CHAPTER 39: United in Grief (Part 2)

Slytherin Fifth-Year Dormitories

November 19th, 1995

5:30 a.m.

Harry shot upwards as he was woken up, drenched in sweat and breathless - his wand in hand aimed at a non-existent attacker.

He stayed in position for a minute, the confusion slowly oozing away as his mind caught up to his body. Harry waved his wand harshly, but still kept a tight grip to it. It had been the alarm, the bloody alarm that had woken him up - releasing him from Morpheus' grip. He forced himself to calm down, throwing himself backwards on the bed and placing his wand back under his pillow. There was no one there. It had just been his fucking alarm. He was safe.

A profound darkness seeped into the dormitory, made more unsettling by the occasional, low, guttural sounds coming from the lake just beyond the stone walls. The dimmed lamps on each nightstand were the only source of light inside the room.

How he'd gone from sleeping in every day to having to wake up at such an ungodly hour in the span of a few months, he didn't know. But with Snape's Occlumency sessions, the DA preparations, and the Quidditch training sessions, he hadn't really had a choice. As a night owl who hadn't managed to shake off his schedule and still slept way after everyone else, waking up was a pain in it of itself.

Thankfully, today there was no Occlumency session, no meeting with the Golden Dipshits to try and fix the mess that had become the poorly worded contracts. It was just Quidditch, God knows there were worse things in life than being forced to play nice with half of the arseholes he had placed in the infirmary only a few weeks ago.

With half the team being injured and the captain being tragically murdered, trainings had been sparse, and their match had been moved to the first week of December. Warrington, the massive twat, had been deemed team captain by Snape - though Pucey had taken control of the team as Warrington hadn't been cleared to do any extensive exercise until today - so of course he scheduled a five-hour training session starting at half past six in the morning.

Because he didn't have enough shit going on in his life. At times, he wondered why he'd ever agreed to join Theo in the team.

Harry grabbed his pillow and threw it directly at Theo's bed.

"'M up," a muffled voice groaned. "'M up."

"Wake up, Drakey-poo, will ya?" he said in a drowsy voice.

"Your alarm woke us all up, arsehole," Malfoy complained, opening his bed curtains.

Crabbe grunted in agreement.

Once Theo, Draco, and Crabbe had showered - Harry hadn't bothered, opting with simply putting on his Quidditch uniform and waiting for them in the dormitory - the four of them joined the rest of the Quidditch team in the common room.

The air around him was poisonous, a slow, painful death threatened anyone near it - and all his teammates were forced to all but jump away from him as he walked towards the couches near the fireplace. Harry could feel everyone's eyes on him, it had been that way ever since Halloween but after yesterday, it had only gotten worse.

It was a rush. For years, he had been ignored, cast aside, and considered nothing more than the irritable Slytherin with no friends. And now, everyone feared him, respected him. Finally, everyone knew what he had known for years now, everyone saw him for who he truly was.

A taste of cherry, he could feel her lips on his. The small smile she gave against him as they separated.

Harry blinked, any rush he had felt had been immediately drained by the memory - leaving him with a deadening coldness that reached all the way up to his fingertips.

Theo sat to his right, clear discomfort carved on his face over the whole situation, but nevertheless, he didn't comment on anything. Malfoy, who looked vaguely pleased and was unusually quiet, sat to his left - with Crabbe taking the spot to Draco's left.

Eventually, the portrait opened and Snape stepped inside, with Sinistra behind him. Without saying a word, the two left the common room, leaving the portrait open, and everyone followed in tow.

"Where's Warrington?" Harry hissed to Snape as soon as he reached him, glad Theo and Draco were smart enough to put space between them and the rest of the group.

"Mister Warrington is currently with Professor Umbridge, she summoned him to her office earlier today. Do not fret, he'll be joining you for the training."

"Fantastic," He gave Snape a tight smile.

The four fifth-years sat separately to the other five Slytherins. Filling his plate with three pieces of French toast, two sausages, and a serving of scrambled eggs, Harry began eating - knowing he'd need the energy for later.

"So," Draco said in between bites. "What are you going to do about Warrington?"

"What is he gonna do?" Theo asked pointedly. "Whatever happened to slave for life, Malfoy?"

"Look, I'm on your side, aren't I? But what do you want me to do here? He's the…" Draco motioned vaguely with his hands. "Master dueller. If anyone can take out a seventh-year, it's Potter."

