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.
Instead of two weeks, the next chapter will only be published in four weeks, since I need more time to write ahead.
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Chapter 37: Bloody Moon, Part II - Aftermath
The sun had risen over Hogwarts; chasing away the night which had been so incredibly destructive. Even after a whole night everyone was still busy with the aftermath of Greyback's invasion; the damage the intruders caused as well as caring for those injured in the process.
However, the group of people walking up the path towards the castle did not care about any of that.
They had arrived in Hogsmeade minutes ago and then ignored all the reporters asking them questions, despite the leader of the group itching to make a spectacle out of the whole thing. Dolores Umbridge after all was a woman on a mission. After getting the OK from Fudge - just telling the man that procedures have to be followed had been enough after he had been denied entry last night - she had gathered the needed people and now was on her way.
After all, while her presence technically was not needed for this, she wanted to be present when these dirty beasts were hauled away to be thrown into the hole for the next few years.
They finally reached the Auror guard post and one man blocked the way. "Stop. Sorry, but entry to Hogwarts right now is not allowed, with the exception of parents and guardians of students. I have to ask you to leave."
"You obviously don't know who I am," Umbridge told the man very condescendingly.
"I couldn't care less about it," the man replied, knowing the kind of officials that would pull that card.
Umbridge's expression hardened. "Well, then this will make sure you do care," she said while opening a scroll to show it to the guard. "I'm Dolores Umbridge, Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic. I was charged to oversee the removal of some dark creatures and any of your orders have become irrelevant."
Taking a closer look at her companions, the Auror now recognized them as members from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Right next to Umbridge stood its executioner, Walden Mcnair. That the man had his executioner's axe on his person despite no execution being set felt wrong for so many reasons.
"Greyback and his followers are a concern of the Auror Office," the Auror told Umbridge coldly.
Umbridge snorted at the idea. "Who was talking about them? Have to lock up the fresh ones before they become a danger."
"I see..." If anything, the Auror's mood was now frosty. "I'll clear this up with the boss. If he gives the OK, you can enter. Stay here for the time being."
The Auror quickly walked to the building they were using as headquarters. Some minutes later he returned... together with Alastor Moody and a female Auror who had pink hair of all things. Umbridge, despite her own sick love for the color, felt hypocritically scandalized by that woman's hair color.
"Well, why am I not surprised?" Moody said, having already expected Ministry interference.
"I do not have to listen to this from a man who in a few days lands in retirement," Umbridge said calmly, trying to regain her usual, deceptive self. "There is nothing you can do to stop us."
"I don't intend to stop you. Instead I'll make sure to keep you in my sight." As if to underscore it, his magical eye spun in several different directions.
Escorting them to the castle, the gate opened. However, in the entrance hall Umbridge right away was confronted with a strange sight. Dozens of students stood there, giving Umbridge and her companions dark looks. However, they didn't say a word, just looked at them. Also, there were numerous adults present - most likely parents of the students who had wanted to stay overnight after such a scare - and judging by them the vast majority of these students had to be muggleborn.
Umbridge looked displeased at the sight. "Tell them to get out of the way."
Moody let out a humorless laugh. "I'm only here to keep an eye on you. How you get through is your problem. And since as you put it I'm about to be retired anyway, you can't make me lift a finger for you."
"You do it," Umbridge told Dora.
"I'm still a cadet. I'm only allowed to follow orders from my mentor," Dora replied dryly, making it clear there would be no help from her side as well.
"Make space. We are here on official business!" Umbridge called, but got no reaction, though the stares got quite a bit more angry. "I said move aside!" Still no reaction.
Seeing that words didn't accomplish anything, Umbridge and her companions had to manually get through the crowd. It wasn't that the students were actively hindering them, but they also were not going out of their way to be helpful. To add insult to injury, right behind them students and parents alike were parting like the Red Sea to allow Moody and Dora passage.
It continued like that for several corridors, until finally they reached the door to the hospital wing, where one final group stood. That group however only consisted of six students, the majority of the group being parents. Seeing several specific people in said group, Umbridge narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Sirius Black... I should have known you are behind this. And not only you, but the Weasleys, Lovegoods and Longbottoms as well. You are obstructing Ministry officials in their duty," Umbridge said, making little secret that she would have loved to pin something onto him and the others.
"Oh, I'm not stopping you at all, neither do the others. We are only here to show our protest to how you plan to treat these children," Sirius told Umbridge.
"These are no longer human and therefore a danger to society. The law has to be followed. Also, you of course would say this considering that friend of yours also turned out to be a werewolf," Umbridge told Sirius, then she and the others moved into the hospital wing.
However, they were in for a surprise.
"Where are they?" Umbridge asked after searching all the rooms. All the beds were empty - no injured Aurors or students, no bitten students and also no recovering Remus Lupin. Umbridge then saw Madam Pomfrey being busy with sorting potion bottles. "Where is everyone?"
Pomfrey looked up from her work, clearly being displeased, but then answered professionally. "The injured Aurors are recovering in their rooms in the guest building. The injured students have been returned to their dorms for recovery and a better atmosphere for their parents. Mr. Lupin is recovering in his quarters. The three infected students have been released into the care of their parents."
"Released into the care of their parents?" Umbridge asked sourly.
"Yes. I do not know where they are right at this moment," Pomfrey said, then returned to her work.
Incensed, Umbridge walked out of the hospital wing. "I have no doubt you and Dumbledore are behind this. Where are they?"
"You can ask the Headmaster if you want. I only know they are gone and nothing else," Sirius said, making little secret how he wasn't sad about this development.
"No, Dumbledore would have disposed of all evidence by this point. Still, look what you have done. With the newly infected gone, we will now instead take your friend Remus Lupin with us. Tsk tsk, hiding his status for so long..." Clearly Umbridge felt she at least got a consolation prize.
"Pardon me, Ms. Umbridge, but you have no legal basis to do anything to Mr. Lupin," Frank Longbottom told her.
"What do you mean by that? He lied to the Ministry after all," Umbridge asked him, not liking Longbottom's expression.
"Fact of matter, Mr. Lupin's lycanthropy was known to the Ministry since 1980. It is in his files after all. That the Ministry is so disorganized that no one even bothered to look into his files is of no relevancy to the fact that he has followed the rules by registering his condition," Frank told her.
That was news to Umbridge. Considering how she prided herself to be always well-informed about everything, her simply not having read the correct files felt like a massive slap in the face. There was no way they were lying, considering it was easy to check this out. All things considered, the whole trip had been a huge waste of her time.
"I will remember this..." Umbridge said calmly before she left with her entourage, again under the observation of Moody and Dora.
"Booooo! Boooo! Boooooo!" Those shouts echoed up though the corridor from where Umbridge had left to, chanted by many students.
"I think the others are now showing how they are not appreciating what Umbridge wanted to do," Luna said matter-of-fact.
"Thank all goodness the Headmaster has made sure no produce lands in their hands, or I think there would have been a bombardment of eggs and tomatoes," Hermione added, knowing the atmosphere was explosive enough for that.
