Chapter 8: Outbreak
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Chapter 8: Outbreak
'It is obvious that at the time it was proposed, the majority of the members of the Wizengamot realised just what the true purpose of the so-called 'Muggleborn Infant Protection Bill' was - those who voted for it on behalf of the Dark Lord, and those following Dumbledore's lead. Significantly fewer would have been able to predict the consequences of passing that bill. The realisation that the Wizengamot was trying to take the weakest muggleborns, the children not yet old enough to attend Hogwarts, hostage, outraged and radicalised many who had been holding out hope for a reconciliation. It is quite clear that the mere act of passing that bill, even though Albus Dumbledore had already taken action to remove the children from the reach of the Ministry, caused the opposite effect of what many of its, in hindsight naive, supporters in the Ministry had hoped for. Instead of less violence it caused more. Worthy of special attention is that while many historians correctly assume that the events at Hogwarts that followed had been inevitable from the start, it is evident that the 'Muggleborn Infant Protection Bill' certainly hastened those events along by a great deal.'
- Excerpt from 'The Second Blood War' by Hyacinth Selwyn
Hogwarts, September 21st, 1996
Daphne Greengrass screamed when she felt the boards she was standing on tilting and almost lost her balance. She grabbed her sister and tried to drag her forward, to the lowest row of the stands, while behind and to their side more students screamed in terror as they started to slip and fall down. The entire row of seats Daphne had been on broke up as if a giant had snapped it - one part dropping down, the other snapping up. Next to her, Tracey cried out and Astoria shrieked, but all Daphne could think of was to reach that lowest row, two yards away, before everything broke down.
She reached it and grabbed the railing with one hand, just as the bottom started to break away. Tracey had disappeared, but she still held Astoria's hand as they started to fall. For a moment, she managed to stop their descent, holding on to the railing and to her sister, then Astoria's hand was ripped out of her grip, and Daphne could just scream in horror as her sister fell, landing on a crumpled row of seats.
"Astoria!"
Her sister didn't answer. Daphne spotted more students nearby, some half-buried under the remains of the stands, many of them screaming for help. Pansy was screeching like a banshee, her leg impaled on a broken piece of wood, blood flowing between her hands.
"Astoria!"
Was that blood beneath her sister's body? Daphne was trying to pull herself up, so she could use her wand, but she was too weak. She felt her grip weaken; she couldn't hold on much longer, and her feet couldn't find any purchase to climb down.
"Daphne!"
She looked up. Draco was flying towards her, his hand reaching for her. He grabbed her around the waist before she lost her grip, and then steered his broom down.
"Astoria! She fell!"
"Hold on!" Draco yelled, landing next to the mass of wood and canvas.
Daphne saw that the entire Quidditch team was above them. Urquhart yelled: "Malfoy! Fly to the castle and alert the teachers and Pomfrey! Go!"
Draco hesitated for a moment, then cursed and mounted his broom, racing towards the school. Daphne stumbled on, climbing through broken beams and poles, crawling over scattered seats and under ripped canvas, until she reached her sister. Astoria wasn't moving. And there was blood dripping from the board she was lying on! But she was breathing! Daphne hugged her, crying, and simply held her.
Soon afterwards, help arrived. The teachers - and other students. She yelled: "Astoria here needs help! She's bleeding!", repeating herself until McGonagall, riding a broom, landed next to her.
With a flick of her wand, the old witch transfigured the broken stands around them into a bed for Astoria, then ran her wand over the Slytherin.
"Professor! She's bleeding!" Daphne panted, tears running down her cheeks.
"Calm down, Miss Greengrass!" McGonagall said. "She's not too badly hurt. I've stopped the bleeding, and Madam Pomfrey will fix her up as soon as she can."
"As soon as she can?" Daphne was about to protest, then she remembered the other students. Tracey! She looked up, and gaped. All around her, people were moving wounded students on floating stretchers or beds. The remains of the stands had all but disappeared - vanished or transfigured, probably. She saw Pansy floating by, her leg immobilised. The witch was unconscious, probably stunned. Millicent, bleeding from a cut on her face, was carrying a crying fourth year.
Then she saw Tracey, unconscious as well, on a stretcher, next to a grim looking Professor Snape, stashing an empty vial on his robe.
"Tracey!" she yelled, torn between staying with her sister and checking up on her friend.
Snape turned around, saw her and came over to her. "She will live, Miss Greengrass. Take this!" He pushed a vial into her hand.
"I'm not hurt," she protested. "They are!" Though her wrist was starting to hurt, now that she thought about it. She probably had it sprained.
"You're under shock. Drink this!"
"Oh." She blinked, uncorked the vial and drank its contents. She barely registered how the teacher conjured a stretcher for her while the potion took effect. Much calmer now, she sat down and watched as McGonagall levitated her sister and Tracey away, towards the Infirmary.
Under the influence of the Calming Draught, she didn't react much when Draco started shouting.
"What are you doing here? Trying to finish off those who have survived your attack?"
He was shouting at an older Gryffindor, she realised. A prefect who had come with the teachers, together with other students. Draco had his wand out, too. Aimed at the other.
"Malfoy! Granville!" Snape shouted. "Stash your wands! If I see anyone casting at another student, they'll wish they were dead!" He turned to the Gryffindor. "You can't help here, take the rest of your house back to your dorm and stay there! Everyone! The situation is handled. Go back to your dorms, you can visit the wounded later!"
While her stretcher was floating towards the school, Daphne watched the Gryffindors walk back. And she wondered who among them had done this. Had hurt her sister and her best friend like this.
Hogwarts, September 21st, 1996
Albus Dumbledore watched as Pomona entered his office, the last of the Head of Houses to arrive. The Herbology teacher looked as grim as he felt. This incident - he hoped it was an accident, but knew that it didn't really matter given the circumstances - was a catastrophe, and all teachers were aware of that.
"The students are confined to their dorms," Minerva reported. "The staff is patrolling, to ensure that no one is sneaking out. I've impressed upon the prefects the importance to keep a headcount, and immediately alert us should anyone be missing."
"Thank you, Minerva." Albus sighed. He hoped it would be enough. "I've spoken with Poppy. Of the thirteen students who were injured, nine will be back in their dorm tomorrow. The rest will have to stay a few days longer, mostly for observation."
"And who did this? Who tried to murder my students?" Severus asked in a clipped tone. The wizard was barely keeping control of his temper, Albus knew.
"Their injuries were hardly more serious than what happens in a normal Quidditch match, or so you claimed when Flint put one of my players in the infirmary," Minerva snapped. "I hope you didn't talk like that where your students could overhear you."
"Of course I didn't," Severus snapped back. "But this wasn't some contact sport. Someone sabotaged the stands!"
"It could have been an accident," Filius said. "What did you find out, Albus, while we kept the students under control?"
The Headmaster sighed. "I've investigated the remains of the stands." Those who hadn't been vanished in the rush to save the wounded students. "I've found that the foundations of the support struts have rotted away." He took a deep breath. "We checked the other stands. Those are in a much better condition."
"Sabotage then," Severus hissed. "This was planned."
"If it was planned, then it was remarkably poorly done. The first Quidditch match is scheduled for November 2nd," Albus said. "If the stands had collapsed then…"
Pomona gasped. "It would have been a catastrophe!"
"How was this done?" Filius asked.
"Wood-rotting potion," Albus said.
"There is such a potion?"
"Not exactly. But a mistake while brewing the Cure for Boils can result in that," the former Potions Master explained.
"And that's something first years learn," Minerva said. "It could have been anyone then."
"It would take an effort to create such a potion, and there's still the lack of opportunity . someone had to sneak there and apply it." Severus shook his head.
"I'll be looking further into this, rest assured," Albus said. He had a suspect already, although mentioning this would not be opportune right now. "But for now we have to be even more vigilant, to prevent this incident from starting a war in Hogwarts."
Albus knew he wasn't talking figuratively, or using hyperbole. Things were much worse than he had feared but a few months ago.
But then, he had been thinking that exact thought each day ever since Cornelius had started his attempt to appease the Dark Lord.
Hogwarts, September 22nd, 1996
Albus Dumbledore smiled gently at the young wizard entering his office. "Please take a seat, Mister Banks."
The Gryffindor 3rd year nodded, obviously nervous, and sat down on the edge of the chair in front of the Headmaster's desk.
"Do you know why you have been called to my office?"
"N-No, sir." The boy shook his head several times. "If it's about the broken pot in Herbology… It wasn't my fault."
"It is not about that," Albus said. "You are a good student. Best Gryffindor in your year in Potions for two years, and Professor Slughorn has said you might be the best student in your year." Severus obviously hadn't graded the boy fairly.
"T-thank you, sir." The boy swallowed. Sweatdrops were already visible on his forehead.
Albus didn't like what he was doing, but he had no choice. "Almost as good as Miss Granger was, I believe. Did she tutor you?" He slid his wand out of his sleeve, under his desk, and aimed it at the boy.
That made Banks flinch. "She did tutor all of us, in Potions, in our first year."
"You gave us quite a scare, last week. Disappearing for an hour on your way back from Herbology." Albus shook his head. "We feared the worst, but apparently you simply tried to find Bowtruckles at the edge of the Forbidden Forest."
Banks looked down at his lap, where he was wringing his hands. "I'm sorry, sir. I know I shouldn't have gone into the Forest."
"You shouldn't have. But you didn't go into the forest, did you?"
The boy gasped, and looked at him with wide open eyes, shock written all over his face.
"Legilimens," Albus whispered under his breath. He entered the boy's mind without any problem. He didn't like to violate a student's privacy like that, but he had to know.
"Your kind killed my uncle," whispered Selwyn while the two of them were fetching Doxy Wings from the ingredients cabinet. "I hope all you mudbloods die!" The Slytherin's face showed his hatred.
"Remember: Don't go anywhere alone. The Slytherins are just waiting to catch any of us," Ron Weasley said. "Half of them are just waiting until they are old enough to join the Dark Lord."
"Just wait until we have duels," Rowle whispered when they entered the Defense classroom, "I'll show you a real curse!"
"No, Hermione won't be returning to Hogwarts. The Aurors tried to kill her, and she defended herself, so now she has to hide." Harry Potter shook his head. "It's a bloody shame." He flinched, looking around, and then looked sad.
"I tripped right when I was on top of the stairs!" Anna said, crying and holding her shin. "Must have been a tripping hex," Ginny Weasley said. "Were Slytherins nearby?"
"The Wizengamot wants to kidnap the muggleborn children and send them to prison!" Brown said. "They passed a bill!" "They'll obliviate the parents, so they forget about having had a child," Patil added.
"Bloody mudblood. We'll get you one day!" Selwyn whispered.
Sally-Anne was shaking, trembling, crying without a sound. The other girls of her year were leading her upstairs. One of them, Brown, muttered 'Umbridge'.
"Mudbloods should all be killed, before they murder more of us!" Runcorn said loudly to the other Slytherins while he walked past the Gryffindors on the way to the Greenhouses.
"Draco wanted all of us to die in our second year. When the Basilisk started hunting us, he was cheering," Ron Weasley said. "And he's grown worse since."
"Bloody Goyle almost took my head off with his Beater bat last match we played them," Bell said. "I'm not looking forward to playing them this year, they're all blaming us for the Malfoy Manor attack."
"We need to train and study Defense by ourselves. Snape will favor his own students, just like in Potions last year," Harry Potter said.
He added the lacewings, then overheated the potion. This time, he got it right. The dark liquid didn't look like a Cure for Boils at all. He dunked a wooden spoon into it, to test it. It didn't take long for it to rot.
"You were busy pouring a wood-rotting potion you managed to brew on the Slytherin stands at the Quidditch pitch, weren't you?" Albus said while he skimmed the boy's memories.
Banks started to pant. Tears appeared in his eyes.
"There is no point in lying, Mister Banks. You had the means, and the opportunity. What remains is your motive. What were you hoping to achieve with your act of sabotage?" Albus asked, gently.
