Chapter 12
"Aftermath"
Tonks paced around the narrow walking space in the vault. Tumahab had led them into one of the larger vaults deep inside the mines. The crowd of survivors from Diagon Alley were stuffed in the vault, which magically expanded to just fit the crowd.
Tonks couldn't stand hiding and waiting like this. She wanted, no she deserved to be up there fighting with Kingsley and the rest of the Order. She could hear the battle raging high above her: loud crashes, breaking stone, explosions. Some were faint. They were the ones that were happening in the lobby. The louder ones, the ones that shook the very walls of the vault, they were the ones happening inside the mines. 'Some of the Death Eaters must have gotten past Kingsley," worried Tonks. 'They're in the mines.'
While Tonks worried and sulked in the corner, Ginny and Hermione were going around the vault, making sure everyone was all right. One or two people had minor injuries (and one or two were in need of a clean pair of pants), but nothing too serious. Ron was entertaining some of the younger children with some muggle magic tricks from the Twin's shop. Fred, on the other hand, couldn't keep still. He was constantly moving all over the place, pacing back and forth, shaking and flexing his right hand every few seconds. He was concentrating so much on his hand that he walked right into Ron and ruined his card trick.
"Hey! Take it easy," said Ron as several cards fell out of his shirtsleeve. Then he noticed his brother's shaking hand. "What's with your hand?"
Fred shrugged. "Don't know. It hurt like hell a minute ago, now it keeps going numb on me."
"Weird."
"Yeah, I know," agreed Fred. "Musta been nicked by a Death Eater's spell or something."
Just then, Ginny and Hermione approached the boys with worried looks on their faces. "Hey, have either of you seen George lately?" asked Ginny. "I need help with some kids and could use his Umbridge impression."
"I haven't seen him since we were all in the tunnel," answered Fred. "I figured he was off in a corner somewhere sulking like Tonks."
"Well that's the thing," said Ginny nervously. "He's not. We looked all over the vault while we were checking on people. We didn't see him anywhere."
"You don't think…"
"No," Ginny shook her head. "No way is he that stupid." Her brothers rolled their eyes at her. She nodded and all four teens turned and shouted together: "Tonks!"
She came running. "What? What? Something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
"George is missing!" shouted Hermione.
"I thought he was in the vault like everyone else," said Tonks confused. "I saw him walking in the tunnels on the way down here."
"He must have slipped off," obviously observed Hermione.
"Well, where could he have gone?" wondered Ron.
A loud BOOM echoed overhead answered them.
Fred wasted no time. He pushed past his sister and Tonks and made a break for the vault door. He knocked poor Tumahab over in his rush out the door.
Tonks was right behind Fred, shouting for him to stop and wait. I ignored her and kept running. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked at each other then ran after them.
"Wait!" a middle-aged man cried out as he grabbed on to the tails of Ginny's shirt. "What about us?"
Ginny pulled away roughly. "Lock the door," she said simply as she ran after her brother.
"And hope they don't have wands," commented Ron as he followed.
-VII-
The group reached the lobby quickly, taking the stone steps in the tunnels 2 or 3 at a time. Fred reached the lobby first and stopped fast in the open doorway. He stopped so suddenly, Tonks nearly ran into him and Ginny into her. The whole group swayed in the doorway and bile rose in their throats.
The lobby was a ravaged war zone; broken and bloodstained and littered with bodies of friends and comrades. A witch lay by the door in a pool of her own blood, her throat slit. Others were gutted and there were even bodies missing arms, leg, or sometimes heads.
Tonks wailed when she saw Kingsley's body and she ran to his side. She fell to her knees and held his bloody head in her lap and cried. Anger washed over her and a deep sadness consumed her. She felt terrible for leaving him and the other members of the Order alone in the lobby. She hated Kingsley for making her go down into the vaults with the helpless and the children, but now she hated herself the most for not staying in the lobby anyway.
