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 31: Tales of Kneazles and Hogsmeade
The Slytherin Quidditch team was about to start their tryouts for positions on the reserve team, since due to next to everyone on the main team having graduated from Hogwarts, next to all of the positions in the reserve team were now vacant after the ascension of most of the reserve team members to the main team. However, these tryouts would be different, since with Flint gone the new Captain had quickly lifted the unpopular unofficial ban on girls and the majority of the applicants were girls.
It was a silent statement on what many Slytherin girls thought of the former Captain and his sexism.
"I'm a bit surprised to see you out here," Daphne commented from where she was sitting in the stands.
"I'm scoping out the competition," Ron said, while setting up his binoculars and notepad. "It's nothing personal, I simply want to be prepared."
"No offense taken. I'm not that fanatical about the sport that I let it get into my relationships with other people," Daphne said calmly while munching on a cookie from the bag she had brought along.
"By the way, how is your sister doing?" Ron asked, only having seen the young girl from a distance.
Daphne couldn't help but to smile. "Astoria? She's having a good time. She likes being a Hufflepuff and our parents are really supportive of her. Well, though she still is quite shy, so don't expect her to approach any of you for a while."
"Before I forget, I heard you did the boggart test as well?" Ron then asked, remembering what he'd heard.
"Yes, but Professor Lupin seemed more careful with it than what I heard about when you faced it," Daphne told him.
Ron knew what she was talking about. "Some felt having their fears presented to the entire class was a gross violation of their privacy and paints targets onto their back. They complained to Professor Lupin and he actually apologized for not having thought about that at the start of the next lesson."
"That explains why he looked like he regretted how he did it the first time when he did that test with us. Each of us got called into the room individually," Daphne explained how they did the test.
Of course after the lesson she, Millicent and Dudley had explained to each other their fears, trusting each other with it. Dudley, as he explained, was afraid of his parents rejecting him due to his magic. Millicent for her part had seen herself as an adult, but grotesquely twisted by having overly many muscles and being hunched over. That was her fear of growing up into being unfeminine. As for Daphne herself, her biggest fear was losing her family, having seen herself cry over their dead bodies.
"Ah, I think they are starting," Ron then said when looking down to the pitch.
Down on the pitch meanwhile Dudley was trying to give some last words of encouragement to Millicent, who was applying for the position of reserve beater. Millicent on the other hand couldn't help but grimace when looking at who else was competing for a spot in the reserve team.
"Of course she would try out as well," Millicent snorted.
Dudley understood when he saw the masculine girl - he still had no idea what her name was - he'd seen in that meeting with Pansy, remembering how she'd vowed to try out this year after Flint was gone. "Oh yes, her. Millie, don't let her intimidate you."
"I'm not scared of her - I'm disgusted. Remember how I'm always sensitive about how I could become too masculine?" Seeing Dudley nod, Millicent looked to the girl in question. "She started to relish in how masculine she is. Honestly, just staple a dick between her legs and the transformation would be complete."
Dudley was a bit taken aback by the bitterness Millicent was showing, but then had to leave when he had to take his place for the tryouts.
I hope that girl doesn't unnerve her, he thought while flying up in the air for the tryouts to start.
Millicent meanwhile was waiting for the beater tryouts when she noticed an unwanted presence. "What do you want, Sevenstone?" she asked, not being intimidated.
Margaret Sevenstone, the masculine girl, looked at Millicent with condescension. "Don't even bother trying out. Not only is there no way you'll make the cut, but bailing out now will spare you the humiliation."
"You don't know me. Also no way I'll give up because you want an easy ticket. No, you have to earn it," Millicent told Sevenstone coldly, a bit surprised how quickly this had escalated.
Sevenstone's eyes narrowed. "Don't blame me once you get blown off your broom by the first bludger like the big oaf you are."
Millicent wouldn't lose her head over this. After what she had endured the previous year, by possessed by a teenage Voldemort, she discovered that it in the end made her feel somewhat underwhelmed by school bullies, like she couldn't take them entirely serious anymore. Waiting further, it finally was time for the beater trials and she walked to the group trying for the position.
To her surprise, she did spot the idiot duo of Crabble and Goyle, these two clearly hoping to get the position. Most likely Malfoy told them to try in order to got more allies onto the team. No chance in hell that these two were any good however. Also, to her annoyance, Sevenstone was in line before her at the beater tryouts.
Well, that went as predicted, Millicent thought when seeing Crabble and Goyle both mess up their tryouts, Goyle even managing to flip his broom over and land on his ass. While they were big and strong, the job of a beater was more than just brute strength, and thus why they failed miserably. At least she wouldn't have to deal with them.
Looking to Malfoy she saw him give Crabble and Goyle disappointed looks. Guess he will dress them down for messing up and not being able to strengthen his position on the team.
Annoyingly, Sevenstone was the best beater candidate so far, and didn't waste a moment to rub that under Millicent's nose. "Hah, try to top that, loser!"
"With pleasure..." Millicent growled, that girl seriously pushing her buttons.
Perhaps it was her annoyance with Sevenstone or the sheer determination to give it all, but by the time she was done, there was applause since this had been the best beater performance up to this point, superior to Sevenstone's. Dudley even flew up to her to congratulate her to such a great showing.
"Please, I wasn't that good," tried to play it down while futilely trying to keep down the blush.
"Rubbish, you showed them! If that doesn't get you a place on the reserve team, then things have to be rigged," Dudley reassured her, finding how red Millicent now was quite cute.
Indeed, soon enough the results were announced and Millicent made the position without any trouble. To her dismay, Sevenstone got the other reserve beater position and she got a feeling that the other girl would be as uncooperative as possible to her.
However, right now she didn't care when seeing Dudley and Daphne approach her.
She guessed correctly there would be a small celebration for her making the team.
...September 14th, Hogwarts grounds...
"Hagrid said today we would learn all we need about Niffler care before we move on. What did he say would come next?" Ron asked while he walked the way to Hagrid's hut together with Neville and Luna.
"He said the next animal would be kneazles," Neville replied, having been a bit more attentive. "I wonder how these will react to the local blockheads who have no hand for animals?"
Neville was of course talking about Crabble and Goyle, who had already proven that they were really bad with animals, which created the question why they would chose this elective of all things. Perhaps they had simply followed Malfoy's orders? Regardless of the reasons, these two were a terrible fit for the subject. On the other hand, it opened up the possibility for these two suffering amusing accidents due to their own inepture.
"Those that just follow will never fit well anywhere. They seem to have little initiative of their own," Luna observed, clearly unimpressed with these two.
"You are preaching to the choir. But still, ignoring these two, kneazles should be a breeze for Hermione, considering her pet," Ron remarked.
"While Crookshanks is only half a kneazle, I agree. She's got an advantage..." Neville stopped when he looked to Hagrid's hut. "People, there is someone else with Hagrid and it looks like they are arguing."
