Chapter Five
The First Encounter
Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the kitchen for the next two hours trying to concentrate on a game of wizard chess while Mrs Weasley paced up and down behind them. At quarter past ten there was noise up in the hallway as people stomped down the stairs in to the kitchen. Fred, George, Mrs Weasley, Percy and Tonks came in.
"Oh thank god" shouted Mrs Weasley rushing over to the door and sweeping all the Weasleys in to a hug. "Oh my Tonks sit down dear" she said as she caught sight of the state of her. She had a large gash down the right side of her face, a black eye and cuts on her hands. Some of her robes were torn too, as were the Weasleys' but they weren't as bruised.
"Refused to go to the hospital" yawned Mr Weasley, jabbing a weary finger in Tonks' direction.
"What happened?" asked Hermione anxiously bringing a cold wet cloth over to help clean up Tonks' face.
"Ron go and get the first aid kit from the pantry" called Mrs Weasley who was carefully checking over Fred, George and Percy for injuries, not realising that he had already brought it.
"Dementors all over" spluttered Tonks from behind Hermiones' cloth.
"Must have been at least sixty of them, knew who they were going for too. Malfoy's on the loose now for one thing. Their still checking the cells and grounds but at least forty more death eaters are on the loose now" said Mr Weasley wearily.
"Fudge is gonna do his nut" Fred yawned.
"What were you two doing there anyway?" scolded Mrs Weasley.
"We were in the office when the message came in; we went with Kingsley and met up with Dad. We're fine mum; most of it was over by the time we all got there".
"It's definitely Voldemort behind it, had to be to get all those Dementors in and out of there so fast; even Dumbledore was surprised" Percy added as he sat at the table and summoned the left over cheese and bread from supper over to the table with his wand.
"Who else is loose?" Harry asked Harry, worried that Lucius Malfoy was out and about again after their last meeting in the Department of Mysteries.
"Well, we haven't got an exact list yet" Mr Weasley paused as he looked at Harry's' troubled face "we'll know more in the morning; your all perfectly safe here though".
"They're all out aren't they" Hermione looked straight at Mr Weasley, utter terror in her eyes; she had been badly hurt last time they came in to contact with death eaters.
"There's no need to panic Hermione" Mr Weasley responded in a slightly strained voice.
"They can't have all got out, there's too many" Mrs Weasley laughed uncertainly. Mr Weasley looked straight at her but said nothing.
"Oh my, oh dear".
"Mother calm down" said Percy "they'll catch them; they can't have all got far".
Mrs Weasley looked at him sideways out of the corners of her eyes clearly not convinced.
"Time for bed now" announced Mr Weasley clapping his hands, trying to break the tension. They all rose and made their way upstairs; Tonks staying in Hermione's room as Ginny was still away, none of them feeling at all like sleeping.
Ron had not said anything to Harry when Mrs Weasley closed the bedroom door. They just got in to their pyjamas and got in to bed. Harry did not sleep much at all that night. He just stared upwards in to the dark wondering what Voldemort was going to do now that he had started rebuilding his army of death eaters again. And when he did get some sleep, he dreamt about Sirius again, falling helplessly through the blackness.
Breakfast the next morning was quite quiet. Mr Weasley, Percy, Tonks and the twins had already left early for the ministry, so it was just Mrs Weasley, Harry, Ron and Hermione. There was no more news on the escape and when the post came, there was nothing in the Daily Prophet.
"Probably don't want to scare people" Mrs Weasley informed them and started to clear the plates away. As she did so Professor McGonagall came in to the kitchen.
"Morning Molly" she turned to the table "I've brought your school letters as I was passing by, all your NEWT choices have been accepted and your book lists are in there too". Then looking at Mrs Weasley "though under the circumstances, you'll have to check with Dumbledore about them going to Diagon Alley themselves".
"Well the death eaters are hardly likely to turn up there are they" said Harry "I mean, it's full of wizards, and I wanted to go to Quidditch Supplies to get some more polish".
"We'll see Harry dear" said Mrs Weasley glancing at McGonagall.
"Well, are you going to open your envelope?" McGonagall smiled at Harry and he wondered what was going on.
Looking down he unsealed the envelope and pulled out the pieces of parchment and to his surprise a badge fell out. It had the Gryffindor lion on it and two crossed broomsticks. Harry looked up at Professor McGonagall confused but she was still beaming at him. He opened up the pieces of parchment and read the top sheet, it was from Professor Dumbledore.
