Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JKR does.
A/N: I wanted to bring this chapter to you on September 1, but my laptop crashed on August 30. Bad Luck! It came back yesterday after the repair. The life has been hectic and hence the late chapter, it has been written over multiple sittings and must be full of errors. This chapter was especially heavy to write. Hopefully you would like it.
Awaiting to hear your thoughts. Please Review.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Disagreements
Harry was lying in his bed, exhausted mentally but sleep still alluded him. He was trying to sleep for hours, he checked his watch, he was trying to sleep for three hours and yet he couldn't sleep even for a minute. He was convinced that his actions were right, in the face of the present problem. But Hermione wasn't of the same opinion. He could live with that, he knew Hermione would support him, no matter what, even if she disagreed with his methods. But since their return from the third-floor corridor, Hermione was acting a bit odd, she wasn't talking to Harry, she hadn't said a single word since that afternoon directly to Harry. She had left for her dormitory soon after their return from the dinner, that too without a goodnight kiss, that was concerning. Even Ron noticed that.
To divert his mind, he had left the common room with the enchanted mirror in his pocket. He had found an empty classroom and called for Sirius. He was about to tell him regarding the happenings of the late morning. Harry hadn't expected the reaction that he received. Sirius was livid with Harry's actions, he had given Harry a verbal beating for doing something so careless and unthoughtful, that was something coming from a Marauder.
It took Harry more than half an hour but by the end of their conversation, Harry was somehow able to convince Sirius that it was the most elaborate prank to be ever played on the Ministry. Sirius had reluctantly agreed to go along, not because he was enjoying it but because he believed that he could keep an eye on what Harry was doing and guide him as and when necessary to keep him from making any more blunders. He had agreed to bear all the expenses and to take care of any logistical or technical needs. Moreover, he was considering it as a test of Harry's maturity and his acumen. It would be a great way to judge and train Harry in the politics of their society.
The memories of the day were playing on repeat in Harry's mind, his mind slowly drifting towards some ideas to rectify and clarify the misunderstandings and strains between Hermione and himself. Within a few minutes, he was drifting towards an uneasy sleep.
…
He was moving down a narrow corridor, the floor and the walls were covered with black marble tiles. They weren't very clean, a layer of dust and dirt present, making his reflection blurred. The corridor was filled with a repulsive smell associated with an unclean, damp and dark place. He could taste the air, it had a taste that he couldn't place or identify. The corridor wasn't very dark, there were no torches visible and yet it was dimly lit. He could see a black wooden door at the end of the corridor, the door had no knob or any distinguishable design. It was a plain black wooden piece, towering over him. There was no gap at the bottom of the door to slide in, not even the hinges were visible. It was just a piece of wood at the end of a long corridor. It was a dead end.
A moment later, he was floating in a dark, yet a ghostly illuminated place that resembled a library but instead of books, the stacks held something with pale blue luminescence.
…
He woke up with a start, soaking in his own sweat, his scar had a niggling pain, his breathing was heavy. His hand moved to the side table in search of his spectacles, his fingers touched something metallic and the next thing was a sound of a glass breaking. Harry dropped all his attempts to get up and clear his head, he just fell back on the bed, trying to control his breathing.
He has had many nightmares but this was different, it felt real, so real. If someone could see his face now, they would know that all the color had drained from his face and his eyes were dark with fear. It took more than five minutes for his breathing to return to normal. He didn't dare close his eyes again.
He had experience with nightmares, significantly more than he would have liked, and those nightmares were frightening. But this one, it was weird on another level, it left Harry so spooked that he wouldn't even close his eyes to try going back to sleep.
He needed to clear his head, the best way was to talk to Hermione but it was middle of the night. He checked the watch, it was half-past-three. He couldn't talk to Sirius either or any of his other friends. He needed to sort it out on his own.
He pulled out the map and the cloak from his trunk, as silently as possible. He slid on his shoes, tied the dagger on his waist and put on a jumper. He walked out of the dormitory and the common room without making any noise under his invisibility cloak. He had silenced his feet so not to make any noise while walking, he moved towards the astronomy tower, he knew it would be deserted at this time of the night. A few minutes later, he was reaching the top of the tower when he saw that the door was ajar.
It was a red flag, he was becoming suspicious that someone was there already. He was about to turn back and return to his common room when he noticed his potion master walking towards him, his pale face illuminated by the moonlight, he was wearing a black traveling cloak over his bat-like robes. A fear gripped his heart, but instead of panicking, Harry did the only sensible thing and went towards the top of the tower. He was lucky enough that he didn't stumble onto anything and was absolutely quiet.
He stood on the side of the door and away from the path of his incoming professor. As Snape was entering the terrace of the Astronomy Tower, he saw Dumbledore standing close to the edge of it, his arms folded behind his back, his long silver hair hanging loose. But before he could listen to the conversation, Snape flicked his wand and the door swung towards Harry and closed in his face.
Harry was puzzled, many questions flooding his mind. Why was Dumbledore meeting Snape on the Astronomy tower and not in his office? What was so important that they were meeting at this hour? Where was Snape coming from or going to?
