The Crossroads of Fate

Chapter 11: The Hidden Seer

The shock of Trelawney's death reverberated throughout the school. Albus could not believe what had happened. He knew it had to be Incommodo, but he had no proof of it. Incommodo blamed it on a drunken fall and sherry was found in her bag where she fell so no one could dispute the claim. Even Albus did not know. Did Incommodo kill her? And if he did, why? He never banned Divination and it was still a subject. At least, until Trelawney had died. Now, it was cancelled, leaving Lorcan and Lysander with yet another subject less let alone Riley who could no longer take Astronomy or Divination. Albus was beginning to wonder if Riley or the Scamander twins would ever be questioned about this.

Albus' worse fears came true at the beginning of November when that very event did happen. That could have been the end of problems but the Acting Headmaster decided to take things a step further. Albus happened to be with Lorcan in the Slytherin Common room the next morning when Draco called them both out, Albus and Lorcan. Beside them at the time was Neil Nott who Albus had let in since the boy had kept his side and stuck with Albus, albeit silently and was still not talking. The boy stood back and abstained from going so Albus left him where he was, promising it would only take a second. What Incommodo wanted with both Albus and Lorcan, he did not know. They met Incommodo near the Astronomy Tower.

Standing with the Acting Headmaster was none other than Lysander who seemed very casual and fearless, unblinkingly staring widely at them as if they too had just wandered in those same mysterious circumstances every day. Lorcan's look turned to that of worry though. If Timber had done anything again, he was not sure he could successfully defend Lysander. Albus would though. If need be, Albus was ready to bring about his final battle with Incommodo then and there if he had to. If only he knew how to initiate such a fight between two souls.

"Good, now I have the three of you here, I can get to business," Incommodo said quietly, standing not one foot away from them. Incommodo turned first to the Scamander twins. "As the both of you seem inseparable and you both signed up for Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy and Divination and only have Defense Against the Dark Arts left, I have decided to expel you both from Hogwarts. I expect you both to pack up and leave by noon today or I will escort you out myself."

The three stood rooted. Incommodo waited expectantly. Then, Lorcan said timidly, "Sir…"

"Your brother has lodgings in the Headmaster's office but as an underage, he is a student first and as a student, I find it fitting enough to see him expelled. One subject is not enough to act as a NEWT student in this school. You join him for the same reasons. You will pack your things and leave and make your own way in this world."

"But- sir, we- we can't…"

"Out…"

"Sir"-

"OUT!" he screamed suddenly, making Albus jump.

Lysander just shrugged and left obediently. Poor Lorcan seemed shocked as well but once his twin left, he had no choice. Albus made to follow them out hoping to remind them of the Room of Requirement when Incommodo touched his shoulder suddenly, "You will remain here, Mr. Potter."

"I'm expelled?" Albus asked stoically.

"No, you have done admirably in the Dueling Tournament, I have no reason to expel a student such as yourself," Incommodo said frankly. "However, I do find something suspicious. You left with the Ackerlys when I expelled the last boy and I have information he never left the school. Mr. Potter, I know he is somewhere in the school and wherever he is, I will not allow you to direct anymore students to this hiding place. You will remain with me for the time being."

"I didn't direct anyone"-

"Potter, if you lie one more time, I will have you expelled and follow you out the door," Incommodo threatened in a low voice. Albus had no choice but to remain where he was. Besides, the twins knew where the room was. He would check with his Invisibility Cloak later that night. "And I advise you to get whoever you are hiding in this castle out because if I should discover an illegal student in these hallowed halls, both that student and yourself will be killed for treason against the Ministry. Now, I am going to escort you to your Common room where I expect you to remain for the rest of the day."

As they walked the halls, Incommodo kept whispering more and more threats over to him. How he would find his father who was in hiding, how the Reservation was ignorant to their world and would lose the War of Existence, how Albus' days were numbered unless he switched sides and realized his loyalties. They passed Gabriel Dagger who caught Nate just by the dungeons and started hollering at him for losing their game.

"Miscreants and rowdies," Incommodo went on. "By the end of this year, this school will be cleansed of them. Of those who fail to take their studies seriously. You, Mr. Potter, are among those students unless you put serious effort into your work. You may leave from here," he added as they reached the dungeons. "Do not let me catch you outside for the rest of the day."

Albus sighed in relief as Incommodo left the entrance hall and Albus went into the dungeons where he passed Lorcan Scamander. The sixth year was just on his way out. "Know where?" Albus muttered.

