Chapter 70 – Unwelcome Guests
From the moment he awoke, Harry felt an unsettling chill in his chest that would not leave. For a moment, he thought that it may be a lingering aspect of some nightmare he'd had, but that did not appear to be the case as he carefully got up and the feeling strengthened. Using all willpower he had, the teen approached the only window in the boy's dorms, carefully trying to avoid touching the sliver of soul to peer down over the grounds. Concerned, he gazed down on an odd fog that had rolled in, concealing most of the fresh spring flowers that had popped up after the snow had finally waned.
He knew this feeling from somewhere, this cold tugging at his insides. And yet, he could not completely place it, as if it came from a distorted memory. None of the others seemed to notice anything wrong per se, although they were all a bit tense due to Umbridge's announcement.
That tenseness was reflected by the rest of the student body, with precious few exceptions. Only those firmly on Umbridge's side were trying to talk during breakfast like they normally would, ignoring the others. As much as Harry had wanted to fight it, Umbridge had succeeded in creating a rift between some of them. Parkinson and her friends sneered down on others with contempt. Over on the Ravenclaw tale, Cho's former friend Marietta looked rather pleased as well. After the girl had ratted Harry out and basically killed any chance of throwing out Umbridge early on, the friendship between her and Cho had slowly watered down, especially after the D.A. had formed. Marietta had of course not been invited to join or even received any information about its creation. Harry got the feeling that she now tried to justify her own actions by pretending she'd been in the right all along.
Many of the teachers looked even more worried than most of the students, though they all showed it in different ways. Snape for once did not glare around in contempt, eyes fixed on his food. McGonagall constantly made odd grimaces and was uncharacteristically fidgety. Trelawney looked about ready to faint.
And Dumbledore… was absent, just like Umbridge.
''What do you think is going on?'' Ron asked quietly. ''I thought Umbridge claimed that some people would be invited to Hogwarts. Think Dumbledore is chewing them out about rules to adhere to or so?''
''I doubt Professor Dumbledore has much say in this moment,'' Hermione whispered back in concern. ''He's the Headmaster, but if Umbridge got permission from the Minister of Magic to install some sort of task force, he can't simply refuse. She can overrule him with Decrees, and it sounded to me as if she got a new one through. Did you not see how angered Dumbledore was by her speech on Saturday?''
''You're right,'' Harry commented, poking at his food, shoving it around on his plate as he was not feeling hungry. If only this alien feeling would pass… ''He's not in control anymore.''
The doors slammed open unexpectantly with a loud banging noise that echoed through the Great Hall. Harry, alongside the rest of the Gryffindor table, jumped at the ruckus. Warily, he watched at Umbridge stalked in with a triumphant smile. Behind her, Dumbledore emerged, looking more furious than Harry had ever seen him.
''I will NOT allow this, Dolores!'' he shouted. ''I told Fudge two years ago, and I am telling you now that I will never allow these creatures inside of my school's walls!''
Umbridge halted in the middle of the hallway, took a deep breath and turned around, holding up a piece of paper. ''Are you obstructing my Decree?'' she asked sweetly. ''For it sounds like that, Headmaster. I can assure you that the Minister's signature on this parchment negates any say you have in the matter of our new security. Here it stands black on white: Decree number twenty-eight allows a task-force of three Aurors to investigate my capability on Hogwarts' grounds, aided by thirty-five Dementors to ease the procedures and punish those who obstruct the investigation. So you see that I am already very lenient in not calling them here right now,'' she threatened, still a sickening smile on her face.
As Harry's brain caught up with her words, he froze entirely. Images, memories of dead hands and rattling breath distorted his mind. Hundreds of shadowy shapes lighting up in the middle of a storm, even more descending down on him and Sirius… the screams of dying his parents. Harry swallowed heavily and stilled his hands, which had started to tremble. No, he should not show fear. He had no reason to fear them anymore. The Patronus charm was as familiar to him as the easiest first-year spells by now.
Behind Dumbledore, Harry could see figures - human figures, maybe the Aurors she'd mentioned. For someone supposedly being investigated, Umbridge appeared very put-together. She raised a hand and waved one of the people in. ''Dawlish, I apologise that your team had to witness this argument in front of all of our dear students. You can see what I have to deal with,'' she sighed dramatically. ''Is it any wonder that there is misinformation and discontent?''
''No Ma'am,'' Dawlish dutifully replied, walking in. He looked to be a bit tired, had greying hair and wore beige robes that were cut in a strange style that reminded Harry of a Muggle trench coat despite the material being entirely off. The man cast Dumbledore an uncertain look, then squared his shoulders. ''My task force and I will get to the bottom of this to see if Ministry regulations are being upheld. On either end,'' he neutrally said, eyes wandering through the hallway. ''We are not here to intrude upon your privacy,'' he spoke a tad louder now. ''However, we have to do everything in our power to investigate the claims that have been reported. If anyone has plausible information that could help, seek me or one of my colleagues out. Do not worry about your daily life or the presence of our guards. Whoever is on the right side of the law has nothing to fear. I will leave it to the Senior Undersecretary to explain the details.'' He gave Dumbledore a curt nod, before turning around and walking back out of the hall. The doors fell close behind him.
Deafening silence descended upon them. Everyone was left staring at Dumbledore and Umbridge, who were still facing each other. The Headmaster had slightly composed himself again, simply looking grim now. ''You may have your way this time, Dolores, but do not forget just why your people are here in the first place. I trust that some will actually do their job.''
''As will I,'' she answered, still in a deeply satisfied tone.
Harry could barely believe it, even as the day progressed and they were confronted with the new changes. In a scarily underhanded move, Umbridge had managed to turn the damning article in the Daily Prophet in her favour. All three Aurors – Dawlish plus two men called Savage and Williamson, – appeared more suspicious of the students and other teachers than of the pink witch. Dawlish personally stood in the back of Umbridge's classroom during Defence, quietly making notes as she 'taught' by making them read more theory and quizzed them on it. Afterwards, the man approached several students to ask generalised questions. Harry was not addressed personally, so instead took his time packing up to listen in on the conversation.
