The Roaring Snake – 25

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I am just playing in the world created by JKR. As usual, all criticism is welcome.

Politicking

On the night when Harry and his friends were confabulating about the meaning of the warning they had received from the centaurs, Dumbledore was in a deep quandary as he read the letter Harry had written to Emmeline. The wily headmaster had long placed a post-redirection ward around Hogwarts, the Dursleys' residence and the Weasley household to ensure that he read any letter Harry might send via any owl. After all, he needed to be informed of what his pawn was thinking. Hogwarts was Dumbledore's backyard and little of any consequence occurred in the castle that he was not aware of. Having finished reading the letter, Dumbledore passed it without a word to Snape.

Snape glanced over the contents. "Well, headmaster?" questioned Snape in his quiet, hateful voice. "Are you going to take steps to restrain that foolish, arrogant brat?"

"What would you have me do, Severus?" sighed Dumbledore wearily.

"You surely cannot allow Emmeline Vance or any of the Lestranges to investigate the deaths of the unicorns?"

"No, Severus, I will not permit that," answered Dumbledore quietly. "Hogwarts is sovereign territory and they have no legal status here. But I cannot do anything to stop Harry from contacting them or the Lestranges from speaking to the unicorns."

"You have his letter. You could simply destroy it, and Vance will never know," returned the Potions master.

"Unfortunately, Severus, that is not an option. There are several ways in which Harry Potter could contact Emmeline. He could floo her office in St. Mungo, or he could even ask Minerva to contact her for him. The last thing we need is Minerva digging into the unicorn business."

"So you are going to let the brat dictate to you? You're going to let that arrogant child get away with ignoring your authority?"

"Severus! I would glad if you didn't speak to me as you do to your first years! I can do nothing. He is perfectly free to contact anyone he wants over any problem."

"You're his guardian! You should keep that ignorant brat humble! And you let him get away .." Snape stopped, finally seeing the anger in the old man's eyes. He knew that it was dangerous to push Dumbledore beyond a point. Dumbledore waited until Severus had wilted and then sighed and answered, "Severus, I have considered every possible counter move. First, let us have a clear view of what Harry Potter is doing. Once we know that, we can begin to consider what can be done to stop him."

Snape nodded, and Dumbledore continued, "Before we go into what Harry Potter is doing, let me tell you a bit of history. Fifty years ago, another very talented boy, a halfblood and an orphan, was sorted into Slytherin. As a halfblood, an orphan and with no family connections to flaunt, he was mostly ignored by the pureblood supremacists, or treated with mild condescension or haughtiness by them. His academic achievements, and his brilliance with magic meant little to them. However, this boy was blessed with extraordinary talent, resolution, and determination and he soon found a way out of his trouble. He started a group that attracted talented people from all over the school to his standard. Of course, his own inclinations precluded muggleborns, but in his day, muggleborns were very few and far between, in fact. Among the talented students that flocked to his banner were the brightest and the best Hogwarts had to offer then. His brilliance matched their own, his thirst of knowledge was paralleled by theirs, and he gained as much knowledge from them as he dispensed to them. It was a group that offered profit to all, and he was the leader of the group because of his own force of personality and genius – the first among equals."

"But, headmaster, what has all this ..."

Dumbledore interrupted him, "When I tell you that among the ones who flocked around this halfblood orphan were Adonibal Rosier, the great astronomer, Andronicus Nott, the matchless diviner, Jovianus McGonagall, the transfiguration genius, Justus Mulciber, the mind arts master, Antonin Dolohov, a Dark Arts specialist, and Lucullus Lestrange, probably the best healer of the day, you will admit that the history is of some significance."

"The earliest Death Eaters!" muttered Snape. "The Dark Lord ...but I thought that the purebloods ..."

