Sorry this this chapter isn't as long as the last one, and that it took me a while to get this up. I had a wedding to attend this past weekend, and as you can imagine I didn't have much time to write. My plan for this FanFiction is to hopefully get an update up at least once a week. But thank you so much to all who reviewed! I also plan to start replying to reviews, 'cause I've realized it's kind of rude to not express my gratitude personally to each and every one of you for your thoughts. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

(The main mistake I noted last chapter was that while on my document manager and in the Word document where this story is kept, there were distinct separations between points of view and timeframes, it didn't show up last chapter. I tried a new way of separation, and I apologize for any confusion! Hopefully this time it works.)

Chapter Two: A Warning to the People

"Fast little bugger, isn't she?"

A fourteen-year old Harry grinned over at Ron as the pair of them raced after a laughing Hermione, playing a rather childish game of chase on the palace grounds. It was lazy summer days such as this that brought out the inner child in everyone around the castle, it seemed. While many of the young boys were training and dueling in the training yard, Harry and Ron found it much more fun to spend their time around Hermione, who seemed to have a knack of unusual knowledge about the palace grounds that fueled their passion for exploration.

The afternoon was swiftly drawing to a close as the sun began to hover closer to the horizon. Supper would probably be soon, Prince Harry knew, and he was beginning to find that he was not wanting this wonderful day to end.

As his breaths began turning into exhausted panting, the prince cried out, "Alright! Alright, we give up. You win!"

Ron just looked thankful that he'd called it to a halt, and he practically came to an immediate stop before hunching over and clasping his hands to his knees, laughing breathlessly. "Look at us," he wheezed, "A squire and a prince outrun by a tiny servant girl. She ought to be a knight herself, the way she moves."

For some reason, the thought didn't sit well with Harry, and it made his insides squirm. Though perhaps that was just his being out of breath. He realized he didn't like the thought of Hermione training alongside them, because that meant she would be training to fight. And the thought of their best friend out on a battlefield, surrounded by enemies, didn't sit well with him. But he grinned in amusement when Hermione came wandering back to them, her curly brown hair tousled by the wind, and her eyes alight in mirth as she observed the prince and the knight-to-be.

None of them noticed when a few of the other serving maids sent the trio nasty, disapproving looks while passing them on the path.

H&Hr&R&H&Hr&R

It was well after dinner when word reached Hermione's ears that the scouting party had returned from the Forbidden Mountains. As soon as she was able, she excused herself from her parents' small servant's cottage on the palace's southern green and practically ran to the stables where she was sure the party was being received.

For reasons unbeknownst to her, her stomach clenched in terror for what she would find when she reached them. Though perhaps that was her stomach reminding her to never again sample so many delicacies whilst taste-testing menu items for a ball.

Her lithe, long legs carried her effortlessly across the palace grounds, though she attracted many disapproving glares from the serving staff as they all retired to their humble homes for the evening.

Upon nearing the stables, her run slowed to a brisk jog, and soon enough the sound of urgent voices reached her ears. Surprisingly, she noted as she approached, Harry's was not among them. She could make out only bits and pieces, and as she got closer, she could pick out certain people amongst the fray of sounds.

She could hear King Remus, his normally soothing voice in a frantic tone that made Hermione frown in worry. Kingsley Shacklebolt was among them as well, as she could hear his deep voice urgent as he relayed news to the others. News that couldn't be good if it had everyone in such a state. She could also hear Sir Sirius Black, a close companion of the King and one of Harry's father-like caretakers, with a tone that was similar to the king's.

"Impossible, the Dark Arts were banished years ago." That was the King, and it was the first full sentence that Hermione picked up on.

Hermione immediately caught on that this wasn't exactly a conversation she was meant to hear, and so she did one of the things that she was best at. She became invisible. Crawling into one of the bushes that surrounded the walls of the stable, she managed to position herself close enough to the entrance to hear the conversation.

"- if you need confirmation, I have two other men who witnessed the entire event with me. Ronald Weasley and Damien Fremont both saw it."

Her interest was piqued upon hearing Ron's name. What, exactly, had he witnessed that Kingsley was describing? Her heart thudded in worry for her friend.

