The Prince Returns

Chapter Eight

At the end of the first week in January, all Hogwarts students returned to the train station to board the Hogwarts Express. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Regan all shared a compartment. To their surprise, they realized that they hadn't spent much time together over the holidays. Regan spent most of the holidays either in her room on the phone with her New York friends or shopping in London with her mom. Harry had passed the time talking with Remus. It was the first time Harry had really had a conversation with someone about his parents. It was the first time that Harry really got a glimpse of their personalities. Hermione and Ron had spent the time along, but Regan and Harry weren't sure what they had been up to. It was noted, however, that the two seemed to be holding hands on the train.

Regan and Harry glanced at each other and tried not to laugh. The two wondered what had brought the sudden change.

"There he goes again," Ron said suddenly, looking out to the hallway.

"What?" Regan asked. Hermione didn't say anything, but she kept her hand in Ron's.

"Malfoy just walked by our compartment. I know he saw us," Ron said, still staring as if the boy would suddenly return, make some rude comment, and then all would be right with the world.

"Shouldn't we be grateful he's leaving us alone momentarily?" Regan asked. Hermione nodded her agreement.

"No!" Ron exclaimed, giving Regan a look as if she had just suggested they all perform lurid sexual acts to Professor Snape.

"Surely he wants to brag about what his father did over break," Harry said.

"Exactly," Ron said. "It's isn't everyday your dad and his pals kill tons of innocent people."

"Oh, that reminds me," Regan began and proceeded to tell them what she had overheard on the telephone Christmas afternoon. Once she was finished, Ron and Harry looked confused. Hermione looked relieved, as if she had finally figured out an Arithmancy problem which had long been bothering her.

"Of course. That makes perfect sense," she said.

"Why?" Ron and Harry asked.

"I couldn't understand why the Death Eaters would attack some Muggle hospital," she said.

"Maybe because that's what Death Eaters do," Harry said.

"Duh," Ron added. Both girls looked to each other in exasperation.

"Death Eaters torture Muggles. They haven't done anything in quite a while," Regan said.

"Yes. Now everyone knows what they're capable of," Harry said, looking pleased with himself.

"No. Killing a bunch of Muggles without any magic-that's not very impressive," Regan said. "If they wanted to show everyone what they were capable of, they would have attacked St. Mungo's. Or the Ministry."

"Regan's right. It would not take fifty Death Eaters to kill those Muggles. It would have hardly taken ten Death Eaters to kill those Muggles. The Death Eaters were practicing. They were practicing working together and performing an attack on such a large scale," Hermione said.

"Huh?" Ron and Harry said in unison.

"There are several Death Eaters right now, and as Voldemort gains power there will only be more. They haven't done anything in years. They can't expect to be able to work just like they had before. If someone had messed up on Christmas, it wouldn't have mattered. It would only take a few Death Eaters to cast a few spells, and all the Muggles in the hospital would be dead. However, if at a future date, the Death Eaters attack a wizarding institution with several extremely magical people, any mess-ups will result in a major disaster for the Dark Side," Regan said. The look of confusion was slowly dissipating off Ron and Harry's faces as they began to take in what Regan and Hermione was saying.

"Did you talk to your father after the phone call?" Hermione asked.

"I talked to him yesterday evening. They haven't made much progress. Professor Cobain is still researching, trying to figure something out. However, everyone in the Order seems to agree with my father. It was a practice. When everyone returns from the holidays, they'll be able to figure something out. At least now they know what to expect from the Death Eaters. Now they know about how many to expect."

"Shouldn't it be easy to figure out where?" Ron asked. "I mean, not that many wizarding places hold around three thousand wizards all the time."

"The Death Eaters would never attack so many wizards at once, not with only fifty Death Eaters," Regan said.

"But you said..." Ron said.

"I know what I said. They were practicing. The hospital and what they're planning are not the exact same thing. Fighting one wizard with a wand would be like fighting a dozen Muggles, all with loaded guns. Whatever the Death Eaters are planning, there won't be very many wizards. Maybe one hundred at the most, or as few as ten," Regan said, beginning to sound like a teacher explaining something to a very slow student. Briefly, Regan wandered what kind of a relationship Ron and Hermione had.

"Then what's the point of having a practice if it's going to be such a small operation?" Ron asked. Even Harry rolled his eyes in desperation.

"They aren't going to be just any wizards, Ron," Harry said, taking his turn in the explanation. "They will be important wizards. Influential wizards in the battle against Voldemort."

