Chapter 10: The Pursuit of Truth. Part 1

Neville and Luna directed their respective patroni skillfully and drove away from the dementor in their path. As they were trudged down the corridor, Remus Lupin caught up to the two of them.

"Professor Lupin?" Neville asked uncertainly.

Remus Lupin gave him a wry smile and nodded. "Indeed, I am your next defense professor. I would like to commend you two on your brilliant Patronus Charms."

Neville rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and Luna smiled with her usual ethereal gaze. Professor Lupin pressed, "This is an impressive feat of magic for any witch or wizard, even more so for a corporeal patronus. Where did you learn such an advanced piece of magic?"

Neville schooled a more neutral countenance. "That would be for us to know and you to find out, professor."

Professor Lupin chuckled awkwardly but neither student would break their silence. He changed the question. "I saw that there were two other students with you, who were they?"

"Hermione Granger and Harry Potter," Luna simply answered with a light smile. "They went in the opposite direction to check on the other students.

Professor Lupin's eyes widened and stated, "The students need to be provided with chocolate after dementor exposure. Would it be possible for the two of you to lend me a hand?"

The duo gave him a swift nod and helped their new professor tend to the other students.

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Harry and Hermione returned to their compartment, drained from their patrol. It wasn't that Harry was exhausted magically, they had countless students asking for assurance as soon as the dementors were driven off.

If it wasn't for Percy, who stepped up and sent the students back to their carriages, they would have still been surrounded by students. Before they returned to their compartment, they made sure every student who was exposed to a dementor received some chocolate.

A couple of minutes later, Neville and Luna returned with Professor Lupin in tow. Luna smiled at her two friends. "Hello, you two. You should meet our new professor for defense. He seems much better than the pillock we had last year.

Hermione looked scandalized that Luna spoke so crassly in front of a professor. "Luna, language!"

Luna shrugged daintily and sat down in the compartment and looked at the rest expectantly. Harry bit his lip to hold his laughter. Hermione looked apologetically at their new professor.

Professor Lupin chuckled lightly, "I believe Ms. Lovegood merely stated the truth. Lockhart no longer has the public reputation he used to after his disastrous tenure at Hogwarts."

He paused and surveyed the rest of the room, his eyes lingered on Harry a bit longer than others. Something that everyone but Harry missed. Neville politely excused himself and maneuvered from behind Lupin and sat down next to Luna.

Remus smiled, "I s'ppose introductions are in order. I am Remus Lupin, your new Defense Professor at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded, "Harry Potter, a third-year in Gryffindor."

Remus held his breath when he met Harry's eyes and nodded uncomfortably. He turned his gaze towards Hermione.

"Nice to meet you, Professor. I am Hermione Granger, a third-year in Gryffindor," she politely smiled.

Remus gave the two of them a light bow. "I am already familiar with your two friends here. I must say that the four of you performed such brilliant displays of magic."

Harry and Neville merely nodded, Hermione beamed with pride and Luna barely reacted. Professor Lupin noticed the lack of reaction to the praise from all but Hermione. "I think I am going to grant you 40 points apiece once we get back to Hogwarts."

This time Neville gave a slight grin and Hermione grew more excited. Harry subtly held her hand and gave her a small glance. She gave him a questioning gaze and became subdued.

Remus sighed at the wariness displayed by Harry. "However, I would like to know how chanced upon this particular spell and how you mastered it."

Harry looked at Neville, who subtly shook his head. Harry grinned impishly, "Well professor, it's for us to know and you to find out."

Remus shook his head and closed the door to the compartment.

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The train made its way to the Hogsmeade Station. The heavy downpour earlier in the day subsided completely. Harry and his friends got on the threstral-driven carriages. The carriages slowly trudged along the rugged path to the castle.

Just before they entered the Great Hall, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick stood in front of the entrance to the hall. When they noticed the four of them approach the hall, Professor McGonagall stated, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Granger, and Ms. Lovegood, please report to the Headmaster's office after the feast."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Whatever for Professor?"

"He needs to discuss the incident with the dementor's earlier on the train today," Professor Flitwick squeaked, he was still unable to hold eye contact with any of the four students, especially Luna.

Luna rolled her eyes in exasperation. "We chased away the dementors and that's that."

The rest nodded and Neville asked, "How does the staff even know about the train incident today?"

"Professor Lupin informed us," Professor McGonagall replied in a clipped tone. She looked over the four students to the entrance of the Chamber of Reception. "You four are to make your way to the Headmaster's office after the feast. You shall be excused from any curfew rules for tonight."

With that, McGonagall walked away from the group. Flitwick gave an uneasy laugh and trotted back to the Head Table.

"Reckon they'll try to find how we learnt the spell?" Neville pondered blandly. Harry shrugged and he noticed that Hermione was slightly disturbed.

