Author's Note: Ok, so apparently I forgot Remus has a full moon on the Hogsmeade weekend, and thus, would be a wolf when the sun starts setting last chapter. Oops.
Let's just say he had a few minutes of delay between when he took the potion and when he transformed, and Dumbledore gave him a Portkey to the Shrieking Shack or something. Cause I genuinely forgot the full moon was on October 30th in 1993, even though it's mentioned in the book.
Enjoy the chapter!
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"Take a seat, Thanatos," Dumbledore said from his desk.
Thanatos sat in a seat across from Dumbledore, wand in his lap.
Dumbledore took a lemon drop from the bowl on his desk, popped it into his mouth, and sucked it contentedly before turning back to Thanatos.
"Now, I wanted to discuss something important with you," He said, locking the door with a flick of his wand.
Thanatos sat up, wand loose in his hand as he scanned the room through his peripherals.
"Which is?" Thanatos asked, Occlumancy up.
Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him and leaned forward, face grave.
"Have you been in contact with Sirius Black recently?" He asked firmly, ensuring there was no way Thanatos could wiggle his way out of the question.
Thanatos weighed his options quickly before nodding.
"I have," He replied, completely honest.
Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up somewhat. He hadn't expected Thanatos to reply so bluntly.
Suspicion set in immediately. He knew Thanatos was tricky with words, so there had to be a plan of some sort.
"Truly? I hope you know conversing with a convicted criminal is a crime, Thanatos," Dumbledore said. "I suppose you would, being an Auror as you are."
Thanatos raised an eyebrow. "I fail to see where you're going with this, Albus."
Dumbledore stared at him in amusement over his half-moon glasses.
"Don't play the fool, Thanatos, it doesn't suit you," Dumbledore said. "Sirius Black is a convicted criminal, you know this."
Thanatos smirked. "Ah, but that's where you're wrong. Sirius Black never received a trial nor interrogation, and therefore, is not a criminal in any sense under the eyes of the law."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "Splitting hairs won't save you from the fact that you've been talking to the person responsible for the Potter's deaths, and that isn't to mention the Muggle deaths."
"Oh, I didn't talk to him," Thanatos replied calmly. "But the person responsible for the Potters deaths has been interrogated."
"I thought you said Sirius Black received no trial nor interrogation?" Dumbledore asked.
Internally, he was beginning to panic. Was his theory right? Had Thanatos captured Peter?
"Oh no, Sirius didn't get interrogated," Thanatos told him. "Peter Pettigrew was the one interrogated."
Dumbledore swore internally, knowing his first plan had completely unraveled.
"Peter Pettigrew is dead," Dumbledore said, trying to salvage the situation. "You know this."
"Funny, then, he was telling us how Snape gave Tom the prophecy," Thanatos smirked.
Dumbledore's eyes widened and he shot from his chair, Elder Wand in his hand.
Thanatos' chair exploded into splinters right after Thanatos dove to the ground.
He rolled up and shot a Blasting Curse to Dumbledore's stomach.
Dumbledore swatted it away like a fly and watched Thanatos stand.
"Remember what they call me, Albus?" Thanatos asked, rolling his shoulders. "What my moniker was?"
"The Marksman," Dumbledore replied, eyebrow raised. "I fail to see how it's relevant here."
Thanatos grinned as the smell of smoke reached Dumbledore's nostrils.
Dumbledore's eyes widened and his head snapped over to the instruments he held on the nearby table, seeing half of them twisted and deformed from the deflected Blasting Curse.
"Now you can't track Harry," Thanatos said, raising his wand.
He touched the necklace under his robes, which was hot to the touch.
'Two shots left, that's it,' Thanatos muttered internally.
The necklace was a defensive amulet, made to protect from medium-level offensive spells and attacks, and which had just protected Thanatos from the explosion of shrapnel from the chair.
Dumbledore turned to him, wand gripped tightly in his hand.
