Harry Potter & the Dark Lord – Chapter 17
Disclaimer: As always, the stuff doesn't belong to me.
A/N: Hmmm, I thought more people would've guessed who the woman was, although I just adored Megan T's guess (yes, I know you weren't serious). Maybe it was too obvious, but, if you don't know, you'll find out soon enough. Omer – you are quite observant, Nagini didn't appear in the fight. I had planned to include her (is she a her or is he a him?), but I couldn't fit her/him in. Let's just say Nagini was off staring hungrily at Mr. Weasley before he was summoned. Nagini will be back, though, have no fear! Thanks to all for reading and reviewing!
"What in Gryffindor's name did you think you were doing!"
Sirius Black was fuming. Harry had never seen him so angry – this was worse than when they confronted Peter Pettigrew in Harry's third year. Sirius' normally pale face was growing redder by the minute, his dark eyes were narrow slits of rage, and his nostrils flared dangerously. Harry withered under Sirius' glare, his happiness evaporating instantly.
"Not now, Sirius, can't you see Arthur's hurt?" The strange woman stepped forward, kneeling by Mr. Weasley and conjuring up a stretcher for him. Sirius continued glaring at Harry, but kept his tirade to himself. The woman began to float the stretcher towards the door when it froze, as if it had hit an invisible barrier.
Dumbledore reached forward, putting a calming arm on the woman, who had jumped in alarm when the stretcher stopped. "Arthur will be fine for now, Arabella. I'd like to speak to everyone first."
Arabella. So this was Professor Figg's daughter, Harry thought. He examined her curiously – she didn't look at all like her mother. She was tall and slender, with chestnut hair flowing down her back in waves and dark eyes to match. Her skin was very pale, contrasting sharply with her hair and deep black robes.
"So, Harry, would you like to explain what exactly happened?" Remus asked, the anger on his face slowly mixing with relief. Harry stood up from the floor – his neck was getting rather strained looking up at everyone. He took a deep breath, trying to get collect his thoughts. He knew he had done exactly what Remus and Sirius had asked him not to do, and he couldn't look them in the eye.
"We went after our father," Ron interjected rather boldly, although he couldn't prevent his voice from shaking. "Nothing anyone else was doing was helping. We had to go."
Harry turned to look at him, glad to have all the angry and disappointed gazes shift to someone else. Ron was standing behind the stretcher, holding on to Hermione's hand tightly to control his shaking. He held his head defiantly, looking back at the still upset faces staring at him. Despite this, his eyes betrayed the shock and terror of what he had just experienced.
"That much is obvious," Sirius said with a hint of irritation still in his voice.
"Sirius," Dumbledore warned, although his own eyes also flashed dangerously. "We surmised as much, Mr. Weasley. I was heading down to the kitchens for a little snack when I passed Professor Trelawney's study session. Luckily, I happened to pass by just at the moment that Miss Chang was having a vision, or I wouldn't have believed it myself. But this was a true trance – she saw you all with Voldemort. It took quite a while to calm her down after the other students told her what she had said."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other in surprise. Cho Chang had a vision? Harry remembered how frightening Professor Trelawney had seemed when she had predicted Voldemort's return to power, and he shuddered involuntarily. Ginny was unaffected by the revelation, although she didn't seem to be paying much attention to Dumbledore's explanation. She had been by Mr. Weasley's side almost since they had arrived, wiping the dirt and blood from his face with a handkerchief she had conjured from somewhere.
Dumbledore watched their incredulous expressions with amusement. He continued, snapping Harry out of his reverie, "I came back to my office and had just sent an owl to Sirius and Remus, telling them to come right away, when Fred and George arrived, frantically relaying a rather interesting story. We were just preparing to go after you when you all made your unexpected entrance. I assume you somehow got the portkey from Snape?"
"How did you know that?" Harry asked, genuinely puzzled.
"I insisted Snape take one with him, in case Voldemort became suspicious and he needed to escape quickly. I can only hope the need for it doesn't arise." Harry stared at Dumbledore, speechless. Of course, Snape must have had the portkey for himself – he had no way of knowing Harry would turn up. Snape put his own life in danger to help him. But why would he do it? In spite of everything, it was still quite obvious to Harry that Professor Snape despised him.
