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Escape and Evasion | ||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall, Nymphadora Tonks, Other, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, General, Humor Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: G Reviews: 17 Summary: This story takes place after the events in "Incompleteness" The trio is now a quartet. See what happens next as they follow the parchment left to them by Dumbledore. Hitcount: Story Total: 4538 |
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J.K. Rowling owns these characters. I'm only doing this to kill time until book 7 comes out. As I always strive to make each of my stories stand-alone, I urge you to read my other stories first. As they lead up to the events in this story. These story order are as follows: -Intervention -Misunderst andings -Vows and Promises -Incompleteness You may even read “My 5th Year” and walk away with a connection even though the story takes place in a different Potterverse. But if you do read any of my stories or any stories by any author for that matter. Please take the time to leave a review. It means the world to authors when you do this and I’m sure I speak for all authors when I say that we always find it ironic when we get over a thousand hits on our stories but only get a fraction of the reviews. Your feedback, good or bad, is always appreciated. Escape and Evasion By EROD37 It was nearly noon by the time the two friends arrived at the Burrow. The summer sun was shining brightly in a cloudless sky. It had taken them the better part of the last twenty-four hours to return to the Weasley compound. They had both thought it would have been a lot longer before either of them would see the place again. “What the hell happened to the door?” asked Ron as both he and Hermione drew their wands. “I’m not exactly sure, but it looks like someone might have used a Bombarda charm on it,” answered Hermione as she examined the damage. “Bombarda charm?” asked Ron, looking extremely puzzled. “It’s kind of a last resort to break the common locking spell. Where the “Alohomora” charm fails, this one normally doesn’t.” “How do you know so much about it? No wait, let me take a wild guess, you read it in a book?” asked Ron in a sarcastic tone. Hermione gave Ron a stern look, “Well yes, but I also used it to free Sirius from his cell in our third year. But whoever used it on this door must have been very powerful. The charm is designed to blow the lock open, not explode the door off its hinges.” “I really wish I hadn’t got hurt that night. I would have loved to have been there to see you use that charm. It must have been a sight to see. I don’t tell you this enough, but I think you’re truly amazing,” said Ron as he reached up and touched Hermione’s cheek. A slight blush came to her face as she smiled and said, “Thanks, but you have only a small idea what Harry and I went through that night. You were better off in that hospital bed.” She continued, “Let’s not take any chances. You go in through the front door and I’ll come in through the back.” Fifteen seconds later found Ron inside. The Burrow was quiet. Ron found the silence frightening as every memory he had of his home was filled with plenty of noise and activity. But now with only three of the original nine members of the Weasley family still residing at home, the old place seemed a mere echo of it’s former self. “It’s not much, but it’s home” Ron whispered to himself. He found Hermione standing in the living room. Her wand was no longer in her hands and she was silently waving Ron over to her. There was a warm smile on her face and a look of satisfaction in her eyes. It wasn’t until after he was at her side that he understood why she looked that way. On the sofa in front of them lay Harry. To say he was merely sleeping was an understatement. He looked as if he were in hibernation. Ron looked up to Hermione and couldn’t help but smile as he knew that his best friend hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in the last seven days. A look of concern caused his smile to disappear as he asked, “Do you think he is alright?” From the middle of the staircase behind them came a quiet voice, “He’s fine, Ron. Let him sleep. After what he did yesterday, he is going to need as much rest as he can get.” “Ginny, it’s so good to see you again. Harry said you were in trouble and disappeared without saying more. We were so worried for the both of you,” said Hermione as she ran over and gave Ginny a big hug. Ron walked over and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek, “What happened to your face and what exactly did he do?” “Why don’t the three of us go into the kitchen? We can all sit down and have a bite to eat while I explain everything,” answered Ginny. XXXXXXXXXX “Harry managed to pull off a four jaunt Apparition between Hogwarts and the Burrow?” exclaimed Ron. “No, he pulled off a four jaunt Apparition between Hogwarts and the outside of the magical boundary. I forgot to mention the full three kilometer sprint right afterwards,” added Ginny. “Bloody brilliant!” stated Ron as he reached for some toast. Hermione was shaking her head in astonishment, “Ron how can you be so light hearted about that? He’s lucky he didn’t end up in St. Mungo’s.” “Who’s lucky he didn’t end up in St. Mungo’s?” asked a messy haired young man from the kitchen doorway. “Harry!” cried Hermione as she almost tackled him to the ground in a hug. “We were so worried when you took off like that, don’t you ever do that again!” said a scolding Hermione as she continued to hug him tighter. Harry was finding it hard to breathe. He didn’t know which was worse, the hugs he got from Mrs. Weasley or the ones he got from Hermione. But deep in his heart he wouldn’t give up either of