Chapter Fourteen: No Hogwarts this year?
Like the years before, the Weasley family had to hurry to make it to King's Cross Station in time. It was as if having to hurry had become tradition to them. Even now when they only had two children at Hogwarts, chaos ruled the Burrow that morning. Arthur Weasley had long given up trying to change things in his home. He patiently waited in the kitchen, reading the Daily Prophet, until everyone was ready to go.
When they finally arrived, the train was scheduled to leave in just a few minutes so hasty goodbye's were given. There was no time to have long farewells as almost everyone else had boarded the train already. Ron groaned as it would be a pain to find Harry and Hermione on the train. He didn't look forward to checking every compartment for them. After receiving some last lecture about staying out of trouble, the doors closed and slowly the train puffed out of the station.
"Well, I'm going to find Harry and Hermione." Ron said dragging his trunk behind him.
"I'll see you later." Ginny said spotting some of her classmates and went to say hello.
Ron looked for almost half an hour and still hadn't found any trace of Harry and Hermione. So far he had run into Dean and Seamus, Lavender and Katie Bell but none of them had seen his friends. He had also past Malfoy and his goons but surprisingly, Draco ignored him and simply walked by as if he hadn't seen him. If Ron hadn't been so preoccupied with finding Harry and Hermione, he would have called out about it. He heard some familiar voices and opened the door of the compartment. When he looked inside he saw Luna 'Looney' Lovegood and Neville Longbottom sitting there.
"Hello Ronald." Luna said barely looking up from the Quibbler she was reading. "How was your summer?'
"Euh, pretty boring." Ron said. "Hey, have you seen Harry or Hermione somewhere? I've been looking all over for them."
"No, we haven't seen them." Neville answered. "We're the last compartment of the train so if you haven't seen them elsewhere, then they aren't on the train. I was looking for them as well on the platform but didn't find them. I was here early enough to see everyone arrive but I never saw them come through the portal."
"Are you serious?" Ron exclaimed. "Where the hell could they be? They disappeared early this summer and nobody has seen them since then."
"Hold on, Harry and Hermione disappeared?" Neville asked surprised. "Why haven't we heard of this until now?"
"Look, I'm not supposed to talk about it but I guess I can tell you two." Ron winced at his slip. "Just keep it quiet."
"It won't be a secret much longer if they aren't at Hogwarts." Neville countered.
Ron nodded in agreement and told them everything he knew, which wasn't much. Neville and Luna were shocked to hear that Harry and Hermione had disappeared without a trace. Both of them had their own ideas about what could have happened. Luna's had something to do with some magical creature, while Neville was analyzing things more rationally.
"So you haven't heard from them at all?" Neville asked.
"Nothing. Not a damn letter." Ron said angry.
"Something must have happened for them to leave like that." Neville said more to himself than to Ron. "They wouldn't abandon us like that without a very good reason."
"There had better be a good reason otherwise I'm going to be pissed." Ron muttered.
Elsewhere Hermione Granger was feeling somewhat down. While she didn't regret staying with Harry, she had looked forward to another year at Hogwarts. She loved riding the Hogwarts Express, filled with anticipation of what she was going to learn. For Hermione, Hogwarts had been the single best thing that had happened to her. It was there that she had met her best friend, learned so many wonderful things and she loved it. Not going to Hogwarts this year was a decision she had made to help Harry and she didn't regret it for one moment but she was still going to miss it.
"Are you okay, sweety?" Emma Granger asked.
"I'm fine mum; it's just that the train would leave just about now." Hermione sighed. "It's weird not being on it, that's all."
"I know; it's been so long since we first saw you off in first year." Emma said grabbing her daughter in a hug. "I still remember how proud and sad I was at the same time. My little baby girl was all grown up and ready to go out on her own. I was so proud of you."
"Thanks mum." Hermione said, blushing a bit.
"And I'm even prouder now." Emma continued. "Your father and I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful child. Promise me you'll be very careful when you go and fight these monsters."
"Don't worry mum, Harry will be with us and she'll keep all of us safe." Hermione said reassuring her mother.