"Of course," Lorcan whispered back. "My brother is waiting. Bye."

Albus watched him go through the double oak doors and out of sight. Incommodo watched from the top of the marble staircase and met Albus' eyes once more before Albus disappeared into the dungeons. He meant to open the Slytherin Common room wall when he heard a small "Hey, Potter," from further in.

Albus stopped and looked around. His name was called again and Albus followed. When he reached the end of the dungeon corridor, he felt himself being dragged in to a side chamber and the door shut. Albus reached for his wand but it was only Aries. Wait… Aries? What was she doing there? "Aries?"

"No, Dumbledore, who do I look like?" she asked sarcastically. She seemed very hurried as she looked around the room. "Listen, Potter, I've just finished meeting with my father. Incommodo did in fact arrange Trelawney's death. Spiked her drink and she hallucinated flat ground where there were stairs. The only reason Incommodo did not kill my brother is because he is barely aware of his existence and completely unaware of his presence in the school. We can't count on this luck again. I need to hide him and I can't do it alone."

"What- now?'

"Now," she said significantly. "I'm not risking him further than he is already risked. Now, come along."

"I can't!" Albus said, panicked. "The Headmaster just had me and if he sees me again, I'm expelled."

Aries clicked her tongue impatiently, "Oh, I guess I have the wrong Albus Potter. I thought I knew of one who had ways of sneaking around the castle!" she said with heavy sarcasm. "Get your ass into your Common Room and get your cloak or I'll assume you changed your loyalties, you idiot!"

Albus hurried without question. He muttered the password to the stone wall concealing the entrance to the Common room, "Venom."

Albus clambered back into the Common room and looked around. Gabriel and Nate had finally settled down and started drawing up a diagram of something Albus did not care to see at the moment. Instead, he made his way back to where Neil was waiting. The third year boy was in the same spot Albus left him. He looked at Albus curiously and asked, "Where were you?"

Albus stopped. He could not just leave the boy where he was. "Incommodo just expelled Lorcan and his brother. Careful."

Neil followed Albus to the empty dormitory quietly. Albus began thinking that Neil would end up following if Albus could not shake him off. Then again… Albus took out the Invisibility Cloak just as Aries asked but also the Marauder's Map James had left for him. Just as Albus took the map out, he noticed Neil's eyes widened at the sight of the map. "Where did you get that?"

"James left it for me," Albus said truthfully and regretfully. "You- you know what it is?"

"He-he used it with me w-when we w-wanted private conversation," the boy stuttered. Albus was just considering taking it and leaving when Neil sat on his bottom, his knees having given way. "Why did he die?"

Albus really was at a loss. What could he say to a boy who he knew was close to James? Especially when Albus had no idea why? James used to sneak out with him to talk? Did Neil know how to work the map then? Reluctantly, he handed the map to him, "Know how to work it?"

From the floor, Neil stared at it wistfully, like it was a Relic from another time. Slowly, he nodded. Seemingly, he decided that he talked too much and went very silent which reminded Albus. Neil was a good sneak, Albus remembered. What if he asked the boy to come along? Would that help any? He hoped so, because he had no clue how James managed with this boy and how he intended for Albus to help him.

There was a particular reason Albus decided to do what James had asked. James was his brother, he had died, and he had left Albus a message saying that it was because of Neil he had grown up and stopped pulling pranks on people.

"Would you like to come along? We need to hide someone."

Albus threw the Invisibility cloak over them both, grateful Neil was so short. The cloak did not have to cover two fully grown wizards, let alone a fully grown witch once Aries joined them. She waited just outside the wall. How she knew where the Common room was, Albus did not bother asking. She seemed to have guessed Albus was there once the wall opened and nobody came in or out. She muttered, "Let me in."

Neil had the map in hand muttered "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"Who's the kid?" Aries muttered.

"Our best spy," Albus responded lowly. "Keep your voice down. I prefer staying a student, thanks."

"I don't," Aries muttered as they made their way to the entrance hall and up the staircase. "If being a student means listening to a psychotic Ancient Greek wizard, I'll stick with self-teaching."

"Not all of us have that capability," Albus told her.

"Kimble is coming," Neil said. Albus flattened them all against the wall as Marius passed by unaware of anyone near him. "Malfoy…"

Sure enough, Draco appeared too. He met Marius on the shortcut staircase to the fifth floor where the staircase to the North Tower was. They could not risk moving while two teachers were about. Draco and Marius stopped, "Seen them?"

