*Author's Note: This chapter came to me clearer than anyone since the first one, so I think I'm getting back on track. Tell me if you get confused. Here we go with the Weasley twins again - that prank only just came to me, but already it's going to be a central part of the story! The plot is getting along well, too. Thanks to all who reviewed. :-) I keep writing because of reviews. Tell me if you liked/didn't like this chapter, and if you don't know who "Darmintry" is -- bad! You haven't read "Years of the Wolf"! (Tho I don't blame you...) Well, she's a Dark Witch who was in power, but was defeated about the same year the Marauders were born.
Disclaimer: Oh, come on. You really think I'm good enough to make money off this? Why, what a compliment! I DON'T OWN IT, thank you very much!!
*By the way... what would you think of a quick story explaining Arabella Figg and Bendall's Curse? I'm probably going to post it soon; tell me if you'd be interested when you review. Thanks.
August 23
Well, Dad and I had The Talk. It actually happened this evening when Dad asked if he could come in my room. What could I say? No? I dropped my History of Magic essay and complied. I didn't really think he was angry with me, but then…
Well, Dad deserves more credit than he gets. First thing he says is: "We decided you could go to the Weasleys tomorrow, if you want."
"Oh… thanks," I replied, bounding up to give him a hug. But when we broke away Dad went straight to my desk and opened the second drawer, the one with all the Daily Prophets telling of all the recent Dark Activity.
"I know things aren't looking too well with this He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fellow," he said calmly.
Clever Daddy. I wasn't even too upset he had read them. I mean, it saved me the trouble of telling him. He then sighed and said: "Cecelia was killed by one of them. Darmintry."
I froze. Aunt Cecelia was killed by Darmintry?
"Hermione, keep safe. I love you, girl."
I just hugged him again and started crying softly. You-Know-Who's rising must have been killing him. "Let's keep this from Mum," he said softly. "She had no idea, 'til you got your letter."
"Mum's strong enough to hear the truth," I replied just as softly.
Actually, he was silent for a moment and nodded. I think he's telling her now. So now I understand it all a little better.
"These Weasleys," he said slowly, "and Harry. They'll take care of you, won't they?" It wasn't really a question; he knew they would do anything they had to for me. It wasn't a demand; it was a statement, an admission that someone other than him and Mum were looking out for me. I think it must be hard for parents to "let go" a bit like that.
Then he laughed and told the worst, most unrepeatable joke. I can't even write it down; I'd never be able to face Mum again. But we both giggled and felt better. He warned me not to study to death this year - "if you come back looking like you did the past two years, you're grounded, young lady" - and that he loved me, again.
I can hear his and Mum's voices now. I think I should go write Ron; he'll be here the instant he reads the letter. Actually, I'm not even sure I want to go now, but Dad told me to go. In fact, he actually ordered me to go. So I'm going, I suppose, after another nice long hug from Mum. When I next write, I'll probably be at the Burrow - yes, I'm excited! The Muggle world may not be as depressing lately, but it's too Muggle. I think that's a sign I'm becoming more witch than Muggle, but what can I do about it?
August 24
Honestly, what have I done? As if the Weasley twins weren't bad enough without me offering a suggestion and having another of them… oh, I hope Mrs. Weasley forgives me some day, I really do.
Okay, I suppose I should back up, although I will have to write about it. That's all anyone is talking about here. Mrs. Weasley is scolding them, although she doesn't fully understand what they're going to do. Mr. Weasley is doing a miserable job at being properly fatherly stern. Bill is shaking his head, grinning, and then offering suggestions when Mrs. Weasley isn't around. Ginny is trying - for Mrs. Weasley's sakes and mine - to be disapproving, but is just too amused. Ron is furiously writing Harry a letter hinting at it and forcing him to come over by tomorrow.
