Disclaimer: I own the plot, I apologize if it's been done before. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
AN: Hi! Real AN at the end! Enjoy!
Consanguina by Jess S
Chapter 13: Back to School...
It was just before dawn that saw Harry Potter appear in the middle of finely furnished hotel room, holding onto a small card, with his eyes clenched tightly shut. He'd never really been overly fond of Portkeys, and it wasn't too hard to understand why, but it was the only real way he could leave the Manor without leaving a trail, according to Vivian. Now, of course, if the Ministry or the Order of the Phoenix could trace the Portkey, if it existed later after its use. Which, of course, Harry knew it did not, as he quickly dropped it, opening his eyes to watch the small, shrinking flame it had become, fall down to the floor. However, it never reached that destination, for it was ash long before it even came close.
That distraction denied him, Harry instead turned his attention to the room he'd be spending the rest of the morning in. It was, undoubtedly, as expensive as it was beautiful...
A plush, dark blue carpet was covered by elaborate furniture. Knowing already that this room had to be pretty expensive, the young wizard didn't doubt that they were antiques. He walked over to the closed closet, and opened it to find his trunk had already been placed there, as had Hedwig's cage. The owl herself was staying at the Manor until tomorrow. The elaborate mirrors and paintings were elegant, not gaudy.
However, it was king-size bed with white, silk sheets, pillows and a silky white comforter, that drew his attention. It wasn't yet five o'clock in the morning, so, needless to say; he was tired. Not that that would be a surprise anyway, it seemed like he was always tired nowadays!
So he didn't really hesitate in pulling back the comforter and climbing under, he didn't need to change, mainly because Vivian had told him to go in his pajamas any ways. Undoubtedly knowing that he'd just go back to bed. What else was he supposed to do? He wasn't supposed to be at the station before nine o'clock!
~ * ~
It was a rather strange site, the trio sitting at one of the tables in the street side cafe, which offered them a nearly perfect view of Platform 1 at Kings' Cross-Station. [To those who (have been to/live in) London, I apologize if it's more then a bit inaccurate, I'm pretty much making this up because: 1. It works for the story, and 2. While I did go there a while back, I can't remember what the actual set up is!]
After all, to all outward appearances Vivian Potier, Arabella Figg, and Alastor Moody had absolutely nothing in common. Potier was a woman of over twenty years they're junior, dressed so fashionably in Muggle attire that one could easily mistake her for a model. Moody, even with his magical eye hidden, was quite a sight in a rather old tweed suit and an over-sized bowler cap. Figg, while not nearly so odd in appearance as the elder of her partners, was still rather odd, considering the fact that she could easily pass as someone's retired Muggle aunt in the pale, flower-print dress she was wearing.
Vivian had been forced to suppress a smile when she'd seen this, shaking her head instead. Arabella and Alastor may be Aurors, but they certainly wouldn't fit into in her department. All of the Aurors that worked for her were required to go through intensive Muggle-studies, along with many other studies, before they received their status as an Auror. Muggle fashion was one of the things they studied, for just the reason that sat before her now.
Most Wizards, surprisingly even many Muggle-borns, stuck out like sore thumbs in the Muggle world when they tried to conceal themselves. The Wizarding world as a whole was unaware of this, because most Muggles instinctively ignored many of the 'strange' things they saw each day.
The ability to truly blend in with Muggle culture was a valuable tool to operatives who were undercover, and those that weren't. It also gave them with a certain awareness that most Wizards lacked. The ignorant Wizarding community wouldn't break any of the statues of secrecy by making the Muggles aware of their existence simply by the way they dressed, because the Muggles wouldn't notice. One of her Aurors, however, would. If you had to find a wizard in a group of one hundred people, nine out of ten times one of her Aurors would be able to find the Wizard on the first try. If they missed, then their second guess was always correct.
"The earlier, the better, huh?" Arabella raised an eyebrow at Moody. "Well, it's nearly nine o'clock and still no sign of the boy... You're loosing your edge, Mad-Eye."
Moody snorted, "We should've been here at midnight, last night! When the thirty-first started. For all we know he's been waiting on the platform since then..."
"He's not."
Both Aurors turned to look at their younger colleague.
