Consequences
By Neurotica
Nine
Harry stepped off the school train in Hogsmeade behind Ginny, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom. Ron and Hermione had to sit with the other Prefects on the ride over, but Harry was hoping to meet up with them before they made it to the carriages. As much as he liked the other three, he needed the comfort of his best friends tonight. He was trying hard not to look up to the sky as he walked; he knew what tonight was and he didn't need another reminder.
"Isn't the full moon lovely?" Luna said dreamily to Ginny.
Ginny threw a look to Harry over his shoulder; he missed it. "It is lovely," she responded.
Luna went on to talk about a species of creature made out of cheese living on the moon. Apparently, they could only be found when the moon was full. That was about the extent that Harry paid attention.
The horseless carriages were awaiting them as they had for the last three years. Ron and Hermione finally caught up to them before Harry could find an empty one. Ron quickly found one and Harry got in, leaning his head against the window, willing himself not to look up. Hermione told them who the other House Prefects were, and normally Harry would have asked why Theodore Nott got it for Slytherin and not Malfoy; but Harry found he didn't care much tonight.
Harry's mind was blank—he thanked Emmeline silently for teaching him the basics of Occlumency for that. He didn't want to think about Remus, or Voldemort, or the war. He just wanted to live through the year.
He'd heard Fred and George talking during the party the previous night about Dumbledore's choice in Gryffindor Prefects. They didn't understand why Ron had been chosen—they'd thought Harry was a sure thing. The same thoughts had gone through Harry's mind briefly—he'd done loads more than Ron, hadn't he? Remus once told Harry that Dumbledore had reasons for everything he did; whether those reasons were visible to anyone but the headmaster, Dumbledore knew what he was doing. (So much for not thinking about Remus, Harry thought.)
Again, he found he didn't much care about Prefects anymore.
The carriages stopped suddenly, and Ron opened the door and exited. The others followed and made their way up the castle stairs into the entrance hall. Echoes of cheerful voices bounced off the stone walls (How do they bounce if the walls are stone? Harry thought vaguely), giving him a reason not to listen to Ron and Hermione's bickering about Prefect duties. (Can't participate if I can't hear them, right?) They reached the Great Hall and said goodbye to Luna as she went to the Ravenclaw table. Ginny was hailed by her fellow fourth years as they reached the Gryffindor table.
"Look! It is Mad-Eye!" Ron said excitedly, examining the staff table. Harry looked up; Dumbledore and Mad-Eye were talking quietly to one another. He could feel the retired Auror's magical eye upon him and turned away quickly.
"Where's Hagrid?" Hermione asked, looking at the teachers.
"Dunno," Ron answered. "I didn't see him when we got off the train..." He and Hermione looked at Harry.
"What?" Harry asked blankly.
"Well, do you know where Hagrid is?" Ron asked impatiently.
"How should I know?" Harry replied, a little more rudely than he'd intended.
Hermione rolled her eyes as if it should have been obvious. "You know more about what's happening than we do."
"Not really," Harry said. "Sirius hasn't told me much in a while. And he didn't even mention Hagrid to me."
All thoughts of the Hogwarts groundskeeper were momentarily driven from their minds when Harry and Hermione noticed Ron glaring at the entrance to the Great Hall. Harry followed his line of sight and found the objects of his friend's glare immediately. Draco Malfoy stood between his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, with a bewildered look on his face. Malfoy sneered and whispered something to the other two, who cracked their knuckles threateningly and followed Malfoy to their table.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked quietly, turning back to their table.
"Probably thought I was dead," Harry muttered to his friends. "That was Voldemort's plan, wasn't it? Knock it off, Ron. His dad probably told him he didn't have to deal with me anymore, and now he's upset to find that I'm not dead."
Hermione frowned in thought. "Harry," she began slowly and quietly so that no one else could hear them. "Didn't Sirius tell you that Professor Snape was the only one who knew that antidote he gave you?"
"Yeah, so?" Harry asked, obviously missing something important.
"Well... if Malfoy writes to his father and tells him you're alive, won't You-Know-Who know that Professor Snape made you the potion?"
Ron raised an eyebrow. "What's that got anything to do with it?"
Hermione sighed impatiently—apparently, Ron and Harry were being slow again. "Snape's supposed to be on You-Know-Who's side, isn't he? You-Know-Who is going to know something's not right."
"I never thought about that..." Harry muttered, looking up to the staff table. Dumbledore had ended his conversation with Mad-Eye and was now studying Harry.
