A/N: She's baaaaack. Holy cow – it's been almost a month since I last updated. There are several reasons for this, including writer's block, vacation, and an extreme workload at work (the last thing I wanted to do upon coming home was sit down in front of a computer). Anyway, what was surely one of my busiest months for this year is almost over, and I have high hopes of being able to update more often in the future. This chapter is VERY long and I hope it will help make up for my long absence.
Lady Pallas: Oh, well. J.K. Rowling has such a talent for unique (and appropriate) names. I guess they don't all have to be unusual.
athenakitty: Heh. Ron might throw an unstoppered ink bottle at someone, but I think Hermione's was probably closed.
Sherry: Nice to see you! Sorry I haven't been updating – hope this chapter is up to snuff.
CAN'T THINK OF A GOOD NAME: It's been a month, so maybe you've had time to come up with something by now. :-) I'm so sorry it's been so long! This kind of a delay is really unusual for me, just so you know. But when you've got too much to do at work and then the words don't come when you do have time to write… there's nothing you can do.
Prongs4: Mmm… popcorn. I could use some of that right now. Maybe this is an occasion for making some!
PhoenixTearsp322: You are right – chapter 5 was pretty up and down. That's one of the very things that got to me about Order of the Phoenix. Harry would be really happy at the beginning of the day, then something would happen, and WHAM – he's down in the dumps. Next day, same thing. Adolescence or no, it's kind of draining. But I guess you all are probably pretty tired of hearing me complain about Book 5 by now… Oh, and you can tell me you think I'm a great writer all you want! Thanks!
soquester (Rob): Congrats! Now you can have all your favorite stories listed online and all that, though I have heard that sometimes stories vanish. Another reader has said that she downloads them to her computer so she won't lose them. Ah, how could I kill you for not reviewing when I haven't updated for an age? Great to hear from you, as always.
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Chapter 6: The Great Library
Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried through the house in search of Lupin. Harry was feeling anxious to find him before Bellaton did, just in case the Singer decided to give Lupin warning of what they were planning. He didn't really think that Bellaton would do something like that, but he hadn't been himself lately.
"What are we going to do if Remus says no?" said Hermione, saying what they were all thinking.
"One way or another I'm going," said Harry, "so let's just hope he says yes and it'll save everyone a lot of trouble." Hermione just sighed and shook her head.
They found Sirius and Lupin with Professor Thornby in the music room. The two men were reading from a scroll of parchment, now and then making a note upon it. A small pile of more scrolls sat at their feet. Professor Thornby was even quieter than they were, sitting still in a chair next to the harp. True to form, she looked straight at Harry as he entered and then looked away again.
"Hello," said Sirius, looking up as they entered. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Harry's face. "Something wrong?"
"We want to go to the Great Library," said Harry, looking at Lupin. "I think I should tell you that I'm planning to go with or without your permission, so you might have to tie me up if you say no."
"Harry!" Ron exclaimed.
Harry grimaced. He hadn't meant to be quite so blunt; it had just popped out. He vaguely thought that it was a rather telling slip of the tongue. Harry had quite a bit of respect for Lupin who had just effectively adopted him. I guess I think he deserves better than to have me sneak out of the house, thought Harry.
Lupin rolled up the scroll and set it aside. "Why do you need to go to the Great Library?" he said calmly.
"Because we think we're on to something," said Ron.
Sirius' eyebrows climbed higher. "With your research?"
"Yes," said Harry.
"Tell us," said Lupin, motioning them to sit.
They sat and explained about how Seamus had discovered Estella the Wise. "It might turn out to be nothing," Hermione admitted. "No one knows where a copy of her memoir is and we don't know what parts of it Nicodemus decided to copy down. If he wasn't interested in healing the insane…"
Lupin nodded in understanding, but his eyes were bright with excitement. "This is the first real lead you've come across, is that correct?"
"Right," said Harry.
"Well, Ardoc was right about the Library, I think," said Sirius. "About the fact that it's dangerous, I mean."
"He didn't exactly explain how it's dangerous," Harry said peevishly.
"That's because he doesn't know the answer," said Sirius. "No one really knows. Almost twenty years ago patrons began vanishing from the building, never to be heard from again. The Ministry sent a squad of Aurors to investigate when people began to complain that their friends and family had gone missing. None of the Aurors returned and ever since then few have dared venture there."
"But people have gone," Hermione pressed him.
"They have, and have come back safe and sound," said Sirius. "For all anyone knows the Library may be perfectly safe now – the cause of the disappearances may be long gone – but until someone solves the original mystery, it can't be assumed that things are back to normal."
"No one has any idea at all of what happened?" said Harry. It seemed hard to believe that the Ministry would let twenty years go by without finding out what had happened to the Aurors.
Sirius shook his head. "No one who has visited since the disappearance of the Aurors has seen any sign of foul play. Who knows what happened? It could have been an attack by a Dark creature, a stealing of souls, an attack by aliens from outer space – anything."
Harry's heart was sinking. The more he heard, the more he was certain that the adults would never let him go to the Great Library whatever his defiant attitude. He was constantly being protected, so there was no reason in the world for them to send him after a book in a place that might or might not be infested with Dark creatures.
Lupin hadn't said anything while Sirius explained about the possible threat within the Library. He had spent the time frowning slightly, eyes focused on something just to the right of the students, though Harry didn't think he was really seeing it. Now he inhaled slowly through his nose and met Harry's eyes, holding them for a few long moments before speaking.
"Well," said Lupin, "since you seem so set on going, Harry, I suppose I'll have to go with you."
Harry blinked. Had he heard correctly?
"Of course I can't give the two of you permission," said Lupin, looking at Ron and Hermione. "You'll have to go to your own parents."
"You're going to let me go?" Harry said incredulously.
Lupin nodded. "Not alone, as I said, but you'll be sixteen in one week and as much as I'd like to, I can't keep you behind glass forever. If you think this book is worth the risk, we'll go get it."
"When?" Harry said eagerly.
"You should tell Dumbledore first," said Sirius. "I don't know what he's going to say."
