-12 Grimauld Place
"Dirty filthly blood traitor, eek!" Walburga Black's portrait howled at her disgraced son from the wall that it could not be removed from. The enchantments of the portrait had cost the revenue of the entire Black estate for a year. It was all but impossible to silence, move, or destroy. Having been unable to cast Sirius from the family when Acturus Black, his grandfather, still lived and declared him heir, she had poured every last galleon into making sure she, not he would rule this house at least.
BG, or Best Girl was a happy basilisk as she could now reach the painting, and every time Walburga would curse at Sirius she could strike at her. The painting shrugged off every magic below Fiend Fire, but that would risk the whole of Grimauld Place. Basilisk venom on the other hand was wild magic's answer to decay. If Dragon Fire was the primal fire of creation, then basilisk venom was wild magic's nod to the second law of thermondynamics, to the process of decay and the acceptance of Death's first maxim; all that lives must die. BG was a very young basilisk by the calendar; Sirius had his Care of Magical Creatures NEWT and understood a basilisk of BG's age should be about three feet and very much the occasional hunter of very small prey.
BG was now twenty feet long and a ravenous hunter of everything that couldn't talk to her; including Walburga Black, mother, portrait, and slow learner.
The fang marks healed slowly in the portrait itself, the magic in it fluttering and flickering to deal with the damage, but Walburga had dodged this time. The loss of her right arm had taught her that to be struck by those fangs was to be left the choice of swiftly use her own wand to cut off the offending limb or simply watch herself dissolve into nothingness.
"Sirius you unfilial whelp, you matricidal ingrate, defend your mother. That snake is trying to murder me!" Shrieked Walburga, stopping cursing her son long enough to demand he save her.
"$ What does the bloated prey say Dogfather? $" BG said, swaying back and forth to lure Walburga into stillness so she cold strike her again.
Sirius read his Daily Prophet and smiled as he sipped his morning tea. "She says na-na-na-na-na-na you can't catch me!"
BG's eyes flared as she was challenged and she struck again, this time catching a bit of Walburga's gown, leaving the desperate witch no choice but to cut off half her skirt to stop the venom from dissolving her legs and costing her the ability to dodge.
"Showing a lot of leg there mother. What would father say? Hardly proper for a lady of your breeding. What sort of example are you setting for BG, she is my god-granddaughter and a snake of impressionable age. I won't have her corrupted by your casually stripping in the hallway." Sirius chuckled, waggling his finger at the portrait.
Walburga howled. "YOU DEGENERATE BLOOD TRAITOR! You shamed the House of Black by stripping in a nightclub just last night EEK!" Walburga's attack had distracted her enough to get caught again on the rest of her skirt, causing Walburga to have to cut it away frantically. Now she was in a huge flowing Edwardian ball gown with bustle that ended like a miniskirt.
"$ This is a fun game! $" Hissed BG happily.
Remus came in frowning. "Have you seen the Prophet?"
"Filthy mongrel cur, how dare you shame the house of EEK!" Walburga greeted Remus with the start of her usual anti-werewolf rant.
"Morning Walburga." Said Remus. "$ Morning BG $" he hissed.
"$ Moony! The howling one has legs! Look, I made her show them! $" Hissed a happy BG.
Sirius got up and scratched her head, causing the snake to lean back into his touch like the decadent little murder noodle she was becoming. "$ Whose my best girl? You are my best girl! Yes you are! $"
Remus sighed. "You are a bad influence on that basilisk. Had you asked me in seventh year when we were doing our care of magical creatures NEWT I would have bet any money even you could not corrupt a basilisk."
Sirius chucked. "And you would have lost. I tempted Grizelda Marchbanks to stick a galleon between my cheeks because Tamara Ogden had nicked my thong. I hid out from Death Eaters in a cave with a Yogi who had spent a hundred and ten years moving past all worldly desires and taught him to blow fire rings with fire whiskey and sing dirty songs in Hindi and English by day three. We had gotten as far as lighting farts with our wands before I got the all clear. I must say, never enter that competition with a vegetarian. They will win."
Remus just shook his head. "Why can't you be reasonable like Pupper-noodle?" Begged Remus.
Sirius looked up in confusion? "Where is your basilisk anyway?"
Remus smirked. "Passed out in the main solar under the big window, enjoying the morning son like a rational snake. Sirius, if you could actually be serious for a second, what do you think about the news in the Prophet?"