His long walk from Gryffindor Tower to the Astronomy Tower was counterproductive. Instead of clearing his mind, it had led to a multi-fold increase in the thoughts and questions that he was having. He strolled back to the Gryffindor tower, the cool breeze of the Scottish nights soothed his nerves a bit and brought sleep back to his eyes. It didn't take him much time to fall back asleep once his head hit his pillow.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
The breakfast was more or less cold, not the food but the company. Hermione wasn't in a great mood, she didn't talk to him directly again, she just acknowledged his presence, barely. He was tired because of the fragmented sleep that he had last night and the cold shoulder from Hermione had effectively killed his appetite. Not only that, his and Hermione's undeclared quarrel had made sure that there was no free-flowing conversation at the breakfast table, an awkward kind of silence existed.
He had left early for his scheduled visit to the herd of Thestrals with Luna. He was standing near the hut that belonged to Hagrid. The door was locked, there was no smoke coming out of the chimney, the windows were closed and there was no sign of Fang. He just stood there, staring at the door, reminiscing about his visits to Hagrid's hut. It had been a starting point to a lot of his adventures or misadventures rather.
From Norbert to Aragog, from Buckbeak's execution to the Dragon's enclosure, from the death of unicorns to the death of Barty Crouch, a lot has happened near this place or rather at this place. He was missing his first friend in this mystical mysterious world.
His trip down the memory lane was interrupted by a soft hand resting on his shoulder, the hand was light and the touch was gentle. Before he could turn to look at the person the hand belonged to, the person came up and stood by his side. "He is a gentle soul, as misunderstood as the creatures he cares about."
Harry looked at her, there was no outward emotion on her face, only a serene smile. He understood that the statement was genuine. "Well, some of them are very frightening and dangerous."
She turned to walk towards the Forbidden Forest without a reply, a smile playing on her lips. She had a messenger bag slung over her shoulder, it looked heavy. She spoke as they were about to enter the forest. "Danger is a real thing, Harry Potter. But fear is a choice. Any creature, even decent humans would only attack if they are disturbed or threatened."
Harry nodded in agreement, it was a deep thought and Harry wasn't expecting such a reply. He looked down, to watch his steps only to notice that She wasn't wearing any shoes. He voiced his thought as a question.
"Oh, it's usual." Luna replied, still maintaining her path into the forest, Harry following a step behind. The trees weren't so dense here that the canopy could block the sunlight completely.
Harry had to ask for a clearer answer. "What do you mean, Luna?"
She didn't pause and kept walking ahead. "It's like a treasure hunt, Harry Potter. Often my stuff is lost or others hide them. Usually, I get a clue about where they are hidden or kept, but sometimes I don't."
Harry didn't know how to react. Someone was playing a rather cruel prank on her and she was taking it as a treasure hunt. "How long has this been going on, Luna?"
"Since the second week." Luna answered flatly. The trees were growing denser and the sunlight was also becoming scarce and blocked by the thickening canopy.
"But we came to school a week ago." Harry wasn't sure that he heard her correctly.
Luna stopped and turned to look at him, she had a playful smile on her face and her eyes looked full with amusement. "You are slow, Harry Potter. No doubt you continuously need Hermione Granger. Since the second week of my first year at Hogwarts."
Harry was surprised that she has been facing this problem for the last three years of her schooling at Hogwarts. "You never complained to prof. Flitwick?"
"Why should I complain when there is nothing to complain about." She turned back and started walking deeper into the forest. "Ravenclaws have a different, more weird, kind of sense of humor. Besides, I usually get my stuff back in a week, otherwise, I ask the helpful elves for assistance."
This conversation was making him even more confused about the character of this girl walking a couple of feet in front of him. The only thing he had understood about her till now was that she was quite different. "You are ok, with this bullying?"
"It would only be bullying if I cry over it. Till that time, its just harmless fun." Luna answered in her characteristically calm tone. "We are here."
She removed some big leaves and hedges from her path and Harry noticed that they were standing on the edge of a circular opening. There was a shallow pond in the center of the opening, a narrow stream flowing into it. There were about twenty Thestrals in that opening, mostly adults, except three younglings. It looked peaceful, these creatures were just strolling, grazing or resting on the forest floor. Mother Thestrals were nursing their young ones or playing with them.
"Don't make any sudden moves and don't do anything to startle them." Luna whispered to him and took careful, measured steps towards the misunderstood creatures. As she went closer, Harry saw that a few Thestrals came closer to the young Ravenclaw. He saw her interact with them, she touched them, scratched them, patted them and even fed them some meat from her bag. Harry decided that he should go closer but as he neared them, the creatures withdrew.
"Sorry Luna, I didn't want to scare them away." Harry apologized to his guide.
"Now can you see, Harry Potter, they are more afraid of you than you are of them." Luna waved to a younger Thestral, it didn't even reach her shoulder height. He walked towards them with shaky feet, he looked excited. "They can look in your eyes and see your soul, Harry Potter. They can sense your emotions and feelings, as simple as fear and as complex as sorrow."
Harry gently lifted his hands, hesitant at first to touch the creature. The young Thestral looked uncertain and jumped a pace back, he was eyeing Harry suspiciously.
"Don't pull your hand back, Harry Potter and look him in the eye." Luna instructed. Harry did as he was told. A couple of seconds later, the small creature moved his head to touch Harry's outstretched hand. The leathery skin felt odd on his touch to Harry, it was cold but not like snow, it was soft and smooth. "Sometimes you need to give others time to make their mind, to make a decision on their own. If you force them into a decision, it seldom goes right. Patience is paramount in uncertain situations and sometimes inaction is the most appropriate action."
