Chapter 8- An Unexpected Encounter
May. 4th, 2009 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coyotegothToday's chapter in my Harry Potter story takes place roughly a month after the events of Chapter 7; as always, Half-Blood Prince spoilers. (Please note also that this series is not Deathly Hallows compliant in the least.)
Chapter 8- An Unexpected Encounter
Pain stabbed through Harry's forehead as he stared into Shacklebolt's eyes; he fought to keep the mental picture of the orange buried deep within his mind...
The Auror leaned back in his chair, as Harry rubbed his forehead. "That's enough," Shacklebolt said.
"I can handle it," Harry said grimly. "Go again."
"In a minute," Shacklebolt said. "Your Occlumency skills are actually improving, over time," he added.
"No thanks to Snape," muttered Harry. "It helps that you're not trying to blast me out of my seat."
"Well, trauma will improve the mind's resistance to Legilimency, although the side effects are rarely pleasant. Speaking of Snape- did you know he was seen near here last night?"
"What...?" said Harry, as he lunged from his chair, knocking it over. "We have to..."
"An orange."
Harry's jaw clenched. "That wasn't fair," he said, picking up his chair.
"When Scrimgeour is extracting the Order's secrets from your mind, be sure to tell him that," Shacklebolt said. "Did you honestly expect me to say anything else?"
"No," Harry said angrily, as the chair's feet thumped to the floor. "Besides, it's been a month- no great trick to guess what I'm thinking about."
"We all are; Scrimgeour hasn't told any of us a blessed thing." Shacklebolt rubbed his eyes with his fingers for a moment. "I think we've had enough for today."
Harry shook his head, and sat back down. "Again."
*
Harry rubbed his forehead as he walked into the living room. Charlie Weasley was sitting on the sofa; he got to his feet as Harry entered. "That good, eh?" Charlie said.
"Better than Quidditch."
"Can't wait; I'll bet Fleur's sorry she's missing it." Charlie glanced out the window. "Well, looks like Ron's off for his Apparition practice- hope he comes back with both ears this time." He glanced at the doorway to Arthur's room, where Shacklebolt stood, waiting. "Well, cheers."
"Cheers." Harry started for the front door, then paused. "Heard anything from Remus?" he asked, keeping his voice casual.
Charlie winced slightly. "No, but you know what Dad says- Remus is off doing field work for the Order; lycanthrope's immunity to curses, and all that. He should be coming in today for the full moon, though; maybe I'll see him then."
Harry nodded, as Charlie set off down the hall; then, the front door opened, and Fred Weasley walked in. Fred stared at him silently for a moment.
“Just come home for breakfast?” Harry asked, an edge in his voice.
“Not at all- in fact, George and I are riding in with you lot today,” Fred replied. “Dad seems to think we might get into trouble if we went to the Ministry on our own.” He then took out a Ministry badge, and ostentatiously fastened it to the front of his robes. “There we go- all nice and proper,” Fred said. “Wouldn’t want to make you have to give a bad report to our Minister, now would we? After all, you’ve got that big to-do happening today...”
“Leave it,” Harry muttered. Fred opened his mouth to say something else, when there was a chiming noise from the fireplace. “Prepare for the Prophet- special edition,” a voice said. Fred snorted, walked over to the fireplace, and called, “Ready to receive.” There was a brief burst of green flame; a metal tube came spinning into view. It tumbled onto the rug; it bore a Ministry stamp, with the words Daily Prophet- Ministry Approved.
“There, now,” said Fred, dusting off stray ash. “Let’s see what the Chosen One has to say about his favorite Minister today, shall we?” He looked over at Harry. “Oh- has anyone happened to see Luna’s father since the Quibbler mysteriously shut down...?”
“How’s the business going, by the way?” Harry snapped. “Still selling Shield Hats and Security Charms to the Ministry?”
“Sure are- by the bushelful,” replied Fred, as he tossed the tube onto the sofa, and took a step toward Harry. “Doing a treat with pocket Sneak-O-Scopes as well; I’d give you one, but I’m afraid it’d be going off around the clock. Oh- and remember those telescopes that give black eyes? Well, now we just...” He stopped, and seemed to slump. “Hello, Mum.”
“You two weren’t fighting, were you?” Molly asked anxiously, as she walked into the room. “I know we’re all worried about Bill, but...”
“We weren’t, Mum,” Fred said quietly. “In fact,” he said, throwing an arm around Harry’s shoulder, “I was about to invite Harry here to come see what we’ve done with the room.”
“You haven’t heard from Percy, have you- either of you?” Molly asked. “I keep wanting to owl him, but Arthur says the Ministry doesn’t allows owls anymore- something about security...”
Fred had scowled briefly at her question; his tone was soothing again as he answered, “No, Mum- Percy’s been busy at the Ministry, keeping England safe and sound. Right, Harry?”
“Right,” said Harry, throwing him a glance as he disentangled himself from Fred’s arm, and walked over to Molly. “We’re having a big event at the Ministry today, though- I’ll keep an eye out for him,” he said to Molly.
Molly nodded. “I keep asking Arthur about it, but their paths never seem to cross...”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Harry said, looking over at Fred. “We both will.”
“Right,” Fred said, forcing a smile; just then, Arthur walked into the room.
“We’re leaving soon,” Arthur said to Fred, as he put an arm around Molly, who hugged him tightly. “Have you seen your brother?”
“Not a sign,” Fred said, an edge to his voice.
“Charlie’s practicing Occlumency, and Ron’s working on his Apparition,” Harry said quickly, as Arthur shot Fred a look over Molly's head.
