Days went by in a tranquil flow as Justin and Cedric adapted faster than anyone would have imagined. Justin and Blaise shared their love for food and did not waste a moment in introducing each other to different plates. To almost everyone's surprise, Cedric and Daphne possessed the same dry humour and sarcastic nature, managing to establish a close friendship in a short time. Harry wondered if perhaps their new members were what they needed to finish pulling out Blaise and Daphne out of their warded shells.

The only thing that interrupted their calm days was the chat they had to give Parkinson and Davies for their dishonourable conduct and having the nerve to arrive late to Defence class. That was also the day their new members were introduced to the Slytherin common room, a feature that Harry was proud of and, in his humble opinion, was the jewel of the house. The boy had been pleased with their wide eyes admiring the room. Although they did not comment, they examined the room with appreciation. At last, the two girls entered, being the last ones to arrive at the meeting.

"Good evening. I hope you are enjoying your new classes. If you have any suggestions, please come to us. However, that is not the reason why we have called you today," Harry said and a sepulchral silence took hold of the room. "On Monday, we were shamed by the lateness of two students in this house. Pansy Parkinson and Tracey Davis, would you mind explaining why you were late?" Neither girl answered for a while, but they gave in under the pressure.

"I apologize, we didn't calculate our timing," Davies whispered, but she could be heard across the room.

"Is that it?" Daphne asked, looking at the surprised girl in the eyes. "Or perhaps there is another reason?"

"We didn't think the professor would be so strict," Parkinson muttered.

"I hope that what happened will not be repeated, and I expect you to apologize in person to Professor Kowalski. I will not punish you for this but don't forget our rules. We have worked hard to earn the respect of the school and the approval of the teachers; don't endanger our hard work with foolish actions," Harry announced. Many students swelled with pride and others glared at the girls.

"We also have a few announcements to make. Cedric Diggory and Justin Finch-Fletchley are official members of the Guild. They deserve the same respect as us, so I don't wish to have any surprises," Daphne said, her clear voice sounding throughout the room. "Also, from tomorrow onwards, there will be small snakes engraved on the walls beside our entrance and in different parts of the castle. Their purpose is to guide the first years through the school. Just think of the destination and one will guide you. We expect the prefects to explain this detail to all the first years and the newcomers when they arrive. Also, I wish to thank you all for your hard work. I'm sure that this year will not be the only one where Slytherins are admired as the epitome of Hogwarts students. You may go now," she said, and the students went to different areas of the room, while a few others left for their bedrooms. However, two seventh year prefects remained in the same place in a tacit request to speak with them. Daphne looked at the older students and nodded.

"Professor Snape has informed us of a few changes. The Durmstrang students will stay in the house. He said that the castle would create rooms for them," the girl informed.

"He also ordered us to ensure none of them approaches people he believes to have the Dark Mark or the Guild," the boy said, obvious anger blazing in his eyes.

"How many are coming? We need to divide them between genders," Theo commented.

"Twelve students, all males. We have no idea why no female students are coming," the female prefect told them.

"I see. We will prepare the rooms and ensure that none is marked. The day they arrive, you will guide them and explain our rules and punishments. We will not tolerate any kind of disrespect towards any female in this castle and the punishments will be beyond severe if they dare to try," Harry assured the prefects, who relaxed visibly. "Thank you for the information. We will take care of everything," he promised and they left after expressing their gratitude.

"That was harsh," Cedric commented.

"It was necessary. You know how the school saw us before. We will make sure it does not happen again and that the Durmstrang students will not sully our good name," Harry said.

The older boy nodded in understanding and a certain degree of agreement. Slytherin had been seen as less than scum and future evil Death Eaters for a long time, discriminated by students and teachers alike. Everything was different now and he admitted that the house had become what teachers used as an example of behaviour.

