AN: Well, I'm over a week late on when I should have posted this, but hopefully it's worth the wait. Thankfully, I cruised straight from this one into my next one, so I my plan is to post it this Sunday . . . so 3 weeks without a chapter, and now two in the same week. Hopefully that was a fair trade off. As always, thanks for all your support, and let me know what you think!
Mando-Vet - Haha, yes, the demon has finally been banished to a fate she deserved.
Nightwing2013 - Indeed, she has finally gotten what she deserves, but unfortunately, yes, it will raise concerns.
stars90 - Yeah, seeing the big picture was not really her strong suit, and she had so much arrogance.
LilyPotterIsGoddess - Yes! Justice has been served.
Acoustic Ghost - Right? Moldy did everyone a favor. Also, one of my favorite quotes from a good movie. She was a mean bastard who needed to hang.
scrappy8 - Yeah, Umbridge was a fool.
Guest - Couldn't have happened a nice person, indeed. Thanks for your kind words. Typos are definitely things I try to work on, but I do tend to miss things when editing my own material. Thankfully, others point them out and overtime I go back to correct them (or I notice them later and do so), but glad to know they haven't distracted you from the story. Once again, thanks!
WinkingSkeever - Thanks! A bit overdue, but here we are.
ErikArden - I'm humbled that my story was binge worthy for you, but I appreicate the kind words! Yes, Umbridge surviving to go in front of the Wizengamot would have been a great scene, but alas, it would not have been good for Voldemort and his Death Eaters, so she had to go. That is an interesting fate for her (being transfigured into a toad pretty much permanently) and no less than she deserves.
whiskeylovingbibliophile - Thank you! The Tournament was a lot of fun to write and change. Glad you appreciate my stair stepping him to being better without trying to just give him a boost in one go, and yeah, I've done my best to make everyone fairly relevant without overshadowing Harry. It still is his story, of course. That is a fair critique on the rushed romance. Admittedly, that type of tension is something I'm still working on, especially since I tend to prefer when the drama with relationships is over. Still, definitely something for me to work on. This was my first go at polyamory, and while I'm not sure I'll do much of it in the future, the same lessons can still apply. Overall, thanks!
magocrat777 - Fair treatment indeed. The dark is rising, and won't be so easily caught, I'm afraid.
Guest - She could still give up who helped with the attack on Theseus. She could give up who had been helping her in the department to cover things up.
Chapter 66
"How could this happen?!" Tiberius Ogden demanded.
Fudge winced, doing his best to stay out of the view of everyone. Dora didn't blame him. Umbridge's actions and multiple attempted murders of Harry had been well publicised and the public was basically demanding his resignation. He hadn't yet, with the election only a week away, but he knew his career was over . . . and at this point he was just trying to damage control enough to avoid Azkaban.
"Someone authorized her transfer to Azkaban, somehow," Sirius answered darkly. "She was greeted by two Dementors who promptly administered the Dementor's Kiss."
"I'd think you'd be happy," Thaddeus Nott remarked snidely.
"I wanted to kill her myself," Dora nearly snarled, making many wince or lean away from her in their seats, all thinking about the old Black Madness. "I wanted her to answer for her crimes. This was too good for her . . . until that dementor is destroyed, she's avoiding punishment in the afterlife too."
"I too would have liked to know who helped in her attack on me," Theseus remarked with a bite in his tone, still looking worn down, having left St. Mungo's under healer protest. "I would have very much liked to have caught up with them."
There were further shudders at his tone.
"Investigations showed paperwork that suggests someone in the DMLE authorized the transfer," Amelia Bones briefed with a frown, "and I do believe that someone in my department must have been involved, but I'm skeptical that it was only someone in the DMLE."
"We need accountability," Ethan Parkin said flatly. "We need to make it impossible for something like this to happen again."
"We need to deal with the dementors," Torson Abbott added. "They are either out of control or they serve someone else. Clearly it is not the Ministry."
"I think we need to consider Lord Potter's claims," Ignatius Prewett said, getting protests from many, scoffs from others, and clamors of agreement from others.
"You can't be serious?!" Fudge finally exclaimed, and Dora couldn't help but scoff how the man just couldn't help himself.
"Fudge, if you are smart, you will not say another word," Griselda Marchbanks said dangerously.
"Indeed," Amelia Bones agreed, glaring at the man. "Your time to speak is over."
Fudge opened his mouth to protest when he saw hostile looks around the room from everyone not in Malfoy's side of politics, and he shut his mouth and sat down weakly.
"There is still no proof to Lord Potter's claims," Connor Fawley said stubbornly. "It is clear that the Minister's Office was behind many of the attacks, and while not everything has been revealed, and some malcontents are clearly still at large, we have not seen anything that would suggest You-Know-Who has returned."
"Except the mass breakout of many of his followers," Patrice Shafiq remarked sarcastically, and Fawley scowled at her. "Nor all the attacks on House Potter, which would certainly support You-Know-Who's goals."
"As he said, we know those attacks were done by the Minister's office," Malfoy said smoothly, getting a betrayed look from Fudge. "There's no correlation to the Dark Lord."
