Harry Potter: Arcane Instability

(Arcturus POV)

 In 12 Grimmauld Place, Arcturus had just sat down at the table to eat breakfast and opened the morning's issue of the Daily Prophet, and immediately the headline made his eyes widen in surprise.

[House Black: Friend or Foe?]

Reading the headline, Arcturus ignored the food on his plate as he read through the article, which seemed to ruin his appetite. There was even a special article written by Rita Skeeter, who stated that House Black was trying to brainwash the children of Hogwarts into falling in line and do whatever House Black asked of them.

She even went on to mention Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black), Narcissa Malfoy (née Black), Sirius' mother Walburga, and a few more members of House Black who were radical Pure-blood supremacists. According to her, Arcturus was going to be the next Dark Lord.

 "Morning, Gramps." Sirius said as he entered the room and sat down at the table. "The food not to your liking?" Sirius asked when he noticed Arcturus had yet to touch anything on his plate. "It's not the food." Arcturus said as he showed Sirius the front page of the paper. "What did you do?" Sirius asked, then reached for the paper in question.

"Apparently I'm destroying our world with all of my reforms for the school and bankrupting the Ministry. The way the Prophet describes it, I'm pushing for too much change too quickly. The new school books for Hogwarts haven't been approved by the Ministry, and they're questioning my appointing Savrin as headmaster. Because no one has ever heard of him, they think he is unqualified to be running the school." Arcturus said, still frowning as he tapped his finger on the table.

"Kind of brave of them to write this. Aren't you the only thing keeping the Ministry afloat right now?" Sirius asked, sounding confused more than ever. "I honestly don't know if they've thought of that. Whoever wrote this obviously isn't thinking of the backlash or retribution that will follow. Not to mention what Savrin will do when he reads this. If my guess is correct, a few more people might mysteriously start dying." Arcturus said.

"I've thought about that." A voice sounded next to Arcturus, causing both he and a startled Sirius to turn and see the man in question. "Morning, Savrin. I take it you've read the paper?" Arcturus asked the headmaster, not surprised in the slightest by the monster's sudden intrusion into his home.

It had happened so many times, it was almost expected at this point. Sirius wasn't quite as accustomed to the sudden appearance of Savrin, and had reacted wildly by jumping away from the table as he tried for his wand, only stopping when he noticed the intruder was in fact Savrin.

 "I have. I also received a letter from the Minister of Magic himself, stating how he is going to send someone to audit the new curriculum at Hogwarts and to make sure I am not trying to brainwash the students." Savrin answered with a roll of his eyes.

"I now understand why you think wizards are so stupid if they think anything we're doing is harmful to our world." Arcturus said absently, unsure of what he was supposed to do now.

"That's good. Anyway, I need you to gather as much information on someone named Delores Umbridge as you can. She's the Ministry representative Fudge is sending tomorrow. Also, find a new candidate for Minister of Magic." Savrin said, getting straight to business.

 For his part, Arcturus simply nodded in understanding, having already deduced that Fudge would be disappearing after having read through the paper. "Amelia Bones is the best candidate, but she doesn't exactly want the position. No one does." Arcturus paused as he looked up to meet Savrin's eyes before continuing, "That's why Fudge has the position. No one else wanted it. Right now, he's playing politics with himself."

"We need to change that. Find someone who is at least somewhat competent and knows not to mess with things that ot not be messed with. I don't care who, just get it done." Savrin ordered, then like always, he disappeared into thin air.

The room was silent for what seemed like eternity, but was broken when Sirius asked, "If he wants someone to be Minister so badly, why not just do it himself? He'd have more power to do what he wants than being Headmaster of Hogwarts." Hearing what his grandson said, Arcturus couldn't help the chill that crawled up his back as he turned to stare incredulously at Sirius.

"That would be the worst thing that could happen. As powerful as he is, he does not wish for everyone to fall in line and follow his every command. Let him be in control of everyone and that might change. Do you want someone so powerful that no one could stop him in that position? There would be no free will, just simply following orders. Be thankful he only wants to be left alone in the school while he actively tries to better our world." Arcturus said, then shuddered again at the thought of Savrin being in command of the wizarding world.

