"ELF!" roared Alastor Moody as he burst through the entrance to the British Wizarding Embassy in Vienna, followed closely by Newt Scamander. "We need a portkey, now!"
The aged elf stepped forward, peering up at Moody curiously. "You can not get a portkey so fast, sir," said the elf excruciatingly slowly.
Newt sighed and stepped out of Moody's shadow. "It's urgent. There are lives at risk,"
The elf was blindsided by Newt's appearance and had to take a moment to recover. "How sentimental," the elf replied dispassionately. "But the next portkey is in… seventeen hours,"
Moody reached forward and grabbed the elf off the ground by its tea-cozy, ignoring Newt's protest about respecting house elves. "Listen here, you beady bugger. Do you remember how you were treated during the war?"
The elf glared daggers at Moody and nodded curtly.
"Right, well, it's about to get a whole lot more painful for you lot," he said through gritted teeth. "So, if you don't get us that portkey, I am frightened to imagine what will come upon this city-"
"Alright!" the elf croaked. "Alright, I'll get you your blasted portkey," Moody dropped the elf unceremoniously to the ground and the elf mumbled to itself about liars and disrespectful Englishmen.
The elf snapped his fingers, and a small vase was summoned to his hand. "Leaves in twenty," he said, lowering it to the floor before them.
"Erm, twenty minutes or twenty seconds," Newt asked for clarification.
The elf stared at him blankly. "Seconds. You wizards get slower by the day, Wronkles thinks," the last part was muttered under his breath as he edged back into shadow.
Newt grabbed hold of the vase, as did Moody. "We need a team," Moody grunted.
Newt shook his head. "We need Dumbledore,"
The familiar tug behind the navel exserted itself on the unlikely pair, as they were whisked away to England.
Regretfully Uncaring
Chapter 24: The Battle of Nurmengard Castle.
Part One: The Order of the Phoenix
Albus Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Moody and Newt stood across from him at his office in Hogwarts, having just delivered some rather unfortunate news.
"You need to tell their family, Albus," Newt spoke softly.
Albus nodded, feeling very much his age, and stood up. "Ronald, Ginny, and the Twins are all in the Great Hall at the moment, Newt if you could please go fetch them,"
"I don't know what they-" he began, but then shook his head. "Alright," he nodded and left the room.
Moody's eye followed Newt through the walls and down the stairs. "Potter needs to know," Moody grunted. "He's as much a part of their family as they are his,"
Dumbledore closed his eyes momentarily, nodding once again.
"We'll meet at Potter manor in one hour, do you hear?" growled Moody. "We've got to take action, Albus, no more of this stagnant 'Let Things Play Out' shite we ran with last time. This will not be another Fabian and Gideon situation; do I make myself clear? I will not fight with you if-"
"Alastor, believe me, I have never agreed with you more. I will meet all of you at Potter manor in one hour. Use my office for floo travel." Dumbledore interrupted without much care for what Moody was saying.
Moody eyed Dumbledore apprehensively before bowing his head and leaving the room. Dumbledore walked to the fireplace and with a swirl of emerald flames, spun away to Potter manor.
Stepping out of the grate and into the sitting room of Potter Manor, he was startled to see Narcissa Malfoy, curled up on an armchair with a cup of tea. He drew his wand and leveled it at her.
"Hello, Dumbledore," she said, her voice carrying a touch of humour that utterly confused him.
Realizing that she couldn't have gotten in had Sirius, Remus, or Harry not granted her the secret, he lowered his wand and slipped it into its respective pocket in the lining of his robes. "It appears I may have been left out of the loop on some matters," he said, striding over to the chair opposite her and sitting down.
She uncoiled and sat up straight. "It appears you have,"
They lapsed into an uneasy silence. Dumbledore took the time to conjure himself a glass of water, opting out of tea for the moment. "Will I be receiving an explanation, or am I going to have to make presumptions,"
Narcissa eyed him warily. "Let me hear your presumptions," she said, setting her cup down on the side table to her right.
