The six champions were led back to the school before any of the students, thus they were received by the eerie silence of Hogwarts' halls. Before the professors could give them further instructions, Mrs Norris arrived, followed by a smiling Mister Filch. The cat approached Harry, who lowered himself and began petting the purring cat.

"Good evening, Mister Filch," the youngest champion greeted the man once he was close enough and his companions followed his example.

"Yes, good evening children," the usually sour man greeted in an amicable way. "Lunch is being served in the Great Hall, but Professor McGonagall told me that you can eat in your rooms."

"I think we will be eating in our rooms. Thanks for telling us, Mister Filch," Fleur told the caretaker, giving him a small smile.

"I'm just doing my job," the man responded. "Mrs Norris, let's go! We have the whole evening to ourselves," he said and started walking away with the cat following close behind.

"I have never seen Argus acting so... polite?" Professor Munter muttered.

"I'll be going to my common room and having lunch there," Harry said, looking absent.

"Have a restful evening, Mister Potter," Professor Kowalski told her student, who nodded at her before leaving.

Harry Potter was approaching the stairs when he heard three familiar sets of footsteps behind him but paid his pursuers no mind. He had questions that needed to be answered. Besides, the Yule Holidays would arrive soon and he had plans to make before that date. However, his meeting with Ragnok could no longer wait.

The moment the thestrals went through the outer barriers of Hogwarts, Harry felt the desperation Hogwarts was emanating... Someone managed to get in but left a short while ago. As he walked, he felt his heart beat faster, as if it wanted to leave his chest, drowning any other noise in the process. He knew that the castle felt threatened, but her inherent magic was far too weak and volatile to convey a clear message. Time had run out. The door of the Court's Headquarters opened automatically and the teenager sat on the closest couch.

"Ella!"

"Master calls?" the serious elf said after appearing in a pop.

"Please, go to Gringotts and speak with Manager Ragnok. We need to begin moving sooner than expected and I need to speak with him as soon as possible."

"Yes sir, I will inform you about the date of the appointment," she said and left with a pop.

"Harry, what's going on?" Cedric asked. His face was ashen and his hands were shaking slightly.

"You feel it, right?" the boy said as an answer. "Someone managed to get inside the castle... We don't know how, we don't know what their objective is, and we don't know the identity of the intruder. If that's not enough, Hogwarts can't communicate with us the way we wish until we're able to restore the wards and she begins to heal herself. I'll speak with Ragnok about the donation; we need to arrange that as soon as possible... Also, we need to decide how we will remove Neville's parents from Saint Mungo's."

"We will talk about it when everyone is present," Viktor told his friends, though there was anticipation thrumming within his core.

"Before we do anything, we need to eat," Fleur reminded the group in a gentle tone, "I will go to the kitchens and ask the elves to bring enough food for all of us."

With those words, the girl left the room and an almost oppressive silence dominated the space. Harry was focused on what his next course of action would be, while the two other boys were trying to make as little noise as possible in order not to disturb him. This situation continued for a few minutes until the door was violently opened and the other agitated members of the Court entered the room.

"What's going on?" asked a distressed Draco as he helped Blaise to guide an almost hyperventilating Luna to the nearest couch, forcing her to take a vial of calming draught.

"All we know is that someone entered the castle. What happened to Luna?"

"She was fidgety all morning... Then she had a panic attack of sorts and Flora gave her a calming draught," answered a frowning Fred.

"When we entered the castle we knew there was something wrong, but we didn't know what and Luna had another panic attack," added Hestia in a shaky tone.

"They want something," Luna gasped as she tried to control her breathing. "I don't know who they are or what they want; all I know is that it's inside the castle and they're going to do anything to get it."

"I'm going to speak with Ragnok when he has time," Harry announced while looking at the agitated female. "Neville, you should also come."

"We're moving my parents?"

"As soon as possible," he confirmed, nodding at his friend. "George, Terrence, Theo, go to the Vault Rooms and begin analyzing the runes in earnest. There's no time to waste before the experts come. Hestia and Draco, you-"

"Ehm, sorry to interrupt," Justin muttered and his cheeks acquired a red tint when the attention of the room was directed at him. "I spoke with my mum about receiving Neville's parents. She already has a room ready in our main hospital, but she wants more information about the Cruciatus curse and I found nothing in the library."