"Of course you would say that," Marcus Mcmillan retorted scornfully. "Lord Potter named you as a Death Eater who is currently serving He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"
Malfoy smiled maliciously. "Have I not proved my innocence all these years?" Malfoy asked silkily. "Surely the word of one delusional boy does not override all the good I've done since I was cleared of Death Eater affiliation at the end of the war?"
"Claims that frankly seem less sure now that we know our soon-to-be former Minister is willing to go so far to discredit those he disagrees with," Carter Ollivander responded. "It is well known that you financed his campaigns."
Fudge scowled in outrage, but others seemed to nod in agreement.
"He certainly didn't mind leaving a woman to rot in prison, regardless of whether she was innocent or not," Sirius nearly growled out. "So, would he also let someone out if he gained from it? I certainly think so."
Malfoy glared malevolently.
"Plus the allegations with the diary in my brother's second year, as well as all the dark items that were found in your possession that same year," Dora added, glaring back. "Unsubstantiated rumors aside, you have not been as innocent as you would like to claim. Additionally, your son is a well known bully and bigot at school, something he must have picked up from you."
"More slander from your . . . brother," Malfoy responded icily.
"I too have been told about your son," Marcus Macmillan asserted, and around the room, many others voiced their agreement about how Draco Malfoy had tried to throw his weight around at school and was a very unpleasant person.
"Schoolboy rumors, nothing more," Malfoy said stiffly. "Am I also to be judged on the actions of a teenager? Surely you all did things as a teenager that you regret?"
"Calling people of a certain blood type by a vile slur wasn't one of them," Dora responded flatly, causing silence to fill the room, and Malfoy glared.
"This is getting us nowhere," Augusta Longbottom said, with a shake of her head. "Our discussion needs to focus on the dementors."
"I move that we let my godson destroy them as soon as possible," Sirius said firmly.
"Of course you would," Oscar Rosier said with a sneer. "Completely disregarding that it will leave Azkaban prison weak."
"Will it?" Sirius asked coldly. "Or will it remove the liability that is helping Voldemort's servants escape."
A large portion of the room flinched at Sirius's use of the name, while the supporters glared malevolently. It was only a very small group that seemed unphased.
"You can't seriously believe the dementors let those prisoners escape," Thomas Brown said.
"It would explain how they got away," Emmeline Vance said, almost hesitantly, playing her part.
"He is not back!" Fudge exclaimed.
"I happen to agree that the dementors are a liability, though I'm not sure destroying them is the way forward," Marcus Macmillan said. "I think we observe how the wizarding guards being reintroduced affects the issue."
"I'm with Lord Black," Cyrus Greengrass. "Let Lord Potter eradicate the bunch. This isn't the first time in our relationship with them that they've proven unreliable. They've betrayed us before. For the first time in a millennium, we have someone capable of eradicating them. Let's do so, or at least put the fear of eradication into them by making an example of a portion of them. Show them what opposing the Ministry means."
"That's barbaric," Clarence Clearwater said, disgusted.
"So is letting a dementor suck the soul out of someone, but we do it," Dora retorted caustically.
"I feel there is little to be done prior to the election," Malfoy said smugly. "We must see who will lead before we make any decisions that they will be saddled with."
"I agree with Lord Malfoy," Thorfinn Rowle said.
"Of course you do," Rick said with a snort, and Rowle glared.
"We'll put it to a vote," Tiberius Ogden said with a sigh, and the Order members could only scowl at tabling everything until after the election was won by a slim margin.
"The election will be too late," Sirius murmured, and Dora nodded.
"A week away . . . and probably a week too late," Dora agreed, the Order knowing that Voldemort seemed to be mobilizing for something.
**HP**
"Welcome back," Dumbledore said, smiling at all of them. "Tonight, I hope for us to finish the memories, and then we'll call it an earlier night since I'm sure you all have plans for tomorrow."
Those with significant others nodded appreciatively with tomorrow being Valentine's Day and a Hogsmeade day.
"Now, we have three memories to watch tonight," Dumbledore continued. "When last we left, Tom Riddle was on the threshold of his years at Hogwarts. You will remember how excited he was to hear that he was a wizard, that he refused my company on a trip to Diagon Alley, and that I, in turn, warned him against continued thievery when he arrived at school."
They all nodded.
"Well, the start of the school year arrived and with it came Tom Riddle, a quiet boy in his second-hand robes, who lined up with the other first years to be sorted. He was placed in Slytherin House almost the moment that the Sorting Hat touched his head," Dumbledore explained, gesturing briefly to the Sorting Hat. "How soon Riddle learned that the famous founder of the House could talk to snakes, I do not know – perhaps that very evening. The knowledge can only have excited him and increased his sense of self-importance."
"I bet it did," Ginny muttered darkly.
"However, if he was frightening or impressing fellow Slytherins with displays of Parseltongue in their common room, no hint of it reached the staff," Dumbledore continued. "He showed no sign of outward arrogance or aggression at all. As an unusually talented and very good-looking orphan, he naturally drew attention and sympathy from the staff almost from the moment of his arrival. He seemed polite, quiet, and thirsty for knowledge. Nearly all were most favorably impressed by him."
"And I assume you didn't tell anyone what he'd been like when you first met him," Katie observed, and Dumbledore nodded in agreement.
