I certainly have no rights to Harry Potter, but this won't stop me writing this story. However, you probably already know this. As it is my specialty, and as in my other big stories, this shows how things go if something went different right at the beginning. Please note that I'm not a fan of bashing and also don't expect the pairings to differ from canon. However, the path to them sertainly will be quite different. I also want to try and subvert certain plots and things that became common in the fandom over the years.
I'm back! I'm not entirely done with third year, but by now I've written so many chapters that I can again start releasing them and I'm set for at least four months. As usual, updates come every second Saturday.
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Chapter 28: In Palest Moonlight
"I honestly had not expected that we would see each other again so quickly," Neville said while they all sat in the shade of a tree near the pond close to the Burrow.
"I know, goes doubly for me. I honestly had not expected to end up here, considering my punishment," Harry added, feeling like he had avoided a horribly dull summer by a stroke of luck - at least for today.
Harry was not being dramatic. He had honestly expected to be grounded once coming home for knowingly walking towards mortal danger in form of the chamber without even waiting for the teachers. Even though it had been months ago and his guardians felt he had been punished enough with what he experienced, they still made him do all his school work at the start of summer leave - something he still wasn't done with - which was in his mind some kind of punishment.
That all of them could enjoy themselves like they did right now was due to having months - and professional help - to come to terms with the events of the chamber. True, they would never forget and still got the occasional nightmare, but the human mind was surprisingly adaptable.
"Yeah, punishment. Mum must have listened to your guardians. She's making me do all my school work now as well," Ron said, grimacing at the memory.
"Ronald, stop whining. School work won't kill you and at least it's then out of the way for the rest of the summer," Hermione reminded her friend, using his fuill name to put more weight behind it.
"I bet you've already finished all of it." Ron then saw her look of discomfort and knew he had hit dead-center. "Well, whatever you do, don't bring up the topic of Ginny with the twins. They are quite angry with her."
Luna gave Ginny a knowing look. "Did your temper get the better of you, Ginny?"
Ginny blushed a little. "When Mum said Ron has to do all of his school work right away, I protested rather harshly that it was unfair to him. I should have kept my trap shut, now Mum is forcing all of us to do our school work early. Fred and George have already pranked me several times for it."
Ginny remembered the prank they'd done two days ago, which had caused her hair to become the same shade of blond as Luna's. It had taken almost half the day before their mother had managed to force them to reveal how to get her hair back to normal. Yesterday she had noticed way too late (and much to her intense discomfort) that itching power had somehow found its way into her underwear - their mother was still cross with the twins for that, feeling it had crossed a red line.
"You know, I have no idea why the adults actually are meeting. That came a bit out of nowhere. Granted, the twins are really excited to see a real magical house, but that couldn't have been it," Harry finally asked.
"Mum and Dad actually have been acting strange for two days now. No idea what that is about," Ron said, glancing to the tables set up next to the house, where the adults had their little get-together. "However, I think our parents are also just enjoying a little get-together."
"It's still a bit weird that they are like that thanks to us," Harry thought aloud. "I'm just glad they are leaving us to our own devices."
"To be honest, let's just enjoy that we can be lazy today." That said, Neville laid back in the grass and enjoyed the warm sunlight.
Seeing how her friends clearly agreed with that line of thinking, one after the other following Neville's example, Hermione sighed. "When in Rome..." She then did so as well, deciding that one day of her being a lazy ass wouldn't be the end of the world.
"Mhhh... maybe all of us got infected by little worms that cause laziness?" Luna sighed while taking off her glasses to enjoy the sunlight.
"Who cares as long as we can enjoy this?" Ginny waved it off. "Only too bad most of you don't have swimwear here, or we could relax in the pond. I went through a little growth spurt over the past months and wanted to show it off."
Ginny had one eye open and saw Harry blushing a little. She knew she was too young for such things, but that wouldn't stop her from teasing a bit.
"Yes, that is too bad. It also is too bad our parents would never allow us to skinny-dip," Luna said, then heard some gasps. "Did I say something wrong?"
They were all glad that Luna had her eyes closed so she would see their blushes. They all again wondered how she could talk about such things so calmly.
At the tables meanwhile, the adults after exchanging gossip and news had finally reached the big topic the adult Weasleys had wanted to breach.
"Well, you two certainly made it quite suspenseful," Diane said while making sure the twins were not doing anything stupid - they however were just watching the chickens. "Now, what is the big news? Don't get me wrong, we should do such things more often, but I can see you can't keep quiet anymore."
"Go ahead, Arthur. Now you can tell them," Molly encouraged her husband.
"Two days ago Lady Luck finally was on my side. I managed to win the big prize at the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw: a whopping seven hundred Galleons!" Arthur told them proudly, still having problems to believe his luck.
"If there is someone who deserves such luck, it's you, Arthur!" Pandora congratulated him. "After all the blows to the neck you got over the years fortune is finally smiling upon you!"
Ian, having done the math, whistled when realizing how much that was in Pound Sterling. "That's quite a formidable sum. Though I guess you now have the same dilemma as all the lottery winners. You wonder what to do with the sudden financial windfall."
Arthur sobered up when hearing this truth. "Yes, we are in a bit of a dilemma, you see."
"Now, if we use reason we would put it into the family vault so that it can help make sure the family finances are more secure. Sure, we no longer need to pay for school supplies and it is a relief that Ron and Ginny now have money in the bank, but still..." Molly then blushed a little, showing how embarrassed she was talking about it.
Arthur, seeing that his wife was embarrassed, continued "However, we then remembered Bill in Egypt. He's currently stationed near Cairo and it is so tempting to use the chance and have the whole family take a vacation there, especially after all the stress everyone went through..."
"Certainly quite a dilemma," Veronica admitted. "Ah, vacation... I can't even remember when was the last time we had one?"
"That must have been before Mark's birth," Thomas guessed, looking to where their son was laughing at Crookshanks chasing the garden gnomes that had infested the Weasley garden. "I can remember we've had one before Harry went to school."
"I know our last one was before the birth of the twins," Diane remembered. "I remember it because of the photo of me in a bikini showing off my already visibly pregnant belly."
The Longbottoms looked a bit pained when remembering their last vacation. "We didn't have a vacation ever since Agernon's foolishness almost killed our son. I think we simply didn't get into the right mood for it.," Frank admitted.
"Well, Pandora, dear, can our hiking and camping trips be classified as a vacation?" Xenophilius asked his wife.
"Perhaps. But while it is fun, it's not exactly what most people would understand as a proper vacation," Pandora admitted when thinking back at the summer trips of the recent years. "Not that we got the time to plan one this year."
"Well, I guess we are the only ones who go on vacations regularly," Jean admitted, remembering the vacation last year to Spain. "We were planning on having one this year as well. France perhaps."
Arthur sighed, leaning back. "We didn't have a proper vacation in ages... If I think about it, not since Charlie's birth, and you all have an idea how long ago that was. It is so tempting to just leave all of it behind for some weeks after all the stress; give a damn on what reason says. But it makes us feel guilty as well."
