SNITCHSEEKER, A HISTORY

The first of September 2103 began as any other start of term day for the young witches and wizards attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their trunks were loaded onto the Hogwarts Express, they said goodbye to their families on Platform 9¾, the trolley lady pushed her wares up and down the train corridor, and the first years glided across the Black Lake towards the castle in eager anticipation of their Sorting. Unbeknownst to all, the “headmaster” was scouring the Forbidden Forest looking for one final piece to an important mission: the Resurrection Stone. With the Stone found and the remaining hallows in the hands of his most trusted followers who had laid a stronghold at the Ministry of Magic, he returned to the castle ready to bring not only Hogwarts but the entire wizarding world to its knees… for the Greater Good

Students were given a rude awakening as soon as they arrived at school. At the start-of-term feast, some were curious to find that Headmaster Trent's usual seat stood empty on the staff dais, leading to inevitable questions. Before they had the chance to voice these questions to anyone but each other, however, the man himself strode in and took his place, though something seemed a little… off - more 'off' than last term, even. The exact nature of that something quickly became apparent, when Malachi Trent's face melted away - Polyjuice Potion style - to reveal someone very different currently in command of the school, just as a menacing crowd of followers trooped into the Great Hall.

The stranger in Trent's place - and who had clearly been masquerading as the headmaster for some time - introduced himself as Headmaster Rosier, and his organisation as the Neo-Alliance, not hesitating to inform the students that they were all disposable should anyone consider resistance against his takeover of the school. With the students in varying states of shock, fear, and outrage, liable to outbursts, it soon became clear the Neo-Alliance meant business. He revealed that prefects were to be replaced by another group, and all students were instructed to fill in the forms that appeared on the house tables. These forms required students to provide their blood heritage, family details, and their stance on muggle upliftment.

Upon returning to their common rooms, students found their dormitories and belongings ransacked, any and all mirrors confiscated and fireplaces sealed. All communication with the outside world was stopped, surveillance upped, and owls unceremoniously birdnapped. Hogwarts had been turned into a prison.

Matters only became more dire as term got underway. The prefects' replacement turned out to be a revival of the once infamous Inquisitorial Squad - first seen during Dolores Umbridge's reign of Hogwarts - now reinstalled to spy and report on anything the cult deemed a violation under the new regime. More Neo-Alliance followers arrived at Hogwarts, taking up residence around the castle in makeshift living spaces as the school becomes their headquarters. Muggle-borns were singled out for cruel and unfair treatment in lessons and around the school. Even the professors did not escape torment; Muggle Studies professor, Finneas Schmoe, suffered the Cruciatus Curse for attempting to defy the new curriculum, and Professor Cassiopeia Kitridge met the same response.

Lucien Rosier received a visit from his sister, Alphonsine, part of a group of key Neo-Alliance members who had infiltrated the Ministry of Magic. Alphonsine revealed that the Ministry had been successfully brought under Neo-Alliance control, with Minister Hollingberry in the palm of their collective hand. In order to convince parents and the public that all was well at the school, Lucien instructed that a message be sent out by the Minister, and this was swiftly accomplished in a Wizarding Wireless Network broadcast; Minister Hollingberry announced a 'new, rigorous and refined curriculum' which would usher in a new era, and that all communications with the school had been suspended so that students could focus on their studies.

Alphonsine delivered the Cloak of Invisibility to Lucien, along with the Elder Wand, to join with the Resurrection Stone he had recovered in the Forbidden Forest on the night of the feast - all three Deathly Hallows gathered at last. However, Alphonsine also informed her brother that she had had to kill their childhood friend, a key Neo-Alliance member, in order to obtain the wand that he had been ready to keep for himself. Deeply troubled by what this meant, and by the belief of what he would have to do in order to officially win the Elder Wand from his sister, Lucien told Alphonsine they would work it out. She would retain official ownership of the wand, while he kept it in his possession.