After taking a sip of her half-empty teacup, Vivian continued, not looking at them, as her emerald-gaze was focused across the street. "I checked when I arrived."
"When did you get here?" Arabella wanted to know.
"A little over a half-an-hour before you," the raven-haired witch shrugged. Before either of the other two could say something she nodded out the window, "Might that be him?"
"Where?" Arabella inquired as both she and Moody turned to look.
"By the hot dog stand..." Vivian replied, "I think he's ordering a hot chocolate."
After a moment Arabella nodded, "That's him all right... shall we go then?"
"Of course we should!" Moody snapped, rising quickly and moving towards the door. The other two shook their heads, before rising to follow.
Vivian handed a twenty-pound note to their waitress before exiting the shop and following her companions across the street. [That's the right term, right? ...sorry, if it isn't...]
"Miss! Miss!" the waitress called from the shop door, and Vivian turned slightly in response. "You forgot your change!"
"Keep it," Vivian called back, before spinning on her heel and walking down the steps to enter the station.
~ * ~
Harry sighed, shaking his head as he finished packing his trunk. He'd changed into semi-formal black slacks and a red top. 'I can leave a little early, can't I?' he thought, glancing at the clock, which now read 7:00 am. 'If I leave now, I could probably stop for breakfast somewhere, and still be at the station around nine...'
After a moment, he nodded, and, that decided, he exited the suite, pulling his trunk behind him. Vivian had enchanted it to look like it was designed the same way many Muggle suitcases were, with wheels and a long handle to pull by. The wheels were really just an illusion, though. She'd really bound a strong levitation charm to the trunk, so it was actually quite easy to travel with.
A few minutes later, he was stepping out of the elevator and making his way over to the front desk. The room key that he'd found on the desk, where Ria had said she'd leave it, as well as the one Ria had given him, in hand.
"Excuse me?" he asked, once there.
The clerk, a young woman with blonde hair and hazel eyes raised an eyebrow. "Yes, may I help you?"
"Yes, please," Harry replied. "I'd like to check out."
The clerk blinked, "Oh...all right. What room were you in?"
"Room ###, my sister and I've been there for two weeks." Harry replied, "She had to go to another meeting today, so she told me to check out."
The clerk was obviously more than a little surprised, but nodded anyway, smiling pleasantly. "Oh, all right.... You have two keys?"
"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied, placing both keys on the desk.
"You're all set then," she smiled. "Thank you for stay with us, and I hope you enjoy your trip, Mr. James."
"Thank you," Harry smiled back at her, before turning around and making his way over to the door. Outside, he found a limousine parked along the curb. He could see the chauffeur sitting in the front, watching him, so he waved, smiling slightly.
The chauffeur nodded, before turning slightly to open the driver's side door, and exiting to walk around to his side of the limousine. "Mr. James?" he inquired, smiling politely.
"Yes," Harry nodded, "that's me..."
"Welcome, sir." The Muggle man, who couldn't be that much older than Harry himself, bowed. "Your sister is not coming?" he asked, looking around.
"No," the teen sighed, "she had an appointment that she couldn't miss."
"Very well," the blonde smiled kindly at the boy's obvious nervousness. "I am William, and I will be your driver for the morning. Your sister was not clear on how long you would need transport..."
"The morning's fine," Harry replied, moving into the limousine as William held the door for him. The door closed a moment later, and he could see the chauffeur moving around to the front of the limo again.
A few seconds later William had reached the drivers side, and opened the door, to slip in, before closing the door. "Where would you like to go first, Mr. James?"
"How about some where for breakfast?"
It took them a half-an-hour to reach the small cafe William was fond of, and, after spending a little over an hour there, eating, they left to head for the station. Thanks to the early-morning traffic, that was certainly no easy, and he was little more then ten minutes early when they arrived at Kings Cross.
"Kings Cross, first platform, sir." William told him, albeit unnecessarily, as he stopped the car a short distance from the exit. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for your sister, and catch a later train?" He asked, evidently not overly happy with leaving the teen at the station by himself.
"No, this is fine," Harry told him, smiling slightly when the older man shook his head. "Vivian's schedule can be hard to predict. Waiting would be rather pointless, as she might not be able to come at all. Thank you for the morning."
