Adam's high spirits upon his return to Hogwarts were infectious and filled Ginny with a lovely warm feeling as she saw the huge grin on his face. He was obviously delighted to be back and his happiness made her happy.
"Coming back here feels great!" he exclaimed excitedly.
On the train on the way to Hogwarts, Ginny had been surprised at how many students, even some not from Gryffindor, had asked if Adam was alright after his early exit from school last year. Adam, of course, had answered that he was fine, but Ginny could tell it had touched him that so many people were concerned about him.
By the time the couple reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and sat down, conversation was already keenly settled on the main topic of news over the summer. The return of Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore's belief that Voldemort had returned.
"We were right in the middle of it!" Ron boasted proudly as Ginny sat down at the table.
"Ron!" Ginny exclaimed.
"It's true!"
"So what do you think, Ginny?" Neville asked. "Do you think Professor Dumbledore's right?"
"It's Dumbledore!" Ginny exclaimed. "Have you ever known him to be wrong about something as big as this?"
"What about you, Adam?" Neville asked.
Before Adam could answer, the hall was called to silence as the Sorting began with the Sorting Hat's song.
"So, Adam…?" Neville repeated, once the Sorting was completed and conversations around the long tables had begun again.
"Oh…" Adam hesitated. "I agree with Ginny."
"Weren't you there as well?" Neville asked. "Don't you live with Ron and Ginny?"
"No," Ron interrupted. "He was away for part of the summer, so he missed the fun."
Ron was being particularly insensitive today, but she could hardly blame him, as he didn't know that Adam was actually at the centre of it all.
"Yeah," Adam said softly. "I missed out."
Ginny watched as Adam turned his full attention to his dinner and starting blocking out the conversations around him.
"Ginny," Adam whispered to her, suddenly breaking his silence once he had finished his main course.
"What?"
"That woman up on the staff table," he nodded towards the staff table. "The new one, looking very uncomfortable because she's next to Hagrid."
"The one in pink?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, I just realised where I know her from!" Adam replied softly. "She was the one who chased us through the hospital, yelling she was a Ministry employee and demanding we stop."
"What's she doing here?" Ginny asked.
"No idea, maybe she's still looking for me?"
Ginny could only shrug in response and continue eating her dinner. Why was that woman here?
Eventually the noise around them began to grow as more and more students finished their food. Several minutes later, a loud cough echoed through the hall. Professor Dumbledore stood up and raised his hands, causing the hall to soon quiet down.
"Now that we have all finished our delicious feast, I have a few start-of-term announcements," Professor Dumbledore said in a loud voice that seemed to fill the hall. "Please, everyone, remember the Forbidden Forest is exactly that. Forbidden to everyone," he paused. "Mr. Filch has also asked me to remind all students that the list of banned items is displayed on his office door and that this year he has expanded it to include all products from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."
The hall was filled with boos at this announcement. Ginny joined in eagerly since the shop was a family business.
"And…" Professor Dumbledore continued once the booing had quieted down. "We have a new addition to our teaching staff this year. Please welcome Professor Dolores Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor."
The hall was filled with polite applause.
"And now…" Professor Dumbledore continued.
"Hem, hem." An excessively feminine cough echoed through the Great Hall.
Ginny thought she saw a look of surprise cross Professor Dumbledore's face for a second, but, as soon as the expression had appeared, it vanished and he gestured to Professor Umbridge.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge replied. Ginny found her voice mildly irritating, possibly because it was just so excessively sweet.
"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Professor Umbridge continued. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching." She turned and smiled at the assembled students.
Ginny felt a surge of dislike for her. That expression looked so false.
"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."
Ginny stared at Professor Umbridge. She didn't quite understand what she had said. Hogwarts was brilliant. She didn't think anything needed to be changed!
"Thank you, Professor Umbridge," Professor Dumbledore said and he applauded.
No one else joined in.
"Now, everyone, it is time for bed!"
The assembled students began making their way out of the Great Hall. Ginny shuddered as she watched Demelza Robins chirpily directing the first years up to Gryffindor Tower. Why on earth had Dumbledore picked her for Prefect, she would never know.
"I don't like that woman," Adam commented as they made their way up to Gryffindor Tower. They moved reasonably quickly because they didn't want to get stuck behind the first years who would slow them down on the stairs as they gawked at the portraits.
