章 21: Chapter 21: Least Played Playlist
October 10th, 2011 - Afternoon
It was an odd week after the bombshells that Harry dropped off on the unsuspecting Wizarding World. He actually expected there to be a bigger fallout from what he caused in Wizengamot, but as far as he could tell, nothing really changed.
Well… Maybe nothing on the surface.
It was times like these in which Harry had to write his thoughts out that unnerved him. Despite having a sophisticated mental palace with all the time he put into it (1), he was still unable to accurately analyze his emotions or ideas that seemed to try to connect to things he couldn't understand. How the elderly and powerful organized all the information in their pretty little heads stumped him at times. Unless of course, the wizards had something that allowed them to physically view memories at their own convenience - but Harry didn't like to think such foolish thoughts. (2)
In any case, it was in theses circumstances that he resorted to the long time and tradition honed tool of writing out his thoughts on paper and thinking them through on his own.
He liked to start from the immediate and micro and progress outward to the macro…
"Friends are first," thought Harry, realizing at that particular moment that he had friends. It caused him to smile in his little corner of the Common Room.
In that regard, he quickly wrote down Neville and Hermione. Nothing really regarding the two. Hermione was still the leading 1st year for her house in grades and points, which earned her favor. Enough for some Prefect to finally get the nerve and finally sit her down and tell her straight to the face about certain truths of the Wizarding World that she - as a Muggle-born - was unaware of. It was mostly etiquette and behavior that Muggle-born took for granted, but on some level insulted the prim and proper Pure-bloods that were insulated in their outdated world beliefs. However, Harry knew otherwise: she was being warned.
Harry didn't know which Prefect told Hermione the truth, but if he ever found out, he would thank him or her – most likely her. It was probably a Half-blood, but Harry was just hopeful. In any case, Hermione was warned that her blood status would make her progression in the world very difficultafter Hogwarts. Unless, of course, she knew people or married into a high ranking family. While this is still done in the 'normal' world occasionally – okay, more than occasionally, considered Harry – it was a common tactic for witches. Hell, for most families, Hogwarts was basically a place for them to find their future husbands and somehow tie the knot. I mean, they are locked in a single location for almost ¾ of the year with access to magic, potions, and – worse comes to worse – sexual gratification.
Suffice to say, Hermione was not even aware of this – the 'husband search,' not backroom deals. She was mindful of the fact that some girls kept calling her names for being stuck up and a know it all – something Harry and Neville were trying to train out of her – but she just ignored them as she was already used to it from when she went to primary school. Now, she realized, it was because of how close she was to Neville and Harry. In any case, Hermione accepted the message, started reading some book on Pure-blood etiquette, and basically ignored the screeching of the harpies. Harry did hear her mumble once that she would 'change it all when she became Minister.' Already aware of the girl's stubbornness as well as her intelligence, Harry chuckled at the fact that it would happen eventually.
Regardless, Harry could understand why other girls were jealous of how close she was to Neville. Heir and future Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom, one the oldest and richest families in Britain - if not the world - by pure history if Harry understood properly. Granted, they were currently crippled due to lack of family members and the fact that the current representative was Neville's Gran. However, if the tales Griphook told Harry about Augusta Longbottom were any indication, she was a force to be reckoned with, despite the sweet yet stern grandmother visage she presented in the picture Harry saw on Neville's nightstand.
There was also the little fact that no one really knew what she did in the time period from finishing Hogwarts to when she took up her son's Frank's seat at Wizengamot when he was admitted to St. Mungo's with his wife years ago. And Harry really tried to find the info, even with the help of the goblins. Unfortunately, the lack of evidence made him seriously consider that she may have been an Unspeakable, like Neville's Uncle Algie. Supposedly, the higher-up you get in the Department of Mysteries, the more rituals one undergoes to magically remove any connections the person may have to said position. To Harry, that seemed like a modified Fidelius Charm – something he read in an advanced textbook as a footnote – that could actually be removed when one left the Department. But by that reasoning, the Head of said department would theoretically not exist since any knowledge of him - or her - would be removed from the Wizarding World to make sure their family and friends would be safe and untouched. That, or they would actually be on the other end of the spectrum and be openly known as an Unspeakable to avoid suspicion. Harry scoffed at that particular though, as he couldn't imagine someone Algie being the Head of the Department of Mysteries. But then again…
"I am getting off topic here. Maybe there is a lack of evidence to support the notion that Augusta was a high ranking Unspeakable. On the other hand, the saying does go 'Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see,' and the lack of evidence I am seeing supports the notion."
Regardless of that, Neville was still a 'catch' to the girls. Granted, he was young and pudgy, but Harry suspected he would grow into his form when he hit puberty and lost the baby fat. The fact that he was slowly gaining confidence and improving scholastically with his new wand was a small factor. His calm and kind demeanor, open mindedness, and lack of the more extreme Gryffindor traits were definitely the bigger contributors to his likable personality.
That he enjoyed gardening and cared greatly for his grandmother – huge no-no for the 'male card' – made him more desirable for the girls who looked for that.
That the girls were jealous of Hermione's association with him surprised him even more. He honestly didn't know what others saw in him that was desirable. He would look into that later when he got more female friends. Speaking of which…
After the discussion they had a week ago, Susan Bones joined their little trio alongside her friend Hannah Abbott. Hannah, in turn, brought her friends Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernest Macmillan.
"Interesting folks Susan introduced me to," pondered Harry.
Susan Bones looked remarkably similar to her aunt, although Harry could just associate that to family genes and the like. Still, she had an unusual quality to her, akin to dedicated focus if the term applied. But if she wanted to follow her aunt's footsteps in the DMLE, who was Harry to stop her? In any case, she could serve as a great study partner for the required Hogwarts classes, since Auror's needed 'Outstanding' or "Exceeds Expectations' in Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, and Charms for N.E.W.T.s.
Harry still couldn't help chuckling at the silly acronyms wizards came up with.
Her trio of Hufflepuffs were fascinating as well.
