A/N: Welcome to the new followers of year 2. To those who have favorited, it warms my heart when I get that notification. And my reviewers, there is always a nervous anticipation when I get the email telling me I have a new review and when I see a repeater or a new user it makes me smile. To all of you and those who find the story and are reading, you are all rock stars in my book.
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After the discoveries in mid-September, nothing else happened. Hermione's actual birthday came and went with her father earning her ire once more. She was pleased when neither Draco nor Harry joined in the abundant laughter when the oversized teddy bear walked into the Hall on Friday evening and serenaded the witch for twenty minutes. After the completion of the song and taking the requisite bow, the bear invited the second years to head to their room for cake and ice cream. When Hermione and the boys arrived they found everyone, including parents, waiting for them. Jean hugged her daughter and wished her the happiest of days and suggested she open the present from her dad in her room. With a wink and a quick kiss, Jean stepped away and Rich rubbed his hands like a cartoon villain. Needless to say, Hermione opened all her gifts in her room after drawing her bed curtains closed.
While the beast appeared to remain in his chamber, the DMLE were onsite randomly searching for the second entrance, and the students continued on with their lives. Quidditch practice started and Hermione found her time with the boys decreased. Her favorite nights were Monday and Wednesday when the trio would join forces for their extra classes. The new fears found during the middle of September were calmed by the balm of October normality. The professors continued to be on edge and the worry of what would happen when the beast decided to go roaming again.
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Hermione's research had been replicated and shared with the DMLE, Department of Mysteries and Department of Magical Creatures. The combined efforts of the three departments found quite a bit of information on the beast. Most involved believed the creature to be a basilisk but the theory could not be confirmed until the beast was found.
Currently the Department of International Co-Operation was working with the ministries in Greece and the United States. Both had experience with a basilisk more recently than the British. A basilisk had not been confirmed in the UK since the Middle Ages when the practice of hatching one was banned and in some respects they were lucky transporting a basilisk was a death sentence.
Amelia had kept her promise and provided updates to Lucius Malfoy on a semi-regular basis. The DMLE's work was slow going but had been assisted with the information obtained by the Hogwarts Headmistress. During one of the regular meetings discussing the advancement of technology the DMLE used, Lucius had mentioned an interesting discussion he had with the portrait of his father.
"Father was a few years younger than Riddle and found the older Slytherin to be quite horrid. Apparently the boy had been abused by the muggles in charge of the orphanage where he was raised. From those experiences a true hatred of muggles was born. According to Father, Riddle would discuss his childhood in the common room and went on to explain how at a young age he had found the ability to control his magic and 'hurt' others. Father believed Dumbledore was aware of this and did nothing. As Father was talking I couldn't help but wonder about the man. We know Riddle was responsible for releasing the beast and that Dumbledore knew something more than he let on."
The witch on the other side of the table seemed interested in what Lucius had to say and nodded the man to continue.
"I think we can all agree that Dumbledore wanted to be seen as the most powerful wizard since Merlin. He probably wanted to be known as even more powerful than that. Myrtle had mentioned something about Riddle doing a spell after her death. It's taken quite a bit of research on my part and authorization to access some darker magic references but I think Riddle produced a horcrux that day." Amelia's eyes went wide at the implication and her whispered no was met with a single firm nod. "When he was caught did anyone make mention of his appearance? Once convicted and determined he was mentally unfit, has the ministry kept tabs on him? Does he resemble a sixty-six year old wizard?" Amelia neither knew how those sentenced to the sanitarium were managed nor the long term effects of a horcrux on the maker.
"I will look into this man well. So this book the ghost spoke of, is that what you believe the horcrux to be?"
"Yes, but honestly if the boy was broken enough to make one at fifteen how are we sure there was the only one? From what I found, the item used must have some sort of connection to the person creating it. Father mentioned Riddle's obsession with the Hogwarts founders and after graduating his desire to explore the mystery of them. Everything known about the founders is so shrouded in the past, it's difficult to know what is trie but myths are based on reality to some extent. Riddle was free to do as he wished for nearly twenty years before his recruitment of followers reached the attention of the Ministry. Who knows what he may or may not have found during that time. Father said he was exceptionally intelligent and excelled at research." Lucius felt the concerns not related to the beast were safely addressed and stood with Rich to leave the meeting.
