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.
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Chapter 29: Terror in our Time
"Harder! Right there! Let it all out!"
Millicent did exactly as told and mercilessly rained her fists down onto the punchbag - the one for children with a soft filling so they wouldn't injure their hands - her hands being protected by boxing gloves. Her face already was red from all the activity and sweat was pouring off her. However, the act of beating up that inanimate object helped her to vent a lot of emotions. It truly made her feel better.
Watching from the sidelines, Dudley couldn't help but whistle at how much Millicent got into it. "Good thing she's only beating up a punchbag. I knew she's strong, but she could seriously flatten someone."
"I knew she has a lot of pent-up emotions, but I never guessed it was something like this," Daphne said in astonishment while watching her friend vent. This was one of the days where she did manage to tag along - it always was more fun with both of them present, even if Daphne at the start had stuck out like a sore thumb due to her clothing choices.
Today Dudley had introduced Millicent to his boxing instructor, since the girl had asked what boxing actually was about. The man had taken one look at her and then asked if she wanted to try out and show what she can do. This resulted in Millicent wearing boxing shorts and a sports top - and Dudley couldn't help but notice how it showed off that she unlike many other girls her age most certainly was not a weed - and her venting all the pent-up emotion.
Finally it seemed Millicent was done and she staggered back to the bench, having to sit down.
"Here, you probably need this," Daphne offered, holding a water bottle.
Wordlessly, Millicent grabbed the bottle after slipping off one glove and drank greedily. When she was done, she let out a not very lady-like belch. "Ahhh, thanks! I needed that!"
"Man, Millie, you really laid into that punchbag," Dudley commented.
"I honestly had no idea what came over me..." Millicent had grown up in a world where physical violence was seen as unsophisticated and only done by those who had poor control of their magic. To suddenly realize how freeing it had been to beat up that punchbag was confusing for the girl.
"Well, it's obvious. You needed an outlet for all of it, and this was a safe way to do so," the boxing instructor told her, looking very proud. "I would really like to instruct you. You have lots of potential and I can't thank Dursley enough he brought you here. Not many girls are interested in boxing, as most of them sadly see it as the sport of brutes."
"All of us are going to the same boarding school. We only really have time during the summer," Millicent said somewhat regretfully. She really wanted to learn how to properly defend herself with her fists.
"Doesn't matter. It's what you do what that time that counts. I'll even write you up a training plan for when you're not here... and one for Dursley as well, so that he won't slack off." The instructor then gave Millicent another close look. "See it this way: you're a girl entering the age where she becomes interesting to boys. You'll get more ways to make sure they keep their hands to themselves."
"Imagine creasing Malfoy's can should he get fresh with you," Daphne supplied to help Millicent's imagination.
Millicent actually did imagine it. She felt downright disgusted at the idea of Malfoy touching her and her imagination then jumped to her punishing him in some painful ways. Now, that made her feel better and decide she should accept - of course after asking her parents first.
"I like how you think, little lady!" the instructor laughed at Daphne's suggestion. "Maybe you want to try as well?"
"No thanks, I'll leave it at moral support. I don't think I have the right body for this," Daphne said quickly wile holding her hands up, not wanting to make a complete fool of herself.
The day however went by too fast and they parted ways.
Back at home it now already was early evening and Dudley saw his parents attentively watching the news on the telly.
Ever since that murder series started in London, they were always watching the news to make sure they didn't miss anything. To him the whole thing seemed rather far away, even though Millicent and Daphne both seemed rather nevous about it for some reason. He had the feeling they weren't telling him about something. Feeling like he had nothing better to do at the moment, Dudley pulled up a chair and sat down to watch the news as well.
Unsurprisingly, the top story again was the murder series in London. However, there were news on that front.
"Scotland Yard has made a major breakthrough in the case of the bloody murder series that has been terrorizing London," the news anchor announced.
"Oh finally," Petunia gasped in relief, having religiously followed all the news about the case. "This is so horrible, I hope this is finally over."
The TV screen showed a photo of Greyback. "The identity of the perpetrators is now know to the police. This horrible murder spree is the work of a deranged cult led by this man, Fenrir Greyback."
"Look at that horrible piece of trash!" Vernon said, showing utmost disgust. "That is one of the reasons why they should really think about reintroducing hanging!"
"Be warned that Greyback and his followers are extremely dangerous. They are a cult that honestly believes they are werewolves and commit their murders in the three nights in and surrounding the full moon. If you see them, do not approach and instead call the police. Following are Greyback's known followers."
The screen then showed photos of the known people that followed Greyback. Petunia led out a dramatic gasp as the sight of the photos. "Dear Lord! These people look like animals!"
"As I said, hanging!" Vernon said, feeling reinforced in his opinion.
"Wanted posters for Greyback and his known followers will not only hang out in public but also will soon be available in all police stations. Again, the public is reminded that these criminals are highly dangerous and will not hesitate to resort to murder."
"Mum, Dad, excuse me..." Dudley looked a bit sick while quickly leaving.
"Poor Dudley, it looks like these news disturbed him a bit too much. Oh, I hope he can sleep well tonight," Petunia said while looking after their son.
Vernon however just waved it off, not being particularly concerned. "The only thing this will do is to toughen him up. It's about time anyway."
Well, Dudley was disturbed, but not for the reasons Petunia expected.
Walking up the stairs to his room, Dudley had a feeling that this 'cult' could very well consist of real werewolves and that was why Millicent and Daphne were so nervous about the topic. They probably didn't want to breach it to him due to fear he wouldn't react well to it. They couldn't have known that he'd already met a werewolf.
Granted, Mr. Lupin was a really nice and polite man, but he made no bones about the fact that the wolf was dangerous and also made it clear that, considering how badly werewolves were treated by magical society, there were those who decided that if they were constantly treated like monsters, then let them be monsters. Dudley had a feeling Greyback and his followers were exactly that.
Sometimes knowing too much sucked, since now Dudley couldn't get the picture of Greyback and his followers preying on people as werewolves out of his head.
...Little Whinging police station, August 11th...
I should have known that this would be here. I simply didn't want to believe, Sirius thought while looking at the board in the police station that held the various wanted posters.
There, staring at him, were the wanted posters of Fenrir Greyback and his known followers.
Of course he had not been ignorant of this development. None of them had been. They had gotten the news of what happened during their vacation in Egypt. It was Remus who had sent them a letter, telling them of the real development before it actually had been made public. They understood too well why Remus was highly emotional about the whole issue. Not only would this make the lives of peaceful werewolves, him included, very difficult, but it also opened old wounds since it was Greyback who had infected Remus all these years ago.
Reading the posters, Sirius again saw how the non-magical government altered some facts, especially the fact about them being real werewolves, but otherwise they were surprisingly honest about Greyback and those who followed him. They also made no bones about how dangerous Greyback was. He was described as a functional psychopath, who despite his madness was capable of careful planning and thus should never be underestimated.
Apart from that, Sirius remembered what he got from the magical channels.
Apparently, Greyback and his pack were able to be so 'efficient' due to having stolen the exact formula for the same medicine that Remus was using, meaning they were of sound mind while being transformed, thus making them vastly more dangerous than normally. It was only then when the Aurors had made the connection to numerous robberies of potion ingredients.
And they say that the sheer amount of stolen potion ingredients could give them almost a year's supply of Wolfsbane. Crap, having Greyback go on such a rampage is the last thing we need, he thought while walking into the office.
"Hey Sirius, did you have a nice vacation?" one of the bobbies called from his desk.
"I heard you were in Egypt. Was it nice?" a female constable asked while searching her desk for an empty floppy disk.
"Well, it certainly was nice. That, and I was far away when this mess started," Sirius remarked while sitting down at his own desk.