"She's a special person isn't she?" Emma nodded. "After everything she's been through, she still stands tall and keeps on going. Most people would have given up a long time ago. I included."
"I know." Hermione smiled. "But not Harry, not when people are counting and depending on her. She's the strongest person I ever met. Huh, it's so weird that we've already came to think of Harry as a 'her', when not two months ago she was still a boy."
"Well, imagine how it must be for Harry." Emma said. "It must have been some shock, waking up as a girl. I can't imagine how that must feel."
"Luckily Tonks was there." Hermione said happily. "I wished I could have been there but I know now that Tonks was the only one who could have helped Harry get through this. Those two really love each other, don't they?"
"I don't think I have ever seen two people loving each other more than them." Emma nodded. "It's a beautiful thing to see."
"I hope to experience that someday as well." Hermione said longingly.
"I'm sure you will baby girl." Emma smiled. "Now, how about some breakfast?"
"Sounds great." Hermione said following her mother upstairs.
Harry woke up with someone firmly holding him. Turning her head she could only smiled at the sleeping face of lover. Tonks had the cutest expression on her face when she slept. It was an expression of complete contentment and happiness. When Harry looked at her, she couldn't help but feel happy and loved. She twisted around, so that she would face Tonks and breathed in her scent. This was without a doubt the most favorite part of the day to her. Waking up like this felt like bliss each and every time again.
While she was laying there, Harry couldn't help but think how much her life had changed since the end of last school year. The death of Sirius was still heavy on her heart but thanks to Tonks and her friends, she had been doing much better now. With her transformation into a girl on top of that, she sure she wouldn't have lasted through the summer without Tonks. Luckily, she could count on them to help her whenever she had a moment where things got too much for her. It had happened a few times already but those moments seemed to come less and less. Harry figured she was finally accepting of everything that had happened since that faithful night fifteen years ago. It had taken her so long to accept all of it but now that she had, it was time to heal and move on.
Tonks stirred slightly and opened her eyes. When she peered into the green eyes of Harry she smiled and snuggled closer. No words needed to be said for now as both understood what the other felt. It was enough for both of them to simply be together like this to realize just how much they loved each other. Tonks reveled in feeling her girlfriend's naked skin against hers. It was amazing just how much a simple touch or look could melt her heart and turn her on at the same time. She wished they could stay in bed forever but sadly that was impossible.
"What's on your mind?" Tonks asked Harry.
"Well, other than how absolutely adorable you are when you sleep?" Harry grinned. "Just that today we normally leave for Hogwarts."
"I know but can I tell you something?" Tonks said smiling when Harry nodded. "I'm glad you don't have to leave. I don't think I could stand waking up and not having you next to me."
"Yeah, me too." Harry laughed. "You may hog the covers and snore but…" here she was cut off as Tonks started pinching her sides.
"I DO NOT SNORE!" She said menacingly. "Take that back."
"No can do." Harry laughed as Tonks started tickling her sides.
What followed was a brief fight, with Tonks winning, and a lovemaking session that both of them enjoyed very much. When both of them were spend, they looked at clock and saw that it was already around nine am. Deciding that they better get up, they quickly took a shower and headed downstairs to the kitchen. No doubt everyone else had already eaten breakfast.
Like they thought, everyone was already assembled in the kitchen having breakfast and talking happily. Susan looked in a very good mood and so did Amelia for once. Lately she had been somewhat in a bad mood. She explained that she was frustrated with how things in the Ministry were going. She had hoped to get things under control quickly but that was too optimistic. She found out very quickly that people didn't appreciate radical changes that well and she resigned herself to the fact that things would take much longer than expected.
Hermione and her parents were talking to Ted and Andromeda Tonks about something but Harry didn't really pay attention. She was busy trying to get Dobby to calm down and put less food on her plate. If Dobby had his way, she would weigh over two hundred pounds by now. Tonks enjoyed every minute of it until Dobby turned on her as well. All in all, everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
"So what's planned for today?" Tonks asked them after everyone finished breakfast.
