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 two main pairings to differ from canon. However, the path to them certainly will be quite different. I also want to try and subvert certain plots and things that became common in the fandom over the years.
I do my normal rythm of publishing every second Saturday, until the year is complete. Then the story will go on hiatus again to give me time to write ahead so I can have a publishing schedule.
I'll try to answer all my reviews, since I do like the feedback for improvement. So please tell me your thoughts on the story in reviews. I would appreciate it. The more feedback I get, the more I can improve the story even further.
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Chapter 55: Ugly Surprise in Pink
"Hagrid, do you think Karkus will have agreed to our proposal?" Maxime asked while they packed up their tent to return to the giant colony.
"Don't see why not. He certainly sounded interested and also looked impressed by our gifts," Hagrid answered while rolling up the tent to then put it into his backpack.
"Oui... but have have a strange feeling." While she said that, Maxime looked to the direction of the colony.
Both of them were on a mission. Concerned that Voldemort surely would try to recruit other marginalized magical creatures for his forces - despite the fact that the Death Eater despised them as well - Dumbledore had enlisted both their help to try and prevent the Death Eaters getting to the giants first. There was only one colony of giants left in the world and even their number was dwindling due to them killing each other.
Such was the price for cultivating a culture of violence and wickedness - it nowadays was biting the giants in the ass and they very well were about to exterminate themselves. But there were still enough of them left to be a serious threat, so both of them had traveled the normal way through Europe until finding the colony in the Ural mountains.
The Gurg - the leader - Karkus had listened with interest to their proposal after being impressed with their gifts. Granted, Karkus was a lazy bastard who mainly laid by a lake and ordered other giants to serve him and his family, but you couldn't be picky. Both of them could count themselves lucky they had worked hard to learn as much as possible of the giant language at Maxime's insistence - though it was helped by the fact that their language was not overly complicated - since Karkus didn't speak a lick of English.
Karkus, unlike the other giants, seemed at least aware that they had moved to the brink of extinction, so keeping his people alive instead of entering a war looked to be the better option to him. They kept silent about knowing that only about 80 individuals - especially with their brutal habits - did not make a sufficient population base and that the giants were already doomed.
"And Hagrid, you look more interested in spending time with your newfound brother," Maxime then added, looking a bit concerned about that development.
Hagrid knew he had no defense. "Eh... yes. But can you blame me?"
Maxime sighed. "Not really, though it better won't compromise our mission. The other giants seem to dislike you associating with him and actually giving him attention."
That was the thing. Hagrid also had accepted the mission since he wanted to learn more of his family history. His mother Fridwulfa had left his father when Hagrid had been three years old and returned to the colony. He'd wanted to learn more and found out she had died in the meantime. However, she'd had another son with a giant before that happened.
The other giants however had little good to say about his half-brother named Grawp, though not due to any fault on Grawp's side. Fridwulfa had left him as well due to him also not being as big as was expected of a giant and Grawp had grown into an embittered outsider in the colony, bullied by others and excluded from social activities. Grawp's life essentially sucked.
Granted, sixteen feet might be a giant in human terms, but to a giant that was small. Of course Grawp had been rather mistrustful of Hagrid after his bad life experiences, but at the same time he was craving someone actually being interested in him. Thus his up to this point unknown half-brother was something that finally was pulling Grawp out of his miserable existence as an object of mocking.
Finally having packed up, they started their trek to the colony.
However, when they didn't see the normal guards, they already got a feeling something was up. That feeling only became worse when hearing loud noise and screams - screams that clearly came from giants. Now concerned, they started to run in order to see what was going on. When they came close to Karkus' cave however, they were greeted with a terrifying sight.
Kakus was dead - his head cut off his body and put onto a wooden stake. That however was not the worst of it. Some distance away were two other dead giants, their heads having been beaten into paste.
They also were witness to a horrible spectacle. An especially ugly giant, who was splattered with blood, was watching with a grin while Karkus' wife and daughter were being beaten to death by a group of giants in the most brutal way possible. Blood was flying everywhere during this, painting everyone involved in red.
Hagrid and Maxime watched all of this in horror, having a feeling that this was no coincidence. Hagrid then saw Grawp watch the whole thing from a distance and walked over to him. "Grawp?"
Grawp didn't take his eyes off the terrible spectacle. "Haggers?... Haggers, me be afraid... Never before saw like this," Grawp managed to stammer in his broken speech, never having properly learned the language of the giants due to his social status.
"What is wrong with him?" Maxime asked, being surprised to see a giant looking that afraid.
"I think he never was exposed to much of the really bad violence in the colony because he was an outsider. Must be a shock to see other giants being outright murdered in front of him."Hagrid watched how his half-brother got more and more horrified by the moment.
Finally, the terrible act was over, Karkus' wife and daughter being brutally ripped apart. The ugly giant then announced to the colony "I am Golgomath. Defeated the weak Karkus in battle! His few remaining supporters have fled! I am the strongest of giants!" Hearing that, the other giants bowed to him, recognizing his power.
Golgomath then looked over to Hagrid and Maxime. "You. No deal."
"Why no deal? We willing to give you same conditions as Karkus," Maxime asked while not liking how things were looking. She had a feeling there was more behind this.
Golgomath actually laughed. "Other wizzie gave Golgomath a way better deal. Gave many fine gifts."
It was only then when they saw someone appear from behind Golgomath. "McNair!" Hagrid had recognized the man instantly. Him being the Ministry's executioner of beasts had made Hagrid dislike him intensely.
"Hogwarts' beast lover and the Headmistress of Beauxbatons. Well, you are too late and the Dark Lord will be most interested in this." McNair then took hold of the axe he always carried with him. "Of course, it's not like we can allow you to leave alive."
Golgomath then howled and pointed at them.
Seeing the giants slowly approach them with their huge clubs drawn, they realized their situation was becoming critical. Hagrid saw Maxime reach for her wand and knew what was about to happen. He then looked to Grawp, who instead of acting like a stereotypical giant looked ready to freak out.
"Grawp, when I say so, run," Hagrid warned him.
-zap!- Right then Maxime threw a wordless blinding spell; a bright flash causing the approaching giants to howl, dropping their weapons to cover their eyes. "NOW, RUN!"
Grawp did exactlly that and ran after Hagrid and Maxime, his sheer fear of being killed driving him. Behind them screams and howls of anger erupted from the giants, who were slowly starting to fight off their temporary blindness. They knew, very soon the giants would catch up with them and beat them to death, unless they would do something. This was a real emergency and thankfully Dumbledore had planned ahead for such an eventuality.
While running, Hagrid reached into one of the many pockets of his coat and fished out something that looked like an amber fish, using his other hand to press the tip of his wand against it. "Olympe, I've primed it!"
"Goodness, I hope that emergency portkey works!" Maxime gasped.
