Oh dear, I’m not moving the body count on much with this chapter, I’m afraid. Just the solitary one. Still, it very nearly counts as two. Never mind, the next few chapters will change all that.
Huge thanks to Arnel for wading through her post-snow apocalypse backlog.
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Intimate Sexual Situations, Rape, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 369 Summary: It started with a surprising proposals from an unexpected source, but that was only the beginning. Soon, Harry finds himself dealing with forces beyond his imagination and dreams, and ultimately finds that the world is not what he believed it to be. Hitcount: Story Total: 99072; Chapter Total: 3997 Author's Notes: |
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“…and he referred to himself just as Hadraniel? He gave no other name than that?” Dumbledore enquired. “No, just that. He seemed a friendly sort,” Harry offered. Dumbledore frowned and paused to dunk a ginger nut into his tea. He sighed as he took a mouthful of his soggy biscuit. “Whoever he was, he seems to have a great deal of knowledge about Dementors, although how he came about such information is a mystery to me,” the old wizard noted. “Where do the Dementors come from?” Ginny asked. The three of them were gathered around the kitchen table at Grimmauld Place, discussing the dramatic events that occurred at Diagon Alley the previous day. The papers were already hailing Harry and his friends as heroes and speculating on how he’d been able to destroy the soul-sucking monsters, a feat previously thought impossible. “No one really knows where they came from,” Dumbledore explained. “When the Ministry first investigated the island of Azkaban in the late 1600’s, they found the first established colony. Previously, the island had been home to a vile wizard by the name of Ekrizdis who was a very Dark and twisted fellow, indeed. It was always assumed that he created the Dementors by means of some hideous and twisted experiment, but as he died before anyone even knew the creatures existed that has never been confirmed. It is true, however, that the island was a vile place, where Muggle sailors were captured and tortured in the most despicable of ways. Ekrizdis’s crimes left traces within the very rocks of Azkaban, so it is possible that the misery and despair the place generated attracted the Dementors, assuming they are multi-dimensional as our friend Hadraniel suggests.” “But the Dementors we got rid of can just come back, though, can’t they?” Harry asked worriedly. “I mean, all Ginny and I did was Banish them. They can come back the way they arrived originally, can’t they?” “I’m not so sure. Thinking about it, I strongly suspect that a fairly unique set of circumstances must have existed for the Dementors to be able to enter our plane of existence. While the creatures have been able to breed in this world, they have done so only rarely, and their overall numbers never seem to increase by much. I think I can say with a fair degree of confidence that we’ve seen the last of the Dementors you two Banished.” “I hope so,” Ginny said, hugging her arms. “In fact, I hope we can get rid of the bloody things completely, now.” “That is a wish I greatly share with you, Miss Weasley,” the old man said with a smile, “although, there are still some at the Ministry who even now are urging restraint in the misguided hope that the vile creatures can be lured back into service.” “Prats,” the small redhead growled. “Being politicians, that is a very apt description of them,” Dumbledore agreed merrily. “Do you think other people will have the power to Banish them?” Harry asked. “I really have no idea, although I confess that that’s the first thing I will be trying when I next encounter one,” Dumbledore confirmed. “I suspect that it will be beyond the capabilities of the vast majority of the populous, however. It’s a great shame, as Voldemort clearly intends to continue these attacks, and the ability to dispose of one of his most devastating weapons so easily would have been a great boon.” “Have you heard about any further attacks?” Harry asked with concern. “Not for the moment, but I fear further incidents will occur soon. Voldemort appears to be escalating things faster than he did during the first war, and I anticipate that this will mean more raids on both the magical and Muggle communities. He’s been gathering his allies and I’ve heard dark rumours regarding giants and werewolves being recruited. On the plus side, the Ministry caught another pair of Death Eaters just before Christmas, but they were low ranking new recruits who weren’t able to provide much information. Still, it does prove the new tactics are being at least marginally effective.” “Maybe, but I don’t think we can afford to sit back and just try and pick off his followers in dribs and drabs,” Harry disagreed. “The longer we allow Voldemort to consolidate, the more powerful he becomes. We need to take him out before he builds an army we won’t have a chance of defeating.” “A fair assessment, but do you have any suggestions as to how we might achieve this?” Dumbledore asked in all seriousness. “Not precisely, but we need to bait a trap and flush him out into the open. If what Professor Snape tells us is correct, he keeps Nagini by his side constantly these days, so if we can just get him to raise his head about the parapet, we can probably destroy him and his last Horcrux at the same time.” “An admirable idea, but how do we achieve it in reality?” Dumbledore pondered. Harry glanced at Ginny who just smiled at him encouragingly. “We’re working on it,” Harry said simply. