CHAPTER 20
14 October 1993 - Abandoned Ravenclaw Classroom, 8:45AM
With a deep and centering breath, Ron allowed his body to bend into The-Troughing-Wave, lightly groaning at the sinuous bend in his back.
A few feet to his left was Jim, who was struggling to imitate the 12th step water-based kata, muttering under his breath as he fought not to keel over. To Ron's right were Harry Potter and Ginny, both of whom were executing the move rather successfully (much to the Gryffindor's consternation). A few feet in front were Anthony Goldstein and Susan Bones, both of whom seemed to have mastered the kata. At the front of the class was Padma Patil, mimicking her would-be students' movements as she guided their session. Tucked in a corner was her own bronze sitar, its music the sound of rushing ocean waves and the occasional cries of seagulls.
"Now," said Padma gently, "unfurl from the wave and rise upwards. Allow the momentum of your form to push you forwards and upwards, and spread your arms wide and perpendicular to your form." Her students followed her instruction (some more successfully than others) as they transitioned into The-Soaring-Pelican. According to Padma, this 12th Step air-based kata would improve their upper body strength and something she called their 'stationary aerodynamicity'. Ron wasn't exactly sure what that term meant, but upon stretching his arms and thrusting his body upward, he felt as though he could, quite literally, soar.
The past few months had been both welcome and hellish for the Weasley boy. His time spent at Shamballa under the tutelage of Healer Baskar and Elder Yoo Ri had been very…eye-opening. The first few hours post-surgery had been chaotic at best, with Ron having a panic attack thinking that the Dark Lord was still in control of his body and mind. That he had been speaking Parseltongue had made the entire situation worse, further spurred on at seeing his family's collective horrified reaction. But thanks to Gupta and Yoo Ri's intervention, they'd succeeded in calming Ron down and reassuring his family that he was no longer possessed and that he was, in fact, very much whole. While he wouldn't be the Ron Weasley they'd all known, he was still a Ron Weasley worth loving and protecting.
To the boy's relief, his family had all been willing to do just that, allaying a considerable amount of his fears.
As a means to help him (and Jim) accept their snake language abilities, Baskar and Yoo Ri had devised a comprehensive counseling plan that included physical and mental therapy, which included actually speaking the snake language in a safe and controlled environment. "You may not be what you wanted," Elder Yoo Ri had said, "but that doesn't change who you are now. You are both speakers of the serpent's tongue, and if you desire to be truly healed, you must embrace this aspect of yourself." She'd devised a curriculum to help them become more comfortable with speaking Parseltongue, teaching them something called 'Velesian sound-shaping' to help them recognize the different phonetic nuances native to the serpent's tongue.
That, and the three-foot long sidewinder named Steve.
A rescue from an exotic muggle-magical species covert sting operation Yoo Ri had been part of a year prior, the venomous pit viper was surprisingly even-tempered and rather erudite, having traveled to a fair few places in his time since being more-or-less kidnapped from his native habitat in the Mojave Desert. A skilled snake polyglot, not only was he helping the two boys become better acclimated with their speaking abilities, Steve helped them practice certain spells that could be inherently amplified by Parseltongue.
For both offensive and defensive purposes.
Yoo Ri checked in with both boys twice a week via a matching pair of charmed communication mirrors that could only be activated by a verbal password given willingly. Apparently, there was some unique magic built into the actual glass that could detect if they were being forced or worse - if someone was imitating either Gryffindor.
"And now, we come to rest in tadasana." Padma's soothing voice matched the gentle lull of the sitar, like the sound of the softest gale of wind whispering all around them.
Soon, the Ravenclaw ended their session, giving a few words of encouragement and additional tips. The general gist of their lessons was to establish a comfort with the basic mudras and katas for meditative and calisthenic purposes, before advancing into any tactical applications. Jim was relieved to hear that they would begin the latter in the next month, as that had been his primary motivation for eagerly pursuing Wu-Xi-Do to begin with. While the therapeutic benefits were important (he was getting a good night's sleep and could generally concentrate better in class), they would not help him defeat the Dark Lord, and, knowing his luck, an inevitable confrontation with one of the nutter Death Eater escapees.
As the class began packing up their mats and chattering excitedly amongst themselves, Ron gingerly approached Padma as she put away her sitar.
"Ah! Hi Ron!"
Weasley felt his cheeks pink. "H-hi Padma! Great lesson, as always."
She smiled sweetly. "Why, thank you! You're coming along nicely in your training." She tilted her head curiously. "You've taken surprisingly well to the water and air-based katas, much more than I'd initially assumed due to your fire imbalance."
"It's helped a lot…I'm sleeping a lot better, and it's been a bit easier to get through my homework. Granted, it hasn't completely eliminated…well…you know." Padma nodded gently. Uncle Gupta had revealed Ron's Mordenkainen's Disjunction to her (with the boy's consent), giving her the much needed context to frame her lessons.
