At seven forty-five that night, Jessica and Harry trudged out of the Common Room and started down toward the Quidditch pitch. As expected, Harry was excited about the detention, something Jessica didn't take too kindly to.

"You know," he said, glancing at her, "It could always be worse."

Jessica shook her head. She couldn't think of many things worse than being stuck on a Quidditch field in the freezing cold picking up garbage for what might end up being the entire night.

They reached the pitch in about ten minutes. Harry was still spouting off optimistic clichés, which Jessica was only too smart to fall for.

Madame Hooch met them in front of the stands.

"Here you are," she said, dropping a pile of burlap sacks at their feet. "Hagrid has been kind enough to provide us with these. You must fill each with whatever garbage you may find. Since it is rather dark, I will leave my wand, as I'm fairly sure you were both instructed to leave yours behind." She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and they nodded in response. "Very well, I will leave it so that you may see what you are doing." She reached in to her robes, muttered, "Lumos," and set the lit wand in a holder on the edge of the seats. Turning back to them, she added, "I will come to get you at midnight. Now, however, I must go."

With a small nod, she turned and headed back up the lawn toward the castle. Jessica and Harry stood and watched her until she was out of sight. Shivering slightly, Jessica looked down at the pile of bags at her feet and sighed.

"Might as well start," she said gloomily.

"Right," Harry said brightly. He glanced over at Jessica, smiling, but the moment he looked at her, he could feel her glare. "I mean," he said more seriously, "Let's get to work."

Jessica lifted one of the bags, casting a glance around the grounds. The castle was up on the north end of the lawn, it's many towers highlighted impressively against the horizon. Hagrid's hut stood in front of the Forbidden Forest, which looked as menacing and foreboding as ever. A candle was lit somewhere inside the hut, giving the exterior a soft glow, almost like an oil painting.

Jessica shook her head and bent over to open the bag, when something moving caught the corner of her eye. A bitter cold wind was now sweeping across the grounds, and she trembled as she watched a huge figure emerge from the small, tranquil cabin.

Locking her eyes on it, she watched as it moved silently along the edge of the forbidden forest, proceeding up toward the castle. Thinking fast, she grabbed the wand, whispered, "Nox," and ducked down behind the first row of seats. Harry, who hadn't noticed, jumped when the light went out.

"Hey!" he said loudly, groping around in the darkness, "Jess! Where'd the light go?"

Jessica's throat clenched as the figure stumbled slightly then stopped less that thirty yards away. She reached out and pulled Harry back to where she was, hoping that she was imaging the figure coming closer. Jessica pinched Harry hard on the arm, and he took the hint to shut his mouth. She watched fearfully for a full minute, before she saw a great arm come up and scratch the huge hairy head of the person. With that, they turned and continued up the lawn until they reached the castle.

Jessica let out a long breath and looked at Harry.

"I think that was Hagrid," she whispered.

"So what if it was?" Harry replied.

"Well, what's he doing going up to the castle at this time of night?" Jessica inquired.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Dumbledore called a meeting or something…" he trailed off into silence.

"You don't think…?"

"No, of course not…"

"Right…it can't be…"

They stopped and looked at eachother. Jessica looked down, biting her lower lip nervously.

Harry stood up. "I think we should go and see what this is all about."

"Oh, but Harry…" Jessica began, but Harry cut her off.

"Look, if you don't want to come, fine by me. But I'm going."

Jessica sighed. "I suppose you're right. Let's go."

She stood slowly, careful not to trip on anything.

"I think we can make it up to the castle without the light," she whispered into the darkness.

"Alright, but we're going to have to be careful," Harry agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

Jessica stuck out her hands, feeling around. Soon, she felt the cold metal of the Quidditch stands beneath her grasp. Going on feel alone, she slowly made her way out into the open. Harry was close behind her.

Once they emerged into the cold, open air, Jessica shivered and pulled her coat tighter around herself.

"I'll lead from here," Harry offered, "I know my way around the grounds better."

Jessica nodded in agreement, then realized that he couldn't see her.

"Alright," she said, her teeth chattering slightly.

Harry moved swiftly and silently, carefully avoiding any holes or bumps. More than once, Jessica thought she'd lost him. She finally reached out and grabbed him by the back of his cloak to make sure she was following the right path. In what seemed like hours, they reached the front doors. Jessica, pink-cheeked and freezing, pulled the door open, and sighed as she was greeted with a wave of generous warmth.

Harry stood next to her, looking around. Jessica was positive that they were thinking the same thing. Where could Hagrid have been going?

The entrance hall was empty, and all of the lights were out. Several doors stood on the walls, each dormant. Suddenly, Harry poked Jessica and nodded at an oak door at the very end of the hallway. Beneath, a pale light was shining through, illuminating a small patch of floor.

Harry started towards it, Jessica close behind him. As they came nearer, they could hear muffled voices and the occasional scrap of a chair being dragged across the floor. Once they were a few feet away, Harry pulled Jessica off into a corner and out of sight.

This action was not a moment too soon, for right then, the door burst open and out walked a very disgruntled looking Madame Hooch.

