Ghostly Intervention

It was a very quiet return train journey back up to Hogsmeade, 'what did you do at the holidays?' being rarely asked. It was also noticeable that the Slytherin contingent of their friends was missing. Draco though had stuck his head into their compartment earlier to offer an explanation.

"Vince's father was killed while Greg's is one of the four the ministry captured that night. They're not in a good place at the moment so we're trying to help. It's also not going down too well with some in our house that there were Slytherins at the party who drew their wands. Apparently, we were supposed to let the death eaters kill us! I'm just really pleased Amelia has stationed aurors on the train."

Remus decided he too would patrol the train, Tonks though wasn't leaving Harry's compartment until they reached their destination.

Inside the Hogwarts great hall, you would have needed a spurtle to stir the atmosphere that was as thick as porridge, though nowhere near as good for you. The atmosphere was so oppressive that Madam Longbottom stood to address the students before the feast began.

"On New Year's Eve, I, along with a number of Hogwarts students, attended a party held by Director Bones. I don't think there is anyone here who doesn't know what happened during that party. It saddens me more than I can say that this madman, Voldemort, was allowed to manipulate a rift in our society that resulted in wizard fighting against wizard, in some cases brother against brother. While the ministry is working hard to ensure that situation will never happen again, and hopes to arrest all those still at large, we mustn't let this conflict take root inside this castle's walls."

Augusta's steely gaze swept over everyone present. She deliberately didn't linger on the Slytherin table, though everyone knew that's where the trouble would come from.

"These terrorists have already had an impact on some of our students. These sudden deaths have filled me with sadness but also a hint of pride in seeing the dignified manner with which the individuals have handled their situations. Should any student feel the need to talk about what has happened with their family, please see your head of house and know also that my door is always open to you. The sins of the parents will not be visited on their children, but any of those children seeking revenge or retribution will be dealt with most severely - whichever side of the so-called divide they claim to support. This is a school, feuds or fighting will not be tolerated here. Have I made myself clear?"

Augusta indicated each table in turn and didn't move onto the next house until she received a positive response from the students sitting there. Only then was it time to eat.

There were no smart comments coming from Roger at the Ravenclaw table, there was hardly a comment to be heard in the entire hall. Everyone just ate their meal and got out of there as fast as they could.

Harry intended to have a chat with Helena later tonight. The Hogwarts ghosts, portraits and house elves could very effectively monitor exactly what was happening inside the castle. That information might allow them to nip things in the bud because there was no way there wouldn't be students out for some retribution.

-oOoOo-

The ministry were also looking for retribution, though through due legal process. Their new facility would certainly have been appreciated by any goblin, spartan was an apt description. Since it was only going to be used for the short term holding and then the resulting trial of death eaters, there was no need for anything more. Cornelius would settle for functional, it was here to fulfil a function and it was time to get down to that function.

Pettigrew was the first prisoner brought before the court. There was no need for chains to restrain the prisoner, with a broken neck Peter couldn't even support himself to sit up. He would face justice while lying unmoving on a bed.

Amelia limited the evidence to the death eater's actions since first leaving Britain in search of his master. The crimes he committed in assisting Voldemort regain a body, his actions afterwords against Bertha Jorkins and attacking her house, were easily enough to see Peter Pettigrew sentenced to death. The spartan appearance of their temporary courtroom lending itself to the stark reality of what happened next.

With no access to the Ministry for death eaters, they couldn't be sentenced to the veil. The alternative option put forward was accepted by all, and administered in front of the sitting court. Veritaserum was carefully controlled because, if the maximum dose were to be accidentally exceeded, there was no antidote or way to postpone the inevitable.

This potion targeted the brain and stopped a person from lying, an overdose though was a completely different matter. An excess of veritaserum started working on those parts of the brain that function quietly in the background, keeping the heart beating and the lungs drawing breath. The person would soon slip into a coma as their body's automatic functions were disrupted so severely they would be dead within ten minutes. Since they were in a comatose state so quickly, it was considered a relatively painless way of administering a death sentence.

