Hey everyone,
Okay, I'm an idiot! Gryffindor's Sword is made of BLOODY GOBLIN SILVER! Lupin shouldn't have been able to wield it! I didn't realize that until the night before I started writing this chapter. Anyway, let's just say that, on both the night of Riddle's defeat and when he confronted Sirius, Lupin was wearing special, Curse Breaker-enchanted, Dragon-Hyde gloves and that they protected him from the effect of the silver.
Okay? Okay,

Venquine1990

Chapter 37
The Past Aids The Future

4th of February 1996
Teacher's Lounge, Hogwarts
Bill's POV

The last month has been pretty interesting, both before the wards were recharged and after. When the students came back, a lot of Snakes were furious that their parents had been caught by the Aurors. But surprisingly enough they were more upset at their parents than at anyone they believed to have been responsible for the arrests. What's more, none of them believed the other Houses responsible for Snape having left during the break.
Malfoy had been the only one who had been slightly upset that my brothers and I played a role in the whole event back in December, but without his father being the powerhouse that he was, the boy had lost his own spot in the Snake Pit Hierarchy. Yet he had earned some of that back by being the first to denounce Snape as a Traitor to the Snake Pit and to accept Professor Vector as the new Head of Slytherin House.
"No matter how ambitious you are, we Snakes stick together. Even if Snape had wanted to leave after Riddle was dealt with, we should have heard about that desire from him, not from someone else after the fact. Snape isn't ambitious, he's being selfish." Yet when Albus explained the reason behind why Snape left for Portugal, Malfoy conceded a bit. He stated that he understood the reason, but stood by his beliefs of deserving to hear it firsthand. Albus accepted this.

Still, while the Snakes might have accepted their new Head of House – and Horace Slughorn as the new Potions Master – they still proved to be quite arrogant and also proved their belief that they were above the rules only a few days after the students returned from break. And while Albus teased me about my brothers, I've yet to capture Fred and George on casting magic out in the hallways, unlike a lot of Snakes and Badgers.
A few of the Badgers argued that they were just proving their respect to Cedric Diggory as the late Hogwarts Champion who should have won the Tournament. But because the students they used magic on had nothing to do with this tragic event, I dismissed their reasons and took them to Professor Sprout. The woman had sided with me each time and after the first six, this whole thing started slowly dwindling down.

Then Albus and I had recharged the wards and instantly I had experienced a boon to this myself. Now that I am in charge of handling this rule being obeyed, Hogwarts magically alerted me if the rule was being broken. At first I had had trouble with this, but thanks to years of Occlumency training, I learned to adapt my mental shields and mindscape to adjust to this. These days there is a small room in my mind with a self-inking quill and endless scroll of parchment.
The students themselves had also experienced the wards being recharged when it comes to this rule and I personally feel very relieved about this. Thanks to the magic of the wards and the many Intend Wards that are around the castle, if the intent of the caster is truly harmful, their wand gets blocked, yet I still receive a magical notification. Since the wards have been recharged, four students have been suspended with the threat of expulsion.

Minerva was also a little disturbed that she was unable to transform, but she had accepted that it would take a while for the wards to settle. And while she had tried to hide it behind her need to be professional, it was obvious that she was eagerly awaiting the minute she could impress her students again. Thankfully I had been able to warn her about this before she had tried to transform as I wasn't sure what the consequences would be.
At least not at the time, but Rita Skeeter had been kind enough to demonstrate it. Two days after we recharged the wards, she had tried to sneak in through her Animagus form, apparently to get some juicy gossip on the Hogwarts love-life for Witch Weekly. Instead, Hagrid had found her unconscious near the back end of the Black Lake and taken her to the Hospital Wing. I had called Madam Bones and the woman is now facing charges.
Albus had, when this happened, whispered that he was both glad that Pettigrew was dead and that the wards would now keep people with intent like hers and Pettigrew out of his school. Personally, though I won't admit it to anyone, I wonder how the wards will react to Lupin from now on. I know they won't just keep him out because of his lycanthropy, yet at the same time I can't help but wonder how they'll react to his arrogance.

