Chapter 5

Hector Runcorn was in his OWL year. He had started the year like any other, bored and uninterested for the most part. His relationship with his father was as difficult as ever, and with Albert pestering his son about a career in the Ministry, the two butted heads more often than not. The Runcorn family was not part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and until a century ago, it was barely anything worth mentioning.

Then, Hector's grandfather had struck gold through sheer dumb luck by discovering a counter charm for entrancing enchantments, and suddenly the Runcorn family had a lot of clout to throw around. Albert had capitalised on it to get a top-ranking position at the Ministry. However, Hector's interests lay elsewhere.

Hector was good at keeping his eyes open and his mouth shut, and information interested him. He was also a fan of using the right information for his purposes. The Daily Prophet would be an ideal outlet for it. Influencing an entire nation to think the way he wanted them to, was exactly what Hector desired to have. His father, on the other hand, was small-minded and thought his son wanted to be a mere journalist. They'd had a huge fight before Hector had returned to school for his OWL year with Albert threatening to disown him by Yule if he didn't obey his wishes.

He knew his father wouldn't go through with it because his mother would talk him out of it, but it did build his resolve up even further to get exactly what he wanted. He wasn't even paying attention during the ceremony when Jill Potter had been sorted into Slytherin. It was later that night when he and Vera were looking over the list of new first years in their house that he noticed her name.

"The Potter girl? A Slytherin?" he asked, skeptically.

"She's either going to be a spy or the next dark lord," said Vera, only half-joking.

He had laughed at that, and the matter had been laid to rest. Then, rumours had started at lunch the next day about Potter and Longbottom butting heads. That had certainly got his attention, but he still wasn't convinced when Vera, Jason and Myra suggested holding the trial for the Prince. Personally, Hector thought that the young Malfoy would have it in the bag because of his father, but then magic had chosen Potter, and Hector had been shocked to say the least.

He had still been unsure, until he had seen Potter in action. Despite her age, she was clever, cunning and very, very aware of things around her. Hector found himself reluctantly admiring her resolve as the days went on, and soon it became clear that magic had chosen the Prince of Slytherin very wisely. And Hector realised very quickly that she was the ticket to his goal. Being a part of her council would grant him access, and her influence could ultimately put him right where he wanted to be.

With that in mind, Hector fell in line and swore fealty to Jill Potter. It was his best option, after all.

The middle child of the pureblood Lancaster family, Vera was considered as intelligent as she was beautiful. With her thick brown hair, big green eyes and charming smile, Vera won hearts over quite easily, even as her over-achieving personality kept people from getting close to her. An older brother who was Head Boy in his day and was likely to inherit the family fortune, and a younger brother who was only ten but already a prodigy when it came to flying, Vera knew she had to establish her own path and name.

Her parents were never Death Eaters but were openly supportive of the Dark Lord during his days of power. Vera had been too young to remember it properly but she recalled people her parents had called friends who were later tried for being Death Eaters. Granted most of them managed to dodge incarceration, it was still a matter of shame for someone like her who placed appearance beyond everything. She made up her mind to set herself apart from her family and become something beyond a sullied family name.

To that end, Vera worked hard to become a prefect, and to excel at her academics. She succeeded on both fronts, though she was still in the process of figuring out a way to set herself apart. And then Jill Potter was sorted into Slytherin.

Despite Hector's reluctance, Vera thought Jill was more than met the eye at first glance. A confrontation with Longbottom later, Vera was certain that Jill was the ideal candidate for the Prince. Hearing that Malfoy had also chosen to threaten her and found himself put soundly back in his place had only cemented her certainty.

They had not prepared for a magically chosen Prince, but Vera had been absurdly pleased. If ever there was a sign that Vera's instincts were right, it had been this. After the initial shock, Vera had been happy to discover that Jill was capable and willing to abide by her mantle. Vera admired the younger girl's drive, and found herself thinking of her like a sister, more than even her own brothers.

Vera also found herself breaking the rules for the first time in her life for Jill's sake. After a lifetime of gaining knowledge but never using it to her gain, Vera had discovered her true Slytherin side. Smuggling Jill out of Hogwarts, using Dawlish's credentials to make illegal portkeys, using the secret passageways her brother had bragged about were all little ways she had already broken the rules, and it was exhilarating to be able to be useful to the leader she admired.

Before this, Vera hadn't considered a career in politics, but now, she was certainly intrigued at the possibility. It would be an interesting talk when she had to meet with Professor Slughorn to pick her career before the OWLs.

A very interesting talk indeed.

Jason Whitman always got what he wanted. It was the advantage of being the only son of a rich pureblood family with neutral ties. His family's business was based in America for the most part, and the frequent threats in Britain had not been able to touch it. His parents divided their time between America and Britain, which meant that Jason was on his own more often than not.

