AN: So, this is the fourteenth fast-tracked update to make up for the fourteen months of silence. I've been getting them out as fast as I could and I need to slow down for a bit, but I'd still like to keep to more frequent updates for a while, so expect something to appear once a week, roughly. Let's see if I can keep my word for a while on that one!

-hp-hp-hp-

Sitting together in the compartment on the train back to Hogwarts, Harry turned to Ron and said: "All right, I talked it over with Alduin and I'll do my best with the training."

Ron grinned ta him, though it looked a little nervous. "Thanks, mate."

Harry had been speaking quietly, but Sophie still heard him and asked, "What am I missing?"

Harry looked at Neville and Ron, and after they both shrugged and nodded, he explained: "Neville and Ron asked me to teach them some advanced Defence my cousin has been teaching me...you know, given that Riddle is back, or whoever this pretender is."

"Oh, that sounds awesome!" Sophie said immediately. "Can I come too?"

"Yeah, mate," Dean agreed, "we want in."

Harry frowned. "I don't know...look, I'm not some kind of expert. I've just been studying with my cousin for a bit." And Snape much more, but he wasn't about to make that public. "I don't know how much help I can be." He had been conflicted enough about teaching his two best friends, but the whole of Gryffindor fourth-years? He wasn't a qualified teacher!

"Better than nothing, isn't it?" Ron pointed out.

Harry laughed. "That's exactly what my cousin said." He looked around his year-mates. They all looked eager, and as Harry considered it, he realized that their situation would be similar to Ron's – he'd start with teaching them the stuff he'd been going over with Neville for a while now, something he had much more confidence in and felt less conflicted about. "Um...all right, let's do this," he conceded. "But I'm not promising anything, all right? If you're bored, or if you think it's pointless, just tell me and stop coming."

Sophie laughed at him. "What? You thought we'd stick with it to spare your feelings? Don't flatter yourself."

Harry grinned at her in return.

They agreed to train every Saturday, since Harry's Sundays were already occupied with his classes with Snape. And so in a week, Harry, rather nervous, gathered his Gryffindor friends – all of his year had stuck with the wish to give it a try – and headed to the Come And Go Room, which they all agreed was the place best suited for this.

Professor Boot had returned to teach them Defence, and from some of the things she'd said in the first class, Harry thought she must know Riddle was really back. She wanted to focus on defensive spells, but still, she was limited by the curriculum and teaching standards, and so after consulting with Neville, Harry decided that his impromptu classes still weren't completely useless – as weird as that made him feel.

"All right," he said when they were all gathered in the nice, comfortable space the Room had provided for them. "So...I thought about what to start with, and I know we all did this in the second year, but my cousin always insists it's one of the basic spells and I should never stop practising it and it should be like a reflex, so...I want us to start with Expelliarmus."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Really, Harry?"

Harry opened his mouth, but surprisingly it was Neville who spoke: "Hey," he said. "Harry agreed to do this because we asked him. Let him do it his way."

Sophie relented, though she still looked like she didn't think much of it, and Harry paired up his friends – he himself going with Neville – and told them to try and disarm each other. It was hard, though, because if he was to teach Neville something he had no time to focus on the others, and if he focused on the others, he had no time for Neville. Et alone having any space to try for any of the difficult conditions Snape liked to present him with, like darkness or fluctuating temperatures or weird sounds.

"It's stupid that there's an odd number of you," he muttered.

He said it as he was checking Sophie's stance, and she heard him and suggested: "I could bring Ginny next time? I know she's a year younger but she's really good at magic, Defence and Charms especially, so I think it'd equal out."

"That's a good idea," Harry agreed. "I mean, if she's interested."

"I'm pretty sure she will be, but I'll ask."

"Just what I want, getting embarrassed in front of my little sister," Ron muttered.

"Then don't get embarrassed," Sophie told him cheekily, and proceeded to disarm him.

-hp-hp-hp-

The situation continued to evolve fas even after Harry's return to Hogwarts. The Monday after the children returned to school, an interview with Dumbledore was published where he loudly declared that he had his own independent verification that made it clear the man who'd kidnapped Harry was actually Riddle, and that he was urging the wizarding world to prepare for another war unless they wished to be as overrun as during the last war. In the days that followed, the Prophet's pages were full of polemics with Dumbledore's bold statements.

All of this was according to plan – they'd agreed with Dumbledore that he would push the harsh truth while Alduin would ensure that even those sceptical of it would still know there was danger – but it still occupied Alduin's time as he was trying to keep track of who was saying what and who believed what.

Meanwhile, Kingsley had read Amelia in and was interrogated by Veritaserum about Pettigrew's escape, only to start his own interrogations in turn. So far, he had not found the mole, but hopefully it was only a matter of time – unless the person had been pre-emptively obliviated, in which case they'd get nowhere.

All in all, it took a fortnight after Harry's return to Hogwarts until Alduin finally found enough time to Floo the Daily Prophet and arrange for a meeting to give an interview of his own regarding the events of, by now, two months ago.

