Dancing Strings
Fourth September, Nineteen Ninety-Four – Hogwarts: Defence against Dark Arts
"Ravens and Snakes," Sirius said, with a roll of his eyes. "Well, we can easily say this ought to be the smartest class in of the year eh?"
"Bushy Bucktooth ain't here professor," joked Malfoy.
Sirius smiled thinly. "No she ain't," he said softly. "Tell me Mr Malfoy. Does detention every Saturday with Professor Hagrid sound pleasant to you?"
Draco Malfoy scowled. "No," he sneered. He knew exactly who Sirius Black was. Rebel scum.
"Open your mouth out of turn again and I'll see to it the detention sticks until Christmas."
Draco glared and didn't reply.
Sirius grinned. He clapped his hands together and turned to the rest of the class.
"Alright then. First things first. I Sirius Black, do solemnly swear I will not give homework. Ever."
With a few words, Sirius Black became a Hogwarts legend. His words eventually reached the curious ears of Fred and George Weasley and put into motion an exciting meeting of the minds of pranksters.
Dumbledore had been smart to make Sirius the new defence against the dark arts professor. He had brought in an eye who had learnt how to keep a watch on Harry and he was also helping a broken soul heal by the magic that was Hogwarts.
"Settle down," he said over the excited din. "In light of recent events, we are going to dive into a topic that is usually reserved for the end of the year but we're going to start with it. We're going to learn about curses."
The class was enraptured. Even Draco and Daphne had their full attention on Sirius. All of them except for one Raven.
Harry was sitting alone at the back of the class, his legs folded and busy scribbling in a leather bound book.
Sirius's eyes kept gravitating to Harry and he didn't bother him. A Harry that was with books was a safe Harry.
"How many of you have heard of the Merovian curses?"
Blank stares greeted Sirius and he chuckled. "I would think not," he said. "They are mentioned in a book written by Morgana le Fay. They were four terrible curses she called the Merovian Curses."
Sirius paused and let his eyes sweep across the room. The memory of their first fight with the Knights of Walpurgis flashed in his mind.
"I'm not here to teach you about them. I'm here to teach you how to defend against them. How to defend yourselves against the Dark Arts."
Harry glanced at his godfather with a small smile. The yellow in core of his godfather were glowing bright. He was going to do well as a Professor.
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Fifteen September, Nineteen Ninety-Four – Hogwarts: Great Hall
It was dinner time and the school was gathered in full force. There was to be an announcement.
The last month had been unpleasant for Harry. He couldn't venture into the forest; he was constantly under watch by men in red cloaks who Dumbledore had said were sent by the Ministry to keep an eye on him until the trial. All the students talked about him and how he was a murderer now. It annoyed Harry, he had been a murderer long before the Goblins.
A preliminary hearing was to be held on thirty first October for which the Ministry would be sending an official to Hogwarts. Evidence was to be gathered in the meantime and after the preliminary hearing the main trail at the ministry was to be held. That was the thing Dumbledore was planning to avoid so that Harry would not fall into Voldemort's hands.
In all this muck of politics and laws, Harry restrained himself. He kept his mind focused on greater things. His dream of reducing everything into nothing. He poured himself into his theories and experimented in the dead of the night when no eyes were upon him. He learnt to put up wards around his bed and under their protection he fervently drew runes, improving them, tying in new ideas. He was constantly thinking of the source and the desert. It was all that prevented him from lashing out at the control being netted over him. He ignored everyone and everything. He even stopped talking with Daphne. He attended his classes with a permanently blank expression and immediately retreated to his dorm.
He obeyed the rules and regulations that were chained to him and imagined the day they would fall. The day they would all fall.
He came out of the darkness of his thoughts when Dumbledore stood up and tinkled his wine glass with a metal fork.
The students went silent.
"Children, it is my great pleasure to welcome Mister Crouch to Hogwarts. Mister Crouch comes with news regarding an international duelling tournament that will be hosted in Hogwarts."
Gasps and whispers escaped lungs. A duelling tournament!
"Mister Crouch will explain the rest."
A short and severe looking man stood up from the shadows wearing a crisp suit and had a neat moustache.
"Thank you Albus," he said with a cough. "Come November, we will be inviting magical schools to Hogwarts in an effort to promote international relations. This is an initiative taken up by Minister Malfoy and is also a step towards showing the rest of the world that Britain is strong and Britain is united."
Over, at the Ravenclaw table, Harry sighed. Another man spinning tales of manipulation to take control. Everyone wanted control. Daphne wanted control, Draco wanted control, all most everyone Harry had ever met wanted control over the people around them. He could see it in the colours of their magic. He dreamt of stripping that worthless control from them and showing them a world without control. Without rules. Without the desire to rule and with the desperation to survive.
