Welcome back, everyone! Here's Chapter 110... Enjoy!
Headmistress McGonagall stood up at the staff table and walked over to the front, to face the grim faces. She gave a slight glance, turning around momentarily to look at Professor White. In return, he gave a slight nod of approval.
"Good Evening," greeted McGonagall and there was an immediate hush in the Great Hall.
"Hogwarts welcomes all of you," she began, as a brief smile appeared on her face. "Thank you," she said after a moment's pause. "It fills me with grief, where we find ourselves today," she continued, in her stoic self. "But to see all of your faces despite the adversity we face, fills me with pride," she remarked.
The Great Hall was almost empty. Compared to the strength Hogwarts exhibited generally, this year was the complete opposite. Hardly any of the students had turned up to the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Most of the wizarding families had refrained from sending their kids back to Hogwarts. Some of them had even fled out of the country and had transferred their kids out of Hogwarts to one of the other Wizarding schools. And of course, there were the Death Eaters and their kids who had been disallowed from entering Hogwarts.
In fact, out of the very few students that had turned up to Hogwarts, there were hardly any first years. Most potential first-year students who were from Wizarding families had refused to be admitted to Hogwarts. And then there were the few muggleborn first years. Headmistress McGonagall had personally visited every single one of the families and explained the situation at Hogwarts, on top of telling them that a Wizarding world existed, and that magic was real. Many of them refused to send their kids into a war zone, while some, a little more courageous ones decided to take up on McGonagall's offer of admitting them into Beauxbatons or Durmstrang, instead of Hogwarts.
All this meant that Hogwarts couldn't even boast one-fourth of its student strength.
Fortunately, most of the staff had returned thanks to their loyalty to the school and Dumbledore. One of the notable absentees from the staff was none other than Severus Snape. But then, nobody expected him to show up. Snape had pledged loyalty to Voldemort at the first opportunity he had gotten. In place of Snape, Benjamin White had now taken up the post of the Defense Against the Dark Arts. Since Minerva McGonagall was now the Headmistress of the school, Sirius Black had now taken over as the Professor of Transfiguration.
…
The new year at Hogwarts saw a sea of changes, owing to the open rebellion against the Ministry. One of the first changes was an announcement that the houses were going to be temporarily discontinued.
"Sure, we are short of numbers... But I'm still a Gryffindor," remarked Seamus, confused, during the announcement.
"Mr Finnigan, we don't see a reason to divide the students into different houses. Don't worry, this is just a temporary arrangement," said Professor Sprout.
"So, we don't have a sorting ceremony this year?" asked Dean Thomas.
"Yeah, what about the sorting ceremony then?" repeated Ernie Macmillan.
"No, we only have a handful of first years. And we are not going to sort them into any house," replied Professor Sprout.
However, in the initial few weeks, all of the older students behaved exactly the same way they did, in the earlier years. Their dormitories remained the same, the groups hung out at the same places. While there weren't any official quidditch games between houses, the students still played a few games against each other representing their "houses".
…
Another big change this year at Hogwarts was the big change in curriculum, way of teaching and everything about it.
For one, the students were roughly divided into a few groups, age-wise. Since there was only a small population of students at the castle that year, the classes weren't happening in the usual fashion. Students from 1st to 3rd year, from 4th and 5th years, and 6th and 7th years were grouped together, and each of these groups attended classes together.
The subjects being taught had also been disproportionately modified. Some subjects like Transfiguration, Potions, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts were being taught in excess, in-depth, even to younger students, while subjects like Arithmancy, History of Magic, Divination, and Muggle studies were allotted much fewer hours.
Theory had to entirely been discarded and every Professor had embraced the Practicals. There were a lot more duelling sessions and targeted training of skills.
…
Life at Hogwarts was like never before. The students had simultaneously more freedom and more restrictions compared to ever before. For one, they had the freedom to go back home whenever they wanted. In fact, Ron and Hermione went back to the Burrow twice in the first month itself.
