"It doesn't matter what the belief is," Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, snapped. "You can't go around telling people things that aren't true!"
"I don't remember saying anything untruthful," Thanatos replied, mask up.
They were in Amelia's office, with Amelia standing behind her desk, hands on it and Thanatos sitting in a chair opposite it. Papers littered the floor, thrown there after Amelia slammed her hands on the desk in anger.
The office was covered by six layers of silencing and privacy charms; anyone trying to even enter the office would only see blank space.
"You told Potter that Black was innocent," Amelia ground out, nails digging into her palm.
Amelia was a stern-faced woman who rarely showed emotion; the fact her anger was so evident was proof that, had she less self-control, she would've hexed him by now.
"I said the evidence for his conviction was lacking," Thanatos replied calmly. "Which is true. I presented theories, nothing more."
Amelia took a deep, shaky breath. "Tell me, Marime, what evidence is lacking?"
"There's no trial about him."
Amelia choked, the wind seemingly knocked out of her. She grabbed her desk so hard her knuckles turned white, and her eyes were wide.
"Excuse me?" She managed to breathe out, brushing stray hair out of her face. "Can you repeat that?"
"Sirius Black never had a trial," Thanatos repeated. "When you called me on, I took the liberty of searching up Sirius' records, thinking it would give me insight into his patterns and possible locations. This is all there is."
He waved his wand, a 14-inch yew wand with silver designs up its length, and a thin folder appeared on Amelia's desk, no more than a few pages thick.
Amelia frowned as she picked up the folder and skimmed through it.
"There's the date of his arrest, along with the crime scene details," Thanatos told her.
Amelia nodded. "And his incarceration date, and, more recently-"
"His date of escape," Thanatos finished. "No trial in sight. And trust me, I scoured every inch of the records for every Black in the past 100 years. Not a mention anywhere."
"That can't be right," Amelia's frown deepened. "I know Crouch was reckless in his dealing with the Death Eaters, but even Bellatrix Lestrange got a trial. A quick one, but a trial nonetheless."
"Also, there are inconsistencies in the details of his arrest," Thanatos explained. "The records state that, with a single spell, Sirius blew up a street, twelve Muggles, and Peter Pettigrew."
"And what's inconsistent about that?" Amelia raised an eyebrow.
"The spell was determined to be cast a few feet away from Sirius, closer to the Muggles than to Peter," Thanatos continued.
Amelia's eyes widened. "They only found a finger for Peter, but the Muggles were killed, but mostly intact."
Thanatos nodded. "Peter was never known to be a particularly powerful wizard, but even if he didn't cast a shield, his distance from the blast's source and his magic would've kept him intact more than the Muggles, perhaps even alive."
"So, what you're saying is..." Amelia trailed off, feeling the pieces fall together.
"Sirius Black was framed," Thanatos confirmed. "His apparent attitude doesn't line up with his recorded relationships. He was as close as brothers with James, and on several occasions, slept at his house when Sirius' family kicked him out, or Sirius fled."
Amelia nodded, beginning to pace the office. "Peter was also their friend, along with Remus. They were as thick as thieves, playing pranks on anybody and backing each other up, no matter what."
"So, if that's the case, why did Sirius turn traitor so quickly?" Thanatos asked rhetorically. "Also, according to Dumbledore, Sirius was at the Potter's home before Hagrid, who he sent to recover Harry. So, why then, if Sirius truly was a traitor, did he let Hagrid take Harry when he had a good chance to kill him there?"
Amelia's mouth opened but no sound came out. She closed it after a moment and rubbed her eyes.
"Great, so Sirius was possibly framed and incarcerated in the Wizarding version of Hell for over a decade," She sighed. "That's fucking great."
Thanatos felt pity for the woman; it was a somewhat known secret that she and Sirius were engaged at the time of the Potter's deaths. It was likely she still held feelings for him that reawakened with the revelation Thanatos dropped.
