June, 2014

Chapter 4: Three Lessons

"Queer, how I misinterpreted the designations of doom."

― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

If someone had told 13-year-old Hazel Cross that her boyfriend would waltz into the Great Hall as a polar bear, she would've laughed. She'd be more than a little surprised when Jack "subtly" informed her about Kes's crush; her face had turned bright red when the boy placed her hands on either side of her face and said Kestis liked her. Thankfully, Miranda helped her past the initial panic, and the pair had been dating ever since. Now, the witch could barely catch her breath as she giggled at the bizarre sight. The Final Feast of their third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was going smoothly until Jack rode into the busy hall on a massive, white bear with suspiciously familiar eyes. Kes finally transformed! The girl grinned at the shameless pair, enjoying the looks of shock and murmurs that broke out at all four tables….five, if you counted the teachers. Looking towards the front, Hazel could see a smile on Professor Ridgeway's face as he cut into his steak, though the Headmistress appeared to be simultaneously stunned and impressed (though she'd likely never admit to the latter). Even Hagrid was laughing, nudging the small Charms professor with a bit too much force; Flitwick gripped the table in an attempt to stay in his seat.

Turning to her right, Hazel shared an amused grin with Tim as their friends joined them at the Hufflepuff table. A cheer rose from Gryffindor - Markus, most likely - as Kestis transformed back into his half-giant, half-human self. After the chatter in the Hall had quieted, Ridgeway suggested 100 points - 100 points! - to Hufflepuff. Much to the shock of many students, McGonagall had agreed, the self-suffering sigh covering her smile. Hazel high-fived both Jack and Kes, moving to make room for the duo. "That was incredible!" She remarked, leaning over to pass the bread basket to Kes. "I can't believe you transformed for the first time without me!"

"More importantly," Daniel, a fellow Hufflepuff in their year, added enthusiastically from across the table, "that means we're in first place for the House Cup!" The remainder of the meal, particularly at Hufflepuff, was filled with enthusiastic conversation; Henry had even given Kes an approving nod and grin, much to Hazel's delight. While she was aware that the boys, Jack in particular, weren't the biggest fans of the Corre, she was sure they'd see sense after spending more time together. You never know what's going to happen, next.

After dessert had been eaten, the noise in the Great Hall seemed to grow unusually quiet. Before she could consider what this meant, seven men strode through the main doors. With their serious expressions and buttoned uniforms, there was only one thing they could be. "What are Aurors doing here?" Someone whispered nearby. Another voice chimed in, "This can't be good. Do you reckon they're here about the Death Eater attacks?" Daniel looked over his shoulder with wide eyes before commenting, not as quietly, "Merlin's pants, is that Ron Weasley at the front? He helped Potter bring You-Know-Who down in the Wizarding War!" Without thinking, Hazel gripped Kes's hand tightly, ignoring the heat that rushed to her cheeks at her own, subconscious action. Thankfully, the boy only gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand gently in return. The sweet gesture was almost ruined when Kes bent over to whisper in her ear, "They're here to arrest me." To her left, Jack tried - and failed - not to laugh at the comment, looking as if he was tempted to add something. Before the whispers could continue, however, the lead Auror - a ginger man named Ron Weasley, it seemed - called from across the hall, "Marcus Ridgeway," Hazel gasped quietly at the familiar name, "you are under arrest for crimes against the Kingdom of Magical Britain, come quietly." They were going to arrest Professor Ridgeway? Why? What crimes could he have possibly committed? Hazel noticed Markus and Henry, who was now turned in his seat, share an imperceptible look.