"I'll let you know what we find out about this. I would appreciate your silence on this matter as well." The pair of men solemnly agreed and left the office before heading to the fireplaces in the Atrium to return to the Manor. Jean had asked if there were others who might have known Tom Riddle and could provide some additional insight on him or his plans before he disappeared. Lucius began the arduous task of speaking with bigoted portraits in the homes of his friends. Most raged on about how disgraceful it was for the inclusion of those not fit to be magical; however, during the rants some of the portraits gave important bits of information that could be used in the future.
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October's cold wind blew in the first storm of the season near the end of the month and ensured any of the plants struggling to survive the colder temperatures were no more. As Halloween drew closer, Hermione put her studies to the side as her friends began to plan their own celebration. After Draco's impromptu Valentine's Day party the year before, the second years decided to have small gathering for all the holidays, magical or muggle, real or not.
The party was just as successful as the February offering. In keeping with the muggle tradition, the children decided to dress up for the party. After an enjoyable celebration, the attendees returned to their dorms, change out of their costumes in order to participate in the Samhain observance. As she did the prior year, Hermione left an offering for her grandparents. This year she felt more than just her grandmother and after walking between the bonfires, she turned to see two wisps of something. Hermione had only known her one grandmother but believed the other spirit was her other grandmother. Maybe in the coming years she could finally 'meet' her grandfathers.
The day's activities had drained all the second years and shortly after the flames had been extinguished the group found themselves heading toward their beds. They had classes the next day and didn't want to lose the ability to celebrate due to not getting enough sleep.
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After the explosion during the second week of the children's extra potions lesson, it was decided to modify the timing of the potions lesson slightly. They would still meet the two hours before dinner and Harry and Draco would receive their lecture for the first ninety minutes and review their notes for thirty minutes before dinner. While the boys were reviewing and making final notes on what they would need to do, Hermione would get thirty minutes of lecture before dinner. After dinner, the boys would start their practical and Hermione would either receive the rest of her lecture or start the week's practical work.
As the weeks went on and unknown to the children, Severus found it difficult to teach two different courses breaking at that point, but he didn't want to spend an additional evening teaching, as he did have other responsibilities and recently had some unexpected but not wholly unpleasant interactions with the other staff. In the end, he decided to do his best and make sure the boys were ready to sit for the OWL at the end of this school year.
Hermione continued to read ahead and was always prepared for that week's lecture. Severus, Minerva and Sophie discussed other options and decided to potentially use an occasional Saturday for any potions not able to be finished in the allocated time.
As the term continued and Severus continued focus on the boys sitting for their OWLs, the stress began to wear on the boys. Severus scheduled three Saturday sessions in order to ensure they remained on target for finishing the required coursework with enough time to study by the end of the year. Hermione had not always been required to attend the Saturday sessions, due to the significant difference between the third and fifth year work. On those days, she would attend if only to watch and continue to document how the boys prepared their ingredients and suggestions Severus made.
By the first extra Saturday class in November, the Potion Master watched the young witch and wondered if she would be ready to sit for her OWL at the end of her third year. Her weekly preparation allowed him to shorten the lectures only focusing on what she didn't fully understand and important aspects needing to be reinforced. Once he confirmed her understanding, she was allowed to start her practical. Severus wondered if he could increase the speed of the teaching plan. If she continued at this rate and he did slightly increase the speed of instruction, she could potentially have the third year work completed by the end of this calendar year. This would allow him to start the fourth year coursework in January.
If she took to the more difficult concepts in the fourth year work quickly while managing the rest of her second year work load, the fourth year requirements could be finished by the middle of April or early May. At that rate, the fifth year work could be started by the end of this school year, meaning she would sit for her NEWTS at the end of her third year.
After seeing her again pantomime the preparation of ingredients, he broke down and handed her the necessary ingredients. Watching in amazement, she sliced, diced and chopped the items to almost perfection. Shaking his head, he made a few notes and smiled.
If Sophie allowed it and Hermione did indeed continued at this rate, he would suggest the young witch be set in the fifth year potion class the following year. The only question was if it would be the standard or advanced track. If she was already a few months into the lessons at the beginning of the next school year, she could easily handle the advanced class. The boys were in the same situation, given they would continue to learn over the summer, they could easily be placed in the sixth year advanced class. He hoped Sophie would agree and this would be the final year he had night classes.