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH PHP Breathing heavily, Harry edged his way down the busy corridor of the Hogwarts Express. Once again, the Weasley family had perfected leaving everything to the last minute into an art form, and they had been lucky to actually catch the train. As it was, Hermione was already moaning to Ron about having to sprint down the platform and leap onto the already moving train. Harry was just glad that Muggle safety standards didn’t apply to the magical world or they would have still been standing back on the platform at King’s Cross. Pushing down the busy carriage, Harry stopped when he found the compartment occupied by Luna and Neville. He gratefully opened the door and flopped onto the seat next to the sandy-haired boy. Ginny took the seat next to him, while Ron and Hermione sat down next to Luna on the opposite side. “We didn’t think you were going to make it,” Neville said, grinning at him. “For a moment, neither did we,” Harry replied before looking over at Luna. “How are you doing?” “I’m alright, thank you, Harry,” she replied, sounding a little distant. Harry noticed she didn’t have a copy of The Quibbler with her, which was her normal train journey entertainment of choice. “Is your dad okay now?” Ginny asked. “I suppose so,” Luna said grudgingly, “but I do still worry about him. He’s talking about shutting down The Quibbler and just concentrating on writing wildlife books. It seems an awful waste to me.” “It would be safer at the moment, though,” Ron pointed out. “Perhaps he can start the paper up again a bit later?” “Possibly,” the blonde witch nodded sadly. “So, Voldemort gets his way once again,” Hermione said bitterly. “Through fear and intimidation he again silences anyone who stands up to him. This can’t go on. How long before his influence and power extends to every corner of this country? How long before my parents are attacked, or Mr and Mrs Weasley? Voldemort will pick us off one by one at this rate. You need to do something, Harry!” Harry blinked. Hermione had never before suggested that dealing with the Dark Lord was his sole responsibility and he was shocked that she seemed so angry at him. Before he could say anything, however, Ginny leapt to his defence. “What are you talking about? What the hell do you expect Harry to do?” she demanded angrily. “You’ve heard the prophecy! You know it’s Harry who has to kill him. Well, why doesn’t he just bloody get on with it before more innocent people die!” “You bitch!” Ginny yelled, leaping to her feet. “Girls, stop it!” Ron yelled, before he turned to his girlfriend and spoke in a conciliatory tone. “Hermione, I know you’re upset, but that’s really unfair to Harry. He doesn’t know where Voldemort is. We’ve talked about this. We need to come up with a plan to ambush the bastard, otherwise it could end up in a bloodbath. You can’t just expect Harry to leap out of the train and start hunting Voldemort down. Do you want him to be killed?” “No… I… oh, God, I’m sorry, Harry! I wasn’t blaming you, it’s just… I guess it’s all getting to me,” Hermione sobbed. “It’s okay, Hermione,” Harry replied. “I do understand your frustration.” “It’s not frustration, it’s genuine fear,” she replied, tears leaking from her eyes. “I wrote to my parents and begged them to go into hiding, but they won’t hear of it. They still seem to think that a locked door will stop the Death Eaters. I’m terrified of what could happen to them.” “Even magical protections don’t always work,” Luna said in a dead voice. “We thought our home was well warded, but the Death Eaters tore through our protections like they were paper.” “You’re welcome to stay at our home. My gran says that our place has the best protection of any house in the country,” Neville offered brightly, before his voice dropped to nearly a whisper. “I guess she was worried that what happened to my parents would happen to me.” Harry looked around the compartment. His friends, his loyal, brave friends, all seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. They’d seen the horrors that Voldemort and his followers could inflict and it was eating away at them. “We need to crack on with our plans,” he said firmly. “Once we get back, we’re all going to start training hard. We’ll start ramping up the Duelling Club and begin the tournament we talked about previously. We’ll also train by ourselves and shed those pounds we put on over Christmas, eh? Oh, Luna, Hermione? I want you two to put your heads together and try and come up with a plan to flush Voldemort out into the open. Ron, you put some of your chess-playing skills to good use and help them.” They all stared at him like he’d grown another head. “Look, we can either sit back and let Voldemort pick us off one by one, as Hermione said, or we can do everything we can begin to fight back. That doesn’t mean blindly rushing around in circles, though, so we need a good