Albus Dumbledore was frustrated, all the regulations on Aurors had been abolished, and including the ones he had fought so hard to establish in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. However, the thing that frustrated him the most was that the leaders of the three factions had gone against the creature regulation, he did not know if they were forced or they did it by their own free will, but if he had debated with then not only his image would have suffered, but also his support in the Wizengamot. Another thing that frustrated him to end was that Sirius was assuming his role as Lord Black, which was a powerful title that could bring many benefits as well as cause great damage. The worst part probably was that the irresponsible man had somehow decided to grow up and introduce Harry to the politic world. The boy’s fame was already a dangerous weapon, but when you added his fortune and his family’s background... The boy would be too powerful for his own good, he would become corrupted with power and that was without counting his incredible magical ability. Somehow, he had to find a way of ensuring the boy chose the right path.

Now, however, he had other worries, such as why Augusta was taking a strong stance for the use of curses when she was known for loathing anything related or even close to dark magic. Or why Lucius Malfoy was taking a pro-creature stance when the man was a known believer, not to say fanatic, in blood supremacy, also why he had voted for abolishing the Auror regulations. Voldemort was back and before announcing his presence the man was trying to ensure the people could not fight back through his death eaters in the Ministry, he was sure Malfoy was one... What was happening? Maybe he was placed under the imperius or someone had blackmailed him. He needed to send Severus and find out why was one of the most politically powerful death eaters acting in such a way.

Thinking about Severus had brought him another migraine and a few doubts. He had always known the man was no teacher, but having facts slapped in his face in such a public way had been a humbling experience. He needed the man more than ever because of Tom’s return, but the Board of Education had been furious at him and demanded Severus to be dismissed. Once more he vouched for him and once again his place in the school was dangling on a rope. Parents had not been much helping either, his ears still ringed after the number of howlers he had received. Everyone was demanding results and the slightest of Severus’ infractions would have them both out of the castle. He needed to have a stern talk with the man. No longer his teaching methods would be approved or even tolerated.

Lucius Malfoy was relaxing in his garden, his beautiful wife by his side reading the new newspaper with a small smile. He admitted that the new newspaper was better than the Prophet could ever hope to be, he especially enjoyed their traditional greeting and the parts of history most had forgotten. Seeing his wife and knowing his son would come to dine with them and tell them about his day with his friends filled him with joy. The weeks his family had left were necessary for him to understand the loneliness and the pain of not having them by his side. He decided that moment that no lord or ideology was worth losing his beloved family. He had searched for them and swore an unbreakable oath to never join nor aid in any way the death eaters nor the Dark Lord. Not once he had regretted it and he was sure he never would, even if his relationship with his son was not the best, it was improving day by day and he loved the new way he and his family communicated with each other.

“I think you will love this article,” said Narcissa passing him the newspaper, he had to smirk at the headlines.

HOGWARTS: THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE MAGICAL WORLD!

By Rita Skeeter

My dear readers, you read it right! Hogwarts is no longer the finest magical institution and has not been for almost three centuries. My last article contained information about the subpar potions professor and my curiosity perked at the education other schools offer. Much to my dismay, I discovered the jewel of our crown was not considered a decent magic school by the ICW; therefore the OWLS and NEWTS that we take have no value outside of Britain! Further investigation led me to find the reasons why our education has been so lacking, and to my deep shame, I must agree.

Most magical communities, especially the United North American Tribes, the Asian Empire, the Amazon Nation, and the Central Africa Clan; teach children from age eight. However therein does not lie the only differences, specializing at a certain branch of magic is encourage from age thirteen, and unlike to our electives in Hogwarts (which are normal classes in other countries), they have a wide variety. Specializations include healing, poisons, duelling, warding, spell creation, blood magic, elemental magic, runes mastery, rituals, and the list goes on. I felt your horror at such topics being taught to children, but further investigation led me to astounding results. Magic such as blood magic or elemental magic is not seen as dark in any other place outside of Europe! People use elemental magic for crops and plants, blood magic is used to protect family members from anyone who wishes them harm, and rituals are made to thank Mother Magic and to ensure she keeps flowing in their descendants. Most magical communities do not have a term for squib because they do not exist! I was so surprised about this information because we are taught that they are dark arts, only used for evil, but other countries consider them sacred magic.

