Luna Lovegood was also tired as she climbed into bed that night. Her day had started with a lovely breakfast with her parents. She discussed Wrackspurts and other unusual creatures with her father while her mother laughed at them both. She didn't believe in those creatures anymore but still enjoyed talking about them with her father. She had been so happy to have her mother back that she had forgotten how much she had enjoyed the time she spent with her father.
Their yearly expeditions were never really about proving the existence of the creatures he wrote about in the Quibbler. It was a chance for both of them to reconnect with the only family they had left in the world. Their trips were really family vacations. She was pretty sure her father didn't really believe in them either but, like her, used them as a crutch to cope with his wife's death. With her mum now alive and well, hopefully neither one of them would ever have to do that again.
She helped clean up afterwards then proceeded to beg her father to take her with him when he went to the Ministry (which didn't take much). When he gave in, she squealed in delight and ran up to her room and quickly hid her wand and the list in her robes before running back down to join her father. When they got to the ministry, the guard checked her father's wand then let them through.
She sat quietly while her father conducted several interviews before excusing herself to go to the bathroom. When she got there, she entered a stall and locked the door. She waited until the bathroom was empty then disillusioned herself and exited the stall. She waited near the door for the next person to come in then quietly slipped out before the door closed. She then began looking for the names on her list. She made her way through the various ministry departments checking names off her list as she went. She also managed a get a few wizengamot members.
She had to fight the urge to use the spell on the Weasleys when they were brought in but there were a few Aurors on her list like Rufus Scrimgeour and John Dawlish that she took care of. She wasn't able to get Minister Fudge or that bitch Umbridge yet but it was just her first day. All in all, she'd managed to check twenty- three names off her list before she had to return to the bathroom, enter a stall, remove the charm and return to her father's side. There were many more names on her list but she was confident she would complete it before too long.
Albus Dumbledore made his way through the ministry thankful that Fudge had come through for him. He had pulled Amelia into a meeting regarding the students who had lost their magic over the holidays. He had also replaced her aurors with his own guards so she would never know what he was about to do. Fudge wouldn't either.
He was told that Dumbledore simply wanted to offer comfort and support to his old friends. He made it to the room they were being held in and the guards immediately let him in. Arthur seemed relieved to see him while Molly was livid.
"It's about time you got here Albus!" she screeched. "I hope you've come to tell us we are free to go home because you don't want anyone poking around our heads with veritaserum."
He regretted few things more than letting Molly Weasley in on any of his secrets. She had used that knowledge as an entitlement that gave her the right to threaten him whenever the need arose. She had passed that on to her youngest son and he had taken great joy in slapping the brat down at dinner. Now he was about to permanently erase that mistake once and for all.
"Relax Molly," he replied soothingly. He turned around and pointed his wand at the door to silence it as he continued. "I believe I shall have this resolved shortly."
At this point he turned back around quickly and pointed his wand at them.
"Obliviate!" he said loudly and watched as both of their faces went blank. "I'm afraid you have threatened me for the last time Molly." He continued as he looked into her lifeless eyes.
He spent the next few minutes planting false memories while removing all knowledge of his secrets from their minds. When he was done, he brought them out of the trance, told them he would do what he could for them and left. He still had one more stop to make.
He flooed back to his office then turned around and re-entered it only to end up in the Gryffindor common room. Thankfully it was empty saving him from having to obliviate any students that might have seen him. He quickly disillusioned himself then headed up to the fifth year dorms and entered the one that housed Percy Weasley.
He carefully crept up to the edge of the boy's bed and slowly pulled back the curtain. He then pointed his wand at Percy's head and whispered 'obliviate' then doctored his memories to match his parent's. He then returned to his office confident that his mission had been successful.
He couldn't help but think it should never have been necessary. In hindsight, giving Harry and Hermione the potions was a foolish idea that was destined to fail. Even if they hadn't realized what happened and sought help, it still would have ultimately failed. The enmity between those two and Ron Weasley was well known.
Suddenly being friendly with the boy they accused of attacking Miss Granger last term would have caused far too much suspicion for them to avoid detection for long. He had allowed Molly to push him into a rash and ill thought out course of action that almost destroyed everything he had worked for.
Somewhere along the line he'd become soft and complacent. Sirius Black was the only real victory he could lay claim to in the last year and that wouldn't do. He needed to get back on his game so he could properly prepare Harry Potter for his destiny. Anything less could be disastrous for the wizarding world. He looked at his desk and briefly considered doing some paperwork but instead decided to head to his quarters and get some rest. It had, after all, been a very trying day.
