The 7th Child
A/N: Okay so basically, it's a long chapter (for me). I'm gonna try and speed through as much of PoA as possible, especially because I won't write a lot about what Harry's doing in third year (I'm not gonna change this year too much for him). I'm probably going to pretty much do chapters for each of Sirius' break ins and then like a couple for the last part of PoA. Means I can start writing the more exciting stuff!
I'm also going to try and explain in this chapter why Dumbledore hasn't told Ginny about Harry or vice versa. I know a few of you guys want him to, but I think it fits his character better when he plays all his cards close to his chest. There's a lot of PoV switching in this chapter as well, but I kinda want to try and give some context as to why certain characters are acting the way they are.
As always, I own nothing. Please follow, favourite and review!
-Eve x
Chapter 8: The First Attempt
"I tell you what kiddo, you are learning fucking quickly."
Ginny looked up at Sirius, smiling as she brushed some hair out her face. It had been nearly 2 months since Albus Dumbledore had discovered them, and true to his word, he had helped immensely with Ginny's education. Unfortunately, they had realised that they needed to start Ginny's magical education from the beginning. Being possessed by a dark lord was not very conducive to learning. This meant the first few weeks had been spent refreshing first year, before moving on to the second-year material. However, it had helped that Sirius had begun to teach her more advanced duelling spells, so she was finding the lower level defensive spells much easier than she had anticipated. So, whilst she was working at a normal level in the majority of her subjects, she had advanced further in the practical application of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Because of this, they spent less time in DADA then she would have liked, and instead focused on other subjects. Ginny had been slightly annoyed at this at first, but they had moved through the material with far more speed than she had originally thought they would. Dumbledore was an exceptional teacher, and Sirius was far better than any of them had expected.
"Professor Dumbledore said that I was learning faster than he thought I would. I think it's because of the one on one instruction but he says that I'm a far more powerful witch than I think I am. He said that's why I'm finding the material so easy."
"I think it's a combination of the two Ginny!" Sirius announced with a smile on his face. "I think that we're all going to start doing more horcrux research now that you're caught up with the other second years. Well, horcrux research and other things."
Ginny's eyes narrowed. "What other things? Professor Dumbledore said that you can't go after Pettigrew! He thinks he's safe in Hogwarts and it'll be far easier to capture him that way!"
Sirius smirked, a maniacal gleam in his dark eyes. "Ginny, Ginny, Ginny. I have waited 12 years to have my revenge. 12 years to this day. You really think I'm going to sit by and calmly wait to see what Dumbledore says? Fat chance. That rat will die by my hand."
Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Most of the time Sirius was fun-loving and care-free, but at times like these he genuinely terrified her. However, even though she had spent only a short while in Azkaban, she knew she wanted to make Lucius Malfoy and Minister Fudge pay. It was these dark thoughts that were so obviously similar to Sirius' worst impulses that made her understand his need for revenge, but she didn't think she would ever actually kill. Ginny bit her lip and then changed the subject; it was best not to dwell on these comments that Sirius made and her own dark thoughts. "I think I'm going to go upstairs and read for a bit. I know Kreacher wanted to make a Halloween meal; I think he wants to prove he's better than the Hogwarts house-elves."
"I don't think I'll be eating with you tonight Ginny; make sure you save the leftovers."
Ginny nodded understandingly. Sirius' mood had been fluctuating all day today, due to the fact that it was 12 years since his best friend, his brother, was murdered and his life torn apart. She understood his need for space, especially tonight. Despite this, there was a little voice that insisted that Sirius was planning to do something exceptionally foolish. Ginny looked at Sirius, who sat brooding in an armchair, before sighing and starting to head up the stairs. She had got some magical theory to revise anyway; this time 'vera verto'. Professor Dumbledore expected her to fully comprehend the thought process behind the spell before she so much as attempted it. It was surprising how effective this method of teaching actually was; at this point Ginny thought she could perform some spells better than Bill. Quickly ascending the stairs, Ginny barrelled into the room she'd claimed as her own and threw herself on her bed. It didn't take long for her to lose herself in transfiguration theory.