"Hogwarts," Ron said.

"No. Too many people," Regan said. The four were silent the rest of the ride, thinking about what Voldemort and the Death Eaters could be planning. The Ministry had too many people. Wizarding areas like Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley were too large, each spreading over many miles. They all came back to the same thing repeatedly: the Order. The Order was full of powerful, influential wizards who were acting against Voldemort. However, the teenagers could not figure out where or when the attack would take place, if it was against the Order.

****

As the train finally made it to Hogwarts and students started filing out, Regan felt her stomach flip. She was nervous. She had managed to avoid all other students at the train station. Ron and Harry had sort of stood around her so that she wouldn't have to deal with any stares or whispers from other students. During the train ride, she had stayed in the compartment. She had yet to see another student. She did not know if the students would still believe what the Centaur had said. She wondered what they thought of the Death Eater attacks. Once out of the train, she made it to her dorm room without facing any other students. However, Lavender and Parvati were there, waiting for her and Hermione. The two girls had not been very kind to her after Halloween.

"Regan, I am so sorry..."

"I don't know what I was thinking..." the two girls began at once.

"Don't worry about it," Regan interrupted. "I don't know what I'd think if I heard the Centaur about someone else. But thinks for coming around now."

"I think we always knew the truth, but everyone else, the ones who don't really know you, were just so adamant, and we just kinda got sucked in, ya know," Lavender said in a rush.

"Yeah. I know. So what made you change your mind?"

"What happened. At the hospital," Lavender said.

"We know you, Regan. You couldn't have had anything to do with that," Parvati said.

"My father said that your father is a great wizard, used to be a strong fighter against dark magic. He works at the Ministry. He said that no one outside of Hogwarts, even those with children here, did not believe for a second that your family was evil," Lavender said. Regan immediately felt her spirits rise. She tried to ignore the way that her father's communications with Lucius Malfoy kept resurfacing in your conscience.

By her first class back the next day, Regan realized that nearly everyone shared the same thoughts as Lavender and Parvati. They had also been shocked by the attacks. Their parents had also remembered her father. Regan received several apologies.

One of the first classes that Monday was double Potions with Slytherin. Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Regan took their usual seats. When Malfoy entered the room, Ron mumbled, "Here we go." But nothing happened. Malfoy walked right by them and sat down his seat. No comments. No insults. The four looked to one another, confused.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

"Maybe he's ill," Hermione offered.

"Damn. I was starting to miss the insults and constant rude observations over the holidays," Regan muttered. The four dared a quick glance to the Slytherin side of the room. Malfoy was talking with Pansy. He appeared to be healthy. Confused, the four turned their attention to the front of the room, where Professor Snape had suddenly taken his place. He wordlessly put the directions for a potion on the board, sneered at the classroom, and left. Ron smiled.

"At least some people haven't changed."

****

At breakfast the next day, the students were surprised when they entered the Great Hall. The staff table was nearly empty. The few teachers present told the students to quickly take their seats. Despite several questions, those teachers refused to answer any questions. "What do you think is going on?" Hermione wondered aloud from the Gryffindor table.

"I know," Regan said simply, eating her breakfast as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Her friends stared at her.

"What?" Ron and Hermione demanded in unison.

"I'll tell you if you answer one question?" she said, a mischievous look in her eyes. Ron and Hermione nodded for her to continue. "What is going on between you two?"

Ron and Hermione blushed simultaneously. Several surrounding students leaned forward for the answer. The sudden closeness between the two had not gone unnoticed.

"Well," Hermione began. "we'vedecidedtodate," she finished quickly. Regan ginned triumphantly. Harry grumbled under his breath as he reached into his pocket and pulled out several coins and handed them to Regan's outstretched hand. "You were betting on us!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yep," Harry said.

"We had to get some fun out of this. Seeing you two, all lovey-dovey, it was disgusting," Regan said.

"We haven't been all lovey-dovey!" Ron exclaimed.

"Don't digress, Regan," Hermione said in a menacing tone. "What is going on today?"
"Oh, that. You three should really pay more attention or the world is going to pass you by. This morning, I happened to glance out my dormitory window. There were several lights coming from the Forbidden Forest. There were also a few teachers and other wizards, from the Ministry I presume, wandering around the edge of the forest."

"Why?" Ron asked. Regan rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Last night, something happened in the forest. Something big and now they're investigating. Hagrid usually does a sweep of the forest about this time of year, right after Christmas break. He probably found something," Regan said.

