Ron and Harry shared smirks when Hermione squealed with delight, nearly bouncing around their dorm room as the trio felt the wards change to allow apparition. (They were unaware that most people wouldn't feel the wards change.)
It was the morning after the trio had sent their letter to Amelia Bones, expressing their deep concern over a ginormous, terrifying, three-headed dog inside one of the empty classrooms, alongside a picture of said dog. And the three Ravenclaws knew that Amelia Bones had just arrived.
"I've never been this excited! Oh, let's get to the Great Hall, we can't miss this! Imagine if he actually gets sacked– They'll add so many classes," Hermione's eyes shone as she dragged her boys from the tower.
"You're such a nerd, Hermione, I swear," Ron shook his head.
"They won't necessarily add back all of those classes—"
"Don't you dare jinx it, Harrison James, this school is boring enough," Hermione sent him a look, making the boy raise his hands in surrender as the group walked down to the Great Hall.
The trio sat with their backs to the middle aisle and as close to the teachers as possible. They'd just started putting together their breakfast plates when the doors slammed open.
"And we just so happen to have a full house," Ron murmured, amused. He was, of course, talking about how almost all of the student body was seated for breakfast. Seemingly out of nowhere, Harry smirked, nudging each of his friends.
"Look who's here."
In the front, as leader of the Board of Governors, strode Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, with Sirius Orion Black III on his left. Beside them, Amelia Bones strode in angrily, with Rufus Scrimgeour and three other aurors. On Lord Malfoy's right, however, was the man who'd gained Harry's notice.
"Disgusting, I can't believe he holds such a position," Hermione rolled her eyes at Warren Andreus Parkinson.
"Not for long," Ron said calmly. Hermione and Harry both turned to look at him, yet Ron focused on his food, smiling to himself when both his friends groaned in annoyance. They, along with the rest of the student body, hushed as the group of visitors reached the head table.
"Headmaster, seeing as you've ignored our summons, we thought it was best to come to you directly," Lord Malfoy sneered as he and his entourage approached.
"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore feigned confusion and the three responsible Ravenclaws watched with bated breath.
Even with this being put onto his record, it would be incredibly difficult to get a man like Albus Dumbledore out of power. With all of the supporters he'd gained over the years, he would most likely be put on a simple probation, but the three could hope.
However, given their own situations, the trio had underestimated just how valued children are in the wizarding world.
"We've sent you countless scrolls telling you to be prepared, and as you ignored, it's well within our rights as members of the Board to come to the castle as we please," Sirius glowered, "Especially if it's for such a serious matter as this,"
"Serious matter—"
"Dumbledore, I received an anonymous missive from an extremely concerned student on my desk this morning," Amelia snarled, her magic flaring with rage. "Apparently the aforementioned student found a Cerberus on the third floor, coincidentally in the abandoned corridor that, in the beginning of the year, you told students to avoid should they not wish to 'die a most painful death'?"
"You did what?" McGonagall shot to her feet and slammed her hands down on the table, glowering with equal intensity at the Headmaster. "That was one of the protections you had added to that damn labyrinth?"
To the side, Professor Quirrell's expression changed from one of nervousness to one of intrigue. Hermione tilted her head and stared at him, earning a nod from Harry and a grin from Ron.
Dumbledore was so caught off guard he couldn't find a way to respond. "I—"
"We do not wish to hear your excuses," Lord Parkinson hissed, "You have endangered our heirs, our children, by leaving an XXXX level creature in. This. School! If I find out that that creature is what happened to my Pansy, I will ruin you!"
Ron snorted at that, earning a kick to the shin from Hermione. Harry, luckily, hid his grin behind his goblet.
"Miss Bones, your aurors are free to investigate that corridor," McGonagall snapped, "Lords Black, Parkinson, and Malfoy, you are welcome in joining the staff and Miss Bones in discussing this incident,"
"Minerva, you would do well to remember your place in my school—"
"I am well within my place as Deputy Head to care for the wellbeing of our charges!" McGonagall whirled on the man before turning to the students. "Classes are canceled for the day, return to your common rooms and do not leave without express permission. Pomona, get Hagrid."
The Hufflepuff head nodded and followed Minerva's instructions as most of the students silently cheered the angry lioness on.
o - o - o
"We'll never be bored again," Hermione sighed happily, lounging on her back on Harry's bed. The boys jumped onto the bed beside her, and the trio spent their leisure time reading books or finishing up homework before a prefect came to the door.