Hannah Abbott was a Half-blood who was a little more mellow than Susan; not head-in-the-clouds but calm enough to counteract her razor sharp focus. Appearance wise, not much to say: pink-faced with blond pigtails. She did seem a little naïve at times and is prone to making mistakes when under pressure. She does, however, appear to possess a gift at Herbology, even if her lack of self-confidence makes her struggle at times.
Harry paused. "Note to self: get Neville and Hannah to become friends over their love of Herbology."
Maybe it was time for Harry to try playing Cupid…
Ernest Macmillan - or Ernie as he preferred to be called by his friends - was part of the Macmillan family, one the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Thankfully, the stout-looking boy of blondish hair wasn't as pompous as Harry expected him to be. Granted, his high academic standing in the Hufflepuff House gave him some leeway. And, if Susan's hints weren't exaggerating, he was a Pure-blood with no prejudice regarding blood status who wasn't afraid to speak his mind nor afraid to admit he was wrong. Quite a rarity indeed in this backward world.
Justin Finch-Fletchley was an odd little duck, or finch as his name implied. Supposedly from a branch of a high-standing British family with close ties to royalty, him being a Muggle-born threw a wrench into his families workings. He claimed it only infuriated his mother, as she planned to send him to some prim and proper public school called Eton too start making connections early on. Unfortunately – or luckily, according to Justin – his a mother, a Dutchess, suffered some kind of animal attack a while back and died (3). Thankfully, many shared the same opinion regarding Justin's mother, who, in the kindest of words, was a 'bitch of the highest caliber.' Many a crocodile tears were shed at her funeral. Luckily, his father was much more suited as a parent and as such, still carried his title and continued with the 'family business' as it were – with his wife's parents blessing, of course. The fact that he allowed Justin to go to Hogwarts and accepted his wizard heritage was just gravy in his book.
"Huh," reminisced Harry, "Didn't Dad make a deal a while back regarding a Dutchess? Oh well, not important…"
Harry did find it slightly ironic that if it weren't for Susan and Tonks, he would be associated with two trios of mixed blood statuses: Hermione and Justin for Muggle-born, Hannah and him for Half-blood, and Neville and Ernest for Pure-bloods.
Weird.
Speaking of weird… Tonks – or Tonks Black, as she liked to joke now – was on friendly speaking terms with Harry. Despite him being a first year and her being a seventh year, they seemed to get along just fine. They didn't share classes or anything, but they chatted during meals. It was nice; she told him some secrets about the school that only higher years knew, and he told her some stuff about the Muggle world she would need to know if she ever became an Auror. Which was definitely in her future, seeing as she was a Metamorphmagus, had high grades, and was now a Black. If she was a Prefect it may have helped ease the process, but as she liked to joke, her Head of House believed she lacked 'certain necessary qualities,' which Harry found out was the ability to behave herself.
She was aces in Harry's book.
Harry stopped to ponder his list of friends so far, "Huh…only Hufflepuff… Don't I have friends in my own House?"
Harry started to look around the Common Room of the Gryffindor Tower, allowing his Sight to bleed through a little to locate the people he couldn't see at the moment.
Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were sitting in one corner of the room working on their Transfiguration assignment. Why they needed to since they were already getting 'Outstanding' in the class was beyond him. On closer inspection, he saw that Seamus was asking Dean to help him out with a banner for the first Gryffindor Quidditch match. Based on the outline Dean already made, it was going to be a large Gryffindor lion. Based on the scribblings on the side, Seamus was going to provide some form of pyrotechnics. Harry considered for a second if they were friends or not. Were they close? Sure, they worked well together in their classes, and they had no animosity regarding him still technically being a Slytherin. Although they were both half-bloods raised as Muggles, so that could be a factor. In any case, they had potential to be friends, but it was too soon to tell.
Harry noted how close they were to each other as they scribbled on the banner. Harry pondered for a second, "Are they… No, they are too young to realize it… Or is it subconscious on their part?" Harry noted their appearances. Dean's had dark skin – he was of African descent - dark hair and tall. The long neck was a little odd, but maybe he would grow into it one day. Seamus was paler and had sandy colored hair, with burns and bruises all over his visible body, probably from his magic and his love of flying. Both were rather easy-going and good-natured and both representative of Gryffindor bravery and loyalty, even if Seamus took a while to be sorted by the hat. "Note to self – wait till later years to see if they end up in a closet together. Remove this note if either one starts dating a girl and chalk it up to being raised by Crowley and Gabriel who claim to see the subtext in every interaction."
Harry shook his head to clear that particular image from his skull. He continued looking around to see if he was close with anyone else in the house beyond acquaintances. He finally caught the sight of the Weasley Twins in the corner writing something without exchanging any words. Harry already suspected that they shared some sort of mental link with each other which aided in their pranking endeavors; whether or not they use it to cheat on exams was debatable.
Harry felt rather odd about the twins. His school surveillance system – "Note to self – make a better name for your network, probably an acronym" – already caught their excursions in and out of the school over the last few weeks, significantly adding to his personal map network. Ironic phrasing, seeing as the twins seemed to be using some kind of map to aid them. It eased Harry's tension knowing that someone else had a similar idea as to how to traverse and take advantage of Hogwarts wards and magics. Harry was already somewhat aware that they downplayed their intelligence, seeing as how their pranks and tricks were very advanced in magic skill, so them making a map like this wasn't that big of a stretch.