their hugs for anything. “I’m…sorry… Hermione…I didn’t mean…for either you or Ron…to worry,” gasped Harry as he returned her hug. “Don’t sweat it mate. I’m just glad you and Ginny are fine. So Ginny, how was it having gone head to head with an Auror?” asked Ron. “It wasn’t fun, I can tell you that. She showed me I wasn’t nearly as ready as I thought I was to join you three,” replied Ginny as she ran her hand along the scars on her face. She still showed remnants of the cuts she received from the vase that exploded in her face. “I can’t believe you didn’t realize you were being tested,” said Ron. “I don’t think Tonks has an evil bone in her body,” added Hermione. “That’s easy for you two to say. You didn’t see the look in her eyes,” answered Ginny as a stern look came to her face. Harry had taken a seat next to her and placed a light kiss on her forehead before reaching for some eggs and bacon. Ginny’s stern look melted away instantly as she smiled at him. The enormity of what he had done to get to her hadn’t really crossed her mind until she had thought about it right then. Her heart beat a little faster as she thought about how much she loved him for his protectiveness. It didn’t match the protectiveness of her family, who had the tendency to still view her as a small child. He wanted to protect her because she was as necessary to his life as breathing. She made a vow to herself that for the rest of her life she would do her best to return that loyalty to him. Harry was in the middle of taking a bite of eggs and bacon when he stopped and without saying a word to Ginny, looked her in the eyes and smiled. He felt what she had just thought and it warmed Ginny’s heart. She was really beginning to appreciate the connection the two of them shared. “So where are Mum and Dad? I figured they would have been more than happy to see all of us together again,” asked Harry “They had to leave earlier this morning with Remus and Tonks. On what they said was “Order” business,” answered Ginny as she poured Harry some pumpkin juice. “I wonder where the Order is holding it’s meetings now?” wondered Ron aloud. “I think it is best that we don’t know,” answered Hermione. The rapid flapping of a pair of small wings broke up the conversation. Pigwidgeon had flown into the kitchen carrying a letter around his leg. He was so happy to see Ron that he couldn’t keep still. Not that he could keep still at any other time, he kept just out of Ron’s reach as he bounced between his shoulders. “It’s good to see you too, Pig. Here’s a piece of toast. Now just keep still so I can get to that note,” said Ron. He open and quickly read the note to himself. He looked at Ginny and asked, “Where did Mum put the wireless?” Ginny stood, “It’s in my room. Why? What does the note say?” “Mum sent the note. She said you should tune into the Wizarding Wireless Network. There’s going to be an extremely important announcement at about 12:30, and that you shouldn’t miss it.” “12:30? That’s only a few minutes from now!” screamed Ginny as she disappeared up the stairs. Less than a minute later found the four sitting at the kitchen table surrounding the wireless. The Weird Sister’s, “Do the Hippogriff” was coming from the wireless’ small speaker. Harry had a memory from last night’s dream pop into his mind as the song played. Parvati Patil was extremely angry with him for dancing with Ginny all night at the Yule Ball. Harry laughed to himself with the thought, as he didn’t know if she had been angrier with him in the real world for not dancing with her at all or in the dream world for dancing just with Ginny. His thoughts were broken up as the song suddenly stopped. “We interrupt this program for a special report from our news department. We now take you to our anchorman, Thomas Heyman…” “I’m standing in a large conference room located in the Ministry of Magic, where in a matter of moments, Minerva McGonagall, the acting Headmistress of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be making a statement. The conference room is filled to capacity with members of the press, as well as, high-ranking officials from the Ministry including the Minister of Magic himself, Rufus Scrimgeour.” “There has been much speculation as to whether or not Hogwarts will reopen after Albus Dumbledore, the school’s most popular and controversial headmaster, was murdered during an attack by Death Eat…Headmistress McGonagall has now made her entrance. We now take you to the podium and Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.” The atmosphere around the kitchen table grew tense as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione drew closer to the wireless as if that would help them to hear better. “Here we go,” remarked Ron. “Ronald…shhhhh!” scolded Hermione. It was then Minerva McGonagall’s voice flowed from the wireless, “Good afternoon, Minister Scrimgeour, Hogwarts board of trustees, members of the Ministry, and members of the press. Recent events at both Hogwarts and in the wizarding world have caused a major shift in day to day activities.” “To put it more clearly, the bottom line is that the wizarding world is for all intents and purposes at war. With the return of, “He-who-must-not-be-named” it has become apparent that no one, be it man, woman, or child is safe.” “I’m sure that by now everyone in the wizarding world knows of the attack on Hogwarts and the murder of our finest Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. I believe it goes without saying that times like these call for drastic measures.” “After lengthy debate it is the decision of the Board of Trustees and myself that Hogwarts is to close it’s doors indefinitely until this war comes to an end. We cannot, in good conscious, guarantee the one hundred percent safety of our students at this time and