A/N: So I do sort of apologize about that cliffhanger. When I was originally writing this I thought it would be a good stopping point. A little unknown can be exciting.
To my new favorites, followers and reviewers. Hi - I do read each review and see each person favoriting or following me or my stories. It's cool to recognize names from other stories. Hope this keeps your interest.
I did make some last minute changes before I posted, so I hope I didn't forget any verbs or subjects in those new parts. I have a tendency to do that. Especially after a glass or two of wine. ).
Next weeks will probably post on Friday (for those who aren't following), I will be at a class reunion next weekend and figure it's better to post before I start running around with my friends who have a tendency to lead me astray. I swear it's them, it's never me. Nope. Never. Well ... maybe sometimes.
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As the first of September dawned, Malfoy Manor found those residing in its walls weren't as excited as they had been last year. The children arrived at the table in a bit of a melancholy mood. The last week of the summer had been wonderful up the last Saturday of August. There was an uneasiness in the four underaged residents, their trunks were packed and the only things that remained were the familiars. Hermione would need to get Crooks, but the animal had acknowledged her request to appear after breakfast before he headed out for one final gnome hunt. Draco and Harry had sent their owls off before meeting up with the others for breakfast. Blaise never wanted the responsibility of a familiar, he just watched in amusement as Hermione and Crooks had their discussion.
They found the Malfoy and Granger parents at the table with The Prophet set face down on the table. "Good morning, come and eat. We will be leaving in a couple of hours. Is everyone's truck packed?" As the children nodded, Lucius continued. "Harry, Kitmu has placed a set of language lessons for you in your trunk. You are complete them by the end of next Sunday. Hedwig has been informed if you do not send him home with the work after dinner on Sunday, he is to return to the Manor and pick up the next week's work. As a warning, Kitmu said if you do not turn the work in on time, the next week's work will be double." Harry groaned knowing it would be impossible to change the elf's mind. Kitmu was still displeased with how lax Harry was with his studies first year, so the young wizard nodded to Lucius in acknowledgment before a very important question popped into his head.
"Of course Lucius, do you know if he has some plan for oral practice while I'm at Hogwarts?" Harry half expected the elf to appear and pull him into some unused room. Lucius noted the young wizard's resigned acceptance.
"I don't believe so, but you know Kitmu, he might get some wild hair. I would just be prepared for anything." Harry sighed quietly and continued to eat quietly while Lucius turned his attention to the next child at the table. "Draco, I will send you updates on what's happening at the company. I would like you to read them, respond with your thoughts and any ideas you may have. This is what it seems Draco. This is a test. When you are in charge you will need to be able to keep the company in mind, along with whatever else you have going on. Yes?"
Draco's eyes widened, luckily he had just taken a bite of food and it gave him time to determine an appropriate answer. The thought of still being involved with the Company for more than just his summers was more than he had expected. "Of course Father, do you need immediate responses or will I be given time to think and respond later in the day?"
Lucius was pleased with his son's response as Draco didn't seem concerned with the additional responsibility but more with how to manage the expectations. "Most of the topics shouldn't have any great urgency, much like how we handled things this summer. I think you'll be able to identify things that are more pressing than others. But, if something does require an immediate response, I will let you know." A relieved Draco nodded toward his father in agreement.
Lucius continued his gaze around the table and stopped on Blaise. The young wizard was happily eating his meal and thinking how grateful he was for the Malfoy family. With thoughts elsewhere, he didn't notice when Lucius looked at him. "Now Blaise." The young wizard looked up and was surprised to see everyone watching him. "We've been looking into a number of things and Wizengamot agrees your mother may be a danger to you. As such, Narcissa and I have been given temporary custody while the case is investigated and heard by the Wizengamot."
Blaise sat stock still and looked to the man who had taken in a scared boy and treated him like a son. He didn't expect it, so everyone else was shocked when tears started to stream down his face. Unable to respond in more than a broken whisper, Blaise began to thank the Malfoys over and over. Narcissa was out of her seat and pulled the young man into her arms until his tears lessened.