Knowing this led me to a dire realization: in a war, our country would not survive. We limit ourselves so much that runes are considered a specialization while other countries consider it general knowledge. What should we do to remedy this situation? I propose adding little by little other subjects, as you may remember most of the time in Hogwarts was spent doing nothing for the amount of free time we had as students. I also discovered that there are at least five teachers per subject, each teaching a certain age group while in Hogwarts we have a teacher per subject for all the school. Are we overworking our teachers? Where is the money of the school fees and the stipend the Ministry gives the school going each year?

The ICW has an especial curriculum that most schools adhere to, the students that graduate from a school that does not is forced to take a standardized test to work in any other country. I got a list of the students that passed the test and only three names belonging to our country are available: Filius Flitwick, Albus Dumbledore and Lily Evans. If the current headmaster knew about this situation why did he do nothing to remedy the situation? Why is he hiring inept teachers for core subjects? These questions perturbed me to the core, so I begged Madam Marchbanks, the head of the Education Regulation Department and Governor of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, for an interview after sending her this information. She agreed and I invite you to read the revelations that are written below.

RS: Madam Marchbanks, thank you for meeting me.

GM: After all the information you gave me is the least I could do.

RS: Am I correct to assume you did not know?

GM: Of course, I did not, but I must admit to my great shame that I dismissed Filius multiple times when he came to speak to me about how basic our education was... I also remember Lily Potter sending me quite a long letter and her results of the ICW standardized test. I believed them to be overachievers, now I take this as an opportunity to apologize in a public way.

RS: I appreciate your honesty Madam, what did Albus Dumbledore do to improve the education in his position as headmaster? He was among the three who took those tests.

GM: I had no idea he had! He did nothing, even when I ask him year after year to change that ghost he keeps as history teacher.

RS: I do remember seeing that students who take history NEWTS have diminished by almost 95%, which is a shame for a core subject.

GM: Indeed, though he never listens to other people, now however we have a valid reason to exert our authority in school. I promise we will ensure our education improves... Albus only needs to commit the slightest mistake to be replaced as headmaster.

RS: May I ask what he did to warrant that? I do remember that he was under the same condition two years ago, when he endangered the lives of our children, but I thought his position was once again stable.

GM: It indeed was after the almost tranquil last term; however, he vouched for Severus Snape for him not to be fired.

RS: That is terrible! Many students were terrified of the man. How is it possible for him to be allowed to continue teaching? (at this revelation my fellow citizens I admit I lost my composure, I will never forget the frightened children or their teary eyes, telling me about the professor who enjoyed instilling fear in them).

GM: To my shame, I also admit that I was outvoted; Albus promised that the man would change. Both will be under scrutiny, the moment the professor does something wrong do not be afraid of sending me a letter, even taking points without a valid reason will cost him his job.

RS: I am glad that you have taken an active role Madam and I do not doubt we will see results in the near future. Though I am curious about who do you think should be the next headmaster or headmistress?

GM: I would like to say that Minerva is the best option but the recent years I have seen a professor with impeccable conduct who is the first to contact the authorities in an emergency. Filius Flitwick has proven to be an honourable man that puts as a priority the safety of the children, I believe he would be the best option if Dumbledore were to leave.

RS: I confess I was hoping for him, during my student years he was my favourite teacher. His office was always open and he had this delicious chocolate treats that he animated when I was really sad. Thank you for this interview, Madam.

GM: Thank you for bringing this to my attention dear, I promise things will change for the better.

As you read above my dear witches and wizards, Madam Marchbanks will ensure Hogwarts is once again amongst the best schools o magic. Now though I am forced to ask if Albus Dumbledore is fit for the position as headmaster. If he has done nothing to improve our education, can he be trusted with such an important position? As we know he has contributed for so long to our society that maybe we should allow him to rest, he is an elder after all. Maybe it is time to appoint a new headmaster and allow Mister Dumbledore to enjoy his retirement. May Mother Magic bless your children!