it would be foolhardy of anyone to think or say otherwise.” “Our sister and brother schools, The Beauxbaton’s Academy of France and the Durmstrang Institute of Northern Europe have agreed to admit any and all Hogwarts students who wish to continue their education if the parents or guardians of the student so requests.” “I apologize profusely to everyone for any inconvenience that this may cause, but I ask that all of the wizarding world join me in a prayer for a swift end to this war. With the closing of Hogwarts the only people who lose are the young wizards and witches who no longer have a place of study - to mold, guide, and direct their young minds. I thank you for your time. Good afternoon.” The conference room erupted into chaos as the press exploded with a myriad of questions. But McGonagall answered none of the questions as she swiftly left the conference room. It was then Thomas Heyman began speaking again, “So there you have it. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has officially closed it’s doors until the end of the war against, “He-who-must-not-be-named”. As a former student of that fine institution I must add that the loss of this school is a tragedy…” Harry had reached over and turned off the wireless. He had thought the room silent when McGonagall began speaking. But, it didn’t compare to the silence the permeated the kitchen at that very moment. Harry looked to Hermione. There were tears rolling down her face as she quietly stared out of the kitchen window from her chair. Ginny was looking Harry in the eyes, as she seemed to be holding back tears of her own. He could feel her anguish mingling with his own. Ron was leaning back in his chair, his breaths coming in long sighs as he stared at the ceiling. Harry didn’t know how long the quiet had lasted when Hermione’s voice finally broke the sad silence. “It looks like the argument regarding our not returning to school has become moot.” “I can’t believe it. The end of an era,” whispered Ron. Ginny felt her connection with Harry hit her full force. He was furious and for once she shared in his anger. Harry stood, kicked over his chair and screamed, “I can’t believe Professor McGonagall would allow Hogwarts to close! If Professor Dumbledore were alive he’d…” Hermione cut him off, “That’s the point, Harry. He isn’t alive. I don’t like it anymore than you do, but she’s right. If she can’t guarantee the safety of the students then it doesn’t make sense to open the school.” “One good thing about what she said was that the school wouldn’t reopen until after the war is over. So whether we are seventeen or seventy-five, when all is said and done, we can always go back to finish our senior year and get our diplomas,” stated Ron. Harry nodded in agreement, “Then we had better get our acts together and help end this war fast because I don’t fancy having to sit through “History of Magic” when I’m seventy-five.” Everyone at the table laughed as Ginny asked, “So how many Hogwarts students do you think will end up transferring to one of the other schools?” Ron answered, “I don’t know. But I wouldn’t mind attending Beauxbaton.” “Ron, Beauxbaton is an all girls school,” said Hermione very flatly. A huge cheesy grin came to Ron’s face, “Yeah, I know…..OW!” Ron yelled as he received a much deserved slap to the back of his head by Ginny. Harry was busy laughing when he noticed Hermione studying something outside of the kitchen window. Gone was the sadness on her face and in its place was the look he recognized as one she used only when something seemed strange and out of place to her. “Hermione, what is it?” asked Harry. “Well, I started feeling a bit chilly about a minute ago which I found strange as it was a beautiful summer day when Ron and I arrived here. But now if you look outside, you’ll notice that it has got rather dreary. It just strikes me funny that the weather could change so quickly.” Harry and Hermione’s eyes met, as a dark comprehension quickly came to their faces. Harry was moving instantly, “We need to go, NOW!” Ginny did not need to be told twice as she could hear the urgency in Harry’s voice. She sprinted to her room to retrieve her backpack that she had packed earlier that morning. Hermione ran to the living room and started getting the backpacks that she and Ron had brought with them. Ron seemed dumbfounded, “What’s going on? So the weather’s gone bad. What’s the prob…” Harry quickly spoke as he got his trainers on, “Dementors, Ron! They’re close by and headed straight for us! We need to get out of here!” “Bloody hell!” exclaimed Ron as he ran into the living room to help Hermione. Hermione had just got the last of their backpacks together when Harry and Ron entered the living room. A look of fear came to her eyes as she stared at them. “What are we going to do? The magical boundary has us pinned down and we can’t make a run for it on foot.” “I know. We don’t know how many Dementors are out there and our Patronus charms can only hold them off for so long,” replied Harry. Harry had seen the look in Hermione’s eyes only one time before. It was the same confused, perplexed look that she had just after they had both used the Time Turner to rescue Sirius and Buckbeak. She had no idea what to do when they started their adventure that night and she didn’t seem to have an idea of what to do at the moment either. Harry felt a chill run up his spine. The sound of Ginny’s backpack hitting the floor snapped Harry from his thoughts. She was standing quietly and waiting for Harry’s next move. She was holding his Firebolt in her hands; it looked as if she were trying to draw strength from it. “Too bad we can’t use our brooms because of the magical boundary. We have enough brooms here for all four of us,” said Ron. Hermione scolded herself, “Of course! Why