"Well, I'm headed for work as there's still much to be done." Amelia said. "Plus point is that maybe today we might see some progress. I've managed to get Mad-Eye Moody to come and whip our Aurors into shape. With his help we might have some decent Aurors by Christmas."
"That's good news Amelia." Harry agreed.
"It's a start." Amelia nodded. "Still, there's so much to be done. It's going to take at least a year to get rid of Fudge's screw-ups. Did you know that idiot practically bankrupted the entire Ministry of Magic? The fool pushed through so many reforms and regulations that benefited only a few and harmed all the rest. I wouldn't be surprised if he filled his own pockets with that money. I shouldn't have let him leave like that."
"Don't beat yourself up about Amelia." Andromeda said. "He's not worth it. I, for one, am happy that we finally have a sensible leader now. It might take a while but I'm sure that things will work out fine in the end."
"Andy is right." Ted said. "It's no use complaining about what's done, we need to get past that and do what's necessary. Screw those who don't like it, just do what you need to do to ensure the wellbeing of the rest of the Wizarding World."
"Thank you both. I will do just that." Amelia said touched by the support she received. She got up and kissed Susan on the cheek, wished everyone a nice day and left for the Ministry of Magic.
"Oh Amelia, I think you can expect Dumbledore to pay you a visit." Tonks yelled after her.
"Oh?" Amelia said stopping at the door. "Why's that?"
"As soon as he hears that neither Harry, Hermione nor Susan are on the train, he'll want to know why." Tonks said. "As you are the only person he knows that has been in recent contact with us, it's safe to say he'll come and talk to you."
"Great, just what I needed." Amelia muttered. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll deal with it, don't worry."
Harry told the rest that she wanted to work on her Occlumency for a while so she went straight to the mediation garden. Tonks, Hermione and Susan decided that they would leave Harry to work in peace and chose to go through the library in search for some new things to learn. Well, actually Tonks and Susan went to the library and got the books while Hermione was forced to wait outside.
'Only a few more days and this stupid punishment is over.' Hermione mentally said. 'This is so unfair.'
When Tonks and Susan returned they had books on almost every subject Hogwarts taught. Hermione practically drooled at the sight of the rare and ancient tomes but managed to restrain herself from squealing in excitement. Tonks had enough teasing material as it was. Each of them choose a book and started looking for something they could learn.
In the meanwhile Harry was building her mindscape. It seemed the last time had been a fluke as it was a lot more difficult this time. Building the next few floors would take weeks at this rate but Harry knew she couldn't force the issue. Better to take her time and do it right than having Voldemort enter her head due to a hurried up job. So, she focused on making the building extra strong. She was pretty confident that she had enough time as she hadn't felt an inkling of Voldemort's presence ever since her transformation. No, that wasn't true. She hadn't felt him since that night in the Department of Mysteries where he had tried to possess her. Ever since that time it seemed Voldemort had given up on trying to access her mind thru their connection. Harry briefly wondered if her transformation had something to do with that but decided not to think about. She had an apartment building to construct.
When she next opened her eyes, Harry noticed that it was almost noon and had been meditating for almost three hours. Thinking that she had done enough for the day she went in search for Tonks and the rest. She found them each huddled over a book in the living room. A whole stack of untouched books placed on the table caught her eye and she wondered over to them. She briefly took Tonks' hand in hers and gave her a kiss to greet her. Tonks smiled at her and returned to her book.
"Not that I want to interrupt anything but it's almost time for lunch." Harry said softly.
"Huh? Already?" Susan said surprised. "Wow, time does go fast when you're having fun."
"Reading is fun?" Harry asked amused.
"Honestly Harry, these are wonderful and rare books you have here." Hermione said annoyed. "Where did you get all of these?"
"Oh, we asked Dobby to get the oldest tomes and books out of Grimmauld Place one night." Tonks answered that question. "Since everyone was told to keep out of the Black Library by Molly, nobody really noticed that dozens of books vanished."
"You didn't?" Hermione said shocked.
"Why not? I mean, I'm pretty sure Sirius left everything to me." Harry said softly. "They're mine so why not use them. The Order doesn't seem to have any need for them so might as well take advantage of the knowledge we have at our disposal."