Dumbledore had felt that in case things went south, Hagrid and Maxime needed a quick escape route. So had had created a highly illegal international portkey that would deposit them right back next to Hagrid's hut at Hogwarts. It was one-use only and had to be manually primed first, but it now was their best option to escape being beaten to death.
"If you want to live, touch fish with us!" Maxime called to Grawp while already feeling the tremors from the giants catching up with them.
All three of them touched the amber fish and just when the giants were about to catch up with them, all three of them vanished from the Ural mountains.
o
"Rubeus, sometimes it feels like you are intentionally making my life difficult," Dumbledore sighed while thinking about the situation at hand.
"That honestly was not intentional..." Hagrid honestly didn't want to give the Headmaster even more headaches than the man already got, but now it was too late for regrets.
Grawp thankfully had felt the need to hide in the forest, but that only was a temporary solution and they knew permanent arrangements had to be found. Right at the moment Dumbledore was walking with Hagrid and Maxime through the forest to find the giant - not a very difficult task due to his size - and try to find out where to go from here. Thankfully, Dumbledore also spoke enough of the giant language that he could communicate with Grawp.
"I don't blame you, Rubeus. From all you told me, I know the situation was dire enough," Dumbledore reassured Hagrid.
"That is putting it mildly. Thanks to that McNair person, the giants are now working for Voldemort." Maxime was not happy with that failure. "I can only imagine the damage those brutes can cause once they are being deployed."
"That is a sad fact..." Dumbledore knew that since the Ministry was useless, he should better tell the Prime Minister about this development, since it could help to save lives.
Ever since learning of the government's own efforts in form of the MI-X, Dumbledore had been reevaluating several things. The whole thing had been a surprise to him as well, leaving him baffled at the sheer level of secrecy. It was unsettling for him to realize the government was preparing for a worst case that very well could shatter Magical Britain and take the secrecy with it. However, considering the trajectory of years past, preparing for that possible outcome was wise.
However, that had to wait for the moment when Grawp came into sight.
Some time later, Hagrid and Maxime were walking back towards the castle.
"I had no idea that Dumbledore is that good at negotiations," Maxime said with respect, having watched the man carefully explaining the situation to Grawp and having managed to convince the giant of the need to start a new life.
"Great man, Dumbledore. Poor Grawp only now has realized how his life has changed. But seeing first hand what happened to Karkus and his family scared him so much he doesn't actually want to go back." Hagrid knew it would be difficult for his half-brother to get used to his new circumstances.
"Now that this is over... Rubeus, you know I have to return to Beauxbatons soon. I can not shirk my duties," Maxime reminded Hagrid.
Hagrid sighed. "I knew it would happen, but I didn't look forward to it."
"I will be honest. Rubeus, you are making me more happy than I've ever been before. The sad thing is, we live in two different countries and neither of us can neglect their duties." Maxime knew this was a sad fact of reality.
"I know... However, I won't give up on you!" Hagrid looked quite determined. "I know I'll be busy as a teacher. But when I'm not busy, I will make time for you."
Maxime felt touched how determined Hagrid was to make it work. She knew she could expect him to travel to her in future summers and Christmas seasons. When Hagrid's hut came in sight, she made a decision. "However, soon does not mean right away. After all, it's still summer, schools are closed and we deserve a break after what happened. I know you can give a woman a few wonderful days."
Hagrid knew what she meant, and especially what she wanted right now. Both of them entered his hut and moments later Fang ran out of the door. Fang knew what those two were about to do and he wanted no part of it. Witnessing it once had convinced the dog he never wanted to see it again.
...Black mansion in Essex, August 1st...
"What were you told about the whole thing?" Neville asked while they waited at the table. "This most certainly is not like our usual lessons."
"When Mr. Lupin picked me up, he let it slip there were some other things we need to do today." Hermione then looked back down into her notebook, which was filled with strange runes and her notes written next to them. "Honestly, I'm not even beginning to understand the runes they used on the stones that create the protections around our house..."
"And I thought it was me who has taken up Ancient Runes at school," Harry remarked, knowing that Hermione had picked up everything in her free time due to her fascination with runes.
"Just because I haven't taken that elective due to being limited to two of them does not mean I can't acquire the knowledge about it in my leisure time." Hermione traced one of the runes she had drawn. "After all, runes have lots of applications."
"Can we please not talk about things that resemble homework? While we got out of punishments, that was not the end of it. Ginny and me, we were both forced to get our homework done before July was over." Ron shuddered at the memory, his parents having put their foot down regarding that.
"Ron, really..." Ginny started, rolling her eyes.
"Ginny, didn't you complain to me in detail how much work that was whenever I visited you? I am concerned that you might have caught a sickness that makes you take polar opposite positions at the same time," Luna said calmly while sketching an animal that must have come from her imagination.
"Traitor..." Ginny complained quietly.
Yesterday, the celebration of Harry's and Neville's birthdays had been a small and private affair - no comparison to what they did in previous years - due to the current situation. They still had a good time, but it was more subdued than what they were used to.
And now here they were in the Black mansion in Essex, waiting for whatever would come next, now that their Occlumency training for the day was done. It was... slow-going, but they were confident enough that by the start of the school year in one month their skill in it would be passable. Now however they were waiting, while the adults - Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore - were talking.
They did hear what the topic of discussion was.
"...so their attempts on smearing you with the Daily Prophet have only been a half-success?" Remus asked.
"Yes, though not for a lack of trying. I try not to take it personally, but a man can only take that much. Thankfully, due to events and me never claiming Voldemort has returned, public opinion is much more mixed and - sadly - also very polarized," Dumbledore explained.
"How polarized are we talking about?" Sirius wondered, knowing only the broad strokes of the situation.
"Polarized enough that publications outside of the Daily Prophet, which sadly has been reduced to a mouthpiece for the line of the Ministry, are attacking the Ministry in light of a potentially dangerous situation. As for Cornelius himself, his recent humiliation only seems to have spurred him into more frenzied action," Dumbledore explained, knowing how charged public opinion had become.
"I talked to Arthur. Fudge has started to go after Ministry workers he suspects of having an agenda against him, finding flimsy excuses for firing them. And take three guesses who suggests the replacements to him," Remus added.
"Malfoy of course, that's not difficult to know," Sirius said with a sigh. "Good thing you are here instead of trying to convince werewolves to not side with Voldemort."
"That would not have worked anyway. After how Umbridge forced them to go underground, that bridge is long burnt. I would not have made a difference," Remus waved it off.
Remus left unsaid that they knew there was nothing to be gained due to the whole thing with the MI-X. During the whole negotiations between Dumbledore and the Prime Minister, the latter had revealed they had already gotten all werewolves that could still be found and were willing to listen. While that was good for those people, it had made any mission for Remus to stop werewolves from being recruited by Voldemort rather pointless.
