AN: Welcome! All announcements will be made at the end of this chapter.

Here we go.

Chapter 8

"In other news, a recent report suggests that things may not be as they seem." ― Joseph Fink, Welcome to Night Vale

Hogwarts Express

En route to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

September 1st, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)

They were situated in a middle compartment of one of the middle cars of the scarlet express that was barreling to the magic school of Great Britain. Al was crammed into the corner next to the door with Hermione, Ginny, and Harry. Across from them sat a round-faced boy named Neville, a strange blonde girl with turnip earrings named Luna, and Ron. It had quite cramped inside before Hermione and Ron had returned from their prefect's meeting early on in the trip. Their arrival had only made everyone squeeze in tighter. This caused Tonks had politely mentioned she needed to stretch her legs to escape the close quarters. Al had taken an immediate liking to Neville and Luna. The former reminded him of himself and the latter was simply an inquisitive mind. Both were surprised to learn that He was a professor but were deeply interested the class and vowed to sign up for it when they reached Hogwarts.

Al's attention appeared to be focused on the conversation between Ginny and Luna concerning an article in her father's magazine, the Quibbler, about possible fictional creatures. In actuality, he was focused on Harry. The young man was growing ever quieter the closer they drew to the school. Neville and Ron both managed to pick up on this and tried to coax Harry into conversing about quidditch or his summer holidays.

All conversation, and attempted conversation, ended abruptly as the compartment door slid open without warning. Harry's, Neville's, and Ginny's faces fell into neutral masks while Ron's and Hermione's became ones of mild disgust or annoyance. Luna simply ignored the whole situation and soldiered on through her upside down magazine. In the now open doorway stood three teenagers that were roughly the age of Al's charges. The pale blood boy in the middle was clearly the leader of the band given his sneer and stance. The teens flanking him could have passed for shaven gorillas with a fraction of the intelligence given their blank expressions and their large stature.

The sneer of the blonde one flooded the room and it almost seemed to be the cause of the shift in mood in the car. "Potty's band of mudbloods and bloodtraitors has adopted Loony Lovegood and the near squib Longbottom," he said without even regarding Al. Evidently his position crammed against the door shielded him from perception.

Harry sighed with exasperation. "What the hell do you want, Malfoy?" asked Harry. "Shouldn't you be tormenting first years or complaining to your father?" Rounds of laughter erupted from the other teenagers.

Malfoy's pale face flushed and he began to draw himself into a posture that Ed and Al had both seen from the aristocrats that tried to gain their favor. "Watch yourself, Potter," said Malfoy smugly. He tapped the badge pinned above the crest on his chest. "Don't want to get detention, do you?"

"That's abuse of your power!" cried Hermione. "Not to mention you need a professor's approval most of the time."

She was answered with a sneer. "I don't see any professors here, mudblood."

Unfortunately, Malfoy hadn't noticed Alphonse to his left yet. The ambassador stood to his full height and stepped forward so that he was between his charges and Malfoy. Despite years of malnourishment, he had still grown to be above average height which was more than enough to be able to look down on the offending person. "Alphonse Elric, Alchemy Professor." He closed the short distance between them which caused the trio to retreat. "If at any point this year you insult someone's heritage, I will ensure you never have any modicum of power ever again. Now get out of my sight." He slammed the door and returned to his seat.

The assembled group gave a round of thanks and then fell into awkward silence that was surprisingly broken by Neville. "I've been meaning to ask: If you're ambassadors from Amestris, are you going to help with the War?" he asked with his eyes trained on the floor.

"Officially, no," he replied cautiously.

Neville deflated a little and looked up into Al's eyes. "Is there any chance that you have unofficial orders?"

Al looked to Harry to silently ask whether or not he thought these two were trustworthy. His gut said, 'yes,' but then again, he sent most of his teenage years without any sort of gooey bits to try and trust. Harry paused but still gave Al the affirmative. "Unofficially, brother and I are here to ensure the safety of Hogwarts. Until Amestris is directly threatened, we cannot assign more people to foreign soil. It's a newer policy to try and keep us out of unjust wars." He turned to face Luna and added, "And for the safety of the mission, I have to demand that none of this be published."

"Of course, Professor Elric," responded Luna in her usual dream like voice. "But, Harry, my father wanted to proposition you for an interview about the night of the third task."

Harry shifted in his seat and began to look incredibly uncomfortable. "Err… No… thanks but no. I don't think I'm quite ready for that."

"I understand. I didn't expect you would. But, if you change your mind remember that my father and I support you," she said. Luna smiled dreamily and returned to the adventure inside her magazine.

Neville smile softly and nodded in agreement. "Gran and I think the whole thing is barmy but we believe you."

Harry gave them both his thanks and turned back to the window as silence over took the compartment. As the hills of Scotland sped past he wondered what the year would hold for him and his friends.

