Harry Potter & the Dark Lord – Chapter 18
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is the best. I wish I were her, then I would own these characters and make sure that Ron and Harry ended up with the right people (just kidding, I have faith in the Great One).
A/N: Okay then, where were we? Oh, right, Harry and Ron have fan clubs now (lol). On a more serious note, Cho's apparently got the Sight, Snape is still in Voldemort's clutches, and what is the deal with Snape and Arabella? (Or is there one?) Well, here we go…read and review kindly, please.
The glow of having saved Mr. Weasley didn't wear off for a few days. During that time, the smiles and pats on the back from the rest of the school (excluding the Slytherins, of course), made it easy for Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to ignore what they actually went through to get Mr. Weasley back. Harry and the others were eager to hear more about what Cho had seen, but they didn't see her those first few days – Cho appeared to be keeping to herself. Parvati and Lavender, though, were more than willing to tell elaborate tales of what happened that night, embellishing the story somewhat to cast a favorable light on their own divination abilities.
"And then she just fell into her chair and her eyes rolled back. I immediately figured out what was happening, and cast a cleansing charm to intensify her aura," Parvati explained, waving her wand around as she demonstrated the exact charm she had performed.
Lavender nodded in agreement, turning to Harry with her eyes shining, "She started speaking in this cold, creepy voice that definitely wasn't hers. At first we thought it would be about you – everything unusual around here tends to involve you, you know. But " – Lavender paused here for effect, casting her gaze at the small crowd gathered around the table in the Great Hall – "she mentioned Ron instead. Kept going on about how the Weasley boy and his friend were there, and how a worm or something did well by bringing them to him."
"I was the one who figured out it was You-Know-Who, and that he was talking about Ron," Parvati said crossly. "Anyway, that's when Professor Dumbledore came in. He put his hand on Cho's head and stared into her eyes – I swear his own eyes seemed to glow…"
Lavender nodded, interrupting, "And then he told Cho it was all right and she woke up. Cho was practically in tears when Parvati told her she was channeling You-Know-Who…she hasn't spoken to us since then. I guess she's still sensitive about Cedric and all."
"Well it's not like I meant she was helping You-Know-Who…but it had to be his voice. Who else could it have been, wanting to use Ron to get Harry and all?" Parvati added, obviously annoyed that Cho could possibly be upset at her.
The other students encouraged Parvati and Lavender to continue, drilling them with questions. Harry, already having heard the story at least half a dozen times, tried to ignore the chatter as he turned back to his dinner. He had other things on his mind right now. A special Ministry Council of the most senior officials was meeting later that night to hear Arthur Weasley's testimony. Sirius had gone to Remus' to hide until the verdict came out. Although Harry knew that Mr. Weasley and Dumbledore would do everything they could, he couldn't help but worry. After all, he had already witnessed how easily the Minister of Magic dismissed firm evidence that was right in front of his face.
Harry was glad he and Ron had Quidditch practice that night – Madam Hooch went with them to comply with Dumbledore's orders – as it helped calm his nerves. He wasn't paying close enough attention though, and Fred and George Weasley narrowly saved him from being killed by a rogue Bludger more than once. He hardly noticed when practice was over, nervously putting the Snitch away and following his friends back into Hogwarts.
"So, Potter, playing the hero once again," a familiar voice drawled as they passed through the entrance hall. "I'd watch out if I were you – all you've done is postpone the inevitable."
"You're the one who had better watch out, Malfoy," Ron sneered. "We know what your father is, and so does Dumbledore."
Draco's face turned white briefly, before the anger sparked in his pale blue eyes once again. "Well, at least my father doesn't rely on a scrawny orphan and a loudmouth baby girl to rescue him. Oh, wait a minute, they rescued you too, didn't they Weasley."
With all the pressure he was feeling, Harry snapped. He pulled out his wand and was about to shout out a curse, when someone grabbed his hand.
"That's enough!" Madam Hooch had made her way inside and stopped Harry just in time. "Up to your rooms, now!"
"But he was about to curse me!" Malfoy said indignantly.
"Yes, and you were provoking him. Get up now before I change my mind about punishing both of you!"
Malfoy and Harry reluctantly broke the staring contest they were holding and headed towards their respective common room, each seething in anger.