"I… I wanted to hurt the Slytherins!" The boy started to cry, but kept talking. "They lorded it over us all last year, took every opportunity to hurt us! And this year, they were even worse. Always telling me to die, to leave, to get away! Always calling me a mudblood! And sneering at us! Everyone knows they want to kill us all!" He sobbed for a few moments. "And their Quidditch team is the worst! They use the game to attack our players, and they are all Death Eaters, like Malfoy!"
"Why did you not wait to use your potion until shortly before the first match?"
He blinked. "I… I just wanted to do something right now. I just wanted to strike back. We've had to take it and take it all the time, especially last year. I couldn't take it anymore!"
He looked down at his lap again, and his shoulders shook as he cried.
Albus sighed. He had found the culprit. His suspicions had been correct. But now he had to decide what to do about it. If he informed the DMLE, the boy would be arrested and put on trial in front of the Wizengamot. They wouldn't see a young boy, they'd see a muggleborn who had attacked purebloods. And in the current climate, he'd be either sent to Azkaban for years, or executed. Not for the first time, Albus wished Wizarding Britain had special provisions for underage criminals, like the muggles. But the closest they had were the rules for underage magic. And that was a special crime only children could commit.
The boy hadn't wanted to kill the Slytherins. He had wanted to hurt them, but he certainly didn't deserve death for this. No, he couldn't deliver the child to the Ministry. Albus shook his head.
But he couldn't cover up the crime either. It hadn't been that hard to find Banks. Severus and Horace would be able to come to the same conclusion, once they remembered the missing Gryffindor from last week. And when the DMLE started investigating, they'd probably use Veritaserum on every muggleborn, glad for the occasion. Or, worse, on Harry and Ron Weasley. Amelia wasn't a fool; she'd suspect those two to be in contact with Miss Granger.
For a brief, horrible moment he contemplated sacrificing the boy anyway. One life against many. One life against the lives of those crucial for Voldemort's defeat. He was ashamed of himself for thinking that.
But he had to find a way to keep the DMLE from interrogating the other students. Amelia was no fool, she'd suspect… that might be the solution! He thought it through a bit longer, while Banks still cried, then nodded.
"Mister Banks."
The boy looked up. "Y-Yes, sir?"
"Obliviate."
"Mister Banks has been obliviated?"
"Yes, Minerva," Albus said. "Quite clumsily, actually." Or so it would seem to anyone checking the boy's memories.
"The brat probably did it himself!" Severus said. "The same happened to that Ravenclaw they executed."
"I assure you, this is quite different. Mister Coke's Obliviation was the result of a sophisticated conditional curse. This here looks like the hasty work of a student. Coupled with the fact that as far as attacks go, this was rather ineffective, I think that the true culprit was a student who did not really wish to harm the Slytherins."
"Wha… are you insinuating that this was done by one of my students?" Severus snarled.
Albus spread his hands. "Not necessarily. Although I cannot help noticing that you jumped to that conclusion right away, instead of assuming that this was the work of someone who wanted to harm your house, but did not wish to seriously hurt anyone." He shook his head. "I'll be taking Mister Banks to the DMLE, so they can check how much of his memories have been wiped."
And so they could find the traces he had left, pointing to Slytherin. Once Severus found the cauldron the potion had been brewed in near the dungeons, clumsily cleaned by Banks himself, that should be enough to redirect the DMLE away from Gryffindor and Harry. And should they insist on questioning the muggleborns or Gryffindors anyway, he'd be able to insist on doing the same to the Slytherins. Which should lead to the investigation being buried instead.
It might even keep the Slytherins from lashing out in anger at the muggleborns and Gryffindors, if they started to suspect that this attack had been the work of one of their own.
Hogwarts, September 23rd, 1996
"They try to kill us, and the teachers protect them! Over a dozen of us almost died!"
Daphne Greengrass rubbed her wrist while she listened to Draco. It wasn't supposed to hurt anymore, and it didn't, not really. But sometimes she thought it did. The wizard was pacing in the middle of the Slytherin common room. She nodded. Astoria had just returned from the infirmary. She had woken up the day before, as had Tracey, but both had had to stay there a day longer, in case there were 'complications'. Daphne had wanted to stay with Astoria, but Pomfrey had sent her away. Forced her to leave her little sister alone!
"The Headmaster said that the Gryffindor had been obliviated, and that it wasn't a real attack," Zabini said.
Daphne knew what the wizard was hinting at - rumours claimed that the real culprit behind the sabotage of the stands was a Slytherin wishing to frame the Gryffindors.
Draco knew it as well. "A baseless rumour meant to divide us. Are you actually believing such slander?"
Zabini shrugged. "As far as assassinations go, it was rather pathetic. Spectacular, yes, but not really that dangerous."
Daphne hissed while Astoria whimpered. Tracey glared at the boy. "Not really that dangerous? Over a dozen of us were in the infirmary! I had to stay several days there! Pansy was bleeding like a stuck pig!"
"Hey!" Pansy huffed at that comparison.
"I've seen worse in Quidditch matches. Or training." Zabini looked at Draco. "That doesn't keep anyone down, unless they want to manipulate the cup."
Draco sneered at the boy. "Are you accusing me of attacking our own house? Of hurting my fellow Slytherins? Harming the Greengrass sisters, who were at my side when my home was destroyed and our families slain?"
Zabini stood his ground. "I'm not accusing anyone. I'm just saying that for the mudbloods that killed so many purebloods, this was a rather tame attack."
Daphne knew that Draco wasn't behind this - he wasn't a good enough actor to fool her. It wasn't his style either. He'd have hexed one of his rivals, maybe Zabini, and framed the Gryffindors for it. She stood up. "Tame? Let me tell you, Zabini, it was anything but tame for those who were up on the stands when they collapsed! You'd not spew such drivel if you had been there, falling down on broken beams and struts!" She sat down again and hugged her sister.
Tracey snarled at Zabini. "I'd like to see you fall down a few yards, and break your legs or arms. Not your head, of course, that's too thick to get damaged by such a fall!"
A few students laughed, though most were glaring at Zabini. The wizard frowned, but didn't retort. Instead he turned around and went to his room.
Draco nodded at Daphne, smiling faintly, then addressed the room again. "We were lucky no one was hurt worse. Or killed. We won't be lucky forever. We have to do something!"
"You said you had a plan!" Nott said. "Nothing came of it, did it?"
"Do you take me for a Gryffindor, to rush things without planning?" Draco scoffed. Daphne knew many thought exactly that of him, but he had changed after his parents' death. "We've been training, and we've been preparing. But this incident has shown us that if we don't do anything, they'll attack us again."
"But who's 'them'? Do you think a third year Gryffindor is responsible?" Tracey asked.
"The mudbloods. Who else would do this?" Draco spat. "They murdered our parents, and now they want to murder us!"
He looked around, at the gathered students.
"We won't let them!"
Hogwarts, September 24th, 1996
Ron Weasley was in the common room, waiting for everyone to gather so they could head down to the Great Hall for lunch, when Lavender and Parvati entered, out of breath.
"There's a big group of Slytherins in the Great Hall," Lavender said, "making a ruckus! They are demanding to talk to the professors."
"We saw them when we were returning from Divination," Parvati added.
Ron nodded. "Good. Don't let anyone leave, I'll be right back!" He ran up the stairs to his room, taking two steps at a time. "Harry!"
His friend was on his bed, sorting his trunk's contents. "What?"
"Check the map - the Slytherins are shouting for the professors in the Great Hall," Ron said.
Harry pulled out the piece of parchment. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."
Ron craned his neck as the map formed. Lots of names were in the Great Hall. "There's Malfoy… Crabbe and Goyle… Parkinson, Davis, Zabini is back there…"
"There's Greengrass, alone," Harry said. "No, it's her sister. Astoria."
"Alone? She's a fourth year... " Ron blinked. Slytherins never left their dorm by themselves. "Where's she going?"
Harry looked at the map. "She's headed to the… side entrance." He looked up. "Our third years are returning from Herbology."
Ron looked at the list of names moving towards the castle. "If they hex her we'll have trouble. The Slytherins are just waiting for that."
"They won't. They know how stupid that would be," Harry said. "Look, Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall are in the Great Hall now. Talking to Malfoy it seems."
"I wonder what this is about," Ron said. "Should we head down? The teachers are there." Which meant the Snakes wouldn't try anything.
"I guess so," Harry said. "We should…"
Ron heard a faint explosion. "What was that?"
"Merlin's Arse! The third years!" Harry exclaimed, staring at the map.
Ron looked down. The Gryffindor third years who had been walking towards the castle, with the 5th year prefects escorting them, were now spread out, and only a few were moving. And Greengrass was running back towards the dungeons.
"Accio Firebolt!" Harry yelled, and his broom flew towards his outstretched hand.
Ron summoned his own broom, while Harry yelled down to the common room "Ginny! Inform the teachers! Something happened to our third years! Outside!"
Ron was already opening the window.
Hogwarts, September 24th, 1996
"It was Greengrass, sir. Astoria Greengrass," Harry Potter said in the Headmaster's office. "She was the only one on the map near them."
Ron, standing next to him, nodded. "I saw it as well."
Harry didn't think either of them would forget the scene they had seen today anytime soon.
He had bent low on his broom as he had flown around the Ravenclaw tower and dived towards the Greenhouses. Almost there…
"Merlin!" He had gasped and slowed down when he had seen the small crater in the middle of the grass, and the students scattered around it. A number had been getting up. The two prefects had been moving already, Dunn kneeling down next to a still body on the ground, Layton running towards one screaming child near the crater.
"Damn!" Ron had caught up to him.
The two had exchanged a glance, then had descended rapidly. Harry had spotted Professor Sprout rushing out of her greenhouse, wand in hand.
"What happened?" the teacher had asked, panting.
"Someone banished a vial at us from the castle. I cast a Shield Charm and it exploded when it hit," Dunn had said. He had looked bruised himself.
Harry and Ron had split up, checking on the third years. Harry had helped a dazed looking but not bleeding girl up. Next to her had been a boy, bleeding from his head, not moving. He had been breathing though.
"Those two need to be carried to the infirmary, at once!" Sprout had yelled, pointing at two bodies, two boys, next to her. Harry and Ron had jumped to it, levitating one each, and straddling their brooms. Then they had flown towards the castle, carefully staying low. Blood dripping from the boy floating next to Harry had left a trail of red spots on the stone floor inside the castle.
Harry shook his head, but the image of the trail of blood stayed with him.
Dumbledore sighed. "I see. I would ask if you are certain, or if the map was working correctly, but I know better." He closed his eyes and Harry was struck by how tired and old the wizard suddenly looked.
"What did the Slytherins in the Great Hall do?" Ron asked.
"They demanded to be able to eat in their dorms, 'separated from those dangerous muggleborns and those students who supported them'," Dumbledore said. "Quite vocally, and maybe a bit too loudly and vehemently. A diversion, I believe."
"Malfoy's plan!" Ron spat. Harry agreed with him - that sounded like a plan Malfoy would try.
"Probably, yes," Dumbledore said. "But it will be hard to prove it to the satisfaction of the DMLE. And nigh-impossible to get the Wizengamot to condemn him."
"What about Greengrass?" Harry asked. She had been the one to actually hurt the students.
The Headmaster frowned. "While I am confident I could talk her into confessing, though I'd have to hint at an ability to track students, I do not think she would be punished either. An orphaned young pureblood witch lashing out at a student that had attacked and hurt her sister and herself?" He shook his head. "While I am loathe to see her avoid the consequences of her actions, I fear that having her accused and then acquitted, would have disastrous repercussions for Hogwarts."
"The Slytherins would see it as permission to attack us," Ron said.
His friend was correct, Harry knew. He ground his teeth. "And we would attack them."
Dumbledore nodded. "The school would be turned into a battleground. We have been fortunate, very fortunate, so far that no one has died. But that will change should things escalate further." He stared at Harry and Ron. "I implore you: Do not strike back. Do not let your friends and housemates strike back."
Harry could understand that request, but at the same time, it galled him. "We can't let them attack us with impunity. Malfoy won't stop. If he gets away with this, he'll do it again."
"I will take steps to stop him and his friends. Trust me."
"How? They managed this, despite your precautions!" Ron leaned forward, his hands digging in his thighs.