In any case, what threw him off about them is how hard they tried to find a way to talk to him by accident. Were they afraid to make it seem like they were interested in him for some sort of reason? They didn't appear to have a judgemental bone in their bodies. Maybe they want to work together with him on pranks – the stunts he pulled off could be considered as such of one degree or another. Maybe they want to be friends with him for safety from his 'pranks.' Maybe they want to have an assistant who could perform pranks on their behalf so they could confuse the teachers and staff as to who committed them. I mean, granted, they pranked their brother Percy from time to time, but they were always harmless in nature. Percy was a stickler for the rules, but he didn't have any prejudices nor did he abuse his position of power. Sure he was family to the twins…
Harry paused. "Of course, family…"
Harry stared at the other corner of the room to see the youngest, trying to play Wizard Chess with another Gryffindor. Trying, since he spends more time watching the clock, waiting for dinner to start, rather than on the game itself. Harry didn't get along with Ron at all, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Despite the fact that the Weasley's were a commonly known 'Light' family, as it were – despite the fact that their patriarch was technically a Black by blood, which Harry discovered as acting Lord of the family –, Ron still managed to display stereotyping and bigotry commonly associate with 'Black' families (4). Except in his case, however, rather than hating Muggle-born and Half-bloods, Ron was against everything Slytherin and anything that even had a hint of Dark Magic associated with it.
Now based on what Harry could gather from the older years and some of the teachers – primarily Hagrid from later hut meetings – none of the other Weasley's displayed such tendencies. Well, no Weasley per say. If the hints Professor McGonagall gave Harry were any indication, Molly Weasley née Prewett was a rather… opiniated witch. Was she a good, caring mother and matriarch of the Weasley clan? Yes. Did she raise very successful boys? Yes, with Bill and Charlus as acting examples: one worked as a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts, another at a dragon sanctuary as a Dragonologist.
On the other hand, though, did she manage to mother-hen her eldest two so much that one ran away to Egypt and the other to Romania? Yes. Did she constantly push her husband into getting a promotion at work, despite their current financial stability, something Harry believed would not have been possible if he hadn't 'disappeared' years ago? Yes. Did she possibly cloud Ron's judgment regarding other families, as she was mostly left alone with him for the last two years to impart her views and opinions? Most definitely yes. Harry chalked it up to her being a Prewett trying to pass on her values and teaching to kids who didn't actually follow them vehemently.
Fred and George's apprehension to meet with Harry – a Slytherin in Ron's mind – was justified in this case. Harry had already seen what Howlers could do when the speaker had an average voice. He didn't want to know what a Molly Weasley Howler would sound like. For now, Harry decided to find a way to meet the two in secret without Ron finding out. Percy was debatable – he was already used to the twins behavior, and he didn't say anything after the stunt Harry pulled, so Harry doubted he would care if he became an accomplice of the twins.
Harry finished looking around the tower, realizing that he didn't really have anyone else he considered close. He was liked and friendly with everyone, but for the life of him he couldn't recall anyone else name – and he had an almost perfect recall, so that was saying something. It seemed pathetic to him, so this was something he definitely needed to resolve. "Note to self – make more friends and/or acquaintances. Be on first name basis with every Gryffindor by the end of the year (except for maybe Ron)."
Speaking of friends, Harry felt a little worried for Hermione. She was all alone by herself in the Ravenclaw House. How anyone could be insulted for being too smart and too much of a know-it-all in the House of intelligence and learning was beyond him. Well, maybe not entirely. She was on speaking terms with Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot. She was definitely friends with Padma Patil.
Harry paused for a second. Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot, and Padma Patil – another trio of mixed blood. "A trifecta of trios. Odd…"
From what he gathered from her Gryffindor twin, she was the less outgoing and more studious one. In Harry's opinion, she was a perfect Pure-blood to get Hermione introduced to the politics of the Wizarding World – they had a long history to back up their claims in Britain, but they had stronger roots in their native India, meaning she could provide her an informed outside view of how the world worked. In any case, Harry was more worried about the looks some of other Raneclaw girls gave her from time to time during the meals. He has been particularly wary of one by the name of Marietta Edgecombe: her aura regularly flared with hatred and jealousy when directed at Hermione, something Harry couldn't really understand about her since she was in a higher year than her. It only made sense after he realized that Neville was a 'catch' for the female community in the school and how close he was to Hermione.
"Note to self – modify surveillance system to follow specific individuals and find a way to mark Hermione FOR HER SAFETY."
Now for the Slytherin House. As far as Harry could tell, there was still chaos in the House of Snakes ever since Draco was removed from the school by Lucius a week ago. Didn't really know or care what happened to him, but supposedly, he was still at 's being treated for 'sudden onset of insanity.'.
Right…
In any case, someone by the name of Pansy Parkinson seemed to have adopted Crabbe and Goyle as her minions and became the new head of the Slytherin. Frankly, Harry didn't believe that – in a house of cunning and ambition, the true head would always work his or her agenda from the shadows and agents. It's kind of why Harry suspected that regardless of who was the actual perceived leader was, Snape would always be in charge – one way or another. (5)
At least, that's what Harry assumed.
Regardless, the aura that flared from the members of the Slytherin House was… odd. A big chunk of them, mainly the older years, displayed the tell tale signs of 'corruption.' In this case, it must have meant that they were stringent supporters of blood-purity and blood-supremacy. The younger years were still salvageable, or clean of influence. Some even seemed to indicate a desire to separate themselves from the 'herd.' Harry noted – over the last week or so – that three 1st years, in particular, flared a strong desire to cut-off any association with the more bigoted members of their House as soon as possible. If Harry remembered the Sorting correctly, their names were Blaise Zabini, Tracy Davis, and Daphne… Greengrass.
"Crap. Better be careful with her. She is the last person who can possibly find out who I am. Still, I should find a way to reach out to them. But how should I proceed - in secret or openly? Questions for later."
Harry went on with his list. "Now for the staff, then the Ministry, then others…"
Hogwarts staff… What's new to say? Everything has been quiet since the hearing for Sirius Black has been set, Dumbledore hasn't changed his routine, Daily Prophet has been strangely silent…
"Can't help but feel like the calm before the storm. But what exactly is the endgame? Who benefits if the trial fails?"
Millicent Bagnold may have retired as Minister, but she was responsible for the lack of the trial for his Godfather. One way or another, she was going to be charged with something.
