Hogwarts: Year Six - Baelfire [IC/APPS CLOSED]

[Miekzhemy]

OOC

---

With the defeat of Liam Reynolds and his crew of Muggleborn Supremacist supporters at Hogwarts, as well as the Ministry's crushing victory against yet another Supremacist uprising in London, the people of Wizarding Britain believed that the dreaded war of blood supremacy had finally come to a close. But the Ministry of Magic was met with another surprise that night when they returned home.

Minister of Magic Found Dead!

Authorities Suspect Terrorism

---

3 MAY, 2022
LONDON--Minister of Magic Malvolio Glacies was found dead in his office late last evening. Authorities have not given a cause of death, but it appears that the Minister was assassinated.

Last evening a terrorist uprising using makeshift bombs was put down by aurors. The attack in London seems connected with a similar attack at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that killed Headmistress Minerva McGonagall and over a dozen students.

Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Thomas Grey put down the uprising in London hours after it begun and the Minister was left undefended. It’s possible, he claims, that he was the target of the entire attack and vowed to do whatever is necessary to restore law and order in Britain. Head of the Auror Department of Investigation Lucas Ackerley was also found wounded in his office in a possibly related attack, and currently remains in critical condition at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

Mr. Glacies, whose wife Pallas and twin sons Quintus and Martius were killed two years ago, leaves behind a younger sister, Mrs. Cordelia Avery. Mrs. Avery’s husband, Edmund, is a noted scholar of the Dark Arts and a former auror and has been teaching at Durmstrang Institute for the past five years. Mr. Glacies also leaves behind a daughter, Caitlin, a student entering her Sixth Year at Hogwarts.

The news of the Minister's assassination spread like wildfire around the Wizarding World, and left the British Ministry in a state of disarray. Over the following days, the remainder of the Muggleborn Supremacist cells banded together across the country, hoping to seize the opportunity to strike at the Ministry, dubbing themselves the 'Muggleborn Militia.' The Ministry, in a desperate state of emergency, granted overall control of the government to the late Minister Glacies' second in command and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Thomas Grey. Under Grey, the Ministry of Magic went on a hunt across Wizarding Britain. Complimented by the Ministry's introduction of the new and improved Armored Battalions, highly trained and highly equipped aurors, the government dispatched each and every supremacist cell with swift and brutal efficiency. In the span of days, the entire Muggleborn Militia was utterly annihilated.

Lord Minister in London!

---

8 MAY, 2022
It was only a few nights ago that the Magical World was shocked by the assassination of Malvolio Glacies, long time magical businessman and most recently Minister of Magic. After a bold attack carried out by Muggleborn Militia took not only his life, but several others at both Diagon Alley and, worst of all, Hogwarts, Mr. Glacies has finally been laid to rest in a full state funeral at his family home. Mr. Glacies is continued only by his daughter Caitlin, after a horrific bombing nearly 2 years ago to the day took Mr. Glacies wife and young sons. Caitlin will be staying with relatives until further agreements within the family are agreed upon.

In terms of his job, Mr. Glacies is being succeeded by no one. In a purely legal stance of course. This is because the Position of Minister of Magic has been suspended, along with most of the old ministerial government, due to the empowerment of the new British Magical Authority, which was put into place two days ago following the passage of a new clause to Emergency Act 42. At the head of this more efficient and powerful government is Mr. Thomas Grey, who many from the ministry are crediting with leading us through the attacks last week. I had a chance to sit down with Mr. Grey, whose new title is Lord Minister of Britain, or simply Lord Minister for short.

DP: Many view this sudden change with suspicion towards your new government. What would you say to these people?

TG: Well, I'd tell them that there is nothing to fear. This is an action everyone in the government felt was necessary, as it's unanimous vote into power shows. I hate to be blunt, but the Ministry in it's old form simply is unable to fight the Muggleborn Menace we are currently facing.

DP: So how long will this change last?

TG: At least until the war is over. After which there may be a brief period of time where we sit down as a people to properly reform the ministry instead of through an emergency vote like we did with this. If we decide to do that, then this government may be around for a little while longer, but we are determined to have the normal ministry back as soon as possible.

DP: You referred to the Militias as a menace? How far are you willing to go to stop this Menace?

TG: We are continuing to follow policies as we normally do, with imprisonment being our highest priority for these criminals right now. I will note that we have authorized use of the killing curse, due to the fact that it may be our only defense in a few high priority fights like what we are expecting to come.

DP: Can Muggleborns expect any reduction in rights?

TG: No, not at the moment. Currently we are requiring checkpoints at all major magical sites, and we are monitoring several forms of communication spell for any kind of commotion, but nothing specifically targeted yet.

DP: Will Muggleborns be allowed at Hogwarts this year?

TG: I don't see why not, and frankly it would be disgrace not to let them go.

DP: Speaking of Hogwarts, we recently learned that you aren't the only hero in your family. Several eyewitnesses describe your son Henry duelling and defeating the leader of the Muggleborns at Hogwarts. How is Henry doing and how do you feel about that story?

TG: Henry is doing all right, thanks for asking. He is in stable condition over at St. Mungo's for treatment of mental trauma from the Cruciatus Curse as well as a few other minor injuries, and he should be out soon. As a father and as a minister, I couldn't be more proud of him.

DP: Finally, what changes are coming within the year?

TG: Our first big policy is the placement of permanent armored guards at several locations throughout the magical world, including Hogwarts and Diagon Alley. After that, we are going to be more closely examining the relationships between Muggleborns and of the magical world, to see if we can stop this radicalization before it happens. Expect more announcements later this year.

DP:That will conclude our interview, thank you Lord Minister.

TG: It's been a pleasure.

Though many are still skeptical about the new authority, this reporter is happy to say Mr. Grey has won my trust and loyalty. - Reginald Hardly

---

Following the bloody battle waged at Hogwarts, many believed that the school could never be what it once was. While the war may be over, the countless wounds remain as a bitter reminder to the struggles it brought. A memorial service was to be held in honor of Headmistress McGonagall and all of the students that lost their lives in the battle. With time, the castle was repaired, and classes were scheduled to begin once more at the start of September. And although the future classes would come to be much smaller now, perhaps one day the school can again be brought back to its former glory.

Wizarding Britain had inflicted wounds upon itself. But, like all wounds, they could heal with time.

And so, life went on, and many of the students went back to their regular schedules. Even without the scars of battle and the violent memories left on the students entering their Sixth Year, it was a turning point in their academic career. Following their O.W.L. exams, the time had come for them to choose their own career paths, and begin specializing in the fields of magic they desired - in the form of N.E.W.T. level courses.

---

[Britanania]

7 May 2023
Malvolio Manor

It was an unusually sunny day as the family, friends, and others gathered for the State Funeral of Malvolio Glacies. Malvolio was not the first Minister to die in office, but he was the first to be assassinated. Certainly he wasn't the most popular man, but the very nature of his death caused an out pour og grief an anger not seen in Britain since perhaps Dumbleodre's death a decade and a half prior.

Most of the Ministry and their families arrived on the vast manor's estate and paid their respects to a man who led Britain during one of its toughest challenges since the downfall of the Dark Lord.

Of course, none of them knew the real reason that the Minister perished.

They just gobble up what the press says and believes it, Caitie thought to herself as she stood by the casket and greeted relatives and friends. After her encounter with Malvolio, Thomas found Caitie in the office but strangely let her go. When she finally reached St Mungo's she learned of the Hogwarts attack and easily made an alibi. In the chaos it was easy.

Almost too easy, she mused as a tall blonde women approached. Caitie flinched for a moment.

"Hello, Aunt Cordelia," she said somewhat crossly. "When did you return from Europe?" Malvolio's younger sister gave a slight smile at her niece.

"Just a little while ago, we came as quickly as we could," she said with mock sincerity. "It's just so awful what happened to your father, Caitlin. If there is anything you need..."

---

And so the funeral passed without much incident. After everyone paid their respects, he was sealed inside the tomb of his family: the last of the male Glaci.

Caitie, a minor, could not inherit the family estate until she came of age. Instead the courts gave full custody to Cordelia until Caitie graduates. She soon took control over the estate and moved in...

For her part, Caitie continued on as she always had and desperately waited for the return to school...

[Skylus]

IT. IS TIME. WOOOOOOOOOOO

The Forester Estate
Summer of 2023

It just so happened to be a special occasion at the ancestral home of the Foresters.
But what occasion, exactly?
Well, today was the day that Derek turned 16, and that day only happens once in a lifetime.
------------------------------------
Derek was rudely awakened by a bright flash of light - someone had lit an oil lamp.
"Go away", mumbled Derek as he buried himself under the covers and tried to go back to sleep.
"Oh, no you don't. You've been asleep for long enough as it is."
Replied an eldery man's voice as the covers were flipped back.
Derek found himself looking up at Maxwell - one of the many servants that had been serving his family for years.
Maxwell stepped back and allowed his young charge to leave the warmth of his bed.
"At last, I was afraid that you'd sleep through today."