Looking to where Neville was pointing, they saw Hagrid exchanging words with a woman of below-average height who was wearing official-looking robes. Ron, who had been in the Ministry several times thanks to his father, did recognize the style as the one favored by Ministry workers. Hagrid however clearly wasn't thrilled by her presence and when getting closer they overheard some parts of their exchange.
"...the Ministry has no say in how Hogwarts is run..."
"...very much do, if children are put in jeopardy..."
"...ridiculous, that is what this is..."
"...never should have let your kind in here..."
It was that moment that they reached them and Hagrid realized that they got a peanut gallery. "Ah, children, early as expected. Please excuse me, but right now I sadly don't have time for you," Hagrid apologized.
Both of them walked behind the hut and the children didn't dare to try and listen in. It was only when everyone else was present that Hagrid returned to start the lesson. Constantly throughout the lesson however the woman was hovering nearby, making notes and rudely interrupting Hagrid in the middle of explanations. She also made little secret of her disdain for Hagrid, barely holding back from using openly racist language.
It was only after the lesson was over and the woman was leaving that they dared to approach Hagrid about the elephant in the room.
"Hagrid, what was that about?" Ron asked, having become quite angry with how that woman had treated Hagrid.
Hagrid snorted. "Your friends told you what happened to Malfoy during the first lesson?" Seeing them nod, he continued "He complained to his mother and she complained to the Ministry, making them send this woman to -snort- make sure I don't endanger children. I know she's meant to snoop after me and give them an excuse get me sacked."
"That's a whole load of waffle," Neville said, wondering what exactly Malfoy must have written to his mother. "No way you would endanger children. But the way she treated you was unacceptable. It felt like she hated your very being."
"Ah yes, about that..." Hagrid looked quite uncomfortable about the topic.
Luna, in her typical bluntness, decided this was a good moment to speak up. "It is a pity she holds your giant ancestry against you, especially since you act noting like full-blooded giants."
Hagrid froze for a moment. "I don't know what you are talking about."
Neville however did make the connection. "Hagrid, considering your sheer height it's not that difficult to make the connection."
Hagrid sighed, clearly being uncomfortable with it. "Well, my Ma is a giant, while my father was a wizard." He probably wouldn't have admitted it before his life had taken a turn for the better.
"Do we even want to know the mechanics behind that?" Ron asked, his imagination refusing to picture it.
"You don't want to know. It was explained to me when I was your age and afterwards I wished hadn't asked." Hagrid then noticed that the children were surprisingly calm about this. "You seem to take this rather well."
"Why should we act different around you now?" Luna wondered, not seeing the problem.
"Hagrid, of course we do know of the reputation giants hold - it's quite difficult not to know of that. But you act nothing like them; I mean, the giant populations are highly xenophobic and have a kill-first-questions-later policy. You on the other hand are one of the nicest people we know," Ron tried to explain.
"So you don't judge me for who my mother is?" Clearly Hagrid had to ask after experiencing prejudice too many times.
"No, we don't. If we do that, we would be no better than the bigots we are making a stance against," Neville reassured Hagrid.
"Though, it is a bit of a pity that full-blooded giants won't be for the world for much longer," Luna remarked. "A culture of wickedness might have barely worked in the past, but with constantly shrinking habitats in the modern world it just makes them murder each other into oblivion."
Hagrid sighed. "I know that all too well, but you can't help people who don't want any help."
From a distance Dora watched Hagrid send the three children back into the castle for their next class.
She had been making her rounds around the castle grounds and watched this display of Ministry corruption take place. She knew that woman would only wait for one error from Hagrid to then try and make a big drama out of it to get him lose his job. It was a nasty reminder of how far some parts of the Ministry had already sunk. Her mentor had raged that corruption was spreading throughout the Ministry like a cancer.
There was little question why they were aiming for Hagrid, as she during her school time had already figured out on her own why Hagrid was so tall, but out of respect had never mentioned it to him.
Continuing on her round, Dora couldn't help but to think that all these small things were starting to paint a picture that was not very flattering.
o
I was evening and the teachers had come together to talk about what happened to Hagrid this day. The fact that the Ministry had sent someone who essentially was only there to find any kind of excuse to get Hagrid into legal trouble was very telling. The situation was unacceptable, but it wasn't like there was much they could do against it.
"And she openly said that it's because Narcissa complained? Would fit all of this, since I honestly can't picture Lucius wasting his time on something like this," Snape asked after having listened to Hagrid's frustrated rant.
"Yes. She didn't say it directly, but it's very obvious that Malfoy brat's mother told them to find any excuse to get me thrown out," Hagrid replied, still looking tired. Having to endure that woman during both of his lessons that day had been really tiring.
"That boy can't fight his own battles..." Snape grumbled, clearly being unimpressed.
"How fitting of a Black woman..." Noticing that his comment caused attention, Slughorn saw he needed to clarify. "I've seen many Black women. The women of that family are vicious, but each in a different way. From the sound of it Narcissa Malfoy is like that as well, but refuses to do the dirty work herself and sends others instead to do so."
"You don't sound impressed by her, Horace," Flitwick remarked.
"It's because I'm not. Even as a student she always carried around an arrogant attitude and an all-take-and-no-give mentality. That's why I never approached her, since my contacts are based on mutual gain. Bellatrix in turn was an already unstable and volatile child when she first entered Hogwarts, so I ignored her. No, the only of the Black sisters I approached was Andromeda... sadly, she got disowned by her family shortly after finishing school."
"Let's stay on topic, namely what to do about that intrusive woman," Sinistra reminded everyone while seeing Slughorn reach for some crystallized pineapple.
"Sadly, there is little we can actually do against her," Dumbledore said after having listened the entire time. "What she is doing is perfectly legal; how she is performing her duties not seen as relevant by the law."
"She is only waiting for something to happen. I don't like this," Hagrid grumbled. "It's already disruptive to my lessons and she doesn't even make a secret of why she dislikes me."
"Let her." Dumbledore was surprisingly calm about the whole issue. "I have confidence in you, that any kind of possible incident will be minor at best. Once something does happen, we do have ways to do something about the whole issue."
The other teachers had a feeling that Dumbledore had already everything ready for as soon as something did happen.
"What are you planning, Albus?" McGonagall asked.
"Don't worry, Minerva," the Headmaster told her. "It will all be perfectly legal, but remind those going after Hagrid that bullying someone who's got many friends is a bad idea."
...September 16th...
"Just take a look at Hagrid. Poor bloke looks really stressed out," Ginny said when they arrived for their weekly Care of Magical Creatures lesson.
"No wonder if you see who is hovering nearby," Harry added, looking to the disturbance in question.
Of course the 'inspector' from the Ministry was again being present, though this was the first time that Harry, Hermione and Ginny saw her in person. Their friends had told them of the annoyance that Malfoy had caused for Hagrid by complaining to his mother, so she would do something. They knew right away that this was petty revenge for the humiliation during their first lesson.