And as for freedom inside the castle walls, the assignments were no longer heavily writing-based. The students didn't have to spend hours and hours researching the books and writing down parchment after parchment of words. Instead, a lot of the assignments were practical in nature. It was all about ensuring the students were able to perform the magic they learnt.
But life inside Hogwarts wasn't rosy all the time. The classes were quite rigorous, especially those of Benjamin White, their new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. The classes were also longer and more intense, which meant the students got tired quicker. While students' mobility inside the castle hadn't been hampered, they weren't allowed to go outside the castle whenever they wanted. Hogsmeade trips were cancelled. All their letters and messages to the outside world were monitored, and more importantly, the parcels and everything else the students received were thoroughly checked before they reached their hands. All the secret passageways were closed, and they remained manned forever.
Everyone there was seeing a side of Hogwarts they had never imagined. Very quickly, from the beginning of the school term, Hogwarts emerged as the biggest rebel against Voldemort and the Ministry of Magic.
The new life at Hogwarts, the radical changes inside the castle spread to the outside world like wildfire. And almost immediately it was met with criticism from all over the country. The ministry officials, now in Voldemort's pockets jumped up in uproar. The parents who had decided not to send their wards to Hogwarts out of fear, out of uncertainty rejoiced and reaffirmed their beliefs. And the media, who were also in Voldemort's pockets had a field day ruining Hogwarts' name, ruining Minerva McGonagall's name and ruining the reputation of everyone associated with the School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The only voices in support of Hogwarts were from the supporters of the Order of the Phoenix, parents who had sent their kids to Hogwarts.
Surprisingly, Voldemort was largely silent about the matter. He watched his followers have a field day instead. When asked directly by reporters, on the changes in Hogwarts, he replied coyly.
"Voldemort : I deeply regret what's happening at Hogwarts."
"Reporter : Could you please elaborate on that? Are you disappointed by the drastic downgrade in the quality of teaching at Hogwarts?"
"Voldemort : I believe in Hogwarts, Miss! (Smile). I trust the Headmistress and her loyal staff. (After a pause) Hogwarts is reeling from their losses. The Professor, great witches and wizards of our time need help in recovering from it."
"Reporter : Are you referring to your proposal that was rejected by Minerva McGonagall before the start of the school term?"
"Voldemort : The offer is still on the table (Smile). Taking help when needed is important and I urge the Headmistress to take me up on my offer."
"Reporter : Do you think Minerva McGonagall is fit to be responsible for our future?"
"Voldemort : Of course!"
"Reporter : In account of what's happened in the last month, do you still believe that? There are some parents out there who are worried that the Ministry is throwing away important years of learning of our young witches and wizards. What would you say to them?"
"Voldemort : (Stares at the Reporter, and then Smiles) I'd ask them to trust me, trust the Ministry. We are having talks with the Headmistress regularly and we want to rectify the situation and help the school and Professors. I place great value on the education of young witches and wizards."
"Reporter : Is Hogwarts still under the Ministry's jurisdiction? There have been reports of a rebellion, a large invasion of foreign witches and wizards at Hogsmeade. Is that true?"
"Voldemort : We must ensure the safety and stability of our magical world. This is our country and there will always be outsiders trying to bring chaos into our peaceful society. We should be careful of the invaders."
Benjamin White, aka Gellert Grindelwald, had used his influence to bring a significant army of witches and wizards to Hogsmeade, to protect Hogwarts. Almost out of nowhere, the residential population of the magical village had seen an incredible surge. Connecting the dots was quite straightforward, and the Ministry knew that this was just another step Hogwarts had taken as an act of rebellion.
"I swear we can't do anything if we are hamstrung," sighed Ron, exasperated as he walked ahead vigorously.
"Hamstrung? This is the International Statute of Secrecy, Ron. We can't risk the Muggles knowing about the Wizarding world," retorted Hermione, confused as she trailed behind by a small margin.
"You can't seriously be talking about risking the Muggles finding out about us, especially when their lives are on the line," replied Ron.
"Ron," exclaimed Hermione, helplessly.
