During the third week of June they had their end of year exams. There was a significant part of Rachel that could acknowledge that her exams were meaningless in the bigger picture of the war, but for whatever reason that didn't diminish her drive to do well at them. They felt like something that was within her control, unlike everything else in her life at the moment.
On Monday morning they had their Arithmancy exam, which seemed to be stressing everyone in the class. The classroom was tense and silent except for the sound of their quills scratching on their parchment. Rachel solved equations, made graphs, and described the process for the creation of new spells. At the end of the parchment, she set down her quill and checked her watch. She'd finished with five minutes left, but at this point she didn't care to try to go over her work again.
She stared blankly at her parchment for a moment, trying to force her brain to restart. She could feel that she was anxious, but she couldn't say why. She wasn't worried about her exams, that she was certain of. She couldn't think of any reason that she'd be more anxious about the war than she usually was. She closed her eyes to check on the Dark Lord, though she didn't expect the feeling was coming from him either.
He was waiting. He wanted something. Anticipation.
Rachel opened her eyes. That wasn't a good sign. She decided she'd make a point to drop by Severus' office the next time she was in the dungeons and let him know that the Dark Lord wanted something, since that seemed likely to lead to another attack. She wished she could feel something more specific.
"And time," Professor Vector called, summoning all of their exam scrolls with her wand. "I know all of you did well. No homework this week, I'll see you all next Monday. Class dismissed."
Rachel turned to Millie. "What do you think?"
"Could have been worse. I think I did alright. I think so, at least. I finished just in time," Millie said, looking a little uncertain. "You?"
"Not bad. I finished it. Didn't go back over my work, but I think it's alright," she said.
"Lunch and then our study room?" Hermione asked.
"Sure. Pansy, Daphne, how'd it go?" Rachel asked.
"Better than I thought it would," Pansy said, nodding and looking thoughtful.
"I'm glad we reviewed last night, I would have missed the Stunning spell graph if we hadn't," Daphne said.
"One exam down, five to go," Theo said.
Rachel frowned. They were supposed to have had their Defense exam today, but Professor Dumbledore had outright canceled their Defense classes and the exams. She guessed he didn't have time to proctor exams right now.
She still hadn't come to any conclusions about her feelings about Professor Nash's death. They'd held a private memorial at the last DA meeting, talking about the different things that Professor Nash had taught them and about how she'd supported their club. Rachel felt weird stirrings of guilt when she thought about Professor Nash. She also felt anger at the Death Eaters and at the Carrow twins, and what she supposed was grief for knowing someone who had died.
Mostly she thought about how senseless it was. Professor Nash hadn't had any stake in the war. She would have gone back to her own school two weeks from now. Rachel had felt more strongly about Professor Podmore's death, even though she'd known him for less time, but she thought that was because she'd witnessed Professor Podmore being tortured and murdered. For Professor Nash, it was more like one day she was there, the next day she wasn't.
They left the classroom, Hermione chatting with Padma and Susan about the questions on the exam since Theo refused to go through exams just after they'd taken them.
"Herbology and Charms tomorrow. Shouldn't be too bad," Millie said as they walked down the stairs.
"I'm so glad I'm done with exams of any kind. I'd forgotten how stressful this could all be," Tonks said, staying slightly behind on Rachel's right side. "Mind you, you all study a lot more than I did."
"I thought you had to get good exam scores to be an auror," Millie said, looking over at Tonks.
"You do, but I dropped any classes I didn't need to join the Auror Training Program after my OWLs. You're all taking every class you can fit into your schedule," Tonks said.
"We would have kept Care of Magical Creatures if we could," Rachel said. She wanted to go visit Hagrid this weekend, it would be her last chance to do so before they left for the school year.
"See, and you're not even thinking of going into a career with magical creatures, are you?" Tonks asked.
"No, but it is important to know how various parts of creatures can be used in potions, but in general potion brewers aren't harvesting the animals themselves. Severus says most serious potion brewers keep a small personal greenhouse though," she said.
"Hagrid didn't go too much into the uses of creatures in potions. His class was more hands on," Millie said.
"I can only imagine," Tonks said.
On Tuesday they wrote short essays on fluxweed, knotgrass, and sneezewort and then harvested pods from snargaluff plants. Fortunately it didn't take the entire exam period and everyone returned to their dormitories for showers and clean clothing after that.
In the afternoon they answered questions about the Reductor curse, the Gouging spell, the Cleaning charm and a few others, and then were called up one by one. Rachel used her wand to make writing appear unevenly on the chalkboard, turned vinegar into wine, demonstrated the Bubble-Head charm, and the Knitting charm. Professor Flitwick told her she'd done well and Rachel went back to her seat. Charms exams were never very high on her list of worries.
On Wednesday they had their Ancient Runes exam, where they translated various pieces of text to English, wrote some rune phrases from spells in latin, and then carved those runes into sheets of metal. Rachel's carvings were uneven and hard to decipher, but it was the best she could do with her shaking hands. The Steady charm could only do so much on a chisel.
Transfiguration was on Thursday morning. They wrote a long essay on the topic of human transfiguration while Professor McGonagall called them up one by one.
Rachel went up for her turn near the end of class, after she'd already finished her essay.
"Conjure a bird, if you would, Miss Snow."
"Do you care what sort of bird, ma'am?" Rachel asked.
"Anything that falls under the classification of bird will do," Professor McGonagall said.
Rachel could conjure a number of different birds by now, but decided to go with a seagull. She could still remember how much she'd struggled with this at the beginning of her fourth year. It was strange how easy it seemed now. A moment later there was a seagull on Professor McGonagall's desk at the end of where Rachel was pointing her wand.
"Very good. Vanish it, please."
Rachel did so, knowing it was better to vanish a conjured animal than to leave it to fade.
Professor McGongall pointed to a small ceramic lawn gnome statue on her desk. "Into a gnome and back again."
This took a little bit more focus than conjuring did and Rachel carefully marked the changes she would need to make for it to be a real gnome and then transfigured it with a firm movement of her wand. The gnome hunched his shoulders, adjusted his hat, and began looking around.
"Sorry," Rachel told it, knowing it wasn't sentient. She carefully brought it back to the same ceramic lawn gnome that it had been a minute ago.
"Well done. I often have this difficulty with students who were raised in the muggle world, but you do not have to worry about hurting a creature as you transfigure it. It's not painful to them. It may have seemed alive, but it was not aware of its existence," Professor McGonagall said.
"I know, ma'am. I just…They seem alive," Rachel said.
"And yet they have no more feeling than a portrait would. You did well on your exam, you're dismissed," Professor McGonagall said.
Rachel returned to her seat and thought about portraits and transfigured gnomes and everything else that was said not to have a soul so it didn't matter what was done to it. She still wasn't sure that she believed that. She knew from experience that conjured animals faded and that transfigured creatures didn't have the same spark of life that real creatures did. That didn't really change how she felt about seeing them though.
On Friday morning was their last exam for the year. Rachel was not very worried about doing poorly on her potions exam. She felt she could successfully brew pretty much anything on the NEWT curriculum after all the preparation they'd done for the Potions Championship.
Sure enough, they were brewing Everlasting Elixirs and Rachel spent the next two hours quietly brewing. She allowed her focus to come in and around herself and her cauldron in a way that she didn't elsewhere. Both Tonks and Severus were watching her and she felt relatively secure in Severus' classroom.
She bottled her Elixir when it moved from turquoise to deep blue, labeled it, and then cleaned up her work space. That was it. Her sixth year was essentially done, though they had another week of classes to be given summer homework assignments.
"I'll be there in a moment," she told her friends after Severus' had dismissed them, and made her way to the front of the classroom and cast a privacy ward around herself and Severus. "It hasn't changed. He's still waiting, he still wants something, he's still feeling anticipation. It's pretty much the same every time that I check."
Severus held her gaze and nodded. "The Order is on alert. Unfortunately he might stay this way for some time."
"I wish I could tell more."