Amelia Bones was not happy. Cornelius Fudge had waylaid her the moment she returned to the ministry. He wasn't interested in the day's events but instead wanted a detailed report on the Hogwarts students who had lost their magic over the holidays. There wasn't anything new to report but he kept her there for over an hour going over every detail of the case anyway.
Then she was informed by her aurors that they had been relieved by two of Fudge's guards and ordered to take a ten minute break. That set off alarms in her head that only got louder when one of the aurors told her that, when they returned a few minutes early, they saw someone coming out of the room that resembled Albus Dumbledore.
It got worse when she interrogated the Weasleys with veritaserum. Molly Weasley took full credit for the scheme claiming that neither her husband nor Dumbledore had known anything about it. She also claimed she had tricked her son into helping her. Arthur also claimed he was unaware of his wife's plans and seemed deeply ashamed of what his wife had done. When she interviewed Percy the next day, he corroborated their story.
It was nice and tidy and seemed to fit but she knew it was wrong. She was sure that Arthur and Dumbledore not only knew about it but helped carry it out. She was pretty sure Percy wasn't as innocent as he claimed either but she had no proof. Albus Dumbledore had gotten the better of her once again like he had with Sirius Black. All she could do now was proceed with the case against Molly and hope she got another shot at Albus bloody Dumbledore. If she did, she would make sure she nailed the old bastard.
Dumbledore woke up feeling quite pleased with himself. The previous night couldn't have gone any better as far as he was concerned. After enjoying a delightful breakfast, he decided to pay a visit to St. Mungos to find out how soon his potion master would be able to return to his duties. He walked into his friend's room to find him unconscious and restrained.
"What's the meaning of this?" he asked a nearby healer indicating Severus's condition. "This no way to treat a well respected and revered Hogwarts professor!"
The healer looked at him like he'd just broken into a rendition of 'I'm a Little Tea Pot' complete with the hand gestures. Snape was only respected for his skills in potions and certainly not as a teacher but to suggest he was in any way revered was beyond ridiculous.
"The professor became agitated when told of his condition and had to be restrained," the healer answered.
Dumbledore didn't miss the slight smile on the healer's face indicating he'd enjoyed forcing Snape under control.
"Nevertheless," Dumbledore replied annoyed. "I must insist that you release him this instant."
"Insist all you want headmaster," the healer responded sharply. "This isn't your school. Snape was being unruly and this is how we handle unruly patients. We will revive him in a little while to see if his disposition has improved. If not, he will remain restrained until it does."
Dumbledore knew from experience that Severus was surly on his best days and downright mean on his worst. They wouldn't be releasing him anytime soon if said release depended on his behavior.
"Why not release him from the hospital?" he asked. "I was led to believe he was fully recovered."
"We thought he was," the healer answered. "But then his magical core became unstable and nothing we've tried has been able to rectify the problem. We've warned him that anger and stress could make it worse leaving his core permanently damaged or cause it to collapse all together but, as you can see, he hasn't been inclined to listen."
"Do you think it's the same thing that happened to the students over the holidays?" Albus asked suddenly concerned.
"We don't think so but we can't rule that out," the healer responded. "He was their head of house and knew their families. We're still no closer to figuring out what happened than when they were brought in. My best guess is that his core is still recovering from the barrage of spells that the other professor hit him with. I think he would recover quickly if he would just do as he was told."
Dumbledore hoped it was a freak accident that had destroyed the student's cores. An undetectable illness could start a panic but, by far, the worst scenario would be a malicious spell. A spell that could destroy someone's magic could wreak havoc on the magical world. He shuddered to think of the damage a spell like that could do in the hands of someone like Voldemort. He was pulled from his thoughts when the healer's assistant walked up to them.
"Should we check on him?" she asked hesitantly. There was a grimace on his face as he answered.
"I suppose we should."
The assistant then moved to the head of the bed and revived him. It took a few moments for Snape to come to but, the moment he saw the healer, he immediately began yelling. The assistant had him silenced before he got more than two words out but that didn't stop him. His face began to turn red as he appeared to only get angrier. All at once, he seemed to freeze up and momentarily glowed before he fell back on his bed once again unconscious.
"What did you do to him?" Dumbledore asked in shock.
"That wasn't us headmaster," the healer responded while waving his wand over Snape's unconscious body. As he interpreted the results, his shoulders sagged slightly. "It's what I feared would happen. I'm afraid you are going to need a new potions master. His core just collapsed."