"It is better you do not know, Mister Weasley." The Headmaster wryly smiled. "But consider this: The worse things grow, the harder it becomes to keep the DMLE from intervening. Imagine if they interrogated you with Veritaserum. Think of your family and friends."
Harry felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. Hermione! "They would use this to make us betray her?"
"Blimey!" Ron said.
Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed. The DMLE almost certainly suspects that you have not abandoned your friend, though they lack the leverage and proof to move against you."
"We can leave Hogwarts," Harry said. They could hide. Join Hermione. Fight the Death Eaters.
"That is a last resort, Harry. Things are not yet so dire. I remain confident that I can prevent a catastrophe. At least at Hogwarts. But I need your help."
Harry exchanged a look with Ron. His friend ground his teeth, but slowly nodded.
"Alright, Headmaster."
It didn't look like they had a choice. But they'd prepare to flee Hogwarts anyway. Just in case.
Hogwarts, September 24th, 1996
"What happened?"
Ron Weasley winced when the mass of Gryffindor students almost mobbed Harry and him right when they entered the dorms.
Harry shook his head and took a deep breath. "Someone attacked our third years. Threw something at them that exploded."
"What?"
"Are they hurt?"
"Who did it?"
"Cursed Slytherins!"
Harry held up his hands. "Wait, wait! We took them to the infirmary. No one died. The teachers are investigating."
Ron nodded. Though some had looked as if they were dead. Still, and silent. "Until they have found the culprit, we'll have to stay in our dorms."
"What? They're locking us up?"
Ron didn't catch who said this; too many echoed the sentiment. Harry shook his head. "They don't want this to escalate."
"It already escalated!" Neville said.
"They attacked us because Banks sabotaged the stands," McLaggen cut in.
"Shut up, McLaggen!" Katie said. "Banks was obliviated by the real culprit. It was a Slytherin ploy so they could do this to us and claim innocence!"
McLaggen sneered at her. "Of course you'd say that!"
Harry stepped in. "Calm down, everyone! We need to focus on staying safe, not on blaming each other. Dumbledore has the situation in hand."
"Doesn't look like it to me," McLaggen said, scoffing. "Almost thirty students in the infirmary within a few days? Dumbledore's losing it."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Katie said. "You'd like the Dark Lord to take over, huh?"
"Do you want us to attack the Slytherins so the Ministry can sack Dumbledore?" Harry said. "Is that your plan?"
"What?" McLaggen stared at him as the rest of the students started whispering and muttering. "No!"
No one was listening to him though, and with a curse, he pushed his way through the throng of students and all but fled to his room. Ron watched him go while Harry once again told the students to stay in their dorms and not attack anyone.
A tug on his sleeve made him turn around. Ginny was there. "Do you think McLaggen is working for the Dark Lord?" she whispered.
He shrugged. "I don't know. A bit far-fetched, I reckon, but it got the rest to stand down. We'll have to watch him though."
His little sister nodded. "I've been keeping an eye on the map. All students are inside their dorms. If they leave, we'll know."
"Good. We'll need to have someone watch the map all the time. There's more though." He looked around. Harry still had the attention of most of their house, but Lavender was looking at Ron. "We'll need to talk about that privately."
An hour later, Ron, Harry and Ginny were sitting together in a corner. Things had finally calmed down to the point where there was no chance of the house storming out to attack the Slytherin dungeons, or to lynch suspected traitors in their midsts. Lavender was still watching them, or Ron - he couldn't tell - but they had been given space enough to cast a privacy spell.
"So… what did you want to talk about?" Ginny asked, looking from Harry to him and back.
"We might have to flee Hogwarts, should the DMLE come down on Dumbledore," Harry said.
"What?" Ginny gasped.
"They might use any pretext to interrogate us with Veritaserum. We can't risk that," Harry said.
"But…" Ginny trailed off and Ron knew she had understood they couldn't risk anyone finding out about the meetings with Hermione. "Oh."
He nodded at his sister. "We'll need to be prepared to flee at a moment's notice."
"Does that include me?" Ginny said. She sounded almost afraid, but Ron couldn't tell if she wanted to come with them, or wanted to stay. She was supposed to have gotten over her crush on Harry, hadn't she?
"You don't know what we know." Ron shook his head. His sister wouldn't come with them. Mum would flip, and she was too young for this. "And someone needs to stay at Hogwarts. With the map."
"I can't do much by myself," she countered.
"That's why we need more people. People we can trust not to betray us," Harry said. "But apart from Katie and you, we're a bit stuck."
"Last year, I'd have picked the Quidditch team," Ron said, "but apart from us and Katie, all of them are new this year." He looked at Ginny. "Do you trust your dorm mates?"
Ginny hesitated, and Ron winced. Then he glanced at Lavender again. The girl was chatting with Parvati now.
"I think it's best to pick a few students we can trust not to betray our house, but don't tell them about the rest," Harry said.
Ron nodded. That sounded like a good idea. "The prefects. We need them anyway to protect the rest." And to keep them from going out of control.
Harry and Ginny nodded. Ron's sister then took a deep breath. "Do you really think you'll have to flee?"
Harry sighed. Ron shrugged. "I hope we'll not have to, but… things haven't been going well for over a year now, have they?"
"Will you be joining…" She looked around.
"Don't know," Ron said. When she looked at him, flinching, he added. "I really don't know."
But if they did join Hermione, should they flee, he'd not tell her either. For her and their safety.
Harry stood up. "Let's go and talk to Katie, and the prefects."
Hogwarts, September 24th, 1996
"I'm telling you, next time I see the twins, I'll give them a piece of my mind!" Katie said, shaking her head. "Claiming they were just that sneaky, while they had this to help them!" Most of the prefects agreed with her, chuckling. Jokes about not having to check all cupboards anymore had already made the round. Hopefully, they'd keep the map a secret, but even if they didn't - keeping the school safe was more important than keeping the map secret.
Ron himself was headed to his room. With everyone confined to the dorms, and lessons suspended until further notice, there wasn't much to do, no prefects patrols either, and he could use the opportunity to pack a bag, just in case he had to leave in a hurry.
He was halfway up the stairs when he heard someone running behind him. He whirled around, drawing his wand, and almost cursed a gasping Lavender.
He lowered his wand. "Why'd you run up the stairs?" To the boys' rooms, even.
She was slightly out of breath. "I need to talk to you. Privately."
Ron hesitated for a moment, wondering why she hadn't asked him in the common room, then nodded. "Alright. We can use the third years' room."
The room was messy, and empty - all of the occupants were in the infirmary still. He closed the door and cast a privacy spell, then turned back to the witch, who was standing in the middle of the room, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and back.
"Why did you tell us of this map?" she suddenly asked.
He was briefly confused. "The twins kept it a secret so they could pull of their pranks more easily. We kind of kept it a secret after they handed it to Harry. You know the things that happened at Hogwarts to him." And to Ron, and Hermione.
"I know that. But I'm asking why you told us the secret now." Lavender stared at him. "You could have kept it a secret among you, Harry, and Ginny. Maybe Katie too."
She was right, of course. He shrugged. "It's better if more people can keep watch. We're all in this together."
"Do you trust us that much then?"
"We'd not have shown you the map otherwise." Ron told himself he wasn't lying. If they truly didn't trust the prefects, they would have looked for others to help out.
Lavender smiled faintly. "You know, I had a crush on you last year."
Ron nodded. Even he had noticed that.
"You turned me down though."
He hadn't turned her down, technically. Not out loud. Just… ignored her hints. He still nodded in agreement.
"Because you had a crush on Hermione." She was looking straight into his eyes.
Ron could claim that just because he hadn't wanted to start something with her didn't mean he had a crush on someone else. But she was right. He had a crush on his best female friend. "Yes."
"Did she turn you down?"
He winced. He hadn't told her. Hadn't realised, really, until she had gone home, had to go into hiding.
Lavender must have misread his expression since she smiled and moved closer to him. "Well, I still have a crush on you." She reached out with her hand to his chest.
Ron shook his head. "I never told her."
The witch stopped, her arm dropping. Then she straightened. "Are you still carrying a torch for her? She's gone." She didn't add 'And I'm still here', but her stance and expression said enough.
Ron sighed. He couldn't tell her that he saw her each day in the enchanted mirror. "I'm still… you know. Sorry."
Lavender pouted, then slowly nodded. "Alright. But if you ever get over her…" she nodded again, turned around and left.
Ron wasn't certain if she had had tears in her eyes or if that had been a trick of the light. He felt bad anyway.
Cumbria, Britain, September 25th, 1996
Hermione Granger struggled and sweated despite the cool weather. Running through the forest, loaded down with her rifle and an RPG-7 weighing fifteen pounds by itself was exhausting. Though after almost four weeks of intensive training, she was in the best shape of her life. Which, sadly, didn't mean that much given that she had never been that interested in sports.
"Come on, Missy! There's an APC barrelling down this road, and if you can't set up an ambush in time, all your friends will be killed!" the Sergeant shouted at her.
Snarling, she sped up, jumping over a root and almost losing her footing when the ground was softer than she had expected. She ran on though, pushing herself until she felt like puking when she dropped in the ditch near the old logging road that cut through the forest, but she managed to prepare the RPG-7 for firing.
"There's the target! Fire!"
She got on her knees, the launcher on her shoulder, sighted down the road, and sent the training grenade flying at the canvas target raised there. As she had been told to, she didn't stay and watch if she hit, but dropped into the ditch and started to crawl away as fast as possible.
"That's a hit. Barely, but you did hit it." The Sergeant's tone carried some grudging respect, or so Hermione liked to think while she lay there, panting, on the ground, once again covered with mud.
"Alright. Head back to the camp before you die here, and send the next one up."
"Yes, Sarge!" she said, a far cry from her usual yell, and shambled off.
She felt better when she reached the camp and handed the RPG-7 to Seamus. "Here! Your turn to blow a vehicle up."
Seamus grinned. "It's not fun unless it's a real explosion."
She waved him off and walked to the 'fridge' with the drinks, grabbing two sodas and a sandwich, then fell more than sat down next to the camp fire, though still ensuring that her rifle wasn't stuck in the ground. Such habits all of them had picked up quickly.
"You look like you could use a break for a week."
Hermione looked up from her meal at Allan. After swallowing the bite in her mouth, she answered: "I'm OK. How are you doing?"
He shrugged. "So far 'sniper training' is just long-range target shooting. I do well though." He grinned. "I don't have to run as much as the others either."
She nodded, bit off and swallowed another chunk of ham and bread, then asked: "How's Justin doing?"
Allan frowned for a second. "He's doing well. He has some prior experience with hunting, I think."
Hermione knew that already. She shrugged, dropping her empty bottle in the container with the rest. "That won't help with sniping. Or so I understand, from what I read. I guess I'll find out in the afternoon." She'd have her own shot at sniper training then. Or what kind of training you could get in an afternoon. Even a week was far too short to become a real sniper. But… the boys had insisted on it. She knew that the same was true for their entire training - they barely knew enough to use the weapons, but they were far from being really competent.
"I've been wondering… you're the only one who doesn't focus on something. You've been trying out every weapon they brought to us. Why?" Allan sat down next to her.
She snorted. "I could say that I don't want to miss out on anything, but the truth is that I can't really make good plans if I don't have an idea about the different weapons and tactics." In the middle of a battle, she'd not be able to ask for advice from an expert.
"I see." He sounded angry for a moment, but when she turned her head to look at him, he was smiling. "I should have known you'd think like this."
Grinning at him, she nodded. "Yes, you should have." Rubbing her thighs, she added: "I'll be glad when we're back in London. Normal clothes are starting to feel weird."
He laughed. "I felt that way after my first year at Hogwarts. Wearing jeans was weird after a year in robes."
She smirked. "I just wore dresses more than trousers. But I know what you mean."
Allan jerked when the staccato sound of a light machine gun broke the brief silence. Hermione shook her head. "Dean's still not firing short bursts. Too many damn movies, as the Major would say. He will be shouting at him, right now."
As if on cue, the sound stopped. Hermione stood up. "Time to head to the range."
"Have fun," Allan said, waving at her.
