Fleur Delacour walked towards the main gates, grateful for her mother's overprotective nature and packing her warmest sweater into her luggage. The silk uniform of her school was too thin to offer any kind of warmth, especially because the castle corridors were no warmer than the outside. She looked to her side again, trying to reassure herself that she was not dreaming. The sight of Flora arguing with Draco about who had the best hair was enough to calm her.

When she woke up, Fleur had been dreading the idea of going to the common room, even when she had been ready for more than an hour. Finding no other excuses to remain in her room, she went down. Seeing Luna waiting for her had filled her with a considerable amount of relief. Somehow, she had been accepted into the group and she swore to be loyal to the people who had offered her a place amongst them.

The Guild was walking towards the village, ready to have breakfast at the café with Marcus. Harry paid attention to their new members, thinking about how they had adapted to their new lives. Justin and Cedric had adapted so fast that it was almost as if they had been with them from the beginning. The problem is that Hufflepuff was divided in opinion regarding both boys. Cedric had been their golden boy and most had accepted his decision of leaving the Quidditch team after a few weeks. Perhaps the scolding that Professor Sprout had given them had helped the situation. What no one expected was the Prefect becoming more popular than before because of joining the Guild.

On the other hand, Justin had received open criticism that bordered on harassment. All the people that were too frightened to go against Cedric went after the younger boy, even the pair that he had once called friends. Susan Bones ended up being an unexpected ally, defending him in their common room and even going so far as challenging many people to duels. However, Justin spent most of his time with Cedric and the Guild, so he had little interaction with his house and their open hostility did not affect him.

Viktor was an addition Harry was not expecting. The boy was silent most of the time and his almost flawless English would turn heavily accented whenever he spoke with outsiders. The Bulgarian possessed a dry humour that almost matched his own and enviable self-control, forcing himself to test his own limits while training. Nevertheless, he was also gentle and caring, treating the younger members like siblings and indulging them to the point of spoiling most of the group. It was a strange dichotomy, but he accepted the Guild and he was accepted in return.

Fleur was still an unknown element and Harry had been careful with the information that had been revealed to the French girl, but Luna trusted her, so the boy tried to be as honest as possible. It was quite obvious that the girl's heritage had done her no favours while growing up. Whilst Fleur was graceful when speaking, her awkwardness when she was trying to interact with someone, could still be felt. She was not used to being with people and Harry was not blind. Most girls eyed her with envy even if they were trying to conceal it, rationalizing their illogical dislike for the girl by classifying her as shallow and stupid, even though they did not know her. Many boys believed the girl was a prize, or even an object, treating her as eye candy instead of the intelligent young woman she was. The French student had found solace in his group and he hoped that Luna was right, because having a powerful Veela in their ranks would be extremely beneficial.

All in all, the new members were adapting rather fast to their new lifestyle. Cedric and Viktor did not enjoy the physical training, but the latter had a steel discipline that did not allow him to quit, much to Cedric's and Theo's horror. Fleur was above average in stamina, however, her body was not used to being pushed and her muscles were still weak. Nevertheless, the girl was filled with determination and she refused to give up, even when she was on the border of collapsing in exhaustion. Justin, on the other hand, was so used to exercising that he had been the one to advance the most, yet he still had loads to learn before he could reach the level the Guild required... They all did, and yet, no matter how much they still needed to advance, they managed to fit perfectly with the group of misfits.

Harry looked around when they entered the café. Marcus was sitting at their usual table, reading something that appeared to be fascinating, if the man's face was anything to go by. The whole group walked towards their table, except Luna, of course. The girl, instead of walking, decided to jump on their oldest member and almost give him a heart attack in the process. He heard Daphne laugh and sighed. That girl had the most sadistic sort of humour he had ever encountered.

"This is Marcus Travers," Justin introduced. "These two are Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour, our new members."

"Pleased to meet you. I already ordered breakfast, but someone didn't tell me we had new people," the young man complained, "so if you want to order anything else, feel free to do so."

"What's this?" Luna asked Marcus.

"A book," Adrian deadpanned and tried not to laugh at the girl's sour expression.

"Great observation, Adrian. I'm glad that all the Bludgers you have taken to the head haven't killed your remaining brain cells," Terrence commented.

"That looks old. Why are you reading it, Marcus?" Daphne asked, interrupting any possible discussion before it even began.

"It's one of my ancestor's journals. He was one of the members of the Hogwarts Court," Marcus shrugged, but his sharp eyes were focused on the two new members in case they were not informed about how their group worked.

"We already explained," Hestia said, looking at the man.

"So what do we have to do?" Draco asked, looking impatient. Harry signalled for the group to cast a silencing barrier around them to avoid any eavesdroppers.

