Preparations

The end of this year's term ended up unsettling many people, as much as they wanted to deny Potter's proclaimed return of the Dark Lord, it was clear that the tournament had been run with clear anomalies, but they were too afraid to accept reality.

Soisen took advantage of the fact that during the last few days few people were willing to wander around the castle and went to obtain some thousand-year-old basilisk skin. A fragment of ancient molt to be more exact, retrieved by Accio through a pipe he managed to discover through multiple attempts. It wasn't as good as a phoenix tear, but he would need to settle for this substitute that also had a meaning of rebirth or change. Besides, she had plenty of stock in the castle and more room to experiment.

One more ingredient and he could cure his mothers squib condition.

He warned his friends to be careful over the summer, without being able to confirm Voldemort's return with clear evidence aside from the statement of a frightened teenager, it was best to elevate caution and not let panic shake them.

They all had a decent command of Occlumency and should be able to have better control of their emotions compared to the rest of the students. And that was because the Second Magical War had unofficially begun.

Right now, they were all in a Hogwarts express carriage that was temporarily extended undetectably to make room for everyone.

-Is that true? -Neville asked after hearing the "bombshell" that Soisen told everyone present.

-How reliable is the information? -Cedric leaned forward earnestly.

-"Reliable in its entirety, in fact, it is likely that Cho's parents may know something in a while and confirm it," Soisen assured them without leaving his seriousness aside, "In the next school year, Dolores Umbridge will be appointed as the new DADA teacher at Hogwarts.

-I hate that woman, she gives nothing but trouble and takes credit for everyone else," Cho Chang declared with a frown, "If she becomes a professor, I think we can forget about learning anything useful.

-It's a pity that Professor Moody can't stay and continue teaching for another year," commented Hermione resignedly, "He's been the best DADA teacher to date, which is not very encouraging if we think about it for a second....

-But the DADA position is cursed and no one who has taken the position has been able to last more than a year," Ginny pointed out.

-I never understood why they just don't close that subject and create another one with the same purpose, but with a different name -commented Soisen shaking his head with his eyes closed- The curse would be easily avoidable with those technicalities.

He wasn't just talking for the sake of talking, he studied the case of the cursed teaching post with the help of the books in the forbidden section and this was actually a way to avoid harm.

-Don't you think that if it were that easy, Dumbledore would have thought of that by now? -Luna asked curiously.

-No, I think old age is getting to him and his mind is starting to fail to think of such an obvious solution -Soisen didn't hesitate for a moment to bash the image of perfection there was of Dumbledore, taking the opportunity to kick him off the pedestal in his friends' minds and start taking his place- Besides, it's shameful how the magical community has become so dependent on his presence and opinion, like sheep led by their shepherd. The undeniable fact is that even he, in a few years will die of natural causes (if not sooner) and only then, people will realize how weak they have all become by relying on him too much and for everything.

-And what should we do? -Ginny asked nervously.

-I don't know if what Potter said is true or not, but it never hurts to be prepared. This summer, in addition to the Order of the Hippogriff meetings where we will intensify lessons in combat and survival, I want everyone to study and implement safety measures at home, as well as prepare a backpack for emergencies in case we have to flee abruptly.

As Soisen gave more advice, he considered using his tract of land in Snowdonia, located in Wales, to secretly build a true magical stronghold, better even than the Black's ancestral home, which was to be used by the Order of the Phoenix sometime this summer, but with Sirius' death thanks to his intervention and revenge for Lily, he wasn't entirely clear if Dumbledore still had access to that location or would move to a different one.

After arriving at the station, everyone said their goodbyes as they left with their families who came to pick them up and only Soisen, Silvia and Hermione were left behind.

-What should we do? -Silvia asked a bit upset after understanding better the situation in the carriage. Hermione also looked at Soisen for help as she pinched her shirt sleeve unconsciously to calm down.

Unlike the rest, they were the daughters of muggles, and that meant they had no connections to get help from in the small magical world, no inheritances to bring them additional protections, and were more likely to be targets for pureblood radicals and morphs once they started to get out of control. Soisen's unvarnished explanation made them acutely aware of how precarious their identities could be and the dangers that could pounce on their family.

-Well, I have a proposal in mind, but it is something quite important and I think it would be best if the three of us gathered our families in one place before we put it forward, as it is likely to affect your lives for years to come if it is accepted.

-Where do we meet and when? -Hermione asked, wanting to know details, since it was so serious, the sooner the better.

-Go home and take a short break to calm down. In three days, come with your parents through Diagon Alley and come into my store, you know where it is. Try to give them an idea of the current general situation in the magical world so they can better understand that this is a very serious meeting.

Hermione nodded and said goodbye as soon as she saw her parents. Silvia on the other hand, was more reluctant to part from her boyfriend, but she was too shy to get affectionate in the middle of the station and had to settle for a long hug before saying goodbye with a reddened face as she saw the knowing smile she received from her mother upon seeing her.

Nagini approached a few minutes later and greeted them.

-I saw how The Prophet proclaimed to the nine winds your victory in the tournament against the other schools," she congratulated with a smile, "Although I must add that Ingta almost had a fit when she saw the picture of you fistfighting the dragon.

-I had it all under control.

-Sure, tell that to your mothers when we get home," Nagini replied mockingly.

-In three days we'll have an important meeting, I'll explain on the way," Soisen sighed and crossed her fingers that Ann and Ingta would take it easy.

Especially since he was going to introduce them to his girlfriend and her family at the same time, he just didn't know what degree of embarrassment he would go through.

He just hoped they wouldn't bring up the subject of the wedding or grandchildren, again.

-Should we close the store that day?

-Yes, I'd rather have the place to ourselves with no possible interruptions," Soisen confirmed, "Besides, before the day of the meeting we need to go inspect the land I inherited in Snowdonia and clean the place up, as it's quite possible I'll have use for it this summer.

-Do you want to build something in that secluded spot? -Nagini asked, having a rough idea of what her master might be thinking, "An additional safe house or some kind of stronghold?

-More or less," Soisen nodded, "Also, this summer Nico Ravenheart will be releasing a new song called: The Snake with No Nose.