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.
Please note that due to the constant tachnical troubles of the site, the story is now also being published at AO3. The story will update every second Saturday until the year is done.
Due to the technical difficulties of the page, you probably didn't notice myserlf starting to post chapters again. Chapter 66 is the first chapter of Year 6.
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Chapter 68: Hogwarts the Changed
Normally, school shopping would be a peaceful affair, but with the war situation, it was decided that strength in numbers was needed in order to be on the safe side. That meant going a one big group. Harry had even asked if Dudley wanted to come along, but he had declined, saying that he would be shopping together with Millicent, Daphne and Astoria. Bill and Fleur had even gotten permission to withdraw the funds from the bank for them so that they would be spared the trip (much to the relief of some of them).
Thus they arrived in front of the Leaky Cauldron as one big group, well-protected by no less than four adults with magic - Sirius, Remus, Arthur and Molly. However, they also got a surprise when seeing who was waiting for them in front of the pub.
"Ah, Hagrid! I thought you are on leave in France right now?" Sirius called, playing at the fact that he had a girlfriend there.
"I am, but Olympe allowed me a day to do a favor for Dumbledore. Wants me to help you keep them safe," Hagrid greeted them, making no secret of what he was doing in his leisure time.
"Feel free to come along then," Diane told the big man, her being along more for moral support than security, though she knew enough ways to calm down someone with her bare hands.
"Ehm... do you also have to go to the bank?" Hagrid then asked, clearly not having the best memories of the carts.
There was some held down laughter, before Ron showed his filled money bag. "Don't worry, we already have our money, so you are spared the torture."
"It most certainly spared us the exchange fee by doing the exchange among ourselves. Saved us having to go to the bank for Mark's funds," Veronica agreed, patting the coin purse in her own pocket.
Entering the Leaky Cauldron, it was eerie to see it completely empty. There always had been business in the pub, but it seemed people had become scared enough that they avoided it now. Old Tom, the bartender and owner, looked quite displeased with this turn of events and gave them hopeful looks when they entered.
"Sorry, Tom, we are only on our way through." Hagrid then stopped for a moment. "Maybe once we are done?" The group actually agreed to that idea, causing Old Tom's mood to improve a bit at the expectation of customers later the day.
While walking to the back Sirius looked to Harry. "You have your cloak at hand?" he asked Harry.
Harry patted his backpack. "Always, like you asked me to. Kind of understandable as well, the cloak could have saved me much trouble in the Ministry. Being invisible is just such a big advantage."
"Good." Sirius knew the cloak was that good... as long as one remembered that it didn't stop people from being solid, an error that Harry's father had made a few times.
Diagon Alley itself was also eerie.
Foot traffic in the Alley had dwindled down, as it seemed only those people who couldn't get around it were visiting it, and even they tried to be in a hurry. The walls were plastered with wanted posters of known Death Eaters - a number that was concerning. Some shops were boarded-up - a subtle hint that something must have happened to the owners. That included the ice cream parlor, which stood as a silent witness to the blood that already had been shed.
The sharp contrast to that were a number of shabby stands that had sprung up. All kind of stuff that was said to be protective was being offered for vastly inflated prices. Considering how those stands looked, it obviously were the vultures who saw their chance to squeeze money out of the scared people by scamming them. It was a sign of how serious things had gotten that this scum was acting so openly.
"Scammers, all of them. Too bad I'm not on duty, or I would ensure..." Arthur growled, feeling insulted by the sight.
"I've been here before, but now it looks so utterly different. It feels like a post-apocalyptic world," Mark commented after taking in how the Alley had changed for the worse.
"I think all of us feel unnerved by the changes," Harry agreed, feeling that in actuality the apocalypse yet had to come for Magical Britain.
"I actually feel more fascinated than unnerved," Luna said, taking in the changes. "It is like a case study of how a society can fall apart."
"And you are truly not scared by those changes?" Harry wondered.
"Don't understand me wrong, deep inside I am unsettled, but I can't express that as easily," Luna clarified, knowing that to other people she sometimes look unnaturally calm.
The first stop was the trunk merchant in order to get Mark a proper trunk. The next order of business then was uniforms. Hagrid stood guard outside, mumbling something about Madam Malkin not exactly being eager for his presence due to an incident - while they entered. However, when entering the shop, they got a very unpleasant surprise.
Draco and Pansy were being measured for custom uniforms, both their mothers standing next to them. From the way both women were looking at each other, it seemed Mrs. Parkinson finally had caught up to the fact that Mrs. Malfoy disliked her, thus she answered the condescending looks with her own look of arrogance - most likely due to the fact that Lucius Malfoy now was a convicted criminal.
Draco noted the newcomers and his expression turned nasty. "Disgusting... blood-traitors, mudbloods and animals have entered."
The sheer racism and bigotry packed in one sentence was astounding and the store clerks gasped in horror at what had just happened. In such times it could lead to trouble real fast.
"Better think twice what you say. After all, you now should see where the journey otherwise ends," Diane told him coldly, playing at what happened to Draco's father.
Draco looked angry, but it was his mother who spoke up. "Don't react to them, Draco. They will regret their choices soon enough."
"You mean once you think old Voldy is running things, don't you, Narcissa?" Sirius told her bluntly. "You must be truly delusional to think that will ever happen. For some time I held hope for you, but now I see that you want to emulate your hubby and his choices."
"Lucius is a great man!" Narcissa spat.
"Really? You remember his choices resulted in him being branded a criminal and terrorist, don't you? I also heard his so-called Master found a perverse pleasure in remotely torturing him regularly and that he almost croaked when they tried to use Veritaserum on him." Sirius knew Narcissa had made her choice and thus saw no reason to hold back.
Narcissa's fists trembled, especially at the reminder of Voldemort regularly punishing Lucius. Sirius was a big red cloth for her and she was working hard to control herself. "We'll see..."
"What are you even doing here?" Hermione wondered. "Haven't you left Hogwarts like all the others who did the dirty work for Umbridge?"
Pansy, who had always thought of Hermione as her true enemy, held her nose high while looking down on her. "Our reasons are none of your concern, you dirty slut. But if you truly need to know, yes we will grace Hogwarts with our presence."
"I would not call it 'grace'..." Ginny remarked, wondering if those two wee that arrogant or just insane.
"We don't have to take that from a clan of blood-traitors," Mrs. Parkinson said, sounding like a true snob, then looked to the clerks. "Are we done here?"
"Y-yes... everything will be done as usual," the scared clerk confirmed.
At least both women could agree in not wanting to spend a second longer in the shop and left with both teenagers. Madam Malkin, who had watched the whole confrontation from the counter, quickly walked over. "I'm sorry for this..."
"No, you have no influence over your customers, regardless how unpleasant they are," Molly said, the whole confrontation having left a bad taste on her mouth as well.
"Wow, they all were complete arseholes," Mark thought aloud.
"Mark..." Thomas warned his son, though he actually agreed with the observation.
"I wonder why we weren't told that those two will be at the school? They would never do so on their own accord, since they know how hated they are there," Remus thought aloud.
"You can be sure I'll ask Albus. What is he playing at now?" Sirius said, feeling the Headmaster was owing him some answers.
While selecting new uniforms - very much needed because all of them had gone through a growth spurt - the teenagers were talking about this encounter as well. After all, those two actually being at Hogwarts, despite knowing it would be hell for them, smelled of something more than it appeared to be.
