TSS: Chapter 26: Carefully Calculated Strikes Part I

> *“Because if you do, I can help you find the Heir of Slytherin.”*
>
>

— Ares, slithering her way into Harry's group.

## Plot:

The DMLE plans to sent Aurors to Hogwarts. Harry and Tracey talk, with he boy starting to plot Dumbledore's banishment from the castle. Charlus agrees to be tutored by Lockhart. Charlotte is ready to start working on her mind palace. Ares Black receives a tentative entry into Harry's group, contingent on her help in determining the identity of the Heir of Slytherin.

## Summary:

**January 14th, 1993:** After the Wizengamot session, Amelia Bones, the recently appointed Head of the DMLE, returns to her office to discuss the three Ministry employees to be sent to Hogwarts alongside Senior Aurors Potter, Shacklebolt and Dawlish, the Chief Auror Alastor Moody, Peter Pettigrew in his function as the top detective of the DMLE, and the Minister for Magic, Bartemius Crouch Sr. Shortly afterwards, they are joint by Dumbledore who convinces them to allow him to participate in their deliberations. They decide that three Aurors shall be sent to Hogwarts to investigate, while Peter Pettigrew will investigate the Heir of Slytherin from outside the school. Potter tries to volunteer to be sent to Hogwarts but he is blocked by Moody under the reasoning that his sons are potential suspects.

Later that day, in the Great Hall, Harry is thinking on what had occurred since Daphne's disappearance — and that Dumbledore has been watching him even more closely every since that moment. At the insistence of Tracey, the two talk about how he feels. At the end of their conversation he comes to the realization that to properly investigate the Heir of Slytherin, Dumbledore would need to be removed from the castle — and, for that to happen, he might need to employ the help of Lucius Malfoy.

**January 15th, 1993:** Harry has another duelling session with Grace, this one focused on his venting out his mounting frustrations, as Grace fights defensively until Harry gets tired. Afterwards, the two talk with Grace recommending Harry to slowly let his suppressed emotions leak, thus ensuring that they do not accumulate, which would lead to unfortunate situations.

**January 16th, 1993:** Charlus is summoned in the evening to Lockhart's Office. There the professor offers Charlus the opportunity to tutor him in the starting phases of Occlumency — the meditative stages, and in DADA. Charlus agrees.

**January 17th, 1993:** Harry is duelling Cassius in another meeting with Calypso's group. He eventually manages to win the duel, thus marking his first victory against the older boy.

**January 24th, 1993:** After another session in the mind arts, Grace deems Charlotte as a level four Occlumens, thus ready to start building a mind palace.

**January 25th, 1993:** In the morning, Harry has a conversation with Ares Black, where the girl expresses her interest in joining Harry's group claiming loneliness, especially after Draco was pulled out of Hogwarts shortly after the Auror's arrival. To entice him to accept, she offers her aid in his search for determining the identity of the Heir of Slytherin.

**February 1st, 1993:** At breakfast, Harry receives a letter confirming the selling of his enchanted dagger. Sparing a glance at Ares, he gets the confirmation that she is indeed looking into the Heir of Slytherin — who had stuck again the previous night, by abducting Lillian Moon.

## Characters Introduced:

Amelia Bones.

Alastor Moody.