That sobered the atmosphere somewhat. "Yes... better be glad for that mercy," the female constable said.
"It had been a nightmare on those first days. People are scared, but back then it had been even worse. And honestly, now that we do know who is doing that we also feel rather unwell. Complete maniacs only begins to describe them," one bobby said, looking rather disturbed.
That moment a bobby walked in. "Hey, Sirius! The Chief Inspector wants to see you. Sounds like there's something in the bush."
"What could he want from me?" Sirius wondered.
A short time later Sirius knocked at the door of the Chief Inspector and was told to enter. The Chief Inspector stood with his back to him, looking out of the window down to the busy street at which the police station was located. Sirius carefully closed the door and then waited for himself to be addressed, It didn't take too long.
"I can hold a guess you have already heard of recent events?" he asked Sirius.
"Yes, Sir. I'm as disturbed as everyone else by it. Especially at the sheer number of dead," Sirius admitted, as that was not a lie.
Turning around, Sirius saw that the Chief Inspector looked older than he actually was. "People are getting very nervous after these three nights of blood. And even though we are not in London, we are caught in it as well. After all, what's stopping them from moving out of London?"
"I would say, nothing, Sir." Sirius then gave his superior a questioning look. "Sir, about the reason you called for me...?"
"Ah yes. Even in the middle of this new crisis, life still goes on..." The Chief Inspector looked at some papers on his desk. "I got contacted by the higher administration. They expressed their confusion why you, a constable of over eight years with an excellent record, has not sought out the promotion to sergeant - especially in the light that we now have more than enough constables."
Sirius honestly was surprised by that. "Sir... I'm actually very happy with being a constable. It makes me relatable to the people in Little Whinging and I do like the foot work."
"As that may be, it seems the recent attacks made the paper-pushers finally realize that the police needs proper funding. Now everything is supposed to go fast and they hastily combed through files to look for people that should be promoted. The order came from upstairs," the Chief Inspector explained.
Sirius knew that meant he was expected to apply for the promotion, which of course would be accepted considering the circumstances. "I... understand, Sir."
"You know as well as me that in a small community like ours, your duties won't be much different with your new rank. You very much will still be on foot duty, only that you also have to learn how to delegate tasks to several constables properly," the Chief Inspector said.
"Still, change is difficult, but I learned recently that I perhaps got too comfortable with the status quo," Sirius admitted, remembering his decision to enter magical politics. "It's surprising however, that they pulled my name so fast."
Looking at the papers, the Chief Inspector frowned. "That's what confuses me as well. We are not exactly high priority, yet they were quite insistent in your case. This comes after the confusion with your wife's employment status. Once is a coincidence. But twice..."
"Sir, you believe someone in the higher administration is pulling strings for me without my knowledge?" Sirius asked.
The older man looked thoughtful. "If that is the case, it creates the question of why."
...August 21st...
"The twins didn't seem to be too sad when you explained to them that they couldn't come along," Harry observed while they exited the car at a car park next to the motorway that connected Little Whinging with London.
"I told them they are too small for the crowded alley or later the platform. They accepted that easily enough," Diane said while locking the car.
What they were doing right now might have looked weird to possible onlookers - of which there were none in this otherwise empty car park - but they had good reason to do so. Sirius wanted to show Harry something new and also give Mark something interesting to experience, but they needed to be some distance away from Little Whinging so that their place of residence would stay anonymous. Thus why they had driven to this car park in the middle of nowhere.
There was a good reason why Diane didn't want the twins to come along for this, and that was because of what Sirius had told her some time ago. It had somehow slipped out that he was married to a woman without magic, but no one knew anything about their children. Both of them wanted to keep it that way as long as possible and that meant the twins couldn't accompany them to Diagon Alley and the train platform. Thankfully, they did have enough potential babysitters.
"Why are we here?" Mark asked. Even though Thomas and Veronica wouldn't accompany Harry into the alley this year - work obligations and watching over the twins - Mark really wanted to see it now.
"Now, young man, your parents entrusted us with your safety. You understand that?" Diane asked him again, causing the boy to nod eagerly.
"Good, because Sirius here wants to show us something, though I still have some doubts about that," Diane concluded, looking to her husband.
"Oh, have some faith," Sirius said in mock-hurt, before pulling his wand. "Now that we are out here, let me show you our mode of transportation to Diagon Alley!" Sirius waved his wand in a particular way and...
-BANG-
Everyone gasped when all of a sudden an offensively purple triple-decker bus appeared and stopped close to them. Gold lettering on the windshield proudly proclaimed it to be the 'Knight Bus'. Apart from Sirius himself, none of them had expected wizards to actually have such a vehicle - the Weasleys having a car had been treated as the exception to the norm. They bet there was an interesting story behind this.
A pimple-faced conductor stepped out of the entrance of the bus. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor today. I... oh!"
Sirius knew the young man had recognized him and Harry. "Oh, Mr. Shunpike. I hope you can be discreet, since otherwise I could become rather unhappy. Are we on the same page, lad?" Seeing Shunpike nod quickly, Sirius gave him an intimidating smile. "Great. Now, all of us need to go to Diagon Alley."
"Eh... yes, yes! Eleven Sickles for each of you," Shunpike said quickly, clearly being intimidated, and accepted the money given to him by Sirius.
Sirius told the driver to set this place for later when they would make the return trip, while Harry looked at the inside of the bus in wonder. There were no seats. Instead one side was taken up by currently empty brass bedsteads, while the other side formed a corridor to the back, with the windows having - currently open - curtains of all thing. The only other way to keep steady were poles near the windows. The walls also were wood-paneled and held brackets with currently extinguished candles.
"I had no idea a bus can look like that on the inside," Mark commented.
"Neither did I. Looks a bit like these Japanese capsule hotels we've seen on the telly," Harry replied, though it also reminded him of a sleeping coach.
"Hold onto the poles!" Sirius warned them. They did as told and -BANG- suddenly the bus started to accelerate and they were glad for holding on, as it did sharp maneuvers.
"Apart from the fact that the driver clearly is a maniac, what's the story behind this contraption?!" Diane asked while holding tightly onto the pole.
"The Knight Bus has been in use for over a century; it was created when an alternate mode of transportation was needed. This particular bus here started duty during my school days. You wouldn't believe how many conservatives still make a fuss about others using a 'Muggle vehicle'," Sirius explained.
"Well, that thing is almost as wild as the carts at Gringotts!" Harry called, holding onto the pole as if his life depended on it despite how exciting the ride turned out to be.
"Carts? Do they have a rollercoaster in the bank or something like that? That would be really weird," Mark asked, having trouble to imagine it.
"Eh... you'll understand when you experience it," Harry said, not wanting to ruin the surprise.
Thankfully, the ride was short and they soon departed the bus in a side alley close to the Leaky Cauldron, out of sight of everyday traffic and pedestrians. The Knight Bus then left with a flash and loud bang.
"You could have warned me," Diane told her husband while her stomach slowly settled down. Sirius knew not to give a smart reply, since he otherwise would have spent the night on the couch for it.
They quickly made their way to the front of the Leaky Cauldron, where the Grangers were already waiting for them. However, when walking inside they noticed that the atmosphere in the pub was different from last time - more subdued. Also, there seemed to be a bit less customers than usual. Tom the barman clearly didn't like this loss of business and rolled his eyes when seeing it was another group to just pass through.
"The atmosphere in the pub is strange," Harry commented while they walked to the entrance to the alley.
"I think it's fear. Greyback is killing indiscriminately and anyone could become his next victim. It's the perfect way to spread terror and people are reacting poorly to it," Hermione explained to Harry, having read up on terrorism after reading the news.