The new Hufflepuff members had been surprised when they were informed about their new training regime and, while none looked particularly excited, they were curious to try. Harry realized that Cedric had a talent he had never seen, combining Charms and Transfiguration, something that could turn him into a successful spell crafter. Justin favoured no subject in particular and, although he was interested in potions, Snape's teaching methods had almost killed his desire to learn that subject. Yet, Justin possessed an enviable memory, remembering even the most complex terms and definitions with no effort whatsoever. It was obvious that both possessed talent in spades and Harry was more than willing to give them the tools to refine them. The Guild was already motivating them to work hard and they were not Hufflepuffs for nothing.

Aside from the magical and physical aspects of their training, the group had specific goals to fulfil. Between becoming decent Occlumens and Legilimens, and, of course, becoming Animagi, there was little free time for them to enjoy. They were tutoring their new members, but it would take a few months for them to reach an acceptable level.

Despite of this, they kept working on their own abilities and discovered that there were a few members with an inclination towards Leglimency while the others favoured Occlumency. It was a slow process and it would take years of practice before any of them was able to fool aunt Eleadora or an expert on the subject, for that matter. Their Animagus training was advancing in leaps and bounds thanks to Lily's journals. Harry thanked his mother's exhaustive research on the subject because he shuddered at the idea of trying Sirius' methods. So far, they all knew what their inner animals were, but were still unable to fully complete the transformation.

Gentle Neville was a Gryffindor at heart. His inner animal was an intimidating and overgrown golden lion. Luna was a stunning, silvery owl. Adrian was a black bear, one that looked sturdy enough to challenge a rhino. Terrence was a slow loris and Luna enjoyed petting him whenever he practised, much to the boy’s chagrin. George, much to his brother's amusement, was a ferret with the same shade of fur as his hair. Fred ended up being a raccoon and was angsty to finish his full transformation and annoy as many people as humanly possible in his new shape. Hestia became a cute wolverine with claws so sharp and long no one dared to even try to tease her. In a similar fashion, Flora's inner animal was a Tasmanian devil, which no one doubted fitted the girl.

Much to Harry's exasperation and slight apprehension, his sweet Elizabeth was a spider, though not a common one. Harry had searched high and low, looking for the one she described: large, rearward-facing fangs, a shiny black body, and larger than average. The moment he had found out what spider his sister was, he was torn between consternation and amazement. Sweet, little Elizabeth was a Sydney funnel-web spider, one of the most poisonous in existence. After he informed her, he decided to ignore that it had ever happened and pretended not to notice Hwasa's amused expression.

Marcus was a red fox with bright auburn fur and intelligent eyes. Blaise's inner animal was a boomslang snake, with attractive green scales and enticing black patterns. Draco, much to his chagrin and the Guild's amusement, was a fluffy white cat with wide, silver eyes. Adorable indeed, and Harry thought it fitted the narcissistic nature of the boy. Daphne's animal surprised no one, but perhaps they were expecting something more along the lines of a lethal and poisonous creature. Her inner animal was a large, grey wolf with a silky, bronze-gold fur and sharp teeth. Theo became a particular type of animal: a large bat with a fox-like face and enormous wings. Strange indeed.

Harry was expecting many animals, from a dog to a snake. Being honest, he hoped it was a snake, similar to the one his mother had been - beautiful and lethal. He would not be so pleased if he ended up being a stag or a dog, but he would accept it. However, nothing could have ever prepared him for what his animal shape was. When Harry glimpsed his inner animal while meditating, he had been shocked when he saw a large Siberian tiger. Its white fur and charcoal stripes made it particularly attractive, but his vivid green eyes were enough to classify it as magnificent. He was indeed surprised but once he got over the shock, he accepted his animal with glee... It seemed that narcissism was not uncommon among the members of the Guild.

During that week, Cedric and Justin received their first lesson of the school term with Professor Flitwick, and they understood at last why Theo had described him that way. While the man was the most amiable of the teachers, he was brutal during a duel and they discovered it the hard way. Daphne had to almost carry a barely-conscious Cedric, but Justin was looking well enough, if not a little more sluggish. When he noticed the curious, and perhaps envious, stares from Theo at his excellent physical condition, Justin cracked a small smile and began explaining.