A few minutes later, Derek walked up to Maxwell.
"Why did you wake me up? You haven't done that since...."
The old man smiled.
"Yes, yes, I know. But today is special."
Derek looked up at Maxwell with a raised eyebrow.
"What?"
"Oh, don't tell me you forgot that today is your birthday!"
Replied Maxwell with a huff and turned to leave the room.
He stopped at the door.
"Your father kept on going on and on about a 'gift'. I believe he's out by the shed."
It was only after Maxwell had long been gone did Derek get out of his half-awake state.
"...Which one?"
---------------
After around 10 minutes of searching the grounds, Derek found his father standing next to...
"No...."
The other man standing next to his father turned and his face lit up.
"Look at you! I know it's been along time, but...."
The man standing next to his father was someone that he hadn't seen for years - his older brother, Fredric.
As Derek reached the two men, Fredric hugged Derek and then stepped back.
"Derek. What I'm about to give to you has been in our family for a long time."
William, his dad, walked over to the shed and, with the help of Fredric, the two men raised the door of the shed.

From there, Fredric turned Derek around so he couldn't see what their dad was taking out of the shed.
Seconds later, he was able to turn around.
There, sitting on the dirt before him, was a motorbike.
But yet, the muggle device had been "modified".

Derek must of stared at the bike for several minutes, but then he found himself sitting on the seat of the bike and looking up at his father.
"Thank you."
His father stepped back, as did his brother, which Derek took as a sign that he was able to test-drive his bike.
"Hmmm...."
Derek reached out and flicked a switch on the dash board - the bike roared to life and shot off into the air.
"This thing can FLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!"
But by the time he had finished speaking, he was long out of earshot of anyone on the Estate.
He found himself over the lake that was nearby and decided to land on its shore, if he could.
-------------------------
He had been sitting on the lake's shoreline for a while, merely thinking about things.
Derek's mind flashed back to that one day - several days, in fact, right after the attack.

He remembered sitting in a chair against a wall, some others that were less injured were nearby and all they could do was gaze at each other. Healers were rushing back and forth between various patients, but all at once, Derek heard screams and yells and curses come from across the room- someone else had died, he saw the white sheet over a bed - two adults, the parents of the now dead child, were turning violent against the staff. Derek saw his father rush over and force the parents apart from the healers and yell at them, but from where he was, Derek couldn't make out what was said. Aurors rushed over to the scene as well and took the parents somewhere else. A few more incidents like this occurred, but not too many and those that were siting up against the wall became numb to it all. Eventually, all of them fell asleep, including Derek.

When Derek stopped remembering, he found that the sun was setting.
"...Shite."
He got up, brushed the sand from his clothing, got back on the bike and flew it back to the Estate.
Once he got there, he lowered the bike to the ground, and parked it near the front door.
Derek then entered the house to find his family standing in the living room.
"I'm back."
His mother glared at his father.
"William! What were you thinking, giving him that motorcycle! He could have died!"
"I'm certain he knows how to use it."
Heather calmed down and shook her head.
"Alright. I give up."
She smiled at Derek.
"I rode on that thing once, when your father and I were dating. Hard to believe that thing's been in the family for years, huh?"
After this, much food was eaten and gifts were given.

A very loud whistle forced him from that night and into the present. He found himself standing on the platform of 9 3/4s at King's Cross, in front of the Hogwarts Express. As he looked around, he saw his parents nearby. They waved at him to pick up his bags and Derek did so, then looked at the train again.
"Here we go."

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Henry
7 May 2023, Malvolio's Funeral

The sun was bright. He was sleeping in a sunless room at St. Mungos. They wanted to "observe" him. Bullshit. The ones they should be observing were still out there. Liam, Caitie, all of them. None of them were locked in a dark room for days for "recovery". When he woke up two days ago, they wouldn't explain. He hadn't learned what was wrong with his situation until yesterday. Henry's eyes had been storm grey ever since the battle, almost turning black at the worst of times. The pain still haunted him. The red plane that existed beyond the physical world. The land of animals. Not that it mattered to them. They merely wanted to see if he was going to lash out at the mention of Muggleborns. Pathetic. They were stupider than they sounded if they thought he was so impulsive. In fact, the pain seemed to have made him less likely to lash out. It was almost like it had taken the inferno of his passion, and turned it into a controlled blaze.

Henry's father strode down the path towards the tomb. He had "nobly" volunteered to be a pallbearer. Even now he was miles ahead of any who were actually opposed to his political machinations. It was often said amongst the pureblood houses that only a Grey could outmaneuver another Grey. While Henry doubted the veracity of the statement, it did seem to hold true for his father. The other Pallbearers included the likes of Draco Malfoy, cousin and close confidant of Malvolio in life, along with two long time friends of the former minister. After the casket passed, Caitie and her aunt shortly followed. Henry offered her a small smirk as Caitie passed, before his face fell mellow again. As the lines of people moved to follow the casket to the tomb, Henry stepped away, walking a distance away on the property before reaching a small hill overlooking a pond. A tree sat on the hill, flowering yet lonesome.

Henry heard a branch behind him snap. He reached for his wand before hearing in his mother's tongue "Brother."

Henry said back bluntly "Father brought you south then."

Victoria strode up next to her brother, her light blonde hair having been cut into a short bobbed style since Henry had last seen her. She wore a simple black dress and heeled boots, like something a goth girl would wear to a muggle prom. She hissed back at him "Just for the funeral. I heard what the mudblood did to you."

Henry spat back "I'd rather not talk about it."

Victoria nodded her head. Looking around she asked "Where's that viking bitch whose been sleeping in your room."

Henry hissed simply "She didn't want to come. She and Caitie... aren't on the friendliest of terms." A moment of silence passed between the two before Henry asked "Did you get what I asked for."

Victoria reached into her boot and pulled out an older looking piece of paper. As Henry opened it, revealing it as a map of Southern Norway, Victoria said "You know, when you wrote me for that, I thought this was one of your pranks. You're serious about going to Nidafjord? What on earth do you want from that hellhole."

Henry said bluntly "I have evidence, that once, a very long time ago, an norse Volur once ruled Scandinavia with an iron fist. She used a potion called Surtr's Blood to demand absolute loyalty from her followers. I believe one of the ingredients is hidden in that hellhole."

Victoria shook her head. "You've really gone off the deep end then. Fine, go die then. Father won't miss you."

As Victoria began to walk away, Henry said "I know"


June 30 2023, Nidafjord

Henry dismounted his broom. Nidafjord from the outside looked like any other old site in Scandinavia. Like most of them, it had been picked clean by Gringotts and Muggle Treasure hunters years ago. They did not know of it's true treasure however. Though a cold rain soaked the day, Henry felt oddly warm entering the tomb. A strange feeling crept up his spine, as though he was not alone. Stepping into the tomb, it looked mostly like any other old ruin. It was a small cave, with a large entrance chamber holding some looted sarcophagi, and a small chamber towards the back. Stepping over to it, Henry used a glowing potion as a lantern, so that using Lumos wouldn't set off the trace. After following a narrow passage back a bit, Henry found himself in a small chamber with a fountain of glowing water. Removing some vials from his cloak, Henry took a few samples before departing the room, and the tomb itself.

July 1 2023, Grey Manor

Henry's eyes flew open and he shot up. A cold sweat drenched him. The nightmares wouldn't stop. Ruby, Liam, laughing as they tortured him, prodded him like an animal. Henry felt Freya move next to him. Carefully slipping out of bed, he slipped out of the room, and began to wander the small castle. Despite being the middle of summer, a cold draft flowed through the halls. The wind whispered in Henry's ears, forming an almost laughter like sound. Henry could swear he heard it coming closer until he whipped around.

Behind him stood a tall woman, beautiful yet strange, as though she was too perfect. The laughing slowly faded as the woman strode forward, saying softly "Oh my, would you look at you. Greys don't often get the Black family looks anymore, but here we are. It must be that beautiful mother of yours. I was very fond of her, she was always an eager student."

Henry stepped back from the strange woman raising an eyebrow "Do I know you?"

The woman let out another clean peal of laughter before saying "Well, I died before you were born, but you know of me. I'm your Aunty Bella sweetheart. It's an honor to meet you."

Henry quickly slapped himself across the face, eliciting a strange look from the woman. Shaking his head, he quickly said "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming... you're a ghost then?"

The woman laughed again, this time harder, before stating plainly "No. I use the term Aunty Bella loosely sweetcheeks. I'm more of what you would call a manisfestation of all the damage you have ratteling around inside that head of yours. This is what you think of when you think of madness, so here I am."

Henry nodded before saying "So if I ignore you, you go away?"

The woman shook her head before saying "You know it's not that simple darling. Ignoring me will only make me stronger"

Henry nodded before turning away from her and walking back towards his room. Though the woman began to laugh again, Henry made it back to his bed without further interruption, and quickly drifted into a dreamless sleep. Come morning, the experience was a faint memory of a short dream, and by afternoon it was gone.

September 1 2023, Platform 9 3/4

Henry loaded his trunk into the luggage compartment before helping Freya with hers. The pair had taken a ministry car to the station, but otherwise they had come alone. Henry's mother was busy being Lady Minister and his father wouldn't have come anyways. Stepping into a passenger car, Henry and Freya found an empty compartment and sat down. Henry began to quietly diddle his thumbs and a pause between the two happened. Freya grabbed his hands and said "You know, you can't keep moping like this. It doesn't fit you."

Henry shook his head and said "I know, it's just tough coming back. The nightmares have been getting worse."

