Albus Potter and the Lost Legacy

Chapter 26: Spirits, Beings, and Beasts

The thing about werewolf attacks was that they were only able to happen once a month. There was absolutely no chance of a werewolf attack during the rest of the month, so it was easy for the Hogwarts students to soon forget about Fenrir Greyback, or at least push him into the furthest corners of their minds. After the initial article about Greyback's attack on the two young children, the paper returned to its usual election coverage, although both candidates were being very quiet about the attack. Neither Percy nor Laurentis made a statement, which didn't surprise Albus. The debate on regulation of magical creatures was scheduled for Saturday, so both candidates would make statements then. There had been a few editorials in the paper written by people pushing for stricter werewolf laws, but that had been it.

Saturday was also the day of the next Hogsmeade trip, and this gave the Hogwarts students a much needed distraction from the outside world. Word spread amongst Albus's cousins that James was once again taking Gabby Ellis to Hogsmeade, and quite a few of his other cousins had dates as well. Albus himself did not, and was planning on spending the day with John, Kaden, Rose, and Amanda. Matt had arranged to attend the debate with his dad, and would miss the trip.

“Are you sure you want to go to this debate?” Albus asked Matt as they played chess in the Marauder's Den.

“What?” Matt asked, turning to Albus. He'd been staring at the wall under the guise of taking his turn for the past five minutes.

“You were zoning out,” Albus said. “I asked if you're sure you want to go to that debate Saturday.”

Matt had seemed distracted all week and whether it was from Greyback being so near during his transformation or the upcoming debate, Albus didn't know.

“Yeah, I'm sure,” Matt said. “I'd rather hear it straight from her than read it in the Prophet.”

“What about your dad?” Albus asked. “Is he going to speak out against her if she wants stricter laws?”

Matt shrugged. “I don't know. That didn't work too well in Australia.”

The door to the Den burst open and John and Kaden came barging in, both wearing identical grins. It was slightly uncanny, how similar they looked.

“We've finished,” John announced.

“Finished what?” Albus asked. He was slightly worried. It was never a good sign when John and Kaden were that happy about something.

“Our prank,” Kaden answered. “We've finished planning. We're not quite sure when to do it, though.”

“Yeah, any suggestions?” John asked. “Or are you two still being all prefecty on us?”

Albus burst out laughing and turned to Matt, who smirked. “Prefecty?” Albus repeated.

“Yeah,” John said. “Everyone knows it'll be one of you who makes prefect next year. And you're getting started early by not liking our pranks.”

“We just don't want detention again,” Matt explained. “Honestly, I couldn't care less if you prank the Slytherins. Malfoy's a git. Prank him all you want.”

“Are you sure you don't want to know what it's going to be?” John asked.

“No,” Albus said.

“Not a chance,” Matt said.

John shrugged. “All right. But when should we do it?”

“Let's just wait and see when the time feels right,” Kaden suggested. “It's not, er...time-sensitive....”

John and Kaden burst out laughing. “Sure,” John said. “Not time-sensitive at all.”

Albus and Matt exchanged a glance.

“We could tell you why that was so funny,” John said.

“Or you could just wait and see like the rest of the castle,” Kaden added.

“We'll wait,” Albus said. He was curious about it, but not curious enough to possibly wind up with another week's detention.

Whatever the prank was, John and Kaden didn't implement it before the next day. Saturday brought blue skies and bitterly cold temperatures and Albus put on two Weasley jumpers in preparation for walking around Hogsmeade.

Matt left early for the debate, Flooing from Professor Longbottom's study. Albus and John slept late and met Kaden, Rose, and Amanda in the Great Hall for a quick lunch before setting off for Hogsmeade.

The February Hogsmeade trip was always an interesting one. The village became filled with young couples either snogging passionately in front of the shops or staring awkwardly at each other across a table in the Three Broomsticks or Madam Puddifoot's. Having never been on a date before in his life, Albus found it really funny to watch. John and Kaden found it amusing as well, but Rose and Amanda seemed to stare wistfully at the couples and didn't find them at all funny.

“Where to first?” Albus asked.

“Not Madam Puddifoot's,” John said immediately, grimacing as a few love-struck couples headed toward the place.

“I plan on never setting foot in there,” Kaden said. “I don't care how many girls ask me to go there with them.”

John laughed. “You'd have to get a girl to like you first.”

“Shut up,” Kaden said. “Let's just go get some Butterbeer.”

The rest of the group agreed and they were soon crowded around one of the only empty tables in the Three Broomsticks. Albus was hoping to catch a glimpse of James because despite the fact that James had been out with Gabby Ellis before, Albus couldn't get over the fact that his brother was going out on dates. It was just weird.

After finishing their Butterbeer, the group went to Honeyduke's and Weasleys' in order to stock up on Skiving Snackboxes and Chocolate Frogs. By then it was nearly dinner time and they decided to call it a day. The wind was picking up and none of them fancied being caught in a storm.

“Albus!” John shouted just as they were setting off on the path back to the castle.

“What?” Albus asked, turning to see what John was pointing at.

“James and Gabby Ellis,” John said.

Albus squinted and just made out his brother, leaning against the outside of Honeyduke's, his mouth attached to Gabby Ellis's. They were so close that they almost looked like one person.

“Oh my God,” Albus said quietly.

“That is disgusting,” Rose added. “I could've gone my entire life without seeing someone snog James.”

John and Kaden were both laughing. “Looks like they're enjoying it,” John said.

“Oh gross!” Albus exclaimed as he turned back to the path. “Let's go.”

“I think it's safe to say they're together,” Amanda said as they walked back.

“What she could possibly see in James...” Rose muttered.

“Well, he does play Quidditch,” Amanda pointed out.

“So do over half my cousins,” Rose said. “So does Albus.”

“Can we change the topic?” Albus asked. “Please. C'mon, let's hurry up. I bet Matt's back from the debate.”

That seemed to get his friends' minds off of James's romantic life. Albus himself wanted to put the image of his brother kissing someone out of his mind forever. At least she was a Hufflepuff and he'd never have to see them kissing in the common room. If he did he may have to spend all of his time in the Marauder's Den.

Dinner hadn't started yet when they arrived at the castle, so the group decided to go find Matt first. They found him right where Albus figured he'd be, in the Marauder's Den. Albus was slightly nervous about what had happened at the debate, but Matt was sitting on the couch casually reading his Charms book, seeming hardly upset at all.

“How was Hogsmeade?” Matt asked as he set his book down.

“Disgusting,” Albus said as he sat down next to Matt. John, Rose, and Amanda pulled up chairs.

Matt raised his eyebrows. “Disgusting?”

“We saw James snogging his new girlfriend,” Rose said with a shudder. “Trust me, there's nothing pleasant about seeing the boy you remember eating a mud pie kissing a girl while pressed up against Honeyduke's.”

Matt laughed. “I haven't got any cousins, so I'll take your word for it.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” Albus muttered. “But what happened at the debate?”

“It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be,” Matt said. “Well, okay, parts of it weren't as bad as I thought they'd be. It was at the Ministry, in one of those court rooms in the basement. Mostly it was people who work at the Ministry there, but there were some other people there, too, because the room was so big.

“I'm not sure how much you know about the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but every creature is divided into one of three categories. Beings, Spirits, and Beasts. Spirits are ghosts and poltergeists and boggarts. Beings are creatures that aren't human, but have human intelligence. Beasts are everything else. The bloke who was running the debate started by asking Percy and Laurentis how they feel about the rights given to Beings. You know, goblins, house-elves, centaurs, those sorts of creatures. They didn't have much to argue about that because neither of them think any of those creatures should have their rights taken away. And Rose's mum has worked so hard to get them rights.

“Then they moved on to the Spirit division and there wasn't much controversy with that, either, since there's not much that can be done about spirits. They're just sort of there. Ghosts don't harm anyone and poltergeists it all depends on the specific poltergeist. Laurentis brought up the topic of Peeves, which was odd, but Percy didn't seem to have an opinion on Peeves.”

Albus hadn't expected much controversy with the Being division. There had been a lot of debate back and forth about the rights of Beings back when his parents had been in school and his aunt Hermione had dedicated her work life toward giving rights to Beings, especially house-elves. Over the years she'd done a very good job with it and hadn't met much opposition. As for the Spirit division, Albus didn't think there had ever been much controversy there. Ghosts were just ghosts. They pretty much did as they pleased.

Matt paused. “Then there was the Beast division. Throughout history both werewolves and vampires have sometimes been in the Being division and sometimes been in the Beast division. Classification in the Beast division is the reason why werewolves have been stripped of their rights and how the Ministry can get away with it. If they're not seen as Beings, then legally, they don't have to be given the same rights as humans. It's a technicality, really.

“A long time ago werewolves were in the Being division, but they got reclassified in the 1950s, after a huge werewolf attack on an entire town. It was horrible. But ever since then, no one has wanted to classify them as Beings again. My dad has been an advocate for classification as Beings ever since he started in Australia.

“The thing about classification is that, for the most part, Ministries all over the world have to agree. That's why reclassification is such a time-consuming and difficult thing to do. Someone has to bring it up and coordinate negotiations between countries and it requires a lot of effort. When Voldemort came to power no one in Britain had the time or energy to put toward the reclassification of werewolves. Not to mention they couldn't spare the people to put the time into it. Since the brutal attack in the 50s happened in England, the other countries haven't wanted to touch the idea. Although I'd wager that Australia would put up a good fight if it was ever brought up again.

“So, basically, my dad has been trying to do this for ages, but he doesn't have the support. Even Minister Hartwell hasn't wanted to touch it since it's such a controversial issue and he doesn't have much time left.”

“Wow,” Albus said. “Binns didn't teach us any of that in History of Magic.”

“And he probably won't,” Matt said. “It's not a well-known issue since most people probably don't care to put in the effort to reclassify werewolves. The only people who'd want to are werewolves.”

“That's awful,” Amanda said. “But what happened at the debate?”

