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 32: The Boy and the Wolf
It was mere two days since the Aurors had found the corpse of a witch in Hogsmeade and as far as the news had reached the students, she had lived on her own in a cottage in the Highlands quite a distance away from Hogsmeade. Therefore dumping her corpse near Hogsmeade was an obvious show of force and it rightfully made everyone nervous. It was especially puzzling since Greyback's group also had committed bloody murders around Sunderland at the same time.
No one even wanted to think about Greyback's pack causing their slaughter in multiple locations at the same time.
Right at the moment this day's Defense lesson was over and students were packing their stuff. Remus had shown them the grindylow and described their strengths and weaknesses as well as which spells would be most useful against them. Two of these spells would be the center point of the next lesson. After all, Defense depended on practical lessons, otherwise it would be pointless.
Remus had by now gotten the reputation to be the first good Defense professor in a long time; someone who actually was not only taking it seriously but also knew what he was talking about. That he also knew how to teach in a way that ensured the class was entertained was a bonus.
The students started to leave. However, Harry stayed while the other students left, telling his friends he would catch up with the in time for History of Magic - the one subject that even Hermione found a bit boring and repetitive. Remus of course had noticed and waited until Harry had closed the door so that they could talk without anyone listening in on them.
"Harry, I can already guess you need my advice due to the mess we are in, don't you?" Remus asked.
"Well, it's connected to that. Don't get me wrong, Greyback is scary, especially due to the death toll. It makes the whole thing feel much more real and menacing. However..." Harry wondered how to put it into words.
Remus could see what Harry tried to say. "Despite him causing so much suffering, it still is very difficult for him to be more scary than Voldemort - especially after already having been confronted with the latter two times. Am I correct?"
"Yes..." Harry was not ashamed to be afraid of Voldemort - after all the man was every bit as dangerous as his reputation said - as long as his fear would not take over. Fear helped you to not get cocky or overconfident and thus helped to not get killed due to that. "It's about something else. That spell that Moody used in the hall that night. He created a glowing animal and made it transport a message."
Remus right away knew what Harry meant. "Ahhh, you talk about the Patronus spell."
"So you know what kind of spell it is?" Harry asked, being glad that Remus was so well-versed in such matters.
"Yes, I do. The Patronus Charm is quite advanced magic. A Patronus is a kind of guardian that protects from danger like a shield - it's also one of the few things that can destroy a dementor," Remus explained. "What you have witnessed is one of its lesser known functions that it also is a really good messenger."
"So, why did Moody's Patronus look like a hawk?" Harry asked, fascinated by the explanation.
"Actually, it's individual to each wizard or witch and depends on many factors. It actually can even change if your life circumstances change. May I demonstrate...?" Remus drew his wand and quickly conjured a silvery wolf with the words Expecto patronum. It vanished again after some seconds.
"Awesome! While that shielding thing sounds useful, its getting messages quickly to others which sounds really useful!" Harry said, already being convinced that he needed to learn this spell.
"Harry, I can already see that you want to learn it, but that's some quite advanced magic. Don't get me wrong, if you are really determined we can give it a try, but please first think about it before you commit to something, all right?" Remus told Harry.
Seeing how serious Remus was about it, Harry decided to first get some more opinions. "Can I give you my answer later on?"
"No problem, Harry. However, better make sure to get permission from your guardians as well. Just in case. Now better hurry, or you will be late for the next class," Remus urged Harry.
The day went by and after lessons were over, Harry talked with his friends about the matter.
They were all sitting at a table in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione for once having managed to get Ron to do his homework right away so that he wouldn't have to remember doing it later. The table was littered with papers, books and writing utensils, but at the moment they were not working, instead having listened to Harry explaining what Remus had told him.
"I honestly never read about that spell," Hermione admitted after having listened to Harry telling them about the Patronus, though it was clear she now would do so, unless the books in question were in the restricted section.
"That's a first. It can't be too common if you didn't hear about it before," Ron commented, knowing what kind of bookworm Hermione was.
"It does sound awesome... a conjured guardian to to protect you against evil..." Neville clearly liked the idea. "Too bad it's not useful for remembering complicated passwords."
"It is not your fault that your memory is not good at remembering such things," Luna told Neville, remembering finding him standing in front of the Fat Lady, unable to remember the password until she had helped out. "It also could be worse. The Ravenclaws have to solve puzzles in order to gain access to their dormitories."
"Don't remind me. That makes me doubly glad that I'm not a Ravenclaw," Neville groaned, finding the whole password-to-dormitories thing rather archaic and stupid.
"Getting back on topic... That Patronus thing sounds useful, but are you really sure you want to try and learn it? Mr. Lupin after all said its rather advanced stuff," Ginny asked Harry, doubting that she would be able to learn it.
"I'm pretty determined, though it's mostly for the messenger thing. None of you want to try as well?" Harry asked.
He was answered for shaking heads. Hermione decided to speak for them. "It does sound really advanced and while you are determined, we probably wouldn't get anywhere with it. Look, I think it's too advanced even for me."
"I don't mind, but I'll try anyway," Harry said, feeling his friends had their reasons for not trying as well.
"Mate, you surely know how to pick your battles..." Ron said, but was cut off when suddenly something hopped onto the table, causing a chaos in their papers. "Oh, damn it, Crookshanks!"
Hermione's cat gave him a nonplussed look while his bushy tail displaced more papers. Hermione sighed while picking up her unruly cat. "You know you could just meow to call for attention instead of causing a chaos..."
Looking at the chaos on the table, Harry knew it would be some time before that was sorted out, so he got up. "I have to go to the owlery."
Harry wanted to send a letter he'd already written to his guardians, asking for their permission so that Remus could teach him in private about the Patronus, but he also needed to talk to Sirius. The outside battlements of the owlery tower were rarely visited and Harry used them to talk to his godfather over the mirror and explain about the Patronus so that he could get his opinion.
"So you honestly want to learn from Moony how to cast a Patronus, despite him telling you it's advanced magic?" Sirius asked.
"You heard of that magic?" Harry asked.
"I saw it in action many times during the war, but I was never especially good at it. Granted, after that dementor almost got you I worked really hard to get it done and can cast it now, no problem, but Moony is the real expert with that particular kind of magic. If you can learn it from anyone, it's from him," Sirius admitted.
"So you think it would be a smart idea for me to at least try to learn it?" Harry wondered, at least now knowing that Remus was the right man to learn it from.
"Smart? Without doubt. After all all, it's a spell that relies on you remembering good feelings and memories. The worst that can happen is, that you simply can't conjure the Patronus. There's no kind of danger in case of failure," Sirius explained.
"Thanks for the advice. I'll send my letter to Aunt Verni and Uncle Tom right away. After all, it's them who need to be OK with me doing this," Harry said, feeling relief that at worst the training would give no results instead of backfiring in some way.
The picture shifted to show Diane. "Smart move, Harry. After all, you being far away in a boarding school does not mean you can slack on keeping them in the loop about the important things you do. You owe that to them after last year."