"Stay away from Harry," Thanatos said, wand raised. "No mind probes or compulsion spells. Tell your pet Death Eater that too."
"You don't understand," Dumbledore sighed. "You don't know everything."
"And neither do you," Thanatos replied. "I'm going to go off a limb here and say all of the things that happened to Harry are because of that bloody prophecy, right?"
"And what things are you referring to?" Dumbledore asked, almost calm.
"Tom, for one, in first and second year," Thanatos replied. "The bloody basilisk he told me about, Quirrill, the fact he's still living with the Dursleys despite Lily's clear indication of how much Petunia despises magic. Need I go on?"
"You've made your point," Dumbledore said tightly. "Yes, those are because of the prophecy."
"And I'm assuming you're going to let them keep happening?" Thanatos asked.
He tsked in disgust as Dumbledore bowed his head, and the grip on his wand tightened.
"Prophecies aren't infallible," Thanatos told him.
Dumbledore's head shot up, eyes wide and almost hopeful before being quickly extinguished.
"Impossible, none of my research showed that prophecies can be changed," Dumbledore stated.
"Albus, when one looks into a teacup and sees an omen, is there only one interpretation?" Thanatos asked.
"Of course not, but a prophecy isn't tea leaves," Dumbledore replied.
"Prophecies don't have just one interpretation," Thanatos told him. "The future isn't set in stone, you should know this."
Dumbledore winced in pain. He did know that, but with what he knew, what other interpretation was there?
"There is no other way for the prophecy to be interpreted," Dumbledore stated.
Thanatos barely refrained from hexing the man. "The prophecy, according to Peter's memories, simply said Harry would kill Tom. Nothing said he couldn't be trained or prepared beforehand– what you're doing is essentially throwing him to the wolves like he's some pig for slau…."
Thanatos' eyes widened, and Dumbledore bowed his head again.
"You… You're going to kill him," Thanatos whispered in horror.
Rage bubbled into him, overriding his precise Occlumancy and forcing his magic out in a wave.
"You BASTARD!" He roared, slashing his wand up.
A loud bang sounded, followed by the sound of a gong as Dumbledore blocked the spell.
Dumbledore slid back from the force of the magic and readjusted himself, wand raised.
"Thanatos, don't do this," Dumbledore almost pleaded.
Thanatos was too blinded by rage to care and shot a Blood-Boiling Curse at Dumbledore's head.
Dumbledore dodged with agility more becoming of a 20-year-old than a 112-year-old, countering with a powerful binding charm.
Thanatos threw his wand up and transformed, slipping through the bindings before shifting again.
He caught his wand and sent three curses in quick succession.
Glass shattered as Dumbledore deflected the spells out the window and into the Forest.
"FIRST MY FRIENDS!" Thanatos roared, flicking his wand.
The shattered glass flew toward Dumbledore at breakneck speeds, forcing him to block.
The glass turned to sand and fell to Dumbledore's feet with a wave of his wand.
"THEN MY WIFE AND CHILD!" Thanatos continued, slashing his wand down.
The sand came alive, forming hands that grabbed at Dumbledore's ankles.
Dumbledore cast two spells in quick succession, canceling the charm and sending ropes at Thanatos.
Thanatos blasted the ropes away with a flick, sending out a Cutting Curse to Dumbledore's neck.
A thin gash appeared on Dumbledore's cheek as he dodged.
"AND NOW HARRY?!" Thanatos bellowed, jabbing his wand forward.
Birds appeared mid-air and dived towards Dumbledore.
"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roared, slashing his wand up.
The birds exploded as Dumbledore's magic roared through the office, forcing Thanatos to cover his face.
Dumbledore hit Thanatos with a Disarming Spell and a Binding Charm right after.
Thanatos' wand jerked but didn't leave his hand, and the ropes only half-formed before hitting the ground.
Thanatos' necklace shattered and fell off his neck, its magic spent.
Thanatos sent three Blasting Hexes Dumbledore's way with quick flicks of his wand.
