I own nothing but the plot.

In a large estate house in the south of France, an argument was taking place between two old men with white hair and beards. A thin woman with silver hair bemusedly watched them, her head going from one to the other like she was a spectator at a tennis match.

"Please, will you help me?"

"No."

"My friend, I must insist. I am out of options. If I do not find someone soon, the Ministry will."

"I said no!"

"Is there nothing I can say that might change your mind?"

"I suppose you could say Imperio, but I am confident you will not."

"Please do not subject the students to a Ministry-appointed professor. I beg you. I have no desire to give the bureaucrats the excuse they are looking for to take over the school."

"Is oversight a scary word for you?"

"Meddling with the children's future for petty political agendas is a scary concept for me. As it should be for you."

"Well, no one knows meddling better than you. I will grant you that."

"Very well. I am well aware of the existence of your second stone. I had every intention to keep quiet about it, but I'm afraid you leave me with little choice. Please know that I find this distasteful in the extreme. If you do not help me with my staffing issue, I will publish your stone's details, including your location, in the next edition of Potioneers Quarterly. Every treasure hunter in the world would be very interested in that. Including Gringotts."

"That's blackmail! I thought such tactics were beneath you?"

"While I am hesitant to use such underhanded methods to achieve my goals, my friend, do not mistake my reluctance for complacency. Rest assured that I will stoop to any level to protect the children in my care."

"Fine, I'll do it. But you will find a replacement as soon as possible. I will not stay a moment longer than I feel is necessary."

"Thank you, Nicolas."

"You are not welcome, Dumbledore. You know the way out. Use it."

Albus Dumbledore entered the castle and wearily climbed the many stairs to his office. He was looking forward to sitting at his desk for a bit, as recruiting Nicolas had taxed him heavily. As he passed the sixth floor, however, a small figure stepped onto the staircase to join him.

"Albus," Professor Flitwick called to him. "Welcome back."

"Thank you, Filius," Dumbledore answered with a sigh. He had been waiting for the Charms Master to catch up with him. He hadn't been actively avoiding this discussion, but neither had he been looking forward to it. "Please, join me."

The two men entered the office, and Dumbledore sat behind his enormous desk.

"Would you care for a Soor Ploom?" he asked, holding out a glass dish containing a small pile of bright green candies.

"No, thank..." Flitwick started to say, then stopped himself. He took a closer look at the small balls of translucent green sweets. "What happened to the sherbet lemons?"

"Oh," Dumbledore said with a smile, "I still have those if you prefer one. However, I found these in a muggle sweet shop and thought the variety would be interesting."

"I'll try one, please," Flitwick said, picking one of the green balls out of the dish and popping it in his mouth. "How interesting."

"Now, Filius," Dumbledore said. "As much as I would love to believe that you are only here to sample my collection of sweets, I'm sure something else is on your mind."

"I'm afraid so," Flitwick said. "I've wanted to speak with you for some time, but you've not been available."

"One might imagine," Dumbledore said, a smile curling his lips, "that resigning from two of my positions would make me a less busy man. Alas, that has not been the case. What can I help you with?"

"Horcruxes," Flitwick answered.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. He had been expecting this. "The diary was indeed a Horcrux."

"A foul piece of magic," Flitwick muttered.

"As foul as any I've yet encountered," Dumbledore agreed.

"However," Flitwick continued, "as disturbing as the thought of Tom Riddle making a Horcrux is, I am far more horrified that he referred to the abominations in the plural."

"May I ask how you know of them?" Dumbledore asked. "Aside from the memory of Tom Riddle mentioning them, of course."

"I know I look like only a young lad," Flitwick joked, "but I assure you I've been around the Quiddich pitch more than a time or two. Some of those times have been with the goblins. This magic is known to them, though not practised by them."

"Do you think they would help in locating and destroying them?" Dumbledore asked. This was an avenue he had not yet considered.