"What I'm gonna do is nothing," Harry scowled. "I have bigger problems than Warrington, I don't have time to cover up another murder."

"What problems could possibly be bigger than this?"

"None of your fucking business."

It was a dreary Sunday that greeted the Slytherin Quidditch team as they walked out of the castle. Warrington hadn't shown up for breakfast, so Pucey had been the one to take charge and lead them down towards the pitch, as Snape had outright refused to step out into the rain. Far-away thunders filled in the silence of the group. It wasn't raining heavily, but the wind was ferocious. Harry's hair never stood a chance, especially since he hadn't been bothering with Sleekeazy's for the past week.

"Alright, dickwads," Pucey called out when they reached the empty field, kicking open the box with all the practice balls. "Warm up and stretch, brooms up in fifteen."

"I thought that was my line," a voice from behind them spoke.

"So you did make it," Pucey raised his eyebrows. "Couldn't dignify yourself with joining us for breakfast."

Warrington stepped past them and greeted Pucey with a hug. "Too busy, tell you later."

He turned around and faced the group, his face darkening as he locked eyes with Harry.

"You have some balls to come here-"

"Warrington-"

"Shut it!" He snapped at Pucey before turning back towards him. "You mutilate us, kill Montague, and you dare to show your manky arse face here. I should murder you here and now."

Rage built across his face, creasing his features as he maintained eye contact with Warrington. Before he could think, he unclasped his wand holster from his hip and threw it to the ground in front of them.

"Try."

Theo immediately moved to stand between them, but Harry placed grabbed his shoulder and stopped him before he could.

Warrington's hand went to his holster, and Harry acted quickly. Taking a short sprint, he ran up to Warrington and kneeled him in the balls just as he managed to retrieve his wand. Doubled over, and Harry quickly took advantage by snatching the wand out of his hand and immediately pointing it at Pucey, who had followed his friend in retrieving his wand.

"Drop it."

Harry hadn't even finished his sentence when the wand hit the floor.

Slightly kneeling so that he was positioned a few inches from Warrington's ear, Harry jammed the wand at the boy's gut.

"I'm no longer scared of you, arsehole. Not you, not Pucey, not Rowle. But if you wanna follow in your old pal Montague's footsteps, so be it."

Warrington tried to say something, but it came out as a whimper.

"I don't need my wand to kill you. I could jam a quill through your throat faster than you could even come up with a spell to attack me with. Remember that the next time you even think of looking in my direction."

Harry shoved the seventh-year backwards and looked at the rest of his teammates.

"Are we training or what?"

Immediately, they all scattered towards the locker rooms, with only Pucey staying behind, though noticeably further away than before. Harry turned once again to Warrington, who was glaring, not just at him, but at Theo and Draco, who were flanking him.

"At your orders, Captain," Harry sneered mockingly before joining the rest of his team in the locker room.

Great Hall

7:45 p.m.

The beginning of the week was falling upon Hogwarts as the students were crammed inside the Great Hall. The past three weeks had been a string of draining events that had plagued the school. It was hard to go back to school, pay attention to the teachers and study courses when five students - people that used to walk the same hallways as them - were gone. Dead. Murdered.

And it was all because of Harry Potter.

The subject of Potter had done nothing but bring out conflicting feelings in her, each day only getting more convoluted and messed up.

There was no doubt in her mind that Potter had been the one to murder Montague, and from what she remembered, it wasn't a view she shared on her own. The Aurors had been asking around about him, mostly in subtle ways, but as Potter's name came up in every interview, it was something she couldn't have missed. They definitely suspected him, and it didn't click why until she had learnt who the victim was.

That horrible picture in the Daily Prophet - how they could even allow something as vile and graphic as this to be in the front page of the most popular newspaper in the country. Not just for anyone who had the displeasure of seeing that while having breakfast but also for the family, the mutilated corpse of their son, brother, cousin… shown to everyone without any dignity or regard for the person's life.

She hadn't known Graham Montague well… or at all, if she was honest with herself. There had been something off about him when she met him with Potter, especially given Potter's reaction. She hadn't been able to place what was off about Montague, he certainly seemed friendly. But even still, that was no excuse for what happened to him.

Potter had murdered him in cold blood and then framed another student for it. There was nothing he could ever say to her that would excuse something like that. That was what Death Eaters did, what people like Voldemort and every other evil man in history were known for doing. A monster in Hogwarts uniform.

