Chapter 23-Nope not him
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I found the halls of Hogwarts to be quite different but still the same. With so many students the place was not crowded but definitely full of rushing students to and from their classes. With so many students no one noticed three new students, when they did look it was a normal casual glance. At this moment I was not followed by stares or hear them whispering behind my back, I was just a normal student. I had at one point worried as we went through the Ministry and again when we arrived at Hogwarts. My worry was that some idiot had erected a statue or done a portrait. So far we hadn't seen any in plain view at the Ministry or at Hogwarts.
Our lives over the years have been dedicated to raising our children and dedicating our time and effort to their education. Vacations and amusement parks were intermixed with our dealings with our children and the America magical community while fully engaging the American Muggle society. But as we saw before in Diagon Alley it appeared that England is not keeping up with the rest of the world as Muggle technology was integrating into the magical world everywhere else.
"I think that retired Auror Warden is doing a good job in DADA but Professor Connor just doesn't do charms like old Professor Flitwick." Daphne was commenting over tea in our quarters.
"Professor Chang is my favorite in transfiguration. Do you think Professor Bones in Potions is related to Susan Bones from our time? Gabby asked a difficult type question.
"Look we agreed not to ask questions like that while are here. We don't need people asking us how we know that their great-grandmother was great in potions or hated Snape with a passion."
"Harry this is still boring! We sit in class all day trying to look like we are learning something, I for one need a break." Gabby growled.
"I have to agree with Gabby even after classes they are still children and we just don't fit in. I'm not saying that we have ever fully grown up but we are long passed being children."
"Okay I get the hint! Why don't we get dressed up and hit the Dragons Breath restaurant tonight and later see what kind of trouble we can get into in downtown London."
/Scene Break/
We flashed to the restaurant and had an excellent time. Gabby even got herself a raw steak. We stepped out of the restaurant and started a leisurely walk toward the Leakey Cauldron. We didn't need to get to downtown London to see what kind of troubles we could get into as it found us. There was as loud growling noise followed by a black fog appearing further down the street. The fog quickly dissipated showing what appeared to be an inferi looking Voldemort and six historically dressed Death Eaters with black robes and white masks. They of course started throwing curses doing as much destruction as possible.
The moment I raised 'Protego Totalum' we gained the attention of the monster and his sons.
As usual the Death Eaters were throwing everything they could think of as fast as they could while Voldemort stayed back and only periodically threw curses.
When the first curse hits my shield the game was on. Gabby threw a 'Diffindo while Daphne hurled a 'Reducto', me? I went for my favorite 'Bombarda'. No sooner than we had let go of our curses when Aurors popped in at strategic parts of the alley. With all this going on at the same time it was difficult to see exactly what happened. My 'Bombarda' was aimed at Voldemort but seem to slide off of him hitting two of his sons-of-x x's. Voldemort then sent an 'Avada Kedavra' in our direction and another another one at the Aurors. We're far enough away that we easily dodged the curse unlike the Auror who received it full of the chest. The black fog appeared and Voldemort disappeared leaving behind a terrible smell that smelled like rotten flesh and sulfur.
"Okay I'm Auror Peterson, what are you kids doing out here, aren't you suppose to be in school?"
"Lord Perevell here, these are my two wives and yes we're attending Hogwarts, seventh year."
"Do you have any idea who those idiots were? That idiot in an inferi costume just use an illegal curse and kill one of my men."
"Actually Auror Peterson I do and that was no costume. I believe you have just witnessed the opening gambit and the return of Lord Voldemort and some of his Death Eaters."
"Quit kidding around this is serious! Your talking about a myth that's hundred years old." All I could do is give a shrug and we spent the next couple of hours filling out statements.
/Scene Break/
As we had no real assigned house we floated around to different tables in the Great Hall. Today we were having breakfast at the Slytherin table as the owls floated in to deliver mail. One of the students across from us had received the Daily Profit and he started chuckling, "You take a nice picture but I think you made a couple of enemies at this table." He then tossed the paper across to us.
The paper pretty much read that Hogwarts student had defended Diagon Alley. One photo showed me casting a spell. I thought the better picture was of Voldemort and the green killing curse leaving his wand.
A Perfect rushed up and headed me a note which read…" At your convenience please see me in my office, Headmaster Granger." I showed the note to the girls.
"Things never change do they?" I asked.
/Scene Break/
"Ah! Lord Perevell and his lovely wives, please have a seat…"
He was cut off by the portrait of Severus Snape, "What is the arrogant brat done now? Surely he should be expelled for whatever he has done. Just his being here is a violation of the laws of nature." I was sure this would continue but the Headmaster waved his hand silencing the git.
"Time has definitely not mellowed that portrait…Anyhow! There was a meeting with myself and those in the Ministry that knew of the possibility of Voldemort returning. We are working on the assumption that he has returned but we would appreciate if you did not spread the word so to speak. The public would probably not believe us anyhow so this will give us time to prepare. The Ministry has been leaning on the newspapers not to use his name but as you see they have covered the attack as a terrorist in an inferi costume. "
You taking our return very well but I must warn you Headmaster that I am being pushed in directions I have no wish to follow. This is by powerful entities and not people in the normal sense of the word. As I said before I have no idea what's going on I was just told to be here. Also, from words at the Slytherin table this morning I believe some are quit aware of his return."