“I hope this will be used to kick Dumbledore from the school, but knowing the man he will talk his way out of it. The good thing is that he is running out of favours and Madam Marchbanks is looking for excuses to dismiss the man,” he told his wife.

“Who do you think should be the next headmaster?”

“I don’t know, McGonagall would have been the one I chose but Flitwick has earned my respect, I remember his classes and I never had a better teacher.”

“I know, Draco told me about what happened when they found little Luna locked in an abandoned classroom. Flitwick gave months of detention and the house had no points, to this day no one in the house dares to bully another person... I also remember him finding me crying after a blond idiot rejected me, he took me to his office and gave me one of the most delicious cookies I have ever eaten, he also animated them. One of the cookies acted like the blond idiot who is now my husband,” Narcissa informed him and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I have no idea what are you talking about,” he said looking bewildered and then sighing. “I remember the war,” he said in a soft voice. “I remember seeing professor Flitwick and only my respect for the man forbade me to attack him even when he is a half-breed. It was the best decision I have ever taken... I have seen few people fight the way he did. If he were to become headmaster I am sure he will protect the children from the dark times are coming,” he said showing the great respect he had for the man and Narcissa nodded in agreement.

“Mistress, a guest arrived for Master Malfoy, he says is his friend Snape,” Kreacher popped in and informed the couple.

“Thank you Kreacher, could you please make some snacks for them? Lucius will be going.”

“Yes, Kreacher will, Mistress is so kind,” the elf sobbed and popped away.

“I will be going; do you want me to invite him for dinner?”

“No, Draco is still at odds with him and with good reason, if I may add. I will be in my study,” she informed her husband and left the garden after giving him a soft kiss on his cheek.

Severus waited for Lucius to arrive, and the man did with a smile on his face. It was obvious the situation with his family had improved, either that or he had lost his mind at last because there were few reasons to be happy at the time.

“It has been a long time Severus,” his friend greeted.

“It has, I am going to assume your family is good again.”

“It is, Draco has matured so much. I am proud of him,” he informed with a smile.

“I am glad to hear that... We still have not talked,” he sighed.

“But you still have not changed, my son values his friends as his own family, they all are as close as they can be.”

“I tried to, but the Potter brat is insufferable... It does not matter, the article that Skeeter published has parents claiming for my head. I have to be on my best behaviour because a single complaint will be enough to have me out,” Severus said, wishing to have firewhisky at hand.

“You could always resign and work in another place.”

“I could before but not any longer. Our Lord is back Lucius, he will need me as a spy once again,” he said and observed the man, not expecting a stony expression to replace his affable one.

“I was hoping you had changed,” his friend told him, a phrase that caught him unaware. “I will tell you this only once Severus, and you will decide what to do. During the last war, I imperilled my family to serve a Lord that rewarded us with pain. Not this time. I will not serve the man even if he tries to murder me. I have decided that my son will not follow my footsteps, Draco doesn’t believe in what I once did and that makes me proud. We will stand against him this time, you are a dear friend of mine and that is why I am telling you this. If you go to him this time, Draco will never forgive you and neither will I, you can join us or you can join him... I hope you will join us, my friend, because although losing your friendship would hurt, I will always choose my family,” Lucius said with a serious expression and left the room.

Whatever he had been expecting this was not it, Lucius had been a loyal fanatic but now... Should he tell this to Dumbledore? Maybe not, otherwise he would find a way of using the Malfoy family, something he would not allow. But what should he do now? If he did not choose to be a spy Dumbledore would guilt-trip him once again, he had sealed his fate the day he went to him instead of telling the Potters, now it was time to pay for his mistakes.

Harry and his friends were relaxing in the lounge after a brutal training session; professor Flitwick had enjoyed reminding them not to get overconfident with their new skills. Ella brought them all drinks and snacks, the tray much to his delight contained abura-age and natto, a Japanese treat he had taken fancy on. They all began munching with tired posture.