Lupin shrugged. "I will listen to his advice, but in the end the choice is ours. Of course if he would be willing to spare an Order member or two, that would be helpful."
"Sounds like the two of you had better get a move on if you don't want to be left behind," said Sirius, grinning roguishly at Harry's friends.
Ron and Hermione jumped up from their chairs. "Right. See you later, Harry," said Ron just before they dashed out of the room.
Sirius and Lupin stood up. "Will you stay with Celeste?" said Lupin. "I'm assuming you'd like to go as soon as possible, so we should find Dumbledore."
"Sure," said Harry.
"We shouldn't be too long," said Sirius, and with that, the two men left on Ron and Hermione's heels.
The music room was very quiet without Ron, Hermione, Sirius and Lupin. Too late Harry realized that he had nothing to do – no books, no one to talk to. Professor Thornby sat very still in her chair, paying Harry no mind whatsoever.
Harry had nothing else to do but look around the music room. He had only ever spent time in it when he had been listening to Bellaton and Professor Thornby practice. One of the walls was completely covered by a bookshelf holding bound volumes which were taller and wider than normal books. Harry pulled one off the shelf and opened it. Jacob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: A Midsummer Night's Dream, read the title. Harry turned the page and found lines and lines of music, not a note of which he could read. The Dursleys had had little interest in music, especially the orchestral kind, which Vernon had thought a great bore. Dudley had never learned to play anything (the Dursleys thought lessons cost too much) and Harry certainly hadn't been given the chance. Harry felt vaguely regretful as he looked at the music; he had rather liked the trip to hear the symphony last summer.
As Harry replaced the score on the shelf, the shiny black piano across the room caught his eye. There were two boxes sitting on it. One was tall and shaped a bit like a pyramid, and the other was long and colorfully lacquered. Harry recognized the second box. He'd seen others like it in Hogsmeade at Dervish and Banges. Harry opened the lid and found that he'd been right – the soft strains of a symphony drifted out, not in little tinkling notes, but as if there were a tiny orchestra inside the box.
Ping! Harry's head quickly swiveled around to look at Professor Thornby, who had one hand on the strings of the harp, fingers arched. Ping! Ping! Two more plucks followed, and Harry realized that they were in perfect harmony with the music coming from the music box, both in pitch and rhythm.
Of course! Why hadn't anyone thought of it before? Music had been a huge part of Professor Thornby's life. A piece of music well-known to her was probably just like an old friend, and she obviously knew this one.
Harry stood and watched in amazement as the music box played and Professor Thornby occasionally played along. It was just a note here and there, but they were perfectly placed. Harry had gotten so used to Professor Thornby sitting around doing nothing that it was almost unsettling to see her taking initiative. As he listened, a sneaking suspicion came upon Harry. What if it wasn't just the music that elicited such a response, but his proximity as well? It had been obvious for weeks now that Professor Thornby was far more aware of the world when he was around. In all that time he'd never seen her do anything like this – other than absently stroke Kit, the gray kitten, who was getting bigger every day.
Harry couldn't go to the Great Library. That much was suddenly and abundantly clear. If it turned out that whatever had destroyed the Aurors was still there, Harry and anyone who went with him might never make it back. That would mean that Professor Thornby would most likely be stuck like this for the rest of her life, rendering the sacrifice completely meaningless. I suppose that's the down side of being the only person who can do something, thought Harry, feeling slightly deflated. Lupin had just said that he was old enough to make his own decisions. Harry still wanted to go – he wanted to do something after a month of looking through books – but it no longer seemed like the right thing to do.
The symphony in the box was ending; Harry recognized the sound of an approaching conclusion. Professor Thornby plucked one last string as the last chord sounded, and the box fell silent. She moved her hand back to the spine of the harp, face blank, looking for all the world as if nothing had happened.
"I've opened that box every time I've brought her to this room," said Lupin's voice from the doorway. Harry looked up and saw him standing there with Sirius. Both of them were staring at Harry and his guardian in complete surprise. "She's never done that before."
That settled it. Harry had been right; he knew it now. It wasn't just the box – it was him. "I'm not going," he said aloud.
Both men slowly nodded their understanding. "I'd say that's a very mature decision, Harry," said Sirius. "Quite selfless, seeing as you must be accustomed to going on adventures by now."
"I wouldn't call many of them adventures," Harry said tartly, still feeling disappointed about the trip in spite of himself. "More like brushes with death."
"If you're certain, Harry, then I'll be staying too," said Lupin.
"What about Ron and Hermione?" asked Harry.
As if their names had been a summons, his two friends appeared in the doorway. The glum look on Ron's face was enough to tell Harry what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's answer had been. Hermione, on the other hand, was obviously ecstatic. She seemed to be trying to contain her excitement for Ron's sake but was having little success.
"Dad was willing to think about it, but Mum put her foot down," Ron said morosely. "When she digs in it's near impossible to get round her."
"Well, my parents gave me the green light," said Hermione. "I'm so surprised, I thought they'd say no once they heard what happened to those Aurors all those years ago –"
"Green light?" said Ron in confusion.
"Oh – a Muggle expression," said Hermione.
"Well, you're going to have to go without either of us," said Harry.
"I'm… what?" said Hermione, her face falling. "But Remus gave you permission!"
"I'm not going," said Harry. "My own choice." He looked pointedly at Professor Thornby.
"Oh," said Hermione. She sounded disappointed.
"You won't be alone, at any rate," Sirius said kindly. "We couldn't possibly send you without a proper guard."
"Dumbledore has agreed to the plan and will even go so far as to send Order members," said Lupin. "He sees the value in discovering how to 'cure' insanity, not just for Celeste but for others as well. He is going to Tonks with the mission and is certain she will accept. Ardoc will be going –"
"He was against it," Harry interrupted. "He said the Library was too dangerous and the Order was too busy to help."
"Yes," Sirius said dryly. "He's been a real 'the glass is half empty' kind of person lately."
