Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

"I don't know if this is a good idea…"

"We should be fine." I answered, smiling at Lockhart, a bit touched that he was worrying about us.

"I will be close by to guard them." Grindelwald chimed in while we were eating our dinner. "This is an open rally, and even if Dumbledore is against us, he won't try to do anything drastic."

"He could still blame it on remnant Death Eaters." Quincy said nonchalantly, making our old professor sigh and look at us, shaking his head.

"You already decided, so I won't argue. Just be careful. I am not in the mood to write an obituary. Although, I could do a really tear-jerking one, mind you!"

"Ahaha, you won't have to! We are going there to support Hermione openly. It is the first debate between those the Order put forward and between the members of SPEW."

The newly established Ministry was close to reaching its final form. In the past weeks, multiple figures have popped up, including wizards we knew were from the core of the Order, like Kingsley Shacklebolt or Hestia Jones. The former was also someone who was being pushed to become the new, first Minister of Magic after the reformation.

But, it was not all… because even within the Order, I could see that Neville was doing as he promised. He became surprisingly vocal. When his interview appeared in the Daily Prophet, I couldn't help but laugh while reading it, feeling that he was exactly how I will always remember him. A guy who looked timid and reserved, but when he dared to do something, he was the first to jump into it.

He not only loudly campaigned that the Order should disband now, after Voldemort's death, and people should enjoy their freedom, but he also supported two mages, a witch and a wizard, to have a joint seat at the helm of the Ministry. His idea was that it would be like a natural balancing act if two people sat in the position, making sure there was no chance to grab for power. Or not so easily.

It was an interesting idea, and it became somewhat popular amongst the wizards, who eagerly listened to the boy who killed the Dark Lord. The people he supported were people named Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Of course, neither of them was on our payroll, but if Neville was trusting them, they had to be good people and now part of his budding faction. As for would they appear today? I don't know because their party was still a budding one. Still, I could see the cracks within the Order, and via Snape's info, we could slowly dip water into them and let them seep deep down the crevices, eroding it all.

Hermione did well in that her party talked to not only the wizards but also other magical creatures, including house elves and goblins, amongst many other minor factions. With my interference in the background, Old Silver made some calls, and a few goblin families voiced their interest in listening to her and even financing their campaigns.

Tomorrow will be the first open debate between the main parties, held in a square within Diagon Alley. It will also be our first time back to it without having to wear a disguise or drink a polyjuice potion.

"Will there be talks about the new Wisengamot?" Lockhart asked, looking at us, "Maybe you will meet Professor Slughorn again?"

"Maybe." We answered, looking at each other.

Professor Slughorn left us about a week ago when the Order officially accepted his and Lockhart's requests and pardoned them both. At first, we thought he would return to Hogwarts to pick up teaching again. Instead, he volunteered to try to join the new Wisengamot. He was more or less back to how we first knew him, and even though he was a 'prisoner' back then, he had an extensive collection of people who were close to him to this day. Since leaving and returning to his family, he has been hard at work building it back up and has also begun to campaign to implement the Wisengamot to our specifications. To be a collection of talented, innovative, and like-minded wizards who would make sure we won't regress into another dark age.

Multiple other candidates, too, were being nominated left and right, and one of them was me. The surprising thing was that it was someone else who brought it up and someone we never even paid off. No… It was Neville's suggestion. I don't know what he was trying to achieve, but it came as a big surprise. Honestly speaking, I don't know how to feel about it. It is intriguing and could be fun and interesting, but it is not something I think that I am up to do as a job. I am a bit stumped, and so is Quincy, as she couldn't give me a piece of proper advice on how to publicly reply to it. Well… I will improvise if it comes to that, as I have yet refused to say anything in the papers.

However, we tackled the case of the prisoners held within Azkaban. It was our current 'attack' on Dumbledore and his followers, including the one called Mad Eye Moody. He was the current warden of Azkaban and also the nominee to take up the Head Auror role in the future. Our demands were straightforward. First, we demanded an open trial. Second, the jury should be made of the public, not members of the Order. We have been hammering home the fact that, of course, the Order would try to bury them at all costs. They only see them as Death Eaters and not as conscripted youngsters who had no choice but to obey. How could they have joined the Order when their families were essentially held hostage? The moment they stood out of line, everyone would have been massacred. Should they have sacrificed everybody? Did the Order want that? Expected everyone to become a martyr?

