Ch 29:- Rising Temperatures.

The great hall was already filling up as Harry turned out of the corridor leading to the Headmaster's study. The Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were streaming up the stairs from the ground floor whilst the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were coming down from their towers. As usual there was a bit of scuffling as the Slytherins tried to cause trouble, and Harry saw Baddock try to trip a Ravenclaw who stumbled into a Hufflepuff who pushed a Gryffindor who bumped into Malfoy.

Malfoy spun round, wand out, and snarled at the second year Gryffindor. 'Watch your step, rat! Potter isn't here to help you now. You'll have my friends to answer to, and they're worse than any dementor!'

Beside him, Crabbe and Goyle flexed their knuckles and grinned nastily, making the Gryffindor shrink back in fear against the corridor wall. He glanced side ways and did a double take as he saw Harry bearing down on them. Malfoy and his cronies continued to smile as they turned, but the smiles turned to puzzlement as they realised who had given the Gryffindor boy such a lift.

Harry stopped in front of the group and glared

'You were saying? Malfoy?' he snarled. He didn't include the other thought that had occurred to him; why did Malfoy think Harry was no longer around?

Crabbe and Goyle were all set to begin menacing Harry, but Malfoy, glanced sideways at each of them, catching their eyes and shaking his head slightly.

'One day, Potter!' he grated, then turned and vanished into the crowd with his minions close behind him.

Harry breathed out and put his wand away. He could feel something slightly warm on his finger and looked down to see the stone within the Headmaster's ring was glowing softly. As he watched, the glow faded away, leaving the ring dark and dead once more.

Harry sighed and joined the last of the students entering the hall.

- o -

Unusually, Hermione hadn't saved a place for Harry and she looked quite embarrassed when he appeared along the rows of seated students.

'Harry! You're back! - erm - that didn't come out right , did it?' she said apologetically. She looked around at the lack of a place for Harry to sit and shrugged sadly. 'I'm sorry, we thought you'd stay in London again.'

Harry nodded. 'Yeah, don't blame you, Herms. There was a couple of times I thought I would be staying in Askaban, never mind London.'

'What?' she exclaimed.

'Tell you later.' chuckled Harry then he turned to look for a seat at the end of the table. A place appeared next to Katie Bell as he worked his way up the table. She smiled as he sat down and loaded a plate with food.

'Hi Harry, finished with the Ministry then?'

Harry wondered just what Katie would think if he told her all about Umbridge trying to take over. 'Yeah. Finished for now.'

'Good. Practice tomorrow morning. Jack's got to give up for a while and we've got Slytherin next.'

As Katie started to tell Harry all about her plans for the next match, Harry smiled quietly to himself. He had realised the only thing Katie would say about news of a coup at the Ministry would be "They're not going to ban Quidditch, are they?"

- o -

Later, in the common room, Harry finally managed to explain to Ron and Hermione just what had happened in the Ministry, and what sort of narrow escape he'd had.

'You apparated out, Harry? That's brilliant!' said Ron, his quiet voice belying his excitement.

Harry had been trying to keep his voice down, as he didn't want to broadcast wholesale the sort of news that Dumbledore probably would prefer to keep well hidden. The fact that he was broadcasting it to Ron and Hermione didn't really register, however.

'Harry's only got the Headmaster's word that it was self defence though, Ron.' fretted Hermione. 'He could still be in trouble with the Ministry.'

'And someone's going to challenge D-D's word?' asked Ron incredulously.

Hermione frowned. 'What if Professor Dumbledore is killed or kidnapped? There's still elements in the ministry who would jump at the chance.'

'Quite true, Miss Granger.'

The three of them looked round to see Professor McGonagall standing over them, as they sat in their usual cosy corner of the room.

'Ah – er – Professor, we – didn't see you there.' stuttered Harry.

'Evidently not, Potter' said McGonagall, acidly. 'It seems you were so engrossed that not only did you not notice me, but you also forgot you have something for me.'

Harry started guiltily. 'Ah – yes- er - I was just coming to gi- ' he stopped at the look on McGonagall's face. He sighed. 'I'd forgotten.' he admitted.

McGonagall held out her hand and Harry tried to take off the ring. At first it was a struggle, but suddenly the ring grew larger and slipped easily off his finger. He looked at it for a few seconds, noting the peculiar runes etched around the circumference and curled round the Hogwart's crest set into the face of the ring. McGonagall's gentle cough woke him from his contemplation to see Hermione staring at the ring, whilst Ron looked at the chess game being played by Alison Linney and Natalie McDonald at the big table near the fire.

