Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, I only own a few characters and bits of the plot. There are also direct quotations taken out of the book which I might have shortened but essentially they mean the same thing.
A/N Thanks for all the reviews and sorry for the long update. I'm glad that everyone is charged for the battle and I hope I make it exciting enough…
Chapter 14 – Dumbledore's Pensieve
Everything was just how Dan remembered it. The worn-out, thin carpet, the sagging couches, the dusty mantelpiece, the painting of the young girl and the mirror which stood alone on the mantel. It was the mirror Aberforth had often stared into. It was his eyes which were reflected in the shard of glass Harry had, then Dobby had come immediately after to save them...
"What? MORE?" came Aberforth's grumpy yelp as he walked out of his bedroom, "OUT!! OUT!!"
Dean turned to face the familiar voice, "But Abe, it's me Dean," he said, a little hurt by the hostility, "You can't send us out, please, Hogsmeade is full of Death Eaters right now!" he cried desperately.
"And what about that? Huh?" said Aberforth, his piercing blue eyes surveying Dean over his glasses, "I'm not gonna send yer to Hogwarts. I'M NOT GONNA SEND ANYMORE PEOPLE TO THEIR DEATHS!!!"
"Abe, we want to help Harry," said Luna, "please let us through, please."
Aberforth sat down furiously, "This is all Al's fault, if he hadn't gotten yer to believe - if he hadn't died and made everyone think they had ter finish You Know Who for him -"
"THIS IS NOT JUST DUMBLEDORE," said Dean suddenly,"THIS IS DIRK AND TED. THIS IS GORNUK AND DOBBY. IF WE DON'T FIGHT HIM NOW, MORE PEOPLE WILL DIE AND NO ONE WILL BE SAFE. NOT EVEN MUGGLES," Dean added, emphasizing the last sentence.
A short silence followed. Dean, who still felt the rage roar in him turned away from the group calmly and stared through the window in a focused frenzy.
"And daddy too," said Luna's soft voice and it took a while for Dean to realise what Luna was talking about.
Aberforth sighed loudly in an almost painful way and appeared to gave a slight nod, the girl in the portrait smiled and suddenly it swung forward to reveal a hidden passageway.
"Oh thank you very much Abe," said Luna, beaming.
"Oh, by the way," began Dean, about to warn Aberforth about the others who were coming, then decided against it, "don't worry," and the two quickly scampered through the hole.
-
"What place is this?" asked Dean in awe as he climbed out of the passageway to emerge in a room where there were hammocks and bathrooms and most impressive of all, the house banners of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw hanging from balcony above their heads. Hogwarts students gathered together in the centre of the room, and there, in front of them, talking, was Harry.
"This is the Room of Requirement" said Luna proudly, "Neville got the idea. We've been using it for most of the year to continue Dumbledore's Army."
"Look," Harry was saying, before he noticed Dean and Luna crawl out of the passageway.
"We got your message, Neville! Hello you three, I thought you must be here!"
Before Dean could do anything else he was engulfed in a tight hug by Seamus, who had given a roar of delight when he saw Dean.
"Hi everyone!" said Luna cheerfully, "Oh, it's great to be back!"
"Luna," said Harry, with a mixed expression of annoyance and gratitude, "what are you doing here? How did you -?"
"I sent for her," said Neville, holding up the fake galleon.
Seamus released Dean, and for a moment he revelled in the sensation of being able to breathe again. Both of them turned around as more people climbed out of the hole in the wall. First was Ginny who was followed by Fred, George, Lee Jordan and Cho Chang. Dean could not help but catch the radiant smile Ginny had given Harry. Seamus noticed and patted him on the back.
"You miss her?" he asked.
"Actually, no," said Dean, giving his friend a reassuring smile, "But I would," he continued, grinning, "like another girlfriend," he finished and couldn't help glancing at Luna as he recalled the tingling sensation on his cheek where Luna had once touched with her own.