On the roof of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, a large black dog sat staring sadly at the full moon in its highest position of the night. Padfoot had been up there for a few hours, wondering if Moony was healthy enough to make it through another transformation. He hadn't taken his Wolfsbane potion that month—the flasks of potion were sitting in a knapsack on Sirius' desk, untouched. The full moon transformations Remus had to endure were bad enough, but now he'd probably be too weak to carry on once the moon had its way with him.
Padfoot's ears twitched as he heard hesitant footsteps behind him. He didn't look away from the sky as Tonks sat down beside him.
"Hey," she said quietly. Reluctantly, Padfoot looked away from the moon, whimpered quietly, and laid his head on his cousin's leg. "I forgot all about the full moon," she whispered, scratching Padfoot's ears. "I'm sure he's fine, though," she continued. "He's smart and efficient, and knows how to handle himself."
Tonks lay back on the roof. Padfoot crawled up and laid his head on her stomach. "You know, you're much easier to deal with as a dog, has anyone told you that? Maybe you should make the transformation permanent..."
Padfoot raised his head and glared at Tonks in a way only a dog could, then proceeded to lick her face mercilessly. This went on only a few minutes when Mad-Eye Moody stuck his head out the window and called for them to stop horsing around.
Tonks pushed Padfoot away from her, sat up, and started to wipe the dog drool from her face. By the time she'd finished, Sirius had returned to his original form, his grin fading as he once again set eyes on the full moon.
"I guess the meeting's started if Mad-Eye's here," Tonks said, pushing herself from the ground. She helped her cousin stand, and they silently went to the attic window they used to get on the roof.
Before they entered the kitchen for the Order meeting, Tonks held him back. "Sirius," she began almost hesitantly. "Are you scared?"
Sirius stared at her for a moment with a raised eyebrow. His face relaxed and he nodded slightly. "You want to know what I'm really scared about? I'm starting to get used to not having him around," he muttered, leaving Tonks at the top of the stairs.
Werewolves Slaughtered in Albania
Special Correspondent Dan Roland reporting
As the full moon waned this morning, two werewolf colonies were found slaughtered in an Albanian forest. The two colonies, located more than ten miles apart from one another, were discovered in similar states. No survivors have been found amongst the piles of severed body parts. Minster for Magic Amelia Bones has offered the Albanian Ministry of Magic "any services needed to solve the mystery of this terrible massacre."
An Albanian Ministry official has stated that the two werewolf colonies "lived in peace with one another, and never caused any harm to the citizens of nearby villages." The matter will be investigated thoroughly, but there are no clues as of yet.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ministry of Magic Auror Department immediately.
Naomi walked nervously from her Apparition point on the outskirts of Hogsmeade through the village, and into the Hog's Head Inn. The owner of the pub, the one who'd always reminded her of Dumbledore, eyed her entrance suspiciously. Without telling the man who she was or who she was there to meet, he said, "Up the stairs, two doors down to the left," and went back to cleaning a dirty mug with an equally dirty rag.
"Thank you," she muttered, following his directions.
She'd never liked the Hog's Head, even in her youth when James and Sirius would convince her to sneak out of school late at night to see if they could procure a stash of firewhiskey. In her adulthood, she'd managed to avoid the place, though it was a popular spot among Death Eaters for meeting places.
The fact that she was here today for the sort of meeting that was about to take place did nothing to ease her nerves. Why couldn't he have asked her to meet him at Hogwarts?
Probably doesn't trust you around his students, she thought, going up the dusty stairs.
She found the door she needed, took a deep, rattling breath and knocked three times, just as the letter had instructed. Before she was completely prepared, the wooden door creaked open and Naomi was once again face to face with Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster hadn't changed since her last encounter with him, at James and Lily's funeral—she didn't count the attack on Hogwarts as an encounter.
"Hello, Naomi," Dumbledore said, stepping aside to allow the witch entrance. There was no welcoming smile on his face, nor was there a comforting twinkle in his eyes.
"Hello, Headmaster," she said quietly, entering the dark, musty room. Dumbledore motioned for her to sit in one of the moldy armchairs before the fireplace before he sealed the doors and walls from outside ears—he'd learned his lesson after the Trelawney mess...
"Would you care for a cup of tea?" he asked once he completed his complicated spells.
"That would be nice, thank you, sir," she said.
