Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine and I do not own him, J.K. Rowling.

Anyway, back to reviewers.

Bhekie – Yep, everyone loves Ron. But the question is, is it him?

Greenpluff – Thanks!

Esrb99 – Now to see how everyone reacts, eh? Best not to jump to conclusions, though, remember…

suckr4romance81789 – Thanks for reviewing!

Anyway I know this is a little early but I don't think you guys will mind, eh? You guys deserved it anyway. This chapter is also considerably longer, almost double the size of the previous chapters.

Chapter 32 – Act Politically

Harry reacted fastest, jumping up and aiming a stunner at him. He had lightning fast reflexes though, and blocked it with his silver hand, which absorbed it.

"Wait! Stop! I'm not Pettigrew, it's me!" he yelled.

Dumbledore was going through a huge dilemma – this person's reflexes were obviously faster than Pettigrew's and there was no reason for him to show the hand as it seemed to give the impression that he was Pettigrew. Still, what if it was a double-bluff?

"Stupefy!" Dumbledore said reluctantly, but he was still too fast and blocked it with the other hand, with – wandless magic? Harry took advantage of his attention being on Dumbledore and stunned him. His eyes widened in shock as he fell, stunned. Everyone stared at Harry, stunned into silence as well. Harry collapsed back into his chair, desperately trying to absorb everything. Lupin was simply staring at the motionless stunned body, thinking fast. And Hermione – she was staring outraged at Harry.

"Why – why did you do that? He could do wandless magic, his reflexes were clearly miles beyond Pettigrew's level,"

"Hermione, please…"

"AND I know that he was Ron I asked him a question only he would know – my boggart in third year!"

"Hermione please…Scabbers knew everything that Ron knew in third year."

Hermione's eyes suddenly narrowed in defeat before both she and Harry remembered – by the time they had taken their third-year exams, Pettigrew wasn't with them anymore. He was searching for Voldemort.

"Remus," Dumbledore cut in. "Please take him to the chamber that Draco was in."

"Professor Dumbledore, how could he be anyone else but Ron?" Hermione pleaded.

"How could he be Ron, Miss Granger? We can't find anything else out until later, when he wakes up, when I ask him for more information. We must check up on his story – Remus bring him to the chamber, lock it, and then bring Hagrid here."

Lupin nodded, bewitched him to be feather-light and carried him to the chamber. Hermione sat back down, exhausting her brain which was overflowing with thoughts.

"Professor Dumbledore! Polyjuice Potion only lasts an hour! We were looking for you for half-an-hour, and we've been here for twenty minutes, so if it's Pettigrew he should change in -"

"Ten minutes," Harry finished quietly. "Let's look on the cameras."

"Cameras?" Hermione asked. Three earth-shaking knocks suddenly sounded on the door. Harry grinned at Hagrid's knocks and then started explaining to Hermione about the surveillance cameras in the chamber. Dumbledore waved his wand and the doors opened to reveal Hagrid and Lupin.

"Problem, Albus?"

"Yes – Hagrid, would you mind investigating the Forest with your brother. Look for any human tracks of any sign, spell marks – you know what to do."

Hagrid nodded and then bid the rest of them goodbye before leaving. Everyone watched the cameras to see whether he would turn into Pettigrew.

He awoke five minutes later. He stretched and surveyed his room, surprised. Suddenly, he bowed his head and started mumbling under his breath, debating something. He suddenly looked straight at the camera. Smiling, he made a pinching motion – and the cameras turned off.

"What the hell!" Harry explained. A frozen Hermione didn't bother to chide him. Lupin started backing away at this other extraordinary feat. Dumbledore didn't speak but swept out at top speed of the room. Everyone soundlessly followed him.

They sprinted through the usually jovial halls to the Hospital Wing, through the packed Wing and to the room. Lupin sighed and suddenly brought his hand upon the doorknob, but abruptly brought it back.

"It burned me!"

"Does it still hurt? Do you need any water or anything?" Dumbledore asked.

Lupin shook his head.

"No, it doesn't hurt after you bring your hand away."

Harry grumbled and suddenly launched himself at the door. It flew off its hinges and banged against the opposing stone wall as if it was the lightest thing in the world. Hermione, slightly amazed, and Lupin, impressed but unsurprised, followed him in along with Dumbledore. Harry's eyes darted around until they suddenly came to the wall to the right.

"My god," Lupin exclaimed.

There was a gigantic hole in the wall, just big enough for a person of Ron's stature to fit through. Harry approached the hole and looked outside. His eyes followed the footprints in the snow outside.

"The Forbidden Forest," Harry said finally. "He's gone to the Forbidden Forest."

Dumbledore reacted quickly.

"Harry, go with Remus and try to track him and find him. If you do, somehow get him to agree to come with you. As a last resort, try to stun him or use the Full-Body Bind and bring him up to my office."

Harry nodded, slightly surprised that he was being relied on for the Order, and Remus nodded grimly as well. They started following his footprints.

"So he should be pretty easy to track, right? What with the snow and all?" Harry asked, nervous as he had no prior experience. Lupin noticed the somewhat anxious tone in his voice.

"One would presume, but you never know. What with all the people around in the Forbidden Forest, we could be led down an entirely different path. Although, I don't think we'll be fooled by Hagrid and Grawp's tracks." Lupin grinned.