"I could have helped," she whispered in-between sobs. "I could have helped…"
Hermione couldn't look at the massacre and turned away. She clung to Ron, sobbing into his shoulder while he blinked back his own tears. They had seen a lot in their young lives, but nothing was even close to this.
Ginny ran past the bodies, refusing to look at them. She felt only rage as she ran towards the broken doors. When she reached them, she stood and stared out into the streets, looking for some Death Eater to vent her rage on. But the streets were empty; there was no sign of the Death Eaters or even the Giants that had stormed the streets earlier. So her rage turned inward and she bottled it up inside her heart.
Fred was going crazy. Even though his hand was still numb, he dove into the piles of bodies. Shouting his brother's name again and again, Fred unceremoniously pushed and pulled bodies out of the way as he tried to find some trace of his brother. But despite his search, he found no trace of his twin.
"George, you bloody bastard, where are you?"
-VII-
A concussion of pops echoed throughout the lobby and silenced everyone's tears and actions. Dumbledore, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Professor Snape, Bill and Charlie Weasley, and Remus Lupin arrived with their wands drawn. But upon seeing the state of the young ones and the desolation of the bank, quickly lowered their faces and their wands. Moody's eyes swiveled fiercely in its socket, looking for any remaining Death Eaters. Mrs. Weasley wailed at the bloody bodies and immediately ran to her children, including Hermione, and pulled them into a crushing embrace.
"Thank Heaven your all alright. When I heard about the attack, I was so worried!" she cried and held the teens even tighter. Normally, the teens would have struggled and protested the bear hug, but after the afternoon's events they welcomed Mrs. Weasley's mother hen nurturing.
Dumbledore stood motionless in the lobby, guilt and sorrow etched across his features. It's hard being the leader when men and women die following your commands and it was something that he had never gotten used to. With a heavy sigh, he raised his wand and swung it over his head. Green sparkles flowed from the wand tip and swept over the lobby. Blood disappeared from the walls and floor, rubble floated up off the ground and repaired itself, and white sheets materialized from thin air and covered the bodies.
Dumbledore put his wand away and slowly approached Tonks. He gently pulled her to her feet and held his hands on her shoulders.
"What happened, Nymphadora?" he asked kindly. Tonks was still so upset she didn't even complain about the use of her first name.
"Giants chased us into the bank. I left. I left the girls in charge and I alerted the Order. I came back with Kingsley and all the members that were at headquarters," she sobbed when she mentioned Kingsley and the others. "When we arrived the Giants were pounding on the doors, but they were holding. Kingsley went to inspect them closer while I talked to the girls. When he came back, he was all worried and ordered me to take everyone into the vaults. I argued with him, I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay with the Order and fight. Kingsley," her voice cracked, "he yelled at me. Made me take everyone away…" Tonks started to cry again.
Dumbledore gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze. "He was trying to protect you," he whispered. Tonks nodded.
"We could hear the fighting from downstairs. When we ran back up here, we left everyone in the vaults," confessed Tonks.
Dumbledore looked up at Bill and Charlie and nodded towards the vault door. The two oldest Weasleys ran into the vaults, wands at the ready. Dumbledore was about to address Tonks as to the reason she and the teens left the vaults when Moody's crackled voice called out from across the room.
"WE'VE GOT ONE HERE!" Everyone spun around and saw Moody pointing his glowing wand inches from the face of a spiky-haired young man. The young man was sitting against the bank wall, his sword lying on the ground beside him. He was clearly dazed and weakened; his breathing was shallow and uneven. It looked like he had been heavily sedated or hit with a Stunning Spell. "Wake up you Death Eater scum!" growled Moody and he kicked the young man in the side.
"ALASTOR!" roared Dumbledore. His voice boomed like thunder and Moody stepped back frightened. Dumbledore's thin frame seemed to grow tall and menacing; his shadow filling the entire lobby. Moody clumsily stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet.