didn’t I think of it before? Ginny, get a broom for each of us.” Ginny dashed from the room to do as Hermione requested as Ron spoke again. “Hermione, didn’t you hear me? Our brooms are useless while they’re in the magical boundary!” But she ignored him as Ginny returned a moment later holding three more brooms. “Here are the fastest brooms in the house. Harry’s Firebolt, Ron’s Cleansweep 11 and Shooting Star, and my Comet 260,” said Ginny as she laid them on the floor in front of Hermione. “O.K. everyone give me some time to concentrate,” said Hermione as she knelt by the brooms and pulled out her wand. Hermione closed her eyes and began passing her wand over the brooms. Harry could see Hermione’s lips moving, as she seemed to be silently chanting to herself. Harry had a good idea of what she was attempting to do as he took action and began speaking. “Listen, when she finally completes her spell we are going to have to get moving as fast as we can. We need to use the forest surrounding the Burrow as cover from the Dementors. Where is the thickest part of the forest?” Both Ron and Ginny pointed at the same living room wall and in unison said, “THAT WAY!” “Start clearing everything from the front of that wall,” ordered Harry as he opened his backpack and found the package that Fred and George had given him just over a week ago. During Harry’s separation from Ginny, when he’d managed nothing but nightmares and insomnia, he had had plenty of time to study the contents of the twin’s package. He knew exactly what he was looking for and how to use it. From two separate leather pouches, Harry carefully pulled out what looked to be two gumballs. One was scarlet, the other gold. He held one tightly in each hand. Ron and Ginny had just finished clearing the living room wall as Harry began speaking again. “Get your backpacks on. When Hermione is done, we are going to fly in formation, one behind the other. Don’t fly any higher than five meters from the ground. We are going to make our way into and through the forest. Once we make it outside of the boundary, we can all Apparate to Diagon Alley.” Harry looked over to Hermione. Her eyes were still closed and there was a light sheen of perspiration across her forehead. Her lips were moving quicker than before. He silently urged her on as he turned back to Ron and Ginny and spoke again. “Ginny, I want you to use my Firebolt. Ron use the Cleansweep. Give Hermione the Comet and I’ll use the Shooting Star.” “Harry will you stop being so damn noble! You take your broom! I can use the Shooting Star!” yelled Ginny, her eyes blazing. “I’m not being noble! You two know the forest better than I do. You have to lead the way and I’m going to need you on the faster brooms. I want Ginny in front. Ron you follow in second position. Hermione will be behind him and I’ll fly in the rear. Not to brag, but I can out fly the lot of you on an enchanted shoe brush if it were necessary. I need to be back there to watch out for Hermione. You know how badly she flies,” replied Harry. Almost as if on cue, a sound behind Harry grabbed their attention. They all turned to find Hermione strapping on her backpack. There was a satisfied smirk on her face as she was standing behind all four brooms, which were now levitating in the air. “Bloody brilliant! Truly bloody brilliant!” exclaimed Ron as he gave a quick kiss to Hermione and began mounting his broom. The girls were mounting their brooms when Harry spoke again, “If any of us gets separated, don’t double back. Get to the edge of the boundary, wait one minute then Apparate straight away to Diagon Alley. Are we all clear on this?” None of the three wanted to agree with Harry on this last order. But they didn’t have time to debate it. Harry strapped on his backpack and gave Ginny a quick kiss. “I love you. Fly like the crazy flier I know you are,” said Harry as he gave Ginny a wink of his eye. Harry mounted his broom and then tapped the scarlet and gold gumballs together three times. He then rolled them towards the bare living room wall. The gumballs rolled, hit the base of the wall and for a few brief seconds did nothing. Harry was just about to curse loudly when… BOOM!!! The gumballs exploded, rocking the Burrow and leaving a large gap where the wall was only a second before. A small grin came to Harry’s face as he yelled. “FRED AND GEORGE YOU MAD GENIOUSES!! GO! GO!! GO!!!” Ginny, Ron and Hermione flew through the gap followed closely by Harry. Ten seconds later the four of them were in the thick of the trees racing through the forest and the edge of the magical boundary. The group flew as fast as they could. The pattern of the forest made it impossible to fly in a perfectly straight line, so Ginny had to keep the group going in a crossing pattern. Harry could tell Ginny was doing as he said as she continued to dodge trees by mere inches. He could feel small cuts on his arms and face as branches continually brushed across him. He could see how she was so good at both the Chaser and Seeker positions. She flew like she had nothing to lose. “Completely mental” is what anyone else watching her fly would say. Harry caught himself smiling even though he knew what was at stake. Up to that moment not a one of them had seen a Dementor. But, when Harry took a chance by taking a quick glance over his shoulder, it became horrifyingly apparent that the Dementors had seen them and were quickly trying to gain on them. Harry could see and feel the fog and cold closing in on them. It was at that point that Harry recalled an old Muggle saying. “A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link.” Today their weakest link was Hermione and her poor flying skills. Several times she had just barely managed to avoid colliding with the trees and each time she slowed down a fraction