The students themselves were not idle. Slytherin fifth year, Nemesis Upstead, appealed directly to Rosier and apparently willingly joined the Neo-Alliance as an extra set of eyes (though this wouldn't be revealed until a fateful Potions lesson several months later). A group of students - Bernadette Grantham, Phoebe James, Aboli Song, Mamie Turov, Bella Connolly, Kale Trent, Kinsay James, and Ivy Grimm - were discovered lingering with intent in a corridor of Hogwarts portraits after a failed attempt to get a message out of the castle (or an impromptu dance party, depending on who you asked) and ordered to take down the majority of the Hogwarts portraits. When some of the group did not immediately obey, Lucien Rosier appeared and ordered the muggle-borns be killed for their defiance, and the others made to watch, but Professor Recard was able to step in and come to their rescue. Evidently not satisfied with the results when Professor Recard took over the punishment of these students, Rosier later revealed to the History of Magic professor the exact whereabouts of the actual headmaster, Malachi Trent: trapped in an enchanted mirror. Rosier made it crystal clear that Recard or any of the staff could be put in their own mirror prisons if it became easier to simply remove them from the equation.

Shortly after the failed attempts at getting help during the disastrous Care of Magical Creatures field trip to the Welsh Dragon Reserve, matters went from bad to worse. Lucien Rosier summoned everyone in the castle (or at least those who had any will to live) to the courtyard in the early hours of the morning. There, he announced that, as a direct result of the attempts made to alert the outside world of the situation at Hogwarts, the majority of the students would be moved to new living quarters - the group consisted of those with anything other than pureblood heritage, reported troublemakers from the field trip, and those who continued to defy or anger Rosier and his Neo-Alliance friends through their own alliances or actions. For his part, Professor Williamson received a dose of the Cruciatus Curse and promptly collapsed, before being dragged off to be locked away with the students.

These new living quarters turned out to be a room, dank and dreary and downright depressing, set deep in the very lowest dungeons of the castle, with guards posted at the door for constant surveillance. None of the occupants were allowed their wands other than for classes, and were separated from what little remained of their peers in the rest of the school, other than for lessons or closely supervised walks around the premises. After being caught trying to slip bags of helpful commodities along to the students being kept in the Room, Professor Varma was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, along with Ashley Fox, the second year muggle-born student who had agreed to help. It was clear that any resistance was futile; the Inquisitorial Squad had eyes everywhere.

After the events on the field trip and in the courtyard, Rosier informed Nemesis Upstead that it was time to give themselves over properly to the Neo-Alliance and drop the double agent act, or join their siblings and peers in the Room. They chose the former option, and were given a place in the Inquisitorial Squad, with permission to use the Cruciatus Curse if necessary. Not long after came the fateful Potions lesson in which Upstead revealed their status as a member of the Squad and the Neo-Alliance, and four students - Ashley Fox, Moose Stover, Kale Trent, and Minjae Yoon - were apparently vanished into puffs of smoke by Lucien Rosier, in return for their 'disrespect' and defiance when they openly spoke out against them. As a direct result of this lesson, Potions Mistress Professor Varma also joined those housed in the Room.

On the evening of 9th May 2104, an explosion was heard across the grounds. This was the sign the staff had been waiting for; help had arrived. Far to the south of Hogwarts, there had been a rallying cry after a tussle at the Ministry of Magic, and an army set to fight against the Neo-Alliance had arrived at the school to make their stand on the grounds, and fight to reach the imprisoned children. Professors Schmoe, Peralta, and Recard ran straight to the Room, knocking out the guards and freeing the students inside while the rest of the Neo-Alliance followers were busy meeting the army on the grounds. Staff and students alike rushed to the Spare Office on the sixth floor to shelter in a safe place, and soon the Heads of Houses brought their students from the common rooms to join them. Those students old enough to fight were free to join the battle.

The action started at the winged boars, the entrance gates to the school. Those outside of Hogwarts who had heard Minister Hollingberry's Wizarding Wireless Network announcement, calling the wizarding community to take up wands and fight alongside the resurrected Order of the Phoenix against the Neo-Alliance, marched upon the gates. In a concentrated effort, the impromptu army blasted through and gained access to the school, some Neo-Alliance sympathisers slipping in this way at the same time. Ministry workers, determined family and friends of Hogwarts students and staff, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Minister for Magic made up the bulk of the group. Here the battle began, the Neo-Alliance followers flooding out of the school to meet them. Many on the side of the Order broke through and split off to other areas to keep pushing forwards, while others continued to fight by the gates, neutralising as many of the Neo-Alliance as they could. Grae Fairfield and Daisy Swann were both hit by killing curses, one of which was sent by Edward Blaze Jr. Lars Svensson, once a Hogwarts professor, met the same end here. Professor Williamson made his appearance, having arrived from the Room (after evidently taking a detour to rescue some of his creatures first), and helped injured fighters to safety.

