It was only thirty minutes earlier — at the same time of Voldemort/Nagini's attack on Mr. Arthur Weasley — where, in the fifth year Gryffindor boy's dormitory, Ron Weasley shook Harry Potter from his slumber. Said boy was sweating profusely, hissing madly and thrashing around under his covers so wildly that they wrapped into a tight knot around his body.
"Harry! Harry!"
Harry opened his eyes, but he didn't seem to be completely there yet. His stare was dead as he seemed to assess his surroundings.
"Harry!"
Upon pulling his arms free of the blanket, Harry held a hand to his forehead in obvious pain moments before rolling over and vomiting on the floor.
"He's really ill. Should we call someone?" Neville murmured fearfully.
Neville stood next to Dean and Seamus, eyeing Harry over Ron's shoulders with concern.
Ron continued shouting for the boy's attention, "Harry! Harry!"
Harry continued holding a hand to his head, his eyes looking at no one in particular as he seemed incapable of seeing anyone around him. He pushed himself up into a seated position; the heavy lurches in his chest either from panting for air, holding back another bout of vomit, or both. "Your dad… your dad's… been attacked…."
"What?"
"Your dad!" he yelled — as if it would help the Weasley boy to better understand the seriousness of what he was saying. "He's been bitten, it's serious, there was blood everywhere…."
"I'm going for help," Neville decided, running quickly out of the room.
Ron's brows furrowed as he looked at his best friend. "Harry, mate, you… you were just dreaming…."
Harry's face contorted with barely suppressed fury, "No! It wasn't a dream… not an ordinary dream…. I was there, I saw it…. I did it…."
"Dreaming things up now, isn' he?" Seamus muttered softly to Dean.
"Just a nightmare, that's all," Dean muttered back.
Harry threw up over the edge of the bed again, leaving Ron to jump back out of reach.
"Harry," Ron said, his voice shaking as he trepidly looked at him, "you're not well. Neville's gone for help…."
Harry coughed, wiping his mouth on his pajama sleeves as his body shook, "I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with me, it's your dad you've got to worry about — we need to find out where he is — he's bleeding like mad — I was — it was a huge snake…."
Seamus and Dean continued muttering, backing up slightly out of hearing distance — not that Harry could hear them anyway — as the boy who lived attempted to swing himself out of bed. Ron merely pushed him back down with one hand, his best friend's body shaking so uncontrollably it was no wonder he seemed so out of sorts. He lay on his back without any more fight left in him to give.
It wasn't long before Neville returned with Professor McGonagall, "Over here, Professor…"
She rushed over, wearing a patterned nightgown with her glasses so loosely placed on her face that it was obvious she threw them on in a hurry. "What is it, Potter? Where does it hurt?"
Harry quickly sat up again, as if her very presence gave him the energy he needed. "It's Ron's dad. He's been attacked by a snake and it's serious, I saw it happen."
"What do you mean, you saw it happen?"
"I don't know…. I was asleep and then I was there…."
"You mean you dreamed this?"
"No!" he snapped. "I was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid… and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didn't imagine it, Mr. Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someone's got to find out where he is…."
Professor McGonagall stared at him in horror, no words escaping her open mouth.
Harry's voice rose some more, "I'm not lying, and I'm not mad! I tell you, I saw it happen!"
That kickstarted her response, "I believe you, Potter. Put on your dressing gown — we're going to see the headmaster."
Harry gave no objections — rather, he hopped to his feet without any more signs of severe sickness, pulled on his dressing gown and put his glasses on his face.
"Weasley," she looked at a bewildered Ron, "you ought to come too."
Both boys followed the Head of Gryffindor House out, out of the Gryffindor dorms and common room through the corridors. The trip was silent but for a short run-in with Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, where Professor McGonagall gave her an abrupt "Shoo!" as they continued past until they reached the stone gargoyle that always stood guard outside the headmaster's office.
"Fizzing Whizbee," she said.
The gargoyle jumped aside, allowing for the wall just behind it to break in half — revealing the spiraling, stone staircase. They stepped onto the stairs, allowing it to bring them up to the oak door with the griffin-shaped brass knocker. There were already a multitude of voices speaking quietly inside despite the late night hour.
