#considering it's about supporting or not supporting fudge and the ministry

[carewyncromwell]

Percy 🤝 Carewyn

The summer of 1995 was a very busy time for Carewyn at the Ministry. Normally she would’ve been glad for the extra case work, as it would’ve allowed her to help more people, which had always been her dream and goal...but unfortunately, most of this “work” as of late had been to assist the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, in crafting some new legislation pointed directly at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Apparently Fudge was so fed up about Dumbledore having so much trouble finding suitable professors for Defense Against the Dark Arts -- in Fudge’s words, “one of the core subjects for a developing witch or wizard’s education” -- that he decided that if Dumbledore couldn’t nominate a suitable successor, the Minister (and therefore he) would just have to do it himself. Carewyn truly detested the idea -- but under the circumstances, she knew if she was both going to prevent Fudge from causing too much damage and keep the job she loved so she could continue helping people, then she’d have to be involved in putting that idea into action. So she’d accepted the role of legal counsel for Fudge while he developed this plan...even while simultaneously offering covert assistance to Dumbledore’s organization, the Order of the Phoenix, by leaving enough wiggle room to legally challenge the legislation. 

One silver lining about having to work with Fudge, though, was that it gave Carewyn the chance to make contact with Percy Weasley, who had been appointed Junior Assistant to the Minister of Magic earlier that summer. Carewyn had to break ties with the Weasley family, including her best friend, Bill, so as to stay at an advantageous position within the Ministry -- an act Carewyn was loathe to put on, given how much she adored all of them like her own family. But not long later, third-eldest son Percy was promoted to the role of Junior Assistant at only 19 years old -- an act Carewyn immediately pinpointed as Fudge trying to keep tabs on the Weasleys, who’d always been loyal and close friends to Dumbledore -- and right afterward, rumors started flitting around the Ministry that Percy had severed ties with his family, all because they supposedly believed the “Boy Who Lied’s” rubbish about You-Know-Who returning. 

Carewyn’s heart hurt, just hearing the rumors. She knew Arthur and Molly had to be devastated over Percy’s departure -- Bill and Charlie undoubtedly would be too, once they found out. Bill in particular had always been so protective of all of his siblings: his greatest fear, from the time he was young, was any of his family being hurt. And with Voldemort really having returned, it was truly dangerous for Percy to be shoving his head in the sand at this particular moment. 

Someone’s got to look after Percy and make sure he’s okay, Carewyn decided at once. If the Weasleys can’t, then I will.

So when Percy stopped by Carewyn’s tiny office the following morning to fetch the legislation draft and notes she’d written for Fudge, Carewyn couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him.

“Hi, Percy,” she greeted him. 

Percy was very stiff-shouldered as he gave her a slightly forced smile and nod. 

“Good morning, Carewyn,” he said, his slightly pompous voice coming out a bit brusquely despite himself. “I’m here for the notes the Minister requested...”

“I figured,” said Carewyn. She took out a file and placed it in front of her on the desk. “It’s all right here -- I enclosed a letter of recommendations at the top, for the Minister to read over -- ”

“Much obliged,” Percy cut her off as he reached out to take the file from her. 

He seemed oddly evasive. Carewyn could sense he was trying not to look into her eyes too long, but when he did, slips of memory emerged.

“ -- swear, it feels like she can look right through you, at times...”

“ -- it’s called Legilimency -- ”

The first voice in Percy’s mind she didn’t recognize, but the second she immediately knew was Bill’s. The thought of her best friend made Carewyn’s heart hurt. 

“You haven’t had breakfast, have you?” she said abruptly, as Percy turned to leave. “I’m brewing some coffee.”

She indicated the modified Muggle coffee maker next to her desk. 

Percy’s eyes flitted over to it. For a split second, Carewyn could see his father’s face in Percy’s gaze. 

“Thank you,” the bespectacled young man said uncomfortably, “but I should really get this back to the Minister -- ”

“I’ll send it on ahead for you,” said Carewyn crisply. 

She raised her wand. In an instant, she’d transfigured the file in Percy’s hand into a Ministry-of-Magic-approved paper airplane, which she then Charmed to soar out of the room, out toward the Minister’s office. She then indicated the empty chair across the desk from her with a gentler expression.

“You should eat something,” she murmured. 

Percy looked up at her, startled. Carewyn could see Molly in his eyes, this time -- Bill too. 

The third eldest Weasley flushed darkly as he averted his eyes again, his gaze falling over to the coffeemaker and Belgian waffle iron on the side. 

“...I suppose,” he said stiffly. “But I can’t stay long -- there’s a great load of work to do...”

Carewyn nodded respectfully as Percy sat down. If there was one thing she and Percy had in common, it was their workaholic tendencies. 

Once Percy had sat down, Carewyn set about fetching some mugs from inside the cabinet hosting the coffee maker, as well as loading some stored batter into the modified waffle iron so it could cook. She could feel Percy’s eyes on her, but when she looked up, he quickly looked away again.

“ -- Muggles use these things to cook different kinds of food! Don’t entirely get why they choose to iron it, but Muggles are truly fascinating things, aren’t they?”

Carewyn’s eyes softened a bit, hearing Arthur’s voice in Percy’s thoughts.

“Jacob made these for me,” she attempted conversation.

Percy looked up, startled. “...Oh, ah...your brother?”

Carewyn could hear Charlie in Percy’s thoughts.

“ -- kind of a mad genius, really -- ”

“Her brother disappeared because of those Vaults, Perce -- Carey’s not going to just give up on them -- ”

“Yes. I’d mentioned how irritated I was that the cafe’s line’s always so long and that I didn’t have any electricity so I could plug in my own appliances...so Jacob ended up enchanting these so he could gift them to me for Christmas. He even made a stop at a Muggle shop out in San Francisco to pick me up the waffle iron...” 

Carewyn couldn’t keep the fond smile off her face. 

“...It’s been helpful, in keeping everyone fed,” she said amusedly. “Ben especially -- he’s always skipping meals. And Talbott, Tonks and I work such late nights, it’s nice to be able to brew a pick-me-up or two, to get through it all...”

Once the coffee was finished brewing, she poured out two mugs, one for Percy and one for herself.

“Would you like milk?” she asked. “Sugar?”

“Sugar, please,” said Percy. “Two lumps will do.”

Once Carewyn had fixed his cup properly, she offered it to Percy, who quietly thanked her as he brought the mug into his hands and took a sip. As he did so, he kept his eyes locked on the coffee as much as he could -- even so, Carewyn could just barely sense the clipped memories in his head: Bill standing over Carewyn’s shoulder, Charlie wrapping an arm around Carewyn and calling her his “twin”...even the twins laughing.

“She’s like Mum!”

“Only cooler!”

That’s what it is, then, Carewyn thought. He’s afraid his family’s told me about his departure.

Her red lips came together grimly as she looked down at and took a sip from her own cup, contemplating how best to approach the issue. Then, taking a deep breath, she decided to say very softly,

“...I heard about what happened.”

Percy avoided her gaze all the more even after raising his head. 

“...From Bill, I presume?” he muttered.

The thought of her best friend made Carewyn give the slightest, longing wince.

“...No,” she said softly. “We...aren’t speaking, right now.”

Carewyn felt Percy’s wide eyes on her without looking up. There was a long silence, before Percy finally spoke again.

“...I see.”

His voice was very solemn and yet also oddly soft: almost empathetic. 

Carewyn swallowed. She could surmise what Percy was probably thinking -- that they’d had a similar falling out -- and as much as she wanted to correct the record, she knew it would be counterproductive. She knew Percy was in denial about Voldemort being back just as much as Fudge was, and he was just as deathly loyal to the Ministry as the rest of his family was to Voldemort. If she told Percy the truth about her helping the Order or the true reason why she wasn’t in contact with Bill or the others, then he would undoubtedly tell Fudge, and everyone else would only be in more danger. And so, reluctantly, she let it lie. 

When she looked up, Percy was looking her in the face again -- it made it so that his emotions were suddenly much better for her to read, through his eyes. 

“He’s using you, Perce, can’t you see that?”

“ -- wants at Harry -- ”

“ -- know you don’t want to believe it -- none of us do...but You-Know-Who is back, Percy!”

“ -- only believes what he wants to see -- ”

“And what about you? Blindly marching lockstep with Dumbledore, all this time -- even after he let Bill go running off after the Cursed Vaults with Carewyn -- after he left him and Charlie around the likes of Patricia Rakepick -- !”

“Don’t you see, you’re nothing but a pawn Fudge is using to -- !”

“Nothing?! Nothing?! And what have you done with all your time at the Ministry, Dad?! Besides....besides chasing after airplanes and collecting rubbish Muggles chuck away!?”

“At least I’m trying to do something with my life! At least I’m trying to provide for everyone -- to be someone my family can actually be proud of!”

“Ah yes -- proud of. A Ministry brown-noser that bows and scrapes before the likes of weak men like Cornelius Fudge, just to advance himself -- ”

“You’ve NEVER understood me! None of you ever have!”

Arthur’s and Percy’s voices yelling at each other was a strange feeling, for Carewyn. Both of them were destructive like out-of-control, reckless flames, and yet it was oddly vulnerable: like a wounded lion lashing out when deeply hurt.

Carewyn’s eyes flooded with compassion, feeling Percy’s anger second-hand. Percy seemed to sense how much Carewyn was seeing -- before he looked down at his mug again, Carewyn once again could hear Bill.

“ -- it’s called Legilimency -- ”

“Suppose you read my mind, just now?” Percy asked with a dark smile. 

Carewyn shook her head.

“Thoughts aren’t something that can be read -- they’re not sentences in a book. I can only sense and feel someone’s emotions and memories.”

She paused. Then she reached out and took Percy’s hand. 

“...Percy...I’m sorry your father said that to you,” she murmured.

However right he was about You-Know-Who...and however much it is true that Fudge’s promotion of you was more selfishly motivated than you think...you’ve always worked so hard, to try to do well at the Ministry. Mr. Weasley must’ve known how much all of this means to you...

Percy’s eyes darkened. 

“He thinks I’m just thinking of myself,” he said lowly. “That I’m just running after glory for myself, and nothing else. But...”

His hand started to shake as he clenched his teeth, bowing his head.

“...But...but he’s always been the selfish one!” he burst out angrily. “Always running around, dawdling after Muggles...like his job’s nothing but a game! His was the only salary we’ve got to live on, since Mum’s always been at home -- sure, we want him to be happy, and yes, we’ve been able to manage...but we shouldn’t have HAD to just ‘manage!’ He should’ve been providing for us -- he should’ve been trying to climb the ladder, should’ve been looking for a job that could actually pay the bills, rather than make us constantly live on the edge...constantly have to buy things second-hand, constantly have to decline opportunities or make do with rubbish, just because we couldn’t afford better...constantly have to live with the stigma of being one of Arthur Weasley’s boys...”

Percy’s hand inside of Carewyn’s clenched into a fist. Carewyn gave Percy’s fist a gentle squeeze, but she didn’t speak: this was a time to listen, not to talk.

Exhaling heavily, Percy put down his mug of coffee down on the table, so as to protect it from his own temper.

“I wanted to attend the Slug Club party with you,” he mumbled self-consciously. “The one your brother was invited to, before you graduated.”

Carewyn blinked in surprise. 

“I’d heard all about the Slug Club from other students,” Percy explained earnestly. “About how Horace Slughorn’s only ever invited those he saw as the most up-and-coming witches and wizards to his events. I thought it’d be exciting to meet so many new, well-regarded people -- maybe talk to Barnabas Cuffe about what it’s like to work as a journalist for the Daily Prophet -- chat with some fascinating up-and-coming authors, before I read their work -- maybe even meet the Gwenog Jones -- tell her how much my little sister idolizes her...”

Carewyn’s eyes welled up with compassion.

“Percy, why didn’t you say anything?” she asked sadly. “Jacob and I would’ve loved to have you join us.”

Percy shook his head. "I was only fourteen. Slughorn would’ve had no reason to talk to me -- I hadn’t done anything that would set me apart as anything other than ‘one of Arthur Weasley’s boys.’ And I already knew I had nothing to wear that would be suitable.”

“Andre would’ve made you something to wear,” said Carewyn, but Percy shook his head again.

“I thought of that, but...at the time, I didn’t want to be treated like a charity case,” he said gloomily. “I was already so much younger than you, and...well, you’ve always been much closer with Bill and Charlie than me. Even Fred and George...”

“That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t have been welcome,” Carewyn said very firmly, giving Percy’s hand a squeeze. “I only went to that party because of Jacob, and Jacob only went out of a sense of feeling like he had to, after how worried Slughorn was about him all those years. I know Slughorn would’ve loved having another person there who was just as thrilled to be there as he was.”

Percy gave Carewyn a weak smile. Through his eyes, Carewyn could feel just how warm and comforting her sentiment was.

“...Thank you, Carewyn.”

He paused. Then, taking a breath, he took the plunge.

“It’s...it’s lovely that you went to a party you weren’t even interested in, just to support your brother,” he said quietly. “I don’t think any of my siblings would go with me, if I got invited to a Slug Club party...they’ve never been interested in such things...”

Carewyn frowned. “You don’t think Bill or Charlie would’ve supported you?”

Percy looked uncomfortable. “In sentiment, maybe, but...well, Bill and Charlie always spent the most time together, at home. They were always each other’s best friend, before they got to school and met you. And Fred and George of course always had each other...even Ron and Ginny ended up together most often, just because they were the smallest and always needed the most attention...”

“...Leaving you all by yourself,” Carewyn finished grimly.

Percy’s eyes darkened again. Carewyn could sense the remnants of a very lonely bespectacled boy hiding in a hollowed-out tree outside the Burrow, reading a book, coming off of him.

Carewyn’s eyes softened and she gave Percy’s hand another affectionate squeeze.

“I’m sorry, Percy,” she murmured. “It must’ve been really lonely for you sometimes...even with how close your family’s always been...”

Her eyes landed on their hands rather than Percy’s face as she tried to shut out the isolating memories rippling off of Percy.

“...My mum’s family was a lot worse than yours...but she was the black sheep there too...and she’s always said that you should never be lonely, when you’re in a family. Even when you’re physically alone...you should never have to feel alone.”

Percy looked up at Carewyn, his lips twitching into a weak, humorless smile.

“Your mother sounds like a very kind woman.”

He paused. Then, after a moment, he spoke a bit more bitterly.

“...I...don’t suppose Fred’s followed up with you about taking over my old room at the Burrow, now that I’ve left for good?”

Carewyn’s blue eyes welled up with pain.

“...Percy...”

She got up from her chair, extended both of her arms, and encircled him in a big hug. The taller ginger-haired man flinched ever-so-slightly, but almost immediately grabbed onto her in return, burying his face into her shoulder without ever getting up from his seat.

“He didn’t mean it like that,” Carewyn whispered in Percy’s ear. She found herself maternally stroking the younger boy’s hair like she sometimes would Charlie’s, when he was sad.

“I know,” Percy’s voice came out slightly muffled beside her shoulder. “...I know...”

Even so, Carewyn could tell how much that barbed joke had really hurt.

Percy’s arms adjusted a bit around Carewyn, giving her a slightly tighter squeeze before he finally released her. He brought a hand up under his glasses to covertly wipe at the tear that had formed in the corner of his right eye, clearing his throat loudly.

“Excuse me, I...lost my composure. Silly thing...”

“It’s not silly,” Carewyn shut him down sharply.

Softening at once again, she walked over to the waffle iron, which had started to beep. She opened it, levitating out the newly cooked waffle inside with her wand onto a plate before summoning some butter and strawberry compote out of a drawer.

“I realize this makes for a rather sweet breakfast,” said Carewyn as she set about buttering and then drizzling the compote over the waffle. “But...well, Mum used to say that sometimes something sweet in the morning can take off the edge of a bitter night’s sleep.”

Percy eyed the full plate of food and then the clock.

“It looks lovely, but...” he said uneasily, “...I really should be getting back to work...”

“Then take it with you,” said Carewyn. “You can always bring the plate and mug back to me, when you’re done with them.”

Percy’s eyes softened a bit behind his glasses as he picked up his half-full mug and got to his feet. “...All right.”

He accepted the plate from her in his other hand as he headed for the door. He paused in the door frame, looking back over his shoulder at her with a slightly warmer expression.

“...Carewyn...thank you for listening. I mean, you clearly have a full day of work yourself to contend with, and -- ”

“My work might be very important to me,” Carewyn said firmly, “but the only reason it is so important is because it lets me help people. And the people I care about I will always help first.”

Carewyn could imagine Bill standing over Percy’s left shoulder, smiling fully and handsomely as ever. It made her smile that bit more warmly at Percy.

“...My office door is always open, if you need anything,” she said gently.

Percy smiled and nodded, before turning on his heel and heading out of Carewyn’s office, taking another sip of coffee as he went.

Friendship Drabble Prompt!

[casasupernovas]

i dont think people truly deep just how much snape was on thin ice in 'the goblet of fire'. that man was unknowingly telling voldemort's most loyal supporter to his face that he was 100% team dumbledore. big yikes. and most of snape's significant moments in this book are him being team dumbledore (when he's not being a general asshole as per usual, or acting wildly out of character when insulting hermione because let's be real, snape bullies the kids in general but it is very unusual for him to attack someone's physical appearance, he never ever does this in any other book).

in the scene after harry's name is called, his primary source for his animosity towards harry is because he's making dumbledore look bad. the other schools think dumbledore is cheating, giving hogwarts twice a chance to win and using an underage student to do so.

when harry sees snape in the pensive, unbeknownst to us unless you have already read all the books, he's relaying crucial info to dumbledore about how the dark mark is returning and how igor karkaroff is *this* close to doing a runner.

when he comes across 'mad eye moody' and the aforementioned wizard implies dumbledore doesn't trust him, snape is insulted and outraged. moreover, confirms to this death eater's face that not only is he dumbledore's man, but ashamed of ever being a death eater, given how much he wants to get rid of those 'spots'. very damning.

and of course, when voldemort does return, snape exposes that he used to be a death eater to everyone in the room. which implies that dumbledore's vouching in the ministry of magic must have stayed within the ministry walls because no one, apart from dumbledore and harry knew. so he exposes his shameful past in front of molly, ron, harry, sirius, mcgonagall and of course cornelius fudge. all to defend dumbledore.

and considering most of snape's contention with dumbledore comes from his perception that dumbledore does not trust him, it is telling just how far he'll go to prove his loyalty. he was probably very angry to hear that 'mad eye moody' was coming to hogwarts in the first place. i expect he may have thought that dumbledore had more than one reason to bring an auror famous for rounding up dark wizards, particularly death eaters into the school where one of the members of the faculty was an ex death eater. this ties into what i said above about the harry and the egg falling down the stairs scene.

so, when voldemort said he wanted to kill the person he believed wholeheartedly had left him forever he meant it.

and i for one, am very grateful that harry tells voldemort in 'the deathly hallows' that he was truly an idiot for ever thinking snape would come back to him. and that doesn't even touch snape's main motivations for switching sides either.

[heartfeltletters-written]

when you realize that miss Bellatrix Black Lestrange had the right to a trial while having the dark mark inked to her skin but Sirius Black didn't makes you realize how the ministry didn't care about justice after the first war at all.

Bellatrix was a known supporter of Voldemort, she wasn't quiet about her admiration for him, so they knew she was guilty and she still had the right to a trial.

Makes you think why, especially with Dumbledore present in the court room. Sirius was part of the order and still Dumbledore didn't seek answers as to why he had betrayed them. He was there to advocate for Snape, was present for known Death Eaters trials, but couldn't provide Sirius a fair trial, and all it would take was a little word to Fudge or Barty Crouch, after all it only took his word for Severus to be considered innocent.

It wasn't in his interest to seek the truth or even to help Sirius which is why he didn't, i don't believe he knew Sirius was innocent, but he didn't want justice, simply because it did not matter to him what the truth was, if Sirius was innocent it wouldn't help Dumbledore in his plans, if he was guilty it was indiferent to him, he simply didn't care because it wasn't important for his narrative.

Going back to Bellatrix and looking who she had the trial with, Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jr, were all pure-bloods from influencial families, makes you think if even after everything that had some weight on them getting a trial.

Sirius was a Black yes, one of the sacred 28, but he was disinherited and that was common knowledge. Even if Fudge used the excuse of being a Black to portray him as a murderer in the media, all of his family (from what we know and assume) got a trial, Sirius was the only Black who didn't get a trial and I can't help but think his disinheritance had something to do with it.

(Joanne is not smart enough to write this correctly, but the sacred 28 had a lot of political power, as we see the Malfoys exibit in the books)

So this rants leads nowhere but i have been thinking about it so tell me your thoughts on this

[braveclementine]

Chapter 27

Warnings: Mentions of nudity

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

------------------By Order of-----------------

The Ministry of Magic Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-nine. Signed: Cornelius Oswald Fudge MINISTER OF MAGIC

This was an insulting decree of course considering that Professor McGonagall- as deputy Headmistress- should have taken over.

"Dumbledore will be back before long." Ernie said as Ernie, Hannah, Susan, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I were walking from Herbology. Harry had been recounting the story from his point of view which was a bit more descriptive than mine had been. I'd never been good with details. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't be able to to this time. The Fat Friar told me that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her. Apparently she had a right little tantrum. . ."

I laughed out loud. "Amazing!"

"Oh, I expect she really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office. Lording it over all the other teachers, the stupid puffed-up, power-crazy old-"

"Now, do you really want to finish that sentence, Granger?" Malfoy asked. "Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff." He drawled out, looking maliciously at me.

"It's only teachers that can dock points from Houses, Malfoy." Hermione said.

"Yeah, we're prefects too, remember?" Ron snarled.

"I know prefects can't dock points, Weasel King, but members of the Inquisitional Squad-"

"The what?" Hermione asked darkly.

"The Inquisitional Squad, Granger." Draco pointed to a second badge that was underneath his prefect one. It was silver with the letter I on it. "A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points. . . So, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress, five for contradicting me as well. . . Five because I don't like you Potter. . . Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that. . . Macmillan, five for talking about our headmistress as well. . . oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood Granger, so ten for that. . . and Kane, your not expelled and your a werewolf brat so 15 points for that." He ignored Susan and Hannah whom he didn't seem to be able to find a punishment for.

Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione pushed it away, whispering, "Don't!"

"Wise move, Granger. New Head, new times. . . Be good now, Potty. . . Weasel King. . ." Draco said and moved away with Crabbe and Goyle following him.

I snorted, "'Select group of students'. They're probably all Death Eaters."

"He was bluffing." Harry said, "He can't be allowed to dock points."

"It would completely undermine the prefect system." I agreed, "But look. . ." I pointed to where the house points were. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been tied for second this morning, Hufflepuff in first. Now, Hufflepuff had dropped to second, Ravenclaw in first, and Gryffindor in third.

"Noticed, have you?" Fred's voice said. We all looked over at him.

"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points!" Harry said furiously.

"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break." George said.

"What do you mean, 'tried'?" Ron asked quickly.

"He never managed to get all the words out due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor." Fred said and I laughed.

"But you'll get into terrible trouble!" Hermione gasped.

"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him. . ." Fred said coolly. "Anyway. . . we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore."

"Have you ever?" I asked with a grin.

"Course we have." George said. "Never been expelled, have we?"

"Good point." I muttered.

"We've always known where to draw the line." Fred agreed.

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally." George corrected.

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem." Fred continued.

"But now?" Ron asked.

"Well now-" George said.

"- what with Dumbledore gone-" Fred continued.

"-we reckon a bit of mayhem-"

"- is exactly what our dear new Head deserves."

"You mustn't! You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you." Hermione whispered, looking around.

"You don't get it, Hermione, do you? We don't care about staying anymore. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So anyway, phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it." Fred said, smiling around at all of us.

"Anything to do with what?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"You'll see, run along now." George said.

He and Fred turned to walk away. I hesitated and then ran after them and called, "Fred!"

Fred turned and I said, "It's going to go great!"

Then I turned and ran back into the Great Hall. I sat down at the Gryffindor table and to my surprise, Susan and Hannah sat down with us. I saw Filch was taking Harry with him. "Where's Ernie?" I asked.

"He went to the library to do transfiguration homework." Susan said. "I think he wants to be as far away from whatever the Weasley twins are going to do."

"What are they going to do?" Hermione asked nervously.

I grinned mischievously. "Why would I spoil the surprise?"

We quickly bolted down lunch and then, there was a large BOOM. Many students in the Great Hall looked around but Hermione, Ron, Susan, Hannah, and I all jumped to our feet and sprinted out the door. I led them to the first floor and we stared in amazement. It was much better than the visions.

There were Dragons that were made up of green-and-gold sparks, flying up and down the corridors emitting fiery blasts. There were pink Catherine wheels five feet in diameters, whizzing around the corridors like saw blades. Rockets were bouncing off walls and sparklers were writing swearwords in midair. Firecrackers were sounding like mine explosions. Every so often, a firework raced after a student and they would run, screaming their heads off.

Umbridge showed up a moment later along with Filch and then Harry appeared behind her too. There were a handful of students that were observing the fireworks and I noted that some of them were escaping out into the rest of the rest of the school.

"Hurry, Filch, hurry! They'll be all over the school unless we do something- Stupefy!" Umbridge shouted as the dragons started down the door she'd just come through.

A jet of red light shot toward a firework which exploded with a much larger force, shaking dust from the ceiling.

"Don't stun them, Filch!" Umbridge shouted angrily as though Filch was the one who'd made the suggestion.

"Right you are, Headmistress!" Filch said and grabbed a broom to swat at them. The broom head caught on fire. Ron was roaring with laughter and even Hermione looked pleased.

"Try vanishing them!" I shouted towards Umbridge and then ducked behind a column. I supposed she tried just that because the fireworks suddenly multiplied by ten. "Come on." I said to the others. "We're going to be late for class."

We hurried away to our separate classes. We rushed into potions, nearly two minutes late. Professor Snape looked up as did the other students.

I sat down in my seat. Suddenly however, a bunch of firecrackers came hopping into the room, exploding. The students looked at Professor Snape, wondering how'd he react and also trying to keep their eyes on the firecrackers so they didn't explode near them.

"Right!" Professor Snape shouted over the bangs, "Firecrackers and Potions don't mix. Class dismissed."

The entire class rushed from the room as a firecracker exploded against a cauldron. I dove to the floor so that I didn't get in the way of the explosion. I felt Severus hands helping me to my feet and dragging me over to where his office was.

"And now-" He said, hungrily against my throat. "We have about an hour and a half together."

"Good." I murmured as he started unbuttoning the front of my shirt, his mouth moving from my lips to my neck. We didn't even make it to the bed.

Umbridge spent the entire day, running around to the summons of the other teachers who didn't seem to be able to get rid of the fireworks alone. And considering the fireworks were making such a distraction, it was hilarious that none of the teachers seemed to care about them.

Professor McGonagall for instance watched a dragon firework fly around her classroom and then said sardonically, "Dear, dear. Miss Brown, would you mind running along to the headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were walking up to Gryffindor Tower when we watched a tottering, sweaty-faced Professor Umbridge come out of Professor Flitwick's office.

"Thank you so much, Professor! I could have gotten rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the authority..." he said in his squeaky voice, and beaming, he slammed the door in her face. We quickly hurried passed her and then burst into laughter as we neared the portrait.

I congratulated Fred and George on their fireworks and wrote my name down on an order sheet and gave them 20 galleons for my order. I knew one day I was going to use it and it would be worth it.

Since I knew Umbridge was going to be exhausted from the long day, I headed back to Severus' office. He was already laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling and he smiled warmly when he saw me. "Couldn't get enough this afternoon?" He asked, jokingly.

I blushed, locking the door behind me on instinct. "I just wanted to spend the night with you." I climbed into bed and he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

I was dreaming about walking down a corridor, a plain black door at the end. I reached the door, opening it and stepped inside. I was now in a circular room lined with doors and I walked towards the one in front of me. It opened too. I was in a long, rectangular room full of an odd, mechanical clicking and there were dancing lights on the walls. There was another door at the end of this room too.

"Wake up!" A worried voice said. I bolted straight up. Severus had shaken me awake again. I felt pale and clammy and my clothes were sticking to me.

I gasped for breath and swung my legs out of the bed, standing up. I felt disgusting and I needed a shower.

"Are you alright?" He asked, still sitting on the bed.

"No." I protested, my cheeks going red. "I feel disgusting. I need to go take a shower."

He sighed, pulling me into his arms again. "The shower can wait for a few more hours."

"What time is it?" I asked, looking around for a clock.

"3:43." He whispered.

"At least let me change clothes." I mumbled back. "I feel disgusting in these sweaty clothes."

He let me up and I tore them off, still feeling clammy and sweaty. How embarrassing! It was just my luck that it had happened tonight! Severus was tapping the bed with his wand and then stood up, coming over to me and tapped me with his wand too. I immediately felt better, much cooler.

"You don't need clothes." He whispered and I laid back down in the bed. The sheets and comforter were much, much cooler. It felt so much better and I laid my head on his chest like a pillow.

"Thank you." I mumbled, holding myself to him for comfort. One of his hands wrapped around my waist, holding me to him.

"Anything for you." he said softly, stroking my hair and that was the last thing that I felt.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕴 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 back the next night, he was absolutely livid. His face was white, his lips pulled back thin as Professor McGonagall's. I froze. "Er-" I racked my brain and then realized that Harry would have been here tonight. What had happened?

I tried to concentrate on the future and then found what I was looking for. So, tonight Harry had gone into the pensieve. Oh dear. I looked further into the memory and was able to see what he had seen. It was a memory of Snape as a boy. And Wormtail and Sirius were there too. Sirius was extremely handsome. Lupin and Dad were there too. I watched the memory through Harry's eyes as James flipped Severus upside down. And mum had come too, yelling at James to let him down, asking what Severus had ever done to him. All because Sirius had said he was bored. And Dad- Lupin- just sitting there under the tree, reading a book. And Severus calling mum a Mud-blood.

"Elizabeth?"

I looked up at Severus. I didn't know how long I'd been standing in the doorway but I realized that there were tears falling from my eyes. I quickly wiped them away, turning from him.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" He asked, turning me back to face him.

"I- I saw what Harry saw." I said reluctantly, watching his face turn white again. "The scene by the lake with dad and mum and Lupin. . . I. . . you were always right. . . dad was always arrogant. . ."

I felt horrible and I wished I'd never looked into that future bit. I sat down in the chair, looking at the floor. "And then Lupin was just sitting there. . . doing nothing. . . and I. . ."

Severus didn't say or do anything. He just watched me struggle, trying to accept the reality that my parents weren't. . . mum had been decent. How could dad have just sat there though? How could James have done that, just because Sirius was bored?

Finally, Severus sighed and then said, "That wasn't the only memory he saw."

I looked up, frowning, wiping the tears away. "But that was the only one-"

"Because he saw a memory about me and you." Severus said reluctantly now.

I froze. "Oh no."

Severus still looked extremely angry. "He didn't see much of it. . . though. . ."

I put my face in my hands. I'd been hoping for a nice night and now. . . well who knew what was going to happen now. "I'm gonna. . . I'm gonna go to bed, I think." I said weakly, standing up. Severus grabbed my arm.

"I'm sorry." he pleaded. "I don't want you to be-"

"I'm not mad at you or anything." I said softly, touching his hand. "I just. . . I didn't want you to be right about my dad. . . that's all. . . and I think I need to be alone to cope with that fact. . ."

I turned around and I walked back out of the room, leaving him behind, and headed to the Hufflepuff common room. I laid down on my bed for a long time, thinking.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 talk to Harry. I wanted to converse about our parents and I couldn't. Every time I opened my mouth to tell him I was his sister, my throat closed up and I ended up saying something else. So I assumed now wasn't the right time to tell him.

Harry and I did, however, talk about the second vision- the one of Severus and me.

"He wouldn't tell me what you saw." I said, partially honest. "What'd you see?"

"Er- you two were just kissing really. I mean, it was weird to watch, obviously. It was at Grimmauld place." Harry said awkwardly.

I was much relieved to hear this. "Sorry you had to see that." I muttered. Then we looked at each other and burst out laughing.

But he was distracted too. I knew he was thinking about the other vision too. I overheard him muttering to himself the words, ". . .force her to marry him?"

I hated the idea that Dad might've forced mum to marry him. I didn't think that was it but at the same time. . .

But I had the memory from the dementors. Lily had been scared that James was going to die. So something must've happened so that they fell in love, right? And Severus had called her a Mudblood even though he loved her. . .

I groaned, slamming my head down on my book.

"You alright Eliza?" Ginny asked. I looked up, not having noticed her at first.

"No." I muttered.

"Harry, I'm talking to you, can you hear me?" Ginny asked, snapping her fingers under Harry's nose. Harry was sitting next to me? I'd definitely been lost in thought.

"Huh? Oh, hi."

"A package just arrived, it's only just got through Umbridge's new screening process. . ." Ginny said. She hoisted a brown box up on the table. A red note was scribbled across the top that said INSPECTED AND PASSED BY THE HOGWARTS HIGH INQUISTOR. "It's Easter eggs from Mum. There's one for you. . . there you go. . ." Ginny said, handing him a chocolate egg decorated with small iced snitches. She handed me over a milk chocolate egg with iced chicks on them. Apparently it contained sour gummy worms inside of it.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Harry said gruffly.

"You seem really down lately. You know, I'm sure if you just talked to Cho. . ." Ginny said.

"It's not Cho I want to talk to." Harry said and I nodded unconsciously.

"Who is it, then?" Ginny asked.

"I. . ."

"Dad." I whispered. "I want to talk to dad."

"Sirius." Harry said, putting a piece of chocolate in his mouth. I put a piece in my mouth too and felt better. Dad was right, chocolate was a healing agent.

"Well, If you really want to talk to Sirius, I expect we could think of a way to do it. . ." Ginny said.

"Come on, with Umbridge policing the fires and reading all our mail?" Harry asked dully.

"The thing about growing up with Fred and George, is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve." Ginny said.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" An angry voice shouted.

"Oh damn, I forgot." Ginny said, jumping to her feet. I shoved my things into my bag as Madam Pince swooped down on us.

"Chocolate in the library! Out- out- OUT!" Madam Pince said, wiping out her wand and making Harry's things chase us out of the library, hitting us over the head as we ran.

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𝕬 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖕𝖑𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖞𝖘 before Easter holiday ended, there were pamphlets and brochures that describe all the different possible jobs that could be done outside of Hogwarts. I briefly wondered why they didn't show these to us when we were choosing our classes in second-year because there were certain careers that required certain classes and if you hadn't signed up for the class before third-year. . . tough luck to you.

There was a notice on the board that read:

CAREER ADVICE All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of the Summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below.

I looked and found myself in the middle of the list. I was supposed to meet Professor Sprout in her greenhouse office at 11:20 on Monday. This meant I would be missing Care of Magical Creatures but at this point, I was okay with not seeing Umbridge for a little bit.

"Well, I don't fancy healing." Ron said, perusing through the brochures. "It says here you need at least an E at N.E.W.T. level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I mean. . . blimey. . . Don't want much, do they?"

"Well, it's a very responsible job, isn't it?" Hermione asked. "You don't seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles. . . All they want is an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies 'Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience, and a good sense of fun!'" She read from one of her brochures.

"You'd need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle. Good sense of when to duck, more like. . . Listen to this." Harry said, "'Are you seeking a challenging career involving travel, adventure, and substantial, danger-related treasure bonuses? Then consider a position with Gringotts Wizarding Bank, who are currently recruiting Curse-Breakers for thrilling opportunities abroad. . .' They want Arithmancy though. . . you could do it, Hermione!"

"I don't much fancy banking." Hermione said.

"Hey" A quiet voice hissed. "Ginny's had a word with us about you. She says you need to talk to Sirius?"

It was Fred and George. George, keeping a lookout and Fred talking.

"What?" Hermione asked sharply.

"Yeah. . . yeah, I thought I'd like-" Harry said casually.

"Don't be so ridiculous." Hermione said and I avoided her eyes. "With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?"

"Well, we think we can find a way around that. It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holidays?" George asked.

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time? No point at all, we answered ourselves." Fred continued and I giggled. "And of course, we'd have messed up people's studying too, which would be the very last thing we'd want to do." He nodded toward Hermione and put a hand on my shoulder.

"But it's business as usual from tomorrow. And if we're going to be causing a bit of uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius and Elizabeth with her dad?" Fred continued. I blushed, wishing he hadn't mentioned me.

"Yes, but still, even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?"

"Umbridge's office." I said promptly. "It'll be the only fire that isn't being watched."

"Are- you- insane?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice.

"I don't think so." Harry said, shrugging his shoulders.

"And how are you going to get in there in the first place?" Hermione asked, looking between Harry and I.

"Sirius's knife." Harry said.

"Excuse me?"

"Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock. So even if she's bewitched the door so Alohomora won't work, which I bet she has-" I said.

"What do you think about this?" Hermione demanded to Ron.

"I dunno." Ron said, looking uncomfortable. "If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it? And Eliza?"

"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley." Fred said, clapping Ron so hard on the back the pamphlets went flying off Ron's lap. "Right, then. We're thinking of doing it tomorrow, just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's corridors- Harry, Eliza, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office- I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?" Fred finished, looking at George.

"Easy." George said.

"What sort of diversion?" Ron asked curiously.

"You'll see, little bro. At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow." Fred said with a wink.

My stomach twisted as I watched them go and a sick feeling filled my stomach. But I wanted to talk to Dad, didn't I? I wanted to ask him why he didn't stop James from messing with Severus. . .

But before I had time for the real nerves to set in, I was sitting in front of Professor Sprout the next day in the greenhouse office. I'd never been in here before. It looked a lot like the Hufflepuff common room. It was round rather than square or rectangular shaped. There were plants hanging everywhere and dirt was on the floors. It was like a garden office.

In the corner was Professor Umbridge with her stupid little clipboard, but both Professor Sprout and I were determinedly ignoring her.

"Well Elizabeth," Professor Sprout said in a cheerful manner, "this meeting is to talk over any career ideas you possibly are thinking about and I'm here to help you decide subjects that you should continue with in her sixth and seventh years. Have you any ideas about what you want to do?"

"Well. . ." I said slowly. "I've had a couple. I'm trying to decided between becoming an Auror, a Healer, or. . . or um. . . an experimental potioneer."

Professor Sprout looked a bit surprised. "Really?"

"Well an Auror would be a great career considering the times we're in." I explained. "but I also love helping people which I could do as a Healer and. . . well ever since I was a little kid I wanted to make a cure for. . . for werewolf bites. I know it'll be difficult but I think I really could do it."

Professor Umbridge made a very small cough and we both ignored her. Professor Sprout smiled, "I think those are all wonderful career options. Now, let's go through the careers one by one, we'll start with Auror. It is a difficult career path, of course, because you'll have to study once you leave school as well. I don't see that being a problem for you at all though."

Professor Umbridge coughed a little louder and Professor Sprout raised her voice a bit. "Of course, you'll need to take most of the main courses like Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, and Charms-"

"Not Herbology?" I asked.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "It's an option, of course, but not a necessary one. However, if we move on to healing-"

Professor Umbridge coughed very loudly and Professor Sprout turned to her and said, "Are you quite alright Professor?"

"Oh yes, but I just wanted to inquire if you believe that Miss Kane here has the right er. . . temperament for becoming an Auror?"

"Oh yes." Professor Sprout said, nodding and still smiling. "Miss Kane is a sweet girl, very brave, extremely smart. No doubts at all that she will succeed no matter what career she goes into. Now," she turned back to me, "You'll have to take Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Charms for Healing. After all, it's an incredibly important job- one that should not be taken lightly as there can be consequences for inept healers."

"Like the healer who was supposed to be taking care of Bode." I said, nodding.

"Exactly. Now with the experimental potioneering, that's not really an official-" Professor Sprout was interrupted by an extremely loud cough. Her smile flickered, becoming extremely annoyed and said, "yes?"

"Well, experimental potioneering is a very dangerous job and I don't believe that Miss Kane here will be employed by the Ministry for the job."

I gritted my teeth. "I'm trying to create a cure for werewolves, of course they'll employ me."

"The Minister certainly will not." Professor Umbridge said, smiling.

"Well!" I said hotly. "Fudge isn't going to be Minister anymore by the end of the year."

Professor Umbridge jumped to her feet, "I knew it! I knew Dumbledore-"

"Dumbledore isn't going to be Minister either." I said bitingly. "Granted, the next Minister is going to be a bit better but nothing like Dumbledore."

Professor Umbridge looked a bit unnerved and Professor Sprout quickly claimed my attention back, "I think a cure for werewolves in a wonderful idea." She said sweetly. Professor Sprout's sweet voice was so much different from Professor Umbridge. "It'll give so many people their lives back. Do you have any questions?"

I shook my head, "I don't think so."

"Alright then. You may go back to class." Professor Sprout said, marking something down on a piece of parchment and stacking it onto of a small pile on her desk.

I stood up and left the room without looking back. Stupid Professor Umbridge.

I wanted to hear Harry's interview with Professor McGonagall and knew that I'd have to be there sometime around half-past two. I went back to Care of Magical Creatures where we were still working on Knarls. Bloody boring.

I went up to the castle for lunch and then sat through charms. Potions was after that.

Severus held me back after Potions though and I felt my anxiety increase. "Look, are you mad at me?" He asked quietly as Hannah left the room.

I looked at him blankly, "Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know!" He said, sounding a bit exasperated. "You haven't been down once in nearly a week and a half though."

"Sorry." I whispered. "I've been busy- which isn't an excuse, I know. . . I thought you'd be er- mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" He asked, bewildered.

"Well you were pissed at Harry. . ." I said quietly. "And I'm his sister and James was my dad and lily was my mum and. . ."

"Oh." Severus said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his robes. I wrapped my arms around him.

"I'll come back tonight, I promise." I got up on my tiptoes and kissed his lips. I turned to leave and found I couldn't.

He'd grabbed my tie and drew me back to him, pushing me down on the desk and kissing me fiercely. I forgot where I wanted to be at that moment and wrapped my arms around him. We heard footsteps outside the door and we pulled apart. I grabbed my bag and passed Draco on the way out.

I hurried to where Professor McGonagall's office was and listened outside the door.

"Yes." Harry was saying, "Defense Against the Darks Arts, I suppose?"

"Naturally." Professor McGonagall said in a crisp voice. "I would also advise-"

There was a cough and I knew that Umbridge was in the room too.

"I would also advise Transfiguration, because Aurors frequently need to Transfigure or Untransfigure in their work. And I ought to tell you now, Potter, that I do not accept students into my N.E.W.T. classes unless they have achieved 'Exceeds Expectations' or higher at Ordinary Wizarding Level. I'd say you're averaging 'Acceptable' at the moment, so you'll need to put in some good hard work before the exams to stand a chance of continuing. Then you ought to do Charms, always useful, and Potions. Yes, Potter, potions. Poisons and antidotes are essential study for Aurors. And I must tell you that Professor Snape absolutely refuses to take students who get anything other than 'Outstanding' in their O.W.L.s, so-"

Professor Umbridge coughed even louder.

"May I offer you a cough drop, Dolores?" Professor McGonagall asked curtly. I grinned, only able to imagine the look on her face.

"Oh no, thank you very much. I just wondered whether I could make the teensiest interruption, Minerva?" Professor Umbridge's voice was farthest from the door.

"I daresay you'll find you can." Professor McGonagall said through what sounded like gritted teeth.

"I was just wondering whether Mr. Potter has quite the temperament for an Auror?" She asked sweetly the way that she had in Professor Sprout's office a couple hours ago. I wondered if she was only sitting in mine and Harry's interviews.

"Were you? Well, Potter, if you are serious in this ambition, I would advise you to concentrate hard on bringing your Transfiguration and Potions up to scratch. I see Professor Flitwick has graded you between 'Acceptable' and 'Exceeds Expectations' for the last two years, so your Charms work seems satisfactory; as for Defense Against the Dark Arts, your marks have been generally high, Professor Lupin in particular thought you- are you quite sure you wouldn't like a cough drop, Dolores?"

Susan and Ernie came over. "What are you doing?" Susan mouthed. I put a finger to my lips, still listening. I was joyful too- Professor McGonagall had mentioned dad. I loved hearing people talk about dad- for good, of course

"Oh, no need, thank you, Minerva. I was just concerned that you might not have Harry's most recent Defense Against the Dark Arts marks in front of you. I'm quire sure I slipped in a note. . ."

"What, this thing?" Professor McGonagall asked sharply and Susan, Ernie, and I heard the sound of parchment rustling. "Yes, as I was saying, Potter, Professor Lupin thought you showed a pronounced aptitude for the subject, and obviously for an Auror-"

"Did you not understand my note, Minerva?" Professor Umbridge interrupted, forgetting to cough.

"Of course I understood it." Professor McGonagall's sounded muffled as though her teeth were glued together.

"Well, then, I am confused. . . I'm afraid I don't quite understand how you can give Mr. Potter false hope that-"

"False hope? He has achieved high marks in all his Defense Against the Dark Arts tests-"

"I'm terribly sorry to have to contradict you, Minerva, but as you will see from my note, Harry has been achieving very poor results in his classes with me-" Professor Umbridge interrupted.

"I should have made my meaning plainer. He has achieved high marks in all Defense Against the Dark Arts tests set by a competent teacher." Professor McGonagall said coldly.

Ernie and Susan dropped their mouths in shock and I grinned broadly. We all looked at each other.

"A werewolf is not a competent teacher!" Professor Umbridge said angrily.

"Well Professor Lupin was the most competent teacher that we ever had for the class so I must contradict you. Any questions, Potter?"

"Yes. What sort of character and aptitude tests do the Ministry do on you, if you get enough N.E.W.T.s?" Harry asked, sounding as though he was trying not to laugh.

"Well, you'll need to demonstrate the ability to react well to pressure and so forth, perseverance and dedication, because Auror training takes a further three years, not to mention very high skills in practical defense. It will mean a lot more study even after you've left school, so unless you're prepared to-" Professor McGonagall answered his question.

'I think you'll also find that the Ministry looks into the records of those applying to the Aurors. Their criminal records." Professor Umbridge said in a cold voice. Susan shook her head.

"-unless you're prepared to take even more exams after Hogwarts, you should really look at another-"

"-which means that this boy has as much chance of becoming an Auror as Dumbledore has of ever returning to this school!"

"A very good chance, then." Professor McGonagall said.

"Potter has a criminal record!" Professor Umbridge practically shouted.

"Potter has been cleared of all charges!" Professor McGonagall said even louder than the Umbitch.

"Potter has no chance, whatsoever, of becoming an Auror!"

"Potter." Professor McGonagall said in a ringing tone. "I will assist you to become an Auror if it is the last thing I do! If I have to coach you nightly I will make sure you achieve the required results!"

Susan, Ernie, and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows and shocked expressions.