She snorted, then realised, walking to the improvised range, that she was having fun. Shaking her head, she muttered: "If I don't pay attention, I'll start to prefer the gym over the library!"
And that was a horrible thought.
Hogwarts, September 28th, 1996
Daphne Greengrass knew something terrible had happened as soon as she saw Draco's expression when he entered the Slytherin common room. When the wizard made a beeline to her and cast a privacy spell, she felt her stomach drop.
"Daphne, we've got a problem," Draco said, without preamble.
"What happened?" Hadn't he simply gone to meet their Head of House? Crabbe and Goyle had remained behind - at the entrance, guarding it, she noted. "Did they find out about Astoria?"
"They know it's her."
Daphne gasped, and stood up. She needed to obliviate her sister to protect her.
Draco grabbed her hand. "Wait! That's not the thing I'm worried about."
"What?"
"The Wizengamot would never punish her for striking back against those mudbloods and blood traitors who tried to kill her," Draco said. "And Dumbledore can't punish her past a slap on the wrist without the Ministry getting involved." He shook his head. "No, the problem is that the Gryffindors have a way to track everyone of us! Even inside our dorms!"
She froze. "That's impossible."
"It's not. I have heard this from a trusted source, and I have been able to validate it from another." Draco shook his head. "But it gets worse. Someone is trying to frame us for sabotaging our own stands. They found some 'evidence' of brewing a rotting potion near our dorms. One of them tries to kill us, and Dumbledore blames us!"
"Does Dumbledore actually believe that?" The Headmaster couldn't be that gullible, Daphne thought. That was a ploy that anyone should have seen through.
"Of course not! He knows it's a lie, but it allows him to protect his precious Gryffindors. They can do anything to us now, between the tracking and Dumbledore's protection!"
Daphne swallowed. If they wanted revenge… if the Headmaster let them attack Astoria, knowing he couldn't punish her… They could track them, plan ambushes with overwhelming force. "But… it's Dumbledore! He wouldn't let them do that!"
"He's been trying to get the Ministry to declare war on the Dark Lord for over a year, despite the Lord's attempts to make peace. And he knows the Wizengamot won't condemn any of us." Draco sounded grim.
"Merlin's ghost!" Daphne was shaking now.
"He tried to make the Minister pardon the mudbloods! Even Granger, who murdered an Auror!" Draco shook his head. "Hogwarts is not safe anymore. I was a fool to come here in the first place. If I had known all of this beforehand..."
And she had been a fool to listen to him, and let Astoria attack the Gryffindors, Daphne thought. But that couldn't be changed anymore. "You plan to leave then."
He nodded. "And you and Astoria should come with us. The blood traitors will attack you."
"Us?" she asked.
"Me, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Theo. A few others." He looked around, scowling when he saw Zabini. That student wouldn't be coming with them, Daphne knew.
But should she join Draco? He had made a compelling case. Dumbledore was protecting murderers like Granger, her uncle had told her about the Headmaster's statements in the Wizengamot. And he was protecting the Gryffindor who had hurt her sister and so many others. No, she couldn't stay, she couldn't protect Astoria if they remained at Hogwarts.
"I'll talk to Tracey and my sister. When do you leave?"
"There's a staff meeting after dinner. We'll leave the dorms together and fly away on brooms, until we can apparate or reach a Floo connection. The Gryffindors won't be able to catch us if we're quick enough."
Daphne nodded. Snape was helping them, obviously, by passing this information to Draco. They could do it.
"We'll be ready."
She nodded at him, then went to find her sister, and her best friend. They didn't have much time.
London, Knockturn Alley, September 28th, 1996
Brenda Brocktuckle almost wished she was back on 'punishment detail' and patrolling Knockturn Alley. Waiting day after day in this flat for the mudbloods to attack Beckett was tiresome. Boring. Frustrating.
"Pointless," she muttered.
"What?" Martin Runcorn looked up from his book.
"Nothing. Just commenting on the sense of our mission here." Brenda sighed and returned her attention to the potions shop.
"You don't think the muggleborns will come?" her partner asked.
"I think they won't do anything as long as we're ready for them," Brenda said, cynically. "They have the advantage - they can choose where they will strike. We have to defend an entire country."
"We have more people to do it though," Martin said.
"We'll see how long they'll last when the first ambushes happen." Brenda scoffed. "That was how it was in the last war. Aurors were getting ambushed when they reacted to a call for help. The mudbloods will do the same. And with their 'bombs'... we'll have to be very careful when apparating in response to an alert."
Martin winced. "That's true."
Brenda snorted. "Some are already deserting. Have you heard of Smith?"
"Smith?"
"Vanished during a patrol in Diagon Alley. His partner had to go, and when he returned, Smith had vanished. Witnesses claim he stepped into a side alley, but they didn't find any trace there." Brenda shook her head. "Bloody coward."
"He could have been attacked and kidnapped," Martin said.
She snorted. "If he was, then we'd have heard of demands made by the kidnappers, or found his body parts strewn over an alley or field. No, the guy was too afraid to face mudbloods and Death Eaters, and ran."
Martin didn't sound convinced. "I know him. I was with him in training. He didn't strike me as a coward or deserter."
Brenda grinned, without a trace of humour though. "Training is training. You don't really know a wizard or witch until they've been in a fight. Or faced one, and ran."
"Maybe."
The rookie was still too inexperienced, Brenda knew. But he wouldn't run or desert. "Maybe we should take Beckett in. Arrest him for the shady ingredients in his storage room," she mused. That would end the mission. Beckett would be safe in a Ministry cell, even.
"That would be a poor repayment for his loyalty," Martin cut in.
"Not if it serves to protect him from the mudbloods." She glanced back and saw his expression. "You don't like taking mudbloods in for their own protection?"
"Taking them in against their will is a bit much."
"You've got a talent for diplomacy. Of course it's for our own protection as much as theirs." Brenda certainly didn't want to end up like Lucius Malfoy, bombed to death by mudbloods.
"Beckett wouldn't work out though - they want him dead." Martin shook his head.
"Spoil my perfect 'please everyone' solution, will you?" She chuckled. "Just for that, you can take your turn at the window early."
Martin grumbled and took her place at the window while Brenda sat down on the couch. At least they were not out there, trying to arrest more muggleborns for the Ministry. That could be dangerous - a few Aurors had ended up in St. Mungo's so far. No fatalities. Yet.
Hogwarts, September 28th, 1996
"Harry! Come quickly!"
Harry Potter shot up from his seat in the common room when Ginny called him. She had been with Katie, watching the map. That meant something was up.
He rushed to her, casting a privacy spell. "What's happening?
She pointed at the map on the table. "Look! The Slytherins are moving, a lot of them!"
"Half their house, I think," Katie said. "Mostly the older students. And most of the teachers are in that meeting."
Harry cursed. If they were attacking now… "Get the lower years in their dorms, and call the older years down. We'll be ready." He had to alert Dumbledore too.
"They're running. Up the stairs… They're not headed towards us. They're headed towards the gate!" Katie said, looking at him.
Ron arrived. "What's going on?"
Harry nodded at the map. "It looks like the Slytherins are fleeing from Hogwarts."
"Good riddance?" his friend asked.
Harry winced. He wasn't quite certain this was a good thing.
Cumbria, Britain, September 29th, 1996
"Hermione? Are you still awake?"
That sounded like Allan. Hermione stood up from her bed and walked to the door of her room. Allan was indeed standing in the entrance of the Wizarding tent, in front of her door.
She opened the door, and waved him inside. "Come in."
He stepped inside, raising an eyebrow when he saw her. "Were you already asleep?" he asked, gesturing to her tank top and shorts. He was still in fatigues, clean ones.
Hermione shook her head. "I was in bed, but reading." She grinned. "I'd not have answered the door otherwise. So, what brings you to my room past midnight?" The group had spent an hour discussing the news that most of House Slytherin had left Hogwarts, after Harry and Ron had informed her. Allan had wanted to hunt down Malfoy right away.
He sat down on her bed. "We've had some differences lately, as you know."
She made a sort-of-agreeing noise. His insistence on taking action prematurely had been irritating, if she was honest.
"I don't want this to come between us," he said. "We're all on the same side." Allan smiled at her.
She nodded and sat down next to him on the bed. "We are, yes. And I don't want to argue with you either." Or with anyone else. But she had to, to prevent potentially fatal mistakes. "Why are you so eager to attack anyway?" She quickly added: "I'm just wondering."
He looked grim. "It's for Martin. He was a good friend of mine, and he died because of that traitor. I can't stand the thought of Martin being dead, and his killer walking around." Allan ground his teeth. "I want to avenge him, and make certain that no one else will betray us again." He sighed. "I'm sorry if I made you angry."
Hermione smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm not angry. I understand what you're feeling." If Harry or Ron had been murdered, she'd feel the same. Or worse. "I'm just trying to keep us from being too hasty. We're almost done with our training here. We'll get Beckett, trust me."
He put his hand on her hand, squeezing gently. "Thank you." He smiled at her.
Hermione smiled back. "That's what friends do."
Allan nodded. He looked at her without saying anything for a moment. "Can I ask you something personal?"
Hermione nodded. "Of course."
He leaned towards her, his eyes not leaving hers. "Are you in a relationship with Potter or Weasley?"
Hermione blinked. That was more personal than she had expected. And why would he ask that? Was he.... suddenly, she was all too aware of their situation: Both sitting on her bed, their legs touching, and her in just a top and shorts… Had she unintentionally led him on? She shook her head, saw him starting to smile, and quickly said. "I'm not involved with anyone. I can't, anyway. There is so much to do for the Resistance." She smiled at him, hoping he'd understand.
He nodded, a bit stiffly. He had understood, then. "That's true. I better let you get some rest. Good night, Hermione."
"Good night, Allan."
She waited until he had left before closing her eyes and sighing, laying down on her bed.
That could have gone better.
London, Diagon Alley, September 29th, 1996
Auror Karen Blinings hated the midnight to morning shift. But as one of the youngest Aurors, she was guaranteed to be on it. An older Auror had told her that it was usually an easy shift - not much happened when everyone was in bed. A peaceful patrol almost every time.
That had been before the mudbloods and the Death Eaters started their wars against the Ministry. Nowadays, Karen dreaded that patrol. Every dark corner or alley could hide an enemy. At least she wasn't alone, but had a partner. She looked at him. Jacob Parker had been in the same year as her at Hogwarts, but they hadn't had much contact, not with him in Ravenclaw and her in Hufflepuff. They had become friends during training though, and had been on the same assignment since then.
"Imperio! Kill him!"
Jacob gasped, drawing his wand. He was too slow to stop her though - and he had been looking for the caster of the Imperius at first. Karen's Reductor Curse blew his wand and hand up, splattering blood all over her and him. He opened his mouth, but she couldn't hear him scream. Silenced, probably. It didn't matter. Her next spell drilled a hole in his head and he dropped.
"Walk into that Alley and wait for me at the end!"
She nodded and started walking into the side alley the man had pointed out to her, ignoring the Vanishing Charms and other spells cast behind her. She had an order, and would obey.
She didn't have to wait for long. The other wizard came and bound her with conjured ropes, then silenced her. Then he ended the Imperius.
Karen wanted to scream, but no sound left her mouth. She had killed her partner! Her friend! She panted, crying, and looked at the man who had forced her to do this. Her eyes widened when the wizard pulled his hood back. She knew that man! From Hogwarts. Had to be a Ravenclaw. What had been his name again?
"Hello there!" The wizard student smiled. "Shouldn't have joined the Aurors. Now you've killed your partner. But don't worry - he'll get even."
What was he talking about? Jacob was dead!
The man brandished a club to her. A club in the same color as her own robes. She stared at it, then at the man. The wizard nodded. "I transfigured his corpse into a club. You'll be beaten to death with your murdered partner."
The wizard's smile widened as he lifted the club over his head. "But don't worry - no one will ever find your bodies."
Then the club came down, and once more Karen wanted to scream, but couldn't. By the time she died, her throat was raw.
