Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Year 7

Chapter 1

Updated April 2023
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE.
"I haven't been here for a long time, but that was by far the fastest check of the entire Hogwarts Express made by two people," Snape snapped.

"Of course, if someone had made a student or a trunk disappear, we wouldn't have been able to see-"

"I doubt the two of you actually checked." Snape sighed wearily. "Dumbledore didn't really have options, did he? We'll be in deep trouble if we don't have a better pair when Harry Potter comes next year." He shook his head. "Whatever. It's not like I could expect any better from you two. Off you trot." Snape gave another disappointed groan as the head boy and girl turned and ran for the carriages.

"That. Was. AWESOME. I could do this all-" Diego Caplan cut off as a carriage door opened, someone pulled the person standing next to him inside, and a head poked out.

"Hope you had fun with her," said Ben Copper. "It's our turn now." He slammed the door angrily as the thestral neighed a neigh that only the ones inside the carriage could hear and took off, leaving Diego stunned in the dust.

"I'm not going to touch you anymore," said Merula Snyde once she'd shoved Danielle Jackson into a seat. "You're perfectly safe here."

"Rich coming from the-"

"Now, now, we're all adults here, and I'd very much appreciate it if you could hash things out with Merula LATER, Dani," Ben said calmly. Dani, who had been feeding on her train ride of power like a vampire, registered the drained looks on her friends' faces.

"...So what happened, Ben?"

Ben turned to Merula. "How many people asked if we were disbanding the Circle again?"

"Lost count," Merula grumbled.

Ben turned back to Dani. "So yeah, while you bossed prefects around, we were trying to find somewhere, or some way, to have a peaceful train ride here, and failed miserably. Anyway, as two thirds of the Circle's co-leaders, we agree that while we should be enjoying our seventh year, we're not ready to disband the Circle just yet. I for one am still worried that R would want revenge, even though I'd highly recommend them to save their energy and resources for Harry Potter if they'd listen. But I want to hear your take."

Dani looked at Merula, who had been listening and nodding to Ben's spiel. The girls hadn't been in close quarters like this since Knockturn Alley, and Merula had shown no sign of disagreeing with Ben, even when he got to the part about R. She's a better actress than I thought, Dani told herself.

Other than her being a Slytherin (which, mature adult Dani reminded herself, wasn't a judge of character), Dani (plus Moody and Alex, the only two people she's told) found no explanation over the entire summer holiday as to why Merula would join the organization that cast the cruciatus curse on her-twice, murdered one of her friends (or at least classmates) in front of her eyes, hung her upside down, hexed her way too many times, lied to her, and probably worked for the man who took her parents from her. And regardless of whether the dark witch who took her did or not, Merula most certainly knew that Dani would rather sell her soul than join R.

"Hello? Earth to Danielle?"

"Oh. Yeah. I agree with every word you said, Ben. Including the part where they should focus on Harry Potter." Dani shot Merula a look.

"Don't look at me like I'm an idiot, Jackson. It's obvious enough that all R's horses and all R's men will be on their knees the second Harry Potter touches a wand."

"This is awkward," Ben pointed out.
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"Ben! Dani! Over here!" Charlie waved them over to where all the Gryffindor seventh-years were as soon as they stepped into the great hall.