Chapter 31: Incidents, Secrets, and Rumors

Harry had made several plans to speak to Al once more before the break ended, an ambitious goal considering that deadline was little less than three days away. Unfortunately, a number of odd Auror cases had rung in the New Year as well, forcing Harry to spend much of his time compiling notes in his office. And unlike the Fall, these attacks seemed to be inflicting lasting damage. As much as he tried to empathize with his son, the severity of these incidences had also bubbled a dim sense of resentment with Al's behavior. It was difficult for Harry to simply turn off the detailed montage of case notes as he emerged from his office and reckon with the fact that his son was angry that Harry didn't want to tell him all the truths of the real world. A vicious headache had sprang into his head in the evening of New Year's Day, like an internal bruise from the fight with Al. And it seemed the workload shortening his holiday was only lengthening its stay.

By the morning of departure he'd only managed to keep Al in his presence as long as he didn't try to talk to him directly. This effort was enough to win the sympathy of Ginny but overall, Harry felt thoroughly inadequate. To add more guilt, Hermione had sent him an urgent calling to the Ministry, so Harry had to hastily inform James and Al that he couldn't see them off at King's Cross as originally planned. Lily had caught a bit of a cold so Uncle Ron would accompany them with Rosie as Ginny tended to her. He watched his friend pick up the boys, giving a half nod towards the house.

Resting his head gingerly on the frame of the front door, Harry squeezed his eyes shut and willed the throbbing in his head to at least slow its punishing tempo. He didn't notice James and Al waving goodbye. "Ginny, do you have extra potion to spare? "Harry wondered if he'd come down with a bug as well.

Ron drove the Ford Anglia into London, only glancing back sporadically at the three dour faces in the back seat. Al noticed that his uncle also seemed to be in poor spirits, as his brows rested gloomily low on the bridge of his forehead. Between his eavesdropping at Christmas and gossip from his other cousins, Al deduced that his Dad must now be informed about aspects of the Minister's agenda and that his Uncle was still in the dark. And clearly resenting it more and more; Al wondered if he'd had a fight as Rosie kept her face pointedly turned out the window. He'd wanted to discuss some of what he'd overheard with James, but his brother seemed to have taken his Dad's side in the little rift that had hung over the last days of their break. Or maybe he was just annoyed that Al couldn't pretend that everything was alright like he could. At least that's what Al told himself as he returned the distant treatment.

As they entered platform 9 ¾, Al immediately spotted Scorpius and Draco, though this seemed to only darken his Uncle's mood.

"Alright you have everything?"

Scorpius nodded, though he looked as though he'd been reluctantly dragged out of bed, his hair rather rumpled and jacket askew. "I'll miss you…"

Draco smiled sympathetically but was also glancing at his watch, "It's okay…I, "He caught sight of Al, "Hey look, why don't I let you two catch up? I'm sorry I just have to make this meeting with the Minister…"

The elder Malfoy now collided with the grumpy glare of Ron, "Ehem, um Good Day, Weasley."

His Uncle gave the slightest of nods to Draco but did manage to smile and shift to a more friendly tone as Scorpius timidly approached him, "Hey there- oh Al why don't you give it to him now so I can tell your grandma what he thinks."

"Alright, sure," Al clicked open one of his smaller suitcases and handed Scorpius a folded knit sweater. It was the same green as Al's but had a large 'S' on the front stylized as the least menacing snake Al had ever seen. Scorpius' eyes glowed, "Oh thank you!"

Ron cheered a little more, "Molly Weasley is both very sweet and very competitive so after she saw Al's lovely scarf, she just had to make something in return. Here, let me get your bags."

Ron lugged the larger cases over to a train worker, who was expertly sliding an impossible volume under the train undercarriages. He paused, watching as the trunks slipped smoothly into the perpetually available space, before popping into oblivion. Suddenly, he stood up very straight.

"The bloody cabinet!"

All four children looked up at the abrupt change in demeanor. Far from the trip up, Ron now looked ecstatic. He turned excitedly to his bewildered companions kissing Rosie warmly and even giving Scorpius a hug. "Okay, now are we good to go? Good, good. Now have a good semester all of you. Love you Rosie. Al, James." He nodded to Scorpius, "Now if you would excuse me, I believe I'm late to the Ministry."

James led the younger children onto the train, somewhat speechless at their Uncle's premature departure. It definitely hadn't helped Rosie's sullen mood. He awkwardly pointed at the stitched pattern on Scorpius' sweater, "It's okay if you don't like it… She made me a Gryffindor one and the lion looks like a kitten's face on a sunflower."

"Oh no I love it." Scorpius said earnestly to James' amusement.

"Ha ha, yeah well I'd expect one every year from now on, oh!" James suddenly reddened as Alice Vance appeared outside of a carriage door, "James would you come sit with us? Josie's here too."

