A/N: Sorry to those of you who can't get enough of the cliff hangers, but I
thought I needed to start a new chapter. Hope ya liked the last one and I'm
hopin y'all'll like this one too! ENJOY!
Over the next week, things became very tense around the school. Dumbledore had been called away to help at the Ministry which was still under attack the day after the first wave of dementors and Death Eaters had attacked. Word had gotten around the school that Cornelius Fudge was captured and was being held prisoner. They didn't have any proof, but that's what was going around.
The classes had become seemingly more and more small, until there were only about 50 people left, all of which were 7th year students. Not a single Gryffindor 7th year had left. Not one. A lot of Hufflepuff's had left, and so had over half of Ravenclaw. It seemed that the only ones brave enough to stay and fight or the school, the whole wizarding community were those in Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Harry Ron and Hermione had decided it best if they kept to themselves. Harry, however still sought refuge with Colleen every now and then. She had almost become one of them. But she still wouldn't ever be as tightly twined as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just all on their own.
Harry and Colleen hadn't spoken of that one night since it actually happened. Harry desperately wanted to be with her again. Feel her, touch her, be inside her. But he knew it wasn't safe. He was going to have to find a way around the few teachers there were left at the school, most had been called away to help the fight.
Hagrid hadn't been there all year and before Dumbledore had left, Harry had spoken with him as to his whereabouts.
"Dumbledore, where's Hagrid?" he'd asked as Dumbledore packed only a few essential things in a sack.
"He is off trying to persuade the giants to join us. We heard that he was making progress yesterday. He may be back sooner than we'd anticipated." Had been Dumbledore's response.
"But he's alright?" Harry pressed on, trying to be as thorough as possible.
"Yes, he is fine." Dumbledore assured him. "Now, you ought to be running along to your class." And with that, Dumbledore had shoed him from his office and Harry had went to his class.
It was Tuesday now and everyone was in Potions. Snape hadn't been called away yet, to many peoples horror. They thought or sure that he'd be one of the first people to be called, but they let him stay at the school. No one knew why, but they all hoped that he'd be called soon. He was becoming unbearable. He'd docked Gryffindor thirty points within the first ten minutes of the class and Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had been docked twenty. None of them knew why he'd docked the points, just that he had. But Slytherin on the other hand had been rewarded fifty for no apparent reason. Needless to say, people were becoming very unhappy about the whole thing.
"Now, what would happen if I added a dragon scale to the potion?" he asked them.
Only Hermione raised her hand. "You'd get an explosion. The caldron would over boil and then when it hit the cold floor, it would explode."
"Yes, Ms. Granger. It would indeed do just that. Perhaps next time, you'd care to wait for m to call on you before you speak. Five points from Gryffindor." Was his reply. Hermione didn't raise her hand at all or the rest of class. Harry and Ron could both tell this was a very hard thing to do for her. It almost looked as if it were causing her pain!
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That night, when they went to dinner, they came into the Hall to find that it had only one single table left now.
Over the week, more and more people had requested going into hiding and many had been sent back home to their families. Almost all of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had returned home. Not a single Slytherin or Gryffindor had left though. It was almost a battle all in its own. A battle to see who would chicken out first and go home.
Tonight, the only table that was left was what used to be Gryffindor table (They could tell because Fred and George had carved their names in it the night before they left.). There were so few people, that you could actually tell all four houses apart from one another. Gryffindor sat all the way on the end, closest to the staff table which only had four teachers left now. Professors Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Feather-Bee were the only ones left. The only ones to protect the very existence of Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall stood up abruptly and called for everyone's attention. "Please, quiet down. I would like to announce that we will no longer be teaching anything accept Defense Against the Dark Arts. With the resent events happening at the Ministry, we feel that our time, as well as yours, is better spent teaching you things that you may be using very shortly. For those o you who absolutely cannot live without the other classes, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to manage without them or the time being. We will notify you as soon as we decide to continue teaching the other subjects." She said as she finished her announcement.
"Wow, things at the Ministry must be serious.." Hermione said, her voice trailing off.
"Must be, to be canceling all the other classes except Defense Against the Dark Arts." Ron replied, looking shiftily at Harry and Hermione.