"Hmmm, the way you put it, it's rather unfair the two of you have to decide between enjoying it now or keeping it to improve the family finances," Sirius said, looking like he was cooking something up.
"I know that look..." Diane sighed. Her husband always looked like that when getting an idea.
"I honestly can't fault any of you for wanting to have some better memories after all the crap that happened over the past year," Sirius admitted. "Arthur, you said Egypt? And you would have done it with the whole family, Charlie included?" Seeing Arthur nod, Sirius leaned back in his chair. "I think all of us could use a vacation far away from our troubles."
"Well, that is obvious,"Veronica said, wondering what Sirius was playing at.
"Since we really need this, why not make it an experience for all of us? I'm inviting all our families for a two-week trip to Egypt on my dime," Sirius finally said.
"Sirius, we are not..." Molly started, realizing what Sirius had to be planning.
"Would it really be charity? No, it's not because of that. It's because I feel we all can use this after all of this... Let the children have one big and safe adventure together after all the stress they went through. The only difference is, that I'm offering it to all of you," Sirius said.
"Ah, Egypt..." Xenophilus said with a look of longing. "I always want to learn if the horned fire-scarabaeus really exist there..."
Sirius however saw Molly prepare to try and convince him that this was not needed.
Well, here we go... he thought, knowing it would take some time to convince her of the difference between generosity and charity, with his offer being the former.
Sirius didn't notice that the twins were watching him from the distance while experimenting with something that looked like a blue quill next to the big shed that was used as a garage for the family car.
"So, we should ask him?" George asked his brother while carefully setting up the quill.
"Yes, as soon as we get the opportunity. After all, if he really is him..." Fred then stopped, observing the quill closely. "Oh, let's watch what happens. Hopefully we got it right this time, otherwise were have to concede defeat on this one for the time being."
The twins observed the quill closely. -spplllooossshhhhh- Suddenly ink literally exploded out of it, splashing onto them! Fred and George looked at each other, seeing how they were covered from head to toe in ink. They then again looked at the quill, which now was soaked in ink.
"No, that stupid thing simply won't work. It's supposed to be funny, not cause serious damage that could get us sued," George sighed. "I think we should forget making any of those at least until until we find out how to limit the ink output."
Then seeing their mother approach, who had seen the mess happen and clearly wasn't amused considering the state two of her sons now were in, they knew she wouldn't be impressed with their experiments and just claim they'd bought a faulty joke article and tried to fix it.
...Privet Drive No. 4, July 4th...
Dudley was utterly bored while training shadow boxing next to the wall of the garden shed.
It was Sunday, thus little opportunity existed for him to do something outside of the house. No catching-up boxing training at the local gym, no wasting his time in the arcade near the town center, no visit to the local outdoor pool and no films in the cinema. He honestly had no wish to waste his time in front of the telly - not that he had something against television itself, only the excessive amounts of time he'd wasted in front of it in the past - and he also didn't feel like using his Mega Drive at the moment.
However, with his father being home he also didn't want to spend too much time inside the house.
It's frightening how he's starting to get distant to me, Dudley thought with a heavy heart.
Honestly, Dudley's home situation was starting to become schizophrenic and what had only been hinted at in the previous summer home now was starting to become more visible: a rift was forming in the Dursley home and he was the focal point.
Now that he was older and wiser, he did realize that before he had left for Hogwarts his parents were able to pretend that everything was normal - after all, his lessons took place nearby and out of sight and otherwise life went on as usual. Now however, with him being away for most of the year, it seemed to have become impossible for his parents to deny the reality of the situation any longer.
His parents tried very differently how to deal with it.
His mother Petunia clearly was out of her depth with anything magical. However, by now he did notice her asking him about the more general things in his school life and she also no longer was blinking an eye when seeing him do his schoolwork - though he could have sworn to see a hint of longing on her when she looked at his books and papers. It wasn't much, but still an improvement over her prior behavior. At least she was trying.
His father Vernon was a very different story. Dudley had noticed it before, but now it was obvious that a rift had formed between them. It was not that he was treating Dudley badly, but he was giving him quite a bit less attention than in the past and Dudley could feel an emotional distance that had formed. It were many small things - like Vernon using the newspaper as a shield to hide behind at the breakfast table - only against him.
His mother telling him to always lock his room so that his father wouldn't see his school things also was not a good sign and filled Dudley with dread where this could go. Right at the moment the atmosphere in the house was already not the very best.
"Dudley!" his mother called from the house. "Telephone for you!"
That was another sign that his mother finally was improving: she was a last using his proper name. She must have noticed him flinching when she used these baby names.
Who would call me? Dudley wondered while walking back into the house. "Who is calling me?" he asked his mother while walking to the phone.
"I actually don't know, but she told me she is a friend of yours," Petunia said.
A girl? Dudley didn't know any girls who were owning a telephone - and he didn't count Harry's female friends, since they would have no reason to call him. Reaching the phone, he picked it up. "Hello? Dudley Dursley speaking."
"Dudley? Oh, this thing really works then and I got the correct number!"That was the voice of a girl, and Dudley knew that one well.
"Millicent?" Dudley had honestly not expected her to use a telephone, but then noticed his mother listening from she was acting like she was busy and tried to play it cool. "This is really unexpected."
"Oh, I believe that. I'm actually using a phone in the post office. You wouldn't believe how much I trained first to not act like an idiot when using it, not to speak of not revealing to your parents I'm a witch," Millicent explained to Dudley.
Dudley understood why she was so careful, after all he had told her how much against magic his parents were. That she took it upon herself to make extra sure not to arouse their suspicion made Dudley feel warm. It must have been a pain for her to learn how to use a telephone properly, not to speak of the sheer discipline needed not to reveal her being a witch by accident.
"Still a surprise you call me. Not that I complain, I honestly was rather bored," Dudley admitted.
"Bored? Then you'll like to hear what I managed to accomplish. I finally managed to convince my parents that it's OK to hang out with you," Millicent told Dudley.
"You... you actually did?" Dudley asked to make sure.
Truth to be told, Dudley was a bit intimidated by Millicent's parents. He did remember them taking him aside during that time directly after the chamber and asking him what exactly was going on between him and their daughter. Not that they had been mean to him in any way, but their sheer physique was quite intimidating. He'd honestly told them that they themselves didn't know that yet and they had accepted his answer.
"Yes! They feel both of us are responsible enough not to do anything stupid," Millicent said, though from her voice it was clear she herself was unsure what that included. "They organized everything so that I can visit you regularly."
"That... that's great!" Dudley honestly was surprised, though he guessed she needed this as much as him, since the previous year had been especially bad for her thanks to Riddle. "Wait, uhm, how...?"
"Please don't ask, just accept that I can without breaking any laws. Still, we do need a place where we can meet up. I certainly won't go to your house, considering how you told me your parents are," Millicent told Dudley.
"Yes... right." Dudley then told her about the big municipal building near the center of Little Whinging and they did agree on a time.