Bartemius Crouch Senior, ironically, would get away scot free. Despite being the Head of the DMLE during the war, he quit after the trial of his son, Junior. Sirius's trial had occurred in the brief period of time before Amelia took the position, in which emergency war time trials took place. He has only recently returned to the public as Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation after separating himself from public eye for ten years. In essence, he had absolutely no ties to Black's imprisonment. Could he have done something if he stayed in office until the end of the First Wizarding War? It was possible, but Harry didn't like to think of what could have been.
Cornelius Fudge was definitely screwed: he visited Sirius in Azkaban, he hid the paperwork, he paid off people, etc. It would depend on how much they find in regards to his cover-ups and if he kept a ledger of some sort to assist in their investigation. Honestly, it's more likely than not that he had an accomplice to help keep track of everything. Unfortuanetly, since Fudge's records showed that he switched secretaries frequently – a fact that Harry hoped the DMLE would notice -, Harry had to peg it on someone who sought a position of power through him by being… helpful. From that train of thought, Harry found someone named Dolores Umbridge mentioned numerous times in the Ministry paperwork – the legally thrown out once: nothing illegal there, since the trash was for anyone taking. It's how goblins, despite their lack of interaction with the Ministry for the last few years, still managed to keep up with everything that happened behind those walls. Unfortunately, he didn't bother looking any further; the DMLE would focus on what they could link to Fudge, not the implied and possible.
Some Aurors and possibly lower ranking Ministry members that work – sorry, worked – for Fudge in some capacity would receive fines and penalties, a few would definitely end up in Azkaban.
Possible fall out?
None that Harry could figure out at the moment.
For the 'Light' side – or Dumbledore's side – a potential ally in the soon to be free Lord Black. Possible, but debatable, since Sirius would need to see a Mind Healer after spending so much time in Azkaban. For the 'Black' side – or the 'former' Death Eater side – is the loss of their puppet Minister via Lucius and his never ending pouch of money. On that matter, the loss of Lucius as their head also qualified since he was divorced, possibly heir-less, and significantly less wealthy. Possible replacement head? Harry had his money placed on Nott Senior, father of Theodore Nott, but that particular theory relied on the fact that he was an openly known 'former' Death Eater. In Harry's opinion, its more than likely that is a Death Eater who is still in hiding, somewhere high up in the Ministry hierarchy. Most likely the Department of Mysteries since their magics and rituals already limited whatever information came out of there. (6)
"Put a pin in that theory for now."
The 'Gray' side was a toss-up. Technically, they have no leader, but more often than not, Cyrus Greengrass worked as their mouthpiece while his wife Roxanne gathered information during their 'parties' and whatnot. Frankly, Harry believed that they had the right idea in regards as to how the Wizarding World should progress: more acceptance of Half-bloods and Muggleb-borns without removal of Pure-blood old world ideals and historical values. That may be a bit simplistic, but that is the fundamental idea that Harry got from reading their many, many, many rejected proposals and legislature. Frankly, if it wasn't the overpowered 'Black' side rejecting their proposals outright, it was the 'Light' side trying to modify them to appease everyone. In the end, they have the power, they have the connections, but they lack the necessary votes to get anything worthwhile through the Wizengamot.
Harry put down the pen, 'Something to consider: Sirius is probably disenfranchised with the 'Light,' he is definitely not 'Black,' and he will try to be supportive of my decisions – if he can find me of course." Harry tapped his chin with the pen, "Should I seek him out? I mean, if he has Occulemncy shields that are strong enough, I guess I can tell him some stuff about me. Wear a mask? Would he accept the monster that I am? Again, questions for later."
Monster… Harry should write back to Bobby to see if he managed to get out of Dad's Crossroads deal. It's likely since Crowley hasn't written him back for a while, but he was a moody bastard at times – even if loved him. The Winchester's were a different story. It was only recently that Sam and Dean's relatives died after the attack on the Campbell Compound by the Alpha Shapeshifter. Granted, based on what Dean has written about them, they were downright bastards who were set in their ways and could have handled the situation better. I mean seriously, 'sins of a father' could only go so far in regards to a baby Shapeshifter. That, and they were busy enough dealing with the angel civil war up in Heaven. Harry and Castiel have never seen eye to eye, but they could agree that Raphael was being a total douche-nosel. Balthazar, on the other hand, was a loose cannon: too powerful, too knowledgeable, with a horde of who knows how many Angel artifacts, who answers to no one.
Harry hasn't really bothered looking further into it with his Sight to make sure, but he wasn't willing to bet against Balthazar ending up dead by Crowley's hands. The why didn't matter, only the when. "On that note, should really look into that civil war up in Heaven – God knows how that can end badly for us 'petty humans."
Harry went over his list. Honestly, didn't seem like anything should bother him about it and yet, it felt like he forgot something.
"Ah screw it – if I can't remember it, it's not important enough to be remembered."
As Harry put the pen down on the table, Crookshanks jumped onto his lap to be petted. "Yeah, yeah, I know – I am overthinking it, but can you blame me? It's two days before the trial, and unless Lucius plans something soon, the dynamic of the Wizarding World will shift drastically – and not in favor of the 'Black' families."
Harry looked at the clock on the wall. "Dinner time is coming up soon. Should finish up my work."
Slytherin Dungeon, About the same time…
"Daphne, you have been on edge ever since Sirius Black received his trial date. What gives?"
"I know, Tracy, I know. But Daddy says that there is something that Black has access to - something only he can reach."
"Is it valuable?" Tracy looked at her long-time friend in worry.
"He won't say – all he will tell me is that Sirius Black must be proven innocent."
Tracy stared at her friend in confusion, "But I thought he was basically acquitted as it is."
Daphne shook her hand, "Daddy says that despite all the evidence, it will all come down to whoever has the biggest political pull. Malfoy is definitely going to try something soon, but he doesn't know what. I mean, Sirius is protected in the DMLE custody, his lawyer and his family is under guard, and Dumbledore is… well, Dumbledore. Unless he somehow gets rid of the evidence out of GRINGOTTS of all places, the trial outcome is as good as set."