''So would you say that this was a regular lesson, Ms Brown?''
''Well, yes,'' Lavender nervously replied. ''Ever since Professor Umbridge arrived here, we've only been taught theory of Defence. I'm not certain how to pass my practical part of the O.W.L. exam like that.''
Dawlish frowned and jotted down a few scribbles. ''We heard that last year's practical lessons went so far as to practise Unforgivables on students,'' he mentioned calmly. ''And the year before that, there were a couple of injuries from dangerous creatures brought onto the grounds of Hogwarts. That was even before it turned out that the actual teacher was a dark creature himself. Would you not agree that this method is safer? According to the Minister of Magic, a solid foundation of theory should be enough to pass your exams.''
''Does that mean there won't be a practical exam part then?'' Parvati jumped in. ''Surely, you have gone to Hogwarts as well and remember your exam times. Was there ever a spell you could cast on the first try after reading about it?'' Harry had to commend the girl for managing to adjust her tone so that the question sounded more interested than accusing.
''This is not about me,'' the Auror replied quickly, frowning again. ''Ms Brown, what would you say the regular causes for getting punished by professor Umbridge are? Not for you personally, but regarding everyone?''
Lavender fidgeted, throwing a desperate look at her best friend. Unwillingly, she spoke: ''Talking without raising one's hand, not following a direct command, going against any of the Decrees…''
''To summarise, breaking school rules?'' the man sighed, seeming to grow a bit impatient now.
''Not exactly. Or well, yes, but-''
''I've heard enough here,'' Dawlish interrupted. ''I thank you for your… valuable insight in this class.''
Harry swung his bag over his shoulder and hurried out of the door before the Auror did. Inside, he was fuming. The way these questions were worded was entirely unfair. Sure, Umbridge punished students for not following rules, but the problem was that they were usually her own stupid rules that she made up on a whim when something she did not like had happened. It did not justify the existence of said rules at all. The Decrees were all a sham to enable Umbridge to control every aspect of their lives and de-weaponize students due to Fudge's fear of the next generation revolting against him. As feared, these Aurors followed the same agenda. Was it a conscious choice that neither Kingsley nor Tonks had been picked?
Also, what was up with sending Dementors here? He'd slightly understood the deployment of the creatures when Sirius had broken out of prison and everyone thought a murderer was on the loose. Now though? Surely, they could not actually help with any investigations. It looked like that was a convenient excuse to get them into the castle, under Ministry command. An open rebellion would be significantly harder with Aurors and Dementors prowling the castle, even with only thirty-five instead of the hundreds that had 'guarded' Hogwarts before. Umbridge had said something about them enforcing a 'good and focused learning environment' in which rebellion would be stamped into the ground before being acted out. Surely, that could not be the purpose the Aurors had been told to bring them in for though, the Ministry could not be that corrupt yet. Although he didn't like any of the three, he tried to hang onto the single shred of hope left that they really did try to do their job and actually performed an honest investigation, no matter how lousy.
The only positive outcome from the running investigation was that detentions had become only that again, simple detentions where one truly had to write lines. It was Fred who made this discovery after talking back to the toad during class. The prepared murtlap tentacle essence had not been necessary at all as he'd come back with entirely clean, whole hands. Even Umbridge knew where to draw her own lines. They weren't fools however. This was only temporary. As soon as Umbridge was not in the spotlight anymore, she'd resume her ploys with full force.
Harry slowly felt as if he was going insane from all the pressure if he was being honest. Somehow, new stress factors kept piling up in a shockingly fast pace. Just in the past two days, there'd been two new sources: Dementors and Parkinson's threat. As the guards of Azkaban weren't out for him personally at least, he'd have to concentrate on what to do with the Slytherin Prefect first. There were lots of options, from using older students in her year to threaten her into silence to erasing her memory. None of those would be easy to pull off quietly though, and many would involve other people or risk getting caught at places he had no business being. The most frustrating part was that the Easter holidays were less than four weeks away. The Parkinsons were sure to be invited to the next ball, and he was certain that she wouldn't dare move a muscle anymore when the Dark Lord himself would threaten his people into remaining silent towards the Ministry. He could not risk waiting until the holidays though. She'd never have revealed anything if she would not be sure of being able to break the secrecy spells soon. He silently thanked her bragging nature. If the girl would have gone to Umbridge quietly, massive damage could have been done. Over the course of the next week, Harry tried to draft up a solid plan to negate Parkinson's threat. He wasn't an expert in erasing memories, but he knew the spell at least. The hardest challenge would be to get her somewhere without witnesses.
In the meantime, it became even clearer that these Ministry employees were more here for Umbridge's benefit than anything else. Instead of treating her with suspicion, they had meetings behind closed doors with the witch. Students who were brave enough to approach them to show old scars got merely concerned looks and a few stern words about how trying to destroy a person's career was harmful and illegal. Through the rumour mill, they heard that Madam Pomfrey had allegedly been dismissed after trying to voice her concerns. Not wanting to stick out after the incident with his arm, Harry didn't dare venture into the Hospital wing by himself to ask her about it personally. If anyone would see them speaking and report it, Umbridge might get on his tail again…
Harry had tried to decide whom of the three Aurors he liked least, but in the end came to a tie. They were all cut from the same cloth: passive, loyal to the Ministry and unwilling to accept critique. Savage usually patrolled the outer grounds with a flock of Dementors to 'watch for dangerous creatures', which mostly just upset Hagrid, and Williamson had tea with various teachers after class hours to get their opinions. The Hogwarts High Inquisitor still strutted around head held high. She was barely more pleasant than usual, not even trying to hide her disdain for the 'pesky rule breakers who had lied to the Prophet for attention'.
Unable to let all of it pass over his head, Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak on Friday after class and headed down to Umbridge's office, waiting impatiently for over an hour until his calves had cramped up completely. Finally, he was rewarded by the arrival of Williamson, who let the door fall close behind him slowly enough for Harry to slip through with only a minimal blocking of the door.