'It is obvious that at the time it was proposed, the majority of the members of the Wizengamot realised just what the true purpose of the so-called 'Muggleborn Infant Protection Bill' was - those who voted for it on behalf of the Dark Lord, and those following Dumbledore's lead. Significantly fewer would have been able to predict the consequences of passing that bill. The realisation that the Wizengamot was trying to take the weakest muggleborns, the children not yet old enough to attend Hogwarts, hostage, outraged and radicalised many who had been holding out hope for a reconciliation. It is quite clear that the mere act of passing that bill, even though Albus Dumbledore had already taken action to remove the children from the reach of the Ministry, caused the opposite effect of what many of its, in hindsight naive, supporters in the Ministry had hoped for. Instead of less violence it caused more. Worthy of special attention is that while many historians correctly assume that the events at Hogwarts that followed had been inevitable from the start, it is evident that the 'Muggleborn Infant Protection Bill' certainly hastened those events along by a great deal.'
- Excerpt from 'The Second Blood War' by Hyacinth Selwyn
*****
Hogwarts, September 21st, 1996
Daphne Greengrass screamed when she felt the boards she was standing on tilting and almost lost her balance. She grabbed her sister and tried to drag her forward, to the lowest row of the stands, while behind and to their side more students screamed in terror as they started to slip and fall down. The entire row of seats Daphne had been on broke up as if a giant had snapped it - one part dropping down, the other snapping up. Next to her, Tracey cried out and Astoria shrieked, but all Daphne could think of was to reach that lowest row, two yards away, before everything broke down.
She reached it and grabbed the railing with one hand, just as the bottom started to break away. Tracey had disappeared, but she still held Astoria's hand as they started to fall. For a moment, she managed to stop their descent, holding on to the railing and to her sister, then Astoria's hand was ripped out of her grip, and Daphne could just scream in horror as her sister fell, landing on a crumpled row of seats.
"Astoria!"
Her sister didn't answer. Daphne spotted more students nearby, some half-buried under the remains of the stands, many of them screaming for help. Pansy was screeching like a banshee, her leg impaled on a broken piece of wood, blood flowing between her hands.
"Astoria!"
Was that blood beneath her sister's body? Daphne was trying to pull herself up, so she could use her wand, but she was too weak. She felt her grip weaken; she couldn't hold on much longer, and her feet couldn't find any purchase to climb down.
"Daphne!"
She looked up. Draco was flying towards her, his hand reaching for her. He grabbed her around the waist before she lost her grip, and then steered his broom down.
"Astoria! She fell!"
"Hold on!" Draco yelled, landing next to the mass of wood and canvas.
Daphne saw that the entire Quidditch team was above them. Urquhart yelled: "Malfoy! Fly to the castle and alert the teachers and Pomfrey! Go!"
Draco hesitated for a moment, then cursed and mounted his broom, racing towards the school. Daphne stumbled on, climbing through broken beams and poles, crawling over scattered seats and under ripped canvas, until she reached her sister. Astoria wasn't moving. And there was blood dripping from the board she was lying on! But she was breathing! Daphne hugged her, crying, and simply held her.
Soon afterwards, help arrived. The teachers - and other students. She yelled: "Astoria here needs help! She's bleeding!", repeating herself until McGonagall, riding a broom, landed next to her.
With a flick of her wand, the old witch transfigured the broken stands around them into a bed for Astoria, then ran her wand over the Slytherin.
"Professor! She's bleeding!" Daphne panted, tears running down her cheeks.
"Calm down, Miss Greengrass!" McGonagall said. "She's not too badly hurt. I've stopped the bleeding, and Madam Pomfrey will fix her up as soon as she can."
"As soon as she can?" Daphne was about to protest, then she remembered the other students. Tracey! She looked up, and gaped. All around her, people were moving wounded students on floating stretchers or beds. The remains of the stands had all but disappeared - vanished or transfigured, probably. She saw Pansy floating by, her leg immobilised. The witch was unconscious, probably stunned. Millicent, bleeding from a cut on her face, was carrying a crying fourth year.
Then she saw Tracey, unconscious as well, on a stretcher, next to a grim looking Professor Snape, stashing an empty vial on his robe.
"Tracey!" she yelled, torn between staying with her sister and checking up on her friend.
Snape turned around, saw her and came over to her. "She will live, Miss Greengrass. Take this!" He pushed a vial into her hand.
"I'm not hurt," she protested. "They are!" Though her wrist was starting to hurt, now that she thought about it. She probably had it sprained.
"You're under shock. Drink this!"
"Oh." She blinked, uncorked the vial and drank its contents. She barely registered how the teacher conjured a stretcher for her while the potion took effect. Much calmer now, she sat down and watched as McGonagall levitated her sister and Tracey away, towards the Infirmary.
Under the influence of the Calming Draught, she didn't react much when Draco started shouting.
"What are you doing here? Trying to finish off those who have survived your attack?"
He was shouting at an older Gryffindor, she realised. A prefect who had come with the teachers, together with other students. Draco had his wand out, too. Aimed at the other.
"Malfoy! Granville!" Snape shouted. "Stash your wands! If I see anyone casting at another student, they'll wish they were dead!" He turned to the Gryffindor. "You can't help here, take the rest of your house back to your dorm and stay there! Everyone! The situation is handled. Go back to your dorms, you can visit the wounded later!"
While her stretcher was floating towards the school, Daphne watched the Gryffindors walk back. And she wondered who among them had done this. Had hurt her sister and her best friend like this.
*****
Hogwarts, September 21st, 1996
Albus Dumbledore watched as Pomona entered his office, the last of the Head of Houses to arrive. The Herbology teacher looked as grim as he felt. This incident - he hoped it was an accident, but knew that it didn't really matter given the circumstances - was a catastrophe, and all teachers were aware of that.
"The students are confined to their dorms," Minerva reported. "The staff is patrolling, to ensure that no one is sneaking out. I've impressed upon the prefects the importance to keep a headcount, and immediately alert us should anyone be missing."
"Thank you, Minerva." Albus sighed. He hoped it would be enough. "I've spoken with Poppy. Of the thirteen students who were injured, nine will be back in their dorm tomorrow. The rest will have to stay a few days longer, mostly for observation."
"And who did this? Who tried to murder my students?" Severus asked in a clipped tone. The wizard was barely keeping control of his temper, Albus knew.
"Their injuries were hardly more serious than what happens in a normal Quidditch match, or so you claimed when Flint put one of my players in the infirmary," Minerva snapped. "I hope you didn't talk like that where your students could overhear you."
"Of course I didn't," Severus snapped back. "But this wasn't some contact sport. Someone sabotaged the stands!"
"It could have been an accident," Filius said. "What did you find out, Albus, while we kept the students under control?"
The Headmaster sighed. "I've investigated the remains of the stands." Those who hadn't been vanished in the rush to save the wounded students. "I've found that the foundations of the support struts have rotted away." He took a deep breath. "We checked the other stands. Those are in a much better condition."
"Sabotage then," Severus hissed. "This was planned."
"If it was planned, then it was remarkably poorly done. The first Quidditch match is scheduled for November 2nd," Albus said. "If the stands had collapsed then…"
Pomona gasped. "It would have been a catastrophe!"
"How was this done?" Filius asked.
"Wood-rotting potion," Albus said.
"There is such a potion?"
"Not exactly. But a mistake while brewing the Cure for Boils can result in that," the former Potions Master explained.
"And that's something first years learn," Minerva said. "It could have been anyone then."
"It would take an effort to create such a potion, and there's still the lack of opportunity . someone had to sneak there and apply it." Severus shook his head.
"I'll be looking further into this, rest assured," Albus said. He had a suspect already, although mentioning this would not be opportune right now. "But for now we have to be even more vigilant, to prevent this incident from starting a war in Hogwarts."
Albus knew he wasn't talking figuratively, or using hyperbole. Things were much worse than he had feared but a few months ago.
But then, he had been thinking that exact thought each day ever since Cornelius had started his attempt to appease the Dark Lord.
*****
Hogwarts, September 22nd, 1996
Albus Dumbledore smiled gently at the young wizard entering his office. "Please take a seat, Mister Banks."
The Gryffindor 3rd year nodded, obviously nervous, and sat down on the edge of the chair in front of the Headmaster's desk.
"Do you know why you have been called to my office?"
"N-No, sir." The boy shook his head several times. "If it's about the broken pot in Herbology… It wasn't my fault."
"It is not about that," Albus said. "You are a good student. Best Gryffindor in your year in Potions for two years, and Professor Slughorn has said you might be the best student in your year." Severus obviously hadn't graded the boy fairly.
"T-thank you, sir." The boy swallowed. Sweatdrops were already visible on his forehead.
Albus didn't like what he was doing, but he had no choice. "Almost as good as Miss Granger was, I believe. Did she tutor you?" He slid his wand out of his sleeve, under his desk, and aimed it at the boy.
That made Banks flinch. "She did tutor all of us, in Potions, in our first year."
"You gave us quite a scare, last week. Disappearing for an hour on your way back from Herbology." Albus shook his head. "We feared the worst, but apparently you simply tried to find Bowtruckles at the edge of the Forbidden Forest."
Banks looked down at his lap, where he was wringing his hands. "I'm sorry, sir. I know I shouldn't have gone into the Forest."
"You shouldn't have. But you didn't go into the forest, did you?"
The boy gasped, and looked at him with wide open eyes, shock written all over his face.
"Legilimens," Albus whispered under his breath. He entered the boy's mind without any problem. He didn't like to violate a student's privacy like that, but he had to know.
"Your kind killed my uncle," whispered Selwyn while the two of them were fetching Doxy Wings from the ingredients cabinet. "I hope all you mudbloods die!" The Slytherin's face showed his hatred.
"Remember: Don't go anywhere alone. The Slytherins are just waiting to catch any of us," Ron Weasley said. "Half of them are just waiting until they are old enough to join the Dark Lord."
"Just wait until we have duels," Rowle whispered when they entered the Defense classroom, "I'll show you a real curse!"
"No, Hermione won't be returning to Hogwarts. The Aurors tried to kill her, and she defended herself, so now she has to hide." Harry Potter shook his head. "It's a bloody shame." He flinched, looking around, and then looked sad.
"I tripped right when I was on top of the stairs!" Anna said, crying and holding her shin. "Must have been a tripping hex," Ginny Weasley said. "Were Slytherins nearby?"
"The Wizengamot wants to kidnap the muggleborn children and send them to prison!" Brown said. "They passed a bill!" "They'll obliviate the parents, so they forget about having had a child," Patil added.
"Bloody mudblood. We'll get you one day!" Selwyn whispered.
Sally-Anne was shaking, trembling, crying without a sound. The other girls of her year were leading her upstairs. One of them, Brown, muttered 'Umbridge'.
"Mudbloods should all be killed, before they murder more of us!" Runcorn said loudly to the other Slytherins while he walked past the Gryffindors on the way to the Greenhouses.
"Draco wanted all of us to die in our second year. When the Basilisk started hunting us, he was cheering," Ron Weasley said. "And he's grown worse since."
"Bloody Goyle almost took my head off with his Beater bat last match we played them," Bell said. "I'm not looking forward to playing them this year, they're all blaming us for the Malfoy Manor attack."
"We need to train and study Defense by ourselves. Snape will favor his own students, just like in Potions last year," Harry Potter said.
He added the lacewings, then overheated the potion. This time, he got it right. The dark liquid didn't look like a Cure for Boils at all. He dunked a wooden spoon into it, to test it. It didn't take long for it to rot.
"You were busy pouring a wood-rotting potion you managed to brew on the Slytherin stands at the Quidditch pitch, weren't you?" Albus said while he skimmed the boy's memories.
Banks started to pant. Tears appeared in his eyes.
"There is no point in lying, Mister Banks. You had the means, and the opportunity. What remains is your motive. What were you hoping to achieve with your act of sabotage?" Albus asked, gently.
"I… I wanted to hurt the Slytherins!" The boy started to cry, but kept talking. "They lorded it over us all last year, took every opportunity to hurt us! And this year, they were even worse. Always telling me to die, to leave, to get away! Always calling me a mudblood! And sneering at us! Everyone knows they want to kill us all!" He sobbed for a few moments. "And their Quidditch team is the worst! They use the game to attack our players, and they are all Death Eaters, like Malfoy!"
