detailed instructed her niece on how to proceed with him and to report to her any anything she could find about the man. And yet in her first day at Hogwarts, before having any classes, she already had brought to her aunt sufficient reasons to start an investigation on the ex-Death Eater.
With Pettigrew's case well-prepared and only waiting for the trial in three days, Amelia considered that a visit to Hogwarts would be a well-deserved vacancy for the boring interrogatory sessions with the rat. And who knows, it could bring another criminal before court to pay for his crimes. Tomorrow morning she would visit the castle with some aurors and seek for the answers she needed.
-o0o-
Lucius Malfoy was furious… extremely furious! He had carefully instructed his heir on what he wish he accomplished in his first week at Hogwarts: be sorted into Slytherin, befriend another purebloods loyal to the cause in the house, probe the purebloods in other houses about their allegiance and the possibility to co-opt them to the cause, use the influence of his godfather to make a name between the Slytherins, befriend the Potter brat if he appears…
In only a day in school all those carefully conceived plans had failed! Potter didn't appear, the sorting was delayed for two years, Draco's godfather was out of combat in the infirmary for Merlin's know how much time, only a small group of students had aligned with his son and he was losing the dispute for supremacy between the first-year students to a blood-traitor, a near-squib and a mugleborn!
Lucius immediately started contacting the other members of Hogwarts Board of Directors. As soon as he had obtained some support, he would go to Hogwarts demand the end of that farce. This situation was unbearable and must be changed back to ways dictated by tradition. Tomorrow morning the castle would know exactly the extension of his fury and indignation.
-o0o-
When she entered the new Common Room, Septima easily perceived the division of the new students in three well-distinguished groups. From the Game Room at her right came the noise of children at play; direct in front of her the group of snobbish purebloods was dropped on sofas and armchairs, some of them ignoring her presence while others were sneering at her as if she was a mere servant of the luxury hotel they were now living in; finally the third group was congregated at the big table under the windows and immediately stopped all talk and were looking attentive at her.
Convinced that only this third group matters to her at the moment, she was happy in reciprocate the disdain of the elitists by completely ignoring their presence. She knew it was a childish behaviour, but she also knew how pleasurable it was to pay those bored and boring children the same she received.
A blonde little girl, who was seated in a chair at the centre of the table, leaves letting her place to the professor, who smiled at her in thanks. Luckily it was too soon to the professor being aware that the little girl was not in fact a Hogwarts regular student.
Septima started talking with the children asking about how they were adapting to their new life at Hogwarts so far and if they had had any problems. Unfortunately she was immediately assaulted by questions about Severus and if he was already dismissed and if he was already in jail for his attack against the young Zurkhof. Septima quickly informed them that she hadn't received any official decisions so far, while searching for a way to change the topic of the conversation.
"May I see it?" she asked one of the girls as Vector recognized what the girl was working at as a poem. The girl blushed and tried to explain it was not good enough yet but anyway gave her the paper sheet (yes, it was paper and not parchment, Septima observed with curiosity before starting to read it).
"This is amazing! Did you already read it?" she excitedly asked the other girls around and, receiving negative answers, she made the little Audrey Stephen still more ashamed as she read her poem aloud.
"Hamlet's Nightmare:
There is no way back, no returning point,
What is done can't be undone, only regretted.
Another chance will never replace the lost one,
It's impossible to redo what was done wrong.
Every choice is absolute, because irreparable.
Every decision is final, because immutable.
Life is choice, and choosing always bring pain
Because to choose means let something behind.
This is the brutal anguish that life brings to us:
To be and not to be, amalgamated, merged.
Every choice to be something bringing its opposite:
Not-being which is not what we chose to be.
And there will always be more non-beings in our being
Than the beings we can chose to be."
The round of applause that Audrey received left the poor girl even shyer and uncomfortable (that moment only, because as soon as the attention over her diminishes a little, she became immensely happy by the acclamation her little poem received).
"Audrey, what you wrote here, as well as very beautiful, is also very mature" commented Septima. "This kind of concern you have expressed usually is only found in much older people than us. What led you to think about this matter?"
It was then that Septima found about the little exercise suggested by Paul Zurkhof. During the explanation, Paul himself returned to the group. Septima was curious about what the boy was doing in the practice room with two pretty girls if they were not taught any spells so far, but with so many other things she wanted to know about him she chose not comment that fact… for now.