"He's not a Death Eater!" shouted Ginny as she struggled to escape her mother's grasp. "His name's Cloud and he helped us!"
Dumbledore returned to normal and crouched down besides Cloud. He waved his hand over Cloud's head, muttering a quiet incantation. Cloud's eyes fluttered open and he slowly sat up. The lasting effects of the Stunning Spell left Cloud disoriented and a little groggy, but were fading quickly. Dumbledore stood up and waited for Cloud to sort himself back out.
Cloud's SOLDIER instincts were the first to return and he immediately grabbed his fallen sword, which startled the already paranoid Moody into aiming his wand back at Cloud. Cloud used the sword as a prop until he was firmly back on his feet.
"When did you get here Dumbledore?" asked Cloud. Dumbledore didn't answer, he just locked eyes with Cloud and asked: "What happened here Cloud? Did you see it?" Cloud nodded and hung his head.
"It was Sephiroth," Cloud whispered. "Tifa and I ran from the other side of… Wait. Where's Tifa? She was with me." Cloud frantically looked left and right for her and saw her lying underneath a massive spider web indention in the wall Sephiroth threw her into. Cloud tried to run to her, but was stopped by Dumbledore's surprisingly strong grip on his uniform sleeve.
"She'll be alright," he assured Cloud in a grandfatherly voice. Dumbledore turned his head towards the scruffy looking wizard in the corner. "Remus. See to her, please." Lupin nodded and ran over to her. He quickly looked over her injuries before reporting back. "She's alright. She's just banged up a bit."
Cloud let out a small sigh of relief. Dumbledore smiled under his half-moon glasses at Cloud's concern and said, "Now then. Tell me what happened."
Cloud retold the story of that afternoon: the explosion at Florean's, rescuing the baby, and how everybody got separated. Cloud noticed Dumbledore's face paled when he mentioned that nobody knew what happened to Harry. Cloud continued, telling him about fighting the Death Eaters and Giants, and following the cloud that looked like a skull with a snake in it's mouth back to Gringrotts.
"It's called the Dark Mark," Dumbledore explained. "It's Voldemort's symbol of power."
"Figures," replied Cloud. "We followed the Dark Mark thingy back here. By the time we got here, it was already too late. We found Sephiroth alone. He was covered in blood. We attacked him, but he was too strong. He hit me with his mental powers and nearly choked the life out of me. Tifa attacked him and distracted him enough to release me. He threw her into the wall for that.
"Mental Powers?" interrupted Dumbledore, puzzled. Cloud nodded.
"Sephiroth isn't just physically strong. He can do things with his mind. Move things, fly. Even read your thoughts and control your actions. Comes from the JENOVA cells. Anyway, I got back up and was about to attack when I got hit by my ol' pal Wormtail."
"Wormtail was here?" repeated Dumbledore in astonishment. "Wormtail is a part of Voldemort's Inner Circle. If he was here it was for something important."
Cloud nodded in agreement. "There with some other bimbo in a black cloak. Think her name was Bella-something. She came out of the tunnels with him carrying a little leather pouch."
Dumbledore's eyes widened. "They were in the vaults?" he muttered.
Cloud nodded. "So what?"
"Some of our most precious treasures and most dangerous artifacts are hidden in those vaults," explained Dumbledore. "Alastor, check the vaults. See what was taken."
Moody didn't move at first, he was still glaring daggers at Cloud. Despite Dumbledore's obvious friendliness towards the young man, Moody was still convinced he was a Death Eater. Wand in hand, he stepped right in front of Cloud, standing nose to nose with the young warrior. Cloud tried to step away, but Moody just moved with him. Cloud tried again. Moody moved as well and shoved Cloud in the chest, trying to provoke the young man.
"Alastor," warned Dumbledore. Moody ignored him and shoved Cloud again. Now Cloud raised his head and stared into Moody's Eyes.