"You will be expected to pick up lessons over the holidays and in the summer with the rest of the lot. Lucius will work with trustees of the Zabini estate to determine its state. We will have a plan set up by the Yule holiday." The young wizard was more than happy to agree with what he had been told before pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his eyes.
Harry was smiling happily at the encounter. "Welcome to family Zabini." Nothing more was needed to be said on the subject. "What about Hermione? Does she get extra work?" The entire table looked to Harry and rolled their eyes but it was Jean who responded.
"No Harry, in fact we are trying to make sure she doesn't over do it this year. That said, I believe Regulus is planning to start introducing her to House matters next summer. But it's nothing to even think about until then. Right Hermione?" The witch, whose eyes widened when she heard about Regulus's plans, agreed.
"Yes Mum, I'll do my best. I think the additional classes will help and I won't spend all my time in the library. But am I allowed to still read some of the random books in the library? Like I did this summer?" The table chuckled at the request. It wasn't like they could stop her from reading. Jean winked and hid her smile when Hermione happily tucked back into the meal. The conversation had successfully distracted the tweens from asking anything about the day before.
At the appointed time, Crooks appeared and settled in his carrier. The elves, saddened the cat would be leaving, packed a large selection of treats for their friend. His final morning in the garden had seen him remove another half dozen gnomes. Crooks, fell asleep knowing when he woke they would be on their way to the castle and all those interesting little creatures on the grounds.
As the family appeared at Kings Cross, the children's trunks were immediately stored into an empty carriage before returning to say goodbye to their family. The children of Malfoy Manor, waved until their parents and station were well and truly behind them.
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Lucius received a note from Frank before dinner the evening prior, informing him the aurors had finally received permission and were planning to head to the former Granger home before nightfall. However, there had been no word from Frank before the house went to bed and more worrisome was the lack of letter in the morning. Lucius didn't want to jump to any conclusions, knowing sometimes the paperwork associated with a stakeout could be cumbersome. Watching the train pull from the station we was deciding what to do when an owl appeared and dropped a note into his hands.
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The Ministry of Magic had been a flurry of activity for the past twelve hours with no end in sight. Frank Longbottom had been attacked and St. Mungo's running another battery of tests on the fallen auror to determine just what spell it had been. Alice and her children were allowed in the room and had heard bits and pieces of what happened from the various aurors who were in and out of the room. The healer finally stated the man was petrified with no other injuries. The curing potions would need to be brewed but until the mandrakes were mature and harvested, which wouldn't be for a couple of months, the auror would remain in this state. The family, while devastated at how long Frank would be gone, were comforted that his condition was only temporary.
The relief was short lived with the aurors, the question now was what sort of beast could petrify without a spell and not be affected by any of the containment spells at the disposal of the Ministry?
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On the train, Hermione was the first to notice Neville's absence. After mentioning it to Harry, it quickly was around the carriage and when each student would head out for one thing or another, they kept their eyes open for their friend. By the time they got to Hogsmeade, it had been decided Neville was not on the train. This was confirmed quietly by Professor Snape who was at the station directing students. His glare told to the small group Neville was not to be discussed. The stern professor then pointed the group to the carriages and walked away. Draco noticed another professor smile at them and quickly follow his Godfather.
"I wonder what lesson that witch is teaching?" Everyone turned to look at the witch with long blonde hair as she hurried to catch up to Snape. "She seems rather focused on Severus. I wonder." The comments trailed off as the group watched Severus huff and turn to the witch. Her blush was all Draco needed. "Yup, Severus has an admirer. No wonder he was a bit short with us, come on if he sees us standing here we will all have detention before we even get to the school." Everyone scurried to get in line quickly so they missed the way Severus's eyes followed the witch when she turned to direct another group of students.
On arriving at the school, the second years were unsurprised to see Professor McGonagall welcoming the students at the main doors. Their surprise was on the other witch standing next to the Transfiguration professor. No one recognized her but believed her to be the new headmistress. "Children, welcome back. Now to the hall and your house tables please. The first years should be arriving soon."