'Is that-?' began Hermione, but McGonagall forestalled her as she took the ring from Harry. 'No questions please, Miss Granger,' she said quietly. 'This is none of your business and now it is none of Mister Potter's either.' McGonagall slipped the ring over her right middle finger and Harry watched as it shrunk to fit precisely.

'Thank you, Mister Potter. I hope you will be available for practice tomorrow? We simply cannot lose to Slytherin in three weeks time, so – '

Leaving the sentence hanging, as a plea, or maybe as a threat, the Housemistress turned and left the common room as quietly as she had entered.

'Harry! Was that the Headmaster's ring?' breathed Hermione, once McGonagall had gone.

'Yeah, he gave it to me to give to Mc-G.' admitted Harry.

'That's one of the most magical artefacts in the Castle!'

'Well, it glowed when I had a run in with Malfoy.' said Harry doubtfully.

'When was that?'

A new voice; Ginny had turned up without their noticing. Dean was talking to Seamus over on the other side of the room.

'Just before dinner, outside the hall,' muttered Harry, glancing at her.

'What was he doing to you?' she demanded.

'Nothing. He was threatening Stevens. He stopped when I spoke to him.'

Ginny looked at Harry thoughtfully. 'Oh. – Okay, Harry.' She continued to regard him thoughtfully, until Harry was beginning to wonder if he had gown another nose, or had broken out in blotches all over his face. He was only rescued from terminal self-consciousness by a sudden shout from Dean.

'Oi, Gin! Are you talking to that lot all evening?'

Ginny turned slowly. 'I'm talking to my brother and his girlfriend, Dean. That's allowed isn't it?' she said, menacingly.

Dean recoiled slightly. 'Yeah – er yeah, - of course, but are we going to, - you know?' he asked rather forlornly.

Ginny seemed to relent. 'Yeah, - right, - okay. I'll be with you in a minute.' She turned back to the group.

Harry was smarting at Ginny's words. "talking to my brother and his girlfriend" Ginny had said; - not to Harry. He stared up at her coldly.

'Don't mind us, Ginny,' he muttered. 'We've got things to talk about.'

Ginny's eyes looked startled for a second, and then went hard.

'Glad to hear it' she grated. Then she swept her gaze over Ron and Hermione and stalked across the common room to grab Dean's arm. She smiled at him. 'Ready when you are,' she giggled, as she dragged him towards the portrait hole. 'Let's go.'

Dean looked over at the three surprised faces and grinned. He turned away before the look of fury had fixed itself on Ron's face, so he never saw Hermione grab Ron and force him down on the chair.

And he didn't see Harry stand suddenly and head for the dormitory, a mask of indifference on his face.

- o -

Ginny made a point of ignoring Harry at every opportunity for the next three days. It made Quidditch practice difficult, but Harry simply set his face in a rictus of concentration and got on with it. Several of the passes from Ginny threatened to knock him off his broom, but eventually he lost his temper and passed the quaffle back to Ginny so hard that she went backwards for several yards in the air before her broom managed to overcome the force of the throw. After that, she settled down to prove she could play chaser better than Harry in every respect, which made Harry raise his game to a level that surprised both of them and brought a whoop of praise from Katie at the end of practice.

After three days, cutting each other dead at every opportunity began to pall slightly. Hermione finally managed to pin Ginny down, possibly using a wrestling hold, though she never admitted it, and managed to explain what had happened at the Ministry. As expected, the word had not got out, although Fudge had seemingly not been found. The Headmaster was still missing, and the rest of the students were beginning to wonder why.

- o -

Ginny finally stopped ignoring Harry at dinner of the fourth day since he returned from the Ministry.

Ron and Hermione had discussed the subject of the Ministry and Fudge's absence almost continuously since Harry had got back, but this was the first time Ginny had bothered to sit with them for weeks. Dean and Seamus were talking to Parvati and Lavender again, but Ginny had just looked and shrugged before starting on her meal. Ron had seemed about to say something, but Hermione had jabbed him hard with her elbow and he had subsided, looking rebellious.

Ginny glanced up at the top table where the Headmaster's chair was empty once more. The candles glittered on the giltwork and ornate carvings, emphasizing Dumbledore's absence. Professor McGonagall was having to lean across the Headmaster's chair to speak to Professor Sprout.

Harry followed Ginny's gaze and found himself looking straight at Professor Snape. As usual, Snape's eyes bored into Harry's, as if trying to accuse him of spiriting the Headmaster away out of spite. Harry smiled slightly, - well, he moved his lips to bare his teeth slightly, - and Snape frowned and looked away, almost as if in shame.