Dumbledore almost chuckled, "Severus, almost everyone thinks so now. But please do ponder over it. What did a poor, halfblood, orphan have to entice families as proud as the Malfoys, the Blacks, the Parkinsons, or the Yaxleys? He was mostly beneath their notice when he was here at Hogwarts – only Avery joined Tom, and I suspect it was because Avery had need of the group's skills to get good grades. The purebloods joined him when he re-surfaced as Lord Voldemort – or more accurately, he joined them, took over their efforts and redirected them to his own ends. But his first supporters were his peers – those who could relate to him on the level of his knowledge and magic."

"But I never heard of this among the Death Eaters, sir?"

"You would not have heard of it. By the time you joined, most of the original followers of Tom were already dead – some by his own hand. Of the others, Nott simply kept his head down and hoped Tom's wrath would not descend upon him. Dolohov would hardly care to publish that his master's origins."

"But what has this got to do with Harry Potter?"

In reply, Dumbledore took out a list from a drawer of his table. "This list, Severus, shows us the grades the students have obtained. This year is an unusual one – many of the students are actually showing far superior skills to the average first years, and the toppers of this year may well be on their way to becoming better wizards and witches than has been seen for quite a long time."

Snape sneered, "If you say so, headmaster. They are the same useless, annoying, harebrained brats as usual."

Dumbledore seemed unfazed, "The scores here show some of the highest for first years in a generation. In Astronomy, we have Mr. Rosier, Mr. Nott and Ms. Granger scoring nearly a third higher than the average toppers in first year; in Defence we have Mr. Potter, Ms. MacDougal, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Bones consistently exhibiting skills that are rated by Quirinius as well-beyond many second-year abilities. In Potions, you have observed how good Ms. Greengrass, Ms. Patil and Ms. Granger are." Snape did not challenge the last statement of Dumbledore's as the old man continued, "I will not bore you with all the names and grades, but suffice to say, the group surrounding Harry Potter is as capable and talented as the one which ringed Tom during his rise."

"Whatever be his friends, surely you don't suppose that that foolish, arrogant brat ..."

"I wonder why you insist on confusing Harry Potter with James. Severus, do not underestimate Harry Potter! The way he got Mr. Malfoy into trouble and then resolved it himself was pure genius!"

"What do you mean 'he got Malfoy into trouble'?" interrupted Snape.

"Ah – I see you have not figured it out." Dumbledore went on to explain what Harry Potter had done and how he had trapped Malfoy in his own game. He finished, "You see, Severus, it was quite the touch of genius to forgive Malfoy after getting him in trouble himself. As an added bonus, by forgiving Malfoy and appearing high-minded and above such petty spite, apart from discreetly letting the purebloods know that he was not looking to humiliate them, he has gained a lot of prestige in the eyes of those same purebloods."

Snape was fuming silently, imagining how he would punish Harry Potter for the transgression. That Potter should have the gall to frame his own godson was beyond tolerance. Dumbledore could almost read Snape's thoughts, so he returned sharply, "Don't do anything foolish, Severus! If you do anything overt and rash against Potter, you will only end up in trouble yourself. Harry Potter is playing his game to a definite plan, and we need to deal with him carefully."

"And what is his plan?"

"We know he is gathering the best of the first years to his banner. What he plans to do with them is unknown – I doubt he even knows himself anyway. But it is very clear that he plans to increase his influence among the student body. Therefore, we must nip it in the bud. Harry Potter cannot be allowed to become any more popular."

Snape nodded vigorously at the statement. Nothing pleased the greasy haired potions master more than making a Potter unpopular. Dumbledore continued, "The most important thing to recognise is that Harry Potter has his own timetable for his events and we don't know where we are intervening on it. However, there are two things that are going to force Harry Potter's hand and force him to show it."

"And what are they, headmaster?"

"The first is this centaur and unicorn business. I am interested in seeing what Harry Potter's feelings towards magical beings and creatures are. Which is one reason why I am not keen on stopping him from contacting Emmeline. It will be of some significance to observe whether he can manage to convince Emmeline to overcome her distaste for the Lestranges and help the unicorns. I also want to know more about his feelings for the centaurs. Ms. Bulstrode has been shaping his views regarding the magical beings, and I wish to observe whither it leads him. Will he dare openly oppose the Minister's view?"

