A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! :)
~
A Shadow Rising
Chapter 2: Visitors
"What's happened?" Norah entered the kitchen and stared at her relatives, who were strangely silent. "What? Tell me!"
"Norah, I think you should go back up to your room," her mother said. "Go on."
"Not until I find out what's going on here!" Norah crossed her arms defiantly. "Besides, I've already thought about why I shouldn't call Michael a Death Eater."
Everyone flinched. "Oh no," Norah said, realisation dawning on her. "This doesn't have to do with Death Eaters... Does it?"
There was a long pause, then, "I'm afraid so, Norah," her father sighed. "Sit down. We need to talk about this. All of us."
Norah obliged and took a seat across from her older cousin. She glanced at him worriedly, and he smiled, apparently in an attempt to reassure her.
"I guess I'll start again, since Norah should know what's going on," Marcus suggested. Harry nodded for him to go on. Marcus cleared his throat. "Well it just happened early this morning... I think about four o'clock, and that's why the papers haven't printed it."
"What happened?" Norah leaned forward.
"I'm getting to that," he answered. "We were all woken up at about five o'clock in the morning by someone pounding on the door. They said they needed my parents to report to the Ministry immediatly. We still had no idea what was going on, but Mum and Dad and whoever the bloke was that came to get them were out the door in less than five minutes."
"Will and Becky and I were obviously pretty confused, so we decided to walk down the road to our Grandparents' house and see if they knew what was going on. When we got there, Gran said that Grandpa had rushed out to the Ministry as well. He said he needed to organize a team as quickly as possible, to deal with any Muggles who had questions. He said that a house about fifteen miles away had been raided, and the couple who lived there killed."
"But how did they know it was Death Eaters who did it?" Norah inquired. "What if it was just some crazy old wizard with a grudge, or something?"
Her parents exchanged looks. "Norah..." her father began, "they found the Dark Mark hovering above their house."
"Oh," Norah said simply, feeling rather ill. This wasn't supposed to be happening. The Dark Lord was supposed to be gone... Dead! Or at least that's what everyone assumed. If her memory served her right, her parents had told her that You-Know-Who had diminished to nearly nothing. Had fled back to the forests of Albania, to die, everyone thought. Maybe everyone was wrong. Norah shuddered.
"So that means he's back?" her brother was saying. "What are we going to do?"
"Not so fast, Michael," her father answered. "These could very well just be a couple of rogue Death Eaters left over from the old days, trying to scare people," he took off his glasses and turned them over in his hands. "What I don't understand is why they would just choose a couple of random people and kill them. Doesn't make much sense to me."
"They weren't just random people," Marcus responded. "They were former Aurors, from what I understand."
"Now that's something to worry about!" her brother exclaimed. "If they're after former Aurors, a lot of people we know are in danger!"
"Don't jump to conclusions, Michael!" his mother said. "Think of what your father said. It's not like there are armies of dark wizards at our door."
Right then there was a knock at the door. Everyone jumped. Norah let out a little yelp. Harry rose from the table, wand in hand - just in case - and went out into the corridor towards the front door. Those gathered in the kitchen waited with bated breath. Suddenly they heard a voice that didn't belong to Harry.
"Hey Potter, just thought I'd stop by and see if you've heard the news! I guess you have, seeing as how you've got your wand at hand. Don't worry, mate, I'm not a Death Eater, at least not last time I checked. Let me in then, you wouldn't let an old friend wait outside all day!"
The two men entered the kitchen, laughing, and everyone visibly relaxed. "Michael, Norah, Marcus, this is Seamus Finnigan. I think you've met him once before."
"I've met these two gentlemen," he motioned to Marcus and Michael, "but this is a new face," he nodded at Norah, who grinned shyly.
"This is Norah, my youngest," Harry said. "Norah, this is Seamus Finnigan. Say hello."
"Nice to meet you, Mr Finnigan," Norah said.
"Seamus," the man grinned, shaking her hand warmly. "Well, I see Ginny hasn't changed one bit since I saw her last... What was it? Twelve years ago?"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ginny smiled. "And I hear you have a son as well?"