Back to this early afternoon, when the Mr. Weasley and Ron came to pick me up by Floo Powder. It doesn't seem that this trip was as disastrous as the one to the Dursleys last year. Of course, the two of them were both fascinated by our all-Muggle house, but my parents know how to deal with Mr. Weasley and I with Ron, so the refrigerator took a dent but otherwise nothing was broken or injured. I hugged Mum and Dad goodbye and they promised to meet us at the Leaky Cauldron on Wednesday when we go school shopping! I still get so excited by Diagon Alley.
We made it over to the Burrow in one piece, and I'm thankful to say that Mrs. Weasley was completely nice now - almost too nice, as if to make up for before. But never mind. Let's see, before we get to Fred and George - oh, yes, Bill seems to be on holiday from Egypt and Ron and I are not to know what he's doing. He seems cheerful, if tired - like Mr. Weasley, although he's considerably less cheerful. Percy… Percy looks awful, although Ron said gloomily that I'm lucky to have even seen him today. Ron says he's never around anymore. Percy looks dead tired, with deeply circles bloodshot eyes. I notice he's not so enthusiastic over the Ministry anymore. Ron was right - Percy actually criticizes the Ministry more than everyone else put together now. Poor thing; he's deeply disillusioned.
Now, Fred and George. Well, I have to go back some more to when I was reading the material for Harry's "book". I was so busy I couldn't mention it then, but one of the little Marauder pranks was in their third year when there was an assistant of Hagrid's for a year everyone really hated. They got the bright idea to take a pair of twins a year below them and fool the assistance into thinking they were triplets. Actually, I admit - it was quite good.
Well, ever since them I've been thinking, horrified, of Fred and George and whether they ever tired that or what might happen if Harry let something slip and gave them that idea. I've been stunned with horror at the idea of Weasley "triplets" - triple diple double trouble! And I was so worried about whether they ever tried them that when we greeted each other outside the Burrow, I stared. Well, of course, George suddenly glances sideways at me and asks: "Hermione, what's wrong?"
Well, my throat was all dry and I wasn't thinking straight and the first thing I said was: "Did you and Fred ever try to fool people into thinking you had a triplet?"
And I was worried about Harry telling them!
You should have seen their faces. They just lit up in delight.
Fred bowed deeply. "My dear young Miss Granger, you are a pure and brilliant genius."
"Splendid idea," snickered George. And it just went from there. This year they are spreading the word that they have a triplet named "David". They already owled their roommates and Angelina and Katie and Alicia with the idea and to warn them to play along. They're going to use the ruse on whoever is our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Sometimes George will play David, sometimes Fred, and sometimes they'll have to play each other. David is a Ravenclaw - "Isn't it prefect? No one suspects Ravenclaws of being tricksters; we have Ravenclaw friends to play along, and the Ravenclaws might even help us with a Polyjuice Potion!" - and when I pointed out that sooner or later a teacher was going to mention the Weasley twins, Fred smirked.
"Dear Professor Vector has already helped us on more than one occasion. As has Sinistra."
Well, excellent. And Vector's in cahoots with Fred and George? That's awful. I really admired her. Oh, I still do… but honestly! And Sinistra! How come all the good teachers end up being horrible pranksters? They're also working on another potion Ron and I haven't heard the name of while eavesdropping - they aren't telling us all this straight out; the less people that know around here, the better! - that will seemingly make our Defence teacher hear a different word or phrase when someone says a certain word or phrase - like "twins" - that might incriminate the "three" of them.
Isn't it awful? The really awful part is, I'm dying of laughter. This is really, really good - no, it isn't! It's an awful, low-down, mean, and deceitful trick?
Oh, who I am fooling? It is all of those adjectives, but it is also hilarious and ingenious.
August 26
Going to Diagon Alley tomorrow! YES!! Finally!
Harry's here as well! He came the day after the infamous "Weasley triplets" plan got thought up. Harry looks horribly pale and serious but he nearly died choking on laughter when he heard Fred and George proudly tell of their plan - well, proudly in whispers outside of the house, as Mrs. Weasley is not to know all of this. He then glanced at me and mouthed: "You put the idea in their head, Ms. Author."