It had been only three months but it seemed they had all missed the old castle. The school radiated happiness as each student returned. As they walked toward the Hall, Harry stopped and started to look around. Draco was the only one who noticed since he and Harry were discussing whether the house teams would have tryouts for all positions or just those that had openings and were trailing the rest of their friends. "Draco, did you hear anything unusual?"
"No, it's almost impossible to hear anything with all the chatter from students and professors." For the first time Harry noticed the din and the sounds he had heard on entering the school melted away.
"I guess it was nothing. Let's get seated." The wizards caught up to their friends and made their way to their respective tables. A few others noticed Neville's absence as well but there wasn't an all around uproar as students were late every year for various reasons. Really as long as they arrived by the first morning of classes all was good.
Professor Snape had been tasked with getting the students quiet and introducing the new Head. He took a bit of perverse satisfaction when he stood and the entirety of the Hall fell silent. The other professors (both old and new) had never seen a student body silent quite that quickly. Minerva, who was standing in the back waiting for her signal, smiled seeing Severus show what the school could be.
"Students, today starts a new chapter in the history of Hogwarts School. I expect you all to listen and if there are questions, provide them to your prefects who will route them to the respective House Heads. Understand?" There was a murmur of agreement before he raised his hand and the noise again stopped. "With that, I am please to introduce our new Headmistress, Sophia Mathews. Your returning professors and the Board of Regents expect you to show our new Head and new professors just why Hogwarts is the best wizarding school." A smattering of cheers and chants of Hogwarts started before the witch stood and shook Severus's hand.
Sophie hadn't know what exactly she wanted to say, but knew her predecessor had a tendency to ramble. "Good day students, as Professor Snape stated, I'm Sophie Mathews and your new Head Mistress. I will not bore you with my history, but I will say, for those of you who are interested, there are a few new books in the library related to my life BH. That would be my time before Hogwarts. I'm an American witch, so I would expect there to be some misunderstandings over the next year. I hope for you to use your prefects and House Heads to make sure these confusions are quickly cleared. Before we move on with the first years, I want to say my door is always open and I hope to get to know each of you personally over the coming year and years." The student clapped politely as the Headmistress motioned to the large doors.
The doors opened with a bang and the Transfiguration Professor led the first years toward the front of the Great Hall. Hermione wasn't sure if she looked as scared as this group but noticed a number of the older students smiling and sending their welcomes to the new students. Hermione and her friends quickly started to do the same and noticed just how relieved the new students were at the warm welcome.
Draco noticed how involved the new Headmistress was compared to what had occurred the year before. As the students were assigned to their houses, Draco cheered loudly when the first Slytherin was announced. With the Weasley twins gone, it seemed they had informed the house their replacement would be the young Malfoy heir. It wasn't uncommon for children from the old families to gain power in the house at this young of an age but his friendships would lead to a shift in how the Slytherin House was viewed by others.
In addition to cheering for his new house members, he clapped politely for each of the students, regardless of where they were placed. When he clapped for the first Gryffindor there was shock before the rest of Slytherin joined the polite applause. This one act led the other houses to follow suit and all houses clapped for each child. The last student to be called was a red-head girl named Ginny. Draco recognized the surname, as did Harry and Hermione. All three wondered what house would claim her and more importantly which of her brothers she would be like. When Gryffindor was called the young girl on the stool sagged in relief. The rest of the hall just watched her, all of the returning students remembered the last Weasley to be a Gryffindor and that didn't end well. There was a half beat of quiet before Hermione began to clap and the rest of Gryffindor and the Hall quickly followed. Ginny was too wrapped up to have noticed the slight delay but she happily hopped off the stool and made her way to the table of the lions.
