Note – I am sorry for the delay. I can't give excuses coz I know that I made everyone suffer by putting the fic on hold.

Chapter 15

The feast was in full swing, and the students were in high spirits due to Halloween. Across the hall, the twins were creating such a ruckus that McGonagall was making her way toward them with a stern expression, which never ended well as far as Harry knew. He chuckled at their plight before digging in.

Just as he was about to reach for his goblet, the bracelet on his wrist emanated warmth, warning him that the goblet was spiked. 'Now, who would have done that!?' he thought. Concerned, he quickly passed his hand over both Daphne's and Tracey's drinks, feeling no warmth.

Letting out a sigh of relief that they were safe, he wondered who might be targeting him. Deciding to avoid drinking from the goblet, he reached for a dish further away and 'accidentally' spilled his drink.

"Harryyy! You are far too clumsy today," Tracey exclaimed, moving away to save herself from the splash.

"Oops, sorry," Harry said, acting clumsier than he felt.

Daphne shook her head in amusement, anticipating the usual banter between Tracey and Harry. Their arguments often escalated into absurdity, like the one they had in the library last week over a book.

Meanwhile, Harry discreetly observed the hall to see if anyone looked disappointed, but he couldn't spot any suspicious reactions amid the crowd. Giving up on the search, he reached for his favorite dessert, the treacle tart, ignoring the potential threat for the moment.

The feast was interrupted when the doors to the Great Hall burst open with a loud crash. The noise in the hall dulled as everyone turned to see the purple-turbaned, two-faced idiot of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Quirrell ran in, sweating and shivering, a sight unbefitting his title as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.

Harry just observed the moment and thought back to how it played out in the past. Craning his head to see if Hermione was missing – he swore under his breath when he couldn't find her. She was missing from her usual place at the table, and it filled Harry with terror when he understood that the bushy-haired girl was in danger even this time around.

Harry watched as Quirrell, horror-stricken, announced, "Troll. Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know," before fainting face-first onto the floor.

Panic erupted in the Great Hall until Dumbledore took control of the situation with a loud bang from his wand. "Silence!" he commanded.

Using the sudden silence to his advantage, Dumbledore instructed the prefects to guide all the houses, except for the Slytherins, to their dormitories. A few professors left with Dumbledore to search for the troll, while others remained behind.

As the Ravenclaws were ushered out by the prefects, Harry lingered at the table, pretending to take a few last bites. Daphne looked at him confusedly while Tracey berated him for being too relaxed.

"Aren't you even a tiny bit worried?" asked Daphne.

"Let's go join them, Harry," Tracey urged.

"I'm coming, Trace. And, by the way, the troll is in the dungeons, not in any of the towers we're heading towards," Harry replied.

"Now is not the time for your smartass-ness," Tracey whispered. "And before you correct me, I know it's not a real word."

Convincing them to move ahead, Harry took his time to finish his meal, then quickly made his way to the back of the line. As they moved, he made a quick dash towards a corridor, silencing himself. Ensuring the Ravenclaws had gone ahead, he disillusioned himself and went in the opposite direction.

X-X

Hermione was not having the best day at Hogwarts. She had hoped the bullying would end at a magical school, but her dreams were dashed. Despite her love for magic and knowledge, her hope of finding good friends was waning. Looking in the mirror, she saw her red, puffy face from crying and mentally prepared herself.

As she rinsed her hands, she heard loud thumping footsteps and a scraping noise outside the bathroom. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she ran to a stall, locking herself in just as the doors were pushed open. A low, guttural rumble echoed within the bathroom. She lowered her head to see a huge, ugly grey leg at the entrance. Panicking, she clutched her hands to her chest and backed into the stall, hoping to hide until the monster passed by.

That was when she heard Neville's voice cry out, "There's the troll!"

Hermione peeked to see the troll swing its huge club towards the bathroom doors, smashing them in a wide arc and letting out a roar of fury. Then came Neville, Ron, Dean, and Seamus. Hermione was puzzled as to why Ron, who had made mean comments to her in class today, was there.

"Um... I – I have faced dragons be-before, this one's no match f-for me," stammered Neville.

Despite his fear, Neville ran to the side, distracting the troll while the others pelted it with rocks. Hermione stepped out of the stall, inching towards the exit, trying to go unnoticed. The boys distracting it helped her get out of the bathroom and into the corridor where the troll was swinging its club around distractedly.

'I wish I was at the hall instead of here'

X-X

Harry arrived to see the troll chasing the group of first-years. Realizing they needed help, he drew his wand. "Glacies Falce," he muttered.