"And what is the second?"

"The second is Quirinius. We both know that his time on earth is limited. He is going to move for the Stone soon. We must ensure that Harry Potter is on hand and they meet, and we must know what he feels towards Voldemort and his supporters. Once that is known, we will be in a position to better channel our efforts to contain Harry Potter."

"What if the Dark Lord kills Potter?" Snape spoke, not with worry, but with a faint hope in fact.

"Severus, believe me – there is nothing that Quirinius or his master can do to permanently damage Harry Potter. Besides, I will be around to ensure that Harry is not killed."

"Very well, headmaster," returned Snape, disappointed that Harry was not going to be harmed yet. "What should we do now?"

"The first thing is to contain Harry's influence among the first years. But we cannot be seen to be intervening too directly. That would be counterproductive. Children take badly towards favouritism. If anything, we should be showing favour towards Harry, making him a teacher's pet and consequently one to be despised. In the meantime, there are two possible groups of first years who can be organised against Harry's efforts."

Snape looked on expectantly, as Dumbledore continued, "The first group is Malfoy and his friends. Malfoy now loathes Harry Potter. You need to explain to him exactly what was done by Potter and make sure that he views Potter as his most serious opponent. While Draco was disgraced by Harry, he is still influential in Slytherin, and I am counting on you to help him out of the mess Potter got him into. But do not be obvious about it. Once Harry makes a mistake, he can be counted on to organise any opposition to Harry Potter from Slytherin."

"And who are the second group, headmaster?"

"Leave that group to me, Severus. I will organise them. There are many Light wizards, who regard Harry Potter's friendship with Slytherins and Dark wizards as betrayal. They can be counted on to oppose Harry Potter and his allies."

Snape nodded, understanding what the wily old man was planning. He would quietly manipulate his own loyalists among the students into opposing Harry Potter, while maintaining the facade among the adults that Harry and Dumbledore were in perfect consonance with each other. The animosity between Harry Potter and Dumbledore loyalists would be passed off as just jealousy, or misunderstanding. However, he had another concern, "What about Minerva? She might intervene once more."

"Leave Minerva to me," replied Dumbledore grimly. "I will make sure she cannot intervene!"

"Why do we need to go through all this trouble? Why don't we just kill that brat and be done with that?"

"Severus, Harry Potter must live. I have my reasons! Let that suffice for now."

Snape sat silent for a moment before returning to the topic of Emmeline Vance and the danger she posed. Dumbledore acknowledged, "Yes, Severus, even with the modified memory, she will make Harry Potter and probably even Minerva suspicious. However, they can establish nothing. You can leave me to take care of that."

Snape rose to his feet, and Dumbledore cautioned him, "Above all things, Severus, make sure that you do not get caught by Harry or his friends. The consequences for you might be really severe if they find out what you are doing."

The Potions master nodded and the duo parted. As much as Dumbledore had put on a brave face with Snape, he was distressed underneath. Dumbledore had highlighted on Harry's similarities with Voldemort, but he had hidden the differences. For one – Harry Potter was loyal to his friends. That could no longer be doubted considering how much trouble he was going through to help the Greengrass girl with the unicorn. For another, the Boy-Who-Lived was one looking for peaceable solutions. This was both a strength and a weakness. It could be used against him. However, a sigh escaped the old headmaster's lips – Harry Potter was forcing him to play his better cards too soon. This situation could not endure. If the boy did not desist in his attempts to break away from Dumbledore's influence, the headmaster would have to take some sterner measures. He frowned – perhaps one such situation could be arranged courtesy Quirrell.

A small chuckle escaped Dumbledore's wizened lips – by pointing out similarities between Voldemort and Harry, the headmaster had given Severus more incentive than ever to stop Harry becoming anything more than a broken student. Snape, for all his 'redemption', still respected nay, admired – Voldemort. The thought of Harry Potter with the undeserved aura of the Boy-Who-Lived was bad enough for Severus, but Harry Potter going on to become another Dark Lord? Blasphemy! Severus would eat his own liver out before he allowed Harry to gain even more glory, as Severus saw it. Snape could certainly be depended upon to stop Harry with every means at his disposal.

