A/N: *waves*
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
The professors decided to withhold information on Hannah, no updates had been provided by the DMLE so there wasn't much to say. Additionally, whoever placed the curse was still at large and if they discovered the aurors determined a way to remove the curse, it could place even more people in danger. No, it was better for everything to play out quietly. Plus, if it did go wrong, they didn't want to give the children false hope.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
March spend by as if on the wings of a bird and near the end of the month the student visited the recently completely pitch. Even though it was closer to the Manor, none of the students, save three of the second years, noticed the roof line of the large home. While it wasn't a full stadium, it still had enough seating for all students, professors and extra for visitors. Again, unknown to the majority of the students, Narcissa put her foot down when Lucius suggested making it a proper stadium with boxes, stalls, sound system and magical lights for games at night. Even the eight boys, (Draco, Harry, Blaise, Neville, Theo, Lucius, Regulus and Rich) giving their best puppy dog eyes did not move the witch. She eventually gave in on one thing and allowed for lights to be added with the caveat they would not be bright enough to see while in the Manor. Knowing this was much as they were going to get right now, the wizards (and one muggle) thanked Narcissa and went back to plotting on to get their other design elements added later.
With the pitch ready, the quidditch season started with the first game between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. In a surprising well planned game, the 'Puffs won easily. It seemed the badgers had taken Hannah as their mascot of sorts and dedicated the year to her and the rest of the student body found it difficult to not cheer for them, she was a worthy cause. Harry and Draco both spent more than enough time focused on the silly sport forcing Hermione to implement a rule requiring the boys to talk about anything other than quidditch with her. The boys grudgingly agreed and found the time they spent with Hermione more relaxing if they weren't talking about their favorite sport.
When Gryffindor and Slytherin played their first game the weekend after the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw match, Hermione found herself in a similar position to the year before, except this time both of the boys were playing on the older house team and this year apparently had more meaning. She and one best friend were in Gryffindor while her two other best friends were Slytherin. At this thought she complained how the house system made cheering for friends difficult. Those around just laughed and in the end, she decided to cheer for both teams to the best of her ability. Even Neville laughed at the pronouncement and patted her shoulder with a knowing look.
The boys had both been upgraded in January once quidditch practice resumed. Draco's promotion was due to the two seekers in front of him not being able to play. The first team seeker returned from the Yule break with a broken hand that wouldn't be completely healed before the season ended. Apparently his baby sister had a bout of accidental magic and Terrence's hand was in the wrong place at exactly the wrong moment. Hermione didn't ask for any more details. The second team seeker, Stephen, had been really stepping up to the new role until he was caught in a potions mishap. Professor Snape was still working on the cure, at least Stephen had stopped transforming into a Welsh corgi whenever someone coughed. Just after Valentine's Day, Draco was told he would be the Slytherin seeker for the remainder of the year.
Harry's move from bench to fully time player had not been as exciting. The seeker from the prior year, Curtis, ended up not playing this year. In his seventh year, he knew he wasn't going to play professionally and wanted to focus on his NEWTS. He had been offered a prodigious internship and when it was over an immediate entry into a double mastery program. After five years he would be a certified healer. Hermione was the first to start asking questions about his plans. After her excitement seeped into a few other students, Oliver found himself not wanting Curtis to return. If he was so focused on his classes, he wouldn't be wholly invested in the game. Oliver only wanted those who wanted to be there. Since none of the others compared to the potential Oliver saw in Harry, the second year ended up being the only option.
In the end, even if Hermione wouldn't admit it, she was being asked to decide which of her best friends was more important. That was something the young witch refused to do. So she did her best to split her focus between both of the boys evenly. If asked, Neville may mention Hermione seemed to be a bit louder when Draco did something. But he would never mention it.
While everyone was waiting for the two teams to emerge and start the game, Hermione took advantage of the time to catch up a bit with Neville. Because of everything going on since they had returned, she hadn't spent as much time with her shy friend. She was happy to hear the mandrakes were doing really well and some had been harvested in preparation for the potion. It was then Hermione realized why Neville seemed more relaxed in the last couple of weeks, his father was expected to be home by the end of the spring holidays. Hermione hugged Neville and told him how happy she was for him. As they continued to catch up, Madam Hooch called for the everyone's attention and released the balls into the air.