-The 7th Child-
Sirius remained staring at the wall as Ginny headed up the stairs. 12 years since Lily and James died. Nearly 13 years since he had been a fool and forced them to choose someone other than him. The anger boiled inside of him; his hands gripped the armrests as if to hold himself down. Tonight, he would attempt to take his revenge. Ginny would be safe; the recast fidelius offered her protection and only Dumbledore knew its location, given the fact that he was now the secret keeper. Talking to the young girl had kept most of his anger at bay, but now the force of it was threatening to overwhelm him. He fantasised about ripping that rat to shreds, his animagus form inflicting as much pain on Pettigrew as possible. As a dog, he could rip him limb from limb. But slowly. He wanted Pettigrew to squeal. He thought about forcing Pettigrew to change back into a human and confronting him like he did all those years ago; although this time the conclusion would be something different. This time, Pettigrew would die.
Suddenly, Sirius jumped from the chair and marched upstairs. It would be much more fitting to confront Pettigrew looking like the mad, escaped convict he should be. Luckily, he had saved the prison clothing for just this occasion. Changing quickly, Sirius then used some glamour charms to make himself gaunter, his hair greasier. He then all but ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife (while Kreacher squawked protests at him), and barrelled out of the front door. As he hit the street, he turned to face Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The last thing he saw before he apparated to Hogsmeade was Ginny's pale face peering out of her bedroom window.
-The 7th Child-
Harry, Hermione and Ron sat at the Gryffindor house table in the Great Hall. People all around them laughed and talked, enjoying the Halloween feast. Jack 'O' Lanterns bobbed around the Great Hall, replacing a good quarter of the usual candles. The food was exemplary, even more than normal, and Ron was proving this by shovelling mouthfuls in every few seconds. Hermione watched him in fond exasperation, before turning to Harry. He appeared immune to the good mood that had infected many of the other students, and instead was staring morosely at his plate.
Hermione couldn't resist the temptation to mother the sullen boy. "Harry, you must eat something! You can't not eat. I don't think you had anything for breakfast either. What's wrong?"
Harry looked up. "Gee Hermione, I wonder what could possibly be wrong with me today?" His sarcastic tone caused Hermione's mouth to drop into an O shape. It took less than a second for her to realise what she'd missed.
"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry! I just didn't think!"
Harry sighed. It was hard to stay mad at her, especially when she hadn't done anything apart from be concerned about his wellbeing. "It's okay Hermione, I guess I do need to eat."
"Yeah, Hermione, give the bloke some space." Ron interjected, although his pronunciation was muffled due to the sheer amount of food in his mouth. Harry slid slightly to his right to avoid the flying food that sprayed out of Ron's mouth sporadically.
Hermione smiled kindly at Harry before turning to Ron to berate him about his lack of table manners. Harry began to eat and let his gaze wander around the hall as he tuned out the usual argument. Neville smiled at him from his spot a bit further down the table; Harry grinned in response. Neville had spoken to him near the start of the year to tell him how the Minister had gone to see him about Ginny. Neville reaffirmed his faith in Harry and Dumbledore's version of events, just luckily not to the Minister or to any of the Weasley siblings. This had brought the two boys closer together, and Harry was proud to include Neville amongst his closest friends. Hermione had also grown closer to Neville, given they were two of the four people left in Hogwarts who believed in Ginny's innocence. Speaking of the fourth person… Harry allowed his gaze to travel to the teacher's table, where Dumbledore was seated. He looked tired and was paying no mind to the conversations going on around him. Harry frowned slightly. It was unusual for Dumbledore to not engage with the other teachers, especially McGonagall. Maybe he'd heard something about Sirius Black and Ginny. Harry pondered this before a few moments more before Ron's voice pulled him away from his musings.
-The 7th Child-
Dumbledore sat on his chair as his staff and students chattered around him. For once, he did not feel like engaging in the festivities. Sirius had been more erratic than normal when he had gone to Grimmauld Place two days ago. He feared that Sirius was going to something colossally stupid and ruin his carefully rethought plans. Pettigrew must be captured in a way that looks like an accident, so that the Ministry does not believe he had prior knowledge. He would then work on getting Sirius exonerated from what he had been imprisoned for, before attempting to call for a trial of Ginny Weasley. He knew that getting Ginny pardoned would prove far more difficult. And through all of this, Harry must remain sheltered in order to give this boy a childhood. Voldemort had robbed Ginny Weasley of one; he would not steal Harry Potter's as well.