"Why did you not wait to use your potion until shortly before the first match?"
He blinked. "I… I just wanted to do something right now. I just wanted to strike back. We've had to take it and take it all the time, especially last year. I couldn't take it anymore!"
He looked down at his lap again, and his shoulders shook as he cried.
Albus sighed. He had found the culprit. His suspicions had been correct. But now he had to decide what to do about it. If he informed the DMLE, the boy would be arrested and put on trial in front of the Wizengamot. They wouldn't see a young boy, they'd see a muggleborn who had attacked purebloods. And in the current climate, he'd be either sent to Azkaban for years, or executed. Not for the first time, Albus wished Wizarding Britain had special provisions for underage criminals, like the muggles. But the closest they had were the rules for underage magic. And that was a special crime only children could commit.
The boy hadn't wanted to kill the Slytherins. He had wanted to hurt them, but he certainly didn't deserve death for this. No, he couldn't deliver the child to the Ministry. Albus shook his head.
But he couldn't cover up the crime either. It hadn't been that hard to find Banks. Severus and Horace would be able to come to the same conclusion, once they remembered the missing Gryffindor from last week. And when the DMLE started investigating, they'd probably use Veritaserum on every muggleborn, glad for the occasion. Or, worse, on Harry and Ron Weasley. Amelia wasn't a fool; she'd suspect those two to be in contact with Miss Granger.
For a brief, horrible moment he contemplated sacrificing the boy anyway. One life against many. One life against the lives of those crucial for Voldemort's defeat. He was ashamed of himself for thinking that.
But he had to find a way to keep the DMLE from interrogating the other students. Amelia was no fool, she'd suspect… that might be the solution! He thought it through a bit longer, while Banks still cried, then nodded.
"Mister Banks."
The boy looked up. "Y-Yes, sir?"
"Obliviate."
*****
"Mister Banks has been obliviated?"
"Yes, Minerva," Albus said. "Quite clumsily, actually." Or so it would seem to anyone checking the boy's memories.
"The brat probably did it himself!" Severus said. "The same happened to that Ravenclaw they executed."
"I assure you, this is quite different. Mister Coke's Obliviation was the result of a sophisticated conditional curse. This here looks like the hasty work of a student. Coupled with the fact that as far as attacks go, this was rather ineffective, I think that the true culprit was a student who did not really wish to harm the Slytherins."
"Wha… are you insinuating that this was done by one of my students?" Severus snarled.
Albus spread his hands. "Not necessarily. Although I cannot help noticing that you jumped to that conclusion right away, instead of assuming that this was the work of someone who wanted to harm your house, but did not wish to seriously hurt anyone." He shook his head. "I'll be taking Mister Banks to the DMLE, so they can check how much of his memories have been wiped."
And so they could find the traces he had left, pointing to Slytherin. Once Severus found the cauldron the potion had been brewed in near the dungeons, clumsily cleaned by Banks himself, that should be enough to redirect the DMLE away from Gryffindor and Harry. And should they insist on questioning the muggleborns or Gryffindors anyway, he'd be able to insist on doing the same to the Slytherins. Which should lead to the investigation being buried instead.
It might even keep the Slytherins from lashing out in anger at the muggleborns and Gryffindors, if they started to suspect that this attack had been the work of one of their own.
*****
Hogwarts, September 23rd, 1996
"They try to kill us, and the teachers protect them! Over a dozen of us almost died!"
Daphne Greengrass rubbed her wrist while she listened to Draco. It wasn't supposed to hurt anymore, and it didn't, not really. But sometimes she thought it did. The wizard was pacing in the middle of the Slytherin common room. She nodded. Astoria had just returned from the infirmary. She had woken up the day before, as had Tracey, but both had had to stay there a day longer, in case there were 'complications'. Daphne had wanted to stay with Astoria, but Pomfrey had sent her away. Forced her to leave her little sister alone!
"The Headmaster said that the Gryffindor had been obliviated, and that it wasn't a real attack," Zabini said.
Daphne knew what the wizard was hinting at - rumours claimed that the real culprit behind the sabotage of the stands was a Slytherin wishing to frame the Gryffindors.
Draco knew it as well. "A baseless rumour meant to divide us. Are you actually believing such slander?"
Zabini shrugged. "As far as assassinations go, it was rather pathetic. Spectacular, yes, but not really that dangerous."
Daphne hissed while Astoria whimpered. Tracey glared at the boy. "Not really that dangerous? Over a dozen of us were in the infirmary! I had to stay several days there! Pansy was bleeding like a stuck pig!"
"Hey!" Pansy huffed at that comparison.
"I've seen worse in Quidditch matches. Or training." Zabini looked at Draco. "That doesn't keep anyone down, unless they want to manipulate the cup."
Draco sneered at the boy. "Are you accusing me of attacking our own house? Of hurting my fellow Slytherins? Harming the Greengrass sisters, who were at my side when my home was destroyed and our families slain?"
Zabini stood his ground. "I'm not accusing anyone. I'm just saying that for the mudbloods that killed so many purebloods, this was a rather tame attack."
Daphne knew that Draco wasn't behind this - he wasn't a good enough actor to fool her. It wasn't his style either. He'd have hexed one of his rivals, maybe Zabini, and framed the Gryffindors for it. She stood up. "Tame? Let me tell you, Zabini, it was anything but tame for those who were up on the stands when they collapsed! You'd not spew such drivel if you had been there, falling down on broken beams and struts!" She sat down again and hugged her sister.
Tracey snarled at Zabini. "I'd like to see you fall down a few yards, and break your legs or arms. Not your head, of course, that's too thick to get damaged by such a fall!"
A few students laughed, though most were glaring at Zabini. The wizard frowned, but didn't retort. Instead he turned around and went to his room.
Draco nodded at Daphne, smiling faintly, then addressed the room again. "We were lucky no one was hurt worse. Or killed. We won't be lucky forever. We have to do something!"
"You said you had a plan!" Nott said. "Nothing came of it, did it?"
"Do you take me for a Gryffindor, to rush things without planning?" Draco scoffed. Daphne knew many thought exactly that of him, but he had changed after his parents' death. "We've been training, and we've been preparing. But this incident has shown us that if we don't do anything, they'll attack us again."
"But who's 'them'? Do you think a third year Gryffindor is responsible?" Tracey asked.
"The mudbloods. Who else would do this?" Draco spat. "They murdered our parents, and now they want to murder us!"
He looked around, at the gathered students.
"We won't let them!"
*****
Hogwarts, September 24th, 1996
Ron Weasley was in the common room, waiting for everyone to gather so they could head down to the Great Hall for lunch, when Lavender and Parvati entered, out of breath.
"There's a big group of Slytherins in the Great Hall," Lavender said, "making a ruckus! They are demanding to talk to the professors."
"We saw them when we were returning from Divination," Parvati added.
Ron nodded. "Good. Don't let anyone leave, I'll be right back!" He ran up the stairs to his room, taking two steps at a time. "Harry!"
His friend was on his bed, sorting his trunk's contents. "What?"
"Check the map - the Slytherins are shouting for the professors in the Great Hall," Ron said.
Harry pulled out the piece of parchment. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."
Ron craned his neck as the map formed. Lots of names were in the Great Hall. "There's Malfoy… Crabbe and Goyle… Parkinson, Davis, Zabini is back there…"
"There's Greengrass, alone," Harry said. "No, it's her sister. Astoria."
"Alone? She's a fourth year... " Ron blinked. Slytherins never left their dorm by themselves. "Where's she going?"
Harry looked at the map. "She's headed to the… side entrance." He looked up. "Our third years are returning from Herbology."
Ron looked at the list of names moving towards the castle. "If they hex her we'll have trouble. The Slytherins are just waiting for that."
"They won't. They know how stupid that would be," Harry said. "Look, Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall are in the Great Hall now. Talking to Malfoy it seems."
"I wonder what this is about," Ron said. "Should we head down? The teachers are there." Which meant the Snakes wouldn't try anything.
"I guess so," Harry said. "We should…"
Ron heard a faint explosion. "What was that?"
"Merlin's Arse! The third years!" Harry exclaimed, staring at the map.
Ron looked down. The Gryffindor third years who had been walking towards the castle, with the 5th year prefects escorting them, were now spread out, and only a few were moving. And Greengrass was running back towards the dungeons.
"Accio Firebolt!" Harry yelled, and his broom flew towards his outstretched hand.
Ron summoned his own broom, while Harry yelled down to the common room "Ginny! Inform the teachers! Something happened to our third years! Outside!"
Ron was already opening the window.
*****
Hogwarts, September 24th, 1996
"It was Greengrass, sir. Astoria Greengrass," Harry Potter said in the Headmaster's office. "She was the only one on the map near them."
Ron, standing next to him, nodded. "I saw it as well."
Harry didn't think either of them would forget the scene they had seen today anytime soon.
He had bent low on his broom as he had flown around the Ravenclaw tower and dived towards the Greenhouses. Almost there…
"Merlin!" He had gasped and slowed down when he had seen the small crater in the middle of the grass, and the students scattered around it. A number had been getting up. The two prefects had been moving already, Dunn kneeling down next to a still body on the ground, Layton running towards one screaming child near the crater.
"Damn!" Ron had caught up to him.
The two had exchanged a glance, then had descended rapidly. Harry had spotted Professor Sprout rushing out of her greenhouse, wand in hand.
"What happened?" the teacher had asked, panting.
"Someone banished a vial at us from the castle. I cast a Shield Charm and it exploded when it hit," Dunn had said. He had looked bruised himself.
Harry and Ron had split up, checking on the third years. Harry had helped a dazed looking but not bleeding girl up. Next to her had been a boy, bleeding from his head, not moving. He had been breathing though.
"Those two need to be carried to the infirmary, at once!" Sprout had yelled, pointing at two bodies, two boys, next to her. Harry and Ron had jumped to it, levitating one each, and straddling their brooms. Then they had flown towards the castle, carefully staying low. Blood dripping from the boy floating next to Harry had left a trail of red spots on the stone floor inside the castle.
Harry shook his head, but the image of the trail of blood stayed with him.
Dumbledore sighed. "I see. I would ask if you are certain, or if the map was working correctly, but I know better." He closed his eyes and Harry was struck by how tired and old the wizard suddenly looked.
"What did the Slytherins in the Great Hall do?" Ron asked.
"They demanded to be able to eat in their dorms, 'separated from those dangerous muggleborns and those students who supported them'," Dumbledore said. "Quite vocally, and maybe a bit too loudly and vehemently. A diversion, I believe."
"Malfoy's plan!" Ron spat. Harry agreed with him - that sounded like a plan Malfoy would try.
"Probably, yes," Dumbledore said. "But it will be hard to prove it to the satisfaction of the DMLE. And nigh-impossible to get the Wizengamot to condemn him."
"What about Greengrass?" Harry asked. She had been the one to actually hurt the students.
The Headmaster frowned. "While I am confident I could talk her into confessing, though I'd have to hint at an ability to track students, I do not think she would be punished either. An orphaned young pureblood witch lashing out at a student that had attacked and hurt her sister and herself?" He shook his head. "While I am loathe to see her avoid the consequences of her actions, I fear that having her accused and then acquitted, would have disastrous repercussions for Hogwarts."
"The Slytherins would see it as permission to attack us," Ron said.
His friend was correct, Harry knew. He ground his teeth. "And we would attack them."
Dumbledore nodded. "The school would be turned into a battleground. We have been fortunate, very fortunate, so far that no one has died. But that will change should things escalate further." He stared at Harry and Ron. "I implore you: Do not strike back. Do not let your friends and housemates strike back."
Harry could understand that request, but at the same time, it galled him. "We can't let them attack us with impunity. Malfoy won't stop. If he gets away with this, he'll do it again."
"I will take steps to stop him and his friends. Trust me."
"How? They managed this, despite your precautions!" Ron leaned forward, his hands digging in his thighs.