Dear Mr Potter,
I am pleased to inform you, that you have been chosen as
the new Gryffindor quid ditch captain. I have enclosed your badge. I wish
you lots of luck and hope you continue to make Gryffindor proud.
Yours Sincerely
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"Wow" said Ron, reading the letter over Harry's shoulder. "That's excellent. I forgot Angelina has left now. Oh and Katie and Alicia have finished too so we're gonna need all new chasers too".
"But I'm not allowed to play" said Harry.
"Well in light of Professor Umbridge's … departure, your ban has been lifted and you are back on the team" she smiled.
"But Ginny" Harry suddenly remembered "She's seeker".
"Well as Captain Mr Potter, who you have on the team is your decision; though I am sure Miss Weasley would make an excellent chaser".
"Oh my" said Mrs Weasley excitedly "I'll have to write and tell her, she always wanted to be a chaser".
"You haven't heard Molly?" McGonagall turned to Mrs Weasley looking worried.
"What? What's happened?" said Mrs Weasley panicking.
"Randall Zeller disappeared yesterday, he never came home from work so Dumbledore has arranged for the Zellers to stay somewhere safe in case it is linked somehow to the Azkaban breakout and Ginny is on her way home. Dumbledore was taking her to Arthur at the Ministry because he has a meeting with Alastor".
Ginny had been staying with the Zellers for a while over the holidays as she was friends with Mary Zeller who was in Hufflepuff in Ginny's year. Mary also had a younger sister Rose who was in the year below, Harry could remember her being sorted.
"But she's okay?" Mrs Weasley asked.
"Yes Molly, she is fine, don't worry, she'll be home later. Right, well, I have to go now; I've got a lot to do today. You behave Mr Potter, oh and look after my team". She smiled as she turned and left the room.
"Mrs Weasley?"
"Yes Hermione" she said as she sat back down at the table.
"Do you think that Mr Zellers disappearance could be related to the Azkaban breakout?"
"Oh no, definitely not. Arthur and I have known Randall for years, there's not a bad bone in his body. If he has gone then it's not to work for … him. Now come on we've got a lot of filing to do today and I need to get Ginny's room ready.
The day passed quickly and at supper time Mr Weasley came in with Percy and Ginny. She had a brilliant time until yesterday and apparently nobody knew any reason for Mr Zellar to have gone away. Mr Weasley confirmed that the Azkaban breakout had been kept out of the Daily Prophet by Fudge as they were hoping to catch some of the escapees before it went to print. But the aurors had been searching all day and nobody had been found.
"Anyway" said Mrs Weasley "I spoke to Dumbledore this afternoon. As it's not long till you go back to school he said to take you to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your school things. The Azkaban attack will be in the Daily Prophet tomorrow so he thinks it will be the best time for you to go, as people will be on their guard and the death eaters will still be hiding. There will be aurors there too".
"Great" said Ron "we can show you the joke shop Harry".
With the prospect of no filing tomorrow and some fresh air, Harry went to bed feeling much better. He fell asleep to the sound of Hedwig hooting and Phineas snoring in his portrait.
Mrs Weasley called them early the next morning. It was still dark and Harry got up to let Hedwig and Pig out for a quick fly around the square to stretch their wings, though Hedwig still turned her beak from him when he told her to go back in to her cage.
After getting dressed everybody made their way down to the kitchen for breakfast. But when they entered the kitchen, there was no food on the table, just Tonks and Mrs Weasley sat at the table, who was sat in her best clothes.
"Right is everybody ready?" she asked Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
"But what about breakfast?" asked Ron dumbstruck.
"We aren't having breakfast here, we will have something later".
"But we always have breakfast" Ron said looking longingly at the pantry, thoughts of sausages and greasy bacon whirling round his head.
"Ron stop thinking about your stomach, its obvious we have to leave now as a security precaution" scolded Hermione.
"But what if I faint or, or, blackout before we get there. I need my food!" Ron said astounded at the thought of not eating. Harry laughed.
"Come on Ron, everybody hold a piece of this". Mrs Weasley held up a red chequered tea towel in her hand.
"We haven't used any plates to dry yet" Ron said sarcastically. Hermione clobbered him over the head, "it's a port key Ron!" Everybody took a hold of the small cloth and Mrs Weasley looked at the clock on the wall and counted down. On one they all jerked forward and the wind pushed their hair back and pulled at their skin. All of a sudden they came to a standstill; Harry was getting the hang of this now and managed to stay on his feet as did Ginny, but Ron ended up in a heap on the floor with Hermione.
