As soon as they reached the common room, Remus wrote down the word and a brief description of how to get back to the hunchbacked witch. They stored the potions items in the dorm, Remus casting a spell around them to ensure they were secure. As soon as that was done, Remus and James climbed into their respective beds, being extra quiet as they listened to the sounds of snores all around them.

As soon as Michael and William were out of the dorm that morning, Sirius and Peter shook the other two awake. James blinked sleepily at Sirius, waving a hand at him as he tried to snuggle back down under his blanket. Remus was up almost as soon as Peter's hand was on his shoulder, tumbling out of bed to face the other two.

"James," he said, inching towards the other bed. "Come on, James, they want to know about last night!"

James sat bolt upright, his hair a worse mess than usual. He gazed around at them before reaching for his glasses on the bedside table. Once they were on, he climbed out of the bed and stretched, yawning loudly as he did so.

He winked at Remus.

"Sure you want to tell them?" he said. "I mean, it's pretty cool, and I don't think those two deserve to know."

Sirius' eyes widened at the prospect of something cool. He turned straight to Remus.

"Come on, mate, tell us what you saw!"

Remus laughed. "I think you're right, James," he said. "It's like our own little secret, isn't it?"

"Yeah. We should head to breakfast. I'm starving."

Sirius looked wild now, bouncing on his feet as he looked from one to the other. "Aw, come on, this isn't funny! What happened?"

James winked at Remus before he gathered up his clothes and headed to the bathroom. Peter sat on the end of Remus' bed, watching the other boy carefully as Sirius stepped forward.

"You're not really going to keep it quiet, are you?"

"Just tell them," James called through the door. Remus grinned, sat beside Peter and took a deep breath.

He told them everything, Sirius and Peter gasping in all the right places, listening carefully as he told them about the secret tunnel.

"Right to Honeydukes?" Sirius said, shaking his head. "Wow. That's…that's amazing!"

"We can get there and back with no one knowing!" Peter was grinning as he looked from Remus to Sirius. "We should go!"

"Not now," Remus muttered, shaking his head. "Everyone's coming back today. They'll be doing head counts."

James appeared from the bathroom, looking more awake now. "Breakfast?" he suggested, and the others nodded, getting dressed quickly before heading downstairs.

X X X

They had a few hours before the Hogwarts Express dropped the rest of the students off in the village, just a few more hours of the castle being mostly empty.

Just a few more hours of being children.

Dumbledore let out a breath he barely realised he was holding and turned to face those gathered in his office. Professor Harpo stood beside Professor Slughorn. She was shaking, eyes red and bloodshot as she struggled to hold herself together.

The only other person present was a former student. Dumbledore remembered him clearly, as did Slughorn. The boy – Damian Whyte – had been intelligent, hitting the highest marks of his year consistently. He could have been anything he wanted, could have taught any subject at Hogwarts or written books on numerous subjects. There had always been a charm to him that seemed to draw everyone, and he was always willing to help out the younger students, always happy to work that extra mile.

He had been part of Slughorn's group, Dumbledore remembered. Part of that elite group Slughorn liked to nurture, liked to send out in the world to spread their wings and reach his fingers into various pies. And with Whyte, he had chosen well. The boy was only twenty-five, with many years of his career to go, but was already aide to the Minister of Magic. It was unlikely he would reach Minister for decades, but many had their eyes on him and many thought he would undoubtedly reach that position, in time.

Like Millicent Bagnold, another promising young witch in the ministry, Whyte had been in Ravenclaw. Whyte, even at the height of his N.E. , had always been a composed, confident young man. Now he was shaking as he stood between the two professors, wringing his hat in his hands. His face was pale, sweat glistening on every inch of skin.

"You are sure about this?"

He nodded. "They're getting…stronger, sir. Stronger and more…confident."

"Sit down, Whyte," Dumbledore said, trying to keep his voice steady. Whyte lowered himself into the chair Slughorn had pulled forward. "Three of our students? You're sure?"

Whyte's nods were short and quick, head bobbing up and down. "Yes, headmaster. All children of ministry employees."

Dumbledore closed his eyes, lifted his hand and rubbed his thumb and finger across his eyelids. "I think I know which ones." On the outskirts of London, three blocks had been destroyed. As utterly and completely as they had been during the blitz, during the dark days of the Second World War. Yet, somehow, this was worse. They had been targeted, picked out because of how they made a living. He thought of the three students who had lived close together, of the sets of parents, some of which he had taught. Of Rosie William's sweet, smiling face, the spitting image of her father and with the same fascination and love for the Muggle world. He had worked at the Ministry in Muggle Relations, working closely with the Muggle born students who would be attending Hogwarts, helping their parents understand the new world their child was entering. She had been sixteen, in the last year of her O. . A Hufflepuff with a bright future ahead of her.

George Harris had been a Ravenclaw, a Quidditch player and a cheeky student. Charming, with a lot of good friends, in his final year at the school. His mother, Rebecca Harris, had been much the same when she had been at the school. As far as Dumbledore remembered, she had been only a few years below the man who had killed her. She would have known him, too. Rebecca had been in Slughorn's club, along the Slytherin who would cause so much destruction, pain and heartbreak. She had gone to the Ministry as a researcher, working close with medi-witches to try to find counter spells and potions that would ease some of the worst curses that existed.

