Al sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast with his younger siblings, as James was still asleep and Lily was fixing her hair. Today the four Potter siblings were going back to Hogwarts. When Al woke up this morning, he didn't feel excited or anxious to get back to school. Instead, he felt nervous about going back, because he knew things were changing, and not in a good way.
"Al, please don't play with your food," said Ginny cutting Hazel's toast and eggs.
"Sorry, Mum," mumbled Al not realizing hewas pushing his eggs back and forth on his plate.
"Mummy, why can't I go to the platform?" said Hazel as she used her fork to repeatedly break the yolk of her eggs.
"Sweetheart, we've been over this," said Ginny as she place plates of buttered toast and eggs in front of the twins. "You can't go the platform this year - only Mummy and the big kids are allowed."
"But why?" asked Hazel.
"Because the baddies will get you!" said Colin, aiming his fork at Hazel.
"Colin Arthur, put your fork down," said Ginny sitting down to eat her breakfast.
"It's not fair!" said Hazel crossing her arms and pouting her lips."I want to go to Hogwarts!"
"Well guess what? You're not going to Hogwarts," said Iris matter of factly. "So stop whinging about it like a baby!"
Before Ginny could scold Iris, Hazel took one of her yolk-soaked egg whites and flick it towards Iris. The six-year-old's aim was perfect because the food particle landed on the left side of Iris's face. Immediately, Iris hopped out of her chair and began to chase Hazel out of the room.
"Merlin," groaned Ginny as she followed the girls out of the kitchen yet another fight.
James walked in with his hair tussled from his sleep and wearing his Quidditch joggers and a Gryffindor jumper. Although James entered the kitchen still drowsy, he woke up as the twins darted out of the kitchen.
"What did I miss?" asked James grabbing his plate of toast and eggs on the counter.
"Hazel threw her eggs at Iris," said Al making James snorted with laughter. "Where's Lily?"
"Still in the toilet," said James as he shoveled eggs into his mouth while scrolling through his phone. "I knocked on the door and she shrieked at me like a banshee."
Just then, Al noticed James' eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as he scrolled through his phone.
"What's wrong, Jay?" asked Al.
"Look at this," said James handing him the mobile.
Al immediately cringed at the Kells picture of Troy surrounded by Stanley, Bruno, and Kyra leaning against a wall in Diagon Alley with serious faces, trying to act tough and serious. However, Al's mood changed when he read the caption and his face changed from cringe to concern.
"What in Merlin's beard?" said Al, confused by the post.
"Right? It's bloody bizarre," said James. As he was speaking, Lily came down to the kitchen after getting her hair and makeup ready for the day. Lily saw her brothers looking over the post and peered over to see what they were looking at.
"Among the eight, we'll strike the many who are small. You think you know what we mean, guess you'll see," said Lily, reading the post aloud. "What does that even mean?"
"Sounds like an empty threat," said Al.
"Probably nothing to worry about, right?" asked Lily standing between her brothers. "I mean, Troy's a bully but he's too daft to be that clever."
"Yeah, don't worry about it Lills," said James. "Right Al?"
Al did not respond. After years of torment, Al knew the pain Troy was capable of inflicting upon others. Moreover, Al was also concerned that with the bad blood between Jason Charmer and his father than Troy's desire to hurt others is stronger than ever.
"Al?" asked Lily.
"Um, yeah, don't worry about it Lily," said Al unconvincingly.
"Are you sure about this, Potter?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt, standing outside of the Charmer chateau with Harry.
After months of no activity, attacks were happening across the city resulting in twenty deaths. At this point, the Auror department had reached their wits' end to stop the violence and Harry's latest idea proved to be the most insane the department had heard in a while.
"We need to know what he's thinking," said Harry. "He's planning something big and we need to know what it is. And Jason Charmer likes to talk."
"We'll see, Potter," said Shacklebolt. "At this point, I'm willing to sit with that arrogant fool for however long it takes him to spill his guts."
Taking a deep breath, Harry knocked on the heavy wooden door. A few minutes passed before an elf came to the door to let the men in. The entry hall was covered in wood panels, red tiles, and gold carpets. The walls had portraits of Charmer family enclosed in large, bulky, and golden frames. The elf lead Harry and Shacklebolt through the first floor to Charmer's office.
"Master?" said the elf, knocking timidly on the door. "Mr. Potter and the Minister are here."
"Send them in!" called out Charmer.
The small and skinny elf opened the large wooden door for Harry and Shacklebolt. When the door opened, there was Charmer, sitting at his desk, with Ulysses Gamp on his side. The library was decorated with red wine silk panels, dark wooden furniture, and a crimson chaise in front of the large medieval fireplace. Bookcases draped both sides of the desk and a large window behind it allowed light to pour into the room. The light coming through the library shone on another familiar face sitting on one of the old wooden chairs covered in embroidered fabric.
"Minerva?" said Shacklebolt.