Speaking of Harry, Dumbledore quickly scanned the hall until his eyes found the black-haired boy. He was seated amongst his friends, although he was not as talkative as the others. Evidently, the anniversary of his parent's deaths had taken its toll on him. Dumbledore sighed. What he knew would undoubtedly bring the boy joy if he was to share it, but it may also bring unnecessary pressure. To hide this from his friends and the Ministry would put Harry under undue stress, which Dumbledore wanted to avoid at all costs. Ever since he had heard about the existence of Voldemort's horcruxes from Sirius and Ginny, Dumbledore had rethought everything he thought he knew about the prophecy. Yes, the power that Voldemort knows not was undoubtedly Harry's ability to love but the line 'neither can live while the other survives' had warranted further examination. Dumbledore now suspected that Harry was a horcrux, meaning the boy would have to die. Because of that, he would do his best to let Harry live as normal a life as possible until his time came. This meant not informing Harry of the two fugitives and vice versa, because it was likely both parties would demand to see each other. In Dumbledore's opinion, that reunion would be best left for another time. Unfortunately, that meant Ginny and Sirius would have to remain hidden for now, with him being the only person aware of their location. He would have to remain vigilant, in order to ensure he did not expose them.
Ginny Weasley was the one who Dumbledore was truly concerned about. From what he had seen the last two months, Sirius was slightly unstable but would likely recover once the truth was exposed. Ginny, on the other hand, had her entire family abandon and disown her whilst knowing the truth. And to know that they had decided this of their own free will… Dumbledore felt fairly guilty about that, and for this reason had decided to assist in the girl's learning. He had also told the girl that her family did not hate her. Having engaged in some subtle legilimancy, he had confirmed that the elder Weasleys had been swayed by the Minister, without any sort of charm. The younger Weasleys still doubted their sister's guilt but their mother's nature had squashed any thoughts they may have had about voicing them. Dumbledore knew that a fair chunk of the incidents last year were his fault, hence the guilt. It was due to his blindness that the Chamber incident escalated as it had, and it had resulted in the expulsion of an innocent girl. Just as he had helped Hagrid all those years ago, he now helped Ginny. If it also gave him another completely loyal follower, well, Dumbledore wouldn't complain.
Dumbledore was jerked from his thoughts when he noticed that the dirty plates were disappearing. He exited the Great Hall, just as the students all filed out into the corridors.
-The 7th Child-
The Gryffindors headed up towards their common room, all excitedly discussing various things. Suddenly, they came to a complete standstill.
Ron looked around and sighed. "Bet Neville's forgot the bloody password again."
"Hey!" An indignant voice emerged from the crowd behind them, causing Ron to turn around and quickly apologise to Neville. Harry smirked at his flustered friend, which soon turned into a full-on laugh when he caught Neville's eye. It was obvious the slightly pudgy boy was having the ginger Gryffindor on. A snort emerged from Harry's right, and he turned to see Hermione covering her mouth, her eyes twinkling with mirth. This caused Ron to look at his two best friends in confusion before Neville started joining in. The laughter surrounding Ron proved infectious, and soon he was laughing along with his friends. Their fun was soon ended as a familiarly pompous voice echoed throughout the corridor.
"Head Boy coming through! Move out of the way please! Head Boy coming through!"" Percy's head of curly red hair was visible as he forced his way through the crowd and up towards the portrait. "What is the problem?"
Before anyone could inform Percy of the issue, Dumbledore and Filch came storming up the staircases. Miraculously they didn't move when either staff member stepped upon them although with the expression on Dumbledore's face, Harry didn't think that the staircase would dare to attempt to change direction, lest they be blasted into pieces.
Dumbledore bellowed out for an explanation, his demeanour at odds with how he had often behaved in front of the students. Even Filch looked a little taken aback by Dumbledore's tone. Finally, one first year timidly offered up an explanation.
"The Fat Lady sir, she's gone!"
With that, Dumbledore forced his way to the portrait, even though the crowds of students did their best to get out of his way. Harry hurried to the best available advantage point, which had been cleared by the students moving out of the Headmaster's way. To his horror, the painting of the Fat Lady looked as though it had been viciously attacked. 3 large tears lay across the canvas, and Harry hurriedly relayed what he could see to his friends. Little did he know, his expression of horror was mirrored on Dumbledore's face.
"Mr Filch, we need to find the Fat Lady. Tell the ghosts to help the search. I would avoid Peeves though; he is likely to cause even more trouble."
"No need Headmaster. She's over there."
