Author's Note: Wow! I'm up to eight reviews on that last chapter. While I'm on a
roll, maybe I should add an extra chapter or two -- oh, wait -- I can't do that.
The ending is already written, and it's too late to change it. Ah, well. Can't
fault a bloke for dreaming.
But I do want to thank my Chapter 9 reviewers: kateydidnt, LadyLilandra, ShelaghC, Marie, sbys, crazyfriendsfan, Occamy and Phoenix Flight. If everyone is still in the dark, then I've done my job. And now -- let there be light!
***
Ron and Hermione lay in adjoining beds in the hospital wing. Harry sat between them, holding Hermione's hand as they both watched Madam Pomfrey conclude her examination of Ron.
"They're both fine, Headmaster," she said confidently. "Some hot food and a night in hospital will find them fit and healthy."
Dumbledore nodded his appreciation, whereupon Madam Pomfrey departed, knowing instinctively when the Headmaster was about to hold council. She passed Professor McGonagall, who promptly locked the door and Charmed it with the same spell Dumbledore had used to secure the wing three years ago during the notorious "Sirius Black Incident."
All eyes now turned to Dumbledore.
"The last four days," he began, "have seen mystery pile upon mystery. We could be here all night exchanging verbal accounts and still not learn all. However, there is a more expeditious means at our disposal."
Dumbledore reached into his robes and slowly withdrew a wand.
"Albus," Professor McGonagall said immediately, "that's not your wand!"
"Astute, as always, Minerva," Dumbledore smiled. "It is, in fact, Igor Karkaroff's."
Everyone stared at the wand as Dumbledore raised it as if for exhibition. There was a look of disdain from the Headmaster as he scrutinized it over the rims of his half-moon spectacles.
"This wand has been kept in my office since Saturday last. It was to be used in evidence against Karkaroff. Used to convict him of murder -- to be precise, your murder, Miss Granger."
Hermione stared in disbelief. Dumbledore smiled.
"It was not needed," he resumed, "due to so many witches and wizards coming forward to testify. Once sentence is passed, I have been charged with snapping it in two and incinerating the remains.
"However, in the meantime it can render us an inestimable service. No doubt the first good it will have done in many a year.
"You are all familiar, I trust, with 'Priori Incantatum'?"
Dumbledore did not wait for a reply.
"This wand committed three murders in Hogsmeade. Two of the victims are certain. As to the third..."
Dumbledore exchanged a brief, knowing look with Professor McGonagall as he shifted Karkaroff's wand to his left hand and drew his own wand with his right. He placed the wands together, tip to tip.
"Priori Incantato!"
A swirling silver mist emerged from the tip of Karkaroff's wand. It slowly coalesced into a human form. A bright, cheerful face beamed down at Harry.
"Hi, Harry! So it came out alright, then? Ah, yes! Hello, Hermione! And Ron! Good to see you!"
In a voice steady as the hand holding the wand, Dumbledore spoke a single word:
"Why?"
"Wellll," the apparition said hesitantly, "I couldn't let Ron die, could I? I mean, he's Harry's best friend, isn't he? If Harry got Hermione back but lost Ron, where would be the gain? So I had to do it, didn't I?"
A new voice interposed weakly. It was Ron's.
"How -- how did you know?"
"Well, I saw you, didn't I?" came the cheerful reply. "I was on the edge of the grounds, just sort of walking and thinking, and I saw the sparks from your wand! So I got curious, and I hid behind a tree and I looked. And I saw you throw an Invisibility Cloak over someone. I'd heard about Invisibility Cloaks, but I never saw one before! Wow, was that ever neat!
"But I couldn't figure out why you were dragging someone in the first place. And you were moving away from the castle. If someone was hurt, wouldn't you be going toward the castle, to go to Madam Pomfrey? And I could only come up with one answer. Maybe you had hurt whoever you were dragging! Maybe…maybe you'd even killed them. I didn't know what to do, so I just followed you and kept thinking of what to do next. Should I see where you were going, or should I go for a teacher?