"According to the guards, Sirius seemed almost sane," Thanatos supplied, fingers drumming on his wand. "He kept muttering 'He's at Hogwarts' in his sleep days before he broke out."
Amelia nodded. "I know. That's why Cornelius wanted the dementors stationed there-" She dug her nails into her palm. "-he believes Sirius is after Harry."
"It's possible."
Amelia turned to him, eyebrow raised. "You just spent the last twelve minutes convincing me Sirius is possibly innocent, why the switch-up?"
Thanatos shook his head. "Sirius could be after Harry, but not to kill him. He's the boy's godfather."
Amelia froze. "Shit!"
Thanatos raised an eyebrow. "May I receive an explanation?"
"If Sirius is actually innocent, then he'd try to find Harry to tell him!" Amelia exclaimed, holding her temples.
"Shit, shit, shit," Amelia began pacing again. "Dumbledore told me that Remus was this year's DADA teacher."
"Oh," Thanatos replied smartly. "Well, fuck."
"My thoughts exactly," Amelia sighed.
She collapsed into her chair. "Remus might kill Sirius before Sirius can explain; if he's actually innocent anyway."
"The evidence points to it."
"The evidence pointed to him being guilty too," Amelia replied, rubbing her temples.
"No, personal biases and delusion pointed to him being guilty," Thanatos replied. "But the question remains, if Sirius was framed, what happened to Peter?"
Amelia sat up. "Do you think Peter... no."
Thanatos shrugged. "We have no knowledge, but think about it. Peter was awarded an Order of Merlin for his attempt to 'stop' Sirius; we both know that the blast couldn't have killed him, not in the way it was done. It means he's possibly still alive, but why wouldn't he come out? He'd be lauded as a hero."
"Recovering from injuries?" Amelia suggested.
"For eleven years?"
Amelia made an 'I don't know' noise.
"We'd need to talk to Remus, he's the only one who could provide more insight," Thanatos said. "Plus, it gives me a chance to get close to where Sirius would eventually be and see what I can find."
"Do you think Dumbledore would allow you? He nearly started a riot from the dementors," Amelia inquired.
"True, but I would consider myself much more capable than a dementor," Thanatos smirked. "Besides, I can use the excuse that since the dementors can't enter the castle, and the teachers would be too busy, I would be perfect for the job."
"Cornelius would say the dementors are enough protection," Amelia pointed out.
"If Sirius could move past them on their home turf, he'll move past them in his," Thanatos replied dryly.
Amelia frowned. "Good point."
"I'll tell Aahna I'll be gone longer than expected," Thanatos sighed, lifting his wand.
With a dull incantation of 'Expecto Patronum' a thestral galloped from Thanatos' wand, wandering around the office.
"Aahna, there's been a new development, I'll be out for a while longer," He told the Patronus before waving his wand. "I'm sorry for this, but there's been a breakthrough with the case. I'll be at Hogwarts and write continuously."
The Patronus reared before disappearing, and Thanatos sat back with a sigh.
"She doesn't have you whipped, huh?" Amelia asked, poorly hiding a smirk.
Thanatos rolled his eyes. "She can be... convincing when she wants to be."
The two discussed the plan further, coming up with an iron-bar strategy that would ensure Thanatos not only got into Hogwarts but also allowed him the position to interview Remus and capture Sirius, if so present.
Several hours later, Thanatos walked along the Hogwarts Express, wand in hand, dressed in a long black trenchcoat but with his mask gone. He didn't need some paranoid witch or wizard firing at him due to thinking him a Death Eater.
He watched as the students boarded, several of them giving him stares. The younger students out of fear thanks to the scar on his face, and the older students in a mix of suspicion and awe, though there were a few seventh-year girls who whispered and giggled as he passed.
Thanatos ignored it, simply making his way through the Express, stopping the occasional duel here and there.
His combat boots thudded against the floor, and combined with his attire, height, and general demeanor, most of the students almost jumped out of the way.
Thanatos, though, avoided Harry and any of his friends. It wasn't the time to talk yet, not now.
