CHAPTER SEVEN

Now let us leave our two young protagonists for the moment and attend to the less significant yet important events on that happy little planet called Earth.

Of course, the eye of the observer, should he wish to plunge right into the heart of what was happening in the wizarding world, should immediately turn to a place in London- Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, to be exact. Here the action had speeded up considerably since last summer- The Order Of The Phoenix had recruited even more members now that the truth was finally out there. These members also happened to include the Weasley twins, who, now having 'finished' school, lost no time in joining the Order, regardless of their mother's anger and dismay.

"Look, Mum," said George finally, after a whole morning's worth of arguments and tears, "It's like this. Ever since Percy left school you've cast it up to Fred and me for not following in his footsteps. Now look where he's ended up- at odds with his own family, even now."

This was true. The Weasley family were all still waiting for the much-expected apology from their third eldest son; yet again they were let down. The Ministry, although having grudgingly accepted Voldemort's return, were still on frosty terms with Dumbledore and his followers ("Can't face up to the fact how wrong they were," Tonks would often say disgustedly), and Percy was no exception. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley resigned themselves to waiting patiently for him to finally come to his senses, and threw themselves heart and soul into the Order's work.

"It's like being a Healer," said Fred, when they were sitting down at breakfast one day, after more arguments, "When they see someone hurt or in trouble, they go to work straight away and help them. It's no use standing back and being afraid, waiting for other people to fight for you. You've got to do it yourself, whatever you want done. That's why we've joined; we don't like seeing people hurt any more than you do, Mum, but the more people there are, the more resistance there'll be against You-Know-Who."

"Oh- Fred," cried Mrs. Weasley. The twins hadn't spoken this seriously about anything since planning the great Toilet Seat Theft at Hogwarts in their second year. "Oh- no- no- Fred and George…"

"We must, Mum," said George a trifle impatiently. "We're right- aren't we, Dad?"

Mr. Weasley, who had been sitting down throughout this whole conversation, rose. He was very pale and his voice was husky. But he spoke without hesitation and with a steady manner.

"Yes, twins, yes- if you feel that way, yes-''

Mrs. Weasley covered her face. Ron stared moodily at his plate, and Hermione and Ginny clasped each other's hands.

"Well," said Fred, relieved that that was over, "Me and George've got to go, we don't want to be late for work."

"Lots of Skiving Snackboxes to sell before Hogwarts opens, you see," said his brother, and kissing Mrs. Weasley lightly on the cheek, he and Fred Disapparated with a pop.

Mrs. Weasley heaved a shuddering sigh. "To think- that I had actually wanted them to work at the Ministry! Look at where it would've got them- oh, Arthur- sometimes I really wonder whether I am actually a good mother-''

"Nonsense, Molly," said Mr. Weasley firmly, cutting her off mid- sentence. "You've been the best mother in the world to our children. Don't you dare start putting yourself down."

"Besides," added Ginny, "It takes a special kind of mother to put up with Fred and George for 16 years." Mrs. Weasley smiled wanly.

"Now, why don't put up your feet up a bit and go upstairs to bed while I make you some tea," said Mr. Weasley, "you look as if you need it. And don't worry; the Order will be fine without you for five hours. Go on, dear," and Mrs. Weasley stood not upon the order of her going, being worn out to shreds.

"Poor Mum," said Ron, looking worried, as his father bustled around, getting the tea ready, "she really isn't looking good lately, is she?"

"It's just stuff stressing her out, I guess," said Ginny quietly, "you know, what with Percy acting up and the twins joining the Order, and all this work she's got to do now…"

"And also," added Hermione just as softly, as Mr. Weasley climbed upstairs, "I think she's starting to feel kind of lonely."

"How can she be lonely?" asked Ron incredulously, "she's got me, Ginny, and the twins!"