Harry was amazed at how deep her thoughts and words were. He could never imagine someone as wise as her of her young age. Hermione was intelligent, smart but Luna was wise in her own way. "I will keep that in mind."
They stood there for a few more minutes watching the herd. They decided to go back to the castle before his absence was noticed. On their way back, Harry asked her something that was bugging him about these creatures since they last spoke. "I can understand that their physical appearance and condition for the ability to see them are causes for their bad reputation, but surely that can't be all. Is it? I mean Dragons and Manticores are far more dangerous."
Luna waited to pick her words very carefully. "In the wizarding lores and mythology, it is considered that Death flies with the wings of thestral."
That left Harry more confused than before. "What?"
"Harry Potter, thestrals can fly but their wings don't make any noise. They are invisible and they have a macabre appearance so people started to believe that death rides thestrals. And there is something even more intriguing about them."
"And what's that?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"There are only four creatures which are considered forces of nature. Can you guess them?" Luna eyed him with a curious gaze.
"One of them is thestral?" Harry answered in uncertain terms.
"The four creatures are Phoenix, Thunderbird, Griffin, and Thestrals. And the elements that they control or manipulate are fire for Phoenix, thunder, storm and rain for Thunderbird, light and land for Griffin, and darkness for thestrals. We don't know how they came to be or what's their origin. It is believed that these four were there since the beginning."
Harry had never heard of such a thing, he knew that Phoenix and Griffins were rare but this was taking it to another level of rarity.
"These four creatures, they don't die like the rest, they just turn into ashes, cloud, dust or smoke, respectively." Harry noticed that the expressions on her face suddenly turned grim. "If you find something made of the body parts of these four, know that the creature was alive when it was taken or extracted from them."
Harry flinched at that, those words reminded him of the dagger that Padfoot has given to him. It was a reminder or rather an encouragement to realize how dark Blacks were in the past.
"These four also have the power to disappear from one place and reappear in another, like the apparition in their own way. Phoenix's way of apparition is called torching, thunderbird's storming, griffin's flashing and thestral's shadowing." Luna was completely immersed in her own explanation and had stopped in her tracks. "We don't know how they do it, we don't know why only these four. But this just shows that the fear towards these majestic creatures is the lack of our understanding of them."
Harry could just nod in agreement. Luna had a few more words as they started back on track. "And it's not just these four creatures, we hardly know much about dementors and yet they are guarding Azkaban. All we have ever learned or discovered is either how to exploit something or how to fight something."
She took a deep breath and sighed, they were now at the edge of the forest. "We never learned to respect each other and to co-exist peacefully. It's no surprise that Death Eaters exist because that's what we have grown to learn, to exploit and to fight, one way or the other."
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
"Hey, mate!" He croaked, calling the man in the shabby robes entering the Alley. "Wanna buy yo'r gal some gift?"
He was standing at the edge of the entrance to the Knockturn Alley, trying to make a sale of a few metallic objects and trinkets that he had extracted from the trash of an old wizarding household. Most of the items that he had extracted were either dark, jinxed or cursed. He had already sold the majority of the valuable objects to the only fair-price antique collector in Knockturn Alley, 'Borgin and Burkes'.
Not only that and mainly, he was discreetly keeping an eye on the people entering the infamous wizarding location. He was indebted to the old fool and had to do the spying for him. There wasn't another soul in his special club who would go to the lowly places he frequents. He was the eyes and ears of the group in the underbelly of the society, he did the dirty work for the birds of the birds' club so they could keep their feathers clean.
Moreover, he wasn't getting paid for it and since this summer, he didn't have the immunity that was so important in his line of work, making his life difficult. He had to now manage with these small businesses. He had already made a fortune that day, thanks to the haunted house and he had invested most of it already. He was selling the handful of trinkets to get some money for his evening spendings. It was half-past-six and his duty was coming to a close very soon for the day. He would have to be back there at half-past midnight to continue the watch, although under Mad-Eye's invisibility cloak.
He was about to leave for his evening round of some bitter fluids when he noticed a woman in a sickly pink dress and cardigan, with a red ribbon on top of her head walking towards the Leaky Cauldron. She was plump, her attire like a giant pink cake. He knew who she was, he decided to get out of there immediately but he wasn't very lucky.
"You there!" She shouted from some distance away. "Don't move."
He tried to paste the most charming and innocent smile on his face but by her looks, he could tell, she wasn't impressed. He didn't need to wait long to hear her say it in her sickeningly sweet voice. "Show me your vendor's license please."
"Good evening, Madam. It's a lovely day, would you be interested in some lovely jewelry for yourself?" He tried his luck but it wasn't working.
"Show me your vendor's license, empty your pockets or else you will be spending the next six months of your life in Azkaban." She commanded, there was nothing sweet about her words now.
"Forgive me, madam, but I'm sure we can reach a mutually agreeable deal." He requested genuinely, he would give her each and every piece of metal on him to get out of this situation. He swiftly emptied his pockets by pulling out all the remaining pieces of jewelry, he extended his hands towards her for her examination.