"The Minister of Magic will never employ Harry Potter!" Umbridge said in a trembling voice.

"There may well be a new Minister of Magic by the time Potter is ready to join!" Professor McGonagall shouted so loudly, students passing by looked at us curiously.

"Aha! Yes! yes, yes, yes!" Professor Umbridge shouted and I motioned to Susan and Ernie that it was time to leave.

"Wow." Susan said in a shocked voice. "I would never have thought Professor McGonagall would say things like that."

"My Dad was a good teacher, wasn't he?" I asked, pleased, still basking in that memory.

"Professor Lupin was the best." Ernie assured me.

Harry bolted out of the office at that moment, rushing to whatever class he was supposed to be going to. Professor McGonagall and Professor Umbridge were now yelling at each other, the door still open. Students started to look up as they passed, some of them slowing to listen in.

"Let's get out of here." I muttered to them and we hurried off the library.

I finished up a majority of my homework and then said good-bye to Susan and Ernie and made my way stealthily to Umbridge's office. I waited around a corner until I heard footsteps and saw Harry. He threw the Invisibility cloak over us and unlocked the office door and we hurried inside.

Harry pulled off the cloak, grabbing floo powder and threw it into the fireplace. "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place." Harry said loudly. We both stuck our heads in at the same time. I'd never done this before. There was the familiar spinning sensation and then I was seeing the kitchen.

Dad was sitting at the table, bent over a piece of parchment.

"Sirius?" Harry asked.

Dad jumped and looked around. "Harry! Elizabeth! What are you- what's happened, is everything all right?"

"Yeah. I just wondered- I mean, I just fancied a- a chat with Sirius." Harry said awkwardly. I was looking down at the kitchen floor, unable to look dad in the face.

"I'll call him. He went upstairs to look for Kreacher, he seems to be hiding in the attic again. . ." Dad hurried from the room.

"He must've gone to the Malfoy manor." I muttered. "Sirius keeps telling him to get out."

"This is painful." Harry muttered and I knew what he was talking about. My knees were starting to seize up. Dad returned moments later, Sirius at his heels.

"What is it?" Sirius asked and I thought of how handsome he was and looked back down at the kitchen floor. "Are you all right? Do you need help?"

"No, it's nothing like that. . . I just wanted to talk. . . about my dad. . ." Harry said. He immediately launched into the story about Severus' pensive and what he saw inside of it- not talking about my part of course.

"I wouldn't want you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry." Dad said and somehow, I knew he was including himself in that. "He was only fifteen-"

"I'm fifteen!" Harry and I said together in heated voices.

"Look, Harry. James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, can't you? I think James was everything Severus wanted to be- he was popular, he was good at Quidditch, good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts and James- whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry- always hated the Dark Arts." Sirius said.

I gritted my teeth but said nothing.

"Yeah, but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because-"

"Because you said you were bored." I said, attempting to sound sorry for accusing Sirius but wasn't entirely capable of doing it. My voice was to tense, to angry, and both Dad and Sirius flinched slightly.

"I'm not proud of it." Sirius said quickly and I snorted.

"Look, Harry, what you've got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did- everyone thought they were the height of cool- if they sometimes got a bit carried away-" Dad said.

"If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean." Sirius said.

Dad smiled.

"He kept messing up his hair." Harry said, sounding pained. Both dad and Sirius laughed.

"I'd forgotten he used to do that." Sirius said affectionately.

"Was he playing with the snitch?" Dad asked in an eager voice. I felt like I'd faded into the background but said nothing. Dad's attention didn't have to be on me 24-7 and James had been his friend too.

"Yeah. Well. . . I thought he was a bit of an idiot." Harry said, sounding like he couldn't comprehend why Sirius and Dad looked so reminiscent.

"Of course he was a bit of an idiot! We were all idiots! Well- not Moony so much, that's where Eilís gets her brains too."

Dad shook his head. "Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape? Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?"

So dad hadn't stopped James because he believed he wasn't brave enough. I supposed that made sense. If Harry had done the same to Malfoy. . . would I have told Harry to lay off? Of course, Draco's dad had also tried kidnapping me so that was a bit of a different story. Ron wouldn't have said anything either- but Hermione. . .

"Yeah, well, you made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes. . . That was something. . ." Sirius said.

So dad had rebuked them, just not in Snape's memory. I felt properly ashamed of judging dad so harshly and I felt tears sting my eyes.

"And, he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!" Harry exclaimed.

"Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around. He couldn't stop himself showing off whenever he got near her."

"How come she married him?" Harry asked in a miserable voice. "She hated him!"

"Nah, she didn't." Sirius said.

"She started going out with him in seventh year." Dad said.

"Once James had deflated his head a bit." Sirius said.

"And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it." Dad said.

"Even Snape?" Harry asked.

"Well, Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?" Dad said in a very slow, cautious voice.

"And my mum was okay with that?" Harry asked and I snorted again.

"She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth. I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he?"

Harry looked unconvinced and I felt miserable. This talk wasn't helping at all, they were just defending their best friend.

"Look. Your father was the best friend I ever had, and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it." Sirius said.

"Yeah, okay. I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape." Harry said heavily.

"Now you mention it, how did Snape react when he found you'd seen all this?" Dad asked, frowning.

"He was so angry when I went to see him the same night." I whispered, "I'd never seen him so angry before."

Sirius face contorted.

"He told me he'd never teach me Occlumency again, like that's a big disappoint-" Harry said indifferently.

"He WHAT?" Sirius shouted and I jumped, smacked my head against the fireplace, and then inhaled ashes. I coughed spasmodically, tears in my eyes and then pulled my head out of the fireplace to find some water. I could hear Harry making noises in the fireplace but not the full context of words.

Once I'd drank a bit of water, I stuck my head back in.

"Harry, there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency! Do you understand me? Nothing?" Dad asked sternly.

"Okay, okay." Harry said.

"Harry, Filch is coming." I said, my eyes half glazed over, "He just got an order to. . . to whip misbehaving students. . . oh that's just lovely."

"Stay out of detention Elizabeth." Dad said sternly.

"Yeah that's a bit difficult." I said and then pulled my head out to throw the Invisibility cloak over myself and Harry. I was still a bit annoyed with dad and was trying to push that feeling away.

We made it out of Umbridge's office, just as Filch came around the corner. We slipped past him and made our way to the Entrance hall. Harry threw the cloak off of us, tossing it into his bag.

Students were standing around the entrance hall just like the night of Professor Trelawney's sacking, some of them covered in some sort of substance. I could see ghosts and teachers scattered throughout the mix. Peeves was floating up close to the ceiling and Fred and George were standing in the middle, looking exceptionally pleased with themselves.

"So!" Umbridge said triumphantly. "So. . . you think it amused to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

"Pretty amusing, yeah." Fred said, catching my eye and winking.

'I've got the form, Headmistress !" Filch said, nearly crying with happiness and rushing towards Umbridge. 'I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting. . . Oh, let me do it now. . ."

"Very good, Argus. You two, are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"You know what?" Fred asked. "I don't think we are. George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself." George said lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred said.

"Definitely." George said and as one, they lifted their wands and said "Accio Brooms!"

There was a crashing sound and Harry and I ducked along with a few other students as Fred and George's brooms- having broken through Umbridge's door the iron pegs and chain still attached- came hurtling towards them.

"We won't be seeing you." Fred said, swinging his leg over his broomstick. I grinned at him, catching his eye again, blowing him a kiss, and winking.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch." George said.

Fred looked around and then said. "If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley- Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat." George said, pointing at Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge screamed.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves." Fred said and Peeves swept his hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George flew out of the Entrance Hall.

Students ran out of the castle and down onto the lawn to watch them fly far away into the sunset.

⬅️➡️

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

The Snake Who Lived and The Order of The Phoenix

What if Harry was sorted into Slytherin?

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Voldemort managed to return to power despite Harry not being a Champion, and he even retained the support of Crouch Junior! Let's see where this goes.

I didn’t really go into detail about Harry’s reaction to the House of Black, because for all we know, he may not have even seen it until this year. Or he may have. But either way, his reaction is the same. It’s alright, the severed elf heads and the screaming racist portrait notwithstanding. Having watched Dobby suffer for years and not having a muggle-born friend who Kreacher regularly insults, Harry might ask Sirius to consider being a bit nicer to him. Remus definitely would too, so they can gang up on him and pressure him into being a better person. Giving small gestures to Kreacher, like letting him keep some of the trinkets they would have otherwise thrown out. Like say, a big gold locket…? Perhaps. And perhaps Sirius won’t kick Kreacher out over the holidays. Hmmm. 

Remus initially hides the copies of the Daily Prophet that smear Harry, but Sirius finds them and it leads to a small argument before they show Harry. Everyone is mad, but regardless of what Dumbledore says, Sirius will never just keep Harry in the dark. For his own good or otherwise. 

I’m really not seeing how The Dementor attack can even happen here. Even during the time that Harry spends at Privet Drive, Sirius would be there as Padoot. The Dursleys are likely confunded or fed some kind of calming potion so that they accept the big doggo, but the point is that if Harry went out for a walk, Sirius is likely to be with him. Voldemort can’t do anything because of The Blood Wards, but Umbridge is going to have to get more creative. Or is she…? Okay, I have a solution. Harry is still training in Animagery, right? Suppose he successfully completes his training this summer? And when I say that, I mean he and his guardians manage to brew the potion and he takes it. As for his form, I mean…probably just a Stag. I see no reason to deviate from that. So yeah, he turns into a Stag. He has no plans to register, and that, my friends, will be his undoing. The Ministry conducts a bogus raid on the House of Black and likely finds (or plants) enough evidence for them to bring Harry in on suspicion of being an unregistered Animagus. Might seem like I’m reaching a bit, but honestly, they’re reaching too. Umbridge and Fudge were always going to find a way to put Harry on Trial/try to have him expelled, The Patronus was just how they did it in the original timeline. With that in mind, the “how” is secondary here. 

The problem then becomes everything else they have on him. So yeah, in this timeline, The Hearing… It doesn’t go well. I just can’t imagine the Wizengamot voting in majority to clear Harry of all charges, not with the record he’s accumulated. Even with Dumbledore there to stir the pot, I see Harry getting convicted, and expelled from Hogwarts. Well holy shit, talk about a Butterfly Effect, am I right? Now relax, because Dumbledore isn’t going to take this lying down, but for the time being, Harry is in serious trouble. One plus side is that he runs into Lucius Malfoy as in the original timeline (he was lurking outside the trial to begin with) and guess what? He’s able to pass Lucius a book that contains a sock, telling him the book belongs to Draco. Like the fool that he is, Lucius passes the book to Dobby, and even though Harry’s scar prickles in the passage, he seizes his chance, telling Dobby to check inside. This causes a scene at the Ministry, which is an added benefit as he made Lucius look like the fool that he is, though a lot of the Ministry officials who witnessed this feel that Harry was dirty and underhanded - again, they don’t see anything wrong with House Elf enslavement. 

So here’s a major problem: It seems to be tradition (or a rule, who knows) that students who get expelled from Hogwarts then have their wands destroyed as part of the process/punishment. It was done to Hagrid, and it was threatened to be done to Harry in the OG timeline. (Not sure if it was done to Newt.) I don’t know why the Ministry can just do this, as it’s not like the wands are school property or anything, and being expelled from school isn’t the same thing as losing your ‘license’ to practice magic…or I guess maybe it is? God, they live in a society. But see, that’s the problem: Harry’s not going to turn his wand over, especially if he’s not allowed to just get another one - and that seems to be the rule, otherwise why would Hagrid have to keep using the concealed, broken pieces of his first wand?

I can see this evolving into a whole altercation. Ministry officials show up to do it, and Harry refuses to relinquish his wand. Sirius and Remus step in between Harry and the Ministry goons, who drop some lines about asking Sirius if he’d like to go back to prison. Just then, a letter arrives from Dumbledore, revealing that The Ministry has agreed to allow Harry to return to Hogwarts on a trial basis, but he’ll have to have a Supervisor who determines if he’s behaving himself. He’ll be constantly monitored and one toe out of line will lead him right back to door number one. Hey guys. Guys. Guys. Guess who his Supervisor is. I bet you already know, and I bet you’re all groaning. That’s right, it’s the hopping, giggling toad herself, Dolores Umbridge. Oh, Harry is in for hell. And given how Draco is a Prefect as well, and therefore also in charge of him? Oh, by the end of this year, Harry’s going to wish he had just turned his wand over in the first place. 

But here’s a wrinkle. If she’s Harry’s Supervisor, she can’t exactly teach Defense Against The Dark Arts, can she? Hey, guess who has an idea! I have an idea. The new Educational Decree permits the Ministry to select a teacher for Dumbledore, but only if he fails to find one himself. But Sirius is not happy about the idea of Umbridge shadowing Harry everywhere he goes and making him miserable. Would Professor Black please stand up? Yep, that’s right, he’s going to volunteer to teach Defense Against The Dark Arts, (despite both Remus and Harry being wary of the jinx) and Umbridge and the Ministry will hate it. But what can they do? He’s been cleared of all charges, and Fudge is regretting the hell out of that. 

The Weasleys would, at some point, come to stay at Grimmauld Place like they did in the OG timeline, because Sirius still volunteers it as a base of operations for The Order. But I’d say that overall, he’s in a much healthier mental state in this version of OOTP, as a free man. Harry gets to see Ron and Ginny, and learn about Percy’s estrangement from the family, to say nothing of Fred and George’s depression. Ron is a Prefect and Harry can’t really be jealous given how he dodged expulsion by the skin of his teeth and isn’t exactly winning any Badges these days. (Man, can you imagine Harry trying to go out on dates with Ginny, with Umbridge lurking in the corner and hem-hemming all the time? God, he’s in for a rough year…) 

Let’s check in on Voldemort. Or at least on his plans, which we hear from Snape at Order meetings, once they start happening. No big blow-up argument between Molly and Sirius as there’s no real call for it in this timeline, but frankly Sirius just tells Harry everything anyway, once the others are gone. Voldemort has the Philosopher’s Stone. He’s trying to gather followers, but he’s also after the mysterious “weapon.” (To this day, I don’t know why they describe the Prophecy as a weapon but alright.) Snape has also been able to confirm the return of Crouch Junior, though nobody has any clue how that’s possible, and everyone is now really afraid of Voldemort’s seemingly literal death-defying powers. 

Harry has an idea, and he calls out to Dobby. Who is now a free Elf, and is overjoyed to see Harry again, feeling absolutely indebted to him. I think he asks to become Harry’s Elf at this point and Harry doesn’t really have any reason to say no. Rest assured, this isn’t going to last for long. I’m just thinking that Dobby only found work at Hogwarts when he was with Winkie, and that hasn’t happened so far. But it will. Because Harry’s going to ask Dobby to find Winkie, and question her about Crouch Junior. 

Luna Lovegood. Harry might actually already know her at this point, if she’s Ginny’s friend. Actually, no, I don’t think Ginny and Luna were as close as they got until the D.A. started, but either way, Harry meets her on the train. She shows him the Quibbler, and I want to say that it has some article about how Voldemort is secretly possessing Harry using an obscure magical fungus, and not even Harry himself knows it. Because the Quibbler is always right when you look past the silly, extraneous details. 

Return to Hogwarts, except no reaction to the Thestrals this time as Harry still can’t see them. The Sorting Hat sings a new song, and Harry endures jabs from Draco. Indeed, a lot of people are whispering and buzzing about him after the Hearing over the summer. When he gets up to leave as everyone is dismissed, Umbridge is right there, and in her sickeningly sweet girlish voice, suggests they take a walk. When they do, she outlines the new regime: He is going to behave himself. If he doesn’t, she’ll be forced to punish him, and make sure he learns his lesson. All with those high pitched giggles. She tells him that she’ll be watching closely and from now on, she will escort him everywhere. Hogsmeade weekends and other entertaining activities will be at her discretion. Harry feels as though he’s going to be sick, and doesn’t shake her off until he reaches the Slytherin Common Room.

Indeed, Umbridge is everywhere. She even sits in on Harry’s classes, causing a considerable amount of buzzing and invoking the ire of several teachers. Included but not limited to McGonagall, Snape, and of course Sirius. Indeed, he causes a scene when he holds Harry back after class to talk to him, and when Umbridge won’t leave, he says he’ll take this before Dumbledore. Umbridge responds that she answers to someone above Dumbledore. Sirius offers a tired smile and remarks that there is no such person. Is it commentary on his society, a spark of actual loyalty to the man, or is he just trying to frighten Umbridge and get under her skin? (Remember, Umbridge also helped pass Anti-Werewolf laws.) Either way, this is about to get very funny, as Sirius transforms into Padfoot and uses that as motivation to make Umbridge go away, at least for a little bit, though she says she’s going to write to the Minister. 

Sirius and Harry have a conversation similar to the “Have a biscuit, Potter” scene in the OG timeline, except it’s much more open as Sirius sympathizes with Harry and urges him to just play along for the time being, as he, Sirius, works on a way to try and get rid of The Toad. 

But The Toad will have her revenge. She doesn’t like that Sirius is teaching his students actual defensive magic, or that his class sometimes gets side-tracked as his students ask him what Azkaban was like. Furthermore, she makes good on her promise to “punish” Harry for wrongdoing, which apparently includes having a private conversation with a teacher, who is also his Godfather. Doesn’t matter. She takes Harry back to the Slytherin Dungeon and makes him write with the Blood Quill. In this case, he writes “I will not sneak about.” Or something to that effect. But Draco catches sight of what’s happening before Umbridge sends him away. I mean, he is a Prefect, and it’s just like him to spy on Harry, so I can see this happening. Ready for a surprise, though? Draco is appalled. 

I mean, I’m not saying he voices this opinion or does anything about it. I’m not sure he’d ever admit that his initial gut reaction was of disgust, but it was. Draco is an entitled, spoiled bully who doesn’t have a clue…but he’s not a sadist. He doesn’t like violence, he doesn’t like actually physically hurting others. Sure, he was excited about Hermione’s death, but it’s not like he saw her mangled body. If he had, I think he might have changed his tune. It’s so much easier to align yourself with bigotry if you don’t actually see all the blood that gets spilled. Draco hates Harry but seeing him be literally tortured is going to affect him and not in a good way. On some level, he knows that it’s wrong. He just can’t face it. At least not yet. 

Harry’s a stubborn stag, and if we assume that Dumbledore is still ghosting him in this timeline, (and he’d have even more reason to) then he’s not going to tell Dumbledore or anyone else. I’d say it’s even more likely that he takes Umbridge’s control of his life as a personal challenge. She won’t let him play Quidditch, she won’t let him see Ginny, and so on. Not until he “earns” it, and earning it is going to take a number of late nights of carving “I will not sneak about” on his hand. Never mind that it’s O.W.L. year and he has homework as well. Meanwhile, Ron becomes Keeper alongside Ginny as Chaser on the Gryffindor team. 

So, the D.A. is unlikely to be formed in this timeline. There’s just no need for it. They have an adept teacher for Defense Against The Dark Arts. But he’s about to be seriously crippled, as another Educational Decree passes, limiting the D.A.D.A. teacher to defensive magical theory and essentially rewriting the entire curriculum to be useless. This is a problem…or it would be, except this is Sirius we’re talking about, and he blatantly ignores this new Decree, which is a whole other problem by itself. To this end, he tries to ban Umbridge from shadowing his classes, and both McGonagall and Snape back him. Sirius and Snape on the same side? It’s more likely than you think. Finally, Dumbledore steps in, and informs Umbridge (and Fudge) that during class hours, it is the responsibility of the teacher to keep Harry in check, and that Umbridge is no longer welcome to sit in on his classes. She tries anyway, and various enchantments kick her out, to increasingly hilarious effects. 

So in essence, there is a “D.A.” of sorts, but not really as Sirius is the one running it, and it’s just his normal classes, (complete with Remus coming in for the occasional guest lecture) which he instructs his students not to talk about - though of course they do, but Umbridge can’t really prove anything. She questions Harry, who rebuffs her, and hey, guess what? “I must not tell lies.” is back. Or maybe just “I will tell the truth.” On his other hand. But by this point, it’s getting harder and harder for Harry to hide his hands. He’s been wearing gloves and just claiming his hands get cold, but it’s creating awkward situations. Theodore has already glimpsed his hands, but agreed to remain silent. In a dark moment, he “jokingly” suggests The Killing Curse, but drops it when Harry looks disturbed. 

You know who gets Harry to come forward, though? At long last? I think it’s Draco, actually. I think for the first time in five years, Harry and Draco have a real heart to heart. Well, that’s putting it a little bit strong. Here’s how I imagine it: Draco wants to talk to Harry about why he’s wearing the gloves, but cannot express that this is what he wants to talk about. So he makes a few attempts to initiate conversation in the ways he knows how. Gloating about how he is once again the Slytherin Seeker, picking on Dobby when Dobby comes to see Harry - which reminds me, Umbridge hates both him and Crookshanks and tries to have both of them sent away. She fails with Crookshanks, but it’s agreed that students shouldn’t have personal elves, so his news will have to wait. Either way, Harry snaps at Draco and tells him to “go tell Umbridge on him” if he wants to do some real damage. 

Harry sees the pain in Draco’s eyes, and for just a moment, the mask slips. Draco snaps back, asking why Harry hasn’t just said something, gone to his precious Godfather or to Dumbledore and told them what Umbridge is doing. That Harry is Dumbledore’s favorite and Umbridge is clearly in the wrong. Tempers are running high, and Harry fires back that it’s not about being right or wrong - he has to win. Running to Sirius or especially Dumbledore is, I think, akin to giving up - at least in Harry’s mind. Draco is stunned and actually a little impressed. Tells Harry “That’s the most Slytherin thing I’ve ever heard you say, Potter…” Draco parts Harry’s company by telling him that, if Umbridge is doing this to him, odds are she’s done it to other people in the past. 

Harry is so thick and I love him for it. I’m just now realizing how much effort and energy he is dedicating to this war with Umbridge when there are much bigger fish to fry, but you all know this is exactly what he’d do. Speaking of those bigger fish, Dobby comes out when the coast is clear and updates Harry on Winkie. He got her a job in the Kitchens, but she clamped up about her previous masters. Dobby freely offers to do some unkind things to Umbridge with his Elf magic, the next time she hurts him. But Harry again rejects the help, instead freeing Dobby by giving him a Slytherin scarf, and encouraging him to take a job in the Kitchens as well. If nothing else, he doesn’t want to get in more trouble. He’ll have to take Umbridge down another way. And Draco’s words have given him an idea of how to do it. 

I said he’d come forward before, and maybe he would, but…no. Here’s the thing. Guess who else is keeping tabs on Harry and then hears raised voices in the Slytherin Common Room? Why, the Head of Slytherin of course. Umbridge was careful. She deliberately waited till the dead of night to give Harry his “punishments.” She memorized Snape’s schedule. Harry has not done this. It doesn’t occur to him that he’ll be overheard. But once Draco and Dobby are gone, Snape emerges from the shadows to interrogate him ferociously about how long this has been going on. He’s mad. He’s very mad, and he’s taking it out on Harry, which is hilarious because the anger is on Harry’s behalf. However, Harry knows what to do now, and he speaks up, finally talking in Snape’s language. 

“My Dad. My Dad used to make your life hell, didn’t he? Him and Sirius, all the time. Remus told me. Professor, this is my hell. Umbridge is my James Potter. These are demons I have to face alone. If I can’t handle the likes of her, then I don’t stand a chance against Voldemort.” 

Snape, like Draco, is genuinely moved by Harry’s sentiments, even if he’d sooner die than admit it. Harry is learning to talk, and think, like a real Slytherin. 

I said Harry knows what to do, and he does. Asking for help would be a show of weakness in this fight. But there’s a valley between asking for help and exploiting a resource, and that valley comes down to how much a person means to Harry. He won’t ask Sirius or Dumbledore or Dobby to help him take down Umbridge…but a stranger, or even someone he dislikes? That’s another story, and it so happens that one of his enemies is in a perfect position to systematically destroy Umbridge. This enemy has no loyalty or integrity, they have no reason to help Harry, but they serve their own interests and making gold is one of those interests. I am talking, of course, about Rita Skeeter. 

But how is he going to meet with her? I think he enlists a little help from Fred and George, recruiting Ron into the plan during Charms class, who then passes the message onto them, and they use one of the secret passages to deliver a classic to Harry at the Slytherin Common Room. A package of the prototype “Fainting Fancies.” He then has Daphne offer one to Umbridge on the morning of a Hogsmeade visit. She’s down for the count, and Daphne and Tracey move her into a nearby broom cupboard, locking it so she won’t be discovered. 

So Harry makes his way to The Hog’s Head, let’s say, to meet with Rita. I’d assume they’ve been writing to each other through Ron and Hedwig. Harry doesn’t even need to blackmail her (not that he knows her secret anyway) he just needs to take a page from the Malfoy book and pay her off handsomely. He doesn’t know she’s an Animagus but he does know that she has some method of spying on people or otherwise learning their secrets that is as of yet, undetectable. It is an educated guess that Umbridge has skeletons in her closet, and if Rita can unearth them, she can put them out into the world. But she offers an alternative solution. Don’t publish, blackmail. (So long as she gets paid a small fortune, it’s all the same to her.) Harry agrees with this plan. 

Is it cheating to use Pottermore content? I mean, it’s all canon, right? Well, *casts a cursory glance at McGonagall* perhaps not all of it…but I don’t see a film series rewriting Umbridge’s backstory anytime soon. If you didn’t know, her mother was a muggle and her brother a squib. And boy oh boy, does she hate being reminded of that. She doesn’t want anyone to know. With Rita’s help, Harry discovers these treats, as well as learning that her “Blood Quills” are 100% illegal. (I mean..they’ve got to be, right? It’s only a head-canon but, come on.)  She also discovers that Umbridge was behind the bogus raid on Grimmauld Place. She relays all this, probably through a fireplace phone conversation in the Slytherin Dungeons after hours. This isn’t enough on its own though, Harry is going to need proof. The word of Harry Potter, especially against a Ministry official,  is all but worthless right now. 

Quidditch time. Harry isn’t in the game and he doesn’t even get to attend, but Ron’s stage fright acts up and the Weasley is Our King meme is born, though it will still be a while before he reclaims it. Hagrid returns and Ron and Ginny are the ones who visit him to learn about the Giants, as obviously, Harry’s got a shadow. After Umbridge woke up in the closet and was discovered, she raced back to the Common Room but Harry beat her there, innocently asking where she’d been. But Umbridge knew Harry was behind it and gave him more Blood Quill lessons. She’s been cracking down on him harder and he knows he’s going to need to think of something clever, as he likely can’t slip away a second time to collect the evidence. 

It’s during a Potions lesson that the idea falls into place. Polyjuice Potion. He needs to use Polyjuice Potion. A bait and switch. He can’t have his Slytherin friends brewing it, not with Umbridge popping in and out. Ron is rubbish at Potions and Ginny is probably decent, but do you know who I think Harry goes to for help, possibly at her advice? Luna. Or maybe just all three of them, why not? They brew Polyjuice in the Third Floor Corridor, which is now deserted. On the day of the next Hogsmeade visit, Harry and Ron swap places and take each other’s identities before Umbridge shows up. 

Ron waits for Umbridge. She never turns up. Harry ventures back to Hogsmeade, meeting with Rita in the agreed-upon place, where she’s supposed to have vials of Pensieve memories that confirm her stories. But something is wrong. She doesn’t seem to have anything on her person. Harry realizes too late that this is a set-up, as Umbridge appears from around the corner, having waited for Harry to say enough to damn himself. She binds him and takes him by side-along apparition to the Ministry. 

See, The Hog’s Head was a bad idea. We know people can listen in there. I also wouldn’t be surprised if The Ministry wasn’t looking into Rita after the whole Cedric Conspiracy last year. If Umbridge discovered Rita’s dirty little secret, she could use that to leverage her into stabbing Harry in the back, as it’s Harry that Umbridge actually wants. She brings him before Fudge who gloats that he’s done it now, and his time at Hogwarts is over. Furious, Harry throws off his gloves and tells him that they’ll have to try harder than that to silence him. Fudge is confused, then disturbed, as he realizes what Harry’s hand wounds are, but he blusters and quickly dismisses it as not the point. 

Meanwhile, Ron goes to Sirius, as neither Harry nor Umbridge have been seen all day and it just doesn’t smell right. Surprisingly, Draco does the same thing in approaching Snape. Ron admits Harry’s plan to Sirius, who is impressed in spite of himself. Snape and Draco discuss Umbridge and her “methods” speculating on just how far she might go. Sirius and Snape run into each other and their mutual dislike becomes a problem, before McGonagall happens upon them both and extracts an explanation. She sends them to inform Dumbledore as she ventures to Hogsmeade herself, but everyone is long gone. 

Right as Dumbledore is being informed, he gets an owl informing him that Harry is to be expelled and his wand destroyed. He, Sirius, and Snape immediately take a floo-powder journey right into Fudge’s office. A huge argument ensues, and Umbridge’s black quill usage comes out. Sirius is about ready to kill her on the spot, though he also wants to know why Harry didn’t tell him. That will cause some drama. Umbridge is, much to her fury and dismay, subsequently dismissed as Harry’s Supervisor. Sirius tries to argue the whole Supervisor concept away, or that he can just do it himself, but Fudge steamrolls over this and says he’ll be in touch soon to appoint the new Supervisor, and that Umbridge will be investigated. 

I think this is where she snaps and tries to attack Harry, but Dumbledore is there so she gets blasted into kingdom come. Well, more like the nearby office wall, but still. Well, that’s it for Umbridge. Least for now. Harry is taken back to Grimmauld Place for the winter holiday as Remus and Sirius obviously dote on him. Sirius still wants to know why Harry never said anything about the Blood Quill, and Harry doesn’t really have an answer. He tries to convey that he wanted to win, but Sirius and Remus don’t really get it. 

Harry has the Dream, of Nagini attacking Arthur. The Weasleys come over, and they basically stay for Christmas after the fact. Harry is able to call Dobby to help seek and locate Arthur, bringing him to St. Mungo’s. Like before, Sirius has to stop Fred and George from tearing off to the hospital to see him, but they do eventually all go. They see Arthur, and they also meet Neville’s parents. Harry and everyone else is sickened, naturally, and Harry once again pleads with Dobby to find out as much as he can about how Crouch Junior can be alive. Oh, and the adults all have a conversation about what Harry’s dream means, leading to them dropping the line about Voldemort possessing Harry. Except this time, it’s Sirius and Remus, most likely, who are talking about it. Well, that’s gonna shatter the hell out of him. 

See, Ginny’s able to pull him from his slump even sooner this time, but it will still linger in the back of his mind. They’ve both been Possessed by Voldemort so they share that trauma, and it helps them bond even further. But Harry is hurt that Remus and Sirius would have a conversation like this behind his back. What’s more, he’s wrestling with a greater fear that comes to a head when he faces that Boggart that’s been lingering upstairs. I can’t remember if I have this as being the first time Harry faces a Boggart, but if it’s not, I totally should have done that, because Harry’s Boggart is himself as a Dark Wizard. It’s a little like the OOTP movie, now that I think about it. I feel like Remus is the one to see it, but Harry refuses to talk about it short of asking Remus not to tell anyone. 

Hey, remember when Snape turned up to inform Harry he’d be getting Occlumency lessons? Well, those lessons are totally still happening, but I don’t think Snape is the one to inform Harry personally. I think that job would be relegated to Harry’s new Supervisor - Kingsley Shacklebolt. Well, Harry’s life just got a whole lot easier. My first instinct was Rufus Scrimgeour, and honestly that sounds like it would be far more interesting, but *deep sigh* I promised myself I would do this based on what is most likely to happen, and realistically, Scrimgeour is way too busy to take on an assignment like this. He’s the head of the Auror Office at this point, so no. While it’s true that Fudge wouldn’t want one of “Dumbledore’s people” watching Harry, he has no idea that Kingsley is a member of the Order, Kingsley hid that very well. Either way, he’s here to notify Harry of the arrangement, so he might as well also tell him about the Occlumency, right? If Snape doesn’t have to go, why would he?

The mass breakout happens. This doesn’t really affect our heroes directly beyond freeing the one, the only, Bellatrix Lestrange. But that will have a greater impact later. The Ministry, unable to blame Sirius in this timeline, chooses to use Umbridge as a scapegoat and claim she was probably involved. Oh, I’ve just thought of something else - Wormtail. He’s in Azkaban right now, isn’t he? Yeah, he’ll escape too, though whether or not he joins Voldemort or just goes right back into hiding as a rat is a different question. 

Here’s something else to think about. Harry should be getting his position on the Slytherin Quidditch team back, right? Well, I’d theorize that the Slytherin Captain offers to redo Tryouts (I mean, Harry’s got a damn Firebolt) but Harry, in a surprise move, turns the offer down and says that Draco should be Seeker. After all the stress of dealing with Umbridge, I think Harry has had enough of dealing with enemies. He and Draco may never be friends but they don’t have to be foes - and there was a glimmer of potential in their last conversation. Not sure if Draco would take the gesture well, though. He might think of it as charity. Unless Harry doubles back to say something to the effect of “now we’re even.” 

Moving forward, man, a lot of stuff from the original timeline just isn’t going to happen. The D.A. isn’t here, and neither is Umbridge, so that’s not getting busted. No conflict with Marietta. No High Inquisitor either, so Trelawney doesn’t get sacked and Firenze might just be stuck with nothing. There’s still the “The Beetle at Bay” but, nope, we covered that earlier in the story. I mean Harry can have a Valentine's Day date with Ginny but I assume it would go well. Ron likely isn’t going to wind up with anyone in this AU, just by the by. I can’t envision him with anyone other than Hermione, though Ron/Lavender could still happen, and there are clues that Luna might have fancied him…we’ll come back to that. In the meantime, we need to talk about Occlumency. 

Harry has taken his first steps toward trying to understand Snape and see him in a better light. Snape has always struggled to respect Harry as a member of his House, but his recent comparison between James and Umbridge (something a Gryffindor Harry would NEVER have done, not even for tactical advantage) has really messed with Snape’s head and now he doesn’t know what to think of the boy. But perhaps these lessons will help him figure it out. Snape is more disturbed than he lets on at Harry’s memories of the Dursleys, including the one where he hexed them - and then it’s immediately followed by the time he Crucio’d Sirius. Snape tries to ask him about this, but Harry clamps up and looks so distressed that Snape pushes forward and attacks again. He sees Harry’s Boggart. But before he can concentrate on that, he sees the Door from Harry’s dreams (Oh yeah, he’s still having those, did I mention that?) as Harry recognizes it at long last. 

Meanwhile, Harry doesn’t trust Kingsley at all. I mean, he likes him just fine, as Kingsley is a cool guy. But Harry doesn’t know him, and he’s not about to start trusting a stranger whose sole purpose at Hogwarts is to keep an eye on him. Though Kingsley isn’t nearly so “hands-on” and he doesn’t “punish” Harry. Like I said, I think Harry was able to have his romantic Valentine's Day with Ginny. I’m sure Kingsley is more than willing to clear off for stuff like that. But still, between him, Snape, and Sirius - Harry isn’t exactly going to be getting up to any mischief. 

Snape’s Worst Memory would normally happen here, and it’s a pretty damn crucial cornerstone of Harry and Snape’s rivalry as well as Snape’s character as a whole. But I just don’t know if I can see it happening here. See, what motivated Harry to look into the Pensieve in the original timeline was mistrust in Snape, and in this version…against all odds, Harry pretty much does trust Snape right now. Also, Remus and Sirius have already given him a somewhat sanitized version of events, and combined with Snape’s biased version, Harry has more or less put the pieces together on what sort of person James was. I think this means Harry just…continues getting Occlumency lessons? They’re not exactly pleasant but Snape is learning more about Harry’s inner turmoil and it’s making him falter ever so slightly. 

Career Advice time, oh yeah. I have…no idea what Harry would want to do with his life at this point. Because it was only Crouch Junior’s advice that planted the idea of becoming an Auror in Harry’s mind. He never really entertained the idea of being anything else. It’s pretty clear that he was meant to teach Defense Against The Dark Arts, but that hasn’t really been shown off in this timeline much. But what’s extra funny is that Harry has Career Advice with Snape. Imagine if he told Snape that he wanted to teach D.A.D.A. too, oh, that’s hilarious. On the other hand, if he was in any way influenced by Kingsley, he might still want to take the Auror’s path. He could always go pro for Quidditch, having been influenced by Victor Krum, but hell, he just turned down a Seeker Tryout. I don’t see that in the cards for him. I think Snape would likely steer him in the direction of becoming an Auror, probably out of some self-loathing and instinct for Harry, that Snape is thinking “Don’t be like me.” 

No fireworks, and no swamp. Fred and George are totally still inventing, but they’re doing so with no budget, and they have no tyrant to oppose. So it’s just casual stuff. The Quidditch Final arrives and with it, Ron officially reclaims the Weasley is Our King joke and is properly crowned. As with before, Harry’s not playing, but unlike before, I don’t think Hagrid ushers him away. He’d definitely still take him into the Forest to meet Grawp at some point, but with Umbridge gone and Hagrid’s job not on the line, he doesn’t really need to sneak as much. Harry is definitely stunned and slightly terrified of Hagrid’s brother, but Grawp is as adorable as ever. “GRAWP WANT HAGGER!” Bless his enormous heart. Either way, Harry celebrates the win over Ravenclaw with Ron and Ginny. 

I think at around this point, Rita Skeeter would release an article discussing Harry’s childhood memories and - for a real stunner - his Boggart. If she’s still at large, it only makes sense that she’d keep pulling the same crap until she gets caught. Harry shows Snape the article and Snape is momentarily blind with rage at Harry for “taking this interview” but Harry, well and truly familiar with Snape’s bullshit by now, just cuts him off to say that he didn’t give Rita any interviews about his Occlumency lessons. That she must have been spying somehow. They resolve to catch her in the act, and stage another Occlumency lesson where they discuss false memories. (Just for giggles, let’s say they consist of Harry having a midnight duel in first year, brewing polyjuice potion in his second year, and eating some gillyweed just last year.) If all goes to plan, they’ll have proven Rita is spying, and will be able to turn the tables on her. 

Now it’s time for O.W.L.s. The pace has really slowed down, huh? But fortunately, it’s about to pick right back up. At least. I think. I dunno, I’ve got to figure this out. Because it’s time to discuss Voldemort’s plan, and how he would go about things. In the original universe, he uses the mental connection to stage Sirius getting abducted and tortured. He needs to motivate Harry to venture to the Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries and pick up Trelawney’s Prophecy as he and Voldemort are the only ones who can. That’s not going to work this time. Sirius is at Hogwarts. Voldemort needs someone Harry loves and cares about, who isn’t in an immediate vicinity where Harry can just check that they’re okay. But part of the reason this plan worked so well in the OG timeline is that Hogwarts had been drained of all the adults Harry trusted. McGonagall was gone, Dumbledore was gone. Harry legit just forgot about Snape, which says a lot. But in this timeline, they’re all here, and Harry trusts them - especially Sirius, who is also involved. Harry can ask any of them for help, especially since Umbridge is gone. 

Voldemort’s plan only worked because Umbridge had chipped away at Harry’s life piece by piece over the previous ten months. But speaking of Umbridge, she’s going to be the key. I don’t think she took defeat very well, I don’t think she had any intention of just letting the matter go. She would definitely want revenge on Harry, and who’s making the best offer? Well, there’s a rich and esteemed pureblood man with a lot of connections and ties to the Ministry. Yes, I can see Lucius reaching out at Voldemort’s behest to the disgraced Umbridge, and leading her into a trap rather like Wormtail did for Bertha Jorkins in the original universe. Voldemort is going to torture the hell out of Umbridge and break her mind - she spent a great deal of time with Harry and Voldemort wants that intel. Now, why not just possess Umbridge and use her to access the Ministry? Simple. They turned her into a scapegoat. She doesn’t have a job anymore. So she’s useless apart from information, and by the time Voldemort is done with her, Umbridge is little more than a husk. I’d feel bad, but then again, it is Umbridge. Either way, Voldemort now knows all of Harry’s pressure points. Ron. Ginny. Sirius. Hagrid. 

Of course, the alternative solution here is for him to try and Possess Harry again, but for whatever reason, this is the one time in the books where Voldemort just can’t do that. Apparently he’s unable to Possess Harry without feeling excruciating pain because Harry can love. Which um. I’m pretty sure Voldemort’s Possessed other people who can also feel love (like Ginny for instance) but okay. I guess that’s out. Again, it’s #NotMyPlothole, but I’ll respect the canon. 

Actually, wait. There’s a precedent here that works. Voldemort can Possess Ginny. He’s done it before. That’s a way to get Harry to the Department of Mysteries. Even if he’s out of range to do it, he can always send Lucius onto the grounds to do a little Imperius work. So while Harry is undergoing O.W.L.s, Ginny gets possessed and later tries to convince Harry to go investigate the Black Door himself. However, Harry’s scar suddenly erupts with pain and Voldemort realizes his mistake. He warns Harry that he must come to the Department of Mysteries, alone, or he will never see Ginny again. By the time Harry can rise from the floor, by the time the pain stops, Ginny-mort is gone. 

Harry must now find a way to outwit all of the adults in the castle who’d have the means to stop him from rescuing Ginny. But he believes he has to do this alone, just as he felt the same about Umbridge. Voldemort is not one to make idle threats. Like a true Slytherin, he lies to get Kingsley off his tail, warning him that Sirius is acting shady and Harry thinks he might be Possessed. Course, Dumbledore still has The Marauder’s Map, but that shouldn’t be too significant an issue. Assuming he’s even watching, it will be too late by the time he realizes Harry is gone, unless he can guess where Harry’s going. 

No Thestral ride this time, and no Firebolt ride either. Harry likely wouldn’t know how to get to the Ministry by flight, and he doesn’t need to. He has the Slytherin Common Room’s fireplace - as the fires at Hogwarts aren’t being watched in this timeline. But first he needs to get everyone out. Fred and George will need to help him here, possibly with an earlier version of some of those fireworks. No way to be sure who all would be in The Common Room but as it’s studying time for the Fifth Years, at least one of Harry’s House-mates would likely be there, figure out that he’s up to something, and go warn Snape. Either to hinder Harry’s efforts or because they’re genuinely concerned for him.

Harry arrives at The Ministry, and at this point he’s likely expecting to finally be expelled for good this time, when this is all over. He ditched his Supervisor to skip school and all. But he doesn’t care. He has to save Ginny. He stumbles his way through the various rooms in the Department of Mysteries as before. No way to be certain that he’d check the same ones, but I don’t see any of them tripping him up, really. Except maybe the Death Chamber, but he could snap out of that for Ginny’s sake. Then again, this time, does he know what he’s looking for? Actually he could. The Door in his dreams did eventually open. Alternatively, he could use his Scar to navigate, and follow the increasing pain. Or maybe Voldemort just has Lucius stationed at the entrance to escort Harry at wand-point. Either way, he makes it to the Hall of Prophecy. Ginny is there, already bound, and so are The Death Eaters - including but not limited to Lucius, Bellatrix, and Crouch Junior. 

One point of note. I don’t think Ginny’s Possession is going to be fatal or even really harm her much at all, since it was so brief. Compared to Quirrell, Moody, and Crouch Senior who Voldemort Possessed for months on end. Another point of note, and this will be important later. I suspect Rita Skeeter’s next article would come out at around this time. Where, sure enough, she talks all about the fake memories that Harry and Snape discussed during their staged Legilimency lesson. So now Harry and associates know that Rita is spying on him. Now they’re sure. They’ve just got bigger problems to deal with first. We’ll be coming back to this. 

Back at the Ministry, Harry is kind of screwed. It’s rather like the movie where he’s got little choice but to retrieve the Prophecy and hand it over, despite Ginny telling him “don’t you dare-” etc. So what’s going to save him? Actually, I think Crouch and Bellatrix get into a spat over who will accept the Prophecy from Harry and bring it back to Voldemort. That’s something to think about - they both consider themselves Voldemort’s favorite, and in this timeline, they’re both here. They’ve both endured hardships and likely think that makes them superior to each other. They’re going to be competing nonstop, much to the chagrin of the other Death Eaters. Course, neither of them will let Lucius be the one to take the Prophecy. He’s not important enough. Harry waits for an opening, but this time he doesn’t have a crew of six to back him up, at least not yet. 

Back at the castle, Kingsley and Sirius are arguing as Sirius tries to figure out what’s going on. Snape, meanwhile, has been informed of the commotion in the Slytherin Common Room and now Harry has turned up missing. Again. Kingsley realizes he’s been had. The staff all meet to figure out what’s going on, as Dumbledore pours over the Map. This is when Sirius realizes he has it, and he’s not exactly happy about that. However, they eventually realize that Ginny is missing too. Secret unauthorized Hogsmeade date perhaps? Well, they check in with Rosmerta and Aberforth, but Dumbledore already knew that idea was too good to be true. 

Snape is the one to figure it out, having seen inside Harry’s mind and seen his dreams. He realizes Harry has gone to investigate the Department of Mysteries and curses the boy for his stupidity, leading to a fight with Sirius, before McGonagall and Dumbledore have to calm everyone down. Kingsley leaves to find Harry before other Ministry officials do, but Sirius insists on coming along. Dumbledore, following his instincts, requests that they bring more members of The Order. 

In the Hall of Prophecy, Harry has figured out what to do. With his best baseball arm, he flings the Prophecy into the darkness, and as the Death Eaters chase after it, he frees Ginny from her binds and the two of them make a break for it. It’s safe to say the Prophecy breaks when Harry throws it, though. I guess that thread of fate just cannot be severed. What follows is a game of cat and mouse where the Death Eaters chase Harry and Ginny through the various rooms. This would be around the point where The Order shows up. Some of them, anyway. 

We’ve got Sirius and Kingsley, and presumably Remus as well as maybe Tonks. (oh yeah, she’s still in the series, Harry just hasn’t met her before) but that’s about it. Moody’s dead. Dumbledore and Snape are still at Hogwarts. Keep in mind, they aren’t going to realize this is a Death Eater trap until it’s too late. The Order thinks they’re just picking up Harry from another day of his causing trouble. The numbers are not in their favor and they’re about to walk into an ambush, basically. 

What’s also curious is that one of the Death Eaters here is Theodore’s father. Along with Lucius, and Crabbe and Goyle’s dads too. That’s a series of gut punches for Harry. He didn’t actually know until now that Lucius was a Death Eater (though he likely suspected it) as the Graveyard scene never happened this time. Then there’s Dolohov, who cast some horrid curse with violet fire that nearly killed Hermione. But it failed because she had already Silencio’d him. Easy enough to just translate that onto Ginny but it feels almost too easy. Whatever, it’s a minor detail. We all know what happens next. 

