To clear up something I got a few questions about last chapter: the Flutterby bush flowers in last chapter adapt their scent to attract the unwary. While not canonically specified, I imagine this to be the ingredient that gives Amortentia it's unique smell to each person. And Voldemort DID smell something, but only once Harry got out of the way so he wouldn't interfere with his own scent ;)
So, now it's time to get back to Hogwarts, enjoy!
Chapter seventy-nine – Arrival and Departure
As the Hogwarts express rolled into the Hogsmeade station, Harry excitedly craned his neck to look out of the window. While he hadn't truly wanted the holiday to end and be separated from Voldemort once more, especially with Umbridge lurking in Hogwarts, he could not wait to see his friends again. Hermione's meticulous study plans, as well as most of Ron's family being busy during Easter, had made the both of them decide to stay at the castle. He was anxious to share every bit he could about what he'd been up to. No letter would have reached them with Umbridge's grubby hands withholding post, nor had they sent any that had arrived at Malfoy manor.
The peers he'd spent the train ride with instead (Neville, Luna, Justin, Dean and Ginny, the only Weasley who had spent time away from school) were already reaching for their trunks. Ginny attempted to shield Pigwidgeon's cage from being rammed by Dean's suitcase. The little owl shrieked, and Harry wondered whether Ginny had asked permission from Ron to take the owl or if she'd just figured she needed one more than her brother did. She'd stayed over at Luna's place, which her boyfriend seemed to be rather disgruntled by as Michael had invited her too and she'd declined. It was a mild annoyance for Harry as it might cause problems for the D. A. even before the next session had been planned, but he fully agreed with Ginny's statement of that having a boyfriend didn't mean she was expected to spend her every waking moment with him.
Okay, so maybe Harry was a bit of a hypocrite for sharing that opinion considering his own wish for Voldemort to free up as much of his busy schedule as humanly possible, but they only had limited time. It wasn't like they lived in the same building for most of the year.
As Harry dragged his trunk through the narrow aisle of the train, he ran into Draco, who threw him an unhappy look, likely because Harry had rejected his earlier offer of travelling together. Splitting in two wasn't even possible with magic though – not any magic Harry knew at least - and it had felt more natural to sit with people he'd been friends with for ages than to share a compartment with the Slytherins, the ones he'd kind of rudely left behind in favour of zapping off into the Dark Lord's arms. That meeting had been awkward enough, Harry didn't need half a day of curious stares and poking at where he'd gone off to, thank you very much.
During the rainy carriage ride, thoughts drifted to all the moments shared with his lover. Only ten weeks until July would start… And frighteningly less than that until the O.W.L.s. Harry felt more pressured and less prepared than before the holidays, despite using large chunks of it for studying. It wasn't as if there had been much else to do in Malfoy manor apart from those eventful days with Voldemort and yet, all the theory he'd read about and the spells he practised blurred together. Snape's droning voice about expensive ingredients they'd never use at Hogwarts hadn't made it better either.
''Harry!'' Lanky arms waved enthusiastically in the air and with heavy footsteps that splashed mud everywhere, Ron ran towards him in greeting while Hermione followed at a calmer pace, attempting to keep a spell upright that stopped the rain from drenching her.
''Oh yes, never mind me, your sister,'' Ginny snorted, who'd exited the carriage they'd shared before Harry had.
Ron entirely ignored her, giving Harry a slightly awkward and so very typically Ron half-hug. ''Wanted to warn you before you guys enter Hogwarts, so we waited out here for you,'' he whispered in Harry's ear. The words were hard to hear above the pattering of rain. ''Umbridge has gone mad, mate. Things are… not the same.''
''What do you mean?'' he asked with concern at that ominous warning
''We're not supposed to talk about it,'' Ron muttered. ''We're meeting in the usual place after dinner. The whole group this time, we know it's risky but it's best to get everyone up to speed and come up with a plan all together. Mione and I tried to organise the ones who stayed over the holidays. We'll use the galleons to attempt to reach the others.'' With a last, meaningful look, his friend stepped away to give Hermione the opportunity to get a hug in as well, finally turning towards a rather pissed Ginny. Her expression turned to contemplative with a few whispered words.
Harry did not need to wait terribly long to see one of the major changes to Hogwarts. In the entrance hall, two Dementors flanked the doors to the Great Hall, their hooded faces no less terrifying even in the full light of the torches that lined the walls. High above, two new decrees were displayed, at which Harry couldn't get a good enough look to read what they said before the stream of students pushed him further. Harry hated to see his doom-predictions come true, such as the prolonged presence of the Dementors and them patrolling inside of Hogwarts as well. At least Dumbledore still sat at the head of the table, he thought, before Umbridge rose for a speech instead of the Headmaster when they all sat down.
''Welcome back to all of you who decided to leave the safe confines of our precious school,'' she smiled. She made even a greeting sound threatening. ''I hope you all used the time well, for the most important term of the school year has started. Exams are around the corner, and for the fifth- and seventh-year students, this means being asked to perform all of their knowledge before Ministry-approved individuals. Naturally, we all hope that Ministry-standard tests will become the norm for all years very soon, which I assure you I am working on, to show the outside world and other schools that we are organised, risk-free and capable. I wish to remind all of you to do your part, do your best, and work with me and the staff to create a functional and conforming system. Thank you.'' She sat down, looking ever so smug. No other teacher smiled, only Snape and Dumbledore clapped politely initially, followed unenthusiastically by a few other teachers after a moment.
''Not a word on the results of the investigation against her?'' Harry muttered, raising an eyebrow at Hermione, who subtly shook her head and whispered back:
''That ended the very first day of the holidays.''
With a sour taste in his mouth, Harry loaded up his plate and ate without tasting much, eager to get to the Room of Requirement to get some answers. So Umbridge had used the Easter holidays to cement her grasp on the staff, using the fact that she'd been cleared to move the Aurors out and the Dementors in? It didn't make an awful lot of sense. Surely, these were decisions that should have gone through the Board of Governors? Lucius hadn't breathed a word about it. Harry couldn't imagine the man risking his son's safety by allowing soul-sucking prison guards to dwell the hallways. Which was exactly what they did, he realised even stronger during the trek to Gryffindor tower, where they floated upwards in the grand staircase tower to follow the students. Were there more of them than before? Or did they move so fast from one spot to another? Merlin, Harry was grateful that they did not affect him so anymore, it would have been a nightmare to keep falling unconscious each time one drifted near.
The common room was the first spot where he could breathe easier, though he saved up his questions when noticing the many wary eyes all around from Gryffindors who did not belong to 'his' group. About twenty minutes later, the door to the Room of Wishes closed behind Harry and he could finally unload: ''What is going on?'' he asked, more to Hermione and Ron than the other thirty-ish people who had entered before him and stood scattered in clusters throughout the space. A cacophony of sounds broke out, everyone who'd stayed over during the holidays attempting to get their voice in.
''Whoa, one at a time, please!''
Cedric stepped forward and cleared his throat: ''Professor Umbridge was cleared of all allegations as expected. However, while the Aurors left, their report apparently held information that put suspicion on some of our other teachers instead. Professor Trelawney was fired the next day in a dramatic display of political power from Umbridge's side. Only Professor Dumbledore's interference allowed her to remain living in Hogwarts. She's been holed up in the North Tower ever since and refuses to come down. Hagrid is still on probation, but he is not the only one. Madame Pomfrey as well.''
''Pomfrey?'' Harry sputtered. ''How can she put the school nurse on probation?''