"Oh, no problem at all, sir." The chauffeur nodded as he opened his door to get out, and come back to open the rear door for Harry. "Would you like some help with your luggage?" he asked as he pulled Harry's trunk out of the back of the limo, while Harry picked up the other, rather peculiar 'bag', which was actual Hedwig's cage in disguise.
"No, thank you," the wizard replied, "It's quite light."
The Muggle looked at him oddly, but seemed to shrug it off, shaking his head. "If you say so.... Thank you for riding with us, Mr. James."
"Thank you," Harry nodded, before pulling his trunk off. Vivian had placed a number of charms and illusions on his luggage. The first, made it weightless when he was carrying it, but it was quite heavy for anyone else, which was what had surprised the chauffer so much. The second was an illusion that made it look like the trunk had wheels, to explain the third, which made the trunk float a little over a foot above the ground, to make it easy to carry. Another one was the spell that made Hedwig's cage look like a strange bag, and the last one was a 'notice-me-not' charm, so that no undue attention was drawn to him.
The Boy-Who-Lived sighed, looking around the entrance to the platform after William had left. It didn't take him long to locate the small cafe across the crowded street that Vivian had told him she and the other two Aurors would be sitting in. But he wasn't supposed to know that they were there, so he couldn't go over to them. Instead, his eyes landed on a small hot dog booth a few feet away, and, after buying a cup of hot chocolate, he headed into the station. Then he sat down on one of the benches a short distance from the door, to enjoy the steaming beverage he'd just bought. He hadn't taken more then two scalding sips, however, before a semi-familiar voice greeted him.
"Good to see you in one piece, Potter."
Harry looked up quickly, smiling slightly as he saw Mad-Eyed Moody standing before him. Of course, it took him a moment to figure out who he was, as the retired Auror's most distinctive and a large bowler cap hid namesake feature. "Good morning, Profess--"
"I'm not your professor anymore, boy. Never was, really."
"Then you won't be teaching this year?" the younger wizard inquired, tilting his head slightly.
"No," Moody shook his head, "bit to busy for that, 'm afraid."
"What'd you--" Harry stopped suddenly, looking momentarily stunned as he noticed that witch that had stepped up beside the other wizard. He could see Vivian making her way over to them, but he wasn't watching her. "M-Mrs. Figg? What're you -- You're a witch?"
Looking more than a little amused as she did so, his former babysitter nodded, smiling slightly.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter."
Harry had to repress a smile as he turned to his elder sibling. "Good morning...?"
"Vivien Potier," she continued, offering her hand to shake.
Harry took it, smiling softly. "Pleased to meet you."
"As am I," the general nodded, smiling gently. After a short moment, she returned his gentle squeeze before releasing his hand and turning slightly towards her comrades. "Shall we be on our way then?"
"Where are we going?" Harry asked, although he actually already knew, he wasn't supposed to know.... In retrospect, he'd realize that this was part of the reason Vivian had done this, this way. It was rather fun!
"The Ministry," Moody told him, before nodding to Potier. "We'll be takin' you in to General Potier's sector."
"Why?"
"For your protection," Vivian replied smoothly, smiling slightly. "And to ensure that you are who you say, and we believe, you are."
"Oh..." After a moment, the Gryffindor shrugged. "Okay..."
~ * ~
There was a lot of commotion in the House of Black the next morning. Two female voices were screaming out, one because that was what 'she' always did, and the other was focusing on her twin sons. Apparently the two of them had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs, so that they wouldn't have to carry them. A good idea certainly, except for the fact that their younger sister, Ginny was on her way down at the time, and was therefore sent flying down two flights of stairs into the hall.
"She could have been seriously hurt, you idiots!"
"We didn't mean to have them run into Gin', Mum!" one of them protested.
The other nodded, "Yeah, and besides, she alright, now. Isn't she?"
"No thanks to you!" Their mother roared back at them, before looking around and taking note of the fact that her youngest son and neither of his best friends were there. "Will you two get down here, please!" she bellowed up the stairs.
This quickly resulted in what sounded like a small stamped as the pair raced down the stairs, dragging their trunks behind them. No body bothered to close the curtains that usually concealed Mrs. Black's portrait, despite her howls, the amount of noise they were making would surely rouse her again, anyway.
