Hand of Faith
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! J.K Rowling with all of her fabulousness does.
A/N: Well here I am again. I really hope you guys like this one because the other one..I'm not sure it'll be finished. I kinda lost my muse (but she could come back someday!) Also, this was written without regards to the twins leaving Hogwarts at the end of their 6th year. According to my story, they're still there. Another thing, the Weasleys are once again living in the manor. Anyhow, enjoy!
Unexpected
This could not be happening. Hermione Granger slowly stepped back to the side of her bed and dropped onto it, her legs feeling like lead. Her head whirling, she raised the letter to read it for the third time. The words did not change.
Miss Granger,
We are saddened to inform you that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will not be starting off the school year on the regular date. This is due to the fact that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore has fallen ill. The school board is unsure about the length of time his recovery will take, and as such we have postponed the beginning of the school year to September the twenty-first. We are sorry if this causes any confusion, but we feel that it is for the best. The train will be leaving King's Cross at the same time (eleven a.m.) on the morning of the twenty-first, so be prepared. Enjoy your extended summer.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Taking a shaky breath, Hermione tried to sort through the questions crowding her brain. Dumbledore was ill? Just how ill was he for them to have to postpone the start of term? What about those students who had to travel far to reach King's Cross? Surely they would have left already. After all, it was the thirtieth of August. Although Hermione knew that McGonagall had ways of informing those students of this abrupt change, part of her wondered if she would even think about them in the haste of sending out all of the letters.
She made a quick decision, whipping out parchment to write Ron and Harry to see what they thought about it. She vaguely wondered in the back of her mind if they had received the news as well. As she scribbled out a quick message, she told herself they most likely had.
Ron (and Harry if you're there),
I just got the strangest letter about ten minutes ago from Hogwarts. It says that the start of term has been postponed because Dumbledore is ill! Did you guys get one, too? Well, what I'm wondering is just how ill Dumbledore would have to be for them to postpone the start of school. I mean, we've run school without him there before, right? So why pick this time to change the routine? Anyways, write back soon and let me know what you think.
Hermione
Sealing the letter, Hermione handed it to her owl along with a treat. After watching it take flight through the open window, she raced downstairs to inform her parents of the recent message. On the desk beside her window, an open textbook lay abandoned.
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The peak of Oak Crest hill was alive and blooming. Lush green grass framed bright and beautiful flowers in many exotic colors. Squirrels scampered among trees and bushes on their hunt for nuts. Birds sang and bees buzzed happily about the flowers and berries growing among the various plants. The beauty of summer had fared the wildlife well, and it was enjoying its last days before fall and winter covered the hill once more. The beauty was lost, however, on a group of rowdy boys that had their minds set on winning rather than on the paradise surrounding them. You see, these particular boys were playing quidditch.
The game was coming to a close. Ron passed their makeshift quaffle to Harry, who raced to the goal posts on the opposite side with Fred tailing behind him. Looking back, Harry noticed Fred's proximity and crouched lower on his broom, grasping the handle so hard that his knuckles turned white. Feeling the wind rushing through his hair, he willed his broom to move faster. As he neared the goal posts, Harry wrenched the handle of his broom up and launched the quaffle towards the right goal. He watched as George, keeper for him and Fred, took off from the left, determination etched into his face. Ron and Harry watched both ball and boy with excitement; Fred looked on with fear. Then, as if time was speeding up, all three watched as the large red ball soared through the hole, just inches away from George's fingers.
A round of cheers and high fives burst forth from Harry and Ron. Fred and George patted them on the back amiably, a bit discouraged by the loss, but willing to be good sports.
"Good job there, mate," George told Harry as they began their descent from the hilltop. "I never saw that coming. Normally you aim for the left goal."
"I know," Harry replied. "That's why I knew you would be there."
"We should head back. Bill and Charlie will be here soon, and we'd better get to bed soon anyways so we can be up early tomorrow to catch the train," Ron cut in.
The four boys laughed and chatted along the way, reaching the house just as the sun began setting in the west. Entering through the kitchen door, they split up into pairs, Harry and Ron going upstairs to put their brooms in Ron's room while the twins headed to their own room. When the two boys arrived in Ron's room, however, they found letters awaiting them. They each reached for the ones addressed to them.
Unrolling the parchment he had grabbed, Ron recognized Hermione's neat script.
Ron (and Harry if you're there),
I just got the strangest letter about ten minutes ago from Hogwarts. It says that the start of term has been postponed because Dumbledore is ill! Did you guys get one, too? Well, what I'm wondering is just how ill Dumbledore would have to be for them to postpone the start of school. I mean, we've run school without him there before, right? So why pick this time to change the routine? Anyways, write back soon and let me know what you think.
