HP: The Other Potter! Ch.8 (Patreon)

Chapter 8

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

The Headmaster of Britain’s premiere wizarding school sat in his office as he contemplated the recent happenings at his school and the world. Britain’s wizarding world was undergoing a shift. The divide between the muggle-born new bloods and old, rich, pure-blooded wizarding families had existed since the inception of their secretive society, yet it had never been so tumultuous.

The recent war, the dwindling wealth and a number of pure-blood wizards and witches, and their receding influence had forced the wizarding elite into a back corner and in doing so, had presented an opportunity for some more conniving actors to instrumentalize this anger and hate for their own nefarious purposes.

And shamed as he was to say, there was a time he believed he could have stopped it all. The polarization, the attacks on the muggles, all of it. Yet with every passing day, he felt that door close as he felt Tom’s influence creep into this very castle through its various facets.

“So, you are still set in your stubborn ways,” came the voice of one of his oldest companions, and friends. Alastor Moody, the young Auror captain, had been a student of his and had risen up the ranks at the DMLE to become one of the youngest Auror captains, much to his pride.

A pure blood yet carrying none of the baggage and bad habits of his peers, he sat there with a scarred face and gleaming blue eyes as he stared at him with a disappointed look.

“I am afraid my answer is still the same,” he spoke softly, knowing that his actions were questionable in some ways, yet he would protect his students as long as they resided in these Halls, even if it was from the consequences of their own mistakes.

“They are adults Albus, all of them long past their seventeenth birthdays, and the things they have done are atrocious, yet you would still protect them,” Alastor raged, his teeth gritting.

“They are my students, Alastor. I will not allow the DMLE to disturb them as long as they are on school premises,” and outside the school, these students and their families had enough power to thwart the DMLE.

“I am not asking to question them, but just surveillance on the few who are suspected of being involved in those muggle attacks,” Alastor asked, and he smiled.

“And if it was an official request, then you would have brought much more,” he added, knowing that such a thing would not be sanctioned by the head of the DMLE.

Shameful as it was, muggle lives were not considered of the same value as a wizard’s life, and so the DMLE would have little interest in pursuing such a thing.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” Alastor answered with a glint, surprising him.

“Then am I to believe that you are in possession of a warrant?” he questioned with a frown, and to his relief, Alastor shook his head, yet his words were not so reassuring.

“Not today, but if this continues to go on. I will have it soon enough. Rumor has it that a certain Charlus Potter met with the head of the DMLE and the Minster and brought up this matter personally, and you do know the kind of influence he has,” Alastor warned.

“Especially in the DMLE,” he pointed out, and that was both worrying and reassuring. Charlus Potter was one of the few people from the British Isles who had fought against Grindelwald’s tyranny. The man was a powerful wizard, if not a bit rigid.

Unlike himself, Charlus Potter did not believe in redemption or second chances, and he had little doubt that his interest in this matter was sparked by his son, Alden, traversing these very Halls.

Alden Potter was a young wizard who reminded Albus much of himself and Grindelwald from their youth. He was bright and ambitious, extremely handy with a wand, and unmatched by any of his peers. Yet, he was not that different from Tom either, in his pursuit of a base of power and influence.

His study group was comprised mostly of Half-bloods and muggle-borns and some like-minded pure-bloods. It was quite a talk amongst the school board, which had produced several remarkable wizards since its inception, with many excelling in their respective fields, the most prominent of which was law enforcement in the form of the DMLE.

“Many young Aurors look up to the man, and he has quite a pull even in his old age, and let us not mention how half the academy recruits are from his son’s little group project,” Alastor highlighted.

“Many are shocked, you know. We haven’t had such a good crop of trainees, with so many muggle-borns ever, and soon enough, these trainees will be full-on Aurors, and I can bet they will not stay quiet like the rest when they see those attacks on the muggles,” he added she stood up.

“What would you have me do?” he questioned tiredly.

“The right thing,” Alastor answered as he walked into the floo and vanished with a pop, leaving him all alone in his office with a slew of new worries.

“And who am I to decide what is right and what is wrong?”

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ALDEN POTTER

The first day back in school was always a bit hectic specially for the prefects. And it was late into the night yet his day had yet to end as he found himself in the office of his Head of the House having been summoned.

Professor Flitwick stumbled into the office on his sort legs as Alden rose from his seat.

“No, please sit,” the quarter goblin professor added with a smile as he motioned for him to sit, himself waking to his chair, which had a number of stairs leading up to it, allowing him to sit above the table.

“Pardon me for being late, Peeves was playing his usual pranks on the first years and turned the hair of one girl into a bright pink, I had to go and sort it out,” he spoke softly and that was much like the little devil that was Peeves.