“The wizard in charge of the debate dodged the question of Greyback for a while, asking questions about other creatures like thestrals and dementors and the like. But he finally brought up the topic of Greyback and Laurentis basically said that it wasn't a matter of werewolf control laws, but a matter of Azkaban security-”

“Well, that's good,” Albus said. He wouldn't have expected that of Laurentis.

“Sort of,” Matt replied. “I haven't finished. Anyway, your uncle agreed with her, but he of course said that putting the dementors back would be stupid. Laurentis said that if the dementors had been there then Greyback wouldn't have escaped and those kids would've been safe. Then they started arguing about Azkaban and dementors again. But the bloke in charge cut them off.

“Then he finally brought up the fact that my dad's been pushing for the reclassification of werewolves as Beings for years and how he's got the support of Rose's mum and asked what their opinion of it was.”

“But if my mum was able to help house-elves and goblins, then why couldn't she do it for werewolves at the same time?” Rose asked.

“House-elves and goblins have always been classified as Beings,” Matt explained. “They were being denied rights that they technically already had. It was just a matter of reworking the laws and enforcing them properly. None of the werewolf rights laws can be changed unless their classification is changed-”

“But that's just stupid,” John said.

Matt shrugged. “It is, but there's nothing anyone can do about it.”

“Well, what did Laurentis say?” Albus asked.

“Laurentis said that reclassifying werewolves as Beings would render the current werewolf control laws unenforceable and that it would give the Ministry far less control over werewolves. Which is true,” Matt said. “Not that it would be a bad thing.”

“Of course not,” Albus agreed.

“Then she said that if werewolves were currently classified as Beings it would make it difficult to even catch Greyback and prosecute him for what he's done, which isn't true at all. My dad was turning purple at this point. She really knows nothing about the way his department works.”

“What about Uncle Percy?” Rose asked.

Matt didn't say anything for a full minute. “He wasn't as bad as Laurentis, but well, your uncle doesn't want to change anything. I'm sure you've noticed that he says everything's fine the way it is and we don't need to change anything, whether it's Azkaban or Hogwarts. He thought the same about werewolves.”

“What do you mean?” Albus asked. “He thinks that-”

Matt averted his gaze, looking at Kaden rather than Albus and Rose. “He thinks that 'putting energy into reclassifying werewolves as Beings would be a poor idea, given the other issues facing the greater wizarding community.' And that is a direct quote. I can't ever forget that.”

Albus wished he was surprised. He really did. But the fact remained that Uncle Percy didn't like to stir the cauldron, so to speak. If things were working the way they were, he wouldn't change them. He'd rather keep things the same then speak out openly either for or against anything, if it would cost him support or votes.

“Then he went on to explain,” Matt continued. “He said that werewolf classification doesn't affect a large number of witches and wizards and that it's very complicated and would require a lot of effort, which is true. But it's like he didn't think it was worth it, just because it wouldn't affect a lot of people.”

“It doesn't surprise me,” Rose said quietly. “The election is so soon. I don't think he's going to say anything too controversial.”

“Honestly, it was almost worse than Laurentis,” Matt said, turning back to Albus and Rose. “Sorry. I know he's your uncle-”

“Don't apologize,” Albus said, suddenly glad he wasn't of age and wouldn't have to choose between the two candidates.

“It's like he doesn't even have a strong opinion on it. He doesn't want to have a strong opinion on it,” Matt added. “Laurentis at least has a reason. Your uncle doesn't even have that. Honestly, Albus, I've no idea who my parents will vote for now. Same with Amy.”

“I don't know who I'd vote for now,” Albus said quietly.

“But either way, I don't think werewolves will get reclassified,” Matt replied. “Nothing will happen without support of the British Minister at this point.”

“That's just not fair,” Amanda said. “What exactly does the law say now? What are you not allowed to do?”

Matt averted his gaze once more. This was another topic that Matt hadn't ever spoke of before and Albus hadn't dared ask.

“Well, technically,” Matt began, “I'm not allowed to be at Hogwarts.”

“What?” Albus shouted. The rest of his friends let out similar exclamations of shock.

“But Teddy's dad-” Rose began.

“Not legal,” Matt said. “Dumbledore frequently broke the law and that was no different. Professor Kendrick follows the law a bit more but he liked the idea of allowing me to attend. It's kind of murky, to be honest. It's in the law that werewolves cannot attend Hogwarts, but at the same time, Hogwarts headmasters have complete control over who they admit. So as long as it's kept quiet-”

“But what about Malfoy?” Rose asked. “If he were to let it slip-”

“Then Kendrick would expel him,” Matt explained. “And he'd be allowed to, since it would be detrimental to another student's education for him to reveal my condition. I told you; it's very murky.”

“What else?” Amanda asked.

“The rest has mostly to do with employment,” Matt said. “Well, that and the Ministry is allowed to keep werewolves for questioning about full moon attacks without actually arresting them. Werewolves as prisoners have virtually no rights.

“But anyway, employment. I'm legally obligated to inform any potential employers of my condition. If werewolves were classified as Beings, that wouldn't be required, because lycanthropy would be seen as a medical condition and employment cannot be terminated based on a person's medical conditions.”

“That is the most confusing thing in the world,” Albus said. His head was spinning. “How do you keep all that straight?”

Matt shrugged. “It's my life. That's the other thing, Albus, your uncle really has no idea how things are run in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He's not really qualified to say what effect the reclassification would have on everything. Because, honestly, it would only affect werewolves.”

“That seems obvious,” Albus said.

“So someone can not hire you just because you're a werewolf?” Amanda asked incredulously.

Matt nodded. “Doesn't even matter if they're on Wolfsbane or not, either.”

“What will you do after Hogwarts?” Amanda asked.

“No idea,” Matt said. “I'm trying not to think about that. But this whole pretending to be normal thing that I'm doing at Hogwarts? It's temporary. That's all there is to it.”

No one quite knew what to say after that. Albus certainly didn't. He wished more than anything that his uncle would support the reclassification of werewolves as Beings, despite the fact that it might lose him a few votes. It might even cost him a few not to have spoken up, because now, Matt's parents and Amy might not vote for him. But this had such a larger effect than just the election. Matt was right; this was his life, and Uncle Percy and Laurentis were just seeing it as a way to drum up more votes. Maybe Uncle Percy wasn't the right man for the job, after all. But Laurentis certainly wasn't, and since no one else was running, what would happen after the election?

Chapter 27: The Plan

The debate on the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures did not seem to be a hot topic of discussion amongst the Hogwarts students. Unlike the debate on education, this particular debate did not relate directly to Hogwarts students, and thus there wasn't much discussion beyond a few opinions at breakfast the next day. The article on the debate was much more tame than the previous articles, most likely because Percy and Laurentis hadn't disagreed on the topic. In fact, the article mostly focused on the dementor issue.

Albus and his friends kept close watch on the Prophet in case there were any updates on the escaped prisoners, but the rest of February passed without any sightings or captures. It was kind of strange since the prisoners had to have been hiding out somewhere. Yet they'd been loose for nearly two months and the only one who had been sighted was Greyback. Willinson, Umbridge, and the Carrows were nowhere, it seemed.

In the meantime, Laurentis used the lack of captures to her advantage, by publishing a new statement every few days declaring how incompetent the Auror Department was. These statements were usually followed up with another declaration of how the prisoners wouldn't have escaped if the dementors had been in control of Azkaban.

When March arrived, the Prophet began putting a countdown until the election at the top of the front page, every single day.

“April Fool's Day,” John commented as he pointed to the countdown, which read '29 days.' “Doesn't that seem a bit weird, to do an election on that day?”

“A little,” Albus said. “But I doubt the Ministry cares.”

“We should do our prank that day,” Kaden said.

“Don't,” Rose said. “Hogwarts is a polling place. You'll mess it up.”

“No, we won't do it then,” John said as he exchanged a mischievous grin with Kaden. “Want to know why?”

“Not really,” Albus said.

“They'll find out soon enough,” Kaden said.

“Does this have anything to do with why you two disappeared all evening yesterday?” Matt asked.

“Possibly,” John said. “Oh, look at the time. We've got to get to potions.”

Kaden burst out laughing. “Oh, yes, looks like it's time for me to go to Divination.”

Albus looked at Matt and shrugged. John and Kaden had been laughing at every mention of 'time' or 'clocks' for the past few weeks, but had yet to share why. Albus could only assume that it had to do with their prank.

Albus, Matt, John, Rose, and Amanda said goodbye to Kaden and headed for the dungeons. Since it was a double class, Slughorn gave them a potion to brew and sat at his desk grading essays while they worked.

Albus and Matt partnered on their potion and worked quietly, chopping and mixing. Halfway through the second class they were chopping asphodel when Matt suddenly stopped.

“Did you hear that?” he asked Albus.

“Hear what?” Albus replied. He hadn't heard anything.

“Never mind,” Matt muttered. “Could've sworn...guess I'm hearing things.”

A few minutes passed and Matt stopped again. “I swear there's something ringing outside. It sounds like an alarm clock.”

Albus glanced around the classroom, but nobody else seemed to have heard it. Everyone was working quietly, except John, who was staring at the door for some strange reason. Then Albus heard it. The faintest ringing.

“Do you hear it now?” Matt asked.

“Yeah,” Albus said. It was becoming louder, too. The rest of the class was beginning to notice as well, and John suddenly turned around to look at them. He grinned widely and then returned to his potion.

“It's their prank,” Matt hissed. “It's got to be.”

Nobody was paying any attention to their potions now and a few of them were boiling over. Slughorn got up from his desk and left the room, without saying a word to the class. He returned a few minutes later.

“Bottle your potions as is,” he said. “It seems there is some sort of alarm going off all over the castle. After you're done cleaning up you may leave early.”

Albus and Matt worked quickly, wanting to talk to John as soon as they could. They met him, along with Rose and Amanda, outside the classroom a few minutes later, and headed to the Great Hall. John still hadn't said anything.

Kaden was already there when they arrived. “Trelawney let us out as soon as the alarms started. I think it was driving her mad. I mean, more mad than she already is.”

“Are you going to tell us what you've done?” Albus asked as he began making a sandwich.