"Yeah," Ginny said. "Who does she think she is anyway, saying she will change things at Hogwarts! She's only a teacher!"
"I bet she's here because of what happened over the summer," Adam replied. "The Minister really didn't seem happy with Dumbledore at the hospital, did he?"
Ginny gave the password and they stepped through into Gryffindor Tower. Now she thought about it, what Adam had said did make sense.
"Yeah," Ginny replied. "Wait for me? I just need to go and make sure Arnold is alright after the journey."
Ginny sprinted up the stairs. She would make sure that Arnold was alright, maybe cuddle him quickly, and then get back downstairs to Adam. Perhaps she could then cuddle him too.
September 2nd 1996
The next morning, Ginny was once again waiting in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, ready to have a lesson from yet another new teacher.
Last year she had held out high hopes for Moody, but that hadn't turned out well, what with him being a Death Eater and all. Ginny had no such hopes for Professor Umbridge, since she was expecting a thoroughly boring lesson.
"Well, good morning!" Professor Umbridge said, once the whole class had entered the room and sat down.
Ginny mumbled, "Good morning."
Very few others joined in. Adam, who was, of course, sitting next to her, only grunted in response.
"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply, 'Good morning, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good morning, class!"
"Good morning, Professor Umbridge," Ginny chanted back at her in exasperation.
"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."
Ginny sighed in disappointment; the order, wands away, had never yet been followed by a lesson she had found interesting. She heard Adam groan as he shoved his wand back inside his bag and pulled out quill, ink, and parchment. Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it. Immediately words appeared on the board:
Defence Against the Dark Arts A Return to Basic Principles.
"Well, now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in you being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year.
"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."
She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:
Course aims: 1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic. 2. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used. 3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.
Ginny copied down the notes from the board. Eventually, when everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims, she said, "Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"
There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.
"I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge', or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' So, has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"
"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room.
"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, Basics for Beginners. There will be no need to talk."
Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all. Ginny turned to page five of her copy of Defensive Magical Theory and started to read.
After only a few paragraphs, Ginny felt herself beginning to switch off. She knew all of this, it was all such basic stuff and the way the book described it was just so incredibly boring. She looked over at Adam and saw him sitting there, with his book open, staring into space.
The lesson slid by; Ginny didn't read any more of the book and Professor Umbridge seemed to completely ignore the fact that both she and Adam were just staring into space and not actually doing what she'd asked the class to do.
When the lesson was drawing to a close, Professor Umbridge stood, coughed and began to speak. "Put away your books. We will continue reading next lesson."
The room was filled with disgruntled groans and several hands shot up into the air.
Professor Umbridge ignored them all and said, "Class dismissed."
"Professor!" a Slytherin shouted, tired of being ignored. "When will we actually get to use magic?"
"You won't," Professor Umbridge replied sweetly.
"When will we practice our spells then?" Ginny said loudly.
"Practice using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"
"But if we are attacked!?" Colin Creevey exclaimed suddenly.
"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr— ?"
"Creevey," Colin replied, rolling his eyes.
"What did you wish to say, Mr. Creevey?" Professor Umbridge asked sweetly.
"What if we are attacked?"
"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Colin. "Do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"
"No, but…"
Professor Umbridge didn't give him time to finish, and instead began talking over him. "I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed, not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."
"If you mean Professor Lupin," Adam exploded suddenly, "he was the best we ever—"
"Hand! Mr—?"
"Winters," Adam grumbled.
"As I was saying, you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day…"
"What about all that stuff over the summer, Professor Dumbledore said…" Colin said again.
"Your hand is not up, Mr. Creevey!"
Much to Ginny's anger, Umbridge ignored Colin when he did put his hand in the air.
"It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you…"
The class grumbled. Professor Moody may have been a Death Eater, but at least he had taught them something.
"Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. Yes, Miss—?"
"Robbins. Isn't there a practical bit in our Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the counter curses and things?" said Demelza, looking rather worried.
"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," said Professor Umbridge dismissively.
"Without ever practicing them before?" squeaked Demelza. "I can't normally do a spell the first time!"
"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough…"
"But what if something happens to us, what if we need to use these spells?" Ginny exclaimed.
"This is a school, not the real world," she said softly. "And next time raise your hand, Miss—?"
"Weasley," Ginny mumbled.
"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?" Colin said. "Professor Dumbledore said…"
"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Creevey," Umbridge interrupted.
The class was filled with discussion and mutterings.
