DISCLAIMER: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.

CHAPTER THREE – School's Out Forever

SEPTEMBER 1, 1996 – 6:53 AM

It had taken Severus Snape nearly three months to plan how he would break the living key out of its prison, and now on this day of all days, he was ready.

Snape apparated to the edge of the wards protecting the prison and made quick work of them thanks to the set of rune stones he had acquired in Istanbul. The guards were the usual standard fare of Auror's for the country, and his training both from the Order of the Shadow, as well as his time working as a spy within the ranks of the Death Eaters, allowed him to make quick work of them, leaving a trail of lifeless bodies in his wake.

In less than ten minutes, Snape was standing outside the cell door to the one he had come to claim.

"The Order of the Shadow requests your services," Snape said as he opened the cell door. He then conjured a black hooded cloak and tossed it to the man within.

"I live to serve the Order," the man said as he raised the hood over his head, obscuring his face in shadow. "But first, I must make a stop to reacquire something that was taken from me."

And with that, both men apparated away.

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SEPTEMBER 1, 1996 – 11:03 AM

Hermione Granger was nervous about returning to Hogwarts. This would be her first year there without Harry. Granted, she still had Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Luna with her, but it wouldn't be the same without the raven haired, green eyed wizard. Especially with all the changes that had happened over the summer.

As the four of them spent as much time with Hermione as they could to help her deal with the loss of Harry, they had also grown much closer. At some point Neville had begun to date Ginny, and for some unknown reason, Ron and Luna had also become a couple. This, of course, left Hermione feeling much like the odd fifth wheel in their group. Yet no matter how hard she tried to give them space, none of them would hear of it, refusing to leave her alone.

While things felt awkward for Hermione on the train as she tried to read one of that years school books and ignoring the relationships going on around her, time seemed to fly by.

It was nearly three hours into the journey to Hogwarts that Draco, along with Crabbe and Goyle decided to make their yearly appearance.

"Something isn't right here," Draco said as he opened their compartment door. "It's like something is missing, though I can't figure out what it is. Do you guys notice anything missing?"

Crabbe and Goyle both smiled wickedly.

"Potter," grunted Crabbe.

"Ah yes," said Draco. "Potty's gone. I wonder what happened to him… That's right. Now I remember. He's worm food."

The three Slytherin's started laughing at Draco's sad attempt at humor.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds to leave Malfoy," said Hermione, who had a cold look about her.

"Or you'll do what, you filthy mudblood," said Draco.

Hermione set her book aside, pulled out her wand, and stood up.

"Or…" she said, "I'm going to body bind all three of your bastards together before tossing you off the train as I cancel the spell. Do you know what will happen to the human body falling off a train moving at this speed? Let me tell you… Mummy and daddy are going to have a very hard time identifying what is left of your lifeless body."

"You wouldn't dare," said Draco, though his voice cracked just slightly.

"Time starts now," said Hermione as she looked at her watch.

Draco stood defiantly for a moment before he started to back out of the compartment.

"Come on you two," he said. "These pathetic excuses for witches and wizards aren't worth our time."

Draco and his goons left as Hermione closed the compartment door and sat back down.

"Bloody hell," said a surprised Ron. "Who are you and what did you do to Hermione?"

"I'm just tired of his crap," said Hermione. "I've put up with it for the past five years. Plus, I'll be damned if I let anyone disrespect the memory of Harry. Hell, the whole Potter family. They all gave their lives to put an end to Voldemort."

Just then, at a few minutes before two in the afternoon, a powerful wave of magic blasted across the entire Great Britain, rocking the train from side to side.

"What the hell was that?" asked Ginny as she looked out the window with her wand in hand.

"I was powerful, whatever it was," said Neville, who also had his wand in hand.

Suddenly, a smile crept across Luna's face. She recognized that energy.

"He's back," she said.

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SEPTEMBER 1, 1996 – 1:53 PM

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office as he went over the last few sheets of parchment he needed to sign before the students arrived for the new year.

The summer had been a tough one for the aged Headmaster. Not only did he once again have to find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he also had to find someone to teach potions.

The position for potions hadn't been that hard to fill. He had managed to talk to one of the potion mistresses' from St. Mungos to take the job.