"No- no, you're not understanding me," said Hermione, shaking her head as Ginny and Ron stared at her in confusion, "what I meant was, you know- she's got nobody to, well- mother- any more. If you really think about it, all her children are now practically adults. Ron, you're sixteen, you'll be soon starting your NEWTS now- whether you like it or not," she added as Ron's face sagged in dismay, "and you'll be taking your Apparation test soon, giving you even more independence; and Ginny you'll have exams soon- your OWLS, so this year will really mark the end of your childhood. And the twins now have their own jobs, and I shan't be surprised if they soon settle down and start families of their own, as hard as it is to imagine. Bill and Charlie haven't needed their mother that much in ages, and Percy- well, we all know about Percy," she finished awkwardly.

"But we still help her!" said Ron fiercely, "We're always around-''

"But you don't really need her," said Hermione, "think about it, she hasn't got any six year olds any more- nobody to read bedtime stories to, nobody to cook special smiley face cookies for- yes, she told me about that," said Hermione, smiling slightly as Ron's face coloured in embarrassment, "she's got nobody that's totally dependent on her any more. And I think that's what she really needs at the moment, to feel, well- needed. And- now Harry's gone away for the summer… we all know how much she dotes on him…"

After a short, very silent moment, the doorbell rang, making them all jump up in their seats. Immediately the portrait of Mrs. Black began screeching.

"FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, POLLUTING THE VERY AIR OF MY OWN MOST NOBLE AND PURE HOUSEHOLD-''

"I'll get it!" said Arthur Weasley, rushing down the stairs in a hurry, "you kids better stay here and wash up the dishes."

He tore out to the main hall, threw a bunch of filthy curtains over the painting- "THE SHAME OF IT, OH, THE SHAME OF IT"- and flung open the front door, to find Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore waiting expectantly on the doorstep.

"Good morning, Arthur," they said.

"Oh, good morning, good morning!" said Mr. Weasley, and ushered them in, shutting the door behind them.

"Quiet day at the Ministry, Arthur?" asked McGonagall, taking off her cloak and hanging it up.

"Er- yes, in fact," he replied. "Just one case came in today- quite serious, in fact, heard about it from Perkins- some witch, I think, was apparently giving out Potions to Muggles- I don't think it was in Britain, though-''

"No, I expect it wasn't," she said. "Is the witch's name, by any chance, Caitlin Moore?"

"Yes," said Mr. Weasley, looking surprised, "it is, in fact. How do you know?"

"Because that's what we're here to see you about," said Dumbledore, speaking for the first time as they entered the kitchen. "Er- in private," he added pointedly, glancing at Ginny, Hermione and Ron.

"Oh- of course," said Ginny meekly. They didn't dare object to Dumbledore's wishes. "Er- Ron, want to come and help me with that Sloth-Roll grip you were showing me last time? We can use your broom if you like."

"Oh- sure," he said. "Coming, Hermione?"

"No thanks," said Hermione rather loftily, "I'm going upstairs to study for my NEWTS. And I really think you should do the same-''

"Well, Ginny," Ron began saying loudly, "Although the Sloth-Roll grip is an especially hard technique to master, the Cleansweep is in fact especially designed for-''

Hermione rolled her eyes as both of them left the room, Ron digging Ginny in the back to hurry her out. Before she went upstairs she turned to Dumbledore to ask, "Um, excuse me, Professor, you wouldn't by any chance happen to have heard anything from Harry, would you?"

"No, not yet," he replied, smiling, "but don't worry yourself, Hermione; I assure you that he is in very good hands." Hermione nodded gratefully and departed.

"Well, what can I get you?" said Mr. Weasley briskly, once the three adults were on their own, "Tea, Minerva? Albus?"

"Nothing yet, Arthur, thank you," said Dumbledore. "I wonder- would you care to sit down for a minute? There is something we would like to discuss with you."

"About Caitlin Moore?" Mr. Weasley inquired, as he took a seat opposite them.

"Yes. There is just one thing I would like to know- what exactly are the crimes she has committed?"

"Well," said Mr Weasley, "this morning we received information that Ms. Moore had given a Strengthening Solution to a Muggle, without performing a Memory charm afterwards. Ministry officials were sent there immediately, but Ms Moore had disappeared from the scene as soon as they got there. She was issued a warning, of course, but then a few hours later she was caught doing the same crime again. Now there are talks of having her wand snapped." He shrugged. "That's all I know."

