Moving Toward Yule
It was Sunday late afternoon and Professor Garrick Septimus was supervising the Hogwarts' Defense Association.
Based loosely on the DA of his own teenage years, the group accepted witches and wizards of all years. Its complete concentration was on basics, first of all, and then simple spells and procedures to protect oneself in the Magical and Muggle worlds.
Members of the DA knew exactly what their legal limits were as regards casting spells and under what circumstances it was allowed. Procedures for contacting the Ministry as regards defending use of underage magic was also included.
While he had been "the leader" when it began, he had appointed several students as "supervising assistants" and, surprising many (but not himself really) one of his best assistants was Severus Snape, 5th year Slytherin.
While the teen had little patience with deliberate stupidity, a student who had real problems could expect a precise and insightful observation as to the trouble at hand. Gary had amused himself putting the teen in charge of second year students, including all houses. He hadn't made a Hufflepuff cry yet and Gary took that as a win.
Petunia and Peter helped with the first year students as of the moment. Because Petunia was fairly new to magic, she had an understanding of their problems and, as Gary hoped, her own progress became exponentially fast by the simple expedience of getting her to teach.
He planned on moving her to second years after the Yule break.
Lily and James he had originally put in charge of upper level Charms and Transfiguration type spells. There was an immediate problem: Both understood their subjects too instinctively to spot small inconsistencies in the casting of such spells in others.
In addition, a few purebloods objected to the idea that a … Muggleborn … might have a better understanding than a pureblood. After allowing Lily to romp all over all comers as regards charms, Gary then diagnosed the issues they had.
After that point, Lily was supervising the Transfiguration-type spells (creating solid objects, for example, to defend against unforgivables; changing things to stone with a Duro, etc.) and James took over the Charms-related defensive spells (banishing, vanishing, summoning, reducto, etc.).
It improved things much and both became more observant of what the problem was. Gary could have explained it (Transfiguration took more visualization and Charms took a purer intent) but he hoped they would realize it for themselves.
He also had a sixth-year Hufflepuff and a seventh-year Ravenclaw assisting students as well.
Remus was put in charge of students who had trouble understanding things. He was a natural teacher (much like Garrick was himself) and could root out the problems that almost any student was having with minimal time and effort.
He would have had Sirius helping to teach as well, but he tended to flirt too much. He did, however, make a competent opponent for students who felt that they had or were coming close to getting a mastery over a spell. If they got past Sirius, Gary would acknowledge that, yes, the student was ready to move on. If Sirius got under their skin and forced mistakes, Gary told the student to practice more.
Sirius always was the greatest wildcard among the Marauders.
After the Defense Association, Gary would spend time talking to Albus Dumbledore about the current situation with the "Magic-hating Baby Killers" and their leader.
He was heartened to find out that the protections put in place for the location of Muggleborns seemed to be effective: Attacks had dropped down to virtually none.
Gary sat back and thought for a moment. "Which one of us will be at King's Cross when the Hogwarts Express comes in from Hogwarts for the Winter break?"
Albus was curious. "What do you mean?"
Gary looked at the man. "People like Riddle flourish when they can create chaos which can't be defended against. It's like a schoolyard bully: If you can ignore them completely then the bully either goes for the big play and gets caught or moves on to easier targets. What bully wants to be ignored? With the Ministry's records becoming more secure (which will have to continue to improve) he's going to need to figure out a way into locating Muggleborns and how to attack them. What's the greatest concentration of Muggleborns that are available in the Magical world?"
Albus considered that and then his eyes shown realization. "Hogwarts!"
Gary nodded. "Exactly. We need to ensure that there are no tracking spells placed surreptitiously, this allowing the one who placed them to find out where that person lives. We need someone who can cast spells on the sly and repeatedly. Disguise it as something else."
Albus asked with some somberness, "Do you really believe this is going to happen?"
Gary shrugged. "I don't know. I do know that Riddle will not accept being thwarted so easily. He's going to have to do something. I believe that it's likely that if he can't solve this problem of locating easy targets among the Muggleborn, he's going to start targeting purebloods who disagree with his platform. And at that point, the Ministry will have to respond. They've gotten away with minimal action when regular magical citizens weren't targeted but that's about to come to an end."
"You paint a bleak world, Garrick. With some effort, these people can be reeducated as to the truth of things."
Gary snorted. "I admire your idealism in the face of an ugly situation, but there are a few things you have to face up to." Gary sighed.