''Ma'am,'' the Auror spoke, giving a short bow. ''It looks like this investigation is heading to a quick end on the part of those ludicrous accusations against you.''
''As it should,'' she curtly spoke. ''I still cannot believe that our national newspaper is allowed to print such baseless nonsense. This is exactly why a ban in Hogwarts was necessary. Children are so easily influenced. From the first day I was granted my position here, I have done my best to follow the Minister's every wish, setting these children, and most importantly the staff, straight. It would be very unfortunate if my efforts would be halted. I already had to slow down some of my decisions due to resistance.''
''Oh?'' the Auror inquired, looking curious.
''As you may know from my reports, two teachers here are absolutely inadequate,'' she huffed. ''If Sybill Trelawney has the Inner Eye, then I am a Unicorn. Her lessons are unstructured, and she does not care about the progress of any of her students apart from those that show a smidge of what she thinks is the gift of seeing. I have seen the homework she accepts back, most of it obviously made up. There is no discipline, no fixed curriculum, and she does not even know what she is talking about. Did you know that Sybill has a reputation of predicting the death of a student each year? It became a running joke, one that I do not find amusing in the slightest. Predicting something so morbid is one thing, it's another when it is continuously proven incorrect.''
Williamson grunted. ''Makes you wonder why she was hired in the first place.''
The short woman shook her head fervently, pacing up and down in her own office. ''That is in the past. What interest me is why Dumbledore makes it so difficult to let her go now. I've talked to him about it on multiple occasions, he simply refused. I've had to go to Cornelius personally to get an order of dismissal for her.''
Despite knowing that Trelawney had been in for a sacking for a while, it still shocked Harry that Umbridge already had a dismissal ready and was simply waiting for the best moment to play it. The air-headed Professor was not his favourite teacher by any means. Hell, during other years, he'd wished for her to be fired many times, but knowing of two true prophecies she'd made had changed his perspective a bit. He could understand that Dumbledore would want to keep an eye on a Seer who made prophecies about life-changing events yet could not remember them. One thing that concerned him even more was that she had mentioned two teachers, with Hagrid definitely being the other one. Did this mean that she also already had an order ready for him? Now that would be devastating.
''I've been trying to find an adequate replacement, but with everything going on, I find it important for some stability to settle in before dismissing a member of staff. I cannot have Dumbledore use this as ammunition against me, as if I planned this.'' She waved her hands around frantically in irritation. ''When taking this job, I never knew how uncooperative everyone would be. There's been so much opposition.''
''That only proves how necessary it was for the Ministry to finally set regulations in place,'' the other replied.
Suck-up, Harry thought.
''You understand me. I'm thankful that Cornelius sent me some capable people. I'd have hated to have that... that rainbow freak here.'' Williamson shifted uncomfortably at the insult aimed towards his colleague. Harry could only guess that she was talking about Tonks. Great, so in addition to non-humans and those of mixed heritage, she also disliked people with special abilities like Metamorphmagi? Maybe Harry should one day try to answer a question in Parseltongue during class, see how well that would go over.
''What are the next steps for you now that you've proven the falsity of those claims against me?'' Umbridge sharply asked.
''We received the order to stay at Hogwarts for the rest of term. As it is clear that the problem does not lie on your side, we will have to find new ways to make ourselves useful in these coming three weeks. You know that the Minister is concerned about quite a few issues in this castle…''
Umbridge hummed and pulled out a bottle from one of her cupboards. In silence, she poured Williamson a glass and handed it to him. ''I'm sure the rest of your stay will be… most productive. It was a wise move from Cornelius to already send Dementors to accompany you.''
The Auror took a swig and answered: ''I heard that one of his advisors recommended it.''
''Yes…'' the woman spoke, raising her glass with a smile. ''I heard so too.''
''She is behind her own investigation?''
''Trelawney will be fired soon?''
''They're here to stay?''
Harry raised his hands to mute the cacophony of voices in the Room of Requirement. It was even harder now to make himself heard as their numbers had risen. Understandably, every single D.A. member was outraged. Even the newer members did not stand out in this regard. Pushing his own fury aside, Harry tried to appear as calm as he possibly could in front of his students. Everyone here relied on him to keep his cool and tell them what to do, getting just as angry would likely backfire.
''We had expected her to pull something extreme. Someone who finds torture an appropriate response for talking back is not to be reasoned with. All the better that we are here, sticking together. Now, I had not actually planned to teach our newest allies everything we've done up to this point, but considering the current situation, I find it important to at least revise the Patronus charm again. Has any of you come into contact with any of the Dementors so far?'' Although Dumbledore apparently had so much influence left that they stayed outside most of the time, there had been a couple of occasions where a single Dementor had been given explicit permission by Umbridge to 'aid the Aurors'. Coincidentally, no-one had a clue what that actually meant. Knowing now that it was most likely her who'd persuaded Fudge to send the creatures in the first place did not ease Harry's mind at all.
A couple of hands raised, including one of a shaky Neville. ''I was helping Professor Sprout after class with handling some wrangling weeds. As soon as I stepped out of the greenhouses, one blocked my way. It looked…'' the boy paled further, ''It really looked as if it was going to suck out my soul just for being outside. I could… I could hear voices and-'' He broke off. Hermione carefully patted Neville's shoulder. ''I knew that I could probably hold it off with a Patronus, but I didn't know if it wouldn't make matters worse if we attack them. In the end, I made a run for it.'' Neville shivered.
Harry took a second to think about how to respond. ''It's a delicate matter, but it won't hurt to be prepared. As Professor Dumbledore said two years ago: Dementors do not know forgiveness, and they personally don't differentiate between those they're set out to hunt and those who block their way. If you aren't certain whether you can defend yourself without punishment, remember this: as horrible as the feeling of a Dementor even being close to you is, they can only do permanent damage with a Kiss. For that, they will lower their hood. The moment they try to do so, feel free to shoot them in the face and call it self-defence.''
''It sounds as if you've been Kissed before,'' he heard Luna's dreamy voice. ''What was it like?''