"It reminds me when I was stationed in Northern Ireland in the 70s; the same atmosphere of repressed anger and the fear that anyone could be next. All this proves again, magic or no magic, people are all the same," Ian remarked, finding the similarities eerie.
Hermione didn't blink an eye at the comment. She of course knew that both of her parents had worked as dentists in the medical corps of the army and actually had met that way. When they had decided to settle down and start a family, they had gotten an honorable discharge. Both of them joked at times that the government could very well again require their services someday.
Finally entering the alley itself, they were greeted by the rest of the group.
Molly gave them an apologetic look. "Arthur sadly couldn't come - Ministry work he couldn't delay. Xenophilius and Pandora are currently in the hospital. Pandora was exposed to fumes from an experimental potion that had some side effects on her."
Luna looked unfazed, so it couldn't be something serious. Then she spoke up. "Mum is not in any danger, but in order to get rid of the fur they first have to remove all of her hair before restoring its normal state. She is not happy about that."
Hearing that, no one wanted to ask for any details.
Mark meanwhile looked around. "Wow, this looks like right out of some kind of fairy tale book. Just... why does it look a bit run-down?"
"Blame a strange taste for this kind of look," Jean said, by now having gotten used to the strange tastes of wizards concerning some things.
Harry meanwhile looked around and then spotted the wanted posters on a wall. He again gulped when seeing the frightening picture of Fenrir Greyback. While he knew what the man did in his decades of activity, it felt much more personal due to what he did to Remus. The story of how Greyback had preyed on him and infected him simply to get back at Remus' father for denying him service (not even knowing the man was a werewolf, just that he was a shady person) painted the picture of a completely amoral monster.
Remus also had reminded him that being a monster did not also automatically mean being an idiot, since Greyback was far from being one.
Seeing his friend look at the poster, Neville walked up to him. "Ever since this started, the atmosphere is changed. I mean... just look around."
Harry did that and noticed that while people were busy with their daily business, there seemed a bit less traffic than normal. Also, the people seemed less carefree, like there was a cloud over their heads. It seemed that in a small community as theirs, even the death of a handful of people over three days was enough to spread fear.
"I see it. The people act a bit strange. It was like that in the Leaky Cauldron as well," Harry observed.
"What you see, young man, is a small taste of what it was like in the first war: an atmosphere of fear and mistrust, no one knowing who would be next. This here however is harmless compared to how bad it can get," Frank Longbottom explained, having lived through it.
The group was a bit subdued when they started their shopping trip.
Harry noticed Percy giving the twins very annoyed looks. "What's wrong with Percy?" he asked.
"Fred and George are aiming at him ever since he revealed he's got a girlfriend. Mum's reaction to the news certainly hadn't helped, considering tht Bill and Charlie are right now married to their work," Ginny revealed.
"I bet Fred and George had a field day with that," Harry remarked.
"Actually, they didn't," Ginny told him. "After they started to make fun of him for it, Mum told them that they have no right to do so, because they have not yet managed to get a single date themselves. That did shut them up right away."
Harry could imagine hearing that from your own mother was harsh. "Ouch..."
"Don't forget that Percy also was made Headboy," Ron added.
"How could I forget? Fred and George mocked him for having become a 'person of respect'. Guess they were just glad to have an alternate angle to annoy him," Ginny remembered.
Hermione, who had listened to their conversation, sighed in irritation. "Honestly, can't they just leave him alone? After all, their brother Bill had been Headboy as well."
"That's the thing, Percy didn't even brag about it. After giving the news to us, he just put the badge into his trunk and left it there. That caused Mum to get cross with the twins really fast for what she sees as unfair treatment." Even though Ron didn't say it, he liked this humble Percy as lot.
The shopping trip then went on and it for the most part was a perfectly ordinary shopping trip, but several memorable incidents happened, such as when Harry, Ron and Ginny looked in awe at the newest display inside the broom shop while shopping for servicing kits for their brooms.
"Wow, now THAT looks like an awesome broom!" Ron gasped when looking at the display of the new Firebolt, the latest professional-league broom.
"Oh yes, it's a real beauty..." Ginny said dreamily, proving that not only boys could be devoted Quidditch fans. She then however sobered. "Oh dear... look at the price tag."
"'Price on request'? How expensive is this broom supposed to be?" Ron wondered.
"Most certainly way too expensive for you three to even think about it." Diane had walked behind them without them noticing. "There is no way any of us would allow you to have one of those, even if money wouldn't be an issue. After all, that would be like buying a racing car for private use."
Harry imagined someone privately using a Formula One car and found the thought ridiculous. "Eh, you are right. Would be unfair anyway and we would look like hypocrites after what Malfoy pulled last year with the brooms for the Slytherin team."
"Not that it actually gave them an advantage," Ginny added, remembering how disastrous that had turned out for the Slytherin team.
During ingredient shopping for Potions class, Neville noticed Luna also ordering some things that looked unusual and clearly were not for usage during lessons.
"Ehm, what exactly is that stuff?" her asked her while it was being bagged.
"Oh, this is for werewolf repellent." Noticing the looks Neville then was giving her, she realized she had to elaborate. "I did write Mr. Lupin and he told me of a mixture that smells highly disgusting to transformed werewolves. I want to use it to make the school more secure."
"And that really works?"Neville asked. Luna gave him 'the look'. "All right, stupid question. He would know. Why is no one else using it?"
"Because to us it smells like rotten eggs," Luna told him without blinking an eye.
Neville suddenly had a bad feeling about this. He knew Luna, while normally very preceptive, tended to at times overlook some things that to everyone else were obvious. "Please tell me you don't plan to set it up inside the tower."
"I'm not supposed to set it up inside the tower?" Luna asked in puzzlement.
The shopping trip become downright bizarre once they entered the bookstore.
"What the...?" Hermione gasped when looking at a big iron cage that contained dozens of animated books. Her love for books in honor, but that was too much even for her. "What is that?!"
"A huge headache, that's what it is," the clerk grumbled. "These are the new books for NEWT Care of Magical Creatures. Some genius at the publisher thought it would be funny to make them animated, biting books. We have to regularly stroke their spines so they become docile and won't rip each other apart."
"Who would do something that pointless?" Hermione asked, wondering how anyone could get such a stupid idea.
"That the thousand-Galleon question. Another publisher once had the idea of making a book about invisibility literally invisible. Of course we refused outright to take those in stock," the clerk added, clearly not impressed at the harebrained ideas some fellow wizards cooked up.
"Books that rip each other apart? I bet that's your worst nightmare, Hermione," Ron joked while they walked to the correct shelves to get what they needed.
"Oh, be quiet, Ron," Hermione said, not wanting to admit that the idea actually did disturb her.
Thankfully, unlike last year with its glut of Lockhart-books - which they hadn't bought anyway - this year's book list proved to be sane. Still, Defense came with two books and just looking at the titles proved that Remus knew what he was doing. For once Defense classes looked like they could actually be interesting.
They all of course also got their books for the various electives. The book about magical creatures actually looked like it could be an interesting read. - and thankfully Hagrid had not made them buy a biting book as well. Harry and Hermione also got a good laugh when seeing that for Muggle Studies an ordinary youth encyclopedia in two books from a known British school book publisher was required. It did have the advantage of not being printed in blackletter and the letter stated it would be used by all years having Muggle Studies, with more specialized books being required later on.
However, when leaving the bookshop they ran into someone they wish they hadn't.
"Mother, look at this. It's like the infestation is spreading."
Lo and behold, that voice belonged to Draco Malfoy. It seemed almost like a curse that they seemed to run into him every time they were shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley. As if they had displeased some divine entity. Thankfully, Mr. Malfoy was not present. However, Draco's mother alone made up for that. The hostile look she gave Sirius was almost on basilisk level in how lethal it was.
