This story is based on characters and developed from some situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 22.
Travel in Style
1st September. Day 66.
For both Harry and Ginny it was to be a new experience, arriving at the Platform with plenty of time before the train left, so they could stroll to it rather than run. Dobby and Winky had insisted on taking their luggage ahead, so it would be waiting for them, already stowed appropriately for them in the appropriate Carriage. The two elves would be travelling on the train to ensure the couple had all they needed on the journey, although the Alliance Coach would have its own staff as well. Kreacher had similarly taken both Hermione and Draco's luggage, but had returned to the house where he would once again be the sole Elf serving the house. Hedwig had affectionately rubbed her head against them, before taking off from Grimmauld Place, to fly North herself.
They had arrived at Grimmauld Place that morning after they had eaten Breakfast at the Abbey, enjoying the view over the grounds from the terrace. It had been a fine meal eaten in the sun that gave its warmth to the morning, it was amazingly tranquil. The last of the additions for the society event had been cleared, the grounds fully restored, the wildlife of the park retaking the areas they enjoyed. It had been hard to leave the Abbey, to Floo back to London, they chose to walk to the station from Grimmauld Place, rather than go directly to Kings Cross. Prolonging the time they all had together, before parting for the weeks before Christmas, which they were to spend at the Abbey.
It was also the first time that Harry would have family with him to see him off on the train, he was enjoying the experience, at least for the most part. They had set off to walk from the house in good time, the group cutting a path through the crowds on the London streets, even without trying. Even so, they did not draw any undue attention it seemed, dressed as they were in fine Muggle attire, which demonstrated they were of some importance. They merely drew a glance as people moved out of the way to let them pass. Harry was also enjoying wearing properly fitted to his new physique, good quality Muggle clothes, he and Ginny walking with a new-found, confidence, that the others with them shared.
They were soon passing the Gothic grandeur of the expanse of the Hotel facade which fronted St Pancras Station, then crossed the narrow road that separated it from the neighbouring Kings Cross station. They entered through the modern entrance of the nineteen sixties, which masked much of the more handsome original Victorian facade from view. Not requiring a trolley for luggage, they passed through the concourse, as the crowd, looking up at the departure boards, parted to let them through. They knew where they were going at the station, so ignored the information screens that told the Muggles about the trains arriving and departing. They reached the barrier between platforms nine and ten, passing though it without fuss, stopping or so much as a glance around them. Knowing that if anyone had seen them, it would have been so fleetingly, that it did not matter.
Emerging onto the familiar hidden platform, they were able to see details of it for the first time. The signs identifying the platform, posters advertising Wizarding suppliers and entertainments, Harry was surprised he had never noticed them before. There were not many families yet on the platform, only a few early arrivals, most of whom were Muggle families who had travelled to London the day before and stayed in a hotel with their Magical child. Not having Magical means to get there, for many it was a long journey to the capital so making a trip of it was sensible. There were only thirty minutes before the train that stood waiting at the platform, would leave, so the Platform would soon begin to fill more rapidly.
Knowing when they had planned to arrive, Neville was waiting, just inside the barrier, for them. He greeted them, then he and Hermione headed towards the train where his grandmother was waiting for them. She was not far from Remus and Tonks, who stood along the platform next to the last coach on the train. It was a very different livery to the others and also bore the coats of Arms of the Potters, Blacks and Ashmoles on its side. It also had other detail differences, such as the door handles which were animal heads and shone brightly. Tonks and Remus waved as Neville and Hermione said goodbye to his grandmother and got into the coach. Lady Longbottom told Harry and Ginny that others from the Alliance had already arrived and were on board. Harry grinned as he saw his friends board, he knew they were going to claim a seat together for the journey, he knew they were going to reserve seats for them all, if necessary. Tonks and Remus watched as they approached, they were guarding the Carriage, it was the first time it had been added to the train for many years, and they were ensuring only those of the Alliance would board it.
"Wotcher Harry and Ginny, you too Draco, your carriage awaits." Tonks grinned. "It's been checked and is safe, despite being out of use at the back of the sheds for so long, it has been serviced and maintained, despite the ministry, so it will make it. In fact, I am told it has had so much done to it, it is as good as new. The usual protections are in place for you and no one can access it from the rest of the train without your permission, except train crew and staff of course."
"Thanks Tonks." Harry grinned at her exuberance. "Morning Remus, glad you could both be here."
"Not a problem Harry, glad to be here. Now this is the Alliances private coach, added to the train because you two have reactivated it. It will be included in the train whenever any of the family of members travels on the express in the future. All current Alliance family members shall join you on it today, together with any others you invite, such as Hermione, some have already arrived and are on board. We shall ensure all others are directed to the other coaches, and when the crowds come we shall stop anyone gawking through the windows if need be."
They took the time to socialise while they waited for the other students to arrive, greeting the alliance families as they approached as well as those already on the platform. Harry and Ginny took especial note of the first years who would be sharing the carriage with them, reassuring them all would be fine, and they would ensure they were looked after. The last ones expected, arrived a good five minutes before the train would leave. Once they were aboard, Harry, Ginny and Draco made their goodbyes to Sirius and Bella, Narcissa, then Remus and Tonks, before getting aboard the coach, themselves. The crowd on the platform reaching its maximum, many spotting the extra coach with interest.
On board, Harry and Ginny took the seats that Neville had saved for them, not that they needed to have worried, there were plenty in the coach, which was magically expanded inside. They settled in, and it wasn't long before they heard the whistle blow, then felt the train begin to move.
The interior of the carriage was very different to those in the rest of the train. It had no compartments, simply an open space. The seating was sofas and armchairs in the main, although there were some workstations and a small library where they could finish up homework, research or simply read. The space was much more like a lounge, than the usual coaches, and benefited from having a staff of Elves to look after them, though Dobby and Winky naturally prioritised Harry and Ginny. They had noticed the coach was varnished wood before they had boarded, the lettering picked out in gold, shadowed with red and black. The interior walls reflected the exterior, but were decorated with single shields, each one bearing the arms of one of the families present carefully painted on the panels between windows and above the doors. At one end was the door that led to the rest of the train, the bathrooms through a door at the other. There were curtains at the windows, the upper lights of which were of stained-glass. With sufficient space and seats for all present, thickly carpeted floor, smoother running and the Elves who acted as stewards, it was a luxurious carriage.
