Chapter 201: Chapter 201: "The Calm Before the Storm"
As the second term of the school year began, Hogwarts quickly settled into its familiar rhythm. For the fifth and seventh-year students, however, this rhythm was more intense than ever. The looming specter of OWLs and NEWTs cast a long shadow over their days, filling every spare moment with studying and revision.
Harry found himself caught in this whirlwind of academic preparation. Between classes, assignments, and his extracurricular activities, free time as usual became a rare luxury. The common rooms and library were constantly bustling with stressed students, their noses buried in textbooks and parchments covered in hurriedly scribbled notes.
Despite the mounting pressure, Harry was determined to maintain his apprenticeship with Professor Flitwick. When the diminutive Charms master suggested Harry take a break to focus on his OWLs, Harry was quick to reassure him.
"I appreciate your concern, Professor," Harry said during one of their sessions, his wand still raised from their latest duel, "but I assure you, I'm well-prepared for the OWLs. This apprenticeship is too valuable to put on hold."
What Harry didn't mention was his burning desire to hone his newly gained lightning affinity. He badly wanted to learn and control new lightning spells, and Professor Flitwick was the best person for this. The thrill of dueling with purple lightning was addictive.
Flitwick regarded him with a mix of pride and concern, his eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. "Very well, Harry. But promise me you'll speak up if it becomes too much."
Harry nodded, grateful for his mentor's understanding. As they squared off for another duel, Harry felt the familiar excitement course through him. He was eager to incorporate his new lightning spells into his dueling repertoire, to see how they would fare against Flitwick's vast experience and skill.
Meanwhile, the school was abuzz with the news of Hagrid's reinstatement as the Care of Magical Creatures professor. After his suspension at the beginning of the term, Hagrid had worked tirelessly with Hermione to develop a comprehensive and safe curriculum. His demonstration to the Ministry officials had been a resounding success, earning him back his teaching position.
Harry couldn't help but smile as he watched Hagrid lead his first class since returning. The half-giant's enthusiasm was infectious, and even the most nervous students found themselves drawn in by his passion for magical creatures. Hagrid's booming voice carried across the grounds as he introduced a new, Ministry-approved creature, his eyes shining with unbridled joy at the opportunity to teach.
Hagrid thanked Hermione profusely for her help, and for a few days, Hermione had a proud look on her face, basking in the success of her mission. She received praises from many Gryffindor students, though some were still sad about seeing the substitute professor who had taken over from Hagrid leave.
In the midst of all this, Harry continued his Patronus classes. The progress of his students filled him with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Everyone could now produce a non-corporeal Patronus, and the more talented students were on the brink of achieving a full corporeal form. The room would often fill with silvery mist as students practiced, their faces scrunched in concentration.
"Remember," Harry instructed during one session, his voice carrying over the muttered incantations, "the key is to focus on your happiest memory. Let it fill you up, let it drive away all doubt and fear."
As he watched several silvery mists coalesce into more defined shapes, Harry felt a surge of hope. By the time he ended these classes in a few weeks, he was confident that several students would be able to produce a full Patronus. Although some of the less brave ones might never succeed in using it against a real Dementor, it was good to have this spell in their repertoire. Maybe when in danger, their hidden bravery would come out and succeed in fending off a Dementor.
Despite the busy schedule and positive developments of the term, a sense of unease lingered over the castle. The Dementors still patrolled outside the Hogwarts grounds, a constant reminder of the danger that lurked beyond. Their presence could be felt even from within the castle walls, a subtle chill that never quite went away. Aurors continued their vigilant patrols inside the castle, their presence both reassuring and unsettling. The sight of their crimson robes in the corridors was a constant reminder of the threat that hung over them all.
What puzzled Harry most was the continued absence of any attack from the Azkaban escapees. After regaining their wands, Harry had expected an immediate assault, particularly from the notoriously unstable Bellatrix Lestrange. The lack of action was entirely out of character for them, and it set Harry's nerves on edge. He found himself constantly checking the Marauder's Map, half-expecting to see those dreaded names appear at any moment.
However, they soon peeked out as if to show they were still around Hogwarts and it was not safe yet. They were not spotted in the castle though, but in the Hogsmeade village near Hogwarts. A group of students during a Hogsmeade weekend in the third week of January saw a beggar-like man transforming into a rat and running away. Everyone, knowing this was Pettigrew, ran towards the castle in fear, their weekend plans forgotten in the rush of panic.