"Lord Black is here to see you three, the lockdown's off," Penelope smiled at the three. "Go on, it's almost lunch,"
"Which one of you was it?" Sirius raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, earning three guilty expressions. "All three of you?"
"Yes, but to be fair—"
"Damn, I owe Remus ten galleons," Sirius sighed. "I thought it was only Hermione who wrote the letter,"
Harry grinned at his godfather as the group set off. "Nope. Is he sacked? Hermione's dying to get good electives in before our third year,"
"He's gone, yes," Sirius said in amusement. "Minnie's the Headmistress now, and Flitwick is Deputy Head. Hagrid's also been sacked, I think they're considering your older brother for the position, actually, Ron,"
"Charlie's already on his way back," Ron said. "Gringotts can break the curse on the Defense Professor post for a rather cheap price considering who cast the curse. Binns has been teaching the same thing to every year over and over again, and Quirrell was trying to steal from the school. He's also not qualified— And everyone and their mother knows that Trelawney's an obvious fraud."
Sirius blinked, shocked, while Hermione and Harry each linked an arm with Ron, smiling proudly. He had made leaps and bounds with his gift due to training with his grandmother as well as self-study. However, he had a long way to go before he could look for things instead of seeing them.
"Thank you for the tip, then, Mr. Weasley," They all turned, seeing the new Headmistress and the other two governors. Her lip twitched in amusement. "Am I to assume your grandmother will qualify?"
"Maybe," Ron grinned.
"A Seer from the Weasley line," Parkinson murmured in slight appraisal. Before Lucius could even begin to sneer, Ron's eyes became ice cold.
"Prewett and Black. Not Weasley,"
"Is that all you needed? To know we were the ones who lettered Madame Bones?" Hermione asked politely, looking at the adults.
"Yes, though I wonder how it is that the three of you came by the Cerberus after being explicitly told by the Headmaster to avoid that corridor?" Lucius drawled, eyeing the three of them with intrigue carefully veiled by disdain.
Harry and Hermione smiled innocently, their expressions scarily identical. "We're muggle-raised, Lord Malfoy," They chorused.
"In muggle schools you never have to fear dying, it's always a safe space for children to learn," Harry began.
"So we were naturally curious and concerned about why a wizarding school would be so different," Hermione added.
"And I'd never heard anything like that happening before from my older brothers, so I went along with them— And as the only pureblood, I'd probably have more of an idea of how to react to a situation that wizards would deem dangerous," Ron finished, all three of them staring at Lucius. They weren't even blinking.
The blond felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Now is that all?" Hermione asked, earning a snort of laughter from her magical guardian.
"Yes, you fiends. Run along," Sirius said fondly, barely keeping his amusement in check.
"Wicked. Kitchens or Great Hall?" Harry asked as the trio walked off, laughing when his two friends started bickering over where they should go to eat.
"They are nothing you'd expect them to be, are they?" Parkinson commented lightly, to which Sirius, forgoing all decorum, snorted.
"Please. Two of them have Black blood in their veins, and I watched Hermione set a Christian Bible on fire over Yule."
"Good Merlin," Lucius's eyes widened.
Minerva smiled. "Come along, gentlemen. I'd rather work quickly and heed the youngest Mr. Weasley's words."
"So what now?" Harry asked, not making a move to get up.
The trio were sitting in what would become their compartment on the train to platform 9 , waiting to begin their summers. Exams had gone swimmingly, even after Quirrell's disappearance, and the trio were tied for first place marks in all of their classes.
The year had only brought them closer together, and the longer they spent in each other's presence, the more they became attuned with one another, their magic settling together.
"Well," Hermione sighed. "I'm being sent to a christian summer camp— You know, I don't know if my parents would be less cowardly about me being just a pagan than me being a witch," Hermione mused. "Anyway, they think that if I go to christian camp every year I'll be 'cured', but they'll take me out around the time school supplies arrive."
"Mum always does a headcount at the station, so I have to go with her," Ron rolled his eyes. "But that's fine— The twins and Charlie, at the least, will want an explanation. I'll probably talk to Bill, though, and tell him everything,"
"Is Charlie really going to be the Care of Magical Creatures teacher?" Harry asked, and Ron smiled.