"Good idea, Harry." Susan said while Hermione nodded with a sad smile on her face. "I wonder what kind of books the Bones Library has to offer. I'm pretty sure we have some rare volumes as well, although nothing as dark as some of these. Definitely nothing on rituals."
"You should ask you aunt if there's something of use to us." Tonks said pulling Harry into her lap. "There's plenty of powerful light oriented magic as well. Who knows what kind of magic can be found? If you look at the kind of magic discussed in these books, we can already see how much we have forgotten or how much has been branded as Dark Magic by the previous and current Ministry of Magic."
"Personally, I'm not too keen on learning magic that can hurt people." Hermione said. "Don't get me wrong, I'll learn how to defend myself and others but I'd prefer to be on the sidelines."
"That's perfectly fine Hermione." Harry said to her. "Perhaps you can learn some healing magic or something like that? We're definitely going to need someone who's able to patch us up sooner or later."
"Healing magic huh?" Hermione said intrigued. "I like it; maybe I'll do that then."
"Great, you'll be the best healer ever." Harry said meaning every word making Hermione blush at the praise. "What about you Susan? Any field you like best?"
"Hmm, I don't really know." Susan said thinking. "I guess I'm more the support type as well. I like brewing potions and I'm fairly good at it so maybe I'll take on the role of Potion Mistress and support."
"Awesome." Tonks said. "Well, since I'm already an Auror that means I'm the fighting type. I'll focus on that; I need to learn more offensive magic though. Work on my clumsiness a bit too." She added silently in the end.
"Hey, you're not clumsy." Harry said to her. "You kick our asses every day so don't put yourself down like that. If I'm not allowed to brood, then you can't be like that either."
"Fair enough." Tonks smiled giving Harry a quick kiss. She knew Harry still felt somewhat embarrassed to show affection in front of Hermione and Susan.
"What do you want to learn Harry?" Hermione asked her.
"Well, I was very impressed with how Dumbledore fought Voldemort." Harry said thinking back. "He primary used a style made out of Transfiguration, Charms and Conjuring to fight. I would like to be able to do something like that. I'm pretty good at Transfiguration and Charms so might be a good idea to mix that with some Battle Magic."
"We brought some books on Transfiguration." Susan said pointing to the stack of books. "Maybe you can find something there?"
"I'll take a look after lunch." Harry said.
She then pulled Tonks out of her seat and told them that it was time for lunch. Hermione had be convinced that she needed to eat but in the end she gave up and followed them as well. Tonks and Susan teased her that the books would still be there after lunch making her pout. Harry just consoled her by saying she understood how difficult it was to stop doing something you liked.
Amelia had just finished a meeting/lunch with Kingsley where they had discussed his investigation of the Delores Umbridge. He had already found out several criminal offences and he hadn't even started on her time at Hogwarts. The most noticeable one was that, while there were no written statements found yet, she had ordered two Dementors to go after Harry Potter last summer. While Amelia was already aware of that particular tidbit of information, Kingsley was not and he was understandably upset.
Other than that he had uncovered several cases of bribery, blackmail, extortion and intimidation against several employees of the Ministry. Most of those employees were people who dared express their dissatisfaction with Fudge and his entourage. Some of them had been forced to resign or had been given a low level and menial job for the audacity they had shown at questioning their leaders. Their original jobs had been given to supporters of Fudge whether they were competent for the job or not. Amelia asked Kingsley to give her a list of all the affected people so that she could either give them back their old jobs, if possible, or give them compensation.
'No wonder people are starting to lose faith in their leaders.' Amelia thought disgusted.
Unfortunately, Kingsley hadn't been able to question Delores just yet as she was still at St-Mungo's for treatment. He had asked the Healers if there was any progress in her mental state but so far she was still unresponsive to any of the Healers treatments. The Healer in question said that he had never seen such a case before and that it was highly unlikely that she would come out without any lasting damage. Whatever had happened in the Forbidden Forest had practically destroyed her mind. Kingsley thought it was a fitting punishment for the foul woman.
