The subdued atmosphere at Hogwarts continued to spread over the school. Nobody, not even Hermione, could must up much passion for learning in the wake of what had happened. They took to their classes in a dull, monotonous manner—arrive, learn, leave. There was little laughter or joking now. Even the teachers seemed sterner, as if they felt the need to drill into each and every student the skills they needed to survive.

Tonks, evidently decided her pink hair was too flamboyant in the wake of the murders of two students, instead wore her hair shoulder length and mousy brown. She confided to the class that this was her natural color as she took them through their next set of healing spells. After what had happened, the class was more focused than usual, perhaps finally realizing that knowing how to heal their friends and loved ones was a skill definitely worth knowing.

The injured students—including Mandy Brocklehurst and Padma Patil returned to class. Mandy wore a patch over her eye and stalked the corridors, head held high and in defiance as if daring people to comment. Rather than been mocked for her disfigured appearance, most students treated her with awe. The fact she had gone tearing into the woods along with Sue Li to confront Fenrir Greyback had made her become a school legend.

Padma, on the other hand, appeared to be taking it hard. She, along with Parvati, had been two of the best looking girls at school. While she had gone back to attending class, she kept most of her face hidden behind a black veil—hiding from sight the wounds and scars that she must surely now bare.

"She's … different," Luna confided one day. She was in the year below Padma and though not friends, she knew her a little. "She was always pretty loud and mischievous—she reminded me a bit like your brothers," she said with a glance at Ron. "Only more bookish—one of the twins crossed with Hermione. Now, she's very quiet—her and Mandy keep to themselves."

"Parvati and Lavender, too," said Hermione. "It seems to have hit Parvati hard."

Parvati had been seen with Lavender practicing hard at offensive spells outside. It seems that she too was now set about getting revenge for what had happened to her sister.

"It's hitting everyone hard," Dean said. "He attacked children—nobody… absolutely nobody wants to see that. Even the Slytherins are turning against him."

This, it turned out was true. Draco Malfoy still hadn't reappeared. Luna, who was somewhat friendly with the Carrow twins and shared a potions class with them had said Slytherin house was angry. Crabbe and Goyle had apparently declared their opposition to Voldemort in the common room, as had Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode. There was even talk that Crabbe had knocked Adrian Pucey cold for voicing continued support for Voldemort, though Ron didn't believe this.

"His dad's a Death Eater—no way does Crabbe think differently. He's too stupid to make up his own mind," said Ron.

Dudley would have liked to believe it, but he was skeptical. Most of his encounters with Slytherins had been negative, with the exception of Tracey Davies and Daphne Greengrass who seemed nice.

Later in the week, they all met up with Luna in the Entrance Hall. She immediately took Dudley's hand, as she always did.

"How are Mandy and Padma?" Hermione asked in a low voice.

"Still struggling, of course," Luna said, glancing around. "Being attacked and, well, disfigured by Greyback like that …" she trailed off.

The pair of girls were at the far end of the Entrance Hall, just heading into the Great Hall for breakfast. Mandy was looking straight ahead, as if almost daring somebody to make a smart comment about her injuries. Padma trailed in her wake with Parvati and Lavender, her head down.

"At least she's got a good group of friends," Luna said. "That can make all the difference if you're going through pain. I know if something happened to me, I wouldn't feel as sad because I've got you lot."

"Cheers, Luna," Dean said, then frowned. "What are you looking at?" he asked Ron.

Dudley looked at his friend. Ron was standing on his tip toes, craning his neck to see. "It's Cho!" he announced. "I think she was holding hands with Warrington!"

"Oh, yes, I saw them talking a few days ago," Luna said, matter-of-factly. "She's always quite liked him."

Ron's expression darkened. "That Slytherin tosser …" he muttered, his hands balling into fists.

Dudley didn't say anything. It was Ron's fault that he and Cho had split was one of his best mates though, so he didn't mention this. "Maybe they'll split up?" he suggested. "I can't see Warrington being a good boyfriend. Or maybe they're not even going out?"

"They were holding hands, Dud," Ron pointed out, irritably.

"Yeah, well …" he wondered if he could suggest that Ron find a different girlfriend.