“Yeah, we might as well,” John said. “We put an alarm clock inside every single suit of armor and charmed them to go off at five minute intervals.”

Albus started laughing. “That's brilliant!”

“That's actually really good charm work,” Rose said, clearly impressed.

“It gets better,” Kaden said. “The teachers won't be able to turn them off with one spell. We charmed them so they have to be manually turned off. It's going to take them ages.”

“I feel bad for whoever's got Transfiguration next,” James said as he sat down next to Albus. “There must be twenty suits of armor across the corridor from the Transfiguration room. It's so loud in there you can barely hear yourself think.”

“Damn,” Albus said. “We've got Transfiguration next.”

“Look, Kendrick's standing up. Bet he cancels classes.” John pointed to the staff table.

“Quiet!” Kendrick shouted. “Very amusing prank. It would seem that the alarm clocks have to be manually turned off, so I am canceling classes for the afternoon while the staff and prefects turn off all the alarms.”

There was a loud cheer as Kendrick resumed his seat. The staff table was only half-full, as the rest of them must have been already turning the alarms off.

“He doesn't seem upset,” Albus said. “This is actually kind of tame. I thought you were going to get revenge on the Slytherins.”

John grinned. “Oh, we are. That'll come another day.”

After lunch Albus and his friends went to the Marauder's Den with the intention of spending the day there, but the incessant alarms quickly grew too annoying. Despite the cold, they decided that outside would be preferable to inside. The snow had melted, so they were able to find a dry spot to sit.

“I still hear the ringing,” Matt said as they settled down under a huge beech tree by the lake. “It's like my head is an alarm clock. I think if you had done this around the full moon I would've murdered you.”

“That's why we didn't do it around the full moon,” John said.

“Really?” Matt asked skeptically.

John laughed. “No. Hadn't even thought of that, to be honest.”

“We did it today because I had a History of Magic exam this afternoon,” Kaden said. “I'm hoping Binns will forget about it.”

“It's soon, though, isn't it?” John asked.

“The full moon? Yeah, it's Monday,” Matt answered. “I've been thinking about it. About Greyback. He's probably going to come back unless the Aurors catch him before.”

“Probably,” Albus agreed.

“I had an idea,” Matt said quietly. “I think we can help catch them, using my wolfy side.”

“As bait?” Albus asked, shocked. “Then you'd be in danger.”

“No, I wouldn't,” Matt said. “I wouldn't be doing anything different. I'd just be in the Shrieking Shack like usual. Albus, the Marauder's Map labels Animagi as their human names, right?”

Albus nodded. “Yeah, of course. That's how Teddy's dad found out about Pettigrew.”

“Well, shouldn't it be the same for werewolves?” Matt asked.

Albus hadn't thought about that before. In all his time of having the second edition Marauder's Map, he'd never checked the Shrieking Shack during a full moon. “I think it should.”

“Then all the Aurors have to do is watch the new edition of the Marauder's Map during the full moon, wait for Greyback to show up, and then catch him.”

Albus thought for a few moments. It seemed so simple, almost too simple to work. “Matt...that's brilliant.”

“When did you think of this?” Rose asked.

“Few weeks ago,” Matt answered. “Greyback was there by the Shrieking Shack for nearly the entire night. It would've been easy to capture him if someone just knew he was there.”

“Wait,” Rose said, looking at Albus. “You aren't proposing that you do this, are you? Because that would be stupid.”

“Of course not,” Matt said. “It would be my dad and Albus's dad.”

“I don't think my dad's in charge of the Greyback capture,” Albus pointed out. “It's that other Auror, Newman.”

“If I'm going to go along with this and tell them my plan then it's got to be your dad,” Matt said adamantly. “He already knows I'm a werewolf. Newman doesn't. I don't know what he'd do if he knew there was a werewolf at Hogwarts.”

Albus thought back to what Matt had told them about how it wasn't clear whether admitting werewolves to Hogwarts was legal or not. “All right. That make sense.”

“But why are you so sure he's going to come back to this same spot?” Amanda asked. “If he were smart he'd transform someplace completely different.”

“He's got a hangup about werewolves pretending to be human,” Matt said quietly. “He thinks that we've all got to embrace our wolf-selves and live together in packs. I don't think he's going to give up easily on finding me. He did the same thing with Teddy's dad.”

“Then he might be transforming near those kids he attacked last month,” Rose pointed out. “They should station Aurors there, too.”

Matt nodded. “Let's go send some owls.”

***

Albus and Matt didn't say much in their letters to their fathers, wanting to save most of the details for later. Both of them replied saying they would meet the boys at Hogwarts Friday evening in order to work out the details.

The week went by very slowly and Albus noticed that Matt drew quieter and quieter as it progressed. He never said it out loud, but Albus had a feeling he was incredibly anxious about the plan and his role in it, despite his saying he would be fine. By the time Friday arrived he was completely silent, except for the few times he snapped at John and Kaden for being irritating.

“You know if this plan actually works and Greyback is captured it's going to make Uncle Harry look very good,” Rose said. “Which will be good for Uncle Percy.”

“I thought of that,” Albus said. “And since the election is only three weeks away, it's perfect timing.”

“When are you meeting your dads?” John asked.

“Seven,” Albus answered as he glanced at his watch. “We should probably go.”

Albus shoved the last bite of his cake into his mouth and left the Great Hall with Matt at his side. Professor Longbottom had leant them his study for the meeting, so Albus and Matt walked up to the fourth floor.

Professor Longbottom wasn't there when they arrived but the door was partially open. Albus led Matt inside and they sat down on a couch to wait. Albus had always loved Longbottom's study. It was filled with all sorts of exotic plants that you never wanted to touch because some of them bit. The furniture was mismatched and the whole place was pleasantly cluttered. It felt very safe.

Harry and Walter walked in a few minutes later and shut the door behind them. Both looked very intrigued and slightly confused.

“Al,” Harry said as he gave his son a quick hug. “What's going on?”

Albus glanced at Matt, who had just been let go of by his own father. This was his plan to explain.

“I know how you can catch Greyback,” Matt said quietly, and then proceeded to explain the entire plan. “See? Good plan, right?”

Harry and Walter exchanged glances. Walter looked incredibly worried. “Matt, look, I know you want to help and I know the fact that Greyback's out there scares you out of your mind-”

“I'm not that scared,” Matt interrupted, but everyone in the room knew he was. “Look, he's going to come to Hogsmeade anyway. You might as well be there waiting for him.”

Walter sighed. “Yes, I suppose you're right-”

“So what's the problem? I'll be in the Shrieking Shack with all the wards up.”

“There really isn't a problem,” Walter said. “It just sounds bad on the surface, me using my son as bait. What do you think, Harry?”

“I think it's up to you,” Harry said. “You're in charge of this search. I'm not even on it. I assigned it to Newman.”

“Newman can't be there,” Matt said quickly as he turned to his dad. “He can't be. He doesn't know about me.”

“He's right,” Walter said. “It's got to be you and me if it's going to be anyone. Whoever works this is going to find out there's a werewolf at Hogwarts.”

Harry sighed and began to pace the room. “I hadn't thought of that. But there's got to be more of us. I'll bring Ron in, and Teddy.”

“Ron?” Matt asked.

“Rose's dad,” Albus explained. “My uncle.”

Matt breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, all right then.”

“They'd be fine,” Walter said. “Four of us should be able to handle it. What about those kids in Little Shingleton?”

“I'll assign Newman to them,” Harry decided. “And you can pick a few people form your department to go with him.”

Walter nodded. “What about the villagers? We can't hang around the Shrieking Shack all night. It'll look suspicious.”

Albus suddenly remembered the map. He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to his dad. “Use the map. Then you can watch until he gets there.”

Harry grinned. “I'd forgotten about this.” He turned to Walter. “Map of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, created by my dad, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. It shows where everyone is, so it should show us when Greyback turns up. We can wait at the Hog's Head until then. No one there will pay us any attention.”

“And in the report? In the paper the next day?” Walter asked.

“No mention of Matt or his being in the Shrieking Shack,” Harry said. “We'll say we got an anonymous tip that he'd show up in Hogsmeade.”

“Can I wait with you?” Albus asked.

Harry laughed. “Absolutely not. You'll stay in the castle, where it's safe. I believe they're doing a mandatory early curfew again?”

Albus nodded. They'd put up posters in the common rooms a few days ago. This time, no one seemed upset about it.

“I wish they'd do it in Hogsmeade,” Walter said. “But getting something like that set up takes weeks.”

“Well, if people are smart they'll stay inside with wards up,” Harry pointed out.

***

Never before had Albus heard so many people talking about the full moon. All weekend, everywhere he turned, he heard someone mentioning either the full moon or Greyback or both. Suddenly, werewolves were the hot topic of discussion at Hogwarts.

Most people, from what Albus could gather, didn't have a strong opinion on werewolves one way or another. But a few people, most having had a relative murdered by Fenrir Greyback, told anyone who would listen how happy they were that neither candidate wanted to change the classification of werewolves from Beasts to Beings. It only took Matt overhearing one of these conversations to decide to spend the rest of the weekend in the Marauder's Den.

“It'll all be over in three weeks,” Amanda said. “Once the election takes place no one is going to care as much. But these past few weeks have certainly made me wonder if I should go into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”

It was Sunday night and Albus and his friends were in the Marauder's Den, yet again, working on their homework that was due tomorrow.

“You could work with my dad,” Matt announced from the couch. “That'd be weird.”

“Well, it's just terrible,” Amanda said. “And it doesn't make sense. Why should goblins and house-elves be Beings but not werewolves? You're more human than a house-elf.”

Matt laughed. “Tomorrow night I won't be, and that's what it comes down to. House-elves aren't that dangerous. Werewolves are.”

“I don't know,” Albus began. “When my dad was a second year a house-elf charmed a Bludger to break his arm. That's fairly dangerous.”

“What about vampires?” Rose asked. “I ought to owl Linda.”

“Vampire are Beings,” Matt explained. “It's because they don't have to drink human blood to survive. It's a choice. Werewolves, when we bite someone, it's not a choice. We can't control it.”