She looked over her shoulder and scanned her surroundings before looking at the stuff on display. One particular piece of golden jewelry caught her eye. It was a locket with a serpentine 'S', ornately inlaid with emeralds. "Where did you get this, thief?"
"It's a special one, madam, consider it as a gift." He tried to take a step back in an attempt to widen the distance. He had half a mind to run.
"From where did you steal it?" Umbridge drew her wand from inside her cardigan. It was the smallest wand that he had ever seen, but he wasn't thinking about the length, he was worried about the spell that was going to hit him in the face in a few seconds unless he did something.
He fell on his knees, in a begging gesture. "Forgive me, madam, you can keep everything, just let me go. Please be merciful, I have a family to look after."
Surprisingly, the begging and faux tears worked. She withdrew her wand, stuffed it back in her cardigan and turned to leave, the heavy golden locket in her hand. "Leave. And if I ever saw you again anywhere in Diagon Alley, you will be celebrating at least a couple of Christmases with dementors."
He didn't waste any more time, he stood up from his kneeling position and ran towards the apparition point. He just shouted his gratitude as he was leaving. "Thank you for your kindness, Madam Umbridge."
A couple of seconds later, Mundungus Fletcher was gone with a crack.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
Hermione was sitting in the library, focused on the book of Arithmancy. She was so deep in her little world that she didn't hear the footsteps of the intruder. She was startled and dropped her book on the floor as the intruder nudged her shoulder. She had enough presence of mind not to shout in the library. "Ron! Merlin's pants, you scared me."
"Good evening, Hermione." Ron said in a sweet tone, very uncharacteristic of him. "You busy?"
"I was." She huffed and picked up the fallen book. "What brought you here?"
Ron leaned closer to whisper so not to be glared at again by Madam Pince. "I need to talk to you."
Hermione was about to protest but there was something in the way Ron was acting that made her consider his request. She gestured him to lead on. They exited the library and stood next to a suit of armor in the passageway. "Tell me, what do you need to talk to me about?"
"You." Ron replied flatly, his eyes held a sincerity. "What's wrong with you?"
'That was mean', Hermione thought. "There is nothing wrong with me. Better, I should ask that question to you, Ronald."
"Ha ha ha, I am not joking, Hermione. I'm trying talk about something important with you here." Ron raised his hands defensively to pacify her. "Why are you giving Harry the silent treatment?"
Hermione was taken aback, she hasn't spoken to Harry properly since Saturday afternoon and it was Monday evening already. "You don't need to worry about it, Ron. It's none of your business, it's between me and him."
"Hermione, it might have slipped out of your overworking mind but everything and anything that happens with either of you is my business." Ron replied sharply, he was trying to keep his voice low. "Go and talk to the guy, he is worried enough already with everything going on. He doesn't need you to act this way right now."
"I will talk to him when the time is appropriate." Hermione replied firmly, her temper was rising. She wanted to get back to her book before she said something harsh to Ron. "So, if you don't mind, I will get back to my book."
"Hold your horses, Hermione." Ron gripped her shoulder as she was turning, his grip was firm but not too much to be aggressive. "Why aren't you talking to him? I need a clear answer."
"You won't understand, Ron. So just drop it, ok?" Hermione didn't want to answer anything, least of all to Ron.
"I get that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed when comes to studies but I am smart enough to understand what this is about." Ron was also getting closer to his threshold of irritation. "Spit it out, Hermione."
She took a deep breath before rubbing her eyes, she didn't want to share that thought with anyone but she knew that she needed to. "I don't think what Harry is doing is right and I don't think we should do it."
Ron was taken aback by that response, he thought it was something related to their relationship but boy he wasn't expecting that. "And why do you think that?"
She looked around before dragging Ron by his elbow to the corner of the corridor and behind a pillar for some privacy. "I believe Harry's not thinking straight, I don't want him to do something that he would regret in future."
"So why haven't you told him this yet?" Ron asked.
"Because…" Hermione sighed, it was difficult for her. "Because I don't think he would listen to me this time and moreover, I don't know how to tell him this without offending him."
Ron chuckled at that, he just shook his head. "Are you kidding me, Hermione? You are the only person he would listen to. Besides, since when do you need to find a way to talk to your boyfriend and your best friend?"
Hermione had the decency to look sheepish. "You are not getting it, Ron."
"Hermione, you have put your trust in him when no one else did, not even me." He gripped Hermione's shoulders as if he was lecturing a child. "Trust him some more and just go and talk to him. Nothing good is going to come out of this silent distance."
Hermione just nodded, she noticed the maturity in his eyes, she never would have thought that Ron could be this mature and insightful. He was quite taller than her and the way he was looking at her made her feel even smaller. "Since when did you become so wise?"
"Since you two started to behave like teenagers." Ron replied with a grin.
"We are teenagers, Ron." Hermione poked him in the ribs. "Or have you forgotten?"
"We are teenagers alright but you two aren't in the normal category." Ron poked her in the shoulder in response. "So stop behaving like normal generic teenager couples. I don't want any more drama before the Quidditch tryouts on Saturday. I need Harry focussed so he can help me train before the tryouts."
"How selfish!" Hermione mock glared.