"He's going," Lupin repeated. "When Dumbledore asks, Ardoc will not refuse."
Harry wasn't entirely satisfied with this answer. It wasn't that he thought that Professor Bellaton wouldn't be as assiduous in his task of guarding Hermione as he should be; it was the fact that even a direct order from Dumbledore wouldn't change Bellaton's outlook on the mission. He would still think it an unnecessary risk, and Harry didn't like his pessimism. This was Bellaton's friend they were trying to help. No matter what excuses Lupin and Sirius made for him, Harry couldn't help but feel that Bellaton was giving up. Sometimes he didn't seem to be the same man Harry had gotten to know one year ago.
"And Fred and George will be going as well," Lupin added.
"Fred and George?" Hermione said dubiously. Apparently this wasn't something she had heard yet.
"It's their big chance to prove to the Order that they're responsible and worthy of joining," Ron said bitterly. "Mum didn't want them to go either but she couldn't stop them, not now that they're of age and out of school."
"There will be no pranking during this trip, Hermione," said Sirius. He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Any horseplay will only show the twins to be irresponsible and that's not what they want."
"He's right," said Ron. "If there's one thing they'll be serious about, it's the Order."
"Well… okay," said Hermione, not sounding entirely convinced.
"Dumbledore thinks that any more people might be too risky," said Sirius. "It could be that whatever disposed of the Aurors twenty years ago was attracted by their numbers."
"So when are you going?" Harry asked Hermione.
"Right now," she said, her cheeks pinking up a bit.
"So soon?" said Harry in surprise. "Doesn't Dumbledore want to talk to Professor Binns first? What about sending one or two people in advance?" He had never expected it to happen that fast; it had only been an hour since they first broached the subject. Now that it was only Hermione who was going of the three of them, he found himself feeling reluctant to let her go. He, Ron, and Hermione always watched each others' backs. Really, who did know what was lying in wait at the Great Library? No one, that's who. It was starting to seem just as likely that it hadn't left as maybe it had.
"Tonks and George are going first," said Ron. "They're going to have a look around and if everything seems okay they'll come back here. They're probably at the Library already."
"And as far as old Caractacus Binns is concerned, we don't know what he's doing," said Sirius. "Dumbledore says he's stopped replying to his letters."
"Maybe whatever's in the Library got him, too," said Harry.
Sirius barked a laugh. "Not likely. There's not much that can destroy a ghost, Harry. Dumbledore thinks he's probably just not interested enough to be bothered. He's probably holed up in some dusty corner with stacks of books on goblin rebellions, and being a ghost, he never has to get up and leave."
"It's not likely we'll ever see him again," said Lupin.
"But wasn't he sent off to the Library to find something for Dumbledore in the first place?" said Ron.
"Well, yes, partly," Lupin said neutrally. "Of course the other motive was to get a teaching position open for Celeste to fill."
"Did he find what he was looking for?" said Harry. "Because if he hasn't, maybe you should locate him and –"
"He found it," said Sirius, cutting Harry off. "Dumbledore seems content to leave Binns alone for now."
"What was he was looking for?" Hermione said curiously, voicing the question that Harry and Ron were both thinking.
Sirius and Lupin didn't look at each other, but the way they both squared their shoulders at the same time told Harry that they were in agreement and weren't going to say. "That's really not something you need to worry about just now," said Sirius.
"But –" Ron began.
"It's Order business," said Lupin, and Harry and his friends shut their mouths. It was no use wasting their breath; Sirius and Lupin were not going to tell them, and there would be other battles to fight later when they wanted information. Harry was sure of that.
"Well," Ron said grumpily, "I agree with Harry. This seems awfully quick to me." He was eyeing Hermione with no small amount of apprehension.
Sirius gave Ron a shrewd look. "If you'd been allowed to go, you'd be wanting to leave this very moment." Ron's mouth thinned, but he didn't deny it.
"There is a reason for haste," said Lupin. "Ardoc was right about something else – the Order has reason to believe that Voldemort will be making an attack soon."
"And that's why we're going now – before it happens," said Hermione.
"But you could go after it happens," Ron said stubbornly. "Really, there's no great rush except that we all want this done with as soon as possible."
"There might not be anyone left after the next attack," Sirius said grimly.
The group grew quiet. "We are striking while the iron is hot," Lupin said softly. "If our greatest fears come to pass – the Order is eradicated in the next battle – then who knows when anyone will get to the Great Library? Everyone currently suffering the aftereffects of Cruciatus will remain that way indefinitely."
"If Voldemort wins the next time he strikes, I don't think anyone's going to be thinking about how to reverse insanity," said Ron.
"And there's no guarantee that we'll ever be able to do it, with or without the book," said Hermione.
"Well, things are quiet at the moment, so this is the time to go," said Sirius.
Harry didn't say anything. There were an awful lot of possibles, maybes, and chances mixed up in this business. No one was certain of anything, and it was an unsettling feeling.
Lupin glanced down at his watch. "We ought to get downstairs," he said. "Ardoc and Fred will be here soon."
Sure enough, Bellaton and Fred were standing in the breakfast room by the time they got downstairs. Fred was bouncing up and down on his toes. "Hullo!" he said brightly to Harry and Hermione. "You two ready to go?" Ron scowled at him.
"I'm not going," said Harry.
"Did Remus change his mind?" said Bellaton.
"No," said Harry. "I did." He gave them his reasons, and for the first time in what seemed like ages, Bellaton smiled.
"I won't deny that I'm glad to hear that," he said. "I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it but you're very important, Harry. There's no sense sending you into a situation with so many unknowns."
"Why's there any sense in sending Hermione, then?" Harry said defensively. "She's just as important as I am." Hermione blushed.
Bellaton snorted. "There isn't," he said. "I say just let the adults go. We're picking up a book; we don't need Hermione to do that."
At this, Harry frowned. It was hard to tell whether Bellaton disapproved of the mission itself, the people going on it, or the idea that an answer to their troubles could be found in a book. By this time Harry was feeling more than a little bit irritated with the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but he shut his mouth and turned away. Maybe it's him who shouldn't be going, he thought.