It was a very subdued Dumbledore that left St. Mungos. Suddenly, his day wasn't so good anymore. That night at dinner he informed the students and named Aurora Sinistra as his permanent replacement as Slytherin head of house. The students erupted into loud cheers upon hearing that the hated professor was gone for good. The Gryffindor trio just smiled knowingly at each other while silently thanking Luna for checking that particular name off the list.
The Gryffindor trio was surprised to learn that Percy had escaped punishment then they became annoyed. He'd continued his campaign of harassment and, after a few weeks, they'd had enough. They got an idea when Percy confiscated some polyjuice potion from some second years who were hoping to use it to morph into some older students so they could go to Hogsmeade. After reprimanding them and taking points, he went to dispose of it. Harry then distracted him while Neville nicked enough of the potion for a few doses.
There were two parts to the plan. One involved Harry getting into the Slytherin house while Neville handled Percy. The other was meeting up afterwards without getting caught. Harry disillusioned himself while still in bed then made his way down to the common room to wait for the prefects to go on their rounds. He then followed them out of the portal and headed towards the dungeons.
Once there, he waited for the Slytherin prefects to return from rounds and followed them into their house. He carefully searched the dorms until he found who he was looking for. He cast a sleeping charm on his target along with his dorm mates then pulled out one of his hairs and dropped it into the vial of polyjuice he'd brought with him. He then drank it and suffered through the pain of the change. When it was done, he removed the disillusionment charm on himself and put it on the sleeping form he now matched.
He then levitated the Slytherin and carefully made his way out of the house to meet his partner in crime. Neville had done the same thing to Percy and met Harry in McGonagall's classroom. The fifth years had transfiguration first thing in the morning so it was the perfect spot for what they had planned. Neville looked at who Harry had brought and nodded his approval.
"Barnabus Bole huh?" he asked "Good choice mate."
"Thanks," Harry replied. "He's a right foul git as well. They're made for each other."
They proceeded to strip both of them and positioned them on McGonagall's desk like lovers with Percy spooning Bole from behind using their school robes as bedding. The last thing Harry did was whisper in Percy's ear that he was holding Penelope. The sleeping prefect responded by squeezing Bole even tighter making the scene even more hilarious.
They waited for the potions to wear off then disillusioned themselves again and headed back to their own house. Hermione was also disillusioned and stationed just inside the portal holding the marauder's map. She'd snuck into the twin's dorm and, with the help of sleeping charms, had nicked it from them. She was watching Harry and Neville on it so she would know when to open the portal for them. Once they were safely back in Gryffindor, she returned the map then all three returned to their beds, removed their charms and went to sleep wishing they were fifth years so they could be there to see what happened the next morning.
Neither Percy nor Bole were at breakfast but only the Gryffindor trio knew why. By lunch, the castle was abuzz about what had happened in McGonagall's class. She was not happy to find a prefect and a fourth year on her desk in a compromising position. That it was two boys was even more disturbing. She woke them with a loud screech. By then, students were already arriving for class.
It was the Ravenclaws that shared that particular class with the Gryffindors so Penelope Clearwater, Percy's girlfriend, was one of the students that walked in as the professor was waking them up. They both quickly moved away from each other and frantically tried to cover themselves while swearing they didn't know how they got there. No one believed them of course and Penelope ran from the room in tears after telling Percy they were through.
McGonagall then confiscated his prefect badge saying he was unworthy to continue on in the position before sending them both to their houses to get properly prepared for their classes. She also promised to discuss further punishments with them later. There was more entertainment at lunch as Percy made a beeline for the twins and loudly accused them of pranking him.
George flatly denied that they'd had anything to do with it. Fred adding that it was only because they hadn't thought of it got a lot of laughs from those listening in but only made Percy angrier. After that, it quickly became clear that no one believed that they'd been pranked as both boys kept getting unwanted advice on where they could go for some 'alone' time without having to worry about getting caught.
Neither house was too happy with their particular housemate because they'd committed a cardinal sin. It wasn't the same sex thing, although that was rather frowned on in the wizarding world. No, their sin was being with each other. The worst thing a Gryffindor could do was to fraternize with a Slytherin. Slytherins felt likewise so Percy and Bole were going to be on the outs with their own houses for quite some time.
The Gryffindor trio were happy with the results of their prank. Percy losing his prefect badge meant he would never be head boy and would only be able to get a low level position in a minor department of the ministry. In short, he had been stopped from ever becoming the threat he'd been in the previous timeline. That didn't mean they wouldn't keep an eye on him or dish out more punishment if the need arose but, for now, he had been rather effectively dealt with.