"Hermione... Do you think You-know-who is worried about it? It is our wizards who are dying trying to protect the muggles from him and the Death Eaters. And we have absolutely no support from the Muggles. If they have to find out the Wizarding world, for their protection, then so be it," exclaimed Ron, angrily.
By then, the pair had made their way to the Great Hall and their angry voices echoed around. There was only one table occupied in the hall, and it seated Daphne, Luna, Colin and Neville.
"It's not that simple, Ron," exclaimed Hermione, annoyed.
"What are you two on about?" remarked Neville.
Ron threw the newspaper he was holding on the table. The big bold heading read,
"Safer Streets : Minister's Reforms Pay Off"
"The crime in the city hasn't dropped, it has just shifted to a different community," sighed Ron, exasperated. "I can't believe everyone's licking his arse," he remarked, disgusted.
"And Ron's wonderful idea is to break the International Statute of Secrecy," retorted Hermione, snarkily.
Everyone at the table stared at Ron and Hermione, a bit shocked at how riled up the two of them were.
"Well...?" remarked Ron, staring back at everyone.
"I... don't know... mate," began Neville, hesitantly.
"You-know-who doesn't care about these things, why should we?" remarked Ron.
"He is begging for a fight... This is not something that's solely our country's. This is the International Statute of Secrecy, and the moment the Confederation gets a whiff of a potential breach, they will retaliate," sighed Hermione, a little more calmly.
Ron shook his head, annoyed.
"If we do something, and it backfires, we won't just have the Confederation against us, we'll have You-know-who against us too. He will play the politics against us," continued Hermione.
"I agree... We must be careful now. We can't do anything rash," remarked Neville.
"But we are not doing anything, are we?" sighed Colin, his voice broken, feeble and barely audible.
There was a pin-drop silence at the table. And everyone's eyes wished to be on Colin, but they all avoided it.
Only a few seconds went by and Colin got up from his seat and started walking away from the table.
"Col..." began Ron.
"Colin," called out Hermione. But he didn't turn back and instead walked away.
The pair stared at each other and then at Neville and Luna, apologetically. This was not the first time Colin had acted this way in the past few weeks. And his closest friends knew very little about how to act around him. Neville gave him company often, even if he refused it. And Colin was always surrounded by Daphne and Luna. But in moments like the one that just happened, awkward silence was what prevailed and no one knew what to say to break it.
Shortly thereafter, Daphne got up from her seat and gave a peck on Luna's cheek whispering, "I'll check on Cols," and walked away from the group.
It had been a bittersweet past few months for Daphne.
One of the downsides of Voldemort winning the Battle of the Ministry and becoming the new Minister of Magic was that her family, one of the "Sacred Twenty-Eight" families, was immediately called upon to swear fealty to The Dark Lord. They no longer had the option of sitting on the fence. And the moment they chose not to pledge their allegiances to Voldemort, their lives were instantly under threat. Fast-forward a couple of months, her best friend, Colin Creevey had his entire family, parents and brother, killed right in their house.
The only thing going for her in between all of this, was the "scandalous" as some might call it, relationship that she had going with Luna Lovegood. It had all flared up one dreamy evening in Hogsmeade, and ever since then, through the madness that surrounded them, they had been seeing more of each other. Fortunately for both of them, they were surrounded by their friends all throughout summer, and there were so few students in Hogwarts this year, that they didn't have to worry about the scrutinizing stares and the name-callings.
As Daphne walked after Colin, engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't realize before it was too late. She went and rammed into someone walking ahead.
"Ouch!" yelped Daphne, clutching her left toe. "I'm so sorry... Professor," she apologised immediately.
"Miss Greengrass, are you alright?" asked Sirius, bemused.
"Yes... Yes, I am," replied Daphne, examining her toe, it seemed a little red, and it hurt like anything.
"Are you sure you don't need any assistance?" asked Sirius, a little concerned.
"No, I'm fine, Professor Black," replied Daphne.
"What are you doing here? I thought you had Potions with Professor Slughorn... in about a few minutes?" asked Sirius, curiously, looking at his pocket watch.
