Cornelius Fudge
"I wonder what the Minister has to do with this chapter?" Kingsley frowned.
"Knowing Cornelius, nothing good," Amelia stated grimly.
Ron and Harry exchanged worried looks and then glanced over at Hermione. By the time they had seen Fudge in Hagrid's hut, Hermione had been petrified. Ron whispered this to her and the girl paled slightly but quickly gathered herself.
"Thanks for letting me know," she whispered back.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had always known that Hagrid had an unfortunate liking for large and monstrous creatures. During their first year at Hogwarts he had tried to raise a dragon in his little wooden house.
Charlie winced at the look his mother shot him at the dragon reminder.
And it would be a long time before they forgot the giant, three-headed dog he'd christened "Fluffy." And if, as a boy, Hagrid had heard that a monster was hidden somewhere in the castle, Harry was sure he'd have gone to any lengths for a glimpse of it. He'd probably thought it was a shame that the monster had been cooped up so long, and thought it deserved the chance to stretch its many legs.
"Yeah. That is kind of a good point," Tonks nodded regretfully.
"That's exactly the kind of thing Rubeus would think," Minerva snorted, shaking her head.
Harry could just imagine the thirteen-year-old Hagrid trying to fit a leash and collar on it. But he was equally certain that Hagrid would never have meant to kill anybody.
There were several nods at this. He was careless, and often did not seem to realise that creatures were indeed dangerous, especially to non half-giants, but he was certainly not malicious.
Harry half wished he hadn't found out how to work Riddle's diary.
"We all wish that," Sirius muttered.
Again and again Ron and Hermione made him recount what he'd seen, until he was heartily sick of telling them and sick of the long, circular conversations that followed.
"Sorry," the both chorused.
"It's fine," Harry sighed. It wasn't the first time and he doubted it would be the last, particularly with Hermione.
Hermione suggested Riddle could have got the wrong person and it was another monster attacking people.
"I'm surprised you didn't point out that spiders don't petrify people," Charlie said.
"I hadn't read much on magical spiders like Acromantula," Hermione admitted. Ron cringed. He figured it would be too much to hope that the book skipped over that particular trip.
Ron asked how many monsters she thought the place could hold.
"You met a troll, a Cerberus and a dragon in your first year alone. It's a big castle," Bill pointed out. Ron grimaced.
Harry reminded them they knew Hagrid had been expelled and the attacks must have stopped afterwards or Riddle wouldn't have gotten his award.
"True, but that's not an actual indicator of guilt. It would be the height of stupidity to continue attacking people when someone had already taken the blame for it," Tonks pointed out.
"Yeah. I didn't think about that until later," Harry sighed.
"Hey, you were twelve, you can't be expected to think of everything," Sirius comforted.
"You shouldn't have to think of everything," Arthur added, with a grim look at the teachers. He wasn't impressed that the Ministry hadn't been called in to deal with the monster when it was known to have killed someone before. It was only thanks to Harry and sheer luck that his little girl hadn't been the second murder victim.
Ron tried a different tack, saying Riddle sounds like Percy and who had asked him to squeal on Hagrid anyway.
Percy frowned. "I wouldn't blame an innocent person for a murder just to stop the school closing."
"I know. I'm sorry. I already know you're nothing like Riddle," Ron apologised. Percy sighed. That was only because of who Riddle had turned out to be later. If Riddle hadn't turned into You-Know-Who and had just turned Hagrid in to stop the school closing, Ron would probably still think Percy was like him. It hurt that his own brother had such a poor view of his character.
"We know you're not like that Perc, but you do have to admit, you would have turned Hagrid in for the Acromantula. Which you should have done, he shouldn't have had it in the school, but the result would likely have been the same. They would have used it to frame Hagrid, though it wouldn't have been your fault that they covered it up," Bill pointed out softly. "I would have done the same thing. The difference is, Riddle clearly knew Hagrid had the spider and only choose to turn him in when it suited him. Not because the spider would grow to be a danger to other students, and even the staff." Percy nodded, smiling gratefully at his eldest brother.
Hermione pointed out the monster had killed someone.
Several people nodded at that.
"The spider may not have been the cause of the petrifications, or the death, but it is still not an appropriate pet. Especially not to have within a school," Amelia stated. "It was the administration that expelled Hagrid without looking into the matter properly, and determining that an Acromantula does not petrify. Had it been anyone else turning Hagrid in for the spider, it would have been the appropriate course of action. It is unfortunate Riddle was simply using it to cover his own tracks."
Harry added that Riddle was going to go back to a Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts and he didn't blame him for wanting to stay.
A few people glanced sympathetically at Harry.
She reminded Harry that he had met Hagrid down Knockturn Alley.
"Buying Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent," Remus frowned. "That's hardly the indication of murder."
"I know," Hermione blushed. "I just…we didn't have any other leads and I wanted it over. I still didn't think Hagrid had done anything deliberately, I just…" she trailed off with a sigh.
Harry quickly pointed out he was buying slug repellent. They fell silent before Hermione wondered if they should ask Hagrid.
"Wow. That would be an awkward conversation," Tonks winced.
"But better than them simply speculating wildly," Charlie reminded her. "He'll be able to tell them it wasn't the spider, and he was framed. Then they can focus on other suspects." Ginny flinched.
