The Children Of Potter's Forest

by hemerocallis

A story of the first Hogwarts year of Scorpius Malfoy and the first born of Harry/Ginny and Hermione/Ron. Ginny's first-born is Fred James - Ginny would never abide JK's Albus Severus. There are friendships, learning some of the truth about their parents, a need to stop a threat to Hogwarts and the Wizarding world, and encounters with Muggle-born. A boxed Harry Potter set helps.

33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 – How Can We Help? What Do We Need?

From the Journal of Rose Weasley – 10 October 2013

I received a Stone message from Mum, right in the middle of lunch. I guess it shocked me into total attention, because half a dozen of the Gryffindors were staring at me as if I were behaving weird. I forced myself to divide my attention, eat some of my food, and talk to Iona. But… this was important information!

THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT THE THREE STUDENTS, WHOM YOU IDENTIFIED. I'M WORKING WITH MRS. TOMS AND DAVID TO GET MORE INFORMATION. AS YOU KNOW, BOTH HOGWARTS AND THE MINISTRY TALK TO THE PARENTS OF NEWLY DISCOVERED MAGICALS, BEFORE THOSE NEW MAGICALS ARE TAKEN INTO OUR WORLD. THE LAST THING WE WANT IS FOR HYSTERICAL PARENTS TO FILE A REPORT OF A MISSING OR ABDUCTED CHILD. WHEN I RECEIVED YOUR MESSAGE, I TASKED THE AURORS TO RE-INTERVIEW THE PARENTS OF THOSE THREE STUDENTS. THE PARENTS CAN'T BE FOUND. THE AURORS ARE TRYING TO FIND THE PARENTS OF OTHER RECENT SPECIAL STUDENTS. ASSUME THOSE THREE STUDENTS ARE NOT FRIENDLIES. BE VERY CAREFUL SPYING ON THEM. REMEMBER THE 'IGNORE' SPELL. I WILL SPEAK TO HARRY ABOUT THE MARAUDER'S MAP AND INVISIBILITY CLOAK.

I messaged back that I understood. Fortunately, we had been smart enough to have all our watchers use the 'Ignore' charm. Some had the 'invisibility cloaks' from George's shop, which wee getting closer and closer to the real thing. We were watching the entrance to Dumbledore House around the clock. It suddenly seemed incredibly significant that Dumbledore House was in the same physical location as the former Slytherin House. I had read enough of Hemerocallis's extended story about our parents' generation to know of the rear entrance to Slytherin. I also knew of the rear entrance to my own Gryffindor Common Room. I couldn't access that without a ring from Mum or Aunt Ginny. I added that to my recent Stone message to Mum.

That brought an almost instant response from Mum:

NO! THIS IS MOVING ALL TOO FAST. I DON'T WANT YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS EXPLORING THE AREA OF THE BACK DOORS. THAT COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS AND YOUR DAD WOULD BE FURIOUS. I AM SENDING TWO VERY TRUSTED AURORS TO GUARD THE BACK ENTRANCES TO DUMBLEDORE AND GRYFFINDOR HOUSES. BETTER YET, I MAY USE ELVES AND GOBLINS, AND PERHAPS A SPIDER OR TWO. THEY WILL BE IN POSITION BY BREAKFAST, TOMORROW. I WILL ALERT YOUR HEADMASTER ABOUT ALL OF THIS. STAY SAFE! YOU'VE ALL TAKEN SO MANY RISKS ALREADY. IT CHILLS ME AND I THINK GINNY AND I ARE TAKING IT BETTER THAN YOUR DAD AND HARRY. I LOVE YOU, ALWAYS. DON'T MAKE ME FEAR FOR YOUR SAFETY ANY MORE THAN I ALREADY DO. PROMISE ME YOU WILL BE CAREFUL.

I spread the word to those in the Children of Potter's Forest and Gryffindor gangs: meeting in Room of Requirement, immediately after last afternoon class.

Break

From the Journal of Freddie James Potter - 10 October 2013

Rose told the group "the three Dumbledore's that some of you identified as enemy spies appear to be bogus. The aurors can't find their supposed parents. The investigation is continuing."

"I knew it!" Maxwell pumped his fist as he shouted this. Of course, we continue to keep a watch on Dumbledore House. They can't get out without us seeing them."

"Well... " Rose sounded embarrassed as she corrected him, relaying the information about the back door from the former Slytherin House.

"But if Headmaster Longbottom has been alerted, surely he will arrange for a guard," Maxwell sounded not at all certain.