“Have you bought all your materials?” professor Flitwick asked them.

“Yes, we learned to go at the beginning of the summer to avoid being trampled,” Daphne told the man and he chuckled.

“That is indeed true, I am glad I was not the only to figure that out. This term you will begin visiting Hogsmeade,” the man told Harry.

“Yes, I think it will be good to clear my mind, though if it were for them I would never go out,” he accused the rest of his friends.

“We don’t know where the fugitives are, that is true. However, you are all skilled and more than able to protect yourselves,” the man reminded them looking proud.

“But not good enough to land a spell on a professional duellist,” Theo complained.

“I have more than half a century of experience under my belt, so I would be disappointed if you managed to defeat me when you are still learning. If it makes you feel better I have been getting better, or rather regaining my skills, a few decades without practice can do that to you,” the man chuckled enjoying his food.

“Besides, my brother already opened branch offices in Hogsmeade, so there will always be reinforcements if needed,” Elizabeth said taking a spoonful of ice cream.

“Yes, I must congratulate you again for all the help you are giving those people Harry, few think about them the way you do,” Filius said with a bright smile.

“There is no need, they are people and need to be treated as such,” Harry dismissed the congratulations with a wave.

“I am sure your mother is proud of you,” he told the boy, who let out a small smile in response. “Anyways, did any of you advanced with the patronus?” the professor asked, having decided that if dementors were going to be let loose the least he could do was teach his students how to defend themselves, and was pleased when most nodded.

“Most of us are able to produce wisps, though Elizabeth and Luna are able to produce corporeal ones,” Blaise said signalling the youngest girls.

“I am proud of you, that is more than many adults are able to do. I am sure you all will be able in the future, though I am surprised Harry has not overworked himself to try to get it.”

“Being honest I have not tried the spell, I have been too distracted on runes and what aunt Eleadora is teaching me... I will try at school,” he informed the man who chuckled at his antics.

“It is good to know that you will try it. Are you ready to leave for school then?”

“Yes professor, though we will be needing lots of chocolate,” Luna said with a dreamy sigh.

“Anyhow, I wanted to ask you something professor Flitwick,” Harry said, smiling at Luna.

“Of course,” the man agreed.

“I am sure you know Rubeous Hagrid, he is the gamekeeper. I have talked with the man and he has been very kind to us, he even collected pictures of my parents and gave them to me. I want to ask why he lives in that hut and not inside the castle, or if a donation would be able to give him a better place to live... I also wanted to ask you if you think it is possible for him to reassume his studies,” Harry told the older man with a serious expression.

“Hagrid is indeed a good man. When he was expelled he had no place to go. His mother left when he was young and his father just died, I recalled as many favours as I could to find him a place. At last Armando agreed to hire him as a gamekeeper but he had to live outside the castle. He built his cabin himself, Hagrid worked really hard for everything he has Harry, but I am sure an anonymous donation for the gamekeeper will be appreciated. When the Ministry snapped his wand he kept the pieces and read tons of books about wandlore to try and repair it. He did it with some success, which is remarkable... When possible I give him lessons, he was one of my most dedicated students,” the man reminisced with a sad smile.

“I want to help him, the dragon handlers in the reserve he went to visit were amazed by the easiness with which he managed dragons. They also told me how surprised he was at having a proper bed and bathroom, I cannot allow a person to live that way.”

“You are a good person Harry, few people have tried to help him. I don’t know whether he will accept the job or not, but I am sure that you can find him teachers. I don’t know how hard will be to make sure he can take his OWLS and NEWTS, but many of my students work at the Ministry and I can ask around,” he promised and Harry nodded.

“I will send him a letter to inform him, if he accepts the job there will be no further need because he can take his tests abroad,” he promised and Filius nodded, proud at his student.

Remus Lupin was sitting in the last compartment in the last wagon of the train, knowing no one claimed this compartment for the amount of walking you needed to do. He had been impressed to see that such a place existed when he saw the luxurious layout of it; it resembled more a lounge than a compartment. Perhaps if he had known he would have ridden here instead of the other crappy ones, but being fair, most places would pale compared to this.

