Chapter 26 – At Least Some Answers and Charges

Headmaster Longbottom's Address to Students at Breakfast - 27 September 2013

It seems like I am always standing here at one of your meals to tell you about something awful. Some of what I'm about to tell you is probably supposed to be secret and I may get in trouble for telling you, but your school was invaded. You have a right to know as much as I know. I hated it as a student when the headmaster kept those sorts of secrets from us. I'm also truly angry, including at myself, so I don't much care if the Minister demands my head. That might be the right action, not because I am going to share secrets with you, but because I was one of those in authority who failed to prevent what happened yesterday.

Yesterday, you all experienced true awfulness and if you were at all aware of the depth of what was happening, something close to pure fear. I thank all of you who rose above that fear to help defend this school. We couldn't have repulsed the invasion without your help. When our school was invaded yesterday, some students helped the invaders. They pretended to choose to leave the school and return home. It was a fake out. They participated in the invasion. As soon as Professor Sprout opened the gate to allow this group to walk to the train station, a hundred hidden attackers stormed the gate. Professor Sprout barely escaped. The students who pretended to be leaving tried to kill her with the Avada Kedavra. She made a very narrow escape, by Apparating away. One of the departing students, Hestia Rookwood, fell and was trampled to death by the invaders as they raced through the gate. At first, we thought she was killed by an extra strong, not fatal curse from a team of aurors, but Doctor White says that was not the case. She slipped and the invaders ran across her body as it lay in the mud. Hestia got caught up with a bad crowd. She was a member of the plot, she briefly pointed her wand at Professor Sprout, but her wand never fired a curse. I think she was basically a good person having a bad moment.

The attackers used almost entirely the 'Avada Kedavra' as their fighting curse. They meant to kill. I don't know how many of you know about the attack on the satellite Wizarding school in Wales. That happened over a decade ago. It was the scene of horrific carnage, with many students and staff killed and the school burnt to the ground. I mention this, both because that is what I feared might happen at Hogwarts, but also to explain why I am so angry. THE SAME PEOPLE BEHIND THAT ATTACK WERE BEHIND YESTERDAY'S ATTACK. Barnabas Cuffe, publisher of The Prophet, organised that attack on the Wales school. He paid for the attack. He was helped by the Venerans - people from another world. Therefore, I am seething with anger: Barnabas Cuffe served only a little over three years in prison for all those deaths he was responsible for. The Venerans paid a very mild penalty and were left to go about their business. A Veneran also participated in yesterday's attack. His dead body and that of Mr. Cuffe were discovered inside the highly secure, secret room from which Hogwarts' Apparation barriers and magical defences are controlled. From that room they could have lowered our defences and allowed many more attackers to enter Hogwarts from many directions. That undoubtedly was the plan. That means we only captured one of multiple attack teams. The other one or more teams is still out there. It's still a threat to all of us. You now know a lot of official secrets. There are more, which I'll get to soon. Know that I am not pointing fingers at the government in place at the time of the Wales attack. It hoped for reconciliation with the opposition. I supported the merciful approach to Mr. Cuffe and sincerely felt, or at least hoped, that he was reformed. To see him attacking students yet again... that is why I am so angry at myself.

I want to thank again the students who helped to defend their school. They all used non-fatal curses but knocked out many of the attackers. One of the defenders, Scorpius Malfoy, came within inches of death. He was not hit straight-on by the Avada Kedavra and had fortunately volunteered as a test subject for an experimental charm against the Avada. Our own Professors Gillikins and Flitwick played big roles in helping the Ministry to develop and perfect this charm. It could not be ethically tested on people, so we couldn't know if it would work until volunteers tested it in battle. The charm works and any of you who wish to be second wave test subjects are welcome to wear this charm. It saved the lives of four aurors during the battle, in addition to Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy will be back with us at lunchtime. The aurors will take longer to recover. They were cursed from their brooms with the AK. Others broke their fall, but their injuries are severe. My heart goes out to them. We owe them our lives.