The news spread quickly through the school, whispered in corridors and common rooms. Within days, Dumbledore announced the cancellation of all future Hogsmeade visits until the threat was neutralized. While many students grumbled about the loss of their weekend freedom, the grim reality of the situation kept most complaints to a minimum.
As weeks turned into months, the term progressed rapidly. The OWL exams loomed ever closer, casting a pall of stress over the fifth-year students. Harry found himself spending more and more time in the library, helping his friends and those who struggled with certain subjects. It was a kind of revision for Harry too. Even though he was confident in practicals and had skills already above the NEWT level, his theory required some revision.
In the midst of all this academic fervor, Quidditch matches proceeded as usual, providing a welcome distraction from the stress of exams and the threat of Death Eaters. The Hufflepuff team, riding high on their early successes, seemed all but assured of winning the cup. Even Gryffindor's improved performance in later matches, bolstered by Ginny Weasley's impressive skills as their new Seeker, wasn't enough to overcome Hufflepuff's lead.
The excitement in the Hufflepuff common room was palpable. The Hufflepuff students had a smile on their faces every day despite the dangers around, and talks of celebration plans were already underway. It would be their first cup win in many years, a fact that filled the often-overlooked house with immense pride. Harry could hear their excited chatter in the corridors, see their yellow and black scarves worn with newfound confidence.
As Harry watched the jubilant Hufflepuffs, Cedric and Susan among them, he was also happy. This term had been great till now, and Harry hoped it continued to be so. Even though Harry knew danger was only around the corner and the Death Eaters wouldn't give up on attacking Charles, he believed the other students should enjoy their school days. No fear of attacks should stop children from enjoying the happy days of school life that people don't get back.
As Harry absorbed these happy sights, what he did not know was that the four fugitive Death Eaters were planning something in the background. They had learned to be smart, and since their last attack had failed, they were planning on completing their objective in a completely different way and with a good plan.
Danger was going to strike, and this peaceful period was merely the calm before the storm.
Chapter 202: Chapter 202: "Into the Shadows"
As May arrived, bringing with it the promise of warmer days and the looming specter of OWLs, Harry found himself in Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class. The usually composed professor was noticeably hurried, rushing to complete the fifth-year syllabus before diving into the OWL exam revisions.
Harry's mind, however, was far from the intricacies of advanced Transfiguration. The past months had been too quiet without any incidents, and it was giving him bad vibes. It was uncharacteristic for the mentally unbalanced Death Eaters to bide their time and do nothing for so long. He had a very bad feeling about all this. Now that he had very few prophetic advantages due to the changes he himself had caused in the timeline, he was always on edge to ensure nothing disastrous happened.
Harry hadn't been idle these months, though. He had finished his Patronus classes, and many students had surprisingly learned the corporeal Patronuses. It was quite a sight to see many silvery animals and birds flying, hopping, and running around the empty classroom. Higher year students, his friends, and some talented juniors like Neville and Susan were the ones who successfully cast the corporeal Patronus charms. Harry was quite pleased with this result, feeling a sense of pride in his students' accomplishments.
Another thing Harry had done was to ensure the incidents in the canon did not happen. A incident he remembered was Sirius Black, the fugitive in the canon, breaking into the Gryffindor dorms using the password gained from Neville's notes to attack Pettigrew. Harry ensured this didn't happen by giving Neville a badge that could be accessed only by him where he could write himself reminders and notes. The badge would never get lost and would always return to Neville's pocket.
Neville had been very excited on receiving this gift. The new password keeper, some knight who had replaced the Fat Lady after the attack on Halloween, was an interesting fellow who kept changing the passwords. This made it difficult for Neville to remember the password. Harry's gift was a godsend.
Nothing had happened at Hogwarts in this term. Maybe it was due to Harry's precautions and actions like these, but he did find these quiet days unnerving. As he was lost in these thoughts, absentmindedly twirling his wand, he felt a sudden vibration from his pocket.
With practiced stealth, Harry slipped the Marauder's Map from his robes. Keeping it hidden beneath his desk, he muttered the activation phrase and scanned the parchment. His heart raced as he searched for the intruder, but to his confusion, he found no unfamiliar names. He was half expecting to see the Death Eaters on it on their way to attack Charles. But nothing.
A chilling realization dawned on him: Pettigrew must have entered the castle and promptly hidden himself again. It had been months since the rat had dared to infiltrate Hogwarts, and Harry's instincts screamed that it was him and this wasn't a casual visit.