The last student had been a Slytherin, and according to Whyte had disappeared. They had been unable to find his body but some of the wizards that attended the scene thought that they would eventually stumble upon a body part or two. That house had been the worst hit, the centre of the destruction. They had found traces of Gregory Tock's family, including his younger sister Louise.

Both of his parents had attended Hogwarts. Two years apart, his father a Gryffindor and his mother a Ravenclaw. Both had been Aurors, had met in training and a romance had blossomed.

The boy had been nothing like either parent. Ambition and greed had run through him, though he did have streaks of the bravery and intelligence his parents had shown, there was something else in him, something darker.

Dumbledore's gaze locked on Slughorn. "Do you believe Mister Tock to be dead?"

Slughorn seemed to pale. He fell into the chair beside Whyte. "No. I tried talking to him, Albus. Really tried."

"I know." Dumbledore sighed, looping his fingers together and bowing his head. "One missing and many dead, on the last night of the Christmas holidays. It does not seem to be a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Whyte leant forward, trembling as he tried to keep his gaze focused on Dumbledore. "Sir, the boy is…his body, we'll find it."

Dumbledore lifted his head and fixed his eyes on the young man before him. Innocence was etched in him as the wrinkles were etched in the face of the headmaster, and he felt like he could see it visibly fading. Harpo stepped forward and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing it.

"You will not find Gregory Tock's body," he said. "I am sure he is now with his…master, serving whatever purpose he wants him to serve."

"He was a student!" Whyte said, shaking his head. "A student, here, at Hogwarts…"

"A student who has been growing more and more distant." Slughorn slumped in his chair, holding his hand to his face to hide the faintest trace of tears. "As more and more of them are."

"More of them?" Whyte's jaw was slack, eyes wide as he turned from Dumbledore to Slughorn. "Can't you do something?"

"He has tried," Dumbledore said, sighing as he glanced towards the window. "Merlin knows, we have all tried. But there is a stronger influence out there promising things we cannot. All we can do is watch and reach out when we can." He turned back to look at Whyte. "And let them all know that every student of Hogwarts, past and present, has a home here. Has protection."

Whyte was shaking, shivering, tears brimming over his eyes. "All of us?"

"Yes, Whyte. All of you."

"I'm scared, Professor. The things this…this…thing is doing…"

"He is not a thing. He is a man. You must remember that, Whyte." He leant forward, fixing the younger man with his piercing blue eyes. "You must remember and remind the Minister if he forgets. He is not a thing. He is not immortal or all powerful. He is a man, and men can be defeated. Men can be reasoned with. Do not let yourself fall into the trap of thinking he is a monster."

Whyte stood, so fast that Professor Harpo stumbled backwards. He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.

"I will try to remember that, sir. I need to go back. There are still…investigations taking place."

"Remember what I said, Damian. There is always a place for you here."

A brief smile appeared on the boy's face as he dipped his head. The next words he spoke were so meek, so quiet that Harpo and Slughorn barely heard them. But to Dumbledore they were as loud as drums, reminding him of what he was working for, reminding him of what he was protecting.

"Thank you."

He headed for the fireplace, taking a pinch of floo powder from the plant pot on the mantelpiece. As he went to throw it in, Dumbledore spoke.

"And, Damian, please, call me Albus."

The boy flashed him another small smile, before throwing the powder in and stepping in after it, his voice loudly stating, "The Ministry of Magic."

He disappeared from their sight and Dumbledore let out his breath.

"What are we going to do, Albus?" Professor Harpo asked, reaching to take Slughorn's hand.

"Exactly what I said. We will keep an eye on the students and remind them there are always people in this castle who will protect them. Against anything. In the meantime, I want you to get in touch with your contacts. Anything strange or suspicious, I wish to hear about it."

She nodded.

"Horace, like I said, keep an eye on your students. I have a feeling this school is going to grow very divided in the next few years, and it will be the Slytherin students who suffer the most. You must be there for them."

Slughorn sniffed, lifted his head and gave a curt nod. "Of course. This is really happening, isn't it?"

"We are growing closer and closer to war," Dumbledore said. "But we will protect them. Hogwarts has survived many wars, none have breached its walls. We will keep it that way."

"Albus, there are students in my house I fear are already lost to us."

Dumbledore turned to Harpo. She sighed. "Some of the Slytherin students are very interested in the aspects of the dark arts I do not teach. They claim it is to know what they will fight, but I teach them what they need to know in that area."

"How are the lessons going?" Dumbledore asked. "In general, across the board?"

"The students are interested and keen, for the most part. I'm glad to say some of them have approached me with an interest in careers that will fight the dark arts."

"Keep an eye on any sixth and seventh years that show promise. They will find out sooner or later, and if we can forge a relationship with these students they might be able to help us."

"Albus!" Slughorn gasped. "You are not seriously considering dragging students into this fight, are you?"