That night, Harry had a hard time falling asleep. He kept tossing and turning, worried about what could be happening at the Ministry, going over every possible scenario in his mind. It was nearly dawn when sleep finally overtook him. It felt as if he had barely shut his eyes when he shot up in bed, suddenly awakened. He tore open his curtains in alarm, searching for what had disturbed his rest. A familiar redhead walked over to him, speaking very loudly.
"It's about time you're up Harry, I've called your name a dozen times!" Ron shoved a paper in front of Harry's face. "Look, Sirius is free!! It was in Hermione's Daily Prophet this morning! The Ministry believed my dad!"
The last remnants of sleep quickly dissipated as Harry reached for his glasses, knocking his wand to the floor in the process. As the blurry page came into focus, Harry felt his heart rise. There, covering the entire front page was a screaming headline: SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!!!! Harry quickly turned to the article and scanned the story.
MISSING MINISTRY OFFICIAL FOUND ALIVE BY HARRY POTTER! FUGITIVE'S NAME CLEARED!! MINISTRY ADMITS YOU-KNOW-WHO HAS RETURNED!!!
By Helena Nona Veritas – Staff Reporter
Arthur Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, missing since Halloween night, was found alive a few days ago in the dangerous forest near Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was saved from the clutches of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, who, Ministry Officials finally admit, has regained his power since the mysterious events surrounding the Triwizard Tournament. The heroic Harry Potter, who has already faced You-Know-Who numerous times and prevailed, once again came to the rescue. Harry had even more reason to get involved this time – Arthur Weasley is the father of his best friend, Ronald. Young Ronald also took part in his father's rescue, as did Hermione Granger and Genie Weasley, the youngest Weasley child. Hermione Granger, if you'll recall, was rumored to have had a rather close relationship with Harry Potter, before she coldly left him for Viktor Krum, international Quidditch star and the Durmstrang Champion at the Tournament (as reported by our very own Rita Skeeter, currently on sabbatical).
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Prophet, Garret Perkins, who works with Mr. Weasley at the Ministry, said, "I always knew that it wouldn't be the Ministry that saved Arthur. Cornelius has been absolutely slowing down our investigation, denying that You-Know-Who was back! Honestly! It was quite clear to everyone else here. But those Weasleys stick together – you can't find a closer family anywhere. Why, I remember when Ron was but a tot, no more than four, his father brought him to the office one day and Arthur and Mundungus Fletcher got into a heated discussion. Now, anyone who knows Fletcher knows he has quite a temper, and he called Arthur a flaming Muggle-brained coot. And little Ron – quite a rambunctious child, it took days to repair the damage after that visit – would you believe what he did? He picked up my wand and before we could stop him, good old Mundungus was covered in slime. And it wouldn't come off easily either. I imagine he must've picked that spell up from his older brothers."
Arthur Weasley's return is good news for more than just the Weasley family. Sirius Black, on the run from the Ministry since his escape from Azkaban two and a half years ago, has long professed his innocence. Given the overwhelming evidence against him, no one can be blamed for viewing his assertions with scorn. Arthur Weasley, however, now brings forth new evidence that has cleared Black's name. Peter Pettigrew, who was supposedly murdered by Black fourteen years ago according to numerous witnesses, is apparently alive and well, and in the service of the Dark Lord. Mr. Perkins tells us that Arthur's testimony to the Council (which was closed to reporters, likely out of embarrassment at the Ministry's continuous denials of You-Know-Who's return and bungling of the whole affair) included the assertion that Pettigrew had been an unregistered animagus, and actually lived in the Weasley home as a pet rat for years, unbeknownst to the family.
In an odd twist, it was revealed that Sirius Black is godfather to Harry Potter and intends to seek legal guardianship of the boy. Of course, Mr. Black was suspected of trying to kill Harry when he first escaped, although that seems to be yet another Ministry mistake given the recent developments. As Mr. Black has yet to come out of hiding, he was not available for comment. Also unavailable was Arabella Figg, who was engaged to marry Mr. Black before he was sent to Azkaban. Ms. Figg's mother, also named Arabella, currently occupying the post of Defense Against Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, said this morning that she was "gratified to hear of Sirius' innocence. It breaks my heart to think of what he went through all those years. I hope Sirius knows we all love him and welcome him back with open arms."
Harry looked up in shock. "Ron, did you read all of this?"
"No, I only saw the headlines. I ran right up to wake you. What does it say?" Ron asked. Harry showed him the paper himself, still too surprised to repeat it. He watched the expression on Ron's face go from curiosity to confusion and finally to astonishment.