"But one of the Inferi?" Sirius' voice sounded incredulous, and Hermione's eyes widened at the mention of an Inferius. "That kind of magic was only done-"

"Are you suggesting, Kingsley, that Lord Voldemort is returning to Hogwarts?"

Hermione couldn't stop herself from letting out a little gasp, and she clamped her hand over her mouth. The very idea that that monster had returned to their lands made her quiver in fright, but her fear was mostly for Harry. How would he take that kind of news? What did this mean for him, for the kingdom? And how on earth was it possible for Voldemort to return? Harry had vanquished him as a child, when the killing curse meant for him had rebounded and hit the Dark Lord. Surely what Kingsley was suggesting was impossible.

Kingsley sounded almost impatient in his response. "I don't know what I'm suggesting right now," he said. "I'm giving you my report, and I sent my men off to their chambers. Goodness knows they've been through enough today. Regardless of what this means, exactly, I think a warning needs to be sent out to the three other kingdoms. No later than the next Gathering Meeting. But I think the sooner the better."

The King sighed. "You're right, of course. I just wish I knew exactly what this so-called warning that creature gave you meant. There's only one person it could have been referring to, and I don't know what to do with that kind of information."

"The best we can do is be on our guard, and suggest that the other kingdoms do the same."

"We ought to consult Dumbledore on this," Sirius then suggested, and Hermione nodded to herself in agreement. "If anyone could tell us what this all means, he could. I think we ought to talk to him first thing in the morning."

"I'll speak with him," the King said. "See what he makes of this. I'll call a council meeting soon for everyone involved. We'll deal with this intelligently, not just throw some haphazard panic message across the other kingdoms that Dark Magic has returned to Hogwarts. Whatever this is, we have to see to it accordingly."

There seemed to be a mumbling of acquiescence, and suddenly the sounds of footsteps treading the path not five feet from Hermione could be heard, as the nobles made their way back to the main parts of the palace. Only until their footsteps had faded away for a good minute or two did she actually come out from her hiding place.

And found Sir Sirius Black standing over her, arms folded across his chest as he looked down at her with a rather amused sort of expression.

"Eavesdropping, eh?"

Hermione blanched and stumbled to her feet, brushing dirt from her dress and trying to avoid his gaze. "I'm sorry, sir, I was just…"

"Oh, come now, Hermione."

The casual use of her name caused the girl to look up in surprise, and she saw that Sirius' eyes were twinkling in amusement.

"I've known you for eight years, watched you play with my godson and his best friend, be there for Harry when he needed it, and you expect me to punish you for listening in on a little conversation?" he said.

Hermione looked down, fiddling with her dress. "If you don't mind my saying, sir, that conversation didn't sound too little."

"Right you are. You always were a clever little thing. Wish Harry would take a leave out of your book every once in a while," the older man mused. Hermione flushed, knowing that it was a compliment, and was about to sputter a response when he continued. "But you're right. It wasn't just a little chat we were having about border patrols."

"Am I… am I allowed to ask what exactly it was?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and gestured that Hermione should walk with him. Blinking in slight surprise at his silent invitation, she took it, and together the pair of them began to walk the path that would eventually lead them to the main part of the palace.

"Hermione, you can ask whatever you want. Not only are you one of Harry's closest friends, you know just as well as I do that we try not to keep the servants in the dark. What do you want to know?"

"What was Kingsley talking about, sir? I heard something about an Inferius…"

The frown that came to the knight's face seemed troubled, and Hermione was almost scared to hear what he had to say. "Well, you heard right. There was some… rather disturbing Dark Magic performed in that village where we sent them. The entire place was deserted, except for one Inferius… who apparently warned them that Lord Voldemort is returning to Hogwarts," he said, almost carefully.

"I heard Lord Voldemort mentioned as well. Do you really think-"

Sirius cut her inquiry off. "I'd really love to tell you that it's not true, that it's impossible for Voldemort to return. But it's been seventeen years, and the fact of the matter is we don't know what happened that night when that curse rebounded. There was never a body, which only leads to questions, questions that I thought we'd never have to answer."

"But we'll have to answer them now," Hermione observed.