I nodded.
He grinned. Later we re-read the "material" notes of that prank. Pretty funny.
Harry came here escorted by Sirius and Lupin, but neither of them came near the Burrow, even if the Weasleys know about Sirius now. Sirius was looking a lot better than he had in Hogsmeade last year, but Lupin looked a lot worse from when he left Hogwarts. Harry was beaming. I didn't ask yet about how they got him from the Dursleys. He's here, and Mr. Weasley is secretly relived that he didn't have to go to the Dursleys, and Mrs. Weasley didn't even bother questioning Harry as to how he got here.
The Weasley Triplets Update: Fred and George are on a mission in Diagon Alley: find ingredients for a Calanium Solution. They'll be able to make it so that whichever poor soul is teaching Defence this year will go the whole year in this condition: whenever she hears the word "twins", she actually hears "triplets". They're so awful.
Harry Update: Like I said, he looked too pale and too tired and too serious. He's now acting almost too light-hearted as well; laughing at everything and with a constant smile I can figure is forced. He thanked me repeated for the "booklet"; I caught him reading it once already today. He says he hasn't told Ron about it yet. I understand. He did tell Ron and me about the "impromptu birthday party".
"Aunt Petunia got turned into a witch," he added with a sly grin.
"How?" I asked in horror.
"Sirius. He got a tad upset with them. Remus and I spent a good deal of time talking him out of hexing them into St. Mungo's on the spot."
"So how'd he end up turning your aunt into a witch?" I asked sternly.
"Well," he smiled, "Sirius transported us a few blocks away so he could hex away at sweet will and without us to stop him."
I shook my head. "Harry! So what did you do?"
"Well, once we figured out why we were suddenly not inside, we got the bright idea to walk back very, very slowly."
"How slow?" grinned Ron.
"And I accidentally led us down a wrong turn," continued Harry casually.
"I bet you did," I scowled. "Let me guess. It was a Convitor Curse - turns the victim into whatever they think is the lowest thing to exist."
"Yeah," Harry laughed. "We got back at just the right moment, too. Apparently she thought being a naturally powerful witch was the most humiliating thing to be, and she was giving Sirius a very good duel. Hermione, don't look at me like that. They wiped their memories before they left."
I shook my head in disbelief, but I suppose they have so many counts against them it doesn't seem to matter how many laws they break now. And besides, Harry looked really happy when he was talking about it, so I tried to let it go.
But I did ask in Sirius had gone as Padfoot. "Until he was inside Bella or my uncle's house." And was Lupin actually wearing his Identification-Pin? "What's that? Oh - yeah, Bella made him wear it while we were over there. He took it off, though."
I don't want to upset Harry, but it's really dangerous. If anyone finds Sirius was there and catches him, Harry is left with a godfather who had received the Dememtor's Kiss on the spot. And if anyone catches Lupin without his ID-Pin - yes, there're unfair, but it's the law - and in the company of Sirius Black, I hate to think of what'll happen to him. Death, in the Ministry's opinion, would be too kind and brief. And then Harry is left without his parents' friends.
Oh, please, I hope those two use a bit more caution.
Uh-oh - Harry and Ron have started a fantastic Quidditch debate, Fred and George have joined in, and now there's a full-fledged war going on. I've got to remember to ask Harry about Bella - later, though, he's pretty distracted at the moment - and so am I. But I need to know how her condition is; it's key to estimating what You-Know-Who is doing. He's been a tad too inactive for my comfort lately.
August 27
Had a wonderful time in the Alley; what else to say? Was horrified to discover that someone - now, I won't say his name, but his initials are Ron Weasley - didn't do any work on three subjects worth of homework this summer, but that's something we'll deal with on the train ride to school, I suppose.
I love Alyn's calendar saying for today: "Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal." Is that one not great and wonderful and true, or what?