"The Scamanders?" Malfoy asked. "The cooky one went into the hut. He met his twin there and… neither of them left. When the Headmaster went to call, neither was there. It's like they vanished."

"We'll find them," Marius assured. "And the Ackerly boy. And he'll have his way with them."

Draco spoke next, "Personally, I am getting the impression that some have been sneaking to Hogsmeade against school rules. Can't think who would be that suicidal though."

Aries said nothing, her face betraying no emotion as they heard what Marius and Draco said in private. Albus new Draco was referring to Seth, Alexis, Fora and Fauna taking Animagus training. They flattened themselves against the wall more, Neil terrified as Incommodo himself showed up. He looked around as Tyro and Ernie joined them. Albus covered his mouth to stifle his breath and Neil held his. Aries appeared perfectly poised. "The dog girl has a portrait of the late groundskeeper and nothing else," Incommodo said wispily. "They appear to have gone. I know of no passage out of Hogwarts from there, do you?"

"Nope," Ernie shrugged. "Not that I know of."

"I wouldn't put it past Potter to do something like that though," Draco offered.

"Which Potter?" Tyro asked musingly. "We have two of them now. Technically three, since his little sister seems to be trying to emulate them."

"Expel one then," Draco yawned. "And follow them wherever they go. Tail them to Hogsmeade."

"No," Incommodo said suddenly. "Both are good enough in the Dueling Tournament. We are looking to show off the power levels of our students, not kill them off. She stays. Unless of course she forces our hand but she has not done so yet. We will expel Miss Rose Weasley instead."

Albus stared in shock as Draco shrugged, clearly having no problem with that, "Alright, my dream come true. Thirty years too late though. How do you intend to do it? Just walk in and expel her?"

"No, we wait till it's time," Incommodo said.

"Curious," Ernie said as they walked off. "If we're keeping the good duelers around, why did we expel the Scamanders and why expel Weasley?"

Albus did not hear anyone's response. They had gone out of earshot and Albus followed Neil's quiet direction. Aries said absolutely nothing as they made their way closer to the North Tower. Once they made it, Neil wiped the map blank. The corridor towards the tower was deserted but for one. Theodore Nott.

"Incommodo's scared of seers," Neil muttered more to himself.

"What? Why?"

"Too risky," Neil said. "Dad told me."

They backed away into a side chamber as Aries thought through a plan to get around Nott and opening the trapdoor above without arousing suspicion. Albus turned to Neil, "Are you taking Potions, now?"

"Have to."

"Shut it, you two," Aries muttered. "Ok, I'll use a Sound-based Charm. Let it come from the staircase. It should give us a minute to get up. Understood?"

"Put the map away," Albus hurried Neil.

The boy did not need telling twice. He wiped it blank and stuffed the map in Albus' pocket as they walked out. Nott was still standing where he was, unaware of three students around him. Nonverbally, Aries flicked her wand in the direction of the staircase leading downstairs. A small squeak went off, and then a loud yelp as if someone had gotten hurt. On cue, Nott pricked his ears up like a rabbit and hurried off in the direction of the noise. Albus whipped the cloak off of them and they hurried to the ladder leading to the trapdoor. Neil stayed behind in the side chamber where they were while Albus and Aries clambered over the trapdoor and through, shutting it tight before taking breaths. They'd done it. Now to get Apollo downstairs without Nott noticing. Would Neil do anything to help and grab his father's attention or just wait where he was silently.

For the second time, Albus found himself in the North Tower with Aries. His memory forced a flashback of him and the headstrong girl just after Albus' brother had requested a meeting with Apollo. Only Albus was allowed because James was too immature in Aries' opinion. But if James told Albus that he had stopped pranks, Aries may well have been wrong. Albus never regretted more than that moment how little time he truly spent with James to get to know him.

Aries did not stop to chat this time. She disappeared into the curtained off chamber where Trelawney once lived. Albus did not know if he was allowed to follow. Somehow, he always felt repelled from that place, especially now Apollo inhabited it all alone. Was he ok? Did it make any difference to him since he spent half his life being blind? Albus felt bad for him now he thought of it. Now he did not have a prophecy or Relic-hunting to worry about, now he only had his own life to worry about, he began seeing things from Apollo's point of view. He was alone. He seemed to be content but for how long, Albus did not know. Blindness, near-daily visions, his extremely young age, and his painful past Aries had so openly shared forced Albus to remember that there were others worth fighting for besides his own friends and family. Apollo was the youngest he knew. Truly, he was the King Albus had thought about the year before. The next generation.