On the stone bridge, Ministry infiltrator Simone Krafft led the defence of Neo-Alliance members - fifth year Slytherin Nemesis Upstead among them - against those who had heeded the Minister’s call to arms and sought another point of entry into the castle. Auror Genevieve James, with backup from fellow Hogwarts alumni Caleb Newell and Peneleope Grimm, attempted to arrest Krafft, while sixth year Gryffindor Louise Bones attempted a stealth attack on Upstead, casting Flipendo from behind one of the stone pillars lining the bridge. Bones’ attempts served as a catalyst to an onslaught of spells cast from Krafft and those under her command, as well as retaliation from Upstead in the form of serpent Fiendfyre. Hogwarts Divination professor Cassiopeia Kitridge pleaded with Upstead to return inside and was struck by a Cruciatus Curse cast by one of the Neo-Alliance sympathizers, while Newell was struck down by a Killing Curse from Krafft. Further reinforcements arrived to push back against the Neo-Alliance, including Potions Mistress Shreya Varma. Auror James worked at restraining the Fiendfyre, and Accidents and Catastrophes’ employee Chloe Adara used Bombarda on the stone to amass piles of rubble and hinder Neo-Alliance movements.

In the midst of the flying Unforgivables, Bombardas, and Stunning Spells on the bridge, Upstead used a Levitation Charm on a pile of concentrated debris and slammed it into Krafft, who had just been struck by a Stunning Spell from Varma. The resulting momentum sent Simone Krafft over the side of her bridge, and to certain death; Upstead followed, leaping off the bridge and disappearing from sight. Kurumi Rasting arrived to take Newell’s body from the bridge and, with the assistance of Bones, was able to do so. Former Hogwarts staff, Nessarose Glendower, Paul Myers, and Leobald Kitridge were also among the resistance, successfully restraining several Neo-Alliance members and making it possible for James to finally get the Fiendfyre under control. During the exchange of wandfire and explosions, Cassiopeia Kitridge was struck down by a Killing Curse sent by a Neo-Alliance follower, dying in front of her husband and former colleagues. Seventh year Ravenclaw Valencia Phillips’ Incarcerous spells assisted with those moving bodies of the deceased and unconscious off the bridge and to safety, so that field healers could bring them to the Great Hall. In a last ditch effort to stop Neo-Alliance members’ advancement, Rasting and James manipulated water from the lake below the bridge to summon a massive tidal wave, incapacitating the remaining Neo-Alliance members and neutralising the battle at this location.

Across the grounds, the battle was being waged upon the wooden bridge as well. Former Headmistress, Anastasia Truebridge, arrived at the school to fight, trailing a branch of the army behind her - the army of Neo-Alliance followers, that is. A horde of protective parents, now on the school-side of the bridge, dueled the Neo-Alliance faithful and tried to hold them off. Speaking of hordes, it wasn't long before a secret weapon of the Neo-Alliance was revealed, and a wave of inferi - including missing outspoken Ministry of Magic workers, Milo Jordan and Nero Nykto - staggered onto and across the bridge to join the fray. They grabbed another Order-aligned Josephina Hadley-Nairne, and pulled the former professor over the side of the bridge to her death. This in spite of the best attempts of those such as Professor Aguilar, who arrived after having helped shepherd young Hogwarts students to safety, and then joined the efforts to fight the inferi off with fire. Zoryn Spinnet was caught by the reanimated corpses too, but pulled to safety by Quentin Alvey. Ex-professor Airey Flamsteed, also Order-aligned, took care of most of the inferi with his Anti-Gravity Charm, causing the walking dead to pile together, and burn together.

Spells (and beaters bats) continued to fly on the wooden bridge, and injuries were in abundance. Nemesis Upstead arrived, joining with Truebridge and her Neo-Alliance followers. Within moments, however, a duel had broken out between the two; in a moment of distraction, a spell broke through Truebridge's defences and hit the weakened bridge, causing it to split. Caught in the planks by one of her gorgeous designer heels, Truebridge almost fell with the bridge, but was helped by Nemesis Upstead… helped along to her demise, that is, as Upstead promptly dropped her to her death. Then it was curtains for the wooden bridge, the entire structure collapsing into the ravine below, bringing not only Former Headmistress Anastasia Reina Bunbury Truebridge with it, but Order-aligned Anakin Amstern, half of the Neo-Alliance followers who had been present, and all but a handful of inferi.