''We were not allowed to know any details, but Fred and George managed to find some answers.'' He gave the Twins a nod, which they responded to with equally serious ones. ''Umbridge has continuously attempted to question Madam Pomfrey, accused her of contacting the press and hiding information from the Ministry. It escalated when Madam Sprout tried to stick up for the nurse and... well… you can imagine how well that went. Sprout is on probation now too. As it is all approved of by the Minister of Magic personally, the teachers cannot fight back and try to keep a low profile themselves. If Umbridge has her way and provokes them, she'll have the opportunity she hopes for to replace the entire staff, Headmaster included.''
''Did she replace Trelawney?''
''She couldn't,'' Hermione chimed in with a vindictive smile. ''She'd forgotten a nice loophole. Until that point, the High Inquisitor was only allowed to replace staff when no suitable alternative would be found by the Headmaster. We don't know whether she forgot about that clause or if she expected the Easter holidays to not be enough time to announce a vacant position, gather applicants and conduct interviews. In either case, she was shocked when it turned out that Professor Dumbledore had, in fact, an instant replacement ready.''
Harry was mildly impressed. Of course, Dumbledore would have had some time to prepare already since sacking Trelawney had been something all of the castle had simply been waiting to happen eventually, but finding a Divination teacher surely wasn't so easy. As out of touch with her Inner Eye as Trelawney was, she did legitimately have one, a rare trait. One couldn't teach Divination without it, so there was no long queue of people waiting impatiently to teach the subject.
''It's a Centaur!'' Lavender excitedly squeaked before he could even ask about their new professor. ''A very dashing Centaur!'' she giggled. Parvati joined her. ''I cannot wait to see how he teaches.''
''That… is a pretty genius move,'' he admitted, while at the same time hoping this Centaur was not Bane. Before the girls could delve into a rant about the new Divination teacher though, he tried to steer the topic back to Umbridge. ''I assume she closed that loophole now?''
''Of course,'' Cedric replied, once more taking the lead. ''As well as made some other changes, such as getting official permission to have Dementors inside permanently. The Auror's report cast a bad light on many of our teachers, while at the same time noting how much the Dementor's involvement had sped up the proceedings by creating order. Umbridge easily twisted that into a way to keep them. I recall you warned us about it.''
''It was a logical move on her side. They were going to declare her innocence from the start. It does not matter that those creatures did not speed anything along and only made people fearful. Not when Fudge trusts her opinion on Hogwarts blindly. Still, this is one of the worst case scenarios we could have. It's a bloody miracle all students still have their souls and I firmly believe that's due to them being banned to the grounds before. It's only a matter of weeks before an accident happens, the Ministry proved before that they have no real control over their Dementors.''
Cedric sombrely agreed. ''We've been practising the Patronus most of all during your absence. Hopefully it will be enough, and we can protect students who aren't part of our group when it comes down to it. McGonagall even noticed a Dementor seems to have drifted off from the flock. Umbridge did not seem concerned when hearing that one went missing. Who knows, she may have sent that one on a personal errant.''
''Or she masks her incompetence by pretending she isn't concerned by the disappearance,'' Harry spoke, knowing very well that that particular Dementor wasn't going to run any errands ever again. ''I'm disappointed in our teachers,'' he sighed. ''Both McGonagall and Dumbledore assured me that they'll do all they can and that we should let the staff handle this threat. But they can't expect us to sit idly by when it's clear that no-one has the power to legitimately stop her.'' Was their plan truly to sit it out and let the curse take Umbridge off their hands before summer? It seemed that way.
The door sounded behind them as the last people arrived to complete their group: a combination of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins. ''Sorry for the delay,'' Adrian spoke. ''There's one too many Dementor between the dungeon and the seventh floor. Don't know how much longer we can have these meetings here, Harry.''
''We still have no alternative location that is even remotely safe,'' Harry replied, shaking his head. ''Cedric, can you quickly fill them in? Most of them weren't at Hogwarts.''
While the Head Boy took up the task of summarising the Umbridge situation, Harry mentally sorted the whole chain reaction. The Aurors had cleared Umbridge and released a report on the investigation. That report had instead damaged the reputation of several other staff members. Using that to her advantage, Umbridge spread more fear by keeping the Dementors to 'maintain order' while at the same time firing Trelawney and putting more teachers on probation. The staff feared being replaced entirely and endured the treatment in silence, meanwhile the students were understandably losing more and more faith in their teachers. Hogwarts was coming apart at the seams. The only blip of light was Dumbledore's short-lived revenge by bringing in a Centaur, but who knew how long it would take before Umbridge found that one insufficient to teach as well.
This was exactly the type of scenario he'd attempted to explain to his guardians and Barty. If no-one else would take steps now, it would be too late. Once Cedric signalled that he was done, Harry turned to address the group again, who'd now gathered in a half-circle around him. He started pacing back and forth, rolling the handle of his wand between his fingers. ''The situation is growing worse. Soon, Hogwarts may be transformed permanently and then even Umbridge leaving won't bring things back to the way they were. Not if the Ministry decides her Decrees stay and send a new Inquisitor to enforce them. We need to drive her out now.''
The speech gave mixed reactions, mostly the younger students and those he didn't know too well looking hesitant. Like last time this topic had come up, it was Ginny who carried his thoughts into the open. She put her hands on her hips in a scary imitation of Mrs Weasley and sternly said: ''We are the students on the frontline who are best equipped to deal with this by now. We know spells that counter her guard dogs and have learned jinxes and charms that maybe even Umbridge herself never bothered to learn because it wouldn't be 'applicable to the real world'. She can replace teachers and yes, she may be able to expel students, but she cannot rule an empty castle. We're over forty people! She can't realistically throw out roughly a fifth of the student body at once! Not to mention that if we start a riot, I guarantee you that many who hate her will follow that example.''
''There is still diplomacy before violence is needed,'' Cedric countered.
Ginny already looked ready to argue back, when Harry felt that he needed to step in personally. These people didn't follow Ginny, they had to follow him. ''Diplomacy failed. Our teachers tried, but you cannot bargain with someone who has nothing to lose. She is legally allowed to change the rules of the game by taking whatever we have to negotiate with, by nothing more than sending a neat letter to the Minister of Magic and simply asking to have it handed to her. Approaching her for talks will show we're desperate while also giving her more time. She has enough bloody time already, it's her greatest advantage.''
''You're talking about her time-turner?'' Hermione asked.
The word sent a wave of murmurs through the students. He'd informed them before of the possibility that Umbridge had one of those devices, but they hadn't discussed it together as a fact. Never having seen Umbridge use it, Harry still couldn't be completely certain that she used one, but all evidence pointed towards it, and in his personal opinion, the fact that Voldemort had speculated about it was enough. Unless the opposite was proven, he'd assume she did. ''Exactly. We'll already never have the element of surprise if she figures out any of our plans within 24 hours. Giving her even a heads-up would be suicide, especially as she's stretching the rules of time travel thin. Everything that went wrong before, did so because she attempted to sabotage things before they happened. Just look at her investigation. After the article dropped in the evening edition, she managed to influence her own 'investigation' in the span of a few hours, as by the next morning everything had been arranged just like she wanted to. Or even before that, when she had a new Decree out banning the newspapers the night after the Daily Prophet came out with my interview.''