"How do you know that Hagrid searches the forest?" Ron asked.

"She pays attention during Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione said, turning back to Regan. "What do you imagine he found?"

"I don't know, but the forest is full of all sorts of magical creatures. I bet it has something to do with Voldemort. Why else would so many wizards be involved in the search?"

"Yeah. That sounds about right," Harry said. "I wonder if we'll have classes, or if the teachers will continue their search?"

As if on cue, Professor Flitwick, one of the few remaining teachers, stood on the table so that the students could all see him. "May I have your attention," he yelled, straining to be heard. All the students stopped their conversations and turned to him. "As you may have noticed, several of the teachers are preoccupied at the moment. They are searching the Forbidden Forest." Several whispers ran throughout the room. Regan gave Ron, Hermione, and Harry a knowing look. "I cannot divulge any information at the moment. This evening, your house leaders will tell you more. However, the search will continue for the rest of the day. Therefore, there will be no class today." Cheers rang in the Great Hall. Harry was about to organize a Quidditch practice for the afternoon when Flitwick continued. "However, due to safety reasons, no students will be allowed outside. Everyone should stay inside. You may wander the castle as you like, but do not venture outside. That is all." Flitwick sat back down.

"There you go," Regan said.

"You were right as usual," Ron said.

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked.

"We have to go see Hagrid," Harry said.

"But we can't leave the castle. Besides, he's out in the forest, searching," Regan pointed out.

"Then we'll wait. We'll go out this evening, after McGonagall tells us what happened. We can use my invisibility cloak."

"We can't all fit under your cloak, Harry," Ron said.

"I have one," Regan said.

"You've had one all this time, and you haven't told us," Ron said. "Do you have any idea what we could have done so far this year with two invisibility cloaks?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look, if we wait until McGonagall has already explained what happened, there won't be any reason to sneak to Hagrid's hut and hear what he has to say."

"The teachers won't tell us the whole story. They probably won't even tell us most of the story," Regan said.

"Then we'll owl your father."

"He can't tell us anything in an owl. It could get intercepted," Regan said. "Face it, Hermione, we're going to the hut tonight.

****

Much to Hermione's chagrin, Regan was right. McGonagall gave very little information. She basically repeated what they already knew; Hagrid had discovered something during his sweep of the forest and the teachers had investigated it. McGonagall ignored any questions the students threw at her and quickly exited the common room. Moments later, the four sneaked out in the two cloaks, Regan and Hermione under one, Ron and Harry under the other.

In such awkward conditions, it took some time to get to the hut. They knocked on the door. Hagrid opened it, but did not seem disturbed by the empty doorstep. He simply moved aside and gave them room to enter. Once the door was shut, they took off their cloaks and put them aside. Regan looked around the hut, which she had never been inside before. It was certainly different from the castle. "Have a seat," Hagrid said, waving towards the chairs. Regan looked at them in horror. They were so dirty. And old. And, upon further examination, smelly. She opted for the nicest-looking chair in the far corner, upon which she sat crossed-legged and tried not to touch anything else.

"Well, I 'pose you want ter know what happ'ned in ter f'rest this mornin." The four teenagers nodded. "I found a unicorn. Dead."

"A unicorn?" Hermione said breathlessly. The others seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Yep. It were killed usin magic. The area 'round it been trampled on. But the worst bit was the mark."

"What mark?" Regan said, finding her voice.

"The Death Eaters' mark. It were on the unicorn's side. And it's horn were missin."

"Why it's horn?" Ron asked.

"The horn is very powerful. It is used in several different potions and spells. It takes dark magic from a powerful wizard to remove the horn properly," Regan said. Hagrid nodded.

"The Ministry came in. They suspect You-Know-Who," Hagrid offered.

"Did you find anything else?" Hermione asked.

"Nope. No other dead things, no more Death signs. Nothin."

****

Later that evening they made their way back to the castle. They walked closely, whispering to each other from underneath the cloaks. "How could they get so close to the school?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Hermione responded. "We'll have to see what the Daily Prophet says tomorrow."

"I bet there are a lot of angry parents. They wouldn't want their children in a place penetrable by Death Eaters," Regan said. The others fell quiet. They suddenly realized just how close the Death Eaters had been.