'Still no sign of Dumbledore. D'you think Fudge is dead then?' asked Ginny casually.

Harry was so surprised that she seemed to be talking to him, that he almost failed to answer.

'Dunno,' he muttered after a second or so. 'Unlikely though. I doubt Umbridge wanted him dead, more that she wanted to threaten Dumbledore and me to get charge of the forest.'

'Why would she want to get charge of the forest?' mused Ginny.

'To get even with the Centaurs?'

'Seems a lot of trouble to go to.' muttered Ron.

'She hates them though, - absolutely loathes them.' added Hermione.

'Yeah, - but – '

'There has to be more than that to it.'

'OK Gin, what?' challenged Ron.

Ginny sighed. 'Wish I knew. Maybe Firenze has some idea.'

'Not the Pony, please, Ginny.' scoffed Hermione.

'He's good at Divination, Hermione.'

'OK, he looks good, - at least, Parvati thinks so'

'Parvati thinks anything with a flat chest looks good'

'Katie better watch out then'

'Bitch' chuckled Ginny, briefly.

Once Harry and Ron had managed to gain sufficient control to continue the conversation, it was Harry who asked the obvious question.

'So, are you going to have word with Firenze then, Ginny?'

She glanced at him quickly. 'Yeah, alright. I'll see if he knows any reason Umbridge might want them all out of the forest. Don't get your hopes up though.' She turned back to her food and sunk into a thoughtful silence.

At the end of the meal, Dean had stood up and moved along the rows to stand behind Ginny. All four of them looked up at him as he smiled brightly at her.

'Coming to the library then?' he asked. Ginny hesitated for a while before agreeing.

'Not going with Parvati, then Dean?' asked Ron, pointedly.

Dean's smile changed to a scowl. 'What's it to you, Ron?' he asked in a hard voice.

Ron shrugged airily. 'Just thought since you were talking to her –'

Dean shrugged. 'Just talking Ron, just talking. She's into my kind of music, see?' He smirked. 'Ginny here doesn't like that kind of music, - she likes to play another kind of tune altogether.' He made way whilst Ginny stood up, then put an arm round her as they walked away between the tables, leaving Ron seething and Hermione looking troubled.

Harry wondered why Ginny had looked less than thrilled at the prospect of going to the library, but in the end he hardened his heart against her once more as he headed for the common room and another essay for McGonagall.

- o -

'She's a tease!'

Dean's voice, raised in anger.

Harry struggled to full wakefulness, wondering who on earth Dean could be talking about.

'My sister is not a tease!' exclaimed Ron's voice.

'Like you'd know, eh?' growled Dean ' You and that Hermione? The way you go on, it's a wonder you know what day it is'

Harry hurriedly stuck his glasses on his nose and pushed his head through the curtain round his bed. All he could see was the back of Dean's head as he left the dorm. Drawing the curtain back further, he saw Ron standing with clenched fists, staring at the open dormitory door. Seamus and Neville were by their beds, looking anywhere but at Ron.

Ron turned as he heard Harry pull the curtain back.

'Did you hear that, Harry?' he exclaimed.

'Heard it, - don't know what caused it though.' Harry muttered.

"I've a good mind to give him a good seeing to. Pity Fred and George aren't here! What the blazes does he know anyway?'

Seamus was unimpressed by Ron's theatricals.

'He'd know more than enough about going out with your sister, that's for sure' he mumbled.

Ron turned towards this new attack. 'That doesn't give him the right to insult her, does it?'

'Depends what she was teasing him about, doesn't it?' argued Seamus, more strongly this time.

Ron finally stopped to think long enough to work out the possibilities. 'If he's been trying to – ' He stopped, spluttering incoherently.

Seamus laughed, 'You're not one to talk, are you Ron?' he said casually.

'But she's only fifteen!' raged Ron.

Seamus finished getting ready to head down to the hall to breakfast. As he passed Ron, he stopped and smiled slightly. 'Well, maybe she keeps remembering?' he said then he and Neville pushed through the door into the stairwell.

'I'll – I'll -' snarled Ron, but he was brought up short again.

'No. Ron, you won't. Not till you know a whole lot more.' said Harry, as he started to get dressed.

Ron turned on his friend in amazement.

'Don't tell me you're supporting Dean as well?'

Harry stopped dressing and turned. 'I'm supporting sanity. There's not a lot of it about at the moment.' he hesitated. 'Look mate, find out first, or McGonagall'll have your guts.'

Ron was silent for half a minute. 'Do you really think?' he murmured.