Harry nodded quickly. Thomas and Veronica would indeed take it badly should he attempt to keep important things from them.
...Ministry of Magic, November 3rd...
It was open forum in the Ministry and in light of the latest attacks - meaning that incident with the corpse which had been way too close to Hogwarts - and an embittered debate was raging concerning the further steps the Ministry should take.
The Ministry was honestly considering to make werewolves practically without rights, as if that would solve the problem. No, there were numerous people who saw that it would only make the problem even worse, and they were quite vocal about it. The problem was that their opponents played dirty and used the fear-card to try and get these horrific laws passed.
That meant the atmosphere in the forum chamber was heated and compromise was practically impossible
Sirius was the final person from the bloc that was against these changes to speak., and he was constantly being interrupted - like every other person speaking today. It felt like a circus, with security being forced to remove the most unruly of the spectators. It felt like only a spark was needed to let it all descend into complete anarchy.
"...and therefore it would be madness to enact these laws. The only thing it would accomplish is to drive the werewolf population to drastic measures to secure their right to live," Sirius ended laying out his opinion on these laws.
The reaction showed how polarized these times were when Sirius was met with a mixture of applause and boos. To be honest, he had expected something like that to happen anyway.
"That was a great speech. You are better at this than you think," Frank Longbottom greeted Sirius when he walked to the exit chamber. "You managed to get your point across without leaning out of the window too far."
"This was a bit surprsing to myself. Still, I will never like all of this. This isn't my world," Sirius sighed while putting his outer speaker robes onto a hook, revealing the suit underneath it.
"I know it doesn't make you happy, but you yourself said that you see it as a necessary sacrifice," Frank reminded him.
"Doesn't mean I have to like it particularly." Sirius then stopped when seeing who was waiting when they entered the corridor. "Frank, can you wait in the atrium for me? It probably won't take long."
Frank knew it was a bit of a risk, since Sirius could lose his temper, but decided to trust him. "Just don't do anything you could regret later on."
Watching Frank leave for the lifts, Sirius looked to the person waiting for him. It was none other than Dolores Umbridge. This would be the first time he was directly confronted with her, as that woman up to now had kept her distance from him. The pink in her clothes clashed horribly with her unattractive features, creating a toxic cocktail. Sirius had a good idea why she was ambushing him like this, as her stance on non-humans was no secret and he was opposed to her on pretty much all points.
"Mr. Black..." The tone of her voice already made Sirius be on his guard. "You know that you stirred up massive controversy. Instead of showing a united front against the common foe, you have sown dissent."
"I only gave voice to those who would have been tuned out by fear-mongering. Everyone knows that you are the driving force behind these laws, so stop the pretense," Sirius told her, being on his guard.
"I only think of what's best for society. Sick elements have to be cut out so that the whole stays healthy," Umbridge explained, acting like she was explaining something to a little child.
"Good for society, or good for you? I'm actually thinking about the consequences of actions. Do you do so as well?" Sirius asked her, crossing his arms.
"Tsk tsk, as I see it you risk national security to protect these creatures which have shown their true colors." Umbridge then gave him a piercing look. "One could wonder if Sirius Black is truly loyal to Magical Britain or if he is actively working to undermine it. You should think about the future."
"You mean when you call the shots regardless if on or behind the throne?" The mocking tone made it clear that Sirius didn't believe her capable of such a thing. "You first have to overcome many others, me included. Good luck trying your usual methods on me."
Umbridge dropped the pretense and gave him a dark look. "You don't think you'll win, do you?"
Sirius was not intimidated - not after all these much worse people he'd been confronted with in his life. "Things change."
Watching him then leave without wasting any further of his attention on her, Umbridge realized that Sirius Black could become a considerable problem in the future. Problem was, that next to nothing was known about the man's private life. No one knew where he lived, nor were his living circumstances or what he was doing with his time known to anyone. He was like a phantom ever since he had vanished into the Muggle world, only to reappear whenever it suited him.
While it was known that he was married to a Muggle woman - a woman which had been prominently spotted in Diagon Alley with him some months ago - not much had in the end come out of it. After all, Black was known to be a blood-traitor for close to twenty years, so marrying a Muggle only looked like the logical conclusion to many and did not come as a big surprise.
That won't help you forever. Sooner or later your secrets will come out and then even all your money won't help you anymore, Umbridge thought darkly.
...Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, November 6th...
"What a wonderful weather for Quidditch," George cursed with bitter sarcasm when they marched onto the pitch.
"I have to agree," Fred said, also showing none of his usual carefree personality. "The pitch looks more like a swimming pool."
"Look, I don't want to play in this weather either, but the rules are clear that weather is no reason to postpone a game," Wood said, making no secret of the fact that even he, the Quidditch fanatic, didn't like playing in such a weather.
The low mood of the team was understandable. During the day the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The sky by now was fuly covered with dark clouds, strong winds blasted over the pitch and it already was raining heavily. The only thing missing to make the conditions even worse was lightning. While the stands had roofing above them - though all students had also wisely dressed according to the wet weather - the players would get the full burnt of it.
By some bad luck the drawing of the lots had again given them Slytherin as their first match, like in the two years before. At least in this weather the Slytherins would be just as handicapped as them. If not for the fact that all of them were getting equally wet, Harry would have laughed at how Malfoy's wet hair made him look like a mop.
On the stands, many of the students watched the whole thing in disbelief, most not having seen a Quidditch game in bad conditions - after all the league, depending on ticket sales, always rescheduled to make sure their games wouldn't be played with little attendence.
"I really hope no one breaks their bones today. I can feel the stands moving with each gale," Neville said, looking quite a bit concerned.
"I would be more concerned about the cold rain. If they are not all sent to Madam Pomfey right after the game, you can bet all of them will get sick," Daphne said, being hallishly glad that she was not on the team. "I would not want to trade places with Millicent and Dudley."
"Right, after all they have to endure this weather, even if just sitting on the bench," Hermione said in understanding. "Like Neville already said... I hope no one gets hurt beyond getting a cold."
"It is quite puzzling why the school put the game above the health of the students," Luna said dryly. "Perhaps having a quick fix at hand has made people with magic more careless and callous about such things?"
They honestly had no answer to Luna's observation, like so often when she pointed something out.
Down on the pitch meanwhile the teams had exchanged the normal pre-game rituals and now mounted their brooms. Getting up into the air, the weather became even worse for them, the strong winds blasting the rain against them.
Thank all goodness Hermione enchanted my glasses to repel water and never fog up, or I would be blind in this, Harry thought, feeling he should gift her with something nice for Christmas.
"Hey, scarface! You won't get lucky this time," Molfoy called to Harry over the howling winds.
"Says the loser," Harry called back, then promptly ignored Malfoy.
At the Slytherin goal hoops meanwhile, Dudley was nervous. This was his first game and the wind was making his job especially difficult, since unlike other players he wasn't moving much and always had to fight against drifting off. He also knew their team was at quite the disadvantage this time due to their team being almost entirely new in its current incarnation.