“Right- and George was just talking to Mad-Eye; I think he’s in our room now,” Fred added. “My mistake; I misunderstood the question.” He paused, and glanced at Harry, as Arthur seemed about to say something. “Let’s go and get him. Give you a chance to see what we’ve done with the place.”
*
The door to the twins' room was covered with one of the Ministry's posters, riddled with what looked suspiciously like dartboard holes. Fred was casting a charm to unlock the door; Harry watched with halfhearted attention as
rolled across the poster's face. This was the one where the two children came running up to him, pointing to something out of frame; he scratched at the bridge of his nose as his poster image drew his wand, and the actor playing Scrimgeour Apparated into view, dramatically drawing his own. The two of them promptly set to work, casting spells that set a group of lurking Death Eaters who had just cast the Dark Mark to flight. They stunned the last Death Eater into unconsciousness; then, the Scrimgeour in the poster- who, Harry saw, had a dartboard hole in his forehead at the moment- gave orders to a team of Aurors, as the image of Harry pointed his wand at the Dark Mark, and dispelled it. The two images then turned to face the poster's front, and smiled confidently as the image moved closer until their faces filled the frame; Harry sighed as Fred tapped the door in a quick pattern with his wand.
"Like the decor?" Fred asked, as he opened the door.
"Yeah, brilliant," Harry muttered. The twins' joke shop supply boxes were gone now, as the two of them walked over to the far wall. "It's right there," Fred said, pointing at the wall. Harry concentrated, and a door squeezed into view.
"I thought students needed special permission to learn Fidelius?" he asked.
"Practice in the field," Fred said, opening the door. George was sitting at a desk; he looked up, tensing as he saw Harry there. There was a mirror lying on the face of the desk that George was sitting at; he quickly waved his wand over it, and stowed it under the desk.
"Why, hello, Harry- how's that Ministry cure for Bill coming along?" George said.
"Leave it," Fred snapped. The two stared at each other for a moment, sharing an uninterpretable moment of what Hermione called "twinspeak"; then, George sighed.
"Bloody useful, Expansion spells," Harry finally said. "Do you have other Fideliused rooms inside of this one?"
"Trade secret, I'm afraid," said George, getting to his feet. "You know how it is- constant vigilance, and all that."
As Harry was leaving the room, he heard Fred mutter something; George replied, "What's she on about- I got rid of the Potter Stinks badge, didn't I...?"
*
Ginny, Arthur, Hermione, and Charlie were all waiting in the living room when Harry walked in. They were listening to Melchior Savage, the latest Ministry Auror to have guard duty for the house, lecture them on Security Spells; Ginny caught Harry's gaze, and rolled her eyes.
"Now, I know this seems straightforward enough, but if you notice any flickering when you've cast it, be careful; a Death Eater could have..."
"Err, Harry," Arthur interjected, "go and tell Alastor we're leaving, would you?"
Harry nodded; after stepping aside to let the twins enter the room, he walked down to Arthur's room at the end of the hall.
"Yeah- right there, Harry; I'm just changing," Moody called through the closed door.
"All right," said Harry, opening the door and sticking his head in for a moment. "Also, I was wondering if..."
He broke off; Moody was in the act of pulling on a fresh tunic. His skin was a welter of scars; Harry couldn't help staring at a row of circular weals that wound around Moody's torso.
"That looks like it's from a tentacle," Harry finally said.
"It is," said Moody, pulling his tunic on.
"Oh," Harry murmured, at a loss for what to say. He pulled the door closed, then walked back down the hall; Savage had just finished his lecture, to everyone's visible relief. "Umm... Moody says he'll be right along," Harry said to Arthur. Arthur nodded, as Harry turned to meet Hermione’s gaze. The two of them stepped into the kitchen.
“Anything so far?” Harry asked quietly.
“So far, I haven’t been able to find much,” Hermione said. “I’ve been drawing up a list of likely Death Eater candidates based on the school folders, and the Ministry is checking those out...”
“...only to find out that, oddly enough, most of them have vanished,” Harry muttered.
“Basically, yes. I haven’t been able to get a look into any of the Confidential files- I keep being told that I need to become an Apprentice Auror in order to do that, and...”
“Yeah- and then they know where you are every minute.” He thought for a moment. “Any news on Snape?”
“Well, I’ve been going through old Alchemist articles of his on things like boomslang venom and pixie dust. There's not much there; I did find out something about his home from his school folder, though.”
“What?” asked Harry.
“It’s a place called Spinner’s End- it’s in Halifax, in Yorkshire. It seems Peter Pettigrew was staying there with him.”
“...and now they’ve both vanished as well,” muttered Harry. “Along with his Pensieve, probably.”
“It looks that way. There’s something else, too...”
“Oh?”
“Well, I’ve been doing research into Bill’s condition, to see if it would be possible to help him- some variant of the Wolfsbane potion, or some such. It turns out that the Wolfsbane potion is toxic to normal wizards, but also... well, the last few days, whenever I ask at the Ministry for anything about werewolves, or Bill- well, I get encouraged not to ask further questions. It’s pretty scary there, to be honest.”
“I know.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Do you think there’s a connection- Bill, and the werewolves? Other than Greyback, I mean?”
“I don’t know, Harry. Tonks gave me a message from McGonagall, though- apparently, the Ministry’s confiscating all manner of books from the Restricted section of the Hogwarts library, especially anything to do with werewolves... or Grindelwald.”