"What's happening with you and Romilda Vane anyway?" Hermione asked Dean as they walked into the Great Hall. Ron was still grumbling to himself about Warrington and Cho.

"Oh, yeah, well …our date was kinda interrupted," Dean replied. "But, she was impressed with me. We've … well …"

"That's where you went last night when you claimed to be sending an owl," Hermione said, shrewdly. "And the night before when you scooted off to the library."

Dean didn't deny it and grinned. "I won't kiss and tell, Hermione," he said.

Dean's success with Romilda seemed to put Ron in an even worse mood, a mood that wasn't improved when an owl arrived delivering the copy of the Daily Prophet. "What's that prat done now?" he asked, noticing the picture of a very smug looking Lockhart on the cover.

Hermione read it aloud.

MINISTER LOCKHART INTRODUCES THE GILDEROY LOCKHART MEDAL FOR WIZARDING EXCELLENCE AND BRAVERY

The photo showed a beaming and smug Lockhart shaking hands with Cedric Diggory. Diggory had a slightly strained smile and was wearing a badge with the image of Lockhart's face and the letters GLMWEB on it.

"The what?" Dean asked.

Hermione continued reading.

"Minister Lockhart yesterday announced a new award to be given to valiant witches and wizards during the wizarding war. "The Gilderoy Lockhart Medal of Wizarding Excellence and Bravery will be personally awarded by the Minister to those who perform acts of bravery during the war," Percy Weasley, assistant to the Minister announced.

When asked whether the award was needed when the Order of Merlin existed, Minister Lockhart explained "The Order of Merlin is fine—I have the third and second class, you know. But I felt the need for something different—something new. The Gilderoy Lockhart Medal of Wizarding Excellence and Bravery will be awarded by myself with the recipients selected by myself. It is endorsed by myself—the Minister for Magic and famed adventurer, so it carries a lot of weight to it. Perhaps, in time, it will be as widely revered as the Order of Merlin. Besides, anybody can get an Order of Merlin—you have warriors, healers, politicians. The Gilderoy Lockhart Medal of Wizarding Excellence and Bravery is purely for wizarding excellence and bravery."

The medal was announced at an exclusive ceremony, along with the first recipient of the award, Trainee Auror Cedric Diggory, who was given the Gilderoy Lockhart Medal of Wizarding Excellence and Bravery for his actions in single-handedly capturing the Death Eater Graham Montague.

"Mark my words, Rita—young Diggory will go far. I won't be surprised if he's head auror himself one day," Minister Lockhart said. "Because of his actions during the war, he is the ideal choice to be the first ever recipient of the Gilderoy Lockhart Medal of Wizarding Excellence and Bravery."

Cedric Diggory declined to comment, but his father, Amos Diggory, who works for the Department for the Care and Control of Magical Creatures said …"

Hermione went to turn the page.

"What nonsense!" Ron said, scathingly. "I mean, look at it! It has his face on."

"It is a bit garish," Hermione admitted.

Ron snorted. He seemed delighted at the chance to take his anger out by complaining about Lockhart. Dudley was happy to let him do so. He didn't care much about the Gilderoy Lockhart Medal of Wizarding Excellence and Bravery. It didn't seem like a big deal to him. But if complaining about it and Lockhart made Ron feel better, then that was fine in his book.

Tracey Davies

"Are you sure you understand what you need to do?" Tracey asked, eying the two small, year two students. She was starting to think she should have picked someone else for the job.

"Yes!" One of them, an eager boy with big ears called Otto Selwyn said, nodding.

"We're not idiots," his friend, a tubby boy called Randall Pratt said, nodding also.

Tracey felt that both looked like idiots, but she needed somebody to throw stinksap over Luna Lovegood and neither of these two tied back to her. She wanted Dudley to like her, and if she was caught bullying Loony, then she knew he wouldn't be too pleased with her.

"Here," she handed over the vial of stinksap she had gathered. "Remember, do it during breakfast. Just pour it over her head in front of everybody."

"Got it, Tracey," Randall said, shoving Otto out of the way to grab the vial.

"Remember—Loony Lovegood. Not … Cho Chang or Mandy Brocklehurst or Lisa Turpin or anybody else."

"No, Loony. We've got it, Tracey," Otto Selwyn rolled his eyes.