"And I thought he only runs to his father for help. Doesn't look like he can fight his own battles," Hermione observed, being highly unimpressed by all of this. "Not that I'm concerned that any kind of incident could harm Hagrid."
That was another part of the whole issue, since Harry had gotten a mirror-call from Sirius yesterday. Sirius had been rather amused when telling him how the Headmaster had approached him, explaining the situation and asking if he could help. Sirius had agreed readily, adding that whatever the Ministry was planning would come crashing down on them once meeting the barrister he had loaned out to Dumbledore for the whole affair.
Well, there also was the fact that there was no way that Hagrid would get into serious trouble, since years of training managed to get safety procedures firmly into his head. While they couldn't speak for the more advanced classes of later years, if Malfoy wanted to provoke an incident it would look ridiculous due to the rather harmless animals in this year.
"Since we do have kneazles today, how much do you want to bet Malfoy will try something?" Harry asked.
"Nothing, since we all know he won't let the opportunity pass by. Only question is if he's really dumb enough to think that being scratched by a kneazle can be blown up into a serious injury," Ginny snorted. "Apart from that, Hermione will certainly ace this class, considering Crookshanks' ancestry."
"Just because Crookshanks has kneazle ancestry..." Hermione stopped, then sighed. "All right, I did read up on kneazles. I wanted to learn more on what sets Crookshanks apart from normal cats."
Right then Hagrid's hut came in sight and they saw that Hagrid's 'minder' was already present. Hagrid himself looked quite annoyed, since he had never been good at hiding his emotions. They also saw the animal sitting beside Hagrid and knew right away that this was a kneazle.
The kneazle was a bit bigger than Crookshanks - proving that Crookshanks' size therefore was due to his ancestry - and compared to Crookshanks looked more streamlined. The kneazle also had a few optical traits of a lion. This one's fur however was pitch-black, making him look a bit like a panther. It also seemed to be able to gauge Hagrid's mood, giving suspicious looks to Hagrid's minder.
"Sooner or later something will snap..." Harry said under his breath when observing Hagrid's mood.
The other students trickled in and Hermione did notice something.
"Look at Malfoy's expression. He's planning something for sure," she observed.
"So he really wants to create an incident from a kneazle? It would have been more understandable if it had been something like a hippogriff, that would have created waves, but this..." Ginny wondered why Malfoy didn't realize how stupid that would look. Or was the boy really that sure it could be twisted into something more?
"It would look stupid. But let's wait what happens." Harry honestly doubted that Malfoy could really think that it would be enough to cause Hagrid serious trouble, but Malfoy had shown bad judgment before.
Hagrid for his part watched Malfoy and Parkinson like a hawk. He knew these two troublemakers were very likely to try something while that annoyance from the Ministry was breathing down his neck. He thanked Kettleburn that the man had taught him how to create a proper lesson plan and thus only present rather harmless animals to the third-years - animals which could only cause some easy to heal scratches at worst.
"Ah, all of you are present. Now then, today we start with the next animal, now that we are done with Nifflers. Kneazles are next, and unlike Nifflers you need to know bit more about them, though most of their care is pretty similar to that of a normal cat," Hagrid started once everyone was present.
"Now, before we continue, does one of you know what mainly sets kneazles apart from normal cats?" Hagrid asked, then chuckled when watching Harmione's hand go up quickly. "I knew you would know that, condering your pet."
"Apart from being physically bigger and a bit stronger than a normal cat, kneazles are mainly known for their higher intelligence. Kneazles and cats can cross-breed and get along great," Hermione said, holding back from saying more, since she feared she could slip into old habits of reciting what she'd read.
"Correct. Now, all of you, let me introduce you to Talon," Hagrid said proudly, looking to the kneazle.
"Typical Hagrid, giving something as harmless as a kneazle such a name..." Ginny whispered in amusement.
"Considering that he named his harmless dog Fang, while at the same time he named a vicious dragon Norberta, that was to be expected. Remember how he told us of that huge Cerebus which he'd named Fluffy?" Harry whispered back.
His ideas of what would be a good name for an animal was one of Hagrid's likable quirks. Hagrid's dog Fang meanwhile was constantly watching Talon, clearly being mistrustful. Talon gladly returned the favor, thus proving that the mutual dislike of cats and dogs was indeed very real.
"Now, while Talon in general is a very peaceful chap, do not disrespect him. If you do anger him, he will attempt to give you some painful scratches, so don't even think about it," Hagrid warned.
"Oh-uh, look at that," Hermione whispered when she saw Malfoy and Parkinson give each other nods of understanding.
"He actually is going to try it," Harry said in bafflement, then remebered the adults telling him they had it under control and thus decided to stay out of it..
One after the other they introduced themselves to Talon. They were polite and Talon acknowledged it each time with a pleased purr. Clearly Talon only respected those who respected him. Then however it was Malfoy's turn, and he was the farthest thing from polite to Talon.
"Well, aren't you a flea-filled furball?" Malfoy said rudely to Talon.
Talon reacted as predicted. Offended by such rude words, he swiped his claws while hissing in anger, Malfoy jumped back, clutching his hand. "AAAHHHH! That little monster injured me!" Malfoy screamed, holding his scratched hand like it could fall off at any moment.
"You call that a safe lesson?! You are clearly unqualified!" the minder screeched, though it was pretty obvious she had only waited for an opportunity. "It should have been clear right from the start that an overgrown barbarian like you is not to be allowed to be allowed near children! You should be removed!"
Hagrid snorted while watching Malfoy jump around, which obviously was done for the dramatic effect but just looked plain stupid. "You think that is some kind of serious injury? Parkinson! Get your friend to Madam Pomfrey to get that treated. I expect both of you back as soon as possible and don't you dare to dally!"
"How dare you to treat an injured student like this!" The woman by now had become red with anger. "You'll regret ever having sat foot into this school, half-breed! Your kind is not welcome here!"
They watched the woman leave, and some could have sworn she had started to foam at the mouth.
"It's no surprise this happened. The little snot was gunning for it, provoking Talon like that," Hagrid snorted.
"Hagrid, you know that the whole thing will turn into a legal mess. Aren't you afraid?" Harry asked, wanting to make sure.
Hagrid laughed. "Because of some scratches made by a kneazle? If I had been unprepared and without help, maybe. Sirius however offered me his support, as does the faculty. No, this won't go anywhere, trust me."
"I'm still angry at how racist she was to you. That was horrible," Hermione said, being seriously offended by that woman's behavior.
"I'm not happy, either." Hagrid clearly was trying to hide how much this had hurt him. "Still, we do have a lesson and Talon is starting to become a little impatient."
The lesson then continued without further interruptions, but Hagrid was annoyed when Malfoy and Parkinson didn't return. He knew they right now were trying to milk the incident, despite Madam Pomfrey being fully capable of healing the scratches in mere minutes. That meant he would write them up as missing without an excuse.