"Well, whoever had the book, which we think contains the way to open the chamber, is now with Harry," Kingsley pointed out, deliberately not looking at the Weasleys. Sirius and Remus both grimaced at that reminder. "And they voluntarily tried to flush it down a toilet, so hopefully there won't be any more attacks."
"Except, if there are no more attacks, they won't find who did it," Ted pointed out grimly.
"Who isn't necessarily relevant. If they were under compulsion from dark magic hosted by that book, then it's a question of how they came by that book. I doubt it was simply lying around in a bookstore. You-Know-Who wouldn't be so careless with such a valuable possession," Amelia stated. Ginny felt a small amount of relief at this. She knew Dumbledore had said she wouldn't be punished, but Amelia had already said that illegal things would still be investigated. Setting a basilisk on other students was obviously, incredibly illegal, even if she had been possessed, this book was the only proof since the diary was destroyed.
Ron commented that it would be a happy visit, asking him if he had set anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately.
A few people snorted.
In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Hagrid unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to him about why he had been expelled. It was now nearly four months since Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified, and nearly everybody seemed to think that the attacker, whoever it was, had retired for good.
"Four months? It's definitely the diary then. Otherwise, there is no reason for the attacker to stop," Tonks said.
Peeves had finally got bored of his "Oh, Potter, you rotter" song, Ernie Macmillan asked Harry quite politely to pass a bucket of leaping toadstools in Herbology one day, and in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy.
"Nearly mature. Although, frankly, it's been about five or six months since Mrs Norris was petrified. And not much less for the Creevey boy," Amelia said with pursed lips.
She told Harry they would be fully mature when they start trying to move into each other's pots. During the Easter holidays, the second years were supposed to choose their new subjects for third year.
"It's still silly that you have to choose in third year but don't get career advice until fifth," Tonks said. Pretty much all the younger generation nodded in agreement.
"Even if you don't do individual career advice in second year, maybe you could host a session for an hour or two just to explain what the subjects are and what sort of careers will need which subjects," Charlie suggested.
"Yeah. I know a lot of second years won't know exactly what they want to do in the future, but they will probably have at least a vague idea. Or, like Harry, they won't have the faintest idea what sort of magical careers there are or which one he wants to do," Sirius put in. The four heads of house all glanced at each other and nodded.
"Yes. We could organise that," Filius agreed cheerfully.
She told Harry and Ron their choices could affect their whole future. Harry said he just wanted to give up potions.
Severus sneered.
"You can't drop anything until after OWLs," Bill chuckled. "Or almost nobody would take potions past second year."
"Which is hardly a good thing. It is an essential subject and students should not be eager to drop it simply because their teacher cannot teach," Amelia stated. Severus' sneer became even more pronounced. It was like he wanted to teach in the first place. Blasted Dumbledore.
Ron gloomily pointed out that they have to keep all current subjects, or he would have ditched Defence.
"Another important subject, completely ruined," Charlie sighed.
"Yeah. I can't blame him for wanting to ditch when his two teachers at that point had been a Death Eater with a fake stutter and Lockhart," Bill agreed.
"I'm glad I didn't. Third year was pretty good," Ron smiled at Remus who smiled back.
Hermione looked shocked, saying it was important. Ron pointed out it wasn't given the way Lockhart teaches. Ron hadn't learnt anything from him except not to set pixies loose.
"Which, really, shouldn't even need to be a lesson. It should be fairly obvious," Tonks chuckled.
Neville Longbottom had been sent letters from all the witches and wizards in his family, all giving him different advice on what to choose. Confused and worried, he sat reading the subject lists with his tongue poking out, asking people whether they thought Arithmancy sounded more difficult than the study of Ancient Runes.
"It is," Hermione and Bill said together.
Dean Thomas, who, like Harry, had grown up with Muggles, ended up closing his eyes and jabbing his wand at the list, then picking the subjects it landed on.
All of the adults cringed horribly at that.
"Ok, we are definitely having advice about choosing subjects in second year," Minerva muttered. All the other teachers nodded. That was simply not a good way to choose your future, and yet, clearly Dean didn't know any better.
"There is a library," Severus sneered. "You could at least look up what the different subjects were and see if you had an interest." Harry grimaced.
"To be honest, having Hermione meant I sort of knew about each subject, but that didn't mean I knew if I'd enjoy them or what I would need them for job wise."
Hermione took nobody's advice but signed up for everything.
"You can't do all of them. You have to self-study for at least two subjects if you wish to take every OWL exam. There isn't enough time in the timetable," Bill frowned. "
"Er, yes. Nobody told me about the self-study option, but I eventually ended up not doing Divination and Muggle Studies," Hermione told him. Harry and Ron both snorted at how she carefully avoided saying she stormed out of Divination in a strop. Hermione glared at them both while Minerva fought a smile of her own, having heard the story.
Harry smiled grimly to himself at the thought of what Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would say if he tried to discuss his career in wizardry with them.
Everyone scowled.
Not that he didn't get any guidance: Percy Weasley was eager to share his experience. He told Harry it's never too early to think about the future so recommended Divination.
"You actually recommended Divination?" Fred scoffed at his brother. "Everyone knows the teacher for that is a drunk fraud."