Years of this had done well to make Jason independent. He was also well-aware of his own good looks and substantial fortunes, and he was frequently bored at the lack of challenges that a mind like his required to stay interested. In another lifetime, he would have been the ideal candidate to be the Prince, but Jason preferred to follow, rather than lead.

He was the first one to hear about Jill Potter's confrontation with Longbottom. He had already thought the girl was interesting, but that confirmed it for him. A quick conversation with her told him that she had the potential for the mantle of the Prince, and he was glad to have support from his fellow prefects. The seventh year prefects, Verna Bole and Paul Merrick, were the reluctant ones, but considering the fact that Bole was thicker than a troll and Merrick couldn't tell his arse from a tea kettle, their opinions were promptly ignored. Hector Runcorn was also reluctant, but he was also in favour of waiting to see the events as they transpired rather than making a rash call. It was an attitude Jason admired, even if he didn't agree with it.

Nobody was as smug about Jill's ascension to the mantle of the Prince as Jason. Except Vera, perhaps. For his part, Jason was happy that his last two years at Hogwarts would be anything but dull if the past few weeks had been to judge.

And he, for one, couldn't wait for it.

Unlike her fellow prefects, Myra Robbins was not an ambitious person. Being a half blood, she had learned to set low expectations for herself, knowing that her options were going to be limited in what she could get in terms of status and position. Yet, it didn't mean she was an idiot by any stretch of the imagination.

She had her sights set on Nathan Rivers from Ravenclaw, a pureblood heir to the Rivers family fortune from Dorset. The Rivers family had their fingers in several pies, but they were most notably known for owning the Quidditch team, Puddlemere United. Nathan was the third of four sons, a shy and studious boy, without a lot of friends. By the time Myra had been in her second year, she had scoped out the rich, eligible boys in her cohort, and finally narrowed her attentions on Nathan.

When she was in her third year, Myra had become Nathan's best and only friend. She had eventually given the push for them to start dating in their fifth year. Nathan was devoted to her, choosing to spoil her endlessly and she took full advantage of it. There was no remorse to her actions, knowing that this was the only way she could distance herself from her blood status and establish herself into wizarding society. Being the wife of a third son wasn't the best thing ever, but she would still be a part of the Rivers family, and would likely live a life of wealth and comfort.

Assisting the Prince of Slytherin would divert from her goal, but Myra was enjoying it. It was a reprieve from spending time with Nathan, who was sweet but utterly boring. The fact that she got to be privy to people's secrets and use it against them was just a bonus.

Myra was a true Slytherin through and through, and there was no part of her that regretted that.

Ciel Marchand considered two things to be more important than anything: family and duty. He felt his father failed both when he let himself go after the death of his wife. The once-proud Marchand name was now an embarrassment in the wizarding society, thanks to his father.

Ciel would still have forgiven it, had it not been for the way his father treated him and his sisters. It hadn't been as bad when Ciel was at home, because he could see the signs of his father's drunkenness and hear the tinkling laughter of whatever whore he had brought home that night, and take his sisters and hide them away so they wouldn't have to witness the debauchery their father was engaging in. Once Ciel went to Hogwarts, he knew that Catarina took over protecting herself and Calliope, but when Ciel returned at Yule of his first year, he could see the disgust and coolness in Catarina's gaze whenever she looked at their father. Ciel would have given anything to keep his sisters away from the ugliness of it all, but at eleven, he was helpless.

Six years later, he was only a few weeks shy of turning seventeen, and he had used the years to plan. The only trouble was what would happen once his father was dead. Even if the Ministry and the Wizengamot didn't try and pursue him for it, the rest of the wizarding society would be aware of what he did, and Ciel would make no difference to his family's image. The arrival of Jill Potter had been a blessing in disguise in that sense, even before her ascension as the Prince of Slytherin.

He had been debating how to approach her when one of her council had come to him with a request of training her. Ciel had seized his chance and made his request, which she had granted after some thought. Not just that, she had gone above and beyond by acknowledging him as the rightful Head of the Marchand family.

Ciel was not his father, and he was determined to restore the Marchand family to its rightful place in wizarding society, no matter what.

And he would start by doing his duty to the Potter family.

"If you want to know where the skeletons are buried, ask the Vaisey family."

Julius grew up hearing those words, and sometimes, even he found it amusing how people thought it was the Vaisey family who was so capable, when in fact, it was the women who married into the Vaisey family that were so good at doing what the family was known for. His father was incompetent at best, and a downright idiot at worst. Julius' older brother was no different, preferring Quidditch over the family business.

It was his mother who was the mastermind. Patricia Vaisey nee Burke was intelligent, shrewd and sharper than anyone Julius knew. She had been trained by her mother-in-law, the older Vaisey matriarch, who had passed away only a year ago. In turn, Patricia was now training Julius, knowing he took after her, not his father.