"You have no knowledge of what her exact sentence will be?"

"No. I'm not even on the case- Perkins just happened to hear about it and passed on the info to me. I don't normally deal with situations like this; I just do bewitched Muggle artefacts and stuff like that."

"I see," said Dumbledore, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Tell me- is there any chance of you passing on the word that Albus Dumbledore has wished that Moore be let off, just this once?"

Mr. Weasley stared. "But- what good would that do?" he asked. "Moore has committed a serious crime! She deserves punishment!"

"Not if you knew her like we once did, Arthur," said McGonagall.

"You knew her?"

"Of course," she replied. "Moore was once a student at Hogwarts- for the last two years only, though."

"She came in her sixth year- she had attended Beauxbatons Academy for the first five years," Dumbledore. "She's half French, you know- her mother was born in Paris, where Moore's family used to live before coming to Britain."

"That's all very well," said Mr. Weasley weakly, "But I don't see how that's a good excuse for what she did. And anyway, what good's your word going to do in the Ministry, Albus?"

"Oh, I think they'll listen to me this time," said Dumbledore airily. "If the word lets out that Cornelius Fudge has defied the word of Albus Dumbledore again- well, you saw what happened the last time he did that."

"Well, I'll do what I can," he said doubtfully. "But why do you want her freed, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Because I want her to teach at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.

"Is she a teacher?"

"No, but I'm sure she'll make a fine one," he replied happily, and Mr. Weasley saw a look of deep scepticism pass across McGonagall's face as she heard these words.

"Do you know anything about her, at least?" he asked. "It may be of help to her. She's quite a mystery at the Ministry."

"Well, we may as well begin at the beginning and tell you everything straight through, so you'll understand it. Caitlin Moore was born to Claire Dupont and Tony Moore… isn't that so, Albus?" she glanced round at Dumbledore, who nodded. She continued: "He was very clever- but very lazy, and was one of your wicked, fascinating men, except that he left off being fascinating and kept on being wicked after he was married. And as for her mother- well, I never had much use for her. I met her once during Caitlin's first week at Hogwarts, but that was one time too many for me. She was spoiled, to begin with, and was nothing but a shiftless, whining, selfish woman. Tony, as I said before was extremely lazy old sot; idled his time away at work, and Claire was too delicate to get a career, or so she said. So they were as poor as church mice and literally lived on turkey sandwiches and potatoes. It's a good thing they were both wizards, because I'm sure they wouldn't have survived without magic.

"Well, soon Caitlin's letter arrived and she was sent off to Beauxbatons. She was a bright student and a very likeable young woman, though she had more than a streak of her father's rebellious nature in her, and that got her into trouble a few times. But she never really crossed the line and was, at the time, too ambitious to let bad behaviour ruin her studies.

"Anyway, Caitlin got on with her life, but her parents didn't. Their marriage began to fall apart soon after she turned fourteen; Tony began to stay out late each night and came home almost always drunk as a sailor. He wasn't a strong man at all- morally, physically or spiritually. He moped around and became melancholy, and soon lost his job. And then, one day, when nobody was around in the house, he hanged himself- right in the middle of the kitchen. That day happened to be Caitlin's sixteenth birthday- 25th August- nice, tasty time to pick for it, wasn't it? She was out at a friend's house at the time, I believe, and came back home singing, with flowers in her hair. The first thing she saw when she went into the kitchen was her father's body hanging from the ceiling, his face as black as coal. It must have been so awful."

"Oh, how horrible!" said Mr. Weasley shuddering, imagining one of his children in Caitlin's place. "The poor, poor child!"

"Caitlin didn't cry at her father's funeral any more than her mother did. Everyone was disgusted at Claire but Caitlin always stood up for her. She is very clannish and loved her mother, if nobody else did. Anyway, they both had far more pressing problems. Claire soon found out that she couldn't pay the mortgage on their home, so on the spur of the moment she decided to move all the way to England, her husband's old home, to get a job there and start a whole new life. So she scraped up all the remaining money she had and used it to get here by Muggle transport."