--(Scene Break)--

While Snape and Dumbledore were plotting against Harry Potter, Voldemort was in a towering fury. He had been researching a method to get past the cerberus of Hagrid for quite some time now and he had been unsuccessful. The cerberi were very powerful magical creatures, and very few spells were going to penetrate their thick hides. Direct attack spells were blocked out by the magic resistance – even killing curses cast by a single wizard, no matter how powerful, could not pierce the magic shielding, and indirect attack spells like conjured weapons were unlikely to more than injure them. Cerberi were immune to all poisons and vapours and they were not deceived by invisibility or disillusionment of any sort. Conjured explosives might do the trick of killing the beast, but so much explosive was required that Voldemort was worried that it would bring down the entire wing of the school along the accursed beast.

Voldemort's fury was having a deleterious effect on Quirinius Quirrell. Not only had his poor body to sustain two souls – a very draining process, and invariably fatal after a short while – but also had to cater to the feelings of two minds and this gave Quirrell a blistering headache. The pain and the weakness allowed a moment where his own true self emerged from the shadows of the Dark Lord's powers. Not for the first time did he wonder how he had ended up hosting Voldemort in his own body. He had tried to remember, in those infrequent moments, when Voldemort was engrossed in something else, and his own personality rose to the fore, but for the life of him, he could not remember how he had agreed to become Voldemort's host. He supposed that the Dark Lord had played some trick that had brought him to this pitiable pass. And there was no way out of the mess he found himself in. Oh well – it didn't really matter – not anymore. Any moment, the Dark Lord would return and he would be Voldemort's faithful follower once more. And his time on earth was fast coming to an end even with the servo mortalitas.

Voldemort was, at the moment, engrossed in more important work and he had forgotten all about Quirrell. With a bitter snarl, he flung away the last volume he had in his hand – or rather, Quirrell's hand – and retreated back to Quirrell's body. Voldemort considered what he had researched – he had discovered two methods of getting past the cerberus and both of them were well beyond the abilities of Quirinius Quirrell, even with himself guiding the young professor. One method mentioned was so outlandish that Voldemort doubted that there were more than a handful of people in Britain capable of it. The second was a potion – the Shade of Psyche – that knocked out the accursed dog (1). This was a seemingly good way and administering it to the three headed dog was no problem at all. If the worst came to the worst, he could imperious a mudblood, fill the student up with the potion and send the fool to be sacrificed to the dog. The problem was that it was an immensely complicated potion, guaranteed to challenge a potions master's abilities and it took nearly six months to brew. Voldemort did not have that kind of time left. Even with the servo mortalitas – the potion he had brewed from unicorn horn and blood – Quirrell was sinking steadily, and Voldemort estimated that he had at most three months before succumbing. Voldemort had to act and fast, and there seemed to be no way to steal the Stone before Quirrell's demise left him mere vapour and shadow once more. He needed to discover a way fast.

--(Scene Break)--

The next day, Lord Rabastan Lestrange, and his sister, Lady Priscilla, along with Lord Hamalcar Rosier and Lady Wilkes, had arrived at Hogwarts and went directly into a serious meeting with the headmaster. Dumbledore was nothing if not unfailingly polite to everyone, including his opponents, and had pressed refreshments on his visitors, and sought the reasons for the meeting. Rabastan opened with a mention of the dead unicorns, pointed out how serious it was and asked the headmaster about what investigations, if any, had been completed. Dumbledore smiled benevolently, "It is a most serious matter, but there is no reason to be greatly concerned. We have the situation well in hand now."

"Have you caught the culprits Albus?" demanded Andromache Wilkes imperiously.

"I am not sure there are any culprits to catch, Andromache. The first unicorn had no marks of weapons or magic used against it. I am inclined to believe it succumbed to a magical disease." Dumbledore's statement was true enough in letter – there was no weapons used against the unicorn. It had been trapped in a net and drained of all its blood.