Sirius let his shoulders slump for a second. "Cornelius Fudge is out. Barty Crouch Sr is elected, and good old Dumbledore was his backer. Parkinson was defeated at least, but Crouch is in and has some sort of detent with old Dumbledore. They both colluded to keep me in Azkaban, they both have a problem with Harry being off-leash. Short term it is a problem. Long term, we set them up as the thing Voldemort has to kill to reach power."
He turned and looked at his old friend and new Steward of House Black. "Remus, you met with Skeeter and made sure she would be there for the start of year and the announcements? It is critical that when Dumbledore and Crouch reveal what they are planning for this year that Harry and his gang can upstage them in front of the press.
They need him silenced, and I am not liking the rumours of how they are going about doing it. He needs to be someone that every witch and wizard thinks about, knows about, and absolutely trusts is independent of both the Ministry and our dear old puppet master Dumbledore."
Remus looked at his old friend. "Rita Skeeter will be there. How you can trust she will run the story you want, not side with them I don't know."
Sirius smiled. "Because Rita is a shark, how she came out a stag beetle animagus I don't know. Her soul is a shark, and both Barty Crouch and Dumbledore are trailing so much blood the water is almost chum. I have sold her on the fact that our dear little Harry is a goblin who went swimming in political waters for the first time, because he has a taste for whales. Like a good little shark, she will follow our dear Harry and be ready for any new wounds he opens up, so she can get her little shark teeth in their first for her pound of flesh.
No my good Remus. I have made my entire career out of tempting women. Rita Skeeter lives to bring the powerful down, to tear down legends. She is a little person who has been trampled on her entire life and now lives only to bring the big ones down. If she goes after Harry, he doesn't actually care if the public likes him, could give a fig about wizagamot votes, doesn't even really care if anyone who isn't inside his clan believes him about Voldemort. He is almost untouchable by Skeeter. Dumbledore and Fudge on the other hand, are political and social giants whose feet are very much turning to sand, and are about one good push away from falling down and going boom very loudly.
Rita couldn't ignore this story any more than I could pass by a Veela nude volleyball tournament."
Sirius smiled. "Besides, I would pay a thousand galleons just to see Severus face when Harry gives his little gift. If Skeeter gets a shot of it, I will have it framed and hang it across from Walburga so she has no choice but to look at it. Ought to find out if you can give a portrait a heart attack. It is what killed mom in the first place."
The two surviving Marauders shared a laugh, and between Grim and Werewolf, their laugh had more of fang and death by moonlight than anything resembling humour.
-Hogwarts express Platform 9-3/4
Auror Proudfoot stopped Hermione. "Luggage inspection. Open your trunks."
Hermione frowned. "This is Platform 9-3/4, this is Hogwarts territory. Aurors authority ended at the platform edge according to the Treaty of Hogwarts."
Auror Proudfoot sneered. "Well Headmaster Dumbledore decided you students were in need of moral guidance, and has volunteered to allow Ministerial guidance under a Ministerial Inquisitor who has posted Aurors to make sure no contraband gets into Hogwarts. Inquisitor Umbridge has declared that Aurors shall search as they deem necessary, any suspicious students or obvious dissidents."
Harry, Neville, and Milicent had drifted over. Harry had slid his wand into his hand, Neville was looking worried, but Milicent had slid her hand over to cover Harry's wand hand. Giving a small headshake, she indicated that they should watch, and let Hermione handle it.
Hermione raised one eyebrow and tossed her mass of brown bushy hair like a centurions crest as she prepared to dress down a particularly stupid Legionary during inspection.
Hermione began to project her voice in the way Milicent had coached her, not shouting, never shouting because that denoted a loss of control. No. Speak from the diaphragm, projecting power, and infusing your own magic into it so that it COMPELLED attention. Most never learned the trick, but powerful mages who went into politics soon did. Professional politicians like Fudge and Croaker lacked the power to use it casually, but Dumbledore wielded it effortlessly to command any crowd he spoke in. The Bullstrodes had taught Milicent when she was a child, with the intention that if she ever grew into such power, she could wield it. Hermione had that power in spades.
"Inquisitor? Well I should expect a failed and collapsing Ministry to fall back on the very tool the Muggles used to hunt witches and wizards to suppress those witches and wizards who dare to think, speak, or act like a true witch or wizard. Like the Inquisition of the Muggle church, you will of course fail, but hurt any number of innocents before you do." Hermione said, and every parent and child on the platform was listening.
Proudfood drew his wand. "Open. Your. Trunk."
Hermione crossed her arms behind her back, coincidentally placing her hand on her Walther PPK back holster, but far away from the wand on her belt.