"Leave your trunk and your owl," Mrs. Weasley told them, still having to shout to be heard over Mrs. Black's howls of Mudbloods and Blood-traitors. "Alastor's going to deal with the luggage," she explained as she opened the door, only to have a bearlike black dog bolt through. "Oh for Merlin's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"
The dog ignored her, choosing instead to run around in the sunshine, rolling in the grass, obviously pleased with himself.
"Oh honestly..." the Weasley matron rolled her eyes, before turning her head back to the children at Hermione's inquiry of:
"Where's Tonks? Wasn't she going to go with us?"
"She's waiting for us at the end of the street," the older witch replied stiffly, pointedly ignoring the dog that was lolloping around them as they made their way down the street.
"Wotcher, Weasleys! Hermione," an old woman with tightly curled gray hair under a hat shaped like a porkpie. "Better hurry up, hadn't we, Molly?" she added, checking her watch.
"I know, I know," the other witch moaned in reply, while lengthening her stride. "If only Arthur could have brought us cars from the Ministry again...but Fudge wouldn't let him borrow so much as an empty bottle of ink these days... How Muggles can stand traveling without magic...."
It took them all of twenty minutes to reach Kings Cross by foot, a trek that apparently only the large black dog that accompanied them enjoyed. Sirius had been trapped inside for a very long time, usually leaving only to help with the search for Harry. But since they'd received the letter from his godson's aunt saying that Harry would be returning to them, he hadn't had anything to do. Therefore even a stroll outside was a pleasurable experience.
Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters. The Hogwarts Express was there, belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families. But that wasn't what the entire group's attention was immediately drawn to.
"Harry!" several of them cried out, running over to where he was waiting for them, a short distance from the train. It was the large, Grim-like black dog, however, that reached him first.
"Snuffles!" the teen laughed as he pushed the massive hound down from his face, which he seemed to be content with drowning in dog drool. "Hi, guys," he smiled, nodding to the group that had crowded around him. "How was your summer?"
~ * ~
[This Song, obviously, belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.]
In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will teach!"
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might some day be divided,
Four were their such good friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so I tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
Those differences caused a little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A House in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin,
Took only pure-blooded wizards
Of great cunning, just like him.
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the Houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony,
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up the school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and fighting
And the clash of friend and friend
And at last there came the morning
When old Slytherin departed
And thought the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been united
As they were once meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that's what I'm here for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry this is wrong,
Though I may fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, know the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
Let the Sorting now begin.
After that the hat became both motionless and soundless, while applause, punctured with muttering and whispers, broke out. All across the Hall, students were exchanging remarks with their neighbors, undoubtedly echoing Ron's sentiments of: "Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" Ron commented, his eyebrows raised.
Harry nodded in agreement. The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts Houses and its own role in sorting them.
"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?" Hermione wondered aloud, sounding slightly anxious.
"Yes, indeed," Nearly Headless Nick replied knowledgeably, leaning across Neville towards her. This caused Neville to wince, as it was very uncomfortable to have a ghost lean through you. "The Hat feels honor-bound to give the school warning whenever it feels-" he stopped, placing a see-through-finger up to his lips and nodding towards the staff table.
They turned to see their Head of House giving the still-chattering students a scorching look, which was undoubtedly the cause for the mutterings rather abrupt end.
After casting a last, slightly displeased, measuring look around the Hall, Professor McGonagall lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and called out, "Abercrombie, Euan."
This brought a terrified-looking boy stumbling forth in his haste. He followed McGonagall's motions, and sat on the stool, trembling slightly, even as the Deputy Headmistress placed the Sorting Hat on his small head. In truth, the only reason the hat stayed on his tiny head was because of his very prominent ears.
Everyone waited excitedly as the Hat considered, and a moment later the rip near the brim opened again with a shout of, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry, and the rest of the Gryffindor table, clapped loudly as the small boy staggered over to their table and sat down, looking very much like he wanted to sink into the floor and never be seen again.
That was the beginning of the Sorting of 1995 commenced, which ended once the Sorting Hat had sorted all of the incoming students. After the last first year, "Zeller, Rose" was sorted into Hufflepuff, Professor McGonagall removed the Hat and stool from the Hall, while the Headmaster rose to his feet.
