Chapter 10

"Halt!" Alastor called to the crowd of trainees across from him, who all immediately collapsed on the ground. Tonks, who was off to the side of the training gymnasium observing, snorted before badgering them for their stupidity. Honestly, these young hotheads, always thinking they could get some clout around the break room by taking the old man down a few notches in a four-on-one duel. It wasn't as if that was the very same hotheaded behavior that kept them from having respect in the first place. Of course, Tonks probably egged on the other members of her cohort, but that was besides the point. If they couldn't learn to ignore peer pressure, they'd never be able to avoid bribes from Malfoy and the like-well, only the like, seeing as Malfoy was cooling his heels in a cell three levels down.

Alastor turned a corner before pulling the buzzing mirror out, revealing the lad's rumpled and anxious face.

"Hi Gramps." Harry said, his usual cheer gone, although whether that was a factor of the hour or whatever was going on Moody would have to find out.

"Lad. You should be in class now. What happened? And do I need Bones for this?"

Susan, apparently waiting just out of sight, answered. "Yes, that's probably a good idea. We'll just have to tell Auntie anyways."

Moody tried to hide his frown. That couldn't be good. The defense professor was gone, and there were only two Horcruxes left to find (the one in Harry had been removed by a team of Gringotts curse breakers, DOM sorcerers, and St. Mungo's healers, along with a voodoo shaman, a Cherokee historian on loan from MACUSA, and someone who simply identified themselves as 'Bob', in mid-February). What could possibly have gone wrong now?

"Alright lad, lass. I'll go find Bones. Hush up for a minute."

It took scarring five paper pushers, two aurors, three solicitors, and one very frazzled newly elected Minister of Magic (Arthur Weasley, who would have thought?) to hunt the woman down, having a spar of her own with a few rookie aurors in the training room right next to the one Moody had left. Figures.

"Bones!" he shouted, sending one of the rookie's wands flying, and causing another to drop their shield right before the stunner hit.

"In a moment!" Bones called back, before handily disarming the remaining three. "There. Can it wait until I give these seven some pointers?"

Moody shook his head as the woman wiped her brow. "Sorry, just got a call. Something went down at Hogwarts.

That got some attention.

"My office?" the director asked, already walking out of the room. Moody followed.

When they got there and properly warded the room, Bones pulled out two bottles. "How drunk do I need to be?"

Moody grunted. "No idea. Ask them." And he set the mirror on the desk.

"Hi Auntie!" the two children chorused.

"Hello Harry. Susan. What seems to be the problem?"

The bottles were notably left corked and out of the children's sights as they explained. Bones and Mad-eye told the children they'd be there by dinner before closing the connection. Then, and only then, were the bottles glanced at consideringly.

"Probably should stay sober for this one." Bones muttered, before reluctantly putting them away.

"Speak for yourself." Moody shot back, taking a swig from his own flask.

"A petrified student. For three days, and we haven't had a call from Hogwarts?"

"Aye. It's a lucky thing the rumor mill runs so fast there. We might not have any evidence left if those two hadn't done that bit o' snooping."

"And that writing… the Chamber of Secrets… that's an old Slytherin legend, yeah?"

"Aye. Something about a monster to purge the school of muggleborns." Another swig.

Bones looked at the ceramic badger on her desk for a few moments. "They didn't say what blood status the victim was…"

"Aye. But a hyphenated name? Definitely not pureblood."

"But we don't know if they're half or muggleborn." Bones pointed out. Moody just glared at her.

"Whoever did this claimed it was the Chamber."

"Well, yes, but Slytherin's reported anti-muggleborn stance and the modern pureblood suppremicist stance are two different things. The difference might tell us if the

Chamber was actually opened or just used to cover a prank."

"Well, only one way to find out. Although, why hasn't the lad been given mandrake draught yet?"

"That… is a very good question. It's expensive, but Hogwarts has an emergency fund to pay for magical accidents. And if there is a person behind this, the school can sue for the cost. Mandrake draught is expensive, but not that expensive."

The two fell into silence as they mulled that over.

"Well." Moody started to stand. "We won't know until we wake him up. I'll go get the records from the last stunt like this." He squinted at the younger woman. "You would have been in school then, aye?"

Bones nodded. "Speaking of failures of justice."

"Why?"

"You don't know? Well, I suppose you would have been new to the department when it went down. A real shitshow, that investigation."

Moody growled at his superior. "What happened Bones."

"Y'know, I think you should read the file yourself."

--

"Hagrid!?What the bloody hell were those incompetents thinking!"

--

And so, for the second time that year, a team of aurors stormed into the Great Hall of Hogwarts mid-dinner.

"Dumbledore!"

The man in question put down his golden goblet with a sigh.

"Yes, Amelia?"

She glared until the silence became uncomfortable, and Albus seemed to pick up on what he did wrong. Then the headmaster straightened, twisting so he sat up properly instead of tilted to the side.

"What can I do for you, Director Bones?"

She nodded once, briskly. "Why didn't the staff report the assault of a student?"

Dumbledore flinched. "Amelia, it was likely a harmless prank…"

"Well, we won't know until the boy is woken up, will we? I assume Madam Pomphrey has already reached out for the Mandrake Draught?"

Albus frowned and sat back as Poppy turned to glare at him, arms crossed.

"Well, you see, we just got a shipment of Mandrakes in, I thought once they matured…"

"And how long, exactly, would that take, Professor Sprout?"

The other woman, also glaring at the headmaster, responded, "Only until April."

"Two months. You want a student to miss two months of school…"

"Now, now, Amelia, Mandrake Draught is expensive…"

"Expensive! What's next, Hogwarts won't heal burns because the cost of the salve is too high? Five percent of every student's tuition goes to the injury fund. A fund that, I would remind you, the Ministry matches. I know for a fact there is enough in it to buy twelve courses of the stuff!"

Bones brushed the wrinkles out of the front of her robes and seemed to gather herself.

"Well. Seeing as Hogwarts will not take the lead in the investigation, the DMLE will. As such, we brought two courses of Mandrake Draught, so that we might question the victim and determine if charges need must be pressed. "

"Hear now, this is my school…"

"Yes, and this is my investigation. Madam Pomphrey, if you could take us to the victim?"