"But when I saw you make the Whomping Willow stop moving -- well, I sure wasn't going to turn back then, was I? I never knew anyone could do that! And when you went into the tunnel, I followed you -- I never knew there was a tunnel under the Whomping Willow -- of course, there are a lot of things I never knew, I suppose -- really not much of a wizard, come to that --
"Well, then, I followed you into the Shrieking Shack -- I didn't know what it was then, of course -- and when I saw who it was you'd been carrying, I couldn't believe it! Hermione was supposed to be in Hogsmeade with Harry, wasn't she? So what were you doing dragging her to the Shrieking Shack? And when she didn't move, I thought she must be dead. And I thought, maybe you'd joined the Dark Side and you were going to perform some ritual, maybe bring Hermione back as a zombie or a vampire or something…make her a servant of You-Know-Who – like I thought you were! And I couldn't let something like that happen to someone as nice as Hermione, could I? I knew I had to do something! But what could I do?
"And then I remembered what they told us in Defense Against the Dark Arts, about how the Aurors were allowed to use the Unforgivable Curses against Death Eaters and other servants of You-Know-Who. Well, I wasn't an Auror, but it sure looked like you were maybe an apprentice Death Eater or something. So that made it okay, didn't it? I mean, I'd never use the Killing Curse, but I figured if I used the Imperius Curse, I could learn the truth and maybe save Hermione. So I did."
Ron's jaw was slack, his eyes wide and pregnant with agony.
"Didn't I...try to fight it?"
Ron was on the verge of tears. He knew Harry had resisted the Imperius Curse when "Mad-Eye Moody" used it on him as a demonstration in class. Could not he, Ron, have resisted as well?
"Well, yes, you did, actually," came the solicitous reply. "But you looked really tired -- kind of worried, you know? I think maybe that's why it worked on you."
"I told you...everything?" Ron said sickly.
"Oh, yes! You told me you had a Time-Turner, and you'd brewed up a batch of Polyjuice Potion -- wow, am I ever glad I turned out to be a wizard, even if I wasn't a very good one. I'd never have learned about cool stuff like that in Muggle school -- "
"But why?" Ron demanded, his voice cracking pitifully. "Why you?"
"I told you! I couldn't let you do it! There are too many people who'd miss you. Especially Harry. And, well, once I saw how late it was getting, I knew there wasn't time to think of something else. If someone was going to take Hermione's place, it had to be me, didn't it? I mean, there was no one else there, was there?
"So I drank the Polyjuice Potion -- yuck! -- and I turned into Hermione -- wow, was that ever weird! And I ran as fast as I could to Hogsmeade, and I saw Karkaroff pointing his wand at Harry, so I knocked him down like an American Football player, and..."
There was a wan sigh as the bright grin dimmed a trifle.
"It didn't hurt at all. I'm glad I did it. It really was for the best, you know.
"But -- I wish I'd known about the note on the tree. I didn't want anyone to worry, see? I even Obliviated your memory, so you wouldn't know I'd been there. But that was real clever, using a Concealment Charm. No wonder you're Harry's friend. A great wizard like Harry deserves the best mates, like you and Hermione. Not an ankle-biter like me..."
A tearful Harry was now shaking his fist in Ron's face.
"You great, stupid bollock! What in Merlin's name were you thinking? If I didn't -- if you weren't -- "
"It's..." Ron said, his eyes looking downwards, "...it's all I could...come up with..."
"But he didn't have to, did he, Harry?" the ghostly voice squeaked. "I did it! You're all together now! And was the price really so high? I mean, who's going to miss me? Well, maybe Dennis, I guess. But I was never much of a big brother...just like I was never much of a wizard. Sometimes I think I never really belonged at Hogwarts. Maybe I should've become a milkman, like my dad.
"But now Dennis can be proud of me! I did something good! I made it so my friend Harry didn't have to lose either of his two best friends!
"Oh -- Harry -- ?"
The voice was growing ever fainter, the image increasingly transparent.
"Yes?" Harry whispered chokingly.
"See that Dennis gets my camera, will you? And tell him I got some really good shots on this last roll."
Harry nodded, the lump in his throat impeding speech.
"Thanks! Bye, Harry! Bye, everyone! Be happy!"
And as the company in the infirmary watched tearfully, the joyfully radiant face of Colin Creevey vanished forever in a wisp of silver mist.
***
Author's Note: Among the most avid rumors surrounding the last three HP novels are those speculating on who will die. While no one is naming names, one source reported that "Harry's biggest fan" would be taking the Dirt Nap. "Biggest fan?" I ask you, is there a bigger "fanboy" in the books than Colin Creevey? Alas, I fear the annoying little shutterbug's warranty is dangerously close to expiring. More than likely he will die at the hands of some Death Eater, a victim of "Mudblood bashing." Like Cedric before him, Colin may well suffer the further indignity of dying a completely pointless death. I think he deserves better. If he is to die, why not let him die a hero?
