Hey everyone. So I know these past chapters have been kinda boring but its just setting up the rest of the story. Hope you enjoy!
Harry yawned and stretched his back, rubbing his eyes to clear them after waking up. Running his hand through his hair, Harry reached with his other hand to grab his glasses off the nightstand next to his bed, his usual morning routine. Now that he could see clearly he glanced across the room at Ron, who was still sleeping soundly, snoring lightly as he drooled on his pillow. Harry shook his head, amazed that no matter how tall his best friend got, he could still manage to look like a child when sleeping.
Harry quickly changed his clothes while Ron was still asleep, and then made his way down the three flights of stairs to the kitchen, surprised to see both Lupin and Dumbledore sitting with cups of tea as they spoke with Mrs. Weasley.
"Remus!" Harry exclaimed, rushing forward to hug the man who had now stood.
"How are you Harry?" Remus clapped him on the back after letting go then looked him over, both eyes reflecting a hint of sadness at the reminder each served to the other of the recent loss of Sirius.
Harry smiled glad to see a familiar face despite the reminder, "Good. Good. I didn't expect to see you so soon again Dumbledore. Is everything alright?"
"Oh just fine Harry. I was simply checking on Evelyn and completing our lessons together. I have other…business to attend to and Remus here has agreed to continue teaching her for the remainder of the summer until he returns to his other task." Dumbledore smiled, and at the mention of Evelyn's Harry felt his stomach drop. He had almost forgotten the girl, but of course reality had to come crashing down on him.
"Lessons, sir?" Harry questioned in a voice which did little to hide his confusion.
"Well if she is to join you at school Harry, she must get a little caught up. She is very bright and from what I can see so far extremely powerful. If not for the fact that she has to take her O., I would expect her to be at the same level as you. However, rules are rules. And she must take those exams. While in the presence of either myself, or Remus, the underage magic rule has been temporarily lifted so she can learn." Dumbledore smiled, watching Harry for his reaction as though he dreaded it.
"So you were serious then? About her coming to Hogwarts with the rest of us?"
"Oh quite serious." Dumbledore used a voice which Harry recognized. It was pleasant, but at the same time made whoever he was talking to realize that the subject being discussed was not under negotiation, "Remus has spent the morning with her and agrees that she is quite eager to learn. She's in the sitting room as we speak, studying away. We've had about two months of lessons and already she has surpassed the level of a fifth year on mere knowledge of spells. She's reading books faster than I can supply them. Remus here has agreed to help her practice actually using the spells. Now I had better be off. Thank you for the tea, Molly. See you at start of term Harry. Expect a note with the date and time of our first meeting."
With a swish of his cloak, Dumbledore had nodded his head and exited the small kitchen before Harry could make any objection. Harry waited a second and then threw himself into a kitchen chair. Sighing, he helped himself to some breakfast, cutting into his eggs almost violently.
Remus chuckled and took his seat next to Harry once more, "You ought to give her a chance Harry. If Dumbledore trusts her, who are we not to?"
"Because no one knows her, not even Dumbledore. How does he know she isn't just as eager to go reunite with Voldemort as she is to study?" Harry grumbled, ignoring the dark look Mrs. Weasley cast his way.
"That's highly unlikely Harry, and you know it. She's never met him once in her life and deserves a chance. Molly, I hope you don't mind if we use the garden. The gnomes will serve as pretty good moving targets and we will remove them once finished." Remus dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, then stood and added his cup to the stack of dirty dished, currently being washed by magic.
"Not at all. If you need any help just let me know. I'm sure the children wouldn't mind coming out and helping." Moll smiled, heading upstairs to wake the rest of them.
Remus smiled, knowing full well that none of the Weasley children or friends would be feeling very helpful today. With a nod towards Harry, he ducked into the sitting room, calling Evelyn to the garden.
An hour later, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all gathered in Percy's old bedroom, which overlooked the garden, not being able to help themselves from watching the lesson going on outside.
So far, Evelyn had successfully practiced the Impediment Jinx and the Engorgement Charm along with dozens of others on the gnomes, removing them from the garden using the Locomotor charm. Then Lupin had switched tactics to defensive.
"Ok now Evelyn. I am going to be sending minor jinxes at you, nothing serious. I want you to protect yourself. Dumbledore has told me that he spent much of his time with you going over ways to defend yourself. Now it's time to put that knowledge into use. If any of the spells happen to reach you I will remove them immediately, you understand?" Lupin asked the young girl, making sure she was aware he was not intending to hurt her.
Evelyn gulped, nodding her head.
"Good. Are you ready?" Lupin asked and she nodded. He shook his head however, "Wand at the ready, Evelyn. Always have you're wand ready when you feel you might be attacked."
Evelyn hurriedly brought her wand up, taking a wide stance and preparing to defend herself. Lupin cast a spell, the Leg Locking curse if she remembered correctly which she was sure she did, and Evelyn hurriedly put up a Shield charm, yelling out, "Protego!"