"First things first: I'm the realist." Gary quirked his lips but hid it quickly – Albus was too far out of time to get the reference and so he let it go. "I'm the one who looks at things as they are and not as how I would prefer them to be. You're the idealist, which is wonderful in peacetime, but an absolute disaster when dealing with criminals and terrorists. Riddle is both of these things."
"Terrorist?" Albus asked curiously.
"The word was first used during the French Revolution in the late 18th century to describe government agents who operated a certain way. A terrorist is one who incites terror as a way to influence society. It's a particularly appropriate term for Riddle and his methods. He thinks if he can make people afraid enough, it will give him power and control. The only way to fight it is to call it what it is and convince people not to give into it. To continue living their lives despite it, even if they take reasonable precautions to defend themselves."
Gary glanced at Albus, who only looked interested in what he was saying.
"You know, a Pureblood in the Wizengamot who pushes for laws which hold up his vision for the political landscape is, really, just a politician. Everyone has a right to their own opinions and even the right to champion their causes. Fine. Perfectly legal. I disagree with the whole idea, but the proper way to counter them is proper debate and education.
"An insurgent is someone who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority. First cousin to the revolutionary, he might or might not be looking to replace the system. Riddle is definitely an insurgent.
"Someone who attacks government so as to take power can be called a revolutionary. He wants the system to change and he's not above attacking the current system to achieve that. If he wins, he's a hero. If he loses, he's a criminal. Riddle is trying to get to this status. He's acting as a terrorist to do this.
"But a terror as a political tool is contrary to everything that society is built upon. Calling a criminal terrorist anything other than what he is gives them too much legitimacy. If someone in the Ministry is in agreement with Riddle and does things which aide him, then they are, in effect, supporting a criminal organization. Muggle law enforcement spends billions of pounds every year to fight criminal organizations. They are a threat to the average citizen, to the government, and to society."
Gary sighed. "You feel they are just misinformed and, once they see the light, they will change. That's the idealist vision. But idealism is called such because it views only the best possible circumstances and outcomes: The ideal. And rare it is indeed which such is the case. Idealists who try to change the system more toward that ideal are wonderful – but they can't blind themselves to the circumstances on the ground.
"A criminal, attempting to kill another citizen, loses their right to protection from the government to keep their own life. You might prefer they be taken alive – but sometimes, it's just not an option. Or it's an option that, in the end, causes more damage than good. You can't allow twenty people to be killed because you don't want to kill the one who is committing the crime. That's a betrayal to the concept of society and civilization."
Albus considered what his Defense professor was saying. After a long moment, he sighed. "You are talking about the destruction of multiple magical lines."
Gary nodded solemnly. "Yes. I am. If they have become the enemy and actively commit crimes to help this idiot achieve his aims? Absolutely. You cannot hope to save society by refusing to oppose with your full effort those who are trying to destroy society."
Albus nodded. "The price paid for practicing Dark magic." Gary rolled his eyes. Albus looked at him curiously. "You disagree?"
"Yes. And no."
Albus gave a small smile. "Just so we're clear."
Gary grinned. "Yes. For the vast majority of circumstances, Dark magic has no place. But in a fight for your life, it might be your only chance."
Albus considered that. "Okay. Convince me. For example, give me one valid use of the Cruciatus curse. Just one."
Gary nodded. "Okay. You are an Auror and you come across a criminal casting a violent spell at a child. He's already begun the incantation. It's a spell that you don't have the ability to counter as the spell is being cast the other way. A stunner might bring that person down – but a stunner takes a quarter of a second. And if the man is wearing charmed robes (you can't tell) it will be ineffective. A killing curse takes too long to say the incantation. The Imperius curse takes anywhere from an instant to a few seconds to control a person. If the person has sufficient will, it's ineffective. A Cruciatus, however, will give instantpain. There's no way the criminal could finish the casting at the very instant the curse hits. And if you use it for just that split moment, you can then try a stunner, an incarcerous, or some other spell. But what other spell can you name that will guarantee that the wizard cannot finish the spell he's about to hit the child with in the time available?"
Albus considered that question for a long moment. "You know? I cannot recall another spell which would guarantee success given the circumstance you describe."
"My point. Now, my question is: Is using such a spell to save the life of a child really going to produce such a taint on one's soul that one deserves life in Azkaban?"
"I will have to consider your argument," was all of Albus' reply to that.
"Please don't believe that I am advocating wide use of Dark magic. There are good and valid reasons why such spells are forbidden. It takes a true sense of self to use Dark magic and not be taken in by the allure of it. I am not teaching students to use Dark magic either. I just believe that Magical Britain has too narrow a view of Dark – they automatically equate it with evil. And those that champion the use of Dark magic often have less than pure intentions. It is the rare wizard or witch who can use such spells without severe consequence to their soul."
