*****
A few hours earlier. Hogwarts Headmaster's Office.
There were two people in the room. Two creatures connected by one thread of fate, as well as by bonds that are much stronger than family ones. And right at that moment one of them was trying to understand why he was not in the mood to take him? What could have made him so sad? All he could do was sing his song. Maybe she can at least ease her "brother's" thoughts a little.
The world seemed to stand still. All magical devices stopped making any sounds, the living portraits froze, unable to even say anything. Everything in this room plunged into the magical song of the phoenix, as majestic and beautiful as the bird itself.
The old man sitting by the fireplace seemed not to notice this at all, continuing to think about everything that had happened. However, nevertheless, his gaze was no longer so unbearable, his thoughts became half a tone lighter, and his hand stopped squeezing a piece of Parchment (and there was more than enough strength in his "decrepit" body).
Closing his eyes, Albus allowed himself to relax for a brief moment, leaning back in his chair. Thoughts stopped galloping, frozen in anticipation of something. They wouldn't stand idle for long, but right now their "owner" was resting surrounded by the warmth and care of his brother.
Everything has its time, and so the song stopped pouring out of the phoenix. The last "notes" played their role, bringing laughter into this world.
Things that had once stood still resumed their course, the world came to life. Although, perhaps these are just a mirage, the colors seem to have faded.
The old man, who had been "sleeping" before, opened his eyes in an instant. The blue glow was filled with light again, bad thoughts disappeared. The Great Light Magician found a solution to a puzzle that had been bothering him for several hours.
*Bam!* Like a troll, a whole delegation of all the deans burst into the director's office. Looking at them with his shining eyes, the director invited the deans to the table with a wave of his hand, and he sat down at the "main" place - his throne.
"Albus," that naturally the lioness was the first to break down. -What do you think Fudge? - from her anger, her pale face acquired a scarlet tint, and her nostrils began to widen threateningly.
"The thought comes to me more and more often," the dean of snakes drawled venomously, folding his hands on his chest. "That our valiant minister is deprived of such an important organ as the brain," even though echoes of evil humor were heard in his speech, but in the dark eyes of the var's potion there splashed a serious struggle of emotions, hidden by the "mirror" of occlumency.
"I support your statement, colleague," the half-goblin said, turning the shelf in his hands, baring his teeth threateningly. "I wonder if we open his box, will we find anything?"
"You don't need to be so categorical, Filius," Professor Sprout smiled sweetly at him. - But the meaning is correct. Albus," the professor of herbology turned her head towards the director, who had remained silent until this time. — How did the minister comment on this instruction?
There was silence. Everyone waited with bated breath for what the old man would say, but he was in no hurry to answer. It seemed his mind was somewhere else, but not here.
"By order of the minister," the director finally answered after half a minute of tense silence. — And also with the support of the House of Lords: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry temporarily isolated from the outside world. Anyone who violates this prohibition will immediately become a criminal in the territory of Magical England.
Having finished speaking, the director closed his eyes again, once again plunging into his thoughts.
- But what about the children? — clearly worried about the younger generation, said an excited Sprout. "Not only can they not get home, but there is also a criminal walking around the castle who clearly does not intend to engage in conversation with us."
"Hogwarts is the safest place in the world," Snape said, obviously parading someone.
- Severus!
- Calm down, Minerva. Severus is absolutely right. That's exactly what the minister answered me," the director slightly upset his subordinate.
"But how…" the woman drawled in disbelief. - And there's nothing we can do? — the dean of lions said with hope in her voice.
— Alas, the decree was signed by the chairman of the board of trustees, as well as the House of Lords. "We can't do anything against this," the old man threw up his hands.
- But these are children! - this time the dean of badgers could not stand it.
"That is why we must do everything in our power to ensure their safety," Albus drawled sternly.
All the deans looked at each other.
"What should we do, Albus?"
*****
Present tense. Hogwarts Castle. Ravenclaw Common Room.