Hermione took on a thoughtful expression. ''While true, do remember that she cannot always disrupt time at her convenience, considering how often she already has to use it for daily life. Apart from weekends, she is constantly both present in her own classes and inspects the classes of those teachers who are on probation. With now two teachers and Pomfrey on probation, she's already limiting her possible use of further time-travel. While I suspect that she uses it irresponsibly and has multiple time travel copies at the same time-''
''Wait, wait,'' Susan Bones chimed in with a tremble in her voice. ''Ministry-approved time turners lock for the duration of the time travel. My Aunt explained to me once how they work and she cannot go back in time again after having already done so. That would create endless loops.''
''No, but she can right after she initially did so,'' Hermione explained patiently, taking a deep breath when being met with mostly confused looks. ''Okay, so it's eight o clock in the evening, yes? Let's say that right now, she travels back two hours, to six o clock. That means that between six and eight o clock, there are two Umbridges running amok. During this span of time, she cannot use the time-turner again, correct. However, it unlocks once her past and future self merge again at eight. So at, say, five minutes past eight, she can use it to travel back again, perhaps this time four hours, to five minutes past four in the afternoon. In that case, there will be two Umbridges in Hogwarts from four to six, and three from six to eight.''
''But that's not allowed, right?''
''Neither are blood quills,'' Harry dryly commented.
''That's different, vastly different,'' Saeth spoke up, who had kept mostly in the background during the past sessions as she was relatively new to the D.A. ''Those are illegal because it's harmful dark magic that hurts people. Pretty straightforward. Consecutive time-travel on the other hand is illegal because time is more than a simple social construct, it's a force that can be strained and ripped.'' She let those words sink into the crowd. ''Granger, rumour has it that you owned a time turner at one point, is this true?''
''In my third year, yes,'' Hermione admitted.
The Head girl nodded. ''So, you know the rules then. But do you know why each has been put in place?''
Hermione slightly cocked her head and started counting off on her hands: ''Not showing myself to a past or version to protect me from accidentally harming myself; alternating where I used it to disperse the point where time would weaken; never attempting to travel back further than 24 hours as it would at best break the time-turner and leave me stranded, and at worst simply kill me; never using it in the way I described before to avoid paradoxes and lastly; not attempting to make changes to time. Which… I broke, after which I had to return it.''
''Since Umbridge is clearly using it to change events, we must wonder which other rules she's breaking. And seriously think about how that will affect us,'' Saeth darkly spoke, letting her hazel eyes travel across the people standing near her, a few of whom shuffled in discomfort. ''Time is not something to be messed with. My father studied it for a long time and told me that if he were to ever catch me with a time-turner, even when using it within the legal boundaries, he'd disown me.''
Harry paused his pacing. Those devices were only studied in the Department of Mysteries. ''Your father is an Unspeakable?''
''Was,'' she curtly answered, not elaborating. ''My point is, getting Umbridge out is all well and good, but I think we're missing a larger problem here. If she's been reverting time again and again for the better part of the school year and you're right about her consecutive use, then even if she didn't break any other rules, which is doubtful, we're still standing in the middle of a hazard field. Have any of you noticed inconsistencies in time? Things that did not add up? Object displacement perhaps? Disorientation?''
''We're derailing from the original topic with what-if scenarios,'' Ginny piped in, frowning at the Slytherin with no little contempt. ''Fearmongering amongst ourselves is completely unnecessary now. We can't even say for sure whether Umbridge really uses a time turner or if she's exceptionally good of making doubles of herself or something similar.''
Harry rose a hand. ''No, let's continue this topic.'' While he had experienced no more disorientation than usual, one tiny thing came to mind that caused incredible unease. A shining white remnant of a squib that had been dead for so long that it should have dissipated decades ago. He'd speculated before that these fragments perhaps never fully faded, that he was just so sensitive that he still picked it up instead of managing to block these appearances out like he should. But Frank Bryce's soul piece at Riddle Manor was definitely gone now and even for Harry undetectable, whereas he'd spotted the one in his dorms when dropping off his school bag right before coming to the Room. What if it wasn't a necromancy anomaly at all? What if it was a time anomaly? If Umbridge's mucking about was causing such rifts that it affected even the bloody afterlife… he hardly wanted to think about the horrific consequences it had to the living. ''Who has noticed any effects that may have been caused by this?'' he repeated Saeth's question.
Even when dismissing that disappearing belongings or suddenly not knowing where one had ended up could have various different causes, it was still disconcerting that every single one of them could name at least one example from the past few months (Neville several dozen but as he was an outlier Harry was not going to count those in). It would be so difficult to verify all the accounts that Harry didn't see a point in wasting energy on doing so, but it certainly showed that they indeed had a larger problem at hand than simply Umbridge's policies.
''If we steal her time-turner, then she cannot go back in time to prevent us from doing so, right?'' Fred shrugged. ''That would be the easiest way. If we take that away, it'll be a lot easier to get her out fast too.''
After thinking on it for a while, Harry disappointingly had to shoot that idea down. ''It depends on how fast she notices it is missing and how long it will take for her to receive a replacement. They are created and distributed by the Ministry of Magic. Her level of clearance means she could probably floo there and have a new one within a few hours of us taking it away. Not to mention that even if she does not manage it so fast, she can still attempt to confiscate it from you again if she figures out who stole it. It's legally her property.''
''You're not thinking outside of the box enough Harry!'' George protested, defending his brother's idea. ''We can – hear this: steal it, use it instantly to travel back the maximum amount of time and hide it somewhere she'll never search for it, while using the remaining time to either craft a fake that'll fool her long enough not to get a new one instantly and craft alibis for ourselves!''
Hermione pinched her nose. ''Brilliant, then after taking on that extremely risky endeavour, she'll still simply get a new one, while we'll only have won… what, a day? Two at max? A large chunk of which might be gone instantly if she uses her new one then to also go back 24 hours again. Not to even mention that she'll then know we're aware of her trick and will be so much more careful.''
''Saeth,'' Harry spoke. ''Do you know how many time turners the Ministry has access to?'' If there was only a limited number and she'd run out or they were so rare that she would not receive a new one after losing the first…
The girl shrugged. ''Hundreds at least. Even if we were to steal them from her each day, there'd be enough that she'll last the remaining months. Hardly anyone is authorised to actually use them, as the Ministry is paranoid about other countries reproducing their work, so she'll have plenty at her disposal.''
''Sorry, what?'' Harry asked in disbelief. ''You can't seriously tell me that in the entire world, only we have time-manipulation magic? That no-one ever invented the same method abroad or at least smuggled a time-turner out of Britain to copy?''
It was Hermione who answered: ''Each country closely guards their own secrets and isn't terribly forthcoming with sharing. They have spells and other devices that allows for time-travel, but not in this specific form nor are those described in detail in any books I've come across. You should know that magical governments are terrible at working together, Harry, except when it comes to covering their own shortcomings.''
''I'll need to think on this,'' he decided. A plan started to take shape in his mind, but it was stupidly risky and still far too vague to openly debate. Besides, he'd need to gather more information to see how doable it was and what the long-term consequences would be. ''We'll get back to this. Fred, George, I actually need you to come up with a way to take away her time-turner, just in case. Don't execute it before I tell you, but get an as waterproof plan as you can, okay?''
''Sure boss-man,'' Fred saluted with a grin.
''With pleasure chief,'' George exclaimed loudly.
Hermione's lips thinned. He'd be getting an earful later about letting the Twins loose, but who else could better come up with such chaotic, wild plans that had a modicum of success? For they'd need chaos to counter Umbridge. Her love for order was probably the only thing that had enabled her to use time manipulation outside of the rules without the entire castle crumbling to bits by now. He could only imagine the amount of scheduling she had to do to make it work. Nonetheless, cracks were slowly showing, and he certainly wouldn't wait for them to spread for much longer.