"A son and a daughter!" he laughed. "Blimey, we've really lost touch, haven't we? We'll have to fix that. My son, Adam, he's probably a couple years younger than Norah. He's eight. And my daughter, Shauna just turned five."
"I'm eleven," Norah stated.
"Obviously," Michael rolled his eyes. Norah ignored him.
"Eleven? You'll be going to Hogwarts this year, then?" she nodded. "Well then, just make sure you don't get into as much trouble as your Dad did, eh?" he winked.
"I for one certainly hope she doesn't!" Ginny smiled. Her husband blushed.
"Anyway," said Seamus. "I guess you've all heard about what's happened. I've really got to be going, I just stopped in to say 'hello' because I was in the area. I'm heading to the Ministry. Seems they're looking to put together a group of Aurors, see if they can catch the blokes who did this."
"All right," Harry stood up to see him to the door. "You just take care of yourself, will you? You've got a family to think of now."
"I will," he promised, as he exited the house.
"He's an Auror?" Michael asked, as his father came back into the kitchen.
"Sure is," Harry replied. "And a great one at that, though there hasn't been much call for people of that profession lately. Let's hope there's not much call for them in the future, either."
"Well I'd better get going too," Marcus said, standing up. "I can't trust Will and Becky for too long alone. They might destroy the house, or something. Is it all right if I use some of your floo powder to get back?"
"Sure," Ginny said. "Come with me, I'll get it for you." she lead him out of the room, and down the corridor.
"See you in a week!" Marcus called back to the kitchen.
"Dad," said Norah, "do you think You-Know-Who's going to come back?"
"Do you want the honest truth?" he asked.
"Yes," she said.
He nodded. "I really don't know, Norah. I'd think he was dead, seeing as how he was only barely clinging to life when he fled, after the war... But you never know. One thing I've learned is to never under estimate your enemies. Another thing I've learned is to never rule out any possibilites."
"It's like Quidditch," Michael put in.
"Yeah," Harry laughed. "Like Quidditch." but he knew in the back of his mind that this was much more serious than Quidditch. And his children knew it too.
~
A Shadow Rising
Chapter 2: Visitors
"What's happened?" Norah entered the kitchen and stared at her relatives, who were strangely silent. "What? Tell me!"
"Norah, I think you should go back up to your room," her mother said. "Go on."
"Not until I find out what's going on here!" Norah crossed her arms defiantly. "Besides, I've already thought about why I shouldn't call Michael a Death Eater."
Everyone flinched. "Oh no," Norah said, realisation dawning on her. "This doesn't have to do with Death Eaters... Does it?"
There was a long pause, then, "I'm afraid so, Norah," her father sighed. "Sit down. We need to talk about this. All of us."
Norah obliged and took a seat across from her older cousin. She glanced at him worriedly, and he smiled, apparently in an attempt to reassure her.
"I guess I'll start again, since Norah should know what's going on," Marcus suggested. Harry nodded for him to go on. Marcus cleared his throat. "Well it just happened early this morning... I think about four o'clock, and that's why the papers haven't printed it."
"What happened?" Norah leaned forward.
"I'm getting to that," he answered. "We were all woken up at about five o'clock in the morning by someone pounding on the door. They said they needed my parents to report to the Ministry immediatly. We still had no idea what was going on, but Mum and Dad and whoever the bloke was that came to get them were out the door in less than five minutes."
"Will and Becky and I were obviously pretty confused, so we decided to walk down the road to our Grandparents' house and see if they knew what was going on. When we got there, Gran said that Grandpa had rushed out to the Ministry as well. He said he needed to organize a team as quickly as possible, to deal with any Muggles who had questions. He said that a house about fifteen miles away had been raided, and the couple who lived there killed."
"But how did they know it was Death Eaters who did it?" Norah inquired. "What if it was just some crazy old wizard with a grudge, or something?"
Her parents exchanged looks. "Norah..." her father began, "they found the Dark Mark hovering above their house."
