Chapter 8
the plan
There was absolute silence in the room as the note was passed around and read, each person deep in their own troubled thoughts. No one noticed when Harry got up and paced to the center of the room, his face grim and determined.
"Absolutely not, Harry! Don't you dare even think it!" Hermione's voice carried shrilly through the quiet room, startling all of them. She stood in the doorway, the note clutched in her hands, Ron right behind her. "I know what you're thinking, Harry, and you can just forget it." She warned, her finger pointing.
"Yeah," seconded Ron. "We know that look. Just forget it."
"Hermione. Ron," Glynnis sighed and she stood and gathered the two in her arms. "I'm glad you've come."
"Who's not doing what?" Mr. Weasley asked, entering the room.
Glynnis turned to face him. "Harry wants to trade himself for Sirius," her concern mixing with ferocious pride.
"Well, he's not going to, is he Arthur?" stated Molly Weasley firmly. "Harry, let a wizard, a full fledged wizard, handle this. It's not a job for a young man such as yourself."
Arthur Weasley was reading the note. His eyes traveled to Harry's determined face and then to Attivus. An unspoken communication of sorts must have passed between them because, after a moment, Attivus nodded once. Arthur Weasley cleared his throat. "I think he should go."
"What?" The cry erupted from several throats at once. It took him a moment to calm them all down again and explain himself.
"This person who has Sirius obviously thinks he knows what he's doing. Therefore, he will have protected himself against any wizard who tries to attempt a rescue. That might not be so for a someone like Harry, who's not fully trained."
"But then this person will have Harry!" his wife explained, exasperated. "Then what? If a wizard can't get in to rescue Sirius, how will he rescue Harry? We'll be in the same pickle we are now."
Arthur Weasley looked at the floor, trying to gain a moment before he spoke again. When he did speak, it was very quietly. "I am not suggesting he go alone."
Molly Weasley's mouth opened and closed, much like that of a fish on land. "Arthur Weasley! You can't be suggesting. . . I won't allow it! You'll not send yourself into untold danger. I won't have it and that's final!"
He simply smiled at her. "I wasn't thinking of going myself."
It took a moment for his meaning to sink in. When it did, Molly opened her mouth, a tirade worse than that of a howler forming on her lips. It was Glynnis who stopped the explosion.
"I would like to hear your suggestion, Arthur," she said, her eyes begging Molly to restrain herself for the moment.
"Yeah, Dad. Let's hear it." Ron couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. He had an idea what was coming and was, strangely, looking forward to it. He'd discovered an adventurous side to himself that he didn't know he had and was not afraid to explore it further.
"I would like to suggest that Ron and Hermione accompany him. The three of them have proved themselves to be quite resourceful in tight situations. I think that if anyone can free Sirius, they can."
"But how. . .?" Mrs. Weasley didn't get to finish.
"Since I do have a personal stake in this, what with any injuries that might occur," Attivus interjected, his eyes twinkling but serious, "I think I should have a say. I believe that with some planning and a little help from those of us who are more experienced, this can be done quickly. And without much danger to anyone involved."
"How do propose to do this?" Glynnis asked, her hands folded tightly in front of her.
"Well," Arthur began, "I think that if Harry goes to meet this fellow, since I'm assuming that's how it's going to be, he should take Hermione and Ron along. Then, when they've reached Sirius, they can dispense with the bloke and return home."
"Hermione and Ron aren't going to fit in Harry's pocket. How do you plan on getting them past this wizard?" Mrs. Weasley's hands were on her hips, her chin raised in defiance. It was obvious she didn't like this plan. Not one bit.
"They won't be seen. They will use Harry's invisibility cloak to cover themselves."
Harry gasped. "How do you know about that?" he wanted to know.
Attivus and Arthur both laughed. "It was common knowledge your father had one. And with all the trouble you and Ron manage to get into without being caught, it's rather obvious that you've got it now." Attivus clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, which was, considering Harry's recent growth spurt, no small reach for the petite doctor.
"But won't that be bulky? With both of us underneath it?" Hermione was chewing her lip, concentrating. Now that the problem had been revealed, she was busy doing her part to make it work.
"You can use Sirius', too," Glynnis volunteered quietly. She merely shrugged at the questioning looks. "Sometimes Sirius needs to be a bit more obscure than even his dog form can allow him to be."
Everyone understood. They knew that Sirius was doing important work for Dumbledore. "Even considering they do get inside to wherever this person is holding Sirius, which I'm assuming is the idea, how are three students going to defeat or at least disable a full fledged wizard?" Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at one another. That was a good question. They'd defeated other wizards before, but it had always been by a stroke of pure luck. This was different.
"That's where Glynnis comes in," pointed out Attivus brightly, as if it should be obvious. "She can relay what's going on from Harry to Arthur and I, then we can apparate to a place nearby. Then, if needs be, we can relay instructions back to Harry as to what to do next."
"What if something happens to Harry?" You could tell by her tone of voice that Molly Weasley was beginning to see the sense in this plan. She didn't like it any better, but she could understand it's usefulness.
"I can talk to anyone, Molly. Not just Harry and Sirius. I just need to know who they are. I already know Ron and Hermione so establishing a link will be easy."
Arthur and Molly both turned and stared at her. They knew she was telepathic but they had no idea she was that strong. "You can do that?" Molly wondered aloud.
*Yes*
Molly shook her head as the answer came through clear in her mind. Then she smiled at Glynnis. "This just might work," she admitted.