Chapter 18

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, 9th October 2011

Dean and Sam sat at the Head table, stomachs rumbling with hunger. Dean dropped into his chair and pulled over some pancakes. He started shoving a forkful into his mouth.

"It's Third Years' today, right?" Sam asked and Dean nodded.

"Ghouls again?" Dean grumbled. "I hate being reminded of how we screwed up with Adam. I should've done more. He felt like they failed him. Goddamn, fucking Ghouls. He shoved another forkful of food into his mouth to make himself feel better.

The first month of classes were going pretty smoothly, Dean thought. No one was missing or dead, that was a plus. It was nuts, how much changed in such a short time. The Muggle Studies teacher was still missing though, and it irked Dean that they couldn't just go out and search for her. Dean figured he would have to ask Albus about it when he could.

Dean looked up as the owls began to fly into the Great Hall. That's still weird, he thought. Guys need FedEx… Or…. WizEx? He sniggered at his own joke, causing Sam to cast him a confused look. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jess flying toward them, a letter tied clumsily to her foot.

She hooted happily as she landed on Sam's shoulder. Sam reached up and stroked her head. Jess ruffled her wings happily.

"Hey Jess," Sam smiled and fed her a cracker.

"She thinks you're her roosting perch because you're so tall." Dean smirked before asking her, "What did ya bring us, girl?"

"Hey, that's mine!" Sam complained as Dean untied the letter.

"Sharing is caring, bitch," Dean laughed. Sam jerked the letter out of Dean's hand.

"It's from Bobby," Sam smiled.

Dean peered over his shoulder. "What does it say?" He started to read, amused when he saw the first word.

Hey idjits,

The bird is kinda cute, but it's damn needy when it wants food. It bit me twice. The fuckin' thing is worse than Cas with those burgers last year.

"Good girl Jess." Dean rubbed the owl's head affectionately.

Anyway, things are good here. Pretty quiet by hunting standards, everything is quiet. Which kinda sounds like a bad thing, but I'll take the breaks while I can have them. Before shit hits the literal fan.

Rufus and I hunted a Crocotta in Washington. Nothing too exciting, easy to tie up the case. Jody Mills called, found us a Vampire case in Wisconsin last week. I sent out a hunter instead, Garth. He's a nice kid. I think you'd like him. The kid isn't the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes, but he means well. As long as he doesn't get his fool ass killed.

I haven't heard from Cas in a little while. Guess he's busy with Raphael and the God Squad upstairs. Have you had any luck with getting in touch?

How's it like playing wizard? Typical, you two always get to have the fun. And before you ask there's no way in hell, I would swap places with you. You boys almost get killed on a weekly basis.

Dean laughed. "He ain't wrong."

Are there any updates on this Dark Wizard you're after? You boys just make sure to stay alive, you hear me? And look after those kids too.

Anyway, enough of this rom-com crap. Just letting you know I'm still alive. This bird is peckin' at me… You should feed her more.
Bobby.

"Abrupt, as always," Dean laughed.

"He's okay, that's what's important," Sam stated, and Dean nodded.

"True." He spotted a snowy white owl swooping in over to the Gryffindor table to land beside Harry. He took the letter and started talking to his friends.

"So how are your classes going?" Horace asked.

"Great, really great. The kids are adapting well." Sam smiled.

"That's fantastic!" Horace beamed. "Well done, well done. Yes, I think we have a good term this year."

"How's Potions?" Dean asked. "You took over this year, didn't you?"

"I used to teach here, but I retired. Albus thought it was time to come back. With much persuasion, I might add. Mad times we're living in… Potions is going well."

Sam smiled at the wizard.

"I gave my sixth years a little test last week," Horace continued with a smile. "They had to try to brew the Draught of Living Death. Potter produced a perfect potion! Seemed to have inherited his mother's talent," he enthused.

"Funny," Snape drawled. "Whenever I had Potter in my classes, he seemed to show no talent or interest whatsoever."

"A lot of it depends on the teacher…" Dean smirked.

Snape was about to rise from his chair when something changed. A blue wisp suddenly appeared, shapeless. It hovered in the air before a voice spoke.

"I have a warning," it began, and Sam and Dean were surprised to hear Remus Lupin's voice echo quietly from it. Snape waved his wand. Muffliato, he thought.

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead." The wisp of blue smoke dissolved into nothing. The teachers tried to hide their alarm, not wanting to startle the children.

"I must contact the Order," said Albus, dread in his eyes. They returned to normal, finishing their meals with knots in their stomachs. It was imperative that they remain calm and act as though nothing had occurred.

It seemed like no time at all that Sam and Dean, Albus, Snape and Minerva were standing in an unused classroom. The door opened. Molly bustled in first, concern etched into her features. She was quickly followed by her husband, Kingsley, Remus, Tonks, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, and Alastor. Most of the faces around the room were etched with worry.