Dumbledore batted two out the window before he raised his free hand.
He caught the third spell in his hand before flicking his wrist, sending it flying back towards Thanatos.
Thanatos flew back with a bang, wand flying out of his hand.
Dumbledore flicked his wrist, and the half-formed ropes came alive.
Thanatos shifted, dodging the ropes before transforming mid-air.
Dumbledore's eyes widened as two Stunners flew from Thanatos' hand.
He leaped back, moving his wand in an intricate incantation as Thanatos landed.
A bang sounded through the room and a beam of gold light left Dumbledore's wand.
Thanatos rolled away, summoning his wand as he jumped up.
The spell hit the deformed instruments, transfiguring them into a metal golem.
The golem attacked Thanatos, forcing him to lean back.
Thanatos slashed his wand in an arc, and the sand from earlier exploded across the room.
He flicked his wrist and the glass heated up rapidly, becoming mini-bombs.
Dumbledore spun his wand above his head, forming a dome shield as the room exploded.
Fire roared across the room, consuming everything that wasn't protected by fire-proofing charms.
The metal golem collapsed from the explosion, half-melted again.
The spell Thanatos had used was to make glass quickly, but overpowering it and having all the glass spread out essentially made it a fire blast.
Thanatos waved his wand and collected the fire at the tip, forming a fireball.
He jabbed his wand forward, sending it colliding against Dumbledore's shield.
His shield held, and Dumbledore stood unfazed as smoke rose from the room.
Thanatos flicked his wand, and the smoke turned into hundreds of tiny needles that launched themselves at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore slashed his wand in an arc, turning the needles into thick chains and launching them back at Thanatos.
Thanatos dodged and flicked his wand, causing the chains to turn to smoke again.
Dumbledore created a water whip from the smoke and launched it at Thanatos.
Thanatos evaporated the water with a jab of his wand, filling the room with steam.
Dumbledore waved his wand, causing the steam to freeze instantly.
Thanatos jumped away but his wand hand got caught, getting encased in ice.
His hand dropped from the weight, and Dumbledore stared at him, wand raised.
"That is enough," Dumbledore ordered, tone cold.
Thanatos grinned maniacally. "Do you think me that incompetent?"
Dumbledore sent a hex to Thanatos' free hand, knowing not to give him time.
Thanatos raised his ice-covered hand, and the magic made the ice explode violently.
He slashed his free hand down, turning the ice into daggers and launching them.
Dumbledore froze them in place and vanished them with a wave.
Thanatos flicked his now-free wand, sending out heavy chains at Dumbledore's legs.
Dumbledore vanished them with a wave and flicked his wrist.
The desk roared as it came to life, and Thanatos jumped away.
Dumbledore sent out a Stunning Spell as the desk lunged at Thanatos.
Thanatos' eyes widened, barely managing to shift before the spell took him out.
He rolled under the spell and shifted back, magic on the tip of his wand.
Thanatos batted another Stunner into the desk, causing it to explode from the magic.
He regained his footing and stared Dumbledore down, wand raised.
Dumbledore stared back, arm raised a bit and wand pointed to the floor in a standard dueling stance.
"Enough," He declared, forcing down Thanatos' magic with his.
"Not until Harry gets to live," Thanatos said, tightening his grip.
He flared his magic, forcing Dumbledore's magic off of him and taking a deep breath.
"You don't get to decide that," Dumbledore stated coldly, raising his wand.
"And neither do you," Thanatos replied just as coldly.
The two magics clashed, creating a howling whirlwind of power that made the walls groan.
Fawkes had flown out and the portraits of the Previous Headmasters had fled, none wanting to get caught in the crossfire.
There was a massive thudding of several people running up the steps, and the two combatants lowered their wands in confusion.
The Professors barged in, with McGonagall and Flitwick leading the charge.
Their wands were out and their eyes scanned the room, doing double takes as they saw Thanatos there with Dumbledore.
"Albus, Thanatos, what happened?!" Flitwick squeaked, looking around the room. "The alarms in our offices were going haywire!"