He'd been walking for almost an hour when he froze, sensing the magic in the air as spells fired.
Thanatos glanced out the window, a blasting curse on his tongue, but found nothing but families crying as their children boarded the train.
His brows furrowed and he began checking the train compartments, his mind beginning to go haywire as he tried to find the magic's source.
"Son of a bitch," He muttered. "Of all times?"
He found it after a few minutes, and his senses were positively frying themselves at the sheer amount of magic radiating off a compartment door.
Thanatos tried the door gently and tsked at it being locked.
"Silencing charms," He muttered, gripping the door handle. "If I couldn't sense the magic being used in this thing, I'd say it's a couple that couldn't wait."
The magic flared again and Thanatos snarled.
He yanked the door open, shattering the charms on it like one would rip tissue paper.
The door slammed against the wall, and Thanatos was left with a horrid sight.
In the compartment were three girls and one boy, Ravenclaws by the emblem on their robes, standing above the bloody and bruised body of a young blonde girl, also in Ravenclaw.
At the door opening, the four bullies froze, snapped their heads over, and nearly pissed themselves at seeing Thanatos there, wand in hand.
Thanatos snarled and silently slashed his wand through the air.
The bullies exploded back, becoming bound in ropes, dropping their wands, and getting stuck to the wall in a single, smooth motion.
They hit the wall hard, two of them falling unconscious from the impact.
Thanatos restrained his anger and kneeled next to the injured girl, ensuring not to get too close, lest he startle her.
"Hey? Are you alright?" He asked as gently as he could.
The girl, stuck in a fetal position, slowly raised her head to him, and Thanatos could hear the whimpers of pain as if they were thunderclaps.
"Hey, hey, you're alright now," He whispered, raising his wand slowly.
The girl flinched violently at seeing the wand, and Thanatos froze.
"I'm just going to heal you, is that alright?" He asked gently. "I swear on my magic I won't hurt you. I just want to take away your pain, ok?"
The girl stared for a few moments before nodding shakily, though that was almost indistinguishable from her body's trembling.
Thanatos waved his wand slowly, making sure it was always within the girl's line of sight.
Slowly, all too slowly, the girl's wounds began stitching together, the sores over her pale skin lessening with each tick of the clock.
Her bruises faded, her cuts mended, and more than once, Thanatos heard the snap of bones being fixed.
It took nearly a minute, but the girl healed, and slowly came out from her fetal position.
"Hey," Thanatos said with a smile. "Are you feeling better now?"
The girl gave the barest hint of a nod, though she was still shaking like a leaf.
"What's your name?" Thanatos asked, reaching a hand out to her.
The girl gulped. "Luna..." She whispered after a while. "Luna Lovegood."
Thanatos helped her up gently. "Lovegood, huh? Your father owns the Quibbler, right?"
Luna seemed to brighten a little. "Yes, Daddy loves making articles about them; it's a shame nobody else wants to see them, though."
Thanatos smiled. "Well, not everyone can appreciate the beauty magic has to offer, can they?"
Luna shook her head. "N-no, Daddy says people are too obsessed with being normal."
Thanatos chuckled. "You can say that again."
"But if you ask me," He grinned. "Normality is just the limiter for creativity."
Luna nodded. "People would be much more creative if they could let go."
Thanatos noticed Luna's clothes were ripped, and with a casual wave, her robes were repaired.
"Give me a moment, Luna. I need to call the prefects," Thanatos said, raising his wand.
"Those are the prefects," Luna replied, pointing behind her to where the bullies were. "At least one of them is."
Thanatos' eyes became pits of black, and the grip on his wand tightened slightly.
"You know, I would've expected better from my former house," He sneered at the trapped bullies. "Unfortunately, all of you are smart, yet lack common sense."
"Common sense is an oxymoron," Luna supplied helpfully.
Thanatos opened his mouth to reply, paused, and then closed it.
"You're right; it's about as rare as seeing someone with such an open mind," He said after a moment.