****

The Daily Prophet decided Death Eater activity near Hogwarts was front-page news. It ran a long article along with two pictures; one of Hagrid, the other of Fudge. It described what had occurred the previous day. It gave several quotes from Fudge, who assured the wizarding public that he was doing all that he could to stop the Death Eaters. However, while there were several mentions of Death Eaters, Voldemort was not mentioned once.

At Hogwarts, news travels fast. By that evening, no one had reported any parents pulling their children out of school. However, the Death Eaters were just getting started.

Over the next few weeks, two more unicorns were discovered. One Centaur was killed, but the Aurors seemed to believe that the Centaur simply got in the way of the Death Eaters and the death was not planned. All three murders took place in the Forbidden Forest. Several parents had expressed their concern, but none had removed their children from Hogwarts. The Ministry sent guards to watch the forest and the school grounds. Students were not allowed outside without an adult. Quidditch was canceled for the rest of the year. Care of Magical Creatures lessons took place in the Great Hall. There was a sense of terror and anxiety hovering over the school that hadn't been there before.

****

"Did you hear the news?" Regan asked one evening in early March as they all sat down for dinner.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Colin and Dennis Creevey are leaving next week."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Well, there was an attack yesterday. Their parents are worried. They don't think Hogwarts is that safe any more. They've set it up so that the boys can study from home. They'll come back when they feel better about Hogwarts."

"There was an attack yesterday?" Harry asked.

"Yes. OH, forgot to tell you. I just got an owl from my dad. Apparently, a few Death Eaters attacked two Ministry officials yesterday afternoon. Didn't kill them, just played with them a bit. They're both really messed up. Can't remember who they are."

"What does that have to do with Hogwarts? The Death Eaters have done that to a few other wizards lately. This is the first time they've worked in the Ministry, but so?" Harry asked.

"These officials were the ones leading the search at Hogwarts."

"Any other students leaving?" Hermione asked. Since Christmas break, everyone talked with Regan more, as if to make up for how she had been treated, and she was always on top of school gossip.

"Several first years from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. A couple of Hufflepuff seventh years who don't think that their N.E.W.T.s are worth it. I think that's about it, but several parents are going to if there are any more attacks without any progress."

"What else did your father's letter say?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Not much. They aren't having much luck. The Order is growing though. Several more people have joined. Dad said the house is always filled with people. He said that they have several different places similar to our house where people are working together. It sounds like ours is still the largest, though. A few people are staying there because they are scared to stay alone."

"Is it safe to owl?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, but not much longer. Dad said that pretty soon he will stop writing all together."

"Pretty soon they may have to shut the school down, if people keep leaving," Ron said.

"I don't see what the big deal is. The forest is the closest the Death Eaters have gotten to Hogwarts. They haven't actually come inside the castle. With all the new restrictions, we can't even leave the castle to play Quidditch, let along wander the Forbidden Forest, waiting for Death Eaters to jump out at us," Regan said. "My parents think that I'm safe here. They think those parents pulling their kids out are idiots. This whole Death Eater business is just going to get better before it gets worse."

****

Snape was worried. He knew that Voldemort was planning something big. He was holding Death Eater meetings nearly every week, with smaller groups meeting on an almost daily basis. Snape was not in Voldemort's closest circle, and he didn't know everything that was going on, but he knew that something big was about to happen, within the next month or so. However, because of his rank, Snape wouldn't know about anything until the last minute. He was frustrated. Snape wanted to help the Order, but he didn't think that he was doing too much. They needed another spy. Maybe a Death Eater who was closer to Voldemort, who was in his inner circle. Someone who would know about plans months in advance.

****

Waddleton was a small wizarding village not far from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It had a few small shops and restaurants, but was mainly residential. Around five hundred witches and wizards called Waddleton home. One night in mid-March, once everyone was in bed, asleep, the Death Eaters descended. They surrounded the towns, nearly fifty of them, and made their rounds. They destroyed the homes around the town first, killing every human in their path. The massacre continued the entire night. Several people were killed using magic, the Unforgivable Curses. Others were killed Muggle ways. The Death Eaters had discovered hand guns and swords. The small, quaint town was covered in blood once the night was over. No one was left alive. The Death Eaters had not spared a single man, woman, or child. Their screams were silence using charms. No one outside of Waddleton knew what was happening until the next morning, once it was too late.

The Death Eaters had been silent for over a decade. Simple death wasn't enough for them. They tortured the humans, creating long, painful deaths for most. The Death Eaters made the fun last all night. They had waited a long time for this. They also destroyed the surroundings themselves, setting fire to several houses. With a flick of their wands, several homes were trashed, several stores ransacked. At dawn, they transported all the bodies. They would make sure everyone knew what had happened at Waddleton.