"I'm glad that you can't. I do not want your connection to him to deepen. You're planning to remain with your study group today?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think we're just going to hang out. We might go by the lake in the afternoon, Ginny and Luna should be done with their OWLs by now. We have a party tonight in the Room of Requirement for the DA," Rachel told him.
"Stay within sight of Tonks, especially at the party," Severus said.
"I will," she said. She didn't think she could turn off that awareness if she wanted to.
Rachel rejoined her friends and Tonks and they split up to put their cauldrons and potions kits away.
"There's nothing like the feeling of being done with exams and not having to worry about it for another year," Millie said.
"Well, after next year, we won't have to worry about it ever again," Theo said.
"As long as you're not planning on going into a training program like the Aurors or the Healers. We had exams and more of them were quill work than I would have liked. You would not believe how many regulations aurors have to follow," Tonks said.
"There aren't exams in Masteries, are there?" Millie asked.
"Not really. Your Master or Mistress just tells you to do something and you do it. So, you could look at it like everything is an exam, or you could just look at it like it's a bunch of assignments," Tonks said with a shrug.
"Assignments. Definitely assignments. Much less stressful," Millie said quickly.
Rachel nodded. She'd much rather have assignments than exams. "Well, we're done either way for now."
"We are. Let's take a break. Please," Theo said.
"Yes. No one is going to be able to get me to do anything until Monday morning," Millie said.
"A break will be nice." She could afford to take a short break before she had to figure things out.
Luna had decorated the Room of Requirement for the party - or rather, she'd communicated to the room what she wanted and the room had provided. This year there were luminescent balloons floating around, which were the only light in the room other than the windows, strangely shaped platforms with cushions for seats, and small circular platforms here and there for them to place food and drinks on.
Rachel was hyperaware that Tonks was by her side and a step back as she walked through the room. It was a little frustrating, but Tonks was taking her job very seriously. Rachel suspected that Severus had told Tonks that Rachel wasn't to be out of her sight unless she was in her dorm or the bathroom.
"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel," Viola called, bounding over to her.
"What?" Rachel asked.
"I'm just excited that exams are done and we're almost done and I almost don't want to go home in a week," Viola said.
"Why don't you want to go home?" She hadn't suspected that Viola was having trouble at home at all. Viola seemed to be in a perpetual state of good cheer.
"Can't play Quidditch at home. I can fly around a bit in the backyard but I can't go high up or fast," Viola said.
Rachel was relieved that's where the problem was. "We'll be back soon enough. Hopefully I'll be able to fly with you in September. We've still got a few things to work on and I intend to have you ready to take the Seeker position full time by the end of next year."
"I will be. I'll be ready. I want to do more dives," Viola said.
"We'll work on it," Rachel promised, fully understanding the thrill of diving. She missed flying, but she had more important reasons to want to be well now.
"I see Timothy, bye." Viola darted away, bouncing balloons as she went.
Rachel shook her head. She couldn't remember ever being that full of energy. She continued on her way, saying hello to people as they said hello to her. She was proud of the DA, but she was also now uncertain about what they'd been teaching them. The intent was for them to be able to defend themselves if necessary, and while she thought everyone here was in a good position to defend themselves against other students, she was keenly aware that what they'd been teaching was not good enough to mount a defense against Death Eaters.
Maybe it was unreasonable to expect students to be able to defend themselves against Death Eaters, at least long enough for them to escape. Everyone in the DA was now proficient with the Shield charm, the Disarming charm, the Stunning spell, and about a dozen other commonly used Defense spells that were usually taught fifth year and up.
Professor Nash had been so worried that they were trying to prepare students for fighting in a war, but it was clear that they hadn't done that, even if that was somewhat unintentional. In part, Rachel understood Professor Nash's objections better now that she'd been through two Death Eater attacks this year. No student should have to deal with that. No student should be living with the ongoing fear that they were about to be attacked. In her own way, Professor Nash had been trying to protect them, even if Rachel still disagreed on principle.
The DA was necessary, especially while they couldn't have a continuous Defense curriculum. Professor Nash had been a good teacher, but they'd had three good teachers out of the last seven, and they'd only had Professor Podmore for two months. If it wasn't for the constraints on their time, Rachel would want to split the DA into two groups, that way they could accommodate all of the students who were interested in joining. She didn't think it was practical to have more than thirty five students at once, and they were only losing a handful of seventh years this year.
Finally Rachel spotted who she was looking for and made her way to where Cho was sitting alone with a butterbeer. She turned to Tonks. "I need to speak with Cho privately, so I'm going to put up a privacy ward."
"That's fine, I'll just be right here," Tonks said.
Rache moved the last few steps to Cho and sat down. "Do you mind if we talk?"
"Sure. Sorry, I'm still a little bit out of it. Everyone says NEWTs are terrible, but they are really really terrible. I'm planning on sleeping the entire weekend," Cho said. She did have dark circles under her eyes.
Rachel really hadn't wanted to hear that about the NEWTs. She had also better make sure Hermione didn't hear that about the NEWTs or it would make her more anxious than she already was. "Well, at least they're over now. Do you mind if I put up a privacy ward?"
Cho raised her eyebrows. "Sure."
Rachel cast a privacy ward around them. "Do you have plans for after Hogwarts?"
"Nothing concrete. I'm waiting for my NEWT scores before I make any big decisions. Probably the Ministry or the Spell Crafting guild," she said, still looking weary.
"If you're interested in helping with the war, you should talk to Professor Dumbledore," Rachel said, keeping in mind Professor Dumbledore's directions to not be specific.
Cho sighed heavily. "Yes, the Order, I know. Cedric has told me all about it. My answer is that I'm not sure. I know I should, but…it's kind of scary. No, it's terrifying. I'm not sure I'm even capable of fighting Death Eaters. Some of the things Cedric talks about...I don't know if I could do that."
"It's not just fighting. There are a lot of things to be done in the Order, including stuff like helping relocate families who want to flee, putting up wards, brewing potions, coordinating everything. I'm sure that if you don't want to fight that there are other ways you can help," Rachel said. "And they don't just throw you into fighting with a Hogwarts education. There's some training involved too."
"Maybe," Cho said. "I do want to help. I'm just worried that I would be more of a burden in a fight than a help. Rachel, they don't have you involved with this stuff, do they? I mean, you're not even seventeen yet."
"No, Professor Dumbeldore won't let anyone in the Order until they've finished at Hogwarts, I'm just sort of on the sidelines. I've helped brew potions a few times and that's about it," she said.
"Good. That's a relief. I'm not sure how I'd feel about Professor Dumbledore using students in the war. Actually, I do know how I'd feel about that, I think that would be awful. No one here is prepared to fight Death Eaters." Cho sighed again. "How are you, anyway? That had to be scary."
"It was scary," Rachel agreed. "And we're definitely not ready to fight Death Eaters. The professors had to come rescue us."
Cho nodded. "No shame in that. It's not like the Death Eaters are training on the games we play here. They use spells that we'd never use. I still can't believe Hestia and Flora were actually Death Eaters."
"Marked and everything," Rachel said grimly. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that the Dark Lord would Mark students if they were useful to him, but it still felt like he was crossing an unspoken line.
"Marked?" Cho asked.
"Some Death Eaters have what is called the Dark Mark on their left forearm, it's like a brand of a skull and a snake. The Dark Lord can summon his Death Eaters with it, and they know where to go from him communicating with the Mark," Rachel explained. "Hestia and Flora were Marked, Severus says probably over the Easter holiday. Their assignment was to let the Death Eaters through when we were walking by."
"Oh. That's awful. I know…I know Sheila was involved. And Robbie. I can hardly believe that either, I didn't suspect them at all. Marcus and Eddie were a bit more obvious. I suppose that's kind of the point though, isn't it? There's no way to know, not really." Cho frowned. "Sheila has been in my study group with Helen, Sarah, and Marietta since we were first years."
Rachel carefully avoided biting her lip. She also knew it was impossible to really know whether or not someone supported the Dark Lord. It was kind of a scary thought because it meant she really could only trust maybe ten people in the entire school.