Harry had to smile as he met Professor Dumbledore's eyes. He could see that the Headmaster was curious, indeed, how could he not be? But he seemed to have reacted the same way to Vivian's 'threat' the same way his friends had: Harry was back, and for the moment, that was all that mattered.
"To our newcomers," Dumbledore began in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and his lips bearing a beaming smile, "welcome! To our old hands - welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"
Appreciative laughter and applause came as the Headmaster sat down as the Feast appeared before them all. The five long tables were now groaning under joints, pies, dishes of vegetables, bread, sauces, and flagons of pumpkin juice.
"Excellent!" Ron groaned as he hurriedly reached for the nearest plate of chops to begin piling them on his plate.
Harry shook his head, smiling slightly while accepting the dish of green peas from Lavender, "Thank you..." he nodded to her, smiling slightly, but turning away before she could start questioning him like all of his other school acquaintances had.
"What were you saying before the Sorting, Sir Nicholas?," Hermione inquired, turning slightly toward the ghost. "About the Hat giving warnings?"
"Oh yes," the ghost replied, seeming glad to have a reason to turn away from Ron, who was now eating roast potatoes with almost indecent enthusiasm. "Yes, I have heard the Hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. And always, of course, its advice is the same: Stand together, and be strong from within."
"'Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?" the redhead asked, his mouth so full that Harry had to silently acknowledge it was quite an achievement, if a bit disgusting one, for him to make any noise at all. Hermione, on the other hand, looked openly revolted.
"I beg your pardon?" Nearly Headless Nick inquired after a moment's silence.
Ron gave an enormous swallow before asking again, "How can it know the school's in danger if it's a hat?"
"I have no idea," the Gryffindor Ghost replied. "Of course, it lives in the Headmaster's office, so I daresay it picks things up there."
"And it wants all of the Houses to be friends?" Ron asked, glancing over at the Slytherin table. "Fat chance."
Harry frowned, but otherwise made no response to that. Had he not been under Vivian's care over the last few weeks, and heard more then once of how much she despised the House system, he probably would've agreed. But one of the things that made Vivian's section of the Magical Law Enforcement Department so powerful and effective was the she simply didn't allow any of the House tradition and 'clicks' from schools to be carried on at work. From what Ria had told him, that had caused quite a fuss when she first started enforcing it, a few years back, but once everyone got used to it, it made their sector a force to be reckoned with....
A short time later, when all of the students had finished eating, and the noise level was starting to creep up once again, Dumbledore rose to his feet once more. This, of course, made all talking cease immediately as all of the students turned toward the Headmaster.
"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," Dumbledore began, still smiling pleasantly at all of them. "First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now too.... Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes. Nor are a number of other things, all of which can be found on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door." After a moment's pause, the Headmaster continued, still smiling. "We have had two changes in staffing this year. And we are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubby-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; and we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was a round of polite, but fairly unenthusiastic applause as the two new teachers stood up. Professor Grubby-Plank sat down at the end of the faint round, while Dumbledore continued.
"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the-" He broke off, looking inquiringly at Professor Umbridge.
As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge said, "Hem, hem," and it became clear that she intended to make a speech.
The Headmaster only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat down smartly, and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing more than to listen to her talk. Other members of the staff were not as adept as hiding their surprise, as no teacher, let alone a new one, had ever had the nerve to interrupt Dumbledore before. Many of the older students were smirking, evidently thinking that this woman did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered in high-pitched, little-girlish voice, "for those kind words of welcome." She gave another throat clearing, "Hem, hem," and continued. "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy faces looking back at me!"
Harry didn't need to glance around to know no one looked happy. How could they? They were all teenagers, and she was talking to them like they were five-year-olds! It was becoming clear to him why Vivian disliked this woman so much. She didn't like Fudge, but from the way she'd talked of his Undersecretary he'd quickly gathered that she despised the woman.
"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Students exchanged looks at this, and some of them were barely concealing grins as their new Professor continued.
"I'll be friends with her, as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan!" Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both collapsed into silent giggles.
"Hem, hem," Umbridge continued, this time in a less breathy, more businesslike manner, with obviously over-rehearsed words. "The Ministry of Magic has considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching." She paused here to make a small bow to her fellow staff members.
