Yet Still a Light Shines Through

by lifegivesyoulemonsandsugar

War has come to the wizarding world, and everyone—the Order, the Guard, and the students of Hogwarts—must step up to face it. Final installment in the CWatTT trilogy (AU), Slytherin (& Marietta) centric POVs include: Adrian being conflicted, Andrew being stressed, Blaise being a leader, Marietta being uncertain, and Daphne being sneaky

1. Prologue

7 August, 1996

BLACK'S RECORD WASHED WHITE: Sirius Black Proven Innocent, Peter Pettigrew the Real Rat

Sirius Black, long believed to be the right-hand man of You-Know-Who—a belief strengthened by his dramatic escape from Azkaban Prison—has been proven innocent following a lengthy trial which revealed that Peter Pettigrew, long considered dead, was the man behind Black's supposed misdeeds. Pettigrew, a school friend of Black, framed his former friend for the murder of a street full of Muggles by creating an explosion to serve as a distraction, after which he performed an illegal animagus transformation into a rat, a disguise he continued to use to conceal himself from Wizarding Authorities.

Black, after twelve years of wrongful imprisonment and three on the run, stated his intent to provide for his godson, Harry Potter (The Chosen One? See page 5 for more.). Black declined to comment on his case, stating only a belief that: "if the DMLE would actually check the facts of their bloody cases, none of this would have been a problem." The Ministry of Magic has paid Black a reparation fee for his years in Azkaban, as well as the price of his own Finder's Fee.

15 December, 1996

ATTACKS CONTINUE, MINISTRY RESPONSE LACKING

Attacks on witches and wizards across Britain have continued to increase in frequency since You-Know-Who publicly revealed himself as living. Minister Rufus Scrimgeour, elected in hopes of turning around the chaos facing our community, has continued to send the Aurors and Hit Wizards against these threats, offering a strong opposition to the Death Eaters. These actions, however, seem to have had little effect on the reign of terror the Death Eaters have been bringing down on witches and wizards across the country, some dying in their houses while still more have disappeared entirely. Leading authorities believe that these disappearances indicate the use of the Imperius Curse.

Minister Scrimgeour declined to comment on the involvement of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, etc., in the opposition effort, in spite of his predecessor's outspoken speeches against the Headmaster (Continued on page 2)

30 June, 1997

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE DEAD; DARK MARK IN THE SKY OVER HOGWARTS

In news shocking to the entire Wizarding community, the death of Albus Dumbledore has been announced to the Ministry of Magic by Acting Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. Dumbledore's death has been confirmed by Aurors Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt, his cause of death ruled to be Death Eater activity within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—a fact not surprising to residents of Hogsmeade Village, who witnessed the appearance of You-Know-Who's mark in the sky during the late hours of 29 July. (For further information on Dumbledore's death, see page 2. Information about the funeral may be found on page 3.)