He could imagine the other Ministry's around the world falling to Savrin as they too were put in line, and soon enough the world would be nothing but obedient sheep following Savrin's command. It was a dark thought, but one that he could see coming if Savrin was pushed too far.

 "Isn't he doing that right now? He's basically choosing who rules and making sure they're following his orders. Kind of the same thing, isn't it?" Sirius asked, not seeing the difference between them finding a Minister and Savrin.

"You're wrong. He's giving us a chance to make our own choices. He's not actively trying to tell us how we should behave, nor does he treat anyone poorly. At least those who aren't trying to fuck with him. So long as this…" Arcturus paused as he gestured around the room. "-Country stops trying to kill each other and starts bettering the world in some way, I imagine he will stay in the shadows and watch. Sure, I am beholden to him, but that was more of a trade for your freedom than him threatening me. As it is, House Black has only risen under his guidance. You would do well to remember that." Arcturus said, ending his little rant with a warning, one that he hoped Sirius would take to heart.

 -------

 (General POV)

 "Are they insane?! The new books are leagues better than the old ones!" Hermione cried out to anyone around her as the group was gathered around at the breakfast table. She should know, she had read them all, and the knew ones were a vast improvement.

"We know, Hermione. With the trials alone the grades of the students have majorly increased. Not to mention the new teachers. Quirrell and Snape were horrible teachers, and Binns didn't teach us anything worth knowing. Savrin was the one who replaced them with highly qualified teachers. Then there is the fact that Dumbledore chose Headmaster Kincade specifically because he thought he was our only hope against He-who-must-not-be-named." Susan explained, earning raised brows from more than a few people in the group.

"How do you know that?" Helga asked. "My aunt told me. Well, it was more like she was ranting and I happened to be in the room to hear her." Susan answered simply with a shrug.

 "So what exactly does this mean? Headmaster Kincade isn't going to be fired, is he?" Harry asked worriedly as he glanced up to the head table where the man in question was sitting. "It means Fudge has lost his last brain cell. And it's quite the opposite actually. If I'm right, we'll have a new Minister for Magic by this time next year." Salazar answered, looking a little tired as he set the paper down.

"Where is the headmaster anyway?" Luna asked the group, who all looked between her and the man in question sitting at the head table. "Luna, he's right there." Godric said as he pointed his thumb at Savrin.

"That's not the headmaster. That's just one of his illusions. He always sends them in his place at meal times. Actually, the only time he has been there is at the beginning of the year when we do the sorting ceremony." Luna said, causing everyone to turn to look at the headmaster, who didn't so much as bat an eye at their blatant staring.

 "Do you really think it's an illusion?" Godric whispered to Salazar, who had that exact same thought. "He does hate dealing with people, wizards especially. I wouldn't put it past him, but I'm wondering if most of our interactions have been dealing with an illusion." Salazar said, not shutting down the idea that it was simply an illusion.

"Remember back in our first year… He said he disappeared from the Great Hall in front of hundreds of people, and none of them ever realized it. Maybe he's been doing it this whole time." Rowena whispered to Helga, who nodded her head at the memory. It wasn't hard to forget because she had just killed Quirrell only moments before the headmaster had told them that.

"How do you know it's just an illusion up there and not actually the headmaster?" Godric couldn't help but ask Luna, who didn't seem too phased at the question. "The Wrackspurts in the castle seem to avoid him when he's around, almost as if they're scared of him. However they float around his illusions just fine, probably because the illusion doesn't have to think, and of course you know Wrackspurts can't stand a focused mind." Luna explained, earning looks of confusion from everyone, including Salazar.

They had all heard Luna mention some strange things before, and when asked what she was referring to, she always explained some made-up creature that no one had ever heard of before, and they doubted this time would be any different.

'But it makes too much sense. Savrin hates people, and this totally seems like something he would do.' Salazar told himself, not denying Luna's claims, however that made way for a thought he wasn't sure he wanted answered. 'Can Luna actually see creatures that no one else can?' It was a troubling thought, one that he was intrigued to get an answer to.

 "Anyway!" Godric said loudly to draw everyone back to reality. "I wouldn't worry too much about the Ministry trying to stick it's nose into Hogwarts business. They've already insulted House Black, who is basically paying everyone there right now. I'll bet this whole thing will blow over in a few days." Godric was so confident, he put everyone else's minds at ease. It was only two days later when they all found out just how wrong he was.