Two loud cracks sounded and Tonks and George appeared. "Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks said brightly. Her hair was bright pink and spiky today. "Well, things look quiet over there, so I'm giving us the all-clear. Ready to get moving?"
"Er – I'm not going," said Harry.
"What –?" Tonks began, but Sirius waved his hand.
"Don't worry about it just yet," he said. "It's late afternoon already – you should leave. I doubt you want to be at the Great Library in the dark, not if you don't know what's waiting for you."
"I suppose you've both passed your Apparition tests, then," Ron said glumly to his brothers.
"With flying colors," Fred said with a wink. "Bellaton says we can't Apparate inside the Great Library, but we can get within twenty feet of the front door. It's safer than portkeys or Floo; this way we can get out in a hurry if we have to."
George was standing still, looking slightly dazed. "You should see this place," he said, sounding almost reverent. "It's incredible."
"Oh, shut up," Ron groaned. "It's bad enough that Mum and Dad won't let me go, and you're making it worse."
"Got everything you need, Hermione?" said Lupin.
"Yes," Hermione said brightly, picking up a shoulder bag and swinging it over her shoulder.
Now that the moment of parting had come, Ron seemed even more anxious about Hermione than Harry did. "Be careful," he said fervently, stepping forward to give her an awkward hug.
She smiled back at him. "I will be. You know that."
"Yeah," Ron said uncomfortably. "It's just that... well, I can't be there to... you know."
Hermione's smile widened. "To protect me?"
Ron nodded, blushing furiously.
Hermione laughed lightly and leaned forward to give Ron another quick hug. "You really are sweet sometimes," she said, and Ron blushed even redder.
"George, you take Hermione," said Tonks.
George laid a hand on Hermione's arm.
"See you soon," Harry said quietly from where he stood with Ron.
"Stay on your toes," said Sirius.
"She's in good hands," Bellaton said, sounding more like his old self, and Harry suddenly felt a little better. "Don't worry about a thing. We'll be back as soon as possible." And with a series of loud cracks, the party vanished.
For a moment those left standing in the breakfast room stood still, not knowing what to say. It was Lupin who broke the silence. "Well," he said, "I suppose there's nothing left to do now but wait."
Everyone took chairs. Sirius and Lupin pulled out their scroll and started reading again. Ron absently stared off into space. Harry resorted to simply looking out the window.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Ron's wand was beating a steady rhythm against his palm. Tap. Tap. Tap. A minute or two went by and Harry realized that Ron was speeding up. Tap-tap-tap. For some reason Sirius and Lupin seemed to find this amusing; both had looked up and were watching him. Lupin was smiling faintly while Sirius wore a broad grin. Taptaptap –
"Knock it off, Ron!" Harry exclaimed. Ron froze, looking surprised. "Why don't we play chess or something? It'll help to pass the time."
"Yeah. All right," said Ron.
They retrieved a chess set from a nearby room. Harry took white, Ron took black, and off they went.
Harry successfully took one of Ron's bishops just five moves in. A few moves later and he had taken a knight, the second bishop, a rook and assorted pawns. Harry knew that Ron was a much better player than this; while he never exactly flattened Harry anymore, he still almost always won. It was a measure of how distracted he was that Harry had taken so many of his pieces.
"I think you're going down on this one, Ron," said Harry as he positioned a bishop, ready to move in on the white queen.
"Hmm?" Ron said absently.
"Prepare to surrender!" said the bishop, waving a staff threateningly at Ron's queen.
A series of loud cracks suddenly rent the air. Harry and Ron jumped, Sirius and Lupin looked up, and the whole party appeared in the breakfast room. They staggered, breathing hard, and Harry suddenly realized that they had been running just a moment before. Fred, George, and Hermione looked thoroughly frightened though the twins were trying to hide it. Hermione had one hand pressed to her heart. Tonks' robes were stained with red at the left shoulder.
Everyone jumped to their feet in alarm. The party had barely been gone for twenty minutes. "What happened?" Lupin said quickly. "Tonks?"
"Harpies," Fred managed while everyone else was catching their breath.
"What?" Sirius exclaimed.
Harry's heart gave a jolt. There had been something lurking in the Library!
"One... got me... in the shoulder," Tonks panted. "They were trying to... carry us off." She craned her neck to look down at her injury and winced.
"You're okay, Hermione?" Ron said anxiously, hurrying to her side.
"Oh, fine, don't think of your brothers at all," said George, whose chest was still heaving.
"I'm – I'm all right," Hermione said shakily.
"Sit down, both of you," Lupin said to the twins, taking Fred's arm and leading him to a seat. The twins obeyed and sat, and Harry took it as a sign of just how shaken up they must be.
Lupin clapped his hands once, there was a loud crack, and a house-elf appeared in their midst. "What can Pip do for you, sirs?" he said with a low bow.
"We need two pots of strong tea," said Lupin, putting extra emphasis on the word 'strong' and giving the house-elf a significant look.
"Right away, Master Remus!" squeaked Pip, and with another crack, he disappeared.
"Better have someone look at that shoulder," Sirius said with concern, pulling up a chair for Tonks and helping her to sit.
"At least we found what we were looking for," Bellaton said. He seemed the most composed of the five.
Harry looked up at the big man. In all the fuss he hadn't thought once about the book, the very reason for the trip in the first place. "You got it?" he asked hopefully.
Hermione smiled halfway and gave her bag a shake. "Three, actually," she sighed. "We never got a chance to look through them."
"It's a good thing we found them before the attack," said Bellaton. "I think that now we know what probably happened to the Aurors. There'll be no going back to the Great Library until the harpies are cleaned out."
Tonks was critically examining her wound with Sirius' assistance. "I'll be all right for a while," she said halfheartedly, attempting to wave Sirius off. Harry wondered why she looked so unhappy.
"Nonsense," said Sirius. "We need Healer Bigelow."