This year's game last a bit longer than the prior year's offering, the score was virtually tied and the crowd came to realize the winner would be the second year seeker who caught the snitch. While the goalies continued to block shots, Bletchley was a bit better and allowed Slytherin to gain a slight lead. Blaise was settled on the bench watching and noting how smoothly the older goalie moved between the hoops and while he wasn't as flashy, his saves were still spectacular. There was a moment of worry when one of the chasers from Gryffindor had the quaffle misdirected by a bludger and it hit Bletchley in the shoulder. The wizard missed a couple of goals while he checked himself over but in the end he continued. Blaise would work harder in the coming weeks in case the damage ended up being worse than it appeared.
When there was an excited cheer from the stands everyone turned to see the two seekers stretched out on their brooms and racing toward the centre of the field. Flint yelled to his team which got them scoring another set of goals as the seeker ahead grasped the fluttering object. Both boys sat on their brooms smiling and laughing about something. In reality the game wasn't over and the 'snitch' was just a piece of trash blowing in the breeze. Draco was the first to resume his search for the small golden ball. The Gryffindor team was quite confused and had stopped playing, since the Slytherins were scoring unchecked, enough goals had been made for the snakes to win regardless of who caught the snitch. Draco saw the score but didn't want to win that way.
Harry finally swung around and started to search before his team realized the game wasn't over. Madam Hooch sat on broom shaking her head. Every team should know to play until she calls the game. The cheers from the crowd were meaningless. Harry started getting on the team for sitting there while Slytherin continued to score. Wood had been the first focused back on the match, but he had allowed too many goals during the delay. He grouched to himself at his lapse in judgement.
It was about five minutes after the trash incident when Draco caught the snitch. Harry was the first to congratulate him before heading down to meet the rest of the team on the grass. Draco smiled and was congratulated by the rest of his team before they too descended. Hermione was both pleased and disappointed, at least both boys caught something. Harry a piece of trash and Draco the snitch. There were still five years of games and both boys had a bit of growing to do.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
While the students were cheering for their respective houses, the aurors had finally made some progress with their attempts to investigate Black Lake. It had taken months of negotiations with the merpeople but the unspeakable assigned had finally discovered what Dumbledore promised in order to gain safe access and assistance in completing the second entrance to Slytherin's Chamber. Amelia Bones was surprised at just how upset the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was after being informed. Gethsemane Prickle was not a woman easily enraged; however, today the rumors of why she ran the division were confirmed for those who doubted. After being debriefed by the unspeakable, the witch immediately sent for the respective heads of the Being and Beast divisions. As the women waited, Amelia asked if the entire thing upset Gethsemane or if it was something specific.
"A little of everything Amelia, but the promise to rid the forest of all other magical beings is a punishable offense and if the old man wasn't already imprisoned I would be rallying for his immediate sentence. I'm still not sure he shouldn't receive the kiss for what he did to get that conviction." Gethsemane just huffed in frustration when the heads of her two largest divisions arrived. They were both aghast when they were told what had been discovered. Both men were knowledgable of merpeople and while they disagreed with the placement in the Beast Division, that decision had been made by the merpeople themselves.
"I had been informed of the DMLE's suspicion of the location and I was surprised the merpeople had allowed someone that level of access. It's virtually unheard of, especially considering the village is quite close to the proposed location. I guess this explains it. Merpeople can be very social until something happens to their pod. Once an attack is made, the entirety of the pod will attack the attacker. I would like to know exactly what happened to cause the merpeople to turn against an entire forest of beings and beasts."
Amelia agreed as the head of the Being Division spoke, she hadn't thought about her magical creatures class in years but it was slowly coming back to her. "Merpeople hold grudges for years if not decades if I remember correctly. That means whatever the slight was could have happened well before any of us were born. Gethsemane, I would like to formally request the assistance of your department in order to work with the unspeakables and the merpeople. Until we have full access to the lake, Hogwarts will not reopen."