plan. Hopefully, between me and Dumbledore we can convince the Ministry to get involved, too, and take the bastard down once and for all. So, get your thinking caps on.” They all nodded solemnly and the compartment went silent for a while. “We should really start patrolling,” Hermione said eventually to her boyfriend. “I think only about half of the prefects are on this train, so we can’t afford to slack off.” “Yeah, no worries,” Ron agreed, quickly standing. He seemed relieved to have an excuse to get out of the tense compartment. “Hey, perhaps we’ll have a look and see what Draco is up to. He’s been too quiet lately for my liking.” “Yes, good idea,” Harry agreed as his two friends hurried out the door. “That was really unlike Hermione,” Neville noted as soon as they left. “She was bang out of order, mate.” “She was just worried about her parents,” Harry said dismissively. “Maybe, but there’s no reason to take it out on you,” Ginny said fiercely. “The trouble is, I do feel like I should be doing more,” Harry confided. “Look at us, we’re heading back to school. For all we know, we might be the only two people in the country able to Banish Dementors, and we’re going to be sitting in some classroom while those monsters are on the prowl. Besides, Hermione was right; I’m the one that has to take down Voldemort and I’m not doing anything about it. Ow!” Harry flinched as Ginny hit his arm, hard. “You’re not doing nothing, you idiot, you’re training so that when you do meet him you can win! What good will it do if you rush to confront him and get yourself killed? That would just doom all the rest of us,” she raged. “Harry, you’re doing so well. Actually, we both are! We just need to keep on training with Dumbledore as we have been doing, and make sure we wring every last bit of knowledge out of his head. Then, and only then, can you take on Voldemort.” “Yeah… I guess you’re right,” Harry admitted. “Of course I am,” she snorted before snuggling back against him. “Hermione will be a lot happier now she has a clear task, too. I’m sure she’ll come up with something good.” “I promise to help, too,” Luna piped up. “I think between the two of us we’ll have most bases covered.” “Too true,” Harry agreed smiling fondly at his friend. They lapsed back into silence, although it was not as oppressive as it had been earlier. Harry’s thoughts were confused, though, and a million questions were running through his mind. Where would Voldemort strike next? Would the Ministry be able to cope? Was Hermione coming apart at the seams? How long did Dumbledore have left? What was Draco up to? All in all, he was starting to dread the new term. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH P “Where is he?” Hermione hissed in frustration. They had all been sitting in Potions classroom for ten minutes now, but Professor Slughorn had yet to make an appearance at their first class of the new term. The twelve assembled pupils were starting to get restless. “I don’t remember seeing him at breakfast this morning, do you?” Harry asked. “Nah, but Slughorn often misses meals in the Great Hall, doesn’t he?” Ron pointed out. “I heard a rumour that he gets a house-elf to prepare his food in private, just so the other teachers don’t see all the expensive delicacies he enjoys. No wonder he’s so fat.” “There but for the grace of God…” Hermione muttered. “Do you think he might have overslept?” Harry suggested. “Possibly, or he might even be ill. Perhaps I should go and check on him,” Hermione said. “I’m coming too,” Ron said firmly. “I’m not having you wandering around the corridors of this school on your own.” “Actually, I think you should stay here. I don’t trust the Slytherins not to get up to something without at least one Gryffindor prefect here,” she disagreed. Harry looked over to the table where Malfoy and three of his Housemates were lounging. Draco sneered at him as soon as he saw Harry glance in his direction. “I’ll go with her,” Harry offered. “Yeah, alright then,” Ron agreed grudgingly. “I’ll stay and keep an eye on the ferret.” Hermione stood and in a clear voice informed the rest of the class she was going to check up on their missing teacher. “Oh, thank heavens, it’s the Mudblood to the rescue!” Zabini crowed. “I’ve told you before to watch your mouth, Zabini,” Harry growled. “One day it’s going to land you in a whole heap of trouble.” Zabini just looked at Harry condescendingly, but made no further comment. Harry and Hermione made their way out of the classroom and headed towards Professor Slughorn’s private quarters. Once there, Hermione knocked several time without answer. “Should we try the door?” she asked in a worried voice. “I think we’d better,” Harry said. “If it’s unlocked, you can just stick your head round the edge and try calling him.” “Okay,” she agreed, and tried the handle of the door. It swung open instantly. “Professor?” she called. “Professor Slughorn? Are you in there?” “Come on, we’d better just check nothing’s happened to him,” Harry decided and pushed the door wide open. He strode into the lavishly decorated room and stopped dead. On the floor, just in front of an ornate coach, was the body of Horace Slughorn, sprawled out. “Oh, my God!” Hermione cried and sprang forward. Harry joined her in kneeling beside the prone body, but it was