Author's Notes: As I sit here typing this, MIRROR, MIRRORhas reached the 700 review mark! Un-frickin'-believable! To say that I was excited to see this story reach such a milestone is a gross understatement. Thank you, to everyone who has taken the time to post a review.
As you know, this chapter is late…which has, unfortunately, become a theme with me recently. I'm sorry; I honestly expected this chapter to be ready on-time since I wrote this chapter and the previous one over a year ago and they were complete with only the minor inconvenience of typing them up needed to get them out to you. Chapter 25 needed very little editing before being able to be posted, but this chapter…this chapter required much deeper editing that resulted in the delay.
I've actually been thinking about changing my self-imposed two-week posting schedule, since I can't seem to hit the two-week deadline these days. Three weeks seems to give me that extra cushion to get the stories out and I'm seriously considering just calling it quits on the two-week thing and instituting a three-week schedule from here on out. I dunno…I hate to do it, since that means you guys would have to wait an extra week for a new post, but if it's going to take me three weeks anyway, wouldn't it be better if you were just expecting it to take three weeks? We'll see what happens with Chapter 27 before I make my final decision.
Does anybody watch "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"? Yeah…I don't. I only mention this because over the last couple of weeks (though with the inconvenience, it seems longer), they did a build here in my neighborhood…three houses up the street in fact. Well…it wasn't a house when they got there…it was a vacant lot where a house had been burned to the ground a couple of years back…but they built a house on it. Actually, it's a home…a "girls' home". Now, if that means what I think it means (okay…now I've got Inigo Montoya stuck in my head going "I do not think that mean what chu think it means"), I don't know what sort of impact it's going to have on the neighborhood…but I do know it means it might not be a bad idea to just chain my 15 year old nephew to the radiator in his bedroom before he gets into any trouble…or more trouble, as the case may be.
Also, if anybody has ever thought that it would be keen to have a Hollywood reality show doing an episode in your neighborhood? Let me get that idea out of your head right now. It means your entire street is blocked off to traffic, and you need to equivalent of a backstage pass just to get in or out of your neighborhood…which makes going to and from work, or the store, or just anywhere a complete and total hassle, thanks to the gauntlet of police officers you have to navigate, proving to each one that yes, you do in fact live in that neighborhood. Also, you'd better hope you have a driveway, because every available inch of curb-space is taken up with trailers for the crew. OH! And the best part is the work goes on 24 hours a day! It was 4 in the frickin' morning, and I was still hearing the *bee*bee*beep* of construction vehicles backing up. And then there was the weird French dude who you'll find lounging in the shade of your tree on his lunch break when you come walking out of your house to check the mail. Why French? I dunno…that's where he said he was from!
Okay, one last thing to say before I do my Thank Yous and my Disclaimer…
A few weeks back, "LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4" came out for various gaming platforms. I've been a big fan of the LEGO games franchise ever since the original Star Wars Trilogy (or as I like to think of it, the Star Wars Trilogy) got the LEGO treatment. I've also played the Indiana Jones and Batman LEGO games, but I think the Harry Potter game is my favorite by far. There's an expansive Hogwarts environment for you to explore, which is just awesome. And while the game isn't perfect (I would have liked to have seen the actual Quidditch World Cup…not just the chaos after it, and the Yule Ball be included…as cut-scene movies if nothing else), it is incredibly enjoyable. But I'll warn you right now…Year 2 is the toughest! Fighting Aragog and fighting the Basilisk barely give you any time to breathe, let alone find stuff…so be prepared! If you've played the game, let me know what you think about it…let's get a little dialogue going!
Thanks: I've already thanked my reviewers, but I'll do it again…thanks! And thanks as always to my beat, CutewithAcapital-Q for her tireless dedication in putting up with my crazy ass all the time.
Disclaimer: You know the drill…it ain't mine…it's that nice British lady's.
MIRROR, MIRROR
Chapter 26 – "Reflections of a not-so Silent Night"
Ron had managed to make himself a plate full of sandwiches from leftovers he had found in the kitchen along with a tall glass of pumpkin juice to wash it all down. It wasn't the mouthwatering feast the others had no doubt enjoyed, but Ron was so hungry he'd have settled for a cheese-and-pickle sandwich and a sack of pawn-flavored crisps.