Once Peter entered that comatose state, he was wheeled away to die alone in his cell. It was time to bring the next one in.

Gregory Goyle Sr. was a sorry sight as they wheeled him into the new courtroom. The reason he was wheeled in was that goblin steel had removed his right leg above the knee and the same arm from just behind his wrist. Again his questioning left the court with no other option than to convict. He had been pleased not to be chosen to attack the house because they only expected a few targets there, Gregory had been looking forward to picking off the goblins when they arrived. No one missed the irony that it was the goblins who'd done the picking, a battle-axe removing both wand arm and leg in one powerful swipe.

As he was sentenced to death, the death eater broke down in tears. The tears though proved not to be for himself but rather his son, the veritaserum in his system letting everyone know Gregory was genuine in his request. He begged those present to help his family, to ensure his son and heir would not make the same mistakes his father had.

Gregory was certainly smart enough to know what his fate could be when he once more donned his death eater regalia. He also recognised long ago that he was a follower rather than a leader. With no one there to tell him not to attend at the solstice, Gregory had followed the habit of a lifetime and responded to his master's summons.

He had become a death eater with dreams of easy pickings, riches and power. If he had to kill a few muggles or blood traitors along the way, that was something he was quite prepared to do. Gregory then discovered a universal truth. In a situation like this, the rich got richer and only the powerful gained more of what they craved. Since he was neither wealthy or powerful, he didn't exactly benefit from the spoils of their terror campaign. He was a good death eater who followed orders and kept out of trouble - at least up until now.

His biggest asset all throughout his life had been his physical appearance, he was considered a hulking bull of a wizard. With no wand arm and most of a leg missing, he was ready to accept his punishment - thankful that at least it would be painless. They had all dreaded being faced with a dementor, this method was certainly preferable to that horror.

Hearing the condemned wizard's pleas for his family just reinforced Amelia's determination to see things change. They all knew that the problem would never fully go away while one section of their society thought they were superior simply by their accident of birth. Her own extended family was actually now placed firmly at the other extreme of that argument, goblins, muggles, veela and a werewolf would certainly struggle to be accepted by those promoting pureblood supremacy. There must be a middle ground though that should be acceptable to all, calling a family blood-traitors and turning up unannounced to kill them certainly wasn't it.

If they could deal with Voldemort and his death eaters then Amelia was confident their society would be in a much better place. The younger students coming through Hogwarts would certainly help see to that.

-oOoOo-

The younger students certainly knew which side they were on, and it wasn't Flint's. Of the lower three years of Slytherins, only Crabbe and Goyle were unsure of which side to join. Everyone else was aligned firmly behind Draco in his stand against the seventh year's attempt to drum up death eater support inside Slytherin.

"When someone blows off the door of your house and races in firing killing curses, are we just supposed to stand there and let them kill us because your father might be amongst them?"

"No self-respecting Slytherin would have been there in the first place. The Bones' are blood-traitors…"

"…which is nothing more than a term coined by a half-blood bastard to encourage purebloods to kill each other." Pansy was livid with this arsehole, and the opinions he was spouting. The still grieving witch wasn't for holding back either as she sprang to her mate's defence. "It wasn't the ministry who killed my father, he was tortured to death because he made sure his wife and daughter were safe from the people you seem so keen to support."

The angry witch was now really turning the screw. "The Prophet announced there was a battle at Bones Manor, they got it wrong. There was no battle, the attacking death eaters were slaughtered. The exact same thing will happen to anyone else who tries to support the same stupid shit you're promoting here, you will be nothing more than lambs to the slaughter."

Flint looked ready to take matters further when a voice stopped him reaching for his wand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Harry had quietly entered the Slytherin common room. With all eyes on the escalating confrontation, no one had seen him until he spoke out.

"This isn't Ravenclaw, Crow, no one gives a shit what you say in here. These traitorous bastards must have given you the password to get in…"

"I am Hogwarts' Champion, Flint, no doors inside the castle are barred to me - even the chamber of secrets."

it was a frightened Pauline who asked the question that most of the house wanted to know the answer to. "What are you doing in here, Harry?"