Luna was feeling something that was unusual for her; excitement at the thought of reading 'The Daily Prophet'. She normally only read 'The Quibbler' in support of her father but today was special. Today she expected the Prophet to report that the world was changing. For a couple weeks now she'd been checking names off her list. If the spell did its job, there should be a lot fewer wizards in England this morning.
She didn't have to purchase her own copy because her father maintained a subscription to the Prophet to keep an eye on the competition. When it came, she pretended not to care and continued to look at the copy of the Quibbler she was holding upside down. Her father took the paper from the owl then slipped some coins into its pouch while her mother offered it some water and a piece of bacon.
She watched patiently as he unrolled it and began to read the front page. He didn't appear to be shocked at what he read as he merely shook his head as he normally did at what he'd dubbed the idiocy of the wizarding world. Soon he turned to an inside page and she got her first look at the head line. She wasn't disappointed with what she saw.
Epidemic or Sinister Conspiracy!?
By Rita Skeeter
The horrible fate that was foisted upon some unfortunate Hogwarts students over the holidays has now spread to some of their classmates as well as many other prominent citizens. It is a list that includes many ministry department heads as well as several Wizengamot members. Many more are currently being treated at St. Mungos for unstable cores hoping to avoid a similar fate. Add to that the recent string of murders that have claimed the lives of several heads of old and noble families and there would seem to be a massive conspiracy targeting not just our government but our entire way of life.
'Well, at least she got something right', an amazed Luna thought to herself certain that was the first time she'd ever said that about a Rita Skeeter article. No one would ever guess that it was three first years and a girl not even in school yet that was doing it. While separately they were taking care of the first list, Luna handling the adults on the list while the others took care of the remaining students, together they'd begun going on missions late at night to eliminate the deatheaters once and for all. They may have avoided ministry justice but there was no escaping theirs.
They'd put an end to several dark families over the last few weeks. Alecto and Amycus Carrow would now never use the torture curse as a form of discipline at Hogwarts. Death eaters such as Josiah Gibbon, Henry Parkinson and Miles Bulstrode would no longer be able to help push a dark agenda in the Wizengamot or block any reforms. Oliver Jugson, Floyd Nott, and Artemis Flint would no longer pass ministry secrets to their master. They'd also tracked down and eliminated lesser death eaters like Thorfinn Rowle and Fenrir Greyback. The night before they'd gone after Walden Macnair and found the remaining names on their list waiting for them...
Flashback:
Luna had met them on the road to her house as usual. She hugged Harry and Hermione before pulling Neville in for a passionate Kiss then all four apparated to a spot just outside the wards of the Macnair ancestral home. Hermione and Luna began to work on creating a hole in the wards while Harry and Neville kept a lookout for any danger. Walden Macnair had strong wards on his house so it took longer than expected to punch a hole in them. They were nearly through when they were forced to hide as someone left the house. To their surprise and joy, it was the Malfoys. Surprise because they hadn't expected anyone to be there at this time of night and joy because it played nicely into their plans.
Once they got outside the wards they quickly apparated allowing the girls to get back to what they were doing. Soon they had their hole and, after casting glamours to make themselves look older, were able to slip inside the wards undetected. When they got close to the large mansion they split up. Harry and Hermione headed for the front door while Neville and Luna went around to the back of the house. They approached the back door cautiously looking in nearby windows to see if anyone was around. They didn't see anyone so they tried the door, found it unlocked and quietly slipped inside.
They found themselves in an empty kitchen and began slowly making their through the first floor of the house since their target was most likely awake and alert rather than fast asleep in their bed like they'd expected. Being as quiet as possible, they moved from the kitchen into a darkened corridor where they immediately heard voices coming from what they figured was the sitting room across the hall. They crept up to the door and crouched down before slowly opening it and peeking inside. Luna only managed to see that there was a sofa a few feet inside the room when a curse blew a hole in the door just above her head. Next thing she knew she was bodily pushed into the room by Neville. She rolled a few time coming to a stop with the sofa between her and the room's occupants and watched as Neville spun quickly and fired a curse down the hallway. She couldn't see where it went but she heard someone cry out and the telltale thump of a body hitting the floor
The deatheaters, now fully aware of their presence, opened up on Neville who was still in the open doorway forcing him to retreat out of the room for cover. With a scream that was filled with both rage and fear for the man she loved, she jumped up and fired several curses none of which were stunners. They'd learned that lesson the hard way at the department of mysteries and wouldn't be giving those bastards a chance to revive each other. When they put them down, they would stay down. She saw that there were four men and five women in the room. One of them was screaming out a man's name while firing curses that were blowing chunks off the wall that Neville was hiding behind. Luna's banishing charm sent her into the mantel of the fireplace hard silencing her for good. This momentarily stopped the barrage of spells being fired at the door allowing Neville to re-enter the room. He fired a few curses of his own before diving behind the sofa with her. She'd ducked back down so didn't see anything but heard what sounded like a man's yell before yet another thump.