Once the tea was made, Dumbledore handed her a cup—she wondered vaguely if there was Veritaserum in her drink, but thought it better not to ask; she'd deserve it if there was—and sat across from her. They sipped their tea in awkward silence. Naomi waited for him to bring the topic of their meeting to the surface.
"I apologize for the location of our meeting, Miss Watts, but past experiences have made me wary of outsiders entering the school's grounds," Dumbledore said, setting aside his tea.
"Quite understandable, sir," she said quietly, averting her eyes and setting her own cup down.
"Sirius tells me that you are interested in assisting the Order again," he said. "Is this information accurate?"
She sat up straighter. "Yes, sir. I know it may be too late for reconciliation, and I know none of you trust me, but I would like to help in any way I can."
Dumbledore nodded. "And what, may I ask, brought on this decision?"
Naomi thought for a moment. There hadn't really been one single defining moment when she realized she'd been, for lack of a better word, stupid. "I guess I just never realized the lengths the Dark Lord was willing to take to accomplish his goals," she admitted slightly lamely.
"You were in school when the first war began, Miss Watts; surely you knew to some extent Lord Voldemort's dedication," he said.
Naomi suddenly recalled the descriptions Sirius had given her of James' parents' deaths. He'd learned of it from the Aurors on the scene, and she couldn't imagine a worse way to suffer. James had really been the one made to suffer that night, though... And then there were the Lupins only three nights before that. Her friends and family had always suffered at the wand of her master.
Dumbledore seemed to read her mind. "It is clear to me, Miss Watts, that you regret your mistakes." He paused, studying Naomi for a moment, pondering a decision. "The Order of the Phoenix is looking for a trustworthy person to, shall we say, keep a lookout in the enemy ranks. Any information you may provide would be most valuable. It is a dangerous role, Miss Watts, and not one to be accepted lightly. If Lord Voldemort was to discover your activities—well, I'm sure you could imagine the repercussions."
Up at Hogwarts castle, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were making their way from the Great Hall to the dungeons for their first Potions lesson of the new term. Dumbledore had told the students the night before that Professor Snape would be absent for part of the term. The Headmaster hadn't disclosed to them where their professor was or when he would return, but the Gryffindor trio were well aware of the circumstances. Ron hadn't tried to hide his glee due to the missing Potions Master.
Their temporary Potions professor hadn't been present at the welcoming feast, or breakfast that morning, so they weren't sure who, or what, to expect. The books for the school year hadn't given anything away, either; the book assigned was by the same author as the books Snape had previously set them.
The other fifth year Gryffindors and, to Harry's and Ron's disgust, Slytherins had already arrived in the classroom.
"Where's Malfoy?" Hermione whispered, scanning the Slytherin side of the classroom.
"He's got to take his end of the year exams from last year, doesn't he?" Ron said, exchanging a grin with Harry.
"You know, we're lucky we didn't get suspended along with him," Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"Not luck, Hermione," Harry corrected her. "Technicality. Dumbledore said anyone caught by the Head Boy or Head Girl would be punished. I was caught by—well, you remember. And you two... McGonagall found you."
Hermione glared. "Even still, I'd rather not risk expulsion in my O.W.L. year. So the next time Harry decides to run off to battle—"
"You know why I did that, Hermione," Harry started rather heatedly.
Hermione's glare softened. "All I'm saying is that we should try and stay out of trouble this year," she muttered. "And that's not what I meant."
Harry nodded and started to occupy himself by unloading his school bag. Ron patted him on the back before sitting beside him.
In front of the trio, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville were discussing who the possible new Potions teacher might be. "Harry, is it Professor Lupin? Does he know Potions?" Dean asked hopefully.
To Ron and Hermione's surprise, Harry grinned. "The last potion Remus made put Sirius and me in St. Mungo's for three days."
"That's a no," Seamus said with raised eyebrows.
The students' questions on their temporary teacher were answered seconds later when the office door burst open.
"No bloody way..." Ron muttered, rubbing his eyes and looking back to the professor with wide, shocked eyes.
"Good afternoon!" Gilderoy Lockhart beamed at them. "Welcome to fifth year Potions. I must say, it is marvelous to see your bright faces just after lunch."
The entire male half of the class stared stonily back while the girls flustered and fixed their hair.
Kingsley sat in his office at Auror Headquarters going over reports that had just come in about the slaughtered werewolves. Most of them had been identified using DNA spells, and none of them were an Englishman with sandy-colored hair. The Auror had been very careful to keep the reports away from his boss until he was sure Remus hadn't been a victim of the massacre. Sirius had been more distressed than usual since Harry left for school three days ago, and this would probably send him over the edge.