"And Dumbledore, too," said Lupin. "He'll want to know about this right away." Tonks sighed, now looking utterly miserable, and Lupin gave her a critical glance. "If someone else will get him, I'll go to St. Mungo's for Bigelow."
"I'll do it," said Bellaton. "There's no sense in your risking a trip through the Floo network just yet, Sirius, even if it's only your head."
Sirius nodded curtly. Harry thought back to the Daily Prophet article of more than a month ago that had talked of his godfather's exoneration. Harry desperately wanted it to come to pass for Sirius' sake, but he had no idea of how good the chances were. It was hard not to get his hopes up.
"Right," said Lupin. "We're off, then. You three" – he looked at Fred, George, and Hermione in turn – "have a cup of that tea when it arrives. You too, Tonks." He and Bellaton each vanished into green flames in quick succession.
Ron was still at Hermione's side. She was now sitting down, still looking shell-shocked from whatever she'd seen. "Hermione –" Ron began.
"Not yet," she said, and Ron immediately shut his mouth.
"Tea's here," Sirius said quietly. Harry looked up and saw a tray with two teapots and an array of cups sitting on the breakfast table. Sirius quickly poured four cups and handed one each to Fred, George, Hermione, and Tonks. The twins both took big gulps of their tea, looking a bit more settled. Hermione sipped hers slowly, but Tonks just stared sadly down into her cup until Sirius intervened. "Drink it down or I swear I'll call you Nymphadora until the end of your days," he said gently. Tonks grimaced and took a sip.
Silence fell over the group. Harry was getting over the initial shock and was now burning with curiosity, wanting to know exactly what had happened at the Great Library and what was in the books – three! – that Hermione had brought back. Judging by the frustrated look on Ron's face he was experiencing similar feelings, but neither of them said anything. Hermione, Fred, and George were all staring forward at nothing in particular, faces blank, and Harry knew they were thinking about whatever it was that had happened.
Green flames leapt up in the fireplace. Dumbledore stepped out followed closely by Bellaton, Healer Bigelow, and Lupin. Bigelow marched straight over to Tonks. "Attacked by a harpy," he muttered. "Better that than other things, I suppose. At least you won't turn into one. Here – let me see."
"It's really not that bad," said Tonks, shying away.
"Don't be silly," said Bigelow. "Harpies have talons like razors." He gently pulled the torn fabric from Tonks' shoulder. Her jaw was firmly set, but she hissed when Bigelow carefully examined the wound.
Bigelow shook his head. "You have got fortitude! Not to worry – some bandages and a few potions, and you'll be right as rain in two days." Instead of looking happy at this pronouncement, Tonks only looked more discouraged.
Dumbledore was quietly surveying the group. For the first time Harry noticed that the headmaster was holding a shallow stone basin. Harry knew it was carved about the edges with runes and symbols. He'd seen it before in Dumbledore's office, even been inside it.
"I suppose you'd like us to tell you what happened, then," said George, looking up at Dumbledore.
"Well, yes," said Dumbledore, "though not in the manner of which you are thinking. Certainly you all need a rest after what has happened. I hear that you found what you were looking for, Miss Granger?"
"Yes," Hermione said soberly.
"Then the mission was a success," said Dumbledore. "Well done, all of you." Fred and George brightened a bit, and Hermione smiled, but Bellaton retained a poker face and Tonks did not even look up. Dumbledore gave both adults a critical glance. "I was wondering," he continued, "if the five of you would be willing to put your memories of this event into my pensieve. Five points of view will paint a very clear picture for me of exactly what happened."
Fred and George looked at each other. "That doesn't mean that we'll lose the memories, does it?" said Fred.
"No," said Dumbledore.
"Then it's fine by us," said George.
"It's okay with me, too," said Hermione.
Dumbledore looked at Bellaton who inclined his head in acceptance. Then he turned his eyes on Tonks, who set her jaw and nodded.
"Excellent," said Dumbledore. He walked over to the long table and set the pensieve down upon it. "Gather round, all of you, if you please." They all stood and moved to join Dumbledore at the table. Bellaton and Tonks immediately put their wand tips against their temples and drew them away. Several wisps of gray smoke clung to the tips. Together they stuck their wands into the pensieve, swirled them about, and drew them out again.
Dumbledore explained to Hermione and the twins how to put their memories into the basin. "Think back to when you first arrived at the Great Library. Fix the scene firmly in your mind, then touch your wands to your heads and draw them away." They did as he asked, and when they removed their wands from their heads smoke was sticking to them. They stuck their wands into the pensive, stirred the contents, and pulled them out again.
"Gather round," said Dumbledore, motioning to Sirius and Lupin. "And you two," he said, beckoning to Harry and Ron. "The five of us will view the memory together."
Harry looked at the others' faces as they gazed down into the ethereal mist that gently rolled through the basin. Dumbledore and Lupin were solemn, Sirius looked ready for a fight, and Ron seemed both nervous and excited at the same time. Harry didn't think his friend looked as if he had ever used a pensieve before.
"When I count three, everyone touch the surface together," said Dumbledore. The surface of the thoughts in the pensieve had suddenly become glassy and clear. Harry only had time for a brief impression of a huge stone room. On his left, he heard Ron take a deep breath.
"One… two… three."
Harry stretched out one index finger and dipped it into the thoughts within the basin. He felt the same sensation of pitching forward that he'd felt the last time he'd used a pensieve. Cold blackness rushed by, but a heartbeat later it was gone and Harry found himself standing in an entirely unfamiliar place.
The room he was in was as vast as he had ever seen, larger by far than the Grand Ballroom where the Ministry Gala had taken place. The vaulted ceiling was impossibly high up, supported by shadowy arches and fragile-looking columns. Harry was reminded of the spidery walkways that had crisscrossed the rotunda at the Ministry of Magic; they had not looked as if they could support the weight of a child, but witches and wizards had traversed them without mishap.
