Chapter Twenty: Startling Changes
Harry knew that, upon their return to Hogwarts for the new term, a new phase would begin. He and Dumbledore had discussed how things would change during their conversation on Christmas Day.
Harry, however, had not yet related to the others what would be happening. He didn't know if he wanted to, but he did know that he had to, and he had to make sure that Molly and Arthur understood as well.
Otherwise, he wasn't sure he'd be able to do what he had to do.
The final evening before their return to school, Harry finished his dinner and placed his fork down quietly, looking around the table at the others.
"I need to speak to you," he said, gaining the attention of them all.
"Harry?" Molly looked at his pale face. "Are you quite alright?"
"I'll be fine. I just need to tell you some things, and it's not going to be easy."
"Harry?" Ginny looked alarmed.
"On Christmas Day, Dumbledore and I spoke... about what will be happening... soon."
Molly paled. Arthur cleared his throat, and Ron stared.
"We both feel it coming. It's not that far off now, and we need to talk about... what is going to happen."
"Harry..." Molly began.
"Mrs Weasley, please... this isn't easy, but denying it will not make it go away."
Molly was silent.
"We are in this up to our necks. If I could change that, for any of you, I would. But I can't, and I realize that now. I have a part to play, but so do each of you, and refusing to prepare does not mean it will go away... it simply means that when the worst does happen, we will be unprepared."
He looked directly at Molly, who had tears in her eyes.
"We can't stop it. We have the choice to be involved, or not. But running from it will not make us any safer. He is coming. Voldemort is coming, and he will not spare anyone because they chose to watch from the sidelines."
"Harry..." Hermione began, glancing at Molly, then back.
"It needs to be said, Hermione. I'm sorry, but it does. Mrs Weasley," he looked at her. "You cannot keep them safe by sheltering them from the truth. Voldemort is going to go after the weakest first, but he will not stop there. Allow them what they need to protect themselves."
Molly now had tears running freely down her cheeks.
"I would do anything before hurting you," Harry said softly, feeling like the biggest git ever. "But you must understand that sheltering them is not protecting them. Ron and Ginny are both strong people. They are excellent duellists... but they need to know more, they need to know the things that will save them when Voldemort comes for them. Because he will come. You know that."
"When, Harry?" Ron asked quietly.
Harry turned his green eyes to meet his friend's blue ones. There was something there that Harry had never seen before. A determination that was different... new.
"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted. "Soon. By summer."
Molly cried out, and Arthur sighed.
"You and Dumbledore have spoken of this, Harry?" Arthur asked.
"Christmas Day," Harry confirmed.
"And?"
"And I begin proper training when I get back to Hogwarts." Harry knew that the three others were looking at him with surprise, but he didn't turn from Arthur. "Dumbledore has selected several others who will also be asked to... concentrate on this. For now."
"Concentrate on what?" Molly asked.
"Advanced duelling... Auror training."
"Auror...?" Arthur looked surprised.
"It's necessary for me to learn it, quickly. Others are going to be asked, as well... because it's not going to be just me. There will be hundreds of Death Eaters...and Dumbledore feels that the school will probably be the target. A few of the strongest DA club members..."
"Who?" Ron asked, tightly.
"Dean and Seamus, Blaise Zambini... Neville, Luna, Hermione, a few others..." Harry glanced at Molly, then back to Ron. "You."
"No!" Molly cried out.
"And Ginny," Harry continued, wincing inside at her tone, but not allowing it to show.
"No!" She cried again, rising to her feet. "I'll not have it!"
"You don't have a say in this, Mum," Ron said quietly.
Molly turned blazing eyes on him.
"What?"
"I turned seventeen last March," Ron's voice was low, and pained, but firm. "I'm an adult... and I refuse to be unprepared when Voldemort comes."
Molly swallowed, shaking her head.
Ginny rose from her seat, and looking at her mother, said quietly, "Do you need me to prove it to you?"
"Prove what?"
"Do you need it proven to you that we're no longer children?"
"Ginevra..." her father began.
"No, Dad... I'll be seventeen this year. You need to see..."
"Ginny..."
"You won't even let me ride a broom when I'm at home! If you want to deny that I'm an adult, then you have to give me the opportunity to prove otherwise!"
"Prove it, how?" Molly asked, as though Ginny were still a little girl. "You're a girl, Ginny... there is..."
Ginny's eyes flickered to Harry, then back to her parents. "Main hall... now."
By the time the others caught up to her, she had already begun moving away the most precious artefacts. Harry, catching on, cast a few protective charms.
