I hope that everyone is doing alright in these confusing and troubled times that we're currently living in. Stay safe and stay at home if you can – for those who have to work I thank you for doing what you are doing and hope that you all are also staying safe at work.
The Great Hall was abuzz as the apprentices entered with only a few looking up at them as they did. It appeared as though all the students and teachers were present though no one appeared to be eating. Breakfast usually lasted until 10am, allowing the students to come in whenever they managed to wake up though most seemed to come in and out at their own pace. It was unusual for them to be the late for breakfast as there were many students who did not have morning classes yet for some unusual reason the Great Hall was full and all the teachers were present.
"Hogwarts has hired more security"
"There was an attack on Hogsmead yesterday!"
"Death Eaters attacked Umbridge"
"The Minister's been sacked
"The Minister was killed."
"Umbridge was under the Imperious Curse"
Though they entered from the side door that led to the lake and the dungeons the six apprentices were quickly spotted by the Gryffindors as their house was the closest to that side of the hall today.
"Harry, Ginny, Neville," Ron waved at the three Gryffindors. Dean, Seamus, and the other Gryffindors next to Ron moved to make room for the new arrivals. "Fudge has been sacked."
"The new Minister was the head of the Aurors," Hermione added in whispered tones. "He ordered several raids on suspected Death Eaters overnight. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Yaxley, Avery, and Carrow – all of them with had ties to the Ministry of Magic, some of them to Fudge specifically."
"Attention!" the Headmaster's voice boomed off the walls, silencing all the chatter. Though the students had been able to return to their dorms the previous night after dinner the Headmaster had not addressed them as to what had happened on their first day of classes following the holiday break. "Though it is customary for me to make any announcements prior to dinner, something has happened which requires addressing.
"Yesterday, as you all know, you were all asked to sequester in the Great Hall following a disturbance on the grounds. I am sure that most of you now know that there was an incident involving our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and the High Inquisitor." All eyes seemed to shift to said Professor and the empty seat where the High Inquisitor had sat during meals. "It appears that during the holiday break someone captured the High Inquisitor, used Polyjuice potion to impersonate her in an attempt to get close to the Minister of Magic yesterday. The attempt was thwarted by our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and revealed that several Aurors and Ministry officials had been compromised.
"After an emergency session Minister Fudge has decided to step down in favor of Rufus Scrimgeour. Minister Scrimgeour has gathered those he knows to be uncompromised and took immediate action. The Hogwarts Board of Governers has agreed to the Minister's suggestion that Hogwarts increase our security. As such classes will be canceled this week as the staff works to improve the castle's security. There will be additional staff brought in both for security and supervision. Classes will resume next Monday – until then all students are to stay in the castle unless supervised by staff. There will be a two-hour window for each meal this week at the usual times. Your Head of House will speak address any questions or concerns after breakfast in your respective dorms. That is all for now."
The moment that he sat down the tables were filled with food.
"How do you know about the raids?" Harry whispered to the others as hundreds of students began to fill their plates with food.
"Percy," Ron whispered, "he's been sneaking information to us." Harry and Ginny glanced up at the staff table and noted the former Head Boy's position next to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. "He's going to be staying on to help with supervising and adding security to the school."
"He's been slipping messages to Sensei," Neville added to the surprise of everyone. "They've been working together since after the end of term exams – Nott and I saw them chatting at the Hog's Head over the break."
"What about the raids?" Harry asked.
"There were full raids on the residences of a few known or suspected Death Eaters," Hermione explained. "That's all we know. That's why there's a suspension of the Owl Post – the Ministry is probably concerned that the Death Eaters are going to reach out to their family members."
Harry nodded. He listened as he ate, not really paying attention to the food or even the taste as he focused on simply attaining nourishment after an exhausting training session. Before he knew it breakfast had come to a close and the Prefects for each house guided their respective houses back to their dorms.
Once the entire house was back in the dorm Professor McGonagall appeared at the entrance to the common room.
"While the professors are securing the castle, you are to remain in the dorms. I will return in a few hours to bring you all to lunch. We should have all the Owl Post inspected so that if you have any in bound post you should receive it at lunch. If the Headmaster feels that we have adequately secured the castle then after lunch you will be permitted to use the castle." She gave them a stern but wiry look, not even bothering to ask if anyone had any questions. "I shall see you before lunch."