"I... I do," replied Daphne, suddenly lost for words. "I'll be... I'll be there... now," she continued, mumbling. "I'm just... I have to do something first," she finished.
Sirius stared at her. After a moment, he stared at the path she was on and spoke up, "I won't keep you for long," he said. "How is Colin doing?" he asked.
Daphne smiled back at Sirius sheepishly. And then the smile was replaced by distress. "It is difficult for him," she replied.
"He likes the top of the Astronomy tower, does he?" asked Sirius.
"He likes the view, likes seeing the world from there through the lenses of his camera," replied Daphne.
Sirius nodded in response. "Tell him I asked about him," he remarked and with that, Sirius left and Daphne went ahead on her way to find Colin.
…
Later that evening, Ron, Hermione and Neville found themselves roaming around the castle. And they were joined by Sirius.
"Hey kids," greeted Sirius as he walked over to them.
"Hello Professor," greeted Neville and the moment he did, Ron and Hermione chuckled.
"Good evening, Professor," greeted Ron and Hermione together.
"Hey... Come on now," smiled Sirius.
"Have you gotten used to it yet?" asked Ron.
Sirius looked around. "This is home... I am home," replied Sirius. "But I never thought I'd be teaching here one day," he added, smiling.
"I'm never getting used to calling you Professor," chuckled Ron.
As they started strolling around, Hermione said, "You are a good teacher, Sirius," and glanced at him, smiling. "I'm glad you are here, I'm happy that Professor McGonagall asked you here," she added.
"Oh my God!" gasped Ron. "You have no idea how precious those words are, Sirius," he chuckled. "Getting Hermione's approval is the highest of honours," he added. Instantly, Hermione shoved him away playfully.
"Thank you, Hermione, means a lot coming from you," replied Sirius. After a couple of minutes, Sirius spoke up again. "I wanted to inform you about something," he said and the three of them stared at Sirius curiously.
"Professor McGonagall received a letter from the Ministry yesterday," he began and quickly added, "From You-know-who!"
"Oh," gasped Neville, worried.
"It was more of the same as last time. He more or less threatened us to let him inside the castle. He doesn't like that we are resisting," replied Sirius.
"How long can we resist?" asked Neville.
"We will fight him if it comes to that," retorted Ron.
"He won't attack Hogwarts," sighed Hermione. "He would do everything to make us give Hogwarts up before attacking," she added.
"Hey may not attack Hogwarts, but he is keeping the pressure upon us. He knows he is stronger than us," chimed in Sirius.
"He has something to lose now," remarked Hermione, glancing at the three of them.
Right as they were strolling near the gates of the entrance hall, their eyes fell on someone.
"Is that..." began Ron, surprised.
"Cedric?" wondered Hermione. But before anyone could react, Cedric and the companion he was with were already away.
"Who was with him?" asked Ron.
"I think... I know who she might be," replied Hermione, coyly.
"When did we start allowing just anyone inside the Castle?" asked Ron, confused.
Hermione glared at Ron instantly while Neville and Sirius stared at him perplexed.
"I don't mean Cedric," corrected Ron, immediately. "But, do we know who he is with? She could be anyone," he added.
"She's with Cedric, I'm sure we can trust them," remarked Neville.
"She is..." began Hermione but Sirius spoke at the same time.
"Professor White invited Cedric and Fleur Delacour, they are here on his invitation," informed Sirius. After a pause, he continued, "Cedric's our liaison with the French Ministry of Magic, and Fleur has connections with them," he added.
"French Ministry?" gasped Ron and Neville together.
Ron and Hermione were at the Great Hall, the following morning, having breakfast. It was a Sunday, a day without classes, a day to reenergize.
It had been a while, and Ron was done reading the newspaper completely. After a moment's thought, he put his hand in his pocket and took out a watch, John's watch that he now possessed. Ron stared at the watch for a few seconds before keeping it back in his pocket. Hermione stared at him eagerly but his expression dulled her eagerness instantly. Harry's needle still pointed at "Mortal Danger". It had been pointing this way for well over 4 months now, ever since he was kidnapped by Jane.