It was rain by the time they had reached the journey's end. As the crimson steam engine pulled into Hogsmeade Station, Tonks returned to her charges. She had to fulfil her Ministry appointed duty of being the legal liaison between the ambassadors and the government. It was her job to ensure that the Elric brothers observed the law of the land and didn't attempt to make war on the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore was forced to call in several favors to get an auror who was a member of the Order into that position. Tonks whisked Alphonse away to the castle leaving the teenagers of the compartment by themselves to find a carriage that would take them the rest of the way.

They hurried through the heavy rain to the waiting carriages that were quickly filling with students. As he rounded the corner, Harry came to a standstill and seemingly forgot the rain that was soaking him to the bone. Standing before him were dozens of skeletal horses wearing the necessary tack to pull the school carriages. The 'horses' were thin with little hair to speak of and leather like skin. Bat-like wings were folded onto their backs and their eyes were lidless. Harry thought they would have looked more fitting as the mounts for apocalyptic figures rather than beasts of burden. However, the more shocking fact was that no other student seemed to be able to be aware of them.

"Harry?" called Ginny from the nearest empty carriage. Concern was evident in her voice. "Come on, you'll catch your death out there."

"Can't you see them?" asked Harry not moving from his spot. He was positively soaking now. "Those… things pulling the carriages?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances in the carriage. "Mate," said Ron with a furrowed brow. "The carriages are pulling themselves, like always."

Behind Harry, Luna put a hand on his shoulder. "I can see them too. You're no less sane than I am," she said before skipping to join her companions.

Neville could see that the idea of having the same level of sanity of the blonde was not terribly comforting so, he walked back and pulled him toward the carriage. "Don't worry. I can see them too."

The students, including the Golden Trio and their newer companions, filed into the hall and took their seats at their respective house tables. The Gryffindor majority of the group immediately began talking amongst themselves about the state of the faculty table.

"Hagrid is still gone then," muttered Ron to no one in particular.

Luna lost her dreamy expression for a moment. "That is a shame. I very much enjoy his classes. He is always nice to me," she said in reply.

Harry nodded but it was clear he was distracted by the horrendous pink figure at the table. "Who's that?"

"Delores Umbridge, Under Secretary to the Minister," said Ron and Neville at the same time. They looked at one another in confusion before the latter gestured to the former to continue. "Dad's been complaining about her all summer. Apparently, she's leading the charge against you and Dumbledore in the press. If she's here, then things are about to get… unpleasant."

Neville nodded and added, "Gran despises her too. She keep introducing legislation into the Wizengamot about 'lesser creatures'."

Hermione grumbled under her breath about horrendous treatment in the magical world but stayed mostly silent on the topic. The backlash of her S.P.E.W. campaign the year before had caused her to hold her views tighter to her chest. She decided to wait until a more suitable time to bring that up. Instead, she changed the topic. "Look, there's Ed and Al. Those must be their military uniforms."

Situated in the middle of the left side of the head table were the two visitors from Amestris. They were clad in matching clothes of vibrant blue. The differences between them were that Ed had two more stars on either shoulder than his brother. A number of ribbons adorned either but Ed's breast was adorned with many more. They appeared to be having an animate conversation with copious amounts of hand waving.

"So, that's Professor Elric's brother?" asked Neville. "Do we also call him Professor Elric?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know."

Before they could discuss it further Dumbledore called for silence and the deputy headmistress brought forth the sorting hat. She placed it on the simple wooded stool and backed away. Suddenly it perked up and began to sing:

"In times of old, when I was new,
And Hogwarts barely started,
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted…"
(You can kinda figure this one out. Its straight from the books.)
"…And we must unite inside her
or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
let the Sorting now begin."

As the ancient hat finished his song and was met with confused applause. It gave a short bow and the sorting ceremony began. Harry and his friends were somewhat disturbed by the warning not so subtly sang this year. They were so perturbed that they almost missed the reaction to the hat by the Elrics. Almost.

Hermione watched as the eldest brother began reaching for what she assumed was his muggle pistol. He was held down by his brother who looked even more shaken than he did. It seemed nobody had informed them of how sorting was done in Hogwarts. It took nearly the entire sorting for the two of them to calm down but, every time the hat shouted the destination of the first years Al seemed like he was going to faint. Finally, the last student was sorted and Professor McGonagall whisked the stool away for another year.

Dumbledore rose from his seat to take his place behind the lectern. "Welcome to our new arrivals and Welcome back to those returning for another year. But there is time enough for words later. For now: let us eat!" With a flick of his wrist the house table filled with multitudes of food.