"The Baron contacted me about a disturbance in his house. He's been pleased with the steps his house had been taking to once more embrace their great history, and didn't want to see Slytherin slip back into the mire. The Baron is giving me the chance to sort it before Professor McGonagall or Madam Longbottom need to become involved."

"…and just what has this got to do with them? We're having a house discussion here…"

"Flint, you may be even stupider than I originally thought. You've lost your father and eighty percent of your family's wealth, do you really want to make the situation worse by getting kicked out of Hogwarts before sitting your N.E.W.T.'s? The High Inquisitor made her position on this matter crystal clear. Calling your attempt to bully students into accepting death eaters are even human a 'house meeting' just won't wash."

"Who are you to talk about human? You strut about claiming to be a goblin when everyone can see you're not."

This drew a gasp of breath from a lot of the watchers, fearing Flint had gone too far. This after all was the individual who had bested Voldemort in Battle. Harry's answer might have been cold but no one could miss the fire in his eyes. Flint certainly couldn't since that's where those blazing orbs were directed.

"I'm well aware that, biologically, I'm not goblin. It is kind of hard to miss the physical differences. You strut about claiming to be a pureblood, how does your pure blood make you different? Does it make you stronger? Smarter? You tell me how being a pureblood gives anyone the right to wear a mask and kill people without any retribution?"

Flint didn't really know how to answer that but Harry kept pushing. "My grandparents' pure blood didn't protect them when the death eaters came calling, Neither did my dad's when Voldemort himself killed him. Draco and Pansy's fathers were both purebloods, and both death eaters, they were still killed by these murderers. Tell me why your father was any different from ours?"

Harry had been moving until he was now directly in front of the large Slytherin. "In the last couple of years I've seen troll blood, basilisk blood, goblin blood, muggle blood and so called pure blood spilled. You want to know what all of these had in common? No matter who or what you are, lose enough of your blood and you die. That's what blood is there for, to keep us alive, not so one group of society can use it to claim they are better than the rest of us."

The seventh year Slytherin felt he had to do something but, when Crow kept pushing, all he was left with was taking a step back. Not an effective counter strategy but Harry didn't leave him any other option. Harry then explained that to the entire house of Slytherin.

"Flint here would love to prove everything I'm saying is lies, but he can't. He would also like to pound me into the ground but again, he can't. This half blood who calls himself a goblin may be four years younger than Flint, but I'm faster, stronger and more powerful in every way. How does your pureblood supremacy account for that? The person who started the entire war isn't even a pureblood, his father was a muggle!"

Harry had the larger wizard now backed up against a wall. He then turned his back on Flint to talk to the rest of the house, knowing Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Daphne would keep an eye on the troublemaker for him. At the very least, giving him a warning if he needed to act.

"The death eaters that night were expecting a slaughter, they just thought they would be the ones carrying it out. Instead, they found themselves facing trained goblin troops and some highly skilled witches and wizards. They were outnumbered, outmatched and too afraid of their psychopath of a leader to do the sensible thing and get the hell out of there. This is war, it's not heroic and certainly not pretty. Every one of us there that night only wanted to dance and have fun while bringing in the New Year, not be fighting for our lives instead."

He then made an appeal directly to them. "This war will see us all having to make decisions, I'm not going to do a Flint though and try to bully you into seeing things my way. If I needed to do that then I would have already lost the argument."

Harry looked toward some of his Slytherin friends, silently apologising for what he was about to do. "Theodore Nott Senior attempted to murder my father yet I call his son and daughter friends. They don't share their father's beliefs so why shouldn't they be my friends, Draco falls squarely into the same category. You all need to reach decisions of your own but not tonight, not when you're still hurting. Talk to your friends, professors you trust, don't let anyone bully you into something that will affect the rest of your life. It's your life, take your time and reach the decision that's right for you because you are the one that needs to live with it."

His appeal appeared to be having some effect, if only because his technique was different from Flint's demanding of their support. Harry decided to quit while he was ahead. "Voldemort and his death eaters became my enemies from that Halloween night he murdered my parents, I sincerely hope I have no enemies here tonight."