A few people snickered at her, but Harry was not one of them. ''I nearly was,'' he answered honestly. ''Dumbledore was not joking when saying Dementors don't care who they attack. I tried to…. to hinder them from doing something they wanted. Hindered them from stealing the soul of an innocent man. They turned on me. I had the slimy hands of a Dementor around my throat and got to see what lay under that hood, a horrid sight that I will never forget in my life. If I hadn't been saved right in that moment, I wouldn't be standing here.'' He tried not to recall that event right now, but it was impossible. The blind face of the Dementor with scabs in place of eyes and that horrible hollow mouth was one of his most awful memories.
Dean broke the awkward silence that followed with an awed whistle. ''Whenever I think I know all of your stories, you just add onto it,'' he said, clapping slowly. ''Respect.''
''I just want all of you to be aware of the danger. Aurors we could maybe deal with as they can be reasoned with, but this? It's madness that they are trying to bring Dementors here again after the fiasco of last time.''
''I'm surprised that they are,'' Hermione spoke up. ''Back then, the Minister admitted to Professor Dumbledore's face that it had been a mistake. Said they were 'completely out of control' and that the next time Hogwarts would need guarding, they might try dragons instead. Has he completely gone mad to try again?''
Harry had to laugh bitterly at her words. ''Mione, you've heard Fudge speak a couple of times. He's the type to backpedal whenever it suits him and adopt a completely different opinion as long as it is suggested by someone he likes. I mean, just take one look at the Triwizard Tournament! That was planned over summer, meaning that literally a few weeks after he was so horrified over dangerous creatures attacking students, he agreed to - guess what - let dangerous creatures attack students for entertainment purposes. Also, he and Dumbledore do not see eye to eye anymore at all. He's grown so paranoid that I think all reason has left his tiny brain. If Umbridge told him that she needs Dementors, he'll send her Dementors no questions asked. He has.''
''But it won't be for much longer, right?'' Susan asked. ''You said that Auror Williamson spoke about the rest of term. Easter holidays start in three weeks.''
''In the best case scenario, that is true. However, if Umbridge is responsible for getting Dementors here, I doubt she'll easily let them go back to guarding Azkaban,'' he predicted. ''We have to expect their prolonged presence.''
''What do you suggest we do?'' Roger Davies asked. Harry still wasn't really sure whether to drop the surname already like with all other members. They'd all kind of agreed to be on first-name base here after a while, but that had not included their later additions yet. Harry would just try to see how long he could avoid addressing Davies or any of the others by name.
''Good point,'' he replied. ''We need a plan. Good thing is that we have more information than before: we know that they'll leave at the end of this term for starters. Up until that moment, we can be fairly sure that she won't do anything too illegal, at least not openly. On the downside, we'll have three trained people who try to watch the moves of everyone in this castle, plus a horde of Dementors. This limits our manoeuvrability. As of now, they are mostly on the grounds, but when Umbridge gets officially cleared and the Aurors instead turn their scrutinising gazes on the staff and student body, the Dementors might also start patrolling the corridors. It's certainly a possibility we have to be prepared for.
I suggest that we focus on trying to scout for other people without actively recruiting them for now, while reducing our actual meet-ups and group sizes. Over forty people of various houses sneaking up to the seventh floor so often was already risky when only Umbridge and Filch were actively searching for wrongdoers. Adding Aurors and Dementors to the mix, it's just asking for trouble. I suggest that we form two groups, whom I'll alternate teaching. That way, we reduce our chances to get caught by half. Thankfully, most of us have a genuine reason for being on the seventh floor to get to our common rooms, but for the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins it is especially suspicious to be seen on the higher floors when classes are over. Considering how many members of each house we have, I suggest to form one group with Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and another with Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Like this, we also will never be seen together as a united front of four houses if anyone were to discover our location.''
The idea was met with murmurs of agreement. Then, Cedric stepped forward. ''While I approve with this in general, I wonder if the threat of being seen would not be reduced even more if we found a second location, perhaps closer to the other common rooms. Us Hufflepuffs could train with the Slytherins instead, somewhere in the dungeons or the first floor perhaps,'' he suggested.
Harry wasn't entirely sold. ''The point of using this room is that it is undetectable from the outside if you don't know how to get in. Many are not even aware of that its existence. Plus, it adapts to our needs perfectly. We can't simply pick an empty classroom or dungeon.''
''What about Broc Abode?''
Resolutely, Harry shook his head. ''Not unless we want to alert all other Hufflepuffs that there are secret meetings going on. It's basically used as a second common room, right? Even if you kick other people out to host a private event, people will talk and rumours will spread. We can't use that. Imagine what could happen if Zacharius Smith gets wind of it. I think he's still sour about having to leave. Thank Merlin that 'Mione's silencing spells are top-notch.''
''How about the Chamber of Secrets?'' someone else called out. Harry had to repress a sigh, glaring at Draco, who continued with: ''Salazar Slytherin built it for a reason. Not using it would be a waste. Everyone has heard you know where it is, that you've been there.'' It didn't seem like everyone had known this fact. Some of the second- and third-year students looked at Harry with wide eyes.
''That place is in shambles,'' he harshly replied. ''The tunnel has a collapsed roof, there's a rotting Basilisk corpse down there and the entrance is in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Do you want to have a prying, wailing ghost around each time over a dozen people try to go down there? Because I don't. You'd also all have to wait in that cramped space until I get there, because none of you can open the entrance.''
''Can't you just tell us the password?'' Melis asked curiously.
~I could not~ he replied, earning more wide-eyed looks and a bit of uncomfortable shuffling. Hermione threw him a look that said he'd gone too far. Right, only those who'd been at Hogwarts during Harry's second year had known about his Parseltongue ability. Without commenting on it, he continued: ''I'm open for suggestions on a better practise location for the ones not living in the towers of Hogwarts, but I'm very critical regarding security. For now, we remain in here, in smaller groups. And I'm sorry, but we'll have to cut down on how much time we spend in here as well. If these Aurors are going to have questioning rounds more often, it'll be suspicious for about twenty-five people to go missing at once for an entire evening regularly. As we'll be with less people, we won't need to wait as long for everyone to arrive, so some of the regular study and homework time will have to get skipped in favour of Defence practise.''