The occupants waved to their relatives on the platform as the train moved out of the station, settling into their seats as they passed over the points at the station throat. All were settled, greeting those around them as the coach entered Gasworks tunnel, the train already gaining pace.
Draco and Hermione were both Prefects, they had duty to perform as a result. So shortly after departure, they left for the briefing from the Head boy and Girl, both of whom were also from families who were part of the Alliance. As they left, Harry noticed a few others going with them, it seemed that most of the Prefects at the school this year were also from Alliance families. He had already spoken with the Head Boy and Girl, as well as Hermione and Draco to say he did not expect them to show any favour to any students, he knew that would be mentioned in the briefing. He knew there was a danger that he would be seen as in charge of the school, and in many ways he and Ginny were, but they were there primarily to learn. Harry was determined that that were not treated any differently than any other student at the school, he had seen the effect that could have at primary school and was determined that it would not be an issue now. They also spread the word that no Alliance student should expect any favouritism, or conversely, be targeted because they were associated with him either. Harry knew he would probably have to deal with a few issues to do with the school and would use his position to prevent injustice if he saw it. However, Hermione had been quite vocal, whenever he had suggested using it for anything else in the school.
The windows gave a view along the entire length of the train, as it powered round curves in the route. The coach they were in being the last vehicle in the rake, it offered a magnificent sight of the Scarlet Locomotive, on each curve. It was especially spectacular while it was continuing to build up speed after leaving the tunnel at the station. Smoke rising high from its chimney as it powered the train forward, streaming back over the maroon coaches. It was quite reminiscent of the longer trains on the track at Peverell Abbey, although of course the Hogwarts express was much larger than those. As the city gave way to countryside the clouds of smoke reduced as the train reached its top speed, passing London bound muggle trains and through stations unnoticed by them.
The connecting door at the end of the carriage, to the rest of the train, was guarded by another elf, who would only allow Alliance family members, or those invited by them through it. Harry and Ginny took this opportunity to socialise with the others from their group, as well as get to know the first years who they had not met previously. There were almost a hundred students in the carriage, most gathered together for the first time. They were from all years and houses, it was only now that the couple realised they headed quite such a large body within the school. It had already been decided that they would get together as a group regularly during the School year, so they could help each other and ensure all the members had the assistance they needed during the term. They assured the first years that no matter which house they wound up in, they would not be alone, the other alliance students there would be available to help them settle in and cope in the school. It was known that the Alliance had, had its own common room in the castle, but they did not know for certain if it would be available, yet. They would find out at the school and spread the word if it was.
It was almost lunchtime, and the train was approaching York, before the Prefects returned to the coach, Draco and Hermione bringing a pair of red-headed twins with them. The others fell silent, watching as the two crossed the room towards Harry and Ginny, they all knew the history between the Weasley family and the couple, but few had seen them together. They knew these two particular Weasleys had nothing to do with the most recent events, but they were still part of a family that had been ejected from the Alliance.
The silence had attracted Harry's attention, he looked up to see the cause. Spotting the twins following Draco and Hermione, he realised why the others were watching closely, silently. He wondered how they could go about adding people to their company, rather than entire families, he would need to find out. Realising that could wait until later, he stood and greeted the twins warmly. The others in the carriage relaxed, resuming their activities.
Hermione grinned. "They were waiting by the door, the Elf wouldn't let them in until we invited them."
"Crabbe and Goyle are out there too, I refused to invite them in, so they are waiting for me to come back out they say, then they can take me back to proper company, as they described it." Draco smirked. "They think I have been corrupted by you all and have betrayed my house and family."
"Talking of those corrupted and betrayal, where is Ronald?" Ginny asked.
George shook his head sadly. "You really know how…"
"….to spoil our day Gin." Fred continued. "We get to continue his retraining…."
"…. At Hogwarts, he isn't on the train…"
"…. Muriel took him to Hogsmeade yesterday…"
"…. He will have had a day with her, visiting her friends…."
"…. She is walking him up to the castle later, so he will be at the feast tonight."
Harry grinned. " Well that is one less thing to worry about, for now at least."
At that moment a number of Elves appeared with portable dining tables, which they set up, complete with tablecloths and dinnerware, then others arrived placing plates of food on them.
"Ah lunchtime." Harry took a seat next to one of the tables. "Fred, George, please join us."
Ginny sat next to Harry, Hermione, and Neville sat at one side, while Draco and Daphne sat on the other, leaving space for the twins. The rest all sat at one of the other tables and began to eat.
"So Draco, what shall we do about your bodyguards?" Harry asked.
Draco shrugged. "Ignore them, at least for now, they will soon get bored standing there, especially if they realise they may miss the trolley. I expect many in Slytherin will feel the same as they do, but with a bit of subtlety that will change. It is the house with the fewest surviving Alliance families after all, but I think they are generally bright enough to realise it is a good thing. Even the children of Death eaters will have been told to be careful around the alliance, they will need to trade with our companies to keep their own wealth after all."
Daphne nodded. "We shall need to observe the reaction to the Alliances re-emergence and to you emerging from under Dumbledores wing, before we can act. Of course, it will help that the two of you own Hogwarts as well, so even those who wish to get to us will be cautious."
"You can't abuse any power that gives you Harry." Hermione exclaimed warningly. "They may be under his management, but the other teachers have their jobs to do, you can't stoop to Dumbledores level."
Harry seemed to be thoughtful for a moment, then looked at Ginny and, unseen by Hermione, winked. Ginny stifled a giggle she knew his desire to tease Hermione had won over, she gave a slight nod, and he turned back to Hermione, poker-faced.
"What, not even one tiny little abuse of power?" He asked.