As for Defense, since it was rumored that the job was cursed, it had taken him most of the summer before he managed to convince the Board of Governors to repeal the statute against werewolves from teaching, and thus, bringing Remus Lupin back, who just so happened to be the best person to have taught the class in the last ten years. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Board wanted to reaffirm the importance of that class after they allowed the Ministry to take control the previous year and the lack of education the students received from Deloris Umbridge. The Board knew that after the previous year, Hogwarts was viewed as a joke by the rest of the magical world, going from the premiere magical school, to nothing more than place for magical parents to tuck their children away for the better part of the year so they could have some peace and quiet.

With Remus teaching the class again, Dumbledore hoped that grades would increase and match those who had partaken in Harry's D.A. meetings last year.

"Hello, old friend."

Dumbledore's head shot up at the sound of someone in his office. Standing at the door he saw someone wearing a black hooded cloak.

The person standing there did not bother the Headmaster. What did is that he could not sense him through the wards of the school. In fact, he couldn't sense anyone but himself.

"Notice something missing, are you?" the person asked. "Don't worry, the school has been emptied. No teachers. No house elves. Just you and I… Dear friend."

"I must say that I am quite impressed," Dumbledore said in his most serine tone of voice. "Though, I must admit that I am quite surprised to see you here Gellert."

The man lowered his hood, revealing the face of an aged man, yet who extruded power and strength.

"I am surprised as well Albus," said Gellert Grindelwald. "However, it would seem fate has decided to smile kindly upon me, for I have been released early by old friends."

"You mean…"

"I do," said Grindelwald as he slowly walked around the office, looking at the various portraits of past Headmasters and Headmistresses and the various knick knacks Dumbledore had collected over the years.

"But I thought they were…" Dumbledore started to say.

"Gone?" finished Grindelwald. "No… No, they have just been biding their time. Waiting for the time to be right. Patience is a virtue to them. If need be, they could have waited another thousand years. However, as I understand it, the time draws near."

"Then you still intend to help them," said Dumbledore.

"Of course," said Grindelwald as he ran a finger along the empty perch were Fawkes usually was. The phoenix was currently away. "I swore an oath to them long ago to follow their teachings and do whatever must be done to achieve the ultimate goal… The very same oath you took when we were finished out seventh year here at Hogwarts."

"I was young and foolish then," said Dumbledore. "I did not know what I was agreeing to. Had I known what their aim had been, I never would have joined them."

"No… You wouldn't," said Grindelwald. "You were always far too noble for something like that. Too noble to do what must be done for the greater good."

"I know all about the greater good," said Dumbledore. "And it does not include the death of millions of innocent people."

"Innocent? HA!" Grindelwald said, a slight hint of agitation in his voice. "No one is innocent. You forget, my old friend, I saw the true face of evil in the 1940's. I've seen the horrors that both muggle and magical alike can create."

"The world has changed since then," said Dumbledore.

"Is that what you call Voldemort?" asked Grindelwald. "One man who gathered a few followers, far out numbered by the rest of the magical world, and no one does a thing to stop him. It takes an accident with a toddler to stop him. Only for him to come back and once again, the same child to give his life to stop him again… Indeed, the world has changed. In my reign, no one cowed in fear. No one just rolled over and accepted things the way it was. They did something about it. YOU did something about it."

Grindelwald was standing right behind Dumbledore now, looking out the window at the vast grounds of Hogwarts. Then, in the blink of an eye, he spins around, pulling a dagger out from within his robes, and stabs Dumbledore in the chest, puncturing one of his lungs.

"The end of the way things are is coming," Grindelwald said. "And when the lady rises… She shall cleanse this world of all sin, remaking it for those worthy of her love."

He then reached into Dumbledore's robes and pulled out his wand. "This belongs to me," he said, then twisted the dagger before pulling it out, leaving a small hole in the dying wizards chest.

As Grindelwald tucked his newly acquired wand within his robes, he pulled out a stone the size of his first carved with various runes, which he then set down on Dumbledore's desk.

"Goodbye Albus," he said before turning and leaving the Headmaster's office.

At just a few minutes before two, Gellert Grindelwald walked past the gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry just as a loud explosion was heard from within the walls of the castle. A castle, which started to crumble and collapse as the magic that had held it together for a thousand years was suddenly snuffed out, succumbing the ancient stone to age and decay.

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At the exact moment that Hogwarts fell, a small earthquake started to rip through the village of Godric's Hallow. And in the cemetery behind the church, the ground exploded, shooting out a beam of intensely blue light into the sky.