Chapter 11 – War Times

A/N: Gratitude is a given, especially with a good beta ... therefore.. three cheers for my 2nd beta Lizzybeth74, who had graciously accepted to beta this story... - thanks to her good work, you will be able to get 2 new chapters to read at your own leisure.. Enjoy ;3


Headmaster Dippet was in a bad mood. Not only did the discovery about his former Deputy, Albus Dumbledore and the Potter twins' villainy wear him down, but the Ministry of Magic had him informed that because of the Blitz War, the Headmaster should inform all his students about what was going on.

Muggleborns and Half-bloods who lived in Muggle Britain, at least those in the cities directly impacted by the war, couldn't return home during the holidays. It was much too dangerous to their survival. The headmaster would have to ask the purebloods and half-bloods who lived in Magical Britain to shelter his displaced students in these times of war.

Nobody was able to say how long the war would last, but the Ministry of Magic had been horrified as it read the latest reports of the new and horrible weapons that the Muggle military had developed. Did they really want to eradicate the whole planet because of their different political leanings? How would they be able to protect their people against this new danger? the Headmaster thought.

It was not only those problems that made him feel older than he was, but he would need to search for a new Deputy Headmaster and a new teacher for Transfiguration. It was one of the core classes and the students needed to be prepared. Especially those who had to study for their OWLs and NEWTs.


The school had already helped their poorer students through trying times in the past. The Heads of Houses as well as the Headmaster had the duty to inform the students about the option of getting food and beverages to sustain themselves over the holidays. At least it would help in some small way, for the poorer families to get a portion of the huge amount of food and drink that the elves would otherwise have been forced to throw away.

Each food basket that was sent out had been equipped with long-term preservation and freshening-charms. Headmaster Dippet had feared that this tradition would be sacrificed should Dumbledore ever become his successor. The Headmaster could not forget the demeaning way that Professor Dumbledore had treated students from Houses which he personally disliked. Dumbledore may show a false care for muggleborns, but the man truly was cold like a fish.

Headmaster Dippet had been aghast at learning how often Dumbledore had left muggleborns and half-bloods to fend for themselves instead of doing his duty. A Head of House should endeavour to introduce the young boys and girls to the magical world. But Dumbledore did none of these things. Instead he often left them with vague directions to reach Diagon Alley and a small bag of galleons for their school supplies.

Nothing else was provided. No guidance was given about the new and strange world that the children suddenly found themselves a part of. For example, teaching the families how to use a completely different currency and advising them on what the best shops and restaurants for students were. Things like why an unknown of inheritance could be possible and how much it would cost to find out if one existed, if the student was an orphan. In fact, Dumbledore seemed to have an unusual hatred toward orphans.

He often conjured flames to prove the existence of magic to a muggle family or an orphan or sometimes he would pretend to destroy their meagre belongings. This often cemented the wrong image of magic in young and impressionable minds. It promoted the idea that you needed true power to survive in this new society.

He had remembered that in the past, if one of the Houses acquired a new Head of House, sometimes one of the members of the Board of Governors would place his or herself under a notice-me not charm and come to the school to perform a two-month check-up, to make sure that the appointed professor was worthy to have this honour. Now he wondered why had not done the same after Dumbledore became the Head of Gryffindor House. Shaking his head, he realized that the steps he must now take couldn't be helped. Headmaster Dippet would have to inform the Board of Governors of the various discrepancies that had taken place and order a thorough scan of every staff and Board member at Gringotts. The headmaster only hoped that his fears were unfounded.


Headmaster Dippet decided that he would address the students and staff at dinner and, as best as he could, get them mentally prepared for the worst. He needed the permission of the Board of Governors and the Ministry so that he could let some of the muggleborns and half-bloods stay over the summer at Hogwarts. Normally the staff used the summer months to renew the wards and to check for potential damages.

Because the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin had risen dramatically, one of the Ravenclaw governors had suggested placing a new charm on the school – and if necessary on the grounds as well – which would prevent the students from hexing each other. A rule stating that there was to be no hexing in the corridors currently existed, but sadly not many students held back when they came upon their rivals.

The fact that all magical children born in Muggle Britain were registered as British citizens, led to new problems. Especially for the sixteen to eighteen-year-olds, who had to fear receiving a call to the war for the King's army. Orphans had been regularly called to fight in the war as soon as they were fifteen years old. This was one reason why the boys had been forced to be fit and had been toughened up by the male staff of said orphanages. They needed to protect the most vulnerable of their students better instead of letting them end up being used as canon-fodder.


Headmaster Dippet had been surprised to learn that even the two muggle princesses Elisabeth and Margaret partook in the war efforts. They saw it as part of their royal and patriotic duty for their country. Watching the muggleborn and muggle-raised boys and girls as they received a rare package from home, and how gleefully the boys showed off the long trousers they received after their 12th-birthday, was a rare joy in the current climate. It was a clear sign that they had reached a new standing within their family. Supporting this were the strange gadgets within the packages – gas masks, manuals about rationing food and commands from their families not to laze around. In those moments it was painfully obvious how much both worlds had drifted apart.

The muggle-raised had taken over part of the grounds near the Black Lake. They were all eagerly participating in the fitness tasks described meticulously in their care-packages. Afterwards they easily switched to air-raid drills and interrogation simulations of prisoners of war. To have a bit of fun afterwards, they had decided on the game 'Simon says', which had even amused the purebloods and the half-bloods who had been raised in the magical world. Everyone could also appreciate the lively debates that took place whenever something happened that would have an impact on the muggle world.

Whenever a loss hit those families, it was discovered very quickly as the family members would wear a black bracelet around their wrist and magically stick the dog tags of their dead relatives on it. As this was a custom unknown to the magical world, questions had been asked and patiently answered. Understanding would come, but no one knew what the cost of this understanding would be. Learning about the depravities of war and that the war was becoming more and more vicious, was only a small part of it. Rumours about death camps, bigger bombs and of course the desire for the eradication of the Jews by Hitler and the so-called Aryan race, well, it all left behind deep scars.


Due to everything that was happening, Headmaster Dippet went to the Board of Governors to talk about adding a new position at Hogwarts. He wanted at least one mind healer in addition to his professors on staff. Someone who would be able to work as a confidant for the students and professors. His efforts had not been easy, but after the dark families supported his idea, and none other than Lord Augustus Prince congratulated him on his clever suggestion, there was no longer any opposition. Now anyone, be they student or professor, would be able to get the help they desperately needed without having to risk the chance that their issues becoming public knowledge before lunch.

Headmaster Dippet only hoped that it would be enough before another radical group tried to gain new followers among his students. Albus Dumbledore had done a lot to cement hatred within the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, especially against Slytherin. And he was largely successful while the rest of the staff had ignored his crimes.

That had to end now. It was time to remind his students, whether they were muggleborn, muggle-raised, half-bloods or purebloods, that they were all united by the magic that flowed through their veins and that they all shared some of the traits of each house. But blood didn't make any one of them better than the rest.

For Merlin's sake, I only hope I can hammer this message into the skulls of my students and my staff, Dippet thought to himself as he sank wearily into the comfortable chair in his office. They had to end this conflict now, before more magical blood was spilled and the wisdom and knowledge of their ancestors would be lost forever. Dippet vowed to himself that he would not give up. Hopefully the Board of Governors would share his opinion and support him completely. It was time to prepare for another battle. They could not afford to lose or a tyrant like Albus Dumbledore would take over. And such an outcome could conceivably be the end of their society and their way of life.