Sorry, but it just has to happen. I can see no reason why it wouldn’t still go down the same way, and given how Sirius took up the Defense Against The Dark Arts position…yeah, something was going to have to remove him from this equation anyway. 

So, yeah. Bellatrix gets into a duel with Sirius and ultimately kills him, knocking him through the Veil. Remus has to stop Harry from jumping in after him, and has to break down that Sirius is gone. Poor Remus, man, he just cannot catch a break, can he? Either way, the duel continues and as before, Harry breaks free from Remus’ hold and pursues Bellatrix into the room with all the statues. Now for the million galleon question. Does Harry kill her? Or try, anyway? He…might. He wanted to kill her in the original timeline, and in this one he’s a hell of a lot closer to Sirius, what with seeing him every day and living with him since the end of POA. Not to mention the guilt he always felt about Crucio-ing Sirius before he knew the truth. So I dunno if I see him actually using Crucio again, not after that incident. But he could at least attempt Avada Kedavra. Perhaps he misses? The statues aren’t exactly going to protect Bellatrix though, and she certainly wouldn’t see it coming. 

It feels like Harry is just going darker and darker and I don’t think that would happen just because he’s in Slytherin, but I do think that given who Harry is, and the destiny the world forces on him, getting sorted into Slytherin has created a massive contradiction in his own heart and in the eyes of everyone who sees him, and he doesn’t know how to deal with that. He’s in Voldemort’s House, and all of his loved ones are in that House’s rival, as were his parents. How is he supposed to handle that? 

I think I know what happens. I think Harry does kill Bellatrix. Because like I said, she’s not going to see it coming. She didn’t see Crucio coming in the original timeline and while Harry might not “mean” it with true malice, I think that only really applies to the Cruciatus Curse. There’s no spectrum like that for killing someone with Avada Kedavra. They either die or they don’t, and no one apart from Harry has ever survived that curse. Again, I don’t see him using Crucio on someone after the Shrieking Shack incident, and with how much closer he is to Sirius…yep, Bellatrix is dead as a doornail. 

Voldemort arrives, and Harry initially doesn’t even know who he is. He’s never seen him before. But his scar is exploding with pain and there’s this strange man, eerie and haunted-looking, yet with the ghost of features that were likely once handsome and perhaps still are from certain lights. I’m picturing first-war era Voldemort, know what I’m saying? Voldemort is consumed with rage upon seeing that Harry has slain one of his most devoted followers, and he attacks, attempting to kill Harry. The statutes…probably? Still protect him? I’m not sure why they wouldn’t. 

More importantly, this is the first time Harry has dueled Voldemort. Yew versus Holly, and we all know what that means. The Death Eaters and the Order members plus Ginny likely all stumble on the effects of Priori Incantatem. I’m assuming Harry still “wins” this duel by sending the gold beads back into Voldemort’s wand and conjuring images of his parents. Like I don’t see why any of that would change. Remus is choked up to see them, especially since Sirius just died (and I bet both he and Harry were hoping to see him too and wondering why they didn’t.) But the echoes help Harry retreat, grab Ginny and Remus, and tell him to get them out of here. He disapparates them back to Grimmauld Place. 

Interesting point of note. Had Harry lost the Priori Incantatem battle of wills, an echo of Bellatrix would have appeared and likely assisted Voldemort instead. And hey, that could still happen, and it would be extremely interesting, especially if she reveals to everyone who killed her. But, Harry won the bout in the original timeline. And I don’t see a reason why he wouldn’t this time. Either way, I think it’s safe to say Remus splinches the ever loving crap out of himself because imagine trying to apparate in a warzone after watching your oldest friend die, and seeing ghosts of two of your other close friends? Yeah, Remus is not gonna be able to concentrate in those conditions, and he’s gonna be laid up for a while as Healers fix him up. 

Voldemort has work to do. He gathers his followers and they disapparate, bringing Bellatrix’s body with them. They want to leave no evidence of their return, and this time, the heroes did not win. They only escaped, and they didn’t have Dumbledore or anything. So this battle being what definitely proves Voldemort’s return is…kind of not really going to stick this time. Sirius is dead as well, but there’s no body, and no way to prove Bellatrix killed him in the first place. There is evidence that someone broke into the Department of Mysteries and destroyed Ministry property, but that’s it. Voldemort also does not tell The Death Eaters how Bellatrix died. He wants them to think of Harry’s survival at Godric’s Hollow as a fluke. 

The question of casualties is a tricky one, because it would be so easy to just say that certain characters died in this battle, but the truth is I just can’t be sure. The Order didn’t know they were heading into a fight, and Harry also didn’t have The D.A. with him. How can I know for sure that other people would die or choose who that might be? On the other hand, is it unrealistic to say that Sirius and Bellatrix are the only casualties? Or is that enough? Tonks was injured in the battle, should I just say she was killed off instead? Or is that not fair? Hm, as a compromise, I just won’t feature her much at all going forward, and I’m totally not just doing that because I dislike Remadora. Nah, let’s just say Tonks was also killed in the battle. That she was struck by that curse that hit Hermione in the original timeline. It’s harsh, but it's also realistic. Man, The Black family really took a hit, huh? 

Harry likely doesn’t even return to school at this point, since exams were already pretty much over anyway. But he is brought in, possibly to Dumbledore’s office, to be questioned by Kingsley about what happened before they got there. Kingsley is gentle as obviously, Harry is still in mourning. Harry falters and Dumbledore fills in the blanks with a story about how Voldemort killed Bellatrix for failing to procure the Prophecy and for taking out Sirius, who could have otherwise been valuable leverage against Harry. This is also the story Voldemort would tell his Death Eaters. Harry gratefully goes along with this story, and while Kingsley isn’t really buying it, he accepts it and leaves. Snape is also in the corner and he attempts to use Legilimency on Harry, but Harry has been trained better this time and he brings up the Occlumency barriers. Snape is both frustrated and ever so slightly proud, but that’s a small part of his soul that he will never acknowledge. 

Dumbledore dismisses everyone else to talk to Harry alone, and this talk includes many subjects. It covers everything from the original chat they had in the OOTP book. Though Dumbledore also makes it clear that he knows what Harry did and such behavior is unacceptable. That he is letting it pass because he has to, because there are more important matters to deal with. But, if Harry carries on like he is now, he could wind up in Azkaban or worse. He could turn out to be just as bad as Voldemort. As of this point, the Ministry agrees to lift the whole “Supervisor” requirement, but I think this may also be where Harry begins to question if Aurorship is really for him. I mean, he hasn’t exactly made friends with The Ministry. 

Let’s talk about Ginny for a second. She was taken into The Department of Mysteries and could have died in a dangerous battle, all because of Harry. Now, it wasn’t really his fault, and he also did everything in his power to save her, but the point stands nonetheless. I’m not sure how Arthur and Molly feel about Harry at this point, my guess is that their feelings are not positive, but even if they do like him…I think this is going to be their breaking point. Though Harry did save Arthur’s life and he can point that out. Actually, maybe they do like Harry, but are just very concerned for their children. They’d try to forbid Ron and Ginny from associating with him for their own safety. Well, Molly would. It’s not actually gonna happen, though. Seriously, have they met Ginny? She and Ron will be at Hogwarts and basically outside of Molly’s jurisdiction. She could ask the teachers to keep Harry away from her kids if she really wanted to, but dealing with Harry Potter is already such a headache for most of them, and they can see that he doesn’t really mean any harm, so I don’t think they’d really take to that assignment. 

For her part, I think Ginny is freshly traumatized from having been Possessed again, and she and Harry can talk about that. Might cause distance between them or it might bring them even closer, who knows. I guess we’ll have to see in subsequent installments. 

That about sums everything up. There are loose ends, like Harry’s potentially growing relationships with Snape and Draco, but those will also have to be tackled in future installments. Same goes for Rita Skeeter. Oh! Here’s an interesting thought. Lucius did not get arrested this time, and altogether the fiasco was not his fault. It was Crouch and Bellatrix who got distracted, and with Bellatrix dead, there’s only one person for Voldemort to blame. He’s not going to kill Crouch but this may have consequences in the future. One of which being that Draco probably doesn’t get inducted into The Death Eaters. That was only done to punish Lucius…oh, this is going to be fun. 

Things are darkening more and more, though I s'pose OOTP was always a gloomy installment in the first place. Let's see how things play out in Year 6!

[pet-genius]

The Death Eaters weren't all about the blood prejudice

And no, that's not the same as saying they weren't prejudiced. Of course they were.

Here's what I am saying: there's a narrative by which, Voldemort took over the wizarding world with the agenda of obliterating and excluding Muggle-borns, which had been foreign to most wizards and indeed forced on them by the tyrant. Indeed, that was his main thing.

I think a more plausible view is that he piggy-backed on that ideology that had already been mainstream, to gain influence and pursue his true ends - immortality, power, and control.

Evidence:

(1) Voldemort wanted to recruit Lily. This evidence is weak, I admit - but it already makes him less fanatical than Bellatrix (and probably Lucius too).

(2) Hagrid doesn't associate Voldemort's followers with blood purism even when explaining what the term "Mudblood" means.

(3) Voldemort himself says: “Haven’t I already told you that killing Mudbloods doesn’t matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been — you.” Funnily enough, there are very few Muggle-borns Voldemort's credited with killing. I can only think of Myrtle and Lily. He had killed Myrtle to prove his Slytherin connection, and he didn't even want to kill Lily. Voldemort's not an ideologue, he's an opportunist, and blood purism was a way to ingratiate himself to the Nobility of the Wizarding World.

(4) In the second war, Umbridge, a non-Death Eater, is the one who has most of the fun with the Muggle Born Registration Committee.

(5) Speaking of Umbridge, she is one of the most openly prejudiced characters in the series, and she moved up in the Ministry, ahead of Arthur Weasley, who was punished for not having proper Wizarding pride. This was after Voldemort fell. And the Minister they chose after the First War was Fudge, whom Dumbledore accused of caring too much about blood purity.

(6) When Rita Skeeter publishes her BS article about Hermione, Harry Potter's supporters send her hate mail that calls her a "Muggle," meaning people didn't immediately associate supporting Harry Potter with not being blood purists. For that purpose, people actually believed Harry was the one taking out all the Muggle-borns in COS.

Yes, we have Lily associating prejudice against people like her and the Death Eaters. We have Regulus who talked about ruling the Muggles and the Muggle-borns. But this proves only that the Death Eaters were willing to go further than others, not that they invented these ideas, never mind that both of them were privy to information (from Dumbledore and from their DE relatives, respectively) other people didn't have, including not necessarily accurate information intended to recruit them to the cause. As evidence goes, this is pretty weak.

Sirius says: "No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the Wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having purebloods in charge. They weren’t alone either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colors, who thought he had the right idea about things. . . . They got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though."

Doesn't it make sense to think that... some of what Voldemort was prepared to do to get power was to co-opt an ideology he didn't care about, while conveniently making exceptions for the odd Muggle-born he wanted on his side? Or the odd half-blood?

Voldemort rallies his supporters with talk of the true blood but the context is punishing Tonks and then Charity Burbage - so, again, he is using their existing beliefs to excite them.

This is not a tolerant and open-minded society. This is a prejudiced society with a psychopath taking advantage of preexisting fear and hate to pit people against one another, sow fear, and take over. Again, my thesis is not that the Death Eaters weren't blood purists. It's that they were maybe only a tad more purist than was considered mainstream, a shade less "hypocritical" about it. Well, Hypocrisy is a tribute that vice pays to virtue. Goes to show you there are worse things in the world than being a hypocrite. For example, being a raging violent maniac (but a sincere one).

I think it's one of the best, most interesting bits of writing in the series. I think we all know a prejudiced person or two who isn't as obsessively hateful as Bellatrix, but just... doesn't care enough. Just thinks there's probably something to both sides of the argument or some such. Who has nothing to gain from rocking the boat. Above all, picturing the Death Eaters as transparently evil people dead-set on ridding their society of Muggle-borns for no good reason and against people's general wishes just doesn't make much sense and frankly makes for a worse book. It's hard to picture how they ever became successful if they came out of the blue, frothing at the mouth about a group of people that had been contributing to Wizarding Society for generations, if this had been the case. This post, by yours truly, goes into detail about how I view the Death Eaters and Voldemort's Modus Operandi.

[hchollym]

I read your post about Percy being a spy during book 7, it makes sense perfectly and many people believe it also (except the fact that if he was, why Rowling didn't clearly tell it? because of time restricted? Voluntarily, like something she intentionnaly hiden?) I just wanted to add two little things which i have never see people point out, and who may support this theory: Percy had become a departement director after the war, we didn't have more information about this but it's likely that he was one of the youngest departement head ever, if not the youngest. From the little we know and can feel, he seem to be a respected man in the reformed ministry. I am not convinced that he could have accessed to a very hight position if he had gotten along, even if it was by obligation, with the voldemord government (and people don't pay attention but we are even free to go as far as imagine that he become minister since cursed child is evidently not canon and JKR know it), despite having participed in the battle at hogwart. He may have fake his loyalty and end up with "the good guys", but he had still been associated for months with the last minister and this had chances to have limited his career perspectives. I may have totally wrong, but i tend to thinks that his hight position after the war can also be a argument. Another thing is that we can wonder what he tells to Aberforth exactly for him to believe and had confidence in him (obviously he totally had, otherwise he wouldn't have call him for the battle). It's possible that they had acquaintance in common who have assured him that Percy was truswhorthy, but we don't know. But i doubt that Percy just arrived and say "hi, i am the son of Arthur Weasley, the one who had deserted and was assistant to Fudge and Scrimgeour, i want to go back to my family but i can't, can you call me if something happen? It's possible that it was that and not go further (they just talk and Aberforth understand him), but i think that Percy had give him some guarantee other than that. It's very obscure anyway. What do you thinks?

Sorry for the long post, i hope you read me until the end of this!

I love getting longs posts like this, because I enjoy reading other people's perspectives, so no worries! 😄

I don’t think it matters much that Rowling didn’t specifically say that Percy was a spy. She had plenty of “ghost” or dropped storylines in the series, and even after the 7th book, she left quite a few unresolved story arcs. She also didn’t tend to focus too much on the plots involving minor characters, so I feel like Percy being a spy is just another one of those things that she ultimately didn’t want to waste too many pages on.

I agree with you completely about your first point. After the series ended, Rowling said, “Percy ended up as a high-ranking official under Kingsley.” What’s interesting though is that she also made the statement that, "Any Ministry officials who knowingly and willingly went with Voldemort's ideologies during the time when the Ministry was under his control were sentenced to Azkaban." So what exactly is considered ‘willingly’? It’s incredibly vague, because it would be hard to prove whether someone went along with the Ministry because they wanted to vs. they were afraid of the consequences if they didn’t (especially since law enforcement didn’t regularly use Veritaserum in questioning suspects due to its limitations). 

Percy was working directly with the Minister of Magic while it was under Voldemort’s control. He would have gone along with everything the Minister did - on the surface anyway - and would have been involved with the new laws based on the deplorable ideologies (more so than many other officials in the Ministry). Frankly, if he wasn’t a spy, that would have been enough to sentence him to Azkaban, regardless of his involvement in the final battle (because one good deed does not exonerate someone from past war crimes). So the fact that Percy didn’t go to Azkaban and became a high-ranking official instead is very telling; it implies that Kingsley had no doubts about his loyalty before the battle, which would only really be possible if Percy was proven to be a spy. 

I also agree that Aberforth would have needed to trust Percy in order to risk contacting him. If Percy were actually aligned with the Death Eaters, then Aberforth would have given him full access through a secret tunnel to Hogwarts and the people opposing Voldemort. In that situation, Percy could have led all the Death Eaters inside in a surprise attack and the battle would have been over before it began. Aberforth needed to have at least some assurances that Percy was not a traitor. 

As you said, it’s possible that he came to that conclusion after having a conversation with Percy, but I tend to doubt it. Aberforth was rather cynical and not overly trusting. I think Percy proved himself in some way (such as passing on vital information) in order for Aberforth to directly reach out to him. Also keep in mind that Aberforth was likely contacting as many allies as possible - Percy was only one person (as opposed to a big group of people that could have joined them), and yet Aberforth took the time to specifically let him know what was happening. That implies that there was a stronger connection between the two of them than just a quick conversation about loyalty. 

You made some excellent points, and thank you for sharing them! 😊

[ourloveisforthelovely]

In Love and Death Chapter 15

Harry Potter AU 

Link to Chapter 14

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader 

Rating: M

______

After Sirius calmed down, you went upstairs to the bedroom for a nap. After all of the excitement, you needed some rest. Regulus sat on the bed when you walked in. He looked up at you with those “please love me” eyes that typically got him anything that he wanted.

Ugh, why does he have to be so fudging adorable?

You thought as Regulus finally spoke.

“Is he okay?”

You nodded, sitting down beside him.

“I think I calmed him down. Regulus smirked. If there was someone that could talk anyone down after being upset by something...it was you. Even though you were typically sarcastic and sassy, you knew how to handle upset people like a champ.

“How did you do it? Scotch?”

Both of you laughed at that. It had been days since the two of you had a conversation like this and you realized how much that you missed it. You had missed “your” Regulus more than anything else. His sudden sullen quietness that he usually reserved for other people being directed at you was more hurtful than any of his icy words could have been. You understood though. He was still in a panicked state over you running after Harry and Bellatrix. It was risky...you had to admit that (especially given your condition). Had the roles been reversed you would have probably been a wreck to. You may have chosen your words and actions a little differently but you would have been upset.

“That is actually a brilliant idea, darling. I just talked him down. That’s what he needed. It's clearly a shock.”

Regulus took your hand in his as he traced his fingers over your palm. A “shock” was a great way of putting what he had just witnessed. Knowing that he had a niece that was 10 was a definite shock to Regulus’ system. He had tried to process his thoughts on the matter and was only coming up with anger and annoyance. Regulus’ main source of annoyance was with the child’s mother, whoever she was. The woman should have come to Sirius when she found out that she was expecting. He was already raising Harry so he could have easily supported his own child.

Your voice pulled Regulus from his thoughts.

“How are you feeling about it?”

Regulus turned his attention back to you.

“I don’t know. I mean...I always suspected that Sirius would knock some girl up with the way that he behaved but it's different now that it actually happened. Part of me is angry that Sirius is getting hit with this 10 years later. I mean, he’s missed 10 years of this child’s life. Another part is pissy because there wasn’t much that I could do to help him being dead and all. The last part is thrilled that this child didn’t grow up with my family...you know what a hot disaster that is. However, I have no idea what kind of trauma this child did grow up with...it could be 10 times worse than whatever we had to offer.”

You lay your head on his shoulder with a sigh. Regulus was definitely right on that one. This kid could be 100% blissfully normal or could be some poor damaged thing that grew up like yourself.

“Either way, she just lost her mother. That will be rough. No matter if a parent is cruel or not...when you lose a parent it's painful. You think about what you could have had if the fates would have been remotely kind to you.”

You said, sadly. Regulus immediately frowned, feeling awful. That statement alone told Regulus how you were feeling. No matter how tough of a front that you put up, you were missing your own mother. It was probably the way Regulus felt when he “woke up” to find that both of his own parents were dead. There was a mixture of relief and sadness.

“We can give the child something better, you know? I think Sirius will do just fine. It may be a bit of a dumpster fire at first but at least we won’t be our parents.”

You had to agree with Regulus on that one. Sirius, Regulus, and yourself at least knew what “not to do.” The three of you wouldn’t care if the child was a Slytherin or a Gryffindor or any house for that matter. You would see the child’s talents and what made that child “special.”

“That's true. We are most certainly not them.”

The two of you sat in silence until you squeaked as the baby shoved another little foot in your ribs. Regulus’ head turned in your direction.

“Are you okay?”

You nodded.

“I would be if your child would leave my ribs alone.”

Regulus smirked before gently placing his hand on your stomach. You were thrilled to see him smile when the baby moved under his hand.

“The baby has been moving a lot lately.”

Regulus commented, his smile not leaving his face.

“I guess I should stop drinking coffee if I want to make it another month. Just so you know, we are never doing this again.”

Regulus nodded. He was fine with this being the only one. Now that he knew healers didn’t know everything, he was pleased with the outcome.

“That’s fine with me. Y/n, about the past few days...I’m sorry that I have been a dick. Watching you run off after my psycho cousin scared the crap out of me. You know that I couldn’t function without you. Since I came back from whatever it was that Voldemort did to me...you’ve been the constant that I needed.”

You copied his action of taking his hand in yours and stroking your fingers over his palm. This was one of the ways to calm him down. A few soft strokes of your hand would leave Regulus a moldable little lump of clay in your hands.

“In your defense, it was kind of dumb for me to run after her.”

Regulus rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t have to be a dick though.”

“You had your reasons. Let's just say everything is okay and move on, huh?”

Regulus nodded, feeling thrilled for that outcome. If he could just have you back as his lover and things be normal he would be fine with everything in his life.

“That sounds really nice.”

The next morning you stood with Regulus and Sirius as the three of you waited to finally meet Lucinda. Neither Regulus nor Sirius had said much since arriving at the ministry. Sirius had been a nervous wreck all morning and had been anxiously tapping his fingers on any surface that he could get his hands on. It was Regulus that finally told him to “fucking stop.”

You couldn’t help but smile at the difference between both brothers. Sirius stood looking like his typical rock’n’roll god self while Regulus stood at your side in the dark suit that hugged his slender body perfectly.

Now isn’t the time to start drooling over him.

You thought with a smile as Sirius turned to his brother.

“What do I say?”

Regulus didn’t make a facial expression or turn to face his brother. How the fuck was he supposed to tell Sirius what to say when he didn’t know himself.

Hi, we are your family but just found out about you.

Hello, you’re coming with us. Do you have any emotional issues that we should know about?

Regulus had to choke back a smirk at both of those thoughts. Sirius was going to have to tackle this one. Regulus had no idea what he would say if the shoe was on the other foot.

“You could start with hello.”

Regulus suggested earning a sneer from his older brother.

“I am so glad that I asked you for help.”

Regulus again didn’t turn to his elder brother.

“You know that I’m not good at these things.”

“She’s your niece too.”

Sirius commented. Finally, Regulus turned to look at his brother.

“I am very much aware of that. Have you thought about just what we are getting ourselves into, Sirius? This child could be damaged...worse than what we were.”

Sirius closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about that. The last thing that he wanted to consider was his own child could have had a worse childhood than him. In all of his years, Sirius had sworn that if he were to ever have a child that she/he would never grow up with abuse. Now that promise could have been for nothing…

“She’s still my daughter...traumatized or not. I can’t just do nothing.”

Regulus frowned.

“That isn’t what I meant. I only meant that we should both be prepared for the worst.”

Sirius nodded.

“You shouldn’t worry about it. You have your own family to deal with. Y/n will have your baby soon. You shouldn’t be worried about mine.”

The sentence left Sirius’ mouth before he really thought about what he had said. He knew, if it had been years before, Regulus would do nothing to help him. He would probably sit back and watch him suffer. It wasn’t until Sirius saw the annoyed expression on Regulus’ face did he realize that his brother wasn’t going to just leave him behind.

“You’re talking crazy. Whether I have my own family or not, you are still my brother and I’m not letting you do this alone.”

You sniffed earning a stare from both Regulus and Sirius.

“God damn these pregnancy hormones...you two are making me want to cry. This is worse than the sad abused pet commercial.”

Before Sirius or Regulus could make a comment, a witch stepped out of the office. Her attention went to Sirius before smiling politely.

“Mr. Black, I am sorry to have kept you waiting. If you all will come with me.”

Sirius was crossing the room without a second thought. Regulus’ hand wrapped around yours, seeking reassurance that only you could provide. You gave him a small smile before the two of you followed Sirius into a small office. The witch turned with another kind smile.

“She hasn’t said more than two words since she has been with us. I believe that the poor dear has suffered something horrible in her short life.”

Regulus turned to face you with a dark expression that said “I knew it.” Sirius was unable to say a word so it was Regulus that turned to the woman and said a quiet thank you.

The three of you waited until the witch walked out of the room before turning to face the small girl sitting by the window. Both Sirius and Regulus glanced at each other as the little girl turned. Right away both brothers could see their mother as a child looking back at them. Everything about Lucinda screamed Walburga Black only with deliberate differences. She was a lot smaller than Walburga at ten years old.

You, meanwhile, couldn’t help but smile. Everything about her screamed Sirius and Regulus Black. Her eyes matched her father’s, however, the expression on her face reminded you of Regulus.

The poor dear looked scared to death. Your newly acquired maternal instincts kicked in and you wanted nothing more than to hug the poor little girl and stroke your fingers through her curly dark hair...yet another feature that she shared with Regulus.

You stood quietly beside Regulus as Sirius knelt down in front of Lucinda and spoke quietly.

“Hi sweetheart, I know this all has to be very confusing for you and I’m sorry that you are going through the things that you are. I’m…”

“You’re my father. I know. I heard what the woman out there said to some other people.”

Sirius nodded.

“I am. I don’t know everything about you, dear but I won’t let anything bad happen to you again. You can have a family now. Speaking of which, this is your uncle Regulus and aunt Y/n. They are going to help take care of you too.”

The whole way back to Grimmauld Place, Lucinda didn’t say much. Her eyes were focused solely on the road in front of her. You had a feeling that Regulus was going to be right about the whole thing. This poor dear had seen things that children hadn’t seen and had no idea how to recover from it.

You stood in the kitchen helping Tonks cook dinner. Tonks gave you a smile before patting your arm.

“You know that it is all going to be okay, right? We are going to get the little love straightened out and before long we’ll all make some strange big happy family.”

Regulus was sitting at the table and laughed at Tonks’ comment.

“She’s onto something, Y/n. Notice that she said strange. I think that's fitting.”

“Strange works for us.”

You commented as Lucinda walked in. She sat down across from Regulus. Her eyes had locked on you watching your every move. Tonks elbowed you in the side with a small grin as if telling you to “work some magic.”

“So sweetheart, what foods do you not like?

The little girl shrugged.

“I’m not picky ma’am.”

Regulus’ eyes rolled up from the paper as you tilted your head.

“You don’t have to call me ma’am.”

Lucinda shrugged.

“Mother would have beaten me if I didn’t.”

Both Regulus and yourself locked gazes. You could see the fury quickly building in your lover’s face as he pressed his lips together. Taking a breath, you crossed the room and sat down beside Lucinda.

“I had a mother like that too. Lucinda you were born into a family that didn’t appreciate you. Now things are going to be very different. You have a lot of people who care for you now.”

The following weeks proved to be some of the more difficult for everyone in the house. You quickly began to realize how much Lucinda’s early childhood reminded you of your own and it was one of the more painful things that you had dealt with in a long time. Lucinda reminded you so much of yourself as a child. She was quiet, agreeable, and quickly grown to following you all over the place (and you didn’t mind). She was quickly opening up to everyone a little more with each day.

You smiled at how much she reminded you of an even mixture of Regulus and Sirius. Something told you that once she “came into her own,” Lucinda would be the perfect little trouble maker. Sirius was too good at getting caught. Lucinda, however, had Regulus’ sneaky nature and would probably get away with whatever the task was.

One morning, you stood in the kitchen feeding your obsessive need for hot chocolate. Regulus and Sirius had gone off on a mission leaving Tonks and yourself at home with Lucinda.

“Hot chocolate again?”

Tonks smirked at the expression on your face as you shoved another bite of a cupcake in your mouth.

“Yes.”

Tonks gave Lucinda a playful smile before turning back to you.

“If you keep feeding that baby like that, he will never want to be born.”

You rolled your eyes before turning and going off in search of a bottle of water.

“Yeah, well I don’t think that is going to be happening.”

Tonks quickly sat up on the counter.

“Yeah, and why is that?”

You turned.

“Considering that I have been having contractions all morning off and on.”

Tonks' amused expression immediately turned to worry. She quickly looked down at her watch. Jumping off of the counter, Tonks quickly began to pace.

“It's too soon. You have another month and a half. Have you called Regulus?”

“Tonks, it's a bit early to panic. It isn’t like my water…”

As soon as you said it a wet sensation went down your legs. Tonks met your gaze as her mouth dropped. She quickly turned and tossed her phone at Lucinda who effortlessly caught it.

“Darling, call your father and uncle. Keep calling them obnoxiously until one of them answers the phone.”

Tonks turned back to you. She gently pushed you into an empty chair. Had it not been for the pain of another contraction you may laugh at the hilarity of the situation. Tonks was spazzing out as if she had never given birth herself.

“There’s no stopping it now. I’m going to go get Molly. She of all people will know what to do. I want to sit here and breathe. REMUS!”

“Right here, why are you yelling, darling?”

Remus asked, stepping into the room looking confused. Tonks was practically jumping up and down as she pointed to you over and over. Remus raised an eyebrow.

“My water broke.”

You explained. Remus’ mouth dropped as he followed his wife’s example and checked his watch.

“It…”

“Too early...I know...baby is coming…”

You whimpered through gritted teeth. Lucinda was still playing phone tag with Sirius and Regulus. She finally gave up and turned to you.

“I’m not getting either of them, aunty. Dad’s line just rings and Regulus’ is going straight to voicemail.”

You rolled your eyes before internally muttering to yourself to calm down. The last thing that you wanted to do was traumatize the poor girl in front of you anymore.

“Regulus probably broke his phone again.”

Remus finally pulled himself out of his own state of worry.

“I’ll go get them. I know where they went.”

You nodded as Remus disappeared from the room. Molly quickly appeared into the room taking Remus' place. Her friendly face was full of worry as she reached you. Tonks was behind her still looking as if she was taking Regulus’ place in having a panic attack. It took all that you had not to giggle.

“Y/n, Dora said that your water broke?”

You nodded, still trying to keep your calm and casual persona.

“Yep. That is the way that it looks. I think Dora is having a worse time though.”

Molly quickly reached out for your hand.

“Come on, we need to get you into bed.”

You shook your head.

“Oh no...not yet. I want to wait right here to tell Regulus that my mother was right. Sex is bad.”

Molly instantly broke out into a fit of laughter. Had she not been through childbirth so many times; the comment wouldn’t be as funny. Hearing it come from the first time mum was all the more adorable.

“I’ll be sure to let him know what you said. Now come, dear. We need to get you settled.”

______

@amelie-black @truly-insatiable @fandomsxxregulus @realgaytrash @lucasfilms77 @spiderxalmighty @whymyparentscheckmyphone @jessyballet @knreidy1 @quuenofblacks @bennyberry @hazncalsgal @teletubiswszpilkach @acciosiriusblack @fific7 @sunles @rubyroscoe1 @criminalyetminimal @exhsle @sluttforsirius @brokencasbutt67-writer @authoressskr @fandom-trash-worth-it @hankypranky @summer-novak @li0nh34rt @tas898 @marichromatic @shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @knight-of-gleefulness @stuckinsaudi1 @untoldshortsofthefandoms @sprnaturallover @deanwherescas @shitfaceddaniel @wontlookaway @mycuddlycorner

[senadimell]

If you've got time to share, I'd love to hear more about your thoughts around Snape and Lupin.

@deathdaydungeon, here you are!

After a conversation with @frederick-the-great, I’ve been thinking about Lupin, Snape, and what they say about morality in HP. I’m not talking about the troublesome white hats, black hats morality, but am instead looking at from this angle: Lupin is nice and well-liked, but often lacks a backbone, whereas Snape is mean and disliked, but incredibly brave. Which is more important? I find Harry’s last sacrifice to be a useful point by which we measure their impact.

Lupin and Snape useful to compare on several important fronts.

As foils for each others’ teaching methods

The way they deal with social disadvantage

Their connections to Harry’s father and how they pass on James’ legacy

1) They both teach at Hogwarts, and are foils for each other in many ways. Snape is mean and takes away points. He’s seen as selfish. His classes are hard and unpleasant for Harry. He’s mean to Neville, and rather than encouraging him, mocks him and belittles him, which just adds to the overall disaster of Neville’s poor self-esteem mixing badly with potions class.

However, even Umbridge admits that Snape’s teaching methods work, and she’s working for Fudge who doesn’t like Death Eaters and has been defied by Snape in GoF, so we know he’s effective for a lot of people, if not Neville.

Yet, for all that, Snape saves Harry’s life multiple times. On top of that, Snape wants to keep the fact that he saved Harry’s life a secret.

“Very well. Very Well. But never--Never tell, Dumbledore! This must be between us! Swear it, I cannot bear...especially Potter’s son...I want your word!

My word, Severus, that I will never reveal the best of you? Dumbledore sighed, looking down into Snape’s ferocious, anguished face. “If you insist...”

DH 679, The Prince’s Tale

Conversely, Lupin is nice and rewards points. He’s seen as generous. His classes are fun and interesting for Harry. He’s kind to Neville, and expresses confidence in him that leads him to succeed and do well. That confidence is a huge part of Neville’s character development. I doubt he’d grow into the resistance leader in DH if not for the many times teachers expressed confidence in him, like Dumbledore in PS, Lupin in PoA, Fake!Moody in GoF, and Harry in OotP. Harry certainly approves of his methods:

“You’re the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we’ve ever had!” said Harry. “Don’t go!”

PoA 424, Owl Post Again

However, it’s worth noticing that Hermione does worse on his exam than we ever see. She fails the Boggart test, and she and Harry were the only two people not permitted to experience the Boggart in class. Lupin’s teaching methods aren’t foolproof. Despite that, he’s overall seen as a nice guy and good teacher.

Yet Lupin endangers Harry’s life. The secrets he keeps are dangerous: his secret to keep is that he’s a werewolf and  actively endangered three students lives with his negligence, as well as the fact that he hid a secret about a believed and convicted mass murderer to save face with Dumbledore.

“That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you’d given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?”

“A thought that still haunts me,” Lupin said heavily. “And there were near misses, many of them. We laughed about them afterwards. We were young, thoughtless--carried away with out own cleverness.

“I sometimes felt guilty about betraying Dumbledore’s trust, of course....he had admitted me to Hogwarts when no other headmasters would have done so, and he had no idea I was breaking the rules he had set down for my own and others’ safety. He never knew I had led three fellow students into becoming Animagi illegally. But I always managed to forget my guilty feelings every time we sat down to plan our next month’s adventure. And I haven’t changed...

Lupin’s face had hardened, and there was self-disgust in his voice. “All this year I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn’t do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I’d betrayed his tryst while I was at school, admitting that I’d led others along with me...and Dumbledore’s trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using Dark Arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had nothing to do with it...so in a way, Snape’s been right about me all along.”

PoA 355, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

Plan is emphasized because those trips that ended in “near misses” weren’t some impulsive romp. They were planned and coordinated in advance.

“I just saw Hagrid,” said Harry. “And he said you’d resigned. It’s not true, is it?”

“I’m afraid it is, said Lupin. He stared opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.

“Why?” said Harry. The Ministry of Magic don’t think you were helping Sirius, do they?”

Lupin crossed to the door and closed it behind Harry.

“No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives.” He sighed. “That was the final straw for Severus. I think* the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he--er--accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast.”

“You’re not leaving because of that!” said Harry.

Lupin smiled wryly.

“This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents ....They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Harry. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you...That must never happen again.

“You’re the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we’ve ever had!” said Harry. “Don’t go!”

PoA 424, Owl Post Again

What strikes me about this conversation is how Lupin shifts the blame around. This doesn’t start with an admission of guilt. He’s not leaving because the parents are right. He’s not leaving because he’s seen how dangerous he can be, or because he owns up to making an incredibly dangerous decision. He’s leaving because Snape forced his hand. If Snape didn’t do that, he would do the same thing he’s always been doing: sweeping his misdoing under the rug and promising himself privately that he’s going to change, but never doing it.

It’s always someone else’s fault for Lupin. That’s a neat tie in to the next point of comparison:

2. Lupin and Snape both experience marginalization in wizarding society, but in very different ways. Lupin faces socio-legal** marginalization and Snape faces socio-economic marginalization.

Lupin’s a werewolf. We see how prejudice affects his life, from his inability to find a job and his worn out clothes to his people-pleasing nature. He’s always acting nice and harmless. He does nothing to play into the condemning stereotypes he’s faced since childhood. Despite that, he still can’t find a job. Nobody will hire him, and people are scared to interact with him. From the way he talks about werewolves, it’s implied that this prejudice is held blindly across Wizarding society. Both Ron and Hermione are horrified to learn Lupin’s a werewolf. *** Later on, he’s legally limited in the kinds of jobs he holds and the kind of magic he’s allowed to perform. Lupin has no control over his transformations, and did not choose his condition.

Lupin’s not really wrong when pities himself. The odds really are stacked against him when he’s treated as if he’s a wolf 24/7, not just a few predictable times a month. His prospects are honestly awful.

The problem is, his condition is dangerous. Thus, the issue of victim blaming is particularly thorny for Lupin. He can’t just accept that he’s a monster for something he has no say over, and yet he can’t escape the fact that sometimes he is monstrous for reasons out of his control. He feels guilty for the people he could have hurt, but also seems to resent that people blame him for something that’s not his fault. The problem is that he carries that lack of accountability into spheres where he should be accountable, like not taking his medication and endangering children because of it.

Snape’s story is very different. He is poor in both the wizard and muggle worlds, and half-blooded, and was sorted into Slytherin as a child. He doesn’t have one condition against him, but checks boxes that make it hard for any one side to accept him. He’s too impure and poor to survive on his own for the Slytherin, but is a Slytherin with Death Eater friends and housemates interested in dark magic, which means he’s never going to fit in with the Order of the Phoenix crowd, especially when some of its members torment him at school. ****4

 This essay makes a convincing point that the wizarding world is not a meritocracy, and that people like Snape need powerful patronage to advance if they don’t have the money to support themselves.

I don’t consider the sorting a proper choice. I know Harry does, but I’m of the opinion that at age 11, very few people have been taught how to analyze different perspectives and make an informed decision. Most 11-year-olds are trained to obey their parents and accept their family’s ideology. Harry’s choice rests on very little evidence--most of what he knows is what Hagrid told him, and that he doesn’t want to be sorted into Voldemort’s house along with Draco Malfoy, someone who reminds him of Dudley. I don’t think Snape was very informed either (I’d love to know why), because he doesn’t realize why it Lily wouldn’t be sorted into Slytherin.

“You’d better be in Slytherin,” said Snape, encouraged that she had brightened a little. DH 671, The Prince’s Tale

Either the pureblood rhetoric just wasn’t strong in those days, or his mother didn’t tell him about that.

...“Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?”

James lifted an invisible sword.

“’Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!’ Like my dad.”

Snape made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him.

“Got a problem with that?”

“No,” said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy--”

DH 671-2, The Prince’s Tale

It seems that most people just follow familial preferences. As to why Snape wants to be in Ravenclaw over Slytherin, my preferred interpretation is that he had a family legacy, knew that Slytherin rewarded the ambitious and clever, and that Slughorn, the head of Slytherin house, had a knack for making the kind of connections that a poor, clever boy would need to succeed.

Nevertheless, once Snape was in Slytherin, the odds were stacked against him. The house in that era was full of people who would later be Death Eaters. “Dark Magic” wasn’t frowned upon among his housemates, and siding with Voldemort wasn’t yet widely acknowledged as a transgression by wider society.

“No, no, but believe me, [Sirius’ parents] thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having pure-bloods in charge. They weren’t alone either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colors, who thought he had the right idea about things.…” OotP 112

Additionally, people like Bellatrix were in the years above him, and given how Fred and George acted with younger students, I think it’s highly likely younger students had to find a place in the hierarchy or be the target of ‘pranks.’ He was a halfblood, after all, and dirt poor.

Snape knew these people. He ate with them, slept with them, and went to class with them. It is so much easier to understand and befriend someone you spend time with. I’d say that most people who subscribe to problematic ideologies aren’t just awful to be around all the time, or else these movements wouldn’t gain any traction. They’re likely funny and nice to be around if you’re not on their bad side.

In addition to strong peer pressure to befriend the people who would be death eaters, he was also bullied four to one. His bullies received protection from the headmaster when he was nearly killed or permanently maimed. They were popular and well liked.

The best analogy I’ve heard to describe Snape's Hogwarts situation is that he’s a kid in a rough neighborhood who joins the local gang. It provides protection and the hope of social mobility, and from his perspective, the other gang fights just as dirty (his treatment by the marauders). He doesn’t stop to think that the system is flawed, or that the gang’s very existence indicates the failure of authority and threatens its members. He just sees himself as a kid with nothing who needs help with protection and advancement. We know that Voldemort hasn’t shown his true colors, and it’s possible he showed different faces to different people.

‘Now, yer mum an’ dad were as good a witch an’ wizard as I ever knew. Head Boy an’ Girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst’ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get ’em on his side before ... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin’ ter do with the Dark Side.

‘Maybe he thought he could persuade ’em ... maybe he just wanted ’em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Hallowe’en ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an’ – an’ –’ (“The Keeper of the Keys”)

Dumbledore’s cited as the reason they turned him down, not their blood status. I think there’s evidence that the wholesale anti-muggleborn campaign wasn’t a huge part of the first wizarding war, and wasn’t implemented until the second, even if there was anti-muggle propaganda. (Muggle=/=muggleborn). It’s implied that Tobias is abusive and that Snape hates him for what he did to him and his mother; it’s implied that faced class prejudice by the muggles around him as well:

“I know who you are. You’re that Snape boy! They live down Spinner’s End by the river,” she told Lily, and it was evident from her tone that she considered the address  a poor recommendation.

DH 665, The Prince’s Tale

When you read stories about people who are able to escape cycles of gang violence and poverty, there’s almost always someone who lifts them out. There’s someone who pushes them, or extends a hand, or believes in them. There are community outreach programs, or churches, or an English teacher that pushed them to do better and try out for a scholarship. That person is usually someone who knows what it’s like and knows how hard it is to get out.

Snape doesn’t seem to get that support anywhere. Slughorn doesn’t seem to notice him, for whatever reason. Lily doesn’t approve of his friends, but also doesn’t understand at all what the pull is--that it’s hard to swim against the current of what everyone else is saying, despite the fact that she feels the same pressure to end her friendship with Snape.

“… thought we were supposed to be friends?” Snape was saying. “Best friends?” “We are, Sev, but I don’t like some of the people you’re hanging round with! I’m sorry, but I detest Every and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev, he’s creepy! D’you know what he tried to do to Marry Macdonald the other day?”

DH 673, The Prince’s Tale

In the very same conversation, the fact that Snape is not allowed to share what happened to him with Lupin and the werewolf incident means that Lily will never be able to understand what Snape is facing: That the leader of the good guys makes excuses for and protects people who recklessly endanger the lives of others.

“And you’re being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Wollow, and James Potter saved you from whatever’s down there--”

Snape’s whole face contorted and he spluttered, “Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends’ too!...”

DH 674, The Prince’s Tale

Later in the year after SWM, she tells Snape this:

“None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you.”

DH 675 The Prince’s Tale

She expects him to reject all of his classmates and stand against the tide, despite the fact that she knows how hard it is to do that and can’t comprehend why he sticks with his classmates. She expects him to be grateful to James Potter as if what he did was altruistic, because the Headmaster swore Snape to secrecy and he keeps his promises, despite the fact that someone else was spreading the story. (The fact that she says she heard it instead of talking about it like its common knowledge implies that she heard it from a friend, so our friends the Marauders likely weren’t keeping their lips zipped even if Snape was.)

I don’t say this to shift the blame away from Snape to Lily in regards to Snape joining the Death Eaters. I just want to point out that Lily wasn't someone who could help him break the cycle. He didn’t squander some chance she offered him. She just wasn’t enough to break him out--not empathetic, motivated, or well-informed enough. (I think the fact that they were peers plays a big role in that).

Ultimately, Snape did choose to join the Death Eaters. He did yield to peer pressure. He did obey his assignment and report the prophecy to Voldemort. He spent his youth yielding, following the path in front of him, and choosing what was probably the easier choice: stick with your group, find powerful friends, do what they want, and don’t ask too many questions about their methods. That’s what makes his decision to betray Voldemort so powerful to me.

Here’s part of the passage when Snape betrays Voldemort:

...The adult Snape was panting, turning on the spot, his wand gripped tightly in his hand, waiting for something or for someone...His fear infected Harry too, even though he knew that he could not be harmed, and he looked over his shoulder wondering what it was that Snape was waiting for--

Then a sliding, jagged jet of white light flew through the air. Harry thought of lightning, but Snape had dropped to his knees and his wand had flown out of his hand.

“Don’t kill me!”

DH 676, The Prince’s Tale

He was terrified. He knew he was caught between the world’s two most powerful wizards, but it was worth it if he could save his childhood friend.

Then when Lily dies:

“Her son lives. He has her eyes, precisely her eyes. You remember the share and color of Lily Evans’s eyes, I am sure?”

“DON’T!” bellowed Snape. “Gone...dead...”

“Is this remorse, Severus?”

“I wish..I wish I were dead....”

“And what use would that be to anyone?” said Dumbledore coldly.

DH 678, The Prince’s Tale

Whatever motivation Snape had before is gone. A person’s life who is not his own is worth more than his own, and he’s drowning in guilt. From now on, Snape works to be useful in saving Harry’s life, and later many lives, at risk of death. His choices are a black mark on his record, likely making it difficult for him to get a job when he’s been tried as a Death Eater, and all of his wizarding connections are Death Eaters or their associates. He has no money or influence. Dumbledore hires him.

So Lupin has a single ailment and faces constant social and legal discrimination. He constantly tries to undermine people’s expectations about werewolves by being mild, but unfortunately is too afraid of rejection and its consequences to stand up against bad behavior or take full responsibility for his failings. He has friends who support him, but do it by engaging in risky behavior. He does not stop them. Perhaps he fears exposure and expulsion. Perhaps he just likes belonging for once. Either way, he does not come clean until forced to.

Snape is different; instead of facing outright rejection, he’s from a poor background and grows up surrounded by peers who join something somewhere between a gang and a cult while being bullied by people groomed by a rival organization. The headmaster of his school supports the rival organization and swears him to secrecy about an incident when they endangered his life, sending the message that his life is worthless. That same group continues to publicly bully him. He continues down this path until he realizes that it endangers something he cares about, and makes a decision that puts him at risk of being killed by the two most powerful wizards alive. He changes course.

Snape seems to view his problems as challenges facing him, whereas Lupin sees his problems as part of who he is, and not something he can change. Lupin seems to accept what happens to him in a fatalist kind of way. He sees what happens as inevitable and somewhat out of his control, whereas Snape never seems to blame his circumstances for him becoming a death eater, even though they clearly limited his options. I think that attitude matters. However, because Lupin’s facing a fictional magical malady, it’s difficult to fully blame him for that attitude.

Both Lupin and Snape have to react to powerful societal pressure that makes it difficult for them to succeed. Comparing them is apples and oranges at best, because their circumstances were so different. I don’t think you can judge either’s morality based on group identity, though.