He was thinking about all the things that were going on and he did not like, such as his strained relationship with his best friend or the nonexistent relationship with Harry. Dumbledore had promised everything would be better this year because they would be closer and at least establish rapport. If he was honest he admitted he did not believe a word the man said. He had been so sure he had been doing the right thing by informing the headmaster about everything he knew about the boy but nothing had gone well ever since.

All his contacts within the werewolves that Harry was thinking about hiring no longer communicated with him and every time he met with the boy he felt him even colder than the last time. Sirius had been harsh with him when they fought a few days ago, stating that he could not have Harry and inform everyone about the boy at the same time. He had also screamed at him some facts he wanted to believe were not true, such as why Dumbledore signed his illegal incarceration when he gave Snape a second chance after all the crimes he had committed. Or that Harry had been sent to Petunia who in turn sent him to an orphanage and Dumbledore had been the one who sent him there and then not even cared about how he was treated... No matter how much he tried to deny it, Sirius had managed to plant the seeds of doubt and now he was when more confused than ever.

He heard many people approaching his compartment so he pretended to sleep, with his robe covering his face so the students would leave without bothering him. He heard the door opening and felt an intense stare boring into him and more people entering the place.

“I can’t believe someone dared to invade our compartment,” a feminine voice that sounded indignant in extreme complained.

“I was not expecting this either,” a male agreed.

“Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again,” another male voice suggested.

“I don’t think the others will be pleased, it is good he stayed back because his aunt wanted to speak with him,” yet another male voice said.

“How do we tell our unwanted guest that he is invading our place?” another female voice asked and he was getting annoyed at being called an invader, maybe it was better if he just left.

“What are you waiting for?” a familiar voice asked and he froze in his place.

“Sorry Harry, but that man is in here,” one of the boys said.

“Never mind that Draco, let’s go in, we have more than enough space,” he ordered and walked in.

“Who do you think he is?” one of the many boys asked.

“I am not sure; he may be the new professor... I don’t really care,” Harry muttered. “Where are the others?”

“The twins always arrive when the train is about to part, Neville must be about to arrive or waiting at the platform. Daphne is going to help her sister to find a compartment with other first-years-”

“Alone? Did you let her go alone after what happened last year?” Harry asked in such a cold voice that he shuddered; he would have never imagined a child to sound so threatening.

“Of course not, Terrence, Adrian, Neville, and Blaise are waiting for her to arrive so they can come together,” one of the boys explained and the tense atmosphere disappeared.

“Good, I won’t allow for anything similar to last year to happen again.”

“We know,” a soft female voice told him and silence descended.

He would be lying if he said he was not curious about Harry’s friends, he was sure they were all Slytherins but there could not be possible so many males in the same year. Now he was confused, he heard the name Neville being mentioned and hoped it was Frank’s son. Until now no surnames were mentioned but he didn’t need to be a seer to know most of those children were death eater spawn, and by some strange reason they had befriended Harry Potter... Beyond befriending, they obeyed his orders and the idea of the boy he considered family at the top of the Slytherin chain appalled him. The door was opened and four people walked in.

“I apologize for our tardiness, Astoria wanted me to tell her even more about the sorting,” a girl said with a clear voice.

“She also wanted to steal Adrian’s chocolate,” a male chuckled.

“That little brat stole my chocolate,” another boy corrected with a sigh.

“It does not matter, we have more than enough,” the girl interrupted, shutting them up.

“Who is that?” one of them asked.

“An invader with heavy sleep or penchant for listening to conversations,” a girl sighed, once again they remained silent.

Remus was curious because the children had not spoken in half an hour, not a single word. He paid closer attention to hear anything and noticed that not even their breaths or heartbeats could be heard and he almost gasped at the surprise. One of them had cast silently a tacet spacium on a widespread area, that spell was not taught at school for its difficulty and he admitted he was impressed. Unlike many others, this charm made an area totally silent for outsiders, excellent for spying and recognition missions. It had taken him nine months to be able to cast it. The door was thrown open and two people ran inside.