"Anyway, I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore, and I'll think about it. I don't know what I'll decide, but I'll think about it," Cho said.
"I just wanted you to be aware it was an option. You should do what's right for you," Rachel said as she stood. "Try to get some rest."
"Believe me, I will. I don't plan on getting out of bed until dinner tomorrow," Cho said, covering a yawn. "I think I'm all partied out."
"Alright, goodnight then," she said, dismissing the privacy ward. She made her way back to where Tonks was waiting for her.
"Everything alright? That looked like a serious conversation for a party," Tonks said.
"Everything is fine. I wasn't sure if I was going to have a chance to see Cho alone again, so I figured I'd better do it now." She was kind of done with the party as well, but she couldn't leave yet. She picked up a butterbeer from a nearby platform and headed toward the back of the room. She was content to sit for a bit and let other people seek her out if they wanted to talk.
Severus threw floo powder into his fireplace. "Headmaster's office. Albus, do you have a moment?" He usually didn't like to call on Albus this late, but he'd wanted to wait until all of the representatives from the Wizarding Examinations Authority had left the castle.
"Yes, Severus. Please come through," Albus called.
Severus stepped into the fireplace and a few moments later stepped out into Albus' office. Albus was sitting at his desk and had two stacks of parchment, one he was finished with and one he was still working on. Both stacks were tall. He waited for Albus to finish the one he was on and then sat across from him. "Rachel reports that the feelings she's getting from the Dark Lord are the same as earlier this week. He's still anticipating something, but she has no further clues as to what. I think all we can say for sure is that it hasn't happened yet."
"I've told Amelia and Rufus to be on high alert and that I have seen that something is coming. The Order has all been warned that they may be summoned abruptly. I have reinforced Hogwarts wards at the obvious entry points, and many of the non-obvious ones, and I have gone over evacuation plans with key members of the staff. I'm afraid that without further information, I do not know what else to do to prepare," Albus said.
He shook his head. "I understand, I simply wished to let you know that the situation hadn't changed."
"Is Rachel able to somehow rate or categorize what she's feeling from Voldemort? I'm uncertain if she is warning you because something she is feeling from him seems more urgent or important than before, or if she's warning you because she is understandably frightened after the recent attack."
"I'm not certain. She seems to believe that it is important, though the thing that seems to be concerning her is that the feelings she is getting are the same every time she checks and have been for the past five days. I suspect the Dark Lord's feelings are usually more changeable than that." It felt odd to be discussing the Dark Lord's feelings as though they were of great import. In the past they'd discussed his motivations and his potential plans, but never had they tried to guess what the Dark Lord was feeling at any given time.
Albus rested his hand against his chin. "That might suggest he is planning for something big, or something that is taking up a great deal of his time. What were the exact words Rachel used?"
"The words she's used each time are waiting, wanting, and anticipation."
"Curious. I can understand what anticipation would feel like, and perhaps want, to some extent. But waiting is a strange choice to describe a feeling." Albus' eyes looked distant as he seemed to puzzle over that.
"I think it's good to keep in mind that we are relying on Rachel's interpretation. Sometimes she does not have a particularly good grasp of her own feelings, let alone the Dark Lord's," Severus cautioned. "Nor have we shown a strong correlation between her feelings from the Dark Lord and attacks."
"Perhaps. However, at the moment, I do not think having people on alert is doing them any harm. There will be another attack soon enough, there always is," Albus said, refocusing on Severus.
That was unfortunately true enough.
"What is the situation with your House?"
"Tense. I'm keeping a close eye on the situation, as are my prefects, as are the portraits in the common room. I have not had any reports of attacks or hexes thrown in the past week and a half, so that is a minor improvement. I'm having Tonks walk Rachel directly to her dorm room and stay there until Rachel is in for the night. I think we'll get through the rest of the term, but I do not know what will happen in September." His House was not a problem he knew how to solve and it only stood to get worse from where it was currently at.
"Let's leave September for September and concentrate on getting through right now first. Is Rachel's health improving?" Albus asked, though it was clear he was asking with his own interests in mind rather than asking about her health in general.
"Yes, she is working hard on getting better and eating more reliably. Poppy is still monitoring the situation with her heart, but Rachel is still not to exert herself for at least several more weeks. I am fully aware you wish to teach her Looking through space, but right now she is not well enough for it. She is eager to begin, but I know you do not wish to exacerbate her current difficulties," Severus said, holding Albus' gaze.
"I do not wish to exacerbate her difficulties at all, but I am currently at a loss to find this horcrux. She may be the only person who can do so. After the research I have done, my only guesses are that he gave it to a Death Eater for safe keeping, as he must have done with the diary, or he has a lair somewhere that we've never discovered."
"I find the idea that the Dark Lord has a hidden lair to be unlikely. He would never trust a Death Eater for the Fidelius. I also don't think he would feel secure having a location that could be discovered or breached."
Albus nodded. "I feel the same. But you are correct, I will not teach Rachel until it is safe for her to learn, and I trust your and Poppy's judgment as to when that will be."
"Speaking of teaching, Rachel wishes for training against fighting Death Eaters for herself and for her friends," Severus said, curious as to what Albus would make of it.
"I can understand why she would feel that after what happened. What did you tell her?" Albus asked.
"I told her not until her heart was well enough. Also, if she begins to relapse at all I'm removing her from any sort of training. As for her friends, some of them are of age, though I do not want them joining the Order until they've finished at Hogwarts. As for the ones who aren't, we would need their parents' permission for that sort of training," Severus said. "I don't want Moody to teach them, either. I'd accept Shacklebolt, Tonks, or Emmaline. I suppose I am also an option, but I don't have the experience of fighting Death Eaters in the way that they do."
Albus nodded. "Rachel believes that her friends are interested in this sort of training? Do you believe that they are ready for it?"
"She told me that her friends wanted the training, but I haven't heard it directly from them. I know Miss Bulstrode, Mr. Nott, and Mr. Malfoy were all rather shaken by the attack. I could understand them wishing to be better able to defend themselves. All of Rachel's friends conducted themselves well during the attack on Hogsmeade and all of them are dedicated and studious. I don't foresee a problem with training them. And frankly, even at Hogwarts, Rachel is often in danger and they are in danger by being with her. It would not be a bad idea for them to be prepared for further attacks," Severus said, though he regretted the necessity.
"Unfortunately, I agree. It's clear that Hogwarts is not as safe as we'd like it to be, though I do try. I will make arrangements and see who is available to teach them this summer. They must be of age or have a parent's permission. For now we'll have to do training at Headquarters, and then perhaps move it here if they wish to continue during the school year. Is there anything else I should know?" Albus asked.
"Not at this time. I assume all the preparations have been made for the faux Hogsmeade weekend tomorrow?" He was still uncertain this was a good idea, but he had been firmly overruled.
"Yes, we have six vendors coming in along with two aurors, two members of the MLE patrol, four Order members, and several of the staff have volunteered to assist with supervising in the Great Hall. I will be in the castle all day to make sure everything goes smoothly, I'll even drop by the Great Hall myself," Albus said.
"None of the shopkeepers coming are newly hired in the past three months?" Severus asked.
"No one attending will have been hired in the past six months, I checked with each of them. And Rachel will be attended by Tonks, as usual," he said, clearly understanding Severus' concerns.
Severus nodded. "What time are they leaving?"
"They'll be in the castle from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon," Albus said patiently.
He still thought this was foolish, but there was no stopping it now. "In that case, I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight."
"Goodnight. It will not be as bad as you fear," Albus said.
Severus inclined his head at him to acknowledge that he'd heard and the flooed back to his quarters. He had one week's worth of assignments to grade and he might as well get started on it now before the chaos tomorrow.
They were meeting Sirius and Remus in the entrance hall at noon. The study group had already gone to the kitchens and brought lunch to their study room, Tonks reminiscing about her own experiences sneaking food from the kitchens.