He flicked his wand, and, for the second time that day, a thestral flew out his wand.
Luna gasped at seeing the animal. "He's gorgeous," She whispered, putting a hand to her mouth.
She moved slowly towards it, hand outstretched, and giggled softly at the thestral rubbing its head against her hand.
"So many think of them as ugly or cruel," Luna said, stroking the thestral's hide. "But they're actually so intelligent and beautiful."
Thanatos smiled. "You're quite right, Miss Lovegood. But, I do need him in order to send a message."
Luna stepped back, and Thanatos turned to the Patronus. "To the Head Boy and Girl; come to the train compartment fifth from last. There is an incident regarding severe bullying and assault towards a student. The perpetrator is a Ravenclaw prefect, along with three other girls."
Thanatos sent the Patronus away before turning to the still-captured bullies.
With a sharp flick of his wand, the two unconscious bullies awoke with a start.
They raised their heads and paled at seeing Thanatos, realizing he wasn't just some figment of their nightmares.
"I suppose it'd be too much to ask you to reflect on your actions?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
One of the girls moved her mouth, but no sound came out, and Thanatos sighed.
He removed the Silencing charm with a wave. "As you were saying?"
"LOONY DESERVES IT!" She barked, struggling against the ropes. "ALL SHE DOES IS TALK ABOUT HER STUPID, MAKE-BELIEVE ANIMALS AN-"
A spell landed to the left of the girl's head, singing her hair slightly.
"Oops," Thanatos said coldly. "My aim's off."
He moved his arm to the left, pointing the wand directly between the girl's eyes. "You were saying?"
The four bullies paled drastically and their eyes widened.
Thanatos wouldn't actually hex them, as much as he wanted to, but the threat was more than enough.
He flicked his wand, and the bullies collapsed as the ropes and Sticking charm dissipated.
Thanatos summoned the wands with a wave and was half-tempted to snap them as he rolled them over his palm.
Steps thundered toward them and in the next moment, Percy ran into the compartment, followed by a brown-haired Hufflepuff.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Percy barked, seeing the Ravenclaw prefect on the ground.
"These four were attacking Miss Lovegood here," Thanatos explained, gesturing to the bullies and Luna. "I restrained them and healed Miss Lovegood, however, when I tried to get answers for why they were hexing Lovegood, that girl-" He gestured to the one who he'd threatened. "-proceeded to insult her and say Miss Lovegood deserved it."
Percy was red with rage, and the Head Girl's wand shook in her hand.
"Is this true?" The Head Girl hissed.
"HE ATTACKED US!" One of the girls yelled, pointing to Thanatos. "HE'S THE ONE YOU SHOULD BE ANGRY AT!"
"I will admit, when I saw these four attacking Miss Lovegood, my rage got the better of me," Thanatos admitted. "I blasted them back, disarmed them, tied them in ropes, and bound them to the wall with a Silencing Charm."
"HE CAST A SPELL AT US!" The prefect shouted. "HE WAS GOING TO HURT US!"
Thanatos raised an eyebrow. "I'll have you know, that spell I used was one to clean your ears. Had I wanted to hurt you, I would've done so in the first volley of spells."
"Excuse me," Percy said. "While I appreciate you alerting us to this, may I ask who you are?"
Thanatos took a badge from his coat pocket, opened it, and showed it to Percy.
"Thanatos Marime, veteran Auror and private detective," Thanatos replied calmly. "Amelia and Dumbledore have me here 'cause of Black. The dementors aren't allowed to get into the castle, so I'll be patrolling instead."
Almost everyone else in the room paled at the mention of dementors, Luna in particular beginning to shake again.
"D- Dementors?" Percy asked, gulping harshly. "Here?"
Thanatos nodded as he put away the badge. "I would suggest learning a Patronus if you don't know already. Keeping chocolate on hand is also an excellent idea."
He was still speaking when the train went cold, and the lanterns flashed off, plunging the train into darkness.