 -------- 

(October 18, 1993)

 It was early Monday morning and Godric had just finished cleaning himself up after his morning workout, and was now on his way to the Great Hall for breakfast. He was a few minutes later than he usually would have been, but it was fine. He would still have plenty of time to eat something before he had to run to class.

Upon entering the hall, he immediately noticed how everyone was far more silent than usual. Scanning the room, his eyes went immediately to the figure standing in front of the head table, and he couldn't help it when his eyes widened in surprise.

"I thought trolls weren't allowed in the castle!" He said, far more loudly than was appropriate, but knowing this would cause some problems, he decided to speak loud enough for everyone to hear. While most of the school looked between Godric and the toad-like woman standing at the front of the room, if one looked and listened closely, they would see most of the third-year students from each house covering their mouths as they tried to stifle their laughter.

 "YOU!" Umbridge cried as she stared daggers at Godric. "Me." Godric replied with a smirk as he calmly strode down the aisle to where the rest of the group were sitting, no longer paying the toad-like woman any attention.

Turning to Savrin, Umbridge cried, "I demand you punish that boy!" Lazily looking at the woman who was still shorter than him when he was sitting, Savrin spoke, "There is no punishment for being late to breakfast, and he didn't say anything wrong. Trolls are indeed not allowed in the castle." The words were spoken so seriously, the faculty all nodded their heads in agreement, not realizing that they were insulting the woman.

 *HEMP!*

 *HEMP!*

 The noises from the pink woman echoed throughout the silent hall as she visibly tried to calm herself, however whatever calmness she managed to achieve was broken when words from a certain red-head reached her ears.

"Hey, Neville! I just heard a toad! Is Trevor around?" Most of the Gryffindor table started a fit of giggling, as did a few people from Hufflepuff. For her part, Umbridge turned to Savrin before shouting, "What about now?! He just insulted me!"

Savrin was still staring lazily at her as he spoke, "You aren't contagious are you? I will not permit you near the students if you are." The rest of the hall broke out in laughter at this, as did a few staff members. Elise, who was sitting next to Savrin had a hand over her mouth as she tried her best not to laugh, but she was finding it very difficult.

 "The headmaster sure seems to be enjoying himself." Luna said to Salazar, who could only nod his head as he tried to tell the difference between the real Savrin as Luna confirmed him to be compared to the illusions he had been seeing every day at meal times.

 -------

 They had double Potions class after breakfast, and to everyone's dismay, it just so happened to be the first class Umbridge was inspecting. The little pink toad walked around the classroom as Elise showed everyone the required ingredients for the Wide-Eye Potion, or Awakening Potion as most people called it.

"As I've explained in most every class, a good potioneer mustn't rush when brewing, and must always be prepared. Now, with the ingredients all prepared, what should be my next step… Miss Greengrass?" Elise said as she singled out the Slytherin girl.

"After the ingredients are prepared, arrange them in order so you don't mix up which ingredient goes in at which time. Afterwards, double check the cauldron is properly cleaned and ready for use." Daphne answered, then as if remembering something she quickly added, "Check your surroundings! Make sure there is proper ventilation, and that no one else will be hurt." Smiling proudly, Elise said, "Nicely said, Miss Greengrass. Ten points to Slytherin."

 Rather than let everyone get straight to preparing the ingredients, Elise began to make the potion in question, showing everyone the proper motions and timing when brewing the elixir. When she finished, she poured the cauldron's contents into five vials, then carefully labelled them.

"Remember class, many potions can look similar to each other, so it is in everyone's best interest to label them so you know exactly what you're working with. These vials are also enchanted to always keep the potions fresh, so it is in your best interest if you don't want them to degrade overtime." Elise said as she held one of the vials up for everyone to see.

Godric and Salazar both had firsthand experience with unlabeled potions, and seeing as how it nearly cost the life of one of their friends, they knew perfectly well how important it was to label ones potions. 

 It was only after giving the students permission to begin preparing their ingredients that the toad decided to speak. Or croak, as it were.