All right, if they want to play it this way, he thought, knowing these two were troublemakers.
...Ministry of Magic courtroom, October 2nd...
It was not one of the big courtrooms in the Ministry - the ones used for high-profile cases like the Death Eaters - but one of the smaller ones that handled the less important cases which caused only minor public attention. Thus it also had none of the atmosphere that the big courtrooms had to intimidate the accused, which meant it was brightly lit and didn't look like a public spectacle.
It still was packed, since it was not often that the Ministry was going after a Hogwarts teacher. While everyone was taking their seats, Hagrid thought of how it had come to this.
As soon as that lesson where Malfoy got hurt had ended, he had contacted the Headmaster to inform him so that they could prepare. And true to to form, only little later a big spectacle was made by the Ministry about him endangering students. However, Dumbledore right away told them he saw no reason to remove Hagrid from his job, didn't even see any wrongdoing on his part.
That meant the whole thing would go to court. The Ministry seemed pretty sure they would win, most likely banking on the judge swiftly siding with them due to also being part of the Ministry.
Looking around, Hagrid spotted the Malfoys at one of the tables, being most likely there to ensure things would go according to their plan, with Draco acting at the injured party. He also spotted the Ministry minder giving him looks of contempt as well as the appointed barrister representing the Ministry in court. Various Ministry officials were also present in the spectator seating and he spotted Umbridge among them. He knew of her because of how infamous she already was in certain circles.
She must be here because she thinks I'm fighting a losing battle and wants an entertaining show, Hagrid thought.
"I hope this goes as you think it will," Hagrid said, while moving a little to get comfortable in the suit he was wearing.
"Don't worry. They think we are not prepared, meaning they will be in for a rude awakening," his barrister told him, looking quite confident.
Hagrid hoped the barrister's confidence was well-placed. Sirius had paid the law firm attending to his family's legal matters in the magical world, Shark Solicitors & Barristers, to give him the best service for his defense while Hagrid would have no costs. They had been quite thorough at this job, considering the stacks of papers on the desk, as well as several small vials with a silvery fluid in them.
Finally, the judge had arrived and everyone rose from their seats.
After first listing off all the bulletpoints about the case, making no secret of being bored since he also seemed to think this would be clear-cut in the Ministry's favor, the judge looked at the two tables. "Now, who is representing the accusing and the defending parties?"
The man sitting next to the Ministry worker stood up. "Randolph Howe from Howe & Co.. I am representing the Ministry of Magic in this case."
Then Hagrid's barrister stood up. "Siegfried Blair from Shark Solicitors & Barristers. I am representing Mr. Hagrid."
That caused some whispering, since Mr. Shark was running one of the most expensive law firms and their clients were quite an exclusive circle - though many of the really conservative and old families boycotted him due to blood reasons. They were best known for handling the legal matters of the Black family and of Harry Potter. Few would want to cross them and them representing Hagrid had to mean he got some serious connections. Mr. Howe gulped when hearing Shark's name. Only few would still remember him getting dismissed from tending to the Black legal matters years ago by Sirius.
"Ah... good." The judge seemed a little shaken as well that such a high-profile law firm was handling this, now actually putting much more attention to everything.
The Ministry side was first to speak after the formalities were done.
It pretty much was exactly as expected. They really tried to blow Draco's injury out of proportion and basically argued that Hagrid is endangering children and thus should not be around them. Though they never said a word about it, him being a half-giant constantly was the elephant in the room. However, despite their outwardly shown conviction, Mr. Blair was pleased, since he had noticed how his opponents suddenly didn't seem so sure about winning anymore.
When that mudslinging - which had been accompanied by a startling lack of actual evidence - finally was done with, it was time for the defense to have its turn.
Mr. Blair stayed completely professional. "Now... Since Mr. Howe made it sound like young Mr. Malfoy's hand had almost been taken off... First off, the written report from the school nurse Madam Pomfrey, including photographic proof of the injury as well as what the hand looked like after the treatment. All signed by Madam Pomfrey."
Using a small spell after laying everything out on the table, he projected the document in question to the entire courtroom, as well as the photographs. That caused lots of whispering, since everyone could read Madam Pomfrey's report as well as see the photos which show three harmless scratches which then were healed fully by her treatment.
Draco paled when seeing this. "Wait... how did she get these photos? And shouldn't my file be confidential?"
Mr. Blair gave Draco a neutral look. "Mr. Malfoy, Madam Pomfrey is required by law, due to the fact she is working in a school, to document all and every injury that is treated in the hospital wing. As for the the photographs... that comes with her diagnosis spell and is only available to healers. Also, by making your injury part of this case you waived your right to keep it confidential."
"Oh..." Draco noticed his parents looking rather exasperated to him.
"Additionally, here are multiple witness accounts of the incident in question, each recorded and witnessed by two Aurors," Mr. Blair continued.
The witness accounts from all other students that had been present - excluding Parkinson of course - were projected. Harry, Ginny and Hermione had testified as well, much to Draco's dismay. All of the reports pretty much stated the same facts: that Draco had outright provoked the kneazle despite Hagrid's explicit instructions and then played up the minor injury.
Draco went red when hearing whispers, many wondering why in all names a kneazle scratch was even going to court. Clearly the Ministry had made sure not to reveal what animal had been involved in the incident. In fact, Mr. Howe had never once mentioned while making his case that it was a kneazle and now was made look rather foolish. They obviously had expected to simply trample over Hagrid, not that he would get reinforcements.
"Now, to make this watertight, these vials contain copies of the memories from my client as well as that of several witnesses of the incident in question. Extracted under Auror supervision and confirmed as genuine and untampered by an Unspeakable. I therefore request usage of the big pensive to present this evidence," Mr. Blair announced.
There was no way to deny that request without looking bad.
An Unspeakable wheeled in the oversized pensive some time later and the memories of the incident played out to everyone, showing very clearly how Hagrid was acting professionally and warned to not provoke the kneazle. They saw how Malfoy did so anyway and how how he acted like his arm had been cut off while the Ministry worker looked like she was going rabid while shouting at Hagrid.
The whole thing was so clear-cut that any ruling against Hagrid would have caused a massive scandal and the judge, pushed into a corner, had no choice but to rule in his favor.
"See, Mr. Hagrid? They thought they could kick you around and didn't even bother to prepare for their half-cooked plan," Mr. Blair said after Hagrid was found to have done nothing wrong.
"Thanks to you. You were really through to make sure they can't pull something out of their butts to stick to me," Hagrid said, looking relieved this was over and he could now teach in peace.
Looking around, Hagrid saw surprise on several faces. They clearly had not expected him to actually win and that bothered Hagrid. He also saw Umbridge. She looked like she had bitten into a very nasty lemon and gave him a look that shouted that the last word hasn't been spoken yet. Considering her reputation, Hagrid had a feeling he would have to deal with her enmity sometime in the future.