"I've played football since I'm able to remember. I got used to jogging every morning, so I still do that. Besides, I also enjoy rugby and was a competitive swimmer before I came here, though I still train every summer... My mother forced me to try yoga. I kind of like it but I would rather not tell her," the boy explained looking abashed. Harry smiled at him in approval. It was good that he already had the discipline to be committed to his training.

"You were so cool," Theo whined. "But in reality, you're one of them!" he accused, indicating Harry and Neville.

"I agree," Cedric muttered.

"It's not my fault that Quidditch isn't based on decent physical condition," Justin retorted.

"Not anymore," Terrence commented, "Madam Hooch designed training programs and either the players follow them or they're out."

"It's good that we have been tortured for so long. Her training is almost fun compared to what we have to go through every day," Fred muttered after a heavy sigh.

"Have you thought about teams already?" Draco asked the older boys, perking up.

"Yeah, we'll leave the Gryffindor team and will form a Hogwarts team with Terrence and Adrian," George explained.

"But we still need three more players. It's a shame we can't include our beautiful Daphne; she would have half of our adversaries out of commission in less than five minutes," Adrian said and earned a glare from the girl.

"I can join," Cedric offered himself, looking a bit more composed but still leaning on Daphne.

"Are you sure? The house will go nuts," Justin inquired, looking worried.

"For the first time in my life, I don't really care. I don't even enjoy the position of Seeker... I already want to see their faces," Cedric announced, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Oh my, it seems we're corrupting you," Daphne said with a satisfied smirk.

"Well, we'll only have the Hufflepuffs hating us," George commented, patting Cedric in the back.

Friday arrived with no incident and Harry was excited to begin their first Martial Magic class. The group walked until they arrived at a classroom that had the door open. The room itself was nothing impressive: a regular classroom overall, where the professor was speaking with his assistant. What caught Harry's attention was the wide door at the side of the room and the many framed newspaper headlines containing information about dozens of duellists. They were the first ones to arrive, so they chose a table in the front row and greeted the teachers, who greeted them back.

Few people were present when the class began. Aside from Justin, there was another Hufflepuff girl with red hair who reminded him of Madam Bones, so he guessed they were related. A few Ravenclaws he did not recognize and did not care enough to find out. What surprised him was the eldest twins' youngest brother, who was sitting beside the bushy-haired girl who hated him and a dark-skinned boy who was wearing the Gryffindor colours.

"Good evening. Let me introduce myself. My name is Benedict Munter and this is my wife, Jessica Munter. The reason I decided to teach at this school is because Professor Flitwick is a good friend of mine and asked me to come," he explained, his neutral expression giving him a serious aura. "Martial Magic isn't designed to make you look good. It was created for battle, so if there's anyone who's unwilling to work hard, leave this classroom," the man said, but no one moved.

"Excellent. Martial Magic involves combat spells and everything related," the witch began explaining. "It involves hexes, lethal curses, charms, and potions. The general principle is to combine combat or combat manoeuvres with magical spells. It will also include some knowledge of psychology and human behaviour. Therefore, the amount of studying this class requires is heavy. There won't be repercussions if you're unwilling to stay because we know how hard it will be," she said, her soothing tone enhancing her last sentence. "Are you sure you want to stay, Mister Weasley? I apologize for saying this, but you already look defeated." The students looked at the boy who, indeed, looked as if he had lost everything he held dear and more.

"Yeah, I want to be an Auror and a Quidditch player in my free time. I have to work hard either way. This class won't be as bad as Bill forcing me to re-read all my school books and I don't know how many others. So don't worry," the boy shrugged, still looking defeated. Both adults cracked a small smile at the young Weasley.

"While your words aren't exactly inspiring, I'm sure you'll work hard," the woman said.

"Anyway, I will explain how this class works. It will involve heavy physical training, which is the reason why I'll ask you to come with clothing designed for exercise. However, if you have none, our donor has provided the school with the funds to get every student a uniform. Tomorrow, we will be going to Hogsmeade to have them made so, if you need one, be at the main door at eight in the morning, sharp. As I said, they're part of the donation, so none of you has to worry about the money."

