Disclaimer: JKR owns HP world, I own my AU and Ocs- end of debate!

Chapter 52

Minister Amelia Bones, though was sorted into the Hufflepuff house of Hogwarts, could easily have found her own place among the sharpest Ravenclaws. Currently, she was standing in the corridor where all the action had taken place half an hour ago. She had watched her aurors being carried away to 's and had been ever since staring at the Ghostly apparitions of what could only be undead soldiers of muggle medieval times. But there were other things that did not escape her eyes. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Blaise Zabini were not as shocked as the others were.

Turning to her head auror she whispered, "Get Zabini and meet me at my office. And order this corridor to be sealed off. Not one auror speaks of this to the press, or else I will have your head!" She had swiftly turned and walked back into the elevator.

As soon as the door closed, Kingsley grabbed the Italian by the hand. Pushing him into an empty room, locking and silencing the door for good measure, he turned. "She doubts. She will stop at nothing until she finds out the truth. Both Snape and Hermione's life is in danger. We need Snape back. Those bags of heavy metal and bones- I don't remember I have felt this unsettled before. We have been summoned at her office. I am certain what she is going to harp upon…"

Blaise cut in, "Sir, why us, we…"

Shacklebolt barked, "We weren't that good at pretending that this was the first time we saw that deadly undead company of ghosts! She will want to know why!"

Blaise raised his hands in surrender, "Well, we tell her a story…!"

"Seriously, Zabini, Bones will not listen to your bedtime stories!"

"Sir, but we can tell her that it has to do with something that Hermione was neck-deep into! Sir, do consider, she will learn of this Undead knights are already guarding Granger's Gringotts Vault tomorrow morning. And she will learn about the one at Hogwarts…"

Grabbing the young man's sleeve Shacklebolt snarled," And who will tell her?"

"None of us sir, but she will notice it, until, unless, Headmaster Snape can find a way to make it disappear."

Pushing away from the young official of Magical creatures division, the Head Auror paced up and down the small room. Then he conjured up his patronus and after mumbling his message he turned at the other.

"What happened back at Shell's Cottage?"

"Seamus is still there, Headmaster is slightly better though I will bet all my money, he is bloody shaken by all this. He knows about the book I was reading."

"The one about wizardry war artifacts."

"The same."

"I see, so you're telling me, there is a link…"

"It is plausible. But I am thinking who imperioed Tracy? And what was she sent to retrieve?"

"Bones will ask that too. For once in my life I don't have answers and I don't like this one bit."

"Sir, we can trust Snape. He is a hard nut to crack. I know that. He will get to the bottom of all this." rubbing his face to ease away the tension Zabini peered up at Shacklebolt, "Sir what do we tell Madam Bones, for now?"

"We should simply push her into meeting Snape. No stories, no lies, just diplomatic answers. She had been in the Order of Pheonix, at least she had assisted it indirectly. She will bend if she knows the Order can help her once again. That woman just needs to be shown that a very promising young woman's life is in danger." Swinging the door open he nodded back and both wizards walked out.

Just an hour after Snape, Lupin, Minerva, Harry, George and the other Weasley's were settled themselves at the Shell Cottage, Bill alerted them, "The Ministry is here just as expected." He was looking out, perhaps waiting for them to arrive anytime. Snape settled himself on the transfigured cot, with Draco and Minerva settled at the other single armchairs, facing him. The Weasley family members were either catching up with their sleep or helping out in preparing a decent breakfast.

The potion master looked up from the small cot and drawled, "By all means invite them in."

The Minister drove start to the point, " Severus, I have been a clandestine Order member, please if you know anything, tell me." Pointing at Kingsley and Zabini, "these two, are my men, but they seem to parrot your words," the Headmaster just arched his brow.

"They tell me you have had an episode, that your magic acted up or something and that you needed to be removed from Hogwarts. But why here! Why not go to St. Mungo's? I know when I am being lied to! For Albus's sake, Minerva, those Knights have killed a person, imperioed or not. The press will question me, and all I know is that someone was foolish enough to call the Buir Na Mara knights..."

Snape sat up, making the Minister lean back into her chair, "What did you say?!"

"Why those are Buir na mara knights aren't they? The knights that were only loyal to the house of 'Roar of the Sea'. I remember reading somewhere…"

But Snape was leaning too close to her," Where, where did you read it?"

"In Gryffindor's own journal, where else!"

Minerva exclaimed," Godric Gryffindor had a journal! Amelia, do you have it, where did you find it?"

"At Hogwarts Library, in the personal study of Gryffindor, I happened to locate it by luck."

Draco spoke out of turn, "We can go now and…"

Shaking her head, Madam Bones confirmed, "I don't think you will be able to locate it, I remember Dumbledore and Madam Pince sealing it off. I mean I didn't see that happen…"

Minerva cut in," Yes! They had to seal off the former personal studies of former members of the staff because there were several reports of old books disappearing from the library. But as far as I remember that room was empty, bare…"

"But, when I found it, it was a proper personal study."

Snape barked, "Where do you think Amelia the journal went? Who saw you go in that secret room, whom did you tell? Who knew of it other than you of course, Because I remember spending hours in the Library, still I never found such treasures myself."

"It was in my first year, but I remember walking into Abraxas Malfoy the last time I walked out of that room. He was on the board of governors."

"Did you mention it to Dumbledore or Madam Pince?", McGanagall questioned.

Snape replied on behalf of the Minister, "No, she didn't, damn it! She was just a first year, why on earth would she dare to approach the Headmaster or the Librarian! They would think she is upto some mischief instead! ", turning to his godson, who stood up at once, he ordered, "Go back home, and look for it!"

Turning to the wary Minister of Magic he scrutinized her closely. At length he brought out the same parchment with the list of signatures, "I will talk only after you sign this."

She hesitantly caught hold of the parchment and the offered quill and had read aloud,

" I hereby swear that I will assist whosoever wishes to aid Hermione Granger and find a solution to the mysterious circumstances that she has the misfortune of encountering and thereby fall ill in the process. I will not speak or hint or write or inform any soul about the presence of the Knights of the Undead. If I break the code of secrecy I will pay dearly. I hereby declare my alliance with Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Harry Potter and extend it to all included members of the Order of the Phoenix."

Looking at the others present in the room, Madam Bones, for the first time felt their combined power. She understood what it was like to be at the forefront of the Order of Phoenix. Without wasting time, she put down her full signature. Following her, Snape urged both Shacklebolt and Finnigan to sign the parchment. She expected Snape to embark upon a fantastic tale, but the man disappointed her by saying she could think about calling on the goblins for the much awaited meeting in the meantime, she should allow him to visit the sealed corridor, but he would come much later into the night.

When the three walked back to the apparition point close to the protective wards of the Shell Cottage, they were joined by both Minerva and Snape. Madam Bone had turned to the headmaster, still trying to fathom his many secrets, when she heard a crack of Apparition behind her. The three officials spun around wands in their hands, to find a harried, panting and frightened Healer Norman looking back. She lunged forward and could have fallen if Seamus was not close enough to help her find her footing. Still panting, the elderly witch managed to say, "Get Snape right now! A new magical field, a charging ghost! Hermione is bleeding! Get Snape, Now!"