"I start to get the feeling that you get your kicks by intentionally seeking us out," Hermione said, her voice thick with sarcasm.
Draco ignored her, probably seeing her as beneath his notice, instead looking to the Longbottoms. "It's a shame that people of your standing surround yourselves with such refuse."
"Better work on your manners, young man, because one day you'll otherwise offend the wrong person," Alice told Draco frostily, clearly not impressed with him. "Also, you should not throw around that accusation considering the crowd your own parents ran with."
Being told off by an adult who, despite having to walk with a cane, could easily handle him, Draco was at a loss what he should do, especially since his father clearly would not dare to go against the Longbottoms. After all, he and his father were at their core bullies who preyed on those they perceived as weaker than them.
Narcissa meanwhile had spotted Diane and Mark.
"Simply revolting! Not only did you become the worst kind of blood-traitor, you also bred with that Muggle flith to produce that," Narcissa said with utmost revulsion.
Mark was taken aback by the sheer hostility and Sirius was about to put his cousin into her place, but Diane held up her hand. "No, Sirius, let me do this. I know people like her and how to deal with them properly."
Seeing that his wife was in cop-mode, Sirius let her step forward.
Diane gave Narcissa a cold look. "First off, this young man is not our son, we are only escorting him as a favor to his parents. Still gives you no right to insult him like you just did."
"How dare you..." Nacissa tried to say, but was cut off.
"Oh no, you don't get to say anything!" Diane cut her off, not being afraid of that bigoted woman. "I know your kind. You act all high and mighty, but once you peel that away, nothing is left but small-minded, insecure bigots who are deathly afraid of losing what they deluded themselves into thinking is rightfully theirs."
"You... you..." Narcissa was trying to find words. No one had ever dared to talk to her like that.
Diane on the other hand stood firm. "Trying to find words? Don't even bother. I work in law enforcement and I very much doubt you can do better than the punks I pulled off the streets." No need to tell her that she was on permanent desk duty.
Realizing that this had drawn quite an audience, Narcissa decided to cut her losses and left before she could embarrass herself even more, steaming that a Muggle had gotten the better of her. Draco followed her, still trying to understand what just happened.
"Awesome!" Neville finally gasped. "You handled her like it's nothing!"
"As I said, I know the kind. See, children, this is how it is done: discipline! Always stand your ground; never give them an inch," Diane told the children, looking very pleased with herself.
The children had certainly found new respect for Diane - not that they hadn't already respected her before - while they all walked to Florean Fortescue's to get some ice cream and relax after this excitement.
...night from August 31st to September 1st...
The night all of London had been dreading had arrived. The first of the three nights in and surrounding the full moon. It had been quiet the whole month, but the public did expect the madness to flare up again as predicted by the police. And it did happen. Despite all preparations, Greyback and his pack did strike again. They after all were not stupid and knew security could not be everywhere and thus would strike at soft targets where they could easily get away.
The night already was bloody and it was not even over yet with several hours still to go.
Not only non-magical people had died, again wizards and witches were targeted as well. Both, Scotland Yard and the Auror office, were hives of activity, hoping to make any kind of progress. After this night, night life in London would be paralyzed, fear going around of insane murderers that would pick their victims at random and always cause a horrific carnage.
The headlines of the newspapers of the next day, magical and non-magical alike, already were very clear. The pressure would rise to do something.
That pressure was keenly felt in the Ministry of Magic. The situation was serious enough that there was a night meeting organized by the Minister for Magic.
"I'm really sorry for calling all of you in the middle of the night, but the situation is starting to get out of control and the new school year is already starting tomorrow," Fudge said nervously, constantly turning a quill around in his hand.
"Actually, Cornelius, most of us expected this to happen in these difficult times," Dumbledore remarked, then looked around the table everyone sat at.
Indeed, most of those present did look like they had expected to be called to a midnight crisis meeting. Some of course didn't look like they liked it much, Augusta Longbottom clearly was disgruntled at missing her beauty sleep, the vulture on her hat reflecting her moot. Lucius Malfoy on the other hand looked like he had been woken up, suffering a severe case of bed hair.
The meeting did include besides the Minister and his Undersecretary - though many did not look happy to see her - the two most impacted department heads, Armelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour, Dumbledore in his function as Headmaster of Hogwarts and several especially influential people. Besides Longbottom and Malfoy, this included the heads of several other families, but neither the Weasleys nor the Blacks.
Why Mr. Weasley was not present was obvious, since that family was looked down upon and constantly ridiculed by those in power, who clearly didn't understand the concept of soft power. Sirius' absence was explained by him not yet having the needed political standing due to only recently having entered the game and thus still lacking many needed connections.
"Yes, yes... Sadly the Auror department made no headway in apprehending them," Fudge said, though it sounded quite accusingly.
Scrimgeour clearly was displeased with that accusation. "We are working as hard as we can, but do you have any idea, Minister, how difficult it is to find people that left society altogether?!" Unsaid was the accusation that the recent budget cuts were also making it more difficult for them.
"It's embarrassing to see grown men act like children," Augusta Longbottom snorted, causing both men to stop.
"Hem-hem..." That was Umbridge calling attention to herself. "Minister, perhaps you should first reveal what you are planning for the security of Hogwarts before other topics are breached?"
"Thank you, Dolores, that of course has priority. What would I do without you?" Fudge agreed.
"I'm here to help you in any way I can, Minister," Umbirdge said in a sickly-sweet voice. She was laying it on so thick that even Malfoy felt it was disgusting.
"In light of the current crisis, the security of Hogwarts and all the students in it has the highest priority." Fudge clearly was attempting to sound important, but everyone at the table knew he was just wanted to make himself look good. "Thus I got an idea how to improve security at Hogwarts."
"What is that idea, Cornelius?" Dumbledore asked, already preparing for a half-baked plan.
"My plan is to have dementors guard the area around Hogwarts. That way these animals surely won't dare to come close to the castle," Fudge told them proudly, clearly thinking this to be a great plan.
He was greeted with silence, everyone present - with the exception of Umbridge - wondering if they had heard correctly. And when they knew they did, they honestly wondered if the Minister still was all right in the head. How else could someone think that dementors, some of the most dangerous creatures whose mere presence made everyone miserable, would be well-suited to guard a school?
Even Lucius Malfoy felt this was a horrible idea - and that from the man who had felt nothing was wrong with giving Voldemort's enchanted diary to a child. He could see the danger this would put the students in - way bigger than the threat of Greyback - and especially the danger this would mean to his own son. Not only would Narcissa kill him should he agree to that, he himself also found it unacceptable to put so many pure-blood children, Draco included, in such danger.
"Minister..." Malfoy started, feeling this had to be stopped right away. "Frankly, this is a very bad idea. The dementors would be a bigger threat than the werewolves."
Clearly, these word from his usually biggest supporter hit Fudge unprepared. "Not... a good idea?"
Augusta Longbottom had to try hard not to growl. "Minister, have you even considered what letting these monsters anywhere near a school full of children means?"
"Not to speak of the legal ramifications. Should anything happen, Minister, then the legal responsibility would be alone on your shoulders," Madam Bones added, looking highly disturbed as well.
"But... but..." Fudge stammered. This was bad enough that even Umbridge didn't dare to say anything, seeing that she could only lose if she said anything.
Finally, Dumbledore felt Fudge needed to see the one thing that would make him drop this insane plan. "Cornelius, think. You do remember what happened once people got mad with the Board of Governors. Once the public learns of dementors around Hogwarts, they would right away see you as the one responsible. The safety of their children is holy to them. You would not be Minister for much longer after that."