"We knew this would happen, Hermione," He said as he gently held her hand. "This won't be an issue for us."

Hermione held on to his hand tightly. "It just feels wrong. We kept the dementors away from the students and it feels like they want to punish us."

"Hogwarts always had its sense of right and wrong twisted," Luna knowingly mentioned. Hermione winced slightly at the casual delivery.

Neville shook his head. "There is no point worrying about this stuff. We just have to see what happens."

Luna separated from the rest of the group and skipped away to join the Ravenclaw table. Harry, Hermione, and Neville silently sat at the Gryffindor table. Several minutes later, the Great Hall settled down and Professor McGonagall led the nervous first-years to their sorting.

Harry looked at the lot with amusement and nostalgia. Were we that small and nervous back then?

McGonagall led them in front of the stool where The Sorting Hat sat. When the students gathered in front of the stool, The Hat burst into its usual song about the individual houses, but he ended on a call for unity.

The Great Hall burst into applause and soon the sorting was underway. The students were evenly split with around a dozen each per house. When The Hat was stored away, Dumbledore made his way to the podium.

The lights of the hall dimmed, and the charmed ceiling above shifted, and a vista of a thunderstorm occupied the ceiling.

Dumbledore stood tall and delivered his speech. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast."

Dumbledore's expression turned grave. "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

Dumbledore paused as the students whispered furiously among themselves. Many gave Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Luna various looks. Some thoughtful, some grateful, and some even of disdain.

'Some people can't even stomach someone of lesser status or blood may have saved them from a fate worse than death.'

As the whispers settled, the Headmaster continued, "They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises - or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I, therefore, warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors."

The entire hall went silent. It was clear as day that the students were frightened by the revelations. Neville muttered under his breath, "Nothing he said gave any student comfort that they would at least try to protect the students."

Harry grimly nodded and Hermione sadly sighed. Neville, who was already irritated by the audacity of the Headmaster to call them to his office, scoffed loudly and stood up.

The entire hall turned to face Neville and the Head Table looked at Neville with widened eyes. Snape looked like he wanted to blast Neville into the stratosphere.

Neville ignored everyone, and he spoke, "I think it's ridiculous that students are just told 'Oh avoid the soul-sucking monsters that will ensure you a fate worse than death' and we are not even told what precautions the staff had taken to ensure our safety."

Dumbledore maintained his grandfatherly person, even though Harry could spot clear signs of irritation on his visage, and rebuffed, "I assure you- "

"You can us assure nothing headmaster," Luna echoed with her ethereal voice. "You can assure nothing because you and your staff failed at the first test. Dementors attacked the train earlier today with no such provocation. Additionally, there was a clear lack of ministry authorities. If it were not for Neville, Hermione, Harry, and me, who knows what would have happened. Maybe we would instead be mourning a soulless husk of a student right now."

The hall stilled at her chilling rebuttal. Even Dumbledore looked taken back. Madame Pomfrey kept shooting the rest of her staff some dirty looks.

"That was why Professor Lupin was onboard the train to Hogsmeade- "

Hermione couldn't take it any longer. She held on to the sliver of hope that the school authorities would at least act on a known danger. Her trust for authority figures had waned greatly over the last few months and this was the tipping point.

"Fat load of good that did Headmaster! Your staff member was asleep for the majority of the train ride in our compartment, mind you. Three third-year students and one second-year student drove the dementors and he finally catches up to us!" Hermione argued furiously, her hair flared wildly as she spoke.

Harry looked at his friends with no small amount of surprise. He felt their righteous indignation at the blatant incompetency by both the ministry and Hogwarts. However, he didn't expect them to take such a public stand out in the open.

He noticed how Percy, who usually would be against such blatant disregard for the staff, just watch the proceedings with a stiff face. He noted how the usually jovial Weasley Twins were stone-faced. Several muggle-born and other students looked at the Head Table with no small amount of anger.

Snape finally lost his temper. "Silence you imbeciles! Know your place, you buffoons. I shall not have such a blatant show of disrespect to the staff. Fifty points apiece and detention for a month from each of you."

"And you can take those punishments and stuff it up your arse, Professor Snape," Madame Pomfrey snapped with a reproachful look at the potions master.

The entire hall was flabbergasted at the vitriolic tone that the matron used. The Twins gazed at the matron, completely lovestruck. Harry did a mental dance of joy when he noted how quickly Snape's face soured.

Snape looked furious and spoke no further. McGonagall and Flitwick remained silent and struck with disbelief, while Remus Lupin squirmed in his seat uncomfortably. Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Well then, we take this conversation elsewhere after the feast. I do believe it would be quite inappropriate to hold up proceedings."

The three students rolled their eyes at the Head Table and sat down in their respective seats. Harry gave his friend a supportive smile. Hermione leaned closer to Harry.