Resolutions
By Neurotica
Fourteen
Harry gave one final wave to his guardians and Mrs. Weasley before turning from the window of the train to face his friends. Ginny gave Harry a quick peck on the lips and quietly said she was going to find Luna Lovegood. Being Head Boy and Girl that year, Harry and Hermione had to go lead a Prefect meeting in which they would hand out predetermined corridor patrolling schedules—Ron would go with them. The redheaded boy only gave a half-shrug when he was reminded of his continuing Prefect duties (he'd been very silent since his father's death), and took Hermione's hand as though it was his only remaining lifeline.
As they walked to the Prefect compartment, Harry felt all sorts of eyes on him. When he looked, he recognized all the eyes to belong to Slytherins. As they passed Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, the Slytherin boy glared hard at Harry and his friends while Pansy cried on Blaise's shoulder. Quite used to ugly looks from this particular house, Harry ignored them and continued on his path.
The Prefect compartment was the largest on the train, since it had to hold twenty-six students all at once. The new Head Girl attempted to gather the attention of the chattering students by polite means—when this didn't succeed, Harry went with the Sirius-approach to silencing a crowd.
"OY! Shut up!" he bellowed. The new fifth year Prefects, who had all huddled in a corner of the compartment as if for protection from the older students, it seemed, started rather comically, and all the others stopped chattering immediately. "Thank you," Harry said politely. "All yours, 'Mione."
Hermione looked at him in both exasperation and amusement. "Thank you, Harry," she muttered, her lips twitching. She turned back to the Prefects and her cheeks began to turn red as she found all eyes looked on her. Harry mused she'd spent too much time with the Weasleys—she was starting to adopt their habits when she was embarrassed or put under pressure. She started to speak, but the compartment door slammed open, startling everybody again.
Harry looked over his shoulder and found the seventh year Slytherin Prefects Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson enter. "You're late," Harry said coldly, meeting Nott's glare.
"Sorry 'bout that," Nott said, not sounding the least bit sincere. "But, you see, Pansy's been a bit upset lately. It seems her boyfriend was murdered by Aurors."
Harry cast a glance over at Ron, who was sitting behind the two Slytherins; his best friend's jaw was clenched tightly. The Head Boy bit back a retort of "only after he killed someone else"—he didn't think Remus would be too happy with him getting suspended on the first day of his seventh year after he added a hard punch to Nott's arrogant face. "Sit," Harry said through gritted teeth. "Two points from Slytherin for being late for the first Prefect meeting of the term."
Naturally, this was met with loud protests from the other Slytherins; Harry somehow silenced them with a look. "Anyone who's late for a meeting this year will lose a point—Headmaster's orders. So if you don't like it, take it up with him."
The tension in the room was thicker than Sirius' head, as Remus often liked to put it, as Hermione rather shakily continued with their meeting. Harry knew nobody was listening to a word she said, and he could quite clearly see the cogs in Nott's head working overtime on ways to get back at Harry for putting his house in negative numbers so early in the term. Harry was sure that, at any minute, smoke would start coming out of Nott's ears from thinking too hard. But to his immense surprise and disappointment, the meeting ended without anything of the sort happening. Hermione dismissed the Prefects, reminding them to patrol the corridors every hour, and that they were to lead any stray first years to Hagrid upon arrival at Hogsmeade train station.
The two heads waited for their compartment to empty before going to sit on either side of Ron. His jaw was still clenched tightly—Harry could see white outlines of what he assumed to be Ron's teeth. Hermione looked over at Harry after failing to get Ron to respond to her. Harry looked back at her, clueless—he'd never been good at comforting people.
But he didn't even have a chance to attempt.
A loud screeching noise filled their compartment, startling Ron from his brooding. The trio looked at one another in confusion for a minute before Harry stood and went to the window. The scenery outside the train, normally only a blur of green and brown at this point of the journey to Hogwarts, was coming into focus, and Harry was able to pick out shapes of sheep in the field.