"Hi Rosie!" Maybelle Vance emerged from the carriage as James waved goodbye to Al and Scorpius, "Ida, Anya and Aldo are next door, "Oh- hey" she shyly waved to the boys, "Sorry there's only six seats otherwise…"

"We can see if there's an open cart by them?" Rosie offered, but Al tried to ease her off.

"Nah it's fine, Scorpius and I can go find our housemates." He plastered on a convincing smile.

"Okay, well I'll try to come find you before we arrive." Rosie smiled warmly before heading towards the Gryffindors.

Scorpius wasn't doing as good of a job hiding his disappointment. The two headed in the opposite direction, where most of the Slytherins usually congregated. Sure enough, Al started to catch the glances of older Slytherin students, Gregor Rosier and a gaggle of Second-year girls giving particularly unfriendly looks. Finally, Al spotted the Markov twins sitting alone.

"Scorpius, here's room!" But to his chagrin, his friend looked less than thrilled at the option.

"Hey, why don't we try to find Jeya? I haven't seen her all break and really would like to catch up." Al could believe this assertion, but he also caught the uneasy glance at the twins.

"Why don't you go find her. I doubt they'll be room for the both of us." Again, Al tried to look genial as Scorpius nodded apologetically and headed off. Now alone, he stepped into the carriage a little unsure of how to breach a conversation.

"Erm… are these seats taken?"

Milo and Natalia shook their heads quickly. They looked quite happy to have a companion, Al thought, which encouraged him.

"So was your break alright?" Al wondered if they'd gone back to… well he assumed an orphanage given that he figured they didn't have parents, or at least weren't allowed to see them.

But the two brightened even more. "Yes we saw…we visited… um well we spent it with some people we hadn't seen in a while and it was really good." Natalia grimaced as she listened to Milo stammer over his answer but smiled, nonetheless.

Al decided to ignore the strangeness of that answer. Perhaps their werewolf parents were in rehabilitation? "Oh nice! That's always great to reconnect."

"And yours?" Natalia looked relieved to turn the question toward Al.

"Oh it was, good- I guess…" Al pondered the last month of school, where his and Scorpius' discovery was the only revelation on his mind. That was all muddied now with the Ministry secrets and his Dad, Duncan Dursley, Aldo's family. "Erm well a lot happened I guess…"

He looked at the Markov twins, sitting patiently near each other and watching what must have been a montage of emotion that crossed his face. Somehow a few of the barriers he'd constructed over the holiday were breaking down, "Actually, it was a little rough if I'm being honest. I think my Dad is dealing with something in the Ministry that's… dangerous maybe… I really don't know but he and my Aunt are on edge, but everything is very secretive. He barely left his office for the last few days."

He caught the twins nervously shift in their seats. After a pause Natalia spoke, "Your Aunt is the Minister, right?"

"Yeah," Al nodded

"She's very nice. She…um…helped relocate us." Milo jerked slightly and Natalia stopped her train of thought.

"Where did you come from?"

Milo was the one to finally answer, "I…we don't know. It was a small village where we were, and we had moved a lot before. We like it here much more."

There was a clear finality to his words and Al decided to drop the subject. Curiosity hadn't done him any favors in the past few days.

"So, are you excited for the Magizoology class?" The twins nodded excitedly.

"Professor Lovegood is very strange. She said to avoid eating too many pasties otherwise wack-"Milo tried to recall the name of the creature, "anyway they would buzz around my ears and make my head go fuzzy…"

Al chuckled, "Oh yeah, wrackspurts- I think everyone's got them."

Luna had taken the first semester to set up her classroom, or rather, to build her classroom. Sitting next to a boathouse at the end of a long, steep path, the students had caught glimpses of Luna erecting an awfully strange pattern of structures made similarly to the gridded glass of the greenhouses. There were about seven separate shapes that ranged from long, tented rectangles to cylindrical towers that jutted out at odd angles along the sloping grass that led up to the castle and all seemed to be tight quarters for more than five people, much less an entire classroom of students. Moreover, when a few curious students had ventured near the glass to peek inside, they'd only been met with their own reflections, making very insulting faces back at them. An hour breezed by as the three speculated about what might be inside.

The train was lurching along the ridge of a few snowcapped mountains, shuddering as the second day of biting wind blew across most of Britain. Natalia and Milo were shivering as well, their casual clothes much too thin for the weather.

"Here, I have a few sweaters if you'd want to wear them," Al rummaged through the contents of his trunk, pulling out a few Weasley knits from years past.

The twins grabbed them gratefully, but Milo paused, inhaling the air deeply after pulling the sweater over his head. Al held his breath, remembering the precision in which Milo had located him and Scorpius under the invisibility cloak. Luckily, two other figures rushed into the carriage, distracting the boy.

Jade was easing Quinn into the seat next to Al while the latter was fervently mopping away tears. "Did someone hex you?" Al quickly looked for any bruises or odd features but found nothing.

"No she won't talk to me!" Quinn blurted out shakily and had to catch her breath after another round of new sobs gripped her. Al looked to Jade to see if she would fill in some of the details, but the other girl was now curled in the corner of the seat nearest to the window, avoiding conversation. Well, Al thought, perhaps his holiday wasn't the only one to end badly.