"Stay here," Thanatos barked, his senses going off. "None of you are to leave."
The students froze; Thanatos' demeanor, while terrifying before, seemed to have a kindness to it that alleviated the fear.
Now, however, the kindness was gone, and in its place were cold and haunted eyes, and a face made of stone which seemed to make his scar more prominent.
Oddly, Luna was the only one unaffected and instead stared at him oddly, her head tilted.
Thanatos cast a charm, and in the next moment, he was holding a handful of blue flames.
'Let's thank Lupin for that,' He thought, rolling his wand in his hand.
He stepped forward, but a bony hand grabbed the door, pulling it fully open.
The students trembled as a hooded figure appeared in the doorway, standing over ten feet tall, the only thing visible being its dead, bony hands.
"Leave!" Thanatos ordered, wand raised. "Sirius Black is not here!"
The dementor took a deep breath, and the room chilled to freezing. Only Thanatos managed to look the dementor in the eyes, or where its eyes would be if it had any.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Thanatos roared, summoning his best memory with Aahna.
His thestral rocketed from his wand, slamming into the dementor head-first.
The dementor gave a horrible screech as it flew back, before turning and fleeing.
Thanatos flicked his wrist, and the Patronus began galloping to the front of the train.
"Stay here," He ordered, extinguishing the flame and pulling out a few chocolate bars. "Split them and eat, it'll help."
A wolf Patronus ran past him, coming from the back of the train as Thanatos stepped out.
Remus Lupin came running up, his tired face holding eyes that were wide and alert.
"Lupin," Thanatos nodded at his old friend. "We'll need to talk."
"Later," Lupin rasped, moving forward. "We need to get the students safe."
The two moved forward through the train, helping any students who needed it.
Patroni launched forward, scaring the dementors away before they could do anything.
They ran across the train, alternating between the spell to let each other rest, and for a moment, the two felt the old spirit of camaraderie return with a vengeance.
Thanatos, with his longer legs and not suffering from the recent full moon, reached the front first and froze.
A dementor floated close to a Hufflepuff girl, a third year at best, its hand outstretched to give the deadly Kiss.
It picked the girl up, and Thanatos saw red.
"DEMON!" Thanatos roared, his magic flaring enough to make the train carriage tremble.
The Patronus shot out with such vengeance that it blasted his arm upwards like a gun blast.
A dreadful scream pierced the air as the dementor flew back, but Thanatos' rage was still present.
"TENEBRAS OCCIDI*!" He shouted, training his wand on the dementor.
A bolt of white light rocketed from his wand and hit the dementor harshly.
The dementor screeched in pain, its scream like nails on a chalkboard mixed with metal scraping against metal.
"MORS IMPIORUM**!" Thanatos roared again, and a bolt of blue light launched forward.
The dementor wilted and screamed, hunching over like a draped towel, though its head still stared at Thanatos.
It tried to rush him, to give him the Kiss, but Thanatos slashed his wand forward, and his Patronus shot out again.
It reared back and Thanatos, feeling his strength wane, cast 'Tenebras Occidi' again.
The dementor let out a final, horrible screech before it exploded violently, shaking the train carriage like a snow globe.
Thanatos panted, his wand arm and legs shaking. Sweat poured down his forehead, stinging his eyes.
He collapsed, falling to one knee as his vision became blotted with black.
Remus moved and caught him before he faceplanted the ground.
"Girl..." Thanatos croaked, trying to wave him off. "Check... Kiss."
Remus nodded and ran over to the Hufflepuff, leaving Thanatos heaving on the floor.
Thanatos closed his eyes, his head pounding as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. It'd been a while since he needed to use Aahna's spells, and even after years, they still exhausted him more than a thousand Avada Kedavra's ever could.
Remus cast some stabilization spells on the Hufflepuff, a redhead, and used what little healing magic he knew to ensure she was ok.
The girl was trembling, gripping the robes of her blonde friend, also in Hufflepuff, with enough strength to make Remus squeamish, her face somehow both pale and green simultaneously.