"Kingsley? What happened?" Albus asked calmly, yet urgently.

"The Ministry was taken during the night… It was all very quiet… They staged a coup. There were too many of them."

"And Scrimgeour?" Minerva patted her hair nervously.

"He was found dead," Tonks spoke. "I heard they tortured him, but that might not be reliable info. Once he was killed it was all over. The Death Eaters had the upper hand."

"They tortured him?" Molly whispered in horror.

"We all know the Cruciatus curse is a favourite of theirs," Remus scowled.

"What is that?" Dean asked.

"It is one of the three Unforgivable Curses," Alastor grunted. "Use of even one of them gets you a life sentence in Azkaban. There's three. The Imperius Curse, The Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse."

"The Imperius Curse is used to control someone's mind and actions," Arthur said. "It was used regularly in the First War. "And so was the Cruciatus Curse… it causes unbearable pain."

"Why not just kill the Minister?" Sam asked.

"I believe I have a theory," Albus spoke. "I believe they would have wanted to know how to get to Harry."

"You're right sir. I was fighting Death Eaters outside while… They kept asking about Harry, and Scrimgeour kept saying he refused to give him up. It's probably why they decided to kill him."

Albus nodded sadly. "The Minister has been trying to get on Harry's good side for a long time, since June. Cornelius was repeatedly in contact with me about having a talk with Harry."

"After the horrid time the Ministry put him through last year?" Molly fumed. "They never believed him until You-Know-Who was staring them in the face in the Ministry!"

"I refused of course," Albus continued. "Even until he was fired, he was trying. Scrimgeour seemed to take up that idea very quickly and sent similar requests. He sent Harry a letter late last month, asking for his support, so he could pass it on to the Ministry, for morale."

"So, a poster boy?" Sam frowned

"Essentially, yes. Harry is of course wise for his years and refused politely."

"So, we are sure this is that Voldemort guy who attacked the Ministry?" Dean clarified, changing the subject. Remus shook his head. "It was his followers. The Dark Mark has been spotted over the Ministry."

"So that's one missing and one confirmed dead." Sam ran his fingers through his hair.

"If you're talking about Charity, she's dead." Arthur sighed. "We can't be sure, but we eventually found signs that she was taken by Death Eaters. There's no way they would let her live… Not with her pro-Muggle ideals… It took us a while to find who saw her last and track them down. We discovered signs of a struggle near the spot where she was last seen."

"What did you mean about something above the Ministry?" Dean asked.

"It is Voldemort's Mark. They cast it where murder by Death Eaters has occurred," Snape spoke for the first time.

"So, they leave a calling card?" Dean snorted.

"You might want to start taking this seriously, boy." Snape sneered at him.

"Boy? Are you kidding me?" Dean stood up; his fists balled up.

Sam put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Easy Dean. Calm down." Dean sat down.

"I am taking this seriously. We know exactly what we're walking into here. We've been through our own war."

Albus stood up before Snape could speak. "We could learn from their expertise, Severus."

Sam cleared his throat. "It was more of a personal battle. But we know about possessions and torture."

"Look, you don't know much about us yet. I get it." Dean crossed his arms. "Sam and I have faced everything. Angels, Demons." He scoffed. "Even the fuckin' devil… I mean that is why you called us here right?"

"The Devil…?" Remus spoke incredulously, wondering if the two Muggles had suddenly gone insane.

"As in fire and brimstone yeah." Dean was barely containing his anger. "After all of that, I didn't come here to be insulted."

"Dean, calm the hell down," Sam snapped. "We know it sounds crazy. How do you think we felt?" He laughed a little, trying to defuse the tension. "But it's the truth. We know all about what these guys do. Maybe not in specifics, in what they want. But they seem very similar to demons. And we know a lot about those."

"We've been stabbed, shot, tortured, killed, you name it," Dean added, calmer now. "We know how to do our jobs; we just want to help."

"Killed?" Molly asked in horror. "That's impossible… how?"

"Not as impossible as you think," Dean said. "There are ways people can come back. None of them are good. Trust me. It never seems to end well." He glanced over at his younger brother.

"Where was this logic a few years ago?"

"Shut up Sam… Not the time or place."

Albus cleared his throat. "Maybe we should focus on the subject at hand…. Does this seem like a declaration of war?"

"He took down your government," Sam answered. "If that's not a war declaration, I don't know what is."

"Sam is right," Alastor agreed. "Pius Thicknesse has just been sworn in as Minister."

"Thicknesse?" Arthur asked.

"Isn't he Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Charlie asked. His father nodded.