"Arthur," Professor Dumbledore said gently, "Can you tell us what happened to you?"
Mr. Weasley sat up in his stretcher, grimacing in pain as he forced his sore muscles into service. Fawkes, who had been silently observing from the corner, flew to Mr. Weasley, letting healing tears fall on his most serious wounds. Arthur smiled gratefully, and began weakly, "I don't remember much about being captured. I thought I saw something on the ground and was bending over to pick it up. The next thing I knew I woke up in this cage in the middle of the forest."
Dumbledore nodded encouragingly as Mr. Weasley paused to take a breath. "I don't think he knew who I was at first…just another Ministry official. He was going to get whatever information he could about me, and then kill me. Fortunately for me, Pettigrew was there. I never thought I'd have been happy to see him, but he saved my life."
"You saw Pettigrew?" Sirius asked in a strange tone of voice.
"Yes. He recognized me as Ron's father. I guess he would after living in my home all those years," Mr. Weasley winced at the thought. "He convinced You-Know, I mean Voldemort, that I could be more useful alive, as bait for Harry. While we waited, he used any means possible to find out as much as he could about our plans, and anything I knew about Harry. Of course, I didn't tell him anything. He didn't come by very often…most of the time I was just left alone, his monstrous snake watching me. Pettigrew would come now and then to bring me food."
Dumbledore interrupted, "Arthur, do you think you would be able to say for certain the man you saw was Peter Pettigrew?"
"Positively," Mr. Weasley responded, "I would stake my life on it."
Harry felt his emotions rise. If a Ministry official could verify that Pettigrew was alive, then Fudge would have to believe Sirius was innocent. He chanced a glance at Sirius, whose face had gone pale. Sirius sat down, as if all the strength had been drained out of him, and Arabella and Remus beamed. Harry couldn't contain his feelings any longer.
"So they'll know you're innocent! You can stop hiding!!!" Harry practically laughed as the words came out. Maybe, if everything worked out, next summer he could live with Sirius. Heck, why wait until next summer? Harry thought. He could actually go home for Christmas, and to a home where he was wanted. Harry had to stop himself from planning his future with his godfather, forcing his attention back to Dumbledore.
"Yes Harry, there's a good chance that we can prove Sirius' innocence," Dumbledore said warmly, the edge of anger gone from his eyes. "Arabella, if you'll bring Arthur to Poppy now…I'll inform the Ministry as soon as I'm done here."
Arabella nodded, giving a warm smile to Sirius before she turned and waved Mr. Weasley's stretcher out the door. Fawkes fluttered away from Mr. Weasley, and Ginny stood up to follow her father out. Harry was startled to see how worn out Ginny looked in the bright light of the office. Her eyes were dull and lifeless and the blood from the scratches had caked in nasty streaks across her face and hands, making her look almost as bad as Mr. Weasley. He looked down at his own hands, noticing the cuts, scratches and bruises which covered nearly every inch.
"Miss Weasley, if you'll stay behind," Dumbledore called after her. Ginny turned, opening her mouth to protest, but she stopped as Dumbledore motioned for her to take a seat. She complied, falling into a chair by the headmaster's desk, exhaustion seemingly overtaking her.
"Now perhaps one of you would like to explain exactly what happened once Fred and George left you," Dumbledore prompted.
Harry began relaying the night's dealings, with Ron breaking in to fill in the details of what had happened to him and Hermione. He didn't have much to add to Harry's sequence of events, as they had essentially been out cold from the time they were captured until they were revived in Harry's presence. Hermione stood petrified by Ron's side, her eyes wide with fear, as they relived their first encounter with the Dark Lord. Sirius and Remus held their tongues when Harry explained how he and Ginny had decided to follow Snape, eventually jumping out from their hiding place, although Harry could see the disapproval on their faces. As they finished providing all the details they could remember, fatigue began to overtake Harry, driving away the temporary burst of energy he had received at the thought of Sirius' freedom. Harry was grateful when Dumbledore finally seemed satisfied with what they said.