"We're slowing down..." Harry said, looking up and down the length of the train. "We're stopping..."
"Why?" Hermione asked, standing to join him at the window. "We're nowhere near Hogwarts yet."
Harry shook his head confusedly as the train finally came to a jerking stop, knocking Hermione into him. "What the hell is going on?" he asked.
"Maybe we should—" They never found out what Hermione thought they should do, since the compartment was filled with a dreadful coldness that sent shivers all through Harry's body. He knew immediately what has caused the sudden drastic change in temperature, but he refused to acknowledge his thoughts by saying the word aloud.
"The lights..." Ron said hoarsely. Harry and Hermione spun around and looked outside in the corridor, where the overhead lights were flickering dangerously and finally died seconds later. Had it been night, Harry knew they would have been immersed in complete darkness, but even the fact that it was still light outside wasn't comforting to him.
He thought his vision was failing—the light seemed to dim all around him—but when he turned to look back out the window again, he found it wasn't his eyes. The bright daylight was gone; it was as though someone had flicked the on/off switch on the sun like it was a light bulb. He felt sharp pricks in his arm, and it took him a minute to realize it was Hermione digging her fingernails into his skin. After raising an eyebrow at her and nodding to the arm whose circulation she was cutting off, she released him, muttering an apology.
Ron emitted an odd, strangled groaning noise from the back of his throat, his eyes widening, his face drained of all its color, as he stared fearfully at something in the corridor his friends couldn't see. He stood beside Hermione, wrapping his arms around her protectively. Harry found out what Ron had seen before he could even find his voice to ask: three ratty black cloaks were floating past the compartment window. Breathing was coming in raspy spurts for all three of them as a scaly, bony hand reached out for the door handle, pushing it down, and opening the door.
Harry barely even thought, ignoring the voices that began to erupt in his mind, before pulling out his wand, thinking of the first time he held Mira, being as it was his most recent happy memory, and shouted out as forcibly as his voice would allow him, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
His bright white stag, brighter than any light any of them had ever seen, charged down the three dementors, catching the nearest one in the spot the dark creature's heart should have been with its antlers. Within only thirty seconds, though it seemed like hours to the three Gryffindors, the dementors retreated.
Harry fell into the compartment bench as the lights flickered back to life, though everything outside the train window was still pitch black. He was exhausted, but managed to look at his friends, thinking gratefully that it was all over. Hermione gave him a shaky smile.
After a few moments' rest, Harry suddenly realized the train was still at a dead stop—he'd assumed that once the dementors had gone, they'd be moving again. Before he could begin to relay his thoughts to Ron and Hermione, a hard blast hit the side of hit the train that shook it to the point Harry was sure it would tip over on its side. But it hadn't; they could hear panicked screams from the students mixed with crashes about the train as trunks fell out of their racks.
Harry caught his balance, his wand still held tightly in his right hand and pointed towards the open compartment door. Both Ron and Hermione, after getting up from the floor—they'd fallen in the crash or blast, or whatever it was—had their wands drawn and were now standing on either side of Harry, preparing for anything.
There was another blast... and another... Three more blasts to the side of the train before all was silent and still again. All three Gryffindors were now a tangled mess on the floor, their wands rolled under the compartment benches.
"What was that?" Ron panted, his voice a few octaves higher than it normally was, as he pulled his foot out from under Harry's body and reached out to grab his and Hermione's wands.
"Dunno," Harry responded, wincing as he fingered the back of his head where he'd hit the window ledge on the way to the floor. He pulled his hand away from his hair and found a bit of blood trickling off his fingers. "Brilliant," he muttered sarcastically. Ron helped him from the floor.
"Please tell me those are Aurors," Hermione said in a carefully controlled voice taking her wand back from Ron. Harry and Ron turned to look at what she was pointing at. They could see cloaks disappearing into the luggage compartments and other compartments they knew to be holding students.
Harry shook his head. "Those aren't Aurors..."