After a while, Quinn calmed down enough to explain. "It's Keira, she's in Ravenclaw,"

Al recalled seeing Quinn talking, on occasion, with a girl with long black hair from that House.

"We're neighbors or well, we were…" Quinn's voice pitched briefly before continuing, "Our Mum's are good friends, they grew up together. Both muggleborn witches… but something attacked their house on New Years Day."

Al leaned in becoming wary of the next details. Quinn noticed his interest, "What's up Al?"

"Was there a fire?" he asked.

"What? Uh...no. Why?" Behind Quinn, Jade turned ever so slightly toward the exchange.

"Aldo Creevey, from Gryffindor you know? His family had a fire on Christmas Eve, but they said it was strange… um, like cold and bluish- and it spread very fast. My Dad and my Uncle responded to it…"

Quinn was quite pale as she listened, "Oh that sounds terrible." She turned to Jade, "Maybe that's why they were so upset, there's more than one…"

But Jade rolled her eyes and addressed the entire carriage, "So, is anyone here harboring any secrets of new Death Eater activity? No?" she scanned the room in mock seriousness, "Ludicrous right? We're eleven. But apparently because of the house that miserable hat sorted us into, a good number of people think we are being trained as spies for the third rise of blood supremacy… or whatever Thompson blubbered out at you."

Quinn whimpered, still obviously hurt from the exchange, "her parents forbid her to talk to me, because they're scared I've been saying too much to the wrong people. I mean I barely introduced her to anyone but you," she gestured to Jade.

"So, they think the attack was by another wizard then?" Al pressed

Quinn paused, "Yeah… well it was strange. We heard this loud shattering, you know, being right down the street. And then when we realized whose house, we went over to help… Kiera has a little brother and he's right around the age where magic can get unpredictable; we thought it was an accident. And they live between two muggle families so someone ought to have noticed something."

She contemplated her next words carefully, "Every window was… gone,"

"Shattered?" Al offered

But Quinn shook her head with certainty, "No I mean gone. There were no shards anywhere. The glass was so pulverized it was like mist. I thought that snow had been swept inside at first until I saw it was glinting oddly…" Her breath quickened once more

"And it was all gathered up, like as if it had been swept up in a path and…" She glanced at her housemates, steadying her voice, "It ended right at Kiera and father and they were, oh it was so awful to see!"

Quinn's hand shakily circled her face and neck, "It was like they'd been cut underneath their skin; they had these pin-points of blood everywhere; their arms- her dad had shielded her so Kiera was mostly okay but her Dad… his whole face, his eyes…"

Quinn's emotions now vibrated through her voice and she became quiet once again. Al put his hand on her shoulder, but she barely noticed. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Scorpius hurriedly slide into the carriage, not even paying mind as he slumped next to Milo. Another confused looked shadowed the boy, however, as he inhaled slowly toward his new seatmate. Al gulped, trying to process everything at once. Another burst of wind rattled the carriage window, allowing Al to notice the sky was only just receding into the pastel colors of sunset. They still had hours to go…

Scorpius was taking in Quinn at the moment as he unrumpled his hair. Though there was an air of urgency about him, it also didn't seem like any hexes had landed their mark. "Hold on, I think they're just behind… Malachi wanted to grab his cat…"

Markedly more exhausted, the last two students of the cohort (Vanessa was basically an extension of the second years now) bolted into the small space and promptly locked the door. "These things don't get broken by simple spells, do they?"

"No, I mean we're not technically supposed to be doing a ton of magic on here anyway…"

"Oh I wouldn't put it past them. Bloody pack of sheep is what they are… don't even know if what they're saying is true." Malachi was trying to calm a very agitated black cat. Scorpius delicately held the furry creature as Malachi squeezed next to him and proceeded to cradle it in his lap. Reggie remained at the carriage door, monitoring what he could see of the hallway.

"So you too?" Scorpius nodded at Quinn, who'd been shocked into a calmer state at the boys' entrance, "Who accused you?"

Jade stepped in as Quinn's lip began to quiver once more, "Some older Ravenclaws… and Kiera Thompson is no longer speaking with her- for her family's safety of course." She added acidly

Scorpius paled, "Blimey a Ravenclaw too? Someone was attacked right?"

"Wait, what happened with you?" Al asked

"I found Jeya and we were chatting, Rowan came by, wasn't feeling well…" Scorpius emphasized his farce of confusion, "She came in to say that these two were being harassed by a few of the older Hufflepuffs, apparently this one bloke's mother was attacked in London…Burbage?"

"Eliza Burbage is a senior Wizengamot," Al remembered his dad mentioning that name a few times, "I've heard she's a little paranoid about purebloods…."

Scorpius looked down guiltily, but Reggie and Malachi were defiant, "Well it's not like our fathers were Death Eaters!" The latter spat, "Avery is an old family line and unlike some other names, we've managed to keep our numbers up- that alone should tell you we aren't all crazy."