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Dinner had been great and as students started yelling over tables trying to catch up with other friends, Sophie realized it was time to dismiss the group. "I'm glad to see you all excited about catching up with old friends and meeting new. This year I hope to help us all make new friends. Please follow your prefects in order to get your passwords, figure out sleeping arrangements and what not. Prefects, I am turning over these students to your care. I expect you to ensure their safety. After settling in your dorms, you all have a few hours until curfew. The library will not be open until tomorrow. Our head students and professors will be completing rounds and I'll see you all at breakfast." Sophie waved her hand before the students took advantage of their dismissal and left.
On reaching the portal to the Gryffindor common room the students entered and found a seat before waiting. The prefects directed the first years to a section that appeared to be reserved for them. A few minutes after the last student had settled, Professor McGonagall and a man none of the students recognized entered the common room. "Good Evening students, I hope you are all as pleased to be back as I am to see you all again." The room murmured a response that was overall happy. The wizard chuckled and earned a glare from the older witch. "Well, I am happy to see you all. Before we get into the details, I want to introduce Paulo Oliveira. He will be stepping into the new role of Deputy Head of our house. He will also be teaching some of the divination classes for those of you in that course track." The students welcomed the man with a round of claps and cries of 'Welcome to Gryffindor'. Paulo smiled before inclining his head to assembled students. "Paulo will be setting up a classroom on the second floor with an attached office." A few of the students seemed pleased they didn't have to climb a ladder to get to their classroom.
Minerva, sensing a relaxed feeling in the common room, continued with the providing her house all necessary information. "Now, we have revamped the courses to allow for an advanced course track along with the standard track. In your Hogwarts letter this summer you would have noticed if you were in an advance track or not. For those of you not in the advance track, it does not mean you are a lesser witch or wizard. This is done more for the professors, and allows us to spend additional time to ensure you all learn everything required." The only concern Minerva had with the new advanced track would be how the students would react to having their classes split by this factor instead of houses. Overall no one looked too upset.
"Finally each class, required and elective will have two professors. You shall meet each of the new professors as you work through your classes this week and learn how the work will divided between the professors. Each of us will be available for students to use as resources. Now if there are no questions Paulo and I will leave you to your evening." As the professors made their way to the portal, Minerva turned once more. "Remember the Hall opens at seven and time tables will be handed out at eight. Please do not be late." The house nodded before erupting into chatter.
"Welcome to the chaos that is Gryffindor, Paulo. These children are a bit more of a handful than some of the other houses. But all the students get up to nonsense. It's just a matter of how we discover their antics. Luckily the lions are a bit more action oriented and we should hear rumors of their plans shortly before they actually happen. We may not have much time, but at least I am mostly aware of what I will be facing when I do catch them. Or make sure they don't kill themselves or get expelled in the process." It seemed to Paulo students everywhere were the same and his decision to become a teacher gave him more insight into his own professors.
"Of course Minerva, I shall be on guard." The pair of professors laughed as they left the Gryffindor portal. Minerva had introduced Paulo to the Fat Lady before, so the new professor wished the painting a pleasant evening before following Minerva down the steps. When they separated at the base of the stairs, neither noticed the unfamiliar noise or it stopping as they passed.
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After spending a bit of time catching up with their housemates and claiming their beds, Hermione and Harry left the Tower and went to the room they shared with their friends the year before. On arrival Hermione noticed all everyone except the Hufflepuffs were present. She hoped some of them would show up, she was still worried about Neville.
Theo was the first to see the Gryffindor newcomers. "Whose your new deputy? Ravenclaw has the new transfiguration professor. She was the one at the station with Professor Snape this afternoon and said we should call her Aurora. Flitwick about swallowed his tongue. It was hilarious. Slytherin has the new Ancient Runes wizard. What was his name again Draco?"
Draco stood to make room for Hermione on the couch and waved the newcomers over before answering the question. "Mitchell Upthrall, some wizard from the continent but never said exactly where and he seems a bit full of himself. Started in on how the secrets of the world could only be found in runes. Severus may have sent a silencing spell at him." Hermione settled next to Draco and everyone was pleased to see their relationship hadn't really changed much over the summer since not all of them had been invited to the birthday party a couple of days earlier.