"Gods, you're ugly," he grimaced at Moody. "Did you poke yourself in the eye with your wand or something?" he asked, gesturing towards Moody's magical eye. The eye spun violently in its socket and Moody's scarred mouth widened into a snarl. Cloud raised his left hand and lightly (well lightly for Cloud) pushed Moody. The ex-Auror stumbled backwards several feet before catching his balance. Before anyone could react, a bolt of red magic leapt from Moody's wand and burned into Cloud's check. The Stinging Hex left a bright red, bleeding welt on Cloud's face.
Cloud's eyes narrowed in anger and he instantly covered the ground between himself and Moody. He grabbed the front of Moody's robes and lifted the larger, heavier man up off the ground easily with one hand. Cloud's free hand tightened around the handle of his sword and for a moment, Dumbledore thought Cloud's eyes flashed from a glowing blue to green, and that Cloud would cut Moody in half.
"Put him down, Cloud!" ordered Dumbledore. The sound of the old man's voice seemed to resonate in Cloud's mind and he shook his head back and forth before dropping Moody. Old Mad-Eye landed flat on his rear and his face flushed brightly. Moody was back up on his feet quickly and was about to hex Cloud again. Fortunately, Dumbledore intervened before things got even more out of hand. He stepped in-between Moody and Cloud and glared at Moody. This wasn't the first time Moody's obscene paranoia and rash aggression had gotten him in trouble. Dumbledore had spoken to Moody about this several times, but Moody was too set in his ways: he had seen too much and had too much done to him to ever change. And since he was an invaluable member of the Order, Dumbledore didn't want to be too hard on him.
"That's enough Alastor," chastised Dumbledore. "Cloud is not a Death Eater. Now, I need you to find what Wormtail and Lestrange took from the vaults." Moody lingered for a moment before finally turning around and disappearing into the vaults.
"What crawled up his ass?" asked Cloud.
"Mad-Eye was once the greatest Dark Wizard catcher in the world," explained Dumbledore. "But I'm afraid the experience has left him more than a little paranoid. I did not have to tell the rest of the Order about you and Tifa. I'm sorry for that."
"Forget about it," shrugged Cloud.
-VII-
While Cloud and Dumbledore talked off to the side, Fred managed to wrestle his way out of his mother's grip and had resumed his searching. He scrambled back and forth through the lobby, ignoring his mother's calls, checking under all the white sheets Dumbledore had conjured. Time and time again, he peeked under the sheets and saw only unfamiliar faces. Fred was beginning to lose hope.
A sheet began to flutter to the right of him. Fred just saw it out the corner of his eye. At first he thought it was just a bit of wind coming in through the broken front door. But when it fluttered again, Fred dived for it and threw it back.
"It's George!" he shouted. Mrs. Weasley let out a fresh wail and let go of her other children and ran toward Fred, her husband and daughter close behind.
"Oh, he's dead! He's dead!" she cried when she saw him. She fell to her knees and collapsed upon the boy's stomach.
George looked like he was. His skin was ghostly pale from the shock and loss of blood. He wasn't moving anymore, just lying there, still clutching his bloody stump of an arm.
Dumbledore approached and leaned over her shoulder. His practiced eye looked over the boy's body. "No, he is not dead. Give him some air, Molly." Mrs. Weasley sniffed and backed away and let Dumbledore inspect George more closely.
Dumbledore looked at George's arm and frowned. "This wound is beyond my own ability. He needs to get to St. Mungo's immediately."
Mr. Weasley bent down and gingerly picked up his wounded son. With a pop, he disappeared with the boy. Fred followed at once. Mrs. Weasley lingered for just a moment.
"Dumbledore, will you please take Ginny home?" she asked wearily.
"Of course, Molly," he assured her and she disappeared.
"What happened here?" called a voice from the doorway.
-VII-
Everyone spun and let out a collective sigh of relief. Especially Dumbledore.