"Yeah! He's still working on his Mastery, which he won't get for another year or two. There's a program where he teaches while apprenticing under a master of the subject, so he'll have it finished by our fourth year. He'll be working all summer, but he's pretty excited. I'm not sure what Grandmother will say about the Divination position, though," Ron added as an afterthought.
"What about Romania? Did he lose his position at the Dragon Reserve? I'd rather work with dragons than children," Harry frowned.
"The program is through that I think," Ron turned thoughtful. "I'm not sure though, but I really doubt Charlie would give up his dragons so easily."
"I'm more concerned with who our History professor will be," Hermione stroked Gizmo's fur. "If everyone in Magical Britain's been taught by Binns, does anyone really know anything?"
"And therein lies the problem," Harry grinned. The trio quieted down as the train pulled into the station, slowly gathering their things.
They stepped off the train and Harry paled.
"Harry? Are you alright?" Hermione asked, "You look—"
"Mione," Ron cut in, staring with wide eyes at what Harry saw. The girl turned, and anger flared through her at the sight of Harry's muggle relatives.
"N—"
"Hermione! Quickly now, we don't want to be here longer than need be," Hermione's mother, Jean, snatched up her daughter's hand as David, Hermione's father, grabbed the squirming twelve year old's trunk.
"Ron! Come on, we need to prepare for Charlie!"
Ron and Hermione both tried to dodge and avoid their families in order to return to their friend (Ron kicking his mother in the shin) but both failed and could only watch in fear.
"Boy!"
"Excuse me, but did you call him 'boy'?" Remus asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere and instantly relaxing all three of them.
As Ron and Hermione were dragged off by their respective families, Harry discreetly hid behind Remus, staring wide eyed at his uncle.
"I'll call the freak what I please," Vernon sneered, Petunia beside him looking put out about even being there. "Who are you?"
"Lord Consort Remus Black, one of Harry's godfathers," Remus said politely, though tinged with anger. "Nice to see you again, Petunia. What exactly are you doing here?"
"We're here to take the boy back with us," Petunia answered, turning her nose up at Remus. "Not that it's any of your business, but he was entrusted into our care by that headmaster after your people got my sister killed."
"Actually, it is my business," Remus responded without so much as a flinch at Petunia's scathing remark. "Harry's not leaving with you,"
"We're his legal guardians. Taking him without our permission is as good as kidnapping," Vernon said, a smug glint in his eye.
"Oh, but you've forgotten something," Remus added casually. The werewolf flashed his amber eyes, glaring at the couple. "I don't give a single fuck if you're his guardians, if Harry so much as ends up in your neighborhood ever again, I'll kill you. And after this, you won't be his legal guardians, me and my husband will be. You're lucky I don't kill you now because I am well aware of how you've treated Harry, but I wonder how your reputation would squander if you were arrested? Merlin knows you've only ever really cared about your reputation. Poor Dudley."
Purple faced, Vernon dragged a sputtering Petunia off the platform, leaving behind a smug Remus and a shocked Harry.
"Would you really have done that?" Harry asked, blinking in shock when he was easily lifted into his honorary godfather's arms.
"Probably," Remus shrugged, grabbing Harry's trunk and apparating to Black Manor. "You're one of my pups, Harry, blood related or not. The way they treated you, and the way Petunia speaks of Lily, should earn them a fate worse than death which I would give to them if I didn't have to deal with Sirius's reputation as a 'Lord',"
"We could've taken Lupin but somebody thought it would be better to have these assets to help Harry!" Sirius called from the familial lounge.
"That was you, Sirius!" Remus called with a fond smile. "And we both know we'd never want Lupin,"
"Ah, once again my love, you prove your brilliance. Fair point."
"What's wrong with Lupin?" Harry asked, and Remus gave the eleven year old a sad smile, setting him down.
"I'll tell you when you're older. But now, more important things: What do you want to do with your summer?"
so here we are!! end to the first installment of the power of three
tbh i finished this So Ling Ago so imagine my confusion when i come on here and see i never ACTUALLY published the ending. haha. yeah.
anygays, chamber of secrets is in the works, and if youre also reading my ft fic i pROMISE IM TRYING I JUST CANT SUT STILL FOR ANIMES A LOT
thanks for reading tho!! be back soon :)