"So, what, the 'Gray' side isn't doing anything?"
Daphne shook her head, "Daddy has already sent agents out to assist Sirius in any way possible, but he kindly declined… For now at least."
Tracy pondered, "Just what exactly is Sirius sitting on that the 'Gray' side needs?"
"I don't know Tracy, but if Daddy's hints are anything to go by, he thinks its… world shattering."
Hours later, Mountains located in the Highlands of Scotland overlooking the loch
Fenrir Greyback stood on top of the hill overlooking Hogwarts in his human form, his pack of werewolves at his side and call, growling, hungry for. Tonight's full moon wouldn't be as pure as the one that would arise two nights from now, but it's good enough to allow the change in even the weakest of lycanthropes.
Something that Lucius was all too happy to take advantage off.
Something else that Malfoy took advantage of was the werewolves resistance to certain magics. While not as high as say giant's resistance, it could be modified and improved upon with certain magics. It was because of this that Fenrir and his bunch were currently wearing certain amulets, just until they crossed the threshold onto Hogwarts soil. After which, well…
Fenrir smiled as he turned to his group and began to undress, "Remember, Lucius is paying us good money to go after Dumbledore. He is the primary target. If we can't reach him, we fall back onto the secondary objective."
His Beta turned and growled something.
"The number of students don't matter. All that matters is the fallout. If more people die then we infect, it doesn't matter. If we infect more than the amount we kill, well… Hogwarts is going to be missing a few students in the coming days."
The pack laughed as much as they could in their werewolf forms. Hogwarts hasn't accepted a student with lycanthropy in all of its history, and it wasn't going to start anytime soon.
The case of Remus Lupin was never revealed to the Wizarding public, making him the only werewolf to have ever passed the entirety of Hogwarts curriculum after becoming a lycanthrope. Becoming a werewolf after graduating did not deter from completing the institution – only possible career opportunities due to stringent laws and regulations.
Fenrir finally embraced the moon and shifted into his preferred form. After he was done, he turned to his pack, "The children should be finishing dinner soon. The pigs are all fed and ready for slaughter."
The pack started to drool as the final command was given, "Move out."
They crossed the boundary line of Hogwarts soon enough, their amulets preventing them from being detected by the school's wards.
But only the school wards.
Great Hall, Same time
Harry immediately paused the fork in front of his mouth as he felt his wards reacting to something new on the school's grounds. He gently put down the fork, hoping nobody would notice him playing with the amulet on his neck, which served as his link to them. After quickly filtering through them all in his mind, he found the one he was looking for on the periphery.
"Damn it… I was expecting something like this but still… 3,6, 14… twenty… Lucius actually hired twenty of these beasts…"
"You okay Harry?"
Harry smiled as he turned to a worrying Neville, "Yes, I'm good Neville. I think I going to turn in early tonight."
Neville looked at his plate, "But you barely touched your meal."
Harry raised his hand, "It's alright, I guess I ate a lot during lunch." Harry wiped his mouth before getting up, "I am just going to go back to the Common Room if anyone needs me."
As Harry left the hall, Neville looked conflicted, something Hermione noticed and walked up to him for, "Is something wrong, Neville?"
"Yeah, it's Harry. One minute he's talking about how long this day has been and how hungry he is, the next, he is fiddling with something on his neck before leaving to go to back to Gryffindor Tower."
Hermione bit on her lower lip, "Well… Maybe he really is done eating. If you want, you can follow him."
Neville looked conflicted, "I'll talk with him later. I think he want's to be alone."
Harry never understood why cartoons called it 'Hammerspace'. Maybe it was because the thing that those cartoons usually pulled out of it was, in fact, a hammer or a mallet, but still, the name was rather stupid.
The concept, however, was not.
It was thanks to the 'Hammerspace' he made through his robes – one only accessed by his magic and his alone – that allowed him to sneak all of his tools through Hogwarts wards. Granted, they weren't magical in nature, but he wasn't going to gamble as to what exactly Hogwarts considered 'dangerous.'
And there he was, armed to the bone with knives, guns, and ammo. He considered using magic but felt that it would present too much of a risk in either exposing how powerful he was or in breaking Tiamat by accident. No, he decided to stick to the essential Hunter gear.
Hunter gear that just happened to be boosted by his personal brand of runes to uber-charge them into downright weapons of werewolf extermination.
Harry was finishing up loading is pump-action shotgun with silver bullets when a thought occurred to him, "Would silver actually work on this kind of werewolves? I mean, bullets are bullets, sure, but still… Should have really looked into this when I had the chance…"
As Harry went through his routine, memories flashed through his mind. It was mainly for the time he was assisting the Winchester in preventing the Apocalypse, but once in a while, the faces of the innocent bystanders appeared from time to time. No one ever said there wouldn't have been unnecessary casualties in war.
Harry chuckled as he finished inspecting everything before he slowly wiping away a tear. "Dammit, I am crying… I thought I managed to get away from it all… To actually resort to killing again… I mean, it's a freaking school for kids, who comes here expecting to kill someone!"
Harry hit a wall in frustration, cracking it with his enhanced strength. "I'VE KILLED ENOUGH AS IT IS ALREADY!"
Burying his feelings deep down until the task was done, Harry took out his headphones and an old iPod. He would have used his new iPhone, but they break too quickly in these kind of fights. He started scrolling through the list.
"You're Going Down by Sick Puppies? No – not enough tempo."
"Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes? No – slow start."
"Till I Collapse by Eminem? Maybe…"
"Lose Yourself? No."
"Down With the Sickness by Disturbed? No – too consistent."
"Riot by Three Days Grace? Possibly…"
"Wait… Sinnerman by Nina Simone… Well, just for a little bit, before they come…" (7)
Harry played the song as the piano riff started and he lost himself to his feeling and memories, slowly praying for the lives he was going to take, regardless of the fact that they were monsters of the worst caliber.
Oh, Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
Where you gonna run to?