Dumbledore thought for a moment and smiled kindly at her. "I am going to assume that you have long ago fallen out of love with your husband. That his somewhat recent incarceration has been something of an eye-opener to you. I believe that it is you who sent after Bill Weasley, a curse-breaker of well repute, to break yourself away from the Malfoy name in an effort to distance yourself from the inevitable return of Voldemort in the coming years. You are going to attempt something similar for your son, Draco, once you have been saved,"
Narcissa's lips quirked upwards and she let out a breath. "Why, yes, I suppose you got it right on the dot, Dumbledore,"
He nodded. "I thought as much,"
"You are wrong, however, on one account," she said, surprising Dumbledore. "We will not be re-writing Draco's magic. I want him to be blood adopted,"
Dumbledore's expression grew wary. "That is dark magic, Narcissa,"
"A term coined by the blind, Albus," she replied, waving her hand dismissively. "If it will save my son, then I will take the risk."
Dumbledore stared at her through narrowed eyes for a long while before he relaxed, shaking his head and smiling sadly. "A mother's love… it truly does conquer all, don't you think?"
Narcissa's face was an emotionless mask, but Dumbledore could practically hear her mind drift towards her sister, Andromeda, and the sacrifices she took to raise her daughter with her loving husband.
Dumbledore nodded to her, as though she'd said something aloud, and Narcissa looked away.
The silence was deafening, and the roar of flames appearing drew them all out of their reverie.
Ginny stepped out of the grate and was taken aback at what she saw. Albus Dumbledore sitting comfortably across from Narcissa Malfoy.
"The fuck?" said George, noticing the occupants of the room for the first time.
Her, Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Newt bloody Scamander, and Mad-Eye Moody had just traveled by floo from Dumbledore's office with the only explanation given being that there was family trouble and that Harry should come along as well.
"Good evening, Messrs. Weasley, Ginny, Harry," Dumbledore nodded to them both.
"What's she doing in Harry's house?" Ron asked, with less bite than he may have during the summer. It seems having spoken to Daphne Greengrass a grand total of twice had convinced him of judging people later rather than coming out with wands blazing.
"Well, she clearly had the secret to the manor, so I reckon this is Sirius's doing," Harry replied, stepping forward and eyeing the pair. "Let's go to the kitchen, I haven't eaten anything,"
"You haven't eaten anything?" said Sirius, taking Ginny by surprise and striding in from the left entrance of the sitting room, smiling at Harry, though it didn't quite meet his eyes. He was followed in by Amelia Bones, and Tonks, who was biting her lip and throwing cursory glances at the fireplace. "Not exactly responsible, now, is it?"
Harry let out a sigh of relief and Ginny realized for the first time that he'd probably been worried for his own family, seeing as Scamander had said he should come along as well. "Yeah, well, me and Ginny have had a lot on our minds,"
Another roar of emerald flames and Harry stepped forward to move out of the way, followed by everyone else. Ginny's mum and dad were there, quite concerned. Her mum was fidgeting with the hem of her cloak and staring around the room apprehensively. Neither of them found Narcissa's presence strange.
Ginny was about to ask them to tell her what had happened to Bill straight away or else. But the fireplace roared green again and Professor Lupin stepped out. Dusting off his no longer shabby robes and taking in the sight before him. He too was not surprised to see Narcissa there. His eyes seemed to be seeking something, or someone, before they landed on Tonks, and he let out a breath. She ran at him and enveloped him in her arms.
Harry raised an eyebrow to Sirius who smiled and nodded
"Let's get to the kitchen," said Moody, clapping his gnarled hands together.
Everyone made sounds of ascent and moved to the kitchen. More people continued to arrive by floo travel. Sirius must have gone around and told dozens of people about Potter manor.
Ginny felt numb. She knew something must have happened to Bill, Charlie, and maybe Percy. She'd accepted that whatever it was couldn't be so serious, seeing as her parents hadn't told her about it. But she was still worried. Harry had comforted her in knowing that it was out of concern for her performance in the Tournament that kept her parents from sharing information with her, yet she was still uneasy.