When all finally was said and done, Dudley hung up the phone, only to see that he'd had an audience. He had been so distracted by Millicent calling that he hadn't even noticed them. His mother looked close to making a scene and he had a good idea what that was about.
"Oh, our son is growing up so fast! Now he's even spending time with a girl!" Petunia gushed, looking incredibly proud.
"Well, considering she used the phone like a civilized person, she can't be one of them. Well done, son." That was the first time since coming home that he heard his father actually praising him.
Dudley knew that it was just their bigotry making it impossible for them to imagine that a witch could learn how to use a telephone properly. Of course he would not say a word and make sure that Millicent knew how to act, should she ever meet his parents. That, and perhaps help her wear something that would help her blend in better. He had a feeling her clothing choices still wouldn't be the very best to not attract attention.
...a slum area in Stratford, July 6th...
While many London suburbs little Little Whinging were normal and boring, there also were those areas in and surrounding London which were less fortunate. Suffering from the collapse and even willful destruction of the industrial base by the government, who claimed they saw the bright future in services, such areas generally had went into decay once their main employers were gone.
That certainly was the case for the district of Stratford in East London, which sported many closed-down factories and was currently more a slum a neighborhood where only those lived who couldn't afford to move away. That however also mean that such an area offered more than enough opportunities for those who generally were no welcomed by society.
Everyone had gotten used to that fact over the years and so ignored things that otherwise would haven been seen as unusual. At a bus stop two people departed the bus. The man and woman were dressed somewhat shabby, but in this area no one blinked an eye at that, as it was all too common. Also, since they had bought tickets, there had been no reason to deny them the ride.
Walking away from the residential areas, they quickly reached an abandoned industrial area nearby. Even in the summer sun, the area felt haunting in that no one else was seen. They walked down some more streets, making sure that no one was looking, before they then quickly scaled up the wall surrounding an abandoned locomotive factory and moments later vanished inside the abandoned building.
"I'm still surprised how easy that was," the man snorted while they walked through the empty factory halls.
"That's because these wizards would never think about how we were forced to adapt due to constantly being on the run. I bet most of them have no clue how to use a ticket machine," the woman said.
The man let out a small laugh. "I bet they still think we constantly live in the forest, trying to get close to nature. Actually funny how they accuse us of being animals while it's them who are ignorant."
There was something to that. Being a group constantly on the run from magical authorities, Greyback's pack had learned fast to adapt, which often meant blending into the Muggle world so that they couldn't be found. It had proven to be a very successful tactic to avoid the authorities, who would have no idea where to look in a world that was alien to most of them.
After all, getting back onto British soil had been piss-easy. Murder the crew of a fishing trawler at the French coast and then move the pack over the Channel. The Ministry only was on the outlook for magically entering the United Kingdom, thus anyone who knew that could get in without them being any wiser about it.
Funny thing was, the majority of them, the two of them included, weren't even from the British Isles. Greyback had converted them during his exile and they'd never had first-hand experienced the bigotry of Magical Britain. They however still had learned to hate it and help him up to the bitter end, such was the nature of fanatics.
Finally reaching the office building, where the pack had moved in for the time being, they quickly walked to the old director's office, where Greyback had made himself at home. Greyback himself had made himself comfortable behind the badly scratched-up wooden desk, sitting in an old worn-down leather chair while chewing on part of a roast chicken.
He then noticed them "Ah, you are back. Did you get what I ordered you to steal?"
"Yes, boss. We got it by breaking into the place, and as you ordered we made sure to erase our tracks by vandalizing the archive," the woman said, pulling some rolled-up parchments from her pocket.
"Good..." Greyback took a look at the parchments, then used his fingers for a sharp whistle.
"Boss, if I may ask, why did you order the others to do some random attacks all over the country?" the man asked when seeing some small articles in the Daily Prophet that was lying on the desk.
"No questions are stupid," Greyback said, looking at the article. "That was to throw them off our scent and lay some false trails. Give them something to do while we prepare for our actual strikes."
"What is our actual plan?" the woman wondered, since Greyback had been tight-lipped about it.
"Oh, patience. I don't want to spoil the surprise. However, if things go as I planned, they'll get a surprise they'll never forget," Greyback said with confidence.
It was then when another woman entered. She was perhaps the most disturbing sight in the pack right after Greyback. Thing was, while she was perfectly capable of blending in when being oustide, her clothing choice when being among the pack only consisted of a short loincloth and nothing else. The thing didn't even cover much, meaning one could often see straight to London, but she didn't seem to care.
The fact that she was a punk woman when being in public also bled into it. Her hair was in a blood-red mohawk cut, her ears and lips were pierced with many metal rings - she even had two on her breasts - and several disturbing tattoos were at display on her naked skin. No one in the pack dared to mess with her and only the bavest accepted her invitations for fucking.
"Ah, Mr. Greyback, is that the instructions for the potion?" she asked. Despite her startling appearance her voice was surprisingly gentle, hiding the monster underneath it.
"Yes. Is it the correct one and can you do it?" Greyback asked while giving her the parchments.
Now he was really glad he had turned her some years ago. She had already committed several murders even before he had bitten her - something she actually had asked for - and her new nature had made her lose all restraint. She however was not dumb at all, in fact she was a master at brewing potions, which had saved their skin on several occasions.
Reading the instructions, the woman whistled. "It's the correct one... That will be the most complicated potion I've brewed up to date. No problem for me however. Some of the stuff needed for it is rather exotic... If you want a steady supply for the pack, you need to supply me with plenty of ingredients."
"That's no problem as long my pack also steals other stuff while they break into apothecary shops to erase their tracks," Greyback said. "Can you do it in time for the next full moon?"
"Certainly, if your people hurry, since that stuff has to be taken each day an entire week before the moon," the woman said, making the calculations. "I can already see you are planning something nasty. Can you enlighten me?"
Greyback laughed, causing even her to shiver a little. "It was always a problem that it's so difficult to strike when we are at the strongest, so difficult to turn others without killing them..." He looked at the scars on the woman's right leg, a side-effect of her own turning. "But with that potion those problems will all be past."
Greyback was pleased. Clearly some idealist had created the Wolfsbane potion for humanitarian purposes. Like all these intellectuals in the ivory tower however, the inventor had not thought about the practical consequences of his invention. That fool had thus given him an incredibly strong weapon he now could use to make sure Magical Britain did get a lesson they would not forget.
Too bad I can't thank him personally, Greyback thought in sick amusement.
...July 27th, Heathrow Airport...
It was quite an interesting travel group that arrived at Heathrow Airport that morning. The airport however had seen its share of weird people over the years, so they didn't attract that much attention after all. Of course that still sidn't mean they wanted to invite attention...
"Arthur, keep yourself under control. All the children are far more disciplined than you are, and that includes a pair of four-year old," Molly told her husband, pointing to how their own children looked embarrassed at how their father was acting.
"Sorry, this just is so new to me and you remember my fascination with airplanes..." Arthur apologized, trying not to act so wide-eyed.