"Now, let me make a few things quite clear. Everything Professor Dumbledore has told you is a lie. Harry Potter is a pampered pet of Dumbledore."
Ginny heard Adam emit a low growl as Umbridge continued.
"He has lived a secluded life of affluence and now he surfaces to chirp along to Dumbledore's song and get him the attention he needs."
Ginny looked over at Adam, who had now gone bright red. She placed her hand on his thigh and whispered, "Keep calm. Keep calm."
"Is that clear?" Umbridge said to the class.
Ginny squeezed Adam's hand and she could see the redness begin to fade from his face as he got his temper under control.
"Well done, don't give her the satisfaction and blow your cover," she whispered.
"Now, this class is long over." Umbridge paused and smiled at the students. "So get to your next class."
The moment she said this, Adam bolted for the door. Ginny grabbed her bag and quickly chased after him.
Adam September 7th 1996
Adam,
Please come to my office at 7 pm tonight for our first lesson. Please try to be discrete when you travel to my office. I would like to avoid having Professor Umbridge knowing about our meetings.
The password is Ice Mice.
Regards, Professor Dumbledore
Adam scrunched up the note and tossed it in the fire.
"That's in twenty minutes!" Ginny exclaimed. "You'll need to get going soon."
"Yeah," Adam replied, pulling the Marauder's Map out of his school bag.
"What are you doing?" Ginny asked, looking at him strangely.
"Just checking that Umbridge is out of the way," he said with a grin. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
The map materialised on the empty sheet of parchment and Adam looked around for Umbridge.
"Oh," Ginny said softly.
"What?" Adam asked.
"Your name."
Adam looked at the map, in the corner of the common room, where they were sitting, were two names: Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter.
"Oh," Adam said flatly.
"We can't let anyone else see this map."
"Yeah," Adam agreed. "But good news is, Umbridge is in her office. If I go now, I should be fine."
"Take the Cloak with you, just in case, and good luck!" Ginny added, giving him a quick kiss before he left the common room.
Adam managed to get to the Headmaster's office without any problems. He gave the password and climbed the staircase eagerly. This should be good!
"Good evening, Adam," Professor Dumbledore said when Adam entered the office.
"Evening, sir," Adam replied, sitting down in the front of the Headmasters desk.
"Tell me, Adam, how has school been going so far?"
"Alright," Adam responded. "Except, Professor Umbridge isn't letting us do any practical spells at all."
"She isn't?" Professor Dumbledore replied. He didn't sound surprised.
"Nope, we've had two lessons now and all we've done is read."
"Well, I am afraid I won't be able to do much about that. Professor Umbridge has been somewhat forced upon me by the Minister. He passed new legislation so that if I could not find a suitable candidate for the position, he would be able to appoint someone without my consent."
"And you couldn't find anyone?"
"No," Professor Dumbledore sighed. "I had a candidate for Potions Master, so I attempted to appoint Professor Snape as Defence professor, but the Minister did not deem him a suitable candidate."
"Oh," Adam replied. He was secretly glad he didn't have to put up with Snape as Defence Professor. Still… he might have been better than Umbridge.
"You see, Adam, as I expect you may have found out, the Minister is of the opinion that we, being myself and Harry Potter, are using Tom's return as a cover story for a ploy for power."
"I know," Adam ground out, balling his fists. "She mentioned my pampered life of luxury in class."
"I am sorry you have to put up with this, Adam," Professor Dumbledore said gravely. "The Minister has been quite systematic in removing all my influences within the Ministry. I'm not sure if you are aware, but only a few weeks ago I was removed as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. The Minister is even attempting to push forward more legislation to give Professor Umbridge more power. I hope to stop it, but if the Minister forces it through, she will have power even over the other teachers."
"Really?" Adam gasped. "They can't do that!"
"Yes… they can," Professor Dumbledore sighed. "However, the Ministry and the Minister are my problems, not yours," he paused, "so let us get on with the lesson."
"What are we going to do?" Adam asked, eagerly. He had been looking forward to these lessons. He knew Professor Dumbledore was going to teach him something cool.
"We are going to work on your appearance charms," Professor Dumbledore stated. "I have been researching them extensively. It seems that, in some ways, Peter was a much more accomplished wizard than any of us gave him credit for."
"He didn't seem that good to me," Adam mumbled.
