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Chapter Eleven: A Twist or Two in the Scheme of Things
Molly Weasley was already sitting in the kitchen, breakfast made, when Arthur walked down the stairs. She was drinking a cup of tea and looking out into the distance of the garden, unaware that he was standing right beside her. Something happened, he thought. She turned at looked at him as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at her husband. "What is it?" he asked her. She shook her head and walked out the door, leaving Arthur standing alone in the kitchen.
(sc)
"This is good. I never thought it would be but it works," Ron smiled through bites. Hermione rolled her eyes and Harry tossed Ginny a smiling look. She smiled back and caught Hermione's glance as she looked back down at her food. Muggle cereal Apple Jacks…she took another bite. These actually aren't that bad but she wondered to herself, why they called them 'jacks'; shouldn't they be "O's" or circles?
When breakfast was over, the four of them split up to see what they could find out about his parents' deaths. Ron and Harry went upstairs and Ginny and Hermione stayed downstairs. "Have you thought anymore about when you are telling Harry?" Hermione asked Ginny as they searched through old papers in the den.
"Have you thought anymore about telling Ron?" Ginny shot back.
"I'll tell your brother when the time is right, but there never seems to be one that is—hey, don't change the subject. I asked you first."
"Well, I guess whenever the time is right—if one ever comes," Ginny smiled as Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I am serious. You don't want to wait to long. You could be in danger and you wouldn't want Harry thinking that there is nothing going on and then—"
"Hermione, I know ok? I know. I'll tell him eventually. It's just not right yet. He's got enough on his min right now and…" Ginny held a stack of letters in her hand. "Whoa."
"What?" Hermione asked taking one. "What is it? 'The Dursleys'...are they all from them?"
"No, they're not from them…they are to them. Here's one to Sirius…Lupin…professor Dumbledore…there's lots of them. And this one's to Harry." She held the letter up in the air as dust swam around them.
(sc)
Snape sat in the corner of his old Muggle house. They would all be there tonight; they would be there and he would have to tell them his plan to get rid of Harry Potter and his friends. But he wasn't ready. He didn't know what to say or what to do and he didn't really want to know. He didn't want to do this. He would never have his life back anyway but he could have had a flicker of it. If this happens, it would be gone forever. He'd be trapped in this hell he had created for himself years ago. The thought of that killed him.
But maybe there was still hope. After all, they had to find the boy first and Hermione was smart and cautious…maybe they can't be found. Maybe…He knew what he had to do. He glanced at the clock. 11:45, he had until 9:00. There was only one place to go--only one person who would be able to help now. Only one…but that would be the death of him for sure. He had to think this one through. He had to have a plan that no one would figure out; a cloak, a disguise, a map…none of which he had. He paced the floor in circles. But he had something better. Something no one else knew about.
(sc)
"Is it from my parents?" Harry asked them slowly as he and Ron walked into the room.
"I think so, yes. I think so," Ginny handed all the letters to him. "There are tons of them in the drawer here. They must have kept every letter they ever received I their entire life or something."
Harry walked to the desk drawer. She was right; there were many. "Well, I guess we should start reading them." Harry sat down with the letter in his hand and opened it gently. The others looked around, grabbed some letters and began to read.
(sc)
Molly had worked all morning to keep her mind off of what she was told last night. To help the situation, she decided to see Fred and George at the shop, which only made things worse.
The streets of Hogsmede were black and dark, even in the middle of the day. Most of the shops were closed or had secret protecting in tact to keep evil (or good, depending on the store) out. Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was one of them. Ever since the fiasco with Draco Malfoy using their products to help in Dumbledore's demise, the twins had new measures that no one with a bad intent could even enter the store. As soon as they touched the handle, the knob would explode in their unsuspecting hand, and then it would replace itself with an identical one.
Though she did not tell them this, the thing amazed Molly. Her sons, no matter what the O.W.L.s said, were geniuses—at least with jokes gadgets. She slowly walked to the back of the store, toward the fireplace. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt an urge that she was needed there. "Burrow!" She said as she floo'd' away.
(sc)
The sun was shining above Hogwarts. It was a beautiful day. No one was there to see the thing that wasn't being seen anyway. And no one would notice nothing. It was brilliant; there was nothing seen or unseen. There was nothing there to see and no one to see it, as it landed on the roof of Hogwarts, whatever "it" was.
The window was blasted from the left wall and then magically appeared back in place a second later. No one would know that nothing happened. There was a soft breeze that was blowing in the tower and it made its way to the main hall, down the steps, past the Fat Lady and all the way to the Great Hall. The statue in front of the spirally staircase jumped out of the way. Dumbledore's portrait and the others were talking when the door to the office opened. They stared at nothing.
"What in the world is that about?" Phileas Black asked abruptly.