None of the Professors bowed back, and Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so much that she now looked a great deal like a hawk when she exchanged a significant glance with Professor Sprout.
"Hem, hem," Umbridge went on with her speech, "Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts had brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation....."
The quiet that always filled the Hall when Dumbledore was speaking had started breaking up moments before, when students began putting their heads together, whispering and giggling.
Umbridge, however, did not seem to notice the restlessness of her audience, and Harry had the impression a full-scale riot could have broken out under her nose and she would have plowed on with her speech. Hermione and the teachers seemed to be the only people that were paying the least bit of attention. He could tell by his friend's expression, though, that while she may be absorbing everything the upstart said, she didn't like a single word. He didn't have the patience to listen to the windbag, something he knew Vivian would want to work on later, but could you really blame him? Nonetheless, the thought of his sister's disapproval made him tune back into the 'speech'.
"...because some changes will be fore the better, while others will come , in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgement. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited." And then, finally, she sat down.
The Headmaster stood up once again, bringing his hands together, the staff and the students followed his lead, though the students weren't the least bit enthusiastic about it, and they apparent still found their own conversations more important. Even the teachers could be seen putting their heads together throughout the applause. As the 'applause' died down, so did all other noise, as the student body looked expectantly towards their Headmaster, once again.
"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," Dumbledore said, bowing slightly to her. "Now - as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held..."
"Yes, it certainly was illuminating," Hermione murmured in a low voice.
Ron turned to stare at her. "You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" The redhead protested. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy!"
"I said illuminating, not enjoyable," Hermione replied. "It explained a lot."
"It did?" Ron blinked, then shook his head. "It sounded like a lot of waffle to me."
Harry had to fight to suppress a laugh at that.
"There was some important stuff in that waffle." Hermione told him grimly.
"Was there?" Ron inquired blankly.
"How about 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'? How about 'pruning whenever we find practices that ought to be prohibited'?"
"Well, what does it mean?" Ron asked impatiently.
"Never mind," Hermione's sigh was almost drowned out by the great clattering and banging around them, caused by the other students' departure.
~ * ~
"So..." the Dark Lord hissed softly, "the younger Potter has been found, then...."
"Yes, my lord," Professor Snape replied, nodding slightly. "Dumbledore informed the Order just this morning... He did not give his specific location--"
"Oh? Then he isn't sending any of his do-gooders to retrieve him?"
"The Auror's who have been looking for the boy; Moody, Figg and Potier, were going to collect him earlier this morning."
"Where?"
"Despite numerous inquires from various Light advocate's, the Headmaster would not offer that piece of information."
"Hmm... Very well, then," Voldemort nodded, and after several moments of thought, he returned his attention to the Potions Master. "And I don't suppose the Muggle-lover thought to introduce the elder Potter sibling?"
"He doesn't know where, or who, she is, my lord," Snape didn't even need to bend the truth that time. "The entire Order is searching for her, and trying to remember more about her, but as of yet they've had little success...."
"Indeed...." the Dark Lord laughed iniquitously. "Well, at least that is one advantage we have."
Snape clearly wasn't the only one surprised as this. The whispers that quickly began circulating throughout the chamber, as many Death Eaters turned to their neighbors, attested that fact.
"P-Pardon, my Lord?" Snape inquired politely, forcefully suppressing a wince at his initial stutter.
"It is most unfortunate that she seems so inclined to aiding the Light. Though, perhaps with some... persuasion, she could be made to see our point of view...."
"You know who Potter's older sister is, my Lord?" Lucius Malfoy's dignified voice came from a short distance behind Snape.
"Of course I do," the Dark Lord replied, a slight note of amusement in his tone. "If I didn't no one else would know that she existed, thanks to the Muggle-lover's rather effective spell...."
"And you feel that she could be made to see our point of view, my Lord?" the slightly doubtful voice of Walden Macnair, inquired.
"Perhaps...." the Dark Lord nodded once again. "And she would undoubtedly be a powerful asset."
"Would you like one of us to approach her, my Lord?" Malfoy offered, although Snape was quite sure that the other Slytherin knew what his master's response would be as Snape himself did.