Albus nodded. "On that, I completely agree."
"Anyway, I believe that one or both of us should be checking the students as they exit the platform to ensure no tracking charms are put on unsuspecting Muggleborns."
Albus nodded. "We will both go. I will be on the Platform side. I hope that you can operate on the Muggle side without being observed?"
Gary grinned. "Quite easily." He paused. "I will also teach my Defense Association, or at least the older ones, how to check for such spells and dispel them."
"Good. How is that going?" Albus asked curiously.
"Very well. I am using the drive of the Marauders as well as Severus Snape to achieve my goals without allowing them to devolve into schoolyard bickering. It's been quite fun."
Albus smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. "The Pranksters have been much quieter and much less malicious this year with their activities. It has been quite a relief to the staff, I can assure you."
"One reason why I treat them as I do."
Garrick Septimus was strolling down Diagon Alley. It was early December 1975 and he was on his way to Gringotts to see the Bank Manager about the idea of the warding schemes from Universe A3 being brought to this universe to be used by the same families that had the schemes there. It would require those involved (Potters, Weasleys, Prewitts) to be informed about the Interdimensional aspect of Gringotts. (He did not want his divinity to be brought out – that was totally unneeded in his opinion.)
Suddenly, Gary was hit with an unexpected spell. Internally he cursed himself for not paying attention to his surroundings. Externally, he only paused in his steps, as the caster of the Imperius Curse intended.
Using his divine senses, Gary recognized another low-level Death Eater who had taken advantage of seeing a target who was considered open game by Riddle because of things he had said and done. Gary snorted to himself as the commands got to him.
After a moment, Gary continued on. As he walked a little more slowly toward Gringotts (requiring the caster to attempt to 'reinforce' the Imperius) Gary decided how he wanted to deal with it.
He could: A) Ignore it. This would alert the Death Eater that his target seemed immune. B) Visibly fight it. This would make him seem a little more susceptible to the curse but make the Death Eater assume he had not concentrated enough. A and B would allow the Death Eater to get away. C) Casually turn after pulling his wand and stun the Death Eater from 15 yards away and then call the Aurors. This would alert the Death Eaters that he was immune and get this Death Eater in Azkaban. Or D) Attack the guard and get himself attacked in return and killed as the Death Eater intended. Yeah – that wasn't going to happen.
Finally he decided: Mix B and C. Make himself seem more susceptible by "visibly fighting it" and get the Death Eater caught. This would make it seem necessary for a higher-level Death Eater to be required to subdue him. Maybe even Tom himself. That would be fun.
And so, as soon as Gary got to the guards (who, like any goblin or house elf, could immediately sense his divinity) he winked at the guards and then pulled his wand. Suddenly he grabbed his head and screamed. "Voice in my head …. ordering me to attack … MAKE IT STOP!" Gary screamed again for effect.
The guards quickly looked around and saw the worried looking Death Eater who was casting the curse. The wizard immediately turned and started to move away – "releasing" Gary. At that moment, Gary casually sent a non-verbal stunner which dropped the Death Eater. Anyone watching would be distracted by the running wizard or the two goblins chasing him. However, everyone stopped when the wizard dropped. Gary ran over and cried out, "Call the Aurors! This Dark wizard cast an Imperius on me!"
One goblin stayed with Gary and the other retreated to Gringotts. Soon, that one returned, other guards were at Gringotts' door brandishing weapons, and they were waiting for an Auror.
It took some acting, but Gary was sufficiently "worried about the attack" when he gave the Aurors his statement rather than being too blasé – which is how he really felt. The wizard's wand was checked and, as reported, the last spell was the Imperius curse.
Gary watched in satisfaction as the low-level Death Eater was portkeyed away to the Ministry. He was looking forward to testifying – hoping that another Death Eater might attack him to try to get him to recant his original complaint.
He was hoping to get three or for Death Eaters caught using this whole situation.
But, eventually, Gary went on to do the business he had gone to Gringotts to take care of.
His students were sufficiently impressed with the story of how he had overcome the Imperius Curse and gotten a Dark wizard arrested. He had explained that a mental discipline called occlumency was one reason he was less susceptible to the spell and a flurry of witches and wizards started furiously studying and practicing the mental art.
It was a complete lie – his own nature and long experience made him immune – but occlumency did provide the best defense against the spell that was otherwise unblockable or at least the best defense that he could teach legally.