"Pressure to maintain the family tradition, Granger. Don't want to be the only Weasley male in four generations not to be on the Quidditch team." Ron winked as he turned to leave.
"But Weasleys haven't had a girl in six generations before Ginny." Hermione voiced her doubt, she had heard that trivia from Mrs. Weasley. "That's quite sexist of you, Ron."
"Ok, don't want to be the only Weasley in four generations not to be on the Quidditch team. Sounds perfect?" Ron said as he reached the turn that would take him towards the common room.
"Ha! You are so dumb sometimes, Ron." Hermione jested. "You forgot Percy."
"Nah, that airhead doesn't count as Weasley, Hermione." He took the turn and disappeared from the view.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
"Hear, Hear!" The Marshal of the Wizengamot crowed from the back of the hall, drawing everyone's attention, muting the ongoing discussions. "All rise! Honorable Chief Warlock of Wizengamot."
The assembly rose to their feet in unison as Chief Warlock Ogden entered the courtroom. He had an air of confidence about him that made people respect him, sometimes begrudgingly. He resumed his seat in the center of the assembly and gestured the members to do the same. He struck the gavel on the sound block with some excessive force. "The house is in session."
Every eye in the house was now on Ogden as he scanned the room of any indisciplined movement or action. Finding none, he focused back on the notes in front of him. "Court Scribe will now announce the order of business in the House for the day."
Percy rose from his chair just below the seat of Chief Warlock, his back straight as a stick, his shoulders pulled back and his eyes firmly on the papers in his hand. He started in a firm and clear voice. "On the Wednesday the thirteenth, of the ninth month, in year nineteen-ninety-five, the order of the business in the house shall be…"
He paused before chalking out the to-do list. "Appointment of the Sergeant-at-arms of Wizengamot. Followed by the discussion on motion proposal by the respected member of the house, Trafford Robald Avery. That will be all."
As Percy resumed his seat, Ogden's eyes turned back to the assembled members. "Are there any more motions on the floor to be added to the business of the day?"
He waited for members to raise their hands but he wasn't expecting any. Everyone in the house was already preoccupied with the Friday Session of the Wizengamot. He scanned the room once again. "Seeing none, the house will proceed with the first business matter. If a member wishes to propose a motion to be added in the business of the day, the respected member can forward such request to the Chair in writing."
He struck the gavel once again. "The first speaker, on the matter of 'Appointment of the Sergeant-at-arms of Wizengamot', Madam Patil has the floor."
A woman in her late thirties or early forties stood up from her seat. She was wearing the traditional, plum-colored robes of Wizengamot and faced the Chair of Chief Warlock. "Thank you, Honourable Chair for the opportunity to address this august body. This indissoluble body in existence for the last four and a half century has seen many faces in its chamber and hopefully, by the end of the day, this chamber would witness another addition in its long history."
She paused, there was a mild applause. Her demeanor was stoic, no emotion visible on her face. She looked around the present members of the house before continuing her address. "Many of us were in attendance the last time this body appointed its Sergeant-at-arms. May his soul find its final destination! I would like for the new members of this house to realize that the position is of great responsibility and should be kept out of our political and ideological disagreements and differences. I hope that this house will keep this in mind when deciding on the appropriate candidate for the position. Thank you."
There was some applause as she concluded her statement, she resumed her chair, her eyes not on her colleagues from the opposite side but on Chief Warlock, waiting for the acknowledgment of her address.
"Thank you, Madam Patil." He then turned to the other side of the house. "The second speaker, on the matter of 'Appointment of the Sergeant-at-arms of Wizengamot', Lord Amycus Carrow has the floor."
"Thank you, Chief Warlock." He had his hands clasped in front of him as he bowed to the chair in respect. "As my colleague just said, the position is one of great responsibility and I agree wholeheartedly with her opinion. Though, I would like to extend the thought further. The position has the responsibility to keep this august body and its deliberations safe from any harm while it is in session. Moreover, considering the fact that the position is held unto death, we should agree, in principle at least, that the age of the candidate should be considered a prominent factor. As I'm sure my colleagues from across the floor would agree that this body desperately needs young blood and long-term certainty."
There were respectable applause and nods of agreement from almost everyone present, even from those that were in the opposite faction. "However, one must not forget that this position needs a person with absolute faith in Wizengamot. Along with that, his or her moral and ethical character should align with the morality and ethics that the House practices, professes and promotes. Thank you."
His words were thickly veiled but experience in this arena of Wizengamot and politics, in general, had made all of them very sharp with the words and their meaning. The members weren't given too much time to think through as Chief Warlock stood up after acknowledging Amycus Carrow.
"In accordance with the conventions set forth for the Wizengamot, the Chair would present the official nominee from the Ministry for the post." He glanced at the witches and wizards in attendance, delaying the proposition of the nominee. "The Ministry had deliberated over the nomination for more than a month. It had taken into consideration, not only his academic performance but also his moral character as well as his faith in the institution."
He paused to see the effect of his words and let the meaning sink in. It was his responsibility to propose the official ministerial nominee for the post. And it was then to the Wizengamot to vote over it to either accept it or reject it. If rejected, members would have the opportunity to propose candidates.