That moment the door opened and McGonagall walked in. "-Sigh- I honestly feel like one of those Muggle mail carriers. Ah yes, I see the six of you are all present."
"Oh, hello Professor. We honestly don't know what this is about," Hermione greeted her.
"Why am I not surprised those men didn't tell you? Nonetheless, due to security concerns, it was decided that this year Sirius and Remus would take the six of you as a group to shopping for school supplies. Thus I have your letters right here. Open them carefully, there are surprises in some of them," McGonagall said, pulling out six envelopes.
Now they had become curious. Ron however was the most enthusiastic, ripping open his envelope since he already was expecting something and was not disappointed when besides the letter he fished a badge out of it. "Yes, yes! They promised me they would make me the Captain and they held word!"
It was no surprise to them that Ron had been made the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. After all, Oliver and Angelina had both promised that he would get the position starting with his fifth year. They also knew he had earned it fair and square, proving how his sense for tactics and strategy - which were as sharp on the pitch as they were at a chess board - was exactly what you needed for such a position.
Watching her brother start to caress the badge, Ginny snorted. "Careful, Ron. Better don't get into the habit of polishing your badge and wearing it at all times like Percy did in our first year. Fred and George wouldn't let you hear the end of it."
"Hmpf... you are one to talk. I can see your envelope also is thicker," Ron reminded her.
"It is?" Ginny looked closer and saw it was. Wondering, she opened it and besides the letter also found a badge. "Prefect? I... I am made Prefect?"
"Just like me," Harry told he, showing that he did find the matching male badge in his envelope. "That means the two of us are our year's Gryffindor Prefects?"
"Indeed, both of you are. However, just because the two of you will do the duties together is no invitation for you to slack off," McGonagall reminded them.
"Professor, can I ask...? I mean, I don't doubt she can do the job well, but why Ginny?" Hermione asked, making no secret that she was quite disappointed she had not been selected as the female Prefect.
"Miss Granger, this is no slight against you that Miss Weasley was chosen. For one thing she has an easier time interacting with other students. Also, I did take into account your numerous interests outside of the classroom and reasoned you would not have the time for Prefect duties on top of it," McGonagall explained her reasoning.
"Well, now that I think about it..." Hermione however still looked a bit disappointed.
"Congratulations, Harry! You have earned it," Sirius told his godson.
"This shows how much more mature you are now. I remember your opinion about Prefects during our school days," Remus remarked, causing Sirius to look a bit guilty.
"Eh, wait a minute, weren't you Prefect during your school time, Uncle Remus?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes, I was, and that's why I have to remind Sirius about that," Remus said, enjoying to see Sirius squirm a bit. "I was the good boy; the one who had to help Padfoot and Prongs after they got themselves into trouble. Let me tell you, that had been a full-time job. Hopefully, your friends will be more considerate."
"I'm sort of relieved I didn't get the job. I don't think I would have made a good Prefect," Neville told Luna, feeling the responsibility would have been too much.
"Really? I think with your friendly and approachable personality, you would have made a good Prefect," Luna said.
"While being nice is good, can you see me also asserting my authority?" Neville replied, unable to see himself getting forceful
Luna thought about it for a moment. "No, a Prefect who can't get himself to assert his authority towards first-years would not be very effective. Though it most certainly would be interesting to watch."
Setting his badge aside, Ron then thought about something. "Eh, please tell me Mafloy and Parkinson didn't..."
Dumbledore held up his hands. "Rest assured, Mr. Weasley, that Professor Slughorn isn't that cruel. He of course has been careful in his selection. The Slytherin Prefects are Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass."
"Daphne I can understand, but why Zabini of all people? He wants to do his own thing and mostly keeps to himself," Hermione wondered, knowing Zabini was not the most social person.
"Horace told me that he sees this as a chance for Mr. Zabini to improve his social situation and let him have more meaningful interactions with other students. Also, after three students pretty much couldn't even be considered and Mr. Nott having proclaimed his disinterest in the position in advance, it was either him or Mr. Dursley. Considering what a selection of the latter could cause..." Dumbledore felt he didn't need to continue after that.
Malfoy and those thinking like him would have gotten at fit, Harry thought.
Harry again took a look at his badge while pondering how Dudley being selected would have gotten his cousin into serious danger in Slytherin. "This all sounds like politics in a smaller format."
"It's exactly that, so better get used to it," Remus told Harry, remembering how much it had been that during his time as a Prefect.
Harry and Ginny both hoped it wouldn't be too bad.
...August 16th, the Lovegood home...
"Take a look at Luna. The way she is pacing, she'll wear out the carpet," Ron whispered to his sister.
"Can you blame her? After all, it's her mother who has gone into labor," Ginny reminded her brother. "Though, it's not often to see her being this nervous. Shows how much she actually cares for her family."
"Both of you stop whispering about your friend," Molly told her children, feeling it was disrespectful to the girl. She then looked to the stairs that led to the upper floor. "I wish I could be up there to help. I helped at several childbirths."
"Mrs. Tonks told you she has things under control. Dora's mother is a trained healer and knows what she is doing," Ginny reminded her mother.
"Yes... but still..." Molly clearly disliked having to wait.
Earlier that day Pandora Lovegood had went into labor, and since she had opted for a house birth, had made arrangements in advance for it. Andromeda Tonks had gently insisted to be the healer on site when it was time. Thus she was taking care of Pandora right at the moment; the only other person allowed inside the room being Xenophilius. Everyone else had been told to wait downstairs.
That had been several hours ago. Molly had told her children that a birth can happen really fast, but it also can take considerable time, remembering how Percy's birth had taken most of a day and had left her with little stamina. Ginny had paled a bit when hearing that, her imagination clearly having put herself into that position.
While they continued to wait, Ron took a look around. While Luna's presence was a given, Ginny, his mother and himself were there as moral support. Molly had insisted on coming and Ginny wanted to give support to Luna during these nerve-wrecking hours. Ron wondered a bit why he had come as well - being uneasy about the topic of childbirth ever since that sex-ed lesson including it as a topic in a highly graphic way - though perhaps it was to give his sister some backing.
No one else of the family had been able to come - or wanted to come. Arthur was a work, as was Bill. Charlie was back in Romania and thus unavailable, while Percy was staying with Penelope in London since yesterday. Fred and George had shuddered at the mention of childbirth and excused themselves, causing Ginny to complain they had chickened out due to being squeamish about it.
Suddenly Luna stopped pacing and asked herself "Why am I feeling so uneasy? I know my mother is in good hands, and yet I make myself worry."
"Luna, dear, it's because you care so much for your mother," Molly told the girl. "It would be more concerning were you not nervous."
"I... didn't think of it that way," Luna admitted.