At the moment, the living room of one of the quieter faculties looked more like a market square than a "home" of smart guys. Noise, hubbub, hubbub, screams, arguments - all this produced a real cacophony of sounds. Each child considered it his duty to speak out about the current situation.
- What does he allow himself?! - Michael Corner exclaimed, addressing no one in particular. - Forcing US to stay in the castle by force. Yes, when the minister finds out about this...
- Do you think he doesn't know? - Astoria asked him. - If so, then I feel sorry for your meager mental abilities.
- What can you do, snake? - the guy exclaimed like a wounded rooster.
How ironic. Just a day ago he idolized Albus, and now he's unleashing all the dogs on him. Just like a real hyena.
"Michael," my tone instantly calmed the presumptuous guy. He even looked somewhat warily in my direction. - Astoria is right, the minister cannot but know about this. This means that everything that happens here happens at least with his tacit agreement.
— Moreover, the decision to "shelter" the school from the outside world should be made by three of the four "forces": the House of Lords, the Council of Trustees, the Ministry of Magic, and the Director of Hogwarts. And if," the girl emphasized this word. - All this is happening with the Director's light hand, then at least two more are aware of this.
"Oh, shut up," the guy muttered displeasedly and went to another part of the living room, looking for a more "smart" listener. After him, the Patil twin rushed off, looking in our direction to blame.
— Isn't it necessary to convene a meeting of all members when making a decision in the House of Lords and the Board of Trustees? — I asked Astoria, although I myself know the answer. Still, it was not in vain that I read those Talmuds about the laws of magical England.
"Usually, yes, but in emergency cases, only one representative can make a decision," the snake answered me, thinking a little.
— Who is our representative of the House of Lords, as well as the board of trustees?
"Bartemius Crouch is the head of the House of Lords, and the representative of the Council of Trustees is Lucius Malfoy.
"I see," I drawled, plunging into my thoughts. - Aren't they connected in any way?
"Absolutely not," the serious snake shook his head. "Moreover, they are fierce rivals in the political arena.
Two people. Each of them heads one of the most important administrative apparatuses in magical England. Ardent rivals who will not make concessions to each other in life. At first glance, everything is so. However…
Could it be that Barty Crouch Jr., the son of Bartemius Crouch Sr., was already able to overcome the influence of Imperius?
Barty Crouch Jr. is one of the most brilliant students at Hogwarts. He graduated from school with honors, but almost immediately went under the wing of Tom Redle (Dark Lord Voldemort). He quickly stood up to the level of other "important" magicians, joining the inner circle. (It is quite possible that he became a follower of the Dark Lord even before graduating from Hogwarts) According to the "main" story, he was put in Azkaban, from where he was rescued by his father at the cost of his mother's life (the inconsolable woman took an extreme step. Under the cover, she replaced Barty in the cell where died. And if you die under the werewolf, your appearance will not return). His father forcibly kept his son under imperius, but he was able to break free and take control of his father.
Could he already take control of his father? And then with his hands, in collusion with Lucius, to cut off Hog from the outside world? It is quite possible, because this way they will create an ideal feeding trough for a hungry ghost. And the one who knows who should not be attacked.
Although all this remains a theory. It is quite possible that the director is having fun. And without evidence I can't do anything.
"Okay," I said, getting up from my favorite place. "I'm going to my place, I still won't be able to work out properly here," I nodded towards the hubbub that surrounded us. "And I don't advise you to stay here for a long time."
After saying goodbye to the girls, I headed home. Hmm, maybe visit the help out room?
*****
Well, further actions were the consequences of previous decisions. Whoever started this game, he achieved his goal. The school was isolated, children could not leave the stone walls, Hogsmeade was banned. But the most "scary" thing for children, especially Muggle-borns, is the inability to send letters. I remember as soon as Albus Dumbledore spoke about isolation, the thought crossed my mind about the impossibility of transmitting letters. Well, it turned out to be true.
The clouds of owls sent with letters on the twentieth of December returned literally an hour or an hour later. None of them were able to leave a certain area surrounding the ancient castle. In response to the children's indignation towards the deans, they simply shrugged their shoulders, saying that it did not depend on them. Consequently, the children decided that if they were not teachers, then they were the director.
