Monday 5th of September, Albus Dumbledore's Personal Office, Hogwarts

Albus Dumbledore was having the mother of all migraines. The emergency meeting had not been terrible, but regulations he did not like in the least were placed on the Tournament. Annoyingly, his hands were tied on the matter. If he challenged fate, the old man knew he would end up losing, so he decided to give in for the moment. Calling Severus to his office, he waited, while nursing a bottle of firewhisky.

"What's so important that you interrupted my brewing?" the younger man demanded, barging in.

"I apologize, Severus, but there have been changes regarding the Tournament," Albus muttered after taking a swing of the reliable alcoholic beverage. He felt drained and it was not even close to lunchtime. "It was decided that the foreign students will stay inside the castle. That way, they will have easier access to classes and facilities."

"I guess that includes the headmasters," Severus concluded, his scowl deepening. "I don't really care about that. Karkaroff was murdered years ago and, as far as I am concerned, his replacement is not a Death Eater."

"Pedja Bjelac may not be a Death Eater, but he is an unknown element. He and Olympe will be staying in empty teacher rooms. My concerns lay in the Durmstrang students - they will be staying with the Slytherins for the rest of the year and, before you tell me something, I did my best to prevent it."

"My house has changed," Severus whispered in a defeated tone. "They no longer look for my guidance and it's almost as if I was just another teacher... I fail to see the problem, Albus. You should be worrying about the ones that will house the Beauxbatons students so that they don't cause even more embarrassment to the school."

"The house may have changed, but many of your students are marked Death Eaters. I am afraid they will lure people to Voldemort," the headmaster explained, ignoring the teacher’s last sentence.

"What can I do? Isolate them and forbid them any kind of contact? I must remind you that Hogwarts doesn't allow me entrance to their common room, and not even you are allowed," Severus retorted with obvious contempt.

"I know... She's cutting my access to many places," Albus admitted.

"So, what do you want to do? It's a ridiculous situation to be worried about because you know as well as I do that, if the Dark Lord wants new recruits, he will not use his underlings to lure them over."

"Tell your prefects to keep an eye on the Durmstrang students," Albus ordered, ignoring the teacher's argument.

"I will try, but I promise nothing. I have long lost any semblance of authority in my house," the man snapped and left.

Albus sighed once the potions master left. Severus was becoming more difficult to deal with; he was not taking losing the trust of his house well. Not that he could blame the man. Since last year, Hogwarts had begun blocking his access to different places such as the Room of Requirement, the ward stone vaults, the house-elf facilities, the dungeons, and every single common room. The headmaster felt conflicted by that turn of events because he knew it was the castle's way of informing him that he was no longer approved as the headmaster.

Minerva did not need to gloat about her newfound free access to the castle for him to know that things were changing. It was time to admit he had not been a decent headmaster and had dismissed the students' safety as collateral damage, thinking of the greater good, and perhaps that had been a mistake. Until then, few of his plans had been successful, causing more harm than good, but he hoped to redeem himself with what was going to happen soon. People would understand why he had worked so hard and would forgive him.

At least, Albus hoped they did.

Harry Potter and his friends walked towards their first class of the year: Defence Against the Dark Arts. The boy admitted being curious about the new professor because, while she possessed a delicate beauty, her impenetrable eyes and inscrutable countenance screamed of experiences that had turned her core to steel; experiences that he was sure would drive a lesser person to their knees. The blonde woman reminded him so much of Daphne, and at the same time, both females were so different that he wondered what her story was.

They entered the classroom, where the professor nodded at them and continued writing on some parchment, her assistant was nowhere to be seen. It was good that they shared the class with Neville; that way they could divide themselves into two groups of three and ignore their dim-witted classmates. At nine o'clock exactly, the door was closed with a loud bang, even though a third of the class was missing. Much to Harry's shame, he noticed that two Slytherin girls were among the late students and decided he would have a chat with them later that day. The woman stood up and silence descended on the room.