"Albus, unicorns are extremely resistant to all kinds of disease," objected Rabastan wearily.

"But not immune," rejoined Dumbledore. "And in the second case, we know that the injuries were caused by piercing weapons, Andromache. That does not point to magic being used to kill the unicorn."

"Are you suggesting that muggles killed the unicorn, headmaster?" questioned Hamalcar, his tone implying how unlikely he thought the headmaster's theory.

"Of course not, Hamalcar. Muggles could never get into the forest. But we have other beings in the Forest who use piercing weapons."

Priscilla scoffed at the headmaster's theory, "The only beings in the Forest who use bows and arrows are the centaurs. They are expert marksmen and they would never harm unicorns."

"I do not suggest that they deliberately hurt the unicorn. If by mischance they ended up wounding a unicorn, others would have taken advantage of the unicorn's injuries."

"What 'others' do you refer to?" questioned Priscilla.

"Unicorn body parts are in great demand, Priscilla. Anyone from Hogsmeade might have taken advantage of the unicorns injuries?"

"And left behind all the tail hair and the hooves, which are the most valuable?" sneered Rabastan.

"It is most likely that the culprit was frightened off before he could complete his work."

"And what have you done to ensure the safety of the unicorns?" queried Priscilla.

"I have instructed Hagrid to hire security trolls and put them around the Forest. That should suffice to dissuade most would-be looters of corpses."

Rabastan stood up in disgust, "Dumbledore, you know how outrageous your theory is. Unicorns, in their prime, don't fall prey to diseases. Centaurs don't wound unicorns by accident. And if they did, they would nurse it back to health. I demand a full investigation into the incidents."

"I am afraid there is nothing to investigate, Rabastan. As headmaster of Hogwarts, that is my final word."

"Very well, you leave me with no choice but to speak to the unicorns themselves," snapped back Rabastan.

"Hamalcar and Andromache have assured us in their capacity as school governors that we can speak to the unicorns in the Forest," broke in Priscilla acidly, cutting off any objection that the old man might make.

"But do you really want to do this, Priscilla?" inquired Dumbledore, feigning sorrow. "Think of the damage you would do the reputation of Hogwarts. People might believe this place unsafe and we might lose students!"

Andromache spoke in a voice of utter disdain and ruthlessness, "The reputation of Hogwarts will not be enhanced by sweeping problems under the carpet, Albus! Our only concern is the well-being of the unicorns under your stewardship – a duty you are clearly unwilling to do or incapable of taking seriously. We have the honour to wish you a very good morning!"

Dumbledore fumed at the insult as the four marched out of his office. He sighed – there was no way he could keep this business under wraps now. Once more, Harry Potter had indirectly contributed to his problems by befriending Daphne Greengrass and Sakarbal Rosier. The problem was that the headmaster's plan for Harry Potter did not have a lot of flexibility. The information about the unicorns had been meant for Harry Potter, and because he was friends with the Greengrass girl, the news had been spread around. The Daily Prophet would get hold of this bit of information and then the fat would be in the fire. It could not do him any great harm, but nevertheless, it was an unpleasant situation.

Dumbledore sighed. It was a bad week altogether. First the Ministry had brought out a mad law against the centaurs, and now this ... Suddenly, Dumbledore frowned as an idea struck him – perhaps he could yet turn the situation to his advantage. He tossed a pinch of floo powder into the fire and called, "Elphias Doge!"

--(Scene Break)--

Lady Emmeline McKinnon-Vance was puzzled by the request from the Boy-Who-Lived, but she had graciously offered to meet with him over the floo network. Harry had Millicent with him for the meeting, and as soon as the stately witch appeared on the floo network, they greeted her with grave courtesy. Millicent had been coached by her mother in courtly manners and she and Harry spoke to Lady Emmeline of the problem of the dead unicorns and the need to evacuate them. Emmeline agreed with them about the seriousness of the situation and sighed, "Harry, what does Dumbledore think?"