"What do you think that is about? Chuzpa, insanity or something else?" Ron wondered, finding it utterly insane that Draco and Pansy would show their faces at Hogwarts.
Luna looked thoughtful while selecting new skirts. "Their parents would have wanted to pull them out. They wouldn't see any reason to let them stay at the school. Someone else must have ordered them to have those two stay in school."
They knew who Luna meant. "What would he gain from that? He must know that the teachers will keep a close eye on those two," Neville wondered, not seeing the use such an order could have for Voldemort.
All of them looked to Hermione, who however shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know, either. Looking at it logically, the whole thing makes no sense."
"And let me guess, you also can't see any angle on that?" Harry asked Luna, who was known to have interesting insights others were ignorant of.
However, Luna shook her head. "I admit I'm very much confused. To me that feels like a whole nest of nargles - you can't see any pattern in it."
That left them wondering what that could be about.
They then went on to do their other purchases, though Mark of course was still disappointed that he couldn't get his wand now. Ollivander's shop was not boarded up, but a big sign in the door proclaimed it to be closed until further notice. That was really driving home how far things already had fallen, since in all other wars before the shop has stayed open.
"All right, we've got everything now..." Ginny said when putting away the new books, all of them having decided which subjects to keep and which ones to abandon. "I think now we can see what Fred and George have cooked up for their shop."
"You were quite silent about that, Uncle Sirius," Harry accused his godfather.
Sirius held up his hands in defense. "I didn't want to spoil the surprise, that's all. It will be worth it, trust me."
They did walk down the street to look for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, wondering what would await them there. Then they suddenly all stopped when seeing it.
It looked like an explosion of colors in the windows - which also were packed with all kind of joke articles on display - and a big sign - which also was highly colorful - proudly proclaimed this to be the home of the new height of joke articles. It obviously was having the intended effect of attracting the attention of people.
"It is quite colorful - the same principle as moths to the light," Luna remarked before checking if her glasses had cracked due to this attack of color.
The inside of the shop was packed with customers. It seemed that people were in desperate need of distraction in such times and thus willing to part with their money for such things. The racks were packed wit all kind of joke and amusement articles like fake wands with hilarious effects, hats that could make the head invisible or patented daydream charms.
"George! Fred! Your patron is here with family and friends!" The was the voice of Angelina coming from the counter.
People parted like the Red Sea, allowing the group to walk to the counter. Indeed, the found Angelina standing behind the counter at the cash register. And then they saw Fred and George approach, both of them looking really proud of what they had accomplished.
"Welcome to our humble business!" Fred greeted them.
"And as you can see it proves to be highly popular!" George added.
"It sure is, son," Arthur remarked. "Both of you have proven that what was seen as an absurd idea is a viable business." Arthur saw Molly look a bit pained at the reminder, since she had not believed in them for quite some time.
"Yes, but it all would not have been possible, if not for our patron, who helped us make the dream true," Fred said, clearly enjoying the triumph.
"Indeed," Sirius agreed. "I had the money and you had the right idea and plans. I feel this will be a long and fruitful partnership."
Angelina meanwhile leaned over the counter. "Aren't you guys forgetting something? Remember your promise."
"Ah yes..." George said, actually looking at how Angelina's bust was empathized by her current position. "In order to honor our patron, everyone under the age of seventeen in your group is allowed to take two items for free."
Wrapped around her finger... Fred thought, though not in anger and more with humor.
There was a good reason that for the first time in their lives they both now had separate bedrooms, since essentially Angelina was now living with George. Fred felt that he was missing out, but unlike his brother, who had been lucky to run into the right girl at school, he would have to do the hard slog of the adult dating market. Despite how much was still connecting them, Fred felt that George and him were starting to develop into different directions now.
Everyone started browsing.
After a minute, Harry held up a package. "Extendable Ears? What in all names is that?" he wondered.
"Ah, one of our most popular articles. Most of it looks like a tick string and you can use it to listen in a certain direction without being near. It can be pushed though small gaps or under doors almost undetected," George explained proudly.
"A portable directional microphone..." Harry saw the use in that. "I'll take that."
"Harry..." That was Ginny.
"What can I help you with, Ginny?" Harry asked his girlfriend.
"Look out there," she said, pointing at the window.
Harry did look and stopped when seeing what she meant. He saw Draco and Pansy walking on their own towards an alley that was looking really shady. He remembered the street sign and what he had heard about the place - which was nothing good. Knockturn Alley was a place of shady business and crime. That the Ministry over the years had not managed to deal with it was really telling.
"What the hell do they want in Knockturn Alley?" Harry wondered, finding that highly suspicious.
"I don't know, but it can't be good, especially if they have given their mothers the slip..." Ginny then looked to Harry's backpack. "Harry, if I cover for you, can you follow them with your cloak on and find out what they are doing in there?"
For a moment Harry felt Ginny's idea was suicidal, but then his need to make sure that Malfoy and Parkinson wouldn't do something that could bite everyone in the arse later - as they all had learned the hard way - won out. Spying on them now after all could be important to prevent trouble later on.
"All right..." Covered by Ginny, Harry did slip out of the shop and then quickly put on his invisibility cloak before walking into Knockturn Alley.
Nice place... if you are a fan of horror movies, Harry thought when taking in his surroundings while spotting Malfoy and Parkinson walk towards a shop.
Knockturn Alley was a highly unpleasant place, full with shops devoted to the Dark Arts, sporting such disgusting things like shrunken heads or cages with huge spiders in their window displays. The few street vendors that he saw also were offering nasty things like cut-off fingers. Business in the place however seemed to go well, judging by the number of shady people frequenting the alley.
Walking to the place Harry had watched the two enter, he saw that it was a shop named Borgin & Burkes, and their window display made it clear they were selling and buying all kind of dark artifacts that undoubtedly had to be highly illegal. He did see Malfoy and Parkinson approach the counter, but knew he couldn't just enter the shop when spotting the small bell above the door.
Crap, what to do?I can see them fine from the door thanks to the glass, but no way I can hear them. Hear... Wait! Searching in his pocket, Harry found the extendable ear he just had gotten from the joke shop. That should work, there is a gap between the door and the frame.
Quickly unpacking the extendable ear, Harry pushed it through the gap between door and frame and then listened in while watching closely.
"Ah, young Malfoy and Parkinson. What brings you to my humble shop - and that without adult supervision?" asked a shady man with greasy hair standing behind the counter.
"We are here to do business with you, Mr. Borgin." Malfoy sounded a bit impatient.
"As much as I would like that, in my line of work it's unwise to do business with underage teenagers." It seemed Mr. Borgin didn't want to displease their parents.
It seemed both of them were angered by that dismissal. Pansy then spoke up. "Really, Borgin? Then look at this!"
Both of them pushed up their left sleeves, and while Harry could only partially see Pansy's arm, he could barely make out a skull with a snake coming from it. Shocked, Harry had to draw upon his Occlumency to keep calm. Fuck, they did go straight to Voldemort! And they are going to be at the school?
Mr. Borgin meanwhile looked scared and gave in. "I understand! What do you need from me?"
Draco pulled out a list and put it onto the counter. "We need you to procure these items and keep good watch over the last item on the list. Money is of no concern."
"That last item... You do know you need two of them, don't you?" Mr. Borgin asked after reading the list.
"Of course we do, and we have our sources as well, so don't let that be your problem," Pansy sounded quite impatient.
"I understand. I will inform you once everything is procured..."