Hermione spoke clearly. "Kiss. My. Ass. You have neither right nor warrant."
Proudfoot snarled "Stupfify!" And a red globe with enough power not simply to stun a teenager, but to blast them half the length of the platform and possibly shatter some bones on impact launched for her head.
[crack]
Hermione had spun and dropped into a classic left handed competitive firing stance, her left arm extended in line with her shoulder advanced. A direct unbroken line connected Hermione's left eye, the holographic red dot sight projected by runes above her Walther PPK and the exploding hand and wand of Auror Proudfoot.
The clink of an expended brass landing on the platform was heard before the scream of the Auror, but Hermione's right hand was over, but not touching her wand.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, let alone his pet Inquisitor, has no legal authority to cede my rights against search and seizure, nor defense of the person. You have fired upon me without warning, and without threat. I have chosen to disarm you without the use of magic, so you cannot even ask to examine my wand. Do be aware, Auror Proudfoot, that bullet proofing charms in your robles only affect bullets that would have struck your robes." Hermione said.
Auror Proudfoot screamed as he grasped the ruins of his right hand. The bones had exploded in the hand, the shock wave of the impact of a round travelling with the muzzle velocity associated with anti-material rifles had broken bones back to the elbow, and fragments of the wand were driven deep into the flesh of the forearm.
Her muzzle pointed skyward with bent elbow, Hermione eyed the converging Aurors with amusement.
A forest of drawn wands from a half dozen Aurors and about fifty parents made it clear that should one single spell be fired, a bloodbath would result.
Augusta Longbottom's Sonorous charm cut through the babble of noise.
"AURORS STAND DOWN." The Longbottom Matriarch's voice hammered the crowd into submission by its power.
Auror Stavendish shook it off and pointed a wand at her. "You don't have any authority to command us. We are here by the Inquisitor's authority, with the agreement of the Minister of Magic and Headmaster Dumbledore!"
Augusta Longbottom sneered at the young Auror as only a grande damme of the Founding Twelve families could sneer. She sneered so powerfully that the stuffed vulture on top of her hat leaned down to sneer at the middle aged Auror as well.
"Young man, I am the chairwoman of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. You will find on this platform, as in Hogwarts, that it is I, not the Headmaster, not the Minister of magic, and not some jumped up bureaucrat in a made up position, that has the legal authority here. Now, should you decide to settle this with brute force and not rule of law, I shall have my grandson and his friends stack your bodies in the corner with the other trash to be taken out by the Hogwarts elves so as not to disturb the First Years." August Longbottom had not removed her Sonorus charm, nor pointed her wand at the Auror.
Neville Longbottom's wand however was a blaze of golden light, a golden scythe had formed, more a pole arm than a hand weapon, and the hum of power coming off the blade argued that if he flicked his wand, Auror Stavendish would never live to discover what it was that cut his shield, defensive enchantments, body and soul.
Stavendish noted that the strange, rune marked children they had been ordered to search had all trained their wands on different Aurors, so the half dozen standing Aurors, no matter what the adults did, would be cut down at the casting of the first spell.
They were fourth year students, they hadn't even written their OWLS yet. They should be trembling in their boots before trained Aurors. Stavendish swallowed, the spit felt like a fist as it went down his throat. These were the children that used the torture curse on Dementors on the train the year before, the ones who had summoned a Patronus Dragon three hundred feet long that actually ATE Dementors at the Quidditch disaster. They had killed Death Eaters in full regalia, standing against teams of the experienced Death Eaters Stavendish would run before facing.
Hermione coughed to draw his attention.
"You have no legal right to search a Hogwarts students belongings or person without a warrant issued by the DMLE head, and Amelia Bones is about a hundred meters that way, pointing her wand AT you, not me, so I am assuming you don't have one.
This being the case, you have an injured Auror who needs a potion, which I shall not be giving him, and an entire Auror detail in need of instruction as to the basic laws of wizarding Britain and the Hogwarts treaty, which I suspect Director Bones will be seeing you receive in the very near future.
Put your wand away, or you will be responsible for lethal spell fire on the platform that holds the children of every powerful political figure on every side of the wizagamot, and the child of every witch and wizard who is capable of challenging you personally to a duel whose results will be both lethal and legal."
Auror Stavendish called out shakily. "Aurors, stand down"
It took him two attempts to holster his own wand. By that point two of his team had descended on Auror Proudfoot to staunch the bleeding and administer healing, bone regrowth, and blood replenishing potions. As no one had thought to include pain potions, the Auror was screaming so loudly they had to cast a sound muffling charm to stop the children reacting to his screams.