I did remember to ask Harry about Bella. He says he hadn't seen her since when he wrote that one letter to me because the Dursleys, it seems, don't exactly let him wander. He said that last time she wasn't doing too well, and while I hate to say it, that's a good sign. Being happy because someone is seriously ill - that is one awful curse, but there you are!
Mum and Dad seem greatly reassured by the Weasleys, although at first I thought that they were a bit worried when they saw how tired Mr. Weasley looked. But they got over it and chatted happily all day. Mum was laughing in secret as Mr. Weasley asked about elevators and Mr. Weasley's eyes widened in shock when Dad inquired about garden gnomes. They're getting along fine. We're staying for two more days and have booked rooms at the Leaky Cauldron. I'd like to write more, but Ron and Harry and I are so busy with stuff - oh, screw this, I've things to do!
August 29
I've still got things to do. Like helping Ron with his Charms essay that he's written two sentences on, and packing my bags, and having a long talk with Ginny, and distracting Mrs. Weasley from her upset daughter, and lying like crazy to Fred and George and Percy and Bill, and praying for that poor Defence teacher who is facing three Weasley twins. But right now I'm too worked up and worried. Harry is trying to talk sense into Ginny while I try to write some sense in myself.
What happened was that this morning Ginny, Ron, Harry, and I were having a nice normal stroll through Diagon Alley while three of us talked Ron out of going down Knockturn Alley. Harry's none too fond of the place, and Ginny and I have no intention of finding out precisely why.
Ginny ended up convincing Ron to go to the Magical Menagerie instead. She's really dying for an owl, and even if she can't get one she loves to look at them. It's a pity Percy needs Hermes. Oh, this reminds me that Fred and George got Ron and Ginny new dress robes for some reason. Are they trying to play matchmaker their final year, or what? And where exactly did they find the money - gambling? I hope not. Anyway, that's really unimportant now.
Of course, this place was too close to Knockturn Alley for Ron. Oh, no, Ronnie just had to sneak 'round back and try to slip over into the Alley. Ginny and Harry and I realized this far too late and followed him - but we weren't in Knockturn Alley or even Diagon Alley, I think. Well, we were, but we were in a sort of dark square with four stores surrounding us, and everything was strangely quiet and spooky. Am I explaining myself well? Probably not. It was just a little weed-filled alleyway, and we were eager to get out and I started telling off Ron while leading him and the others to a place I could see some actually daylight. It seems the roofs of the stores overlap. Not a pretty place, I assure you.
Well, we had just reached the edge and could see people in Diagon Alley wandering and jostling past when we spotted a man who looked… odd. Actually, he turned out to be downright frightening, but right now he just looked odd.
He had tow-colored hair that fell untidily over his eyes and face. His eyes were dark as Alyn's had been, and he was considerably pale. He looked as though he had once been a comfortable, muscular weight, but he had thinned considerably and looked a bit ill. He was muttering distractedly, and my first thought was "madman". He had on clean robes, but they obviously had been fitted for someone else and weren't his and he looked very out of place. I could sense that this was no wizard. I think Harry could as well; since we're of both the Muggle and magic world we can sense this better than Ron and Ginny.
But we had to pass him to get out in the right Alley, so we walked cautiously over and were going to go past when he inquired pleasantly: "You going be where?"
He didn't sound foreign, but he talked funnily. He grammar was all mixed up and he was forcing words a good deal. We four were all more or less unnerved and I answered honestly: "Back into Diagon Alley. We were chasing our friend Ron."
He nodded emphatically. "Yes, yes. Good friends you are, for Ron?"
Harry and I nodded uncertainly. Ron looked nonplussed; and Ginny frightened.
His eyes gazed and glistened off a bit when he suddenly stared at Harry. "Dream girl's boy," he said abruptly.
Harry looked rather pale and uncomfortable. "I guess."
"Flower witch. Dream girl. Powerful, she be. Was. No, be. And flippant fool - no, no, no." He sounded like a house-elf trying to break a bind. "Powerful, brave. Man of Potter line."