Hearing that from Mr. Borgin, Harry knew their business was concluded, so he felt it best to leave now. Pulling out the extendable ear, he quickly made his exit while putting the ear back into the box. Leaving Knockturn Alley, he then spotted the welcoming committee waiting for him in front of the joke shop.
Oh-uh... Harry thought when seeing Ginny's expression, realizing that she had been forced to reveal where he was. Knowing there was no way around it, he did take off the cloak.
The adults didn't look impressed.
"Harry, I'm here to protect you, and that makes it really difficult," Hagrid complained and Harry felt really bad for disappointing him.
"Sorry, but it was important..." Harry started.
"Not here..." Arthur said, making it clear that was something not to be talked about on the open street.
They all quickly went back to the Leaky Cauldron, and, to Tom's delight, did book a private room for their lunch. The adults waited until the door had closed behind them, before Molly started. "Entering Knockturn Alley... Harry, that was incredibly foolish!"
"I know, but I had to learn what those two are cooking up. I did learn something disturbing," Harry said, hoping the important information would do it.
"Don't think it'll bail you out of trouble," Veronica shot down that hope. "Was it worth your punishment?"
"It does. I followed Malfoy and Parkinson to a shop called Borgin & Burkes..." Harry started.
Sirius snorted. "Ah, my dear late Mum's favorite shop. At least half of the dark artifacts I removed from the house she had bought there. All of Knockturn Alley is a disgrace; they even openly display their dark stuff in the windows."
"Wouldn't I know it?" Arthur sighed. "It's an unholy mixture of a wall of silence, corruption and the influence of several old families that prevents us from eliminating that blight."
Harry then continued to tell them of what he had seen and heard. Everyone was alarmed at what they were hearing.
"And you are sure you have seen the mark?" Sirius asked again to make sure.
"Only the upper part of Parkinson's, but I know it on sight," Harry confirmed.
Hagrid looked stricken at the news. "I need to tell Dumbledore. We can't let those two be unsupervised in the school."
Molly looked offended at the idea of those two staying at Hogwarts. "It would be better to remove them right away."
"There lies the problem. It might be easy to prove them joining a terrorist organization with what's on their arms, but it would only make things more complicated. Dumbledore must think that keeping your enemies closer, where they can observe their every move, is the better choice," Remus explained why exposing them would be a bad idea.
That idea made everyone unhappy.
"And you couldn't see what they were ordering?" Hermione asked.
Harry shook his head. "No, though considering the shop, it can't be anything good. I also wonder what the last item is supposed to be if the need for two of those is so important."
No one could find an answer to that and they were left with the question what this all was about, especially since Voldemort had to know that Malfoy and Parkinson would be under constant observation at Hogwarts. No to speak of the fact that it would be impossible for those two to smuggle dark items into the school with the new security.
All of it made little sense, creating the question what Voldemort's game was.
...August 14th...
Voldemort leaned back in the comfortable seat in his chambers, giving Bellatrix an unreadable look after having gotten the news. Nagini was watching from the sidelines, appearing a little jealous after having heard the news Bellatrix had told their Master.
"And you are sure of that?" Voldemort then asked.
"The healer made extra sure and checked multiple times with different methods. My Lord, I am multiple weeks pregnant at this point carrying your first descendant inside me," Bellatrix repeated, looking quite pleased with that fact.
Voldemort leaned back, a small smirk showing that he was pleased. "Good, good! That means the foundation for my dynasty is laid. Bella, you make sure you stay in good health. I want that first pregnancy to be a success."
"I understand, my Lord. No field duty until after the birth," Bellatrix said. "Do you want to know the gender as soon as that is possible?" she then asked.
Voldemort thought about it. "Hmmm, no. Unlike others, I don't particularly care about gender, especially since you have proven it is no factor in competence. We just wait and see how the dice fall."
Bellatrix accept that without question. "I understand, Master. If I may be excused, there is still much to do."
Voldemort dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
As soon as she was gone, Nagini couldn't hold it in any longer. "You must be really proud."
"Only for the fact that my line will grow. Do not misunderstand that I will have emotional attachment to them. That would be a weakness," Voldemort explained with little emotion.
Nagini understood. "While you don't need an heir to the throne, you want them to stabilize your power once you have taken over. A whole clan loyal to you only. Quite clever."
Again Voldemort smirked slightly, showing it was all cold calculation and he truy felt no attachment.
Bellatrix meanwhile had decided a little visit was in order.
"Bella, what...?" Narcissa wondered when her sister appeared in her house.
Hello, Cissy. I've let myself in, I hope you don't mind." From her tone it was clear that even if Narcissa minded, it wouldn't matter.
Narcissa finally collected herself. "Are you here for Draco? He is out of the house right now."
Bellatrix snorted. "Contrary to what you might believe, not all my time revolves around whipping your son into shape." Narcissa knew that her sister meant the 'whipping' part literally. "No, I'm hear to speak with you on family business."
"What kind of family business would involve you visiting me?" Narcissa had a strange feeling on whatever was going on.
"You and that good-for nothing husband of yours only managed to produce one heir... The same as Andy, who only managed to squeeze out one freak. I on the other hand will give the Dark Lord as many offspring as I can and the first one is already on the way," Bellatrix said.
Narcissa froze. While her sister talking like that of her inability to have more children after Draco hurt, as did her mention of Andromeda, the bombshell that Bellatrix was expecting left her speechless for a moment. "I... this..."
Bellatrix felt dark satisfaction at how her sister was unable to formulate a full sentence. "I remember how you boasted all those years ago how you got the best match. Ha, no match is better than the Dark Lord. Who is laughing now? Oh... and should you tell anyone, that would displease the Dark Lord..."
Bellatrix had waited all those years to finally rub that under Narcissa's nose. Now she finally had gotten back at her sister for being so condescending to her regarding her political match with Rodolphus.
Narcissa for her part had one thought. Bella raising a child... The idea alone was frightening.
o
"You already had a healer confirm it, so why do this as well?" Remus wondered while sitting on the couch, watching the door that led to the bathroom.
"Hearing it from a healer is one thing, but doing something on my own helps me feel it's real. Even if it means pissing onto a stick," came the voice of Dora from behind the door.
Remus could only shake his head at that strange logic while his emotions were doing a roller coaster. True, it was bound to happen due to them making love unprotected and them actually wanting a child, but Dora's period not happening and her other symptoms had driven her to get examined by a healer who discovered the wonderful news.
However Dora, in a strange fit of nerves, had insisted on also using a non-magical pregnancy test from an ordinary pharmacy. He didn't understand the idea behind it, but as long as it helped her nerves he was all for it. Judging by the sounds from behind the door, Dora already was done with the more intimate part and now was waiting for the result.
Finally the door opened and Dora walked out with the small stick in her hand. Remus stood up and waited for her reaction. "The test conforms it. Only now it's truly sinking it..." Dropping the stick, Dora suddenly hugged Remus while laughing. "Gods, I still can hardly believe it that our child is growing inside me! This is so exciting!"
Remus knew that it had taken him having a much better life and Dora working hard on him that he now was just as happy as she was. Holding onto her, they both did a spontaneous happy dance. "That will be quite the adventure for you students to see you grow in real time."
"Oh, at least that way I can show some of the older girls why they should be careful," Dora laughed. "Though, I'll tell Dumbledore as soon as the birth happens, he can consider me out of that job. No way I risk it after having a baby."