The Malfoys meanwhile were less than pleased.
It would still be some hours before Draco had to be returned to Hogwarts, so they went home and then Mr. Malfoy wanted a word with his son in his study. Draco gulped when seeing that his father looked rather annoyed with him.
"Draco, I hope you've learned something from today's fiasco," Mr. Malfoy started, then waited for the correct answer.
"Yes. I learned that the Ministry isn't yet reformed in the way you want it to be," Draco answered, pouring out his frustration at the failure.
"Wrong." Though Draco had not been entirely wrong, this was not what he wanted to talk about. "Today proved to me that I have to teach you to pick your battles instead of blindly running forward in anger."
"Father?" Draco had actually expected to be chewed out for this failure.
"You let your anger at that overgrown half-breed override your common sense. While I applaud you that you used your mother's influence, you failed to see that having that petty bureaucrat constantly hang around him would have been a much better punishment than your short-sighted action," Mr. Malfoy explained.
Mr. Malfoy waited for his words to sink in, before he continued "You have to pick your battles. Right now you are not in a position of strength and there is only so much we can do for you. You have to concentrate on what is truly important."
Draco sighed. "You mean I have to leave all these mudbloods and blood-traitors alone as well?"
"No, of course not. You can make their lives hell to your heart's content, as long as it doesn't distract you from what is important and you don't get caught. See it as training; just remember how I never got caught in all these years," Mr. Malfoy told Draco.
"I understand... No more stupid stunts that only get me into trouble," Draco told his father.
...October 31st, Hogsmeade...
It was Halloween, but more importantly, it also was the day of the first Hogsmeade weekend for all students starting with the third-years. Of course that rule also caused some envy in the younger years.
"I envy you two. You are my age, yet you already can visit Hogsmeade," Colin Creevey said to Ginny and Luna in the common room, where the girls waited for the others to come down the stairs. "I heard so many things about the village, yet I can only go next year."
"We might be the same age, but we already did go through two years of Hogwarts," Luna reminded Colin.
"Well... yes. Still a pity I can't make pictures of the village. My parents read a lot about it. Man, and I read about some of the stuff they sell there..." Colin for a moment had a far-away look.
"Didn't you tell us just days ago that your parents won't give you any spending money until next year, when you do have a chance to actually spend it?" Ginny reminded Colin.
"Well, I..." Blushing a little at being reminded about that, Colin took the arrival of the girls' friends as his chance to make a tactical retreat.
"Sorry for the wait," Neville said, then had to allow Colin to slip by, watching him run up the stairs. "What's wrong with him?"
"Oh, no idea," Ginny waved it off, acting innocent.
Hermione then arrived from the girls' stairs, meaning they could go now.
"Man, I can't wait to go to Hogsmeade," Ron said in anticipation while they started their trek to the front gate. "My brothers told me so many things about it."
"I bet your main concern is Honeydukes. You talked about it often enough after all," Hermione reminded Ron, remembering his anticipation about visiting the shop. "I honestly don't understand your fascination with that shop."
"Oh, really? Then why did I catch you licking your lips each time I talk about it?" Seeing Hermione try not to look his way, Ron knew he had made a point "I knew it. You normally get so few sweets that the idea makes your mouth water."
"Ron... that is ridiculous," Hermione stammered in denial. However, her behavior proved how correct Ron was about that.
"No girl can resist the call of chocolate," Ginny mused, though she reminded herself to moderate herself this time, remembering her stunt of eating a big chocolate slab and having a digestive tract protest as a result.
When they reached the gate they had to walk by Mr. Filch, who checked everyone's permission slips with sharp eyes before allowing them to leave. That most certainly was no paranoia, as as few students without permission tried to slip by him, only to get caught by him or his cat Mrs. Norris.
"I don't know if I should feel bad for Parvati and Lavender that they are not allowed to go to Hogsmeade today," Hermione said while they left the castle after their permission slips got controlled.
"It is entirely their own fault that Professor Trelawney is giving them extra lessons today. They should not have talked back to her or acted like they know better," Luna said, remembering the incident all too well.
At the last Divination lesson three days ago, Lavender and Parvati had had gotten into a heated dispute with Professor Trelawney. Lavender's pet rabbit had died at home the previous day and Lavender was insisting that she had predicted it happening by reading tea leaves, with Parvati fully agreeing with her friend. Professor Trelawney however had quickly tried to set them straight.
She had told them that reading tea leaves was not an actual method of divination and was only used by con-artists to relieve people of their money. It had quickly devolved into a heated argument and when the girls had attacked the teacher's authority, she had decided enough is enough. She'd felt taking away their Hogsmeade visit and instead have them sit though extra lessons on proper divination techniques would do the trick.
They walked down the path, noticing how Aurors patrolled the path to ensure the safety of the students, until Hermione pointed something out. "Look at that."
They did see a house in serious disrepair, doors and windows nailed shut, sit on a small hill a little outside of Hogsmeade. "So? What about that shabby hovel?" Ron asked, wondering what this was about.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's the Shrieking Shack."
"Ah yes, that. Makes you wonder if it already was such an eyesore when they decided to repurpose it for Uncle Remus," Harry wondered.
Since the shack held little interest to them, they walked on until entering Hogsmeade itself.
"So, what do we visit first?" Neville wondered.
"We should split up. All of us after all have their own interests," Luna declared.
"Good idea. Maybe we should meet again at the Three Broomsticks in two hours?" Ginny asked, checking her watch.
"Yes... eh... Luna, can we explore Hogsmeade together? There are some things I really want to show you," Neville asked Luna.
Luna gave him a long look, her blue eyes betraying nothing from behind her glasses. Finally, she took his hand. "I would like that very much."
"What have we just witnessed?" Ron wondered when watching Neville and Luna walk into Hogsmeade.
"We just watched Neville being a good friend," Ginny told her brother. "However, going in pairs certainly sounds good. Harry, can we go together as well? I promise not to drag you to Honeydukes right away."
Ginny was a good friend, so Harry didn't mind at all. "All right. Guys, we see you at the Three Broomsticks in two hours."
"I guess that leaves the two of us," Ron said to Hermione. "Can you promise me not to make this a huge history lesson? It's after all about having fun."
Hermione had been very tempted to point out the various sights in Hogsmeade and their history, but since Ron had no mind for that kind of thing she knew it would be a wasted effort. "Just promise to me as well that you won't drag me to Honeydukes right away."
"But we will still go there, right?" Ron asked, looking unsettled.
Hermione should have expected that question. "I would not deprive you of that honor."
Thus they went on their trips through Hogsmeade, exploring the village and take in what they could find in it. Hogsmeade shared a lot of the architectural style with Diagon Alley, only that it was less urban and more of a rural sort of place. However, the closeness to the school had clearly shaped the village over the centuries. After all, Hogsmeade sported many things like shops and services that normally wouldn't be found in a village of its size.