"I remember Hermione telling me how nervous she had been when her mother gave birth to her brother. So relax a bit, it's not that unusual," Ron added. He knew he himself had been way too young at Ginny's birth to even start understand what was going on, thus he had no experience of his own on that.
Luna finally decided to sit down. "I know I'm not like everyone else. Being so openly emotional is... overwhelming for me. Though it has gotten easier. Some years ago I would have been a wreck."
Luna stopped when hearing something, then saw Andromeda walk down the stairs. Andromeda looked relieved when she addressed them. "Mother and child are well. We waited for some time so both of them could recover a bit from the ordeal. Please come with me."
Walking upstairs to the master bedroom, they were greeted with the sight of a very exhausted Pandora holding a small bundle, the woman despite her exhaustion beaming with joy. Xenophilius also looked like he had found ten years of luck and couldn't look away from the newborn baby. It took them both a few moments before they realized they got an audience.
"Ah, Luna! Come here, pumpkin, and greet your new sister!" Xenophilus said with excitement.
Luna walked to the bedside and Pandora presented her newborn daughter to her eldest. "I hope you can be a good big sister for her, Luna. We have decided to call her Selene."
Molly couldn't help but to give a short laugh. "Both of you must be quite taken by the Moon that you name your children after it in one way or another."
Luna meanwhile took a closer look at the newborn Selene. She honestly felt out of her depth about it, though she could feel a certain... urge to be protective of her new sister. Luna gulped when realizing that the dangerous times they were now living in had caused her to develop protective instincts for her family - especially for her helpless baby sister.
This... is very intense, Luna thought, thought the feeling actually was not a bad one at all.
-toc toc toc- Downstairs someone was knocking on the front door. "I'll get rid of whoever it is," Andromeda said with a sigh before walking downstairs.
After less than a minute she however returned, and she was not alone. She was accompanied by McGonagall "Uh, eh, hello Professor. What brings you here?" Ginny asked.
"Mrs. Tonks notified me of the birth and... I felt I should come personally right away to give the parents the news." McGonagall looked a bit uneasy. "I watched the Book of Attendance closely, but no new Lovegood has been written down into it."
It took a few moments for it to sink in, but even the teenagers understood what it meant. Since the book registered all the births of new witches and wizards on the British Isles for future attendance at Hogwarts, not being in the book meant the person in question didn't have magic. It meant little Selene was a squib - a child from magical parents that didn't have magic of its own.
That came with certain implications, since the lot of squibs was not a good one in Magical Britain. Ron and Ginny both remembered a cousin of theirs who also was a squib. The man had become so disgusted with how he'd been treated that he had left magical society altogether and now worked as an accountant in London. It was unsettling to imagine little Selene being confronted with a society that would reject her.
Pandora and Xenophilius however only looked sad for a moment, before returning their attention to Selene. "We won't love her any less. Magic or not, Selene is our daughter and deserves a loving family," Pandora decided.
"Also, we already mostly live magic-free at home. We... we won't make her feel unloved and alien like sadly so many families with squibs do," Xenophilius added.
Seeing how determined her parents looked to give her newborn sister a good and loved life despite her lack of magic, Luna felt pride for them and how they would not let their family get divided.
...September 1st...
Going to the train platform this time was a strange experience. Due to the danger, the adults were literally escorting them as a group, always on the lookout for possible trouble. Normally, teenagers would have balked at this, but after almost getting murdered by a psychopath and his followers the wish for security was all too understandable.
"Strange that your cousin declined coming along with us," Alice Longbottom commented to Harry while they walked to the train station.
Harry shook his head. "Dudley felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea. Since his mother can't accompany him to the train due to her healing injuries, his girlfriend's family decided to take him along."
Even after Petunia had been released from the hospital - and thus allowed Dudley to move back into his house - the extent of her injuries had forced Dudley to pick up the slack in the house, causing the boy to realize the sheer amount of work it was to keep a house in order. Harry could honestly say his cousin had been quite humbled by that realization.
"I honestly didn't think I would ever feel sorry for Petunia. But after what happened and is still to come..." Thomas was playing at the fact that Petunia was most likely to lose the house once she would separate from Vernon.
They walked into King's Cross and noticed something. "There doesn't seem to be any increased security... at least from the magical side," Hermione remarked while looking around.
Indeed, while she would have expected discreet Aurors to make sure that the students were safe while walking to the platform, she didn't she any of that. However, what she did see was a noticeably higher number of bobbys in the station - quite a bit more than normal. It looked like the government had given discreet orders to ensure security in the train station was risen on this particular day.
"We have Fudge to thank for that. Since he reasons there is no widespread danger, he feels security in the station or on the train isn't needed.," Sirius explained, having heard of that through his channels.
"That man's willful ignorance is just as much a danger to society as direct violence," Diane added, finding the whole thing downright disgusting. Fudge acted like the students had not been in danger on the train back to London.
"You don't seem to be the only one to feel the anger about that," Ron commented after they had passed through the barrier.
On the platform itself there was a tense atmosphere and many parents were in heated discussion; the louder ones complaining openly why there was no security on the platform and some even loudly cursing the Minister. It was pretty obvious that Fudge had earned himself the enmity of a number of parents by not caring about the safety of their children. It almost was like the Minister was aiming at ticking off people with his short-sighted actions.
"The Minister is not very smart to anger so many people," Luna remarked, observing everything with interest.
"Maybe he thinks the number of parents currently having children at Hogwarts is small enough it won't matter?" Neville guessed.
That caused Frank to give a short laugh. "Shows how shortsighted he is. This won't only anger parents with children currently at Hogwarts, but also those who had them there recently or will have in the near future. However, if he wants to bet on only childless people and old farts supporting him..."
Sirius then looked around. "Of course not everyone is unsettled about this. Look how calm they are."
They did spot serveral of the usual suspects who were suspiciously calm about the entire thing - most likely knowing that their children were not in any danger of being murdered by Death Eaters. They did spot Narcissa Malfoy observing the crowd with open indifference while Draco smirked like he knew something that others didn't.
"Of course they know they are not in any danger. Too bad it's innocent until proven guilty," Ginny grumbled, having a feeling this was a bad sign right there.
"I'm more confused why the doors of the train are still closed," Ron wondered, noticing that the train is still empty.
"May I have your attention?"
Many did recognize the voice and looked to the train. Indeed, there stood the small Professor Flitwick in one of the doors to the train. He was standing on a small step-ladder so everyone could see him. It was a bit of a surprise to see him here, considering that normally this was a no-teachers affair - Remus riding the train had been an exception.
Seeing he caused the crowd to go silent, Flitwick then continued. "Thank you very much. As you have already noticed, despite the incident at the start of summer, the Ministry of Magic has not deemed it necessary to send security along with the train."
