Chapter sixteen

Harry, Susan, Neville and Hannah shared a compartment with a blond girl they had seen around Hogwarts, but they had never spoken to her before. They found out her name was Luna Lovegood and she was in Ravenclaw.

They got their usual visit from Malfoy who found out that when he tried to cast a spell it disappeared the moment it left his wand.

'Ah, I see one of the new enchantments have been added to the train as well. I had a feeling the Headmistress was going to work that,' Susan said cheerfully.

'Yeah, so many idiots believe they can get away with hexing people, whether it's on the train or at Hogwarts. It is going to be a shock to most when they find out about all the changes,' Harry said, and like with Susan, he sounded cheerful. They were talking to their friends, ignoring the blond spluttering at the door. With a flick of his wand, Neville slammed the door in Malfoy's face, then the four friends laughed hysterically with Luna smiling at them.

Neville and Hannah had a kiss in the corner of the entrance way before they went to their different house tables. Harry and Susan who were holding hands sat at the Hufflepuff tables. They didn't bother looking at the staff table as most were doing. But they did hear many ask Neville why his grandmother was sitting in the chair that was normally for Dumbledore. Everyone thought McGonagall would be the new head of Hogwarts. They also heard some Slytherin's ask where Snape was and why there were three strange people sitting at the staff table.

When the students had taken their seats, Augusta sent sparks into the air ready to explain the changes happening at Hogwarts.

Harry turned to the staff table, he gasped, 'Susan, damn, get the mirror, but quietly, Call Amelia, tell her we have someone here that is not who he supposed to be, that Moody isn't Moody. I will explain more to Professor Longbottom as soon as the feast is over. But we need to be careful he doesn't realise we know.'

Harry turned a little so he was blocking Susan from being viewed from the staff table, but his eyes remained on the man that he knew must be using polyjuice potion.

'She'll be here in ten minutes, she said to act like nothing is wrong, but she will alert Professor Longbottom,' Susan said as she slipped her mirror back into her pocket, 'Who is it?'

'Let's wait until the food arrives, then I'll explain, but keep your eye on Moody,' Harry waited until Neville looked up and nodded, then pointed to his ring. Neville seemed to understand that Harry's family ring detected something.

Augusta's announcement seemed to get a mixed response apart from the Slytherin's. But most didn't seem to like the fact they had lost Snape. The food appeared then she sat down, Harry, Susan and Hannah dished up some dinner, they had to act naturally.

'Okay, for some reason I can see through polyjuice potion or it's like a metamorph, or even a powerful glamour's. But Moody is not Moody, I can see what he really looks like.'

'He might have been the one who entered you and that's why he keeps following you,' Susan said.

'Yeah, but why, what was he planning?'

'It could be a simple as he's a death eater that wants you dead for killing you-know-who,' Hannah said.

'Maybe, yeah,' Harry didn't feel like eating, but he had to act normally. So he forked some food into his mouth as he glanced around but he mainly kept his eyes on the man that everyone believed was Mad-eye Moody.

'Professor Longbottom nodded towards us, she must have spoken with Aunty.'

'Good, hopefully they won't be long, but maybe we should keep our wands on our laps. It would look too suspicious to have them on the table.'

Susan, Hannah and Harry put their wands on their laps. They wished they could tell Neville, but he was beside some of the other Gryffindor boys. They did notice that Professor Longbottom spoke with Professor Sprout, Professor Ted Tonks and Professor Andromeda Tonks. They figured until she could decide which staff were trustworthy, then she would only trust the ones she knew for a fact would back her up if it was needed.

Halfway through dinner a commotion at the staff table had all the students on their feet. Hannah had ran over to Neville to explain what was going on. Amelia and five aurors came through the door behind the staff table, while another five aurors came in through the main doors. The man believed to be Mad-eye Moody was unconscious and bound before Amelia approached Harry.

'So you can see through enchantments?'

'That, polyjuice or a metamorph, but he's younger, with dark hair, and really thin.'

'He always has his flask Aunty,' Susan said.

'Then I would say polyjuice, we will get him back to the ministry and question him. At least we know why he seemed to pay attention to you Harry.'

'Yeah, but we still don't know why.'

'We will find out.'

Harry and Susan watched as Amelia woke the man up then had two aurors put shackles on him.

'Those a magical suppressant shackles, it literally stops him accessing his magical core,' Susan said.