"We'll also have a different format for our classes. There will be three categories and, regardless of your age, you will be able to be in any of them depending on your abilities. The levels are beginner, intermediate, and advanced. We know that you have all tried to learn during your previous years, but there are a few students who have much more experience and it wouldn't be fair for either of you to be placed in the same class," the woman explained with a kind smile.

"Indeed, that's the reason why, today, we will have a circuit that you need to complete. Mrs Munter will call one of you at the time and you'll follow her through that door. As well as the circuit, we also have a simple written test. Neither will affect your grade in any way, but the test will give us an idea of whether you are a strategist, heavy hitter, direct combatant, shield support, or combat healer. These categories will help me to personalize your teaching. However, if anyone wishes to increase their knowledge in more fields, you are more than welcome. One more thing before we start: once a month, Professor Flitwick, Professor Kowalski, and I will offer workshops on wilderness exposure and defensive magic. If any of you wish to join the duelling club, don't forget that it is thrice a week, so you have to be careful managing your time," their professor suggested.

"Now, then, we'll distribute these papers and I'll be calling you to follow me," the woman said.

The test was fascinating, in Harry's humble opinion. It had questions that placed him in scenarios that he had never imagined being and he was pleased. Harry was halfway through when Mrs Munter called him. With no hesitation, he entered the room and examined the area with critical eyes. While it was not as elegant or well-equipped as the one the Guild owned, it was far better than he could have imagined.

"Very well. You have to do a couple of things. First, target practice; throw any kind of weak spell at that dummy and we'll see how accurate your aim is. Then, we will do spell dodging; as the name implies, you'll have to dodge the spells I throw at you. Afterwards, we will have a five-minute duel, then, you have to complete an exercise circuit that I'll give you in a predetermined time. Professor Flitwick told us how advanced you are, so don't be afraid of going all out I'm no weakling," the woman told him and he nodded.

He already knew that his aim was nothing if not perfect, so no surprises there. He had fast reflexes and high stamina, so he had no problems dodging. What had been a humbling experience was the duel with the woman. She was a warrior of the most lethal kind; the ones who were creative and assertive. While Harry was still defeated on a constant basis by Flitwick and Aunt Eleadora, it was a novel experience to have yet another person better than him. It seemed that his victories over the Death Eaters were getting to his head and he thanked the woman for the humbling lesson. Even though he had not been overwhelmed and the duel resulted in a stalemate, a particularly painful stinging hex reached his bum. However, he was too prideful to admit it. Thankfully, the circuit was nothing new or hard: a simple obstacle course that was more entertaining than physically demanding.

At the end of the class, the group of teenagers exited the classroom with satisfied smirks. Harry did not know what he was expecting, but the class had been beyond what he had imagined and there was no doubt that he had much to learn from the experienced adults. In a way, it also lightened their own schedules because, now, they were training during classes so now there was no need to rise so early to exercise or stay late in order to practice. They would still work hard but, now that the teachers were actually doing their jobs, their workload was reduced by a significant amount.

"I believe that this year we'll actually learn something," Justin said, still amazed at how fascinating the class had been.

"Indeed. I almost felt guilty at the fact that only Professor Flitwick taught us and the man had little free time as it was," Daphne commented.

"You? Guilty?" Theo teased and somehow ended up tripping. The girl watched him with an innocent smirk and he pouted.

"It was a great idea that you offered to pay for the equipment. Many students wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise," Neville told Harry.

"Wait, pay for the equipment? I thought it all came from a donation!" Justin exclaimed, confused.

"I guess we forgot to tell you. Wait until we get to the hall; Cedric should also know and I don't want to explain it twice," Harry sighed.

They entered the great hall with their typical regal grace, ignoring all the stares. Since the day Cedric and Justin had begun sitting with them, they had been subjected to the curious and admiring stares from most students, mixed with the seldom jealous glare. While Justin had felt somewhat uncomfortable, Cedric's eyes had a constantly amused twinkle and his face was almost always adorned with a satisfied smirk. It seemed that having little to no contact with his house had rekindled his rebellious nature and subversive spirit. They sat at their usual place and delicious food appeared in front of them.