more. Harry inwardly made a promise to himself that if he survived what he was about to do, that he would do everything in his power to make Hermione a better flier. Harry performed a perfect stop turn, dismounted his broom and drew his wand. The wall of fog and cold covered him almost immediately. XXXXXXXXXX Ginny, Ron, and Hermione finally cleared the forest and reached the edge of the magical boundary. Ginny could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She had used the forest many times to improve her flying skills, but this was the first time she had to guide people through the forest in an attempt to save their lives. Hermione was the first to notice that they were short one person as she yelled, “Where’s Harry!?!” “I thought he was behind you!” yelled Ron. Hermione was practically in tears when she yelled, “He was…or at least I thought he was!” Ginny was about to speak when her connection to Harry grabbed her attention. She quickly turned her around and took off her backpack. “Ginny, where the hell do you think you’re going? Harry said to give anyone who got left behind one minute before Apparating to Diagon Alley!” yelled Ron. “Exactly! So once I go, give me a minute and if we aren’t back, you two Apparate out of here!” yelled Ginny over her shoulder as she disappeared into the forest. XXXXXXXXXX Harry found the cold that surrounded him incredibly eerie. It was as if he could feel the cold all the way into his very soul. He hadn’t felt this way since his first Quidditch loss back in his third year. He had yet to see a Dementor, but he knew it was only a matter of time until he did. He was just afraid that there might be more than he could handle. He gripped his wand tighter. Harry’s fear doubled as he saw his first set of tattered black material. He realized there were more than he could count. Harry had handled his fair share of Dementors the night he saved his godfather. But the amount of Dementors from that night paled in comparison to what was coming towards him. He was mentally preparing to cast his Patronus charm when he felt a warmness touch his heart that pushed all of the coldness and fear from his soul. A small warm hand took hold of his and he more than welcomed the contact. “You weren’t planning to do this without me, were you?” asked Ginny with a slight grin on her face and the hard determination in her eyes that Harry had grown to know so well. “Ginny, you shouldn’t be here. You need to go. I don’t know if I can handle all of these Dementors,” said Harry. “That’s good because you aren’t going to handle them alone. I’m not going anywhere Potter! Remember, we’re stronger together than apart,” replied Ginny. The Dementors were only thirty meters away. Harry interlaced his fingers with Ginny’s as he looked at her. “Remember you need a very happy memory to conjure a Patronus.” “A happy memory is easy, my husband. Or have you already forgotten? You‘re not still scared are you?” asked Ginny with a smile. Harry felt a smile come to his face as the memory she referred to popped into his mind. “With you by my side, never again.” Harry and Ginny raised their wands together, as the memory of the day the two of them had exchanged vows flooded their minds. “EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!” What erupted from their wands was no mere pair of Patronus, no mere pair of silvery animals. Harry had expected to see her animal along side his stag. What he witnessed was so much more. It was an enormous stampede of stags that had to outnumber the Dementors by a margin of at least two to one. Harry could feel his heart singing in his chest as he watched the Dementors being repelled and batted away. It was all over in less than a minute, the forest quickly returning from foggy and cold to warm and sunny again. Harry turned to Ginny and took her into his arms. He took in the scent of her hair just before holding her face in his hands and kissing her passionately. Ginny broke the kiss, “Your welcome, but we really need to get back to Ron and Hermione. They might have already Disapparated.” “Sounds good, besides it would be a good thing if we are all long gone from this area in case the Dementors return,” said Harry. Together they mounted their brooms and headed for the edge of the forest. XXXXXXXXXX “Maybe we should Apparate, Ron. It’s been over four minutes,” stated Hermione, her voice quivering. “You don’t want to leave them anymore than I do,” replied Ron. He was holding her in his arms. He could feel her shivering. Ron didn’t know what was making her shake more. The cold from the Dementors, her friends in danger, or having just flown through the forest at almost full speed. Ron caught himself laughing at that last thought. His sister’s flying ability could raise a good scare out of the most experienced fliers. He knew what he was thinking as they flew today. He could only imagine what was going through Hermione’s mind. “Hey, aren’t you two supposed to have Apparated to Diagon Alley by now!?!” yelled a smiling Harry as he and Ginny cleared the forest. A relieved looking Ron and Hermione said nothing as they grabbed up Harry and Ginny in a crushing set of hugs. XXXXXXXXXX An hour later found the elusive quartet at a table in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry hadn’t had a chance to eat and the group figured it would give them a chance to discuss their plans. Ginny sat quietly, a pensive look on her face. Ron sat across from her, stuffing his mouth. Was he always hungry? “What’s wrong?” Ron asked as he reached for his Butterbeer. Ginny ran her fingers through her already wind blown hair; “Mum and Dad are going to kill us when they see the house.” Ron almost spit up his Butterbeer when he started laughing, “Well, they’re going to have to wait on line. Behind, “You-know-who”, the