He was just finishing up his meal when he heard the thunderous sound of footsteps running down the basement steps highlighted by very feminine giggling. Ron stiffened in his chair, bracing himself for whatever was about to happen. He expected to be on the receiving end of the ire of whatever member of the Weasley family or the Order that was just about to enter the room. What actually happened was the last thing Ron expected.
Nymphadora Tonks was the first one to enter the kitchen, laughing gaily with rosy cheeks and bright bubblegum pink hair. She was followed closely by Charlie Weasley, sporting a mischievous grin as he chased Tonks, fingers poised to tickle the young Auror as she fled.
Ron and Charlie locked eyes the moment he entered the room, and a split-second later, the second-oldest Weasley son moved with purpose across the kitchen. Ron jumped to his feet in fear of what he assumed was to be some sort of assault, either physical or magical. Of course, when Charlie pulled him into a quick one-armed hug and then ruffled his hair, Ron could have been knocked over with a feather.
"Alright there, little brother?" Charlie asked, smiling at Ron.
"Wuh…uh…what?" Ron stammered, dumbfounded.
"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, "Didn't expect to see me for Christmas this year?"
"Err…" Ron honestly didn't know what to say.
"Oi, Charlie! Are you gonna introduce me or what?"
Ron and Charlie turned their attention to Tonks. She stood with her arms folded across her chest, arching an eyebrow at Charlie, her hair shifting to red.
"Right," Charlie nodded, "Ron, this is Tonks…Tonks, this is my little brother, Ron."
"Wotcher, Ron," Tonks said. She extended her hand towards Ron and began moving across the kitchen towards him, promptly tripping over her own two feet, "Ah, bugger!"
Charlie chuckled, hurrying over to help Tonks to her feet. "Tonks here isn't the most graceful thing on two legs, but she does have other more appealing attributes," he said, winking at Ron.
"Watch it, Weasley," Tonks said, shooting a glare Charlie's way, "Or when I get you alone, I'll hex off one of your 'more appealing attributes'." She then turned her attention to Ron and her face softened, "It's nice to meet you Ron. I'll try not to hold being this git's brother against you."
"Err…yeah…okay," Ron said numbly, shaking her hand. He'd already met Tonks before…the other Tonks on that other world, but from the way she and Charlie were acting, he wasn't sure they knew who he was…so he didn't bring it up.
"Tonks, why don't you wait for me upstairs," Charlie said turning serious for the first time since entering the room, "I think Ronnie and I need to have a little talk."
"Just remember to grab the Firewhiskey before you come up," Tonks said before leaving the room.
Silence enveloped the room for several moments before Ron asked one of the many questions floating around in his head…and probably the least likely to get him hexed. "So…you and Tonks?"
"Yeah…we were at Hogwarts together," Charlie said while rooting through the cupboards in search of something, "We dated a few times and then sort of lost track after school. I had my dragons and she wanted to be an Auror – aha!" he emerged from the cupboard, successful in his search, triumphantly holding a half-full bottle of Firewhiskey and two very expensive-looking glasses, "When I transferred to the Welsh dragon sanctuary and joined the Order, she and I reconnected."
Charlie took a seat, opened the Firewhiskey and poured two glasses, waving for Ron to join him at the table. Reluctantly at first, Ron moved to take a seat. He didn't know what to make of the situation with Charlie yet, and the idea of being alone with him made him more than a little uneasy.
"You don't work in Romania anymore?" Ron asked, nervously eyeing the glass of Firewhiskey that Charlie slid in front of him, "Since when?"
"Drink up," Charlie said matter-of-factly, tossing back his own shot of whiskey with practiced ease, "I got a Floo-call from Dad on the Thirty-First of August, at which point I told my boss to either arrange for a transfer or I was quitting. I managed to get an emergency Portkey the next day and I started working in Wales a few weeks later."
