CHAPTER 25: Disappearance
January 13, 2005
Dumbledore called a staff meeting in the staff room, that Thursday evening after dinner. All the staff including Remus, and his dog, minus Madam Pomfrey, Professor Binns, and Hagrid walked into the lounge and sat down at the large round table.
"I am calling this meeting to let you all in on the events of the three parents and their friends. It seems that one of their Nanny's was working for Voldemort, and attacked the group. Well it seems we have another spy, you may all know her as Rita Skeeter, what you may not know it that she is an animagus, by the form of beetle. If you get a good look at her, you will notice rings around the beetle's eyes. I want you to all watch out for any beetles. She has been seen all over the school listening in to get information we think for Voldemort." Everyone nodded. Before they could say anything else however, there was a knock on the door, McGonagall quickly got up and opened the door, to see Harry standing there, with his two kids in their stroller beside him. Harry was about to tell McGonagall that they had a problem, when the two babies started screaming at the same time. Rita suddenly appeared as a human, and cast a spell out. Harry yelled out, but was not fast enough. Harry had never heard spell before and everyone sitting at the table disappeared. Harry shot Rita with the stunning spell, then yelled:
"Petrificus Totalus!" Causing her to freeze and fall to the floor. Harry stood looking at where Dumbledore, Snape, Adrian, Hooch, Alka, Sprout, Trelawney, Remus, and his God Father had just been sitting, mouth agape. McGonagall looked the same way, as she tied Rita up, still staring at the vacant table.
"Harry, I'll take the kids, I want you to run and get Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. I'll get Draco, meet me back at the Hospital ward, now! Move it!" Harry nodded and took off for the Gryffindor Common room. He appeared in the Hospital ward out of breath with his three friends. Draco ran up behind them, also out of breath. The group walked over to McGonagall who was standing at the fireplace talking to the Minister of Magic. Who cut the connection and appeared into the fireplace three Auror's appeared behind him, coming to them via the floo network.
"Okay, tell me everything that has happened." The Minister stated, as he motioned the Auror's to go guard Rita. The next hour was spent up-dating the Minister on everything to do with Rita, up until the teacher's disappearances that night. "Do you have any idea what the spell was?" The minister asked, going over the incantation Harry and McGonagall repeated. Both shook their heads.
"I have never heard it before. We need to wake Rita up and give her the veritaserum potion. That should answer our question." McGonagall stated. "I will go to Albus's office and grab his supply." With that, she left. The Minister walked over to Rita, and woke her up. She was still tied up, so she could not get up or do anything except thrash around. The Auror's kept her on the bed. By the time McGonagall came back in, she had stopped trashing and was glaring at anyone who came into her view.
The Minister made her drink the veritaserum potion and they waited for it to take effect.
"Who are you working for?" The Minister asked.
"My lord Voldemort."
"When did you go to his side?"
"The day that brat Granger let me loose, from her jar."
"So you admit to being a death eater?"
"Yes."
"What did you do to the teachers?"
"I put a time spell on them."
"How dose it work?"
"It freezes time for them, a certain event will trigger their return."
"What event?"
"I don't know, you stopped me before I could finish setting it. Without it, they could appear at anytime, or never appear again."
"So they are frozen in time. They won't age at all, while time goes by here," Harry stepped up.
"Yes."
"Okay, Rita Skeeter, you have just confessed to being a death eater, and are sentenced to life in Azkaban." With that the Auror's walked her through the stunned crowd, to the fireplace, where they disappeared into it. The Minister watched them go, before turning back to the group. "Most of the teachers are gone, for who knows how long, should we start sending the students home?"
"No! How will we graduate?" Ron asked.
"You will all graduate." The Minister stated.
"But what about NEWTS?"
"Those are just a test to help Wizarding universities. You don't need them."
"Well, then I guess we should get the kids heading home this Saturday, I will start owling the parents to let them know tonight." McGonagall, looked like she was going to be sick. The Minister nodded.
"Well then congratulations on graduating from Hogwarts, Mr. Potter, I do believe you know about the manor that is now yours?" Harry only nodded, still to startled to say anything. The Minister nodded, and left himself.