It also helped that Hogsmeade was decorated in the spirit of the holiday, with carved pumpkins and such, setting a unique mood.
Neville and Luna got a blast from Hogsmeade. Neville really enjoyed some of Luna's theories about certain shops and at times asked if this wasn't a bit over the top. He knew she probably didn't believe most of it herself - at least not anymore - but it still was very entertaining. Neville had a guess that Luna would never fully be what was considered 'normal', but he honestly didn't want her to be normal.
They had just left Dogweed and Deathcap, the village's Herbology shop where they had bought some seeds for a private project in one of the greenhouses - of course approved by Professor Sprout - when Neville noticed that Luna had stopped dead in her tracks.
"Luna, is something... wrong?" Neville only now noticed that Luna was staring in shock at the shock she stood next to.
All wooden parts of the storefront - the door, the window frames and everything that wasn't stone or glass - was painted in a highly offensive pink. The sign above the door proudly proclaimed this in frilly script to be Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. The inside of the shop, visible through the windows, was even worse than the outside. The decoration was very tacky, frilly, covered with bows, and cramped. The color pink also was the dominant color inside the shop. The whole thing honestly gave both of them horrible flashbacks to Lockhart's Valentine's Day surprise. That maybe was why Luna looked so horrified.
"No... no... please not again," Luna whimpered and Neville felt it best to quickly escort her away.
"This reminded you of Lockhart's Valentine's Day, didn't it?" Neville asked after getting some distance to the shop.
Suddenly Luna hugged him. "It was so horrible!" Luna's voice was unsteady and she hiccuped a few times. "I actually got nightmares from that Valentine's Day. I buried it, but that sight brought it all back up..."
Neville felt out of his depth and had no choice but to wing it as best as possible. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you never have to go near it again..."
Luna said nothing but continued to hold onto him.
At the same time Ron and Hermione were visiting Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop - which despite its name was a full stationary shop - though Ron only did that for Hermione. When they walked in, they got a surprise.
"Oh, hello Perce," Ron greeted his brother, then looked to Penelope Clearwater, who was at his side. "Hello Penelope. Don't tell me Percy thought a stationary shop is something he has to show you."
Penelope giggled while Percy blushed a little. "Oh no, we really have to buy supplies. We'll only exchange sweet words once we are in the Three Broomsticks... no way I set a foot into Madam Puddifoot's."
"Please don't mention that tea shop..." Percy gasped, clearly having been burned once.
Hermione meanwhile looked at the shelves, noticed something and looked around to confirm her suspicion. The sales clerk noticed what she was doing. "You noticed it as well?" he asked her.
That confirmed Hermione's observation. "Well, yes. Compared to the stationary shops in Diagon Alley, you rely much less on quills and parchment and instead have over half of your shelves filled with things you would find in a non-magical stationary shop. Fountain pens, the fitting ink bottles, paper and so on..."
"We actually buy these from non-magical suppliers. We only remove the packaging to make it less obvious," the clerk admitted. "Nowadays the only people that buy parchment and quills from us are the teachers and students that come from magical families. We were forced to adapt."
"Hermione, only you would find a discussion about stationary interesting," Ron commented, being done talking with Percy and having caught the tail end of the conversation.
"It's more than just that, but I'll drop it." Hermione didn't want to go into how she had started to observe how economically dependent Magical Britain was on the non-magical economy for goods. It was only more visible in this stationary shop.
Meanwhile Harry and Ginny had just left Honeydukes.
"All right, you didn't go here right away, but you weren't especially patient either," Harry commented with amusement, both of them carrying a shopping bag filled with their selection.
"I didn't see you complain," Ginny said with a giggle. "I also wasn't keen on running into Ron in the shop. With him there I probably would have bought more than I intended to. Where do you think we should go next?"
"Maybe some window shopping?" He had liked doing that in the past after all.
"So, you are gluttons as well?"
They knew that voice. And yes, there was Pansy Parkinson, leaning against a house wall and looking at their purchases. Interestingly, she this time was alone, which was a rarity as far as they were concerned. It looked like that girl was looking for anything to criticize them for. She had been her usual nasty self in the classes they shared, but had held back ever since Malfoy's plan to get Hagrid fired had fizzled out embarrassingly.
"You are one to talk, considering how you eat like a pig and always get your share from Malfoy's care packages and show it around for everyone to see," Ginny shot back.
"There is a fine difference between meaningful sharing and low-class filth stuffing themselves with sweets," Parkinson said, if anything sounding more snobby than normal.
"You ditched Malfoy and his two goons only so that you can accost us? If that's what you want to use your leisure time for, then you are even more pathetic than I thought," Harry said, then turned to Ginny. "Let's just ignore her. We're already giving her too much attention."
Watching them leave, Parkinson grumbled. Draco is passive ever since that talking-to his father gave him. I hope he soon gets over his funk so that we can put Potter and his friends into their place.
"Pansy, there you are." That was Draco, who quickly noticed her mood. "No, let me guess, Potty and his friends?"
"They are getting bolder. Draco, we need to step up our game or soon they think they own the school," Pansy said.
"I know, but I also know I can't count on my father helping us anymore. It's still a work in progress," Draco excused his inactivity on that front.
Some time later the six friends met again in front of the Three Broomsticks.
"Well, that went as expected..." Hermione sighed when seeing that all of them, even Hermione herself, carried a bag from Honeydukes.
"So much for your discipline," Ginny joked when seeing that Hermione's Honeydukes bag was just as filled as everyone else's. "Are you suffering with withdrawal or is my brother a bad influence on you?" Ginny then joked.
Hermione didn't take Ginny's teasing very well. "Ha ha... I could die from laughter."
Walking inside they were greeted with a busy pub, but thankfully there still were several free tables. The atmosphere in the pub was relaxed and homely, though a slight smell of tobacco was in the air as well. Maneuvering their way through the crowd they got to a nice table next to the wall that had space for all of them.
"Make yourselves comfortable; I'll get us butterbeer," Ron said and went to the bar.
"Thank all goodness that butterbeer has next to no alcohol in it, or I would really wonder about the legality of serving it to minors," Hermione remarked. She'd been alarmed by the name until reading that butterbeer was no worse than rootbeer.
Ron returned shortly later with a tray holding six mugs filled to the brim with warm, foaming butterbeer. They all first enjoyed a deep gulp of it, feeling how the butterbeer warmed them nicely, before talking about their experiences in Hogsmeade. This went on for some time before they wandered off to different topics.
"Eh, in case you guys didn't already hear: There are rumors going around that Slughorn plans something big for the Slug Club. I guess he's still miffed that there were no gatherings last years due to the whole chamber business," Harry explained.
Hermione groaned, still not fully on board with the idea of the Slug Club, though by now it was only a token of resistance. "That means he'll go all out to impress everyone. He'll do it just before we leave for Christmas as that's the best moment."