Frank Longbottom on the other hand looked a bit concerned. "I'm a bit concerned about her parting words. She is petty enough to try something should she get the opportunity. We have to keep a closer eye on her."
"Ehm, how exactly did the Headmaster get them out of the castle and to safety? I mean... they are suddenly gone and no one is telling us a word," Ron then asked, still trying to puzzle together how Dumbledore accomplished this feat.
Alice Longbottom chuckled. "He has his ways and his many connections allow him to take the fast route... However, we hope you understand that the man has to keep at least some of his secrets. He called the right people to get them to a safe place and we should leave it at that."
The six friends knew the adults would not tell them any details and left it alone.
o
"So despite Dumbledore trying to keep all kind of produce out of the hands of the students, one rotten egg still managed to hit Umbridge?" Remus asked while sitting in bed, still recovering from the injuries of the night, which had become worse when changing back.
"Oh yes. Nailed her right onto the forehead. Of course she tried to find the guilty party, but no one said anything," Dora told him, recounting Umbridge's exit from the castle. "Of course I know it was one of the Weasley twins, but they would each say the other did it."
"After all what happened, every laugh is worth a lot of gold," Remus said, remembering the previous night.
Dora sobered up a bit as well. "I know. Men and women I worked together with for years ended up under white sheets. It still feels surreal to me, but Moody told me that's the danger I accepted when choosing this career."
"Speaking of career, I know mine here will be over pretty soon. I know, I only signed on for a year, but I didn't expect it to end this way," Remus sighed, knowing exactly what would come next. "Very soon the hysteric outcry will start to remove me."
Dora had honestly forgotten about that. "You are sure this will happen? After all, without you being there to help Greyback could have managed to escape."
Remus laughed humorlessly. "You honestly think these voices will gain any attention in the media? No, I know how that game works. They will play the fear card and only allow voices that condemn me as a monster to be heard."
Dora knew that she could hardly refute this. "So you plan to leave?"
"I'll conduct the exams and then I'm out - that is, if they don't cancel the exams for the lower years altogether after what happened. I thank all goodness that I do have a job already waiting for me - one that I really like. Please don't be sad," Remus told her.
"I'm outraged you are treated like that, but remember with Greyback being caught, I'm soon out of here as well. If you think you can get rid of me that easily, you are very wrong," Dora returned, making it clear she meant it.
Needing a few moments to let this sink in, Remus actually started to chuckle. "You know... when you cared for me even when I was transformed, it only then hit me that you were truly serious about it. Sorry that I was in denial, but after what I experienced all my life..."
Dora held his hand. "No need to apologize. Life dealt you a shitty hand, but thanks for finally admitting it."
"You know, besides that the most awkward thing for me now is that I watched you grow up. Our age difference is still making me feel weird," Remus admitted.
Dora knew more time would be needed for him to overcome this, and she understood where he was coming from. "I'm a big girl now. I can understand why you would feel awkward, but I think with time I can convince you there is nothing to feel guilty about."
Remus knew she meant it and for the first time he did truly believe it.
o
"Mmhhhh..." Stefan Schuster felt like crap while he slowly woke up. It was like his body was overheating and his was wet with sweat. He tried to remember what happened, then remembered collapsing after being bitten by that werewolf.
The memory caused him to try and sit up, but he failed and felt back onto his bed.
"Stefan, bitte schone dich! Du bist sehr geschwächt!" [Stefan, please take it easy! You are very weakened!] That was his mother talking.
"Mutti?" [Mum?] he asked.
His mother sighed, looking like she had not slept a bit. "Wir wissen was passiert ist, und wir lieben dich kein bisschen weniger," [We know what happened and we love you no bit less,] she tried to reassure him.
Finally looking around, Stefan noticed that he was in a hospital room - an actual hospital room with all the modern conveniences instead of the Hogwarts hospital wing. "Wo... wo sind wir hier?" [Where... where are we?] he wondered.
"In der Klinik für magische Krankheiten in Hamburg." [In the clinic for magical illnesses in Hamburg.] They had not noticed a man wearing a suit enter the room. "Gestatten Sie dass ich mich vorstelle. Ich bin Florian Müller, der deutsche Botschafter beim ICW." [Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Florian Müller, German ambassador at the ICW.]
"Uh... hallo?" [Uh... hello?] Stefan knew it was lame, but he literally was sick and tired and just realized he had been infected with lycanthropy, so he had good reasons to have an underwhelming reaction.
"I weiß, Sie fühlen sich nicht gut. Ich halte es deshalb kurz. Herr Dumbledore, der Rektor von Hogwarts, ist sehr gut vernetzt. Als es also darum ging einen sicheren Hafen für Sie und die anderen beiden Infizierten zu finden, wandte er sich an mich. Ihr alle wurdet noch in der Nacht außer Landes gebracht," [I know you don't feel well, so I'll keep it short. Mr. Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, is well-connected. When he had to find a safe haven for you and the other two infected, he turned to me. All of you were moved out of the country in the middle of the night,] Mr. Müller explained.
Stefan knew it was how tired he was that he was not yet freaking out over his infected status, but he knew that would come soon enough. He also felt a certain relief that he was back home. Then he realized that more students were sharing his fate. "Was... was ist mit den Anderen?" [What... what about the others?] he asked.
"Beide sind auch hier mit ihren Eltern. Deutschland gewährt ihnen Asyl vor Verfolgung," [Both are here with their parents. Germany is granting them asylum from persecution,] the ambassador explained.
Stefan laid back, still trying try process how quickly things had changed so utterly. Part of him also wondered what the fallout of all this would be, since this hardly could be kept secret.
...May 28th...
It had been three days since the attack on Hogwarts. While the initial chaos after the attack had died down, the physical reminders of the attack still remained, with restoration work only just having started to repair what the attack, especially the fires, did destroy. The six friends talked about it while walking through Hogwarts, normal lessons still suspended for two more days.
"It's still weird to have the portrait hole open like that. While the two animated suits of armor do a decent job as reasonable guards, I would really prefer to have the Fat Lady back," Ginny said, reminding everyone how the portrait of the Fat Lady got seriously damaged in the attack.
"At least she is willing to do the job again once her portrait is restored properly. The other houses had their entrances destroyed utterly and rebuilding them will be a pain," Harry added, having listened around. "Dudley told me the entrance to their dorms actually was blown open with explosives, the whole wall now being a gaping hole."
They of course also had heard from the other houses. Astoria had told them how the barrel entrance to Hufflepuff had been turned to splinters while Penelope Clearwater had relayed via Percy how the door to Ravenclaw tower pretty much didn't exist anymore. How easily the entrances had been breached was testament to how utterly brutal the intruders had been.
"Since we do get the Fat Lady back, you think the other entrances will be restored as well?" Neville wondered.
"Perhaps, but there already is a severe dislike of returning to pseudo-secret means of entering. I've heard many in Ravenclaw, despite priding themselves on how intellectual they are, are sick and tired of having to answer riddles to enter their dorms," Hermione said, remembering stories how numerous students had been unable to get into their own dorms.