The chatter between the second years continued until about thirty minutes before curfew. As conversations started to wrap up, a flustered Hannah Abbott rushed into the room. At her entrance the room quieted and turned their attention to the doorway. "Sorry, I'm late but I was sure you'd want to hear. Neville should be here by breakfast tomorrow. Something happened to his dad last night and the family is with him. It sounds like his dad is ok, but will be in the hospital for a while. Professor Sprout was really out of sorts. You know Neville is her favorite, but she said he is doing fine and spoke with him just before dinner."
Hermione was the first up and hugged Hannah. "Thanks for letting us know. I know I would have been worried about him until tomorrow morning, we had discussed where Neville could be on the train. But, Harry and I need to get going if we are going to make it back to the tower before curfew. I heard Filch on our way here talking about catching students out tonight." The rest of the students realized how close curfew was before made their way out of the room and toward their beds. With promises of 'see you at breakfast' everyone made it back to the dorms in short order.
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The first day of class was met with a clear sky and bright sunlight. Hermione's mood couldn't have been better. She had worked to push the unpleasant thoughts from the last few days from her mind and focus on just how exciting it was to be back at school. Humming to herself, she got ready for the day and went to the common room. As with her first year, she was one of the only students up this early; at her preferred table, the witch sat and pulled out a book Lucius had allowed her borrow from the Malfoy library. She would have studied for her classes but she didn't know her timetable yet and she was as prepared as she thought she could be for her first set of classes.
After discovering the change to History of Magic, Hermione decided she wanted to try and pick up as much as she could on what the current first years would be learning. The first year curriculum was focused on the magic of South America. Luckily the library at Malfoy Manor had all sorts of information and included a very large history section. This particular book was not on the books required for the first year's class, as Hermione finished those before leaving for Hogwarts, but detailed the mythical creatures and the lore around them a bit more than the required book. After what she had observed in the memories, she thought it would be a good way to turn the scary unknown into something more rational.
Hermione hadn't noticed when people started to filter downstairs but her reading was brought to a stop when Harry plucked the book from her hands. "Sorry Hermione, I'm hungry." The startled witch looked to see the house seemed well and truly awake.
"No, you were right. How long were you waiting on me?" The witch began to repack her bag as she spoke. "Plus if we aren't down there soon, I'm sure Draco and Daphne will be pounding on the portal door worried about us." Harry adjusted his bag while waiting for Hermione to stand. The pair weren't half way to the Hall when they met up with their Slytherin friends. As he always did, Draco smoothly removed Hermione's bag from her shoulder. "Sorry we are late. I was reading." Draco chuckled and gave his friend a hug.
Harry and Daphne settled behind the pair and silently nodded. Unbeknownst to either Hermione or Draco, Harry and Daphne had a pretty strong friendship. It started when Hermione and Draco would slip into their own little world and Harry wanted to talk with someone. Harry never felt as if they were excluding him, not at all, in fact he was making the effort to give the pair a bit of privacy. He knew both of his friends would feel horrible if they believed they were leaving him out.
The silent nod between the Gryffindor wizard and the Slytherin witch was an agreement to the continuation of their ongoing bet. Both knew the pair in front of them would end up a couple but the question was when. Harry was pretty sure Draco hadn't started to notice witches in that way yet. Harry was pretty sure he hadn't started to notice them any differently either. He knew some witches looked nicer or smelled better than other witches but nothing like what Daphne described. Apparently she had an older brother who graduated a couple of years before and brought home a number of witches to meet the family. Harry found Daphne easy to speak to and similar to Hermione in a lot of ways. The difference between the pair of witches was in how Harry sorted them in his mind. His feelings for Daphne weren't as sisterly as the feelings he immediately had for Hermione after meeting her in Diagon Alley.
Daphne believed Hermione probably didn't notice wizards differently yet, but both of their friends would eventually. So the bet had been borne. Daphne believed by the end of the Yule holiday they would be a couple while Harry thought it would happen closer to the end of the school year, at the earliest. Both agreed to not interfere, but to keep the other informed of any advancements in the relationship they learned.