Remus sent a few more her way, decreasing the time between each spell but continuing to verbally call them out.
"Good, good." Remus shot an unexpected nonverbal spell. Immediately, Evelyn's legs seemed to turn to jelly, causing her to fall to the ground. Remus immediately lifted the jinx, quickly walking to her side and helping her up, "That was quite good for your first practical use of the spells."
"Thanks, Professor." Evelyn dusted herself off, glancing out of the corner of her eye to the bedroom window on the second floor where she could see the four other teenage occupants of the house watching her progress.
Remus seemed to notice this small glance and frowned, "Don't worry about them. They'll come around. Now, get ready for the next one. This time, I'll be using a mix of verbal and nonverbal spells. It's important that you master nonverbal spells. Not only is it a great advantage, but Dumbledore insists." Remus smiled, walking back a few paces until they were a decent distance apart.
For the next week Harry spent his days playing Quidditch in the orchard with Ron and the others, or watching the progress of Evelyn. As much as Harry hated to admit to himself, she was talented. She learned quickly, and in a matter of months had managed to memorize and master spells which had taken him entire school years to accomplish. She had already started to use defensive nonverbal spells and Remus had only managed to hit her with no more than two spells each lesson. Her shield charm, however, was one of the strongest he had seen, aside from Dumbledore's, and if she managed to get it up in time, no spell Remus threw at him could break through it. Harry was impressed. However, he couldn't help the nagging thought in the back of his mind that if she was to join Voldemort, things would go from disastrous to catastrophic.
Exactly a week from the day Remus had started lessons with Evelyn, they found themselves once again in the garden preparing to practice, and once again with an audience. The audience however, was sitting in the yard this time, watching the lesson without trying to hide it as they did before.
"Alright, Evelyn. We are going to try something a little different this time. I want you to attack me as well as defend yourself. It will be like a mock duel. Again, I will not use any seriously damaging curses and neither should you. Just try to disarm me and stop me from attacking you. Wand at the ready."
Within a matter of seconds, Remus had thrown the first curse, blocked as expected by Evelyn. The two moved faster than lightening, Evelyn being able to block every curse and jinx thrown at her. With almost expert precision, she dodged the few that had managed to get past her defenses.
"Offensive, Evelyn. Try to incapacitate me as well as defend yourself!" Remus called, not stopping the onslaught of spells he sent her way.
No sooner had he spoken, Remus' wand slipped out of his grip, stopping his attack on the girl. Evelyn also stopped, breathing heavily but looking proud of herself as well.
"Very good!" Remus called, trying to pick up his wand but not able to "Jelly-Fingers Curse I presume, and nonverbal as well. Dumbledore would be proud."
Harry felt sick to his stomach at the praise. How could Lupin praise the girl in front of him when every time he looked at her, all he saw was a young Voldemort? Hadn't the teachers at Hogwarts thought Voldemort would amount to great things? He was powerful, bright, and eager to learn. So was Evelyn. How could no one else besides teenagers see the similarities between the two? Harry scowled and went back to his game of Exploding Snap with Ron.
Evelyn smiled, looking to the teens near her. While Ginny looked impressed and Hermione had a small trace of a smile on her face, Evelyn was disheartened to see that Harry, the one person who Dumbledore had been almost sure would be willing to befriend her, was frowning. The smile now gone from her face, she turned back to Lupin, removed the Jelly Finger Curse and took her dueling position once more. When Lupin took his as well, Evelyn defended herself absentmindedly, allowing Remus to hit her with three jinxes in a row.
"Evelyn. Clear your mind. You cannot be distracted in an actual duel. If this were against someone aiming to hurt you, they would have by now. What's wrong?" Remus asked, lowering his wand.
Evelyn smiled, shrugging off her disappointment in herself. If she couldn't fit in with teens she had been told would befriend her, how was she going to manage at school? However, she couldn't help but reason that her problem fitting in shouldn't affect her lessons, "Nothing, sir."
Evelyn waited for Remus to attack, and after a second of looking thoughtful, Remus obliged, recognizing the need of someone to distract themselves. No sooner had they started, Evelyn's eyes went wide, and her concentration again broken as his Impediment jinx hit her, causing her to fall backward.
"Evelyn-"Remus started in on his 'must-stay-focused' lecture but stopped when he suddenly felt cold. The afternoon, which had been sunny only seconds before, had now turned gloomy, the sun blocked by thick cloud cover. Remus looked again at Evelyn's face and was surprised at the absolute terror written across her face as she stared past Remus.
Looking over his shoulder, Remus saw the current Minister for Magic walking purposefully towards the Burrow, two dementors following along with him. Lupin was surprised that the dementor's were following so obediently, but had no chance to think more on the matter for no sooner had the two arrived, Dumbledore appeared to the side of them at the edge of the Burrow's protective enchantments as well. Reaching Remus and Evelyn before Scrimgeour and the dementors, Dumbledore stood protectively in front of Evelyn, Remus behind him as he helped Evelyn to her feet.