“Except with Wolfsbane,” Rose pointed out.

“Yeah, and maybe if someone invents Wolfsbane that works for all werewolves we might get reclassified,” Matt said.

“What about vampires who bite people?” Amanda asked.

“They're put in prison,” Matt said.

“So can vampires go to school and hold jobs?” Kaden asked.

“I suppose they could. Linda went to school. But they live forever so most don't want to go to school or already have, because most vampires are older. As for jobs, they don't have to tell employers what they are, so yeah, they could.”

“It's so bloody confusing,” John said. “Doesn't make a bit of sense.”

“It really doesn't,” Matt said with a yawn. “But it's life.”

Matt slept the rest of the evening and most of the next day, not attending any of his classes. Albus couldn't blame him, what with all the werewolf talk that was going around the school. Albus himself found it difficult to concentrate on any of his classes or homework since there was the distinct possibility that Fenrir Greyback would be captured that night.

Albus and his friends reported to the common room at five, as per the curfew, and then went to dinner. Matt didn't join them. He was gone when they returned. Albus gave up on homework for the night and played a few half-hearted rounds of Exploding Snap with John and Kaden before deciding to go up to his dormitory early. He knew he wouldn't sleep, but figured it would be slightly more productive than cleaning ash off his face.

Instead of sleeping, Albus sat in the windowsill and watched the sky. It was clear, giving him a very good view of the stars. After locating a few constellations Albus watched the horizon and the faint glow that was above it. Then, the moon rose.

Chapter 28: Teddy's Interlude

Teddy Lupin had been a Junior Auror for nearly eight months. In that time he hadn't done much in terms of fighting dark wizards, and most of the missions he'd gone on had been rather boring. Up until the Azkaban break-out most of his work had consisted of paperwork and the occasional stake-out. Being an Auror, Teddy had discovered, was a lot more than chasing down Dark wizards and saving people's lives.

It was for this very reason that Teddy had been surprised when his godfather, Harry Potter, had approached him the previous day and told him of his newest assignment. He, Teddy Lupin, brand-new Junior Auror, had been assigned to the mission of capturing escaped werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. Greyback, the same werewolf who had infected his father with lycanthropy decades ago. Greyback, one of Britain's most wanted fugitives.

The mission, Harry had informed him, was very sensitive in nature and had to be handled with discretion. There was to be no mention of it to anyone outside of the people assigned to it. There were very few people assigned to the mission and they included Harry himself, the Head of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and Ron Weasley. That was it. A few others had been assigned to keep an eye on the children Greyback attacked the previous month, but they weren't to be directly involved with the Greyback mission itself.

Harry had explained the details of the mission, including the fact that the whole thing had been Albus's idea, along with one of his friends, who happened to be the Head of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creature's son. Who also happened to be a werewolf. It took Teddy a few minutes to wrap his head around the entire situation. To make things even more insane, Albus's werewolf friend was the brother of Teddy's friend, Amy.

But when it came down to it, all of this meant that Teddy was going on his first real mission as an Auror.

Harry had instructed him to show up at the Hog's Head, in disguise, at seven o'clock. Once there, he was to order a drink and sit at the bar, avoiding contact with everyone. Harry, Ron, and Walter Eckerton were going to do the same.

Disguising himself was Teddy's main strength. Before he Apparated to Hogmseade he morphed his face so he looked a few years older and his hair so that it was a generic brown color rather than its usual turquoise. He finished off the look by shrinking himself and adding a few pounds. After donning a tattered old cloak, Teddy turned on the spot and reappeared in the alley next to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Teddy peeked inside the building and saw George working. If he hadn't been on a mission he would've stopped to say hello, but instead he turned in the opposite direction and headed toward the Hog's Head.

The pub was practically empty. There was an old witch at one of the tables, nursing a drink, and a bloke sleeping at the end of the bar. Ron was already there, sitting at a table with a goblet in front of him. He'd clearly attempted to disguise himself, but there was no mistaking his red hair. Harry and Walter didn't seem to be there yet.

Teddy ambled up to the bar, deciding at the last minute that his fake persona should walk with a limp. Aberforth was there and Teddy ordered a Butterbeer. Probably not the usual drink for the Hog's Head, but he needed to keep his head clear for the mission. He took the drink and began to sip it slowly, as he had no idea how long he'd need to pretend he wasn't an Auror.

A half hour later the door opened again and Harry and Walter walked in. Walter joined Ron at his back table while Harry went up to the bar. He sat next to Teddy.

“How's it going, Aberforth?” he asked quietly.

“Fine,” Aberforth grunted.

“We're here on Ministry business,” Harry said. “Might be here a few hours. Could be the whole night. Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” Aberforth replied. “Pub's yours, although I'll be leaving at eleven. Not much business on a Monday night.”

“We'll lock up when we leave,” Harry said.

Aberforth nodded and set a few more Butterbeers on the counter. Harry picked them up and gestured for Teddy to follow him to the back table, where Ron and Walter were now crouched over a piece of parchment.

Teddy sat down next to Walter and Harry sat next to him. He passed around the Butterbeers while Ron turned the parchment around so Teddy and Harry could see it. Teddy recognized it; it was Albus's map of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Currently, it was magically magnified to show the Shrieking Shack and the yard outside it. Only one dot was there. It was labeled 'Matthew Eckerton' and was stationary in the Shrieking Shack.

“Moon just rose,” Walter said quietly. “Just a waiting game now.”

No one had told him, but Teddy knew the real reason why he'd been assigned to this mission, and it had nothing to do with his Auror skills. Sure, that had been a plus, but any of the other Junior Aurors were just as qualified. And the full Aurors were even more so. The reason was that he was the only Auror who was related to a werewolf, and thus wouldn't care that a werewolf at Hogwarts was an integral part of this plan. It was also the reason why Harry and Ron were there, when Auror Newman had previously been assigned to the Greyback case. Walter Eckerton didn't want any risk of his son's condition being leaked to the public, and putting Harry, Ron, and Teddy on the case would ensure that it wouldn't.

“Are you sure Greyback is even going to show up?” Teddy asked quietly as he stared at the map.

“Fairly certain,” Walter said. “Werewolves are attracted to the call of their own kind and Greyback is set on creating his own pack of young werewolves. He spent the last full moon lurking around the Shrieking Shack, after he attacked those children. He knows Matt's there. He'll come back.”

Teddy nodded. The minutes ticked by and the pub grew quieter. The old witch left, taking her glass with her. The man sleeping at the bar snorted and rolled over, nearly falling off his stool. Teddy finished his Butterbeer and set it next to the other empty glasses on the table, wondering if he should go order another or just remain seated.

At eleven o'clock Aberforth woke up the bloke at the bar and had to help him to the door and then physically shove him out of the pub. He gave a quick nod to Harry, Ron, Walter, and Teddy and then went upstairs.

“I suppose the disguises were a bit pointless,” Ron said as he pointed his wand at his face. His nose returned to its normal shape.

“Well, with the Hog's Head, you never know,” Harry said.

The group settled into silence again. Outside, there was the sound of faint howling. Teddy glanced at Walter and noticed that he winced slightly every time there was a particularly loud howl. Harry and Ron sent him sympathetic looks that Teddy tried to mimic. He didn't have any kids so he really had no idea what that was like, let alone having a kid with lycanthropy.

Teddy glanced down at the map and noticed three new dots had appeared. “Harry!” Teddy said as he pointed to the map.

All four men crowded around the map once more. One of the dots was indeed labeled 'Fenrir Greyback,' but the others were names Teddy didn't recognize.

“Meredith Jenner and Maxwell Jenner,” Teddy read. “Who are they?”

“They must be other werewolves,” Ron said.

“Or Animagi,” Harry pointed out.

“No,” Walter said as he shook his head. “Those are the two kids who got bitten last month.”

“You're kidding,” Harry said. “Dammit, this didn't cross my mind.”

“Mine either,” Walter said.

“What about the others?” Ron asked. “Newman and the two from the Werewolf Control Unit?”

“There they are,” Teddy said as three new dots suddenly appeared onto the map. They must've Apparated.”

“Yeah, well, they'd have no chance following three werewolves on foot,” Walter said.

“Let's go,” Harry said as he stood up.

Teddy stood and drew his wand. He followed the three older men out of the pub and shut the door behind him.

The Hog's Head was not far away from the Shrieking Shack. Within three minutes they arrived and found Newman and the other two wizards attempting to restrain the three werewolves.

“They're the kids from last month!” one of the Werewolf Control Unit employees shouted.

“Be careful with them!” Walter shouted back. “They've done nothing wrong!”

“We're trying!”

The two smaller werewolves were currently attempting to attack the Werewolf Control Unit employees and Newman, while Greyback seemed to care far more about getting into the Shrieking Shack. He was a much larger wolf, grey in color, and had bright yellow eyes. He was on the porch, biting at the door, and not paying any attention to the wizards around him. It seemed to Teddy that he had far more control over himself than a normal werewolf.

Walter and Ron joined the Werewolf Control Unit employees in trying to restrain Meredith and Maxwell. It was a difficult task because they had to do it without hurting them. Teddy was fairly certain that the law wouldn't care whether the two children were hurt in the process, but that had never been how Walter ran the department.

Harry nodded to Teddy and they walked slowly up the lawn, their wands out in front of them. If they could just catch Greyback by surprise then they'd be able to conjure some ropes and restrain him before he even knew what was happening.

They were only twenty feet away when it happened. Greyback suddenly froze and then turned around. He must've smelled them. With a loud snarl, he jumped the twenty feet separating them in one leap.

Teddy and Harry jumped back, sending spells forward as they did so. Greyback lunged, the spells not seeming to affect him at all, and made a swipe at Teddy. Teddy jumped to the side and sent another Stunner at Greyback.

Battling a werewolf was very different from battling a wizard, Teddy realized. And battling werewolves had not been covered in training. Sure, they'd learned and practiced the spells used against werewolves, but they'd never performed them on actual werewolves. The main difference was that werewolves didn't have wands and thus could not cast spells. But at the same time, they had teeth, claws, and were much stronger than the average human. Plus there was the fact that one bite would turn you into one forever.