And yet… he had saved her life. Saved Neville and Ron, who she was sure Potter hated with a passion. Saved Ginny Weasley and various other students as he focused on protecting them more than fighting those Death Eaters who had attacked them in the Three Broomsticks.

They were there for Potter, someone had been targeting him and after what he had done in Halloween, she could definitely see why. The Montagues, the Davises, maybe even some proud pure-blood who's children got hurt during the battle. The attack at the Three Broomsticks had definitely been a fallout of what Potter had done.

And Susan… poor Susan. She had rarely talked to the girl, as she preferred to hang around Potter than anything else. She had been the one who had rallied the Hufflepuffs and had them all train with Potter, she had been the one to help Potter when his group got too large. She had been the one who was murdered just to get at Potter.

Before that day, she had never witnessed anyone die - much less be murdered right in front of her. She could still feel the shock when Madam Rosmerta had been killed so callously, her body writhing in the ground even a minute after her throat had been slashed. She had frozen, but it didn't compare to watching Susan…

She would never forget the scene in front of her, watching Harry break down in front of everyone, weeping over Susan's body in such a way it felt as though time itself had come to a pause.

Those weren't the actions of a monster. Monsters didn't save people they hated. Monsters didn't prioritize saving lives than taking them. Monsters didn't cry over someone's dead body, even if they themselves are the cause of it.

Then, in a second, it all changed. Any reservations she may have had of Potter were tarnished as he brutally murdered five of the attackers with a speed and efficiency of someone who had devoted most of their lives to violence. He hadn't killed Dolohov, no. He beat him, over and over again, shattering his legs and beating his face to an unrecognizable pulp filled with blood and other bodily fluids.

And in a moment, any other emotions she might have felt towards Potter - anger, resentment, betrayal, regard, friendship, even curiosity - were trampled by the immediate fear that took over her. Fear of him. Fear of what he could do to her, to Neville and Ron, to any of her friends if he was pissed enough. If he woke up on the left side of the bed, if he was just slightly more annoyed than any other day. He had certainly proven to himself he can't suffer consequences for it, he managed to frame Tracey for Montague's murder, what's stopping him from framing someone else?

It had been a startling moment when she had questioned if she would rather be murdered by Potter, or forced to spend the rest of her life in Azkaban.

After that, she wasn't able to go back to normal. No way she could focus on classes or even helping out Neville in the upcoming war when there's a murderer sleeping under the same roof as her, teaching with her, interacting with her on a daily basis. The worst thing was that no one in the school seemed to care. None of the teachers ever did anything about Potter, and some students have even taken his side. Hailing him as a hero while looking down upon Neville, shaming him, calling him a liar.

How had someone like Potter, a foul-mouth, irreverent arse, had gotten more of the school's regard than Neville, someone who has risked his life time and time again to save all these people, asking for nothing even as he's lost… so much.

A soft, clearing of a throat that reverberated throughout the Great Hall broke her from her musings. Turning towards the Head Table, already knowing what she would find, she patiently waited for Umbridge to begin whatever speech she'd make that would undoubtedly be another shovelful of dirt piled over the six-feet hole she was trying to bury Hogwarts into.

"Good evening," she began solemnly. "The past three weeks have been… filled with immeasurable pain. For us members of staff, for you students, and for the Wizarding World as a whole. As I announced a few weeks back, I have made it my mission to ensure the safety of this school, the safety of you children in these dangerous times. There is no denying it anymore, no way of shielding you of the truth," Hermione felt her jaw drop slightly, and immediately looked towards Ron and Neville. Was she finally going to admit to Voldemort? To the war? "Ever since Sirius Black's escape, there has been a rise of robberies and attacks, disappearances and even murders. It reached this sacred school this past June, and it's only being escalating since then. This can't - won't - be allowed to continue."

Hermione felt her blood boil with rage as she glared at Umbridge. How dare she insinuate it was Sirius who was behind everything! All the attacks! The murders! Was she trying to frame Sirius as a new Dark Lord?

"In order to ensure the security of every Hogwarts student, I have come to an agreement with the DMLE to station a large Auror presence within Hogsmeade, posted all around the village, every Saturday and Sunday for protection during the Hogsmeade weekends. I will also be reinforcing some of the already established Educational Decrees to disallow the use of any sort of magic within the confines of the school unless they have my personal authorization - no other member of the staff, not even the Headmaster himself, will be able to give you authorization. The only other situation where you'll be allowed to perform magic will be during the OWL and NEWT final examinations in the presence of a Governor of the Wizarding Examinations Authority."