The remaining deatheaters began firing curse after curse at the sofa slowly blowing it to pieces thinking they had them trapped. Neville pulled her close in order to protect her with his own body if it came to that but Luna wasn't worried because she knew they had back up on the way. It wasn't long before spellfire from the other end of the room announced that their backup had arrived. The spells hitting the sofa ceased and several more screams were heard as Harry and Hermione's spells hit their mark. Luna shared a quick knowing look with Neville then they both quickly got their feet and soon had the deatheaters trapped in a deadly crossfire. She was awed at the sight that greeted her as her head rose above the back of the sofa. She and Neville made a good team but Harry and Hermione were like extensions of each other. If she didn't know better, Luna would swear they could communicate telepathically.
They seemed to know what the other was going to do before they did it. One would attack while the other defended. They seemed to switch roles instinctively as the need arose. There was flying debris moving through the air constantly to block curses or, in some cases to be used as weapons. When a deatheater appeared to have the drop on Harry, Hermione banished a vase into his arm throwing off his aim and giving Harry the opening he needed to put the bastard down. When they'd made it to their feet, there were already several more bodies on the floor. Once they joined in, it was only a few seconds before only one deatheater remained; Walden Macnair their target for the evening. He'd crouched behind whatever cover he could find while digging into his pocket. When he found what he was looking for, he gave them a triumphant sneer before whispering something. When nothing happened Macnair's face turned red with anger while Luna celebrated inside.
They figured that at least some of their targets would have emergency portkeys that would go through normal anti-portkey wards so Hermione developed a stronger ward that would hopefully do the job. Unfortunately, they didn't have any emergency portkeys to test the new ward so were forced to use it untested in a real life situation and hope for the best. This was the first time anyone had had a chance to escape and made an attempt. Apparently the new ward worked. Macnair decided not to wait for one of them to get a lucky shot in and dove out of cover with his wand pointed at Hermione a familiar green curse lighting up the end of his wand. Fortunately Harry was faster as his reductor curse hit his arm before he could release the spell severing it at the elbow. Macnair screamed as he hit ground blood spraying everywhere. After making sure there were no more enemies left in fighting condition. Both couples moved into the room to finish off anyone who might still be breathing.
Harry quickly made a beeline to Macnair who, despite missing an arm and losing blood quickly, was using his good arm to try to pull himself towards the arm he'd just lost and the wand still held in its hand. He was almost there when the wand flew out of the hand. He turned just in time to see Harry catch it. He then seemed to collapse having apparently used all his remaining energy on the last gasp attempt eventually rolling on to his back while holding what was left of his wand arm. Harry pointed his wand at the deatheater's chest as he met the older man's eyes. He was just going to kill him quickly but Lucius Malfoy's unexpected presence had him thinking and he decided to try to mess up bastard's afterlife as well since he wouldn't be alive for much longer either. He didn't know if it was possible but there was no harm in trying.
He whispered 'Lucius sends his regards,' then watched the anger and betrayal appear on his face before sending another reductor curse insuring he'd executed his last magical creature.
A few minutes later all the deatheaters were confirmed dead and Luna found herself being checked from head to toe by her obsessed boyfriend to be sure she wasn't injured. They'd all come through with only minor cuts and bruises that were easily healed. Aside from Macnair and his wife there were four other couples in the house; Vincent Crabbe Sr., George Goyle, John Avery and their wives all lay dead in the sitting room along with Theresa Yaxley the woman Luna banished into the fireplace. Her husband, Andrew Yaxley, was the deatheater in the hall. Their best guess was that he'd gone to the loo and was on his way back when he'd spotted them. Neville's cutting curse had nearly cut him in half.
They quickly left the house and apparated as soon as they were outside the wards re-appearing on the road to her house. She hugged Harry and Hermione before Neville pulled her into a tight embrace he didn't seem to want to let her out of. He was clearly still coming down from the battle and wanted to hold her to assure himself she was really okay. Once he calmed down, she gave him quick but loving kiss then they reluctantly parted. She stood there until they apparated back to Hogwarts then snuck back into her house and went to bed.
End Flashback.