Hearing the grumbles of anger, Flitwick knew this was a sore spot for many parents. "I know, this is most disappointing considering how concerned you are about the security of your children. In order to ensure security on the journey, we Hogwarts teachers took it upon ourselves to create said security. Besides the Hogwarts security advisor Mr. Alastor Moody, a name many of you are familiar with, several of us teachers are riding along as well."
There were sighs of relief. Mr. Moody was known to be a fearsome fighter - when the ambush had happened he'd simply had the bad luck of not having other experienced people along - and the fact that Flitwick was one of the teachers riding on the train also helped. His reputation as fierce fighter had risen a lot after news of him defeating a group of werewolves all on his own had reached the public.
The doors to the train then opened and students started to board it, now looking more reassured of their safety.
"Now, Harry, Ginny, I hope I won't have to tell the two of you to take your Prefect duties seriously," Molly reminded both teenagers.
"Mum..." Ginny tried not ot roll her eyes, having heard this several times already. "Percy told me in all detail what I have to do. We are mainly there to help the younger students and keep up order. Don't expect me to put on the badge until we are in the train."
"As for me, Uncle Remus was more than happy to tell me about his experiences as a Prefect and of my duties. Considering how he constantly had to keep his friends out of trouble, I can only have it easier." Harry gave Sirius a knowing look, causing the man to look a bit guilty at the excesses of his youth.
There were a few more goodbyes before the teenagers boarded the train.
They quickly found themselves a compartment and made themselves at home before pulling down the window for some final goodbyes before the train started. For some moments they stayed at the window before closing it and preparing for the long train rise to Hogwarts.
"I do feel safer with teachers on the train. To be honest, after what happened, I probably will never again feel fully secure on the train," Hermione admitted while letting Crookshanks out of his carrier.
"All too understandable... Oh, damn, Pig!" Ron cursed when his owl started to make a ruckus. Ron then pulled out the ugly dress robes from his trunk and threw them over his owl's cage. In a bizarre way, using those robes as a blanket always seemed to calm the owl down.
"I have no idea what Mum was thinking when she got me those ugly things, but they do make a good blanket for Pig," Ron said when seeing his owl most likely had gone to sleep.
Harry then noticed Hedwig looking resigned. "Girl, try not to let this get to you. Ron's owl has proven last year that he is present when his help is truly needed." Seeing the white owl close her eyes for a nap of her own, Harry added "It never gets boring with an owl in the house."
"You don't have to tell me. We after all have four owls. Errol is enjoying his retirement and nothing shocks him anymore. But Trigon seems to be in a constant cold war with Hermes and Pigwidgeon when they are home. That owl seems to be quite elitist," Ginny said, remembering the attitude of the Weasley family owl.
"Harry, Ginny, don't forget you have to go to the Prefect carriage and get instructions on what to do," Hermione then reminded her friends.
Ginny sighed. "Well, I guess that comes with the job." She then pinned her badge to her shit, seeing Harry do the same. Then both of them left to start their new duties.
"I hope they take their duties seriously. Many of the first-years depend on them," Hermione said after the compartment door had closed.
"Hermione, relax. Harry and Ginny have always proven to be reliable when it counts," Ron tried to soothe her worries.
"It will be interesting to observe how they will deal with the authority given to them," Luna remarked while opening the newest edition of the Quibbler. "Mmmhhh... I wonder if Daddy wrote about the Minister's dark secrets?"
"Considering how he's acting at the moment, I doubt any secret he has will stay sec..." Hermione stopped when seeing what Neville had pulled out of his school bag. "Neville, what is that?"
Neville had pulled a small potted plant out of his bag that looked like gray cactus, but with boils instead of spines. "Nice, isn't it? I got it for my birthday - though my parents gave it to me after the party back at home - and it's called Mimbulus mimbletonia. It has some really interesting properties."
"How nice..." Hermione said with a slight grimace. While she acknowleged that Herbology was very important, she had lost some enthusiasm for it after her second year and some of the more bizarre plants - with the Mandrakes being the worst.
Hermione and Ron were clueless, but Luna did remember an incident in the school's greenhouses. Seeing how Neville was about to poke the plant with a quill, she protested quickly "Neville, don't do that!"
It was too late. The plant suddenly ejected a stream of slimy goo in Luna's direction. She managed to use the Quibbler as a shield at the last moment - otherwise it would have hit her square in the face. "I did remember what happened in the greenhouses." She then looked in displeasure at her ruined Quibbler, the sap sprayed onto the pages.
"Oh dear... Luna, that was not my intention!" Neville babbled in embarrassment, only now remembering the incident that had seen them being covered in stinksap.
Hermione pulled out her wand and tried to vanish the sap from the magazine, but while she managed to remove it, it also vanished two pages. Luna looked in disappointment at the magazine. "Now I can no longer read about the secrets."
Ron might be a bit clueless about other things, but he did understand the look Luna was giving Neville. Sorry, man, but you got into the dog house on your own. Better start to grovel to her...
o
Dudley watched the buildings of outer London go by while absentmindedly petting Millicent's cat Archimedes. Said cat clearly was enjoying the attention he was being given. Daphne had excused herself some time ago, saying she needed to attend the Prefects' meeting, leaving him and Millicent alone in the compartment.
Millicent looked a bit amused at how accepting Archimedes was of Dudley, since her cat was quite picky when it came to people. "Considering your mother never allowed you to have a pet, you are good at that."
Dudley only now seemed to realize what he was doing but didn't stop. "Yeah, Mum's need for a clean house didn't allow for any pets. ... I still feel a bit bad that I'm not there to help her."
"She does have someone to help her until she's recovered from her injuries. You told me you had to fight for that before she would accept it," Millicent reminded Dudley.
Dudley did remember. It had taken serious work to convince his mother to accept him paying a household helper for the time while he was at school and her injuries were still healing. Petunia hated feeling useless, but in the end had to accept she was not in any condition to do the work herself.
"Mum does have her pride." Dudley then allowed the cat to hop off his lap. "I'm more concerned that soon enough I very likely won't any longer have a home."
Millicent knew that was a serious concern. Dudley had told her that Grunnings had not wanted to have a man in a top position who was dead-sure to get a conviction for domestic violence and assault. They had fired Vernon in absentia, cutting all ties with him as fast as they legally could. That of course meant no more income and they had to live from what was there. Thankfully, the accounts were in Petunia's name as well and the house already was paid off.
"I know this is all depressing..." Millicent sat down next to Dudley, leaning into him. "Maybe I can distract you, even if only for a moment, from all of that?"
Dudley blushed a little, remembering how they had trained their snogging ever since the Yule Ball. However, he was a bit shy about doing that on the train. "Now?"