The two men began to discuss which of them should be the main contact for this investigation. While they were classified as a Beast, the merpeople were more like centaurs and quite intelligent. Charles Vane, who was used to negotiating with other beings would have a better chance at gaining the trust necessary to get the needed response.
Gethsemane agreed with the plan the two wizards had and gave Amelia the ability to use her department as needed for this investigation. Charles Vane was temporarily reassigned to the DMLE as the expert on merpeople and went to prepare for his part. Amelia was pleased to have someone who may help them get to the bottom of this sooner rather than later.
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Amelia and Charles made their way to the shore of Black Lake shortly after arriving at the castle. The man, who had come to respect muggles for some of their advances began to remove his robes. Amelia was a bit shocked until he said he was wearing a muggle wet suit that was insulated for cold water. He also pulled a device from the bag on his back. "This will help me move in the water more quickly than if I were just to swim. Now who has been speaking with merpeople and who is the representative of the merpeople?" The unspeakable who had spent the coldest months of the year in Black Lake speaking with the merpeople approached and the pair began to discuss everything Charles would need to know.
After twenty minutes, Charles entered the water and disappeared. The aurors tracked the ripples in the lake made by the device, until he was too deep to disturb the surface. Everyone prepared themselves for a wait. The aurors placed a number of warning devices for when anything larger than a fish came near the surface. No one wanted to be surprised if the basilik decided to show up.
It was almost three hours later when Charles returned to the surface. He looked a bit disgruntled but that could just be his personality, he didn't appear to be that pleasant of a guy. "Amelia, I need to do some research on what the merpeople told me. The slight they mentioned should have been reported as it resulted in the death of two merchildren and the permanent disfigurement of a third. It's no wonder they want their revenge." Without waiting for a response the man summoned his belongings got his boots on and left the grounds.
"So I think that probably does it for today. Get the sensors set up and let us get out the cold." Amelia's orders were finished with speed and the aurors on guard took refuge in the castle while Amelia returned to the Ministry. After checking for any other emergencies, Amelia made her way toward Gethsemane's office. When she neared it the distinct sound of yelling was heard and it didn't take Amelia long to determine the voice belonged to Charles. She knocked on the door and was ushered in by a still ranting Charles Vane.
Amelia deciphered his rants with ease and determined it was more or less what he said to the aurors before leaving the school. She waited for him to calm before asking if he'd been able to get his research completed. She found she didn't have to wait long before Charles started to rant again.
"It's unacceptable that he was able to do this. I wouldn't have put it past him to have killed those children himself and blamed some random forest creature. He told the grieving families the killer had been found and justice served. He also said the magical community was horrified at what happened and vowed to follow through with whatever the merpeople felt would be sufficient retribution. Gethsemane, he promised them the Ministry would destroy every living being in the forest. Somehow in doing this he got them to agree to allow him eternal access to the lake. I don't know what to tell these people. They were lied to; now I'm coming in saying he was lying and there was no investigation, no agreement and the man they trusted was probably the one to attack the children."
Charles seemed to have finally lost his energy and sat in a crumpled manner on the chair. Amelia looked to her counterpart before asking her only question. "I assume we are talking about Albus Dumbledore." No words were needed.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
It was three days after the Ministry discovered what Dumbledore had promised. Those days were spent researching if any evidence of the deaths had been reported and what was done. Without an exact date it was difficult but from a Ministry documentation stand point, the merpeople of Black Lake were rarely mentioned. This only supported the position Dumbledore withheld the information and used it to his personal advantage.
With a bit more information and after some discussions with individuals familiar with accidents that would impact a magical being, Charles Vane was ready to meet with the merpeople once more. He was going to take the unspeakable, Oliver, who had made the initial contact as the merpeople seemed to respect him as well. The two men suited up, placed their transportation into the water before casting a bubble charm on their heads and sinking into the water.
They were met by a sentry of the merpeople who recognized both wizards and allowed them to move closer to the merpeople's village. When the village was just barely visible, the wizards were met by Clyte, the leader of merpeople. He was flanked by four large mermen and it appeared more of the village had settled around the small group.