The fighters aligned with the Order who broke through to the castle had reclaimed the Great Hall. Here, healers and volunteers, such as former professor Carmine Beryl, triaged and treated the injured brought to them. The deceased who had been recovered lay across one side of the room. It was several hours before the battle spread to the Entrance Hall, threatening the safety of those in the adjacent room; as well as pushing through to find the students and staff, fighters aligned with the Order had the task of defending the Great Hall, and those who required a path to it. The dozen inferi who escaped the carnage of the wooden bridge had shambled their way to the Entrance Hall, continuing their fight against those who threatened the Neo-Alliance. Several Hogwarts students made an appearance in this skirmish. Seventh years Noah Nam, Gryffindor, and Aboli Song, Slytherin, along with sixth year Ravenclaw Avalon Sinclair, all threw themselves into the fray, fighting back vehemently against the Neo-Alliance who had caused them so much suffering all year. Fifth year Gryffindor Bernadette Grantham also made a brief appearance before blinking out of sight, escorted from the scene by a similarly disillusioned student. Former Hogwarts professor, Julian Primeaux, was Obliviated by Neo-Alliance sympathiser Dara Vitvinina, before being hit squarely with a Killing Curse. In the midst of the chaos, the last of the inferi were brought down by the combined efforts and fire spells of those who had fought. The threat of the undead was no more.

Meanwhile, professors Carton, Peralta, Schmoe, and Flamsteed worked tirelessly to usher evacuated students into the spare office; this was intended to be a safe room for students away from the battle raging outside and in the corridors of the castle. Professor Recard was briefly trapped on the Neo-Alliance side of the door while escorting her Slytherin students to the office. The four students - Ashley Fox, Moose Stover, Kale Trent, and Minjae Yoon - who had been seemingly vanished into oblivion by Rosier, reappeared seeming much the worse for wear, after being freed from mirror prisons by an explosion that rocked the headmaster's office. While peers comforted one another, Professor Schmoe took the lead and instructed all capable students to begin putting up protective barriers around the room… and not a moment too soon. Members of the Neo-Alliance had followed the caravan of fleeing Hogwarts students and began taunting those shut inside the office. The scramble to secure the space continued, but soon realisation dawned that they may have only succeeded in trapping themselves. Fifth year Gryffindor Phoebe James was the first to point out the various doors within the space and, with Professor Schmoe’s consent, to attempt to unlock them.

With a small group of students focusing on the doors, the rest continued to fortify the space with protective charms… but to no avail. Neo-Alliance members soon overpowered the enchantments en masse. Flooding into the room, students and staff matched the sinister laughter and maniacal cheers with force and a flourish of spells. Professor Carton, Ivy Grimm, Violet Blackthorne, Claudine Blaze, and Heathcliff Jones conjured birds and sent them pecking at hands and eyes; Christian Culloden’s Everte Statum hindered advances; a Flipendo Maxima cast by Fiona Jenovick incapacitated several attackers; Professor Recard fought her way into the room and through Neo-Alliance members just in time to save Tadhg O'Neill and trapped a few attackers in an impenetrable golden bubble. A desperate Bombarda from the wand of Atlas Flamsteed revealed not an exit but a deep closet. Morgan McCarthy quickly pointed out that this could be used to shelter those unable to fight, such as Margaret Turov, who had been struck by several Stunning Spells before she was revived by a peer. As time wore on, the threat of the Neo-Alliance in this area of the castle was eventually neutralised. Yolanda Luna’s quick casting had Neo-Alliance members puking up slugs, Phoebe James transfigured several into capybaras, and Curtis Fuller bound and gagged a handful with a well placed Incarcerous. By the time the Minister for Magic’s patronus arrived at the spare office, students and professors had achieved the upper hand through fierce battling to protect the future of the wizarding world, and each other.

In the early hours of 10th May 2104, Minister for Magic Charles Hollingberry faced off against Neo-Alliance leader Lucien Rosier, in the courtyard of Hogwarts, the latter still with the Elder Wand in his possession. While Hollingberry attempted to appeal to Rosier’s emotions through empathy, the time for negotiations and audiences was long gone. Rosier struck first with an onslaught of aggressive magic; Hollingberry’s Metamorphmagus abilities shielded him by way of dragonscale at first, but one of Rosier’s spells sliced the Minister across the chest. To buy himself time to cast the necessary protective barrier around the Courtyard, keeping both friend and foe clear of the danger zone, Hollingberry animated the stone eagles and gargoyles surrounding the area to attack the leader of the Neo-Alliance. Rosier made quick work of the stone distractions, which served only to antagonize an already raging spirit, but Hollingberry successfully sealed off the area and unleashed more transfiguration and earth magic spells upon him.