"That is my very unexpected guest. Welcome," Dumbledore smiled to the empty room. The other portraits mumbled among themselves as the empty space of nothing, suddenly became something.
(sc)
"This one is great," Ron laughed as he read pieces of the letter in his hand aloud. "He decided to be difficult when Lily was changing him...peed all over the place." Harry started to blush as Ron and Ginny laughed loudly and Hermione poorly held back a snicker. "I found it amusing but Lily, she didn't think so…I have a feeling he'll be just like we were, Sirius. Trouble with a wand…I just hope he finds a friend to do it with when he gets to Hogwarts…" I think you did. 'Peed all over the place…' That's pretty funny, mate."
"Give me that. You're supposed to be reading for clues, not for embarrassing things Harry did as a baby," Harry snapped at them after a half hour of information like this, which quieted all three's laughter. "Has anyone read anything interesting and important?"
"I've read at least a dozen and I've found nothing so far," Hermione spoke as she read another letter. "You would think that there would be something but there isn't. At least not that...I…have…found."
"Until now anyway," Ginny said. "What is it?"
Hermione cleared her throat and looked at Harry then began to read. "It's from Sirius, to your parents. On June 4, 1980. 'I don't know how long it will be until you get this letter. Wormtail's been harder and harder to find lately. I am beginning to regret not telling Dumbledore that he's the secret-keeper and not me. I mean, everyone thinks I see you lot all the time and they ask me but I have to lie. So, just for future knowledge, how's the pregnancy? I know he'll be here soon and that must be really exciting.' Uh…"Hermione stopped reading and skimmed quietly. "Something weird is going on with Regulus—he stopped by my house. Just like that one day. Said he wanted me to give a present to our mother from him and left. I haven't seen him since but I think he in some trouble. I did deliver the gift though. It was a locket. Looked old and worn to me but she praised that thing…'"
"What?" Ron asked at her sudden change in expression.
"Locket…didn't we find a locket at Grimmauld place when we were there cleaning last summer?" Hermione looked from one person to the other.
"Yeah…yeah. We did." The four of them looked at each other and scrambled to their feet. "Let's put all this stuff in a box. We can read them later." Harry ordered. They put all the letters in the box, as well as a few other items they had managed to find. Hermione grabbed Ginny and they Apparated to Grimmauld Place.
(sc)
"I must admit that I surprised to you. It must be important for you to risk everything coming back here. How did you get past security?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing smile.
"I simply used Hollowindilliserum. Not many know how it can turn a solid object into the hollow illusion of wind. I had to see you. There is something you must know," the man standing in the center of the room said shamelessly.
"Then tell me." The man sat down in the chair beside the portrait and began to explain all the gruesome details that were about to go down. Dumbledore listened patiently and calmly explained to him that everything was under control. "Do not worry; there will not be harm to anyone. I assure you of that." The man sighed a deep sigh and smiled as he sat back in the chair. "It is good to see you my friend," Dumbledore smiled.
(sc)
"You are late. The meeting started five minutes ago. Where were you Snape?" Bellatrix Lestrange snapped in the dark room.
"I was getting this," Snape held out his hand. Inside was a miniscule garden gnome.
"Why do you have a garden gnome in your hand?" Narcissa Malfoy smirked at Snape.
"All of you sit down and I will tell you. This gnome," he spat once all were seated, "is from the Weasley garden. He happens to know exactly where Potter and the rest of the brat gang went."
No one in the room spoke as an excited tension spread among them. Not until Bellatrix spoke, after Draco and Narcissa whispered in her ear. "And you believe this rat thing? It would no easier lie to your face then tell you anything."
"I thought of that and that is why I have given it the truth serum. I tell you, he has told me not only where the brats have gone, but also what they know and what they are planning." Snape grinned evilly as he put the gnome into a glass jar and tapped it with his wand. "Tell them everything you told me."
The gnome stood in the small container and shook wildly with fear. His normally tiny voice was magnified as he spoke to the room filled with death. "Harry Potter and the brainy girl with big hair left with the red-head Weasley klutz three days ago. Then the Weasley girl, left in the night two days ago to join them. She leaves in the night a lot. But they went to the place where the Potter parents died to find clues."
"Clues? About what?" Bellatrix spat loudly, her face at the glass jar.
"Clues about their life and their death and the night he lived. That is all I know." Snape pointed his wand and the gnome disappeared before Bellatrix could ask anything else. The room was a jitter of conversation as Snape's voice spoke out.
"We now know where to go—Godric's Hollow." One by one the death eaters Disapparated from the room, until Snape and Bellatrix were left.
"Isn't it just a funny little twist how a gnome found out this information? It seems unlikely to me, Severus, very unlikely. You'd better hope this turns out," Bellatrix fired at Snape as she followed after Draco and Narcissa. Snape looked at himself in the mirror and Disapparated.