When they started the list, she was worried committing these nighttime home invasions/ murders might mean they were turning dark and becoming what they were trying to destroy but soon realized she was wrong. These weren't innocent people they were killing but monsters who'd happily tortured and killed an untold number of victims including young children. That didn't count the number lives they would take in the coming years once their master returned. Lives that would now be saved because of what she and her friends had decided to do. She pulled herself from the previous night and returned her attention to the present and the article she'd been reading.
Minister Fudge issued a statement through an aide saying he and Undersecretary Deloris Umbridge would remain sequestered in an undisclosed location until the crises passes in order to avoid a complete collapse of the government.
'Too late' Luna thought to herself as she read that. She had finally gotten both of them while they were eating lunch at the Leaky Cauldron the day before. She smiled at the memory as she continued to read.
The number of victims now stands at thirty one who have or are in danger of losing their magic and twenty-five murdered in their sleep. Thirty two if you count Hogwarts professor and head of Slytherin Severus Snape, however, according to my sources, there were other circumstances involved that could indicate his case may be unrelated to the others.
'No, I got that bastard too,' she mentally responded to the article.
Personally, this reporter finds it alarming that to date, with the possible exception of Severus Snape, no half bloods or muggleborns have lost their lives or worse their magic and call on Amelia Bones, Head of Magical Law Enforcement, to thoroughly investigate the possibility of a halfblood/muggleborn uprising before our world is completely destroyed. If their willing to break into homes to get at their targets, can an open assault on the ministry be far behind? I hope to have a comment from Madam Bones for my next story.
Luna found herself wishing Harry had put Skeeter on the list and made a mental note to ask him about it the next time she saw him. Below the article were instructions to turn to a certain page for a complete list of victims or related articles. Below that was the second front page article along with a picture of Molly Weasley. Luna felt a surge of anger when she saw it.
The woman's actions had hurt her two best friends and the man she loved.
According to the article, she'd been sentenced to ten years; five for each of her victims. 'Where was the five for Neville then?' she thought to herself still mad that, since he hadn't been given a potion, he wouldn't get justice. He'd been a victim of her scheme too. She silently promised to personally make Molly Weasley pay if she ever got the chance.
She wasn't surprised to learn that Arthur Weasley had been cleared of any involvement and was allowed to keep his job at the ministry. After talking about it with her friends, she agreed with them that Dumbledore had somehow managed to make Molly take the fall for all of them. She had argued with Harry about using the spell on the old coot but was shot down. Hermione's continued assertion that he wasn't evil was getting old fast as far as she was concerned.
Her mother didn't take the headlines as calmly as the rest of her family. She immediately forbid her husband from taking Luna with him anymore then begged him not to go either. Most people would consider Xenophilius Lovegood odd and they would be right except when he was with his wife. All his eccentricities seem to disappear when he was with her especially when she was upset. He covered the hand closest to him with one of his own while reaching up with the other to wipe away a tear that had escaped her eyes.
"Anna darling," he said lovingly. "I have a business to run and can't do it locked up in this house. I will stay home when I can but I will have to go out sometimes. As for our little angel here," he reached over and gently caressed Luna's hair as he spoke. "You know I would never do anything that could put her in danger so of course I won't take her with me anymore."
"No!" Luna shouted in protest.
Both of her parents were shocked since she'd never done that before.
"I'm sorry mum," she apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to yell."
"It's okay sweetheart," Anna soothed. "I know you like going with your father but it's just not safe right now."
Luna knew it was but couldn't very well tell them that.
"I know mum," she replied. "And I don't mind staying home really I don't but there is one thing I really want to go to."
"What is it?" her mother asked.
"You know my friend Harry?" Luna responded with a question of her own.
Anna nodded her head. Everyone knew who Harry Potter was. She had been happy but skeptical when Luna came home from Sirius Black's trial claiming she'd met three kids that day and they had become her friends. She was even more skeptical when she found it out it was Harry Potter that her daughter claimed to be friends with.
Luna had believed Ginny Weasley was her friend too but Anna had seen the redheaded girl making fun of her daughter behind her back and knew it wasn't true. She was relieved when Luna stopped asking to have Ginny over or if she could go to the Burrow. Anna had been terrified that Luna would catch on to what Ginny did behind her back or worse that her 'friend' would drop the façade and do it right to her face just to be mean.
She couldn't stand the thought of her daughter being hurt like that. She was also glad to be free of the worry that always gripped her when Luna went to the Burrow. She didn't much care for Molly or Arthur and certainly didn't trust them to look after the most precious thing she had in this world.