As the teens stowed their luggage in the compartment, Neville finally broke down and asked.
"Bloody hell Hermione, how did you know all that?" Neville asked.
Hermione shrugged. "Hogwarts, A History. I sent you all copies. I really do think you should read them. The Minister has chosen to interfere at Hogwarts, I guess because he knows his hold on the Ministry is shaky, what with Sirius being freed, his false imprisonment being exposed, and all those Death Eaters he freed as "innocent" getting themselves killed by us when they slaughtered everyone they could reach at his precious World Cup.
I don't know why Dumbledore is allowing it. Allowing a Ministerial Inquisitor at Hogwarts is a severe blow to his authority as Headmaster and he somehow allowed it? Barty Crouch isn't in any position to demand it. He barely got elected, and he has no support."
Harry slumped into his seat. "Politics. Dumbledore is unhappy that I am not being a good 'Boy Who Lived' and dancing on his strings like a good little puppet. He is the Champion of Light, so he can't exactly publicly bully me into doing what I am told or me, and all of you pay whatever price he can legally justify. So he decides to allow Crouch to put in his pet Inquisitor, whoever Dolores Umbridge is, and she can do all the bullying while Dumbledore looks on like the saint that he is, goes tut tut, if only you threw yourself upon my infinite mercy and begged forgiveness, I could make all the bad things stop."
Milicent gave a soft clap. "Harry, that was almost Slytherin. I am so proud!"
Draco looked at him in alarm. "That was actually pretty decent analysis."
Harry shrugged. "Sirius has been making me take lessons. I complained to Griphook, but Fangborn overheard and she and Sirius have been exchanging owls so I get double teamed. She seems to think any goblin who needs that much instruction on politics is a shame to the clan so she has not only permitted, but ordered Sirius to double down on my instruction."
Draco shuddered. When your mother decides your lack of education has shamed the family, bad things happened. It was a lot easier simply to learn. That is how Draco learned dance after all.
Fred offered. "It's all"
George concluded "geek to me."
Milicent cuffed her minions on the back of the head, before ruffling their hair.
"I don't keep you around for your thinking." Milicent offered. Frowned. "Well, not your academic or political thinking. Your sneaky and underhanded thinking is a thing of absolute beauty."
"You hear that Fred?" Said Fred to George.
"I heard George!" Said George to Fred.
"She called us beautiful!" The Weasley twins high fived and grinned at a disbelieving compartment.
Hermione frowned. "I don't like the title of Inquisitor. In human history, no Inquisition started for limited ends with limited authorized means has ever stayed inside its limited means or within the scope of its defined ends. It is a recipe for abuse unless the person in power is a pillar of self discipline and morality."
Milicent snorted. "Delores Umbridge was a very junior undersecretary in the department of international co-operation under Barty Crouch, since Britain does not co-operate with filthy foreigners that is about as important as the position of Dementors undersecretary of tourism. Since Bertha Jorkins did all the actual work for the World Cup and Triwizard Tournament, then somehow got lost on holiday, Delores was under a lot of fire from everyone involved in the disaster of the World Cup because she didn't know anything about the work she claimed credit for doing, and was under even more fire for the Triwizard cup, because again, she had no information about what security arrangements were, when the World Cup went pear shaped and suddenly having the Tri-wizard cup at Hogwarts became a security question.
Instead of being fired for incompetence, or being grilled by the wizagamot for actual answers for what failed in security at the World Cup, or how things were improved for the Tri-Wizard cup, she is suddenly Barty Crouches girl on the ground at Hogwarts. The Inquisitor of Hogwarts.
She has escaped the consequences of her own incompetence and been promoted as Barty Crouches political whip to bring disobedient students into obedience with Barty Crouches version of reality and Ministerial doctrine. Do not expect reason, respect for law, or anything resembling morality from her."
Everyone looked at Milicent and blinked. "I rule a Most Ancient and Noble House, I have like twenty witches and wizards who do nothing but gather intelligence on politics surrounding my interests at Hogwarts."
Draco coughed, then pulled out stacks of handouts. "Mother drew these up for the rest of you. She figured that Sirius was sloppy and the rest of you were too Hufflepuff to really prepare for political backstabbing, or too Ravenclaw to point it out to everyone she thought already knew."
Luna looked briefly alarmed, as if she only now realized other people didn't know, and she should have mentioned it. Draco patted her hand and handed her a sheaf of papers she scanned and nodded over, as if confirming it contained all the major points.