Reggie stiffened haughtily, "Besides, they just want to force their own doctrine down our throats. I think half of 'em are jealous of purebloods, it certainly makes family matters more peaceful when no one is left out…"

"Hey that's not always true," Quinn had recovered her usually assertive nature and stared measuredly at the curly-haired boy.

Reggie acknowledged her calmly, "No, no it's fine if you come from that kind of family. All I'm saying is that some wizards have a preference is all- what we're comfortable with. And what matters is that everyone gets a say in what they want. But there is a space between Death Eaters and anti-pureblood sentiments that you can exist…blimey here they come."

Al had also spotted a swarming mix of yellow and black jumpers steadily making their way down the corridor. A rather beastly looking boy was leading the way and narrowed his eyes menacingly as he spotted Reggie's form in the doorframe. "Here they are, the great clean bloodlines! Want to repeat what you said to be earlier Drummond! Alohomora!" Thankfully, the carriage door didn't budge.

Reggie looked back sheepishly, "I may have insulted him…but only after he accused us of weaseling intel to our families! I didn't even know what happened to his great-aunt!"

As the others looked back blankly, Scorpius replied in a low tone, "She was a teacher here at Hogwarts, she…erm… was eaten by Voldemort's snake in front of the top Death Eaters. There're rumors a few of them took bones but… I don't think that's true."

By the greenish look on his face, Al believed whole-heartedly that Scorpius very much hoped that wasn't true. He wondered if his grandfather had seen it happen, maybe even Draco.

"Oh well look here, they've buddied up with Malfoy," The Hufflepuff boy's lip curled into a snarl, "But we'll let Haverford deal with him. Look at this pathetic lot- they'll be top recruits in a few years' time. Should be three Houses here after the Second War, I don't know why we let them learn magic only to have them inevitably defile their skills…."

"It's so we can keep an eye on 'em" Another girl gazed darkly around the much younger witches and wizards. Her eyes popped briefly as they landed on Al, "Hector, Harry Potter's son is here."

Hector Burbage locked eyes with Al, as if he were a rather annoying insect that had fallen in his drink, "That's about all he is if these are the people he's chosen to associate with. You're choosing a lonely life Potter, don't you want friends that stay out of Azkaban?"

The other students were becoming uncomfortable though, and after another meaningful glare, Hector nodded his head and retreated up the corridor.

"Our hero," Jade smirked as she mimed clapping, "Potter, savior of Slytherin. You're untouchable."

Al snorted but slouched in his seat, "They only leave me alone because they know my father,"

"Yeah of course they do," Jade looked at him, her brows arching, "So use it to your advantage, and maybe help us all out a little while you're at it."

"Yeah because that really helped Scorpius last fall."

She waved her hand impatiently when Al failed to lighten his spirits, turning instead to Reggie and Malachi, "Why'd you run away from them? I thought you enjoyed sticking it to older students- or are we turning over a new leaf this semester?"

But Malachi shook his head, "No way, you didn't hear how they were talking earlier. This isn't like before break…" he glanced at Reggie, who returned an equally serious look, "They're really scared. So, that boy- Hector- his Mum was attacked but it was, erm, very specific…" The two boys now deferred to Scorpius, who sighed.

"Rowan said that Eliza Burbage was chased by a serpent… well a snake that was much bigger than what you'd expect to be around London. And she sliced it and it apparently just turned into embers. Burned her."

"So, it was like a charm?" Al inquired, "And they think it was a pureblood family cause only Death Eaters saw her Aunt… right?'

Scorpius nodded, "Yeah the symbolism is pretty sickening, but here's the thing- the snake was real."

"What do you mean?"

"Jeya said that her parents read about a break in the London zoo in a muggle newspaper. Apparently, a python escaped in the early hours of that morning and they've yet to locate it." Scorpius rubbed his temple, "So a wizard seemingly decided to go through the trouble of charming a real snake, when they could have transfigured their own and probably made it even more deadly…"

Al was deep in contemplation. If he recalled correctly, the disappeared snake was the same one that had spoken to him in the summer. It occurred to him that perhaps that interaction was more sinister than he'd first believed. Still, the snake had seemed perfectly cordial to Al…

Scorpius had been detailing other anomalies that Jeya and Rowan had shared, "And, well Rowan wasn't sure if she'd heard this correctly, but apparently right before the embers exploded out, Eliza swore she saw a face in the flame…"

Quinn nearly jumped out of her seat, "That's… that's what got Kiera's family all riled up!" she exclaimed, "Her Dad said that when the glass swept inward, he thought it was possessed because he could see eyes and a mouth screaming at him."