Hermione's mouth fell open, and her eyes widened in horror as she spluttered, trying to find words.
Harry maintained a serious, but angelic expression for a moment before he collapsed in a fit of laughter, closely followed by the others round the table.
Realising she had been got, Hermione smiled and shook her head ruefully.
The rest of the meal was taken up discussing how they could organise themselves once at the school, a conversation they continued long after lunch was over.
They had a plan, discussed and agreed amongst each of the Alliance students, long before the train pulled up at Hogsmeade station. They had at least one Prefect in each house, so they would be the ones to co-ordinate those in their own common rooms that evening. Since they knew that the Alliance was reputed to have its own common room they would find out if it was available on arrival. If it was, then they would meet there after the feast. They knew it was supposed to be linked to many parts of the castle, so would be a good safe place they could meet. They also knew they would all need to be part of their own houses too, so it was agreed that they would use the entries from each house common room primarily. The initial task would be to help the first years to settle in at the castle, the older Alliance students were already making sure they knew they were approachable to assist them and help them find their way around. By the time they crossed the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick upon tweed the first years were already confident that they had older friends at the school who would have them under their wing. They, along with the other Alliance students, were also happy to help their other fellows as well. The atmosphere in the coach was only interrupted by the announcement for the students to put on their robes. At which point line of cubicles appeared along one side of the coach, which seemed to expand to accommodate them, and they all quickly changed ready to arrive at Hogsmeade. They had all just got changed, when they felt the brakes being applied on the train, slowing it to draw into the station at the end of the journey. Once the train had stopped at the platform, two of the older students gathered the first years and led them, already prepared into groups of four ready for the boats, to meet Hagrid who would take them over the lake.
Crabbe and Goyle once again attempted to separate Draco from the rest of the Alliance students, this time while they walked down the Platform. They were thwarted in their endeavour when they reached the station yard, where the horseless coaches waited. As well as the usual school carriages, there was a group of other, different ones, standing ready in the yard. These were liveried in a plum purple colour, with gold lettering on the doors and were decorated ornately with carvings of magical creatures at the corners of the roof. The highly polished door handles were elegant loops of metal, the wheel hubs shaped as Lion heads with wavy manes. These coaches were clearly more comfortable and luxurious than the ordinary school ones and a number of students were trying to get in them, but were failing. Despite the best efforts of others, it was only when Alliance students got there that the doors opened. Even then unless a student was invited to join them, only Alliance members could board this coach. Meaning Crabbe and Goyle could not follow Draco when he got in with Harry, Ginny, Daphne, Neville and Hermione, the twins had left them to join Lee on a school Carriage. Once all the Alliance students had boarded them, the Carriages set off down the track to the school, leaving their fellows watching on, then hurrying to get into one of the usual coaches.
The ride was far more comfortable than the ones they had taken in the school carriages previously, due to the superior suspension and better upholstery, it felt like they were floating along the rough road. They were enjoying the ride past Hogsmeade village and through the woods that lined the lane, spotting familiar landmarks. They were chatting cheerfully as they passed through the gates of the school and Harry collapsed, sliding down to the floor.
Ron had, for the first time in his life so far as he could remember, looked forward to returning to school. An unusual state of mind, which he had assumed since his first day as a guest of his Aunt Muriel. That had been the start of a new life for him, no Quidditch or Magic, his wand had been taken from him before they had left Grimmauld Place. He had visited the small Manor House his Aunt lived in many times before, it was very different to the Burrow. She liked to live in some luxury and had a house Elf to help her. The house sat in gardens at the end of a long tree lined drive, in the midst of fields once owned by the Prewitts, but long since sold off. The sale of the land left just the extensive gardens around the house, hemmed in by a tall brick wall, and the driveway itself. The grounds were not extensive, but suited Muriel and provided her with a daily constitutional after lunch, for which she would now have company while he was in residence.
His first few weeks had been largely spent completing his homework to Aunt Muriel's satisfaction, which meant redoing each essay several times and listening to her detailed critiques of his work. He had spent more time writing and researching than he had done before, even then the finished work, barely passed muster so far as she was concerned. This was broken by the slow stroll round the gardens, and being forced to sit in on formal afternoon teas in the sitting room with his Aunts friends. On these occassions he was required to be on his very best behaviour serving them all with the various cakes and fancies they seemed to enjoy. All the ladies were his Aunts age, gossiped continuously, only pausing to pinch his cheek and comment what a fine young man he would be under his Aunts guidance. He had no other communication with anyone outside his family, and even then it was limited. His father came for his evening meal with them a couple of times a week, but was busy at work or reorganising the Order. He brought news they may not otherwise hear, usually about other members of the family, but occasionally about those at Grimmauld Place. Arthur visited Molly in St Mungos once a week and brought news of her, but never took Ron, although he knew his oldest brothers also went. Ron was desperate for some fun, after only a few days, and was initially relieved when the twins came, only to be disappointed when they spent most of their time talking with Muriel, rather than helping relieve the monotony. They had only visited to work on the plan for when he returned to Hogwarts, and to try to turn him against Dumbledores plan. He truly had no ally in his family, but his mother who was out of reach in the hospital.
His Aunts House elf had been ordered not to take any orders from him without checking with her first. The Elf was also a jailer as much as his Aunt as far as he was concerned, preventing him from having any freedom except by her instruction. He was allowed to listen to the news on the radio, and read the prophet and other periodicals that his Aunt received, but none he would have wanted to, or even any entertainment shows except those she enjoyed. Though the news often annoyed him as it continued to report on matters to do with how well Potter and Ginny were doing, especially when the season started. It was clear they were the stars of the summer in society this year, he could not understand why they had been feted as they had. Once he had completed his homework for school to his Aunts satisfaction, he had hoped for some respite, but that was not to be. The essays were replaced by lessons, instruction on how he should behave, manners, even dancing. He endured the efforts to break his loyalty to the headmaster, stoically, disbelieving the stories he was told of what they had uncovered about the man and what he had done. He was instructed firmly in how he should behave towards others, especially those he disagreed with, who he was apparently expected to respect as much as those who may agree with him rather than treat as idiots.