Man, I hope this won't be too embarrassing for us, Dudley prayed.
The game then started.
After only a few minutes it already became apparent that this was far from a regular game. Down on the reserve bank, Ginny groaned. "With all the rain and wind it's next to impossible to make even one clean shot..."
"Yes, and the poor guys are soaking up rain... As do we. Better prepare yourself for lots of Pepper-up potion after the game, Ginny," Ron warned his sister.
"Don't remind me..." She remembered too well the last time she'd been forced to take the potion in question.
The players themselves also were not happy with the conditions.
"Shit, George, not a single quaffle in on either side. I don't think we've even witnessed anything like this before," Fred called to his twin brother, finding his job to be too easy, since even the bludgers were struggling against the wind.
"Fully correct, brother dear. This is more a farce than anything," George agreed. "The rain is also strong enough you can't even see the other end of the pitch anymore."
That was not hyperbole at all; the rain by now was strong enough that it almost looked like a wall, reducing sight to nothing further than twenty meters away. Combined with the wind it meant that the game was next to unplayable. Everyone had to work hard to stay on their brooms, the quaffles and bludgers were constantly blown off-course by the wind and everyone was miserable. Hopefully, the adults would soon realize this was unsustainable and call the game off.
It seemed the only one who didn't care was Malfoy, using the opportunity, as the snitch in his mind couldn't be caught under such conditions, to annoy Harry. "Hey, Potter. How long do you think until the twig you sit on breaks in this weather?"
"I don't see you working very hard to find the snitch, which probably is the only thing that can end this game," Harry shot back, trying not to get baited, which was difficult due to his mood already being low.
"Well, you can't find it either," Malfoy shot back, clearly feeling that was enough.
If anything, the wind was only getting worse. Suddenly Harry spotted something Malfoy didn't due to it being behind him. The golden glint told Harry that it was the snitch and it seemed be desperately trying to get out of this weather, but couldn't make any progress. Seeing the chance, Harry sped towards it.
"What the...?" Malfoy reacted fast, realizing what Harry was doing, speeding after Harry. "No, you don't!"
The wind was causing the snitch to drift off. Harry flew a narrow curve and he just managed to get it, setting off the magical alarm that the snitch was caught, when... -CRASH- Malfoy t-boned Harry, unable to slow down in time! Both of them then dropped like rocks, though thankfully they were not too high up in the air.
Both of them impacted onto the muddy ground and a loud -crac- was heard.
"Oh no! They both crashed down!" Hermione gasped, unable to see any details due to the rain, only the people were running to the crashed boys.
"Let's hope it's not too bad," Neville said, watching the reserve players running to the site of the impact.
o
"Complete madness playing in such a weather... After I'm done with all of you, I will give the responsible teachers a piece of my mind," Madam Pomfrey grumbled loudly while feeding the last few players Pepper-up potions in order to stop them from developing a cold.
"After what happened, I bet they'll listen to you," Ron commented while waiting for Harry to get dressed behind a privacy screen.
"They better do! I never understood how fanatical some could be about this sport, but risking the health of the students over it goes too far," Madam Pomfrey said, not even bothering to hide her anger.
Everyone was thankful that she was not angry with the students, but the teachers who had allowed this game to take place despite the weather. It was no secret that Madam Pomfrey had started to grow sick of Quidditch injuries caused solely due to disregard for the safety of the students involved. The Headmaster, McGonagall and Madam Hooch probably would be in for a very hard lecture on proper safety.
"Everything OK, mate?" Ron asked while watching Ginny's head steam from the potion, noticing it really looked like she was on fire due to her red hair.
"The bruises are all gone, but I could feel better. It'll get better... something I can't say of my broom," Harry said, finally appearing from behind the screen.
Ron grimaced at the reminder. It was thanks to the low flying height and muddy ground that neither Harry nor Draco had suffered anything worse than bruises, but both their brooms had not been so lucky. They got stuck together at an awkward angle and had both broken when impacting on the ground. The end result were two brooms that could only be thrown into the trash.
Of course Malfoy had not cared about that - after all he could just pick another of the Nimbus 2001 that the Slytherin team was not using and thus had put into storage - and instead despite his painful bruises had laughed that Harry's broom had snapped like a toothpick. It seemed he saw that as a small victory which negated them losing the match with only the 150 points from the golden snitch.
Thank all goodness that Madam Pomfrey had sent him out and straight to bed after she was done with treating his bruises.
"You, young man, go straight to bed," Madam Pomfrey told Harry. She then turned to Ron and Ginny. "You two make sure he does so."
Ron and Ginny could only nod, not wanting to attract the wrath of the nurse.
Twenty minutes later Harry laid on his bed, while he was telling Sirius about the match and how it broke his broom in two. After all, Madam Pomfrey had not told him he actually had to sleep and thus he could spend his time more constructively. He felt safe in using the mirror, as the other boys were still out, doing their own things.
"And the broom couldn't be repaired?" Sirius asked after having ensured himself that Harry was not suffering from any injuries.
"Professor Flitwick told me that the delicate internals were destroyed. Even magical repair can't do wonders, after all. Looks like I need a new broom," Harry told his godfather.
"Bad luck. Do I need to speak with your guardians so they access your vault to buy a replacement broom?" Sirius asked, not wanting to risk Diane reminding him of the right timing for gifts as well as to not overdo it.
"Yes, please. But tell them I want another Nimbus 2000. I've gotten used to that model and it would throw me off to have a different broom." Harry then stopped to think for a moment. "And don't even try to buy me a professional league broom."
"No way. That would land me in the doghouse with Diane... literally." Harry knew that played at Sirius' animagus form of Padfoot. "Should I deliver your replacement broom personally?"
Harry thought about it for a moment, then looked a bit sinister. "Oh yes, please! Right during breakfast when Malfoy is bound to see it. He was a bit too happy about my broom breaking."
"Looks like there is a mischievous side to you after all," Sirius said with amusement. "Well, that would also give me the chance to visit Moony. Really want to invite him to a pint at the Hog's Head."
"You mean that pub you told us to stay away from?" Harry asked, remembering Sirius warning.
"Trust me, Harry, that one really is only for adults and it attracts some customers I rather not want near you or your friends," Sirius repeated his warning.
That made Harry wonder what kind of clientele that pub was attracting.
...November 7th...
Remus had already expected Harry in his office. After Thomas and Veronica had been assured that these lessons were harmless and at best would give Harry a way to defend himself, they had given their OK to the lessons. Today would be the first, primary lesson about the Patronus, though Remus doubted today would give any results yet.
Harry for his part still remembered Sirius today arriving during breakfast to give him his new replacement broom, using the opportunity to make a little show of it. Malfoy had looked rather sour at Sirius' being present, which was little wonder considering the backstory. Malfoy then sulked, since this effectively had ended him holding Harry's broken broom over him.
"Hello, Harry. So, before I start with the explanations, please tell me how much you already know about the Patronus spell. I'm sure you've tried to inform yourself on your own," Remus greeted Harry.