But that's neither here nor there and right now I need to focus on the here and now. All of the staff is at the Teacher's Lounge, alongside Ron and myself. I'm glad that I got to get my little brother the meeting he wanted before the date he mentioned. I've also been keeping a close eye on the wards and on the power of the Fidelius Charm. I hadn't expected it to get even stronger now that I'm a Keeper too and the increase in power slightly astounds me.
Still, thanks to me now also being a Keeper, I know one thing; the Fidelius is determined to solve all issues of the past and ensure the chance of them repeating themselves in the future is minimalistic before it will deactivate itself. At the same time, it is also acknowledging how most of the Order has come to regret their actions of the first few months of the School Year. The charm is both humming in content and hissing in distrust.
And the fact that one name gets hissed in my ear, almost like a mother hissing soft words of comfort after their child woke up from a nightmare, but then in distress and fear, distresses me. Yet at the same time the fact that the name is Lupin really doesn't surprise me. Instead it just further fuels my intrigue over Lupin and the wards. But for the time being I put these thoughts behind me as I know I need to help my brother explain himself to the staff.

I notice that Sinistra is looking at Ron as if she feels that he shouldn't be here, Vector seems to have grown to distrust Ron for some reason, most of the other teachers look as if they're curious about his presence and, like I already expected, Slughorn looks as if he just won the lottery. I know that the slightly obese man has been trying to get Ron alone as he wants to add my little brother to his collection for the past few weeks.
But when Ron told him that the Keepers are a package deal and that he doesn't feel comfortable with the reason as to why Slughorn is interested in him, the man actually became more adamant instead of giving up. Since then I've had to step in between the two several times as Slughorn has been trying to trick Ron into telling him who the other Keepers were. And the reason I was alerted to this is because Ron now draws his wand each time this happens.
I know for a fact that mum has already sent the man five Howlers to discourage him, but the man's stubbornness just knows no bounds. Yet last night, when the meeting was announced to the staff, I realized a way that could, hopefully, finally make the man leave my little brother alone. At the same time I contacted Gringotts and asked for permission for something that, I assured my boss, would be a last resort and nothing more.

Right now I wonder which of the two methods I need to apply to get the man to back off and stop being so stubborn, but I also know that this matter pales in comparison to the real reason behind this meeting. And Albus proves the same as he opens the meeting. "Welcome everyone, glad you could all come. I know you're all curious as to why our youngest male Weasley is here, but I'm sure some of you can guess.
Yes, it has to do with the fact that he is young Harry's Keeper, or at least one of them. No, I'm afraid that this does not mean that the Fidelius Charm has fallen or anything of the sort. This meeting is to ensure that the Fidelius Charm can finally become dormant. I will leave the rest of this explanation to young William and Ronald. Also Horace, a warning. You are hampering our efforts to see this done. Please, my friend, be ambitious, not selfish."

The man seems to recoil at hearing the same words that Malfoy used to describe Snape shot at him instead and I let a small grin show as I consider this an excellent first step to get the man to back off. Yet after a short glance shared with my brother, I decide to take the lead for him. "Ever since I heard about the Fidelius Charm having been cast, I've been studying it. I bought a few obscure books and discovered some fascinating things.
For one, a Fidelius Charm with five or more Keepers becomes strong enough, it relies on the bond between the Keepers. Because of this – and because I know my little brother to be an excellent Chess Master – I know he lied about the whole I let Katie pick someone else. Ron has known who the other Keepers are this whole time, he just kept his mouth shut, as is expected of a Secret Keeper." A few teachers grumble, but most accept this.
I suppress a snort when I hear Minerva whisper about how Ron apparently purposely got himself into detention shortly after the charm was put up. I grin at my brother, who just shrugs unabashedly and continue: "Next, a Fidelius with Seven Keepers or more nearly has the same sentient mind you can say as a newborn House Elf. And after Albus and I recharged the wards, Ron awarded me the privilege of also being a Keeper.