 *HEMP!*

*HEMP!*

 Turning to look at the pink toad, Elise saw her standing beside the desk of Draco Malfoy. "Is something wrong, Mister Malfoy?" Elise asked Draco, who looked more confused than she was. "She took my book." Draco said flatly as he stared at his potion's book which was being held firmly by Umbridge.

"Might I inquire as to why you have taken Mister Malfoy's book, Madam Umbridge?" Elise asked as she moved over to stand beside them.

"Why are the students using this book? Magical Drafts and Potions, written by Arsenius Jigger was approved by the Ministry. This book, Potions for Noobs was not. From what I understand, the ingredients for the same potion in both books are entirely different. For all we know, these potions could have a disastrous effect in the long term and could kill whoever is unfortunate enough to drink them. So I'll ask again. Why are you using this book and not the one the Ministry approved of?" Umbridge asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"The Board of Governors approved Potions for Noobs. As for why I teach it's contents and not Magical Drafts and Potions, it is because the recipes produce far superior concoctions." Elise answered simply.

 "My dear, I don't think you understand. Without approval from the Ministry, you are in violation of your duties by teaching these recipes. You wouldn't want to end up in Azkaban like your foolish husband, would you?" Umbridge asked sweetly, causing Elise to grit her teeth in anger.

As for all of the Slytherin and Gryffindor students, they were as silent as the grave as they listened to what would happen next. For their part, Godric pulled his wand without anyone noticing and had it ready in case he needed to act. As for Salazar, the ring in which his wand was stored was already glowing in case he needed to do some quick casting. All he needed was a reason. 

"My husband only ended up in Azkaban due to the incompetence that is the Ministry of Magic! As I understand it, it was the current Minister, Cornelius Fudge who bumbled that bit up. Tell me, will he once more show the world how inept he is at ruling by adding more problems to his ever-growing list of blunders?" Elise asked, sounding vindictive towards the end.

"H-How dare you speak ill of the Minister! Although I shouldn't expect much from you considering your heritage. The best you can do is to leech off the purebloods. Tell me, how does it feel to be nothing but a broodmare for that-!" Umbridge didn't get the chance to finish her words before she was suddenly sent flying through the air towards the door leading into the classroom.

There was a loud *Thud!* that reverberated around the room as she hit the door, then fell limply to the floor. The whole class turned to look at the cause of the Undersecretary's sudden flight, and many were perplexed to see Harry standing there with his wand raised into the air.

 *H-Hemp!*

*Hemp!*

 The croaking from the doorway drew everyone's attention as they watched Umbridge slowly rise to her feet, only this time she had her wand drawn and pointing towards Elise, who was standing in front of Harry as he tried to maneuver in front of her.

Seeing the wand in the toad's hand, both Godric and Salazar acted at the same time. Two shields appeared in front of the Potions teacher who was still trying to keep Harry behind her. Godric was about to move to be on the offensive when a voice whispered in his ear, "Hold your ground." Turning to look at Salazar, Godric saw that he too had stopped his advancement and was also staring at him. Nodding their heads together, they wordlessly agreed to hold off on attack the woman, however they were ready for any form of attack. 

"Y-You-- attacked me! You'll pay for this!" Umbridge cried as she began waving her wand, however to everyone's surprise and confusion, nothing seemed to be happening. It was as if the undersecretary was waving a stick around in the air.

"*Tsk!* *Tsk!* *Tsk!* Why madam Umbridge. Are you perhaps incapable of casting magic?" A smooth voice reverberated around the room, at once causing everyone to turn and see Savrin leaning lazily against the wall as if he had always been there.

 Leaning over to Salazar, Godric whispered, "Hey, did you see him come into the room?" They both now knew it had been Savrin who had whispered to them, but it was still a surprise to see him there. Scoffing, Salazar replied, "It's Savrin. When have you ever seen him use a door?" Thinking about it, Godric realized he couldn't recall a time where Salazar hadn't just appeared where he needed to be. "Good point. Well made." Godric said as he turned his focus back onto what was happening.

 "Headmaster! I was just attacked by one of your students, UNPROVOKED! I demand he be punished!" Umbridge cried angrily. "Do you mean to tell me, a third-year student got the better of you?" Savrin asked with a raised brow as he began moving towards Umbridge.

