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Disclaimer: I don't own this and I am evidently making no money from it so if you sued it would be rather pointless.
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Chapter 2: Breakfast Of Ears
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Breakfast in the great hall had never been this miserable.
Or this empty.
Eleven remained in the cavernous hall, all merged into one table, and eating in silence.
After a fitful night of doing anything but sleeping, the last thing Harry felt like doing was eating, and by the look of the people around him, they had all suffered a similar fate.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny sat with professors Flitwick, Sprout and Sinistra, with a few students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw looking at their breakfasts as if they were being forced to eat rat poison. Hermione was the first to act. Pushing her plate away she sighed and slammed her hand down on the table.
"It's four days till Christmas, I can't stand everyone sulking about" she huffed as everyone's heads snapped out of their personal thoughts.
"Your quiet right Hermione dear" Professor Sprout sighed putting on a weary smile. "Christmas should be a cheery time regardless of what is happening beyond the castle walls"
"It just seems wrong that Dumbledore isn't around" Ginny sighed as she forced a piece of egg into her mouth and swallowed it grudgingly.
"Where is he incidentally?" Hermione asked as Harry and Ron looked at the other students then back to Hermione fiercely. She knew as they did, that it was forbidden to talk about any business of the order around other students and guessed, that was Dumbledore's present thorn in the side. It had been for the past hundred times Dumbledore and their other professors had been deprived of them.
So the reply of Professor Sprout caught them quiet off guard.
"He is in his office having breakfast with some very important guests" she shivered as all the students looked up at her, curious of the look on her face. "I don't doubt one minute that's why you lot are so gloomy today"
Harry begged to differ, but as what his professor had said dawned on him, he realized that the air was indeed colder and their was a great deal less of the innocent happiness that was usually brought to the table by the other students.
Apparently it had dawned on the others as well.
"Professors do you mean to say that Dumbledore is having breakfast up in his office with Dementors?" Hermione asked as the students stared forebodingly at the roof. All except Ron who snorted into his plate while mentally picturing the Dementors having tea and crumpets with the old professor while listening to the birds sing and chatting about the weather.
"Yes dear, with professors McGonagall and Snape" Professor Sinistra sighed as nearly headless Nick floated through the center of the table staring at the students and trying to smile.
"C'mon dearie's lighten up" he said as the students gaze turned back to the table. "They will be gone soon"
In a vain attempt to make them laugh he pulled his nose as he blew a raspberry making his head flip onto his shoulder. A few Hufflepuffs tried to laugh but far from improve their mood, the view of the severed tendons and raw flesh did little for their appetite.
"Thank you Sir Nicolas, but I don't think that is the best view to see at breakfast" Professor Sinistra sighed looking slightly pale as the ghost flipped his head back into place looking rather indignant.
"Well I'll be off then" he said rather pompously before floating out of the hall through the ceiling.
"We best be going as well" Harry said standing up as Hermione and Ron joined him. "We have a lot to do today"
"Alright dearie's, but remember the grounds are of limits until eleven today, then back in before three" Professor Sprout called after them as they crossed the hall and walked out the door.
As they sprinted up to Gryffindor tower in silence, Harry thought bitterly about the restrictions on his day. Since the world finally accepted the return of Voldemort, the ministry had applied harsh restrictions on most public locations, not forgetting about dear old Hogwarts. Seven Aurors were patrolling the grounds at all times and no one was permitted anywhere near the forest. The times that students were allowed outside also shifted daily, to make it hard for any planned attack to take out students due to the randomness, and even students, though mostly Slytherins, were searched and monitored in case they should revolt and join the darkness.
"Think they have found the ears yet?" Ron asked breathlessly as they climbed a staircase, snapping Harry out of his thoughts and back to the present.
"Hope not" He grunted in reply as they reached the top and sprinted the last corridor until reaching the fat lady's portrait.
"Pink Pimpernel" Hermione said before the woman had a chance to ask for the password.
Practically leaping through the portrait hole, they ran through the common room, leaping over furniture before making for the boy's dormitory.