Earlier in the day they'd peeked in at the Great Hall where a bunch of the shops from Hogsmeade were set up to receive students. Rachel had decided against entering - there were a lot of students inside, it was noisy, and even with Tonks it felt too dangerous. Millie, Neville, and Ginny had gone inside, wanting to get a few sweets from Honeydukes while they had the opportunity. Ginny had also wanted to say hello to Fred and George, who had set up their own stall with products from their Owl Order shop.
Pansy and Draco were off somewhere together today. Pansy had been talking about it in their dorm room last night that they'd planned to disappear deep into the dungeons where no one could see them just to have some time alone before they had to separate for the summer. Pansy was determined to return to her parents for the summer and Severus had told Rachel that it was a decision that Pansy had to make for herself. Rachel had already talked with Pansy about sending them a Patronus with her location as soon as she felt she was in danger, and Pansy had agreed that she would leave if it became clear that her parents expected her to take the Dark Mark.
Rachel, Hermione, Theo, Luna, and Tonks had gone outside to sit under some of the trees near the lake while they waited for their friends to finish in the Great Hall. Theo had forbidden discussion of their end of year exams or their NEWTs, so instead they speculated about what they wanted to do over the summer. They were all trying not to talk about the war and the Death Eaters by an unspoken agreement.
A little bit before noon they retrieved a few platters of food and some butterbeers from the kitchens and brought them up to their study room before returning to the entrance hall to wait for Sirius and Remus.
"There you are, it's been too long," Sirius said as they arrived. He leaned in to hug Rachel.
Rachel hugged him back. "Just since Easter."
"Like I said, too long. I hope you're planning on coming around over the summer," he said, releasing her.
"I am. In a little over a month, I'll even be able to apparate myself there. We've got lunch waiting for us," Rachel said, leading them toward the stairs.
"Good to see all of you. I trust you're doing well," Remus said, looking over the group.
"More or less," Millie said.
"We're hoping to have a quiet week. We're done with homework and exams, so we're just taking some time off," Theo added.
"The calm before the storm," Sirius said, nodding. "Your seventh year will be busy, that's for certain."
"I think I've had all the storms I can handle for the time being," Millie said.
"We did hear about that, of course. I am sorry that happened. I never would have thought the Death Eaters could get past the wards. We're part of the team that's going to help scour Hogwarts for more objects like that over the summer. Everything should be safe by the time you come back in September," Remus said.
"Safe from the Death Eaters, maybe. Not so much safe from other students," Ginny said. "You heard that two of the students were Death Eaters, right? Actual Death Eaters. And they expelled a bunch more students because they figured out they were the ones who have been after Rachel and Draco this year."
"We heard that too. I'm glad they found out who was behind the attacks. Hestia Carrow will have an Azkaban sentence unless something goes wrong with the Wizengamot vote; she'll be seen in front of the full Wizengamot. The rest are being charged with conspiracy to commit murder, but we don't think they'll receive a prison sentence," Sirius explained. "The rest of the Death Eaters involved will also see a long time in Azkaban."
Rachel hadn't heard that. She forced herself to stop biting her lip. There were too many people in Azkaban. Too many people were suffering. She didn't agree with Death Eaters and attempted murderers walking free, but there had to be a better solution than torturing them for years on end.
"Well, I'm glad they're doing something, at least. And presumably the MLE knows to watch the others, because if they don't go to prison they're probably joining the Death Eaters," Hermione said.
"The MLE will be watching them closely. They're aware of what will happen. It may have been kinder to put them in Azkaban for the duration of the war," Remus said.
"I don't know about that. Less likely to wind up with them dead, maybe. Kinder, probably not," Sirius said.
Luna unlocked their study room and led everyone inside. "We hope you like sandwiches. We also have sweets and butterbeer."
"What's it like, Tonks, eating like a kid again?" Sirius asked as everyone took their seats.
"Better than cooking for myself. You'd think after a NEWT in potions I would be decent in the kitchen, but no," Tonks said. "I feel like I've been de-aged six years. I keep having dreams about showing up to class without my homework, except I don't even know what the topic was, and there's a quiz, but I don't know what class I'm in."
"I have dreams like that all the time," Hermione said. "You mean they don't stop after you leave school?"
"I had those dreams for a while myself, but they have mostly faded now," Remus assured her.
Rachel couldn't recall ever having a dream like that. She supposed her sleeping mind had things to be anxious about other than school. She'd been having nightmares, but not every night, and her sleeping mind had been coming up with strange mixes of things that occurred in her childhood and things that had happened while she was at Hogwarts.
Sometimes a Death Eater took off their mask and it was Uncle Vernon. Sometimes the Dark Lord showed up at the hotel where she'd been taken as a child. She had many dreams of being lost in a maze and hearing her friends scream while the Death Eaters attacked them and she couldn't reach them. She'd almost rather her mind had just stuck to dreaming about events that had actually happened.
"So, what are your plans for the summer?" Remus asked now that everyone had food.
"Well, we need to begin preparing for our NEWTs," Hermione said.
Theo shot her a warning look.
"But, we don't need to begin right away," Hermione said. "We're also hoping to see each other more this summer now that most of us can apparate. And we would like to begin preparing ourselves for joining the Order after Hogwarts."
"Preparing yourself in what way?" Sirius asked.
"We want to learn to fight and defend ourselves. Tonks has been teaching us a little bit, but after what happened, and after everything that has happened this year, we feel that we need to be able to defend ourselves against Death Eaters," Theo said.
"I never want to be in a situation like that again," Millie added.
"I know we're not having Hogsmeade weekends any more, but what happened at Easter was pretty scary too. I would have rather we'd known what to do. We kept watching the smoke, waiting for the Death Eaters to appear," Neville said.
Ginny nodded. "The war is only going to get worse and it's clear that Hogwarts isn't safe. Not for us."
"I would like to be able to protect myself and others if a situation called for it. We've been working a lot with our Defense club, but that's not enough," Luna said, looking unusually worried.
"I think that's all understandable. You've had a bunch of frightening experiences," Remus said.
"And I don't think training is outside of the realm of possibility, but if you want training from the Order, that has to go through Dumbledore," Sirius said.
"I've already asked Severus, he said he would check with Professor Dumbledore," Rachel told them. "I can ask again and see if they've made a decision. And if they're only willing to teach me, I will teach you what I learn."
"It would be better if you had actual instructors, but your parents are going to have to agree to training if you're underage. And even if you're not, you still should probably have your parents' blessing," Remus said, looking over all of them with a frown.
"I don't know how I'm going to get my mom to agree with that," Ginny said. "I'm almost afraid to tell her how much danger you were in when the Death Eaters attacked."
"Molly knows already. Albus has assured her that the school is as safe as it can be right now and that we will make it safer over the summer," Remus said.
"I think my father will let me, but I'll have to explain it to him first," Luna said. "Maybe if someone could tell him about the things we would be learning, that would help."
"We can do that," Tonks said. "As long as you're sure this is something you want to do. This type of training is sort of unpleasant."
"Unpleasant in what way?" Millie asked.
"A lot of it is being attacked over and over to teach your body how to respond when you're attacked. A lot of people's natural instinct is to run away or to freeze up, and you have to train yourself out of that response. This isn't really learning spells, it's teaching your mind and your body what to do," Tonks explained.
Rachel didn't think that would be a practical lesson for the DA, but she could very well see how it would be helpful to not freeze up when she was in danger.
"Well, I'm willing to do it," Theo said.
"I am too. And I think I can convince my parents by explaining that is something that will help me stay safe," Hermione said.
"I don't know about my parents agreeing to it, though I could explain it as extra Defense training, and maybe they wouldn't object to that," Millie said.
"My Gran won't let me. But I'll be seventeen at the end of July, and then I can join you," Neville said. "There's already going to be problems with ending the marriage contract, so I don't think this will change anything one way or another."
"I might not be able to join you until July either. Severus wants me to be well before I train," Rachel said.
Sirius looked at her. "Well? Are you ill?"