"For the right price," Flitwick answered, "the goblins of Gringotts will do almost anything you name. They are also informed well enough of the financial situations of everyone they do business with. They would offer you a rate that, while painful to the point of ruination, would be well within your means to pay. Unfortunately, buying their loyalty would be well beyond the means of any wizard. They would almost certainly double-cross you, likely immediately. However much you could pay them to help you find and destroy these abominations, they would know they could get far more from the Death Eaters to secure them."

"Perhaps with Lucius in charge of the purse strings," Dumbledore said, "that was the case. He is now in prison, and many of his former Death Eaters helped put him there."

"Former," Flitwick scoffed. "I do not believe you can be a 'former' Death Eater. If you desire, you can take this risk, but I would counsel against it. I know goblins. They will betray you. And the Death Eaters may have made a move against Malfoy, but if it became clear that their master would return, I have no doubt they would fall right back in line. The movement against Malfoy was more about keeping their heads down. I doubt they truly believe he could come back yet."

"Unfortunately, I believe you are right," Dumbledore admitted. "This fight will not be won with gold."

"You will need help," Flitwick said. "I suppose we'd best start to research."

"I've made a good start on that already," Dumbledore replied. He opened a drawer and removed several vials filled with a swirling, grey mist. "I appreciate your offer of assistance. I know you taught young Mr Riddle charms when he was a student here, and he was one of your favourite pupils."

"He didn't appear to be a murderer at the time," Flitwick said defensively.

"No," Dumbledore agreed. "He pulled the wool over many more eyes than yours or mine. We will use my pensieve. We can look at our memories of his time here at Hogwarts. Perhaps together, we can discover some truths I have missed alone."

"Do you still have the diary?" Flitwick asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered. He pulled it out of a desk drawer and handed it to Flitwick.

"There are some goblin runes I can use in combination with some charms that might help us here," Flitwick said. "I don't know how well it will work with the Horcrux already being destroyed, but I will do some testing. At least we should be able to tell how many he's created."

"That would be a welcome start," Dumbledore said.

It was September 1st, and Harry was standing with Toma just inside the entrance to Platform 9-3/4. Hermione was saying goodbye to her parents while Sirius and Remus stood nearby. Dobby was making a scene with his new legs. He popped onto Platform 9 3/4 with Harry and Hermione's trunks and walked them over to load them on the train. Witches and Wizards looked on in confusion and even some fear as Dobby popped in and out of the legs to deposit the trunks in the storage bays.

"You're going back to Coruscant?" Harry asked his Master.

"Yes," Toma answered. "I received the communication a few hours ago. You are to remain here and continue your studies at Hogwarts. We will stay in communication by holo."

"They're leaving me here alone?" Harry asked, hating how vulnerable that question made him sound.

"Doc and Shooter are to remain with you," Toma said.

"Why is the council sending you back now?" Harry asked.

"Several reasons," Toma answered. "Master Yoda has awakened from his injuries, but he is still recovering. There are many places in the galaxy where we need more Jedi. Also, I believe the Jedi Medical Corp would like some insights into the petrification."

"When are you leaving?" Harry asked.

"Not immediately," Toma answered, "but within the month. I will return in time to meet you at the end of the school year."

"I'm going to miss you," Harry said.

"I am confident that you will do well," Toma said.

The Granger family came over to them, and Emma hugged Harry.

"I feel like I've asked you two this before," Emma said, "but please try to stay out of trouble this year."

"Honestly," Hermione said, "trouble seems to find us." She was carrying a large cat container that contained her new cat. Crookshanks was not appreciative of it.

"Then hide from it," Dan said with a tight smile.

"Hiding from trouble really isn't what Jedi do," Harry said.

"We know, Harry," Emma said. "But promise me you won't go looking for trouble."

"I promise," Harry said.

"Me too," added Hermione.