I think he was talking of Harry's parents, and Ginny had the same thought. "Be?" she repeated sharply, for once not looking scared. "Is she alive, sir?"
The man's eyes turned to her. "Not 'sir'," he said absently. "I'm John. I was. I was John."
"Who're you now?" I asked suddenly.
"Many, many questions. Few sufficient answers. I'm not John. I'm different." Suddenly he looked close to tears. "I'm fighting; I'm fighting, I promise - I'm trying!"
I thought of Anna a moment and wondered if this man might be another, but then, Ron had just bought this ridiculous garlic wreath for Fred and George to use - they said it would be "useful in operation triple trouble" - and no, I don't want to know why - and John didn't flinch. He acted odd, but it sure wasn't the garlic.
"Curious, young girls are," he continued, his mind and tongue roving all over the place. "Young girls. Schoolgirls. You go to the school? Dumbledore's?"
"Yes," answered Ron, sounding threatening, like: Don't try anything with my friend and little sister!
"You are also there?" he asked to Ron and Harry, presumably.
They nodded.
"Good. Good. Can never learn enough. I didn't. I read. I lots and lots read. Knowledge. Didn't work. I victim still fell."
Ron sort of shot me a glance - I couldn't believe him, egging me on in a moment like that!
"You be learning much at the school, Dumbledore's school?"
I felt like I was in the Forbidden Forest talking to centaurs. "Yes."
"Good. Good. Education. More and more. Different things, is not?"
I couldn't make sense of it, but I was captivated, especially when he continued: "You're not Emily." He again sounded close to tears.
"No, sorry," Ginny replied shakily.
John blinked back tears. "Cry, can't," he mumbled. "I cannot cry anymore. I may not."
"How come?" I demanded.
"No more. Can't go back to my girl, either. Emily - little, bright, pretty. Looked like mother. Eyes were mine, though. Emily had dark brown eyes. Rather like the young girl," he nodded to Ginny.
"Why can't you go back to her?" I asked. Ron nudged me but I simply nudged back.
"I can't," he said flatly. "I am forbidden."
Me: "By who?"
"Even if he freed me, I cannot go back. No. No. I am not her father anymore."
"Who keeps you back?"
"Not just he. The…the… Emily better off without me. So is my wife. I had wife, you know." John sounded brighter for a moment. "Rowena. Beautiful girl. Met in school. She was one of them, but not quite. She was more of the other, like I had been. But I no be either anymore."
"What happened?" I asked sharply in my best prefectional tone.
He gave me what was, for him, a straight reply: "Captured," he replied dully, his eyes clouding over. "Foolish. 'Twas capture one. Then caught two."
"Did you escape in between?" Harry asked suddenly.
"Couldn't. He be strong. And the little one. Has power. Can cause pain. Shunned, but great power."
"What little one?"
"Little one. Helps he control. Keeps us in line. I'm fighting; I'm fighting. Got to fight."
"John," I began gently, but he looked at me miserably and cut me off.
He was visibly tearing at the eyes now as he glanced about dejectedly. "I try! I try! I try! The girl, she fights! She's able! Ann… May… Ann… May… She's willing! Fights! Captured one, two, three, four - fights - escapes - strong will!"
I felt suddenly dizzy and ill. "Anna Maynard?" I demanded with a small cry of horror. "Four! Was she bitten again? Tell me, John! Is she a vampire now?"
"Caught twice. Capture once. Tried to escape once. Many kinds of capture, yes."
I was so fed up with this John; he kept playing word games with me and I really needed to know about Anna!
"She's a young girl, too. Not mine. Not the other's, either."
"Which other?" asked Ron wearily.
John's face took on a hard set. "The other. Strong fighter! Helped me, yes, yes, escape, no. No escape from caught, hard escape from capture. He's looking for his little girl, too!"
"Who's this?" I demanded.
"Eyes. Light. Light eyes. Strong will. Fights. Fights quiet, fights hard. Fights quiet, but disturbed he. And little one. Disturbed both. And pale one."