"Hello Clyte, you remember Oliver?" The leader of the merpeople moved forward and looked each of the men in the eye before motioning for them to follow. Charles was surprised at just how close to the village they were getting. When the procession stopped it was just outside of the village boundary, Charles was able to make out many buildings and their fields of kelp and gillyweed. The merpeople settled on seats while Charles and Oliver set their devices on the lake bed. It was a show of trust to move away from them in order to be in front of Clyte.
"What have you discovered of our claim? Has our vengeance been completed?" The merman was angry and his need for blood was evident. Oliver settled on a rock and motioned for Charles to do the same. It was to show Clyte he was the ruler of this lake and they were making no claims of power before him. "You are both different from the other wizard. He never sat beneath me and seemed upset when he was on the same level. You have something to tell me. To tell my pod. Speak."
It had been decided that Charles would speak and Oliver would just observe. Any details Charles may miss could be very important to the Ministry. "Yes Clyte we do have news and I do not believe you will be happy. You will remember when I left how angry I was at what you had told me." There was a murmur of appreciation from those surrounding the wizards when they remembered how the man was aghast when their lost children were mentioned.
Clyte waved his hand and the murmurs immediately ceased. "Continue Wizard Charles. My people will remain silent until the complete story has been told. No decisions will be made until then."
"I searched the records of the Ministry for this case. I wanted to see just what they recorded, I couldn't find anything. There are no records of their deaths, there is no record of an investigation and there is no record of a beast or being from the forest being arrested, convicted and killed for the attack. It seems as far as the Ministry is concerned, the attack was never reported." It was eery how silent a lake bed could be when there were at least one hundred living beings surrounding you.
"That is opposite of what the other wizard told us. Why should we believe you over him?" This was the part Charles and Oliver had expected and still didn't have a good answer.
"We don't know Clyte. I'm sure when the other wizard appeared he spoke eloquently about the public reaction and their outrange. Now I'm here, in your village, telling you none of his words were honest. Oliver and I are here to give you the truth, but we have nothing other than our word. We only want to figure out what happened. Our end goal is to be granted temporary access to the lake in order to determine if we can find some access point to a chamber lying deep under Hogwarts. We were unaware until you informed us."
Charles finished his speech and gently moved back to where Oliver was still seated. The wizards knew they could live through this or the merpeople could easily kill them. Both had come to accept their life really wasn't up to them and hoped the merpeople understood. Clyte moved back and forth in anger, he turned to face the wizards multiple times only to find them seated on the rocks watching the as the tribunal discussed everything.
"For some reason we believe you. Do not make us regret this. I will allow you the temporary access you request but ask for someone to look into the attack. My son was disfigured and his closest friends were murdered in front of him. He has refused to speak of the attack." Clyte's eyes shifted toward the village and Charles could just make out some movement from a large home near the entrance to the village.
"Clyte, might we be able to speak with your son. If he is willing, we may be able to find something but I can't promise vengeance since the individual who did this may have already died." The merman swam directly to the two wizards with a quick flick of his tail, he was impressed that neither flinched but lowered their heads in respect.
"I do not know. He…" Clyte was cut off by a quiet 'Father' echoing through the merpeople. As the group opened Charles and Oliver saw a young merman being helped forward. It appeared the lower half of his fin had died but the rest of him appeared physically fine.
"Father I would like to speak to these wizards." Clyte looked to his son and nodded slowly. Moving to his side, Clyte wrapped his arm around his son's waist as the boy's friends drifted away. "I am Adamaris, son of Clyte. I thank you for allowing me this opportunity, I was never comfortable when the other wizard visited."
"Adamaris, Oliver and I are grateful you've agreed to this. Would you be able to tell me how old you were and what happened on that day?" The merman seemed to second guess himself for only a moment before delving into his story.