"Wait…the Thirty-First?" Ron's mind flashed to a disturbing memory…the final memory of the other Ron Weasley, "So…you know?"
"That you're not really my little brother?" Charlie replied, pouring himself another shot and downing it in one, "Yeah. Now drink up."
Ron numbly did what he was told, trying to emulate Charlie as best he could by knocking back the shot of Firewhiskey in one gulp. That was a big mistake. It seared his throat on the way down and made his whole body feel like it was on fire. He erupted into a coughing fit, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.
"First time, huh?" Charlie laughed, slapping him on the back. Ron tried to answer him, but his voice came out as a choked gasp, so he settled for nodding instead. Charlie continued to chuckle, "It gets easier with time, little brother."
"Wh-why…you keep…calling me that?" Ron managed to croak out between gasping and heaving for breath. Firewhiskey may get easier to drink with time, but at the moment Ron had no intention of ever touching the stuff again.
"Why do I keep calling you my little brother?" Charlie asked, putting the top back on the whiskey and pushing the two crystal shot glasses aside, "Look…I know you're not really him, and I know you're not going to be here forever…but I see this is as a second chance…a second chance to have some time with the little brother I took for granted."
Charlie began rolling the Firewhiskey bottle back-and-forth between his hands, watching the amber liquid sloshing around as if mesmerized.
"I spent so much time away from home…first at Hogwarts, and then in Romania…and even when I was home, because of the age difference, I didn't make much time for him. Maybe I thought that there was plenty of time…maybe if I knew he was only gonna be around for fifteen years I'd have made an effort. I'd like to think so, anyway."
Charlie tore his gaze away from the whiskey and locked his gaze with Ron.
"I know the others aren't as willing to accept you; that's their choice. I don't give a bloody fuck what world you're from…to me, you're Ron Weasley, and that makes you my baby brother. So, as long as you're here…if you want one…you've got yourself an older brother."
"Thanks, Charlie," Ron said quietly, overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the last hour. It was nice to know that not every Weasley despised him; it would certainly make the next two weeks a bit more bearable.
Charlie nodded and rose from his seat, grabbing the bottle and glasses off the table, "Now that we've got all that out of the way…I've got a lady waiting for me…and a Weasley never leaves a lady waiting. Consider that a piece of brotherly advice," he said with a wink.
Ron snorted sarcastically. "Got any advice on what to do when you try and snog a girl and she calls out her boyfriend's name and runs off?"
Charlie pulled a rather unpleasant face, "Yeugh…that's rough, Ronnie. About all I can suggest for something like that is to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on to the next bird…preferably one without a boyfriend. 'Night, Ron."
With a wink and a smile – Firewhiskey firmly in hand – Charlie left the kitchen, leaving Ron alone with his thoughts and dirty dishes. He quickly went about washing and putting away his dishes, wanting to leave as little evidence as possible that he had been down in the kitchen sneaking food.
The entire time he was cleaning up, Ron's thoughts kept drifting to Hermione. She'd spent over two weeks avoiding him, but she broke up with Viktor…a fact she seemed to want him to be aware of, especially, judging by the way she looked at him when she told her parents.
Maybe there was a message in there meant solely for him. Was she telling him she wasn't mad about him trying to kiss her? Did she chuck Viktor because of him? She still seemed to want to be his friend…but could she want more? He'd have to ask Charlie some more questions about his situation over the next few days and see what he had to say.
He was grateful to Charlie for treating him like his brother, and to Ginny and the twins for having eventually accepted him as well; but as nice as it felt to have "siblings", hearing Molly and Arthur arguing…hearing the things they were saying about him…left Ron completely gutted. Luckily the Weasley parents were no longer in the dining room when Ron crept as quietly as he could back up the basement steps.
He didn't know if anyone was still up and about, and he wasn't sure how most of the house's occupants would react to seeing him wandering around, so he hurried up the stairs to the second landing, and Ron made it to his room – making sure to enter the right room this time – without encountering anyone else.
Of course, once he was in his room was a different story entirely. There on his floor playing a game of Exploding Snap sat Ginny, Fred, and George all dressed in their pajamas and dressing gowns.