"I find it interesting to observe that Professor Slughorn's need to show off is proportional to the size of his belly to the rest of his body," Luna remarked.
It took a few moments before everyone laughed, realizing that Luna in her own way had made a good joke.
...at the same time, Remus' office...
Remus was busy with taking inventory of some new creatures he got for lessons. The water tank with the grindylow stood in his office, since he didn't want that particular creature around too curious students. The grindylow for its part gave him some nasty grins with tis sharp teeth, clearly communicating it would love to rip him into pieces.
After the kappa, a grindylow should be easy for them, Remus though, thinking of how his students heaped praise on him for his lessons.
Truth to be told, Halloween had been a weird day for him ever since the tragedy in 1981. All these festivities on this day, and yet to him it forever would be the day he lost two good friends and got confronted with the fact that a third friend had been a false one. He knew Harry was trying to honor their memory while again enjoying the day, but it still was a work in progress.
Too bad that he couldn't even take part in the festivities this year. It would cut too close to nightfall and he didn't want to risk anything, since today would be the last night of this lunar cycle's transformations.
-toc toc toc- Someone knocking on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. "Eh... yes?"
The door opened and... "I hope you don't mind some company."
"Oh, hello Dora. What brings you to my office?" Remus asked, seeing the pink-haired woman stand in the door. "Any reason why you are carrying a packed tray?"
Indeed, Dora was carrying a tray that easily was laden with a meal for two people. "I'm not on duty today and I thought since you can't enjoy the Halloween feast, I do something for you. The elves in the kitchen were most eager to help me."
"Sometimes I forget you know about my health issues." Feeling moved by the gesture, he quickly made space on his desk while Dora put down the tray.
Dora then looked around, taking in several glass cases with creatures. "Your own little cabinet of horrors?" She then spotted the grindylow eyeing the meal on the table. "Shoo! That's not for you!" The grindylow sulked and retreated into a corner of the tank.
"I want to keep them where I know curious students won't stumble into them," Remus explained. "I have to be honest, you visiting me comes a bit as a surprise - though a nice one."
They were busy with setting the table when again someone knocked on the door and in walked Slughorn, holding a smoking chalice. Slughorn took in the set table for two and looked a bit sheepish. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"
"Oh no, we were still setting the table," Remus said, seemingly oblivious to what Slughorn had really meant, the older man's eyebrows rising a bit at the statement. "Thank you for my medicine, Horace."
"It's no problem. I like a challenge, and this potion is on the complicated side." Slughorn saw Remus grimace a bit while drinking the potion. "Though sadly nothing can be done about the taste."
"I don't mind; I'll wash it down with something better soon enough anyway." Remus then gave back the chalice. "I honestly don't think Severus would have been very happy to do this for me."
"He simply can't get over some old history, which is a shame." Slughorn then gave both of them a suggestive look. "Well then, who am I to take up more of both your time? Have fun."
Dora was not surprised that it all went over Remus' head. After all, the man never in his life had dated and thus he had to be utterly oblivious of the subtle clues. Perhaps she would have to be more direct in the future to make him understand.
Funny thing was, Remus was not obvious at all about it. He knew why Dora was here and what she was doing - after all he was no idiot - but the age difference and especially him feeling she could do better than him due to his condition were making him try to keep it in the friend zone.
This would be the start of a very strange dance.
...later that day, in the great hall...
"Let's hope that after the first two Halloween feasts this one can go by without anything bad happening, though knowing how fate likes to play with us, I wouldn't hold my breath for it" Harry said while they made their way to the great hall for the Halloween feast.
"We've had an invading troll and a message from a teenage Voldemort. I honestly doubt there's anything worse than that," Neville said, remembering both incidents all too well.
"Please do not say that. Remember, temping fate has always ended badly for us," Luna reminded her friend.
They then walked into the great hall and saw that the same decorations as in the previous two years were used. The atmosphere was relaxed, the holiday giving students a chance to escape the currently tense atmosphere in Magical Britain, the previous two nights again having resulted in news reporting of new atrocities committed by Greyback's pack, this time in the vicinity of Sunderland. Considering the trajectory it was clear they were moving north, but most reasoned it was due to the lower population density in the north of the British Isle.
"At least we don't have to worry about not being protected," Harry commented, pointing to the head table.
There, at the head table, sat Alastor Moody. It was kind of spooky how his artificial eye was constantly moving, scanning the room for anything suspicious. It even continued to do so why Moody turned his attention to Dumbledore to for a conversation. He was like a human security camera and it was obvious that this gave him a big advantage in the field. Considering how much Halloween was charged due to the events of Voldemort's fall, it was no wonder why he was present in person.
"Dad says nothing escapes Moody's attention. I thought he was being hyperbole, but seeing that..." Ron said, being a bit unnerved by the magical eye.
While they sat at their table, a little conversation was going on at the Slytherin table.
"I completely forgot... how did training yesterday go?" Daphne asked, having been unable to watch due to sleeping in and thus missing the training.
"Well, it worked well for the most part..." Dudley said, trying to be diplomatic.
"For the most part?" Daphne by now knew him well enough to see there was something he didn't want to say.
Millicent rolled her eyes. "Well, we have two bad apples in the teams. Malfoy of course tried to bully the new Captain around, but the guy surprisingly put down his foot and said if Malfoy doesn't like it, he's easily replaceable."
Dudley remembered the incident all too well. "Rumor is going around that Malfoy's father is unwilling to help him any longer after what happened with Mr. Hagrid. That made the Captain brave enough to put his foot down."
"Good for him. Also, about time that Malfoy's old man shows his son that he won't get everything by just whining for it. Who is the other bad apple?" Daphne asked.
"It's that # !& bitch Sevenstone - made worse by the fact she's the other reserve beater and I have to work directly with her," Millicent cursed.
"Daphne, I think that one needs no further explanation, does it?" Dudley asked his friend.
"No, it doesn't. Sorry that you have to put up with her of all people." Considering how often Millicent had ranted at how impossible Sevenstone is to work with, no further explanation was needed.
It was no secret that a deep animosity had grown between Millicent and Sevenstone. The team however did favor Millicent due to her being a team player, though Sevenstone was in denial that it were her own behavior and power-plays that had made her disliked by the team. Perhaps Sevenstone had been unprepared for the fact that this new team no longer was filled with arrogant bigots - as most them them had left together with Flint.
It was only little later that the feast started.
"Ahhh... good thing I resisted eating any of my Honeydukes haul," Ron said while eagerly filling his plate.
"I think even if you hadn't resisted, there would have been enough space. There always is," Ginny commented quickly when seeing Hermione had been about to say something that could have potentially set off her brother. "Where does it all go?"
"Maybe into my height. Haven't you noticed that I'm now almost as tall as Fred and George? Guess I will be taller than them soon enough if this goes on," Ron remarked before continuing to fill his plate.