The entire hall quickly filled with excited chatter for the new school year. They covered a myriad of topics while they gorged on chops, steaks, and potatoes including the failed Tri-Wizard Tournament, what happened over holiday, the recent break-in attempt at the Department of Mysteries, the new additions to the staff, and the general excitement for the future. However, Harry was more somber and made only small attempts to include himself in the conversations being held by his friends who flanked and sat across from him at the Gryffindor table. The last time he had been in the Great Hall it was to attend the memorial of Cedric's death. It weighed heavy on his mind. It was not long before the feast got away from him entirely and Dumbledore cleared the food with another wave of his hand.

"Such a lovely night for a lovely feast," said Dumbledore jovially. "Welcome once again to this wondrous year at Hogwarts. As some of you may have noticed we have a few changes to the staff. First, Professor Wilhelmina Grubby-Plank is taking over for Professor Hagrid while he is on sabbatical on the Continent." He paused as the woman stood and there was a bit of applause for the returning substitute. When she took her seat again, he continued. "Secondly, we have a new class being offered this year: Alchemy. The class is open to all years and if you wish to attend, please inform your head of house. It will be taught by visitors from beyond the Great Doors: Colonel Edward Elric and Major Alphonse Elric." The two of them awkwardly stood up and received loud applause which was mostly from the female population. "Finally, taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts is Professor Delores Umbridge." Umbridge stood and gave a sickeningly sweet fake smile. There was weak applause throughout the hall but it was mostly contained to the Slytherin table. Many of the older students, and those from all magical families, knew who she was and generally despised her. "Now, that we have had our introductions done with, it's time…"

"Hem-hem," came a quiet interruption but, the headmaster simply ignored it.

"…to have some announcements. Students are reminded that the Forbidden Forest…"

"Hem-hem." The interruption returned louder this time and actually caused Dumbledore to falter for a moment.

"…The Forbidden Forest is out-of-bounds, as there are a number of unpleasantries there for a student to face. Also, no magic is permitted in the hall and Mr. Filch…"

"Hem-hem!" came the interruption a third time. It was more forceful and it caused much of the hall to look at the source. When they realized who it was, the students began whispering amongst themselves. On the opposite end of the head table, Ed set his head down on the table and groaned.

Dumbledore turned around to see that his Ministry appointed Professor had not yet sat down after her introduction. "Delores, was there something you wished to add?"

"Thank you, Professor," replied Umbridge as she stepped around the table and approached the lectern which the headmaster reluctantly relinquished. "As some of you may know, I am the Undersecretary of the Minister of Magic. The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. That is why we have invited our dimensional neighbors here to return to us the lost magicks that they have maintained. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Teachers ought to be of this rich heritage, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. Then again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

When Umbridge finally finished speaking much of the student body had either dozed off or become visibly upset. There was weak applause from the hall which broke out into hurried whispers.

"Hermione!" hissed Ron. "What the bloody hell is that woman talking about? I couldn't follow any of it."

Hermione took a deep breath. "It means the ministry is interfering in Hogwarts."

Ed watched grumpily as the students filed into Hogwarts' Great Hall. Normally he'd be excited to explore the castle or compare notes with his newly arrived brother. Instead he sat there and stewed. He was shaken by his brother in order to get his attention.

"Brother?" asked Al with eyes full of concern. "Is everything alright?"

Sighing heavily Ed said, "Fine. I've just spent the last several hour getting grilled by the pink toad down on the other end."

"Really?" asked Al. "What did she try to get out of you?"

"She was just trying to dig into Amestris' business. And ours. Mostly she was just being a pain in the ass," said Ed with distain and a dismissive gesture.

"Well, cheer up. Classes ought to keep her occupied and away from us for a good chunk of the year after tonight."

Ed grimaced. "Nope," he said. "We have to attend a staff meeting after the feast." He paused and leaned in close and gestured for his brother to do the same. "The old man thinks there is some sort of power play at work here."

"Oh," responded Al quietly. He wanted to say more but it was clearly not the time or place to discuss it. Especially since at that moment, Minerva placed a stool and a ragged hat in the center of the room before the head table. Al watched as the rowdy assembly of students quieted and stared at the hat expectantly. It wasn't until the hat split at the brim and began to speak did he understand why. The hat had begun to sing.

Ed's eyes went wide. "What the hell?" he asked as he reached into his coat to draw his firearm but was stopped his brother.

"Ed!" hissed Al. "Don't shoot the hat!"

"I wasn't gonna…" said Ed through clenched teeth. "I was just going to get some answers."

"Look around," said Al. "No one else is finding this weird. Maybe it's not what we think it is. Keep it together."

The older Elric looked into his brother's face. He had gone eerily pale and sweat had broken out on his forehead. Alphonse was terrified. Ed nodded and glared at the hat from his seat while his brother shuffled uncomfortably in his seat while the hat fulfilled its evident purpose. After the first years were sorted, the pair of them relaxed briefly despite the surprising appearance of the food. Filling their plates with some of the more familiar food, Ed and Al made polite conversation with their neighbors. Before long the Headmaster stood and called for silence. With a wave of his hand, he banished the food and began to make the introductions of the new staff.