“Grindelwald?” asked Harry, frowning in puzzlement. “Did he have anything to do with werewolves?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know, Harry- and from what Tonks says, most of the pages are missing from his Confidential file, too; there’s no mention of any fortress, or what he was doing in the war. Moody mentioned something called the Walpurgis-Ritter- it means Knights of Walpurgis; they sound like German Death Eaters- and something else, called the Society of the Sun, but I haven't been able to find anything more on them, either. Oh, and Ron had a good idea: he said that we ought to ask Slughorn about this. He's got to be at least a hundred; he may well have known Grindelwald, through Wizarding conferences or something- or even from Hogwarts."
Harry nodded. "Did Tonks have any news on Slughorn?"
"Only that he's more or less in hiding in the dungeons at Hogwarts," she said. "He's been working on researches for the Order- although we haven't told him any of the latest theories, of course."
"Right," Harry said. "He does know about Horcruxes, though; that's how Tom Riddle..."
He broke off, as Charlie entered the kitchen, and Savage moved so that he could keep the three of them within sight. “Sorry,” Charlie said. “Just wanted to clean up a bit.”
“That’s all right,” Harry said automatically, as he and Hermione left the kitchen. Deep in thought, he walked out the front door; Ron came running up to him.
“Oi, Harry!” Ron called happily. “It was brilliant- I still have both ears, and my eyebrows!”
“Brilliant,” said Harry, putting on a smile.
“Yeah, little brother,” said Fred, patting Ron on the back. “You’ll be up for the Order of Merlin in no time.”
“Is everyone almost ready?” asked Harry, as Ron started back to the house; he now had a note reading Student Apparitionist fastened to his back, Harry saw.
“They’ll be out in a moment,” Fred said. “Dad and Ginny are discussing something.”
“Oh...?” Harry asked. Just then, the front door opened; Arthur, Moody, George, Hermione, Charlie, and Ginny all walked out. “...appreciate this, Arthur,” Moody was saying. “It takes so long to undo the security wards on my flat, it’s hardly worth...”
“That’s all right,” Arthur said distractedly; he was speaking to Molly in low tones. She nodded, and embraced him tightly, before stepping back into the house. Harry noticed that Ginny was carrying some sort of form; she tucked it away into her robes when she saw him looking.
“Well, seems all right here,” Moody said. “I’ll be on my way.” He stepped out past the hedge, and Disapparated.
“Are we going?” Ron asked.
“In a moment,” Arthur said. “Shacklebolt is just speaking to George and Jane.” He turned to Hermione.
“Your parents are dealing with all this quite well, I must say,” he said to her. Hermione forced a smile, as Arthur turned to Ginny, and started to say something.
“I know,” she said. “I will.” Shacklebolt stepped outside, and cleared his throat in the sudden silence.
“I think it’s time we were on our way,” he said to Arthur. “Savage can handle things here for the moment.”
Arthur nodded, not taking his gaze from Ginny. Shacklebolt stepped outside the Hedge and Disapparated; in a moment he was back, driving a dusty black luxury car.
“I miss the Ford,” George muttered as they all climbed in. “That car had character, it did.”
Ron shook his head, as he glanced around the interior of the car. “I never really understood you and Muggles,” he said to Arthur. “If you want to see how they treat wizards, just ask Nick.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Arthur said quietly, as the car started down the road; Harry felt a brief pang, remembering their late-night conversation. Then, Kingsley pushed a button on the dashboard; there was a wrenching sensation, and they were away.
*
“Well, all right,” said Arthur, as they pulled up to the alleyway that concealed the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. “I have to meet with a supervisor; I’ll see you all inside.” Arthur paused, and looked down the alleyway toward the Ministry's now-Unplottable phone booth.
“Are you all right?” Harry asked.
“Yes, I was just... well, just taking a moment,” Arthur said.
“I know the feeling,” Harry said quietly.
“I know you do.” Arthur met Harry's gaze for a moment, then walked off down the alleyway.
Fred turned to Ginny. “Right- let’s get you taken care of.”
“Where are you off to?” Harry asked her.
“I’ve been asked to volunteer at St. Mungo’s,” she said. “Most of the kids from my year have; they're desperate for help.”
“Are you going to?”
“It’s already done,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Dad signed the paperwork just before we left. It may not be chasing down Dark wizards or destroying You-Know-Whats, but... I want to. I need to. I can’t just sit around the house, waiting for who knows what to happen.”
Harry paused, taking this in. “Well,” he finally said, “just...”
“If you tell me to be careful, I’ll give you the Bat-Bogey Hex of your life,” she said, mock-fiercely. Then, she looked at him, smiled, and kissed him quickly. “You be careful, Mister Dementor bait.”
“Yeah- don’t get a powder puff in the eye when they’re doing your makeup,” added George with a smirk; Ginny giggled, and stuck her tongue out at Harry.
”His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad
she began to sing, eyes glinting as the twins joined in,
”His hair is as dark as a blackboard
Fred sang loudly, tousling his hair as Ron and Hermione joined in as well,
”I wish he was mine, he’s really divine,
the hero who conquered the Dark Lord!”
“Bastards, the lot of you,” muttered Harry, blushing fiercely. Charlie chuckled and shook his head, as Hermione and Ginny both kissed Harry on the cheek, George pretended to follow suit, and Fred followed them out to the street. “Tatty-byes, Ickle Harrykins,” said Fred, waving.
Harry frowned as they walked away; he then concentrated, until the phone box squeezed into view. For a moment, he found himself thinking of his discussion with Remus; then, he, Ron, and Charlie fitted themselves into the phone box.
*
A Ministry worker wearing scarlet robes was waiting for them as the phone box descended into the Atrium. Harry remembered his name as Williamson; he had formerly had a long ponytail, which was cut short now.
“Excuse me,” Ron said hesitantly, “do you know where I’m...”
