1991 October
“Harry” Neville said.
“Yes?” He asked, he was quite tired, traversing the castle as a whole was tedious, the first month had been a rush of class to class, plus explaining to the Hufflepuffs why he was taking divination, and then the Ravenclaws caught on and demanded answers, it was not pretty.
Harry had also managed to get close to Polo for a weekend and was introduced to his mare, when it was found that the thestral was pregnant in the Spring they were pretty sure conception was in the winter.
“Mail for you” Neville said.
Harry perked up, it might be from Dora! Neville handed him a package. “Probably wants a response, seeing as its not moving.” Neville stated.
Harry pulled babblesworth out quickly.
Little Brother
I’m sorry to be writing so late, I can’t believe it’s already October! Would you believe I was lost down in the Creatures ward? Interesting sorts, creatures, higher pain tolerance, wonder if that translates to me?
Anyway I just wanted to say HA! To mum, in theory as I’m quite sure she might not see this. I knew you’d go into Hufflepuff. Charlie bet on Ravenclaw, I’ll have to get that Galleon.
You must already know of the Break-in, which, would you believe, I didn’t hear about until a month later, seriously, a month. Oh and if you think that’s the worst of it, Bill has yet to have caught on to my less than subtle advances, any tips little brother? You know him best.
Say hello to that twin of yours, and make sure to keep me updated on the status of the colt. Also, nothing new on the Trelawney front right? Just making sure my little brother is safe. Oh and tell Gemma that I don’t mind if she scares off the girls, though I’m sure your twin is doing a fine job on his own.
Oh and by the way, my very late gift for making the Hufflepuff family officially is that very tiny little owl standing right in front of you. ‘Something off about her’ the shop owner said, and so I knew who she needed. Get it who?
Love
Dora
Harry scrunched his nose. Who? What did she mean. He’d ask the twins later. Meanwhile he reached out towards the little bird and felt a peck on his finger. She hopped onto his arm, which happened to be bare because he’d rolled up his sleeves.
“Oh” Harry stated. “Something off about you indeed, Arke…” Harry said absently as he stroked the Owls wings. She couldn’t have been any smaller and have been trained in deliveries, though he’d bet she was deceptively strong. He’d find out her mystery soon enough.
oOo
The first problem of the school year was when he went to sit with Gemma for the first time. He was sitting quite peacefully at the Slytherin table while waiting for the rest of the school to show up. Gemma had filled his plate with food and he was just about to take a bite when he heard a sneer.
“What’s the mudblood doing at our table?” a high pitched but definitely male voice said.
“Ten points from Slytherin for derogatory language” Gemma said coolly from beside him.
“You can’t do that!” The voice screeched.
“I can, and I did. Now go sit down before I take more.” Gemma said.
“My father will be hearing about this!” The voice said before ambling off.
“Thanks Gemma.” Harry smiled.
“No-“ Gemma started.
“Mr. Tonks.” Oh, that was the voice of their defense professor. Qurranus Quirrel was supposed to be coming back this year to teach, but he’d never shown. Instead a low level Auror named Robbin Ralph had taken over. Harry hadn’t had any problems with the man so far, seeing as all they had done was theory but now he was hovering behind him. “Mr. Tonks, what are you doing sitting at the Slytherin table?”
“I was just sitting with my friend Professor Ralph.” Harry answered.
“Go back to Hufflepuff before I dock points.” Ralph said.
“Professor Ralph, houses are allowed to intermingle at meal times.” Gemma stated.
“Not when I attended” Ralph countered.
“Ralph” Maimeo’s voice came “What are you doing?”
“I was just asking Mr. Tonks to move to his house table Headmistress.” Ralph said.
“Students are allowed to intermingle at meal times, it allows for interhouse unity, not to mention the year difference which allows for a stronger bond within the school.” Maimeo said. “Go back to the head table.”
Harry heard Ralph shuffle off.
“Thanks Headmistress” Gemma said.
“Thank you Maimeo.” Harry smiled.
“No problem Harry.” Maimeo assured and then ruffled his hair.
oOo
The next day Harry sat at Gryffindor with the twins.
“Fred?” He asked.
“Yes Harry?”
“Dora sent me this letter and I don’t understand the last paragraph, will you read it?” Harry asked.
Fred grabbed the letter from his hand. “What don’t you understand?”
“She said, get it who?” Harry said. “Who what? I don’t understand.”
Fred didn’t answer for a moment. “What do owls say Harry?”
“What do you mean?”
“What noise do they make, mate?” George piped in.
“Hoot” Harry answered.
“Yes Owls go hoo, hoo” George said. “She wrote that, hoo not who.”
“What does that mean?” Harry asked “I know she wrote who.”
“No H-O-O, not W-H-O” Fred corrected.
“Oh.” Harry said, not fully understanding for a minute. “Oh!” He exclaimed, okay that made sense. “Thanks guys.”
oOo
Meanwhile somewhere in Germany.
A tall slim figure trudged up a steep inlcine, his white beard flowing in the wind, his white robes blending into the scenery. After many hours of climbing he reached the top where he saw a grim onyx fortress. An arch over the doorway read “For the Greater Good.” The wind seemed to rip right through his bones and the air was so thin he began to wheeze.
This is where Gellert had spent the last fifty years, this is where he had left his friend to rot, in hopes of becoming a savoir only to be overtaken in his role by a mere babe.
Things had gotten out of hand, very quickly and he only hoped that no one realized the truth of what happened after Andromeda had visited the ministry.
Now if he knew Gellert half as well as he thought he did it would take many months to break into the prison. The German magicals didn’t want to exert energy to guard him and no dementors haunted the area, so they had used Gellerts magic against him in holding him hostage. Food was spelled to show up three times a day, and Albus was looking to hone in on that spell without tipping anyone off to his presence there. It would be a long autumn, but it would be well worth it.
oOo
In Luxembourg.
It had been a tedious eleven years for Lord Voldemort’s waif. Wandering around, hopping from animal to animal. It was ridiculously hard to take control over their brains, mostly because they didn’t have any, or if they did it made little to no sense to the human brain. None of his followers had come to get him, which was the worst part. But he knew of one that he could trust, Severus Snape, the man who had done anything and everything to help him in his life.
Severus was a spy, for who he could never be certain, but he was the only one who could not have come looking when his supposed death had happened. Severus was the only one who would be walking in the sun like a free man and have the ability to help him. It was a humbling prospect, to need someone’s help. It was why he’d left things to Lucius and Bellatrix, he fully expected each of them to be in Azakaban or there would be hell to pay. Of course these thoughts took nearly six years to work into coherent sentences, and another three to influence the animals that hosted him enough to get them to move in the right direction.
Lord Voldemort barely knew the time that it had taken him to get from Albania to Luxembourg but he knew it had been a while. He was just hoping that nothing was too messed up upon his return.