"Honestly, he's acting like a kid in the candy store," Diane remarked to her husband while making sure the twins wouldn't wander off.
"Can you blame him? It's one big adventure for him, though we should be glad I gave him that book on how airplanes work. Granted, it's actual audience are teenagers, but it did answer his questions about how a plane stays in the air," Sirius commented.
"Thank God for small mercies," Diane agreed, not wanting to imagine Arthur on the plane constantly asking how it works.
Well, getting to this point actually had been an adventure in itself.
It had taken Sirius considerable time (three whole days) to convince Molly to accept his offer, but in the end he had managed to get her around, especially after a letter from Bill, who agreed it was a great idea.
The only one who had declined the offer for the trip was Remus. Not because he disliked Egypt, but because the trip fell into the the full moon and he still had to get used to his new medication. He also was very busy with preparing for his temporary new job - not that he made any secret of it - and training the new teacher for the preschool.
Of course, once everyone else did agree came the question of how to actually travel to Egypt. It had taken some discussion, but in the end it was agreed to take a conventional airplane instead of magical travel, since it would spare them all the hassle with the Ministry.
That of course opened up other problems. The biggest headache was, that the Longbottoms, Lovegoods and Weasleys didn't have passports and other travel papers and getting these the normal way would again have meant involving the Ministry, which also would have been time-consuming. In the end Sirius had cheated and asked Dumbledore if he could use his connections to the non-magical government to get them into contact with the right people to speed things up.
There also had been the problem of the protection on the Evans house, since no one had any idea how long Harry would have to stay to renew it. At least that one had been solved easy enough, as Dumbledore had told them a two-week vacation wouldn't hurt as long as Harry was home during the rest of the summer, especially since Harry already had been home during Christmas and Easter break, thus easing the depletion of the protection.
Somewhat less problematic had been what to do with the family pets during their vacation - after all they hardly could come along. Augusta Longbottom had agreed for the various owls to use the Longbottom owlery. Crookshanks meanwhile was in the care of a friend of Dumbledore's who had a good hand with cats. One look as Mrs. Figg's house had been proof enough that Hermione entrusted Crookshanks to her care. That certainly would go better than last year's solution, which had left Crookshanks quite irritable.
"Why does Dad insist on embarrassing us like this? I understand he's excited, but a fourty-year old man should have more self-control," Percy said in disbelief.
"Just let him have his fun. Also, I've seen pictures of the flying machine we'll use - wait until we are in it and then watch him go nuts over it," Ron remarked, actually hoping as well that their father wouldn't get overexcited.
"I hope Mum curbs the worst of it..." Percy sighed. Their father had gotten a lot better about such things, but something this big was bound to cause him to relapse.
"It's actually a bit amusing. We are just as excited, but it's only Arthur who acts like that," Alice remarked. "Frank, I still remember the look your mother gave you when you said we want to travel like that to broaden our horizons."
"Yes, Mum can be rather conservative. She openly told me that the mentality of our generation is quite different from what came before and that she doesn't understand us at times," Frank admitted. "It already was difficult enough to convince her that we wouldn't need bodyguards for this trip."
Thankfully for everyone involved, their actual way to the airplane held no hiccups. The security gate was no problem since the wands the adults carried on their person were made of wood and thus didn't register in the metal detector. Considering the sight of armed security guards, they all did their best to be cooperative and thus nothing of note happened.
Soon enough everyone was seated in the plane, waiting for the lift-off.
"Honestly, Sirius, first class?" Thomas asked with an arched eyebrow when taking in where in the plane their seats were located.
"Well, it does ensure that we will have our peace," Sirius returned. "Also, I certainly didn't want their first time on an airplane be in the tourist class. Can you imagine their reaction to that?"
Veronica and Thomas did imagine it. "Just let's not make Molly aware that this actually is the first class," Veronica suggested while making sure Mark's seatbelt was fastened properly, and everyone knew that that perhaps was for the best.
The children from magical families also looked around in wonder. "And we can just relax in these while this machine does the traveling for us? Neat!" Ron remarked, making himself comfortable in his seat.
"I did fly in one of those before, but never first class," Hermione said, then looked to where Mr. Weasley was taking in their surroundings. "Your father certainly looks quite excited."
"Thank all goodness we are the only ones in this section. No one besides us here to see it," Ginny sighed, then looked out of the window. "Don't get me wrong, I'm excited as well, but Dad is something else..."
"I was told it's a longer flight, so I brought some reading material along," Luna remarked, pulling out a book she wanted to read.
Hermione looked at the title. "The Curse of the Pharaoh? That sounds more like a mediocre fantasy novel," she told Luna.
"Oh, I find it amusing to read, since some graves in ancient Egypt actually were secured with magic." Luna then pushed her glasses up her nose. "Always keep an open mind about such things."
Hermione shrugged, not wanting to argue on that, and pulled out something no one would have thought she owned: a walkman with headphones. Ron noticed and eyed to gadget with interest. "I had no idea you got one of those," he said.
"Contrary to what others - you included - might think, I do not spend my entire time with books and do have other interests." Hermione said, then noticed Ron's interest in her walkman. "Maybe you want to test it out as well?"
Ron nodded quickly and Hermione couldn't help but notice that Ron clearly had inherited some of his father's interest in non-magical devices.
"Hey Harry. I just remembered that we'll be on vacation during your birthday. How will this be handled?" Neville then remembered, feeling a bit bad that he had forgotten.
"Well, we decided since Ginny's birthday would be right after our return, that we celebrate them together during mine. Don't ask me what the birthday party will be like, but it surely will be my most unusual birthday," Harry told Neville.
"I certainly have nothing against that," Ginny added, feeling this really would be a special birthday for her as well - even if the celebration would not be on her actual birthday. She then remembered that she would celebrate together with Harry and blushed a little.
"Ginny, you are a little red. Are you all right?" Harry asked.
"Oh, yes, yes! There is nothing wrong!" she said quickly and Harry took that at face value. Ginny didn't notice the knowing look Luna gave her.
Then of course there was the actual take-off. Apart from the Grangers, who had traveled by plane before, everyone else was glued to the windows, watching the take off and ascension of the plane. Most of them were surprised how little they felt despite now traveling at high speeds. Despite it being exciting, even Mr. Weasley accepted after hearing the flight would take several hours that it was time to lean back and relax.
o
Cairo was not that different from London in many aspects: it was packed, loud and a hive of activity. The main difference was the oppressive heat and that it was more dusty. Their plane had arrived on time and several taxis were now taking them to their hotel. Sirius had been surprisingly tight-lipped about that part, saying he wanted it to be a surprise. However, on several of them recognition dawned when they saw the pyramids slowly appear at the horizon.
When they finally had reached their destination and stepped out of the cars, it was pretty obvious why Sirius had not said anything.
"Seriously, Sirius, the Mena House?" Jean asked Sirius, being in the know about this hotel.
