Dumbledore was looking at him, but what was it in his eyes? The twinkle that usually kindled his eyes seemed to have gone out. There was something there, however… was it pity? Sorrow? What was it that Dumbledore seemed to be conveying towards Harry?
Dumbledore took his eyes off Harry and stared at the ceiling. He stared at the stars for a moment, then raised his right hand and the music stopped instantly. To many groans and complains, he stood and looked about at the students.
"As word has spread, so rumors I'm sure have, too. The one that is true is that I shall be speaking of Hermione Granger and Kelly Damen." Dumbledore's eyes moved about the room. "I have been wondering the correct time to make this saddening announcement, and it has come upon me that I should wait no longer.
"You all will have heard, of course, that Miss Hermione Granger and Mr. Ronald Weasley were kidnapped on our trip to Hogsmeade. Mr. Weasley was recovered while Miss Granger still remained a mystery. Word will have spread only months afterward that Miss Kelly Damen was kidnapped as well, and I doubt that a message written in her blood was something that was failed to be mentioned.
"You will remember that a week ago, Mr. Harry Potter lead several of his friends and teachers to the Bryth to find Miss Granger and Miss Damen. He discovered, to his horror and the rest of ours, that neither girls were there. He had led us into a trap once again."
Harry flinched terribly, spilling a bit of butterbeer. This was hardly a nice way of saying it.
"But he also learned where they really were, and took three people with him to find them at the caves just near here," Dumbledore continued. "Mr. Weasley was the first. He also took two young ladies by the names of Elyse Williams and Heather Burns, whom none of you will know. After many dangers, the three found Miss Granger and Miss Damen. After a battle, Voldemort fled to fight me and several other teachers who had just entered the cave in which he was hiding. While Mr. Potter thought they were safe, he was mistaken. Moments after all threats seemed to be finished…."
The students were holding their breath as Dumbledore spoke. "Kelly Damen was murdered."
Gasps flew through the Gryffindors and D.A. members. Kelly Damen was dead? It couldn't be! It had to be another Kelly, Harry heard someone say. Their Kelly Damen couldn't die! Harry closed his eyes and took another sip of butterbeer.
"The culprit behind this attack was found and killed," Dumbledore said, gaining the student's attention again. "The culprit is someone you all know. You might be shocked to know that Diane Umbridge is now dead."
Several students tried not to laugh will glee. Harry tried to restrain the desire to hex them. This was not a time to be happy.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and the other two girls got out of the caves well enough. They came back holding a secret, however. This brings me to the reason this dance was called into play."
The room was utterly silent.
The doors into the Great Hall were creeping open, letting in a sliver of light. Harry paid no attention, however; it would be Neville coming back after looking for Trevor. Harry had seen him leave earlier. One day Neville would get Trevor a Traceable Collar at Peggy's Pet Provisions in Hogsmeade.
"Kelly Damen had a secret, for which many of you are aware. Only a few people knew what this secret was, and it was meant to be kept that way. When she was kidnapped, her secret leaked. What you must know about Kelly Damen, is that you have never—"
Dumbledore's eyes were wide as he stared at the door, and his mouth dropped for the first time Harry had ever seen it do so.
"All right, Dumbledore, what have I told you about starting parties without me?" Katie Andrews asked.
Harry turned around immediately. Katie was standing there, smiling. She wore a gorgeous blue, sparkling dress with blonde hair hanging gently against her back, looking like Kelly Damen.
"Katie!" Harry exclaimed.
Katie looked at him. "I'm sorry? My name is Kelly Damen; you must have me mistaken for someone else. Though I would expect you, Harry, to know my name of all people. I mean how embarrassing is that when my own date doesn't know my name!"
Harry stood up and walked over to her. "You… you can't be…."
"Why not?" Katie asked, smiling again. "What, would you rather me be back in the grave? I can tell you, I was having a blast up there, eating lunch with Abraham, and then suddenly I get jerked away and back to my body. Lemme tell you, I am not looking forward to dying twice. "
"Oh my gosh…"
"No… my… Kate…?"
"For crying out loud, people, my name is KELLY!" Katie exclaimed. She turned to Elyse and Heather, who were staring disbelieving from the left of the doorway.
"KATE!" Heather yelled, and ran up and hugged her friend. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! IT'S REALLY YOU!"
"No…" Elyse said, backing away. "This… this has to be a dream…."
"Lyse, please. I am alive and feeling good!" Katie said. "Oh, and you!" She looked Heather straight in the eye. "My. Name. Is. Kelly. Damen."