"I guess once the Fat Lady returns, she'll no longer ask for a password if this goes through. Perhaps she'll be enchanted to know who is supposed to be a Gryffindor," Ron speculated.
"I would prefer that. The passwords are a huge pain," Neville said hopefully, making no secret how he always had trouble remembering the passwords.
They then reached one of the burnt-out corridors. "Seeing the school like this is depressing," Hermione said with a shake of her head.
"Hogwarts was wounded. However, the worst damage is not the one we can see, it's the one inside those that give it life. In here," Luna reminded them, pointing to where her heart was.
Ginny knew what her oldest friend meant. "The belief that we are completely safe behind the walls of Hogwarts is gone. Maybe the belief in security was even shaken in all of Magical Britain."
"So in a way Greyback did get a win? That blows," Ron sighed.
"The only thing we can do is to ensure that in the end it's only a pyrrhic victory for him by overcoming the damage done," Harry said, knowing that talking was easy. "Though of course doing so is hard..."
They then finally reached the exit doors and stepped out into the castle grounds. Their plan was to visit Hagrid, since staying in the castle for any longer felt suffocating.
"Thank all goodness they don't expect us to do the exams after what happened. I would be unable to concentrate on them," Ron admitted, surprisingly not sounding relieved by it. Instead, he sounded sad. "Percy told me no dice for those doing OWL and NEWT exams however, only concession is that these are pushed back by two weeks to mid-June."
"It... is a pity, but I understand why they did so." Hermione did remember her shriek of dismay when being informed by McGonagall that the exams were canceled and the ribbing her friends had given her for her overreaction.
In retrospect she admitted she had overreacted; these exams were not crucial anyway. She also had realized that in this leaden mood in the school, any kind of relief in form of humor was welcome. All of them knew however that things most likely would only start to return to normal with the next school year.
"To be honest... I thought we would be affected more. You've all seen how everyone else who was present for it is coping and the help they need. And yet here we are, shaken but much better off than the others," Harry wondered.
"We already experienced horrible things. Being confronted with a parasitic Voldemort, a teacher trying to wipe our brains, being petrified, being threatened by a teenage Voldemort and his basilisk and nearly being kidnapped by Greyback. Each of us suffered in one way or another, though none of us from all of these things, but we recovered and it hardened us." That was a surprisingly long observation from Luna, but it did hit dead-center.
"I only hope it won't make us indifferent," Neville voiced his fear, then felt Luna taking hold of his hand. "Ehm... Luna?"
"I will not allow you to become indifferent to suffering." The sheer emotion in her voice was very surprising. She then added quietly "Feeling indifferent is the worst thing that can happen to us."
The others didn't comment on it, but even Ron had noticed by now that Luna did spend more time with Neville than with the rest of them. The blond girl was still difficult to read, but there clearly was something going on. However, considering how young all of them were, it for the time being wouldn't amount to anything more than a deeper friendship. For the moment, since soon enough all of them would be in their teenage years.
Knocking on Hagrid's door, the owner opened it moments later and they were greeted by Fang.
"Ooof! Slow down, Fang!" Ginny gasped when the big dog knocked her down, being about to slobber her as a greeting.
"Fang, mind your manners!" Hagrid scolded his dog and pulled him off Ginny, who was glad to have escaped a tongue bath. "Guess all of you need to unwind, eh? Come in, I've already set up the kettle."
They did see why Hagrid had set up the kettle when seeing Remus sit at Hagrid's table. "Uncle Remus! I haven't seen you since after the battle. Eh... how are you?" Harry asked carefully.
"No need to walk on eggshells around me. I've already accepted that I lose this job early after a small mountain of complaints from parents landed on the Headmaster's desk. I gave him an easy way out, since numerous parents threatened to withdraw their children from the school otherwise," Remus told them, not looking surprised at this development.
They understood how that felt like a serious threat to the Headmaster. According to rumor no less than eight students had been withdrawn from Hogwarts in the wake of Greyback's attack, their parents preferring to hire private tutors instead. It was an overreaction, but an understandable one considering what had happened.
"It's still unfair to you. I remember when Lavender showed me the article that smeared you and the Headmaster in one go. Granted, it wasn't in an actual newspaper, but still..." Hermione said, baffled how such character assassination was allowed to be published. In her mind that was not freedom of press but a simple hitpiece.
"You mean Rita Skeeter? I heard all of you met her, so you understand what kind of character she is. She has an axe to grind with the Headmaster over her banishment from Hogwarts and I was a convenient way to do so while also allowing her to write a piece which appeals to emotion," Remus explained calmly.
"I think you mean appeals to lower instincts. I've seen it, too, and it's nothing but slander," Ginny replied. "I wonder how you can stay so calm."
"I learned that being constantly angry over it doesn't get me anywhere. I still know what's being done to me is wrong, but I learned how to be more constructive about it," Remus explained his calmness considering the situation.
"I know what you are talking about," Hagrid said while pouring the tea into the cups. "I also learned to be the bigger man - sorry for the pun - and no longer give these ruddy jerks the satisfaction of reacting to the dirt they say about who my Ma is."
"You know, the school feels different... wrong in a way. Even after the thing with the basilisk it hadn't felt like this," Neville said, having difficulties to describe how it felt wrong.
Hagrid however knew what Neville meant. "It is like the school no longer feels like a safe haven, eh? It was the same when Myrtle got killed. It took time for that feeling to fade away."
All of them of course knew the story of how Myrtle got killed, but only now did they understand how much of a shock this must have been to everyone in the school. In an already difficult time the security blanket had been pulled away, exposing the students to harsh reality. What happened with Greyback had done pretty much the same, only with more direct effect.
Ron meanwhile looked a bit thoughtful. "I'm not good with that stuff... but won't all of this be really bad for the werewolves living in Magical Britain? I mean... all of the stuff Greyback has done and the laws Dad tells me the Ministry is making..."
"You are actually making a good point, Ron," Remus told the boy. "In a way Greyback got what he wanted. The werewolf population was legally made rightless and many people now can only think of Greyback when hearing about werewolves. The werewolves will soon be driven to desperation."
"And once they are desperate, they easily slip down the slope," Hermione concluded the depressing truth while looking into her tea cup. "Not to speak of the fact that they'll use this starte of shock and anger to push for more laws of that kind."
"It sadly is true that despite losing the battle, Greyback still got a big consolation prize. However, he would have never gotten this victory without the bigotry in the Ministry causing these laws to be written. It does validate my belief that the Ministry is not working for the best of the people," Luna speculated while playing with her butterbeer corm pendant.
They all knew Luna was very much correct with that observation.
"Can we talk about something else? The topic is kind of depressing," Harry said, feeling the situation was already depressing enough. "You know, stuff like what Hagrid will show us as the final creature."
That actually did brighten up the mood a bit. "Oh, can you tell us, Hagrid? Please." Ginny did have a good hand when caring for animals, so she was especially eager to learn what the final creature would be.
