Chapter : 16

Traitor and Ransom

It was all over the newspapers. Wizard and Muggle. The Daily Prophet had headlines like "Dark Lord Kidnaps Muggle Boy" and

"Murders and Kidnaps; Where will He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Strike Next?" Miraculously Harry in no way, shape, or form had been weaseled in the articles. The ministry had actually helped the order without realizing it. They had not released information that Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Neva had been on the train the day of the murder and kidnap. The Ministry had authorized a portkey to take Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neva, Cho, and Neville back to school in hope of avoiding another kidnap.

The death of Doris had not been easy on anyone. Panic spread throughout the entire wizarding world. To most it seemed Voldemort was out of Ministry control. But the few who did not panic (AKA: the order, Dumbledore, Harry, and Hermione.)

Even the children of the order panicked except for Harry and Hermione who rested assured that Dumbledore and the order where doing the best they could to keep the wizarding world safe from Voldemort.

Once they had returned to Hogwarts Harry noticed there where a lot of students missing. It had been quite obvious why, of course.

Many parents had kept their children from returning from school after hearing news of the murder and more importantly the kidnaps right from inside Hogwarts.

On the return feast Dumbledore announced to everyone who was left:

Harry

Hermione

Ron

Cho

Neva

Neville

All of the Slytherins

Lavender Brown

The Creevy Brothers

Justin FlinchFletchly

Hannah Abbot

(And everyone else from muggle Families)

"That you should not panic, and since there where so few students they would do away with houses and combine everyone (with exception of the house of phoenix) into one big house,"

"And if fact it was silly" McGonagall added "for the families that kept their children home, because Hogwarts was the safest place from Voldemort, because Dumbledore was there."

Dumbledore blushed and continued

"Thank you for that comforting assuring remark, Minerva, Now, you will be sleeping in a room I had built over the Holiday's. If you proceed through the dungeons past the portrait of Salazar Slytherin Ш, directly under the portrait of Salazar, there is a brown brick, remove the brick, and say Rivenmist, a bottle of purple potion will appear, drink the potion, then,there is a torch in the wall. Remove the torch, and burn the portrait, the flames will be purple. Step through within five minuets of drinking the potion, or it will wear off. Phoenix, please hold back, everyone else, Dismissed."

"Now, I'm sure you are feeling very deeply scarred from the events you witnessed over the holidays, but I must beg you to not mention you presence to anyone. We are doing the best we can to track Mr. McMillian, Ms. Weasley, and The young muggle boy Chester."

That night everything went smoothly, and everyone was safe and sound. The next morning everything went wrong.

"Hey Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neva, Cho, and Neville, Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office." Said Malfoy

Dumbledore told them to sit, and broke out suddenly

"We have found out what murdered Sirius."

"You mean it wasn't the Avada Kedavra curse?" said Neva

"No, I am sorry, what killed Sirius was much worse; it seems Lord Voldemort had befriended the Vampires."

Ron gasped, Cho shrieked, Neville fell off his chair, Hermione, and Neva stared and Harry asked

"But wouldn't he have turned into a vampire?"

"Harry, you would be correct, if, he had been bitten by a male vampire, unfortunately he was bitten by a female vampire which would only kill him. Secondly today we received the Ransom letter. They will turn over Ginny, Ernie, and Chester if we tell them how to activate and use the weapon. I have no choice but to accept the ransom. I will not put innocent lives at stake. We will get the hostages back."

And with that Dumbledore summoned a black owl with red eyes, scribbled a letter and tapped the owl on the head with his wand.

The owl flew out the window and Dumbledore explained

"I put a tracking charm on the owl. Hopefully we will be able to find out where Voldemort is keeping the hostages and rescue them before they are harmed."

As they headed through Dumbledore's closet, stopping to snigger at a Hawaiian t-shirt, and Hermione stopped to conference with everybody in the common room.

"I think that there is a vampire here a t Hogwarts! He is under Voldemort's control of course. I think it's..."

"Snape!" said Ron

"No," said Hermione "Don't be silly, I think its Lockhart. He has been rather pale lately, and he has unusually large canines. A bite by a male vampire would restore his memory, and did you notice he never touches his garlic chicken at dinner, nor garlic bread, soup, or anything with garlic. It is quite possible, Harry quick, check the map!"

Sure enough a small black dot labeled Gilderoy Lockhart was flying over the forbidden forest.