Chapter 67 – What Ron Found
"What did you say?" Harry couldn't believe what Hermione had just told him. It just wasn't right. Not about the students and the basilisk or why Dumbledore and Hagrid weren't here.
"It happened last night Harry." Neville and Susan had come up to stand beside Hermione.
"Is anyone dead?" was Harry's next question.
A round of "No's" answered that question but a light bit of rain started falling and Harry was still pretty fatigued after what he had been through for the last twenty four hours. He took Hermione's hand and asked for the story as they headed for Hogwarts.
Professor Flitwick came out of the stables after removing the thestral's bridle and turning her out in one of the main corrals. He saw Harry and his friends just a few dozen yards ahead of him and watched as Harry waved his hand once and an invisible shield formed over the head of the four students. Despite the serious situation that the school was in at the present time, Professor Flitwick couldn't helped but be impressed by the power and the knowledge of the young wizard in front of him. He opened his own umbrella to protect himself from the rainfall and hurried back towards the school.
Hermione started talking as they climbed the path from Hagrid's hut to the school. With help from Neville and Susan Harry learned all about the dastardly activities that happened while he was gone. Vika also started mentally filling in the gaps for Harry after he entered the school. It was a little confusing listening to the different voices but Hermione spread out her dialogue a little bit more in response. Harry over the course of the next hour and a meal found out the whole disturbing story.
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The Astronomy class the previous night had been shortened to a revision session because of storm clouds. As a result the class was dismissed well before curfew and the students scattered in a variety of directions. Hermione and most of the others had gone back to Gryffindor tower. A few others left to meet up with their significant others or the library. Neville had found Susan in the owlery writing a letter to her aunt.
Luna Lovegood was waiting for Ron when classes were dismissed. Hermione walked away as she heard Luna tell Ron she was worried because she knew the nargles seemed to congregating on the Weasleys for a while now and she was worried about them and him especially. Ron laughed and said that Luna had gone warning the wrong Weasley. "Ginny's had a bad headache all day and couldn't even get out of bed this evening to come to Astronomy."
"Well, that's probably the safest place for her. Nargles are notoriously afraid of pillows as everybody knows."
Ron just looked at his girlfriend and was about to say something about his knowledge of nargles but Luna turned to him with a smile and Ron forgot all about his objections. He didn't understand a lot of what Luna said sometimes but there were moments when Ron felt that Luna was smarter than even Hermione. It puzzled him but he enjoyed working on the puzzle a great deal.
"How about we walk around the castle until curfew then?" Ron held out an elbow and Luna was only too glad to put her hand through it. The two started wandering away as Ron talked about star charts and the Astronomy revision. Luna was surprisingly good in Astronomy and the two of them had been helping each other in their studies with that class. The discussion about classes soon drifted into other areas of conversation and the various rumors that were wont to float anyplace that had more than a dozen people in it.
"I didn't see Harry come out of the classroom with Hermione. Did he get a headache too?"
"I don't think so Luna. Hermione said that he was out doing something for Dumbledore but a lot of people told me that they saw him walking with a goblin sorcerer and that they were headed for the Forbidden Forest that last they saw of them."
"The Forbidden Forest?" A loud voice came out of the wall directly besides Ron's head and he hurriedly pulled Luna around behind him to protect her from an attack.
Luna giggled as she saw that Ron had pulled a wand on Myrtle as she came out of the corridor wall. Ron put his wand away but then wagged his finger at the ghost. "Please don't do that anymore Myrtle. You're going to give me a heart attack some day."
"But George and Fred told me you like surprises" Myrtle tried to look sorry about scaring Ron but Luna's giggles in back of him made it difficult for her.
"I like surprises like extra pudding, or finding a galleon in my pocket or.."
"A good snog in a broom closet" supplied Luna.
"A good snog.. Luna, you're not helping any." Ron tried to keep a stern look on his face but failed miserably. He finally joined Myrtle and Luna in the laugh.
"So Harry's gone down to the Forbidden Forest. Isn't that very dangerous?"
Luna had turned and beckoned Myrtle to join her and Ron in their walk. Ron answered Myrtle's question as they continued on. "For anyone else but Harry I would say yes, but he was seen heading off that way with a goblin wizard. Any goblin has to be associated with Gringotts and Harry said the goblins wouldn't actively harm a client of theirs. So I guess he has some protection."