Amelia agreed.
She was just about to start on the next batch of paperwork when Percy Weasley barged into her office telling her that none other than Albus Dumbledore was there to see her. Percy said that he had tried to tell him that she was unavailable but the man wouldn't take no for an answer. Amelia sighed already knowing why Albus was here for. She told Percy to let him in.
"Albus, this had better been good." Amelia said when the Headmaster entered her office. "I'm very busy as you are well aware."
"I know and I'm sincerely sorry for bothering you but this is of the outmost importance." Dumbledore said.
"And what might be so important?" Amelia said playing along.
"Well as you might know, as Headmaster I'm well aware of who rides on the Hogwarts Express." Dumbledore started. "It's one of the security measures you see. When students ride the train for the very first time they are given a magical trace, so to speak. That trace is unique to the student and allows the teachers and the Headmaster to know if all students are on board or not."
"Yes, I'm familiar what that trace." Amelia nodded.
"So you can imagine how shocked I was when I noticed that three particular students were not aboard the Hogwarts Express." Dumbledore said.
"I have an idea yes." Amelia smiled.
"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Susan Bones were the only missing students on the train." Dumbledore continued without reacting to Amelia's smile. "Perhaps you can give me some more information?"
"I'll tell you this much, Albus. None of these three students will be attending Hogwarts for the time being." Amelia explained.
"Amelia, surely you can't say you agree with this." Dumbledore said surprised. "They're students and thus should attend."
"No, they don't Albus." Amelia disagreed. "All three of them have passed their OWL's and are thus allowed to discontinue or postpone taking their NEWT's. There's no law that says that you have to take NEWT level classes; most do as it is advisable to take them if you want a better job than just being a store clerk or paper pusher. However, they are well within their rights to quit school."
"Surely you want Susan to take her NEWT's?" Dumbledore said not believing what he was hearing. It was rare that students quit after taking their OWL's and mostly then it was because of the financial cost.
"Of course I want Susan to get her NEWT's." Amelia said angry. "And she will, as soon as Voldemort has been dealt with. For now she's safer where she is."
"And where is that exactly?" Dumbledore asked knowing that she wouldn't tell him.
"All you need to know is that she's safe." Amelia smiled.
"What about Harry and Hermione?" Dumbledore sighed. "I can't believe that Miss Granger would throw away her future like that."
"She would if it means keeping Harry safe." Amelia disagreed again. "Hermione has chosen to stay with Harry and support him. Harry knows that he needs to learn how to defend himself from Voldemort. As his best friend, Hermione and her parents are prime targets for an attack so they decided that it was safer to stay hidden as well."
"So that's why she disappeared." Dumbledore nodded. "It's a thought that I have had as well. Tom would surely use Harry's friends to hurt him, he's done so before. But Amelia, they're still children. They don't need to fight right now. They should let the adults handle things."
"You're wrong about that." Amelia said. "Those kids, as you call them, are already adults. Especially Harry and Hermione, they've seen too many things already. Besides, why should they have faith in adults to take care of things. Have you not seen what kind of mess we adults made of everything? They want to rely on themselves and frankly, I agree. When I see them together, I know that if things go bad for me, Susan will be able to take care of herself. She's surrounded by friends and she won't be alone if something happens to me."
"While I sympathize with you Amelia, I need Harry to attend Hogwarts." Dumbledore insisted.
"Oh really? Why is that?" Amelia said narrowing her eyes.
"I need to prepare Harry for what is to come." Dumbledore said. "There's little time left."
"Just minutes ago you said that they should leave things to the adults but now you insist that you need to prepare Harry." Amelia said shaking her head. "Which one is it?"
"Harry is a special case." Dumbledore explained. "I need him at Hogwarts for reasons I cannot explain but I assure you that it's imperative that he learns these things."
"Sorry Albus but I'm afraid there's no way that Harry will attend Hogwarts." Amelia shook her head. "Whatever it is you need to teach him will have to be done in another way. I suggest you look into that."
"Amelia please." Dumbledore asked. "Just tell me where Harry is hiding and I'll explain everything to him in person."