Tracey sighed and hurried out of the quiet corridor and to the Great Hall. She considered joining Dudley and his friends, just so she had an alibi, but decided that may look a bit suspicious. Slytherins never went to the Gryffindor table. Instead, she sat with the Carrow twins and Astoria.

"What are you looking so smug about?" Hestia asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Tracey said quickly, helping herself to a bowl of porridge.

She looked up as Otto and Randall came in. Randall spotted her and gave her a big thumbs up.

Tracey sighed. The idiots. They were meant to be acting like they didn't know her.

"New best friends?" Astoria asked with a smirk.

"No … shut up," Tracey gave her friend a shove.

"I know you're planning something," Astoria said, watching Randall and Otto. "And I know you've roped in those two idiots."

Tracey sighed again. Astoria Greengrass was too shrewd for her own good. Luckily, the Carrow twins hadn't noticed—they were engrossed in a book that Tonks had assigned them for homework. Daphne was eating with Pansy and Milicent today. The other girl had started to bond more with the other two Slytherins in their year, but she still wore her Slytherins Against Death Eaters badge.

To be fair, Pansy too had seemed to have turned against Lord Voldemort. While she had never exactly claimed support for him, she had never denied it either and she often badmouthed muggleborns. Since the kidnapping of Draco, however, she had loudly condemned Voldemort to anybody who listened—insulting him and swearing vengeance if he harmed a single hair on Draco's head.

Millicent too was more outspoken towards him. While she had never outright claimed to be a supporter of Voldemort, she had often hung around with Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy whose fathers were Death Eaters. Now, like Pansy, she seemed opposed to Lord Voldemort. There were rumors that she had beaten up Malcolm Baddock and Graham Pritchard after he was heard laughing about the attack on Padma Patil and the Ravenclaw girls. Tracey believed it. Pritchard had a knot the size of a golfball on his head which must have come from a hard punch and Baddock had been nursing a split lip.

She watched as Otto and Randall stood up, and sighed as Randall again looked at her and winked.

"Idiots," she muttered.

They sidled over to the Ravenclaw table, looking as suspicious as anybody could possibly look and as one upended the vial of stinksap over poor Luna Lovegood.

There was a cry of alarm from Luna and a clatter as she knocked her plate to the floor as she stood up. Green stinksap covered her from head to toe.

"You dirty …" Cho Chang had stood up and was glaring at Otto and Randall.

Michael Corner was reaching for his wand and been restrained by Anthony Goldstein.

Other students were scrambling out of the way.

The Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were stood up, trying to see what happened.

Now, Dudley Dursley had barreled his way forward, pushing two small Gryffindor first years to the floor in his haste to get to his girlfriend.

Luna was crying while her friend, a curly-haired girl who Tracey didn't know was trying to console her.

Now, Flitwick was here, bustling over while McGonagall yelled at Otto and Randall, both of whom wore identical, stupid grins.

"What do you have against Lovegood?" Astoria asked.

Tracey wished Otto and Randall had showed even a tiny ounce of subtlety. "Nothing," Tracey protested.

"Come on, Trace. You clearly arranged that with those two goons," Astoria said.

McGonagall was now leading Otto and Randall away, Snape was with her and he looked angry. Meanwhile, the crying Luna was been led away by Flitwick. Dudley was stood near the Ravenclaw table, looking a mix of confused and angry and as if he wanted to punch somebody but didn't know who.

"I just don't like her," Tracey said, finally. "Ditzy, ugly, frog-eyed cow."

"Talking about Luna?" Hestia raised her eyes from her book. Neither of the twins had batted an eye at the disturbance.

"She's ok," Flora Carrow said. "Bit odd, but she's harmless," she said and turned back to her book.

Tracey felt disappointed. Her plan didn't seem to have worked as well as intended. She ahd wanted everyone in the Great Hall to laugh at the humiliated Luna. Instead, there had been a shocked silence and the Ravenclaws had quickly gone to help her.

She needed to step up her game if she was to split up Luna and Dudley. Maybe more public humiliation? Or … she had a sudden idea and smiled wickedly. Perhaps making Luna into the school laughing stock wasn't the best way to go about things—as fun as that was. Maybe she needed to make Luna hate Dudley, rather than make Dudley realise Luna was a loser.