Julius loved it. Knowing people's secrets was a thrill he couldn't describe, and he admired the detailed records that had been compiled by his family for generations. It had fallen into disuse during Voldemort's rise to power, and Julius would often hear his mother say how much Grandma Vaisey disliked the Dark Lord, even as the Vaisey family stayed neutral.

"Rulers are meant to be civilised," she would say. "You rule from the shadows, you pull the strings. Not go on a killing rampage like a blithering idiot."

Julius personally agreed with that. It was also why he never complained about the long hours his mother would spend coaching him about the family business and how he should conduct himself. Even at eleven, Julius was wiser and more aware of the world than his father.

He knew that Draco Malfoy would also start the same year as him, and Julius was prepared for the possibility of being asked to join his council. Then the curveball called Jill Potter had hit, and Julius had been pleased about it. Malfoy hadn't impressed him. From his first impression on the Hogwarts Express, he reminded Julius of his father. But Jill? Jill was like his mother. Shrewd, cunning, closed off, but most importantly, willing to listen to her council but capable of leading them just the same.

She was a leader. The kind of leader that Grandma Vaisey had described.

It only made sense to follow her.

Daphne Greengrass was good at many things, but above all, she was good at recognising people who needed to be cared for. It came from a lifetime of an absent father and a cruel stepmother, and an innocent younger sister who needed protecting. She had seen a kindred spirit in Jill, when they'd met in Diagon Alley. Over the summer, the two had grown closer, and Daphne realised that her first impression of Jill had been right on the nose.

Raised an orphan, Jill was closed off and reserved in many ways just like Daphne. However, while Jill had been alone, Daphne had Astoria. Even if Jill hadn't become the Prince, Daphne would have still considered her to be like a sister to her, and it was constantly surprising to her when Jill seemed to return that sentiment through her insistence of not treating her friends like her lackeys.

Daphne knew that no matter what happened, she would always consider Jill to be family.

Blaise Zabini didn't place a lot of importance on people. It was a value instilled in him by his mother. People tended to bore him, but from the moment he had seen Jill Potter, he had been a little intrigued. She had been on the verge of a panic attack when he'd first seen her, and it had been almost amusing to help her out.

Then later at Hogwarts, he had heard her annoyed whisper about Longbottom, and that amusement had grown, intriguing him further. Jill Potter was fascinating, and for the first time in his life, Blaise was finding himself interested in someone other than himself and his mother. By extension, it had started to include Greengrass as well.

As the days progressed, it had gone from a mere interest to something akin to protectiveness towards her. Her position, while a great honour that was deserved, would bring a lot of enemies her way, and Blaise didn't even hesitate before volunteering himself as her protector. She continued to surprise him by granting him the courtesy of building his skills, and having had no one but his mother be so considerate of him, Blaise knew that Jill Potter would always be special to him.

His only hope was to never let her down.

The rest of the weekend after her visit to Gringotts was quiet for the most part. It was on the Monday after it that there was bombshell that reached Jill's ears. Apparently, Longbottom was the new Gryffindor seeker.

"Give me a break," muttered Jason, shaking his head at the Gryffindor table that was celebrating. "Didn't he break his wrist last week?"

"You're basing it on the assumption he got the position based on his skills," said Blaise, rolling his eyes.

"It might not be a bad thing," said Jill, and half the table looked at her incredulously. She smiled at them. "Wouldn't you rather face an idiot who broke his wrist flying than someone with actual talent?"

The people around her began to chuckle, and even Flint was grinning at that. Jill returned to her breakfast as the spirit rose amongst the House once more at their Prince's words. She looked up briefly when she saw Liam Bassenthwaite pass a suspiciously thick copy of the Daily Prophet to Julius, who took it and then gave Jill a pointed look. Jill nodded slightly, as the newspaper made its way to Daphne and then to Jill.

She took the folded up scrolls of parchment from the newspaper and stuffed it into her bag, letting the newspaper fall onto the table. No doubt there was something pertinent that had happened in the Heads' meeting that morning, since Liam had felt the need to pass the information on immediately. She managed to hold off until they were in Charms, during which she read through it quickly, while Daphne and Blaise made sure that no one was paying too much attention to her.

Jill almost missed it at first glance because the meeting was going on and on about the high number of students who had been put in detention in the last few weeks, until she read that most of those students had been found snooping in the forbidden third floor corridor. And then a few moments later, Slughorn had asked if 'it' was still safe and if they had disturbed any of the traps, only to have him shushed with a pointed look towards the students in the room.

Making a note to send something really nice to Liam Bassenthwaite, Jill folded up the information and put it away in her bag.

"Good?" whispered Blaise in her ear.