"Can I just put on the record again, the fact that I think this is wrong" Hermione said as Ron rolled his eyes before diving under his bed and pulling out three pairs of Fred and Georges extendable ears and three contact lenses, another of the twins inventions, that allowed you to see as well as hear through the ears.
"Only if you add after it the fact that we don't care" He said as he handed the ears out. Hermione was about to reply, but her sentence died on her tongue as she heard voices through the ears.
"Azkaban free" rasped the cold voice of a dementor, making the three Gryffindor students sit down in shock. Harry recovering first, he took his glasses off and slid his contact lens across his eye, the view of Dumbledore's office sliding with it. Shutting his other eye before he became disorientated, he focused on the scene and vaguely heard Ron giggle something about the crumpets sitting on Dumbledore's desks, before turning his attention back to the ear that was now speaking again, this time with the voice of professor McGonagall.
"Yes we understand that is what his aim has been for a long time, but he has lacked the resources so far to do it" She was sitting on Dumbledore's right and did not flinch as she looked at the four Dementors that stood before his desk, but still, Hermione noted, was holding her wand rather tightly.
"Soon" rasped another dementor who seemed to be the leader. As he spoke, Fawkes ruffled his feathers at the sound and fluttered over to Professor Dumbledore who pet the golden bird reassuringly.
"Any idea when?" Professor Snape asked tapping his wand with his fingers nervously as one of the hooded faces turned in his direction.
"Soon" another dementor confirmed sarcastically.
"I still wish to know" a silky voice muttered from the far dark corner, just out of sight of the Gryffindors ears. "What the price you mentioned for your help in all this is"
"Azkaban's Souls" the first Dementor snapped as Dumbledore's emotionless face hardened.
"I can not allow that" Dumbledore said firmly as the attention of the Dementors, that had been drifting around the office, snapped back on him.
"Criminals free with Voldemort, or Criminals dead" all four snapped, filling the room with so much fear that even the eavesdroppers could feel it.
"Their crimes as harsh as they may be, do not warrant death" the silky voice purred, still in the shadows of the door. Seeming enraged the Dementors muttered angrily between themselves.
"Then no deal" The leader hissed as he and his company started for the door. None of the people of the room moved to stop them. As they made there way out the door the leader paused glaring through his hood at the company of the room as an Auror came to stand beside him.
"This school will be next, and we promise, it will fall" He hissed maliciously as Dumbledore stood up.
"I take pity on the poor souls they send in to try and take this school" He said slowly, his aura of authority drowning the effect of the Dementors anger.
"It will fall, we promise" The dementor sneered taking a step back into the room. At this movement, Snape and McGonagall stood either side of Dumbledore and rose their wands warningly. Rethink his position the dementor turned back for the door.
"We promise" he said before stalking out the door, Auror in tow. As soon as he was gone Dumbledore sat back in his chair wearily, and Snape and McGonagall lowered their wands.
"That went as expected" The silky voice from the corner said as Dumbledore flicked his wand at the curtains, closing them and blocking out the sunlight, rendering the ear's eyes useless.
"Yes, as you predicted earlier" Dumbledore sighed as footsteps approached the desk.
"Then you will heed my warning?" the voice asked as Dumbledore sighed.
"No Viviana"
"Then spare me blame when this castle falls" Viviana said before a loud pop announced her disapparation.
"She may be of an untrustworthy nature, but I don't think, that in this instance, she is lying" Snape ventured as McGonagall's wand opened the curtains again.
"No, you wouldn't would you" McGonagall snapped earning a scathing look from Snape.
"Enough" Dumbledore said as Fawkes let out a single note of annoyance. "This needs to be taken care of first, then we can discuss legacies"
"Yes Headmaster" Snape said grudgingly not at all looking like he had dropped the subject.
"I need the both of you, to go to your contacts and confirm dates" he said as both of the professors activated technically unregistered portkeys and disappeared from his office.