"This school is too big," Ranma lamented as he placed wards on the windows. He'd lost track of the number of windows and spells that he'd cast. His spells were focused on three things – conserving energy/durability, slowing down any who would attempt to force their way in, and alerting the staff about any intrusion. While casting a several protective charms over the windows would work, it was also possible that those same spells would fade away once the castor passed, thus requiring that a new castor replace those spells. The wards were more time consuming but ultimately would last longer and remain in place for centuries. The tricky part was identifying the spells and wards already in place and making sure that none of the spells disrupted each other or simply undoing the existing spells and creating a new array of spells/wards. It did not help that the castle was not designed for defense merely to endure and house.
Each professor was working hard in their own way to fortify the castle and grounds since the incident with the fake Umbridge, many working into the night to research additional spells and wards that they could use as they recharged their magical reserves. He himself had spent the night creating thousands of magical tags, magical ink and brushes for his spells. He worked through lunch, stopping only to grab a quick drink before returning to the work. By mid-afternoon he had warded each window and entrance to the castle that someone might be able to access or use as an entry point.
"Airen," Shampoo said gently.
"Done," he sighed.
The lavender haired young woman pulled out enchanted monocles, checking for any noticeable magical energies that might tip off any intruders. "Is nice – no one see until trap already tripped."
He nodded.
"Eat," she ordered as she handed him a bento box. "Headmaster has agreed to hire Shampoo as extra security."
Again he nodded as he took the top off the box. "Make sure Ginny practices the pressure points so that she can use them on Harry before he goes to bed."
Though she gave a slight nod of acknowledgment she looked in firmly in the eyes, "This only works because the castle has wards to prevent them from taking things too far, but what happens when Harry is not in castle?"
"I'll have something prepared by then," Ranma replied between bites. "Thanks for making this." He made an effort to not inhale the food as he normally did at the staff table or when his old man was around, savoring the taste and texture of the food in a show of consideration for her that brought a smile to her lips.
"Shampoo is welcome," she said teasingly.
Snack complete, they climbed the stairs up to the top of the tower casting several wards that when combined with the spells and wards on the other towers helped created a magical field that enveloped the school and some of the grounds around the castle.
They had finished the entire East Wing before his apprentices found them. Few students passed them as the East Wing was home to the hospital wing, library, and most of the classrooms so few felt a need to venture too far from their dorms or the Great Hall and most of the small clubs were able to meet in the empty classrooms in the West Wing.
He led the group down to the Moaning Myrtle's bathroom making sure that there were no other students around. "Today we'll show you how to enchant and ward," he finally said once he was sure that no other students were around save for his apprentices. With a broad wave of his hand he quickly wrote out a line of runes along the walls, ceiling, and floor. "Those of you not in Ancient Runes will work with Shampoo.
"Sensei, why are we here?" Harry asked.
"Because this is a way into and out of the school," Ranma replied. "I've managed to alter the original enchantment so that I can now open it but it is still possible that someone else could do the same too – plus the plumbing to all the bathrooms all lead to the lake so if anyone were able to transform into something that could swim or climb up the pipes…
"Anyways, those of you who haven't taken Ancient Runes will go with Shampoo, those of you who have studied runes come with me." Tapping the faucet, Ranma triggered the secret opening then leapt down the hole. Behind him he knew that Neville, Theodore, Su, and Helen had followed him. He led them down to the cave where his predecessor had caused the cave in. "Watch."
With a wave of his hand he threw several spell tags at the gap in the ceiling to create a magical barrier. They discussed the benefits of using magic circles and spell tags versus using a wand to charm the openings they found in the cavern. A few times he even had his apprentices use what they knew to ward/enchant things in the cavern, discussed the runes that they used and why they picked the combination of runes that they did. By the time the reached the Chamber of Secrets he had refreshed his own knowledge of runes that he had hastily learned during his trip from Japan.