"She is not, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said sternly.
"She kind of is," Harry muttered.
"She does have the gift, however ninety-nine percent of her stuff is absolute rubbish," Charlie stated.
"Also, the class is only really useful if you do have the gift," George added. "It isn't something you can learn."
"That's not true to some extent," Luna told them softly. "Divining aids such as tea leaves and other activities such palmistry can be learnt by anyone. It is only the Gift of Prophecy that cannot be learned."
The rest of Percy's advice consisted of examples of people who chose subjects related to what they like, such as his dad and Charlie. He concluded by telling Harry to play to his strengths.
"That is good advice. Unfortunately, I doubt Harry really knows what his strengths are in that regard," Bill told him brother. "But it was good of you to try, and it was useful advice in general." Percy smiled.
But the only thing Harry felt he was really good at was Quidditch.
"You're a dab hand at Defence," Moody grunted. Harry smiled. His smile grew as Remus nodded in agreement.
"Your practical work in Transfiguration is excellent. The theory is a little lacking, but you are talented," Minerva told him.
In the end, he chose the same new subjects as Ron, feeling that if he was lousy at them, at least he'd have someone friendly to help him.
Several of the adults sighed while Hermione frowned at Harry who avoided her eyes.
Gryffindor's next Quidditch match would be against Hufflepuff. Wood was insisting on team practices every night after dinner, so that Harry barely had time for anything but Quidditch and homework.
"Every night? Surely Hufflepuff needed to practice, let alone the other teams?" Ted frowned.
"I received several complaints about Mr. Wood booking the pitch too often. However only Rolanda can overrule the bookings to keep things impartial," Pomona informed them.
"The Hufflepuffs practised at the weekends, I think," George put in. "Or after us."
However, the training sessions were getting better, or at least drier, and the evening before Saturday's match he went up to his dormitory to drop off his broomstick feeling Gryffindor's chances for the Quidditch cup had never been better.
All the Gryffindors sighed. At least they'd won it the year just gone.
His cheerful mood didn't last long. At the top of the stairs to the dormitory, he met Neville Longbottom, who was looking frantic. He let Harry into the dormitory to find that the contents of Harry's trunk had been thrown everywhere. His cloak lay ripped on the floor. The bedclothes had been pulled off his four-poster and the drawer had been pulled out of his bedside cabinet, the contents strewn over the mattress.
Ginny winced and flashed Harry an apologetic look.
"What?" Minerva gasped. "Why did I not hear of this?" Harry had told them that Ginny had gotten the diary back, he hadn't mentioned the destruction of his things."
"Because only one thing was missing," Harry sighed. "And all my stuff was mended fairly easily. The twins did most of it."
"The diary," Tonks stated. "Someone stole it back. But why all that mess? The diary was probably just in his trunk with his other books, not under his sheets." Ginny flushed.
Molly and Arthur stared at their daughter. Had she done that? She damaged a lot of someone else's belongings.
"Well, assuming whoever stole it knows exactly what they book does, they probably assumed Harry kept it hidden rather than just with his other books," Kingsley said, trying not to look at the youngest Weasley. He failed, and saw guilt written all over her face.
"But why now? It's been four months since the last attack, and definitely a while since Harry found the diary. Why have they only just tried to steal it back?" Remus wondered.
"Well, unless it's a Gryffindor they would have to find a way into the common room and up to the right dormitory," Charlie pointed out.
"Don't tell me someone else was using Polyjuice?" Pomona exclaimed. The trio grimaced while Draco glared at the reminder. Nobody answered.
"Or they didn't know Harry had the diary. He hasn't exactly been showing it off around the school," Ted pointed out.
"Except that Valentine's day. Where Draco was waving it around for anyone to see," Andromeda said disapprovingly. All of the Ministry workers turned to Ginny, who had been there that day. She would have known Harry had the diary, and they all remembered the book describing her look of horror at the sight. But why wait from Valentines' day to after the Easter Holidays to steal the book back?
Harry walked over to the bed, open mouthed, treading on a few loose pages of Travels with Trolls.
"Well, that's hardly a loss," Sirius snorted.
As he and Neville pulled the blankets back onto his bed, Ron, Dean, and Seamus came in. Dean swore loudly. He asked what had happened. Harry told him he had no idea. Ron examined Harry's robe which had all the pockets hanging out. Ron stated someone had been looking for something. Harry started tidying up and realised the diary was missing, which he told Ron.
Remus bit his tongue to stop himself saying Harry should have gone to Minerva anyway. He understood exactly why Harry didn't go to authority figures, but after the way the school had been treating him, it would have been better to have a teacher mend his things. Of course, he trusted the Weasley twins, but some of the other older years might have done something to them, thinking Harry was still the Heir of Slytherin. Not to mention, if it wasn't a Gryffindor, it should be reported that they were able to get into the Gryffindor common room.
Harry jerked his head toward the dormitory door and Ron followed him out. They hurried down to the Gryffindor common room, which was half empty, and joined Hermione, who was sitting alone, reading a book called Ancient Runes Made Easy.
"A bit of early preparation?" George teased. "Like you won't be ahead enough already." Hermione turned slightly pink.
"It never hurts to be prepared," she replied primly.
