The Silence of a Graveyard

"Put the sphere back in your pocket," said Roy, "and don't drive yourself crazy."

Albus let the happiness barometer slide back into his pocket. Roy gripped his shoulders and looked him firmly in the eye:

"We don't know what this omen means. We also don't know if it's related to Ulysses. But we do know one thing: We are Slytherins! If we have to take a hit, we keep our heads straight, don't make a face, stay on both feet and don't let anything or anyone knock us down, understand?"

Albus nodded. Roy continued:

"We are the serpent, not the rabbit scared of it! We don't ask anxiously what will happen! We wait calmly and then decide what we are going to do!"

Albus nodded again, this time more convinced and determined. Roy's words did him good.

"Thank you," he said, "I'm feeling better now!"

"Do you need a Pep spell after all?"

Albus shook his head. He even smiled a little.

"I just got that from you and it's enough for me."

Since Albus already knew, Roy decided to immediately inform the other Incorruptibles sitting together at the breakfast table as well.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Arabella.

Roy shook his head. "All the arrangements are made. If there is anything you can do, you will hear it from me or Albus. Just behave like you always do. If there are no Aurors showing up, no special edition of the Daily Prophet being issued and so on, so if nothing unusual is happening, you may assume that all has gone well."

There was nothing unusual happening throughout the day. Albus, always thinking of Roy's words, managed to behave normally and the further the day went on, the more confident he became that his dad had succeeded.

Like almost all Hogwarts students, the Incorruptibles were sitting to dinner at around six o'clock when the owls arrived to distribute the regular evening edition of the Daily Prophet to its subscribers. Hor-Hor, who was the only first-year to subscribe to the newspaper, glanced at the headline, stared at Albus sitting opposite him and slid the paper to him without a comment, while the babble of voices that filled the Great Hall was fading until it died away completely and gave way to a depressing silence.

AFTER MURDER ASSAULT ON MINISTER:

HARRY POTTER ARRESTED!

FORMER AUROR HEAD FACING DEATH PENALTY!

London, 10 January. According to the Ministry of Magic, former Auror-in-Chief Harry Potter was overwhelmed and arrested as he attempted to assassinate Minister for Magic Hermione Granger-Weasley. Potter, who had recently become conspicuous several times for his sympathies with Death Eater circles and had therefore been removed from his position, had gained access to the Ministry under the protection of an Invisibility Cloak and attacked the Minister in her office. Thanks to the intervention of MSO head Cesar Anderson, the Minister remained almost uninjured. Since Potter had taken the appearance of the Minister through Polyjuice, it is assumed that he intended to take her place after killing her.

The Minister expressed her dismay that Potter, of all people, with whom she had been friends for many years, had allowed himself to be carried away to such an act under the influence of Death Eater ideology. Verbatim she said: "From this day forward, no one can claim ignorance of the mortal danger still posed to the Magical State by the Death Eaters and their murderous ideology."

In response to the attack, the Minister has issued the Emergency Decree for the Protection of the Magical State, reintroducing death penalty with retroactive effect from 1 January 2018, for murder, high treason, all violent offences and the use of the Unforgivable Curses, provided they are related to treasonable or subversive endeavours. The Ministry confirmed that the decree is applicable to the Potter case.

According to Ministry sources, the punishment is to be carried out by beheading, in line with tradition ...

Albus didn't read any further. He had been expecting many things and had prepared himself inwardly for bad news, but not for one like this.

When he raised his head, he looked into hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at him in horror, while on the other side of the hall the same gazes were on James. Albus searched and found his brother's gaze.

Pale, but with his head held high, he stood up and walked through the dead silence to the Gryffindor table. James rose as well.

"Let's get out of here," Albus whispered to his brother.

Victoire had stood up as well. "Would you like me to come with you?" she asked softly and gently.

"Yes, please," James replied.

Her path to the exit led past Rose, who was staring straight ahead into space, pale and trembling. Albus stopped, bent down to her and asked in a very low voice:

"Rose?"

She didn't move.

"Rose?"

Rose swallowed and closed her eyes.

"Rose, are we still friends?"

After a few endless seconds, she opened her teary eyes. At last she nodded.

"Come with us," Albus said.

When she stood up as if in a trance, Albus took her by the hand. She did not withdraw it.

The Potters and the Weasleys left the Great Hall together.

What remained was the silence of a graveyard.