His other choice was to cast the spell repeatedly enough for the students to recognize its nature and to start to learn to fight it. This was the way Aurors and Unspeakables learned to control it. He didn't think he'd get permission from the Ministry or Dumbledore for that approach.
Overall, the students agreed that this year's Defense professor was one of the best one's they had ever had. They were well on their way to not only acing their OWLs and NEWTs but truly learning how to defend themselves and others.
As December continued, Gary thought that things would be easy for the rest of the school year – there was just over a week left before the Winter break.
His anticipation would be fruitless however with what happened only a few days after the Imperius incident.
It was December 15th, just a few days before the date the Hogwarts Express would be returning students to their homes for the Solstice, Yule, Christmas, or whatever event that the various students celebrated. Gary was supervising some additional practice for a few younger years who had some trouble with some of the spells.
Suddenly, there was a loud alarm. Gary looked around. "Floxy!"
The small elf appeared. "Master called?" Floxy had finally learned to ignore his divinity while he acted as a Professor.
"Can you tell me what this alarm is about?"
"Alarm is reaction to ward being active now."
"Which ward?" Gary asked.
"Rape ward." Floxy looked worried while Gary's eyes widened.
"Where?"
"Dungeons."
He called out to the students. "Everyone stay here! In half an hour or when the alarms are turned off plus ten minutes – whichever happens first – get back to your common rooms." He turned to the elf. "Where in the dungeons?" Floxy gave directions. "Okay, go alert the Headmaster and then come back and lead staff as needed to the location."
Floxy nodded and popped out. Gary quickly moved out the door and toward the lowest levels.
By the time Gary arrived, a few staff were outside of the broom closet where the incident apparently had happened. With one glance inside, Gary saw the product of the ward: The boy who was attempting to carry out the attack was visibly frozen by the wards, pants down, while the younger girl (5th year) had been being held down. She was not as locked but also couldn't withdraw.
Gary noticed that Slughorn was there (both students were Slytherin so he couldn't be sent away), as was Vector. He also saw Filtch, the caretaker, and a few other students.
"Students! Get back to your common rooms now. Except Felicia Channing," he pointed to the girl. She came forward. "Get a blanket and cover your female classmate and help keep her calm. We're waiting for the Headmaster to see what's happening and to release the ward." Felicia nodded. Before she withdrew Gary motioned her closer and put up a privacy spell. "Let her know that she's only being held in place so that the Headmaster can see the evidence to get her attacker charged. As far the Headmaster possibly seeing her, the blanket will cover her and help keep her modesty. I will only allow female professors to help other than the Headmaster, who prefers men anyway. Any questions?"
Felicia had her eyes wide open as she shook her head. "No, Professor."
"Good. Hurry up."
Slughorn and Gary were kept busy keeping the students far away while Septima Vector and Felicia Channing helped keep the girl company.
No one was interested in comforting the seventh-year who had tried to commit the crime.
Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey showed up at the same time as Dumbledore. As Gary explained the situation to the Headmaster, the school nurse diagnosed the victim. Other than a bruise from being struck, the wards had prevented the boy from accomplishing his intent. Dumbledore released the girl into the nurse's care.
He was about to release the boy when Gary interrupted. "Shouldn't we call an Auror first? And the guardians of the girl so that they can press charges in addition to seeing that she's safe?"
Albus was shocked. "Garrick! We never get the Ministry involved with Hogwarts business."
Gary rolled his eyes. "Remember our conversation? The boy's a criminal – he has lost the protection of society as far as his actions go. Expelling him won't make any difference – he'll have gotten away with it. It's a crime – let's treat it like one."
Albus sighed. His Defense professor was correct. As much as he was loath to do so, he called for Fawkes and sent a message to the DMLE, asking Fawkes to bring back a trusted Auror or two, with one at least being female so that the girl's statement could be taken.
When the Aurors arrived, they took notes of how the attacker was found as well as the witness statements as far as the victim's position. When Dumbledore released the ward to allow the seventh-year to move, he immediately started complaining that his rights as a pureblood were being infringed upon.
The Aurors weren't impressed. The fact that the Hogwarts' rape ward activated was sufficient proof that he was guilty of attempting the act. In truth, the boy was shocked that the ward was active – he had raped a girl the year before and, using an obliviated spell, he had never been caught.
The girl's parents were called and Gary and Albus found out that the girl was the only child of a pureblood couple. The Aurors were forced by the parents to also charge the seventh-year with attempted line-theft.
He was in deep shit. Gary had also recognized the name of the boy as a future Death Eater (not an inner circle but one whose name he had run into in one universe or another).
All in all, Gary was quite happy that the corrected wards had provided dividends already.