"A little bit. I'm getting better now," she said, not wanting to go into the details. She'd never told Sirius and Remus about her difficulty with eating.
Sirius frowned. "Snape and Poppy are taking good care of you?"
"Yes, very," she said, glad he wasn't pressing.
He nodded. "Well, let's see what Dumbledore makes of this and go from there. I don't think it would be a bad idea for you to have this training, but I wish it wasn't necessary."
Rachel wished that too, but she would feel a little bit safer if she knew she could defend herself.
As they had anticipated, on Monday morning Professor Vector gave them the assignment to invent a spell over the summer holiday. Rachel wasn't even sure where to start with that. It wasn't like a potion where you could start with a base and add and subtract from there, as long as things were balanced. She wrote the assignment in her planner and decided to ask Severus if he had any ideas of what might be feasible.
In Ancient Runes they were given a long translation assignment and an assignment on runes used for artifacting. The translation had been expected, but Rachel was more interested in the runes for artifacting. She was also going to ask Severus if there were different charms she could use for her engraving because right now everything she did was nearly unreadable.
They went to lunch and Rachel had some pumpkin juice and ate an apple. It wasn't really a full meal, but she was working on eating full meals at breakfast and dinner.
"What about a light orb?" Pansy asked. She, Daphne, and Millie had been brainstorming for their Arithmancy assignment since lunch started.
"There's already a spell for a light orb," Theo said, looking up from his sandwich.
"There's already a spell for everything," Pansy said, her mouth twisting with frustration.
"You have two months, don't worry about it yet," Draco said.
"Picking the effect of the spell is the easy part, which you would know if you were taking Arithmancy," Daphne said.
"Why am I taking Arithmancy?" Pansy asked.
"Oh no, don't you drop too. We barely have a class," Millie said.
"No, really. Why am I taking Arithmancy?" Pansy asked.
"Because you said you'd take Arithmancy with me if I took Divination with you," Daphne said. "Besides, we're good at it."
"We're not taking Divination any more and I don't feel all that good at Arithmancy," Pansy said.
"You told me you did well on the exam," Millie said.
"Only because we studied," Pansy said.
"We're supposed to study, no one is good at a subject if they don't study it," Theo said.
"You can be naturally good at things. There are plenty of people who are gifted at subjects. Rachel and I are very gifted at Potions, for example," Draco said.
Rachel stared at him. "Do you remember how much studying we did for Potions this year?"
"We were good at Potions before that," Draco said unrepentantly.
Rachel shook her head slightly. She was getting a headache. And she didn't want to think about her homework assignments right now.
"After seeing your classes I am totally glad I didn't go with Arithmancy or Ancient Runes," Tonks said from Rachel's other side.
"All depends on what you want to do with your career, I guess," Theo said. "No offense, but I'm not looking to join the aurors."
"None taken, it's not for everyone," Tonks said. "You might want to consider the Unspeakables, I bet they'd love to get their hands on you."
"I think I'll stick with the Spell Crafting guild," Theo said.
"I definitely don't need Arithmancy for my career," Pansy said.
"Pansy, you said you'd keep it when we picked our classes for our NEWTs," Daphne said, her tone almost a whine.
"If I fail this summer assignment I'm not keeping it," Pansy said.
"You're not going to fail the summer assignment, we'll come up with something," Millie said. "We've got five days to brainstorm together."
Pansy moaned. "Fine."
"Looks like Hermione and Neville are ready to go," Millie said. "Draco, are you with us today?"
"Pass. I'm done for the term," Draco said.
"We'll see you later then," Theo said as he stood.
Rachel slung her bag over her shoulder and stood. She was also sort of ready to be done for the term. Their classes for the rest of the week were mostly reviews for the purpose of being assigned summer homework. The professors knew not to expect much of the students after exams were finished.
"Library?" Hermione asked. "I want to look at the Arithmancy section again. And maybe at Ancient Runes too. And at the Restricted Section again, there is a lot of strange stuff in there."
"Sounds like an afternoon in the library," Theo said. "I wouldn't mind another look at the Restricted Section."
"Sure. I want to look through some books on Charms to get some ideas for our assignment," Millie said.
"Ancient Runes for me. I want more information on rune use in artifacting," Neville said.
"Rachel, that alright with you?" Hermione asked after a moment.
"The library is fine." She was sure she'd be fine when she got there, though her headache was starting to make its way into her eyes.
They made their way out of the Great Hall, through the entrance hall, and then started up the main staircase. Somewhere between the first floor and the second floor, Rachel was sure she heard the sound of someone screaming. She paused and looked around, but the sound had stopped.
"Rachel?" Millie asked.
"Sorry, just thought I heard something," she said, rubbing at her forehead. Maybe she was going to the hospital wing instead of the library. She took another few steps and was sure she heard the screaming again and came to a stop. "No, something is wrong."
"Rachel?" Tonks asked, moving closer with her wand out.
"Can you hear that?" Rachel asked.
"I don't hear anything except maybe voices from the Great Hall. Is this like the things you heard in second year?" Hermione asked.
"No, it's screaming, but it's distant. I can't tell where it's coming from. It keeps stopping and starting, and there's another sound too, but I don't know what it is," she said, trying to make sense of it.
"Okay, I think we're going to the hospital wing," Tonks said. "Can you make it back down these steps?"
"Yes." Rachel said, turning so that she could go down the stairs but losing her balance as she was hit by a wave of feeling like she was in another place entirely. "Whoa."
Millie and Tonks both grabbed her, preventing her from falling down half a flight of stairs.
She blinked, trying to clear her vision, but the sounds kept getting louder and she knew what the other one was now. Spell fire. She let her eyes close and she realized where she was. "Get Severus."
"On it, meet us in the hospital wing," Theo called.
"I've got Rachel, you guard us," Millie said, though her voice was faint now.
Rachel couldn't even feel her body any longer. She was going up a staircase, there were screams from behind her. She was in the Dark Lord's body, a passenger. Or an observer.
They went around a corner, the Death Eaters doing most of the killing, though the Dark Lord occasionally raised his wand. There were flashes of green light. The Death Eaters weren't stopping to torture or gloat. Up another level of stairs and then they were in a heavily decorated hallway with a number of doorways and a set of gilded double doors at the end.
Aurors cast spells back at the approaching Death Eaters. One Death Eater fell, only to be replaced by another. The Dark Lord made quick work of the aurors and went through the double doors. The Minister's office. The Death Eaters took out the six people who were sheltered there. Rachel recognized a man with red hair, though she hadn't seen him in several years. The Dark Lord paused to look around the room and held his wand out.
Rachel's vision changed and she realized the Dark Lord was using some sort of detection spell. A panel in the wall seemed to shimmer and the Dark Lord used his wand to open it and stepped through. It was a narrow hallway and there was someone ahead.
Green light passed through the hallway and the Dark Lord stopped to check the body, but it wasn't who he was looking for. He stepped over the body and continued on, reaching another door. This one took slightly longer to open but it yielded and the Dark Lord killed another man and stepped inside.
Minister Fudge was crouching by a fireplace, frantically throwing the floo powder into the flames but nothing was happening. "Please. Please. I have a family. If you want the Minister's position you can have it. You can have the Ministry."
"I wouldn't take your word on that," the Dark Lord said. "You have failed me for the last time. I asked you to deliver me the Wizengamot."
"I did, I did, they're yours," Minister Fudge babbled.
"You and I have a very different definition of what 'yours' means. Your usefulness has ended. Avada Kedavra."
The bolt of green light hit Minister Fudge and he fell to the floor lifelessly.
"My Lord, they're coming up behind us. If we stay, we're trapped here," one of the Death Eaters said.
"Lord Voldemort is never trapped. Now our work can truly begin," the Dark Lord said.
Rachel was thrust back into her body and managed to stop herself from screaming. Her throat was raw. "Ministry, the Ministry, the Dark Lord is at the Ministry," she said as quickly as she could once she saw Severus at her bedside. Her head was pounding but that seemed inconsequential compared with what she'd just seen.