One of Rosier's Severing Charms was deflected back at him, slicing open the cult leader’s pocket and dislodging the mirror in which Malachi Trent had been imprisoned. As the mirror shattered, Trent was released from his enchanted prison, but lay unconscious on the cold stone ground. Rosier, still with the upper hand in the duel, deflected other spells from the soft hearted Minister and struck the man with a Cruciatus Curse, which had Hollingberry briefly incapaciated, writhing in agony. Still, Hollingberry managed to speak; his words, a reminder of Rosier’s sister Alphonsine, was a distraction that favored the Minister and aided him in breaking free of the Unforgivable Cast upon him - that, and the fact that Lucien Rosier was not, in fact, the true master of the Elder Wand.

Surrendering to the truth that there was no reasoning with Rosier, and that his own passive efforts would mean an unfavourable end, Hollingberry rose. The Minister threw his remaining strength into a powerful Knockback Jinx, sending Rosier hurtling backwards against one of the burning pillars of the courtyard, gravely injuring him. The architecture, already weakened from previous battles, and now the duel between Hollingberry and Rosier, lost its remaining integrity from the impact. The pillar gave way in a deadly fall of stone, toppling onto Lucien Rosier, and ending his life. Hollingberry retrieved the Elder Wand from its discarded position in front of the rubble now burying Rosier, and, as the true Master of the Elder Wand, used it to produce three silver opossum patronuses to send out the word. Lucien Rosier was defeated. The war was over. The Minister for Magic then lost consciousness, slumping to the ground alongside the true Hogwarts headmaster.

With the Third Wizarding War over, families were reunited and lessons resumed for the remainder of the term for those who elected to remain at Hogwarts.The End of Term feast, a truly somber soiree, saw not the return of Malachi Trent but the arrival of one Healer Poppy. She had been assigned by the Hogwarts Board of Governors to participate in school life, and would, it seemed, be returning in September to help facilitate community healing at Hogwarts in the coming term. Gryffindor won the House Cup and the term officially came to its end, as all boarded the Hogwarts Express returned home for a much needed summer vacation.

Summer always seemed to fly by so quickly, and yet the summer after the War even more so. Before most were ready, September 1st, 2104 rolled around and it was time for all to board the Hogwarts Express for the new school term. Following the events of the previous year, the excitement usually noted on this monumental day seemed to be lacking in most students; save for the incoming class of first years who were as full of life and anxious for sorting as the years previous.

Thankfully, the new group of first years helped the train ride pass quickly, as it seemed in no time at all, the students had moved from train compartments to carriages and boats before back into the Great Hall, looking far more like it’s former glory. Seats were found, some catch up was completed while students noticed the new faces seated at the Staff Table. This term added Professor Oakey Gunter in the Ancient Runes position, Professor Kamran Kazmi as the flying instructor, and Professor Andromeda Euka stepping into her late sister's role in Divination. Healer Poppy was also a new addition, though the students were not completely surprised to see her as she had been already introduced before summer break: an appointment directly made by the Board of Governor’s and a cause for suspicion among the already distrusting students.

At least there was some good news to be shared, as with the opening speech from the real Headmaster Trent, came the news that Hogwarts would be putting on a school play. This brought some excitement, and gave a positive distraction for those who had been dreading the term ahead as tables began to discuss who would be interested in participating.

The next day classes began, and along with their usual courses there were also new mandatory group therapy sessions started by the lake with Healer Poppy. Most of the students were not at all excited by this prospect, but it was made better for some by the delicious bread Healer Poppy had made and brought for the students and Professor’s to indulge in. All sorts of bread, melon, strawberry, French and banana nut; the offering was met with equal parts delight and suspicion.

Unfortunately, scrumptious bread alone was not enough to save the first therapy session. Healer Poppy kicked off the event with “I feel statements” which led to some students, such as Headmaster’s son Kale Trent of house Gryffindor, and Ashley Fox of Ravenclaw, stating how how they felt it was too late for the adults at the school to act as if they cared and insinuating they felt as if the professor’s of the previous term had betrayed them. This caused great distress for Gemma Kitridge of Hufflepuff and daughter of late Professor Cassiopeia Kitridge who was lost in the battle the previous term as well as Gryffindor Atlas Flamsteed who's father had been imprisoned and tortured by the Neo-Alliance during the war. After emotional outbursts and flying carbs, the first session was concluded early and students were released to carry on with their day.