All on that day
Well I run to the rock, please hide me
I run to the Rock, please hide me
I run to the Rock, please hide me, Lord
All on that day
But the rock cried out, I can't hide you
The Rock cried out, I can't hide you
The Rock cried out, I ain't gonna hide you guy
All on that day
I said, "Rock, what's a matter with you, Rock?"
"Don't you see I need you, Rock?"
Lord, Lord, Lord
All on that day…
Fenrir and his pack were about to enter Hogwarts through its main gates when they spotted someone standing blocking their way. Fenrir paused at their end of the bridge, his pack stopping behind him.
They all looked at their Alpha in confusion, not understanding why they stopped before this… child.
Fenrir, despite being in his werewolf, still retained some of his intelligence, it was, in fact, this intelligence that caused him confusion as his lycanthrope instinct screamed at him to run away as far as possible from this thing in front of them.
A thing that reeked not of magic but metal and… Something odd, a mixture or potion of sort that they never encountered.
(They don't know what gunpowder is, and it is technically a chemical compound).
The child gave them their full attention, holding some kind of weapon in his right hand, "I will say this once and only once… Turn around and leave. This is a one time offer. Leave, and you may keep your lives. If not, then I can promise you that you shall not pass."
Fenrir felt the power behind those words, but he ignored his instincts. There were twenty of them and only one of him.
The odds were in their apparent favor.
Harry noticed that the werewolves weren't backing down. Their Alpha, despite his apparent intelligence, thought they had a chance.
"…Oh woh, power, power, Lord
Don't you knew
Don't you know, I need you Lord?
Don't you know that, I need you?
Don't you know that, I need you?
Power, power, power Lord"
Harry stared as the song finished up, his calmness finally achieved. "So be it. May whatever deity you pray to have mercy on your souls."
Harry prepped the shotgun with both hands before another song started playing. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. My death will come, but not today…" (8)
"Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor…"
One of the werewolves finally got the nerve to attack him as the world died around him.
The last sight they ever saw was Harry's eyes go black.
Neville, still worried for his friend, was finishing up his family along with the rest of the students when they heard it. It sounded like the cracking of thunder yet there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Before anyone got a chance to even register in panic, it was quickly followed by a sound of an injured animal.
The teachers didn't even get a chance to call the students to attention and silence before many more thunder-like sounds were heard, alongside noises that sounded like wolves fighting.
Only Hagrid registered what they were before shouting to the headmaster over the panicked kids, "DUMBLEDORE! WEREWOLVES!"
That caused everyone to go into silence, but sounds of combat were still heard. All kids were trained to stay in one place as a group whenever werewolves were involved, regardless of their standing. Even the Muggle-born quickly understood what was happening.
"Everyone, stay in the Great Hall! NO ONE LEAVES THIS ROOM!" shouted McGonagall, taking command. "Flitwick, Kettleburn, Vector, you stay here protecting the students. The rest of us, it sounds like it's happening outside."
The three quickly nodded, taking position around the hall while the remainder of the staff quickly raced outside, Hagrid taking charge to serve as the shield, being the only one among them immune to infection due to his half-blood nature.
They did not expect to see the sight before them as they stepped outside of the school.
Only McGonagall had the nerve to finally say it, "By le Fay…"
Bodies. Blood. Severed heads. Swords fragments and strange tools on the ground around them splattered in gore. And even more blood covered the area.
The river underneath the bridge was riddled with body parts and drenched in blood.
Werewolves scraped, sliced, broken, and some with holes in them were scattered around them.
And in all of that chaos, not a drop of blood or a foot of wolf crossed the threshold into the school.
On the other end of the bridge stood a child with a sword skewering a werewolf straight through his torso. As he pulled it out and wiped it clean as the wolf collapsed, he didn't even register the teachers approach him.
Snape was the was to register who it was. "MacLeod…"
As shock appeared on everyone's, Harry turned to face Snape, "There were nineteen bodies, right?"
Snape nodded, actually having enough emotional control due to his Occulemency to accurately count them all – despite some of them missing body parts.
"Good, good… Only the Alpha of the pack got away… Don't know who it was though… Managed to cut him across the chest … He is losing blood, so maybe he can be tracked…"
Dumbledore turned to Minerva, "Quickly, go back and contact Amelia at the DMLE. This is not something we can ignore."
She nodded before turning back. Harry looked up at the sky, mumbling to himself. "Let his children wander about and beg; And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes… Let the creditor seize all that he has; And let strangers plunder the product of his labor… Let there be none to extend loving kindness to him, Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children… Let his posterity be cut off; In a following generation let their name be blotted out…."
"Severus, what is he doing?" asked Dumbledore.
Snape listened for a little longer as Harry wavered back in forth, before finally recognizing it. "It's from the Book of Psalm, a religious Muggle book for their God. What he is reciting, in particular, is vengeance and no mercy upon his…," Snape looked at the corpses around him, "… enemies."
Harry finally turned around to the teaching staff, "Professor Snape… I think I need to see Madam Pomfrey…"
Those were the last words he said before collapsing on the ground, his fatigue finally catching up to him.
Luckily for his sake, he managed to put most of his weaponry away.
Most of it…
Gryffindor Tower, little later…
Neville watched everyone panicking, the Prefects trying to get some semblance of control. Despite the Gryffindor bravery, werewolves were just something no wizard could ignore. No one was immune from lycanthropy, and all it took was a simple scratch or bite from a turned werewolves. Oh sure, Neville had nothing in particular against werewolves: all they are were persecuted individuals who are sick only around 2-3 days a month. But during those days at night, they might as well be the most dangerous things in existence.
As the Prefects were doing the headcount, Neville noticed Crookshanks meowing and scratching the door to get out of the Gryffindor Tower.
"What are doing Crookshanks, why aren't you with…"
Neville paused, a realization dawning on him.
"Guys… where's Harry?"