'Good.'

'He will return and when he does he will kill you Potter. The Dark Lord will return.'

Harry moved out into the aisle, 'You know what, if he does then I will kick his halfblood arse like I've done twice already,' Harry smirked.

'You lie, you will die Potter.'

'Tom Marvolo Riddle, rearrange the letters you get I am Lord Voldemort. His father was a rich, arrogant muggle, his mother a squib, do your homework next time you want to become a pet of some derange psychopath.'

Susan put her arms around Harry and pulled him back. Her aunt and the aurors moved the man away and out of the great hall. When they were gone Susan forced Harry to sit, but she could feel the tension in his body.

'He's gone sweetheart.'

'Yeah, but at least we know part of why he wanted me,' Harry looked at Cedric, 'We think he entered my name, hopefully Amelia can find out what his plans were. Oh, it wasn't the real Mad-eye Moody either,' Harry held up his hand showing his family ring, 'It's enchanted to pick up things, one is to see through polyjuice potion.'

'Do you think it was like what he said, to do with you-know-who?'

'Probably, I mean he's been trying to come back for years. He was a spirit type thing in my first year and possessing Quirrell, maybe he hoped to possess me,' Harry shrugged.

'So he's a spirit, I wonder why?' Cedric asked.

'We do as well,' Susan said but she kept her arm around Harry.

When dinner finished the students went to their house rooms. The staff all headed to Augusta's office so she could explain what was going on and how they found out that Mad-eye Moody was using polyjuice potion. They had Filch search the defence classroom along with the private rooms that Moody was using. He found the real Mad-eye Moody.

Ever since he changed to Hufflepuff, Harry has his first disturbed sleep. It wasn't like his old nightmares or dreams that he used to have years ago. This time it was about Voldemort possessing him. Little did he know that Augusta and Amelia were going through everything in the head's office. They found memory after memory about Voldemort, from the time he was a child, until an adult. After hearing from Barty Crouch Junior they realised they needed to find out exactly how Voldemort managed to survive the night he attacked the Potters.

Amelia had her aurors investigating everything to do with Voldemort and his death eaters, including any place that Voldemort might hide. They found a diary with a hole in the centre, Amelia was going to take it to the unspeakables to find out what the dark magic was she found around the book.

With the following day being Sunday, most people slept in, but Harry had begun to walk around the castle.

'Harry.'

'Hi Hermione.'

'Should you be alone, after what happened last night?'

'Well, he's gone, but Professor Longbottom has the map now. I told her to use it in the hope she can stop all the dangerous things happening in this place,' Harry stopped and looked at his old friend, he hoped they could be friends again, 'Did you know about the marriage contract?'

'I didn't, not until after, Ginny was going off about something being cancelled. I decided to listen to her and Ron, they mentioned how Dumbledore and Mrs Weasley signed one for you and her. I would have told you if I knew, I do not believe in these arrange marriages, especially when it involves children or if one or either of the people involved do not want it. By the time I heard it was cancelled.'

'I believe you, but now you know why I want nothing to do with them. We haven't found out what they wanted out of this marriage, we have speculated.'

'Money, married to the-boy-who-lived, those would be my guess.'

'Yes, I would have to give a sizeable dowry to her family, or it could be my so called reputation. But Susan, Hannah and Neville said it could be to get Mr Weasley on the Wizengamot. I can vote for someone when a position becomes available. So it could be one or even all those reasons as to why they wanted to trap me into a marriage with that…witch. Do you still talk to them?'

'No, they still go on about how unfair Dumbledore has been treated. Ginny is still determined to get you, but she has been warned not to try anything because of who Susan's aunt is. But I like the changes Professor Longbottom mentioned, we could have used those introductory classes.'

'Yeah, Amelia said it was me that gave her the idea. I told her at our first meeting how I felt overwhelmed, I actually was scared when I first got here. I wasn't used to being around so many people.'

'Because of the Dursley's?'

'Mainly them, yeah. But you'll like the idea of taking new classes, there are a few I like the look of as well.'

'I am going to study them and then figure out which will help in a career that might interest me. I am still unsure what I want to do though. What about you, what do you want to be when you grow up, Harry?'

Harry laughed then he hugged Hermione, it felt good to have his friend back. Hopefully now they could be just normal students having normal lives at Hogwarts, instead of manipulation, torture or death.