Millicent had confessed to him that ever since Voldemort's return - and they knew this as a fact thanks to their friends - she got a times nighmares of what had happened to her with that damn diary and the chamber. Dudley comforting her when she was distressed had resulted in them becoming even closer over the summer, though they had tried to be discreet about it.
Suddenly Millicent held onto Dudley, her being so close he could feel her breath on his face. "There is no time like the present..." She came closer and closer...
However, the moment never came when the door was suddenly slammed open, revealing Draco and Pansy.
They both looked repulsed at seeing the closeness Dudley and Millicent were sharing. Draco then snorted with open revulsion "Bulstrode, the sheer speed with which you go full blood-traitor is simply disgusting."
Millicent growled at being interrupted during such a tender moment. "Malfoy, Parkinson. What do you want?!"
Draco and Pansy looked, if anything, really smug. It was like they knew something others didn't. Pansy for her part chuckled dryly. "Better enjoy the train ride and snogging that trash, Bulstrode. There won't be much else for you and your mudblood boyfriend to enjoy this year."
Dudley tried to not let that insult get to him. "Do the two of you have anything of substance to say, or is this you just marking your territory?"
Those two however didn't take the bait. "You should think about the future, Dursley. Don't think Slughorn can protect you for much longer. The turning point is coming and I'll enjoy getting even with you."
"What do you mean with that?" Millicent asked, finding that behavior alarming.
"No, that's for you to find out," Pansy told her with a mean grin. "It's enough for you to know that the House of Slytherin soon enough will be cleaned up and brought into line."
"Until then, losers..." Draco said as parting words, before they left, closing the door.
The short confrontation got Dudley worried. "Remember what Zabini told us? That must be part of it."
Millicent remembered that battle lines have been drawn inside Slytherin. "Yes, and these two rats know something, but they of course are not telling. Whatever it is, they are clearly anticipating it."
"You think we should tell Harry?" Dudley asked, not wanting Harry and his friends to be blindsided by whatever it was.
Millicent knew Dudley had a point. "Let's wait until Daphne is back before we do that..."
o
The meeting in the Prefect carriage had thankfully not taken more than an hour. It essentially involved the Headboy and Headgirl introduce everyone to each other and then explain the duties on the train and over the year. For now it was not too difficult; just patrol the train a bit and ensure the students behaved. Of course Harry and Ginny knew that ensuring other students would behave at times could get difficult.
"Well, that was easier than expected," Ginny said in relief when they were on the way back to their compartment.
Harry agreed with Ginny's summary. "Not much that can go wrong on the train. We just have to check if the peace is being kept. Though, remembering the visits we got from Malfoy in earlier years..."
"Ah yes, considering him we can be glad neither him nor that cow Parkinson were made Prefect. Thank all goodness Slughorn put his foot down on that," Ginny said with relief, not wanting to imagine those two in a position of power, regardless how small.
There was silence for some moments, before Harry asked "Eh... Ginny. You know we were kept so busy whenever we met during the summer..."
Ginny chuckled when hearing that. "Harry, don't you think I didn't think about that as well? I really want that kiss not to stay a singular event."
"You know, being Prefect also means some patrols in the evening. Just the two of us..." Harry knew they were both a bit awkward about it, but he hoped that would become less over time.
"Well, I heard some interesting things from Percy about the bathroom the Prefects are allowed to use. The one with an actual swimming pool." She then saw Harry giving her an interesting look. "Of course you read about it in the letter. Just don't expect skinny-dipping. I don't think my courage is high enough for that yet."
Harry saw the slight blush Ginny was sporting. "Eh, yes. Let's better keep it at getting better at snogging for now."
Good, I was not joking when I said I don't have that kind of courage yet, Ginny thought. Though, trying to get better at snogging in a broom closet...
They then saw a welcome face arrive from the other end of the train car. "Oh, hello Hagrid! You're one of the teachers guarding the train?" Harry greeted the tall man.
"Hello Harry, Ginny! Yes, even volunteered, though it meant having to secure the boats yesterday on the shore." Hagrid then noticed the badges they were wearing. "Ohoo, both of you have gotten responsibilities. McGonagall did good in selecting both of you."
"You think we can do a good job?" Ginny asked.
"Being a Prefect is not just about keeping order. It's also about caring for the younger years," Hagrid explained, having seen many of those over the years. "Both of you care for others. I'm sure you'll do well."
"Who else is on the train besides you?" Harry wondered.
Hagrid scratched his bearded chin. "Hm, let's see... Flitwick you have clearly seen. Moody is of course here, considering his mistrust towards certain students. There's also Vector and Burbage. We all volunteered to keep you safe during the journey. I need to go, but I'll surely see you on duty."
They soon parted ways again. Returning to their compartment, they let themselves fall into the seats. They then noticed Neville being busy with reading things from the Quibbler to Luna.
"Do we want to know?" Ginny asked.
"Nah, Neville is just making up for something," Ron waved it off while trying to solve a chess puzzle.
"How was it?" Hermione asked.
"Nothing really out of the ordinary. Daphne and Zabini were there as expected. For Hufflepuff there were Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott. Ravenclaw was Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil." Harry then reached for some juice. "Thank all goodness Malfoy and Parkinson didn't get the job."
"Alone the idea of them being in a position of authority is causing me stomach cramps," Hermione said with a slight grimace, imagining the abuse of authority that would entail.
-wham!- The door suddenly was yanked open. As if they had spoken of the devil, Draco and Pansy were standing there.
Draco looked in disgust at the badges Harry and Ginny were wearing. "What a joke that the likes of you are being given such responsibilities."
"Any particular reason you are invading our compartment?" Hermione had little patience with such behavior.
"Only to give you a warning. Don't think you can hold power over us for much longer. Oh yes, things will change very soon, and then we'll put you into your places once and for all," Pansy said ominously with a hint of venom.
Hermione had noticed Pansy looking at her the entire time, which was little wonder, since the girl was holding a special hatred for her. "Is that a threat?"
"No, it's a promise. Of course we won't tell you how, when and where. Don't want to ruin the surprise." The smug grin which Pansy now was showing looked alarming.
"Yes, you'll soon regret humiliating us like you did." With that said, Draco closed the door.
There was some silence in the compartment before Ron snorted. "It's almost like they waited until both of you are back before they would accost us."
Neville then asked the question. "What do you guys think of that? Was that hot air or is there more behind it?"
"It would be foolish not to take such threats seriously," Luna said while cleaning her glasses. "They know something which we don't."
That moment the door was opened yet again, but thankfully it was Dudley. "Guys, there's something I need to tell you."
"Eh, Dudley, let me me guess. Malfoy and Parkinson invaded your compartment as well?" Harry asked, as if already knowing the answer.
"Yes... yes, they did. However, it was a bit worrying." Dudley knew not to dismiss those two as a threat after what they had pulled last year. "They said the turning point is coming, that Slytherin will be brought into line and that Slughorn won't be able to protect me."
