Author's note: Thank you, livvylane and Son of Whitebeard, for reviewing!

Welcome, everyone, to the next chapter! As always, I invite you to ask questions, alert mistakes or just give me some inspiration. Please review!

Albus was sour. Being defeated by Adnan at the Quidditch trials was nothing he would take lightly. Of course, he still was reserve Seeker, which normally would have satisfied him. But being clearly beaten by his muggle-born classmate of all people he perceived as really humiliating. Not that Albus had any resentments against muggle-borns, but he had years of practice on a broom, whereas Adnan had just learned flying a few weeks ago. In consequence, Albus didn't speak a word to Adnan in the next weeks.

Neither Quentin nor Scorpius could understand Albus' behaviour, because in their opinion he had done well and at least became reserve, whereas Adnan had just been outstanding. Still, they tried to cheer Albus up as best they could, mostly by distracting him with schoolwork or wizard's chess. With the latter, however, they failed spectacularly, as Quentin turned out to be absolutely unbeatable. This didn't exactly please Albus, so they soon stopped this practice.

Still sulking, Albus delved with all his energy in his research on Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Smethwycks class was a little more practical now; at least, they were allowed to fight doxies. That didn't satisfy Albus at all, though, and in every free second, he tried out new spells or read up the theory in library books.

After the painful experience with the Sunlight Charm, Albus didn't neglect Charms anymore and got significantly better in controlling his power, even if he still didn't have Quentin's outstanding feeling for the subject.

Potions was as mind-numbing as ever. Professor Pyrites simply broke his nerves.

"You are the greatest class I ever had, I must say!" he proclaimed. "Indeed, aren't you? Really, all of you have done so great in the last weeks, that now we can finally start discussing the specific reasons for taking this or that ingredient. I have certainly never in my life seen so many gifted first-years! No, absolutely not!"

"That's not so surprising, is it, keeping in mind that we are the only first-year class he ever taught. In fact, he is new at Hogwarts," murmured Albus towards Rose. Quentin was sitting next to Adnan today, who was quite upset that Albus wouldn't talk to him anymore. Scorpius always preferred to work alone, so Albus had sat down next to his cousin. Rose smirked. "I don't listen to his gibberish anymore," she whispered back.

"I can definitely understand your excitement!" said Professor Pyrites, completely misinterpreting their whispering. "That does sound nice, doesn't it? Oh yes, it does!" Then he eagerly began explaining the various effects of several potion-ingredients, talking incredibly fast. No one was really listening, though; Scorpius and Rose, who were clearly on top of class in Potions, seemed to already know the most Professor Pyrites was telling them. The rest of the class found it too strenuously, in the long run, to follow Professor Pyrites, and sooner or later zoned out.

After what felt like forever, Pyrites' oral fluency was over at last and they went outside, to the greenhouses, for their Herbology lesson. Albus wasn't really a fan of working with plants, but still he enjoyed the class because of his godfather, Neville Longbottom. Professor Longbottom always managed to keep his lessons interesting for everyone. And unlike Professor Pyrites, he was highly respected among the students, being a famous war hero.

While they were waiting outside for Professor Longbottom to arrive, Albus looked around. His eyes rested at the bush, where he had seen the slanted, yellow eyes after his fight with Strelka. Something didn't seem quite right with this bush; in fact, it seemed to have changed his position slightly. When Albus looked more closely, he could even see one slanted, yellow eye again. He frowned. What was the secret behind this bush?

"Good morning everyone! Today we're going to work in greenhouse two, so off we go!"

Professor Longbottom had arrived. Albus hurried towards him. "Neville, I have spotted something over there. Could you take a look at this…?" he whispered into his godfather's ear. Neville frowned, but seemed to take Albus' concern seriously, after Albus had not addressed him with the usual "Professor", but with his first name, like he did outside of school.

"Put on your protective gloves, everyone, I will be with you in a second," called Neville into greenhouse two, where the other students had gone, and returned to Albus.

"Albus, what…"

"Look at this bush over there," Albus interrupted nervously. "It's looking different than two weeks ago, it's moving. And I saw eyes in this bush, yellow eyes," he added.

"Okay. Don't watch it too conspicuously. Come on, look at me," Neville said sharply.

While he was pretending to control Albus' protective gloves, he threw a look at the bush. After some seconds, Neville's gaze turned back to Albus. He appeared worried.

"Yes, I saw the eyes as well, Albus. It's nothing to worry about, though; it's only, er, a ghoul, you know. There are some ghoul species who like to disguise themselves as, er, bushes. Yes. Best, we leave him alone. Now come on, let's get into the greenhouse, before your classmates are destroying all my plants," he said with an unconvincing smile.