"You may not agree with them, but should defend their right to hold their view." Was the mantra he was repeatedly told, followed by the nonsense that. "Just because you disagree does not necessarily mean they are your enemy or a bad person." He really could not believe any of it, it went against what he considered common sense.
On top of all that he was forced to face his own past misdeeds, including those supposedly committed against Slytherins, of all people.
There was one aspect of all this that surprised him though, puzzled him much more than anything else. He had expected that any mention of his mother would be disparaging, but whenever she was talked about, it was done so with what seemed genuine sadness, rather than attempting to demean her. He had expected that an attempt would be made to separate them, and they were physically, but they did not try to turn him against her, not entirely at least. Although he was told how wrong her actions had been as well as how a manipulative man had used her, it was done from concern, not condemnation. The same could not be said when Dumbledore was spoken of, it was clear that his Aunt and Family blamed the headmaster for all that they saw as interference in House Weasley. He was far from convinced, how could a man as great as Dumbledore possibly be wrong? After all the professor knew far more than his Aunt and Family, he knew what was best for everyone. Ron could not comprehend how his family could not see that they, along with anyone in their right mind, owed the headmaster their complete loyalty. After all, it was the Headmaster who had given the family everything, ensured they had places at Hogwarts which they could not have afforded otherwise. Dumbledore, the man who had saved their society from Grindlewauld, and carried the responsibilities he did, had taken the trouble to help the Weasleys. Ron could not understand why they had betrayed him, after all wasn't it this alliance that had caused them to be so poor. The news he read and heard of how the great man was being treated angered him, especially when he lost his positions or was arrested. News of the activities of Harry and Ginny angered him just as much, the apparent growth of the so-called Alliance seemed unjust to him, and was certainly something Dumbledore had wanted to prevent.
There was no doubt that his life had been very different this summer from any since he had started at Hogwarts, but that was coming to an end. They had not broken him, as he believed they had planned to do. He remained loyal to Dumbledore, after all you were either with the Headmaster in the fight against the dark, or you were Dark, as far as Ron was concerned. He was sure that Dumbledore would not want this Alliance business, so would do all he could to undermine it once he was back at the Castle, where, although it was school, he would enjoy more freedom. Reaching the castle would, he was sure, mean escaping his family's misguided attempts to turn him from the Headmaster. He would undoubtedly gain support from the other students, who he was sure would see the error of following the Alliance. Certain his classmates would support the Greater Good Albus espoused, positive they would feel as he did about Potter, it would be his chance to put him back in his proper place. He had been positively looking forward to the comparative freedom that school promised, and it would all begin when he could meet his dorm mates on the train.
He had not been so happy when he discovered they would be spending the day in Hogsmeade rather than getting his opportunity while he was outside her control, on the Hogwarts Express. He had been dismayed when the morning before he expected to begin his freedom, he had discovered he would not be travelling on the express as usual. She had dragged him round the village with her as she visited various of her old friends, all of whom gave them tea and dry cake. Last evening they had dinner in the three broomsticks, where they were joined by Professor McGonagall. Which was when he learnt that not only was he not going on the train, but he was going to be walked up to the Castle and handed over to his brothers who would be in charge of him. They would be given every assistance to ensure he caused no trouble to anyone at the Castle, he was warned that should he cause any problems they would not be overlooked as he may expect. It was made clear that his father would not hesitate to remove him from the school and return him to Muriel's care, if necessary.
Now, as they heard the approach of the train in the distance, he was being walked up the drive, his trunk floating ahead of him.
"Come along Ronald, stop dragging your feet, we must reach the entrance before they arrive, we must be waiting for Frederick and George to arrive. Do not forget, you may not have contact with the headmaster on your own unless either myself or your father are present. We shall know if he attempts to get messages to you, or if you try to contact him, he has been told as well, by the Governors, who are closely monitoring him now. Nor shall you be permitted to wander the corridors without an escort, at least until such time as you can be trusted not to bring the family further into disrepute than you and your mother already have." She chivvied.
It had been a dull day for Ron, they had not left the rooms they were staying in until it had been time for them to set off on the walk to the school. They had seen the School carriages pass the village to meet the train, he had noticed some quite ornate ones following the usual coaches. Even though they were not close enough to them for him to discern any detail, and he was too buried in his own thoughts to take much interest anyway. His Aunt had timed the walk well, they would be at the castle in good time to wait the arrival of the other students. He barely noticed when they passed through the gates, which opened for them as they approached, didn't bother looking over the grounds or the lake as they walked up the driveway to the castle.
They arrived at the steps and climbed them. Once at the top they entered through the open doors and Muriel placed his trunk at the bottom of the staircase, and they turned to watch the door, her hand firmly on his shoulder.
Although stronger than a month ago at Privet Drive, Albus still felt weak when he rose that morning, there had also been no sign of Fawkes returning to him as the Phoenix ought to have been bound to do. He had, after all, cast the spells himself, needing the bird to boost his core with its Magic. He had drawn on the power of the Ley lines that met at Glastonbury to gain the power to work the spell he had meticulously researched as a young man. It had forced Fawkes to his side, the spell was unbreakable, it meant that his physical and Magical strength had grown initially then remained constant, despite his age. Although he knew how he had bonded himself to Fawkes, he was convinced that as he had cast the spell, it could not have been broken and was at a loss to explain the absence, to his own satisfaction. He was, mainly thanks to Poppy and Severus, now able to make his way satisfactorily round the castle without showing too much exhaustion. Appearing as usual to most who would see him, but his Magic was still weaker than it had ever been, that he could recall.
At least he should not need too much Magic today, perhaps a small trick to impress the new first years. He had anticipated this day for the last month, having endured the meetings of what had been his Order, which he could no longer control. He had watched in dismay as they had abandoned the tasks he had set and committed themselves to training to help protect themselves as well as others. Albus had watched as his influence outside these walls across the Wizarding World had waned, it was only here where he could mould young minds where he held mighty sway now. At least until he could change things, and this was it, the inevitable day when he could begin to set matters back to how they should be, in a place he controlled, where he set the rules.