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione as she raced towards her friend. Dumbledore gazed at the boy standing in the broken doorway and frowned with concern. Harry looked like hell: his glasses were askew and one of the lenses was cracked. His clothing was ragged and tore in several places. Blood dripped from a dozen bruises and cuts on his face and arms. Dumbledore saw he was gently holding his ribs. He was hurt, but he was alive. And for that, Dumbledore was most relieved.
Hermione reached her best friend and threw her arms around him in a bear hug Mrs. Weasley would have been proud of.
"Oh, Harry! You're all right!" she said happily. Harry grimaced as she collided with his ribs, but he smiled and returned the hug.
"Glad to see you too Hermione," he said.
Hermione broke the hug and stepped back to take a good look at Harry. She took off his glasses and folded them up inside her pant's pocket. Then, without warning, she drew her hand back and slapped Harry hard across the cheek. Harry's eyes widened at the sudden shock of pain shooting across his already battered face and he gingerly touched the red hand print spreading across his cheek.
"What the bloody hell was that for?" he shouted angrily.
"That was for going off on your own and playing hero again!" shouted Hermione back. "I thought you would have learned your lesson after what happened last time." Harry's eyes darkened at her reference to the disaster at the Dept. of Mysteries. Hermione didn't care. She kept on going. "You can't just run off without us anymore." Harry rolled his eyes at her. She hit him in the chest with a balled up fist for that.
"If you ever do that again without Ron or me again, I swear no Death Eater can do the things that I'll do to you." She threatened with a glare that would make Voldemort flinch. Harry sighed, knowing it was pointless to try and argue with her.
"Ok Hermione," he conceded. She smiled and returned his glasses after fixing them with a tap of her wand.
Harry walked toward the rest of the group, nodding a greeting to Cloud and Tifa, who had finally rejoined the group. She looked as beat up and tired as Harry felt. Her body was bruised and beaten, her breaths were ragged and heavy, and there was a thin line of blood trailing from the corner of her mouth. Harry watched as Cloud handed her a glass vial filled with a blue liquid. Tifa chugged the vial and her appearance instantly changed. Her breathing came easier and her bruises faded. Cloud saw Harry watching and reached into his pocket. He tossed another vial at Harry, who clumsily boggled the vial before catching it.
"Drink that," Cloud said to him. "It'll help."
Harry pulled off the vial's cork top and slurped down the blue liquid. It was cool and crisp and tasted sweet. Harry felt his strength and spirits return as he finished the vial.
He wiped his mouth and tossed the vial back to Cloud. "Good stuff," he smiled.
"Handy too," replied Cloud.
Now that everyone was accounted for and at least partially healed, Dumbledore and the others listened to Harry's story: from the getting separated after the explosion at Florean's until he left Cho with her friend in the alley. Dumbledore was quite pleased at the way Harry helped Madam Malkin, while Hermione was annoyed by his recklessness. Ginny was mad that she, once again, missed all the good fighting. She also turned her gaze and shifted her feet when Harry mentioned Cho. Cloud and Tifa were both impressed by Harry's fighting spirit and resourcefulness. 'Kid would make a good fighter if he had some real instruction,' thought Cloud.
-VII-
As Harry finished telling his story, there came a growing murmur from the vault entrance. Everyone turned to see Bill and Charlie Weasley leading the survivors out of the vaults. Many of them were still very frightened and skittish; more than a few turned pale at the sight of the sheet-covered bodies.
They milled around in the lobby for a moment, too scared to leave, until Dumbledore assured them that it was safe to return to their homes. They took his word and slowly departed.
Ginny quickly told her oldest brothers about George and, with Dumbledore's permission, left to join their family at the Wizard Hospital.
Shortly after they left, Moody rushed out of the vaults as well. His face was red from exertion and he was out of breath from running up the vault stairs.
"Found it," he told Dumbledore gruffly, after he finally caught his breath. His magical eye remained fixed on Cloud the entire time. "They hit three vaults. Numbers 171654, 24789, and 874586."
"How did they get in?" asked Harry. "I thought you had to use the key or the door would attack you or something."