''That'll be the end of it for now then,'' he resolutely said. ''Once I have a more concrete idea on what we can possibly do against Umbridge, you'll all be informed. If anyone comes up with a plan to inconvenience her without being caught in the meantime, run it by me, Ron, or any of your Prefects, Head boys or Head Girls in the D. A. Well then, due to personal circumstances, the last training sessions I had planned for the previous term had to be cancelled, so we have some catching up to do. It's good that the ones who stayed at Hogwarts over the holidays did some revision, for I want to start with a bit of creative work: coming up with spells or spell combinations in various sticky scenarios.''
''Errr, Harry, can we actually talk for a second before?'' Ron asked, glancing back at Hermione, who nodded encouragingly.
Not too happy about the interruption, but also still too ecstatic about finally being around his friends again, Harry agreed. They walked over to the side of the room, where a large S.P.E.W. donation bow now adorned the wall as he'd promised Hermione. She gazed upon it fondly and Harry made a mental note to drop some money in at a time where she wasn't looking, as he really didn't know who else donated. He should maybe put part of his money away for charities now he had a safe in his room at the Malfoys. As discussed previously with his guardian, Lucius had also put a significant sum in the Fountain of Magical Brethren during the Easter holidays, to support St. Mungo's on Harry's behalf.
''Ron had an idea,'' she started, giving their friend a proud look that made his cheeks grow as red as his hair.
''We both had the idea,'' he mumbled.
''Don't be so modest. Harry, the both of us wanted to take some weight off you and researched a spell to teach everyone. Would you allow us to take over the role of teachers for the day?''
''Depends on what you planned, I suppose.''
Ron rolled his eyes. ''Just trust us, wouldn't be much of a surprise if we told you, would it? Please? Just give us a chance.''
Feeling a bit out of his depth as he'd really looked forward to being the teacher instead of the student again, Harry grudgingly agreed, returning to the rest of the curious group to announce he'd be sitting back and learning with the rest of them. A few 'boo's that came from the Slytherins were quickly shut up by a combination of Harry's dirty looks and the Twin's setting fire to Nott's hair.
''Fire is in the spirit of today,'' Ron awkwardly grinned. ''But please tell me that you can revert that and grow his hair back, please.''
''What, did you think we were going nice on the sub?'' George chuckled madly.
''I'm your brother!''
''That line has never accomplished anything positive, not sure why you're still trying to be honest.''
Harry cleared his throat. ''Guys, if not for him, then shut up for me, okay?'' The two looked disappointed, and a piece of fireworks that spelled dirty words in the air just so 'happened' to go off. Harry had to bite the inside of his cheek to remain a stern expression instead of breaking out into laughs. It would be unfair to his best friends to lose his composure now, so he struggled through it to keep a straight face.
Obviously seeing how much this training would go wrong if someone capable didn't step in, Hermione attempted to get everyone's attention. Once all eyes were on her, she stuttered: ''S-so, today we wanted to give back a bit to Harry, who has so tirelessly searched for new, interesting spells that can be useful, both in combat and out of it. Since we all got a pretty good handle on many fire spells already before we moved onto other elemental spells, Ron and I wanted to demonstrate that we took his teaching to heart and found one more spell on the spectrum of fire magic that could be very useful that hadn't been mentioned when we were on that topic. It's – erhm- versatile and can - can be used in tricky situations, we think. The only downside is that-'' she took a deep breath and nervously searched out Harry. ''It can't be used too often as it comes with a cost.''
The sentence hit him like a ton of bricks. Harry couldn't hide a reaction now, eyes widening and feeling his jaw go slack. Not wanting to be tricked into wishful thinking, he didn't comment, although from the corner of his eyes, he saw several Slytherins exchange meaningful glances.
''So do be warned, for while powerful, summoning this fire requires you to trade a lot of your body heat and energy.''
Trade… that was one way to call it. He leaned forwards ever so slightly.
''We prepared blankets and snacks just in case because we err… only tested this to a certain degree.'' Hermione gave Ron a stink-eye. ''Because someone needed to go flying instead.''
''I don't control the training schedule, 'Mione!'' he protested, pointing at Angelina. ''Complain to my captain!'' The older girl raised a single eyebrow, which had Ron gulping. ''Or don't. Better don't.''
Still with a slightly miffed expression, Hermione drew her wand and turned to the side so she could aim at the wall instead of her students. ''Point your wand down at the floor like this and start making quick, spiralling motions while saying the incantation. The more spins, the hotter the fire but beware, for it also drains your energy faster. Once you are ready, the first flick will release a ball of fire.'' She made a sharp, half-circular motion with her wand. ''Keep the tip of your wand trained on the burning sphere that will appear. Then, when you are ready, you can throw it away from you with a second motion,'' -she made an upwards wide arc as if handling a tennis racket – ''and when it's in the position you want it to be, a third strike like this,'' -a quick, perfectly horizontal slash in the air – ''will cause it to explode. Did you all get the movements?'' She repeated the four different motions a few times. Spiral, flick downwards, flick up and away, slash. Harry's hand subconsciously was already practising with his finger.
''Good. Then now for the incantation: Calor displode!'' she stated firmly and clearly, while already starting with the circular motions. The wand trembled in her hand, a line of sparks trailing the tip of the vine wood, more and more gathering, slowly changing in colour from red to blue to finally settle on pure white until Hermione finally whipped the wand down and a bright light filled the room. Awed, he watched what appeared to be a miniature star which distorted the air around it from the force of its heat. It only took a few seconds for the girl to fling it away, and with a final decisive move, the star burst open into a shower of diamonds that turned to sapphires and rubies as they cooled on the stone floor, finally leaving naught but holes in it.
Hermione sank to the floor, looking pale. Ron rushed towards her with a blanket and an apple she instantly devoured. ''Maybe don't hold it until it's white,'' she faintly stated after having gathered her composure again. ''As you can see, it burned even through stone, although the spell was mainly harmless as I caused it to explode in mid-air. When timing it so it explodes on impact with, say, a wall, it functions as a powerful Bombarda instead. If you don't let it explode at all, it eventually does so on its own, though how long that takes seems to differ. Harry, would you like to try?'' she asked with hopefulness in her voice.
He felt slightly numb when getting up, taking in the faces of his two oldest and best friends. It was as if he truly saw them for the first time this year. Odd, he'd invested so much in building up relationships with other people – Barty, the Malfoys, Voldemort – that he'd almost forgotten to properly communicate with the people whose friendship came so easily and naturally.
'That's just your saving people thing' Ron had commented after Harry had fessed up to freeing the snake that had almost been Mr Weasley's death and sending her back home to a man whom Ron had no other information on that showed him as more than a bogeyman.
'Follow your heart.' Hermione had recommended when listening to Harry's vague rant about his feelings for a man with more than questionable personality traits.
And here they were, trying to make him feel included and safe, approaching Harry on his turf. Because he wasn't forthcoming enough on his own. Maybe it was time to show some more trust.
''The lions are getting into the heavy stuff, aren't they?''
A plume of smoke hit Harry's face, which he waved away with irritation. ''Can you not turn our training room into your personal smoke house?'' he asked in exasperation. Harry had been so caught up in tidying the room and making notes on the session that he hadn't realised Draco hadn't left. When looking around, he saw they were alone.
''Maybe you had a point,'' the blond sniffed. ''With your endless optimism and persistence, maybe you can actually keep them.''
''Don't make it sound like they're my pets.''