"Cheer up, he will fight back," said Ron as he glanced at Hermione.
Hermione could only no in response apathetically.
A couple of minutes went by and to their surprise, they saw Professor White walking towards them.
"Good Morning, Professor," greeted Hermione.
"Good Morning, Professor," greeted Ron.
"Good Morning," greeted White. "My office, in 10 minutes," he said and walked away, stoically, despite the walking stick in his hand.
Intrigued, Ron and Hermione made their way to Benjamin White's office a few minutes later. They were not just welcomed by Professor White but also by Headmistress McGonagall and Arthur Weasley.
"Dad?" exclaimed Ron, surprised, the moment he entered White's office.
"Good Morning, Professor McGonagall," greeted Hermione. "Hello, Mr Weasley, how are you?" greeted Hermione.
"I'm good, dear," smiled Arthur in response.
"What happened? What are you doing here?" asked Ron, a little worried.
"There's nothing to worry about," replied Arthur, smiling.
"There is something we've kept away from both of you for the past few months," began Professor McGonagall. "However, we decided that telling you was the right thing to do," she continued. "Please sit down," she gestured and sat down in front of the desk, facing the pair. White remained standing while Arthur took a seat beside Ron and Hermione.
McGonagall glanced at White and immediately, he picked up a scroll of parchment from the table and began reading out loud, "The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!"
Ron and Hermione stared at each other and then at White and McGonagall.
"Professor Dumbledore's will?" asked Ron, shocked.
"Miss Granger turned 17 a while back and is of age. While Mr Weasley, you are not 17 yet, hence why your father is required here in presence," said White. And he quickly continued, "It may come as a surprise to you that Albus Dumbledore left all three of you, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger and Mr Potter something in his will," he announced.
"What?" gasped Hermione and Ron, together.
White continued reading, "To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my wand, to remind him of our sessions together," White gave a pause.
"His wand?" gasped Ron, shocked and stared at White and then at Hermione with a meaningful look.
"Unfortunately, Mr Weasley, as you are well aware, we are not in possession of Albus' wand. It is with Jane Smith," remarked White.
Ron couldn't sense White's tone, but he was intimidated.
"Isn't Professor Dumbledore's wand..." began Ron, but almost instantly, Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder, without glancing at him. And Ron went silent, however, he stole a quick glance to his father.
White glanced back at the scroll and continued reading, "To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my ring, in the hope that she takes wiser decisions with it than I ever could," White gave another pause. This time, White took out a ring from an envelope and handed it to McGonagall, who then handed it to Hermione.
Hermione took the ring but was too confused for any words.
"Miss Granger," began Headmistress McGonagall, but was interrupted by Hermione who had been staring at the ring for a few seconds.
"Why would he give me a ring?" asked Hermione. "And what decisions does he want me to take with it?" she added, glancing at McGonagall.
Ron glanced at Hermione, just as, if not more, confused.
"Miss Granger..." began McGonagall once again. After a pause, she continued, "Albus had this ring made a few days before his death, especially for you," she said and glanced at White to let him continue.
"There is a stone embedded in the ring," remarked White and instantly, the expression on the faces of both Hermione and Ron went from confusion to shell shock.
"Is this..." began Hermione instantly but stopped herself.
"Both of you can speak your mind freely, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley, Arthur has been informed about the Hallows," exclaimed White strongly.
"What?" gasped Ron. "Dad, you know about the Hallows?" he asked, glancing at his father instantly. Arthur nodded his head calmly in response.
"Professor Dumbledore left us the Hallows?" asked Hermione, shocked, a tremor in her voice.
"Dumbledore had 2 Hallows with him?" asked Ron, at almost the same time.
"I opposed the idea, but that's what he wanted," retorted White.
Hermione and Ron went silent immediately after the retort. After a couple of minutes, Hermione spoke up. "What did he leave Harry in his will?" she asked.
"That's something I'll inform Mr Potter when he comes back," replied White, folding the scroll and keeping it back on the table.