"Even though trouble seems to find Harry anytime he ties on his shoes in the morning." Luna was thoughtful as she said this and Ron didn't even want to hazard a guess what she was thinking about.
"And he did tie his shoes this morning" Myrtle said.
Ron stopped suddenly and looked at the ghost. "That was a pretty definite statement, Miss Beachwood. You haven't been watching Harry and the rest of us get dressed in the morning have you?"
"Of course not. That wouldn't be very ethical, would it?" Ron resumed walking with the two and Myrtle came up on the side of the Luna. When she looked over at Myrtle, Luna saw her wink and nod her head. Luna had to bite back a giggle and thought she ought to talk to Myrtle alone sometime to compare notes. The three had climbed across to the fifth floor as Ron and Luna answered some questions that Myrtle had about Harry and Hermione's history and background before they came to Hogwarts. They turned one corner after passing a statue of Boris the Bewildered and came to a sudden halt. The corridor was flooded and getting deeper in water even as the three looked at it.
Myrtle stopped in horror and screamed at the other two to stop. Ron and Luna stared at the ghost who asked them to please not go any farther and that she was going to fetch the headmaster. Ron and Luna were very confused by her behavior especially after Myrtle hiked up her skirts a little and literally ran through the nearest wall!
Ron was all for going back the way that they had come but Luna thought that they should take Myrtle on her word and not move. A few seconds later a rumble seemed to go through the wall next to them and down the corridor they had just walked through. Ron was very nervous about going in any direction but Luna grabbed his hand and said that it was alright to go forward. Ron pulled his wand nervously and wished that Harry and all the other members of the DA were with them now. Luna kept looking anxiously around them but the two suddenly found out where the flood was coming from.
A door had been burst down from the inside and a couple of inches of water were flowing out over the door. Ron saw that the sign above the door said it was the Prefects' Bathroom and Luna said that somebody must have knocked off one or more of the taps inside. They made their way to the door frame and cautiously peeked inside. They saw a bunch of bubbles covering the large sunken tub. Ron stopped Luna from stepping inside and investigating further but both were tapped on the shoulder.
Ron screamed and turned, slipped, and fell flat on his back! He floundered twice in regaining his feet and saw that he was being held on to by two girls. Luna and a girl he had never seen before. "Who are you?" Ron asked as he brushed a few soap bubbles off his face; he noticed right then that his wand was also covered in foamy bubbles that had finally started flowing out the door. Ron shook it off briskly but relaxed a little when he saw that Luna seemed to know the other female.
"Ron, this is Lady H, she's a friend of Harry and Hermione's. Vika, this is my good friend Ron.."
"Weasley" the girl said as she held out a hand for Ron to shake. "You're Luna's boyfriend then? Good. The water's stopped now and the Headmaster's on the way. Shall we go in and look?"
Ron wasn't quite sure to make of this Lady H, or Vika, as she had been introduced. But he did notice that the flood had seemed to stop and he no longer heard the water running inside. Vika walked in first and then Ron and Luna followed her. There was still a lot of the foam covering the large bathtub but Vika made a pass with her arm and the bubbles all seemed to move of their own accord to one side of the tub.
Ron and Luna stared at what they saw in the tub and then Ron yelled and jumped in to reach one the two figures he saw that were face-up on the bottom of the tub! Luna climbed into get to the other one. Ron splashed through the water and pulled up the figure he recognized. It was his brother Percy! Ron looked into the familiar features and saw that they were frozen in horror. He wasn't drowned however; his grey features were exactly the same as Colin's had been. Percy had been petrified! Ron cried out in grief and anger and finally looked over at where Luna was.
Luna Lovegood was holding up another petrified person that Ron knew. It was Penelope Clearwater, one of the prefects from Ravenclaw. Ron was almost too shocked to notice that Luna was reaching for some nearby towels to cover Penelope up.
Ron looked down at his brother again and swore. His mother was going to go spare about this. Percy and Penelope had been naked together in the tub when they had been petrified. Ron had started pulling Percy to the edge of the sunken tub when Dumbledore, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick rushed into the room.
"That will be enough Mr. Weasley, Miss Lovegood. You may leave the water now." Dumbledore watched as Vika helped both Ron and Luna out of the water. Professor Flitwick performed a drying charm on the pair and they watched as McGonagall transfigured some towels into a large pair of blankets. Ron and Luna turned away from watching Dumbledore levitate the petrified couple out of the bath and McGonagall draping their forms with the blankets she had just made.