"I do not know, ma'am," returned Harry honestly. "All I know is that the culprit has not been caught, and that there is no reason to believe that the danger has passed."

Emmeline spoke gently, "The unicorns are at Hogwarts for a reason, Harry. Advanced Care of Magical Creatures students study them, and if they are removed, Hogwarts students will be inconvenienced. Secondly, the unicorns in the Forest are an inherent part of the ecosystem, and the Forest will be the poorer for having lost some of her best denizens."

Harry was silent, but Millicent butted in at the moment, "Ma'am, all you have said is true. But consider the alternative. We should not be asking your aid in such an energetic course, were the peril not desperate enough. If there is a real threat – and from the deaths and exsanguination of the unicorns, I would say there is a real one – the unicorns may be harmed worse by inaction. There are less than two dozen unicorns in the Forest .."

"Excuse me!" Emmeline Vance seemed thrown off by the assertion.

"Oh yes, ma'am. There are less than two dozen unicorns, including foals and the older ones. The removal of another five adult unicorns will leave the Hogwarts population unviable."

"You must be mistaken," insisted Lady Emmeline. "The last time I heard there were around a hundred unicorns. While some have migrated away in recent years, I cannot believe that the population has fallen so precipitously!"

"It is true, nevertheless," insisted Millicent.

Harry cut in, "Ma'am, can we afford to take chances? And consider what is already happening. The Lestranges know of the problem and they have already decided to move the unicorns away. The only question is where. You know as well as I do that the Lestrange and Greengrass estates cannot house more unicorns without grievous discomfort to the unicorns. Since they unicorns are going to be moved away, I was hoping you would find it in your heart to offer them a home on your estate where, I am told, there is space for more unicorns."

"How did the Lestranges discover?" demanded Emmeline.

"I told Daphne Greengrass about the unicorns, and she got her parents and uncle to act."

"Harry, do you realise how much damage you may have done to Hogwarts reputation? The Lestranges will utilise this situation to malign Professor Dumbledore."

"Madam, I give you my word of honour that my only concern was for the unicorns when I spoke to Daphne. After that, it was out of my hands. Regardless of my actions, would it not be better if you were to help unicorns which are, in any event, going to be moved away. The Lestranges have seen to that. Mme. Bones has also agreed to help in this matter."

It was easy to see that Emmeline did not relish the job she had on hand. However, her hands were tied. The unicorns were the priority and if they were going to be relocated in any event, the best thing she could do would be to make sure there were as comfortable as the circumstances permitted. She sighed, "Very well, Harry. I will do what I can."

"Thank you, ma'am, and Daphne has empowered me to offer you the sincere gratitude of the Lestrange and Greengrass families. There was another bit of information we would be grateful for ma'am."

"And what is it, Harry?" asked Emmeline, now genuinely curious.

"When I was at St. Mungo, you warned me about my dark friends', ma'am. I have been cudgelling my mind since then, and I fear it escapes me who you referred to."

Emmeline frowned thoughtfully, "Dear me! I cannot remember at all! I seem to have forgotten who I spoke of. It is very strange. I shall make an effort to recollect who I referred to, Harry."

"I'd be most grateful, ma'am. And thank you once more."

With that, they separated.

--(Scene Break)--

The next day bought news of a different kind. Harry and his friends were, as usual, having their breakfast in an unused classroom. Harry opened his copy of the Daily Prophet and his attention was riveted on an article that focussed on the centaur bill. This occurrence would go a long way in shaping Harry's own outlook, and taught him a grim lesson in the utilisation of information and how, properly used, words could be deadly weapons .