"Very," she said.

It seemed that the day's surprises weren't done, when at lunch, Hector passed her another envelope, this one thicker than the one in the morning. She raised her eyebrows at him, and Hector mouthed the word 'Snape' to her. Unfortunately, Jill didn't have time to read it before the last two classes for the day, and it kept her distracted throughout them. She begged off studying with Hermione that evening, choosing to meet with her council immediately after dinner. Hermione seemed surprised and a little saddened, but agreed. Jill decided to make it up to her later.

Inside the Prince's quarters, Jill and her council sat as Hector opened the envelope that Jill returned to him and began reading out loud.

Wizengamot Records

Ministry of Magic

Minister of Magic: The Honourable Cornelius Oswald Fudge

Supreme Mugwump: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement: Amelia Elizabeth Bones

Subject on trial: Severus Tobias Snape

Charges: Five counts of murder, six counts of torture with the Cruciatus Curse, eight counts of illegal use of the Imperius Curse on highly ranked Ministry officials, affiliations with the Dark Lord known as Lord Voldemort, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder which resulted in the deaths of Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom, and James and Lily Potter

Hector stopped reading and looked up. The council stared at Jill in horror, whose face was cold.

"Jill?" asked Daphne gently.

"Keep reading," snapped Jill.

"Yes, my Prince," said Hector.

Witness for the prosecution: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Witness for the defence: None

Special interrogation notes: Defendant was supposed to be dosed with Veritaserum, but he seems to have imbued himself with the antidote and developed a resistance

Case transcript

Minister Fudge [F]: Severus Snape, your charges have been read to you. How do you plead?"

Severus Snape [S]: Not guilty, Minister. On any of the charges.

F: I would have thought you'd have the decency to accept the charges and take responsibility for your crimes. Since that does not seem to be a possibility anymore, this trial will have to go on. Madame Bones, you have the floor.

Amelia Bones [A]: Thank you, Minister. The prosecution calls our sole witness, Albus Dumbledore to be sworn in.

F: Permission granted. Professor Dumbledore, approach the witness stand.

Albus Dumbledore [D]: Thank you, Minister. I swear upon my magic to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth.

A: Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. How long have you known the defendant Severus Snape?"

D: Since he was 11 years old. I was the Headmaster at Hogwarts when he first came to the school.

A: And you knew him throughout his years of schooling?

D: I did, yes.

A: And did he not have several disciplinary incidents involving the use of dark curses within the school?

D: He did, yes.

A: Minister, at this point, I would like to submit the Hogwarts school records detailing Severus Snape's list of disciplinary actions for the Wizengamot

F: Thank you, Madame Bones. Proceed.

A: In addition, several of Severus Snape's friends and roommates were found guilty of being Death Eaters. I have a complete list here. You will notice that several of them even named Snape as a Death Eater, but without credible proof, we could not proceed.

F: We have the document, Madame Bones. As your own counsel, Mr. Snape, do you wish to challenge any of this?

S: No.

F: Very well. Madame Bones, do go ahead.

A: Thank you, Minister. Professor Dumbledore, were you aware of these accusations against Mr. Snape when you hired him as the Potions Master at Hogwarts?

D: I was aware, yes.

A: Then why was he hired?

D: Like you, Madame Bones, I lacked credible proof. Taking convicted Death Eaters at their words is not my practice.

A: Fair enough. Can you recount for the Wizengamot the events of previous week?

D: Certainly. We have a staff gathering at Hogwarts a month before school commences for the new year in September.

A: And the gathering was last week?

D: On Wednesday, yes. Mr. Snape was invited, since he was part of the staff.

A: And what happened?

D: He requested a private meeting with me after the gathering. We met in my office.

A: And he confessed to the crimes he has been charged with?

S: Objection, Madame Bones.

F: What is it, Mr. Snape?

S: Madame Bones is erroneous in her question. I did not confess to the crimes I am charged with.

A: Are you denying that the meeting took place?

S: Certainly not. Nor am I denying the fact that I did confess to certain crimes to Professor Dumbledore

F: Mr. Snape, stop wasting the Wizengamot's time

S: I would never dare. I am merely pointing out that the crimes I confessed to are not the same ones that I have been charged with.

A: Professor Dumbledore, what crimes did Mr. Snape confess to?

D: He confessed to several counts of murder and the use of Cruciatus and Imperius curses on several parties. He also confessed to committing conspiracy to the murders on Halloween of 1981.

F: I fail to see the difference in crimes, Mr. Snape

S: The difference is rather subtle, Minister. I did not commit conspiracy to murder James and Lily Potter

A: Are you confessing to the murders to Frank and Alice Longbottom?