"There he is! I told you Kreacher didn't kidnap him, you prats," Ginny said, giving the twins the sort of un-amused look that Molly Weasley herself might be capable of, "Like I said, he was probably just in the loo."
"He was gone an awfully long time just to be taking a wee," Fred quipped causing Ginny to screw up her face in disgust, "Fall in, did you, Ronniekins?"
"Maybe he got lost," George suggested, "I got lost when I went to the loo…this ruddy place is huge. And I wouldn't trust that barmy house elf, Ginny…the way he keeps glaring at us and calling us blood traitors…"
"What're you doing here?" Ron asked closing the door behind him and crossing the room to stand over them
"What's it look like? We're playing cards, waiting for you," Ginny said, moving over to give him room, "Come on…we'll deal you in."
Ron couldn't think of anything else he had to do at the moment…other than brood on his current situation…so he grabbed some floor between Ginny and George.
"Sorry if we caught you by surprise, mate," Fred said as he tapped the deck of self-shuffling cards with his wand and started it shuffling, "We had to put a Silencing spell on the room because of all the noise we were making."
"No worries," Ron said, "I reckon that explains why I didn't hear you when I was out in the hall."
"Where did you wander off to?" George asked as the game began with the deck flipping over cards one-after-the-other.
"The kitchen," Ron replied, trying to pay attention to the game as well as keep up with the conversation, "I tried sleeping, but I was starving…I needed something to eat."
"Typical Ron… always thinking with his stomach," Ginny said teasingly, nudging him with her shoulder, and smiling brightly at him. Just then, the deck flipped over two identical cards and she quickly tapped them with her wand, yelling, "Snap!"
The pile of cards beneath Ginny's wand-tip exploded with a bang sending bits of card everywhere. After a few moments, the deck resumed flipping over cards, increasing its speed a slight bit.
"Sorry about you going hungry, mate," Fred said, pulling a piece of exploded card out of his hair, "We tried to talk Mum into letting you come down and eat with us, but she went spare."
"She was scary," Ginny agreed, frowning, "I tried to sneak you some food wrapped up in a serviette, but she caught me. She actually threatened to punish me for trying to feed you."
"Mum actually forbade us from bringing you food from the kitchen," George said, "She was very clear on that point, wasn't she, Fred?"
"Absolutely," Fred nodded, "All too clear. No food from the kitchen."
"Don't worry about it," Ron said grimly, "I can understand where your mum is coming from…and I don't want you lot getting into trouble over me. These two weeks are going to be difficult enough."
"Tish tosh, Ronniekins," Fred said mischievously, "We followed Mum's instructions to the letter…didn't we, George?"
"We certainly did, Fred," George agreed, nodding, "No food…from the kitchen."
"But mother-dearest said nothing about food from our room," Fred said, reaching up to the bed and pulling the blanket aside to reveal a pile of Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's beans, Fizzing Whizzbees, and other confectionary treats sitting in the middle of his bed.
"Consider yourself lucky, Ronniekins," George said with a grin, "We don't raid our stash for just anybody."
"That's for sure!" Ginny said, glowering at the twins, "You never offered me any! Come on…share the wealth, you gits! Pass me a Sugar Quill!"
Fred and George laughed at their little sister, and soon the massive pile of sweets was divided into four equal piles amongst the teens as the game of Exploding Snap continued and the room quickly became littered with discarded sweets wrappers and exploded bits of playing cards.
The game lasted well into the night, and by the time Ginny, Fred and George had decided to call it a night – with Ginny actually having to walk upstairs to her room, half asleep, while the twins merely Apparated to theirs – the heavy feeling that had been weighing Ron down all night had been lifted and he was able to crawl into bed and go to sleep with a smile on his face thanks to the lightheartedness of the Weasley siblings.
Ron awoke the next morning to the sound of someone banging determinedly on his bedroom door. Groggy and uncoordinated after not getting nearly enough sleep, Ron literally tumbled out of bed, landing on the floor with a dull thud.
