Thanks to AmelÃe for her corrections and input. Please review. Constructive criticism is always gratefully received.
|
Aurors and Schoolgirls | ||||||
|
Category: Post-Hogwarts, Post-DH/AB Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Drama, Romance Warnings: Mild Language Rating: PG Reviews: 151 Summary: The Wizarding War is over. For some Auror training has begun; their lives are centred round London, and the Ministry of Magic. For others, there is the inevitable return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; their lives are centred around schooling in Scotland. Do these parted pairings, these divided duos, have different destinations and divergent destinies? When, where, and how can these separated souls meet? Holidays, Hogsmeade and Quidditch. Hitcount: Story Total: 89175; Chapter Total: 6340 Author's Notes: |
Previous Next |
|
||||
|
11. Dungeon: Discussions Fenella Gray was a tall girl, the second tallest girl in the school; she knew this because she’d checked. The fact that she had finally stopped growing was no comfort to the seventeen-year-old seventh year student; she desperately wanted to be smaller. Fenella was being backed into an alcove in the Slytherin common room and was blinking rapidly under the gaze of the angry trio facing her. When the back of her calves hit an armchair, she slumped gratefully into the seat and hunched downwards, shrinking as much as she could. She always felt more comfortable when she was seated, when she could look up at people. Pushing her large black-rimmed glasses up over the bump on her nose, Fenella used the action to look surreptitiously at her cousins Aaron and Zoë Wylde. They, and her little brother Archie, moved in closer and stared at her. Fenella was ill at ease. She hated being the centre of attention, but she was the prefect, so they expected her to do something. Her cousin Zoë was a slim, athletic, and attractive fourth-year girl. She was also a foot shorter than Fenella. Zoë was everything that Fenella wasn’t, but they were still friends. Fenella watched Zoë run her fingers through her curly brown hair. Actually, Zoë had placed both hands on her cheeks and pushed them up her forehead and through her hair. The fourth year girl was brushing tears from her eyes while trying not to let anyone see what she was doing. Fenella recognised the action; it was something that she had done often enough herself. Zoë’s brother, Aaron, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain was a tall, stocky young man with shoulder length hair as curly as his sisters. Aaron was in Fenella’s year and was almost as tall as she was, but six foot was a good height for a boy. Aaron had his arm around his sister; he was scowling, and the copy of the Sunday Prophet in his hands crumpled as he shook it angrily. ‘We should hex them,’ Fenella’s brother Archie suggested. ‘Who?’ Fenella asked, though she knew the answer. ‘The Weasel and the Mudblood,’ Archie said. ‘Archie,’ Fenella scolded her brother, while glancing apologetically at her appalled cousins. She glanced quickly around the Slytherin Common Room. The dimly lit room, with its collection of alcoves and corners, was designed to create a lot of quiet areas for whispered conversations. Some of these recesses were badly designed, making it possible for people to eavesdrop. Fenella suspected that this was deliberate. After seven years, Fenella knew the best locations and this was her favourite niche. Satisfied that no one could overhear, she leaned closer to her brother, who had pulled up a chair in front of her and whispered, ‘You should know better than to use that word. Just think about what would’ve happened to Aunt Wendy last year had anyone known.’ ‘Sorry,’ Archie Gray apologised to his cousins. ‘But we should do something to them. They’re the only members of Potter’s gang we can get to.’ ‘They haven’t done anything,’ Fenella said, ‘it was the Aurors who arrested Uncle Wil.’ ‘Potter and Weasley are Aurors, and their girlfriends are here,’ Archie pointed out. ‘Never mind them. This,’ Aaron waved the paper in Archie’s face, ‘is all lies.’ ‘I know Aaron,’ twelve-year-old Archie quailed under his cousin’s anger. Aaron and Zoë perched themselves on the arms of Archie’s chair and leaned in close. ‘But what can we do about it?’ Fenella asked nervously. ‘We’re still at school.’ ‘So what? Potter, Granger, the two Weasleys, Longbottom and even “Loony” Lovegood broke into the Ministry when they were fourth and fifth years,’ Zoë pointed out. ‘They all fought in the battle last year, too.’ Aaron reminded Fenella. ‘Exactly,’ Fenella announced triumphantly. ‘We’re not like them, we’re just ordinary. The Granger girl’s a genius; she’s top of every class.’ ‘The Weasley girl’s ordinary enough apart from when she’s flying — and that hair of course,’ Aaron argued. ‘Her brother is positively thick, Lovegood is completely insane, and pretty much everybody thought that Longbottom was completely useless until last year.’ ‘Zoë fancies Longbottom,’ said Archie, smirking. ‘I do not,’ Zoë protested, angrily thumping her cousin on the arm. ‘You said that he could do a lot better than the vain Romilda,’ Archie scowled. ‘That doesn’t mean that I fancy him,’ Zoë protested, blushing. ‘Who do you fancy then?’ asked Archie. ‘Archon Wylde,’ Fenella used her brother’s hated forename, making him scowl. ‘Just you be quiet.’ ‘Potter claims that he’s ordinary, too,’ Zoë said. ‘You told us so, Fenella, after you’d been to the Creevey boy’s funeral.’ ‘They did seem sort of ordinary at Colin’s funeral,’ Fenella admitted. ‘At least, they did until that reporter showed up. Then it was all shouted orders from Potter and everyone else running around doing exactly what he asked.’ ‘What do you think was going on between Granger and the Weasel, and Vane last night?’ Zoë asked. ‘It looked to me like Vane was teasing Weasley about Potter.’ ‘About Pants-off Parkinson, probably,’ Aaron observed. ‘Potter managed to get that story squashed quickly, but no one will believe these lies.’ Aaron laid his crumpled copy of the Sunday Prophet on the table, smoothed it out and the quartet crowded round to reread the front page. Sunday Prophet: 22 November 1998 Aurors Make Arrests The Auror Office made several arrests in a series of dawn raids across the country yesterday. Head Auror Gawain Robards declared Operation Wildcard a complete success. The Auror Office informed us that several people were taken into custody yesterday and that a large number of Muggle-borns were released from captivity. Our reporter was told that these arrests resulted from significant information gained over recent weeks. Subsequent to the previously unannounced arrest of wanted Death Eater Wilberforce Wylde. When questioned about the secrecy, surrounding Wylde’s arrest which (reporters were informed yesterday) took place several weeks ago, Head Auror Robards told us that keeping the arrest secret was essential while further investigations took place. The Head Auror refused to speak further about Wylde’s arrest. When asked if arrests had anything to do with Wylde’s attempts to resurrect He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The Head Auror said, “Of course not! There was not, and has never been, any such plot. Voldemort is dead, how many times must I tell you that?” The Head Auror then read out a prepared Ministry statement. (See page 5 for the full Ministry Statement — together with an in depth analysis.) Yesterday’s arrests included that of Mr Ezekiel Smith, the Managing Director of Smith and Sons. Mr Smith was arrested in Warwickshire, at the firm’s Birmingham Head Office, and has been charged with kidnap. Late last night a spokeswizard for the firm condemned the arrest, claiming Mr Smith had bravely risked his life and livelihood by protecting Muggle-borns. The spokeswizard, Mr Zebediah Smith, brother of the arrested man, told the Sunday Prophet that the Muggle-borns found at the Caernarfonshire parchment manufacturing business (see article, page 3) had been relocated by the Smiths to keep them safe from the Muggle-born Registration Commission. The Auror Office, however, claim that the fifty two individuals released from Smith and Sons Pwhelli factory were unaware of the defeat of You-Know-Who. When asked about this Mr Zebediah Smith admitted that the Muggle-borns released were indeed wandless. He claimed that their wands had been removed for their own safety. “They were fighting among themselves, you know what these Muggle-borns are like,” he said, after dismissing the Auror Office claims that the Muggle-borns were being held captive and had been forced to work long hours or face starvation. Mr Zebediah Smith was unable to answer any further questions as, during the interview he, too, was taken in for questioning by two uniformed Aurors who gave their names as Lister and Strang. In yesterday’s other raids a dozen Muggle-borns were released from the Rowle Farm in Fife, where Mr Einar Rowle was arrested. The Auror Office have charged Mr Rowle, brother of the Death Eater Thorfinn Rowle (deceased) with kidnap. In the West Country, the home of imprisoned Death Eater Thornton Nott was also raided. The Death Eater’s son Mr Theodore