Gilderoy Lockhart

Gilderoy felt pleased. The Gilderoy Lockhart Medal for Wizarding Excellence and Bravery had gone down a storm. He had received a number of letters from people who liked the idea. Gladys Gudgeon had written four times! Lockhart felt it may have done some good to get some of his old popularity back. He had to admit, things had gone badly in recent weeks—through no fault of his own, but still. He needed a big win. Something to plaster over the front pages. He couldn't deny, he and the Ministry were on the back foot. The Auror numbers were still stretched, and his forces were pretty much playing defensively. Voldemort had the advantage since he could strike anywhere with a force of Death Eaters and didn't have to worry about protecting lots of territory and possible targets.

He looked through the papers Percy Weasley had delivered to his desk from various departments. They had built up over the last few days as he didn't often read them. He had more important things to do. He slid the older ones into the bin and picked up the top ones.

A request for extra funding for the Magical Maintenance Department

A request to hire a squad on on-site healers to be permanently based at the Ministry of Magic

A letter from the Luxembourg Ministry of Magic

An update on the Goblins

A report of Dementors near Swindon—surely that should go to Shacklebolt?

A finalized copy of the latest Ministry pamphlet on polyjuice potion

A funding request from the Goblin Liaison division

A suggestion to add extra seats to the Wizengamot

All boring. Lockhart shifted through them until he found one from Head Auror Shacklebolt. "An Update on Auror Deployments"

He opened the note and gave it a glance. He didn't bother reading the details, but Lockhart was curious to know where his Aurors actually were. Rotating shifts at Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, Saint Mungo's Hospital, the Ministry of Magic, Azkaban, the Cumbrian apparition point (where most foreign witches and wizards arrived in the country). Then a couple of teams on Rapid-Response duty. A team liaising with the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. A handful of teams available for deployment on various tasking.

Lockhart tossed it aside. All seemed to be in order. Underneath it was a report on possible candidates for the Auror Initiative, compiled by Nymphadora Tonks.

The Auror Initiative was his pet project, so Lockhart gave it a report.

Dear Minister,

Here is a brief summary of students at Hogwarts who show an aptitude for Defence Against the Dark Arts and could be worth keeping an eye on for the Auror Initiative program.

One of Tonks' orders while at Hogwarts had been to keep tabs on potential Aurors. This was the first report from her. Lockhart opened it up to read.

Tonks, despite being young and clumsy, was clearly a professional. The students were organized by year and then by House with a brief summary.

Cassius Warrington – Slytherin: Warrington is the current Head Boy and serves with distinction. He has already proven himself in combat situations, participating in the Battle of the Hogwarts Express and the Attack on Hogsmeade. He has shown himself to excel at healing magic. Expressed a wish to become a healer.

Lockhart yawned widely. He vaguely remembered Warrington. He had always been a bit of a bully and a dullard. Lockhart felt surprised that he had become Head Boy. But then, he had also had a low opinion of Marcus Flint, and he was proving himself to be quite the Auror. He carried on reading, skimming through most of the names until he came to ...

Cho Chang - Ravenclaw: Professor Flitwick says she is one of the best in her year at charms. Professor McGonagall also has a lot of praise for her. She is charismatic and popualr with her peers and the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. She has struggles with confidence and can get flustered under pressure. But, with a bit of work, she may have what it takes.

He also remembered Cho as being a pretty bright and enthusiastic student. She could be a good addition to the Aurors. Pretty, too, he recalled. Lockhart always felt that looks were important—a good looking person looked great on the front page. One of the reasons he wanted Diggory to get so much attention was because he was a handsome chap. Perhaps Chang and Diggory could become the future face of the Auror division? He knew the public would eat that up.

He read on, there were a few other recommendations from the sixth year students—Lee Jordan, Marcus Belby, Lee Jordan. Then he came to the fifth years and a name he recognized well. His friend, Dudley Dursley.

Dudley Dursley – Gryffindor. Dudley has shown himself to be a natural leader amongst his peers. While not naturally gifted, he has proven himself in a number of incidents during his time at school. Very good at Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Snape criticizes his potions skills.