"Pro-professor McGonagall, your headmistress now, right?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I guess I am."
"Well, can we stay here for a little longer, we could help get the letters out and the students to the train. We could also help you look for staff for next year." Harry asked. "I don't think it's safe for us to be out on our own right now, away from the protection of Hogwarts." McGonagall sighed, deep in thought.
"Very well, get some sleep tonight, you can start to help me tomorrow." The teens nodded, and walked back to their common room, tears running down their faces. That was it. School was over, just like that, no warning. They were now unexpectedly on their own so to speak. Draco waved goodbye as he turned to go down the hall that would take him to his dorm. No one got any sleep that night.
The next morning, everyone walked into breakfast as usual. Everyone was a little confused to see only McGonagall and Hagrid at the teacher's table, and looking very uncomfortable sitting in Dumbledore's chair. Hagrid also looked slightly confused, he had showed up late to the meeting the night before only to find no one there. Before the meal, started McGonagall tapped her fork against her glass goblet getting everyone's attention.
"I have some bad news, and some good news. The bad news it that, a spy for Voldemort trespassed onto our grounds last night, putting a time spell on most of the staff, causing them to disappear, we don't know for how long. The good news, for some of you anyways, school is over for the rest of the year. Seventh years, congratulations you have all graduated." Gasps could be heard around the room. Almost everyone burst into tears. "You will remain here until this Saturday the fifteenth, while I get letters sent out to your families telling them of the situation and to expect you home. For those of you not seventh years, school will start again as usual next year." With that food appeared on all the tables. Neville and Lavender walked up to the head table.
"Professor McGonagall, our parents and families are away, and won't be able to pick us up until the end of summer." Neville explained.
"Is there anyway we could stay here until summer?" Lavender finished.
"You will have to help Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Draco, who are also staying here for the summer, help me get things ready for next year." The students nodded in agreement, and walked back to their tables to eat. Though there was not very much eating going around, being everyone had suddenly lost their appetites.
January 13, 2005
Dumbledore called a staff meeting in the staff room, that Thursday evening after dinner. All the staff including Remus, and his dog, minus Madam Pomfrey, Professor Binns, and Hagrid walked into the lounge and sat down at the large round table.
"I am calling this meeting to let you all in on the events of the three parents and their friends. It seems that one of their Nanny's was working for Voldemort, and attacked the group. Well it seems we have another spy, you may all know her as Rita Skeeter, what you may not know it that she is an animagus, by the form of beetle. If you get a good look at her, you will notice rings around the beetle's eyes. I want you to all watch out for any beetles. She has been seen all over the school listening in to get information we think for Voldemort." Everyone nodded. Before they could say anything else however, there was a knock on the door, McGonagall quickly got up and opened the door, to see Harry standing there, with his two kids in their stroller beside him. Harry was about to tell McGonagall that they had a problem, when the two babies started screaming at the same time. Rita suddenly appeared as a human, and cast a spell out. Harry yelled out, but was not fast enough. Harry had never heard spell before and everyone sitting at the table disappeared. Harry shot Rita with the stunning spell, then yelled:
"Petrificus Totalus!" Causing her to freeze and fall to the floor. Harry stood looking at where Dumbledore, Snape, Adrian, Hooch, Alka, Sprout, Trelawney, Remus, and his God Father had just been sitting, mouth agape. McGonagall looked the same way, as she tied Rita up, still staring at the vacant table.
"Harry, I'll take the kids, I want you to run and get Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. I'll get Draco, meet me back at the Hospital ward, now! Move it!" Harry nodded and took off for the Gryffindor Common room. He appeared in the Hospital ward out of breath with his three friends. Draco ran up behind them, also out of breath. The group walked over to McGonagall who was standing at the fireplace talking to the Minister of Magic. Who cut the connection and appeared into the fireplace three Auror's appeared behind him, coming to them via the floo network.