They all jumped as shouts of "STUPEFY!" sounded in the corridors, followed immediately by jets of red light. "Oh god," Hermione said. "We're under attack..."
"You're just figuring that out?" Ron said incredulously. "So what do we do?"
Harry looked at his friends just as three more red jets followed by a purple one flew past their window. They were both looking at him expectantly as though waiting for instructions. "We fight back," he said. He half-expected them to argue that they'd never win against Death Eaters, for they now knew who had come aboard the Hogwarts Express, but Ron and Hermione both nodded determinedly, gripping their wands tighter. Before they exited their compartment, Harry used the patronus-communication charm Remus had taught him only the night before. If it worked, his stag would tell Sirius, wherever he was, that the train was under attack and they needed help. For the second time in a very short amount of time, Harry watched his patronus streak off in a gallop—through the darkness, it lit up everything it passed.
Just as the ghostly stag disappeared, the door of the compartment was blasted open, and the entire scene turned to chaos. Somebody (Harry thought it was Hermione) screamed. Someone else used a disarming spell and Harry cast a Jelly-Legs Jinx. There was a pained scream at Harry's right (where Ron was standing), a roar of "CRUCIO!", and pain beyond all pain shot through Harry's body. As he writhed and screamed, biting his tongue until the copper taste of blood filled his mouth, he couldn't help but think that he now understood what Sirius had told him about the Cruciatus Curse being the most painful thing imaginable. He didn't know how long he was under the curse, but after what seemed like hours, days, months, he vaguely saw a nasty grin on a pale face with long black hair curtaining it, and he saw no more.
Twelve hours later, Remus was leaning against a wall just outside the Hogwarts hospital wing along with dozens of other parents as they awaited word on their injured children. Remus had intercepted Harry's patronus instead of Sirius, since the Auror had still been at Azkaban when Harry had sent it out. He'd wasted no time at all in alerting the Aurors and Order members employed at the Ministry, and along with half the DMLE, they tracked down where the train had stopped.
The army of Ministry officials and Order members arrived to find smoke billowing through almost every window and jets of wandfire all around the train. Most of the students who hadn't immediately been stunned or badly injured had fought back against the Death Eaters. There were only a dozen or so of the Dark Lord's followers aboard the train, and they realized almost instantly they were suddenly greatly outnumbered by qualified witches and wizards. Those who hadn't Disapparated in time were stunned and transported to Azkaban.
The topmost priority after the Death Eaters were taken care of had been to administer medical treatment to the injured students—thankfully, most were only mildly hurt, and they remained on the train to be taken to Hogwarts to be seen by Madam Pomfrey. The more seriously injured had either been directly transported to the hospital wing or to St. Mungo's for further evaluation.
The train had been thoroughly searched by the time Sirius had finally gotten wind of the attack, and had Apparated on-site. Livid, he immediately demanded to know where the two Aurors he'd assigned to the train had gone. Proudfoot pulled his boss away and quietly told him the Aurors—Dawlish and Wright, a senior witch in the squads—had been located in the cargo area. Their souls had been removed by dementors. As terrible as it was for Sirius to hear he'd lost two of his best Aurors to such a terrible fate, the only thing on his mind was his godson. Once some of his color had returned from hearing Proudfoot's news, the second-in-command led Sirius to the compartment Remus was sitting in with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.
Harry had been one of the students sent straight to Hogwarts by portkey—he'd been held under the Cruciatus Curse for just over a minute and a half, and had other combat injuries. The other three students had a few cuts and bruises—one of Ron's fists was black and blue as though he'd punched one of the Death Eaters (Remus told Sirius later he had)—and were now trying to recall what had happened. When they were sure they'd gotten the entire story, Sirius, being the most senior Ministry official on-scene, dismissed the majority of the others to go back to work. Some of the Aurors and members of the Order remained on the train as it continued to Hogwarts. Though all he wanted to do was be with Harry, Sirius also stayed on the Hogwarts Express and sent Remus on to the castle. The train went full speed, faster than it had ever gone before, to Hogsmeade, and reached the village in record time. All the students were taken up to the school by way of carriages while the witches and wizards standing guard on the train followed on foot, Hagrid leading the way, up to the school.