"Dark magic," replied Moody. "Strong stuff. Blew two of the doors clear off their hinges and melted straight through the third. Not even dragon's breath could do that."
"What did you say those numbers were, Alastor?" asked Dumbledore, his face wrinkled in concentration.
"171654, 24789, and 874586."
Dumbledore stroked his beard, as he often did while in deep thought. He turned away from the group; his forehead remained furrowed in worry.
"Do you know what was in them Professor?" asked Hermione. Dumbledore turned and smiled his grandfatherly smile at her.
"I haven't a clue, my dear," he said softly. "I shall have to talk to the goblins after all this is settled. But now I believe it is time for you all to be going home. It has been quite the long day for you all after all."
Harry and Hermione nodded, the weight of the day's events taking their toll on the both of them. Harry especially.
"Tonks, will you please take Hermione back to Headquarters. I'm sure her parents will be relieved to know she's safe." Tonks nodded. Hermione said good-bye to Harry, making him promise to write soon. She shook hands with Cloud and Tifa and promised to talk to them soon, too keep them updated on things. Then she and Tonks left with a pop.
Dumbledore turned to Harry. Harry cast his eyes downward; he knew what would come next and he wasn't looking forward to returning to his relatives.
"Remus," called Dumbledore, "Take Harry back to his relatives." Remus nodded, trying not to look at Harry's downtrodden face. Harry looked miserable.
"Once Harry gathers his things, please bring him to Headquarters," finished Dumbledore with a small smile. Harry beamed at the news, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. He quickly said goodbye to Cloud and Tifa and nearly tackled Lupin in his hurry to leave. For the first time in ages, Harry felt alive again. No more self-loathing or thoughts of vengeance. Except for the possibility of turning Dudley into a pig. Or maybe a troll.
-VII-
"You two should return to your rooms at The Leaky Cauldron," Dumbledore told Cloud and Tifa. "I do believe it is still standing." Cloud and Tifa looked at each other and shrugged. This sort of thing was an everyday occurrence to them. While they had been chasing Sephiroth, not a day had gone by without fighting Shin-Ra soldiers or wild monsters. But it had been a long day and, despite the Hi-Potions they drank, Cloud and Tifa were still sore from their encounter with Sephiroth. They agreed with Dumbledore and gathered their things. They left the old wizard in the bank with the members of the Order.
As they left the bank, Cloud and Tifa stopped dead in their tracks. When they entered the bank, the street had been decimated. Fires still burned, bodies and blood littered the street, and many of the buildings were ruins. Now the street looked nothing like it had when they entered. All the fires were out and bodies no longer cluttered the streets and sidewalks. People were slowly coming out of still-standing buildings and assessing the damage and searching for lost loved ones. Cloud and Tifa walked down the street, stopping and helping whenever they could.
-VII-
Weeks pass by…
Cloud and Tifa remained in Diagon Alley, staying at the only partially demolished Leaky Cauldron. Everyday they left the inn and went into the alley to help with the reconstruction. There had been amazing progress in the rebuilding.
In just a few short weeks, the alley looked almost like the attack had never happened. Nearly all the ruined buildings had been magically rebuilt and many of the shops had reopened for business, although there were very little shoppers coming into Diagon Alley.
Cloud and Tifa did their part in the rebuilding. They did whatever they could: fixing things, building things, Tifa even spent some time watching over neighborhood children. She tried to tend bar at The Leaky Caldron one night, but quit after one of the kegs tried to eat her.
The people took them in quickly as one of their own. Word quickly spread about Cloud and Tifa's seemingly epic battle against the Giants and Death Eaters and it seemed everyone wanted to shake their hands or buy them a drink. Cloud was even asked on a few dates, which he politely refused. He never liked the spotlight and all this attention wasn't his style. After the first few days, he began to go off on his own every afternoon and wouldn't return until late at night. Tifa worried about him at first, but assumed it was just his way of dealing with (and avoiding) the popularity.