Death Eaters, and those Dementors we just got away from. Besides, Dad had wanted to add a new wing to the house anyway. We just helped him get started.” Ginny’s face lit up as she began laughing as well, “Yeah, and we can always blame it all on Harry.” At that comment, Ron actually spit up his Butterbeer as both siblings laugh themselves silly. Harry was oblivious to the Weasleys’ conversation as it seemed he was bound and determined to finish eating everything listed on the Leaky Cauldron’s menu. After a week of not being able to eat, his appetite was back with a vengeance. He reached for another piece of bread when he noticed an extremely quiet Hermione absently staring at her bowl of soup. Her attention seemed to be elsewhere as she unconsciously swirled the contents of the bowl with her spoon. “You know you really should eat the pea soup, before it eats you,” Harry joked. She didn’t even crack a smile. “Hermione, is everything alright?” asked Harry. She merely nodded, “We have about an hour before the next train to Sheffield leaves. The directions on Dumbledore’s parchment seem to lead us to a small Muggle church in that area.” “Why don’t we just Apparate instead of taking the train? Wouldn’t it be much faster?” asked Harry. “It would be faster, but it wouldn’t be safer. I think it would be best if we remain a bit more public in case the Dementors are trying to track us. They’re attracted to magic, so for the time being we should try to keep our magical profiles down a bit.” “Well, if we only have an hour before the train leaves, I had better get over to Gringott’s to get some money. Who knows what unexpected expenses we’re going to run into,” replied Harry as he wiped his mouth and stood up. He relayed the plans to Ron and Ginny. He would have loved to have Ginny accompany him, but she seemed to pick up from him that something was wrong with Hermione. So Ginny decided to stay. Harry made another promise to himself to talk to Hermione about whatever was bothering her. XXXXXXXXXX The train ride and walk to the small church went uneventfully. It was just near dark when they arrived. A service seemed to have just finished as people were leaving the small building. Hermione verified that this was the location of the Portkey as they finally entered. “What exactly will this Portkey look like?” asked Ginny as they entered the now empty church. “I’m not exactly sure. Dumbledore’s parchment simply says to find an object not normally associated with a Muggle church,” replied Hermione. The group split off in different directions. But after about twenty or so minutes of searching, they had all come up empty. Harry’s frustration started to get the better of him. “How long ago did he place the Portkey here and could someone have moved it?” he thought to himself. A voice startled Harry from his thoughts, “Excuse me, but may I help you?” Harry turned to find himself staring into the face of what had to be the clergyman of the church. He stood just a bit taller than Harry. He had a slightly wrinkled face and the top of his head was bald with gray hair framing the sides and the back. But it was his eyes that struck Harry the most. They were soft and kindly but with an edge to them that said this man had seen his fair share of heartbreak. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had just caught up to Harry as the man repeated his question. Harry found that even though he had never met the person before. He could not bring himself to lie to him. The clergyman seemed to command respect and Harry would give it to him, regardless of the consequence. “The headmaster of our school, who was more a mentor to us than a headmaster, was recently murdered. A short time afterwards we were given these directions, which were written in his handwriting, showing us the location of an item of importance to him. The search has brought us here.” For a few seconds Harry found himself worrying that the clergyman would think them all mental and have them locked up in a Muggle prison. But he took a look at the four of them and said, “The four of you, follow me.” The clergyman led them to a small table which was up against a wall. On the table were several vases filled with beautiful flowers of all types. Hermione was the first to speak up, “Sir, the directions tell us we were to look for something “out of the ordinary” for a church. Flowers in a church are hardly ordinary.” “No they aren’t, but is this?” said the clergyman as he moved the vases. Hanging on the wall, covered by the flowers was a small Gryffindor house shield. It was painted in scarlet and gold with a lion engraved in it's center. “Albus came to me two years ago and asked if he could place that shield on this wall. He asked me to watch over it. He told me that one day a group of friends would come to claim it. Little did I realize that the group of friends would be led by, “The-Boy-Who-Lived”. Harry was shocked, “How do you know about Dumbledore and me?” The clergyman pulled something from his pocket. It was a pocket watch, in the center of the watch face was a symbol that was familiar to all four members of the traveling party. It was the coat of arms for Hogwarts. “My name is Father Ronald Kavanaugh, Gryffindor house, class of 1941 and member of the Order of the Phoenix. You’ll find that there are wizards and witches in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. I always felt my abilities were a gift from the Almighty, and what better way to give thanks than to serve him in the clergy.” Father Kavanaugh continued, “You must leave quickly. I have been sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore to tell no one, even members of the Order about whoever claimed this shield. But during my service tonight, I noticed several members of the congregation who had never