"Though he had shown no hint of remorse, it was possible that he felt sorry for how he had behaved before and was resolved to turn over a fresh leaf. I chose to give him that chance."
"If only you hadn't," Angelina said with a sigh.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore agreed, "though I'm not sure that would have changed much. Watching him might have helped uncover his misdeeds, but he was extremely talented at avoiding attention when needed. A trait he kept and only improved on as an adult."
"You didn't really trust him though," Harry said. "He told me. . . the Riddle who came out of the diary said, 'Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did'."
"Let us say that I did not take it for granted that he was trustworthy," said Dumbledore. "I had, as I have already indicated, resolved to keep a close eye upon him, and so I did. I cannot pretend that I gleaned a great deal from my observations at first. He was very guarded with me; he felt, I am sure, that in the thrill of discovering his true identity he had told me a little too much. He was careful never to reveal as much again, but he could not take back what he had let slip in his excitement, nor what Mrs. Cole had confided in me. However, he had the sense never to try and charm me as he charmed so many of my colleagues."
"Not surprising," Ginny said.
"As he moved up the school, he gathered about him a group of dedicated friends; I call them that, for want of a better term, although as I have already indicated, Riddle undoubtedly felt no affection for any of them. This group had a kind of dark glamour within the castle. They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty. In other words, they were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, and indeed many of them became the first Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts."
"What happened to the ones who didn't become Death Eaters?" Harry asked.
"Most disappeared or died in mysterious circumstances," Dumbledore answered. "The rest are supporters or financiers of Voldemort, even if they are not actual Death Eaters."
"What a surprise," Ron said bitterly.
"Rigidly controlled by Riddle, they were never detected in open wrong-doing, although their seven years at Hogwarts were marked by a number of nasty incidents to which they were never satisfactorily linked, the most serious of which was, of course, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, which resulted in the death of a girl. As you know, Hagrid was wrongly accused of that crime."
They all scowled at that.
"I have not been able to find many memories of Riddle at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "Few who knew him then are prepared to talk about him; they are too terrified. What I know, I found out after he had left Hogwarts, after much painstaking effort, after tracing those few who could be tricked into speaking, after searching old records and questioning Muggle and wizard witnesses alike."
"Muggles?" Ron asked in surprise.
"Some," Dumbledore said, with a nod. "Wizards tend to forget muggles, but we also stand out. Voldemort knows how to live in the muggle world, but he dedicated himself to leaving that world and thus sticks out regardless. Sometimes, you can trace where some wizards were just by talking to muggles in the area."
"That's smart," Katie stated, impressed, and Dumbledore smiled before continuing.
"Those whom I could persuade to talk told me that Riddle was obsessed with his parentage. This is understandable, of course; he had grown up in an orphanage and naturally wished to know how he came to be there. It seems that he searched in vain for some trace of Tom Riddle senior on the shields in the trophy room, on the lists of prefects in the old school records, even in the books of Wizarding history. Finally he was forced to accept that his father had never set foot in Hogwarts. I believe that it was then that he dropped the name forever, assumed the identity of Lord Voldemort, and began his investigations into his previously despised mother's family – the woman whom, you will remember, he had thought could not be a witch if she had succumbed to the shameful human weakness of death."
"That's probably when he started his true obsession with beating death," Alicia said, and Dumbledore nodded in agreement.
"All he had to go upon was the single name 'Marvolo,' which he knew from those who ran the orphanage had been his mother's father's name. Finally, after painstaking research, through old books of Wizarding families, he discovered the existence of Slytherin's surviving line. In the summer of his sixteenth year, he left the orphanage to which he returned annually and set off to find his Gaunt relatives. And now, let us watch this memory that I was very lucky to collect . . ."
They all slowly moved to the pensieve, and entered, where they watched as a teenaged Voldemort, nearly the same one that Ginny and Harry had met through the diary, met his uncle, Morfin, in the Gaunt Shack. They watched the confrontation where Voldemort learned about his father and his mother, and learned about Marvolo Gaunt's fate, and how Merope had stolen Slytherin's Locket. Finally though, as Morfin was getting angrier, brandishing his knife and wand at Voldemort, the memory went dark and ended.
"Why did it end there?" Ron asked.
"Because that's all Morfin remembered, isn't it?" Angelina asked shrewdly.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said, bowing his head. "When Morfin awoke next morning, he was lying on the floor, quite alone, and had lost Marvolo's ring. Meanwhile, in the village of Little Hangleton, a maid was running along the High Street, screaming that there were three bodies lying in the drawing room of the big house: Tom Riddle Senior and his mother and father."
The students all exchanged grim looks of understanding.
"The Muggle authorities were perplexed. As far as I am aware, they do not know to this day how the Riddles died, for the Avada Kedavra Curse does not usually leave any sign of damage. . . the exception sits before me," Dumbledore added, with a nod to Harry's scar. "The Ministry, on the other hand, knew at once that this was a wizard's murder. They also knew that a convicted Muggle-hater lived across the valley from the Riddle house, a Muggle-hater who had already been imprisoned once for attacking one of the murdered people."