"It won't eliminate it, but it will make it easier to…absorb non-written information. One of the benefits of your unconventional ability are superior spatial reasoning skills and better memory recall even without developing Occlumency skill. You've gotten significantly better at your visual memorization; your grades have already started to improve."
The Gryffindor looked away abashedly. "Thanks to you! The charts you make have been helpful." A visual learner herself, Padma oft made pictographs to aid her in memorizing wand movements, runeworking, and other such subjects. Ron would join her in some of her private study sessions, and he found her presence very reassuring.
In fact, Ron had discovered that he very much enjoyed being in Padma's presence. The complete opposite of her more mercurial twin, the Ravenclaw was surprisingly very patient with a wicked sense of humor that reminded Ron, oddly enough, of the Twins (though with none of the bullying). While Padma was infinitely smarter than Ron ever had any hope of being, she never made him feel stupid the way Percy (or Hermione) did.
Not only that, she was one of the few people who didn't seem to give a hoot about him being the best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived.
In fact, she didn't seem to give a hoot about the Boy-Who-Lived at all, barring her gratitude for him saving her sister's life in the Naga cave incident.
"Have you had a chance to chat with Pomfrey yet?"
The boy shrugged. "Um…not really? I'd wanted to during the first week back, but Pomfrey was pretty busy thanks to…you know." Both grimaced in recollection of the Express' explosion. The Hospital Wing had been full for almost a week with recovering students. That had all been followed by a memorial ceremony that had turned into a near state-level event with attendance by the Minister of Magic and other members of his administration to pay their respects to the fourteen dead victims. Admittedly, it'd been chaotic.
"Not yet…was hoping to see her this weekend." He shuffled awkwardly. His time at Shamballa under the watchful eye of two Master Healers had inspired a different future that Ron would've never once considered for himself. Quidditch had always been his ultimate pipe dream, preferably playing for his beloved Chudley Cannons. Another more unreachable pipe dream of his youth had been becoming a wizarding Chess Master, having an uncanny knack for the game. Unfortunately, the ever realistic Percy had long since disabused him of that notion; chess was more an intellectual hobby than actual career path for wizards. The few exceptions were Squibs, who made their career in the muggle world.
More realistically, Ron had hoped to scrape up enough NEWTs to become an Auror - his own fantasy of being a swashbuckling dark wizard catcher, a protector of wizarding society. But after his recent brush with an actual force of darkness in the form of possession by You-Know-Who, the youngest male Weasley was considerably less inclined to a career path of chasing around dark lord nutters and their equally deranged sycophants.
While he'd always be there to support Jim in defeating this Dark Lord, he could have something just for Ron's future too.
"I can come with you, if you'd like?" Weasley jerked in surprise.
"Um…uh…that would be awesome! Thanks Padma." She gave him a small smile of acknowledgment, the one which made her deep brown eyes crinkle in warmth.
Ron felt his cheeks pink again as he felt his chest did that odd skip, the same odd skip that it occasionally gave when spending time with the Ravenclaw witch.
From her position chatting with Susan, Ginny watched her brother's interaction with a keenly amused look.
A few feet behind her, Jim Potter's expression was unreadable.
Potions Section - Hogwarts Library, 10:03AM
Covering her yawn, Miranda Bonnevie took care to peruse the shelves dedicated to Sleeping Potions.
It seemed rather ironic, considering the witch hadn't been getting too much sleep since the start of term. While she could brew Dreamless Sleep with a blindfold, the Sixth Year Slytherin wasn't in the spirit of abusing the potion's benefits, too scared of becoming addicted to its mind-numbing effects.
Another yawn escaped, encouraging her to speed up her process. Truth be told, Miranda had not been looking forward to returning to Hogwarts for her Sixth Year ever since the events of her Fifth Year. She'd known Cassius' expulsion and her involvement would incur some unwanted difficulties on her end, but she'd never expected…that which had occurred at Cauchemar Abbey on that fateful night.
Suddenly, the bloodless and near lifeless form of Auntie Julianna flashed in her mind, causing Miranda to shiver. Lady Warrington's future had been irrevocably changed thanks to her foolishly idiotic son, and Miranda could feel nothing but pity and regret for the older witch.
To become a shadow of herself…
A cursed life…
Another shudder went through Bonnevie.
Thoughts of The Family inevitably led to thoughts of the Slytherin House's latest addition in the forms of the Carrow Twins. Miranda recalled her mother's reaction at supper when she'd first laid eyes on the two girls, who were, presumably, the identical twin daughters of Alecto and Amycus Carrow.
Both of whom were also brother and sister.
Fraternal twin brother and sister.
While Aunt Juliana had been rather vague with her Bonnevie kin regarding certain details of The Family pertaining to Grandfather, his siblings, and his granddaughter, she had no such qualms for secrecy regarding the other members. If her niece was to be an effective would-be operative to further The Family's agenda, it was imperative that she was well-prepared to take on that most daunting task.