I think my silence about this for the past few weeks speaks for itself. (Lots of nods are my answer). Now onto the reason why this is important. Like I said, the Fidelius is somewhat sentient. At least, it's sentient enough it can analyze its Keepers and its charge and determine whether or not it should deactivate itself or if there are reasons that might make it more beneficial to either party for the charge to remain within its hold.
I won't lie to you, ever since I've become a Keeper, I've been able to sense that the original reason for the Fidelius charm is fading from importance. The original reason was that the Order of the Phoenix was spying on Harry, while telling him that they were there as his guard detail. This betrayed his trust and made the whole thing happen. But now that more and more Order members who had done this are repenting, the Fidelius is picking up on this.
I don't think it needs to be said, but Lupin and his arrogance are, at this point in time, the only source that still keep this reasoning valid. However – and it really pains me to tell you all this – the Fidelius has found two new reasons that are equally as valid and they are keeping its strength up. And because Harry is its charge, the Fidelius is keeping him up to date just like it's doing Ron, myself and the other Secret Keepers."

A heavy silence lies over the Teachers Lounge as I finish as a lot of the staff already seems aware of what these reasons might be. And to the relief of my brother and I, I notice that at least Filius, Pomona and Minerva seem to feel guilty. I can instantly feel this affecting the Fidelius Charm, yet at the same time it keeps whispering the name Lupin in my ear. I ignore this for the time being and Ron asks: "What do you think the reasons are?"
The irony of this question and the situation as a whole doesn't escape me and I show another small grin. Yet then Aurora Sinistra speaks up and argues: "Mr. Potter had plenty enough chances to come to us if he was being harassed, attacked or bullied." And the fact that the woman uses the word if and not when instantly infuriates me. I feel the Fidelius flaring in power and know that a new layer has been thrown over the spell just by this.

"Would he have? I remember when I was in my Fourth and I was attacked by the whole team of both Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for being too late in spotting the Snitch during one of the last matches of the season that year. I was so horrified and terrified that they all, all 20 of them, blamed me and harassed me over it, I didn't dare report a thing. But my dorm mate noticed the same and reported the whole thing for me.
However, when Professor McGonagall here asked me about it, I was too terrified by the experience to say a word. She had to take each of these students apart one at a time to get them to confess and used the excuse that a House Elf had spotted the whole thing happening. All the way up till the end of the year I was terrified that they would discover the lie and turn on me again. And that was just 20 students, not three whole Houses."
The woman cringes and then, while she pretends to clean her glasses, Minerva adds salt to the figurative burn as she says: "I'm surprised you forgot about that incident, Aurora, seeing as how you were the Ravenclaw Seeker at the time. I do believe you served three weeks detention for that stunt of yours back then." A few of the other staff members and Ron all cringe at either the words spoken or Minerva's icy cold tone of voice.

"And besides, we should not put the responsibility of us, the staff, on the shoulders of a student. I made that mistake one too many times these past years and I am determined never to make that grave, grave error again. Which is another reason I am glad that the wards are now recharged as I can sense their sentient desire to aid me in this endeavor. After all, William tested my health and I am only a decade or so away from joining my parents."
Shock and horror course through the teacher's lounge at this last statement and Minerva whimpers that it can't be true. The Headmaster smiles at her and says: "Minerva, I have lived for 113 years now. If it weren't for my desire to repent and to prove to both the living and the dead that I regret my actions of the last five years, I would have accepted death upon young Miss Weasley's graduation as that would have been my destiny, if not for my new health regimen.
I won't deny that I won't miss all of you dearly once I pass on, but I know that, while I will want you all to live healthy and prosperous lives, I will also eagerly await you all to join me in the Next Great Adventure. But before that happens, we have an adventure of regret, acceptance and forgiveness that we must embark on here and now." The woman, like many in the room, has tears in her eyes, yet she dabs them away determinedly and nods.