Freya nodded and said "Well, you have me with you right? Nothing we can't handle together."

Henry gave a sad little smile and said "Right. I love you." before pulling Freya in for a kiss.

[The Flutterlands]

Edited

Raphael Raymond

The Markus Estate
The Funeral of Alexander Markus
May 8th, 2023

It was a cloudy dreary summer day at Castle Markus which was fitting for the mood of the time. Rain had finished overnight, leaving everything wet and damp. Fog had settled over the land, forest and waters making everything just barely noticeable in sight. Acres away from the fog-silhouette castle beside the lake, dozens of wizards and witches did gather, dressed in black before the family Mausoleum. Greek in style of architecture with statues of serpents, the final resting place of that ancient Markus family housed countless generations in it’s crypt. Today, to the grief of many, a new member would be laid to rest within its depths, protected by untold enchantments and unspoken horrors.

Among the gathered wizards and witches, weeping over their lost loved one sat a young boy of 16, squeezing a stress ball in his hand. Raphael Raymond stared at the casket before him surrounded by flowers, where Alexander Markus could be seen in his open sarcophagus. He still could not believe what was happening before his very eyes. Much of the past month, especially the horrors of the muggleborn attack upon Hogwarts, was just utterly surreal. Alexander Markus, his lover and most trusted friend he has ever made, was gone forever. Once covered in unbearable burns, with magic, Alex’s handsome features were artificially restored for this occasion. In his hands on chest was his wand, ebony with unicorn hair. Raph sniffled and shredded some tears upon seeing how peacefully asleep his boyfriend looked, knowing he would never awake again.

The young boy glanced at those on his left. Alexander’s parents, Franciscus in a black suit and Esmeralda in a black dress and veil, were sobbing at the lost of their son. Alex’s brothers were there too, including his elder twins, and his young brother Theodore. While the twins were as distraught as their parents, Theodore had confusion mixed with his sadness. Raphael could not help but feel sorry for him most of the family. Theodore would be having his first year at Hogwarts this September. Alexander always looked forward to him being there and Theodore most likely felt the same way. Now neither will see each other at Hogwarts.

There were others at the funeral as well outside of the Markus family. Many of Alexander’s friends were invited such as himself. David, Celene, Derek, Rachel, Adam, Isolde, Ricardo and many others were there as well. They went to other funerals before this, Raph assumed. The horror of the Muggleborn attack claimed other lives close to the entire school. Not to mention the death of Caitie’s father and Minister of Magic, Malvolio Glacies. Except Raph didn't go to that funeral, but he did go to the Hogwarts Memorial Service.

Raphael’s attention was brought back to the sarcophagus. At a podium behind Alexander did a priest-looking wizard stood with a solemn look on his face. With a wave of his wand, the whole congregation now has his attention. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to say goodbye to Young Master Alexander Jonathan Markus.” He said, “Today, we say goodbye to a son, a brother, a student, a hero, and a very dear friend. Alexander was...”

As the wizard went on Raph’s mind wandered while his puffy eyes stayed on Alex, staring at his resting form. He never really cared for funerals that much, finding them hard to get invested in and hard to pay attention to like a lot of things. The last funeral he went to was for his Great Grandfather eight years ago before moving from France to England. Raph did feel sad at that time having liked going for donuts with him when he was little. Though, he came to the impression that it was just something that happened to old people. This, however, was much, much different, and it twisted at his guts. Never did he realize that he would lose the best friend he had in the entire world.

As the wizard spoke, Raph’s mind wandered to memories, entirely of Alexander. He remembered when he first met Alex on the Hogwarts express and when both were sorted into Slytherin House, beginning their long friendship. Alexander was always there for him at all times, standing up to bullies and keeping Raph himself out of trouble. Friendship became romance, leading last year to intimacy that the boy knew he’ll never experience again. Alexander was more than just a friend. To Raphael Raymond as a muggleborn, he was the closest bond he had in whole world of Magic. Now, the Muggleborn never felt so alone and Raphael cringed as the memories stabbed at him like knives.

Eventually, funeral came to a close as the priest-wizard said his parting words. Each of the attendance of Alexander’s funeral made a statement on his life. Raphael made his own statement as well about how living and loyal he was to the whole school. Once all was said and done, Raph, with an aching, stabbing heart watched as Alex’s sarcophagus was closed, forever concealing his face. With magic, Alexander was carried deep into the depths of the Mausoleum, where to rest for all time.

As Raphael got up to leave he found himself approached by Franciscus and Esmeralda. He looked at them carefully as they looked back. “You… your parents aren't Squibs, are they?” asked Esmeralda, “You are muggleborn, aren't you? ...Alex has been lying to us all these years to protect you?”

Raphael gave them a look. It was no secret that they were among a dying breed of wizards with pure blood ideology. Alex, of course, rejected their line of thinking and went to great lengths to hide Raph’s blood status from the family. “Took you long enough…” He said plainly, “Are you stupid? Or did just love Alex that much?”

Esmeralda and Franciscus looked at each other before looking back at Raph. The Muggleborn wondered if they were going to shout at him now. However, to Raph’s surprise, Mr. Markus put a hand on his shoulder. “Young man, Alexander always spoke very highly of you as both a friend and a student.” He said, “Alex really loved you, you know… Consider yourself always welcome in the most proud and ancient house of Markus…”

Raph blinked and watched them leave to the Castle, not use what to say, except feel surprised. Sulking his head he walked slowly to the carriage that would take him back to London. As the carriage drove, the Muggleborn took one last look at Castle Markus, not sure if he would ever be back again.

The Raymond Estate
Summer at Home
July 29th, 2023

Raphael was in his room with his TV on one hot summer day, laying in bed with a blank look on his face as his cat laid on his lap. Throwing and catching a ball against the wall, he didn't feel like doing anything that day. In fact, aside from heading down stairs for meals and going to work at the grocery store, Raph has hardly left his room since the funeral. Secluded in his room, the boy's emotions mixed with grief and anger, not saying a word to either friend or family. Suddenly, though, much to his current disdain for human interaction, as the Muggleborn caught his ball, his attention was caught by a knock on the door.

“Mph… Come in…” Raph grumbled sourly, though not in the mood for company, “I guess…”

The door opened and his young sisters Pénélope and Nicole stepped inside. “Raphael, brother, can you take us to the movies, please?” Asked Pénélope as stepped up to Raphael, “We want to see that new Disney movie!”

Raphael groaned irritarblelly. “Nicole, Pènèlope… no, please.” he said, his voice on edge, “Not in the mood…”

“Please!” Cried Nicole in a beg, “You have hardly done anything all summer!”

“I think you should go…” said the voice of Raphael’s mother, Bernadette, who was following a little toddler, Michèlle, “Your sisters like being with you and it would be good for you to get out of the house…”

Raphael groaned rolled his eyes in thought. He loved his sisters, as annoying they can be, but he still didn't want to go anywhere. Everything has lost it’s fun since Alex died. Everything just felt like shit. However, he did not wish to argue with his mother and simply give out an irritated groan. “Fine… Whatever…” said Raph finally in a dull voice, “You two are paying for your own tickets though. I'll get drinks and food.”

Raph’s sisters cheered and Bernadette smiled as she picked up Michèlle. “Also when you get back I want you to get to some studying.” she said, “You’'ll be getting back to Hogwarts in about a month.”

Raphael’s eyes shifted towards his mother and gave her a cold look, eyes narrowing into slits. Just hearing that name of that school made his fists clench. For the first time in his life, the Muggleborn wanted to go anywhere but that cursed school of Hogwarts. He felt that the school would bring nothing but painful memories now that would bring more frustration than he was already feeling. Raph looked away and sulked his head before glancing towards a wizard picture on his bedside table. It was of him and Alex at the beach last year waving back at the real Raphael. They looked really happy together.

Bernadette looked at her son and gave him a solemn smile. She knew how her son was feeling all quite well. Since Raph got back from Hogwarts she and her husband have been sending him to counseling every Friday. Though they hoped his counselor could help him cope with Alex’s death, however, it didn't help that the true nature had to be kept secret. Raph himself had fight really hard to not spill out everything that has been bothering him to that muggle helper. Made Bernadette wonder if wizards had a counselor she could take him to instead.

Nonetheless, Bernadette walked towards her son and knelt down to his level with a hand on his shoulder and a hug. “Look at me, Raph, look at me.” she said, calmly in her sweet voice “You know Alex loved you. He wanted you to be work hard and be happy. That was his last request, was it not? So how about you start fulfilling his final wish for me, okay? I think it would make Alexander very happy if he were alive to see you having fun with your sisters and succeeding in school in NEWTs like you did on your OWLs. Wouldn't you think so?”

Raph looked at his mother as she spoke to him. Much of what she said was right. Though going to Hogwarts still didn't feel appealing, a movie with his sisters did sound like a little fun. He guessed he should get some studying done later too. If only to keep his parents off his ass about it. “Come on...” said Raphael, switching off the tv before turning to Penelope and Nicole with a weak smile, “Get some cash from your allowance and let's go see that movie…”

[Segral]

Edward “Ed” Wilson
Baxter Orphanage
London
Summer of 2023

The orphanage was an inconspicuous, two story, brick house in London, overlooking a quiet, slightly ragged street in the outer reaches of London. Ran by Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, two certified child-care professionals, or so said the laminated paperwork framed in the orphanage’s office. Currently, a shiny red car was sliding into the short driveway, a car with two people in the dark front seats. One was Mrs. Lyana Baxter. The other, was Edward Wilson.

