Renouncing Magic's Child

All the fourth years ... "Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer -"

All the students groaned. They'd heard that before.

"We don't take O. W. L. s ... anyone approaches it with a pin!"

Several people laughed.

Hermione, who had turned rather pink ... pleased with herself.

Harry rolled his eyes.

Harry and Ron were deeply amused ... running out of ideas for catastrophes.

Professor Trelawney huffed.

Meanwhile Professor Binns, ... the eighteenth century.

Everyone in the chamber grimaced at that. They remembered doing those essays themselves.

"When I was in school," Bill said, "one of the older years, sold the titles of all the essays from the previous year so we could do them all at the beginning of the year and then use our homework time to..." He paused. "Well, some of us used it to self-study, others just used it for fun."

Professor Snape was forcing them ... see if their antidote worked.

Severus blinked at that. Had he really threatened his students? That was concerning.

Professor Flitwick had asked ... Summoning Charms.

Professor Flitwick nodded at that. It was a particularly tricky charm.

Even Hagrid was adding ... notes on their extraordinary behavior.

No one in the chamber knew quite what to say to that.

"I will not," ... foul things during lessons, thanks. "

While his parents agreed that the beasts were foul, they weren't impressed by his attitude. That was no way to speak to a teacher.

Hagrid's smile faded ... I hear yeh made a good ferret, Malfoy."

Lucius stood abruptly at that. "While, I agree my son's behaviour was abhorrent, I will not have my son threatened."

Hagrid frowned. He hadn't really considered that he'd been threatening a student. He apologised quickly because he had to admit, it hadn't been the right thing to say. Even if that boy was awful.

The Gryffindors roared with laughter.

Minerva glared at them all.

Malfoy flushed with anger ... Hagrid sacked the previous year.

"That's a fair point, Draco," Lucius said. "You'd be wise not to make enemies of your teachers, in the future."

When they arrived in the entrance hall ... LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY-

There was a buzzing sort of excitement in the chamber. They were all eager to hear about the tournament.

"Brilliant!" ... Snape won't have time to poison us all!"

Everyone laughed. Even Severus.

STUDENTS WILL RETURN THEIR BAGS ... THE WELCOMING FEAST.

They were all grinning, even those that had been there. Getting off lessons early and meeting people from the other schools had been cool.

"Only a week away!" ... "He must be entering the tournament."

The Hufflepuffs in the chamber all cheered, only to suddenly go silent as they remembered how the tournament ended.

"That idiot, Hogwarts champion?" ... toward the staircase.

"RONALD!" Mrs Weasley screeched. They were friends and neighbours to the Diggory family. She couldn't understand where this animosity was coming from.

"He's not an idiot ... and he's a prefect."

Cedric blushed.

She spoke as though this settled ... he's handsome," said Ron scathingly.

Now both Cedric and Hermione were blushing.

"Excuse me, I don't like people ... "Lockhart!"

Hermione grimaced. She wasn't sure that she'd ever live that down.

The appearance of the sign ... Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from themselves.

"In many ways," Fleur said with a small smile. "Beauxbaton is very different."

Viktor was nodding his agreement.

Harry noticed too that the castle ... first-year girls into hysterics.

The teachers all glared at the headmaster. They wanted Filch gone.

Other members of the staff ... accidentally transplanted his own ears onto a cactus.

Augusta gave Minerva a sour look. Minerva sighed, offering a quick apology to Neville. She really could be a little harsh sometimes.

When they went down to breakfast ... lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H.

"Showing off," Sirius said with a smirk.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione ... He can't avoid us forever."

Mrs Weasley eyed the book suspiciously. What were they up to?

"Who's avoiding you?" ... irritated at the interruption.

Mrs Weasley opened her mouth to tell him off, only to have a sinking realisation that her son was gone. It kept hitting her every few minutes and the grief was worse than anything she'd ever known. Far worse than when her brothers had both died.

"What's a bummer?" ... you for a brother," said George.

Everyone was surprised when Molly stayed silent.

"You two got any ideas ... trying to enter?"

"Don't encourage them!" Young Molly said crossly.

"I asked McGonagall ... transfiguring my raccoon."

Filius frowned. "You really shouldn't tell the students to shut up Minerva. There are far politer ways of saying they should be quiet."

"Wonder what the tasks ... We've done dangerous stuff before. . . . "

Everyone rolled their eyes at Ron. They couldn't help but think that he hadn't really done anything dangerous... Well, at least not compared to Harry.

"Not in front of a panel of judges, ... went on the rampage."

Sirius glared at the book for the reminder of just how dangerous the competition was.

She noticed them all looking ... read all the books she had,

Hermione felt hurt by that description. Was that really how other people saw her? Was that how Ron and Harry saw her?

"It's all in Hogwarts, ... Nastier Aspects of the School."

Everyone shared confused looks.

"I thought that was your favourite book?" Blaise Zabini asked. She seemed to carry it everywhere with her.

"What are you on about?" ... oppression of a hundred slaves!"

No one said anything about that. They'd had that discussion and they could only hope that Hermione would heed their advise and talk to the elves.

Harry shook his head ... only done it to keep her quiet.

Young Hermione glared at them. She wasn't sure she wanted to be their friend.

Their Sickles had been wasted ... collecting tin under their noses.

The Grangers groaned. They were going to have to make some changes. Clearly, they'd not taught their daughter the art of critical thinking. She needed to learn to think for herself, not just accept what books told her. She also needed to learn to be more understanding of other people's feelings. They weren't really sure how they'd failed to teach her those lessons but they decided that they'd do whatever they could to remedy it. Even if it meant purchasing parenting books and sessions with a therapist. Perhaps the mind healers might be able to give them some pointers.