Ron looks at me shortly with an astounded look and I give him a very swift nod as a response to his silent question. He nods back and stands up as he says: "Okay, back to business. There are three instances that need to be taken care of if we want the Fidelius to weaken its need to keep Harry inside, as well as my own and that of my fellow Keepers. One is First year when half the school turned on Harry for the 150 point loss.
In this case, there are two problems. One, a few times the students pulled their wands on Harry while in sight of the teachers and you did nothing. Personally, when it comes to this event, I mostly blame Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. You shouldn't have just swallowed Harry's every last feeble excuse. You should have seen the pattern and reported it. Your Healer -Patient confidentiality shouldn't have exceeded your duty as a member of staff.

And Professor McGonagall, it's not just because you're Harry's Head of House that I blame you. It's also because of your behavior the night you took the points. Harry had yet to give you any reason, other than hanging out with Fred and George, to make you think that he wanted to be a Prankster like his dad. So your excuse as to why Harry, Hermione, Neville and Malfoy were out after curfew isn't even based on solid evidence.
Not to mention that your excuse made no sense. Harry wanted to get Malfoy in trouble, so he told him a lie about a dragon? If so, why was Harry out and so far away from where you caught Malfoy. And why was he even out of the common room or dorm in the first place if that was the case? If it had been, don't you think he would have been in the common room laughing his ass off and thus easy for Neville to spot?
Your excuse is full of holes and then I'm not even adding the lie you told to his face that same night. Four students out of bed after curfew. I've never seen anything like it. I can only imagine how badly James and Lily Potter were rolling in their graves that night. Or how grateful you should feel that they weren't alive to hear that. No offense meant to their sacrifice." I really can't believe what I just heard, yet I am also relieved.

Minerva had felt momentarily offended when Ron accused her of lying, but when my brother apparently quoted her, she had folded and now she looks as if her pride is the only thing keeping her tears of guilt at bay. Ron sighs and looks away as he says: "You had no right to that lie, Professor. And Harry shouldn't have discovered that it was a lie from meeting Lupin two years later. You should have approached him and apologized. You know that, right?"
The woman nods and asks what she can do. Instantly Ron and I smile at each other and Ron says: "Two things. One, let me organize a House Meeting. I'm going to bring these same points home to the students that were part of this, so they can repent as well. Two, and I'm going to offer this to the students as well, write Harry a letter. The longer the better and it doesn't just have to be about this one event. Once done, give it to Bill."

The woman nods and Ron turns to Filius and Pomona as he says: "Professors, I expect the same out of both of you. Both your Houses joined in on this event and Professor Flitwick, your House even taught the other two Houses a few spells to, and I quote, really make Potter regret his actions. And the worst of it all, none of the Ravens who did this teaching were even Prefects. But also, several times over the Head Boy of Ravenclaw was present and did nothing.
I'm not expecting you to punish this guy as he graduated years ago, but I do expect you to make sure that, if next year Ravenclaw again gets to have the Head Boy or Girl in their House, that said boy or girl knows exactly what they are and are not expected to do. And Professor Sprout, unfortunately the same counts for you when it comes to Harry's Second, when everyone accused him of being the Heir of Slytherin.

I know that some students came to Harry personally to apologize to him about this, but the fact that they didn't apologize until after Hermione got Petrified is still wrong. And I know Harry, so I know that there is one student amongst your House that he never quite forgave, regardless of the half-hearted apology he gave. Ernie MacMillan. On the day that Justin got Petrified, he was spouting all kinds of reasons as to why Harry was dark.
He even, according to Harry, Hannah and a few others, had the gall to use the night Harry's parents were murdered as reason. He said that Harry being a potential rival to Voldemort was the reason Voldemort came after him, but at the same time he ignored the fact that Harry's mum was Muggleborn. I don't think I need to express how wrong that is." And the look on Pomona's face proves my brother right.
"I will set Mr. MacMillan straight, Mr. Weasley. And you can expect a truly serious letter from me to your friend about how bad I feel about how I failed him that year." Ron nods and while there is a smile on his face, the bond we now share lets me know one thing. Ron, like me, is able to sense that the woman is sincere and that her sincerity is affecting the strength of the Fidelius. Just this meeting is doing a lot to get us in the right direction.