Both stepped out of the car, Ed lugging a fair-sized duffel bag out of the trunk and carrying it up the drive. The duffel bag had been magically stretched to fit his cauldron, his broomstick, his clothes, his books, his wand, and any assorted knick knacks that he had haphazardly thrown in there. He followed behind, Lyana, a tall woman with shoulder length blonde hair and a thick layer of scarlet lipstick, and who was currently trying to get the slightly fiddly lock to open with a few curses thrown here and there. Eventually, the lock did give with a small click, and the door was opened to a new stay away from Hogwarts.

“ED!!!!!!!” came the loud shriek as a nine-year old girl suddenly came running through the hall and practically attacked Ed, jumping and grabbing him by the thighs. “Whoa, hey there, Lizzy” he said with a trace of surprise in his otherwise dead voice. “Calm down, I’m here. I missed you too, munchkin.” he continued in an affectionate tone, kneeling to her eye-level and giving her a tight hug, ruffling her long hair. A flock of three other kids scrambled into the foyer, all jumping on top of and hugging their fellow orphan after a long absence away. They always did, ever since he came back from his first year. They were all transfixed with the idea of magic and knowing a wizard. Honestly, it was hard not to smile at their enthusiasm, they were some of the few that could do that to Ed.

They were one of the only people he’s miss if they disappeared.

A barrage of “How was Pigwarts, Ed?” and “What new magicks did ya learn?” assaulted his ears as he managed to stand up through the crowd of nine kids ranging from ages six to twelve, all leaping on top of him like starved tigers. “It’s Hogwarts, Charlie!” he said jokingly to another six year old boy, picking him up and putting him on his shoulders. “And no, unfortunately, I did not get to turn a giraffe pink, George.” he said to another one of the kids. Ed slowly began to lumber to the living room of the house, kids eagerly trotting behind their favorite wizard. It was going to be a long summer.

---

All good things had to end sometime. His time at the orphanage had been one of those, a break from all the blood, combat, and tears of Hogwarts. It seemed like every day there was more and more shit piling up at that bloody school. Guess he fit perfectly then.

But there were still things to enjoy. The views were always nice, Jackal was a complete doofus, which made for prime comedy entertainment, and Quidditch might come back, which was great, because he hadn’t flown all break. He needed the exercise. But all in all, there were plenty negatives to outweigh the meager positives, which pretty much stood for a lot of things in life.

Sighing, he turned back to Mr. Neal Baxter, the other owner of the orphanage, as well as Lizzie and Charlie, who had come in the bright red Baxter car to see him off for another year. It seemed like they were more excited than him.

“Will ya write, Ed?”

“Every week, at least when I can.”

“Will you visit for Christmas?”

“Why would I not?”

“Ed...will you be safe?”

“....”

“Ed?”

“Yeah, I usually am, aren’t I? I’m a tough guy! Now come and give your tough man a hug!”

He wrapped his arms around the two children in a rough embrace, a lopsided smile dancing on his lips. A single tear began to blur his eye, but it stayed there quivering until Ed let go and quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand. Straightening up, he faced Neal, the two men eye-level now. Both met in a quick hug, soon recoiling back. “Have a great time, Ed.” Neal growled out in his rough, low voice, one that always made others shiver, Ed included. “I know you’ll be safe. You’ve always managed to fight through.” Nodding, Ed turned his back on his threesome of cohorts, dragging his duffel forward to face the red steam engine known as the Hogwarts Express, the train taking him to life, love, and potential disaster.

[Revlona]

Robert and Savannah

His time in St. Mungos now over, he had returned to his Aunt Clarissa's home in London, he hadn't seen much of Savannah since the battle, but she had visited him in his brief turn at Mungos.

Savannah was with her Parents in York, they weren't exactly convinced that Hogwarts was still safe, but Savannah, distraught at the idea of leaving Britain and Robert, argued heavily in the case of her staying, her parents finally gave in in order to stop her from running away, something she had threatened several times.

Roberts aunt, who despised the Government as corrupt would not be quiet over the new authoritarian ruling scheme of the government, though Robert didn't really mind if it brought down the Supremacists.

Learning that Alex had died during the battle hit both Robert and Savannah differently, Robert was sympathetic but didn't exactly like the guy, Savannah on the other hand was upset as Alex had always been friendly to her.

Both sent condolence letters to Ralph and Alex's parents, Savannah's being more deep than Roberts.

Finally the time came to return to Hogwarts, Savannah decided that she would stay at a Muggle Inn the night before the train, Robert convinced his Aunt (who is quite an airhead) to allow him to stay at the same Inn in order to meet up with some "Friends".
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Robert entered the Inn near mid afternoon, a nice little establishment about 5 blocks from King's cross Station.

He heard a small screech to his right, and was nearly tackled when Savannah hugged him at a run.

When he had caught his breath, he looked down into her face (Standing about 4 inches taller than her) and kissed her.

Breaking the kiss he said, "I missed you Safari" Using his pet name for her.

In the next 4 hours, he set his stuff in the room that she had rented, and they quickly caught up at a table near a little fireplace, her telling him everything that couldn't be explained in a letter, and vice versa for him.

Finally around 9:45 PM, they headed up to the room they would share for the night.

[Miekzhemy]

Rachel

The beginning of this summer vacation probably couldn't have gone worse. Luckily for her, the healers at St. Mungo's had no need to tend to her after the battle other than mending the rest of her leg. But then she found herself sitting there, waiting amidst all the traumatized and injured students - for hours, waiting for Dad to show up and take her and Andrew home.

She could only assume that he was knee deep in work due to the battle at the school and the uprisings throughout the city. But after an hour or two into the evening, she started to wonder. But, as with most events forcing her to wait a long period of time, she eventually fell asleep at the hospital, despite her attempts to stay awake by talking with some of the younger students that had yet to be discharged. She was in for a rude awakening in the dead of night when her father finally arrived at the hospital. However, she didn't expect Dad to be carried in by healers with a plethora of bleeding wounds all over his body.

Andrew and Rachel spent the majority of their first month of summer at the hospital after that. During their first week of summer, if they weren't at the hospital, they were typically attending the memorial services organized in memory of Minister Glacies, Headmistress McGonagall and the students killed at the school. Rachel even found time to attend Alex's funeral, but only briefly. She couldn't bear to face Alex's parents after she ordered their son to risk his life like that. It was a thought that she'd probably never shake from her mind anytime soon.

She felt even worse for Mum, who could only know of Dad's condition by what she or Andrew told her whenever they came home to Manchester via the portkey. It took days for Dad to finally wake, but even then, he had no recollection of what had happened. Regardless, they were all relieved to see him alive.The new 'Lord Minister,' Thomas Grey, who was also quite an acquaintance, was kind enough to allow her father leave from his job at the Auror Office until he fully recovered.


Somewhere Outside of Manchester
August

It was a surprisingly nice afternoon. By some miracle, it hadn't rained in the past day or two. Dad had been out of St. Mungo's for quite some time now, but he told her that he wasn't going back to work at least until after summer was over. Now that the so-called 'war' was over, as well as the awfully brutal crackdown on Muggleborn Supremacy, his services were not needed as of late.

So, instead, Rachel and Lucas were out in a particularly dense forest, standing in the center of a clearing. They were dressed warmly, as the wind still made it fairly cold outside. Rachel had her hand extended outward towards a nearby tree, a look of frustration on her face.

"You're concentrating too hard," Lucas said plainly. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his long cloak.

"Too hard? What? But it's--"

"Oh, come now. You're strong enough. All you need is a bit of focus and sheer force of will."

He stepped up behind her, jutting a finger over her shoulder to point at the same tree again.

"Deep breath," he whispered into her ear, and Rachel complied. She brought her right hand up again, her palm facing outward towards the tree. She curled her fingers.

"Envision what you desire in that tree, and concentrate."

Rachel stood rigid, furrowing her brow as she glared forward at the oak tree standing in front of her. She tensed up her hand, and began to slowly rotate it in a clockwise direction. The tree shifted.

'Bend.'

"Focus," Lucas whispered again. Rachel continued to rotate her hand, stretching her thumb and index finger outward as she went. The tree began to curl off to her right and in a circle - as if it were made of a pliable metal. It creaked as it moved, but did not crack nor break. Finally, she stopped.

"Holy..." Rachel said, her expression changing to that of pure awe. She looked at her hand for a moment, and back to her father. "And you can do this with just about anything?"

"Just about any inanimate object, yep," Lucas stated with a smile.

"I never even knew you could do that... The library at school never had books on this!"

"Because half the books in there are several generations old. That, and the Hogwarts curriculum has a habit of staying the same over the years..."

Rachel cocked her head. "Are you saying this is something new to wizards as a whole?"

"Oh, absolutely," he replied. "Magic has changed significantly in the past few centuries. It evolves - just the same as computers and other muggle tech. Well actually...it's a little more complicated than that. But you get the idea."

"That's...amazing..." Rachel looked back at the tree that was now quite literally twisted into a ring. "But why are you taking the time to teach me this stuff now?"