"That is exactly it, he is very good at hiding his skills. He put two glamour charms, plus one other spell, on you. One for your eyes and one for you hair and scar. There is nothing extraordinary about these charms apart from the length of time they lasted, but I think I now understand how he did it."
"What was the third spell?"
"Now, this spell, whether by design or unfortunate accident, was the spell that was able to very effectively hide you. It was why your Hogwarts letters were unable to identify you by name and why no owls nor the Ministry warning were able to find you during that… ah…" he paused, "…unfortunate misunderstanding regarding your accommodation in your second year."
Adam glared at Professor Dumbledore, and he seemed to flinch slightly.
"I am, er, very sorry about that, you know. At that point, I truly trusted the Ministry to do what was best for you," he paused. "Anyway, I have no intention of re-applying that spell; it was very complex and I am frankly surprised it actually worked. I have taken steps to ensure you will not be bothered by unnecessary mail."
Adam nodded in response.
"However, I must warn you that you are no longer immune to detection by the Trace that allows the Ministry to detect underage magic and I think you understand the… problems… having you charged with improper use of magic would be."
"So what would happen if…" Adam began.
"… if you performed magic outside of school? The Ministry would detect that Harry Potter had performed underage magic. It would give them recourse to attempt to bring you in to the Ministry for questioning. Hospitality which you have experienced before, if I remember correctly."
Adam nodded; he could see how that would be bad.
Professor Dumbledore waved his wand, and Adam felt the familiar prickling sensation of his hair changing colour.
"On with our lesson," Professor Dumbledore said jovially, changing the subject. "Let's start on your hair first, then we will do your eyes. As both of these charms are more like transfiguration than classical charms, there is no incantation. It is the intention that will do the trick. I will demonstrate and if you follow with me…" Adam concentrated hard, and willed his hair to change colour.
Ginny September 14th 1996
Katie Bell had, quite correctly in Ginny's opinion, insisted that all team members try out again this year. It was the best way to ensure that Gryffindor fielded the best team possible.
They had lost four members of the team since last year, Fred, George, Angelina and Alicia. That meant she, Katie and Ron were the only remaining members of the first team.
The Keepers had been the first to try out, once Katie had cleared away all the non-Gryffindors and those that couldn't fly.
Ron had obviously tried out for Keeper and he had, surprising, easily beaten the only opposition, a guy named Cormac McLaggen. The second trial had been for the Beaters, and had been somewhat more dismal. It had been a case of picking the best out of a bunch of mediocre players. Surprising, the best were two of Adam's room-mates, Jimmy Peaks and Ritchie Coote.
The next trial was the Seeker's trial and Ginny was waiting patiently with Adam and the one other student, a second year, who had decided to try out.
"I'm going to beat you this time!" Adam said and stuck out his tongue at her.
"Okay, I'm going to release the Snitch three times. Best of three," Katie announced.
Once the first Snitch was released, Ginny began circling the pitch, scanning for it. She scanned the horizon, frantically searching for the small golden ball. She circled the pitch several times but there was still no sign of it.
"Adam has it!" Katie called suddenly from the ground.
Ginny swivelled around on her broom to stare in shock at Adam, who held the Snitch triumphantly in his hand.
Okay, get it together, Ginny! That must have been luck!
Ginny remounted her broom and she, along with Adam and the second year student, rose into the sky again. She began circling, once again searching the sky for the Snitch. She also kept a tight watch on Adam. Boyfriend or not, she wasn't going to let him get it a second time. This was Quidditch!
Suddenly, Ginny saw it hovering over the centre of the pitch. Adam must have seen it at the same time. He turned and shot towards it from the opposite end of the pitch. Ginny was racing towards the Snitch, too; it hadn't moved. Adam was slightly closer, but she had a faster broom. Still they closed; she was close now but so was Adam. His hand was outstretched and he was reaching forward.
Ginny stared intently into Adam's grey eyes and they charged towards each other on a collision course. They both were an equal distance from the Snitch… it was only metres away now.
Then, Adam unexpectedly changed direction and Ginny suddenly felt a surge of triumph as he left her eye-line. She could practically feel the Snitch! She'd done it! However, in her celebration, she had taken her eyes off Adam. While she hadn't been looking, he had flipped himself upside down to avoid her and suddenly his hand appeared in front of her face and plucked the Snitch right out from in front of her.
"Adam has caught the Snitch!" Katie Bell called. "Looks like we have a new Seeker!"