S: Confessing to conspiracy to commit their murder, yes. But not the Potters

F: That is inconsequential. The rest of the charges still stand. All those in favour of convicting the accused-

S: All due respect, Minister, I wish to speak about who was indeed responsible for the deaths of the Potters at the hands of the Dark Lord. Not to mention, the same person also

REDACTED

REDACTED

REDACTED

REDACTED

REDACTED

F: This Wizengamot session is over. Elders and Madames, have a good day.

End of transcript

"What in the world? Why is it redacted?" asked Myra.

"Let me see that," said Ciel and examined the document closely. "Oh, no."

"What?" asked Jill, still reeling from the revelations.

"They have been magically redacted by the Wizengamot," said Ciel. "The only people who know those contents were people who were present in the Wizengamot chamber that day."

"So we have to find someone who was in that room to know?" asked Julius, his eyes calculating.

Vera shook her head. "You can try and find them, but they won't be able to help you," she said. "The redaction was sealed with magic. They cannot speak of it to anyone, no matter how much they wanted to. They have been sworn to secrecy."

Jill's jaw clenched and she looked away. "Great," she said sarcastically. "So, there's no way to know."

"There is one way," said Blaise, his eyes glittering.

"What?" asked Jason, as Jill looked hopeful.

Blaise smirked. "You ask the person who already knew before going into the Wizengamot chamber," he said.

Jill's eyes went wide. "Severus Snape."

"Problem is, we don't know where he is," said Daphne.

"Shouldn't he be in Azkaban?" asked Myra.

"With those charges? I'm surprised he wasn't given the Kiss," said Jason.

"How did you get this information, Hector?" asked Julius.

"Someone from the Prophet got their hands on the transcript, albeit the redacted one, but I'm assuming that couldn't be helped," he said. "I merely said the Prince of Slytherin needed it, and it was delivered to me quite quickly."

"Risky move throwing the title around," said Jason, raising his eyebrows.

"No, it's fine," said Jill. "Is that something you want to do, Hector? Work at the Prophet?"

Hector was acutely aware of the rest of the council's eyes on him, but he kept his gaze on Jill. "Yes," he said, his voice steady. "The press is an important aspect of influencing society. And I want to be a part of it. Preferably a big part of it."

Jill paused contemplatively. "Do you have a pseudonym?" she asked.

Hector looked surprised. "No," he said.

"Get one," said Jill. "I believe it's time we started being a part of the important aspect of influencing society, as you put it."

"I think you broke him," giggled Myra, when Hector continued to stare at Jill in incredulity.

"Tell the powers that be in the Prophet that you are the Prince's designated press official," said Jill. "I believe that will suffice?"

"Y-yes, my Prince," said Hector, apparently still stunned. "I'll start working on it immediately."

"Good, here's what your first piece could be," said Jill, and drew out the parchment that Liam Bassenthwaite had procured for her. "Apparently the forbidden third floor corridor has something hidden in it, protected by several traps."

"Any idea what it is?" asked Blaise, sitting up.

"No," frowned Jill. "But, I'm hoping we can find out. In the meantime, be prepared for the possibility of making it public. I can't believe many parents will be thrilled at this prospect."

"No, they would not," grinned Jason.

Hector took the offered parchment and nodded. "I'll get started," he said.

Jill nodded, and frowned towards the transcript of Snape's trial. "We also need to find out what happened to Snape," she said. "If he really was sent to Azkaban, or if he was Kissed, or if he even is alive."

"I'll start looking into it," said Julius.

"I'll help," said Daphne.

"Good," said Jill. "We also need to think about Longbottom."

"What? Why?" asked Blaise, irritated.

"Snape mentioned betraying his family," said Jill, rubbing her temple. He might know something." At everyone's incredulous looks, she shrugged. "I know, I know, he's an idiot. But we'd be foolish to discount him as a viable source of information."

"We can dose him with Veritaserum," suggested Ciel. "And ask him."

"We'd have to get him somewhere quiet first," said Myra. "Away from prying eyes."

"Let's not start thinking about kidnapping the Boy-Who-Lived," said Julius.

"Why not?" asked Vera. "We could do it easily."

"You can't be serious," said Julius. "You don't think he's got people watching him? You want to tip our hand so blatantly?"

"Julius is right," said Jason. "It's tempting but we have to be smart about this. Longbottom is always surrounded by his lackeys and if we get him alone, someone is bound to notice. And the staff has to be keeping an eye on him too. It's too dangerous."

"Then how do we get the information we want?" asked Vera, crossing her arms.

"We use our Gryffindor spy," said Blaise, looking at Jill.

Jill frowned a little. "Longbottom will not confide in Hermione, you know that," she said.

"I didn't say anything about confiding," said Blaise. "She can wheedle it out of him, through flattery and whatnot."

"Hermione?" asked Daphne incredulously. "She's capable of many things but not that."