In response, Ridgeway smiled and continued to cut into his steak. Waving a piece with his fork, he replied, "Give me ten minutes, Mr. Weasley, I'd quite like to finish my meal." Jack guffawed at the bold response, and Hazel's own mouth dropped open in surprise. What was he doing? Face reddening, Auror Weasley seemed to puff his chest, moving closer towards the table, "Now, Ridgeway." The professor continued to ignore the shocked expressions around him, still smiling as he casually asked, "I'd like to know my supposed crime before I give up this fantastic meal, if you wouldn't mind." With a huff, the red-headed Auror crossed his arms, lifting his head at the professor, "You're under arrest for breaking and entering the Department of Ministries, the murder of five individuals, the theft of a crucial magical artifact, and organizing a criminal organization."...What? This time, it was Tim that leaned over to whisper, "Did he say murder?". Silently, Hazel wondered the same thing. Ridgeway, of all people, wasn't capable of such an act; surely there'd been a misunderstanding! A small voice, however, added that it wasn't likely for the Aurors to come into the wizarding school with such confidence if there had been.

A deep chuckle cut through the room as Ridgeway placed his fork down on the plate with a surprisingly loud clink. "Oh, so the crimes that you yourself committed when you attended this school." Whispers broke out anew at Ridgeway's reply, though she noticed that Edward had barely looked up from his meal. Across the room, Miranda seemed to be communicating silently to Henry. Did they know something she didn't?

The Auror seemed to splutter for a moment before practically snarling at the seated man before him, "That is beside the point, Ridgeway." "No." Before he could say anything else, Ridgeway interrupted the increasingly frustrated wizard with an almost bitter smile on his face. "It is exactly the point, Weasley. You've already accused, and committed, one Muggleborn of these crimes, had him Kissed...only to discover you were wrong. Well, now the Ministry wants the public to see as if they are doing something." Weasley, as he referred to him as, could only get out a "No, that's -" before he was once more cut across. Ridgeway's voice had started off soft, but grew in volume and intensity as he stood slowly, "That is exactly what's happening, Mr. Weasley. Do not try to lie to me."

Another, unrecognizable Auror stepped forward to stand beside the ginger wizard, "Mr. Ridgeway, come peacefully." As Hazel watched in shock and horror - what was going on? - three of the seven wizards surrounded and handcuffed the dark-haired professor. As they moved around him, Ridgeway continued to speak, eyes roaming across the hall. "They would position us at the bottom. In a world where we are rats scuttling in the gutter...We, who are Muggleborn, who could help the world around us but must instead cower in fear, lest we risk their wrath. I ask you, Mr. Weasley," Ridgeway met the eyes of the Auror directly before looking towards the silent students, "I ask all of you...who does this protect? Us?...or them?" At this, he nodded towards the remaining three Aurors that stood at the edge of the professors' table. "Well...I refuse to bow down any longer."

Although he'd been handcuffed and surrounded, a sudden shockwave of magic burst from the professor; the three Aurors were bowled backwards, one flying into the wall behind him with a sickening thud. Hazel felt nauseous as chaos erupted in the Great Hall, barely aware of Kes's tightened grip or Tim's wide eyes. Ridgeway's voice seemed to echo across the room, "You never did return for your seventh year, did you Mr. Weasley? It is my duty, then, to finish your education."

"First lesson," He called to the frozen wizard, "you shouldn't handcuff a Master of Transfiguration." With obvious ease, the professor lifted his uncuffed hands in the air, "and if you do so, you shouldn't allow them to distract you." Almost too quick to catch, the professor launched the handcuffs - which morphed into a large, gelatinous ooze - towards one of the remaining Aurors. The almost translucent ooze hit the woman in the chest before rapidly solidifying. Merlin, what was happening? Despite the confusion and panic, Hazel felt another emotion settle heavily in her stomach as she recognized the move; over the summer, Ridgeway had done something eerily similar with water and ice in a practice duel against her and Henry.

"Second lesson," Ridgeway continued, all traces of the calm smile wiped from his face, "if you do try, don't do so where they have material to transfigure." Hazel was astonished to see plates, forks, knives, and even cups - some still with food or drink - lift into the air and project themselves at the remaining wizards. Before they reached the wizards, the items seemed to transform into shrapnel. She felt Kes's grip loosen as one of the pieces pierced a man's shoulder, then a woman's arm and leg. What was he doing? He hadn't denied the charges...had Ridgeway really broken into the Ministry? Why? Silently, guilt settled in her gut at the realization that, ultimately, she was more concerned about Ridgeway's safety than accused crimes….What did that say about her?