"Good morning. My name is Isabelle Kowalski and you will call me Professor Kowalski. Before we begin, I will establish the rules and I expect them to be followed or you will be expelled from my class," she announced in a silvery voice and, while it was pleasant, the aura the woman was projecting was enough to intimidate most of the students. "I expect you to be here five minutes before the classes start; at nine the doors will be closed and no one will be allowed entrance unless you have an excellent excuse. I tolerate no indiscipline. If you wish to have fun, instead of learning you may leave this room now.

"The way we will advance is simple: read the chapters I tell you to before the class, then we will clear up any doubts and I will explain the lesson, but our focus is on the practical element of the course. I reviewed who your last teachers were and the only decent one was Remus Lupin, with whom I had an in-depth chat about your education," she said, looking around. "Your knowledge is basic at best and memorizing the theory will do nothing to protect you. I will pass these parchments around; they contain a list of spells. I want you to check off the ones you know. After this, I will put you into pairs for the practical part. Mister Albee, please come in," she ordered and a tall man with bright blue eyes and brown hair entered, followed by the missing students, who were looking at the ground.

"I already explained the rules to them and they will be serving their first detention with Madam Pince during their free period," the man announced. Harry noticed, with some degree of amusement, that, while the woman looked delicate, she was nothing of the sort, and although the man looked quite gruff, he possessed the gentlest eyes he had seen.

"Thank you. I hope we will not have to repeat this shameful incident," she said and the newcomers nodded. Parchments flew to every student with a wave of the professor's wand.

Harry examined the paper in front of him and admitted to being impressed. It contained a range of spells from the most basic to ones he had never heard about before, and even the Unforgivables were listed. Yes, he was indeed impressed. He looked to the side and noticed that Daphne was looking at the woman with admiration shining in her grey eyes, and he wondered if perhaps the girl would turn out to be similar to the professor in the future. He began marking the paper absentmindedly. He put his fountain pen down and the parchment disappeared. After everyone was done, the two adults at the front were engaged in a discussion over a parchment in particular and, less than a minute later, they reached a decision.

"The results, while expected, are still disappointing. Although we have a few outstanding students that have surpassed any expectation I had," the woman announced and the boy did not miss the look she gave his group. "Now, we will call names and groups will form. Follow Mister Albee, through that door," she said, signalling a door that had not been there last year. "It is the practice room and you will rotate between tasks: aiming practice, spell dodging, individual and group duels, and we will then divide you into groups for you to learn different spells."

Daphne was paired with a giggling Gryffindor girl that had little to no idea of how to cast the basic spells. During that duel, Daphne had destroyed her in the most humiliating way. Instead of dodging, she deflected and, when she attacked, she only used overpowered stinging hexes that left the Gryffindor girl in the border of tears. Harry had been forced to stop Daphne in a not so pleasant way for the girl, but it had been necessary for her to stop before her opponent was harmed. Despite his displeasure on the matter, professor Kowalski seemed quite pleased with Daphne.

"I apologize for pairing you with someone who still has to learn, Miss Greengrass. You can join Mister Longbottom, I think he will be a decent match. Listen now," the professor raised her voice and every student paid attention. "I realize that this class will be hard for many of you. I will offer extra assistance for the ones who wish me to. I am not saying that it will be easy, but I will turn you into capable witches and wizards. Raise your hands if you wish to join and I will accommodate my schedule," she promised and, although there were a few who were glaring at the ground, most of the students raised their hands.

Harry admitted that the class was one of the best he had ever experienced for the subject, beating Remus by a wide margin. Both adults proved themselves to be beyond capable teachers. Professor Kowalski noticed even the most diminutive details that prevented a student performing a spell and spotted their weaknesses in seconds, correcting them and ensuring most of the class was able to master at least two new spells before the class was over. Mister Albee was excellent at explaining different methods of casting the same spell, making it easier for the students to learn. Both worked in perfect synchrony and devised a study plan that, while not all the students would enjoy, everyone would benefit from.