But, the popularity had its benefits. Everybody was very eager and willing to teach Cloud and Tifa how to use their new wands, although they had a small problem explaining their lack of skill to the townspeople. Nobody could believe they were never taught wand use and magic at their old school. After a few days of trying to explain it, Cloud thought it might be easier just to say that they weren't exactly from "around here". Ollivander asked the most questions, but was also the most helpful. He tutored Cloud and Tifa every afternoon when there was a break in the work. At night, the other residents of The Leaky Cauldron helped them practice and showed them other, more disreputable spells than what Ollivander was teaching them. After a few near-disastrous false starts (including Tifa accidentally setting fire to Madam Malkin's cat), Cloud and Tifa learned to use their wands quickly. While not as skilled or advanced as Harry and his friends, they were quickly approaching the level of a Third-Year student.
-VII-
One day in late August, Tifa woke up to the sound of two owls tapping on her rooms' window. She opened the window and the two owls fluttered circles above her bed before dropping two letters into her lap.
Tifa watched the owls fly away before reading the names on the letters. One was from Dumbledore and the other was from Hermione. Tifa quickly dressed and ran to Cloud's room. She pounded on his door before opening it. As usual, Cloud was still fast asleep, his head buried beneath layers of blankets and sheets.
"Cloud! Wake up!" she shouted at the lump. Cloud barely stirred. Tifa put her hands on her hips and impatiently shouted again. "Wake up!"
Cloud peeled back the sheets and sleepily searched the room for Tifa. When he saw her, Cloud grumbled something under his breath and rolled over. Tifa stomped over to the bed and roughly sat down on the side. She shifted and squirmed until she had pushed Cloud to the very edge of the mattress.
"We got letters from Hermione and Dumbledore," said Tifa smiling. Cloud groaned.
Tifa, you are too damn cheerful in the morning, you know that?" he mumbled.
Tifa ignored him, too engrossed in reading the letters to pay any attention. She finished one and shoved it in Cloud's face. It was the one from Hermione.
Dear Cloud and Tifa,
How are you? We're all doing great here at Headquarters. Harry especially. He was so glad to get away from his horrible relatives. Professor Lupin said he never saw someone pack so quickly, although Harry did take a moment to jinx his Uncle into a purple polka-dotted hippo before leaving.
George came home from the hospital last week. The healers tried their best, but they weren't able to reattach his original arm. They had to fit him with a magical arm, sort of like the one Wormtail has. George has never been happier. He spends all day tinkering with it and trying new pranks and gadgets on it. He lies in bed, letting the rest of us wait on him day and night. He even has a little bell for calling us with. The doctor's say he'll be up and about in a few more weeks. Thank goodness. I don't think Ron can play butler much longer.
School finally starts tomorrow! I can't wait. I was afraid they would cancel the school year after the attack. We're all heading into King's Cross tomorrow and Platform 9 ¾. Dumbledore said we'd swing by and pick you two up on the way. He said we're getting Ministry cars again so there will be plenty of room for all of us. Make sure you have everything. We never got into the familiar store so be sure to pick u pan animal for school.
See you tomorrow,
Hermione
P.S. The spell for shrinking things is "--". It's handy for packing.
Cloud tossed the letter back to Tifa.
"Do they expect me to go to classes and stuff at this school?" asked Cloud as Tifa opened the second letter.
"Of course. Why wouldn't you?" she asked. She read Dumbledore's letter, chuckling at the old man's whimsical sense of humor. Cloud plopped back down on his bed.
'This is going to suck,' he thought as Tifa tossed the other letter onto his chest. Cloud sat up and read it.
Dear Cloud and Tifa,
It is time to begin another year at Hogwarts and I wished to address a few certain things with you before you arrive at Platform 9 ¾ tomorrow.