"To Albus Dumbledore. The Ministry is under attack. The Dark Lord is present," Severus told his Patronus. He waited a moment and then cast it again. "To Sirius Black. Alert the Order. Situation critical. Ministry." He then turned to Rachel's friends who were still gathered. "You can tell no one what you just saw, understood?"
"We understand, we already know about Rachel's visions and about the Order," Theo said.
"I…I should go," Tonks said, looking slightly panicked. "Merlin. I should go."
"Your orders are to stay here, Auror Tonks, unless Scrimgeour or Albus tell you otherwise," Severus said. "This may be a false vision or a distraction."
Rachel shook her head. "No. No, I saw it, Severus. I saw it."
"Remember your vision last summer, about Black. That seemed real. We will find out if this is real, just hold on. How is your head? Your scar?" he asked.
She was certain what she'd just seen was real. "Head and scar both hurt," she admitted. "Severus, we need to talk privately."
"Poppy, can you get us a Pain Relieving Potion and some Healing Salve please," Severus said. "I'm going to keep Rachel for the rest of the day, she will see you tomorrow if she's well enough," he told her friends.
"Will she be in our dorm tonight?" Millie asked.
"Not tonight. She will see you tomorrow," Severus said.
"When will we know if the attack on the Ministry was real?" Hermione asked.
"Come by my office after dinner and I will give you what information I can," Severus said.
"Thank you, sir. I hope you feel better, Rachel," Theo said.
"Yes, feel better soon," Neville said.
Madam Pomfrey returned with the potions. Rachel quickly took the Pain Relieving Potion and held still to let her cover her scar with the Healing Salve. "It's bleeding again. Does that happen every time?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
"It didn't at first, but now it seems to. Are you in pain anywhere else? Dizzy? Nauseated?" Severus asked.
"No, but I really need to talk to you," she said.
"Poppy, I'm going to take her back to my quarters. Tonks, you can check in with Black to see if Albus is requesting you at the Ministry, I will keep Rachel for the rest of the day," Severus directed. "Poppy, may we use your floo?"
"Yes, of course," Poppy said. "Rachel, do you feel well enough to move?"
"Yes, I'm alright now," Rachel said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood and then slung her bag over her shoulder.
"To our quarters then, you go first," Severus said, directing Rachel over to the hospital wing's fireplace.
"Severus Snape's quarters," Rachel said after she'd tossed in the floo powder. She bumped around inside the fireplace for a moment and stepped out into Severus' quarters. She set her bag down on the sofa and sat, trying to sort through what she'd just seen.
Severus stepped out of the fireplace. "I just need a moment to put a note on my classroom door dismissing my afternoon students, I will be right back."
She sank further into the sofa. What she had seen was real. She was sure of it. There was no reason for the Dark Lord to send her that vision, unless he was trying to set the Order up for an ambush. But since they were going to the Ministry, the Death Eaters would be already inside the Ministry, and that was a problem too. And she was sure what she had seen was real.
Thinking about the vision more closely, she tried to figure out how many people were dead. At least eleven on the level with the Minister's office. Another ten maybe in the hallways around the staircases. And there had definitely been killing before she'd fully lapsed into the vision. Maybe a lot of it, going by the screaming. And the Death Eaters had still been there when her vision had ended.
"How many people work in the Ministry?" she asked when Severus returned.
"Nearly three thousand," Severus said as he sat.
"All of them in that building?"
"No. There are out buildings of the Ministry and different shifts, there would probably be a thousand people in the Ministry on a day like today. What was it that you wanted to tell me?" he asked.
"I am really sure it was real," she began.
"We'll find out soon enough," he said. "There seemed to be something specific you wanted to tell me that you couldn't say in front of the others."
"I think Minister Fudge has been working with the Dark Lord."
Severus sat still for a moment, his face set in a neutral expression.
"I mean, it probably doesn't matter much now, he's dead, but the Dark Lord said that Minister Fudge had failed him for the last time, and that he was supposed to deliver him the Wizengamot. And Minister Fudge offered him the position of Minister and said that the Ministry was his," Rachel explained.
"What did the Dark Lord say to that offer?" Severus said, scowling slightly.
"That he wouldn't take the Minister's word on it," she said.
Severus shook his head. "When you were last in the vision, what was happening?"
"They were in a secret room behind the Minister's office, he'd just killed the Minister, and one of the Death Eaters warned them that they were going to be trapped. The Dark Lord said he couldn't be trapped. And that's it."
"I will tell Albus when he has a moment. The implications that Fudge was working with the Dark Lord may be far reaching," he said, still frowning.
"What do we do now?" She wasn't even sure what the appropriate thing to do was when you'd just seen twenty people die.
"We wait until we hear from Albus. Are you alright?"
"Not really. I'm pretty sure I saw Percy Weasley get murdered. And I thought I recognized one of the aurors, but it happened really fast," she said. She thought of Ginny and Ron and wondered how long it would take for them to hear about their brother. She knew Ginny hadn't spoken with Percy in almost two years now.
"I'm sorry," Severus said. "I wish we could prevent these visions. I am also concerned that you had one while awake."
That concerned her too. It would definitely be a problem if she started having visions all over the place. At least now she knew what the start of one felt like, so she could get herself to the hospital wing if it happened again.
"I really think it was real," she said again.
"I'm sure it seemed very real. The best thing we can do now is wait to hear what is happening. I know Albus will check on us as soon as he's able, but if it was a real attack, that might be a number of hours."
She couldn't even bring herself to hope that it wasn't real. She just knew. "Do you think the Dark Lord can kill enough people to control the Ministry?"
"Not today. He'd be better off slowly infiltrating like he has been and he knows it. Something must have tipped his hand in order to kill Fudge. He won't waste Death Eater lives trying to hold the Ministry, he'll use the upheaval to install people under his influence to positions of power. I know Scrimgeour wants Robards to succeed him as Head Auror when he takes the Minister's position, and the MLE is in good hands with Bones. It's the people who are incoming to take the places of the dead we want to watch, and the recently promoted," Severus explained.
"I think a lot of people died. I know about twenty for sure, but I could also hear screaming before my vision started. His target may have been the Minister, but he was killing everyone he could see." She bit her lip and didn't bother stopping herself. She knew she should feel more than she was feeling right now. And she did feel a sense of horror and a fear for the future, but she should feel something more for all of the people who she'd just seen killed. Shouldn't seeing that sort of thing devastate her instead of leaving her feeling slightly numb?
"That's not surprising, that's generally the way the Dark Lord works when he leads attacks. When he wants to question someone, he has them abducted. If he wants to make a point, he has them tortured. But when his goal is to kill, he typically slaughters indiscriminately."
It all came back to the same thing. They needed to end this war as soon as possible. The longer they took, the more people died. That had always been the equation, but it had never quite been so clear as it was now. Professor Dumbledore said at least a year until they faced the Dark Lord. If the Death Eaters killed fifty people a month, then that meant over a thousand more people dead by the time they ended the war. Rachel suspected that if they included muggles, fifty a month was much lower than what the reality would be.
She knew Professor Dumbledore was right. They had to do this correctly the first time. That didn't make the time that passed any easier. And now she had all day stuck sitting here waiting and thinking about what was happening at the Ministry.
She dragged her Arithmancy textbook and her two-way book out of her bag. She didn't particularly want to study, but it was better than thinking. It was all she could do for the moment other than drive herself completely crazy remembering the way that people had looked as they'd fallen to the floor after being hit by the Killing Curse.
The sitting room was quiet apart from the slow crackle of the fire. He had finished grading the last of the term's homework, so he was sitting with a book and a piece of parchment while he jotted down ideas for improvements and modifications for various potions. The practice was soothing and allowed him to work on something else in the back of his mind.
It was nearly five o'clock and he was convinced that Rachel's vision had been real. Albus would have returned to the school by now if it had been a false alarm.