Professor McGonagall tapped the knocker three times against the door, causing the voices inside to immediately stop. When the door opened on its own, they all walked inside the surprisingly silent and dimly lit room.
The portraits of all the past headmasters sat sleeping along the walls, and Fawkes the phoenix dozed on his perch behind the door.
Professor Dumbledore sat comfortably in the chair behind his desk, leaning forward into the light of the candles scattered around his desk giving view to the papers right in front of him. He wore a purple and gold nightgown but, despite his attire, he was wide awake… as if he had been expecting for something to happen that night. He seemed to be hiding a faint aura of fury.
His harsh gaze rested coolly only on the Transfiguration teacher, "Oh, it's you, Professor McGonagall… and… ah."
"Professor Dumbledore," she said, "Potter has had a… well, a nightmare. He says…"
"It wasn't a nightmare," Harry interjected.
Professor McGonagall turned to the boy with a frown. "Very well, then, Potter, you tell the headmaster about it."
Though Harry began explaining what was happening, Professor Dumbledore didn't look at him even once… merely looked down at his hands in what almost seemed like disinterest.
"I… well, I was asleep…. But it wasn't an ordinary dream… it was real…. I saw it happen…." Harry breathed in a shaky, deep breath, "Ron's dad — Mr. Weasley — has been attacked by a giant snake."
There was a pregnant silence as Professor Dumbledore leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling in contemplation. Meanwhile, Ron's face was a mixture of fear and shock — an uncertain reaction.
"How did you see this?" the headmaster asked softly, eyes still trained on the ceiling.
Harry's response was pure frustration, "Well… I don't know… inside my head, I suppose —"
"You misunderstand me. I mean… can you remember — er — where you were positioned as you watched this attack happen? Were you perhaps standing beside the victim, or else looking down on the scene from above?"
The boy's mouth dropped open, surprised by the question as the answer was something of importance to the issue at hand. "I was the snake. I saw it all from the snake's point of view…."
There was silence again until Professor Dumbledore turned to a very pale Ron, his tone strong and sharp as he asked, "Is Arthur seriously injured?"
"Yes," Harry emphasized.
He jumped in surprise as Professor Dumbledore quickly stood, turning to the portraits hanging nearest to the ceiling. One wizard sallow-faced with black bangs and an older witch with silvery, curled hair. "Everard? And you too, Dilys!"
Seemingly asleep only a moment before, they opened their eyes as he called their names.
"You were listening?"
"Naturally," the witch responded as the wizard nodded.
"The man has red hair and glasses. Everard, you will need to raise the alarm, make sure he is found by the right people —"
With matching, emphatic nods they each left their frames. The other portraits around the room continued their snoring, some sparing glances at Harry through narrowed eyelids before quickly closing them again in an attempt to pretend they weren't all awake.
Dumbledore walked around his desk, past the professor and two students, on his way to a still-sleeping Fawkes as he explained, "Everard and Dilys were two of Hogwarts's most celebrated Heads. Their renown is such that both have portraits hanging in other important Wizarding institutions. As they are free to move between their own portraits they can tell us what may be happening elsewhere…."
"But Mr. Weasley could be anywhere!" Harry said.
Professor Dumbledore ignored Harry's outburst, "Please sit down, all three of you. Everard and Dilys may not be back for several minutes…. Professor McGonagall, if you could draw up extra chairs…"
From her pocket, Professor McGonagall pulled out her wand and waved it. Three wooden chairs appeared in front of the headmaster's desk, and they each sat down as Professor Dumbledore used a finger to pet Fawkes's head, waking him up.
"We will need a warning," Dumbledore told the phoenix as he brought his head up level with his owner.
With that, a flash of fire and Fawkes was gone.
"Did you see anything else?" Dumbledore asked calmly, still looking at the area Fawkes had just vacated rather than at the boy to whom he was asking the question.
"What?" Harry asked, almost incomprehensibly.
"Did you see anything else?" he repeated. "Er — anyone else?"
Harry hesitated, his eyes glazed over in thought as his mind seemed to replay the vision for the purpose of thinking about what else he'd seen. "Well… there was… there was another snake. After… after the giant snake — the one I was, anyway — attacked Mr. Weasley, a smaller snake showed up."