"I remember her letter arriving on my desk, asking if Caitlin would be allowed to join Hogwarts," said Dumbledore, as McGonagall paused for breath. "She'd sent all of her daughter's certificates, and a photo. I remember being quite impressed by her grades, so I decided to make an allowance, especially since Claire had written of their situation. She had managed to get a job, at least- at Madame Malkin's in Diagon Alley- so getting all the books and robes needed were less of a problem.

"Well, Caitlin came to Hogwarts that year. She was placed in Ravenclaw, where she quickly made friends with quite a number of people. All the students there were quite taken with her- she was very radical and very different. Being a bit of a hippy, she brought quite a- ahem- revolution to Hogwarts."

"All the bad behaviour that she had so carefully avoided in France came out in full force at Hogwarts," said McGonagall, a little disapprovingly. "Never had I seen so many students smoking or listening to rock music, or buying illegal substances from Merlin knows where and- and getting- how do you say-''

"I believe the correct term nowadays is 'getting stoned'," said Mr. Weasley, keeping his face carefully blank.

"Yes, well," said McGonagall hurriedly, "Caitlin brought all those things to Hogwarts, and more. She was angry at her mother for moving them all the way out to England, when she was already comfortable in France, despite her father's recent suicide, so she took it all out on Hogwarts. She became quite a figure amongst the students of the school; they all looked up to her because she was so striking. She had brains but she didn't use them for normalities like homework or exams. And she was so eye-catching as well. Albus, do you know, I still maintain to this very day that she was the prettiest thing I had ever and will ever see."

"Caitlin had her mother's looks but her father's brains," agreed Dumbledore. "But she had ten times the spirit and go that Claire had, and a far better figure. And she had something that none of her parents had- a voice."

"She was a wonderful singer," explained McGonagall, seeing the puzzled look on Mr. Weasley's face. "She'd made up her mind already before she came to school that she was going to be a famous songstress. I still remember all those times she used to come down to The Three Broomsticks and sang songs for all her friends. And Madam Rosmerta never seemed to mind- in fact it was good business for her, because in the end everyone used to come down to the pub just to watch her sing."

"How did she end up when school finished?" asked Mr. Weasley with interest. "From the way you've been talking about her I can't see her in a steady job at somewhere like the Ministry."

"I'm getting to that," said McGonagall. "Well, as I was saying, Caitlin was quite popular. Not popular in the sense that everyone liked her, but popular enough to be talked about and discussed in everyday conversations- she was a kind of celebrity. And of course, with this kind of power she had had her fair share of boys' fancying her. But she would ignore or snub them all- except for Sirius Black, that is."

Mr. Weasley stared. "Sirius?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore, smiling a bit sadly. "Sirius had been taken with her from the very moment she walked past his table to be Sorted, I believe. He spent the whole of his sixth year trying to get her to notice that he existed."

"As if that was needed!" broke in McGonagall, who by now was beginning to enjoy herself quite a bit. "Caitlin knew very well who Sirius was by the end of her first week at Hogwarts, but she was too proud to show that she was besotted with him. I used to be quite angry with her at first; she kept ignoring him and giving him the cold shoulder endlessly. But he never gave up- he really was in love with her, I do believe- and by the beginning of their seventh year she admitted that she was interested and they began going out almost immediately after that.

"It was easy to see where the attraction began. It was like fire to gunpowder. Both of them were extremely good-looking, popular, clever- but very wild and reckless and too fond of freedom. Their relationship didn't run very smoothly- unlike that of Lily and James- they were forever having fights or disagreements and sometimes one of them would go off with someone else, just to spite the other- but in the end they would always reunite, and each reunion would be even more passionate than the last. There were problems- Sirius had a hard time settling down because of his unruly nature, and Caitlin was never very popular with his friends. James in particular didn't like her- he thought her too 'vain and gigglesome'. But I think mainly he was jealous of her because of all the attention lavished upon her by Sirius.

"Well, after school finished, they had both decided to settle down and get a place together. Sirius, as you know very well, was never very fond of his home, and Caitlin- well, her mother was murdered by Death Eaters at the end of her seventh year at Hogwarts."

