Hermione looked at the door to the Department Heads office as it opened and out walked Harry accompanied by a very nervous looking Susan Bones. Of course, she realised Susan must be related to Madam Bones though she wondered how Harry had known about it. She smiled at they're year mate who she shared her Arithmancy class with.
"Hi Susan" she said pleasantly, and Ron surprisingly did the same.
"Hi Hermione, Ron" the redhead replied nervously before the three of them turned to look at Harry.
"I asked Susan if she wanted to have lunch with us" he said, and Ron looked surprised.
"That's lovely" she said as they began to walk towards the lifts again. Ron moved forward to talk to Harry whilst Hermione walked next to Susan. Even without all of the tips that Kingsley and Mad-Eye had given them about how to read a person she could tell that the girl next to her was nervous.
"How has your summer been so far, Susan?" she asked.
"It's been good so far" she said "I'm doing an Internship with my aunties secretary" Hermione smiled when Susan mentioned that she was doing an internship.
"How's your internship going" she asked.
"So far it's been going well. My favourite part is when I get to read the reports that come up from the Auror Office" she beamed "speaking of the Auror Office according to Harry you three are doing an internship with them" she asked, and Hermione nodded "how's that going" she asked.
Hermione beamed and since Harry had already told Susan about, they're internship she didn't hold back. "It's amazing" she said "All three of us are really learning a lot though I seem to be good at healing. I've also learned some new spells and we're only a week in." she beamed, and Susan laughed.
"So, you're enjoying it then" she said with a cheeky smirk and Hermione smiled.
"Yes, definitely. We've done so much in just the first week and soon were going to start actual Auror training drills" she said giddily, and Susan chuckled.
"So anyway, how did Harry know that you were here?" she asked curiously, and she saw Susan blush.
"We bumped into each other about a week ago and then again in the Ministry canteen" she said, and Hermione nodded. She remembered that Harry had been late back from lunch on their first day so that must have been when they "bumped into each other" she thought with a smile.
"Well, your very welcome to hang out with us if you want to" she said with a reassuring smile that caused the redhead to blush which told Hermione her reasons for wanting to hang out with them. Kingsley, Tonks and Mad-Eye had taught them how to read someone and Susan was as easy to read as a book. The sweet redhead had a crush on Harry. She supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised. Honestly at times it felt like she was the only girl in the whole school who didn't have a crush on Harry. As much as she loved him, she viewed him solely as the brother that she had never had, and she was pretty sure that he viewed her as an older sister as well.
If Hermione was honest with herself her romantic interests were more towards Ron and she was really hoping that the thick-headed, yet cute redhead would finally ask her out. Maybe if Harry and Susan started going out then maybe Ron would ask her to Hogsmeade this year, now that Harry could legitimately go. She was going to try and avoid a repeat of last year and actually try and enjoy being at school with friends. She had also thought that the whole point of school was solely to learn but it wasn't until Kingsley had told her that the real reason that Hogwarts was a boarding school was so that students could develop the strong and everlasting friendships that everyone whether they be magical, or muggle needed.
She also thought about what Harry new friendship with Susan could mean. She knew that the three of them should probably try and expand their friendship group and she also knew that it would probably be a good idea if Harry dated someone so that when they were in the higher years, he would at least know what to do when the real Hogwarts dating pool opened up or when they had graduated. She had begun to suspect that Harry's relatives had never talked to him about what relationships between people meant and that he was most likely lonely like she was before they had gone to Hogwarts and over the numerous exciting and quite frankly dangerous events that they had survived become friends.
Maybe the three of them should try and add to their friendship group. It had always surprised her that with such a small year group there could be so many divisions. Yes, the house system would naturally cause some divisions but even within houses there were divisions. She knew that in Slytherin there was Malfoy's gang, but she knew that Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis weren't part of it and then in Ravenclaw she'd noticed that Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin usually tended to hang out whilst the other Ravenclaw girls kept to themselves and in Hufflepuff she'd noticed that Ernie, Justin and Wayne tended to hang out and then there was Gryffindor.