Also, though she couldn't put her finger on it as to why, their youngest son Ronald gave her the creeps. She hadn't liked the way he'd looked at Luna the few times he had come over with his sister. He had looked at her like she was something revolting he had stepped in. Anna couldn't believe the hatred she saw in the boy's eyes and was truly afraid he might try to hurt her at some point.
Those fears had caused her to become very protective of her daughter. When Luna told her they invited her to spend the day with them in Diagon Alley, she insisted on taking Luna herself so she could see if they really liked her or were looking to amuse themselves at her expense. She was pleasantly surprised to see that they really did seem to like Luna.
Harry and his two friends were a very tight knit group but Luna had clearly been woven right in. She had kept an eye on them but not once did any of them make fun of her or laugh at her behind her back. In fact, when another kid noticed them sitting with a girl who clearly wasn't in Hogwarts yet, a sneer appeared on his face and she knew he was going to say something.
She was afraid they might pull away from her but was again pleasantly surprised. Harry and the other girl Hermione glared at him while the other boy, Neville Longbottom, if she recalled his name correctly even went so far as to stand up and put himself between her and the blond haired boy. The boy's eyes went wide at that and he left quickly without saying a word. She didn't know who the other boy was but he reminded her of Lucius Malfoy. She went home that day happy that her daughter finally had some real friends.
"You know his godfather was found to be innocent but then ended up in St. Mungos?" Again she nodded as Luna continued. "In a few weeks, there is supposed to be a hearing on Harry's guardianship. If Sirius hasn't recovered by then, there's no telling where Harry might end up. I know I shouldn't have but I promised I would be there for support. If I'm not there, he might think I lied to him and not want to be my friend anymore!"
At this point she broke down in fake tears. Luna knew there was a better chance of Draco Malfoy becoming an advocate for muggleborns than there was that her friends wouldn't understand if she wasn't there but she really want to go. She didn't get to see them enough as is. She wasn't about to pass up any chance to be with them.
"Sweetheart," Anna replied. "I'm sure if you wrote to them and told them you couldn't go they would understand."
Luna hadn't counted on her mother using logic. She had hoped the tears would be enough to get her to cave in quickly without thinking about it.
"But I really want to go," she pleaded. "I haven't seen my friends since the holidays."
She had actually seen them a few hours ago but she really reallywanted to be at the hearing.
"Luna," her mother responded firmly. "I would love for you to see your friends but we have to put your safety first."
"Your mother's right Angel," Her father agreed speaking for the first time since her outburst. "We will see how things are when the time comes but we can't make any promises."
She knew that was the best she could hope for and let the matter drop. She was glad both lists were now complete. Hopefully it would all be over by the time of the hearing and she would be allowed to attend.
The Daily Prophet created quite a stir at Hogwarts as well. It also explained why so many students were not at breakfast. The great hall was filled with the sound of people trying to talk over one another until Dumbledore stood up. The hall went quickly silent as everyone was desperate to hear what he had to say.
"I know you are all no doubt very upset after reading today's paper," he said looking solemn. "Many of your fellow students are absent today as a result of the tragedy that is currently plaguing our world. Others are away from school for other reasons but all of them will return." Most of the missing students were from Slytherin but there were some from every house including all the Weasleys. "If you are here, neither you nor your family have been affected by recent events. If that should change, you will be notified by your head of house. For now, you should carry on as usual."
As Dumbledore sat back down to finish his breakfast, his eyes once again fell on the headline. He was now certain that it wasn't an illness. No, someone was targeting people and had managed to do so without being detected. The question was who and why? So far it seemed mostly dark families that had been targeted. There were some that he'd long suspected were dark sympathizers but could never prove it as well as those he suspected of being corrupt and taking bribes.
The Malfoys were one of the few dark families not affected and Dumbledore couldn't figure out why. It was unlikely that anyone targeting the dark families would leave the Malfoys alone. Could the Malfoys be behind this? Lucius Malfoy was certainly ruthless enough to do something like this but would be more apt to target muggleborns rather than his friends or those in the ministry he no doubt bribed regularly. Lucius Malfoy's ability to manipulate things to his advantage was dwindling with every new issue of the Prophet. The more allies and sympathizers he lost, the more vulnerable he became. Perhaps it was time to try to push him over the edge.
With Malfoy out of the way, Albus would be largely unchallenged when it came to choosing replacements for all those lost from the ministry and wizengamot greatly increasing his influence over both institutions. Influence he would, of course, use for the greater good of the wizarding world. Making a mental note to speak to Arthur Weasely about stepping up his investigations of the head of the Malfoy family, he returned his attentions back to the issue at hand.