Teddy and Harry took turns sending Stunners at Greyback and were able to confuse him enough that he didn't quite know who to attack. As they worked, they were steadily moving closer and closer to the Shrieking Shack.

Greyback soon realized that he was being cornered back onto the porch and decided to take another leap forward. He snarled loudly and lunged toward Harry, nearly making contact. Teddy jumped forward and sent another Stunner toward Greyback.

Greyback flew backward and slammed into the front door, his head making a sickening crunch as it collided with the doorknob. He slid down the door and landed on the floor, not moving.

Teddy looked at Greyback and then at Harry, who was getting up from the ground. Teddy hadn't even realized that he'd fallen over.

“Harry, you okay?” Teddy asked.

“Fine,” Harry said. “You?”

Teddy nodded and began to take a few cautious steps toward Greyback. Harry was soon by his side.

“Is he...” Teddy began.

“I don't think so,” Harry said quietly. “Just unconscious. Here.” Harry muttered a spell and ropes flew from the end of his wand. They wrapped them around Greyback until he was secure.

Teddy felt slightly disappointed. There was a part of him, a very small part, that wished he'd killed Greyback. Greyback had been the one who'd made his dad's life miserable, and he'd viciously attacked Victoire's dad when he wasn't even transformed. Yes, Teddy had to admit, there was a part of him that wanted revenge. A part of him that wanted to be the one who finally killed Fenrir Greyback.

Teddy glanced over to the rest of the group, but they'd finished, too. Walter was currently tying the two werewolf children up with ropes while the other men stood around watching. Ron looked up and met Teddy's eyes, then walked over toward them.

“Done?” Harry asked.

Ron nodded. “They're tied up and Stunned. I suppose we'll have to keep Stunning them until the moon sets.”

“So they weren't on Wolfsbane,” Harry said. “Interesting.”

“Walter said he'll personally make a visit to their house in a few days to discuss precautions for next month,” Ron said. “But still, their parents must be idiots. They could've been killed.”

“The parents are okay, then?” Harry asked. “I wonder what happened.”

Ron nodded. “Newman said they locked the kids in the backyard shed but didn't put any wards up. It must've been easy for Greyback to break in.”

“I wonder why they didn't listen to Werewolf Support Services,” Harry mused. “I know for a fact they visited.”

“Well, at least no one was hurt,” Teddy pointed out. He turned back to where the other werewolves had been tied up, but noticed that they were now being levitated to the porch of the Shrieking Shack by the Werewolf Control Unit employees. Walter and Newman were following them.

“What is that infernal racket?” Newman exclaimed, nodding his head to the Shrieking Shack.

Walter glanced a the Shack and then turned to Newman. “Ghosts. I've heard that place has been haunted for years, long before I moved to this country.”

Harry nodded. “It's been haunted since the 70s.”

“Loud ghosts,” Newman muttered. “Has the Spirit division ever looked into it?”

“Multiple times,” Walter said. “They're peaceful ghosts, just loud. We haven't had too many complaints, so haven't bothered to do anything about it.”

Teddy was amazed that Walter could lie so easily and freely. But he supposed that he'd been doing it ever since his son became a werewolf, so he'd gotten used to it.

“Let's get this lot back to the Ministry,” Harry said, gesturing to the three unconscious werewolves. Newman, take either Lee or Parks back to the children's house and inform their parents that they can pick them up at the Ministry tomorrow.”

Newman and Lee, who was one of the Werewolf Control Unit employees, Disapparated on the spot. Harry grabbed hold of Greyback and instructed Walter and Parks, the other Werewolf Control Unit employee, to each take one of the children. With an exceptionally loud crack, the entire group Disapparated.

***

Each of the werewolves were set up in an interrogation room to wait the remaining hours until sunrise. Teddy, along with Walter, had been assigned to keeping watch on Greyback, Stunning him when necessary. Harry, Ron, Parks, and Lee had been assigned to the children. Newman got started on the paperwork.

“So if a werewolf were to have somebody there to Stun them every hour or so while they were transformed, they'd be harmless, right?” Teddy asked as Walter Stunned Greyback for the fourth time. “Why don't people do that?”

“Repeated Stunning isn't healthy,” Walter replied. “It's why it's not allowed on most prisoners. It's only allowed on werewolves because they're classified as Beasts and not Beings.”

Teddy nodded. “What does it do to them?”

“Depends on the werewolf,” Walter said. “It has no long-term effects on plenty, but others wind up ill or with memory loss.”

“Can't say I'll be too upset if it has any ill effects on him,” Teddy said as he nodded to Greyback.

“Me either,” Walter said.

“I have to ask,” Teddy began, “did you get into Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures before or after your son was bitten?”

“Before. Ironic, isn't it?”

“Just a bit.”

“It's because of your father that my son is able to go to Hogwarts. I know you probably don't even remember him, but I'm forever grateful for him paving the way.”

Teddy nodded. “I wish I could remember him. I suppose it was really Dumbledore, though, who let him go to Hogwarts.”

“I never had the pleasure of meeting Albus Dumbledore. I wish I could say I have.”

Teddy and Walter lapsed back into silence. Teddy could hardly believe that he was sitting in an interrogation room with the werewolf who had turned his father. If only his dad could see him now.

Walter glanced at his watch. “Moon should be setting within the half hour.”

Teddy gulped and he hoped Walter couldn't hear his heart beating. He hadn't been nearly as nervous about facing Greyback as a wolf, but the thought of facing him as a human was slightly terrifying. He almost wanted the next half hour to last forever, but at the same time he didn't. It had been a very long day and he wanted to go home and sleep, eat, and see Victoire. Unfortunately, there was still a mountain of paperwork ahead.

Greyback began to stir, but Walter didn't Stun him. Instead, he conjured a simple set of robes, set them on the table, stood up, and gestured for Teddy to follow him out into the corridor. Teddy did so, but looked at Walter quizzically.

“He can't escape. He's got no wand and there's anti-Apparition charms on the rooms,” Walter explained. “He'll be at his absolute weakest as he transforms and despite the evils he's done, he deserves the respect of transforming alone.”

Teddy was impressed. He himself wouldn't have even thought about that, but Walter had clearly been planning that all along. Teddy supposed it came from having a son who was a werewolf. If Teddy's own father had lived, would he have similar thoughts?

There were no silencing charms on the interrogation rooms. Soon the corridor was filled with howling and was then replaced by painful shrieks. The shrieks soon gave way to a long stream of profanity.

“Let's go,” Walter said as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

Teddy had no idea what to expect when he entered the room. He'd only seen pictures of Greyback from the Prophet and black-and-white photos never did a person justice.

Fenrir Greyback was crouched on top of the table, dressed in the clothing that Walter had provided. His grey hair was stringy and matted with dirt and blood, and his face bore several week's worth of grey beard. His face was lined with deep wrinkles and Teddy realized that he had absolutely no idea how old the man was.

Greyback took a deep sniff as Walter and Teddy entered. He grinned and let out a maniacal laugh. “Head of the Department,” he muttered. “Guess I'm popular.”

Teddy froze, all his training suddenly out the window. He could hardly believe that this man had attacked his father when he was only a child. Fenrir Greyback was far more sinister in person and Teddy felt a pang of sympathy for his father as a five-year-old.

“So you found me,” Greyback said. “How'd you do it?”

“We were waiting for you, Greyback,” Walter said. “We knew you'd return to Hogsmeade.”

Greyback sneered. “Yeah, wanted to go back for that werewolf in the Shrieking Shack. He smelled young, impressionable.”

Walter paled. “You'll never have the opportunity to go back.”

“We'll see,” Greyback replied.

“Enough chat,” Walter said, turning to Teddy. “Arrest him.”

Teddy snapped out of his thoughts and immediately went back into Auror-mode. He set himself apart from the situation and ran on autopilot.

“Fenrir Greyback, I am Auror Ted Lupin and you're under arrest,” Teddy began.

Greyback's eyes grew wide. “Lupin. Any relation to Remus Lupin?”

“He was my father,” Teddy said proudly.

“I made him who he was,” Greyback said as he stared directly into Teddy's eyes. “I changed his life.”

“Fenrir Greyback, you are under arrest,” Teddy repeated, ignoring him. He conjured a pair of handcuffs and walked over to Greyback. “You have the right to remain silent. I suggest you use it,” he said as he cuffed the werewolf. “If you choose not to be silent, anything you say can be used in your trial. You will have a trial. If you cannot find representation, we will find it for you.”

Teddy grabbed Greyback's arm and pulled him off the table and into a standing position. As he did so, he met the older man's eyes. They were yellow, pure yellow, and completely unforgiving. He looked like the face of evil, as if Greyback had no human soul left. It was in that moment that Teddy knew for sure that this werewolf held no similarities to his father. Greyback lived to spread evil, while Remus Lupin had lived to stop it.

Teddy slapped a set of handcuffs on Greyback. He opened the door and pushed Greyback out into the corridor, still holding onto his arm. Walter followed and the two walked alongside each other as they led Greyback to the holding cells.

Harry was waiting for them when they arrived. He shoved Greyback into a cell and locked the door behind him.

“Your dad would be incredibly proud of you,” Harry said to Teddy.

Teddy nodded and gave Harry a half-smile.

Chapter 29: Ministry Districts

Albus awoke the next morning to the sound of an owl pecking at the window. He rose from his bed and went to let it in. The owl was unfamiliar, but he vaguely recognized it as the breed of owl the Ministry of Magic used. The letter was addressed to him, so Albus took it, let the owl back out into the cold, and set down on his bed to open it.

Albus-

We got him.

-Dad

That was all it said, but it didn't need to say anything else. His dad probably couldn't say anything else in a letter, anyway. Albus folded up the parchment and shoved it into his bedside table. He glanced at the clock and realized there was no point in going back to bed since classes would start in two hours.

Instead, he got started on that week's Charms reading while he waited for John to wake up. This took a good hour and when he finally did wake up, it took him fifteen minutes to fully wake up and get dressed. John was not one for mornings.