"That's for the future... There is someone who absolutely has to get the news first," Remus reminded his wife.
Dora let out a little chuckle. "Ah yes, Mum would feel quite offended if I don't give her the news first. I wonder how she'll take the news?"
She got her answer several minutes later.
"Urp, Mum, stop twirling us! I'm already throwing up enough on my own!" Dora gasped, feeling her mother was a bit too enthusiastic about the news.
"Yes, that wouldn't be good," an amused Ted commented from the sidelines, being better able to control himself despite the good news.
Having mercy, Andromeda gently guided her daughter to a seat so that everything would stop spinning for her. "You can't believe how happy these news make me! We tried so hard to give you a sibling, but sadly the past sins of the Blacks didn't allow me to do so. Hearing you being pregnant takes is simply such great news."
Remus knew the marriage habits of the Blacks had caused Andromeda to just have Dora, just like Sirius was more prone (though thankfully not overly so) to sickness than other wizards. "We both know next to nothing about how to be parents, so we really need your help to be ready for that."
"Oh, no one is fully prepared to be a parent, that's what we learned," Adromeda admitted.
"It was quite an adventure for us to raise you, Dora," Ted added, remembering some of the more memorable things from raising her.
"I for my part am glad you will have a far less stressful job during your pregnancy," Andromeda added.
Dora tried not to roll her eyes. Her mother had been against her taking such a dangerous career, and remnants of that were still lingering. She knew it was due to her mother loving her and wanting to see her being safe, but with her being an adult woman, it was a bit annoying now.
"Oh I wouldn't say that. Teaching students can be quite an adventure," Remus thought aloud.
"Remus, don't you dare to make my Mum worry!" Dora finally told her husband.
Andromeda and Ted were not concerned, since a small spat here and there actually was something that happened in every marriage and would be resolved soon enough. It would be more concerning if they were always on the same opinion.
...the Burrow, August 25th...
The wedding of Charlie Weasley and Margaret Thompson was not an overly massive affair, but it still was big enough that the Order of the Phoenix had seen the need to have a number of guards posted to ensure the Death Eaters wouldn't see this as an ideal opportunity to wipe out a lot of their opposition in one go.
However, some of the guests wondered if the extra security would be more needed to keep Molly Weasley and the parents of the bride from being at each other's throats.
Margaret's parents were something that needed explanation. Both of them were muggleborn, but essentially had assimilated into magical society too well in that they now were trying everything to deny their roots and looked down on anything non-magical, emulating the bigoted pure-bloods. They also looked down on working-class families after having made money themselves. They were the product of a time where muggleborn students still were pressured to adapt hard to magical culture.
It was little wonder why their daughter had decided to leave the house as soon as she could.
Molly took great offense at how condescending the Thompsons were towards all the guests that had a non-magical background, treating them like imbeciles. This was only made worse by them making no secret of thinking of the Weasley as being too poor to be a good match for their daughter. Molly probably would have done something drastic by now if not for the rest of the family stopping her.
"There was no need for Aunt Muriel. The Thompsons more than make up for her absence," Ron snarked while sitting down in his seat in the garden, everyone gathering for the ceremony itself.
"It's a miracle that two such horrible people can have such a nice daughter. Margaret is nothing like them," Hermione agreed, having been offended by them big time. "It's quite rich of them to be so bigoted about blood status, since they essentially call themselves trash."
"I honestly had never seen someone from a non-magical background try to be like those pure-blood bigots. Really bizarre." Ron honestly wondered how those two even could function like that.
Percy, who had listened from a seat next to them, added his thoughts. "I'm not in the habit of judging people after knowing them for less than a day, but I can make an exception for them. Horrible people; it's telling they are only here out of social obligation."
Indeed, left and right of the Thompsons chairs were empty. No one wanted to sit next to them.
Percy meanwhile took one look to when Charlie was waiting and looked a bit troubled. "This is outside of my frame of reference. Are all of us are going to look that nervous when standing there and wait for the bride?"
"Welcome to my world," Bill told his brother while Fleur was giggling at the idea of Bill being nervous while waiting for her at their own wedding.
"Oh, this will be a long year," Fleur then said, remembering the date they had set for their own wedding. "And now my Maman and yours have that stupid dispute of theirs."
That was another thing. After already seeing how this wedding was straining security, Madame Delacour had stepped forward and offered to host the wedding on their country home in France.
Needless to say that that had created intense displeasure from Molly when said woman had visited last week to relay the offer, since to her that sounded like a massive insult. Heated words had been exchanged between both women before their husbands managed to separate them. Everyone else was in agreement that it was best to hold the wedding outside of the United Kingdom, but they first had to defuse the situation between both women before things could proceed.
Needless to say neither Bill nor Fleur were impressed how their mothers were acting.
Ginny at the same time looked uncomfortable in her dress. "I feel like a doll while wearing this. Hopefully no one from school sees a picture of me wearing this."
"Where is the problem? I remember your dress from the Yule Ball very well and you had no problem with that," Harry asked her.
"Yes, but I had selected that dress myself so that it wouldn't clash with my sensibilities. This dress here on the other hand Mum made me wear and it's a frilly nightmare!" it spilled out of Ginny while she pointed at her dress. "Have you known me wanting to be some kind of princess?"
Thinking about it, Harry came to the conclusion that it was incompatible with Ginny's nature. "Nope, can't see it. Though hopefully you still pretty up once in a while in the future. I still remember last time fondly."
Ginny blushed a little. "Yes... but only for special occasions."
Then, finally, the ceremony itself began.
Granted, there was some whispering why the father of the bride was not escorting her up the aisle, many people looking to Mr. Thompson. The man's expression however remained stony, trying his hardest to ignore the looks he was getting. The ceremony itself was a bit on the simple side, which however was little wonder with less than two months to prepare, but it nonetheless was beautiful.
Most of the guests were polite enough not to mention the old burn scar on the bride's face, and those who did said that while it didn't lessen her good looks, it was strange why she hadn't had that removed ages ago. They couldn't imagine Margaret wearing said scar as a reminder to herself not to be cocky when it comes to dangerous stuff.
Hermione and Ginny both had caught themselves imagining themselves standing in Margaret's place. Considering one girl was a big intellectual while the other was a big tomboy, they both felt this was a reminder that part of them was more stereotypically feminine than they wanted to admit. Luna on the other hand made no secret of her daydreams.
As beautiful as the ceremony was, the score of young children among the guests were quite bored by it and were glad when it finally was over and they could again move and - most importantly - have cake.
Half an hour later everyone was relaxed and talked during the festivities following the ceremony.
"I still think it's rude of them to have left right after the ceremony," Charlie told his now wife while they sat down after the dance.
"Don't waste your anger on them," Margaret told her husband. "I've long since written them off and they only saw this as a social obligation which they wanted to get behind themselves as quick as possible."
"You are right, I won't let them ruin our day," Charlie agreed.
"I'm thankful my dress is hiding how far along I already am. The last thing I needed were comments that this could be an emergency wedding," Margaret then admitted.
"Life is full of surprises," Arthur commented while watching the newlyweds. "I honestly had thought it would be Bill or Percy who would marry first, and now..."
Molly for her part sighed. "Yes, but it had taken both of them not being careful to speed things up. I'm happy that our first grandchild is on the way, but the surrounding circumstances caused my gray hairs."
It was a wonderful day and in such times that was not something to be taken for granted.
...King's Cross, September 1st...