Albus didn't know what to make out of this. Usually, his godfather was a very honest man, he thought, while he followed Professor Longbottom into the greenhouse. In this situation, though, he had certainly appeared nervous and worried. Had he told the truth about the ghoul? Albus couldn't tell, but he was going to find out for sure.

O

Neville was scurrying to the Headmistress' office. The "bush" Albus had showed him, was very unsettling. He had investigated it closer after the first-years' lesson, pretending to attend to his herbs in the near patch. Judging by the unmistakeable slanted, yellow eyes and the height of the "bush", he had come to the conclusion that it was an excellently disguised goblin. He hadn't dared to come closer or even attack, but decided to tell Professor McGonagall at once. It didn't bear contemplating, when there were indeed goblins on the school grounds and spying at Hogwarts.

"Dumbledore's army," he said. The gargoyle jumped aside, and Neville practically ran into Professor McGonagall's office. The Headmistress looked up from the parchment scroll she had just sealed, apparently surprised.

"What is the meaning of this, Longbottom?" she asked sharply.

"Professor McGonagall," Neville panted, "I think I have spotted a goblin near the greenhouses, disguised as a bush."

Before Professor McGonagall could answer, the door opened once again, and Professor Arrington marched inside.

"Saw you brush past me, Neville," he said calmly. "It's not often you are in such a hurry, except when you have forgotten your protective gloves in the teacher's room yet again, so I thought it might be important."

"This is not funny, Aaron," said Professor McGonagall. "According to Longbottom there is a bush near the greenhouses which is actually not a bush, but a goblin."

"Young Albus Potter recognized that something was strange with this bush and told me. I watched it inconspicuously, and I think it's a goblin, because of its height and the yellow eyes. I'm not one hundred percent sure, though, its disguise is deceptively real. I told Albus it was only a ghoul, but I don't know if he believed me," explained Neville.

"Where one goblin is, are more of them. Goblins on the school grounds. This is not good," said Arrington, frowning.

"Very not good," agreed Neville. "This might even have to do something with Firenze's death. We should tell Harry at once."

"I disagree. If we tell Potter, he will march in with a battalion Aurors in tow. This will make the goblins nervous, and I don't think we really want that, after what happened the last few months. Potter wouldn't find them anyway, they are far too clever to get caught by someone as hot-headed as Potter. Probably they're hiding anywhere in the Forbidden Forest and send small delegations to spy on us," said Arrington.

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Neville. "The students are in danger, we can't just do nothing!"

"Exactly," said Arrington calmly. "The students are in danger, and the danger will be much bigger if we openly take action against these goblins! We have the advantage now, we know they're here. If we want to know what is behind these developments, we should - for now - let them unfold."

"I see your point," said Professor McGonagall, "but it's too risky. We will tell Potter; don't underestimate him, Aaron, he knows what he's doing. The question is, should we tell the other teachers and the students?"

"No," said Arrington at once. "Remember, there is maybe a traitor in our school. Besides, what would be the point in telling everybody? What are they supposed to do different than usually? I'd confide it to Filius, but none else."

"I agree," said Professor McGonagall. Neville, who had already opened his mouth to object, paused, surprised. "I will call Potter. When he arrives, I want you two to be present as well. Aaron, please let Filius know, too. We will have to discuss how exactly we handle this situation."

O

Before the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw, Albus didn't know where his sympathies lay. On the one hand, he was proud of being a Ravenclaw and strongly identified with his house. Besides, he was even a team member, though only as reserve. On the other hand, he surely didn't want Adnan to catch the Snitch, particularly with James being the Gryffindor Seeker.

So, while they were taking the seats in the stands, Albus felt pretty conflicted. His favourite scenario was that Ravenclaw won, but James caught the Snitch. Adnan would hopefully make a complete fool of himself.

It was raining heavily, when Marquard Moon and Roxanne Weasley, the Gryffindor captain, shook hands, and the match began. The Gryffindor team was pretty Weasley-heavy; Roxanne and Dominique were Chasers, Freddie and Lucy were Beaters and James was of course seeking.

All in all, it turned out to be a close game; the Gryffindor Chasers, especially Roxanne, were outstanding, but Ravenclaw had excellent Beaters and a good Keeper.

Gryffindor was 30 points in the lead, when Adnan and James suddenly raced abruptly upwards. The reason was obvious: The golden Snitch was hovering highly above the players. Adnan and James shot towards it, when the Snitch unexpectedly changed its direction and flew forward. Adnan and James reacted quickly, straightened their brooms and reached out for the Snitch. It was difficult to see everything through the rain. Everyone held its breath, mesmerized by the two seekers, who were flying tightly packed next to each other. Everyone - except Lucy Weasley, who dashed towards Adnan, crashed into him at full tilt and knocked him brutally off his broom. Many people were screaming. Albus watched, horror-struck, as Adnan, obviously unconscious, was falling with lightning speed towards the ground.