****

Regan was the first awake that morning in her room. As she did every morning, she went to the window and looked outside. And then she screamed. Her dormitory, like so many others, had a perfect view of the lake. That morning, the lake's water was a dark red. However, the water was not to be seen. It was covered with bodies, the bodies of every person in Waddleton the night before. No body was complete. The Death Eaters had been complete in their destruction. Several bodies were missing heads, others appendages. Later, as the Ministry attempted to clear the lake, more body parts were found below the water's surface. Most bodies were identifiable, others remained unknown. Several family members only had a finger or toe left of their loved one, because that was all that was found.

After that March afternoon, several parents removed their children from Hogwarts. A week after the incident, nearly a third of the students had left Hogwarts.

****

The Prince house was hectic. The number of people in the Order had more than tripled since Christmas, with most of them operating at the Prince house. Therefore, a week or so after the massacre at Waddleton, everyone was so busy that no one noticed a tall blonde man enter the house. The man knew his way around the house, he also knew Richard Prince. He quickly found the older man in his office, working on a potion. Richard looked up at the visitor's sudden entrance and smiled. He quickly joined him at the door and embraced him. "Braydon!" Richard exclaimed, still hugging his son. "It's been too long. What brings you home?"
"Calm down, Dad," Braydon said with a laugh, separating himself from his father. "I need to borrow a few books."

"Oh. Okay. What ones?" Richard asked, taken aback at his son's sudden appearance and request. Braydon handed over a list of books. Richard's eyebrows raised at the list. They were all very rare books containing very dark magic. "What is this for?"

"My captain. He needed them for something. I don't know. I didn't ask. I just want to keep my position as First Seeker, ya know?"

"Yeah. Sure. Give me a minute," Richard said and then disappeared into his many bookcases. Richard could tell when his son was lying, and he certainly was not getting any books for his captain. However, Richard loved both his children dearly. He and Braydon had a rather shaky relationship and accusing Braydon of lying or denying him a few books would not help matters any. Richard retrieved the books and brought them to his son. "Here you are."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Can you stay?"

"No. I've really got to be heading back."

"Okay. You know you could have owled me. I could have sent you those books."

"I didn't know what you guys were allowing to send by owl, with the attacks and everything."

"The attacks? Is that news all the way in America?"

"Yes. Are you still in correspondence with Cobain?"

"Of course."

"Well, I've heard he's doing his best. Trying to figure it out, whatever it is you gave him. He's also doing a fine job as headmaster."

"That's great. I may not have a job once I get back to New York, but that's great for Cobain."

"You're going back to New York?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Your mother and sister both miss the city, and I suppose I do to. Why do you ask?"

"I guess I just thought that you were back in London for good. I figured you and Mom were here to stay, but Regan would go back to the States for college or something. She's definitely a New Yorker."

"I don't know. She's getting used to Britain. She even has a faux British accent that's getting pretty good. You almost can't tell she's an American."

"Almost," Braydon said with a smile, suddenly missing his family.

"Are you sure you can't stay? Your mother would love to see you."

"I'm sure, but I'll say a quick 'hi' and 'bye' to Mom before I leave," he said.

"All right. That'll have to do." Richard went back to his desk. Braydon sighed, his face contorted with uncertainty and inner conflict. Finally, he came to a decision and approached his father's desk.

"Dad?" he began timidly.

"Yes?" Richard responded, looking up.

"Um...I have a few friends in London...you know...from um...Quidditch and stuff..anyway, I'm not for sure how right this stuff is..but..."

"What is it Braydon?" Richard asked, knowing his son had just lied to his face. There were no Quidditch friends.

"There'll be a Death Eater meeting. Next Friday. It's at Hogsmeade, well after dark, after the shops have closed and everything," Braydon said in a rush; he would not look his father in the eye.

"Thank you, Braydon. I'll see what I can do," Richard said, somewhat unsurprised at his son's confession. With that,

Braydon left with his books. After Braydon's departure, Richard wondered where his son had gotten such information. He wondered just who his son was spending his free time with. Richard refused to let himself dwell on such matters. His son was man now, an intelligent man, and he could take care of himself. Besides, Richard had more important things to do. Next Friday suddenly seemed very near. Richard hurried downstairs where Remus and Moody were. They had many plans to make.