He knew it did little good to speculate, but his mind kept running over what would come next. They'd need to install Scrimgeour as Minister, preferably before the day was out. The attack on the Ministry should sway enough members of the Wizengamot to make that possible. After that, they needed to push through a few more things in the Wizengamot while people were still afraid. They needed to allow lethal force and the Killing Curse when fighting Death Eaters. They needed to allow suspected Death Eaters to be given Veritaserum without their consent. Indefinite holding periods for suspected Death Eaters would also not go amiss.
While Severus didn't like the idea of giving the MLE and the Ministry more power, sometimes it was necessary to do distasteful things while fighting a war. Right now the Wizengamot would be fearing for their own lives - at least those who didn't actively support the Dark Lord would be. If the Dark Lord could murder the Minister in broad daylight, in the secret shelter within the Minister's office no less, then he could get to anyone.
And then there was the revelation that Fudge had been working with the Dark Lord. Severus wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised by that. He'd always known that Fudge was a coward and craved power beyond all else, but dealing with the Dark Lord was further than Severus had suspected Fudge would go. They would have to warn Scrimgeour, there were undoubtedly spies and sympathizers in the Minister's office.
The fact that Fudge had offered the Dark Lord the Ministry and the Minister's position would have to stay between him, Albus, and Rachel. It would be extraordinarily bad for the morale of the country if that got out, and the attack on the Ministry would be enough of a blow as it was.
Then there was the fact that Rachel had a vision while she was awake. That concerned him more than he was letting on to her. Theo had come rushing into the Great Hall to retrieve him part way through lunch, telling him that Rachel had collapsed. Once they were alone in the hallway, Theo had filled him in on the pertinent details. It seemed like Rachel had a little bit of time before the vision took hold of her before she had collapsed. Perhaps they could teach her to somehow fight the visions, or at least to get some place reasonably private and safe before it became overwhelming.
At the beginning of the school term he would have Albus explain to the staff that Rachel was having some sort of illness - they would have to pick something that explained her symptoms - and give them instructions as to what to do if Rachel indicated she was having symptoms in class. Maybe he could have the professors floo Rachel directly to the hospital wing.
He was still undecided as to whether the Dark Lord was purposefully sending these visions. It was possible that the Dark Lord wanted the Order to respond to the attack on the Ministry for purposes of killing as many of them as possible. It was also possible that the Dark Lord wanted them to know that Fudge had been colluding with him. And it was possible that he wanted to torture Rachel with visions of people dying.
Rachel had been quietly studying on the sofa all afternoon. She seemed engrossed in whatever she was working on, but he suspected she was attempting to distract herself from what she'd seen. He also suspected that she had become somewhat used to the visions. The sad thing was that people could get used to just about anything. He wished there was something he could do to protect her from this, but if Albus did not have the answer, nor his contacts, then he suspected that there was not a solution.
They'd had afternoon tea and Rachel had eaten a few biscuits without a fuss. She truly seemed to be working on her difficulty with eating, which he appreciated.
"Severus, may I come through?" came Albus' voice from the fireplace.
"Yes, of course," Severus called.
Rachel closed her book and set aside her quill as Albus stepped out of the fireplace. "My vision was real?" she asked.
"I presume your vision was of an attack on the Ministry?" Albus asked.
"Yes, and Minister Fudge and all the people in his office being murdered," she said.
"I'm afraid that is so, yes," Albus said.
"Please, take a seat," Severus said, standing and motioning to his armchair before joining Rachel on the sofa.
Albus sat down and looked weary. "I am only here briefly. We've called an emergency session of the Wizengamot. I intend to have Rufus in the Minister's position tonight."
"Can you do that? Just like that?" Rachel asked.
"The Wizengamot will be much more pliable in the next few weeks than it usually is and we will take advantage of that. I suspect those who support the Dark Lord will have been given instructions to allow certain measures to pass so that they are not suspect. Voldemort knew that we would have Rufus take the Minister's position when he killed Cornelius. I wish we had more information as to why Voldemort made this exchange. He must have gained something from it beyond inciting fear," Albus said.
"There is something you must know. Fudge was working with the Dark Lord," Severus said.
Albus paused and then nodded. "I have suspected as much for some time, but have not been able to find anything to confirm that suspicion. Rachel, I presume you saw something that indicated this?"
"The Dark Lord told Minister Fudge that he'd failed him for the last time, which suggests the Minister has been given other tasks for the Dark Lord. He was supposed to give him the Wizengamot, but the Dark Lord said that he hadn't. The Minister also offered him the Ministry and the Minister's position, but the Dark Lord said that he wouldn't take the Minister's word on it," Rachel summarized.
Albus sat quietly for a long moment, his expression drawn. "I will let Rufus know so we can begin clearing the Minister's staff. Otherwise, I believe that information must stay between the three of us."
Rachel nodded. "How many people died? I saw at least twenty people die, but I know there were more."
"Many. The Order arrived too late to assist. By the time we arrived the Death Eaters had retreated and the remaining aurors had taken control of the situation. We will likely not know the death count until tomorrow at the earliest, but from what I saw, at least fifty people were murdered."
"Oh, there's something else you should know, maybe. It might be important," Rachel said.
"If you believe it's important, I certainly want to hear it," Albus said.
"The Minister's floo powder wasn't working. He was in a secret room, trying to escape through the fireplace, but he kept throwing in floo powder and nothing was happening," she said.
Severus looked to Albus. "The floo powder must have been replaced. If the floo connection was cut off, the flames still should have turned green."
"I will instruct Robards to collect the floo powder for testing, though it may have been replaced by now, a number of people have been in and out of that room, myself included. We had wondered why he hadn't been able to flee. That means someone among the aurors that were assigned to Cornelius was working for the Dark Lord. No one else would have access to that room," Albus said.
"Perhaps more than one person, the aurors are usually assigned in pairs. Rachel, did you see multiple aurors with Fudge?" Severus asked.
"There were two standing guard outside the Minister's office, one in the secret hallway, and one in the room with the Minister. All of them were killed though. Would he kill someone who was secretly working with him?"
"Most definitely, but other aurors would have access to that room as well, we can't assume they were killed today," Severus said.
"I'll let Amelia, Robards, and Rufus know," Albus said.
"Without revealing Rachel's visions?" Severus asked.
"Yes, the fact that Cornelius was not able to floo out should be reason enough for investigation. I will simply suggest they examine the floo powder and the contents of the fireplace. Then we can make the connection that there is at least one spy in the aurors together. Is there anything else I should know?" Albus asked.
"When can we start working on finding the horcrux? We need to stop this. We need to do something before more people are killed," Rachel asked.
"We will begin when Poppy says that you are well enough. It is imperative that we do not further endanger your health. We need you to be healthy and strong for what is coming. We need you to defeat Voldemort, much as I wish it wasn't so for your sake," Albus said steadily.
Rachel looked to Severus. "A few weeks?"
"When Poppy says you are well enough. Your heart is slowly strengthening and beating at a more regular rate, but we cannot rush this. Rachel, you are not responsible for the ongoing war or the deaths. No matter what we do, this will take time. People will die, but it is not your fault," Severus said firmly. He would say that as many times as she needed to hear it.
"Severus is correct. The war is not your fault nor your responsibility. You have already done more than your fair share by locating three of the horcruxes. The Order and the Ministry are fighting the war. You will have your role, but not yet. The best thing you can do is to focus on keeping yourself healthy and safe," Albus said, nodding at Rachel.
"What about training? My friends and I want to be trained to keep ourselves safe. My friends could have died just two weeks ago, just because they were with me," Rachel asked.
"I will make arrangements for you and your friends to receive training, but your friends must be of age or have their parents' consent. I will make this offer to them before the term is over and I'm asking you not to tell them until that point," Albus said.
"Also, you are not participating in any training until Poppy clears you to exert yourself," Severus added.
"Alright. Thank you," Rachel said, still looking worried. "May I ask you one last thing?"
"Of course," Albus said.
"I think I saw Percy Weasley die. Do you know if that's true?" she asked.