For the life of her she hadn't been able to work out how the heck her years Gryffindor's were so divided. In Harry and Ron's dorm you had Harry and Ron who usually hung out together and then there was Seamus and Dean who were always together leaving poor Neville alone. Then on her side of the house there was Parvati and Lavender who spent most of their time heads together, annoyingly giggling and then there was Fay and Alice. If she was totally honest with herself, she'd never really spoken to them apart from to study together but that was mainly because she had always had Harry and Ron.
The two of them had never annoyed her in the way that most of the gigglier girls had and had always been polite to her when they had studied together. It was just that she barely saw them that had led to her not seeing them very much. Yes, she decided I should try and get to know them better.
-X-X-X-X-X-
Ron Weasley was slightly confused as he and Harry made their way to the Ministry Atrium. Harry had gone and collected their classmate Susan Bones so that she could have lunch with them. He had absolutely no idea how or why Harry had even known that she was at the Ministry.
"Hey mate" he said as they approached the lifts.
"Yeah" said Harry with a look.
"How did you…er, know that Susan was here?"
Harry smiled "You remember when on our first day I was almost late back after lunch".
"Yeah" said Ron.
"Well, it was because of that" he said, and Ron nodded.
"Are you sure that we can trust her though?" he asked.
Harry gave him an unhappy look "what's that supposed to mean?" he asked coldly surprising Ron.
"Nothing like that mate" he said hastily. "I just thought that we were keeping our internships quiet is all" he said truthfully, and Harry immediately felt bad. He had told Ron and Hermione too keep the internship a secret and he also had forgotten to tell them that he'd told Susan.
"Sorry Ron" he said guiltily "I forgot to tell you guys about Susan cause of what happened in that lecture that we had and since then I've been enjoying myself too much that it never crossed my mind that you didn't already know" he said with an apologetic look.
"It's fine mate" he said "seriously" he said when he saw Harry's look.
"So…" said Ron with a mischievous look that was usually found on the faces of one of the twins. "Why are you inviting Susan to lunch then?"
Harry gave him a look before speaking
"Because she already knows about our internships so I figured we might as well try and make friends with her" he said, and Ron just smiled until Harry added "and food is the best way to get on with you" he said with a laugh causing Ron to remark
"Oi"
"What it's true" he said causing Ron to scowl although the edges of his mouth were tugging upwards causing Harry to laugh.
"So how do you think that drill just went?" changing the subject to a more serious one.
"I think it went fairly well although we really need to stop getting hexed" he said good naturedly.
"Why do you think Auror Prime and Madam Bones were watching us?" he asked seriously.
"I'm not really sure but I suppose he would want to see how his interns are doing and Madam Bones must be curious as well" he said, and Ron nodded "though I will talk to Susan about it" he added as they reached the floo and flooed to the Leaky Cauldron where they took a table at the back.
-X-X-X-X-X-
Susan sighed as she sat down next to Harry in the booth that they had at the Leaky Cauldron. Ron and Hermione were sat across from them and both were looking at their menus. After a few minutes of reading the waitress came over and took their orders. Hermione and Susan had ordered the Pea Soup whilst Harry and Ron ordered the Steak & Kidney Pie, each ordered a butterbeer to accompany it.
Susan was bursting with questions about what they had done for their internship that as soon as the waitress was gone, she asked her first question.
"What have you been doing for your internship" she asked quickly causing Ron, Hermione and Harry to smile.
"Well," said Hermione "we've done quite a few things" she said and laughed at the impatient look on Susan's face. "We've study lots of new spells and potions" she said before taking a mouthful of butterbeer. "I've really enjoyed the healing spells that we've done so far" she beamed before continuing "we've also covered a variety of charms, transfigurations and potions as well" she said.
"I've actually enjoyed potions so far" said Harry and Susan gasped. Never had she heard a Hogwarts student who wasn't in Slytherin say that they enjoyed Potions. Most students viewed Potions as mandatory torture that they had to go through several times a week and eventually take an OWL in. Unfortunately, Potions was a useful subject so doing well at it, or trying too anyways was a good idea although admittedly it wasn't really the subject that people really disliked it was more the teacher that most people hated. Professor Snape was by far the most unpopular teacher in the school as well as being the head of the most unpopular house at Hogwarts.