Stained glass windows were set in the walls down the length of the massive room, each at least ten stories tall. They seemed to be depicting events of some sort, but there was too much to see for Harry to dwell on them long. Bookshelves as high as the ceiling stood between each window, dappled by the colors of the light streaming in. More bookshelves stood in rows in the center of the room, even taller than those along the walls. Chandeliers covered in cloudy glass hung from the ceiling to give light but the whole room was a bit dim as if perpetually wreathed in twilight. In the distance Harry thought he saw a silvery shape float up to the top of one of the shelves. It was easily the most impressive thing he had ever seen, both in size and man-made elegance. It was like a cathedral of knowledge.
"Bugger," Ron breathed. "I've never seen anything…" Harry tore his eyes from the scenery and saw his friend and the other three men gazing at the sight before them in awe. Even Dumbledore seemed affected, and he had surely been here before.
"Look," said Harry, gently elbowing Ron in the side. He pointed to show Hermione, Bellaton, Tonks, Fred and George standing off to the left, all gazing around with expressions of wonder. They looked as real to Harry as Ron did, but he knew that they could neither hear nor see him. This was the past.
"Bugger," said Fred, echoing Ron as though he really had heard his brother speak. "I didn't know things like this could be built."
Bellaton gave himself a shake. "It is beautiful," he said. "Shame no one can come here to see it anymore."
"Maybe after today they'll be able to," Hermione said hopefully, not taking her eyes off the expanse.
Tonks gave Hermione a gentle smile. "We're not here to solve the mystery of what happened to the Aurors," she said.
"God willing, we'll find no evidence of either them or their destroyers," said Bellaton. "That is a task for another day."
"Don't get your hopes up, old boy," Sirius said darkly.
Dumbledore gave his companions a shrewd look. "Remember that nothing you see here is real," he said. "It is only a memory. Come – they're moving." The other group had indeed started walking forward. Their watchers hurried to follow.
"How do you know where to start looking, Hermione?" said George, staring at the towering bookshelves as they passed. "There must be hundreds of thousands of books here."
"There has to be a head librarian," she said absently. "That's what we should find first." She was looking at the bookshelves with a rapturous expression, and Harry had to smile. This was surely a treat of the sweetest kind for her – or at least it had been until she'd met up with the harpies.
The two groups walked slowly down the length of the room, all of them – living and memory – drinking in the sights along the way. Here and there they saw a silvery ghost hovering dozens of feet in the air before a particular shelf, perusing the books or reading one in their hands.
It was a quiet stroll. No one from either group said a word as they progressed. Once Harry thought he saw a knot of people in the space between two shelves. They weren't silvery so they couldn't be ghosts, but they ducked out of sight moments after Harry spotted them. There were very few patrons, living or dead; the Library was very quiet. The footsteps of Hermione and her guard seemed loud in the silence. Harry's own feet made no sound at all. As astonishing as the sights around him were, there was a sense of uneasiness in his stomach.
About halfway down the room they finally came to an enormous dark wooden desk. Stacks of books were piled atop it – so high, in fact, that if anyone were standing behind them they would not be visible unless they were at least as tall as Bellaton.
"May I help you?"
Harry jumped. A ghost had popped out from behind the stacks of books and was gazing at them curiously. It looked like everyone's worst idea of a librarian rolled into one. It was a woman with a long, pinched face, lips as wrinkled as a raisin, and eyebrows drawn down in suspicion. Her silvery hair was pulled back in a bun so tight that her head looked just like an egg. Her dusty offer of aid sounded like an accusation.
Hermione's mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. "I – we – we're looking for something."
"Indeed," said the librarian, pursing her lips into a shape very like a sneer.
"Works by Nicodemus," Bellaton said smoothly. "His writings on Estella the Wise in particular."
The librarian's ethereal eyebrows climbed upwards. "Nicodemus? Well, now. No one has sought out his work in quite a long time."
"And any works by Estella herself, if you have them," Bellaton added.
The librarian narrowed her eyes. "We may have a volume in the Arcanum that was penned by her," she said, "but the books in that room are in a delicate condition and not well organized. Searching for it will take some time; you should have sent your request ahead of time." Her tone plainly said that she thought them quite stupid for not having done so.
"Well, we haven't got time to wait for that," said Tonks. "Just Nicodemus, then, if you please."
The ghostly woman gave them all a very unpleasant look and bent down toward the desk, vanishing behind the stacked books. A heavy thud sounded a moment later, and Harry suspected that she had opened a very large tome.
"Case sixty-one, shelf seventy-five," said the librarian, reappearing from behind the books. "That way. You will find that the cases are all plainly marked." She pointed in the right direction.
"Thank you," said Bellaton, and the group turned to go, seeming eager to get away from the ghost.
"You're welcome," she said dryly. "And keep your voices down!"
Harry, Ron, Sirius, Lupin, and Dumbledore followed the memories of Hermione's group as they walked down the middle of the room, looking at the bookshelves on either side for number sixty-one. "What a piece of work!" Fred muttered. "You'd think she'd be happy to see some real people. I'll wager she doesn't get many."
"Some ghosts are friendlier to the living than others," said Tonks.
"I wonder how she died," George mused.
"Who knows?" said Fred. "Let's just find that book and get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."
"It's really too bad," said Hermione. "Such a beautiful building, and so many books no one ever gets to read. I could spend a lifetime in here…"
"Whisper, please," Bellaton said softly. "We don't want to attract any attention. Fred is right. Let's find the book."
"I suppose the harpies got her, then," said Sirius in a hushed voice.
"We may or may not discover that," Dumbledore said. "And there's no need to whisper, Sirius. No one can hear you but us."
"It just feels wrong to speak normally here," said Sirius, looking around in apprehension.
It wasn't long before Hermione and her companions found what they were looking for. "Case sixty-one," said Tonks, reading the number from a brass plaque on the side.
"Ah, wicked!" said George, looking down at the floor. A number of brightly-colored carpets were lying at the foot of the case. "I've never been on one of these before!" He sat down cross-legged on one of the carpets and it immediately floated off the ground and hovered there.
Bellaton, Fred, and Tonks each quickly seated themselves on their own carpets. Hermione, however, just stood where she was, watching the enchanted objects with a wary eye.