The group decided to follow Scorpius's suggestion "it's just one night until the aurors are on duty at the back doors. Let's spread ourselves out and watch all the critical corridors and areas within the castle. We can go a night without sleep."

That plan was agreed.

Break

From the Journal of Scorpius Malfoy - 11 October 2013

I was on duty in the main basement corridor. I thought I saw and felt the passage of at least one shadowed figure, perhaps under an invisibility cloak. I didn't see anything definite. I used the Stone to call for reinforcements. Iona and Freddie came to my assistance. We searched all the way back to the entrance of what was Slytherin House, but found nothing, until we encountered our own watchers. We all stayed on duty and patrolled the length of the corridor several times, but never detected any other sign of a presence. We left two watchers in the corridor and headed up to the Great Hall to eat our breakfast. Headmaster Longbottom had a profoundly serious expression upon his face as he rose to address all of us students. As I waited for him to speak, I glanced over at the Dumbledore table. Our three suspects weren't there.

Break

Remarks of Headmaster Longbottom - 11 October 2013

"I'll get right to the point. We had a robbery last night. Somebody broke into the Potions Storeroom and stole quite a few rare and dangerous potions ingredients. We know the supply room had not been tampered with at 5:00 P.M. yesterday afternoon, because Professor Sprout returned unused potions ingredients at that time. At 6:15 A.M. this morning, Professor Sprout went to the Potions Storeroom to get the materials needed for her first class of the morning and discovered the theft. The ingredients stolen match the ingredients needed for the Liar's Milk potion, the illegal super-strong love potion we encountered earlier this term, the illegal deadly poison we were alerted about, and the fertility potion. Professor Sprout says this latter is most serious, because if added to the students' saved vials of the anti-fertility potion made in her class, would instantly reverse the action, making an enormously powerful fertility potion.

"I am now asking each faculty Head of House to take the roll of the members of your House and identify any students who are missing."

Break

From the Journal of Freddie James Potter - 11 October 2013

Maxwell Sharp, very unwisely I thought, sprung from his seat, and shouted to the headmaster. "No need, Sir. I can tell you that the three students who acted suspiciously before the attack on Hogsmeade Day are missing. That's Alexander Panshin, Marshall Smith, and Brent Parks."

Maxwell slunk back into his seat, under the withering glare of Headmaster Longbottom. While this was going on, Iona Sparks and Eostre Weasley quietly regained their seats. They were the two watchers whom we had left on duty in the basement corridor near the Slytherin or Dumbledore entrance.

"And where have you just come from?" Professor McGonagall accosted her niece, Iona.

"She was performing a watching assignment at my request," Headmaster Longbottom spoke from behind Professor McGonagall. I hadn't noticed him leaving the dais or walking to our table.

"The same for Eostre?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"The same for most of Gryffindor and most of the students from Potter's Forest," the headmaster replied. "The Ministry is aware of this. I'll explain later."

At that moment, the Ghost of Slytherin appeared with Brent Parks.

"It used the Cruciatus on me!" Brent was indignant. "My father will hear of this."

"I used something far more... fundamental. The exposure to the pure essence of ghost can sometimes be unpleasant for the uninitiated." The ghost said this in a matter-of-fact tone as if everyone knew it would never use an Unforgivable Curse and that this was a well-known characteristic of ghost. If so, it wasn't mentioned in the Harry Potter books.

"Turn out your pockets," Headmaster Longbottom demanded of Parks. Parks reluctantly complied. A potions bottle fell from his pocket. The headmaster caught it, by magic, before it hit the floor.

The headmaster straightened and inquired of Professor Sprout "is this part of what was missing?"

The professor took the bottle from his hand, studied the label, uncorked it for a sniff, then ran her finger along the inner rim of the bottle and brought it to her lips for a taste. "Yes, this was the school's entire supply of Liar's Milk. Two doses. It won't do you much good to question this one for the rest of the morning.

No other students were missing. It seems beyond strange that these three would steal potions and ingredients and then vanish within a day of us reporting our suspicions to the Ministry, and the aurors discovering that they were frauds.

It didn't take long for the aurors to arrive.

Break

From the Investigative Notes of Prosecutor Longbottom - 11 October 2013

I am consolidating all the auror notes as my first impression, since Director Shacklebolt and Assistant Director Weasley are somewhere in Ukraine or Russia on a secret mission. Here is what we know for certain:

- The three Dumbledore House students, whom the Ministry had been warned of and then confirmed to be frauds, left Dumbledore House last night by way of the rear door behind the tapestry in their common room. We know this happened sometime after 12:30 A.M. because that's when the last of their fellow Dumbledore's went up to bed. Those other Dumbledore's passed with two truth-tellers. We know three left by the rear entrance and didn't return, because there were three out-going sets of footprints in the dust and none returning. The Gryffindors watched the front entrance all night and swear it never opened after 10:00 P.M.