"Harry?" Ginny looked at him, her gaze questioning. "Will you?"
"Of course, Gin."
"We'll probably get in trouble," she said. "I'm not of age."
"It's not going to matter," Harry said shortly. He knew what was coming, and the Ministry was going to have more on their plates than worrying about the use of underage magic, even if they did detect it, which he doubted they could.
"Ginevra! You are not doing magic outside of school...!"
"Mrs Weasley, the wards will protect her, and if they don't, I will. The Ministry can't see in here."
"Sit on the stairs, Mum," Ron directed her.
He and Hermione followed, and when the four of them were several steps up, Hermione cast a sheilding charm.
Harry and Ginny faced each other across the hall, just as they did with each other and others in the DA club meetings. They bowed formally, and the duel began.
Harry knew how good she was, but he still held back. Even so, within the first two minutes he found himself sweating and having to put real effort into avoiding her hexes. Her defensive magic was first rate, and she managed to catch him with a jelly-legs jinx before he threw it off and came close to getting under her shields with a tickling charm.
It only ended when Harry threw three hexes in quick succession, the last being one that he'd never demonstrated in class. Ginny blocked the first two, but hadn't been expecting the third, and lost her wand when he stunned her.
"Finite Incantatum," he said, walking over ot her and helping her up, handing her her wand. Her eyes blazed. She was angry at herself.
"I'll get you next time, Potter," she growled.
"You've already got me," he hugged her. "That was amazing."
Turning, they looked at the four on the stairs. Hermione smiled as she released the shielding spell, and Ron yawned. He was used to seeing Ginny and Harry duel in the DA meetings... it was nothing new to him.
Arthur and Molly sat, still watching.
"But... but Dumbledore never..." Molly seemed stunned.
"Dumbledore only says what it suits him to say," Harry commented dryly. "Now do you understand?"
"I've..." Arthur shook his head, as though to clear it. "I've worked for the Ministry for thirty years, I've worked with Aurors... and I've been with the Order for ten... but I've not seen anything quite like that."
"She's good, Mr Weasley," Harry said. "Really good."
"You both are," the older man agreed. "Molly?"
"I don't want her involved, Arthur," Molly's voice shook. "It's too dangerous."
"Too late, Mum," Ginny said. "I am involved."
"Then you'll stay home this year... where we can keep you safe... Harry... " Molly sounded rather desperate at this point.
"I will not," Ginny returned firmly. "The DA... Harry is not the one who puts me in danger. Tom Riddle did that when he instructed Lucius Malfoy to give me that diary. Do you think that I'm not a target already? Harry and Dumbledore have given me some tools to protect myself. They want to give me more. It's you who is stopping them!"
"We will protect you... it's our job to do that..."
"Can you?"
Molly looked horrified.
"Can you duel like that, Mum?" Ginny asked, her voice softening.
"No," Molly whispered.
"So, how do you expect to protect me when the Death Eaters and Voldemort come? They're light years better than I am... I've only scratched the surface of what I should know. I need to learn more."
"Ginny..." Harry began.
"No," Ginny said, still looking at her mother. "I'm afraid I'm not willing to die... to watch the people I care about die, just because you would like to believe that the situation isn't as bad as it's made out to be. It is that bad, Mum. I can't do that. I'm sorry if that hurts you, but it's more important to me that we all survive what is coming. You make your choices... I've made mine."
"Ginny..." Molly cried.
"Don't you understand? Sticking our heads in the sand and telling ourselves that others will protect us is not going to help. You have no idea of the horrors that Voldemort has planned, but I do... he was in my head for my entire first year, Mum... I know!"
Molly was silent for a moment. "You're not a little girl any more."
"I haven't been for a long time. I haven't been since Harry pulled me out of that Chamber... we've had to grow up very quickly. All of us."
"Fine," Molly said, not sounding very pleased at all. "You need to do this... it's your choice. It's not one I agree with, but it would appear that no one will listen to me..."
"Mum, if you had something to say other than that we're still children, we would definitely be listening. But we've grown up... Voldemort has ensured that... and I'm not backing away from this fight."
"Do what you must," Molly said stiltedly, casting a hurt look at Harry, and turned, going silently up the stairs.
A surprise awaited them when they returned to Hogwarts. Talk on the train had largely been to do with the attacks over the holidays, and it was obvious when they sat down to the return feast that many students were missing. Several from the Slytherin table, and a few from Ravenclaw, two that Harry knew definitely from Hufflepuff, and Dean Thomas.