Albus waited until they were in the Great Hall for breakfast to tell John about the letter from his dad, so that he could tell Kaden, Rose, and Amanda, too. Luckily they managed to find a relatively secluded part of the table.

“I got a letter from my dad this morning,” Albus said as he scooped eggs onto his plate. “They got him.”

“Oh thank God!” Rose exclaimed.

“Did he tell you about it?” John asked.

“No,” Albus said. “But I'm sure it'll be in the Prophet tomorrow.”

The group decided to eat a very quick lunch later in order to visit Matt before their afternoon classes. Albus wanted to tell him about Greyback as soon as possible.

Albus found it incredibly difficult to keep his mouth shut during potions because the rest of his classmates were discussing Greyback and whether he had attacked anyone the previous night. Janie Creevey swore she saw him on the grounds from her dormitory window last night, but Karina and Marina said it was only a dog. Two of the Slytherins said they heard howling all night, and Scorpius said one of the older students had received a letter from his brother claiming to have seen Greyback in Diagon Alley. It seemed that Albus and his friends were the only ones in the entire castle who knew Greyback had been captured.

Scorpius Malfoy left potions early after speaking in whispers with Slughorn. Whatever it was it was a good excuse since Slughorn actually let him go. Albus thought this was very curious, but didn't dwell on it since his mind was still racing about Greyback. He wanted details about the capture, but probably wouldn't get any until he read the article in the Prophet.

“Anyone know why Malfoy left?” John asked as they hurried up to the Great Hall for lunch.

“No idea,” Albus said. “Maybe he was ill?”

“He didn't look ill,” John said. “I suppose if he is ill we'll see him in the hospital wing.”

Albus and his friends ate the fastest lunch they'd ever eaten and rushed up to the hospital wing. Kaden had Herbology after lunch and would need a good bit of time to get there, so they wanted to spend as much of lunch as possible in the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey was busy berating a student for trying to charm her hair pink and had charmed it all off instead and didn't notice Albus and the others walk in. Only one bed was occupied and the curtains were drawn around it.

“Guess Malfoy's not here,” John said as he led the group over to Matt's bed.

John pulled the curtains back and Albus saw that Matt was sitting up in bed, eating lunch. This month he was sporting a bandage wrapped around his entire head and ones on his hands as well. He seemed to be having a bit of difficulty holding his sandwich.

“They better have caught him,” Matt said as he dropped his sandwich. “Dammit. I can't go another month wrecking my hands.”

“They did,” Albus said. “My dad owled me this morning, but he didn't give me any details.”

“I knew he was there,” Matt said. “The wolf wanted to get out again and this time I banged my head repeatedly against the door.” He gestured to the head bandages.

“I don't think you'll have to worry about that again,” John said. “They'll probably put twice as many guards on Greyback's cell.”

“I think this is the worst headache I've ever had in my life,” Matt muttered.

John grinned mischievously. “Shall Kaden and I do a repeat of last week's prank?”

Matt gave him a look of murder. “If you do, I'll kill you and I won't be responsible for my actions.”

“Just kidding,” John said.

“Madam Pomfrey wants me to eat lunch and then she's going to give me enough sleeping draught to sleep until dinner. I can't wait.”

“Well, I'm going to have a lovely afternoon of fertilizing magical plants with dragon dung,” Kaden said. “So aside from the turning into a wolf thing and the raging headache, I'm kind of jealous.”

“I'd take the dragon dung,” Matt said and then turned to Albus. “Embry is announcing who gets to watch the last debate today, isn't he?”

Albus shook his head. “They've actually put it off two more weeks. It was in the paper this morning. I guess they want it fresh in people's minds or something. Plus, we've got Quidditch Saturday and dueling Sunday.”

“Is Gryffindor playing?” Matt asked.

“Hufflepuff and Slytherin,” Albus said. “If Hufflepuff wins, then we'll be ahead in points. But if Slytherin wins, we'll probably be behind them.”

“Here's hoping for Hufflepuff, then,” Matt said. He glanced at his half-eaten sandwich. “I think I've given up on eating. I don't mean to kick you lot out, but I'm really looking forward to sleeping.”

“Not a problem,” Albus said. “We'll see you later.”

“I think I'll be back tomorrow,” Matt said. “Unless this headache doesn't go away.”

John glanced at the clock. “Brilliant. There's enough time for me to run back to the Great Hall for an eclair before Transfiguration.”

“I'll join you,” Kaden said.

“Me, too,” Albus agreed.

The girls decided that a second dessert was in order as well, so the whole group hurried back to the Great Hall before their next class. On the way there Albus realized just how much better he felt now that Greyback was once again behind bars.

***

“Teddy arrested him!” Albus exclaimed at breakfast the next morning. He'd just finished reading the article about Greyback.

“Seriously?” Rose exclaimed, grabbing the Prophet. “I didn't even know he went on that mission.”

Albus nodded. “It was him, my dad, your dad, and Matt's dad. Plus Newman and a few Werewolf Control Unit employees. And those kids who got attacked last week were captured, too. Apparently their parents didn't put any wards up on the shed they were in.”

“That's stupid,” Rose said.

“Was anyone hurt?” Amanda asked.

“No,” Albus said.

“Oh, look, they've quoted Laurentis,” Rose said. “Listen to this. 'Greyback's recapture is wonderful news for wizarding Britain. I applaud both the Auror Department and the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for their collaboration in this capture, especially Harry Potter and Walter Eckerton. However, there are still four prisoners at large. The work is not done and we must remember this before celebrating.'”

“Did they quote your uncle?” John asked.

“No,” Rose said. “It says he hasn't made a statement about it yet.”

“I honestly think that this is only going to make his support of your dad look better,” Amanda said. “Laurentis can try, but this is a success. I mean, just look at the article. Absolutely nothing went wrong with that capture. There were three werewolves on the loose in Hogmseade and nobody got attacked. It's that simple.”

Albus hadn't thought about it in that way, but it was true. Three loose werewolves would normally be a nightmare for a quiet village like Hogsmeade, but thanks to the Aurors and the Werewolf Control Unit employees, nobody got hurt.

“I'll just be happy when this election is over,” Albus said.

“You're telling me,” Cedric said as he sat down across from Albus. “I don't even care who wins anymore.”

***

Hufflepuff somehow managed to squash Slytherin during Saturday's Quidditch match. Albus chalked this up to the fact that Hufflepuff had the best team they'd had in years, and that Slytherin's Keeper had landed himself in the hospital wing after blowing up his potion on Friday, earning him a ban from the match by Madam Pomfrey. But whatever the reason actually was, it was certainly beneficial to Gryffindor.

Albus awoke early on Sunday, suddenly riddled with nerves about the dueling tournament. This month's tournament was the second to last of the year since all the professors had agreed to end it earlier due to exams. Many of the seventh years had expressed that they couldn't supervise practices while studying for N.E.W.T.s. But this meant that Albus only had two more chances to secure a win for his team, something that hadn't happened yet this year.

Albus and Amanda were the first of their team to arrive in the Great Hall before the tournament. The rest of the team trickled in slowly as they waited. Five minutes before the tournament was scheduled to begin, the only person missing was Malfoy.

“It's not like him to be late,” Amanda commented. “Usually he's here early telling you what an awful job as captain you do.”

“No, it's not,” Albus agreed as he stood up to get a better look at the doors. “I don't see him.”

“He wasn't in potions the other day,” Amanda reminded Albus. “Actually, I haven't seen him since he left potions early on Tuesday.”

Albus thought back and realized Amanda was right. “Oi!” he called to his group of Slytherin teammates. “Any of you know where Scorpius Malfoy is?”

“He went home,” one of the third years said. “No idea why. He hasn't been here since Tuesday.”

“He went home?” Albus repeated, staring at the third year. “That's odd.”

The third year shrugged. “He didn't tell anyone anything about it. He just left.”

Albus had to admit that this news gave him as much disappointment as confusion. Scorpius Malfoy was one of the team's best duelers, no matter how annoying he was.

“No one goes home when it's not a holiday,” Amanda said.

“Yeah, not unless they're really ill or something awful happened to their family,” Albus said.

“Attention students!” Neville called out. “The tournament is about to begin!”

Albus managed to push all thoughts of Malfoy out of his mind for the duration of the tournament. Most of his teammates dueled well, although only Albus and a few other fourth years won both their duels. In the end they secured third place, which was certainly better than a good portion of the rest of the teams, but still wasn't first. They were still in the running for winning overall at the end of the season, but they'd need to do really well in the final tournament.

Albus and Amanda met the rest of their friends in the Marauder's Den after the tournament was over.

“Did Malfoy skip the tournament?” John asked as soon as they entered. “Not that I'm complaining since your team probably would've beat mine if he had showed.”

“Apparently he went home on Tuesday,” Albus said. “I'm assuming that's why he left potions early, but no one has any idea why he went.”

“Maybe his parents took him on holiday,” Matt said. “They seem the type to do that.”

“You're not allowed to miss classes unless it's a good excuse,” Rose pointed out. “I don't think going on holiday is a good excuse.”

“I think something bad is happening to someone in his family,” Amanda said quietly. “Remember that letter he was reading during practice? And how quiet he's been lately?”

“I'll ask Elsie Willinson,” Rose said. “I tutor her tomorrow. Chances are that Malfoy told Felix about whatever's going on so maybe Elsie knows, too.”

But whatever was going on with Scorpius Malofy, Elsie Willinson was just as clueless as Albus and his friends. She either had no idea or refused to tell Rose, despite the fact that Rose prodded her about it ever ten minutes during their tutoring session on Monday.

Malfoy returned to classes on Tuesday, walking into potions fifteen minutes late, and Slughorn made no mention of his tardiness or the classes he missed the previous week. Albus attempted to watch his face during class but he gave no clues about his emotions.

“Hey, Malfoy!” Albus shouted as they left the classroom a short while later.

Malfoy spun around and met Albus's eye. He didn't look angry, nor was he sneering. Instead, he just looked lost. “What do you want, Potter?”