Once he'd managed to disentangle himself from the tattered blanket that had somehow gotten wrapped around his legs, Ron stumbled across the room and opened the door, still dressed in the clothes he'd worn the day before. He immediately stepped back and wished he'd grabbed his wand on the way over to answer the door as he stood face-to-face with Sirius Black.
"Oh…it's you," Ron said curtly, turning around and striding with purpose towards the bed…and the bedside table where his wand was sitting. He didn't expect Sirius to attack him again, but after last night, the animagus was not one of Ron's favorite people…or favorite dogs, for that matter; he'd feel much better once he had his wand on him.
"Good morning to you, too," Sirius replied cynically, leaning up against the doorjamb nonchalantly. His remark merely garnered a grunt of acknowledgement from Ron as the redhead plopped down on his bed and picked up his wand. Undeterred, Black continued, "Dumbledore's here and he wants you to come to the drawing room. That's down on the –"
"First floor," Ron interrupted, "I remember. It took us forever to clean all the Doxys out of the bloody drapes…even with extra-strength Doxycide."
Sirius snorted at Ron's cursing, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a grin, "What were you doing cleaning my house?"
"Somebody had to get the place in decent-enough shape to serve as the Order's headquarters," Ron said. Keeping his wand at his side as he spoke to Sirius, Ron reached down and slipped his feet into his trainers, tying them quickly. "No way Mum was gonna have us living here all summer and not clean the place up."
Sirius chuckled. "Molly is a force to be reckoned with."
"Believe it," Ron agreed, nodding. He got up off the bed and made his way across the room in two long strides. He looked at Sirius as the older man effectively blocked the doorway and crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently, "Well? You gonna let me go see Dumbledore, or what?"
Sirius gave him a curious look before standing up straight and moving out of the doorway. "Don't you want to put on something you didn't sleep in? I'm sure Dumbledore won't mind waiting a few more minutes."
"I'd rather just get this over with as soon as possible," Ron said, pushing past Sirius out into the hallway. Sirius followed him out, keeping pace with him.
"You don't seem as frightened of me as you did last night," Sirius commented, giving him a sidelong look, "It's the dog, right? Everyone's afraid of the dog. And then, when they find out that I'm an animagus and I am the dog…well…that's when everyone starts pissing in their pants…"
"Actually, it was the dog…attacking me…again," Ron said snidely as he moved along the hallway towards the stairs, "I've known you were an animagus for the last two years."
"How'd you find out?" Sirius asked, sounding a bit ruffled, "I try to keep it a closely guarded secret…for obvious reasons."
"You mean because you're an unregistered and illegal animagus whose arse would wind up back in Azkaban," Ron replied snarkily, stopping and shooting Sirius a sardonic smirk, "Those reasons?"
"You're a bit of a smart-ass, aren't you?" Sirius asked, looking at Ron appraisingly, "You remind me of me, when I was younger."
"I take it that's your idea of a compliment," Ron said dryly, though deep inside he appreciated being compared to Sirius…a bit. He'd always thought Sirius was pretty cool…especially after hearing some of his stories from his Marauders' days over the summer. Still, he wasn't exactly in the mood to be nice to Sirius after the reception he'd received the night before.
"Of course it's a compliment," Sirius said with a quick bark of laughter, "Who wouldn't want to be like me?"
Ron couldn't help the amused snort that escaped him at Sirius' declaration causing the former Marauder to smile mischievously.
"You never did answer my question; how'd you know I was an animagus?"
"As the dog, you attacked me back in Third Year," Ron explained bitterly, "Dragging me into the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow…breaking my leg in the process. Once you'd dragged me all the way to the Shrieking Shack, you transformed and stole my wand…because you wanted to kill my rat."
"So the cat didn't convince me to take Wormtail to the Ministry and clear my name?" Sirius asked, obviously intrigued by the story of the other dimension's Sirius Black, "I just killed Wormtail, instead? Well…it's no less than he deserved for what he'd done."
"Actually, he escaped," Ron said, frowning, "It was a huge mess…and I reckon I was lucky to get out of it with just a broken leg. Now, when you say 'the cat'…?"
"Big ginger tom…ran into him wandering around the school grounds," Sirius replied.