"Well said, Centurion."

The entire Slytherin common room turned to see Slughorn, McGonagall and Longbottom standing at the door. McGonagall though wasn't as lavish with her praise. "While I might agree with Madam Longbottom's sentiments, I feel I must take ten points from Ravenclaw for you being out past your curfew. If it happens again it will mean a detention with me. I shall issue you with a pass to allow you safe passage back to your own house..."

Harry could see by the twinkle in McGonagall's eyes she was secretly pleased with him, and he would also be getting those points back in her next class. He decided to use the situation to his own advantage and interrupted the Hogwarts deputy.

"That won't be necessary, Professor. I am Hogwarts champion and the castle's portraits and ghosts would never let me be caught out past curfew. I also have certain other advantages..." With a flick and a swirl, his dad's invisibility cloak was around his shoulders, leaving only his head floating there. "Goodnight everyone." With that, Harry raised his hood and disappeared.

The effect on the Slytherins couldn't be missed as another page was added to the legend that Harry Crow was quickly becoming. Why would you want someone who was quick as lightning, and every bit as powerful, as an enemy? Factor in that he possessed a spy system inside the castle that was second to none and could also be standing right beside you without you even knowing - that left you with an individual who was not to be messed with.

Marcus Flint went to bed an angry young wizard, he deliberately sought out Theo Nott first thing next morning. "Your father is in Azkaban yet you don't seem to want revenge on the people who put him there, what kind of a son are you?"

"The kind who knows his responsibilities. I have a responsibility to my family, my mother and my sisters. My father would have us all paupers and shunned by society, my responsibility is to try and prevent that - not seek pointless revenge. My father committed crimes, was caught, tried and sentenced. That's why he's in Azkaban, not because he was a believer in some higher cause."

"Of course it's a higher cause, these people enter our world and need to be taught their place in it."

Theo had been waiting on Pauline and the little witch had heard what was said as she approached. She rounded on Flint with a bravery any Gryffindor would have been proud of.

"Well Voldemort certainly sailed through the air when Harry hit him with that curse, does that count as a higher cause? I was at that party, me, the daughter of a convicted death eater. Not only was I treated the same as everyone else, they made sure I was protected when those murderers blasted through the doors. My father deserved to go to Azkaban and I fully support what my head of house is doing now."

A raging Flint was further taunted by the little witch, their confrontation had drawn a lot of attention and both knew this would prevent him taking this any further. "Go on then, draw your wand and fire on a first year. You want to follow your father so badly then that's a sure way to achieve it. Harry would certainly come after you for attacking someone on a Potter Scholarship. If a Slytherin earning one of those doesn't tell you things have changed then Harry was right, you are stupid."

Theo then dragged his sister out of there. He knew Pauline was right but Harry wasn't actually there at the moment, and Flint might just decide to risk drawing his wand. The large Slytherin wasn't forced to repeat a year because he was clever.

That the four surviving attackers were found guilty and then sentenced to death was what everyone expected, the Daily Prophet reporting Goyle Senior's last words was not. Gregory was distraught as his friends led him from the hall, Slughorn rose to follow but Augusta stopped him.

"His friends will look after him, they know exactly how he's feeling since a few of them have already suffered similar bereavements. Penny is also following the group out the door, she'll see he gets to Madam Pomfrey if he needs to."

"If you think that is best, Madam Longbottom."

Her head of Slytherin's tone clearly indicated he thought she was wrong but Augusta wasn't for budging. "I do, Professor. We make ourselves available if they should need us but I think this will work best in the long run. Gregory will be far more likely to open up to his friends than any member of staff, especially since Draco and Pansy have experienced the same loss recently. The bonds of friendship will help him heal far better than any member of staff sitting down to chat to the lad."

She knew 'Sluggy' was desperate for a way into Harry's company and was practically courting Draco Malfoy, Augusta just didn't want to give him any opportunities to make inroads. The fact that Slughorn was a superb potions teacher was the only reason he was still in the castle, she found his behaviour of trying to befriend the influential students distasteful. That her grandson was one of those students and had told him where to go from day one was particularly pleasing though.