He was only saved by an insanely fast reaction from Professor Arrington, who leaped on his feet, whipped out his wand and cried "Arresto Momentum!" Adnan's velocity was slowed down, and he hit the ground relatively gently. Professor Flitwick stormed onto the pitch, levitated Adnan on a stretcher and set off towards the castle.

James had caught the Snitch, but except a few cheering Gryffindors (Albus recognized Leon Strelka among them), no one really cared about that anymore. Albus was conflicted between horror about Adnan's dramatic fall and outrage about Lucy Weasley's brutal foul. He saw, however, that Professor McGonagall personally had already planted herself in front of Lucy, so he quickly met his decision and ran to the castle, accompanied by Quentin and Scorpius. Although no one had mentioned it, all three knew the destination: Adnan.

When they finally burst into the hospital wing, Professor Flitwick, Professor Arrington and Madam Pomfrey were already standing at Adnan's bed. Albus, Quentin and Scorpius ran towards him, but Professor Arrington held them back. Madam Pomfrey just poured a potion down Adnan's throat, whose eyelids fluttered; finally, Adnan woke up and shakily looked around.

"Adnan!" cried Albus, dashing past Professor Arrington. "Are you alright?"

Adnan winced. "I - Albus - yes - what - what happened?" he spluttered.

"Lucy Weasley knocked you off your broom," said Quentin. "You were racing towards the ground, it was really terrible. We all thought you would hit it at full tilt, but Professor Arrington cast a spell and you slowed down and didn't land that hard."

"I'm so sorry, Adnan," said Albus. "I was really unfair to you, after you beat me in the Quidditch tryouts. I'm really sorry."

"Enough," said Madam Pomfrey. "This boy needs rest, and you three are all way too agitated. I must ask you to leave now."

"It's alright, Albus," whispered Adnan. "Thank you for visiting me. I'll be alright."

"We will return later," promised Scorpius, glancing at Madam Pomfrey, who nodded reluctantly.

"Er, guys… What was the result of the game?" asked Adnan.

"Don't worry about that!" said Albus quickly. "James caught the Snitch in the end, but all that matters is that you are okay!"

O

"Potter. There you are again. And now you seem to finally have ruined my carpet."

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall," said Harry, knocking the ash off his cloak. "Professor Flitwick, Professor Arrington. Hi, Neville."

"We have a serious problem, Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Longbottom spotted a goblin on our school grounds, disguised as bush. He isn't entirely sure, though," she added, throwing Neville an annoyed look, as if she didn't understand, how one couldn't be absolutely sure if there now were goblins on the school grounds or not.

Harry groaned. "That's all we needed. If they are planning an assault at Hogwarts…"

"We weren't quite sure how to handle this situation, so we decided to consult your opinion, Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Longbottom thinks we should tell everyone, whereas Aaron doesn't want to let the goblins know that we know they are here, in order to have a strategic advantage over them."

Harry felt dizzy. This was getting more and more complicated. Forcing himself to stay calm, he took a deep breath.

"Very well. Before we do anything, we should verify with one hundred percent certainty that there are indeed goblins on the school grounds. Any speculation is unacceptable in this case. It is too important. We have to be exactly in the picture, if and how many goblins there are," he said.

"That's all well and good, but how exactly are you intending to do that?" asked Professor Arrington. "They are probably hiding in the Forbidden Forest, and if your Aurors stumble around there, the goblins will spot them at once, and then the situation might get really dangerous."

"I assure you, that my Aurors don't stumble around. Besides, I hate to ask, but aren't you an Animagus, Professor Arrington? An American eagle? Couldn't you…?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Mr Potter," snapped Arrington. "You seem to underestimate those goblins massively! My Animagus form is not a secret, Mr Potter! I'm officially registered! Do you really think the goblins don't know that, especially when they are so interested in Hogwarts?"

Harry frowned. "Well - I suppose I'll have to clarify this with the Ministry…"

"With the Ministry?" Arrington said disbelievingly. "Are you serious? Mr Potter, you can be absolutely sure that the goblins have spies in the Ministry, if they have even spies at Hogwarts! You don't realize, how delicate this situation is! We don't know what the goblins are up to, but if they feel threatened, all hell is going to break loose! Do you want a war?"

Harry was slowly getting angry about Arringtons attitude. "What do you expect me to do? I am working for the Ministry, in case you haven't noticed! If you don't want the Ministry to know, why have you actually called for me? The students' lives are at danger, Arrington, I cannot simply sit back and take things easy!"

Arrington rolled his eyes. "That's just what Neville said. But we have to act rationally, Mr Potter, not emotionally! I don't think that the students' lives are at stake at the moment! As long as they are only spying, we should let them do as they like, and concentrate upon finding out what they are up to!"