"Stun him!" A startled, red-face Weasley roared, lifting his wand once more. Whatever spell he cast was rendered useless, unfortunately, as it dissolved into a puddle of water before it had even crossed the room. With a small, unfamiliar smirk on his lips, the professor used the water to freeze another two Aurors in place. Behind him, the Headmistress and Hogwarts staff had stood, presumably to finally intervene. Hazel barely noticed Ridgeway flick his wand in their direction, dark eyes trained on the Aurors, as the head table was flipped backwards with a large clatter; one moment the teachers were raising their wands, and the next were nearly hit as the table was transfigured into a crystalline cage.

Hazel was nearly knocked over herself when Kestis practically leapt over the Hufflepuff table to join Jack as they charged the dark-haired wizard. What were they thinking? Hazel's call of "Kes! Jack, stop!" was drowned out by an eruption of noise as Kes transformed into his animagus form. Before the massive bear could continue, Henry stood with an unusually serious expression on his face; suddenly, there were two bears clashing mid-air. Growls ripped through the air as teeth and claws met fur and muscle and even bone, trails of red staining white and matted fur. The young witch felt trapped, too terrified to move or scream or do anything. She barely noticed Tim, horrorstruck, as they watched their friends fight one another, the metallic smell of blood filling the hall. No, no, no, no, no, this wasn't right, what was happening? Why were they fighting? Stop it! Jack's expression seemed to mimic his friends' as a sudden spell from across the room hit him square in the chest, knocking the small boy unconscious onto the floor. A flash of ginger moved as both Markus and Miranda stood from their respective tables; Miranda lowered her wand, seemingly satisfied with taking Jack out of the fight. Hazel watched a bolt of red from Markus's wand make its mark, and the large polar bear dropped to the ground, limp. Kes! Jack, Merlin please make this stop, please. At the Gryffindor table, Markus's green eyes tried to convey...something, to Hazel, but she felt as if she had missed the message, her tears finally spilling over her cheeks as he turned away.

Despite the rest of the Corre leaping into action in some form or another, Hazel saw that Edward was still seated at Ravenclaw, strangely calm amongst the chaos in the Hall. Following his line of sight, she noticed that the wand Ridgeway was slowly lifting into the air was...different. Wait, why was he using another wand? Although she'd never, ever admit it, Hazel had once taken a wand compatibility quiz from her mother's copy of Witches Weekly during the summer of her first year. As such, the young witch knew that the wand Marcus Ridgeway currently held was a much darker color than his own, notches on the stick protruding between his slender fingers.

"Final lesson, Mr. Weasley," Ridgeway called to the remaining Auror. With their attention on the professor, the majority of the room didn't notice the three of the Corre silently slip out. Ridgeway's voice cut across the room, sharper than any shrapnel or spell, "and this may be one you wish to tell your friend. You should be careful with what you throw away." A stone - seemingly too large for a ring - with a faint stripe of white glinted under the candlelight, and Weasley appeared to pale in recognition. At his hesitation, one quick movement removed Weasley's wand from his hand, another tossing a...sausage link?...at the man. It quickly extended into a snake, which wrapped around Weasley before transforming into rigid, iron chains.

Ridgeway turned to the students, muffling the teachers in the box behind him with one last wave of the dark-colored wand. He turned his head to glance behind him, "I do believe, Headmistress, that this must be my resignation. Before I go," he turned back to the room, lifting his hands in the air, "Muggleborns, know that this is life they'd have for you, aiding, helping...but get too big, and they'll try to strike you down." The entire student population was near enraptured as the man slowly walked down between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. "They'd have us remain at the bottom, be the lower. They do not want us, and muggle cannot have us. We are a nation on our own." Hazel was startled when someone clapped, though the sound became muted as Ridgeway stopped in front of the bound Auror at his feet, "Mr. Weasley, I want you to listen very carefully. There is a storm coming, and you and your friends, and all the others that would see us crushed better batten down the hatches. Because when it hits, you are going to wonder...how could you live so large, and leave so little for the rest of us?" The professor slowly turned around the room, and Hazel could've sworn she felt his eyes meet hers as they passed over the table. Then, just as quickly as the duel in the Great Hall had occurred, the man was gone. Ridgeway…