3. Finally, they both act as a window on James: who he was, and what he means to Harry, who never knew him. That means in some way, they help pass on his parental legacy to orphaned Harry.

Hogwarts is Harry’s home, which means that the teachers are more than just teachers, but play a symbolic parental role in his life.

Hogwarts was the first and best home he had known. He and Voldemort and Snape, the abandoned boys, had all found home here.

DH 697, The Forest Again

You can’t understand Harry without realizing what he lacks: a loving home and living parents. He’s always looking into the past to find his parents, and is saddled with a legacy he struggles to understand--why did he live, who were his parents, and what does he need to do now?

Lupin and Snape also share a connection with Harry that goes beyond a normal teacher-student relationship, unlike McGonagall or Flitwick. Snape and Lupin are more personally connected to Harry than the other professors because they know Harry’s parents and went to school with them. I will mostly focus on James from here on out since we know so little about Lily personally and Harry mostly tries to emulate or avoid his father’s behavior and legacy.

They’re also the last people who knew James to survive, and they die almost at the same time. They’re the only teachers apart from Dumbledore who give Harry private lessons. More importantly, these lessons are all tied thematically to Harry’s past. Harry’s experience with dementors and the patronus charm are his first re-encounter with his parents and his past.

Terrible though it was to hear his parents’ last moments replayed inside his head, these are the only times Harry had heard their voices since he was a very small child. But he’d never be able to produce a proper patronus if he half wanted to hear his parents again.

PoA 243, The Patronus

In the end of PoA, Harry sees himself and mistakenly thinks it’s his father.

“Come on!” he muttered, staring about. “Where are you? Dad, come on--”

But no one came. Harry raised his head to look atet he circle of dementors across the lake. One of them was lowering its hood. It was time for the rescuer to appear--but no one was coming to help this time--

And then it hit him--he understood. He hadn’t seen his father--he had seen himself--

Harry flung himself out from behind the bush and pulled out his want.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” he yelled.

PoA 411, Hermione’s Secret

So the patronus itself is linked up with Harry’s past, and his coming-of-age. He doesn’t rely on others to save him, but must do it himself. (Though Harry’s never really trusted the adults to save him.)  It’s interesting to note that Harry actually learns the Patronus charm under Lupin’s tutelage.

On the other hand, Snape introduces Harry to the unpleasant side of his father’s legacy. Through Snape, we see that James wasn’t just a little cocky, but a bully.

“Apologize to Evans!” James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him. “I don't want you to make him apologize,” Lily shouted, rounding on James. “You're as bad as he is.” “What?” yelped James. “I'd NEVER call you a--you-know-what!” “Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can--I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK.” She turned on her heel and hurried away.

....

He had no desire at all to return to Gryffindor Tower so early, nor to tell Ron and Hermione what he had just seen. What was making Harry feel so horrified and unhappy was not being shouted at or having jars thrown at him; it was that he knew how it felt to be humiliated in the middle of a circle of onlookers, knew exactly how Snape had felt as his father had taunted him, and that judging from what he had just seen, his father had been every bit as arrogant as Snape had always told him. OotP, Snape’s Worst Memory, emphasis added

It’s interesting note that Harry fails to learn Occlumency from Snape. (In fact, we never see Harry use magical skills he learned from Snape apart from Expelliarmus, which is...important). At the same time, he gains an important perspective.

You can’t have James without this part of him. However kind James was to Lupin, however brave James was when he saved his wife, he was neither kind nor brave when he bullied Snape. It’s uncomfortable and awkward, but it’s important.

When he had finished, neither Sirius nor Lupin spoke for a moment. Then Lupin said quietly, “I wouldn’t like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen —”

“I’m fifteen!” said Harry heatedly.

OotP

Harry rejects the idea that actively bullying someone is just folly of youth. He knows what it’s like to be disenfranchised. Regardless of what Snape and James’ relationship was, he didn’t deserve that kind of humiliation. And Lupin watched, and defends him. Harry has to grapple with that.

Ultimately, Snape and Lupin do more than just connect him to his past. They also teach him his two signature spells, Expelliarmus and Expecto Patronum. One saves his soul, and one saves his life and frees the wizarding world from Voldemort because of Voldemort’s fractured soul.

Snape and Lupin as moral counterpoints

How do we evaluate this:

“I’d never have believed this,” Harry said. “The man who taught me to fight dementors--a coward.”*****5

DH 213, The Bribe

and this?

“Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.

DH 758, Seventeen years later

Ultimately, I don’t think it’s really that useful to pit two people with different backgrounds against each other. At the same time, they represent two different halves of a question: when it comes down to it, should we try to be kind or brave? I don’t think you have to pick one, but when pursuing the two, there are bound to be moments of conflict.

I always come back to the lyrics to Last Midnight from Sondheim’s Into the Woods.******6

You're so nice You're not good You're not bad You're just nice I'm not good I'm not nice I'm just right I'm the witch You're the world

Snape doesn’t care about being nice. I think this is where most non-Snape fans start pulling out the pitchforks and torches. Snape isn’t nice, and he’s not nice to kids. He’s not nurturing.*******7 He’s abrasive, allergic to coddling, and petty when he can get away with it. In fact, most of the people he’s ‘nice’ to are significantly more powerful than him, or someone he needs to be on good terms with.

Lupin is nice. He’s mild. He’s often kind. However, he often picks being liked over standing up for something.

What does that result in? He doesn’t stand up for Snape. The bullying continues and keeps Snape firmly on his path. He wins the respect of the Gryffindors with the Snape Boggart incident but loses whatever credibility he had to tell Snape to ‘put their past behind him.’

On the other hand, Neville’s bravery in DH was nurtured by Lupin’s confidence. Neville kept hope alive and led a rebellion. Lupin is one of the few adults that Harry fully respects and trusts up until the Grimmauld place confrontation. (He likes Hagrid and Molly, but doesn’t necessarily trust them to make decisions in their best interest, while he usually respects Lupin’s judgement). Harry loves him, and it’s because he loved him and watched him die that he needs to act and fight back against Voldemort.

Ultimately, Harry’s relationship with James and the adults who pass on his legacy is one of the most important symbolic relationships in the book. The thematic resolution of the series is Harry’s act of sacrificial love.

He did not know what to feel, except shock at the way Snape had been killed, and the reason for which it had been done....

...He could not bear to look at any of the other bodies, to see who else had died for him. He could not bear to join the Weasleys, could not look into their eyes, when if he had given himself up in the first place, Fred might never had died...

He turned away and ran up the marble staircase. Lupin, Tongs...He yearned not to feel....He wished he could rip out his heart, his innards, everything that was screaming inside of him.

To escape into someone else’s head would be a blessed relief....Nothing that even Snape had left him could be worse than his own thoughts.

DH 660-662, The Prince’s Tale

He rushes to the headmaster’s office to escape into Snape's memories. His memories convince Harry that sacrificing himself is the expedient thing to do, and he heads to the Forbidden Forest. To enable is last sacrifice, he uses the Resurrection stone to witness his parents and his father’s friends. Their combined testimony is enough to ameliorate his personal fears about following through with this final act.

Lupin and Snape leave entirely different legacies behind. Lupin encourages and inspires. As an authority figure, he gives people like Neville space to grow and his compassion towards Harry gives him the strength to face his demons. Harry’s decision in DH to die must have something to do with the kindness he was shown, and the sacrifices people who loved him made for him, of which Lupin is a part. Despite what he saw in Princes’ Tale, Snape wasn’t one of the people who’d make an appearance with the Resurrection stone.

Yet Snape sacrificed his life for Harry and the wizarding world, entities that Snape didn’t seem to like and that certainly weren’t kind to him. His form of bravery is about endurance, tenacity, and willingness to do what is right even when you hate your allies and no one else is going to credit you for what you do. And that’s very Harry. Even if he hates Draco, he’s not about to let him die if he can help it. Harry has much more in common with Snape than Lupin, I think.

Since this is about souls, let’s return to the Patronus charm. Snape’s not the kind of person who typically inspires that kind of emotion required to cast a Patronus in others, at least from what we see in Harry’s perspective. Yet because he has experienced that love, he can cast it and shows Harry what needs to be done. Snape enables Harry to dive under the ice. Lupin’s the kind of person who can inspire a patronus, but isn’t the one to make the sacrifice play until after Harry confronts him about his duty to his family. Ultimately, though, they both sacrifice themselves in the Battle of Hogwarts.

* Ever since I realized how blatantly tangential Order of Merlin must be to Snape’s character motivation, that line has frustrated me to no end. There’s no way frothing-at-the-mouth PoA Snape just really coveted that Order of Merlin. He’s often petty, yeah, but if Lupin believes it’s just about that and has nothing to do with Snape’s real conviction about how dangerous Lupin’s actions were, he’s deluding himself. I hate that he passes it on to his students.

**Yes, I am making up words today. Lupin’s faces prejudice and discrimination on a social level enforced by increasingly powerful discriminatory laws.

*** It’s worth noting that if we take every book as equally valid canon, then there’s either widespread ignorance towards lycanthropy, as Lockhart convinces everyone he was able to “cure” the Wagga-Wagga werewolf, and as teenage Horcrux!Riddle said Hagrid raised werewolf cubs under his bed, or else lycanthropy is actually a wide range of conditions under a wolfy umbrella ranging from treatable to incurable. Lupin is our primary source for lycanthropy: he’s the one who tells us about Greyback, for example. If we hold the first two books as equally valid, then perhaps we only know about Lupin’s particular type of condition. That’s the Watsonian analysis, anyways.

****4 These footnotes are getting ridiculous. Basically, there’s no consensus on what Dark Magic is, and on what basis it’s Evil. This essay goes into things that are labelled as curses. I’m inclined to believe that the vast majority of Dark Magic is just Magic We Don’t Like for Reasons.

The definition of what is and isn't considered Dark Magic is never explained: often it just seems to mean "a curse I don't approve of".  Even "curse" has never been satisfactorily defined, but we can certainly say that not all curses are regarded as evil, since some appear to be on the Hogwarts curriculum, and are certainly performed without censure.

*****5 While I paired the quotes at the top of this section together for dramatic effect, it’d be a shame not to look at the context of the Lupin fight.

“I thought you’d say [that your mission was top secret],” said Lupin, looking disappointed. But I might still be of some use to you. You know what I am and what I can do. I could come with you to provide protection. There would be no need to tell me exactly what you were up to. Harry hesitated. It was a very tempting offer.

Hermione then asks about Tonks.

“I’m pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren’t sticking with your own kid, actually”... ...“I’d never have believed this,” Harry said. “The man who taught me to fight dementors--a coward.”

...“Parents shouldn’t leave their kids unless--unless they’ve got to.”

...“I know I shouldn’t have called him a coward.”“No, you shouldn’t,” said Ron at once. “But he’s acting like one. “ “All the same...” said Hermione.

“I know,” said Harry. “But if it makes him go back to Tonks, it’ll be worth it, won’t it?”

He could not keep the plea out of his voice. Hermione looked sympathetic, Ron uncertain. Harry looked down at his feet, thinking of his father. Would James have backed Harry in what he had said to Lupin, or would he have bene angry at how his son had treated his old friend?

DH 213, The Bribe

Harry feels personally betrayed that someone who has a family and child would abandon them. Here he is unyielding and accusing to someone he cares about in the hopes that they re-evaluate what matters. It’s a rather Snape-like tactic, actually. Or else a Dumbledore one.

I love the dialogue in this scene, but have some major issues with how Harry’s internalization drops out the window for shock value. JKR does the same thing when has Harry pull the Veritaserum trick in HBP. I don’t like it.

******6 The witch and Snape aren’t perfect analogues, since she’s decidedly more amoral in my opinion, but they’re both contractually-motivated characters whose humanity is shown by their (platonic/familial) love for a more “innocent” character and the guilt at the innocent character’s sacrificial death. Guilt doesn’t lead the witch to do anything productive, and for Snape it does, which is where they diverge on the character path.

*******7 Draco may be an exception to this. However, watching Snape struggle to build rapport with Draco in HBP leads me to think that while Snape’s been on Draco’s side, he’s still not “nurturing,” or in other words, good at cultivating trust and encouraging the strong and wholesome parts of someone’s personality to grow.  

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CLVI (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: I know it looks like I hate my characters but in fact this is just bc I love them loads -Danny

Words: 4,412

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘Bad Liar’ -by Imagine Dragons

Chapter Eighteen: Damaged.

"I hear that you met the Minister of Magic over Christmas?"

"Yes," They replied.

"He's not very happy with us," Harry mentioned.

"No," Dumbledore nodded. "He is not very happy with me either. We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, but battle on."

"He wanted us to tell the Wizarding community that the Ministry's doing a wonderful job."

"It was Fudge's idea originally, you know," Dumbledore said brightly. "During his last days in office, when he was trying desperately to cling to his post, he sought a meeting with you, hoping that you would give him your support—"

"After everything Fudge did last year? After Umbridge?"

"I told Cornelius there was no chance of it, but the idea did not die when he left office. Within hours of Scrimgeour's appointment we met and he demanded that I arrange a meeting with you —"

"So that's why you argued!" Harry exclaimed. "It was in the Daily Prophet..."

"The Prophet is bound to report the truth occasionally, if only accidentally. Yes, that was why we argued. Well, it appears that Rufus found a way to corner you at last."

"It felt more like Harry cornering him," Mel grinned.

"He accused me of being 'Dumbledore's man through and through.'"

"How very rude of him."

"I told him I was."

Fawkes let out a soft tune, Mel looked up at him adoringly, she felt Harry tensing and looked back to realize her uncle's eyes were teary.

"I am very touched, Harry."

"They were talking about me," She joked. "Scrimgeour knows Harry's my designated sidekick."

This caused both men to laugh, then Harry leaned closer to the desk.

"Scrimgeour wanted to know where you go when you're not at Hogwarts."

"Yes, he is very nosy about that," said Dumbledore still chuckling. "He has even attempted to have me followed. Amusing, really. He set Dawlish to tail me. It wasn't kind. I have already been forced to jinx Dawlish once; I did it again with the greatest regret."

"So they still don't know where you go?"

"No, they don't, and the time is not quite right for you to know either. Now, I suggest we press on, unless there's anything else — ?"

"There is, actually, sir," said Harry, and he glanced at Mel. "It's about Malfoy and Snape."

"Professor Snape, Harry."

"Yes, sir. I overheard them during Professor Slughorn's party... well, I followed them, actually..."

Mel stared at her uncle during the whole retelling, looking for any sign of worry. However, Dumbledore had far more practice than her, and he was able to keep a straight face through the whole thing.

"Thank you for telling me this, Harry, but I suggest that you put it out of your mind. I do not think that it is of great importance."

Mel sighed, she was sort of expecting this reaction, if she was honest.

"Not of great importance? Professor, did you understand — ?"

"Yes, Harry, blessed as I am with extraordinary brainpower, I understood everything you told me," Mel grimaced at the tone he used, he almost sounded like the time he'd scolded her for disobeying last year. "I think you might even consider the possibility that I understood more than you did. Again, I am glad that you have confided in me, but let me reassure you that you have not told me anything that causes me disquiet."

"So, sir," Harry tried slowly, "you definitely still trust — ?"

"I have been tolerant enough to answer that question already. My answer has not changed."

"I should think not," Phineas Nigellus sneered quietly from above them.

"And now, Harry, I must insist that we press on. I have more important things to discuss with you this evening."

Harry's mouth twisted a bit, Mel mumbled something about needing more books and got up just so she could put distance between her and the argument.

"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore sighed. "How often this happens, even between the best of friends! Each of us believes that what he has to say is much more important than anything the other might have to contribute!"

"I don't think what you've got to say is unimportant, sir," Harry's voice sounded condescending.

"Well, you are quite right, because it is not," Dumbledore replied firmly. "I have two more memories to show you this evening, both obtained with enormous difficulty, and the second of them is, I think, the most important I have collected."

Mel opened her journal and quickly checked what she'd written on it a week before. According to her calculations, she had almost completed the process. She hadn't told anyone which animal she wished to turn into, but she wished those sorts of things could be inherited.

Harry and Dumbledore came back sooner than expected, she looked up curiously and waited for them to talk.

"Is that all?" said Harry. "Why did it go dark, what happened?"

"Because Morfin could not remember anything from that point onward," said Dumbledore.

Apparently, the memory they'd seen this time was the one where Riddle finally murdered his muggle relatives, and he'd managed to blame his uncle for it.

"But how come the Ministry didn't realize that Voldemort had done all that to Morfin?" Harry demanded. "He was underage at the time, wasn't he? I thought they could detect underage magic!"

"You are quite right — they can detect magic, but not the perpetrator: You will remember that you were blamed by the Ministry for the Hover Charm that was, in fact, cast by—"

"Dobby. So if you're underage and you do magic inside an adult witch or wizard's house, the Ministry won't know?"

"They will certainly be unable to tell who performed the magic. They rely on witch and wizard parents to enforce their offspring's obedience while within their walls."

"You're telling me," Mel started with a little bit of outrage. "That I could've hexed Fred and George anytime I wanted? Next time I won't hold back..."

Dumbledore smiled. "Sometimes you sound exactly like my brother."

Mel didn't know if that was meant to be a compliment.

"It makes no sense!" Harry huffed. "Look what happened here, look what happened to Morfin!"

"I agree," Dumbledore nodded. "Whatever Morfin was, he did not deserve to die as he did, blamed for murders he had not committed. But it is getting late, and I want you to see this other memory before we part..."

They left once more and Mel quickly resumed her own studies. She had to take the potion on the next electrical storm, which could take a while, considering it was still winter. Before she had finished putting her things away, Harry and Dumbledore returned.

"That's all there is?" Harry frowned.

"As you might have noticed," said Dumbledore, "that memory has been tampered with."

"Tampered with?"

"Certainly. Professor Slughorn has meddled with his own recollections."

"But why would he do that?"

"Because, I think, he is ashamed of what he remembers. He has tried to rework the memory to show himself in a better light, obliterating those parts which he does not wish me to see. It is, as you will have noticed, very crudely done, and that is all to the good, for it shows that the true memory is still there beneath the alterations. And so, for the first time, I am giving you homework. It will be your job to persuade Professor Slughorn to divulge the real memory, which will undoubtedly be our most crucial piece of information of all."

"But surely, sir, you don't need me — you could use Legilimency... or Veritaserum..."

"Professor Slughorn is an extremely able wizard who will be expecting both," said Dumbledore. "He is much more accomplished at Occlumency than poor Morfin Gaunt, and I would be astonished if he has not carried an antidote to Veritaserum with him ever since I coerced him into giving me this travesty of a recollection."

"So that's why you hired him," Mel raised a brow. "You think Harry would be able to do a better job than you?"

"I think both of you would do a terrific job, now that you mention it," Dumbledore replied. "Slughorn appears to be utterly intrigued by your mysterious personality, Mel."

"Professor, you really think he'd be against giving you such a crucial piece of information? Surely he would understand? Maybe if you rough him up a bit..."

"No, I think it would be foolish to attempt to wrest the truth from Professor Slughorn by force, and might do much more harm than good; I do not wish him to leave Hogwarts. However, he has his weaknesses like the rest of us, and I believe that you are the people who might be able to penetrate his defenses. It is most important that we secure the true memory... How important, we will only know when we have seen the real thing. So, good luck... and good night."

Harry got up as if activated by the abrupt farewell.

"Good night, sir."

"Have a good night, Professor."

As they left the room, she heard Phineas speaking.

"I can't see why the children should be able to do it better than you, Dumbledore."

"I wouldn't expect you to, Phineas..."

"So now you've got not only apparating lessons but also ought to convince Slughorn to give you a rusty memory?"

"That's right," Mel had her head on Erick's lap, they were seated on one of the benches of the courtyard, enjoying their quiet Sunday afternoon.

"It sounds like our one-day-a-week will turn into none," He sighed.

"Well, maybe..." She sat up and faced him. "You can always send me a message through our watch if you need to talk or anything..."

"I don't want to be a distraction."

"You're not—"

"I'll be fine, Mel," He interrupted roughly.

The girl was taken aback by his sudden rudeness, Erick seemed to regret his outburst too but he remained quiet nonetheless. Mel spoke once she felt it was safe to continue.

"You can go to my Quidditch Practices?"

"I could," He admitted politely, brushing the bangs away from her forehead. "You're a sight for sore eyes in that uniform..."

"I'm always a sight for sore eyes!"

"Now Princess, I thought being conceited was my thing."

Golpalott's Third Law was easy to understand (if you paid enough attention, that is) but in practice, it was one of the most tedious things Mel had ever done. By the time she finished her antidote, her hair was messily tied in a ponytail, the baby hairs sticking to her forehead, covered in a thin layer of sweat. She had a bit of something smudged across her nose and cheek, but she was fairly certain she'd done a good job.

Hermione sighed heavily, she hated not being first, (her antidote was only halfway done) but this had been entirely Mel's work, she'd decided three classes before to try and see how good she could be without the Prince's help.

However, when Slughorn moved over to Harry, she was outdone.

"You've got nerve, boy!" Slughorn cackled and held up the bezoar. "Oh, you're like your mother... Well, I can't fault you... A bezoar would certainly act as an antidote to all these potions!"

Hermione looked like she wanted to put that to test on Harry himself.

"And you thought of a bezoar all by yourself, did you, Harry?" She asked harshly.

"That's the individual spirit a real potion-maker needs!" Slughorn beamed. "Just like his mother, she had the same intuitive grasp of potion-making, it's undoubtedly from Lily he gets it... Yes, Harry, yes, if you've got a bezoar to hand, of course that would do the trick... although as they don't work on everything, and are pretty rare, it's still worth knowing how to mix antidotes..."

"Indeed, it is," Mel grunted, she placed both arms on the table and hid her face between them, her back was killing her. "It's also bloody exhausting..."

"Time to pack up! And an extra ten points to Gryffindor for sheer cheek!"

"I hate you," Mel sat up and glared at Harry.

"You might want to shove this down your throat?" He offered her the bezoar. "See if it gets rid of the venom your spitting?"

"Ha ha," She replied, slapping his hand away.

"Hang on," He leaned over the table and cleaned her face with his thumb. "You have something..."

Harry inched closer and cupped her face as he brushed the dirt off her cheek, his eyes were focused on the task, Mel was desperately trying to ignore his proximity. He locked eyes with her and froze, still holding her.

The girl grabbed all her things and rushed to the doorway, making sure no one was near the dungeon, Harry approached their teacher with tense and quick movements, trying to ignore his wild heartbeats.

"Come on, now, Harry, you two will be late for your next lesson!"

"Sir, we wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away, then, my dear boy, ask away..."

"Sir, I wondered what you know about... about Horcruxes?"

Mel hit her shoulder on accident as she turned. The girl swore through gritted teeth, she really needed to teach her friends how to interrogate people.

"What did you say?" Slughorn asked hoarsely.

"I asked whether you know anything about Horcruxes, sir. You see —"

"Dumbledore put you up to this," Slughorn gave her a panicky look. "Dumbledore's shown you that—that memory. Well? Hasn't he?"

"He did," said Harry.

"Yes, of course, of course... well, if you've seen that memory, Harry, you'll know that I don't know anything — anything — about Horcruxes."

Slughorn walked towards the door decidedly, a fierce and desperate look on his face.

"Sir," Harry followed him, "I just thought there might be a bit more to the memory—"

"Did you? Then you were wrong, weren't you? WRONG!"

Mel moved in time to avoid Slughorn as he rushed out, she looked back at her friend.

"I say we tie him up while he's sleeping and chuck Veritaserum down his throat."

Harry wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"You've turned too brash for your own good," He muttered walking past her.

"I know you'd love to follow my advice!" She responded.

"Oof!" Mel looked at Harry, he'd grabbed her wrist and was now pulling her all the way back to the end of the Great Hall. "Stop it! You know I hate to be dragged around!"

"You'll want to hear this," He said shortly.

Harry stopped once they found Malfoy, who was arguing heatedly with Crabbe.

"I don't know how much longer, all right?" Malfoy hissed. "It's taking longer than I thought it would... Look, it's none of your business what I'm doing, Crabbe, you and Goyle just do as you're told and keep a lookout!"

"I tell my friends what I'm up to if I want them to keep a lookout for me," Harry said out loud.

Malfoy reached for his wand, but Professor Twycross demanded silence and so the blond boy had to turn his back to them. Harry looked at her as if saying 'Saw that?' before turning his attention back to the front.

"Thank you," said Twycross. "Now then... The important things to remember when Apparating are the three D's!"

Mel snorted, Harry stared at her.

"Sorry," She whispered. "I think my friendship with Ron has started to weigh on me."

"It's the three D's, isn't it?" He asked, Mel giggled.

"Step one: Fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination," Twycross didn't notice the two students in the back having a fit of giggles. "In this case, the interior of your hoop. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now."

The young witch fixed her gaze on the hoop, feeling a bit silly.

"Step two, focus your determination to occupy the visualized space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body!"

"I'm determined to take a nap after this," Mel whispered. "And I yearn for a good eight hours of sleep..."

"Look at Ernie," Harry grinned, replying just as quietly. "He looks like he's trying to lay a massive egg..."

It took her whole focus not to laugh out loud, she even had to cover her mouth in order to remain quiet.

"Step three, and only when I give the command... Turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation! On my command, now... one —"

Harry and Mel exchanged a panicky look, they weren't expecting to try and apparate so soon! There was no way they would make it, they hadn't even focused on the lesson!

"— two — THREE!"

All around her students fell and tripped on their hoops, she didn't even try to turn, she knew she wouldn't make it. At the third attempt, Harry was growing weary.

"Put your full focus on the three D's!" Twycross emphasised.

"That's a sentence I hope you never hear during Care of Magical Creatures," Harry told her.

Mel laughed, fortunately for her the teachers got distracted by the high-pitched scream that echoed through the Hall. Susan Bones' leg had been separated from her body.

"Splinching, or the separation of random body parts," said Twycross as they watched Susan Bones get fixed by the Heads of House, "occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continuously upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation..."

"You know," Harry gulped. "I reckon you're right, we should just drive like everyone else..."

Mel was determined to regain her fame as top of the class, and so she stopped her chatter with Harry and focused. She managed to apparate at the end, being the only student to succeed. As soon as he heard her name, Twycross's face lit up with excitement.

"Dumbledore's daughter! Matthew apparated during his first lesson too, definitely knew how to control his mind, and apparently, so does his girl," The man smiled at her. "Very well, Miss Dumbledore, I hope to see you again next Saturday!"

"I hate you," Harry told her as soon as their instructor left, but she could tell he was proud. "Always showing off..."

"Perhaps you'd like it if I take you with me next time? That way you can puke all of your bile..."

He pulled her close and tickled her side, to which she responded by elbowing him away. She was really happy, her magic had responded to her, finally, after all those months feeling stupid. Ron joined them, although he wasn't in a sunny mood.

"How did you do?" He asked, clearly waiting for Harry's answer. "I think I felt something the last time I tried — a kind of tingling in my feet."

"I expect your trainers are too small, Won-Won," Hermione taunted as she walked past.

"I didn't feel anything," Harry responded before Ron could go after Hermione. "But I don't care about that now —"

"What d'you mean, you don't care? Don't you want to learn to Apparate?" said Ron.

"I'm not fussed, really, I prefer flying," said Harry.

"Me too," Mel admitted.

"Easy for you to say, you already did it!"

"And it sucks," She raised a brow. "You lot get excited over things that are torture! I'll never understand wizards..."

"You say it like you're not one of us," Ron rolled his eyes.

"Look, hurry up, will you," Harry urged them. "There's something I want to do..."

"There you are!" Erick stood in their way, Harry was unable to contain his groan. "How was your lesson?"

Mel told the boys to continue without her, then she turned to her boyfriend.

"Wonderful," She smiled. "I'm the first in my class to apparate!"

"Clever girl," He kissed the top of his head. "How about we go to the kitchens and ask for two butterbeers? I think you—"

Erick tripped over something, almost falling face-first on the corridor.

"What's wrong, Flint? Did that big head of yours got in the way?"

It was Faustus, Mel marched up to him and seized his forearm, forcing him to turn around.

"Apologize right now."

"Defending your boyfriend, are you?" Griffin Singh pulled her away from Faustus. "Let me give you some advice, you pesky nutter. He's only loyal to himself, I wouldn't trust him if I were you."

Erick pushed Griffin away.

"Don't touch her," He growled. "If you hex me again, I'll make sure you regret it."

Griffin raised a brow. "I'll keep that in mind. Come Faustus, we better warn the rest..."

The Slytherins marched off with matching evil sneers, Mel turned to look at Erick.

"Has that happened before?"

"Must've thought it'd be funny to attack me while I was with you—That I'd get embarrassed..."

He didn't answer her question, Mel was starting to get really tired of this.

"Well, that proves they don't know you at all," She brushed the dust off his clothes. "You would never get embarrassed about something so silly..."

Erick didn't speak.

"Right?" She urged him to answer.

"'Course not," He remarked, eyes never leaving the boys' distant figures. "I'll get back at them... wait and see."

Harry had taken as a personal duty to watch Malfoy obsessively with the Marauders' Map. Mel constantly reminded him that they had to get Slughorn's memory, but he quickly brushed the thought away, considering it lacked importance compared to the chance of catching Malfoy.

She sneaked up behind him when he was focused on the map, then spoke in her best Draco impression:

"Potter!"

Harry jumped, dropping the map and swearing loudly. She laughed and circled the table to sit in front of him.

"Dumbledore'll get upset if he finds out you're disobeying a direct order."

"I'm allowed to do other things," He frowned.

"You're doing something he explicitly told you not to. If Malfoy isn't a major concern it's because he's already keeping an eye on him. Like Riddle, didn't you say Dumbledore kept track of his activities during his school years?"

"But he never got to catch him! And a girl died because of it—Katie almost did!"

"Your Malfoy conspiracy can wait. What if we study Occlumency for a bit?—So you learn to ground yourself, you improved lots last week..."

Harry let out a short, annoyed scoff as he picked up the map from the floor.

"Don't you have a date with Erick or something? Dunno, anything to keep you off my back."

"You know what," She stood up. "I don't even know why I waste my sympathy on you..."

Mel stormed out of the tower, she managed to hide her awful mood from the people she encountered on her way to the main hall. When she was walking down the marble staircase with Neville (he was on his way to the library) someone called her name, but it was such a quiet and faint voice that she ignored it at first, thinking it was her imagination.

Then it came back, stronger than before. Mel and Neville looked towards a fake tapestry near them: Daphne Greengrass beckoned her to get closer. Neville, who knew Daphne from the D.A., also approached. The young witch pulled in both students so they were all hidden, then she spoke.

"Last night a group of Slytherins dragged Erick out of bed—they woke up half of our house," She spoke fast. "They were six against one, Mel—They took away his wand... There's nothing he could've done."

Her insides twisted and shrank, there was nothing but a dark, hollow fear.

"Malfoy showed up and Griffin looked at him as if waiting for instructions, he merely glanced at Erick before going back to bed—They left him lying there on the floor, he's in the hospital wing—"

Mel couldn't listen to the rest, she moved past her friends and ran. She didn't have to beg to be let in the Hospital wing either, Madam Pomfrey gave her a pitiful look when she saw her, guiding her in while explaining Erick's state.

"I knew you'd show up," The woman sighed. "What they did to him was vile, he had several broken ribs when he got here, and a serious injury at the back of his head—He's out of danger, but he's healing slowly..."

Erick's face was covered in purple and black bruises, he had a deep cut on his lower lip and there was dry blood in his right ear. His arms had scratches, and she could only imagine the state of the rest of his body. Mel spent most of the day next to him, Hermione and Ron went to visit (separately, but it was still a nice gesture) one brought her lunch and the other dinner.

Friends of Erick also showed up, Leanne and some Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws from the seventh year. To these people he was the quiet and clever Slytherin Headboy, they liked him. The news about Flint's attack spread quickly around the school, most students were outraged, he'd been looking after the younger students that whole year, people knew who he truly was and wanted to do justice.

They wanted the names of the people that had done this, but Mel knew that would result in more attacks and possibly the next person would end up worse. Erick had never been one to appreciate when other people tried to fight his battles, he would wake up to get things done, but that day he wasn't likely to do so.

When Mel was escorted by Madam Pomfrey out of the hospital, all she wanted was to go to bed and sleep, she wanted to wake up to good news for once. However, outside she found Harry waiting for her. Behind her the doors closed slowly, Harry stepped forward and she noticed he didn't have the Marauders' Map with him.

"I wanted to be here sooner," He explained. "Hermione told me Erick hasn't woken up yet and that maybe you'd like to be alone once he did so I just... sat there waiting. How is he?"

"Not well."

The girl let out a short sob and Harry reacted out of instinct, he quickly wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back in soothing patterns. He promised Erick would get better, that they would find out who'd done this to him, and he kept promising so many things that the words stopped making sense to her.

She didn't need to understand, though. Harry was talking just so she had something to listen to apart from her own shattering cries.

Next Chapter —>

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[carewyncromwell]

"Don't talk 'bout me

Like how you might know how I feel --

Top of the world, but your world isn't real...

Your world's an ideal...

So go have fun -- I really couldn't care less."

~"Therefore I Am" by Billie Eilish

x~x~x~x

When Carewyn Cromwell first joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as an up-and-coming lawyer in the spring of 1991, Cornelius Fudge -- the Minister for Magic -- was very eager to welcome her and show support for her budding career. It didn't take long for Carewyn to figure out that Fudge had heard all about her and her brother Jacob's exploits dealing with the Cursed Vaults and apprehending R -- not just from Dumbledore, but from OWL examiner Professor Tofty and infamous Auror Mad-Eye Moody -- and although Carewyn had had plenty of people side-eye her for her dealing with the Vaults at school, it seemed Fudge held no such disapproval. On the contrary, he seemed very keen on interacting with Carewyn, especially around his support staff and the rest of the Wizengamot. And it wasn't until Carewyn finally met him (as well as his Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge) that she figured out why.

Carewyn had known she wouldn't be the first Cromwell that sought a career in Magical Law. Her Head of House, Severus Snape, purposefully brought it up to her in their Career Advice session, to make sure she was aware that -- at the time of her interest -- Carewyn's ruthless grandfather, Charles Cromwell, was an influential member of the Wizengamot. After Charles's arrest and lifetime imprisonment, the Cromwell Clan's reputation had understandably been tarnished. Carewyn and Jacob's reputations, however, were shining and pristine, because they were the Cromwells who had actually defeated Charles and the rest of R and in the process saved Hogwarts from the danger of the Cursed Vaults. And considering that Fudge was related to the Cromwell Clan through marriage (a fact that still left Carewyn reeling) and had apparently done his fair share of socializing with Charles Cromwell while unaware of his crimes, it was very clear that Fudge wanted to distance himself from that old association, preferably by being on good terms with the people who'd brought Charles to justice. And since Carewyn was now pursuing a promising new career at the Ministry, Fudge had clearly deemed it in his best interest to throw his support behind Carewyn, so as to have her esteem and reputation likewise reflect nicely on him.

So Fudge only has interest in being around people who make him look good, rather than anyone with actual integrity, Carewyn thought cynically. Guess I shouldn't be surprised that the chief politician around here acts like it.

Despite herself, though, Carewyn was disappointed. All the more so when she learned in the spring of 1993 just how self-absorbed the man was, despite being given charge of the entire British Wizarding World.

It all started when -- in the midst of a busy night shift -- Carewyn's meeting with fellow lawyer Chester Davies was interrupted by her old school friend Ben Copper bursting into her office.

"Carewyn," he said urgently, "Hagrid's been arrested."

Both Carewyn and Chester whirled around.

"What!?" they cried in unison.

"How can that be?" Chester immediately followed up, sounding confused. "I didn't even know Hagrid was under investigation -- let alone charged with anything..."

He looked to Carewyn as if to ask if she had, but Carewyn wasn't paying attention. She got up from her chair and strolled around her desk over to Ben, taking hold of his shoulder and steering him into the office so she could close the door.

"Tell me everything," she said seriously.

Ben rested his forehead on his clenched fist as he propped his elbow against the wall of Carewyn's office.

"I was just finishing up my work for the day, when I saw Hagrid by the Floo grates with two Hitwizards, talking to Cornelius Fudge," he explained. "Fudge was apologizing, saying something about 'it just being a precaution' and that he was sure once things at Hogwarts settled down, he'd be able to go about his business as usual. Fudge even tried to tell Hagrid that Azkaban shouldn't really be that bad for him -- "

Ben looked absolutely disgusted repeating back such a blatant lie. Carewyn was just as furious herself.

"'Shouldn't be that bad?'" she repeated, her soft voice nonetheless dripping with horror and umbrage. "What, does he think only violent criminals are affected by dementors?"

"Likely!" Ben spat, his brown eyes flashing with righteous anger. "I went over and asked what was going on, and Hagrid explained that it was because of the whole 'Chamber of Secrets' mess. Fudge didn't seem to want to talk about it and kind of just blustered the same rubbish he'd said to Hagrid -- claimed the Hogwarts school governors had been concerned and he'd thought he should take measures to 'reassure' them and the public -- "

"Reassure them?" said Chester, his mouth falling open in disbelief. "But -- you can't mean -- the Minister can't really think that Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets?"

"No -- but apparently because Hagrid was expelled right after the Chamber of Secrets opened the first time, Fudge is perfectly willing to throw him under the bus anyway, just to make it look like he's doing something," Ben said vindictively. "Apparently he's letting the exact same thing happen to Dumbledore too."

"What do you mean?" said Carewyn, her eyebrows furrowing.

Ben leaned his back up against the wall, crossing his arms.

"Hagrid said that Dumbledore and Fudge had come to see him at his hut about an hour ago, when Lucius Malfoy crashed the meeting out of nowhere, just to round Dumbledore up and expel him from the grounds. Apparently that snake Malfoy somehow got all of the other school governors to sign off on the proposal."

The mention of Lucius Malfoy made Carewyn's eyes flare with resentment. Of course Malfoy would be the sort to take advantage of a bad situation to try to oust his old master You-Know-Who's greatest enemy.

"But -- but taking Dumbledore away could only make things worse," said Chester. He clearly had a hard time making sense of all this. "Surely the Minister wouldn't agree to that? He's gone to Dumbledore for advice for years..."

"But how could Fudge have arrested Hagrid in the first place?" Carewyn rerouted the conversation sharply. "The Hitwizards can't arrest anyone without the charges first going through the Department of Magical Law Enforcement...how fast must the charges have gone through, for Chester and me not to have heard anything about them?"

"That's because Fudge didn't involve the Hitwizards or the Wizengamot at first," Ben said coldly. "The Hitwizards I saw looked just as surprised by what they were hearing as I was...even if they did end up going lockstep with Fudge and took Hagrid away through the grate anyway. I reckon Fudge just asked Hagrid to come with him quietly, so he wouldn't have to get the Hitwizards involved..."

"Or have his activities draw too much attention," Carewyn finished.

Her low voice evoked the rumbles of an earthquake as she swept to the door. Opening it, she glanced over her shoulder at Chester, her blue eyes blazing with righteous fire despite the stoicism of her face.

"Chester...I'm afraid I'll have to leave you to finish editing the case file," she said curtly.

"What are you planning to do?" asked Chester.

"Speak to Madam Bones. Hagrid needs a lawyer, and I intend to be it."

x~x~x~x

It only took a half-hour for Carewyn to blaze through all the paperwork needed to become Hagrid's official legal counsel. Unfortunately Azkaban's visiting hours were only from sun-up to sun-down, with each visitor only being allowed an hour each day with a Patronus escort either provided by the warden or conjured by the visitor themselves. The conditions were very familiar to Carewyn -- she'd been reminded them every time she chose to visit Patricia Rakepick in her lonely cell block.

When Carewyn finally made it to Azkaban first thing the next morning and was led to the cell Hagrid had been squeezed into, she found the poor gamekeeper crumpled up in a huge ball, sobbing like a child.

"Dad -- 'm sorry, Dad -- "

Even with her Abraxan Winged Horse Patronus protecting her from the dementors' influence, Carewyn could feel a cold, ocean-like wave of despair crash over her, just looking at Hagrid. Her almond-shaped blue eyes welled up with empathetic pain.

"...Oh, Hagrid..."

She clutched the bars of his cell with her free hand as her Patronus swept through the bars, lightly brushing its nose along Hagrid's arm. Hagrid choked, blinking up through his tears as he shakily raised his head.

"...W...wha'...?"

The grief and paleness of Hagrid's usually rosy, happy face broke Carewyn's heart. She could feel her own eyes welling up with traces of tears as she tried to smile at him.

"It's me, Hagrid," Carewyn said gently. "It's Carewyn."

Hagrid's beetle-black eyes widened. Then, just as abruptly, they flooded with even more tears, which streamed down his face like pouring rain might streak down a windowpane.

"...Carewyn..."

He couldn't keep himself from breaking down into full sobs as he crawled over and slapped his oversized hands up against the bars -- they were too small for him to grab them the way Carewyn had. Even so, Carewyn tried to take his hand as best she could, even if it only resulted in her holding his pinky and ring finger.

"It's okay, Hagrid," Carewyn whispered as soothingly as she could. Her Abraxan Patronus gently rested its transparent wing over Hagrid's shoulder and rested its head beside his arm. "It's going to be okay..."

x~x~x~x

It took sitting with Carewyn and her Patronus for a couple of minutes before Hagrid was able to speak coherently. He told Carewyn everything that had happened, including the reason Fudge had thought he could be behind the attacks in the first place.

"...Th' whole lot thought that he'd been what hurt poor Myrtle Warren, bu' -- bu' I'm tellin' you, Aragog wouldn't-a done it!" said Hagrid. "I tol' 'em that at th' time too...bu' only Professor Dumbledore believed me..."

Carewyn nodded. That sounded about right -- for as much as she resented Dumbledore, the Headmaster had always supported Hagrid. And given the Headmaster's own talent for Legilimency, Carewyn suspected Dumbledore knew full-well Hagrid was telling the truth, just as much as she herself was certain of it. But she also knew that her intuitions based on her Legilimency couldn't be used as evidence of either guilt or innocence...and even if Hagrid didn't believe Aragog was the beast from the Chamber of Secrets and Carewyn doubted it as well, plenty of people could see the circumstances as pretty damning, on their own.

"And because no one else believed you, Headmaster Dippet expelled you with the thought that it would make the attacks stop," surmised Carewyn.

Hagrid hung his head. "...Yeah. An' well...th' attacks did stop, after tha'. Dunno why, aside from th' person maybe decidin' t' cut 'is losses..."

Carewyn's lips came together grimly as she looked at the floor. The gamekeeper's face went that little bit paler as his eyes flooded with fresh tears.

"Yeh -- yeh don't think I did it, d'yeh?" he said desperately. "I-I would never! I woulda never hurt 'em -- Nick an' Mrs. Norris, an' -- an' poor Hermione -- oh, Carewyn, I never woulda -- !"

Carewyn gave Hagrid's pinky a reassuring squeeze.

"I know, Hagrid," she said firmly. "I know you didn't do it. All of those Pureblood wizarding families that claimed to be related to Salazar Slytherin have died out -- and trust me, 'Hagrid' was not one of them. And the beast inside the Chamber of Secrets was supposedly put there by Salazar Slytherin around the time he and the other four Founders made the Cursed Vaults, back in the 9th century. Acromantula weren't bred until the 18th century. Aragog couldn't be Slytherin's monster."

Her eyes softened.

"...And I know you, Hagrid. You love everyone at Hogwarts, even the brattiest students. I know you would never do anything to hurt them."

Hagrid's teary eyes crinkled up to make room for a very weak, watery smile.

"...Thank you, Carewyn," he gave a loud sniff. "It...it means a lot...knowin' yeh believe in me..."

Carewyn gave a gentle pat to his hand through the bars. Hagrid gave another loud sniff.

"...D'yeh...d'yeh know if the Wizengamot'll be able t' stop Malfoy? Get 'em t' bring Dumbledore back?"

Carewyn pursed her lips grimly. "There's nothing for them to stop, at present. The school governors' job is to oversee the school and its Headmaster -- them asking Dumbledore to resign is a completely legal action for them to take."

Hagrid looked distressed. "Bu' -- bu' withou' Dumbledore there, everyone'll be in more danger than ever! Professor Dumbledore was likely the only thing that kept th' Heir o' Slytherin from goin' all out -- "

"That doesn't mean the Wizengamot can overrule the governors' decision," Carewyn said sternly. She then said a bit more gently, "...I know how much you respect Dumbledore -- and you're right, Dumbledore has warded Dark wizards away from the school before..."

Not that he was able to prevent R from sending Jacob and me threats, but they still didn't feel bold enough to show up in full-force until Dumbledore was away...

"...But however foolish their decision might be, it doesn't break any laws. And law enforcement is meant for that purpose -- enforcing laws that have been broken."

Hagrid looked incredibly disheartened.

"They're gonna regret it later," he muttered miserably. "Yeh jus' wait an' see..."

Carewyn gave Hagrid's pinky another light squeeze, exhaling quietly through her nose.

She thought so too -- but she was so unhappy just contemplating the consequences that she didn't have to heart to say so.

x~x~x~x

The consequences, as it turned out, were even worse than Carewyn could've envisioned.

After going out for an afternoon coffee break with Talbott one May day, Carewyn found the Ministry Atrium in disarray, with multiple owls flying in and out of the offices of the Minister of Magic and his support staff and nosy reporters crowding around in an attempt to figure out what was going on.

Tonks emerged from the crowd and filled them in -- apparently the reporters had heard rumors that there'd been another attack at Hogwarts by the Heir of Slytherin, this time with a student actually being taken into the Chamber itself. It was only once Talbott convinced Tonks to change herself temporarily into one of Dolores Umbridge's staffers so she could force her way through the reporters and get more information from the support staff herself that she found out who it was -- and when the pink-haired Auror caught up with Talbott and Carewyn in the Atrium, her heart-shaped face was as white as a sheet.

"Weasley," Tonks whispered shakily. "Fudge said the girl's name was Weasley..."

Talbott's shoulders stiffened as Carewyn's hands flew to her mouth in horror.

"Ginny," she gasped.

x~x~x~x

Talbott, Tonks, and Carewyn all bolted to the lift, taking it up to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where they could use the Auror Department's Floo Network grate specifically meant for communication. Upon trying to contact the Burrow, however, Carewyn found the house quiet and deserted.

"Are they not there?" Tonks asked Carewyn anxiously as she took her head out of the grate. The ginger-haired lawyer shook her head.

"The school must've contacted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as soon as it happened," Talbott said solemnly.

Carewyn nodded, her red lips knitting together tightly. "I've got to write to Bill and Charlie right away -- "

"I'll go to Hogsmeade," said Talbott at once. "There might be more information, closer to the school..."