Centaur Bill clears High Council

Yesterday, the Centaur Registration Bill was cleared by the High Council on a margin of 104 votes for and 49 votes against, with 47 abstentions. Having been approved by the Wizengamot last week, it only required the approval of the High Council and that was obtained today, much to the delight of the Ministry. The margin of victory was a surprise, since it was expected to be a very close vote, with many members expressing their reservations about the proposed bill. However, a note circulated among the High Council members blaming the recent deaths of unicorns at Hogwarts on the centaurs may have played a large role in the Ministry's handsome victory. The contents have been verified, and our sources indicate that Lord Lestrange, the representative of the unicorns, had indeed gone to Hogwarts, expressing his concerns about the security of the unicorns and pointing out that a unicorn had been recently slain by an arrow of the type used by centaurs. Lord Rabastan Lestrange and his sister, Lady Priscilla, who are involved in translocating the unicorns to a safer place, were unavailable for comment, but informed sources claimed that they foresee a serious threat to the unicorns in Hogwarts and consequently, are taking steps to preserve them. The centaurs may well have doomed themselves by their actions.

Lady Augusta Longbottom, one of the staunchest opponents of the bill, surprised everyone by adopting a posture of neutrality regarding the centaur bill, while some others expressed shock and dismay at the actions of the centaurs. Speaking for the Ministry, Mme. Umbridge claimed that it was a victory against lawless behaviour of the centaurs, and promised to crush the rebellious centaurs who were harming the noblest creatures of the Light.

On the other hand, stubborn opponents of the bill like Lord Bartemius Crouch and Lady Amelia Bones refused to comment on the outcome, while Lady McKinnon-Vance called it 'an absolute shame', while scoffing at the idea that centaurs might have killed unicorns. She harshly condemned the note tying the centaurs to the deaths of the unicorns, claiming that the authors of the note were morally responsible for the passage of the reprehensible law.

Harry was gaping in horror at what he had read. He turned to Daphne, "Daph, did your parents blame the centaurs for the unicorns?"

"No, of course not!" returned the surprised girl. Harry pointed to the article with his egg spoon, and she quickly read it. "What utter rubbish!" snarled Daphne, slamming back the paper in disgust. "I never read such stupidity in my life! Besides, Harry, I know for certain that both my parents and uncle Rabastan voted against the bill!"

Harry nodded. Although the article had implied that the Lestranges were behind the circulation of the note, there was no reason to disbelieve Daphne and her reaction to the article had been one of authentic disgust. "Daph, have your parents started relocating the unicorns?"

The Slytherin girl gave a negative sign, so Harry continued, "So who knew?"

"Many people might have known, Harry," answered Daphne wearily. "To move the unicorns out of Hogwarts, my uncle had to file an application with the Ministry detailing the circumstances."

"But who tied them to the centaurs? Who circulated that 'note'?"

"Anyone at the Ministry might have taken the chance to ruin the centaurs," answered Rosier.

"So, Emmeline Vance was right? The centaurs were done in by that note?"

"Not quite, Harry," explained Susan. "The law had already cleared the Wizengamot. The High Council has no powers to reject a law made by the Wizengamot. They can only send it back once with suggested changes and non-binding recommendations. The law would, at best, have been delayed."

"So, what purpose was served by the note?"

Susan grimly answered, "Someone in the Ministry decided to embellish what Lord Rabastan wrote in the application, and make the centaurs look bad."

"There is another possibility," murmured Anthony. "The passage of the bill was a foregone certainty, Harry. Someone would rather that the promulgation of the law be blamed on the Lestranges!"

There was a long shocked silence at this. Harry asked, "Should we do anything at all?"

"There is nothing much we can do," returned Millicent.

They agreed about this, and then Hermione interrupted excitedly, "I have been researching the prophecy of the centaurs. I've got a couple of clues"

"Go on, Hermione."

"I focussed on 'that which is hidden and yet not hidden' part of the prophecy. What do we know is hidden in the school?"

"Of course," breathed Anthony. "That stuff of Nicholas Flamel. We never got round to worrying about it."

Hermione nodded, her eyes shining with excitement, "Last night, I looked up the encyclopedia and he is, among other things, famous for making the Philosopher's Stone."

Daphne whispered in awe, "That answers it. The Elixir of life. It comes from the Philosopher's Stone! It makes people nearly immortal, so we can think of it as the 'food of the Gods'.

"Exactly," beamed Hermione.