clear the man was dead and had been sometime. His face was a ghastly shade of white and his eyes bulged out unseeing. “What happened to him?” Harry wondered. “A heart attack, maybe?” “I’m not sure, but look! There’s this broken glass on the floor beside him and that opened bottle of mead on the table, there. You don’t think he’s been poisoned, do you?” Hermione asked suspiciously. Harry stood and gingerly peered at the open bottle. He noticed a label attached to the neck of the oak-matured mead, and he opened it out with a finger. It read ‘to Albus, Merry Christmas from Horace’. “Harry, we need to alert Dumbledore,” Hermione said urgently, rousing Harry from his speculations. “Yeah, I’ll send a Patronus. I’m getting pretty good at sending messages that way,” Harry told her, before pulling out his wand and sending a spectral stag charging out of the room. It was several minutes before Dumbledore came hurrying into the room, with Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape hard on his heels. “What happened here?” the headmaster demanded, looking at the body in shock. “Professor Slughorn hadn’t shown up to his first lesson, so Harry and I came up here to see what was keeping him. We found him like this,” Hermione explained. “We think he might have been poisoned,” Harry added. “There’s this broken glass on the floor next to him and this opened bottle of mead. It’s odd, sir, but if the tag on the bottle is to be believed, I think it was meant to be a Christmas present for you.” Dumbledore walked over and carefully picked up the bottle, examining the label carefully. He then shot Snape what Harry thought was a meaningful glance. He then handed the mead to the former Potions Teacher, who sniffed the contents carefully. “Hmm, there’s a slight hint of vanilla, which could possibly mean Ashwinder venom. The aroma of the mead would probably be sufficient to mask the smell even from an expert like Slughorn. It acts sufficiently fast that he wouldn’t have had time to ingest an antidote, not without aid, anyway,” Snape said. “Murder! Murder right here in Hogwarts! It’s unthinkable!” Madam Pomfrey cried in distress. “Now, now, Poppy; nothing is proven yet. This is all speculation at this point,” Dumbledore told her firmly. “Why would the Professor be drinking from a bottle he meant to give to you as a gift, anyway, sir?” Hermione asked in puzzlement. “Horace already gave me a rather interesting book on Transfiguration for Christmas, so perhaps he decided to keep this bottle for himself. It wouldn’t be the first time Horace has surrendered to his veracious appetite. This brand of mead is frightfully expensive, after all,” Dumbledore explained. “So, do you think this was an attempt to kill Professor Slughorn, or was it an attempt on your life, sir?” Harry asked forcibly. “That is a question for better people than you to speculate on, Potter,” Snape snapped. “I suggest you get back to class and leave such concerns to your elders and betters.” “Not much point going back to a class with no teacher, is it?” Harry retorted. “Besides, I expect the Aurors will want to talk to me and Hermione once they get here.” “Yes, you’re quite right, my boy. Ministry law officials should be summoned immediately. I will go and contact them, forthwith. Severus, perhaps you could accompany me?” Dumbledore said, and a moment later he hurried out the door with Snape right beside him, clutching the suspect mead bottle in his hand. “I should inform Professor McGonagall,” Pomfrey decided. “You two stay right here and I’ll be back in just a moment.” Harry and Hermione found themselves alone with the dead man. “This is all very odd,” Hermione decided, looking at the corpse with a mix of revulsion and curiosity on her face. “Yeah, and why did Dumbledore seem so unsurprised by all this?” Harry wondered. “He seemed pretty keen to get away so he could have a nice, private chat with Snape, too, didn’t he?” “Do you think he knows more than he’s letting on?” she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” he confirmed. “Something, my dear Hermione, is rotten in the state of Hogwarts, I fear.” The two of them lapsed into silence and they continued to gaze at the prostrate body. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP The Department of Magical Law Enforcement personnel arrived shortly afterwards and questioned both of them. They then searched Slughorn’s quarters thoroughly before removing the Professor’s covered body. While they seemed quite professional, Harry was left with the impression they weren’t really interested. No doubt they had too many other deaths to investigate lately. The next day The Daily Prophet reported Slughorn’s death on the front page, and speculated that he’d been killed by forces loyal to the Dark Lord in retaliation for the portly teacher refusing to join them. The whole school was shocked by the incident and even Draco seemed withdrawn and quiet. Still, Harry had a feeling that there was more to the whole thing that met the eye. He and his five friends were currently outside in the Viaduct Courtyard, wrapped up warmly against the bitter January weather. No one else was foolish enough to be outside in the freezing conditions, which suited them perfectly. “So, do you buy that Voldemort had Slughorn killed just because