"And I'll go back downstairs!" Tonks agreed. "Maybe I'll pick up some more intel, huddled in with all those reporters -- "

The three dispersed, with Talbott and Tonks heading back to the lift and Carewyn heading to her office. Once she'd very quickly written out a letter each for Bill and Charlie and put all of the expediting stamps on them that she possibly could, she then set about writing another more formal letter to Azkaban prison. Then she raced back to the lift, gave Bill and Charlie's letters to the two fastest owls she could find, and then headed straight for the Minister for Magic's office with the final piece of paper in her hand. The tiny ginger-haired lawyer had some trouble pushing her way through the crowd of reporters until Tonks -- disguised as one of them and therefore much taller and more muscular than usual -- managed to push everyone back enough that it gave her an opening.

When Carewyn reached the slightly open door of the Minister for Magic's office, she didn't even bother to knock the way she probably would've in any other circumstance. Quite frankly she didn't think the Minister would've heard her knock even if she tried, and if he did, he likely would've tried to ignore it, given how much owls were swooping in and out of his office and how noisy it was outside.

"Minister!" Carewyn said urgently.

Fudge looked up, incredibly startled. He'd been pacing the room, one letter in his hands and five left more open on his desk. His trademark light green bowler hat was hanging off the side of his high-backed chair, and he looked incredibly harried.

"Carewyn!" said Fudge, trying and failing to smile. "How nice it is to see you!"

Once Carewyn was in, she immediately shut the door behind her so sharply that Fudge gave a start.

"Ah -- forgive me, my dear, but...I'm afraid I'm very busy at the moment --"

"I know," said Carewyn. "Minister -- I need you to sign a release letter for Rubeus Hagrid."

Fudge was taken aback. "Hagrid? I-I don't -- "

"If the Heir of Slytherin has taken Ginny Weasley into the Chamber of Secrets, then he's still at Hogwarts," Carewyn said sharply. "Therefore Hagrid is innocent."

"Well, yes, but...that'll be dealt with, in due time," said Fudge with an attempt at a reassuring smile as he put down the letter in his hands and started to make a stack of it with the others. "I'll be sure to send along a proper letter to Azkaban, once I get these papers in order, and calm the press -- "

"You needn't send anything," Carewyn cut him off firmly. "I've already written out a formal release, and I'll be happy to deliver it myself -- you only need to sign it."

She put the letter down smack-dab in the center of his desk, right on over the stack of parchment he was organizing. Fudge, however, seemed hesitant to look at it, and instead busied himself with consulting the stack.

"Ah, well...I do appreciate your initiative, Carewyn," Fudge said in a weak attempt at indulgence, "but as I said, this...all will be dealt with, in due time. Now I'm truly sorry, but I'm afraid we'll have to speak more later -- I do have so much to do, in the light of all this -- "

"Minister!" Carewyn said, clearly upset.

" -- responding to all these letters from the governors, from Minerva McGonagall, from Arthur Weasley -- coordinating a response, for all press releases, and sending it along to the Prophet -- all before heading out to the school myself, to ascertain the gravity of the situation -- "

Carewyn could hear Fudge's rambling, but it was oddly muffled, in her own ears. Because of her Legilimency, she could sense Fudge's feelings wafting off of him just as clearly as she could hear him with her ears -- and in that moment, when she herself was so urgent, all she could feel from Fudge was the desire to run. To avoid, to push away, to ignore -- to not deal with his terrible mistake at that moment, and instead just try to make himself look as capable as he could to the public at large --

All that Carewyn could feel coming off of Fudge was cowardice.

And it was this that made Carewyn cut into his rambling with the cold sharpness of a knife.

"Minister."

Carewyn managed to catch Fudge's eye, and when he made eye contact with her, his voice immediately died in his throat. Her almond-shaped blue eyes were burning with a kind of cold disapproval the likes of which he'd never seen.

"I realize that you wish to be seen as a compassionate and attentive leader," Carewyn said very softly. "But trust that, in leaving an innocent person locked up in a prison manned by creatures that can drive people mad with their Dark aura alone -- when all you'd have to do to help him is sign your name...you currently appear as anything but."

Fudge opened his mouth, trying to stammer out a weak attempt at a stern response. "N-now, Carewyn -- I-I already told you I'd deal with -- "

But Carewyn merely picked up the release letter again and slapped it right back down on the desk in front of him.

"Minister -- you've already wrongfully sent a man to Azkaban before he'd even been formally charged with a crime," she murmured. "All while being quite certain he hadn't committed the crime in the first place, to the point that you reassured him that he'd probably be released 'once things settled down.'"

Carewyn's blue eyes narrowed.

"...Don't shame yourself further."

The Minister's face had lost quite a bit of its color as he stared at Carewyn. He rather shakily lowered himself down into his chair, regarding Carewyn with a wariness he never had before. Then, looking almost cowed, he averted his eyes, reached for the quill in the inkpot at his desk, and signed the release letter. He mutely held the letter out for Carewyn to take.

"Thank you," Carewyn said quietly.

She turned on her heel and headed for the door. When she opened it, ten owls swooped in, flocking around Fudge's desk and raining even more letters onto and around his desk.

"If I may make a suggestion, Minister," Carewyn said a bit more levelly as she left, "going to Hogwarts right now to deal with the problem would both make you look more proactive and give you some relief from all these letters."

Without waiting for Fudge's response, Carewyn left his office. Once she'd pushed her way through the crowd of reporters (even taking out her wand at one point to better coax them back), she dashed over to the closest Floo Network grate, snatching up some Powder in her free hand and chucking it down at her heeled feet as she climbed in.

"Azkaban Prison!"

And in a burst of emerald green flames, Carewyn had disappeared.

x~x~x~x

Once Hagrid had been released from his cell, Carewyn brought him with her to her mother Lane's new cottage, out in the country. The half-giant was still in pretty poor shape after his three-week-long stint in Azkaban, and since Carewyn knew he'd never fit in her tiny London flat, she figured at least Lane's new home would be a comfortable place to get Hagrid fed and healed and await further news from the Weasleys and Hogwarts.

As the night wore on, Carewyn received a few short updates from Tonks and Talbott -- Hogwarts was going to be closed; the girl's parents were at the school; the school governors were convening for a secret closed-door meeting. It wasn't until very early the following morning that Carewyn, Hagrid, and Lane received the news they'd all been hoping for, in the form of a long letter from Mrs. Weasley.

Carewyn dear, Bill wrote to Arthur and me telling me of your letter to him, so after following up with him and Charlie via Floo, I thought it best to write to you straightaway. Ginny is all right. My son Ron, his friend Harry, and their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, were able to locate the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry, bless him, was able to both kill Slytherin's monster (a basilisk! Merlin's beard, I was terrified, thinking of that poor boy facing off against that thing!) and rescue Ginny. Arthur and I are so grateful, even now I still can't stop crying. We're so relieved to know Ginny's safe, and that Ron and Harry are both safe as well. Unfortunately poor Gilderoy Lockhart apparently had his memory wiped...at his own hand, no less! He actually had the audacity to try to modify my son's memory! I suppose it's true what they say about never meeting your heroes!! Oh well, it seems Professor Dumbledore will have to find yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for next year. Oh, yes, I nearly forgot -- Dumbledore has returned to Hogwarts! Apparently all of the school governors (excluding Lucius Malfoy) heard about what happened to Ginny and immediately sent a letter to Dumbledore begging for him to come back. And he did, of course -- he was so gentle with Ginny, after her ordeal... Oh, but Carewyn dear, truly, I cannot thank you enough for caring so much for Bill and Charlie. Arthur had sent them his own letters not long before we left for Hogwarts, but from what I understand, your letters reached both Bill and Charlie well before Arthur's did, and I appreciate you trying so hard to make sure they knew what was going on as quickly as possible. Arthur and I send our love, and Ginny as well. Do consider coming over to the Burrow for a visit sometime soon -- Ginny was a bit cheered at the thought of having "another girl" over for dinner! Your mother and brother are more than welcome as well, if they're available. Arthur would be delighted to know what your mother thinks about pinball machines. All our love, Molly Weasley

Not long later, Hagrid returned to Hogwarts, and Carewyn returned to work at the Ministry. It was when she returned to the Ministry that Carewyn noticed Cornelius Fudge's attitude toward her had gone through a considerable change. When she arrived in the Atrium, she caught sight of the Minister likewise heading into work. At the sight of her, Fudge immediately approached her -- but his smile was not as wide open and overly amiable as it was before.

"Hello, Miss Cromwell," he said.

Carewyn blinked. "...Minister."

Fudge inclined his head respectfully. Taking a quick glance around the Atrium, he then spoke a bit more stridently.

"...Professor Dumbledore told me that Hagrid has settled himself back in nicely. He expressed admiration, for your defense of him...Madam Bones did, as well."

Carewyn frowned as her eyes drifted off toward the lift.

"Hagrid was my client," she said simply. "It was my job to advocate for his well-being. And it wasn't either lawful or right for him to remain imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit."

To Carewyn's surprise, Fudge's pleasant expression actually seemed to crack a bit, betraying something strangely insecure.

"I suppose so," said the Minister a bit stiffly. "Well then, Miss Cromwell...I'm afraid I must be off."

He paused. Then, forcing a slightly more politician-worthy smile, he asked, "I hope...I might likewise call on you in the future...should I wish for an expert legal opinion? Madam Bones does speak very highly of your abilities as a lawyer, you know."

Carewyn cocked her eyebrows in surprise. She honestly wasn't expecting that.

"...Of course," she said, once she'd recovered.

Fudge tipped his lime green bowler to her, before turning and sweeping away toward his office. As Carewyn watched him go, she couldn't help but frown.

It was bizarre -- it didn't feel like Fudge disliked her now or anything after she'd so coldly called him out in his office. Even so, there was a wall around his feelings that wasn't there before: something guarded. And yet it didn't seem suspicious or mistrustful. If anything, it felt almost formal: like Fudge was standing that bit taller and being that bit more detached and dignified than before. Less like he was trying to buddy up to Carewyn and use her as a prop to elevate himself and more like how an employer would treat a high-ranked employee...

And then it hit her.

Fudge had called her "Miss Cromwell." Not "Carewyn," not "Carewyn, my dear" -- but "Miss Cromwell." In the same sort of respectful tone of voice he'd use for Madam Bones and other older, respectable Ministry employees.

He was speaking to Carewyn not like a child that he could coax onto his side through coddling and fawning...but as an adult he wished to coax onto his side through decidedly more political means.

Carewyn's red lips came together tightly as she turned and headed for the lift, tossing her much shorter ginger bob off her neck.

Well, even if Fudge was truly nothing but a politician at heart, at least now he saw her as an adult who wouldn't become his sycophant just because he acted nice to her.

[sooibian]

Dittany

✨ part of the Spellbound collab series with insanely talented writers @hkynm ​ @fullsuninbloom​ @blackberrykai​ and @j-pping​

✨ pairing: hufflepuff!kyungsoo x ravenclaw!oc/reader ft. ravenclaw!chen

✨ themes: fluff, mild angst, slow burn, cheesy couples

✨ genre: hogwarts!au

✨ description: broken bones and a tedious detention - can I still say that this is the best christmas i've ever had? it’s because I found magic in him - the big eyed, dark haired, hufflepuff boy. funny I say that as a witch! but sadly, good things don’t last forever.

✨ word count: 16.5k

✨ tag list: @eggsodose @christiandosworld @imgonweast @is-that-baekhyuns-shirt @changshapatrol @thatanonymousgirl-as14 @his-mochi-cheeks @charmedbaek @xiusoomygod @crescent-iak @gdaystays @mangobaek @keonaforever21 @staryyugy @hyckrens @yixing-jaebeom @halfbloodkjm @thepoeticfirefly​

With a baggie of Caramel Cobwebs grasped between her fingers, he saw her head towards Gladrags Wizardwear. He feigned untied shoelaces as his friends Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Chen made a beeline for a table at The Three Broomsticks. He stayed just so that he could see her for just a little bit longer as she walked down the quaint but bustling lane of Hogsmeade. It baffled him how different she looked to him every time he saw her. 

Yet she looked so familiar.

A sound of girls giggling reached his ears suddenly making him more aware. A jet of purple light shot in her direction and she stood frozen, right in the middle of the street, face buried in hands.

It enraged him to see her like this, weak and lost. With a flick of his wand he unbound her legs. Misty eyed, she hesitantly looked over her shoulder for a fleeting moment before hurrying into the safer confines of the shop as though nothing had happened.

This was their first ever trip to Hogsmeade and he thought J. Pippin's Potions worth the detour. 

Rat tails. Porcupine quills. Billywig stings.

The Hair Raising potion had its benefits, after all. 

A few drops of it in their pumpkin juice and those girls went around school with their hair standing on end. It made them the laughing-stock and not a single soul suspected the innocent looking, third-year Hufflepuff boy.

.

.

.

Professor Trelawney's got me feeling like I’ve downed an entire flask of Felix Felicis.

Maybe it was the fine sherry I brought her for Christmas and if I'm being honest she was most likely under the influence of some at the time - a bit too early in the day for such an indulgence but that’s just my opinion. Anyway, she has prophesied that today’s going to be a momentous day for me. She said it would “change the course of my destiny”. Jupiter has entered Pisces owing to which I’ll be able to open myself up more to the world. I shudder at the thought but her comically large, moony eyes bore a distinct hint of euphoria so I’ll take her word for it. And I don’t care what “opinions” other students - or even Professors for that matter - have of her but I’ll always believe that Divination is a highly compelling (albeit misunderstood) branch of magic. 

And Professor Trelawney is a truly gifted Seer.

With a spring in my step, I'm practically galloping down the Great Hall after a hearty breakfast and Professor Flitwick is unfeignedly in his element. A peppy tune on his lips, he blossoms golden baubles out of his wand, trailing them over the branches of the new dozen of frost covered fir trees akin to a Maestro weaving a symphony with his baton. Christmas has always been an ethereal treat for the eyes at Hogwarts. The Castle is covered in several feet of silver snow, in the Great Hall thick streams of holly and mistletoe criss-cross the ceilings and enchanted snow falls warm and dry from it. While I do feel a little lonely sometimes, I'd rather spend the holidays here than back home with Gran.  

Fourteen years of having to raise me all by herself after Mum and Dad passed away couldn’t have been easy. I reckon she could do well without having to unnecessarily fret over me during the holidays. And I could do very well without her persuasions, asking me to live up to the dreams my parents had had for me. Hopefully, she's enjoying herself with a cup or two of Firewhisky in the evenings in the company of her Ministry friends and gorging on those delicious Ugly Christmas Sweater Cookies and Liquorice Wands that she so relishes!

"Looks great, Professor!" I say to Professor Flitwick and with a cheery laugh he waves his wand bearing arm at me. I duck at the sudden attack of tinsels but one golden bauble nests in the loop of my topknot anyway. I think I'll keep it and use it for Hagrid's gift.

Hagrid!

A glance out the window behind the staff table and I resolve to brave the weather and pay him a long overdue visit. I have a little something for him and old Fang. I won’t lie, it helps to be the granddaughter of an influential woman for Hagrid’s Christmas presents don’t come easy. 

Another great thing about Christmas is that I have the castle all to myself. The dormitory is vacant and the Common Room is far emptier than usual. And I’m spared the everyday torment of hushed whispers and giggles and the occasional “practical jokes”. Carefully, I bring Hagrid’s present out of its little pen to measure it up against the stray bauble. Not his size. He rapidly blinks his beetle brown eyes at me and crawls up my arm with a certain urgency, nestling into the crook of my neck. “Aww Mr. Twiggles”, I plop the Bowtruckle down onto my lap and wrap a pink ribbon around its knobbly brown arm. Placing him under an airy bronze cloche, alongside a huge slab of butterbeer fudge, I bid him adieu. 

***

My butt is freezing, I’m pretty sure I heard something crack and it was definitely not the ice. A terrified Bowtruckle is smack in the middle of my face while I lie amidst crumbs of Butterbeer Fudge. Since this could be his only shot at freedom, Mr. Twiggles scuttles into the Forbidden Forest. Taking stock of the situation I realise that Fang’s present has now become one with the snow, I’ve lost Hagrid’s present to its natural habitat and probably snapped a few of my bones in the process. 

But this is the least of my concerns. 

My literal fall further down the school’s social structure has a witness - the Muggle-born Hufflepuff boy, who belongs to probably one of the most influential cliques in school. I don’t think much of them, to be honest. They’re just a babbling band of bumbling baboons. But can’t I have a day go by without being humiliated? Is that a lot to ask? Hagrid’s hut is barely ten feet from here. I wouldn’t mind breaking all of my bones in his company. He would’ve probably offered me some tea and his infamous rock cakes before carrying me to the Hospital Wing. Out of all the places in Hogwarts... out of all the places in the world...did this wide-eyed bloke really have to be here? Exactly in this moment? And just how many students is Hagrid friends with anyway? And why him? I swear I’ve never seen the boy smile. Not even when he’s with his rowdy friends. 

This can’t be it. 

This can’t be the ‘momentous day that changes the course of my destiny’. This is just like...any other rubbish day and it’s crushing my soul. I'm starting to believe that Divination is a whole lot of hogwash and Professor Trelawney is indeed a fraud. But at this point, I can’t feel my limbs and I really, really could use some help.

Squinting hard, the Muggle-born rushes to my aid. My lips begin to quiver and I feel warm tears trickle down my temples, further wetting my already damp hair. He stoops down and his eyes widen with surprise and recognition and he scoffs at my immobilized state. As he’s helping me up, I wrap my right arm around his shoulders. An imperceptible smile tugs at his lips as his left arm firms around my waist and before I know it, I’m standing on my own two feet - or one. My weight is supported by him and my good right leg. But before I can begin to thank him, a sharp pain shoots to my head and I see little stars buzzing around his ears. Maybe they are real! 

“Wrackspurts”, I mumble and observe his lips form the shape of a heart when curved into a wide smile. His smile is….bewitching.

And it's the last thing I see.

***

Madam Pomfrey strongly insists on keeping me caged in for the night. She’s implacable and my protests are met with a standard taut response, “Broken bones are particularly dangerous in winters. You’re staying the night.” How do I explain that I feel fine and keeping me in will only make matters a LOT worse for me.

I have to go see the Hufflepuff boy.

I have absolutely no memory of the events that unfolded after I literally started seeing stars. Not Wrackspurts. Did he perhaps carry me to the Hospital Wing? I have no answers and this isn’t exactly the kind of topic I wish to broach with Madam Pomfrey. My throat dries up at the thought of him struggling to bring me all the way up here and it makes me actively consider a transfer to Beauxbatons - if that is indeed possible. Because this cannot be happening right now! Sixth year has been quiet and I’d like to keep it that way, thank you very much. 

I don’t know if the Hufflepuff boy will keep it down for me. Will he tell his friends about it? Will I become the talk of the town even before school resumes? Will he keep it to himself if I cut a deal with him? I don’t mind helping him out with schoolwork or something.

My delirious train of thought is interrupted by three rhythmic knocks on the slightly ajar double door.

It’s him.

He’s standing in the doorway, twiddling a rectangular purple box in his hands, shifting his weight nervously from one foot to the other. Does he expect me to invite him in? What’s the protocol? Smoothing out the wrinkles in my blanket, I sit up slightly and crane my neck to find Madam Pomfrey who seems to be in her Office. Pursing my lips into an awkward smile, I turn to look at him and shrug noncommittally. He takes it as his cue to enter.

“This is for you.” He says in a low mellifluous voice which tastes like honeyed milk and gingerly places the box at the edge of my bed. Caramel Cobwebs. My favourite! He finds a seat at the edge of the other end of my bed.

“Thanks, you didn’t have to...and thank you for everything. I -”

His deep brown eyes suddenly meet mine and I lose all sense of speech.

“It was Hagrid who brought you here”, he says nonchalantly, drumming his fingers on his knees while allowing his large eyes to survey the sterile, sprawling infirmary.

Then why is he here?

“Aren’t you missing lunch?” I ask, unwrapping the box and offering the constellate of bite sized confectionery to him. “I’m not too hungry”, he says, guzzling down a few anyway. A soft smile touches the corners of his mouth. 

Silence echoes in the Hospital Wing, save for our muted nibbling. It’s soothing in its sense of comfort as neither of us is particularly chatty. And that’s just as gratifying as the sweet treats.

“Looks like we have company!” The stern but kind Matron swooshes out of her office, scrutinizing the boy from top to bottom, making him shift uncomfortably in his seat. She’s never been too fond of visitors. I remember the day I tagged along with Chen last year to visit his human banshee of a friend - Baekhyun. 

A doxy had apparently sunk it’s double row sharp front teeth into his arm, injecting him with its venom. His dense idea was to experiment with doxy venom to appear ill just so that he could cut a couple of lessons with his dimwitted oaf - Chanyeol. While the latter went unscathed and even managed to extract an ounce of venom out of the doxy (cute fairies he liked to call them), the human banshee had to be brought into the Hospital Wing to be administered the Antidote to Uncommon Poisons. I only visited the boy who cackles like a goose to get a little look-see of what doxy venom could do to a person. But to my absolute dismay, he looked... peachy, with an annoying boxy grin plastered across his face. The Matron shooed Chen, me and the big oaf out in a matter of minutes. It’s not that I blame her. I would’ve probably done the same in view of the racket that ensued amidst their boisterous conversation.

Madam Pomfrey brings out a small vial of brown liquid and applies a few drops of it on my elbow. I hadn’t noticed the nasty wound my fall had left on it, up until then. A greenish smoke billows upward and it quickly clears out to make the wound look several days old and new skin stretches over what had been a deep cut.

“Dittany!” The Hufflepuff boy and I say in unison.

“Well done! 5 points each to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw!” Madam Pomfrey jokes as she peers over her spectacles and her gaze flits between him and me. I catch his heart shaped smile again. And for some reason, makes my stomach contract and my heart go into a somersault. Or maybe it’s the effect whatever Madam Pomfrey’s got me under.

The Matron raises her wand and points it at the table adjoining my bed. A large plate of sandwiches, two silver goblets and a jug of a cold beverage appear with a pop.

It's honeyed milk. 

She retracts into her office without pressing on him to leave and for that I am grateful. We share sandwiches in silence as a mildly bitter citrus aroma of Dittany wafts through the space between us. The plate endlessly refills itself but we’re both satiated by the third fill.

“I’m Kyungsoo, by the way. Sixth year.” He says in his dulcet tone and I take a huge gulp of the sweet nectar out of the goblet.

***

Madam Pomfrey sets me free with not one but two warnings. Avoid slippery outdoors if you’d like to enjoy the Christmas feast and Don’t count your owls before they are delivered. I’ll admit the second one is a bit difficult to stomach since I had my eyes trained on the door for the better part of the morning. It comes in fine print at the bottom of the letter of acceptance - steer clear of parent-less weirdos who believe in Divination and Nargles. Of course the sweet and quiet Kyungsoo received the same letter. 

After having sent Hagrid a Christmas greeting via an owl, I head over to the library. Its musty fragrance clears my mind off trivial sentiments. Sixth year is no child’s play and I need to read up on Apparition to avoid having a limb splinched especially after yesterday’s disaster. 

“Umm...HI!”, a chirpy voice startles me and I almost collapse into the Restricted Section. This voice is a little too sprightly for a deserted library and its owner looks like someone who does not belong in school during the holiday season. Her dazzling smile perfectly complements the twinkle in her eyes. She’s one of those girls but she seems nice? My puzzled expression asks her the obvious questions.

“Sorry! Professor Slughorn asked me to give this to you.” She hands me a rich parchment. It’s a letter addressed to me in the most exquisite cursive inviting me to dinner held by Professor H.E.F Slughorn.

Bleaaargh!

The girl is still here, eyes beaming with curiosity, “It’s for the Slug Club, right? What’s it all about? Well... I’ve always wondered.” Her voice trails off in an awkward giggle.

“Be my guest!”

It’ll help to have a slightly known, apparently friendly face in an obnoxious crowd.

***

I’m no stranger to the opulent ways of prestigious wizarding families but this isn’t something one would expect to see in a Professor’s office at Hogwarts. It’s barely even an office! It’s an enormous tent bathed in a dim orange of the sunset with its ceiling and walls draped in emerald hangings. The deep melody of violins drowns the frantic squeaking of house elves who are obscured by the heavy silver platters of the finest hors d'oeuvres.  

A circular dining area is set up right in the middle of the room where most of the invitees have taken their seats. There aren’t too many compared to last year. No Warlocks, no Vampires. Just a handful of students with their guests and a couple of past students - Slughorn’s proteges of course - who’ve managed to carve a name for themselves all thanks to the powerful connections he’d helped them forge through this very same Club. Or so he’d rather believe.

The tap on my shoulder strikes me with the realization that I’m still stood at the entrance. It’s my chirpy guest! The fifth year Gryffindor Prefect. One awkward small talk later, we find our seats at the ostentatious table.

Despite the grandiose, this is a rather intimate gathering. But judging by Professor Slughorn’s enthusiasm, the turnout is certainly not off-putting to him. He drones on about his overachieving handpicked students and I let my mind wander into the distance while Miss Prefect is certainly taken by the charms of this first-class motley. Well, at least someone’s liking it here.

“Kyungsoo, m’boy!” Slughorn jumps mid-feast at the sight of the newest entrant to this coalition, almost causing me to choke on my roast duck, “Welcome, welcome!” 

At a gesture from Slughorn, he sits down in the empty chair next to me and mutters a velvety ‘hullo’ in my direction and I’ve suddenly lost my appetite thanks to the butterflies in my stomach. He’s dressed casually in blue denims and a beige knit sweater yet he’s shining brighter than Sirius among all these boys in their finest ensembles.

“This young man is the only sixth year I’ve ever seen who’s managed to concoct the Draught of Living Death”, he takes a dramatic pause to peer at his guests over his spectacles before meeting my eyes, “flawlessly!”

Almost everyone at the table acknowledges Kyungsoo with a smile or a slight nod, save for a few overtly arrogant Purebloods who merely grunt in response or completely ignore his accomplishment. I, on the other hand, have my eyes trained on the roast duck to keep my erratic heartbeat in check.

Slughorn gears up for another act, “So tell us, Mister Doh, what exactly does your family do in the Muggle world?” His smile is cold, unwelcoming.

“My Mum is a chef, Professor...my parents own a restaurant.” Kyungsoo answers.

Slughorn contemplates on his answer for a while with a ‘hmm’, “A Muggle-born, eh?”, he lifts an eyebrow, “But the fumes from his cauldron almost lulled this old man into a deep slumber”, he chortles, wagging a sausage like finger, only to receive cold silence in response from everyone else except one invitee.

The feline eyed man laughs the loudest at Slughorn’s pathetic joke. One might think it’s probably out of sympathy. But it’s not. He seems to have actually found that funny.

Slughorn introduces him as Minseok Kim and goes on to sing praises about this former student of his. Slytherin. Excellent potioneer. One of the youngest registered animagi. 

His animagus is a cat. 

Minseok interrupts Slughorn’s discourse with an uncomfortable laugh showcasing his wide gummy grin, “You give me too much credit, Professor!”

“You’ve made me proud, my son! So tell us how your career as a Magizoologist is treating you? Well, I hope? Your uncle Soo Man Lee, a notable Warlock and a dear friend of mine, wrote to me saying that you happened to cross paths with an obscurus during one of your recent travels! That must have been...” Professor Slughorn shakes his head in horror and awe as his voice tails away.

“It’s certainly a story for a different occasion, Professor. Although, it happens to be one of my most memorable experiences.” Something about Minseok’s discomfit demeanour tells me he’d rather have a tête-à-tête with the obscurus than with Professor Slughorn. I take an instant liking to this man. 

“Minseok, we happen to have an aspiring Magizoologist in our company”, I loathe the nickname. It’s a garb. It’s a lie. But the conversation seamlessly steers towards me as a dozen pairs of eyes follow Professor Slughorn’s snivelling gaze. Clearing my throat, I say to Minseok, “I’m delighted to meet you - ”

“My dear, if I may ask and I hope you won’t mind”, Professor Slughorn interrupts me, per usual. Kyungsoo lets out a barely audible annoyed grunt and I hold my breath in anticipation of what he’s about to say next. Slughorn has a knack for broaching treacherous territories with utmost eloquence. I didn’t think it was possible for me to despise this gathering any more than I already do. I know where he’s going. I know what he’s going to say next. He’s going to play the Devil’s (Gran’s) Advocate. 

This is not a party. It’s an intervention which serves as an offhanded reminder of my parents’ gruesome deaths.

“You come from a lineage of Aurors par excellence. Your grandparents with whom I had the great fortune of exchanging notes and secrets in these very same classrooms. Your parents…. a tremendous loss to our world…” 

At this point, I’ve lost Professor Slughorn. 

He’s testing me again to see if I have any of my parents’ flair. I do not. Magizoologist is just a veil that conceals my seemingly purposeless life. I’m not sure what I want to be. Or who I want to be. If there’s one thing I know it’s that I don’t want to end up like my parents. Neither am I brave nor am I self sacrificial. Their deaths, I’ve come to terms with. It’s the torture they went through that keeps me up most nights - the unimaginable pain of the Cruciatus Curse before they were engulfed in blinding green light. My throat seizes up and I chew on the insides of my cheeks to feel pain that’s more superficial.

My sweaty palms clutch at the hem of my silk lilac dress. I feel hesitant fingers gently graze the back of my left hand, steadying the tremble. Judging by my lack of protest, Kyungsoo’s grip around my hand courageously strengthens. 

In subliminal comfort. 

I don’t feel cornered anymore.

.

.

.

KYUNGSOO

Oh I shouldn’t have. 

OH BOY I SHOULD NOT HAVE!

I’m not a pervert. In my defense her hand was right there! Trembling. Astray. Seeking shelter.

Asking to be held.

She didn’t say a word to me after that ridiculous party. I couldn’t muster the courage to say anything to her, either. What could I have said? I’m sorry? That would’ve been dishonest. I wasn’t sorry about it at all. Are you alright? I didn’t want her to feel any more uncomfortable than she already did. So I left it at that. Like I always do. 

Because I’m a coward. 

She swooped out with her friend as soon as the snoozefest was over, leaving her food completely untouched. In fact, I didn’t catch her taking a bite out of anything ever since I arrived. Her slender fingers were gracefully wrapped around a silver goblet the entire time.

It’s always been like that with her. She always needs something or the other to physically hold on to. The straps of her bag, books, remembralls, whatever she can find. I notice these little things about her. I always have. But to her I’m only a face in the crowd. The very same crowd she fights shy of. I don’t blame her. It is quite rare for pretty girls to notice me. 

And she’s ethereal.

Year One

My heart was hammering in my chest as I was ridiculously close to missing the Hogwarts Express. Partially because the oddly named Platform was nowhere to be found and I was starting to think of the entire thing as an elaborate prank. And when we did end up finding the way to the Platform by following a snooty wizarding couple who seemed to be seeing their daughter off, I quite frankly lost my mind at the prospect of having to run through a solid wall to get to it.

I said a final word of my goodbye to my teary-eyed mother.

Earlier in the day, her theatrical sobfest went on for hours after she progressed from outright denial and came to terms with the fact that witches and wizards do exist and that her only son is in fact a wizard. He wasn’t going to take over his parents’ restaurant business like she’d always hoped he would. Honestly, at this point he’s not entirely sure what his future beholds but he’s a wizard and is indeed very happy about it.

But I didn’t dare say this to her. 

I pretended to be upset about having to practically move out at the age of eleven. In all honesty, I was mildly upset but far more excited about this school I’d, obviously, never heard of before the Letter arrived - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

But it wasn’t long before all of my bubbling excitement was reduced to a pile of rubbish.

I had lost my little pouch of wizard money which I thought I'd carefully tucked into the back pocket of my jeans only to find out about it seconds prior to having to pay for the strange but oddly tempting treats. I felt myself shrink under the kind old lady’s sympathetic gaze as I put my little confectionery treasure back to where it belonged. On the top of her trolley. Suddenly, the embarrassing rumble of my stomach was drowned by a welcome jingle of coins.

The second year boy in my compartment - who later introduced himself as Baekhyun Byun - paid for the treats instead. I didn’t like him at first since he had a permanent smile plastered across his face, was giggly and extremely chatty. He’d told me all kinds of sorting stories which made me want to take the same train back home. I discovered his annoyingly loud chewing habits while sharing a stack of Cauldron Cakes with him. But I guess a happy stomach makes one truly tolerant.

We tried to offer Pumpkin Pasties to the girl in our compartment who had her face buried in a book right since the moment she boarded. Baekhyun even tried to strike up a conversation with her, multiple times, but to no avail. She’d only respond in nods and slight smiles.

After a point, we gave up. There’s no cure to snobbery.

There was an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach even after having annihilated five Chocolate Frogs, a dozen Liquorice Wands, six Pumpkin Pasties and two Cauldron Cakes. It wasn't even the first day yet and I’d lost ten Galleons in wizarding money which equalled fifty Pounds in muggle money which equalled two meals at our restaurant.

The rain thickened as the train sped further north. Baekhyun pulled on his long black robe, gave me all of his Chocolate Frog cards and scurried ahead with his trunk leaving me alone with the oddball. We were nearly there.

“Here”, she said, thrusting a heavy, knotted pink cloth in my hands before exiting the compartment in a rush.

It was five Galleons neatly wrapped in a cloth that smelled exactly like the “farewell” cake Mum baked me. 

Vanilla.

***

We didn’t have to wrestle a troll or turn a fat rat yellow for the Sorting Ceremony like Baekhyun said we’d have to.

“RAVENCLAW!” the Hat bellowed and the girl from the Hogwarts Express found her place amidst the brains at Hogwarts (as Baekhyun liked to call them) and that didn’t leave me surprised at all.

When the strict witch called out my name I almost stumbled upon a step on my way up to the wooden stool. For no particular reason the word “Ravenclaw” rolled off my tongue and the Hat contemplated, “Intelligent and hard-working, eh? Hmm….where should I place you...I see. I see! HUFFLEPUFF!”

The table next to Ravenclaw cheered me on as a ghost, the Fat Friar, swooshed past me in what was supposed to be a bone chilling embrace. I caught her eyes and she gave me a little wave.

Ravenclaw...at least I knew where to find her. I’ll return her money but not the piece of cloth.

It is a reminder of home.

Year Two

Am I invisible to her?

Every time I’ve so much as smiled at her she’s returned it with an unreadable expression like that lady in the fake painting at our restaurant. If I approach her and she doesn’t recognize me, I’ll be making a complete ass out of myself. Anyway, she probably thinks I’m not good enough to be seen around with but third-year Chen is. People say she belongs to one of the oldest wizarding families and she sure does act like royalty. I guess, five Galleons to her is nothing but a drop in the ocean.

***

While Professor Sprout thinks I’m the next Tilden Toots - a celebrity Herbologist and Potioneer, Professor Snape’s way of expressing his satisfaction with my abilities in Potions was with a scowl and a barely audible “five points to Hufflepuff.”

Most of the students think of Potions as a lot of hard work but to me, it’s really not. I don’t entirely blame them. The classes are held in a dungeon and the Potions Master looms over us with a murderous intent but if you ignore all of that it’s just intricacies of timing and stirring techniques.

The Hair Raising potion was disgusting to concoct especially since one of the key ingredients was rat tails and three counter clockwise stirs left the cauldron with a sickening green residue causing the entire dungeon to smell like a dead rat.

I must admit, Hogwarts is one weird school. What on earth would I need this potion for?

Year Three

Whenever I’ve tried to avoid the joined at the hips duo Baekhyun and Chanyeol, I’ve found myself in their ear splitting company. By now, I’ve resigned to my fate. My fellow Hufflepuff Yoongi isn’t up for much these days. To be honest, he’s always liked to stick to the confines of the Hufflepuff dorm and that’s kind of a downer.

So I spend almost all of my free time in the company of the Perpetually In Detention duo and their Ravenclaw friend Chen. And I realise that I can never be Chen. Chen is perfect in every way. He’s polite, he’s intelligent, and at such a young age he’s got his life planned out. He wants to work for the Ministry of Magic. Which, I believe, is a cakewalk for the likes of him. He’s also kinda good looking. While we’re all struggling with embarrassing bulk sticking out of odd places and less than appealing skin, he could very well replace Gilderoy Lockhart for the next issue of Witch Weekly.

***

When I saw her head toward Gladrags Wizardwear, fingers clutched at a baggie of Caramel Cobwebs, I feigned untied shoelaces as Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Chen made their way into The Three Broomsticks. Suddenly, a jet of purple light shot in her direction and a sound of girls giggling reached my ears. She stood frozen in the middle of the street, face buried in hands and with a flick of my wand I unbound her legs. Misty eyed, she hesitantly looked over her shoulder for a fleeting moment before hurrying into the safer confines of the shop as though nothing had happened.

This was our first ever trip to Hogsmeade and I thought J. Pippin's Potions worth the detour.

Rat tails. Porcupine quills. Billywig stings.

The Hair Raising potion had its benefits, after all. 

A few drops of it in their pumpkin juice and not a single soul suspected the innocent looking, third-year Hufflepuff boy.

Year Four

Hagrid seemed quite proud of his crate full of Blast-Ended Skrewts. They were cuddly creatures, very useful and made for exceptional pets. 

If you looked at them with Hagrid’s beady brown, affectionate eyes.

Everyone in class was visibly disturbed at the sight of them. Yoongi was quite close to disappearing into the Forbidden Forest. But that’s just him - slimy, foul smelling, shell-less lobsters or not. I wouldn’t be surprised if he chose, out of the blue, to live as a hermit in the company of centaurs. Not sure if he’s aware that they’re averse to humans.

Smiling, she took two graceful steps towards the crate as the rest of us took two steps back. Then four, then six as her waist length hair rippled down her shoulders and sunlight bounced off the silver trinkets in her ears. Perhaps motivated by her deep affection for Hagrid and anything non-human, she dipped a piece of frog liver to tempt the freshly hatched Skrewts.

It was pointless. Skrewts don’t have mouths. Mine is carefully locked away in a little pen under my bed. Honestly, I don’t care whether it survives the semester or not. 

Anyway, she ended up earning a roaring applause from Hagrid and ten points for Ravenclaw.

I found myself following her to the hideous crate like my legs had a mind of their own while Yoongi gaped at me in horror. I don’t know what struck me but I’m pretty sure that I don’t love Hagrid enough to get stung by an ugly lobster. 

But she had her eyes lovingly trained on the Skrewts the entire time and my valiant battle against a six inch burning, biting and stinging hybrid went completely unnoticed by her. 

Would I have to transfigure into an ugly Skrewt to get her attention? Or gulp down a vial of Polyjuice Potion to look like Chen? 

I’d still lack his charm.

Year Five

How Chanyeol and Baekhyun managed to advance to the sixth year is anyone’s guess, really. 

Because at this point I wish I had a Time Turner. Twenty four hours in a day are not enough for what the O.W.L.s demand. I’ve got Potions, Arithmancy, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic and Defence Against The Dark Arts. 

And Divination is entirely her fault.

There’s one thing, though, that Trelawney’s “Inner Eye” was right about - Everything is not as bad as it seems, my dear. It’s true. Professor Slughorn isn’t half as bad as Professor Snape. Although he’s a little vain and self-serving, I have a better shot at earning an O in Potions with him than I could have ever had with Snape. Where Snape would dismiss my nearly perfect brews with a grunt, I manage to earn some real points for Hufflepuff with Slughorn.

Professor Sprout, ever so confident in my abilities, had laughed away my Career Advice session by calling me the next Tilden Toots. Her face fell slightly when I told her that I aspired to be Tilden Toots the Potioneer and not Tilden Toots the Herbologist.

But my dreams won’t materialize if I don’t have near perfect scores in Charms and Arithmancy and these are the two subjects that have kept me away from my “happening” social life.

I’d been haunting the Hufflepuff common room with my fingers in my ears, muttering soundlessly and my dear friend Yoongi chose to “take a quick catnap for a refreshed mind” every chance he got. I haven’t seen them in a while - Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Chen and their Quidditch friends Kai and Sehun. With twelve (failed) study schedules strewn on the floor and six weeks left until the exams, I seized my copy of Defensive Magical Theory and stepped out of the dorm for some fresh air and mindless chatter.

Last I’d heard, they’d managed to earn themselves a week’s worth of detention for setting off Filibuster’s Fireworks in Filch’s office. 

What I witnessed in the corridor on my way out made me stop dead in my tracks. Chen had his arm around her shoulders as they walked along the hallway laughing and talking animatedly. This was the happiest I had ever seen her in all these years. At the sight of them, I felt a paralyzing dread seep into my consciousness. 

I hated it.

I hated to see her happy. With him. A part of me saw this coming but I could’ve never prepared myself for it and I immediately regretted leaving the unwitting confines of my Common Room. 

Seething, I went in the other direction, taking a detour for the Quidditch pitch, to find those clowns. 

With them, I could very well drift in and out of conversations. While I lacked patience for most of their rubbish and I usually brought my earmuffs along, today was different. I needed to hear something refreshing to get my mind off the horrible fragmented flashbacks of what I’d witnessed just minutes ago. It’s probably nothing and they’re just friends but the nagging rebuttal to my ‘just friends’ argument is making me restless.

To my absolute horror, Chen breezed into the pitch with an annoying grin on his face, cheeks flushed. I felt the knot in my stomach tighten.

“Guys! I asked her out and she said yes!” He announced to the world in his usual thunderous scream invoking a deafening response from the rest of them. Slamming my copy of Defensive Magical Theory shut, I rushed to the common room, ignoring Kai calling out for me.

Year Six

Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so and the consequences may be... severe.

And rewarded, I was. With 6 Os, 2 Es (Arithmancy and Defence Against the Dark Arts) and 1 A (Divination). Yoongi had managed to scrape through with a decent O.W.Ls score as well. And “Chen’s girlfriend” had topped the year, per usual. With 8 O’s and 1 E in Defence Against The Dark Arts, having messed up one counter jinx in the practicals.  She’s strangely under confident when it comes to this subject.

My house-elf friend Winky smuggled in a congratulatory vanilla cake - a Muggle recipe I’d helped her recreate.

***

So turns out “Chen’s girlfriend” isn’t Chen’s girlfriend. 

I mean, Chen has a girlfriend but it’s not the girl from the Hogwarts Express. It’s the Ravenclaw Head Girl. Because I spent nearly half a year sulking, slogging away in the library, feeling betrayed for no particular reason, despite my well above average O.W.Ls score I felt like a complete idiot.

The bearer of good news was Chanyeol Park.

Who enraged me and made me want to kiss a Blast-Ended Skrewt on its non-existent mouth at the same time with, “Of course he’s not dating that Ravenclaw oddball. He’s dating the Ravenclaw Head Girl.”

Smacking him on the head with my copy of Advanced Potion Making, I decided to spend the upcoming Christmas at school. 

It’s now or never.

***

She’s SUCH an idiot!

A freezing, injured, drenched, clumsy idiot. 

A Bowtruckle whirred past me into the Forbidden Forest as I rushed to help her off the ground. Tergeo, I muttered to siphon the blood off her elbow and hoisted her up not long before she collapsed into my arms.

She’s a cute idiot whose pain is… my gain.

.

.

.

“Why aren’t you home for the holidays?”

Howling, a chilly breeze engulfs us but the panoramic view of the landscape from the Wooden Bridge is well worth it. As is the mildly attractive Hufflepuff boy who’d asked, very shyly, if he could see me here.

“My parents are always busy with the restaurant during the holidays, anyway. Thought I’d use this time to prepare better in advance for N.E.W.T.s”, says a red-nosed, shivering Kyungsoo.

He’s ambitious as he is kind. “So, are you?”

“Hmm?”

“Preparing for... N.E.W.T.s?”

“No. Something’s kept me busy.” An imperceptible smile tugs at his lips and I find myself unconsciously mirroring him. It’s freezing out here but my cheeks are ablaze.

“What has?” My tone is unwavering but his rich pause has me dreading as well as anticipating the answer.

“The Patronus Charm”, he says, “All I can manage is formless silver vapour.”

Oh.

“I could help if you like.” I turn to face him to find his confused expression uncoil into a toasty smile.

“You can conjure an actual corporeal Patronus?” His excitable voice is not as deep as his regular talking voice but it’s melodic anyway.

Nodding, I say, “Let’s go.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes aren’t exactly trusting. I’ve brought him to the seventh floor and we’re gawking at a tapestry of trolls ridiculously bent in a plier. If I were him, I wouldn’t trust me either. But Hogwarts is an ancient castle and I’ve spent a good amount of time recceing it’s rooms, hallways, and everything in between. Yet, I discover something new, every time. 

Last year, I discovered this - The Room of Requirement - or as Meady likes to call it - the Come and Go Room.

“Okay, so we’re going to walk past the area of this door, thrice, thinking clearly of what we need.” Pointing at the wall opposite the funny tapestry, I say to Kyungsoo but a look of sheer confusion mixed with worry clouds his face.

“We’re going to think of a large, dingy classroom where we can have our lessons without anyone disturbing us.”

His expression is short of saying, ‘You’re crazy. Goodbye.’ Despite that, he valiantly follows my instruction.

After the third pass we’re in a spacious classroom completely devoid of any furniture, save for two desks.

“Ahhh”, hands on hips, he gapes in surprise surveying the dimly lit room, “but...we could’ve practised anywhere. Why here?”

“For the effect?” My fingers clutch at the edge of the desk as a knot tightens in my stomach and I find myself hoping that he stays.

His ha-ha-ha echoes in the room and his voice is at it’s high pitch again, “Shall we?”

Nodding, I take the centre of the class, “So the incantation is ‘Expecto Patronum’”

“Of that, I am aware.”

“Great now concentrate hard on a happy memory. I know it’s going to be tough without an actual Dementor or even a Boggart to practise on. But let’s give it a try, alright? Professor Flitwick taught me using a Boggart last year. I didn’t leave him alo -- sorry I’m rambling. Okay, happy memory... now...go!”

Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut and his face screws up in concentration. With a swish of his wand he stutters, “Ex-expecto Patronus!”

Nothing except peals of laughter echo in the room.

“Lets go again. Together now.” I say patting his shoulder.

Signalling each other with a nod we try again, “Expecto Patronum!”

A lynx rises out the end of my wand, trotting across the room before diffusing into nothingness. While Kyungsoo manages to issue a not so tangible cloud of silver.

A few tries later, he manifests something visibly stronger but he’s not quite there yet. And we’re both exhausted. I fish for a Chocolate Frog in the pockets of my cardigan and hand it to him.

“This charm is ridiculously advanced! How about we try again after Christmas?” Leaning on one of the desks, he offers dejectedly, nibbling at the Frog’s head.

I gladly accept it.