Lucas sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. "I know how hard you want to protect your friends - and how eager you are to get better in this particular field of magic. I figured "Why not?" and thought I might as well teach you what I know."

He paused for a moment, and then Rachel felt his hand on the top of her head, ruffling her hair about.

"Plus I enjoy the opportunity to spend some time with you."

"Dad--"

"Really, I do. I've been a little neglecting in the 'parent' department, and I'm sorry for that."

"Oh, you don't have to be sorry," she replied in a modest tone. "I know how busy you are..."

"No. Really," Lucas retorted. "I may not have remembered who attacked the Minister and I, nor do I know why they left me alive, but it made me realize that anything can happen. And, as much as I hate it, you and your friends have had firsthand experience with what it's like being in constant danger."

Rachel didn't have much to say to that. He was right, after all.

"But hey, promise me something," he began again, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Take care of yourself. And whatever you learn, be it from me or those NEWT courses you're about to take, use it to protect yourself and those around you. Hearing what you and Andrew did to save lives back there, and at your age? It's almost heroic. I couldn't be more proud of you both."

"Oh come on..." Rachel said with a laugh. She tried to brush the hand off her shoulder, but Lucas tugged her into a full-blown hug.

"What?" he interrupted with a smile on his face. "Can't a man be proud of his daughter for once?"

After a brief moment, he relented and stepped back from her. He pointed to another tree.

"Now, let's see you do that trick again."

[Britanania]

Caitie
The Summer Time

The day after the funeral, Cordelia approached Caitie in the library.

"With your father's death, that makes us the last of House Glacies," she explained, a fact Caitie knew perfectly well. "The Courts ruled that the estate is in my possession until your graduate from Hogwarts, however, don't think that means you can do just as you please until then. I heard my brother practically gave you whatever you wanted, from a house in Hogsmeade to adventures searching for your stupid books and scrolls. It ends now."

Caitie lowered her book and shot Cordelia a look of hatred. Her aunt smiled cruelly and grabbed Caitie's face.

"You really are the spitting image of your mother, although your eyes are certainly Malvolio's. My brother was one of the greatest duellists of his generation. It simply isn't possible than some mudblood could have overpowered him." Cordelia let go from Caitie and her smile dropped. For a few moments the two women starred at each other in malice.

"In any event I should thank you. I always wanted to have this house." Cordelia turned and began leaving, however, she suddenly turned.

"Oh, and I've had it arranged that if anything should happen to me before you graduate, this house and all your money would go to Malfoys. Just something to consider..."

With one last smirk Cordelia left the room and her niece to contemplate their exchange...

---

About a week later, one of the House Elves entered Caitie's room where she was reading her textbooks for the coming term. The elf handed Caitie a letter, from her aunt. The letter explained that from now on, Caitie needed Cordelia's permission to leave the grounds and to always inform her of where Caitie was at any time. It also stipulated that when she was at school she would need to ask Cordelia via owl if she could visit Hogsmeade. She would also be under a strict budget during her time at school.

Caitie didn't bother replying, and merely sent the elf off.

[Arlye Austros]

Ricardo, some days after Alex’s funeral.

His permit was being reassessed. Considering the crisis situation in the United Kingdom, it seemed the Ministry intended to make sure nobody posed a threat.
He walked up to Raphael before even talking to Alex’s family, and told him whatever it came to his mind to comfort him. He wasn’t good at these kind of things. He barely remembered the cousin that Alicia was, and could hardly picture an image of her grave.
He left after a short talk with some of his friends, and didn’t stay over an hour after the last words were said and the coffin was taken into its final rest.
He looked to the right as an Auror, blonde but short, walked towards him. “You are the Salgado boy?” He asked. Ricardo stood up and extended his hand.

“Yes, my name is…”
“Ricardo… I know.” He said while he stretched his hand. He looked serious. ”I personally wanted to look into your case before handing it over to Grenwald. Follow me…”
He guided Ricardo through the maze of cubicles until he stopped by an empty one. After they took seat, the Auror waved his wand and the cubicle closed. Its door was sealed by a sliding panel, and a panel on the roof descended over it, becoming transparent before touching the top of the cubicle.

“My name is Evan McDelrig. I was the Auror who came to the scene two years ago, remember? The crash… I took your friend, Christian, back to the Ministry and then back home.”
He was surprised. “Is he still alive? I fear…”
“He died. Argentine intelligence found witnesses of his execution. This was confirmed by some of our people in Stanley… That’s in the Falklands…”
But Ricardo was still confused. McDelrig rolled his eyes.
“The Malvinas…”
“Ah! Right.”

A couple of cups magically filled with tea on the table. Ricardo zipped it. Since he arrived in Britain he had got used to tea, and this one was particularly good.
McDelrig looked into a box, and took out a file. His own picture was there. “So you applied for a political refugee status. Obviously the Ministry will revise it. It’s not my office, but I was allowed to give my opinion.” He continued. “Considering the outcome for your friend, I would say that the danger to your life should you return is very real…”

So far it seemed good for him.

“But… it is not a political danger. But a more personally-related danger.”
“That is not true. My father has his own views, and I don’t quite agree…”
Evan nodded. “In the eyes of some, your father is not dangerous. People like Christian and his family are…” This just made Ricardo enraged. Christian a threat? He was ready to punch the Auror in the face, but he continued. “Or the Muggles who killed your cousin. You understand that. Your fear for your father may not seem justified to these people. And they are the ones who will review your case.”

Ricardo started to understand it.
“… So… It is just as if anyone fought with a relative and ran away…”

“Exactly, you filed for political status, but the interpretation of that might be changed now. Grenwald might be understanding, but she needs to… never mind. What I mean is, you need something else. Your family could just walk into London and claim you back, and the Ministry would have to comply.”
Ricardo looked down at the floor below the table, feeling like a little and confused boy. Perhaps he was.

“What can I do?”
McDelrig fell back on his chair and sighed, looking at the transparent panel. “The way I see it, your best option is to sever yourself from your family. Entirely.”

Amelia Grenwald was just as the mirage he remembered from the very few times he saw her. Ricardo could now only think of the time Isolde punched him on the face last year, wondering if her mother was aware of that. The office was comfortable, but the picture of a man smiling from above the bookshelf on the right was somehow unsettling.

“My husband… he died.” She said after raising her sight from Ricardo’s files into Ricardo’s actual face.
“I am sorry. I didn’t know.” He muttered and looked back at his own picture on the table. Isolde’s mother was one thing. But to have Henry’s father as Minister, it just made him remember his little cross with him on the Express.
“It’s fine.” The woman returned to the files. “It has been a while, and Isolde seems to have move beyond that. So long she is happy.”

After a while of silence, she dropped the paperwork. “So, Ricardo. Your situation has been under revision, as you know, and some changes may be needed.”
She started with a nearly maternal tone. “Don’t worry, your case is not the only one. Dozens of other wizards, some younger than you, find themselves in a similar situation. I assure you this will be dealt in the most humanitarian way possible.”

He certainly didn’t like the use of the word <<[]humanitarian[/i]>> in the sentence, and the context.
“Will I get sent back?”
“Not yet. So far you pose no danger to anyone. Your scores are far from great, but they are quite acceptable, and from what I could research, even have made some friends in school. I must say I don’t feel comfortable about moving children from one school to another just like that.”

He breathe with relief.
“However, you must know that we will be keeping an eye on you. You applied for political refuge, but in the eyes of the Ministry, you are not under a political threat. So as long your family doesn’t come here, or you are not a danger to any British wizard, you will be allowed to remain… Until the circumstances demand otherwise.”

After he walked out of the building and into the street, he started to feel all that tension leave his body. His legs shook. McDelrig’s words still rang in his ears. Severing oneself from his own family was, in his mind, his best course of action. But to him it was unthinkable. It was indeed a problem.

[Skylus]

Madi

Madi had done a lot this past summer.
Along with going to the funeral of Alex and some others, she realize that her younger brother would become a first year this year, meaning that he too, would be riding the Express this year.
And with the current events, Madi wasn't sure if it was even safe for him anymore.

As of right now, Madi was talking to her younger brother, showing him how to run at the wall.
"You just run, okay?"
"But won't I run into it?"
"No. You've seen me do it before. Was I hurt?"
"No."
"Then you have nothing to worry about."
Madi turned around and ran at the wall, Crimson screeching all the while in excitement.
"Yeah, I know, this never gets old for you."

Minutes later, Madi found herself sitting next to Derek, having already said goodbye to her parents.
Her brother was also in the cabin with them, as for now, he had nowhere else to sit.
Madi and Derek began to talk about each other's summer and Madi discovered that Derek had talked to an Auror at Alex's funeral. What about, she didn't know.
But she figured she'd find out sooner or later.

[New Roman Empire]

Adam

Following the battle several of the professors had looked him over and saw only a few minor cuts and bruises, he was quickly released to go home. He knew things at the school would never be as they once were. Changes were bound to happen especially after the attack, not to mention most of the parents would probably be very hesitant to send their children back to a school that had turned into a battleground. The only good thing was those behind the attack seemed to have been locked away for good. Shortly after returning home with his siblings he had received news of funerals and gatherings to honor those who had died in the attack. Those he was reluctant he did go to several of these events.