"So, how are the Puffs taking the fact that you've left them?" Daphne asked, smirking at a pink-faced blonde who was glaring at them, making her go even redder.

"Not very well. Ernie and Hannah have had a sudden interest in me and have been trying to pester me to include them. I would have tried if they weren't so interested in it, so I cut my ties with them. Now they've been glaring at me all the time, but I'm always with Cedric, so I don't care," he shrugged. "However, Cedric has it harder. The whole house has been trying to pressure him into rejoining the Quidditch team and they're trying to use peer pressure to make sure he goes back."

"So they're ignoring him," Blaise concluded with a pronounced sneer.

"Yeah, me too, by extension. But he isn't the golden boy for nothing; many students are feeling guilty already. Professor Sprout noticed and, if they keep going, she's going to be angry... Not everyone is bad, though. Susan Bones has always been fair and no one is stupid enough to try and mess with her. She speaks with us and tries to include us, though she's pretty irritated by their attitude. One of these days she's going to explode," he sighed.

"She sounds interesting. What can you tell us about her?" Daphne asked him.

"I don't know her that well, but she's always polite. Her aunt is the Head of the DMLE, so she learnt quite a lot about Defence. Susan is one of the few that hates gossip and is always fair. Her best friend is one year older and they both tend to hang out helping the first years," Justin explained, filling his plate with the mouth-watering food.

"It's not a good idea," Luna said, sitting next to Blaise. The youngest twins sat on the opposite side and Draco was gripping his chest, as the sudden appearance of the girl had surprised him. "While she's fair and loyal, many of her ideals clash with ours. She believes in justice, but fails to notice that balance has nothing to do with it," she explained, looking at Harry.

"How was your class?" Harry asked the girls after nodding at Luna and ignoring Justin's confused expression.

"We're going to drop spell casting," Flora announced.

"Yeah, we've learnt more than the school will teach us thanks to Aunt Eleadora," Hestia agreed.

"Told you so," Theo grumbled.

"So we will all take inscription casting and Martial Magic," Neville concluded.

"Yup, the others will arrive soon. They were talking with Professor Somerhalder about warding," Luna informed them. True to her word, five people were walking up to them, looking immersed in an interesting conversation.

"Sorry, we were talking with Professor Somerhalder. She's a genius!" George exclaimed. His eyes were twinkling in a disturbing way.

"We know," Neville told them and gestured to Luna, who was eating her dumplings like a rabbit.

"We aren't complete yet, but we should talk to Marcus about the Hogwarts Court," the dreamy girl suggested.

"We're complete now," Adrian nodded.

"We aren't, but we need to have everything ready. Besides, I want to see him," Luna shrugged.

"Perhaps he can spend the weekend with us," Daphne said.

"What's the Hogwarts Court?" asked a confused Cedric, interrupting the conversation. Harry looked at Theo, Adrian, and Terrence, who nodded and waved their wands, ensuring no one eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Sorry for that, but I would like to keep the information between people I trust," Harry explained.

"We forgot," Daphne sighed. "You know that we're called the Guild. A Slytherin Guild is a tradition of the house, but it isn't a common occurrence. A Guild is formed when a Slytherin fulfils the following requirements: defeat the person that rules the house by force, defeat the person who follows him/her in power by cunning, and earn the respect of at least half of the people of each year in the house. The Guild rules Slytherin; the prefects and even the head of the house obey. We make the rules and the house follows," she explained.

"That is how we control our house. Our duty is to ensure their safety and punish them if necessary. It isn't an easy job and it's rare for more than one to be formed in a century," Draco added.

"So that's how you changed Slytherin," Cedric muttered.

"Indeed. Now, a Hogwarts Court is a Slytherin Guild applied to school, but with a defined leader or a king," Daphne said. "To form a Court, you need to have every house respect the leader, have at least ten powerful members, and have a person of each house in the Court. We now fulfil all the requirements, so we are ready to form one."

"So what does the Court do?" Justin asked, processing the information rather fast.