"Of course you didn't, those books were banned by the Ministry centuries ago," Daphne muttered, scowling at this new development. "I think most of our families will have something about the Unforgivables, but the classified archives in the Ministry will have what you're searching for."

"So we need to speak with Marcus," Blaise sighed.

The conversation was interrupted when the man in question entered the room along with Fleur as one of the tables was filled with different plates and drinks.

"Maxime is going to be extradited. Three of our Aurors and three French ones are escorting the woman and Moody isn't happy about it. We were unable to find an appropriate dose of Veritaserum because of her ancestry and we... I didn't want to overdose her and break her mind, losing our only source of information in the process. Not to mention the international incident it could create despite the French Minister not supporting her. I don't even want to think about the amount of paperwork that would have caused. Anyway, the judges are surprised with the skills that Harry showed and Madam Bones had to almost restrain Moody from recruiting you," Marcus explained and took a seat at the table, filling his plate.

"I already told him about what happened," Fleur told her friends.

"Good, we need to organize ourselves... Before I forget, Marcus, what do you know about Isabelle Kowalski?" Harry asked, also taking a seat and filling his plate.

"Not much. She has a double mastery in Defence Against the Dark Arts and that's it."

"Well, she's American," Adrian commented with a shrug.

"I think we all knew that," muttered Neville with a grimace at the terrible attempt to alleviate the tense atmosphere.

"Never mind, we'll begin to change the school in an active way. Honestly, we should have done that from the beginning," Harry sighed and rubbed his temples. "How's the map progressing?"

"Almost done, we only need to fix a few details," George declared.

"Good, we'll need it soon. We need to find a way of discovering what those strange rooms are hiding. Fairies can be bribed with different objects, but we need to find a way for them to hear our proposal without us being attacked. We could cast a wide-range petrificus totalus, but we need to be careful in case the different kinds of magic clash."

"Harry, do you remember about the dreams I had?" asked Luna in a whisper but did not wait for an answer. "They want peace."

"I've been working with the elves in order to find a way of entering the Department of Mysteries," Marcus announced, "but we have a big problem. Moody changed all the patrol routes in the Ministry and every Auror carries an emergency crystal. The moment one is attacked; a dozen Aurors will swarm the place. Also, none of the elves can feel the exact location of any of the rooms. According to Rome, the magic that's hidden there makes the place blurry - difficult to feel and impossible to pop into."

"So we need to create a diversion and then we can destroy the place," Harry muttered in acknowledgement. "I don't like this, but we need to wait and plan every step... In any case, Marcus, you need to find information about the Cruciatus curse in the classified archives of the Ministry. We need also need information about its defences. Ask Mars for help. If the defences and security are low then the elves can retrieve all the delicate information that we may need in the future. If not, we'll organize an incursion into the Ministry."

While each one of the members was lost in their own thoughts, they enjoyed the meal. There were so many puzzles that needed to be solved and many problems that needed a solution.

"Master," Ella greeted Harry, startling a few with her sudden appearance. "Manager Ragnok will speak with you in an hour and I will take you to his office."

"Thank you, dear, I apologize if I was brusque before."

"No! Master is kind as always!"

"Do you want to join us?"

"No sir, I have a few things to do."

"Very well, I'll see you later." The small elf popped out of the room after giving Harry her characteristic toothy grin and the boy sighed once again.

"I didn't mention this, but congratulations for ending up in first place," Blaise said while looking at Harry.

"I did?"

"Were you not listening?" Theo asked his oblivious friend.

"No," Harry deadpanned, making more than one sigh.

"In summary, you were the champion with most points," Daphne began explaining before Harry lost his patience. "A total of a hundred and two points, including the ten extra for obtaining the golden sphere. Fleur is in second place with ninety-eight points, including the extra, and Iwan is in third with ninety-one. Viktor and Cedric share fourth place with eighty-three points; no extra were awarded, despite obtaining the golden sphere. Valerie is in last place with fifty. Considering she had a twenty point penalty and her poor performance, I'm surprised she managed to score so high."