Hospital Wing, much later…
By the time Dumbledore levitated Harry to the Hospital Wing, Amelia and her squad of Aurors already arrived. While Amelia waited for the staff, her troop went outside and started recording everything that occurred. At the moment, the hardest part of it all for them was trying to put the werewolves back together to seek to determine their identities.
Madam Pomfrey had already prepared a bed for Harry as someone sends a Patronus, warning her ahead of time.
"Quickly Albus, get the boy over here," asked Pomfrey, a command the Headmaster immediately obeyed. When it came to injured students, the healer had rank.
As Pomfrey began to perform diagnostic spells, Amelia took command.
"Albus, you have two minutes to tell me what the hell happened here before I arrest the lot of you for sending this child to play executioner to a horde of werewolves. I can already see that he has been scratched and bitten all over! There's no way the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures isn't going to get involved, especially since the werewolf that you say got away is most likely Fenrir Freaking Greyback."
Dumbledore raised his hands in a clear sign of submission, "Amelia, we ourselves don't fully understand what happened. We were all eating in the Great Hall when we heard a loud boom from the outside, preceded by an animal. The noises were repeated and interjected with sounds of fighting as it progressed. Before we left the Hall, Professor McGonagall left behind three of the teachers to watch the students while the rest of us went to investigate, with Hagrid leading the charge."
Amelia raised a brow, "Hagrid? Ah, his giant blood makes him immune from lycanthropy. Continue."
Dumbledore nodded, "As we exited the castle, we witnessed the…scene outside…"
"You can say the words bloodbath, Albus, because frankly, I don't have any other way to describe it."
Dumbledore looked down despondent at this, "In any case, we saw all the bodies littered around us, with Harry on the opposite edge of the bridge… pulling a sword out of the last werewolf…"
"A sword we have yet to find, by the way."
"In any case, when Professor Snape recognized him, the boy told us that one werewolf managed to escaped harmed to the west…"
Amelia waved her hand to one of the Aurors in the room, causing him to leave, apparently on assignment to track down said werewolf.
"Afterwards, he recited some passage from what Professor Snape called the Book of Psalms before passing out. The Book of Psalms…"
"I do have Muggle-borns working for me in the DMLE, and I am aware of their world, Albus. You don't have to fill me in."
Amelia pinched her nose while the staff in the Hospital Wing – which consisted of Albus, Minerva, and Severus, as the rest of the teachers were assisting the Aurors – waited for her decision.
"Okay, just so that I understand this clearly, the only individual who can tell me exactly what occurred outside is currently being examined by Madam Pomfrey, who happens to be a pre-teen child."
Dumbledore nodded, realizing where this was going.
"You understand regardless of what we find, there is no way in seven levels of Hell that this ends up in the Daily Prophet." (9)
"I can assist you in that regard if you would like. Cuffe owns me more than a few favors, and it's too late for Rita Skeeter to possibly write a story about this for the morning edition."
Amelia breathed out, some tension leaving her shoulders, "Thank you, but I think I can pull rank and claim that this is something that can't be revealed to the public. The students can be convinced under a Secrecy Oath for the time being until we can ultimately figure this out. Otherwise, we are flying…"
Amelia didn't finish her comment as a large cat suddenly ran through the wing, jumping on the bed of the body being examined.
McGonagall recognized the cat from her infrequent walks through the school in her cat form, "That's Crookshanks, Harry's cat, then that means…"
"Crookshanks! Get back here you crazy cat!" shouted Neville as he and Hermione ran into the wing. They froze midstep the minute they realized just who else was in the room with them.
"Umh…," panicked Hermione, "we were chasing after the cat?"
"Mrs. Granger," glared Professor McGonagall at one of her favorite students, "you better have a good reason for being out of your houses at this time."
"It's my fault, Professor," nervously spoke Neville, "I noticed that Crookshanks was trying to get out of Gryffindor Tower and after realizing that Harry wasn't coming up in the count, I guessed that he was somehow injured in the werewolves attack…"
Amelia interrupted, "How are you already aware of the werewolves? We haven't told anyone yet."
"The Gryffindor Tower sees the grounds around the school," interjected Dumbledore.
Amelia nodded, not realizing this as she was a Hufflepuff. "Continue, Mr…"
"Longbottom, Ms. Bones. Anyway, realizing that he was most likely injured, I went to get Hermione since, well… we are friends. As we got near, Crookshanks got out of my arms, and here we are."
As Neville was telling his story, Hermione finally noticed Harry as Madam Pomfrey finished her diagnostic, "Oh God, Harry…"
Neville finally saw as well and registered just what happened to his closest friend.
Harry's robes were in tatters, somehow still hanging on his body despite the evidence presented, his ever present gloves still intact. None of the skin was uncovered, but by the amount of dried blood on his clothes and slashes present, he was apparently injured. He was missing some hair, but otherwise, his face was free of blemishes, save from a bruise, a small cut on his lip, and the already existing scar across his eye.
"You kids understand that you can't be here…"
"Ms. Bones, my friend is most likely infected with lycanthropy after, what I can only assume, single-handedly killing how who know how many werewolves, preventing this school from what could have been the biggest scandal to hit these shores since the disappearance of Harry Potter. You will not remove us from his side, or else I will use my title as the Heir of Longbottom and call my grandmother. You are aware of her, correct? Augusta Longbottom?"
The staff watched in shock as Neville Longbottom, the quiet Herbology prodigy, apparently grew a backbone and was challenging the Head of the DMLE.
The fact that his grandmother was one the most terrifyingly sweet woman Amelia has ever had the pleasure of working with wasn't going to change the expected outcome of this conversation.
"You both will have to take Secrecy Vows regarding everything you hear and see in this room."
Neville nodded on Hermione's behalf, as she was holding Harry's hand. "We understand."
As everyone present – including Madam Pomfrey – took the necessary vows, an Auror returned to report.
"We managed to compile a preliminary report of what happened outside, boss."
"Lay it on me, Auror Domitor."