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It was nearly the middle of November before the quidditch schedule had been released. As with the prior year, each house would have a first year team. The captains, who had been notified of this by their house heads slightly ahead of the official notice, already determined who would be on the house teams and started to include them in the training. This year's offering didn't seem to have quite as many stellar players, but they took quickly to sport. By the time the schedules came out, the first years had found themselves prepared and ready for their games.
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Also, much like the year before, the school's first years had been provided a room where they were allowed to meet. Once Sophie had been informed on the second year room she asked why the other years didn't have the same accommodations. The answer was simply they hadn't requested a room. It was explaining the rivalry between the houses prior to last year and how uncommon cross-house friendships were that Sophie really understood why the 'shared tables' during meals seemed to be a struggle.
"Well, let's work on some inter-house unity. I think we start with assigning rooms to each of the years and see who is willing to use them. I like this idea." It was shortly after the discussion, Hogwarts found many of her old and unused classrooms finding new life. As the years would go on common rooms would be established for all classes offered, extra-circular activities and even outside hobbies.
The professors discussed the rooms with each of their classes and provided a map in the Great Hall identifying the location of each room. It was a slow start, but as the first term continued, with the exception of the second years, the third years seemed to take the most advantage and were making good headway in trying to understand the students from other houses. Unsurprisingly the seventh year room saw the least use. In part, the seventh years were focused on their studies and preparation for their NEWTS but, these were the students who had lived six years in the school where friendships outside of your house color were neither common nor were they accepted.
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Draco found his second year to be a bit more difficult than the prior year, partially it was an increase in the work. He, like Hermione and Harry, had been placed in the advance track for all his classes, but it was trying to juggle the schoolwork, quidditch, extra classes, and what Lucius sent him on the business that had him thankful for his bed each night. By the end of November, Draco knew something would need to change, but he didn't know what and decided to discuss it with Lucius over the holidays.
Draco steeled himself for the last few weeks before the end of their first term and pulled out the timetable Hermione had finished the day before. All their study time had been reduced with the extra schoolwork but luckily they felt their second year Transfiguration and Potion tests should be relatively easy based on their more advanced class. The timetable called for Charms and History of Magic as the study topics this weekend, so Draco grabbed those books and his notes before heading to the second year room.
When he entered the room he found nearly everyone there with notes and books spread over the table. At one end sat Hermione with an open spot on either side. Draco appreciated his unspoken request and slid into his chair. Hermione looked up and smiled before returning her focus to the Charms notes in front of her. While they were in the advanced class, all second years were learning the same charms and would be tested on the same theories. The advanced track would be graded harder and expected to perform the charms flawlessly.
Draco looked at Hermione and noted she was nervous about the tests, she didn't seem any more nervous than everyone else. While their workload sometimes felt overwhelming, they had each other and found they were able to meet their professors expectations.
"I was thinking a session of running stairs might be a good distraction later." The children had tried to keep up their running but found the early snow along with the colder temperatures made running outside difficult. It was while complaining about all the staircases and how sometimes it felt like a muggle gym that Draco had the idea about just running up and down stairs. The castle had numerous staircases and allowed for a good workout.
"That sounds great. Once Harry gets here we can figure it all out." The pair turned back to their notes for a bit. Once Harry arrived and got settled, the actual study session began. Most of the study sessions were asking questions about what they didn't understand but Hermione had thought of an idea a few weeks earlier. "So, I had an idea on how we could do this session for today. It's based on a muggle game show." At the slightly confused expressions on a few of her classmates, Hermione explained. "A game show is primarily a form of entertainment but most are based on having people answer questions to earn money or prizes." Those familiar with the concept, including her best friends, started shooting out questions before the witch just waved her hand. "The prizes are snacks, the elves and I discussed and they said they would surprise us. I think they are waiting to see who wins and the prize will be specific for them." At everyone's excitement, Hermione waved her wand toward the wall.
For those students familiar with the American muggle show called Jeopardy, they immediately recognized the wall for what it was. Across the top were five topics related to History of Magic while values were listed along the side. In front of each student was a blank sheet of parchment with the word score written across the top and answer written about half way down. Once she was done with the reveal, Hermione returned to her seat.