"And what exactly do you want to do, Aaron?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"I see two possibilities, Minerva," said Arrington. "Firstly, we could send a spy on our part. Of course, it won't be possible to recruit a goblin, but a disguised or invisible wizard might be enough as well. However, this could be very risky. Secondly, we could tell the goblins we know they're here, without threatening them. We could just openly ask them what they want. Aggression or diplomacy? That is the question here, and the answer isn't as simple as it seems. It might be very well the case that it's already too late for diplomacy."

A thoughtful pause followed.

"Aaron is right," said Professor McGonagall. "I for one would send a skilled spy, because I think it's essential for us to know what they could possibly want at Hogwarts. Goblins may have a difficult past with wizards, but they were never the kind of creatures to murder children."

"Spying them is not as easy as it sounds," said Harry. "They will expect something like this, I'm sure they have taken precautions. I agree, though, that we have to find out what they're up to above anything else. We'll need an extremely skilled, trustworthy spy, though. I will consult Ernie, Ron and Hermione, no one else, I promise. Well, my wife, I guess. Please don't undertake anything without our consent."

"The same should go for you, Mr Potter, shouldn't it," muttered Professor Arrington.

"Very well," said Professor McGonagall. "So this is decided. Please notify us soon, Harry. Aaron, Filius, Neville, you are the only ones on it, and I want this to stay between us. Please don't tell any other teacher or student, and keep your eyes open."

O

"Ragnuk!" said Golod, the chief smith, briskly.

Ragnuk didn't really like Golod. He didn't act out of scrupulousness, but only out of greed. Still, Ragnuk had fought hard for the smiths' allegiance, as he had expected them to provide the AWA with valuable tools. So far, they hadn't been of much use, though.

"Golod?"

"I have good news, Ragnuk," said Golod. Ragnuk sat up a bit. Golod usually wasn't a very exuberant goblin, so "good news" could actually be translated as "fantastic news".

"We succeeded in inventing a most valuable instrument, most valuable indeed," said Golod, all the time speaking in a monotonous voice.

"You did?" asked Ragnuk eagerly. "What is it?"

"This," said Golod brusquely and pulled out a small, cylinder-shaped object, which had some similarity with a compass. Next to a big needle, however, there were several other needles and displays.

"What's that?" asked Ragnuk, a little surprised in view of the filigree artefact. He had kind of expected a sword, or a helmet.

"We call it Magimeter," answered Golod.

Ragnuk rolled his eyes. "Come on, Golod," he said impatiently. "What does it do?"

"It detects magic within a circuit of a half mile, at maximum. It can be adjusted, however, to concentrate upon a smaller perimeter," said Golod.

"What do you mean, it 'detects magic'," asked Ragnuk. "Does it detect wizards?"

"Yes," said Golod. "Magic always leaves traces. Our Magimeter can track down those traces. It detects magical objects or spells as well. This display indicates if it is a wand-carrier, an object or a spell. This display gives the distance of the magic from the Magimeter, whereas the big needle indicates the direction. The smaller needle reflects, how powerful the detected magic is," he explained.

"That's - not that bad," said Ragnuk, determined to behave just as unemotional as Golod. "How many of those did you make?"

"This is the only prototype," said Golod. "It contains very rare materials, and we consumed a lot on developing and testing it. We will try to produce more, but it is extremely difficult and will take some time."

"Does it actually tell us anything here at Hogwarts, with so strong enhancements in place?" asked Ragnuk.

"Not if we get too close to the castle," answered Golod. "Then, the amplitude is far too big to detect anything specific."

"Well, how do you know that it can actually detect something specific, then?" asked Ragnuk irritably.

"By limiting its range to a smaller area, for example the Forbidden Forest," said Golod, who seemed to be quite enjoying Ragnuk's impatience.

"The Forbidden Forest?" spat Ragnuk. "Do you detect magical creatures, as well?"

"No," said Golod calmly. "Our Magimeter only reacts to human-made magic."

"Do I have to worm everything out of you?" snarled Ragnak. "What could you possibly detect in the forest, then?"

"When we were testing the Magimeter, we got an extreme reaction in the forest. It indicated an incredibly powerful magical artefact. We went into the direction the big needle was pointing to and arrived at the place where the object had to be, because the needle was then rotating quickly. There was, however, nothing in sight. We thought that the Magimeter didn't work correctly."

"And? Did it work correctly or not?" asked Ragnak impatiently, when Golod paused yet again.

"As a matter of fact, it did," said Golod. "Of course, we closely investigated the ground, and we found this," he added, and pulled out a small stone out of his pocket.

"Oh? And what is this, er, pebble supposed to be?" asked Ragnak.

"This," answered Golod with a dramatic pause, "this, Ragnuk, is the Resurrection Stone."