"We may have no choice. But I will not put them on the front line." He turned back to Harpo. "Teach them what you can, anything that will help them. All of them. Even the first years."

"I promise, Albus, within a few weeks these students will be able to protect themselves. Maybe not against everything, but they will know enough."

He drummed his fingers on the table, glancing over at the phoenix sitting on his perch. Dumbledore rose slowly, crossing towards the bird and holding his arm out. Fawkes fluttered from perch to arm, and Dumbledore leant his head towards the phoenix.

"You know who I need," he whispered, lifting his arm up. Fawkes flew off and with a flutter of his wings disappeared. Dumbledore turned to the other two. "Go, both of you. The students will know by tonight."

X X X

The atmosphere in the Great Hall was strange. Remus could smell a strange sense on the air. There was the usual excitement that came with the start of a new term and the usual fear from the older students. But there was something else underlying it, focused on the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

Close to the full moon, he could smell emotions. He couldn't always tell what, exactly, he was smelling, especially with so many different people around. But some emotions were stronger than the rest. It tended to be the most extreme emotions, fear and excitement and joy. General happiness or sadness were harder to detect, but Remus thought he could smell hints of the later from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students. And perhaps a bit of confusion, too.

They took their seats, Remus glancing over his shoulder at the Ravenclaws, trying to work out what was going on. It was something to do with the returning students, but beyond that he couldn't tell very much.

The food appeared and everyone dug in. Remus' gaze was drawn to the top table. As he absently picked at his food, he watched the teachers. Dumbledore was eating slowly, taking small bites as he scanned the room. Harpo was shovelling food into her mouth like there was no tomorrow, keeping her head down and concentrating fully on the meal. The others seemed fine, normal, talking as they usually did. Except for Slughorn.

The Potions professor was not touching his food. His gaze was firmly on his house table, a strange, sad look on his face.

Once they were finished eating, Dumbledore stood. The food disappeared as students shifted themselves to better see the headmaster, clearly expecting the usual welcome back speech they got after Christmas.

That expectation was dashed quickly by the look on his face. It was tinged with more sadness than Remus had ever seen, more than he ever thought possible on someone's face.

"As always, I sincerely hope you all had a good Christmas, wherever it was spent."

The beast inside Remus let out a whimper. His correspondence with Marcus Galois had helped him identify the aspects that belonged to the wolf, and close to the full moon, to Remus it felt like there were two parts of him fighting for control. Marcus was helping him with it, but right then it meant Remus could feel the wolf reacting, could feel its fear growing.

"But this year, that message is given even more importance, as the world outside these walls is rapidly changing."

Beside him, Peter was starting to shake. Remus glanced at his friend, to see his eyes fixed on Dumbledore, his fingers curled around a fork, clinging tightly. Remus reached out, took his free hand, and squeezed, trying to tell it was okay without using any words.

"There is a darkness growing in the world and I fear this will not be the last time I address you to tell you of sad news."

It wasn't the first either. James wasn't looking at the headmaster, but instead was staring at the table, his palm flat against it as he took a deep, slow breath. Sirius was staring hard at the Slytherin table. Some of them looked as shocked as the rest of the school, as scared and worried about what Dumbledore was saying. But a few were sitting back and trying to hide their smiles. Remus couldn't help but notice it was the older students who looked almost happy.

Severus Snape's eyes flickered back and forth to the Gryffindor table, and Remus didn't think Sirius would notice that the Slytherin student looked sick.

"Last night, there was an attack on the outskirts of London."

Gasps rose up throughout the hall. Remus turned his head sharply to look at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. The students there were glancing up and down, looking like they were desperately trying to find someone. Two Hufflepuff fifth year girls were clinging tightly onto each other. A boy in Ravenclaw had his head in his hands.

"Three blocks were destroyed. A few escaped and the rescue operation is still continuing, with both the Ministry and Muggle officials involved." He put his hands on the table, as if he could no longer bear to stand. "There were three of our students living in the blocks attacked. Their bodies, and those of their families, have been recovered. I ask that you support each other and give help to those who may need it in these times. The students involved were Rosie Williams, George Harris and Gregory Tock."

A loud sob from the Hufflepuff table. Crying form Ravenclaw. Students turning to each other and holding on, sending comfort up and down the tables. The wolf inside Remus was pacing as fear and sadness and confusion tinged the air. The smells were almost overpowering, the wolf reacting to each. It growled and snapped and Remus began shaking, wrapping his arms around himself as he dipped his head down.

It wanted to escape. It wanted to be let out. It knew there was something out there to be feared and it wanted to either fight it or run, run and never stop. Run and find a new home because there was too much in the castle, too much it did not understand.

"Remus," James whispered, as Dumbledore continued speaking. Remus could no longer hear him, not really, but he picked up on certain words. Protection and united and light. "Remus, are you okay?"

The world swam and his stomach twisted.

"Infirmary," he gasped out, turning his body and scrambling off the bench, running for the doors and ignoring the eyes staring at his back as he went.

A/N: As always, I really appreciate any feedback anyone gives. And a huge thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and added this to their favourites. Really glad to know people are enjoying this story.