Unlike in previous years, students arriving at King's Cross no longer did so individually, but in bigger groups, escorted by adults. Basically all children who had passed the preschool were being escorted by Remus and the other teachers towards the barrier, their parents looking relieved at the security measures being taken. After all, after the Death Eaters some days ago had managed to collapse a bridge over the Thames in London, causing a terrible death toll.
Not to speak of that at the same time the Death Eaters attempted to murder Minister Bones. Thankfully, that attempt had failed - perhaps also due to Voldemort sending someone else to do the job - but one of Bones' aides had been killed and she herself had suffered an injury to her left hand, costing her her pinky finger in a way that magic could do nothing about it.
Thus everyone was expecting the worst. That also was reflected inside the station.
"Woah, that's a lot of police in here," Mark remarked when seeing uniformed Bobbies in significant numbers inside the station.
"Doesn't wonder me. Considering what happened with that bridge, the Prime Minister must have intensified security, knowing the students are a juicy target," Diane commented, remembering how at the police station the atmosphere also had become nervous, the 'mysterious' incidents with death tolls having started to make even those people nervous who had no idea about magic. "And that's only those who show that they are here for security."
"Their magical forces blend in perfectly; unlike the Ministry people, who are standing out badly," Sirius added, having already spotted at least six people from the Ministry. "Also, Madam Bones is working on it even harder than before after barely escaping death."
"Kind of hardcore of her to get right back into things as soon as the healers had patched up her hand," Ron said with a whistle, his respect for the woman having grown.
"Had there been such a level of security during the last war?" Luna asked her father, wondering about it.
Xenophilius tried to remember. "Well, none of us had any children at Hogwarts during that time, but of course I observed it. Nasty times, but even back then, in the middle of a spirit of impending doom, there hadn't been nearly as much security at King's Cross as there is now."
Ian Granger had a good idea why that was the case. "I bet back then things were more in control than they are now. That's why you saw less security all those years ago."
Frank grimaced when hearing that. "Most of you are not into politics, so you have no way to know. It's a huge mess at the moment since not only has the Ministry lost a lot of its functionality, but we also have no idea how many Death Eater sympathizers there still are, who are trying to undermine the Ministry while not calling attention to themselves."
The unspoken part was, that he felt that the Ministry was a hopeless case and would have to be replaced entirely rather sooner than later.
Thankfully, nothing happened and everyone was able to enter the platform without problem. Security also was present on the platform, which was a stark contrast to last year, when Fudge had been sticking his head in the sand while pretending that everything was fine. The atmosphere however had not changed much, since most parents already had realized the danger after the attack on the Express.
"Now, Mark, I know this will be very new to you, and we know that things are not optimal, but don't let that destroy the experience," Veronica told her son, part of her feeling bitter that her son's first journey to Hogwarts was marred by the war.
Mark for his part knew he couldn't keep that promise. "I try to do my best, Mum! I just can't help but to think about it."
"It's a shame that the troubles of the adults are stopping you from having a carefree start to Hogwarts," Thomas lamented, having wished better for his son.
That moment the doors of the train opened.
Like last year, security in the form of teachers was present on the train, though this year there were several surprises. For one, none of them had expected Professor Slughorn to stand in front of the train, but then again they guessed he was connecting duty with the useful. Seeing Dora also was surprising several students, but not the Six, who had learned of her new job in advance. Students only started to whisper more when seeing Remus join Dora, rumors starting what that could mean for Defense classes.
Like last year, it was Professor Flitwick giving a short speech before students started to board the train. The Six meanwhile walked to the train car where Hagrid was ferrying students in. "Hello, Hagrid!" Harry greeted the man.
"Ah, there you are!" he greeted them back. "The Headmaster felt me being on the train is not only good security, but I also can be more watchful of the new first years."
"Well, we most certainly appreciate it," Harry agreed, looking to Mark who knew that he was meant with that as well.
"Ehm, Hagrid, do you know if we have to suffer those two on the train?" Ron asked, clearly meaning Draco and Pansy.
"Don't worry about that. Dumbledore wouldn't allow them onto the train, said the risk of an incident was too great. They take the floo directly to Hogwarts and stay in the guest building," Hagrid told them, making no secret that he was glad about those arrangements. "It's the reason why Mad-Eye is not on the train."
Moody wanting to keep those two in sight. No surprise there, Ron thought, knowing that Moody had good reason to do so.
Things went surprisingly orderly and soon enough they had found themselves a compartment.
"Crookshanks, you make a fuss every year. By now you should know I let you out of the carrier as soon as we are in the compartment," Hermione said with a sigh when watching her cat give her a dark look after he had jumped out of the carrier.
"I think that cat is too spoiled to appreciate what you are doing for him," Ron commented while again using the ugly dress robes he had never worn as a blanket over Pig's cage, so that his owl would go to sleep and not annoy them with hyper-activity.
Hedwig watched what Ron was doing and looked... relieved that she wouldn't have to endure hours of Pig being his usual, hyperactive self.. It was amazing how much she could convey her mood with simple movements.
"I for my part am just relieved to be out of that crowd and that we now can relax a bit. It can't hurt that there are no Malfoy, Parkinson or other unpleasant people on this train, which is a first," Neville said while leaning back in the seat. "We should enjoy the small things we are given."
"We still have to deal with them in the school itself," Luna reminded Neville. "However, I honestly wonder how the school is planning to deal with those two in everyday school life? After all, they are in a school where all other students hate them."
"Honestly? I think we shouldn't care." Due to every bit of bigotry and malevolence those two had done over the years - quite a bit of which being directed against her - Hermione, who normally was not a vengeful person, wished the worst for them. "I'm more concerned with whatever they are trying to accomplish for Voldemort at the school."
"Fat chance," Ginny snorted while searching through her trunk for something. "No way the teachers, and especially Moody, will let them do their thing now. They'll be under constant observation."
Harry leaned back, scratching his chin (and noticing that he really needed to get into the habit of shaving regularly now that his facial hair was getting more prominent). "I've thought about it from all angles, but the whole thing makes no sense. Voldemort knows those two can't do anything without the teachers knowing right away. What is he hoping to accomplish?"
"Mate, after some of the other things he pulled, we honestly should expect the worst," Ron reminded Harry while unpacking his portable chess set.
"Meanwhile, there is something important for both of you," Hermione said, pointing to the Prefect badges that Harry and Ginny were wearing. "Don't shirk your duties."
"Of course you would remind us of that..." It's not that Ginny was avoiding her Prefect duties, but Hermione at times was a bit too anal about them having to take their duties seriously.
In another compartment meanwhile, Mark Evans looked out of the window.
"I honestly feel weird about this. On one hand I am really excited we finally get to learn magic for real. On the other hand, after what happened at the school last year it feels strange to now attend it," Mark admitted to his friends that he had made at the preschool.
"Weird? Most certainly. My parents were quite uneasy about the whole thing and it took a visit from the Headmaster to convince them that the danger is over. You know, the bad politicians being gone and all those nasty students having left the school," said Marvin Greenfield, an uncertain-looking boy with tanned skin and brown hair.
"My family still has some connections from the old days and they heard some of the backgrounds. Really nasty stuff. Yes, I am nervous about attending Hogwarts, but everything tells us that the school has been cleaned of all those nasty people," said Magdalena Cornwood, a girl with pale skin and blond hair.