It was still before eight when they arrived at the Hall and settled at their house tables for breakfast. At eight the Headmistress stood and noticed it took quite a bit longer for her to get silence than it did her potions professor the night before. She glanced quickly at the man who had an unreadable expression but twitch of his nose and slight smirk told Sophie what she needed. Finally the witch called for everyone's attention and received the silence she needed.
"Good morning, your house heads will be distributing your class schedules or time tables shortly. If you have any questions, please address it with them. One additional item, starting today at lunch, I would like for the tables to be mingled. Please sit with your friends regardless of house. The only time you will be required to sit at your house table will be the first two meals of the year and the final meal at the end of the year. Otherwise, sit where you like." Some of the students were quite pleased with this change while some of the older students looked across the hall with a bit of weariness.
As soon as the announcement had been made, Hermione started to plan a rotation for their friends. Would they rotate every meal? Every day? Every week? So many possibilities to think about. She needed a calendar and group consensus. "Miss Granger?"
Hermione's eyes snapped up to see Professors McGonagall and Oliveira standing in front of her with a piece of parchment. "Sorry Professors, I was thinking about something." Professor McGonagall chuckled.
"Of course you were. If you and Mr. Potter will remain here, there are some things to discuss with you two and Mr. Malfoy regarding your schedules." The pair nodded before putting their heads together to compare classes. This year the classes were based on the total number of students in each track instead of just by house and were split between the advanced and standard tracks.
"So we have our core classes together, since those are the advanced track. I wonder if Draco will be in those classes with us or if there is a second set of advanced classes." As History of Magic did not have an advanced track, it was still split by house and the Gryffindors had that with Ravenclaw. Hermione nodded as she was looking at the times blocked out in the evenings. She looked at Harry's schedule and noticed they had the same nights blocked out.
"I guess Professor Snape was serious when he said he was going to have my extra Potions on the same night as you both." Hermione tapped the matching Monday and Wednesday evenings blocked off. Harry ran his finger down each day's lessons and was relieved he wouldn't have two potions or transfiguration lessons on the same day. "I'm sure they did it on purpose. I have to admit I'm pleased with the break as well." The pair had been whispering and didn't notice the appearance of others until, for the second time that morning, something was plucked from Hermione's fingers.
Draco just smiled at the witch. "Just wanted to make sure we had the same evenings blocked out. But it does look like we have different Herbology times. I guess there are more students on the advanced track in that one." Shrugging he handed the piece of paper back to the witch who was giving him a mock glare. It was then the trio noticed Professors McGonagall and Snape standing near them. The former had a smile playing about her lips while the latter glared at the children with a raised eyebrow.
"I assume you've already compared classes and are prepared to listen?" The trio simply turned their complete focus to the Potions Professor. "Since your last class today is the same, you will have an hour before you will meet for with me for your potions class. The class will run until dinner and then for two hours after. The same will be on Wednesdays when you meet with Professor McGonagall for Transfiguration." While the boys were watching their professors, Hermione was making notes on her schedule.
"We have adjusted the schedules this way to ensure you have time for any other after class activities in which you wish to participate. For tonight's lesson, come with just your books, parchment and quills. It will obviously be lecture and we will discuss expectations then. Hermione, I have a way for you to list all your questions regarding what the boys are doing. For tonight, the beginning of the class will be a short refresher on what the boys did this summer before they move onto the practical. It should take about an hours and then will start the third year lecture while the boys brew." As they had all come to expect, Severus spun on his heel and left the Hall.
After having spent the previous summer teaching the children and spending more time with her former student, Minerva found Severus cared deeply for the children before her and held them to a much higher expectation than the rest of the students. "For our first class, same as what Professor Snape said, paper, book and quills should be all you need for now. We will discuss everything else then. Enjoy your first day and I'll see you later in Transfiguration." With not quite as much flourish, but definitely more than the year prior, Professor McGonagall left.