It was an overcast and gloomy day as the train chugged across the countryside. Harry and Hermione claimed a large compartment and were quickly joined by Neville, Daphne, Ron, and Lisa Turpin.

"Everyone, this is Lisa," Ron introduced. "She's a Ravenclaw."

"Yes," Daphne said, "we know. We've had classes with her for two years now, Ron." Ron's face went slightly red. He pulled Scabbers out and tried to get the rat to eat a Cauldron Cake.

"It's nice to meet you outside of class, Lisa," Hermione said, trying to smooth the waters.

"Thank you," Lisa said.

"How do you know Ron?" Harry asked. "Outside of classes, of course."

"We did a lot of work together on a project last year," Lisa explained, "and we got to know each other. Turns out we have a lot in common. We both love chess and Quidditch."

"That's good," Hermione said. "I've noticed that many people only stay friends with their own house. I'm glad you two are branching out."

"Hopefully," Lisa said, "we'll all start seeing more of each other in class soon."

"They approved it, didn't they?" Ron asked.

"The professors did," Lisa explained, "but it still needs to go through the Board of Governors."

"What are you talking about?" Neville asked.

Lisa explained their idea to foster better relations between the houses by merging all classes instead of permanently separating them by house. They all agreed it was a great idea.

"Daphne," exclaimed Tracey Davis as she entered the compartment. She engulfed her friend in a hug. "It's been so long."

"I'm sorry," Daphne said. "I know my time with Neville is cutting short time for just us."

"I know," Tracey said, "and I understand. I'm just a little jealous that you have a betrothed, and I don't."

"Well," Daphne said, "at least Malfoy is off the market. I heard he got his mother to finalize an arrangement with Pansy."

"As if he'd ever go for a half-blood," Tracey replied. "Not that I'd want him to. He's gotten better lately, but he still looks down his nose at me whenever I walk by."

"So, we get to visit Hogsmeade this year," Ron glanced at Lisa. "Should be fun, yeah?"

"Definitely," Lisa agreed.

"You did get your form signed, didn't you, Harry?" Ron asked. "I mean, will Hogwarts accept Toma's signature?"

"Sirius signed it," Harry answered. "He's my Godfather, and he said that would be good enough for Dumbledore."

"What's he like?" Ron asked. "Sirius, I mean."

"He's... Sirius," Harry said. "I'm not sure what he was like before he was locked up, but he's still recovering. I like him." Harry chose not to mention that Sirius had named him his heir.

"That's good," Ron said.

"So, my summer was totally dull," Tracey said. "We were supposed to go on vacation, but Daddy got involved in business meetings. Our trip got cancelled."

"My family won the Daily Prophet draw," Ron said. "Over seven hundred Galleons! We thought of going to Egypt to see my brother Bill, but we stayed home instead. Ginny had to see a mind healer to deal with what went on last year, which took up a fair bit of the gold. That's ok, though. Lisa lives nearby and came over a lot. I did get new robes, books, and a wand out of it."

"How is Ginny doing?" Hermione asked.

"Better, I think," Ron answered. "It was pretty bad at first, but at least she can sleep through the night now."

"Well," Daphne said, "we all got to see Harry act the hero. We went together on a double date in London. There was a fire in a nearby building after the movie, and Harry flew up to save a trapped little girl."

"What do you mean he flew?" Tracey asked. "You took a broomstick into London?"

"He didn't use a broom!" Neville said, excited. "He just up and flew on his own."

"I was hoping to keep that part quiet," Harry said, giving Neville a look. Neville blushed.

"Wait," Tracey exclaimed. "That's true, then?"

"Sorry, Harry," Neville said.

"If you wanted to keep that a secret," Daphne told Harry, "you really shouldn't have done it in front of hundreds of witnesses."

"Even so," Harry said, "I'd like to avoid having to answer questions about it for now."

"How did you fly?" Tracey asked.

"It's not something I did with magic," Harry explained. "I used the Force."