"Worth a shot, especially if we coach her," said Blaise.

"Maybe, but flattery might come from elsewhere," said Jill, and turned to Hector. "Perhaps the press?"

"Augusta Longbottom must be keeping a beady eye on his mail, especially ones from the press," said Hector.

"Most likely, yes," said Jill. "But Spritzy can slip him a note and we can see if he's willing to correspond with an admirer in the press who wants to know 'the real Boy-Who-Lived'."

"It might work," said Julius.

"Or better yet," said Vera. "If he's interested to know about the person who betrayed his parents to the Dark Lord."

"That might work better," said Jill, nodding. "Pique his curiosity. If he does know, he might just be stupid enough to let it slip. If he doesn't, then we know not to bother with questioning him further."

The council nodded, and Jill turned her attention to the next item on their agenda. "The Sainsbury matter has yielded something useful, so I was thinking of rewarding Liam Bassenthwaite," said Jill. "Nothing big, just something to encourage him because we'll need him," she added, when her council looked confused.

"I know he's partial to Ogden's finest," said Myra.

"I'll see he gets a bottle as a present," said Ciel.

Jill gave a short nod of acknowledgment. "Vera, anything on Percy Weasley?" she asked.

"Yes," said Vera. "We were right about him. He's a little snake hiding in the house of the lions. And he also happens to have a little crush on Penelope Clearwater from Ravenclaw."

"Good to know," said Jill. "Anything on the Gringotts break-in?"

"Nothing beyond what was published," said Daphne. "Nobody has any clues. Both Ciel and Julius checked with their contacts inside the Ministry as well, but since there was nothing taken, nobody is fussed about the investigation."

"That's to be expected," said Jason. "The Ministry is incompetent as per usual."

"In slightly better news, my business with Gringotts went well, and I might be able to form a better working relationship with them," said Jill. "The power of gold and titles will work in my favour then."

"Titles? Plural?" asked Myra.

"So far, yes," said Jill shortly. "I'll know more soon. Any idea what Longbottom did to get on the Quidditch team?"

"Yeah," said Julius. "Finnigan and Weasley were talking about it in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Apparently, he threw his weight around. Their captain was reluctant but it sounds like the rest of the House ganged up."

"Not unexpected," said Blaise. "Hopefully a few good losses will knock him down a few pegs."

"Can we count on Flint to lead his lot into victory?" asked Jill.

"Flint is a fanatic when it comes to Quidditch," said Hector. "He'll make sure to win."

"Good," said Jill. "I think that should be it for tonight. Our attention should definitely be on the third floor corridor."

Jill's council departed and she remained sitting in her armchair, her mind racing. She could hardly believe that she was only in her third week at Hogwarts. She felt like she had aged ten years since arriving at the school.

"Did either of you have to face something like this, mum and dad?" she wondered aloud.

Despite her naive words, she knew that only a few people had ever been in her position. Which brought her to the other thing that had been bothering her. Everyone had said that the Prince chosen by magic before her had been fifty years ago. Jill was really, really curious to know who that had been. With a sigh, she trudged off to bed, knowing that there was a lot of work to be done, and it would be some time before she could have all the answers she wanted.

Over the next few days, she left Vera looking into the Prince from fifty years ago, and enlisted Hector and Julius' help to look into Muggle records of the deaths of her aunt and uncle to find clues for Snape's secret. If they were surprised at the odd order, they didn't let it show.

On the Wednesday of Jill's third week at Hogwarts, the first article written by Victoria Pantherlily was published in the Daily Prophet. Daphne grinned as she passed the newspaper to Jill at breakfast. Jill scanned the article and nodded in satisfaction. Apparently, the article that Hector had shown her had been printed with minimal editing in the Daily Prophet. She smiled slightly at his pseudonym but thought it was very clever to choose a woman's flowery name to hide his identity. She also knew that Jason and Myra's teasing would be relentless over the next few days.

DANGEROUS SECRETS AT HOGWARTS

Are Our Children in Danger?

by

Victoria Pantherlily

It is with great shock to inform the readers of the Daily Prophet that close sources within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have bravely come forward and revealed that the staff is harbouring dangerous items within the school grounds.

During the Welcoming Feast, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore announced that the third floor corridor on the right side was out of bounds to students. While not an unusual request, it then became increasingly clear that the area has been used to conceal dangerous items.

We are well aware that Hogwarts is a safe institution with very good defenses, but parents and concerned citizens have expressed worry at the danger residing inside the castle.

"I have three children who attend Hogwarts," says Mrs. Perkins of Devonshire. "If there is something dangerous in the castle, then the parents deserve to know."

"It's a school, not Gringotts," says Bartholomew Oliver, another parent.

The school governors have also expressed similar concerns, noting that neither the Headmaster nor the staff had consulted them before using the school like a vault for dangerous items.