Harry looked around himself and smiled, he was stood in the kitchen of the Burrow.
"I thought we were going to Diagon Alley" said Ron picking himself up off the floor and uncrumpling his clothes "or are we having breakfast here?".
"We are and no; stop fussing Ron" Mrs Weasley snapped. "Now everyone take some of this". Mrs Weasley had gone over to the fireplace and picked up a green clay pot that Harry recognised at once as the floo powder pot.
"Right I'll go first, you had better go last Tonks" she said. Mrs Weasley climbed in to the fireplace, took a deep breathe and said clearly "Ministry of Magic". She burst in to green flames and then disappeared. One by one they all climbed in to the fireplace and repeated the words.
Harry re-emerged from the fireplace he had landed in to find himself in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. There were five fireplaces either side of the one he stepped out of and other witches and wizards were emerging from them, one by one, on their way to work. His gaze followed one old wizard in bright green robes as he hurried off towards the fountain and the lifts; disappearing in to the crowd of rushing people all swarming in the same direction.
"Harry dear, come out of the way" Mrs Weasley called as Ginny appeared behind him. Tonks was last to arrive and then they all followed Mrs Weasley to the telephone box at the deserted end of the atrium. A guard at a desk nodded at them as they passed. It was a bit of a squeeze so Tonks and Hermione disapparated to the street above while everyone else squeezed in to the box. As the door closed it started to climb up in to the air.
Diagon Alley was only a few streets away and as they approached the Leaky Cauldron Harry noticed there were muggles by a couple of the shop windows that were wearing an odd mismatch of clothes. There was an old man looking in the chemists' window who was wearing a green tartan kilt with a pink shirt and tie and matching pink legwarmers. Harry stared at him as they walked by but the man continued gazing in the window. But Harry could have sworn that as he started to turn his head forwards again, the reflection winked at him.
"Right, here we are dears in you go" said Mrs Weasley pushing them one by one in through a dirty wooden door that Harry had only just noticed. Harry looked up as he went through the door and sure enough, the old wooden Laky Cauldron sign was swinging in the breeze above his head.
As Harry stepped through the wall in to Diagon Alley, Mrs Weasley tucked her wand back in to her coat pocket and turned to face them all.
"Right, there's aurors all over the place but don't wander off Diagon Alley", she turned slightly and made a point of looking at Harry as she said this. Harry just shrugged and gave a cheesy grin.
"I'll take you all to Fred and Georges' and you can wait there while I get all your books. I'll come back for you and then we'll go to Madam Malkins to get your robes, because you need to be measured again Ron. You're going to be taller than Bill if you keep growing; I don't know where you get it from". Harry laughed; Ron was at least four inches taller than him now. Mrs Weasley led them down Diagon Alley to number ninety three and in big gold letters across the top of the thatched windows was the words 'Weasleys Wizardly Wheezes'.
Mrs Weasley stopped halfway in through the shop door and turned to Harry "Oh and I'd forgotten till now, but I'll be wanting a word with you later Harry about a certain … financial donation!" Harry gulped and then followed her in to the shop.
The inside was amazing. There were rows and rows of shelves with different colour jars and boxes on them. The shelves closest to the front door were filled with hundreds of different types of sweets. Further along the shelves graduated in to joke animals, including the fake wands that turned in to rubber chickens. And beyond those there were mannequins that came alive and demonstrated joke items of clothing. The first mannequin was demonstrating the invisible head hats that Fred had shown Harry last year. Another mannequin was modelling robes with invisible pockets. Harry was examining these when he heard his name shouted out from a bunch of shelves on his left. He turned towards the voice and grinned as Angelina Johnson came flying across the floor and swept Harry in to a huge hug that hurt his ribs.
"I'm so glad McGonagall picked you to take over the team; maybe now we have a chance to get the cup back from Slytherin again".
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked her, noticing the Weasleys Wizardly Wheezes flashing badges she was wearing.
"Well I work here, I mean, I got signed up for Little Hallow QT but they don't pay very well, so I work here in my spare time".
"Hey that's quite a good team Angelina" added Ron who came up to join them. "I didn't know Fred and George made robes" said Harry leaning forwards to prod the invisible pocket but got clobbered around the head by the mannequin instead, which then stalked off to the other end of the shop and started demonstrating its invisible pockets to Ginny.
"Oh we don't make robes" Angelina explained "you attach the pockets to your own robes with a sticking spell. They're really clever".