"Wow, I don't remember doing that to Fletcher…brilliant of me, I must say." Seeing Harry's expression, Ron grinned and added, "I'm kidding, Harry. So, Sirius was going to get married?? Don't you reckon that's something we would have heard about?"
"That's what I would've assumed. I guess there's a lot that happened that we don't know about." Harry sat lost in his thoughts until Ron interrupted.
"Well, what do you say we go get some food. I ran up here before I got to eat anything and I'm starving," Ron said, rubbing his stomach. Harry agreed, and quickly changed into his robes, realizing he was rather hungry himself.
The two had just made it down to the common room when the portrait hole opened, revealing the tall, stern figure of Professor McGonagall. She seemed unusually excited, and was trying very hard not to smile. Her eyes sparkled as she noticed Harry coming towards her.
"Just the person I was looking for!! Harry, you're wanted in Professor Dumbledore's office," she said quickly.
"What for?"
"Oh, just go! You'll find out soon enough," McGonagall tried to sound annoyed, but she couldn't hide the exuberance in her voice.
"All right," Harry said cautiously, turning back to Ron, "save me some breakfast, will you?"
A short time later, Harry found himself following McGonagall up the moving stairs to Dumbledore's office. She opened the door to the office, and let Harry pass, turning back down the stairs with a smile, leaving him alone. Harry walked in slowly, not seeing anyone at the headmaster's desk. A second later someone jumped up from his right, pulling him into a bear hug.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "I thought you were at Professor Lupin's…"
Sirius was grinning broadly. "I got an owl from Dumbledore last night telling me the Council's decision. He's in London now, getting my release papers. I'm really free! Harry, there's something I want to discuss with you. I know what Dumbledore said about you staying with the Dursleys, but all the same, there's something I'd like to do."
Harry looked up at Sirius curiously, nodding for him to continue. Sirius appeared a little nervous, licking his lips before he continued.
"Harry, I know you're already fifteen and practically grown, but Lily and James asked me to watch out for you if anything happened to them. Since I couldn't do it for most of your life, I want to make up for it now. What I'm asking is," he paused briefly, "well, what I mean is, would you be all right with me adopting you? Even if you can't stay with me at first, at least that way I'll be your legal guardian."
Harry was speechless. He'd never had a real father figure before, at least not that he could remember. He would finally have a father again – Sirius could be his father. Noticing Sirius' anxious expression, Harry grinned, a peculiar feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Yes. Yes, of course I would be all right with it! Maybe we could convince Dumbledore to let me leave the Dursleys…"
"Now, now Harry, let's not get ahead of ourselves!" said a voice from behind him. Harry turned around to see Albus Dumbledore at the doorway, still wearing his long purple cloak, morning dew hanging from his long whiskers. Dumbledore was smiling, and his blue eyes had the familiar twinkle as he turned his attention to Sirius.
"I believe this belongs to you," the elder man said to Sirius, as he pulled a roll of parchment from his cloak.
Sirius took the parchment, his hands shaking, and looked at the seal for a moment. It was in bright red wax, and held the crest of the Minister of Magic. With a small tug, the seal broke and Sirius slowly unrolled the parchment. Harry looked over at the parchment, noticing the vivid violet lettering. It was an official declaration of Sirius' innocence.
Dumbledore chuckled to himself as he watched Sirius' expression, a mixture of relief and euphoria. "The other Council members wanted to hold a ceremony to present this to you, along with an official apology, but Cornelius resisted. But the method of delivery is irrelevant at this point; I think you'll agree. The message is what's important. You are now a free man, Sirius Black."
Sirius turned to Dumbledore and held his hand out to him, pulling him into a hug. "I don't know how I can ever thank you, Albus," he muttered softly.
Dumbledore's smile widened, and Harry thought he saw his eyes glisten with tears. "Now, Sirius, I had nothing to do with this. Arthur deserves your thanks, along with Harry and his friends."
"But all you've done this past year. I couldn't have made it without your support." Sirius himself seemed glassy eyed now. Harry pretended not to notice the display of emotions – he knew he wouldn't want anyone to see him cry, so he busied himself stroking Fawkes as he waited.
Dumbledore continued, "There will be a dinner tonight to welcome you back. Nothing extravagant, just a small group of us."
Turning to Harry, he added, "Please meet Professor McGonagall in your common room at 6 o'clock. I'd appreciate it if you would extend the invitation to the Weasleys and to Miss Granger."