"Everything hurts and I'm dying," Theo whimpered what had turned into his new catchphrase ever since they had begun training.

"She's just as sadistic as Flitwick," Draco agreed and earned a glare from Daphne.

"At least now we won't be the only ones in the school to suffer," Blaise chirped, his mischievous smile directed at the Gryffindor table, where most of the fourth years seemed to have lost their souls.

"I wasn't expecting her to be so good," Neville complimented the woman, "I guess that's why lunch is after this class - they knew we would starve otherwise."

"I see your class went well," Luna said, surprising them when she appeared behind Draco. The boy let out an undignified high-pitched yelp. "I had Transfiguration; it was great. Professor McGonagall is now able to pay more attention to the ones who finish their transformations first, while her assistant helps the others," she explained, petting a disgruntled Draco.

"It was time the money that we pay to be used; it's ridiculous how cheap the headmaster is. I'm glad McGonagall and Flitwick are finally controlling the old man," Daphne said and, for some reason, her face softened when she looked at the front.

Harry looked in the same direction and saw an anxious Justin Finch-Fletchley approaching them. The person beside him was trying to calm the boy. Harry recognized the older student, Cedric Diggory, the golden boy of Hogwarts before he arrived. He remembered considering the older boy to form part of the Guild, but there was no reliable way of approaching him. Diggory was popular among the students and if they clashed for some reason, it would cause more problems than necessary. So, Harry had dismissed him, but it seemed that there was perhaps some other way of making the boy useful.

"We are almost complete," Luna whispered, a wide smile adorning her face. The present members of the Guild looked at each other and nodded.

"Um, hello," Justin greeted with a shaky voice. The boy appeared to be on the border of a panic attack.

"It's good you've decided to join us; come here," Blaise said, patting the space beside him. "We asked for a special meal that I think you will like, but my mom would kill me if she ever discovers I'm eating something raw, so if both of you would keep this secret, I would appreciate it."

"You have sushi!" the youngest newcomer exclaimed, eyeing the variety of food in front of him with curiosity. "And soup... what are the other things?"

"That's Miso soup, a delicious thing you have to try, even better with tofu. That's genmai rice; we usually eat it with salad or pickled vegetables and you can add sashimi, tamagoyaki, or grilled fish - really good," Draco explained and began filling his plate with a gleeful expression.

"Don't forget to try the onigiri and the ramen; they're the best," Luna told the boy, who sat down. Harry noticed that the eldest newcomer was amazed by the variety of food, but it was obvious the boy was uncomfortable and unsure about whether he should stay or not. The curious stares the group was receiving from most of the students in the hall did not help.

"Have you ever tried any of these?" Harry asked, getting Cedric out of his surprised state.

"Ehm, not really. Though I remember seeing similar food in the restaurant that my father and I visited, but he didn't want to try anything new," the boy explained with a sheepish smile.

"You can join us, then. I'm sure you won't regret it."

Cedric Diggory did not accept immediately. First, he looked at Justin and, after a few seconds, he nodded at last. The prefect looked wary, being surrounded by so many strangers. Harry was about to signal to Luna for her to do something, but the arrival of the last six members interrupted him. Adrian collapsed beside Daphne, and Fred followed, both looking exhausted. Terrence and George did the same thing, though with a bit more decorum, and the youngest twins looked exasperated at their antics.

"What happened to them?" Theo asked the girls.

"Idiocy. That's what happened," Flora huffed and sat beside Neville.

"They decided to pick us up from our class and they started racing each other to see who could run the most times around the inner courtyard. They all lost; Mister Filch's kittens thought they were playing and started following them," Hestia explained.

"They're beasts! Whenever they caught up to us they scratched. Our pants are torn and those little devils' scratches will leave scars," Adrian complained.

"Flora and I talked with Mister Filch about adopting them. He says that they will stay one more month with their mother, but we can visit them!" Flora gushed, almost vibrating in excitement and ignoring the four boys' horrified expressions.