The older witch's password-locked dossier she's gifted Miranda had included several meticulous notes and pictorial details regarding the Carrows, Yaxleys, Travers, and Warringtons.
A lot like their magical Hapsburg cousins, House Carrow were ardent practitioners of incest, a necessity (they believed) in preserving the sanctity of their magical bloodline. Acolytes of the Order of the Unbroken Chain - a zealous cult of pureblood purists - then Lord Eulises and Lady Lyssa didn't believe in reproducing with anyone who wasn't, at the very least, a second cousin. Doing so not only ensured that the 'purest of blood' would endure onward, it also meant that there would be two viable candidates to complete the Great Working and forge the final link in the Unbroken Chain.
Their incestuous copulation (to be performed when the stars were in the most propitious alignment) would yield the Wizarding Messiah - a transcendently pure wizard whose power would outstrip all others, Merlin Reborn.
To ensure the viability of their offspring, these acolytes made use of a rare and illegal potion called Morgause's Philtre. The potion prevented all the effects of inbreeding from affecting the child by inversely cursing said child's parents. It's taken some years of finagling, but House Carrow had somehow succeeded in altering the potion in such a way that the curse incurred would always be one in the same - twisted sadism. The children (typically twins) born under the effects of this potion were perfectly healthy and usually above-average in magical potential.
With similar sadistic inclinations as their parents.
Potions could only do so much when repeatedly added to the same bowl of incestuous wizarding soup.
Even worse was the general sense of…persisting unease Miranda had felt whilst in the presence of Flora and Hestia. Their parents made her plenty uncomfortable enough with their ceaseless smiling coupled with her knowledge of their proclivities, but it was different with their daughters. Something was wrong with them, something beyond them being incest twins, but for the life of her, Miranda couldn't put her finger on it. She'd told Harry Potter as much as she could about the Carrows and the would-be carnage he should expect with Flora and Hestia, but part of her knew there was something else she was forgetting.
'Too bad that Express exploding didn't blow up those two skin-bags.' Though Miranda had been horrified at the terrible scene she'd discovered finally regaining consciousness, a small part of her had hoped the Carrow twins had been turned to bits of bone and sinew in the midst of all the chaos.
'Guess I'm not that lucky.' Snorting, the witch continued on with her task, making sure to pick up Elíxires de Curanderos Mágicos by Rafaela de Eguiluz. The Healing Mistress was credited with creating the first iteration of Draught of Peace, and had successfully experimented with the potency of Dreamless Sleep.
Packing her chosen stack, Miranda proceeded to her table in the coziest little nook, before startling as she ran smack dab into a much taller body.
"Oh, my apologies! I didn't-" Her eyes widened. "Um…h-hello Fred."
The younger Weasley Twin narrowed his eyes at the witch, their difference in height making it all the more poignant. Truth be told he hadn't given Bonnevie much thought since his family's time in Shamballa, too distracted by his own fraternal drama with Percy and Ron's predicament. While it seemed that he'd ignored her letters, the real truth was that he'd been…conflicted on how to respond.
On the one hand, he'd genuinely come to enjoy her company. She was the only one (save George) who could keep up with him Potions-wise, and much like his brother, was willing to debate him and had no qualms about experimentation (within relative reason).
On the other hand, she'd lied to him and had (through Lockhart's schemes) almost gotten him and his twin expelled, living up to the stereotypical backstabbing reputation of Slytherin House.
"Bonnevie." She visibly winced at his sharply brusque tone, cheeks pinking in shame and embarrassment.
Hoping to dissipate the impossibly thick tension, she asked: "So…how's Potions? I know Snape typically starts off with Babbling Beverage for Fifth Years, working with aconite tubers can be pretty nasty stuff. Did you know that the potion only works when activated with the Babbling Curse? According to Bilius Finbok's Treatise-" To Fred's unexpected amusement, the Slytherin was in fact babbling, umber brown eyes sparkling as she rattled off her near encyclopedic knowledge of potions.
"SHH!"
The two jumped at the sudden appearance of Madam Pince, expression pinched in irritation at the two who'd dared interrupt the peace of her sanctum.
"Bonnevie." Fred nodded once and sauntered off, never once looking behind him.
Thickly swallowing her disappointment and retreating behind her shields, Miranda made her way to her table to begin what would undoubtedly be a long and droll study session.
Private Tea Room 6 - Flemings Mayfair - London, 12:12PM
'What a truly lovely day.'
Gareth Mallory stared outside of the large window, barely resisting the urge to close his eyes and bask in the sunlight filtering throughout the room. It was an uncommonly balmy October day in London, but he certainly wasn't complaining. The unique warding and privacy magicks keeping the room secret amplified its natural greenhouse effect, even though from the outside looking in, the room resembled no more than a blank brick wall. While his general annoyance with wizardkind would never change, he could still appreciate their capabilities to seemingly defy the laws of physics for something useful.
Sipping on his lavender earl gray, the head of MI6 thought of the current state of affairs that led to him having to clear out almost two hours of time he didn't have on his calendar to entertain wizard-business.