They gathered in the kitchen and Ginny took stock of everyone who was there. Remus, Tonks, her mum and dad, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Sirius, Amelia Bones, Dumbledore, Narcissa Malfoy, Mad-Eye, Newt Scamander, a man who looked quite a bit like Dumbledore but wore a guarded expression, perhaps his brother. Then, there was McGonagall, Sprout, a tall dark man in auror robes, and Snape, who was eyeing the room with poorly concealed disgust. Especially when his eyes landed on the large family clock on the wall. Ginny noticed with a pang that Lily and James' hands were pointed to traveling, except for Harry, Sirius, and Remus.
But then there was Pettigrew. Pointed at Mortal Peril.
"We've received news from Vienna," said Dumbledore, gesturing to Moody and Scamander.
"Albus," her father interrupted. "We need to fill everyone in,"
Her mother and father both turned their gaze on their children and Harry. "We haven't been open with you five,"
"How long," said Ginny, forcing her parents to get straight to the point, "How long have Bill and Charlie been missing,"
"Charlie's been gone for a few hours, lass," said Moody with a kindness that went against his appearance.
Ginny clenched her jaw and awaited a response from her parents. Her brothers seemed to be of the same mind.
"November, before the first task," her mum supplied tearfully, "we didn't want you worrying about Bill while you had to do… whatever you had to do,"
Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath while her brothers exploded.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" cried Fred. It was a testament to the situation that neither of her parents reprimanded him for his language.
"That's nearly five months! We should have known!" George shouted.
A loud bang rang through the kitchen and everyone turned to see Narcissa with her wand in the air. "You didn't need to know at the time,"
"Why in the fuck does Narcissa Malfoy know more about what's going on than we do? HE'S OUR BROTHER!" Ron roared, glaring daggers at Narcissa who merely rolled her eyes.
Sirius shook his head. "Are we all aware of what this is?" he said, gesturing to the meeting before him.
"It's the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it?" said Harry, biting the inside of his cheek.
Sirius seemed surprised that he'd picked up on it so fast, but he nodded.
"What about Charlie," Ron asked, having calmed somewhat. Interrupting whatever speech Sirius was about to give.
Her mum opened her mouth and clamped it shut again.
"There is so much you don't know," her father murmured.
"Let me," intervened Tonks. "So, in summary," she cleared her throat, "Charlie has been dating the same girl for roughly three years, she's pregnant and they got married. Oh, and she's a werewolf. Narcissa here decided to turn over a new leaf for the safety of herself and her son because, in case you haven't already been made aware, Voldemort is on the rise," The only people who seemed remotely surprised by this information were Amelia Bones and the tall dark skinned auror.
"Now," Tonks continued, "Narcissa needs to runically rewrite her magic to become a Black. We can't blood-adopt her because, well, she's well over age, so it wouldn't work. Now, to runically do anything complex like this, you need a curse-breaker. Bill is the only one she'd trust, so we sent Percy after Charlie to go after Bill,"
Ginny nodded numbly. Charlie was married. He was going to be a father. And the mother was a werewolf? Harry had to meet her. Wait, she was going to be an aunt! She was thirteen! Well, being an aunt wasn't exactly a difficult job, was it? Was the child going to be a werewolf?
Why had she sent after Percy? "Oh," she realized, remembering Tonks having been dumped by Charlie rather unceremoniously. Besides, the three eldest brothers had those charms they wore on their wrists to locate each other. Percy could find Charlie, Charlie could find Bill, and Bill could find Percy.
"Percy found Charlie without much trouble, though it did take him a while. Charlie quit his job at the dragon reserve to go find Bill. They apparated to where Bill was supposed to be and found a mass grave,"
Fred and George groaned and Ginny bit her cheeks. Ron and Harry's knees were bobbing up and down, but they were seemingly very focused on Tonks's explanation.
"They found out Bill wasn't dead but, instead, kidnapped, and they returned to Alyssa – that's Charlie's wife, your sister-in-law – in Paris."
"What's the timeline on all this?" Fred asked in a daze.
"This is all before the first task, what we're about to explain is what happened during, and after." her mum supplied.
Tonks continued. "They used Alyssa's werewolf senses to track each apparition trail, but the main magical source was a portkey, something werewolves can't track," Ginny saw Harry nodding along to this information, taking it in for himself, probably.