"He was having a lot of meetings with Scrimgeour recently, and the other Heads of Departments," Alastor grunted. "Hanging around him like a puppy."

"He's an ex-Auror," Tonks explained to Sam and Dean. "He knows too much. Is it possible he's been Imperiused? There have been so many changes in the Ministry in the past few months," She added, her hair turned a dull blue as she spoke, her eyes betraying her fear.

"Take it down from the inside? You think that's what he was planning?" Remus asked, he took Tonk's hand, worried not just for himself but for her.

"It seems possible. If he had Thicknesse under the Imperius Curse, he would have much more access to the Minister directly," Albus said, remaining quite calm.

"And now that he's Minister…" Kingsley sighed. "There are rumours that the Death Eaters are targeting the Daily Prophet too."

"I don't get it," Sam began. "Wouldn't Voldemort want to be Minister? To have full control?"

"He doesn't need to," Remus laughed. "Effectively, he is the Minister. If we are right, Thicknesse is his puppet, taking care of business, leaving You-Know-Who to set his sights beyond the Ministry."

"And if something goes wrong, it'll be Thicknesse that takes the fall," Sam muttered darkly.

"It'll cause fear," Dean agreed with a nod… "If people are being controlled, how do you know who to trust?" There was a murmur of uneasy agreement amongst the group.

"There is a second issue at hand. It appears many of the shops in Diagon Alley were broken into this morning. Death Eaters were seen going in to talk to Ollivander." Kingsley said. "Of course, the Ministry is keeping this quiet."

"Is he okay?" Sam asked, recalling the old man when they went in to collect their wands.

"No one has seen him," Kingsley replied gravely. "He's gone. There were no signs of a struggle. It was a small group of Death Eaters led by Fenrir Greyback."

Remus' face instantly became dark, anger in his eyes. With the scars covering his face, it made him look more menacing. Sam and Dean looked at each other, realizing that there had to be some history there.

"Is this Greyback dude high up in the Death Eaters?" Dean asked Remus. "Like the head Death Eater?"

"No, he's far from it. He is one of the lowest ranks. Death Eaters are branded with Dark Mark on their forearm, and it's seen as an honour. Greyback hasn't been rewarded with it. He is hated amongst them. You-Know-Who only keeps him around as a threat. He's a Werewolf, and he joined to have more access to victims. He is a monster. Fenrir has been known to attack even without the full moon, as apparently his hunger for flesh doesn't state him enough only once a month," Remus said in disgust.

"Not to pry or anything, the guy seems like a monster," Sam cleared his throat, "but it sounds like there's a more personal connection."

"He is part of the reason you were called here." Albus sat up taller in his chair. "Remus, I feel the time has come for you to tell Sam and Dean the truth."

Remus looked at Albus and sighed, nodding his head. "I have a history with Greyback. My father was very outspoken about Werewolves. Greyback was brought to a trial after he murdered two young Muggle boys. He was able to trick almost the entire courtroom of officials that he was a Muggle tramp unrelated to the attack. My father realized he was a Werewolf and insulted him. I believe he called him 'soulless, evil, deserving of nothing but death'. He was very close-minded. Greyback escaped and sought revenge. He found our home. I was four and playing in the front garden."

Dean winced, knowing what was coming.

"He attacked me," Remus said, gesturing to the scars across his face. "He also bit me and made me like him. Since I was a child, I have been a werewolf." He looked at Sam and Dean, anger blazing in his grey eyes.

"I'm so sorry Remus." Sam looked concerned for the man, realizing that he must have been uncomfortable around the two Hunters from the beginning. "It must have been hard growing up that way."

"I was an outcast for seven years until I got my letter from Hogwarts." Remus smiled sadly. "I met friends, including Harry's father James and his godfather Sirius, with whom I would trust my life. Sadly, I am the only one left. I take a potion monthly that helps with the transformations. I am able to control myself now."

Sam and Dean nodded. "Hey, we get it." The latter spoke. "We've met some good people that have been dealt a bad hand in life, just like we were. We're sorry about your friends."

"It's alright," Remus reassured them with a weak smile. "I apologize if I came across as hostile. Werewolves have been treated with nothing but bigotry for years. Greyback and others give my kind a bad name. Most of us try our best not to harm anyone. Without my friends behind me, who did not judge what I was, I don't think I could have done it. I owe James and Sirius with my life. I feel like I owe it to them to keep Harry safe and to prevent more deaths from happening."

"Speaking of which, other than Charity and Mr Ollivander, who else has gone missing or dead?" Sam looked at Tonks and Kingsley.

"The Dark Mark was spotted over London. Florean Fortescue was found dead in his shop."

"Shit," Dean muttered.

"All these attacks… It's like the first time…" Arthur said worriedly. Sam and Dean looked at each other.

"This happened before?" Dean asked.