Ignoring her opening and closing her mouth, Savrin turned to Elise before asking, "Elise, was Mister Potter justified in attacking Madam Umbridge?" Still frowning, Elise replied, "If Mister Potter hadn't attacked her, I would have."

Hearing this, Savrin turned to Elise with his back to Umbridge, and the potions teacher and most of the students could see the smirk on his face. "Mister Potter. I will be calling Lord Black and letting him know that you will be sent home after your last class of the day. You will face the consequences of your actions. However, I expect you to come back here first thing in the morning for breakfast." Savrin explained, earning a look of confusion from Harry, who did not expect this.

Turning to face Umbridge, Savrin spoke, "As you have already disrupted potions class enough as it is, I want you to go somewhere else. And I expect no more altercations from you today. Are we clear?" It was not a question, and Umbridge knew that. The terrifying aura surrounding her forced her to nod in acceptance before she turned and left the room.

 "Elise, please come to my office for lunch. I wish to discuss some things with you." Savrin said, then seemingly disappeared in front of everyone, and at once the students were murmuring and whispering animatedly towards each other.

"Oh, Harry! I can't believe you attack her! You'll get punished for that!" Hermione cried out as she moved to hug Harry. "What are you talking about, Hermione? I get to go home and spend the night with Sirius and gramps. As for consequences, Gramps will probably give me a pat on the back and Sirius might get me a new broom. Even if by some miracle they are mad at me, so what? You saw the headmaster's smile. I'll be back tomorrow." Harry told her, hoping to put her worries at ease.

 "That was very irresponsible, Harry. I don't want you doing something like that again!" Elise scolded the boy-who-lived, ruining his good mood. "B-But she was insulting you, and she insulted Sirius!" Harry said, trying to defend himself to the Potions teacher.

"I'm not mad that you stood up for Sirius and I. I am thankful for that. However, while in this classroom you are under my care. I'll not have you endanger your life for me. I will be talking to Sirius about this myself when we go home later this evening." Elise told him, ending the discussion all together.

"Chivalrous, brave, daring… a man after my own heart." Godric said with a grin as he clapped Harry on the back. "Don't start trying to emulate Godric, Harry. Though I do commend you for standing up for your family, I wouldn't make a habit of attacking anyone in school when we're outside of dueling. As you've just seen, the headmaster won't stand for Umbridge doing whatever she wishes. You would do well to think about your actions more clearly before you act." Salazar explained before he went back to his potion station and continued preparing his ingredients for the potion.

He didn't bother mentioning how he too was about to attack the toad before Savrin stepped in, but this was one of those, 'Do as I say, not as I do' kind of moments. 

 ----------

 (Arcturus Black POV)

 "Yes, I understand. Thank you, Savrin." Arcturus said, then ended the call on his ACD. Savrin had just finished explaining everything that went down in the Potions classroom only minutes before, and Arcturus had to say that his emotions were a bit torn.

On one hand, he was livid and wanted to tear the uppity toad-like woman to pieces for what she had said about his family, but on the other hand, he wanted to begin preparing a feast in celebration for what Harry had done to the stupid cunt.

"Well, Sirius… What do you think we should do about this?" Arcturus asked his grandson who had been listening to the entire conversation. "Savrin was right. We need to get rid of Fudge, and deal with this Umbridge. Permanently!" Sirius stated with an animalist snarl, then took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"However, that can wait for another day. Harry is coming home with Elise tonight. I'll have Kreacher and Dobby start on their favorite foods while I go get a few things for later." Sirius said, getting a nod from Arcturus. "Fine. While you do that, I'm going to go to Diagon Alley. I have some business I need to take care of." Arcturus agreed, and the two of them went about their day. 

 After leaving the house, Arcturus went straight to Gringotts to check a few things out, then made a few more stops before he finally returned home. Upon entering the house he immediately heard the sounds of voices, and when he entered the dining room he saw who was all present.

Ted and Andromeda were there of course, as was Sirius' friend, Remus Lupin. His great grand-niece, Nymphadora was there, which was somewhat of a surprise because she had been occupied lately with her Auror training, however seeing who she had brought with her, he realized why she was allowed some time off.

"Well, hello there, Alastor. I didn't expect to see you here." Arcturus said to the gruff Auror who was sitting at the far end of the table by himself.