"Crookshanks?" Ron laughed, "Crookshanks convinced you to clear your name instead of killing Pettigrew…that's what happened? I always wondered why you decided to turn him in over here, while you seemed dead-set on killing him where I came from."
"I wanted to kill him," Sirius admitted, frowning as he reminisced about the night he finally became a truly free man…instead of just an escaped convict, "That cowardly little rat deserved it…but that cat wouldn't let me kill him. I was almost willing to kill the cat to get to the rat…but in the end, I understood what he was doing…why he wouldn't let me kill Wormtail."
"I knew you and Crookshanks were working together," Ron said, recalling the memories he'd seen, "But I had no idea the cat was the brains of the operation." Ron began laughing at Sirius' expense.
"It's not just a cat!" Sirius snapped, un-amused at being the butt of Ron's joke.
Ron stopped laughing immediately and took on a deathly serious face. "Don't tell me Crookshanks is an animagus, too! I've got to tell Hermione…she probably undresses in front of that pervy git!" He started to rush off, not sure where he was going or how he was going to get in touch with Hermione; just knowing that she had to be warned.
Sirius grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks. "Calm down. The cat's not an animagus…he's part kneazle. The kneazle half is what makes him so smart and such a good judge of character."
Ron nodded, acknowledging Sirius' words and calming down. He was glad Crookshanks wasn't an animagus in disguise; Hermione loved her cat dearly, and she would be devastated to learn that he wasn't the loyal, loving pet she'd cherished for the last two-and-a-half years. Ron knew all about that sort of betrayal, and it was a feeling he'd prefer to see Hermione spared of.
Ron and Sirius resumed their trek towards the stairs, passing the room Ron had mistakenly entered last night. He motioned towards the door with his head as they passed.
"How's Professor Lupin this morning?"
"A little groggy, but he'll be fine after breakfast," Sirius said, "You really were lucky he'd taken his Wolfsbane potion last night; if he hadn't…"
"Yeah, I've seen what happens when he doesn't take it," Ron said, nodding, "Bloody terrifying."
"Then I trust you won't make the same mistake you made last night," Sirius said, raising his eyebrows as if in a challenge as they began descending the stairs.
"Not likely," Ron agreed. If there was a chance of running afoul of an angry animagus, or worse, an angry werewolf, Ron would make a point to stay as far away from that room as possible. They lapsed into silence as they made their way down to the first floor landing and began moving along the hall towards the drawing room and Dumbledore.
"One thing I don't understand," Ron said, breaking the silence, "You and Professor Lupin looked awfully cozy when I walked in on you last night…but when he turned into a werewolf two years ago, you transformed and the two of you got into one Hell of a dogfight."
"When the wolf is upon him, Remus likes to have Padfoot around as a calming influence…but if he was already on the hunt for blood, there would have been little I could do," Sirius explained, "When he takes his potion…as he had last night…Remus is weak and docile during the wolf cycle, so Padfoot stands guard for him."
"You're his watchdog," Ron said, snickering.
Sirius narrowed his eyes and growl at him. "I think I liked you better when you were cowering at the very sight of me."
They reached the drawing room and entered, finding Dumbledore standing alone by the fireplace, seemingly lost in thought. He looked up when Ron and Sirius entered and smiled at them…though the smile looked forced.
"Ah, Ronald…how are you finding your stay in the most noble and ancient house of Black?"
"I don't understand why I couldn't have stayed at Hogwarts," Ron replied, not even bothering to hide his unhappiness, "At least there I felt somewhat welcome."
Dumbledore shot a quick look to Sirius who merely shrugged.
"Ronald," Dumbledore began, turning his attention back to Ron, "Christmas is a time for family…and since the rest of the Weasley children attending Hogwarts were headed home for the holidays, it would look rather suspicious if you stayed behind. And since I will be traveling until at least the New Year, I felt you might be safer someplace where an eye could be kept on you."
"You honestly don't think I would've been safe at Hogwarts?" Ron asked unbelievingly. Hogwarts was, supposedly the safest place in all of Britain…although considering how many times Ron had almost been killed at Hogwarts, that title might actually be undeserved.