"What are you waiting for?" Tonks said brightly. "Hop on!"
"I generally prefer keeping both my feet on the ground," said Hermione. "Flying doesn't seem to agree with me much."
"You mean flying on a broomstick doesn't agree with you," said Fred. "I've heard these things handle like bricks compared to broomsticks. You couldn't play Quidditch on them, believe me."
"You're just going to have to do it or we're going to leave you down here," said Bellaton. "We need to hurry. I don't like this place any more than Fred does."
Harry and Ron grinned at each other in spite of their growing feelings of trepidation. If there was one thing Hermione didn't want it was to be left behind when rare books were involved. She sighed in resignation, sat down on the carpet, and shivered when it rose up to hover a foot off the ground.
The group began to float upwards. "Now what?" said Ron. "Can we use the carpets too?"
"This is a memory," said Dumbledore. "We have no control over our surroundings. All we can do is follow." He, Sirius, and Lupin suddenly floated up off the ground, trailing the carpets.
Ron's mouth fell open. "You mean you just think about where you want to go and you go there?"
"That is not entirely accurate, but for now it is close enough," said Dumbledore. "Come."
Harry shrugged. "Here goes nothing." He looked up at the rising carpets and thought of staying alongside Hermione, and suddenly he was drifting up through the air. One glance to his side showed that Ron was doing the same thing with a look of wonder on his face.
Up they went, counting shelves along the way. Every fifth shelf was numbered with a plaque, and the seventy-fifth turned out to be only about halfway up the massive bookcase. When the carpets stopped the watchers did too. Harry looked down and saw nothing beneath his feet but clear air and the floor several stories below. The sight made his heart skip a beat, and he quickly looked away again when his stomach gave a queasy lurch.
Hermione and her four companions were already scanning the shelves. Hermione was decidedly skittish on her carpet, now and then casting stealthy glances over her shoulder at the ground. Harry thought she was beginning to turn green.
"Here!" George said excitedly.
Hermione's face lit up. She floated to George's side and pulled more than one leatherbound book from the shelf, handling them as reverently as if she held the world's greatest treasure. "Three by Nicodemus," she said.
"Why should three be any surprise?" said Tonks.
"I don't know," said Hermione. "I guess I was only expecting one. We know that copies of his work are quite rare."
"Well, which one do you need?" said Fred.
"I don't know that either," said Hermione. "We'll have to look through them. When we find what we're looking for I'll copy it down."
Bellaton sighed. "All right. Pass one over."
Hermione stretched out one hand to give him a book but paused in the act when something caught her eye. "What's this?" she said, picking up a long, dark feather from the shelf. Harry blinked; he hadn't noticed it though it had been lying right under his nose. It had blended in with the deep brown wood of the shelf. Hermione turned the feather this way and that in the dim light. It seemed to be of a very dark blue, so deep it was almost black. Harry felt goosebumps pebble his skin though there was no breeze that chilled him. He knew what it was – all the watchers did. The attack was going to happen very soon now.
Tonks inhaled sharply. "Let me see that," she whispered urgently. Hermione handed her the feather and the Auror examined it closely. "Yes," she said. "The green shaft, barbed tip… this is from a harpy."
"Look – there are more," George whispered. He had floated up a bit on his carpet to look at the shelves above. "Up here."
"Come back down," Bellaton said very softly, but the note of sudden urgency in his voice was plain to everyone. George quietly returned to the group. "Tonks?" said Bellaton.
Tonks nodded. Slowly, silently, she drifted up on her carpet until her head was just below the top of the bookshelf. Dumbledore followed, drifting up beside her and peering critically down at the top of the shelf. Very carefully Tonks craned her neck to peek over the edge, and she very quickly dropped back down again. "Eggshells," she hissed. "They've been breeding here."
"Oh, Merlin," Hermione breathed.
"Time to go," Fred whispered urgently. "Just take the books, Hermione!"
"There are broken shells on top of every bookcase," Dumbledore said gravely. "This is a most serious infestation."
Harry's heart was beating faster and faster. The sense of foreboding that had been growing inside him was very strong now, leaving him almost nauseous with dread. Hermione was in trouble and he could do nothing to help her. It didn't seem to matter that he knew it was only a memory, that everyone would be all right in the end.
Hermione was breathing quickly as she pulled the three books from the shelf and stuffed them into her bag. Harry and Ron looked at each other, and Harry saw that Ron's eyes were wide and bright. The carpets began to descend rapidly toward the floor and the watchers followed suit.
The carpets landed and everyone scrambled to their feet. Everyone except Tonks, that is, who stumbled on the tangled carpets underfoot and fell against bookcase sixty-one.
Everyone sucked in a short breath. Tonks gripped the shelves, half-slumped against them, looking upward with fearful eyes. For a moment everyone stood stock-still. Massive as it was, the bookcase didn't seem to have even felt the impact of the petite Auror. But a moment later a soft, scritch-scratch rocking sound filtered through the quiet.
Bellaton breathed a curse.
One huge egg, blue speckled with black, rolled off the top of the bookcase and plummeted to the floor. Fred, George, and Bellaton all pulled out their wands and opened their mouths but they were too late. The egg smashed into the flagstones and yellow yolk splattered everywhere.
There was one moment of quiet in which Harry heard Tonks let out a shuddering breath. Then, high above them, an ear-splitting shriek suddenly tore the air. Everyone looked up, wide-eyed, and saw what looked like a woman with long, wild hair and black wings plummet from the ceiling to the top of the bookcase. She was too far away to make out perfectly but Harry could see her open her mouth when she screamed again.
"Run!" Tonks shouted.
Hermione, Fred, and George wheeled and began a frantic dash back the way they had come, followed closely by Tonks and Bellaton. Everyone save Hermione had drawn their wand and she was fumbling for hers. Harry and the rest of his companions began running to keep up with the shades of their friends. Dumbledore simply glided forward over the floor, his feet not touching the ground. In a brief flash of thought, Harry supposed that the headmaster wasn't up for a sprint.
