The days following Voldemort's fall were pure chaos. The Dark wizard had managed to infiltrate all strata of the Ministry and other institutions, so his defeat had come as a genuine surprise to many and, for others, the confirmation of what they suspected but could not say out loud.
Just as they had foreseen, the late Dark wizard's organisation had tried to take over the Ministry and the castle at the same time. The reasons why they went to the castle first instead of the Ministry remained a mystery to everyone, although Helga suspected that they wanted to take control of the castle's powerful barriers, which were envied by all other magical fortresses. Kingsley had told her what had happened: how a significant portion of the Ministry had suddenly tried to seize control and eliminate those they considered dangerous. Fortunately, Scrimgeour had cleaned up the Auror Department, and that had avoided a lot of problems, which could not be said of other section chiefs.
"The hour of death for all the bearers of the Dark Mark coincides with the hour when you and Potter defeated that Dark wizard," said the chief of Aurors. "I know you asked for help when you learned about the situation at Hogwarts, but we couldn't go under the circumstances."
"Young Potter and his friends were together when I received the message from those house-elves. And I... well, I would say that I happened to be at my cousin's house, but I must admit that I have been in a relationship with Harry Potter for a few months."
"Nothing that is not consensual, I hope," commented the Minister. "Although I would have preferred that this be communicated earlier. But it's better this way. That relationship would have been a scandal and a powerful weapon."
"I think we should focus on organising the chaos before it gets out of hand," Kingsley interjected. "The fact that all those who bore the Dark Mark died leaves us with practically no strings to pull. They had supporters and collaborators who did not carry the Mark."
"We could start with their families and close friends," Helga proposed. "Better that than paying attention to the accusations made against each other by those who remain. They look like hyenas fighting over a piece of meat." In the short time that had passed since Voldemort's fall and her return to the Ministry, she had seen how people fought for positions of power, accusing each other of terrorism.
"What about the two boys who were at Hogwarts? Malfoy and Nott? Both are the sons of known Death Eaters," Scrimgeour said.
Helga remained silent, lost in thought. Many voices had been raised against them for the simple fact of who their parents were, without taking anything else into account. In fact, she knew that they had voted not to give them the same prize they wanted to give to the rest for ridding them of the worst Dark wizard of all time. She didn't see that as fair.
"I know that Draco Malfoy asked Sirius Black for help and refuge when his father wanted to force him to take the Mark. As for Theodore Nott, I looked into it on my own when I saw him hanging out with Harry. He apparently ran away from home, turning his back on his father for similar reasons," she clarified. "I couldn't say that I know it firmly, but I can offer a little perspective on it. In addition, they both fought the Death Eaters at Hogwarts. I can understand the stigma that will now accompany their surname, but no one should bear the responsibility of their parents or any of their relatives," she added calmly. She was not to get emotional about those things, especially if she wanted to get things done right.
"I have gathered information from eyewitnesses. Just because people want their heads doesn't mean they're going to get them. On the other hand, certain concessions have had to be made, although I did not expect the reaction of the other young people. They have all rejected the Order of Merlin," Scrimgeour commented. "That case is closed. We have too many things to focus on in the coming months to be indulging in personal vendettas. You both make a good team; I want you to take care of the investigations."
Helga nodded. That was going to be an arduous and long task, but she was willing to do her best. She would do it with the same determination she put into everything. Having Kingsley as a teammate was a plus. Perhaps because it was their usual pairing, but they always understood each other on the tasks they were sent. That meant they had a high rate of case resolution, although of course, it was not as if there were too many crimes, fortunately.
They left the office and went to their usual café to talk. They needed to plan their steps more carefully than ever because tempers were too heated. It was not a question of them blowing up like individual volcanoes. While they were talking about how to approach the investigations, the best and most complicated thing would be to approach each case individually. It was what they were going to do and what they hoped would bring better results. Of course, they would have to have someone of power in the Ministry to issue the search and arrest warrants they needed.
Restoring the Castle, Enjoying Life
It was already October when the new school year began. The castle had been badly damaged during the fighting, however brief it had been. So the remaining teachers had sought to make it safe to start classes before anything else. That, and the fact that they had to hire new teachers to make up for the casualties, and many were afraid to teach at Hogwarts after what happened. Rowena could expect that; the sense of danger was still too close on a psychological level.
The start-of-year banquet had been held in a battered dining room. Rowena knew that the Ministry had wanted it to be the first place to be repaired, but no, in the end, good sense had prevailed, and the students' rooms and common places had been restored first. The places to take refuge were the most important, followed by the common areas. The classrooms could continue to be the makeshift barracks for as long as necessary. There was a lot to do, and many of those things had to be done by the four of them without the rest of the wizarding community finding out. It had been years of masterfully hiding the truth, and now they would have to continue doing so. A truth that could never come to light. But at the same time, they needed to restore the castle's barriers and reinforce them. A thousand years was a lot of wear and tear, and the barriers had suffered greatly during the attack. The night was a suitable time. There was no surveillance or activity like during the day. So night after night, they were rebuilding the basic barriers and freeing the castle of any vestiges of contaminating magic it might have. It was practically going to be almost like the first day. The bad thing was that they couldn't fix everything at once. So it took them months to rebuild those protections; practically the same time it was taking to repair the castle. A vision came to Rowena's mind, a vision that made her smile. Two of her friends would finally be truly happy, even if it was in this kind of second chance.
Godric stretched out in one of the armchairs in the common room, completely relaxed in front of the fire. The final stretch of the term was approaching, but he wasn't worried about it at all. With nothing more to think about than spending time with his girlfriend and schoolwork, Godric considered it a real luxury to be able to be there. It was similar to his first two years at Hogwarts, when he was just Neville, only now it was much more pleasant.
"I see you're very relaxed," he heard Salazar's voice as he sat down next to him.
"Can I be reproached?" Godric asked. "I think that, apart from our nightly activities, it's the first really quiet year we've had."
"That is true. Although, being the way Hermione is, I am surprised that you are so relaxed."
"Well, she has relaxed over time, and no matter how calm she is, I still have a good academic record. We did well to put Voldemort away last summer."
"I wish we had done it earlier. There would have been fewer innocent victims."
"We cannot go back in time."
"You can, but it's better not to get involved with time. It's better to leave things as they are," Salazar said. "Besides, you could only change things that were meant to be changed."
Godric watched as Salazar stretched out in the adjoining chair and took one of his Transfiguration books out of his backpack. Godric joined him to do the same. It wasn't that he needed to do the homework he had already finished, but it wouldn't hurt if the others saw them studying. As he pretended to do so, he thought about what he could do with Hermione on the next visit to Hogsmeade. Perhaps he could convince her to take advantage of the time for a getaway to London.
A New Chapter
Salazar had taken advantage of one of Sirius's permissions to leave the castle so that he could spend time with Helga. It was the weekend, so she could enormously enjoy her time and the little that she was beginning to have after many days of work. From what she had told him, things in the Ministry were beginning to normalize. So they had decided to have a completely normal, non-magical date. A walk in the park and a couple of ice creams while chatting. In fact, they hoped that these dates would be useful when Salazar gathered the courage to make the proposal he had been wanting to make for months.
"Helga, would you marry me?" he said without much ceremony. He wasn't going to be like a romantic movie for that. Both were above those things. It just seemed like the natural next step in their relationship.
"Of course. But first... you'll have to graduate. I would never marry a wizard who hasn't finished school."
"Count on it."