"You catch on rather quickly, Hermione."

"What does this mean for Harry?" Her voice was full of concern, and she fiddled with her hands.

There was a pause before he answered her, and Sirius sounded just as concerned as she was. "I don't know. Kingsley… he mentioned that there was a part of the warning, and he's fairly sure that the Inferius was referring directly to Harry when it said this…"

"What?"

"That Voldemort wants to kill him. Something like that, or so the Inferius said. The warning was exactly 'he seeks the blood of the one who destroyed him', and considering the only person the Inferius could have been talking about…"

"But that's horrible!" Hermione gasped, her heart pounding in terror for the prince. "Isn't something going to be done about it? Harry could be in danger! How do we know he's not already?"

"That's exactly what we're worried about. We'll be keeping a closer eye on Harry, that's for sure, at least for the time being. Remus is going to have guards posted outside his door tonight, and I'll have someone from my squadron with a bird form to keep watch by his window. Whether or not the thread is legitimate, we can't say for sure, but it'll certainly keep us on our toes."

Hermione couldn't help but feel marginally better about the situation knowing that Harry was going to be guarded closely. Sirius' Animagi squadron helping to keep watch was actually an ingenious idea, and she was glad that Sirius had thought of it.

"You'd best head back to your quarters," Sirius said after the brief pause, and Hermione looked at him, startled. He smiled at her kindly. "There's no need to worry your pretty little head over this, when there's nothing else that can be done. Just keep a closer eye on Harry from now on, and that's all I can ask of you. Go get some rest."

Knowing a dismissal when she heard one, as polite as it had been, Hermione dipped her head. "Of course, sir. Good night."

She didn't notice Sirius watching her thoughtfully as she walked away.

H&Hr&R&H&Hr&R

The next morning was a flurry of movement in the palace, and Harry still wasn't quite sure if he understood everything that was going on.

He'd been woken up in his chambers this morning by an urgent Ron, who'd informed him that King Remus had requested his presence in a council meeting. And at the council meeting, he was not only told that the scouting mission had turned into a Dark Magic scare, but also that Lord Voldemort was apparently about to return, and was going to come after him. He'd been assigned additional guards and had been told that for the time being he was restricted to the palace grounds.

And now he was on his way with Remus and Sirius to consult with the old scribe Dumbledore, who had taken to staying up in the palace archives these days and was apparently expecting their presence.

Harry had only been to the archives twice in his life. Once was with his old tutor as a child, the esteemed Minerva McGonagall, who had been giving him a tour of the parts of the palace that he'd never visited. The second time had been with Hermione and Ron, when they three of them had been up to mischief and were hiding from the palace chefs (from whom they'd stolen a good deal of treacle tart for the young prince).

Now, as he entered it for the third time several years later, he couldn't help but realize the grandeur of all the scrolls tucked away in the shelves, the smell of old parchment, and the incredibly tall shelves that towered to the ceiling far above their heads. Perhaps it was just Hermione's love for things like this that had him so awestruck, but whatever the case, as they neared the back of the archives where Albus Dumbledore was waiting for them, he was incredibly stricken by all of the knowledge that had to be concealed here.

Albus Dumbledore looked like an old man, though he seemed to move with the nimbleness of a teenager. The three of them found him moving about in the shelves furthest back, seemingly looking for a particular scroll. When King Remus quietly cleared his throat, Dumbledore turned to smile at them.

"You'll have to forgive me for a moment, sire," he said softly in a voice that sounded gruff with age. "I'm seeking out a scroll I think will hold some interest for you. But please, do take a seat."

Remus gestured for Harry to sit first in one of the old leather chairs that surrounded an oaken table that looked like Dumbledore's work station. Hesitantly, the prince took his seat, and Remus sat down in the chair next to him. Sirius opted to not sit, instead placing his hands on the back of Harry's chair and standing behind it almost like a guard dog. Harry wasn't sure if he appreciated it or not.

"Ah, I do believe I've found it," the old scribe murmured as he pulled a particularly dusty scroll out from a shelf. Blowing on it, he brought it forth to the table and spread it out for the King, prince, and knight to read as he sat down across from them.

