Chapter 13: Announcements

At lunch time, Harry was relieved that they would be dining with Sterling and Saldor in the smaller formal dining room, instead of the Mess Hall of the general public. He had no desire to make small talk with acquaintances and strangers that afternoon. He was pleased, arriving in the dining room, to find that his own master had flooed over to join them for a lunch meeting.

"Miss Weasley, congratulations are in order, I am told. Welcome to Apprenticeship."

"Thank you, Sir," she bowed, as though she'd been waiting for this her whole life.

As they sat, Sterling spoke, staring intently at Harry, as though nobody else existed in the room. "So, Aeternus, your Master has apprised me of a most interesting situation that occurred at Hogwarts," he began very quietly. Harry's stomach churned. "Do you happen to have an idea of what that situation might be."

Harry stared down at the table. "I believe I have an idea, Sir. I believe you are referencing the party that we attended on Saturday night."

"I am. While I am certain your Master has appropriately addressed it, you must not be surprised to know that I am forced to place you on probation for such a lapse in judgement. That goes for each of you," he glanced at Terran and Ginny. "You are hardly the first apprentices to drink. But your roles, now, mean that you must keep your reputations clean, from now on. Any further similar transgressions and I will be forced to remove you."

Harry nodded. He had expected as much. "Yes, Sir. I am sorry, Sir."

"We shall not speak on the matter any longer." Harry exchanged a relieved glance with his friends. They had known the Board would be informed, but had hardly expected it to pass as a slap on the wrist. Sterling continued, " Miss Weasley, you will be assigned a Master very quickly. You will need to choose a suitable name. Aurelius and I have just returned from your parents' house, and while they'd like to see you, they have officially signed the waiver."

Ginny grinned, though Harry could see her nerves were now becoming entirely aware of the situation. "Thank you, Sir. Do you have any idea who might be my Master?"

After a moment of the adults looking at one another, as though in silent communication. "Go ahead, Dominic," Sterling waved his hand, as though relenting to an argument that had taken place already.

Saldor smiled, though Harry could tell he was still exhausted. "After Master Sterling told me of the possibility that you may be offered a spot, I asked him if I might be given permission to train you myself. My reasoning is thus: One, I do not care about your gender, a fact that you have learned already. Two, you have an enormous potential, and I will do anything to see Voldemort buried. I think you will play a large role in that. Three, in Ferral's sacrifice, he tied himself to you. He does not get to complete his own Apprenticeship, though you will. I see your role to be a fulfillment of Ferraldin's unfulfilled one. Three, I am already at Hogwarts, so this allows us to not waste time searching for a qualified Master."

"I am honored, Sir," Ginny was staring at the table. "Are you sure-"

"It is not your place to question," Sterling said sternly. "But you three have earned some good faith. While we are aware Master Saldor is grieving- you all are- we also trust his ability to determine what he is capable of taking on."

"To that end," Saldor continued, "Silverwood and Shadowman have agreed that, as this week will be a great deal of work with the Guard, you will largely be with Aeternus and Terran, anyway. I will largely be out of touch, though you and I will meet this evening over dinner about expectations and orienting you to a few things. We will play this first week by ear, something that displeases me greatly."

"Yes, Master Saldor," Ginny agreed eagerly.

Harry waited anxiously as the room filled with Masters and Apprentices alike. While his own master had flooed back to Hogwarts after lunch, Master Sterling sat in a chair at the center of the dais, Silverwood beside him. Harry was comforted to have Silverwood to one side of him, and Terran and Ginny to the other side.

While Harry had known that his pitch and remarks would be made to those residing at Headquarters, it appeared that many had already begun returning to Headquarters for the week, as a majority would be expected back that weekend for the funeral. Masters could be harsh, but the Order, as a whole, found rituals to be deeply meaningful. It was rare for an Apprentice to die, so the Order would come together to mourn one who was taken in battle.

The room, already half full, was continuing to fill. As more people joined the room, the decibel level continued to rise. Sterling leaned over to Sterling, gesturing Harry to lean in, also. "Reg, I will introduce you first, you will give brief remarks on the Guard being activated and stationed and training at Hogwarts. Aeter, you will give your own spiel and introduce Terran and Miss Weasley. As she has not yet chosen an apprentice name, you will have to refer to her as Ginervra for now.