"My friends and I were playing on the edge of the village. We were still within the safety of the village but maybe a touch further than our parents would want. We were called toward the shore and were not able to refuse. It was the call of the merpeople and we react automatically. Before we knew it, we were at the surface and two bolts of a verdant green light hit my friends. As I grabbed them and dove under I felt something hit my tail. As we were already descending I was able to call out to my father. The village came quickly. I didn't realize they were gone until later. I then discovered that not only had I lost my friends, I had also lost my ability to swim." Clyte had heard part of the story but even with the expanded knowledge, he gained nothing more than what he already knew. Adamaris survived only because he had a moment to react. Whatever had killed the other boys would have killed Adamaris as well.
Charles was intently listening to the story not wanting to miss anything. Since he couldn't take notes, his memories would document all the discussions. "Clyte, Adamaris, I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind answering. I have been in discussions with one of the healers I know. He specialized in care for magical creatures. Since I didn't know what had happened I couldn't give him a great amount of information, but he gave me a list of questions in order to see if we could help you." Charles again sat silent and waited for the merpeople, more specifically Adamaris to respond.
"Yes, I would be willing to discuss more but would prefer to do it in the confines of our home. Father, would you mind?" Clyte shook his head and motioned for two of the mermen to assist the wizards in traveling to the village. Two other mermen picked up the transportation devices and gently carried them to the large home and set them by the door.
The wizards and mermen entered the home before Charles was allowed to continue. "I think I'll start with my questions on that day. When you were at the surface, did you see anything more than the green lights? Was there a person or creature on the shore?"
Adamaris thought back to the day is life changed, it was something he did regularly but never focused on the moment. It was always when his friends meet their fates and the pain he felt in his tail. He remembered after he realized his tail was damaged he did look back once as he called for help. There was something he'd never mentioned to anyone.
"There was a face, I hadn't remembered it until now. My memories are typically clouded with pain but just as I realized my tail had been damaged I looked back and saw a face. It was an angry face he was saying something but I couldn't hear what. The face was covered…" Adamaris stopped and looked at the two wizards. "He had a bubble on his head, just like yours. But he also had something in his hand and it was moving over and over again. The same movement as I got further away. My family found us then and we were taken to the safety of the village."
Charles looked to Oliver, this was something DMLE official may be more accustom to doing. "Clyte, Adamaris, as you remember I called myself a protector when we first met. The whole purpose of my job is protect those in danger and find those responsible for hurting others. I'm going to move my hand, as you also remember, I'm unable to perform magic under water. I just want to see if this is the motion you remember." With a slow and deliberate manner, Oliver drew a tilted 's' in the water.
"Yes that was it. Over and over again he did that before we got away." Oliver was sickened when Adamaris confirmed the suspicion that had been floating between the two men.
"Can you describe the face you saw in the bubble that day."
Adamaris thought back on the face and began to describe a man who wasn't young but was far from old. His hair was medium not light like Oliver's nor as dark as Charles, there was hair on his face but it wasn't long, and he had piercing blue eyes. Those eyes were full of hatred. Adamaris remembered how scared he was as the man watched the merchildren get away.
Clyte, who was listening just as intently as the wizards, turned to his son. "Have you ever seen that face again?" Adamaris shook his head, while he didn't say it, his father knew his son hadn't left the safety of the village since returning that day.
"It's been many years since this happened you see. I believe I was 6 cycles old at the time and it's been many cycles since that day." Clyte nodded in agreement with his son as he floated toward a shelf.
"Based on our tracking of time, it's been sixty or so years in your terms." Clyte moved back to his son before turning to the wizards again. "You had mentioned a healer?"
Charles immediately nodded. "Yes, I can't be sure since I'm not a healer but I think he can help you Adamaris. The first question, are you able to move any part of your tail?" Adamaris began to show what range of motion he had and it was obvious why he couldn't swim, the part of the tail that whipped in the water was what had been hit but the upper portion was still alive.
"That actually answers quite a few of the questions but there is one I was told to ask regardless of your answers. This is a very personal question. Are you able to respond to respond to mermaids in an, uhh. That is to say when it is time to mate are you able to…" Charles paused he wasn't a healer and this was incredibly uncomfortable for the man.
Luckily for him Adamaris took pity and answered the question. "Yes, when it is time to mate, I respond as any other merman, but what mermaid would want me. I'm broken, so while I can release I cannot fertilize since I cannot move to where the eggs are stored, if you understand my meaning." Charles nodded a bit uncomfortably.