The explosion of the Hogwarts Express had been another mess dumped on his doorstep, though, admittedly, he was much more inclined to sympathy for helpless schoolchildren than their stick-wielding parents. The event had made countless rounds on muggle new networks, with many wondering exactly what could have caused the explosion that had damaged part of the Glenfinnan Viaduct and the mountainside portion that had imploded. Gareth had already used his numerous connections to plant the seeds of burgeoning muggle insurrectionists being the cause, giving wizards the breathing room to sort their evergrowing pile of shite out.
Still, fourteen deceased children was a very serious matter, made much more worse by the proceeding Dementor horde that had attempted to devour the souls of the remaining living.
Gareth shivered in spite of himself at the thought, his revulsion warring with his fear.
The looming threat of the Dementors had ratcheted to the top of his 'concern list' regarding the wizarding world. A beyond superhuman threat that not even wizardkind had a means of properly killing. And now, thanks to some ridiculous contract the stick-wielders had been incapable of honoring, those heinous creatures had the potential to lay waste to everyone. There were more non-magicals than naught, and Gareth would be damned if those beasts laid asunder to the very people he was responsible for protecting.
'Speak of the devil.'
The door opened to admit his guest.
"Signor Contatto, so glad you could join me."
The man returned the greeting, using his pear wand to banish his hat and floor-length bespoke wool coat to the rack in the corner. The two exchanged the standard pleasantries, ensuring each other was truly who they said they were.
"You do enjoy your disguises, don't you Number 8."
The man chuckled in amusement, not disagreeing. "I am quite fond of this look." He gestured to his outfit, a sharp and well-tailored stark white suit paired with a rather fetching silver monocle framed with magically blackened platinum.
"Indeed, and I can't imagine you showing your actual face around these parts."
Number 8 snorted. "Signor Contatto only makes a cameo when we need to meet in the posher parts of muggle London." His expression turned sly. "Imagine if we were meeting in the Tower of London - I'd have to break out my Norman Williamson disguise." A beat passed before Gareth laughed, snorting in genuine mirth. It'd been a while since Number 8 had heard that, spurring him into laughter as well.
Settling in, the two men prepared themselves a cup of tea with their preferred pastries, hoping the good mood would last for their discussion.
Abandoned Broom Closet - Third Floor Corridor - Hogwarts, 5:43PM
Hidden in their sanctuary, the Weasley Twins were hard at work organizing their prank itinerary for the school year. While they'd promised Percy they wouldn't be engaging in targeted bullying, it didn't mean that they would spare the rest of the remaining Houses as 'live testing specimens' for their merchandise.
Equal opportunity and all that.
Though one would consider a broom closet rather cramped quarters, that was a mere cover as well.
As resourceful as ever, the twins had painstakingly converted a small second-hand trunk into a makeshift lair created by their own modified Expansion and Security Charms, 'borrowed' from one of Bill's cursebreaker notebooks. There were three rooms; a decently-stocked Potions Lab around half the size of Professor's Snape's classroom, a bedroom resembling their shared one in the Burrow with a small kitchenette attachment, and lastly, a fairly large and highly warded storage closet where the Twins kept multiple samples of their successful potions, samples, knick-knacks, and other such prototypes they'd taken to cheekily calling 'wheezes'.
At the current time, they were huddled over a desk in the lab portion, poring over one of their confection-based recipes for Canary Crèmes.
"I think we're missing something here, Forge."
His twin snorted. "Obviously Gred, but we don't seem to be any closer to sorting it out. The custard filling of the pastry spoils too quickly when we add the foxglove and Essence of Toad mixture, but it's the only thing we've tried that actually maintains the custard's integrity in candy form." The boy tapped his fingers in thought. "It could be the Fluxweed syrup? Fluxweed gets a little…squirrely when other transmutative ingredients get involved."
"Sorry Forge, but we need the Fluxweed syrup. It's the ingredient that initiates the actual change. Our only other feasible bet would be to…I dunno…reverse engineer Feather Floss Potion, and that stuff isn't even edible." Fred frowned. "Can we try Scintillation Solution? Half-strength, and at most a drop. Cuts through the viscosity of the crème filling and has a longer shelf life thanks to the powdered unicorn horn. We can squirrel a bit of that away in Potions class when supply gathering."
George nodded thoughtfully. "That may work, though we'll have to keep an eye on Snape unless we want to end up rotting away in detention until we're gray and sagging." The brothers laughed at that, knowing the older Slytherin all too well.
"Well, we can make a note of that for later to work on over the weekend. We need to get started on the Lizardy Lollies." Fred's expression turned sly. "I prepared the iguana and salamander blood phials the last time, it's your turn Brother Mine." George groaned, before grumbling out a Bubblehead Charm as he began preparing the foul-smelling concoctions.
Almost One Hour Later…
The last to climb out of the trunk, Fred turned and cast Reducio at the object, shrinking it down to fit his palm. Tucking it into his inner robes pocket, he nodded at his Twin who removed the various locks on the broom closet door. As one they checked the Map to ensure they were alone before making their exit.