"My ancestor wrote about their Queen, an angelic woman who was named Helena of Morgen, but used the name Clarissa of Lowell during her school years." Noticing the intense stares and concealed surprise, Marcus decided to explain. "He didn't know whether she was related to Morgana, but he believed that her magic was so pure and powerful that she must have been either related to her or to the Fay somehow... The way he described the coronation was symbolic and there were no defined steps. He said that Hogwarts accepted their Queen as her protector when they announced her, bathing her in power. He just wrote that they announced the Queen and waited for the castle to answer... There's also another thing. You know that the school elves serve the students because they are what the castle considers her children, but they obey the headmaster as long as he does not try to harm the students. The Queen had almost complete control of the elves, rivalling that of the headmaster. The reason for it was because Hogwarts had blessed her, or at least that's what my ancestor wrote," Marcus explained, looking at Harry.

"So we don't know if we'll have the same benefits," the boy muttered, understanding what Marcus wished to imply.

"Indeed, but we can assume we'll have some of the benefits they did, such as knowing all the secret passages and controlling the castle's structure. What interests me the most is that my ancestor described the school as a beating heart, like a loving mother trying to nurture the students, and as a dangerous opponent if someone dared to harm those who were under her protection," the man finished narrating.

"We all know the school can't attack someone," George said with a raised eyebrow.

"That may be the fault of the headmasters who believed the wards didn't need to be recharged. In the journal was described how the Queen restored the protections of the school because after three-hundred years, no one had bothered to do so," Marcus told the group.

"So she's weak at the moment," Blaise concluded.

"The first step would be hiring the best ward crafters that Gringotts has to offer. When we have the ward stones ready, we'll be able to modify them and add them to the castle," Harry said, already lost in his plans.

"Did Ragnok contact you about the thing in the Room of Requirement?" Marcus asked Harry.

"I forgot to tell you, sorry. It was the diadem and it's already been destroyed. Mars and Ares found many interesting objects aside from that, including ancient manuscripts and a considerable amount of gold," Harry sighed.

"If it's considerable for you, that means it is a fortune," Theo joked.

"The money will be used to improve the castle's wards. We'll need them," Luna stated, and Harry looked at the girl. "We should also place wards around the forbidden forest. The centaurs and fairies are almost defenceless against an attack."

"I'll send a letter to Ragnok today... Perhaps we can make another donation to the school. This time it can be another Quidditch pitch and many other improvements that we can use to mask when the wards are being installed. Any suggestions?" Harry asked, deciding to begin eating breakfast.

"An entire renovation; the whole school has not been maintained in a millennium," Daphne huffed, but no once chided her because she was right. “I also think it is wise to improve the path and boats for the first years. As the rational person I am, I don’t think that guiding eleven-year-olds through an austere path in the middle of the night and placing them in boats that don’t have the minimum protections is intelligent.”

“She is right, I also thought it was ridiculous,” Cedric agreed, “I think it would be good to improve the carriages. Since Hagrid left, few thestrals accept to guide them.”

“It is because none of the teachers understands other species the way Hagrid does,” Luna muttered, a dreamy smile adorning her face. “I would like to change astronomy, it is too troublesome to go to classes in the middle of the night.”

“I was going to suggest new telescopes for the school, but you have a point,” Theo nodded.

“It is ridiculous to ask the students to buy one when it would be easier for the school to have their own,” Draco commented.

“A planetarium would be great, that way we could take astronomy during the day,” Justin said.

“What is that?” asked a confused George.

“Right, muggle thing. Is a place where you can see the sky in much more detail thanks to a projector...” Justin’s enthusiasm was extinguished with that last word. “Forget it, it won’t work.”

“It could, but I need to ask for aunt Eleadora’s help for the project. I think that illusions will be necessary, that or some kind of runes,” Harry mussed, lost in his thoughts.

“Aside from your planet thingy, it would be good to buy new telescopes as Draco suggested,” Flora said, deciding to interrupt a conversation she did not understand.

“I think it would be good to hire counsellors for each house. Many students tend to have problems and they are not close enough to the teachers so they keep it all in,” Neville suggested. “Two counsellors for the whole school would be a great start. However, I think we should hire first generations with knowledge in psychology. That subject has been incredibly useful to understand many things.·

“That is an excellent suggestion,” Harry nodded, “It will take time to train the appropriate people, but I think we can manage to hire empathetic first generations.”

“They have to be young so the students relate better,” Fleur added, looking uncharacteristically shy.

“That is a good point. We can contact Mister Munter through Magical Summons so he can give us input on what students could fit the role,” Cedric nodded.

"All of that sounds great and dandy, but I have an even better suggestion in mind. We should get some way of making the classrooms warm. During winter it's a nightmare to keep asking the teachers to cast warming charms," Blaise sulked.