"So the Ministry called upon Morfin. They did not need to question him, to use Veritaserum or Legilimency. He admitted to the murder on the spot, giving details only the murderer could know. He was proud, he said, to have killed the Muggles, had been awaiting his chance all these years. He handed over his wand, which was proved at once to have been used to kill the Riddles. And he permitted himself to be led off to Azkaban without a fight. All that disturbed him was the fact that his father's ring had disappeared. 'He'll kill me for losing it,' he told his captors over and over again. 'He'll kill me for losing his ring. ' And that, apparently, was all he ever said again. He lived out the remainder of his life in Azkaban, lamenting the loss of Marvolo's last heirloom, and is buried beside the prison, alongside the other poor souls who have expired within its walls."
"So, he stunned Morfin, stole his wand, and killed his father and his grandparents," Hermione surmised.
"Then implanted the memories of what happened into Morfin," Alicia agreed. "He also stole the heirloom . . . which means at this point he has the ring and diary . . . and he's learned of Slytherin's Locket."
"Correct," Dumbledore said. "It took a great deal of skilled Legilimency to coax this memory out of Morfin, and of course, prior to me, nobody else felt any need to delve further into Morfin's mind when he had already confessed to the crime. I regret to say that I was too late to secure Morfin's freedom before he passed away in Azkaban. He passed not long after I retrieved this memory."
"He wasn't a good person, but he didn't deserve that," Hermione said with a sigh.
"No he didn't," Katie and Harry agreed.
"Now, we look more into Riddle, the man," Dumbledore said. "It was almost impossible to find information about Riddle or Voldemort after he left Hogwarts. In fact, I doubt whether there is a soul alive, apart from himself, who could give us a full account of his life since he left Hogwarts."
"Probably not," Ginny agreed. "Tom wouldn't have cared to bring anyone with him, unless they were of use, and even then . . ."
Dumbledore nodded in agreement.
"Now, this second memory comes from a very old house-elf by the name of Hokey. This memory is important because we will see the last Horcrux in it."
That got all of their attention.
"Before we see what Hokey witnessed, I must quickly recount how Lord Voldemort left Hogwarts. He reached the seventh year of his schooling with, as you might have expected, top grades in every examination he had taken. All around him, his classmates were deciding which jobs they were to pursue once they had left Hogwarts. Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Award for Special Services to the School. I know that several teachers suggested that he join the Ministry of Magic, offered to set up appointments, and put him in touch with useful contacts. He refused all offers. The next thing the staff knew, Voldemort was working at Borgin and Burkes."
"A store dedicated to dark magic and powerful magical objects," Harry said, eyes narrowing.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said, looking proud. "However, few realized that this was not his first choice of job. Hardly anyone knew of it at the time. . . as one of the few in whom the then Headmaster confided – but Voldemort first approached Professor Dippet and asked whether he could remain at Hogwarts as a teacher, teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"He really did have an attachment to this school," Angelina said in amazement.
"But why?" Ron asked, perplexed. "I mean, Hogwarts is great . . . but . . ."
"You don't understand because you have a family," Harry answered with a sigh. "I have one now, of course," Harry said, grinning at his friends and family, "but for someone like Voldemort, like me when I first got here, Hogwarts was our first home . . . the first place that made us special."
"I also believe that Voldemort's interest was still in the castle as a stronghold of ancient magic. Undoubtedly Voldemort had penetrated many more of its secrets than most of the students who pass through the place, but he may have felt that there were still mysteries to unravel, stores of magic to tap."
"Or more objects to seize," Alicia muttered.
"I, lastly, believe that Voldemort saw the school and the position as a teacher of a place to grow. I believe he saw the great power and influence over young minds and envisaged a useful recruiting ground and place from which to build himself an army . . . and perhaps even his headquarters once he was ready."
"Was he qualified for the job, at his age?" Alicia asked.
"Technically, yes," Dumbledore said gravely. "He, like many prodigal witches and wizards, managed to push his education further than the standard Hogwarts student and did achieve a number of masteries while at Hogwarts. Professor Dippet, thankfully for I was deeply uneasy about Voldemort returning in a position of authority, told him he was too young and invited him to reapply in a few years."
"I'm sure that disappointed him," Katie observed.
"I'm sure it did," Dumbledore agreed, "though I suspect that he foresaw that occurring, and was not completely bothered by it. Though, I suspect that he later regretted not pushing harder at that time. So, Voldemort went off to Borgin and Burkes, and all the staff who had admired him said what a waste it was, a brilliant young wizard like that, working in a shop. However, Voldemort was no mere assistant. Polite and handsome and clever, he was soon given particular jobs of the type that only exist in a place like Borgin and Burkes, which specializes, as you know, Harry, in objects with unusual and powerful properties. Voldemort was sent to persuade people to part with their treasures for sale by the partners, and he was, by all accounts, unusually gifted at doing this."
"What a surprise," Ginny muttered bitterly, and Katie hugged her side.
"Which brings us to Hokey . . . " Dumbledore said, pouring a new memory into his stone basin.
Soon, they were all watching an old lady by the name of Hepzibah Smith and her elf, Hokey, preparing to greet a rather handsome young Voldemort, who charmed her into revealing two of her greatest gifts: Slytherin's Locket, and Hufflepuff's Cup. They all noted his greedy expression when he laid eyes on the two objects, and how his eyes almost went scarlet when Hepzibah mentioned that Burke, Voldemort's boss, had bought it from his mother when she was desperate.