The other, I guess I should say person, whom we owe is the ghost of Salazar Slytherin. He killed the Veneran and Barnabas Cuffe before they could lower Hogwarts' defences. As the attackers ran at the line of student defenders, hurling AK after AK, the ghost of Slytherin killed five of the lead attackers, just as they were about to over-run the students. Slytherin saved a lot of student lives.

The ghost bobbed up and down as I gestured to it and boomed "I will continue to defend this school and those who are under my protection. The headmaster identified the immediate leaders of the invasion. You all should know that some truly evil minor Gods were a big force behind it. These are the same Gods who held me and Mr. Ollivander prisoner for over a decade. I am pleased that Mr. Ollivander is being returned to health at the Hogwarts hospital. He has become my dearest friend."

I hadn't realised that Harry was present, until he stood up from the Gryffindor table. "Don't' worry Neville. You're a great headmaster and Ginny and I have your back. I shouldn't speak for her, but I think Hermione also has your back. We all share your guilt that our softness in refusing to severely punish a major criminal has allowed Mr. Cuffe to attack another school. That's beyond horrible."

From the Journal of Freddie James Potter - 27 September 2013

I visited Scorpius in hospital. He looked a lot better than I expected. I wasn't surprised when he sat next to me at lunch. I really shouldn't have been surprised when Iona sat on the other side of me. She was grateful, very apologetic, and very strongly praised me for my "bravery under fire". That was fine. In fact, it made me feel good - sort of proud, with a warm glow. It would have all been good, but then she got all touchy-feely. She ran a finger along the length of the scab, where she had scratched my face. "It still looks sore, red at the edges. Madam Pomphrey should be able to help you with that. I'd die if I was responsible for a permanent scar on such a wonderful face. You and Scorpius were right next to each other when he was grazed by the Avada. If he was knocked out, it must have had some effect upon you."

I reluctantly admitted that I had experienced a brief period of light-headedness and blurring vision. I would have had trouble in that condition fending off the on-coming attackers, had Slytherin not appeared. "He saved our lives," I declared. "It was all too fast to be scared. I kept firing the 'Off!' curse, but it was hard to make out individual attacker's exact location. They were a blur. I think I dropped one of them."

"That must have been awful for you. Did it hurt you here?" She ran a warm hand across the left side of my forehead.

I stupidly replied that "no, there wasn't much pain, more a numbness and nearer the top of my head in the front."

Why stupid? Of course Iona took my response as permission to run her fingers through my hair as she lamented how much I must have suffered and how much it hurt her to think about it.

I heard subdued laughter coming from Scorpius. I was about to give him an elbow, but the laughter just stopped as Emma squeezed into the seat next to him. I heard "my poor hero..." in an incredibly soft tone.

We are in trouble.

Break

From the Official Cabinet Minutes of Minister for Magic, Hermione Weasley - 27 September 2013

So, this is what we've decided:

- Percy will meet with the Veneran delegation at the government building on Asgard. If that meeting goes well, I will meet with the Veneran leader within the week. I hope she is the one we helped place in power.

- We and the Acromantula will double our presence in seid-space.

- My Covenant Committee, well I guess it's Ginny's committee now, will meet tomorrow at Cissy's castle to develop a plan for dealing with Venera. Really multiple plans from which we will choose a path, based upon the results of Percy's diplomacy.

- I will meet with the British Prime Minister tomorrow morning and ask if one of their big bombs is available, in case it is needed to deal with Venera.

- All of those captured at Hogwarts will stay in jail. With national security and treason charges, as well as attempted murder, we can hold them for at least a month.

- All aurors and reserve and trainee aurors are on extended duty until further notice, with extra protection at Hogwarts, the Ministry, and Diagon Alley. Mrs. Longbottom's aurors will lead the investigation concerning the possibility that another team of attackers was near Hogwarts and ready to strike but left when the school's defences weren't turned off and the initial wave of attackers was quickly defeated.

- No more arrests at the Daily Prophet, while we review all the information we seized. Rita Skeeter can oversee the paper and it may publish.

- Everything said in this meeting is secret for now.