"Please, Severus. What can you remember?" Asked Dumbledore to his potions professor. He looked at the man who was placed in a bed in the hospital wing. "Nothing. Nothing, except you asking me to get Harry Potter." Said Severus with a snarl. "We've been over this three times already. I don't remember anything Headmaster. And if I did, you could be sure that I would report it back to you."
Dumbledore nodded, and picked up Snape's wand. "According to the prioti incantatum spell, you used the Killing corse at least once Severus, and the Crusiatus curse to. That tells me that you have been in a battle with someone, and you might have killed someone. If you were not here, then you must have been there. Tell me, what does Pacific Academy look like?"
"For the last time Albus, I DON'T KNOW" Shouted Snape, his voice cracking halfway.
"Headmaster, please. You disrupt my patient. I must insist that you leave now and let him rest." Demanded the head nurse of Hogwarts, Madam Poppy Pomfrey. Dumbledore nodded, and with a slight bow left the hospital wing, where he had questioned Snape for the last three hours.
Making his way up to his office, Dumbledore spotted Minerva McGonagall coming towards him.
Minerva was one of the few witches in the wizarding world, who actually could stand and hold her ground against Dumbledore.
"Minerva." Dumbledore said, as a way of greeting.
"Albus, Good to see you. I've heard that you will be more busy with the school, now that you have been kicked out of the ICW assembly and your place at the Wizengamot under investigation." Dumbledore could only nod. How had Minerva found out?
"Since you will be at Hogwarts now more than ever, I've placed a few papers on your desk that require your attention. Please make sure that you fill them out correctly." Dumbledore looked stupid at Minerva. He, the greatest wizard ever, reduced to paperwork?
"Minerva, as much as I know what it looks like, don't you think you could do those tasks? I mean, you've been doing them since 1971. Surely, you don't need …."
He was cut of from forming any more words.
"No Dumbledore. You have been busy with the ICW and your place at the Wizengamot. That time is now over. Don't you think for a moment that I'm doing it for you. Unlike you and everybody here think, I do have a hobby. I intend to return to my paintings, after my tasks as Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor and Transfigurations Professor are done. Do your job as headmaster for once Albus, You are getting paid for it" And with those words, Minerva started to walk away from him.
Dumbledore looked at the retreating witch. For years, Dumbledore had been getting away with the paperwork that fell on his shoulders, as he had three titels. He was headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. Now, one of those functions fell away, and for the other, he didn't need to do much. Because he had those three titles, Dumbledore had gotten the idea to saddle Minerva with the paperwork of the school. It would also draw her attenton away from the deputy's real task. House point control was the task of every Deputy.
Now he had to do paperwork, and Minera wouldn't accept no from a student for an answer, let alone from him.
Moving again to his office, he saw that every portrait was back where it belonged, and his papers and items were sorted. Bless those little house elves.
He looked next at his desk, and saw that there were only a few scrolls of parchment on the table.
'That doesn't seem so horrible' thought Dumbeldore, as he sat down and took the first scroll.
As he unrolled the scroll, he started to think it was even worse than bad. He was asked to do a full account of every potions ingredient that the school had and a full account of any wands that might be in need for repair. Slamming his head against his desk, he asked a question out loud.
"What did I ever do to deserve this?"
Ginny Weasley sat in her own corner of the Burrow's backyard. It was here that she could practise her own special power. Ginny slowly tapped into her power, and smiled as she produces a small flame. It didn't even hurt anymore. Smiling Ginny threw the flame towards the stones that were scattered there. Her father, after hearing that Ginny was a fire elemental, constructed a small stone paved area where Ginny could practise. And practise she did.
Ginny had grown from a young girl with anger management issus, to the ten year old girl who had a kind and gentle view of life. Ginny fired again one of the small fireballs at the wall, and seeing it explode brought a small smile on her face. How she wished to be able to go to that school, before her mother told those professors that she would go to Hogwarts.
Ahh well... At least she could practise her fireball casting here in the backyard of the Burrow.