"It probably would be best if you went and found your siblings Mr. Weasley and brought them to the infirmary. Miss Lovegood would you mind travelling with Vika to the infirmary and waking up Madame Pomfrey? We shall be along presently with these two. Professor McGonagall will be leaving for the Burrow to bring Mr. and Mrs. Weasley back."
Ron nodded his head and barely had time to receive a hug from Luna before he was out the door and racing to the Gryffindor tower.
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"Ron was barely coherent when he came into the common room. He told the twins the story with difficulty and they asked me to go up and fetch Ginny. She was still sleeping but she seemed to go into shock once Ron and the twins told her of Percy's condition."
"I went with Ginny just as moral support because she seemed so devastated. Percy and Penelope had been installed in adjacent beds in the infirmary with privacy screens around the both of them. We had been there about 10 minutes before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley rushed in and I left them to their privacy. None of the Weasleys came back last night but the twins were very glum for a change at breakfast this morning. Ron and his mum were still in the infirmary and the twins told us that Ginny had been kept overnight because of shock and her headaches."
Susan picked up the story then with Neville's help. "We were all having breakfast this morning when the Great Doors were flung open and the Minister of Magic and a bunch of Aurors came into the hall. My aunt Amelia didn't look very happy with what she was doing. Harry, they had Hagrid in manacles. There were four or five of the Board of Governors with them."
"What? Why?" Harry was instantly outraged. There was no reason to arrest Hagrid.
'Harry, I think that the Minister and the Board of Governors are blaming Hagrid because of his prior record. There's no evidence but somebody had to convince Minister Fudge that Hagrid must be guilty.'
"Everybody knew by that time about Percy and Penelope." Neville's tone was confused. "I guess because it's some type of creature, Hagrid would be the most logical person to know about it. Why they had Hagrid in shackles I'm not sure."
"It got worse after that Harry. The Minister went up and talked to Dumbledore and he and a couple of professors went out to the next room to talk with those Board members. Minister Fudge came back out with the Board members a few minutes later and made an announcement. Because of the 'difficulties' the school was undergoing, the Board of Governors had decided to remove Dumbledore as headmaster and replace him with Professor McGonagall on a temporary basis."
"That's absolutely rubbish" Harry said. "Dumbledore belongs here at the school. And taking Hagrid away is just outright wrong. Does anybody beside me think it suspicious that a couple of muggle-born were previously petrified and it wasn't until a pure blood was attacked that the Minister and the Board of Governors stepped in?"
"What do you mean Harry?" asked Susan.
"Nothing against your aunt Susan but if had just been just Penelope Clearwater, a prefect with muggle parents, petrified then we wouldn't have had such a radical reaction by Fudge and the board. Because it was also Percy Weasley, the Minister and the others found a perfect excuse to get back at Dumbledore and look good at the same time."
Harry pushed his plate away from him in disgust and stood up. "I'm going to go up to the infirmary and at least offer my sympathies to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley if they are still there. Anyone want to come with me?"
Hermione put her hand on Harry's shoulder and said she would go with him. Neville and Susan said they didn't want to intrude on the Weasley's grief but to offer them their sympathies also. Harry and Hermione left the Great Hall and headed for the medical wing. Hermione had a lot of questions about Harry's trial in getting a staff but he said he would explain it to her in detail later. Hermione heard the frustration in Harry's voice and pulled him into the alcove behind the painting of the Dragons of Thrushcommon Meadows.
Harry was crushed into a long hug and kiss by Hermione. "I'm so glad you made it back ok but I'm sorry you didn't obtain the staff you wanted. What are you the most upset about Harry?"
Harry turned and pounded the stone wall with one fist. "Take your pick Hermione. The least of my worries is the staff selection – I'll get another chance in a year. But I lived with Percy for a while when I was with the Weasleys; he hasn't been the friendliest at times but he certainly didn't do anything to deserve this. Hagrid was my first friend in the magical world; he would never be involved in this stupid monster of Slytherin garbage. We know he was innocent when he was accused before. And how are we to get along without Dumbledore being here? I miss him already and I don't even know if I'll ever see him again!"