been here before and I’m sure plenty of people leaving tonight saw you entering.” Harry handed him a small stack of galleons, “Thank you for everything you have done. This is for both Dumbledore and us.” “You’re welcome my son. Always remember that this house is always available to you and your companions as a sanctuary. Good luck in your future endeavors. Could you all please come forward and kneel?” The four of them were a little skeptical as to why Father Kavanaugh would ask them to do this, but they all complied. He placed his hand gently on Harry’s head and silently said a prayer. He made the sign of the Cross in front of them and then told them to get to their feet. It was at this moment another member of the clergy called Father Kavanaugh. He was only gone for about half a minute, when he came running back, a look of anxiety on his face. “You must take the Portkey, right now. Father O’Neil has just informed me that the weather outside has gone cold. As students of Defense Against the Dark Arts, I’m sure you know what that means.” “Dementors! How did they find us and who could have known we were coming here?” asked Ron. “We can figure out the answers to those questions later. Let’s get a hold of that Portkey and get out of here,” said Ginny. Hermione handed Father Kavanaugh two letters, “Could you see to it that our loved ones get these. We had to leave in a hurry and I’m sure they will be worried about us.” He took the letters, “Yes, my child, I will see to it personally. Now go and Godspeed.” Just then the front doors to the church flew open and a wall of fog and cold entered the church. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny pulled the wands almost at once. “No my children, you must go.” cried Father Kavanaugh. “But Father we can’t leave you. We can be of help!” yelled Harry over the cold wind. “Don’t worry. This house has more than enough defenses set up for those foul creatures.” The four of them walked over to the shield and grasped it. For a few horrifying seconds nothing happened. Then they all felt the familiar pull on their navels and away they went. XXXXXXXXXX Harry never did like traveling by Portkey. Well that wasn’t exactly the truth. He didn’t mind actually traveling so much; it was just the landings he always had a problem with. This landing was no exception. After a minute or two to get their bearings, the quartet found themselves facing a huge castle. Harry found himself shaking his head. Did the landing cause him to damage his sight? This place looked just like… “Hogwarts? It’s Hogwarts!” exclaimed Ginny. “It can’t be. Look at the surrounding area. These are definitely not the grounds surrounding Hogwarts,” said Hermione. Hermione pulled out the parchment and continued, “We are to gain access to the castle using a password that is engraved on the back of the Gryffindor shield.” Ron turned the small shield in his hands, “Ah, I found the engraving, but what exactly is a Gobstopper?” Harry smiled, “It’s a Muggle candy, Ron.” “I swear, that old man and his sweet tooth,” said Ron. After using the password and entering the castle. The directions guided them to what Hermione could only describe as a small ballroom. The castle may have looked like Hogwarts from the outside, but after only a few minutes, it became clear to all of them that the inside of the castle was of a different design. The ballroom they were searching for had beautiful wooden floors. But beyond that the room looked as if it hadn’t been used in quite a while. Drop clothes covered the furniture and several book cases. The only thing not covered was a wooden table, on which sat a small gong. Ron, Harry, and Ginny looked to Hermione for what to do next. “The last thing the parchment says is to tap the gong four times and then wait,” said Hermione. Ginny walked over to the table, picked up the small mallet and tapped the gong four times, as the rest of them set down their backpacks and brooms. “How long do you think we are going to have to wait?” asked Ron. Harry answered, “I don’t know, but the way our day has been going, I’m sure we won’t have long to wait.” It was as he finished his sentence that an all too familiar, unwelcome feeling passed over him. He couldn’t speak and he couldn’t move. He was pretty certain that the others couldn’t either. Feelings of fear and helplessness threatened to overwhelm him as the memory of Dumbledore’s murder flooded his mind. “It’s the Petrificus Totalus charm,” thought Harry to himself as he struggled in vain to move. Harry could sense Ginny’s fear as she could sense his. Together they managed to calm one another as a voice finally broke the silence. “If you’re wondering who did this to you, then wonder no more. I did this to you for you to see just how inexperienced the four of you actually are. This is to be the first of many lessons that I will be teaching you. Always be aware of your surroundings. If I was Voldemort or a Death Eater, you all would be dead by now,” said the voice as he came from behind them to finally expose himself. “Mad-Eye Moody!” thought Harry. Moody was followed closely by a person Harry and Ginny had just seen less than a day ago, Nymphadora Tonks. Harry felt Ginny’s fear climb again as he noticed that Tonks’ appearance was as Ginny had described her when she’d thought Tonks had gone evil. Her hair was again shoulder length and jet black. But the look in her eyes wasn’t evil, merely determined. Moody stepped up to Ginny, stooped over and placed his face mere inches from hers. Ginny could only watch as Moody’s magical eye looked directly into hers. “Miss Weasley, don’t worry about Tonks’ appearance. She has not gone evil as you are thinking. According to her, you have the makings of a great witch, but you can relax. This is merely the look she puts on when she