He, however, didn't go to the minister of magic's funeral he didn't feel like he had a reason to go. He didn't really know Caitie all that well nor did he have any desire to go. Though he did go to Alex's funeral though he didn't really speak to anyone even though he saw Rachel. He couldn't muster the words to say anything the whole event and the past several weeks had put him in a minor depression that would come to pass several weeks later. The services that hit him the most was for the headmistress and the students that had died in the battle, he had known several of them and it wasn't just older students there were first years that had died in the chaos. He couldn't help but notice the loss of life and for what, blood. Why blood was so important for people he never understood but, it seemed to be a pretty important thing to these people. To think this attack was headed by fellow students only made him sick to his stomach, he had lost a bit more faith in humanity during that attack.

He sat in his bed sweating and his heart racing as he instantly shot up into a sitting position. He gripped his heart as he felt it was about to burst out of his chest, after a minute he started to calm down. He looked over at his clock it was 1:30 in the morning, he was completely drenched and gasping for breath. The battle seemed to flash before his eyes and then nothing, he realized he was back in his room and not Hogwarts during that day. He got out of bed and walked over to his window and looked down at the street. Every now and then a car would drive past his house going somewhere but, he was up now and probably wasn't going to go back to sleep. He grabbed some clothes and walked down the hall to the bathroom where he stepped into the shower. Once the water had turned hot he stepped inside and leaned his head against one of the walls just letting the water run down his body for what seemed like an hour before he got out and went downstairs to his basement.

He had started to work out more or less to get the thoughts of the battle out of his head, his father had suggested it and it seemed to work. Since the start of the summer, he had managed to build some muscle mass. He wasn't really in it to get swole like his father liked to joke about. He mainly was lifting light weights with high reps for lean muscle. After all, he was still the seeker and the captain of the team and he needed to be in good shape after all. Tough his arms and chest were more defined now and had gained some muscle mass. He worked out until he could smell food being made in the kitchen then he walked upstairs to see his mother making breakfast. "Have another bad dream Adam?" She asked as she heard the door to the basement open and close behind her as she was focusing on the food on the stove.

"Yeah, I haven't had a good night sleep ever since that whole event. But, I am fine its bound to pass sooner or later besides I have to stay in shape for quidditch wouldn't help if the captain of the team isn't in shape for when the season starts. I mean what kind of captain would I be," he joked as he left the kitchen and started to head up the stairs.

Towards the end of summer

Over the last 6 weeks, Adam had been working with Professor Jackal at his home. His parents had been very reluctant at first as they weren't sure if he was going to be safe. After a very long discussion with his parents, they had allowed it and he started to be an apprentice under professor Jackal. Over the last couple of weeks, he had learned a treasure trove of knowledge about potions, brewing them, intricate recipes and even attempting to mix some to see what would happen. Needless to say, professor Jackal was always covered in soot from his experiments with positions.

One day he was working when he felt an explosion shake the lower lab, upon rushing to the upper lab to see what happened he saw professor Jackal completely covered in soot coughing. "Too much dragon scale and spider legs I think, that was a rather violent explosion if I do say so myself," he stammered on as Adam shook his head and looked at the mess he had made. He knew that he was going to have to clean this up before he left or he might even make the whole place worse by causing something else to explode. Though he found this to be pretty normal, the professor would try making a new potion, it would explode or do something, then he would record the results down in his book.

Now that he came to think about it, he had never seen anything written in that book. He always just saw the professor writing stuff down in it but, he never saw its contents or really even asked about it. "Professor, what is in that book you always seem to have on you? I have noticed it for years but, I never thought to ask about it. Is it some kind of journal or something?" He asked as the professor reached up to his face to touch his mustache only to find it had been burnt off by the explosion.

"Well, Mr.Tarkin, this book holds years of information on experiments and my travels. Very few have ever seen it, not to mention it was given to me by my mentor shortly before he passed. So needless to say this journal has years of information recorded into it and it has been very helpful to me over the years as well. You just write on the page and the ink disappears to those who don't own the book. Not to mention the book itself has been charmed to never run out of pages, its just like making houses larger on the inside but, it's with pages that never run out," he explained as he started to close the book and look at his failed experiment.

The summer was now coming to a close and school would be starting soon, he wasnt sure what was going to come of it. But, he knew one thing and that was it was going to be a very interesting year to say the least. Things would be a lot more strict and no doubt the ministry would keep a very close eye on the school as well as the rest of the wizzarding world. He wasnt sure how he felt about that, though as school seemed to draw closer he seemed to be able to sleep much better than he had at the start of the summer.

[Arlye Austros]

Isolde and David, May 8th (colab post)

She had attended wearing a black attire, although it was hot in the middle of that summer. Luckily, she thought, it got cloudy as she arrived at the castle. Using the flu network, her mother headed back through the chimney of the castle. She wanted to do this alone.
Although she had her differences with Alex, they kept a relationship of mutual respect, both out of their badge and their belonging to the wretched army they formed. Thinking about MacGonagall’s army made her feel a bitter taste of irony down her throat. As if she was mocked by destiny itself.

It was all part of the same storm she had endured since the battle. The same storm everyone had endured. She spent one night at St. Mungo before her mother got her out of there and towards their home in Wales. There she recovered. Still, the faces of the dead children in that hallway haunted her at night, and found herself walking towards the widow’s room before turning around and reminding herself to be an adult.

She walked to Alex’s family and offered her condolences. She looked at Raph. He seemed on the edge, his eyes bloated while he kept pressing a stress ball, those things Muggles used to calm down. Obviously, for Raphael the entire ordeal had been different. She approached and embraced him before looking at his face. “I don’t know what you are going through exactly, but don’t pretend to go through it alone.”
The funeral came to a closure, and it was a bit of a relief. She didn’t have the time to talk to David since she arrived, and as the crowd slowly dispersed, she approached him from a side, and kissed him on the cheek.

“How have you been?” She couldn’t think about anything else to say.

The nights since the attack David barely slept. Haunted not only by the recent attacks but the horrific events that seem to happen every year at Hogwarts. He shuddered to think what might await him this year with the new ministry and headmaster. However very soon he found himself in all black making his way to Alex's funeral under the cloudy sky.

Throughout the service David was mostly silent in the back reliving the good times he spent with Alex, from Quiditch to the beach party last summer. During Raphs speech David did show a little more emotion however and nearly shed a tear at one point. After the service he gave his condolences to Alex's family before going over to Raph and letting him know that if he needs anything he has his back.

He then made his way over to Isolde, welcoming the kiss on the check. "Exhausted" he said, "haven't really been able to sleep since the attack. Hopefully you are doing a little better."

She looked around, not really answering. "I don't really know what is to happen now. Not just Alex. Everyone seems, gone. We don't even know who the new Headmaster will be, or if we will still be prefects at all. "

Scratching the back of his head Davis replied. "Honeslty I dunno what's next. The only thing I can think of is trying to persevere through the difficult times and try to find that light at the end of the tunnel."

She smiled. "That's too poetic to be true." Truth be said, she had grown into quite a cynical as of late. They began walking through a path by the side of the castle. "Can´t
help to feel sorry about Alex's little brother. Lad will be going to school soon, just to be reminded of him all the time."

David sighed. "Yeah, the poor kid already seems worse off than we were in our first year. Truth be told it's rather unfair."

She frowned. “Fair is a word I don’t think we can afford right now.” She turned to look at the Marcus family from a distance.

"I don't know" he said. Approaching her from the left. "Perhaps these dark storms are behind us and days can return to some form of normality. Perhaps we could even settle down ourselves" he concluded before placing his hand on her waist, pulling her slighly closer.

She couldn't say wether she should feel uncomfortable about flirting at a funeral or just accept the fact she needed her mind off the coming year. Isolde blushed. "One can only hope." She simply said while resting her head on his shoulder.
After a minute she looked at him. "I want this to work out. But if there is a war raging... I fear it might get on the way..." What exactly? "Let's agree on something. Hold no secrets. If one of us has an opinion on this entire pixie dung, we will not keep it silent."

"Agreed" he replied. "I'd never forgive myself if that was what separated us anyway" he finished.

[Britanania]

The Summer Time
Caitie

In the weeks and months following Malvolio's funeral, life continued to change for Caitie.

With the exception of Womky, Cordelia moved all of the House Elves into another one of their houses and she brought her own House Elves in, the ones who accompanied her whilst she lived on the Continent. The reason was obvious to Caitie.

Total control, she thought grimly as she prowled through the library. The library was one area of the manor house that Cordelia still gave full reign to Caitie--the only room where she didn't feel like she was being watched.

One evening, around midnight, while going through some ancient books and scrolls in a part of the vast bibliotheca that she seldom, if ever visited she came across a book that was oddly familiar to her. It was an old leather book with no title, and when she opened it she knew its contents.

A jumble of Greek, Latin, and Arabic--it was the same as the book she bought in Nocturn Alley.

"Curioser and curioser," she mumbled with a a smile: the first smile since she cut her father's throat.

---

1 September 2023

And so another summer came and went bringing with it the usual host of emotions. Like clockwork, almost as if it had been so since the dawn of time, the Hogwarts Express received and deposited its cadre of students, some new, most returning.