"No," Voldemort shook his head. "Not quite yet... I should like to see how she continues to act throughout the course of the next few weeks, before approaching her."
"Then perhaps one of us should watch her, my Lord?" Another Death Eater; either Avery or Jugson, the Potions Master wasn't sure which.
"One of you already is, and will continue to do so...." After pausing to make sure his servants understood: end of discussion, Lord Voldemort nodded, "Dismissed."
After bowing, all of the Dark Lord's servants quickly departed from their Lord's demonic presence.
When he finally reached the outside, and was able to remove his mask and breath in the cool night air, Snape noticed a figure he could recognize. For, indeed, Lucius Malfoy was one of the few among Voldemort's minions that he knew reasonably well, so he could recognize him on sight, if not for his sheer presence, then certainly from his attire and stature.
Once he'd looked around, and was therefore fairly certain that they were alone, the Potions Master called after the departing figure. "Lucius?"
The other wizard halted abruptly, before turning back towards the Hogwarts Professor, and removing his mask with a flick of his wand. "Severus," he nodded, before re-sheathing his wand.
"You are well?" the Potions Master inquired politely, as he came up alongside the other wizard.
"As well as can be expected, considering the circumstances of the last few weeks."
"Hmm," the Head of Slytherin House nodded in agreement, "And how is Draco?"
Most would not have noticed the blonde's slight wince in the dark hours of the night, hooded by the shadows of his flawlessly tailored black cloak. But most were not Severus Snape.
"Draco fell ill a short time ago, but his condition is improving steadily."
Snape frowned, but nonetheless nodded, "That is good to hear. Would that be why he didn't come on the train?"
"Yes... I will bring him in as soon as the Healers think he is well enough."
Again, the Slytherin Head nodded, "You must do what you think is best, of course... Although you could always bring him into Madam Pomphrey, if his condition does not improve. That would allow him to keep up with his schoolwork more readily, without taxing himself."
"Perhaps," Malfoy nodded, "but that is not yet necessary, and the first week of classes isn't overly important."
"No, it's usually just review. And he can make up the lab work he misses in Potions. We're just covering the freezing potions... Although, it wouldn't be wise for him to miss the second week. I believe McGonagall plans on starting with Animagus magic early this year."
"And Transfiguration has never been his forte," Malfoy nodded, as they came up to the end of the anti-Apparation zone "I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Severus."
"A pleasure," Snape nodded, watching as the Lord of the Malfoy Manor disappeared with a soft 'pop'. That signified how stressed he was, as he'd practiced Apparation so thoroughly over the years that he generally made no noise when performing it, just as the Slytherin Head himself didn't, when he Apparated to Hogsmeade.
~ * ~
As always, the Gryffindor Common Room had been a welcome sight, as cozy and inviting as ever. But he hadn't wanted to stay down there... Not with all of the questions being directed his way. It seems his supposed 'kidnapping' had been big news, and it had become ever bigger when the world remembered that he had an older sister. So now, of course, everyone (except those who were incredibly dense) was rather sure he'd been staying with his sister, and they wanted to know who she was.
So the reason for the spell Vivian had cast became clear, he wouldn't have to say anything, indeed he couldn't, until the world remembered everything on its own... Ron and Hermione were apparently aware of that fact, as they kept chasing off anyone who was bothering him during the feast, on the way to the Tower, and even now, Ron was yelling at their roommates.
"Give him a break! He doesn't have to tell us if he doesn't want to!"
So his return to school had been a bit more pleasant then he'd expected it to be. They hadn't even had a run-in with Malfoy. Would wonders never cease?
But something was missing...
And he knew what it was...
During the past four years, coming to Hogwarts felt like coming home. That wasn't there now, he'd left home to come here... And he wasn't sure he liked it...
If there was one thing Harry Potter had never expected, it was that he might be homesick on his first night back in the Gryffindor Tower...but he was...
End of Chapter 13.
Translations:
Consanguina - related by blood (Latin)
Response to Reviewers:
LittleEar BigEar's sis - Congratulations! You're the 100th reviewer for this story! ^_^
Thank you, I'm glad you like it. And sorry for the wait. I hope you chocolate chip cookies helped... Now I want to bake...Ack!
Liberty Belleview/Sticker Queen - LOL, that's good.