They were just about to turn the corner before running smack dab into the sneering visage of Marcellus Frump.
"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Fred. George's eyes narrowed, wondering how the hell their new Caretaker had evaded being seen by the Map. He was dressed in his standard scruffy suit, today's iteration in aged shades of cornflower blue. A multicolored yarn scarf adorned his neck, one end gently draped over his pet turtle Clyde. George was convinced some form of Sticking Charm was used to keep the creature stable, else he imagined it would've certainly tipped over.
"Boys," the man's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing in this neck of the woods?" He quirked an elegant brow.
"Going for a bit of a walk, certainly that's allowed in a hallway." Frump's eyes narrowed at Fred's lightly snide tone, lips twisting into a sneer. That seemed to be his default expression, though the man wasn't always a surly bastard.
In fact, Frump's idiosyncrasy was just how…nice he could be despite his most curmudgeon expression and attitude. News had traveled throughout the castle of his many good deeds, earning him the reputation of being an odd guardian angel - the complete antithesis of his predecessor.
There was him consoling poor Nigel Wolpert in the Owlery as the little Gryffindor firstie cried about being homesick. He'd helped Third Year Gwendolyn Hedgeflower look for and retrieve all her missing gobstones, and later assisting Madame Hooch in rethatching the school's Cleansweep Sevens. The Caretaker's most heroic feat involved carrying little Irene Denholm all the way to the Hospital Wing when the Hufflepuff Second Year had slipped down a moving staircase, tripping due to the pond slime Peeves had coated the steps with.
That had been followed by a most spectacular shouting match between the Poltergeist and Frump (witnessed by several students) that ended with the man threatening to exorcize him. It seemed that had scared Peeves, and the tricky little bugger made himself quite scarce since then.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" In a motion too fast for either brother to comprehend he plucked a sheet of paper out of George's robe pocket. The boy was startled, thinking it was the Map.
Thankfully, a bit of luck was on his side.
"A recipe for...Canary Cremes?! Interesting…" He perused over their notes with a gimlet eye before leveling a piercing look at the Gryffindors. "I wasn't aware biothaumaturgy was on the Fifth Year Potions curriculum."
"Bio-what-now?!" exclaimed Fred as his twin continued to look nonplussed.
"Biothaumaturgy, a highly…controversial branch of transmutative magic that straddles the boundary of… advanced Alchemy." The Twins goggled. "In this case," continued Frump in his surprisingly scholarly tone, "you seem to be utilizing both the concepts of human-to-avian and avian-to-human transformation. Both of which are beyond the scope of standard potioneering techniques and are generally reserved for a Mastery-level project." The Twins continued to goggle. "It is so complex that its practice is typically outlawed in some nations, one of which, is in fact, Great Britain."
"BLOODY HELL!" Frump snorted at the twin reactions.
"Indeed. And yet it seems you two have…mastered it…interesting." He leveled a curious look at the gawking boys. A beat passed before he reached into his inner coat pocket and retrieved a most fluffy quill, making quick notes on the scrap of parchment before handing it to a flabbergasted Fred. The boy's eyes goggled as he read the annotation.
"Crushed canary feathers…mix it in with the Fluxweed syrup…use a tincture of Girding Potion for stabilization for the foxglove and essence of Toad…" George sputtered. "How on earth do you know any of that will work?!"
Frump snorted. "Experience, dear boy. You know not many methods, so…allow me to impart a few unto you." He tucked his quill back into his pocket. "Let me know if the alterations are effective, and once complete, please report to me for detention."
"WHAT?!" "WHY?!"
"Because you're inevitably going to test your…concoctions on your fellow Housemates, which, in accordance with the Hogwarts Code of Conduct, is expressly forbidden and punishable by detention, though how much is entirely up to my discretion." He sneered and swiftly turned to make his exit.
"Hang on a mo'!" George looked keenly outraged. "Why in Merlin's saggy y-fronts are you giving us detention for something you want us to do in the first place?!"
Frump laughed, a surprisingly deep and hearty sound. "Data, data, data my little lions, you cannot make bricks without clay!" He winked cheekily before making his way down the corridor whistling a jaunty tune.
Unbeknownst to him, he was the third person in history to render the Weasley Twins speechless.
Third Official S.P.A.A.M Meeting - Muggle Studies Classroom, 8:11PM
Reclining in his chair, Anthony Goldstein took a few moments to savor his slice of mushroom and chicken pizza, accompanied by a hearty sip of Coca-Cola. Though the Third Year Ravenclaw had thought it impossible to get actual muggle food in the castle, it seemed Professor Evans (their club sponsor) had the connections needed to provide an entire buffet's worth of classic muggle food. The witch was seated at her usual spot in the foremost corner of the room, allowing her a full and unfettered view of the room's occupants.