"The nominee for the position of Sergeant-at-arms of Wizengamot is Adrian Nathan Jugson." Ogden announced before sitting down. The most shocked face in the room was that of Percy Weasley. He had turned back in his seat in an attempt to look at Chief Warlock to make sure that he heard the name correctly but his view was blocked by the dais, below which he was sitting.
It was now his job to stand up and urge the members in attendance to vote in favor or against his nemesis throughout his school life. He was completely stunned and forgot what he was supposed to do. The reminder of his duties wasn't a pleasant one. "Weasley, get up and call for the vote."
"Yes… yes, sir, I apologize." He stuttered through his words before he tried to compose himself and his thoughts. "The house will now vote on the motion of candidature of Adrian Nathan Jugson for the post of Sergeant-at-arms of Wizengamot."
He took a deep breath before continuing with his job. "Those in favor of the motion, raise your wand and light your wand tips."
He didn't even need to count the lit wands to know that the motion has passed with an overwhelming majority. Usually, the posts of the officials of the Wizengamot were considered appointments and not election because usually, the house reached a consensus on the candidature of the official ministerial nominee unless it was of an extremely controversial nature.
"Those in opposition." He asked the members. The raised wands in response were less than fifteen. He noticed that even the members were surprised with their voting. "The motion passes."
"With the acceptance of the candidature of Mr. Jugson, he is hereby appointed as the Sergeant-at-arms." Ogden had stood up to announce. "He will assume the responsibilities from the next session of Wizengamot."
Percy stood up to continue with the business of the day. Mr. Avery Sr. Was given the floor to introduce his motion to the house. The tall man was seventy-five years old and yet he didn't look a day older than sixty. He had a calm voice and demeanor, his voice was significantly lower in sound but very clear in its delivery. "Thank you, Chief Warlock, for the opportunity."
He pulled out his wand and trained it towards Chief Warlock, there was a collective gasp of shock from the members in attendance and a few more wands were drawn and trained at Avery Sr. He slowly lowered it and started talking. "I apologize for startling you all but it was necessary to prove the point I'm about to make."
"The members of the house are prohibited to draw their wands while in Wizengamot, except during voting. It is so, in order to maintain civility and to safeguard the privilege to express opinions, to have an open exchange of ideas, to discuss and debate without fear." He gave a once over to the people on the opposite side of the room. "I believe it's the most appropriate time to put a blanket ban on members bringing wands to the session of Wizengamot."
There were voices of dissent, loud enough to drown his voice. Chief Warlock had to intervene to maintain order in the house. "Order! Order!"
The house quietened but it took a few moments and every dissenting face had turned from Avery Sr. to Ogden. He looked straight at the group. "This house has some dignity and the members are expected to uphold it. The house has some guidelines for the conduct of the members within the house to maintain decorum. Or at the very least not to act in contravention to either of the above two. Mr. Avery, please continue."
He gave a nod to Chief Warlock before continuing his explanation. "But, the officials of the Wizengamot must be allowed to carry their wands in order to serve the house properly. Thank you."
Avery Sr resumed his seat with a triumphant smile, he glanced at Madam Longbottom to see her response. He didn't find any outward response for his words, she was experienced enough. The next voice was that of the Chief Warlock. "The motion is tabled and the floor is open to the members. Those who wish to speak?"
Seven hands were raised and he gave the willing speakers an order in his head and conveyed it to Percy. It was now Percy's turn to call the first speaker. "Madam Umbridge will have the floor first."
Avery knew that they had played a masterstroke with the motion. Lucius had brought the request of their master to the meeting yesterday evening. They had planned well in a very short time, the arguments that many from their side were going to put would be against the motion but would surely rile up the bunch of muggle-lovers. It would be enough to make them turn in favour of the motion which would mean that the opposite side would be willing to give up the right to carry wands in Wizengamot. He sat there and watched the drama unfold the way they had expected.
Umbridge had said some very harsh words against the motion, insinuating that muggles and muggleborns were inferior due to their inability to carry or use wands. She was followed by a similar opinion from Selwyn. And that was apparently enough for the opposite side to start speaking moderately in favour of the motion.
Two hours and a lot of heated arguments later, Wizengamot agreed to appoint a committee to discuss the protocol for submitting wands and the alternative for voting. Till a consensus to prohibit carrying wands into the session of Wizengamot could be reached, members were allowed to carry wands. Every other article that could be used as a weapon was already prohibited. In the under-consideration proposal, the only officials allowed to carry wands were Chief Warlock, Court Scribe, and Sergeant-at-arms. The business of the day concluded with this.
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
"Last week, we have revised the transfiguration methods and techniques we have learned so far in a chronological manner." She said from her chair behind the desk, her eyes scanning the room for any mischief-in-making. "Today, we will talk about what you need to learn and master to ace your O.W.L.s, you might believe and think that your performance till the end of your fourth year exceeds expectations but the real challenge awaits you here."
She gave them few moments to munch her words in their heads. She moved from her seat to the centre of the class as she spoke and walked around the class once, coming back to the front of the class as she explained further. "You learned to transfigure non-living objects into other non-living objects in your first-year. In your second year, you learned to transfigure the state of an object and given some introductory knowledge of transfiguring living beings like animals and birds into non-living objects. In your third year, you were taught to transfigure living beings into various non-living objects as well as transfiguration of multiple co-existing states. Last year, you were taught to transfigure non-living objects into food items and edibles as well as vanishment of objects. From the analysis of your learning arc, what do you think the next logical step in your education of transfiguration should be?"