He had read the reports in the press and heard similar ones, of the Malfoy, Black, and Potter events with a growing feeling of inevitability. They had been great successes, hailed as the highlight of the season, he was dismayed that the press were describing Potter and Miss. Weasley as the Earl and her ladyship. Worse the descriptions suggested they were both confident in their new positions and that they had been exemplary hosts, not a foot put wrong at a fabulous location, which they should not have been able to access at all. Things could not be worse, so far as he was concerned. Together with how they had been throughout the season, the events had raised the couple up far more than he had expected. He also suspected that they were receiving training above that which the Order were getting, but this all had to stop. Albus was determined that at Hogwarts that bubble would be burst, and he and Umbridge would be the ones to do it. He would be able to take back control, once they were back in the safety of the wards he controlled, here at the castle, where no one else could interfere.
The first indication that things may not be as simple as he expected them to be, was received shortly after the Express had left Kings Cross. He and Minerva were sat in his office making final checks that all was ready, for the start of term weekend and school itself. They were working down the lists of information, ensuring they both were certain each task had been completed that should have been, and all was in place for the arrival of the Students. They were about halfway through, when the usual owl arrived carrying the message that the train had set off. It also told them how many carriages had been used, as well as the number of students of each year were aboard. Albus read it, his eyes grew wide, this had been unexpected.
Albus read the message, as the Owl left, and his expression darkened. "Minerva, were you aware that the Alliance's Carriage had been added to the train without my permission this year." He asked.
Minerva raised an eyebrow, before replying sternly. "Why would your permission be sought, Albus, the train is operated by the Ministry, not you, isn't it? That carriage has been customarily added to the train whenever needed, until the Alliance faded. Now it is gathering together again, I expected its privileges would reappear, as well. I'm surprised that you did not, even if there was anything you could have done to prevent it."
"I hardly considered two young people being misled a revival, but it still does not explain why I was not informed."
"You were never part of the Alliance, nor are you involved in operating the train, so why would you be told anything other than the communication you have just received?" Minerva sighed, exasperated.
Albus sighed, then spoke as if patiently explaining a simple concept to a child who was stubbornly refusing to comprehend what was being said. "Minerva, do you not think that with the rise of the death eaters we have enough to contend with. Don't you think that with what Harry is destined to do, he has enough on his plate? The reformation of the Alliance, is a further complication that we and Harry could well do without, don't you think."
Minerva rolled her eyes and stood. "Don't pretend Harry is what you are worried about Albus, not for one moment. I, for one, don't believe it, not for one moment Headmaster. From your behaviour and this conversation, not to mention the reckless appointment of Delores as a teacher, it is obvious you are simply concerned that you are not in control, Headmaster. Now if you will excuse me, I have real things to worry about in this school, never mind creating problems where none exists." With that she turned and swept from the room.
Now, several hours later, Albus stood watching the carriages come back from the station, he had earlier tried and failed to prevent the long unused Alliance ones from leaving. He was only a little surprised when they had appeared in the line, steadily passing the main door steps on their way to the yard at the station. If it hadn't been for Filius summoning him out of the way, he would have been run over by the vehicles. Frustrated, he had returned to his office, only to realise once he got there how tired he already was and that he would need to return, back down to the Great Hall, it had been foolish to return here unnecessarily. Knowing he should simply have taken his seat ready for the feast, he decided he would watch events from here, while he regained some strength. He now stood at the window of his office, watching, very aware that so far things had not gone his way this day, but certain that after the students arrived things would swing more to his favour. He saw two figures walk up the steps, levitating a trunk in front of them, he recognised, with a shudder, Muriel Prewitt. Not a lady he wished to mess with, he recalled she was escorting Ronald Weasley to the school as per family court instructions. He knew he could not interfere with that situation, not directly at least.
About ten minutes later, the line of Carriages appeared on the track leading to the gates, which opened ready to admit them. They were being led by the ones from the Alliance, he presumed the first carried Harry and Ginny, probably with others. He shook his head sadly as it approached the gate, then crossed the boundary. A bell sounded in the castle, telling the staff it was time to gather in the Great Hall, at least for those not involved in getting the first years organised. The headmaster turned round to make his way down and collapsed in a heap on the floor.
Ginny was next to her bonded in less than a second as he slumped in his seat, Hermione called out in alarm. Ginny touched his forehead and sighed in relief. "It's all fine, he will be back with us in a moment. The castle has recognised him and that he has accepted his inheritance, this is simply a natural response to the Wards control passing to him."
As she finished speaking, Harry's eyes flickered open. "Well that was interesting, it seems that Hogwarts believes us to be in such danger within her walls it was necessary to transfer the wards to me straight away. Apparently it would usually be done while we slept, as they will to you tonight Ginny, but we should be protected from those who wish to harm us within the walls now as well." He told them. "However it seems we shall need to go to work straight away, the wards are weaker than they should be. It appears Fawkes was not the only source of Dumbledores extra power, he has been drawing on the Castles magic too. Hermione, we need to find methods of recharging the magic and soon. We shall need to pool the collective talents of the Alliance to do it, though. There are also some curses drawing on the power to fuel their magic, as well as the internal threats that have infiltrated the place."
They all nodded, understanding that it was important that they did not question Harry about this.
A moment later the carriage stopped at the bottom of the steps to the entrance hall of the School. A number of the schools Elves popped onto the steps and scampered to the doors of the Alliance coaches as they stopped. They opened the doors and lowered the step to allow those inside to climb down, then stood back holding the door. Harry exited then turned and helped Ginny down, before Neville followed suite, helping Hermione, then Draco repeated the process for Daphne. All the students in those coaches alighted swiftly and gathered near Harry and Ginny, their carriages moving off to allow the following school ones through. The other students looked on as the Elves disappeared, and the Alliance students walked up the steps to the castle, led by Harry and Ginny.