“No worries, Professor,” he added with a smile as the Charms Master smiled at him proudly.

“I must say I was not surprised by your results. Nine OWLs, I would not have expected anything less from you, and am quite proud of your achievement,” he added, and Alden nodded.

“Now, I have called you here to discuss two things. One is the list of classes you gave, and the other is about your study group,” he added. He had expected as much as the professor. He reached into his drawer and, after some sifting, took out a piece of parchment.

“Now I noticed that you had left off a couple of classes when I was going through it,” the Professor added.

“The Defence against the Dark Arts,” he added, knowing full well that this was the decision that would have troubled his head of House.

“Yes, I was of the opinion that you wished to be an Auror. So, why are you skipping on DADA,” the professor asked.

“Well, because I was hoping to spend some more time on self studying, especially with the Duelling championship coming up. Plus, there is no rule that bars me from sitting on the NEWT even if I do not take the class,” and the professor.

“Really, but I have never heard of such a thing,” and Alden shrugged.

“I checked,” he added, and he had, sifting through the school rule book, and then. The Ministries exam rules had taken him a number of days, yet in the end, they had been worth it.

“There is no such rule. As long as I show adequate progress in the given subject, or show enough aptitude I can sit an OWL. I would just need your permission,” he added and the Professor nodded.

“Well, let me talk to Professor Dumbledore about this, but until then I think it would be best if you sat in the classes,” and Alden nodded, hoping that he would not have to sit through those boring classes. The truth was with his own studies, he knew more about DADA than any Professor the school would hire.

“And secondly, there is the issue of the your study group. Since it was an unofficial club, some governors petitioned to shut it down. During the meeting I intervened and recommended that instead of shutting down such an endeavor we should officialise it,” and he had gotten as much from Slughorn, and even learnt of their Headmaster’s apprehnsions about this club.

Though in that regard he had the Charms Professor and Professor McGonagall to thank, for coming to his aid in his absence.

“And now despite the Headmaster’s reservations it is time that Hogwarts had a duelling club once more,” spoke the Professor in a giddy tone. He was a Duelling champion himself and had advocated for starting a club many times, yet lack of interest and the Hadmaster’s bone headedness had never made it a possibility until this year.

“Of course, I will not stop you from conducting your regular study groups, but some things will have to change. There will have to be a bit more focus on dueling, there must be a proper plan and maybe a little competition as well,” he added as he slid forward a piece of parchment.

“You will have to fill out this form and submit it to me by next week, since I am your patron. You could be the President of course, but I was hoping that you would chose a junior as your vice president so that the position could be passed on to them once you have graduated,” he added wishing that such a club remain a permanent fixture in the school.

“I will do as you say, professor. And I am thankful for your help,” he added, and the Professor waved it away.

“It was nothing,” he said with a smile as he looked at his own trophy cabinet holding his various awards.

“I have been trying to establish a dueling club in Hogwarts for quite some time, and this was as good an opportunity I was ever going to get,” he said.

“I have taken enough of your time. You better get back to the dorms, if you have any questiones my office door is always open.”

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Back in Grimmauld Place, the Head of the Black Family sat in the Main Hall waiting for a guest. The house was empty, except for himself and his wife, and this was not a coincidence but a design.

The floo flared up in a green flame as the person he had been waiting for stepped out of the green flames. It had been quite some time since he had laid eyes on her, and yet one glance at her would be enough to show her lineage.

Black Hair that ran straight down fashioned into a simple bun, with haunting grey eyes that resembled his own.

Her eyes scanned the Hall nostalgically as she slowly walked up to him.

“It has been quite some time since I last stepped into these Halls,” she spoke. It was such a shame that she was so estranged from her own family. Yet now, it was up to him to correct that mistake, and fate had presented him with just the opportunity to do so.

“Perhaps it is time we changed that,” he added as he stood up and pointed towards the seat to his side.

“We will have to see about that, Arcturus,” she cut in as she sat down elegantly.

“You must have an idea about why I have called you here,” he asked, and she nodded.

“I do, but your letter hinted at something more than just the little tandem between your granddaughter and my son. So, tell me what has made you so desperate that you are willing to seek the help of a blood traitor like myself.”

“I never called you by that foolish name,” he cut in sharply.

“Yet you never stopped others from doing the same.”

“And I regret my inaction to this day,” he added as the house elf served them their tea.

“Let bygones be bygones. I am not here to dwell on the past. Tell me why did you wish to see me so secretly,”

“I did so in the hope of turning our young one’s little drama into a reality.”

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