"Great, I'm having some of them then! Where's Fred and George?"
"Right behind you Harry mate". Harry turned as Fred and George emerged from a side door, both wearing their green dragon skin suits again.
"Well what do you think?" asked George.
"It's brilliant, I didn't realise you had invented so much stuff" exclaimed Harry.
"Yep its one hundred percent all Weasley merchandise; no outside suppliers. Where's mum?"
"Gone to get our book" answered Ron. The bell above the shop door rang and as Harry turned round he saw a group of boys come in to the shop. He recognised two of them as Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas. Ginny left Tonks who was busy with the mannequin trying to retrieve her wand out of its pocket; and went over to them.
"Ron!" Hermione warned him in a wary voice. Harry looked around at him and laughed when he saw that Ron was grinding his teeth and flexing his fingers. "Relax little bro; Deans all right. Besides, he's the one that would be scattered in pieces if he did anything to hurt Ginny … literally. Did you see her black boils jinx the other day?"
They all laughed except Ron who was still watching them out of the corner of his eye. Fred and George gave them a tour around the shop; including the mail order packaging room out the back. Mrs Weasley returned as Harry was paying for his things.
"Your making him pay?!" she scolded.
"Well business is business mum. We'll see you guys later for tea; glad you like the shop Harry".
"Right Madam Malkins, follow me" Mrs Weasley called heading for the door. "Tonks you take the rear".
It took an hour for them all to have their measurements taken and their new robes parcelled up. Mrs Weasley was still waiting for Ginnys' when Ron asked if they could go and get their potions ingredients because they were bored waiting.
"Oh dear where's Tonks gone?" Mrs Weasley looked round the shop. "Well I suppose its safe enough just stay together and wait for me there".
Back out in Diagon Alley, the sun was shining and witches and wizards bustled from shop to shop though Harry noticed that there weren't quite as many as usual.
"I'm going to just nip in here and get a new quill. I'll catch up with you" Ginny announced and sped off in to the shop before anyone could answer.
"Do you think we should go in with her?" Hermione looked indecisive.
"Na she'll be fine; you heard Fred and George nobody's going to mess with her are they, and besides look around, there's aurors everywhere" said Ron and they carried on walking down Diagon Alley to the apothecary, with Hermione looking back every now and again over her shoulder. Harry looked around and suddenly noticed all the witches and wizards stood in doorways and dark corners, wands out ready for action.
They were just reaching the doorway of the apothecary when there was a loud bang that shook all the shop windows, which came from the other end of Diagon Alley. Standing on his tiptoes to try and look over the heads of all the people that had stopped in their tracks, Harry could see black smoke rising in to the air. Almost immediately all the aurors came tearing out of their hiding, and visible, places and went charging through the crowds, wands drawn, to find the source of the bang.
"Merlin's beard! What on earth was that" explained Ron gawping down the street.
"I don't know but we should get in the shop out of the way quick" said Hermione trying to push Ron up the steps towards the door. But as she did so there was an insane cackle coming from behind them. They all spun round and came face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange and two death eaters whose faces were covered by black robes.
"Cruciatus!" she shouted, her wand rose at lightening speed and a jet of green light flew towards them.
"Protego!" Harry, Ron and Hermione yelled at the same time; but instead of a small shield of light forming in front of each of them, one big shield formed covering all three of them. It rippled as the curse hit it but did not break. The curse rebounded backwards and hit the death eater on Bellatrixs left. Bellatrix started to point her wand at the shield again along with the remaining death eater.
"Cast together, it will be stronger" she yelled at him. At that moment Draco Malfoy came out of the shop door next to Bellatrix and she spun round with her wand aimed straight at him.
"Accio Draco" Hermione screamed and Malfoy flew threw the air and landed in a heap at her side, but behind the shield which had remained intact because of Harry and Ron.
"Protego!" Ginny shouted running up from behind them and the shield spread to cover the entire width of the alleyway.
Harry was concentrating hard on the shield like Lupin had taught them but he could still hear people crying and yelling for help behind them.
Bellatrix stared open-mouthed as the masked death eater continued to throw curses and jinxes at the shield but it continued to hold, protecting everyone on Harry's side.
"Down here!" came a yell as Tonks, Moody and Kingsley came flying down Diagon Alley and emerged through the shocked crowd behind Harry.
"Run now" shouted Bellatrix fleeing back towards Gringotts and tearing down towards Knockturn Alley.