''Makes sense,'' Ginny chimed in before anyone could protest. ''That's the point of our army, isn't it? To fight?'' Her face was determined, and Harry had the odd feeling that in another life, Ginny and he maybe could have gotten a lot closer than they were now.
''It looks more and more like we'll have to in the end,'' he admitted.
The reactions varied. Cedric didn't look very pleased. He'd always been vocal about seeing this as a study group most of all. It didn't shock Harry at all that those who appeared to agree most with Ginny's statement were his own house-mates and - to a lesser degree – the Slytherins. That having been said, Harry was on the fence about it. Their original purpose had been to educate themselves to at least have some adequate knowledge and practise, both for their exams and in the real world. More and more though, he grew comfortable with the idea of that if they'd have to resort to violence to keep the student body safe, they'd have the means to do so. Maybe they'd really grown into an army.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke: ''However we see ourselves is not important. It only matters what we can do. If things keep quiet or our teachers handle Umbridge, fine by me, then we'll stick to doing what we have before. But if she lays a single hand on any of you again, we can't sit quietly any longer. Nothing appears to faze her, and she digs her claws deeper into this castle every day. Now, we cannot even count on the people sent specifically to investigate her, to have our best interests at heart. The only thing we can do is to rely on each other in difficult times. I implore all of you to contact other members if she crosses a line again. Then, we'll stick our heads together about it. For now, let's practise on how to combat Dementors,'' he resolutely ended, waving his wand and casting the Patronus charm. The silver stag burst forth and galloped through the room under loud cheering.
To already get everyone used to the new changes, he shortened the lesson by quite a bit. It helped that most of them had managed to cast a Patronus before already and tried to give the others tips. By the end, none of their newest members had been able to produce more than some vague silver mist, but Harry encouraged them, telling of his own disastrous first attempts.
Before everyone could leave, Harry suddenly got an idea and went to someone he hadn't spoken to in a while. ''Draco!'' he called out. The Slytherin raised an eyebrow and waved Astoria off, who'd tried to catch his attention.
Almost automatically, Draco walked off to a quieter corner and cast a privacy barrier. ''Scarhead, what's the matter? Still onto the ludicrous idea of invading my family?'' he sneered.
''Ask your parents to withdraw if you have a problem with it,'' Harry snapped back. ''You know that no-one is really asking for my opinion on this matter, yeah?''
''Doesn't mean I have to like it,'' the blond grumbled. Draco carded a hand through his hair, face softening slightly. ''That being said, it'll be an interesting change for sure. With the contacts you have, I wonder…'' he trailed off.
''Wonder what?''
The answer came with a flashing smile: ''How much I can profit, of course. Father does what he can, but by now I know that I won't automatically get a good position due to my parents. I've thought a lot about out last conversation. Umbridge makes outside contacts rather difficult of course, but I could use the last Hogsmeade visit to meet some people and let a couple of galleons sing. Using your intel, I have started to financially support causes that I wouldn't have thought of before. Best to act quickly, before it becomes known in wider circles what the Dark Lord's goals are and whom he works together with. If everyone tries to jump on the flying carpet at once in a couple of weeks, I'll already have a head start. So what I'm saying is, thank you, I suppose. Which reminds me…''
Harry watched with curiosity as Draco flipped open his school bag and withdrew a stack of envelopes, picking one out after quickly checking them. ''What is this?'' he asked. The envelope was addressed to Draco. In the corner, a small Malfoy seal was stamped in blue. Underneath that, he could vaguely make out a scribbled 'H'.
''Usually, my parents send invitations to events personally, but with the added post security, they decided to address all of them to me instead and send them in a wider time span. Since Professor Snape managed to be on speaking terms with Umbridge, she does not check the Slytherin post as thoroughly, certainly not from well-off families. Letters from my own parents should all get through without being opened first,'' Draco boasted. Usually, Harry would have given a snippy reply about pureblood preference, but he was too confused to think about that. Opening the envelope, he revealed a gold-rimmed card. It was an invitation to the Ostara ball, with his name prominent in the middle. ''You won't need an invitation at all if this guardianship matter is resolved beforehand, naturally, but my parents wanted to be certain you were properly invited just in case. I'm not sorry to say that your godfather is still banned, hence why only your name is on there this time.''
''But I already have an invitation,'' Harry merely replied with a frown.
Draco's proud demeanour was broken as he pulled a confused face. ''What? That can't be. Only very few people got an invitation early on. You sure no-one tried to prank you with a fake card?''
The idea of the Dark Lord trying to pull a prank on anyone was so hilarious that he almost straight up burst out in laughter. It was well possible that there'd been some sort of mistake though. The invitation he'd received didn't quite look like this one, after all. Instead of answering, he dug in his bag and pulled the card out. It felt much safer carrying it around than leaving it in his dorm where other people could freely waltz in and rummage through his things if they really wanted to. Upon presenting it to Draco, two pale eyebrows almost disappeared into the Slytherin's hairline. ''Okay, I hadn't expected that,'' he said, whistling when looking the card over. ''Got lucky, huh?''
''What do you mean?'' Harry asked in confusion. His name was called from the other side of the room, where Ron and Hermione were apparently still waiting for him. Damn it, he hadn't even asked Draco what he actually wanted to…
The other gave him a piercing stare for a couple of second, then slowly spoke: ''You have no idea what this is, do you?'' To Harry's silence, Draco gave the evillest smirk. ''Oh, that's rich. Out of curiosity… who gave this to you?''
Harry didn't trust that tone one little bit. He debated for a moment whether his need to figure out what Draco was on about was really that strong. After a few seconds of considering it, he decided that it was not. There were far more pressing matters at hand than this mysterious invitation. Besides, telling Draco too much about his personal life had burned him more than once. He could always try harder to reach Barty and ask him about it. The Death Eater would surely know as well. He snatched the card away again and put both the silver and gold one in his bag. ''It doesn't matter. My friends are clearly waiting and I haven't even gotten to the point yet. I didn't pull you aside to talk about my possible future with your family at all. Both of us have a different problem: Parkinson.'' Draco looked only slightly disappointed about not getting more info on the previous topic. Harry further clarified: ''Last Easter, both my godfather and I were invited to your home. As well as Parkinson.''