Her aunt had actually told her that Snape's teaching and the poor results that his students were achieving were hurting the British magical community badly. Many of the most skilled professions that played a crucial role in the functionality of magical society required good potion-making skills. Aurors, Healers, Mediwizards, Alchemists, Curse-Breakers, Potion-brewers and numerous other professions all required good Potions grades and under Snape many failed to get the grades that they needed. The lack of Aurors and Healers was especially worrying as the nation was especially vulnerable to Dark Wizards.
"How so?" she asked with a sense of minor shock at his words, after all everyone knew that Snape hated Harry more than anyone else.
"Since Mad-Eye's been teaching me I've found Potions to be quite enjoyable actually. I'm putting my dislike down to Snape's teaching" he said with a grin. "Seriously though according to Mad-Eye I'm actually good at Potions, well I was able to brew an Everlasting Elixir almost perfectly yesterday" he said with a hint of pride in his voice. He really was proud that his struggles in Potions appeared to mostly be down to Snape's teaching and Malfoy's distractions.
"That's a fifth- or sixth-year potion isn't it" she asked surprised that such an advanced Potion would be taught to them at their age.
"Yeah, but Mad-Eye likes to test us and admittedly we are learning a lot" said Hermione who sounded a little excited at the possibility of tests.
"Wait, your being trained by Mad-Eye Moody?" said Susan with a hint of awe in his voice. She knew all of the stories of his exploits during the Wizarding War and beyond. She knew that he was on of the four people that You-Know-Who feared to face in a duel along with Professor Dumbledore, Frank Longbottom and James Potter himself. She knew the story of how he'd captured the Lestranges completely unaided, of how he'd duelled and defeated dozens of Death Eaters and the countless injuries he'd suffered. That was on top of his already legendary exploits from before the war.
"Yeah, he's my mentor" said Harry with a smile and Susan nodded. It made sense actually that Harry would be mentored by such a skilled Auror as he was the best at DADA in, they're year plus she recalled that he'd been good friends with her parents along with Harry's parents as well back before they were murdered. She knew that if she were in Moody's position and it was Hannah's or Ernie's or Megan or Justin's children then she would have had absolutely no issue in training or mentoring them. Exactly the same way that her aunt had taken her in and raised her when she was a baby after her parents had been killed by Death Eaters shortly before Harry's parents had been killed.
"You're so lucky" said Susan causing Harry to smirk cheekily.
"Your being trained by the best Auror of all time" she said with a somewhat envious smile. "Do you know how much people would pay for that honour" she said excitedly.
"No not really" he confessed blushing and Susan continued on excitably.
"Well, no one really knows for sure. Mostly because he's never actually hired himself out as a trainer, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was in the thousands" she said, and Harry's jaw dropped.
"Really" he said, and she nodded "oh yeah" she said "according to my auntie Moody knows more about fighting the Dark Arts than any other wizard alive"
"Really"
"Yeah, she told me about some of his exploits from before the war. He was already a legend before You-Know-Who was around".
"What did he do?" asked Hermione with her usual enthusiasm.
"Well, he apparently joined the Aurors just before Professor Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and helped track down his remaining followers. I've also heard that he's broken up everything from human trafficker gangs to illegal potion brewers to Dark Artefacts smugglers and illegal creature breeders. I've even heard tell that he bodyguarded the Queen at her Coronation."
"Really?" said Hermione.
"Oh yeah the Queen and the Muggle Prime Minister both have an Auror bodyguard for special occasions although they always have at least one Hit Wizard guarding them at all times".
"Why?" Ron asked.
"It's mainly to prevent Dark Wizards from gaining access to the muggle governments resources as during the Global Wizarding War some followers of Grindelwald began placing high ranking muggles under the Imperious Curse".
"Wow" said Hermione gobsmacked.
"According to a book I read they tried placing the Imperious Curse on Winston Churchill but an Auror stopped them before they could succeed" and she giggled at the looks on their faces.