"Albus was in possession of the Sword of Gryffindor, he left that for Harry," replied McGonagall with a gentle smile.
"The Sword of Gryffindor?" exclaimed Ron, stunned and excited in equal measure.
"It was not strictly Albus' to give away, but he believes Harry will have a use for it," replied McGonagall.
After a moment, "Arthur," called White. "All of us here were aware of the Hallows already. Now, you are aware of them as well. I trust you to be responsible with this knowledge," he remarked. Arthur nodded in response.
"We were obligated to do this within a month of his death, but we chose to wait a little bit longer. I'm sure you can understand why," remarked McGonagall, staring at Ron and Hermione.
Ron and Hermione nodded in acknowledgement. They had no problems with it, in fact, they were unsure how to react. They were just gifted artefacts they didn't believe they deserved to possess.
Ron and Hermione left the office shortly thereafter.
The moment they were out, Hermione spoke up, "Why would he leave me the resurrection stone? How am I supposed to use it wisely?" she asked.
"I think he trusted us with the Hallows, against Jane," replied Ron. "He left me his wand and you, the resurrection stone. Maybe we are just supposed to guard it," he added.
"And Harry already has the Invisibility cloak," added Hermione, thoughtfully. "There has to be more to it," she wondered out loud.
"Jane has Harry, which means she has the Cloak and the Wand with her," remarked Ron. "We need to find and capture her before she does something else," he added.
Ron and Hermione had only taken a few steps when they heard a voice from behind them.
"Mr Weasley, may I have a word in private?" asked White as he caught up with the pair.
"Professor," exclaimed Ron, surprised. "What is it, Professor?" he asked. White glanced at Hermione sternly. "It is just Hermione..." replied Ron, taken aback.
"I insist," retorted White, instantly. Hermione, however, did not protest. She walked away leaving Ron alone with Benjamin White.
"What happened?" asked Ron, staring at White.
"I believe there is a reason Albus left the Elder Wand in your possession," said White.
"Yes, he wanted us to safeguard the Hallows from Jane," replied Ron, without thinking.
"He took you under his wing, gave you individual training," continued White. "He wanted you to be his successor, in possessing the Elder Wand," he said.
"What?" retorted Ron, taken aback.
"I saw what you did at the Ministry," replied White, a determined look on his face. "You stopped the Dark Lord," he remarked.
Ron stared at White, his mouth going dry.
"You have a power inside you," remarked White. "And I want to cultivate it further," he said.
"What?" asked Ron, blankly.
"You will get your hands on the wand soon enough, and when you do, you are going to need someone to teach you its ways. You are still young, you may have the strength, Mr Weasley, but you do not have any experience," said White. "Allow me to train you, Mr Weasley," asked White, cautiously.
After a moment's thought, Ron replied, "Sure, Professor White," he said.
"Good, I'll see you in the evening," retorted White and walked away.
A few days went by normally. If anything, the days seem to fly by, with so much happening in and around them.
And then something happened that brought everyone at Hogwarts to a standstill, one person specifically more than everyone else.
It was a gloomy and cloudy evening and was promising to be a treacherously rainy night. Ron and Hermione were in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was with a book while Ron had just returned from his training session with Professor White.
However, surprisingly, only a few minutes later, Ron received a summons from Headmistress McGonagall. Ron got up from his seat and made his way towards McGonagall's office. Just as he was halfway there, he saw Remus walking ahead, quite likely to McGonagall's office as well.
"Remus," called Ron, excitedly as he jogged to him. "What are you doing here this late in the day?" he asked.
"Let's go to her office," replied Remus, looking extremely gloomy.
Ron stared at him for a moment and the pair continued walking.
After a moment, Ron spoke up, a little worried. "Remus, what's going on? What has happened?" he asked.
But Remus didn't reply, instead, the pair continued walking ahead in silence. A few steps later, they found themselves in front of the Headmistress's office. Ron let Remus walk into the office and when he followed him in, his eyes immediately scanned the room and fell on not just McGonagall, but also Professor White, Mad-eye Moody and Tonks.