The murders especially bothered him. Those poor souls weren't given a chance to change their ways and learn from their mistakes. Forgiveness was the corner stone of the path of light. No wizard could stay on the right path without a strong ability to forgive. Those on the dark side would have no qualms killing in this way but Albus just couldn't see them targeting allies in the cause.
Nor did he think someone on the light side could be capable of this. No, there was a new player in the mix; someone who was determined to drastically change their world and willing to use dark methods to do it if they deemed it necessary. He also didn't like the implications of so many purebloods being removed from wizarding Britain. Purebloods were already a minority in Britain, if this trend were to continue they could end up extinct. That was not something, in Albus Dumbledore's mind anyway, that would serve the greater good of the magical world. They were taking obstacles out of Albus' path so he was willing to be patient for now and wait to see how things unfolded.
If the light side started being attacked, he would take action but, since he had no clue who was behind this, there was really nothing he could do anyway. It would have been exceedingly helpful if Fudge and that Umbridge woman had been among the victims. The minister had been helpful recently but, over the years, he had been an enemy far more than an ally and Albus had never met a more disagreeable woman than Deloris Umbridge. Alas, he couldn't have everything. He put those thoughts out of his mind, finished his breakfast, and continued on with his day.
The following morning, Lucius Malfoy broke into a cold sweat upon reading about the deaths of Walden Macnair and the other deatheaters. It seems the he and his wife had left only moments before the attacks occurred. He was now grateful Narcissa hadn't allowed him to stay for one more drink like he'd wanted to. He'd been annoyed with her at the time but couldn't argue with the results. He was just as grateful that there were no survivors. The time of his departure so closely coinciding with the attacks would never have been accepted as merely exceptionally good luck. No, if any of them had survived, he wouldn't have for very long.
It hadn't been a friendly get together that had them all in one place that night. It was a meeting to discuss recent events, determine who might be responsible and how to use it to their advantage. Andrew Yaxely hadn't wanted to come at all citing that, since no one knew he was a deatheater, he wasn't in any danger. He'd eventually agreed but arrived in full glamors so there was no chance of anyone recognizing him. Lucius mentally laughed at the ridiculousness of using glamors when traveling to a house whose nearest neighbors were miles away and muggles. There was no chance of anyone seeing him arrive much less knowing who he was.
There was also plenty of finger pointing as nearly everyone was accused at least once of being behind the attacks. Lucius himself was accused several times. They all may have been allies in the cause but there was no love much less any trust to be found between them. They all wanted the same thing their lord sought: power and weren't above taking each other out to gain it. Many deatheater deaths in the last war were credited to the light side but were actually the result of someone trying to move up the ranks in the Dark Lord's organization. The fact that Voldemort seemed pleased and tended to reward such acts was anything but a deterrent.
He'd managed to convince them of his innocence before he left but that attack would have had them out for his blood and nothing he said or did would have been able to change their minds. That they were all dead meant he was safe from them and would find himself considered even more valuable by his lord when he returned and Lucius truly believed he would return and looked forward to the day he would rule Britain at Voldemort's side possibly as his second in command. The flip side was that he was now isolated without any allies and therefore more vulnerable should whoever was behind the attacks turned their sites on him.
He firmly believed he'd been safe so far because Malfoy Manor's defenses had thus far proven too strong for the would be assassins to penetrate. He made a decision to stay home as much as possible for the time being to lessen the risk. It wouldn't hurt to see about having the wards made even stronger. He had plenty of gold and couldn't spend it if he were dead. With what he thought was a sound plan firmly decided on he relaxed a bit and enjoyed the rest of his breakfast before putting it in motion.
Throughout the next week, there were daily articles announcing the latest victims. By the end of the week, Dumbledore got his wish as Fudge and Umbridge were added to the list of victims. It wasn't just the ministry either. The Hogwarts board of governors had been decimated as well with only Malfoy and Augusta Longbottom remaining.
Then, just like that, it was over. The murders stopped and no more new cases were reported and, after two weeks, life seemed to return to normal. Dumbledore was away from the school a lot presumably to help put at least a provisional government in place. The funny thing was, no one seemed to be in a panic at the thought of not having a functioning government but were simply going on with their lives like they always had.
When the Weasley kids returned to school, the twins immediately apologized to the Gryffindor trio for what their mother did while Percy and Ron loudly blamed them for the loss of their mother. The trio thanked the twins while ignoring the Slytherin and former prefect then sent a note of congratulations to Luna for completing her mission. A week later, with still no news on Sirius, Harry had had enough and told Hermione to start planning a rescue mission. Fortunately, he wouldn't need it. Help was on the way.