Draco shook his head and flicked the cigarette bud carelessly onto the floor. ''Whatever makes you sleep at night, bro. I'm trying to meet you half-way here.'' The Slytherin straightened the sleeves of his robes and swept out without another word.
If Harry's peace of mind would rest on Ron and Hermione getting along with the likes of Draco, he was truly doomed.
The events of yesterday were not forgotten, but they were certainly pushed to the background easily with a turbulent start of the first day of class. In typical Hogwarts fashion, the schedule for their career advice and accompanying information on various careers had been released during the holidays, which meant that all who'd returned to school on Sunday had suddenly been faced with the impending doom of trying to figure out what to say to their Head of House. Having spent only a few minutes in the dorms to drop off his things before the D. A. meeting, he'd only found the letter when heading to bed. Harry was incredibly glad now that he'd already discussed options with Hermione, Voldemort and his godfather as to his horror, his talk had been scheduled for Monday afternoon already, giving him mere hours to prepare.
The appointment being scheduled for two thirty in the afternoon also meant that he'd miss a good chunk of the Divination class, which was rather annoying as this was the first time he'd looked forward to the course since taking the accursed elective. Like all of his classmates, the teen was curious to see how a Centaur would handle teaching it, but when everyone rushed towards their new classroom, which was sensibly not in a tower anymore, Harry had to go the other way and head to the office of their Transfiguration professor. Ron just gave him a pitying face before joining the rest of the class, as enthusiastic as he'd been upon the announcement in fourth year that a famous ex-Auror was their new Defence teacher. Harry hoped the talk wouldn't last too long so he could at least still take part in the class instead of having to hear everyone else talk about it.
He knocked, punctual on the dot, and was greeted by a very tense McGonagall. It didn't take long to figure out why: Umbridge sat in the corner with her stupid clipboard. Harry tried his hardest to simply ignore her presence, instead casting a glance at all the pamphlets that littered the elegant desk. His Head of House did not address Umbridge's presence either, instantly focusing on Harry. ''So, Potter,'' she said, in her typically stern tone. ''We're here to discuss your plans for the future after Hogwarts, careers you have thought about and what subjects you might need to take for those in your last two years. Do you have any concrete plans?''
''I do,'' he firmly answered, at which his Head of House merely raised an eyebrow. ''I thought of several paths I could take-''
''Indecisive,'' Umbridge muttered under her breath and made a note on her clipboard.
Harry briefly pressed his lips together, then continued: ''My priority is a job in which I can help other people, both a career as a Healer or as a teacher seem appealing.''
''Two very different jobs, which may make choosing your subjects more difficult,'' McGonagall frowned. Then, the corner of her lip lifted. ''Unless you wish to become a Defence teacher, of course, there aren't any specific requirements for that apart from taking Defence, as we've seen from many unqualified teachers in very recent years.''
Umbridge's head shot up and she glowered darkly. ''Excuse me, Minerva,'' she spoke in a sweet voice. ''You cannot motivate students to strive for positions that are already taken and will be for the foreseeable future.''
''As long as you take Defence Against the Dark Arts as a N.E.W.T. subject and manage to get an E in it, I'm sure we can set you up for an interview the summer after you graduate,'' McGonagall continued as if Umbridge was invisible and inaudible. ''I'm sure we'll need all the help we can get after burning through two more teachers by that point. I recommend taking a trial year though and perhaps moving onto a different subject after if possible.''
''Minerva,'' Umbridge spoke up with an almost pitying smile. ''You seem to forget that Potter still needs to get into the advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts course first.''
''An excellent point. Potter, there's no need to worry about that subject in the slightest.''
A soft hiss escaped plump lips. ''As you very well know, Minerva, I allow only top students in my advanced class.''
''Mister Potter is a top student,'' McGonagall coolly said.
''I'm sure I slipped you a paper with his current grades,'' she sweetly said, gesturing towards the desk. McGonagall withdrew a slip of pink parchment with a disgusted expression, threw one look at it and shoved it brusquely aside. Harry wasn't even sure what Umbridge was complaining about. To follow McGonagall's advice about keeping his head down, he'd even studied the boring Defence book they were forced to read in class. He couldn't recall a single failed test. Sure, maybe he'd never passed with higher than 'Acceptable', but the Defence O.W.L. was mainly based on practical magic from what he'd heard.
That was confirmed when his Professor spoke: ''His grades in theoretical Defence are passable. I happen to have taught at this school a tad longer than you have, Dolores, and I can assure you that Potter's practical appliance of Defence is top-notch, as he demonstrated during exams set by actually competent teachers. Why, Professor Lupin told me many times that you showed a profound aptitude for the subject and as he was the best teacher we had for the course in the past decade, I value that opinion highly, as should you.''
''Noted,'' Harry spoke, pleased when seeing Umbridge's face become full of red splotches. He wondered what she'd said or done to get McGonagall so pissed that his Head of House threw caution to the wind and directly provoked her. ''I think my priority would be Healing though, but in case I won't manage that, I'm glad to hear that there's a job with less requirements to fall back on.''
''How did you get interested in healing?'' McGonagall asked. ''It's not a first choice for many students by this point as very little is taught about it until sixth year Charms class.''
''Having played Quidditch for three years and landing in the Infirmary far more often than I'd ever thought I would, I've come to value the trade. It's fascinating to me just how much the job entails and how much can be accomplished with magic, whether it's removing monster-inflicted curses or regrowing bones overnight. I've had many talks with Madam Pomfrey during my overnight stays there and she told me a thing or two about Healing. Last Christmas, I also got a first look at St. Mungo's. Seeing all the different departments made me curious about the various branches of Healing, so I dug a bit in the library to find out more. It sounds like a respectful career that is both adventurous and enables me to support others.''
Umbridge made a few coughing noises again, clearly having reverted to her usual indicator of wishing to interrupt, but McGonagall simply offered a cough drop -which was declined - and carried on the conversation.
''You seem to have the right motivations,'' McGonagall frowned. (Another cough) ''However, Healing is one of the toughest fields to get into. Other than most careers, which require merely a number of passed N.E.W.T.S with only a few in specific courses, to get an apprenticeship at St. Mungo's you will need a N.E.W.T. in Herbology, Defence, Transfiguration, Charms and… Potions. Professor Snape does not allow students with any lower than an Outstanding for their Ordinary Wizarding Level into the advanced course.'' Umbridge's coughing grew louder, so the Transfiguration Professor took a tin of candies out of her desk and rattled it a few times without even looking up. After a few seconds of deafening silence, McGonagall put the tin down and gave Harry an expectant look.
''My grades in the subject have gone up recently,'' Harry defended. It was true: ever since realising he could focus more on the theory exams and Snape didn't purposefully make Harry fail by 'accidentally' knocking over finished potions or other such stunts, his decent practical and excellent theoretical exams had his current grade at an E (though barely).
''Hem hem.'' The clearing of Umbridge's throat was so loud now that he expected a frog croak any moment now. It looked like she finally snapped out of her fake politeness again, for she butted in without being addressed. ''Surely, Mr Potter, you do not think that you can miraculously improve your grade within a few weeks' time?'' she sniffed. ''Perhaps your fame makes you think you can pluck the stars from the sky if you only reach for them, but Professor Snape is a man of good character and I'm sure he won't bend over backwards to ensure your mediocre performance gets shown in better lighting than it deserves.''
''Dolores,'' McGonagall spoke with a tone that could have cut ice. ''I was under the impression that you were here to observe. If this is to be a three-way conversation, please take you chair a bit closer so you're not breathing down my neck if you wish to participate after all.''