"I wish the teachers would tell us what's going on. All they do is keep us in the dark about everything that's going on." Harry said angrily. "They treat us like we're children, and we're not! They can't keep sheltering us like this forever!" His fellow Gryffindor's and a few of the Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's that were left were beginning to stare. They were intrigued by what he was saying. "If they're going to teach us how to defend ourselves, we need to know what we're up against." Several of the onlookers nodded in agreement. "Don't we have the right to know what's going on? I mean, we're graduating this year and we need to know what the real world is like, not this little make-believe world that all the teachers and our parents like to keep us in!"
"Harry's right!" Ron said in agreement, springing to his feet. He looked very noble. "And if the teachers won't tell us what's going on then we'll figure it out for ourselves!"
"Yeah, exactly!" Harry said, also getting to his feet. Together, they looked as if they were the Ministers of Magic and they were giving a speech that would alter the course of history. "And if we have to find out what's going on, on our own, then so be it! Who's with me?"
"I'm with you Harry!" Hermione said, getting to her feet.
"Yeah, Harry! We're with you all the way! 'Til the very end mate!" Ron shouted, rising his goblet in a toast. Everyone followed his lead.
"'Til the end!" they all shouted, even the Slytherin's.
"What on earth is going on here?" It was Professor McGonagall. The eruption of support had grabbed her attention.
"We're tired of being left in the dark about everything that's going on in the Ministry!" Harry replied. "And if you don't tell us right now what's going on, then you leave us no choice but to dig until we find out the truth! Either way, we will find out, so you might as well tell us now and save us the time and energy."
"Fine, Potter. You want to know so badly, then I'll tell you." McGonagall began in a very perturbed tone. "Today, it was confirmed that Cornelius Fudge was captured, tortured and then killed by You-Know-Who's followers. The Minister of Magic is dead." Almost everyone in the Great Hall gasped at this news. "The Ministry was attacked again yesterday and as we speak, our forces are going head to head with You-Know-Who's. You-Know-Who's forces have started to move out into the wizarding community and are beginning to attack people in their homes. People have started to go into hiding. And lastly, Professor Dumbledore was captured earlier this evening and unless he gives them the information they want, they will kill him."
Over the next week, things became very tense around the school. Dumbledore had been called away to help at the Ministry which was still under attack the day after the first wave of dementors and Death Eaters had attacked. Word had gotten around the school that Cornelius Fudge was captured and was being held prisoner. They didn't have any proof, but that's what was going around.
The classes had become seemingly more and more small, until there were only about 50 people left, all of which were 7th year students. Not a single Gryffindor 7th year had left. Not one. A lot of Hufflepuff's had left, and so had over half of Ravenclaw. It seemed that the only ones brave enough to stay and fight or the school, the whole wizarding community were those in Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Harry Ron and Hermione had decided it best if they kept to themselves. Harry, however still sought refuge with Colleen every now and then. She had almost become one of them. But she still wouldn't ever be as tightly twined as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just all on their own.
Harry and Colleen hadn't spoken of that one night since it actually happened. Harry desperately wanted to be with her again. Feel her, touch her, be inside her. But he knew it wasn't safe. He was going to have to find a way around the few teachers there were left at the school, most had been called away to help the fight.
Hagrid hadn't been there all year and before Dumbledore had left, Harry had spoken with him as to his whereabouts.
"Dumbledore, where's Hagrid?" he'd asked as Dumbledore packed only a few essential things in a sack.
"He is off trying to persuade the giants to join us. We heard that he was making progress yesterday. He may be back sooner than we'd anticipated." Had been Dumbledore's response.
"But he's alright?" Harry pressed on, trying to be as thorough as possible.
"Yes, he is fine." Dumbledore assured him. "Now, you ought to be running along to your class." And with that, Dumbledore had shoed him from his office and Harry had went to his class.
It was Tuesday now and everyone was in Potions. Snape hadn't been called away yet, to many peoples horror. They thought or sure that he'd be one of the first people to be called, but they let him stay at the school. No one knew why, but they all hoped that he'd be called soon. He was becoming unbearable. He'd docked Gryffindor thirty points within the first ten minutes of the class and Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had been docked twenty. None of them knew why he'd docked the points, just that he had. But Slytherin on the other hand had been rewarded fifty for no apparent reason. Needless to say, people were becoming very unhappy about the whole thing.