All around the hall, Hermione could clearly see some students nodding - nodding! They had solemn looks, but ones filled with determination and pride. The more she looked around, the breathless she felt as she realised just how many students had begun supporting Umbridge. The woman who was hated unanimously throughout the whole school by students had now garnered a sizable following of her own.

"Any use of magic; whether it's inside a classroom, within the dormitories or common rooms, or around the halls will be heavily penalized, with multiple offenses resulting in suspensions and then expulsion." Umbridge pulled a piece of parchment out of her robes and showed it to everyone. Though she was too far to read what the Educational Decree said, it not only had the Minister of Magic's official stamp, but also another one of who she didn't recognise the origin of. "Educational Decree number three hundred, the use of magic, whether it's in an academic or recreational setting, is completely disallowed and can be punishable with expulsion. Signed by Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, and by all twelve Hogwarts Governors."

Rolling it in her hand, she handed it to Filch with the instructions to hang it with the others outside. There was a long pause in which Umbridge heaved a large sigh.

"It is a shame so many students died before these security measures were implemented. Their deaths will haunt me for the rest of my life. The best thing I can do is ensure it doesn't happen again, not while I am the High Inquisitor of this school. But I'm not going to be able to do it alone, I'll require assistance to ensure these rules are not broken. Which is why I have chosen eight of your brightest and most exemplary students to aid me in keeping the peace and guaranteeing the safety of every student, inside and outside Hogwarts. Please stand up as I mention your name. Fourth-years Astoria Greengrass from Slytherin and Charles Rookwood from Hufflepuff. Fifth-years Padma Patil from Ravenclaw and Harry Potter from Slytherin." Hermione's eyes almost shot out of her as she watched Potter, with the ever present sneer on his face, stand up as his name was called. "Sixth-years Marietta Edgecombe from Ravenclaw and Cormac McLaggen from Gryffindor. And finally, seventh-years Kiera Malfoy from Gryffindor and Cassius Warrington from Slytherin."

Mutterings broke out among the students, with almost everyone staring at Harry Potter.

"These will be my helping hands, my Inquisitorial Squad. They will have power above the prefects and both the Headboy and Headgirl… and they'll report directly to me. In the case an unauthorised student pulls out his wand or a duel breaks out, they are allowed to use magic - basic spells, ones listed by me and only meant to subdue an attacker in the quickest, lightest way possible - to defuse any situation like this. However, I will not allow for abuse of power of anyone. If I find any one of my Inquisitorial Squad utilizing magic when they shouldn't or abusing their power in any other way, they will be subjected to the same punishments as any other Hogwarts student."

The nodding grew, some staring at Umbridge, others at Potter, until near half the students seemed to agree with Umbridge's extreme actions.

"The safety and wellbeing of the students at Hogwarts will always be my upmost priority, this is a big step towards a brighter future. I know some of you might disagree, but I hope, in time, as you realise how these changes will shape the school, you'll come to understand."

There were various people clapping for Umbridge as she left the podium, Ron was bright red, while Neville had never looked more furious. But her mind wasn't on any of them, she hadn't stopped staring at Potter. He quickly sat down and got into deep conversation with Parkinson, Nott, Malfoy, Zabini, and Greengrass.

Potter knew in advance this would happen, maybe even planned this. Had this been his plan all along? The reason he wanted to join the DA so badly? Not only was he now revered by the other students, but he also had just gained the highest attainable position of power a student can earn. What would he use that power for? Umbridge had told them the Inquisitorial Squad wasn't going to be allowed to abuse their power, but she doubted she'd actually enforce that.

No. She couldn't stand by anymore, couldn't sit by and watch as Potter continues doing whatever he pleases, doing whatever it takes to benefit himself and his friends.

She wouldn't.

The Room Of Requirement

10:00 p.m.

Harry watched as the door he'd just summoned opened before it could finish fully forming. Granger stepped inside, glaring at him as Longbottom, Weasley, and Weaslette stepped inside.

"Do you mind telling me what the fuck was so fucking important you called this meeting?" Harry snapped, pinching his eyebrows. "And what's she doing here!"

"What are they doing here," Granger said coldly, nodding to the five Slytherins behind him.