Hermione looked aghast at the news. She pointed out that only a Gryffindor could have done it as nobody else knows the password.
"She says only a few months after you guys broke into the Slytherin common room," Tonks laughed.
"Yes, well, I didn't think anyone else would try brewing the potion just to steal an empty diary from Harry."
They woke the next day to brilliant sunshine and a light, refreshing breeze. At breakfast, Wood stated it was perfect Quidditch conditions. Harry stared down the table, wondering if the diary thief was sitting there.
Ginny flinched.
Hermione had been urging him to report the robbery, but Harry didn't like the idea. He'd have to tell a teacher all about the diary, and how many people knew why Hagrid had been expelled fifty years ago? He didn't want to be the one who brought it all up again.
"To be honest, you could have just said someone destroyed a bunch of your stuff. You wouldn't actually need to say something was stolen, just the vandalism would warrant an investigation. That way one of the teachers might just discover the diary by accident. It must have some pretty dark magic on it," Bill mused.
"But they wouldn't be searching for dark magic items. And the diary must have some sort of protection from detection on it or it wouldn't have made it through the wards," Kingsley frowned.
As he left the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione to go and collect his Quidditch things, another very serious worry was added to Harry's growing list. He had just set foot on the marble staircase when he heard it yet again.
"Oh no!" Charlie groaned.
"I don't understand," Ted mused. "Whoever had the diary previously managed to break the enchantments on it and throw it away. And then, months later, the diary is stolen, presumably by the previous owner and they open the Chamber again. If they went to the effort of breaking the enchantment in the first place, why steal it back so long later? And why not hand it in? Why keep using it? Harry has had the diary for months and aside from the memory incident he hasn't really interacted with it and hasn't been going around opening the Chamber."
"That, is a very good question," Amelia said grimly. If it was Ginny Weasley, and all the signs pointed to her, then she had broken the enchantment previously, knew the diary was not to be trusted and for some reason went back to using it. She didn't know of any enchantment that could reassert itself immediately once broken, so having it back and in her possession shouldn't have done anything. She'd have had to interact with the diary once more when she should have been handing it in. Of course, it was possible she feared not being believed, but any investigation would conclude she hadn't been doing it of her own free will and was enchanted in some fashion. This second time, well, that was a little more blurry. If Ginny had willingly written in the diary again, knowing what it could do, well…that was incredibly foolish of her.
The voice said it was going to kill this time.
Everyone grimaced at that.
He shouted aloud and Ron and Hermione both jumped away from him in alarm. He asked if they heard it. Ron shook his head while Hermione clapped a hand ot her forehead and said she had just understood something.
The boys both moved closer to Hermione.
She sprinted away towards the library.
"What? Harry's just told you the monster is roaming around once more and you're going off alone?" Tonks yelped.
"That is very foolish," Andromeda stated. Hermione looked down. It had been stupid of her, but if she hadn't then Penny would have died.
Harry wondered what she understood, while trying to determine where the voice had come from. Ron stated that she understood loads more than he did.
A few people gave nervous laughs.
"That was a given, Ronnie," Fred told him.
"Hermione understands more than most people," George pointed out fairly.
Harry asked why she had to go to the library. Ron stated that it was what Hermione does. Harry stood, irresolute, trying to catch the voice again, but people were now emerging from the Great Hall behind him, talking loudly, exiting through the front doors on their way to the Quidditch pitch.
"Well, almost everyone will be at the match. Except Hermione. And a couple of older students studying for exams. Let's hope the monster stays away from the library," Ted muttered.
Ron told Harry to get moving. Harry raced up to Gryffindor Tower.
Everyone grimaced at that.
"You knew there was a monster, and you went off alone as well?" Sirius rounded on Harry in horror.
"I figured I'd be able to hear it coming," Harry shrugged a little helplessly.
"Which wouldn't help you fight off a basilisk!" Charlie pointed out.
He collected his Nimbus Two Thousand, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds, but his mind was still in the castle along with the bodiless voice, and as he pulled on his scarlet robes in the locker room, his only comfort was that everyone was now outside to watch the game.
"Not everyone," Emmeline pointed out anxiously.
"Yeah," Harry muttered, glancing apologetically at Hermione.
The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Oliver Wood took off for a warm up flight around the goal posts; Madam Hooch released the balls.
"What? Why would she do that before the teams were ready to start?" Charlie frowned. Everyone shrugged.
The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last minute discussion of tactics. Harry was just mounting his broom when Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone.
"Oh no!" Everyone groaned.
"Were you ok?" Tonks asked Hermione worriedly.
"Er, I was alive?"
"So petrified then," Emmeline sighed. "You're incredibly lucky."
"That's incredibly coincidental. Granger had worked out something, likely to do with what the monster is given she had the realisation when Harry heard it, and then she gets petrified, unable to tell anyone," Moody pointed out suspiciously.
"But the monster was already out when she realised. Surely she couldn't have been targeted for that?" Amelia frowned. Moody shrugged.
Harry's heart dropped like a stone. Professor McGonagall called that the match was cancelled. Wood looked devastated and came running over, not even getting off of his broomstick.
There were some muted chuckles at Wood's antics.
He said they had to play for the cup.
"To be fair, a lot of people were thinking the same, without knowing there had been an attack," George stated.