"My bad, Kel," Heather corrected. "Hey, Lyse, I promise, this isn't a dream!"
Elyse crept up to Katie and watched her.
Katie stared at her friend. "I swear it's me."
Elyse poked Katie. Katie looked at her disbelievingly, and then poked her back. Elyse yelped.
"That's her," Elyse complained, rubbing her arm where Katie had poked her. "Nobody else pokes that hard."
Katie smiled, then walked straight through the dance floor, grasping Harry's hand and dragging him along, too. She walked straight up to the staff table and directly in front of Dumbledore.
"How lovely to see you again, Professor," Katie said.
McGonagall stood. "What's the code for such a situation as was left to us?"
"Well, if you did your job right, then DA1 would've been submissive and DA2 and DA3 would've been aware, if they were doing their jobs," Katie said. Harry vaguely recognized it as the message he had delivered to Snape the day Katie was taken.
McGonagall sat down. "I'm satisfied."
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and just stared at her. "How…?"
"Oh, I think we all can make a couple guesses at that," Katie said, a knowing smile upon her face.
"But such magic is only rumor, for it has never been conquered. It was magic far beyond what Lady Amanda was capable of doing," Dumbledore said.
"Yes, but we are talking about her brother," Katie said pointedly. "And you know what he's done. Even more than he realizes."
Harry looked at the two questioningly, but Katie just smiled at him and Dumbledore seemed too immersed in his thoughts.
Katie looked around, as it was apparent that Dumbledore had nothing more to say. "My gosh…. Who did these abysmal decorations?"
"That would be me," said a sneering voice behind them. Harry recognized it instantly as belonging to Snape.
"My, my, Sev—Professor…" Katie said, correcting herself. "I really must find you another wardrobe. These are so boring! What was this, a funeral?"
The students lightened up a bit, but still stared, transfixed and amazed.
"Someone change these colors. I thought this was a party, not a funeral. Unless, of course… does anyone feel like giving Diane Umbridge a funeral?" Katie asked.
There was a pause.
"SOMEBODY CHANGE THESE COLORS RIGHT NOW!" Fred said from the bar. "I AM NOT GIVING A FUNERAL TO THAT UGLY TOAD'S SISTER! SHE CAN GO DIG HER OWN GRAVE!"
"Here, here!" ran across the room.
Fred and George left the counter and released some of their famous fireworks. They took out their wands, made the colors crazy, then started dancing with each other on the dance floor. They were eventually joined by Slytherins, who really didn't care about Kelly Damen's miraculous return.
The others crowded around Katie, bombarding her with questions.
"I don't know the answer to any questions!" Katie lied. "Dumbledore will know them better than I will."
Several students looked as though they might go ask the Headmaster, but his out-of-this-world facial expression made them decide otherwise.
Katie led Harry to a table in the corner where no one sat. Katie gave death glares to any who approached and they turned back around.
"So how have you been, Harry?" Katie asked, smiling.
Harry didn't answer. "You really don't know anything?"
Katie's smile widened slightly. "Of course I do, but I'm not sharing with the whole school. Not tonight, anyway."
"Will you tell me?" Harry asked.
"Naturally," Katie said. She leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment. "Well, I owe it all to you, really. It is said that no spell can bring the dead back to life, and so it wasn't. It was emotion."
Harry stared. "What?"
"You're Amanda's brother," Katie said. "You have such great power, I don't think even you realize it. Wizards have the ability to do a certain amount of magic through their emotions. Through your emotions, you brought me back to life."
"My emotions?" Harry shook his head. "I'm not that powerful."
Katie smiled. "In time, Harry, I think you'll see just how strong you are. You have to be able to defeat Voldemort, remember? You're powerful, Harry, you just can't quite control it yet."
"Well… if I could resurrect you," Harry began slowly, "then why can't I resurrect Sirius?"
Katie looked very thoughtful, leaning back in her chair to consider her words carefully. "I'm not very sure, Harry. Perhaps your power has just increased a lot because of recent events. Perhaps you weren't strong enough before."
"Well, why can't I do it now?" Harry asked.
"Ah," Katie said. "Since Sirius' passing, you've overcome a lot of emotions. When you think of him now, it's not as hard as it was when he first died, am I right?"
Harry nodded.
"That's it then. The pain, the emotion has subsided enough over time, enough from how much it first was, that it's not strong enough to bring him back to life. Had you been as strong then as you are now, he may not have died at all. You probably could have erected a barrier to protect him."