"Never mind that!" He snarled, turning his back on them and sitting on an armchair within the small living room he'd conjured for tonight. The Slytherins were already in place. Theo and Pansy on a loveseat to his right, Malfoy, Zabini, and Greengrass on a chesterfield to his left. Leaving a small, gray traditional couch filled with stains and muck across the other side of the room, divided by a glass table, for the four Gryffindors to sit.

"Real mature," Longbottom rolled his eyes before taking a seat, with Ron joining him. The girls made a face and remained standing up.

In truth, he hadn't planned for the other Slytherins on being here, and certainly not for Blaise, Draco, or Daphne. In truth, Draco had stuck around with him like a flea to a dog ever since he had returned yesterday, and while it was a bit annoying and clear self-serving, he had reluctantly forced himself to allow the boy to keep himself close to him. After all, Malfoy still owed him for Halloween, and he was going to make damn sure he paid it in full. Daphne and Blaise had only stuck with hm during dinner earlier that night, and after all the shit that Umbridge dumped during her speech, they had demanded a meeting between the six of them to go back to the original reason why they had begun working together.

If only Granger hadn't been so insistent about them needing to talk, to the point where she nearly made a scene loud enough to wake up the heaviest sleepers down at South Hams.

"You knew," Ron accused. "You bloody knew about what Umbridge was about to do, and you joined her!"

"Oh, my fucking God." Harry threw his head down into his hands.

"We warned you," Pansy said crisply. "We told you Umbridge would become so much stricter with everything, and you decided to ignore us. How is that our problem?"

"It's your problem because you're the arseholes that caused all this shit in the first place!" Ron yelled. "We're all here in confidence, right." He sneered. "There's no need to pretend you didn't kill Montague, Potter."

"Wait, Harry killed Montague?" Ginny blinked before turning towards him. "What did he do to you, you don't seem to be the guy who has puppies people can kick around."

"None of your business, and I didn't kill him!"

"Oh, my Lord," Longbottom rolled his eyes. "You did! What's the point of lying about it when everybody knows."

"Ensuring plausible deniability?" Draco shrugged.

"Avoiding self incrimination?" Blaise offered.

"Not crying out for the Auror's attention?" Daphne rolled her eyes.

"You don't care Potter murdered Montague? A classmate of yours!?" Granger gaped at them.

"I didn't murder anybody."

"Now you're just lying," Ginny said pointedly. "We all saw you massacre all those Death Eaters."

"And saved your lives," Theo pointed out.

"Oi, I never complained. If anything, I'd say they had it coming."

"Ginny!" All three other Gryffindors cried out.

"What?" She snapped. "Were we supposed to beat them with hugs and kisses? They were trying to kill us."

"So let's cut them and gut them?" Ron retorted.

"Easy for you to be so judgy, the worst thing that's ever happened to you is a tie between a stupid prank the twins played on you and having your leg bitten by… a dog. You don't know what it's like," she turned to Harry, a wave of recognition - a shared suffering - passed through him, and he gave her a barely noticeable nod. "You don't know what they're like."

"Killing is still wrong, Ginny, and Potter didn't just kill those guys who attacked us, he also murdered Montague."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Because those two events have blown this whole thing out of proportion. Two events you caused."

"You're acting like Harry attacked the Three Broomsticks." Theo defended him.

"Perhaps he didn't attack the Three Broomsticks, but he's the reason those… thugs were there. And by the way they spoke, the only logical reason is that they were there as revenge for murdering Montague, or framing Tracey, or attacking any of the other students you did when you went on your Halloween rampage!"

"Oh, please." Pansy said flatly. "Plenty of people have also attacked Longbottom for the past four years, and you haven't thrown him to the stake. Cedric and Krum were killed because of it. Sirius Black attacked the Gryffindor Common Room. What about all those petrified people, do they not count? Why aren't you so quick at throwing your friends over the bus as you are to blame us for everything that's happened."

"Because Neville didn't do anything to bring these attacks to himself," Granger snapped. "This all started because Potter murdered Montague. In cold blood! Did you see the pictures in the Daily Prophet? How can you sit there and defend him as if he were an innocent little puppy who's never done something wrong in his life?"

"And how can you sit there in your high horse when Longbottom has also murdered people, has also caused his own friends to die!" Harry snarled.

"Watch it," Longbottom said hotly, the room's air beginning to thick and shake as he glowered murderously at Harry. "Because last I checked, Susan was also your friend."