Harry started to tidy his bedding up. 'No comment.' He muttered, but continued almost immediately.

'Just don't fly off the handle. Rule One, find out. - What is Rule One?'

Ron sighed. 'Find Out.'

Harry nodded, relieved to have defused the situation for at least half an hour.

- o -

In fact it was a bit longer than that. Breakfast was an armed truce, with all the participants keeping a low profile, including Ginny, since she didn't appear at all. As the Gryffindors spread out to lessons Harry relaxed slightly, hoping the whole thing would blow over. He wondered if maybe Seamus had the right of it, in fact, but teasing people just didn't seem Ginny's style somehow; at least not that sort of teasing. He mentally shrugged his shoulders and headed for one of his Care of Magical Creatures lessons

- o -

Being one of the few students who could see thestrals, Harry had been persuaded to study them for part of his NEWT. Although they normally lived in the forest, their role in the movement of students from school to station and back meant that Hagrid, being able to see thestrals because of being half giant, was charged with ensuring the herd remained healthy and reasonably docile in the carriages. One of his duties was to call in the thestrals once a month to check them over and put a few of them into the traces to check they remained docile.

A hint of snow was in the air as the cold late November day brightened slowly beneath the clouds building from the northeast. Hagrid had gathered the herd in the forest the previous day and had brought two rather ill looking thestrals into the stables. Even Harry could tell these two were looking poorly. One of them staggered occasionally and seemed to flicker slightly every so often. He and Hagrid inspected them closely and Hagrid had dosed each one with several potions that they had been brewing for the last three weeks. They didn't seem to be a lot better for the potions by the end of the lesson.

'Not good, Harry.' muttered Hagrid. 'That one's not going to last the winter at this rate, I'll have to keep it in the stables.'

'What's wrong with it? We gave it the potions for the usual problems'

Hagrid considered, for a second. 'Well, Harry, its not one of the younger ones, that's fer sure, and you know the potions we've bin brewing are fer general health; clear eyes, healthy coat an all that.' Hagrid sniffed. 'I'm reckonin' it may be on its way, Harry'

'Dying, you mean?'

'Aye.' Hagrid sniffed again. 'Any way, you'd better get back to the castle. I'd better be getting ready for the fifth years, they'll be down here soon.' Hagrid left the stable with a final sniff and went into his little office at the end of the stable block.

Harry stood for a while looking at the ailing thestral, unwilling to leave the pungent warmth of the stable for the cold of the morning. Outside, the sky had grown darker again and snowflakes were flying past the doorway to presage what had been forecast to be the first major snowfall of the winter.

Harry saw the fifth years streaming past the stable on their way to their lesson and was surprised when Luna Lovegood stopped and peered inside. She was wearing a rather bizarre woollen hat tied beneath her chin, with her wand stuck through it like a giant hairpin.

'Hello, Harry.' she said conversationally, 'That one's not looking too good is it?'

'Hi Luna! No, Hagrid reckons it might not make it through the winter.'

A figure passed the door, then a shout from outside.

'Luna, come on.'

A mane of red hair speckled with snow appeared over the half door.

'Harry?' said Ginny, 'What are you doing in an empty sta-- EEEK!' She staggered back, with a horrified look on her face.

'What?' Harry looked round in alarm.

'What was that?' Ginny quavered. 'In there, beside you! - that - sort of - horse thing!'

'You can see it?' gasped Luna.

'Well, it's gone now! But it sort of - appeared - for a second.'

Harry smiled at Ginny. 'It's a sick thestral. It's flickering sometimes, I suppose it must be losing it's invisibility when it flickers'

Ginny was starting to calm down. 'Thank Merlin for that. I thought I was losing it for a second or so the - 'she stopped. 'You mean I rode one of those things all the way to London?'

Harry nodded.

Ginny shook her head slowly. 'The things I do for - ' she murmured, then fell silent, peering into the stable with a sort of horrified fascination.

Now it was Luna's turn to worry about Hagrid.

'Come on Ginny, we've got to go.'

'Oh, yeah.' Ginny seemed to return to the present with a jolt. She glanced up at Harry. 'I'd better go.' she said and turned away to follow Luna.

'See you later then.' Harry murmured, - but she was already gone.

- o -

At lunch there was a pleasant surprise for Harry. Glancing at the staff table as he walked into the hall, he was overjoyed to see the Headmaster at his normal seat in the centre of the row of teachers. Sitting opposite Hermione, Harry looked pointedly up at the top table and was rewarded by a slight smile from Dumbledore. Once the last stragglers were seated, the Headmaster stood slowly and tapped his knife against a small goblet. A loud 'bong' ran through the hall, completely at odds with the size of the object struck.