First, and most importantly, NO FIGHTING! Above all else, Hogwarts is a school for gifted young witches and wizards. Fighting of any kind, physical or magical, will not be tolerated by myself or any of the other teachers and will be punished accordingly. I would also appreciate it if you didn't wear that massive sword of yours around Hogwarts as well.
When you arrive at the castle, you will be sorted into one of four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. The Sorting Ceremony determines where you will stay during your time here at Hogwarts. Usually only first years need to be sorted, but you are, of course, a special case. The Ceremony is conducted by the Sorting Hat and is final.
I leave it up to you to decide who to tell or not to tell about your past and the how and why you came here. After the attack on Diagon Alley, I informed the senior members of the Order about you, but did not tell Harry and his friends. This I leave for the two of you to decide. However, I must warn you. Harry and his friends are quite the clever detectives and may find out on their own.
Lastly, have fun. There are many wonderful things to experience and discover at Hogwarts. I hope that you both try to forget about the war and just enjoy yourselves.
Yours truly,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Cloud finished reading the letter and rolled back under his covers without comment. Tifa rolled her eyes at him.
"Come on, get up! We have to pack and get the rest of our stuff for school!" she whined.
Cloud answered her with a loud snore.
"Fine," Tifa grumbled as she stood up. "Go ahead. Sleep all day. See if I care. I'm going shopping."
She made sure to slam the door on her way out.
-VII-
Tifa finished her shopping later that afternoon and headed back to Cloud's room, half expecting to see him still in bed. She found him sitting on the edge of his bed, cleaning and polishing his old Buster Sword. Next to him was a pile of jewel-like stones, each a different shape and color. When inserted into a small slot in the Buster Sword's handle, they changed the physical composition of the blade. One small purple tinted crystal, made from a scale of the Ultimate WEAPON, could change the normal Buster Sword into the incredibly powerful Ultima Weapon.
Tifa smiled as he worked. Ever since seeing Sephiroth at the bank and seeing the destruction he caused, Cloud had been trying to find a way to combine all the different forms and variations of his sword into one weapon. But he has yet to have any success.
Tifa gently knocked on the door and Cloud's head perked up. She entered the room, her arms full of parcels, one that seemed to be moving.
"When did you finally get out of bed?" she asked him as she piled the parcels onto a small table.
"About noon," he answered, going back to work. He grinded a stone against the long cleaver edge of the Buster Sword, sharpening and honing it. "What's in that?" he asked, gesturing at the jostling parcel.
"My familiar," said Tifa cheerfully. "I got one like Hermione said in her letter. The lady at the store said we are allowed an owl, a rat, a cat, or a toad at school."
"Don't tell me. You bought yourself a toad," joked Cloud.
"No," replied Tifa as she opened the parcel. "But if you keep it up, I'll have Hermione teach me how to turn you into one." Cloud chuckled and turned back to his work.
"Well, what do you think?"
Cloud looked up and came face-to-face with a tawny colored kitten. Tifa held him forward with outstretched arms and the kitten stared into Cloud's blue eyes. It cocked its head as it stared at Cloud before reaching out and scratching Cloud's nose.
"Adorable," muttered Cloud. He reached up and wiped a bit of blood off his nose. He put his sword crystals away and sheathed the massive blade onto his back. He moved for the door.
"Where do you keep going?" asked Tifa just before he opened the door.
"Nowhere," came the monotone answer. He looked at her from over his shoulder and left.
Tifa shuddered at the hurt, forlorn look in her friend's eyes and wondered what was really wrong...
Author's Notes:
I have a question for all you out there. Sooner or later, I plan on unleashing Sephiroth at his full, One-Winged Angel awesomeness and there is something that has been bugging me lately about that. In the original game, Sephiroth's wings were pure white feathers. It was very angelic and ironic since he was so evil. In recent appearances in both Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, Sephiroth's wing/wings have been black feathers. What version is do you all think is right/better/preferred? I am kind of partial to the original white feathers, but I want to hear what my readers think. Please let me know.
Thanks,
Nataku's Wrath