Dumbledore put his wand away and sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"Albus?" McGonagall asked in concern. "Are you alright?"
"I'm quite fine, Minerva. Thank you for asking," Dumbledore replied calmly.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Severus barked as he strode into the room, wand out.
Dumbledore sighed again. "It is nothing, Severus. Thanatos and I simply had a… small disagreement is all."
"Small disa–" McGonagall gaped as she looked around. "Albus, this room is a disaster!"
Snape sneered at Thanatos, raising his wand.
"Of course, the external hire was the one to do this," Snape said.
Thanatos glared at Severus with all the hatred he had. Oh, how he wished he could kill people with a look, Severus would've been dead from the moment he entered the office.
"I know what you told him," Thanatos hissed. "I know you were the reason they went into hiding. I know what you did, Severus."
Snape went pale before going green, nearly dropping his wand in shock.
"No… You're lying," Snape sneered, trying and failing to hide his emotions with Occlumancy.
"I know you told Tom about the pro–"
"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roared, glaring at Thanatos. "There will be no more discussion of this."
"I'M GOING TO DISCUSS THIS UNTIL YOU STOP TREATING HARRY AS A SACRIFICE!" Thanatos shouted.
The professors did double takes, including Remus, who had just walked in due to suffering from the recent full moon.
"What was that?" Remus demanded softly, stepping forward.
"Nothing," Dumbledore declared. "Exhaustion does dangerous things to the mind."
Thanatos gripped his wand. "Funny, 'cause I'm in perfect fucking health. Yet, you don't want to talk about how you raised Harry to be a–"
Words stopped coming out of his mouth as Snape hit him with a Blasting Curse, sending him flying into the wall.
"Severus!" Flitwick cried as Thanatos hit the wall.
Remus turned and didn't even bother with a wand, instead socking Snape across the jaw with his bare hand.
"REMUS, NO!" McGonagall yelled, flicking her wand.
Remus flew back as McGonagall banished him away from the grounded Snape.
Dumbledore slashed his wand in a circle above his head, freezing everyone in place with a single spell.
His mind ran a million miles per minute. Obliviation was out, Thanatos and Severus were far too experienced with the mental arts for it to hold, and if Amelia and Aahna knew, then Obliviating Thanatos would be pointless anyway and would backfire.
But he couldn't tell them; the prophecy was for too sensitive information to be released on a whim.
But Thanatos had already sowed the seed, Dumbledore couldn't just brush it over, at least not without making everyone suspicious.
Dumbledore waved his wand, releasing everyone from the spell and letting them move again.
Thanatos jumped up immediately, his magic already throwing off the effects of Severus' Blasting Curse.
Dumbledore cast a strong shield between the two men, and a loud gong-like sound rang out as Thanatos' spell hit it.
The spell blew out part of the ceiling as it was redirected, raining down rubble on them.
"Remove the shield, Albus," Thanatos said, rolling his shoulders. "Snape killed my friends and attacked my back. I challenge him to an Honor Duel. Right here, right now."
The Professors let out collective gasps. Honor Duels were serious business.
"Thanatos, please don't be so brash," Dumbledore insisted.
Internally, he was panicking somewhat, trying to communicate to Severus not to accept the duel with his eyes.
Dumbledore knew Severus was a good dueler, but relied on Legilimancy to get the upper hand against a strong opponent.
Meanwhile, Thanatos was one of the Ministry's best, known internationally for seldom missing a target.
"The bastard got my friends killed because of his stupidity and that prophecy," Thanatos snarled. "I wouldn't reconsider if you held me under the Imperious."
A muscle jumped in Snape's jaw, grip tight around his wand, rage prominent. How dare this unknowing fool speak about the prophecy? As if Snape didn't curse himself every night because of it.
"Prophecy?" McGonagall demanded to deaf ears.
"I accept," Snape declared, rolling his wand in his hand.