Hermione
Rereading the letter to make sure he had read it right, the baffled Ron turned to tell Harry about Hermione's news. The grim look on Harry's face made him suspect that Harry already knew. Trading letters, the two boys quickly scanned them. Harry was the first to speak.
"Dumbledore's ill?" he asked, almost as if thinking aloud. "Hermione's right. We have run the school without him before, so why change things now?"
"I don't know," Ron replied. "There hasn't been anything about Dumbledore being ill in the paper, though."
"Yeah. I was thinking that, too."
"Do you think Fred and George got letters?" Ron asked, looking up. "They go to Hogwarts, too, after all."
Harry nodded, and they headed to the door, wanting to discuss things with the twins. Ron wondered if they had heard anything that he and Harry might have missed. Opening the door, they watched as the door across the hall opened simultaneously. Fred and George walked out of the bedroom, and the four boys found themselves face to face in the hallway.
"Did you guys get letters, too?" both Ron and George asked anxiously. They both abruptly stopped talking, each waiting for the other to speak. Harry piped up.
"We should ask you guys' dad if he's heard anything at the ministry about Dumbledore."
Agreeing, the other three boys hurried to follow Harry, who had set off down the stairs at a frenzied pace. He reached the kitchen and looked around, seeing hide nor hair of Arthur. They spread out to search the house. Fred found him in the den with Molly in front of a roaring fire.
"They're in here!" he cried, waiting until everyone crowded into the small room before he began speaking to his confused parents.
"Have you heard any news at the ministry about Dumbledore recently?" Fred asked his father, "Because we just got letters from the school about him."
"No," Arthur replied, his voice bordering on curiosity. "What exactly did those letters say?"
The boys exchanged looks of disbelief.
"Are you sure that you haven't heard anything?" Ron asked, now appearing extremely worried.
"Positive," was the prompt reply. "Now, what about those letters?" His question went unanswered, however, because the boys were already running back up the stairs.
Parting ways with Fred and George in the hallway, Ron once again entered his bedroom, more confused than he had been when leaving it not ten minutes before.
"What do you think is going on?" he asked, gazing out of the small window on the far wall. When Harry didn't reply, Ron turned to find him sitting on his bed. "Harry?" he tried again. Silence. Striding over to join him on the edge of the bed, Ron gently nudged Harry's shoulder. Finally responding, Harry slowly turned to look at him, his face solemn.
"What if he's so sick that he's not going to make it?" he asked after a moment. He looked apprehensive, almost as if he feared Ron's answer.
"Nah," Ron told him off-handedly, "we don't even know for sure that anything's wrong. This could just be a lie so that the ministry will let them close the school," he added for good measure. He knew that Dumbledore was like family to Harry and had taken care of him all through his years at Hogwarts up until now. Harry would be devastated if anything happened to Dumbledore.
"Yeah but what if something really did happen to him?" Harry asked. "What if it's not just a lie?"
"Harry, you already know that the chances of Dumbledore getting himself seriously hurt are a million to one. The bloke may be old but he's not daft. Even if he is sick or something, he'll recover. I'm sure he's lying down thinking of riddles at this very moment. They probably had to give him some extra time to get back in shape because Pomfrey demanded it or something," Ron replied. Harry noticed he looked confident.
"You sure?" he asked hesitantly.
"You'll see, Harry, he'll be sitting in the great hall right as rain come the start of term."
They both jumped as Ginny opened the door, peeking around to gaze at the both of them upon Ron's bed.
"Bill and Charlie are here," she announced. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she saw the look on Harry's face.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"None of your business," Ron cut in, giving her an annoyed look. "What does it matter to you?"
His words snapped Ginny out of her sympathy. Glaring, she threw back at Ron, "I have a heart, that's why!" She shut the door with a snap, and the two boys heard her bounding down the stairs.
"Well, I guess we'd better go down and see what they're up to," Ron stated as he walked to the door, turning around to look at Harry expectantly. Catching the more than subtle hint, Harry followed him to the living room, deep in thought. He couldn't stop thinking about Dumbledore's "illness". He wondered why there wouldn't be anything in the news about it, or at least the paper. Although Fudge wasn't exactly Dumbledore's biggest fan at the moment, there would have to be something mentioned, especially with that blasted Skeeter woman around. Dumbledore was a pretty important person in the wizarding world, what with him being the only person alive that Voldemort wouldn't dare challenge. Lost in his train of thought, he let out a sound of surprise when he bumped into Ron, then found himself with a hand clamped firmly over his mouth.