"It took about a month for them to sort of give up on that front. Percy stayed with them through Christmas and January. They got a package in the mail with timed muggle train tickets to Vienna, it was written in Bill's handwriting, so they decided to take the risk," she took a deep breath. "Last I heard, they were in Austria in February, and should still be there."
Scamander stepped forward. "Yes, well, that's where we come in," he said, gesturing to himself and Mad-Eye.
Mad-Eye nodded silently a few times, his magical eye was focused on Harry, but his other was centered on Ginny's mum and dad.
"They've been taken to Nurmengard. And I do mean taken. I doubt it was their intentional decision." Scamander said slowly. Ginny's father closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while her mother began to cry.
Ron, seemingly concerned over his parents' reaction, asked, "What's Nurmengard?"
"Nurmengard is a private castle high in the Austrian alps. It is where Grindelwald is kept," Scamander explained softly.
"Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf, is also known to inhabit the country. We know it isn't likely, but it is possible the two are connected." Moody supplied.
There was a long pause as everyone in the room took this information to heart. Ginny saw nothing but solemn and hopeless expressions. Her heart sank. Bill was a talented wizard, as were Charlie and Percy, but from what she was gathering... there wasn't much of a chance.
"From now on, we need complete honesty with this group of people, do you understand?" said Sirius stiffly. "Everything relevant must be shared. There can be no power gaps. Yes, Dumbledore is our leader, but we all need to be in the know,"
Everyone nodded in agreement, even Snape, though he seemed to be almost smiling at Sirius. "Then, Black, I believe your godson has something to say," Snape drawled. "I believe it is of vital importance, wouldn't you say?"
Ginny turned in horror to Harry who was glaring at Snape, his face contorted in hatred. His eyes were glazed over, and Ginny realized that it was actually his mother glaring at Snape through Harry's eyes. Harry shook himself and the glazed look vanished, and his expression softened.
"Merlin, Lily Potter must truly despise snape!" she thought.
He stood from the table and stared appraisingly at everyone. "What I'm about to share stays within this room, does everyone understand?"
They all cautiously nodded. Ron and Ginny were throwing each other worried looks.
"In June of last year, I became a werewolf," he said quite clearly. The room went completely silent. Ginny analyzed every expression. Most were wide-eyed and confused, some, like Amelia Bones, were rather expressionless. Scamander's was almost amusing, he seemed quite excited by the reveal. Her parents, on the other hand, were staring at Harry slack-jawed.
"I know some of you may think that reflects poorly on who I am, but I honestly don't give a shit. It's been the best and worst experience of my life… And, well, it is a bit upsetting, but I'm alright with it now," he nodded to himself, satisfied with his speech. Then he seemed to remember something. "Oh, and the other people who know are…" he held his hand up and counted with his fingers. "Draco, Hermione, I'm pretty sure Neville suspects something… The staff… I think that's it," he said, satisfied, and sat down.
"Don't forget Greengrass," Ron reminded him.
"Which one?" asked the twins.
"Daphne," was the answer that came in reply from Harry, Ron, and Ginny.
"There are two others, actually," said Sirius hesitantly. Harry narrowed his eyes in question. "Rita Skeeter and Dolores Umbridge," he said ashamedly.
Harry's jaw dropped and was about to shout at Sirius who raised his arms to silence his godson. "They won't be saying a word. I've paid off Rita, and Umbridge…" he smirked, "won't be a problem for much longer,"
"Why the hell…" Harry backpedaled. "How the hell do they know? Isn't Umbridge the one who voted against your freedom?"
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, she is. As to the 'how' of the situation, well, Rita is an illegal animagus." he explained.
Harry's, and quite a few other members' expressions hardened
"So that's how she gets all of her inside information," Amelia mused to no one in particular.
Sirius nodded. "I've got the blackmail on her; she's got some on me. We aren't going to use it, alright? No one press charges against Rita Skeeter," he directed this to Amelia Bones, who glared daggers at him.
"And why should I allow such a blatant breach of our sacred laws?" she asked dangerously.
Sirius sighed and let his head fall back in exasperation. "Umbridge tried to get me the other day. Cornered me is more like it. Well, her plan wasn't exactly well thought-out because I turned it back at her and ended up finally getting Fudge to pass some new werewolf legislation. He'll do anything I ask him to at this point. His time in office was basically at an end, but now, with my help, he's going to be around a whole lot longer."