"Hepzibah Smith died two days after that little scene," said Dumbledore, after they had left the memory. "Hokey the house-elf was convicted by the Ministry of poisoning her mistress's evening cocoa by accident."
"Of course she was," Hermione said angrily, as the rest of them made their own exclamations of outrage.
"Hokey confessed, didn't she?" Alicia asked.
"She remembered putting something in her mistress's cocoa that turned out not to be sugar, but a lethal and little-known poison," said Dumbledore. "It was concluded that she had not meant to do it, but being old and confused."
"Just like with Morfin," Angelina said with a shake of her head.
"By the time Hokey was convicted, Hepzibah's family had realized that two of her greatest treasures were missing. It took them a while to be sure of this, for she had many hiding places, having always guarded her collection most jealously. But before they were sure beyond doubt that the cup and the locket were both gone, the assistant who had worked at Borgin and Burkes, the young man who had visited Hepzibah so regularly and charmed her so well, had resigned his post and vanished. His superiors had no idea where he had gone; they were as surprised as anyone at his disappearance. And that was the last that was seen or heard of Tom Riddle for a very long time."
"So, by this point, we know he had the ring, the locket, the cup, and the diary, even if he hadn't yet made them horcruxes," Katie said.
"He must have made the diary already," Ginny said quietly. "It was his sixteen year old self."
"As much as it pains me to admit, I would agree, Ginny," Dumbledore said. "I believe that Voldemort used Myrtle's death to make his first horcrux. Creating one does not distort the body, and thus nobody would know that he'd been practicing such terrible magic."
"So, that leaves the Diadem and the snake," Alicia said, before wincing and glancing at Harry.
"And me," Harry said, with a nod, having come to peace with it. It was done after all, and would never trouble him again.
"I believe that Voldemort did not make the snake a horcrux until just before the Triwizard," Dumbledore said, "though of course that means he found her in his exile. The Diadem, I truly have no idea when he found it or how, but I would suspect that he found it in this period of time, after he disappeared. Unless he knew where it was and managed to retrieve it during some small vacation time."
"He probably retrieved it as soon as he could, if he knew where it was," Harry said in disagreement to Dumbledore's theory. "He wouldn't want to trust the information was still reliable, wherever he got it. He'd want to ensure he got the Diadem, so that if it wasn't there, he could start trying to trace where it had gone."
"That does fit," Dumbledore agreed, "though of course, we cannot confirm that. And now for the very last recollection I have to show you all. Ten years separates Hokey's memory and this one, ten years during which we can only guess at what Lord Voldemort was doing . . ."
"Whose memory is it?" Harry asked.
"Mine," said Dumbledore.
It was a rather quick memory to watch, Voldemort appearing to request to teach once again, but this time from Dumbledore, who had just become Headmaster. The changes in the monster had been startling, with him starting to look like a hybrid of what he had been with what he was now. They watched as pleasantries were exchanged before the meeting grew more and more hostile, with Dumbledore refusing to give Voldemort the post, and Voldemort mocking Dumbledore for his beliefs before finally Voldemort left, and they emerged from the memory.
"That had to have been when he hid the Diadem here at Hogwarts," Ron said. "It's the only time that would fit."
"I agree," the rest of them murmured.
"And of course, I believe he was hoping to find more objects, and do what he once hoped to accomplish," Dumbledore said. "This was also the day that our curse on the teaching position for Defense Against the Dark Arts began."
"You know, I wonder if that curse will hold up," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Bill said most curses are tied to either people or objects, and tying curses to people can be really draining, whereas objects that have access to natural ambient magic are the best sources . . . so if he put the curse on the diadem, then the curse might be broken."
"A wonderful deduction, and one I too have reached," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I do not believe that Voldemort would tie such a petty curse to himself. Unfortunately, we cannot test our theory, but if I can hopefully find someone willing to try for next year, then perhaps the curse can truly be proven broken."
Angelina and Alicia both shrugged, knowing that regardless it wouldn't affect them anymore.
"Now, that is all we have for tonight," Dumbledore said, "so, I will bid you all goodnight, and I hope you enjoy your day at the village."
"Goodnight, Professor," they all said, before they made their way out of his office.
"Well, at least no more memories," Angelina said cheerfully. "Now we just have to focus on magic and where that last cursed horcrux might be."
"Which others are already thinking about," Harry said. "Honestly, I can't think of any place, but I'm sure this summer will be a great time to focus on it."
"For now, we can just focus on our own training, and having some fun," Katie agreed.
"And Quidditch," Angelina added.
"And Quidditch," Harry, Katie, Ginny, Alicia, and Ron agreed with a laugh, and Hermione sighed sadly.
"So, what are the plans for tomorrow?" Hermione asked.
"Ginny and I will spend the morning in Hogsmeade," Harry said, winking at the grinning red-head. "Then, we'll meet Katie for lunch. I'm going to cut out for some studying, if you want to join me, and Gin and Kat will enjoy the afternoon together before we'll meet up for dinner in the Room of Requirement. After dinner, Katie and I will spend some time together while Ginny gets some studying done."
"It's going to be great!" Katie and Ginny both said excitedly.