“Not my department. Sit there; someone will deal with you presently. Now, Harry...”
“Excuse me, Harry,” came another voice, “I’m from the Daily Prophet; Minister Scrimgeour wanted you to give us a few quotes. Do you mind?”
“See you, Harry,” said Charlie quietly, as he walked down the hallway. Ron watched the reporter’s quill dance across the parchment for a moment, then looked at the floor.
“Err...” Harry said, glancing over at Ron, “I haven’t really been...”
“Oh, that’s fine,” interjected the reporter. delighted and honored to be able to take part in such an important ceremony Harry glimpsed the pen writing. Minister Scrimgeour has been doing a brilliant job, and I’m certain he’ll
Harry nodded, and answered the questions automatically, as Williamson led them down the hall. Harry noticed that the remnants of the fountain had been removed; a huge Ministry seal had been embedded in the floor in its place. “I think that’s enough for now,” Williamson finally said to the reporter. “Do you have your badge, Harry?”
“Sure,” Harry said, unconsciously straightening it as they went through security. He took a quick glance over his shoulder; Ron still sat on the straight-backed chair, looking down at the floor. Harry frowned, as they took the elevator to level two, and finally walked through a pair of heavy oak doors that closed behind them. They paused in the same open area Harry remembered from when he had been awaiting his hearing; he saw that the sign reading AUROR HEADQUARTERS had been replaced with a metal plaque, fastened to the wall. A large portrait of Scrimgeour hung over the room, intently watching everything that went on; whereas the room had been buzzing with talk and laughter last time, all was silent now, save for the occasional footstep or low-pitched, brief discussion.
“We’ll be waiting here for a moment,” said Williamson. “They’re still preparing things- Minister Scrimgeour is extremely busy these days. You-Know-Who isn’t going to catch us napping again.” Harry nodded, and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, missing the zooming paper airplane memos from his last visit. Suddenly, to his surprise, Abador Brin turned the corner.
“I’ll handle this,” Brin said to Williamson, showing his badge; Williamson nodded, and walked away. Abador casually positioned himself so that he was standing between Harry and the portrait of Scrimgeour, blocking its view of Harry. Brin indicated his face; Harry nodded, and used his Occlumency training to subdue his emotions.
Any news? Brin mouthed at him.
Not much, Harry mouthed in return. Hermione says that there’s something going on here, about Grindelwald and werewolves...
Abador paused for a moment, keeping his face blank. Yeah, he replied, probably best if we talk about that later.
Harry nodded. Any luck with Salazar Slytherin? he mouthed.
Abador shook his head. Looks like Ron was right- there’s no sign of his body in the memorial; not even our best Detection Charms are turning up a trace he mouthed. I was going to ask Minerva, but- well, she has her hands full with You-Know-Who at the moment he added, indicating the portrait of Scrimgeour with a tiny jerk of his head. Also, Brin added, I think there’s been a new development- something with Snape. It seems that...
He broke off, as footsteps came down the hallway. See you later, Brin mouthed. Stay sharp. A moment later, Scrimgeour himself walked up to them, with an aide in tow; he nodded curtly at Brin and the aide, both of whom turned and walked away. Then, Scrimgeour turned to face Harry, who had carefully re-suppressed his emotions. “I hope you’re ready,” Scrimgeour said. “This is a very important function you’ll be attending.”
“What’s this about, anyway?” Harry asked.
Scrimgeour’s lips pressed together for a moment. He took out his wand, and cast a Muffliato spell. “How much do you know about how the Ministry is funded?” Scrimgeour asked.
“Taxes, isn’t it?” asked Harry, puzzled.
“Essentially, yes,” Scrimgeour replied, “along with discretionary gifts from certain wizarding families, and... the point is, the Ministry only has so many Galleons in the treasury at any one time; with the current situation...”
“You’re overspent?”
Scrimgeour nodded grimly. “I don’t need to tell you that that will not be making the front page of the Prophet,” he said. “That said, war is expensive, as is keeping the Ministry going 'round the clock, and despite our best efforts, we’re operating at a deficit right now.”
“So, what do you need from me?” Harry asked. “My parents weren’t that rich...”
Scrimgeour shook his head. “Ordinarily, we’d cover a situation like this by... soliciting... donations from the Malfoys or one of the other wealthy wizarding families...”
“...only you can’t, because most of them are Death Eaters,” said Harry bluntly.
“...or in hiding, or dead,” said Scrimgeour with a nod. "As we're in need of funds- and field troops- we're going to be making a presentation to the members of the International Confederation of Wizards, which will include a speech by you."
“And is this where you appeal to me to do my patriotic duty?” Harry said. “’Duty to be used by the Ministry,’ and all that?”
“No,” snapped Scrimgeour, “this is where I remind you that most of the Weasleys work for the Ministry now, and if we run out of money, so do they. Further, this is where I remind you that Hogwarts’ annual budget is allocated by the Ministry; further, this is where I remind you that while the Order have been doing surprisingly well against Voldemort’s forces so far, they haven’t the resources that Voldemort and his Death Eaters do, nor could they mount an international campaign- to investigate Grindelwald, for instance."
Harry struggled to control his surprise; he could feel Scrimgeour’s gaze upon him. “Grindelwald,” he finally said, keeping his voice casual. “Isn’t he that German Dark wizard on the chocolate frog cards? The one Dumbledore did for?”
“Killed, to be more precise- with the Avada Kedavra, as it happens.” Scrimgeour stared at him for a long moment; Harry could feel an odd, tickling sensation in his mind. He groped for an image to focus on, and found himself thinking of Dumbledore, plummeting from the tower. Scrimgeour’s lips pressed together. “What do you know of Aberforth Dumbledore?” Scrimgeour asked abruptly.