"The judges didn't seem to agree on many things, but that was the final decision," Fred added.

"Being honest, the competition is the least of my concerns at the moment," Harry muttered while rubbing his throbbing temples. "Marcus, how are the creature reforms going?"

"No one bothered to check which reforms were being eliminated and which were being added. Andra is beginning with the most problematic ones and we'll announce the changes in a year."

"Why not sooner?" asked a curious Cedric.

"Because there is a law established fifty-two years ago which dictates that, if a reform, legislation, bill, and so on, isn't challenged within a year, it will be unappealable. This is how so many anti-creature and anti-first-generation regulations were passed," Draco answered, grimacing at his own words. “Or at least that is what I learnt from one of father’s multiple lectures.”

"Wait, is this why-" Whatever George was about to ask was lost when Marcus took out his communication mirror and signalled his friends to remain silent.

"Madam Bones-"

"We have an emergency! Our Aurors were attacked, Moody just left with a few teams as a backup. I need you to come with me to check on the French Minister."

"I will be there," the man agreed and cut the connection. "I have to go. Tubby!" A house-elf appeared in the room and left seconds later, taking Marcus with him.

"What's happening today?" Neville groaned, burying his face on his hands.

Another mystery arose and Harry was sure he did not like what was happening one bit.

The rest of the meal went by in a tense silence and no one was willing to break it. Luna may have been the only seer amongst them, but the foreboding that took hold of every member of the room was enough for them to know that a storm was brewing on the horizon. The almost inaudible pop that signalled Ella's arrival resounded in the unusually silent room. Harry stood up and signalled Neville to follow his example. Without a word, the trio left the Court's Headquarters only to appear in a familiar office a second later.

"Thank you for seeing us so soon, Ragnok," Harry said to the goblin behind the desk as a greeting when Ella popped him into the office.

"That's no problem, though I'm worried. It's not like you to arrange a meeting with such short notice. I'm assuming that we have an emergency," Ragnok answered, signalling the two chairs in front of his desk for the teenagers to sit.

"You can leave, dear," Harry said to his elf. "I'll call you when the meeting's over."

"Yes sir, have fun!" Ella exclaimed and waved at the three males, leaving the room in a pop.

"Someone managed to enter Hogwarts," Harry began explaining. "We don't know how, who, or why, and the castle cannot communicate with us appropriately. The Ward Stone Vaults need to be restored as soon as possible so the castle's energy is no longer be focused on trying to keep the shields up and we'll have more of an idea of what is going on."

"In other words, the donation needs to be done sooner," the goblin concluded with a nod and began writing in his book. "The proposal is already drafted; we only need you to review it, along with a few other documents."

"I want our people examining the castle during Yule," Harry muttered as he examined the folder he was given. "That way we have an idea of what stone wards, heart stones, and ley lines need to established or fixed. Once the analysis is finished, two of your chosen rune crafters can begin their work. One of my elves will transport them in and out."

"Perfect," the manager agreed and once again wrote in his book. "Miss Blair already drew up the contract and, with the amount of money they will receive, neither complained about the conditions... Now that the urgency is gone, may I inquire about the identity of your friend?"

"Ah, of course," muttered Harry while reviewing the documents. "Neville Longbottom, a close friend. Manager Ragnok, also a close friend."

"A pleasure," greeted Neville, already used to the moments of strange obliviousness that his friend had from time to time.

"Likewise. I didn't know any member of your family personally, but Nadlirg still sings the praises of your late great-grandfather. According to him, Gilbert Longbottom was a natural in business," the goblin complimented the grinning boy.

"We need to add a few details regarding the improvements," Harry said before his friend could speak, not noticing he interrupted, as he would have been horrified for his lack of manners. "We need to put in different spots for the students to drink water. I always carry my water bottle, so I never thought about the problem until I heard a first-year complaining about being thirsty and having to wait until dinner... Also, the changes we talked about are a must and we will put that as a condition on donating the money. It's unlikely Madam Marchbanks or any of the teachers will refuse the proposal."