Hermione's eyes narrowed while taking in all of it, not even noticing Crookshanks hopping onto her lap. "I don't like that at all. That they hint there'll be something that can undermine Slughorn's power as the Head of Slytherin... We better tell the adults."
"You think Voldemort is using Malfoy and Parkinson to try and hurt us in some way?" Neville wonderd, feeling after what they had witnessed about Voldemort, that would be right up his alley.
Dudley didn't blink an eye when hearing that. After the events of the second year, he was well aware that Voldemort wasn't dead, and they had told him and his friends without hesitation that Voldemort was very active again. Though, he had no idea what the Bulstrodes and Greengrasses would do with those news after their daughters had told them.
Hermione shuddered at the mere idea. "Maybe, but let's be careful and first try to see wat is going on."
...at the evening...
It was dark when the train arrived at Hogwarts and the cloudy sky only helped to make it even darker. They talked during the carriage ride towards the castle.
"I honestly had no idea how big of a job it is to organize everything at arrival; not to speak of directing the new first-years. Thank all goodness the older Prefects helped and for Hagrid to quickly take the firsties off our hands." Harry looked like he was starting to have a few second thoughts about his new position.
"Oh, come on, Harry..." Ginny rolled her eyes at his belly-arching.
"Interesting to observe that Ginny is adapting much better to having authority," Luna said, being reminded why she would have been useless for the job.
Ron chuckled when hearing that. "Oh, I think it's because deep inside Ginny likes to boss others around. Others that are not us, that is."
"Ron!" Her outburst was fueled by the realization that her brother had hit dead-center with that.
Sooner than expected they had reached the castle and it didn't take long for them to walk into the brightly illuminated great hall, the hovering candles giving off the usual festive atmosphere. However, it still was like there was a shadow over the school, and the light given off by the candles looked redder than normal. It was after the students were seated at the house tables, that something else became apparent.
"Guys, look at that. Those gaps outside of the sections for firsties," Ron had observed, feeling disturbed by the sight.
"Some parents must have pulled their children out of Hogwarts. Not that I can blame them after what happened with Cedric and then the attack on the train, but it's concerning," Hermione said, knowing that had she never met her friends, her parents most likely would have pulled her out as well.
"People, look at the teachers..." Harry told them.
They did and right away knew something was wrong. The mood at the faculty table was bad - and that so obvious that even a blind man with a cane could see it. Even more concerning was the freshly arrived teachers being told something and their mood darkening right on the spot as well - even Hagrid's. Also, there was an empty seat as well.
"Not that it would impact us any longer, but I don't see the Defense professor of this year," Ginny realized who was missing, since all other professors were accounted for.
"Maybe the Headmaster found no one wanting to do the job? It's not like people are standing in line for it," Neville wondered.
"No..." Luna sported a strange expression, as if realizing something. "There is more behind that."
However, their discussion was cut short when other housemates spoke up.
"My Ma was really reluctant to send me back here," Seamus said, also having noticed how others had not returned. "She... she also reads the Daily Prophet."
Harry rolled his eyes when hearing that. "So you say she believes all of that crap which is written about the Headmaster, Uncle Sirius and myself? Even after that complete train wreck of an attempt to get us convicted of something?"
Seamus looked quite embarrassed at Harry bringing it to the point like that. "Eh... yes. Don't get me wrong, she's my Ma... but she likes to go with the flow."
Harry did his best not not dump how annoyed he was onto Seamus. "Look, I know why the Ministry is going after the Headmaster and Uncle Sirius. However, Fudge has that strange grudge against me for really petty reasons. The Ministry are preying on people like your mother, who don't question what they are being presented by the media."
"Well, that's what Dad said in their big spat..." Seamus knew his father, not being a wizard, was much more versed in seeing political bullshit.
At a different part of the table meanwhile, Fred and George were being grilled by some members of the Quidditch team.
"There were some, let's say, interesting rumors about both of you having some kind of agreement..." Angelina said, giving George especially interesting looks. "Why didn't you tell us both of you are getting ready to become businessmen after school?"
"How did you know?" George wondered. They had not spoken about the contract they had made with Sirius concerning the joke shop.
Angelina snorted. "Please, you might have said nothing, but such things don't stay secret forever. So, what's the deal?"
"We're getting a business partner... but our parents put into the contract that we really have to give it our all for our NEWTs," Fred explained, not looking forward to that grindstone. "Eh... looks like we have to ask Ron to give us more time off from training for school work."
"Oh no, I forgot about that! He'll constantly remind us about that one," George groaned, remembering that starting this year, Ron was the team Captain.
Angelina rolled her eyes at that display. "Gods, stop your bellyarching! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to see adult men act like that?" Angelina looked to George especially. "Oh, and George. The letter was really sweet, even though you are not a gifted letter writer."
"My letter?" George then remembered and noticed the looks Fred was giving him. "Ah yes... I'm working on it."
Fred watched the whole thing and had a feeling that something had changed fundamentally.
Everyone went silent when Myrtle entered and led in the new first-years.
The Sorting Hat's song this year was much more somber than the others they had heard before. It sang of the need to be united and despite the fact it was sorting them into different houses, the students were part of a bigger whole. It also hinted at danger and the need to be vigilant towards the outside and the inside.
Once the actual sorting started, Ginny whispered "That was oddly specific. You think the hat is expecting trouble?"
"It sits in the Headmaster's office the entire year. It stands to reason that it hears a lot and thus prepares its song accordingly," Hermione speculated, remembering that past songs had always included hints. "I don't like it. Considering what Malfoy and Parkinson were hinting at, it paints a disturbing picture."
Ron looked over to where he saw the two Slytherins in question looking smug. "Yes, they actually enjoyed the song, which is a first."
The sorting itself was nothing too spetacular, though the observation was being made that the number of pure-bloods - especially of those from the more conservative families - had dropped to a new low, while the number of firsties from non-magical families was at an all-time high. That was the one thing that certain people at the moment disliked, as it was a sign how the future was not theirs.
Soon the sorting was over and Dumbledore rose to address the students.
"A new year is starting. Normally I would right away tell you to enjoy the feast, but first I need to give some words to all of you," the Headmaster started.
"All of you know the difficult times Magical Britain has entered. There are those that are denying the impact of the events at the end of the previous school year. The safety of Hogwarts and its train had been breached and one student paid the ultimate price. I implore all of you to be vigilant and follow your conscience in these difficult times."
Dumbledore then looked around. "The Ministry of Magic has refused to despatch guards for Hogwarts. The faculty has done everything possible to ensure your safety, but still be aware of your surroundings. And now... please enjoy yourselves."
The food did appear and the feast did start.