"Yes, the magical world is far more involved with the muggle world than either side realises" she said, and she smiled at the looks that she was receiving. It always came as a shock to muggle raised students about how integrated the muggle and magical worlds really were. Most of the magical-muggle economic activity was carried out by just a few families. The Longbottoms, Weasley's, Macmillan's and her own family were the only purebloods who bothered to invest in the muggle economy, and it had been a wise decision. A lot more of the magical-muggle economy was held by half-blood families such as the Potters and Abbotts as well as a few others.
When her aunt had taught about how to manage the Bones fortune when she had started Hogwarts, she had said that due to the muggles experiencing something called the 'Industrial Revolution' that the more pro-muggle families had started investing in the muggle economy. It had been a wise move and the families that had been poor when compared the supremacist families like the Malfoy's, Black's and Lestranges had been able to reach a level of wealth that allowed them to keep the darker families in check.
At least until Grindelwald had been defeated. The Global Wizarding War had sown the seeds of the rot of the corruption that now dominated the Ministry and the Wizengamot. It had come to the forefront during the war. You-Know-Who had used his supporters influence to place many prominent Ministry workers under the Imperious Curse and ha even had a number of spies who had sold out the Ministry as well as leaked the identities of numerous Ministry personnel especially Aurors and Unspeakables. She was pulled out of her musing by Hermione's voice.
"How integrated?" asked the brunette with the enthusiasm that she had seen from her in class.
"Well, there are a few major families that hold investments in the muggle world but the majority of said integration is from either wealthy half-bloods and muggleborns who run a few cross-boundary firms. There are also a few lawyer offices and technology crossovers, but the majority is solely shares and investments as its easier to avoid breaching the Statute of Secrecy" she said and she guessed that Hermione was going to go away and read about it.
"So who are your mentors?" she asked Ron and Hermione.
"My mentor is Auror Shacklebolt" said Hermione and Susan thought of the large black man who had worked for her aunt as she was growing up.
"Mine is Auror Tonks" said Ron and she smiled at the mention of the newest Auror at the Ministry. She had never met her, but her auntie had said that she was good, so she would take her word for it.
"How are they?" she asked "I know Auror Shacklebolt, but I've never met Auror Tonks".
"I like being mentored by Auror Shacklebolt" said Hermione "He's taught me a lot so far and he's really patient" she said with a smile.
"My aunties had him around for tea a few times" she said "I remember him saying that he got twelve OWL's and that he supports the Wigtown Wanderers but that's it" she said with a smile.
"As for Auror Tonks I know that she's a metamorphosis and that she was in Hufflepuff but that's it" she said, and Ron nodded although she suspected that they both had known these things.
"So, Susan, why was your aunt watching today?" asked Harry and she immediately became nervous. She hoped that Harry wouldn't be angry that she had technically broken her promise to not mention his internship.
"Having bumped into you Harry I asked my aunt if there were any other interns our age so that I had someone to hang out with and you three were the only ones our age available" she finished with a nervous look before relaxing as the trio smiled.
"That's fine" he said noticing her nervousness "I just thought that it was unusual that the Head of Department was watching, that's all" he said with a smile, hoping to ease her nervousness.
"It is a bit unusual for the Head of Department to observe a sub-departments interns this far away from the end of the summer but it's not unheard of and to be honest the Auror Office has a reputation for doing things its own way and my aunt used to be head of it so it's not that out of the ordinary" she said "plus my auntie is always curious about Auror interns especially as the number of Auror applicants has gone down in recent years" she said and the trio nodded.
"I noticed that" said Hermione and both Harry and Ron nodded "Most of the Aurors that I've seen were older, I mean as in late twenties at least. There don't seem to be that many younger Aurors around" she finished.
"That's partly due to the war and because of certain teachers" she said, and the trio again nodded.
"Snape?" questioned Ron and she nodded.
"So has anything interesting happened in your internship recently?" asked Harry and she smiled.
"It's been fairly quiet recently although a few interesting reports have come in mainly from the Hit Wizards" she said and they made small talk for the rest of lunch until they had to return to the Ministry.