Then Ron amazes and astounds me as he says: "I know that, now that the wards are up, Bill is able to sense it when someone uses magic in the hallways. But even when these two events occurred, the students didn't always use magic to punish Harry. Some of them used their bodies to either intimidate or hurt Harry and back in Second, they even used scare tactics. They would hide behind suits of armor or curtains and jump out screaming if Harry passed them.
The worst about all of this is that, even when it wasn't spotted by the staff, there were House Elves, Portraits and Ghosts spotting it happen. And it wasn't just this that they spot. They see everything that happens at Hogwarts. So why aren't they being used? Why aren't they being asked to report the bullying and the harassment and the who knows what else? Why are the ghosts and portraits just used as decoration and not members of staff?"

The others and I all stare at each other and I know, I just know that Ron is right. Not every student uses magic to bully others. Crabbe and Goyle and a few others who are also Beater material don't even need their wands for this as their girth and sheer size are enough. And as much as I have enjoyed my work the last month, I can't be in every corridor at once. But the same doesn't count for the ghosts, the House Elves and the portraits.
"It is true that some ghosts and portraits might be prone to being biased towards their old Houses, but with how many there are, not to mention the House Elves, I don't see why we can't implement young Mr. Weasley's suggestion. Rolanda, do you think you could make time to train our new members of staff?" Albus asks and the Flying Instructor and Quidditch Referee instantly and happily accepts the new task set upon her.

Yet my Curse Breaker mind is already working a mile a minute and I mutter: "Headmaster, with your permission, I would like to add a ward to the ward scheme of Hogwarts as well as place a new ward around the kitchens. (everyone turns to me). I would like to make it so that personal House Elves can only enter Hogwarts inside the dorm of the person they are working for and that they are banned from the kitchen under certain conditions."
The man's eyes widen and he instantly realizes what I'm not saying. We can use House Elves all we want, but once students find out about this, some might use their own House Elves to give themselves an alibi. There are also still feuds going on between certain families and my other ward will prevent these feuds from affecting the food.
It will keep feuding families from being able to poison the rivaling members of the other family. Bathsheda frightfully wants to ask me if this ward isn't part of the scheme yet, yet her fear makes her falter halfway and I answer: "Isn't it part of the ward scheme yet? No, it isn't. Not that that's very surprising, these wards are ancient and were set up in a time where feuds were as common as wizards using wands, after all."

Albus still seems to consider it a fault of both his predecessors and himself that no one ever thought to add it to the ward scheme and he gently orders me to see it done as soon as possible. I nod and tell him that I will probably be able to add the wards next weekend as that should give the ward scheme just enough time to settle that last little bit. Albus nods and says: "Hogwarts is changing, but it's changing for the better."
And while it's obvious that these words remind a lot of the staff of what Albus said about his own personal health, it's also obvious that they wholeheartedly agree with him. What's also obvious is Albus' tone. It's full of determination to continue down this path. And I hardly even need to look at the other members of staff to know that they all share in the man's desire to see this change through and in his determination.

The meeting ends and the staff disperses. I subtly keep my eye on Slughorn as I help my brother leave the Teachers Lounge, but then Charity asks him about this year. Ron stops and smiles at her as he says: "Three things, Professor. The behavior of the staff since Harry left prove their regret. None of us really knew how horrible Umbridge really was. And we all had Riddle to worry about and you showed that you believed in his return."
The woman seems amazed by his answer and she sends him a dazzling smile. Yet the boy's answer also brought Horace's attention back on him, while it had been on me ever since I revealed that I was also a Keeper. So I hurry him out of the room and turn around to confront the man directly. The other members of staff notice this and outside of Filius and Albus, all of them make a hasty retreat, Minerva keeping Horace from leaving.

She tells him not yet and closes the door in his face. The man blinks and I growl that, if he wants to deal with a Keeper, he can deal with me. The man takes this as an invitation instead of a warning and tries to jovially approach me. Yet I snarl at him: "Don't even think about it, Slughorn. You are very quickly becoming like Lupin to us. A reason for the Fidelius Charm to keep Harry within its safe confines. You're annoying and stubborn.
You're selfish and think only of your own collection. But we're not pieces of china for you to put out on display and you don't seem to realize that we are slowly growing to worry and fear over whether or not you won't treat Harry the same way once he gets back. And that worry, that fear, Slughorn, strengthens both our desire to keep Harry safe – and away from you – and the Fidelius itself. You are keeping a student from his education.