Aries finally led her brother out. He looked exactly the same as the year before. Nothing changed. In fact, his eyes were still milky white to signify he was blind. He had still not yet recovered from the Prophecy he spoke to Albus the year before. Still, he seemed very calm. Albus opened his cloak to let Aries and her brother in, worried about how Neil would fit.

"Ok, how're we going to get down?"

"Go," Apollo said quietly. "The guard will be distracted."

Aries motioned for Albus to go. There was nothing else for it. They did have to go. Albus held his breath and opened the trapdoor. The sound meeting his ears was something he had not heard before. Someone was crying, wailing in fact, sobbing. As they climbed down, Albus saw Neil being embraced by his father, screaming into his chest. Albus never saw Neil look so miserable before. He and Aries stood transfixed, staring while Apollo stood sightlessly.

They snuck past and did not stop until they were at the end of the corridor. "Ok, that kid is one good actor," Aries observed.

"I… don't think he's acting," Albus said uncertainly, wishing he was.

"How can you tell?" she asked testily as they took a corridor to the staircase leading to the seventh floor.

"He isn't," Apollo said quietly.

Albus looked at the boy hopefully, "D-do you know what's bothering him?"

"No, but I can't see his future," Apollo said simply and quietly. His milky white eyes were flickering silver and white, as if his sight had briefly, for a single millisecond, returned.

"He- he's going to die?" Albus asked, shocked, remembering how desperate James seemed to be in keeping the boy alive.

"I don't know," Apollo muttered as they meandered through the corridors and staircases. "He'll either die or he doesn't want to live. He's blank… he's blank to me. I can't see anything."

Ok, whatever issue Neil had, Albus had to find out. James apparently knew and he said nothing. Why Neil was now being hugged tightly, Albus had no clue, and checking the Marauder's Map gave him no clue either. Just that the two Notts were in the North Tower corridor for a long time, very close together, almost unmoving except briefly by Theodore. Staring at the North Tower might have resulted in them bumping into Draco if Aries did not take his arm and drag him against the wall. She snatched the map from him and hissed, "We have a child with us. Pay attention or by all means show yourself at your own risk but don't you dare mess this up."

"Find anything?" Tyro asked Rojer, making them have to flatten themselves against the wall once again.

"They're gone," Draco said nonchalantly. "Simple as that."

"Stop the search," Rojer ceded. "They'll have to turn up eventually and when they do, they die."

Lex seemed rater interested, "Perhaps Potter has something to do with it"-

"No, he was in the Common room, it's a collective effort," Rojer disagreed. "And the more there are involved, the easier it is to catch them."

"Just one problem with that," Draco said with a small smirk. "Potter is not in the Common room. He's gone. Disappeared. Take from that what you may. And to top that, I might have discovered that Mr. Lean of Slytherin house has been visiting Hogsmeade. I told the Headmaster but he seems in favor of giving the boy special treatment due to his incredible power."

Lex flicked his wand briefly and wordlessly. A beeping sounded but Lex said nothing. Then… "Not in the Common room, eh?" Lex asked. "That warrants expulsion for him if we had proof. I will summon the Headmaster. If he is still gone, his life as a student ends and I do believe the Headmaster has something against his life so perhaps we will kill our first student. In any case, I am beginning to believe this is a Reservation effort and it suggests that Potter is with them. Like they attacked from within last time, Potter is angling to attack from within this time."

"A Reservation… surely, Potter"-

"The Reservation are attacking areas close to Hogwarts," Lex told them. "Particularly the mountains. It suggests a coordinated effort."

Rojer gave Lex a doubtful look, eyes slightly raised but said nothing. With those final words, the two of them left the corridor, allowing Albus to get them the short distance to the Room of Requirement. He could not help but feel a little disturbed by what he heard though. Draco knew Albus was gone and he was sharing it freely with people he knew were against the DA. He was betraying Harry. It was as simple as that. How Harry could be so blind, Albus had no idea. Top that with the fact that they were still searching for students who would die if ever found… Albus did hope that the Room of Requirement would successfully hide them all. If it didn't…

Aries flicked her wand and waited. Nothing happened. "Clear," she muttered and bolted out from under the cloak and opened the door to the room. There, Albus could finally take his cloak off. He allowed Apollo out first and rested against the shut door which Aries placed an additional Sealing Charm on to keep anyone else out. Apollo was safe. Albus did hope that at least Marius was on their side. If Mr. Kimble was also with the Arsenal, Apollo would be found eventually. Albus sighed and looked around. The room was slightly bigger than before. It was beginning to resemble a small apartment. Alexander had his own small quarter where he rested. Lorcan and Lysander Scamander were there too, resting against the wall. For a wonder, they were still reading spell books and practicing their magic in spite of being expelled.