They walked through the door, to be greeted by the sight of a scowling Ron, his Aunt holding his shoulder firmly. Muriel bowed her head briefly. "Good evening My Lord, My Lady." She greeted them formally.
Harry and Ginny nodded in response, and greeted her formally as they passed by heading towards the Great Hall.
Minerva approached them before they got there. "My Lord, My Lady, I am just going to greet the first years, but may I have a word before you go into the Hall?" She asked.
The couple nodded, indicating the others should go in ahead of them.
Before she began Harry spoke. "Professor, please address us as you would any student, there are other titled people here and their titles are not normally used here, except when the occasion demands."
"Of course." She replied, smiling slightly. "Mr. Potter, Miss Ashmole, as you are both aware there are some teachers here who belong to families that are part of the Alliance, myself included. We are bound to the school whilst here, but not to the headmaster. We remain loyal to you and your families of course."
"We understand and would not expect any particular special treatment from them regarding school matters of course." Ginny assured her.
Minerva nodded. "I knew that already from your characters, but I appreciate you saying so, however I do need to warn you both. The headmaster is continuing his pursuit to bring you back under his influence, despite his current illness and debilitation. To this end I am afraid he has brought in Delores Umbridge to teach defence, I believe you made her acquaintance earlier this summer. She is dangerous, wounded by her humiliation over her treatment of you certainly, but she is still a threat to you both personally."
Harry looked at Ginny who nodded. "Our thanks Professor, we appreciate the warning." He said. "We had planned to call a meeting of all the Alliance members in the Castle early in the term, once all had settled in. May I ask, we were told that there were once Alliance rooms in the Castle, do you know if they still exist and if so, if they have been made ready for use again?"
"They have, though the others are unaware of this, they can be accessed from the common room if needed. Please take care though, this place contains dangers to you both personally." She warned.
Ginny smiled. "As of a few moments ago, that threat has been reduced, by the morning it will be diminished further, however the reason for that will have to wait until we know we cannot be overheard. Safe to say, it is not something Madam Umbridge or the Headmaster can alter or affect. However, you should know that the Students in our group shall be meeting regularly whilst here, as well as helping each other, and any others who are friendly, both within and outside house groups."
The deputy headmistress raised her eyebrows, then a look of understanding crossed her face. "If what I suspect from what you say is true, then it may also solve a mystery for Poppy Pomfrey as well." She said thoughtfully. "Please try not to create further divisions in the school though, I know some will be inevitable, but try to avoid more than is necessary."
They both nodded. "That we can easily agree to make every effort we can to achieve." Harry agreed.
"Very well, we shall leave it at that. I shall let the others of the staff know to await your summons and what we have discussed. In the meantime, please be careful especially around the individuals I have mentioned. I do know that most of the staff are unhappy with the manner in which you have both been treated by Dumbledore. I shall see you later, I expect." Minerva nodded then resumed observing the arrival of the other students, as well as the hand-over of Ron Weasley to his brothers.
Harry and Ginny, turned and walked to the door, where the prefects were watching the students enter. Harry spoke briefly with Draco about the warnings and information Professor McGonagall had given them. He asked him to tell the other Alliance prefects with instructions to warn the students and that the rooms were available, where they would meet after the feast.
Neville had saved seats for them and for Hermione in the midst of their students in Gryffindor. They sat and looked up at the staff table, noting that the Headmaster had yet to arrive, but they also noted the toad like figure of Umbridge, who was staring at them fixedly, smirking widely.
Ginny leant to Harry. "It seems a certain toad believes she has us where she wants us." She observed.
"Indeed!" Agreed Harry, smiling. "I don't believe she can know about us and the School yet, we could go and tell her, but I think we should keep it from her, at least for now."
There were a few unusual occurrences during the events of that evening, not least the song sung by the sorting hat once the first years had trooped in. The hat had welcomed the heirs of the founders and praised the reformation of the Alliance. Dumbledore had arrived just in time to hear the song, already looking tired and even older than usual, he had taken his seat and observed proceedings. If it were possible, he seemed to visibly age while the hat's song progressed. He took careful note of each first year as they were sorted, if they seemed to take longer than their fellows then he looked increasingly worried. He watched each student from an Alliance family as they were welcomed by the other students from those families, into whichever house they were sorted. It was clear to all that they were looking after their own, in more than one sense, the Alliance keeping them under their wing just as the houses would. He realised this was exactly how the Alliance had acted before, ensuring they supported each other. This was the most overt display of mutual support within the school for years, and it concerned him, the divisions between houses, especially towards Slytherin, had been a means of control. At the end of last term he had decided it was time to change things, to unite the three houses against the house of the snake. That had been before the events of the summer, though, and would have been controlled by him. If the Alliance followed its previous pattern, then they would support students regardless of house, uniting them all, which was not what he needed to happen, it would not be for the greater good as his plan was. Worse, he had no idea if this was a sign that the Alliance was still building its power base, or had already solidified its position here as well as in the wider community. He feared it had once again risen to be a major influence, as it once had been. He wondered if such acts were restricted to the school age children or if it explained the events in the Wizangamot and Ministry that had led to his censure. Whatever it was, this was his School, he was the headmaster, and he would not allow them to get too much of a foothold in the castle. He knew he had an ally in the school, Delores would help him ensure control would not be lost, surely with her help all would be back to as it should be soon.
Harry observed the sorting somewhat differently, he was calm and confident, pleased with progress so far. He sat between Ginny and Hermione, who had Neville next to her. He watched the arrival of Dumbledore, noting the headmaster's condition and his discomfort at how warmly the Alliance first years were welcomed by their contemporaries already in the house. Harry knew already, that they were all friendly with each other across the house divides, thanks to the hours spent on the train.
The next unusual occurrence of the evening happened once the sorting was complete, Dumbledore broke with tradition, instead of rising to declare the start of the feast, he simply sat where he was. After a moment he simply waved his hand casually over his plate and the platters of food appeared on all the tables, with that, the feast began.