"Ronald, I'm afraid there have been some recent developments that cause me to believe Hogwarts may no longer be safe for anyone," Dumbledore said gravely.
"What happened?" Ron asked anxiously, as any number of horrible possibilities ran through his mind, all of them revolving around Harry Potter and You-Know-Who.
"Three days ago, Azkaban was attacked," Dumbledore revealed. Ron watched Sirius visibly stiffen at the mention of the prison where he spent a dozen years of his life. "There was a massive breakout that was aided by the prison's own guardians. It would appear that the Dementors have joined Voldemort."
"Why are we only hearing about this now…why didn't we hear about this three days ago?" Sirius growled, balling his fists up and trembling with rage.
"My source inside the Ministry informed me that the attack is being covered up until a full investigation can be completed," Dumbledore replied tiredly, "Only the Minister and the departments directly involved even know about this."
"Your source inside the Ministry," Sirius laughed bitterly, "What about your source inside the Death Eaters? Where was Snivellus during all this…licking Voldemort's boots or tucked safely inside Hogwarts, playing with his chemistry set?"
"Sirius, calm yourself," Dumbledore said sternly, "We shall hear from Severus during the meeting…until then –"
"Who escaped?" Sirius cut across Dumbledore, speaking in an emotionless voice that Ron never would have equated with him; Sirius always seemed emotional…much like himself…whether it was anger or happiness or what-have-you, he was always emotionally expressive…but now, he seemed deadened as he waited to learn which of You-Know-Who's lunatic minions had been set free.
"Some twenty of Voldemort's faithful followers have been freed," Dumbledore answered, giving Sirius a look that Ron couldn't place, "The Lestranges were among them."
"Bellatrix," Sirius spat, as if the name itself was poison.
"As well as her husband and brother-in-law, and nearly a dozen-and-a-half more of Voldemort's most dangerous Death Eaters," Dumbledore confirmed, nodding.
"So, what do we do about it?" Ron asked, finally inserting himself into the conversation. He'd been content to allow Sirius and Dumbledore to discuss the matter as though he weren't in the room, but now he was tired of standing around listening…he wanted to know what the next course of action was and he wanted to know now. If he was lucky, it would be something that would get him out of spending two weeks trapped here.
"The Order will be discussing the matter at our meeting later this morning," Dumbledore said, seeming to be addressing both Ron and Sirius, "Until then, there is another matter."
"Something else happened?" Ron asked, wondering just how much bad news the old wizard had brought with him.
"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore said, nodding, "During my recent travels, I was troubled to learn that Vernon and Petunia Dursley, and their son Dudley, have been killed."
"Harry's family?" Ron replied, shocked. He didn't particularly care for the Dursleys, since they were such horrible people, but the death of the entire family had to mean something…and probably not something good.
"Those horrible Muggles you left my godson with? Good riddance," Sirius' reply was full of bitterness and disgust, "It's because of the way they raised him that Harry was so willing to fall in with the Malfoys! If I had my way –"
"Sirius, enough!" Dumbledore snapped, cutting across Sirius and shutting him up, "I am well aware of your feelings concerning the Dursleys, and while I do appreciate those feelings, this is not the time or place to discuss them; there is a larger matter at hand here."
"What happened to them, Professor?" Ron asked, trying not to feel awkward at the obvious tension in the room.
"It is unclear, though I am fairly certain they were killed by magic," Dumbledore answered Ron, his tone much more conciliatory than when he spoke to Sirius, "Judging by the state of their remains, they have been dead for months…possibly since the summer. Also, judging by the Muggle-repelling charms and protective wards surrounding the house, I believe it is safe to say that whoever killed them did not want the Dursleys to be found for quite some time."
"Professor…you don't think Harry did it, do you?" Ron asked, though the cold shiver that ran down his spine told him he probably already knew the answer.
"That's not possible!" Sirius roared, turning to angrily face down Ron, looking as if he wanted to hit the redhead for his blasphemous words, "He's incapable of such a thing!"