"Yeah. It had been so long that we didn't really expect another," Fred agreed sadly.
Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone that the students should return to their common rooms where their head of house would give further information. Then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry over to her. She told him to come with her.
"You can't think it was him this time?" Sirius scowled.
"No. But I knew it was Miss Granger who had been attacked and I thought Potter should be allowed to see her," Minerva told him. He subsided at that.
Wondering how she could possibly suspect him this time, Harry saw Ron detach himself from the complaining crowd.
Minerva sighed.
Ron came running up to them as they set off toward the castle. To Harry's surprise, Professor McGonagall didn't object, agreeing he should come too.
"Thanks, Professor," Ron mumbled.
Some of the students swarming around them were grumbling about the match being canceled while others looked worried. Harry and Ron followed Professor McGonagall back into the school and up the marble staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office this time. She told them it would be a bit of a shock as they arrived at the infirmary. She stated there had been a double attack.
"A double?" Emmeline gasped.
"Yes. Someone was with me. We met in the library," Hermione stated in a small voice.
Percy closed his eyes.
Harry's insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open, and he and Ron entered. Madam Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly hair. Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw they'd accidentally asked for directions to the Slytherin common room.
"Wait, wasn't that Percy's girlfriend?" Bill asked in horror, looking over at his brother.
"Yeah," Percy said thickly. "It was Penny." Bill and Charlie both moved to sit on either side of their brother.
"She was just petrified, right?" Charlie asked. "She was ok?" Percy nodded.
"Wait, wasn't she a sixth year?" George wondered with a confused frown, wondering if he had heard correctly. Percy nodded again.
"That's a weird discrepancy," Amelia noted. "I wonder what else these books have gotten wrong."
"How can it know exactly what we were thinking at a certain time but get someone's year wrong?" Harry wondered. Everyone shrugged.
"We don't know exactly how these books were made. It could be that book Harry didn't know the girl's year and guessed incorrectly. It is from his point of view," Kingsley guessed.
And on the bed next to her was Hermione. Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy.
Several people shuddered.
McGonagall informed them they were found near the library. She asked if either of the boys could explain the mirror that was found on the floor next to the girls.
"The mirror," Percy breathed.
"I take it you had realised what the monster was, if you were carrying around a mirror," Andromeda said.
"I had worked it out. But the mirror was Penny's. I don't carry one with me."
"You saved her life," Percy breathed.
"We saved each other," Hermione admitted. "I told her about the monster, and she had the mirror to look around corners."
"Well, I hate that you were petrified, but it's a good job you went to the library after all," Tonks whistled. "Or…" she trailed off, glancing at Percy who shuddered.
"Another incredibly coincidence," Amelia muttered to Kingsley. "How nobody died is completely beyond me."
Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione. Professor McGonagall escorted them back to Gryffindor tower and explained the new rules, such as curfew at six in the evening.
Several people whistled.
"Wow. I mean, I get it, but wow," Tonks muttered.
"That is the third and fourth student to be petrified, not to mention the ghost and a cat. Albus Dumbledore, you should have called the Aurors in," Amelia glowered at the headmaster.
"Fudge was fully aware of the situation," he stated. "The governors were informed, and they told the Minister." Amelia muttered some unladylike words about the Minister under her breath.
The students would all be escorted to each lesson by a teacher and no student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher.
"What?" Andromeda exclaimed. "That must have been impossible to schedule."
"It wasn't the easiest weeks of our lives," Pomona admitted.
"But, without closing the school, it was all we could do to attempt to keep the students safe," Filius sighed.
All further Quidditch training and matches were postponed. There will be no more evening activities.
"That makes sense, unfortunately," Remus nodded.
The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor McGonagall in silence. She rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked voice that it was likely the school would close unless the culprit was caught. She urged anyone who might know anything to come forward.
Harry and Ron both grimaced. Everyone knew there was no point in nagging the boys about not telling someone about the diary, but that didn't make it easier to listen to.
"You were planning to talk to Hagrid if there was another attack? You won't be able to speak to him with all the new security measures," Tonks recalled.
"Well, we all know it wasn't Hagrid, and that's all they would be able to find out from him. That and the monster isn't the spider," Bill pointed out.
She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the Gryffindors began talking immediately. Lee began counting the victims and their house. Then he asked if the teachers had noticed that the Slytherins were all safe. It was obvious the stuff was coming from Slytherin. The Slytherin heir and monster. He said they should chuck all the Slytherins out. People cheered at that.
All of the Slytherins in the room scowled.
"And how many of those people agreeing with him thought it was Harry not too long ago?" Andromeda said scathingly.
"Quite a few," Harry muttered bitterly.
Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn't seem keen to make his views heard. He was looking pale and stunned. George told Harry about Penelope being petrified and how Percy probably didn't think the monster would dare attack a prefect.
"That's not..!" Percy glared at his brother.
"I know. Sorry Perc. But we didn't know about you and Penny, and the way you acted, well, it was the only thing we could think of to cause that reaction," George explained. Percy nodded stiffly.
But Harry was only half listening. He didn't seem to be able to get rid of the picture of Hermione, lying on the hospital bed as though carved out of stone. And if the culprit wasn't caught soon, he was looking at a lifetime back with the Dursleys. Tom Riddle had turned Hagrid in because he was faced with the prospect of a Muggle orphanage if the school closed. Harry now knew exactly how he had felt.