"Severus, please reconsider," Dumbledore almost pleaded.
Thanatos cracked his knuckles. "Lower the shield, Albus. This is out of your domain."
Dumbledore hesitated but eventually lowered the shield between the two men; he couldn't get between an official Honor Duel without risking his magic.
The other Professors scrambled out of the way, excluding Filius, who approached them, wand raised.
"As a recognized Dueling World Champion, I will be the judge for this Honor Duel," Filius declared in his squeaky voice. "Does either party have any objections?"
Snape and Thanatos shook their heads, and Filius nodded.
"Understood. Does either party wish to name a second to fight in their place upon losing?" Filius asked.
Honor Duels allowed another person to fight for one of the people if the first person fell. However, this could only be done once, and if the second lost, then both would lose their Honor and be forced to relinquish anything they owned upon demand of the victor.
Declaring a second, though, was like admitting you didn't think you'd win the Duel, so many people didn't do it.
"No," Snape declared, wand raised.
"Very well," Filius nodded. "Thanatos?"
"No," Thanatos said.
Filius nodded again. "Neither party has elected a second. Will this duel be lethal or non-lethal?"
"Lethal," Snape sneered.
"Severus!" Dumbledore exclaimed sharply. "There shall be no killing here!"
He could at least do that. As Headmaster, he could bend the rules of an Honor Duel within the school; he just couldn't stop or intermeddle in one.
"Non-lethal with an open option for lethality," Thanatos declared.
He'd basically just declared that he could kill Severus, but didn't need to– a statement of pride.
"Is that sufficient?" Filius turned to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore sighed and bowed his head somewhat. "Yes," He answered wearily.
"Very well. Both parties, take your wands out and take your stances," Filius declared, raising his wand.
Snape took an aggressive stance, wand raised to his eye level, and pointed forward, while Thanatos stood in an almost calm position, weight on one leg and wand by his side.
"BEGIN!" Filius roared, slashing his wand down.
Snape sent out several borderline dark curses in an angry volley.
Thanatos weaved through the spells with practiced ease, his breath slowing as training kicked in.
Snape waved his wand, and flames spewed across the room angrily.
Jets of water spewed from Thanatos's wand, extinguishing the flames and drenching Snape's legs and ankles.
Thanatos froze the water, stopping Snape in place.
Snape snarled and sent a volley of curses at him, which Thanatos dodged.
Thanatos watched as Snape melted the ice, cheekily casting a Heating Charm on him.
He flicked his wrist, casting the strongest Protego he could.
More curses and hexes flew from Snape's wand, only to bounce off the shield and hit the ground and ceiling.
"How about you fight instead of hiding behind a shield?" Snape sneered after the second volley.
Thanatos shrugged. "Your funeral."
Snape's rage only grew at that, and he fired an overpowered Cutting Curse with a bang.
Thanatos swatted the curse into the ceiling, sending two Blasting Hexes with a flick.
The first hex shattered Snape's shield, and Snape dodged the second with a sneer.
The wall exploded behind him, knocking Snape off balance from the force.
Thanatos flicked his wrist, blasting Severus into the destroyed wall.
Snape's wand flew out of his hand and Thanatos summoned it with a wave.
"You're rather pitiful for a duelist," Thanatos said as he caught the wand.
Snape's eyes widened as his wand snapped in two, his face turning red.
"WHY YOU–"
Thanatos silenced him with a careless wave, looking almost bored.
"Thanatos is the winner," Filius exclaimed, raising his wand.
"One more thing," Thanatos said, causing everyone else to pause.
"What do you mean?" Filius asked. "You've won already."
Thanatos rolled his shoulders. "Snape attacked an Auror from behind with a Blasting Curse, a curse well-known for its maiming ability and potential lethality."
Thick ropes bound Snape's arms to his sides, leaving him prone on the floor.
"Severus Snape, you are under arrest," Thanatos declared coldly.