"Not her as well!" exclaimed Mr. Weasley.

"It was a particularly horrible murder. No magic was used- they slit her throat with a knife just as she was coming out of the shower," carried on Dumbledore conversationally. Mr. Weasley shuddered.

"Well, Caitlin was very upset by that, of course. She had no family left and she had loved her mother very much. So Sirius persuaded her to get a job together with him, and soon they had saved enough to get a small apartment and start saving to go to America."

"America!"

"Yes- to get Caitlin's singing career going. They both left Hogwarts with a fair amount of NEWTS, but they weren't interested in furthering their futures academically. No, they had both written quite a few songs together, and were about to leave for America, when the war really began to break out.

"Well, that's when Sirius changed his mind. He joined the Order immediately, together with Remus, James, and Wormtail- though Peter needed much persuading. However, Caitlin was furious. She hated war and wanted no part in it, didn't want Sirius to, either. She stayed well out of the Order's business and sulked at home because her career was ruined, and Sirius, to spite her, stayed out with the Order till very late hours while she worried at home. Nonetheless, after a few weeks, Sirius cracked- he couldn't stand life without her, he said. So he went out in the midst of war to a jewellery shop, bought the most expensive ring he could find, and asked her to marry him. She accepted him straight away, of course, for she had missed him as much as he had missed her, and all had seemed well, until disaster struck.

"The news that Sirius had murdered Wormtail and all those Muggles spread very fast- too fast. Caitlin heard about it from Dedalus Diggle when he came running to her house to tell her. She was angry and devastated. Like all of us at the time, she didn't doubt for a second that Sirius was guilty. And she had had enough tragedies to last her a lifetime, so it really was the straw that broke her back. She packed her bags, left a note to Sirius on the table that she was gone, and ran off to southern France, where she lives still. I believe that she has had a child out of wedlock- not Sirius' though. And- yes, I think that is, in fact, the end of her story."

Mr. Weasley said, "But how come Sirius never mentioned her at all to us?"

"He never spoke of her again after he learned that she left him," said McGonagall, "I think his heart was broken. And it could also be that Azkaban drove the memory of her clean out of his mind. Who knows? He might have mentioned her a few times to Remus, maybe. But not to us."

Mr. Weasley sighed. "It is quite a story. I just hope it's enough to convince the Ministry. Plus we'll need people to confront her- in any case I'll try to go myself, if-''

"We're coming with you," said Dumbledore, in a tone that nobody ever dared to argue with. "And we'll take Kingsley as well."

"Is that really necessary?" said Mr. Weasley, looking alarmed.

"Constant vigilance, as I have learned from Alastor," said Dumbledore. "We're likely to meet some shady characters on the way there, now that Voldemort-'' Mr. Weasley winced- "has followers all over the world."

"Well, do you know her exact location?" Mr. Weasley asked, getting out a piece of paper and a pencil.

"A small town in north-western France- Biarritz, I believe it's called. We'll take a Portkey there tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"Yes. If I know Caitlin, she'll need some convincing to come back to Hogwarts."

"You seem to remember her quite well," commented Mr. Weasley, scribbling away.

"Caitlin was one of the few students who bothered to keep in contact with us after she finished school," said McGonagall. "Because of her exceptional past, she's been hard for us to forget. We were forever helping her and Sirius out, and we couldn't help liking her. Oh, yes, Caitlin is a very charming person when she wants to be. Be on your guard tomorrow, Arthur."

After Dumbledore and McGonagall left, upstairs Ron and Ginny pulled out their Extendable Ears, both looking dazed.

"Well!" said Ginny.

"I never knew Sirius had a fiancé," said Ron, sounding amazed. They were both crouched down on the floor near the railings.

"None of us did," said Ginny. "Oh, imagine if Harry knew!"

Ron insides twisted at the thought of his best friend, whom he was missing much more than he cared to admit.

"What are you doing?" hissed a voice above them, and they both looked up to see Hermione's face glaring at them.

"Oh, just wait till you hear this, Hermione," said Ginny, and they pulled her down next to them, amid her avid protests, and began telling her all that they had heard.