Remus stood up and walked to Sirius, gripping his friend by the shoulders. "You got it through?" he asked in wonder.
Sirius grinned and nodded. "In by the end of the week, I expect."
Remus laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "You're brilliant, Padfoot!"
"I've been known to have my moments," he replied cheekily.
Ginny's mother cleared her throat emotionally. "This is all well and good. Truly, Remus, Harry, I'm happy for you," it was a testament to the importance of the situation that she had practically not reacted to Harry's condition. "But what are we doing to get my boys home,"
Dumbledore sighed and stood at the end of the table. He eyed every occupant of the room, holding his gaze on but a few. Harry and Ginny included. "This is a war," he said slowly. The twinkle in his eyes had been snuffed out. He focused on the students at the table. "And I am going to treat it as such,"
Ginny noticed that Moody grinned from behind him, and Scamander cracked a sad smile. "What does that mean, Albus?" her mother cried.
"It means he's taking this seriously," Moody grumbled. "About damn time. Tell me, Albus, what's different this time? Why take direct action now, but not when we lost so many,"
The room was deadly quiet, and Ginny wondered what Moody was insinuating. Had Dumbledore not fought back the first time? Had he been neutral? What about the original Order of the Phoenix? Had they done nothing? Had her uncles died on something so simple as a peaceful venture?
At that point, Harry spoke. "Because he's got a weapon this time,"
Everyone's attention turned to Harry. He didn't react. He just stared right back at Dumbledore. Before turning to Sirius. "If we're going to tell everyone everything, we might as well…"
Sirius eyed him peculiarly for a long while before nodding for Harry to continue.
Dumbledore seemed wary but wasn't making any move to intervene.
"There was a prophecy made before I was born," he began. Ginny noticed Ron sit up and she couldn't for the life of her understand why. "I'm not going to divulge the exact wording of the prophecy, seeing as I myself don't know it… but the gist of it is that I'm the only one who can kill Vol- Tom Riddle," he finished, throwing a glance to Ginny momentarily.
"Voldemort is Tom Riddle?" Newt asked, breaking the deafening silence.
Dumbledore nodded and muttered a quiet "Yes," his way.
"So," Harry continued, drawing everyone's attention back to himself. "That is why Tom went after my family that night. That is why he continues to go after me year after year… I'm the only one," he finished, staring right at Ginny's mum and dad.
The room was completely silent. The weight of the entire situation seemed so much more real now. Harry was their only chance. Their weapon. If he died, they'd all be lost.
"That is not entirely true," Dumbledore spoke softly, eyeing Harry with a sad smile. "Voldemort has made another weapon. Inadvertently so, I might add,"
Harry turned to Ginny, and the sudden realization of it all crashed into her with the force of the Hogwarts Express. "Me?" she asked, drawing the attention of her parents who had yet to make the connection. Her mother shut her eyes tightly and furrowed her brow, fighting tears.
Dumbledore bobbed his head from left to right. "I am not certain, but the Prophecy states something along the lines of Voldemort marking an equal, and from what I can tell judging by your abilities with parseltongue and magical prowess, he has marked you,"
"Well at least we've got two chances," George quipped dispassionately. His injection of humour only made the prospect of murdering someone seems all the more horrifying.
"I don't…" her mum began. "I don't know what to say, at this point. My daughter will not be a part of this… war! I won't have it. I don't care what fate has decided for her. She will make her own decisions, she will live a full life-"
"Molly, you've pointed it out yourself... It's her decision," interrupted Moody with a touch of pity. "None of these kids should be a part of this… but they are. And your daughter has been since she got to Hogwarts."
Her mum turned her tearful eyes on her expectantly. Ginny closed her eyes. This was a long and sorrowful ride she'd be embarking on. But wasn't Tom already seeking her out? Had he not orchestrated this Tournament so she herself would die in the end. Effectively removing both equals and allowing his rise to power to proceed. She didn't want to fight him if she was honest with herself. For one thing, she didn't think she could win, but for another… well… she couldn't.
But she had a responsibility to do something. She had power no one else, save Harry, had. Did she not owe the Wizarding World a service?