They watched with heavy hearts from the Ravenclaw table while Gregory was led from the hall, their breakfast being forgotten. Harry was basically thinking out loud while sitting with his friends.

"There are bound to be some families that can't afford to send their children back to Hogwarts after the summer, I think the Potter Scholarship program is going to have to expand to cover that." This earned him a gentle kiss from his mate before Hermione added to his idea.

"You might want to speak to Sirius about the Malfoys too. They are denied access to their vaults but just took on a load of house guests. They were already hurting for money..."

This time it was Harry's turn to give Hermione a quick kiss in thanks. Some of their friends had been watching this and it was Morag who summed up most of their feelings on the matter.

"Their parents attack you and now you're thinking of paying for their way through Hogwarts? I'm sorry, Harry, I just don't get it."

"It's really simple, Morag, they are not their parents. The best way to stop them embracing the same views and beliefs that saw their parents become death eaters is to let them see there is another way. We need to drag bigotry kicking and screaming from the shadows and shine a light on it so everyone can clearly see what it is. Once you do that, no sensible person can support the unsupportable."

"Are you saying we're all the same, Harry?"

"Exactly the opposite, Cho. We are all different, each and every one of us. What I'm hoping for is that we can learn to embrace those differences, not claim one particular difference makes us better than every one else. If that can be achieved, then things like Susan and Amelia's party being attacked will never happen again. If me spending some gold to keep students in a school that teaches this is the cost, then it's a cost I'm willing to pay."

"Oh Hermione, there just might be a diplomat in there after all. Well said Harry, I would embrace you but my Neville is the jealous type..." Padma was wearing a wide smile as said Neville made a show of embracing his mate.

While her best friend's words had lessened the intensity, Hermione ramped it right back up again. "Over the holidays we visited the goblins who are now living at Kingussie. It was wonderful watching the young goblins sledging down a snow covered hill, until Harry pointed out this was the first time they'd ever had the opportunity to do that. Yes it was something I had never thought of before but those youngsters were having as much fun sliding down that hill as I had when my mum and dad used to take me. Nearly as much fun as Harry and I had when I coaxed him onto a sledge..."

"Coaxed? She pushed me down and then grabbed me from behind..."

Hermione's finger on his lips stopped him saying any more, she wanted to finish what she started. "I'm going to have a baby brother this summer, and we already know he's a wizard. I want my brother to grow up being comfortable playing with other children of a similar age. Whether those children are goblins, muggles or wizards won't matter to him - unless someone tells him differently. I sat in a goblin home with a little goblin girl on my knee and we chatted away. All I saw was a little girl, excited because she had been out playing with her friends in the snow."

You could have heard a pin drop as there were now more than just Ravenclaws hanging on Hermione's every word.

"That image will keep me going when Professor Weasley pushes us to our limits, or when Mad-Eye pushes us past them. That is why we train so hard, that is worth fighting for."

A hand gently settled on Hermione's shoulder, indicating just how much everyone had been wrapped up in her words. Not even Harry had noticed Master Pitslay enter the great hall.

"Very well said, Miss Granger. So well said, I will overlook your tardiness - but just this once."

This got everyone moving, keeping Master Pitslay waiting was not a good idea. They were soon all hurrying along to their potions lesson.

Ron watched cluelessly as Ginny wasn't the only person wiping her eyes after listening to that, he hadn't understood a bloody word. Instead of saying this out loud though, the youngest Weasley boy decided to get some help. He had a quiet word with Percy.

"Why did Granger's story about having a goblin on her knee affect everyone? Does she expect Crow to give her a goblin child, or is she sorry because he can't?"

"Nothing like that, Ron. Hermione used the situation as a metaphor to describe what she would like to see happen. That, if you take away the bigotry, the situation would become normal enough that people wouldn't even comment on it."

"You mean like having a goblin at the Merlin Ball and no one said anything? Fred and George even danced with her, if you could call that dancing."

