Chapter Ten: Percy is Missing

Minerva joined Ginny, Ron and Slave by the fire. Slave wore a red beanie hat he had found somewhere. It was purposefully pulled over the scar on his forehead. Minerva opened the book called: Dark Arts for Those of Simple Mind.

"That's a bit rude, isn't it?" asked Ginny.

"Pay no attention to that," said Minerva. "It's very old-fashioned."

Ginny peered over Minerva's shoulder at the yellowed pages and various, strange colored inks. Minerva snapped it shut. "Why don't you read about charms?"

Ginny opened a blue book and read a sentence aloud: "Cause yourself to be unseen, a valued spell."

"Can you see the words for the charm?" asked Minerva.

Ginny screwed up her eyes, but it was written in faded script. Minerva fixed it with her wand.

"The Disillusionment Charm, Dissimulato."

"Say the spell as you hold this," Minerva handed her wand to Ginny. "You may as well have some homeschooling now."

Ginny laughed with Ron and Slave watching her. "Dissss, dis, pffftkkk, dismulto-" the wand made a snapping sound and jumped from her hand across the room.

"Have another go, why don't you," said Minerva.

Ginny bent to pick up the wand. "Stop looking at me," she told Ron and Slave. They turned to stare at a duck flapping around outside instead and missed Ginny melting into thin air.

"Brilliant!" said Ginny's voice.

"It doesn't last very long," said Minerva. "You'll reappear in a minute or so. Ron, your turn. You'll be able to see each other while you are both underneath the same charm."

Slave went to sit in a corner to pick at the rug as Ron's voice said: "Dissimulato. Bloody hell, I hope I reappear soon. Don't want to get it muddled up with this one."

Slave raised his eyes. A candlestick floated around before being set on a table, then decorative shells got juggled before Ron and Ginny reappeared.

"Now, then" - Minerva turned to Slave - "Your turn."

Slave went pink and stared at his feet. "Nah," he said. "I will look stupid if I try!" and he ran out the door.

Ron gave a low whistle. "Doesn't hang about, does he?"

"Wait!" Ginny's voice called as Slave ran dramatically down the pathway. "I'll cast it for you!" and a spell hit him on the ear.

Slave did not appear back in the cottage for a long time.

Minerva stood up suddenly.

"Oh dear… Dumbeldore's ring! I must have misplaced- Well, that concludes our lessons for today. Go and play outside!" and she hurried to the attic room's ladder, but tripped over something. "There you are," said Minerva, when Slave reappeared on the rug, nursing a bruised knee.

In the Forbidden Forest, Arthur backed away from a circle of berries and leaves. Inside was a young witch made of ice. Her eyes were wide and hair tangled from running through trees to escape werewolves. Only her mouth moved.

"Arthur Weasley, what brings you here tonight of all nights?"

"Rowena, is that you?" asked Arthur.

"It surely is," said Rowena.

"Ah, my spell kept you from ageing. I, er ... You remember my third eldest, Percy?"

"Well, Arthur, I remember you had a baby boy called Percy. You told me all about him years ago while I was defrosting. He was having trouble with his teeth I remember. And you were not getting much sleep. How are his teeth now?"

"He's eighteen years old now. Two nights ago, he disappeared in the Forbidden Forest."

"That is not good. This is no place for a boy."

"No."

Some parts of Rowena had melted.

"I am going to melt before I defrost," said Rowena. "It is too late for me to recover fully. Nevertheless, I appreciate what you did for me, all those years ago. Many wizards have recast the spell keeping me preserved; but you have also been a friend."

"I am honoured," said Arthur.

"I know terrible darkness has entered Hogwarts," continued Rowena. "It may have taken your boy."

"I had hoped you might have seen him," said Arthur.

"No," said Rowena. "But I will look out for him."

"Thank you, Rowena," said Arthur.

"It is nothing, compared with what you did for me. I am grateful to be here to help you at all."

Arthur looked to the ground.

"...I will come and see you again," he said. "I'm not staying far from here. I'll be at Hagrid's with Molly and the boys."

"You have more boys?"

"Er, yes. Five more. We had seven altogether, but..."

"A seventh son of the seventh son? A gift."

"He died."

"Ah. I am sorry, Arthur. A great loss."

"Yes."

"You must leave now, Arthur. I am glad you found happiness."

"Thank you, Rowena. That is very kind."

"Until the next time, Arthur."

Arthur hurried back to the tree house where his family waited.

"Sorry 'bout the inconvenience," said Hagrid, after Arthur climbed the wooden ladder, cursing his robes for catching another nail. "Bin repainting me hut with toxic paint a feller from the pub sold me. Didn't tell me it was toxic at the time." Hagrid wore a pink shower cap. "Touchin' it while it's wet makes all yer hair fall off." He scratched his chin where his long, shaggy beard was absent. "Luckily I had this tree house ter move into temporarily, before anything else happened."

Fred and George swung past a window on a rope hanging from a branch.

"Hi, Dad!" said Fred, before falling off and landing on his skull.

"Are you alright?" Arthur stuck his head out the window. Charlie was hanging upside down in a very high branch, when he looked up. "This tree is great for climbing!" he called. Bill was underneath in the shade, reading a book.

"I think Rowena was right," Arthur said later to Molly. "Percy may be at Hogwarts. I get the feeling he'd go there."

"I don't see why you are taking so much notice of that witch, Arthur," said Molly. "It's not as though she knows anything. Suppose Percy's in the Forbidden Forest and you end up killed. What then?"

But Arthur insisted on changing into a short hooded tunic, and said good-bye to Molly and the boys to climb back down from the tree house. "I'll be back soon."