"Very eager to get the surprise spoiled, don't you?" Hagrid said, thankful for the change in topic.
"Well, you did raise the anticipation considerably," Ron commented, having observed how over the year the creatures were each more interesting than the previous one.
"Better only give them a hint, as it will make them guess what it will be," Remus suggested to Hagrid.
Hagrid did look tempted to let the cat out of the bag right away, but then controlled himself and followed Remus' suggestion. "Well, I'll only tell you this: the creature will have feathers."
The six friends then tried to guess what that could mean. "Really vague. But feathers means it has to be some kind of bird."
"Not necessarily," Hermione countered. "There are creatures with feathers that are not bird. Like a cockatrice for example, though I highly doubt Hagrid would show off something that dangerous, especially to third-year students."
"Do I have to remind you this is Hagrid we are talking about? The man who named a huge Cerebus Fluffy and a dragon Norberta and who is friends with a massive Acromantula," Harry reminded his friends.
Seeing the children giving him questioning looks, Hagrid held up his hands defensively. "Oh, no no! I have to follow my lesson plan and Dumbledore would be really disappointed should I endanger my students."
"So you won't show us a cockatrice," Neville said in relief.
"I do. But only in sixth year and in a special facility, Little guys can be quite nasty if you don't prepare for it," Hagrid said, looking a bit dreamy when imagining the beast.
The six friends looked at each other, wondering what to make of this information.
"Hagrid is very dedicated to his work, that much is for sure. How good for him," Luna then said without any irony. "He is ensuring that his subject won't get boring."
Her friends were silent, before looking to Hagrid, trying to forget the idea of what would wait in later years in his subject. "Hagrid, more tea please," they said together.
o
"I had not expected my first year in Hogwarts to be this exciting... It was scary," Astoria confessed to her sister while they leaned onto the stone railing of an interior yard of the castle.
Both sisters had felt the need for fresh air and Daphne had seen that Astoria, after having stayed silent about the events of Greyback's attack for some days, now really needed to talk about it. Thankfully, the lower years had only been allowed back out of the rooms after the corpses had removed, otherwise this probably would have been very traumatizing. It still was bad enough as it was.
"I admit I was scared as well when we were sent to our rooms. When we were allowed back out, our common room looked like a battlefield. So many injured... and all the blood," Daphne admitted.
"Don't remind me of the blood. I'm relieved that before allowing us back out, they removed the... the..." Astoria struggled with spelling out that the corpses of dead werewolves had been removed before allowing the lower years back out.
Daphne hugged her little sister. "You don't have to say it."
"Thanks..." Due to her parents not being available, Daphne was the best source for comfort for Astoria. "Mum had even played with the idea of having us home-schooled. It scared me."
Daphne knew of her mother playing with the idea, but the woman in the end had seen that it would be not to the advantage of her daughters and told them she would not do it. "But Mum decided it's better for us to stay at school. I feel she doesn't want us to lose our friends."
Despite how mundane of a reason that sounded at first, it was actually very important. Due to the Green grass family wanting to stay neutral in the war, there hadn't been many children who wanted to befriend Daphne and Astoria. Daphne had counted herself lucky to get one friend in Millicent. Both of them had only broken out of this isolation at Hogwarts and their mother knew it would be cruel to take that from them.
"You know... why don't we ask our parents if you can come with me at times when I'm with my friends during the summer?" Daphne then suggested.
"You would really do that?" Astoria asked, knowing that teenagers the age of her sister normally didn't like having their younger siblings around when they were with their friends. "Oh, thank you!"
"Well, look at that. A blood-traitor and her crybaby of a sister. What an impressive sight."
Knowing this voice too well, Daphne let go of Astoria and turned to see the owner of the voice; Malfoy. And of course where he was, Parkinson was not far. Malfoy gave Daphne a look of contempt while Parkinson looked at Astoria as if seeing something nasty on the bottom of her shoe. A Greengrass being sorted into Hufflepuff of all things had not sat well with their faction.
Daphne hated others talking bad about her sister. "That's rich hearing you complain about how siblings interact. After all, both your parents didn't even have enough juice to produce a spare after the heir." She then turned to Astoria. "Let's leave, the company is not good."
However, Malfoy and Parkinson couldn't help themselves to have the last word.
"Ha, now you're running away! You Greengrasses are not only traitors, but cowards as well. I bet if forced into a choice you would have given the brat to Greyback to save your own skin," Malfoy said nastily.
"Just wait until the wind blows in a different direction," Parkinson added, giving Astoria a nasty look. "Then your family will be sinking into a dark hole you'll never come out of. Your brat of a sister then would only be good to be sold as a concubine."
Astoria paled at the sheer hostility. Daphne on the other hand became red with anger and... -Slap- "Auuhh!" Parkinson howled in pain when Daphne slapped her hard.
"You damn... Ouch!" Malfoy was unable to finish when Astoria kicked his leg.
"You are both nasty! You are rotten, mean and I don't like either of you!" Astoria hissed, her shock having turned to anger. She then turned to Daphne. "I want to get away from here."
Daphne quickly left with Astoria, leaving behind two fuming Slytherins. They had done this simply because they saw the opportunity and as a result both of them were now hurting, Pansy actually suffering from a developing hand print on his face. That of course did not improve their opinion of the Greengrass sisters.
"Just wait until next year. All of you will be in for a world of hurt," Draco growled. "Is it bad, Pansy?" he then asked, seeing how Pansy was grimacing in pain.
Pansy rubbed her stinging face. "No teeth knocked loose, but I need this treated. Thankfully the school nurse won't ask questions. And yes, besides Potter and his friends, Greengrass just made it way up on my shit list. She and her family will rub their eyes next year... And your parents are really OK with it?"
"They are on board with it, like yours are. Once I explained it, they congratulated me on finally showing Slytherin traits," Draco confirmed.
Both of them then left, leaving open the question what they were planning.
...Ministry of Magic courtroom, May 29th...
The big courtroom in the Ministry of Magic had last been used for the Death Eater trails and since then had laid dormant and empty for years due to no big cases having come up that would justify using this big room. That however now had changed and the room was packed, the spectator ranks being filled to capacity.
That was little wonder, since the nightmare that had plagued them for months was finally over.
Of course it had not ended in a way they liked, Hogwarts itself having been attacked by Greyback and his pack, with nasty results. While no students had died, being infected was as good as dead as far as a sizable number of people were concerned. Especially due to this final act many wanted to watch Greyback being told he'd rot forever in Azkaban.
It was a huge media circus, on par with the final Death Eater trials, and Sirius and Andromeda felt like they had jumped back in time while walking to the court room.
"It's as if we're having a repeat of thirteen years ago," Andromeda commented to Sirius.
"Yes, and if anything the press is worse than before," Sirius observed, the constant flashlights threatening to hurt his eyes. "To be honest, I was a little surprised you are taking this upon yourself, Andy, when you don't have to."
Andromeda gave Sirius a look that only an angry mother could give someone. "Nymphadora could have been killed in that attack. I want to see that monster locked away forever."