The Auror took a breath before starting, "From what we can gather, all the werewolves present outside were dealt with without prejudice. Most of them were killed with bladed weapons. Yes, weapons. We found fragments of various bladed implements outside, but by present count, not enough to account for all the different cuts. The rest were dispatched with what appeared to be focused Bombarda spells until we realized that absolutely no magic was used."
Amelia looked in shock, "No magic? None at all?"
"Well, werewolves are resistant to magic. The boy was most likely aware of this and planned out his weapons accordingly. In any case, we were stumped as well until we found this thing."
The Auror raised the said thing for everyone, with Amelia asking the obvious question. "What is that?"
"That is a pump-action shotgun."
Everyone present turned to look at Hermione.
"My dad likes to go to the range, so I looked up and learned about guns." She said nervously.
Amelia looked in shock, "That's a shotgun? I thought they had two barrels side to side."
Dumbledore looked on Amelia in confusion, "Amelia, what are you talking about? Is that what Muggles call 'guns'?"
"Indeed it is, Albus. And unlike the outdated material they cover in your so called Muggle Studies class, said Muggles have progressed far in regards to handheld weaponry. It's just that I wasn't aware of that particular type of gun."
Hermione stared, "It seemed to have been modified as well, Misses Bones. You would have had trouble recognizing it in any case."
"Thank you, Ms. Granger. Any other weapons to report, Auror Domitor?"
"We found fragments of one, but otherwise, we found two semi-automatic pistols and one big ass .44 Magnum."
Amelia raised her brow. The Auror shrugged, "It was modified as well, boss."
Amelia nodded, "Continue."
"We found no other weapons or explosives present. We did find A LOT of silver bullets in the wolves. Don't know why he bothered with them since werewolves being affected by silver is Muggle fiction, but if he is Muggle-born, it weirdly makes sense. But seeing as how he was prepared for such a circumstance, I am at a loss for words."
"Thank you for the report, Auror. Go with the rest of the squad to see if you can track the werewolf that got away."
"Will do boss. Oh, one more thing, we found amulets for each of the werewolves present. Boss, they were the amulets that were in favor by the Death Eaters for their ability to bypass certain wards, particularly those for early alarm and detection."
Amelia realized the implication, "So all these werewolves planned to attack this school by using these amulets… Amulets we haven't seen since the First Wizard War… Amulets that are either in lock up in the DMLE or in the hands of 'former'Death Eaters… Who wants to bet that the werewolves were after Dumbledore to prevent him from being a character witness at Sirius Black's trial in two days?"
Dumbledore looked up, "Amelia, you can't mean that…"
"I do Albus. Auror, put a warrant for the arrest for Lucius Malfoy as a person of interest in this case as a possible conspirator."
"Yes, boss."
As the Auror left, Amelia turned to face Madam Pomfrey, "Now, I believe you have a medical report for us?"
Madam Pomfrey looked conflicted. Professor McGonagall was first to ask, "What's wrong Poppy?"
"I don't know how to explain this, Minerva, but… Harry MacLeod has no trace of lycanthropy in his system."
Everyone froze. Hermione was first to ask, "But.. how? I read that no one is immune from lycanthropy unless they are already a creature of some-kind or at least a quarter of one."
"Indeed that is correct, Ms. Granger," answered Madam Pomfrey, "which means that I can only assume that Mr. MacLeod is in fact related to a creature of some sort."
"Darn it," grumbled Neville, "that makes him a Half-blood. Means I lost the House pool."
"Pardon?" inquired Amelia curiously.
"It's nothing, Madam Bones. Just a standing betting pool regarding Harry's blood nature. The odds were in favor of him being some sort of hidden Pure-blood, but that theory is thrown out the window."
"In any case," interrupted Madam Pomfrey, "I detect various injuries and blood loss, but I am having trouble identifying anything deeper. His robes seem to be preventing it. Miss Granger, if you could assist me?"
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey."
Granger was first to gasp out loud as soon as she took off one his gloves. Everyone present quickly registered what they were seeing.
"Take it all off," commanded Madam Bones.
They didn't bother taking off the pants; the robes, shirt, and gloves were enough.
Burns.
All of Harry's body except for his face was covered in old second and third-degree burns, cuts, holes, and injuries that even Amelia couldn't identify. His hands seemed to have the worst of it; they were completely covered in scar tissue, and none of his fingers had nails to speak of. Hermione lost her nerve completely when she noticed the stigmatas through his arms and wrists. Neville kept his nerve when he noted the chain burns and whip marks on Harry's torso and back.
McGonagall was forced to turn around, and Dumbledore visibly paled.
Snape, Amelia, and Pomfrey were the only ones who managed to keep their nerves, despite the fact that what they were seeing was not something that any child could have possibly survived through and recovered to such an extent.
Amelia slowly turned to the headmaster, "Albus, what the hell have you been hiding from me?"
"Amelia, I swear, no one knew that Mr. MacLeod had such injuries."
"So who do you expect me to look for to explain how more than 75% of this child's body is covered in injuries?" Amelia almost shouted.
"I believe I can provide some assistance in that regard," spoke a voice at the entrance to the Hospital Wing.
Everyone present quickly turned to see a man stand under the arch, hands behind him, dressed in black, white collar present, his hair combed back.
Amelia was first to raise her wand in warning, "Who are you? How did you get here?"
"Well, in regards to the latter question, I received a warning from the amulet Harry is wearing there on his neck," pointed the man to Harry.
Hermione quickly noted that Harry, in fact, wore two amulets on his neck. One was made of weird metals covered in what she assumed were runes of sorts. The other one was made of what she believed was silver and was much older than the other. It also looked religious…
"I crafted it so serve as a sort of warning system if he was ever injured critically to some degree or if he needed any assistance. Since he passed out, it activated, messaging me that he was wounded. Afterward, I simply teleported here."
Amelia still didn't put down her wand, still, wary of the stranger, "You haven't answered my first question."
The man chuckled, "Oh forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Gabriel – Father Gabriel Bell. I am one of the caretakers of Hadrian MacLeod."
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