Finally the two came to the border of the Forest. Harry took a deep breath, remembering past experiences here before entering along with Lupin. Abruptly most of his vision was cut off.

"Lumos," the two whispered simultaneously. Their wand tips shone out, dimly lighting the dark forest. Harry gestured to where the footprints led. They followed the path for about a minute before it abruptly being cut off.

"Damn," Lupin whispered. "I hoped he wouldn't remember to cover his tracks."

"So how are we going to track him?"

"You look for broken leaves and such. Still, it's virtually hopeless, especially in the wintertime. It's too bad Hagrid isn't near us."

"Where are they, anyway?"

"Come on now, Grawp. Be quiet." Grawp nodded comically before hunching down and soundlessly padding along with Hagrid. The two had found no tracks, nothing.

"It looks like nothing's here, Grawp. We better go. Don't know what Dumbledore was looking for, though…" Hagrid sighed. He hated to let Dumbledore down, even though he knew that Albus would wave it off. Hagrid turned around slowly, followed by Grawp, to suddenly freeze.

"What was that? Who's there?" Hagrid narrowed his eyes and shifted his crossbow to a firing stance. Glancing around, he looked in a circle at his surroundings. He couldn't see anything, but that wasn't any indication – the Forest was thick with trees and hiding places.

"Show yerself," Hagrid growled.

Hagrid heard another sound but this one was different. Hagrid looked down at his feet. A message was suddenly appearing in the snow beneath him. Hagrid read it aloud to Grawp.

"Tell Dumbledore that I've left and that he needs to act – politically – Ron. RON!"

A shadowy shape suddenly burst out of the trees. Hagrid saw Ron's outline riding on a Thestral before the trees canopies closed together again. In frustration, he finally let out an earth-shattering roar.

"Alright, what the hell was that?" Harry's eyes and head darted around.

"Calm down – it sounds like Hagrid. But – why?"

Lupin suddenly started running towards the sound of Hagrid's yell, with Harry close behind, cloaks billowing out behind them. They finally reached him at a clearing. Harry had never seen Hagrid look so bewildered before. Lupin grabbed his shoulders in an effort to calm him down.

"Hagrid, calm down! Calm down! Now, what is it?"

"A message – he left – on a Thestral – told Dumbledore to act – politically."

Lupin's eyes suddenly met with Harry's, both of them suddenly understanding that Hagrid had met with a man he had known to be dead, and that clearly he had just given Hagrid a message.

"Come on, Hagrid. We're going to see Dumbledore." Lupin and Harry started leading a calmer Hagrid to Dumbledore's, with Grawp calmly following behind. At the exit out of the Forest, Grawp waved goodbye to Hagrid before suddenly going back in, towards the Forest.

Upon reaching the gargoyle, Harry said the password ("Toblerone") before leading them all into the (somewhat cramped) moving staircase. Harry and Lupin squished in behind Hagrid before the gargoyle finally reached the hallway to Dumbledore's office. Harry didn't bother to knock, simply opening the door instead.

Hermione exited the prison chamber after examining the hole for a minute or two more. All these events happening at one time – it was too much to absorb. She decided that she better go read a book or something to calm her nerves. But just before she was going to exit the Hospital Wing, someone called her.

"Hermione!"

Hermione turned around slowly, to face Ginny, who was sitting upright in her bed, abruptly awake.

"You're awake!"

"Yeah – I got woken up by this – big crash. What was it? It was from the room you just came from."

Hermione breathed silently, relieved. She hadn't seen Lupin carry Ron in.

"Nothing just a – a spell. You better rest up, I think your family's going to visit you today."

Ginny nodded silently before resting wearily back on her bed and quickly falling asleep exhausted.

Mrs. Molly Weasley was in a total wreck. The last few days in her life had been so horrid that it was no exaggeration to call it the worst time in her life. Late last night, she had gotten an emergency edition of The Daily Prophet.

Ron was dead. Even the clock had confirmed it. He was undeniably, horribly dead. Ginny was also seriously injured. Hermione had gotten away with minor injuries and Harry unharmed, but no doubt they were going through the hell emotionally that she was.

Oh well, nothing to do but help them through it, Mrs. Weasley thought while dabbing the tears threatening to fall. At least the whole family was going to visit Ginny today. They would all be able to help each other.

She took a glance at her special clock again to see when everyone was going to gather here before they left for Hogwarts. Fred, George, and Ginny were all Sleeping. Arthur was Coming Home. Bill and Charlie were Working. And Ron was ­– Alive?

She suddenly heard a crack and knew that Arthur was home.

"Arthur!" she called out, her voice strained and distressed. "Is there something wrong with our clock? There must be something wrong with our clock."

"Nonsense Molly, why should that clock mess up now, when it hasn't for years? Besides it's got a spell on it, it can't break."

"The spell must have worn off, Arthur, that's not important – look."

Arthur stared at the clock where Molly's finger was pointing, leading towards Ron's name. His face suddenly set into a grim expression, his eyes becoming unreadable, and his tone stony.

"I'm going to go see Dumbledore."

Molly nodded before sitting down and burying her head in her hands.

Draco Malfoy was walking towards the Quidditch pitch before he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He turned around.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly.

"I'm terribly sorry, but it appears that there are a few services that you can perform for us at this time."

Happy Thanksgiving in two days, everybody (if you're in America)! Eat a lot!