"Ok," Tracey said, shaking her head in confusion. "I won't say anything, don't worry."

"Neither will we," Lisa said, gesturing at herself and Ron. Ron nodded his head in agreement.

"Thank you," Harry said.

Ginny Weasley went by carriage after carriage, trying to find one without many people. After last year's ordeal, she still felt like everyone would judge her. Ginny was sure that her mistake with the diary would be general knowledge, and she wasn't looking forward to this year at all. She passed one compartment and saw her brother Ron sitting with Harry and his friends. She considered going in but still felt too nervous. Fortunately, the next compartment was nearly empty. She slipped in and closed the door behind her.

"Hi, Luna," Ginny said. Luna always managed to stay in a compartment by herself. Ginny wasn't sure if that was because Luna liked to be alone or if people avoided her because she was seen as a little odd.

"Hello, Ginny," Luna said, putting down her copy of The Quibbler. "How was your summer?"

"Awful," Ginny said, her eyes downcast. "I had to see a mind healer."

"I had to see them after Mum died," Luna said. "I was very sad, and they tried to help. It was very nice of them."

"Yeah," Ginny said, "I guess. It's just hard. At first, I didn't think we'd have enough money for it, but then we won the Daily Prophet Drawing, and that gave us enough. The healers wanted me to tell them everything Tom had told me, and they kept having me tell it repeatedly. I suppose it did help a little, though. I don't wake up screaming anymore."

"I'm so sorry," Luna said. "You can talk to me about it if you want. I don't mind."

"Thanks, Luna," Ginny said. "Did the mind healers actually help you? You know, when your Mum died?" Luna took a moment to think about it before answering.

"Sort of," she said. "They were very nice to me, but nothing they said could bring her back. I think time is the only thing that really helps. I still have Dad, too. Did your family help?"

"Mum is Mum," Ginny said. "She's kind of a force of nature all on her own. She can be the most loving person I know, but she's also prone to snap judgements. Once she's decided, then she never changes her mind. Dad is great and very supportive, but he's so busy at work that he's rarely around. When he is, he's often distracted by all the muggle stuff in his shed. I can go to him if I need to, but I'm never sure if he'll really understand."

"I'm sorry," Luna said. "I've often found that parents try to get their children to the same place in life the parents are in, all the while avoiding all the missteps they made along the way. The parents never seem to understand that the missteps guided them to where they are. How were your brothers?"

"Bill wanted to come home right away," Ginny said. "Unfortunately, he had already taken leave to help search the school and couldn't get away. I'm not sure Charlie even knows, to be honest. He's so busy with his dragons. The twins..." Ginny paused. Luna let her consider her words and didn't rush her.

"The twins are funny," Ginny said, "but rarely take anything seriously. They teased me a lot. Percy just lectured me about how I should have given the diary to him. Honestly, Ron is the one who helped the most. He understands what it's like to be ganged up on and put a stop to it."

"I'm glad he was able to help you," Luna said.

"How was your summer?" Ginny asked.

"It was lovely," Luna answered. "Dad and I went to Sweden to try to find the Crumple Horned Snorkack again."

"Did you find one?" Ginny asked.

"No," Luna answered. "But we had fun looking, and that's the point of it. We're thinking of trying Siberia next year."

The trip was enjoyable for Harry and all of his friends. Despite the grey and ominous clouds that darkened as the train sped north, it felt warm and cheerful in the train compartment. As night fell, it began to rain. The cold drops of water drummed against the windows. The sun had set, and the droplets stood starkly against the dark landscape still rushing by.

They were about twenty minutes away from Hogsmeade, and Tracey had left to go to the toilet before the train ride ended. She was just reentering the compartment when they all heard a loud 'thump' outside. The carriage rocked slightly, throwing Tracey off balance.

Ron peered through the window, then screamed as he recoiled back.