"George is planning for me," Angelina said with a grin, "so I have no idea what we'll be doing, but I'm sure I"ll have fun."
"I'm with Katie for the morning," Alicia said, easily, "but I'll be joining Harry for studying after lunch. Got NEWTs coming up, after all."
"Well, I won't say no to more OWL prep," Hermione said approvingly, and Ron sighed sadly, getting chuckles from all around.
"Eh, we can afford one day," Ron said, hoping to head off extra studying. "I want to just have fun and enjoy being out of the castle."
"As good a goal as any," Harry agreed with his mate, who grinned.
"Then we just have the election results to look forward to on Monday," Hermione said excitedly.
"I think Neville's gran has got it in the bag," Harry said.
"The wizarding world won't know what hit them," Angelina said, getting laughs from the rest as they made it back to the Gryffindor Common Room to call it a night.
**HP**
"You better bring my girlfriend back!" Ginny called teasingly, as Katie and Alicia walked off laughing in the direction of Shrivenshafts.
"Lucky I have you to tease them," Harry said with a grin. "There was no win for me, with one being my girlfriend and the other being my sister."
"So, that's why you keep me around, huh?" Ginny said, with an arched eyebrow.
Undaunted, Harry nodded, smirking at her. "Yep . . . and for one other thing." He leaned forward, wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her firmly, pulling back after she let out a light moan.
"Well, I guess I can live with that," Ginny said with a giggle.
"Well, then I guess I better get you some chocolate to keep you around," Harry remarked idly, wrapping his arm around hers to drag her off in the direction of Honeydukes.
"You do know how to keep your Weasleys happy," Ginny said, beaming.
"Well, I'd hope so, after five years," Harry said mildly, and Ginny laughed.
"What else do you want to do this morning?" Ginny asked.
"Well, I do need to hit Tomes and Scrolls," Harry admitted. "I want to see if I can find a a few specific tomes for Defense. I think if Katie and I push it a bit, we might be ready for our NEWT by the end of the year . . . and with Umbridge gone, we'll be able to do so."
"I kind of want to do like you and take my OWL in it early," Ginny said.
"I think you're ready," Harry agreed.
"Professor Scamander thinks so too," Ginny admitted. "It's been great having her cover down. Though, she made it sound like a replacement would be coming soon. Is it wrong that I'm disappointed?"
"Unless the replacement is Theseus Scamander, no, I don't think it's wrong," Harry said. "The two Scamanders are fantastic and give Mad-Eye and Remus a run for their money on teaching."
"Maybe we could get Mad-Eye or Remus," Ginny said with a sigh. "Or Kingsley, Rick, Dora – any of our occasional 'guest' instructors in the Consortium. I just can't go back to someone like Umbridge or even Lockhart. Unless we get someone good, I'm going to take my OWL and then do like you guys and go to self-study."
"You know we'll help you," Harry said.
"And the distractions will be so much better," Ginny said with a sultry smirk, and Harry chuckled.
"We're pretty good at staying focused," Harry said weakly.
"Sometimes," Ginny said with a laugh.
"Sometimes," Harry agreed with a chuckle.
"Well, let's go hit Tomes and Scrolls, and then I want to hit Spintwiches," Ginny said. "I want to take a look at some Quidditch pads."
"Sounds perfect," Harry said.
They enjoyed their morning, laughing, talking, exchanging quick kisses, and occasionally dipping into alleyways for longer snogs before it was time for lunch and they made their way to the Three Broomsticks, where Katie had just arrived and was already getting them a table.
"Alicia and I ran into George and Angie," Katie said, "so she ran off with them to Steeply's for a meal before they'll see you back at the library for afternoon studying."
"Sounds good," Harry said, kissing Katie lightly in greeting, and she smiled, before she kissed Ginny a bit more firmly as Harry ran off to grab them drinks while they waited for the waitress to come around for food orders.
Harry came back with three warm butterbeers, smiling softly seeing Katie and Ginny laughing freely, hands linked, and Harry sat next to Katie, sliding the butterbeers to the two girls. Ginny smiled her thanks, while Katie leaned over and gave him a more firm, and fulfilling kiss in thanks and as a second greeting.
"So, what did you two do?" Katie asked with a wide grin.
"Hit Tomes and Scrolls, and got those references for us," Harry said. "Looked at some new pads for Gin. Got some chocolate at Honeydukes."
"And none for me?" Katie asked in mock outrage."
"She's a pushy little thing, isn't she?" Ginny teased.
"You're one to talk," Katie retorted. "And I'm bigger than you!"
"Yeah you are," Ginny said, glancing briefly at Katie's chest, and causing the girl's eyes to widen and her jaw to drop in shock, while Harry snorted, some butterbeer coming out of his nose as he coughed.
Ginny laughed in delight, reveling in a rare moment where Katie was completely caught off guard, and Katie's eyes narrowed playfully.
"Oh, this is going to be a long lunch," Harry muttered to himself, as the two girls started to exchange verbal blows, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
He enjoyed the rest of the lunch adding his own inputs to various insults, favoring neither side, but also not doing anything quite damage worthy enough to draw the focus of the two girls. It was a skill he had perfected with his two playful and extroverted girlfriends, and he prided himself on it.