-X-X-X-X-X-
He appeared with a pop in the woods near a small, Scottish village wand drawn in case of trouble. After scanning the surroundings and finding nothing threatening, he placed his wand back in its holster and began stumping his way towards the house at the edge of the quiet little village.
He continued to scan around as he approached a relatively large, quaint house with a nice well-ordered garden out front quite like the houses occupant he mused. He approached the door and knocked three times as he waited for the occupant to answer the door. After a few minutes of waiting the door was opened by the stern looking witch who lived there.
"Alastor" she said with a hint of surprise as she looked at who had knocked.
"Minerva" he said pleasantly as the stern Hogwarts Professor looked at him curiously.
"How may I help you, Alastor?" she asked.
"I was wondering if I could have a word regarding one of your students?" he asked politely.
"Of course, come in" said Minerva whilst giving him a curious look. Her mind raced as she thought about what he had said. Why would an Auror want to talk to her about one of her students? Had one of them been hurt or worse? It had to be a Gryffindor, or he would have gone either Filius, Pomona or Severus. She quickly thought through who could be in danger and no one immediately came to mind. She decided to just see what he needed especially if it involved one of her students.
"I was just about to have a spot of lunch; would you like to join me?" she asked and saw a cautious look appear on his face causing her to exclaim "For Merlin's sake Alastor. I'm not going to poison you" causing him to give her a look before saying
"All right Minerva I'll join you" he said.
She nodded and called out "Lonny" and then a young-looking House Elf popped into existence and with a bow said, "Yes Mistress". Alastor noticed that he was wearing a clean pillowcase.
"Could you please make lunch for two?" she asked, and the little creature nodded and disappeared with a pop.
"Please have a seat" she said as she gestured to a chair and a fine, oak dining room table. After a cursory inspection he sat. Once he had rested his staff against the table he said "thank you, Minerva" to which she gave a polite nod.
After a couple of minutes Lonny was serving, they're lunch of chicken and ham sandwiches with tea when there was a knock on the door and Lonny popped away for a moment before returning with Arthur Weasley in tow. The bespectacled redhead looked surprised to see him there before Minerva spoke
"Good day Arthur" she said pleasantly causing the redhead to reply
"Hello Minerva" he said "Alastor" he added with a smile.
"Arthur" he nodded.
"We were just sitting down for a spot of lunch" said Minerva "would you care to join us?" she asked.
"If you're offering then" he said with a tired smile as he sat himself in the chair that Minerva had gestured too.
"Lonny" called Minerva and the diminutive, little elf popped back into existence with a plate of sandwiches for Arthur. They made small talk as they ate, manners demanding that serious topics wait until after they'd finished eating. Soon enough the sandwiches, which he had to admit had been quite excellent, were gone and they were making their way to Minerva's living room to begin the discussion.
"Arthur" he said as the middle-aged man made to follow Minerva causing him to turn back to the rough scot with a curious look.
"Yes Alastor" he questioned.
"Based off of our last conversation am I right in assuming that your here for the same reason that I am" he asked.
Arthur looked at him for a moment before he spoke
"If you're here about Harry then you would be right" he said.
"Aye I am" he said as they started to move towards the living room to drop what would most likely be the bombshell of the century on the Professor. The news that the Boy-Who-Lived was being mistreated would likely anger Minerva greatly and he was one of only a few who had seen what happened when Minerva Mcgonagall got angry.
"Let's go then" he said, and Arthur nodded though he had a look of discomfort on his face. He quickly followed him into the comfortable looking living room. The room had a large fireplace and was decorated with cream coloured wallpaper. The room possessed a single emerald green settee and a pair of armchairs. The room was extremely neat and organised, quite appropriate considering the occupant.
Minerva had settled herself into one of the armchairs by the fire as they entered, she gestured for one of them to take the armchair opposite her which Arthur did whilst Alastor positioned himself behind and to the right of Arthur. His hands settled on the top of his walking stick as he focused his natural eye on the other two occupants whilst his magical eye scanned the house one last time before also focusing on the others.
"Now then, which of my students do you wish to speak about?" asked Minerva. Arthur gave him a quick look of uncertainty before speaking.
