Chapter 11: A long way to go.

An: nice aren't I? Another chapter up and running! Yes ron is a prat, but I have something special in store for that one hehehe...

Harry was gobsmacked.

Dumbledore, alive?

It just didn't seem possible.

He'd seen him hit by... that curse, and then relived it for what seemed to be a thousand times in his dreams.

Fawkes had to be mistaken.

Sirius, apparently seeing the doubt in his godson's eyes continued,

'Harry, the bond between a phoenix and a wizard is an incredibly old and powerful form of magick, Fawkes claims that he couldn't find Dumbledore, which is impossible, unless he is indeed alive and doesn't want to be found.'

At this point Hermione decided to interject,

'Why though? It makes no sense. Why would he just disappear? He knew that Harry needed him, not to mention the rest of the wizarding world!'

Catching that the Gryffindor brunette seemed seemingly prioritized Harry and his wellbeing over the entire rest of the magical community, (and filing the information away for later use) Sirius simply shrugged.

'I don't know Hermione, why wasn't Merlin there for Arthur in the final battle between him and Mordred? Great wizards like that do things for reasons completely unfathomable to the rest of us.'

Still puzzled by this latest news and barely recovered from the shock of finding his long lost godfather alive and well, Harry never noticed headmistress McGonagel entering the room, and was badly startled at the sound of her voice coming from right behind him.

'I'm sorry to interrupt your reunion Harry, but I need to speak with you urgently, regarding the coming school year.'

Her Scottish accent and hopeful tone made Harry want to giggle uncontrollably.

If he didn't know better, he would swear that his stern head of house, was requesting a meeting rather than simply ordering one...

'Of course professor.' suspecting the he might be going insane, what with all these rapid changes in emotion, he grinned at her.

Sinking into Dumble-her chair with great dignity, McGonagel steepled her fingers in a way much reminiscent of the former headmaster before continuing.

'Harry, at the reading of his will, it was found that professor Dumbledore has left you one thing and one thing only.'

Harry suddenly felt a great sense of foreboding run through him even as he asked,

'Which is...:'

The headmistress smiled secretively, before replying,

'Hogwarts.'

#

'Bombarda!'

There was a crack and a horrible pall of smoke filled the Weasly kitchen, causing the occupants to briefly lose themselves in a choking fit of coughs.

'Evanesco.'

The smoke cleared revealing Bill and Ron Weasly waving their wands whilst rubbing at tearing eyes.

'No Ron, that's not it either. You have to have a clear idea of what exactly you want your spell to do! Don't just think explode, think contained blast. Observe.'

Conjuring a large boulder onto Molly's spotless floor, Bill stepped back and faced it, his face betraying a look of deep concentration.

'Bombarda!'

As the flicker from his wand hit the boulder dead-center, there was a thunderous bang as the back half of his conjured boulder exploded violently, leaving the half nearest him untouched.

Wiping his brow, the elder Weasly continued his lecture to his little brother.

'You see Ron, it's never about power, only control. Even if I suddenly found myself with ten times my usual power I still couldn't beat... Voldemort for example. He's barely human as it is but has an almost machine-like ability to totally focus on his spellcasting. This is what makes him more than dangerous. More than just powerful. It's what makes him lethal.'

'Yeah, and a bloody tosser.' Ron stated arrogantly.

'I'd bet if you, me, Fred and George and Charley teamed up on him...'

'We'd all be dead in ten seconds?' said Fred entering the room, on his own for once.

Snorting Bill agreed,

'He's right Ron. Half of Hogwarts simultaneously casting the cutting hex at the Dark Lord probably wouldn't even trim his toe-nails.'

'But Dumbledoere,...!' began Ron mutinously.

'Was the most powerful wizard since Merlin and even he couldn't take him down when he dueled him at the ministry. You on the other hand Ron have a very long way to go before you're even at my level. How in the hell did you pass your OWLS like this?'

Flushing angrily and muttering about 'not showing off,' and 'not wanting to embarrass his older brother' Ron refused to meet Bill's eyes across the table.

A wicked grin spread across Bill's scarred face as he replied,

'Okay then, duel. You and me. Geor- sorry, Fred here can be referee. All this sickleave is making me rusty.'

Panicking slightly Ron franticly thought of a way to avoid this duel... Until he heard Fred making chicken noises behind him.

'Deal.'

The three Weaslys swiftly made their way into the back yard and marking of a vague circle with some hastily conjured rocks, Bill and Ron faced each other.

Bill assumed the classic dueling stance, his body turned sideways to present a smaller target, and his wand held high, seemingly in a suspended flourish.

Ron on the other hand simply squared his shoulders, glowered at his brother over his freckled nose and pointed his wand straight ahead.

Fred cackled a bit as he ran down the rules,

'Right, no unforgivables, no spells under third year, and no severing of limbs. Go!'

Already poised to strike, Bill lead off with,

'Bombarda! Impedimenta! Incarcerus!'

Totally unprepared to face multiple attacks, Ron could only stumble back as the ground at his feet exploded, exposing him to the impediment jinx, which he barely dodged.

Before he felt thick heavy coils of rope from Bill's Incarcerus enveloping him.

'Incendio!' he managed burning through the ropes before they could incapacitate him, but scorching his leg and forearm in the process.

Impressed Bill stood back awaiting his brother's first attack. He could have dropped him right there with a stunner, but he wanted to see what ickle Ronnikins could do.

In pain, and highly embarrassed, rage at seeing his elder brother smirking at him made Ron totally lose his head.

'Sectumsempfffff!' his voice cut off as a heavily smoking figure materialized in the air before him, and crashed into him with a cavernous thud.

Covered in the figures black cloak all Ron could manage was,

'Mhf!'

Rolling the unmoving man off their brother, Fred and Bill jumped back as if stung.

'SNAPE!'

#

AN: YAY! Another chapter done! I know its very weasly centered at the moment but there's a reason for that. You'll find out later! For now, Fare thee Well!