The next day, the Great Hall was alight with rumors, as several students had seen Amelia and a pink-haired Auror come in, go up to Dumbledore's office, and come back down with Thanatos floating a bound and Silenced Snape in the air.
Some speculated it was because of the constant bullying Snape performed against his students, some believed Snape had attacked Dumbledore, as they'd seen Dumbledore's destroyed window from the ground and how Snape had been injured when he'd been carried out. More than a few thought Harry had something to do with it.
When the Golden Trio entered for breakfast, students in the Great Hall took one look at them and immediately, the rumors increased in volume tenfold.
Harry tried to ignore them as he sat for breakfast, piling eggs and bacon onto his plate.
"I wonder who that is?" Hermione questioned, pointing to the Head Table.
Harry turned, seeing Aahna at the Head Table chatting amiably with McGonagall about something.
She wore Muggle clothing– a white blouse with blue jeans and trainers, much to the muttering of Slytherin House and purebloods as a whole in the Great Hall.
Harry blinked. "Oh, that's Aahna," He told Hermione.
Ron and Hermione gave him a confused look.
"How d'ya know that?" Ron asked through his food. "We've never seen her."
"She's Thanatos' wife," Harry clarified, only to get even more confused looks.
"And you know that, how?" Hermione asked, eyebrow raised.
Harry froze, remembering he wasn't supposed to tell them what he'd been doing the day he left with Thanatos and Remus.
"Uhhh– Well, I–" Harry hesitated, trying to find a lie to tell them.
Luckily, he was saved by the arrival of the morning mail, and the rushing of feathers that came with it.
A high-pitched cry broke through the sea of owl hoots, and a huge eagle soared through.
The eagle dove towards the Gryffindor table, straight towards Harry, and dropped the letter on his head before flying up, knocking over a goblet or two in the process.
Harry grabbed the letter in confusion. He hadn't been expecting any mail.
"Who's it from?" Ron asked, looking over his shoulder.
"No clue," Harry replied honestly.
He broke open the wax seal, a wand held in the mouth of a coiled serpent, and took out the letter and a small object wrapped in cloth.
Harry unwrapped the cloth, his brows furrowing as he saw a gold ring with an emerald inside.
"Who would send you a ring?" Ron asked, trying to pick it up.
His hand stopped a few inches from the ring, and Ron's face turned red from the strain.
"The hell?" Ron muttered, trying again. "I can't touch the thing."
Hermione's brows furrowed. "What do you mean you can't touch it?"
She reached out too, her confusion growing as her hand stopped before touching the ring.
"Maybe because it's meant for me?" Harry suggested. "There could be a charm or something on it."
Harry grabbed the ring without issue and turned it over in his hand.
"But why a ring?" Hermione questioned. "Why would you need a ring for?"
"It's probably in the letter," Ron suggested, urging Harry to open it.
Harry opened the letter and squinted at the tiny, tight handwriting he didn't recognize.
Harry
The ring enclosed is a protective amulet. Put it on immediately; it'll protect you from dangerous spells and poisons, including any put into your food or drink. It'll also shield your mind from any influence as a form of pseudo-Occlumancy. The ring is in testing, but I wanted to get it out to you as soon as possible.
The ring is impossible to remove from you except by you. Magical or Muggle, it doesn't matter, it won't get removed unless the person removing it burns out the charms on this thing, which wouldn't end well for them.
Don't worry about anybody else reading this letter or picking up the ring. They're both charmed to only be accessible to you– a precaution from Aahna, who should be sitting at the Head Table by the time you receive this letter.
However, even with the charms on the ring– the strongest I can put on them with blowing up the gemstone– someone like Dumbledore is still a threat.
Many people believe Dumbledore to be strong due to an extremely large magical core and experience, but only one of those is true. Dumbledore has a lot of magic, yes, but not much more than myself– only around 20% more.
What makes him dangerous is his control. He has the best magical control and precision in all of Magical Europe and, worldwide, the only people who beat him are the Flamels. He can cast the strongest spells you've ever heard of without wasting a drop of magic.