Once his guard duty was over—when all the students were safely inside the walls of Hogwarts—Sirius practically sprinted to the hospital wing and slid to a stop in front of Remus, wanting news on Harry. Remus told him their ward was still unconscious after the last report he'd gotten from the Healers—they'd been called from St. Mungo's to assist Madam Pomfrey. No parents had been permitted into the hospital wing just yet, so all they could do was wait. Since patience not one of Sirius' predominant virtues, he'd gone to Dumbledore's office to see what the Headmaster had found out.
And that was over an hour ago... Remus thought, glancing from his wristwatch to the large oak doors leading to the hospital wing, to the corridor filled with worried parents. He spotted movement at the far end of the corridor and recognized the tall form of Sirius moving his way through the crowd. But he wasn't alone; Remus was both relieved and surprised to see his wife just behind his best friend, and Naomi beside her.
"Anything?" Sirius asked when Remus came to meet them.
Remus hugged and kissed his wife before answering. "No," he said quietly. "Then again, nobody's heard much of anything in the last hour." He rubbed his eyes exhaustedly. "If it hadn't been for Harry's patronus... I don't even want to imagine what would have happened out there..."
"Dumbledore said about the same," Sirius said.
The two couples moved to sit on an empty bench at the end of the corridor. "Where's Mira?" Remus asked, looking around at his friends.
"Molly's watching her," Naomi said, taking Sirius' hand as the Auror leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "She came to Number Twelve just after we all got word about the train, and since Ron, Ginny, and Hermione are fine, she saw no reason to come out here."
Remus nodded as Emmeline rested her head on his shoulder. Absentmindedly, because he found some comfort in it, he snaked the free arm not around her shoulders to her belly where their twin boys were growing more every day.
It was another two hours before the hospital wing doors were opened and parents were beginning to be notified about the state of their children's health. Every time a lime-green robe could be seen, Remus' heart leapt, and he wondered if they were finally going to get news on Harry. But the Healers always overlooked him and his family, and led another pair of parents into the infirmary. By four in the morning, nearly the entire corridor had been emptied—parents who'd gotten their good news had either gone home or to Hogsmeade to get a room for the night. Just after five a.m., the only people left in the corridor were Sirius, Remus, Naomi, and Emmeline, waiting for someone to tell them how Harry was doing.
Not until just after eight-thirty the next morning, after fitful sleep for those who'd attempted rest, were they rewarded. Madam Pomfrey, looking more exhausted than anybody had ever seen her, came out to tell them that Harry had finally been stabilized, and he was now resting comfortably. The boy's guardians of course wanted to see him, and were permitted for only fifteen minutes—Emmeline and Naomi waited outside.
The only problem either wizard could see with their boy was that he was paler than usual. He had no visible injuries (they assumed the Healers had cleaned up all his cuts and bruises). Sirius took hold of Harry's hand and squeezed gently. The only response he received was Harry's fingers tightening around his just a little, but it was enough. Their fifteen minutes were up quicker than they could have ever imagined, and they left Harry to his rest, promising quietly to the boy they'd return later in the day.
Sirius sat in the Minister of Magic's office with Remus and Emmeline on either side of him, listening to complaints from parents on how Dumbledore had failed in keeping their children safe. The main argument seemed to be that the Headmaster was far too old and was forgetting his duties. Sirius wondered if they would have said the things they were saying if Dumbledore had actually been at the meeting. Somehow, he didn't think so.
Those who weren't insulting the world's greatest wizard were quick to remind the others how much Dumbledore had done to keep his students from harm. There were numerous times when Sirius was about to say something that would get him kicked out of the meeting, but Remus kept him as calm as possible.