Ron was sulking, he had been led forcefully into the hall with one of his twin brothers on each arm. He had hoped they might go easier on him than Aunt Muriel, but so far it seemed not. Since they had collected him in the entrance hall, it was clear they fully intended that his fathers instructions at the family court were going to be followed to the letter. His brothers had even enrolled their friend, Lee Jordan to help keep an eye on him, this was not going to be as good a year as he had anticipated. His only hope to redeem it lay with Dumbledore, but he would have to wait until the headmaster worked out a way to contact him. Ron could not seek out the headmaster, he was bound by the instruction that if he were required to see him, then either his Father or Aunt Muriel was to be summoned. All he could hope was that he could identify someone loyal to Dumbledore, to act as a messenger, though he had a feeling that avenue may also have been closed to him. He sat eating in silence, ignoring the conversations going on around him, trying to work out how he could regain his former position at Harry's side, the income that had brought him and return to Dumbledores inner circle.
Eventually the meal was over and an air of expectation came over the students, Dumbledore gingerly rose from his seat and slowly walked over to the podium. Using it to support himself, he caught his breath, while the students and staff waited for him to speak, when he didn't for several minutes, puzzled muttering rose amongst them. It was clear to all, as well as a surprise, that the headmaster was no longer as well as he ought to be.
Noticing the reaction of the students, Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts." He announced in as strong a voice as he could muster, silencing the speculation, for the moment. "I am certain that Prefects shall relay the restrictions to you all, so I shall not go through them now."
Mutterings resumed at this further odd development, they were silenced when he spoke again, trying to force his voice back to its normal state.
"They might also inform you where to find the list of forbidden items, which as usual has been extended. We do however have a new member of staff to introduce." He stopped as he coughed, badly.
As the coughing fit continued, Madam Pomfrey rose to assist him, but he waved her back to her seat, calmed and resumed speaking.
"Your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is Professor Delores Umbridge, who I am sure will be an effective and interesting tutor." He announced.
Umbridge stood to a smattering of polite applause, but instead of retaking her seat, she made her way to the podium and Dumbledore gave way to her, which surprised everyone, even the other teachers showed their astonishment at this. Umbridge smiled patronisingly down on the students as she began to speak. Giving what she believed to be a friendly reassuring speech, she exuded self-confidence in her abilities and position. She seemed unaware, or at least unconcerned, that most in the hall knew of her actions in Diagon Alley, thanks to the press coverage. As a result her over friendly demeanour seemed false and the assurances she gave, fell on deaf ears. She was, it seemed from her words, here to represent the Ministry and was therefore their friend, which frankly worried most. She droned on about how important it was for them to apply themselves to their work and not worry about what was going on outside the school. By the time she sat down she had alienated almost everyone in the room.
Dumbledore resumed his position at the podium, seemingly rejuvenated somewhat by the rest which Umbridges speech had given him. "My thanks to you, Professor, for your words. Now at the suggestion of the good Professor, I have introduced a new method for regulating any groups present and active in the school. Any organised gathering for any reason, not personally approved by myself, is now banned from school premises. No unauthorised body, group, alliance, or club may meet in the castle or grounds during the school year, however I have already authorised each of the house sports teams and of course the school choir. All other groups of any kind, must gain my approval before meeting, any breaches will be severely punished." He announced then dismissed the students.
Harry turned to Hermione and grinned. "Now may I abuse my power, just a little?"
Laughing Hermione responded. "He really is getting clumsy isn't he."
At the door Draco and others from the alliance waited, for Harry and Ginny to reach them. Harry noticed there was a Prefect from each of the school's house's there. He grinned and said. "Changes nothing!" He muttered as they walked past.
Harry and Ginny, flanked by Hermione and Neville made their way up the stairs towards Gryffindor tower.
"Bloody hell you two, leave it out." Ron shouted angrily at his brothers, shaking free of their grip.
Fred and George had rushed him up from the table and via some shortcuts that he didn't recognise had managed to reach the common room several minutes before anyone else. Having managed to free himself from his brothers on entry to the room, he turned angrily to them. "Potter's lost, didn't you hear Dumbledore, he is on his own, that alliance of his will never gain permission to meet. He is finished, Dumbledore has won, as he was always going to. Now all we need to do is get Ginny back, and that will make Potter come crawling back to the side of light. By the morning Dumbledore shall have put Dad in his place, and regained his positions they stole from him, so stop this farce and let me get our money back out of Potter."
George smiled. "I don't think so Ronniekins, there is more to Harry and Ginny than you know. Now stop talking like that baby brother, Dad wouldn't like it and nor do we."
Fred grinned too. "Now remember, Bilius old bean, the restrictions placed on you at the family court are binding on your Magic, so stop being silly and leave Harry and Ginny alone."
Ron scoffed. "You don't think that will matter once Dumbledore regains his control over them do you, once he sorts this out Dad will be forced to lift those restrictions."
Ron was so intent on arguing his point, he had not noticed the arrival of the rest of the house, minus the first years arriving while he had been arguing. Harry and Ginny entered last, just in time to gather the thrust of the discussion.
Fred shook his head. "Believe what you like Ronald, it doesn't make it true. You are bound by family magic that no one, not even Dumbledore, can remove except by agreement of the family. At the moment neither Muriel nor ourselves are minded to allow that."
"Speaking of Muriel." George added. "We promised to ensure you got to bed in good time this evening, before you bring our family into further disrepute. So, bedtime Ron, come on."
The twins grabbed an arm each, lifted him from the floor and carried their cursing brother up to the dormitory, which he would now share with them and Lee.
Harry shook his head. "Bloody Dumbledore." He spat. "He has ruined so many lives, ours, our parents, the Weasley's, even Ron's when it comes down to it and who knows who else's with his games. That Bastard will pay, I don't know how yet, but he will."
The other students began talking among themselves, until Lee bellowed. "Oi you lot, clear the common room, the prefects and firsties will be here soon."