 The room became quiet upon his entry, but it soon returned to its jovial nature after Andromeda stood from her chair and walked over to give him a welcoming hug. "It's good to see you, Arcturus." She said happily.

"You make it sound like its been a long time since we last saw each other. You and Ted were over here just last week for dinner." Arcturus told her, getting a playful swat on the shoulder from the woman as she went back to her chair.

"Oh, lighten up, Gramps. There's no need to be a killjoy." Sirius rebuked him. "I take it you've already told them all about what's happened at Hogwarts?" Arcturus asked Sirius, who's smile fell upon the reminder of what had happened.

"That wretched woman! I wish I had been there! She wouldn't have been able to get up after I got through with her!" Andromeda growled angrily, causing Ted who was sitting next to her to move slightly away from her. It was no secret to anyone present that Andromeda and Elise had gotten very close with each other in the last few months. They had similar interests, beliefs and Andromeda was the mid-wife for when Elise had her baby. 

 "I've never had the misfortune of meeting Delores Umbridge, but from what I've gathered, she's not well liked in the Ministry. According to my sources, Fudge is the only one who can stand her, but that's only the half of it. She's a pure-blood fanatic who preaches about blood supremacy, yet she herself is only a half-blood." Moody spoke up from his end of the table.

Arcturus noticed a file in front of Moody on the table, and after gesturing towards it, the Auror slid it over to him. "She was the first child of a wizard named Orford Umbridge and a muggle named Ellen Cracknell. When her younger brother was born a squib, her and her father denounced them and supposedly sent them off to live in the muggle world, however I haven't been able to find hide nor hair of either of them. They're as good as dead if you ask me, and I honestly couldn't say who was the cause. Orford was a piece of work who thankfully died over ten years ago, so I don't have too much on him. Anyway, she claims pure-blood status, and without any of her family alive to date, no one can prove her wrong. Unless of course they have this file." Moody finished detailing the woman who had caused such a stir with the Black family.

 "Hmmm… I can work with this." Arcturus said as he flipped through the pages in the file. He had only been looking through the file for a few minutes when the sound of someone Flooing into the building could be heard, then a few seconds later someone else entered.

Given how there were only four people who weren't already present who knew the location due to the Fidelius charm, (Savrin, Elise, Harry, and Draco) Arcturus had a good idea as to who had just arrived.

Sirius was the first to leave the table as he moved in a sprint out of the room, followed quickly by Andromeda. They returned after only a few moments with the two newcomers, who happened to be Elise and Harry. Sirius had his arm wrapped possessively around Elise while Andromeda was pinching Harry's cheek as they walked into the room.

 Standing to greet them, Arcturus smiled at Elise as he pulled a chair out for her to sit down. She was around seven months pregnant now, and it was plain to see for everyone that she needed to get off her feet. When he looked at Harry, Arcturus' smile broadened as moved to clap his hand down onto Harry's shoulder.

"Savrin told me all about what happened. For your punishment, you have to suffer through a feast of your favorite food, then afterwards have your favorite cake. Upon finishing dinner, you must endure whatever torment Sirius has planned for you. Do you accept your punishment?" Arcturus asked, to which Harry could only nod his head as he struggled to hold back his laughter. "Then go get washed up. Dinner will be served shortly." Arcturus said, and immediately Harry went off to his room.

 Looking to Elise, Arcturus asked, "How are you feeling, Elise? Well, I hope." "A little overwhelmed if I'm being honest. I wasn't expecting any of this to happen today." She admitted honestly.

"I'm afraid that comes with the territory. You are a Black now. Lady of this house. There will always be those who will try to put you down, but you are not alone, as you have seen today, and will continue to see going forward." Arcturus explained as he surveyed the room.

Everyone present was either family or tied to his family in some way. Even Moody was the teacher of great-grandniece, and it was known to everyone where his loyalties lied. He hated the death eaters and despite being a pure-blood, he hated most other pure-bloods, mostly because their views differed. He was a powerful Auror, one who held great influence in the world, one who-…

A thought struck Arcturus. 'It could happen. He is well renowned after all. Just a little fix up here and there.' Arcturus thought as he tried to think of the idea long term.