Harry excitedly told Dumbledore about the adoption plans – the headmaster had no qualms about it, but continued to insist that Harry stay with the Dursleys for most of the summer. However, he did agree that Sirius could come stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas holiday. After letting them talk a while longer, Dumbledore broke in, smiling at the bond developing between Sirius and Harry.
"Now Harry, this is a very exciting day for all of us, but I'll have to ask you to catch up later. I need to take care of some details with Sirius – getting him a place to live, returning his key to his old Gringotts' account. Please excuse us for a while so we can handle these mundane matters."
Seeing Harry's resistance, Sirius reluctantly added, "Go on, Harry, I'll see you tonight."
Harry sighed, and giving his soon-to-be father one last smile, headed out of the office.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George waited anxiously in the common room at a quarter to six that evening. The news about Sirius had spread through the school like wildfire, and everyone was asking Harry if he had known that Sirius was his godfather. Harry refused to answer any questions, and soon the students stopped asking, whispering behind his back instead.
"So Genie, I could use a little getaway. Can I borrow your bottle?" Fred chuckled, nudging his twin in the ribs. Ginny looked up at them, her eyes narrowed. The twins had been making genie jokes all day, ever since they had seen the misprint of her name in the paper that morning.
"You know, if you had told us you were a genie, we could have avoided this whole mess and just wished Dad back!" George added. "Hey, you still haven't given us our ten wishes!!"
"I thought it was three," Harry said.
"That's only in Muggle fairy tales," Hermione said knowledgably. "Real genies aren't trapped in bottles or lamps – they live there by choice. It's supposed to be quite nice actually. They grant ten wishes, and the person who finds them doesn't become the genie's master. Genies are extremely magical, and as often as not will hex you if they don't think your wishes are worthy of their powers. They also tend to be quite disagreeable."
"Yep, that sounds like Ginny to me," Ron laughed, dodging the cushion that went sailing by his head.
"Well, then you'd better watch out or I'll put a hex on you," Ginny said, giving Ron an evil look.
"There will be no hexes tonight," Professor McGonagall said smiling, entering the common room for the second time that day. "Tonight, only happy thoughts will be allowed. God knows we need it."
The six of them followed the head of their house through several corridors, until they got to a part of the school they didn't recognize. Finally, McGonagall stopped in front of a tapestry, depicting some rather horrid demon-like creatures.
"Enter Hades," McGonagall said, and the tapestry rolled itself up, revealing a solid wall behind it. The stones started steaming and glowing red, eventually turning into ash and blowing away, leaving an opening in the wall. Harry glanced at Ron, smiling nervously. However, any hesitation disappeared as they entered the large, bright dining room. A huge oval table was brimming with food, and candles were lit everywhere, not letting darkness invade even a small corner. It seemed nearly all the teachers were there, although Harry noticed Snape was still gone. Professors Figg and Fletcher were there, though, along with Arabella. Professor McGonagall went over to Dumbledore and started chatting amiably. Harry saw Sirius standing in a corner talking to Remus, and rushed over to his godfather.
"Harry, you're here!" Sirius gave Harry a warm hug, then turned to the others. "Thank you all for coming, and please, let your father know how grateful I am for what he's done for me."
Remus broke in, "Arthur was going to come, but since he just got out of the hospital yesterday, Molly insisted he stay home and rest."
"Well," Dumbledore's loud voice echoed against the stone walls. "Now that we're all here, let me officially welcome one of our own back. Sirius, none of us will ever know what you've gone through. And we can't begin to make up for not being there when you needed us most."
Harry noticed Arabella turning her head away from Sirius as Dumbledore said this, color rising in her cheeks as she stared at the floor. Sirius didn't seem to notice, as his attention was focused on Dumbledore. Harry also turned back to Dumbledore, who was finishing his toast.
"Now that Sirius is back, let us all make sure we remember who our true friends are. All right, everyone, let's tuck in!"
"Your seat, my lady," Ron said as he pulled the chair out for Hermione. She blushed as she sat, smiling up at the tall redhead. Ron took the seat next to her, his ears turning red, while Fred and George went to sit next to Hagrid, who looked at them suspiciously when they offered to pass the rolls to him.
Harry watched where Ginny sat and then took the seat beside her, ignoring the wicked grins coming from Fred and George's direction. Sirius headed towards the empty chair on the other side of Harry, but stopped in his tracks as Arabella took the chair next to that. Remus took the only other empty seat, next to Professor Flitwick, and grinned at Sirius, who sighed resignedly and sat between Arabella and Harry.