Mr. Weasley came hurrying out too, having noticed the approaching figures. Standing next to Evelyn as well, she ushered the other teens towards her, throwing a protective and supportive arm around Evelyn's shoulders.
"What is the meaning of this, Minister?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, staring apprehensively at the two dementors, "How dare you bring those…those creatures to my home."
"I'm here on official Ministry business." Scrimgeour eyed Evelyn with disgust, "The girl is coming back with us. We have a few questions that need answering."
"I have already told you, Scrimgeour, Cornelius released Evelyn into my custody before the end of his term. I have taken responsibility for her and for her actions. I have promised her that she would not be persecuted against for her family ties. It is you're duty to protect her as well. And instead of attempting to protect her from Voldemort you bring his servants here. I wasn't aware any dementors were still under Ministry control." Dumbledore eyed the two dementors suspiciously.
"And I have told you, Dumbledore. I will not sit by and allow He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to continue wreaking havoc on our community. The girl comes with me."
"As far as I, and Wizarding law, are concerned Evelyn is a free young witch who has done nothing illegal to permit her being put away yet again. I have here the permit for her to perform underage magic under my or Remus Lupin's supervision. You have no business with her." Dumbledore's voice rang with authority, and Scrimgeour scowled, seeing no way to argue the point further. Scrimeour's eyes strayed to Harry and looked thoughtful, "Nor with anyone else. I am sure Molly here does not wish to be in the presence of your guards any longer, Minister."
Mrs. Weasley nodded her head, leaning to the side as she supported Evelyn's full weight. Harry couldn't help but pity the girl. She had obviously run into dementors before and judging by her reaction she did not wish to have another one.
Scrimgeour sent a murderous glance at the group gathered in front of him, pointing his long skinny finger at Dumbledore, "I'm not through with this Dumbledore. Fudge had no authority to release her."
"Fudge had no authority to imprison her." Dumbledore said simply, his voice stern.
With a final look at the group, Scrimgeour narrowed his eyes at Evelyn, "I'm not through with you. I'll have you back in Ministry custody soon and when I do you're going to answer a few questions for me. Whether you need persuading or not will depend on how well you cooperate."
With that the Minister spun around, briskly walking back the way he came. The dementors followed at a slower pace, seeming to hang back a little in hopes that they would have someone to take back with them. Once the Minister was out of sight, Dumbledore waved his wand, creating a bar of chocolate in his hand. He turned around to Evelyn and broke a piece off, handing it to her then offering the rest to everyone else.
"I think that's enough for your lessons today, Evelyn. Go on inside and have a rest." Dumbledore smiled kindly, patting her on the shoulder.
Evelyn stood straight, the chocolate working wonders. She smiled at Mrs. Weasley and then waved towards the others before slowly making her way into the Burrow.
Dumbledore watched her leave, worry making itself present on his face. With a sigh, Dumbledore turned back to the group of teens and two adults around him. He looked troubled, and Harry was surprised to still feel some pity for the young girl who had went into the house only seconds before. No one deserved to be talked to like that, to be threatened with curses, which ones Harry could only imagine. It wasn't right.
"What was that all about, Dumbledore? Do we have to worry about You-Know-Who finding her here?" Mrs. Weasley frowned looking at where the Minister and his guards had disappeared at as thought waiting for them to come back any minute.
"I don't believe so, Molly. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, I will cast a few more protection charms around it on my way out. It seems as though Scrimgeour is going to challenge me on all of my decisions I guess." Dumbledore looked to Harry and smiled, "On a happier note, this next term is going to be starting before you all know it. I am sending along some, extra protection for tomorrow. Molly, I'll be sending along some money for Evelyn as well. I am sorry to have intruded on your afternoon. The second I heard Scrimgeour was headed here I came as soon as I could."
"Oh don't apologize, Albus. It's perfectly alright." Mrs. Weasley wrung her hands, "Are you sure we don't have anything to worry about?"
"I don't imagine any problems. Evelyn will be off to Hogwarts in no time at all. By next summer the Ministry will have seen that she is no threat, nor does she know Voldemort's location, and then they should have no more quarrels left with the situation." Dumbledore smiled tiredly, "If you would rather I find another place for her to stay, however, that can be arranged."
"No, no. Don't be silly." Mrs. Weasley shook her head, "She is welcome here as long as she likes. I just want to make sure she will be as safe as possible. I'll take her and the others tomorrow for her books, show her around Diagon Alley. Maybe that will brighten her spirits a bit."
Harry frowned, torn between feeling angry with Mrs. Weasley for not finding Evelyn another place to stay when she had the chance, and feeling proud that she was willing to go to seemingly any ends in order to keep Evelyn feeling safe. He had to hand it to her; Mrs. Weasley was much better at accepting Evelyn than Harry was. From what he could see, Evelyn seemed like a shy, but powerful student. Then again, that was how Peter Pettigrew had come across to people, and look how he turned out. With a sigh, Harry followed the rest into the kitchen, waiting for the twins and Mr. Weasley to arrive for dinner.