"You don't owe anyone a thing, Ginny," she opened her eyes and was met with Harry's concerned gaze. "I'm the one in the original prophecy… you were made an equal because he used you, and you fought back. You don't have to be a part of this,"
For some reason, being told she didn't have to do something compelled her to take action. "I'm already a part of it, aren't I?" she asked inquisitorially. She smiled feebly at Harry and turned to her parents. "This Tournament is designed to have me and Harry killed. That's obvious," she paused and bit her lip. "So, really, there's no getting out of it now, is there?" she asked her mother who drew in a rattling breath through her nose, avoiding eye contact and nodding vigorously.
"Alright," she offered.
The silence was rather emotional. Broken only by the muffled sobs and whines of her mother, who was trying desperately to reign in her tears. Her dad and George each wrapped an arm around her in support, and she drew strength from it.
"How are we going to go about this, Albus?" Moody whispered though it carried through the room due to the silence.
"We need intelligence," said Narcissa quietly. "We can't go about forming a plan without some idea of what we're getting into,"
"My family's matters are ours alone, Narcissa," Ginny's father spoke accusatorially.
"Actually, it's the Order's, now," said Amelia Bones from her corner, raising the eyebrow behind her monocle and frowning down at Ginny's dad.
Dumbledore shifted on his feet slightly. "Narcissa Malfoy, do you pledge yourself to the Order of the Phoenix? To fight Voldemort and Grindelwald's forces in secret?"
Narcissa stared defiantly back at Dumbledore. Straight in the eyes. It was well known among pureblood wizards and witches that direct eye contact while speaking meant total honesty and truth. Even if the other member was not a skilled Legilimens, it carried a certain weight to it.
"I will fight for your secret society, Dumbledore," she spoke calmly, but there was a hint of aggression in her voice. As though she expected Dumbledore to help her in return for her efforts.
Dumbledore seemed to understand and nodded in acknowledgment.
"How do we gather intelligence, then?" Ginny's father asked determinedly.
"Spies," Kingsley offered. "it's the easiest way about this."
"Easiest?" said Tonks incredulously. "Not as a human… do we have any animagi here? Other than Sirius," she added as an afterthought. "You need to stay at the Ministry,"
Sirius scowled but accepted the truth in her words.
Ginny frowned as Tonks waited for anyone to come forward. She'd been working on her animagus form for months. At first, it had been the mandrake leaf that had caused problems. She couldn't keep it in her mouth. But all through December, she'd finally accomplished it. She'd spent her entire (though feeble) sum of gold on a small crystal phial that receives the pure rays of the moon. That had been expensive. She'd added the leaf and a single strand of her hair to the mixture.
The next step had been the most difficult. Use a silver teaspoon – which she'd stolen from Snape's stores – to collect dew from a place where neither sunlight nor human feet had touched in seven days. She'd spent weeks looking for a spot like this and had eventually resorted to venturing deep within the forbidden forest. That had been a bit of an adventure, actually.
Stealing the chrysalis of a Death's-Head Hawk Moth from Snape's stores proved nearly impossible without Harry's invisibility cloak, which she outright refused to borrow. But she'd managed it with a perfectly timed explosion from Colin during class time.
According to the book she'd taken out of the library, she had to leave the vial in a dark and quiet place until the next 'electrical storm' which, after careful prodding with Harry, making sure he never figured out what she was on about, she'd learned that electrical really meant lightning.
So she'd been waiting for a thunderstorm for about a week now.
While waiting for the said storm, she'd have to place her wand tip against her chest and murmur the incantation, "Amato, Animo, Animato, Animagus," every sunrise, and sunset. It had become rather frustrating to immediately get up and go somewhere private to perform the incantation without anyone noticing every time the sun reared its head.
They'd received plenty of rain, but lightning had yet to strike the grounds of Hogwarts. So she'd been waiting patiently.
There was no urgency, she supposed. But she wanted to accompany Harry and Professor Lupin every once and a while.
Well, at least she was close to accomplishing her goal, now.
"No one?" Tonks asked to the room at large, drawing Ginny out of her thoughts.
Newt stepped forward. "I would like to remind you, Madam Bones, that I am no longer a British citizen," he said quietly.