“Missed you at the tournament Saturday,” Albus said, hoping Malfoy would tell him where he'd been.

“Bet you didn't win without me,” Malfoy replied.

“Third place,” Albus answered. “Where were you?”

“None of your business, Potter,” Malfoy said as he turned around. He sped up and was soon lost in the sea of students hurrying to the Great Hall for lunch.

***

The following week passed quickly and Albus soon forgot about Malfoy and his mysterious disappearance. The election was now only a week away and everyone in the castle, students, professors, and ghosts alike were talking about it. With only one debate remaining, it was up in the air as to who would win. The Prophet published a poll they'd taken and neither candidate had a significant lead on the other.

“Kingsley Shacklebolt, former Head of the Auror Department, was the last Minister of Magic selected by the Wizengamot,” Professor Banks said in class two days before the final debate. “His selection was very quick and he stepped into office the day after Voldemort's death. While most of the wizarding world knew that the Ministry needed an overhaul, they also needed someone to take charge and supervise the overhaul.

“Shacklebolt held office for three years while supervising the drastic changes that made the Ministry of Magic the governing entity we see today.”

Albus had met Kingsley Shacklebolt a few times and found him slightly intimidating, but funny at the same time. He just had a very commanding presence and Albus wasn't surprised he'd been made Minister of Magic after the war.

“The three years Shacklebolt held office were very tumultuous. Decisions had to be made, drastic ones, and they were not easy. The first and most obvious decision was the decision to change the way the Wizengamot was set up. The Wizengamot as it was was incredibly corrupt. Remember that prior to this redesign every pureblooded family held a seat on the Wizengamot, but this left half-blood and Muggle-born witches and wizards without representation.

“Shacklebolt, along with the other Ministry officials working to reorganize the Wizengamot looked to the Muggle world for inspiration. The previous Wizengamot bore more resemblance to the Muggle House of Lords, the Upper House of Parliament. It was decided that the Wizengamot ought to more closely resemble the House of Commons, the Lower House of Parliament. In the Muggle world, these representatives are called Members of Parliament, MPs for short, and are elected. In the wizarding world, they are simply called members of the Wizengamot.

“Members of the Wizengamot then began being elected by the general public, much like MPs are elected in the Muggle world. Each member has a district, although figuring out these districts was far more difficult than it was in the Muggle world. Does anyone have a guess as to why?”

Amanda raised her hand. “Yes, Miss Tagger?” Banks said.

“Witches and wizards aren't as uniformly spread out throughout the United Kingdom,” Amanda explained. “In the Muggle world the districts are very much based on towns, but wizards don't really have towns.”

“Correct,” Banks said. “Because of this the districts, if shown on a map, would look vastly different in terms of size. For example, London has three separate districts because there is a very large wizarding population in London. It's far easier for wizards to blend in in a large city than a small town since things generally go unnoticed in big cities. On the other hand, Wales only has two districts, and therefore two representatives, since it's much less densely populated by wizards.”

Albus didn't have a clue as to who his district's representative was, or even what district he lived in. It was one of three, as he now knew.

“I've taken the liberty of printing a map with a list of all the representative and district numbers,” Banks said as he began passing out sheets of parchment. “I'd hazard a guess than very few of you know what district you're in or who your representative is.”

Albus looked at the sheet after he received it. London seemed to be divided into West London, North London, and East/South London. North London, where Albus lived, was District Two, currently represented by a bloke named Oliver Prang.

“Elections are held every five years,” Banks said. “None of the representative are up for election this year, but most are up for election next year. None of you will be of age to vote in next year's election, but I suggest you read up on your representatives views and beliefs anyway.

“To entice you to learn,” Banks continued as he walked around his desk, “I am assigning an essay, due in two weeks. Figure out who your representative is and write me a foot-long essay detailing your representative's beliefs and whether you agree with them or not. I suggest looking at old copies of the Prophet as well as archived transcriptions of Wizengamot meetings, both available in the library. You are welcome to use any other sources as you see fit.”

There was a general groan from the class, which made Banks grin. He always seemed to love assigning homework.

“Now onto the more exciting news,” Banks said. “This Saturday is the final debate and four of you will be able to attend. I apologize in advance for those whose names have not been chosen, but there simply were not enough debates. As usual, the rest of you will listen to the debate in the Transfiguration classroom.

“The two from Hufflepuff are Sam Bordeaux and Cassie Hornell. The Gryffindors are John Brickston and Janie Creevey. Your essay on this debate, to be formatted like the previous two, will be due in a week. Class dismissed.”

“I knew it would be me,” John said as the packed up. “Bilius and Ethan have already gone and you two get to go every time.”

“I hadn't even realized that,” Albus said.

“Karina's the only one of us who won't get to go,” Rose pointed out.

“That essay, though...” John said. “The one on our representatives. That's going to take forever.”

“Not if you do your research right,” Rose said as they left the room.

“Any of you in District seven?” John asked.

The rest of the group shook their heads. They compared district numbers, but none of them were in the same. Rose and Matt were the closest, with their districts bordering on each other.

“I guess we're all doing our own research then,” John said with a sigh.

Rose gave him a satisfied smirk, clearly happy that she wouldn't have to cope with John attempting to bum off her research. Albus wished that he and Rose were in the same district because he, like John, did not relish doing this research. Usually they only had to use their textbooks for research, but not this time. This time, their textbooks wouldn't help at all.

Chapter 30: The Final Debate

As the week progressed more and more of the Prophet was dedicated to election coverage. By the time Saturday arrived it became nearly impossible to find a single article that wasn't about the election. There were editorials, interviews, statements from the candidates, opinion polls, and more. Albus was getting so tired of it that he didn't even glance at Saturday's edition.

“Place your bets here!”

Albus glanced up from his breakfast to see James, Cedric, and Ben walking up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables carrying a jar filled with coins.

“We're taking bets!” James shouted. “Any takers?”

“What are you betting on?” Albus asked. “Who wins?”

“No, that's boring,” James said. “We're taking bets on how long it'll take the debate moderator to bring up that crazy Australian bloke who kidnapped you last year. This debate is on International Magical Cooperation, after all.”

It hadn't even crossed Albus's mind that last year's incident would be brought up in this debate, but James was probably right. It was the biggest international scandal wizarding Britain had seen in years.

“What's your bet?” Albus asked his brother.

“Ten minutes,” James said. “We've had a few people say it'll happen right away and others who are giving it as long as a half hour.”

“You do realize that your dad's the one moderating this debate, don't you?” Rose asked, setting down her copy of the Prophet.

James, Cedric, and Ben exchanged a glance. “Er, no, we didn't know that,” James said. “How do you know?”

“Says right here in the paper,” Rose said, pointing to it. “He might not bring it up.”

“I hope he doesn't,” Matt muttered. “I'd rather just forget Lubar's existence.”

“He might still bring it up,” James said. “It was a fairly big incident.”

Rose shrugged. “It's possible.”

“So what would Uncle Percy say if he knew you three were taking bets on the debate?” Albus asked with a grin.

Cedric paled. “He's not going to find out. Everyone who places a bet is sworn to secrecy. We've had them sign something. If they say anything their faces will turn orange.”

“Isn't that like what Aunt Hermione did for the D.A?” Albus asked.

“Sort of,” Cedric said. “But we've told people about it, so they know what they're signing.”

“Any bets, then?” James asked.

Albus and his friends all shook their heads no. Last year's incident was far too personal for them to place bets on whether it would be a debate topic.

“We're wasting time, then,” James said as he led Cedric and Ben further down the aisle. “Place your bets here!”

“They're idiots,” Rose muttered.

Albus agreed.

An hour later Albus, Rose, Matt, and John were back in the Great Hall for the debate. Albus soon realized that this debate would be watched by even more people than the past ones, with many people standing in the back due to lack of seating. Personally, Albus thought most people would've already made up their minds since the election was only four days away, but clearly it was still a popular event.

John had to sit with the other students who'd been picked while Albus, Rose, and Matt sat up front, like usual. All of Albus's cousins were there, including Georgia, who looked like she was forcing herself to smile.

“Hey, Georgia,” Albus said.

“Hi, Al,” Georgia replied. “I'm so glad this is nearly over.”

“Me, too,” Albus agreed. “How is the team?”

Georgia's fake grin grew genuine. “Oh, they're wonderful! Connor Blythe, the Keeper, he put in his notice that he's only going to do one more season after this one and he told me he's recommending me to take his spot. Me! And I've only been on the team for a year!”

“That's wonderful!” Albus exclaimed. “You'll have to get me tickets to your first match.”

“Oh, I expect everyone in the family to be there at my first match as permanent Keeper,” Georgia said. “And I want Dad right there in the front row, cheering me on.”

“Well, if he wins, he'll have to keep supporting you,” Albus pointed out.

“Yes, well, I want it to be real,” Georgia said. “We'll see.”

“Could everyone please take their seats?” Kendrick announced in a magically amplified voice.

Georgia left and went to her own seat, as did everyone else who was still standing. The room grew quiet and Kendrick took a few steps forward.

“Thank you. I'd like to welcome you all to Hogwarts. This is the last debate of the election and I appreciate the Ministry allowing Hogwarts to take such a big role in it. It has been a wonderful learning opportunity for staff and students alike. Remember, Wednesday is election day, so please cast your votes. Now, I would like to introduce today's moderator, a man who needs no introduction, Mr. Harry Potter, Head of the Auror Department!”

The room erupted in thunderous applause. It seemed that no matter how Laurentis tried to discredit Albus's dad, no one could take away the fact that he remained the Boy Who Lived.

Harry walked forward and took his place behind the moderator's podium. “Thank you, thank you,” he said and the crowd grew quiet once more. “Now, please welcome our candidates, Mr. Percy Weasley and Ms. Patricia Laurentis.”

The candidates received considerably less applause than Harry did, something Albus found incredibly funny. If his dad ever decided to run for Minister he'd have the thing won before the race even began.

“I am sure both our candidates know the rules by now. Five minute answers and five minute rebuttals,” Harry began. “Mr. Weasley, you will begin.”