"Petrificus Totalus!" screamed Ginny hitting the fleeing death eater sending him crashing to the floor, frozen and unable to move.
"Nice work Ginny!" exclaimed Tonks who was poking the frozen death eater. Aurors continued running down through the crowd, and raced on towards Knockturn Alley on Moodys' orders to try and catch Bellatrix Lestrange. Moody himself, was tying up the other death eater that had been knocked out by Bellatrixs rebounded curse. "Anton Dolohov" he said as he pulled back the hood. "Who've you got Tonks?"
"What the … Charles Baddock, Moody! We weren't watching him were we?"
"You sure?" said Moody using his wand to lift up his prisoner to move closer to Tonks so that he could get a closer look. "Jeepers it is too!"
"Baddock?" said Ron. "Isn't there a Malcolm Baddock in your year Ginny?"
"Yeah he is" she answered, as an almighty shriek came from behind them, startling quite a few people.
"You're alive! Come here, what happened, arghhh!" Mrs Weasley shrieked again as she saw the death eaters on the floor.
"Calm down Molly, they are fine" said Tonks.
"You've really got the hang of that shield charm now haven't you" added Moody "Though I didn't know Ginny was having lessons too".
Mrs Weasley looked down at her. "But she's not! How did you know it?"
"Harry taught me in DA meetings last term, the small shield I mean, I don't know how I knew to add on to theirs, I just kind of did".
"Draco!" came a woman's voice as she walked out of the shop that Draco had come out of earlier, and walked sedately across the alley towards him, looking down her nose at Harry and Hermione as she passed them.
"I told you to wait for me". Harry recognised Narcissa Malfoy from the Quidditch World Cup two years ago.
"Funny seeing you here Mrs Malfoy" stated Moody, rising up off his knee to look her in the eye.
"I don't know what you mean Alastor; I was in the shop getting Draco a new cauldron the whole time. You can check if you like. Come Draco we have to get your books straighten your robes". Draco had just gotten up off the floor and was looking a bit dishevelled. As Narcissa swept off back up the Alley, Draco glared hatefully at Hermione and then stalked off after his mother.
"Well you'd think he would be more grateful wouldn't you after you just saved his life" Harry said to Hermione.
"Yeah why did you do that?" asked Ron.
"Enough people have died already, don't you think!" Hermione snapped back.
"Look at the bright side" said Moody joining them "He owes you a debt now and you never know when it may come in handy". Harry thought back to when he saved Peter Pettigrew and Dumbledore had told him the same thing then.
"You did the right thing Hermione dear and I'm proud of you" Mrs Weasley told her and Hermione went bright red but looked pleased with herself all the same.
Kingsley came running up then with another auror that Harry recognised as Dawlish. He was one of the aurors that had tried to arrest Dumbledore in his office last year on Fudges' orders.
"No sign of her, we are still searching but she's vanished by the looks of it" Kingsley told Moody.
"Right, Dawlish" commanded Moody "Get back to the ministry and get the transportation department to check if the floo network in and out of Knockturn Alley has been used in the last half hour. Kingsley, get Beckett and then the two of you and Tonks can take Baddock and Dolohov back to the dungeons. I'll meet you there in a bit; I'm going to take Molly and the kids' home".
Kingsley ran back down to a group of aurors to, presumably, fetch Beckett. It was only then that Harry realised what Moody was wearing. Under his black robe he was wearing a green tartan kilt with a pink shirt and leg warmers.
"It was you!" grinned Harry. Moody look confused. "At the chemist window, you winked at me" explained Harry; Moodys face pulled what looked like a smile, while the others still gazed at Harry puzzled.
One port key later they were all back at Grimmauld Place. Hermione had run in and got their potion ingredients as that was all they had left to do and then Moody had brought them home. "Tea Alastor?" Mrs Weasley asked as she rushed around the kitchen getting food ready. With all the commotion they hadn't gotten round to having breakfast.
"Ron go and send your father an owl telling him we are all okay and are back at Sirius' so we won't be meeting him for lunch". But there was no need because as she finished her sentence Mr Weasley came tearing in through the kitchen door.
"Are you alright, I just heard" he gasped.
"They're fine Arthur. Right I'll leave them with you; I've got to get back to the Ministry" said Moody.
"Thank you Alastor. Will you be back for dinner? I'm cooking roast beef" asked Mrs Weasley.