The students all piled into the Great Hall and watched as the Sorting Hat performed his ritual and waited for the feast to begin, all the while helping not to notice that McGonagall was no longer seated in her usual spot as Head Mistress, and that her successor seemed absent...

[The Flutterlands]

Raphael Raymond

On the train to Hogwarts, Raphael kept to himself in his empty compartment, either squeezing his stress ball, reading his book, or petting his cat. The dead feeling the boy had in his gut all summer grew and ate at him as he sat alone without Alexander. Raph had liked being alone, keeping to himself with his books and thoughts, which Alex respected while being with his own friends. However, this was quite different, as Alex, while not always right next to him, was always there in Raph's mind. Now that Alexander was gone, everything just felt hallow and empty.

"SLYTHERIN!" decreed the Sorting Hat the immediate moment it touched Theodore's head. Raph joined the clapping, smiling weakly as the young Markus sat among his peers of silver and green. Yet he could not help but feel utter sorrow and pitty for the boy. Theodore, in Raph's mind, was the only one in the whole school, who's pain over Alex's death, matched his own. Both were just as much alone now, as each other, and both held back ad much tears.

Once the sorting was done, Raph waited eagerly for the feast to begin. His hunger did not diminish despite his depression. He looked anxiously at the empty chair at the teacher table. No one knew who the new headmaster was, and Raphael was both nervous yet somewhat anxious to find out and eat.

[Segral]

Ed Wilson
Hogwarts Great Hall

The ride had been uneventful as always. He didn't exactly have any friends to sit with, and preferred solitude anyways. So he just plunked himself down in an empty compartment and just sat there, even when two boys came in, both looking like they were the new manifestations of a Edgar A. Poe poem stuck inside teenage bodies. They were basically silent the whole ride, and Ed's silence added on that, and it all became one massive hole of silence, choking the very compartment, muting the fights and laughs of other compartments.

Soon, the Great Hall, rah rah, new snot-nosed fuckfaces, a ragged old hat that makes worse rhymes than a poet on Molly, and the food, which was possibly the most enjoying thing about the entire snoozefest. Honestly, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, the stupid badger, did it really matter? All it did was create needless competition, which was exactly what absolutely nobody needed when the entire castle was about ready to fall over.

Eventually, the stupid hat stopped blabbing, and everyone was free to dig in. Which was good, because he, being the stupid anorexic that he was, decided not to eat on the train, and by the time he had gotten to the castle, his stomach sounded more like a 747 than a stomach. With a bit of gusto, he immediately attacked at a nice lamb chop, along with a roast chicken thigh and some assorted vegetables, utensils moving so fast you would have thought he was trying to stab someone.

[Revlona]

Robert and Savannah

She had nightmares on the train, nightmares about losing Robert, Nightmares about losing her family.

She was awaken by gentle shove at her shoulder, lifting her head from Roberts lap, he told her.

"Time to get changed, we're almost to the school"

[World Anarchic Union]

William Darkenstone

It was certainly stranger than other years. The Hall, despite the arrival of new students, seemed empty and more silent than usual. The whispers, that in his first year seemed to overwhelm him, were barely noticeable. Was this a result of sadness or submission?

William stood in the Ravenclaw table and observed the room, his good eye taking in everything that it could. Around the room, spread across the tables, his followers looked back at him for a moment. They all knew; they knew this year would be the long-awaited beginning.

The boy smiled and turned back to his food, waiting for the night to pass. His mind turned to the settlement in the woods and the first soldiers of his new army that awaited him. To beyond the Channel and his faithful House Elf, who had informed him over the summer that Barrow’s trail was hot again. To his followers, the marked soldiers of his new world and the best among them, Anton and Emma, one with great potential and the other faithful to him the core. To the orphanage and the studying that he did, the talks that he would have with Anton and the attempts the two would make to take the other orphans under their wing, with varying degrees of success.

The thought of the orphanage made his blood boil. It was a degrading place, one where he was always belittled and mocked. Despite his power, despite all his knowledge, all his plans, the orphanage was one of the only places where he had to endure such a mockery. But there was something to rejoice in all this. I will make sure they pay in earnest. All of the staff. And especially she.

The image of the short woman with the sarcastic smile on her lips came to his mind. The caretaker, Ms Greff, had become an obstacle in his endeavors while at the orphanage. Always there, when he would leave the room in secret to take a walk in the dim corridors, when he would read from the books regarding the Dark and arcane Arts, when he would attempt to take a young wizard by his side. Her piercing look followed his every step.

He quickly shook off his thoughts. Only a lowlife who will meet her destiny after my victory. She...and the rest. His eye passed over the figure of Forester and Grey and a smile creeped on his lips. Like tears in the rain.

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Henry

The train car had gotten crowded as more people had come in. There was the rest of the quidditch team of course, along with one or two of their friends. They immediatly began to chat with Henry, who had been mostly isolated during the summer for recovery purposes. As they each walked in, his somewhat trademark grin crept onto his face, and though he wasn't cracking jokes at every single sentence, he began to have a very good time again, talking about what had happened during the summer, and discussing in hushed whispers that the group they had made to fight Liam was not breaking up yet. There were bigger things a foot.

Henry deboarded the train with his arm around Freya as they made their way to the carraiges with a few of the people who had rode on the train. They were joined by Bulstrode, who jogged up beaming with pride over the shiny new Prefect pin on his cloak. Giving him a highfive and words of congradulations, the group loaded into the carraige. As they got aboard Freya asked Henyr "Are you going to be all right coming back?"

Henry grinned and said "Why wouldn't I be?" But even as he said that, a peal of laughter seemed to sound outside the carriage. Through the window, Henry could see a woman standing on the platform as the carriage was pulled away.

By the time he had reached the castle though, his mind was no longer on the issue, dismissing it as a trick of the mind. He stepped off the carraige, and walked inside, smiling and confident for a new year. Upon entering the Great Hall, Henry was treated to not just a few claps, but a standing ovation from most of the slytherin table, and even quite a few Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. A few of the fourth year Slytherins even began to yell things such as "All rise for the hero of Hogwarts!!!" or "Hail to the returning champion." Henry smiled and waved them off, before sitting towards the front of the table with Freya.

Freya looked at him and said "Has your father told you anything about who is the next headmaster?"

Henry shook his head and said "Beyond the fact that he is the one appointing him, no."

[Britanania]

Caitie

Caitie took her usual spot at the Slytherin table: the seat reserved for the female Prefect, near the raised dais where the instructors sat. Typical for Caitie, she didn't touch her food but had the occasional drink form her chalice. Apparently the other students were avoiding her: no one had said a word to her since she entered the train. She suspected it had to do with her father's death, but even though this was the site of a battle only a few months prior the mood was not as melancholic as she suspected it might be.

People move on, it seems, Caitie mused as she read a book about the Carpathians. It reminded her of the trip to Roumania from nearly three years ago. However, instead of filling her with painful memories the incident seemed exorcised from her. Or perhaps, as she suspected, Caitie learned to accept it...

After a while, the Start-of-Term Feast continued to drag into the night without the reveal of who the new Headmaster would be. The anticipation was all but palpable, until finally a smallish man in a suit and a pin that labelled him as a Ministry employee approached the eagle-shaped podium. He cleared his throat and went into an explanation on how, given the recent events both in Hogwarts and with the Wizarding World as a whole the Board of Governors made a deal with the Ministry that allowed the Lord Minister to appoint the Headmasters and to place aurors in Hogwarts. In all other respects the Governors would maintain Hogwarts' autonomy.

Caitie snorted and put her book down.

So we're getting some political appointee. Well at the very least it might mean a relaxation of the rules.. A shame the same could not be said of my own life...

Finally, the bureaucrat finished his long winded explanation.

"And now, for the new Headmaster..."

Caitie picked her head up to see who it was. The doors leading out of the Hall opened with a flourish and she turned to see who entered. A small group of aurors entered first, two setting up near the door and another two walking down the alley and resting in front of the lectern.

Some of the new guards, I presume?

In any event, the new Headmaster soon walked in, an astute and thoughtful looking who indeed looked more like an academic than anything else. However, there was something else about him. As he slowly and deliberately made his way through his eyes shone with a darkness and severity that only those who wield true power had.

Caitie, however, balled her fists and squeezed to the point that her hands turned white and she contoured her face into a ugly grimace, a mix of anger and fear.

"No, it can't be..." she mouthed near inaudibly.

The new Headmaster stood at the ambo and looked at the student body and spoke in his clear and perfect Received Pronunciation.

"Good evening. My name is Edmund Avery. Until last year I was the Professor of the Dark Arts at Durmstrang Institute..."

[True Christopia]

Andrew
Andrew could hardly bear to go to the memorial services - Alex’s funeral in particular. He almost didn’t go, although Rachel dragged him along anyway.

He had tried his best - he knew that. But there was always the game of ‘what if’, wasn’t there? Always pondering to what had been possible, and why he hadn’t done it.

Andrew and Rachel
August

Stepping through the oak doors of Rachel’s house as he had many times, Andrew pulled off his stained St. Mungo’s hat and place it against the hat rack before stepping into the living room.

Rachel was sat there, not with her father that day. She’d spend a lot of time with her father. Andrew sat opposite her, staring a thousand yards ahead before focussing his vision on her “We lost another couple today - … “ he murmured “At least that’s the tail end of it. No more are coming in.”