There were almost twenty attendees present, all busily chatting amongst themselves and/or enjoying the refreshments. Slytherin was represented by Harry, Blaise, Luna, and Eurus, with the most notable absence being Theo No-Name. Though he'd attended the first two meetings and indicated he'd be an active member, the Outcast had eschewed the third citing some 'personal reasons'. The boy had been particularly mauldin, a noticeable enough departure from his usual stoicism.
Hermione, Amy, Angelina Johnson, Colin, and Dennis Creevey made up the Gryffindor faction. Jim and Ron were conspicuously absent, citing a prior engagement they weren't able to miss.
In addition to Anthony, Sue Li, Penelope Clearwater, and Padma Patil made up the Ravenclaws. The latter had been a surprise considering she was very much a Pureblood, but she'd cited being "curious" about the club's purpose and its incorporation of muggleborn and muggle culture.
Lastly were the Hufflepuffs, which included Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Kevin Entwhistle, and Hannah Abbott.
The most surprising non-attendee was Neville Longbottom, given the close friendship he shared with Hermione and Harry. His current disdain over Theo was well-known, so much so he and Hermione had gotten into a very loud argument a week prior over her insistence on including Theo in the club, and, publicly claiming her outrage over the Wizengamot being able to pass laws that inflicted mind control on its citizens and their children, turning one of her own best friends from a sensible and caring person into "a hateful and illogical arse!"
Needless to say, they were currently not on speaking terms.
At exactly 8:30PM, Lily rang a small charmed bell to get the students to settle down, before gesturing for Hermione to take the floor.
"Thank you Professor Evans!." Hermione turned to her peers. "Thanks again for coming! As I said in the introductory meeting, one of my hopes is that this club can be a way for the Muggleborn, the Muggle-raised, and the Friends of Muggleborns to come together and support one another. While one of the main goals will be to research the Ultimate Sanction to see if we're able to prevent it from harming more people, that won't be the primary focus of our club. Thanks to Anthony and Sue's previous suggestions, we'll be researching methods to allow Muggle technology to work in high-magic areas. Or failing that, to research how to create magical items that would more properly mimic Muggle technology. This won't be to purely satisfy our intellectual curiosity; there's the very chance that those of us who don't live in magical households or neighborhoods may need these objects for our protection. Our wands have the Trace, which would inform the Ministry if we were to perform magic in a non-magical abode or location. With the Death Eater escapees on the loose…" An unbidden shudder ran through her body, a reaction mimicked by most of the students.
"You…you really think that's possible? For us to cross paths with You-Know-Who's followers?" Dennis' voice was a strangled whisper as memories of the Hogwarts explosion flashed in his mind's eye.
"I…I really do." Hermione's voice was grave. Concerned murmurs rose up that statement, particularly amongst the students who lived in muggle communities. Those who'd done their research were well aware of the violent devastation the Death Eaters had wrought during the last Blood War, the bulk of which was concentrated in muggle neighborhoods.
"What kinds of objects were you thinking about Hermione?" asked Harry, hoping to divert the flow of conversation.
"Ooooh, what about talismans?" interjected Luna, nibbling on a slice of spinach and pineapple.
"That's a thing?" asked Sue curiously.
"Oh yes!" The blonde Slytherin showed off her cork earrings. "My dad gave me these when I was six. I love exploring and would sometimes wander off too far from home. Dad nearly had a heart attack one time when he couldn't find me for almost three hours. Anywho, he made me these and inscribed some alarm runes on them; whenever I'd wander beyond the wardline they'd vibrate and let me know to turn around." Luna's expression turned crafty. "I ignored it once because I was chasing after a Leucrotta, it sounded exactly like me! I'd almost closed in on it when my earrings Portkeyed me back to my house. It tickled a bit." She hummed and continued to eat her pizza, seemingly oblivious to the incredulous stares leveled her way.
"Wait…so do runes work with any object?" Kevin looked curious. "Like…if I carve runes into the fence surrounding my house for protective reasons, I won't receive an owl from the Ministry for an underage use of magic violation?"
"With few exceptions," replied Lily, "you ought to be fine. Despite the complexity, runes are a branch of magic that does not require use of a wand. Even moreso when the runes are utilized for…mundane objects and tasks."
"How mundane?" asked Penelope suspiciously.
Lily smiled. "Depends on your definition of ordinary."
"Blimey, all the possibilities!" Justin's gray eyes sparkled. "Man, where was this when I was trick-or-treating as a kid? Just imagine, a bottomless jack-o-lantern bucket of candy."
"Trick-or-treating? What in Merlin's name is that?!" All the muggleborns looked at Amy as though she'd sprouted another head, before exploding into a burst of excited conversation.
Hermione and Harry locked eyes with matching amused expressions that read: 'This is going to take a while.'
At the Same Time…
The third official meeting for P.A.C (Preservation Advocacy Club) was in full swing in the old Slug Club Room, though the flow of conversation was considerably less amiable than its counterpart.