"Be quiet, will you!" Ron whispered harshly in his ear. "They're talking about Dumbledore!"
Harry fought to listen over the sound of his heart beating loudly in his ears. After a moment of laboring to quiet his breathing, he thought he heard the sound of Arthur's voice coming from the kitchen. Thankfully, it didn't sound as if he'd heard him. He crept closer, the voice getting louder.
"What did they say?"
"I don't know. I didn't overhear much. Something about Lucius Malfoy being up for trial soon." This sounded like Charlie's voice.
"Did they say anything about when or where?"
"Just that it had something to do with Dumbledore."
Now Harry was intrigued. Looking behind him to see what Ron thought, he caught sight of him motioning back towards the stairs. Although he desperately wanted to hear more, he knew that they could get caught at any moment. It would be better if they never knew he and Ron had heard anything. Creeping quietly up the stairs, they turned around and headed once again towards the kitchen, making as much noise as possible.
"Don't storm down the house, dear," Molly reprimanded Ron as he and Harry entered the kitchen to find his father and Charlie sitting at the table.
"Sorry, mum," he apologized, seating himself next to his brother. "How was your trip?" he asked, turning to Charlie.
"It went well," Charlie responded. "We were a bit put off when they delayed our floo to the ministry, but it's all for the best what with all of the dementors running around. No one ever gets the chance to call in when they see one of them, poor defenseless blokes, so they're bloody difficult to keep track of," he added, referring to the mass of deaths that had recently occurred when the dementors had joined Voldemort's ranks. "Dumbledore told the ministry they wouldn't stay loyal, what with Voldemort offering so many victims for them to suck the lives out of. Of course, they didn't listen, though. They couldn't see past their bloody arses and do something good for the community for once."
"Do watch your language when you're speaking around your brother, Charlie," Molly told him, giving him a stern glance as she set down two cups of coffee in front of him and Arthur. Ron had an urge to tell her that he himself had said much worse before, but then thought better of it. He also wanted to keep his head firmly on his shoulders.
Harry, who was sitting behind them, noticed that someone was missing from the kitchen. Several people, in fact. "Where's Bill?" he asked. "Ginny said that both of you were here."
"He's out in the car we rented getting his stuff. Fred, George, and Ginny are helping him out since they were the first ones down here. I guess you got lucky," Charlie told them, laughing.
"Well now that I've got you two in front of me, I wanted to ask you a question," Mr. Weasley began. "What exactly were those letters about, those ones you got from the school about Dumbledore?"
"Oh," Ron breathed. "I guess we forgot to tell you earlier, huh?"
"Here," Harry interrupted, pulling a folded letter from his robe pocket. "I stuffed mine in here when we came downstairs." He handed Arthur the letter. "Go ahead and read it." Then he was struck by a thought. "Wait. Hasn't Ginny told you?"
"I was on my way down to tell him, but then I got recruited to the travel bag team," Ginny grunted from the window in the kitchen door. "Help!" she whined, reaching feebly for the door handle. Her mother got there first, opening the door and ushering her inside. Fred and George were right behind her. They dropped their loads in the doorway to the living room.
"Charlie's trying to get the trunk to close," Fred explained when he saw the puzzled look on his mother's face. "I think there's something in the way, but I'm not about to tell him that. Bloody dodgy when he's in a mood like that one. I don't fathom I'll enjoy getting hit by one of his curses. He is the one Ginny learned everything from, after all. He's the reason we treat our little sister so dearly." He turned to Ginny, who was blushing fiercely.
"Well, do you boys want some coffee? I just made a fresh pot," Molly offered, pulling three chairs out from the table and motioning for the three of them to sit down. "Do you want some coffee, dear?" she added as Bill walked in, looking gruff. She took his grunt as an agreement and pulled a fourth cup from the cupboard. Bill joined the rest of the family at the table.
"There was some bloody thing stuck where the trunk was supposed to meet the rest of the car," Bill ranted. "It's too bad I didn't figure it out until after I had managed to clip my fingers in there a few times." He nursed a couple of reddened fingers on his right hand. Fred and George caught each other's eyes and snickered. Molly set four cups of steaming coffee in front of the twins, Bill, and Ginny. She took the last seat at the table.
"Well that's interesting," Arthur joined in, having just finished reading the letter Harry had handed him. "It looks like we won't be getting up early tomorrow after all."
"What?" Charlie questioned, and Arthur handed him the letter. "Oh," he said after reading it. "Dumbledore's ill? Does this have anything to do with The Order?"
"If it does, then I haven't been informed," Arthur replied, dropping his head into his hands. He sighed, lifting it once more. "Is this why you boys had a thousand questions about Dumbledore all of a sudden?" he asked.