"Oh, each year it looks appetizing," Myrtle said while floating next to their table. "It's still a shame I can never eat anything ever again."
"That must be really difficult on you," Luna said, sounding sincerely sorry. "Have you tried what the ghosts do at Sir Nick's deathday parties with that rotten food?"
"I did that once and then was glad a ghost also can't vomit. Better nothing than that," Myrtle said with a grimace.
"I almost forgot. Today after all is Nick's 501st deathday. Kind of easy to forget something that's only interesting for ghosts," Neville remembered. "Well, considering all the other ghosts are busy, it gives you more attention."
"You better believe it," Myrtle said with a laugh before gliding to some first-year students who were calling for her attention.
"I think all of us girls really lucked out that she decided to improve herself. I remember the stories Mum told me after our first year how nasty Myrtle had been before that," Ginny said before starting to eat.
The feast was then underway and went on for some time students and teachers alike managed to relax.
That was, until suddenly...
-Whom!- The big door to the great hall was slammed open and an Auror ran in, looking like he had run the whole way. "Sir! Sir!" he called while running to Moody.
Moody's attention was on him right away, the man's behavior screaming to him that something especially bad had happened. "What happened, lad?! Report, now!"
"A corpse... we found the corpse of a witch at the edge of Hogmeade! Throat torn open." That already told Moody enough how the witch in question had died, but the man was not done. "Also... a message had been pinned onto the corpse."
With shaky hands the man removed a bloodsplattered piece of paper and gave it to Moody. Moody looked at it."'You reap what you sow.' This clearly is Greyback's style... that filthy scum."
Moody pulled his wand and all students gasped when a silvery, glowing hawk erupted from it. Whatever it was, it hovered close to Moody, who spoke to it. "Message to all forces. Highest alarm level. A murder victim has been found near Hogsmeade, clearly killed by a werewolf. The body must have been dumped there very recently, as it was only discovered now. All Aurors not on duty report to the briefing hall."
The glowing hawk then flew away, vanishing when going through one of the walls.
"Albus, you better put the castle under lockdown. I'm needed elsewhere." That said, Moody started to leave the hall together with the Auror.
McGonagall looked alarmed at these news. "Albus, we have to ensure the safety of our students until the situation becomes more clear."
"Yes, Minerva, the safety of our students always comes first." Dumbledore then stood up and all the attention was on him, the whispering dying off. "Since all of you have heard what just happened, it saves me a long explanation. The school is under lockdown until the morning. All of you will be escorted back to your dormitories. Prefects, rally to you respective Head of House to get further instructions."
The Prefects quickly got orders how to organize the students.
Meanwhile, Percy approached McGonagall. "Professor, I can see many of the students are unsettled by this development. Do you plan to address them once all of us are in the dormitories?"
McGonagall sighed. "There is little other choice, unless we want to risk them getting panicked."
Shortly later the students were being escorted back to their respective dormitories.
"Well, I guess this answers the question if Halloween is cursed for us. That's the third time in a row something happens. A troll, Riddle's massage and now a murder in Hogsmeade," Harry said, now openly wondering if an actual curse had been put onto this day.
"What do you think that spell was that Moody used? It looked awesome and he seemed to use it to relay a message," Ron added, having been fascinated by the spell and how cool it looked.
"I honestly have no idea. I've never read about something like that. Whatever it is, it must be advanced magic, Hermione speculated, herself feeling fascinated by the display of magic.
"I'll ask Uncle Remus what that is once I get the chance," Harry decided. "Uncle Sirius needs the hear about this as well.."
Reaching the Gryffindor dormitories, everyone entered through the portrait hole in an orderly fashion. When the six friends reached the common room, they were greeted with a surprising sight: several tables filled with food. When seeing this, McGonagall sighed.
"The Headmaster felt we shouldn't let you go hungry, nor did he want the hard work of the elves go to waste. The same goes for the other houses as well," McGonagall explained while trying hard not to roll her eyes. "I have to address you, but once I'm done you are free to help yourselves."
It was interesting how even in a crisis the Headmaster thought about the well-being of the students.
o
While all of this happened, a lone man was riding through the outdoors of Scotland on a motorcycle that was suitable for rough terrain. The owner of said motorcycle wouldn't miss it, since he was suffering from an injury known as death and probably would be discovered in several days.
The man knew he had to hurry, since nightfall was not too far off, but thankfully, him leaving early had given him enough time to gain distance to Hogwarts and he finally found a paved road, together with telephone wires running next to it on poles. He had scouted out the area before and quickly sped off in one direction until finding what he was looking for: a red telephone booth.
Parking his motorcycle beside it, the man couldn't help but to think that the magical authorities simply would be unable to imagine how the pack was taking full advantage of the modern world. Putting some coins in, he dialed the number of a country house near Sunderland that the pack had... 'occupied' -meaning they'd brutally murdered the inhabitants.
"Yes?" That was the voice of Greyback.
"It's me. The job is done and they are most likely running around like headless chickens right now," the man reported proudly.
"Excellent. Now they'll think we are in two places at the same time while in reality we are still all down here apart from you," Greyback said, sounding very pleased. "No one noticed you?"
"No, I dumped the body where it would be found and then got out of there as fast as possible," the man reported further.
"Well done. We'll meet up at the point near Carlisle. Up until then avoid any attention," Geyback gave his new instructions.
"I understand. I'll make sure to stay under the radar," he confirmed.
"Good, now hurry. After all, nightfall isn't too long away." The call then ended.
Leaving the phone booth, the man chuckled.
"I wonder if they'll ever find out what we are actually doing?" he wondered aloud while jumping back onto his motorcycle.
The darkening sky meant he had to hurry. He would drive into the nearest forest and spend the night there. Thanks to the canteens with potion he had at hand - thank all goodness that stuff didn't have to be fresh - he would not create any attention and spend the night just hunting forest animals. Yes, everything was going as Greyback had anticipated.
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"The Boy and the Wolf"
Notes:
Here the notes.
The scene between Daphne and Ron originally was much shorter, but I felt it needed more substance. Due to reviews it in the final version also includes the results of the further boggart lessons as well as the aftermath of the first one.
Btw., I also went back to chapters and corrected some things. Bellatrix now correctly has dark hair and in an earlier chapter due to an error Dumbledore want basilisk blood. I corrected that and now he correctlyx wants the venom.
Thanks to his better circumstances, Hagrid is not as paranoid about his ancestry to the children. As you can also see, Draco's idea of complaining to his mother caused Hagrid's life to get difficult. Had Draco not jumped the gun and just let it fester, Hagrid would have become very miserable.
Remeber the lesson Lucius gives Draco. This will be the turning point of Draco's attempts to make the lives of our friends miserable. After this year he'll stop messing around.
Everyone has a great time at Halloween, and I bet you as well thought that the Halloween curse has been averted, only to be reminded that's not the case. Greyback had to give them a reminder about his continued presence this year.