"Well... it mainly was Hermione who found the information." Harry made no secret that he wasn't good at going through books to find specific information. "It was written only in general terms however, since it was referencing a book found only in the restricted section."
"A bit weird that such a benevolent spell would be classified as restricted, but that's bureaucrats for you. Well, and what did you learn?" Remus asked.
Harry shrugged. "Apart from what you told me? Little else, actually. No incantation - and I don't remember the one you used - no wand movement and no deeper explanation how it works. Just something about good emotions."
Remus shook his head at how vague of a description that was. "I think I should get that book from the restricted section for future lessons. However, it's not entirely wrong. The main power behind the Patronus is a very positive memory that fuels it. It's something very personal, thus why a number of wizards and witches, especially the more cynical and jaded ones, can't use it."
"Wait a moment, then how did Moody use one? That man doesn't strike me as a bundle of joy," Harry asked.
"Oh, he actually gets tons of joy from catching criminals so that they can get their just punishment. He has many fond memories of doing so," Remus explained, having heard the story during the war.
That actually makes a disturbing amount of sense, Harry thought.
"Now, before we continued with training the wand movement, first sit down and think about memories that do make you happy," Remus suggested.
That actually proved quite difficult for Harry, since he had difficulties to decide what would be best suited for powering the Patronus. His life, despite some nasty things that had happened to him, had been a rather good one with many happy memories - too many to make a definite decision. He finally settled on one he would use for this.
"Can I start with one and see if it's good?" Harry asked.
"I would be disappointed if you wouldn't. This after all is training," Remus agreed.
He then started to show him the proper wand movement as well as how to pronounce the incantation properly. Not wanting to do things half-assed, it took quite some time before he was pleased with Harry having gotten it down. That meant that now would come the first test. Remus had no expectation that anything would come out of it, but he admitted he could always be surprised.
"All right, now try it. Concentrate hard on your happy memory," Remus instructed Harry.
"I am," Harry said, quickly forcing his thoughts back to that first broom ride. Doing the wand movement, he incanted "Expecto patronum!" Something suddenly did come out of the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas. "Did you see that?" Harry said excitedly. "Something happened!"
"I'm impressed," Remus said honestly. "That you actually got that as a result on your first try shows me you actually are attuned to the spell. If I may ask, what memory did you use?"
"I used the first time I really flew on a broom. It made me feel like only the sky is the limit," Harry admitted. "I know... but I wanted to start small."
"Smart, but you'll soon need to use more personal memories to get results," Remus suggested to Harry.
"Teaching Harry stuff that should be beyond his academical year? And Remus, better lock your door next time."
They knew that voice and Harry rolled his eyes when seeing the young woman, who clearly had watched them for some time. "Dora, have you ever heard of knocking?"
"Yes, but then I would have missed watching your lesson. You did really well, kiddo." Dora then suddenly drew her wand and used the same incantation, producing a silvery chameleon Patronus, which again vanished after giving them a chance to look at it. "Mad-Eye made me learn the spell; said that it is incredibly useful."
Harry, being even more determined to try again after seeing this casual display of power from the at times clumsy Dora, again tried to conjure a Patronus. The silvery mist seemed a bit more dense with this second try.
"Don't get me wrong, it is really impressive for a thirteen-year old to conjure that much, but I think besides your obvious talent, it's because you have such an incredible teacher," Dora said, gave Remus a look that Harry had difficulties to decipher.
Remus blushed a bit. "Dora... please..."
Harry suddenly felt like he perhaps should cut the lesson short, since whatever was going on between these two did prove to be distracting and his next attempt didn't produce anything. Yes, he suddenly felt incredibly awkward being in the same room as these two and it was severely disturbing his concentration.
Dora however only giggled when seeing what happened. "Harry, am I embarrassing you? Well, tough luck. Considering what Mad-Eye pulled so I wouldn't be distracted when casting the spell, you honestly shouldn't mind my wonderful self."
Harry suddenly had a feeling this would be a long lesson.
...November 29th, rural area around Edinburgh...
The United Kingdom had went through another night of death. This time the cult of wolves had struck in and around Edinburgh, thus having moved from England to Scotland. The population of Edinburgh after this first night was alarmed and it was for sure that after what other cities experienced, the streets would be empty the following two nights.
By this time serious doubt had arisen in the public why the authorities were unable to stop the murder sprees, which were slowly moving northwards, as noticed by everyone. People didn't know that the police already was breathing in relief that if the trend continued, the murderers would soon run out of cities and be stuck in the Highlands of Scotland, an area which had little in terms of population centers, but sadly also great terrain to hide in.
Problem was, with Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen, three populous cities were still on their most likely path and no one wanted to imagine the further death toll these mad people could causes there as well.
Neither magical nor non-magical authorities however had any idea that all of the bloodshed up to this point was only the prelude to the actual plan that Greyback had conceived. At the moment however they were busy with hiding from the police after last night.
"You have to give them credit, they are really persistent and force us to hide really well by now," the punk werewolf admitted while watching a police helicopter circling in the distance from their hideout, feeling a thrill at this situation of being hunted.
"That's because they are no idiots; they become better with each city we went through. There were a few close calls, remember? We can't keep this up for very long anymore," a male werewolf told her.
"We don't have to keep it up for very long anyway," Greyback said from where he was sitting. "We now mix it up and leave in the dark of the night instead of attacking further. That'll throw them off. We'll soon go after our real goal anyway."
That caused attention from the other pack members, who still had no idea what the leader was planning. Would he now reveal their true goal? Not that they doubted him, but knowing ahead of time of the intended endgame would be nice.
"So, you finally want to reveal your plan to us, Mr. Greyback?" the punk asked. "You told me you want to hit them where it hurts the most."
Seeing that he got everyone's attention, Greyback leaned back, looking pleased how eager they were to hear his words. "So tell me, all of you, what do you think is most precious to the people of Magical Britain?"
He then listened to their suggestions. Some of it sounded logical, but in the end they all missed the mark.
"Good ideas, but you all missed the obvious one. The thing they cherish most are their little brats," Greyback then finally told them.
There was some silence. They had not gotten it due to all of them never having had any children of their own. Now thinking about it, it truly would hurt Magical Britain tremendously, but some already spotted the problem.
"But boss, they are hiding behind the walls of Hogwarts, and then there are the teachers and a horde of Aurors guarding them," one man reminded Greyback of the obvious problem.
"Leave the details to me. All of you know that this will be a one-way trip. I'm ready to sacrifice myself for the cause. If anyone wants out...?" Seeing no one say anything, Greyback chuckled. "Good. Of course we won't go in like idiots. It's the smart hunter who's successful. Before we do that, however, we have another goal - that one will also give them a nasty shock."
"Must be quite the target," the punk said.
"Oh yes..." Greyback said and she gulped when seeing how frightening he looked for a moment. "After all, what would Magical Britain think of their savior Harry Potter, if he suddenly becomes one of us?"