trains future Aurors,” said Moody. Moody walked over to Hermione next, “Miss Granger, you’re still kicking yourself because you feel your poor flying skills could have been responsible for getting everyone else in your traveling party killed today. You’re right. You are maybe the most book smart witch of your age, but “all theory, no practice” will get you or the ones around you killed!” Moody was in Ron’s face next, “Mister Weasley, I notice you feel inferior in comparison to your present company. Still willing to play the court jester to cover up your feelings of being the weak link?” Moody saved Harry for last, “Mr. Potter, I can see the questions swirling around your mind. Why are you here? Why is Moody doing this? But what I see foremost in your mind is the same fear and helplessness that has been eating at you since Albus was murdered. You feel that if you had been stronger, you would have broken the spell he placed on you and possibly have saved his life. In case you’re wondering, yes, you were a major factor in his death. Your failure to act helped to get him killed!” Harry could feel tears of rage pooling in his eyes. He wanted to break the spell Moody had placed on him. He wanted to scream. He wanted to pull off Moody’s fake leg and beat him over the head with it. He wanted to rip the magical eye off of Moody’s face and shove it down his throat! Harry’s inner fury spread outward as the occupants of the room suddenly found themselves in the midst of a small earthquake. The entire castle seemed to be shaking. Ginny’s presence flooded his mind in an attempt to calm him down. Slowly the shaking stopped and the castle once again went silent. Moody continued to speak as if he didn’t feel a thing, “While I still have a captive audience, I will take the opportunity to answer the questions that I’m sure are in the forefront of your brains.” “Roughly two years ago, Albus came to Tonks and myself and gave us each a medallion with instructions to carry it at all times and to never let any other members of the Order know that we had them. He also explained to us that these medallions were special Portkeys and that one day we would be whisked away to train a small group of people against Voldemort and his forces.” “Little did I know that the group would be you four. But knowing what you lot have been involved in, I should have guessed that it would be you.” “But keep this in mind! You four are not as smart as you think you are! The only reason you haven’t found yourselves in Azkaban for underage wizardry is because the Order has been covering your tracks.” Moody leaned against the wooden table and continued speaking, “Well, you’re most likely wondering why he would choose me to train you. He chose me because for quite a few years I have trained some of the finest Aurors to ever come from the Ministry of Magic. Which includes, and I hate to admit it, Nymphadora Tonks.” Tonks, who was standing directly behind Moody, stuck her tongue out at him. If Moody saw her with his magical eye, he never let on as he spoke again, “Now this leads me to some bad news and good news.” “The bad news is that normal Auror training is set upon a specific timetable and that trainees are dropped from the program if they don’t meet standards. With you four, I don’t have the option of dropping you. But if you feel you can’t make it, you may quit at anytime.” Moody pulled a galleon from his pocket and placed it on the table. He pulled his wand and performed a spell on it, “Anytime you feel you don’t have what it takes, you can pick up this galleon. It is a Portkey that will carry you back to Diagon Alley.” “The good news is that unlike normal Auror training, I’m not hindered by the dictates of the Ministry. So I am free to teach you things the everyday witch, wizard, and even Auror don’t know.” “I will instruct you in a great many things in our time together. Primarily, I will teach you to strengthen your minds so as to avoid mind reading such as I performed tonight. When Tonks and I are done, you will be stronger than any Auror that stepped from the portals of the Ministry. On that you have my word.” “Remember, you are no longer at Hogwarts. Do not address me or Tonks as “professor”. During your training I am to be addressed as “Sir” and Tonks as “Ma’am”.” “By the way, in case you’re wondering, neither myself or Tonks has any idea where we are. This castle could be located in the United Kingdom or anywhere else on the planet for all we know. I believe that at this time it is good that none of us knows.” “Lastly, when I release you from the spell, you are to gather your belongings, clean up, and get to bed. We are starting early tomorrow and I promise you a long day!” “Finite Incantatem!” As soon as the spell was broken, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione silently gathered their belongings, and with Tonks leading the way, made their way out of the ballroom. Harry and Moody were still in the room. Moody noticed Harry standing in front of the table and staring directly at the Portkey Galleon that Moody had placed on it. “Something on your mind Potter?” asked Moody. Harry continued to stare at the Galleon as he asked, “Yes sir. I was wondering how long would it take for that Galleon to disintegrate into dust?” “I’m not exactly sure Potter. Since it’s made out of gold, I would have to assume a really long time, if ever. Why do you ask?” Harry pulled his vision from the Galleon and stared Moody in the eyes. There was a cold anger in his eyes as he spoke, “Because that’s how long it’s going to take to get any of us to ever touch that damn Galleon!” After which Harry picked up his things, turned and left the room. A small grin came to Moody’s face as he watched Harry leave. |
| Reviews 17 |
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