Not to mention that you are pulling the same stunt MacMillan pulled in 1992. You think of us as special because we're Harry's Keepers, but you seem to forget that, because we are Keepers, we should keep each other and our charge safe from harm. You think more of our titles than of the actual definition behind our title. And what's worse? For someone who claims to have loved Lily Potter, you are ignoring our rights.
Yeah, I know all about that. I make it my duty to know as much as possible about those I work with. Not that I needed to dig in your past to learn about this, Albus warned me when he learned I was a Keeper. Like me, Slughorn, he fears that you might collect Harry just like you're trying to collect the other Keepers and I. You are so bloody blinded by your need to collect you're ignoring – ignoring not forgetting that you're not collecting something.

You're not trying to collect trinkets, bottlecaps like Luna Lovegood or pieces of famous brooms like Oliver Wood. You're trying to collect people. And you are going so far with that, that you're ignoring their own personal rights. Their right not to want you to collect them. Their right to look you in the eye and say no. And you might argue that you can help them get famous or whatever, but I have two arguments against that.
One, that's not up to you decide, but up to them. And if you dare to insinuate that they don't know any better, you're proving my point of your disregard of them being people right. And second, you might want to remember that, when it all comes down to it, Ron and the others don't want to be Keepers. They were forced to be, which is the whole sole reason behind this meeting. To dissolve that need, to put an end to it once and for all.

You want Lily's son to live a happy, fun, carefree life with his friends and family. Then stop harassing his friends, who are also his protectors. Give them the chance to be his friends again and stop forcing them to be his guardians. We already have enough trouble with that with Lupin, we don't need you to add to the problem. And trust me when I say this, I hear Lupin's name whispered in my ear. But if you keep this up, I'll hear yours as well.
And when that happens, I have Albus and my superior's permission to use my expertise as a Curse Breaker to punish you for your abhorrent behavior. Have I made myself clear?" Albus had summoned a chair for Horace to fall into halfway through my rant and the man switched his gaze between me and our colleagues a few times, as if he expected them to stop me. But Filius and Albus just sit back and keep steady gazes.

I cross my arms as I ask him my question and the man stares at me for a few minutes before he asks me how I could be so good at reading him. I huff and state: "I worked in Ancient Egyptian tombs. Snake hieroglyphs that were the size of my pinkie could house dangerous spells in a single engraved scale. If you didn't know how to spot this, you could end up either losing a limb, an organ, a bodily function or worse, your life.
I lost at least 17 coworkers in all the years I worked there. I learned how to be subtle and how to observe my every surrounding almost every second of the time I was somewhere I needed to be on guard. Not to mention that the Goblins often put us through subtlety tests when it comes to personality and that you're not the first collector I've come across. Curse Breakers are apparently high on Collector lists.

I learned how to spot these, no offense, vultures before I finished my first year of working for Gringotts. And some of them were as subtle as the House Elves work around the school while invisible. If I can spot and read them, you're child's play. Again, no offense." Yet the man actually seems to consider this a compliment and mutters that he needs to make another appointment with his Mind Healer sometime soon.
I sigh relieved and the tension leaves my form as I hear this. "You know, you were really starting to annoy my brothers and me. But the knowledge that you have a Mind Healer to keep this side of you under control is a pretty good sign. It proves that you're not even half as far gone as some of the idiots I had to deal with while in Egypt. And yes, I am willing to share stories, if you let me set the time and date." The man laughs and agrees.

Phase one, Complete.
The staff has been handled and plans are set in motion to make sure that Harry never gets harassed like he was again. Now Ron needs to deal with the students that bothered his best friend the last few years. And while he won't go down too hard on the Fourth Years and younger, he will still want them to understand that they should never want to follow in the footsteps of their older peers. For all of their sakes.
Let's do this,

Venquine1990