Everyone was silent, before loud laughter erupted at the idea that Magical Britain's golden boy could be turned into a pariah. They were all understanding how devastating that would be.
o
The news of yet another attack was read by different people outside of Hogwarts this morning as well, some knowing more than others and thus reacting accordingly to it.
In the Granger home, its inhabitants reacted like the well-informed people they are while reading the news at the breakfast table before a new day full of work to fix the damage other people did to their teeth through carelessness.
"It is telling how smart they are that all of the police couldn't catch them," Ian said while putting down the morning edition of the Guardian, having read about the newest attack, this time in Edinburgh.
"Not many people get the full picture like we do," Jean added, lowering the Daily Prophet she'd been reading, both of them having learned how to read between the lines to get useful information out of this publication. "I'm still more concerned due to the corpse they found last month close to the school."
"I know, Jean, but there is little we can do and you should consider how much security is now around the school," Ian told his wife. "I don't think there is much more they can do."
"I know, but still..." Jean right then stopped, looking a bit pale and her hand flew to her mouth, barely concealing a belch. "Excuse me..."
Watching his wife make haste to the bathroom, Ian had a feeling what was going on, since this was the third time in the past few days. However, he would wait until Jean would make the decision herself to get checked out to make sure.
In a different household meanwhile, its inhabitants reacted differently to the news.
"Incompetent... all of them! How difficult could it be to catch a pack of insane maniacs?!" Vernon Dursley snarled while reading the article about the attacks in the newest Daily Mail. "It can't be that difficult to find these savages and riddle them with bullets."
Petunia fully agreed with her husband while filling his coffee cup. "It honestly makes me wonder what we are paying our taxes for. At least the monsters are no longer anywhere near us." Petunia would have not said that had she known that the threat was magical in nature and getting closer to where Dudley was going to school.
"I tell you, Major is losing his touch... never liked the man." Vernon then hid himself behind the newspaper again. "At least our freakish neighbors aren't making trouble."
"That at least is something..." Petunia sighed, barely hiding how jealous she was of Diane, who was better than her in many aspects. Worse, that woman was not even competing, she was naturally like that.
Both Dursleys still felt impotent against their neighbors. They had briefly hoped the one freak moving out meant the other would soon follow, but then he got married and they now had brats. Besides the man being a wizard, both their adult neighbors worked for the police, so they didn't dare to do anything against them, apart from trying to distance themselves as much as possible.
A few streets away the Evans were also talking about the news... after Mark had left to brush his teeth before leaving for school, since they didn't want to talk about something so nasty around him.
"I know they told us what kind of man this Greyback is, but I still can't believe the sheer death toll he has accumulated," Veronica said, still finding it difficult to imagine that such a man did exist.
"I know, and you remember what that friend of mine, who is working in politics, told me. The Prime Minister is under pressure to use the army to hunt that monster after months of no result apart from numerous injured police officers," Thomas added while adjusting his clip-on tie.
"I can't blame him for not wanting to do that. After all, it would be an admission that it has gone out of control," Veronica said, being glad she was not in Major's shoes. "At least Harry's school is so well protected that they won't even attempt anything."
"Yes, as Sirius said, that dumped body clearly was meant to spread fear, since Greyback knows any attack against the school would suicide," Thomas agreed, feeling there was no way Greyback would do something that could risk his pack being wiped out.
In the Ministry of Magic meanwhile, one man had a lousy morning.
Cornelius Fudge by now dreaded the days around the full moon, since these generally meant new bad news. Just looking at the Daily Prophet on his desk spelled it out with the headlines of a whole magical family having been slaughtered near Edinburgh. This whole affair by now was especially damaging to his reputation and a re-election seemed quite difficult at the moment.
I need to generate good news, but this is starting to cut my legs off, he thought while accepting a fresh coffee from Umbridge. He didn't notice her look of disgust when looking at the headlines of the newspaper.
Magical Britain was looking rather weak at the moment and to Fudge that was highly embarrassing. The situation with that animal Greyback had to be put under control soon. Fudge was confident that Umbridge's plans could finally make sure something like that would never happen again.
After all, deluding oneself was far easier than facing reality.
Another man did not read the newspapers at all that morning.
Instead, John Major sat at a desk in one of the conference rooms of 10 Downing Street, being informed first-hand of public reaction to the new atrocities as well as what was happening on the magical side concerning all of this. That was more constructive than reading newspapers that called those in charge incompetent.
He knew there were calls to use the army, but that would escalate the whole thing even further and set a bad precedent. Despite all the horrible things Greyback and his followers had done, the effectiveness of the police was starting to show. There had been a number of close calls for these criminals, and they would soon slip up.
Major however was concerned that they could try and flee into the sparsely populated Highlands. Finding them there would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
...December 4th...
Today was the day when the school would re-open the fully restored Chamber of Secrets. Thankfully, accessing it now was much easier, as a new part of the corridor hab been built, together with a much more generous staircase leading to an enlarged corridor, which had been rebuilt entirely, showing nothing of the decay of centuries.
The gate to the chamber had been replaced with a regular wooden one - the loss of the original gate after being cut open being seen as an unavoidable loss. The chamber itself also was very different. All of the damage, degradation and water were gone, everything again looking like it had been built only recently. The chamber now also was illuminated properly, causing an entirely different atmosphere.
The huge statue of Salazar Slytherin and the many snake-themed motifs however still made it clear whose place this was. Though, Slytherin would turn in his grave considering what his chamber now would be used for.
Practically the entire school had gathered in the chamber, looking around to take in this old and yet new part of the school while waiting for the Headmaster to appear and hold his speech. They did learn that the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge himself, would attend for this occasion as well. It seemed Fudge wanted to use this opportunity to get some good press considering the ongoing Greyback situation.
That also meant some members of the press were present and this all would make its way into the newspapers.
"They are certainly making quite a spectacle of it," Hermione commented.
"I for my part am happy enough that they managed that it doesn't look creepy anymore," Ron said while looking around. "Though, with all the light now the overabundance of snake motifs looks kind of tacky."
Considering that Harry had been forced to fight for his life in this place a bit less than a year ago, Harry also was a bit underwhelmed by it now. "I guess even having as much magical power as Salazar Slytherin still doesn't automatically also make you a good interior decorator."
"Look at them," Ginny said, pointing to where the Slytherin students were gathered. "Many of them look like a bag full of Galleons has been dropped into their laps."
"It would be difficult to blame them for being happy. After all, despite turning into a madman, Salazar Slytherin is the founder of their house. We also can hardly deny them this after the Headmaster showed the Sword of Gryffindor to the school last school year," Luna reminded all of them.
They did remember the joy from all Gryffindors that their founder's sword had been recovered, while the artifacts of the other founders remained lost to history. Putting it into that perspective, they had no right to deny the Slytherin students their own moment of satisfaction.
"Excuse me, aren't you Harry Potter?"
Turning around, they were confronted with a woman whose fashion sense was clearly lacking, looking outright tacky. Honestly, the only person whose fashion sense was worse than that had been Lockhart. Considering she was not one of the teachers and also didn't look like an Auror, she had to be a reporter. Harry grimaced, since the last thing he wanted was being squeezed out by some tabloid journalist.