"Okay, tell me everything that has happened." The Minister stated, as he motioned the Auror's to go guard Rita. The next hour was spent up-dating the Minister on everything to do with Rita, up until the teacher's disappearances that night. "Do you have any idea what the spell was?" The minister asked, going over the incantation Harry and McGonagall repeated. Both shook their heads.
"I have never heard it before. We need to wake Rita up and give her the veritaserum potion. That should answer our question." McGonagall stated. "I will go to Albus's office and grab his supply." With that, she left. The Minister walked over to Rita, and woke her up. She was still tied up, so she could not get up or do anything except thrash around. The Auror's kept her on the bed. By the time McGonagall came back in, she had stopped trashing and was glaring at anyone who came into her view.
The Minister made her drink the veritaserum potion and they waited for it to take effect.
"Who are you working for?" The Minister asked.
"My lord Voldemort."
"When did you go to his side?"
"The day that brat Granger let me loose, from her jar."
"So you admit to being a death eater?"
"Yes."
"What did you do to the teachers?"
"I put a time spell on them."
"How dose it work?"
"It freezes time for them, a certain event will trigger their return."
"What event?"
"I don't know, you stopped me before I could finish setting it. Without it, they could appear at anytime, or never appear again."
"So they are frozen in time. They won't age at all, while time goes by here," Harry stepped up.
"Yes."
"Okay, Rita Skeeter, you have just confessed to being a death eater, and are sentenced to life in Azkaban." With that the Auror's walked her through the stunned crowd, to the fireplace, where they disappeared into it. The Minister watched them go, before turning back to the group. "Most of the teachers are gone, for who knows how long, should we start sending the students home?"
"No! How will we graduate?" Ron asked.
"You will all graduate." The Minister stated.
"But what about NEWTS?"
"Those are just a test to help Wizarding universities. You don't need them."
"Well, then I guess we should get the kids heading home this Saturday, I will start owling the parents to let them know tonight." McGonagall, looked like she was going to be sick. The Minister nodded.
"Well then congratulations on graduating from Hogwarts, Mr. Potter, I do believe you know about the manor that is now yours?" Harry only nodded, still to startled to say anything. The Minister nodded, and left himself.
"Pro-professor McGonagall, your headmistress now, right?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I guess I am."
"Well, can we stay here for a little longer, we could help get the letters out and the students to the train. We could also help you look for staff for next year." Harry asked. "I don't think it's safe for us to be out on our own right now, away from the protection of Hogwarts." McGonagall sighed, deep in thought.
"Very well, get some sleep tonight, you can start to help me tomorrow." The teens nodded, and walked back to their common room, tears running down their faces. That was it. School was over, just like that, no warning. They were now unexpectedly on their own so to speak. Draco waved goodbye as he turned to go down the hall that would take him to his dorm. No one got any sleep that night.
The next morning, everyone walked into breakfast as usual. Everyone was a little confused to see only McGonagall and Hagrid at the teacher's table, and looking very uncomfortable sitting in Dumbledore's chair. Hagrid also looked slightly confused, he had showed up late to the meeting the night before only to find no one there. Before the meal, started McGonagall tapped her fork against her glass goblet getting everyone's attention.
"I have some bad news, and some good news. The bad news it that, a spy for Voldemort trespassed onto our grounds last night, putting a time spell on most of the staff, causing them to disappear, we don't know for how long. The good news, for some of you anyways, school is over for the rest of the year. Seventh years, congratulations you have all graduated." Gasps could be heard around the room. Almost everyone burst into tears. "You will remain here until this Saturday the fifteenth, while I get letters sent out to your families telling them of the situation and to expect you home. For those of you not seventh years, school will start again as usual next year." With that food appeared on all the tables. Neville and Lavender walked up to the head table.
"Professor McGonagall, our parents and families are away, and won't be able to pick us up until the end of summer." Neville explained.
"Is there anyway we could stay here until summer?" Lavender finished.
"You will have to help Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Draco, who are also staying here for the summer, help me get things ready for next year." The students nodded in agreement, and walked back to their tables to eat. Though there was not very much eating going around, being everyone had suddenly lost their appetites.