The Intelligent Potter

*** December 1994, Hogwarts

Or not.

December passed dismally, but without event.

Not a single student was sent home for Christmas at Hogwarts. The school refused to send the Express home. Parents were allowed to pick up their children for the holidays, but no parents took the opportunity.

It was not surprising for those on the light side, who clearly wanted their children to be at the safest possible place, but it was surprising that all of the families who clearly supported Lord Voldemort were keeping their children at the school as well.

'Perhaps to have eyes and ears inside the headquarters of the light?' Harry theorised, inside of his own head.

He, Hermione, and Daphne spent the mornings and afternoons, the time which they would spend in classes during regular term, training vigorously with Iliad, who was going all out all the time against the three Hogwarts students. He had even lost a few duels, and the distance between the students and their teacher was getting smaller. Only their smaller magical core held them back from being able to take him on individually.

*** January 1995, Riddle Manor

Blood gushed from the eye sockets of the self-styled Lord Voldemort.

The Dark Lord had long since clawed out his own eyes at the pain splitting his head apart, at the anger which The Darkness was inflicting upon him.

"Potter!" it hissed inside of his head, "Potter, Potter, Potter!"

"I have a plan!" Voldemort rasped out, "I have another plan!"

Pain wracked his body with renewed force.

"You had a plan last time…"

"This one will work, I promise!" the Dark Lord rasped, "I will take Dumbledore out of the picture, without him Potter will be mine!"

"Mine!"

"Yours!" Voldemort cried out at the pain he was feeling, "Yours, yours yours. All yours!"

"That's right."

Voldemort shivered, as the pain faded. The Darkness granted him vision, without his eyes, his empty eye sockets glowing a malevolent red.

"This plan… when will it take place…"

The Dark Lord took a deep breath, like a child about to confess to a parent.

"J-J…"

"Spit it out."

"June!"

The pain was familiar.

*** February 1995, Hogwarts

Classes were back on.

Training was moved back to the evenings, as classes started once again, and it was only a few hours, to allow the children a little bit of time to just exist, and relax.

Not that they could do much relaxing, not with the war still ongoing.

It was still a productive time though, and Iliad was confident that his three students were more than a match to take on Aurors on their own.

*** March 1995, The War Effort

Albus was busy, at most times, manning the press and coordinating the movements of those loyal to him, against Voldemort.

Arcturus was a general, leading raids against known Death Eaters, burning as much of their estates as possible before the opposition became too large to face with his meagre numbers.

Nicolas had disappeared, and he hadn't been heard from for a little while.

Amelia was giving speeches at rallies, to raise the morale of those on the light side. This was at a significant danger to herself, as Thicknesse's Aurors would take apart such rallies more often than not. Every time such an event took place at a rally she was attending, Amelia fought the Death Eaters to the best of her ability, to make sure that no-one thought of her as a coward. Despite being a Hufflepuff at heart, the claims made against her in the Daily Prophet did not sit well with the woman at all.

With great reluctance, Babajide had left Britain to negotiate with the ICW on behalf of Amelia's Resistance.

*** April 1995, International Confederation of Wizards Emergency Conference

"Maybe," Nicolau Moutinho, the delegate of Magical Brazil, started, "We should attempt to try and cooperate with this Pius Thicknesse fellow, certainly his methods of obtaining power were… unconventional, but he is the man in the top office in Britain. If the rumours of his loyalty to the Dark Lord are true, we can negotiate with him through Thicknesse."

Babajide resisted the urge to massage his temples at the headache which was the International Confederation of Wizards.

Albus was not present at the meeting. He had been replaced as the english delegate by none other than Lucius Malfoy, who was known by Babajide to be one of the stooges of Voldemort.

Babajide had been unanimously made Supreme Mugwump, as there was now no-one left on the council with even a fourth of the political clout that he did.

Immediately upon receiving the prestigious position, Babajide asked upon Emmanuel Delacour to take his place, as he had his own part to speak.

Unfortunately for Baba, between Lucius Malfoy, and Moutinho, as well as his (MACUSA too, but mostly) South American faction, Babajide's words were not heeded as much as they should have been, nor did he get enough of an opportunity to speak.

The meeting had no result, as the ICW voted mostly to stay out of Britain, for the time being.

"Bloody spineless fools," Babajide muttered, just after the meeting ended.

"My, my, someone's angry." Baba heard the silky voice of Lucius Malfoy.

"Mr Malfoy," Baba nodded his head.

"Mr Akingbade," Malfoy said as if he were delighted at meeting the large Nigerian man, "I'm sure you must be happy now that the ICW does not require your services in Britain. You can finally return to your home in Nairobi.

"Abuja," the Nigerian wizard corrected tightly, "And as you well know, Mr Malfoy, I have requested an Auror transfer to your country… I had quite an enjoyable time there."

"Oh, yes, about that," Malfoy said, "Our Auror offices are full, I hate to do so, but I must turn you down on your application."

Honestly, Baba had expected that annoyance.

*** May 1995, Hogwarts

Things were tense. The war was at a standstill, but there was an ominous feeling around.

The students who supported the light were tense, while Draco Malfoy and his group of hooligans were getting more c.o.c.ky by the day.

"Next month is June," Harry murmured under his breath, "Voldemort will do something next month."

Hermione whacked him over the head with a book, "Just because it's happened every year so far doesn't mean it will this year as well."

*** June 1995, Hogwarts

The entire castle shook on its foundations.

People who were on the grounds, or indeed those who looked out of their windows, could see a translucent blue dome surrounding the school, which was being pushed upon by thick tendrils of pure blackness, which could only possibly be one thing.

The Darkness.

"I knew it," Harry muttered.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"It's June."

"Oh for god's sake!"

*** End of Chapter