"We're safe," Aries said in relief. "We had a couple of close calls but Apollo stays here." As she spoke, materializing out of thin air were curtains, warding off another section that would form Apollo's quarters. The room might have just gotten bigger as it grew to accommodate more and more students. Apollo did indeed make his way inside and he showed himself no more. It was as if he disappeared.

"I do love Seers," Lysander said dreamily.

"Eyes on the book, Sander," Lorcan muttered.

"Well, I'll be leaving," Albus said to Aries. "Before they decide I've been gone all day and consider expelling me."

Without waiting for a response, Albus threw the cloak over himself, feeling very relieved now it was just him, and got back to the Slytherin Common room, his mind still on Apollo's flickering eyes and Neil's wails. According to the map, Neil and Theodore had retired to his office. Neil seemed to be on a chair at Theodore's desk. The Professor himself was standing. Yet another teacher whose loyalties Albus was not sure of. Was Harry meaning to surround Incommodo with enemies to turn on him at the very end, or would Incommodo have that last laugh? Albus could not tell. Surely, not all of the teachers were against Incommodo and the one who had most to gain was Draco.

Now Albus found himself in the comfort of the Common room, he was able to get started on the homework he was beginning to neglect. Especially important was his Ancient Runes homework which now required him to practice Rune spells and Rune drawings almost daily to be able to perform them. Sorrow was promising that incapable students would be kicked out of class if they could not handle the coursework. At least Albus could draw them thanks to Scorpius' generous help and drawing them enabled him to perform the spells which he practiced with Mark at the end of the day. Most of the homework was memorizing the Latin names for different animals. Albus did not know why but Mark insisted it was important.

Ancient Runes seemed to compliment Magical Artifacts as well as that course taught by Lex seemed dependent on Rune spells, specifically the Runes of Need, Man, and Possession. Along with that he also had Artifact lessons which Lex was very strict about. He too spoke of Runes on artifacts, giving them extra power and explaining the concept behind Rune spells. It made Albus feel sorry for the students who did not know Runes yet.

Mark still seemed a little down but at least he seemed to be performing better. The next day was a half day since Incommodo intended to hold several duels for the first round of the tournament. Albus would not have minded if he was not one of the participants. The first thing they had to go through was Ancient Runes where Professor Sorrow showed them yet another rune they had spent the past week studying. It looked a lot like a lowercase 'T' but with the cross through it a little slanted. She folded her arms, "Name it."

"The Rune of Need," Alex said interestedly. "Naudiz. Most conjuring spells are based off of this."

"If you did your homework, you will know the Latin meanings for many different animals," she said loudly. "I want you to use the typical Rune spell creation but add it with a Latin meaning of your choice. Malfoy, Kimble, up to the front and show what you can do."

Albus watched from the desk as Scorpius took the front and drew the Rune of Need on his arm and raise his wand readily. Aries had just finished and her wand was leveled with Scorpius' in seconds. Sorrow was lecturing nonstop about the Rune of Need. "Thought is pivotal to this spell. You are attempting to temporarily, and only temporarily conjure animals to do your bidding and can only be done if your mind is focused primarily on that which you are trying to conjure. Go."

Scorpius raised his wand, "Creatio Naudiz Mus!"

Aries shrugged as out of Scorpius' wand came a puff of smoke and once it cleared there stood a small mouse. It stood still, as if waiting for a command. Creatio Naudiz Tigris!"

Instead of a mouse, Aries summoned a tiger. The class gasped, including Albus. In seconds, it gobbled the mouse up and the class stared as Aries took a bow. The tiger disappeared in a puff of smoke, launching Sorrow into explanation about how any living being summoned would disappear into nonexistence upon consumption of any object.

"Nice summoning," Mark told Aries as they walked out.

"It was rather easy," Scorpius shrugged from beside Albus. "Since I saw a mouse yesterday and just used my memory of that."