"While I concur with your point that the matter of the Outcast is pressing," a few winced at Heir Malfoy's sharp tone towards an increasingly fuming Heir Longbottom. "I have to disagree with it being the most urgent matter at hand. The whole point of the club can't just be about our grievances against him. Very few of us with families in the Wizengamot understand the true ramifications of the Outcast's status, but that number isn't really enough to change public perception. There are many more individuals who don't have tie-ins with the Wizengamot who will take offense at us…only singling out the Outcast. There has to be more to us than that."
Ginny could only blink, surprised at how…well-spoken and diplomatic Draco sounded. She wasn't the only one, as Daphne, Tracey, and Zachariah Smith gawked at the boy. Cedric and Cho looked amazed, as did Oliver Wood and Lavender Brown. Astoria Greengrass looked suitably impressed, as did, surprisingly enough, Cormac McLaggen.
Cedric blinked away his amazement. "You are correct Malfoy. I mean, one of the main reasons we started this club was to demonstrate that magicals are a society with our own rich customs and history, and we deserve to have those customs and history respected just as much as anyone raised among Muggles. We intended to meet regularly and interact with fellow Purebloods who share a common heritage and also so that we can teach one another our family histories and traditions. Many of us have family members who work for the Ministry or even hold seats in the Wizengamot. Yet very rarely are we taught about what the Ministry and the Wizengamot do outside of the individual interests of our families." He paused to take a deep breath. "And the foundation of that heritage lies in celebrating those joint traditions and histories that tie us together."
"Right," replied Cho. "And making sure that perceptions of that heritage don't get muddled or torn down by…non-Pureblood prejudices."
Ginny snorted disdainfully. "Oh? And exactly what non-Pureblood prejudices do you think are tearing down our esteemed society?" Cho swallowed back her first retort at the Weaselette. While her family was impoverished and generally considered 'blood-traitors', they were members of the Sacred 28 and had been pureblooded for generations, far outranking Cho's own in Wizarding Britain.
"Like a Marriage law, for starters." Everyone turned to look at Daphne, whose cheeks pinked at the attention.
"A Marriage Law?" Ginny asked in confusion.
"After Professor Scrimgeour's introductory lecture regarding the rise of the Death Eaters and the various conflicts instigated by the so-called Muggleborn Dark Lord, I decided to look him up. There were a lot of outrageous ideas put forth by his movement, and some of his supporters were even more radical than McAvity himself. Some of his most extreme supporters essentially called for the eventual abolition of Purebloods as a concept. To bring that about, they wanted a law to make it illegal for a wizard and witch to marry if they had more than four wizarding grandparents between the two of them. In your case, Weasley, all four of your grandparents were magical, so it would be illegal for you to marry anyone who wasn't either a Muggle or a third-generation squib. And if you couldn't find a suitable match on your own, the Ministry – under Muggleborn guidance – would choose a mate for you."
Several of the room's occupants looked aghast.
"That law never got anywhere near passage," Cedric continued. "But they came very close to forcing the passage of other laws and regulations, especially after they got a Muggleborn named Nobby Leach elected Minister. Laws to inflate the OWL and NEWT scores of Muggleborns so that they could get Ministry jobs they hadn't actually earned. Laws to establish quotas for how many Muggleborns would be guaranteed Ministry jobs, along with relaxed entry standards for the Auror Corps or St. Mungo's for Muggleborns who otherwise couldn't pass the entry exams. Laws to force family businesses that had been in operation for generations to go under unless they gave jobs and even a stake in the business to Muggleborn applicants."
Concerned mumbling rose at that disturbing tidbit. Not Draco, who subtly glared at Diggory as the boy (unknowingly) rehashed the propaganda-laden statements his grandfather Abraxas Malfoy - in his stead as self-declared Light Lord - had peddled to his sources in the Prophet to inflict maximum damage on the rising threat of muggleborns advocating to be fairly and equally represented members of wizarding society.
"And consider this for example," Zacharias Smith added pompously. "Longbottom," he turned to the boy. "Your family is Ancient and Noble. It has been in Britain since the 5th century and has held a voice in the Wizengamot since it was founded. But if the Dark Lord McAvity had gotten his way, you would not be guaranteed the Longbottom Seat when you come of age. Instead, if you wanted it, you would have to win an election for it. Every Wizengamot member would have to stand for election, just like the Minister does." He gestured in outrage. "Think about that! They wanted to tear down a system of government that has endured for over a thousand years simply because due to an accident of breeding, they weren't born at the top, and so they wanted to drag down the ones who were. I mean, Wizarding Britain exists because of the Vows of Unity that bind the Wizengamot together. The same Vows that have declared Theo No-Name as an enemy of our society! Who even knows what would happen if those vows were broken without good reason?!"