With Filch's declaration, the entirety of Gryffindor house turned as one and began to run up to the painting that Filch had pointed out. Somehow, the elderly Headmaster and caretaker managed to keep ahead of even the most athletic students.
"Dear lady, what happened to you?" Dumbledore had obviously made an effort to keep his voice calm, although the desperation tinging his words was obvious.
"A man tried to get into the tower and when I refused, he attacked me with a knife!"
"Who did?" Dumbledore's posture had gone rigid, and it looked as though he knew what the answer would be.
"A man with a soul as dark as his name, and eyes as insane as Morgana Le-Fay! It was Sirius Black! Sirius Black is in Hogwarts!"
Murmuring broke out amongst the students, punctuated by a few screams. Harry felt his stomach churn. A death eater in the castle? But the dementors…
"Ginny might have been here…" Harry was jerked from his thoughts and whirled around to see his best friend muttering to himself. He hadn't thought Ron had still cared about Ginny, or even thought of her. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but then blue eyes met green and he snapped his mouth shut. Obviously, this was not something Ron wanted discussing. A quick look at Hermione made it clear she had also heard, and her brow was furrowed, as though she was figuring out a complex problem. They were so engrossed with this, that they didn't register Dumbledore's announcement that all students would be sleeping in the Great Hall until the crowd started moving around them. Harry sighed and headed down the stairs. He would figure out this whole situation later.
-The 7th Child-
Ginny sat at the kitchen table as Kreacher bustled around her. The elf had tried to converse with her but could sense her sour mood and eventually left her alone. He had got her a cup of cocoa though, and a charm had been placed on it to keep it warm. Ginny was glad for this; she had been nursing the same cup for close to 4 hours. Sirius should have been back by now. Her small hands tightened around the mug as she thought of the recklessness in which Sirius had gone after Pettigrew. Dumbledore had told them about the dementors, and about the increased security measures at the school but Sirius had stupidly thought that he could capture Pettigrew. Merlin's beard, she hoped he hadn't been kissed.
The opening of the door grabbed her attention, and her head shot up. Sirius strutted into the kitchen, only faltering when he took note of her furious expression. He smoothly slid into the chair opposite her and waited for the outburst. As usual, the fiery redhead did not disappoint.
"Sirius Black! You complete and utter moronic fool! I could kill you! Professor Dumbledore said not to leave this fucking house but no… You had to go and try and get your stupid revenge! You are such a little shit! You left me here ALONE and then just saunter back in like nothing happened! Oh, you are in for it! I'm so angry! Why didn't you tell me?" The last part of Ginny's tirade trailed off, and Sirius realised his error. For so long he had treated her as his equal, as she behaved so much older than her twelve years. The recent undertaking of a more formal education for Ginny had starkly shown her youth, and Sirius had thought that by sneaking out, he was sparing her. Now he realised, he had only succeeded in hurting her.
"Ginny," The girl in question glared at him as he began to speak. "First of all, good job with the cursing, way to make me proud. Secondly, I didn't tell you because you're so young, and I know I've forgotten that with the way I've acted, but you are. You don't need protecting as much as most kids your age but until you can properly, you're going to need to stay here. But I'm sorry. We're in this together and I should have told you where I was going." Sirius breathed out a sigh of relief. He had made it through his apology without Ginny bat bogeying him, although the way she was fingering her wand had him a little on edge. Who knew a twelve-year-old could be so threatening? Finally, Ginny smiled.
"Okay, its fine. You were only trying to protect me, but next time please just tell me where your going? It's not like I can follow you. Anyway, it's not me you need to worry about. Dumbledore's going to kill you."
And almost as if she had timed it, the front door banged open. Albus Dumbledore strode into the room, and Sirius went as white as the ghost he was surely about to become.
-The 7th Child-
Albus Dumbledore was livid. Sirius had disobeyed his orders and gone galivanting off around Hogwarts trying to find Pettigrew. Oh, Dumbledore knew why Sirius had done it. It was blindingly obvious that Sirius would see today as a fitting day to take his revenge. But Albus Dumbledore was not used to people not following his instructions. That was what had made him truly furious.
"What on earth did you think you would achieve when you decided to enter Hogwarts without informing either of your closest allies?" Dumbledore's blue eyes narrowed as he looked at Sirius and his voice was as cold as the ice that his eyes had transformed into.