"You do realize that your sheets ... unpaid and enslaved?" she kept saying fiercely.

Still no one said anything.

Some people, ... Many regarded the whole thing as a joke.

Hermione huffed. She might realise now that she didn't know very much about the subject but it had looked like slavery. And no one had bothered to explain it to her.

Lucius sighed. "Your teachers and your peers did you a disservice, Miss Granger. Someone should have taken the time to explain."

"I tried!" Susan said. "We ran into each other in the library and she was brandishing that tin about, while I was trying to study. I tried explaining and she went off at me and we both got thrown out of the library. I hadn't even finished my charms essay."

Hermione frowned. She remembered that. "Sorry."

"I tried too," Ernie said. "But she said I was despicable because I owned slaves."

She remembered that too. "I'm sorry, Ernie."

Ron now rolled his eyes ... "I hardly think students are supposed to -"

"It's not against the rules," Severus said.

"Well, we have," ... the best job in the world -"

There was a pop and several elves appeared. "We do. We is being privileged, looking after the school and its students."

"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!" Hermione began hotly,

The elves looked highly offended. "Hows is we uneducated?" one of them asked.

"We's can read and write," another said. "We's be knowing magic."

"And we is not brainwashed!" still one more said angrily. "We is being proud to work for Hogwarts."

They popped away again without another word.

but her next few words ... keep changing owls?" Ron asked in a low voice.

"Hedwig will attract attention," Amelia said automatically.

"Hedwig'll attract too much ... response every time he wrote.

Sirius smiled. That wouldn't be a problem this time around.

"Thanks, Hedwig," ... into the entrance hall.

The excitement in the chamber was building. They couldn't wait for the arrival of the foreign students.

The Heads of Houses ... no pushing. . . . "

The adults all laughed. They didn't envy the teachers.

They filed down the steps ... "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?"

Everyone laughed at that. Knowing the other schools, they'd want to arrive as dramatically as possible. It's what they would do too, after all.

"I doubt it," ... not from that far away. . . . "

More laughter at that suggestion.

"A Portkey?" ... seventeen wherever they come from?"

"I doubt there will be any one under seventeen attending," Tonks said.

"You can't Apparate inside ... Hermione impatiently.

Sirius chuckled. The boys really didn't listen to her, did they? That had to be frustrating.

They scanned the darkening grounds... showing off when we get together. . . . "

The adults all nodded their heads.

And then Dumbledore called out ... Beauxbatons approaches!"

That surprised everyone. Just how good was his eyesight? Bill rolled his eyes. Clearly he'd felt the change in the wards.

"Where?" ... losing her head completely.

"It's not a dragon," Severus said with a sigh. At least he hoped it wasn't a dragon.

"Don't be stupid ... each the size of an elephant.

"Wow!" several of the children called out eagerly.

The front three rows ... rolled large, fiery red eyes.

Luna smiled. She had liked those horses.

Harry just had time ... A few people gasped.

"And she said she wasn't half-giant," Hagrid muttered. They'd put their differences aside but it still hurt a little that she'd been unwilling to even talk to him about it.

Harry had only ever seen ... the better to look at this woman.

Fleur rolled her eyes at the description of her old headmistress. Yes, Madame Maxime might be of giant descent but she was a brilliant headmistress.

Her face relaxed ... "Dumbly-dort," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice.

"Dumbly-dort?" the twins said in unison, both laughing.

"I 'ope I find you well?" ... none of them were wearing cloaks.

"No one bothered to warn us that Hogwarts was in Scotland," Fleur said crossly. "Not that it mattered, for our arrival at least, we had to wear our proper uniform."

A few had wrapped scarves ... "But ze 'orses -"

"Madame Maxime is very precious about her horses," Fleur said with a small smile.

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher ... "Skrewts," Ron muttered to Harry, grinning.

Hagrid blushed. The skrewts had managed to escape their crates.

"My steeds require - er - forceful 'andling," ... drink only single-malt whiskey?"

Several people chuckled at that.

"It will be attended to," ... "Maybe they've escaped," said Ron hopefully.

Hagrid frowned. Were his lessons really that bad that the students - even Harry, Ron and Hermione - didn't like them?

"Oh don't say that," ... loose on the grounds. . . . "

"Yes. Imagine that," Amelia said with a terse look.

They stood, shivering ... "Look at the lake!"

The younger kids all sat forward. They wanted to know what was happening.

From their position at the top ... "It's a mast!" he said to Ron and Hermione.

Several people looked impressed. With Harry's terrible eyesight it really was amazing how he could tell that from a distance.

Slowly, magnificently, ... "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

The aurors all eyed the man suspiciously. They all knew that Karkaroff had become headmaster.

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," ... Viktor has a slight head cold. . . "

Viktor grimaced at that. Karkaroff had always tried to give him special treatment. Although in fairness, he had been unwell.

Karkaroff beckoned forward ... recognize that profile.

Viktor rolled his eyes. Fans. He really hated being famous.

"Harry - it's Krum!"

Harry rolled his eyes at Ron. That boy was obsessed.

While the younger ones were pulled away for a Herbology lesson with Professor Sprout and her younger self, the older ones tried to decide what they wanted to do with their free hour. They quite liked the fact that they were no longer expected to attend all the lessons. After all, they would be merging with their younger selves when they left the chamber, so it was a waste of time to learn the same things. Instead, they were encouraged to use the time for some form of independent study. Ragnok pulled Harry aside and told him that if he had time, his account managers would appreciate a meeting.

Harry had quickly agreed, asking Sirius to accompany him through the door.