By the end of the lunch, all he could feel was disappointment as Katie won rock, paper, scissors and paid the bill, leaving Harry no choice but to return to Hogwarts to study, as planned.
**HP**
Frank and Alice Longbottom sighed as they exited the Floo system into their home. They'd left a bit early today, but with everything that had gone in the past month, going home always felt like a huge relief.
"This is a pleasant surprise," Augusta remarked, entering the room. "I didn't expect you home for a few more hours."
"Well, with the election tomorrow, Kingsley thought we could use some family time before everything changes," Frank said with a smile.
"He's more confident than I am," Augusta said dryly.
"His confidence matches ours," Alice responded evenly. "Rufus wouldn't be bad, but unfortunately all the breakouts and hits to the DMLE have hit his reputation in this election. He really is only just above Fudge on the predictions. Malfoy and you were the only real contenders, and thanks to Harry, Malfoy's taken a huge hit. Only those who think Harry is a liar or Voldemort supporters themselves are backing him."
"Well, those and the others he bought," Frank responded bitterly.
Further conversation was cut off as their alert ward sounded off, and all three Longbottoms froze for a moment, and they all felt the wards start waning as someone, or multiple people starting attacking their wards.
"I guess Voldemort thinks you have a good chance of winning too," Alice said blithely.
"I'll let the Order know," Frank said, sending off a patronus. "Hopefully they can get here in time."
"Oh, we'll hold them off," Augusta said dangerously. "I invested a lot of gold into this home's defenses after that attack on your home. They're going to learn the price of trying to wipe us out!"
**HP**
Katie and Ginny were making their way through some side streets of Hogsmeade, starting the journey back to Hogwarts in high spirits. It had been a wonderful day for both of them, but it was time to check in on Harry, see how the studying had gone, and enjoy dinner together before Katie was looking forward to a little alone time with Harry herself.
They were arm in arm, chatting easily, flirting constantly, when their mood fell away with the appearance of three unpleasant faces.
"Well, well, if it isn't Potter's blood traitor and mudblood whores," Malfoy said with a sneer, Goyle and Crabbe flanking him with leers on their faces.
All three had their wands drawn, and pointed at the two girls, and they both cursed themselves for not paying more attention to their surroundings. Katie glanced back, and was more unnerved to see three more Slytherins flanking them behind, all also with their wands drawn. She recognized Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Graham Montague.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Ginny demanded coldly.
"Your help," Malfoy said with an evil grin. "You're going to help us get that worthless freak you call a boyfriend."
"Like hell we will," Katie spat. "Any moment, someone's going to wander down this street and see this and you'll all be in deep shit."
"Oh, that's not likely to happen," Blaise responded with a smirk, and Katie and Ginny both felt their spirits fall, realizing that even more must be involved in keeping the street clear. "If you were hoping that pesky hellhound would save you, then you can save your breath there too. Our Lord figured out how to hide locations from even those abominations."
Katie's eyes met Ginny's briefly, and saw the same desperation, but determination to go out fighting. At the very least, they could try and make a commotion that would draw attention . . . even if it might be too late for them. Clearly, someone had been watching them the whole time, and this ambush had been well planned out.
Katie and Ginny both deployed their wands, quickly going to raise shields, but the first spell thrown surprised them both.
"Imperio!" Montague called out, and Katie's eyes widened in shock as it hit Ginny squarely in the back, cutting through the shield they'd both raised. "Imperio!" Montague exclaimed again, but Katie managed to dodge the spell.
However, dodging the spell through her in the way of the other Slytherins' spells, and she was quickly disarmed and bound. Montague walked up, leveled his wand, and soon Katie too fell under the Imperius Curse.
"I still don't understand why we can't just take these two," Zabini said, eyeing both witches with hungry looks.
"They're just Potter's whores," Parkinson said dismissively.
"Exactly," Malfoy said. "The Dark Lord wants Potter or his sisters. These whores can be replaced . . . and once Potter's gone, you can have them, if you want."
"I'm sure we can have some fun with them," Montague said with a dark laugh. "They'll learn their place before their end."
**HP**
Dora was getting ready to leave work for the day when the alert sounded. Her nerves rose, knowing deep down that this was Voldemort's opening move to start the new war. She rushed into the operations room where Kingsley and Rick were already starting to issue orders.
"Massive attack taking place in Holyhead," Alexis briefed without preamble, once Dora made her way over to her team. "Ministry sensors are going off the charts with the amount of magic being used in front of muggles and unforgivables are being detected. One witness who apparated here claimed there were several giants and Death Eaters."
"But that means –" Daryl Brian stuttered in horror. "That means Potter was right!"
"Welcome to the party," Dora said fiercely with a scowl.
"We'll be deploying to these coordinates," Alexis said, highlighting a portion of the map. "Priority is safeguarding life, muggle and magical. Let's go."
As they started to run to the apparition point, Frank's patronus appeared before them, explaining the situation.
"The Order will have to handle it," Alexis said grimly. "Dumbledore's being called to Holyhead, along with whomever he can bring. Whoever can be spared will have to help the Longbottoms. Thankfully Frank and Alice were off early. I doubt the Death Eaters planned on them being there."
