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Over the objections of the Hogwarts faculty- including an angry rant from Professor Fisher about 'incompetent bureaucratic morons', little of which was really appropriate for the ears of his young students- Professor Reed is taken away on suspicion of theft.
Anti-American sentiment intensifies, with whispers spreading about "those Yanks spying on us" and "stealing the Silverlight spell." People start eying Professor Fisher carefully, in the halls. (He ignores it, rather pointedly.) People write in to the Headmistress complaining; why did they bring in those Americans in the first place, why does that man Fisher still work there, similar nonsense. She develops a curt form letter assuring parents that Hogwarts hiring standards are of the highest quality, with a strong undertone of none of your business. The letters continue anyway.
Students graffiti the Transfiguration classroom with insulting suggestions for places Professor Fisher can take himself. Filch catches those responsible and they clean it up as their detention. McGonagall makes a displeased speech that night at dinner about respecting faculty and innocence until proven guilty. Some students listen.
After a week's gone by- it feels longer to all involved, particularly Tamara, but only a week- there's a new article.
Gilderoy Lockhart Apprehends Silverlight Culprit
By Russell Peasegood
Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, has done it again!
Only recently released from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, most wizards would need rest, more time to recover from the horrors of a Memory Charm gone wrong, but not Gildery Lockhart. Known throughout the magical world for his daring feats of magic, Lockhart is back in the game with a bang.
"It never made sense to me," Lockhart told the Prophet. "Why steal a wand of someone you're chaperoning? Of course you'd be under suspicion! She couldn't have hoped to get away with it. So, of course, I had to investigate."
Lockhart used his famed powers of deduction to locate prime Ministry suspects. In the course of interviewing them, he was able to identify the janitor who had stolen the wand. "Poor man wasn't right in the head," according to Lockhart. "Thought the wand made him special, powerful- attacked me when I tried to get it away- just look what he did to my cloak! But I got it back from him, never fear."
The wand is now in the possession of Ministry Officials, and will shortly be returned to its rightful owner, Miranda "Silverlight" Swan. Tamara Reed can be expected to be released shortly.
When commended on his actions, Lockhart said, "Of course, of course. Couldn't let the poor girl go without her wand- couldn't let the Ministry officials bungle it like that- something had to be done!"
Asked about his future plans, Lockhart told us, "Why, doing whatever good I can, of course. Britain needs all the wizards it can get right now!"
If Lockhart's past adventures are any guide, that will be quite a lot of good indeed.
As promised, the next day, Hogwarts sees two arrivals: Professor Reed, released by the Ministry, and Gilderoy Lockhart, Miranda's wand in hand.
chanuphis
Miranda giggles in relief. "Okay. So I can throw off a little Confundus."
"When we were in fourth year our Defense professor had special permission to cast the Imperius curse on us," muses Hermione. "I don't think I can get that, but if you want to try something that's stronger but doesn't have the side effects I could ask...? But then, some people throw that off even without Occlumency. Harry never learned any Occlumency to speak of and he could do it every time."
"When we were in fourth year our Defense professor had special permission to cast the Imperius curse on us," muses Hermione. "I don't think I can get that, but if you want to try something that's stronger but doesn't have the side effects I could ask...? But then, some people throw that off even without Occlumency. Harry never learned any Occlumency to speak of and he could do it every time."
parental_guidance
Emma's "List of Ways Miranda is Cooler than Harry Potter" just got slightly longer.
"Is there, uh, anything else she could try?" Emma asks timidly. While she somewhat hero-worships Hermione Granger and trusts her to Not Be Evil, the fact that Imperio is an Unforgivable Curse is currently winning. "You said you didn't do it hard... maybe just. Um. Again?"
Not Imperio, not an Unforgivable, not on her friend.
"Is there, uh, anything else she could try?" Emma asks timidly. While she somewhat hero-worships Hermione Granger and trusts her to Not Be Evil, the fact that Imperio is an Unforgivable Curse is currently winning. "You said you didn't do it hard... maybe just. Um. Again?"