"The greenhouses; if they're expanded then the school will be able to grow its own plants for food and medicinal herbs. Besides, it will be the perfect excuse to examine the area to see how many ward stones we'll need," Neville suggested.

"Enchanted lamps. I'd be glad to never see an oil one again," Flora said.

"We can also request warding to be taught as an elective. I'm sure Ragnok knows someone we can hire to be a professor but, at the same time, review the wards at the school and whether we will need to add more protection," Draco suggested. Harry had a slight suspicion that the boy wanted that subject to be included so he could further his studies on the topic, but did not comment because his arguments were solid.

"In the Muggle world, we have more sports. Maybe it would be good to introduce them to the magical world," Justin commented.

"All of those are excellent ideas. The donation will be made in April, so we need to prepare a proposal for the changes. Professor Flitwick can help with that. What sports do you suggest?" Harry asked.

"He knows?!" Cedric exclaimed, chocking with his food.

"Of course he does. He isn't the head of Ravenclaw for his handsome face, you know," Daphne retorted, scowling at the vegetables she was stabbing for having the audacity of not tasting of something the girl liked. It was obvious she did not enjoy mornings, if her sour disposition was any sign.

"We can try football. It's quite popular," Justin said, ignoring the other conversation. "There's also basketball, baseball, and tennis. I'm not sure about others. I don't think the magical people are ready for so many changes."

"We can add others later on, but I think it would be good to have a pool, even if it's just for relaxing," Terrence suggested.

"We have to think about sports we'll add. Mother enjoys ballet so I think that would be a decent option," Blaise said.

"We can build a sports complex or something like that if the teachers don't want it inside the castle," Fred commented.

Viktor and Fleur observed this unusual interaction with interest. It was not the kind of conversation teenagers should be having, but they understood that the Guild was more than a group of friends in a school. Viktor already knew that this group was important but, until now, he had had no idea how involved they were in the real world, and his resolution to take part was cemented. Fleur, on the other hand, did not know what to think. They were kids playing a game of adults - that was her first thought - and then she recognized the badge the oldest boy wore. It was a Ministry badge, the kind that only the high-ranking employees wore, and she knew it was not a game. However, she had already promised herself to be loyal and nothing would change her resolution.

"So how is everything at work?" Draco asked the eldest male.

"Much better since Fudge was sacked. Even better now that Umbridge is gone," a content Marcus answered.

"Was the woman re-assigned or fired?" Hestia asked.

"She was questioned just in case she was aware of any of the illicit activities of the last Minister. I wasn't expecting much but I was surprised," Marcus commented, "She was the spy of many Death Eaters who were generous in their donations. It's good that she held the position only in name because they would have obtained quite a lot of dangerous details about the Tournament. She was sentenced to the lower security area in Azkaban for a year."

"That's some of the best news I've heard. I don't think I'd be able to tolerate her irritating voice during the Wizengamot meetings my dad forces me to," Draco said, wearing a relieved expression.

Luna cuddled up to Marcus' side, using that as an excuse to observe with glee as the plans to announce their King to the castle were made. Soon, the Hogwarts Court would be formed. She observed the French girl with interest. She was fiercely loyal and that trait would be important in the future. Viktor was intense and did nothing by halves, which meant he would contribute to the Guild in ways that the others were not able to... Yes, they were perfect.

The castle was thrumming in excitement, ready to accept her new protectors. Ignoring their detailed plans, Luna decided to walk towards the empty wall beside the front door in the entrance hall and placed her hand on it. Waiting until she felt the wall beating like a gentle heart, she called Harry - his magic was the only one that the castle would accept. She tried to not show surprise when she felt him beside her. The small girl should have known that, if it was related to magic, then their King would be the first one to feel it. She grabbed his hand and placed it where hers was a few seconds before. Taking a few steps back, she spoke at last.

"We are requesting to be your protectors under the guidance of our King, Harry James Potter. Do you accept our humble petition?"

What happened next could not be described with simple words, and not even a picture would do the marvellous event justice. Hogwarts, alive and feeling, accepted them eagerly. However, it was not the spectacle they were expecting. There were no blinding lights or thunder, or even a sparkle. There was a deep understanding instead. Every person in the room was able to feel her, as if the castle was part of them. They could feel her sorrow, weakness, and impotence. They could feel her joy but, most of all, they could feel her fear, because there was some kind of danger in the school.

The feeling could have lasted an eternity, but it was as ephemeral as a single breath. Although they were not able to feel her as they did seconds before, they were still aware of her presence and it was a comforting sensation.

Before anyone else could react, Luna's sweet laughter erupted and she hugged Viktor in glee. The others followed her example, being filled with such a pure joy that it was impossible to contain.

The Guild was complete and a Court was formed.