Mark's friends couldn't be more different in their backgrounds. Marvin came from a non-magical family like he himself did, his father being an engineer and his mother working in childcare. Magdalena on the other hand came from an impoverished pure-blood family. Not that you could notice, since the constant ridicule, thanks to them being poor, caused the family to adopt a mentality that was more in line with the Weasleys.
"Wouldn't I know it? Harry outright refuses to tell me some of the stuff," Mark admitted.
"Still can't believe that Harry Potter is your semi-adopted older brother," Magdalena said, trying to hide her face.
Marvin rolled his eyes. "And remember that Mark told you that Harry does have a girlfriend who is very intent on defending her claim. Not to speak of the fact that he's five years your senior," he reminded her.
Mark rolled his eyes when seeing her blush even more in embarrassment. Magdalena had read the Harry Potter adventure books when she was younger, and combined with hearing stories of what Harry was up to, had developed a childish crush on him. While he didn't understand what was so great about having a girlfriend, he understood when trouble was ahead and had put a needle to Magdalena's dream bubble before it would come to a nasty scene with Ginny.
Not wanting the topic to stay on his older brother, Mark decided a change was needed. "Which House do you think you'll end up in? I can't think of one I could land in."
"I hope not Slytherin, that would be way too stereotypical," Magdalena said with a grimace. "Last year's events haven't helped."
"Don't discard it too soon. A bloke named Dudley in my neighborhood also is in Slytherin, and he's a really swell guy. His two friends are nice as well and they all share being in Slytherin. Harry said all the filth has been thrown out of Slytherin," Mark explained to his friend.
"If you say so..." She still sounded uncertain.
"Well, I can say for sure Ravenclaw is out for me," Marvin said with a snort. "After all, you have seen my marks."
That also was true. Marvin not exactly was an intellectual. Not that he was dumb, his marks were decent enough, but there was no way he would fit into Ravenclaw with its focus on academics. That was unlike Mark, whose grades were quite good and his parents had praised him repeatedly for his work ethos. That again made Mark wonder which House he would end up in.
"We should stay close, even if we end up in totally different Houses," Magdalena said.
Knowing that this was very likely, all three of them quickly put their hands over each other and promised to stay friends, giving a damn on imagined barriers between the Houses.
o
"Thank all goodness that all the troublemakers are gone. It makes patrolling the train so much easier," Ginny said while Harry and her started their way back to their compartment. After the meeting of the Prefects and checking the train they now wanted to relax.
"Indeed much easier, now that Malfoy and Parkinson no longer ride the train, nor are any of their toadies," Harry agreed.
Not much had happened, apart from helping a few of the new students with small issues and helping one girl out of the toilet since she had accidentally locked herself in and had no idea how to unlock the door - good thing they were allowed to use magic on the train. It was all outright mundane and they enjoyed every moment of it.
They were walking by one compartment when the door opened and they saw Remus and Dora.
"Aha, looks like you are taking your duties seriously. Remus here worried that you could slack off. He doesn't like lazy Prefects," Dora said, giving her husband an amused look.
"Dora, I just wanted to ask them if everything is quiet." Though, he saw that none of them did believe that one and decided to admit it. "All right, I'm still a little traumatized from my time as Prefect and Prongs and Padfoot making my life really difficult and wanted to make sure."
"At times it's hard to believe how difficult Uncle Sirius and my father used to be," Harry thought aloud
"I can hardly believe it, either," Dora admitted. "To me he also always had been cool and responsible Uncle Sirius. But who am I to judge, considering that at school I was Doofus Tonks with two left feet?"
"You're sure you can do the job, even though...?" Ginny honestly felt a bit nervous about Dora doing this job when she was pregnant. After all, the curse was very real.
"Don't worry. When I learned of it I altered my contract. As soon as the baby is born, I'm out of the job. Remus agreed to then take over for the remainder, since he's already helping me."
"Once that curse is lifted, I think there is a strong candidate to fill the position permanently..." Ginny then mused, giving Remus a knowing look.
Remus held up his hands. "No, no, no! There is no chance I'm going to do that as a permanent job. Never."
"Wolfie, remember to never say never," Dora reminded him before pulling him back into the compartment and give Harry and Ginny a knowing smile before closing the door.
"If I'm to be honest, I don't want to know what they do in there," Harry said and Ginny agreed. "By the way, have you noticed something weird about Luna in recent months?"
"Can you be more precise? There is a lot of weird stuff about Luna, though all in a good way," Ginny asked Harry.
"I just get the feeling she's for some reason less around me than all of you. It's not noticeable when we are all together, but otherwise..." Harry trailed off.
Ginny frowned a bit while trying to remember. "Last school year had been really hectic and chaotic. Though, now that I think about it... What do you think is going on?"
"No idea, I just think it's weird," Harry said before they quickly walked back to their compartment.
Pulling the door open, they were greeted by Ron and Luna being in an intense match of chess.
Ron looked very concentrated while Luna looked like she had no care in the world, though they all knew that meant nothing and that underneath her mask her brain was working in overtime. Hermione still was a bit embarrassed that she sucked at chess - at least when it came to playing against Ron. Of the five of them, it was only Luna who could give Ron a serious challenge.
Sitting down and watching this contest of will, intellect and skill, they could see some sweat on Luna's forehead, which was the only indicator how serious she actually was taking the game. It took about ten more minutes, but then Ron managed to checkmate Luna and she clearly had not seen that one coming, since for a few seconds she did look surprised.
"A very good game, Ronald. While I lost in the end, I do take pride in the fact that I made you work for your victory," Luna said, meaning every word of it.
"You are a really tricky opponent since your mind works in really strange ways if you want it to," Ron admitted.
Luna knew he meant that as a compliment. "It is a shame that many equal different with insane."
That moment Crookshanks jumped up and with a swipe of his tail scattered all the chess pieces. "At least you impressed on him to wait with that until the game is done..." Ron said with a sigh while collecting the scattered pieces.
"And even that was hard work," Hermione admittted, while placing her cat on her lap. "I honestly can't imagine playing like that," Hermione admitted. Years ago she would have been too proud to admit that, but she had matured a lot and accepted her weaknesses.
"You are really good with facts and logic, but playing chess is more than just that. Luna gets it because she has a different form of smarts," Ron told his girlfriend. "So don't take it too hard, no one is good at everything. I only have to look into the mirror to see that."
"Well, I'm not too proud to admit that I'm lousy at the game. Playing against either of you wouldn't be fun," Neville admitted, being fully aware that he would never be good at chess. "Hey, Harry, I'm wondering about something."
"Sure, how can I help you?" Harry asked his friend.
"I know you said you can now ride a motorcycle. How is it to ride one? After watching Sirius on his motorcycle... is it the same as riding a broom?" Neville asked, making no secret of the act that while he was able to use a broom safely, it was not his favorite way of travel.
"Actually, it's quite different. First, nothing against brooms, but sitting on a motorcycle is way easier on the arse," Harry admitted.
Ron and Ginny silently agreed, both of them having seen Harry's motorcycle. Fact was that despite brooms having seats fastened onto them, extended use without a break, like it happened during long training sessions, was hell on the crotch and arse. All three of them had learned fast to appreciate the reinforced and protective underwear offered for Quidditch players after their first, painful experiences.
"As for how it is different... Riding on a boom is a thrill, while riding a motorcycle is more about cruising relaxed. Though it's not complete freedom with Uncle Sirius driving beside me due to safety concerns," Harry explained.
Neville looked interested after hearing that. "Hearing that, I probably would enjoy a motorcycle more than a broom. Too bad you can't enjoy it fully right now."
