The problem of Anthony was still a problem, but gradually it began to lessen. Albus gave the other boys in his dorm recording devices from his dad which were disguised as pencils. One click of the rubber and they could record any mean things Anthony was saying to them. It also seemed that Dad had talked to Professor Longbottom. The professor always had half an eye on Anthony. Points were constantly being conducted from Slytherin because of Anthony's obsession with flicking dragon dung at anyone who had annoyed him. One day, however, Anthony decided to go the one step further, which, depending on whose side you're on, had disastrous consequences.

When he thought that Professor Longbottom wasn't looking, Anthony hooked his elbow around Albus' neck and plunged his head into a barrel of bubotuber pus by the door. Albus held his breath just in time. A burning sensation covered his head. In agony, he opened his mouth to scream and got a mouthful of the foul stuff. Luckily then a pair of strong arms pulled him out and he emerged, choking and screaming. The pain in his head built up and he blacked out.

He woke up in the hospital wing where Scorpius and Rose were waiting to dutifully tell him that Anthony had been given detention until the end of the Easter term and Slytherin hadn't been fined any points as that would penalise Albus just as much as Anthony. Although it hadn't been official, he was always being practically tailed by Professor Slughorn in his spare time in the common room. Due to the pencils, he also knew all that went on in the dorm.

Now without the constant pressure of Anthony threatening him, Scorpius blossomed. He gained confidence very quickly, and sometimes even joined in with Albus as he taunted Anthony. It was cruel but incredibly funny watching Anthony shoot them sour glances. They could see only too well that it was killing him not to retaliate, but as he was under the constant eye of teachers there was not a lot that he could do.

At mid-October, Albus went home for a weekend. The first thing his dad did was to take him up to his room. "I believe I owe you an explanation."

"I believe you do! Scorpius and Rose and I have been dying to know what got you so riled up."

"Ok, Ok. I don't know how to phrase this, but basically there is a theory that we have been considering which is that some people are anti-death-eater. I know," he said to Albus, who had cocked his head and was frowning at his dad, "but not in that way. I mean, Scorpius is ok, isn't he? No, we're talking Nazi-Germany-Obliterate-the-Jews anti-death-eater. I assume your aunt has told you about Hitler?" Albus nodded. "I'm going to tell Shacklebolt about this, Ok? Then I and a few others can investigate. Serpentias, that was the name, wasn't it?"

"Yes- only, Dad? Can you leave me out of this? I don't really know what Anthony would do to me if…" "Sure. Hogwarts isn't going to be fun if what you say is true. I remember Hogwarts in dark times. Security was so tight. You couldn't smuggle a dung bomb past Filch…" He smiled nostalgically, but Albus could see the worry on his brow. "I'll owl Kingsley now."

Over the next few days at school, Albus continuously felt himself shooting glances at Anthony. Although he knew that arrests like this took time, he couldn't help but feel disappointed that Anthony wasn't chained up tighter than the bloody baron to the dungeon wall. However, Anthony didn't seem to be any angrier at him than usual.

Halloween was coming up soon, and there was a buzz of excitement around the school. Halloween was an important event in the Hogwarts calendar. Apparently, there was going to be Deeroxine, the latest singing sensation (made even more interesting by the fact that she was a hag), singing in the great hall. Giant pumpkins (courtesy of Hagrid) had replaced the candelabras and lit up the halls with an orangey-yellow glow.

On the weekend before Halloween, Rose and Albus finally got around to visiting Hagrid. "'Ello, you two! Hey, I was beginnin' t' forget what yeh looked like!" said Hagrid, pulling them both inside.

"Sorry, Hagrid. We've just been really busy with school, and I've been ill a lot, so…"

"'S fine. But- uh- I have some news." His eyes twinkled, just as a woman who was even taller than Hagrid walked in. "Oh- Olympe. I was just telling these rascals our news."

"Oui, of course. I and Hagrid- that is to say, I- am having a baby!" Albus' and Rose's chins dropped as their eyes swivelled to Olympe's belly which was indeed disproportionate to even her size.

"That's amazing!" said Rose at last. "When is it due?"