"Yes, Ron, that's exactly right. Even going back to just my first year at Hogwarts, something like that would have been unthinkable - never mind allowed to happen."

It was a thoughtful Ron who walked down to the dungeons for potions with Slughorn, that it was no longer Snape was just one of the changes he'd been taking for granted. Defence was so much better now while no one slept in History of Magic anymore, McGonagall's class was different too. His year had seen all the changes happen but for someone like Percy, who had been here since B.C., (before Crow), the changes must be remarkable.

-oOoOo-

The change in Mad-Eye was frightening, and he wasn't holding anything back. "You should never have charged those death eaters, you were ordered to stay put and provide coverin' fire."

Their tutor's attention then switched from Hermione to Harry. "You're a Centurion, what would you do if a warrior under your command broke one of your orders?"

"Hermione is neither a warrior nor under my command, she is my mate and sees her place as by my side. Why do you think she's here bursting a gut every week in training, so she can sit at home and bake cakes while I go off to fight?"

"Without a command structure, you've already lost. That's what happened to the death eaters..."

That was a step too far for Harry. "Do not compare us to death eaters."

"Okay, you want to play it that way then let's get busy, I'll break you both of this habit..." Moody was stopped by Neville and Padma standing beside their friends, Miss Patil was not a happy witch.

"If you're going to punish them then you need to include us too. It was only the fact Harry can run faster than us that stopped Neville and I charging right beside these two."

"If that's the way you want it missy, then let's go!"

Two hours of gruelling and punishing work later, the shout of 'stop' was really welcome - except for Mad-Eye. There was more than his eye mad at the unwanted interruption. "Just what do you think your playin' at, Tonks? They're mine for almost another hour, get yourself out of here and never interrupt my trainin' session again..."

The young auror was so angry, she had her wand in Mad-Eye's face. "If you think they have another hour left in them then you are off your head."

"I know they don't have another hour in them, I intend to break them and then start rebuildin' the four of them into..."

"Stop right there. You're talking about breaking three thirteen and one fourteen year old, you've fucking lost the plot, Mad-Eye. So much so that the Lady Ravenclaw was worried and came to get me. Take a look, take a good look at what you've done here."

The instant Tonks had yelled stop, Hermione, Padma and Neville had sank to the floor. Harry was also done in but just wouldn't give Moody the satisfaction of seeing him beaten. The gaze he was directing at his tutor though was pure hatred, hatred for what Moody had put his mate and two best friends through.

"You're leaving now, Mad-Eye, and don't test me on this. You've been working hard for two hours while I'm still fresh, I'm also willing to bet Hogwarts will assist me inside this room. You want to take me on?"

The battle-scarred old auror could see how serious Tonks was, there was no way she would back down. If he challenged her here and now, things could easily get out of hand. He decided to retreat but Tonks wasn't finished. "I will be contacting Barchoke and Bones over this, I would also advise you to stay out of Augusta's way for a while too."

As Moody left the room the door quickly disappeared, denying him the chance to reenter.

Harry shuffled over to where Hermione lay, sinking down beside his mate before gently lifting her head onto his lap.

"Harry, no more..."

"No more, Love, that's the end of Moody. The man is just too much of a fanatic for my liking. What's the point of destroying Voldemort if we also have to destroy what we have between us to achieve our goal? That price is too high. I didn't chew you out that night because, in the same situation, nothing would have kept me from your side. If I want you to be an equal partner then I have to take the good with the bad. If that means you are facing the same danger as me then that's how it has to be."

The room slowly changed around them, a bed grew out of the floor right under the couple. Harry glanced over to see the exact same thing happening to Padma and Neville, forcing Tonks to take a step back as she was casting scans on the couple.

The auror then approached their bed. "Those two are physically and magically exhausted, I suspect you both are the same. Moody really put you through the mill today."

"Man's a maniac..." Hermione's comment was no more than a mumble. She was exhausted, lying in Harry's arms on a very comfortable bed. The knackered young witch couldn't keep her eyes open.

Harry was gently running his fingers through her hair, trying to put into words how he felt. "They wouldn't quit, they were dead on their feet but still wouldn't quit. I should have stopped it..."