Albus had to stifle his laughter at the fact that this dad called Uncle Percy 'Mr. Weasley.'

“The first question is very general,” Harry said. “In your opinion, how is Britain's relationship with its foreign neighbors? Should the Ministry be making more of an effort to work with its neighbors or are things fine as they are?”

“I think overall our ministry has a good relationship with foreign ministries and governments,” Percy began. “We have no current feuds with any foreign countries and all foreign talks have gone well in the past few years. However, I believe there is always room for improvement when speaking of relationships with other countries. There are always chances to reach out to our neighbors, and you never know when such relationships will be necessary.”

“Ms. Laurentis.”

“My opponent makes fair points,” Laurentis said. “And while I feel that furthering our relationships with foreign ministries is an excellent idea, I wonder if that is really where our energies should be focused right now. There are many issues we need to address here at home, and as Mr. Weasley said, our current relationships with foreign nations are good.”

“The Department of International Magical Cooperation deals solely with international magical cooperation,” Percy pointed out. “Working to fix issues at home is obviously a good idea, but what do you suppose this department does while we do that?”

“Well, yes, of course, that department is always working on international issues,” Laurentis said. “I was merely speaking of the Minister and his immediate officials.”

“Thank you,” Harry said. “Next question. The topic of changing the classification of werewolves from Beasts to Beings was brought up at the last debate. Both of you expressed no desire to bring this up with the international community. Have either of you changed your position on this in light of the recent capture of Fenrir Greyback? If not, will you explain in more detail why you feel the way you do? Ms. Laurentis, you may begin.”

Albus glanced at Matt. Maybe now they'd figure out exactly why Uncle Percy didn't want to change the werewolf classification, more than just it wasn't worth the effort.

“The capture of Fenrir Greyback was undoubtedly a success. I hope nobody has misconstrued my words on that. The fact that it was done without any injuries, let alone fatalities, was nothing short of amazing. The Aurors and Werewolf Control Unit employees who executed the plan of capture are to be applauded. However, I fail to see why the capture of one werewolf should affect our decisions on the group as a whole. If anything, if werewolves had been classified as Beings during that capture the Aurors and Werewolf Control Unit employees would not have been able to use the methods of capture they used. To be honest, I fail to see any benefits of reclassification.”

Albus felt Matt tense next to him. Laurentis really was clueless, wasn't she?

“Mr. Weasley.”

“I agree with my opponent about the capture of Fenrir Greyback. However, I disagree with her about the potential benefits of reclassification. First, the Aurors and Werewolf Control Unit employees could have used the same methods they used last night, as Head of Department Walter Eckerton does not allow any method of capture that would not be allowed if werewolves were classified as Beings. In terms of Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures rules and regulations, werewolves are to be treated as Beings. This has been the case since Eckerton took over as Head over a year ago. Perhaps Ms. Laurentis is unaware of this fact.

“As for benefits, those with lycanthropy would be able to secure jobs far more easily and would have the same rights given to goblins, house-elves, centaurs, vampires, and humans alike.”

Apparently his uncle had much more of an opinion than the one he gave at the last debate, Albus thought.

“Your time is up, Mr. Weasley,” Harry said. “Your rebuttal, Ms. Laurentis.”

“Then perhaps Walter Eckerton ought to take another look at the law,” Laurentis began. “Because it is perfectly legal of him to use more harsh methods to bring werewolves into capture. But since this capture was a roaring success, I will not fault him for that. As for werewolf rights, I have yet to hear of any complaints by werewolves about their rights.”

“That's because they don't complain to you,” Matt muttered under his breath.

“Your rebuttal, Mr. Weasley.”

“As I did not have time to fully answer the question, I will continue,” Percy said. “While it would be beneficial for werewolves if they were reclassified as Beings, I do not think it's feasible. It would require agreement from all nations, which is frankly asking a lot. I know for a fact Australia would never be on board, and considering our rocky relationship with that particular country, I do not feel it is in our best interests to begin talks of the reclassification of werewolves. In conclusion, I feel it would be a worthwhile endeavor, but given the unlikelihood of it amounting to anything, it would be a waste of manpower.”

“Thank you,” Harry said. “Next question. In regards to our rocky relationship with Australia, as Mr. Weasley put it, do you feel it would be beneficial to continue trying to get Ralph Lubar extradited to the United Kingdom? Mr. Weasley.”

Albus glanced at his watch. Whoever betted on forty minutes would be very happy, he thought. Albus had been hoping this topic wouldn't be brought up, but he supposed it was too big of an issue not to be.

“If elected I would defer this decision to the Department of International Magical Cooperation, since they possess the necessary expertise on the subject. However, it is my personal belief that it would be worth pursuing. I believe it is important to send a message that Ministry employees, even high-ranking officials such as Ralph Lubar, are not above the law. What Lubar did was terrible and in no world should he get away with it.”

“Ms. Laurenits.”

“Notice how Mr. Weasley did not mention that his nephew was one of the children kidnapped by Lubar,” Laurentis pointed out. “I think this might cloud his judgement a little. I disagree with him about this particular topic. We've been trying to have Ralph Lubar extradited for nearly a year and Australia has not budged. Why bother continuing to make efforts toward this when it is clear they will be fruitless?”

“If we give up, it will be telling the public that anyone can go commit a crime in another country and not be punished,” Percy said. “More than that, it demonstrates the corruption of the Australian government and having our citizens believe their government to be corrupt will not help international magical cooperation.”

“The possible corruption of the Australian government is not any of our business at the current time. We cannot force them to extradite Ralph Lubar and it is my personal opinion that they will never do so. I daresay that the Department of International Magical Cooperation has more pressing matters to deal with.”

“Thank you both,” Harry said. “We have time for one more question, but in light of the fact that the election is on Wednesday, I am going to give each of the candidates a chance to make a general speech instead. Mr. Weasley, you may speak first.”

“Thank you, Harry.”

Percy seemed unable to call Harry 'Mr. Potter.' Albus giggled at this.

“I would like to thank Professor Kendrick and the rest of the Hogwarts staff for being so accommodating, as well as the students. None of the students sitting in this room right now were alive before the Ministry was reorganized in 1998 through 2001. None of the students in this room were alive during Voldemort's reign of terror. They read about both of these in history books, because to them, it is simply history. To me, and the rest of the adults in this room, the previous Ministry and Voldemort are our past, our memories. We remember the terror, the unknown, the fear.

“I was a part of the reorganization of the Ministry. We all know the years that have followed- the years where we have lived without fear, without terror, without the unknown. I have been with the Ministry every step of the way since Voldemort's defeat and I will make it my duty to continue the peace that we've had for over twenty years. I will keep this short because I, like most of you surely do, believe that the best speech is a short speech. If you want a Minister who will continue the success of Minister Hartwell's time in office, vote for me, Percy Weasley, on Wednesday. Thank you.”

There was a smattering of applause, but it didn't last long. Albus had a feeling that most of the rest of the students wanted the election to be over.

“My opponent routinely brings up the past. He speaks of the war, Voldemort, and the old Ministry, but never once has he discussed the future, except in vague statements about keeping things the same. It's true that I was not involved with the reorganization of the Ministry over twenty years ago. I got into politics later in life. But I do not feel that this will make me an inferior minister, nor do I think it will be particularly beneficial to Mr. Weasley.

“History is just that. History. We certainly need to learn from our history to ensure that we do not make the same mistakes we did before, but it is not necessary to have lived through history to be a successful leader. There are plenty of Ministry employees, even a few high-ranking officials, who were not here during Voldemort's reign. Walter Eckerton, for example, did not live in Britain during Voldemort's reign. Yet he very successfully runs the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

“In short, I believe we need to focus on our future rather than our past. If elected minister I will make progressive changes in not only our ministry and laws, but our educational system as well. Things have been ran the same for over twenty years, and while I am not denying the success, I think we have needed change for a while. Escaped prisoners are running free. Hogwarts lessons are being taught the same way they were when these children's grandparents were in school. The ministry, along with its laws and policies, needs to adapt as the years go by. If you feel change is needed, if you are at all upset about the way things are, vote for me, Patricia Laurentis, on Wednesday.”

There was another smattering off applause. Albus didn't clap at all and neither did any of his cousins. If the election was based upon familial support, Percy would have it in the bag.

“I think your uncle may have won my parents' support back,” Matt said as they left the Great Hall.

“Yeah, he made himself sound a bit better today,” Albus replied. “Laurentis just doesn't get it.”

“Nope,” Matt said. “But she doesn't seem to have an issue with my dad, which is good if she gets elected.”

“What if she wins and she stops trying to get Lubar extradited?” Rose asked as they met up with John.

“She can't. The man is insane,” John said.

“Honestly, I think it would be better if he wasn't extradited,” Matt said quietly.

“Why?” John asked incredulously. “He kidnapped us and tried to bring Voldemort back!”

“He wasn't really a part of that,” Matt said. “That was the Willinsons.”

“But still,” Albus said. “Why?”

“Because if he gets extradited he's going to be angry,” Matt explained. “He's got quite a temper. And when he doesn't get his way he attempts to ruin the lives of those who stand in his way. Just think about it. If he were brought back here, what's stopping him from making my...condition...public?”

“He couldn't do that,” Albus said. “It's illegal.”

“You think Lubar would care? He did it in Australia!” Matt snapped. “He's already broken the law. And even if he got in trouble for it nothing could take what he said back. It sucks that he's not getting punished, but I think it would be better if the world just forgot about the whole thing.”

Albus hadn't thought about it like that before. Matt did have a point. But there was a part of Albus that just wanted to see Lubar behind bars.

“Plus, there's no way Australia will extradite him,” Matt said. “Your uncle and Laurentis are both right about one thing. The Australian government is very corrupt, and I don't think anything will happen until that corruption ends. Lubar won't be punished, and werewolves won't get reclassified as Beings.”

“So even though you moved, the Australian government still has some control over your life,” John said. “That's messed up.”

“Yeah, it really is,” Matt agreed. “But it's the way the world works.”