Sirius knew better than trying to argue with an angry mother - not due to his own childhood, since that old hag had been constantly angry, but from his wife. Trying to do so with Diane had gotten him several nights on the couch, even though each time Diane had afterwards apologized that she had been too harsh in her anger.
Sirius also thought about that small meeting with Dumbledore, Remus and McGonagall just yesterday. Dumbledore had asked several questions and then pulled up his memory of Trelawney's second prophecy in his pensive. It had become frighteningly clear that the clash of the three canines had been the fight of him and Remus against Greyback, meaning 1994 had to be the year Voldemort is found by his followers.
They had all agreed to raise their efforts in light of that revelation, especially since they had no idea if Voldemort had already been found or if it still was to happen. After all, a year was a very vague time frame.
Finally reaching the courtroom, Sirius and Andromeda quickly found their reserved seating and then looked around.
The presiding judge for this case would be Amelia Bones herself, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The witch looked calm and collected, which was not a given considering the nature of this trial, while adjusting her monocle. Her own nice, Susan Bones, had been in danger during the Hogwarts attack, so her staying this professional was testament of her sheer discipline.
"That woman must have a spine of steel. Any other judge would want to make this personal," Andromeda said while watching Madam Bones.
"That's exactly why she is doing this. With her they can be sure everything goes according to law," Sirius replied, having had some dealing with the woman over the months.
Besides her sat Dumbledore in his function as the Chief Warlock, though he clearly wished to be somewhere else. After all, it was his school that had been attacked. However, due to how many high-ranking people in the Ministry got children or relatives in Hogwarts, it was difficult to tell him to stay away due to conflict of interest.
"I don't want to be in his shoes. The press hadn't been kind to him after the attack, as if he is somehow responsible for it," Sirius observed, not wanting to trade places with Dumbledore.
Andromeda sighed. "The press is never kind. I've seen what that disgusting Skeeter woman wrote and that a newspaper actually bought her story afterward for reprinting speaks volumes. That's clearly revenge for being banned from entering the Hogwarts grounds."
Everyone that moment when silent when Madam Bones stood up. "The trial against Fenrir Greyback and the remaining members of his pack will commence now. Bring in the accused."
The doors down on the ground floor opened and everyone saw the procession that entered. Flanked by two dozen Aurors and no less than four dementors, Greyback and what was left of his pack were escorted inside. Despite them wearing prison robes and heavy chains additionally to their many still visible injuries, none of them seemed to be intimidated. Even the seeming drop in temperature caused by the dementors didn't seem to bother them, nor the very presence of these monsters.
While it was impossible to gauge a dementor's body language, many got the feeling that they were annoyed that these prisoners were so full of anger and hatred that it very much eclipsed their happiness.
Finally the accused all stood in an illuminated circle - due to the sheer numbers they did forego the chain chairs - and Madam Bones spoke up. "Before we approach the trail, the court has according to protocol address Fenrir Greyback's prior convictions in absence over the years for past crimes, all of which were made on the basis of plentiful evidence. Fenrir Greyback, have you anything to say to the court regarding that matter?"
Greyback looked up, the scars on the left side of his face and the now blind eye shown prominently, causing many people to gasp at the sight. "Only that I've read all of the judgments and proudly admit that I indeed did every singe act for which you gave me multiple life sentences."
That was said with such pride and conviction, that many people were taken aback.
Madam Bones didn't show any reaction. "That will be put into the protocol. I will now read the indictment to everyone..." Madam Bones then did exactly that and some of the details in it were chilling.
Andromeda for her part gulped when hearing some of the details. "As a healer you see some nasty things over time, but some of the stuff is hard to hear even for me. How can someone become so depraved?"
"Maybe at the beginning it truly was anger before it turned to worse things, but it's more likely he always had been a psychopath and being turned into a werewolf only allowed him to freely show his inner monster to the outside world and have an excuse to drop all inhibitions," Sirius speculated.
It took several more minutes before Madam Bones was finally done and looked down to Greyback, who clearly was speaking for all of the pack. "Do you have something to add to this?"
Greyback chuckled. "Only that I will spare you the work of presenting the evidence or witnesses which you obviously have plenty of. Yes, we did all of that and we are proud of it! If given the chance, we would do so again."
That caused angry reactions from the spectators, some even screaming loudly some of the dirtiest profanities. Greyback however seemed to actually enjoy that he got a rise out of them. "Oh yes, you all are really brave, now that I stand here in chains."
"Order! ORDER!" It took some more moments before order was restored. "So you don't regret any of your crimes? You do know that this means life in the dementor wing of Azkaban for all of you, right?"
If anything, Greyback seemed unconcerned. "I'm no idiot, I've always known the consequences, but it was worth it. Also, while I was denied my biggest victory, as far as I'm concerned I have still won."
"Mr. Greyback, it's you and your followers that are in chains before this court. That can hardly count as a win," Madam Bones told Greyback, wondering what the man was talking about.
"Oh, you can throw me into the darkest, dementor-infested hole, but it won't negate what I have accomplished." Greyback then chuckled darkly. "I have hurt you. I have hurt this rotten society and even once I'm locked away, I continue to hurt you. I must thank you for paving the way for others of my kind to finally understand how unjust this society is, while I showed them the way how to rise up against it."
Greyback let this sink in for a moment, before he continued "And your precious Hogwarts? I managed to break it open like a tin can." He looked up to the spectators. "Think about it: you are not safe anywhere now. Not safe at all..." Greyback then fell silent, having said his piece.
After that the ruling of the court was just a formality, but no one felt like cheering when hearing it. Greyback's words rested heavily on many of them.
"Somehow this did not give me the satisfaction I had hoped for," Andromeda said while they left the courtroom after everything was said and done. "No, that was downright chilling. Greyback got the last word on the whole thing."
"Not even I expected that... Worse, he's probably right. The werewolves have been driven underground by these laws and have nothing to lose now and he has managed to shatter the belief in safety. I don't think that wound will heal anytime soon." Sirius sounded a bit bitter.
"Not to speak of how polarized things have become, both sides of the issue now hating each other. And these fanatics are already starting to push through more laws to do the same with other races," Andromeda added.
"The damage will be severe either way. Not to speak of the brewing international crisis after Magical Germany admitted giving asylum to the infected students and their families." Sirius then noticed someone approach. "Hm...?"
Turning to where Sirius was looking, Andromda saw a man approach. "Horatio Bulstrode. Can we do something for you, Sir?"
"Not exactly. I'm here for your cousin." Mr. Bulstrode then turned to Sirius. "I've heard that you actively participated in the defense of the students, even though you had the choice of not doing so. No one was forcing you to risk your life."
"Perhaps, but what kind of man would I be then? I'm not one of these men who talk big but then refuse to step out from behind the safety of their desks when it gets serious. The children were in danger and I was there. I know I did the right thing," Sirius declared, clearly feeling firm in that belief.
"I can tell you are serious about that. You remember how I told you I will measure you by your actions, not your words?" Mr. Bulstrode asked.
"Yes, I do," Sirius said, already having an idea where this was going.