"I told you, I'm going to kill that rat. I thought it would be appropriately poetic and dramatic to do it tonight, but alas, that woman thwarted me." This would have sounded brave and arrogant had there not been a slight wobble to Sirius' voice. To be subject to Dumbledore's wrath had evidently robbed the man of much of his bravado.
"And good job she did! How had you planned on escaping the tower once all the students had returned?" With that Sirius slumped in his chair; it was clear he had had no real exit strategy. Out of the corner of his eye, Dumbledore spied a smug grin on Ginny's face. It was obvious that the young girl was unhappy with Sirius' choices, but she could not be here for the remainder of this conversation. He quickly turned and spoke to Ginny kindly.
"Ginny, its late and we do have a big lesson tomorrow. I think its best if you pop up to bed."
Ginny's shoulders slumped in defeat and she trudged up to her room. Once he heard her door shut, Dumbledore once again faced Sirius.
"I had planned on coming here tonight before your ill-advised revenge mission. I have some information that needs sharing."
Sirius sat up straighter in his chair. "About the horcruxes?"
"Amongst other things."
Sirius gestured. "Then by all means."
"As you are well aware, we have knowledge of two horcruxes. I have reason to believe that Tom Riddle created another 5."
"7?! 7 bloody horcruxes? How scared of death is he to do that to himself?"
"With the risk of sounding egotistical, I believe death and myself are the only things Tom fears. Now about the elf… if he has knowledge of the horcruxes his memory must be modified."
"Um well you see; I sort of maybe changed the truth slightly. I figured out that they were horcruxes from one of the delightful volumes in my family library. I didn't want to make a big fuss over finding out what it was given I'd only found out what they were called. Plus, it was easier to say Kreacher had heard that that was what it was then admit that I am absolutely useless at researching. I also have trouble with telling authorities everything I know, given my previous experience. Anyway, we know a lot more now that you've been on the case."
Dumbledore shook his head. "Whilst I feel that minor fabrication was completely unnecessary, I suppose we are completely past it. Harry destroyed the diary with a basilisk fang last year, which gives us one option, although it is an expensive one. I may have to look into other avenues."
Sirius nodded and was about to arise from his chair before Dumbledore stopped him. "There is one more thing. Miss Weasley could have been present for the previous point, but it was this I wanted to avoid her hearing."
Sirius leant forward. "What?"
"I performed some exceptionally subtle legilimancy upon the Weasley boys who are still in Hogwarts. What I found was more upsetting than any of us could have thought. I know we previously speculated that the family may have been confounded, but that is not the case. Nor have their memories been modified. A skilled Legilimans such as I, can spot a modified memory. The Minister spoke to the Weasleys after the arrest of Ginny and informed them that I was covering for her out of a sense of misplaced guilt. I had not done anything to prevent a wrongful arrest 50 years ago and thought that I could set the past right with Ginny Weasley. Fudge claimed the diary could not possess someone, given that that particular branch of magic only works if the person is still alive. And of course, the Ministry believes that Tom is dead. Therefore, the Ministry's official line is that the diary gave Ginny the power to act out her deepest and darkest desires, which they claim was to erase muggleborns from Hogwarts. Given Molly Weasley's tendency to believe most authority figures, she accepted this, as did Percy. I believe Arthur Weasley soon followed his wife's lead, which encouraged Fred, George and Ronald to also fall in line. I think the fact that the Weasleys see everything in black and white did not help Ginny at all. However, the younger three have their doubts about the Ministry version of events, but unfortunately, they will not speak out about it. Molly Weasley is far too controlling to allow that."
Sirius gaped at Dumbledore. "So they actually abandoned her? They weren't forced to?"
Dumbledore nodded gravely, and the two men sat in silence. Neither noticed the young girl slowly emerging from her hiding place on the other-side of the door. Ginny silently headed up the stairs, smothering her sobs. It wasn't until she reached her bed did she allow herself to cry.
-The 7th Child-
Peter Pettigrew was scared shitless. Sirius had come to Hogwarts to find him, and it was only a matter of time before he did. Only a few months ago, Pettigrew had been content with his life. Then the bushy haired girl had got that cat, and everything had gone downhill from there.
He needed to get out. He had always backed the bigger bully, due to his high levels of self-preservation. And when he got scared, he ran. He always ran. And that's what he needed to do now. He needed to escape.