he wouldn’t join him? That just doesn’t seem to be his style,” Ron said as they huddled together. “No, I totally agree. If this was Voldemort’s work, he’d make bloody sure that everyone knew he was responsible as a warning to others,” Harry decided. “No one seems to be mentioning the fact that the bottle of mead was meant to be a gift for Dumbledore,” Hermione noted sourly. “It’s almost like that part was hushed up.” “Snape took the bottle with him when he and the headmaster left, remember. I wonder if the gift label somehow went missing,” Harry said with a note of sarcasm in his voice. “But why? If this was really an attempt on Dumbledore’s life, why hush it up?” Neville demanded. “That’s what worries me. I don’t know about you, Hermione, but I got the feeling that Dumbledore wasn’t too surprised this had happened. Maybe he’d been expecting an attack,” Harry speculated. “He certainly wasn’t acting too shocked, was he? Still, if he was the intended target, it was a bit hard on poor old Professor Slughorn to end up on the receiving end,” Hermione agreed. “I guess he should have given Dumbledore that bottle for Christmas, after all,” Ginny noted grimly. “Hmm, why would Dumbledore attempt to hide the fact that someone was trying to kill him?” Luna pondered. “We know he’s very ill, so perhaps he wants to die?” “You know, as horrible an idea as that sounds, there might be an element of truth in it,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “The curse he was hit with attempting to destroy one of the Horcruxes is apparently terribly painful. It could be he’s hoping for an easier and quicker end.” “It’s possible, but that still doesn’t quite sit right with me,” Harry disagreed. “Dumbledore’s a clever man, and if he was going to arrange for his own death I’m pretty sure he’d do it in such a way that he made sure no one else got hurt. Even if he’d actually received the mead and died from drinking it, Slughorn would have probably been accused of murder, and I don’t think he’d have wanted that.” “No, you’re right,” Hermione agreed. “So, why else keep this quiet? To prevent panic, perhaps? A lot of people believe that he’s the only person powerful enough to defeat Voldemort. If he died it would make a lot of people very frightened.” “You’re right about that, but it still doesn’t explain to me why he’s keeping the fact that he was the real target a secret from everyone here at Hogwarts. If someone is out to get Dumbledore, he needs to warn others if only so they don’t end up in the firing line. I’m sure old Slughorn would have appreciated a warning,” Ginny said. “Perhaps he’s protecting someone?” Luna suggested. “Perhaps he knows who tried to kill him and for some reason wants to keep it a secret.” Harry and Ron exchanged a startled glance and both spoke at once. “Malfoy!” “Really? Do you think this is what he’s attempting now his plan to smuggle Death Eaters into the school has failed? He’s trying to kill Dumbledore instead?” Ginny gasped. “Actually, I think it fits,” Hermione said bitterly. “They say poison is a woman’s preferred means of murder, but I can just see that cowardly little ponce using it. As a member of Slytherin, I bet he could have easily gotten access to Slughorn’s quarters under some pretence and tampered with the mead. It would just be like Dumbledore to try and protect him to ‘save him from himself’, too. If the headmaster thinks Draco Malfoy will ever change his spots, he’s barmy!” Harry looked sadly at his friend. Once, not so long ago, Hermione might have been prepared to give Draco the benefit of the doubt. Now, anyone who had the slightest association with the Death Eaters was marked in her book. Not that he could blame her in the slightest. “If this was Draco’s work, then he’ll likely try again,” Ron pointed out. “What shall we do? As tempting as it is, we can’t just bump the little twat off,” Ginny said. “No, we need to catch him in the act. From now on, we watch Draco Malfoy very closely. If we get the slightest hint he’s up to no good, we take him down,” Harry said grimly. The others nodded their agreement. Sadly, catching the pampered Slytherin red-handed would probably be a hard task. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP “…o f course, Valentine’s Day this year falls on a Saturday, and the Minister is determined that every pupil in this school is able to enjoy the day without fear of interference by malevolent forces,” Dumbledore explained to the assembled school that morning. “I have decided, therefore, that we will get into the spirit of things and make a special effort this year. While the singing dwarfs that Professor Lockhart arranged a few years back will sadly not be making a reappearance, a special postal system will be set up to deliver your valentine cards and there will be lavish dinner and dance in the evening, for those of you of a romantic disposition. Visits to Hogsmeade will be permitted during the day, and the Ministry will be posting extra guards in the village to ensure everyone’s safety. It will be a splendid day, I am sure.” “Did you notice Malfoy perk up when he heard that there would be a Hogsmeade visit,” Harry said quietly as the headmaster continued his announcements. “Yeah, he did suddenly looked interested, didn’t he?” Ron agreed, trying not to be too