In an effort to take back the castle, a beautification project was put into effect where students were invited to assist with helping clean up the castle. The first task was to replace all the old candles around the castle with brand new ones. Headmaster Trent, Professor Kazmi and Healer Poppy led the charge. Each took a small group of students to start replacing the candles, beginning in the dungeons, the first floor and on the seventh floor. It was not long after the old were swapped with the new, that suddenly all of the students in the vicinity began to feel an overwhelming sense of zen. The groups grew more relaxed, pausing in their beautification pursuits to snack on some bread. Headmaster Trent even let it slip at this time to his group the play they would be presenting would be Peter Pan, and the Board of Governor’s would be invited at the end of term to see the performance, as well as family members of the students. This got the group even more excited to see the auditions, which were fast approaching. Many students showed, surprising all with just how talented the student body of Hogwarts was. And for those not interested in performing, there were many equally important backstage roles to be filled for all to run smoothly. Some of the most notable auditions had been from Gryffindor heartthrob, Kale Trent, presenting a scene from muggle movie “Singin’ in the Rain” and do a number called ‘Make ‘Em Laugh”, which had been successful along with aweing all in the makeshift auditorium (i.e. Duelling Arena). Phoebe James, another Gryffindor, also did a scene from a muggle movie, completing a monologue by Cher Horokowitz from the Clueless. Another outstanding performance was Ravenclaw’s, Ivy Grimm, who presented a monologue from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. Everyone did amazing, and while there had been nerves for a time in the group of students. Once again, that strange sense of zen came sweeping through to relax them during the audition process.

Once the hole had been created, the group was able to speak with house elves, Beezley and Tinka, who revealed under questioning about the bread that it was entirely safe and nothing had been added to the recipes. What had been tampered with, was the new candles they’d been replacing the old with throughout the castle. Healer Poppy had been using the house elves to help lace these with calming draught, in order to relieve some of the students' stresses. Professor Carton pointed out that while this might have been kind in thought, it was entirely unethical in practice as no one had been aware. Healer Poppy showed at that moment, frantic about students having access to the kitchens while Professors Euka and Carton requested she go with them to visit Headmaster Trent. She avoided this request at the present, however no one can avoid the Headmaster long and Healer Poppy was dismissed from the school grounds.

With the issue of Healer Poppy dealt with, it was nearing show time! The night of the play rolled around and everyone was busy with the last minute preparations. Which was probably the reason Healer Poppy had thought this would be an ideal time to sneak back in with a last ditch effort to make herself the hero of the term. With no Professor backstage and in direct vicinity to point out the validity in the students' concerns that the Healer should not have been there, the Healer was able to release a panic potion causing chaos among performers and audience members alike. There was crashing and falling and fear paralysis all around. It was then that Healer Poppy presented herself and her candles as an option for calm. A young Ravenclaw student, Lisa Nam, approached the Healer and requested help, inching forward to take one of the offered candles. Concerned for her peer, Serena Baltazar-Dos Santos, Slytherin, intercepted and cast the stunning spell at the Healer, sending her down to the ground cold. Thus was the end of Healer Poppy’s attempts at terror and the show could go on! And what a wonderful performance the Hogwarts students had put on, despite the interruptions.

With the play concluded, it was nearing time for the term to end, exams were had and before long the end of term feast was upon them as the school year came to a close. Ravenclaw was pronounced the winner of the house cup, a proper send off for their beloved Head of House who along with Professors Williamson, Varma and Recard would not be returning the next term. Once the last meal was shared, it was time for loading onto the train and making their way back to their families for another summer.​

Another summer drew to a close, and once again September 1st rolled around and it was boarding time on the Hogwarts Express for all the new and returning students. An uneventful train ride and a smooth Sorting later and it was already time for the opening speech. Headmaster Trent certainly left everyone nervous with an announcement regarding increase in the presence members of the Board of Governors and a… project? The hall was abuzz for a moment, before everyone was then distracted by the delicious meal prepared by the house elves. After they'd been stuffed full, it was time for bed and off to the races of academia.