"It was the best choice. Situated right next to the pyramids... what could you want more?" Sirius was not making a secret of how he wanted this to be special.
Indeed, they were standing in front of the famous Mena House hotel, directly next to the plateau of Giza. It was famous, not only due to its location with a wonderful view of the pyramids, but also for the fact that it had housed numerous famous people over the years. Those in the know knew it was quite expensive, but decided to stay silent about the matter. After all, there was no need to risk Molly again getting worried about the cost.
"Strange, I thought we would be greeted by Bill," Charlie wondered, looking around to see if he could spot his brother.
The mystery however was solved once they reached the reception desk, a message waiting for them. Sirius took one look at the envelope, then gave it to Arthur, who opened it. "A message from your brother Bill. There was a small hiccup when he was recalled for something urgent. He's wont return to the hotel until tomorrow after breakfast."
The Wesleys were a bit disappointed, not having seen Bill in a while, but then decided that a few more hours wouldn't be the end of the world.
Shortly later all of them had moved into their rooms.
The six friends felt their parents were thinking pragmatically, since all six of them basically got the same arrangements as in Hogwarts: the three boys in one room, the three girls in another. The logic was sound; since they bunked together most of the year anyway, they should have nothing against that arrangement. Their rooms certainly were more luxoirous than their dorms at Hogwarts.
Neville was standing on the balcony, enjoying the view from over the palm trees of the hotel garden up to the pyramids. "This is so different from what I've seen up to now. It's awesome!" he said in amazement.
"I know! After all what happened at school over the year, this is something we really needed," Harry agreed, feeling the troubles and trauma of the past year taking a backseat.
"Man, these beds are something else!" Ron called from where he laid on his bed. "Even our beds at Hogwarts have nothing on these! Good thing that Sirius isn't telling Mum the price for this."
"He doesn't want to embarrass her with the fact that it's pocket change for him," Harry remarked, knowing that Sirius was a rich man, who simply despised the lifestyle of the rich classes. "You are taking this a lot better than I expected."
"You know, now finally having money of my own makes it a lot less biting to me, especially now that we do better," Ron admitted. "I wonder what the girls are doing in their room?"
"Do you honestly want to know?" Neville asked, remembering that there were things about girls you probably didn't want to know.
Ron decided he was better off not knowing.
He didn't know that their voices carried over to the balcony right next to theirs - the room the girls had moved into. Hermione stood on the balcony and having heard that exchange about girls, she rolled her eyes before walking back in. "The boys clearly don't yet have any idea to think of us girls as girls," she remarked.
"Give it time... They'll soon enough change their tune," Ginny said while leaning back in a very comfortable seat. She didn't add that she suspected Hermione was a bit disappointed that Ron wouldn't discover girls for some more time.
I'm younger than you, yet you so are so obvious, Hermione, Ginny thought.
"Someone once told me that we women are the second-biggest mystery of the universe," Luna said while enjoying her soft bed, looking like she would never want to leave it again.
"Really, and what is the biggest mystery?" Hermione asked.
"Why toast always lands with the buttered side down when you drop it," Luna replied, giving an expression like she was dead-serious.
Either she got an incredible poker face, or she actually believes that. I honestly can't decide what's more likely, Hermione thought, knowing this was typical Luna.
...Giza Plateau, the next day...
The next morning, after a healthy and filling breakfast, the group was waiting in the gardens for Bill to arrive. They had gotten a second letter, promising he would be there shortly after breakfast to actually show them around on the Giza Plateau. However, he yet had to appear. Especially the Weasleys couldn't wait to see him again, since the last time had been a bit ago.
Diane was busy with checking if the twins were properly protected from the strong sunlight while Veronica reminded Mark that he didn't want the strong sun to blast down onto his unprotected head and thus keep his hat on. The three young children were well-behaved, too fascinated with this strange new land to make any problems.
"I think Bill should arrive at any moment according to his letter," Charlie said while checking the clock. "With him we get a tour guide who won't try to rip us off."
"I knew I shouldn't have given you that magazine," Ian Granger remarked, talking about a news magazine in which there was an article about guides and vendors overcharging unsuspecting tourists in Giza.
"You are all here! Sorry that I made you wait."
That was Bill's voice, but when they saw him, they blinked. Bill certainly had decided to get a change in outfit and those more versed in non-magical pop culture saw right away who his role model had been. The fedora, leather jacket and bullwhip on his belt were a dead giveaway. Ron and Ginny, who actually had seen the films thanks to Harry, rolled their eyes when seeing their brother's outfit.
"Really, Bill? Is there any reason why you are dressing like Indiana Jones?" Ginny finally asked, wondering if her brother's strange sense of humor was at work.
"After watching the films, I felt it's surprisingly appropriate for my line of work. That, and it's comfortable," Bill said, looking quite proud of his outfit.
"Hah, I bet you enchanted that leather jacket so you won't sweat like mad under it," Charlie remarked, knowing his brother too well.
"Do you even know how to use that thing?" Ron asked, pointing at the bullwhip.
It took a few seconds before Bill decided to be truthful. "Eh, no. The one time I tried, I managed to hit myself in the face. It's only there for show."
Mark, who had seen the films on the telly as well - despite his parents not wanting him to do so due to the violence in those - couldn't help but to laugh. "Oh, I don't think you should then apply for being a lion tamer at the circus if you only hit yourself with it!"
Made fun of by an eight-year old kid... Bill thought, deciding he should ditch the whip, though he would keep the rest of the outfit.
"Nonetheless, ready for your little tour?" Bill asked.
"Certainly, as long as you don't direct us to the Well of Souls," Harry remarked smartly.
Bill rolled his eyes, knowing he would hear the jokes for some time.
Shortly later they had arrived on the path leading onto the plateau after a bus ride - no way they could walk the distance with young children. They honestly didn't look any different from the other tourists visiting the place, though several tour guides gave Bill an evil eye, clearly feeling that he had cost them some lucrative business. They also avoided the stalls with the cheap trinkets, knowing these were traps for tourists to spend their money.
Ron looked up the Great Pyramid when they arrived near it, only now understanding how massive it was. "And that thing is massive stone?" he asked, trying to imagine the sheer mass behind it.
"You better believe it, Ron. It used to be even bigger before the outer limestone got taken away over the centuries to build houses," Bill told his brother. "And the most impressive thing about it and all the other monuments here? They were all built with pure muscle power, no magic involved."
"No magic at all?" Ron again looked at the massive pyramid. "I have trouble to imagine that. I mean, even one of these stone blocks must be unbelievably heavy."
"Well, Ron, that shows magic is not everything and to never underestimate those without it. I only wish more wizards would understand that, as it would make them more humble," Bill remarked when seeing his brother's astonishment.
"I honestly wish other wizards would share how humble you are about magic," Hermione sighed. "There are too many that think having magic automatically makes them superior."
"I always wanted to ask: did the ancient pharaohs use the services of wizards a lot to secure their tombs?" Luna asked while Bill showed them the entrance to the pyramid - though of course they didn't enter, since it was closed to the public.