She was surprsied that Hermione's hand didn't shoot up the moment she asked the question but she hid her surprise pretty well, experience teaches you a lot. She surveyed the rest of the raised hands from her vantage point of the teacher's desk and pointed towards a Ravenclaw. "Yes, Mister Boot."
"To transfigure non-living into living beings, Ma'am." He answered with a confident smile.
"Very close to the answer, Mr. Boot but not perfect." She looked at him from above her glasses before turnign to the rest of class to get another answer. "Yes, Ms. Greengrass."
"The next step should be learning to transfigure any living being or non-living object into another living being." Daphne Greengrass answered curtly.
"Five points to Slytherin and two to Ravenclaw." She alotted the points and turned towards the board and words started to appear in an ornate artistic cursive writing on the board. "If you had all read the preface of your text book, you would have been able to answer this question perfectly. I had picked up a paragraph from the book verbatim."
She knew the words would sting and she needed that to make them serious about their O.W.L.s. The only thing bugging her was that Hermione looked awfully distracted. "I had expected better from you, especially you, Ms. Granger."
McGonagall had thought that this would bring Hermione out of her state of deep thinking, but it wasn't so. There were a couple of sniggers from the students when Hermione didn't react. McGonagall signaled Neville, who was sharing the desk with Hermione, to nudge her.
"Huh?" Hermione jerked back into 'consciousness' and standing up as she noticed every eye on her. She looked at her favourite professor with a mixture of fear and guilt. "Yes professor?"
That was half question and half answer, the sniggers increased to the level of chuckles, earning a glare from McGonagall. "Please repeat the answer Ms. Greengrass just gave, Ms. Granger."
Hermione looked at Daphne before bowing her head in embarassment. "My apologies professor, I don't know."
"Five points from Gryffindor. Focus, Ms. Granger and if there is some problem, please go to the infirmary and get yourself checked." McGonagall replied, some concern for her favourite student seeping into her stern exterior and words. "Sit down."
She turned to a side table on her right. A flick of her wand later, a velvet covered bird cage came floated towards the teacher's desk and came to a measured stop in the centre. She removed the velvet cover to reveal a dove inside. She opened the cage and brought out the bird, the dove standing on her outstreched fingers. "Let's begin with a demostration."
"Wands out!" She released the bird in the air and let it fly around the class, giving enough time to everyone to get hold of their wands. She aimed her wand at the bird and flicked her wand sharply. A brown scottish mountain hare landed on the head of Seamus Finnigan to the hoarse laughter of his class mates. Seamus's dangerously moving arms in attempt to get it away made it jump on Justin Finch-Fletchley sitting in the next row. His partner, Ernie MacMillan had enough presence of mind to stun the mammal.
"Five points to Hufflepuff for quick thinking and good use of a stunner by Mr. MacMillan. And two points each will be taken from Mr. Finnigan, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Finch-Fletchley for not using their heads."
"Let this be a lesson to all of you, what you are learning needs not only be studied, revised and practiced but also applied properly when necessary." She had the look of disappointment on her face as she levitated the animal and transfigured it back to its original form. "I had expected the students closest to the animal would attempt to transfigure it into some object, alas it wasn't to be that way."
"Can anyone tell me, what are the fundamentals necessary to keep in mind while transfiguring objects into food items?" McGonagall asked to the class at large, looking pointedly at Hermione. Hermione was the first to raise her hand but McGonagall gave the opportunity to Padma. "Yes, Ms. Patil!"
"The transfigured object would be as close to the real one as your imagination." She continued as McGonagall nodded. "The taste, smell, texture, consistency and temperature would be only accurate if the caster could imagine them in completeness, or in other words, the physical attributes of the transfigured objects are a manifestation of the thoughts of the caster."
"Very well, Ms. Patil." She turned and went to stand behind her desk. "Five points to Ravenclaw for the near perfect answer."
"Tansfiguring an object into a living being is the third most difficult skill in transfiguration, behind conjuring a living being." McGonagall paused with a mischievous smile on her face. "Here we are not considoreing Human Transfiguration and we never would. So, what's the most difficult transfiguration skill apart from Human Transfiguration?"
Except Hermione, Anthony Goldstein was the only student willing to answer. He started his answer after McGonagall gave him a nod. "The most difficult transfiguration skill is to conjure metals with magical qualities. Cast Iron, copper, silver, gold and platinum in that order of increasing difficulty."
"And why is that?" McGonagall inquired further.
"Because these metals are high density materials and have some inherent magical property which requires extremely high amount of magic to accomplish." Anthony explained.
"Impressive, Mr. Goldstein. Ten points to Ravenclaw." McGonagall almost clapped at the perfect answer. "It's true that these metals need extremely high amount of magic to conjure. Conjuring an elephant would be easier than conjuring a platinum sculpture of a rabit. But we won't go into those details here as conjuration of these metals are not taught anywhere in the world. You can only learn it by shear will power and even after that, it would be next to impossible to spend that much magical energy without draining yourself completely. The same goes for transfiguring humans into other beings or objects, in addition to being illegal."