Dumbledore stood and the crowd quieted.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts," he said, his voice pained. Harry could feel the tension running all along the teachers' table. McGonagall's lips were pursed tighter than he'd ever seen them, and Snape looked angry. Of course, Snape often looked angry, but this time it was different.
"As you all will notice," Dumbledore continued. "We are missing... many students who will not be returning for this term."
There were gasps all around the Great Hall.
"Unfortunately, there were several attacks over the holidays... the most violent in the last two days..."
Harry and Ron exchanged concerned glances with Seamus and Neville. Where was Dean?
"... and several of our number were victims. Many have lost loved ones... three have lost their own lives."
The gasps turned to silence. Dumbledore looked out over them all sadly.
"Rachel McEwan from Hufflepuff, David Michels from Ravenclaw and Dean Thomas from Gryffindor..." Dumbledore's sad eyes met Harry's. "... were those three casualties."
Harry felt anger welling up inside him. Seamus cursed, a catch in his voice. Hermione, Lavender and Parvati were weeping openly. Ginny buried her face in Harry's shoulder. Ron looked numb.
"Still more of our number have decided to not return to Hogwarts. Their choices would not have been mine, but they and their families have their reasons. Some have chosen to not return, some have moved, believing that they can leave this fight behind... and, I regret to inform you that several have openly declared their allegiance to the Dark Lord..."
There was a scream from the Slytherin table and Harry turned to see Pansy Parkinson crying into her arms.
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were all missing.
"This term will be difficult for us all. We must band together, we must... recognize the bonds between us, where we may think that there are none."
At this, Harry realized that Dumbledore was looking directly at him, a message in his eyes. The old man nodded.
Harry looked down at Ginny, "Come with me?"
Ginny, not understanding, but trusting him, stood as he did.
Dumbledore paused in his speech to watch as Harry and Ginny, still holding hands, approached the Slytherin table. Pansy, who had concentrated so long and hard on her alliance with Draco, had few friends. She sat alone. No one was comforting the sobbing girl.
The entire school watched as Harry and Ginny approached. Harry reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave a start, but turned watery eyes up to look at who had touched her. Immediately, Harry saw loathing in her eyes. But as she realized that Harry was not mocking her, only offering comfort, there was confusion there and she sobbed again. Looking up, she stood hesitantly.
Harry pulled her close, to the astonishment of the hundreds watching, and Pansy began to sob into his shoulder.
"He didn't want to be a death eater... he really didn't! He just..."
Harry comforted her. "It's okay, Pansy... it's going to be okay."
"We are divided," Dumbledore continued, a slight twinkle back in his eye. "We are divided by prejudices that are not our own. We have each made choices... judgements, against those we should have been building relationships with. Some opportunities have been lost. But there are others. We must take advantage of them.
"Do not shun the overtures of others. Have the courage to question what you have been given to believe. Have the strength of character to deny the teachings of those whose judgement has been impaired by old wounds.
"Come together in the fight against the evil that would destroy us. We are all the same... do not let him tell you differently. Our strength lies in that knowledge."
Harry and Ginny had managed to sit Pansy back down, Harry held one arm around her, and she still sobbed against his shoulder, but she was more controlled now. Ginny sat to the other side of her, and Pansy was clutching Ginny's hand almost desperately.
Blaise Zambini, seeing all of this, stood from the end of the table and walked toward them. Harry had always found the Slytherin boy to be the most reasonable of the lot, and tended to understand him better. Blaise was ambitious, smart, and a little arrogant, but not like Draco... not like the Malfoys.
The Slytherin boy nodded to both Gryffindors before touching Pansy's cheek gently.
"We'll be okay, Pansy. We don't have to do as we're told if we all stick together. We just have to form new, better alliances."
Pansy looked up at him and nodded. Blaise smiled, and turned, looking around before he straightened his shoulders determinedly and headed for the Hufflepuff table. He found a seat between two fourth years, and sat down.
Harry nearly laughed when he spotted Hermione, with Ron in tow, making for the spot that Blaise had just left, and sit down, smiling at the stunned Slytherins who surrounded her.
And then a Hufflepuff got up and moved to Hermione's spot at the Gryffindor table, and a sixth year Ravenclaw took her place with the Hufflepuffs, and it went on and on, as the teachers watched silently.
Within moments, the entire hall had rearranged itself, students from each house occupying all of the tables, speaking with their new neighbors, hesitantly at first, and then with growing ease, until the hall sounded as it did any other evening. Students were talking, laughing, passing bowls about. But for the first time, not only with members of their own houses.
Perhaps, Harry thought, it will be a start.