"Yes, that would be the easy way out," Aries said with a sigh. "As you can guess, I saw no tiger recently and simply used mind power to summon it as you were meant to. And that will be my strategy today once we start dueling."

"You just gave away your strategy," Eric commented.

"Good, someone needs a head start," Aries scoffed.

"Why?" Mark asked. "Why the heck do you need to use Rune Spells?"

"Why not?" Aries asked and Albus and Scorpius were curious too.

"We're one of the few schools that teach Rune spells which means Incommodo's knowledge of them would be lacking at best. Why show him your power when you can surprise him at the end?"

"Fair point," Scorpius shrugged.

"What's a fair point?" a voice asked from behind.

Albus jumped but it was only Rose. Tagging up beside her was Riley, their hands clasped. She still looked plumper than before though, but Albus was thinking more of the threat to her education.

"Do you really think Herpo the Foul would be ignorant to Rune spells?" she asked Mark testily.

"Yes, I do," Mark said intently. "Have you read about him? He never went to Greek schools when his father raised a boycott of them. Incommodo himself is British born and raised. He won't."

"Mortimer Ink went here," Aries reminded him. "And I'll be a horse's uncle if he didn't take Ancient Runes. I won't perform them if you don't want me to but don't go assuming that he doesn't know some of the most powerful spells known to wizards, especially if they serve as the basis for the creation of new spells."

"Rune Spells won't work on him," Riley said casually. "My father studied them extensively in school and he knows full well that Incommodo knows full well how to use and defend against them."

"Rose, I need to talk to you," Albus said suddenly. Rose stopped, her eyes narrowing. "Hate me all you want, this is important." And Albus dragged her away to a corridor around the corner. After looking around to make sure they were not being overheard, he muttered, "You're gonna be expelled."

"What?"

"I'm serious"-

"Al, honestly, considering your grade, you're the one more likely to be expelled, not me," Rose said frankly.

"Rosie, I overheard them talking, the teachers, and"-

"And my point is rested if they want to expel anyone, it'll be you, not me," Rose said blatantly. "Face it, Al. I get better grades, I am superior with magical skill, and Riley's my opponent in the Dueling Tournament. If he has to throw the duel for me to look good, he will. Now, if you don't mind"-

"Are you an idiot?" Albus said through gritted teeth. "They said they're not expelling a Potter, they named you specifically. You're going to be expelled."

Rose turned away from Albus. Albus was not sure what was going on in her mind. She was smart. She knew that if they wanted to expel her, it was not difficult to find an excuse. He hoped she would say something, anything to assure Albus that the plan of theirs would not succeed. But… "I don't care."

Albus' hopes came crashing down. She was going to get herself expelled and she- she didn't even want help? She didn't care? What? He tried getting her attention but she walked sadly away, not meeting anyone's eyes. She took Riley by the shoulder and they walked off to talk in private as usual. Albus could not help but be annoyed at her. A part of him wanted to yell at her to go ahead and get expelled and see if he cared but he didn't. He just watched her go. It was a few minutes before he realized that his legs unconsciously took him to the Entrance Hall.

As Mark, Aries and the twins moved along, Albus turned to Scorpius. If Rose was going to be expelled and she didn't even care, why did Albus care? Expulsion was one thing. It's not like Incommodo aimed to kill her. He hoped. Like Scorpius had told Albus the year before when his family received exciting news, Albus had to tell Scorpius. After all, it meant much more to them than to anyone. "So, when's your mum due?"

Scorpius took a bit to realize what Albus was talking about but eventually he lightened up, "Oh, erm… January. January is the month, I think. We've decided on names too. Virgo if it's a boy and Libra if it's a girl. Erm… why?"

"Because…" Albus grinned, unable to keep his face straight. Scorpius guessed just as Albus said, "My mum is due too. July, I think, because she just got pregnant last month." Scorpius widened his eyes and before they knew it, the two were hugging really tightly. Albus had not hugged Scorpius like that for a long time but Scorpius seemed ecstatic. Albus said just as they broke apart, "January for you, July for us. If everything goes well… they'll start Hogwarts together."

"Then we have a job, don't we?" Scorpius asked with a smile. "Make sure everything does go well."

One could only hope. Scorpius was right. They both had just one more thing to fight for. How Albus hoped his future brother or sister would live to see the first year of Hogwarts.