"Oh," Norah said simply, feeling rather ill. This wasn't supposed to be happening. The Dark Lord was supposed to be gone... Dead! Or at least that's what everyone assumed. If her memory served her right, her parents had told her that You-Know-Who had diminished to nearly nothing. Had fled back to the forests of Albania, to die, everyone thought. Maybe everyone was wrong. Norah shuddered.
"So that means he's back?" her brother was saying. "What are we going to do?"
"Not so fast, Michael," her father answered. "These could very well just be a couple of rogue Death Eaters left over from the old days, trying to scare people," he took off his glasses and turned them over in his hands. "What I don't understand is why they would just choose a couple of random people and kill them. Doesn't make much sense to me."
"They weren't just random people," Marcus responded. "They were former Aurors, from what I understand."
"Now that's something to worry about!" her brother exclaimed. "If they're after former Aurors, a lot of people we know are in danger!"
"Don't jump to conclusions, Michael!" his mother said. "Think of what your father said. It's not like there are armies of dark wizards at our door."
Right then there was a knock at the door. Everyone jumped. Norah let out a little yelp. Harry rose from the table, wand in hand - just in case - and went out into the corridor towards the front door. Those gathered in the kitchen waited with bated breath. Suddenly they heard a voice that didn't belong to Harry.
"Hey Potter, just thought I'd stop by and see if you've heard the news! I guess you have, seeing as how you've got your wand at hand. Don't worry, mate, I'm not a Death Eater, at least not last time I checked. Let me in then, you wouldn't let an old friend wait outside all day!"
The two men entered the kitchen, laughing, and everyone visibly relaxed. "Michael, Norah, Marcus, this is Seamus Finnigan. I think you've met him once before."
"I've met these two gentlemen," he motioned to Marcus and Michael, "but this is a new face," he nodded at Norah, who grinned shyly.
"This is Norah, my youngest," Harry said. "Norah, this is Seamus Finnigan. Say hello."
"Nice to meet you, Mr Finnigan," Norah said.
"Seamus," the man grinned, shaking her hand warmly. "Well, I see Ginny hasn't changed one bit since I saw her last... What was it? Twelve years ago?"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ginny smiled. "And I hear you have a son as well?"
"A son and a daughter!" he laughed. "Blimey, we've really lost touch, haven't we? We'll have to fix that. My son, Adam, he's probably a couple years younger than Norah. He's eight. And my daughter, Shauna just turned five."
"I'm eleven," Norah stated.
"Obviously," Michael rolled his eyes. Norah ignored him.
"Eleven? You'll be going to Hogwarts this year, then?" she nodded. "Well then, just make sure you don't get into as much trouble as your Dad did, eh?" he winked.
"I for one certainly hope she doesn't!" Ginny smiled. Her husband blushed.
"Anyway," said Seamus. "I guess you've all heard about what's happened. I've really got to be going, I just stopped in to say 'hello' because I was in the area. I'm heading to the Ministry. Seems they're looking to put together a group of Aurors, see if they can catch the blokes who did this."
"All right," Harry stood up to see him to the door. "You just take care of yourself, will you? You've got a family to think of now."
"I will," he promised, as he exited the house.
"He's an Auror?" Michael asked, as his father came back into the kitchen.
"Sure is," Harry replied. "And a great one at that, though there hasn't been much call for people of that profession lately. Let's hope there's not much call for them in the future, either."
"Well I'd better get going too," Marcus said, standing up. "I can't trust Will and Becky for too long alone. They might destroy the house, or something. Is it all right if I use some of your floo powder to get back?"
"Sure," Ginny said. "Come with me, I'll get it for you." she lead him out of the room, and down the corridor.
"See you in a week!" Marcus called back to the kitchen.
"Dad," said Norah, "do you think You-Know-Who's going to come back?"
"Do you want the honest truth?" he asked.
"Yes," she said.
He nodded. "I really don't know, Norah. I'd think he was dead, seeing as how he was only barely clinging to life when he fled, after the war... But you never know. One thing I've learned is to never under estimate your enemies. Another thing I've learned is to never rule out any possibilites."
"It's like Quidditch," Michael put in.
"Yeah," Harry laughed. "Like Quidditch." but he knew in the back of his mind that this was much more serious than Quidditch. And his children knew it too.