That evening, people like Korner looked at other children (and me too) with pride, saying: "See? Everything is as I said. Me, not some upstart." What's sad is that many children believed them, as a result of which "camps" arose that vehemently spoke out against the director and his decisions.
In light of these events, the children of ordinary children did not even have the thought of circumventing the "ban" or simply looking at their more "noble" fellow students. But they didn't look scared, angry, etc., no, they all behaved as before. Why? So they had other ways of communicating with parents and relatives: Through boxes (a pair of boxes, if you put something in one of them, then this "something" will appear in the other), notebooks connected with Protean charms (connection charms. What will be displayed on a sheet of one "notepad", the same thing will appear in another), and of course, end-to-end mirrors (two mirrors that allow you to communicate as if via video communication), where without them.
As I learned from Astoria, three spoke in favor of Hog's isolation: the Minister, Malfoy, and Crouch Sr. Everyone knows that Cornelius Fudge (the current Minister of Magic) is almost out of Malfoy's hands, so their joint decision was not surprising (they are puppets), but Crouch... Because of his decision, many are still dizzy . How did the two rivals come to a common decision? (It seems that my theory is not entirely false... or there is something more serious involved here, something that I have not yet been able to understand)
According to the same Astoria, Malfoy does not have long to be a representative of the board of trustees. There are rumors about the expulsion of Lucius (namely him, not his family) from the current composition. Well, if this happens, then no one will grieve much.
Also, our professors, together with the director, began to fulfill their duties too ardently. 24-hour patrols, golems preventing careless students from going where they don't belong; many different charms that were located throughout the castle... as if it were not us who were being protected from the heir, but him from us. True, occasionally, but I manage to see destroyed enchantments (as if someone had broken them with a fleeting touch), as well as the remains of golems trampled into the ground. Well, the snake apparently hasn't stopped hunting, which means the heir is somewhere nearby.
No matter what happens, Yule is approaching, which means we need to make further preparations for the ritual. The only question is, should I take anyone with me? Or do everything yourself?
*****
Harry Potter was angry, the hero was indignant, the Messiah of Light was running out of patience.
That's how it's been about two weeks since he (she?) failed the ritual to reveal his identity. Agree, this did not improve his (her?) mood at all.
However, he (she) has not been able to sleep for almost a week. And no, he is not tormented by nightmares, conscience or insomnia, no, if it were his (her) will, he would have been in bed a long time ago. However, it's not fate, it's all about the Guiding Star (p.a. Meridia's Guiding Star, huh), that same amulets with a bloody scarlet ruby in the center.
This amulet has only one, but very important ability - to search for the person whose blood it has absorbed. The purer and more magically rich (that is, not "cut off") the blood, the higher the search radius. Alone, he can work even with centuries-old blood that has long since dried up. Harry (Harriet) did not know exactly what the detection radius of this amulet was, but it was clearly more than two (century-old blood) meters.
Because of this, he has been wandering through the corridors of the castle for many nights, dressed in an invisibility cloak, clutching a guiding star in his hands. With each aimlessly spent day, he (she) began to boil more and more. Sometimes thoughts of giving up all this crept into his head, but occlumency (to a lesser extent) and fear of his uncle (to a greater extent) did not allow him to give up
Sighing tiredly, Harry once again turned towards the moving stairs.
"It seems like nothing today," flashed through the hero's (heroine's) head. "But don't be discouraged, sooner or later, but I'll definitely…"
Then his thoughts stopped moving, because the "star" became hotter, and the scarlet ruby began to blink with a bloody light. Without waiting for the weather by the sea, Potter began to look around, trying to find his enemy. However, he was unable to discover anything. The amulet went out.
"Damn, he's invisible too."
Accelerating sharply, Harry took off from his seat. Corridors rushed past him, but he did not pay any attention to it, because the amulet again lit up with a scarlet glow...
*****