He settled down in the Common room and read more of Alexis' book. It had become somewhat of a weekly occurrence for him to read through it and he actually found it mildly interesting.

Where The Dark Arts Are Controlled

The Dark Arts are generally more or less controlled to an extent by all countries due to their controversial, drastic, and powerful, uncontrollable nature.

Great Britain is the top country where the Dark Arts have a tighter lid packed on them. However, even there, inconsistencies have existed. The Ministry is not a consistent force and different policies have existed with different Ministers. Back during their first war against the Dark Lord Voldemort, the Dark Arts were allowed under extreme circumstances, however the second war saw a different Minister and the Dark Arts were not as widely used, even against suspects. This creates a conundrum where if the Dark Arts become necessary in an extreme situation, even the most hard-headed witches and wizards have thought twice before using them due to strict punishments awaiting those that practice them.

The Ministry that has the least extreme measures against the Dark Arts is Greece. Due to it being the birth place of Herpo the Foul, the Dark Arts, while socially frowned upon, is not as tightly controlled and their Ministry has faced criticism as they openly even auction objects once belonging to Greek Dark Wizards which usually sell for high prices. Because the social circle of Greece frowns upon the practice and use of the Dark Arts, however, these objects are most of the time sold to bidders from other countries, notably the Malfoy family in Britain or the Wallader family of Germany (prior to migration to Britain, unknown if this is still in practice.) As Britain does not control what bidders buy from other countries, little is done to stop this practice.

Egypt is generally anti-Dark Arts, however their effects are looked on with general interest. While the Egyptian Ministry does in fact tightly control their uses and is frowned upon by society, they openly allow magical tourists into the pyramids where the effects of Dark Curses, particularly the Corpus Curses which mutate the body, can still be seen today. For this reason, Egyptian pyramids are the most visited site of magical tourists in the magical world. However, it is rumored that more gruesome effects of little-known Dark Arts can be seen deeper down in the tombs. This remains unconfirmed due to the level of secrecy and how few people are allowed there to begin with.

Astronomy Tower…

Mors Incommodo stood at the balcony overlooking the grounds. Beside him were Lex, Rojer and Ernie. He was not sure if both were as trustworthy as initially thought but neither gave him reason to doubt them. In fact, Macmillan had given him the details of the DA's secret network and Rojer had confirmed it. It was all abandoned but it was true. All true. It would come in handy when he did ultimately fight the Dumbledore's Army. That was inevitable. Unfortunately, Albus Potter would have to die first. He knew far too much. Once his true colors were shown, the populace knowing his secret would inadvertently reveal his weakness as well. The only reason Potter was not a threat at the moment was because the world still thought Incommodo was on their side. When it became clear he was not, Albus' story would be believed. It was best Albus was not alive to tell that story.

"The plan will go ahead," Rojer said quietly.

"Good, Miss Weasley will be expelled and this time, we will not have interference," Incommodo said.

"May I suggest expelling Mr. Blackberry instead?" Ernie asked humbly.

"No, you may not," Rojer said casually. "Defend the Weasleys all you wish, Weasley is the best one for us to make a statement."

"Blackberry is the son of the Headmaster's enemy, Otto"-

"Who is exiled," Rojer finished. "Therefore, Miss Weasley takes the fall. Anything else?"

Ernie was silent as Rojer turned to the Headmaster, "The rebellious group you told me to keep tabs on has turned up good results." Ernie folded his arms but said nothing as Rojer went on, "The students I know are the ones who fought in Hogsmeade over a year ago. Miss Weasley is one of them."

"Good."

"And they have a backer," Rojer explained. "Lex and Tyro have informed me that these students in particular seem to frequent the hut by the forest quite a lot. In fact, sometimes, they have walked out without even being seen walking in. This suggests to me that they are using some sort of passageway."

Ernie stifled a laugh. Rojer spun to stare at him and Ernie shrugged, "You're being paranoid. Perhaps they have homework there. The ones to frequent that hut are the Scamander twins and we expelled them already. They're the friends, Lycah's hardly popular. Nobody likes her. Why they would post some secret passageway in the hut of an unpopular girl is beyond me. Even they are not that stupid. Lycah is only loved by four in particular. The Scamanders who are both expelled, and kids who, it turns out, are half-siblings of hers. One is underage and another is still in Hogwarts."

"Indeed," Incommodo wisped thoughtfully. "Unless the passageway is posted by somebody other than them. Somebody who does trust her. If the Dumbledore's Army…" He turned, "Upon Weasley's expulsion, I want the hut guarded."