Adam reached the ground first. He ran towards her as she landed. They both stared at each other for a second, and Ginny could see a slightly worried expression on his face. Then, Adam's mouth began to quirk upwards into a smile. Ginny too felt herself beginning to smile in return. She quickly closed the distance between them and, flinging herself into his arms, she wrapped him in a hug.
"Well done! Well done!" she chanted into his ear.
"Looks like the pressure is on for your try-out, eh?" he replied cheekily.
Ginny felt a surge of anxiety. He was right. If she didn't do well at the Chaser tryout, she wouldn't even be in the team anymore.
The Chaser tryout immediately followed the Seeker tryout. Katie Bell, as Captain, was guaranteed one spot. The other two were up for grabs and there were several candidates. Both of Ginny's room-mates were trying out, along with Dean Thomas, a fourth year called Romilda, and Ginny herself. Five candidates and only two places.
Ginny had butterflies in her stomach; she had to keep her place on the team. She just had to!
Adam September 14th 1996
Adam watched with pride as Ginny flew. She was incredibly agile in the sky and she looked simply radiant on a broom.
From where Adam was standing, she was completely outclassing the rest of the Chasers up there in the sky. Katie had worked them very hard. They had done passing drills, shooting drills and finally they were engaged in a mock match.
Eventually, the Chasers came down to the ground and Ginny ran to him straight away.
"Did you get in?" Adam asked keenly.
"I don't know," Ginny said worriedly. "Katie hasn't told us. I was rubbish up there!"
"Don't be silly!" Adam said. "You were the best up there by far! Trust me!"
"I'm not sure," Ginny said, still looking worried.
Adam put his arm around her. "I'm sure Katie will make the announcement soon."
Within a few minutes Katie had called all the Gryffindors around.
"Okay, Our Quidditch team is: Seeker — Adam Winters; Keeper — Ron Weasley; Beaters — Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peaks; Chasers — myself, Demelza Robins and Ginny Weasley!"
Ginny squealed with excitement and Adam hugged her tighter.
"I told you!" he said enthusiastically.
"Thank you, everyone! I will post the first practice on the notice board in the common room," Katie announced.
With the try-outs over, the Gryffindors began to disperse and Adam and Ginny walked hand-in-hand back towards the school.
"So," Ginny said grinning at him, "we're both on the team now! Who knows, next year one of us might be captain!"
"Wow, you reckon?" Adam asked, he had never thought that he could be Quidditch captain.
"Yeah, well, Katie will be gone and Ron hasn't been on the team as long as me or you."
"Well, that would be cool," Adam replied, trying to shake an image of himself as Quidditch captain from his mind.
"Yep," Ginny replied with a grin.
They walked the rest of the way back to the school in silence.
"Don't you have another meeting with Dumbledore straight after dinner?" Ginny asked as they walked through the Entrance Hall.
Adam jerked to a stop and looked at his watch. He swore. Where had all the time gone? They had spent so long at the Quidditch pitch, he now only just had enough time to eat.
"Damn, I'll have to go in my Quidditch gear, I hope he doesn't mind. And I'm going to have to eat fast. He wanted to meet early tonight."
After quickly gobbling down his dinner, Adam dashed to Professor Dumbledore's office. He arrived only two minutes before they were supposed to start.
"Ah, welcome, Adam," Professor Dumbledore greeted him when he entered his office. "Congratulations on your success today."
"Oh, thanks, sir!" Adam replied. He wondered if Professor Dumbledore knew everything that went on in the school.
"Time is fairly short tonight," continued Professor Dumbledore. "We need to get started."
Adam nodded. "I think I've managed to get the hair charm down."
"Well done! But before we start working on your appearance charms, there is something I need to discuss with you," Professor Dumbledore replied. "Sirius' will was read yesterday so Gringotts could determine what to do with his assets."
"Oh," Adam replied. He felt a stab of sorrow mixed with guilt; he hadn't thought much about Sirius over the last few days.
"This has had an unfortunate consequence; the Ministry is now aware of his death and I wouldn't be surprised if it is at least mentioned in the Daily Prophet."
Adam nodded numbly.
"There were," Professor Dumbledore continued, "only two benefactors of Sirius' will: Harry Potter and Remus Lupin."
"Me!?" Adam exclaimed.
"Yes. In fact, Sirius left you the majority of his estate, including the property at Grimmauld Place and, by extension, the house-elf, Kreacher."