"It's a bit depressing that the Headmaster has to remind us of that," Dean said. "I honestly had not expected something like that when I first started Hogwarts."
"I think he did good to do so." Unlike usual, Lavender looked quite serious. "My parents are more scared than anything, especially due the Ministry not helping even after what happened with the train. Reminding us to be careful can't hurt."
Over at the Slytherin table meanwhile, some were getting nervous.
"These two are in a way too good mood. They must know something we don't," Daphne said when seeing how contrary to expectations Draco and Pansy were enjoying themselves and joking with their fellow bigots.
"Yes..." the normally rather short on words Theodore Nott said. "That is... highly unusual. That does not bode well"
"Hopefully they won't force us to pick sides," Zabini added, again looking at the Prefect badge, which he seemed to regard as a burden.
Nott and Zabini both were boys who liked to keep to themselves. From what little the others did know, it was caused by their parents. Mrs. Zabini's habit of amassing wealth by outliving her husbands - nothing was ever proven but everyone knew she was a murderer - had alienated her son from her. Nott in return had a horrifically broken relationship with his Death Eater father and wanted as little to do with him as possible.
"The bad thing is, we have to live with them in the same dorms," Dudley said with a grimace. That was one topic where he was always on the same page as Nott and Zabini, who had no love for Draco. They felt Draco was a fool and aping his father would only end in disaster for him.
"Don't remind me," Tracey Davis groaned. "It's a nightmare to live in the same dorms as Parkinson. She's working hard to prove that not only boys can be slobs. I once fell flat on my face stumbling on her discarded knickers."
Millicent and Daphne both grunted in agreement, feeling the girl had never learned how to keep things tidy due to house-elves cleaning up after her for her entire life. It honestly created the question if people like them could even function should they lose the wealth they took for granted. Many felt they could not.
Finally, the feast was coming to an end and Dumbledore again rose.
"Now that you have sampled to your heart's content the work the house-elves of Hogwarts put into this feast, I have to make some announcements. First of course is the warning that the dangerous Forbidden Forest outside the castle grounds is secured with an age line. You can not enter it, and trying to do so anyway will have interesting consequences aside from an entry into your disciplinary record."
Several Gryffindors looked to Fred and George, knowing those two were some of the few who had tried anyway and then suffered the 'interesting consequences'. It was something the twins never spoke about, and that meant something considering what it took to embarrass them.
Dumbledore then continued "Tryouts for the empty spots in the main and reserve Quidditch teams take place in two weeks, please look at your house's bulletin board for more details. Finally, we have one change in a teaching position. This year however, the Ministry of Magic took it upon itself to select a candidate and she will be with us in a moment..."
"They didn't tell us we would get a Ministry stooge. I thought the Headmaster would select someone he trusts?" Ron was confused by the turn of events.
Hermione on the other hand looked disturbed. "Remember how the mood changed at the faculty table? It's like they already knew, but suddenly it became way worse. Also... I wouldn't put it above the Ministry to create a law just so the Headmaster has no choice."
Right then the doors opened and someone walked into the great hall. Many of the students did recognize her from when she had come to the castle to arrest those infected with lycanthropy and their mood darkened and some hisses of anger were heard.
"What is that toad doing here?!" Harry growled, feeling intense dislike especially after what happened over the summer.
Indeed, there was Dolores Umbridge walking down the hall towards the faculty table, seemingly ignoring the reactions of the students, but one could never tell with her. The pink cardigan she was wearing was a terrible eyesore, but again, she probably was using such outside things to hide her truly rotten personality.
"Don't tell me Umbridge... What is she playing at?" Ginny was disturbed at that turn of events.
Luna was trying to look indifferent, but even she was a bit shocked. "She wants something here. She otherwise would have never left her job at the Ministry for such a thankless position. We have to be careful."
"But what could she want here?" Neville wondered.
"She is here to silence Dumbledore." Hermione then knew she got all the attention. "Think about it. Fudge wants to discredit Dumbledore since he doesn't want to face the facts. What's better than to have someone at the school to make his life difficult?"
"And life difficult for us, you mean?" Ron added. "Sucks for the younger years. Never thought I'd say I'm glad we now have Snape as our Defense teacher."
"Sadly, there was some miscommunication, but today it was confirmed that Miss Dolores Umbridge is the new professor for Defense against the Dark Arts. I'm sure you will be giving her the welcome she deserves." That was code, and most of the students understood what Dumbledore truly meant with that.
Umbridge finally had arrived at the faculty table.
"Hem-hem. Thank you, Headmaster for those kind words of welcome." There was little doubt she understood the true meaning of his words. "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me! I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"
Harry doubted even the freshly-minted first-years were naive enough to believe those words. It was as if Umbridge expected them to have the mental capacity of five-year olds. Then however she became more business-like when she continued.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation..."
The speech was quite dull, like something a politician would give to a crowd when unveiling some new piece of art in a public park. The attention of other people was slipping as well. However, looking to Hermione, Harry noticed her listening carefully and looking alarmed. That were not good signs at all.
Umbridge then droned on. "...because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."
Finally Umbridge was done and sat down, Dumbledore continuing to say some more things.
Hermione's friends had noticed her being very uneasy and Ron finally made the connection. "Hermione, what was it with all that waffle? It was all dull and boring, but you look like you got kicked into the stomach."
"She is smarter than we give her credit for. She laid out right away what will happen, coated in all this waffle as you call it." Hermione finally composed herself. "To make short, the Ministry wants nothing less than full control over Hogwarts."
"Impossible! The school has been independent ever since its founding," Neville gasped, having read about the history of Hogwarts.
"And you think that will stop them?" Hermione asked. "That they forced the school to accept Umbridge only shows... laws can be changed."
That thought left them with an uneasy feeling how this school year could go.
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"A Toad Named Umbridge"
Notes:
Here the notes.
I bet you had though I forgot about that little adventure to the giants? I decided to make things even more messy, but at the same time change grawp. In canon Grawp clearly hadn't understood why he better leave, but here it's very obvious to him. Also, Hagrid and Maxime are better prepared and thus the escape is much faster.
Yep, Dumbledore knows right fro mthe start. That's also due to the change in Hagrid's circumstances, thus he's far more willing to seek help for his problems. This also doesn't strain his relationship with Maxime.
We get some more Order activity, including how the events of Year 3 would make Remus seeking out werewolves pointless. I bet you didn't expect me making Harry and Ginny prefects, but I do take the time to explain my reasoning why it's not Ron and Hermione (Ron is Captain, Hermione too busy).
Luna's baby sister Selene is a Squib. That will become important in later years.
The journey has so many details, I don't bother to list them here. Most of you expected Umbridge to be present and I have copied her speech from the book, since it just fits. Though, having already experienced Umbridge's bigotry, the students right away know she is trouble.