- We know the three re-entered through the Goblin utility cavern and then, we surmise, through the kitchen. Dust tracks outside the door to the Goblin cavern. Three entering, two leaving.

- Scorpius Malfoy accurately reported, before two truth-tellers, that one or more 'presences', possibly invisibility cloaked, possibly under an invisibility charm, passed near him going down the main basement corridor in the direction of the Potions Storeroom. This was at about 1:45. They were not spotted again by any of the Gryffindor watchers.

- We know that Brent Parks was caught with a bottle from the Potions Storeroom in his pocket. The bottle had contained two doses of Liar's Milk but was empty. Doctor White tested Brent and found that he had not consumed this potion. The hem of his robes were soiled with spilled Unicorn blood from a potions bottle, which was dropped or thrown on floor. So, we can prove he was in the storeroom. Question to self: dropped as brazen mischief, by accident, or to prevent our side from preparing a specific potion? If dropped by accident, what did they plan to do with this blood?

- We have Brent's confession and his claim, also passed by truth-tellers, that he left Alexander and Marshall in the Goblin utility cavern. He thinks they left by the Goblin cave on the northern hillside. He said they were wearing two of George and Lee's finest invisibility cloaks, although I would have expected the young Goblin guards to instantly detect them by smell. I believe that Brent believes that Alexander and Marshall escaped by this cave. I just don't believe it myself. We did find one set of footprints traveling around Hogwarts' internal pyramid to the Chamber of Secrets. The Goblin Cave can be accessed by that route. We found no footprints in the tunnel leading to that cave. Unless these two know a new spell, which can mask a Goblin's sense of scent, and even then, they would need to practice far better personal hygiene than the average Hogwarts male student, I cannot believe they snuck through that cave. I will speak to the Goblin guards. Perhaps a diversion briefly drew them away from the cave.

- Why did Brent have an empty potions jar in his pocket, when he had not consumed the potion? The truth-tellers said he truthfully denied any knowledge of that jar and declared that all the stolen potions and ingredients were loaded into Alexander's sack. Who swallowed the Liar's Milk? Brent didn't know.

- I have instructed the aurors to conduct a detailed search under the assumption that Alexander and Marshall are still somewhere inside Hogwarts. I believe that to be true.

Break

From the Journal of Rose Weasley - 11 October 2013

A strange day. We are trying to go about our normal classes and business, but there are perhaps twenty aurors swarming all over Hogwarts and randomly stopping us with demands that we turn out our pockets.

I was feeling so much that my school wasn't mine today that, right after lunch, I had invited Emma to join me in a brief stroll around the grounds. The day was cool, but at least partly sunny and far more inviting than a suddenly very cold-seeming Hogwarts castle. We were only five minutes into our walk when we heard a loud 'Kapow!' followed by the tinkle of broken glass and a low rumble. The ground shook beneath our feet. I was just collecting my wits when three aurors came charging at us, full speed with wands drawn, demanding to know what we had just done. "Nothing," was all I could manage to speak. "We were just taking a little stroll for fresh air," Emma protested.

Ahead of us was a cloud of brown dust. We trailed after the aurors in that direction. I was curious, but also, they had our wands and we wanted them back.

The source of the blast quickly became clear. The Hogwarts greenhouse, at least the larger of the two, the one used for instruction, was just a pile of debris. Bits of glass and torn and burnt vegetation were everywhere in front of us.

"We'll leave you, but first we want our wands back. It's obviously not safe to be wandless," I told the auror who seemed to be in charge.

He refused.

"I want my wand! You are putting my life in danger. Either give it to me or arrest me."

"I know you're the Minister's daughter. I don't do favouritism. Stay with us and we'll protect you. Aren't you supposed to have a personal protective auror.?"

Yes, I was. What had happened to Reginald? I'm embarrassed to say that I have become so used to his presence that I failed to notice his absence. I couldn't say when he had last been with me. In my defence, my prior protection auror was in the habit of engaging me in conversation, when we were alone, or the opportunity presented in a group. He was only twenty-four, so felt very at home with students. Reginald was mid-forties and apart from introducing himself and greeting me with a hello, when he came on duty, never said a word, which wasn't a warning against some danger. All business was Reginald.