"So, did you tell Ginny the good news," Sirius asked, turning his back on Arabella to face Harry and Ginny.
"Yes, Harry told me about the adoption earlier," Ginny responded, "I think it's just wonderful! Harry could use a real family – it'll be really good for him."
"So, Sirius, did you see the Daily Prophet article?" Harry questioned, not so subtly trying to ask about what he had read.
His words got a reaction from Arabella, who stiffened and froze with her glass halfway to her mouth. They all awaited Sirius' response.
"Er, no, I've been a bit busy today," Sirius answered nonchalantly, but Harry noticed his hand tense around his fork.
Ginny, either oblivious to Sirius' discomfort or choosing to ignore it, added, "Oh, you really should read it. It had the most interesting story – it claimed you and Arabella were engaged. Is it true? I mean, I know not to believe everything I read in that paper."
"No," Sirius said promptly. "I don't know where they would have gotten that from, Arabella and I were just acquaintances."
"Acquaintances?" Arabella said, practically choking on her pumpkin juice and dropping any pretense of not listening. "Honestly, Sirius, you may not forgive me, but you can't just pretend nothing ever happened between us."
Harry and Ginny's eyes grew wide as they saw Sirius focus on his plate, his face burning.
"We weren't engaged," Sirius said coldly, still not looking up at Arabella.
Arabella's anger grew. "Well, maybe not officially, but you know we were planning on getting engaged as soon as everything with Voldemort was over!"
"Well, when it was over, that didn't exactly happen, did it?" Sirius' voice was very sharp, and he lifted his head, looking Arabella straight in the eye. "No, I couldn't get engaged seeing as I was in Azkaban, could I?"
Arabella's eyes began to tear up, and Harry looked around for someone to step in, but everyone else was engrossed in their own conversations and didn't notice the developing row. He and Ginny exchanged uneasy glances, unsure if they should say anything.
"Sirius," Arabella began, "I've already told you I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry I didn't believe in you, but the evidence was so overwhelming…it wasn't just me. Everyone was devastated to think that you had betrayed Lily and James. I was in shock – I didn't know what to think."
"But I didn't betray Lily and James and if there was anyone who should have known that, it was you."
"I didn't believe it at first, but then even Dumbledore said that you were the Secret Keeper. What else was I supposed to do?" Tears were now threatening to flow down Arabella's cheeks.
"You were supposed to know that I loved James and Lily more than anyone. You were supposed to stand by me. You weren't supposed to turn your back when I called to you as the Dementors took me away!"
"Pardon me," Arabella muttered, getting up from the table quickly and running out of the room. Professor Figg looked over, and quietly excused herself to go after her daughter. Harry, Ginny, and Sirius sat silently for a minute, eating their meals noiselessly.
'Er, Sirius," Harry tried, "do you think maybe you were a little hard on her?"
"No," Sirius answered simply, not looking up from his plate.
Harry and Ginny glanced at each other and decided to drop the topic. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Sirius lightened the mood by asking Harry about Quidditch. The rest of the meal went quickly, and soon everyone was standing around the room, mingling and enjoying each other's company. Harry walked over to Ron and Hermione, and he and Ginny explained what had transpired.
"Well, you thought he did it too, Harry, and he didn't hold it against you," Ron said.
Hermione rolled her eyes, and responded crossly, "Ron, Harry didn't know Sirius before."
"But still," Ron continued to argue, "He's forgiven Dumbledore and all the others."
"Sometimes you get angriest at those you love the most," Ginny said sadly. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other guiltily, and he took her hand, squeezing it gently. Harry smiled to himself as he watched them, hoping he would one day have someone that was that close to him. He looked over at Ginny wistfully, coming to a decision.
"We've got to get them to make up," Harry said firmly.
"Yes, but how?" Hermione asked, still looking warmly at Ron.
"I think I have an idea," Ginny said, a wicked smile on her face.
A/N: Yes, I know, I've been posting kind of slowly lately. I'm really sorry, but with Christmas coming up, it seems I have a million and a half things to do (a pity really, as I rather enjoy writing this). But I still enjoy all of your reviews and I truly appreciate them (especially those from authors I love to read). Thanks so much!!! Next chapter will be Christmas – I certainly hope to post it well before it's actually Christmas!! J
And no, Ginny's plan does not involve mistletoe! R/R!! Thanks!