Neville sighed, Harry sighed, and Hermione looked alarmed. There had been something she should have studied and had missed. Milicent patted her hand. Only a Hufflepuff would be alarmed there was work she had missed the chance to do.
Harry groaned. "You know this Umbridge is going to go spare when we co-opt her big moment to upstage her. Dumbledore is going to lose it. The fact he is going to have to pretend to like it is going to take years off his life."
Neville eyed Draco and Milicent. "You know, this is going to tell us if Snape is still loyal to Voldemort. When he sees the locket, he is either going to react like the Head of House Slytherin at the return of its most sacred founder's artifact, or like a Death Eater to the knowledge that one of his beloved Dark Lord has had part of his soul eaten, and one of his anchors to immortality cut."
Draco met his eyes. "I am confident of my godfather's loyalty."
Harry shrugged. "A lot of people are. All but one of them will turn out to be wrong."
Milicent Bulstrode, Lady Selwyn laughed softly. "Nothing like a Slytherin revenge drama. Ten thousand betrayals leading to an ultimate expression of loyalty. I used to read them before bed time and cry myself to sleep if I guessed wrong."
Hermione looked at her with interest. "Did you guess wrong very often?"
Milicent smiled. "Almost never."
-Hogwarts Great Hall, after the sorting ceremony
Dumbledore sat smiling, Minerva McGonagall at his right hand was frowning, and Delores Umbridge to his left was beaming, a vision of a pink toadlike woman dressed in what would have been appropriate female attire from a muggle version of Stepford-Barbie. She was a vision of pink overcorrection for a lack of any feminine virtues, that is she was clearly female, but had missed utterly any of the elements of human that generally attend either gender, and instead settled on toad with a side of eye searing pink.
Rufus Scrimgeour was perched beside Severus Snape, as the new DADA instructor had been a Slytherin in his day and felt better in company with his own. Professor Flitwick was looking puzzled and you could see his wand had come out as he began to make passes in the air, testing the shift in the ambient magic that soon had him and Professor Babbling of Ancient Runes and Sinestra of Arithmancy in a three way discussion over what each of them was detecting.
Rita Skeeter of the Daily Prophet ignored and was ignored by Percival Dippet, head political reporter, while their two photographers chatted amiably, ignoring both their overyly personalitied reporters to talk shop in the way of professional technicians working for overly moody artists. There was a big announcement promised, and they were aware that the Minister of Magic's personal Auror detail was in Hogwarts, which argued so was the Minister.
Dumbledore rose and tapped his glass with his wand.
"Welcome students, welcome to annother wonderful year at Hogwarts. There are a few start of term announcements. First of all, I would like to welcome our new DADA instructor, Professor Rufus Scrimgeour, who comes to us after retiring from the Auror department of the DMLE, where he had served as Chief Auror under the former Minister of Magic."
Rufus rose, bowed, and spoke briefly. "I have spent a few days with Professor Remus Lupin who taught you last year, and been given a thorough grounding on where you all were, and what still needed to be covered. As he had gotten you almost back to where you needed to be, I will be taking it from there. Unfortunately the NEWT and OWL students will have a pretty hard time this year, as from what Professor Lupin has told me, you began last year almost a full year behind where you should be, and ended it not quite all the way caught up. As any of my Aurors can tell you, I am not the hardest task master you could ask for, but I did train under him." Rufus grin caused all of the Aurors in the corners of the room to shudder as they all remembered their own instruction under Mad Eye Moody.
Rufus sat, having set the tone he wished for his year as an instructor. Strict, but having grounded the students on the very real and inflexible needs of their OWL and NEWT requirements that they were expected to meet, and where they stood in relevance to that.
Dumbledore winced at Rufus openly admitting Dumbledore's revolving door of DADA instructors had a very real cost to his students, and that Quirrel had been absolutely useless before turning out to be a murdering Inferi possessed by the Dark Lord. Deciding to sweep that political gaffe under the table as Scrimgeour being recently an Auror rather than any sort of a more sensitive Ministerial employee, he moved on.
"In the recent past, there has been a certain amount of conflict between the Ministry and Hogwarts, or its students, about the proper use of magic, and specifically magical force. Since a number of students in Hogwarts come to our blessed halls without the grounding of a solid magical and moral upbringing inside our rich and ancient culture (his eyes moved to lock visibly on Hermione), or who come from particularly disadvantaged subcultures (his eyes locked on Harry), Hogwarts has decided to wave its traditional immunity to Ministerial oversight and allow the appointment of an Inquisitor for Moral and Magical Purity here at Hogwarts. I hope you will join me in welcoming Senior Undersecretary Delores Umbridge."
