Chapter Eighteen - Resurrected Foe
The school sat at breakfast tense, as no news about the abrupt meeting with Dumbledore was released. McGonagall had entered their common room, saying everything was fine, and there was no reason to worry. But that didn't stop Harry's bad feeling from taking a permanent residence in his stomach.
Hermione was quiet at breakfast, reading the Daily Prophet, while Harry and Ron played a game of Egyptian Rat Screw, a Muggle card game taught to them by Hermione. Ron was gloating over his latest gain of twenty cards after an obvious sandwich-eight, ten, eight-when Hermione suddenly gasped and dropped her sausage.
"Hermione?"
"Look at this!" she squeaked, opening the paper over their plates. The three of them read the article Hermione pointed to.
DEMENTOR INVASION IN HOGSMEADE AND KNOCKTURN ALLEY
Witnesses interviewed by Jenn Evanscene swear they saw dozens of dementors on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, the only one hundred percent wizard area left in Europe, and Knockturn Alley, the street only one grate further than Diagon Alley, and known for it's connection with the Dark Arts.
"I saw about twenty meself," one witness stated. "I was just wandering around, visiting Zonko's, but I felt so sad. I looked up towards the caverns, up north, and there seemed to be a whole swarm of about twenty."
"They didn't come down into the town," Eric Kipfer says, "but they were right there-and we could feel them."
"Don't come to Hogsmeade. It's too dangerous," Zonko's employees state. "We can manage for a while. But we do hope that the Minister takes care of this soon."
"I know about the situation," Minister of Magic Gregory Mysticus said, "and don't worry-we're doing everything we can to find out how they got there, who is taking care of them, and we will get them out soon."
Daily Prophet photographers were able to take a shot of these dementors in Knockturn Alley for evidence.
Hermione pointed to the picture. "Look."
Harry and Ron leaned in, squinting at the picture, which showed mostly shoppers trying to hurry themselves away from something that couldn't be seen.but then all the shoppers were out of the way, and both Ron and Harry could see a large dementor staring at them from the picture.
Harry leaned back, feeling a bit woozy. The feeling was no where near as bad if a dementor had been right next to him, but he felt sick none the less. He wished Lupin were there at that moment, offering him some chocolate.
"But who's that?" Ron asked, pointing to a hoodless figure that stood next to the dementor.
"Zoabro!" Hermione muttered, and the picture suddenly zoomed into the man's face.
"Crouch!" Ron exclaimed, eyes boggling, hands shaking. Harry quickly leaned over, looking at the man.
Hermione sat back while the boys ogled at the picture. "So it's not just me? It is him, isn't it? Barty Crouch Jr."
"That's him alright," Harry muttered, and then leaned back again. He felt sick to his stomach.
"But, Hermione, he's dead."
"No Ron," Harry said, his hand covering his eyes, steadying himself, trying not to throw up. "He's not dead. He was given the Dementor's Kiss. He soul was taken away-he didn't die."
Ron considered this for a moment. "But then.how."
"Exactly," Hermione interrupted. "How is he out there, walking around, being himself? And why would he be with a dementor? You'd think he'd be terrified of them."
"Interesting, isn't it?" Draco Malfoy suddenly joined their table. "If you'd like me to tell you."
Harry took his hand away. "You know something about this Malfoy? What?"
Draco shut is mouth quickly-and looked very guilty. For a moment, the old tension that once shot like lightening between the two boys returned. The unease Ron and Hermione felt about the rivalry was once again at hand, and while Harry and Draco stared each other down, Ron and Hermione gave nervous glances to each other.
"Nothing. I don't know anything. Just thought I'd get a rise out of you," Draco lied.
Harry raised an eyebrow, but rather than arguing, he turned back to the paper. He took it in his hand and stared at it a while.
Hermione suddenly stood, grabbed the paper from Harry's hand. He was about to comment on this rude act, when she was suddenly gone, running out of the Great Hall.
Ron and Harry looked at each other, and together said, "Library."
^*^*^
Hermione poured through the books. The nagging feeling wouldn't go away. She kept feeling as though she was missing something. Something obvious. She raced through each page, her eyes able to scan every word. She kept looking, until-
"There!" she said, and pointed it out to Ron and Harry, seated on the other side of the library table. They looked at each other, questions in their eyes, but stayed silent while Hermione read through the page.
After a few minutes, Ron could no longer stand it. "Hermione? What are you looking for?"