Harry started sobbing at that point and Hermione just pulled him into her shoulder and let him cry. Between the strain of his search for his staff and the bad news he received when he had returned, Harry had reached the end of his emotional rope. Hermione knew he wanted and needed to get some sleep, but he was insistent on going to the infirmary first.
It took a number of minutes for Harry to recover his composure . Hermione dried his tears and Harry applied a drying charm to where his tears had fallen on Hermione's robes. "I think we're all shipshape now Miss Granger."
"Yes but we're heading for the Room of Requirement after we get done in the infirmary. You need some peaceful sleep and you won't get it in your dorm room. Oliver Wood is looking for you about tomorrow's match with Hufflepuff."
Harry stopped in surprise. "I totally forgot about that. And the practice this morning! He's going to yell at me for hours."
"I saw Professor McGonagall talking to him yesterday afternoon so you may not be totally in his dog house."
"That's a small comfort. He's fanatical enough without having a reason to be mad at me."
"You'll be fine tomorrow; you just need a good night's sleep Harry."
"I doubt George and Fred will be feeling like playing at 100 percent tomorrow."
"Oh dear, I'd forgotten about that." Hermione quit speaking as they had got to the doors to the medical wing. She was nervous about going in and seeing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley now. There weren't quite any proper words to express how one felt about a situation like this. 'Oh, I'm sorry you son's been removed from life for the foreseeable future.'
Harry pushed the door open and he and Hermione were almost run over by the twins. The four stared at each other for a long moment and then Harry held out his arms and tried to give George and Fred a hug. He mostly succeeded in grabbing them both. "I just heard about Percy; I'm really sorry it had to happen to him."
The customary smiles were missing from the twins faces but they didn't sound totally discouraged. "It's okay Harry. We have a couple weeks now to think up some material about the situation our dear brother was discovered in. Not that Mum's ever going to let him live it down – skinny dipping…
"Or worse…"
"with another prefect…"
"in an official Hogwarts bathroom! Mum was absolutely speechless when she forced Ron to tell her and our Dad why Percy was naked. We've got to head to Charms class now. Go on in; maybe you can cheer Ginny up." The two ruffled up Harry's hair and tried tickling Hermione before they headed down the corridor.
"Well, I guess they might be ok for tomorrow's Quidditch match after all." Hermione smiled hopefully at Harry as he looked at the twins retreating backs.
"I guess its better that Percy's condition isn't permanent." Harry turned and entered the infirmary with Hermione fallowing close behind. Mrs. Weasley was sitting on the bed that contained her daughter but Ron was just standing at the edge of a privacy screen and staring at the bed that obviously contained his brother. Mrs. Weasley stood up and walked to meet Harry and Hermione. She swept them both up in one of her massive hugs and told them she was glad to see them. Harry stammered out his condolences for the situation.
"It could have been worse, much worse. Percival wasn't killed and Poppy said that the mandrake potions will be ready in another couple of weeks. I don't know what that means for the end of term exams but I'm sure Minerva will make some allowances for him and Miss Clearwater. And the others. I guess Penelope's parents will be here this afternoon; I'm not looking forward to meeting them or trying to explain how all this happened, but I feel Arthur and I must become friends with them as our children have gotten so close."
Hermione sort of heard of future in-law kind of meeting in Mrs. Weasley's tone but hoped she wasn't jumping to too many conclusions in this time of crisis. Hermione would have to talk to Harry or Ron maybe about that possible development. She and Harry followed Mrs. Weasley back to Ginny's bed and stood by as Mrs. Weasley said goodbye to her daughter.
"I'll be back later dear. I've simply got to go home and get some sleep. Your father and I will be back later after supper to visit. If Poppy lets you go, we'll send word up to your room when we return."
"Thanks Mum. I'd like to get out of here now but we'll see."
Harry and Hermione watched Mrs. Weasley kiss Ginny's cheek before she went down to talk to Ron for a while. They saw her hold Ron in a long hug before she kissed him also and walk out of the room.
"Come to visit the infirm and incapacitated then?" Harry turned to look at the redhead on the bed.
"We just thought it was time to catch your mom before she went home and tell her how sorry we are about Percy though."
"I still don't understand why he was there with Penelope." Ginny looked as if she didn't have a good explanation for Percy's circumstances.
Hermione sat down on Ginny's bed and patted her hand. "As much as Percy was always a stickler for rules and proper behavior, he is allowed to have a personal life and a girlfriend. And I guess they thought they had some privacy where they were."