"I'm not sure Molly, I'll let you know later" he called as he left the kitchen. As the door closed, Mr Weasley sat at the kitchen table as Ron and Hermione told him all about their encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry sat back letting them tell it; thinking about how peculiar the whole event had been. He looked at Ron's' face as he spoke a mile a minute with a huge grin on it, and Mr Weasley gazed open-mouthed at him, hooked on every word. Every now and then Hermione and Mrs Weasley would jump in and add a bit to the story too.
"Merlin's beard" exclaimed Mr Weasley at the end. "And you're sure there were only three. You didn't see anyone else hanging around that may have looked out of place, well except the Malfoys I mean".
"No Dad" said Ron. "But then we were a bit busy to really notice anyone else Mr Weasley" added Hermione.
"Oh but you noticed Draco, Hermione" Ron said sarcastically.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hermione demanded spinning round to glare at Ron.
"Now, now dears; I think we have all had enough excitement for one day" Mrs Weasley intervened, putting two large plates of sandwiches on the table. "Take one plate each and go to your rooms and put your new school things away. You can tidy your rooms too while your at it, your room looks like a bombs hit it Ron. That should keep you occupied till dinners ready".
Hermione picked up one of the large plates and stalked out of the kitchen with Ginny hot on her heels, glaring at Ron as she passed. Ron snatched the other plate and Harry followed him out.
"Okay spill, what's going on?" Harry asked Ron as soon as the bedroom door had shut. "Don't know what you mean" Ron replied grumpily, banging the plate of sandwiches down on to the chest of drawers that they shared.
"You know exactly what I mean, snapping at Hermione again. I've seen you sneaking looks at her all the time too. And there's the Krum thing when you were jealous of him. If you want to go out with her, just ask her. It'll make life a bit easier for everyone else too without the pair of you bickering constantly".
Ron sat on the bed and looked round at Harry thoroughly depressed. "I have asked her Harry" he admitted picking a small patch of worn carpet to stare at, waiting for Harry's' response. "She said she wanted to think about it. She wasn't sure whether now was the right time and didn't want it to affect ALL our relationships. She said it would change things and we had to think of you too".
"When?" asked Harry incredulously, how could Ron not tell him something this important.
"Well when we are out in a group I suppose, she thinks you'll feel uncomfortable" Ron answered.
"Not that you idiot!" Harry laughed "When did you ask her?"
"Well there's no need to laugh at me Harry; look how long it took you to ask Cho out, moping round the place all the time. You weren't exactly a bundle of laughs to be around then. I mean, are we from different planets or something, I just don't get it! If a girl asked a boy out we would be right there! But if a boy asks a girl out, she has to THINK about it. She leaves you in agony for weeks while she discusses it with her little pack of friends and then summons YOU to give her decision".
"You've been waiting for a while haven't you?" chuckled Harry trying really hard to keep a straight face.
"Uh hello!! Teenager in pain here! Stop laughing. Last time I tell you anything personal". Ron went back to staring at the floor moodily. Then after a few seconds silence continued "…and to top it all off, she decides to stop our evil greasy haired arch-nemesis from being jinxed by one of his own; leaving our shield weaker and us in danger from an insane mad witch. I'm beginning to think there's a pattern what with Krum as well".
"Your comparing Viktor Krum to Draco Malfoy?" laughed Harry; this was just too funny.
"She goes for the bad ones, the EXCITING ones!" Ron continued ranting punching the pillow on his bed, completely oblivious now to Harry. Striding over to the chest of drawers, Harry grabbed a sandwich and then strode over to where Ron was sitting on the bed and shoved it in to his mouth to shut him up.
"You've completely lost it mate. You should have told me all this earlier. I wondered why you'd been sniping at each other … Look I know you and I know Hermione. I bet you anything she's just letting you stew; getting her own back for when you didn't ask her to the Yule Ball. She likes you just as much as you like her, I'm sure of it! Now stop acting like a nutter and stop with the snide little comments. She can see you're jealous; hell we can ALL see you're jealous. So maybe if you start to act like you don't care anymore then she'll get bored and give you an answer. Oh and you never answered when it was you asked her out".
"Beginning of the summer holidays" Ron replied "when we first both got here. I figured with everything that had happened with Sirius maybe I should ask her while I still could".
The piece of sandwich Harry had been eating got stuck in his throat when he heard this and he had to swallow hard. "You did the right thing Ron. Did you tell Hermione that was why you were asking her?"
"No" replied Ron reaching towards the plate for another sandwich but Harry stopped him by moving it. "Well maybe you should".