One concerned citizen of the wizarding community reminded them all about the year of the Triwizard Tournament, and how You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters had been able to march right onto the grounds. At this point, Mad-Eye stood up and reminded this wizard that only one student could have even been considered injured, and it hadn't even been that serious of an injury. (Mad-Eye was referring to how Harry had been magically exhausted from his duel with Lord Voldemort during the Third Task.) But of course this brought up arguments on how much worse it could have been, and just how was the Dark Lord's army able to get on the grounds, anyway?
Remus' hair was nothing more than a mess after he'd repeatedly run his hands through it—a sure sign he was growing very frustrated and annoyed. Sirius didn't blame him; listening to those idiots talking about how Dumbledore was losing his touch wasn't exactly calming his nerves either.
Madam Bones listened to arguments on both sides patiently and finally said in her calm, demanding voice that held no room for further comment, "Headmaster Dumbledore is fully capable of keeping our children safe. What happened aboard the Hogwarts Express is highly regrettable, but it cannot be blamed on a single person within or out of this office.
"We have been fortunate these past few months to avoid attack from the Death Eaters, but we are still at war, and our luck could not last forever. Extra measures will be taken to further ensure Hogwarts is kept safe. Aurors will be stationed in higher numbers than they have been in the past at Hogsmeade Village, and protective wards and charms will be strengthened monthly. All concerns will be taken into careful consideration during the investigation of this attack. Thank you all for coming today."
Nearly all the heads of department and concerned Ministry officials were dismissed, but Remus, Emmeline, and Sirius were all asked to remain behind. Minister Bones finished assigning tasks to her secretary and advisors, sent them all away, and gestured for the three of them to have a seat in front of her desk.
"What have you discovered about the presence of the dementors?" she asked Sirius briskly.
"Well," the head Auror began, "either they were a lookout or a distraction for the Death Eaters. My personal opinion is both, given how my Aurors were found."
Bones nodded. "I am terribly sorry about that. They were both exemplary at their jobs."
Sirius inclined his head respectfully. "That they were," he agreed. "No matter how often Dawlish and I disagreed, he was still one of the best."
"And you say Harry Potter was able to send a message to alert you, Lupin?"
"Yes, ma'am," Remus answered. "It was a charm only those in the Order are aware of."
"Then I shall ask no more of it," Bones said. "Black, I trust you will only assign your best to guard Hogwarts this year and make them fully aware that much depends on their vigilance of the school's grounds and Hogsmeade village."
"Of course, Minister," Sirius said, already making a mental list on who to send.
"Lastly, and on a far more personal note, Emmeline, when do you plan on going on medical leave for your pregnancy?"
Emmeline smiled. "Late October, Minister. Our Healer says that's the best time, considering I'll be about five months along by then. I've already arranged for a member of my department to take over in my leave, and I'm currently in the process of training her and bringing her up to date with everything."
"Excellent," Bones said with a smile. "On that note, I shall allow the three of you to go about your business. I'm certain you are eager to check on Harry, and I will not keep you from that important task any longer."
The three department heads stood and said goodbye to the Minister before leaving the office. They silently made their way to the Atrium, too exhausted from the night before to speak. "I've got a few things to take care of in Auror Headquarters," Sirius finally said. "You go on to Hogwarts, Moony, I'll meet you there."
Remus nodded in understanding. Sirius had to arrange spots at St. Mungo's for his Aurors who'd been Kissed—that alone was four hours worth of paperwork. The Head Auror waved to his friends and headed for the lifts. Remus turned to his wife. "Why don't you go back to the house and get some rest. We don't need you getting sick for lack of sleep."
"Brilliant idea, my love," she muttered, hugging him tightly. "Owl Naomi and me later to tell us how Harry's doing."
"Consider it done," he said, kissing her softly. He released her and she made her way to the fireplaces. Once she disappeared in the green flames, Remus used the same fireplace to go to Hogwarts, and to Harry.