"Before Voldemort's fall on that October night, There were many attacks. Many Muggles and wizards alike were kidnapped or murdered. I created the Order of the Phoenix in the first war to try to stop Voldemort. But we lost many," Albus told them.

"I was wondering why there were so few people at the Order meetings," Sam said.

"Our numbers were greatly diminished during the war. The McKinnon family was murdered in their beds, the Bones," Alastor told them. Molly sniffed into a handkerchief as she wiped her tears away.

"My brothers," she hiccupped. "Fabian and Gideon were killed in a battle against Death Eaters. They were high ranking members of the Order."

"I'm so sorry Mrs Weasley," Sam told her. Dean nodded his agreement.

"I told you, it's Molly dear," she hiccupped again and sniffled, but she smiled, teary-eyed.

"Thank you."

"Harry's parents of course were members," Minerva spoke for the first time in a while. "Fine people…" Her voice was slightly strained.

"Even after Voldemort was defeated, it didn't stop…" Remus spoke, his voice dark. "Some murdered, some worse."

"Worse?" Dean asked, dreading the answer.

"I'm sure you've met Neville Longbottom?" Alastor asked.

"Yeah, sixth year Gryffindor. He's a friend of Harry's," Sam nodded. "Little skittish but a nice kid," Dean added.

"Not long after Voldemort's defeat, several Death Eaters were trying to find where Voldemort had gone. Frank and Alice, Neville's parents, were high ranking Aurors, and Order members. The Death Eaters were convinced Frank and Alice were involved in Voldemort's fall from power. They were attacked… and were tortured into insanity. They have never recovered, and are in St Mungo's Hospital, for lifetime care. To this day they do not recognize their son, even though he visits them regularly. It's a damn shame too. They were great Aurors."

"Fuck…" Dean muttered. "Poor kid."

"So, he just likes torturing whoever they can find?" Sam said angrily.

"Course he does Sammy," Dean replied. "They're sadistic bastards. What did I tell you before? Demons, I get; people, they're crazy." His words were deadly serious and bitter.

"Voldemort has made repeated attempts to get to Harry over the years, especially since his fourth year," Albus spoke again.

"He tried to use me to get to him last year. I was attacked by You-Know-Who's snake," Arthur sighed and looked up, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Harry saw it in his mind and raised the alarm. They got me to St. Mungo's in time."

"He saw it?" Dean asked. "Was it that connection you mentioned?"

"Yes. Harry saw into Voldemort's mind," Albus said. "It doesn't happen very often."
Sam and Dean nodded.

"So, these attacks, are they just Death Eaters? Any sign of anything else?" Dean asked.

"If you mean, by monsters, no. We wouldn't know what to look for," Kingsley frowned.

"It would be mysterious or odd deaths." Sam clarified. "Bodies drained of blood would indicate a vampire, missing hearts for werewolves, that kind of thing."

"No, nothing like that. Werewolves don't do that," Remus said.

"There must be two types of Werewolves," Dean said. "It happened in class the other day when we were teaching about Ghouls." He looked at Molly. "Ron said you had a Ghoul living in your attic."

"Yes, we do," Molly said.

"Yours seem to be harmless. The ones we met, well they eat people," Sam frowned.

"Oh my…" Molly's eyes widened, and she looked at Arthur.

"I wouldn't worry," Dean told them. "He sounds harmless according to your son."

"Looks like there are multiple sub-species of monsters," Sam mused.

"Calm down college boy, you were Pre-Law, not Pre-Sciencey-Guy."

"I believe the word you're looking for is Biology," Sam shot back. Dean rolled his eyes.

"So, what now? What do we do? Our children aren't safe," Molly fretted, remembering the arguments between her sons and Ginny about coming back to Hogwarts.

"Molly is right Albus. Students are being collected by the day…" Minerva spoke up in a worried tone. "Their parents are worried that Hogwarts is no longer safe."

"Voldemort will not dare attack the school as long as I am here," Albus spoke calmly, ignoring the collective wince from the Order members. "Though he has already proven that he will use any means necessary to get to Harry. Let us remember that he is what Voldemort wants."

"So, why wasn't he called here?" Dean frowned, "He deserves to know all of this. Are you planning on letting him in on this?"

"Harry will be informed," Albus continued. "But this needed to be discussed with the Order first."

"All of it?" Dean confirmed. Sam tried to get him to stay out of it, but Dean ignored it.

"Yes, he will know everything." Albus looked to the Winchesters with a knowing look in his eyes. "You have grown attached to these students, haven't you? Even though you have only known them for a short time."

"The kids should be given the best chance," Sam said. "We don't want them getting hurt."

The Order members, though from different backgrounds, all nodded in agreement. Protecting the children should be their top priority.