"I don't know the questions or the answers. After I had the idea I sent a note to my Dad asking him for ideas. I guess he and Mr. Malfoy went to the professors and got questions and answers. When I got their response they said someone would be here to read the questions and explain the rules." Hermione smirked as she spoke to the closed door. "We're ready." The door opened to find Regulus Black enter the room wearing a muggle suit.
"Welcome students to Jeopardy." With those words Regulus began to play the part of a game show host and prepared the students for what was to come. At the end of the game, the students worked through both topics between the first and second rounds. After the final question, they felt they had identified what areas needed more work and all ended up with a small treat curtesy of the house elves.
Regulus told the group how he would return each Saturday to help review that week's selected courses. The final Saturday before end of term tests began would cover all the courses. Everyone thought it was an excellent plan and packed up their notes and books before thanking Regulus. The majority of the students left the room to return to their respective common rooms. It was almost lunch and the children were getting hungry.
"I have to admit that was more enjoyable than I thought it would be." Regulus hugged Draco, Hermione and Harry before heading out for lunch with Severus. "See you next week." With a jaunty wink, the older wizard left the room missed the sight of an unexpected someone watching the door from the end of the hall.
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Severus sat in his office and reviewed how the first term had thus far gone between the two course tracks and then a specific review of the three children he was tutoring. To truly understand potions one must understand nuances easily missed if one was so focused on following instructions blindly. This was why Severus had finally gotten approval to allow the students who excelled the opportunity to prove themselves. All students in the advance courses would be given the opportunity, at the end of the year, to propose modifications the potions taught over the course of the school year. The proposals were not a requirement but Severus suspected a good portion of the students would at least give it a try. Any proposal that would not cause harm would be brewed and tested against the standard potion.
Severus was interested in seeing what these students could provide to the wizarding world in the future. Glancing at the clock, Severus realized how late it had gotten, Regulus should be finishing with the second years soon. Being already dressed, Severus was just waiting on the other wizard before heading out for an extended lunch at the Three Broomsticks. A few minutes later the knock on the door told Severus Regulus had finally arrived.
The other wizard, who had a look of pure happiness on his face, was beckoning Severus to follow him. "That was quite enjoyable and I'm looking forward to it in the coming weeks. I think the kids really enjoyed it as well. Plus I got out before Hermione suggested I join them on their run. While I was waiting outside I heard Draco suggest doing some exercising after they finished studying. Apparently they run steps when the weather is bad. That sounds horrid and I pray she doesn't mention it to her father. That man cannot be contained, I swear to Merlin."
Severus chuckled at the mention of Rich Granger. While it was true, once the man had a task at hand he was completely invested in it. Much like Hermione. But now with the new company, Rich seems to have settled a bit. "I don't know about Rich not knowing. He may have been the one to suggest it or if not, I'm sure Hermione has mentioned it. It could just be he hasn't found a building with enough stairs to get your heart rate up." At Regulus's shudder Severus directed the wizard toward the steps. "Come on and let's get some practice in." The dark glare from Regulus just made Severus laugh all the harder. They made their way to the front doors and exited the, warmer than outside, castle. Quickly they passed the gates and sent themselves to Hogsmeade.
Finding a table wasn't the easiest as Rosemerta's plan of increasing business on Hogwarts non-Hogsmeade weekend worked better than she had hoped. The first international quidditch matches were being aired that day and the place was packed. Severus mentioned how Lucius told him there was a way to have multiple things showing on different televisions. Seeing how enraptured the crowd was, Severus truly believed Lucius underestimated the popularity. Due to the volume of the fans watching the various matches could be compared to a din, the pair remained vigilant in watching for an open table.
Once one was available, they procured it and settled while waiting on their meals. The duo discussed nothing of importance since the noise level was loud enough to make discussions difficult. Once their meals arrived the discussion shifted to updating Severus on the latest updates from Lucius. After making sure Severus was informed, Regulus redirected the conversation to a topic mentioned the evening before. The question stopped the unflappable professor short. "What do you mean, you've heard I fancy someone?" Regulus while not expecting Severus to immediately admit his crush, the surprised accusation was interesting. In reality, Regulus hadn't said Severus fancied someone.