Rest in peace, Colin. We'll miss you.
Thanks to all who read and reviewed. I shall return.
But I do want to thank my Chapter 9 reviewers: kateydidnt, LadyLilandra, ShelaghC, Marie, sbys, crazyfriendsfan, Occamy and Phoenix Flight. If everyone is still in the dark, then I've done my job. And now -- let there be light!
Ron and Hermione lay in adjoining beds in the hospital wing. Harry sat between them, holding Hermione's hand as they both watched Madam Pomfrey conclude her examination of Ron.
"They're both fine, Headmaster," she said confidently. "Some hot food and a night in hospital will find them fit and healthy."
Dumbledore nodded his appreciation, whereupon Madam Pomfrey departed, knowing instinctively when the Headmaster was about to hold council. She passed Professor McGonagall, who promptly locked the door and Charmed it with the same spell Dumbledore had used to secure the wing three years ago during the notorious "Sirius Black Incident."
All eyes now turned to Dumbledore.
"The last four days," he began, "have seen mystery pile upon mystery. We could be here all night exchanging verbal accounts and still not learn all. However, there is a more expeditious means at our disposal."
Dumbledore reached into his robes and slowly withdrew a wand.
"Albus," Professor McGonagall said immediately, "that's not your wand!"
"Astute, as always, Minerva," Dumbledore smiled. "It is, in fact, Igor Karkaroff's."
Everyone stared at the wand as Dumbledore raised it as if for exhibition. There was a look of disdain from the Headmaster as he scrutinized it over the rims of his half-moon spectacles.
"This wand has been kept in my office since Saturday last. It was to be used in evidence against Karkaroff. Used to convict him of murder -- to be precise, your murder, Miss Granger."
Hermione stared in disbelief. Dumbledore smiled.
"It was not needed," he resumed, "due to so many witches and wizards coming forward to testify. Once sentence is passed, I have been charged with snapping it in two and incinerating the remains.
"However, in the meantime it can render us an inestimable service. No doubt the first good it will have done in many a year.
"You are all familiar, I trust, with 'Priori Incantatum'?"
Dumbledore did not wait for a reply.
"This wand committed three murders in Hogsmeade. Two of the victims are certain. As to the third..."
Dumbledore exchanged a brief, knowing look with Professor McGonagall as he shifted Karkaroff's wand to his left hand and drew his own wand with his right. He placed the wands together, tip to tip.
"Priori Incantato!"
A swirling silver mist emerged from the tip of Karkaroff's wand. It slowly coalesced into a human form. A bright, cheerful face beamed down at Harry.
"Hi, Harry! So it came out alright, then? Ah, yes! Hello, Hermione! And Ron! Good to see you!"
In a voice steady as the hand holding the wand, Dumbledore spoke a single word:
"Why?"
"Wellll," the apparition said hesitantly, "I couldn't let Ron die, could I? I mean, he's Harry's best friend, isn't he? If Harry got Hermione back but lost Ron, where would be the gain? So I had to do it, didn't I?"
A new voice interposed weakly. It was Ron's.
"How -- how did you know?"
"Well, I saw you, didn't I?" came the cheerful reply. "I was on the edge of the grounds, just sort of walking and thinking, and I saw the sparks from your wand! So I got curious, and I hid behind a tree and I looked. And I saw you throw an Invisibility Cloak over someone. I'd heard about Invisibility Cloaks, but I never saw one before! Wow, was that ever neat!
"But I couldn't figure out why you were dragging someone in the first place. And you were moving away from the castle. If someone was hurt, wouldn't you be going toward the castle, to go to Madam Pomfrey? And I could only come up with one answer. Maybe you had hurt whoever you were dragging! Maybe…maybe you'd even killed them. I didn't know what to do, so I just followed you and kept thinking of what to do next. Should I see where you were going, or should I go for a teacher?
"But when I saw you make the Whomping Willow stop moving -- well, I sure wasn't going to turn back then, was I? I never knew anyone could do that! And when you went into the tunnel, I followed you -- I never knew there was a tunnel under the Whomping Willow -- of course, there are a lot of things I never knew, I suppose -- really not much of a wizard, come to that --
"Well, then, I followed you into the Shrieking Shack -- I didn't know what it was then, of course -- and when I saw who it was you'd been carrying, I couldn't believe it! Hermione was supposed to be in Hogsmeade with Harry, wasn't she? So what were you doing dragging her to the Shrieking Shack? And when she didn't move, I thought she must be dead. And I thought, maybe you'd joined the Dark Side and you were going to perform some ritual, maybe bring Hermione back as a zombie or a vampire or something…make her a servant of You-Know-Who – like I thought you were! And I couldn't let something like that happen to someone as nice as Hermione, could I? I knew I had to do something! But what could I do?