The next few minutes - or hours? She couldn't tell - passed in a blur of movement and sound. Hazel and Tim had rushed to their friends, where Madam Pomfrey and another wizard ran their wands over the unconscious boys. Hazel's heart clenched at the sight of blood staining the floor underneath Kestis. How could everything have gone so wrong so quickly? Chatter erupted around her, and prefects attempted to herd students to their common rooms; in the chaos, it was surprisingly easy for the small brunette to follow the crowd of Ravenclaws to the tower.

Without access to the common room - she'd had to duck behind a tapestry to avoid the curious gaze of a blonde prefect - Hazel was forced to knock on the door, ignoring the metal eagle that eyed her warily. It felt like ages before Edward finally came out. Without a word, he gently grabbed her arm, leading her up to the seventh floor.

"Edward...where are we going? What's going on? There were Aurors in the Great Hall -" Hazel stopped as Edward held up his hand, still silent as he paced in front of the stone wall. Her eyes grew wide as markings began to wind across the stone, slowly forming intricate, wooden doors. What..? With the first smile she'd seen on his face that night, Edward held the door open for her. If she'd been surprised by a sudden door on the seventh floor, Hazel's knees nearly buckled at the sight before her. The room before her was rather small, built of stone and dark, plush furniture. To her left, a massive fireplace filled the space with a comforting warmth. To her right, four figures sat on one of the couches. It was Miranda! Henry, Markus...and Professor Ridgeway. They were all here...why were they still here?

Hazel didn't remember moving, but found herself less than a few feet away from the group, hesitating at the last moment. In response, Markus grinned much too casually, and even Miranda was smiling. In the center, Ridgeway moved to stand in front of the now trembling girl. Overwhelmed by her emotions - Merlin, she was so relieved - Hazel rushed forward into Ridgeway's awaiting hug. She felt the wizard chuckle, tightly hugging the small witch before pulling back. Markus leaned forward on his knees, "Busy day, huh? You must be confused." With a small wince, he stood to hug the girl as well. "Are you alright, Markus?" She asked after they'd all sat down, surprised by the sudden, steaming drinks that appeared on the table in front of them. "So much has happened, I, I don't even know what to ask, what to say...Why, why did they come for you? What, why, I -" Hazel stopped, clenching her fists as she tried to slow her increasingly panicked breathing. The room remained silent for a few moments before Ridgeway smiled kindly at the witch.

If she was honest, Hazel barely remembered the rest of the conversation; Ridgeway had tried to assure her they were all fine, answering any question she managed to stutter out. When asked where they would go next, what they would do, Ridgeway smiled calmly and told Hazel that she would know in time, simply asking her to write if she felt comfortable enough to do so. After the brunette had tried to hide her yawn - feeling calmer after talking with the Corre - Edward had escorted Hazel back to her common room, leaving the witch with one last hug and a promise to talk to her tomorrow. No one knew Edward was even involved, he'd remained in his seat, after all...Was it wrong that she felt safer with them there? In the Hufflepuff Common Room, Hazel was taken aback to see three familiar faces waiting by the fire. Tim, Carly, and even Ben Potts from their year, sat in a huddled group, clearly discussing the...turn of events in the Great Hall. Unable to sleep, or visit their injured friends in the hospital wing, Hazel had suggested they go to the Kitchens.

After a brief visit - the majority of house elves had been asleep - Hazel spent the rest of the night sitting quietly by the window; she couldn't sleep, and had always wanted to watch the sunrise at Hogwarts. Was it so wrong for her to feel so...okay? Not okay, not with Kes and Jack so hurt, but...she was glad to have seen the Corre and the professor again. She would miss them. Eventually, the early rays of sunlight washed over the girl, who was already fast asleep against the cold stone.