Fudge paled, only now realizing that he very nearly could have ended his own political career. "Oh dear... But- but something has to be done..."
"And something will be done, Minister," Scrimgeour said. "The Auror Office has already worked out a plan to ensure the security of Hogwarts. If I may present it to everyone present?"
"Yes, please go ahead!" Fudge said a bit too quickly, clearly seeing this as his path so save face.
Everyone at the table was relieved that they managed to get Fudge to drop such a horrible plan. They could only imagine the disaster that otherwise would have been. Malfoy actually felt he needed to keep a tighter leash on Fudge, considering the dangerous ideas he would come up with otherwise.
o
It was one of the small meeting rooms in 10 Downing Street; the one that was the farthest away from the Prime Minister's office. After all, no need to have a certain portrait spy on them. The Prime Minister himself felt that these meetings in the middle of the night were getting a bit too common, but considering the nature of the current crisis it was strangely fitting.
"Scotland Yard has already confirmed several deaths tonight and we all know the next two nights will be just like that," their contact to Scotland Yard reported.
The Prime Minister rubbed his eyes before putting his glasses back on, all these long nights taking their toll on him. "Just as we all feared... Did we make any headway in the past few days? Any news would be appreciated."
"We did manage to get good descriptions of several more suspects who have been seen in the company of those we already know of by witnesses. The facial composites are quite good and were done just hours ago," another man told the PM, giving him copies of the pictures.
Taking one look at them, Major was a bit taken aback at how rather ordinary these people looked compared to the ones they'd already known, though one woman looked like a hardcore punk. "Good, make sure the press and the police get this."
"There also has been an incident two days ago. A bobby recognized one of the suspects when he was walking by on a sidewalk. The officer didn't heed the warning about not apprehending and ended up with a severely scratched-up face. It was the arrival of witnesses that saved his life, as it caused the attacker to flee."
"Did he get infected with the sickness?" the PM asked, concerned.
"Thankfully, no, since it happened during the day and it also was no bite. However, knowing that these are magical scars, even plastic surgery won't get rid of them entirely. He'll be disfigured for the rest of his life."
A woman to his left then chimed in. "Despite these sightings, it's next to impossible to get a solid lead. These people live outside of society. They don't play by the rules anymore and don't fear any consequences for their actions. That makes it so difficult to get a hold of them."
The Prime Minister closed his eyes for a moment.
This entire mess had grown on the close-mindedness of the society of Magical Britain. Without it, Greyback would only have been one deranged psychopath - dangerous, but still manageable. Now however he got many followers. Major had no doubt that those he recruited during his exile agreed with him on his stance on Magical Britain, despite not having lived there themselves. And that covered only werewolves.
And we had to find out all these things ourselves. They didn't even have the courtesy to tell us how we're sitting on a ticking time bomb, Major thought bitterly.
Thatcher had been very vocal about the entire thing, but ever since Fudge had taken office, it had become way, way worse. It was like things were starting to fall apart, only that the other side hadn't noticed yet. The Ministry in its current form had started to become dysfunctional. That also was one of the reasons while the budget of MI-X had been tripled.
He remembered her explanation on how the whole thing had started, but right now he had to concentrate on the crisis at hand.
"For the moment we can only keep up the pressure to ensure they can no longer hide in plain sight. I know it's frustrating, but against people like that we can't do more than what we are already doing," the Prime Minister finally said.
"It's a bit of a joke. We are building up all of this... and a bunch of savages who don't play by any rules manage to evade us," one man snorted.
Major sighed. "Sadly, all of us know this. For now all we can do is do raise the police pressure until it's too much for them to remain in London or any other bigger cities. Hopefully this flushes them out of densely populated areas."
Everyone present knew this was not much, but everyone was at a loss what else to do. That after all was the problem when dealing with a group that only depended on themselves and had no outside connections whatsoever. There was no point you could put leverage on.
That ironically did make them more difficult to catch than organized terrorists.
...September 1st...
"Talk about hightened security..." Hermione said when noticing that there were multiple Aurors while they walked towards the entrance to the platform. "At least they did manage to blend in... mostly."
"I'll never understand why so many of them have trouble to dress appropriately to the situation. There is only so much that can be explained by ignorance," her mother remarked while they were on their way to meet with the others.
Of course everyone knew that the attacks had started again - just one look at the morning paper had been enough. The atmosphere in King's Cross was hard to describe, but people obviously were scared - and that rightfully so, considering that crazed serial killers were on the loose. That also explained the presence of uniformed police officers in the train station, something that normally was not the case.
Absent however was Remus, who normally would guide the families of first-year muggleborn students to the passage, which however was little wonder. After all, they did know of his new job and that he would be on the train instead, as he'd insisted to ride with the students for whatever reason. One of the other teachers from the preschool was taking over his duties for this day.
"Over here!"
Hearing the call they saw the waiting group. The Weasleys as usual were easy to see due to the sheer number of redheads. Harry and his guardians also were present - though not Mark, as school already was in session again. To their surprise, Sirius was absent, instead Diane was present.
Seeing their questioning looks, Diane knew she needed to explain. "Sirius is watching the twins, since I really wanted to see the children off this time."
"Who would have thought that a former teen rebel could be this good with children?" Arthur mused, being in the know about Sirius' past.
Thankfully, the risen security was not too much of a hassle and they soon managed to reach the platform itself. Diane was admiring the Hogwarts Express, when...
"Percy, are there you are!" That attracted everyone's attention. It was a mature-looking teenage girl with long, curly, blond hair and a big smile on her face who was quickly walking to Percy, wasting no time to hug him.
Percy, who realized this got the attention of everyone, especially his parents, blushed quite fiercely, his face working hard to match the color of his hair. "Penny... oh... please not in front of my parents..."
"Oh, I don't care at all! After all, it's about time you introduce me to them!" She then pulled Percy to Arthur and Molly, who both looked really amused at how lively this girl was. "Hello, I'm Penelope Clearwater."
Molly saw how embarrassed her son was, but decided to let him realize that putting off introducing his girlfriend to them did have consequences. "I'm so pleased to finally meet you. After all, Percy had been so reluctant to introduce you to us. It's puzzling since you clearly are very nice."
Though Fred and George were highly amused at how much Percy blushed and was uncomfortable, the topic itself was something they wanted to avoid at all cost - especially after their mother had reminded them of their own relationship status - so they quickly left to meet with their friend Lee Jordan. Ron also was amused at Percy's predicament while Ginny couldn't help but to giggle the entire time.
"Most interesting. I didn't think that being introduced to your boyfriend's parents would be embarrassing for the boyfriend," Luna observed, then looked to Neville. "Do you think I should do the same thing when introducing myself to my boyfriend's parents?"
"Uh... eh..." Neville was at a loss for words. Luna was a really nice girl, but at times it was really awkward to be her friend, considering she got no filter and at times misunderstood social cues. Not to speak of that her asking him gave him a strange feeling.
Thankfully, he was spared from an answer when there was a call for them to get their luggage inside.
"Didn't you say that Mr. Lupin is riding on the train?" Hermione asked while they searched for the correct compartment.
"Yes, but he said he would leave a sign we would understand..." Harry stopped when looking at the next compartment door and saw a sticker looking like a crescent moon on the glass. "I guess we just found where he is." Harry peeled off the sticker before pulling the door open.
Indeed, there was Remus, looking somewhat exhausted due to having transformed the night prior. It seemed he had been dozing, but was woken up by them. "Oh... I guess you understood my sign?"
"It was hard to miss," Harry remarked, then they stored their luggage while Remus told them to wake him up later. They then quickly went back to their parents to say goodbye for the time being.