"While I'm most relieved to have Arthur back safely, I cannot condone what you have done," Dumbledore began. Harry exchanged glances with the others, as a cold feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach. Surely they weren't going to be punished, after everything that had happened.
"I suppose you know I can't very well expel you all, even though I've told you many times that I would do so if you broke the rules one more time. That wouldn't be wise considering that Hogwarts is the safest place for you to be at this time." Harry relaxed slightly, seeing the twinkle reappear in Dumbledore's eyes. "You have all demonstrated a great deal of bravery, albeit combined with foolishness. No points will be taken from your house, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to restrict all of you to the castle. You shall only be allowed to leave the castle for classes and Quidditch practices, and even then only in the accompaniment of a teacher."
None of them were in any condition to argue, so they just nodded numbly, thankful to have escaped with no further punishment. They all stood to leave for Madam Pomfrey, eager to see Mr. Weasley again and to get some much needed rest. Dumbledore held Harry back, though, as he turned to go.
"Harry, if I could have a word with you…"
Harry nodded mutely, glancing enviously at his friends as they headed off. Hermione gave him a sympathetic look before she left. Harry sheepishly stared at his hands, unwilling to meet Sirius' and Remus' eyes.
Sirius spoke first, "Harry, you know that was incredibly stupid of you. You could have all gotten killed!! We told you we would handle this."
"I know," Harry responded softly, not looking up at his godfather.
"You somehow managed to get out of this safely again, Harry, but you have to tell us everything you do from now on. Do you understand?" Remus asked in a gentler tone. "You can't keep breaking the rules like this. It just isn't safe!"
To Harry's surprise, Dumbledore defended him, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Now Sirius, Remus, I seem to remember quite a few times that you and a couple of other individuals were guilty of very similar crimes. Let's look a little more closely at ourselves before we rush to pass judgment."
Harry looked up cautiously, and saw Remus and Sirius looking away in embarrassment. He grinned in spite of himself, happy that Dumbledore, at least, seemed to understand. Now that everything seemed to be squared away, Harry again longed to lie down, close his eyes, and let blissful sleep take him away from the day's events. Dumbledore, however, wasn't done.
"Harry, before I send you to Poppy, I need clarify something." Dumbledore looked from Sirius to Harry, a serious expression on his face that caused a hint of worry to edge into Harry's thoughts. "I will of course be doing everything in my power to make sure Arthur's testimony clears Sirius' name. But before you get your hopes up, I must make it clear that you will not be able to live with Sirius, at least for a while."
Harry felt his heart drop. His throat tightened and his mouth went dry, leaving him momentarily speechless. Sirius on the other hand, immediately jumped to his feet, shouting indignantly, "And why not? I'm a perfectly fit guardian. I can take care of Harry just as well as anyone and you know it! I'm his godfather – it's what Lily and James would have wanted!"
Dumbledore's eyes seemed weary as he responded. "Sirius, I'm not doubting your abilities nor your entitlement. I personally would entrust my life to you. But Harry must be in his relatives' care, at least for most of the summer. That's the safest place for him. With Voldemort still free and gaining power, we can't afford to take any unnecessary risks."
Harry didn't hear much of the rest of the discussion – his mind was too numb to absorb any more, so he sat there, eyes closed, wishing the pounding in his head would disappear.
By the time Harry made it to the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey had already gotten Ron and Hermione healed and into their pajamas. Ron was sitting on the corner of Hermione's bed, holding her hand and staring blankly at the wall. Hermione had apparently already taken her sleeping draught and was blissfully unaware of everything around her. Ron looked at Harry questioningly as he entered the room, but Harry forestalled any queries with a slight shake of his head.
"How's your father?" Harry asked.
"He's all right, I think. Fred and George are with him now. Were they ever relieved when they saw him – I don't think I've ever seen them at a loss for words." Harry was glad to see the relief etched on Ron's face, although he still seemed slightly shell-shocked.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked lightly, still unsure how Ron would take his concern for the younger girl. Ron, however, took the question in stride, seemingly not thinking anything of it.
"Madam Pomfrey's with her now," Ron said, cocking his head towards a curtain.