"Well, I think that does it. I need to speak with my healer friend first and I believe he will want to meet you. Clyte, would you be willing to allow me to bring another wizard with me?" The older merman looked between the wizard who may or may not be telling the truth and his son. For the first time in a long time, there was a look of hope in his son's eyes. He would put the entirety of the earth under water to make sure that looked never dimmed again.
"Yes I will grant you the permission to bring another wizard here as well. When will you return with the healer and when will other wizards be in the water for the original purpose?" Charles and Oliver were proud they held this much trust and vowed to not lose it.
"I will be back in probably four days, I'm sure the healer will want to review what you've said and come up with the best options. I'm not sure on Oliver's task." Charles turned to his companion who was smiling at the mermen.
"I will need to discuss with the person who leads my group, but she is very anxious and I could see it being as soon as tomorrow or the day after. I will accompany the group and stay closer to the village so they are not too close to your families. If you'd prefer, please have some of your guards met us and we can ensure no one gets closer than you are comfortable."
Clyte watched the two men and agreed to their terms. "I look forward to seeing both of you in the coming days. Oliver, when you are ready to dismantle what you seek, let my sentry know and they will provide you any assistance you may need. You need to be heading to the surface now, I think we are getting close to the limit of your charm. I'll send a couple of my men with you in case you need assistance."
With thanks the wizards headed to the surface for the next phase. As they broke the surface they were smiling at how well things might turn out.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
After hearing the entire story Amelia, Gethsemane, and the head healer for magical creatures were stunned. To survive the killing curse was unheard of and to only have had a small portion of the body affected was also an interesting study point. It took no time for Charles to get with the healer and make an initial plan. As for Oliver, he had been correct about Amelia and the first group of aurors were scheduled to go down the next morning. Oliver picked his team and called them into a meeting to prepare.
It did take Charles a few days longer to get himself and the healer ready. When they arrived the sentry escorted them to the same home inside the village and the wizards were met by Clyte and Adamaris. The healer immediately jumped into action and sat near Adamaris. The pair began to discuss the merman's actual limitations and not what he thought they were. By the end of the first visit, Adamaris had a number of things to practice and the healer had all sorts of measurements. The dead part of the tail hadn't grown once it was hit, unlike the rest of the man.
After discussing how long tails normally were and getting some idea on how long the tails of his family grew, the healer felt pretty comfortable he would be able to create what was needed. Adamaris agreed to practice the movements at least twice a day and felt excited for the first time since that day.
A week after being granted permission to access the lake and to treat Adamaris, both teams had a break through. The healer had a basic prosthetic tail. It was an estimated length for a merman of his stature and family disposition. The healer believed it was actually a bit too short and promised the final tail would be longer and would be permanently fitted to his tail.
The temporary tail connected just above the dead part and once it was attached, everyone was surprised to see Adamaris had some movement in the joint between his upper and lower tail. It would take the merman some work, but he would be able to swim as any other merperson soon. Clyte, knowing there was a mermaid who had always loved his son, nodded for her to come forward. "Come on Adamaris, I'll help you while your father discusses things with the wizards." The healer chuckled when he realized the merman was a touch embarrassed by the mermaid's attention.
"She's always wanted him but he had turned to far in on himself to see he could still have what every person wants. Thank you both for giving my son the ability to believe in himself again. For giving him the belief he was worthy of love. It's all I've ever wanted for my boy." Charles was surprisingly moved by what he had witnessed and was a bit overwhelmed with his emotions. The healer, who had seen many people come through traumatic events, turned to Clyte.
"As I mentioned, I wanted Adamaris to have some time to get comfortable before attaching the tail permanently. After my measurements and watching Adamaris now, I believe his tail needs a few modifications. I will make those changes and start to create his personalized tail. These are not quickly made since they are specific to each individual. I believe it should be about a month. If in that time, Adamaris notices his temporary tail is lacking in some way, please let one of the aurors know and they will inform me. What I attach next will never be removed and I want it to be perfect."