"A scroll on Dark Magic? I thought they were destroyed," Remus said, sounding disapproving as his eyes roamed over the parchment and the words it contained. "Was this one missed?"

"I admit it was by my own request that this particular scroll was not burned along with the others. I felt as though it would have particular importance sometime in the future, and as it would turn out, I was correct," Dumbledore replied. He folded his hands together and set them on the table, observing the three as they read. "I imagine this could answer many questions that you had for me this morning."

"What's that at the bottom?" Harry suddenly asked, pointing. "It looks like a list."

"Quite right, Prince Harry," Dumbledore said. "It's a list of the most ghastly sort. After many years of research, I created a list of items that could potentially be used to bring Voldemort back. I feared the worst after his sudden disappearance, and sought out methods that the Death Eaters could use for his return."

Sirius spotted something on the list and reached over Harry's shoulder to point at it. "Look at one of the ingredients for one of the rituals."

Blood of the destroyer.

"My blood," Harry blurted out.

"That's why the Inferius said that Voldemort seeks Harry's blood. We assumed it was for revenge, but…" Sirius said.

Dumbledore nodded. "It would seem we have pinpointed the method by which Voldemort wishes to return. However, it would be physically impossible for him to get to Harry himself, and so my only conclusion is that the Death Eaters have decided to mobilize, and their activity seems to be originating from somewhere within the Forbidden Mountains."

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks, deeply troubled. "We thought we captured all the Death Eaters shortly after the war," Remus said, all of a sudden weary. "It seems as though we missed a few."

"On the contrary, that may not be true," Dumbledore murmured. "Blood supremacy is an ideal that, unfortunately, has been extremely appealing to many wizards for a long time. It's very possible that this is an almost entirely new group, holding fast to the horrid ways of a group destroyed seventeen years ago."

"But that's so stupid," Harry protested. He was thinking of Hermione, a muggleborn, who was one of the most talented young witches he knew. His mother, too, had been a muggleborn. "Everyone knows that muggleborns can perform just as well as a pureblood."

Dumbledore's wizened blue eyes turned to the prince, and he smiled sadly. "But alas, my prince, while facts may point towards the idea that your opinion is the correct one, even hatred and fear can twist the minds of the most intelligent wizards. Our notions of magic, you must understand, are very different from those who despise the non-magical people of the kingdoms. The Death Eaters and their supporters had one intention: to wipe out all people with a trace of Muggle blood. They believe that the ways of magic are dying, and in order to preserve it, they think that it's necessary to eternally separate magic from non-magic."

"Then shouldn't we be worried about protecting the Muggles and the muggleborns? If the Death Eaters are back, I'm not the only one they'll be after," the prince said.

"You are so very much like your father, young sire," Dumbledore remarked pensively, leaning back in his chair and observing the young prince with respect. "Always concerned for the welfare of your subjects before yourself. You'll make an excellent king, when the time comes."

"We'll send out knights to the surrounding villages to warn the Muggles and muggleborns," Remus told his charge, patting Harry on the shoulder approvingly. "But Dumbledore, what do you think we should do about the Death Eaters? And what should we tell the other kingdoms?"

"Tell them the truth," came the immediate response. "Send out a message to Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, and tell them that the Death Eaters have returned to Hogwarts and are aiming to bring back their master. As for seeking out the Death Eaters, I think you already know what you must do."

Remus paused at this. "I don't want another all-out war, Dumbledore. And I can't wage it against an enemy that I know hardly anything about."

"War was not going to be my suggestion."

"We'll send out another scouting party," Sirius supplied. "Have Kingsley assemble a group of knights and go back to the Forbidden Mountains. If the Death Eaters are out there, let's find out how many there are, where they're hiding. We might need to have a war if we can root them out. Perhaps we can ask for the other kingdoms to send knights of their own. Make it an effort on everyone's part."

Dumbledore smiled his approval, and so the idea was set.

Did you all like it? I hope so! I'm always worried about writing Dumbledore, to be honest, because I've seen him written so well. But I'm not sure if I pull off his quirky wisdom quite right. Please tell me what you think - and I hope to have a new chapter done up by the end of this next week!

- Harp