The toad simply 'tsked' and went back to scribbling something down.
''You still have remedial potion classes with Severus, don't you, Potter?'' For a moment, Harry was alarmed that McGonagall knew Snape was helping him with potions instead of Occlumency. Then, he recalled that the whole remedial potions was supposed to be a cover up story.
''Yes. Professor Snape thinks that I can better improve my brewing when being additionally tutored by him.''
''It seems that even Severus recognises your potential then,'' McGonagall spoke with a slightly victorious smirk. ''He is indeed a competent Potion Master, it must say a lot that he is willing to invest so much time in your education even after you cranked up your grades so much already. From a P to an E in barely a year is impressive. There are many students who, from looking at results alone, would need one-on-one tutoring more than you do.'' Harry tried not to laugh when feeling rage fly across the room. The Head of Gryffindor House had excellently turned the previous argument about Snape against Umbridge.
''So a career in healing is feasible?'' he asked hopefully.
''As long as you manage an O in Potions, yes. All other necessary courses do not have such strict requirements and as your current grades are rated between Acceptable and Exceed Expectations for Herbology, Charms and Transfiguration, you are on the right path. With enough revision before your exams, you should be able to manage an E in all of those subjects.''
''There's still Defence,'' Umbridge muttered viciously again.
''And as said before, there's no reason to worry about Defence Against the Dark Arts,'' McGonagall repeated loudly to drive the point home. ''Do you have any further questions?''
''One,'' Harry spoke. ''I figured it's not absolutely necessary for either of these careers, but I heard that it would help with Healing to get an O.W.L. in Runes. Unfortunately, I only found that out a long time after missing the opportunity to choose the course as an elective, but I've done a lot of self-study and am positive that I could at least pass an O.W.L. in it. Even if my mark wouldn't be good enough to also take the N.E.W.T. course after, I would still like to try. I was told that it's possible to sign up for O.W.L.s even when not having taken the actual course?''
Umbridge looked scandalised, but before she had a chance to say anything, McGonagall already nodded. ''Correct. Several students have done so in the past when wishing to study more courses than physically possible. Why, Bill Weasley passed his O.W.L. in all twelve subjects Hogwarts has to offer, three of them on self-study. I'll send you a note with a date and time during which we can discuss this further and I help you with the appropriate, Ministry-approved forms,'' she smiled. ''If that was your last question, I suggest that you hurry back to class now. You wouldn't want to miss your first fascinating Divination class, would you?''
Giving her a grin, Harry stood and swung his back over his shoulder. ''Thanks a lot, Professor.''
''It's my job, Potter,'' she brusquely said, though then added: ''I'm proud that you are taking your studies more serious than in previous years.''
He shrugged, already on his way out. ''Certain deadly experiences like the Triwizard Tournament are excellent motivators to learn all you can to stay alive. Cheers.''
Casting a Tempus, Harry decided that there was still enough time left to catch the last twenty minutes of Divination. With Trelawney, he wouldn't have bothered at all and strolled through the corridors instead to kill time, but his feet carried him straight to the Divination classroom now. It helped that he didn't need to climb all the way to the north Tower this time. Trying not to disturb the people already there, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside the classroom.
It felt like stepping outside. Tree-like pillars rose from the ground, complete with canopies of rustling leaves. Filtered sunlight from the stained-glass windows hit lush ground in inviting beams that Harry very much felt like basking in. The air smelt heavy of moss and earth, even more so than the greenhouses Professor Sprout cared so much for. Harry wondered why the room looked like this, not because it was surprising for a centaur to want the forest around them, but because it looked nothing like the forest where the Centaur herd dwelled. The Forbidden Forest was ominous, eternally dark and filled with lurking danger. He couldn't imagine a place like this to exist anywhere under those hostile trees. Inexplicably, Harry felt very much at home here.
Not the entire classroom had been replaced, he noted. While there were no chairs, tables or chalkboard, a few cabinets and a wastepaper basket stood to the sides, overgrown with vines. It was an odd look, as if an old room had been overtaken by nature after a century of abandonment.
In the middle of the room, their new teacher stood tall, surrounded by students who sat in a half-circle on stones, logs or simply in the grass. Harry instantly recognised the white-blonde Centaur with pleasant surprise: Firenze. When approaching, Harry made sure to take in the expression of everyone, noticing that a few people looked highly uncomfortable, especially whenever Firenze moved closer to them. Clearly, Umbridge was not the only person with a dislike for Centaurs. Harry did like to think that the news articles at the start of the school year had brought a wave of sympathy for non-humans that hadn't been there before, as the number of reserved students could be counted on one hand, but he made sure to remember their names. None of them were in the D.A. and none of them would be with that attitude.
''Harry Potter,'' Firenze called out, before Harry could sneakily join Ron on one of the logs.
''Err, hi,'' he answered, taking a few steps forwards to grasp the Centaur's outstretched hand, aware of the many curious glances thrown their way. ''Good to see you again.'' He noted with slight worry that a bruise the shape of a hoofprint marked Firenze's chest. It looked like coming to Hogwarts had resulted in a fight.
Firenze bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement while thoughtfully giving a slow handshake. He stilled then, without letting go, lifting their hands and frowning at Harry's. Blood rushed to the teen's face as the attentive, equine eyes travelled across his fingers. He had given it a quick shave early morning, but he couldn't entirely hide the non-human details when up close. ''Willingly given…'' Firenze murmured softly with a curious tone, then at long last let go. ''Our spirit is with you, Harry Potter.''
He gulped. ''I know,'' he managed to sputter out, then quickly made his way over to the log Ron was sitting on with thumping heart, ignoring his friend's questioning look and the other awed stares around. Next D.A. lesson, he'd probably have to start with another story of his many accidental adventures…
The class continued. Ron quickly explained what they'd done so far and that there'd been a round of questions first, with Firenze trying to explain how he came to be here. It made Harry realise that many of his peers held much less information about Hogwarts than he'd gathered over the years, which came as a surprise. How did people not know that a Centaur herd lived in the Forest? He'd found out about that shortly into his first year, and the topic had been mentioned rather often when talking to Hagrid. According to Ron, they'd then quickly moved onto staring at the sky - the ceiling was enchanted in a similar fashion to the Great Hall, and they'd looked at constellations and planets. ''He absolutely served Parvati's nonsense about Trelawney's Astrology,'' Ron grinned under his breath. ''Something about the limitations of the human mind and such. Centaurs seem to be a bit more sensible, he spoke of how the planets show that we're currently in a very short period of peace in between wars. With You-Know-Who's return that makes a lot of sense.''
Right now, they'd moved onto smoke interpretation, which appeared to be pretty relaxing as Firenze didn't at all seem bothered by whether they actually saw something or not. Harry quickly realised that he had no more talent for gazing at smoke than at crystal balls, but the pleasant smell of burning herbs reminded him of home.
Voldemort's home, he mentally corrected himself, getting warm when catching the thought. While Barty had once mentioned that Harry could very well consider that house home, it had certain domestic connotations that he wasn't sure he was ready for yet now they were in a relationship. He didn't want to assume.
He spent the remainder of the Divination period struggling with not assuming while his brain flopped sideways like a relaxed bunny each time a flash of the veranda, the kitchen or Voldemort's soft bed came to mind. The more Harry inhaled from the smoke, the more he stopped struggling as many more pictures – memories? – came to mind, one in particular refusing to go away: Harry having his head in Voldemort's lap (pretty sure that was just wild imagination) while the man spoke about mirrors and poetry.