To say that her welcome was lackluster was putting it mildly. The Slytherins had started to look smug when they did the political translation of mudblood and halfblood for "outside our rich and ancient culture, and "goblin" for disadvantaged subculture, but when the phrase Moral and Magical Purity was uttered, their instincts screamed at them, for who in Slytherin house dared to examine their own chosen tool kits for moral or magical purity when the only standard acceptable for Slytherins had always been success not cleanliness or legality?
Hufflepuffs had noticed Dumbledore's targeting of Hermione and by extension all their muggleborn, and Harry as the only goblin and done as Hufflepuffs had always done, locking tight around their own like a bronze aged phallanx, pointing all wands or spears outward at the foe almost without thinking.
Ravenclaws had looked upon the Headmaster's choosing to subject the students of Hogwarts to an Inquisition of clearly political agenda from a minister whose time in office was measured in hours, not years with all the horror that it deserved. The House of Wisdom knew of no foolishness for transitory or terrible than wizarding politics, and to hear that politics should now dictate their access to magical knowledge had the house of Eagles ruffling its feathers angrily.
Gryffindors felt betrayed. Dumbledore had been their head of house before McGonagall, and yet here he was clearly allowing the Ministry to target Muggleborns inside Hogwarts. They were generally the most clueless house when it came to politics, but they had seen the Ministry targeting all the Muggleborn and Halfbloods for searches and harassment that it took Hermione Granger to point out were illegal, and worst it had take an Hufflepuff, not a Gryffindor to stand up to it. For the House of Lions, the champions of the oppressed, to find their own Headmaster had invited the literal Inquisition into Hogwarts was not going over well. Percy Weasley looked like the only Lion who was not already looking to mutiny.
Delores Umbridge had risen to give her own speech.
"Hem Hem." She began, using the Sonorus charm on herself to drown out all the growing muttering about her appointment.
"I come to you from Minister of Magic Bartimous Crouch Senior's own staff for the glorious and important task of raising your conduct to the standards that your forbearers held, and brought glory to this ancient and revered institution. The general decay and decline of traditional discipline has had its effect, and no one more than the Minister realizes that you are not to blame, you have been taught no better. Rejoice, for the Minister has chosen to see to your moral correction before your graduation, so that you will be prepared before you leave Hogwarts to take your PROPER place inside wizarding society, to add to the harmony of a wizarding world that has recently been unnecessarily agitated by a minority of troublemakers."
She stopped and smiled. "It is more important than ever that Hogwarts puts its best foot forward, for wizarding Britain is once again taking its rightful place in the forefront of the wizarding world, and they eyes of the world will indeed be on Hogwarts this year."
Umbridge smiled and took her seat with a smile that any goblin or Slytherin knew was a declaration of intent to subjugate, rather than one of peace or welcome. The angry mutterings again rose around the room, save from the Slytherins who were too savvy to show their true thoughts before authority.
Dumbledore rose beaming, as if the speech had been a rousing success, and once again used Sonorus to overpower the rising of angry mutterings.
"Quite right, quite right. The last announcement is that Quidditch will be cancelled for this year."
Dumbledore held up his hands to quiet the roar of objection.
"Now now, now now. I already had Poppy regrow my eardrums from telling Professor McGonagall, I don't need to lose them again. Now I understand that the Quidditch Cup is the most important thing here at Hogwarts for anyone not in their OWL and NEWT year, and for a few who are, but this year that competition must stand aside for something far more exciting, far more important. An event is coming to Hogwarts that has not been seen in a century, and an opportunity is coming to a lucky Hogwarts student that will allow them to write their own ticket in the wizarding world after graduation, far beyond any NEWT or Mastery Hogwarts itself could grant.
To explain, I shall turn this announcement over to the man who has spent years working with Ministries from Britain, and all over Wizarding Europe, the man behind bringing the Quidditch World Cup back to Britain, and our new Minister for Magic, Bartimous Crouch Senior!"
Seamus Finnegan was heard loudly complaining "Is he trying to claim the Irish victory for England now, or is he trying to say that the whole almost murdered by rampaging Death Eaters was some sort of huge organizational accomplishment?"
Minister Crouch visibly flinched and stopped to scowl at the Gryffindor table, who mostly scowled back, already upset about Muggleborn persecution, the loss of Quidditch, and the growing awareness that an Inquisition about Moral Purity may have serious repercussions on dating broom closet activity in the coming year. Politics they may be weak on, but snogging in broom closets was something the Gryffindors took very seriously.