"It is better you do not know, Mister Weasley." The Headmaster wryly smiled. "But consider this: The worse things grow, the harder it becomes to keep the DMLE from intervening. Imagine if they interrogated you with Veritaserum. Think of your family and friends."
Harry felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. Hermione! "They would use this to make us betray her?"
"Blimey!" Ron said.
Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed. The DMLE almost certainly suspects that you have not abandoned your friend, though they lack the leverage and proof to move against you."
"We can leave Hogwarts," Harry said. They could hide. Join Hermione. Fight the Death Eaters.
"That is a last resort, Harry. Things are not yet so dire. I remain confident that I can prevent a catastrophe. At least at Hogwarts. But I need your help."
Harry exchanged a look with Ron. His friend ground his teeth, but slowly nodded.
"Alright, Headmaster."
It didn't look like they had a choice. But they'd prepare to flee Hogwarts anyway. Just in case.
*****
Hogwarts, September 24th, 1996
"What happened?"
Ron Weasley winced when the mass of Gryffindor students almost mobbed Harry and him right when they entered the dorms.
Harry shook his head and took a deep breath. "Someone attacked our third years. Threw something at them that exploded."
"What?"
"Are they hurt?"
"Who did it?"
"Cursed Slytherins!"
Harry held up his hands. "Wait, wait! We took them to the infirmary. No one died. The teachers are investigating."
Ron nodded. Though some had looked as if they were dead. Still, and silent. "Until they have found the culprit, we'll have to stay in our dorms."
"What? They're locking us up?"
Ron didn't catch who said this; too many echoed the sentiment. Harry shook his head. "They don't want this to escalate."
"It already escalated!" Neville said.
"They attacked us because Banks sabotaged the stands," McLaggen cut in.
"Shut up, McLaggen!" Katie said. "Banks was obliviated by the real culprit. It was a Slytherin ploy so they could do this to us and claim innocence!"
McLaggen sneered at her. "Of course you'd say that!"
Harry stepped in. "Calm down, everyone! We need to focus on staying safe, not on blaming each other. Dumbledore has the situation in hand."
"Doesn't look like it to me," McLaggen said, scoffing. "Almost thirty students in the infirmary within a few days? Dumbledore's losing it."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Katie said. "You'd like the Dark Lord to take over, huh?"
"Do you want us to attack the Slytherins so the Ministry can sack Dumbledore?" Harry said. "Is that your plan?"
"What?" McLaggen stared at him as the rest of the students started whispering and muttering. "No!"
No one was listening to him though, and with a curse, he pushed his way through the throng of students and all but fled to his room. Ron watched him go while Harry once again told the students to stay in their dorms and not attack anyone.
A tug on his sleeve made him turn around. Ginny was there. "Do you think McLaggen is working for the Dark Lord?" she whispered.
He shrugged. "I don't know. A bit far-fetched, I reckon, but it got the rest to stand down. We'll have to watch him though."
His little sister nodded. "I've been keeping an eye on the map. All students are inside their dorms. If they leave, we'll know."
"Good. We'll need to have someone watch the map all the time. There's more though." He looked around. Harry still had the attention of most of their house, but Lavender was looking at Ron. "We'll need to talk about that privately."
*****
An hour later, Ron, Harry and Ginny were sitting together in a corner. Things had finally calmed down to the point where there was no chance of the house storming out to attack the Slytherin dungeons, or to lynch suspected traitors in their midsts. Lavender was still watching them, or Ron - he couldn't tell - but they had been given space enough to cast a privacy spell.
"So… what did you want to talk about?" Ginny asked, looking from Harry to him and back.
"We might have to flee Hogwarts, should the DMLE come down on Dumbledore," Harry said.
"What?" Ginny gasped.
"They might use any pretext to interrogate us with Veritaserum. We can't risk that," Harry said.
"But…" Ginny trailed off and Ron knew she had understood they couldn't risk anyone finding out about the meetings with Hermione. "Oh."
He nodded at his sister. "We'll need to be prepared to flee at a moment's notice."
"Does that include me?" Ginny said. She sounded almost afraid, but Ron couldn't tell if she wanted to come with them, or wanted to stay. She was supposed to have gotten over her crush on Harry, hadn't she?
"You don't know what we know." Ron shook his head. His sister wouldn't come with them. Mum would flip, and she was too young for this. "And someone needs to stay at Hogwarts. With the map."
"I can't do much by myself," she countered.
"That's why we need more people. People we can trust not to betray us," Harry said. "But apart from Katie and you, we're a bit stuck."
"Last year, I'd have picked the Quidditch team," Ron said, "but apart from us and Katie, all of them are new this year." He looked at Ginny. "Do you trust your dorm mates?"
Ginny hesitated, and Ron winced. Then he glanced at Lavender again. The girl was chatting with Parvati now.
"I think it's best to pick a few students we can trust not to betray our house, but don't tell them about the rest," Harry said.
Ron nodded. That sounded like a good idea. "The prefects. We need them anyway to protect the rest." And to keep them from going out of control.
Harry and Ginny nodded. Ron's sister then took a deep breath. "Do you really think you'll have to flee?"
Harry sighed. Ron shrugged. "I hope we'll not have to, but… things haven't been going well for over a year now, have they?"
"Will you be joining…" She looked around.
"Don't know," Ron said. When she looked at him, flinching, he added. "I really don't know."
But if they did join Hermione, should they flee, he'd not tell her either. For her and their safety.
Harry stood up. "Let's go and talk to Katie, and the prefects."
*****
Hogwarts, September 24th, 1996
"I'm telling you, next time I see the twins, I'll give them a piece of my mind!" Katie said, shaking her head. "Claiming they were just that sneaky, while they had this to help them!" Most of the prefects agreed with her, chuckling. Jokes about not having to check all cupboards anymore had already made the round. Hopefully, they'd keep the map a secret, but even if they didn't - keeping the school safe was more important than keeping the map secret.
Ron himself was headed to his room. With everyone confined to the dorms, and lessons suspended until further notice, there wasn't much to do, no prefects patrols either, and he could use the opportunity to pack a bag, just in case he had to leave in a hurry.
He was halfway up the stairs when he heard someone running behind him. He whirled around, drawing his wand, and almost cursed a gasping Lavender.
He lowered his wand. "Why'd you run up the stairs?" To the boys' rooms, even.
She was slightly out of breath. "I need to talk to you. Privately."
Ron hesitated for a moment, wondering why she hadn't asked him in the common room, then nodded. "Alright. We can use the third years' room."
The room was messy, and empty - all of the occupants were in the infirmary still. He closed the door and cast a privacy spell, then turned back to the witch, who was standing in the middle of the room, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and back.
"Why did you tell us of this map?" she suddenly asked.
He was briefly confused. "The twins kept it a secret so they could pull of their pranks more easily. We kind of kept it a secret after they handed it to Harry. You know the things that happened at Hogwarts to him." And to Ron, and Hermione.
"I know that. But I'm asking why you told us the secret now." Lavender stared at him. "You could have kept it a secret among you, Harry, and Ginny. Maybe Katie too."
She was right, of course. He shrugged. "It's better if more people can keep watch. We're all in this together."
"Do you trust us that much then?"
"We'd not have shown you the map otherwise." Ron told himself he wasn't lying. If they truly didn't trust the prefects, they would have looked for others to help out.
Lavender smiled faintly. "You know, I had a crush on you last year."
Ron nodded. Even he had noticed that.
"You turned me down though."
He hadn't turned her down, technically. Not out loud. Just… ignored her hints. He still nodded in agreement.
"Because you had a crush on Hermione." She was looking straight into his eyes.
Ron could claim that just because he hadn't wanted to start something with her didn't mean he had a crush on someone else. But she was right. He had a crush on his best female friend. "Yes."
"Did she turn you down?"
He winced. He hadn't told her. Hadn't realised, really, until she had gone home, had to go into hiding.
Lavender must have misread his expression since she smiled and moved closer to him. "Well, I still have a crush on you." She reached out with her hand to his chest.
Ron shook his head. "I never told her."
The witch stopped, her arm dropping. Then she straightened. "Are you still carrying a torch for her? She's gone." She didn't add 'And I'm still here', but her stance and expression said enough.
Ron sighed. He couldn't tell her that he saw her each day in the enchanted mirror. "I'm still… you know. Sorry."
Lavender pouted, then slowly nodded. "Alright. But if you ever get over her…" she nodded again, turned around and left.
Ron wasn't certain if she had had tears in her eyes or if that had been a trick of the light. He felt bad anyway.
*****
Cumbria, Britain, September 25th, 1996
Hermione Granger struggled and sweated despite the cool weather. Running through the forest, loaded down with her rifle and an RPG-7 weighing fifteen pounds by itself was exhausting. Though after almost four weeks of intensive training, she was in the best shape of her life. Which, sadly, didn't mean that much given that she had never been that interested in sports.
"Come on, Missy! There's an APC barrelling down this road, and if you can't set up an ambush in time, all your friends will be killed!" the Sergeant shouted at her.
Snarling, she sped up, jumping over a root and almost losing her footing when the ground was softer than she had expected. She ran on though, pushing herself until she felt like puking when she dropped in the ditch near the old logging road that cut through the forest, but she managed to prepare the RPG-7 for firing.
"There's the target! Fire!"
She got on her knees, the launcher on her shoulder, sighted down the road, and sent the training grenade flying at the canvas target raised there. As she had been told to, she didn't stay and watch if she hit, but dropped into the ditch and started to crawl away as fast as possible.
"That's a hit. Barely, but you did hit it." The Sergeant's tone carried some grudging respect, or so Hermione liked to think while she lay there, panting, on the ground, once again covered with mud.
"Alright. Head back to the camp before you die here, and send the next one up."
"Yes, Sarge!" she said, a far cry from her usual yell, and shambled off.
She felt better when she reached the camp and handed the RPG-7 to Seamus. "Here! Your turn to blow a vehicle up."
Seamus grinned. "It's not fun unless it's a real explosion."
She waved him off and walked to the 'fridge' with the drinks, grabbing two sodas and a sandwich, then fell more than sat down next to the camp fire, though still ensuring that her rifle wasn't stuck in the ground. Such habits all of them had picked up quickly.
"You look like you could use a break for a week."
Hermione looked up from her meal at Allan. After swallowing the bite in her mouth, she answered: "I'm OK. How are you doing?"
He shrugged. "So far 'sniper training' is just long-range target shooting. I do well though." He grinned. "I don't have to run as much as the others either."
She nodded, bit off and swallowed another chunk of ham and bread, then asked: "How's Justin doing?"
Allan frowned for a second. "He's doing well. He has some prior experience with hunting, I think."
Hermione knew that already. She shrugged, dropping her empty bottle in the container with the rest. "That won't help with sniping. Or so I understand, from what I read. I guess I'll find out in the afternoon." She'd have her own shot at sniper training then. Or what kind of training you could get in an afternoon. Even a week was far too short to become a real sniper. But… the boys had insisted on it. She knew that the same was true for their entire training - they barely knew enough to use the weapons, but they were far from being really competent.
"I've been wondering… you're the only one who doesn't focus on something. You've been trying out every weapon they brought to us. Why?" Allan sat down next to her.
She snorted. "I could say that I don't want to miss out on anything, but the truth is that I can't really make good plans if I don't have an idea about the different weapons and tactics." In the middle of a battle, she'd not be able to ask for advice from an expert.
"I see." He sounded angry for a moment, but when she turned her head to look at him, he was smiling. "I should have known you'd think like this."
Grinning at him, she nodded. "Yes, you should have." Rubbing her thighs, she added: "I'll be glad when we're back in London. Normal clothes are starting to feel weird."
He laughed. "I felt that way after my first year at Hogwarts. Wearing jeans was weird after a year in robes."
She smirked. "I just wore dresses more than trousers. But I know what you mean."
Allan jerked when the staccato sound of a light machine gun broke the brief silence. Hermione shook her head. "Dean's still not firing short bursts. Too many damn movies, as the Major would say. He will be shouting at him, right now."
As if on cue, the sound stopped. Hermione stood up. "Time to head to the range."
"Have fun," Allan said, waving at her.
She snorted, then realised, walking to the improvised range, that she was having fun. Shaking her head, she muttered: "If I don't pay attention, I'll start to prefer the gym over the library!"