"Your actions speak for themselves. You did not hesitate to come to the defense of the students despite the danger. As I said, political alliances are a long-term investment, but your chances have risen considerably after showing you are a man of honor who does not hesitate to do what has to be done, even if it endangers yourself," Mr. Bulstrode told him.
Sirius looked a bit uncomfortable with the praise. "I honestly don't know what to say... I only did the right thing."
"And that is why my opinion has risen. I should tell you that your selfless act has attracted the attention of other families. I admit the Greengrass family openly asked me about you. Do not slip up now and you can prove that you are the correct man for us to attach to politically." That said, Mr. Bulstrode left.
"Man..." Sirius needed a bit to process this.
Andromeda also was a bit floored. "Sirius... Just continue what you are doing. It obviously is the correct thing to do."
o
"The whole crisis has laid open that we need to hasten our efforts. According to reports, the werewolf population of the British Isles has essentially been made rightless and now has nothing to lose. Even worse, more such laws are already on the way. The magical side feels deeply insecure after Hogwards was breached with terrible results and the rot in the Ministry is spreading further with each day. Have I missed anything?"
Having listened to John Major giving everyone the bullet points, the Chairman spoke up. "That would be the most pressing issues, Sir. The whole affair has made things worse in a much faster time frame than anticipated."
"Yes, Greyback might have lost the battle, but the damage he's done as well as other factions seeing this as a perfect opportunity to not let a crisis go to waste made things much worse. It now is only a matter of time," a man further down the table added.
"This is a slow-moving disaster. Chaos would have been bad enough, but emerging outright fascism inside our own borders..." The Prime Minister was still partially in disbelief how quickly things were deteriorating.
The tendency however was clear. The Ministry was becoming more dysfunctional with each day, more and more catering to those with power and money. Those groups that took advantage of that in turn consisted mostly of extremists with highly racist and fascist beliefs. Add that the Ministry was allowing horrible people like that Umbridge woman to flourish - and many people in MI-X had compared her to Heinrich Himmler due to the race laws she was crafting - and it was a perfect shitstorm coming.
Truth to be told, in earlier years there had been a number of more conservative members of MI-X who had sympathized with some stances the Ministry was holding, especially when it came to other magical races. However, those voices had fallen silent in shame once the mask fell and the ugliness underneath became visible.
"What about our coverage of Greyback's capture? We have to tell the public something," Major then asked. "After all, the Ministry is being difficult about it. Fudge had the gall to ask me why I worry, since the problem 'is done away with'. He is not even considering that we need to somehow announce his capture as well."
That also had been baffling, that the Ministry clearly was not even considering that the non-magical public wanted answers to what happened to the terrorists who had been on a murdering spree for almost an entire year. That utter disregard for their problems - problems that were caused by the magical side - had angred many.
"We are already working on that, Sir," the Chairman told Major. "One agent has done a discreet recording during the trial with magical means. After converting it to film and heavy picture manipulation we can report Greyback's followers having been gunned down and the survivors are being locked away, waiting for a secret trial."
"Let's hope this does the trick..." The Prime Minister felt the whole Greyback affair had been damaging for everyone. "Anything positive to report after all of this?"
"Yes, Sir. Our agent has also observed Sirius Black being approached by a man from one of the important families. His star is rising, other important players are now watching him with interest. He is starting to become important," a woman reported.
The Prime Minister of course knew of the man. They had been observing him for a long time and now that was proving to be a wise decision. Sirius Black was starting to become important and influential - a person of interest. There still was some reluctance to approach the man, especially since it meant others would be drawn into this as well, but it was very obvious that they couldn't put it off for much longer. The situation was detoriating and Mr. Black's importance was growing.
"I want detailed reports on his political activities as well as anything else that would be of interest to us.. Now that he has become politically important, we have to keep a closer eye on that man," the Prime Minister decided.
"And if what we observe is what we are looking for?" one man asked.
Major leaned back, knowing it would be their most important decision that could either help them tremendously or break them. "Then we will give him an invitation..."
...Riddle house, the following day...
The inside of the Riddle house had changed considerably since its new inhabitants had moved in. Over almost two months the house, which once had been in a serious state of disrepair, had went through a transformation. Its insides were now reflecting what Voldemort saw as a worthy place for being the center of his activities. The shabbiness was gone and it now was a stately, albeit rather dark, manor that was meant to impress. After all, the Dark Lord could not be expected to dwell in some kind of hovel.
The biggest room in the entire manor had been turned into a mixture of throne room and audience chamber and it was there where Voldemort was reading something interesting this morning.
Despite his small temporary body looking weak, it certainly was strong enough for Voldemort to hold and read a newspaper without trouble. Right at the moment he was reading about the trial of Greyback and his remaining pack. He had of course observed the whole affair through the media and now read of its conclusion. Naturally, a rag like the Daily Prophet should not be taken literally, but he had the ability to read between the lines and filter out the important information from all the drivel.
"Well, well, well Greyback. Looks like he decided to go down with pride. I should really thank him for doing some of the work for me in destabilizing society," Voldemort thought aloud. "Of course, had he killed Potter, I would have made sure that he would come to regret it."
Voldemort had not been impressed that Greyback had targeted Harry, especially since in his mind for reasons the only person who was allowed to kill the brat was himself. Had Greyback succeeded then there would have been hell to pay - like skinning that mutt alive.
Right then Barty entered, having returned from his errands.
"Ah, Barty. Come over here." Voldemort then observed Barty looking at the picture of Greyback on the title page without even hiding his opinion of the man. "Barty, what are your thoughts about Greyback?"
"He is a fool. While he certainly did accomplish a number of his goals, he does fall short because he has no long-term planning. He just wanted to cause as much damage as possible but never wasted a thought about what would come next. After all, even if all werewolves rise up, they are still small in numbers and would simply have been hunted down in a true state of emergency. It would be bloody for years, but in the end they would lose and be eradicated."
Voldemort chuckled darkly. "You have proven your worth again. You have a sharp mind, Barty, and that is why you are of such high worth for me. Now tell me, what would be Greyback's use for us be?"
"As I see it, he and his kind are only good for cannon fodder. They want to fight? Let them. Should they get killed it means that someone of more worth was spared that fate and there is one future headache less to deal with," Barty reasoned coldly.
"A very rational view. Should they again come to be in my services, then that's the best use for them. They are too problematic to keep around in the long term." Voldemort then put the newspaper aside. "Now, Barty, what do you have to report?"
"Malfoy is downright paranoid. He's either in places where kidnapping him would be difficult, or he has bodyguards at his side," Barty reported of his investigation on how to get to Malfoy, the person they had to 'convince' to return first.
"Very fitting for that coward," Voldemort observed. "However, you would not have returned if you hadn't found a way that you can bring him to me."
"I did. I found out that he will attend the final of the Quidditch World Cup. All those that attend do sleep on the grounds in a tent town due to the after-game festivities and only return home the next day. After the game would be the perfect time to kidnap him and bring him before you, Master," Barty reported his findings and plan.