Molly as usual was overly emotional due to her children leaving for most of the year. Luna actually blushed when her mother hugged her, being embarrassed at how overly emotional her mother was about it. Hermione was just thankful that her own parents knew better than to embarrass her like that. Neville meanwhile got some last-minute reminder about things he otherwise could forget.
After Thomas and Veronica had their words with Harry, Diane pulled him aside. "Harry, just a word... I know of that map Sirius gave you."
"Uh, yes?" Harry had a feeling Diane was not too impressed with Sirius' gift.
"You won't use it to snoop after other students or the teachers, right?" Diane asked him, though it was very obvious it was not request at all.
"Yes, yes!" Harry agreed quickly, after all Sirius had already given him that talk, and saw Diane smile, knowing she had made it clear that she would not tolerate what she saw as delinquent behavior.
Then however they quickly had to get onboard and a little later they looked out of the window and waved goodbye while the train started its journey towards Hogwarts. That done, all of them decided to make themselves comfortable Hermione let Crookshanks out of the pet carrier and as usual the cat looked rather grumpy at his mode of transportation. Crookshaks then looked up when Ron's owl made a racket in his cage.
"Damn it, Pig, stop it!" Ron complained. When that didn't work, he pulled a shirt out of his trunk and threw it over the cage, finally making Pig calm down. "Ever since he got fully grown over the summer he's even more hyper than normal." Ron then saw that the noise had woken up Remus again. "Eh... sorry."
"Don't worry, I'm not angry. I'm not really sleeping anyway, just trying to relax after last night." Seeing the looks her got, Remus explained further "Thanks to the potion it was not nearly as bad as normal, but I do know that I have to depart the train as soon as we arrive, since tonight is full moon. Sadly, that means I'll miss the opening feast."
"You know, all of us can't wait to see you as our teacher. Back in the preschool you've been awesome," Neville said, having good memories of Remus' teaching methods.
"Let me put it this way: you'll be surprised by what I have planned," Remus said, then returned to just relaxing, leaving the children to their own devices.
Hermione meanwhile saw Crookshanks still eyeing the owl cage. "Mister, I know exactly that you would never harm the owls. But don't tell me you are already hungry again. You've had a very filling breakfast."
Crookshanks stared at his owner, but surprisingly he lost this one, since he knew she was the one feeding him. Clearly sulking over this defeat, Crookshanks made himself comfortable next to the owl cage to have a nap. Hedwig, having watched the whole thing, gave off her sound of disapproval before closing her eyes again, not wanting to be part of that.
"It never gets boring when you have pets," Harry remarked, looking in his trunk for the book he'd stored for the travel.
"Hopefully this year nothing out of the ordinary happens. After two years in a row with Voldemort making things a mess for us, I really hope it stays peaceful. After all, why should Greyback be anywhere near the school, where he's easily caught?" Ginny said while playing with one of her braids.
Luna gave her friend a deadpan look. "Ginny, you should know by now that tempting fate always ends badly for us. Lady Fate does not like being dared to do drastic measures." She then looked through her own things for the newest Quibbler.
"You talk like fate is a sentient being," Ron remarked while getting some comic books from his trunk. Not these shitty magical ones - he would never read those again. In recent years he'd become a big fan of the Dark Knight instead. "I think we just have lousy luck and by now we should always expect something to happen."
Neville meanwhile saw that Luna had pulled something out of the Quibbler and after taking off her regular glasses had put on a weird contraption. "Luna, what is that supposed to be?"
"X-ray glasses. They are supposed to allow me to look through things like clothes." Luna looked Neville up and down, making the boy nervous. "But they don't seem to work. That's too bad."
"Wouldn't that be a gross violation of privacy?" Neville asked, relieved that these things were bogus.
"I actually hadn't thought about that," Luna admitted while again putting on her normal glasses.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Ron said in sudden excitement. "This year is when we can visit Hogsmeade! Please tell me all of you are allowed to do so." As it turned out, all of them got their permission slips signed. "Oh, I can't wait to see Honeydukes for real."
"Honeydukes? What is that?" Harry asked, being unfamiliar with the name.
"It's a famous sweetshop in the village! They got everything there. The sheer amount of different sweets..." Ron clearly was imagining buying his share - which he could due to having spending money of his own.
"You think with your stomach, Ronald," Hermione said while rolling her eyes at his antics. "I think the fact that Hogsmeade is the only entirely magical settlement on the entire British Isles would be more interesting. Also the mystery surrounding the Shrieking Shack, the supposedly most haunted building in Britain-"
Hermione stopped when she heard Remus laughing gently. "Sorry to disappoint you, but it's simply an old house that has fallen into disrepair. They think it's haunted because I used it for my transformations for some years until other arrangements could be made."
Hermione sighed. "Well, perhaps Hogsmeade has one less point of interest..."
Meanwhile in a different compartment...
"I wonder why Daphne left?" Dudley wondered while watching the urban sprawl of London move by outside the window. "I mean, that was very sudden ans she only said it's a surprise."
"I have an idea what this is about..." Millicent said while giving her cat Archimedes some attention. "Daphne had not exactly been subtle about it to me. Don't give me that look, it's nothing bad."
Both of them waited for a little long until the door to their compartment opened. There stood Daphne, but she was not alone. With her was a girl who was somewhat younger - most likely a first year - and had to be her sister, since they shared many similarities. However, the girl's hair was considerably darker than Daphne's. The girl also looked to be a bit on the shy side.
"Sorry for the wait, but I really want to introduce my sister Astoria to you, Dudley," Daphne said, looking very proud, before looking to Astoria. "Astoria, while you already know Millicent, this here is my other best friend, Dudley."
Astroria for her part gave Dudley a shy look. "H-hello." She also sounded quite timid.
"Oh, no need to by shy. I won't bite," Dudley joked. "Sorry if we pulled you away from making friends."
Now Astoria sniffed. "No one wants to be friends with me. I'm too shy to approach most and some told me they won't talk to Slytherin material."
Damn it... Dudley thought, than knelt in front of the girl to be eye level with her. "You really shouldn't let this get to you. Also, who says that you have to end up in Slytherin if it doesn't fit you?"
"But the whole family..." Astoria clearly found the idea alien.
"That doesn't mean anything," Dudley told her. "There was one man whose whole family had been in Slytherin, but he was different and became a Gryffindor. Just be honest with the Sorting Hat and it'll put you into the house you truly fit into."
"Really?" the girl asked, and when seeing that Dudley was earnest about it, finally opened up more. "Can- can I be in your compartment? No one else is in mine and it's lonely."
"Certainly. You need help with your trunk?" Dudley offered.
Astoria pouted a bit. "I can do that on my own. I'm a big girl!"
"Astoria, I better come with you. Remember when you tried to carry the trunk down the stairs?" Daphne reminded her sister, causing the younger girl to blush. "We'll be back shortly," Daphne told her friends before both sisters left.
"You were really good with her. Your soft side is quite appealing," Millicent commented, impressed how Dudley had handled this. "You should show it more often."
"You think so?" Dudley felt strangely moved to be told he got a soft side, especially when Millicent gave him a smile of approval.
Hours went by.
Inside their compartment, Ron knew he was sweating quite a bit while looking down at the chess board which sat on one of the trunks they had positioned in the middle of the compartment as a makeshift table. His opponent was completely calm and he was unable to see even a single emotion shine through.
It's kind of scary how complete her serene mask is. Without knowing her, I would have guessed she's emotionless, Ron thought, highly disturbed by Luna's psychological mask.