"They protect the school and the students," Daphne announce, a soft smile adorning her face. "The Court is in charge of protecting the castle and its inhabitants. We have already begun changing the school. The castle enjoys it; that's the reason why the stairs never move when we use them and why no matter what path we take, we always arrive at our destination. Marcus told us that the leader of the Court also has influence over the castle that rivals that of the headmaster."

Daphne's solemn face and prideful demeanour were emulated by most of the people who surrounded her. Justin and Cedric looked at each other. It was not a simple club. Indeed, it went far beyond what either had imagined... But they wanted to take part in it. Cedric had been witness to how much the school had improved in such a short time and he decided he would play his part. They nodded at each other. They were members of the Guild and they would become members of the Hogwarts Court.

"Anyway, now that we're all here, mind explaining the thing with the donations?" Justin asked Harry after a few minutes.

"You know that I'm the last Potter and that the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter has accumulated quite the fortune throughout its existence."

"The Potters had enough money to buy England," Cedric nodded.

"I'm not sure about that, but anyway, when I arrived in the magical world I was beyond disappointed. Their lack of technology and options left me quite frustrated, so I decided to change that. My friend and counsellor, Ragnok, helped me to begin a few businesses in the Alley," he said and the Hufflepuff boy's eyes widened with understanding.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that," Justin muttered.

"How many of the new businesses are yours?" Cedric asked him.

"All belong to him, from the first clothing shop to Mirror Summons," Terrence said with pride.

"The Magic Times Herald also belongs to him," Hestia chirped in, not allowing the boys to get over their surprise.

"That's incredible! My mom is a business enthusiast. I'm sure you'd get along with her," Justin exclaimed, looking excited.

"He just gives the ideas, otherwise he's almost useless. Ragnok and Ploutos are the ones that make sure the businesses are looked for," Draco said in a singsong voice.

"Thank you for that unnecessary clarification, dear Draco," Harry muttered. "Now that you know that, do you want to join us to write in the newspaper?" Both boys nodded, still too surprised to do anything else. Luna kept eating without worries, so he guessed everything was going to be fine and they would adapt soon enough.

The next day, the group of friends headed towards their headquarters after breakfast. For some strange reason, Luna ran ahead of them and entered the room. When they arrived, the sight that greeted them was a man being hugged to death by the girl. Harry smirked at Marcus, who was trying to ensure the slight girl stopped hugging him without hurting her feelings.

"If Luna doesn't kill him, that's Marcus," Adrian sighed.

"Hello. You must be Cedric and Justin," Marcus greeted, and shook their hands, taking the opportunity to free himself from Luna.

"We're getting two cats!" Flora exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Elizabeth will also want one," Marcus told Harry.

"I know. I'm planning on opening a refuge or something similar. Mister Filch looks so happy when he's with them that I'll offer him a job there. Besides, that's the only way the castle won't be flooded with cats," Harry explained. "But I think it will be good to get a few for the castle, Sirius will have a heart attack."

"Let's talk about important matters," Daphne interrupted their conversation, sitting beside Marcus. "What do we need to establish the Court?"

"Already?" the man asked with wide eyes. "I wasn't expecting that... I'm not sure, but I remember reading something about announcing it to the castle."

"So, we have to make some kind of public announcement," Adrian muttered.

"No, I mean announce it to the castle herself. Hogwarts is a feeling entity and we have to ask her permission to form a Court. If she approves - I'm not really sure what happens. I'll read about it and tell you later," Marcus shrugged.

"Well, we need to find a way of teaching our rules to the school," Draco said.

"That's easy; we'll leave our imprints in every house," Luna commented.

"Can you explain that?" George asked the girl.

"I'm not sure how, but I know that we'll leave part of ourselves in the castle," Luna muttered, playing with the hem of Marcus' sweater.

"So we have a long term idea, but we need something immediate," Fred announced.

"We use our house; Slytherins are accepted and it's time that they start to mingle with the other students. What better tool to teach than using them?" Hestia suggested.

"I agree; that way we'll also know who's inclined towards blood supremacy and we can single them out. Social pressure is one of our best tools," Blaise added lost in thought.