"Yes, but if you try to write anything about me outside of me being connected to something official, my godfather will sue you into the ground," Harry said, remembering Sirius' policy regarding him and the press.
"Ah, rubbish," the woman wiped that aside, the quill on her note block writing automatically. "It's called freedom of press and our readers need to know these things."
Light reflected off Luna's glasses while she gave the woman a piercing look. "I know through my Daddy who you are, Rita Skeeter. He told me he would never dirty the Quibbler with your stories, since even a tabloid would be ashamed of them."
Skeeter gave Luna a sour look. "Lovegood... Hah, your father is not interested in the truth after all. He would rather write conspiracy theories and esoteric trash in that rag he calls a magazine than give his readers what really interests them."
Luna looked offended at this attack on her father, but Neville spoke up before she could. "Now I remember. My parents talked about you. With your slander you've attracted so many lawsuits over the years that most newspapers won't print your trash anymore. Your stories almost exclusively appear in lifestyle magazines like Witch Weekly by now."
"So can she be even called a tabloid journalist, if many newspapers won't touch her stuff anymore?" Hermione mused, feeling she should look up that Skeeter woman's past activities.
"I take offense at that! Of course I'm an integer journalist, who..." She stopped when feeling a hand on her shoulder. Skeeter turned around. "Yes, what is... it?" Skeeter had stopped when seeing that the woman who the hand belonged to - who had dyed her hair pink of all things - was wearing the badge of the Auror Corps.
Dora looked quite unamused with Skeeter. "I think it's time for you to leave."
"Freedom of press! Do this, and I will get you for censorship," Skeeter told Dora, her quill writing up the confrontation.
"Which won't work, considering I clearly remember having banned you from Hogwarts premises until further notice." None of them had noticed Dumbledore and Minister Fudge approach them. Dumbledore did not look particularly pleased to see Skeeter.
"I have no idea how you managed to get past the Aurors, Ms. Skeeter, but that is of little concern to me." Dumbledore then looked to Dora. "For this blatant violation she has to pay a fine. Please escort her to Alastor Moody."
"Come, let's go!" Dora made no secret of how much she was looking forward to this. "Mad-Eye will be most eager to hear this. Better prepare yourself for quite the fine."
"The press is always a hassle..." the Minister said after having watched Skeeter being escorted out, then looked to Harry, his mood seemingly brightening significantly. "Ah, Harry Potter, very pleased to finally meet you in person! I am Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic."
"Very pleased to meet you, Sir." Harry barely managed not to show his discomfort while shaking hands with the man.
"You have already become quite the celebrity, young man - especially after your actions last year." While Fudge sounded impressed on the surface, there was an undercurrent that Harry didn't like.
"Cornelius, the ceremony will start soon," Dumbledore reminded the man, though it was clear he wanted to divert attention from Harry.
"Ah yes, right..."
Watching them leave, Harry shuddered. "Yikes, after shaking hands with that man I have the urge to check if I still have all of my fingers and then to wash them."
"Daddy thinks Fudge is hiding some dark secret. However, he made little secret of the fact he's beginning to dislike you," Luna observed.
"Why? this is the first time I ever met the man," Harry wondered.
"Mate, it's the same thing as with Lockhart. He's jealous that you are so famous without even trying. People like them don't care that you don't want the fame," Ron told Harry.
"Lovely..." Harry grumbled. Considering where his fame originally came from, he was especially annoyed by it.
...December 19th...
"Now I'm really curious what Slughorn has planned this year. After all, he has become more involved with all of us this year," Ginny said while they were walking to the meeting of the Slug Club.
"Yes. He had been rather hands-off the first two years, but now he seems to take a bigger interest," Hermione agreed, having made the same observation.
"It is most likely that he wanted to observe to see if his choice had been bad. Though, society also is not too fond of adults taking too much of an interest in children which are too young," Luna observed, not blinking an eye while she said that.
They had to admit there was something to that. In recent months Slughorn had put more attention to each of their strengths - those of them he accepted due to social status he clearly had watched from afar to see what they were good at.
Slughorn had commented on Harry's skill at flying as well as the fact that he was getting private Defense lessons - though it still was a mystery how Slughorn learned about that - saying he's seeing a bright future. He had played several games of chess against Ron and - after losing most of them - said that such a strategic mind could go far in the world. He wholly approved of Ginny's dream of joining the Holyhead Harpies someday after watching her flying skills. He had praised Hermione's academic success, saying that this would open many doors for her in society. He said said Neville and Luna both look like future Herbologists, though also added that Luna seemed always well-informed and perhaps would continue her father's business.
Yes, Slughorn clearly did not regret accepting the package deal of all of them.
Ron then noticed that Hermione showed less enthusiasm than the others. "What's wrong? You still feel unwell about it?"
"I just can't help it. I was raised with a strong value on fair play, so I probably will always have at the back of my mind that this is a form of nepotism," Hermione explained.
"You know, that honest bone you have?" Ron saw Hermione nod. "Pleae try to never lose it. It's a good quality of yours, especially since you learned not to be obnoxious about it."
While Ron certainly could have worded it nicer and with more tact, Hermione still felt moved that Ron felt that her honety was a good quality. Also, what Slughorn did was downright mild compared to actual corruption. Since Slughorn also didn't disadvantage the other students, Hermione honestly had little ground for protest.
While they continued on their way, Ginny nudged Hermione aside. "I noticed you were distracted recently. Is something wrong?"
"Nothing wrong... more weird. I got the strange feeling from the letters my parents are sending me that they are hiding something from me. Well, I'll ask them tomorrow once I'm home," Hermione decided.
"Well, if you say so..." Ginny had little idea what else to say about that.
Closing in on the door, they saw Slughorn... like last time he was actually waiting for them in the corridor standing next to the door.
"Hello, Professor. It's a bit flattering that you actually wait for us in person," Harry greeted the man.
"Oh, it is nothing, considering how special the six of you are. So much potential that has to be nurtured. Oh, but I'm talking... Let's go in, the festivities have just started," Slughorn told them. "You can look ahead to next year, when you will be introduced to the adult league."
"Have you again matched some guests to fit with our interests?" Luna asked bluntly.
"Ho, ho, ho, ho," Slughorn let out a loud belly laugh, twirling his mustache like one of these cliche villains in old films. "Would I really do so? Let's say I do have a little surprise for you, though." He then did open the door.
This time they already knew what to expect, so it took them less by surprise. The room was as colorfully decorated as last time, and like last time music was in the air. Also like last time, there was the mix of students and invited guests. Unlike last time however they vowed not to get overwhelmed and get separated right from the start.
"Looks just as colorful as last time," Ron commented while taking it all in.
"Makes me wonder what Slughorn has planned this time," Neville added, by now knowing very well how sneaky the man was - in a good way.
"Ah, Horace told me I would find you here."