"I will announce the Emergency Mastery testing protocols, and Dominic will finally introduce Ginervra as our newest Apprentice. There will be pandemonium, but I want to get the complaints out of the way now. Dominic will be here momentarily," he gestured at the empty seat beside Ginny.

As if summoned, the man hurried up the steps, ignoring the bows of the others, and leaning toward Ginny, who was whispering furiously. Saldor looked pleased, gestured for her, Terran, and Harry to shift down a seat, before seating himself in Harry's seat next to Silverwood. "It seems," he began with a grin, "she has chosen her Apprentice name. Aeter, you are to introduce her as Apprentice Pandora."

Harry choked and looked at his friend. "As in, the Greek mythological figure who opened the jar and let all of the bad things into the world?"

Ginny smiled widely. "I intend to open said jar on the Death Eaters, too."

Harry grinned at her. "Pandora, it fits."

Sterling smiled easily. "Alright. Agenda: Silverwood, Aeter introduces Terran and Pandora. I share testing information. Saldor, I will introduce you, and you will introduce Pandora as our newest Apprentice."

As the room neared capacity, Sterling stood to take the podium, and waited patiently for silence to fall over the room. Harry was suddenly struck with how impactful his presence was. Without his making any attempt, the silence fell quickly, and he began to speak.

"Welcome back to Headquarters for this emergency meeting. We are grateful to have a majority of our Masters and Apprentices returned already, though a few of our peers are unable to make it back or will be coming in the coming days. We are grateful for the quick switches in your daily lives. We have a lot to get through this afternoon, so I will get started quickly. Please refrain from asking questions, as this session is meant to be an overview of information, and we will have smaller, more targeted sessions tomorrow for each of our announcements.

"As most of you have been aware, the Board has chosen to reinstate the Guard. Those members of the Guard that have been activated are now residing at Hogwarts as a precaution. However, for the first time in a century, we have also seen fit to reinstate the Junior Guard." Whispering broke out across the hall. Sterling ignored it and continued. "Here to give his update is Guard Commander Silverwood."

Harry's hands began to shake slightly as Silverwood took the podium, keenly aware that his time to speak was fast approaching. "Thank you, Master Sterling. While a handful of the Guard has remained at Hogwarts for the week, should an attack be imminent, the majority are in attendance here today. I want to take this moment to thank them for their attentiveness these first few weeks back in their roles.

"The Junior Guard has not been activated in a century. However, precedent is clear as to the expectations and qualifications of the Junior Commander are quite clear. After considering all of our Apprentices, we have named Apprentice Aeternus as Junior Commander. As precedent sets, he continues to report to Master Shadowman in all matters, except as they relate to the war effort and training. In those matters, he reports directly to me. Master Shadowman and I are both extraordinarily proud of Aeternus' accomplishments, and he has our full confidence in his ability to lead.

"Before I give him the podium, there has been one change to the Junior Guard since our last activation, a year ago. As we began considering our numbers, it became clear that, in order to have a meaningful defense of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, there would not be enough Apprentices to form the Junior Guard. After consulting the Board, we have opened up the Junior Guard to Hogwarts students, as well," whispering began across the room, and Silverwood held up his hand. "There was no other solution, and I promise you that every student or apprentice willing and qualified to serve on the guard will get their fair shake. We will have more information for you in the coming sessions. For now, I give you Apprentice Aeternus."

Harry tried to ignore the polite applause as he walked to the podium. He looked out across the sea of faces, Masters and Apprentices alike, and closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again. "Good afternoon, it is a pleasure to be back here at Headquarters. I am honored to serve the Mastery and the Guard in this manner. I have been hard at work planning with Master Silverwood, taking in the expertise of Masters Saldor and Shadowman as consultants.

"For many of you, the Junior Guard's interunity will be a brand new way of working. For us, it is a way of life. Master Shadowman and I have worked together with Hogwarts faculty and students every day, and we are only stronger because of a mutual understanding and growth. I intend to serve each and every member of my team with humility and respect. Our training will be mutually beneficial, and I intend for each person to be fully committed and able to defend him or herself and Hogwarts.