"Well, yeah," Harry nodded. "It just doesn't make any sense that there hasn't been any news about Dumbledore, even at the ministry, and yet apparently it's bad enough that they're delaying the start of term."
"I'm not sure it's the truth, and if it is, someone's doing a very good job to keep it covered up," Charlie joined in. "Something's not right here. Maybe we should pay a visit to Snape. We can contact him securely on Order business, right?" he asked, turning to Arthur.
Arthur nodded. "That would be a great place to start. I'd be shocked if Snape didn't know what was going on."
Harry looked back and forth between Arthur and Charlie. "If you guys find out anything, you'll let us know, right?" he asked anxiously. He wanted to know that Dumbledore would be alright.
"You'll be the first to hear from us," Arthur confirmed, noticing Harry's anxiety.
Bill spoke up. "Didn't we hear some blokes at the ministry talking about Dumbledore?"
Charlie and Arthur quieted him with a glare. Ron, Harry, Ginny, and the twins looked on with sudden interest.
"What did they say?" Ginny asked eagerly.
"Bill, you must have been mistaken. Nobody there was talking about Dumbledore," Charlie cut in, still giving Bill a stern look.
"I think it's time that you children head up to bed," Arthur quickly added to break the awkward silence pervading the room. "It's pretty late." Turning to Bill and Charlie, he added, "Grab your bags, boys, and I'll help you carry some of them up to Fred and George's room." Then, turning back to the twins, he told them he'd bring their beds to Ron's room shortly.
Protesting the less than subtle hints from their father that he wanted to talk to Bill and Charlie alone, Ron and the twins groaned in protest.
"Why do they have to sleep in my room?" Ron asked in an annoyed voice. "Why can't Ginny just sleep with you and mum so that they can have her room? It's not like she needs much space anyways. All she needs is a mirror and she'll be happy!"
Ginny squealed in indignation. "Oh, bugger off, Ronald!" she grit out through clenched teeth, the tips of her ears red. "You'll survive!" She stomped upstairs to her room, slamming the door in her fury.
"Why must you be so rude to your sister, Ronald Weasley?" Molly asked, heading after her. "I want to see you in her room in five minutes to apologize, and then I want you in bed. All four of you," she added, looking at the four boys in the room.
"Mum!" Ron started to protest, but he fumed in silence as she turned around to shoot him her famous 'I'm-going-to-kill-you' look, then resumed her path up the stairs. He sighed. "I guess we'd better head up to bed."
As the four boys climbed the stairs to their rooms, Harry pulled Ron aside into the bathroom. Speaking in a hushed voice, he said anxiously to Ron, "Do you always have to be so mean to Ginny?" As Ron stuttered out excuses, in confusion as to why his best friend had confronted him, Harry quieted him with a meaningful look. He walked out of the bathroom and continued up the stairs, leaving a befuddled Ron behind.
The four boys headed up the stairs to their rooms. After a short while of rushing to get pajamas, brush their teeth, and moving Fred and George's beds, and then a quick absence from Ron, they found themselves lying in bed, the room dark and silent. Harry broke it after a few moments.
"What do you think that whole thing was about, when Bill said they heard someone at the ministry talking about Dumbledore?"
Fred and George sat up. "They may think we didn't notice, but they were definitely hiding something. It's obvious that Bill really did hear someone talking, but what it is I have no idea," Fred cut in, although he knew that Harry's question was probably aimed towards Ron. Ron turned over to face their beds.
"We know what they were trying to hide. Me and Harry overheard dad and Charlie talking while you guys were outside. They said some bloke mentioned that Lucius is going on trial soon for something that has to do with Dumbledore."
The room fell silent once more, each of the boys deep in thought. George finally spoke up. "Maybe Dumbledore had to be sure that he could attend the trial. Maybe the ministry said he couldn't go because he had to take care of things at Hogwarts."
"But that doesn't make any sense," Harry objected. "Then they would just say that he shouldn't go when he's ill. Knowing them, they'd make up some bloody story about how it was too much stress for him to be in the courtroom or something."
As each of the boys struggled to fight the sleep muddling their minds, silence took its final hold upon the room's sleepy occupants. Struggling to hold back a yawn, Ron made a final observation.
"Whatever it is, I sure hope they know what they're doing."
The statement fell on deaf ears, however, because the other boys had already fallen asleep.
Just before he drifted off to sleep himself, Ron remembered that they'd never written Hermione back. 'Oh well, we'll just have to write her back in the morning,' he thought. And with that thought, sleep overtook him.