Dean shrugged.
"So what's the plan, Harry?" said George.
"There isn't one," replied Harry, who looked rather disorientated by the people around him and what they were saying.
"Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favourite kind," said Fred.
"You've got to stop this!" Harry told Neville. "What did you call them all back for? This is insane –"
"We're fighting, aren't we?" Dean asked, taking out his fake galleon, "The message said Harry was back, and we're going to fight! I'll have to get a wand, though -"
"You haven't got a wand -?" began Seamus.
"Long story," whispered Dean, "I'll tell you later."
For a moment the room hushed as the three in the centre engaged in a whispered conversation. At the other end of the room, Fred and George were cracking jokes with the people around them.
"Ok," said Harry suddenly, and the room immediately fell silent, "There's something we need to find. Something – something that will help us overthrow You-Know-Who. It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?"
Everyone listened to the conversation Harry began having with the Ravenclaws.
"Well, there's her lost diadem. I told you about it, remember, Harry? The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy's trying to duplicate it," said Luna.
However, as Michael Corner soon pointed out and Cho quickly added, the diadem had been lost for centuries, but it was finally decided that Luna should go up with Harry to the Ravenclaw common room, where Ravenclaw was wearing the diadem in her statue. The pair disappeared down a steep staircase which was hidden behind the cupboard in the corner of the room.
For a while the room was silent until Fred and George started cracking jokes again and a thick circle quickly accumulated around them. Then Ron and Hermione said something about a bathroom before quickly hurrying out as well.
"So," said Seamus, "care to tell me that long story of yours?"
They had been talking for twenty minutes, Seamus was debating whether Christopher Thomas and Theodore Smith could really be the same person.
"Okay, so they're anagrams, but what if it was just a coincidence? Besides wouldn't you're dad have told your mum about him being a wizard? And why would he dump you guys and disappear? And why would he need another name anyway? All this is kinda –"
Other people were climbing through the hole. Dean recognized his old professor, Lupin as well as most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Bill and Fleur and two other adults Dean guessed were Mr and Mrs Weasley from their hair and the way they were talking to Bill.
At that point, Luna and Harry appeared from the stairs and the room was swallowed in a rush of excitement and fear.
"Harry, what's happening?" said Lupin, meeting him at the stairs.
"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school – Snape's run for it –" Here there was a bit of cheering, "- What are you doing here? How did you know?"
"We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army," Fred explained. "You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry, and the DA let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed."
"What first, Harry?" called George, asking Dean's question, "What's going on?"
"They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organized," said Harry, "We're fighting."
Many of the students began walking towards the foot of the stairs, wands poised, eager to fight. Seamus and Dean left their spots and also began following the flow.
"Too bad you haven't got a wand," said Seamus gloomily.
As they passed Harry, Dean held out his hand to Luna, "Come on, Luna." She took it and the two walked back up the stairs hand in hand.
-
The enchanted ceiling was dark and scattered with stars, some bright, some dim. On the four tables lined side by side in the hall sat students, some petrified, others dazed and some, their eyes gleaming, ready to fight. Professor McGonagall was running through the evacuation plan when she was suddenly interrupted by a high-pitched voice which echoed throughout the hall and seemed to be emitted from its very walls.
"I know that you are preparing to fight." Dean jumped, Luna, seated on the Ravenclaw table looked eerily calm, though she did turn her head a few times to find the source of the sound. Others in the room screamed and clutched each other. The voice continued, to Seamus' horror, who had gripped the table and mouthed the name, "Voldemort" to Dean.
"Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."
There was a pause and silence spilled into the hall like a tidal wave, crushing everyone in the Hall, who seemed to breathe collectively.
"Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
Dean stood waiting, to see if anyone was crazy enough to suggest…
"But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson from the Slytherin table.
At once the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs stood up against the Slytherins, like a barricade of people, wands drawn.