Voldemort looked displeased with these news. "Even though I normally ignore such frivolities, it's been printed often enough that I do know it's still a little over two months before that happens."
Barty knew his Master was not happy with this delay. "I'm very sorry, my Lord, but this was the only opportunity I found where it would be possible to get a hold of Malfoy without anyone being the wiser."
Voldemort still didn't look happy that they essentially would have to spend two whole months with preparation work without anyone else being pulled back into their ranks, but he had to accept the facts. "Alright... though I will show Lucius my displeasure for this additional delay caused by him."
Oh poor Lucius, I knew him so well... Barty thought sarcastically when imagining Malfoy feeling Voldemort's displeasure.
...June 1st, Headmaster's office...
The atmosphere in the Headmaster's office took a turn for the worst when Alastor Moody entered. He was radiating a nasty mixture of disappointment and anger while at the same time clearly knowing that whatever had happened to put him into such a mood had been a long time in the coming. It was quite the contrast to the bright sunlight flooding into the office.
"I already harbor a good guess why you visit me, Alastor," Dumbledore said while leaning back in the big chair behind his desk.
"As if that's difficult to guess," Moody snorted, looking quite disappointed. "First official business however..." He pulled out a parchment and laid it onto the desk. "That's the official confirmation that this afternoon all forces will be recalled from Hogwarts. Our job is officially done."
Reading the parchment, Dumbledore saw the usual bureaucratic language he thankfully was able to decipher on the fly after years of practice. It basically said as much as 'mission accomplished, we leave at 3 in the afternoon'. Seeing that document it was just a formality, Dumbledore put the parchment aside and decided to cut to the meat of the matter.
"When are they sending you into retirement?" Dumbledore asked.
If anything, then Moody now looked even more sour. "Tomorrow. They argue with how well Cadet Tonks has done, she'll be declared a full Auror this evening. That removes the final obstacle and then it can't go fast enough for them." He then snorted. "They make little secret about why they actually are doing this."
Dumbledore sighed. "Alastor, dark clouds are approaching - and that means more than just Voldemort. The very foundations of our society are starting to erode at a frightening pace after a long time of rot. Magical Britain has enjoyed a 'splendid isolation' since the time of the Normans."
"Yes, and we now see the result. Compared to many other magical nations we are falling behind. Our society is rigid beyond belief, there is a boatload of very old rights of the ruling class and the refusal to see that the world is changing will end badly," Moody listed the bullet points.
Dumbledore look to Fawkes for a few moments. "Things will not return to normal, since 'normal' is starting to fall apart. We are both old men by this point. Our responsibility is to ensure that the young generation will be ready to take over and create whatever comes next once our status quo is gone."
"Albus, I know you want something from me." Moody's general mistrust made him see the agenda behind the words.
"As always you see right through it, Alastor," Dumbledore remarked. "In a few days I'll lose my Defense professor thanks to pressure from conservative families and the whole thing having landed in the newspapers."
Moody's natural eye widened, one of the few times he actually was startled. "Albus, you can't mean..."
"After this year it will be impossible for me to find a replacement and I know the Ministry is only waiting to send in someone of their choice to gain influence over Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued to explain.
Moody now understood why Dumbledore had approached him of all people. "It's not only that, isn't it? You also want to ensure that these children are prepared for whatever is coming, don't you? You don't want to waste all the groundwork Lupin has laid."
"As you say, Alastor: Constant Vigilance. Right at the moment there is no oe else I trust to do the job. Also, can you honestly tell me what you would otherwise do with all this free time on your hands?" Dumbledore asked him.
Thinking about it, Moody had to admit he most likely would drive himself half insane with having nothing to do after being retired. "All right, Albus..." Then his magical eye seemed to stare a hole into Dumbledore. "However, I do have some conditions of my own."
"I would have been surprised if you hadn't," Dumbledore said calmly, knowing he'd already convinced the man.
...June 24, on the way to London...
And like this the school year had ended.
OWL and NEWT exams were done and the final feast at the castle, where merits and awards were given, had been more somber than normal, especially due to almost a dozen empty seats - students that either had been infected or whose parents had pulled them out of Hogwarts. It was a reminder that despite Greyback now being in prison, it was not a true victory - not with the damage already being done
Losing their Defense professor also had been a hit to the morale. While there were those who wanted to celebrate that the man was gone, considering him a 'dirty animal', many others felt it was a great loss, especially those who had gone through his preschool. Surprisingly, Snape did not gloat over Lupin being forced to leave, maybe realizing that his grudge against the man was meaningless compared to the bigger issues at hand that caused it.
Now everyone had boarded the Hogwarts Express and was on the way back to London.
"You noticed how construction workers arrived while we were boarding the carriages? I wonder what they'll do with the castle now?" Harry wondered, not wanting to mention the reaction of numerous students to the Thestrals, which they now could see after the bloody night of the invasion.
"I swear, Dumbledore seems to enjoy having construction work going on. Guess we'll learn at the start of the next year what's up with that," Hermione commented while helping a grumpy Crookshanks out of his carrier.
"Call me crazy, but part of me is relieved we are out of the school for the summer," Ron said while looking out of the window to the landscape going by.
"I don't think it's weird. It was like there was a cloud of depression hanging over the school," his sister Ginny agreed, also being relieved to be away from the school for some time.
"That is understandable. The wound is still relatively fresh, so it is very likely that most students will be relieved to be away from Hogwarts for two months," Luna observed while toying around with something that looked like a miniature mousetrap.
"That goes for all of us as well, correct?" Hermione asked Luna, still at times finding difficult to read the girl.
Luna looked up from her task, managing to show her emotions about the matter for a few moments. "Me as well. While I seldomly show my emotions, I'm starting to feel them very clearly. I'm... relieved to not be constantly reminded of what happened for some months."
That was the cue for a change of topic, Luna having spelled it out that they should stop talking about it.
"I didn't ask, but any special plans for the summer?" Neville asked while pulling a botanical journal out of his trunk. "I for my part will be busy in the greenhouse.. My parents promised me some new plants that need care."
"Has anyone ever told you that your thumb seems to become greener with each year?" Harry mused.
Hermione meanwhile searched for a book in her trunk, her bushy hair looking like a moving mountain from that angle. "We won't go anywhere this summer. Mum is due sometime late next month. Being about to give birth and then taking care of a newborn means no planning for any summer activities."
Hermione still was a bit unsure what to think about being about to become a big sister after having been an only child for so long.
Harry then added his thoughts. "As for me, Sirius told me he's organizing tickets for the Quidditch World Cup finale, said we could all use this after what happened this year."
"For the final game...? For all of us?" Ron was floored by the idea.
"All six of us. Sirius and Diane will be there for adult supervision while Uncle Tom and Aunt Verni will take care of the twins for that day at home. Any other adults have to get tickets of their own however, which won't be easy due to demand," Harry explained.
"Oh, that's too bad," Ron said, knowing that his father and other siblings would have loved to go to the final as well, but considering how expensive he imagined the tickets to be, that would be a pipe dream. "Still, awesome of Sirius to get us tickets. I bet for the best seats as well."