Professor Dumbledore's eyes darkened significantly. "Can you describe it?"
Harry's brows furrowed in confusion, "Well… it was a hooded snake.. so, a cobra I guess? With red eyes…"
"Did the snakes say anything to each other? Anything that comes to mind?"
"Well… no… that's where it got weird. They spoke, but it was… warbled, if that makes any sense. It was obviously Parseltongue, but I couldn't properly hear what they were saying…."
Dumbledore placed a hand to his chin in thought.
"Wait!" Harry's eyes widened in realization. "There's something else — the snake was an Animagus! It was a girl — she was a girl — but I didn't get a good look at her… Ron had woken me up before she could pick me — I mean, pick up the giant snake."
Without another word on the subject, Dumbledore quickly bent down over a fragile silver instrument and carried it to his desk. He sat down behind it, setting the instrument on it before tapping it with his wand.
The piece began making its own ticking noise, puffs of green smoke emitting from a tube leading out of the top. This was the constant up until the smoke thickened and formed into a serpent's head, mouth open wide.
"Naturally, naturally. But in essence divided?"
The smoke snake, as though in answer to his question, split into two, leaving Professor Dumbledore to give a nod of satisfaction before tapping the instrument a few times.
The snakes evaporated until the machine gave only light, green puffs again. What formed from the smoke then were two snake heads back to back — rather completely intertwined at the neck — and, upon closer inspection, they were very different. On one side was an open-mouthed snake like the one from before, and the other was close-mouthed with its forked tongue sticking out.
Professor Dumbledore's frown deepened as the open-mouthed snake grew slightly larger in size. It moved slowly, but it was a prominent difference in comparison with the close-mouthed snake shrinking at an even slower pace. "I was afraid of that…" he muttered softly, "but how to make her realize….?"
Dumbledore tapped the instrument one last time, causing the instrument to stop clinking and for the smoke to die away.
As he put the instrument back, the wizard Everard reappeared in his portrait, partly out of breath. "Dumbledore!"
"What news?" Dumbledore replied quickly.
Everard patted his sweaty brow on his curtain backdrop, "I yelled until someone came running, said I'd heard something moving downstairs — they weren't sure whether to believe me but went down to check — you know there are no portraits down there to watch from. Anyway, they carried him up a few minutes later. He doesn't look good, he's covered in blood, I ran along to Elfrida Cragg's portrait to get a good view as they left —"
Ron spasmed in his seat as Dumbledore responded, "Good. I take it Dilys will have seen him arrive, then —"
That was when Dilys also re-entered her portrait, coughing as she sat down in her armchair, "Yes, they've taken him to St. Mungo's, Dumbledore…. They carried him past under my portrait…. He looks bad…."
"Thank you," he said, turning around to look at Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, I need you to go and wake the other Weasley children."
"Of course…." she replied, standing up to briskly make her way to the door as Harry glanced over at his white-faced friend. "And Dumbledore —" she paused before opening it "— what about Molly?"
"That will be a job for Fawkes when he has finished keeping a lookout for anybody approaching. But she may already know… that excellent clock of hers…"
After McGonagall left, Professor Dumbledore began searching through a cupboard just behind the two boys. Pulling out a kettle — blackened from age and use — he set it down gently on his desk. Raising his wand, he muttered, "Portus."
The kettle shook lightly, glowing blue for a moment before returning to normal.
With that, Professor Dumbledore strode over to a portrait of a wizard wearing green and silver robes who seemed to actually be in a deep sleep whereas the other portraits gave up pretending. They all bent over slightly to get a better view of everything the headmaster was doing.
"Phineas," Dumbledore uttered. "Phineas."
No response.
The other portraits joined in, some louder than others, to help awaken him. "Phineas! Phineas! Phineas!"
The jolt he gave proved overdramatic as he widely opened his eyes in feigned surprise. "Did someone call?"
Professor Dumbledore answered, "I need you to visit your other portrait again, Phineas. I've got another message."
"Visit my other portrait?" Phineas asked, yawning widely as his eyes searched the room before resting on Harry. "Oh no, Dumbledore, I am too tired tonight…."
The other portraits burst into shouts of disapproval:
"Insubordination, sir! Dereliction of duty!"