For the remainder of the class, Harry's attention was split between McGonagall's lesson and surreptitious glances at the map. But Pettigrew's name never reappeared, and both Charles and Neville remained safely within the castle walls. Nothing seemed amiss, yet the sense of unease persisted.
As soon as class ended, Harry bolted from his seat, earning a reproachful look from McGonagall. He spent the next hour combing the castle, questioning portraits and ghosts alike, but found no trace of anything unusual.
Frustrated and increasingly anxious, Harry retreated to the Room of Requirement to clear his mind and practice some spells to calm his nerves. Destroying some dummies that the room produced always seemed to calm him down. The room transformed into a spacious training area, with various targets and obstacles for Harry to practice on.
That evening, driven by a nagging suspicion, Harry once again consulted the map. At first, all seemed normal, until he spotted two names moving hurriedly across the Hogwarts grounds: Remus Lupin and Neville Longbottom. Frowning, Harry scanned the map for the familiar cluster of Charles, Ron, and Hermione - only to find them missing entirely.
Harry's instincts screamed trouble. Without hesitation, Harry sprinted from the castle, his heart pounding as he raced to catch up with Lupin and Neville and learn what was happening. As he ran, his mind spun with possibilities, each more dire than the last.
---
Meanwhile, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Neville struggled to keep pace with Professor Lupin's long strides. "Professor," he panted, "shouldn't we wait for backup? What if something's really wrong with Charles and the others?"
Lupin's face was grim as he replied, "I've already informed Dumbledore. He's on his way back from the Ministry. For now, we need to confirm if this is a genuine emergency or a false alarm. The three of them are always up to something, and I don't want to disturb the professors and the patrolling Aurors without knowing if this was not one of the trio's secret adventures."
Neville nodded, his round face etched with worry. He'd come to Lupin earlier, disturbed by Hermione's odd behavior this evening an hour or so ago. She had insisted that Charles, Ron, and Neville accompany her outside the castle to see something 'interesting.' She said she had found a unicorn who had left her herd, and she had played with it in the forest. Now she wanted to show her friends her pet unicorn.
While Charles and Ron had agreed readily, Neville had hesitated, unnerved by Hermione's uncharacteristic disregard for rules and safety. Also, he was not brave enough to go out at night into the Forbidden Forest.
"It just wasn't like her, Professor," Neville said, his voice trembling slightly. "Hermione's always so careful, especially now with the Death Eaters about. And the way she kept pushing even after I said no... it scared me."
Lupin's frown deepened as he listened. "You did the right thing coming to me, Neville. Let's just hope it is a false alarm. Hermione should not lead her friends into danger. Anyway, I have informed Professor Dumbledore; he would be here if anything goes wrong."
As they pressed deeper into the forest, neither knew that an anxious Harry was running at his fastest speed to catch up to them from the castle. They had no idea they were walking into life-threatening danger.
---
In a small clearing just beyond the Hogwarts wards, a scene of horror unfolded. Charles, Ron, and Hermione lay rigid on the forest floor, their eyes wide with terror as they stared up at their captors. Their bodies were shivering, signs that they had been under the Cruciatus Curse a few minutes ago. The Lestranges and Peter Pettigrew stood over them, wands drawn and faces twisted with malicious glee.
Bellatrix was in a rage, her wild hair seeming to crackle with the force of her anger. "You useless rat!" she shrieked at Pettigrew. "How could you fail to lure in the Longbottom brat as well? By now we could have finished our mission and started searching for our Lord."
Pettigrew cowered, his watery eyes darting nervously between Bellatrix and her victims. "I-I tried my best," he stammered. "How was I to know the coward Longbottom would choose to stay behind?"
Rodolphus Lestrange interjected, his voice cold with disdain. "We wasted weeks teaching you the Imperius Curse, all for this half-success. If you hadn't exposed our presence in Hogsmeade, we could have done the job ourselves and taken them both during a village visit."
As the Death Eaters bickered, Charles locked eyes with Ron and Hermione. Hermione, after reaching the trap location, had been freed from the Imperius and now she was wracked with guilt, thinking if she had been strong enough, she would not have fallen under control of the rat and lured her best friends into this trap. However, even if the trio knew they had no escape, their gazes conveyed a mix of fear and determination.
Suddenly, Rabastan held up a hand, silencing the group. "Someone's coming," he hissed, a predatory smile spreading across his face.
The tension in the clearing ratcheted up several notches as the Death Eaters turned their attention to the approaching footsteps. The captive trio exchanged glances of mingled hope and fear, wondering who was about to stumble into this nightmarish scene.
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