"It might surprise you, but that didn't happen that often. While it did happen, the vast majority of tombs are very ordinary and we have to keep our hands off those. And don't believe all that talk about the curse of the pharaoh. When they opened Tutankhamun's tomb it really wasn't magic that killed some of them... just something unhealthy they breathed in," Bill explained.
"So there's nothing magical with most of the tombs?" Ginny asked.
"Yes, the vast majority are plain tombs. The tombs of wizards are well-hidden by every standard. Believe me, the really difficult part is actually finding them," Bill told them.
"Something I don't understand... Wouldn't your job essentially be archaeological looting?" Jean asked, having always been troubled after hearing what Bill did as a job.
Bill grimaced at the reminder. "Believe me, that was a huge problem with the goblins in the past. Nowadays however there are treaties in place. Here in Egypt, if it's just a magically secured tomb, we just remove the magic and magical items and then report it to the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation. If the tomb belongs to a wizard, then we report to the local Ministry and the goblins get a compensation according to the value of what's found in the tomb. Believe me, the compensation is so good the goblins gladly take it."
They slowly started to make their way over the plateau, Bill pointing out interesting sights. Even though most of it just was stone or ruins, it was impressive what Bill could say about it and the history behind it. Clearly, the oldest Weasley brother had read a lot about Egypt to know so much about it and was quite skilled at conveying it. Even Steve and Kathleen listened eagerly.
"Man, you would make an awesome History teacher! The stuff we are learning in school is so lame compared to this," Neville said, voicing what many though about History of Magic.
"No thanks, I'm happy where I am. Also be glad you no longer have Binns as History teacher. He had the ability to put everyone to sleep with his endless droning about goblin rebellions," Bill told Neville.
All current Hogwarts students wanted to sigh in relief at the fact that Binns had retired, as much as that was possible for a ghost, before their time at school. The things Bill, Charlie and Dora had told them about him made them glad they got a different History teacher. They didn't want to imagine what kind of torture the subject otherwise would have been.
After some time they arrived at the Sphinx. "Beautiful, isn't she? Did you know they got the idea from real sphinxes, though they did leave out the wings," Bill told them.
Mark looked up when hearing that. "You mean they really exist?"
"You better believe they do," Charlie said, showing that he had finished Magical Creatures with honors. "Sphinxes are magical creatures that really love to give riddles. As long as you don't annoy them they are great conversation partners. We did meet one in six year at school and she was very polite."
"Is the classic riddle of four legs - two legs - three legs also a riddle they give?" Hermione asked, wondering if the myth was true.
"Oh, they no longer do that. They say that's too common knowledge by now," Charlie said with a laugh, remembering how offended the sphinx had been when a student had asked her about that riddle.
"By the way, the sphinxes see the Great Sphinx here as a very important monument to their species. Quite a few of them come here as well over the year. It's kind of a pilgrimage for them," Bill explained further.
Luna meanwhile looked up at the Sphinx, then turned to her father. "Daddy, have you ever interviewed a sphinx for the Quibbler? I think it would be very interesting for your readers."
Xenophilius gave his daughter a big smile. "What would I do without you, pumpkin?"
Pandora couldn't help but chuckle when seeing how her husband and daughter were interacting. These two certainly did complement each other in many ways.
o
It was the ideal moment for Fred and George. Now at the early evening, everyone was busy one way or another. Diane was currently at the hotel pool with her children and Sirius was enjoying some quiet time on the balcony of their suite. It truly was the best moment to talk with the man without anyone interrupting them.
"Let's hope we're not making jackasses out of ourselves," George hoped while they approached the door.
"Oh, calm down. The worst thing that can happen is that he gets a good laugh at our expense out of it," Fred reminded his brother, then knocked on the door.
After a few moments the door opened and Sirius looked at the boys. "Well, what brings you two to my door? Can't be a prank, since this isn't subtle in the slightest."
"Oh no, we never would!" Fred had no idea that he looked especially insincere and Sirius noticed. "There is an... eh... delicate matter we have to talk about."
"Oh yes, very secret! Can we come in?" George added, not wanting to talk about it in the corridor.
For a moment Sirius thought that these two were making fun of him - not an unreasonable assumption considering their reputation - but then he decided that he would humor them and let them into the suite. The twins waited until the door was closed, before George asked the important question that had been on their minds for some time.
"Eh.. first off, we heard you being called Padfoot. Did we hear correctly?" he asked Sirius.
Sirius arched an eyebrow at this unusual question. "You must have head Remus say that. Only he's nowadays in the habit of doing so. Not even my wife calls me that. But yes, it's a nickname I got from my student days."
Now the twins looked quite excited. "Then... do you also know Moony, Prongs and Wormtail?" Fred asked him.
Now Sirius had a suspicion where these two could have heard these names, as there was only one source where they could have gotten those. However, he decided to first probe further. "Well, I do know them. Moony is what I call Remus. Prongs was Harry's father. As for Wormtail... he is the rat that sold out Harry's parents. So, where did you learn these names?"
Fred and George gulped at the sheer vitrol Sirius displayed when talking about Wormtail, as well as the realization that Wormtail was Pettigrew, one of the most wanted men in Magical Britain. "I... Fred, let's show him!" George decided.
So, they DO have it! That's a story I want to hear, Sirius thought when seeing the twins put a parchment onto the coffee table and say a pass-phrase that was well-known to him, revealing something he'd thought he would never see again.
"The secret of our success!" Fred said proudly. "So, you did...?"
Sirius decided to no longer keep then in suspense. "Yes, I'm one of the creators of this particular map. It was not easy to make and I can see the great distance causes it to malfunction so no people are visible right now. Where did you find it?"
"Found it in Filch's office, sticking out of an old drawer for confiscated items," George admitted.
"He was making us scrub his fireplace with toothbrushes..." Fred remembered, still grimacing at the punishment they got that day for a prank gone awry. "When he stepped out for a moment, we nicked it."
"Took us a long time to decipher all its secrets," George added proudly.
Sirius listened with interest, before again looking down on the parchment that showed a map of Hogwarts. The Marauders Map was the masterpiece of all their experimentation at school - well, perhaps second after the animagus transformation - a map that could show where every person, ghost, named pet and creature was in the castle, though of course right now that function was not working. At the end of their school time they had intentionally put it into that drawer, hoping someone would discover it. He honestly had forgotten about it until getting the right clues moments ago.
"Ah yes, you certainly made names for yourselves, considering how Harry tells me of the punishments you got..." He was amused when seeing the twins grimace, knowing that Filch had seriously upped his game on creatively punishing misbehaving students. "However, that does come with the package. Now, why would you present the map to me?"
"Well, we did get all the use out of the map and wanted to give it to someone new to use," Fred admitted.
"So when we realized you could be one of its creators and one of our role-models, we decided to return this to you to find someone new who's worthy!" George added.