***

Owing to the small number of students that have stayed back this year, the House tables have been put aside and a single table has been set up for the Christmas feast. As if it were the most natural thing to do in the world, Kyungsoo comes and sits next to me. I hope he doesn’t hold my hand like he did during Slughorn’s party or maybe I hope that he does. I hope we do get to hold hands often and discuss what happened at the party. But we’re both great at pretending that nothing unusual did. The Gryffindor Prefect is somewhere on the other end of the table, chatting to a fellow Gryffindor. And the spread, as always, is sumptuous. 

Digging into a delectable roast turkey I ask Kyungsoo, “What’s Christmas like in the Muggle world?”

“Isn’t half as exciting as it is here. For starters, we have no Wizard Crackers. Or silver Sickles hidden within puddings.” He says toying with the cardboard tube moments before it went off like a canon, covering him in a cloud of blue smoke. A flurry of white mice scamper down his legs and scurry out of the Great Hall.

His mouth drops, inviting a roar of laughter from the rest of the table and he chooses to steer clear of the Crackers for the rest of the Feast.

He insists on dropping me off to the Ravenclaw Common Room, “I’ll see you again tomorrow? Six in the evening, the Room of Requirement?”

It’s a date?

***

Today’s class wasn’t nearly as bad as the previous one but God knows Kyungsoo’s in a dire need of practise.

We sit on the floor after two scarcely productive hours with our stash of Chocolate Frogs pooled in the space between us.

“Here’s something I don’t get about Muggleborns. How are your parents okay with sending their children away to an entirely different world? Doesn’t matter what Professor Dumbledore has to say, I refuse to believe Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world. We have moving staircases, a murderous tree, Quidditch, and Filch!”

His laugh reverberates in the empty classroom, “It’s not much of a trade off, really. The Muggle world has its own set of issues.” He unwraps a Chocolate Frog and offers it to me, “You live with your grandmother, right?”

“My fierce, retired Auror, grandmother. Yes. And you?”

“With my parents. I’m an only child. And you’re right. My mother wasn’t very keen on sending me away but she couldn’t risk their restaurant being reduced to a pile of ash every time I threw a temper tantrum.”

“You don’t look like the temper tantrum sort.”

“Ah you underestimate me.” He chuckles, “so the holidays end soon and I don’t have a Patronus which means our classes will have to continue. You’re okay with that, right?”

“Very much”, I nod but an upsetting finality pulls at me.

“Is there anything...you’d like to do on the last day of the holidays?” He fixes his gaze on my feet.

“Do you have something in mind?”

“Do you want to...well I was thinking if...I need to procure some Wolfsbane from the Forbidden Forest would you like to come with?”

“Are you daft? Do you have any idea what sorts of -”

“Creatures dwell in the Forest? Yeah, I’ve been there, multiple times.”

“And you haven’t been caught? Mauled? Battered?”

He sighs, “Unfortunately, not once.”

Meeting his unflinching gaze I welcome my impending doom, “Okay...maybe I’ll end up finding Twiggles in one of those Wiggentrees but don’t abandon me if Werewolves come for us.”

***

I guess there’s a first time for everything. But it’s my first time flouting a rule and getting caught. My adventurous friend from Hufflepuff seems absolutely unperturbed by the ghastly smile that’s spread across Filch’s face. And anything that makes Filch this happy can’t be good news. Kyungsoo shoves the bunch of Wolfsbane down the pocket of his jeans and I just stand there as an unwitting accomplice to his dumbassery. To my dumbassery. I should’ve never agreed to this. I didn’t even have any luck with Twiggles. But then again Bowtruckles are master camouflagers. What was I expecting?

“Follow me”, the sadistic old man wheezes and my legs feel bound by shackles. Kyungsoo tugs at my arm and teary eyed, I slowly shake my head. He laughs mouthing, ‘It’s nothing.’ Maybe it’s nothing to him considering the company he keeps. What if I get expelled? Where will I go? It’ll be enough reason for Gran to disown me but this bespectacled charming boy doesn’t have a lot to lose now, does he? He can waltz back into his Muggle world and work in his ‘restaurant’. Of course he’s an exceptional cook if he trades recipes with freaking house-elves! I can’t end up having a life worse than squibs. Boys are trouble unless they’re Chen. I literally never should’ve. What of this was a trap all along? I’m SUCH a fool!

I find myself in the part of the vast echoing Entrance Hall I’ve deliberately avoided in all these years. It’s foul smelling, really dull and a cat menacingly meows at us while curling around her Master’s feet. 

Room 234-00. Filch’s office.

Coughing, the caretaker points at the chains and manacles that are hung from the ceiling, “I keep ‘em well oiled in case they’re needed. The Forbidden Forest, eh? Brave enough for Acromantulas and Werewolves, are we?” His face is barely inches away from Kyungsoo’s and I feel a sudden pump of adrenaline, “Sir, please, it was a mistake. We promise to never venture into the Forest again. We promise to never venture out of our own dormitories again. Please, please just let us go!”

Filch is taken aback by my plea and Kyungsoo has pursed his lips, holding in a laugh and I feel stupid.

With the sound of a crack, Filch’s equipment of torture comes crashing to the floor. Mrs Norris’ tail shoots up in fear and a raucous laugh echoes in the room souring Filch’s mood, “PEEVES!”

“Nasty Filch! Leave the luuuuurve birds alone! Leave them alone! Loony woony filthy Filch!” An invisible Peeves’ annoying cackle resounds before ceasing with a deafening crack. 

Filch is boiling in rage. I tilt my head to look at the slightly experienced in disciplinary matters Kyungsoo and judging by his sullen expression, we’ve had it.

.

.

.

Does he think that I somehow jinxed his great expedition to the Forest? Because it’s been two days since the start of semester and there’s no sign of Kyungsoo. Neither in the Great Hall, nor in the classes I share with Hufflepuff. Is he avoiding me now that his friends are back? The lump in my throat aches.

“Oww!” 

Chen greets me with a smack of a book on my head, “I MISSED YOU, GOBLIN!”

I’ll never get used to Chen’s incessant need to announce everything to the world to get his point across but seeing him makes me realise just how much I’d missed him, too. Despite his dig at my height and an underhanded compliment to my brain. He slumps into the chair next to me, activating his ability to speak like a banshee. Not very different from his white haired Gryffindor friend. 

“So tell me. How was Christmas? Did you get the set of Wizard Chess I sent you? We should play sometime. Thanks for the Floo Connection, by the way! It was really thoughtful of you and I love it! My darling loved it a lot, too but I had a tough time explaining it to my folks. So how was Christmas?”

I wait patiently for my closest friend in school to finish babbling before telling him what I think he’d like to hear about my little adventures. Or the information Kyungsoo would rather have me share. The nagging feeling that he’s been avoiding me weighs me down like a rock. 

 “So you broke your leg, told Slughorn off and earned yourself Detention with a Hufflepuff boy who happened to be in the Forest at the same time as you. All of this in a matter of two weeks? Wait, why were you in the Forest again?” Chen is amused but also a little suspicious.

“I told you! I was bored. I went looking for the Bowtruckle!” I argue, needlessly.

“Bored? Didn’t you have to read up on Apparition? Also, you of all the people should know how elusive Bowtruckles are, Miss Magizoologist!” I cringe at the nickname. “And who is this Hufflepuff boy?” I wouldn’t be surprised if Chen were a Legilimens.

Letting out an exasperated sigh I answer, “Some Kwangsoo something?”

“Glasses? Kinda short? Squints a lot? Brooding?”

“So you know him, Mister Tall Guy?” I ask, inviting another smack on my head.

“Yes, through Baekhyun. I mean, haven’t you seen him with us? His name is Kyungsoo, by the way.” Chen’s not particularly suspicious now which bolsters my confidence to spew rubbish.

“No I haven’t. It’s probably because I can hear you guys before I can see you and I prefer not to violate my eyes like I do my ears when I’m around any of you. I hope this answers your question.” I think it was a bit much but Chen breaks into a fit of laughter.

“Then you’ve probably not heard him, either. He isn’t a lot like us.” He contemplates, “but don’t you look around in class? You haven’t ever noticed him before? He’s in the same year as you! You’re ridiculous!”

Of course I’ve noticed him. 

Every time he’s tried to talk to me, return my money, earned points for his house or even a sneer from Snape. Every time Madam Pomfrey has cooed at him. Even when he braved feeding a Skrewt. I’ve seen him in the hallways, in classes, in the Great Hall. 

But to know someone is to invite heartache and I’ve had my fair share of it.

“You mean he isn’t noisy like the rest of you. And no I haven’t. It’s probably because he’s not as attractive as a Merperson or as lithe as a Basilisk.” I lie. He’s not anything like the magical creatures I’ve studied about. He is a human. And humans are too tricky for my liking. Two weeks with him, two days without him and I seem to have lost my marbles. 

Guess, I am pathetic if not ridiculous.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him around either”, Jongdae ponders.

***

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Maybe it was too direct but I need to get this weight off my chest. I can’t spend every Saturday until the end of term with him in close quarters, clearing out Filch’s old files (the Muggle way) with animosity looming between us. Peeves is enough trouble with his water bombs already. And Kyungsoo’s silent treatment is simply too much. 

He brings me Caramel Cobwebs, holds my hand and refuses to talk about it, insists on being tutored, spends Christmas with me, lands me in Detention and starts avoiding me as soon as his friends are back.

“I caused you trouble and you seemed so disturbed by it. I’m sorry. I’ve not been avoiding you...I just thought maybe you wouldn’t like to see me again.” Mumbles Kyungsoo, dropping Filch’s File Number 27 on the floor, leaving a mess of loose, dusty papers.

‘Butterfingers’ here isn’t right at all. I’ve been dying to see him.

I help him clear the mess by re-filing the records of the 27th file in alphabetical order. 

“I’m not mad at you. I was a tad bit worried, that’s all. This is my first time being...punished and none of this is your fault. I’m sorry if I made you feel like that.”

His little smile and an understanding nod makes my heart flutter. Snapping out of it, I read out an amusing record from a random file, “at least we’re not pickling rat brains in the dungeons.” 

His eyes grow wide in horror, “What?”

“Sehun Oh and Kai Kim for bewitching snowballs to hit Professor Snape!” I summarise.

Kyungsoo guffaws, “Yes! This was last year. Baekhyun had dared them to it and those idiots thought Snape wouldn’t notice. They ended up reeking of dead rats for two weeks after that. Nobody would go near them! Not even Baekhyun.”

I put the file back with an ‘ahh’, “So Kai Kim, Sehun Oh, Baekhyun Byun are your friends right? And Chen, too?”

“Yeah, Chen and Chanyeol Park. Why?”

Of course, the Great Oaf.

“Nothing, you’re quite different from them.”

“How so?” Resting his chin in his hand, Kyungsoo inquires and avoiding his eyes I reply, “Well, you’re not very noisy or mischievous?”

He chuckles, “I’m not noisy that’s true. But I literally took you to the Forbidden Forest and it’s the reason why we’re here today sifting through these records. Will you still say that I’m not mischievous, Miss Ravenclaw?”

“I take back my words, Mister Hufflepuff”, I need to get away from this sweet talker, “Now let’s look for more, shall we? Filch certainly has your friends’ adventures chronicled in these files.”

“We’ll probably find something on Chen, too.” He says quietly.

“No wayyy! Chen’s perfect.” I protest.

He throws a file onto the desk, creating a cloud of dust, “What if we do end up finding something about him here, in these records? Then what?”

“Then I’ll….do whatever you ask!” 

Why! Why?

“It’s a deal!”

***

Kyungsoo and I have been seeing each other fortnightly for the sake of Dementors. Let’s just say if he were required to actually fight one off today, he’d end up having his soul sucked out. Does the boy have no solid happy memory or what? Or maybe I’m just a terrible guide.

In class, we’re cordial. But somewhat distracted.

We spend all of our Saturdays together. Turns out he’s a couple of weeks older than me which means we both qualify for  Apparition Lessons. The lessons are scheduled for Saturday mornings and we spend the rest of the day in Detention.

The first lesson was...quite unforgettable. 

For Kyungsoo, me and whoever was witness to our idiocy. Professor Flitwick positioned Ravenclaws into a line as did Professor Sprout with Hufflepuff which had Kyungsoo and me standing next to each other with the requisite distance of five feet between us. The Instructor from the Ministry waved his wand and old-fashioned wooden hoops appeared on the floor in front of us.

“Destination. Determination. Deliberation!” The man who was a white wispy version of humans, squeaked.

“Concentrate upon the destination now. Which is within the hoop. Then focus on your determination to occupy the visualized space. And when I give a command, on three, turn on your spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation!”

Kyungsoo gave me one furtive glance and I lost all sense of Destination and Determination.

“On my command….one….”

I spun on the spot, lost my balance and fell over and Kyungsoo crash landed into my wooden hoop. With our Professors’ eyes on us, I felt myself melt into a puddle of embarrassment.

The inexplicable tension crowding the office during Detention that day left hardly any room for conversation. Which was kind of okay considering the ground we covered with Filch’s wretched files.

Although, the next lesson found us positioned at the two opposite ends of our respective House lines by Professor Flitwick. 

Despite being in the same room, I missed Kyungsoo.

Transfiguration hasn’t been particularly eventful with Kyungsoo. With Professor McGonagall’s hawk-like eyes on us, we don’t dare to so much as shoot a glance in each other’s direction. 

But last week was different.

In a lesson that included conjuring a flock of birds out of our wands, the entire class managed a few feathers, some gross mutations, and severed heads. Everyone except Kyungsoo. He’d succeeded in creating several twittering birds in his third try. Which was not so great for me since the little yellow chirpers zoomed in my direction and circled around my head, singing merrily. This continued even after most of the class, including Professor McGonagall, had already left. His idea of an apology for the inconvenience was flashing his heart-shaped smile. 

I guess it doesn’t take a lot for me to forgive him.

***

It’s nearing the end of the third month of the semester and there’s no dirt on Chen. 

Like I’d said, he’s perfect. We’ve found volumes on the other two, though. Chanyeol and Baekhyun. How they’ve not been expelled yet is anyone’s guess. These delinquents make my little Forest excursion look like a joke.

They’ve set off dungbombs in Snape’s dungeon, cursed each other and ended up having a slug attack right in the middle of their Astronomy practicals, got caught sneaking out of their dorms after curfew only eleven times, transfigured McGonagall’s desk into a ferret to ‘showcase their Transfiguration prowess’, set off Filibuster’s Fireworks in Filch’s office, distracted Filch by jinxing Mrs Norris with Tarantallegra - her legs spasmed wildly out of control, making her appear as though she were dancing. 

No wonder they’re the only students Peeves gets on with.

This little vault of information made Kyungsoo exceptionally happy after moping around for not having anything on Chen, yet. He’s going to use these embarrassing incidents (one of the punishments included cleaning out the bedpans in the Hospital Wing without using magic) against the two of them, he says. 

Detention and shared classes is the only time Kyungsoo and I get to see each other since sixth year is no cakewalk. 

Free periods come by few and far between and are used to keep up with the vast amount of homework we’re being set. We’re studying as though we have exams everyday and lessons themselves are far more demanding than they used to be. Especially since we’re required to use Nonverbal spells now in every lesson that requires incantation. I often catch Kyungsoo’s motley around school. Somehow, they’re everywhere but he’s hardly ever to be seen with them. Working hard towards his ambition to become a Potioneer, I suppose. I wish I were just as passionate about something.

.

.

.

Sixth year is an anomaly. 

Professor Sprout says we’re allowed to swear loudly in today’s lesson since we’re going to be dealing with one of the most dangerous plants ever - Venomous Tentacula - a green, spiky, toothsome magical plant with mobile vines that tries to grab living prey. Kyungsoo quietly stations himself next to me in the greenhouse inviting snarky sideway looks and hushed whispers from a couple of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws around us. “She’s latched on to him now”, sniggers a Ravenclaw boy and I notice Kyungsoo ears turn scarlet. 

A pair of thick gloves on, Professor Sprout takes her place behind a trestle bench in the centre of the greenhouse, “We’ll be extracting Venomous Tentacula’s essence for Professor Slughorn’s experimental Potion No 7 today. Now, who can tell me how we should proceed to extract essence out of a plant that could try to strangle you?”

Kyungsoo’s hand rose in the air like it always does during Potions and Herbology, “By using the Severing Charm, Professor.”

“Excellent. Ten points to Hufflepuff”, Professor Sprout beams at her favourite student, “We’ll use the Severing Charm but Nonverbally. Which will stun Venomous Tentacula and sever its mobile vines. Along with me, on three. One...two...”

I nearly squeal as one of the Tentacula’s sharp fangs grazes my arm. Kyungsoo notices and in a state of panic tries to stun my plant for me only to get seized and bitten by his own. “Diffindo”, I flick my wand at Kyungsoo’s plant, flailing it and flouting the nonverbal spell rule but it’s too late for any of that. The plant’s poison, although non-fatal, has started working on Kyungsoo. 

His skin turns bright purple, knocking the wind out of me.

Professor Sprout rushes him to the Hospital Wing.

***

On Professor Sprout’s special request, Filch has begrudgingly exempted Kyungsoo from this week’s Detention. I saw him for Apparition this morning and we’d both managed to, with Destination, Determination and Deliberation in mind of course, land into our own hoops. 

Kyungsoo looked perfectly fine. Which is to say the purple of his skin from yesterday has been washed over by the roses of his cheeks and the honey of his skin. Madam Pomfrey was required to keep him in only for the day as Professor Sprout was quick to act and the poison hadn’t caused much harm. I feel like a bad friend for not having visited him since lessons ended in the a.m. with Astronomy but he says he was out in a couple of hours at most. 

He’s planned to spend the rest of the day with his friends who he’d not had a chance to catch up with off lately.

By late afternoon I’d unexpectedly fallen into a state of blissful slumber on one of Filch’s old files. Coughing, I woke up engulfed by dust. I had to admit, Detention was boring without Kyungsoo and it’s honestly starting to scare me how used to I gotten to his presence, the faint scent of eucalyptus that trails after him and the ambrosial warmth that infiltrates through his seemingly tougher exterior.

But at the same time I regret misreading him. Mistrusting him or sometimes trusting him too much. He’s nothing like I thought he’d be. His simplicity is comforting but at the same time it is truly baffling. Maybe it’s okay to not give it much thought and let Jupiter do its celestial dance while I do mine by recreating damaged detention records.

#1116

>> Chen Kim

>> Lack of concentration in Charms resulting in production of a hoselike jet of water instead of a fountain from his wand, knocking Professor Flitwick flat on his face in the process

>> Lines - ‘I am a wizard, not a baboon brandishing a stick.’

>> Issued by Professor Flitwick

>> Points taken: None

I do a double take when I read the name. 

Chen! Chen? Chen in Detention? How did I never know about this? Even if it’s just lines it is still a punishment. And how did The (then) Ravenclaw Prefect Chen mess up a Charm in Professor Flitwick’s class? I must know. But Kyungsoo’s got to see this first! I quickly replicate the record on a spare parchment and shove it in my bag and with a flick of my wand, I place everything exactly where it belongs in Filch’s office. What’s he going to do about it when he finds out? Give me another detention? Bring it on!

Throwing caution to the wind I allow my feet to take me where Kyungsoo said he’d be. Swiftly descending down the staircase, I exit out the side door down the corridor off the Entrance Hall and run towards the courtyard feeling the harsh winds tugging against my skin.

It’s unusually cold for the first day of April.

Seated between Chanyeol and Baekhyun, he’s laughing away seemingly at the two lanky boys - Kai and Sehun who’ve got their wands at the ready. The courtyard is oddly vacant, save for these four rioters and Kyungsoo. 

Even Chen’s not here. 

All banter comes to an abrupt halt when Kyungsoo’s eyes meet mine, his expression solid as a rock. With a barely perceptible shake of his head he’s signalling me to walk away from here and maybe this is what it feels like being punched in the gut. Four curious pairs of eyes flit between Kyungsoo and me and I feel too numb to even get out of there. Did I make a mistake being here? Is he too embarrassed to acknowledge me in front of his friends? The frigidity of his expression is eating away at my insides. Moments of complete stillness later I sprint out of the courtyard amidst wolf whistles and peals of laughter.

Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I wipe the angry tears rolling down my cheeks and vow to never see this doe eyed pretender again.

KYUNGSOO

It’s been two weeks since the incident. 

Two whole weeks of her arriving after and leaving before me for our shared lessons. She’s even charted up a Detention routine which limits our interactions to curt nods and dismissive grunts. Needless to say, I still don’t know how to conjure a corporeal Patronus. She thinks she’s the only one I could’ve asked? Not Baekhyun. Not Chanyeol’s Slytherin friend. Just her?

So much for her big Ravenclaw brains. 

She walks around all high and mighty displaying her knack for embarrassing honesty but in the moments of truth she plays ostrich. I wasn’t trying to avoid her. I would never. But she’s a complete idiot who’d rather believe otherwise. An idiot who’ll never look into my eyes to feel what I feel. Even if she does, she’d just never accept it. It took me five and a half years to get her to talk to me. And if it takes just one misunderstanding to drive her away like that, I’m not sure if I want to try again.

.

.

.

The only two things I’ve gained out of my short lived acquaintance with Kyungsoo Doh are Detention and a new foul nickname “the girl who follows Kyungsoo around.”

I hear it everywhere I go. The Great Hall, the corridors and the Common Room isn’t very forgiving either. So all thanks to Kyungsoo, I’ve retracted into my wretched shell. I arrive late for lessons and swoop out like an owl as soon as it’s over. I spend every free period in one corner of the Library and try to avoid the Common Room as much as I can.

All these years I spent pretending like the cute, short, portly boy I met on the Hogwarts Express didn’t exist were far better than the last couple of months of letting him into my small Universe. In all honesty, I’ve started to loathe him. It takes immense self control for me to not have his pretty face eat slugs every time I cross paths every time I lay my eyes on it.

“Now, this one here….who can tell me what this is. My dear boy, Kyungsoo?” Holding a vial of liquid pearl in the air for us to see, play-acts Professor Slughorn. Another potential victim of my out-of-character slug attack.

“It’s Amortentia”, Kyungsoo’s voice reaches my ears from the far end of the dungeon. 

“It is indeed. It almost seems foolish to ask”, he says, bringing the vial to my eye level, “but I assume you could tell me what it does?”

“It’s a love potion, Professor.” I say.

“It’s not just a love potion, sir. It’s the most powerful love potion in the world.” Kyungsoo offers and I feel the heat rising up my cheeks. I hate having this volley regarding a love potion with Kyungsoo.

“Excellent! And how did you recognize it, my dear?” Slughorn directs his question to me.

“By its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen.”

“And?” His theatrics redirect to Kyungsoo.

“And the steam rising in characteristic spirals.” His dulcet tone echoes in the gloomy dungeon.

“Well, well, take ten well-earned points each for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw”, says Slughorn genially, “would you two please be kind enough to come forward?”

Kyungsoo and I take, in what it seems like, ages to be stood on either side of Slughorn, arms over our chests, looking in opposite directions.

“There is one more key characteristic --”

“It’s supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us”, Interrupting Slughorn, Kyungsoo and I garble.

“So to demonstrate”, Slughorn brings the vial closer to my face, “my dear?”

Consumed by the heady steam rising out of the potion, I clear my throat, “I can smell honey and...eucalyptus and….” Dittany. But I leave it at that, “That’s all Professor.”

“Very well, Mister Doh?” Slughorn quizzes.

“Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion…..Vanilla and …..Dittany.”

***

‘Evanesco!’ 

With that my last bottle of Sleekeazy vanishes in thin air.

“What are you doing up so late?” Chen’s groggy voice makes me jump but I counter, “What are you doing up so late?”

“Early. Up so early. It’s three in the morning”, yawning he waves his Charms textbook in front of my face, “Protean Charm.”

“Vanishing Spell”, I say pointing my wand at the empty table in front of us.

Chen relaxes into the chair next to mine and I let my gaze wander around the deserted Common Room. It really is a work of art encapsulated in all the blue and bronze. The stars painted over the domed ceiling, shine the brightest at this hour of the night, waltzing gracefully across the midnight blue carpet. If they were my stars, they’d wobble and fall owing to their two left feet. Could they, in the very least, give me a reason for this nagging ache in my chest?

‘Aguamenti!’

Drenched and dishevelled by a jet of cold water that shot out of Chen’s wand, I silence his raucous laugh and shower him with the choicest expletives before lifting the spell and drying myself.

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR!” I demand.

“You seemed so lost I was tempted. It’s what my dad uses to wake me up when I oversleep, you know? A nice cold bucket of water.” Chen’s snicker causes me to silence him again and he continues to blather soundlessly. How is this idiot so energetic at three in the morning!

“I’m going to bed”, wearily, I get up to leave and wave my wand at him.

“Wait! Stay”, says Chen, “It’s been quite a while!”

Groaning I slump back into the chair without further protest, “You’re right...so how’s our Head Girl doing?”

“She’s doing great. We’re doing great! She’s signed up to intern with the Ministry this summer under a certain Arthur Weasley...The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office.” Chen beams and making me want to pinch his cheeks in adoration.

“Congratulations Chen! Ah but I’m not surprised. She’s always been as bright as a button.” I can’t help but coo at these lovebirds. At how absolutely smitten they are with each other while I suffer with an inexplicable tug of longing.

“And you, not so bright. Stopped following Kyungsoo around, have we?” Putting on his ‘big brother cloak’ he quizzes me with a raised eyebrow and I shrink back into my chair out of embarrassment, “You know about it?”

“The whole school’s talking about it!”

“I’ve stopped ‘following him around’ now why isn’t anybody talking about that, eh?” My anger is misdirected at Chen.

“He’s been talking about that. About how you’ve been acting like he’s invisible. A notch below satisfactory behaviour, am I right?” The low rumble of his voice thunders.

“You’re defending your stupid friend here! So much for being unbiased, hah!” Seething, I argue.

“You’re absolutely right Dung Brains I am defending my stupid friend here which is you. Now tell me, airhead, what’s it called when two wizards have their wands pointed at each other, in a combative position.”

I groan, he can’t really be asking me that but the urging silence is uncomfortable.

“A duel”, I mumble.

“You, my dear, were walking straight into a battlefield of hair-brained blokes who were surrounded by stink pellets, dungbombs and fireworks. It was only natural for Kyungsoo to ask you to skedaddle, make a run for it...save your life! If only you’d have let him explain?”

Guilt courses through my veins and I find myself in the defensive, “But then why didn’t he just tell me instead of giving me that terrifying look? I thought he’s ...I thought he didn’t want to see me...and..and why didn’t he do anything when those great prunes started laughing at me? Also why do they keep causing trouble everywhere they go? Do they want to fill up Filch’s office with their records before they graduate? It only means more work for me. And for Kyungsoo.”

“They were celebrating a Muggle custom, April Fools’ Day as per the wise counsel of their frog brained leader Baekhyun and Kyungsoo was only trying to protect you. And you were too obtuse to see that. Why won’t you give him a chance? He’s one of the good ones, you know? And those prunes aren’t too bad either. They were laughing not at you but at him...they’re just happy for their friend.”

“Happy? Why?” My heart goes into a wild frenzy.

“You should ask him that. We’re going to be at the Three Broomsticks for Baekhyun’s birthday celebration on our trip to Hogsmeade this Saturday. So naturally, your Detention is suspended for the week. Come along?” He eyes me expectantly.

“Not in a million years”, I deadpan.

“Don’t be stupid”, with a flick of his wand he makes the three bottles of Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion reappear, “and live a little.”

***

On Saturday morning I went down for breakfast feeling thoroughly depressed but trying my best to act normal. Kyungsoo was seated with Yoongi at the Hufflepuff table. He was stealing glances at the Ravenclaw table before his eyes met mine. Pursing his lips he nodded slightly in acknowledgment. For a fleeting second I had a strange desire of joining him at the Hufflepuff table but I quietly slipped into my seat besides the fifth year girl who’s been tutoring Kyungsoo’s friend Kai and has been a tad chipper ever since.

The largest portion of my headspace has been occupied with an internal debate on whether I should apologize to Kyungsoo or not. But I’ve noticed how he’d not been trying too hard either. If I handed him the Detention routine he went along with it without a single word of protest. If I’ve been ignoring him in class he hasn’t been exactly forthcoming. The familiar sense of finality sets deep into my bones and I’ve lost my appetite. I gulp down my tea and slip out of the Great Hall to pay Hagrid a long overdue visit.

.

.

.

They never tire of it. 

The two boys from Slytherin provoked me to strike them with the Twitchy-Ear hex. They’d found it particularly amusing to call me by my stale nickname as I made my way down to Gladrags Wizardwear to buy Hagrid a new moleskin robe. 

He’d been exceptionally understanding despite my despicable behaviour. Not having visited him in nearly six months and communicated with him only via a flurry of owls, I had no idea Fangs had been suffering with distemper. Kyungsoo’s been helping out with a self prepared brew to keep him stable. Explains why he’s been frequenting Hagrid’s hut. Also explains why he didn’t come see me on the second day that I’d spent in the Hospital Wing.

And my attitude towards him explains exactly why he chose to keep the truth about helping me get to the Hospital Wing that day. 

I don’t know how to thank him or apologize to him. Maybe he’s just better off without me. 

I am here in Hogsmeade on a whim. 

As the sun fades into a deeper blue my feet stop outside The Three Broomsticks and I’m desperate to see him. But he’s at a friend’s party and I’d only be making it awkward for everyone.

“Hullo”, a familiar honeyed voice reaches my ears making me stop dead in my tracks.

Taken by surprise, I turn and tip my head back slightly to look up at the large eyed boy, his face bearing that lethal heart shaped smile. I hug myself despite the warmth of May wishing I could make myself smaller.

Having rehearsed an entire apology speech in the shower in the morning, I found myself strangely tongue tied at the sight of him. He prods me to walk the quaint streets of Hogsmeade by his side.

“I’m sorry”, staring into the distance, I muster with a giddy head and a seized up throat.

“No. I’m sorry”, says Kyungsoo as his hand slowly finds mine, inviting stares from passersby, “I should’ve...communicated better. But promise to never shut me out again? I couldn’t take it.”

Fireworks go off in my head at the sudden contact, “No, no I’m sorry I should’ve trusted you and… I promise to never shut you out again.” I couldn’t take it either.

“So what are we now?” He interjects, lacing his warm fingers with mine.

If only he could hear the thunder of my heart, “We’re friends again?”

“Friends who fancy each other? Isn’t that a bit odd?”

“I-- umm, I--”.

“I --- umm?” He teases, “Okay...I fancy you. I always have. In case you hadn’t noticed.”

Going up on my toes I plant a little kiss on his jaw, I don’t know what came over me. Maybe I’ve finally gone mad.

His fingers run over his jaw lightly and he chuckles, “If you attack me like this again I’d have to report you to Professor Sprout.” Letting go off my hand he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. I feel a tingling sensation run down my spine.

Having circled the rural settlement for nearly an hour, we’re famished. We find ourselves on the High Street, right outside of Honeydukes, “After you, M’lady!” Crouching down in a bow, Kyungsoo gestures me to walk in.

M’lady?

Together we stare in wonder at the shelves upon shelves of the most succulent looking sweets imaginable. We’ve both, individually, been here countless times but together we feel like children lost in wonderland. I realize how light my pockets feel as Kyungsoo’s eyes wander around the shop ambitiously.

“Kyungsoo, I only have enough for Hagrid’s moleskin robe. I didn’t think I’d need a lot of gold for this trip...I could make a quick run to a Cashpoint first”, embarrassed, I admit.

“If we were to compound the five Galleons that I’ve owed you for six years now, I’m certain I could buy you half the shop!” The portly Ambrosius Flume, the owner of Honeydukes, clears his throat in annoyance at Kyungsoo’s comment, eyeing us suspiciously. 

Buy half the shop we did. 

Kyungsoo wasn’t entirely lucky with all the flavours of Berti Botts having sampled soap, dirt and earwax while I almost choked on a rotten-egg flavoured one. The Pepper Imps had us breathing fire at each other and a lock of my hair got caught in the line which Kyungsoo doused just in time and saved my scalp from going up in flames. We pigged on Peppermint Toads which made us sick after they literally started hopping frantically in our stomachs. 

Kyungsoo suggested we make a quick stop at Dogweed and Deathcap for a handful of leaves of a very foul smelling plant that were supposed to help us keep our barbaric fare down. When I absolutely refused to chew on them, Kyungsoo force fed me. The weird red dotted black leaves made our mouths go completely dry and left us with a pungent after taste.

“If you wanted me dead, you could’ve just used the Unforgivable Curse instead!” I cried.

We realized if we weren’t quick about it, we’d just end up breaking curfew so we sprinted to Gladrags Wizardwear to pick up Hagrid’s robe only to be tempted to by the thought of staying longer in each other’s company. Going back to Hogwarts meant being held hostage by the blue and bronze and the yellow and black. I’ve never appreciated Hogwarts’ divisive House system, even more so now.

“We’ll make it in time if we leave exactly at 9:30 p.m.” Kyungsoo reasons.

“How much longer do we have now?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“20ish?” he says sheepishly.

Burying my face into his warm and fuzzy sweater, I whine, “That’s not a lot.”

Squeezing me in a hug he says, “Then let’s make the most of it!”

We enter the shop that’s apparently been dressing ‘the Elegant Wizard’ for over two centuries with lurid socks and flashy robes. I chance upon a moleskin one which I quickly set aside for Hagrid and a furry red one with silver and gold stars that bounced off of it. I egged Kyungsoo to try it on over his all black Muggle clothing along with a bright yellow hat made out of chicken and pheasant feathers. He on the other hand picked out a black velvet robe with a high collar, a set of fake fangs and dragon hide boots that made me look like a vicar at something that the Muggles call a “rock concert.”

The disapproving help at the shop agreed to get our magazine cover worthy looks on camera. She said she’d get them printed and that we could get a copy on our next visit for fifteen Sickles.

Along with Hagrid’s robe, I purchased a pair of socks for the birthday boy Baekhyun. They were patterned with wolves that howled when the socks got too smelly.

And then, just like that, it was time for us to go back to Hogwarts.

***

Which came first; the Phoenix or the Flame?

The eagle knocker drawls and for the first time in six years I have no clue what it’s talking about. I’ve lost all ability to reason and all I want to right now is run over to the Hufflepuff Tower. A tall, thin boy who stood leaned against the wall next to the door comes out of the shadows ‘tsk-ing’ at me.

“Aren’t you supposed to be one of the smart ones? Did Kyungsoo really manage to dumb you down?” He chuckles before proceeding to answer the knocker, leading us into the Common Room. 

I choose to not answer him but he continues to look at me questioningly. He extends his arm and says, “I’m Sehun Oh, fifth-year.”

“I know”, I say, “I’m --”

“I know who you are. The pretty girl who’s captured Kyungsoo’s heart thus breaking mine.” He dramatically clutches at his chest, falls and rolls over on the floor. 

Excusing myself, I softly apologize to the elongated Flobberworm and head over to the Dormitory.

“Wait!”, he calls out, “I didn’t mean to weird you out! Are you up for a game of Chess? You’re practically a friend now… considering what you have going on with Kyungsoo. And I’m really bored.”

What do I have going on with Kyungsoo and what does Flobberworm know about it?

Unsure of my role here as a friend or an entertainer, I decide to indulge him with, “...just one game!”

“Wicked! Let me call Chen and you can ask his girl to join.. also Miss Ravenclaw!”

“Aren’t we all Ravenclaw?”

“Sorry...you know the girl who’s tutoring Kai?”

This is by far the most eventful day I’ve had in all of my six years at Hogwarts.

***

Resting his chin on my shoulder, he’s circled his arms around my waist as we stare into the distance from the Wooden Bridge. Every free period finds us together, somewhere very far away from prying eyes. The seventh floor and the Bridge are our usual haunts. Although, we think of these excursions as extremely detrimental to our upcoming exams, we realize there’s nothing to be gained out of fighting a troll. That is, our intense feelings for each other. But I’m not that brave and honestly neither is he. The shadows underneath his eyes are self explanatory.

“We need to chart up a study schedule. We barely have any time left!” I say bursting out of our saccharine bubble.

“Sure”, he nods, “whatever you say.”

“Kyungsoo!” Freeing myself from his embrace I turn around to face him, “We need to make it to the seventh year!”

“Who says we won’t?”

He’s loopy.

“Kyungsoo!”

“That’s me.”

“Kyungsoo!” 

He pulls me into a hug again and I’m close enough to see the constellation of moles on his neck. “Mmm Sleekeazy”, he hums, sniffing my hair. Distracting me.

“Do you need some?” I ask, immediately realising how his hair seems to be getting shorter each day. I run a hand over his head, “guess you don’t. What do you keep doing with your hair?”

“I like it like that. It’s more comfortable”, he sighs, “Wait! You don’t like it?”

“I can learn to live with it. Besides, more Sleekeazy for me. Keeps my hair from looking like a bunch of Flobberworms!”

Flobberworm! 

I have a Chess game to win!

“Kyungsoo! I have to go. I need to win this time. That Sehun boy is ridiculously good at Chess. Even Chen and I together don’t stand a chance against him.”

“Wait! You’re abandoning me for Sehun?” He asks, mock angrily.

“Noooo! I just….have to win this time. And you need to go chart up a study schedule for us. Also, what are you doing next week?”

“Whatever you’re doing next week”, he says, batting his eyelashes. And I try to suppress a smile.

“Have you ever watched a Quidditch match before?”

“Baekhyun’s Captain of Gryffindor, Kai is the Keeper. Chanyeol is the captain of the Slytherin team and Sehun’s the Seeker for Ravenclaw. And Yoongi is a lousy Beater. So yes, I have. Except I’ve never found myself rooting for my own House. And if you tell those Mandrakes this, I’m afraid I will have to break up with you despite you being the prettiest, smartest, nicest girl I’ve ever met. I’m sorry I don’t make the rules.” 

“Aww”, I tease, “Noted. And you could’ve just said yes. Let’s watch the Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw match next week?”

“We’ll be in different stands!” He cries.

“Oh! That’s absolutely terrible but can we go anyway? I finally have someone to root for.”

“You’ve always had Ravenclaw to root for!”

“No, silly! Sehun Oh.”

“Ah! Of course”, he says, putting his arms around me. Again.

***

On the morning of the match, I had my game face on. I don’t even know why.

Having successfully followed the study schedule that Kyungsoo had laid out for us, our mood was light, and we were ready to let our hair down. Which, for all practical purposes, wasn’t something Kyungsoo was capable of. We were walking up to the pitch until it was time for us to go our separate ways.

“You turn right and I’ll go left”, I instruct Kyungsoo.

“I’m aware of where the Hufflepuff stands are. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Okay then”, I giggle, “see you later?”

“No...you’re joining me in the Hufflepuff stands.”

“Do you want me to get expelled? Was that your grand scheme all along?”

“Of course they’re going to expel you for this. And if they do, I promise to voluntarily drop out.”

“What will we do then? Deal in stolen artefacts?”

“Looks like you have it all planned out.”

“No, I just know someone...great we’re off on a tangent again! No, I’m not joining you in the Hufflepuff stands. Bye bye Kyungsoo Doh. See you later!”

“You’re bound by law to break the law”, he hands me a neatly folded parchment, “Chen’s detention record. When you came to see me that day, it made me wonder. What was so important? So I went back to sift through the records you’d worked on and voila!”

“What’s ‘voila’?”

“Don’t digress. Come along, house-elf and find me a good seat.”

“Yessir”, I give up. And covering all the blue and bronze of my uniform with the black robe, I sneak into the Hufflepuff stands. 

The things I do for this bald idiot.

The pitch is pulsing with a contagious energy and I find myself completely engaged as soon as Madam Hooch’s first whistle sounds. All the whizzing and whirring players make my head spin so I have my eyes trained on the Ravenclaw goalpost except for when I’m checking up on Sehun’s progress with the Snitch. Ravenclaw hasn’t been doing too well and with the game down to it’s final few minutes, Sehun really is their only hope. Kyungsoo pulls me down everytime I jump or squeal for the Ravenclaw side, “Do you want to get thrashed?” he whispers.

And just then the commentator shouts, “Ravenclaw’s Seeker Sehun has caught the Snitch! RAVENCLAW HAS WON THE MATCH!”

My voice is hoarse from all the screaming. I turn around to face Kyungsoo pulling him in a tight hug annoying all the Hufflepuff fans around us. 

In a fleeting moment of exhilaration, his lips are on mine and the world stops.

***

"Happy memory!" I parrot for our last lesson before the year ends but Kyungsoo seems to be awfully distracted. That teasing smile on his face he's trying not so hard to contain is making my heart thump against my ribcage.

"Focus", I croon once again with mock annoyance but my brain is mush and I feel like I'm levitating because there's no way my jelly legs could be supporting my stance right now. He sways closer to give me a quick peck on the nose. 

"Happy memory", he whispers as his eyes search mine. Brushing a stray lock of hair away from my face, he allows his thumb to softly caress my cheek. His fingers pry for mine before they're intertwined in a steady grip. 

We take our positions, raise our wands and yell with a flick, "Expecto Patronum!"

Two lynxes dance around the Room of Requirement illuminating it with the gleam of their silver.

Dumbstruck, I tilt my head to face Kyungsoo, “Your Patronus...”

“Our Patronuses”, he whispers.

“We have the same --”

Kyungsoo reaches for my waist and draws me close, his plush lips an agonizing touch away from mine. Twirling my fingers in the seams of his robe, I close my eyes and feel my breath hitch in my throat. A tingling sensation spreads through every fragment of my being as his hand finds the back of my neck and his lips meet mine in a dizzying kiss.

.

.

.

Two Years Later

My house looks wonky.

And, no. It’s not the after effect of Apparating here. A wonky house held up by charms in the middle of nowhere was the only thing Kyungsoo and I could afford with his meagre pay at J. Pippin’s Potions and the modest “severance” I received after being practically disinherited by Gran for wasting my time with a Muggle-born.

I trudge the short distance from the shabby front garden to the main door, weary from my dismal performance in today’s Stealth and Tracking lesson. 

The door swings open and the pungent odour coming out from Kyungsoo’s makeshift Apothecary in our basement makes me want to barf. Putting a bubble around my head to avoid the smell, I traipse to the basement.

A bald Kyungsoo is bent over a cauldron, the steam from which has fogged up his glasses and has apparently made him go deaf. I poke him on his shoulder to grab his attention, making him jump. Therefore causing his little vials to smash on the floor.

I just set us back by twenty Galleons.

Kyungsoo is quick to clear the sloppy and shard-y mess I’d made and reverse the Bubble Head charm I’d put myself under. He covers up the putrid cauldron immediately.

Tears well up in my eyes and I lean into his chest. 

The world is bleak.

“You’re home”, he coaxes, gently running a gloved hand over my head.

“Remind me again why I chose to become an Auror? I could’ve done anything with my perfect N.E.W.T. scores. I’m disastrous at this!” I’m sobbing against his soft ‘t-shirt’ as he comforts me with a ‘shhh..it’s okay’. “The chickens have made such a mess in the coop, Soo and I haven’t heard back from the Auror Office on the internship yet. We have a piteous stack of gold in our vault at Gringotts….” sniffling I continue, “You know we could just keep our money in a safe here..those clever Goblins are making so much money out of our money! The vault is a bad decision...we’re losing more money because of it. I hate the vault and the chickens and this house! What if it crumbles down while we’re asleep? What will we do then?” I pull away from him, my wide eyes demanding answers.

“We won’t have to worry about much if the roof comes crashing on us”, He reasons with a slight teasing smile. 

“The very stringent Auror Office accepted you because you’re a brilliant witch and right, I believe you enrolled with them only to spite Gran. And honestly my love, you’re being too hard on yourself. You did really well on the Concealment and Disguise training, didn’t you?” He says, lifting my chin up.

“Also on the Memory Charm”, I offer quietly, making him chuckle.

“Exactly! What else is bothering you? Ahh the chickens and the vault?” 

“Also the fact that Gran hates you and your parents think I’m a sinister witch who has tied their son down”, my lips begin to tremble again.

He sighs.

“I promise to take care of the chicken situation tomorrow and my love, we finally have a reason to keep that vault”, his eyes enlarge into beautiful brown circles and his plush lips stretch into a heart. A shrill pitch betrays his otherwise deep, calm voice, “Dogweed and Deathcap has offered me a job with a pay raise and a free supply of ingredients! Which is a great thing because ever since you’ve started your Auror training you’ve practically emptied my Dittany stores!”

“KYUNGSOO! I’m so happy for you!” Screaming, I jump into his arms and he twirls me around, dancing and giggling.

Panting, he says excitedly, “Wait! There’s more. Apparently the article on the benefits of Confusing Concoction I co-authored with Slughorn’s Warlock friend’s daft grand nephew?”

I nod vigorously.

“That article really took off! One of the reviews called me a ‘promising Potioneer’! Gran apparently got a whiff of that article...”

My expression soured, “And?”

“She’s invited us home to discuss it!” He rummages for a letter in his desk drawer and hands it to me, “Take a look at this!”

The letter reads in Gran’s shrewd yet artistic handwriting. She mentions, to the best of her abilities, how proud she is of me for following my parents’ footsteps and that she’d like to see us for dinner to discuss our ‘future’.

“She’s coming around”, Kyungsoo crouches to peer into my blank eyes.

“Took her long enough.”

“There’s one more thing”, he says sheepishly.

It looks like an evening full of surprises. 

Kyungsoo gives me a glossy magazine with a still picture of a woman in the most garish outfit I’ve ever seen with the word VOGUE sprawled across her scrawny frame in big bold white letters.

“Soo, why are you giving me a Muggle magazine?”

“For Muggle clothing inspo.”

I hate it when he uses these ridiculous foreign terms like “inspo” and “voila”. “Voila” is definitely his favourite.

“Why would I need clothing inspiration, Soo? Do you not like what I wear?”

“I love what you wear. Even when you don’t wear --”

“Soo!”

“Okay umm we have to take a trip to London...my parents would like to have us over for the weekend….you’re”, he pauses, “you’re okay with that right?”

It’s a lot to process. 

What if they prosecute me by hanging? I’ve read about what Muggles do to witches. Idly running through the pages of the magazine which suddenly seems too heavy for my arms, I buy time. Kyungsoo patiently waits for my answer.

“What’s ‘goss’?” I mumble, eyes trained on ‘Vogue’.

“Gossip?”

“Ahh...I have some ‘goss’ on Baekhyun and his girlfriend.” I digress and let me.

His brows crinkle in concern, “Oh-kay?”

“They were caught snogging in one of the Training Rooms yesterday...”

“And what became of them?”

“I don’t know.” They were made to clean all the Training Rooms the Muggle way. “Kyungsoo, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He pulls me into his arms and presses his soft lips to my forehead, “We’ll get through this.”

“Of course, we will. We’re soulmates”, I say into his chest, reminiscing the time we’d kissed while two lynxes waltzed around us.