"Eight months ago," Mrs. Fenwick began her interview, "you made a speech in Wizengamot warning against the danger of this threat that is rising, be it He Who Must Not Be Named or someone else. Given the recent kidnapping of your ward, Harry Potter, that seems rather prophetic, does it not?"

"Yes," Alduin agreed, "and believe me, I would much prefer to be wrong on this occasion. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like I was."

"What do you believe happened?" Mrs. Fenwick prodded at him.

Alduin gave a slight shrug. "Well, you conducted the interview with my ward. I believe him unreservedly. Of course there is no telling what happened while he was unconscious, but..."

"Do you believe it is He Who Must Not Be Named, then?" She clarified.

"I'm not sure...but frankly, I don't think it really matters at this point." That was, of course, an enormous lie, but true enough when it came to the average wizard or witch. "We're so fixated on him as if he was the only danger we ever faced, but there were aspiring Dark Lords before him and there are likely to be ones after him. A child has been kidnapped, and if I am right Muggles have been tortured. Harry was endangered while on a school outing! We should be focusing less on who and more on what, I believe."

"You do have a point," Mrs. Fenwick conceded, "and it is along the lines of what you said in August. But what do you think about the bits that your ward did witness?"

"If it wasn't a ritual to bring You Know Who back from the dead – this is not my expertise, so I am not the person to tell you if a ritual like this exists or not – it was definitely a ritual to create the strange and terrifying body form we witnessed. And it was created from, among other things, my ward's blood. That is profoundly disturbing to me, as I am sure you can understand. The possible inclusion of body parts of a fanatical servant doesn't much improve it."

Mrs. Fenwick shuddered. "I assure you, you are nto the only one to be disturbed. Now, you mentioned that you were part of the group who actually witnessed this monster, whoever he is. What did you see exactly?"

"Just a glimpse – a glimpse of a truly macabre figure. He was tall, thin, with a face like a snake, red eyes and completely bald. He was reaching for Pettigrew, and he took him and disapparated the moment the Aurors attacked."

"That visual is not much in accordance with how people describe You-Know-Who, from the very little we know," Mrs. Fenwick pointed out.

"No...that could perhaps be an argument for it not being him, except that he'd died, or something very near it, and I have no idea how he'd look after getting a new body from such a ritual." Alduin shrugged. "Like I said, I'm really not the best person to ask about this."

"Very well – I am sure our paper can find a different expert to consult on this topic," Mrs. Fenwick conceded. Alduin wished her good luck with it – with the current politics, not many were willing to openly admit their deep understanding of the Dark Arts even before these events, and now that Fudge would be looking for a sacrificial lamb to blame all those happenings on that is not Riddle...everyone with half a sense would lay very low.

"What do you believe should be done now?" Mrs. Fenwick asked next.

"Fortunately we already have the tightened security measures," Alduin replied in a confident tone. "That should certainly stay in place. Apart from that, I'm not a security expert, and I leave the official arrangements in the hands of Aurors and Magical law Enforcement, who have my full trust."

"Even after Pettigrew's escape last year? Without him, none of this would have probably happened."

"It wasn't Pettigrew who kidnapped Harry. But yes, I agree. However, as you well know, the former Head Auror was fired after that disaster, and Head Auror Shacklebolt has my complete trust, as does Madame Bones."

"And the Minister?"

Alduin shrugged. "The Minister, I believe, is not particularly involved in the security arrangements. Which is not a criticism, mind you – letting the experts do the expert work is, to my mind, one of the greatest signs of a truly great leader."

Mrs. Fenwick's eyes gleamed, and Alduin could see she knew what he did there, but she didn't press him. Instead, she said: "You pointed out, quite correctly, that it was not Pettigrew who had kidnapped your ward. What is your commentary on the revelations regarding both Bartemius Crouches?"

"I was shocked," Alduin admitted plainly. "I had known Bartemius Senior for a long time, though nto well, and I would have never expected him to do such a thing as free his son from prison. Once he recovers from his prolonged exposure to the Imperius, I will be very interested to hear his reasons, if he has any."

"And regarding the son?"

Alduin sighed. "Every wizard lost to darkness is a tragedy, and Barty Crouch is no exception. He used to be a bright boy once, but there were no traces of that left what transcripts of his interview I have seen." He could hardly admit he had had privileged access, after all. "It is, perhaps, a warning to us all, that while we might have political disagreements and coexist peacefully, once someone becomes completely devoted to serving a Dark Lord, there is nothing, not even the closest of family ties, that would stop them from harming others at said lord's orders. Fanatical devotion is always dangerous. Whatever path we decide to walk in the following months, we should keep that in mind, and ensure we do not forget who we are."

"Is that your advice to the general public, then?"

"Some of it, yes. What I would add, for those who are less in danger for 'falling in with a bad crowd', so to speak, and more likely to be in direct danger: Don't panic, but stay on your guard. Avoid going out alone in deserted places if possible, especially after dark, and especially if you believe you could somehow be of importance to this new rising Dark Lord. And if you wish to volunteer in ensuring we do not fall into another reign of terror, contact the Auror Headquarters. They are arranging civilian groups and training them in basic defence and danger evaluation."

"Thank you for your time."