Instead, she chose to ask Paul about his post-Hogwarts dreams, in which she received the support of the other students, also curious as she. Liz, after having left her chair to the teacher, was observing Septima with attention and thought it was a good test to let her in their dream, to see how she react to it. After a quick telepathic talk with Luna, both of them encouraged Paul to tell everybody their common goal.
"Well, it is a long time since I started recognizing knowledge as the greatest treasure, and intelligence as the greatest gift" he started. "When I realized how many people overlook this treasure and squander this gift, using all their free time either to run after money or dull their senses in childish or even animalistic hobbies as get drunk, using drugs, or just playing games and watching TV, I was shocked and couldn't understand why things were so. I don't want to forbid all kind of pleasures nor I think it is possible to survive in our society without making some money, it is just the absence of balance I'm against. Learning and improving yourself must be a continuous task, not something you just do while in school or on special moments. To completely ignore the culture and knowledge accumulated over the centuries, and make such small use of their intelligence, is a terrible mistake, especially since, using your intelligence and knowledge, making money and finding pleasure in healthier and more rewarding ways became much easier."
Paul here paused a moment to retake his breath and sort his thoughts, happy to have gotten the attention of his peers.
"I have no right to force changes in anyone's life, or hope to convince many people that are better alternatives to use their time, but my dream is to try to show, for all creatures able to understand, that the alternative exists. My dream, which I shared with my sister and my friend Luna here" Paul said this pointing to Luna but conveniently ignoring Liz's presence at his side, "is to create a group open to all intelligent beings able to live peacefully with us and interested in expanding this heritage of culture and knowledge; a group that supports each of its members to reach their full potential, and gradually expand this group to encompass and offer its support not only to all intelligent beings on this planet, but also from other planets, or other dimensions, or wherever else we can reach.
"Universal education is something new here, and hasn't yet reached many parts of the world, at least not in a really universal way. Even where it arrived, it is still not enough because it is not preparing critical individuals, but passive law-abiding citizens thru the indoctrination of half-truths and selected values. Even the most gifted intellectually still face barriers to realize their full potential due to prejudices of all kinds: race, colour, gender, beliefs, social class, wealth, or simply because their ideas confront the approved ideology of those in power.
"Each individual of this group needs total freedom to have their own opinions about everything and to act according them, as far as they respect similar rights to the other members and don't try to impose their ideas and desires by force. The only essential commitment would be in relation to peace and harmony among members."
"It is a beautiful dream, Paul, but it has the problem of needing the cooperation of others to become reality" commented Septima. "It is always easier to realise the dreams that only depends on us. Don't you think more sensible to realise your own potential and help others realize theirs as possible, without asking for something in return?"
Paul frowned in concentration, thinking deeply, but unable to see any difference between his position and that of his teacher. 'Perhaps a misunderstanding due to my choice of word?' he thought at last.
"But, professor, that's exactly what I said. I don't expect to convince everybody to be a member…"
"Paul, as your group begins to grow it will be natural that some differences of opinion begin to emerge. Maintain the unity of such a large group as you aim to achieve will become an impossible task as divisions will emerge and you will not be able to make everyone accept the same ideas…"
"But we don't want everybody thinking the same way, professor" intervened Luna. "By the way, we will encourage each member to think for themselves and reach their own conclusions. We do not want unity of ideas, only unity of interests: to live in peace, fulfil their potential and expand the body of knowledge."
"The model on which we rely is the muggle scientific community, with some improvements. At least in theory, participation in Science is open to every intelligent being, each one free, and even encouraged, to retrace all the experiments and come to their own conclusions. The rational and experimental examination of any and every idea is stimulated, nothing is imposed by external force, only its own merits: the ability to explain the observed phenomena, absence of conflicts with other ideas also accepted, rationality, objectivity, simplicity, etc." explained Paul, to which Luna added:
"Unfortunately, in practice muggle Science faces some problems. Funds and resources to research, being controlled by politicians and businessmen, end up favouring research that can bring more immediate results, and often aimed at creating new weapons or for profit. And the institutions that employ the researchers or publish their ideas may have their ideological preferences favouring some lines of thought while condemning others to oblivion. But we already thought of several ways to circumvent these dangers within our group."