Ron got up and looked at Harry. "Do you really think it will help?"
"I don't know" answered Harry. "But if it was me, I'd want to know something like that". Ron took one last desperate look at Harry and left the room. Harry listened to his feet climbing the stairs and suddenly felt the urge to look through the photo album that he'd been hiding at the bottom of his trunk since his birthday. Wanting to see a picture of Sirius smiling and not the memory of him screaming that Harry recalled so vividly from his dream. And maybe, just maybe, tomorrow he would start going through Sirius' belongings.
Half an hour later Ron still hadn't come back and Harry was just putting the photo album back in the trunk when he heard the front door slam shut. He walked out on to the landing and looked over the banister down in to the hallway. Remus Lupin and Mr Weasley walked up from the direction of the kitchen to meet Mad Eye Moody and, to Harry's horror, Professor Severus Snape. Harry hadn't had much to do with him since the episode with the pensieve and he wasn't in any hurry to encounter him now.
As Harry moved back from the banister he caught sight of Ron and Hermione on the landing above him, their faces reflected on the glass dial of an old barometer hanging on the opposite wall. They too were watching the meeting down in the hallway. As Harry looked upwards he also saw Ginny on the next landing up from Ron.
"I don't think we need to discuss the matter any further here where LITTLE ears could be listening" Snapes voice boomed suddenly and Harry quickly retreated in to his room not daring to look down to see if Snape had seen them. Within a couple of seconds there were two pops and Hermione and Ron appeared beside him. A little after that Ginny snuck in to the room having taken the stairs.
"What do you think that was all about then?" Ron asked nobody in particular. "Probably about what happened in Diagon Alley. I guess we'll find out at dinner" answered Hermione still watching the open bedroom door.
"You guys have no sense of adventure" laughed Ginny and smiling menacingly held up four pairs of Fred and Georges' extendable ears from her right hand, waving them in the air.
Five minutes later all four of them were hiding in the corner at the end of the hallway in the alcove by the study with the wire from the extendable ears trailing further along the corridor and poking underneath the study door. Ginny and Hermione were pressed up against the wall listening, with Harry and Ron knelt down and peered round the corner to check nobody came up the corridor. All of them were wearing the receiver end of the extendable ears.
Professor Snape was just talking about there being no organised meeting between Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, when a loud cough came from behind them. They all spun round to come face to face with a red faced, clearly angry Tonks.
"Where did you come from?" asked a stunned Ron peering round her at the wall. Tonks took two steps backwards and pulled aside a large black and grey tapestry, revealing the stairs which were hidden behind it.
"Down" she said simply but authoratively pointing down the stairs. Without a word Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny trudged nervously down the steps.
"What are you doing Tonks dear, I thought you were going up to the meeting?" Mrs Weasley asked as they all entered the kitchen and Tonks came in behind them.
"I thought the kids might be hungry so I called them for dinner instead" she replied taking a seat at the end of the table. Mrs Weasley looked at the tapestry covering the stairs they had just come down and then at the teenagers stood before her but she didn't say anything. She knows, Harry thought to himself as they all sat at the table with Tonks; and he wondered why she never told them off. Instead she had Ginny and Hermione lay the table with thirteen place settings while she carried on monitoring the dinner.
Twenty minutes later the kitchen door opened and Mr Weasley, Moody, Lupin and Professor Snape came in and sat at the table. As soon as they were seated Mrs Weasley started serving dinner. Snape was glaring at Harry when Mr Weasley asked them how much they had heard. After a brief few seconds silence Hermione bravely answered "only a bit … just about Mrs Malfoy not meeting anyone and then Tonks found us".
Mrs Weasley sat down at the table having finished putting all the food on the table just as the door opened and Percy and the twins came in. "Right well, now everyone is here I suppose we had better fill you in" said Moody.
The Floo network had been checked but no fireplaces in Knockturn Alley had been used an hour before or an hour after Bellatrixs' attack. "What about Portkeys?" asked Percy.
"None registered and the Department of Transport has been really strict with those lately as well so it's more likely they apparated in somewhere and it's not likely that anyone who has business down Knockturn Alley is going to admit to have been there let alone seen anything" replied Tonks.
"The question is was she there to meet anyone or was she there for Harry?" Mr Weasley stated to nobody in particular. "Well there's been no dementor activity at all in Little Whinging since the day Harry left" Moody grunted " which makes you wonder how they knew he had been removed, somebody must have told them, either that or you were seen leaving Harry".