"I'm afraid it is. He was in the Minister's office during the attack. It is a very regrettable loss," Albus said.
Severus exhaled. Yet another former student dead. He had not been prepared for how it would feel to have the people that he taught killed in war. Even the students he didn't particularly like, or were even not in his House, he still felt a sense of responsibility for. "Do Molly and Arthur know?"
"Yes. I'm having Minerva send home the Weasley children this evening so they can be with their family. Once we get the list of those killed, I suspect we will be sending a number of students home to grieve with their loved ones," Albus said.
"Thank you for letting us know," Severus said, glancing at Rachel. She was biting her lip and seemed at least somewhat distressed.
"I will check in with you again either later tonight or tomorrow, depending on how the Wizengamot goes. Please let me know immediately if you receive further communication from Voldemort," Albus said, standing.
"We will," Severus said, standing and watching Albus leave through the floo. He returned to his armchair and looked at Rachel. She had her eyes closed and looked like she was concentrating. He did wish that she would not seek out the Dark Lord's emotions, but he hadn't been able to dissuade her from doing so.
Finally she opened her eyes. "He's pleased. He feels successful. I'd almost call it gleeful. I don't feel emotions like that from him often. He seems to have a hard time feeling positive emotions. At least now we know what he's been planning all week. I wish I'd been able to tell more."
"We do not want for more information to pass through your connection, even if it would give us a strategic advantage," he told her again.
"Even if it would save lives?"
"Even then. It is not worth the sanctity of your mind. We need you as you, not as a puppet for the Dark Lord. This is not something to be casually played with. We need to be as cautious as possible. Have you noticed any differences to how these feelings are now compared with maybe a year ago?" he asked.
"Different how?"
"Intensity, frequency, an overall change in what he's feeling?"
"No, I don't think so. It seems about the same to me," she said after thinking for a moment.
"Albus was wondering if the urgency of what you felt this week was different from what you've felt in the past. Why did you feel the need to warn us about this time?" he asked, figuring he may as well ask while they were on the subject.
She was quiet for a long time, her head bowed. "Part of it was that it was the same feeling every day. That seemed like he was focusing on something big. Part of it was the clarity of it. He seemed very sure."
"But the intensity wasn't different? Was there a sense of urgency?"
"No, not really. Just of certainty. Sometimes he is waiting, but it's not an anticipation feeling. Or a wanting feeling. I think it was the combination of the three that made it feel like it was important," she said.
Severus thought that seemed reasonable enough. "What does waiting feel like?"
She frowned. "I don't know. Waiting. It's just a feeling."
He decided to let it be rather than press her. If she felt that waiting was a feeling she recognized, he could accept that.
"What do you want for dinner?" he asked.
"Something light, but I need a little while first. Is that okay?"
"That's fine, we can wait another thirty minutes." He settled back in, his mind swimming with possibilities for the future. None of them looked good.
Tonks took Rachel to the hospital wing for breakfast the next morning as Severus felt he needed to be in the Great Hall when people learned about the attack on the Ministry. Tonks was unusually quiet, but Rachel didn't ask questions. She understood a number of aurors had died yesterday and Tonks had probably known most, if not all of them, and probably a number of other people who had died as well.
Madam Pomfrey was also quiet as they sat down to eat, Millie joining them as well.
"Are you feeling better?" Millie asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. I was fine like ten minutes later but Severus insisted that I stayed with him," she said, looking over her eggs, toast, and porridge. She still couldn't bring herself to eat bacon. Sausage was right out.
"Probably not a bad idea, in case what you saw was a distraction," Millie said. "I took a copy of the newspaper from the Great Hall, if you want to see it."
"Not at the table. Perhaps we should switch the topic to something less stressful," Madam Pomfrey suggested.
Millie looked at Madam Pomfrey for a long moment and seemed to be on the verge of saying something before she nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
They ate quietly after that and left the hospital wing together to meet their friends in the entrance hall to go out to Herbology.
"Can I see the paper?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah." Millie paused and took a folded newspaper out of her bag.
The headline 'You-Know-Who Attack on Ministry. Fifty Six Dead. Minister Fudge Murdered. Acting Minister Scrimgeour to be Sworn In' took up the top fourth of the page. The picture was of Scrimgeour at the fountain in the Ministry atrium. Professor Dumbledore was standing to his left, Madam Bones to his right. The next headline read 'Harsher Measures to be Taken Against Death Eaters' and the article indicated that the next emergency session of the Wizengamot would take place on Wednesday. The last headline on the front page read 'Gawain Robards to take Head Auror Position'.
It seemed Professor Dumbledore and Severus had a good read on how the situation in the Ministry would unfold. "At least they're doing something," Rachel said.
"Too little, too late," Millie said. "The Death Eaters flooed right in. No one knew what was happening until they started killing people."
"I don't know how we stop something like that," Rachel said as they reached the entrance hall.
Hermione, Neville, Theo, and Luna were waiting for them.
"Professor McGongall took Ginny and Ron last night. I think they went home," Hermione said, pitching her voice quiet. "We didn't have a chance to say anything but goodbye. There are a bunch more people missing I think, it's hard to tell when some people don't come to breakfast, but from what people have been saying, others have been taken from the school too.
Rachel swallowed, realizing they didn't know. "Percy was killed," she told them, keeping her voice quiet as well.
Neville closed his eyes and Hermione exhaled.
"Do you know if Ginny's dad is alright? He would have been at the Ministry as well," Luna asked, her eyes wide.
"I think he's alright. When Severus asked Professor Dumbledore if Molly and Arthur knew, he said yes. I think he would have said if he'd been killed or injured," Rachel said after thinking about it for a moment.
"I saw Arthur yesterday. He's…he's not fine, he's in shock, but he wasn't harmed in the attack," Tonks said.
"Did Professor Dumbledore say anything else?" Theo asked.
Tonks cast a privacy ward around all of them and Rachel shivered.
She thought again, sorting out what she could tell them from what she couldn't. "Nothing that wasn't really in the paper. They called the emergency Wizengamot meeting and he was confident Scrimgeour would be voted in. He said that the Dark Lord knew he'd lose control of the Wizengamot and the Scrimgeour would be voted in and that he'd made that decision on purpose for some reason. He said that there were probably people in the Wizengamot under the Dark Lord's influence who had been ordered to vote in favor of Scrimgeour and other anti Death Eater measures."
"That's a big trade off, he must have gotten something more that we're seeing from this," Theo said.
"He's further infiltrated the Ministry, is what he's done. The deaths weren't random, not all of them. Some people it was the wrong place at the wrong time, some the Death Eaters seemed to specifically hunt down. There's no way they're going to allow us to question everyone who is being promoted with Veritaserum. Nor all of the new hires. It's going to be people we aren't even suspecting and we don't have enough people to watch everyone. It won't matter who the Minister is if the body of the Ministry acts against him in small ways. Next will come the Wizengamot. They're going to start to take out members of the Wizengamot and replace them, or place them under the Imperius curse," Tonks said, her expression haunted.
"What do we do?" Hermione asked, looking frightened.
Tonks shook her head. "We fight. We protect the people who we know are in danger. We watch people closely. We hope that the war ends before the Ministry and the Wizengamot are completely in You-Know-Who's control."
Rachel pressed her lips together. It all seemed so impossible. It felt like they were just sitting still while the Dark Lord was attacking.
"What do we say to Ginny?" Neville asked.
"That we stand with her, no matter what, and that she can talk about anything she wants to, and that if she wants someone to just sit with her, we can do that too," Theo said.
"That's what I would have wanted when my mother died," Luna said. "Just someone to sit with."
"We can do that," Hermione said. "We've got to get to class. We'll see you later today, Luna."
Tonks ended the privacy ward and they left the entrance hall and went outside.
It was a perfect summer morning. There was still dew on the grass, there was a slight breeze, and Rachel could practically feel summer arriving as the sun sat over the Forbidden Forest. It seemed weird that this could exist at the same time as all the death that she'd seen yesterday. The world continued, with or without them.