Nott was not arrested. In an exclusive interview, he told the Prophet: “I, personally, have never been involved in any activity which could be construed as supporting “Lord Voldemort” or whatever you want to call him. My father’s involvement was, unfortunately, necessary as he made the mistake of becoming a Death Eater during the first war, and disloyalty was rewarded by death. I have done everything possible to assist the Auror Office. All of the raids yesterday resulted in arrests, all, that is, except the raid on my property. I cannot be held responsible for my father’s activities and I want nothing more than to return to obscurity.” (Read the full interview on page 9.) Piers Parkinson, well known entrepreneur and long time business associate of Death Eater Lucius Malfoy was arrested at his Yorkshire home. Mr Parkinson has also been charged with kidnap. His wife Priscilla and daughter Pansy are currently under Law Office protection at an undisclosed location. Mrs Parkinson and her daughter have, however, issued a statement in which they rebut the comments attributed to Miss Pansy Parkinson in yesterday’s special edition of the Evening Prophet. Mrs Parkinson states that her daughter was not naked, as claimed yesterday. She added: “My daughter is a very close school friend of Mr Potter; they shared many classes at Hogwarts and she has always been willing to assist him in any way possible. Mr Potter and his squad of Aurors behaved courteously and professionally. I am confident that they will soon discover that my husband was blackmailed into assisting the Death Eater Wilberforce Wylde. Zoë was sobbing quietly when she finished the article, Aaron and Archie were white faced and angry. Fenella, who had already read the article several times watched her family with concern. ‘Death Eater!’ Zoë sniffed. ‘He has the mark,’ Fenella nervously reminded her cousin. Aaron Wylde glared at her. ‘He does,’ Fenella protested in an anxious whisper. ‘The Aurors have tests, they have witnesses, too.’ ‘They are all wrong,’ protested Zoë. ‘I know that they are. They must be!’ ‘That’s impossible, Zoë,’ said Archie sadly. ‘He’s confessed, too, under Veritaserum.’ Archie was close to tears as he spoke. ‘My father is not a Death Eater,’ Aaron Wylde snarled angrily. ‘He was a Healer!’ ‘You’re really certain that he’s not a Death Eater?’ Fenella asked nervously. Her cousins nodded, Zoë was crying. Aaron had clenched his jaw and was cracking his knuckles. Fenella was close to tears herself, she needed to do something. ‘If you’re sure,’ Fenella squeaked, ‘we need to prove it. Let me think.’ She leaned back in her chair and slouched even lower, silently pondering the problem while Archie, Aaron and Zoë read the other newspaper articles. Fenella missed her Gryffindor friend. Colin would have helped her; he would have given her advice. Her size had never bothered him, and he’d been her only boy friend boyfriend! she hastily pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She’d met Colin in the school camera club in their first year, he’d been small, even then, but she had been nowhere near as big as she was now. He’d started talking to her, he was Muggle-born and excited and he didn’t know enough to know that Gryffindor students, especially Muggle-borns, shouldn’t be getting friendly with Slytherin girls. He’d been so interested in photography, but he’d known so little, and she’d helped him. Colin was a brilliant photographer. He had even photographed her. He was to only person who’d ever managed to persuade her to stand in front of a camera, not behind one. She now had all of the negatives, and the only photograph he’d printed. She kept it hidden. Of course, he was a typical Gryffindor, often raging about injustice, especially in his last year at school, his OWLs year. His pictures showed his passion. Hers, he’d often told her, were technically better. But she knew that he was being polite. That slight over-exposure or lack of focus (or whatever other trick he used in his photographs) was a deliberate attempt to make a point. Colin Creevey could capture moods and feelings with his camera. She could only capture facts with hers. Fenella desperately wished that she could talk to him. He’d know what to do. She’d tried to keep Colin safe last year; she’d warned him to go into hiding as soon as her father had told her about the Muggle-born Registration Commission. Colin could have just vanished, but no, he’d warned his friends, he’d joined some resistance group. Then he’d come back in May and fought, and died. “You have to fight injustice,” he’d told her that when