"For our dream, the healthy clash of different ideas is fundamental" Paul returned to the charge. "It's the safest way to expand and constantly check the validity of the knowledge accumulated, by the joint effort of a large number of independent members putting it to test. No one better to find faults and weaknesses in an idea than someone who defends a different one!"
"Oh, how interesting!" exclaimed Septima. "I didn't expect you had planned so far. I need to think a little more about all this."
"Would you like to participate in our studies and debates, professor?" asked Susan while looking worried at Paul, Liz and Luna, fearing that her idea to invite their teacher didn't please the trio. Luna immediately killed that fear starting explaining to an astonished professor Vector their scheme of tutors and extra classes as they had it planned.
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Septima, quite excited about the ideas. "Yes, I would like to participate, at least in some of these activities, I just need to check my schedule against yours."
"Oh, I'm sure if you indicate your preferences and leave me a copy of your schedule, I can rearrange everything so you can participate as well, professor" proposed Hermione.
"What about the other teachers and students, are you planning to invite them also?" asked professor Vector.
"It would be difficult to find suitable times for everyone, unless we concentrate all in the weekends…" commented Hermione.
"Which we can't do because we need some free time for us" cut Daphne.
"Anyway, whoever could oblige to our schedule will be welcome!" concluded Luna.
"Great! When you have the schedule ready give me a copy and I'll see if there are other people interested. If you could concentrate the extra activities after diner it will be easier for everybody, but don't worry too much about it" concluded Septima before saying goodbye to the children.
-o0o-
While Septima was talking with the first-year children, Minerva had called Percival Weasley to her office. After thinking about what little she knew about the youngest of the Weasley boys, the austere professor decided to leave all the work to co-opt and guide little Ronald to his brother, not willing to deal with the child at the time.
Minerva began requesting that Percival did a detailed account of the incidents during the journey of the Hogwarts Express, focusing on what the boy had actually seen, let alone his thoughts and feelings about what happened.
After all, the objective facts were intriguing enough by themselves: a show of lights and heat; an expanded compartment returned to normal at the end of the journey; occupants too young for Hogwarts that didn't come to the castle; a crystal, maybe diamond, in Paul's hands; a mysterious 'jump to the wrong side'; the compartment preventing the return of the prefect from outside; the departure of the children through the window turned into a door and then returned to normal.
At no time Percival noticed any children with a wand in hands. If the magic described by the boy was already much higher than expected from freshmen who had not yet had their first class, do it all without the use of a wand was unbelievable. And yet, there was no way to doubt the report of the Gryffindor before her either. A mystery that really needed to be investigated.
Minerva told Percy nothing about Albus' investigations on the Zurkhofs nor their interest on the boy. It was information that he didn't need and would only worry him unnecessarily. And she didn't want this information to somehow fall in the school network of intrigue. Percival immediately agreed to participate in spying on Paul Zurkhof and co-opt his little brother to help him do so. 'Frankly', Minerva thought, 'Percival is so obsessed in further his aims by satisfying those in positions of power that I'm intrigued how he escape from being a Slytherin which such degree of ambition'.
After requesting a weekly report every Saturday morning, and alerting him to come immediately if he found something remarkable, professor McGonagall dismissed the boy so that he could start immediately with his new functions.
-o0o-
"Two days?" asked Dumbledore to his friend Healthman.
"Yes, Albus, at least two days before Severus' magic reserves have re-established enough so that we could think in waking him. And only after he is awake we would be able to investigate the exact extension of the damages to his mind. I'm sorry, but to try and force something faster would be too high a risk of inflict him more damage."
"I see. Well, if there is nothing to do, there is nothing to do. Can I count on your presence here in two days to reassess the situation?"
"Sure, I'll be back. I'm sorry for the pain your employee is in but, from the medical point of view, his case is quite interesting!"
-o0o-
"The goblins confirmed it, Helen. It is really a diamond, and of the highest quality!" said Daniel Greengrass to his wife after returning from his visit to Gringotts.
"I can't say I'm surprised, especially after the visit we had today" answered her wife. "Daphne and Tracey were here, they came thru something called a 'portal' that the Zurkhof boy opened direct from Hogwarts to Daphne's room."
