[Keely Hamren]

"Let us all welcome back our old friend..." The headmaster replied.

Keely dared to hope it was anyone but him. The headmaster was so strict, how could he possibly allow such a thing? But there he was. Kieran Greyback with a triumphant smirk gliding down the isle to the Slytherin table.

He gave a nod to Adam, who seemed to be ignoring him even though they were now one seat's descripency from sitting across from one another.

Then without much warning he turned his attention to the Ravenclaw table, a snarky expression plastered to his face and jutted his chin out in a nod and sent a wink to Keely.

Keely went rigid in her seat at once, like the prey caught beneath the predator's gaze.

Eli, who up until this moment had been passing notes to Karissa via the Gryffindor table was fuming a bright red, his hands clenched in rage at the new arrival. His intent was written all over his face, taking every ounce of constraint that he had not to floor the boy right then and there. Keely's discomfort only served to make him more bent out of shape than he already was, and for the first time in months he wished he could take the small girl in his arms and hide her, lest the monster be under the impression that she was still his property and do anything to hurt her again.

Enough. Eli thought as he sent a comforting look to Keely. She's had enough. Torture someone else for a while.

But no, Kieran could see no one else, which was probably a good thing, because Mark had failed at wrenching the steak knife from Nolan's steel tight fist with any sort of discretion. If looks could kill, Nolan's innocence would be lost for sure, and God help him, the boy wasted no energy trying to be subtle.

Keely finally managed to pull her eyes away from Kieran, though he kept his eyes fixed on her, and she looked up to the head table, to her father her eyes starting to sting with fear as she pleaded something silently to him.

[Garrin Hamren]

Garrin was stuck in a state of shock for the entire time it took Kieran to take his seat. And then he gave a more proactive reaction.

"No..." he muttered at first, shaking his head.

"NO!" he shouted, pounding his fist on the table, causing his colleagues to gave him startled looks.,

He glared at the headmaster, daggers shooting from his eyes.

"Shush, Garrin, this is hardly time time..." one of the other teachers urged him.

"Hardly the time...HARDLY THE TIME?! Apparently it's the time to allow rapist into the school!" he shouted, going from zero to hysterical in a matter of seconds.

Karissa's jaw dropped and Jason's eyes widened. Cody watched intently, his stomach doing turns at how the headmaster might react to his father's outburst.

"Garrin think this through!" the other teacher said in a half growl.

"What good will it do? Sort it out later. Alright? Later."

Garrin took in a deep breath and cleared his throat. Then he sat very still and grew quiet.

"I'll sort it out alright," he said quietly after a while, turning his eyes to Luna, who was on his other side.

"We're taking our kids out of this school," he said in a very calm, quiet and even tone.

"I'll take a part time job at the Ministry and home school if I have to. I'm talking to Harry about doing everything he can to keep that monster away from our family."

[Keely Hamren]

Luna agreed.

The Headmaster stood stationed at his post, refusing to acknowledge his screaming mess of a counselor behind him.

"Some of you may be confused by rumors. That, this new student has been accused of raping a fellow student. I assure you that this case was taken to trial, and the Minsiter's court found him not guilty. You may recall the same student accusing Mr. Greyback again when she became with child. A court case wasn't filed, and the situation ended when the student came clean after having wrongly accused a second Slytherin student of the same crime."

Kieran didn't look so out of place anymore. The majority of the Great Hall's eyes were now beating down on Keely with their silent and not-so-silent judgments.

[Thomas Cane]

"Well the Minsiter's court can shove it, that's ridiculous!" Thomas yelled back, standing up at his table.

[Crystal Sugar]

"I don't think I feel safe in a school that over looks such things." Crystal mentioned with wide uncomfortable eyes.

[Keely Hamren]

Keely didn't know what the school would make of Thomas, since not too long ago they had been forced to take a very apparent parenting class together.

Still there was some silent admiration for him him. If someone she had sported with occasionally could believe it wasn't all lies on Keely part, than perhaps there was hope. Of course, she wasn't too sure how bright Thomas was.

She understood now why Eli was with Karissa as from behind her she heard boys whisper. "I wouldn't hook up with that one. Every time she gets caught she cries rape."

Things had been looking up, she had been getting attention form boys like James and Scorpius. She imagined that being shot to hell.

Keely couldn't stand much more. She stood up tearfully and ran from the hall. The headmaster bellowing "You are not dismissed!" Behind her.

[Garrin Hamren]

"This is between me and my daughter. And I say she damn well is excused!" Garrin barked at the headmaster, as he marched out of the Great Hall in great strides.

The sound of a sharp smack could be heard from the Gryffindor table, as Karissa's palm met a girl's face.

"Shut your face, you don't know a thing about her!" she screeched.

Cody and Jason stood up, and nodded at Chayce, motioning for her, Karissa, Nolan, and Adam to follow Garrin's lead.