"Harry, I almost wet myself pulling my wand on Moody. He's a legend at the ministry and has been doing this since well before I was born. Mad-Eye knows exactly what buttons to push to get people to do what he wants. Stop beating yourself up and just rest, Harry. I'm not going anywhere."

An armchair and an occasional table with a tea set already on it appeared, Tonks made herself comfortable as she settled down to wait on them wakening.

It was some time later a door appeared in the wall, Tonks was reaching for her wand before realising she didn't need it. Hogwarts would never let anyone enter who meant them harm, Parvati and Luna would certainly never do that.

"What happened to them?"

"They're exhausted, Parvati, nothing more. Moody forgot he was dealing with four people barely into their teens. They may act a lot older but their bodies just can't take the punishment he was dishing out. Shouldn't you be in class?"

"It's dinner time, they missed it and we were worried."

Another pair of chairs appeared, as did a table with dinner for the three of them. Both girls checked the couples sleeping on the beds before sitting down to eat.

"Hogwarts will look after them when they wake, she always looks after her champion and his friends."

Parvati knew Luna was right, there was something else to be taken into consideration though. "I hope she's ready to deal with Padma's anger. Her first time sleeping in a bed with Neville and they're both too exhausted to even know about it, far less enjoy it."

-oOoOo-

Moody wasn't enjoying Amelia's anger, she was ripping him a new one as he tried to justify his actions. "They were questionin' my authority. You know what needs to be done then, I taught you the drill."

"What you fail to realise, Alastor, is that you have no authority over them. Between being a Baron, Order of Merlin, First Class, holder and a Centurion, Harry probably outranks you. That aside, you forgot you were basically dealing with children. Had you treated my Susan like that you would currently be missing your balls, Augusta Longbottom might still castrate you next time you meet. Those four have just slept for over fifteen hours straight, after Tonks stopped your lesson..."

"She should never have interrupted..."

"You still don't get it, do you? Those four are exceptional students because they share bonds that go beyond friendship. I saw Padma as an eleven year old after she'd stepped in front of Hermione and deliberately taken a curse to the face to protect her friend. We all watched Tonks' memory of the chamber, these kids would literally die for each other."

She was struggling to make the Master Auror see his mistake, that she was losing her temper didn't help. "That the two couples are blood bonded only exacerbates the problem. You saw their greatest strength as a weakness and tried to break them out of it, Harry would kill you before he would allow that to happen. I don't care what the fucking book says about this situation, we're throwing the book away on this one. It was never written with these four in mind anyway, children their age aren't supposed to be able to do the things they can."

"I'm guessin' there won't be a lesson today then?"

"They won't be taking any lessons today, Remus has already excused them from his class this afternoon. That should hopefully give them enough time to recover for Friday's classes. I haven't officially heard that your services won't be required next week but I'm pretty certain that will be the case."

"I still had quite a few things I wanted to teach them, I could pass it on to young Weasley. I suppose he's still gonna be teachin' them?"

"Barchoke will want to contact the Patils and Longbottoms before taking any action, I'm expecting Alice to be on the floo shortly."

Moody took that as his cue to leave.

-oOoOo-

Rookwood knew they had to leave the tent. He'd been racking his brain while trying to think of what to do next when his eidetic memory pulled out something that had crossed his desk not long after he'd started working at the ministry.

Around the turn of the century, the muggles had built one of their lighthouses on Flannan Isles in the Outer Hebrides. Their fancy flashing light though attracted some unwelcome visitors. A pair of Hebridean Blacks soon made short work of the three keepers left there to man the lighthouse. The magical reversal squad had eradicated all traces of what happened and then warded the island to stop any dragons returning, leaving the muggles with nothing more than the mystery of their three disappearing keepers.

What had jogged his memory was the report that the muggles had automated the lighthouse, meaning the wards didn't need to be maintained. That's what it might have meant back in the seventies, today it meant their was a warm, dry structure on an uninhabited island. A structure where they could live undiscovered and in relative comfort while planning their next move. It was time to approach his master with this idea.