"And you three will see me in my office at four his afternoon" Dumbledore sighed in the direction of the hidden ears. "Privacy respected please"
Harry, Ron and Hermione, tore their contacts out and dropped the ears to the floor as if they burned.
"Do you think he meant us?" Hermione asked worriedly as an owl tapped loudly at the closed window. Ron shrugged as Harry opened the window letting the owl in and taking the note it dropped on his head, before it flying off.
"Nah I don't think so" Ron said as Harry read the letter and sighed.
"Yes he meant us" he said, tossing the letter to Hermione.
"Privacy respected please" she read as Ron kicked the ears guiltily under the bed.
"What do you suppose that means?" Harry asked as Hermione sighed.
"Don't tell anyone obviously" she said sitting down on Ron's bed. "But that aside, how could someone disapparate out of Dumbledore's office?"
Ron and Harry exchanged looks.
"It'd figure that we learn about, the potential freeing of Azkaban and the potential fall of Hogwarts and she'd be wanting to know how a spell worked" Ron snapped earning a glare from Hermione.
"Ron, if she could disapparate out, that means that not all of Hogwarts defenses are up" Hermione scolded. "That is more un nerving than a couple of Dementors threatening something that we already knew"
"I wonder who she was" Harry said distracted, earning a strange look from his friends.
"Viviana?" Ron asked as another owl flew in, dropping another letter in the middle of them. Hermione blinked as the bird landed on the bed head beside her and gave her a glare.
"That's Malfoy's eagle owl" she said grabbing the letter before Ron or Harry had a chance to.
"Hermione your joking, why would he send a letter to me or Harry" Ron said moving to snatch the envelope out of her hands.
"It's not addressed to either of you" she said disbelievingly as she wriggled back further out of Ron's reach. "It's to me"
"I don't trust it Hermione, give it here" Harry said reaching out for it.
"Grow up Harry, why would he sign it with his name, if it were going to kill me?" she said tumbling across Ron's bed and moving to Harry's as the owl flew in front or the boys to stop them following her.
"Stupid bird" Ron snarled picking up one of his pillows and swinging it at the owl, knocking it to the ground.
"Ronald Weasley, honestly!" she snapped stuffing the letter down the front of the robes and moving around the bed to pick up the owl, that was dazed and hooting feebly from his spot on the floor.
"It's only Malfoy's" Ron said as Hermione picked it up gently and made for the door.
"It may be owned by an arrogant prig, but that is no fault of – Ouch!" Hermione gave a start as the Owl dug it's talons into her arm indignantly and Harry and Ron laughed.
"You were saying" Ron asked as she gave a huff and walked out of the room, heading for her dormitory.
"Girls" Ron sighed as Harry sat on the end of his bed.
"So what do you think?" Harry asked after a moment.
"About what the Dementors said?" Ron glance around the room finally noticing the cold feeling was subsiding out of his chest. "I don't know Harry; I don't think there is much we can do about it"
"Not Azkaban, we've know Voldemort would strike at that place sooner or later, I mean the school"
Ron suppressed a shudder, still not used to the dark lord's name spoken so openly.
"I don't know Harry, I think we just have to be alert, watch for strange stuff, you know what I mean?"
Harry nodded and sighed. "Yeah I guess your right"
"C'mon, I'll verse you in a game of chess before we go outside and throw rocks at the squid with Tonks" Ron said as Harry smiled. Tonks had been one of the Aurors assigned to patrolling Hogwarts grounds and knew almost as much about Hogwarts as the marauder's map.
"You sure we shouldn't go check on Hermione?" Harry asked frowning as Ron rolled his eyes.
"She'll be fine, she will probably end up killing the bird anyway." Ron said dismissively, not really understanding Harry's true concern, but Harry followed him anyway.
Ron was right she'd be fine. Moving down to the common room, he sat opposite Ron as he set up his pieces, his stomach suddenly filling with dread about the coming meeting with Dumbledore this afternoon. Resolving that nothing could be done until then he turned his attention back to the chess board.