It was a tradition of the house that the new first years would arrive into an empty common room, so they could settle in without being intimidated by the presence of the older students. It was the only evening of the year when the others as a whole, would be in their dormitories before the new Gryffindor's. The room cleared extraordinarily quickly, except for the Alliance members, who knew they would not be joining the others in the rooms upstairs.
Dobby appeared next to Harry and Ginny. "Master, Mistress, the Alliance rooms are this way." The Elf pushed open a hidden door between the two sets of stairs to the Dormitories. "The others will join you once you enter, I shall ensure the first years know where to go. There are rooms for each family, should they wish to use them, this door will only open for members of that family or those they authorise."
"Thank you Dobby." Ginny replied as she and Harry led the way through the door.
They entered a short corridor, it had no doors to the sides, but there was one at the end of it. They opened the door and walked into a large circular room. There was in fact very little wall space in the room, it was instead surrounded by doors. Most of which had a brass plate on it, indicating the name of an alliance family that currently had at least one student in the school. In addition, next to the door they had entered from were three other doors, each leading to a Hogwarts house, at least according to the labels. There were also doors that led to different parts of the castle, such as each floor, the Great Hall, the Dungeons corridor, Library, Kitchens, and even out to the grounds. The large central area had small sections with chairs and tables in them, whilst a sunken area had a sofa around its circumference, a large fireplace beneath a funnel shaped, polished metal hood at its centre. The floor was carpeted while the ceiling was glass, allowing a view up between some of the towers of the castle, no windows were visible in them to allow a return view though. Clearly the corridor they had passed down was some kind of magical passageway, as were the doors to other parts of the castle. They had just begun exploring the room, when the door marked Slytherin Common room opened to admit the alliance students from that house. It wasn't long before they were joined by the students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, then the first years from each of the houses with prefects. Here there were no house divisions, they could all meet and socialise without hindrance. The excitement of them all as they realised they had a way of bypassing Dumbledores transparent attempt at separating and controlling the alliance.
Harry calmed them all down. "Right we have a lot to do before we can be secure here in the castle, even though the first step has already taken place. What most of you won't know is that as we arrived, Hogwarts transferred all its wards from the Headmaster to me, which probably explains why Dumbledore was so weak at the feast. Although, from other events over the summer, we believe that may just the latest thing to take some of his power from him, but we shall tell you about all that later. Hogwarts can choose to give magical strength through the link, but the headmaster had found a way to get a constant supply, hence why he never leaves the castle for very long. He has now lost that and his other supply of power, so he is beginning to suddenly feel his age as anyone else his age would. The suddenness of the loss will have affected him badly, but bluntly that is not the biggest worry. The wards of this castle are damaged and being attacked from within, we must repair them to ensure all within them can be properly protected. Tonight Ginny shall be linked to the wards here in the same way I am, both of us being the owners of this area, but we shall need all of you to help. Hermione is researching how we might best recharge and repair them, would anyone who feels they have the skills to help her volunteer please?"
Predictably all the members of Ravenclaw house volunteered, but so did Daphne, Luna, and a few of the Hufflepuff's. Harry smiled. "Thanks, now we shall all have a part to play, but for now I suggest when in the school we try not to draw too much attention to ourselves for the moment, simply get on as usual. We need to be especially careful around Dumbledore and Umbridge, no matter the provocation do not respond in any way to get yourselves into trouble. There are some members of staff who are part of this alliance and do have access to this room, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick being the two most senior, but they are not the only ones. Now I propose that we all go to our suits, tomorrow is Saturday, so we can help all the first years find their way around and start getting them used to Hogwarts routine as well as start our work. I shall also ask the alliance Professors if they can meet with us tomorrow or on Sunday. You will find that each of you has a suite behind the door with your family name on it, see you all in the morning."
Harry and Ginny turned and walked to the door to their suite, goodnight wishes echoing round the common room. They entered their suite, into a hallway with just one door at the end. Through it was a private sitting room with a desk and bookshelves each, sofa and fire. There was a dining room next to it and a bedroom with en suite bathroom as well as a large dressing room and walk in wardrobes. Kreacher met them as they entered the sitting room. "Good evening Master, Mistress, would you like anything before going to bed?"
"Just our usual please Kreacher." Ginny replied.
"Very well Mistress."
Kreacher brought them their drink, which they enjoyed before preparing for bed, half an hour later they were fast asleep in each other's arms.
Dumbledore had barely made it to his rooms after the feast. He felt weaker than he had when Fawkes had left him, he knew that was the truth, but could not let it be widely known, nor could his state of health become obvious. As was his habit, he tested his connection to the castle and it's wards, it was gone, he tried again, he could not find it. He frowned, he had enough to worry about, without this, he grew more and more frustrated as he failed to make the connection he knew he should have as headmaster. Then it struck him, he should have realised, it was because he was so weak, that had to be it, after all the castle would not want to over tax him, the guardian of the school. Relieved, he went to bed, assured that he would have his link back once he had recovered.
While they slept, Hogwarts linked Ginny to the wards, as well as completing all the links to Harry that the owners should have. The reaction of the fabric of the building to the reconnection with its rightful owners was joyful, as the spirit of Hogwarts rejoiced in the renewed link to the descendants of the founders accepting their inheritance. The Castle was gradually retrieving the control it had once had, every stone and timber of its fabric renewed. The house elves that were sworn to it, felt a new strength as the drain on the Magic of the school had ceased. Some of the wards were refortified, almost nursing those that had been severely damaged, stemming the deterioration. Although for complete renewal the Castle would need help to restart those wards that had been discarded, the whole building reverberated with a rejuvenation it had not had for many years.
Authors Notes:
I am sorry it has taken so long between chapters, I am afraid that the rate of publication is going to be slow for the time being as a result of my continued health problems, so my mind has been elsewhere during this time. My thanks to you for your continued patience with this Patient and for the messages of good will. Also my thanks to those who have read, reviewed favourited and followed this story I really appreciate it. I hope you have enjoyed this new chapter and I shall get another up as soon as I possibly can.
Best wishes.
Tgfoy