"Daddy will most certainly be in the press box to report on it," Luna said while putting aside the miniature mousetrap. "He will be very happy that I can train my skill as a reporter by watching the game as well. Daddy can a bit single-minded at times and not see the whole."
Considering what they knew of Xenophilius Lovegood, that was a very distinct possibility.
"By the way, have you all heard? Percy already got a job even with the results of his NEWTs being so fresh," Ginny then said, having heard about that only today.
"Already?" Hermione wondered. "Who hires straight out of school? And Bill and Charlie don't count, since they had made arrangements months in advance."
"Not only him, but Penelope as well. They were trying to hush it up, but let it slip their job will start sometime in late August. I'm actually relieved for Percy, since after what happened to him it had looked like no one would hire him," Ginny explained what she knew.
"Really, what is their job?" Ron asked his sister, actually happy that things looked up for Percy after having gotten his face scarred by Greyback.
"No idea. Both of them refused to reveal anything. I bet Mum and Dad know, but good luck getting them to reveal it,"Ginny said, knowing too well that their parents were good at keeping secrets when they wanted to.
"Really weird. I would have thought Percy would rub this under Fred's and George's noses to remind them that only hard work rewards you with success or something like that," Ron thought aloud. "Well, he'll tell us soon enough."
"Ron, didn't you mention that you'll be in a national chess tournament for our age group next month?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, I did all of the paperwork and the qualifying games are in a few days. Why do you ask?" Ron asked, noticing that Hermione seemed unnaturally interested, considering how often she lost at chess against him.
"If you make it to the final round, can I be there as well?" she asked.
"Sure, but why do you ask?" Ron wondered.
Hermione blushed a tiny bit, hoping Ron wouldn't notice. "I want to be there as moral support."
Ginny and Luna both knew that there was more to it than that. Despite their different personalities, Hermione had grown quite fond of Ron, but with both of them being young teenagers, it was bound to be awkward. That was her way to show an interest in his life and while Ron obviously didn't get the meaning behind it, he nonetheless appreciated the thought.
"Wow... you already think I get that far?" Ron clearly felt flattered. "Should I make it, I will invite you."
Right at that moment the door of their compartment was opened. They did recognize some muggleborn students who had went through the preschool, Colin Creevey being at the front of them. "Uhm, guys, can we have a word with you?" Colin, who clearly was speaking for the group, asked them.
The six friends looked at each other, before Harry answered. "Sure, Colin. What can we do for you?"
"See, there is something going through the train with people like us and we thought we better ask if you can give us advice..."
The Hogwarts Express moved on.
Hours later a group of parents and guardians was waiting on platform 9¾ of King's Cross for the train to arrive. Right at the moment however they had time to spare and thus the women of the group talked about their favorite topic of the recent weeks - Jean Granger expecting to give birth to her second child next month.
Jean herself however was a bit less enthusiastic about her pregnancy at the moment. "I honestly don't remember the back pains and needing to go to the bathroom this often when I carried Hermione to term. Granted, I was fourteen years younger when I did that, so either I forgot some of the discomfort or I'm showing my age."
"At least you are in good company. All of us after all went through pregnancy at least once," Pandora Lovegood said, then looked to Molly Weasley. "And some many more times."
"Considering you went through this six times, you must be made of really stern stuff," Jean told Molly, making no secret how impressed she was.
"Well, it was not easy, let me tell you that..." Molly said, noticing that Pandora was listening intently, making her wonder if there was something going on.
The men stood a few meters apart, knowing exactly what the women were talking about.
"While I'm very happy about becoming a father a second time, there's no way I will be pulled into one of those talks. I was suckered into multiple of those when Jean was pregnant with Hermione and that was a lesson to me," Ian Granger said while watching the women talk.
"All of us learn that lesson at one point," Thomas said, remembering when it happened to him. He then looked to Remus, the only non-father of the group. "Sorry, Remus. Though, I did hear something about a certain woman starting to get you around?"
The men gave Remus knowing smiles when seeing him blush. Remus then looked around. "I still feel a little uncomfortable. Quite a lot of unfriendly eyes here."
There was something to that, since numerous parents from families which had supported Voldemort in the last war were looking to Remus with unconcealed dislike. The Malfoys especially made no secret of it, perhaps due to the fact that Remus was in a group with Muggles and blood-traitors. It was pretty obvious the Malfoys felt everyone in the group was the lowest dirt possible.
-Tuuuuuuut- Thankfully, it was at that moment that the train arrived, causing the platform to spring to life.
Students started to flood out of the train, greeted a bit more enthusiastically than normal by the parents, which was understandable considering what happened just a month ago. During all the greetings however, numerous students started to talk with their parents about something and after some moments there was a lot of movement.
"One of you are expecting company?" Veronica asked when seeing that a really big group of parents and students was homing in on them.
"Oh, don't worry Aunt Verni," Harry told her. "This is all about a good thing."
"I do recognize a lot of them. They are students that went through the preschool and their parents," Remus then said, now actually having an idea what this could be about.
"Mr. Lupin?" Mrs. Creevey finally said, speaking for everyone. "While we already are thankful for you preparing our children for Hogwarts, they did tell us how good of a teacher you are and that despite the circumstances, and we all know what it means, you did not hesitate to come up to their defense. You did not deserve to be treated like you were."
"Uh, eh... thanks, but everyone would have..." Remus honestly was a bit at a loss how to react.
"No, you deserve the recognition. And should your government ever get their heads out of their arses, then they will realize how much they lost by pressuring you into leaving." That said, Mrs. Creevey started to applaud and the other parents and their children followed suit.
Remus was honestly moved by this display of support.
Certain pure-blood parents and their children on the other hand watched the whole display with disgust, all of it feeding into their prejudice that Muggles are primitive and have no idea what they are talking about, reinforcing the feeling that they had to change things soon.
to be continued...
End of Book II
Next Episode:
"The Summer of Change"
Notes:
Here the notes.
First, like I said at the top, the next chapter will only be published in four weeks, meaning Chapter 38 will be released at March 19th. I simply need the time to write far enough ahead, since I would rather make one pause in order to then keep a regular schedule.
I hope you like me showing how vile Umbridge is, and also how she got derailed and and humiliated and many of the students express how little they think of her. This of course will come back up in year 5 and cause further issues with her. In the wake of it we do see Remus finally starting to get serious with Dora and what actually happened to those infected. Needless to say, that will cause international tensions.
We do see part of the aftermath, and also the depressing truth that our friends had already experienced WORSE things, thus why they are not as affected as others. I felt the scene in Hagrid's hut was needed for proper closure. Also, as you can guess, there almost certainly will nothing ever happen between Astoria and Draco (the whole thing came out of the blue in canon anyway).
More about the aftermath of the whole mess. Greyback does spell out what his consolation prize is, and he's not wrong about it - the damage is most certainly done. And even more aftermath from the MI-X and Dumbledore.
And of course a look ahead for year 4...