Suddenly, with a loud boom, Kyungsoo’s cauldron went flying in the air. It’s bubbling hot contents splattered on the walls of our basement. The impact made us duck under his desk.

“I forgot to turn off the burner.”

[halothenthehorns]

TLTNL- THE SECOND WAR BEGINS

Harry couldn't really look Remus in the face when he gave the book a gentle toss to him. He was sure it meant something he was even still around after all this, but Harry really had not a clue what, it couldn't be him. 

Entitled He Who Must Not Be Named Returns, it starts with a statement from the Minister confirming this to be true, he was active in their country once more.

"Miracles do happen!" James mock cheered.

"James I would not refer to any of this as miraculous," Lily grumbled.

"No, not the part about- you know what I meant Lily," he huffed.

"Oh, you're reading a paper," Sirius quickly grasped while still laughing at the two.

"Hermione was," Harry corrected, the memory easily swimming to the surface, honestly grateful that something could flow back to him naturally.

It was with great regret that he confirmed Lord, well you know who he meant,

"Lord Byron?" Remus politely offered.

was alive, as well as the dementors had deserted Azkaban and joined Lord, Thingy.

Five collective snorts of laughter. It seemed impossible after all they'd heard, but honestly with that alone Fudge pulled a genuine smile of amusement from all of them, though it was perhaps tainted at the implausibility of this taking so long to post this, a year later.

  The magical community was urged to remain vigilant, the Ministry was doing all they could to make people aware and pamphlets would be sent to their homes in the coming months of how to prepare.

The smile slipped right back off for the four from this time, they didn't appreciate the reminder considering they got those once a week it felt like.

The Minister's statement was met with dismay from the wizarding community, considering as recently as last week he'd just been assuring none of this to be true.

"I've been wanting them to eat their words, and yet it's not anywhere near as satisfying as I'd have hoped," Harry grumbled.

Details leading to this event were still murky, but apparently He Who Must Not Be Named himself and a group of Death Eaters had penetrated the Ministry of Magic Thursday evening and been witnessed.

Albus Dumbledore has yet been available for commentary, though it was he who had been insisting since last June of these events occurring. Meanwhile, the Boy Who Lived-

Hermione interrupted herself to exclaim there was Harry's name, she knew he'd be dragged into this while looking at him over her paper.

"Aren't I always?" Harry grudgingly agreed with Hermione now as he had then.

"Haven't heard you called that in a while," James grumbled, "it was kind of nice."

"I'll still take that over what they were calling him," Lily huffed.

They were in the Hospital Wing, Hermione reading her article of the Sunday Prophet to the five around her while still in bed. Neville and Ginny's injuries had been healed instantly, but continued to visit frequently as they were now, and Luna was sitting to the side apparently ignoring them all with a new copy of the Quibbler.

Ron was still in bed rest as well and glared from his to hers saying it was high time they switched back from thinking him a deluded show off.

"Where on earth will they find their source of entertainment now," Sirius said deadpan.

He helped himself to another Chocolate Frog, the scars on his arm still visible from where the brain had latched on. Madam Pomfrey had warned they may never fade, but with a solution she'd been applying, they'd been improving.

"I'm just happy he's not acting like Sirius anymore," Remus offered.

"When do I ever act like a loopy fool?" Sirius demanded.

"As much," Remus finished as if he hadn't been interrupted.

Hermione agreed they were far more complimentary of him now, quoting such thing as his lone voice of truth against slander, though they seemed to have failed to mention it was them doing the slandering.

James's eyes went mock wide in surprise, putting his hand against his cheek with his mouth open slightly as the picture of shock.

"They would never do such a thing, oh wait," Lily briskly agreed.

She winced slightly and placed her hand upon her ribs. The curse Dolohov had set on her may have been less effective silent, but in Madam Pomfrey's own words, it was quite enough damage to be going on with. Hermione was having to take ten potions a day to heal,

Harry gulped and still fidgeted heavily. He in no way wished to ever hear of that spell again, but he had the nasty feeling it wasn't the last time Dolohov used such a thing, and next time it may not be so nonverbal...but then the hateful pain returned, and Harry still knew it wasn't over. Even if some part of him larger than ever wanted to quit now before he had to ever feel what he was again for what he'd lost that day, his mind would permanently suffer for it.

but she was improving greatly, and already bored with the hospital wing.

She continued reading snippets of all the pages full of information now, even one where they'd apparently gotten an Exclusive Interview with Harry, but then noted it was just the old article from the Quibbler.

Sirius got a hearty snort for that, somehow his disgust for that rubbish increasing even when they were back to publishing sense.

Luna agreed her father had sold that to him, he'd gained quite a lot of money for it, and they were going on vacation this summer to try and find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

"Good for her," Remus said honestly.

Hermione struggled for a moment before simply saying it sounded lovely.

Harry and Ginny caught eyes and quickly looked away from each other grinning.

Harry almost got a smile back in place, more warmth than they'd seen in his expression since he'd come back from the Ministry. Sharing a joke like that really could do wonders.

Hermione changed topics by asking that the school was back to normal?

Ginny agreed Flitwick had ridden the school of the twins swamp

James gasped, all of the boys looking scandalized such a thing had been done while Lily rolled her eyes at them. "Honestly, did you want it up forever? Having to get through a swamp just to attend classes?"

"Yes," was their instant response, and she rolled her eyes again to try and hide a twitching smile.

in three seconds, but he'd left a tiny patch under a bit of window he'd roped off.

"Oh, well that's okay then," Sirius' shoulders were still slumped in a bit of disappointment, but at least there had been a mark left.

When Hermione asked why, she said he'd said it was too good a bit of magic.

"At least we can still say we love Flitwick," Remus chuckled.

Ron agreed through a mouthful of frog he'd left it as a monument to Fred and George.

"And that's exactly what any proper man would do," James smirked.

Informing Harry it was his brothers who'd sent the pile of sweets on his bedside.

"Aww," Lily cooed.

"I can see where Ron gets this idea to share food to make others feel better," Sirius chuckled, "I think it's what the twins do."

"Well they did try to share a toilet seat, so I wouldn't put it past them," Remus snickered.

Hermione looked rather disapproving and asked,

Harry glanced around, but not one of them made a snippy comment for Hermione's disapproval again. They were still reeling from their harsh reactions to her, to what she'd been saying and it turning out to be true...and they didn't know what to feel about her now.

if all of the trouble was gone now Dumbledore was back.

Neville agreed the school was right back to normal.

"I'd almost be depressed if I wasn't so relieved," James sighed.

Ron made the comment Filch must be happy about that while propping up a Dumbledore Chocolate Frog card against his water jug.

James scoffed deeply in disgust for that, he knew how he felt about that one!

Remus' voice held an edge as well none had ever heard before when speaking of him, but Remus kept going trying to ignore it himself.

Ginny promised he was miserable, saying she'd been the best thing to ever happen to this school.

All five of them looked more than sour for that being said, they honestly wished Filch would be thrown out when Umbridge left as well for what he tried to do to those students, but if they'd had their way, Snape would have long since left as well.

All six of them looked around. Professor Umbridge was lying in a bed opposite them, gazing up at the ceiling.

"I can not believe you're even in the same room with, with that-" Lily was so angry her words spluttered off in disgust. That cat litter should be in Azkaban for what she nearly did to Harry!

"Neither can I," James quirked a brow in surprise even as he was frowning in disappointment. "How on earth did the centaurs give her up? I was hoping her body would just never be found again!"

Dumbledore had strode alone into the Forest to rescue her from the centaurs; how he had done it - how he had emerged from the trees supporting Professor Umbridge without so much as a scratch on him - nobody knew, and Umbridge was certainly not telling.

Remus muttered something shrewdly as he eyed that. He tried to find the awe and fascination from his youth at the entity that was Dumbledore, how he truly seemed able to do anything, but it was still overshadowed by everything he'd done to Harry's life. It was much easier to focus on the idea of why he'd bothered, and he got no more answer for that.

Since she had returned to the castle she had not, as far as any of them knew, uttered a single word. Nobody really knew what was wrong with her, either. Her usually neat mousy hair was very untidy and there were still bits of twigs and leaves in it, but otherwise she seemed to be quite unscathed.

"Oh right, about that," Sirius gave a dramatic pause, taking a deep breath, before being just one tone away from shouting, "how dare she do that to you! If you hadn't f'ing known how to do the Patronus charm thanks to Remus, you'd be worse than dead! I swear if I don't hear of that wretched thing getting Kissed herself, I'm going to have to find some other way to suck out her soul!"

"Been holding that one in long?" Harry asked mock pleasantly.

"A bit, yeah," Sirius agreed. "Glad you gave me the chance to bring it up again."

Hermione said Pomfrey told she was in shock.

"Madam Pomfrey should be using shocks," Lily huffed.

Sulking more like, Ginny corrected.

James made a little noise that may have been a mocking laugh.

Ron said she did something when you did this, and he began clip-clopping his tongue softly in a mockery of hooves.

All five burst into righteous laughter, but there wasn't a trace of humor to be found. Honestly they just wanted to applaud Ron for finally giving this moment.

Umbridge sat up at once, her mousy hair wild.

Pomfrey stuck her head out at once, asking if everything was alright?

Once Umbridge had looked all around and seen nothing, she sank back onto her seat, uttering it must have been a dream.

"More like a nightmare," Remus corrected in the most pleasant tone he'd ever used when speaking of her.

Hermione asked if Firenze was still teaching divination now that Trelawney was back?

Harry said both were now teaching instead.

"Of all the classes to get two separate teacher's in," Sirius muttered, ignoring the harsh thump that was his innards at the reminder of her.

Ron said he was sure Dumbledore now wished he'd gotten rid of Trelawney when he'd had the chance while going for his fourteenth Frog.

"That suddenly made a bit more sense," Sirius said restlessly.

"Can't have just been Dumbledore doing a decent thing, standing up to Umbridge and not letting her leave," Lily said, all wistfulness gone of anyone just doing a kind act anymore.

"Oh no," James agreed, "he was keeping her away from Voldemort." He tried to end with a smile for her, knowing what that downturn of Lily's lips were, and she did feel just a bit better that even with an ulterior motive she wasn't the only one trying to find the kindness in all this.

Though Ron still found the whole subject useless, as Firenze wasn't much better.

Hermione demanded how he could say that, now that they knew prophecies were real.

"Doesn't make the idiots delivering them any better." Sirius honestly having the urge to go find that room and smash every one of those things now, regretting ever even hearing about them for all the trouble they'd caused his family!

Harry's heart began to race. He had not told Ron, Hermione or anyone else what the prophecy had contained. Neville had told them it had smashed while Harry was pulling him up the steps in the Death Room and Harry had not yet corrected this impression.

"I don't see why," James said haughtily. "You need a good laugh, and you're friends will do a better job than anyone telling you how ridiculous it all sounds."

"Now you're encouraging Hermione are you?" Harry asked dully.

James frowned in concern, they all did as Harry refused to shake this off in here like they were trying to give him a way to do, and for his careless tone alone James chose not to respond in hopes changing the subject would just be better.

He was not ready to see their expressions when he told them that he must be either murderer or victim, there was no other way . . .

Even as the others still looked murderous at Dumbledore putting that on Harry, wanting to blame their old headmaster and everyone else for continuing to try and force Harry down a path just because of some stupid mystics, Harry couldn't help but brush absently at his scar for the first time since he'd been here, because it wasn't the one on his forehead. None of them seemed to notice a thing. He wished he could believe same as them, that there was some other way, some alternative to this terrible fate laid out for him, but it all felt so inevitable...

Hermione kept going with the conversation, saying what a pity it was it broke.

Ron agreed, but found the good side was at least You-Know-Who couldn't hear it anymore either- then asked where Harry was going with disappointment.

Harry said he was going down to Hagrid's, he'd gotten back today and he'd want to know how they were doing.

"Hagrid's back!" Sirius cheered unnecessarily loudly, but Harry hardly reacted, just the briefest little smile for the enthusiasm before his face settled back into that mask of unease.

Ron gave the grumpy agreement before wishing he could come.

Remus made an unconscious sympathetic noise, knowing that feeling all to well.

Hermione told him to say hello for them, and to make sure to ask about his, little friend.

"I presume she's referring to Grawp," Remus said with an honest twitch of his lips.

"Don't know why she needed to phrase it like that," Sirius sighed, "I think the others around you can know about him by now." He was still watching Harry with worry. He may be clinging to Sirius in a whole new way, though now they understood why as he just seemed to be marveling at still being able to do so, but it almost seemed to hurt him now just to look at his godfather.

"Umbridge is in there, and even in shock, it's best not to go sharing what Hagrid gets up to right now," James unnecessarily reminded, Sirius had been well aware, they were both just trying to keep up some normal flow of conversation no matter how ineffective.

He was finding it hard to decide whether he wanted to be with people or not; whenever he was in company he wanted to get away and whenever he was alone he wanted company.

Harry was torn from his own thoughts to watch those shift around him uncomfortably, and quickly said, "No, I'm not..." but he trailed off, unable to put into words what it meant to have them all around him now. He didn't want that now, but it didn't quite erase the feeling now residing in him.

The feeling of isolation he'd carried while being around his friends carried through in here, helped along nothing by their unwillingness to see what he saw, feel how true it was he must kill Voldemort. If they didn't understand that though, if they honestly thought there must be another way...

When Harry failed to give a real answer but instead was clearly struggling with something, Remus just decided to keep going. He wouldn't force a real answer out of him, but he wouldn't stop him either if he needed a minute to himself, but until he stepped out this was all they could really do.

He only made it to the Entrance Hall when he ran into Malfoy and his friends coming up from the Slytherin dormitories.

The instant they caught sight of each other, Malfoy at once declared Harry as dead.

Harry said that was funny, since if it were true he'd have stopped walking around.

James managed an authentic laugh again, telling Harry, "there's that sense of humor I so love."

Harry tried for the same smile back, but it still sat just a touch awkwardly in his face to be believable.

Malfoy ignored the jab and said Potter would pay for what he'd done to his father.

"Will he still have to hear about it then to?" Sirius rolled his eyes.

James couldn't even offer that much, whatever Malfoy was suffering was only a tenth of what Harry had already learned to suffer through.

Harry sarcastically told he was terrified now, Voldemort must have just been a warm up compared to these three.

All of them were laughing obligingly now, though Harry's frown just deepened with some unknown concern, all he knew was he didn't like dismissing Malfoy right now.

Malfoy just snapped Potter thought himself such a big man, he couldn't just land his father in prison!

Harry reminded he just had.

Remus couldn't help the surprised burst of laughter that shot out, it really was like watching James and Snape the way these two went at each other so many years later with the names just swapped.

Malfoy still vowed Azkaban wouldn't hold him with the dementors gone, and while Harry agreed, he still pointed out at least everyone knew what scumbags they were now.

Sirius tried for a triumphant little smirk, but it was no good, the mention of that place just brought the echo of his own words back. He really hadn't been given his chance to accept that worthless Ministry's apologies now that they were listening to Harry...

Malfoy went for his wand, but Harry had already beaten him to it and raised to strike when Snape appeared.

Harry froze with a loathing like none before for him. He didn't care what Dumbledore said, he would never forgive Snape.

While none gave a second of disagreeing as well, Harry couldn't help but look to his mother. Her face was a mask, lips trembling and white from feeling so much of this future. He almost believed that now as well, but then, there was just this one part of him that stopped him...

Snape demanded what Potter was doing?

Harry simply said trying to decide which curse to use on Malfoy.

Lily at least tried to hide her smirk for that, but even she failed at such boldness.

Snape tried to take points away from his house for this, but then he turned and realized the Gryffindor hour glass was completely empty. He instead began to threaten-

but was cut off by McGonagall arriving to state apparently they needed some more.

The room felt such a sudden rush of delirious happiness it was hard for a moment to even grasp the switch. None had exactly forgotten what had fallen their favorite teacher, but considering everything else that had happened in the meantime they hadn't even a second to spare for it. Now here she was again as if she'd never left, swooping in for Harry once again!

She beckoned to Crabbe and Goyle first off, depositing her bag onto them and telling them to take that up to her office

"Snappy as ever," Sirius chuckled pleasantly.

before continuing to address their head of house that the students should be awarded for alerting the world of You-Know-Who's return.

James whooped with a delirious noise, even just something slightly good happening again and he wanted to dance and cheer, finally just one moment to show the word wasn't all death in this future!

Snape merely sneered rather than agreeing.

"Eat your toes Snivlius," Sirius sneered.

"It's eat your words. How did you even-?" Remus began in confusion, but Sirius wasn't even listening as he was still laughing too hard.

McGonagall continued as if he had, awarding fifty points to both Weasley's, Longbottom, Granger, and Potter. Even as they watched, a shower of rubies fell into Gryffindor's house-glass.

"Now wait a moment," Lily couldn't help but try to insert even as her eyes were still gleaming, but Remus polity shushed her and said what he knew she'd been fixing to.

Then she tacked on a fifty for Miss Lovegood of Ravenclaw, and a sprinkle of Sapphires fell for that as well.

"Ah," Lily said pleasantly while the boys were still snickering away, even Harry cracked an honest grin again for this.

She did acknowledged that Snape had intended to take ten, and while the measly few flew back up, it still left a respectable amount below.

"Only two hundred and forty," Remus quickly did the math even as he couldn't stop himself smirking. "She's much less generous than Dumbledore, he probably would have given a couple hundred each."

"Can't win that cup every year I suppose," Harry said grudgingly, his mind not even on the subject anymore as something as silly like the House Cup felt like some far off fantasy of a worry.

Then she instructed the students to depart, and Harry at once went back on his way into the sunshine outside.

Students were all over the place out here, enjoying their last few days on the grounds. Many waved or called to him as he passed, like the Prophet, now seeing him as some kind of hero.

"Give them all the bird Harry," James pleasantly instructed.

Harry said nothing to any of them.

"A feat not any in here could manage I'm sure," Lily said pleasantly, she'd have a thing or two to say to anyone switching on a dime like this, Ron's ire of Quidditch team hopping would hold nothing.

He had no idea how much they knew of what had happened three days ago, but he had so far avoided being questioned and preferred to keep it that way.

He thought at first when he knocked on Hagrid's cabin door that he was out, but then Fang came charging around the corner and almost bowled him over with the enthusiasm of his welcome.

Harry felt that pang shoot through him all over again, his hand growing painful around Sirius. This was ridiculous, Fang looked nothing like Padfoot...

Hagrid, it transpired, was picking runner beans in his back garden, and he came around to greet Harry and offer him a cup of dandelion juice.

"Should we be as worried about this as the rest of Hagrid's cooking?" Sirius said extra loudly just to get that look away from Harry's face even for a moment, he couldn't stand seeing his little pup in such misery every time something related back to him. It was killing him he'd been going through all of this in his past, and Sirius would do everything in his power to correct that now.

Once they were inside with a glass each, Hagrid asked how he was feeling?

"Dandoliney," James tried hard for a smirk and a joke, and Remus helpfully played along.

"Prongs, you can't substitute a weed for a fruit and get the same affect," Remus corrected.

"Says who?" James rebuked, before concluding, "Hark, look who's talking, you once switched armadillo bile with your own," James really did smirk then.

"It wasn't my fault breakfast wasn't agreeing with me that morning," Remus said tragically.

Harry could tell from his look of concern he did not mean psychically, but he simply fibbed he was fine and kept the conversation away from himself asking where he'd been?

Hagrid said hiding up in the mountains, like Sirius once had-

He stopped when he realized what he'd said, and feebly finished with he was back now.

"Subtle," Lily whispered, unlike the boys not pretending she couldn't see Harry's eyes swimming again. Sirius staying in those caves had almost been a good laugh at the time considering how well he knew the area, and suddenly the idea of if it had all been different just wasn't avoidable. If he'd just stayed up there instead of that ghastly house, if everything had been the way it should have and he'd never had to be there at all, if...

Harry instantly switched to saying Hagrid looked better, his old injuries from Grawp almost all faded.

It took a moment for Hagrid to realize what he meant and agreed Grawp was doing much better now, seemed right glad to have him back.

"I imagine that actually would have caused another injury," Sirius stated too loudly again, but he'd keep talking this way until the others stopped looking at him that way.

He was actually considering starting to look for a lady friend for him.

"Please tell me he's joking!" Lily yipped with more volume than Sirius had and easily capturing all attention.

"If he can get one for Aragog he would do it for anyone," James said without remorse.

"Hagrid's certainly becoming more interesting with this whole dating set up thing, maybe he should have a crack at Moony," Sirius smirked while Remus scowled hatefully for that.

Harry normally would have tried to persuade him otherwise, but he just hadn't the energy.

"Well you're just no help at all Harry," Remus grumbled instead of continuing to glare at Sirius.

Hagrid seemed to realize this and leaned forward to speak to Harry,saying he knew this was the way Sirius would want to go, in battle.

Sirius opened, then closed his mouth, he didn't have a true comment for that. The past twelve years of his life would have been a ruin, the last year possibly worse than anything those dementors could do. They ate away at your very soul just by being around, ruining anything happy you could hope to cling to...and then to be trapped in such a place where so many of all the worst memories would come back! Death honestly would have sounded more bearable after so many long months... he'd see James again...

Harry snapped back he hadn't wanted to go at all!

"But then there's that," Sirius sighed, couldn't speak aloud what had just pulsed through him, but he knew he wasn't doing a good job of hiding it at the panicky look from his brother. None of it would have mattered, the reason he had done what he was doing was for Harry, and now his godson spoke nothing but the truth. Sirius would do it all again just to be there for Harry in whatever way he had, no matter how short of time it was.

Hagrid bowed his head, but continued to speak quietly that he couldn't have lived with himself if he'd done nothing when Harry had needed help-

Harry's throat burned as he heard all that. He meant to hold it in, he really did, but then Sirius began to speak, and Harry burst. "I don't want to hear it! I don't give a damn! You still, you-" he was just left covered in ice, the fire instantly forgotten as Sirius' studious expression didn't change.

He would have lived, but he wouldn't be the man Harry had grown to admire and love.

Sirius didn't speak when he saw it all, that Harry had understood no matter how much he'd hate him for it.

Harry leapt up, telling he was going to visit Ron and Hermione at the hospital wing.

Hagrid looked upset,

'After what he just did, I'm not surprised,' Lily honestly agreed. Those had been the words Harry had needed to hear, but there was never a time to say them.

but did not stop Harry, only asking him to come back soon-

Harry was closing the door before he was done.

People still waved cheerfully to him, the sun shone bright above, but he wished they'd all just go away. A few days ago, before his exams had finished and he had seen the vision Voldemort had planted in his mind, he would have given almost anything for the wizarding world to know he had been telling the truth, for them to believe that Voldemort was back, and to know that he was neither a liar nor mad. Now, however . . .

Harry stayed nestled into Sirius' side, his heart feeling as heavy as it had back then no matter how much his mind told him to put it all away and be here with Sirius now while he had every chance he could. It wasn't quite working, the pain from his past would not fade no matter the replacement he had now.

He walked a short way around the lake, sat down on its bank, sheltered from the gaze of passers-by behind a tangle of shrubs, and stared out over the gleaming water, thinking . . .

Perhaps the reason he wanted to be alone was because he had felt isolated from everybody since his talk with Dumbledore.

"Harry," Sirius whispered for him alone, knowing his parents, that anyone else could have said the same, but Harry needed this to come from him. "You'll do what you think is right."

Harry closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose hard, but it didn't stop the traitorous tears coming again. It was all to real, he could have opened them again and been back on that lake edge, the ghost of Sirius' voice whispering in his ear an assurance he'd needed that no one had been left to give.

Remus wished it would have just ended there, that this stupid thing was done. No more should have been said or done, but he also couldn't just stop. Harry needed some closure, and while he couldn't imagine how he was going to get it from that time, it felt impossible right now any of them were capable of doing so, only a reminder of everything he'd lost in his life while living through it all again.

He sat there for a long time, gazing out at the water, trying not to think about his godfather or to remember that it was directly across from here, on the opposite bank, that Sirius had once collapsed trying to fend off a hundred Dementors . . .

James had felt the bitter taint of regret, of not being there for those who needed him since the very beginning, and now even that moment felt like it was being torn away. Prongs had only been delaying the moment, he hadn't really the chance to save anyone.

The sun had set before he realized he was cold. He got up and returned to the castle, wiping his face on his sleeve as he went.

Sirius kept frowning as Harry tried to do the same now. He'd never wanted to be the cause of so much grief to his godson, to anyone.

Ron and Hermione left the hospital wing completely cured three days before the end of term. Hermione kept showing signs of wanting to talk about Sirius, but Ron tended to make 'shushing' noises every time she mentioned his name.

Lily made a watery noise as she kept sniffling, like she was trying to giggle but the noise wouldn't come. She imagined herself the same way at least in that regards, she felt useless as a mother she didn't have to talk and pry things from him when these books were saying it all. She honestly wished Harry had the chance to speak this for himself, but he often chose not to and let that speak for him. She wanted to change that, but remained unsure how. She'd have to find a way to get him off his crutch soon.

Harry was still not sure whether or not he wanted to talk about his godfather yet; his wishes varied with his mood.

"I know I always loathe talking about him," James muttered as he ruffled up his hair in agitation. "He manages to turn all conversations about himself."

"A trait he learned from you," Remus muttered. The two couldn't help it, to take shots at their friend, at each other, it was one thing they could still do to each other this future hadn't yet taken away.

He knew one thing, though: unhappy as he felt at the moment, he would greatly miss Hogwarts in a few days' time when he was back at number four, Privet Drive.

Harry tried to clear his throat, but it still seemed filled with too much snot to hold anything. It didn't mean he wanted to think about that anymore than the others, and thankfully Remus hissed past the moment knowing it would come up again all too soon.

Even though he now understood exactly why he had to return there every summer, he did not feel any better about it. Indeed, he had never dreaded his return more.

Professor Umbridge left Hogwarts the day before the end of term. It seemed she had crept out of the hospital wing during dinnertime, evidently hoping to depart undetected,

"Which she deserves absolutely none of," Remus said in pure disgust.

but unfortunately for her, she met Peeves on the way, who seized his last chance to do as Fred had instructed, and chased her gleefully from the premises whacking her alternately with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk. Many students ran out into the Entrance Hall to watch her running away down the path and the Heads of Houses tried only half-heartedly to restrain them. Indeed, Professor McGonagall sank back into her chair at the staff table after a few feeble remonstrances and was clearly heard to express a regret that she could not run cheering after Umbridge herself, because Peeves had borrowed her walking stick.

The laughter that echoed through the room was long over due, but somehow far more lackluster than any ever would have predicted. After all she did to Harry, to that school, to so many people, this rather tame leaving of the post just did not feel as whelming as it should have. Then again, unless someone, Sirius, had arrived to escort her to Azkaban nothing would have felt as good.

Their last evening at school arrived; most people had finished packing and were already heading down to the end-of-term leaving feast, but Harry had not even started.

"Who did win the House Cup?" Lily insisted on keeping up the pleasant mood with any mundane topic she could.

"It was canceled, Dumbledore's reason was the Inquisitorial Squad made it too biased." Harry shrugged.

"Is that actually how he phrased it?" James said.

"No, he made some great speech announcement about Voldemort officially being back again, though Ron said he was just rubbing it in. What he actually said was something more along the lines of school unity and looking past all our differences to become one again in the face of-" he cut himself off with a heavy roll of his eyes. "I'm not Hermione, I don't remember the exact words. That's just what I got out of it."

"Fair enough," Remus agreed.

Ron was still trying to convince him to do it tomorrow, but Harry still convinced him to go on while he did this.

But when the dormitory door closed behind Ron, Harry made no effort to speed up his packing. The very last thing he wanted to do was to attend the Leaving Feast. He was worried that Dumbledore would make some reference to him in his speech. He was sure to mention Voldemort's return; he had talked to them about it last year, after all . . .

"I doubt he'd make two speeches," James tried to encourage, he couldn't imagine missing the last feast.

"The first wasn't really a speech so much as just an announcement," Harry shrugged in defense.

Harry pulled some crumpled robes out of the very bottom of his trunk to make way for folded ones and, as he did so, noticed a badly wrapped package lying in a corner of it. He could not think what it was doing there. He bent down, pulled it out from underneath his trainers and examined it.

He realized what it was within seconds. Sirius had given it to him just inside the front door of number twelve Grimmauld Place.

Harry's breath caught in his throat, he suddenly looked like he was going to be sick, and none of them looked any better. Remus could already feel small little shivers starting, he couldn't look at any of them, barely saying in a whisper.

Harry sank down on to his bed and unwrapped the package. Out fell a small, square mirror. It looked old; it was certainly dirty. Harry held it up to his face and saw his own reflection looking back at him.

He turned the mirror over. There on the reverse side was a scribbled note from Sirius.

This is a two-way mirror, I've got the other one of the pair.

James looked back on that moment, of feeling exasperated Harry had worried so much about Sirius. He hadn't found his son silly at all for thinking it, but even still, no matter how dark his mind had gone in offering what could happen to Sirius if he were to be caught again, he'd never wanted to imagine this all to come up again like this.

If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions.

Remus was stammering by the end, words becoming a blur as too many memories washed over him, over them all. Detentions, something as common to their life as homework, and still they'd refused to be apart, but he'd never want them back together again like this.

Harry's heart began to race. He remembered seeing his dead parents in the Mirror of Erised four years ago. He was going to be able to talk to Sirius again, right now, he knew it-

Sirius held Harry tight to him again, his frame going more pale by the second, his eyes wouldn't alight with that same hope in here and Sirius wasn't sure if it was age looking back or simply the boy in here couldn't even hold onto the same hope anymore with Sirius right beside him, his every being prepared for the blow he knew would come.

He called clearly for Sirius, and nothing happened. He tried again, using his full name, and still it only reflected his own face. Sirius hadn't had the mirror when he fell through...

"Magic can't bring back everything Harry," Lily couldn't seem to stop herself explaining, that burning look on his face compelled her to just say something. "The paintings, the ghosts, their just echos, can only do and say what they're magicked to do, not-" she stopped because it meant nothing to him. If this were true he would have long since had his parents back, there would never be such sadness in the world again. He just buried his face back into Sirius' shoulder, struggling to breath so much he was convinced he never properly could again.

Harry remained quite still for a moment, then hurled the mirror back into the trunk where it shattered.

James could all but hear the echo of the glass, feel that more than Harry understood. Sirius' last gift to him, from both of them, was as gone from his life as they were, leaving no more explanation than anything else they continued to be without. Where had those mirrors been all those years, where as the the other now? He didn't believe he'd get those answer's anymore than an explanation for why this had happened to a man who didn't deserve it.

He had been convinced, for a whole, shining moment, that he was going to see Sirius, talk to him again . . .

Disappointment was burning in his throat; he got up and began throwing his things pell- mell into the trunk on top of the broken mirror -

But then an idea struck him . . . a better idea than a mirror . . . a much bigger, more important idea . . . how had he never thought of it before - why had he never asked?

They weren't even sure if Harry could hear them. He wouldn't look up now, keeping his face away as if ashamed of what came next.

He was sprinting out of the dormitory and down the spiral staircase, hitting the walls as he ran and barely noticing; he hurtled across the empty common room, through the portrait hole and off along the corridor, ignoring the Fat Lady shouting behind him.

How could it be that the place was full of ghosts whenever you didn't need one, yet now . . .

Maybe it was because of the detachment from his memories, maybe it was because he had Sirius right now and he didn't want to see the look on his face for what came next, but as Harry felt Sirius tense and try to murmur something, all he could feel was his shameful wish for what his godfather could never have done.

He ran down staircases and along corridors and met nobody either alive or dead. They were all, clearly, in the Great Hall. Outside his Charms classroom he came to a halt, panting and thinking disconsolately that he would have to wait until later, until after the end of the feast . . .

Somehow it was even more painful Harry was forgetting another of Sirius' old things, and one they'd never even thought to bring up themselves. Did Sirius know Harry had the map? It had never really said, but Harry forgetting it now on top of everything couldn't have come at a worst time, they needed this to be done with. It was killing them all, more than having to listen to Sirius' fate, just to watch Harry cope through it all.

He found Nearly Headless Nick just as he was walking through an adjacent wall, and he popped his head back out to see who it was and walked properly out of the wall to greet him. Harry greeted him and tried to invite him into the classroom, but Nick hesitated for a long time before grudgingly going, saying he'd been expecting this.

Remus' face was flushed, eyes only on the book even as his mind wondered how many times a ghost had to have this conversation, how often he'd come across a crying student and the pearly white figures and had never thought about it more than that.

Harry was holding the door open for him, but he drifted through the wall instead.

"Ghosts," James tried to mutter petulantly, but it instead came out in his own ghostly tone.

He asked expecting what as he closed the door, but Nick didn't even look at him as he drifted to the window saying for young Harry to come talk to him, it happened often when students here had suffered a loss.

Harry refused to be deflected and said Nick was dead.

"Does the bluntness help the awkwardness?" Sirius asked him mock politely.

Harry didn't look up, though his shoulders eased just slightly from feeling the rumble of a chest beneath him. He already knew, even looking back, he couldn't have stood to see Sirius as that pearly figure for longer than a breath. To never truly have him again but a shell, an echo, it would have felt colder to him than his old cupboard ever had.

James wouldn't let the moment pass without saying though, "you'd know that better than anyone," because he could never stand wasting a single moment to talk to Sirius.

Sirius just smiled at him, the feeling just a bit forced as he could only imagine how much this was hurting James, how much every layer of this was just wrong for him. Sirius being dead and Harry feeling more for this than he ever had for his parents.

He was walking and talking though.

Nick took a long time in answering that not everyone could, only wizards.

Harry almost laughed in relief, thinking this was all his hesitation was and agreeing at once the person he was referring to was a wizard!

Nick still wouldn't look around when he said he wouldn't come back.

Harry asked who?

"Who were you talking about?" Remus couldn't help but look at him with great concern.

Harry forced himself to look up then, adjusting his glasses that were poking him in the face but still not really able to meet his eyes, just gestured wordlessly at Sirius, and Remus realized Harry had just refused to understand until it had been shoved in his face.

Sirius Black, Nick had said at once.

Harry said he could! Nick had!

Nick agreed wizards could leave an imprint of themselves on the earth, but it is only a pale trod from their living lives, very few chose to do it.

Harry said Sirius wouldn't matter if it was unusual,

"Well you got that one right," Lily managed a chuckle as she gave Sirius a little smirk which he all to happily returned.

he'd come back, he knew he would!

Harry was fixing his glasses stubbornly now, they might have gone a bit crooked from pressing his face so hard into them and that was why his vision was still a little blurry, surely he'd poked himself in the eye and that's why they were still watering, this was ridiculous, he knew with everything in him right now Sirius wouldn't come back.

"Harry," Sirius couldn't help but grab his wrist, to make him stop that before he took his eye out as his face continued to grow out of that sorrow and slowly into anger. "Harry you know I'd come back for you in any way I could, the real way. I'd have done anything to get back out of there, but only, only if it were real, if I was coming back, not-"

Harry jerked his arm free but forced himself to take a deep breath no matter how much it hurt. His lungs still weren't in working order anymore than his glasses, though he couldn't seem to find a thing wrong with either when he kept checking.

And so strong was his belief, Harry actually turned his head to check the door, sure, for a split second, that he was going to see Sirius, pearly-white and transparent but beaming, walking through it towards him.

Remus couldn't believe he was forcing himself to do this. He kept wondering, at the back of his mind, where he was, what was his useless self doing now instead of explaining to Harry Sirius would never have even considered doing such a thing, why was Nick having to be the one to answer for this.

Nick simply said he would not, he has gone on.

Harry demanded what that meant? What happened when you died? Where had Nick gone? Why doesn't everyone come back and this place was full of ghosts?!

They'd all asked these questions at some point, everyone at Hogwarts had to varying degrees. Never before for any of them had it felt so personal, or the answer so vital, even when already knowing what Nick would say.

Nick could only answer for himself, and he had no true answer. He'd simply, lingered. He'd been afraid of death, and he often wished it hadn't been so. He was neither here nor there...

'At what point does the mind and soul no longer intertwine,' the passage from an old book flitted through Lily's mind, when she herself had been looking into this very subject. Ghosts seemed to be the embodiment of that answer, and the moment she'd realized that she'd snapped the thing shut and had avoided the spectacular figures the rest of the day, too young then to fully grasp what she'd come across now, too young now to know that loss and still having to live through it.

He apologized for not being more help, and then he left.

Harry felt almost as though he had lost his godfather all over again in losing the hope that he might be able to see or speak to him once more.

"Miracles happen though," Harry muttered as he looked back to his godfather now, eyeing him with worry, his face flush and alive, gray eyes alert and bright for anything and everything. He did not know what had led him to this moment, but he knew, he would never regret it.

He walked slowly and miserably back up through the empty castle, wondering whether he would ever feel cheerful again.

It hurt, it was as fake as a dupe, but Harry smiled at Sirius, at all of them. He didn't know how, he could not imagine anything but the gray fog still trying to swallow him whole from his past, but he also knew with everything in him this was not true. Ron and Hermione were just down the stairs, and his friends would be there for him when he opened up to them. The ring glistened on his finger for a moment, a warmth unto itself promising a future he just couldn't envision right now.

He had turned the corner towards the Fat Lady's corridor when he saw somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall. A second glance showed him it was Luna. There were no good hiding places nearby, she was bound to have heard his footsteps, and in any case, Harry could hardly muster the energy to avoid anyone at the moment.

She gave him a vague wave, and he dully asked why she wasn't at the feast?

She said she'd lost her possessions and was trying to get them back, she was putting up signs asking the people to return them.

"They what?" Remus muttered in surprised outrage for what had just come out of his mouth.

"Kids," Lily muttered with a petulant eye on James, who batted his eyes innocently even though they remained rather hard and distant. He felt bad for Luna, but this still wasn't enough to distract him from what was going on in Harry's life, and so he waved Moony on so Lily couldn't start on what terrible youths they were again.

She spoke all of this serenely as she gestured towards the noticeboard, upon which, sure enough, she had pinned a list of all her missing books and clothes, with a plea for their return.

An odd feeling rose in Harry; an emotion quite different from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius's death. It was a few moments before he realized that he was feeling sorry for Luna.

James looked oddly at Harry, struggling a moment to see where he was coming from, but it came to him. Harry's face was still sad now, but for just a moment he had taken his mind off his own grief to see what was being done to others, something James had never bothered to do at any sense, at much of any age. Harry had briefly accused them of treating Luna as they once would have Snape, and while none of them had denied it, James suddenly liked to think he wouldn't have for this moment alone, the girl who made Harry see the outside world outside his own life.

Harry asked why they did that, and Luna said she wasn't sure, though she suspected it was because they found her odd. They called her Loony Lovegood you know.

"Yes well, so did they to Moony, but then again, maybe that's why we were the only fools who would tolerate him," Sirius smirked while Remus just smiled faintly and pretended to ignore him.

Harry offered to help her find it all, but Luna just kept smiling as she said it would all come back, it always did.

"She's so," Lily struggled for a word on this girl. She'd have been furious if someone had tired this on her, strung people up all along the castle if they'd even dared mess with her in this way. Serene was a good way to put it, very flowing. Luna simply accepted the way things were rather than trying to force people to behave how they should, and Lily found that honestly admirable, even while she'd be doing the same for Luna's things.

Then she asked why he wasn't at the feast, and he admitted he just hadn't felt like it.

Luna nodded as if she understood this, stating that the man that Death Eater killed had been his godfather, Ginny had told him. Harry nodded curtly, but found that for some reason he did not mind Luna talking about Sirius.

Sirius hummed thoughtfully, Harry noting he almost sounded like a pur rather than his usual dog like habits when he was content. Harry couldn't help the genuine smile that flit across his face then, even for a moment.

He suddenly remembered she could see thestrals to, and tried to politely ask who she'd seen die.

She told of her mother, who was an extraordinary witch who liked to experiment with Charms, and one had gone wrong. Luna had been nine.

Harry mumbled an apology for this, and Luna conversationally agreed how horrible it had been, and she was still very sad about it, but she still had her dad.

"Lucky her," James couldn't help but whisper, thankful only Remus had heard and he was politely ignored.

Though it wasn't as if she'd never see her again.

Harry asked about that, and Luna reminded of the room with the veil, Harry had heard them to.

Sirius couldn't help a well of panic for a moment. If Harry went back there, tried to get him out- he was being ridiculous, his mind instantly corrected. His godson was alive and safe right beside him. As desperate as he was, Remus had clearly gotten something through to him, that the veil was not the answer, there was no answer to making him come back. All that thing could ever do was taunt what Harry had lost.

Harry could think of nothing to say to that, and so again insisted he'd like to help her find her things.

Luna denied him though, saying she was done now and was going down to have some pudding. She wished Harry a good holiday, and he did so as well.

She walked away from him and, as he watched her go, he found that the terrible weight in his stomach seemed to have lessened slightly.

Sirius gave one last comforting brush to Harry, who leaned into the touch just like he always did, he couldn't imagine doing anything else.

The journey home on the Hogwarts Express next day was eventful in several ways. Firstly, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting all week for the opportunity to strike without teacher witnesses, attempted to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet.

Remus gave a mock yawn. Considering Harry had bested all of their fathers and then some at the same time, this was beyond child's play to him. It was hard to imagine a worse pain to come than what they'd already suffered, certainly these school yard bullies held nothing.

The attack might have succeeded had it not been for the fact that they unwittingly chose to stage the attack right outside a compartment full of DA members, who saw what was happening through the glass and rose as one to rush to Harry's aid. By the time Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot,

"Hopefully Ron lets go of his grudge on those Ravenclaws now," James said with his first real attempt at a chipper tone, even being back on that bloody train which always spelled disaster considering who was waiting at the end very time, and the man who wasn't.

"Actually, I think Ginny broke up with him," Harry said in a light, rather forced conversational tone of voice. He wasn't sure where this idea came from, but he didn't feel much care for it either way. He really must have been desperate for anything to smile at, he certainly was doing so now at such a random bit of information.

had finished using a wide variety of the hexes and jinxes Harry had taught them, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle resembled nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniform as Harry, Ernie and Justin hoisted them into the luggage rack and left them there to ooze.

"Twice on these train rides, this is becoming a tradition I almost look forward to," Remus smirked.

Ron had stepped out to see the commotion and came across the end results, saying at least Goyle's mum would be pleased, he looked better now.

"And there's Ron, always making sure to note the important things," Sirius chuckled.

Harry thanked the others and accompanied Ron back to their compartment, where he bought a large pile of cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties. Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet again, Ginny was doing a quiz in The Quibbler and Neville was stroking his Mimbulus mimbletonia, which had grown a great deal over the year and now made odd crooning noises when touched.

Lily brushed at her hair, her face distant with distress. The train ride to start all this, and they'd been worried about such things as Harry's crush and the Ministry. Now he was going through again a new person. Though having experienced death once before, this was still something new, even worse. His innocence kept being peeled away, though he'd never had much to begin with, and she worried how much more he could handle.

Harry and Ron whiled away most of the journey playing wizard chess while Hermione read out snippets from the Prophet. It was now full of articles about how to repel Dementors, attempts by the Ministry to track down Death Eaters and hysterical letters claiming that the writer had seen Lord Voldemort walking past their house that very morning . . .

Harry scoffed in disbelief even while he saw nothing of surprise on the others, and he shook his head sadly this was common for them.

Ron softly called his attention then, and Harry looked around. Cho was passing, accompanied by Marietta Edgecombe, who was wearing a balaclava.

"How long is that thing going to last?" Lily asked with the hint of worry now for what Hermione had done, had she really permanently scared that child for such a nasty trick.

"Never asked," Harry shrugged without much of a thought. "If I remember seeing her next year, I'll let you know."

His and Cho's eyes met for a moment. Cho blushed and kept walking.

They watched Harry curiously, but he seemed to be holding this with the same indifference as he had watching a little game of chess.

Harry looked back to his chess game with indifference. Hermione tentatively said she'd heard Cho was going out with someone else now.

"Well that was fast," James rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, it took longer than I expected," Sirius snorted.

Harry was surprised to find that this information did not hurt at all. Wanting to impress Cho seemed to belong to a past that was no longer quite connected with him; so much of what he had wanted before Sirius's death felt that way these days . . . the week that had elapsed since he had last seen Sirius seemed to have lasted much, much longer; it stretched across two universes, the one with Sirius in it, and the one without.

Harry was already struggling again, his composure as flimsy as paper in here. The feeling was growing rather than receding, of how to fit all three of these universes into his head. He knew it was ridiculous, he could treat Sirius the same way now as he had before all this, but at the same time it didn't feel right, just slightly off, as if here were disrespecting his own godfathers memories by joshing around with him as the younger carefree man he'd never known. It just wasn't sitting right, and he knew he needed time to come to term with all this, and just looked pleadingly at Remus to keep going, to finish this and give him that chance. While he'd avoided it in here, the feeling was creeping back now, he did want some alone time before he had to hear more.

Ron said he was probably better off, he needed someone a bit more cheerful. Then Ron asked Hermione who she'd heard she was with?

Hermione said Michael Corner, and Ron looked to his sister in surprise as that had been her boyfriend.

Ginny shrugged with as much care as Harry just had, saying he'd been a sore loser when Ravenclaw had lost the Quidditch Cup, so she'd ditched him and he'd gone to comfort Cho instead.

"What a smarmy little bloke, they deserve each other," James said without interest as he picked at his nails.

Ron looked highly delighted.

"I'm sure he did," Lily muttered with a small smile even as she kept watching Harry, who was at least pretending to keep listening with far more curiosity than was necessary, clearly still avoiding talking to them.

Then he said he hoped his sister found someone, better, next time, casting Harry an oddly furtive look as he said it.

Sirius gave a little wolf whistle while the others started snickering. Harry got a lopsided smile in place, his thumb twitching a bit now out of reflex to brush at his ring unconscionably. It was all still a joke of course, Harry told himself, Ron was only thinking this way to keep his sister away from others boys, he didn't really mean anything by it...

Ginny responded she'd chosen Dean Thomas, was that better?

"Err, no!" Remus yelped in surprise while Sirius and James laughed harder.

"What bloke dates a dorm mates younger sister, that's a spell for disaster if I've ever heard one," James rolled his eyes in agreement.

"Can you imagine the idiot?" Sirius demanded.

Ron shouted in such surprise he upended the chessboard.

As the train slowed down in the approach to King's Cross, Harry thought he had never wanted to leave it less.

"Wait, no, you skipped the best part!" Sirius yelped.

"Ginny told Ron to shut up, and he was in a temper the rest of the trip and muttering death threats to our dorm mate," Harry shrugged, even as at the time he'd agreed with Ron whenever demanded of, he'd mostly just been watching Ginny and that little smirk she'd kept hidden behind her paper for further irritating her brother in this way, it had been quite the show to watch and he'd wished the moment would never end.