Harry frowned in puzzlement, before focusing on his defenses again. “Isn’t he Dumbledore’s brother?” he asked. “The one who charmed a goat, or something?”
"Is that all you know about him?" Scrimgeour asked intently.
""Yes- why?"
There was a pause, as they stared at each other; Harry could still feel that tickling sensation inside his skull. Rather than look away, he focused on the image of the Prophet article that had featured Scrimgeour’s quarrel with Dumbledore, visualizing it as intently as he could. Scrimgeour scowled. “Let’s go,” he finally said. “It’s time for a quick briefing, before you meet your public.”
Chapter 8- An Unexpected Encounter
Pain stabbed through Harry's forehead as he stared into Shacklebolt's eyes; he fought to keep the mental picture of the orange buried deep within his mind...
The Auror leaned back in his chair, as Harry rubbed his forehead. "That's enough," Shacklebolt said.
"I can handle it," Harry said grimly. "Go again."
"In a minute," Shacklebolt said. "Your Occlumency skills are actually improving, over time," he added.
"No thanks to Snape," muttered Harry. "It helps that you're not trying to blast me out of my seat."
"Well, trauma will improve the mind's resistance to Legilimency, although the side effects are rarely pleasant. Speaking of Snape- did you know he was seen near here last night?"
"What...?" said Harry, as he lunged from his chair, knocking it over. "We have to..."
"An orange."
Harry's jaw clenched. "That wasn't fair," he said, picking up his chair.
"When Scrimgeour is extracting the Order's secrets from your mind, be sure to tell him that," Shacklebolt said. "Did you honestly expect me to say anything else?"
"No," Harry said angrily, as the chair's feet thumped to the floor. "Besides, it's been a month- no great trick to guess what I'm thinking about."
"We all are; Scrimgeour hasn't told any of us a blessed thing." Shacklebolt rubbed his eyes with his fingers for a moment. "I think we've had enough for today."
Harry shook his head, and sat back down. "Again."
Harry rubbed his forehead as he walked into the living room. Charlie Weasley was sitting on the sofa; he got to his feet as Harry entered. "That good, eh?" Charlie said.
"Better than Quidditch."
"Can't wait; I'll bet Fleur's sorry she's missing it." Charlie glanced out the window. "Well, looks like Ron's off for his Apparition practice- hope he comes back with both ears this time." He glanced at the doorway to Arthur's room, where Shacklebolt stood, waiting. "Well, cheers."
"Cheers." Harry started for the front door, then paused. "Heard anything from Remus?" he asked, keeping his voice casual.
Charlie winced slightly. "No, but you know what Dad says- Remus is off doing field work for the Order; lycanthrope's immunity to curses, and all that. He should be coming in today for the full moon, though; maybe I'll see him then."
Harry nodded, as Charlie set off down the hall; then, the front door opened, and Fred Weasley walked in. Fred stared at him silently for a moment.
“Just come home for breakfast?” Harry asked, an edge in his voice.
“Not at all- in fact, George and I are riding in with you lot today,” Fred replied. “Dad seems to think we might get into trouble if we went to the Ministry on our own.” He then took out a Ministry badge, and ostentatiously fastened it to the front of his robes. “There we go- all nice and proper,” Fred said. “Wouldn’t want to make you have to give a bad report to our Minister, now would we? After all, you’ve got that big to-do happening today...”
“Leave it,” Harry muttered. Fred opened his mouth to say something else, when there was a chiming noise from the fireplace. “Prepare for the Prophet- special edition,” a voice said. Fred snorted, walked over to the fireplace, and called, “Ready to receive.” There was a brief burst of green flame; a metal tube came spinning into view. It tumbled onto the rug; it bore a Ministry stamp, with the words Daily Prophet- Ministry Approved.
“There, now,” said Fred, dusting off stray ash. “Let’s see what the Chosen One has to say about his favorite Minister today, shall we?” He looked over at Harry. “Oh- has anyone happened to see Luna’s father since the Quibbler mysteriously shut down...?”
“How’s the business going, by the way?” Harry snapped. “Still selling Shield Hats and Security Charms to the Ministry?”
“Sure are- by the bushelful,” replied Fred, as he tossed the tube onto the sofa, and took a step toward Harry. “Doing a treat with pocket Sneak-O-Scopes as well; I’d give you one, but I’m afraid it’d be going off around the clock. Oh- and remember those telescopes that give black eyes? Well, now we just...” He stopped, and seemed to slump. “Hello, Mum.”
“You two weren’t fighting, were you?” Molly asked anxiously, as she walked into the room. “I know we’re all worried about Bill, but...”
“We weren’t, Mum,” Fred said quietly. “In fact,” he said, throwing an arm around Harry’s shoulder, “I was about to invite Harry here to come see what we’ve done with the room.”
“You haven’t heard from Percy, have you- either of you?” Molly asked. “I keep wanting to owl him, but Arthur says the Ministry doesn’t allows owls anymore- something about security...”
Fred had scowled briefly at her question; his tone was soothing again as he answered, “No, Mum- Percy’s been busy at the Ministry, keeping England safe and sound. Right, Harry?”
“Right,” said Harry, throwing him a glance as he disentangled himself from Fred’s arm, and walked over to Molly. “We’re having a big event at the Ministry today, though- I’ll keep an eye out for him,” he said to Molly.
Molly nodded. “I keep asking Arthur about it, but their paths never seem to cross...”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Harry said, looking over at Fred. “We both will.”
“Right,” Fred said, forcing a smile; just then, Arthur walked into the room.