"Direct from Hogwarts? But… what about the wards?" asked Daniel gobsmacked.
"Apparently the wards don't interfere with this form of transport."
"Impressive! And the girls, how are they?"
"Daphne and Tracey are back at Hogwarts. Daniel, there was no sorting yesterday night! This boy convinced Hannah Abbot, the first in the list for the sorting, to talk with the selector hat trying to convince it to delay the sorting until their third year… and she did it! There is now a fifth house in Hogwarts, for the incoming students, on the fifth floor of the castle, and the Arithmancy teacher is their head of house. There is also a new table in the Great Hall, parallel to the staff table, for the new students."
"Helen, that is fantastic, but I'm a bit worried here. We must learn more about this boy and his family. I found nothing about a Zurkhof family in the records at the Ministry. There is no such family cited in the genealogies of the European magical families, but I just can accept that they are a complete muggle family. It just doesn't make sense!"
"We will have a chance to know them better this weekend. Daniel, I don't know if I did well, but I asked Daphne to invite the Zurkhofs, and also the Lovegoods, to have lunch with us on Sunday. Apparently Xenophilus' daughter is very close to the Zurkhofs and also befriended our girls…"
"Xenophilus, the Quibbler's editor? Helen, did you noticed some of the articles in The Critical Thinker had an astounding similarity to those of the Quibbler? And The Quibbler and The Critical Thinker were the unique magazines with access to the Boy-Who-Lived… Hum, could have some relation here? Yes, I'm sure there is! What I don't know is the extension of such relation… Yes, I think you did well inviting them for lunch. Did they confirm?"
"Oh, no, not yet. I just asked Daphne to invite them. We wouldn't receive an answer at least until tomorrow."
"Oh yes, sure. They will need to talk with their parents first, I see. Well, and my little princesses not yet in Hogwarts, where they are?"
"Tory and Tabitha were walking in the gardens until recently. Rachael must be telling to all pictures in the house that her hero will visit us on Sunday. Daniel, this little girl doesn't talk of other thing than Paul Zurkhof! I expect the rest of his family to accept our invitation, because it will near impossible to talk with the boy if Rachael is around him. She will monopolize his attention!"
"Oh, by Merlin! The youngest of my little princesses will be the first to leave me? Daddy is no longer the first in her little heart?"
-o0o-
In the Common Room of the unsorted students, the children reached a consensus before diner. Paul resumed the decisions.
"Okay, our extra classes start next week so that we had time to organize the material and establish a chronogram. Hermione is in charge of creating an agenda that facilitates professor Vector to be present and, as far as possible, make it easy for others too. For this week I'll try to prepare some material so that we could discuss the problem of what Truth is and how to reach it. Please, don't expect too much of this, the problem is immense and I'll just be able to give an overview of everything involved. I can advance this: there is no universally accepted solution and it is really a very hard problem."
"Take it easy, Paul. If you had told us that you had the solution I probably wouldn't waste my time hearing you, because I would be sure you were trying to deceive and indoctrinate us" commented Daphne. "One thing you will like in dad is that he also doesn't accept anything without thinking by himself and looking at all alternative answers."
"I think is better if we don't schedule anything for tomorrow. We will have a hard day between starting classes and seeing what repercussions will emerge from the non-sorting and the attack of the greasy bat" added Susan. "It is possible that my aunt decide to visit the school in her official capacity to investigate the case."
Paul swallowed in concern. It was not part of the plans a show of force like that in front of the director and so many teachers. Surely the director had been busy seeking help for his teacher, but tomorrow he would certainly have time to act, and Paul feared for punishment and the simple interest that the event would arouse in the teachers. It wasn't his interest to draw so much attention so early, at least not among the adults.
-o0o-
Dinner turned into another source of concern for the three small conspirators. Lunch was bad for them, with Luna coming out a little sick. They were not used to so much fat in their meals. Fried pork chops could be tasty, but they were not very healthy. The vegetables served all came cooked in butter. Fried eggs, sausage and bacon also not quite matched the taste of the trio. No surprise that they chose to dine in their Common Room, with food that they sought at home. After so many lipids at lunch, they were longing for raw vegetables and many fruits.