The harpies' prey were looking over their shoulders as they ran. Harry looked back and saw feathery bodies dropping from the shadowed arches that supported the ceiling. They unfurled their wings as they fell, catching on the air and swooping forward with piercing cries. Harry could see that they had the heads of women but their similarity to humans stopped there. They had no arms, only wings, and their torsos were covered in sleek feathers. Their feet were large, cruel claws that glinted in the failing light.
The first harpy had reached the group. She screamed horribly and dropped toward them like a hawk falling on a mouse. Her talons snatched and Tonks yelped but everyone kept running.
"Stupefy!" shouted Bellaton, pointing his wand at the creature that had just slashed Tonks. A jet of red light burst from the tip and struck it squarely in the chest. Without a sound the harpy plummeted to the floor behind them where it lay unmoving.
They were halfway to the exit when the ghostly librarian suddenly appeared. "Stop!" she shrieked, floating away from the desk and giving pursuit. "You've got books, I know it! You can't take them with you! It's not allowed!"
The fleeing people ignored the librarian who was soon left far behind. Dozens of harpies were amassed behind them now, all rushing headlong toward them, their screams making Harry's head ache. More were dropping from the ceiling at every moment. Their wings blocked out the light from the stained glass windows and the chandeliers. Fred, George, Bellaton, and Tonks were firing Stunning spells in every direction, felling harpies and their snapping talons, but the creatures were traveling much faster than they and their task was becoming more and more difficult.
Hermione looked behind her and screamed at the sight of two enormous clawed feet stretching forward to seize her off the ground.
"STUPEFY!" George bellowed, and the harpy tumbled out of the air only to be replaced by another. Hermione's head whipped back to face forward again. Judging by the look on her face, she didn't think they'd make it out.
But the door was very close now. Hope dawned on the runners' faces as it drew nearer and nearer.
"Someone take Hermione as soon as we're past the wards!" Tonks shouted. "IMMOBULUS! Whoever's closest to her!"
"ALOHOMORA!" Bellaton commanded, waving his wand at the heavy wooden doors. They swung inward so hard and fast that they struck the walls with a deafening crash. Bellaton and the others streaked out into the fading daylight. Moments later harpies were rocketing out after them, still screaming their rage.
Tonks stunned one last creature before they passed the invisible barrier that prevented Apparition.
"NOW!" Bellaton shouted.
Fred seized Hermione's arm and the two of them vanished with a crack. A split second later three more cracks sounded as George, Tonks, and Bellaton Disapparated, and everything went black. The memory was over. Harry felt his body rising up and up through the darkness; then he seemed to flip head over heels and he felt his feet hit the floor. Harry blinked in the sudden late afternoon light streaming in through the window at Alverbrooke.
"Blimey," Ron said shakily.
"I'll second that," said Sirius in dark tones. Harry didn't say anything, still reeling from the sudden change in surroundings. One moment they had been surrounded by shrieking creatures and the next he was back here.
Ron swallowed hard and walked over to his twin brothers. Abruptly he stuck out his hand. "Thank you," he said. "That was bloody brave of you."
Fred and George's faces broke out into smiles – not the cocky, pranksters' smiles they so often wore, but rather ones of simple pride. "Anytime," said Fred, exchanging a knowing glance with his brother.
Dumbledore had left the pensieve and moved to stand beside Tonks. She was staring silently down into her lap while Healer Bigelow applied bandages to her injured shoulder. She tensed visibly as Dumbledore approached. "Nymphadora," he said gently. "Nymphadora, look at me."
Tonks slowly raised her head. Her eyes shone with tears. Harry's heart went out to her; now he understood why she had been looking so disconsolate. "I –" she began.
"There is no need –" said Dumbledore.
"I failed," she said miserably. "I jeopardized both the mission and everyone involved. I'm too much of a klutz to be an Auror. Maybe you should just give me document duty –"
"I will do nothing of the kind," said Dumbledore, putting a hand on her good shoulder. "You are a fine Auror, Nymphadora, and the Order needs you. We only have three Aurors as it is. No one is better equipped to fight Voldemort's Death Eaters than you. You did what you were sent to do – recover the book and protect Hermione Granger."
She shook her head. "If I hadn't tripped over my own two feet and fallen on that bookcase, the egg wouldn't have broken and the harpies would have left us alone. I put us all in danger that we didn't need to be in."
"You did not fall over your feet," said Dumbledore. "You fell on a very lumpy carpet; anyone else would have done the same. Accidents happen, and there is nothing we can do to prevent that. Perhaps I should regale you with the tale of how, when I was a young man, I quite accidentally leveled the school greenhouses and killed most of the plants inside. I thought Master Terreston would have my head. He nearly did."
Tonks smiled a little bit in spite of herself.
Dumbledore turned to Hermione. "Hermione, would you give me the books, please?"
Hermione looked uncertainly at Harry and Ron. "Aren't you going to let us look through them?" she said in a small voice.
"Of course," said the headmaster. "But not until tomorrow. You have been through enough today and I would prefer it if you rested until the morning. And knowing you three, the only way I can be sure that you will do so is by taking these with me."
"But Harry and I haven't been through anything!" Ron objected. "Why can't we look at them?"
Harry gave his friend an incredulous look. Maybe they hadn't been in mortal danger just then, but it was ridiculous to imply that it hadn't had any effect on them whatsoever.
"Where you two are, there Hermione also will be," said Dumbledore. "Rest assured that I will have the books back here before first light. And now, with that being said, I need to speak with Ardoc, Nymphadora, and the two elder Weasleys here."
Fred and George grinned at each other. "Guess we'll see you three later," said Fred as they made their way to the fireplace with the others. "Good luck with those books. Let us know if you find anything!"
"We will," said Hermione. "And thank you. All of you."
The twins beamed at her. Tonks and Bellaton turned and smiled her way, both of them looking a little less somber than they had a moment ago.
"Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place!" said Dumbledore, throwing a handful of Floo powder into the fireplace. Green fire leapt up. Moments later, they were gone.