"Well, Professor we have some concerns about…. well, Harry" he finally managed to say, and he saw Arthur cringe as he said that last part. He looked at Minerva and saw that her eyes had turned hard and that her lips were pursed although he was able to spot the surprise in her eyes just before they hardened.
"What concerns do you have about Potter?" she asked with a serious look. He could tell immediately that she suspected that something was wrong and was wondering if someone else had noticed.
"Well Harry, Ron and Hermione are all doing an Internship at the Auror Office, as you know" he said, and she nodded. "Well, some of the things that we have both noticed have concerned us regarding Harry and in particular his homelife" he finished, and Minerva stiffened before she looked at him.
"What have you noticed?" she asked
"Well," said Arthur "He has mentioned that if he were not at the Ministry this summer then he would have been effectively locked up and imprisoned at his aunt and uncles house" he said and Minerva blanched at that statement. "This is also not the first time that things about Harry's home life have been brought up. We didn't give them any credence before but the summer before Harry and Ron's second year they said that they had to pull bars off of Harry's window and that he was being starved" he said. "His clothes are also in poor condition and have to be at least four sizes too big".
"That backs up what I've observed about him as well" said Mad-Eye "He's much shorter and thinner than a lad his age should be".
"Okay" said Mcgonagall looking concerned. "I never really wanted to place him there in the first place but Albus insisted. Something about needing to live with family" she said, and Moody's mind immediately began working. If Potter needed to live with relatives especially blood relatives then there were only a couple of potential reasons that made sense. Either Albus wanted him raised away from the spotlight which was actually a good idea or there was possibly sometime of defensive ward involved. A Blood Ward possibly he thought but knew that it would require some research to confirm. Blood Wards were tricky and complex pieces of magic that few truly understood.
"Well as far as I can tell Potter is at best unhappy at his relatives" said Mad-Eye causing them both to look at him.
"And at worst?" asked Minerva.
"Abuse and neglect" he said simply and there the bombshell had been dropped.
"WHAT!" yelled Minerva as Arthur just looked sorrowful. "What makes you think that Alastor?" she asked quickly with a look that told him that she wished he was wrong.
"As I said he is much shorter, half a foot or so, than a lad his age should be as well as being extremely skinny. I also have reason to believe that any potential mistreatment extends to his emotional and mental state" he finished.
"Emotional and mental?" questioned Minerva.
"He knows almost nothing about his parents. During a lecture the Unforgivables came up and he didn't know what they were or what they cost him. Hell, he told me he didn't even know his parents' names until Hagrid told him" he said and Arthur chose that moment to speak up.
"That's another point actually" he said "Ron informed me than when Harry got his Hogwarts letter his Uncle ripped it up and burnt it before moving to try and escape the letters. Harry only got one because Hagrid followed them and took him to Diagon Alley" he paused for breath "Also Minerva since Harry was raised in the Muggle world by Muggles why didn't you or Filius deliver his letter personally as is the procedure for either a muggleborn or muggle raised student?"
"Albus informed me that Mr and Mrs Dursley were aware of the magical world and would have been able to take him to Diagon Alley".
"Well, they didn't" said Arthur. "Hagrid took him and gave him his letter. I'm also guessing that's why Harry wasn't given the books that a muggle raised student is given" causing Minerva to nod. "That could also be why Harry doesn't want Albus knowing about his Internship" she said.
"Ron has also mentioned that he quite often has to explain to Harry almost everything about our world and I mean everything. If leaving our world and having his magical possessions removed from him is causing the problem, then they need to deal with it" said Arthur.
"Back to the potential abuse that I'm almost positive that the lad's suffered. One thing that has me really concerned is his eyes" said Mad-Eye causing them both to look at him questioningly.
"What do mean his eyes, Alastor" asked Minerva.
"They have a look to them that a thirteen-year-old shouldn't have. Now I know the rumours that have emerged from Hogwarts over the last three years and that many of them pertain to Potter. You-Know-Who in his first year, the petrification's and Basilisk in his second year and the incident with Black earlier this year. I know that he may have seen more action than the average teenager, but his eyes were older than that as though they were haunted by something, something that's been buried deeply by Potter. I've seen it before in some Auror trainees. We tend to get quite a few who come from less-than-ideal circumstances" he paused for breath before continuing.
