Chapter 106: The New School Year
"Ladies, please." A wave of my wand lifted Penny's, Fleur's, Daphne's, Astoria's, and Gabrielle's trunks, as all five of them had arrived at the station with me. I gestured for them to go ahead and find us a compartment. I could have Flooed to Hogwarts directly, of course, but I had no intention of wasting time I could spend with my fiancées and friends. Besides, this was the last day I could truly rest before the work began again.
"Thank you."
Fleur and Penny kissed me on the cheek at the same time, then climbed the steps into the carriage and disappeared inside. Daphne followed after a brief pause, and Astoria and Gabrielle ran up after the others.
I boarded at an unhurried pace and made my way to the compartment where Astoria and Gabrielle had stationed themselves, hovering outside for precisely long enough to show me which one it was. The moment I reached them, they were ready to step aside. I cast an Extension Charm on the compartment walls, the kind usually used on tents.
"Come in."
"There are exactly two birds in this group, for the record."
Penny delivered the remark with a light smirk, though she wasn't trying to wound Fleur and Gabrielle, and they knew it perfectly well.
"Indeed, we are birds, and proud of it, you little human!"
We all burst out laughing at Fleur's retort, while the trunks and bags settled themselves onto the overhead racks, and we fell into easy banter as we waited for the others. Within ten minutes the compartment had begun to fill with friends and acquaintances who wanted to travel with us.
I smiled inwardly, knowing they had no idea what awaited them at Hogwarts.
"Right, girls and boy."
I addressed our friends, noting with mild surprise that Harry Potter had somehow found his way among them. I had nothing against his company, though he had always struck me as... well, not particularly fond of studying, unless it concerned Defense Against the Dark Arts or dueling. Most other subjects barely seemed to register for him.
"There are reports that the train may be searched by Dementors, so keep your wands ready."
"Dementors?!"
Ginny stared at me in shock and disbelief.
"Yes."
"But how?! Why?!"
"All down to Fudge, the idiot."
I shook my head.
"He decided the increase in attacks by Death Eater imitators was justification enough to surround the school with those creatures. He'll find the school itself is beyond him, but the train is another matter."
I shook my head.
Though in fairness, several teachers are traveling to school by train this year as well, and Dumbledore has hired a couple of wizards capable of casting a Patronus, so ideally there won't be any real danger. Still...
"And you let him walk free."
Fleur shook her head.
"What do you mean, let him walk free?"
Several pairs of eyes turned towards me.
"Ah."
I made a dismissive gesture.
"Not the most pleasant story. He came to our home with thoroughly vile intentions. I saw through him, took him prisoner, questioned him, and handed him over to the Queen. And she released him."
"But why?!"
"Because a Minister like him is better than no Minister at all. Remove him now and the Ministry, which is busy building one of the districts, will tear itself apart in a succession struggle."
I shook my head.
"In short, I have to expect trouble from him."
The compartment door slid open, and Susan appeared. She saw our group and broke into a wide, happy smile.
"Professor Black! I was just looking for you! Thank you so much!"
She came straight to me and hugged me.
"If it weren't for you, I never would have known I had a gift for healing!"
"I'm glad I could help. How did St Mungo's treat you?"
"Well, the work was demanding, they kept loading me with more and more, but by the end they were letting me do initial patient assessments! I was mostly just determining which department they needed, and I did make mistakes in the more unusual cases, but they explained every single error in such detail..."
There was genuine wonder in her voice. She had found her calling.
"I'm glad for you."
"Thank you!"
She hugged me again, tightly.
"To be candid, I helped you partly to help myself. I'm counting on you to work in the St Mungo's branch in my district eventually."
"Even so."
She shook her head.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
I smiled at her.
"Sit down."
I nodded toward one of the empty seats.
"There's plenty of room, and half the compartment is looking at you with confusion and great curiosity."
"Well..."
Susan blushed slightly but sat down, settling next to Luna, and promptly began explaining to the mystified faces around her exactly why she had reacted that way.
Time flew past in cheerful conversation.
"Um, why has the train stopped?"
Gabrielle had been looking out of the window and noticed something amiss. Her question brought our conversation to an abrupt halt.
"Dementors, most likely. Everyone, be ready."
Fleur and Penny drew their wands, both capable of casting a Patronus. I had mine in hand as well.
The compartment door opened. I was already on my feet facing the entrance, wand leveled at the doorway.
"Step aside, young man."
I raised an eyebrow at the Auror standing in the opening.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because an Auror's telling you to."
"Does the Auror have documentation? Something confirming his authority to force his way into a compartment carrying Hogwarts students?"
"What bloody documentation?! A Dementor will check you over and we're done."
I gave the Auror a pleasant smile.
"You want to destroy Ministry property?"