Not Imperio, not an Unforgivable, not on her friend.
chanuphis
"If we got some Veritaserum that would be safe too but we'd have to talk to Professor Slughorn about that. I can brew it but I don't have any other uses for the batch and it doesn't keep indefinitely," says Hermione. "The Confundus done too hard can be seriously damaging, in the short to medium term, so I don't want to increase the power, with exams coming up. Perhaps Veritaserum will be on my NEWT and I can keep some... I don't know Legilimency or know anyone who does. The Memory Charm -"
Miranda shakes her head.
"- is reversible, you know. I cast it on my parents once -"
Miranda looks at Hermione in total horror.
"- but then I fixed it when it was safe for them to come back into the country and they're entirely back to normal."
"Not that," says Miranda, "thank you."
Miranda shakes her head.
"- is reversible, you know. I cast it on my parents once -"
Miranda looks at Hermione in total horror.
"- but then I fixed it when it was safe for them to come back into the country and they're entirely back to normal."
"Not that," says Miranda, "thank you."
parental_guidance
"Well... it's probably easier to get Veritaserum than try Imperio? Right?" Emma says questioningly (hopefully). "So, maybe that?"
chanuphis
"Yes, probably. Miranda, do you want to ask him or shall I?"
"I've got it," says Miranda. "I wouldn't even need you for that, right? Just to taste it and see if I can beat it."
"You could do it with someone else asking you questions, although someone should ask you questions," says Hermione. "If you have the right dose, and I'm sure Professor Slughorn would help with that."
"Okay. Thank you. Um, I won't take up any more of your time I know you have NEWTs." Miranda gets up and shuffles to the door.
Hermione waves.
"I've got it," says Miranda. "I wouldn't even need you for that, right? Just to taste it and see if I can beat it."
"You could do it with someone else asking you questions, although someone should ask you questions," says Hermione. "If you have the right dose, and I'm sure Professor Slughorn would help with that."
"Okay. Thank you. Um, I won't take up any more of your time I know you have NEWTs." Miranda gets up and shuffles to the door.
Hermione waves.
parental_guidance
Emma follows Miranda out, looking somewhat confused. "What was that face you made?" she asks. "When she mentioned her parents?"
chanuphis
"I just finished explaining how I think memory charms are awful - and - she did it to her parents. To get them to leave the country. Instead of - telling them that they better had, or - or anything."
parental_guidance
"I- thought it was the war," Emma says weakly. "The Death Eaters were torturing anyone they thought had information-" she shivers.
The one time she'd gone into the Ministry with her parents, to prove that they were purebloods, they asked her a lot of probing questions. Do you know anyone who might have stolen a wand from a Real Wizard? Have you met any Muggles pretending to be witches or wizards? They had seemed to think children were worse liars than their parents, worth interrogating to make sure the adults' stories held up; but Emma barely knew other pureblood children, certainly no Muggle children, and she wasn't old enough to be allowed to talk to her parents' friends. The questions just confused her and scared her, and she spent most of the ordeal afraid that they would decide she was lying and do Unspecified Horrible Things to her, and she still remembers the whole ordeal vividly. Enough to- get it. Kind of. That was just the polite questions, the ones they ask verifiably pureblood children. What would they have done to Hermione Granger's parents?
"She was with Harry Potter. What if they'd, they'd, left but gotten caught? And had to tell where Harry Potter was?"
The one time she'd gone into the Ministry with her parents, to prove that they were purebloods, they asked her a lot of probing questions. Do you know anyone who might have stolen a wand from a Real Wizard? Have you met any Muggles pretending to be witches or wizards? They had seemed to think children were worse liars than their parents, worth interrogating to make sure the adults' stories held up; but Emma barely knew other pureblood children, certainly no Muggle children, and she wasn't old enough to be allowed to talk to her parents' friends. The questions just confused her and scared her, and she spent most of the ordeal afraid that they would decide she was lying and do Unspecified Horrible Things to her, and she still remembers the whole ordeal vividly. Enough to- get it. Kind of. That was just the polite questions, the ones they ask verifiably pureblood children. What would they have done to Hermione Granger's parents?