"Indeed, the changes are long due," Ragnok muttered as he searched through a thick stack of folders. "Ah, here it is. A detailed list of all the stipulations, including the boats and the protection for the students during the train and carriage ride. In this other folder, there is a list of people that Miss Blair contacted. Three first generations and seven squibs; in total, we have four psychiatrists and six psychologists. You will find their résumés along with a personal investigation we made on the candidates."

"Anyone interesting within the candidates?"

"All are clean and, considering they are to act as counsellors rather than professors, I see no problems. Although there is a young squib that caught my interest. The man's charismatic and excellent in what he does. What interests me is how approachable he is and how well he works with teenagers. As a matter of fact, he works as a school teacher and is well-liked among his students. I suggest placing him in charge of the others and as a general counsellor," Ragnok informed the young heir.

"All of them have been contacted?" Harry asked, receiving a nod as an answer. "If you see no problems then I don't either, but I want them to be under a strict contract. Their position is important and I want no one betraying the students' trust... When can the donation be announced?"

"On Monday the representative of Mirror Summons can pay Madam Marchbanks a visit."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," the teen sighed and looked to the side, where Neville was looking through a folder with curiosity. "I have another reason to be here today. We need to move Alice and Frank Longbottom from Saint Mungo's."

"That won't be hard, but considering Madam Longbottom may not agree with your plan, we may need to take the less legal route," Ragnok smirked taking out a folder that contained a single paper. "This is the contract that Miss Blair wrote for any of our enchanters who are interested in taking on the task, considering this may not be legal and Miss Pittsum would not help you in this situation."

"I should have guessed that you had this ready," Harry muttered but did not look at the man; his eyes were fixed on the hopeful expression that Neville wore. "So we'll use the golems, the enchanter will be ready and the personnel can be dealt with through convenient memory charms."

"When can we do this?" asked Neville.

"Whenever you have the other location available."

"We already have it, but now we only need information about the Cruciatus," Harry mumbled to himself, though the man's sharp hearing managed to catch the words.

"The Cruciatus curse was not born as such," Ragnok began explaining to the two surprised teenagers. "Crucio, as you may know, originates from the Latin word cruciatus, which means torture. However, its original purpose was not to torture. Before Rome fell, there was a witch who was called Spissamentum Mortis, or the stopper of death. She created this spell to wake a person who had just died, believing that intense pain could break the grasp of death on the body. Its original name was Sucitatio Dolore. The problem with this spell was the amount of energy it took, so she worked to shorten the incantation until crucio remained. Then, another mage thought that he could use her spell to harm a living person and popularized its use when he tried to rule Rome. When the witch discovered her creation was being corrupted in such a way, she began working on a counter. Unfortunately, she disappeared a short time later."

"How do you know that?" Harry asked his friend.

"Goblins love treasure, but few realize that gold is just metal compared to how valuable information is," was the man's smooth answer. "My people have collected information throughout history. That's why we're the only bank that exists on a worldwide scale, and not even the dwarves could compete against us."

"Ragnok, I have a favour to ask," Harry said, choosing his words with caution in order not to give Neville any illusions. "Is there a possibility of you lending me the specific information about the Cruciatus? If we give it to a Muggle healer under a contract then maybe we can heal Neville's parents."

"While I have no problems sharing the information, it is written in my language and Latin," the man explained as he wrote in his book. "It will take a few weeks to have it translated into English."

"Thank you." Those simple words were uttered by Neville, and the two other occupants of the room could almost feel the boy's hope.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was a normal teenager. At least, he liked to think he was one. A normal teenager with more wealth than average and a group of friends who were rather unorthodox, though he just noticed how out of the norm he was.

He joined the Guild months ago, believing the group of friends who talked about big dreams were just normal students. Even when their real activities were revealed, Justin managed to pretend they were not involved in the real and frightening world of adults. This delusion was shattered when he took a real look at his friends while they waited for Ella to retrieve Harry and Neville.

The Minister's right hand was sitting near him, the future members of the Wizengamot were sitting beside him, and an international Quidditch player along with a beauteous female with a penchant for politics were across from him. Oh, and how could he forget? Harry Potter was part of the group. No, that was not right. Harry Potter was the leader of the group that was changing the magical world one person at a time. How could he be so bloody blind?!