Since Remus' disappearance, Kingsley had been unofficially set the task of being Sirius' keeper. Not that he was complaining; Kingsley considered Sirius to be one of his best friends. But it wasn't the easiest job in the world, keeping tabs on Sirius Black and making sure he didn't get himself killed.
Sirius was one of the most unpredictable wizards Kingsley had ever met. Kingsley had been the one to apprehend Sirius in London in 1981. At the time, the Auror was shocked to see his friend's behavior—he'd worked with Sirius and James on various cases when the two had started in the Ministry. He'd never forgotten the way Sirius had laughed about his crimes when the Aurors and Hit Wizards arrived on the scene. That was probably the most disturbing thing Kingsley had ever witnessed in his career as an Auror. He'd found out later from Mad-Eye that Sirius was supposed to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper, and that he'd given his best friends up to Lord Voldemort.
Of course, Kingsley had also been present the day Remus and Dumbledore went to Azkaban to question Sirius. The interrogation had lasted only fifteen minutes, but in that time, everything had fallen into place...
The Auror looked away from his desk just as Sirius and Tonks returned from their lunch. The witch sent Kingsley a wink before disappearing behind her cubicle wall. He smiled until he realized her cousin was coming to see him.
"Hey, Sirius," Kingsley said as his boss sat in a chair opposite him and perched his legs onto the desk. "Er, how was lunch?"
"Informative," Sirius replied lightly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "What's going on between you and my cousin, Shacklebolt?"
Kingsley tried to keep his face impassive. "Don't know what you're on about, Sirius," he muttered, shuffling some papers on his desk.
"I'm not blind, Shacklebolt," Sirius replied. Kingsley started to contradict that statement in hopes of getting the attention away from himself when an interdepartmental memo soared into the office and landed in Sirius' lap.
He breathed a sigh of relief that his questioning was interrupted. Sirius glared at him over the parchment, clearly saying We'll talk later. "Dammit," Sirius said, dropping his legs from the desk.
"What?" Kingsley said.
"Attack in Diagon Alley again..."
"You've got to be kidding."
"I wish. Apparently, it's not a full-blown attack, but some Death Eaters thought it would be fun to break into Gringotts. A few goblins were killed..."
Kingsley winced as he stood. The goblin community made it no secret that they didn't like wizards. "You know, kind of morbid to think it, but if Voldemort's killing goblins, they're not going to side with him."
Sirius nodded and started to round up a team of Aurors to go to Diagon Alley. Once he'd gathered his team of ten, he and Kingsley led them through Auror Headquarters to the only place inside the Ministry that allowed Apparition. It was a small room that was password protected, just outside the DMLE entrance. The password was voice activated so that no one unauthorized person was able to Apparate or Disapparate in the Ministry. At the moment, only Sirius and Minister Bones knew the password.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Sirius muttered hastily, holding the door open for his team.
"Nice password," Kingsley muttered with a grin.
"Shut it, you're not off the hook, yet," Sirius replied. "Alright, you lot! We're going to Gringotts. Have your wands out and be ready for anything."
He nodded once to his Aurors and Disapparated. When he arrived at Gringotts, the scene was chaos. Nearly all of the high countertops the goblins did business from were destroyed. Galleons, sickles, knuts, and Muggle currency littered the floor. Three goblins had been covered with white sheets. Sirius could see spots of blood on the sheets and the gold floor.
A large group of the remaining goblins were in the center of the bank, standing guard in a tight circle.
"Sirius!" called a voice. Sirius looked to his left and spotted Bill Weasley approaching him quickly. "The goblins caught them just after they killed the other three."
"Everyone else all right?" Sirius asked as eleven pops sounded behind him and Bill.
"Yeah, we're all fine," the eldest Weasley replied.
"Kingsley, Dawlish, come with me. The rest of you, have a look around—make sure there aren't any others hiding," Sirius commanded over his shoulder. The three Aurors pushed their way through the circle of goblins. Sirius smirked when he spotted the five Death Eaters tied together. That was all Voldemort sent, eh? Sirius thought bewildered.
One of the captured Death Eaters seemed to be shaking, obviously terrified of the Aurors. Sirius decided he would be the first victim... But when he pulled back the Death Eater's hood, all thoughts were driven from his mind as he recoiled, horrified.
The horn-rimmed glasses...
The red hair...
"Percy?" Sirius whispered incredulously.