Harry shuddered violently at the comparison. He hated how similar they were.
"And yet you didn't go looking to frame innocent people," Remus pointed out. "You're not like him, you just have unfortunately similar home circumstances. What separates you is how you chose to deal with such circumstances." Harry nodded, feeling a little better.
Ron asked what they were going to do and if they suspected Hagrid.
"Well, it's the only lead they have I suspect. It makes sense to at least question him," Amelia sighed.
Harry said they had to go and talk to him. He can't believe it's Hagrid this time, but if he did set the monster loose before, he'll know how to get into the chamber.
"But you saw him keeping the spider in a random room in the dungeons," Kingsley pointed out.
"I didn't much fancy going off exploring the dungeons to try and find the room again to see if the entrance was there. Way too much chance of being caught by the Slytherins. Or worse. Snape," Harry told him.
Ron pointed out they were supposed to stay in the tower except for class. Harry said it was time to get the invisibility cloak out again.
"You hadn't had it out the entire year?" Sirius yelped.
"Sirius, there has been a monster running around that can kill or petrify," Remus reminded him in exasperation. "It's a good thing Harry hasn't been out exploring the castle at night." Sirius winced.
"Ah, yeah."
The cloak was their only chance of sneaking out of the school to visit Hagrid without anyone knowing about it. They went to bed at the usual time, waited until Neville, Dean, and Seamus had stopped discussing the Chamber of Secrets and finally fallen asleep, then got up, dressed again, and threw the cloak over themselves. The journey through the dark and deserted castle corridors wasn't enjoyable. Harry, who had wandered the castle at night several times before, had never seen it so crowded after sunset.
"Several? I mean, you went to see the mirror a couple of times, sneak a dragon out and go after the stone. Still a pretty low number," Tonks mused.
"And yet all of them were incredibly dangerous," Minerva muttered.
Teachers, prefects, and ghosts were marching the corridors in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. Their Invisibility Cloak didn't stop them making any noise, and there was a particularly tense moment when Ron stubbed his toe only yards from the spot where Snape stood standing guard. Thankfully, Snape sneezed at almost exactly the moment Ron swore.
Severus scowled while everyone else chuckled.
"That is some wonky luck. You run into the worst teacher to get caught by and end up not getting caught because he sneezed at the exact right moment," Fred laughed.
"That's Harry's luck," Ron sighed.
It was with relief that they reached the oak front doors and eased them open. It was a clear, starry night. They hurried toward the lit windows of Hagrid's house and pulled off the cloak only when they were right outside his front door. Seconds after they had knocked, Hagrid flung it open. They found themselves face to face with him aiming a crossbow at them.
"Woah!" Charlie exclaimed, frowning. "I know there's a monster about, but I don't think they knock."
"No, but there is whoever is opening the chamber too," Bill reminded him.
Fang the boarhound barked loudly behind him. He asked what they were doing there.
"Honestly, he doesn't even tell them off for being out so late with a monster on the loose," Minerva sighed in exasperation.
Harry asked what the crossbow was for, and Hagrid muttered 'nothing'. He said he'd been expecting, but trailed off, saying he would make tea.
"So, he's expecting Ministry officials I assume, and he decided to answer the door with a crossbow in their faces. That won't help his case," Kingsley muttered.
He hardly seemed to know what he was doing. He nearly extinguished the fire, spilling water from the kettle on it, and then smashed the teapot with a nervous jerk of his massive hand.
"Poor man. It must be horrible. He's been framed for this exact thing once already and he's simply waiting to be accused again," Ted said sympathetically.
"There is absolutely no proof that Hagrid has done anything wrong," Amelia reminded him.
"There wasn't any proof last time," Charlie pointed out shortly. "Just a spider that anyone should know cannot petrify."
Harry asked if Hagrid was alright and if he heard about Hermione. Hagrid agreed he'd heard. He kept glancing nervously at the windows. He poured them both large mugs of boiling water as he had forgotten to add tea bags. He was just putting a slab of fruitcake on a plate when there was a loud knock on the door.
"Who else would be visiting Hagrid at this time of night? Surely the Ministry would visit during the day?" Tonks.
"Not if Cornelius is about to do something he has absolutely no right to do," Amelia said through gritted teeth. "He wouldn't want the visit on public record."
Hagrid dropped the fruitcake. Harry and Ron exchanged panic stricken looks, then threw the Invisibility Cloak back over themselves and retreated into a corner. Hagrid checked that they were hidden, seized his crossbow, and flung open his door once more. Dumbledore greeted him, looking serious. He was followed in by a second man with rumpled grey hair, a pinstriped suit, scarlet tie and pointed purple boots. Under his arm was a lime green bowler hat.
"Fudge," Kingsley sighed.
"Yes. If this was a legitimate questioning, there would be Aurors there," Amelia scowled. "I suspect Cornelius plans to simply arrest him. Without evidence or a trial." She glanced in the direction of Sirius who was glowering at the book in disgust.
Ron breathed that the strange man was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Harry elbowed him to make him shut up.
A few people chuckled.
Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty. He dropped into one of his chairs and looked from Dumbledore to Cornelius Fudge. Fudge said he had to come. With four attacks on Muggle-borns the Ministry has to act.
"Got to be seen to be acting," Tonks muttered.
"Cornelius has always cared a little too much about his image rather than actually doing anything of use," Amelia sighed.
"And it's the innocents that suffer," Sirius snorted angrily. Amelia sighed again. There was very little she could do about it. Cornelius was the Minister and there was no proof of his visit. The word of two boys who had snuck out of the castle against the rules, Hagrid himself who had his half-giant status against him and Dumbledore. Even with the headmaster's weight, not many people would care, especially as Hagrid had been released at the end of the year. Or so she assumed given he had been back at Hogwarts the following school year.
Hagrid pleaded with Dumbledore, saying he would never. Dumbledore agreed. He told Fudge that Hagrid had his full confidence. Fudge replied that Hagrid's record was against him and the Ministry has to do something as the governors had been in touch.
Everyone scowled.
Dumbledore stated that taking Hagrid away wouldn't help in the slightest.
"Except if the attacks stop after this, they'll be doubly confident it was Hagrid," Tonks pointed out. "So, whoever it is might stop to get away with it again. If they are being enchanted by Riddle, it's what he did last time."
"But they have said the basilisk is no longer in the school. If the attacks had stopped, the basilisk wouldn't be dead," Kingsley reminded her.
"Well, another attack proves Hagrid's innocence at least," Charlie sighed.
Fudge stated he was under a lot of pressure and had to be seen doing something.
Most of the adults snorted.
He added that if it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said.
"I would hope he would get compensation for wrongful imprisonment at the very least," Charlie frowned.
"Knowing Fudge, I doubt it," Tonks muttered.
"That would require the Ministry admitting they were wrong," Sirius scowled. "They'll probably just release Hagrid, and he won't even get an apology, let alone compensation."
He said he wouldn't be doing his duty if he didn't take him. Hagrid cut in to ask where he was being taken. Fudge didn't meet his eyes as he replied that it would be a short stretch only, not as a punishment but as a precaution.
Sirius cringed. That place would never be anything but a punishment. Especially for the innocent. Remus saw his friend's face and put an arm around his shoulders.
"It's Azkaban. It's a punishment," Arthur stated shortly. Sirius shuddered at the name.
He continued that if someone else was caught Hagrid would be let out with a full apology. Hagrid said not Azkaban.
Sirius shuddered once more.
"Padfoot?" Harry asked, looking concerned at how pale his godfather had gone. Sirius saw the worry and forced a smile onto his face.
"I'm fine Prongslet. Just memories."
Remus shuffled closer, tightening his arm around his friend. Harry shifted on Sirius' other side so the two sandwiched him between them. Sirius buried his face in Harry's hair, clutching him tightly.
Before Fudge could answer, there was another loud rap on the door.
"Who could that possibly be?" Bill asked in bewilderment. Minerva pursed her lips angrily.
Dumbledore answered it. It was Harry's turn for an elbow in the ribs; he'd let out an audible gasp as Lucius Malfoy strode into the hut with a satisfied smile.
Draco perked up at the mention of his father. Then realised what he must be there to do and how everyone else would react to that.
Fang started to growl. He was pleased Fudge was already here. Hagrid demanded he get out of his house. Lucius told him he had no pleasure being inside the house, but he was looking for the headmaster and had been told he was there. Dumbledore asked what Lucius wanted with him.
"Nothing good," Minerva scowled.
Lucius lazily said it was a dreadful thing, but the governors felt it was time for him to step aside. He had an Order of Suspension, and all twelve signatures were present as they felt he was losing his touch.
Minerva's scowl deepened while Molly gasped. Arthur also scowled. This whole disaster was Lucius' fault and he dared to blame Dumbledore.
"Like he hasn't been waiting to do this for ages," George scoffed.
"As much as I hate to side with Lucius Malfoy, in all fairness, Albus' handling of the situation has been terribly poor," Amelia pointed out. "He did not send out for Mandrake Restorative Draught, instead making students wait months to be revived, thereby missing a lot of schoolwork. Additionally, he has not called in any Aurors to start an investigation into the monster. Albus has already seen this happen once before, which resulted in an innocent being framed and a death. He should have known to handle it better this time around now he is the headmaster."
"Of course, Cornelius shares some of the blame. He was aware and yet chose to imprison a man based on an unfounded accusation fifty years previously. He also did not order the school to be shut down, evacuated and searched properly. Removing Hagrid, even if he was the culprit, does not remove the monster capable of killing and petrifying," Kingsley added. "However, Hogwarts has always operated independently of the Ministry and so it should have been down to the headmaster to take such actions after Mrs Norris was petrified. Or, at the very least, after the Creevey boy was attacked."
"I knew who was behind the attacks, and yet was sure he could not possibly be in the school. I was endeavouring to find out exactly how Voldemort was causing the chamber to open once more which would have been impossible if the school was shut down and evacuated," Dumbledore pointed out. "The chamber would have been inaccessible to anyone without the ability to speak parseltongue so calling in the Aurors to search the school would have been futile."