The problem was that a considerable part of the group decided to share this meal with them, which would certainly be noticed by teachers. If the same large group depart from meals in the Great Hall regularly, teachers certainly would investigate the reason, and it would be difficult to explain how they were getting food that wasn't used to be served at Hogwarts, like sashimi, paella and tropical fruits.
Soon after the meal, Paul called a meeting of 'full members' of the group in the conference room. To his surprise, fifteen more people than expected showed up and asked to make the oath and be admitted as full members. The little trio was very happy to see that those responsible for the extra courses would be permanent members, which would greatly facilitate things for them, as they could now talk about aligning the classes with the broader goals of the group.
With the new members ready to share the secrets reserved for the permanent members, it was essential that they count on the same protections as the others. Paul quickly explained to new members about the portals, as he opened one for Liz seek the protective jewellery for them, which was then distributed to the new members, with explanations of how they worked.
At the end of the fruitful meeting Luna quickly left the room, casting an "I'll be back soon!" over her shoulder. A few minutes later a door appeared out of nowhere in one of the walls of the room and Luna opened it from the other side with a huge smile.
"I have a hot bath ready in a huge tub waiting for us, and the world's biggest bed that can easily afford twice as many people than we have here. Fruit juices on me! Who wants to try? "
There was no way to convince the timid Neville Longbottom and Su Li to participate, even after the others agreed to wear bathing suits and pyjamas that first night, instead of the 'house rules' advocated by Liz. But the others enjoyed a pleasant evening with all the comfort that the Room of Requirement could offer.
-o0o-
The next morning, after some joke about Paul, Susan and Daphne being closely embraced, Hermione using Padma's bum as pillow, and finding a still asleep Luna sleeping under the bed, the group took breakfast there before returning to the conference room and find a surprise.
Paul, seeing the two new paintings placed in the room, immediately conjured rags to cover them, magically prevented them from leaving their respective frames and created silence bubbles around them, so they could talk in private.
"It seems our esteemed director is really interested in find out what we do here. I fear we will probably find portraits installed all around the place, so be careful with what you do or talk near them."
After all of them visiting their rooms, the trio going thru a portal to their room in Wales, they met again in the conference room and confirmed the presence of portraits everywhere, except only the bathrooms. At least the portraits in the girls' rooms were all female, yet all were outraged with the invasion of privacy.
After a short conference, Luna left the room bound to the seventh floor, having to hide in the way to not be seen by the director, who was heading to the Common Room of the first-year's students.
Soon Luna was opening a door from the Room of Requirement to the conference room, and warning the children there of the imminent arrival of the director. Liz would hide in the Room of Requirement, and took with her the two portraits in the conference room. They had seen the extra door and the kids coming from it, this was a knowledge that they did not want the director in.
-o0o-
"Good morning, children" Dumbledore greeted upon entering the Common Room. "I hope you're all prepared and motivated for your first day of classes at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, before releasing you for a nutritious breakfast, I have the sad task of having to punish some of you, for offenses committed against our curfew" he concluded, curious that several students had pejorative expressions at hearing him saying 'nutritious breakfast'.
"Did you find some students walking around the castle at night, sir?" asked Susan.
"Miss Bones, yourself is one of the students who I have to punish, as you well know. You were not in your bed when I passed by here after curfew. Could you tell me where you were?" asked the director, clearly displaying his disappointment with the girl.
"Mr Director, you know perfectly well that there is no rule that requires me to be lying in my bed at specific times. The rule of curfew states only that a student cannot be found outside of the common room after the stipulated time. As neither you nor any other Hogwarts staff met me outside these rooms after curfew, the conditions for punishment simply do not apply."
Albus was shocked, a first-year student contesting him, and with reason! Not a common occurrence, but not an enjoyable one either. "And where were you, miss Bones?"
"Sorry, cannot tell you. The oath, you know."
"Yes, yes, I understand. A pity that you prefer to take this path, but if it's what you want... I will not punish you now, but certainly will be stepping up the way you will all be observed, and do not fear, if you break the rules and were discovered, we will be obliged to punish you with the necessary severity, and we will do it!"
The director then turned and stomped out of the room, clearly angry at what happened. Bad start to a day that certainly would bring many more problems.