Which is to say, be careful. I'm strong, and so are the charms on this ring, but if Dumbledore put any serious effort into hurting you, he very much still could.
Remember this Harry, to any sufficiently powerful witch or wizard, any defense is simply a stalling mechanic. The ring is meant to deter Albus from trying to read your mind, not stop him if he goes for a full assault.
Albus doesn't need to burn out the charms on this ring, he has enough control to simply weave through them if he tries hard enough. So don't go around trying to provoke him, not until you're magically mature and trained.
Speaking of, you will receive training from here on out. In everything from Potions and Transfiguration to Charms and DADA, and even Occlumancy. I will be the main teacher along with Remus, with Aahna showing up every other week as well.
Lessons will be on Sunday so as to not interact with your Quidditch schedule, from 9 am to 1230. The meeting location will change every lesson so as to hide from any prying eyes. You will get notice of this the day before.
You will begin this Sunday– in Remus' room. I will advise you not to be late.
Remember, stay on your guard, but don't let the paranoia consume you. I've been informed of an Auror called Moody, who is so paranoid he can't even sit in a chair without checking it for curses. Don't be him.
Thanatos
P.S. You are allowed to tell people that I sent you this ring. However, do not tell them about your training, lest Dumbledore figure it out. More will be explained on Sunday.
P.P.S. Since you will probably tell Ron and Hermione that you know Aahna, tell them you know her because she visited the school on the first Hogsmeade weekend and she told you some things about your parents. Do not, under ANY circumstances, tell them ANYTHING about what happened.
Harry put the letter down, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Is this another language or something?" Ron asked, brows furrowed as he squinted at the letter.
"It looks like gibberish," Hermione replied, also squinting.
"It's from Thanatos," Harry told them, putting the ring on. "It's charmed so only I can read it."
Magic raced up his arm, making his shiver slightly as the ring glowed.
Harry blinked as what seemed like a wall set itself up in his mind behind his eyes. It wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it did feel odd.
It felt like a mild, but annoying, headache had suddenly disappeared after so long, and the world seemed quieter in a way, almost clearer and easier to process.
"Harry?" Hermione asked in concern.
"Huh," Harry replied intelligently, shaking his head. "That feels odd."
"What feels odd?" Ron asked as he munched on his breakfast. "What's that ring?"
"Oh, err–" Harry glanced back at the letter. "It's a protection thing. It detects poisons and stuff."
"You said it's from Thanatos," Hermione pointed out, staring at the ring. "Why would he send you that? Because of Sirius Black?"
"I– errr- yeah," Harry replied, swallowing his nerves. "And protect me from anyone else who could hurt me."
Ron grinned. "I hope it knocks Malfoy on his ass."
"Ron!" Hermione reprimanded.
"What?!" Ron asked sharply. "Malfoy's a bloody bastard! He deserves it for what he does to us and Harry!"
"Harry still shouldn't be using a safety precaution for petty schoolyard fights!" Hermione hissed, her face red. "Who knows what could happen?!"
The growing argument was silenced as Dumbledore stood from the Head Table and cleared his throat.
Immediately, all rumors and whispering fell silent, the entire school staring at the Headmaster.
"Thank you," Dumbledore smiled. "Now, I'm sure many of you are wondering where Professor Snape is."
He raised his hand as the whispers started back up again, causing them to fall silent.
"Professor Snape has been carried out by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, otherwise known as the DMLE," Dumbledore continued.
Over at the Hufflepuff table, several students elbowed Susan Bones, much to her embarrassment.
"I will not go into the reasons," Dumbledore stated seriously. "All you need to know is that Professor Snape is unlikely to return this year–"
Cheers rose from the entirety of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables, and even a few people from the Slytherin table cheered.
Dumbledore let the cheers go on for a moment before he raised his hand again, making the Hall go silent almost immediately.
"In Professor Snape's place is Aahna Marime," Dumbledore said, gesturing to Aahna.