From the other end of the corridor, his spell conjured a scythe made of ice, which struck deep in the troll's nape. The troll faltered, blood starting to gush from the wound, flowing rapidly and staining the floor beneath it. He looked at his work.

Harry hid himself under a disillusionment charm and stepped back into an alcove as the professors rounded the corner. They saw the missing children and the troll, looking even more bewildered than usual, before it fell face-first to the ground – just like Quirrell.

"What happened here, Mr. Longbottom?" an enraged McGonagall demanded.

"Filius, follow me," Dumbledore instructed, making his way towards the fallen creature.

Harry slipped away while they investigated how the troll was killed. He knew that Dumbledore would be vigilant, knowing that there was someone within the castle who took down a troll easily and managed to stay hidden.

'That's a problem for the future. I gotta go see if Medusa had her dinner.'

X-X

Christmas was fast approaching, and they already had two Ministry officials missing. It was only a few weeks ago when James was looking into Silas Crump at the behest of his own curiosity and his son's letter.

He was in the record room looking into the past of one Silas Crump when he was come across by the Head Auror – Moody, the very person who led the investigation after the Wimbourne incident.

"James! Care to tell me why you are perusing the file of a suspect I am currently investigating?"

"Just personal curiosity. I hope I am not overstepping," he replied nervously. 'Bad timing on my part.'

"Hmm… If it's not idle curiosity I can assign you to a team that is currently investigating a connected case." He tapped his wooden leg while looking at James speculatively.

"Sure. I was finishing up with that report on the Knockturn Alley robbery."

"Great! If that's the case, take that file and meet me in my office in half an hour. Hope that's enough time to wrap up the report."

The case he was assigned to along with Proudfoot was on the missing Ministry officials. Specifically, from one department – The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Crouch was pushing the Aurors to find them as soon as possible at the behest of the Minister.

Umbridge was kidnapped from her home in the middle of the night, leaving behind a charred house with nothing to go on except for her dead cats. The body of the woman was never found, leading them to believe that she was either kidnapped or dead elsewhere. But then, Mr. Russel, a senior from the same department, was reported missing by his wife after he failed to return home from work.

If only that was the case. After looking into the records and behavior of the victims, it made James wonder if they were better off without them in society. Bribes, breaches of confidentiality, and underhanded dealings were a common theme for both Umbridge and Russel.

'At the very least, Sirius and I should be relieved that we changed Remus' mind from registering himself with the Ministry.'

Harry would be back home in a few days, and he wondered what piqued his son's interest in this man. A first year being interested in the affairs of the society was a little out of the norm and he didn't want to see his son grow up too soon.

X-X

Dark Claw was pondering the hatred that people had towards magical creatures, not the four-legged beasts but the ones that were very much similar to them. The werewolves were basically humans except on the night of a full moon, that was a well-known fact. But they were hated every day for something that can be kept under control on one particular night in a month.

'Did it stem from the hatred that they have for their own kind or was it something else?'

"Silas! Is the potion master well equipped for the upcoming wolfsbane batch?"

"Yes, Milord. Thaddeus is a highly knowledgeable Potioneer. He was able to make a proper batch last night."

"Seems like our raids on the potion shops were worthwhile."

Finding a man of such caliber who is not only a genius with potions but also an ally towards a just cause for equality was pure luck on Dark Claw's part. He came across this man's name in many testimonials from werewolves who vouched for the man's character. Having a potion master was a necessity when their numbers grow over time.

"I hope you are ready for dueling practice later in the evening, Silas. I want you to be quick with your wand the next time we go out."

"I will be prepared hereafter. Russel took me by surprise, and that won't happen again."

"Of course, it shouldn't! I won't tolerate a weakling under my authority when I have grand plans for your kind's rights."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"You may leave now."

Hearing the door shut behind him, he thought about how ill-prepared Silas was when Russel attacked him. The man directed a cutting curse at Silas when he couldn't penetrate Dark Claw's defense. The gash on his chest would be a reminder for him in the future.

He believed that his righteous anger towards inequality and hatred towards anything that is different or misunderstood may have stemmed from the respect he had for a man who trained him. And the anger cemented itself further when he himself was afflicted with a similar curse. A curse is an apt word for his predicament.

He looked at his hands that looked inhuman, rough-looking, and with long claws. Being hidden and confined without being let free was something that he was very familiar with. Now that he was free, he vowed to let the others enjoy that freedom too.

'If the Ministry can't be fair and equal, I will even the odds out and carry out their work for them!'

A/N - Please review and lemme know your thoughts…Love you guys… TC