"What's going on?" asked Ron, nervously.
Everyone seemed to stare at one another for a moment before Mad-eye spoke up. "Our network of whisperers heard something today," he began. The Whisper Network were a group of wizards, witches and squibs that the Order had formed to spy on the Ministry, hiding in plain sight. They were present everywhere, from the Ministry of Magic to the "Magic for Muggles" camps, from residences of prominent Death Eaters to the residences of the Order and their loved ones. Mad-eye continued after a pause, "We have lost 2 more in the war," he said, mournfully.
Immediately, Ron's expression dulled down. After a moment, he asked, "Who did we lose today?" he asked. Looking at the expression on everyone's face, he knew it was someone they all knew.
Somehow, there was no response to Ron's question.
And then finally, after a few seconds, Benjamin White broke the silence. "Mr and Mrs Granger... Miss Granger's parents were found dead in their apartment today," he announced, blankly.
"No..." gasped Ron, shocked. "No way," he muttered, his voice barely coming out as he glanced at McGonagall and then at Remus. The expression on their faces vanquished the minute hope he had.
"How?" asked Ron, his voice growing weaker.
"It was the handiwork of Bellatrix Lestrange," sighed Tonks.
Ron had his hands on his head, in shock. "Were they..." he began, nervously, but before he could complete, Mad-eye spoke up.
"Yes, they were tortured..." replied Mad-eye.
A collective hush fell inside the room.
"Who is going to tell her?" asked Tonks, breaking the silence that lasted for a couple of minutes.
Her question was followed by another silence, but this one lasted only a few seconds. "I'm responsible for this, I'll inform Hermione right away," said McGonagall.
However, the very next moment, Ron spoke up. "Professor... I'll tell her," he said.
Everyone gathered in the office stared at Ron, some with a hint of surprise, while others with a hint of admiration.
"Very well, Mr Weasley," remarked McGonagall.
After a few more minutes, Ron walked out of the office, feeling a little dazed. He walked straight back to the Gryffindor dormitory. His eyes fell on Hermione, the moment he entered the dormitory. She still had the same book on her hands and was reading it with utmost concentration.
Without saying a word, he went up and sat down beside her.
"Hey," greeted Hermione without taking her eyes off the book.
However, Ron did not respond. Instead, he sat there silently.
"What happened, what did Professor McGonagall want with you?" asked Hermione, casually, after a few more seconds, this time glancing at him.
And once again, Ron had no words to respond with.
"Are you alright, you look like you have seen a ghost," remarked Hermione, a little worried.
Ron glanced at Hermione after a few seconds, with glazed eyes. "There is..." he began, but his voice choked and the words didn't come out. "There is something... Something's happened," he said, tears slowly starting to roll down his cheeks.
Almost immediately, Hermione's eyes turned watery.
"It's your parents..." said Ron, all the bravery he had in choosing to break the news evaporating.
Hermione gave an audible gasp. "What about them?" she asked, almost on the verge of sobbing. "Ronald," she exclaimed, a moment later.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione," he said and hugged her instantly.
…
By the following morning, everyone at Hogwarts knew what had happened the day before.
And by mid-afternoon, the Headmistress received a note from the Minister of Magic.
"Dear Headmistress
It is with a heavy heart that I extend my deepest condolences on the untimely demise of Mr and Mrs Granger. Their passing is indeed a great loss to everyone who believes in Muggle parents and their ability to raise a gifted witch like Hermione Granger. Convey my personal condolences to Miss Granger.
Mr and Mrs Granger were remarkable individuals known for their bravery and determination to fight. In times such as these, it is important to remember the fleeting nature of life.
However, take this as a reminder. The world is a dangerous place and fate can touch anyone, anywhere. Let this loss be a lesson. Protect your dear ones, for death can be swift and unexpected.
With the deepest sympathy,
Lord Voldemort
Minister of Magic"
PS - I hope all of you enjoyed this one... The next chapter will be out this coming Monday! Ciao!