XIII—Bright Light after the Darkness
The ceiling of the Great Hall was cloudy and raining throughout breakfast the next morning, Harry watched as Ginny, paler than Nearly Headless Nick, picked melancholically at her meal hardly eating a bite. Afterward, she approached Ron, looking sleep deprived and worried. She asked to have a private word with her brother. Ron rolled his eyes, wanting nothing more than to sit next to Hermione and watch her read the Daily Prophet she had just received.
In a quiet, voice laced with stress she said, "Ron, it's very important."
"Don't worry, mate, Hermione's not going anywhere, I'll watch her for you," Harry joked with a smile aimed at Ginny, hoping to cheer her up some. However, he had a feeling that his attempt was lost on her.
Hermione clicked her tongue, irritated that Harry would think of goading him. Ron gave him a jealous glare before getting up and following his sister out of the Great Hall for a more private conversation.
Hermione had finished paying the owl for bringing her paper when suddenly she gasped, "Oh my goodness, Harry read this!" Finishing his glass of pumpkin juice, Harry pushed his glasses further up his face and began reading over her shoulder.
With a short, front page article, there was a picture of a finely dressed businessman, his face obscured with a white cloth, lying on the floor of a well furnished office. The picture was animated; other people around the motionless body seemed to be searching for clues.
''
MINISTRY OF MAGIC, A TOMB!
It was a deadly day yesterday for the Ministry of Magic. After the offices closed for the night, a body was discovered by a member of the cleaning staff in the Minister for Magic's private office. Percival Weasley, the Minister for Magic's personal assistant, is dead this morning of the Avada Kedavra curse, which was performed by an unknown witch or wizard.
The staff that found the body, as well as Rufus Scrimgeour and other top Ministry members has been taken in for questioning by the Aurors who are conducting a full investigation.
We managed to track down the person who found the body to gain insight on the situation, "I don't know, I just went in there to do a little dusting and he was lying there all dead," said the staff member who remains anonymous until his questioning is complete. "Well, I'm not really supposed to say anything, but there's been a rumor going around about how deep He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has infiltrated the Ministry."
We spoke to a responding Auror, "I don't have anything to say except that we assume He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is behind this."
It is uncertain whether Weasley was involved in the recent Ministry infiltration scandal but a full investigation is going to commence. Weasley's immediate family could not be reached for questioning.
''
"This is horrible," Harry whispered.
Tears were in Hermione's eyes and she brought her hand up to her mouth, "This must be what Ginny wanted to talk to Ron about. She must already know."
"I know," he said, bringing her into a hug. "He wasn't a nice person, nothing like the other Weasleys, but he didn't deserve this," he paused, "Get your emotions out of your system because Ron's going to need your support."
She nodded into his chest taking deep gulping breaths. "Yeah," she said, wiping her eyes and looking to Harry. Her eyes followed his to the staff table where, it seemed, that the staff had just finished reading the news as well and were looking to each other for answers.
"After what happened to Mr. Weasley two years ago and Bill last year; why do bad things have to happen to such a wonderful family?" Hermione wondered rhetorically.
Through a clouded mind swirling with detached thoughts, Harry wondered the same thing.
"I'm going to see if Ron needs anything," Hermione said, bidding farewell to Harry and dashing out of the Great Hall.
Harry was not alone for long. Predictably, after all of his friends had gone, Gwen came up to him, sitting herself in the seat next to his. She had confessed herself to him a month ago and after a period of awkwardness, she still had not received the hint. However, Harry had bigger things to think of than how much Gwen wants to be with him.
"What is it, Harry, you don't seem yourself this morning," she said concernedly.
Slightly irritated he said, "Well, like every other morning, I wake up to find somebody else has died at the hands of Voldemort. This morning had one exception; I knew the person." Without a comment from her, he gathered his things and left Gryffindor table for the staff table. Gwen sighed depressively as she watched him say something to the Head Master and make his way out of the Great Hall.
''
Harry had not seen Ron or Ginny all that day, neither had Hermione. In response to the terrible news he had read in the Daily Prophet, he scheduled a meeting with his teacher and colleague, Professor McGonagall. That evening, Harry sat in waiting in the Head Master's office. He had come prepared to discuss business. He admired Dumbledore's sleeping portrait while he awaited Professor McGonagall's arrival.