"Lucius mentioned something over dinner. They were discussing how the relationship between Hermione and Draco appears to be evolving. Lucius then made an off-handed comment about Draco not being the only wizard at Hogwarts with a female admirer. The only other thing he mentioned was the wizard in question wasn't Harry. There aren't many other wizards about whom that group would discuss. I just assumed it was you." Severus gazed at the man before shaking his head.
"I'm not sure who Lucius was discussing, but as far as I know, there aren't any witches who fancy me." Regulus didn't think Severus even realized his first comment wasn't about an admirer, but about him. It told Regulus there was a witch who had finally caught his friend's eye. There weren't many options, but a few of the new professors were witches. Hopefully the witch who had caught Severus's attention was the same one Lucius had mentioned with a potential crush on the grumpy wizard across the table. Severus also never said he didn't fancy anyone. It would be interesting to keep an eye on this as the next few months passed. Maybe playing a game show host would give Regulus some additional insight into the players beyond the second year students.
Severus's love life was placed to the side and pair continued to discuss their plans for the upcoming break. The professors finally received the confirmation everyone hoped to hear. None of the students would remain at the castle which would allow the professors time away from the castle as well. When Severus mentioned taking a few day trips to acquire some intriguing plants, Regulus began to write off the change in plans to his complete love of potions and nothing else. Severus neither mentioned he wouldn't be traveling alone nor how pleased he was when she agreed to the trips. The potion master began to explain the reason for the change and provided Regulus confirmation on his thoughts.
About ten days prior, the DMLE were at Hogwarts to give everyone an update on the current state of the waking potion and the news wasn't good. The individual hired by the DMLE to procure and tend the mandrakes had discovered they were an inferior version, causing a concern the waking potion would do more harm than good to Frank Longbottom. While the healer attendance understood the need to wait, Severus found it difficult to watch Neville after he realized the potion for his father wouldn't be ready until closer to summer. What got the poor boy was when the auror said summer may be overly optimistic as no one else appeared to have grown mandrakes in the past few years.
After escorting Neville back to his friends, Pomona was beside herself. Neville was in her house, and even if she never admitted it, the boy was one of her favorites. After mentioning mandrakes were being grown in other countries, Severus agreed to make a few trips over the holidays to his international contacts. After some inquiries to his distributors, he had a list of individuals to visit specifically for mandrakes. The pair of professors hoped to have the potion brewed by the spring term break. It all rested on just how mature the mandrakes were.
Severus had never been involved in the decision process on what plants were grown, he just would take advantage if the plants would help with his lessons. As far as Severus could remember every few years Pomona's teaching plan included mandrakes and he knew there hadn't been any the last couple of years. The only reason he remembered that minor detail was he had wanted to experiment with them in a few altered potions he had been researching.
When Severus asked why mandrakes weren't being grown this year, Pomona's anger surprised everyone in the meeting when she spat she didn't have room. It was obvious she didn't believe the comment and the decision on what to grow wasn't hers to make. She explained how five years ago, when it was time for the mandrake rotation in her course plans, Dumbledore told her to remove that section as there wouldn't be enough room in the greenhouse with all the other plants. When Pomona provided the layout she had used for the last fifteen years and proved there would be more than enough room for mandrakes and the other required plants, Albus pulled a list from his drawer of plants Pomona would have to include in her greenhouse.
Every year thereafter Albus would provide a similar list, while the quantity of ingredients were never totally used, Albus made sure the plants were growing each and personally prepared them in various ways. Pomona was able to provide a few examples of the preparation methods and how he documented what he did. The preparation only would occur in the greenhouse and required her assistance. Severus found the examples she gave weren't normal preparation methods, but almost seemed to be experiments to find the most potent process.
Until the truth about the headmaster was known, none of the professors would have understood Dumbledore's reasons for not have mandrakes growing. Now they understood, unfortunately they now had to react instead of being prepared. The professors and DMLE believed he did it to ensure a quality and quick source of mandrakes wasn't available.
As with every story Sophie heard about her predecessor, she couldn't believe the man and turned to her Herbology Professor. "Pomona, build more greenhouses and grow as many plants as you want or need. Get with Severus and see if he has thoughts on new plants he'd like to use for brewing and include them in the plans. Also work with the elves and see if there are any vegetables or fruits they'd like to grow for meals. Once you have figured out how many new greenhouses are required let me know and I'll get the Board to sign off on it. The funds set aside for maintenance and updates has hardly been touched in a decade. Lucius already agreed to support any plans we present."