When the Pink One interrupted Dumbledore, Ed audibly groaned and Al sank into his chair in defeat. The 'impromptu' speech was obviously practiced in advance and was targeted more towards the staff and Harry's gaggle of friends. It almost made the Amestrians miss Fuhrer Grumond's speeches about clever strategy. There was, of course, also the claim that alchemy was magic which got Ed to start grumbling under his breath and Al to hang his head. The true issue of the moment was the message and the manner in which it was delivered. It was clearly a warning of a rising tide that confirmed Dumbledore's suspicions of interference.

Ruins of Lestrange Manor

East Riding of Yorkshire, England

September 1st, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar)

Several hundred miles away lie the ruins of a legacy. Lestrange Manor had once been a large and beautiful home as would befit a family of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Located on a hill overlooking the sea, the vista was breathtaking. The surrounding lowlands once held rich farms and provided much of Wizarding England with goods which amassed the family a massive fortune and helped them to consolidate political power. For centuries the Lestrange family built onto the house and increased their prosperity though this was often at the expense of the people that depended on them.

All of this changed in 1707 when the Wizard's Council was dissolved by the affirmed supremacy of the Ministry of Magic and the admittance into the fledgling International Confederation of Wizards. Their years of abuse to their countrymen cost them their influence and the opening of the market to the world meant that the British people didn't need to buy their exorbitantly priced goods. The lush fields gave way to dark forests and the house stopped its constant expansions. The family turned to more questionable means of maintaining their power. By the time Lord Voldemort rose to full power in the 1970s, the air of the Manor had grown thick with malice. The forests exuded an atmosphere of gloom and the weather became altered by the dark magic.

With the arrests or deaths of most of the family it was all but abandoned. It faced ruin in the spring of 1982 when Rudolphus Lestrange's father, Caliban, made his last stand against Ministry Aurors. He had apparently detonated ancient security spells that had been laid down centuries prior. The result was the obliteration of half the manor, his death, the deaths of five aurors, and Alastor Moody's favorite leg.

At present, it was serving as one of seven meeting points for the growing forces of Lord Voldemort. A large collection of Death Eaters were scurrying around the remaining portion of the manor trying to organize and complete the tasks set to them by their malevolent master. It was almost comical the level of terror they felt serving someone they revered as a living god. Or at least that is what the man observing from the broken clock tower in the court yard thought. He was of average height with long blond hair pulled into a pony tail and piecing purple eyes that contrasted to his pale skin.

"It warms the souls to see such terror inflicted upon these mere mortals. Eh, Brother?" he enquired seemingly to the empty air behind him.

In an instant there was a rustling from above him and another man dropped from the charred rafters and sat upon the ledge opposite of him. A dark cloak hung over a medium frame. Purple eyes were framed by a mess of black hair. "I don't know, Cruelty," he said. "You know that psychological stuff isn't my shtick. Now if they were having screws driven into their thumbs, I might be inclined to care."

"My dear brother Malice," said Cruelty as he turned around to face the new arrival. "Surely you can appreciate the artistry in cause pain without laying a finger on someone?"

"Eh, whatever."

Cruelty shrugged and turned back to absorb the terror before him. "Regardless. Have you news from our woman in the shadows?"

"The Elric boys arrived at that school place today. One came with the rest of the staff but the other arrived by train. She thinks that the Dumble guy is trying to protect Potter."

"Do they suspect anything about us?"

Malice shrugged. "She doesn't think so but, they are jumpy as hell."

"Perfect," said the other in an almost lusty voice. "I do love new toys. After all, that Potter boy was hardly any fun at all. I guess seeing Mr. Diggory appear outside his window was not enough to get him to break." In a flash of red lightning, the blond man changed to become a spitting image of James Potter. "Perhaps, this face could do more harm."

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN

END NOTE: So, I figure it will be pointless to apologize. But, I will. I'm so sorry for the delay. After graduating with my degree, I had a wedding to plan. Then, I had a birthday. Then, my brother moved up to where I live in the mountains. Then, I got married. Then, I moved out of my house into an apartment while putting most of my things into a storage unit that is over a mountain. Then, I went on my honeymoon which I just returned from. Also, I got a kitten. Not really an obstacle but, he is just too cute.

Unfortunately, I will probably only be able to post one more time before I start training for a new job sometime in the next 45 days. However, while I am indisposed I will continue to write and plot. This will enable me to post as soon as I can type it up. Please stick with me guys.

This has been Chapter 8 with the formal introduction of some of the bad guys in the shadows.

In the meantime, favorite, review, or discover the lost secrets of a long dead culture that correctly predicted the end of the world just before it's too late. I don't know. I'm not an archeologist.

Catch you next time,

The Rising Robin