"Knight to E3"
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Disclaimer: I don't own this and I am evidently making no money from it so if you sued it would be rather pointless.
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Chapter 2: Breakfast Of Ears
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Breakfast in the great hall had never been this miserable.
Or this empty.
Eleven remained in the cavernous hall, all merged into one table, and eating in silence.
After a fitful night of doing anything but sleeping, the last thing Harry felt like doing was eating, and by the look of the people around him, they had all suffered a similar fate.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny sat with professors Flitwick, Sprout and Sinistra, with a few students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw looking at their breakfasts as if they were being forced to eat rat poison. Hermione was the first to act. Pushing her plate away she sighed and slammed her hand down on the table.
"It's four days till Christmas, I can't stand everyone sulking about" she huffed as everyone's heads snapped out of their personal thoughts.
"Your quiet right Hermione dear" Professor Sprout sighed putting on a weary smile. "Christmas should be a cheery time regardless of what is happening beyond the castle walls"
"It just seems wrong that Dumbledore isn't around" Ginny sighed as she forced a piece of egg into her mouth and swallowed it grudgingly.
"Where is he incidentally?" Hermione asked as Harry and Ron looked at the other students then back to Hermione fiercely. She knew as they did, that it was forbidden to talk about any business of the order around other students and guessed, that was Dumbledore's present thorn in the side. It had been for the past hundred times Dumbledore and their other professors had been deprived of them.
So the reply of Professor Sprout caught them quiet off guard.
"He is in his office having breakfast with some very important guests" she shivered as all the students looked up at her, curious of the look on her face. "I don't doubt one minute that's why you lot are so gloomy today"
Harry begged to differ, but as what his professor had said dawned on him, he realized that the air was indeed colder and their was a great deal less of the innocent happiness that was usually brought to the table by the other students.
Apparently it had dawned on the others as well.
"Professors do you mean to say that Dumbledore is having breakfast up in his office with Dementors?" Hermione asked as the students stared forebodingly at the roof. All except Ron who snorted into his plate while mentally picturing the Dementors having tea and crumpets with the old professor while listening to the birds sing and chatting about the weather.
"Yes dear, with professors McGonagall and Snape" Professor Sinistra sighed as nearly headless Nick floated through the center of the table staring at the students and trying to smile.
"C'mon dearie's lighten up" he said as the students gaze turned back to the table. "They will be gone soon"
In a vain attempt to make them laugh he pulled his nose as he blew a raspberry making his head flip onto his shoulder. A few Hufflepuffs tried to laugh but far from improve their mood, the view of the severed tendons and raw flesh did little for their appetite.
"Thank you Sir Nicolas, but I don't think that is the best view to see at breakfast" Professor Sinistra sighed looking slightly pale as the ghost flipped his head back into place looking rather indignant.
"Well I'll be off then" he said rather pompously before floating out of the hall through the ceiling.
"We best be going as well" Harry said standing up as Hermione and Ron joined him. "We have a lot to do today"
"Alright dearie's, but remember the grounds are of limits until eleven today, then back in before three" Professor Sprout called after them as they crossed the hall and walked out the door.
As they sprinted up to Gryffindor tower in silence, Harry thought bitterly about the restrictions on his day. Since the world finally accepted the return of Voldemort, the ministry had applied harsh restrictions on most public locations, not forgetting about dear old Hogwarts. Seven Aurors were patrolling the grounds at all times and no one was permitted anywhere near the forest. The times that students were allowed outside also shifted daily, to make it hard for any planned attack to take out students due to the randomness, and even students, though mostly Slytherins, were searched and monitored in case they should revolt and join the darkness.
"Think they have found the ears yet?" Ron asked breathlessly as they climbed a staircase, snapping Harry out of his thoughts and back to the present.
"Hope not" He grunted in reply as they reached the top and sprinted the last corridor until reaching the fat lady's portrait.
"Pink Pimpernel" Hermione said before the woman had a chance to ask for the password.
Practically leaping through the portrait hole, they ran through the common room, leaping over furniture before making for the boy's dormitory.