Once the elves were involved everything moved quickly. By the prior Tuesday night Pomona's completed plans were shown to everyone and their approval was a mere formality. Lucius ensured the Board reviewed approved before the end of this past week and once their approval was received, the elves informed the Headmistress they would assist in the construction to ensure the new greenhouses were ready for use in the new year.
Finally, Sophie also returned the decision of what to grow to Pomona, where it should have always resided. It was up to her to determine what would be grown each year. Pomona and Severus worked out what plants could be procured locally and what would require his international contacts. Severus was quite excited as this would be something new for the students to learn. They rarely had the ability to compare fresh and stored ingredients while brewing.
When Severus had finished the story, Regulus was so surprised he was speechless. "You know Severus, I wonder if it would be a good idea to get some of the families to restart growing their own plants. It sort of fell away when our parents were young since quality items were so easy to purchase. I know of at least three other families who have the land but just don't bother anymore."
That was something Severus hadn't thought about since his childhood home didn't have the land for a large garden. The house didn't have a lot of things, but that was long ago and his life was much better now. But to Regulus's thought, it might be a good idea to have some backup gardens if need be. "I think that is an excellent idea and we should get Lucius on board." The two wizard's conversation drifted to other topics as their lunch slowly wound down.
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While the two wizards were enjoying their food and time away, back at the castle there was a stifled scream and the sound of a body crashing to the stone floor.
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After an extended lunch, Severus and Regulus were settling their bill when a silvery tabby cat landed on the table and told Severus to immediately return to the castle. After throwing more than enough galleons on the table, the pair rushed out of the building and immediately made their way back to the castle. Neither wizard was quite ready for what they would encountered.
Minerva was standing at the doors beckoning for the pair to hurry. "Severus, you need to contact your sources and get those mandrakes now. Price is no matter and they have to be ready for harvest. We've had an attack." Both of the wizards stopped in their tracks and asked the same question.
"Who."
Minerva looked and calmed their concerns slightly. "It wasn't a student, it was one of the 've called for the DMLE and St. Mungo's." When Minerva mentioned it was a witch, Severus stiffened and prepared to hear the worst. It really seemed be how his life worked. His former professor, coworker, friend and mother of his heart looked to Severus for a long moment before continuing. "It was Aurora, Severus." Even expecting the words, when they were said, the man lost his grip on his stoic continence and his face crumbled. Minerva didn't pause before she held the man in her arms tightly. Severus, for his part, held the witch without whom he might not have the great life he currently had.
While Minerva continued to comfort Severus, her comments continued. "We aren't quite sure how, but she was found in one of the bathrooms on the fourth floor. Even though the original opening hasn't been used, our warning wards are untouched, Amelia Bones agrees with the theory from the Gaunt diary and it's traveling through the sanitary pipes. Neither Gibby nor Harry heard anything recently but we are concerned the beast is still in the castle proper and are in the process of closing off all internal access to the sanitary pipes. The students have been quarantined in the rooms assigned by year."
Severus finally looked up and asked the question he had feared to ask. "Is she alright?" His voice was never like the posed and confident wizard who stood in front of the students talking about potions. He wasn't the friend whose rumbling laugh would roll through the halls. At that moment, he was the young boy who hadn't been loved as a child and found that was all he really wanted.
"She's petrified. Her vitals are nearly exactly the same as Frank. The healers just took her to St. Mungos and said she could have visitors tomorrow. I confirmed she'd be placed in the same ward as Frank Longbottom." Her grip on Severus tightened until she was sure he had regained his strength. When he pulled away the emotions rolling over his face faded and were replaced with determination. It made Minerva smile a bit since she knew a determined Severus Snape would be the different between victory and defeat. And she was pleased he was on their side. "I need to teach all the students and younger professors the old vanishing spell used in the days before indoor plumbing. Not looking forward to that in the least." Severus gave a half hearted chuckle before answering her earlier statement.