"Look out!" he shouted. He had just managed to cover Lisa with his body when a large, dark shape smashed through the window. Glass shards showered everyone, and the carriage was filled with the howling wind. A soaking wet, snarling beast with coarse fur burst through the hole it had made, hit the floor and rolled through the carriage. Crookshanks hissed in his kennel. The creature hit Tracy, who was pushed out into the hallway. She hit her head on the carriage door on the other side of the hallway and was knocked unconscious.

The creature stood up, towering over the shocked students, most of whom were frozen in fear. Harry reached into his robes and pulled out his lightsaber. The beast raised its muzzle to the ceiling and let out an ear-splitting howl. It was answered by a snap and an electric hum as Harry ignited his lightsaber. The glow of the ruby-red blade filled the compartment. The Werewolf stared at it, seemingly mesmerized by the ribbons of gold and green sparks flowing through the shaft of light. The train hit a bump, which broke the Werewolf out of its trance. Focusing its eyes on Daphne, it lunged forward to bite at her.

Daphne shrieked as Neville threw himself in front of her. The Werewolf snarled as an unseen force pushed it back, its teeth snapping only inches from Neville's face.

"Aaaaagh!" Neville screamed as the Werewolf stretched its neck as far as it could.

"Get away from them!" Harry yelled. He had his left hand outstretched, pushing with the Force and forcing the Werewolf away from his friends. Abruptly, the Werewolf changed targets to lash out at Harry instead. Harry's lightsaber hummed and zapped as he swung it forward, slashing at the Werewolf's muzzle.

The monster yelped in pain, and smoke wafted from its singed fur. The lightsaber blade failed to penetrate the beast's magically protected skin but had succeeded in severing two of its teeth. As the beast snarled at Harry, the Jedi saw the blackened stumps grow back to full-sized fangs in mere seconds. Growling, the Werewolf reached out with a long arm and swiped at Harry. Harry parried again with his lightsaber, turning the paw aside. The Werewolf leapt back, cradling one forearm with its other paw. The burn mark had scored the flesh, but it, too, was rapidly healing.

"I'm hurting it, but it's not stopping!" Harry yelled.

"Scabbers!" Ron squealed. His rat had squirmed out of Ron's hand and scampered around the feet of the Werewolf. Scabbers jumped into Hermione's bookbag, narrowly avoiding being stepped on by the monster. The Werewolf, deciding that Harry was too much trouble, made a grab for Hermione instead. Harry swung his blade again, but the Werewolf, no longer daunted by the pain of the glowing blade, managed to swipe at her. Harry's defence had bought Hermione just enough time. She ducked, feeling the wind from the massive paw as it swept over her head.

Harry pushed the Werewolf with the Force, trying to get it away from Hermione. The monster pushed and strained against the invisible pressure keeping it from its prey. Harry had never had this much trouble moving anything with the Force before. It was like the creature was somehow resistant to it.

Daphne suddenly gasped and pointed at a spot behind the Werewolf. The monster suddenly stopped fighting with a startled 'erk!' It let out a howl of agony as its eyes rolled and its arms flailed behind it. The beast, still being pushed back by Harry, toppled backwards. It turned itself over to crawl towards Harry before it stopped moving entirely. The handle of a knife was sticking out of its back. Harry stopped pushing with the Force but kept his lightsaber ready.

A short, chubby man with balding, mouse-brown hair lay on the ground behind the Werewolf. His face wore a stunned expression like he couldn't believe what he had just done, and his small, watery eyes darted this way and that as he looked for a route to escape. Ron was the first to break out of his shock.

"Where's Scabbers?" he yelled. Ron tried to step over one of the Werewolf's outstretched arms, but Daphne grabbed him and pulled him back.

"No!" she yelled, pointing at the strange man. "That's Scabbers!"

Ron looked at her, then at the man, who looked terrified, then back to Daphne.

"You're barking!" he cried. "Scabbers is a rat, you know that."

"I saw him," Daphne insisted. "Your rat jumped out of Hermione's bag with a knife in its mouth and turned into him!"