He looked at me hard.
"If that is what it takes to protect Hogwarts students. Particularly since the House of Lords sent Fudge a formal document stating that his decision to deploy Dementors to the train and school constitutes an abuse of ministerial authority."
"Stop making trouble, boy!"
I think I'll take my chances.
I smirked.
"Right, you asked for it."
He raised his wand toward me. I fired a Paralyzing Jinx and he dropped.
"And he calls himself an Auror."
I raised an eyebrow.
"My aunt used to say..."
Susan added.
"That most of the Aurors who could actually do anything left and set themselves up in the new districts, just not the Ministry's district. The ones who stayed were the..."
Her voice wobbled slightly.
"Don't look at me like that! That's her exact word for them! Anyway, they decided it would be easier to climb the ladder and find a comfortable position in the Ministry's district."
We didn't have the chance to continue, because a chill moved through the air and a Dementor began to materialize in the corridor. I didn't wait for it to fully appear and turn toward us; I sent a powerful Fire Curse into it immediately.
"KIII-IIIII!"
The Dementor's shriek of agony rang out through what must have been the entire train, but it didn't last long. The creature collapsed into ash, and I had already sent a Binding Jinx at the fallen Auror.
A few moments later there was a thunder of boots in the corridor, coming closer.
"Nobody mo-"
The three Aurors who appeared in the doorway didn't manage to finish. A volley of a dozen Paralyzing Jinxes swept them off their feet.
"Bind them, then sit tight and wait."
"Draco, why didn't you go out into the corridor to stop them from searching the other compartments?"
Susan asked quietly.
"Well, firstly, it isn't my responsibility."
I shook my head.
"The people Dumbledore hired were supposed to handle this. Apparently they decided the money wasn't worth the effort. And secondly, I care more about your lives and safety than about strangers. You are my friends."
"Understood."
The train showed no sign of moving. The next visitors to appear outside our compartment were from the hired security detail.
"My apologies, there was a small diversion, and..."
They saw the battery of wands pointing at them and slowly put their own wands away.
"...may we take these?"
"Take them."
I gave a nod.
"Thank you. Don't worry, the train will move shortly."
The man kept his word: the train pulled away in under five minutes. For the next half hour our group couldn't quite shake the somber mood left behind by the Aurors and the Dementor.
"Right, come on."
Fleur clapped her hands a couple of times. We had all had our hot chocolate already, so she suggested a little game.
"What game?"
Luna looked at my fiancée with interest.
"Oh, this one was very popular at Beauxbatons."
She looked at the girls with relish, cast a pair of mocking glances at me and Harry, then began explaining the rules.
The game was simple enough, essentially a variant of Spin the Bottle, except instead of kisses, the forfeit was answering a tricky question from a randomly determined topic, with a second bottle deciding which topic applied.
When the train arrived I stepped out with everyone else and rode with the group to the castle in the carriages, then at last made my way to join the teachers' table.
"Draco."
Dumbledore addressed me.
"Yes, Headmaster?"
"I saw your application for a family room."
I nodded. Such an arrangement had a precedent at Hogwarts, uncommon but not unheard of. A handful of students per generation had made similar requests.
"Yes, I submitted it to Deputy Headmistress McGonagall along with copies of the relevant agreements."
"Yes, but these are not formal betrothal contracts in the recognized form used by noble families, and on that basis, simply granting the room outright..."
Dumbledore shook his head.
"...obliges me to have a conversation with you."
"Well, here we are, having one."
I shrugged.
"You're right that the arrangement is unconventional by the standards most of the old families are accustomed to, but everything between the girls and me is genuinely mutual, and none of us see any point in placing harsher restrictions on each other than necessary."
"I trust you understand that close association between the three of you..."
"Headmaster, my mother is a Healer, and I know perfectly well that before the age of sixteen such things are more likely to be harmful than beneficial. And if I want it to be genuinely beneficial to everyone involved, we'd do better to wait until eighteen."
"I am glad to hear it. Even so, I must ask you to ensure your fiancées undergo regular medical examinations with Madam Pomfrey."
I closed my eyes briefly.
"You know, Headmaster..."
My fists clenched of their own accord.
"Hearing that particular demand makes me really want to break your glasses. The only thing stopping me is knowing it wouldn't accomplish anything, just noise nobody needs right now."
"Ha, it isn't my age holding you back?"
"Your age? Headmaster, since you gave up your administrative posts and returned to practicing magic seriously, you've dropped about twenty years in appearance."
Dumbledore looked genuinely surprised.
"Very well. So be it. I trust Madam Pomfrey will agree to visit your rooms once a month to conduct the examination outside the hospital wing."
"Oh, I have absolutely no doubt she'll find the time."
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3.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 196
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