''I don't see your problem. This was almost a year ago. Pansy may not like you, but she wouldn't betray family. Plus, my parents are incredibly apt in secrecy spells, visitors can only reveal details of such parties to the other people who were present.''
''That's what I thought as well before. It looks like her hatred for me rose above family values after I attacked her in the common room. She recently approached me, boasting about that ever since, she'd been trying to find a workaround to your parents' spells. Sirius is still a wanted criminal, Umbridge could expel me if a witness tells her I have contact with him. It probably doesn't help that I tried to tell Fudge that Sirius was innocent before. In either case, I don't want news of my connection to Sirius getting out and I'm sure that it would be bad for you if your home's security is breached. If Parkinson truly figures it out, then your parents will have to re-do their entire safety network as I'm sure she'll blab to others.''
Draco growled low under his breath. ''Hadn't expected Pansy to pull something like this on her own family, but what you are saying makes sense. We have to stop this before it goes out of hand. Any plans?''
''The most realistic idea I can come up with is erasing her memory. I've never personally cast that spell though, and I could use someone to be on the lookout. Or to lure her to a quiet spot.''
The other folded his arms and clacked his tongue. ''That plan is full of holes. You can't seriously expect to pull off an Obliviate on the first try. That's pretty advanced magic. N.E.W.T. level! It requires a great amount of training, which we won't have time for!''
''Have a better idea?''
''Scaring her would work much better,'' Draco decided with a grim look. ''Make sure she knows that she wouldn't win a confrontation. That the consequences of her running to Umbridge would not be worth the satisfaction she'd get over getting you in trouble. She's scared of the dark, did you know that? When I got that detention to go into the Forbidden Forest, she confessed that that would be the absolute worst punishment anyone could ever give her.''
''I'm surprised that she admitted that openly,'' Harry wondered.
''We were eleven and not well-versed yet in what it meant to be a Slytherin. As my cousin, she trusted me a lot. We used to be rather close before this year. It is… difficult to see all the mistakes she's making. But if she won't listen to reason and runs head-first into trouble like a charging Erumpent, we have to take some drastic measures for her own good.''
''If you wanted to prevent her from making mistakes, why did you not tell her about the Dark Lord? You told some of your other friends.''
The blond shrugged one shoulder. ''That is not entirely correct. After Rosier revealed publicly that the Dark Lord returned, several of my house-mates looked to me for answers. I hinted at there being some truth in it, which also Pansy surely picked up on. Apart from Pucey and Warrington though, I didn't speak of your personal connection to him. Quite a few students of course made a connection themselves with you being invited to the Slytherin common room and practising dark magic openly… But having such a juicy piece of gossip, backed up with me as a reliable source, would not have been something that Pansy could have kept a secret. If I'd have told Pansy that, the entire school would know that you support the Dark Lord by next morning.''
''Oh, so gossiping runs in the family then?'' Harry replied, getting a stink-eye. ''Let's hope it's not contagious.''
''You're one to talk. I heard it from you.'' They glared at each other for a few seconds until Draco broke the silence again. ''Back to Pansy, my suggestion is as follows: I try to lure her outside after dinner on the premise of wanting to talk about something private. We may not be close anymore, but I know how to make her curious. You'll be waiting somewhere nearby. As soon as we're out of sight of the castle, I stun her and we both take her to the forest. As it's dark early and most people have better things to do right after dinner than staring out of the window, that shouldn't be too difficult to pull off. We carry her a bit into the forest and give her a good scare. Not too far in,'' he hurried to say. ''I don't actually want to come across any dangerous creatures, but we can pretend that it's the middle of the forest.''
Although Harry was admittedly impressed by how quickly Draco had formed a new plan, he was doubtful of how successful it would be. ''And then what, curse her?'' he asked. ''Sounds like she'd just instantly use that against us afterwards.''
''She's already aware that something's going on and that you're not the light hero most believe, else I'd have never invited you to the start-of-year party. However, she's been blinded by anger at her hurt pride and needs to be made aware of that neither of us is to be toyed with. I also do not appreciate how Pansy has made me lose some of my standing in Slytherin as she keeps accusing me of sticking by Gryffindors. Leave the talking to me. Threatening with the consequences of family relationships breaking down will be a good start. Afterwards, you can maybe demonstrate some flashy dark magic. Curses may be too drastic at the start, we'll have to see how quickly she cooperates… Do you know any illusionary magic?''
''In theory, but… I may have something better,'' Harry mused. ''My only problem is that to cast dark magic, this needs to go under the radar completely, and I'm not sure if the Forbidden Forest is the best place for that. The Centaurs are loyal to Dumbledore and will report dark magic being used in their woods by humans. They're not exactly... friendly. One of the few places I know that centaurs don't regularly prowl around is Acromantula territory, and I am not looking forwards to seeing giant spiders again.'' From Draco's face, Harry saw the feeling was mutual. ''But…'' he mused, ''Maybe if we indeed use that side of the forest and just don't go in too deep, we could avoid both the centaurs and the Acromantulas… It'd be a long way from the castle though. Quite a drag to carry an unconscious body all the way there. Maybe you can suggest going for a walk and stun her later?'' he asked.
''I'll try to make it work,'' Draco sighed. ''If my parent's wards weren't at risk…''
''You wouldn't be helping me, I know,'' Harry finished the sentence. ''I suggest we do put this into action on the first possible occasion. Tomorrow evening is as good as any other, right?''
''Unlike you, apparently, I actually have a life, with appointments and other activities,'' Draco sneered. ''My earliest free evening would be on Tuesday.''
Harry was slightly irritated about Draco not seeing the severity of needing to go through with this as early as possible. However, it was probably not worth fighting over three days. Without Draco's help, it might have taken much longer. So, he conceded. ''Hey, think of this as our first sibling prank,'' he grinned, quickly turning around and darting away as Draco's face reddened and the boy pulled his wand.