Milo and Natalia had not spoken in ages and when Al looked over, they wore matching, terrified expressions. Jade had resumed watching the now last edges of sunlight dip under the horizon but her fingers were tapping rhythmically, as if she was cataloguing the information using some invisible keyboard. Al remembered the way his Dad and Uncles had discussed the odd events they'd come across at work… the lack of usual suspects…

"So, do they think it's a new Dark Wizard? Or society of purebloods? I mean, Azkaban hasn't had any mass breakout…" But Al did not like the look the three boys gave as they glanced at each other.

Finally Scorpius was the one to talk again, "They don't think it's a new threat…" now his voice was rattling, "They think it's an old one, perhaps one that they thought was dead…"

"Voldemort." Al said simply, ignoring the winces in the room, "That's just paranoia though, I mean of course they're always going to associate him with the Dark Arts- he basically terrorized two generations. How could they think of anyone else?'

But Scorpius didn't look so sure, "I don't know Al, it's more than that." He pursed his lips, weighing the pros and cons of his next statement, "You know how He started out right? After your Dad killed' him?"

Al shook his head, "I mean, he was a soul… right?"

"Yeah, and he had to latch himself onto animals and… well, willing people when they happened by…" Scorpius continued, "And these things that are happening, they're just a little too supernatural for people's comfort… they think certain families might be harboring more fragments of his soul."

"But I thought we destroyed them all?" Quinn interjected, "Isn't that why Harry Potter could finally kill him? I mean they buried his body…"

Scorpius looked reluctant to continue, "For families that were, erm, close to Him… they knew that at the end, Voldemort was becoming reckless. He didn't know he was actually more fragile than he calculated because he'd actually split his soul unto Harry when he tried to kill him- that's why he didn't actually kill him again in the Battle…"

Al had heard this explained in both History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The new curriculum had put the consequences of horrible magic front and center in their subject matter rather than hide the truth from even the youngest wizards. Still, he felt odd hearing his father evoked as a centerpiece of this warped, evil truth that had been brought to light after the War.

"And so, they think that maybe he tore off more pieces that weren't horcruxes per se… but something to work off of to…bring him back." Scorpius ended quietly as the carriage was still in rapt attention, "It's a theory you're right, and I mean my family, if anyone, would have heard rumors if it were remotely true… I mean maybe my grandfather…" The crimson hue of shame was budding rapidly on Scorpius' cheeks.

"Well, this is definitely not going to help quiet the rumors about you," Malachi looked at Scorpius with a hint of sympathy, "Wasn't that the prevailing story last term? That you were born with a piece of Him inside you? Or that you underwent some odd baptism in his essence?"

Scorpius now let his face become chalky and gray as he reminisced about the last months of the Fall. The Trolley Witch passed the compartment, pushing her heavy cart laden with candy and pasties, but none of the students were particularly hungry and Reggie waved her on with his hand.

Al sat dourly with his housemates for the rest of the train ride. His father had been holed up in his office in the last few days of break, though whether that was for work purposes or simply avoiding conflict with his son was unclear. Once again, Al felt a wave of delayed guilt at his actions toward him. If these incidences really might be a true attempt at resurrecting that terrible wizard, Harry must have been informed. Maybe that's why he was so on edge about the little things Al mentioned. He couldn't begin to imagine the fear of what it was like living with Voldemort alive. And then to have him come back all these years later…

But still, another part of him felt petulantly deprived of his father. Of course, maintaining peace in the wizarding world was an important and honorable goal, but Al couldn't help but wonder if perhaps more people than his father could shoulder some of that burden; just so he could at least enjoy a holiday or two in peace, with his family. Still, Al knew the answer to those longings. No other wizard had his whole life intertwined with what most considered the ultimate reach of Dark Magic like Harry Potter; threatening him since his first year of life, living in him like a parasite. And while Al could appreciate that fact, it only made him feel more distant from his dad, like his own problems were merely small puddles next to the flood that completely washed through Harry's life. How could they begin to understand each other when one was the center of the most modern magical calamity and the other growing up in comfort and peace?

The conductor's voice rattled through the carriage, announcing the arrival at Hogsmeade in half an hour's time. The Slytherin students fumbled to put on their robes over their casual clothes in the confines of the overpopulated carriage, unwilling to venture outside to change in a bathroom.

As the train rolled into the station, the cohort rushed to grab their belongings and grab the first carriages so as not to be left behind with any unfriendly older students. Professor Grubbly-Plank, a wispy, ancient-looking witch that taught the Care of Magical Creatures, directed the first years towards a line of hundreds of carriages that would bring them to the Castle through the snow-strewn woods. Al had just squeezed his and Natalia's last bags onto the back of a lift when he heard a commotion behind him.

"You ought to watch who you're looking out for Potter- my father is planning some sorely needed measures to control those folks and you bet they'll be none too sympathetic to your family. You just haven't seen their true colors yet- or well, I would have thought you'd known enough to educate your dolt of brother to not get tangled up with them." Adrian Haverford's lumbering crew was leering close behind James and Rosie as they scampered hurriedly towards the closest carriage that would grant them refuge. They were flinging their belongings hastily in an empty cart when Al saw Callum draw his wand at his brother, who was sporting his owl, Bidi, on his shoulder.