"Don't you fucking dare say her name again." Harry said with a dangerous coldness to his voice. He could feel himself losing control of his magic, feel as it seeped out of his body, and it contended against the gradually thickening air around him. Suddenly, the table exploded, sending glass flying everywhere.

"Enough!" Both Granger and Pansy shouted and Longbottom and Harry respectively, before immediately snapping their heads towards each other.

He could feel everyone's gazes on him and Neville, but he ignored them. Closing his eyes, he focused on cooling his head before he spoke.

"The point is," Granger eventually said, her voice slightly shaky. "Is that those two events were the catalyst Umbridge needed to reinforce the Ministry's view of the school and to convince the Board of Governors to follow the path the Ministry is setting for Hogwarts. Not only that, but now you're Umbridge's right-hand man, acting as her stead and having more privileges than even the Head Boy and Head Girl? That sounds oddly coincidental."

"Do you think I'm happy with this?" Harry said slowly. "This was the last thing I fucking wanted. I want Umbridge out, I told you that since the beginning, but of course, I took the position when it was offered to me! I'd rather have an inside view as to everything she's doing than staying in the dark."

"And in the process, you gave Umbridge the support she needed because, somehow, people are calling you a hero!"

"I know!" Harry snapped, immediately silencing the room. He took a deep breath, calming himself, before he finally spoke. "We're done."

"No," Granger said testily. "This conversation isn't over. Umbridge just changed everything, we have so many things to sort out before we can even schedule another meet of the DA-"

"There's no DA anymore," Harry said quietly. "No more scheming. No more running around thinking we can somehow throw Umbridge out of Hogwarts. She won. Umbridge won. Three hundred and one Educational Decrees, there is no area she doesn't control, no corner she doesn't have ears at, and no way of doing anything to stop her. She won, she took over the school without even needing to take out Dumbledore. The Headmaster position has become a mere formality now that Umbridge not only has the same power as Dumbledore, but is backed by the Ministry and the Board of Governors."

"So that's what you want to do? You want to give up? Quit the DA?"

"What I want is to not get expelled. And that's what's going to happen to all of us when Umbridge eventually finds out because she will. Umbridge won, Granger, deal with it."

"She hasn't won," she shook her head defiantly, standing up. "Not yet. We don't need you, we'll continue the DA without you."

"As you wish… but you're not using the Room. And you're definitely not coming crying for any favours from me."

"You know," she walked up to him. "For the first time in three months, I actually agree with you."

The two Weasleys and Longbottom followed after her, shutting the door loudly as they left.

"Did you mean it?" Daphne asked him. "Or were you just trying to cut ties with them."

"Umbridge won, I don't think any one of us is stupid enough to deny that. Just look at what we were doing at the beginning of term, we planned, we schemed, we did shit that didn't really matter in the end. It doesn't matter, we can't beat her, not with the Gryffindor's game."

"So… what game do you want to play?" Draco asked.

"None, at least not right now. It's already too late to stop Umbridge from taking over, but she'll get her due - I'll make sure of it. But right now… right now, I have bigger priorities than this."

He looked pointedly at Theo and Pansy.

"Saturday?"

Pansy glanced a look at Theo before she nodded. "Saturday."

Grimmauld Place

11:30 p.m.

Raising his voice was not something Albus was fond of, but in times when he required to gain the attention of a rowdy group - whether they be small children or stressed adults - it was useful. However, given the increasingly diminishing sense of order in the meeting, it was something he would have to resort to, eventually.

He didn't blame them, of course, with events over the past three weeks completely overturning any sense of status quo they might have found after a taxing summer. The reunion of the Order of the Phoenix was something that needed to happen during an incredibly short time period, and at an extremely high speed. The group had been separated, divided by time as many had lost contact with each other years ago, and there hadn't been an official meeting of the group ever since the day after Frank and Alice had been murdered, and young Neville had survived the attack.

But with Tom returning from death and nearly killing young Neville, there was not much of a choice.

This meeting, however, wasn't one where Tom nor his Death Eaters had been discussed much. Oh, the meeting had begun with an update from various members of the Order in charge of protecting the prophecy. However, it had rapidly turned away from that subject and into the three events that had become more prevalent in Tom's absence and the Death Eater's unusual state of quiet. The death of Graham Montague, the attack at the Three Broomsticks, and Dolores Umbridge's increasing control of Hogwarts.