The Court was not a joke; it was neither a club nor a simple group. The Court was important.

Justin was part of it and, even if this realization was somewhat staggering and a tad earth-shattering, he was not going to leave his friends. Somehow, he was accepted by these extraordinary people and it was time he played his part and contributed to the group's efforts.

His family was wealthy, Justin had always known that. However, this did not mean he was wealthy. No, he would earn his position as the future head of his family, along with the privilege to use the money that his ancestors earned, through hard work. It was time to make his contribution. The Finch-Fletchleys were known in the Muggle world because of their numerous hospitals and pharmaceutical breakthroughs. If his ancestors managed to do that without magic, imagine what could be done with her aid... Impossible would no longer be a term used in medicine.

All his life he was expected to become a doctor, but only now did he wish to become one. He would be the one to integrate magic with Muggle medicine. Healing magic and potions would be mixed with some Muggle medicine and miracles would be made. Likewise, Muggle techniques and technology would be introduced to medicine and the magical world would be revolutionized.

This was his new goal, to be a useful member of the Court and leave his signature in the world.

Dumbledore's Cottage, Godric's Hollow

Albus sat on a dusty couch, observing the dilapidated living room of the abandoned place with nostalgia... His mother would have been horrified at the state of their house, but why should he care? After all, she was dead.

As he observed his desolate surroundings, he wondered why he had come here in the first place. The cottage brought back painful memories of the family he lost and of one of his heaviest burdens. This place was a constant reminder of all his failures. Suddenly, he remembered why he had decided to pay his old house a visit... It was the sole place that reminded him of the fact he was a simple mortal playing god as he tried to save as many lives as possible.

When had he lost his sight? When had he begun playing with people as if they were marionettes? Was it when Gellert barged into his life, leaving a wreck in his wake?

There were so many questions that he had no answer to... or rather, he did not want to answer.

Today he had an epiphany while he watched Harry Potter finishing the first task. As he compared the young boy to a young Tom, a forgotten memory assaulted his mind.

It was long ago, when he was still teaching Transfiguration and when Tom was still experiencing his first year in the magical world. He was walking through the dungeons, looking for any troublemakers, when he saw something he should not have ignored at the time. Young Tom Riddle was being bullied by his own housemates because of his blood but instead of helping, as any decent teacher should have done, he turned back. Albus believed the boy was evil and beyond saving. Thinking about it now, the idea was not only preposterous but also idiotic. What rational human being would accuse a child of being evil? Instead of trying to understand the reasons why Tom did those terrible things in the past, he condemned and judged him.

What would have happened if Albus helped young Tom that day? Perhaps he would have been able to guide the boy and turn him towards the light, or maybe he would have raised an even more dangerous Dark Lord. However, the ‘what if's’ clouded his mind.

Albus Dumbledore admitted with great reluctance that his pride was his fatal flaw. That one trait that had made him believe he had the right to make decisions for other people in the name of the greater good... How ludicrous and empty that phrase sounded now.

It was time to admit he was not infallible. He made far too many mistakes and destroyed so many lives in the process, he had no doubt Gellert must be proud. Nevertheless, he was willing to continue making him proud. Not because he wished to, but because it was necessary, and being honest, it was too late to change now. No matter what he did, his mistakes were unfixable and right path kept avoiding him.

Voldemort was one of the greatest threats that ever existed in the magical world and Harry Potter was destined to defeat him. The boy would not be introduced to the knowledge of Horcruxes, but he would know the truth of Tom Riddle. The moment Harry turned sixteen; Albus would begin preparing him to defeat his greatest mistake. For the time being, he would allow the boy to be that, a boy enjoying the best years of his life before he met his terrible fate. However, he would not remain idle. He may be old, but his mind was still sharp and he would search for the Horcruxes he was almost sure Voldemort created. Also, the now lame joke that once was the Order of the Phoenix would be active once again and active recruitment would start.

For the last time, he would play with people in the name of the greater good... After the storm was over, he would join Gellert in Nurmengard. He would admit all his mistakes and pay for them without complaint, though he would be lying if he said that seeing the man that wrecked his life was something he wasn't looking forwards to.

Albus was sure he earned a special place in hell.