"Oh, thank Merlin," Hermione breathed. "That means we don't have to deal with Snape's constant bullying."
Aahna stood with a smile and waved, though her Muggle clothing drew murmuring from the purebloods and excited whispers from the Muggle-borns and Half-bloods.
"I wonder if she's Muggle-born?" Hermione whispered. "Hopefully that means she's better than Snape."
"Oi, Harry, you said she's married to that Thanatos bloke, right?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I met her when she came up to the school the other day while you two were at Hogsmeade. She's nice."
Dumbledore cleared his throat again, and the Great Hall fell silent for the third time.
"Professor Marime will also be taking over as the new Head of Slytherin House," Dumbledore explained, much to the Slytherin's shock.
Aahna grinned at the Slytherin table, giving them an energetic wave that was returned by a few of the younger students– and a few seventh-year boys who were trying a bit too hard for her to notice them.
"I expect you all to treat her with the same respect you treated Professor Snape," Dumbledore said. "As she is just as qualified as he was and has full authority to take House points and assign detentions as any normal professor would."
"On another note," Dumbledore continued. "Due to Professor Snape no longer being available and Professor Lupin still being ill, all DADA classes are canceled for this week until Professor Lupin is well again."
"What happens if Professor Lupin falls ill again?!" A Ravenclaw yelled.
Dumbledore's smile became tight and forced.
"Ah, excellent question," He replied. "If such a thing happens, then Thanatos Marime, the detective who has been patrolling the school, will be filling in for Professor Lupin. However, he is currently dealing with something at the DMLE, so he is unavailable at the moment."
Dumbledore didn't want to have the two together, much less in his castle where they'd be able to monitor him, but there wasn't much he could do.
Aahna was not only a Charms and Potions Mistress, meaning she'd gained her Mastery in both, but was also an Unspeakable for nearly a decade and a half. If anything, she was even more qualified than Severus was, by a long shot.
Thanatos fell into the same boat. He held a Mastery in DADA, Ancient Runes, and Warding, which, combined with his experience as an Auror and detective, made him a perfect candidate to fill in for Remus.
Albus finished his speech and sat down, beginning to eat slowly as he processed everything.
In such a short time, so many things had fallen apart, but that was fine.
In his haste, Thanatos had forgotten to tell everybody about the prophecy, and with him currently out of the picture, Dumbledore simply had to modify that tiny memory and it'd all be brushed over.
Severus being lost was a tragedy; Dumbledore needed him if Voldemort ever returned, but it'd all happened too fast for him to stop.
However, if they only tried Severus for attacking an Auror, then he'd hopefully only get a few years in a lower-level prison instead of Azkaban.
Dumbledore might have to pull some strings here and there to make it happen, but decades of being in the government had acquired him a hefty amount of favors.
Thanatos was most likely going to train Harry, Dumbledore mused. Especially after the whole fiasco in his office and the realization that Harry needed to die.
Dumbledore would let it happen, just for a little while. If Thanatos was right, which Dumbledore hoped he was, then the training could help.
Dumbledore still needed to find a way to destroy the Horcrux in Harry's scar, but every method required destroying the vessel. He needed to do more research into the soul; there had to be something.
He sighed, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Are you alright, Albus?" McGonagall asked.
Dumbledore raised his head and smiled at her.
"Yes, thank you for asking, Minerva," Dumbledore replied. "I just got lost in thought. I suppose it comes with age."
McGonagall seemed to accept that answer, as she nodded before turning back to Aahna and continuing their conversation.
.
Author's Note: And that's the chapter! Was going to go a really different direction, but I like how it turned out here.
If you're wondering why Dumbledore seemed to be just letting this all happen instead of acting, it's because he believes it to be a temporary setback instead of a crippling blow to his plans.
He has like fifty backup plans, some of which take into account Thanatos, so he's somewhat relaxed at the moment.
The next chapter is going to be some Aahna and Luna stuff since that's been building up for a while in the background.
See you all next time!