"Now, what would happen if I added a dragon scale to the potion?" he asked them.
Only Hermione raised her hand. "You'd get an explosion. The caldron would over boil and then when it hit the cold floor, it would explode."
"Yes, Ms. Granger. It would indeed do just that. Perhaps next time, you'd care to wait for m to call on you before you speak. Five points from Gryffindor." Was his reply. Hermione didn't raise her hand at all or the rest of class. Harry and Ron could both tell this was a very hard thing to do for her. It almost looked as if it were causing her pain!
************************************************************************
That night, when they went to dinner, they came into the Hall to find that it had only one single table left now.
Over the week, more and more people had requested going into hiding and many had been sent back home to their families. Almost all of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had returned home. Not a single Slytherin or Gryffindor had left though. It was almost a battle all in its own. A battle to see who would chicken out first and go home.
Tonight, the only table that was left was what used to be Gryffindor table (They could tell because Fred and George had carved their names in it the night before they left.). There were so few people, that you could actually tell all four houses apart from one another. Gryffindor sat all the way on the end, closest to the staff table which only had four teachers left now. Professors Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Feather-Bee were the only ones left. The only ones to protect the very existence of Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall stood up abruptly and called for everyone's attention. "Please, quiet down. I would like to announce that we will no longer be teaching anything accept Defense Against the Dark Arts. With the resent events happening at the Ministry, we feel that our time, as well as yours, is better spent teaching you things that you may be using very shortly. For those o you who absolutely cannot live without the other classes, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to manage without them or the time being. We will notify you as soon as we decide to continue teaching the other subjects." She said as she finished her announcement.
"Wow, things at the Ministry must be serious.." Hermione said, her voice trailing off.
"Must be, to be canceling all the other classes except Defense Against the Dark Arts." Ron replied, looking shiftily at Harry and Hermione.
"I wish the teachers would tell us what's going on. All they do is keep us in the dark about everything that's going on." Harry said angrily. "They treat us like we're children, and we're not! They can't keep sheltering us like this forever!" His fellow Gryffindor's and a few of the Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's that were left were beginning to stare. They were intrigued by what he was saying. "If they're going to teach us how to defend ourselves, we need to know what we're up against." Several of the onlookers nodded in agreement. "Don't we have the right to know what's going on? I mean, we're graduating this year and we need to know what the real world is like, not this little make-believe world that all the teachers and our parents like to keep us in!"
"Harry's right!" Ron said in agreement, springing to his feet. He looked very noble. "And if the teachers won't tell us what's going on then we'll figure it out for ourselves!"
"Yeah, exactly!" Harry said, also getting to his feet. Together, they looked as if they were the Ministers of Magic and they were giving a speech that would alter the course of history. "And if we have to find out what's going on, on our own, then so be it! Who's with me?"
"I'm with you Harry!" Hermione said, getting to her feet.
"Yeah, Harry! We're with you all the way! 'Til the very end mate!" Ron shouted, rising his goblet in a toast. Everyone followed his lead.
"'Til the end!" they all shouted, even the Slytherin's.
"What on earth is going on here?" It was Professor McGonagall. The eruption of support had grabbed her attention.
"We're tired of being left in the dark about everything that's going on in the Ministry!" Harry replied. "And if you don't tell us right now what's going on, then you leave us no choice but to dig until we find out the truth! Either way, we will find out, so you might as well tell us now and save us the time and energy."
"Fine, Potter. You want to know so badly, then I'll tell you." McGonagall began in a very perturbed tone. "Today, it was confirmed that Cornelius Fudge was captured, tortured and then killed by You-Know-Who's followers. The Minister of Magic is dead." Almost everyone in the Great Hall gasped at this news. "The Ministry was attacked again yesterday and as we speak, our forces are going head to head with You-Know-Who's. You-Know-Who's forces have started to move out into the wizarding community and are beginning to attack people in their homes. People have started to go into hiding. And lastly, Professor Dumbledore was captured earlier this evening and unless he gives them the information they want, they will kill him."