“We’re leaving soon,” Arthur said to Fred, as he put an arm around Molly, who hugged him tightly. “Have you seen your brother?”
“Not a sign,” Fred said, an edge to his voice.
“Charlie’s practicing Occlumency, and Ron’s working on his Apparition,” Harry said quickly, as Arthur shot Fred a look over Molly's head.
“Right- and George was just talking to Mad-Eye; I think he’s in our room now,” Fred added. “My mistake; I misunderstood the question.” He paused, and glanced at Harry, as Arthur seemed about to say something. “Let’s go and get him. Give you a chance to see what we’ve done with the place.”
The door to the twins' room was covered with one of the Ministry's posters, riddled with what looked suspiciously like dartboard holes. Fred was casting a charm to unlock the door; Harry watched with halfhearted attention as
rolled across the poster's face. This was the one where the two children came running up to him, pointing to something out of frame; he scratched at the bridge of his nose as his poster image drew his wand, and the actor playing Scrimgeour Apparated into view, dramatically drawing his own. The two of them promptly set to work, casting spells that set a group of lurking Death Eaters who had just cast the Dark Mark to flight. They stunned the last Death Eater into unconsciousness; then, the Scrimgeour in the poster- who, Harry saw, had a dartboard hole in his forehead at the moment- gave orders to a team of Aurors, as the image of Harry pointed his wand at the Dark Mark, and dispelled it. The two images then turned to face the poster's front, and smiled confidently as the image moved closer until their faces filled the frame; Harry sighed as Fred tapped the door in a quick pattern with his wand.
"Like the decor?" Fred asked, as he opened the door.
"Yeah, brilliant," Harry muttered. The twins' joke shop supply boxes were gone now, as the two of them walked over to the far wall. "It's right there," Fred said, pointing at the wall. Harry concentrated, and a door squeezed into view.
"I thought students needed special permission to learn Fidelius?" he asked.
"Practice in the field," Fred said, opening the door. George was sitting at a desk; he looked up, tensing as he saw Harry there. There was a mirror lying on the face of the desk that George was sitting at; he quickly waved his wand over it, and stowed it under the desk.
"Why, hello, Harry- how's that Ministry cure for Bill coming along?" George said.
"Leave it," Fred snapped. The two stared at each other for a moment, sharing an uninterpretable moment of what Hermione called "twinspeak"; then, George sighed.
"Bloody useful, Expansion spells," Harry finally said. "Do you have other Fideliused rooms inside of this one?"
"Trade secret, I'm afraid," said George, getting to his feet. "You know how it is- constant vigilance, and all that."
As Harry was leaving the room, he heard Fred mutter something; George replied, "What's she on about- I got rid of the Potter Stinks badge, didn't I...?"
Ginny, Arthur, Hermione, and Charlie were all waiting in the living room when Harry walked in. They were listening to Melchior Savage, the latest Ministry Auror to have guard duty for the house, lecture them on Security Spells; Ginny caught Harry's gaze, and rolled her eyes.
"Now, I know this seems straightforward enough, but if you notice any flickering when you've cast it, be careful; a Death Eater could have..."
"Err, Harry," Arthur interjected, "go and tell Alastor we're leaving, would you?"
Harry nodded; after stepping aside to let the twins enter the room, he walked down to Arthur's room at the end of the hall.
"Yeah- right there, Harry; I'm just changing," Moody called through the closed door.
"All right," said Harry, opening the door and sticking his head in for a moment. "Also, I was wondering if..."
He broke off; Moody was in the act of pulling on a fresh tunic. His skin was a welter of scars; Harry couldn't help staring at a row of circular weals that wound around Moody's torso.
"That looks like it's from a tentacle," Harry finally said.
"It is," said Moody, pulling his tunic on.
"Oh," Harry murmured, at a loss for what to say. He pulled the door closed, then walked back down the hall; Savage had just finished his lecture, to everyone's visible relief. "Umm... Moody says he'll be right along," Harry said to Arthur. Arthur nodded, as Harry turned to meet Hermione’s gaze. The two of them stepped into the kitchen.
“Anything so far?” Harry asked quietly.
“So far, I haven’t been able to find much,” Hermione said. “I’ve been drawing up a list of likely Death Eater candidates based on the school folders, and the Ministry is checking those out...”
“...only to find out that, oddly enough, most of them have vanished,” Harry muttered.
“Basically, yes. I haven’t been able to get a look into any of the Confidential files- I keep being told that I need to become an Apprentice Auror in order to do that, and...”
“Yeah- and then they know where you are every minute.” He thought for a moment. “Any news on Snape?”
“Well, I’ve been going through old Alchemist articles of his on things like boomslang venom and pixie dust. There's not much there; I did find out something about his home from his school folder, though.”
“What?” asked Harry.
“It’s a place called Spinner’s End- it’s in Halifax, in Yorkshire. It seems Peter Pettigrew was staying there with him.”
“...and now they’ve both vanished as well,” muttered Harry. “Along with his Pensieve, probably.”
“It looks that way. There’s something else, too...”
“Oh?”
“Well, I’ve been doing research into Bill’s condition, to see if it would be possible to help him- some variant of the Wolfsbane potion, or some such. It turns out that the Wolfsbane potion is toxic to normal wizards, but also... well, the last few days, whenever I ask at the Ministry for anything about werewolves, or Bill- well, I get encouraged not to ask further questions. It’s pretty scary there, to be honest.”
“I know.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Do you think there’s a connection- Bill, and the werewolves? Other than Greyback, I mean?”