"Harry, what is it you want to see me about? Is this something about your class?" She asked amicably as Harry had been rather vague on the details of his reason for wanting to meet with her so suddenly.
"No, this is about Percy Weasley," he stated shortly.
McGonagall sighed, "I see."
Harry had fretted all day about Ron and Ginny and how they were dealing with the situation. He and Hermione both felt sick with waiting for details on his death.
"I want to know what happened. I want to know where Ron and Ginny are."
McGonagall sat down in the Head Master's chair, "Harry, have a seat." Despite being dizzy with grief, he remained standing.
After a moment, when it was clear that he had established himself as the controller of the conversation, with is stance firm and his arms crossed over his chest, she continued. "The details of Percival's situation are unclear. The Aurors are looking into it. As for Ron and Ginny, under the Phoenix's watchful eye, they have gone to be with their family. I know that Percival had separated himself from the Weasley family in recent years, however, it is important that—"
"What if Voldemort finds that they're not in school—maybe this is an elaborate scheme to bring them away from Hogwarts—He'll use them against me just like he used Sirius," Harry was now pacing the small office, "They're in danger," he muttered.
McGonagall was holding her breath, her brow furrowed in confusion. She understood his concern but said, "Harry, you're being paranoid. I am certain they are grieving with their family."
"Of course I am; he's done it before! He'll do it again!"
McGonagall sighed, "I am glad you came to see me, Harry, I want to speak with you about learning Amorarmor Annularion it is imperative that you begin your lessons immediately."
"Really?" Harry asked, taken aback. He had not expected to begin his training until after the school year had ended, however, he supposed that thought was selfish and cowardly, Of course I have to learn the spell as soon as possible, more deaths are happening every day. He swallowed.
"Who? Who will be training me?"
Professor McGonagall rose from her seat and walked around her desk. She waited for a moment before speaking, "The only teacher that would have been able to teach you this difficult curse, as you know, is deceased as of last June. However, just recently we have come into possession of the very thing that taught him how to maneuver the curse—"
"It's not a curse, it's a blessing," Harry said excitedly.
"Oh, Harry, believe me, it is a curse," McGonagall said sadly. She stopped by a shelf and picked out an enormous book that looked as if it had been bound in the sixteenth century. "This book was written by something of a committee of witches and wizards when magic became something commercialized; when people began using their wands more for cleaning their houses than for anything magical. Written long before the Americas were discovered and even before Hogwarts was founded so that the knowledge of deep magic would not be lost amongst all of the commercialization. It has been hidden for centuries. At first it was lost when its protectors died but somebody unexpectedly stumbled upon it, can you guess who, Harry?"
Harry shook his head clueless.
"It was found by Gryffindor himself and kept safely in Hogwarts."
Harry was dumbfounded, "You mean it's been here all along?"
"Almost. Dumbledore found it a long time ago and used Amorarmor Annularion against Grindewald but then it was lost and he could not find it for some time until recently."
Harry's face brightened in understanding he muttered, "Something from Gryffindor…"
"That's correct. Voldemort used it as a Horcrux and we have recovered it only recently," the book crackled reluctantly as she opened it. It was moldy and worn with hundreds of years of use. Its thick, yet frail, pages stained with water and time. The pages were clearly legible with elaborate text written in black ink. Harry was enraptured with the writing, and the sketched images associating each spell. The entire book was enchanting and Harry felt drawn to it. He wanted to sit and study every minute detail of it, trying out every spell it had to offer. He reached out to the pages but suddenly the crudely leather bound cover snapped shut. Harry shook his head and it cleared, he looked around, wondering where his thoughts had taken him to because he surely had not been in the Head Master's office.
"Harry, this book is powerful. It draws its readers to it and suddenly they thirst for information. Some of the information in here is not good. We need to focus. I will find the spell so that you can copy it out on a piece of parchment that you must guard with your life."
She began flipping through the book, un-phased by the power it held; perhaps she had been warned previously of its potential and was better disciplined than Harry. He took a role of parchment from his bag along with a quill and a bottle of ink. When the spell was found, she turned the book around to Harry and nodded. He swallowed the lump in his throat and began reading.
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