"This is the my treasure room," he said with a shrug as he led the quartet into one of the hidden rooms. "These are the items that I've created or claimed by rite of victory," he indicated the larger pile of items "and those are the items I have either bought or bartered for." He led them to a third room. "These are the scrolls I've acquired detailing known magic circles. The easier books are on the right, the more advanced on the left." He waited for them to each take a book or two that were at the level that they were comfortable with then led them back out to the main chamber. "This main chamber with all the snake heads should give you enough room to practice drawing out magic circles. Start with a wooden stick – not your wand."
"Sensei, why do we need to learn magic circles if we already have wands?" Helen asked.
"What happens when you're stuck in somewhere and don't have your wand?" Ranma replied. "Do you know how many of your peers don't know runes and rely only on their wands? If you were to take the wand away from most witches or wizards they'd be helpless.
"Neville."
The tall Gryffindor stepped forward even as the others took several steps back. There was no practice mat so there were no defined boundaries for the sparring bout. Once the others had backed away sufficiently Ranma offered a slight bow which his apprentice returned.
Neville opened with a swift front kick then stepped in to throw some punches only to have Ranma sidestep to his left. "Remember what I said yesterday?"
Neville nodded, drawing out his father's wand.
It was no surprise that Neville failed to connect with any of his kicks or punches, yet his attacks were pushing Ranma to constantly sidestep to his left as each kick or punch seemed to be getting closer and closer to connecting. "Is that all you've got? I thought you knew how to use your wand."
Neville charged in, throwing a punch with one hand that went wide but followed up with a deftly thrown spell tag from the same hand.
"That's better," Ranma stated with a smirk, "but you still missed."
They danced around the cavern – Neville attacking and Ranma expertly narrowly side-stepping. Finally Neville seemed to have an edge as he forced Ranma to counter with a sloppy uppercut that would be well short of the mark only for Neville and the others to be surprised as the taller fighter was sent flying and came crashing down into the water several feet away.
Ranma waited for Neville to swim back to the lip of the pool before beckoning them to walk over to him. "This was the first magic circle I learned," he said with a faint smile. "This one used only a touch of magic but relies more on you getting your opponent(s) to get aggressive, even angry, drawn them in without counter attacking, and once you've reached the center you counter. Had I tried to get Neville even more riled up with my usual tactics of insulting and infuriating my opponent the tornado probably would have blasted you into the ceiling – the largest one I've created leveled a mountain valley. The angrier and more powerful your opponent, the stronger this counter attack is as it uses their energy and only a little of your own to fuel it."
His footsteps were clearly evident on the ground still as were Neville's.
"It's a spiral," Helen remarked.
"It still works as a magic circle," he replied. "I just drew it with my feet – it's the most basic of magic circles that I know and easiest to use without using my hands except for the last bit. It's good that you were using spell tags as I couldn't use the energy in those to fuel my spell.
"As I'm sure you all know, most witches and wizards tend to fight at a distance so that it gives them time to gather energy for a spell or to react to an incoming spell. If they can keep an opponent at a distance they have an advantage but if something gets in close then they lose that advantage. Take away their wand and they lose their advantage. Spell circles and magic tags will give you the ability to fight back at a distance.
"You've learned the proper wrist movements for each spell but what you haven't learned is that in a duel your footwork matters too. It's like fighting with a sword – you can use your wrist and hand, but to be good at it you'll need to use your entire body.
"Theo."
The Slytherin stepped forward as the others backed up.
Once the pair exchanged polite bows Theodore rushed in. Drawing his wand he cast a leg-locker curse in an attempt to limit his opponent's footwork. Ranma smiled, leapt out of the way of the spell then spun in midair to avoid a jinx. Theodore gave chase only to keep missing with his spells as sensei dodged the attacks. Finally Theodore closed the distance only to slam into an invisible barrier leaving an opening for Ranma to flip over him, grab his gi, and toss him into the pool. The spar lasted less than fifteen seconds.
"That's not right." He was used to Hermione's interruptions and corrections as she looked over his work though that seemed to occur less and less over the past term. "The"
"Are you reading it from left to right or right to left?" he asked as he completed the circle or runes. Each line had to be use the correct sequence of runes and each point of the star needed to have the correct element to invoke.
"Oh, you're right," the brightest witch of their year remarked. As clever as she was sometimes she was too set in her ways.