Harry walked towards it slowly, clearing his throat to get Madam Pomfrey's attention.
"Oh, Harry, you look a mess! Dumbledore finally let you go, did he? Please sit down, I'll only be another minute here." Madam Pomfrey turned back to Ginny, as Harry sat down in a nearby chair.
Madam Pomfrey had managed to clear up Ginny's face, which was now scrubbed clean, her freckles standing out starkly against the pallid skin. Harry winced as he saw a hand shaped mark on her arm, deep bruises forming where he had grabbed her earlier. The marks faded from view as Madam Pomfrey applied a green potion to it, disappearing entirely as the liquid was absorbed. Madam Pomfrey left the two as she went to get more potion.
"Er, I'm really sorry about that Ginny," Harry said, abashed. Ginny looked up in surprise, slightly confused; she had been lost in her thoughts and hadn't been paying any attention to Harry.
"What? Oh, that wasn't your fault," she dismissed.
"Still," Harry continued. His voice sounded strange in his own ears, thicker than usual. "I, I shouldn't have let you come along. You could have gotten hurt a lot worse – or even killed."
"Harry," Ginny answered resentfully, "I had just as much right to be there as you. Even more so – it was my father. You can't expect to do everything on your own. And I'm not a little baby that everyone has to look after..."
Ginny stopped abruptly as Madam Pomfrey returned, and dutifully took the offered sleeping draught. She shot Harry a sidelong glance, sighing, her eyes unreadable, as she lay back on her bed. Harry was soon distracted by Madam Pomfrey, sitting unmoving as she worked her healing magic.
Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were excused from classes the next day, although Hermione insisted the assignments be brought to her in the hospital wing ("But the O.W.L.S!!"). Ron and Harry were perfectly happy to ignore their lessons for the day, enduring scathing looks from Hermione as she unrolled another scroll for her essay. Doing homework seemed to help Hermione relax, though, making it easier for Harry to pretend everything was normal. They all sat discussing their assignments and chatting about the Quidditch teams' hopes, talking about everything but what was most pressing on all their minds. Ministry officials had arrived early in the day, spending hours questioning them and Mr. Weasley. Dumbledore allowed Mr. Weasley to be transferred to a wizard hospital closer to the Burrow, and each of the Weasley children gave their father a long hug before he left. After dinner, Madam Pomfrey was satisfied they were all well enough to go back to their own rooms.
"Oh, you're all back!! I heard the whole story – you were so brave!!!" The Fat Lady gushed at the tired group before her, as they waited impatiently to get up to their own beds.
"Er, thanks, but can we get through," Ron muttered. "Gillyweed."
The portrait swung open at the password, and Harry stepped in first. He didn't have a chance to even look up before he was attacked by a swarm of Gryffindors, who quickly hoisted him and the others upon their shoulders, a loud cheer erupting from the crowd. Harry noticed two red heads at the front of the pack.
"Great job, Harry! And you too, Ron," Fred was beaming at his brother, who had managed to climb down from Seamus and Dean's shoulders and was blushing furiously, although a broad grin was plastered on his face.
"Dad told us everything when we saw him," George added. "Our little brother and sister – heroes!! Why does everything happen when we're not there?"
"Trust me," Ron said, his smile fading slightly, "this isn't something I'd like to experience again."
Ron shuddered involuntarily, and, spotting Hermione, reached over to help her down from Lee Jordan's shoulder.
"Thanks," Hermione replied gratefully, looking out of breath and flustered. "Where are Harry and Ginny?"
Harry was trying to break away from Dennis Creevey, who had picked up his older brother's camera habit and was now snapping pictures of Harry non-stop. Harry, blinded by the flash, was trying to make it over to Ginny, who was standing nearby politely listening to Colin Creevey's animated conversation. All the other Gryffindor fourth years soon surrounded her, peppering her with questions.
"So Ginny, is it true that you dueled with You-Know-Who? You must have been terrified!"
"I heard that you saved Harry Potter's life – that sounds so romantic!" exclaimed a second-year that had managed to squeeze in among the older students.
"No," the young girl's friend protested, "I heard Ron Weasley saved everyone! He's incredibly handsome, don't you think?"