“Sorry, everyone went berserk this morning when they noticed we were eating our last bar of chocolate,” one of them said.

“Well, Ron went red and mom screamed at us, but Bill was the one who suggested we may have bought it,” another similar voice continued.

“Which we did not, but mom apologized and Ron went even redder.”

“It was funny, but now we want more because Bill stole our last piece,” they said in unison.

“What is with siblings and stealing chocolate today?” another boy complained.

“We don’t know, but it is delicious.”

“Yeah, it was hard not to eat it all when Harry brought us some,” the other agreed.

“By the way, our mother loves the-” Fred was interrupted by Daphne placing a finger on her lips and walking towards them, pulling them towards the group. “I am sorry, that man over there, we are not sure whether he is asleep or not,” she said pointing at the man and they nodded in understanding, Terrence cast once again the spell and they began speaking.

“As I was saying our mother loves our newspaper and Bill does too.”

“So your brother is going to move or not?”

“He is, the bank approved his transference.”

“Though he is already searching for another place to live.”

“Yeah, mother is... special” George said with a huff.

“Talking about other things,” Blaise said before the topic turned dark. “The newspaper is doing great, we have much more subscriptions than we expected for the first months.”

“True, all of mother’s friends are now loyal readers and father’s acquaintances in the Ministry buy ours,” Draco said with obvious pride.

“Marcus told us this morning so many people are reading it that they are changing the Ministry subscription from the Prophet to ours,” Flora announced with a wide smile.

“Don’t forget this year you take your OWLs, you need to be prepared,” Harry told the older boys.

“Of course we will be, aunt Eleadora will rip us a new one if we dare to have less than ten OWLs,” Terrence said, not quite joking.

“Yeah, we were stupid enough to take care of magical creatures and divination,” George winced.

“But we will sit for the exams of ancient runes, arithmancy and theory of magic,” Fred said.

“Excellent, what did your parents said about your improved grades?” Harry asked and the twin’s enthusiasm drained away.

“Mother was too busy congratulating Perfect Percy and scolding Ron to notice,” Fred sighed.

“Father was too busy working, but Bill was amazed,” George said with a small smile.

“I guess I never told you how proud of you I am,” Harry told the twins. “You have a talent for creating things that I have never seen before, don’t forget we will always support you, no matter what you decide,” he reassured the twins and all the Guild nodded, they were closer than family and anyone who harmed family was in for a painful lesson.

“I am hungry,” Luna said after long minutes of comfortable silence and they chuckled.

“Ella,” Harry called his friend who popped in.

“Are you hungry? Lea cooked delicious things!” the little one explained, excited.

“We are dear, could you bring us the food?” he asked and she nodded with a smile.

“It seems she was busy,” Theo said with a smirk.

“They are excited to make sweets, she has taken an especial fancy to decorate chocolate and is doing that almost all her free time,” Harry almost complained.

“With how fast everything sells it is not a surprise, tell me you opened a branch office of Dulcis Magicae in Hogsmeade,” Draco demanded with narrowed eyes.

“It will open during our first Hogsmeade weekend,” he confirmed and the boy relaxed.

“Should we wake the man and give him food?” Blaise asked.

“He will awake if he is hungry, he may be tired so better not bother, but we will save him something,” Harry said and everyone nodded.

Hours passed by with the group of friends talking about their plans for the future, reading, or playing something. Everything was normal until an alarming gelid air had invaded the compartment, outside everything was drowning in sinister shadows, a melancholic and desolate aura took hold of them. Luna’s eyes widened when a skeletal hand opened their compartment and a dementor swept in, no one moved until it focused on Harry, it began approaching him and he staggered. That moment she narrowed her eyes and a silvery hare erupted from her wand, expelling the dementor. The others were already surrounding Harry and the man that had been sleeping was wide awake, pointing his wand at the place the dementor had occupied.