"We are honor-bound to give service to the present Headmaster of Hogwarts! Shame on you, Phineas!"
"Shall I persuade him, Dumbledore?"
Phineas bristled, but relented, "Oh, very well, though he may well have destroyed my picture by now, he's done most of the family —"
"Sirius knows not to destroy your portrait. You are to give him the message that Arthur Weasley has been gravely injured and that his wife, children, and Harry Potter will be arriving at his house shortly. Do you understand?"
"Arthur Weasley, injured, wife and children and Harry Potter coming to stay. Yes, yes… very well…." his tone was bored as he repeated the message before disappearing from the frame.
The door to Dumbledore's office opened again; entered by Fred, George, and Ginny with McGonagall close behind. All of them were in their nightclothes, their tired faces extremely disoriented and their hair ruffled from their originally restful slumbers.
"Harry — what's going on? Professor McGonagall says you saw dad hurt —" Ginny asked in terror.
Professor Dumbledore interrupted, "Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix. He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than the Burrow. You will meet your mother there."
"How're we going? Floo powder?" Fred asked.
"No. Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." Professor Dumbledore gestured pointedly to the kettle he'd placed on his desk. "We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back…. I wish to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you —"
A flame appeared as quickly as it died out in the exact center of the room — a golden feather floating to the floor in its place.
Professor Dumbledore grimaced as he caught the feather before relaying, "It is Fawkes's warning. She must know you're out of your beds…. Minerva, go and head her off — tell her any story —"
Professor McGonagall didn't need to be told twice. She vanished from the room without another word.
That was when Phineas reappeared, "He says he'll be delighted. My great-great-grandson has always had odd taste in houseguests…."
"Come here, then," Professor Dumbledore urgently told the students, who took their places in a circle around his desk. "And quickly, before anyone else joins us… You have all used a Portkey before?" They all nodded, "Good. On the count of three then… one… two…"
In the short, yet somehow long, second that Dumbledore glanced at Harry for the first time that evening, the Boy Who Lived gave a heavy look full of both pain and hatred. He held a hand to his forehead in a hopeless attempt to lessen his apparent suffering.
"… three."
My eyes fluttered open as everything I had done, as well as everything I had just seen, took a few minutes to sink in properly. It was hard though. I was still exhausted, and there was so much information to consider.
A lot of information. A lot of guilt.
Don't be ridiculous, I chastised myself, you didn't know Mr. Weasley would be there. What else could you have really done?
Anything. Even secretly asking Jessamyn to tell a guard to check the Hall of Prophecies would've been a better option than doing nothing.
The truth of that answer was hard to swallow as I glanced above me to see two very relieved faces — Severus and Seraphina. They sat anxiously by me, side by side, in two wooden chairs.
"How long have I been out?" I asked, my voice scratchy as I looked over at the other beds in the room; all neatly made up, and without another girl in sight.
Severus held a hand to my forehead, his fingers cool to the touch and leaving me to shiver at the sensation. He frowned slightly as he pulled his hand away, "It's nearly ten. The other students are in their classes. Although, Miss Figsund was rather difficult to send away with you in this condition.
Poor Becky, I thought, looking down at my hands in my lap. She didn't know what she was waking up to this morning… I mean, it was supposed to be simple. Do it and come back to go through the day like normal. I wasn't supposed to have a vision…. But, I suppose it was important to see.
Severus seemed to know exactly what was on my mind, "What did you see?"
I took a deep breath, "That Harry Potter saw the events of last night through dad's eyes… more specifically, him attacking Arthur Weasley in Nagini's body."
Seraphina's eyebrow furrowed, and she leaned toward me slightly, "The same exact way you do sometimes?"
"Yeah… but… kind of different…?" I said uncertainly. "I mean that.. when I have a vision like that, yeah I see things from his perspective but.. I still feel like myself. It doesn't make any sense trying to explain it out loud, really… but, Harry seemed to be more concerned about the fact that he himself was the snake.. feeling its feelings and thinking its thoughts until he woke up. It's really bizarre, but he acted so guilty about it, like he had actually done it of his own accord.
"Erm… Severus?"
Severus gave the barest nod in response.
"Do you know… what time Harry and the Weasleys left last night?"
His frown seemed to deepen, "Are you saying your vision was from before they left?"