"Elizabeth will also want one," Harry sighed. "Please, ignore this. I promise we are normal," Harry told the two newcomers, ignoring the indignant complaints.

It seemed that the unusual event, plus their simple relationship, eased both boys until they allowed themselves to relax. Cedric looked confused when he saw chopsticks instead of the usual utensils and was left gobsmacked when he saw the Guild using them. Daphne, in an unusual moment of kindness, took pity on him and taught the boy how to eat with them, showing more patience than the others knew she possessed. Even with her help, he still had problems, which was understandable considering it was his first time using chopsticks. Justin tried every plate with no hesitation and poise that screamed of practice. Cedric, on the other hand, looked unsure about the food and only tried the Miso soup, but did not touch the tofu.

"Open your mouth," Flora ordered the boy, apparently tired of his indecision. The prefect eyed her chopsticks with distrust, but in a duel of wills the girl had yet to lose, and the older boy gave in. You could almost see his amazement when he realized the food would not eat him instead. After that hilarious moment, he started trying different things.

"I admit the food is really good, but I have a question. Why are you eating raw fish?" Cedric asked looking bewildered and a bit worried.

"That's sashimi, you are supposed to eat it raw," Justin explained.

"Okay, I think I've done enough experimenting for today, so I'll pass. Though I have another question: why are the drinks green?"

"It's green tea," Adrian explained. "It's delicious, but I don't enjoy it too strong. Draco, on the other hand, could drink it pure. Not everyone likes it and there are different versions. The dark green jar is the strong one, the one in the middle is mild, and the last one is sweetened. Considering it's your first time tasting it, I recommend trying the sweetened one."

"So what happened during Defence with the new teacher? The Gryffindors were almost dead and two girls were complaining," Justin inquired.

"The new professor is great," Daphne explained with an uncharacteristic smile. "The problem is that those wussy wimps are unable to take a real lesson," she huffed, and Cedric almost choked on his tea when he heard the prim girl use language he was not expecting. It was something the boy would need to get used to and never dare to reprimand her for it, unless he had a masochistic death wish, of course.

"Yeah, she's not bad. Compared to professor Flitwick, she's even kind. I would have enjoyed it if moving didn't hurt," Blaise sighed.

"Flitwick is one of the kindest teachers in school," Cedric argued with an incredulous expression.

"I don't know whether I should envy your innocence or pity it," Theo muttered. "You know he was a duelling champion, right?" he asked and both Hufflepuffs nodded. "Harry was taking extra lessons and somehow we got dragged in it. I discovered he's a sadistic man who enjoys using us as target practice."

"Ignore him. Professor Flitwick is great and we've learned a lot under his guidance. He works hard and expects us to do the same, so we do it," Hestia shrugged.

"I think we should go to our room, now. Do you wish to come with us?" Luna asked. Her innocent blue eyes and soft expression was impossible to say no to.

Cedric Diggory had always considered himself clever and charming, able to get out of any situation with the silver tongue no one knew he possessed. At least that is what he believed until a few minutes ago. Somehow, he had ended up sitting with a group of people he did not feel comfortable with, but he discovered they were not so bad after all.

Like many others, he had fallen for the belief that Harry Potter was the hero that the stories portrayed, and had been confused when the boy was anything but. If that was not enough, Cedric knew Slytherin had changed since he arrived. It was not immediate, but the signs were there for anyone who wanted to see them. They never insulted Muggleborns, they had become polite and, dare he say, gentle... And even if he had managed not to notice, there was something even more terrifying about the change, something subtler, but that was impossible to miss. Every single Slytherin looked at Potter with either fear or admiration. Over the years, he had observed how his group expanded and how fear turned to horror, and admiration to devotion that bordered on adoration. He was intimidated by the boy that had dominated the Slytherin house to the point of total submission.

Therefore, Cedric considered it quite ironic that one of the few real friends he had somehow managed to be accepted into the group - a group so exclusive that it had the ear of every professor and many important people. A group that enjoyed special privileges, such as a personalized meal and a room for their personal use. Cedric did not know how to feel about the situation. It felt so unrealistic he would not be surprised if he woke up.