"That's impossible!" Ron protested. He yanked his arm away from Daphne and was about to resume his search for Scabbers.

"Stupify!" A red light flashed across the compartment, and the man collapsed in a heap on the floor. Percy Weasley was standing in the compartment door with Tracey behind him. His wand was pointed at the man, and he scowled at Ron.

"Back away, Ron," Percy said.

"I need to find Scabbers!" Ron protested.

"I said back away!" Percy ordered. Ron scowled at his older brother but obeyed.

"Incarcerus," Percy said, pointing his wand at the unconscious man. Thin ropes flew out of his wand and wrapped themselves around the stranger's arms and legs.

"I want you all out of here," Percy said to the group. "Leave your things. We're almost to Hogwarts anyway."

Percy ushered them all into the compartment where Ginny and Luna sat. Ron continued to argue with Daphne and Percy about Scabbers, but Percy forbade him from going back to search for his pet.

"I'm going to notify the driver," he told them. "Stay here." He departed, making his way to the front of the train. He checked the occupants at each compartment along the way, ensuring everyone was uninjured and telling them to stay put. When Percy reached the front of the train, he assigned all prefects to patrol the train, instructing them to keep the students in their compartments and to be watchful for intruders. He then went into the engine car to find the driver. An owl flew out of the engine compartment a few moments later. It tumbled in the wind for a moment before its wings bit into the air, and it sped off north before disappearing in the darkness.

The train pulled into Hogsmeade station. It was met by Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Madam Pomphrey, and a number of Aurors. Percy's warning had been received. The teachers directed the students to disembark from the train to a staging area, where Madam Pomphrey quickly checked each one for bites or scratches. Thankfully, she found none. Once the train had been emptied, Hagrid escorted the first years to the boats. Meanwhile, the rest of the students boarded carriages and departed for the castle.

Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and two of the Aurors boarded the train and headed for the rear compartment where the attack had occurred. They entered to find that the Werewolf had reverted to his human form after death.

"I don't recognize him, Headmaster," Professor Snape said, examining the dead man closely.

"Nor do I," Dumbledore responded. "I am certain he never attended Hogwarts, nor is a parent of one who has. Why would he attack the train?"

"Werewolves are unpredictable," Professor Snape answered. "All of them."

"Not all," Dumbledore corrected. Professor Snape rolled his eyes and snorted. "Let's have a look at our unexpected hero," Dumbledore said, ignoring Professor Snape's disdain.

Professor Snape turned to the unconscious man crumpled on the floor. He turned him over and gasped in shock.

"Impossible!" Professor Snape cried out.

"Peter Pettigrew," said a very surprised Dumbledore.

"We should take him back to the Ministry immediately," Auror Proudfoot said. Dumbledore calmly levitated the still unconscious Pettigrew into a carriage while Professor Snape levitated the Werewolf's body out of the train.

"While I'm sure that is where Pettigrew will end up eventually," Dumbledore said, "I'm afraid I'll have to insist on detaining him here, at least for now."

"Why?" asked Auror Williamson. "Surely, if he's dangerous, you don't want him around the students?"

"We will keep him secure in a cell in the dungeons," Dumbledore said.

"Why not at the Ministry?" Proudfoot asked again.

"If what my students observed was accurate," Dumbledore answered, "this man may be an Animagus. If that is true, I don't believe the Ministry is currently able to contain him adequately." Proudfoot and Williamson looked at each other and shrugged.

"We'll have to report this to Director Bones," Williamson said.

"Of course," Dumbledore replied. "I would ask that she come here as soon as possible. We are almost late for the welcoming feast, but if she would care to join us, she can question him tonight."

The Aurors agreed and, using a portkey, departed with the Werewolf's body.

A/N - Well, that just happened. I know I said Saturday updates, but I decided on weekend updates as long as the chapter is ready, and I'm off of work today.