He even wondered fleetingly what would happen if he simply refused to get off, but remained stubbornly sitting there until the first of September, when it would take him back to Hogwarts.

"I really do wish you'd find out what happened, just once, let that be now," Sirius said tragically, and it wasn't a farce at a all. It had been there for one shining glorious moment before it was wrenched away, and then it had been left to hover, fester, in the back while Sirius had been on the run, incapable of fulfilling what they'd wanted from the very beginning. Now it was gone, permanently. Harry would never be able to step off that train to a real home.

When it finally puffed to a standstill, however, he lifted down Hedwig' cage and prepared to drag his trunk from the train as usual.

When the ticket inspector signaled to Harry, Ron and Hermione that it was safe to walk through the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten, however, he found a surprise awaiting him on the other side: a group of people standing there to greet him who he had not expected at all.

There was Mad-Eye Moody, looking quite as sinister with his bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye as he would have done without it, his gnarled hands clutching a long staff, his body wrapped in a voluminous travelling cloak. Tonks stood just behind him, her bright bubble-gum-pink hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the dirty glass of the station ceiling, wearing heavily patched jeans and a bright purple T-shirt bearing the legend The Weird Sisters. Next to Tonks was Lupin, his face pale, his hair greying, a long and threadbare overcoat covering a shabby jumper and trousers.

Remus couldn't believe his eyes, just staring at that and sure he'd read that wrong until James began laughing beside him. It was wild, and jittery, but he clapped Remus on the shoulder and shouted right in his ear, "there's Moony always coming through for us."

Remus didn't even have it in him to pull away, rub at his ear for the volume, he seemed stumped at what to do with himself. Finally, just a small little part of their wish had been granted, and yet it felt as bitterly tainted as spoiled milk. Because there was still someone missing, there always would be now, and Remus had never been there a single moment before this for Harry. It felt meaningless he'd done it now.

The others clearly didn't agree, Sirius shifting restlessly and prepared to wrestle the book from him if he didn't keep going, to find out what this was about! Was it finally happening, had Dumbledore changed his mind and admitted to another way? Was the Order going to take Harry out from those Dursleys noses at last?!

If James prodding Remus in the side hadn't got him started Remus likely wouldn't have moved ever again, but he shook off the terrible thoughts of this future and forced himself to focus on the now, Sirius still smiling widely and eagerly at him, and so he crossed his fingers to do one thing right and read out a moment they all so desperately needed.

At the front were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley along with the twins, the mother already coming forward to hug her children. Ron took his absently as he kept eyeing the twins, demanding what they were wearing?

Fred said dragonskin jackets with pride.

"Treating themselves a bit," Lily muttered with a raised brow as Remus gave a low whistle of surprise.

"They deserve it," Sirius said at once, smiling widely at the prospect and honestly wanting to snap the book shut on Remus' fingers right there, just let this moment last forever.

Remus would have ignored him anyways, their fantasies would only be worse the longer they delayed moving on, so he kept going loudly to really see what all this was about.

Harry greeted them all, but couldn't help asking what they were doing here?

Lupin had a faint smile in place as he said they'd decided to have a little chat with his aunt and uncle before letting them take him home.

Lily groaned obnoxiously loudly and let her head flop back against her seat. It was so exaggerated Harry couldn't help bursting out with laughter seeing his mother do something like that, and so Remus' expression went unnoticed by everyone except James. He'd realized the moment that look had flitted across his friends face what he could have thought they meant, and while the hope had been there he'd never let this blame fall on him either. "Moony, I don't care what made you do it, you are! Be happy about something for once in your life! Those bloody Muggles needed someone to remind them of who they have to look after until you show up again!" He managed to hiss at him while the other three were distracted.

Remus just looked at him, unable to believe after all this time, after all he'd done, Prongs was still standing up for him, even against himself. He'd finally lost everything in this future, but here and now he couldn't help but smile while he kept going, clinging to the idea he wouldn't be alone here.

Harry at once said he didn't think that a good idea, but Moody corrected he did, and gestured over his shoulder confirming that as them.

Harry glanced slightly and found all three standing there, positively appalled at his reception.

"A gift in itself," Sirius nodded as if his wish really had been made. It wasn't on the same level as satisfying if Harry had just left with the people he should have, but honestly after so much misery he'd take what he could get.

Mr. Weasley seemed rather reluctant to turn away from greeting Hermione's parents, but was the one to say they should get this started.

"Be afraid," James said in a mock spooky voice.

The four crossed with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Arthur still pleasantly speaking the greeting to them in hopes they'd remember him.

"Hard to forget the man," Lily managed in between a righteous little giggle.

As Mr. Weasley had single-handedly demolished most of the Dursleys' living room two years previously, Harry would have been very surprised if Uncle Vernon had forgotten him. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon turned a deeper shade of puce and glared at Mr. Weasley, but chose not to say anything, partly, perhaps, because the Dursleys were outnumbered two to one. Aunt Petunia looked both frightened and embarrassed; she kept glancing around, as though terrified somebody she knew would see her in such company.

"Come on universe, I don't care who, I want someone to appear and see her there," James said at once, anything to make this just marginally worse for the people who still deserved more than they were going to get, but this was the first time Moony had been in their company, and he wasn't going to be satisfied until they walked away with stains in their pants.

Dudley, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to look small and insignificant, a feat at which he was failing extravagantly.

"Better than trying to look intimidating, he'd just fail at that more," Sirius sneered.

Arthur was continuing his politeness as he said they'd decided to have a little chat with them about Harry-

and how he was treated when at their place, Moody interrupted with his growled voice.

"Be very afraid," Remus agreed with a slight smile now for this show.

Uncle Vernon's mustache seemed to bristle with indignation. Possibly because the bowler hat gave him the entirely mistaken impression that he was dealing with a kindred spirit, he addressed himself to Moody.

Five collective snorts of laughter for just how wrong that impression was, Harry's coming out a bit more runny than he'd meant to. His eyes were misting again. He didn't want to be reduced to tears again so soon, but he couldn't help it, he'd never in his life seen so many people to show him support like this...

Stating he was not aware that it was any of their business what went on in his house-

Moody interrupted again to state that he expected what Vernon wasn't aware of would fill several books.

Sirius gave a wild, unconstrained laugh that didn't stop for several minutes!

"That's too kind, I find encyclopedia far more accurate," Remus huffed.

"Credit for trying," Lily shrugged, she'd have been cheering them all on for someone finally doing something about this!

"Guess we'll just have to settle for these," James tried to roll his eyes like this was all fun.

Uncle Vernon swelled ominously. His sense of outrage seemed to outweigh even his fear of this bunch of oddballs.

"Oh he has no idea," Sirius muttered, his enthusiasm still prevailing over the little frown he carried and refused to acknowledge. What he would give to be there for Harry now, even more than ever before, as gratitude was washing over his little pup now like never before.

He demanded if he was being threatened?

Mad-Eye happily agreed he was, seeming rather pleased Vernon had grasped this so quickly.

"The man has one trick, and now they've all seen it," James sneered.

Vernon barked if he looked like a man who could be intimidated?

Moody began that yes, it seemed so, as he spoke he tipped his hat up so his eye was visible, and Vernon lept back with such shock he collided with a nearby trolley cart and both fell over.

Lily was giggling hysterically now, the triumphant feeling wouldn't fade that finally someone was standing up to that pompous blubber even if it wasn't the man they'd all been hoping for.

He turned away from Uncle Vernon to survey Harry, telling him to give a shout if he needed anything, and if they didn't hear from him for three days, someone would come along.

Remus gave his head a soft little annoyed shake, remembering Harry's second year and how he'd gone most of the summer without contact and it had been practically ignored, oh how things had changed, almost for the better, right? He tried to keep James' words in mind at least Harry could never be so ignored again.

Aunt Petunia whimpered piteously. It could not have been plainer that she was thinking of what the neighbors would say if they caught sight of these people marching up the garden path.

"So, Harry should ask them to come over for tea sooner rather than later," Sirius obviously concluded.

They each said their goodbyes then, promising they'd see him soon.

Harry nodded. He somehow could not find words to tell them what it meant to him, to see them all ranged there, on his side. Instead, he smiled, raised a hand in farewell, turned around and led the way out of the station towards the sunlit street, with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley hurrying along in his wake.

Harry gave one last broken sob as he brushed furiously at new tears still arriving. Sirius had never once been able to pick him up from the station, as any semblance for that promise of a home, a family, and now he never could; but that didn't mean he had to be alone.

HPHPHPHPHP

That last moment always felt a little hollow to me. I know what JK was going for, but it never goes anywhere, the Order never actually acts on these implied threats because the Dursley's were long since scared straight by the idea of Sirius. It's kind of nice they tried to keep this going, but Harry never even would have told them Sirius was dead so they never would have known the difference, the threats never carry through, and so I couldn't manage to make this book end any other way because the book itself ended so dang depressing to me.

With that being said-

I! Actually! Finished! My! Favorite! Book!

For real guys, I can hardly believe this is over! It has by far been the most dramatic, climactic, and emotional one yet, and not all just for the characters. Someone made the review, though I can no longer check, that it would be at the point of The Department of Mysteries that most authors would stop, and while I swore I wasn't going to do that, that's when the original copy got taken down. Points for irony fanfiction! I didn't stop though, I never shall, and honestly even in the following deaths of the last two books none will ever feel as powerful as this one did.

Thoughts on Order of the Phoenix:

I could honestly gush about this one for ages, but I'll try to keep it to a low roar. Hem, hem; The mystery is as overwhelmingly engaging as any predecessor, JK dropping that Department of Mysteries corridor and presenting it as just a dream for so long before it fully ties in never ceased to amaze me how she keeps managing to surprise me like that. The characters are just brilliant, they all feel so alive in even the smallest scene any one person is in, and has there ever been a worse villain created? There are those out there who sympathize and understand even Voldemort, but has there ever been a soul that didn't loath Umbridge worse than the main series villain? I don't even think the Dementors could handle her soul, not really, considering I'm not genuinely sure she had one. The twins had their own side plot and every time it was mentioned I start grinning like a crazy person, there has never been nor will there ever be such an epic leave from that castle. Every single chapter feels like a genuine combination of light hearted life and the shit about to hit the fan syndrome for the last book, and THAT ENDING! Gah, 14 years later and I'm still a mess over poor Sirius and Harry and Remus, sometimes I have to actually stop and realize I'm crying over fake characters because it's all so compelling and just real in the most important way; she made me care from the moment Sirius swore to Harry's face he'd never do a thing against his dead best friend, and then she killed him two books later! 10/10; Favorite book in the series, nothing beats the heavy weight that is Order of the Phoenix.

Instead of making you guys wait before I start posting six, I'll actually have a special surprise for you in the meantime, so you won't just have to go months without hearing from me, so look to my profile for that special little thing coming up in the meantime about November.

I would like to thank every single living, and the unliving if there are any of those who read, person who read this. Every review/favorite means oh so much to me! Thank you to all, and I bid you good day.

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

What I would love to see in the next Fantastic Beasts movies

(as always, sorry for the mistakes and for my poor english, I’m not a native speaker, etc! I will continue to correct it)

If you already read other posts I wrote, you know that I’m into plans and organised texts. So here we go again.

Just to be clear:

it's neither a request, nor what I think we should or need to see, and I won't be mad if we don't have the following scenes it in the next films. (I do have an opinion on what can be interessing to include in the movies, but again, it's my opinion! just ideas, and a lot of questions without answers also, etc) (and well it’s not groundbreaking but who cares)

About Newt and his friends

About Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald

About the Summer of 1899

About the other characters

About the Wizarding Society, Muggle world, etc

Some explanations we would like to have

1. About Newt and his friends

- Newt as a selfless and intrepid hero who loves all of the magic creatures

- To be honest, all the team as dauntless and loveable heroes and heroins facing bad guys (and Jacob - who’s already the kindest and smoothest man - being also incredibly brave)

- Newt and Tina, as a couple, loving each other, fighting together, having each other back, growing stronger and more confident with each other (like they’re fighting and are in symbiosis) (in the last film obviously)

- Queenie Goldstein as a powerful witch while she explains why she joined Grindelwald’s side - because she believes Ministry is going to do nothing for her, because she believes in a brighter future without the Statute

- (At least) some clues about Nagini’s and Riddle’s meeting

- Credence’s true family? And because his past is quite tragic and he’d already gone through awful experiences, maybe his happy end?

- Theseus not knowing how to act after Leta’s death: should he follow blindly the Ministry? Trust Dumbledore, his brother and the rest of the team?

- A character eventually agreeing with some of Grindelwald’s ideas about magic things which shouldn’t be hide and stuff, but fighting against him anyway (well, most likely Queenie)

2. About Albus Dumbledore and (or) Gellert Grindelwald

- Albus Dumbledore as the charismatic, incredibly marvellous and skilled wizard he is, while people around him are impress by his aura: imagine Albus walking in the Ministry, and people who are supposed to protect the whole country are amazed, even scared: he’s stunning, blazing with power (and with cold fury, because the Ministry obviously did something stupid and Dumbledore is mad at them)

(at this point, we finally understand why he is the most powerful, skilled, prodigious, dazzling wizard of his age)¹

- Albus with colourful and amazing clothes

- Albus facing his Boggart (which is supposed to be Ariana’s corpse, but well, who knows)²

- Gellert Grindelwald facing his Boggart (what could it be?) (ok, I’m just curious here)

- The backstory of the Deluminator: why and when Albus developed this magical device? Did he always used it to have fun with light, or was it initially a more personal object? Had Albus created the Deluminator to find Gellert Grindelwald to fight him, at the end?

- A funny and arrogant (and bitter?) Dumbledore’s rejoinder, while he’s conscious of his marvellous mind and skills (like in the books)

- Dumbledore’s reaction when he discovers who is the actual Master of Elder Wand (again, i’m curious)

- Are Grindelwald’s mismatched eyes™ a sign of something important about his past, his abilities? is his hair white - and not anymore blond - because of Dark magic?

- A moment when we see how Dumbledore is able to manipulate surrounding people, including allies and friends

- A heartbreaking and breathtaking dialogue in 1945, while they fight against each other - and I wonder if - how - they are going to talk about their past, shared ambition and dreams, sentiments, guilt, regrets, etc

3. About the Summer of 1899

- To be honest, it’s mostly: Albus and Gellert as remarkable, arrogant, impish, brillant and not wise at all young wizards in a flashback of 1899

passionate discussions about the Hallows, politics, the Statute, or complex magic things

wandless magic, non-verbal spells, forbidden and dangerous rituals³

Albus’ reactions while Gellert has his visions (was he already able to control his Seer’s abilities?)

how they have fun (common sense of humour, a bit bitter and jeering one most likely?)

And thanks those very quick scenes, we understand why Albus and Gellert fell in love with each other - they both were a freedom symbol for the other in a way, all what they always desired and dreamed of - and their common ambition elevated them, made them wanted a bright and glorious future

(ok, too much to show, yes, i know)

- Also, an already dangerous and extreme Gellert and an in-denial Albus (about the Inferi army, etc)

- A glimpse of the relationship between Abelforth and Ariana, between Albus and his family, and between Gellert and Albus’ siblings

(edit: and yeah i forgot, a kiss or something - an act only did by lovers and not best friends, because there are still people believing they are friends - and their relationship is technically still not canon?)

4. About the other characters

- Adult Abelforth, loathing his brother, suffuring

- Tom Riddle at Hogwarts, possibly facing Dumbledore, or as a young charismatic awful future Dark wizard, or acting like he’s jealous of Grindelwald’s influence and like he already wants to surpass him

(it could be great to see him, at least few seconds, to build the bridge between FB and HP and most importantly to have a more detailed vision of Wizarding modern History, you know what i mean?)

- Ministry people who do not like Dumbledore because it’s funny

- A character who’s scared by the war and finally who gives up, and who runs away to try to be as far as possible from the political troubles

(it would show how war is an ordeal - I do not have the impression that the pressure and all were something so exposed in HP books, it could be great to see it?)⁴

- Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Moody, Cornelius Fudge, etc, being young - if they are already born in 1945? It’s not written anywhere so idk

- edit: I forgot Hagrid, it could be awesome to see him as a teen in the last movie during the events of the Chamber of Secrets’ first opening!

5. About the Wizarding Society, Muggle world, ect

- The consequences of Grindelwald’s actions around the wizarding world and in the Muggle world: how things are destroyed, how he influences the governments

- The influence of rich and conservative pure-blood families through the war: how several of the sacred-28 families supported Grindelwald, how they influenced the whole magic society, why their inaction killed people, how the Ministry is corrupted, why it didn’t really change, even after the end of the war⁵

- The same conservative influence but in the very heart of character’s life: how Nagini is marginalized, for example⁶

- Why not political opinions expressed by several characters, to show how politics is a delicate and intricate subject, and why neither Albus Dumbledore nor Gellert Grindelwald are all white / all black, how Grindelwald gain influence, etc

6. Some explanation we would like to have

- Why is Albus Dumbledore DADA teacher? We know he wrote articles in Transfiguration Today before graduating, so why teaching DADA? (guilt, will to help young people to not be tempted by Dark magic and power like he was, or was there simply already a Transfiguration teacher?)(should I mention it’s never said in the HP books?)

- When and why will Albus be the Transfiguration teacher? (edit: we have clues in FBtCoG because Travers says Albus is not going to be allowed to teach DADA anymore so I guess it explains it)

- How can Minerva McGonagall be at Hogwarts, already be a young woman - if I remember well, she’s not even born? Or extremely young?

- How Gellert Grindelwald summoned a phoenix - and more likely, let’s theorize, how might he summon and control Fawkes?

(because Credence can’t be a Dumbledore - or at least, can’t be directly related to Albus, Ariana, Kendra and Percival - or is he the illegitimate and secrete son of Abelforth? a cousin of Albus?

but if we consider Credence is not a Dumbledore, Gridelwald had been able to control a phoenix which is linked to thhe Dumbledores, right? is it thanks the blood pact? of because of Credence’s Obscurus? we don’t know

edit: or there is the theory about Credence being created by the philosopher’s stone I guess, so with Ariana’s Obscurial and most likely Albus’ blood)

- Why nobody knew that Grindelwald and Dumbledore met each other when they were teenagers, when Rita Skeeter published Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore in 1998?

(i’m not so angry, i’m mostly confused)

The Ministry knew Albus met Gellet Grindelwald in 1899, right? How can a that huge information be a secret during decades? Why Rita Skeeter only found it after Dumbledore’s death? Albus said they used to be “closer than brothers”: after that and because Travers doubted of Dumbledore’s true side, Albus had been restricted and watched by the Ministry during FBCoG. It should exist papers, files, archives which confirmed all of this. So why everybody forgot that Gellert and Albus knew each other when they were young?

- Or about Albus’ and Gellert’s former close relationship, didn’t Travers or Theseus understand they were lovers? Or if they understood, they - again - didn’t tell it? (Travers is not fond of Dumbledore, it could have been a scandal, why he didn’t say it?) Can all of that make any sense?

- Why isn’t the Blood Pact ever mentioned in Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore - or most likely, how everybody (Albus; Gellert; Newt and Newt’s friends; the Minstry; Grindelwald’s acolytes, etc) had succeed to hide it from the press and the whole magic society?

That’s already a lot so let’s stop here Half of it is not so deep but I’m a simple girl, I’m always here for characters’ and background’s (lore?) development I will be pleased to hear what are your own wishes also

Notes:

¹ : certainly one of the thing i would the most like to see in the next movies, which is also something very important in the FB and HP universe - i have the feeling his power, skills, etc are more an idea than a reality. (and i indeed used a thesaurus to describe him)

² : Boggarts, Albus’ Boggart, how - in Albus’ situation - it mirrors his Erised reflect and how it might show important elements about him is a subject i really want to broach, i already planned it, it may be great to talk about it i think?

³ : talking about forbidden rituals, i talked here about the Blood Pact and why i think it was illegal, Dark, etc :

Why Albus didn’t tell Ministry employees about the Blood Pact

⁴ : to be fair, there are elements which are reminders of the pressure of the war in the book, especially in OotP and DH, but the Golden Trio did not experienced the war like the common people did, and the story - even very short - of someone who was scared is something i will be pleased to discover

⁵ : well, i talked a bit about pure-blood conservative families, their power and their influence in two posts:

How can everyone find their true-love and still be in love after years in HP? (”magic-soulmates” theory and conservative society)

Why are the Weasleys poor? (eng&fr) (theories about pure-blood families, inheritance, etc)

(it’s theories, but it can explain my point of view - headcanons? - about those families and the Wizarding Society)

⁶ : again, check the two posts if you are interested!

Thanks for reading!

I again apologize for the mistakes - and there might be incorrect informations, even if I hope there are not

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

I don't want Percy to be MC's friend. He's a complete jerk who only cares about himself more than his friends, parents and siblings but at least, he learned his mistake in the last Harry Potter movie. Watch the video called "The Entire Life of Percy Weasley (Harry Potter Explained)"

I can’t say that I agree, anon, though I can understand finding Percy obnoxious, especially in this game. His personality can definitely rub people the wrong way. However, having just watched the video, I have to say that I think it’s very one-sided. I’ll try and go through everything that it talks about - under the cut because I have no filter.

Fred and George

To say that he didn’t like his brothers Fred and George, and that he wanted to control them, isn’t really accurate and it doesn’t acknowledge that whenever Fred and George were mentioned in conjunction with Percy, they were usually bullying him. Vandalizing his Head Boy badge, even though he was proud of having gotten the position and it meant a lot to him. Or the time that they literally sent him dragon dung. Or the time that they tried to leave him for dead in a Pyramid tomb. And it was played for laughs. I’m not condemning Fred and George because they were the human embodiment of the chaos alignment, so it makes sense that they would butt heads with Percy. Brothers pick on each other, I know it happens. But it’s not fair to act like Percy feeling distant from his other siblings was his own fault. Fred and George were really popular with the Weasleys and other kids. Percy, by comparison, was just tolerated. Even though he was the model student and the one who followed rules, and the twins were constantly causing trouble. Why should Percy be ashamed of doing what he’s supposed to do? Why shouldn’t he want attention and validation from his family? Maybe the reason he talked constantly about his accomplishments was because he wanted to be appreciated.

The other Weasleys

Most of the moments where he doesn’t get along with his family in the early books are not moments that Percy himself initiates. It’s primarily Ron, Ginny, or the Twins picking on him. He didn’t even feel like he could tell his family he was dating someone because he guessed (correctly) that they would bully him for it. Speaking of that, Ginny promised she would keep Percy’s secret, and then turned around and told basically everyone. 

Despite all this, Percy very clearly cared about his family, well before Deathly Hallows. Like the time he boasted about Ron helping to win the House Cup. The time he tried to comfort Ginny, believing she was upset about Ron. The time he scolded Ron over this and warned him to stop going near the site of the Basilisk attacks because of how it would look. Or the time he watched out for Harry because Mrs. Weasley asked him to, “like an extremely pompous guard dog” as the video says. (Like I said, very one-sided.) Or the time that he refused to let go of Ron after Ron was used as a hostage in the Second Task. The video also attributes the end of Percy’s relationship with Penelope to him working too much in GOF...but there’s literally nothing in the books that ever suggests that.

The Triwizard Tournament

Like Bill, Percy is show constantly shown to be a good leader. He was named Prefect and Head Boy and he utterly embraced the positions. But the video mostly focuses on how proud he was of having gotten these positions and now enough on how he got them...because he earned them. In the same breath as talking about how he would apparate in the house every morning just to prove he could the video also talks about how Crouch barely gave Percy the time of day. Couldn’t be bothered to remember his name and just gave him pointless tasks. Despite how excited Percy was and how eagerly he would talk about all this to the rest of his family, who found it boring and avoided the topic. Percy is all alone in GOF. Even more so than he has been before. It’s really no wonder that he poured himself into his work and looked to the Ministry for support and validation, because he wasn’t getting any at home. He was just being belittled and humiliated at every turn. Of course, once Crouch was imperius’d, Percy thought he was finally getting recognition, but he was just being used. He was being set up as the fall guy. Even the villains are indirectly dismissive of this character! 

Because Crouch was out of commission, Percy was having to deal with all his work. So to say that he valued laws and rules over his own family is not only cruel, it’s completely wrong. Percy is resentful of them because to him, it feels like their actions are creating more stress for him at work and ruining that environment for him too. Ruining his dreams. The Ministry (and the video) blames Percy for not figuring out that something was off about Crouch, but it was still the same hand-writing, so why would Percy question it? 

The Estrangement

His supposed reprieve came when Fudge hired him as a Personal Assistant. Percy was excited and came home, hoping his Dad would be proud of him. But like always, Percy was disappointed. Arthur was right in his suspicions about why Fudge hired Percy, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that Percy heard “You aren’t good enough to have gotten this job.” He heard Arthur refuse to believe that he might have actually earned this. That he was succeeding. “No Percy, this job isn’t real. The one person who’s actually valued you in recent memory is just manipulating you and it’s totally our fault for siding with Dumbledore, but I won’t admit to that.” That’s how it felt. And yeah, it was one time too many. The Weasleys have never conveyed to Percy that they appreciate him or want him around, so why should he want to stick around? Why didn’t anyone step in sooner, or come to his defense when he was taking the fall for Crouch? Why is it only when their agenda is threatened that they say something? And Percy is the selfish one? Why should he believe Voldemort has returned? I agree that what he said to Arthur about Arthur’s reputation and their family was horrible...but I think Percy-Antis view this as totally without cause. And the cause is clear. 

I take issue with how the video describes Percy slamming the door in Molly’s face “without even giving her a chance.” Because that scene was never depicted. We don’t know what happened or what was said. We don’t know how long the conversation may have lasted. But y’know, if I was Percy, I don’t think I’d even answer the door. He’s made his choice - cut ties with his family. To Molly’s credit, she was one of the only Weasleys who praised his accomplishments...but neither she nor Arthur ever did anything about the constant, constant bullying. That might be pretty hard to forgive, and Percy never receives any apology for it. He’s the only one who apologies in the end.

The letter that Percy sends Ron seems pretty terrible until you look at it from from the perspective that he’s genuinely trying to protect his little brother. Which he has always done in his own way. It’s an olive branch. Look, the word on the street is that Harry Potter is constantly lying and potentially dangerous. Percy might very well have made the judgment call that his family was blinded by their loyalty to him. It’s not like Percy and Harry were ever close. Think about it. After befriending Harry, Ron consistently got involved in dangerous adventures like confronting acromantulas, dementors, devil’s snare, the list goes on. It’s not unreasonable at all that Percy might want Harry to stay away from Ron. I’ll agree that giving Umbridge an endorsement is jaw-dropping...but we don’t see them interact. Umbridge might have put on a completely different face around Percy. Or he might have simply trusted Fudge and repeated his words. We just don’t know.

Fudge’s Departure

Dumbledore said that it’s harder to forgive someone for being right, then it is for being wrong. I’m not going to go off on a Dumbledore-bashing tirade right now, because that’s hardly the point -  but while that is very wise advice in general...it completely misses the real point of why Percy left. It doesn’t matter if Dumbledore was right and Fudge was wrong. (Though Percy no doubt felt horrible and humiliated yet again when he realized that.) What matters is that Percy’s family pushed him away and made him feel so isolated that Fudge valuing him was the only good thing going on in his life. Percy leaving doesn’t make him an asshole. But it does say a lot, not about him, that he decided Fudge’s approval and his job at the Ministry were worth moving out and cutting off all contact with his family. Dumbledore's assessment of Percy’s feelings once again ignores any responsibility that his family has in why he left in the first place.I genuinely do love the Weasleys to no end (just look at my URL) but their relationship to Percy was toxic.

 Scrimgeour, like Fudge, used Percy to get to the Weasleys, and forced him to pretend that he wanted to see them when he didn’t. Try to imagine being in that position, especially when Molly was the only one who even acted happy to see him. Fred, George and Ginny threw food at him. Literally why would Percy ever want to see them again if this was the welcome that he got? It was already painful for him and they did not make it any easier. Sure, I know that it was probably painful for them too, but they were once again not even considering Percy’s feelings, just their own. 

The Battle of Hogwarts 

I’ve already talked about how Percy apologies for everything, and the other Weasleys apologize for nothing. Not gonna lie, this is realistic to an uncomfortable level. Family members who have been mistreated wind up being the ones to apologize because they miss their family, even though they often aren’t completely to blame. But this is probably never going to be addressed because immediately after the reconciliation, Fred died. Just imagine how much undeserved guilt Percy felt about that. And then look to the epilogue where there’s one final humorous moment about Harry seeing Percy at King’s Cross and making a mental note to avoid him. Literally nothing has changed. Percy is still the joke of the family. He’s just accepted it because without them, he’s alone. He’s learned to see himself as the problem, and not them. 

...I am such a nerd. But I hope you can see where I’m coming from as well. Again, I love The Weasleys. I adore Fred and George. But Percy is not, and was never a bad guy. In some ways, he’s my favorite Weasley. I do love his character arc. But...I just...I wish there had been some apology from the twins as well. 

[drkcnry67]

break the news... (day 14)

A/N: @obxmermaid​ this is the 14th entry in the lives of Draco and YN as we get closer to christmas they have now been stuck in the school as their classmates have gone elsewhere for the holidays. but a fire message from YN’s parents inviting them to a gathering makes this a whole less boring. 

pairing: Draco Malfoy x reader

Prompt: “come on down for the weekend, the family is gathering and we would be honored to have you both here.”

mentioning: @sweetness47​

25 days of hogwarts

the message, ah yes the fire message a way for wizards and witches to communicate  without the use of modern technology. also very good way to be somewhat discreet.

this is how you got a fire message that changed your weekend of a lifetime. 

“dearest daughter, you and Draco are invited to come home for the weekend to enjoy our family gathering. this is the one day a year as you know that the entire family gets together under one roof, grudges and petty judgements go out the window. minus your father who is doing well, but the doctors are getting his magic up to full strength again. please reply and say you both will be in attendance for it would mean the world to us. love mom.”

you turned to draco as you both took one look at the fire message and smiled. 

Draco: i guess we need to pack a weekend bag. we can share a bag right?

YN: yep. but a fair warning this weekend my family will be doing all sorts of magic. its like this every single damn year. its basically one big game of catch up that lasts the entire weekend. 

just as draco was about to speak your fire place went crazy. then a figure resembling your mother appeared.

YN: mom?

Laura: ah daughter thank goodness i found the right one. so did you get the fire message...

YN: yes we were just discussing it. 

Laura: oh come on down for the weekend, the family is gathering and we would be honored to have you both here. please say you will come... you know the family will want to know how you are doing and meet draco...

YN: yes thats what im afraid of, all the grilling and questions and and... oh fine.. but do us all a favor and hide the bourbon from uncle ned, you know how lushy he gets. wait which place is it at this year?

Laura: ive already done that... oh dont worry ive spoken to dumbledore by fire message he will have a port key ready. 

YN: oh so you knew i would say yes. 

laura: i hoped you would. now we will see you both on friday at 3pm or sooner. by the way your father is fine. i know you probably got my update note but to reaffirm he is fine. he woke up. the doctors were able to heal him all up. he wont be at the feast they are keeping him a few more days to make sure he is fully functional with his magic. 

YN: we will have to find time to visit him then... 

Laura: yes. now we will see you both in a few days. remember YN be nice to these people they are family but they are gonna be ruthless to anything they dont understand yet. 

YN: what do you mean?

Laura: i mean some of the family is old school like they dont think open relationship policy is a good idea. 

YN: well this will be a shock for them then. see you on friday mom. 

the fire went back to normal as you flopped back onto the couch your head spinning, you know how your family reacts to the abnormal.

You bringing home a boy, who is not from your own house is like people who don't listen to the law.

The law is hard but it is the law. This was one thing you were desperately prepared to fight for, this was your life you werent gonna let your family determine how you get to live it. 

anyway back to the story, you and draco decided to pack and you both went to dumbledore’s office on friday at noon and went through the port key landing just outside of paris at one of your family country mansions. 

Draco: love, this place is incredible so why would we not come here more often. 

YN: cause i want to be independent so i take only what i need and every month they transfer 10,000 into my bank account and another 10,000 into my gringotts. both of these accounts were of my parents doing, not mine. but its mostly their way of support before we go further we need to figure out how to approach this to my family. 

Draco cups your cheeks and kisses you when he pulled back he spoke calmly. 

Draco: we will handle this with smiles, and friendliness and happy thoughts, we are the only people who matter in this relationship, the people who support us matter as long as they support our union. at the end of it, we are the ones that matter and have final say in this relationship. that and the ministry when we tell fudge. 

YN: yes that, we need to do that soon... maybe sooner than we think if this dinner doesnt go well. 

Draco: well lets go inside, im sure your mom knows we are here... dear we are just prolonging the inevitable. 

YN: your right. lets go... but im surprised that someone isnt here to greet me... 

you let out a sharp whistle, letting your purse sit now on the ground. just as you did that, you heard a screech. 

Draco: what was that love?

YN: that is my griffin... 

Draco: im sorry what... 

just then a griffin with golden feathers with tints of black and brown through it lands in front of you. approaching you as you bow, the griffin nuzzles your face with its own. 

YN: i missed you too girl. Draco, this is Opal. Opal this is Draco my boyfriend. 

Opal turns to draco, Draco bows to Opal who approaches Draco and sniffs him and waits a few seconds and then nuzzles Draco’s head. draco then began petting Opal. 

YN: she likes you, its always polite etiquette to bow to a griffin or a hippogriff before approaching it.  this gesture will show the griffin that you are not a threat. this is a show of good faith. of good will. 

Draco: opal, I think we need a guard to get to the door.

Opal growls lightly before leading the way to the door. You both get to the door and opal nudges you before she bows letting you and Draco go inside. your mother comes round the corner from the kitchen and rushes to hug you. 

Laura: im so glad you both are here... now YN your room is fully prepared for you and Draco. not to worry i pre warned most of the family that someone has a big announcement. no one questioned or said anything. not to worry though, people will begin to arrive in a few hours. go on up and un pack. 

YN: its good to see you too mom. this way love. 

you take draco by the hand as you both walk upstairs down the hall and too the right. into your master suite or as you call it “the tower”. this room complete with your own walk in closet, a king size canopy bed, your own bathroom. decorated in a teal color to combine yours and dracos magic essence. 

YN: this is our room for the weekend. 

Draco: its perfect. i love this bed and the color and you. 

You turned to face him, to meet his eyes with your own. 

YN: careful love thats seduction in your tones. we have 2 years to wait before we can be married. or even consider that possibility. 

Draco: doesnt mean we can lay here for as long as possible and just play wizards chess or something. 

you snap your fingers and you both were laying with a wizards chess board on the bed.

YN: we are gonna play this till we are called several thousand times. by everyone who wants to see me and grill me and... ugh... this is stupid.... my family is so passed screwed that its a long long time between gatherings for the reason of they dont know what they want, against every fibre of better judgement that they have, they dont know how much the world has changed.

Draco: love don't worry too much. Let's just play and not worry about anything else right now. Nothing is gonna ruin our weekend. Nothing at all. i believe white goes first love. 

you have been planning your entire strategy for this game you were 6 moves ahead of draco and you planned to keep it that way. 

YN: pawn to g4

draco: knight to f6

YN: pawn to g5

draco: knight to d5

YN: knight to a3

draco: pawn to e5

to this point you had counted for every angle every move that draco could possibly counter. 

YN: knight to c4

Draco: queen to g5

you now had an opportunity to get rid of his queen if you did it correctly. 

YN: pawn to d3

draco: queen to f6

YN: knight to a5

draco: pawn to b5

YN: knight to f3

draco: your good love, but im slightly better... bishop to b7

YN: only as a slight... but not better enough. Knight to b7

Draco: knight to c6

YN: pawn to e3

Draco: love that wasnt very smart of you... knight to e3

YN: love that also wasnt smart of you. Pawn to e3

draco: clever love, pawn to d5

YN: bishop to d2

draco: pawn to e4

You smile as you begin to make Draco think you are preparing to checkmate his king. 

YN: bishop to B4

Draco: oh my dear you are not gonna win right now... bishop to b4, by the way love, check... 

you were so unsure of what to do, now looking at the board you knew now that you were screwed, you were about to loose. 

you had to attempt to get your king out of check. 

YN: im not gonna go down without a final attempt... king to e2

draco: sorry love, queen to f3... i believe its checkmate!

Yn: how I had this all planned out, I had this all planned out... Omg congrats love you win.

You kissed Draco, his hands pushing the chess board off the bed. That started the make out session of the next 10 min. Before someone came up the stairs and knocked on your door...

You turned toward the door and snapped your fingers...

Yn: come on in

You and Draco sat on the bed in each other's embrace watching as the door opened to reveal Hermione Harry and Ron.

You both got up and embraced them. They were here but how did they know.

Hermione: didn't think I would miss family gathering weekend did you... plus i figured we could use the backup, plus these 3 are the first outsiders at this family weekend. you my dear cousin could use a little bit of extra happiness before the rest of our family arrive. besides did you show Draco the extension of the grounds. all the griffins that you have trained. 

YN: he did meet opal who took to him right away. he did surprisingly well for his first encounter with a griffin. But tomorrow we will go to the griffin sanctuary. Tonight we meet the family. I've been avoiding going down, how many are here yet?

Hermione: too many, more than usually show up first. no one has fought yet so its good and pleasant so far. cuz we should put on the family crest!

though you didnt want to Hermione pulled out a bag from your closet and led you into the washroom. you both put on the knee length black dresses and did a hair check before exiting back to the guys. 

Draco took one look at you, came over and kissed you...

Draco: that dress is absolutely gorgeous on you!

YN: thank you love, this is the family crest, its style takes after our hogwarts crests. but it is our family crest. i however look forward to the day when we can be married where we have the freedom to disappear under new names so we can live our lives in hiding, in peace. 

no one except draco heard you say those words as your ears heard the sound of fencing swords... you and hermione took off down the stairs and watched as your uncles all have fencing swords and are fencing throughout the house/property.

YN: well the fun begins. hermione tell the guys to stay upstairs im gonna stay here and watch this wait for my chance to intervene. 

hermione: i should be by your side for this...

YN: no you should wait with the guys, make sure you give them their anti tracking bracelets. make sure that they understand the rules, make sure that they know what they are and are not allowed to do while here. make the rules abundantly clear.

Hermione gives you a swift nod, realizing that you were right, she went back upstairs to the boys. You let out a ear pi3rcing whistle forcing your family present to stop in their tracks.

Yn: family, family should we not be calm, should we be merry and sheath our swords for it is supposed to be the one weekend out of the year where we gather together as one whole magical family, but today you me, you pessimistic grown ass men are acting like children on this the weekend of peace. So every man in here and on this property shall hence forth not herald another sword as long as we all exist within this property border, for today i tell you all that im the one with the announcement.

You turn to see hermione coming down the stairs, draco following behind her, harry and ron behind him. Draco comes up at your side, proudly sporting his house crest as he places his hand to your own. 

YN: this man beside me is my announcement, this young man is my boyfriend of 2 and a half years, this is Draco Malfoy. yes his parents are followers of you-know-who but Draco is different, i saved him from his parents, i saved him from whatever they wanted for him, more importantly we saved each other. without draco i would not be standing before you all to declare that my parents have blessed this union and we are the start of the open house relationship policy in the wizarding world, which now states “any witch or wizard that so sees fit to love someone not of their own house shall be free to be with whoever their heart desires within or without their house crest. for eternity shall this be!” Draco and i will be the first of a long line of students to follow our hearts. if i earn not even one of your approvals this weekend just know this, my parents support us and these 3 behind us support us, the school and its professors and students support us. we are supported and loved in every single direction. but a week ago Draco gave me this necklace with our couples initials and our anniversary date which pairs perfectly with this ring i gave him, neither of us are leaving this relationship and no one can make us. 

for the room was silent all eyes were on you, and neither you nor draco said anything else, you both just walked over to the kitchen to help mom with some baking and rolling of spring rolls, and mixing of drinks yet still no one said anything, they just all stared at you both. 

by the end of the first day you guys had been among the people, no one said a word to either of you. the night was peaceful, you both stood out on the balcony as opal slept beside where you both stood (yes the balcony is big enough for a griffin to sleep on... odd how story telling can be warped to our standards as authors) you both went inside after an hour and a bit later and went to sleep.

the next morning when you both woke it was to the sound of drills and hammers, something was going down and from the sound of it something was happening. 

you both went to the balcony and discovered that the family was building something in the yard. opal was freaking out but she was also tied to a post in the yard. 

YN: either my family has decided to work together or we are in lots of trouble. 

thats when you received a fire message.

YN: its from my cousin she says that the family locked her ron harry and my mother in the barn with the griffins, tied up opal and insist on crucifying us all insisting we are all under the dark lords influence unless you and draco renounce your relationship and never see each other again.

Draco: what are we going to do... i cant live without you, and im never going to renounce our love. 

YN: i have an idea but im gonna need you to do a fire message as well, send one to hermione in the barn tell her that she needs to comfort my mother, help is on the way... i have 1 message to send myself, to hogwarts. 

you prepared your message as draco did his, you both sent them off, you knew hermione couldnt reply but she could receive, the one going to hogwarts however arrived in the hands of who you addressed it. 

dumbledore received the message, he summoned minerva and snape to his office... 

Dumbledore: im afraid this is not a social call, this is quite urgent in fact, a literal matter of life or death. YN and Draco had left yesterday to YN’s parents place, but i just received an urgent fire message... this reads, “Headmaster, this message is Urgent! we need help my family didnt take the news of me and Draco being together very well, they plan to crucify us, to crucify mine, hermiones, dracos, harrys, rons and my moms magical and physical forms. we need assistance, they have me and draco locked in the tower, and the others in the barn. please bring help, we need to get out of here. but they boarded the room we have a balcony but we wouldnt survive the jump. help us, get us out of here, by any means necessary and headmaster thank you for letting me and Draco live our lives together. help us asap!”

minerva: what do we have to do albus, how do we save the children and YN’s mother...

Dumbledore: quite easily, we 3 are going to YN’s family property where i will tqalk to the courtyard, one of you goes to the barn, the other goes to the tower,  we meet back in the courtyard hopefully with everyone safe and sound. hopefully in that time frame i will have calmed down the courtyard and come up with a plan. now lets go... 

the 3 professors by port key traveled and arrived outside the gate to your family estate. with 3 wands this would surely work better than expected. 

snape, minerva & dumbledore: bombarda maxima

with that the gate, and half the wall on either side of the gate blew up, shattered into a thousand pieces. the explosion was loud enough to shake the entire estate. you and draco stood up slightly knowing that help had arrived. 

your family on the other hand saw snape, minerva and dumbledore walk through the debris and they parted like the red sea, going completely silent, dropping whatever they were holding. for they all knew that this was not gonna be an easy task. 

snape went toward the barn in which he found Harry, Ron, Hermione & of course your mom in the corner tied up like animals. he used his wand to untie them all and then waited for the signal to start emerging from the barn. 

minerva went inside the house and up the stairs, where she found and broke down your tower door. 

Minerva: time to go grab what you need lets go. 

YN: thank you so much professor for coming. 

Minerva: i am just glad im not too late... now lets see what dumbledore is saying to your family. 

Dumbledore was now on a platform speaking to your family. or at least those that were in the courtyard. 

Dumbledore: these children have done no harm, these people have made nothing wrong, why do you all believe they should be crucified, they have done nothing wrong except learn to love. 

one person exclaimed: they are working for the dark lord

another person exclaimed: their relationship is toxic and needs to be purified by crucifixion

another person screamed: cause its not right, this is not how the rules dictate... 

dumbledore was fed up with all the same types of answers...

Dumbledore: i albus dumbledore have seen the love that these 2 children share, ive seen it projected through their school work and through their vocals, its as pure and good as any in house relationships that have happened. ive decreed this to the school and am waiting for my meeting with the ministry to tell them about this. it will be a few weeks for that but i state this to you all: whoever goes from here to another soul and speaks ill of what has happened here shall henceforth no more have the ability to speak anything bad, and further more i decree that as long as there are good people running hogwarts, the houses can be free to love whosoever they desire! this began with Draco and YN, this decree is sealed by the signing of this parchment by me, professor mcgonigal, professor snape, YN and Draco. these 2 and the rest of their friends and family are not to come to any harm... now commence with the signing... YN and Draco first, then minerva and severus, i will sign last. 

you and draco walked up to the parchment, you signed it first then handed the pen to draco who followed in signing the parchment. then minerva and severus signed next, then dumbledore before he spoke again. 

Dumbledore: now all of you clean this yard up, none of you will be able to speak of this day, none of you will remember the horrors that were unleashed today. now go back to cleaning this yard and repairing this wall, YN didnt come back for family weekend and you guys do not remember anything. 

the spoken words echo on the property as your mom gave you, hermione, draco, harry and ron a longing look that seemed to say ill see you soon. like that you all ended up back at hogwarts in dumbledores office. 

Dumbledore: i wonder if i could speak with YN and Draco alone a moment. 

Minerva: of course Albus, i will make sure these children make it back to the dorms. come along children. 

the 5 people left the room leaving you and Draco alone in the office. 

dumbledore: now children lets speak a bit about what happened... 

YN: its my fault headmaster, i was so looking forward to telling my family, i didnt know it would go that wrong... i thought the old laws were no longer in effect, that crucifixions were illegal in the muggle and wizarding worlds. 

Dumbledore: unfortunately the old laws are the laws that were drilled deeply into lots of witches and wizards and mostly in pureblood families such as both of yours. but unfortunatly we can not change their minds or their ways for that matter, the only thing we can do about this is move forward starting with my meeting with the ministry. now i expect you both to take the day, relax, take a load off and just relax its best not to speak of what happened to anyone its better that not very many people know yet. now be off, spend as much time as needed to push this days events from your minds. 

you and draco walk out of the room, down the hall, through the changing stair cases to the shared dorm, where your room was.

He walked through the door with you, you both fell back on the bed. Just exhausted mentally.

Draco: are you OK love?

Yn: no I'm not... My family rejected me, rejected our relationship. for that they will have to learn the hard way with the decree, hopefully they will listen to that and hopefully when and or if fudge decides to make the announcement in the daily prophet. i know every single member of my family makes the effort to read the daily prophet... So we are gonna make sure it's front page worthy...

You turned over to face him and watched his eyes search your own. He was concerned about you, about your feelings, about your well being.

Draco brushed his hand gently against your cheek and smiled.

Draco: just lean into me and close your eyes. Don't dwell on what happened, dwell on our future think about that.. I love you YN, I love you so much! Just relax my love, just relax.

You leaned into the arms of your love, and happily lulled off to a state of peace and relaxation. You were not sure what tomorrow would hold but as long as nothing else bad happened you would be fine.

~to be continued~