Clyte turned to watch his son out the window as the healer spoke. "I will take special notice of Adamaris and his progression, if there is anything we will tell Wizard Oliver. I believe he is trustworthy enough for something this important to my pod."
The wizards, who were bit moved by everything they'd witnessed, bid their farewell after promising to return as soon as the tail was complete. The pair made their way out of the large house and toward the surface. Clyte followed the pair to the edge of the village and waved them off. As he began to return to the village he heard the call of his sentry and immediately changed direction.
When he arrived he found Oliver speaking with one of the guards while the other waited for their leader. "The wizard believes they have found their goal. There seems to be an opening that leads into the castle." Clyte, who suspected that much, motioned for the guards to move to the side.
"Hello Wizard Oliver, have you been successful?" Oliver, who was smiles, dropped his head for a moment, in deference to the merman in front of him.
"Yes Clyte we have and are working to determine to close it without magic."
The merman looked and motioned to the guards. "Look at the opening and see if you can locate the stones removed to make the access." The guards shot in different in directions and began their task. "If we can find the stones it will be easier to block. Once that is done we can get the stones to hold steady for a short term, maybe a year or so in your terms."
"Clyte that would be excellent, we know the other way to access the chamber and needed this one blocked in order to stop the beast from escaping. Once we've taken care of the beast, we can reinforce the stones from inside the chamber and ensure no one can get in or out that way ever again."
It what seemed like a short period of time, but had actually been going on for months, the DMLE was finally able to move forward with the plan to extract the beast and allow students to return to the school. It was with a sigh of relief that Amelia Bones fell asleep that night.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
In the days and weeks after the breakthrough with the merpeople, the students of Hogwarts were gearing up for the spring holiday and the start of the final stretch of the year. There had been no mention of returning to the castle, but most students seemed ok with it. The new building really did meet the needs of the students.
Studying took a backseat when the second set of quidditch matches arrived. The Gryffindor team was matched against the Hufflepuffs for the first weekend. Slytherin and Ravenclaw were the following weekend which happened to be the weekend before the start of the spring holiday break. Once the two matches were complete everyone would have a better idea on the cup standings, there was a chance Hufflepuff and Slytherin would be playing for the cup in a head to head match in the last game of the season. The school was quite excited about the possibility, it had been quite a few years since the final match was between the two contenders.
The Gryffindor game was close, Harry ended up catching the snitch only because he was smaller and got to it a moment before Cedric. While Cedric hadn't gotten to the snitch, Hufflepuff still won. Wood passed out on his broom ten minutes into the game and was replaced by the second year keeper who hadn't really been part of the practices. Wood justified the lack of practice since he never planned to be pulled from a match. Seamus did fine once he got into the game but in the time it took for him to be in the air and start blocking shots, the Hufflepuffs had put up so many points it would be difficult for the lions to recover. But a Gryffindor isn't anything if not tenacious. In the end, with Harry catching the snitch, they had only lost by fifty points. The team cheered what Seamus did for them and he was given a lot of the credit for the match not being a total blow out. Oliver had contracted a nasty cold and was unable to sit up, let alone fly a broom for the next week. He remained in the infirmary until the day before the holidays started.
Slytherin easily topped the Ravenclaw team since the team's best players had graduated the year before and most of the open positions were filled with second year players. The common thought was in the upcoming years Ravenclaw would be a contender. The win by Slytherin set up the most anticipated match in years. Slytherin versus Hufflepuff and most of the school would cheer for the 'Puffs to win if only for Hannah.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
The unspeakables were finding themselves quite busy during the first few months of the new year. Not only were they trying to determine who was using the modified imperious curse, working on how to successfully counter the curse, and stopping any more of those attacks; they were also asked to determine a way for the DMLE to be able to view a basilik without actually looking at it. Each member of the DMLE was working hard to solve all their assignments as quickly as possible. Every night they had to admit they were coming up short.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
A/N 2: The merpeople stuff, I believe this is totally made up to fit with the story I'm spinning. No happy go lucky Ariels here...just a group of beings that probably have a pretty good reason to be wary of humans (magical or otherwise).
Hope everyone's December is going well and the preparations for the end of year holidays and celebrations.