"I'm not looking. I found it. Exactly what I thought." She turned the book and pointed out a few lines to the boys. "It says that once a dementor extracts a person's soul, the soul stays within the dementor, and it is later able to regurgitate the soul back into the proper body."
"The Kiss can be reversed?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. But it will only be successful if the proper soul is put back into the right body. Meaning they had to find the dementor with Crouch's soul, and then find Crouch."
"How can they do that, though? There must be thousands of dementors who could have taken his soul. And where did they find the body?"
Hermione shrugged at Harry. "I don't know.... We need to find where they place all the bodies of those who have had their soul extracted."
Ron sighed. "What does this have to do with anything?"
Harry answered Ron while Hermione stood to get more books. "Do you remember last year? The dementors left Azkaban, freeing all the captured Death Eaters with them. Voldemort now has all his Death Eaters back, along with control of the dementors. I bet he's using those Death Eaters to get all the souls back from the Kissed Death Eaters."
"But how would they get those Death Eaters back? I'm sure they're kept somewhere safe."
Hermione returned, twenty large books in hand. Ron stared at her as she flipped through the books, not caring about a table of contents or an index.
"Hermione, you've cracked," Ron said, eyes wide while staring at her. "Totally crazy."
Her head whipped up at him, and for a moment Harry was sure she was going to yell at him, when she suddenly cried, "That's it Ron! You're brilliant!"
She practically threw some books off the table, causing nasty looks from other students. She opened a large book, quickly scanned the pages, and then let out a large "AHA!" as she pointed to exactly what she was looking for.
"St. Mungo's! They're given all Dementor's Kiss victims. They care for the bodies!"
Ron looked at Harry with his eyes saying "she's nuts." This time Harry had to agree.
"Hermione, those at St. Mungo's...they'd never just hand over the victims. And I don't think even the Minister could let them be released, not with what's going on. He's not like Fudge..."
"Unless those working at St. Mungo's aren't on our side, Harry," Hermione said darkly. She leaned closer to them, and they did the same. Whispering, she explained. "Lucius Malfoy was known to give St. Mungo's generous donations. Do you really think he'd do that if St. Mungo's where a straight, trustworthy organization?"
Harry stared at her, openmouthed. "Hermione, they can't-"
She suddenly stood, stacking the books. "You two put these away. I'm going to go talk with Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom." She hurried out, and Harry and Ron were left more confused then ever.
The school sat at breakfast tense, as no news about the abrupt meeting with Dumbledore was released. McGonagall had entered their common room, saying everything was fine, and there was no reason to worry. But that didn't stop Harry's bad feeling from taking a permanent residence in his stomach.
Hermione was quiet at breakfast, reading the Daily Prophet, while Harry and Ron played a game of Egyptian Rat Screw, a Muggle card game taught to them by Hermione. Ron was gloating over his latest gain of twenty cards after an obvious sandwich-eight, ten, eight-when Hermione suddenly gasped and dropped her sausage.
"Hermione?"
"Look at this!" she squeaked, opening the paper over their plates. The three of them read the article Hermione pointed to.
DEMENTOR INVASION IN HOGSMEADE AND KNOCKTURN ALLEY
Witnesses interviewed by Jenn Evanscene swear they saw dozens of dementors on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, the only one hundred percent wizard area left in Europe, and Knockturn Alley, the street only one grate further than Diagon Alley, and known for it's connection with the Dark Arts.
"I saw about twenty meself," one witness stated. "I was just wandering around, visiting Zonko's, but I felt so sad. I looked up towards the caverns, up north, and there seemed to be a whole swarm of about twenty."
"They didn't come down into the town," Eric Kipfer says, "but they were right there-and we could feel them."
"Don't come to Hogsmeade. It's too dangerous," Zonko's employees state. "We can manage for a while. But we do hope that the Minister takes care of this soon."
"I know about the situation," Minister of Magic Gregory Mysticus said, "and don't worry-we're doing everything we can to find out how they got there, who is taking care of them, and we will get them out soon."
Daily Prophet photographers were able to take a shot of these dementors in Knockturn Alley for evidence.
Hermione pointed to the picture. "Look."
Harry and Ron leaned in, squinting at the picture, which showed mostly shoppers trying to hurry themselves away from something that couldn't be seen.but then all the shoppers were out of the way, and both Ron and Harry could see a large dementor staring at them from the picture.
Harry leaned back, feeling a bit woozy. The feeling was no where near as bad if a dementor had been right next to him, but he felt sick none the less. He wished Lupin were there at that moment, offering him some chocolate.
"But who's that?" Ron asked, pointing to a hoodless figure that stood next to the dementor.