I would be happy if that were my biggest worry. Having a psycho hellbent on murdering me takes priority, Harry thought, being a bit scared at how normal that by now sounded to him.
-toc toc toc- Someone knocked on the door before it slid open, revealing someone they vaguely recognized as a Ravenclaw from now third year. "Excuse me, I have a message from Professor Slughorn."
"What does the Professor need?" Harry wondered.
"He asks for a short meeting with all of you in his compartment in the front passenger car," the student relayed the message before leaving.
"What could Professor Slughorn want?" Ginny wondered.
"I bet it has something to do with the Slug Club and us no longer having lessons with him," Neville guessed.
"Well, it'll still be over an hour before the trolley lady comes through, so let's see what he wants..." Ron then looked to Hedwig. "As long as we are gone, you are in charge."
They left and for a moment Crookshanks looked up to give Hedwig a probing look. Hedwig answered with a stare that radiated so much authority that even the normally bullheaded Crookshanks flinched back and then decided it's not worth the trouble.
Minutes later, the Six had found Slughorn's compartment.
"Ah, come in, come in!" he called and the inside of the compartment looked like someone did his best to turn it into a luxury. "I made myself a bit at home. In my age you like your creature comforts."
"Hello, Professor. I assume this is about the Slug Club and us no longer being your students?" Luna asked directly.
"Ho ho ho, straight to the point. Wonderful!" Slughorn must have expected Luna getting right to the point. "Indeed, you are not my students anymore, but our networking of course continues. The Six of you are the most promising students I've seen in a long time, you'll get far in life, and thus I can entrust you with certain information now."
Should we feel special now? Ginny wondered.
Slughorn offered some crystallized pineapple, to which they said 'thanks no'. He then continued "You see, it is highly regretful how much current events are sitting on the mood. I am planning to have certain morale boosters."
"Oh you mean something like that Easter egg hunt we've had in our fourth year?" Ron asked, remembering said event quite well.
"Exactly! And since I know I can confide in you, your help with organizing those will be essential." He gave the Prefect badges that Harry and Ginny were wearing a knowing look and they understood. "However, the Slug Club of course also continues. Besides the usual event close to Christmas, I am planning a little special get-together during Halloween, right after the official celebrations."
The way Slughorn was wording it made it clear that their presence was not optional. Looking at each other, they then by silent agreement elected Hermione to give their answer. They had nothing against Slughorn and those meetings - those most certainly never were boring - but they would have liked for him not to leave them with no choice.
"We'll be sure to attend, Professor," Hermione told the man.
"Wonderful, wonderful!" It was a bit concerning how Slughorn's big belly was shaking like a huge piece of jello.
They were leaving the compartment several minutes later, when they almost ran into the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. "Ah, Weasley, there you are. We are looking for you."
"You do? Why?" Ron wondered, guessing they meant him and not Ginny.
"With we I do mean me and the other Quidditch Captains. There's something serious we have to talk about. It came up on short notice," he told Ron.
"Ah, all right." Ron looked to his friends. "Sorry, hopefully this won't take too long."
Watching them leave, Ginny scratched her head. "What could that be about?"
"Quidditch of course, meaning for them it's serious business," Hermione remarked, never having understood why some people could be fanatical about a sport.
...at the evening...
Mark was taking it back; despite his worries he now was quite excited. First their was the boat ride over the lake, with the added excitement of spotting the big squid that lived in the lake, then ascending the stairs that were hewn into the rock and right now they were waiting for entry into the great hall while their questions were being answered by a real ghost.
Granted, Mark had already met his share of magical things, but a real ghost was something very new - especially one that was answering their questions. Myrtle was patient and clearly enjoyed their innocent questions. Then the doors opened and Mark could see that Harry's description of the great hall had been spot on when following Myrtle inside. He felt that the floating candles were an especially nice touch, though he guessed that those were only used for special occasions since it otherwise would be way too much trouble.
Mark already knew from Harry what the sorting would involve, but he nonetheless couldn't help but be a little nervous. Listening to the Sorting Hat sing however was a more unique experience. The song also was a reminder of the dark times they were in, the hat singing of the need for unity among the Houses in order for them to contribute all their unique skills to defend freedom from those that wanted to destroy it.
His friend Marvin looked in disbelief at the Sorting Hat after it was done with its song. "I thought you were joking, but it's really wearing a hat? The magical world is truly bizarre."
"I'm more nervous what House we will be put in," Magdalena added, still not wanting to appear stereotypical.
"Harry said that the hat is not cruel, so don't worry," Mark tried to reassure her.
The sorting then started and the hat seemed to take care to mention each student's other good points before declaring the House they were sorted into. According to Harry it had only done so at their own sorting and otherwise only stated the House, thus it was a new development. Perhaps the hat was now doing so to encourage more unity?
Soon enough 'Cornwood, Magdalena' was being called. Her friends watched her put on the hat and then waited what the decision would be. At first she looked nervous and her sorting took some time as she seemed to argue with the hat, but then her expression softened.
"First off, Miss Cornwood is a wonderful girl, so full of compassion for others, understanding quite too well how misfortune can hit anyone," the hat started, and Margaret's blush confirmed it was about her family's poverty. "However, the main strength she drew from that was her determination to get a better life, which is quite ambitious. I have to repeat after seeing her fears that ambition does not mean to be successful at the expense of others. Thus I sort her into Slytherin!"
Magdalena still looked a bit unsure while taking her seat at the Slytherin table, though many of the students from non-magical families assured her that all those who gave Slytherin a shitty reputation were now gone... with two exceptions. It was only then when she noticed a small, separate table next to the faculty table, where two older students, a boy and a girl, sat, both of them looking unhappy.
Said students of course were Draco and Pansy, both of them feeling humiliated at being treated like that.
Soon enough, it was Mark's time to be sorted. "Well, you are understandably nervous, considering Harry Potter is your brother in anything but blood," the hat told him.
Please don't tell me that me being related to Harry influences your choice, Mark protested.
"Of course not. I'm completely impartial, as I should be. Now let's see... Ah yes, you have quite the interesting mix of traits, but I already see where you should go." The hat sounded quite pleased with his findings.
"Now, this student is showing quite some loyalty to his friends, and though this normally would show an indication for Hufflepuff, Mr. Evans has a trait that is defining him even more," the hat said, obviously ramping up the anticipation. "Despite what he might think of himself, he is a diligent and determined student. Therefore he will be best suited for Ravenclaw!"
Mark felt honestly surprised, since he was not thinking of himself as an intellectual, while sitting down at the Ravenclaw table under the applause of his new housemates.
Soon enough 'Greenfield, Marvin' was called and Mark wondered where his friend would end up.
"Ah yes, Mr. Greenfield here was honest in admitting that being intellectual was not his strength, but he is showing quite a bit of courage, as he already has proven multiple times." They knew that if would not be Gryffindor, since the hat was not done yet. "However, he has shown even greater compassion after he had defended those in need and his loyalty to his friends shines brightly. Thus my only conclusion is to sort him into Hufflepuff!"
Over at the Gryffindor table, Ron's eyebrows had risen at the last choice.
"Strange that neither him, nor his friends landed in Gryffindor," Ron commented, having honestly expected Mark to follow Harry's example.
"Which proves, Ron, that all Weasleys being sorted into Gryffindor is more an anomaly than the rule," Hermione told her boyfriend. "Remember that even for the Blacks, who for many generations were all Slytherins, the trend was broken with Sirius being a Gryffindor and Dora being a Hufflepuff."