"Pale one?" repeated Ron in exasperation. I could tell he was getting confused.
"Tall, thin, pale, power. And the other. Mean eyes. Dark, mean eyes. Cold, greatly hurt. Yes, greatly hurt. Cold. Mean. Hatred, deep hate. And the others. Many others. Obey. Obey. Obey - fight! Must fight!"
"Wait a seco -" Ginny began.
"I will fight! For the young ones' sake! Fight! For light eyes' girl, and my girl, and you two, and flower witch's boy, and young Ron! Fight - struggle - I won't! I won't! I will fight!"
Now he looked truly demented and dangerous and we were about to make a run for it when he softened and turned to Harry and Ginny. "Flower witch; dream girl, sleeps. Dead. No more herself, but her courage is still around. He still fears it. And the singing lark. Fears the song of the singing lark. The girl and the bird."
"Phoenix?" asked Harry.
"Singing lark bird," agreed John. "Phoenix. Order of Phoenix? Dumbledore's line. And dark-haired singing lark lady. He fears her. She's alive, she is, she is! Ann May saw so!"
He darkened again and looked truly miserable. "I don't deserve… no tears… fight. Fight. I won't let it win!"
"What's it?" I burst out.
"I won't let it hurt you!"
"What - is - it?" I demanded again.
"No! No! Not hurt another girl! Mind dark, confused - not - no - no - fight! Singing lark - dream girl - light eyes - artists, yes - won't fail! Thank you!" He suddenly turned sharply and ran down the dark alley to a different point, and disappeared to where I presume Knockturn Alley would be.
That's when Ginny burst out into tears. She had been so calm and strong during this, but it was too much for her. She buried her face in her hands and turned to Ron, who patted her on the head. Then Harry put a comforting arm around her - and can you believe me? The first thing I thought is: "Oh, Ginny's going to like that. She's had that crush on him forever." Can you believe me? Oh, I am so ashamed of myself!
Then, idiot that I am, I started crying, too, but instead of sobbing just said through silent tears: "Let's get out of here, shall we?" Harry said the same words at the same time, looking distantly far away.
It was after John left that we were so impacted. We felt so frightened after he left, and I'm exhausted, but there's more to write. That's what happened. Now on to Hermione's Musings.
Who the… hmm… the English language is suddenly not strong enough without swearing… no, no, no, just spent too much time with Ron is all!… Who could that man have been? I can't describe how creepy it was, and how frightening, and how sad. John looked really, really sad and we couldn't do anything! And what about Anna? If I could get in contact with her… she hasn't written me since last November…
Harry's writing Sirius furiously now, which makes me feel much better. Ever since we talked with him in Hogsmeade last year, I really admired him. He's so clever, and everything gets a lot clearer after he finishes his say.
Uh-oh… Ron and Harry are angry with me and are demanding to know who "Ann May" is and why I didn't tell them about her before… I better stop now and explain, they're about to drag me away. Oh, boy, they are not going to like t-
August 29, later
Well, I think when we're all forty-five Harry and Ron will forgive me.
"You knew her for two whole years now and didn't tell us?" Ron hollered at one point, but now we're all talking sensibly and I think they might even let me live. But honestly, how could I tell Ron? Perhaps it's just because the Weasleys are an old wizarding family, but he's so prejudicial about things like this! You heard him last year with Hagrid!
I had a talk with Ginny, too. She thinks we know more about this than we do and is a bit huffy that we won't tell her more. And she overheard Ron suggesting to Harry: "Write Snuffles" earlier - Ron is so careless, he's got to have more caution than that - and no one will tell her who "Snuffles" is and she's very upset. She knows that Dumbledore trusts Sirius, of course, but we can't really tell her all the parts about his being Harry's godfather and Harry's correspondence with him and all.
And now Mrs. Weasley has noticed that Ginny's face is tear-streaked. Uh-oh. This may not be good. I'll be right back.