And with all those topics, there was one name that consistently came up. One which had never fallen short of reminding him of one of his biggest failures in recent memory.

Harry Potter.

"The little bastard murdered all those thugs, Albus!" Sirius snarled. "Neville, Hermione, and Ron are certain he was also the one who murdered Montague. Why aren't you doing anything about him? He belongs in Azkaban."

Augusta huffed in agreement.

"The lad's quick-thinking and decisive action shouldn't be held against him," Alastor said intensely. "If we become so quick to judge who has killed what Death Eater in self-defence or protection of others, we'd be sending all of us on a one-way ticket to your old cell."

"None of us murdered anyone when we were teens! And Potter didn't just murder those idiots in self-defence, he tore them apart! Obliterated them without any shred of remorse. He's a dark lord in the making, Alastor."

"An amusing statement coming from you," Severus said silkily. "Given how at Potter's age you attempted to feed me to your pet werewolf. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I'd say, especially given he's supposed to be your godson."

"He's not my godson!" Sirius yelled out dementedly, his hand shaking on the table. "He's more your spawn than James' son, a Slytherin through and through. From what Neville and Ron tell me about him, he seems like an identical copy to you - ill-tempered, aggressive, seemingly having practised the best ways to curse his peers. I wouldn't be surprised if he ever followed your footsteps and joined Voldemort."

"We need to do something about the kid regardless, Albus," Shacklebolt said deeply. "Scrimgeour isn't telling anyone, but I can see he suspects Potter of the same thing that Neville and the others accuse him of. If he's guilty of it, we need to make sure we get Tracey Davis out of her cell and place Potter in it."

"Thank you!" Sirius shouted.

"We could use the boy," Mundungus said airily, looking at the nails on his fingers with disinterest. "A spy, especially one his age, would be useful."

"A spy?" Tonks said in disbelief. "How the bloody hell do you plan on convincing him to turn spy for us if everything they're saying about him is true."

"Everyone can be convinced of anything, sweetheart. You just need to know which incentive pushes which button. "

"And what? Have him join the Order?" Sirius asked in outrage. "Over my dead body!"

"I could arrange that," Mundungus gave a toothy grin, showing his yellow teeth. "The boy has certainly proven himself as more useful than you have since you - ah - escaped Azkaban."

"You snivelling, no-good coward! You don't belong here!"

"Enough!" Albus said forcefully, immediately gaining the attention from every member of the Order - all of whom immediately looked chastised. "We are getting nowhere with this conversation, it is of no use. We had always known Dolores would end up taking control of Hogwarts, with the Ministry backing her up it was inevitable. It is most unfortunate it happened so quickly, but alas, there's nothing we can do in that regard. As for Harry Potter, I have the situation well in hand. We do not know who targeted him in the Three Broomsticks or if he was involved in any way in the attack against Graham Montague-"

"He was-"

"Nevertheless, trust that I am taking care of the situation. As there's nothing more to discuss tonight, I believe it's past time this meeting comes to a close, and we all go home."

There were several mutterings between the members of the Order, but all of them began standing up and clearing out of the room.

"Sirius, Augusta, if you would please hang back for a minute, I need to talk to you both."

The two looked at each other, a quick silent conversation between them before Augusta nodded and sat back down again.

Albus had had a vast amount of time to think over the past couple of weeks, to come to a conclusion about how he should approach the situation. In the end, he settled with this solution, thinking it would be the best for all the parties involved. However, he had been neglecting this crucial talk for a while now. He knew both Sirius and Amelia, they wouldn't take his idea well.

But they had to, there was no other way.

Once everyone had left, Albus raised his wand and locked the door and placed various privacy charms that would ensure the secrecy of this meeting. This could only work if it was kept between the three of them, no one could be allowed to listen in to this.

That's it for this chapter! Thank you all for reading!

Exciting things are coming! Next chapter, Harry meets with Kieran and Bedivere once more, meanwhile Pansy decides she's going to take care of a problem before it blows out of proportion!

Next chapter will be posted September 4th on FFN and AO3.

By the time I'm posting this, I'm three chapters ahead. If you are interested in learning how to get early access to them, join my discord server using the following link: discord . gg / jyPfbGqhJT

I'm also working on two fanfiction related surprises that should be revealed fairly soon! More info on that on discord as well!

As always, thank you for reading, favouriting, and commenting! I appreciate all of you! :)