The room was filled with the sound of quills scratching on the parchment. Students didn't want to miss this piece of information. Hermione glanced at Harry, sitting on the desk behind her along with Ron. McGonagall gave them enough time to note down all the previous explanations before continuing with her lecture.
"There are some basic limitations to transfiguring an object into a living being." She tapped the blackboard and words started to appear. "The first and foremost limitation is, your transfiguration can never be real and it won't last very long. Depending on the magic you pour into your spell, the transfiguration would last from mere moments to a few minutes at best. The second limitations is regarding its behaviour. The transfigured creature would be able to function on simple and linear thoughts. It can't think for itself, it can only think as much as the thoughts you pour into it. Moreover, you can't make your birds to lay eggs or other transfigured beings to reproduce because that's one of the principle exceptions of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. Something that doesn't have life, can't give birth to life."
-0X0-0X0-0X0-
It was after the lecture that Hermione decided to broach the subject of what was bothering her with Harry. It's already been four days since she last talked to him substantially or spent time with him alone. They had just exchanged pleasantries and very few words that were necessitated by their mutual group of frineds. Despite all these, Hermione has tried to avoid Harry as much as she could get away with until she could sort out her thoughts on her own. Ron's intervention certainly triggered a faster process.
"Harry, I need to talk to you." Hermione said directly, plain and simple, the way Harry prefered things. He just nodded and asked her to lead the way. She decided to skip the lunch in order to talk to Harry and decided to steer them towards the tree and the rock by the lake they frequented last year. No words were spoken throughout their long walk to the destination in Hermione's mind. Harry understood where she was leading them.
They reached the lake, neither looking at each other, avoiding eye-contact but glancing towards eachother when the other wasn't looking. They stood there, by the lake, for a whole of two minutes under the sun before Hermione pooled all her courage and kissed Harry, surprising him beyond his wits. They separated as the need for air became unavoidable, their faces flushed and a happy smile on their faces.
Harry was the first to speak. "I missed it."
"Prat." And he got a playful slap to his shoulder. "It's been four days and I missed it too."
"What's the matter, Hermione?" Harry was really intrigued with her behaviour since the dungeon incident. He would never agree but Hermione's silence bugged him so much more than her words would ever. He wasn't able to focus, his heart wasn't into anything. He went to fly once and that was the only thing that pacified his mind. He tried to help Ron with his keeper practice but his throws were just awful, and not because he was bad at it but because his heart wasn't in it.
"I don't know how to tell you." Hermione hesitated, her eyes downcast.
"Since when do we have a problem with talking to eachother? We tell eachother everything Hermione." Harry gestured to sit on the rock on the edge of the lake. Harry sat after her, His back towards the lake while Hermione was facing the lake.
Harry waited for her to continue but when she didn't, Harry nudged her. "Whatever it is Hermione, I promise I won't judge you."
"I know you won't." She looked at him worriedly. "I don't want you to think that I don't trust you."
Hermione took a deep breath before she started talking. "Harry, I don't think what you want to do is the right thing to do."
"What?" Harry wasn't sure that he heard her correctly. Hermione didn't say anythin regarding this when they were discussing it. And it took her four days to open up to him about it. "You could have said something in the dungeon."
"I wanted to but the time wasn't right." She was looking in the distance. "You were so determined in that moment, I didn't want to say something in that moment."
"You could have told me about it afterwards, when we were around eachother. Why would you keep a distance?" Harry realised that he didn't need to question her but just listen to her right now. "Sorry, please continue."
"Harry, it's not about you. I needed to get my thoughts in order first, before I could explain them to you." Hermione moved her hand so it rested on Harry's. Harry was looking at the castle in front of him, not seeing it. Hermione looked at him from the corner of her eyes, not wanting to make eye contact. "I don't want you to get into anymore trouble."
"We are already in trouble, Hermione." He truned to look at her, his hands cupping her face, his eyes boring deep into hers. "Hermione, I can't sit around knowing that there was something that I could have done but I am not. I can't even imagine how devastated we would be if Mr. Weasley had been sent to Azkaban knowing that there was a way to avoid that fate."
"Harry, you are already in trouble and everyone who had joined the Order is an adult and were aware about the risks from the beginning." Hermione had a steely look in her eyes. "Order would have found some way. But what we are doing would put us at even greater risk. Ministry isn't very fond of you and if this all came out, not only you but all six of us would face serious problems, including Neville, Hannah and now Susan."
"I can accept that you are responsible for yourself, I'm responsible for my actions too but how do you think Ron's parents or Neville's Granmother or Hannah's family or Susan's aunt would react about their involvement." Hermione tried to present her thoughts clearly. "The people who are being investigated will suffer a much worse fate if Wizengamot came to know about it."
"We are going to do it Hermione, regardless of the consequences, we are going to use all means necessary." Harry answered firmly, concluding their discussion on the subject matter.
"I know." Hermione had no other answer.
They had just taken their seats on the Gryffindor table when Neville discretely passed him a big envelope with the logo on the front. Harry stuffed it hurriedly into his bag so that no wandering eye would fall upon it. "When was it delivered?"
"Few minutes ago." Neville replied, pushing his empty plate away. "Haven't read it but I know it would be perfect. You should read it for your satisfaction Harry."
"I will. I just don't know if I will understand it or not." Harry replied before digging into his meal.