Ginny let go a giggle which was something neither Harry nor Hermione had heard in a long, long time. "You should have seen Mum's face when she pulled the blanket off to see what Percy was wearing. She will definitely be talking to him after they give the mandrake potion to him."
Harry smiled at his ex-girlfriend. "So how are you doing? Hermione said you went into shock or something like it when you were told."
Ginny hung her head. "I just couldn't believe it until I saw it for myself. Even the twins wouldn't be so cruel to pull a prank like that. I guess I broke down when I actually saw Percy. I just ended up in bed here with Madame Pomfrey taking care of me instead of Percy. I guess I worried everyone when I said I had had a bad headache all day and didn't remember much other that heading for my bed after lunch. I've had to take a couple of potions and had to stay here overnight. Luckily we didn't have any classes today. So what have you two been up to?"
Harry and Hermione looked at each other in surprise for a second. That was the most Ginny had talked to them in a long while and she almost sounded like her old self again.
"Just the usual stuff" Harry answered carefully. "Library, homework, revising."
Ginny yawned. "Sorry, potions you know. Could you do me a favor and talk Ron out of here? He's just hanging around and muttering to himself and staring at Percy."
Hermione nodded and stood up. "Of course, Ginny. You rest up and you'll be out of here soon and back to your own bed."
The redhead nodded and then turned on her side. She said a sleepy goodbye and then just fell asleep while Harry and Hermione just stood there.
"That was a little weird, wasn't it?" Hermione nodded but she and Harry went down to try to talk Ron about leaving his self-appointed post. It took a number of minutes for the two of them to talk Ron into leaving his self-appointed watch on his brother. Ron wanted to make sure that nothing else happened to Percy but Harry's argument that Ron needed to at least eat and sleep to stay alert seemed to convince him.
The two led Ron down to the entrance to the kitchen's and were not totally surprised to find a fretful Luna waiting for them. The slight blond Ravenclaw calmly walked up and calmly wrapped up Ron in a massive hug like Hermione had given Harry just a few short hours earlier. Ron seemed to collapse and relax on the smaller girls shoulders in relief. Harry pulled Hermione away to leave the two to their own company but looked back to see Luna leading Ron through the opened painting toward the Hogwarts kitchen.
"How does Luna always seem to turn up when and where Ron is?" asked Hermione.
"Probably the same way that I can tell where you are in the castle Hermione. She just knows where the most important person to her seems to be. I think hers is a result of clairvoyance rather that our type of bond."
Hermione started thinking about that instead of just dismissing it out of hand as not being provable. She certainly had seen proof of Luna's ability to know certain things that she shouldn't and to turn up in the strangest places.
Harry did the pacing in front of the blank wall and the door to the Room of Requirement soon appeared. Their regular couch appeared along with a side table with a number of books on top of it. Hermione gave Harry another long hug and then led him to the couch. She settled in at one end and Harry lay down so that his head was resting on Hermione's lap. Harry finally relented and told Hermione what happened from when he had left the previous day to his return. Hermione was playing gently with his hair as he described the thestral that she hadn't seen when Harry returned. He had barely finished his tale when he just closed his eyes and finally fell to sleep.
Hermione smiled down at her best friend and decided that she would hold off the other questions she had until another day. It seemed like Harry had certainly done as much physically and magically as he could in trying to retrieve his staff but she would make sure he was better prepared the next time he went. Hermione laid one hand on Harry's chest as she opened one of the books to read.
Harry slept the rest of the afternoon away and seemed almost back to normal when he escorted Hermione down for supper. They saw that Luna had joined Ron at the Gryffindor table and they were sitting with George and Fred. Ron certainly looked a lot less stressed and almost had his normal appetite back.
Everyone was about done with supper when McGonagall stood from her place at the head table and made an announcement.
"As much as I regret having to make this particular first announcement as the new Headmistress of this school, the following changes are being made – effective immediately. All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities. I expect that all students will remember our… former Headmaster Albus Dumbledore in complying with these safety precautions." (Quoted almost verbatim from Chapter 14 – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; J K Rowling)
The buzz from the students that evening was only matched by the uproar the next morning when the Daily Prophet carried the story of the problems at Hogwarts to the Great Hall and the rest of the Magical world.