At the Slytherin table, Daphne listened to every word with grim understanding. Dumbledore could not refuse a request to host an international school tournament. Just like the Ministry could not refuse to hold the Quidditch World Cup in spite of the recent events.
The face of stability to the international world had to be maintained. Revealing themselves to be weak and amidst and growing Civil War would only invite instability and interference from foreign powers. Daphne understood the manner in which Malfoy had trapped Dumbledore. Now the Ministry would gain more control over Hogwarts. This meant the Rebellion had to move quick. They could not afford to waste time gathering support. If Hogwarts fell to the Ministry, then the Rebellion would not stand a chance.
They had to attack. They could not be passive aggressive anymore. Daphne needed to talk with Ted.
Thunderous clapping broke out as soon as Crouch finished his speech. Everyone was excited. Dumbledore realised this method of approach would also win over many students who were undecided about which side they wanted to join. He had only just barely managed to convince the ICW to limit the judging to school professors and keep the ministries out of it.
Voldemort had already won and they never saw it coming. All because of an explosion in Malfoy manor that resulted in the death of purebloods and a change in government policies. His fight is now purely political and he was fighting with every breath he had. It was a masterful move by Lord Voldemort. Duelling was a dying art and to the world it seemed like the new Ministry was bathing in the light of a dying world with the aim to revive it. Just like the ministry couldn't say no to hosting the world cup. Hogwarts couldn't say no to the duelling championship.
"Thank you Mister Crouch," Dumbledore said clapping politely. "That will be all for tonight children. Off to bed if you've eaten your full."
Laughter broke out and wood began to scratch the floor as students began to leave the hall.
"Oh one last thing!" Crouch exclaimed stopping all the students. "The tournament is only for those over the age of sixteen. Thank you."
Groans and shouts were directed at the ministry official. Apparently many thought that was unfair.
"Enough!" shouted Snape suddenly. No one had noticed the sour professor seated at the edge of the staff table. "Everyone off to bed! No complaints or I'll have you in detention with me," he threatened.
Silence befell the hall and Dumbledore chuckled. Snape definitely had a special way with children.
Seventeenth October, Nineteen Ninety-Four – Hogwarts Grounds.
The days rolled by and so did the frustration. He was getting better at controlling it and every day without access to the forest made an itch grow inside Harry that became so bad that he was willing to kill the Auror just to go to his desert. But he knew the situation that he was in. It was like that time in court after killing his Aunt and Uncle.
He had to be patient. The time would come soon. He had taken to meditating on the Void. Letting his mind drift with magic. Intermingling and trying to understand it. Searching for answers and power.
The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were having their care of magical creatures with Hagrid who was introducing them to a Griffin. A Lion the size of a bear with wings. It was still smaller than Hagrid though. It wasn't chained and was lazily sitting under the sun, glancing occasionally at the crowd of students with lazy brown eyes.
"Friendly little creatures they are," Hagrid said with a grin under his beard and hands on his hips. "They have a taste for deer and when their hungry they go from friendly to deadly. They will hunt anything in sight except for their own. It's why they are a class four scale magical creature."
"Can we touch it?" asked Susan Bones. She was another student who had an arrest warrant in her name issued by the Ministry. She knew she was lucky however, because now the Ministry had a problem bigger than her Aunt and rebelling muggleborns and had chosen to ignore her for now. Rebelling Goblins was far more dangerous and serving up Harry for dinner would satisfy both sides.
The class continued until the bell rang from within the castle signalling the end of the class.
"No homework," Hagrid shouted and the students cheered as they walked back to the castle.
Harry chose to remain behind. He wanted to talk to Hagrid.
"Something on your mind 'arry?"
"What do you know about Minotaurs?" Harry asked.
"Well bless my beard!" Hagrid said in surprise and excitement. "Where did you go and 'ear about Minotaurs?"
"A book about Centaurs," Harry said, his voice vague. "It said the Minotaurs lived in the forest and the Centaurs protected Hogwarts from them."
Hagrid chuckled. "Aye. Although the Centaurs don't protect Hogwarts. They protect themselves and Hogwarts just happens to be behind them."
Hagrid was leading the Griffin back into the forest and Harry fell into stride beside the half giant. He had to put some effort into keeping up to the long strides of Hagrid. Hagrid noticed and slowed his pace with a small smile.
"You like magical creatures?" Hagrid asked.
Harry smiled. Not just because powerful monsters fascinated him but because he was back in the forest. He felt the magic. It was harsh, unforgiving and welcoming. He closed his eyes and felt the aura of his desert deep inside, up North. It was a pity Dumbledore had discovered it and was watching it.
"The strong ones," Harry replied. He observed the half giant's magic. His colours were brighter than any other wizard and his red spread all around him like a shield of magic. Red, yellow and green were dominate traits in magical creatures Harry had noticed. Power, dominance and Passivity. Combinations of those traits were present in some form or the other in all Magical creatures.