Harry Potter was working on his excersize for today. His teacher of PE, Caradoc Samual told him that he needed to be faster, better, harder and stronger than before, if he wanted to survive a second round with a member of Dumbledore's posse. So now Harry was running after professor Samual, who led him through the small forrest that had been build two hundred years ago. Running over fallen trees, jumping over other trees, and swinging on braches, the workout was a challende, but Harry had discovered he loved a challenge. Looking behind him, Harry could see other students folowing them. Although they were older, Harry was the only student who could keep up with Professor Samual.
"Well done, Harry." Said Caradoc, as he and Harry finished as first, with the other students a few second later. Harry smiled, and started to do his cooling down excersize, before he would grab a shouwer. Ever since a group of aurors, hit-wizards and teachers had invaded Hogwarts, while Dumbledore was busy in the ICW, he didn't feel any pain from his scar. The only answer he got, when Harry asked about what they had done, was 'not to worry'. Since Harry trusted his professors, Harry had let it rest. So although he didn't know what had been done, Harry was happy with the outcome.
Entering his room, Harry activated his new radio that he had ordered via owl order. It may have costed three golden coins for permittion to have it, and sixteen sickles to buy it, but it was worth it.
Hearing some good music, Harry started to swing with the rythem of the music, letting the words come over him. After the song ended, and the songs after that started to play, Harry went through a door, and into his private bathroom. At Pacific Academy, every student had his own bedroom, and own bathroom. Harry had heard from older students, that when you were in the double digits, your body started to transform. To reasure the young students, the Professors and Headmistress had made a book about the physical changes. Young boys would be getting taller, getting the feeling that their 'Mister Johnson' would stand at attention when they looked at a girl, and more of those crasy things.
Girls were told by a few of the female professors how their bodies would react. Not only did the professors taught about their periods, they also told them about sexuality. Harry didn't knew why they were told about sexuality, until he asked Evelyn about it. She told him that 'having sex' could be dangerous as someone could be contaminated, and transfer it through sex. If you didn't have sex with and 'protection' you could end up pregnant. Since the wizarding world was a few hundred years later than the muggle world, most wizards hadn't heard of the invention of condoms for 'safe sex'
Harry promised himself that day, that he would not have sex before he was out of the castle.
His promise might have made it, were it not for a few circumstances that would be coming to past in the coming years.
Harry came back from the showers, and dressed in his school clothes. Since last year, the school had agreed to order the students to wear robes with the logo of the school. An picture of a Leviathan, sewn on the robes.
The reason was that several older students, girls mostly, had dressed very openly and that several boys were distracted. Now that all studenst wore the robes with the logo of the school, and a number for their current year, and their last names on the back of the robes, the students were more focust on the class, then on the cleavage of the female students.
Harry dressed in his robes. His were a normal black with a red line running along his neck. His robes were the standard robes, and unlike the other robes he had seen, his didn't need to be sent back to the stores, as they were in line with the regulations.
Walking from the Homestead to the clastle, Harry entered the great hall and looked around. The professors all wore black robes, with each one adding his own colour to the neck. Professor Lupin had chosen for a nightblue line, while Headmistress Summers had a black robe with two golden lines around her neck, signifying her importance. Reaching from his pocket, Harry withdrew a small letter and handed it over to the headmistress.
She undid the string around the letter, and looked at it. She then looked at Harry and nodded. Both her face and Harry's face were filled with sadness.
"Students, your attention please?" Said Alexandra Summers as she stood.
"Tonight,there will be a moment of silence as we'll be mourning the passing of Felix Chainmale, who'se life was ended before it truly began. Felix, as you all know was one of our more charming students and made friends with everyone. The sickness that he was infected with, finally wore him down and he died yesterday at 19.04 hours. Tonight, we will hold a vigil for one of ours."
Harry looked at his own place, he had placed several slices of bread on it, but somehow could not find the strenght to start eating. A song entered the great hall, and all looked up. They saw both Florida and Hedwig singing their song. Harry's tears that he had been holding back fell, as the music of the phoenixes filled his soul with both love, and sadness. Love for the time that he and Felix had spent together, and sadness that he and Felix now never got to see each other again.
Feeling an arm around his shoulder, Harry looked up, and saw Remus smiling with tears in his eyes. Both student and teacher remembered the young boy, whose life was sniffed out by Dragon pox.