 Deciding to test the waters, Arcturus asked, "Alastor, what exactly are your plans for the future?" At the question, most everyone turned to look at Arcturus. Nymphadora who was sitting only a few feet away from Arcturus frowned as she let out a scoff, then suddenly her hair turned a deep shade of red.

"Come the new year, I'm retiring. No matter how much Nymphadora pouts, it'll still happen." Moody answered simply as he focused his magical eye on his apprentice while his still functioning eye stared at Arcturus.

"Might I inquire as to why you're retiring?" Arcturus asked curiously. Frowning even further, Moody answered, "An Auror needs to be quick on his feet. After losing my leg I could still fight with the best of them, but age is catching up to me. I'm too old, too slow, and too blind to keep up with some people. I want to retire while I still can."

Looking thoughtfully at the man, Arcturus smiled as the pieces fell into place. "I have a job opportunity for you, Mister Moody. I will also arrange to have your missing appendages restored if you accept, however that can all wait. We'll discuss it more in length tomorrow evening, if that is acceptable to you. For now though, let us feast." Arcturus said cryptically as the food suddenly appeared on the table just as Harry walked back into the room.

 --------

 Later that evening after everyone had gone home for the night and Harry, Sirius, and Elise had all gone to sleep, Arcturus made a call to Savrin and shortly thereafter he found himself in the headmaster's office.

"Haha, I doubt the man will agree, but we can work around that. You say you've bought it outright? You're the sole proprietor?" Savrin asked with a wry smile. "Yes. Just before noon I purchased it." Arcturus answered. "Excellent work!" Savrin exclaimed as he immediately began writing out what he wanted done.

While he was writing, Arcturus looked over to the side of the room where he saw something peculiar. "If you don't mind my asking, who and or what is she?" Arcturus asked while pointing to a blue woman dressed in a maids uniform who was currently dusting the walls with a feather duster.

Her appearance piqued Arcturus' interest, but it was the blindfold, hand-cuffs, and the gag in the blue woman's mouth that really caught his attention. "The castle is filthy. She needed to be punished." Was all Savrin said in response, not answering anything Arcturus asked of him.

 Deciding that it was best to ignore whatever was happening, Arcturus looked back at Savrin, who had just finished writing what he wanted. Taking the paper, Arcturus read it over, and immediately his eyes widened in surprise.

"Have this printed as tomorrow's headline." Savrin instructed with a smile. "I had planned to talk with him about this first. Don't you think it's presumptuous to print this without his permission?" Arcturus asked worriedly. Even if it was his idea, to do this without first getting permission, it could cause a number of problems.

"It doesn't matter. Even if he declines, it'll scare Fudge. I want him worried." Savrin said, chuckling at the thought of Fudge's reaction tomorrow.

 Knowing there was probably no changing Savrin's mind, Arcturus agreed to Savrin's idea before he took one last look at the blue woman then Flooed out of the castle.

Looking over at the blue woman, Savrin let out a sigh before saying, "Alright, you've had your fun. Get out of that get-up." In response to this, the cuffs binding the woman's hands in front of her fell to the ground before she reached up and pulled away the blindfold covering her eyes, and finally removed the round ball from her mouth.

"But you said I could play until midnight! There's still an hour left!" The spirit whined. Letting out a sigh, Savrin said, "Alright, fine. What do you want to do next?" In response to this question, Elysia pulled a paddle from beneath her skirt and handed it to Savrin before she leaned over his desk.

Looking between the spirit and the paddle in his hand, Savrin couldn't help but ask, "Where did you have this?"

 ----------

 The next morning, Arcturus was sitting at the table eating his breakfast when Sirius entered the room. Sitting down at the table, he grabbed a piece of bacon with one hand while grabbing the Daily Prophet with his other. He had just swallowed the mouthful of deliciousness that was bacon when he read the headline of today's article and he immediately began choking.

"What the…?!!" Sirius cried after clearing his throat. "I've already read it. It was my doing." Arcturus answered plainly. "Why would the Prophet publish something like this?!" Sirius asked as he read over the article.

"They didn't have a choice. When the owner tells them to write something, they write it. Also, congratulations. You now own a newspaper." Arcturus answered smugly. 

 Ignoring the mountain of problems that would come from owning the newspaper, Sirius focused his attention on the problem in front of him as he once more read over today's headline.

[Moody for Minister]