"It could also explain why he never asks adults for help" at their questioning looks he elaborated. "If the Dursley's haven't done a good job raising him or more likely never tried in the bloody first place, then he may just not expect adults to help him especially those that are supposed too" he finished, and Arthur looked crestfallen while Minerva looked close to tears.
"If I'm right then it explains why he seems to enjoy being at the Office so much" he said causing Minerva to give a weak smile.
"How is he doing anyway?" she asked curiously and Mad-Eye to her shock almost beamed or at least as much as a person with as many facial scars as him could.
"He's doing brilliantly. He'd been paired up with me whilst Kingsley's got Granger and Tonks has Weasley' he said with a nod to Arthur before continuing "magically he's impressed me. He has the potential and instinct to be an incredible duellist with the proper training and instruction in the future. He might even want to think about doing a M. A. S. A. M after Hogwarts. He has also shown to be highly competent at both Charms and Transfiguration as well as his other subjects".
"Good" said Mcgonagall before pausing for a moment and then asking, "You mentioned that Harry has a good duelling ability, correct?" and Moody nodded.
"Do you think that he would benefit from lessons with Filius?" she asked, and Moody looked thoughtful for a moment. It was well known that Filius Flitwick was an exceptional duellist with a very good knowledge of how to fight the Dark Arts. Potter and his friends could learn the more technical aspects of duelling from him that most Aurors lacked. Plus, it would allow them to legitimately keep practicing without anyone questioning them and it was well known that Filius Flitwick was probably the world's leading expert on Charms. It would be good for the lad to learn some of the more subtle and surprising ways that a duel could be won, and Flitwick would keep the lad humble, so it was a good idea.
"I think that he and his friends would, Minerva" he said, and she smiled.
"That should please Filius" she said and added when she saw their looks "Lily was one of Filius' favourite students and he's really been hoping that Harry will eventually follow in her footsteps" she said with a sad smile at the thought of one of her favourite students.
"Well at least Harry and by extension Ron and Hermione will be able to keep practicing" said Arthur and McGonagall smiled before adding "should I tell Filius about their internship?" and Moody thought for a second before saying
"Yeah, that should be fine. I'll let him know that someone else knows and that their trustworthy" he said, and she nodded.
"What electives is he taking by the way?"
"Care of Magical Creatures and Divination" she said with a somewhat sour look.
"Is he a seer?"
"No"
"Then I'll see how he does with Arithmancy and Ancient Runes tomorrow and if he shows any talent I'll advise him to switch" he said and both adults nodded approvingly. They now realised that Potter probably hadn't had a clue what to take when he chose his electives plus if he was neglected or abused then he probably wasn't used to getting any praise so the drive to do well might have been lacking.
"Can you do the same for Ron, please Alastor?" said Arthur and he nodded.
"What's he taking?"
"The same as Harry"
"Well, that could explain it" he said.
"Explain what" asked Arthur.
"If Potter didn't know anything about our world when he took his electives then he may have just picked the same as his friends" he said, and Arthur nodded.
"Yes, I've also recently discovered that Ron has had some issues as well" said Arthur and Minerva gave him a concerned look.
"Issues, Arthur?" she queried.
"He seems that his for lack of a better term inferiority complex was worse than we feared. Once we got home at the end of last term he broke down. When I asked him to explain what was wrong, he said that he thought he would never be able to make Molly and I proud and that he was lesser than Harry and Hermione. I don't really think that Ron chose his electives in the best frame of mind and that this, with what you've told us Alastor seems to have rubbed off on Harry. Personally, I'm hoping that this internship boosts his confidence and his academic performance. I'd rather he does either Muggle Studies or Runes than Divination. So, if he shows any talent at either please tell me and we'll support his switch, the same with Harry" he said.