Those were our questions that they had yet to answer. Lockhart's wording made them resonate strongly with our readers, especially when he wrote that there was someone who did exactly that, my Father… and our reward was to be put on the most wanted list by both parties. As for today… I am curious how it will go. It will be our first public appearance, not just speaking through agents and the Quibbler. I wonder… Will they try to assassinate us? Well. Time will tell…

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It was the first time that we didn't arrive via apparition or using any other magical tool to enter Diagon Alley. First, we left our home in a muggle car, with a chauffeur driving us to London. Of course, it was Grindelwald; his appearance changed completely, disguised as a completely different person. He achieved it without the use of a polyjuice potion, using a spell that he developed, and neither of us could tell it was him. I wonder if Dumbledore knows how to reverse it or detect its usage...

Well, I didn't worry for long about it. Instead, I enjoyed the trip and the fact that we entered Diagon Alley from behind the Leaky Cauldron. It was good to be normal once again, returning to the usual ways, with the difference that the current owners of the pub were on our payroll. Our 'chauffeur' stayed behind not because he wanted a drink while we did our thing but to simply get all the names of those who used the same entrance and those who were staying there and give new instructions to the owners.

This didn't mean that we would be unguarded because, by the time we would reach the square where the debate was about to be held, he would be amongst the crowd, with a new identity watching out for us. We wouldn't even know who he would be or where he was, which was by his design. There are many ways to use spells to extract knowledge from someone and to prevent it from happening. So, we decided it would be best if we knew nothing about it. Of course, this required us to trust him, and as I said, we would do so.

"We still have time. Do you want to look around?" Quincy asked, grabbing my arm and holding onto me. It was making me nostalgic. It was such a long time ago we could go on a date like this, and I intended to enjoy it to its fullest.

"I do. Let's just walk the streets and see what changed. Previously, we had not much time to enjoy it."

"And it looks more lively!" she added as we watched the many buildings, with the boards on their windows taken down and their colorful walls repainted, bringing life back to the city.

"Oh? Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour has reopened? Let's check it out; I was still young when I last visited, and they had the best ice cream! Dad always used to treat me to one..."

Hearing me say that, she was the one pulling me forward, and a minute later, we were there, browsing his selection of ice creams.

"Do... Do I know you, youngsters?" the aging man asked as we discussed which flavors to try, trying to pick different ones so we could snack on each other's picks.

"No, I don't think so." I answered, not expecting him to recognize me, one of many customers from years ago. Not to mention, I was a child back then.

"I do know those eyes! You are Conrad, Conrad Anguine!" He exclaimed, making me surprised that he recognized me. "Then you must be Quincy Black! Sorry, Quincy Anguine!"

"Y-yes!" She nodded, blushing a little from happiness, and I turned a bit nervous. I couldn't lie. His voice managed to alert multiple passersby, and after hearing our names, we were surrounded by people. Great...

"Please, take it! My gift!"

"Huh?"

Now, I was confused. Florean was giving us the ice cream for free and acted as if we were his saviors. Wait. It suddenly clicked—we probably helped him. It turns out that I was right because soon, he was telling everyone that it was us who saved him and his family by paying for their safety. After Voldemort was gone, he managed to use the money they had to return and reopen his family's business.

It didn't take long that soon the people around us would tell us similar tales and make me realize that I was doing it to screw over the Order and that the Death Eaters were changing so many lives... I just... did it to get back at them. I never even thought about how the people who took up the offer felt. I didn't need to... but it was a good feeling.

"You still popular." I heard a familiar voice, and when I turned towards it, I saw Krum standing there, nodding at us.

"It surprised us, too." We answered in synch as the people separated, recognizing the other party, looking on, waiting for what would happen. It was not that they expected any trouble, as we had endorsed what Hermione was doing multiple times.

"Here for debate?"

"Yep! Is that a problem?" Quincy asked, making him smile and shake his head.

"No... but I see... Three debates now."