"If you'll excuse me," she said, turning and addressing the room, "I cannot stay and deal with such foolish matters as these. I have students out on that Quidditch field serving a detention, and if what you say is true, I won't leave them out there a moment longer…"

Jessica's stomach clenched, as she looked down at the wand that was clasped in her white-knuckled grip. She glanced at Harry, who looked somewhat ill.

"Please," came Dumbledore's voice from inside the room, "It is highly advisable that you stay for the remainder of the meeting. I assure you, it will not take long. There are, however, some rather important points that I think you should hear."

Yes, Jessica begged mentally, Please please go back in…

Madame Hooch looked again at the front doors; she seemed to be making a very difficult decision. Finally, she turned around.

"Alright, Dumbledore," she said reluctantly. She re-entered the room, but perhaps luckily for Jessica and Harry, did not shut the door behind her.

Leaning forward slightly, Jessica watched as Madame Hooch took her seat and the end of an extremely long table. Unless she was very much mistaken, every teacher in the school was seated at it, including Filch and Hagrid. Very curious about what could possibly be going on, she watched as Dumbledore stood at the far head of the table and stared gravely at the teachers.

"You are all now aware of the current situation Hogwarts is in. Four of the people who were going to save us are dead. They were supposed to be indestructible, but our enemy has found a way past that. Six of their number are currently residing in the Forbidden Forest, and, as our correspondent tells me, they are becoming restless."

"That is correct, Headmaster," Snape said, standing up, "I have been going down to the Aurors every night since their arrival. The news of their comrades dying has effected them greatly. Now, even the most tranquil ones are demanding to fight. They are becoming impatient and are feeling that their powers are going to waste…"

"Nonsense!" tiny Professor Flitwick cut in, "How can their powers be going to waste? They should be merely conserving their energy for the real battle…"

"But if they cannot use their power," McGonagall interrupted, "It may begin to deteriorate…"

"Their powers have been dormant for centuries!" Snape retorted, "They are merely looking for the opportunity to demonstrate their skills…"

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said quietly, "It has something to do with wanting to avenge their fallen friends." The table fell silent for a moment.

"You don't still believe that ridiculous story, do you?" Madame Pomfrey asked quietly, "I assure you, Headmaster, it is merely a myth…"

"Well, Poppy, somehow I do not see it that way. According to what Professor Snape here has told me, Saria Evans was extremely upset when she heard of the death of Vincent…"

"But that does not necessarily mean that they were lovers, Headmaster!" McGonagall interjected.

"History has not verified this, I grant you that," Dumbledore said reasonably, "But I believe it to be true."

"And what possible reason could you have for that?" Snape asked.

"First, there is the actual history records. Where could they have been during the five-year gap in which they mysteriously disappeared? It is obvious, to me atleast, that they would not want the public knowing of their romance. Their children would, of course, be a bigger target than themselves for it is well known that we find our weaknesses in those that we love most. Anyone could have captured them and used them to blackmail Saria and Vincent."

"Given that, surely there is another reason that you believe this ridiculous story?" Professor Sprout said incredulously.

"Of course there is," Dumbledore said, staring at all of the teachers. "There is, of course, the nature of their supposed off-spring. As I'm sure you all know, I am speaking of Mr. Potter and Miss Ciccone." There was a slight pause.

"And how do they make this tale more probable?" Professor Trelawny inquired.

Dumbledore stared at the table for a moment, apparently thinking hard.

"You are all aware," he said finally, "of Harry's mysterious past. It isn't known to anyone how he survived Voldemort's," several of the teachers cringed, "worst and most deadly curse. However, it is known that he was very special from an extremely young age. He has shown more bravery that any adult wizard in this world has ever possessed. And what is there to make of this Jessica? Haven't you asked yourselves what the possible reasons for her arrival could have been? She is obviously going to have a great role in the events that take place this year, although what those are, I cannot say…" He trailed off into silence.

After a moment, Hagrid cleared his throat.

"Er — Professor? In yer letter, yeh said somethin' abou' a very important matter that I had to be presen' to discuss."

Dumbledore's expression darkened.

"Indeed, Hagrid," he nodded gravely, "Infact, that is what I wrote in all of the letters of the teachers who are not made to attend usual meetings. The nature of this meeting is, however, very unusual." He paused for a moment, then reached inside his robes. "I have received this letter from the Minister of Magic," he said, pulling out a large white envelope, "I think it would be best if I just read it aloud for the whole table to hear." He cleared his throat and removed a piece of parchment from inside. He shook it open and cleared his throat. "It is addressed to Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: It has come to my attention that a mass attack on our elite group of Aurors has occurred on your premises. In my opinion, this is posing a rather high risk to all personnell and students that make use of your facilities. As a consequence, it is my unfortunate duty to inform you that, as of the end of this school year, we will shut down Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for however long we deem it necessary to ensure it's safety." Dumbledore looked at them all with a sad, hollow expression. "Which means, the Spring Ball will be the last dance this school will ever host, unless we find some way to fight the evil that threatens to engulf us."

(A/N) I wrote this while I had music on, so if there are errors or if it sounds repetitive, please forgive me :D

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