"Yes. Why?"
He shared a strange look with Seraphina before looking back at me, "They left around five minutes before you returned."
"I thought that might be the case," I said with a grimace as I sat up, my bones aching likely from the constant morphing the night before. "If the vision were to have worked the way it normally does, I should've passed out before we left the Hall of Prophecies because it started around the time Ron was waking Harry up. Instead, it didn't happen until after I'd taken down the aging spell."
"Ahh.." Seraphina sounded thoughtfully as she put a hand to her chin, an interested smile gracing her lips. "Then that means a consistent use of Dark Magic, like holding the aging spell as you did for hours at a time, keeps the visions at bay. A barrier of sorts."
"Just my luck," I snorted, wincing as I felt a pang of pain echo through my collarbone. "God, the aging spell plus the multiple morphs between human and cobra did a number on me…. Do I really have to use the aging spell again for the prison breakout?"
"Since you'll be going through with it anyway, you do if you don't want to be caught," Severus drawled.
"I know," I sighed, stretching my arms out a bit while trying to ignore the pain. "Oh, and Severus, do you know what that silver instrument of Dumbledore's does? He was using it in front of Harry, and… it had this green smoke coming out of it as he used it. It was as if it was answering questions he wasn't asking out loud."
Severus opened his mouth. But he didn't get to answer.
"Dumbledore has one of those?" Seraphina asked, her mouth dropped open in awe.
"One of what exactly?" I asked curiously.
"An ambit," she said. "Good God, I'd never figured out how to understand those things. It's… it's basically the answers to any questions you may have. If you know how to decipher the answers it gives, then you can ask it practically anything and it will tell you what you want to know. Did you understand everything it was showing?"
Sounds like magical charades to me, I thought with a frown. Except… "I don't know, but.. it seemed like he asked two questions. Both answers took forms of snakes, and he tapped the machine in between each… apparition, if I can call them that…. Actually no, the first question was two questions, but it was obviously about the same subject."
Seraphina smiled smugly, "Questions about me and your father then, perhaps?"
I stared at the floor in contemplation. That didn't seem like the right answer. It seemed… so much more complicated than that. "I don't think so. The first one was just a snake's head — which he didn't ask any question out loud for that one to show — but then… when he asked 'but in essence divided?' the snake split into two."
The three of us stared blankly at each other. No clue whatsoever, and they were the adults.
"What about the results of the second question?" Severus asked.
I swallowed the knot in my throat, "Well, that's where this gets better — sarcasm intended — I think that one was about me. It was two snake heads, back to back, one snake open-mouthed like the one in the answer before… and the other's mouth was closed with the tongue sticking out. If I had to guess, it would be that it represented two different options, because… because the next thing he muttered was, 'I was afraid of that… but how to make her realize….?'"
They shared glances again as Seraphina asked, "Did it give another answer after he asked that?"
I shook my head, "He didn't really give it the chance to, he closed it down after that."
"I'll talk to him about it," Severus said as he stood, towering over me with a look of concern for my well-being still on his features. "For today, you need to rest. No classes. And I'm sure Dumbledore would like to see you before you leave tomorrow for the holiday."
I frowned. It would be too suspicious to miss classes today, I thought, and I don't want to talk to Dumbledore. He hides too much and, though he expects me to trust and respect him, I don't see any valid reason to do so. "But —"
"I'm not up for discussion on the matter, Melody," he insisted softly. "Not for resting, nor for seeing Dumbledore. I expect both."
I bit my lip as I stared at the pleading look in his eyes before caving, closing my eyes and nodding. As strongly as I feel about Dumbledore and his actions, I did promise Severus that I'd trust and respect him at the very least… I don't want to let him down.
"Good," he replied, resting the palm of his hand on my head for a few moments before pulling away and leaving the room.
I opened my eyes as Seraphina moved to follow him, catching hold of her wrist and her surprised attention. "Can… can you do another one-on-ones with Becky in Occlumency tonight? I'll do it with Draco just to perfect his ability some more, but I — I just don't want to leave anything to chance when it comes to Becky being around dad."
Her surprise melted into concern and understanding as she solemnly nodded. "I understand. You have my word."
"Thank you, Seraphina."