"And here I thought it'd never end," she replied, not even bothering to look up. The television was on, but Rachel wasn't even paying attention to it. She simply had her wand out, and was busy tampering with her own magic - a rock, transfiguring itself into different shapes and sizes, almost as if it were a glob of putty.

"Is it all over then?"

Andrew shrugged “I hope so. I don’t think I can handle another day in there.” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching ever-so-slightly “Reckon things will be alright from here on out?”

"Oh, you know me," she remarked with a dismissive gesture of her hand. "Always hoping it'll get better and all. Glad it's finally clearing up before I lose my damned mind..."

Rachel trailed off after that, breaking her concentration just long enough to glance over her shoulder into the dining room, clearly hoping that her mother hadn't heard her say that. Finding no one there, she looked back to her transfiguring rock.

With them both falling silent, Andrew merely Rachel bending the rock into different forms. With a fluttering feeling of butterflies, he looked away after a while - although his curiosity was piqued "You're getting pretty good at that." He commented.

"Thanks!" Rachel said almost immediately, seeming to be quite interested in describing it. "It's a lot easier with the wand. Check this out."

She set the rock down while twisting and twirling her wand about, bending the rock around while holding it down with her finger. It looked as if she was twisting the thing into a pretzel, but it unexpectedly snapped. Chunks and pieces of the rock scattered over the surface of the coffee table.

"...oop-- Wait, no. That wasn't right." she grumbled. "Ugh... Oh well. I should probably take a break anyway."

Rachel sighed, slumping her shoulders and leaning back in her seat.

Andrew slipped a smile at her mishap, pulling out his own wand "Reparo," he uttered, the rock reforming. Andrew's smile then faded, as he turned to her "I got my results today, at St. Mungos. They're not looking so good. Failed D-A-D-A, with a dreadful. Not much surprise, I suppose. Charms was acceptable - potions were an EE, so that wasn't too bad - same for herbology. Failed runes, as well. Transfiguration was just an acceptable. I did get an outstanding in History of Magic and Astronomy, though. So that's something." he said "Got your results yet?"

"Ouch. Well, I passed everything with my sanity intact, thank God," Rachel explained. She set her wand down. "Scored an 'O' on my Transfiguration and Charms at least, so there are the NEWTs I was looking forward to. I have the opportunity to go into more, but I'm not sure how many..."

Andrew shrugged "I'm not sure I've got many oppurtunities going forward. I don't think I can even get into St. Mungo's after I leave Hogwarts... - not after Alex, for sure." Upon making the comment, Andrew slumped in his chair with a pained look on his face "I tried to save him but I didn't know how, man. I didn't take him to Pomfrey straight away, like I should have, I tried to do it myself - bloody hell..." he muttered, biting his lip "Now he's dead."

"Andy...it's not easy. No one our age is expected to deal with what we do. People panic. We aren't aurors or trained healers."

"And honestly," she continued, sounding almost ashamed of herself. "I'm the one at fault... I shouldn't have told them to confront those people. I didn't know they would respond so...violently. How can I even look Raphael in the eye again?"

Andrew shook his head "No, man. Those guys were gonna hurt students either way - people needed to know how to defend themselves. I think Raphael blames me, anyhow - not you. The way he was talking in the Hospital wing... man, I would blame me too."

Letting out a deep sigh, Andrew looked forward at Rachel "I dunno. I dunno. I suppose we just gotta look forward now, eh?" he said, before slapping his knees and standing to his feet. Then, he walked over to the door and said "Y'wanna know what I got?" he asked, pulling the large container he dragged in through the door initially, before setting it on the coffee table "Though it'd keep me occupied in Hogwarts," he said, unclipping it and revealing a small, sleek ukelele "It was only around sixty quid - saw it on the way home."

Rachel didn't respond at first, and could only stare at the thing in astonishment. Then, a silly grin of amusement formed on her face.

"That was actually the last thing I expected you to pull out of that box," she stated plainly. "Can you actually play that?"

"No!" he laughed "but I got this." reaching further into the container, he pulled out pile of books designed to teach someone how to play - the top had an overly cartoonised smiling sun and rainbow plastered on the front.

"Gotta start somewhere I guess," she replied. When she got a look at the little book he held up, Rachel shook her head.

"God, you're such a dork," she giggled. "You and Adam both."

Andrew grinned "At least I admit it." he said, before picking up the ukeleleand resting it on his knee. Then, he began to strum - pressing random frets in to create a terrible, god-awful tune "Soooomewheeeeere OVER the RAINBOW" he squeeled along with it, head-banging as if he were in a heavy metal concert

"I'm gonna have SO much fun with this.”

[Arlye Austros]

Ricardo

As usual, Ricardo sat alone in the train, not really minding the third-year students nearby. Soon he fell asleep, and dreamt something about the battle of Hogwarts, The castle turned, at some unspecific point, into his own house, and Alex rallied some resistance against deformed creatures. Slowly but surely, those creatures and their dark-cladded masters gained the upper hand, and Alex along with a bunch of younger students were surrounded. Ricardo himself crawled forward, and jumped on Alex, tightening the grip around his neck. He tried to scream, but couldn’t, as his mouth was sown closed. And the fire started to engulf the house.

“Wake up!” One of the students said, before the water cooled Ricardo off his nightmare. “At this rate the entire school will be downright mad.”
He shook off the water with a sleeve. “Sorry. Are we there yet?”

An hour later he walked into the Great Hall. He looked as Grey walked into the hall, praised as a hero. He remembered how he battled Liam, but couldn’t help feeling a bit… something. After all, many others had also put their share, and Ricardo made sure, along with Ginny, that Grey wouldn’t be interrupted as he faced Liam. He recognized, though, that out of all those pricks, Liam was the worse, and perhaps Henry was the only one who could face him at the time.
He sat near Andrew, waiting for the dinner to start. “I am starving. Unless the new Headmaster is a seasoned pork with tomato and gravy, I am not cheering for him.”

However his prayers were answered, and the pork he craved for appeared on bowls right in front of him.


Isolde

She decided to put up with her role once more, and watched closely at the new students. Memorizing their faces was a painful task she had to do. After the dinner Isolde and David would have to guide them to the Hufflepuff Common.

Outside of that, she barely did anything at the Dinner except hand-pick some food. She wasn’t hungry. In fact, she was more worried about the new Headmaster. A bit scared actually.

Then it happened.

“So… The Ministry seems to be taking…” She started as the announcement about the Aurors in Hogwarts was done. It wasn’t a bad idea, considering the situation. But what would it mean to Muggleborns? She looked at Raph, but didn’t manage to spot him.
“And now, for the new Headmaster...”

She saw the man walking into the Hall. Isolde didn’t like his look. He looked very formal, even for her liking. However his eyes were… well, odd. She then recalled the name as he introduced himself. <<Avery>>

[World Anarchic Union]

Anton Valgerth Hurt

The boy was sitting, patiently waiting. The summer had been relatively uneventful, but there was an excitement among his brothers and sisters, one that he shared. He could feel that this year would be the start of a new age for wizardkind. The little doubt within him kept being silent.

William had instructed Anton with recruiting any potential sympathizers to their cause. Anton had narrowed on a possible candidate.

He approached Raphael and stood by him.
“Raph? How are you holding up? I am terribly sorry for Alex. I wanted to tell you before but I wasn’t able to last year.”

[The Flutterlands]

Raphael Raymond

When the feast began Raph got himself digging right into the most welcoming food. He filled his plate with enough meat, potatoes and veggies to satisfy his seemingly bottomless stomach. His hunger intensified over the summer of mourning. As the muggleborn ate, though, the time came for the new headmaster to finally show himself. When he did, Raphael, looked up and listened before his face to turned to that of shock.

Avery? thought Raph as he swallowed a mouthful of turkey, his eyes narrowing, Durmstrang?

The muggleborn’s attention was then caught by Anton. He gave him a look, remembering that he was friends with William. Raph had a dislike towards William, but he wasn't sure how to feel about Anton. “Thanks…” he said sighing, “This school seems to have lost it’s magic without him so to speak…”

Raphael then glanced at the headmaster. “Do you think he is related to those Averys?” he asked with instant dislike towards Edmund as his blood began to boil, “I hope he is not going to continue that anti-muggleborn shit McGonagall pulled last year. Cause I'm not going to stand for it. That shit only made things worse, radicalizing those fucks who murdered Alex...”

[Britanania]

Caitie

As her aunt's husband continued his introduction Caitie bit her lip. The would drew and bit of blood that dripped over her mouth: with her pale features and supernatural good looks, Caitie almost resembled a vampire. Suffice it to say, it was clear that she wasn't in a good mood.

Of all the people Thomas Grey could have picked, he picked this one. Damn him and damn that git Liam for killing McGonagall...

"...as mentioned before," Professor Avery was saying, "there are going to be a few changes to prevent another tragedy from befalling Hogwarts. Along with aurors protecting the school and Hogsmeade, from now on all student excursions will be proceeded with an agenda: where you go and what you do will be recorded. Never again will it be possible for terrorists to use a student to sneak a bomb into Hogwarts. I also expect all Prefects to comply and assist in these new endeavours."

As the hall erupted into chatter, Avery held up his hand.

"I will now take any questions."