obvious in his observation of the Slytherin table. “Well, if you’re dating someone like Pansy Parkinson, romance isn’t exactly going to be your top priority, is it?” Ginny said with a smirk. “No, but that reminds me. Ginny, would you be so kind as to accompany me to the Valentine Dance this year?” Harry asked. Ginny broke into a wide smile. “Of course, Harry. I’d love to accompany you.” “Who else would she go with? She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?” Ron snorted. “I know, but it’s still nice to be asked, isn’t it?” Harry hissed, rolling his eyes meaningfully in Hermione’s direction. “Oh, give up, Harry. I’m really not expecting Ron to make any grand, romantic gestures. It’s just too much to hope for,” Hermione sighed. “Oh! Err, I was going to ask you, Hermione, I was just, err… waiting for the right moment!” Ron back peddled. “Of course you were,” Hermione smiled and patted her boyfriend on the head. “Err, Luna? Would you like to go with me?” Neville asked the blonde girl nervously. Luna was a permanent resident at the Gryffindor table now. Luna blinked. “Well, that would be very nice, Neville, but are you sure there isn’t someone else you’d rather ask? I mean, Hannah and Ernie seem to be very shaky at the moment. They’re always rowing.” “I know, and I’m not going to get into the middle of that,” Neville said. “Besides, it will be fun going with you. We always have a great time together, don’t we?” “Oh, yes! Particularly when you take your trousers off,” Luna exclaimed brightly. “Too much information, Luna,” Ginny grimaced. Neville said nothing. Apparently, he’d finally become accustomed to Luna’s ways. “Great, so we’ll be three couples. That should make it easier to keep an eye on Malfoy,” Harry said gently. The others nodded. The six of them had been watching Draco rather carefully ever since Slughorn had been murdered the previous month. While there were some places they couldn’t follow him, such as the Slytherin common room, when he was out and about they tried to keep an eye on him whenever possible. The general opinion was that the Malfoy heir was up to something, but what that might be was a mystery. After they finished their breakfast and had started to shuffle out of the Great Hall, a familiar voice called to them. “Harry? Ginny? I wonder if I might have a moment of your time?” Harry turned to see Dumbledore smiling at them benevolently. It was all he could do not to scowl at the old wizard. During their private lessons, both he and Ginny had been carefully questioning Dumbledore regarding Slughorn’s murder, but the headmaster had persistently maintained the Ministry line that the Potions Professor had been killed by the Death Eaters for refusing to join them. Worst still, it was becoming clear to them that Dumbledore was hiding something from them. Once you knew he was lying to you, Harry had noted ruefully, his diversions and platitudes became painfully obvious. The measure of trust that had been rebuilt between them was rapidly being eroded. “What can I do for you, sir? Is it about our next training session?” Harry asked blandly. “No, actually it was in regard to my announcement concerning the forthcoming Hogsmeade visit,” Dumbledore explained. “Would I be correct in assuming that you will be escorting Miss Weasley here?” “Yes, I will,” Harry agreed. “Most excellent. You see, the Minister has been in contact with me and is very keen to see the day pass without a hitch. He feels that if the Ministry can demonstrate such events can be undertaken without interference by Voldemort it will go a long way into instilling a sense of normality among the population. To that end, he is arranging for an unprecedented level of security to be mounted around the village.” “I see,” Harry said, nodding his understanding. “Rufus is, however, still concerned about the missing Dementors,” Dumbledore continued. “As far as we know, you two are the only people in the world that are capable of destroying a Dementor, and the Minister was keen that the pair of you would be in Hogsmeade that day, just in case the creatures do put in an appearance. I’m sure that won’t present a problem, will it?” “No, sir,” Harry confirmed. “Although it would mean we’ll need to be in the village the whole day. I assume there won’t be a problem if me or my friends are back a bit late?” “No problem at all,” Dumbledore confirmed happily. “I will personally write you and your friends a pass allowing you to return after normal visiting hours, and speak to Mr Filch to ensure there are no misunderstandings.” “Great, I’m certainly not going to complain about spending more time in Hogsmeade,” Ginny said with a bright smile. “I rather doubted you would,” Dumbledore said. “Now, you’d best be off to your lessons before I get you into trouble with your teachers.” “Actually, sir, I have Potions next and I think it’s your turn to cover the subject,” Ginny pointed out. Since Slughorn’s untimely demise, Potions lessons had been shared between Dumbledore, Sprout and Snape on a revolving basis until a new teacher could be found. “Bless me, you’re quite correct, Miss Weasley. Well, you’d better toddle along or I may be forced to punish you for being late for standing about talking to me. Frankly, my dear young lady, that would be paradox that even I