That was the voice of an older gentleman, and indeed, the man approaching them was elderly - though certainly younger than the Headmaster. Luna's eyes suddenly widened and she let out a girlish squeal, which was very uncharacteristic for her, looking downright star-struck. "Oh, it is HIM!"
"Ehm, Luna?" Neville wondered, being alarmed by this suddenly very stereotypical behavior associated with girls her age.
Luna clearly realized how she'd just acted, but even then she was unable get herself fully under control again, her excitement being too great. "This is Newt Scamander! He is a legend in the field of magical creatures. We use his books in school."
"The author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? He's a legend!" Hermione gasped, now realizing how important that man was.
"Looks like I have some fans here," Scamander said with a gentle laugh, causing Luna to blush. "Horace told me this young lady has quite the imagination when it comes to magical animals."
"Sir, how exactly do you know Professor Slughorn? After all..." Harry had no idea how to word it without it sounding offensive.
"Because I look older than him?" Scamander helped out. "Oh, he did only start teaching after I already left Hogwarts. I did meet him several years later when business carried me back to Hogwarts and thus started a weird friendship. When Horace told me of your little group, I really wanted to meet all of you."
"I never thought I would meet you..." By now Luna felt highly embarrassed at how she had acted. Being unused to feel that way due muted feeling over the years, she felt it difficult to deal with how such strong embarrassment felt.
"I can imagine why. After all, form what I was told, you are a very smart girl who has taken a great interest in flora and fauna alike, though you certainly prefer the animals. You might be different from others, but wouldn't life be boring is everyone is the same?" Scamander said philosophically.
I got my fascination from my Dad. Mum is more into potions," Luna admitted.
"Oh, you mean Xenophilius? I actually do read the Quibbler for the amusement factor. Do not take this the wrong way, but while your father is great with words, with animals I would more see him as a hobbyist. I do have good advice for you, however," Scamander told Luna.
"Advice from you?" Luna didn't really mind her father being called a hobbyist when it came to creatures, since he always had been better at writing things.
"In my long years I learned the following about discovering new creatures: never act like you are in the right when you have no proof you are. Expecting of others to believe you and then get offended when you can't give them proof of your claims and they doubt you got me in some serious trouble. While an open mind is good, in every field you need proof for your claims. As long as you don't have that, it only is a theory, and if you can't find proof even after exhausting all leads, then you have to accept that you had been wrong about it," Scamander told Luna.
Luna could only nod. Hearing this from Scamander himself gave her much to think about.
"But now to something better. I did have a very eventful life. I visited America during the heights of Rappaport's Law and saw the injustices. I saw creatures and people even you could only dream off. I even was confronted with Grindelwald himself..."
Slughorn watched how Scamander's tales quickly enticed the six children and he couldn't help but to smile. He knew his friend's adventurous life would be exactly what these children would find interesting. Since Scamander had to be present anyway due to a meeting with Dumbledore where he could give his expertise about some event next year, Horace had invited him.
You six have proven you are destined to become crown jewels, Slughorn thought, before his attention was called elsewhere.
...the next day, 4 Privet Drive...
Well, home sweet home... Dudley thought while making himself familiar with the house again.
Not that he should have bothered, since the house looked almost exactly the same as the day when he left for school some months ago. Essentially, so little change happened in this house over the years, apart from the photos and his room, that it at times felt like a time capsule. Perhaps it was due to his mother's neat freak tendencies and his father's outspoken conservatism.
He'd only been home for less then ten minutes and it was a bit bizarre how it looked like no time had gone by at all. However, he was interrupted in his thoughts when almost running into his parents at the kitchen table.
"Ah, Dudley, there you are. We do have something important to tell you," Petunia said, causing Dudley to tense.
"Oh yes, son." Vernon gave Dudley a look that Dudley knew all too well. "It is way too long since we've last seen my sister and Marge really wants to see us. So I invited her to our home for Christmas. I have already agreed for all of us. She was very happy when she heard the news."
Dudley paled, remembering the last time he had interacted with Marge, and the small disaster resulting from it. And now his parents were dumping this on him with next to no forewarning? "Dad, don't you remember what happened last time?"
If anything, Vernon's look felt like burning holes into him. "Oh yes, I do remember. For your own sake you better control yourself, or there will be hell to pay."
If anything, Dudley now felt quite panicked. "Do you really want to risk me accidentally ruining your time with Aunt Marge?"
"Vernon, are you really sure about this?" Petunia asked her husband, now looking a bit doubtful.
Vernon Dursley was a very proud and stubborn man. However, he also got a sadistic side and his already somewhat strained relationship with his own son caused it to come out. "Well, if you can show us by tomorrow that you have made alternate arrangements including adult supervision, we'll let go there instead. Remember however how disappointed Marge will be she won't see you."
Dudley only now realized that his father had no intention to let him get out of this with these virtually impossible conditions. It was a painful reminder how far their relationship had already crumbled by this point. Instead of the father who was trying to spoil his son rotten, Vernon had started to become more indifferent and at times somewhat vindictive towards him.
But right now Dudley had a more pressing problem.
No way I can come up with alternate arrangements by tomorrow! Unless... He stopped, then ran up to his room to write a letter. I'm grasping at straws and this is a desperate idea, but I have little other choice. Not like there is someone else I could ask for help - especially someone my parents would accept.
Having written it in record time, Dudley then raced back downstairs and quickly put on his jacket and shoes. "Mum, I have to take care of something."
"Just don't stay out for too long, or you'll miss dinner," Petunia called from the kitchen.
Barely holding back from running, Dudley reached the Evans home quickly and pressed the doorbell. Moments later Veronica opened the door and Dudley winced when seeing her expression. Clearly, she still had not fully forgiven him for his bullying past. Right now however he had more pressing problems.
"Mrs. Evans, I need to talk to Harry. It's urgent," Dudley said.
Veronica gave him another look, before allowing him in. He did notice she was not letting him out of her sight while he approached Harry. Harry for his part looked surprised to see him. "Hey, Duds, a bit of a surprise to see you here."
"It's a surprise for me, too, but a situation arose at home and I really need to use an owl to send a message. Please, can I use your owl? You are the only one who got one," Dudley almost begged.
Harry was a bit taken aback at how desperate Dudley was. "Duds, what happened?"
Dudley explained about his history with Aunt Marge and how his father was hell-bent to have all of them present for her visit over Christmas, about himself not wanting to do so and his father setting up pretty much impossible conditions for him to get out of it. Dudley then explained what this letter was about that he really needed to send off.
Harry had paled at the description of Marge and her usual behavior. He honestly could not blame Dudley for wanting to get out of this. "Cripes, she sounds like... All right, I'll let you use Hedwig to deliver the letter. Let's hope the Millicent can actually help you."
"I hope so as well," Dudley said while following Harry upstairs.
...the next day...
Dudley was highly nervous the next day. He had not unpacked his stuff in case Millicent could convince her parents to help him in whatever way possible. It was still morning and they sat at the kitchen table, when the telephone rang and Petunia left to answer it. Moments later, Petunia called for him.
"Dudley, it's your female friend calling you," she called.