"There is a complication," Lex said slowly. "Whilst talking to Draco earlier about Weasley, a Supersensory Charm picked up the presence of three individuals in the corridor where I met Draco. Potter was said to be out of the Common room that time and the Charm pick up two adults and one minor. A minor who has a trace on him, a trace unknown to the British Ministry. It suggests he was not born here. But a minor nonetheless."

"A minor?" Ernie and Rojer said in unison as Incommodo turned to Lex. That was why Lex was his most trusted.

"A minor," Lex repeated. "Invisible? Suggests Disillusionment Charm or something- something else. A minor cannot do that unless he possesses power."

"Power…"

"Master, I think Hogwarts has something far more than just students," Lex told him. "It's playing host for refugees. Someone is hiding here."

Incommodo was clever enough. He did not think much of it before but Marius had but one son. A son who visited him in his office once, just after the war started. He asked for the boy to leave but Marius refused. Which meant Marius was a traitor. And his son, his American-born son who had a foreign trace on him, was in Hogwarts. What he was doing here, Incommodo would discover. If there were passages, it was time to pay Lycah a visit. And knowing the only four people who liked her, Incommodo knew how to make her talk.

"Expel Miss Weasley, and then, I want Miss Thrope to be brought to me. We'll see if we can't make her talk."

The Great Hall…

Aries stayed true to her promise and did not perform Rune spells during her duel. She floored her opponent in thirteen seconds and made way for the next pair. Once again, Albus found himself facing someone he knew. Eric Wallaby was rather good but he did not seem as into it as he could've been. The most he did was a Stunning spell and seemed unwilling to go further. Albus incarcerated him within a minute of their duel, allowing him to progress as well. It was good because it meant that Albus would progress to the next round but if Aries won her next round and Albus won his, he would end up facing her and he knew he would fail. Albus had managed to take on skilled duelists before but Aries was a whole other league.

Now they entered other rounds, students from other years started facing off with them too. Finally, the pairs were beginning to mingle. The next duel was between Simon and Neil Nott. It was the first time Albus saw Neil since he had cried into his father's shoulder. Albus was not sure but Neil seemed a lot more down than usual and Simon actually beat him in seconds, eliminating him from the tournament. Incommodo looked at the boy with displeasure before having Nott announce the next pair, Alpha and Lily.

"Don't you dare throw it," Lily muttered to him from nearby as they took the stage. It was an interesting duel to say the least because Alpha still held a good natured smile as he dueled with her. He had more mobility than spell work though and found it easier to dodge than to fire. Nonetheless, when he did fire spells at her, they were pretty good and a simple Knock-back Jinx almost knocked her clean off the stage. That was when Lily moved in and fired a massive Bat-bogey Hex and Charmed them to surround him before attacking. It looked like he would lose when they suddenly disappeared and he raised his wand for more. He might've managed to finish her if Lily wasn't quicker. She disarmed him and fired a quick Trip-jinx with his own wand to floor him.

Albus cheered alongside Scorpius for his sister and hugged her tightly. Alpha recovered and took his wand before jumping down too. "Good game, Lily." Lily did not seem to notice as she hugged Hugo next. Hugo hugged her perhaps tighter than ever, holding her really close as if afraid to lose her again.

The next pair to duel was Riley Blackberry and Rose Weasley. This, Albus was interested in seeing. Rose held herself up with dignity as she faced her boyfriend. Riley fired a Fire-ring to surround her the second Nott let sparks from his wand. Riley rushed in just as Rose smartly performed the counter to the fiery rings. Other than them though, Albus was seeing a lull in the duel. Riley was going easy on her. Spells either missed her, or went slowly enough for her to parry.

"Impedimenta!" Rose yelled as the last of Riley's spells settled down.

Riley summoned up the Contego shield which made the spell rebound with double the power. With a quick glance towards the Headmaster, she re-angled it easily but it made for Incommodo instead. The Headmaster blocked it off and raised his own wand. Albus flinched but he only destroyed the wooden part of the table. The crowd held its breath as Incommodo walked over to where Rose was laying. She looked injured but in a minor way. She took a breath as Incommodo reached her area and with his wand forced her up and upright beside him.

Incommodo put a long-fingered yellow hand on her and announced loudly, "The duel is over! Blackberry is claimed the winner and Miss Weasley… is expelled from Hogwarts!"