"Role-model, eh?" Back in his youth Sirius would have felt flattered, but now that he was older and wiser, it didn't feel so great anymore to be praised for his thoughtless antics of youth. "You better keep that to yourselves. Can you imagine how your mother will react, should she find out?"
The twins knew that all too well. "She would skin you alive for giving us ideas..."
Sirius saw they understood. "So this stays confidential. As for the map... I have to bring this up with Moony once we are back. A traitor's name has to be removed form it. Also, the map is sadly out of date with all the remodeling done to the castle and the Chamber of Secrets... yes, the map is in urgent need of an update."
Truth to be told, while Sirius had every intention to give the map to Harry, he now realized that the map also could be seen as a grave violation of privacy. Yes, Harry also would get a very serious lecture about only using the map for real emergencies and not for snooping after people like they had done in their own youth.
...August 1st...
The whole scene was a bit surreal. How else could you describe four dozen men and women standing butt-naked in an abandoned factory hall, looking in anticipation at the darkening sky above them? Add to it that none of them seemed bothered by their nudity and in became somewhat disturbing. It felt like some kind of cult... which actually was not that far from the truth.
However, all this seeming madness had its reason. Greyback and his pack had diligently taken the potion for the past week and now Geyback wanted to test if it worked. If yes, then then the real fun would start that night. Their nudity also had a good reason, as even they had grown sick of ruining their clothes with each transformation and over the years developed a rather casual attitude towards nudity in certain situations.
"All right, all of you are ready?" Greyback said, looking around the ranks of his pack.
There were shouts of agreement from everyone, causing Greyback to look satisfied. His pack was highly motivated and willing to do anything. Most of them he had recruited over the years since the war, thus the Ministry would have no idea of their identity, meaning they could move freely in daylight without being accosted.
"Good, the Moon is about to become visible. Remember what I told all of you, since I hardly can tell you later on," Greyback reminded everyone. "Now get ready and greet the Moon!"
That moment the full moon became visible through the shattered glass roof.
The changes started right away in them, but unlike other werewolves who hated the transformation and always only felt pain, they relished in the change, how it gave them more power. To them this was their innermost, true self being laid bare. While their bodies twisted and bulked up while growing fur all over, instead of cries of pain they let out moans of what almost sounded like pleasure. These people had embraced being monsters and the monster rewarded them accordingly.
Sometime during their transformation the wolf in them started to protest, feeling that it was not let out, but that quickly stopped when it felt that they had no intention to be peaceful and instead would use their retained smarts to be much more effective in what they did. The wolf was wild, yes, but it quickly came around and realized its nature still wouldn't be denied.
When the transformation finally was finished, a big group of very dangerous werewolves was standing in the place of the people, being outright fascinated how clear their thoughts were and that they got full control over their actions. The sheer power they felt they got complete control over felt highly addictive to them, feeling like a drug they couldn't get enough of.
After all these years I truly feel like being one with my true self, Greyback thought, the sheer experience giving him a sort of sexual high.
Then however he realized that they had things to. Letting out a short barking sound, he called his pack to order. They did obey and he quickly made several signs to covey that as wonderful as this feeling was, they should stick to the plan. Short growls of agreement came, before they swarmed out in groups of three.
Greyback himself took a group double that size. Their mission would be special.
All the other groups would swarm all over London and each group would murder a few lone Muggles as to hide what exactly killed them. However, the message they would write with their victims' blood was to ensure that the police knew that this was no coincidence. His own mission would be the most important one: he himself would go after actual wizards and witches. He had discovered some easy magical prey after enough reconnaissance throughout London.
He had reserved those for himself.
Even a city like London with all its light pollution offered more than enough darkness for them to make their way through it. Jumping over rooftops and hasting through dark alleys and parks, Greyback's pack quickly covered a wide area to disguise where they were located, before they started their bloody work. London would wake up to horrible news at the morning.
Greyback and his group meanwhile were waiting in an area he had scoped out, where he knew a Ministry worker lived, judging by everything a poor but arrogant pure-blood, and now were waiting for her to come home as usual. Looking at a clock tower in the distance, Greyback gave the sign to get ready.
Any moment now... Greyback though, waiting patiently.
Like clockwork they heard the sound of apparation and then a fourty-something witch walked out of a side alley moments later and towards her magically hidden home nearby. That was, hidden unless someone like Greyback, who knew how to find such things, was looking for it. That woman was oblivous of the fact that her life expectancy would now be measured in minutes at best.
She had just opened her front door when on Greyback's sign they all jumped off the roof.
"Aaahhh!" the woman screamed when suddenly something pushed her rudely into her house and the door slammed shut behind whoever it was.
Falling to the floor, she pulled out her wand to hex whoever had attacked her, but before she could manage to do so... -crac!- "AIIIIHH!" Her arm was snapped like a twig by two really strong, clawed hands. The wand fell from her now useless hand and she finally saw her assailants, causing her to freeze in terror despite all the pain she was in.
"No..." she gasped in pure terror, wetting herself when being confronted with a group of bloodthirsty werewolves who looked at her with greedy eyes
Greyback's growl sounded like a chuckle while he slowly approached her, drool escaping from between his sharp teeth.
What followed then was too horrible to describe. It did result in a terribly mutilated corpse and blood and pieces of her everywhere in the room. It was like a scene out of a horror film, only it was very real. Greyback had made sure that everyone knew who had done this by writing 'Greyback was here' with her blood on the floor.
A bit childish of me, but these simpletons need direct hints, Greyback thought, looking at the scene of the slaughter with satisfaction.
After all he did remember how in the last war some upstart werewolf had bragged about kills that in truth had been his and the wizarding press had believed it right away. Of course he had tracked down and punished the guilty party - meaning he had carved him like a roast - before sending his head to the office of the Daily Prophet with a nasty letter that they should better check their stories in the future.
Yes, he did not want a repeat of that. I had been so annoying.
Satisfied with the results, he indicated to the others that it was time to leave, since the night was still young and one or two more victims were waiting to be turned into a statement. They left the door open and bloody footprints behind before again taking to the roofs to find their next target.
Yes, Greyback couldn't wait to see the inevitable headlines.
...10 Downing Street, morning of August 4th...
John Major barely noticed what he actually was looking at when looking out of the window of his office down into the Downing Street. The past few days had dumped a new crisis at his feet.
That that he was lacking in problems - quite in the contrary.
While his party had won the elections last year, the Pound Sterling and the economy had taken a beating thanks to Soros basically bullying them out of the ERM. There was the whole trouble with the Maastricht Treaty which he'd only gotten trough the House of Commons with a vote of confidence - damaging his own position. People were not thrilled either about the privatization of several things like the railways. Also, his efforts to finally find a solution in Northern Ireland had gotten him the enmity of hardliners.
No, he really was not lacking in problems, and now the newest crisis had arrived. Just a look at the London Times on his desk already showed what he now was dealing with.
A horrible murder series was ripping through London - a series that made Jack the Ripper look like a harmless schoolboy. From August 1st to 3rd, dozens of people in Greater London had been murdered in a way that could only be described as butchering. Even the most hardened polices officers could only describe it as sheer savagery and a bloodbath.