Remus took a large chunk of chocolate and handed it to the blonde girl.
"Tell her to eat this after her stomach's settled," He instructed gently. "The smell can also help a little."
He cast his Patronus near her, and the first girl's face regained a bit of color, though she still looked close to vomiting.
Remus cast a charm to lessen her sickness, often used by himself after a particularly bad full moon, and the redhead relaxed a smidgeon.
"Are they going to stay here?" The blonde girl asked fearfully.
"Not... for long," Thanatos rasped, getting up and shaking off his exhaustion. "Not... if we... have any say."
He cast a spell to stop himself from vomiting and shook his head.
Remus nodded. "We'll make sure to tell Amelia Bones about this, she'll get this under control."
The redhead lifted her head slightly. "Auntie?"
Remus and Thanatos froze; had the dementor just attacked Susan Bones of all people?!
"You're Susan Bones?" Remus asked gently.
Susan nodded a bit. "Y-yeah, I am. Who... who are you?"
"I'm Remus Lupin," Remus introduced himself. "Your new DADA teacher."
He gestured to Thanatos. "And that's Thanatos Marime, a private detective."
Susan looked up at Thanatos and her eyes brightened a little.
"H-Hey, Uncle Mari," Susan greeted timidly, still feeling the effects.
Thanatos coughed a bit. "Hey, Susan. And trust me-" He coughed again. "-We're getting these bastards out of here."
"They're dangerous," Remus confirmed before standing straight. "Are you feeling better now?"
Susan gave a small, hesitant nod. "I... A little bit... Does chocolate really help?"
"Yes, it does," Remus smiled. "Eat some, and if you can't, the smell should help at least a little."
"Thank you," Susan whispered, taking a small piece from Hannah Abbot, who Remus had given the chocolate to.
"Now, if you excuse us, we need to talk to the conductor," Remus said before bowing out.
Thanatos followed him and they spoke to the driver, who shakily told them the dementors had gotten on to look for Black.
"I swear I'm going to choke Fudge with his own fucking hat," Thanatos snarled as they moved back down the train.
He was limping slightly, and his breath was still heavy, but otherwise, Thanatos looked as if he hadn't just exploded one of the most vile beings in creation half an hour ago.
Remus nodded; he may not approve of swearing in most cases, but this was a particular exception.
He shook his head. "What if Susan had gotten Kissed?"
The two repressed shivers; a dementor's Kiss was a fate worse than death, and no amount of war would harden a man against the thought of it.
"Amelia would've had Fudge's head on a pike before the hour," Thanatos replied. "And probably would've found a way to kill the dementor herself."
"Not just Fudge, but everyone who approved it," Remus added. "Including... given he's who caused it."
"Speaking of," Thanatos began.
"No," Remus replied sharply. "I'm not remembering him."
"I didn't fucking ask that," Thanatos snapped. "I just need you to know something; it's important."
Remus looked out the window. "Can this important thing wait until later?"
"No," Thanatos replied. "Cause I know you, Remus. You'll avoid me all school year just like you did after James and Lily died. I'm telling you and you won't stop me."
He explained the conclusion he and Amelia had come up with, not excluding details or sugarcoating anything. Remus had tough skin (most of the time) and would be fine with the bare truth.
It took nearly the entire walk back for Thanatos to explain, mostly because he had to watch his wording, lest they run into a student and accidentally spill private info.
"So he's innocent?" Remus asked after he explained.
"That's what it seems like," Thanatos replied. "Evidence doesn't hold up. Plus, you know him, don't you? Would you really believe that? After everything?"
Remus' knuckles were white around his wand, and his face was strained. He took a deep, shaky breath and shook his head.
"This isn't the time," Remus said, avoiding looking at Thanatos.
"No, and it never will be unless you want it to," Thanatos replied. "You can only run so much, Remus. Even wolves do have to rest, and they prefer to do it with family."