Amelia Bones frowned at him before in a flash of white light, a small lizard lay on the floor. Looking up at Moody and Tonks.
Tonks clapped her hands excitedly. "Brilliant!" she cried. "And your form is a newt. That's cute,"
Newt returned to his human form and nodded absently, smiling sheepishly
"Right, then. This actually makes things far simpler. Newt, you've been to Nurmengard. You know your way around," said Dumbledore striding confidently towards his longtime friend. "I trust you will get us the information we need. Whatever you do, do not attempt to break them out. We need a solid plan. A firm foundation. Don't do anything rash,"
Newt shook his head in disbelief. "When have I ever done anything rash, Dumbledore," he said exasperatedly. "I think you've known me long enough now to be well aware that I am no Gryffindor,"
Dumbledore smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
Ginny's mum stood up and walked to Newt. "You have kids, yes?" it was a meaningless question. One of her sons was married to this man's granddaughter.
Newt nodded.
"Then you can understand how important this is, yes?" her voice cracked and Newt smiled sympathetically at her.
"I will find a way to get them out. I promise you that," he stooped and picked his case up off the floor. "I have long since chosen my side," he said to the room at large. "Just make sure Tina knows where I am," he said to Dumbledore whose eyes had regained their twinkle somewhat.
"You can tell her yourself, Newt," he said slowly. The way in which they spoke to each other made it quite apparent that the pair had likely had this conversation before.
Newt shrugged a shoulder and shook his head. "I've got priorities at the moment," he strode towards the door, stumbling slightly on the bottom step. "Believe it or not, I do have some influence in your Ministry's travel department. I'll leave within the hour,"
"Thank you, Mr. Scamander," said Ginny's mum softly.
Newt shook his head. "No, call me Newt, please. Mr. Scamander sounds like my brother,"
Her mum chuckled tearfully and sniffled.
Newt took one last appraising glance over the room before he left.
There was a cold silence that reigned in the kitchen. Kingsley and Amelia Bones eventually bade their farewells. As did Moody, McGonagall, Snape, and Sprout. Dumbledore's brother, who she now knew called himself Aberforth, left shortly after.
Eventually, all that remained were the Weasleys, Remus, Sirius, Harry, and Dumbledore.
"Thank you for telling us," Fred muttered. "I understand why you wanted to hide it. Ginny couldn't have that weighing on her with the tasks,"
Her parents smiled kindly at Fred's pronouncement but eyed Ginny warily. "I'm just glad you finally told me. I'd rather this than stumbling upon his death reported in The Prophet," she said irritably.
"Ginny, please don't say things like that,"
"Why wouldn't she?" interrupted Ron. "She's on You-Know… Tom's... personal hitlist. She's going to be a part of this war, as will Harry, and as will I," Ginny noticed out of the corner of her vision Harry's small smile at Ron's dedication to his friend and sister. "It's like Professor Dumbledore said," he paused and threw a cautionary glance to the headmaster who was still leaning against the counter, deep in thought. "This is a war. We need to treat it as such."
Her mum nodded mutely and her father just seemed so… lost. She felt terribly sorry for him. He'd done nothing but sacrifice all his life to keep their family running. He'd done everything he could to protect them, to instruct them, to be there for them. And it had all been for naught. Because something entirely out of his control had come and torn their family apart.
Tom did this. He'd done all of this. Acting on prophecies and manipulating little girls.
He'd pay for this. he'd pay for it all.
Ginny wanted to make him feel every second of it.
No one paid any mind to the Raven who stood on the windowsill throughout the entire conversation. Nor did they see it fly away once the group made their way out of the manor and back to Hogwarts.
A/N: This Chapter is dedicated to muib92 on Tumblr, who said the nicest thing on my blog on my last chapter post and I honestly don't even know what to say. It just totally made my day and felt amazing to read. I thought it was a family member who made an account just to compliment me. Hell, it might be, but they aren't telling me. Whatever, it was a really nice comment, and I hope they have a great day.
Also shoutout to Curse-04, who's writing their first fic. They have great world-building and I'm enjoying Harry's characterization. Go check it out!
This chapter is part one of three.