"James watch out!" Al cried

But the distance between the brothers ebbed the urgency of Al's warning and James had barely scanned behind him when Callum slashed his wand down, spitting a hex that Al couldn't quite decipher.

He also couldn't recognize the curse because, in his poor aim, Callum had hit Bidi bodily in the center of the bird's feathery breast. The owl shrieked unnaturally long and loud, stupefying most of the students in the vicinity to a standstill, as they watched the bird writhed on the ground. It looked as though Bidi's left wing and leg were completely paralyzed and the rest of him was aware and terrified of this development. James dropped his bags, the long handle of his new broomstick, a Christmas present, carelessly lodged between the heavy items. He spun around wide-eyed, whipping his wand out, his mouth contorted into a silent scream at the gaggle of equally stunned Gryffindors. The point of his wand wavered between trying a counter curse on his owl and returning the attack at his former friend.

Rosie, grabbed his arm, "Don't! I don't know if a counter curse will hurt him more!" There were tears brimming at the edges of her eyes and her own owl squawked menacingly, baring its talons at the boys through its cage and coming close to tipping the entire enclosure off its current balance on the carriage. She scooped up Bidi quickly, righting a few long feathers that had gone askew in the fall, "I think it was a leg-locker curse…"

As the option of tending to his owl disappeared, James now resolutely aimed his wand at Callum, "We'll see how you like a leg-locker you lousy git!"

Al watched as his brother sent the jinx at Callum, hitting him squarely. Unfortunately, the spell was ill-performed and only briefly slowed the motion of the boy, who tumbled forward slightly but quickly regained movement. The contrition that had initially graced his features now turned to rage as he prepared to send another hex at his housemate.

"You'll have to be a better wizard than that once the purebloods turn on you Potter!" he snarled nastily.

From behind them, Patricia Beauton and her friends also sneered, "Oi there are first-years that can land a better spell! You really are just a lug with a fancy broom, aren't you?"

Al was reminded of his father as the tendons in James' neck tensed rigidly, turning deep mahogany in the strain, which seemed to travel up his face and ears. Perhaps it was the violent undulation of emotions during his first semester, but Al had quickly discovered that certain spells required a certain state of mind if they were to work. And James was not in that state; although he looked angry, Al knew it was panic that was being presented, his brother was barely breathing, his wand slipping as his hands trembled. Al, on the other hand, could feel the white-hot rage that steadied his grip on his own wand and blurred his peripheral vision to predator-like precision, so Callum became the isolated focus.

It seemed like the boy was moving in slow motion as he drew back his wand at his brother, and Al only changed his slug-eating curse at the last moment as Professor Grubbly-Plank materialized at the fringes of the crowd.

"Expelliarmus!" Al leapt forward as he sent the spell careening into Callum, the soles of his feet protesting at the flat impact of the hard, forest earth.

It was lucky that he'd screamed the spell so clearly because had Professor Grubbly-Plank not heard it, he'd probably be in trouble for sending a curse regardless. The force of the spell folded Callum in two as he was rocketed off his feet and shot into Adrian and a few other Gryffindor boys, collapsing the entire lot. Al was personally satisfied to see first-years Ryan and Sam pinned at the bottom of the pile, one of their trunks knocked open.

"What in the heavens! Oh my!" Professor Grubbly-Plank looked equal parts alarmed and impressed as she surveyed the quite diminutive boy that had just crumbled a good part of the Gryffindor House like a set of bowling pins, "Come here boy!"

Al walked resolutely near the crowd and glanced at his brother, smiling kindly. James, however, did not return what Al expected to be some gratitude, wearing a peculiar expression as he watched his younger brother go by.

Rosie, on the other hand, moved swiftly towards the older witch, "Please, that boy," she pointed at Callum, still on the ground holding his stomach, "He seriously injured James' owl- cursed it!"

She presented Bidi to the professor. The screech owl was still hooting in pain and confusion, thrusting only half of her body clumsily in Rosie's arms.

"Shh, shhh, now calm down. Oh what a nasty thing to do!" Professor Grubbly-Plank gently lifted the bird into her arms and held her firmly so Bidi wouldn't further injure herself with her thrashing. Her face was hardening rapidly as she surveyed the extent of the injury. If any condolences had been reserved for Callum, Al could see they had promptly vanished, as the witch cast daggers in the boy's direction.

"It's some immobilizing jinx alright. She got injured in the fall and I can feel a welt on her breastbone here. Not to mention simply terrifying the poor thing! You!" She pointed to Callum, who also knew he had no chance of receiving mercy from the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, "You will head immediately to the Headmaster's office! I don't want to see you step in that Great Hall once this evening and we'll see if you do again at all!"

A few of the Gryffindors had pulled Callum upright and Adrian had clapped him on the shoulder, but Al could see that most of them scattered away, repulsed by the actions of the night, accidental as they might have been. He'd have felt better about the behavior of his own House if he hadn't caught Gregor Rosier and his gang sniggering at James and making kissy faces at each other as they mimed being an owl.