He entered the compartment he'd been in previously, and saw the Head Girl comforting Luna, with Percy reprimanding the Ravenclaw prefect in a manner eerily similar to Mrs. Weasley.
"Lupin, I need you here for a moment," Thanatos called to Remus' back. "It's about a few students."
Remus turned and walked over, sticking his head into the compartment.
His teeth became bared as he saw the scene, and for a moment, Remus' eyes turned a lupine yellow.
Thanatos explained the situation, and Remus remained passive as he stared at the bullies.
"We can deal with this once we get to Hogwarts," Remus stated calmly. "Can one of you ensure they don't do anything rash? I need to check up on a few more students."
Thanatos leaned in. "Potter, huh?" He muttered. "He knows, part of it. Less than what you do, treat carefully if you're gonna talk."
Remus minutely shook his head. "Not now, it's... no."
Thanatos nodded. There was nothing to gain by forcing the issue.
He went and found an empty compartment after Remus left, which, contrary to popular belief, wasn't difficult to do at all. Thanatos knew the train would never be full, even if every wizard in Britain rode it.
He lay down and rested; just because he could keep fighting if needed didn't mean he wanted to. Plus, Aahna would kill him if she found out he'd been neglecting sleep again.
Soon enough, the Express reached Hogsmeade station, and Thanatos dismounted along with the students. He had sent a Patronus over before they'd arrived, and once they dismounted, Professor Flitwick was there waiting for them.
"Hello, Professor," Thanatos bowed his head.
Flitwick smiled. "I haven't been your professor for many years, Mister Marime; there is no need for titles."
"Old habits die hard," Thanatos shrugged. "But I trust you received the message?"
Flitwick's smile faded, and he nodded. "Yes, where are they?"
Thanatos took the four students, who'd been guarded by Percy, and presented them to Flitwick.
"Right here," He said before gently gesturing Luna over. "Miss Lovegood here was the unfortunate victim."
Luna seemed almost fully recovered, munching on some chocolate contently. However, her eyes were heavy and tears dotted their corners.
Thanatos gently flicked his wrist, disguising it as him stretching, and cast a monitoring charm on Luna. He wasn't about to have another bullying incident on his watch.
Flitwick's eyes darted to his wand, his trained eyes noticing the magic cast but saying nothing.
"I will take care of them," Flitwick said with a nod. "Thank you, Mister Marime."
Thanatos bowed his head before moving away, giving Luna one last comforting smile before he left.
He went to check on Susan, finding Professor Sprout already there, comforting the girl, who was crying in her arms.
Thanatos decided not to interrupt, he wouldn't like it if someone asked what he heard when a dementor was nearby, even if it was obvious to anyone who knew him.
A wave of nostalgia ran into him like a train as he passed through the Entrance Hall, and if he focused, he almost swore he could hear the echoes of his friend's laughter.
The students had been sorted already, and Dumbledore was standing, making the announcements.
"As you all know-" Dumbledore was saying. "The dementors of Azkaban prison have been stationed around Hogwarts. Even though they are on our side, I tell you all not to go out without permission; dementors are not fooled by illusions, disguises, or even Invisibility Cloaks."
Thanatos could almost feel the awkwardness rolling off Harry and smirked despite himself. James was positively glued to his Cloak when he was alive, even after Hogwarts, and knew Harry, if the stories were true, would be no different.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "They do not understand pleading or excuses, and therefore I tell you all to give them no reason for harm."
The Great Hall was drop-dead silent, enough where one could hear a rat pissing into cotton if it wished.
"On a happier note," He continued. "I am pleased to welcome two new members of staff. First, Professor Kettleburn has retired, and taking his spot is Rubeus Hagrid, who will be the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, along with maintaining his groundskeeping duties."
After the thunderous applause died down, Dumbledore smiled.
"Secondly, I am pleased to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin."
The clapping was scattered and awkward, most of the students slightly off-put by Lupin's shabby robes.