"Zoabro!" Hermione muttered, and the picture suddenly zoomed into the man's face.
"Crouch!" Ron exclaimed, eyes boggling, hands shaking. Harry quickly leaned over, looking at the man.
Hermione sat back while the boys ogled at the picture. "So it's not just me? It is him, isn't it? Barty Crouch Jr."
"That's him alright," Harry muttered, and then leaned back again. He felt sick to his stomach.
"But, Hermione, he's dead."
"No Ron," Harry said, his hand covering his eyes, steadying himself, trying not to throw up. "He's not dead. He was given the Dementor's Kiss. He soul was taken away-he didn't die."
Ron considered this for a moment. "But then.how."
"Exactly," Hermione interrupted. "How is he out there, walking around, being himself? And why would he be with a dementor? You'd think he'd be terrified of them."
"Interesting, isn't it?" Draco Malfoy suddenly joined their table. "If you'd like me to tell you."
Harry took his hand away. "You know something about this Malfoy? What?"
Draco shut is mouth quickly-and looked very guilty. For a moment, the old tension that once shot like lightening between the two boys returned. The unease Ron and Hermione felt about the rivalry was once again at hand, and while Harry and Draco stared each other down, Ron and Hermione gave nervous glances to each other.
"Nothing. I don't know anything. Just thought I'd get a rise out of you," Draco lied.
Harry raised an eyebrow, but rather than arguing, he turned back to the paper. He took it in his hand and stared at it a while.
Hermione suddenly stood, grabbed the paper from Harry's hand. He was about to comment on this rude act, when she was suddenly gone, running out of the Great Hall.
Ron and Harry looked at each other, and together said, "Library."
^*^*^
Hermione poured through the books. The nagging feeling wouldn't go away. She kept feeling as though she was missing something. Something obvious. She raced through each page, her eyes able to scan every word. She kept looking, until-
"There!" she said, and pointed it out to Ron and Harry, seated on the other side of the library table. They looked at each other, questions in their eyes, but stayed silent while Hermione read through the page.
After a few minutes, Ron could no longer stand it. "Hermione? What are you looking for?"
"I'm not looking. I found it. Exactly what I thought." She turned the book and pointed out a few lines to the boys. "It says that once a dementor extracts a person's soul, the soul stays within the dementor, and it is later able to regurgitate the soul back into the proper body."
"The Kiss can be reversed?" Harry asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. But it will only be successful if the proper soul is put back into the right body. Meaning they had to find the dementor with Crouch's soul, and then find Crouch."
"How can they do that, though? There must be thousands of dementors who could have taken his soul. And where did they find the body?"
Hermione shrugged at Harry. "I don't know.... We need to find where they place all the bodies of those who have had their soul extracted."
Ron sighed. "What does this have to do with anything?"
Harry answered Ron while Hermione stood to get more books. "Do you remember last year? The dementors left Azkaban, freeing all the captured Death Eaters with them. Voldemort now has all his Death Eaters back, along with control of the dementors. I bet he's using those Death Eaters to get all the souls back from the Kissed Death Eaters."
"But how would they get those Death Eaters back? I'm sure they're kept somewhere safe."
Hermione returned, twenty large books in hand. Ron stared at her as she flipped through the books, not caring about a table of contents or an index.
"Hermione, you've cracked," Ron said, eyes wide while staring at her. "Totally crazy."
Her head whipped up at him, and for a moment Harry was sure she was going to yell at him, when she suddenly cried, "That's it Ron! You're brilliant!"
She practically threw some books off the table, causing nasty looks from other students. She opened a large book, quickly scanned the pages, and then let out a large "AHA!" as she pointed to exactly what she was looking for.
"St. Mungo's! They're given all Dementor's Kiss victims. They care for the bodies!"
Ron looked at Harry with his eyes saying "she's nuts." This time Harry had to agree.
"Hermione, those at St. Mungo's...they'd never just hand over the victims. And I don't think even the Minister could let them be released, not with what's going on. He's not like Fudge..."
"Unless those working at St. Mungo's aren't on our side, Harry," Hermione said darkly. She leaned closer to them, and they did the same. Whispering, she explained. "Lucius Malfoy was known to give St. Mungo's generous donations. Do you really think he'd do that if St. Mungo's where a straight, trustworthy organization?"
Harry stared at her, openmouthed. "Hermione, they can't-"
She suddenly stood, stacking the books. "You two put these away. I'm going to go talk with Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom." She hurried out, and Harry and Ron were left more confused then ever.