Remus Lupin had fallen asleep after the silence lulled him to sleep, but something he had felt many times and abhorred every time it happened woke him up. He saw the dementor and was about to cast a patronus when a little girl beat him to it, a powerful corporeal patronus expelled the dementor and returned the compartment to its previous atmosphere. He was looking at her with wide eyes when he saw Harry was sitting on the floor looking pale, he approached the boy and noticed he was already eating chocolate. He sighed in relief and walked towards the door when that girl blocked his path.

“Where are you going Mister Lupin?” she asked, how had she known his last name, he had no idea.

“I need to speak with the conductor of the train and make sure the other students are well,” he told the girl who kept blocking his path; he did not miss her wand ready in her hand.

“You will not tell what happened in this compartment,” she said, while he was a man who had survived a war the cold eyes of the small girl gave him chills.

“It is my responsibility as-” he tried to explain.

“You will not say a word,” a pale blond that reminded him of Lucius Malfoy spoke.

“That is information that can damage Harry’s reputation if it gets to the wrong ears,” a boy that was the carbon copy of Theodred Nott said.

“Please, do not force us to act,” said in unison two girls.

“I won’t say a word, but I need to check on my students,” he said, giving up.

Although he was a grown adult he was outnumbered, and even if they were children, they were also students who produced patronus and tacet spacium as if they were simple levitation charms. He left to check on his other students with his curiosity wide awake, they were powerful children, there was no doubt, but who had taught them? What else they were capable of doing? Though he had promised to tell Albus everything he learned about Harry he had the feeling that if he revealed this information there would be no turning back and loose not only the boy but also his best friend.

“That was Remus Lupin,” Harry whispered now that he was more composed, swearing to dominate the patronus because he would never again feel this vulnerable. “I am sure he will tell Dumbledore when he has the chance so we need to be careful.”

“I am sorry,” Luna muttered looking at the floor.

“Don’t be, I am proud of your reaction and how powerful your spell was,” Harry told the girl managing to compose a weak smile.

He ate the chocolate that was handed to him, Luna had forced them to take multiple bars and now he understood why. The little girl was a seer, not the kind that gave prophecies, but what was known as a savant seer. They were rare to the point people believed them to be a myth, they knew what they were going to need or whether or not it was a good decision. During wars, they were the most sought after because they knew what was the right course of action or who would be the best leader. Little Luna was powerful in extreme, he needed to find ways of protecting her of anyone who might harm her from discovering her gift. Until the moment only the Guild knew, every member promised to keep the secret under an unbreakable vow, now that Dumbledore would be paying closer attention it was time to upgrade their security.

“Who will give the speech this year?” he asked as a distraction.

“I think last year went well,” Draco said.

“But Marcus is no longer in school,” Hestia reminded the boy.

“I think Adrian should do Marcus’ part and the others stick to their previous roles,” Luna suggested with a smile, and what Luna suggested was always done.

“Don’t forget to come to our common room,” Daphne told the members who were not in Slytherin and they nodded.

“I guess I will be talking with the other prefects then,” Terrence sighed, he did not like the idea of being chosen as one but he admitted the position had some perks.

Harry was better by the time they arrived at the station and had to order his friends to act normal. They walked to the great hall with their heads held high and looked at the professor’s table with a smile, although Remus was unexpected it was good to see some of his teachers. The Guild divided and each went to their house tables, they sat down in their usual place and waited for the new students to arrive. They did a few minutes later and he had to smile at their eyes full of wonder at the sight of the hall after the sorting and feast finished the headmaster stood up.

“Welcome to Hogwarts! Now that you are fed and watered I have some announcements to make. The Forbidden Forest is forbidden to all students. I also present you to the new defence against the dark arts teacher, professor Remus Lupin!” he said and the students applauded. “I am also sorry to inform you that our gamekeeper, Rubeous Hagrid has left the school in pursuit of his dreams. We have been unable to find another person to replace him, but please be prudent while walking on the grounds... It is also my duty to inform you that the Ministry has placed dementors in the village and around Hogwarts for our security. Therefore you are not allowed to be wandering on the grounds after six in the evening and all quidditch practices will take place in the morning or with the supervision of a teacher. Now off you go!”