“I don’t know, Harry. Tonks gave me a message from McGonagall, though- apparently, the Ministry’s confiscating all manner of books from the Restricted section of the Hogwarts library, especially anything to do with werewolves... or Grindelwald.”
“Grindelwald?” asked Harry, frowning in puzzlement. “Did he have anything to do with werewolves?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know, Harry- and from what Tonks says, most of the pages are missing from his Confidential file, too; there’s no mention of any fortress, or what he was doing in the war. Moody mentioned something called the Walpurgis-Ritter- it means Knights of Walpurgis; they sound like German Death Eaters- and something else, called the Society of the Sun, but I haven't been able to find anything more on them, either. Oh, and Ron had a good idea: he said that we ought to ask Slughorn about this. He's got to be at least a hundred; he may well have known Grindelwald, through Wizarding conferences or something- or even from Hogwarts."
Harry nodded. "Did Tonks have any news on Slughorn?"
"Only that he's more or less in hiding in the dungeons at Hogwarts," she said. "He's been working on researches for the Order- although we haven't told him any of the latest theories, of course."
"Right," Harry said. "He does know about Horcruxes, though; that's how Tom Riddle..."
He broke off, as Charlie entered the kitchen, and Savage moved so that he could keep the three of them within sight. “Sorry,” Charlie said. “Just wanted to clean up a bit.”
“That’s all right,” Harry said automatically, as he and Hermione left the kitchen. Deep in thought, he walked out the front door; Ron came running up to him.
“Oi, Harry!” Ron called happily. “It was brilliant- I still have both ears, and my eyebrows!”
“Brilliant,” said Harry, putting on a smile.
“Yeah, little brother,” said Fred, patting Ron on the back. “You’ll be up for the Order of Merlin in no time.”
“Is everyone almost ready?” asked Harry, as Ron started back to the house; he now had a note reading Student Apparitionist fastened to his back, Harry saw.
“They’ll be out in a moment,” Fred said. “Dad and Ginny are discussing something.”
“Oh...?” Harry asked. Just then, the front door opened; Arthur, Moody, George, Hermione, Charlie, and Ginny all walked out. “...appreciate this, Arthur,” Moody was saying. “It takes so long to undo the security wards on my flat, it’s hardly worth...”
“That’s all right,” Arthur said distractedly; he was speaking to Molly in low tones. She nodded, and embraced him tightly, before stepping back into the house. Harry noticed that Ginny was carrying some sort of form; she tucked it away into her robes when she saw him looking.
“Well, seems all right here,” Moody said. “I’ll be on my way.” He stepped out past the hedge, and Disapparated.
“Are we going?” Ron asked.
“In a moment,” Arthur said. “Shacklebolt is just speaking to George and Jane.” He turned to Hermione.
“Your parents are dealing with all this quite well, I must say,” he said to her. Hermione forced a smile, as Arthur turned to Ginny, and started to say something.
“I know,” she said. “I will.” Shacklebolt stepped outside, and cleared his throat in the sudden silence.
“I think it’s time we were on our way,” he said to Arthur. “Savage can handle things here for the moment.”
Arthur nodded, not taking his gaze from Ginny. Shacklebolt stepped outside the Hedge and Disapparated; in a moment he was back, driving a dusty black luxury car.
“I miss the Ford,” George muttered as they all climbed in. “That car had character, it did.”
Ron shook his head, as he glanced around the interior of the car. “I never really understood you and Muggles,” he said to Arthur. “If you want to see how they treat wizards, just ask Nick.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Arthur said quietly, as the car started down the road; Harry felt a brief pang, remembering their late-night conversation. Then, Kingsley pushed a button on the dashboard; there was a wrenching sensation, and they were away.
“Well, all right,” said Arthur, as they pulled up to the alleyway that concealed the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. “I have to meet with a supervisor; I’ll see you all inside.” Arthur paused, and looked down the alleyway toward the Ministry's now-Unplottable phone booth.
“Are you all right?” Harry asked.
“Yes, I was just... well, just taking a moment,” Arthur said.
“I know the feeling,” Harry said quietly.
“I know you do.” Arthur met Harry's gaze for a moment, then walked off down the alleyway.
Fred turned to Ginny. “Right- let’s get you taken care of.”
“Where are you off to?” Harry asked her.
“I’ve been asked to volunteer at St. Mungo’s,” she said. “Most of the kids from my year have; they're desperate for help.”
“Are you going to?”
“It’s already done,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Dad signed the paperwork just before we left. It may not be chasing down Dark wizards or destroying You-Know-Whats, but... I want to. I need to. I can’t just sit around the house, waiting for who knows what to happen.”
Harry paused, taking this in. “Well,” he finally said, “just...”
“If you tell me to be careful, I’ll give you the Bat-Bogey Hex of your life,” she said, mock-fiercely. Then, she looked at him, smiled, and kissed him quickly. “You be careful, Mister Dementor bait.”
“Yeah- don’t get a powder puff in the eye when they’re doing your makeup,” added George with a smirk; Ginny giggled, and stuck her tongue out at Harry.
she began to sing, eyes glinting as the twins joined in,
Fred sang loudly, tousling his hair as Ron and Hermione joined in as well,
the hero who conquered the Dark Lord!”
“Bastards, the lot of you,” muttered Harry, blushing fiercely. Charlie chuckled and shook his head, as Hermione and Ginny both kissed Harry on the cheek, George pretended to follow suit, and Fred followed them out to the street. “Tatty-byes, Ickle Harrykins,” said Fred, waving.
Harry frowned as they walked away; he then concentrated, until the phone box squeezed into view. For a moment, he found himself thinking of his discussion with Remus; then, he, Ron, and Charlie fitted themselves into the phone box.