Minister Crouch took Dumbledores place at the podium and cast his own Sonorus. He attempted to push his power out to back his words with magical force, but Hogwarts wards flared, the runes burning visibly and the Minister winced as his magic was forced back into him. Snarling slightly, he began his speech anyway.
"For the first time in over a century, Hogwarts will host the Tri-Wizard Tournament. For centuries this competition would be held to settle primacy between the three great schools of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. The champion of the Tri-wizard tournament will win a thousand galleons tax free, as well as everlasting glory. No few Tri-wizard champions have gone on to become Ministers of Magic themselves, as they have proven to be the foremost witch or wizard in all of Europe!"
Neville Longbottom forgot to whisper "Yeah the ones who lived. They quit running the tournament when it stopped being just all the competitors and started killing some of the deligates. I mean the seven times all the champions died were fine, but in Paris when it took not just the champions but the Headmasters and one of the Ministers, they finally stopped it."
"SILENCE!" Roared Dumbledore, interrupting the Minister and Neville.
"Twenty points from Hufflepuff." Dumbledore said sternly, but Pomona Sprout alternated glaring at the Headmaster and smiling at Neville, showing that Hufflepuff House was not punishing him.
Minister Crouch forced a smile. "This year, you must all be on your best behavior, for Hogwarts will play host to the world. Beauxbatons of France and the Mediterranean and Durmstrang of Northern Europe will be sending their own contingents of students and champions, along with their Headmistress and Headmaster here to Hogwarts for the year.
There will be three challenges spanning the whole school year, the final to require the use of the Quidditch pitch. Between these there will be scholastic competitions, duelling competitions, broom racing competitions for Hogwarts students and those of the other schools to showcase their abilities and test each other, and of course the Yule Ball, with dances led by the three champions and their dates which will be the focus of wizarding society for all of Wizarding Europe this year!"
This time Crouch had the students, and excitement was already building in most of them. Crouch posed for photos, but Rita Skeeter just looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow. This was hardly news worthy of her efforts.
Harry Potter rose from his seat, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger rose with him. The four walked to the space before the main dias and Harry began to hiss in parseltongue. Hogwarts wards flared and his words echoed back in his own voice from the stone, each sentence in Parseltongue booming back in English from the stones of the hall.
"$ Hear me Salazar Slytherin, first of the Hogwarts Founders. Hear me sons and daughters of his House. Hear me House Master of Slytherin, for a son and daughter of your house would restore to Hogwarts one of its founding treasures. $"
Stone snakes slithered down the walls of the great hall and rose to stand above the head table. Severus Snape rose and strode to stand in the shadow of the snakes, before the head table, eyeing Harry Potter with suspicion.
Noodle the serpent slithered down the aisle, behind him marched Milicent Bulstrode and Draco Malfoy, each holding one end of a heavy silver chain, from which hung a green and silver locket marked with silver serpents.
All light in the hall seemed to gather around the locket, and Noodle hissed in parseltongue.
"$ Behold the locket of Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four! $"
The stones of Hogwarts boomed out the translation, and Severus Snape took a step back, shouting out.
"How is this possible!" Severus Snape shouted.
Rita Skeeter was on her feet, and the photographer was flashing photos as fast as he could reload.
Milicent Bulstrode took a stance, taking the chain from Draco to hold it above her head. She didn't need a Sonorus charm herself, as Draco swiftly cast a sound ampflication charm for her.
"Stolen and defiled by Voldemort, this locket was recovered at the cost of the life of one of Slytherins own, for it was the House of Black who recovered and cleansed it of its taint!"
Severus Snape snarled and shouted, his control shattered by the sight of his Dark Lords former Horcrux now cleaned of its taint by magics Severus could not even contemplate, followed by the implication that his hated rival Sirius Black was somehow Slytherin.
"Sirius Black is NO SLYTHERIN!" Severus Snape shouted, and Rita Skeeter's eyes blazed as she saw THE STORY blaze. Oh there was scandal, drama, magic, intrigue and possibly a few bodies to be found here. This was her story. Oh the boy continued to impress her. This couldn't possibly be left to that political hack. This was a Skeeter Story if ever one lived.
Milicent, having already gamed this out with Draco a hundred times, already had Snapes probable responses rehearsed, and a script worked out with both Sirius and Narcissa for maximum impact.
