Chapter 44
"Plan of Action"
Ron led Hermione down to the Great Hall instead of Dumbledore's office. Hermione could hear loud voices coming from the room and knew the place was going to be packed with people. Ron held the door open for Hermione as they both entered the hall. She dropped her jaw when she saw at least a hundred people in there, all gathered around a long table and arguing and listening to each other. Dumbledore sat at the head of the table, watching as an auror and an Order member got into each other's face. Many people were either aurors, retired aurors, or Order members.
"I save seats for us down by Dumbledore, although I'm afraid to go sit down," said Ron as they made their way to Dumbledore. "Someone might try to pull my head off on my way there."
Hermione laughed and sat down by Dumbledore. Dumbledore tried to yell above the noise to get everyone to quiet down, but failed. He pulled out his wand and used a spell to make a loud bang. Everyone grew quiet and turned their attention to Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled.
"Now that everyone has pretty much yelled at everyone in the room, I would like to start this meeting by first thanking you for coming. I know that we have some fine people in here with us tonight. Now, I would like to start this all off by asking if anyone was involved with the raid at Lord Voldemort's castle on November 11th, twenty-one years ago?"
Everyone looked around, seeing if anyone would raise their hand. Five people did.
"Ah yes, excellent. So you are familiar of the place I speak of?" asked Dumbledore.
The five people nodded their heads.
"Such a terrible, gloomy place," said a woman. "I never want to go back there again."
Dumbledore stood up. He flicked his wand and conjured up a screen with a few, unmoving photos of the castle on it.
"Unfortunately, this is the place we will be going," said Dumbledore.
'What makes you so sure that the Dark Lord is there?" asked someone.
A few people uttered their agreements.
"Well, can I ask if anyone has ever heard of the myth of the Dark Lady?" asked Dumbledore.
Everyone, even Hermione, raised their hand.
"Well, let me assure you, it is very, very real. The Dark Lady did in fact exist. Her name was Katrina Anne Smith. She attended school here at Hogwarts from 1944 to 1945. She was the brightest student I had ever seen at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.
A man stood up.
"I know who you peak of," said the man. "I was at the raid that night and I was on the balcony with James Potter. There was this woman there. I had never seen such a beautiful woman before. I was wondering why she was at the castle, but then I heard you ask her if she was the Dark Lady and she said yes. I was shocked," said the man, sitting back down.
Dumbledore nodded his head.
"Yes, yes, she was a very beautiful woman. A most powerful one was well. And now to answer your question about how I know the Dark Lord is hiding in his castle. I have a very reliable source with me who knows the Dark Lord better than he may even know himself," said Dumbledore.
He turned to Hermione and extended his hand to her. Hermione took it and stood up and looked at everyone before her. The five people who were retired aurors gasped.
"Many of you know Miss Hermione Granger. She is a very beautiful, talented, and intelligent young woman. She is also the reincarnation of Katrina," said Dumbledore.
Hermione's face burned as the room grew suddenly noisy. She sat back down and smiled weakly. Dumbledore then took the next hour explaining to everyone about reincarnation, his search for the true reincarnation of Katrina, how Hermione I able to use her mind to find the Dark Lord, and what they were to do. They were to go the castle, free the prisoners, capture as many death eaters alive as possible, and destroy the Dark Lord. He also told of how several other countries are sending over their aurors to battle giants in the mountains and keep peace in England while this group was to go to the heart of the beats and rip it out.
"If we can kill the beast before it can grow, then it not get past England, but if we fail, then every country in this world will be in great peril. Soon, the world will be swallowed into a endless black hole of tragedy, corruption, death, and evil," said Dumbledore. "Now, it would be too dangerous to apparate, use floo, fly by room, or use a port key to get there, so, we will be traveling by something else."
Dumbledore led the large group outside and around the castle. There, were many, many horses. Dumbledore quickly explained that muggles use horses for transportation, or use to, and that a horse is very reliable. Everyone was assigned their own horse in charge of either carrying food or supplies for the journey to the castle. Hermione ran back into the school to grab her boots and a thick robe. On her way back to where the group was, she was stopped by Madame Pomfrey.
"Take just one teaspoon each day to protect your unborn child. Dumbledore told me to give you this because you would be riding a horse," she said.
Hermione took the small red bottle and thanked Madame Pomfrey. She took a does before heading back outside. On her way, she was pulled to the side by Ron.
"Mione, I want you to have something, just in case you can't use magic," said Ron as he pulled out a leather holster.
Hermione took it and placed her hand on a silver handle. She pulled the small thing out and saw that it was a dagger, with a five-inch long blade and three-inch long handle. She eyed the serpent that wrapped itself around the handle.
"I thought you might need it just in case you can't use magic," said Ron. "I know your strong and brilliant, but promise me you'll use it if all else fails."
Hermione stared at her reflection in the dagger.
"I promise," she said.
She placed the dagger back in its holster and placed it in her right boot. Ron helped her onto her horse before getting on his. Everyone was now on a horse and in a line, five to a row. Dumbledore was ahead.
"Now, we start our journey. Some of us may never make it, but if we are triumphant in the end, then we shall all be happy to know that we helped save the world from a terrible fate," said Dumbledore. "Now, on we go!"
The horses began to move. Hermione was in the middle of the group, thinking, wondering, what was to lie in on the road ahead.