"She was with Harry Potter. What if they'd, they'd, left but gotten caught? And had to tell where Harry Potter was?"
chanuphis
"They left without getting caught with a Memory Charm on them, I don't think it would have been very much harder for them to get on an airplane in on the pretending to be other people plan - and what if Hermione had died in the war, who would have put them right? She - she said they were in Australia then, she'd mentioned that before, like me and Mum, but who would have put them right if Hermione had got herself killed? They'd have forgotten forever. They'd have been dead too basically. They were until she undid what she did to their heads. Made-up people were walking around in Australia in their bodies. And if they'd left knowing why they were going they still wouldn't have known anything about where Harry Potter was! Why would they know anything about that? Why would she tell them? She didn't even care about them knowing who they were, why would she tell them what their daughter was up to!"
parental_guidance
"Nobody's perfect," Emma says in a small voice. "She just wanted them safe. No one was really... thinking straight, then. It was a war."
chanuphis
Miranda can't really speed up and storm off through the halls. She stalks, instead, silently.
parental_guidance
"Miranda, wait up, I'm sorry," Emma calls with a gulp, hurrying after her. "I don't- it's still bad, I just-"
She doesn't disagree that Memory Charms are bad, and Miranda's probably right that there were better ways to handle it, but- it's Hermione, she helped save everyone, what if knowing her parents were Charmed was the only way Hermione could do it? Emma doesn't want to second guess Hermione or Miranda.
"I don't really... she helped defeat Voldemort! It's hard to think of her that way, she's a hero."
She doesn't disagree that Memory Charms are bad, and Miranda's probably right that there were better ways to handle it, but- it's Hermione, she helped save everyone, what if knowing her parents were Charmed was the only way Hermione could do it? Emma doesn't want to second guess Hermione or Miranda.
"I don't really... she helped defeat Voldemort! It's hard to think of her that way, she's a hero."
chanuphis
"I don't need you to agree with me as long as you never try to cast anything bad," says Miranda. "But I don't want to argue about it. It's like trying to argue about whether it's really that bad to - fling primary schoolers out of windows or slip somebody love potions or kidnap people's children so they'll do what you want. Maybe later."
parental_guidance
"Okay," Emma says timidly. "Do you, um. Still want me to come with you to Slughorn's...?"
parental_guidance
There are a number of things running through her head, but they all sound too pathetic to her, so she declines to say any of them. Instead she just goes with, "I do, I mean- I just- I. Um. You're my friend, I want to help."
Slughorn is currently in his office, making what appears to be snail-speed progress on a large pile of papers sitting on top of his desk, and looking like he dearly wishes he'd stayed retired.
chanuphis
"Hello. This should be pretty quick. I need a dose my size of Veritaserum to test my Occlumency."
This makes Slughorn's eyes widen. He looks rather obscurely pleased. "Occlumency! Looking ahead in our studies, are we?" he says, turning to rustle through the nearby cabinets. "S'pose it's to be expected, of course, you're the Silverlight girl, aren't you? Ah yes, here we are."
Having found the cabinet he's looking for, he taps it with his wand; the doors open and he picks out the vial of Veritaserum. He measures very, very carefully a tiny dose into an empty vial, and offers it to her.
"You'll be careful, won't you, Miss Swan? Strong stuff, this is."
Having found the cabinet he's looking for, he taps it with his wand; the doors open and he picks out the vial of Veritaserum. He measures very, very carefully a tiny dose into an empty vial, and offers it to her.
"You'll be careful, won't you, Miss Swan? Strong stuff, this is."
chanuphis
"I'm trusting your measurements. Do I need to not drink pumpkin juice for a week or something like that?"
"Be careful who you talk to until it wears off?" he suggests, only somewhat facetiously. "No, no, nothing like that. Do tell me how it goes, though! Learning Occlumency so young, very impressive."
She already qualified for the Slug Club, of course, but this is just proof.
She already qualified for the Slug Club, of course, but this is just proof.
chanuphis
"Yeah, I'll just sit with my friends until I'm sure I can fight it off or it's out of my system," agrees Miranda. "Thank you, Professor."