"I think she might be taking lessons from Professor Snape on how to leave." Harry and Draco nodded in agreement noting the witch's robes had a bit more flutter to them than before. "Come on Harry we better be off, Herbology is first on the schedule today. Draco we will see you later in Transfiguration."
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Harry stopped a couple of times as they made their way toward the greenhouse and finally Hermione asked what his problem was. "This is going to sound crazy, but I've been hearing something since we got back to school. Draco didn't hear anything when I mentioned it so I dropped it. I don't always hear but when I do it's really obvious and it seems like I'm the only one." Hermione didn't think her friend was crazy but she didn't hear anything other than the normal sounds of the castle.
"I don't hear anything unusual but that doesn't mean you aren't hearing something. Is it noises or words or sounds…". Hermione trailed off as Harry was trying to come up with a way to explain.
"I guess words and sounds. Sometimes it's like the sounds are really close and I can hear words. They don't make sense and seem ominous, but I can hear them. Then other times it's the same sound but too far away to hear the words just the sound."
Hermione nodded. "Well, when you hear words, write down the words, where you heard them and talk to Professor Snape later." While Hermione wasn't hearing anything either, her not totally telling him he was crazy made Harry feel a bit more at ease with the situation.
Hermione put the conversation out of her mind and turned her total focus onto classes. Neville was settled at a table when they entered the greenhouse. The boy looked a bit haggard but not despondent. Hermione gave him a hug and was surprised by just how fiercely he returned it. "I'm glad to be back. The Healer said dad will be fine but the ingredients necessary for the potion aren't ready to be harvested yet so it will probably be a couple of months. We are hoping he'll be back by the Yule holiday but the healer wouldn't give us timing, just when the ingredients are ready. I just really miss him already and being able to talk to him about anything." Hugging him a bit more tightly, Hermione nodded into his shoulder. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to not have her parents and hoped she'd not find out any time soon.
Once Professor Sprout finished her introduction to the second year class, the group was divided and began to prepare dirt for the plants the first years would be learning about later in the day. Digging in the dirt seemed to help Neville's mood as by the end of the class he was in much better spirits. During the class Neville told Harry and Hermione the little bits of the conversation he had overheard from the aurors. Hermione began piece together the story as she knew it and what Neville was telling her. Her only thought was instead of the muggle family being attacked it was Neville's dad. Her heart broke.
"Did the aurors say anything about how it happened?"
Neville shook his head. "They were all in position and Dad was alone. As per the plan, apparently and it was just a fluke. I guess what happened to him could have happened to any of the team." Hermione hoped they figured out what the beast wanted and where it went before anyone else was attacked.
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Lucius Malfoy had returned to the Ministry of Magic early on the second morning of September, with him was Rich Granger. After the Hogwarts Express had started on its journey the day before, Lucius received an urgent letter from the head of the DMLE requesting his presence at the Ministry. After a quick floo call to Severus asking for a favor. Lucius sent off a letter to the Headmistress of Hogwarts and offered to have Severus make her introduction to the school as an emergency had come up and he would be unable to get to Scotland on time.
The meetings that followed with the DMLE were tense and finally Lucius discovered what had happened. The shocked wizard provided any information he could based on what he knew and offered to return the next day with Rich Granger. The aurors sighed in relief, they hadn't wanted to admit they were in need of a muggle's help. Now the pair of men were here to try and give something more than what was already known. They were the first non-official to hear the unedited recording Frank made.
The static Rich was hearing in the recorded distracted him to the point where he was more focused on it than what Frank had been saying. "Would it be possible for the sound engineer to remove the static. It's quite distracting." The witches and wizards in the room turned to the muggle with confusion. "So this is a muggle thing. Lucius which words didn't you understand?" The room turned to the head of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy and watched as the man thought through what Rich had said.
"I think I know what static is. That's the scratchy or hissy sound we are hearing. Yes?" With a quick nod, Rich continued to watch his friend. "I guess what I'm confused about is the sound engineer. I know what an engineer is now, but how can they work with sound?"