"Good we have an accord. I have notified the staff you are not to be bothered should you start wondering around the school or after curfew. However I must warn you that while I do not believe you'll set off any of the school's defenses should you encounter something, lets say unusual, please do not engage it."
/Scene Break/
"Harry, this seems ridiculous on the surface so why are we in our seventh year at Hogwarts? Voldemort has been gone forever so how does he suddenly raise an army? You remember his previous tactics? He always sent thirty Death Eaters in at a time but this time he shows up with six Death Eaters? I'd wager will have graduated before he could get an army together, what do you think?"
Daphne was right but while I was having these thoughts crunching around in my brain Gabby had a couple words. "They want something from Harry or us. Haven't you noticed that Fawkes and Hedwig haven't been hanging around." Now my brain was really lost in the possibilities.
Gabby continued, "Come to think of it there are a couple words that we may need to look into. Don't you remember something about him coming from purgatory and being demonic?"
"Well looks like his library time." Daphne grinned grabbed our hands and dragged us toward the library.
/Scene Break/
"This is ridiculous! Everybody has their written opinion of demons, infieri or whatever. They range from only being in the imagination in people's heads to controlled puppets. What we saw in Diagon alley was none of them." Daphne was definitely not happy.
Gabby gave a choking laugh, "Listen to what this author has written. 'Purgatory is the intermediate state after physical death in which those destined for heaven undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven, Voldemort? I don't think so."
"We've been at this for quite a while why don't we all take a break. You two want to fly with me? I've not been on a broom in a long time."
"Maybe later Harry. I've got some letters I need to write to the kids." We both looked to Gabby.
"I'll pass. I heard there's a DADA club meeting this afternoon so I thought I'd go check it out."
I headed up to our room grabbed and un-shrunk my Firebolt, I headed for the pitch. I just got into the air, where dozens of other students were flying for fun, when I got a real taste of some of the students. A large kid was flying by and yelled, "Hey kid where did you get that antique broom or are your Mudblood parents so poor they can afford anything better."
I chuckled to myself as this broom was almost as old as I was. I never even thought about getting a newer broom. Now that I'm thinking about it I wonder what the latest technological advances were in brooms.
Another student flew up next to me. "Don't mind Crabbe he's part of the pureblood elites running Hogwarts. At least that's what he and the Dolohov types like to think." He laughed and then sped away.
I was again chuckling to myself as some things just didn't seem to change. Whether these were the grandkids or great grandkids their pureblood theology remained as warped as generations past.
/Scene Break/
I had made a mental note to see the Headmaster and check if he had list troublemakers or purebloods. A list in either category would provide insight into the school.
Voldemort had no great raids but there were a large number of bank robberies in the Muggle world. If he needed an army he needed to have money. All his vaults were long gone and with no supporters to provide him money I figured he may have been connected to the bank robberies.
"Yes Lord Perevell I have both lists. Your list of troublemakers is one which is ongoing here at Hogwarts but your list of purebloods had to be compiled. Might I inquire your needs for such lists?"
"In America the word profiling has become unacceptable so I'll call this student analysis. It's exactly the same thing, the purebloods have a tendency to lean toward Voldemort's pureblood preaching. Should a student lean that way it's possible he or she might be upon the troublemaker list. Parental teaching and have a great impact on a child's thinking. Just be assured Headmaster it's innocent until proven guilty."
"As long as you're just looking I have no complaints but if it's humanly possible please make sure you contact me before taking any overt actions."
Daphne had been scanning the pureblood list. "Oh dear! It looks like the old crowd had time to produce a few sprogs. I see Crabbe, Dolohov, Rookwood, Runcorn and the great incompetent of our time, the minor Dark Lord, Malfoy."
"Merlin! I don't know if I can take any mouth from a sprog of a Malfoy. Even after all this time I'd be tempted to turn him into a Ferret and you know how long my spells last."
Gabby had the other list, "And their all on this troublemaker list as well."
"Headmaster you may want to put a muzzle on the portraits of at least Dumbledore, Snape and Umbridge. At this moment all were going to do is identify faces with names. If some of the students find out we are watching them it's bound to cause confrontations."
"Every Headmaster's portrait swears an oath never to divulge what transpires in this office. I will ensure that those oath's on all the portraits are current and in effect."
/Scene Break/
That evening over dinner my mind was wandering over the good and the bad in my life as my eyes scanned the Great Hall. The Phoenix library had given me exposure to many spells and curses. My long life had added to this knowledge and power. My Animagi transformation either reflected my power or added to my power of which I could not judge its vastness. Most wizards have a boost in their magical powers at the age of maturity, I of course had to be different. For some unknown reason I've had four significant boosts as time had passed. While it may look like I'm sixteen or eighteen years old there was definitely no students at Hogwarts that I wanted to hurt by having a curse casting confrontation with.
My musing was interrupted by the Headmaster; "We have decided to offer a special treat this year. On the night of Christmas Eve, we shall have a party for all students third-year and below, and a ball for all students fourth year and above. Formal dress robes will be the dress for the ball and its special evening."