"I think it will probably be tomorrow morning before I'm able to find someone. When I spoke to them over the last week none had mandrakes ready for harvest yet. One said his most mature batch was probably a month out but when the mandrakes reach that stage it is hard to pinpoint the exact timing. I'll start making calls now and find as many as I can, will I have authorization to generate portkeys as needed?" Severus had no issues with getting the necessary ingredients now, and he wasn't averse to using whatever means he needed to do it. They all knew there was a risk at the school but everyone had hoped Gibby or Harry would hear something first.
"Professor Snape, you have the authorization of the Ministry to generate and use as many portkeys as you require. Do you need anyone form the Ministry to accompany you?" Amelia had just arrived at the doors after warding all the bathrooms in the castle to fear the potion master's question. While she waited for his response she began to wonder if she should seal the kitchen plumbing as well. Based on the diary it seemed the only pipes the beast could access were sanitary in nature and those were restricted to bathrooms. Hopefully that was correct and its previous use of the sanitary pipes wasn't strictly due to how close they were to the original opening.
"No Madam Bones, I believe it will be better if I go alone. I hope you understand some sources, may not be what you would deem reputable." Severus had no qualms with some of the individuals who produced potion ingredients. While most ingredients were harmless, some were used for more dubious potions and the Ministry would love to know who was raising what. Severus refused to divulge that information. Amelia nodded and watched the potion professor hurry toward the steps to the dungeon.
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The second year students had barely returned to their house common rooms after their work out and light lunch when their various House Heads and Deputies appeared in their house common rooms and called for everyone's attentions. The announcement was the same for everyone. "We are requiring all students to head to their assigned rooms by year. You will leave now walking in a quiet and orderly fashion. More details will be provided once they are known." The students were all concerned as nothing like this had happened before.
After being told there was an incident and complete headcount was required, the students tried to settle. The second years sorted themselves into smaller groups and Hermione noticed her friends had migrated to one corner of the room. Since no one knew anything more than anyone else, the group sat on the floor and began to discuss the holidays. It was while the group was in the middle of debating how to exchange gifts, Hermione noticed Harry go still and his eyes widen if in fear. Before she could question anything, he whispered something in Draco's ear and ran out of the room.
Hermione was about to follow when Draco grabbed her arm to stop her. "Don't, Harry heard something. Just stay here. Please." Looking at Draco she saw worry but also fear. Hermione knew something was going on but would wait. At her acceptance, the wizard's hold relaxed and the pair returned part of their focus to the ongoing discussion.
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Severus Snape had just ended his fifth call when he heard a pounding on his door. Not knowing who it was but based on the situation, quickly threw his door open to find Harry Potter standing in the doorway. "I've heard it Professor. It was talking about finding two but failing to fulfill his duty. It sounded like it was heading back to the chamber." Severus had immediately sent a message to Sophie and asked for at least Amelia to come to his rooms.
"Harry, it's attacked a Professor and that's why you've all been sent to the rooms. It's been decided they are probably the safest place at the moment." Harry was already shaking his head.
"No Professor the creature said it had found TWO. That means someone else has yet to be discovered." Harry never asked who was attacked just that there were two people who needed help. "Help them please." The expression on the boy's face was one Severus hadn't seen for years. It was the look when something frightened him completely.
"We will do what we can. I need to make a few more calls. Let me know if you hear anything else. Hopefully the Headmistress will be here soon." Harry simply set himself near the wall and pressed his ear against it. Neither wizard knew exactly how long it was until someone was at the door. "I'll get it Harry, just stay there." Severus wasn't really worried about the creature knocking on the door, but no one really thought the castle could house such danger either.
Luckily the doorway only held Sophie and Amelia Bones. "Madam Bones, Harry heard something after being sent to the second year room." Waving the pair into the room, Severus pointed to Harry and had the boy explain what he'd heard. After relaying the comment, Harry again leaned his head against the wall. "I believe we are looking for another victim. What have the headcounts determined?"
Sophie sighed. "There are a few students missing, Minerva is following up on what the student's thoughts were and checking the library since it was cleared during the DMLE's initial sweep of the school. If they aren't there, we will start a search of the areas cleared and work our way up before searching outside."
Harry had been listening and nodded. "I think the other victim is outside Headmistress. Don't you believe the second entrance is outside?"