Understanding where the confusion rested, Rich hoped he could explain it to Lucius and allow the wizard could explain it to the rest of those in the room. "Engineering is a quite broad subject. Sound engineers work in radio, television, movies and the like. They make sure you hear what you need to hear and reduce background noise. If it's not a speciality here, I'm not sure how we find one and still keep the statute." Shrugging the pair of men turned back to the aurors in the room. Lucius spent a good hour explaining what engineers are and then translating what Rich had said to them.
Amelia Bones sat in on the meetings and found herself interested in the opportunity to introduce something new into the department. She was surprised when the muggle did not find it unusual to have a voice recording and on further discussion, she found muggles had the ability for decades. With more than a bit a reticence, the witch asked the muggle if he could help the DMLE introduce more cutting edge items to their arsenal. Lucius and Rich agreed after obtaining a contract that would allow muggle items to have their magical buffer applied in order for use by the DMLE. The agreement was for Rich to provide a listing of items used by muggle police forces and a description of how they could be used by the DMLE in the future. The payment was negotiated by Lucius and the total made Rich's head spin.
While Rich was surprised at the value of the contract, the fact that Lucius had gotten wasn't a surprise. Jean often said the truly rich and successful didn't get by on their looks alone. It seemed his wife had been proved correct again.
Lucius requested a copy of the voice recording in hopes they could find someone who could work on removing the static. When the pair left the Ministry, they headed toward Malfoy Industries newest division. MG Technologies was located on a small parcel of land on the far edge of the Malfoy property. After searching for an appropriate location, magical Britain didn't have the structure to support this type of work and it couldn't be done in the muggle world. And so, Lucius built what was needed. When the pair arrived they found the lone employee, Matt Dempskey working on filling a recent order for televisions. The owner of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade had heard rumors about the introduction of a way to watch instead of just hearing news or events over the wireless. She wanted to draw in more customers on weeknights and non-Hogwarts weekend. While Lucius and Rich discussed what would be broadcast, Matt had figured out a way for television signals to be picked up by a very small and discrete antenna.
Lucius smiled when he saw the four large cameras sitting in the corner of the room. "Those complete?" Matt looked up and smiled before nodding. "Good, I can't go to the match this weekend, I'll be interested in seeing how the picture come across." The first endeavor Lucius made with this was to contact the English and Irish Quidditch League and request permission to film and broadcast the matches. After explaining what film and broadcasts were, the league agreed after discussing with the potential based on what they knew about muggle football. This season would be a test with no fees or royalties charged, but the potential was huge. The agreement was for those to start in subsequent years if it proved popular enough. The coming weekend would be the first trial run for the technology in real time. Rich claimed more cameras were needed but wanted for Lucius to see the difference between four cameras and what muggle football had.
Matt noticed the two men not leaving and walked over after applying the final charm to the television. "What can I do for you? I assume you have something more than hoping to watch quidditch this weekend."
"Do you know any sound engineers or have a mixer where I can mess with background noises?" Unknown to his friend, Rich had spent his college years as a deejay in order to help pay for his studies. Tweaking the different types of sound isn't new to him, but would probably take longer than a professional.
"No, not that are wizards. Surprisingly only a few of us want to go to school as long as I did. But I can get you a mixer. Do you have any preference? Once I get it set up with the charms, I'll get it to the house so you don't have to come out here to use it."
Rich thought about the board he used but knew it would be too dated to be of help to him. "I had a Numark DM-1150 but it would be considered ancient now. Jean sold mine years ago. So I guess, whatever is available and make sure it has instructions please."
"That is easily done. Let me get this last television completed and set up the delivery. I'll get the mixer picked out and hopefully they have it in stock. If so I should be able to get it ready to be used by tomorrow morning. I'll have Usher bring it over once it's done."
Having successfully completed their task, the two men returned to the Manor and filled their wives in on everything they had learned.