The writing faded into the special paper of the spell tag waiting for the last element to be added so that the spell written on the tag would be cast. They were allowed to use any tricks and spells that they knew meaning that sensei knew all the spells that they were taught in charms, transfiguration, and DADA plus all that he had taught them at the time so if any of the apprentices were to ever get the upper hand against him in a sparring session they would have to do something that he didn't expect.
"That's not for Ancient Runes?" Hermione finally asked as she took note of the pile of blank sheets.
"I'm practicing," it was a half-truth. The tags were for practice/sparring. These spell tags were written on paper which limited the effectiveness and power of the spell when compared to the spells written on the parchment or hide. These spell tags would be tested during sparring and depending on the results would then be replicated on the parchment or hide for later use.
He tried to ignore Hermione's skeptical look. "If you want to know more you're free to ask Sensei to take you on as an apprentice."
"We've only learned the meaning of those runes and"
"Let it go Hermione," Ron interjected. "Has anyone seen Nott?"
No one said anything though there were a few shrugs.
There was an obvious tension in the air whenever the Slytherins were around as they always traveled in packs unless accompanied by a professor. What was really unusual was that the Slytherins did not speak to anyone except professors, family members, or other Prefects. Even the rare boyfriend or girlfriend of a Slytherin had not spoken with their boyfriend/girlfriend the school had been locked down two days prior.
It was easier for them to focus on the things at hand rather than the unknowns beyond the castle walls. Since Dumbledore's announcement the previous morning the Owl Post had been delivered but the Daily Prophet had not reported anything beyond the fact that Cornelius Fudge had stepped down and that Rufus Scrimgeour had been named as the new Minister of Magic. There was no mention of any raids or of any outright attacks by the still at large Death Eaters and their leader/master.
"I've only seen the Slytherin Prefects on rounds," Anthony Goldstien said as he sipped at his steaming mug. "Is Nott still"
"He doesn't say anything except to Sensei," Li finished.
"What are you working on Su?" Hermione asked as she eyed the Ravenclaw's work. With lessons pushed back a week there was little for her to do. It did not help that she had already read ahead during the holiday despite having gone on a skiing trip to France.
"Hermione, leave them alone," Ron said with a sigh. "Do I need to give you detention?"
Though she huffed indignantly at his rib, Hermione stood up and decided to walk around the room that the group had laid calm to. The north tower of the west wing overlooked the forbidden forest and Hagrid's vacant hut. No one had heard from the missing Care of Magical Creatures Professor though some seemed to think that the substitute professor was doing a better job.
"Hagrid's back," Hermione muttered. "Harry, Ron! Hagrid's back!"
Several students moved towards the windows that faced the Forbidden Forest to get a better view. The orange glow was unmistakable in the darkness as there was nothing else in that direction save for the Hagrid's house.
"You can't leave the castle," Ginny whispered to Harry as he began to pack his things into his bag.
"You'll need to find a professor to escort you out of the castle," Cho added as she helped him gather his things. "Professor Flitwick is the closest."
As everyone else seemed to focus on the windows or on Harry, Neville gathered his things.
"Professor Sprout's is closest to ground level," Monroe stated.
"We'll head to the entrance and see if we run into any of the professors," Harry said as he slung his bag over his shoulder. Ron and Hermione rushed after him as the trio dashed towards the stairs.
"I'll go find Sensei," Neville declared as he followed after the trio.
"Thanks Neville," Harry said as they quickly descended the stairs.
"Find the closest professor," Neville suggested as he and Harry pulled away from the others.
Harry slowed just enough to pull out his wand and the Marauder's Map, "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."
"Harry," Hermione gasped.
"Neville and the other guys know," Ron explained.
"Oh."
"Sensei's patrolling below," Harry stated. "He's probably still casting protective wards."
"I'll get him to meet you at the entrance." Leaping off the stairs Neville ran towards the main building of the West Wing.
It took only a few minutes to find Sensei as he merely patrolling the building. Neville knew that sensei and Shampoo had been close on hand as he knew that a score of students met with his apprentices in the remote tower room. That it was close to Professor Trelawney's room was a bonus as the Death Eaters had recently been trying to kidnap any Seers since it was known that there was a prophecy about their master and his mortal enemy.