Professor Grubbly-Plank had conjured a small tourniquet for Bidi, who was churring appreciatively in her arms, though when James numbly walked over, she began prodding restlessly, trying to hop back on her usual perch on his shoulder.

"Hey, hey, no I'm going to carry you… like this?" James let his professor adjust his arms around the bird, securing her. The churring resumed and Bidi closed her large glowing eyes, happily reunited.

Al now found himself awkwardly facing the small witch. She pursed her lips but addressed him fairly, "As you might have heard, there are several changes to the student code of conduct for this term, which you will hear about upon your arrival." Raising her eyebrows again as she looked between Al and James, "Ah brothers, I see. Well, I will have to inform the Headmaster about all parties involved but my personal opinion will see that you are not punished for reacting to such a dreadful, careless deed. But be on your way please and stay away from them," She gestured to a rather broad swathe of students, all hurrying to separate carriages, huddled in close-knit gossipy circles.

Rosie had resumed packing the carriage and waved as Dominique broke off from her small clique of Ravenclaws, her bronze hair whipping madly as she joined her cousins, "I was just telling 'em how 'orrible that lot has gotten! Hexing a 'ousemate? Disgusting."

Aldo Creevey had also led Anya and Ida towards the group, and they tossed their bags into the carriage, each checking on Bidi, who was now quite pleased with the attention being lavished upon her.

As the carriage lurched forward with its occupants, Aldo nodded at Al, "That was a mighty blasting disarmament mate! I don't think I ever saw it that powerful in class."

"Aldo may have captured it on camera," Ida timidly added, her and Anya blushing at Al, who decided to study the bits of mossy earth clinging to his trainers.

"Why would you take a picture in the middle of something like that," James curtly cut off the comments in an unnaturally rude tone. Aldo was taken aback by James' demeanor, and settled into an apologetic silence.

Al looked up at his brother, who again wore that peculiar face that Al would hazard to guess was a mixture of guilt and embarrassment, but he couldn't understand why. James caught him staring and sat up straighter, addressing him coldly, "Oh and Al, the next time you decide to insult Adrian and his father, gimme a heads up why don't you?"

"What? I nev…" But then Al remembered the incident at the Carnival with the Malfoy's. It, like the late-night conversation, had never been shared with his brother as the last days of vacation had erected a passive-aggressive wall between them.

James shook his head, "No, don't deny it! I know you went to the same festival on New Year's Eve with Scorpius."

Al nodded furiously, "Yes, yes you're right, but they started it! And Adrian's father even threatened Scorpius! He's a child!"

James laid back, eyeing Al doubtfully, "Well the way Adrian recounted it, Draco was the one who escalated the fight and that, honestly, sounds pretty believable."

"No…" But Al drifted off, trying to remember the details of that altercation. Draco and Astoria had been alone with the Haverfords for quite some time before they retreated to where they had been. It was possible something had happened beyond Haverford simply harassing the family like Al initially thought.

"Anyway, I'm not saying it was all Malfoy. I have realized Adrian can be a right nasty piece of work at times… but I literally defended you for at least an hour not even knowing what you got into! And now…" James voice softened as he adjusted Bidi in his lap. It was only the obvious fretfulness for his bird that made Al try to abate the snippiness from his reply.

"Sure, I wanted to tell you about it James, honestly- you know how the holidays ended." He added in a low tone.

Rosie turned her head towards him, nodding empathetically, "Don't feel bad Al, my Mum's been the same way as your Dad, all touchy. Her and Dad had a tremendous row after New Years with Uncle Percy. He's not on the same clearance as him and your dad with her apparently… or Malfoy. I've never seen them fight like that in my life."

Aldo looked on, worried, "It's not because of my family is it?"

"No, I think it's more than just that," Rosie reassured him. Judging by the knowing faces of Ida and Anya, Al guessed the First year Gryffindors had been informed of the Creevey's attack. He wondered if the other incidences had also made it to their ears.

Dominique wasted no time answering that question. She leaned in dramatically to the younger students, "And I was so sorry to 'ear about Kiera Thompson, you know her? She was only just released from St. Mungo's and her Dad is still 'ere. Awful state she's in."

The Gryffindors nodded, Ida speaking again, "Even my Mum's family contacted her, says they tried to register a wand in her name, so I'd look like a half-blood. My uncle's an Auror and is really worried." At the confused expressions, Ida explained, "My parents are a squib and full muggle." But her eyes suddenly bulged frightenedly as she glanced at Al.

"Oh stop," He cried exasperatedly, "I'm not going to tell anyone,"

"Not even Scorpius?" Ida whispered

"What? Uh…sure, I won't," Al looked away into the dense dark green of the forest, furrowing his brows.

Al still wasn't looking at his companions when the stretch of silence was interrupted by Dominique's scolding, "No James, Al wouldn't know about 'is house. Can't you see, their little group barely talks to the older 'ears."