And that was a horrible thought.
*****
Hogwarts, September 28th, 1996
Daphne Greengrass knew something terrible had happened as soon as she saw Draco's expression when he entered the Slytherin common room. When the wizard made a beeline to her and cast a privacy spell, she felt her stomach drop.
"Daphne, we've got a problem," Draco said, without preamble.
"What happened?" Hadn't he simply gone to meet their Head of House? Crabbe and Goyle had remained behind - at the entrance, guarding it, she noted. "Did they find out about Astoria?"
"They know it's her."
Daphne gasped, and stood up. She needed to obliviate her sister to protect her.
Draco grabbed her hand. "Wait! That's not the thing I'm worried about."
"What?"
"The Wizengamot would never punish her for striking back against those mudbloods and blood traitors who tried to kill her," Draco said. "And Dumbledore can't punish her past a slap on the wrist without the Ministry getting involved." He shook his head. "No, the problem is that the Gryffindors have a way to track everyone of us! Even inside our dorms!"
She froze. "That's impossible."
"It's not. I have heard this from a trusted source, and I have been able to validate it from another." Draco shook his head. "But it gets worse. Someone is trying to frame us for sabotaging our own stands. They found some 'evidence' of brewing a rotting potion near our dorms. One of them tries to kill us, and Dumbledore blames us!"
"Does Dumbledore actually believe that?" The Headmaster couldn't be that gullible, Daphne thought. That was a ploy that anyone should have seen through.
"Of course not! He knows it's a lie, but it allows him to protect his precious Gryffindors. They can do anything to us now, between the tracking and Dumbledore's protection!"
Daphne swallowed. If they wanted revenge… if the Headmaster let them attack Astoria, knowing he couldn't punish her… They could track them, plan ambushes with overwhelming force. "But… it's Dumbledore! He wouldn't let them do that!"
"He's been trying to get the Ministry to declare war on the Dark Lord for over a year, despite the Lord's attempts to make peace. And he knows the Wizengamot won't condemn any of us." Draco sounded grim.
"Merlin's ghost!" Daphne was shaking now.
"He tried to make the Minister pardon the mudbloods! Even Granger, who murdered an Auror!" Draco shook his head. "Hogwarts is not safe anymore. I was a fool to come here in the first place. If I had known all of this beforehand..."
And she had been a fool to listen to him, and let Astoria attack the Gryffindors, Daphne thought. But that couldn't be changed anymore. "You plan to leave then."
He nodded. "And you and Astoria should come with us. The blood traitors will attack you."
"Us?" she asked.
"Me, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Theo. A few others." He looked around, scowling when he saw Zabini. That student wouldn't be coming with them, Daphne knew.
But should she join Draco? He had made a compelling case. Dumbledore was protecting murderers like Granger, her uncle had told her about the Headmaster's statements in the Wizengamot. And he was protecting the Gryffindor who had hurt her sister and so many others. No, she couldn't stay, she couldn't protect Astoria if they remained at Hogwarts.
"I'll talk to Tracey and my sister. When do you leave?"
"There's a staff meeting after dinner. We'll leave the dorms together and fly away on brooms, until we can apparate or reach a Floo connection. The Gryffindors won't be able to catch us if we're quick enough."
Daphne nodded. Snape was helping them, obviously, by passing this information to Draco. They could do it.
"We'll be ready."
She nodded at him, then went to find her sister, and her best friend. They didn't have much time.
*****
London, Knockturn Alley, September 28th, 1996
Brenda Brocktuckle almost wished she was back on 'punishment detail' and patrolling Knockturn Alley. Waiting day after day in this flat for the mudbloods to attack Beckett was tiresome. Boring. Frustrating.
"Pointless," she muttered.
"What?" Martin Runcorn looked up from his book.
"Nothing. Just commenting on the sense of our mission here." Brenda sighed and returned her attention to the potions shop.
"You don't think the muggleborns will come?" her partner asked.
"I think they won't do anything as long as we're ready for them," Brenda said, cynically. "They have the advantage - they can choose where they will strike. We have to defend an entire country."
"We have more people to do it though," Martin said.
"We'll see how long they'll last when the first ambushes happen." Brenda scoffed. "That was how it was in the last war. Aurors were getting ambushed when they reacted to a call for help. The mudbloods will do the same. And with their 'bombs'... we'll have to be very careful when apparating in response to an alert."
Martin winced. "That's true."
Brenda snorted. "Some are already deserting. Have you heard of Smith?"
"Smith?"
"Vanished during a patrol in Diagon Alley. His partner had to go, and when he returned, Smith had vanished. Witnesses claim he stepped into a side alley, but they didn't find any trace there." Brenda shook her head. "Bloody coward."
"He could have been attacked and kidnapped," Martin said.
She snorted. "If he was, then we'd have heard of demands made by the kidnappers, or found his body parts strewn over an alley or field. No, the guy was too afraid to face mudbloods and Death Eaters, and ran."
Martin didn't sound convinced. "I know him. I was with him in training. He didn't strike me as a coward or deserter."
Brenda grinned, without a trace of humour though. "Training is training. You don't really know a wizard or witch until they've been in a fight. Or faced one, and ran."
"Maybe."
The rookie was still too inexperienced, Brenda knew. But he wouldn't run or desert. "Maybe we should take Beckett in. Arrest him for the shady ingredients in his storage room," she mused. That would end the mission. Beckett would be safe in a Ministry cell, even.
"That would be a poor repayment for his loyalty," Martin cut in.
"Not if it serves to protect him from the mudbloods." She glanced back and saw his expression. "You don't like taking mudbloods in for their own protection?"
"Taking them in against their will is a bit much."
"You've got a talent for diplomacy. Of course it's for our own protection as much as theirs." Brenda certainly didn't want to end up like Lucius Malfoy, bombed to death by mudbloods.
"Beckett wouldn't work out though - they want him dead." Martin shook his head.
"Spoil my perfect 'please everyone' solution, will you?" She chuckled. "Just for that, you can take your turn at the window early."
Martin grumbled and took her place at the window while Brenda sat down on the couch. At least they were not out there, trying to arrest more muggleborns for the Ministry. That could be dangerous - a few Aurors had ended up in St. Mungo's so far. No fatalities. Yet.
*****
Hogwarts, September 28th, 1996
"Harry! Come quickly!"
Harry Potter shot up from his seat in the common room when Ginny called him. She had been with Katie, watching the map. That meant something was up.
He rushed to her, casting a privacy spell. "What's happening?
She pointed at the map on the table. "Look! The Slytherins are moving, a lot of them!"
"Half their house, I think," Katie said. "Mostly the older students. And most of the teachers are in that meeting."
Harry cursed. If they were attacking now… "Get the lower years in their dorms, and call the older years down. We'll be ready." He had to alert Dumbledore too.
"They're running. Up the stairs… They're not headed towards us. They're headed towards the gate!" Katie said, looking at him.
Ron arrived. "What's going on?"
Harry nodded at the map. "It looks like the Slytherins are fleeing from Hogwarts."
"Good riddance?" his friend asked.
Harry winced. He wasn't quite certain this was a good thing.
*****
Cumbria, Britain, September 29th, 1996
"Hermione? Are you still awake?"
That sounded like Allan. Hermione stood up from her bed and walked to the door of her room. Allan was indeed standing in the entrance of the Wizarding tent, in front of her door.
She opened the door, and waved him inside. "Come in."
He stepped inside, raising an eyebrow when he saw her. "Were you already asleep?" he asked, gesturing to her tank top and shorts. He was still in fatigues, clean ones.
Hermione shook her head. "I was in bed, but reading." She grinned. "I'd not have answered the door otherwise. So, what brings you to my room past midnight?" The group had spent an hour discussing the news that most of House Slytherin had left Hogwarts, after Harry and Ron had informed her. Allan had wanted to hunt down Malfoy right away.
He sat down on her bed. "We've had some differences lately, as you know."
She made a sort-of-agreeing noise. His insistence on taking action prematurely had been irritating, if she was honest.
"I don't want this to come between us," he said. "We're all on the same side." Allan smiled at her.
She nodded and sat down next to him on the bed. "We are, yes. And I don't want to argue with you either." Or with anyone else. But she had to, to prevent potentially fatal mistakes. "Why are you so eager to attack anyway?" She quickly added: "I'm just wondering."
He looked grim. "It's for Martin. He was a good friend of mine, and he died because of that traitor. I can't stand the thought of Martin being dead, and his killer walking around." Allan ground his teeth. "I want to avenge him, and make certain that no one else will betray us again." He sighed. "I'm sorry if I made you angry."
Hermione smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm not angry. I understand what you're feeling." If Harry or Ron had been murdered, she'd feel the same. Or worse. "I'm just trying to keep us from being too hasty. We're almost done with our training here. We'll get Beckett, trust me."
He put his hand on her hand, squeezing gently. "Thank you." He smiled at her.
Hermione smiled back. "That's what friends do."
Allan nodded. He looked at her without saying anything for a moment. "Can I ask you something personal?"
Hermione nodded. "Of course."
He leaned towards her, his eyes not leaving hers. "Are you in a relationship with Potter or Weasley?"
Hermione blinked. That was more personal than she had expected. And why would he ask that? Was he.... suddenly, she was all too aware of their situation: Both sitting on her bed, their legs touching, and her in just a top and shorts… Had she unintentionally led him on? She shook her head, saw him starting to smile, and quickly said. "I'm not involved with anyone. I can't, anyway. There is so much to do for the Resistance." She smiled at him, hoping he'd understand.
He nodded, a bit stiffly. He had understood, then. "That's true. I better let you get some rest. Good night, Hermione."
"Good night, Allan."
She waited until he had left before closing her eyes and sighing, laying down on her bed.
That could have gone better.
*****
London, Diagon Alley, September 29th, 1996
Auror Karen Blinings hated the midnight to morning shift. But as one of the youngest Aurors, she was guaranteed to be on it. An older Auror had told her that it was usually an easy shift - not much happened when everyone was in bed. A peaceful patrol almost every time.
That had been before the mudbloods and the Death Eaters started their wars against the Ministry. Nowadays, Karen dreaded that patrol. Every dark corner or alley could hide an enemy. At least she wasn't alone, but had a partner. She looked at him. Jacob Parker had been in the same year as her at Hogwarts, but they hadn't had much contact, not with him in Ravenclaw and her in Hufflepuff. They had become friends during training though, and had been on the same assignment since then.
"Imperio! Kill him!"
Jacob gasped, drawing his wand. He was too slow to stop her though - and he had been looking for the caster of the Imperius at first. Karen's Reductor Curse blew his wand and hand up, splattering blood all over her and him. He opened his mouth, but she couldn't hear him scream. Silenced, probably. It didn't matter. Her next spell drilled a hole in his head and he dropped.
"Walk into that Alley and wait for me at the end!"
She nodded and started walking into the side alley the man had pointed out to her, ignoring the Vanishing Charms and other spells cast behind her. She had an order, and would obey.
She didn't have to wait for long. The other wizard came and bound her with conjured ropes, then silenced her. Then he ended the Imperius.
Karen wanted to scream, but no sound left her mouth. She had killed her partner! Her friend! She panted, crying, and looked at the man who had forced her to do this. Her eyes widened when the wizard pulled his hood back. She knew that man! From Hogwarts. Had to be a Ravenclaw. What had been his name again?
"Hello there!" The wizard student smiled. "Shouldn't have joined the Aurors. Now you've killed your partner. But don't worry - he'll get even."
What was he talking about? Jacob was dead!
The man brandished a club to her. A club in the same color as her own robes. She stared at it, then at the man. The wizard nodded. "I transfigured his corpse into a club. You'll be beaten to death with your murdered partner."
The wizard's smile widened as he lifted the club over his head. "But don't worry - no one will ever find your bodies."
Then the club came down, and once more Karen wanted to scream, but couldn't. By the time she died, her throat was raw.
*****
Half the Slytherin House fled, and now new aurors are murdered by the muggleborn resistance. That fanatic ravenclaw that's going to really fuck over Hermione.