Of course the press had licked blood real fast and were now trying to outdo each other in the headlines, which was not helping the panicking public. He was constantly in contact with Scotland Yard about the crisis, but there was little they could tell him. The messages written in the victims' blood made it obvious there was a greater group at work - some kind of insane cult they speculated.
Last night again had been horrible; he had gotten the report from Scotland Yard just half an hour ago.
A cult full of murderous maniacs is the last thing any of us needs right now, Major thought, again feeling the burden of the office on his shoulders.
"Ahem."
Major sighed when hearing the sound, as that was the last thing he needed right now. "Yes?!" he asked harshly.
The portrait didn't seem to mind. "To Prime Minister John Major: Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, is about to arrive to talk about an important matter."
"Can't it wait? I'm in the middle of a crisis, as you've already seen," Major replied, not being in the mood to deal with Fudge right now.
"That exactly is what the Minister wants to talk about. He will arrive presently." The portrait then again fell silent.
Major now realized something. If Fudge wanted to talk with him about the murders, that could only mean... All of a sudden the lack of success from Scotland Yard made a lot more sense and Major felt growing anger at the fact that a horrible magical mess of whatever kind was murdering the very people he was changed with leading and keeping safe.
Moments later the Minister entered through the fireplace and Major sighed. "I'm starting to dread our little meetings, Mister Fudge," he told Fudge, making no secret of his feelings on the matter.
Fudge for his part looked highly nervous. Clearly he was the bearer of bad news. "This is really horrible... You... you have already heard of the attacks over the past few nights?"
Wordlessly, Major picked up the London Times and showed Fudge the fat headlines, causing the man to flinch. "You better believe it. Considering you actually did come to me, I can already guess someone from your side is responsible for this massacre."
If anything, Fudge became more nervous, sweat glistering on his forehead. "Well... not exactly our side... they are animals after all..."
Hearing Fudge stumble over his own words, Major now was very sure there was a very interesting story behind the whole thing - and a danger that Fudge obviously had neglected to tell Her Majesty's government about. He had not thought his opinion of the man could not sink any lower after their last meeting, with him patiently having explained why their plans for the finals of the Quidditch World Cup were highly unrealistic, but now he was unpleasently surprised. This after all was very serious.
"Minister, the people I vowed to lead are dying. I'm in no mood for any kind of maneuvering," Major told him under no conditions.
Fudge, seeing how angered the Prime Minister already was at the admission that the deaths were caused by the magical side, realized that this was going to suck big time for him. "Eh... you see Prime Minister... have you heard of werewolves?"
o
"Sir, so he admitted that all these murders were committed by a band of savage werewolves?" a man asked after everyone had listened to what the Prime Minister had told them.
"He was using all kind of language describing them, like he views them as animals, but that basically is it," Major said, looking distinctly displeased due to all the news he got today.
It had been a pain to get the whole story out of Fudge, and even more of a pain to get the needed information - and that included everything in paper form - so that they could also implement countermeasures against the threat. Right after that meeting with Fudge - after which he first needed a glass of Gin - he'd made haste to call together the high-ups of MI-X to inform them of this newest development, as this fell into their area of expertise.
Honestly, the MI-X was made for such threats, but it was difficult to work considering how little actual information was shared from the other side. Major already could count himself lucky that he got out of Fudge what he now had at hand.
"How much information did we actually get?" a woman asked.
"I will present it to you now, so pay attention," Major said and the shades on the windows lowered while a projector activated. "This is Fenrir Greyback, the leader of the werewolves. Some of you already know of him."
Everyone couldn't help but be intimidated by the photo that was projected. The man truly looked like a savage that would relish in murder. It was also true that some in the room already knew of him due to Greyback's activities during the war and even before. The man was a menace and a fanatic - though the fact that he did evade capture his whole life spoke volumes about the fact that he clearly was no idiot..
"Do not be fooled be his looks, that man has evaded capture for decades and that his followers left no leads to their whereabouts over the past nights should give you an idea about his planning skills," the Prime Minister told everyone. "More details about him and his followers will be provided shortly in dossiers to each of you."
"His stated goal is revenge on the society that made his kind outcasts. However, that very likely is just a front to justify his savagery and to create as many werewolves as possible," Major continued, looking disgusted that such a horrible person existed. "Minister Fudge admitted that over half a a dozen wizards and witches were brutally murdered over the past three nights. All of them by Greyback personally."
"Then... why attack the non-magical population?" one man asked, honstly not understanding the reasoning behind it.
"To spread terror, as he seems to relish in it. It also puts much pressure on the Ministry," a different man at the table reminded him.
"He did manage that, even if he has no idea about it," Major said. "These are his known accomplices. However, the Ministry has no idea what other people he turned during his time on the continent."
The next slide did show the photos of almost a dozen other people, men and women alike. All of them looked in one way or another like thugs - like the scum you could find in a bar for criminals. The kind of people that would give you a smile while carving you open with a knife.
"One question, Sir. How are they actually operating so well? I thought a werewolf is animalistic in their mind during the transformation?" one man asked.
The Prime Minister did look unhappy at the reminder. "Minister Fudge was very evasive about it until he finally revealed that their experts concluded Greyback's group somehow got their hands onto the formula for a new medicine which allows werewolves to keep their mind even when being transformed."
"Lovely... Sir, with all that information, should we put the pressure on them by going public? Of course without revealing certain details?" a woman asked.
"Yes. The least we can do is to warn the public and perhaps manage to gather more data on his new recruits from eyewitnesses," the Prime Minister said. "We will not let them go around our contry thinking they can do as they please."
One man at the table sighed after having been silent the entire time. "This just comes at the heels of these new anti-werewolf laws. I can already imagine many magicals being told how right these laws are. Of course we know that's crud, but that's how such things go. Too bad that Mr. Black entered politics too late to influence those."
"Downright barbaric to even create such laws. What is wrong with that society?" a woman added, looking disgusted.
"That right now is not our main problem," the Prime Minister reminded everyone. "As for Mr. Black, we should first see what his political activities are before we finally approach them. We can never be too careful due to him being such a high-profile person."
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"Terror in our Time"
Notes:
Here the notes.
As I said at the top, I'm back. I've written up next to all of third year, with onlyx the big finale being only half done at this point. The chapter I have written should last fopr at least four months, and by that point I already should have written more.
While this chapter contains a lot of slice of life things with the families going on vacation in Egypt - and the Weasleys not spending Arthur's big win, instead putting it in the bank - I intentionally contrasted it with Greyback's advancing plans and cruelty.
We see a bit more of Dudley's home life and how it's a very slow trainwreck, which will utterly crash in year five.
I could not resist to again pick up the Indiana Jones joke. I also wanted to give Bill's job a bit more depths and show that they are not grave robbers (since I sincerely doubt the magical government of Egypt would tolerate that).
Ah, the map made its appearance. However, it won't be important for most of this year.