The ringing of the bell cut sharp through his daze. Jolting awake, he blinked blearily. Had he fallen asleep? Next to him, Ron yawned as well and rubbed his freckled face. ''Man, that was weird. I think I preferred looking at those stars. Would've liked to hear a bit more details about that instead. This whole war that's supposed to happen and all.''
Harry preferred not to speak about war at all, for it confirmed his suspicions: that no matter Voldemort's current plans, there would be violence one way or the other. Intentions might not matter if it were to be discovered by the Ministry that the Dark Lord had risen again and was playing his own game in the shadows. Or if Dumbledore were to ever come face-to-face with him. What he wanted or not was inconsequential though. If lives were at stake, he needed all the information he could get. Conveniently, Firenze called for Harry to stay after class.
''Is this about me being late, Professor?'' he asked politely, already withdrawing the invitation to the earlier meeting from his bag. ''I had permission from McGonagall…''
Firenze shook his head, long blond hair elegantly flowing at the movement. ''Time is relative,'' he spoke. ''Only the passage of time itself cannot be halted. Perhaps we should even help the natural order of things along regarding that.''
''Err…''
Firenze gave him a bemused look. ''My words will ring true eventually, Harry Potter. Do not fill your head with more worries than those that reside there already. I merely wish to ask you to pass along a message. To Hagrid.''
''Can you not as a member of the staff?'' he asked in confusion. ''Not to be disrespectful,'' he hastily added. ''But under Umbridge's restrictions, it's very difficult for students to actually speak to Hagrid without her listening in. He's only supposed to talk to students during class after all, where she's always watching. I'm sure that as a Professor, you have a better opportunity to speak privately.''
''You would be right, if only I could believe Hagrid would take my words to heart. I tried to warn him before, but while I consider him my friend, he is stubborn. I believe that he will listen to you. Tell him that his attempt is not working. He'd best abandon his endeavour.''
A dozen questions popped up, but it looked like Firenze was being secretive for a reason, so he didn't probe. ''I'll pass the message on. Can't say for sure he'll listen to me either though. Professor, can I also ask you something?'' The Centaur dipped his head, which he took as an affirmation. ''Ron told me that during the start of the lesson, there was some talk about… about an upcoming war.''
''Mars is bright,'' Firenze solemnly stated, scraping a hoof across the ground. ''It has been too bright for years.''
''How long…?''
''Even us Centaurs do not hold the gift of absolute prophecy,'' Firenze admitted. ''We only strive to interpret the skies and its meaning for the inhabitants of our world. We discovered that a war is to come which will rage for years, and through using Oneiromancy and Bonatomancy the more gifted of my herd believe that you are a central figure in this, as is He-Who-Slithers. Both the timing and the outcome are shrouded in mystery. As for when or how long… I cannot give you the answers you seek.''
''Not even a rough estimate?'' Harry asked, feeling frustratingly incapable.
His new Professor sighed and plucked a leaf from a nearby branch, rubbing it in between his fingers. ''Soon… far… The earth and the planets around us have existed for millions of years, Harry Potter. Both humans and my own kind have only walked this earth for the tiniest fraction of that. We cannot expect the universe to revolve around us.'' Blue eyes pierced deeply into Harry's. ''The sky only reveals that dark times are to come. For humans, for everyone else, for those who have magic and for those who don't. Prophecy cannot tell us what to do, only tell us the events we must prepare for as well as we can.''
''But there's always war somewhere,'' he countered. ''There are several Muggle wars going on right now all across the globe.'' It had been in the news plenty, Vernon always watching those parts as if they were part of a particularly amusing show that only existed to entertain him with human suffering.
''Ah, but Mars is not bright everywhere,'' the Centaur said in a tone that had a vague hint of 'got-you-there' to it. Maybe Voldemort was right to recommend ignoring divination after the disastrous outcome of listening to the Prophecy made about them both. None of it was tangible enough for Harry to be comprehensible.
''Does Mars brightening have anything to do with the red moon?'' he asked, remembering how the Centaur in Scandinavia had mentioned them both in the same breath. Firenze stilled, eyes turning to ice.
''We do not speak of the Moons, Harry Potter,'' he breathed. ''Never mention that again.''
Suddenly feeling very cold and threatened by the otherwise so peaceful Centaur, Harry quickly nodded and retreated. Maybe not all Centaurs were the same, just like there were light and dark wizards. Even after the Dark Lord's attempt to save magical creatures all over Europe, Hogwarts' herd knew nothing about Voldemort's return, kept in the dark as they were considered allies to Dumbledore. But Firenze hadn't seemed to mind that Harry's arm had been replaced by a Centaur's, so he doubted they had a taboo on Necromancy… With more questions than answers, he carried on with the day.
XxX
One failure after another. With empty eyes and an emptier mind, Albus gazed blankly upon the pieces on his desk. His statement from the start of last term, admitting that he was stuck in so many ways that mattered, was truer than ever. Minor victories had been gained, though for it he'd suffered heavier losses. Approaching the Daily Prophet to expose Dolores' wrongdoings had escalated into Dementors at Hogwarts, two additional staff members on probation and the 'retirement' of David Noctua, whom Albus had hoped to form a long-lasting alliance with. When dear Sybill had been fired, the only remaining scrap of power left to him had been barely sufficient to offer her lodgings and food, no more. There was a little less each day that he could do from within the restrictions of the Ministry of Magic.
He'd hoped that at the very least, the stolen responsibilities meant more time to study Voldemort's immortality and a means to counter it. Now, after months of studying the scraps he'd managed to take from Nagini, Albus Dumbledore had to come to the horrific conclusion that he'd wasted that time. The magic he'd felt, the one that drenched her skin and scales, did not belong to Lord Voldemort. The dark energy it leaked was blood magic, not soul magic. The curse that lay on the serpent was not what he's been looking for. From the way it acted, Albus still had no doubts that the snake had been turned into a Horcrux, but it appeared that soul was not evenly distributed. He should have realised it sooner… if it worked like that, Voldemort could have hidden all pages from his diary in different corners of the world and essentially multiplied his Horcruxes.
With this, the hope he'd clung onto, that he could save young Harry Potter from the cruelty of fate by removing the Dark Lord's soul that resided within his body, faded as well. The longer he hesitated, the heavier the strike would be when Tom would unleash doom upon the world. There was no opportunity anymore to find alternative solutions. People were dying, and all but a few bright minds closed their eyes for the truth.
It was time that he took a more active role as leader of the Order of the Phoenix, for his organisation had not been as successful as when they'd combatted Voldemort in the first war. He was the only one who could hunt down and put an end to the Dark Lord up until the moment that Harry had to deal the last blow.
A polite knock sounded.
''Minerva, come in,'' he invited his friend. She strode in, though took no more than a few steps before halting, sharp eyes taking in his office.
''Albus, you cannot be serious,'' she exclaimed, gesturing towards the small pile of packed suitcases.
''I'm afraid so.''
''You cannot leave the school, not now!''
He leaned back and stroked his beard, gazing upon her over his spectacles. ''My dear Professor. We all must choose our battles. Stopping Voldemort's rise takes precedence over clinging onto my position as Headmaster. For it would be no more than keeping the title. Dolores sets punishments, dismisses and appoints teachers, controls the flow of information to and from Hogwarts… what exactly is still within my jurisdiction that I can protect the students with?''
''You can talk to the School Board of Governors!''