he was fifteen. As she sat and thought, Fenella had an idea, she had several ideas. Common sense told her to say nothing, to do nothing, but Colin’s words continued to haunt her. “Fight injustice.” She sighed and, with Colin’s words still ringing in her ears, she spoke. ‘If we’re going to prove that Uncle Wil is not a Death Eater, we need to know why the Aurors think that he is. We need to find out what they know about him. We also need to know if there is any way to fool Veritaserum,’ Fenella announced. She blinked rapidly, took off her glasses and polished them and then beckoned everyone closer. ‘Archie,’ she began. ‘You’re the best of us at potions and you’re already one of old Sluggy’s favourites. Try to butter him up. Take your time, take until the end of term if you need to, but when you think he’s ready ask him if there is any way to fool Veritaserum.’ ‘Zoë,’ Fenella hesitated. ‘You know that Trudi Pepperell’s been a bit funny with you since the Gryffindor game?’ Zoë nodded. ‘D’you know why?’ ‘No,’ Zoë shook her head. ‘She’s been trying to get off with Colin’s brother, Dennis,’ Fenella whispered. ‘He’s the Gryffindor Prefect in her year, but Dennis is always asking Trudi about you. He’s asked her if you have a boyfriend, I know because Trudi asked me if you did.’ Archie Gray sniggered; Aaron Wylde smacked him gently over the head. ‘You’re the littlest one here, Archie,’ said Aaron threateningly, ‘just keep your mouth shut, or I’ll shut it for you.’ ‘What, exactly, do you want me to do about Dennis Creevey?’ Zoë asked. ‘I don’t know, but there’s a chance that he’ll know something. He was in Potter’s gang with Colin, and he went to that pub with them all last month. Even if he doesn’t know anything, he might be able to find out, if you ask him nicely. He wants to be an Auror, tell him that you’re interested, too,’ suggested Fenella. ‘I don’t know how, boys never look at me, but the Vane girl’s been boasting that she can make Longbottom do absolutely anything, and you’re a lot better looking than she is.’ ‘You’re not asking, my sister to seduce him?’ hissed Aaron angrily. ‘I’m certainlynot doing the things Romilda’s been doing,’ Zoë announced. Fenella blushed and carefully examined her fingernails while replying. ‘No … not … not … No! Just be nice to him, that’s all–he’s only fifteen. See what he knows.’ ‘What about my team?’ Aaron asked. ‘Team?’ Fenella looked at him blankly. ‘Quidditch,’ said Aaron. ‘I don’t want two of my chasers falling out with each other over a scrawny little Gryffindor boy!’ ‘Dad is more important than Quidditch,’ Zoë said firmly. ‘What are you and Aaron going to do, Fenella?’ ‘I’m going to research the Ministry, I’ll write to Father and tell him that I’m doing a project on filing systems for the camera club and I’ll ask him how the Ministry organises its files. I’ll say that the camera club need to catalogue our photographs, he’ll believe that,’ said Fenella. ‘And … and … and … I’ll … try to get close to Granger, Lovegood and Weasley, they were nice, well — Weasley was nice — to me at Colin’s funeral and father said that I should get close to them, too. He said that they are the new elite and that promotion within the Ministry isn’t based on what you know, but who you know.’ ‘He’s been saying that for years, and look where it’s got him. My dad used to say that he should just try working a bit harder. So, what about me?’ Aaron asked. ‘You’re the tactician. We need a plan, and we need those files. See if you can find plans of the Ministry, and plan a way to break in and steal the Auror files,’ whispered Fenella, deciding not to argue with Aaron about her father. ‘Break into the Ministry?’ said Aaron loudly. He was astonished by her suggestion. Everyone looked worriedly around the common room, but it appeared that no one had heard his outburst. ‘Like Zoë said, Potter and his friends did it when they were fifth years,’ Fenella reminded him. ‘So, what do you think?’ Aaron Wylde nodded, as did his sister. Archie Gray beamed. ‘Wow, ‘Ella,’ he told his sister. ‘I didn’t think that you had it in you.’ Fenella lowered her head and nodded while looking at her lap. She didn’t want them to see the horror in her eyes. They had all agreed, not one of them had argued, now she’d have to actually go through with it. Aaron was rubbing his chin, a sign that he was he was already planning. Zoë had swivelled in her chair and was looking carefully at her fellow chaser, Trudi Peperell. Archie was positively bouncing with excitement. Fenella decided to leave them to it, hopefully, within a few days they’d realise that it was impossible. She stood and tried to escape to the girls’ dormitory corridor, but Aaron grabbed her arm and pulled her close. ‘Scouting mission,’ he whispered. ‘We need to get into the Ministry, and we need to know where we’re going once we manage to get inside. I’ll have a word with Professor Slughorn and suggest that the school arrange a trip to the place for final-year students interested in a career there. Old Sluggy will probably take credit for the idea himself, and it’ll be better for us if he does. You had better come too, Fenella, and photograph everything.’ The end of term feast was over and the Slytherin common room was almost deserted. Most students were in the dormitory corridors, packing for the train home in the morning. Fenella beckoned her brother and cousins across and they all sat for a hasty conference. ‘I finally got a decent reply from father today,’ announced Fenella. ‘It wasn’t easy asking those questions without him realising what we were trying to find out. Every department has a different filing system and they aren’t compatible. The Auror Office keep their files secure, so do Magical Law Enforcement. They are in locked filing cabinets in locked rooms at the end of locked corridors, there’s no way to get to them.’ Aaron Wylde scowled. ‘We’ve been wasting our time. Are there no copies anywhere else?’ Fenella sighed. She had hoped that would be the end of it, but Aaron had asked the right questions and he always knew when she was lying, everyone seemed to know when she lied. She nodded timorously. ‘Yes. A copy is sent to the Department of International Magical Cooperation, for the International Magical Office of Law. Their filing room is on the Level Five and it should be a lot easier to break in to.’ ‘Brilliant,’ Aaron beamed, ‘I think that I know when, too, thanks to Zoë.’ Fenella instantly regretted speaking, she should have lied and that would have been the end of it, but… ‘I’ve just lost Slytherin ten points,’ Zoë said, blushing. ‘Dennis trapped me under some mistletoe and Trudi Pepperell caught us both. She was furious.’ ‘Slytherin Prefects never take points off fellow Slytherin’s. I told her that at the beginning of the year,’ said Fenella. ‘They do now,’ Zoë told her. ‘Dennis doesn’t know much, but he did tell me that the Ministry will be almost deserted on Sunday afternoon, and evening. Everyone will be at the Mage’s Hall. Dennis has just asked me to go with him, I turned him down. I told him that he shouldn’t be asking a Death Eater’s daughter out to a Ministry function. He said that I wasn’t a Death Eater, and I’d always seemed … nice. He’ll hate me when he finds out what I’ve been doing.’ ‘So what?’ Archie asked as he fidgeted excitedly. He groaned. ‘Oh, NO, don’t say that you really do fancy the little twerp. I’m already bigger than he is, and I’m only twelve.’ ‘She doesn’t,’ Aaron Wylde told his cousin. ‘Do you, Zoë?’ His sister shook her head, but Fenella noticed that she kept her eyes down so that her brother couldn’t see them. ‘Got anywhere with Sluggy yet?’ Fenella asked her brother, changing the subject. ‘I had a word with him after the feast,’ Archie said. ‘He was rather drunk, so I thought he’d be easy to get an answer from, but he’s sly. He just laughed and asked me what a lad of my age could possibly have to hide. Then he said “There is an antidote. A carefully prepared wizard who takes the antidote within a day of being questioned can freely lie under the potions influence” and he asked a question.’ ‘Antidote!’ Aaron was surprised. ‘But even if Dad had taken an antidote,’ Zoë said, ‘why would he lie to incriminate himself?’ Aaron shrugged. Archie folded his arms and glared at the others. ‘D’you want to hear the question?’ He asked. ‘Is it important?’ Zoë asked. ‘Yes,’ Archie nodded firmly. ‘He asked, “what does Veritaserum do?”’ Archie looked at his sister and cousins. ‘It makes people tell the truth, of course,’ Aaron said dismissively. Archie rolled his eyes. ‘Now I know why you dropped potions, Aaron,’ he snorted. ‘No subtlety. Okay, so pretend that you’ve taken some and answer these two questions, okay?’ ‘Is this a joke, Archie? Because if it is, you’ll be in trouble,’ Aaron warned. ‘No joke, honest, Aaron. First question: does Zoë fancy Dennis?’ Zoë glared at her young cousin. ‘No … I don’t think so … I don’t actually know for certain,’ announced Aaron after some thought. ‘Exactly, so, second question…’ Archie stopped and nodded over Aaron’s shoulder. Trudi Pepperell was watching them closely. ‘I’ll tell you all on the train, tomorrow,’ Archie announced. |
| Reviews 151 |
Previous Next
|