Dudley was a must-recruit, candidate. Gilderoy quite liked the boy and had taken on a role as mentor to him. Though, in truth, he had been far too busy this year to get in touch with Dudley. Still, Gilderoy knew he would be a fine Auror.

As would his friends—Hermione Granger, Dean Thomas and Ron Weasley, who were next in Tonks' report.

Hermione Granger – Gryffindor – A child protégé, most agree that she is the smartest and most gifted witch in her year and expect great things from her. She has received top marks in all of her exams to date and excels in my class. She would make an excellent Auror and currently serves as a prefect.

Dean Thomas – Gryffindor - Dean has proven himself in battle, winning a special award for services to the school after martialing the students to ward off a Dementors attack. Even now, he shows many of the skills and attributes that would make a good Auror—bravery, determination, a level head, magical skill, leadership and tactical knowledge.

Ron Weasley – Gryffindor – The final member of Dudley Dursley's group of friends. Ron, by all accounts, is the best duelist among them. His laziness lets him down. While not as naturally gifted as Hermione Granger, if he focused and dedicated himself to his studies, he could easily be one of the top students in the year. However, he does continue to get good grades.

Lockhart carried on reading. Ernie Macmillan was recommended by Tonks, as was Anthony Goldstein. There were three Slytherins listed.

Draco Malfoy- Slytherin. An excellent student who gets good grades, Professor Snape says he is the best in the year at potions and speaks most highly of him. He fought at the Battle of the Hogwarts Express, using a patronus to great effect. He has a reputation of being a bit of a bully.

Pansy Parkinson –Slytherin – While not as naturally gifted as some, Pansy is a hard worker and a good student. She is popular among her peers and is a prefect. Professor McGonagall speaks highly of her dedication in transifiguration.

Millicent Bulstrode – Slytherin – Millicent's grades are entirely average across the board, but she has proven to be excellent at healing spells in my class, second best in the year after Hermione Granger. She also has a level head on her shoulders and reacts well under pressure. She is as ambitious as any Slytherin and has a lot to prove. With the right guidance, she could be a fine Auror. Though her skills may be better suited at Saint Mungo's.

Gilderoy yawned. That was enough work for now. He poured himself a glass of whisky. As far as he was concerned, the sooner this current crop of Hogwarts students were ready for the Auror Initiative the better. The Aurors needed new blood, and he needed a big win.

Augusta Longbottom

"Is it ready?" Augusta demanded as Karkaroff stirred the potion.

"The polyjuice potion is very difficult potion to brew and easy to get wrong. It takes a month. So, no—it is not ready," Karkaroff said in his heavily-accented voice.

Augusta frowned. Ever since been roped in on the plan to steal from Gringott's, Karkaroff had become quite pushy, sarcastic and demanding. He was forgetting his place.

"Karkaroff's right," Scrimgeour said, kneeling down to inspect the potion. "It's a potion all Aurors learn. Deadly to get wrong—the slightest miscalculation or contaminent in the liquid …" he trailed off and stood up. He stretched, his back cracking. "At least mostly it can be left to its own devices. Leave it to brew for a month …"

"A twice daily stir makes it better" Karkaroff said. "Increase effect. I should be able to extend the … the range?" he looked at Scrimgeour.

"Duration," supplied Scrimgeour.

"Yes, duration. Two hours, maybe."

"I don't think we need it that long," Augusta pointed out. "We hope to get Rabastan in and out of Hogsmeade quickly."

"It will be tight and difficult," Scrimgeour said. "We need split-second timing. The effects of the potion need to wear off just before we reach Gringott's and are out of sight of any Aurors, but before Rabastan comes in sight of the Goblins."

"We can not just … skip the potion?" Karkaroff asked. "Send Rabastan there direct?"

"The Aurors are the best," Scrimgeour said, proudly. "They will spot him."

"He can wear hood," replied Karkaroff.

Scrimgeour snorted. "That won't look suspicious at all, will it? No, this is the best way."

"Can't we just … reverse the effects early? Isn't there a potion or a spell for that?" Augusta looked at Scrimgeour.

"There is," Scrimgeour admitted. "But it takes two months to brew. And we can't buy it—it's a restricted potion."

"Two months is too long to wait," Augusta announced. "We will stick to this plan."