The sorting continued for some time until everyone was sorted, with the spread being quite even among Houses. Dumbledore then rose and asked for their attention. "In light of the changed situation in Magical Britain, the structure of this year's opening is different. As you surely see, we do have new staff at the table, though our older students know them well..."
Everyone actually applauded when they saw Dora and Remus rise from their seats. Dumbledore then continued "Our older students remember Dora Tonks, though she now is known as Dora Lupin..." Dumbledore then had to wait until the applause at that revelation was over, though some noticed Draco looking disgusted with the news.
Finally, Dumbledore was able to continue. "She has graciously decided to take up the job of teaching the younger years in Defense, for which the Ministy has given her a special permission. Assisting her is her husband, and I'm sure all of you have Remus Lupin in good memory." Dumbledore then gave the students a serious look. "They both asked my to relay to you that they are expecting parents, so be respectful of that fact."
After some seconds, new applause thundered through the great hall, while many girls, especially the younger ones, found the whole thing utterly romantic. This time Dumbledore waited until it had ebbed down before he continued.
"Additionally, since the Ministry is already stretched thin as it is, Hogwarts has gotten the permission to have its own security force. While it saddens me that such as step is necessary, the safety of our students is our first duty. Alastor Moody therefore has recruited six former Aurors, who will ensure the safety of Hogwarts."
Dumbledore didn't say how embarrassing it had been for the Ministry to admit they couldn't spare Aurors for the school. The even bigger insult then was Moody recruiting people who had been fired under Fudge, most of whom having been trained by himself. That the school was forced to resort to such measures was another reminder how dysfunctional the Ministry already was.
-bam!- Suddenly the big doors were opened and said security force marched in, escorting Mr. Ollivander, who was surrounded by several hovering trunks.
"Ah yes, and this memorable entrance marks what all our new students have been waiting for. Mr. Ollivander will now determine your wands, and I know our new students have the fee at hand, as was explained in the letter," Dumbledore mused.
"Indeed, indeed. While it is regretful that I'm unable to offer my services in my shop, I am determined to prove that quality has not suffered." With that said, Mr. Ollivander waved his own wand - the first time almost anyone ever saw him use one - and the trunks settled down before spinging open, revealing display racks full with wands.
He then pulled out his tape measure. "Now then, your teachers will call for you to come forward. Put the coins into that trunk there, and then I will determine your wand."
It seemed that Mr. Ollivander wanted to milk this as much as possible by making quite a big show of it, taking his time for each new student to determine which wand would be best suited for them. If there was a tricky student, he only became more happy. Mark for his part was happy enough to finally have his own wand, since that was a completely different thing compared to those training wands and made him feel quite a bit more adult.
While this all took almost an hour, not even Ron was complaining about having to wait for the food. The whole thing simply was that entertaining. Still, once Ollivander was done, Dumbledore knew the students had to be hungry, so he said there would be no further delays.
"Great show. Perhaps he should continue to do this even once this is all over?" Neville said.
"Mr. Ollivander is quite apt at entertaining people. Perhaps in the past he had been an entertainer before picking up the family trade?" Luna wondered, her imagination running wild at the idea.
Hermione for her part found the idea stupid, but said nothing. She then looked to Ron. "You know, you have been acting strange ever since meeting with the other Captains. Has something happened?"
"What? Oh no," Ron said while filling his plate. "There is just something we have to announce once the feast is done. The teachers know about it."
"Hopefully it's not more bad news. I've noticed several students missing. Looks like they have been pulled out... as if outside of the school is any safer." Ginny shook her head. "I have the feeling a few more will leave during the year."
Regardless what they then talked about, at the table the topic always did return to the war one way or another; another reminder how things had changed. The Six also found it weird how many students that had been in the higher years were now no longer at Hogwarts. Them now being the higher years felt strange and was a reminder how despite everything life was continuing. They would have to get used to now being the senior students.
The feast then ended and Dumbledore rose to give the usual announcements... or so it seemed.
"Now that we are all well-fed, some important announcements have to be made," he told the students. "Since I already introduced the new additions to the school, I can skip that part and right away warn everyone to stay away from the Forbidden Forest, since it is forbidden for a good reason. due to all the dangerous creatures living in it An age line is keeping students out and I implore you not to think you can outsmart it. The forest also is more dangerous than ever."
The students looked surprised at that announcement and Dumbledore continued "In recent months, the centaurs living in the forest have become intolerant of others entering the forest. Radical elements in their society have caused a schism and it now is even more dangerous to enter the forest. Thus stay out."
The Six looked at each other, remembering Bane's reaction to Grawp being in the forest. They had a feeling that the presence of the giant had been the spark to cause that development. They hoped that it hadn't resulted in some kind of bloodbath, since they had met reasonable and nice centaurs like Firenze and Celestra.
"In other news, the mode of Quidditch in this year will be different, and I ask the Captains of the House teams to come forward." Dumbledore saw how that caused unrest.
Seeing Ron stand up, Hermione noticed a detail. "He's wearing his Captain badge. He normally never does so outside of games," she observed.
"Ron told me it's a mixture of the twins teasing him and an overdose of 'Prefect Percy' during our first year. Him wearing it means it's something official," Harry realized, also being a bit nervous since Quidditch was an excellent distraction from his own troubles.
"The faculty felt, that a hard competition would not be what the school needs in such times," the Captain from Hufflepuff explained. "Therefore the offer was made to all four Captains to not play for a prize as long as the war is ongoing and instead demonstrate unity."
The Captain from Slytherin then continued "We agreed with the faculty, and thus there will be no competition for the cup as long as the war is ongoing. However, since no one wants to derive the school of its most popular sport, a new game format is introduced."
"There will be two games in which all four teams will play against each other at the same time, with double the amount of quaffles and bludgers, and each team having their own goal hoops," the Ravenclaw Captain explained.
Ron added the final words. "There is no prize, it will just be about bragging rights and entertaining everyone due to entertainment being needed in such times."
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"Life as a NEWT"
Notes:
Here the notes.
Oh boy, I took the shopping scene from the book and changed it significantly.
While the alley is the same as in the book, changes creep up quickly, like the Parkinsons being at the robe shop as well and things going different there. Then there of course is the joke shop. Not only are the dynamics different with Angelina being present, but due to Sirius being their patron, Fred and George are much less stingy.
Of course there also is the scene in Knockturn Alley. I absolutely hated the "we-won't-believe-Harry" game from the canon book, so Harry saw the mark and everyone does believe him about the whole thing. Of course I won't tell what exactly those two are planning and what is going on. I hope you also like the reaction of the adults to the whole thing.
I wanted to make it a stark contrast how the reactions to the pregnancies of Bellatrix and Dora are. It shows coldness and calculation on one side, while the other has warmth and love. Remember that contrast, it will come up again. Oh, and yes, the growing babies are Delphi and Teddy. Delphi's existence is the only thing I use from that terrible play.
Then the wedding. I don't go into detail about the ceremony, since the people around it are more interesting. I hope I showed you well what kind of people the Thompsons are.
And then we already are on the train. Many character moments and I finally introduce Mark's friends to you, the three M's. I wanted to create something different from the canon trio and hope this did it. We'll see more of them over the year.
I hope the sorting of Mark and friends came as a suprise, but Dumbledore's warning about the centaurs...