Despite the agreement that Voldemort and he had about their tutoring session, Harry felt like he could no longer stay silent with everything going on. Sure, the Dark Lord probably had other, more reliable sources than Harry who could tell him that the article hadn't had its desired effect, but the Gryffindor needed to get the Dark Lord's opinion on it. He had debated on what to say each night before going to bed in the hope that Voldemort would be available. For days, Harry pressed his eyes close and desperately tried to reach out over their link in hope that it might make Voldemort aware of how much he wanted to have a conversation. For days, he instead fell into a whirlwind of odd dreams about sharp pink nails which turned into Mrs Norris' claws or the hands of a Dementor.
He hadn't expected much else when turning in for the night after the exhausting D.A. session, sending a few thoughts out, mostly out of habit now, before closing his eyes and drifting off.
''You are starting to understand how our mental bond works, it seems,'' Voldemort unironically spoke, not a second after Harry came to awareness. The teen didn't feel the need to point out that whatever he'd done was probably very much an accident. They were in a library again, a dream location that appeared much more often. Harry suspected that the other actively tried to control the scene beforehand so they wouldn't land in places Harry despised anymore. It was a subtle, yet appreciated gesture. ''Your calling grew louder.''
''You still didn't come these past nights,'' Harry accused.
''Your education is not my sole responsibility. Now, as time seems to fly here, let us not dally. As much as I encourage your attempt to study runes on the side, you have much left to learn if you wish to pass this year's exams in the course.''
''Actually,'' Harry interrupted, hesitant. All carefully-prepared words had seeped from his mind. Stumbling over his own tongue, he said: ''There's a few things that… that I thought you might… well, it would be good if-''
Voldemort hissed lowly and narrowed his eyes so only a sliver of red was visible. ''Spit it out.''
Taking a deep breath, Harry tried his best to explain the current situation at Hogwarts. Umbridge's schemes, the presence of the Aurors and Dementors, and the consequences it had for the student. ''So in short,'' Harry summarised: ''I appreciate that an investigation was launched due to your article, but it has backfired majorly. I don't know what to do.'' He considered also filling Voldemort in about his current problem with Parkinson, yet discarded the idea again. One thing at a time, a thing that preferably wouldn't end with the death of one of his peers. As much of an arrogant, insufferable bully as the girl could be, he didn't hate her that much. And in the end, Draco had come around too. With Parkinson also technically being on the same side, there was a chance that she too may grow to be tolerable in time, even if it didn't look like it now.
''I was already aware,'' Voldemort casually spoke. ''I received two rather similar messages from both Severus and Dumbledore. The only new information you gave me was that Umbridge herself is likely in control of the Dementors. Which is also not surprising. They may spread terror, but the minds of Dementors are really quite simple. They wish to feed, and follow those who'll promise them food. They do have a natural tendency to trust those closer to their nature over others, of course.''
''Which means?'' Harry asked, frowning.
''Witches and wizards who mainly practise dark magic. After my resurrection, I received reports about several Dementors that scouted the country to find me. I'm sure that they will wish to strike a deal. One that I cannot give them at the moment, the main reason why I haven't allowed any to make contact. You personally have nothing to fear. As I told you before, they cannot affect you very much anymore now you have practised Necromancy. They pull power from the shroud.''
Harry wasn't so confident about that. Dementors had always affected him more than anyone else he knew, and Voldemort had also been wrong regarding how long he should have after-effects of the Necromancy ritual. He didn't speak of his doubts, knowing that showing he had reservations about the Dark Lord's expertise in this field would only slight the man.
''Putting the Dementors aside, I do not consider the Ministry's reaction a defeat. Wars are not won in the first fight. Her overconfidence could well be her downfall. The Ministry sending their own people to investigate the Senior Undersecretary, without involving the Hogwarts board of Governors and then considering the investigation over after a meagre week? That sounds like a nice corruption case to me. Now, can we focus on more important matters? You won't be at Hogwarts forever, Evan. You need to think beyond the walls of that castle,'' Voldemort firmly spoke, one finger tapping on a thick tome.
''I am, just in the present and not the future,'' he defensively spoke. ''Umbridge incorporates everything that is wrong with our current government, which influences every aspect of my life in the end. Speaking of which, they also control who becomes my next guardian. Do you have news on that?''
Voldemort gave him an irritated stare. ''We're wasting precious time here. If I recall correctly, you did not wish me to interfere. I have not actively sought out news about it since. It's in Lucius' and Narcissa's hands now. Let us see how much effort they put in without my say in it.'' It sounded almost triumphant, as if the Dark Lord was trying to prove what a bad decision it had been on Harry's part to ask him to step down as a controlling figure in this game. Fine, if he wanted to play like that…
''I have as much faith in your followers as you do,'' Harry sweetly spoke, trying not to show how worried he was.
He received no more than a withered glare as Voldemort opened the book in front of him. ''As important as your core subjects are which we've been focusing on before, I will be dedicating the next few sessions on runes. You cannot expect to pass the O.W.L. for that subject at the level you have now.''
Sighing deeply, Harry tried to pay attention, knowing he wouldn't get more out of Voldemort about any topic that wasn't related to what was being taught right now.
''As much as I would like for you to get a deeper understanding of the subject, our short-term objective is for you to pass the exam in it for now and get you qualified for taking the N.E.W.T class for it. Thus, we'll be taking several short-cuts. Students who take the subject will by now be familiar not only with the standard old Norse futhark, but also the Kylver-, Vadstena-, Breza- and Charnay-variations. Added to that come entirely different sets of runes such as the Swedish-Norse younger futhark, which gained popularity with the Vikings, or the Anglo-Saxon futhork. Note here that the a-rune Ansuz was replaced by the o-rune Os, resulting in a different name for the alphabet itself.