August 29, later
Well, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have nearly the whole story. They know all about John. Well, I didn't add in everything I knew, and as I knew most of it they have information with a lot of holes. I just don't trust anyone with this until I know what to do! Ginny didn't mention Snuffles or anything she overheard about "Ann May", though. The Weasleys are writing a report to certain trusted Ministry officials. I think I trust Sirius more. Of course, Ron made a big deal about this when I said that. "Since when does Hermione Granger not trust the high and mighty authorities?"
Bill and Percy know something of this. I know they do. They had these really closed expressions when they heard of it. Bill and Mr. Weasley talked quietly awhile, and then I heard Bill say: "I'll owl Charlie, and he'll tell us whatever else he might know." Percy looked really pensive for a moment and then demanded to know why we were telling the incompetent Ministry this! Has Percy ever changed since he found out about Mr. Crouch! He trusts no one of the Ministry now, except his father. It's almost scary. Harry had this shocked look on his face when he first heard one of Percy's "Ministry tirades".
I think I'll go try to badger Bill. He's nice enough, and I want to know why Charlie might know something.
August 30
I talked to Bill. The conversation went a bit like this:
Me: "Bill? Can I ask you something?"
Bill: (smiles) "Sure, Hermione. What's up? Ron giving you trouble?"
Me: "As usual. I heard you say Charlie knew something about this John. What's going on with that?"
Bill: (sighs, face falls) "Hermione, I really can't get into that."
Me: "Please, Bill. I won't tell a soul, not Ron or Harry or Ginny, and I have a theory and I just want to confirm it."
Bill: "Tell me the theory."
Me: (since, after all, I didn't really have much of a theory) "This is completely secret."
Bill: "'Course. All confidential."
Me: (exaggerating what I thought a bit just so I could see Bill's reaction) "I know the Ann May girl. She's a girl a little younger than me that might be a vampire now. I know Charlie works with dragons with Romania. Seems to me this is all very creature-is-tic. John, however, was very English. He was also a Muggle. It's my opinion he was captured by You-Know-Who. Romania is close to Albania. That's where You-Know-Who and Wormtail were for a good deal of last year. But Charlie was here with us around the time Bertha Jorkins was killed. Then he was helping with the Triwizard Tournament. At the third task, you said Charlie 'couldn't get off work'. What kind of work? Isn't he sort of independent? (pause) I'm getting pretty jumbled up. Am I making any sense?
Bill (smiles, eyes twinkling) "You've got a lot of good facts, Hermione. Go on."
Me: "Okay, thanks. Putting all and all together, I'm wondering if Charlie was not doing 'errands' for Dumbledore last year and had a hand in all this."
Bill: "He was doing 'errands' for Dumbledore. And that's all you get."
Me: "Wait!" By now I was desperate and said the most outrageous and dramatic thing that came to mind: "John's a -" Death Eater? Severus Snape's long-lost brother? A Dragon Amimagus? "werewolf, I think." There. That was almost as dramatic as Severus Snape's long-lost brother. Ugh. Horrid thought.
Bill: "Congratulations. You're closer than anyone else has been."
Well, that told me he knew a lot more than he was letting on, right?!
Me: "Bill! John played enough word games with me today, TELL me something!"
Bill: "I'll tell you that I'm no more sure than you are. I have a lot of guesses. Yours was probably the best of everyone - except mine, of course."
Me: "Sure. Of course."
Bill: "I knew you'd understand! But, seriously, Charlie knows a lot about this. I don't; Dad doesn't; Mum doesn't."
Percy does, I thought.
Bill: "And I have no doubt that in a couple of months you'll have pieced together the whole story. Now, I'll give you one piece of information since you told me of Ann May. That was an important bit. Here's what I know: The chap's name is John Trizinardi, and he's was in Albania last year. He was a scholar. He was studying goodness-knows-what, that's for you to find out. Keep me updated and we'll share info." He winked, and I saw that he was offering me a chance to help solve the mystery and get the information I craved at the same time.
I like Bill.