couldn’t cope with!” Harry and Ginny turned and hurried out of the hall. “He’s losing it, he really is!” Ginny hissed as they left. “Yeah, I think that curse is starting to affect his brain,” Harry agreed worriedly. “I’m beginning to wonder how long he has left.” HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP HPHP Saturday rolled around rapidly and Harry found himself standing beside the main gates of the school with Ginny at his side. Nearly all of his fellow pupils were lined up behind him, waiting for Filch to open the gate and let them through. “Taking his time, isn’t he?” Ron complained from nearby. “I think he was upset at being told everyone was to be allowed through without checks,” Harry explained. “I think being late is his petty form of revenge.” “Pathetic,” Hermione grumbled. It was another five minutes before the surly caretaker shuffled into sight and the man made a major production of finding the right key for the gate. “Finally,” Ginny muttered as the gate swung open. “Wait a minute,” a voice called out. “Why do Potter and his friends get to go first? I suppose Gryffindor’s golden boy gets special treatment, as usual.” “Wind your neck in, Malfoy,” Ron yelled at the blonde boy, who had pushed his way to the front, no doubt to cause trouble. “Harry and Ginny are going first for a reason.” “Oh? And what possible reason would that be?” Draco sneered. “To show the people of Hogsmeade what a puffed-up cretin looks like, perhaps?” “No, Malfoy, to provide protection,” Hermione yelled angrily. “Protection?” Draco laughed. “What could scar-head possibly protect me from?” “How about Dementors? Tell you what, Malfoy, when you learn how to destroy one of those, we’ll be happy to step aside and let you go first!” she retorted. “Actually, I’m happy to let him go ahead of me,” Harry confirmed. “After all, the thing about Dementors is that they aren’t too fussy about what side a person is meant to be on. They’d be just as happy to suck out the soul of a Death Eater as they would an Auror, for instance. So, by all means, Draco, after you.” Draco strode purposely forward. “Like I’m afraid of those creatures,” he sniffed. “Come on, Pansy, this scum have obviously finally realised their station in life — behind us purebloods.” Parkinson hurried forward and took Draco’s arm, while sending a withering look in Harry’s direction. Strangely, Crabbe wasn’t with him, a fact explained a few moments later when Harry spotted him in the crowd of students with Millicent Bulstrode on his arm. Frankly, he’d never seen a less attractive couple in his life. They let Draco get ahead before they followed after him. “So, I guess that answers the question of whether Voldemort is planning an attack on the village today. There’s no way Malfoy would have gone striding off like that if something was going to happen,” Ginny noted. “I expect Voldemort’s got other plans today,” Harry agreed sourly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if another attack on some Muggle village occurred while the Ministry is massing all its forces here.” “It would make sense,” Ron admitted. “Always attack where your enemies are weakest.” “Yes, never mind that a bunch of mere Muggles gets killed, just so long as the Ministry’s publicity stunt goes off without a hitch,” Hermione said bitterly. “That’s the problem with Minister Scrimgeour. He’s always too worried about the political aspects of things, rather than doing what’s right,” Luna commented. “Yeah, and the worst of it is that he’s about a million times better than Fudge was,” Harry agreed. “Never mind that now, let’s just enjoy the day,” Ginny said firmly. “Who’s going to follow Draco first?” “I guess Luna and I will take the first shift,” Neville volunteered. “Yes, he tends to ignore us. I bet he won’t even notice we’re there,” Luna smiled. “Thanks, guys. I guess that means you’re free to escort me around the village and lavish me with Valentine gifts,” Ginny said, grinning at Harry. “Oh, wacko,” Harry grumbled, but in truth, he’d already been planning on pushing the boat out a bit today. After all, Ginny deserved it. The group casually followed Draco and his reduced entourage into the village where Luna and Neville peeled off and continued to follow him. The rest of them set off to enjoy the day, which they did to a great extent. Judging by Malfoy’s casual demeanour, they all felt relatively confident that the day would pass peacefully and were determine to enjoy the brief moment of calm before more troubles found them. Besides, security around the village was extremely tight, with Aurors and Ministry Enforcement patrols a very visible presence. It did bring a very welcome side effect when they stumbled into a familiar face. “Wotcha, Harry!” Tonks called as soon as she spotted him. “How you doing? Ah, I heard from Molly that you and Ginny had got together. Good choice, mate. Is he treating you right, Ginny?” “Yes, he’s being the perfect gentleman. It will take me months to eat all this chocolate he bought me in Honeydukes,” Ginny announced happily, showing the older girl her bulging bag of goodies. “Good thinking, Harry. The way to any girl’s heart is normally via chocolate. Let me know if you need a hand eating any of that, Ginny,” Tonks laughed. “You seem a lot happier than when I last saw