"He's done it before!" Ron snapped, refusing to back down from the enraged Marauder, "Otherwise, I wouldn't bloody well be here, now would I?"
Sirius Black was seething with anger, and Ron could tell that he wanted to take the anger out on him for having the gall to suggest that his godson could be a murderer. Ron didn't like saying that about Harry…didn't like thinking it about him…but the fact of the matter was that Harry Potter was capable of murder…and if he could kill this world's Ron Weasley, what's to stop him from killing the relatives who locked him in a broom cupboard for the first eleven years of his life?
"I believe that, yes, it was most likely Mr. Potter who killed the Dursleys," Dumbledore sighed, "After he admitted to killing this world's Ronald Weasley, I don't think there is anything that Mr. Potter is incapable of."
"It's not his fault, though," Ron said, turning away from Sirius and looking back at Dumbledore, "He's being controlled somehow…I know he is. Even if it's not the diary like we thought, You-Know-Who has done something to him. Maybe he's been Imperiused!"
"That is a distinct possibility, Ronald," Dumbledore acknowledged, "However, until such time as we are able to confirm that Voldemort is somehow controlling him, then we must err on the side of caution. Mr. Potter is still dangerous."
"We have to warn Hermione," Ron said as the sudden image of Harry flanked by dozens of hooded Death Eaters and a hundred Dementors converging on the Grangers' Muggle home flashed across his mind, "If You-Know-Who's doing something big like busting his people out of Azkaban, then he must be planning something equally big…Hermione won't be safe out there in the Muggle world…we can't let what happened to the Dursleys happen to her and her parents!"
"Miss Granger and her parents are under constant guard," Dumbledore reminded Ron.
"By what…a couple of Order members?" Ron asked his tone slightly biting, "You-Know-Who's building an army! And you said yourself that Harry might try to get revenge on Hermione and I; if he can't get to me, she's the next best thing! Plus, she's a Muggle-born…and they're always high on You-Know-Who's hit list!"
"You'd best hope Bellatrix doesn't get hold of your friend," Sirius said in a grave voice, "She likes to play with her food before she eats it. Your friend will be begging for death by the time she's done."
"Professor…!" Ron shouted, looking frantically at the schoolmaster, his concern for Hermione taking precedence over everything.
"Sirius…" Dumbledore said in a scolding tone, shaking his head, "Now is not the time to make matters worse."
"Professor, you can't leave Hermione and her parents out there to fend for themselves!" Ron exclaimed, "Hermione's a brilliant witch, but if Harry and You-Know-Who come looking for her, she won't stand a chance!"
"What would you have me do, Ronald?" Dumbledore sighed wearily.
"I don't know…take them someplace safe…you could bring them here!" Ron said, his face brightening at the prospect of seeing Hermione again and making sure she and her parents were safe at the same time, "This place is unplottable, and with so many Order members coming and going all the time, it's probably the safest place there is right now."
Dumbledore didn't seem as thrilled with the idea as Ron, however. "Ronald, by bringing the Grangers here, you risk the truth of your origins being exposed; you do realize that…don't you? I only mention this because you had made a point of not telling Miss Granger where you were from when you told her the details of your mission during your stay in the hospital wing."
"If the choice is between Hermione possibly finding out where I'm from, and Hermione dying…I'll choose her finding out any day," Ron said with conviction.
"Very well, Ronald, I'll make the arrangements," Dumbledore said nodding. He then turned to Sirius, arching an eyebrow as he asked, "As long as it agreeable with the lord of the house of Black."
"Fine by me," Sirius said, waving a hand dismissively, "There's plenty of room on the second floor."
"I'll just be off, then," Dumbledore said as he turned and left the drawing room, followed shortly by Sirius, leaving Ron alone with his thoughts.
You-Know-Who was up to something big, and Harry was no doubt right in the thick of it. With Dementors and Death Eaters and who knows what else on his side, Ron couldn't help wondering just how long it would be before He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named finally showed his face and tried to do what he had failed to do…what Harry had stopped him from doing…all those years ago. How long before he tried to take over the Wizarding world once and for all?