Thanatos let out an ear-splitting wolf whistle from the doors. "WOO! LET'S GO, LUPIN!"
Remus flushed in embarrassment, and Thanatos knew that if they weren't so far apart, Remus would've turned his ears into carrots by now.
The students turned as one when Thanatos cheered, and the roars of whispered gossip started up again.
Dumbledore's smile was bright. "Ah, I forgot to mention someone. Please, come in, Thanatos."
Thanatos burst into the Great Hall, his coat billowing behind him, wand in hand.
Out of the corner of his eye, Thanatos saw Harry's eyes widen as he walked in.
Thanatos strode forward with confidence that would've rivaled a young James Potter himself and reached the podium Dumbledore was standing at.
He turned and gave a bow, wand hand behind his back.
"This is Thanatos Marime, private detective," Dumbledore introduced. "As the dementors are unable to enter the castle, Mister Marime has volunteered his precious time to patrol it instead. I ask that you work with him, as he is here for your safety."
Thanatos cast 'Sonorus' on himself. "I would also recommend you all carry chocolate with you; it'll help with the effects. Older students, learn the Patronus Charm if you can."
He removed the charm and stepped back as Dumbledore nodded.
"What Mister Marime said is correct," He declared. "Carry chocolate with you if you go outside. It will help you deal with the aftereffects of the dementors."
With that, Dumbledore began the Feast, sitting down at his chair once the food appeared.
Thanatos leaned over him. "I need to speak to you about something after the Feast," He whispered.
Dumbledore turned a bit. "What is it, Thanatos?"
"Two things," Thanatos replied. "First, severe case of bullying and assault in Ravenclaw house, though Professor Flitwick will probably tell you about that one."
"And the second?"
"The dementors attacked," Thanatos told him. "They nearly Kissed Susan Bones, Amelia's niece."
Dumbledore's expression turned harsher than stone, and his grip on the silverware tightened.
"They did?" He asked coldly, and Thanatos was forcefully reminded of why Dumbledore was considered the most powerful wizard alive.
Thanatos nodded. "I stopped them and killed the dementor. Remus was with me, he'll confirm what I'm saying. Professor Sprout will probably tell you this too, I saw her comforting Susan earlier."
Dumbledore looked across the table. "That's what they went to do," He muttered. "I thought they had gone to rekindle a few candles that'd burnt out."
Thanatos choked on air; he might be an adult, but hearing about his former professors' romantic lives was still shocking. In spirit, he was still the scrawny 15-year-old who'd be in detention with Flitwick every other week.
Dumbledore sighed. "I will notify Cornelius and Amelia. They were originally going to stay the minimum necessary amount, now they'll not even get that."
"Thank you, Thanatos, for notifying me," Dumbledore said before trying, and failing, to return to his food.
.
.
Author's Note: Ok, so a few things. First, when I was trying to find out what wand to give Thanatos, I came across wand lore I never knew existed. There's a wood that causes lightning strikes if you try to steal it? Fuck yeah!
Also, I DESPISE the dementors. Like, I'm not sure who I hate more, Umbridge or them. I loathe them with every unholy fiber in my being. They're still going to be a big plot point later on. Also, if some of you are asking why the dementor would try to Kiss Susan, even if they're only after Sirius, it's canon that they're blind to their prey. They tried, multiple times, to Kiss people, including Harry. Trying to Kiss Susan doesn't seem out of the picture.
Currently wondering what girl to pair Harry with. The ones I'm considering are Susan, Luna, and Fleur, in that order. There's not a lot of good fics with either of the first two, and I love Luna, she's my favorite, but Fleur also gets mischaracterized a fuckton, so I'm unsure.
*TENEBRAS OCCIDI = "I kill the darkness." Pure light spell that repels dark creatures like vampires and dementors, but only painful to dementors. Aahna's creation.
**MORS IMPIORUM = "Death of the Wicked." Works against dark individuals, including dark wizards. The less remorse something or someone feels for their crimes, the more powerful it is. Another of Aahna's creations.