"Again, I'm sorry Albus but I cannot." Amelia said sternly. "Even if I could, I wouldn't betray Harry's trust like that. I can tell he's someone who doesn't trust easily and I have been privileged to be one of the those few; I'm not about to betray that privilege." She saw his eyes widen at her words and she knew he had figured it out.
"The Fidelius." He breathed. "Harry is hiding under the Fidelius Charm."
"That's right. So you know it's no use asking me tell you where he is." Amelia nodded.
"Very well, it seems I have no choice in the matter." Dumbledore sighed. "If you would please give him a message from me? Tell him that I need to speak with him urgently. What I have to teach him is undeniably the key to defeating Voldemort."
"If you are so sure about this, then why keep this a secret for so long." Amelia asked angry. "Why didn't you forward this information sooner? We could've taken care of Voldemort by now if you did."
"It's not that simple Amelia." Dumbledore explained. "I have only recently discovered proof of my suspicions. We cannot risk exposing ourselves too soon as Tom will surely be aware if we mess up. If he learns what we know, he will take steps to prevent us from reaching our goal. I honestly believe that Harry is the only one who can defeat Tom, and it's not just because of what the prophecy says."
"Keeping secrets like that could bite you in the ass later, Albus." Amelia sighed. "Very well, I will pass on the message. However, it's up to Harry to decide whether he agrees to speak to you or not. I will not force this issue, I'm sure he will come see you when he deems the time is right."
"I understand." Dumbledore said understanding. "I'd best get back to Hogwarts. Thank you for your time Amelia."
"Good day, Albus." Amelia said watching the old Headmaster walk out of her office. When she watched him leave she noticed just how tired and old the man seemed to have gotten compared to last year. It seemed as not even the great Albus Dumbledore could stop the effects of growing old. The man was reaching his hundred and twenties after all. With that thought she returned to her paperwork, cursing once more the mess Fudge and his administration had left behind.
Later that afternoon Harry and her friends were practicing some magic while Hermione's and Tonks' parents looked on. To Dan and Emma, who hadn't been able to see much of the magical world until now, seeing them perform magic was always a treat. Emma was the most fascinated with it and Ted and Andromeda were already used to having to answer her questions. Right now, they were watching as Hermione cast the Patronus Charm and her beautiful otter manifested in front of them.
"Oh my god, that's so beautiful." Emma gushed. "What kind of spell is that?"
"That's the Patronus Charm." Andromeda explained. "Very advanced magic if I might say so. It's a protection spell against Dementors, although it can be used for other purposes as well."
"Dementors? Those are the creature that can suck your soul out, right?" Dan said remembering the kids talking about those horrible creatures.
"That's right." Andy nodded. "Very nasty business, those are. Some of the foulest magical beings in the Magical World." Andy said turning back to the kids. She saw that Harry was about to cast the spell. "Oh Harry is about to cast the charm, it should be interesting. Tonks told us just how amazing her Patronus is."
Harry had her eyes closed and tried to bring up a happy memory in order to cast the Patronus. Recently she had been having trouble casting it and couldn't get more than a wisp of smoke whenever she tried to bring out her Patronus. It wasn't surprising as her mind was in such turmoil that casting the spell successfully was almost impossible. Now however she felt like she might be able to do so.
She thought back at all the wonderful times she had spent with Tonks. Bringing the memory of that mornings lovemaking session to the front of her mind and hearing Tonks say the words she longed to hear for so long when she was young, was more than enough to cast a thousand Patronus Charms. Her eyes snapped open and with a 'Expecto Patronus' the room lit up in a white light, almost blinding everyone.
When their eyes adjusted they looked on at the majestic Patronus. Those who knew what Harry's Patronus looked like, stared in shock at the new form of the Patronus. Instead of the impressive stag, known as Prongs, there was now a silver white Phoenix flying around the room looking for any threats or danger. Harry watched, both in horror and shock at the Phoenix. Her concentration broke and the Phoenix faded quickly. Before anyone could comment Harry ran out of the room, with Tonks following her.