"What?" Adam questioned. He didn't know Sirius had a house-elf.
"Yes," Professor Dumbledore replied. "The Black family has had a house-elf for many years. Kreacher was always fanatically loyal to the blood-purist elements of Sirius' family. He, however, only showed the minimum loyalty that was required of him to Sirius himself and I believe you will face similar problems with him."
"So he won't do as I say?" Adam asked.
"He will do as you order him, but he will look for any loop-holes enabling him to thwart you. While, as far as I am aware, he never actively betrayed Sirius, I had no doubt he would have, given the opportunity."
"I don't want anything to do with him then!" Adam exclaimed. "He could ruin everything!"
"Adam," Professor Dumbledore continued gently, "I do believe that, with some kindness, you may win Kreacher's loyalty," he hesitated. "I need you to call him, anyway. It will allow me to verify that he has passed into your control. He may know things about the Order, and…"
"It would be a major problem if he wasn't in my control," Adam finished sourly.
Professor Dumbledore nodded.
"What do I need to do?" Adam asked.
"Just call his name," Professor Dumbledore replied, "but let's ensure he meets Harry Potter."
Professor Dumbledore waved his wand and Adam felt the tingling across his hair and eyes.
Adam took a deep breath and called, "Kreacher!"
With a loud crack, a house-elf appeared in the office. He looked far more dismal than Dobby, the elf who had visited Adam. He had a snout for a nose and far longer and droopier ears. The rags that he wore were in far worse condition than the meagre cloth that Dobby had worn. Adam even thought he looked skinnier and possibly malnourished.
"Kreacher belongs to the Blacks! Kreacher belongs to the Blacks! He won't go to the Potter brat! He won't! He won't! He won't go!" the house-elf wailed.
"Harry," Professor Dumbledore continued, "as you can see, he seems fairly reluctant to your ownership."
"Won't! Won't! Won't!" the elf wailed.
"Harry, give him an order, he will have to obey," Professor Dumbledore instructed him.
"Kreacher, be quiet!" Adam said, attempting to put on his most commanding voice.
The house-elf instantly quietened with a strangled croak. His face and mouth were still twitching wildly, as if he wanted to talk but simply couldn't.
"Ah," Professor Dumbledore said brightly. "Very good."
"Do I have to keep him?" Adam asked. He felt rather sorry for the house-elf and didn't really want him to be his slave.
"I am afraid so," Professor Dumbledore hesitated. "If you were to free him, he would go to Tom's followers and I couldn't allow that. If you don't want him around, I would suggest you order him to the kitchens here in the school. It would at least give him work to do."
Adam nodded numbly. He couldn't believe that he technically owned this poor creature. It made Adam feel deeply uncomfortable. He was just about to open his mouth to order him to the kitchens when inspiration struck him.
"Kreacher, tell me, do you know another house-elf by the name of Dobby?" Adam asked.
Kreacher clawed at his mouth in a mocking gesture.
"Harry, he is using your previous order not to speak as an excuse not to answer."
"Kreacher, you may speak, only to answer my question," Adam ordered the elf.
"Kreacher knows no house-elf by the name of Dobby, but he is sure he is owned by a fine pure-blood family of far better lineage than his own poor master, who is a half-blooded blood-traitor. Kreacher hates his master, Kreacher misses his Mistress…"
"Be quiet, Kreacher," Adam ordered, cutting off the elf's abuse. "Now go to the school kitchens; you are to obey the Headmaster until I tell you otherwise."
Kreacher shot Adam a look of pure hatred before he disappeared with a loud crack.
"Well done, Adam, at least we will have some measure of control over him now," Professor Dumbledore replied. "May I ask why you asked about an elf called Dobby?"
"He came to me with some vague warning about Voldemort," Adam answered, "but left before I could get any answers out of him."
Adam watched as Professor Dumbledore stroked his beard. "As you know, Adam, you are Voldemort's prime target right now."
Adam nodded.
"But let me just reassure you that you are perfectly safe here at Hogwarts."
Adam nodded again and they were both silent for a few seconds.
"Anyway, I believe you told me you had made progress with you hair charm…" Professor Dumbledore began with a smile.
A/N: Thanks to all those who have reviewed and thanks to my beta, Arnel, for all her work.
This chapter also contains some quotes and adapted sections from Order of the Phoenix chapters 11 and 12.