"Not Sirius Black. This locket was stolen by Voldemort, a holy relic of Slytherin himself, and the Dark Lord Voldemort defiled it, turning it into a Horcrux like Herpo the Foul, desecrating the magic of the founder Salazar Slytherin with unholy murder and soul violating magic to kill an innocent for the power to bind a portion of Voldemort's own soul to this locket. Regulus Arcturus Black, although a marked Death Eater understood that this showed Voldemorts promised future was a lie, that Voldemort himself was nothing but the basest and most vile corrupter and destroyer of Slytherins name and legacy. At the cost of his own life Reguls Arcturus Black recovered that locket from Voldemorts most hidden and defended sanctum and returned it to House Black."
Milicent stated.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Roared Dumbledore, who knew there was no magic that could remove a Horcrux from a person or object without destroying it. That is why Harry had to die facing Voldemort in the end, yet here Harry's friends were not only announcing to the world the secret of the Horcrux, but claiming to have cleansed a second one off a second Founder's relic.
Draco stepped forward and cast Sonorus on himself.
"Lord Sirius Orion Black, unwilling to let the sacrifice of his beloved brother be in vain, led a ritual in the ancient tradition, the tradition of the great houses before the founding of Hogwarts or the Ministry, in the ancient magic of the families, using members of every House of Hogwarts, of every blood status, and cleansed this holy artifact.
It is the will of House Black that the House of Slytherin stand strong and equal to House Hufflepuff to whom its relic has been likewise cleansed and restored."
As Draco spoke, Milicent lowered the locket of Slytherin over House Master Snape's neck. As it did the stone Serpents above the dais lowered their heads to bow to Severus Snape, House Master of Slytherin.
Minister Crouch lurched upright. "That is a dark artifact, and must be turned over to the Ministry immediately. It is rightly the property of the Unspeakables and will be given into my custody immediately!"
The stone serpents of above the dais turned to hiss at the Minister of Magic, stone badgers rose from the flagstones between them to growl their defiance.
Pomona Sprout rose and took the Hufflepuff cup in her hands and strode to stand beside Severus Snape. She bowed to him, and he to her. They faced the head table and Minister. In unison they spoke.
"Hogwarts stands together."
Slytherin and Hufflepuff houses cheered, swiftly joined by Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Umbridge and Crouch shouted and snarled. McGongall and Flitwick both stood and clapped, the latter standing upon the table to clap.
Dumbledore met Snape's eyes like an angry god staring down at his own Lucifier. Severus Snape rose up to his full height and glared back at Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. He who had betrayed and defied the Dark Lord, now betrayed and defied the Champion of Light.
Fear twisted inside him like a serpent, but the hand of Pomona Sprout closed on his shoulder. A peasants hand, still with dirt beneath the nails. A farmer's hand he had sneered, yet she was the Master of Herbs as he the Master of Potions, two magics changed the least in all the centuries of the rule of the Ministry and Wizagamot. The old magics. The old ways.
Severus Snape smiled. He turned to Professor Sprout and smiled, for once, without irony or agenda. Two of the Hogwarts four had been restored. Cleansed of Voldemort's taint, but not given to Dumbledore's rule. Freed by ancient magics, magics the Ministry denied and forbade, magics the Dark Lord distained and ignored.
Feeling the weight of Salazar Slytherin's locket on his shoulders, he could feel its magic reaching out to the very stones of this castle. If Hegla Hufflepuff had been given charge of the welfare of Hogwarts students, Salazar Slytherin had been given charge of the destruction of its foes. He felt connections forming, felt his own magic tasted, tested, and...accepted.
Dumbledore looked down from the dais like the God of the Muggle Bible looking down in judgement on Lucifer the first rebel. Snape suddenly remembered Lilly's explanation of Lucifer and the serpent in the garden of Eden. Lucifer, the Morningstar, the Serpent of Eden.
Dumbledore looked down like the wrath of the God of Abraham and the Head of the House of Serpents looked up at him, and smiled.
Rita Skeeter glanced at her photographer, who snapped the picture.
Story, story, story! Rita new it was just beginning. She would have to get a room in Hogsmede. No way she was leaving Hogwarts alone for a single moment this year. Careers would be made this year, mostly hers, and careers would be destroyed, oh how many of them. RIta felt a lust no man, woman, gold, or even power could stir in her well up. Oh, oh, oh, how the mighty will tremble and fall before this year was over.
Rita would record it all, and maybe give a little push when they teetered on the brink. After years of being ignored, sidelined and shut out because she wasn't born pure blood, wasn't related to anyone important or particularly rich. Now she would watch the whole comfortable wizarding elite fall, and climb their wreckage to success.
She could kiss every one of those dangerous little children!