"Good" said Mcgonagall before Moody added "You know Minerva it might be a good idea if a careers advice meeting is held in second year to help guide students into more practical choices as well as testing students to see if they are Seer's and if they're not then preventing them from taking Divination so they can at least study something useful. Merlin knows the number of students that take Divination solely because it doesn't require that much actual work" said Moody.
Minerva looked thoughtful "It's true that I don't hold Divination in high regard and that maybe it is time to implement some kind of test to see if a student is actually a seer. I'll also speak to Albus about hosting meetings for second years" she said as Moody nodded before speaking
"You also really need to do something about Snape" causing Minerva to sigh.
"What's he done now?" she asked wearily.
"The way that Potter, Granger and Weasley speak about Potions and in particular Snape's teaching is worrisome. Granger seems to do fine at but both lads have stated that it's not the subject that they dislike or struggle at its that Snape's teaching or lack of it is the problem. They said that he is extremely biased towards Slytherins and that he effectively bullies Gryffindors for no apparent reason. This also lines up with what recent trainees have stated about Potions. It's become a class that students dread and that no one but a Slytherin is trying to enjoy. Potions is as you well know an important subject for many jobs such as Aurors or Healers" he paused.
"If that man doesn't start teaching properly and fairly then Amelia and Rufus will force Albus to fire him on grounds of damaging our society. Which in reality he is at the moment" he finished gravely.
"Is it really that bad?" she asked.
"yes, we haven't had any new trainees since our current interns were at Hogwarts. The last trainee taken on was Tonks" he said, and Minerva sighed.
"You are not the first to complain about Severus. It appears that he still hasn't got over his dislike of Gryffindors or his dislike for James Potter" she said this with a look of sadness as she thought of her best Transfiguration student.
"I will speak to Albus about this" she said as Arthur and Alastor nodded.
"Is there anything else?" she asked, and Arthur shook his head, but Moody had one last thing that he wanted to ask.
"So, do either of you know what Potters plans are for the rest of the summer?"
"Well, I'm trying to get tickets for the World Cup and Ludo has said that he'll do what he can. So, if I get the tickets then I'll be taking him there and he'll probably stay for the rest of the summer before we take him along with Hermione and the children to Platform 9 and 3/4" he said, and Moody nodded.
"I'll do my best to make sure the lad and his friends have a good summer but be warned there's a major case that might be flaring up so it may mean that the internship is cut short. If it is then may I suggest that you take him shopping to get some decent clothes and Minerva you may want to ask Poppy about giving him a check over to see if he is, as I suspect malnourished then he'll need nutrient and growth potions to help him as well as plenty of food. If I recall correctly, plentiful food is not normally an issue at the Burrow is it" he said with a smirk causing Arthur to blush.
"Yes, it is true that Molly would love to feed the entire world, magical and muggle if she was able so food will not be a concern for Harry whilst he's with us" he said with a smile causing the other two to laugh. Yes, thought Mad-Eye I may need to be careful about poison but Molly Weasley's cooking is worth the risk as he thought back to previous visits, he'd made to the Burrow back during the war.
"So, overall, Minerva you need to have a few chats with Albus and one with Filius whilst I'll ensure that Potter and his friends are safe and happy for the rest of the summer. Arthur you just need to provide a place for him to stay for as soon as he can get out of there cause I have a few theories about why he needs to be there but I need to some research before I'm certain about it and what can be done to get the lad away from them" he said and received two nods in reply.
"Hopefully, with the events planned to take place this coming school year Harry will at least be able to have a quiet year without the risk of getting killed or hurt and should hopefully buy us time to find a solution to find a way to help him".
"Yes" they both answered.
"We should probably meet again at the end of the summer" and he received two nods in return.
"Okay well good day to all" he said politely as he headed towards the door followed by Arthur.
"Alastor" he heard Minerva call causing them both to look back at her curiously.
"Thank you for helping one of my lions" she said with a sincerity and passion that only the Lioness of Hogwarts could muster.
"It's my pleasure" he said "He's a good lad who's been let down and needs help. Help that were now giving him" and Minerva smiled at this causing both hm and Arthur to smile as well as they walked out of the front door and after checking that it was clear they both disappeared with a pop.