"Going behind the back of the school governors is a new low for Dumbledore," says Lucius Malfoy from his Wiltshire mansion. "I urge my fellow governors to launch an inquiry into this matter at once."

Augusta Longbottom, in a rare move, supported Mr. Malfoy's idea. "The Boy-Who-Lived is at Hogwarts. His safety is of the utmost importance."

Our hopes are that this matter is thoroughly investigated by the school governors. The Ministry of Magic has not commented yet.

"A bit heavy-handed with the editing, but good enough," thought Jill to herself, sending an approving nod at Hector, who looked pleased.

"Should we head to Potions?" asked Daphne.

"Yeah," answered Jill, folding the paper and putting it in her bag. As they left the Great Hall, Jill was pleased to know that the student body was abuzz with the news about the third floor corridor. She also caught snippets of people whispering how Filch had taken up permanent vigil there since the news had hit.

In Potions, Slughorn was slightly distracted throughout the lesson, which gave Jill an idea. Telling Blaise and Daphne to go on ahead, she approached Slughorn once the lesson was over.

"Ah, Miss Potter. Is there something you needed?" he asked, with his usual jovial smile.

Jill put on her best innocent face. "I am just really worried, Professor," she said.

Slughorn's face immediately changed to one of concern. "About what, Miss Potter?"

"About the thing in the Daily Prophet, Professor," said Jill, lowering her voice. "It said that the students were in danger. Is it true? Is there something dangerous in the school?"

"I am really not supposed to talk about this with students," he said, looking uncomfortable.

Jill let her face fall. "I understand, Professor. It's just that my foremost duty as Prince is to protect the students. I'll just have to have faith, I suppose," she said, feigning a brave smile.

Slughorn took the bait and lowered his voice. "Now, you didn't hear this from me, do you understand?" He waited until Jill had nodded to continue. "Professor Dumbledore is keeping something for his friend, Nicolas Flamel. The Professors were asked to protect it, which we have done so using our own specialties. The students are perfectly safe, Miss Potter. You needn't worry."

"Thank you, Professor," gushed Jill, doing an internal cheer. "It puts my mind at ease to hear you say that."

"Not a problem at all, Miss Potter," said Slughorn, patting her shoulder. "Off you go, then. Don't want to be late for your next lesson."

"Of course, Professor," nodded Jill, gathering her bag.

"And Miss Potter?" called Slughorn.

"Yes?" asked Jill, turning around.

"Not a word to anyone else," he said.

"I understand," smiled Jill, and left. She turned into an empty corridor and called for Spritzy. "Keep an extra eye on Slughorn and see if he mentions telling me anything to someone else."

Spritzy nodded and vanished. Jill cleared her expression and raced up to Transfiguration, barely making it before McGonagall.

"Are you okay?" asked Daphne, as Jill dropped into her seat, panting.

Jill just gave a wide smile in response, but didn't have a chance to respond as McGonagall entered and began the lesson. At lunch, Blaise and Daphne gave her expectant looks, but she shook her head and kept them waiting until classes were over for the day.

"We'll need to beg off working on homework with Hermione tonight," said Jill, to Blaise and Daphne. "I want you both to join me for dinner in my quarters. Spritzy will make something."

They both looked intrigued and nodded. Daphne left to find Hermione to let her know, as Blaise and Jill walked back to the common room.

"Is the council going to be joining us?" asked Blaise.

"No," said Jill. "This one is just for the two of you. I'll have them come in tomorrow."

Blaise have her a contemplative look. "Should we be worried about something?" he asked.

"It's hard to say," said Jill. "Consider it an exercise in caution."

Blaise smirked at her. "You wouldn't be a Slytherin otherwise," he said.

Jill paused in her steps and frowned a little. "Blaise, may I ask you something?"

He stopped and turned to her in surprise. "Sure," he said.

"Do you trust people?" she asked.

"Broad question," he answered without hesitation. "What people, specifically?"

"People, in general," said Jill. "When you meet someone, what does it take for you to trust them?"

Blaise snorted. "As a personal rule, I don't trust anyone but my mother," he said.

"Right," said Jill. "Never mind."

She resumed her steps towards the common room, walking past Blaise, who caught her arm to stop her. "That being said, it doesn't mean I don't trust people to do certain things," he said.

"How so?" asked Jill.

"I trust you to be a competent Prince," he said. "I trust Daphne to be loyal to you. I trust Hermione to want to beat me in Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"So your trust is selective?" asked Jill.

"Something like that," he said. He realised that he was still holding onto her arm and released her hastily. "But that's about me. What's right for me, may not be right for you."

Jill nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks for sharing," she said, and Blaise nodded as the two went to the common room and inside the Prince's quarters.