It was during the train ride back to King's Cross a few days latter that Hermione hunted me down. She found me in a compartment with Pansy, Becky, Millicent, Vincent, Greg, and Draco with his arm wrapped around my shoulder. It didn't take long for her to get my attention as she waved wildly from the hallway through the glass doors, but I glanced up as everyone else was distracted by the snow outside the window.
"Can I talk to you?" she mouthed before quickly disappearing from view as Draco turned to look at the door.
Draco turned back to me in curiosity as I readied myself to get up, "Wha —?"
"Just give me a few minutes while I go do something," I whispered, standing and making my way to the door. Becky immediately followed after me, but I gave no objections. When it came to Hermione lately, I felt a bit better with Becky at my side.
After I closed the compartment door behind us, Hermione snagged my hand and pulled me down the hallway into an empty compartment. The trip was quick, but just as entirely exhausting as a run. Becky barely made it in before she closed the door.
"What's going on?" I asked, nearly out of breath. "Why'd you pull me over here like a bloody maniac?"
"Phew, don't answer yet!" Becky said, panting wildly while bent over with a hand on her knee as she held the other hand up signifying for Hermione to wait. "I just need a moment."
"I'm sorry, Becky, but it just can't wait — Melody, do you have any idea what just happened yesterday?"
I dumbed down my facial expression to blankly stare back at her, pausing a moment before answering in my most uncertain tone, "I took the day off for queasiness?"
"No!" Hermione exclaimed with an exasperated sigh. "Haven't you noticed anyone missing?"
I continued my lost expression, "No?"
Becky, following my lead, smacked my arm in fake vexation, "Don't tell me you forgot I said Fred and George were missing!"
"Oww," I rubbed the area she hit with a reproachful glare in her direction. I guess I can always count on her to make the acting believable, I thought. "Well, yeah, but I didn't really think much of it. They're always going off somewhere on a whim… Wait…" I turned to Hermione as if I had just realized why she was mentioning it, "did something happen?"
Hermione's gaze softened. "I guess no one told you either. Both them, Ron, Ginny and Harry went back to… to you-know-where."
Back to Grimmauld Place, I realized was what she meant.. only Becky couldn't know where or what that was. "Is this something Becky can hear, or does she need to go back to the compartment?"
Becky glanced between us with piqued curiosity. I would have to explain later that it wasn't my fault this was all being kept from her. It was Dumbledore's orders.
She shook her head, "It's fine. I think George will call her to St. Mungo's for some support in any case, but —"
"St. Mungo's?" I interrupted in mock shock. "What happened?"
"If Dumbledore hadn't explained everything to me this morning, I'd've never known," she explained. "But, as it so happens, Mr. Weasley was attacked by a snake. Harry had some sort of vision of it and, because of his warning, Mr. Weasley was rescued in time. He's in St. Mungo's now being taken care of."
Becky and I stared at her, knowing silence was the only plausible response for something so outrageous.. something so strange.
Her expression brightened suddenly, "Like I said, he's in good hands. Dumbledore said they were able to visit him yesterday, and he's on the way to making a full recovery."
In all honesty, it was exactly what Dumbledore explained to me when I went to go see him. Though, I made my way to his office the previous night with the sole purpose of just letting him say whatever he wanted to say without needing to give much in response.
It was too much to hope for when it came to him.
He said not to worry about Mr. Weasley, for he was going to be all right thanks to Harry's interference, but then it also led to a question. The same one that was bothering me as the day passed by… Does Voldemort realize that this happened? And he wanted a detailed response which, considering how much thought I'd been putting into it, wasn't too hard to give despite that I didn't really want to discuss it with him.
I didn't trust him, but Severus did. I knew Severus would want me to give my full opinion on the matter.
"I feel like he did," I'd said. "The fact that what we said to each other was 'warbled' in Harry's perspective, and that my face was blurred, meant that da — that Voldemort — placed those precautions down. He must've sensed him inside his head."
Dumbledore nodded, satisfied with my answer, crossing his fingers in front of him as he studied me silently. The sense of heavy attention was maddening.
Inwardly sighing, I held my wrist behind my back as I stared at the floor, "I guess you're disappointed I disobeyed orders again by leaving the grounds. I'd like to apologize for my actions."