"We can use the tournament as an excuse to start the house socializing. Our focus is the first years because they will be the ones who teach the future students once we leave," Harry agreed and a plan was formed.

"So how is work going?" Terrence asked and the eldest boy groaned.

"Fudge is a bloody idiot! The moron isn't even able to make a decent decision without the help of a whole council. After the emergency session on Monday and the stupid decision they made in allowing Voldemort’s minions to give financial aid, the Death Eaters in the Wizengamot believe they have more power. They visit Fudge every day and are trying to get information about the DMLE and St Mungos. I already want the 19th to arrive so I can get rid of that incompetent buffoon," Marcus groaned, leaning on Daphne’s shoulder while the girl patted his head.

"Ragnok told me they were hired to place wards; they're taking the opportunity to almost empty the vaults of many Death Eaters. However, he is suspicious. Why are they going so far to ensure the Tournament takes place?" Harry asked rhetorically. "Ragnok believes that they are planning an attack during one of the tasks and I agree. What a better way to demoralize the population than attacking their children? Although, they need time to get more people and have a solid plan. Luna, do you have any feelings?"

"I know they're planning something, but I have no idea what... I don't believe they're going to attack, but let's be ready just in case. Voldemort will begin to retrieve his Horcruxes in December," she informed the group.

"Bellatrix is out of commission and the shack can have a little accident and be reduced to cinders. The problem is Grimmauld Place, Hogwarts, and Draco's dad," Terrence said.

"The bastard will go to any length to pressure Lucius into handing him the diary and, if possible, kill him in the process," George muttered, his brown eyes narrowing.

"He'll put the manor under the Fidelius today, if possible," Draco grumbled, grabbing a piece of parchment and writing on it.

"Tell him to move to the castle. It's the safest place in the country," Harry ordered. "I'll talk with the school elves to see if they found the Horcrux."

"It's on the seventh floor, hidden in the Come and Go Room," Luna announced, her eyes turning glassy for a few seconds.

"Ares! Mars!" Harry called his elves, wasting no time. Two elves popped in, both standing with firm stances and wearing serious expressions. "This is an important task. Luna found the next Horcrux; it's in the Room of Requirement. I want you to tell Ragnok after locating the room; he will assign two Curse-breakers who will destroy the thing. By no means touch it or get too close," Harry ordered. The elves bowed and left with a pop.

Cedric observed the bizarre events that were taking place in the room with apprehension that was overshadowed by amazement. He was not expecting to see a boy that had graduated inside the school, lounging in their room as if it was a common occurrence. No doubts were left in his mind about the Guild; it was a lifelong commission that went far beyond school duties. They had information about every move of the Minister and someone inside Gringotts. The way they were talking resembled a military operation instead of opinions on social events. They spoke about different situations as if they were able to control them and perhaps they could... The Guild would change the world and he was proud to be part of it.

"So the Dark Lord is back," Cedric inquired looking around.

"Call him Voldemort or Tom," Neville corrected, paying him no attention.

"Why would I call him Tom?" the boy asked bewildered.

"We forgot to tell you," Adrian grumbled.

"His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, son of Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle Senior. He is a Half-blood moron, so if you call him that ridiculous name I'm going to curse you," Daphne threatened.

"What's a Horcrux?" Justin asked.

"Right, we also forgot about that," Terrence mumbled. "It's the fragment of a soul, created through a disgusting ritual as a way of anchoring one's soul to this world. Voldemort created five and, so far, we've managed to destroy four, but the fifth will join them soon."

"Does your father have more information about Tom?" Harry asked Marcus in a soft murmur while the new members of the Guild were put up to date.

"Nothing that we didn't know, though he was trying to resist the Imperius, so I had to dose him with loyalty potions," the eldest male shrugged. "Bellatrix managed to survive, but her recovery will take at least half a year under constant healing. Rodolphus is still unresponsive, but Rabastan will make a full recovery in three months if he keeps being healed. Voldemort is recruiting once again, but that's no longer his main concern. He needed to change bodies to survive. The bastard possessed a human baby and is vulnerable at the moment, so his priority is to regain his body."

"Either way, we will be ready," Harry promised.