Yes, I thought so too... But don't worry! It won't be long now! ^_^
Jaded*Secrets - Hi! LOL, thank you. ^_^
Yup! ^_^ Although I have to feel a little bad for her, because my brother's turned out to be a bit of a worry-wort about it. He's read dozens of books about pregnancy and how to care for an infant and whatnot, so now he worries about everything that could go wrong! There are tons of things she can't eat! She can't even have caffeine! She's due in late March, it turns out the two months thing was a little off.
What's your niece like? Surely you must have met her by now!
LOL, well, we'll try again:
If you reading this late again; Sweet Dreams! (And if you're not: Good morning, Good afternoon, and Good evening! ^_^)
^_^* That was another reviewer, someone who came after you.
Totallystellar - LOL, glad to see someone's happy. ^_^
And yes, I suppose that does fit...
Glad you like it ^_^
Oh, it'll get a bit more complicated then this, don't worry.
Oh, I don't know. I've always felt that Snape has to be at least somewhat human... Otherwise, why would he be spying for Dumbledore?
Xirleb70 - LOL, same here. That's why I hadn't updated any of my stories in so long. I was trying to write chapters for several different stories at once...it didn't work...
Thank you. ^_^
Rachel A. Prongs - Glad to hear it! ^_^
Harry was innately tied into the spell, and it had been a part of his being for so long that his body didn't like having it suddenly torn away.
...Well I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd be able to sleep very well in a cupboard under the stairs, full of spiders *shudder*... and he had to spend a lot of his waking hours running from his cousin... And he really didn't have a home to feel safe, and loved in.... So I think it would have to affect him in some way, and that's one of the ways... There are other reasons, but I can't tell you those yet, you'll have to wait and see! :-P
LOL, don't worry. That's one of the things I didn't like about Bk5. Harry became a real teenage boy... Ugh...
Oh, she will, she will *evil smile/smirk*
Wytil - ...Yes. He was really close to remembering, and seeing a picture of her did it.
Pheonixrising1 - LOL, that's good. ^_^
Yes, the spell affected Harry throughout his entire childhood too, just like it affected the rest of the world. It ensured that no one knew Vivian or the Potter Manor existed, outside of those who were living on the Manor when it was cast. So every time he met her, it didn't let her remember it. That's one of the reasons he reacted so violently to it. He had a bunch of memories that had been magically repressed, being set free.
Oh she will...that's one of the scenes I'm looking forward to, if it works out well.
No, that's one of the reasons Vivian's sector has it's own healers, for security. They're used to the dangers, secrecy and whatnot. They operate under it all the time. And N. Dolohov is already under Vivian's protection (Fidelius), so no one could find him anyway.
I know, it's terrible, isn't it? I tried complaining, but they didn't reply. L
Everpresent - LOL, yes, but I'm sure this didn't help!
Thank you, I try. ^_^
Oh, she was going to, and it's still a possibility, but she's not perfect. And with all of the confusion surrounding the last few weeks of summer and whatnot, she forgot.
Yes ^_^
*Sigh* Actually was a bit stumped... I was trying to work on several other stories as the same time, and needless to say, it didn't work, sorry.
Littletoaster - Glad to hear it ^_^
Sorry about the wait....
And you won't actually get to see that until the next chapter, or possibly the one after that, but it's not that far off...
Isn't it? ^_^
Liedral - I'm glad ^_^
At the moment, they're trying to stick to their oaths, but that may be hard as time passes.
Berri516 - Thank you ^_^
*Blink* *Blink* Wow, people are actually recommending my fics? ... Wow... Ok... glad to hear it... still in a state of a shock... but glad to be....
Twin demonic angels - Thank you...^_^
Yes, everyone knows...they just don't know who the older one is...
LOL, we'll see. ^_^
Thanks to: Szelij, Jessyka, Howling wolf1
AN: Well, that's it for Chapter 13! What'd you guys think? I know it was a bit of a filler, but it took forever to write, and I didn't feel like squeezing more in...
Anyway, Happy Holidays! I'll try to update again soon, but another update before Christmas is very unlikely, considering it's two days away! I hope this was an OK present.
Happy/Merry Christmas!
Bye! ^_^
~ Jess S