Amelia Bones watched the young boy and noticed how upset he was. Her niece had spoken of the Potter boy over the summer and her description of the polite young man was at odds with the memories Amelia had of the boy's father. "Yes, Mr. Potter, I agree and once I knew there were missing students I sent a group of aurors outside to start the search. I would have rather wasted some of their time instead of waiting until we completed the headcount and interior search. Please let any of the professors know if you hear something." The young wizard again settled himself against the wall while the adults continued to discuss the situation.
"Madam Bones, how would you like me to handle this since a student appears to have been involved?" The head of the DMLE stood for a moment and thought through the implications.
"For tonight, let's just find the student and determine the actual situation. We can discuss our next steps tomorrow. Would you like to inform Lucius or would you like me to handle that discussion?" Sophie pointed to herself before Amelia nodded and turned her focus to Severus. "Professor Snape has a distributor been identified?" With a firm nod the witches relaxed. "Good, get as many as you can. If you need the Ministry to assist with the brewing let me know. Otherwise, your reputation is enough for me to have comfort you would not produce something with the potential harm any of the victims." After receiving a second nod, the witches left the room.
"Come on Harry let's get you back upstairs. I'm sure Hermione and Draco are worried." The pair walked slowly to ensure their footsteps were as quiet as possible. Neither wanted to mask anything Harry might hear. The first time the pair encountered anyone was once they were out of the dungeons and making their way toward the next staircase. Minerva was moving as quickly as she could when she saw the pair and relaxed slightly. "Harry, I was told you left the room. Was it for a good reason?" Severus nodded and set his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Yes, it was Minerva. We can discuss in a moment, let's get Harry back to his room." As they were already quite close to the room, Minerva fell into step behind the pair and kept her own senses open for anything unusual. "Go on Harry. They are going to ask and just say you've been told to not say anything and more information will be provided in the morning. I assume they will be staying in these rooms tonight." Minerva nodded and told Harry his friends would tell him what he missed and that sleeping bags had been provided. She also mentioned Hermione grabbed one for him.
The boy entered the room to the relief of others. The professors watched as he brushed off the questions and settled himself by his closest friends.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
It was nearly an hour after discovering some students were missing before the specific student was identified. After searching the school all but one had been found and after discussions with his fellow first years, the search was focused on the area around Black Lake. Luckily the afternoon sun had appeared and while it was cold, the sun allowed for the searchers to quickly find the frozen boy. The healers immediately assured everyone the boy was alive but in the same state as the professor and auror.
Once the healers had taken their second patient of the day to St. Mungo's, the aurors began to search the area for any clues. The first was the boy's muggle camera. It hadn't been removed from the boy's grip and the healers would return once if they could somehow relax the grip on it. Sophie mentioned if the camera was just opened any pictures would be ruined but, since the creature was all but confirmed, there was very little the camera could show them. That was one of the reasons the aurors weren't too concerned about obtaining the item.
The aurors turned their focus to ground and anything that indicate the direction the beast traveled. As the wind whipped around the castle the aurors noted, with dismay, how all the snow moved and drifted with the wind. If the creature had left a trail, it had already been obliterated by the time they had initially arrived at the castle. With no indication of how it traveled or even if the beast exited the castle, they aurors were left with noting but more theories and little facts to back those theories.
Later that evening, Amelia received the report from the events at Hogwarts and was distressed at how little it contained. The victims were alive but as Amelia read through the notes from 1943 and compared them to the recent attacks she noted how similar they were. The current attacks were mirroring the ones from over fifty years prior. The beast took its time before finding a victim to kill. What Amelia didn't know was if it was circumstance or if there was something else.
She finally turned back to the books on the basilisk and decided none of the victims had actually looked directly at the beast. Frank had mentioned a puddle of water and how it was reflecting the image. Aurora Messerly had been found in a bathroom and when the aurors reconstructed the event the most probable position was her standing at the mirror. The student, Colin Creevy, had a camera to his face and most likely had viewed it through the lens.
Her concern had changed from what happened to Frank to finding a way to stop a beast that could kill on sight only. She just hoped something in the books would give them a more solid direction to follow.
*MoT*MoT*MoT*
A/N: This chapter is a touch longer, hope you enjoy it. As I read it today, I found myself adding a bit here and there. I think I added at least an additional page and a half. Mainly it was Severus, he was sorta chatty and wanted some attention on his secondary story line. Let me know what you think.