"Sensei," he called out as he spotted his sensei. He was sure that he'd seen Shampoo's name next to his on the map, perhaps they'd split up as they patrolled the corridors.
"Neville," Ranma replied.
"Harry, Ron, and Hermione will be at the north entrance waiting for you to accompany them to Hagrid's house," he explained.
Ranma nodded, "Are you"
Neville shook his head, "I'm going to meet up with someone before going back to Gryffindor tower." He had not even bothered to stop to address them though he had slowed enough to take the turn towards Ravenclaw tower.
It was rare for any Slytherin to be out of their dorm as the house of snakes appeared to be closing ranks despite the turmoil that was brewing within the dungeons. From his quick glance at Harry's map he had seen Daphne Greengrass's name beneath Ravenclaw tower. Had she been visiting with her sister?
The faint scent of lousewort caused him to slow down as he sought to locate the source. The corridor was completely dark as it was one rarely used by anyone and most students knew to use Lumos to illuminate the way if they did not have a lantern handy.
He allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness, carefully moving through the darkness. He heard the sound of creaking armor as some of the enchanted suits moved.
"The Ministry raided the Malfoys," a familiar voice whispered.
"Is that why Slytherin has locked down?" That had to be her younger sister.
"The Pureblood families are trying to rally support but without access to their family vaults they can only rely on promises."
"Wait, their accounts at Gringotts are frozen?"
"Yeah, Zabini's mother has connections in Gringotts. He got a letter from his mother about their accounts and suggested to him to cut any ties he has to Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe so as to not incriminate their family.
"It seems that after the Ministry raided Goyle's family some of the Death Eaters attempted to access their vaults"
"But wouldn't Gringotts be closed?"
"For most people it would be but the Malfoys have deep pockets and thought that they could convince some goblins to let them access their accounts afterhours. It didn't go as they hoped. The goblins have locked their vaults and will be discussing with the Ministry the cost of reparations for the loss of goblin lives."
"They're going to take it out of the Death Eaters' vaults."
"The Black vault was the only one that wasn't locked since they goblins didn't see him amongst the Death Eaters that attacked Gringotts."
There was a moment's silence.
"What are the other houses saying?" Daphne asked.
"They don't know what to make of things. It's clear that people think that Potter and Dumbledore were right and You-Know-Who is back."
"You mean that their little club is growing."
"He's not hiding nor does he appear to be the crazy loon that the Prophet was making him out to be. Right now it's the children of the alleged Death Eaters who are hiding and acting irrationally."
"Does the current Minister think the same way Fudge did?"
"That there's someone conspiring against him?"
"That Dumbledore is that someone?"
"Public sentiment seems to favor Dumbledore – many in the ministry remember that it was Dumbledore that Fudge used to turn to and that Dumbledore turned down the position so that Fudge got the position. Why would he try to manipulate the Ministry when he could have been the Minister of Magic?"
Again there was silence then finally Daphne spoke again, "Sometimes it is easier to rule from the shadows than it is in the spotlight. It's easier to rule from the shadows when you're the one in charge of the education of the future leaders and ministry officials."
"Is that you or is that your House repeating that mantra?"
There was silence in the corridor again.
"There are still too many who would accept the promises of the disgraced for it serves their purposes."
"And you?"
"Things have shaken up, but not enough to destabilize the House."
"So you'll just go with whatever your House decrees? No wonder you weren't fit for Ravenclaw."
Daphne scoffed.
"Quiet!"
"Do you think so little of me, little sister?"
"I do wonder about your motivations."
"They say 'Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.' If I can survive this pit of snakes I can make it anywhere."
"You are seriously messed up sis."
The creaking of armor silenced the pair.
"It's just a cat," Astoria whispered.
"I've never seen that one," Daphne remarked.
"It might belong to Professor Saotome's wife," Astoria remarked. "I've just started seeing it around these last few days."
"I should go, I the other girls will be coming back from the baths soon."
A slight rustling of clothes suggested that the sisters shared a hug in the darkness then their footsteps headed down opposite ends of the corridor.
Neville waited until he no longer heard either sister's footsteps before heading towards Gryffindor tower.