"And then I remembered what they told us in Defense Against the Dark Arts, about how the Aurors were allowed to use the Unforgivable Curses against Death Eaters and other servants of You-Know-Who. Well, I wasn't an Auror, but it sure looked like you were maybe an apprentice Death Eater or something. So that made it okay, didn't it? I mean, I'd never use the Killing Curse, but I figured if I used the Imperius Curse, I could learn the truth and maybe save Hermione. So I did."
Ron's jaw was slack, his eyes wide and pregnant with agony.
"Didn't I...try to fight it?"
Ron was on the verge of tears. He knew Harry had resisted the Imperius Curse when "Mad-Eye Moody" used it on him as a demonstration in class. Could not he, Ron, have resisted as well?
"Well, yes, you did, actually," came the solicitous reply. "But you looked really tired -- kind of worried, you know? I think maybe that's why it worked on you."
"I told you...everything?" Ron said sickly.
"Oh, yes! You told me you had a Time-Turner, and you'd brewed up a batch of Polyjuice Potion -- wow, am I ever glad I turned out to be a wizard, even if I wasn't a very good one. I'd never have learned about cool stuff like that in Muggle school -- "
"But why?" Ron demanded, his voice cracking pitifully. "Why you?"
"I told you! I couldn't let you do it! There are too many people who'd miss you. Especially Harry. And, well, once I saw how late it was getting, I knew there wasn't time to think of something else. If someone was going to take Hermione's place, it had to be me, didn't it? I mean, there was no one else there, was there?
"So I drank the Polyjuice Potion -- yuck! -- and I turned into Hermione -- wow, was that ever weird! And I ran as fast as I could to Hogsmeade, and I saw Karkaroff pointing his wand at Harry, so I knocked him down like an American Football player, and..."
There was a wan sigh as the bright grin dimmed a trifle.
"It didn't hurt at all. I'm glad I did it. It really was for the best, you know.
"But -- I wish I'd known about the note on the tree. I didn't want anyone to worry, see? I even Obliviated your memory, so you wouldn't know I'd been there. But that was real clever, using a Concealment Charm. No wonder you're Harry's friend. A great wizard like Harry deserves the best mates, like you and Hermione. Not an ankle-biter like me..."
A tearful Harry was now shaking his fist in Ron's face.
"You great, stupid bollock! What in Merlin's name were you thinking? If I didn't -- if you weren't -- "
"It's..." Ron said, his eyes looking downwards, "...it's all I could...come up with..."
"But he didn't have to, did he, Harry?" the ghostly voice squeaked. "I did it! You're all together now! And was the price really so high? I mean, who's going to miss me? Well, maybe Dennis, I guess. But I was never much of a big brother...just like I was never much of a wizard. Sometimes I think I never really belonged at Hogwarts. Maybe I should've become a milkman, like my dad.
"But now Dennis can be proud of me! I did something good! I made it so my friend Harry didn't have to lose either of his two best friends!
"Oh -- Harry -- ?"
The voice was growing ever fainter, the image increasingly transparent.
"Yes?" Harry whispered chokingly.
"See that Dennis gets my camera, will you? And tell him I got some really good shots on this last roll."
Harry nodded, the lump in his throat impeding speech.
"Thanks! Bye, Harry! Bye, everyone! Be happy!"
And as the company in the infirmary watched tearfully, the joyfully radiant face of Colin Creevey vanished forever in a wisp of silver mist.
Author's Note: Among the most avid rumors surrounding the last three HP novels are those speculating on who will die. While no one is naming names, one source reported that "Harry's biggest fan" would be taking the Dirt Nap. "Biggest fan?" I ask you, is there a bigger "fanboy" in the books than Colin Creevey? Alas, I fear the annoying little shutterbug's warranty is dangerously close to expiring. More than likely he will die at the hands of some Death Eater, a victim of "Mudblood bashing." Like Cedric before him, Colin may well suffer the further indignity of dying a completely pointless death. I think he deserves better. If he is to die, why not let him die a hero?
Rest in peace, Colin. We'll miss you.
Thanks to all who read and reviewed. I shall return.