"And no one is more deserving of hearing those words than Arthur Weasley, but alas he cannot know about your involvement."
I flinched, still avoiding his gaze.
"Nonetheless, I don't blame you for what happened," he continued, causing me to look up at him questioningly. "Voldemort would have done this damage with or without your presence but, even so, he insisted on you being there. Seraphina follows his command, so it's only natural she snuck you off grounds. I admit, she was a lot more careful about it this time around, but I will always know what she's going to do before she does it.
"Now, on to the matter at hand," he stood then, making his way around his desk to stand face to face with me. "Arthur will be all right, and that is good for now. But I'll need you to do something for me when you return from holiday that may help you on the path to redemption. Will you do it?"
I couldn't help myself. "Do I get to know what it is before I agree to it blindly?"
He stared silently back at me, not even deigning to answer my question.
Oh great, why do I feel like I'm now at the center of a tug-of-war between two of the strongest wizards? I thought as I decided, instead, to just not my agreement. There was no other, better choice to make. Not when I did want to prove at least some form of loyalty to what my mother and Severus switched over to; the side that fought for love and harmony.
Back on the train with Hermione with mention of Dumbledore only reminded me of the irksome fact that he still hadn't told me what he wanted me to do. I wouldn't find out what it was until we came back to school.
"Melody…" Hermione said softly, bringing my gaze to hers. She definitely looked worried, to say the least. "Are you going back to you-know-where for the holidays as well?"
"As well? I thought you were going skiing with your parents."
"Change of plans," she replied with a shrug. "But are you?"
I fought the urge to narrow my eyes as I wondered, does she expect me to be there for a specific reason? "No," I finally said, "I'm spending it with my family while I have the opportunity."
What? It's technically not a lie. Dad is family.
"Oh," she sounded mildly surprised. "I'm sorry, I guess I just thought…"
I shook my head, walking to the compartment door in the hopes of getting out as soon as possible. I stopped at the door though to glance at her over my shoulder, "It's fine. I'm sorry, too Hermione, but… considering everything… I just don't belong there. I should've never ended up there in the first place."
"That's not true —" she held a hand out to stop me, but hesitated just short of touching my shoulder.
With a weak smile, I replied, "You know as well as I that it is. I don't belong because I'm a danger. I just have to accept that, right?"
Hermione's hand dropped back to her side as her chocolate brown eyes watered with impending tears.
On that note, I faced forward and opened the compartment door, "Thanks for telling me, Hermione. We've had our differences, and I appreciate your friendship, but there are some things that just can't be helped. It's the way of the world." And with that, I walked out with Becky jumping into step next to me to ask what all of it was about because of her lack of knowledge on anything regarding the Order of the Phoenix.
All I could think was the fact that the golden trio would be at Grimmauld Place celebrating Christmas with friends and family while I spent mine with Seraphina and… and dad. The remainder of the Death Eaters would come and go every now and then, sure, and Draco promised he'd be there as often as possible. Becky was going home with her family, and would only be with us when Seraphina picked her up for the prison breakout.
Ultimately, though, it was all just going to be days of preparation before enacting the plan to retrieve dad's most loyal followers from Azkaban. And even though the thought worried me as it should… the scariest part was that it also excited me. As much as sneaking into the Department of Mysteries with dad excited me. Doing things for and with dad gave me such a strong sense of enjoyment that I began to wonder if everyone was right to worry about my loyalty.
What am I going to do?
Hello, hello!
Fun fact, when researching the strange silver instrument that Dumbledore used, it seems I couldn't find whether or not Rowling gave it any type of name. So, I used the word 'Ambit,' which generally means: within the limits of certain rules or knowledge of something. Which I took to heart as something that knows the answer to any given thing while knowing about most everything going on in the world... just my word for it.
Also! I reveal the fact that Jessamyn is the in-game character I created for the mobile game Hogwarts Mystery - a game I enjoy immensely. As far as I've gotten in it, I've only gotten her so far as fifth year, but I began to figure that Seraphina would be her age so... why not, right? And such is a fact that makes me kind of glad I waited until now to continue Melody, because there would've been no Jessamyn - a woman that's going to be very important for certain reasons I shan't mention.
So look out, and thank you for reading!
