Four years had passed since the homosexual encounter. It had been four years ever since I had revealed to the whole school that the darling of Slytherin was found snogging a male Ministry Brat. I was not completely aware of the transpiring events. What I did know were rumors already subjected to so many different mouths and hosts, that by the time they reached my own ears, they had mutated into several different strains, making themselves unrecognizable from their original selves. I did however manage to extract a few facts.
1. Somebody had managed to deliver an owl to Barty Crouch Sr. about the boy-on-boy encounter. The Head of Law Enforcement was livid with rage and had his son sent home for the rest of the holidays immediately. When he came back to Hogwarts, I saw a glimpse of him covered in bruises, a black eye, scars reminiscent of angry lashes, and he was also limping.
2. Mr. Crouch had demanded the rustication of Regulus, calling in favors from the school Governors and everybody remotely associated with the Hogwarts registration. This, Dumbledore flatly refused to do, claiming that Hogwarts was not a place of prejudice and spite. As he was the headmaster, the attempt failed completely. All authority ended with him.
Despite Dumbledore's refusal to eradicate Regulus from Hogwarts, Mr. Crouch did manage to push through the cutting off of his son's contact with him. His schedule was rearranged so that he shared no classes with Regulus, and he was even removed from the classes that the Slytherins had with the Ravenclaws, instead being the only Ravenclaw to have Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. Barty was the only student in the Seventh Form of Slytherin (or in Hogwarts for this matter) who's schedule was rearranged like this and everybody knew why. He was subjected to endless abuse and humiliation. The school prefects were made to make sure that the boys did not share a compartment, and one would have to accompany him when he left so that he could not meet up with Regulus in secret. This policy was enforced even in the school, the Ravenclaw prefect being made to accompany him to the bathroom when he wanted to be excused. It was all rather humiliating and degrading for both of them. Although, I must admit that I think that Regulus got it slightly better than Barty Crouch Jr. (according to the rumor mill, Regulus wormed his way out of trouble with his parents by pleading a love potion)
I was fifteen now and I was head of the Hogwarts Hoot, the school newspaper that I and a couple of my friends had founded in our fourth year. The idea had picked up quite a bit of steam and now the whole school was involved, including the teachers and the Seventh years. It became evident that I clearly had a knack for reporting. I had carried out interviews of professional standard from N.E.W.T students to Dumbledore. My friends were pretty adept at reporting too, and our newspaper was a wild hit. Goodness me, I'm repeating things! I'd better get on with the story.
I had been a fifth year for over 3 months and the year couldn't have had a greater start. All summer long, (as well as for the past few years) Hogwarts had been straddled in a thick blanket of fear and unease. For all you young'uns that don't bother with studying your wizarding history, you'd best settle your ears down for a history lesson.
I was alive during the time when He Who Must Not Be Named was in full power. There was hardly an article in the Daily Prophet back then, which didn't feature a list of people that dastardly wizard hadn't brutally murdered. I had countless scores of friends who had lost family members in the secret society "The Order of The Phoenix" This was a society founded by the Great Dumbledore himself, dedicated to eradicating the Dark Lord. We (yes, I am quite proud to say that I joined the Order, myself when You Know Who returned) were clearly a force to be reckoned with because the Dark Lord was so worried about us, that he went quite out of his way to kill anybody even remotely associated with it. Anyways, I couldn't even leave my house over the holls because my parents put a protective enchantment around it. I lost touch with so many friends and neighbors who hid themselves with fidelius charms (If you want to know about those, try for a N.E.W.T in charms when you reach your sixth year) We'd say goodbye to people in school right before break, knowing full well that we'd never see them again. My parents sent me and my sisters to atay at school pver Christmas and Easter because they thought we'd be safest with Dumbledore. It was a horrible time for all.
But now those times were over! Yes, on Halloween, our one and only Harry Potter vanquished the wicked wizard at only one year old! But it was a Sisyphean Victory through and through. Nobody knew how Harry destroyed You Know Who. The only thing they did know was that his poor parents were killed in the attempt to save their son. Exactly why the Dark Lord wanted the poor thing dead was beyond me. There was also the matter of Sirius Black turning out to be You Know Who's most faithful follower. Who. Would. Have. THOUGHT? My poor sister was beside herself when she learned that she spent almost her entire time at Hogwarts snogging a You Know Who Devotee. Well, his pureblood manic family must have been proud. He finally proved himself to them. But now he was safely carted off to Azkaban. Hmph! Good riddance!
But now that You Know Who was gone, the entire Wizarding World was abuzz. People were flamboyantly celebrating, regardless of the Ministry of Magic's International Statute of Secrecy. Looking back, I pity those poor officials who had to run about covering up the shooting stars down in Kent!
But now it was Christmas Break and I couldn't have been mpre excited! Not only was I going to go home for the Hollidays to Celebrate with my family (Something we had done little of when You Know Who ran amuck) but also, I was going to interview the Longbottoms for an Article in the Hogwarts Hoot!
The Longbottoms were some of the best Aurors in the Department of Law Enforcement, second only to Mad Eye Moody* They were fairly responsible for the overcrowding of the cells in Azkaban. This was a remarkable feat for a pair of 21 year olds. They rose to high ranks fast. They knew things about You Know Who. Not only this, but they were the only people who just might have a clue of what happened the night he vanished. The whole school was begging the Hogwarts Hoot for an interview from them. And I was the best candidate as Alice Longbottom had been housemates with one of my sisters (the Hufflepuff) and this connection could make it only easier for me to get at an interview. Also, I had been to their house numerous times for their wedding and baby shower (They had a son about Harry Potter's age) and we were on fairly friendly terms.
And as I skipped off towards the Longbottom's House, I wish I had embraced every moment leading up to reaching my destination. Because after I did, my life would never be the same again.
*What, you didn't think I ran all the way up sixteen flights of stairs yelling "Professor Dumbledore! Professor Dumbledore!" without anybody stopping me to ask what was wrong?
*Legendary Auror who had to retire after losing his marbles due to paranoia. Aurors make quite a few enemies