"So why didn't you conduct an organised search of the school for Dark Magic? If you were so certain that he was not present in the school, which I'm not convinced by considering he possessed a staff member for a whole year, then it was most likely he was enchanting them somehow. A search for dark magic artefacts would have been the most sensible route to take with your information. Cornelius may be an idiot, but my Aurors are not," Amelia retorted. "Gather all the students in the Great Hall, have the staff conduct searches of the dormitories and then so a scan of the hall. Simple, easy and would have put people's minds at rest."
"That would be a grave invasion of privacy, to have my staff go through all of my student's possessions."
"Given the circumstances, I believe the invasion of privacy would be warranted," Moody scoffed.
"Regardless, nothing can be done now," Minerva put in. "Let us continue reading."
Lucius asked how many attacks there had been, before saying there had been two more that afternoon. There would be no Muggle-borns left and that would be an awful loss to the school.
Several people snorted in disbelief.
"Considering his own son wanted his classmate dead, I find it hard to believe he actually said that with a straight face," George muttered, glaring at Draco who cringed.
Fudge looked alarmed and said that Dumbledore being suspended was the last thing they wanted right then. Lucius pointed out that the appointment or suspension of the headmaster was a matter for the governors and Dumbledore had failed to stop the attacks. Fudge cut him off, asking that if Dumbledore couldn't stop them then who could.
"Well, given that he doesn't want them to stop, I dare say he's hoping nobody," Arthur muttered furiously.
Lucius replied that it remained to be seen. But all twelve had voted. Hagrid leapt up, interrupting him to ask how many he had to threaten and blackmail into agreeing.
"Good question," Arthur said.
"Probably at least some of them. No matter how Dumbledore has handled the situation, I do not believe anybody else would be able to do more," Remus pointed out. "And they would know that."
Lucius told him his temper would get him into trouble and warned him not to shout at the Azkaban guard like that as they won't like it.
Sirius shuddered more violently at that.
"They probably won't care," Tonks said quietly.
"He won't have the ability to shout and rage like that for long," Sirius told her, his voice barely above a whisper.
Hagrid yelled that they can't take Dumbledore away and there would be a killing next.
"It's miraculous there hadn't been one so far," Pomona murmured to herself.
Dumbledore told him to calm himself. He looked at Lucius and said that if the governors wanted his removal, then he would step aside. He ignored Fudge and Hagrid's protests and added that he would only truly have left the school when none there were loyal to him. Help would always be given to those who ask for it.
"Really? I don't seem to recall that being the case in Harry's first year." Sirius scoffed at the headmaster. Minerva looked away.
For a second, Harry was almost sure Dumbledore's eyes flickered towards the corner where he and Ron stood hidden.
"He most likely heard the pair of you," Fred told them.
"Yeah. Neither of them were completely quiet," George agreed.
"You need silencing charms," Tonks grinned.
Lucius bowed, saying they were admirable sentiments, and they would miss his highly individual way of running things.
A few people snorted at that.
He added that they could only hope his successor would manage to prevent any killings. Then he strode to the cabin door, opened it and bowed Dumbledore out. Fudge, fiddling with his bowler, waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him, but Hagrid stood his ground, took a deep breath and said carefully that if anyone wanted to find out some stuff, they should follow the spiders.
"What?" Sirius yelped.
"Why would they follow the spiders?" Remus asked worriedly.
"Well, there are acromantula in the forest. What if one of them was the one Hagrid had as a kid? He would know Hagrid was innocent. Maybe Hagrid wants them to talk to him so they know he's innocent and that it's not the monster?" Charlie suggested slowly.
"He wants two second-years to go into the Forbidden Forest to search for acromantula?" Kingsley blinked in astonishment.
"I don't know what else he could possibly mean by that," Tonks said grimly. "I guess he thinks that if it's his friend then it won't attack the boys." Harry and Ron both struggled to hide their snorts at that.
"They are acromantula. Of course they'll attack the boys," Sirius yelled.
"This is Hagrid though. He doesn't exactly have the best track record with thinking creatures are dangerous," Remus pointed out unhappily.
"They won't be stupid enough to do that. Would they? Besides, Ronnie is terrified of spiders. He wouldn't go looking for a nest of them," Bill said.
"This is Harry Potter. I wouldn't put anything past him. They've already proven they can sneak around the security," Severus pointed out with a nasty look in Harry's direction. Several people went slightly green.
Molly was staring at her second youngest. Harry had mentioned speaking to a spider that knew Hagrid, but she didn't know they went into a whole nest of acromantula. She was getting ready to start yelling now that her terror was giving way to anger but Arthur put his hand on her arm.
"We can yell at them later, but we might as well read about what actually happened. We both know Harry gave us the very watered-down version," he said softly. "Save it for after whatever happens." She nodded unhappily.
Fudge stared at him in amazement. Hagrid then said he was coming. He put his coat on before stopping again and saying someone would need to feed Fang while he was away. The door banged shut and Ron pulled the Invisibility Cloak off. He said that they were in trouble and might as well close the school as there would be an attack a day with him gone.
"Thank Merlin that wasn't the case," Filius muttered.
Fang started howling, scratching at the closed door.
"Done," Molly announced.
"It's my turn then," Hermione said softly. She wanted to know what had happened to the boys while she was petrified. She knew they had gone into the forest and found the spider, Aragog, but not much more than that. Molly levitated the book over to her and she found the correct page.