While all of this is undoubtedly fascinating information and different variations result in a greater spell flexibility, the standard Ministry tests still mainly focus on the old Norse, simply because it is the futhark that is most widely used in magical circles. I thus suggest that we leave the others for now and concentrate only on using the oldest futhark.'' Harry was rather glad for it, as he knew all of those runes pretty well by now. It was the first alphabet that had been explained in the school books that he'd borrowed from Ginny, and Hermione's notes had been helpful as well, adding details about its history and usage. The theory wasn't the problem, what he struggled with was trying to combine them into useful spells.
''What can I expect from the exam?''
''Unless they made some major changes, the O.W.L. consists of three different parts, which are all packed into one written exam. You will first be asked general questions about rune history, phonetics, proper materials, known users etcetera. Then comes translation and deciphering: you'll be given lists of runes, sometimes bindrunes as well, and will have to find out both what they literally mean and what effect they could have. The third and most practical part will describe an effect for which you have to design a rune cluster or a talisman. This is the part that I would wish to focus on with you. You can study the other theory and translation by yourself.'' The man paused shortly, waiting for Harry to either approve or protest, then continued his explanation: ''With runes, the most important thought to keep in the back of your mind is to view them as abstract concepts with relations to each other. They were created as a way to carve a concept with many different meanings into this world, most often related to subjects that were of importance to mages back then, from the cycle of seasons to religion and war.
As we are usually trained with Latin or Greek spells, which focus on getting an as precise result as possible, it will be tempting for you to attempt to fit runic spells into that narrow view as well. Don't. There is no rune combination that can magically repair an object to perfection, or give you the ability to breathe underwater. Purely runic spells are far more esoteric. Of course, they make for great additions to other rituals to influence those, but that will not be your exam's focus. In a broad sense, you'll have to learn about blessings and curses that can be accomplished with different combinations. Think of Runic carvings above the door of a house to form a barrier against unwanted guests, or an inscription on a dagger which makes the wielder more aware of danger.''
''A question: how do you specify what meaning the rune you use should have? I mean, take the rune Sowilu,'' Harry spoke. It was a rune that had very much caught his eye as it looked exactly like the scar on his forehead. ''It literally means sun, but it can also mean success, vitality, popularity, enlightenment or even divine blessing. While those words all kind of seem linked, they still mean different things. And I'm not even starting about the seemingly random 'corresponding values' like lion, eagle, fire and, for whatever reason, juniper berries and chamomile.'' Reading about the rune had made him wonder whether or not his scar actually truly was a rune rather than a lightning bolt. While the original explanation from Dumbledore about it being a curse scar didn't make any sense in that context, it was a representation of the Horcrux in him too. In a twisted way, the teen could see why it could be regarded as a blessing, and vitality and popularity certainly fit.
''Narrow view versus abstraction,'' Voldemort reminded him. ''You have to get a feel for the spirit of each rune. Back then, even mages did not have an answer to what exactly the planet or stars were. The sun was worshipped like a deity like in many religions. Its light brought a bountiful harvest, safety and warmth. Anything linked to the sun was linked to success, enlightenment and blessings. Your schoolbooks merely try to describe this using a variety of possible translations, you're not meant to take them so literally. This is also true regarding the corresponding values you named. Lions were a symbol of strength and bravery even then, while juniper berries and chamomile were both used as calming drinks, be it in potions or as a simply drink like tea and liquor. This compliments the overall feel of Sowilu as a positive force.''
Harry's hand subconsciously went to his scar, a movement followed rapidly by ruby eyes. ''Ah, that is why you asked?'' the man murmured, reaching out and stroking Harry's hair to the side. ''An interesting theory, although in these dreams, its Sowilu-shape is rather lost, isn't it?'' For a moment, Harry didn't realise what Voldemort was talking about, until he realised that neither of them appeared here as they did in reality. When actually touching his face, he could feel the lightning-bolt zigzags of the scar that went all the way down the right side of his face. ''Considering how your subconsciousness displays your scar, combined with the spell that caused it, it would be a bit of a stretch to say it's definitely a rune. Though possible… we cannot rule out the possibility…''
Fidgeting under the fascinated stare, Harry tried to distract from the subject of his scar. ''But regarding these 'complimenting factors', are you sure that this isn't just later interpretation instead of its intended meaning? I mean, this futhark was created thousands of years ago, why would they correspond a letter to a lion of all creatures? How did they even know what lions were? Surely they didn't regularly apparate over to other continents to check out the wildlife.''
Voldemort shook his head and fell back into using his usual teaching voice. ''Sometimes, I think that history lessons in Hogwarts should be extended to cover non-magical history as well…'' he mused. ''Especially when it overlaps with ours. Lions used to be native to Europe. There have been fossils found as high up as northern Germany and Poland, and during recorded history, lions still lived in the entire Mediterranean area for a long time. The last ones only disappeared from Europe around the tenth century. While they were thus never native to Scandinavia in particular, tribes that traded much absolutely would have seen or heard of lions. That goes even more so for mages, who could move in a much wider range by way of flight or apparition.''
Harry would never not be surprised about Voldemort's random knowledge of seemingly redundant facts, although he probably shouldn't be anymore by this point.
''Getting the 'feel' of a rune sounds so much like Divination… or art,'' he mentioned none too happily.
Voldemort chuckled at that. ''There is a whole branch of magic called runic divination, so you are not far off. It is one of the more reliable methods of divination if you are proficient enough at runic magic itself. As both runes and divinations are only electives at Hogwarts though, this branch is not covered in either subject as there would always be students who lack basic knowledge of one of the two areas.''
''Let me guess, something else you want to fix?'' Harry asked with a small smile that he hoped didn't come across as too fond.
''There's much work to be done,'' the other simply said. ''Speaking of which…'' he turned the book around and shoved it under Harry's nose. ''Let us continue.''
So, the plot thickens, again! Congrats to those of you who guessed Dementors as the unwanted guests.
Ah, and Harry will never not be dense about romance.. Voldemort has his work cut out for him.
Sorry that there was no return of Barty or Sirius yet! I wish to focus on Harry for a while, but they absolutely will show up within the next couple of chapters again!
Please Read and Review, thank you all so much for your continued support.
xx GeMerope