"What about my house," Al turned and assayed the carriage, boredly as already knew the answer.

James fell silent, sulkily, but Rosie smiled at Al and proceeded carefully, "Al, I wouldn't expect you to know, but… what are the sentiments of your House about muggleborn magic… on average maybe."

"Look," Al said impatiently, trying to catch James' sight the most, "If a Slytherin has strong pureblood views, they're not afraid to let people know… its Gregor Rosier, Alphonse Goyle, Will Macntyre, but you all already know that. Ansel Nott… Tim is actually okay. And of course, just the entirety of the Second Year girls, except for Lin Feng- third years aren't much better- that group that follows Jenna Bulstrode especially…" He flicked through his memory of off-color comments and named each perpetrator, hoping his attention to detail would win back some trust that had obviously been lost during the ride to school.

"And what about your year?" James pressed, still looking challenging.

"Just Vanessa Parkinson, I'd say," Al started slowly, "But it's really just nasty things about centaurs and house elves, I haven't talked to her much after hearing that…"

Even though Vanessa was by far the most unpleasant member of the cohort, Al felt a slight twinge of unease ratting her out to the carriage. He didn't mention Malachi and Reggie, nor Jade.

"What about those two boys, or the twins…" James continued

"I said no one else is that bad," Al stated firmly, "The Markovs are orphans anyhow…"

Dominique cocked her head curiously, "Orphans? Are you sure?"

"I… well I suppose I never asked them directly,"

"Kiera said she saw 'em in St Mungo's. They 'ere wearing visitor's badges." Dominique explained, "she saw 'em with little Martin White and 'is sister."

"Oh…" Al looked around, trying to feign a wide-eyed innocence as the gears in his head whirred. It did seem like perhaps the parents were interned or being rehabilitated. He wondered if the stay was voluntary or some agreement for the twins to attend Hogwarts.

"It's surprising they're only visitors," Rosie lamented, "I feel so badly for them, they missed half of their classes last term."

"So they're fine?" James asked.

"Yeah James," Al fixed him sternly. In truth, he had never spoken with Milo and Natalia about their views on bloodlines, but given their condition, he was certain neither harbored a superiority complex.

James recoiled and went back to pampering his owl, brooding.

"And so is Scorpius," Al took a stab at the final elephant uncomfortably squeezed in the carriage. Ida and Anya exchanged brief nervous looks. Al remembered how flighty they had been since the rumors of his friend started in late fall.

James let out a low, "Hmmph," as he stroked Bidi's head, "Adrian said that Narcissa Malfoy was with you that night."

Dominique and Rosie turned sharply at Al, the latter stammering, "Oh my she's a… well not a good... Al, I thought you said they didn't see his grandparents?"

Al closed his eyes and counted three long breaths before allowing himself to answer, "I don't think he sees her often and the visits have recently just started again… and he never sees his Grandfather."

"What is she like?"

Al mulled over that evening once more, arbitrating each small instance; the way she'd talked about werewolves, her interest in Teddy, her affection to Scorpius, referring to Jeya's birth status more than once, but not with malintent, adjusting Al's scarf…

"She's…out of touch, but she was fine to me." He finally concluded his deliberations.

"Of course, to you, Al," Rosie said somewhat impatiently, "She's in debt to your father…"

"Well, I can only speak for myself, can't I?" Al snapped back, "Take what you want from it, coming from me, but that's all I'm saying."

A gloomy shadow of hurt crossed Rosie's face and ushered in another stretch of silence. As the Castle spires rose glintingly from above the treetops, Al remembered a comment from the commotion. He turned to his brother.

"James, what did Adrian mean by "controlling those folk'? What measures is his father planning?"

It was James' turn to squirm uncomfortably under the pressure of interrogation, "Honestly I was trying not to listen, but it just sounds like he wants a renewed sweep of a few older magical homes… ones that were active safehouses for Death Eaters during the War."

"But I thought they had been searched after?" Al pressed, "And didn't the discovery of Dark objects come with an Azkaban sentence?"

"Sure, not a lifetime one though," James hesitated, "And there's been rumors circling, about previously unknown objects, capsules maybe…"

And Al realized that the rumors about Voldemort had fully permeated the student body. He gave an involuntary shiver and for the first time that night, James smiled comfortingly, "Al it's okay, Dad and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, they know how to handle this stuff. And there's nowhere safer than Hogwarts."

Al could see the lights illuminating the vast corridors of the Castle now, the soft flickering reminding him of the Burrow living room at Christmastime, where his family had celebrated safe and sound. He nodded at his brother, who wordlessly seem to assure him that their most recent disagreement was behind them. And it was this guarantee that finally overcame the icy pit that had been balling in Al since New Years' Day. Though as the group made their way into the Great Hall, Al felt a sort of tweaking in his stomach as James led the small group of Gryffindors to their table, while he embarked to the far side of the room, alone.