Draco decided to speak up lest the arsehat decided to get more spirited in his disturbing claims. "That's all well and good, but as I said before, the entire gist of the Preservation Advocacy Club can't just be focused on the Outcast and the politics surrounding him. There's enough bad PR with the recent Azkaban breakout, as Professor Scrimgeour (he cut a sharp look to a scowling Daphne) so eloquently shared with us some classes ago. If we don't want to get lumped in with that nonsense and end up getting sullied by the same reputation we're attempting to avoid, I think we should temporarily shift gears to other equally important aspects of wizarding society."
"Oh?" sneered Druscilla, who looked as though she hadn't slept in days. "And what exactly are you suggesting Draco?" Heir Malfoy gave her a look along with flashing just enough of his Heir's ring to quell any further line of questioning. Those clever enough easily grasped the subtle threat in the action. That also included Druscilla herself, who shrunk at the action and quickly looked away.
"Weeeell," said Astoria, her tone both coy and chipper in hopes of lifting the collective mood. "Samhain is coming up, and everyone does love a celebration!"
Two Days Later…
It was an intrigued Hogwarts student body that watched Cho Chang and Hermione Granger give a joint announcement regarding the upcoming Samhain and Halloween event between S.P.A.A.M and P.A.C. Though internally irritated at the current turn of events, Hermione nonetheless projected the image of charming noblesse that made her look far more confident than she felt. Cho's expression was considerably tighter and less amiable in spite of her smile, looking as though she would rather be shoveling dragon dung than giving this current address.
With the upcoming Samhain, P.A.C had decided to host an event inviting interested students to learn about the traditional wizarding holiday, including details about its origin, an exclusive feast, and even a few special guests to share their knowledge regarding…some of the ancient rites. It was meant to demonstrate the importance of preserving wizarding tradition that had fallen out of practice in lieu of its…less historically accurate muggle counterpart.
Likewise, S.P.A.A.M. had planned their own event to celebrate Halloween night. Theirs was much more casual; a horror-themed film night featuring Lily Evans' own specialized movie projector that she'd created as extra credit for her Charms NEWT in her Seventh Year. They'd planned on dressing up and, to the suggestion of Justin, potentially going from Common Room to Common Room for trick-or-treating. That prospect had excited the Purebloods who'd neither heard of nor experienced such an event, all eagerly looking forward to their first ever Halloween Night.
It was to both witches' shock when they'd been summoned by Headmaster Dumbledore to his office. Their shock was further compounded by Lord Gaunt's presence!
Dumbledore had excitedly shared his knowledge of their respective events, emphasizing the shared commonality between their plans and the overall goals of their clubs. "A joint event would be wonderful, and highly demonstrative of the inter-House cooperation Hogwarts strives to promote. And what better leadership than two of Hogwarts' brightest?"
"Indeed," said Lord Gaunt in sotto voce. "You both desire greater understanding and appreciation of your respective culture, and what better representation could there be than integrating your events?" he'd paused to take an elegant sip of his tea. "And it goes without saying that the Magical Youth Liaison Program will cover all expenses incurred."
In the face of an unstoppable Dumbledore force and an immovable Riddle object, the two witches had no choice but to haltingly comply.
Hence the current situation in the Great Hall.
The joint event would be two-part; the 30th would be a large celebration in the Hogsmeade Square (the town square smack dab in the middle of the village), which would include a large bonfire, a mumming performance by select members of P.A.C., followed by a round of guising involving a select number of the local Hogsmeade businesses and residences. The 31st would feature a similar bonfire event in the field facing the Black Lake, followed by saining and some divination by Professor Trelawney and special guest Ingeborg von Höffer (courtesy of Lavender), the latter of whom would be leading traditional prayers to honor the dead. There would be a massive feast in the Great Hall, followed by costumed trick-or-treating for all the Houses in classrooms close to the respective Common Rooms. Massive animated posters had already been put up all over the castle, along with a veritable cornucopia of muggle-themed Halloween decorations.
The hum of excitement was palpable, enough to get Hermione and Cho to relax a touch as they made their way back to their seats.
"So," whispered Eurus to Harry, eyes crinkled in delight. "Was this your idea of 'an elegant solution' you suggested in the Lair?"
Harry smiled, wiggling his eyebrows cheekily. The witch snorted out a laugh, though not before raising her teacup in a toast.
AN 1: S.P.A.A.M & P.A.C having a joint celebration during Halloween...should be a breeze lol.
AN 2: Number 8's 'Signor Contatto' disguise is a nod to Emilio Largo, the antagonist in Bond's Thunderball (1961), which served as the inspiration for Maximillian Largo's character in Never Say Never Again (1983) - its unofficial remake and the inspiration for this chapter's title. His quip regarding 'Norman Williamson' is a reference to the Norman King William the Conqueror, who commissioned the creation of the 'White Tower' that is the stronghold of the overall edifice of the London Tower.
AN 3: While Alecto and Amycus are incest with an additional...creep factor not yet known to Miranda, Flora and Hestia are very much Nightmare Children in line with PoS. Miranda doesn't know that because Juliana didn't/doesn't know, and therefore wouldn't have been able to share it in her dossier. We'll see more details on House Carrow later on.