"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," said Professor McGonagall curtly, "You will leave the Hall first with Mr Filch. If the rest of your house could follow."
Dean smirked as the Slytherins filed out of the Hall. Many Ravenclaws remained behind, even more Hufflepuffs stayed and more than half of the Gryffindors remained in their seats as Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped forwards to address his fight plan.
"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast! A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professor Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest Towers – Ravenclaw, Astronomy and Gryffindor – where they'll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile, Remus," he indicated Lupin, "Arthur," he pointed towards Mr Weasley, sitting at the Gryffindor table, "and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organise defence of the entrances of the passageways into the school –"
" – sounds like a job for us," called Fred, referring to himself and Geroge and Kingsley nodded in approval.
"All right, leaders up here and we'll divide up the troops!"
As the students hurried past, some to go to the grounds and others to ascend to the towers, Dean spotted a familiar long-eared owl amongst the movement in the Hall.
"Hoot? Hoot?" Dean ran over to the fluttering owl and saw, to his delight, a letter attached to the owl's foot. He quickly detached it, then ran to the entrance hall and halfway up the stairs to avoid the rush of students, in his attempt he had lost Seamus. Dean eagerly unfolded the piece of paper, but was met with a disappointing message. The letter was not, as Dean presumed, from his mother. In the centre of the paper, in rushed handwriting, was the name 'Dumbledore'.
"What?" said Dean, a little too disappointed. "What does this mean?"
But Hoot had flown further off and turned around to squawk at Dean as if beckoning him to come with him.
Dean ended up climbing six flight of stairs non-stop and credited it to his competent physical skill. They reached the Seventh Floor which was so far empty, even the painting contained no people, they had obviously moved around the castle to avoid or watch the fight.
Hoot stopped outside a gargoyle statue which looked smugly at Dean.
"Well, what's the password boy?" said the wheezy voice of the statue impatiently.
"What? I – I…the password," mumbled Dean as he wondered why he was standing outside the headmaster's office.
"Yes the password," came the gargoyle's voice in an annoyed tone.
"I – Oh," said Dean as he realised the paper tucked in his hand, "Dumbledore."
The gargoyle suddenly leapt aside and the wall behind it split in two to reveal a spiral staircase which was slowly revolving upwards. Dean and Hoot quickly stepped onto the bottom step as the wall closed behind them. When the spiral staircase had stopped rotating, Dean found himself facing a polished oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.
Dean tentatively knocked on the door as Hoot seemed over-enthusiastic to make sure he did so. When no one answered for a long time, Dean opened the door quietly and stepped into the empty room.
The headmaster's office was circular, windows lined the walls and Dean could clearly see the Quidditch pitch that he so sorely missed. On another part of the wall was a fireplace where a small clay bowl full of Floo powder sat on the mantel piece. Facing Dean was an enormous desk with clawed legs and a high-backed chair. The room looked extremely tidy and bare. There was nothing on the desk or mantel piece. The only things of interested were the portraits of previous headmasters which looked down on Dean. Most of the portraits were bare, some were asleep, and others stared at Dean with mild curiosity. Dean located Dumbledore's portrait and the man gave Dean a quick wink.
In the silence Dean heard the door behind him slam. He turned around swiftly to face the door, he hadn't felt any wind and a chill went down his spine. There was no one there except Hoot, fluttering effortlessly as usual. However, the closed door had revealed something else. A golden perch stood, its inhabitant recognised by a small read feather which clung to it, beside the perch was a black cabinet, and placed on it was a stone basin with odd runes and symbols carved around the edge. Dean approached it slowly, feeling the eyes of many past headmasters' on him.
He stared into the bowl and was met with swirling silver wisps of liquid, giving off a whitish-silver, slightly pearlescent glow. It was beautiful, clam, but also eerie. Intrigued by the gaseous swirls, Dean poked his head into the bowl, carefully placing his hand to feel the liquid-looking gas and found himself surrendering to a strong tugging force.