Calmly, he summoned a second cup and poured his friend a cup of tea, which she only disdainfully looked at. ''I did, at the start of last term. Before we had an official investigation in Hogwarts and the Ministry released a report on her good conduct. They were too slow to act then and will not listen to a word I have to say now.'' He eyed a lone, suspicious letter on his desk. Well, one member of the school board had reached out to him, but Lucius Malfoy always followed an agenda. Whether the Death Eater had been ordered to establish contact by Voldemort or was attempting to lull Albus in a false sense of security to then backstab him out of personal vengeance, no good could come out of accepting the hand of such a ruthless man as Lucius. Even more so now his guardianship of Harry could be held over their heads. It was a small miracle that the boy had returned safe and sound to Hogwarts, which he attributed only to Harry being such a public figure that a sudden disappearance would surely instantly put too much suspicion upon the Malfoys after their questionable past. The Headmaster took the letter and locked it in a drawer of his desk before taking a sip of tea. ''This really is delicious,'' he commented. Minerva's nostrils flared, but nonetheless finally accepted the cup and sat down opposite of him.
''Albus. Be reasonable.''
''I am perfectly reasonable. I cannot protect my students better than any other trusted staff member could right now. There are other duties pulling me away. Remus had no luck with the werewolves, Hagrid not with the Giants. Sirius is recklessly disappearing for days at a time and will listen to no-one about staying safe. What's more, none of the others have found any distinctive clue as to Voldemort's plans. After the attack on Arthur, he hasn't even shown interest anymore in the Department of Mysteries. I need to attempt to shed light on this myself, be a guiding hand that I can't be when confined in my office, worrying about my students.''
''But you don't need to leave Hogwarts permanently for that! It wouldn't be the first time that you have temporarily left the castle.''
''That is true,'' he admitted. Fawkes let out a melodic sound and ruffled his feathers in a way that usually meant he had something significant to say. Before Albus could rise and stride towards his familiar's side to calm the Phoenix down, Fawkes had flown to one of the windows and perched upon the windowsill. With a concerned frown, Albus followed and looked down from his tower into the entrance courtyard, where a few figures headed towards Hogwarts. He recognised the signature lime-green bowler.
''Ah, it must be successful, then,'' he muttered. Straightening, he turned towards his friend again. ''Minerva, I may not be able to protect anyone when bound by law, but I most certainly can outside of it. I must ask of you to look after our students as well as you can during my absence. Now, I have something to take care of that you cannot be a witness to, lest Dolores expels you from Hogwarts too.''
''You're about to do something reckless again, aren't you?'' she sighed.
''As reckless as can be,'' he cheerfully answered.
''Take care, my friend. I wish you all the best.'' She exited gracefully. Albus vanished her cup to hide her presence and started his own act of rebellion. He pulled a piece of cloth from the instrument that had protested the most ever since the Dementors had arrived at Hogwarts. Instantly, loud whistling filled the office, metal spinning wildly as if it was a living being trapped in a cage. With trembling hands, he retrieved a vial from his cabinet of memories, the one with the worn-off label that contained the greatest happiness he'd ever felt.
Albus drew his wand.
Ten minutes later, a shockwave of silver light was sent through the entire castle, flooding every corner and spreading far out towards the grounds. The melody of the Phoenix filled the air as glowing Patroni whirled through corridors, classrooms and skies. It was distorted by the shrieks of angry demons, Dementors fleeing every which way. The flooding of light didn't stop until the castle could breathe again without oppressive fear. The Patroni vanished, yet the light did not, crystallising briefly in a dome of silver that encased the castle before merging with the wards.
Albus sagged down on the floor, breathing heavily. He placed a hand on the now-silent foe detector as if wishing it well. With sorrow, he looked upon the shattered glass vial. It had only been a copy of course, the true memory was in his mind, but he'd never be able to recall it again with such clarity, nor would he ever feel happiness again when gazing upon it. The price of dark magic was high. But sometimes, the end justified the means.
His office door was opened once more, this time forcefully. Fudge stormed in, red in the face and pointing a finger at his crumpled form, followed by a smug Dolores and a few Aurors. Kingsley was amongst them, but Albus knew how important it was that his friend would keep up appearances instead of rushing to his aid.
''Ahah! We have found the culprit! Dumbledore, how dare you go against Ministry orders!''
''I'll not risk those things devouring the souls of children, Cornelius,'' he stated, bones cracking as he shakily got to his feet again.
The Minister of Magic spluttered. ''Delusional! The Dementors are entirely under control, they were here to establish order, ensure that your people keep in line. You will let them back in right now.''
''I'm afraid that isn't possible,'' he smiled, gesturing towards the skies. ''These wards will last years without needing reinforcement. No Dementor can step foot in Hogwarts anymore. They've brought more harm than good.''
''Your aversion to them is ridiculous.''
''Minister,'' Umbridge spoke sweetly. ''Surely, this is proof enough that we are being conspired against? First the hostility from the staff, then that ridiculous investigation of my character, and now the Headmaster of Hogwarts drives off the very allies that are here to protect students, both from themselves and from outside forces?''
''Yes… yes,'' Fudge muttered, looking crazed. ''You'll have to answer for this, Dumbledore. The public image - you couldn't expect this would have no consequences? And when this happens during a routine inspection, who's to say what happens when there are no witnesses around? You've put me in a very precarious position.''
''I'll make your position easier,'' Albus spoke, now with a harsher edge to his voice. He looked briefly at Kingsley as a ways of apologising for what was going to happen. ''As long as you refuse to see that you're being controlled by Lord Voldemort, I refuse to have faith in your competence. For the last time, Cornelius, wake up or let better people handle running this country.''
''You're plotting against me! You want my position!''
Albus wished that he could briefly close his eyes to process Cornelius' stupidity. It was a luxury he could not afford in this moment. Without keeping up appearance further, he sent his already packed luggage away with a flick of his wand. Dolores seemed to grasp the situation the quickest and yelled at the Aurors to stun him, but she was too late. With some quick wandwork, he sent a Stunning wave through the room, knocking all of them unconscious. In the few seconds before they'd wake up, he activated the spells on the entrance that would seal the office as soon as they'd run out to search for him and shut the doors behind them.
Fawkes cried out and flew across the room. Clinging onto the hope that this was all for the best, Albus let his familiar carry him far away in a storm of flames.
AN: Regarding the timeline: there's a canon inconsistency in the books, where before the 2-week Easter holiday, Ron mentions that there are 6 weeks left till exams, whereas after the Easter holiday, there are suddenly still 5 weeks left (and I double-checked the holiday length, but Easter hols really was 2 weeks, not 1). Since there are (per regular calendar) still 10 entire weeks left till summer holidays starts and only 3 of those are exam weeks, none of this makes any amount of sense, even when counting a week of regular classes after exams like in non-O.W.L. years. So just a warning, since Rowling's timeline is so strange and I can't really come up with a fixed solution that makes me happy, I'll just get a bit less specific-y with what is placed where in those remaining 10 weeks. Thank Merlin that at least June 30th falls on a Sunday in 1996 so summer holidays start with a new clean week.
On a side note, in chapter 69, it was mentioned already by Harry that Healing required a N.E.W.T. in several core subjects. I recall that back then, I got a comment about it being unusual for jobs to require that many core subjects. While writing this chapter though, I re-read a chunk of Order of the Phoenix, and canonically, becoming a Healer does require all the N.E.W.T.s mentioned in chap 69 as well as in this chapter: in OotP, Ron mentions those subjects being a requirement for taking the Healer career path when reading flyers about it.
Please read and leave a review if you liked it and/or have questions :)
Next up: chaos, shared dreams and some heartfelt conversations with Harry's friends!