[Keely Hamren]

Luna was behind Adam and Nolan as they all filed out of the hall.

Nolan found his sister crying against a wall and pulled her into a hug. "It's going to be okay. I promise." He nodded.

Kieran's eyes darted to the Gryffindor table where was Mark was sitting starring after Nolan before he chanced a glance at his sister. Kieran followed the boy's gaze to Susan who looked away uncomfortably as Kieran had a few thoughts flick in and about her in his mind.

[Garrin Hamren]

Caryn's eyes were wide with a righteous anger, and her jaw was set, a whole look of livid disbelief on her face.

"This can't happen. Harry wouldn't stand for this!" she hissed to Luca.

Garrin was pacing in the hall, looking like he either might puke or punch someone.

"The lot of you are leaving tonight. We're going home. If this isn't sorted out by the end of the week, I'm pulling the lot of you out of here, and you'll be receiving your magical education elsewhere. That includes you, Chayce."

Cody nodded, and stepped forward, as though waiting instructions from his dad on what he should do to help.

"Go and help gather up everybody's things," Garrin told his oldest.

"And stay together! Disregard rules about common rooms, do not wander off alone, any of you!"

[Keely Hamren]

"Just stop it!" Keely raised her voice at Garrin. "Scoop everyone up and hide them? That's your plan? I wasn't raped in the castle, Dad." Keely said rather boldly.

Luna tried to calm her. "Sweetheart, you're shaken. Once you settle down we'll talk about it."

"Talk about what? How it happened right under your nose?! How you want to have another baby even though you can't protect the kids you have?" She looked at Garrin now, her eyes piercing through him.

"Or how you can't get your family and leave the hall like a normal person, no. You have to make sure and bring up something private that you know nothing about! Thank you so much, I was beginning to suspect one or two people didn't know, but you've got it covered now!"

"Keely! He's only concerned about your safety...the safety of the school."

"Never mind my self-respect! But that's okay....throw me under the bus. Look how safe they are now!" She bellowed. "Nolan's a monster! My innocence is gone! Adam's got that hideous mark on his arm! And your brother is dead! If this is how you protect people, you suck at it!" She concluded.

Adam tried to put his arm around her only to be shoved into a wall as Keely left for the ravenclaw tower in tears.

Luna looked to Garrin. "She didn't mean that..."

[Garrin Hamren]

"She meant some of it, I'm sure," Garrin said quietly, looking sadly after Keely as she left.

"Cody---"

"I'm on it," he said, trailing after Keely.

"Er, you don't have to talk, but I'm not going to let you be alone," he said as he caught up to her in a bit of a jog.



Caryn suddenly tapped Luca on the arm and pointed.

"Where does she think she's off to?" she said with a frown, as Julie was getting up from her seat and heading towards the door.

[Keely Hamren]

"How angry is he?" Keely asked, her expression sullen as she continued on her way.

"Completely mental, that one." Adam replied. "I wonder if this is her special time-ow!" He yelled as he was thwapped on the back of the head from what he assumed was Karissa as they made their way to the Gryffindor towers.



Luca stood up from the table. "I don't know, but we should find out." He replied as he followed her.

[Garrin Hamren]

"He's not angry...just sad, I think," Cody said, shrugging.

"He's only doing what he knows best, I suspect. I don't think he really means to pull us all out of Hogwarts. If I know dad though, he'll have us stay at the Sagebrooks tonight anyhow. And---he's probably going to try to get the headmaster sacked. If enough people at the Ministry give their signature---that very well could happen. And face it, dad has a lot of influence at the Ministry."


Chayce helped Karissa pack her things, hurrying along so they could move quickly on to the next common room.

Jason helped Adam and Nolan pack up Nolan's things, wearing a very disconserting frown.

"I don't think I'll be leaving with you all tonight. Just don't tell your dad---I think he somehow expects I'll coming too."


Caryn nodded, getting to her feet. Julie slipped outside the Hall, only to find that the Hamren clan seemed to have disappeared. Garrin was busy sending off owls, mostly to Ministry officials, while he had Luna pack a few of their things.

Julie quickly started for the stairs, guessing that Nolan had gone to his common room.

"Julie!" Caryn said sharply.

"I'm going to find Nolan!" Julie said urgently.

[Keely Hamren]

Luca was angry now. "Julie, Nolan is fine. He is with his mother and father. You will come back here or you will not be allowed to see him on a sweetheart basis anymore. You are no to leave dinner without permission, especially without telling us!"


Keely kicked a stack of books over by her bed. "Well! I'm not going anywhere!"

[Garrin Hamren]

Julie gave a very impatient sigh.

"Please. If he's leaving, just let me say goodbye?" she asked.


Cody arched his brows and loosely cross his arms.

"I have no problem getting all big-brother on you, you know. Don't think I won't," he said, frowning.