"As has been stated, we will have more information about expectations, schedules, and the training in the sessions to come tomorrow, but for today, I wanted to introduce you each to my Lieutenants. I am grieved to announce that Junior Lieutenant Ferraldin was killed during the Battle of Hogsmeade. We will honor his sacrifice this weekend. I am, however, pleased to introduce you to Junior Lieutenants Terran and Pandora," he gestured for each of them to stand, as a stunned silence prevailed over the hall. "Thank you, and I look forward to sharing more information with interested parties tomorrow."

Harry returned to his seat, ignoring the polite applause. He sat, prompting Ginny and Terran each to sit as well, recognizing that they had chosen, purposefully, to only seat themselves after he had done so. This was a demonstration of respect and his leadership, and he nodded his thanks to them.

Sterling stood again and approached the podium. "After dinner tonight, each apprentice will find in his room an application form. This application form is to take certain tests to be granted an Emergency Master License. This license will only be in effect for the time of the war. The application approval is not approval in itself, but approval for apprentices to take certain exams. Please note that you will need to receive your masters approval to take any exams. Your masters have been instructed to only give approval for those tests you may actually stand a chance of passing. If you do not stand a chance of passing, we do not wish to waste anybody's time. You will be required to take the full exams one year after the conclusion of the war.

"This program's purpose is to allow your masters to focus only on those subjects that are crucial to the war, and those which you need to truly practice. This also frees up some time for those Apprentices who may wish to join the Junior Guard, as we recognize there will need to be allowances made in scheduling required times.

"Please turn your applications in, with the appropriate signatures, no later than Saturday morning, as the tests will take place beginning on Monday."

Whispers again filled the hall, as this was completely unprecedented. Apparently, this information had not made it even to the Masters, as they too were whispering to one another.

"Finally," Sterling spoke over the whispers, "in an unprecedented move, the Board has unanimously approved a new apprentice, just this morning. Upon the offer, Master Saldor has offered to take up the new Apprentice. Here to make the introduction is Master Saldor himself."

As he moved to the podium, Harry could see the man wore a slight smirk, perhaps unnoticeable to those who rarely suffered at his hands in training sessions. Harry realized he was excited to stir the hornets' nest.

"Hello all," he began, "before I make my introductions, I would like to thank all of you who offered support upon Ferraldin's death. As you know, the funeral will take place on Saturday afternoon. As many of you have no doubt heard, Ferraldin was murdered as he and a Hogwarts student, Miss Genervra Weasley were ushering Hogwarts students to safety during the battle. Both took immeasurable risks to themselves to make sure the students were protected from dementors and Death Eaters alike.

"Ferraldin will rest in eternity as an Apprentice. His sacrifice is not to be squandered. In my time at Hogwarts, I have grown to know Miss Weasley very well," Harry could hear whispers beginning. The smartest in the room had put the pieces together. "Miss Weasley is selfless and compassionate, but packs a mean punch when she needs to. To this end, I am thrilled to introduce you, Masters and Apprentices, to Apprentice Pandora!"

At his announcement, Ginny stood and bowed deeply to him, and then to the audience as a whole. While the hall had largely responded to the information that afternoon in silence or whispers, the hall suddenly erupted in a cacophony of noise. There were some jeers, and some outraged shouts, but Harry also heard a fair number of cheers at this announcement.

After several moments, the noise showed no indication of relenting. Harry glanced at Saldor, who was grinning like a cheshire cat now, and he looked wholly uninclined to stop the noise. He glanced to Sterling, who also seemed to be content to be patient for awhile longer. Finally, he asked if he would be permitted to say something. At a hesitant nod, Harry took the podium again.

"As a dear friend of mine, and somebody who fought with me at Hogsmeade," Harry began, the Hall suddenly falling into silence, "I am extremely grateful to have Pandora beside me as a Lieutenant, and am excited to see her live up to her full potential as an apprentice. I would like to be the first to formally congratulate Pandora on her Apprenticeship."

Finally, with Harry's words, an applause rose from some members of the crowd, though some of the masters appeared to be reluctant.

Fifteen minutes later, an exhausted Harry climbed down from the dais, he and the other apprentices following the masters out of the room before any of them could be stopped by the crowd. They entered a small conference room, and Harry threw himself into a chair, sighing heavily, grateful to be finished with the announcements.

All that he had left, he realized, were the sessions they'd promised for the next day.