Harry and his friends left the hall with a smirk, Hagrid had been so happy to be offered a job with dragons he had cried and accepted on the spot. Arranging him a house with enough space for him and his giant Cerberus had not been complicated only a bit tricky. What had been more than complicated was to ensure Dumbledore didn’t guilt-trip the man into staying. It was quite a casualty that professor Flitwick had gone to school to visit Hagrid the day the man planned to speak with the headmaster. Professor Flitwick had told them how Dumbledore had almost succeeded in convincing Hagrid to stay until he had intervened, for some reason they were unable to fathom he wanted him in the school. Now, however, he was living in a comfortable place doing what he enjoyed and Harry was happy for the man,

They arrived at their common room and said the password, the door opened and they walked to their usual place. As they decided Adrian stood up with a serious expression, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

“Before the new students join us, is there someone who wishes to challenge the Guild?” he asked with a stony expression and no one answered, though he saw a group of seventh years with challenge blazing in their eyes. “It is good to know, do not forget our duty is to protect the house,” he said signalling to the room, a constant reminder of their power. At that moment the door opened and the prefects walked in, Terrence leading the group, he approached them and nodded.

“Thank you for escorting them,” Theo began with a gentle smile, dismissing the other prefects. “First I wish to welcome you all to the Noble House of Slytherin, I know the prefects already explained the basics of how the house works and Terrence told you about the Guild. We are a noble house and we pride ourselves in our impeccable conduct and the excellent reputation we have worked hard to earn. Therefore we have strict rules to protect our status, we do not give second chances so do not dare to break one,” he said with a serious tone, to which all the new students nodded. “First, the words mudblood, blood-traitor, and any other vulgar expressions are forbidden. You can believe in blood superiority as long as you don’t preach nor act on it, the moment that we discover you breaking this rule you will be punished.

“I am aware that many families are hosting the escaped death eaters, I am aware that they may have filled your heads with their ridiculous beliefs, but that is no excuse. If someone is caught spreading nonsense, such as their parents promising the dark mark, the consequences will be dire,” he promised, looking at the older students; many paled and looked at the floor in fear. No one was expecting the Guild to know something so private. “Second, no bullying is allowed. If you ever feel the need to compensate your weakness by tormenting someone weaker than you, don’t ever let them identify neither you nor the house. If we hear any whisper from a Slytherin breaking this rule and blemishing this house with their uncouth behaviour, there will be consequences. Third, always be polite. We are the house of cunning and ambition; it is always smart to keep all of your options available. From the smallest house elf to the most annoying first-generation magical you are to be polite,” Theo finished his speech glaring at the older students to remind them that anything they had learned during the summer stayed in their houses. “Any questions?” he asked the new students and no one moved.

“As you were told we are the Slytherin Guild, it is our responsibility to take care of the house which includes placing the rules and unfortunately punishing you when necessary” Daphne announced in a clear voice that commanded the attention of the first years. “Our duty is to guide and protect the house, so if any of you has any problems with any subjects we will assign someone to help you. Anything you need do not be afraid to request it as long as it is reasonable. Also, you have to designate a person in your year to speak with us. Don’t forget the rules and you will enjoy all of the benefits the Guild has to offer, ask the older students about how much their lives have improved since we took charge” she said and was pleased to see so many people nodding at her statement. “It is time for bed now, have a restful night” she dismissed them and every Slytherin went to their rooms, leaving them as the only occupants of the room.

“That went better than last year,” Blaise mused.

“I spoke with them while we walked here, this bunch is smarter than last year and it seems Astoria adores Harry because many times I was interrupted by her telling her mates how powerful and amazing you are,” Terrence said the last part in a high pitched voice that earned him a playful swat on the arm, courtesy of Daphne.

“She does adore you, but that is not important. Did you notice that group of seventh years? When Theo mentioned the dark mark they panicked, we have to keep an eye on them,” Daphne said looking serious.

“Harry, we can use the map to track their movements. I will know if they ever decide to act,” Luna said with a smile and everyone nodded.