"No Minerva would have known if anybody had been around" Mrs Weasley replied "it has to be a coincidence because for it to have happened that soon would mean that it was one of us that told … him".
"Everyone has a price" Snape stated matter of factly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mrs Weasley said angrily.
Moody quickly changed the subject; he had questioned Charles Baddock and Anton Dolohov but hadn't got much information out of them. "We tried Veritaserum but even that didn't help much. Seems Baddock may have been under the imperius curse. Either that or he just wasn't in the loop".
"Or he wasn't trusted enough to be given any information about the others" added Lupin.
"But you would know whether he was under the imperius curse Professor wouldn't you, after all that's why your supposed to be there" Harry said to Professor Snape. As soon as he had said it though he shrank back into his chair and gulped as Snapes' mouth curled at the edges in to his usual snarl.
"Unfortunately Mr Potter as the dark lords' followers have increased in number; I am not privy to the thoughts and inclinations of every single death eater".
"Do we know how long he's been with … Voldemort?" Percy asked.
"No" continued Moody "Serverus has seen him a couple of times with the other death eaters but we don't know when he joined".
"It's not like we have all the death eaters names in a nice filing cabinet complete with addresses" Snape added sarcastically.
"More peas anyone?" Mr Weasley announced quickly bewitching two bowls of peas to float up in the air; one shooting over to Mrs Weasley while the other hovered in front of Professor Snape.
"What about Mr Dolohov" Hermione asked watching the glares between Mrs Weasley and Professor Snape.
"Absolutely nothing out of him" continued Lupin.
"Oh I wouldn't say that" Moody interrupted. "He smiled when we mentioned Randall Zeller; he knows something. And at least we know now that they had something to do with his disappearance".
"We still can't prove that either" added Snape sardonically.
"Where will you put them?" asked Ron "They've already broken one lot of death eaters out of Azkaban its not exactly safe to send them back there is it".
"That is still being decided" answered Lupin.
"And I still haven't finished with them yet" added Moody.
After a few moments silence Fred asked about Narcissa Malfoy. "It can't just be a coincidence; her husband one of the main death eaters has just escaped and she just happens to be in Diagon Alley when her mad cousin attacks Harry? That was no accident she had to have been meeting her".
"Like I've said all day now, she was not there to meet Bellatrix Lestrange, there was no planned meeting".
"How can you be so sure?" asked Ginny boldly. "Now I know we aren't supposed to ask too many questions about what you do but how can you be sure that your getting the right information about what's going on? How do you know that Voldemort isn't telling you what he wants us to think is happening? Have you seen Lucius Malfoy? How do we know that you aren't lying?".
"Ginny! What on earth are you saying, apologise now!" shrieked Mrs Weasley as Mr Weasley choked on the piece of beef he was eating and had to be slapped repeatedly on the back by Lupin. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione who were both gawping open-mouthed at Ginny then he looked over to Professor Snape to see his reaction.
Calmly Snape put down his knife and fork and turned to Mrs Weasley and said through gritted teeth, "thank you for dinner Molly it was lovely but I really must be leaving now. Things to do, as YOU know". He stood, glared at Harry and Ginny as he walked towards the kitchen door, then left.
"Ginny Imelda Weasley I have NEVER been so mortified by you in my entire life; it even comes close to the humiliation of Fred and George getting expelled from school".
"Hey we didn't get expelled we left voluntarily" interrupted George.
"Only before Umbridge and Filch had a chance to throw you out".
"Shut up Percy!" Fred, George and Mrs Weasley shouted in unison.
"You had no right to say those things. Serverus is risking his life to help us and … while I may not be a huge supporter of his; I do trust Dumbledore and I will NOT have you questioning his decisions. Do you understand me?!" Mrs Weasley spat the words out as she stood at the end of the table, her shadow towering down over everyone while she glared angrily at Ginny.
"Yes mum" answered Ginny meekly but Harry noticed that she wasn't cowering in her seat like the rest of the people at the table were.
"Now I think its time you went to your rooms, you have an hour till bedtime. You can help Harry revise for his apparition test", Mrs Weasley spoke slightly calmer this time.
"Not you Percy, sit" she said as Percy rose from his chair to leave with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny. Everybody walked quickly towards the kitchen door. Harry was the last out and just as he was shutting the door he distinctly heard Moody say "Well the girl's got a point" but he was immediately silenced by a flying tea towel courtesy of Mrs Weasley.