The first week of classes was a whirlwind as everyone settled back into the schedule, and before they knew it it was time for the mysterious ‘project’. It was almost a relief to find it was simply beautification project, with fresh plants provided by the Board to place wherever desired around the grounds. Some students questioned at first if this was an attempt to make up for the disaster that was Healer Poppy, the individual who the Board was responsible for introducing the term before, but this suggestion was not taken kindly by the Board and so professors stepped in and split the group into three parties. It was decided to plant the new foliage in the Greenhouses, the pathways, and around the lake.

After the first day of beautification, more plants were added throughout the weeks to continue the beautification. Most of the additions were not notable, except for one particular plant with vines, blooming with beautiful flowers. This particular plant was admired for days, but the more students visited the greenhouses, the more and more apparent it was that while this plant was flourishing, those surrounding seemed to be withering away. Not long after this, the plant also began to… glow? Research began regarding this, but as it was confined to a singular greenhouse it was not too large of a concern.

However, the concerns grew when a gathering of students at the lake’s edge were approached by Sir Bartholomew Henry, with a request for assistance, as the Great Lake’s ecosystem was in danger. Sir Bartholomew Henry advised the plants in the lake were withering away and dying, taking away homes, foods and safety for many of the inhabitants. The students gathered water samples and were off to inform Professor’s Paszek and Professor Kazmi of the warning, figuring the Care of Magical Creatures Professor and Groundskeeper would have ideas on how to best to handle the situation.

Meanwhile at the greenhouse, things just continued to get curiouser and curiouser. A thick, toxic gas began to fill the greenhouse and began to seep outside of it, barring students from getting any closer. Professor Flamsteed managed to cast a charm to lock it in from escaping any further, however the magic only lasted so long before the gas continued to stretch outwards. Around the rest of the school as well, vines began to cover all the surfaces imaginable - covering classrooms and entrapping students as weeks passed. It seemed even with how often Diffindo was cast, the vines just kept growing and growing.

During one particular Herbology lesson, the students were gathered and discussing what they could figure about the vines and the best ways to rid the school of what was quickly become a pest. Atlas Flamsteed mentioned going after the root, while others continued down various other routes. Discussion was interrupted when a scream was heard, and when the class and Professor Flamsteed went to assist, they found the vines attacking Professor Carton. The vines also snatched up Violet Blackthorne of Slytherin, and some of the remaining students and Professor Flamsteed jumped to aid. The vines were fought with Reducio, Glacius, Diffindo… but nothing was working as a permanent solution as it seemed all their efforts did was slow the vines, not stop them.

Once they’d freed the Transfiguration professor and Violet, it was decided to turn Herbology into a field trip into the restricted section of the library, with other students and faculty meeting them there. The intention was to locate a book that could have something about what was plaguing the school, but the library was so large they weren’t sure how they would get anywhere on their own. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, until one book tumbled from the shelves and landed at the feet of Daniel Yoon. Daniel picked up the book and was then crowded by his peers, each house represented in the clustering of students, as they read the open passage. What they read described a plant called the Pharaoh’s Triumph, a specimen that had the ability to blend in by taking the appearance of any other plant, usually vined, and slowly suck the life from the flora around it as it grew it’s own power. The Pharaoh’s Triumph was described to have semi-sentient vines with flowers growing from it, and when it was reaching it’s full power it would begin to excrete a toxic fog in order to place a curse upon land and leave it entirely desolate. The only way to destroy it was to go to the root of the issue - the original plant itself, just as Atlas had suggested, and burn it.

With the fog already in full force, the party had no time to waste. It was immediately to the grounds with the intent of burning down the plant, though no plan in place on the how.

Once everyone had arrived at the greenhouse, it was decided that despite the heartbreak it would cause to their own Professor Flamsteed and the other students of Herbology, the only way to truly eradicate the Pharaoh’s Triumph was to burn the entire greenhouse to the ground. With the how decided, Professor Kazmi suggested the group use the knockback jinx in order to throw torches into the greenhouse. The group complied, sending torches crashing through windows until a loud screech was heard and the ground began to shake. They had triumphed over the Pharaoh’s Triumph.

With heavy hearts, they all retreated back to the castle and the rest of the term was spent cleaning up the vines how they could and preparing for examinations. Before everyone knew it, another term had come to a close and it was the final feast. It was at the ending feast that Headmaster Trent then announced his retirement, and the end of the Trent era at Hogwarts. The feast came to a close and it was back to the train to travel home to their families.