"Can I just put on the record again, the fact that I think this is wrong" Hermione said as Ron rolled his eyes before diving under his bed and pulling out three pairs of Fred and Georges extendable ears and three contact lenses, another of the twins inventions, that allowed you to see as well as hear through the ears.
"Only if you add after it the fact that we don't care" He said as he handed the ears out. Hermione was about to reply, but her sentence died on her tongue as she heard voices through the ears.
"Azkaban free" rasped the cold voice of a dementor, making the three Gryffindor students sit down in shock. Harry recovering first, he took his glasses off and slid his contact lens across his eye, the view of Dumbledore's office sliding with it. Shutting his other eye before he became disorientated, he focused on the scene and vaguely heard Ron giggle something about the crumpets sitting on Dumbledore's desks, before turning his attention back to the ear that was now speaking again, this time with the voice of professor McGonagall.
"Yes we understand that is what his aim has been for a long time, but he has lacked the resources so far to do it" She was sitting on Dumbledore's right and did not flinch as she looked at the four Dementors that stood before his desk, but still, Hermione noted, was holding her wand rather tightly.
"Soon" rasped another dementor who seemed to be the leader. As he spoke, Fawkes ruffled his feathers at the sound and fluttered over to Professor Dumbledore who pet the golden bird reassuringly.
"Any idea when?" Professor Snape asked tapping his wand with his fingers nervously as one of the hooded faces turned in his direction.
"Soon" another dementor confirmed sarcastically.
"I still wish to know" a silky voice muttered from the far dark corner, just out of sight of the Gryffindors ears. "What the price you mentioned for your help in all this is"
"Azkaban's Souls" the first Dementor snapped as Dumbledore's emotionless face hardened.
"I can not allow that" Dumbledore said firmly as the attention of the Dementors, that had been drifting around the office, snapped back on him.
"Criminals free with Voldemort, or Criminals dead" all four snapped, filling the room with so much fear that even the eavesdroppers could feel it.
"Their crimes as harsh as they may be, do not warrant death" the silky voice purred, still in the shadows of the door. Seeming enraged the Dementors muttered angrily between themselves.
"Then no deal" The leader hissed as he and his company started for the door. None of the people of the room moved to stop them. As they made there way out the door the leader paused glaring through his hood at the company of the room as an Auror came to stand beside him.
"This school will be next, and we promise, it will fall" He hissed maliciously as Dumbledore stood up.
"I take pity on the poor souls they send in to try and take this school" He said slowly, his aura of authority drowning the effect of the Dementors anger.
"It will fall, we promise" The dementor sneered taking a step back into the room. At this movement, Snape and McGonagall stood either side of Dumbledore and rose their wands warningly. Rethink his position the dementor turned back for the door.
"We promise" he said before stalking out the door, Auror in tow. As soon as he was gone Dumbledore sat back in his chair wearily, and Snape and McGonagall lowered their wands.
"That went as expected" The silky voice from the corner said as Dumbledore flicked his wand at the curtains, closing them and blocking out the sunlight, rendering the ear's eyes useless.
"Yes, as you predicted earlier" Dumbledore sighed as footsteps approached the desk.
"Then you will heed my warning?" the voice asked as Dumbledore sighed.
"No Viviana"
"Then spare me blame when this castle falls" Viviana said before a loud pop announced her disapparation.
"She may be of an untrustworthy nature, but I don't think, that in this instance, she is lying" Snape ventured as McGonagall's wand opened the curtains again.
"No, you wouldn't would you" McGonagall snapped earning a scathing look from Snape.
"Enough" Dumbledore said as Fawkes let out a single note of annoyance. "This needs to be taken care of first, then we can discuss legacies"
"Yes Headmaster" Snape said grudgingly not at all looking like he had dropped the subject.
"I need the both of you, to go to your contacts and confirm dates" he said as both of the professors activated technically unregistered portkeys and disappeared from his office.