Dudley couldn't believe how quickly he had rushed to the telephone. "Hello, Millicent? Please tell me you got my message. Please tell me arrangements can be made."
He heard a giggle from the other end. "Slow down! First, it was a bit surprising to get your letter, but to make it short, me and my parents won't let you suffer like that. Also, they are really eager to learn more about you."
"They really want to help me? How can I ever thank all of you?" Dudley couldn't believe he was about to escape the horrible torture of Aunt Marge.
Millicent laughed again. "You being our guest for Christmas will already be enough. No way we would leave you out in the rain after how you risked your life for me."
"Eh, so what should I expect?" Dudley asked.
"Only wait for a bit. Me and my mother should be there in about an hour. It was a bit of a pain to explain my plan to her, but once she got it, she was all for it. We really want to make sure to impress your parents properly. After all, you told me often enough what they see as signs that someone is important," Millicent explained.
"So I better get my stuff downstairs now?" Dudley asked.
"Yes, we'll be there in less than an hour, then we can rescue you," Millicent promised.
"What did your friend want?" Vernon asked when Dudley returned to the table.
"I made alternate arrangements with her parents so that you can enjoy your time with Aunt Marge without me. They'll be here within the next hour," Dudley told his father.
Now Vernon suddenly didn't feel so comfortable anymore, remembering what he'd told his son yesterday. "First let's see if your friend's family has any style. No way we would let your stay with lower-class trash."
Time then went by slowly, with Petunia constantly spying out of the window to see first what to expect from the parent's of Dudley's friend. Vernon himself was trying to act relaxed, but secretly was afraid that the whole thing could blow up in his face. Dudley for his part was waiting what Millicent had cooked up. He knew she was no longer naive about the non-magical world, having been exposed to it regularly through him.
Suddenly Petunia tensed up. "Vernon! Vernon! Quick, look at this!"
"Pet, was is...it...?" Vernon now also looked out of the window and it looked like his jaw could hit the floor.
Now wondering what this was about, Dudley looked out of the other front window and was awed himself. A shiny Rolls Royce had stopped in front of the house and a uniformed chauffeur was holding the back door open. Dudley then saw Millicent and her mother step out; both of them wearing elegant high-class clothes. Clearly Millicent did her homework on all of this and realized that a display of wealth would make it impossible for his parents to say 'no'.
Millicent's mother, already tall and strong, now looked like what his parents would imagine a woman of wealth and high class looked like. Though if looking closely she clearly was concentrating on not stumbling in her high-heels and looked a bit out of her element. The woman had to be a good actress to mostly cover it up.
Millicent herself also looked very different in these clothes. They managed to make her stocky body look quite feminine and more adult and Dudley found the sight very interesting, especially how she walked with high heels - surprisingly with less troubles than her mother.
-Riiiing- That was the doorbell. Petunia walked almost like a robot to the front door, still trying to process all this. "Good morning, Mrs. Dursley. As promised, we are here to pick up Dudley so that he can spend the holidays with our family."
Dudley saw the triumphant grin Millicent gave him and understood when not only seeing his parents trying to suck up to Mrs. Bulstrode, but also that the neighborhood had come out to look at the sight of the Rolls Royce. Their own social biases were now working against his parents and there was no way they could now say no without losing face.
Dudley, after seeing that all of this had to be Millicent's plan, had to admit it that Slytherin was after all a good fit for Millicent. She could be very sneaky, indeed.
o
That evening, the Evans and Weasley families were exiting a cinema. They had greatly enjoyed the newest Disney release, Aladdin. This one had been especially much fun for the Weasleys, since there were lots of displays of magic in the film Everyone had gotten many laughs out of it as well.
"I can never stop to be fascinated how Muggles imagine magic... So much imagination!" Arthur said, very impressed with all of it.
"I know, Arthur. And to consider this whole film was made for children to enjoy... However, I'm glad that unlike many other things, djinns are really just imaginary and not real," Molly added.
"I do have a question," Thomas said, looking to Arthur. "After seeing the carpet in the film... do they really use flying carpets in the Middle East?"
Arthur laughed at the question. "Yes, they actually do. I tested one once and they are very safe and comfortable. Sadly, due to a number of unfortunate incidents, many magical counties have prohibited their import."
"I do remember one incident you told me of, Dad," Percy said. "That one flying carpet that was sold to a non-magical household as an ordinary item and the chaos that followed which was bad enough that you were ready to rip your hair out."
Arthur remembered the incident all too well, even after years. "Yes, that's exactly why their import is forbidden."
Ron meanwhile still was grinning. "That Jafar was really hamming it up, yet he never stopped being a serious threat. I guess in our world he would have been considered a dark lord."
"Funny thing is, there really has been a Persian dark lord who acted like him, named Abdul Alhazred. I read about him in a history book," Ginny added.
"Oh, maybe we should watch out, otherwise Ginny will turn out to be like Percy," Fred joked, causing Ginny to give him an annoyed look.
"Just because I like to read books sometimes does not mean I'm a bookworm," Ginny grumbled, not being amused.
George on the other hand had his thoughts on the film. "You know, Fred, that film gave me some ideas. Could be... interesting." He had wanted to say 'profitable' but know his parents could hear them.
"Well, Mark, what do you think?" Harry asked the younger boy.
"Wow, simply wow. That was really awesome," Mark said, still impressed by the whole film. "I know it was a story, but now I really can't wait until I can do some magic on my own."
"Patience. A little over half a year, then you enter the preschool. But don't expect anything massive. The first magic we did was to produce a rainbow from our training wands," Harry explained, remembering that particular lesson all too well.
"Even a rainbow is better than nothing," Mark replied, feeling even something that little was a big deal to him.
It was a perfectly innocent evening for both families. Years later they would feel they should have cherished these moments more, since in the following years there would be much fewer of them, with everyone getting highly stressed by their world threatening to be torn asunder.
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"The Evil Awakens"
Notes:
Here the notes.
As shown, Harry still asks Remus for Patronus lessons even if the initial interest comes from a different angle, this time however there is little secrecy involved since it's nothing forbidden, most people simply don't ask. I hope you also like the first lesson and the detail I put into it. And of course Dora shows up and makes things interesting.
More Sirius the politician and his first real confrontation with Umbridge. I hope I made it clear that Umbridge can be significantly dangerous if motivated to go after someone.
Well, since Draco's injury scheme didn't wok they did play against Slytherin. However, that game was a clusterfuck for other reasons. Harry's broom still gets wrecked, but for a totally different reason and he just wants a replacement of exactly the same model, so he still uses Nimbus 2000.
Greyback finally reveals his endgame, but still holds back with details. I hope I show how he's smarter than many want to admit.
Something happening in the Granger house...?
Yes, I now show the restored Chamber of Secrets. I felt the school should take full advantage and make it part of the school proper, since this way it could have a use instead of just sitting under the castle. Of course Skeeter is univited and the seeds are planted for next year.
And we can't forget the Slug Club, this time with a special guest!
You can see how Dudley's home life went to shit, though thankfully he won this round.