They were led to the dungeons. He was expecting the usual dim illumination and was surprised when he saw the hallways had better light than the main hall. He eyed with curiosity the flat, round things that emitted the light but, no matter how much he tried to, he was unable to decipher what those things were. Justin seemed to recognize them immediately and that only increased his curiosity.

"I was told that electricity did not work at Hogwarts!" Justin exclaimed in wonder.

"They aren't based on electricity, they're enchanted," George explained to the boy.

Cedric had no idea what 'elek-ty-city' was, but it sounded like a powerful kind of magic. He did not know how Justin knew about it, but the boy would be interrogated when they arrived at their common room. Walking through a maze of hallways, they arrived at a stone wall and, while Cedric had never considered himself an art connoisseur, he knew that the detailed Hogwarts insignia was a work of art. The wall moved, and a place he would have never believed that existed in Hogwarts was revealed.

It seemed to be separated into different areas: a rocky place, a large place with many dummies, a potions area that seemed equipped to handle even the most complicated alchemical creations, a large area that seemed to contain torture devices, and a seating area. And, while the seating place would have been considered the most normal place in the room, the lavish decorations, expensive-looking carpets and furniture, and rich colours were enough to steal all the attention. Apparently, he had been awestruck for too long because a few were already lounging in the seating area, one of the Weasley twins and one of the Slytherin twins were at the potions station, Daphne Greengrass was duelling against the other Weasley twin, and two small girls were throwing spells at a dummy. It was good that he was not the only one who did not know what to say because Justin was still staring at the room with obvious amazement.

"What is this place?" Justin asked.

"Our headquarters. We train, study, and rest here," Blaise explained, not taking his eyes off his book.

"I think the Ravenclaws would be jealous," Cedric muttered, eyeing walls brimming with books.

"I agree, though the school library has improved a bit. However, we have the best place in the school," Theo almost gloated.

"So, now that you have seen how our group works, will you join?" Harry asked the two Hufflepuffs. Justin did not even think about it and nodded, taking a seat beside Blaise and looking at Cedric with an expectant expression.

Cedric Diggory had no idea how to answer and, while he admitted being tempted, he knew this group was not a simple school club. The Guild, as it was called, was not a group you could join on a whim and leave if you got tired. He had heard his father singing praises about Marcus Travers regarding the excellent job he was doing as undersecretary. During the Cup, he had seen the man with these people; it was easy to deduce that, even when he had graduated, he was still part of them.

It was a lifetime commitment and that fact scared him. However, at the same time, he envied the simple camaraderie and friendship they shared. During the Hogsmeade attack, they had been the ones to stay behind, risking their lives. To do something like that, Cedric knew that they had to trust each other with their lives and he yearned for a relationship so deep.

Being the son his father wanted to have instead of being just Cedric had left a deep mark on him. He loved his father but, at the same time, he resented the man for enslaving him the way he did. Cedric had been unable to cultivate any friendship while growing up. People approached him because they wanted something from him or because they enjoyed the persona he had been forced to craft. He had felt like the loneliest person in the world until he met Justin, someone who looked behind his mask and offered him an opportunity to be himself... However, these people possessed what most could only dream about. What could they want from him? He had no idea, but he was not going to make a rash decision.

"Why do you want me to join?" Cedric asked with a guarded look.

"You're intelligent, a talented wizard, and because Luna said so," Harry answered. The older boy was expecting many things, but that simple answer was not one of them.

"It's hard to find people who see the world the same way we do," Luna announced, her pretty face carved in a serious expression. "I know how you feel; I was also lonely once. We're family and we support each other, no matter what happens. I know you don't want to feel lonely anymore," the girl whispered and offered him the warmest smile.

Cedric was confused. How this girl had known something so personal, he had no idea, but it did not make her statement less real. His resolve was solidified but, before he could answer, the small girl encased him in a gentle hug.

"Welcome to the Guild."