"Well, our gestation period ees naturally a leettle different but we have asked some healers and they reckon that our leetle babees will come out een a few weeks."

"Wait- did you say babies? Plural? Twins!"

"Non." Albus looked at her, confused.

"Nah, triplets! Three little kids, eh?" Imagine tha'!"

"Oh, Hagrid! I'm- Wow!"

Albus and Rose were talking to Scorpius about it over pumpkin sandwiches on Halloween. As the hall was busy being decorated and prepared for the evening, house elves had brought sandwiches up to the common room. "I mean three! Not one, not two but three! Poor Madam Maxine must be exploding!" Rose mumbled through the crumbs.

"Yes, I know! We must go and see them as soon as they are born," remarked Scorpius, slouching down into a velvet armchair.

"Yes. Would that be a week into November, roughly? That's near Lily's birthday," commented Albus.

"So it is. Wait, what's the time? Oh gosh, is that the time? The party starts soon. I wanted to get that Herbology reading in. Ah, well."

"Rose, that's in for first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Oh- well, yes, but I can do it this evening."

"You won't have time! The party ends at midnight."

"Well… I'll do it first thing in the morning. Imogen gets up early to do her studying for Runes. Her mum is the Head of Ancient Runes department at the Ministry, so Immy is already fluent in them. She's doing her owl early at some point in June this year. I'll ask her to wake me."

Imogen…the girl with the raven-black hair. He hadn't really thought about her being in Rose's dorm… Maybe Rose could introduce them… "Al!" Scorpius hissed in his ear. "Stop thinking about Imogen. It's VERY obvious. You look as if you've swallowed a litre of Amortentia!"

The great hall looked spectacular. Live bats blocked the ceiling from view and an enormous spider was pouring the drinks for each table. The Gryffindor spider was prodding Henry curiously. Everyone was laughing and talking and the chatter filled the ears of everyone within a hundred metres of the hall. Albus, Scorpius and Rose sat at the Gryffindor table with James happily. James had begun to stop being so hostile, although he refused to talk to Albus when he was wearing his Slytherin tie.

"Is it always this good?" asked Albus over the warbling's of Deeroxine as he held his cup out to the spider to refill it.

"Yeah, it's always really fun. Changes every year."

Just then, the doors slammed open and, before every one could turn around to see the commotion, Anthony was trussed up in ropes. "You're under arrest," barked an Auror Albus vaguely recognised from when he had gone in to the ministry. Another lifted him up over his shoulder and carried him out of the doors through which Anthony and Albus had first entered the Hall. From his up-side down position, Anthony shot Albus a glance that Albus could understand all too clearly- this isn't over.

As the doors slammed, the whole school sat frozen, staring at the doors as if Anthony was going to come back in and announce that the whole thing was a joke. Finally, with a couple of mutterings, the students sank into conversation. "I'm going to bed," murmured Albus. "I'll come," added Scorpius quickly.

Albus fell into a restless sleep. He dreamt that Anthony had grown to the size of Hagrid, and was leering over him with an evil grin. "You think that you have outsmarted me, Potter. That wasn't a question. I will prevail." He then began to rapidly divide into three, all whilst chanting "I will prevail." He woke early in the morning, painfully aware of Anthony's empty bed.

Albus struggled through lessons. He couldn't concentrate on anything his teachers were saying as he always found himself staring at the empty desk at the back. He also found himself being tired from constantly waking up from night mares. Eventually, Rose and Scorpius bullied him into going to the Hospital Wing. "Over-tiredness and stress," Madam Oliver said briskly. "I would keep you here, but the best place to recover from this is at home. Come back in a week and you'll be as right as rain."

Albus felt pleased. At home he could talk to Dad about how securely Anthony was locked up, and how impossible it was for him to escape. "He is behind more magically locked doors than you could count, he is wand-less and generally without magical aid. His parents are kept apart, so they have no means of plotting," Dad assured him.

Albus recovered quickly. However, on the day he returned to school, his dad had news for him. "There are more of them," he said.

"How do you know?"

"We tortured it out of his dad.

" "But… I thought you only used torture in the most extreme cases!"

"This is an extreme case. Albus, we're going to war."