Twenty minutes later, they were joined by Daphne, and Spritzy served the three of them dinner. They ate in silence for about ten minutes, before Jill cleared her throat.

"So, I wheedled some information out of Slughorn," she said, taking a drink of water.

"And?" asked Daphne eagerly.

"We were right. It is definitely being used to keep something safe," said Jill.

"Any idea what?" asked Blaise.

Jill took a bite of her pie and took her time answering. "Somewhat," she answered. "At least, I have the means of finding out what it is. Slughorn let a hint slip."

"Am I to assume you are telling us before your council because you think the item is dangerous?" asked Blaise.

"Yes," she answered honestly. "Maybe even enough to tempt the strongest of loyalties. Which is why, I need to know something from the two of you. What would it take for you to betray me?"

They both paused with forks halfway to their mouths. Blaise recovered first. "My mother being in danger," he answered.

Jill nodded. "Daphne?"

Daphne blinked a few times to clear the shock on her face. "Uh, my sister being in danger, I suppose," she said, finally.

"What if you could usurp me instead?" asked Jill, matter-of-factly like she was discussing the weather.

"Wouldn't want the responsibility," said Blaise immediately. "If Britain were to fall to ruin, I'd jump ship to another part of the world. I have no loyalty here."

"I couldn't usurp you," said Daphne, after thinking about it for a few moments. "Not with all the money and power in this world. The Greengrass name is too sullied, despite being neutral. My best bet would be to find a husband who wouldn't throw me to the Death Eaters as a whore."

Jill considered their responses and nodded. "Slughorn told me that Dumbledore was keeping something for Nicolas Flamel," she said.

"Flamel? Why does that sound familiar?" asked Daphne, but Blaise's eyes went wide.

"You're joking," he said. Jill gave him a look. "Alright, not joking then."

Jill tossed Daphne a Chocolate Frog card. She caught it and saw that it was Dumbledore's. She looked confused but read the back of the card and gasped.

"Of course, Flamel is the most well-known alchemist of our time," said Daphne. "Well, time being relative, in his case."

"I'll say," said Blaise. "He's got to be almost seven hundred by now."

"I'm surprised you know that," said Jill. "I only knew he was an ancient alchemist that Dumbledore had worked with."

"You're telling me you don't know?" asked Blaise incredulously, and then laughed when both Jill and Daphne looked confused. "Right, benefits of having a mother who went to Beauxbatons, I suppose. I grew up hearing stories. My mother admires Nicolas and his wife greatly. I even met them once, when I was younger."

"So, you know what the item could be?" asked Jill.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, at the same time that Daphne said, "It's got to be it."

"What?" asked Jill, getting slightly annoyed being the only ignorant one.

"The Philosopher's Stone," said Daphne and Blaise in unison.

"Like from the stories?" asked Jill. "Lead into gold, immortality, the whole thing? Those are real?"

"Just one," corrected Blaise. "Flamel was the only alchemist to successfully make a philosopher's stone. And yes, that whole thing."

"If there's a philosopher's stone at Hogwarts…" said Daphne, eyes going wide.

"We have to get it," nodded Blaise.

They looked at Jill expectantly, who frowned a little. "Unlimited gold and immortality, huh? Neither of those we need," she said. "But," she added, before they could look too outraged. "We might have use for it in the future."

"So, what's the plan?" asked Daphne.

"I'm not sure yet," said Jill. "Slughorn said the Professors are protecting it. No doubt it would involve complicated wards and defenses. I doubt three first years could do it."

"Involving the council is too risky," said Blaise. "Immortality and unlimited gold are enough motivation for most people to betray even the best leaders. It was a good call to not tell everyone, Jill."

"Yeah," agreed Daphne. "Although, I'm sure if no one else, Ciel would be on our side."

"I think so too," said Jill. "His loyalty to me is born out of familial obligations, rather than me being the Slytherin Prince. He might be our best shot at getting the stone. Let me think about it for a while."

"In the meantime, we need to see if the Stone is moved now that we published that article," said Daphne.

Jill grimaced. "Yeah, we kind of tipped our hand with that one," she said. "But, we'll figure it out." She sighed and set her fork down. "On to slightly more pleasant matters, it's Hermione's birthday tomorrow. Any ideas?"

"Get her a gift and maybe a little cake?" suggested Daphne.

"I'll get Spritzy to make something, and I have a book she might like," said Jill. "Think that should be it. Do we want to work on our Charms homework?"

"Yeah, sure," said Blaise, as Spritzy cleared the table. "Let's get started."

Daphne nodded. "Right."

A/N I apologise for the gap between chapters. I have also tried to answer all the reviews, but if I accidentally missed yours, I sincerely apologise. Please know that I appreciate each and every one of you who favourite, follow and review this story and me.