Out of all his friends, Luna was the one he had never played against over the years, as the girl always seemed uninterested in the game. So it came as a bit of a surprise when she decided to challenge him to a game. His surprise only grew when he realized that while Luna was not a strong player in the technical sense, her psychological warfare was top-notch, as she was constantly unnerving him, throwing him off his game.
The others were also very astounded that Luna was making Ron work really hard for his victory. None of them, not even Hermione, had managed to draw out a game like this and make Ron actually look nervous. It did remind them that the Sorting Hat had declared Luna of high intellect - in her own way.
Finally, the inevitable still happened. "Checkmate," Ron said in relief. Luna didn't seem sad that she'd lost, her features finally relaxing again. Ron on the other hand had something to add. "You gave me a real challenge, but it was very unnerving to see that. You looked truly emotionless."
If anything, Luna also looked a bit unnerved at how well she had pulled that off. "All of you please remember that I do have emotions. Never assume I don't have them due to outside appearance."
Neville then looked at his wristwatch to check the time. "The snack trolley should arrive soon. Who of you wants...?" -Wham!- Neville was cut off when the door was slammed open.
Of course it were Malfoy and Parkinson, with the two faithful trolls Crabble and Goyle lingering in the background.
"Well, look who it is," Malfoy said in his usual lazy drawl, "Potty, the Weasels and their other brain-dead friends. Did the Weasel mother die of shock when her useless husband finally got a small pittance of money by dumb luck?"
Ron and Ginny looked highly offended, but it was Ginny who reacted first. "Just for your information, Malfoy, Ron and me both have a sizable sum on the bank, so you're pouring your poison at the wrong place."
Ron followed the example of his sister. "Also, money is not everything. We have many things you are clearly lacking." Ron knew he probably would have never said this when lacking a filled bank account.
Malfoy clearly did not believe them. "You and money? Ha, that was a good one!"
Parkinson meanwhile looked like she had discovered something nasty under her shoe when she looked directly to Hermione. "You probably think you are the kings of the school after last year after getting heaps of praise. But things will change, better believe it."
"Why are you always gunning for Hermione? What's your problem?!" Ron growled.
"Don't worry, Ron, I can take care of her." Hermione told Ron, secretly feeling moved how quick he came to her defense. She then put her attention on Pansy. "You said that last year as well, and if I remember correctly, you ended up having to shovel Hippogriff crap." Hermione saw no reason to be nice to Parkinson - not anymore.
Pansy blushed at the reminder of having been forced into a month of menial work. "Seeing your outside match your inside was worth it!"
While that argument went on, Harry rolled his eyes at Draco. "Malfoy, have you already forgotten the verbal smackdown Mrs. Longbottom and Sirius' wife gave you and your mother in Diagon Alley?"
Noticing how Pansy gave Draco a questioning look, Luna couldn't help but to state the obvious. "It looks like you neglected to tell her of that particular incident."
"And by the way... do you want to make trouble in front of a teacher?" Hermione asked, looking to Remus, who now was getting up.
Malfoy and Parkinson were not stupid enough to get into a heap of trouble even before the official start of the school year, but before they could retreat, a voice from behind them spoke up. "Well, well, is someone making trouble?"
Malfoy and Parkinson turned around and were confronted with an adult woman who had pink hair of all things. However, despite the fact this normally would have made her look like some kind of punk, any adult riding on the train did mean trouble if they spotted troublemakers. Now flanked by two adults, they decided it was best to do a tactical retreat.
"Eh, nothing!" Parkinson said quickly, then took Malfoy by the arm and they left.
The woman meanwhile looked into the compartment with a big smile. "Well, look who we have here!"
"Dora?" Harry asked, not having expected Sirius' cousin to be on the train. He only saw her rarely these days, so it also was a pleasant surprise. "What are you doing on the train?"
"Oh, you don't know?" Dora leaned against the frame of the open door. "The Ministry decided that in light of the threat Greyback poses, a permanent Auror presence is needed at Hogwarts until the crisis is over. I'm here for security and you'll see a lot more of me around the castle over the year."
"That's great... even if it's all due to that mess. We don't see you often these days," Ginny said. She had found a liking to the woman over the years, since she was a lot like herself in mentality.
"Excuse me, dear, could you please step aside?" The trolley had arrived and the elderly witch gently shooed Dora into the compartment.
The children did buy the things they wanted to buy and even Dora couldn't resist getting a chocolate frog, reminding everyone when seeing the looks that you are never too old for chocolate. The elderly witch then took something from the lower part of the trolley. "Here... I was told to give this to you, Mr. Lupin."
Seeing the lidded goblet, Remus sighed in relief. "Ah, my medicine." Screwing off the lid, he was met by faint white smoke, but still quickly downed the potion, then returned the chalice to the witch. "Thanks, it's very nice of the Headmaster to have my medicine delivered to me."
"I remember you always buying something off the cart when you rode the train as a student. Oh, how time goes by..." the witch sighed, then moved on to the next compartment.
"I guess they are in good hands with you, aren't they?" Dora told Remus.
"At least until we arrive. After all, you know what time of the month it is," Remus told Dora, being relieved she did know of his medical condition.
"I know this can't be much fun for you in these times..." She then gave him an interesting look. "Well, Professor... You will see a lot of me as well over the year. So don't be surprised when I knock on your door."
Dora then left, leaving a confused Remus behind. He then heard the girls giggle slightly and finally realized what Dora's words had sounded like. Of course that couldn't be possible, right? He was almost twelve years her senior and thus he did feel weird about it.
On the other hand, Dora had matured significantly and part of him did notice that, despite how guilty he felt about it.
...hours later, early evening...
Thankfully, the remaining train ride had been unremarkable and the only thing that did look different were the Aurors station at the train station when they departed the train. They did ride up to the castle in the carriage and soon enough they sat at their house table, waiting for the new first-year students to be led in for the sorting.
"No complaints about being hungry?" Hermione asked Ron when seeing that he was patiently waiting like everyone else.
"Don't get me wrong, I still anticipate the feast and there is room for it, but Mum actually didn't give me corned beef this time and my lunch fed me quite well for the journey," Ron told her, being glad that he had remembered to stick a note to the stove so his mother would remember what he wanted.
"I wonder what kind of song the Sorting Hat will sing this year? The two songs we did hear were surprisingly different," Neville remarked, actually looking forward to the performance.
"After it saved us last year, I can even accept it singing off-key," Ginny added, remembering how back in the chamber the sword had fallen out of the Sorting Hat.
Harry looked to the faculty table and noticed something. "Guys, doesn't it look like Snape is a bit sour?"
They did look to the faculty table and noticed that the teacher indeed looked quite sour. He was looking to the one empty seat at the head table and everyone understood what this was about. They by now all knew of the past the Marauders had with Snape, so it was very likely that Snape was not exactly happy to have Remus teach Defense to the first four years.
"I don't even want to imagine his reaction with Mr. Lupin being present," Hermione said, wondering how someone could hold such old history over someone.
"It is important to know when it is better to let the past be the past, otherwise you never get a future," Luna said sagely. "Unlike Sirius and Mr. Lupin, Professor Snape clearly is incapable of doing so, and thus the past always has a hold over him."
They stopped talking when the new first-years were being led in.
They then listened to the song of the Sorting Hat. It certainly was interesting in how the hat in its song spoke about that despite the students being sorted, they are part of a whole. The hat also seemed informed about current matters - perhaps due to being in the Headmaster's office - and thus also sung about a united front against a common foe.
Ron whistled when the song was done. "That was oddly specific." Hermione said nothing, but noticed that Ron, who normally had no mind for such things, had seen what it could mean.
The sorting then started and it was nothing out of the ordinary until the next student to be sorted was "Greengrass, Astoria".
"Isn't that the sister Daphne talked about?" Neville asked.