Once silence was established. The Headmaster began to speak.

'Firstly, I would like to say well done to you all for keeping the school almost completely intact during my absence. I am sure the repairs to the east tower will take almost no time at all.'

The Headmaster looked down his nose at part of the Ravenclaw table. 'There is sometimes a fine line between experimentation and vandalism,' he murmured. 'Please do not cross it again.'

He looked up at the rest of the students.

'You will have all noted my absence. I will now inform you as to the reason for that absence.'

The hall quietened expectantly. Faces turned towards the staff table and the murmuring died away as the Headmaster started to speak

'Most of you will have noticed in the last few weeks that the news from London has included several stories suggesting that the Ministry of Magic was under threat from within. – I have to announce that the news was correct.'

Face turned face and voices rose to a crescendo before quieting again. Once more attention was concentrated on the Headmaster.

'Last Saturday, several of the Minister's assistants decided that they could run the Magical world better than the incumbent. The Minister was seized and kidnapped. The attempt was unmasked during the weekend, but it has taken until today to find the Minister. He is in – satisfactory - health.'

There was now a gentle background hum of whispered discussion. Harry heard a voice from the Slytherin table cut through the whispering.

'Pity they didn't succeed. They'd be better than that bumbling fool Fudge, believe me.'

It sounded as though Malfoy knew just who had been the instigator. Harry was not surprised and he wondered if anyone from the staff table had heard. The steely glint in Snape's eye suggested that he, at least, had noted Malfoy's comment. Whether Snape would do anything about it, Harry really doubted.

The Headmaster continued. 'Unfortunately, the loss of several key staff has caused a certain amount of upheaval in the Ministry. I have been asked to give what aid I can in the next few weeks, whilst a certain amount of reorganisation is carried out.' He looked round at the staff table. 'Professor McGonagall will, as usual, continue in charge whilst I am away.' Then, turned back to the students. 'I hope you will give her the cooperation I would expect from you all. – Thank you.'

'That doesn't sound good, Harry.' murmured Hermione.

'No.' he replied. It looked like Dumbledore wouldn't be giving Harry any more extra lessons for the next few weeks. He just hoped the Minister got better quickly.

'Is that all you can say?'

'Yes.'

Hermione looked exasperated. 'Well, don't you care about Fudge?'

'Fudge is an idiot.' proclaimed Ron beside her. 'I got a letter from Mum a few weeks ago. She said Dad was getting really frustrated with Fudge.'

'I bet Umbridge would have been worse.' muttered Harry.

'So you do care?'

Harry growled in his throat. 'No. They're both a waste of space.'

'Malfoy doesn't think so.' countered Hermione.

'He's the biggest waste of space of the lot.'

- o -

The evening meal was eaten beneath a sky that was thick with snowflakes. The magical ceiling of the great hall made the snowflakes to mimic the storm once again raging outside, letting them fall into the light of the candles floating above the tables before they disappeared. The candles were floating low, as well, meaning that every so often a stray snowflake almost reached the table before apparently evaporating into thin air.

Harry still occasionally thought the whole idea of magical snow falling was quite bizarre, though not so strange as the few occasions when hail had fallen to within a few feet of the heads of the students before disappearing. The result of the earlier storm had been almost a foot of snow in the grounds by the end of the afternoon and the sight of fifty or so students throwing snowballs at each other as the last dregs of daylight drained from the sky.

Harry had been one of the unlucky ones who had lessons that afternoon, but quite a few of the sixth and seventh years had had free periods. Even a few of the younger students had been free to indulge in the battle.

As he had been in class, Harry hadn't seen the huge argument that had ensued when Dean, Seamus and Neville had pelted Ron with snowballs. Ron had been furious, threatening dire retribution for the pelting and drawing an equally uncompromising response from Dean. According to Hermione, the scuffle had been short, but resentment still simmered that evening.

Dean and Ginny were sitting with Seamus and Neville at the other end of the table from Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry looked on with a certain amount of amusement as Ron occasionally glared at Dean and Seamus – who glared right back. It was obvious that Ginny and Neville were somewhat bemused by the animosity as well. At least once, Harry saw Ginny glance at him, then at Dean, and then raise her eyes to the roof.

Back in the common room, another short exchange of words had ensued before Ginny had grabbed Dean and dragged him off to the library, - at least that's where she'd said they were going. He'd had to go over to the library later, but they had been conspicuously absent.