"And you three will see me in my office at four his afternoon" Dumbledore sighed in the direction of the hidden ears. "Privacy respected please"
Harry, Ron and Hermione, tore their contacts out and dropped the ears to the floor as if they burned.
"Do you think he meant us?" Hermione asked worriedly as an owl tapped loudly at the closed window. Ron shrugged as Harry opened the window letting the owl in and taking the note it dropped on his head, before it flying off.
"Nah I don't think so" Ron said as Harry read the letter and sighed.
"Yes he meant us" he said, tossing the letter to Hermione.
"Privacy respected please" she read as Ron kicked the ears guiltily under the bed.
"What do you suppose that means?" Harry asked as Hermione sighed.
"Don't tell anyone obviously" she said sitting down on Ron's bed. "But that aside, how could someone disapparate out of Dumbledore's office?"
Ron and Harry exchanged looks.
"It'd figure that we learn about, the potential freeing of Azkaban and the potential fall of Hogwarts and she'd be wanting to know how a spell worked" Ron snapped earning a glare from Hermione.
"Ron, if she could disapparate out, that means that not all of Hogwarts defenses are up" Hermione scolded. "That is more un nerving than a couple of Dementors threatening something that we already knew"
"I wonder who she was" Harry said distracted, earning a strange look from his friends.
"Viviana?" Ron asked as another owl flew in, dropping another letter in the middle of them. Hermione blinked as the bird landed on the bed head beside her and gave her a glare.
"That's Malfoy's eagle owl" she said grabbing the letter before Ron or Harry had a chance to.
"Hermione your joking, why would he send a letter to me or Harry" Ron said moving to snatch the envelope out of her hands.
"It's not addressed to either of you" she said disbelievingly as she wriggled back further out of Ron's reach. "It's to me"
"I don't trust it Hermione, give it here" Harry said reaching out for it.
"Grow up Harry, why would he sign it with his name, if it were going to kill me?" she said tumbling across Ron's bed and moving to Harry's as the owl flew in front or the boys to stop them following her.
"Stupid bird" Ron snarled picking up one of his pillows and swinging it at the owl, knocking it to the ground.
"Ronald Weasley, honestly!" she snapped stuffing the letter down the front of the robes and moving around the bed to pick up the owl, that was dazed and hooting feebly from his spot on the floor.
"It's only Malfoy's" Ron said as Hermione picked it up gently and made for the door.
"It may be owned by an arrogant prig, but that is no fault of – Ouch!" Hermione gave a start as the Owl dug it's talons into her arm indignantly and Harry and Ron laughed.
"You were saying" Ron asked as she gave a huff and walked out of the room, heading for her dormitory.
"Girls" Ron sighed as Harry sat on the end of his bed.
"So what do you think?" Harry asked after a moment.
"About what the Dementors said?" Ron glance around the room finally noticing the cold feeling was subsiding out of his chest. "I don't know Harry; I don't think there is much we can do about it"
"Not Azkaban, we've know Voldemort would strike at that place sooner or later, I mean the school"
Ron suppressed a shudder, still not used to the dark lord's name spoken so openly.
"I don't know Harry, I think we just have to be alert, watch for strange stuff, you know what I mean?"
Harry nodded and sighed. "Yeah I guess your right"
"C'mon, I'll verse you in a game of chess before we go outside and throw rocks at the squid with Tonks" Ron said as Harry smiled. Tonks had been one of the Aurors assigned to patrolling Hogwarts grounds and knew almost as much about Hogwarts as the marauder's map.
"You sure we shouldn't go check on Hermione?" Harry asked frowning as Ron rolled his eyes.
"She'll be fine, she will probably end up killing the bird anyway." Ron said dismissively, not really understanding Harry's true concern, but Harry followed him anyway.
Ron was right she'd be fine. Moving down to the common room, he sat opposite Ron as he set up his pieces, his stomach suddenly filling with dread about the coming meeting with Dumbledore this afternoon. Resolving that nothing could be done until then he turned his attention back to the chess board.
"Knight to E3"
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