"Yes. Let's see how this will go," Ginny said, watching the girl put on the Sorting Hat.
The seconds ticked by and students started to whisper, since her being a Greengrass, they had thought her to be a Slytherin like all of her family. The longer her sorting took, the more excitement was building up. "That takes awfully long. Is the hat having a longer conversation with her?" Harry wondered, remembering his own sorting.
Finally, the hat stated its decision. "Hufflepuff!"
There was much chatter when hearing this decision, since never before had a Greengrass been anything other than a Slytherin. Astoria looked to her sister, but saw Daphne give her a big smile. Feeling better now that she knew her older sister was happy for her, Astoria quickly joined the Hufflepuff table, where many students were excited at the Greegrass Slytherin streak being broken.
"That was very brave of her." Luna said, then noticed her friends waiting for an explanation. "She was honest and admitted that what society expected from her is not who she is, and in the end the hat put her into the house she truly belongs to."
As usual, it always was surprising when Luna said such insightful things out of nowhere
"How will your parents react to that?" Dudley asked Daphne at the Slytherin table.
Daphne for her part didn't look too concerned. "They want Astoria to be happy, so they won't let her being in Hufflepuff give them sleepless nights if that is what is best for her. I have to write them as soon as possible to tell them the news."
"Yes, but the usual suspects seem to think it's some kind of treachery," Millicent told her friend.
Daphne knew whom she meant, especially when seeing Malfoy and Parkinson look to the Hufflepuff table with downright chilling looks. "They would have found something anyway due to her being a Greengrass."
The rest of the sorting went by with no surprises, only that this year Slytherin gained three muggleborn students. The conservatives in the upper years of Slytherin did look upset about that development, since they finally realized that the Sorting Hat clearly now was determined to make Slytherin a normal house like the other three. Time would only tell what they would do once being panicked enough.
The feast itself was delicious as always. Every time Ron was about to regress in his eating habits, Hermione would give him a telling look that caused him to be more mindful. Some of the other boys did notice and joked that they were acting like a married couple, casuing both of them to blush.
"Hey, Harry!" Harry looked up to see that it was Colin. "You think I can again make some pictures during your training this year? My parents really like those."
"I don't see why not, but better ask Wood about it first. After last year he'll want nothing more to get the cup one more time." Harry looked to Oliver Wood, who was busy talking with the older members of the Quidditch team. "However, considering everyone from last year is still on both teams, don't expect any tryouts."
"Unlike the Slytherin team," Ginny added, looking to the Slytherin table. "Not only that pig Flint, but many others have finished school as well. They do need to fill up their reserve team now that those players moved up into the main team. Does anyone know who their new Captain is?"
"I hope it's not Malfoy," Ron grumbled.
"Well, brother dear, your wish has been heard." That was George, who for once was alone, as Fred was busy talking to Wood. "Our informants found out that the new Slytherin Captain is a complete nobody. He's the lone survivor of the old team beside Malfoy, and no one wanted Malfoy on the post, so Mr. Nobody got the post by default."
"Thank goodness for small mercies..." Harry honestly didn't want to imagine that poser in such a position.
"Any idea how desperate Oliver is for the win?" Ron asked his brother while he was present.
"Let me put it this way: if Oliver weren't an only child, he would be desperate enough to sell his sibling for winning the cup," George said before returning to his seat.
Some time later the feast was over and Dumbledore rose to address the gathered students.
"Another fine school year has started. Before we go to bed however, I have to make several important announcements. First - again - the forest next to the school is forbidden for a good reason, and the age line at its edge prevents students from entering. You would do well to remember that, since some students still think they can cheat the system."
It actually weren't Fred and George, but several other students the Headmaster looked at.
"As usual, any vacancies on the Quidditch teams, regular and reserve, are filled in the tryouts on the second weekend. Also, over the summer work on restoring the newly discovered Chamber of Secrets has come along greatly. Please expect it to be opened in a ceremony later in the school year."
That caused excited chatter. They all had heard of the chamber, but next to none of them had actually seen it. Those that had been down there hoped it would be transformed into something actually inviting. Myrtle for her part was just happy that her bathroom was back in working order.
"As you probably noticed, we are missing our newest Defense professor. Sadly, Remus Lupin felt under the weather and thus decided to go to bed early. I implore all of you to not judge your new teacher due to his at times frail health."
Some students muttered that this was a bad omen for this year's defense class. After Quirrell and Lockhart their expectations had hit rock-bottom. Those in the know however kept their mouth shut about the true cause of Remus' illness out of respect for how much Remus had helped all of them in the preschool.
"Now, finally and most importantly, most of you probably have already noticed the Auror presence during your journey. A contingent of Aurors have been set up as security for both, Hogwarts and the village of Hogsmeade, due to the threat of Fenrir Greyback."
The students fell silent, as even the muggleborn first-years had been informed by Remus before the start of the school year what was going on.
"I do not have to repeat how dangerous Greyback and his followers are. In case of an emergency, do not attempt to engage them, since this would end badly for you."
That left the students in a somewhat somber mood and thankfully Dumbledore saw that and announced that they wouldn't do the school song this year.
While the students made their way to their dorms, the Aurors were gathered.
The guest house had seen another change of usage after last year's serving as a temporary shelter for the students. This time the Auror force that would guard Hogwarts and Hogsmeade - though of course most of them would be on rotation, but for some it was a permanent post - would use the building not only as sleeping and living quarters, but also as the regional HQ.
Right now all of them were gathered in the entrance hall, where Moody would address them about the upcoming task. The veteran Auror didn't waste a second to do so.
"All right, all of you know that I'm not a man who makes big speeches, so I'll be short and to the point. Our job is it to keep the students and the inhabitants of Hogsmeade safe from Greyback and his band of bastards. Do not think that only means during the nights surrounding the full moon."
That caused some unrest, especially among those who had less experience. Moody for his part scorwled when seeing that reaction, wondering how recruitment standards must have fallen if they didn't know what he had taught Cadet Tonks in the past two years. Seeing her distinctive pink hair in the crowd, he saw that she unlike others did not look confused.
Clearly my teaching methods did work with her, Moody thought, before deciding to speak again.
"The non-magical police already learned that lesson when one of them tried to apprehend one and got his face mauled for it." Moody stopped for a moment to let it sink in. "Let that be a reminder to you that everyone of you has to show constant vigilance! Only that will allow you to turn this mess to your favor."
"Don't expect me to be here to hold your hand all the time, either. I do have other duties."
In the middle of the Aurors Dora understood that this was especially true for her. Moody now wanted to see that she could function on her own. That was quite the test, but she understood that was due to his high standards.
She would not disappoint him.
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"Professors Hagrid and Moony"
Notes:
Here the notes.
Regarding Year 3 being fully done... I actually made the final of the year too big so I had to split it into two parts. As of the posting of this chapter, the true final chapter of Year 3 is halfway done.
Millicent learning how to utilize her strength properly will come into play way later in the story.
I know it's been a while since we saw Sirius on the job. However, this scene is not just a filler, but also shows that things are going on. Of course we can have good guess who is behind that, but Sirius of course doesn't know.
Despite everything, the Knight Bus is used and its experience is as one would expect. Sorry, but no Firebolt. Diane gave a good reason why buying one would be stupid. Also, more of the changes in Percy are shown.
We knew Fudge would get that stupid idea, but here thankfully it's shot down right away. Lucius did this because he already is in enough trouble with Narcissa, no need to compound on it.
While I used the train ride mostly for relaxing scenes, as well as showing that Dora is now in the mix, we are introduced to Astoria. And again Dudley's influence stikes and she follows what she truly wants and thus becomes a Hufflepuff.