That evening Harry learnt that there was a lot Hagrid and he had in common. He found himself captured by the half giant's passion about dangerous and powerful creatures. It ignited an interest in him to want to face these creatures. He wondered what would be stronger. Their connection to the source or his?
Twenty fifth October Nineteen Ninety-Four – Ministry of Magic: Minister's Office.
"Everything has been gathered?"
"Yes My Lord. Only two items remain. The blood of the enemy, forcibly taken and the flesh of the servant, willingly given."
The spirit of Voldemort had gained strength. He wasn't restored to his full power yet it was enough to begin to move through their new world with all bending the knee.
He was now in the body of a nameless muggleborn caught scurrying around Knockturn Alley. His skin was unblemished unlike before and brown eyes had a red film resting underneath. The muggleborn looked to be around the age of twenty-five and was thin with dirty blonde hair.
Lord Voldemort was lounging in the chair of the Minister with his feet on the table and eating an apple. He was enjoying being back in a stable corporeal form.
Lucius and Pius Thicknesse were seated opposite him, their bodies rigid and their hands folded in their laps.
There was a palpable taste of terror around them in-spite of the relaxed air around Voldemort.
"How did the meeting with goblins go?" he asked.
"Diggory and Crouch have been negotiating extensively and a new deal is nearing completion however..."
"However what," Voldemort hissed, interrupting Lucius. He removed his feet from the table and leaned forward in his chair.
Lucius felt death put his fingers around his neck. Urging him to make a wrong statement.
"They are demanding Harry Potter be handed over to them. One way or another, now or later, they want him alive to do with his as they please."
Voldemort didn't say anything. The red in his brown eyes darkened.
"I will see them all dead," he whispered in anger.
"We don't have the strength to repel a full scale Goblin Rebellion while we're also putting down a Muggleborn Rebellion My Lord," Thicknesse said with a quiver in his voice.
"Lucius. Offer them a last proposal. The Goblins of Gringotts must lend aid to the Ministry in order to put down the rebellion and in return we will give them Harry Potter alive but only I will be allowed to kill him."
"Yes My Lord."
"Gather the full force of Aurors and attack those rebels. The Goblins, will be tasked to take down their wards. Now go and see it done."
Lucius and Pius bowed their head in acceptance and stood up.
Pius turned to leave but Lucius cleared his throat.
"One last thing My Lord," he said. "What of Harry Potter's trial? And Dumbledore for that matter. Hogwarts is still out of our reach."
Voldemort smiled. "Send Dolores Umbridge in."
Lucius left confused but quickly hid his questions behind a mask of obedience. He was right behind Pius and felt a weight lift of his shoulders.
Both men looked at each other and sighed.
"He is furious isn't he?" Pius said with a nervous laugh.
"He's on the edge," Lucius replied. "The situation is very volatile. The Muggleborn strength has grown alarmingly strong. Many werewolves have been choosing to join them instead of the Ministry. If they aren't stopped soon, together with Hogwarts, they will become a unified force capable of overthrowing the Ministry."
They walked to Umbridge's desk at the end of the hall and Lucius glared at her with a sneer. In the last month he had gone from Minister of Magic to Messenger of the Minister of Magic. Voldemort had taken over without barely lifting a finger. The Dark Lord just placed himself at the right place at the right time.
"The Dark Lord wishes to see you," he said to the short plump woman who had warts over her face.
She sneered back and stood up quickly. She wanted to become a Knight of Walpurgis. She desperately wanted to see Lucius beneath her instead of being a toad under his boot.
Umbridge entered the office and immediately bowed deeply. "You asked for me My Lord?" she simpered.
"I have a task for you," Voldemort said. "Complete it without failure and you will be rewarded with Knighthood."
Umbridge's eyes widened. Her heart beat faster. Was this her chance?
"Anything My Lord," she said eagerly.
"You are to be the Ministry's representative in Harry Potter's preliminary trial at Hogwarts. Bring me his blood."
Whatever Umbridge had imagined. It had never been this. Her heart came to a screeching halt and confusion clouded her mind.
"His blood milord?"
"Bring me Harry Potter's blood. A pint or an ounce I don't care. Bring me the blood and see yourself bestowed the mark of Walpurgis. Will you succeed at this task Dolores Umbridge?"
Umbridge rose herself proudly. "I will not fail My Lord."
An abstract of Aura.
Red – Power, Security, Jealousy.
Orange – Pleasure, Appreciation, Comfort.
Yellow – Status, Authority.
Green – Love, Compassion.
Blue – Knowledge, Influence.
Violet – Clairvoyance, Unification.
Unknown – What is enlightenment?