you,” Harry noted. “Any reason for that, huh?” “Well, a certain Hogwarts ex-Professor might have got his head out of his backside and asked me out,” Tonks said smugly. “You’re dating Lockhart? Congratulations!” Harry beamed. “Prat,” she replied. “Actually, you wouldn’t have anything to do with Remus’s sudden change of heart, would you? He wouldn’t say what exactly brought it on, other than someone had managed to drum some sense into him.” “I might have written to him pointing out what a complete idiot he was being,” Harry sniffed. “After all, if I could suddenly develop enough sense to ask Ginny out, it was only fair that he start using a bit of the old grey matter, too, wasn’t it?” “Harry Potter, I would bloody kiss you if I didn’t want to upset the lovely Miss Weasley here,” Tonks exclaimed. “Don’t worry, Tonks. I’ll take care of the kissing for you later. I didn’t realise he’d been doing a bit of matchmaking, but I heartily approve, I must say,” Ginny laughed. “Good girl. Anyway, I’d better try and look busy; my boss is giving me the evils from over there. You two have a great day!” “Don’t worry, we will,” they both confirmed and happily headed off, hand in hand. In the end, trouble just couldn’t be persuaded to take the day off. The six of them had reunited for lunch at The Three Broomsticks. Draco and Pansy had also trailed in, taking a table in one corner and generally acting shifty, in Harry opinion. He and Ginny took seats facing the pair of Slytherins so they could watch them clearly. “It’s strange to think this place was in chaos just a few months ago,” Hermione noted as they all sat down. “Poor Katie was attacked just over by the bar there.” “Yeah, it’s weird that everything seems so normal, isn’t it?” Ron agreed. “Everything is as it should be. It’s us that have changed,” Luna said sadly. For a moment, Hermione stared at her friend with a blank expression on her face, before she closed her eyes and sighed. “I think you’re right, Luna. I almost feel like a different person to the one I was at the start of the year.” “Yeah, I feel like that, too,” Harry nodded, although he doubted his friends would believe just exactly how true that was. “Oh, watch out. Ferret on the move,” Ginny hissed, deliberately not looking in the Slytherin boy’s direction. “He’s heading into the backroom. That’s a staff only area,” Harry noted with a frown. “And Pansy’s apparently taking the role of lookout,” Ginny added. “I’ll go and distract her while you two find out what Draco’s up to,” Luna announced, purposely standing. “Do you want me to come with you?” Neville asked. “No, trust me, I’ll be able to confuse and distract Pansy more easily on my own. You just keep an eye on me from a distance,” Luna told him with a fond smile. As soon as the Ravenclaw girl had begun to skip in Pansy’s direction, Harry and Ginny pulled out their wands and, hiding them under the table, cast Disillusionment Spells on themselves. They then hurried over to the door through which Draco had vanished. “…what are you on about, you daft bitch!” Pansy’s harsh voice drifted over to them, alerting them to the fact that Luna had succeeded in her goal of distracting Parkinson. With the lookout’s attention elsewhere, Harry pushed open the door allow them both to slip inside. Harry immediately saw Draco, who was pacing backwards and forwards nervously. Fortunately, he hadn’t seemed to have noticed the door opening slightly and was unaware that he was no longer alone. Harry felt Ginny pulling him over to the corner of the room where a number of boxes were stacked. They crouched behind one of the large case and waited. A few minutes later, the door swung open and Madam Rosmerta entered and, much to Harry’s surprise, walked straight over to Draco and stood before him passively. “You screwed it up, you stupid woman!” Draco snarled at her. “Bloody Slughorn ended up drinking the mead, not Dumbledore!” “I just did what I was told,” Rosmerta said in a strangely emotionless voice. “Well, you’ll just have to do better this time,” Draco snapped before reaching into his robes and producing a small package which he handed to the bar owner. “I want you to give this to someone to take back to the castle. Tell them that it’s a gift for Dumbledore and that you’d like them to deliver it for you. Make damn sure that whoever you use knows not to open the packet.” “I will do as you say,” Rosmerta said in a dead voice. It was all Harry need to hear. “Stupefy!” Harry cried and Rosmerta crumpled to the ground. Draco looked up in alarm, but a second later he too collapsed, felled by Ginny’s stunner. “Bloody hell, why was Rosmerta helping that bastard?” Ginny demanded indignantly. “I think she’s under the effects of the Imperius Curse,” Harry pointed out. “Didn’t you hear the zoned out way she was talking.” “Good Godric, I never thought Draco would have the balls to use an Unforgivable!” Ginny gasped. “What do we do now?” “I think we need a reliable Auror we can trust here, double time!” Harry said firmly. “Fortunately, there happens to be one close at hand.” Harry’s stag Patronus shot from the end of his wand and vanished through the wall. He and Ginny both took a seat on one of the large boxes and waited for help to arrive. |
| Reviews 369 |
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