"Plan of Action"
Ron led Hermione down to the Great Hall instead of Dumbledore's office. Hermione could hear loud voices coming from the room and knew the place was going to be packed with people. Ron held the door open for Hermione as they both entered the hall. She dropped her jaw when she saw at least a hundred people in there, all gathered around a long table and arguing and listening to each other. Dumbledore sat at the head of the table, watching as an auror and an Order member got into each other's face. Many people were either aurors, retired aurors, or Order members.
"I save seats for us down by Dumbledore, although I'm afraid to go sit down," said Ron as they made their way to Dumbledore. "Someone might try to pull my head off on my way there."
Hermione laughed and sat down by Dumbledore. Dumbledore tried to yell above the noise to get everyone to quiet down, but failed. He pulled out his wand and used a spell to make a loud bang. Everyone grew quiet and turned their attention to Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled.
"Now that everyone has pretty much yelled at everyone in the room, I would like to start this meeting by first thanking you for coming. I know that we have some fine people in here with us tonight. Now, I would like to start this all off by asking if anyone was involved with the raid at Lord Voldemort's castle on November 11th, twenty-one years ago?"
Everyone looked around, seeing if anyone would raise their hand. Five people did.
"Ah yes, excellent. So you are familiar of the place I speak of?" asked Dumbledore.
The five people nodded their heads.
"Such a terrible, gloomy place," said a woman. "I never want to go back there again."
Dumbledore stood up. He flicked his wand and conjured up a screen with a few, unmoving photos of the castle on it.
"Unfortunately, this is the place we will be going," said Dumbledore.
'What makes you so sure that the Dark Lord is there?" asked someone.
A few people uttered their agreements.
"Well, can I ask if anyone has ever heard of the myth of the Dark Lady?" asked Dumbledore.
Everyone, even Hermione, raised their hand.
"Well, let me assure you, it is very, very real. The Dark Lady did in fact exist. Her name was Katrina Anne Smith. She attended school here at Hogwarts from 1944 to 1945. She was the brightest student I had ever seen at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.
A man stood up.
"I know who you peak of," said the man. "I was at the raid that night and I was on the balcony with James Potter. There was this woman there. I had never seen such a beautiful woman before. I was wondering why she was at the castle, but then I heard you ask her if she was the Dark Lady and she said yes. I was shocked," said the man, sitting back down.
Dumbledore nodded his head.
"Yes, yes, she was a very beautiful woman. A most powerful one was well. And now to answer your question about how I know the Dark Lord is hiding in his castle. I have a very reliable source with me who knows the Dark Lord better than he may even know himself," said Dumbledore.
He turned to Hermione and extended his hand to her. Hermione took it and stood up and looked at everyone before her. The five people who were retired aurors gasped.
"Many of you know Miss Hermione Granger. She is a very beautiful, talented, and intelligent young woman. She is also the reincarnation of Katrina," said Dumbledore.
Hermione's face burned as the room grew suddenly noisy. She sat back down and smiled weakly. Dumbledore then took the next hour explaining to everyone about reincarnation, his search for the true reincarnation of Katrina, how Hermione I able to use her mind to find the Dark Lord, and what they were to do. They were to go the castle, free the prisoners, capture as many death eaters alive as possible, and destroy the Dark Lord. He also told of how several other countries are sending over their aurors to battle giants in the mountains and keep peace in England while this group was to go to the heart of the beats and rip it out.
"If we can kill the beast before it can grow, then it not get past England, but if we fail, then every country in this world will be in great peril. Soon, the world will be swallowed into a endless black hole of tragedy, corruption, death, and evil," said Dumbledore. "Now, it would be too dangerous to apparate, use floo, fly by room, or use a port key to get there, so, we will be traveling by something else."
Dumbledore led the large group outside and around the castle. There, were many, many horses. Dumbledore quickly explained that muggles use horses for transportation, or use to, and that a horse is very reliable. Everyone was assigned their own horse in charge of either carrying food or supplies for the journey to the castle. Hermione ran back into the school to grab her boots and a thick robe. On her way back to where the group was, she was stopped by Madame Pomfrey.
"Take just one teaspoon each day to protect your unborn child. Dumbledore told me to give you this because you would be riding a horse," she said.
Hermione took the small red bottle and thanked Madame Pomfrey. She took a does before heading back outside. On her way, she was pulled to the side by Ron.
"Mione, I want you to have something, just in case you can't use magic," said Ron as he pulled out a leather holster.
Hermione took it and placed her hand on a silver handle. She pulled the small thing out and saw that it was a dagger, with a five-inch long blade and three-inch long handle. She eyed the serpent that wrapped itself around the handle.
"I thought you might need it just in case you can't use magic," said Ron. "I know your strong and brilliant, but promise me you'll use it if all else fails."
Hermione stared at her reflection in the dagger.
"I promise," she said.
She placed the dagger back in its holster and placed it in her right boot. Ron helped her onto her horse before getting on his. Everyone was now on a horse and in a line, five to a row. Dumbledore was ahead.
"Now, we start our journey. Some of us may never make it, but if we are triumphant in the end, then we shall all be happy to know that we helped save the world from a terrible fate," said Dumbledore. "Now, on we go!"
The horses began to move. Hermione was in the middle of the group, thinking, wondering, what was to lie in on the road ahead.