Harry smirked at this, and seeing Ginny's deer-in-the-headlights expression, he stepped in.
"Ginny, I have to thank you for all you've done," he shouted above the heads of the other students. "Can you join me for a minute?"
The masses swarming around Ginny broke apart at the sound of Harry's voice, tittering excitedly. Harry held out his hand to Ginny, and she took it gratefully, allowing herself to be pulled out. Harry pushed his way through the crowd, Ginny close behind, finally making it to a relatively empty spot. Fred and George immediately placed butterbeers in their free hands, as Harry hadn't bothered to let go of Ginny's hand once they had made their escape. Ron and Hermione joined them at once, and the four stood in a protective circle.
"Wow," Ron said numbly, "I certainly didn't expect this."
"Oh my God, there he is!"
Harry turned to see a group of first year girls clustered together a few feet away. They giggled hysterically when he turned their way, smiling and whispering in each other's ears.
Ron smirked at Ginny, "Well, I always figured you'd be the one to start the Harry Potter Fan Club, but I guess the torch has been passed."
Ginny gave Ron a scathing look, and stepped closer to Harry, who tightened his grip on her hand. Hermione, though, laughed lightly, saying, "Ron, I don't think Harry's the only one with the fan club. Listen…"
All of them turned, and sure enough, an argument seemed to have broken out among the first years. One pretty little blonde girl was gazing at Harry with the same expression Ginny used to have when she was her age. Harry blushed, remembering, very grateful that Ginny was now able to see him as a person – he didn't think she would look at him that way nowadays even if he wanted her to.
The blonde girl turned red when she noticed Harry glancing at her and whispered to her friend, "He looked at me! Do you think maybe he likes me? Oh, Harry Potter is soooo wonderful!"
Her friend wrinkled her nose, "Please! Everyone likes Harry Potter! I like Ron Weasley…he's so strong and brave and tall. And he has that adorable red hair!"
Harry and the others turned away smiling, and retreated to a corner. Harry couldn't help but tease Ron, happy that he wasn't the sole center of attention for once.
"Well, Ron, now you'll finally get to experience the pleasures of fame."
Ron pulled a face at him, embarrassed, and headed to get something to eat, putting an arm around Hermione's waist. Harry turned to ask Ginny if she wanted anything, but paused when he noticed the concerned expression on her face. "Ginny, are you okay?"
Ginny looked up at him, her face clouded, before letting go of his hand and turning aside slightly so she no longer faced him. Harry, worried, gently touched her arm. "Ginny?"
Ginny spoke softly, still not looking up at him. "Harry, was I as bad as those first-years? I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what you must've thought of me."
Harry laughed in relief. So that was all. He turned Ginny to face him, smiling down at her. "Ginny, don't be silly – you haven't acted that way since you were ten, and anyway, it's not like it wasn't flattering."
Ginny grinned at Harry, still embarrassed. "Well, if you expect me to compete for you with your fan club, you've got another thing coming. I'm not ten anymore you know."
"I know, I definitely know," Harry laughed. And despite everything they had just been through, Harry was able to put it all aside at least temporarily, basking in the warmth of having his best friends safely by his side.
A/N: Yeah, the last bit was sort of sappy, but I was just in that kind of mood (my friend got married this weekend, and you know how sappy weddings can get). Next time we'll learn more about Sirius and Arabella, and about what happened to Snape. And Cho will appear again.
I just wanted to say I've read two new authors this week that I love (check out all my other favorites too! I've mentioned some before…). Caitlyn already has quite a following, although I just discovered her stories. They are simply enchanting and her Chloe character is adorable! And B Bennett just posted her first fanfic. For the two of you who haven't read it yet, it's great! The reviews to B's story are an interesting read in their own right. Anyway, I've always loved your reviews, B. They're very constructive and well thought out. I've never used a beta reader (doesn't that take tons of time?), but if you ever want to e-mail me with any advice you may have (even if it's just to tell me how horrid my story is becoming), write to blurgirl@nyc.rr.com (Yes, I'm a Blur fan). Thanks again everyone and sorry for the super-long A/N here. R/R!!