Daphne went on with almost feverish excitement, "It even answers to the bit about 'that which should not be made'"

"How so?" questioned Harry.

"Harry, did you never wonder why there is only one Philosopher's Stone?"

"I assumed because it is difficult to make and no one apart from Flamel knows the secrets."

"Only partly true," replied Daphne. "Even if he was the only one to know the secrets, he could have made and sold them. People would pay enormous amounts to get hold of a Stone, after all. No, the making of the Philosopher's Stone is an utterly evil and brutal process. No Light or even Grey wizard would make it. Flamel made one as a proof of concept, but he has refrained from making more precisely because it is an unspeakably evil process."

"Why would Dark Wizards not make them?" demanded Hermione.

"It is a very slow and tedious process, and Dark wizards have other, easier methods of extending their lives, and getting gold," returned the slender Slytherin girl.

"What about the 'hidden and yet not hidden'?" demanded Millicent.

Rosier answered, "We know roughly where the Stone is hidden – behind the trapdoor on the third floor. So even if it is hidden, it is not really hidden – since we know where it must be!"

Harry nodded grimly, "So we have solved part of the prophecy. What about the 'dead who are not dead'?"

Hermione replied tentatively, "Well, whoever has been drinking all that servo mortalitas is for all practical purposes, dead – or should have been dead. But if they got hold of the Stone, they might prolong their lives indefinitely!"

"That is an excellent theory, Hermione," smiled Harry, giving the muggleborn girl and admiring smile, who blushed furiously.

"You think the person who killed the unicorn is inside Hogwarts," asked Justin incredulously.

"I don't see where else they could be," replied Harry seriously. "I don't think anyone in this part of the world, outside Hogwarts is even capable of catching and killing unicorns!"

"So what do we do?" asked Tony.

"I will have a chat with McGonagall about this. And then we will decide!"

--(Author's Notes)--

I have always wondered about the earliest Death Eaters. We know from canon that Riddle's earliest friends went on to become the first Death Eaters. I have been wondering about the agenda of the first Death Eaters. Especially when he was in school, it is most unlikely that the pureblood supremacists would have followed Tom Riddle, since there was nothing impressive about him to them. He is a half blood and no matter his talents, purebloods supremacists are not really impressed by magical abilities. I don't for one moment believe the theory that he was able to intimidate them into following him – purebloods would not take kindly to bullying by a half blood orphan. I have an alternate theory who the first Death Eaters were and what their agenda. Another point just as interesting is that we don't have many people who originally accompanied Riddle in his earlier days still standing at his side after he became the Dark Lord. Where are the original Lestrange, Rosier, Avery, Mulciber, et. al. (friends of Riddle, and the first Death Eaters if Dumbledore is to be believed)? What happened to them? Even more curious is the absence of Blacks, Malfoys, Parkinsons, etc. in Riddle's original club (at least, we have no proof of their presence). I have tried to develop that in the chapter.

The second bit of concern was the way Quirrell getting possessed by Voldemort being passed off as an accident even in fanon. From canon, we know Quirrell was not a Death Eater. So how come he went to exactly the place where Voldemort was to get possessed? We know Voldemort avoided all populated areas, certainly areas where he knew wizards were around. Was Quirrell getting possessed really an accident? I am not at all so sure. It takes one heck of a coincidence to imagine that. Besides, how did a full grown adult wizard, who was no follower of Voldemort, and presumably no sympathiser of his either, get possessed in such a short time? I have an alternate theory about this and I will be developing that in the story.

And, of course, the cerberus is made a bit more useful. All you have to do is whistle in front of it and it drops off to sleep? Nah – I think not! The cerberus should get a bit more respect!

A big thanks as usual to my two beta readers - Voice of the Nephilim and Abstract Error. Thanks you two - you are just excellent.

(1) Shade of Psyche. Got the inspiration from Roman myth. Psyche drugged Cerberus with honeycakes on her way to meet with Pluto and Persephone in the story of Cupid and Psyche. Psyche was one of the very few who bested Cerberus, the others being Orpheus and Herakles.