Dora hated that, but she knew Alexis was right. They needed all hands on deck. She took a breath and readied herself for the fight of her life.
**HP**
Angelina, Alicia, Hermione, and George waved off to Harry as he left to head to meet his girlfriends at the Room of Requirement for their Valentine's dinner.
"Well, we might as well head to the Great Hall," Alicia said, looking at Hermione.
"We'll walk with you for most of the way," Angelina said, knowing that she and George had a private dinner for two in the kitchens planned.
They chatted aimlessly as they made their way down the stairs, but as they made it into the Entrance Hall, they froze, seeing Katie and Ginny disappearing up the stairs that would give them the most direct route to the seventh floor. That made sense, seeing as how they should be going to see Harry . . . but what didn't make sense was the gang of unfriendly Slytherins that was following just behind them.
"What's going on?" Alicia said with a frown.
"I don't know, but we should check on them," Angelina said firmly.
"Agreed," George said, looking uncharacteristically serious.
"Shouldn't we get a professor?" Hermione asked, worried.
"We don't know that they're actually going to the Room," Angelina said in disagreement. "If we take too long, we could be too late, especially if they go elsewhere."
"They probably are going elsewhere," Alicia said. "Neither Katie or Ginny would ever give Harry up."
"Not willingly," George said slowly.
"You don't think . . ." Angelina said, eyes wide.
"That's illegal," Hermione said sharply. "They'd never take that risk."
"Do we know what they wouldn't do on Voldemort's orders?" Alicia said, in disagreement. "We need to follow them, now."
They hastened their pace, rushing across the hallway, to the stairs, and then started to trail after the Slytherins and their friends, keeping them in view to see where they were going, but were waylaid by a revolving staircase, and could only curse as their quarry escaped, and they were forced to pray that they were heading for the Room of Requirement.
As soon as they were able, they rushed up the stairs, through the corridors, desperately hoping they were right, and they were rewarded by hearing raised voices. They slowed their pace, pulling out their wands, and they peaked around a corner, seeing Harry surrounded, with Katie and Ginny among those that had pulled their wands on Harry.
"You dared imperius them?!" Harry spat frigidly, and Alicia could see Harry's aura starting to flare in his fury.
"Are we supposed to be afraid, Potty?" Malfoy asked mockingly. "You're helpless, as you always have been, and now your two whores will help us take care of you before they'll . . . take care of us."
Pansy shrieked with laughter.
"So, Voldemort asked you six to kill me?" Harry asked, eyes boring into Malfoy malevolently.
Alicia had never seen Harry looking so filled with rage. If that look had been directed at her, she would be quaking in her shoes . . . now, all she could do is approvingly wait for his judgement to be leveled. She had no doubt that Malfoy and his goons were going to pay greatly for this.
"Kill . . . well, not quite yet," Malfoy said smugly. "He still needs you to be the useful pawn you are for one last thing."
A low growl at her legs, signaled Astra's arrival, and the four of them smiled at the hellhound.
"Go for the one behind Harry," Alicia whispered, and Astra bared her teeth in acknowledgement.
"The only pawns I see are you," Harry responded. "Which one of you put the imperius on Katie and Ginny?"
"Me," Montague responded with pride. "The two little bitches didn't even put up a fight."
"I see," Harry said, glancing at Montague and the boy shuffled nervously, and Alicia almost wondered if the boy hadn't just sensed what was to come.
"Enough of this," Malfoy said. "We've enjoyed this for long enough."
'Agreed,' Alicia thought, and she leveled her wand at Malfoy, knowing she was the only one who would have a clear shot in the initial volley.
'Three, two, one,' Alicia signaled, and Hermione, and George readied themselves before Alicia fired off her first spell, a stunner, while the other two jumped out and unleashed their own spells. George launched a body-bind, as did Hermione, while Angelina traveled with Astra to the other side, appearing and sending a bludgeoning curse.
Malfoy managed to dodge Alicia's spell, but Crabbe took Angelina's curse to the face, dropping him on his ass, and Monague screamed in pain as Astra appeared above him, pouncing on him from behind, slamming him into the ground, and clawing at his back, taking him out of the fight.
Parkinson, Zabini, Goyle, and Malfoy all reacted differently, with Zabini, Goyle, and Parkinson all firing off spells at either Alicia and those with her or at Angelina or Harry, who had drawn his wand and raised a shield, before he focused on defending himself from Katie and Ginny, while also trying to nicely take them out of the fight.
Malfoy however, slashed his wand and surprised Alicia as he summoned a creature that she recognized as a diricawl. It had some sort of harness around it, and Malfoy held it suspended in air.
Alicia's eyes widened in horror, realizing now how they were going to get Harry out.
"Harry! Watch out!" Alicia called out as Malfoy banished the diricawl straight at Harry, who was still trying to deal with Katie and Alicia.
Harry turned and shot a banishing curse at the diricawl, which did nothing, and he opened his eyes in surprise, but before the diricawl could hit him, Angelina slammed into him, throwing him out of the way, but not completely avoiding the poor creature herself, and they all stood horrified as Angelina disappeared with the creature, while Harry fell to the ground from Angelina's push.
"NO!" Harry, Alicia, and George all cried out together, but it didn't matter. Angelina was gone.