A Ministry worker wearing scarlet robes was waiting for them as the phone box descended into the Atrium. Harry remembered his name as Williamson; he had formerly had a long ponytail, which was cut short now.
“Excuse me,” Ron said hesitantly, “do you know where I’m...”
“Not my department. Sit there; someone will deal with you presently. Now, Harry...”
“Excuse me, Harry,” came another voice, “I’m from the Daily Prophet; Minister Scrimgeour wanted you to give us a few quotes. Do you mind?”
“See you, Harry,” said Charlie quietly, as he walked down the hallway. Ron watched the reporter’s quill dance across the parchment for a moment, then looked at the floor.
“Err...” Harry said, glancing over at Ron, “I haven’t really been...”
“Oh, that’s fine,” interjected the reporter. delighted and honored to be able to take part in such an important ceremony Harry glimpsed the pen writing. Minister Scrimgeour has been doing a brilliant job, and I’m certain he’ll
Harry nodded, and answered the questions automatically, as Williamson led them down the hall. Harry noticed that the remnants of the fountain had been removed; a huge Ministry seal had been embedded in the floor in its place. “I think that’s enough for now,” Williamson finally said to the reporter. “Do you have your badge, Harry?”
“Sure,” Harry said, unconsciously straightening it as they went through security. He took a quick glance over his shoulder; Ron still sat on the straight-backed chair, looking down at the floor. Harry frowned, as they took the elevator to level two, and finally walked through a pair of heavy oak doors that closed behind them. They paused in the same open area Harry remembered from when he had been awaiting his hearing; he saw that the sign reading AUROR HEADQUARTERS had been replaced with a metal plaque, fastened to the wall. A large portrait of Scrimgeour hung over the room, intently watching everything that went on; whereas the room had been buzzing with talk and laughter last time, all was silent now, save for the occasional footstep or low-pitched, brief discussion.
“We’ll be waiting here for a moment,” said Williamson. “They’re still preparing things- Minister Scrimgeour is extremely busy these days. You-Know-Who isn’t going to catch us napping again.” Harry nodded, and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, missing the zooming paper airplane memos from his last visit. Suddenly, to his surprise, Abador Brin turned the corner.
“I’ll handle this,” Brin said to Williamson, showing his badge; Williamson nodded, and walked away. Abador casually positioned himself so that he was standing between Harry and the portrait of Scrimgeour, blocking its view of Harry. Brin indicated his face; Harry nodded, and used his Occlumency training to subdue his emotions.
Any news? Brin mouthed at him.
Not much, Harry mouthed in return. Hermione says that there’s something going on here, about Grindelwald and werewolves...
Abador paused for a moment, keeping his face blank. Yeah, he replied, probably best if we talk about that later.
Harry nodded. Any luck with Salazar Slytherin? he mouthed.
Abador shook his head. Looks like Ron was right- there’s no sign of his body in the memorial; not even our best Detection Charms are turning up a trace he mouthed. I was going to ask Minerva, but- well, she has her hands full with You-Know-Who at the moment he added, indicating the portrait of Scrimgeour with a tiny jerk of his head. Also, Brin added, I think there’s been a new development- something with Snape. It seems that...
He broke off, as footsteps came down the hallway. See you later, Brin mouthed. Stay sharp. A moment later, Scrimgeour himself walked up to them, with an aide in tow; he nodded curtly at Brin and the aide, both of whom turned and walked away. Then, Scrimgeour turned to face Harry, who had carefully re-suppressed his emotions. “I hope you’re ready,” Scrimgeour said. “This is a very important function you’ll be attending.”
“What’s this about, anyway?” Harry asked.
Scrimgeour’s lips pressed together for a moment. He took out his wand, and cast a Muffliato spell. “How much do you know about how the Ministry is funded?” Scrimgeour asked.
“Taxes, isn’t it?” asked Harry, puzzled.
“Essentially, yes,” Scrimgeour replied, “along with discretionary gifts from certain wizarding families, and... the point is, the Ministry only has so many Galleons in the treasury at any one time; with the current situation...”
“You’re overspent?”
Scrimgeour nodded grimly. “I don’t need to tell you that that will not be making the front page of the Prophet,” he said. “That said, war is expensive, as is keeping the Ministry going 'round the clock, and despite our best efforts, we’re operating at a deficit right now.”
“So, what do you need from me?” Harry asked. “My parents weren’t that rich...”
Scrimgeour shook his head. “Ordinarily, we’d cover a situation like this by... soliciting... donations from the Malfoys or one of the other wealthy wizarding families...”
“...only you can’t, because most of them are Death Eaters,” said Harry bluntly.
“...or in hiding, or dead,” said Scrimgeour with a nod. "As we're in need of funds- and field troops- we're going to be making a presentation to the members of the International Confederation of Wizards, which will include a speech by you."
“And is this where you appeal to me to do my patriotic duty?” Harry said. “’Duty to be used by the Ministry,’ and all that?”
“No,” snapped Scrimgeour, “this is where I remind you that most of the Weasleys work for the Ministry now, and if we run out of money, so do they. Further, this is where I remind you that Hogwarts’ annual budget is allocated by the Ministry; further, this is where I remind you that while the Order have been doing surprisingly well against Voldemort’s forces so far, they haven’t the resources that Voldemort and his Death Eaters do, nor could they mount an international campaign- to investigate Grindelwald, for instance."
Harry struggled to control his surprise; he could feel Scrimgeour’s gaze upon him. “Grindelwald,” he finally said, keeping his voice casual. “Isn’t he that German Dark wizard on the chocolate frog cards? The one Dumbledore did for?”
“Killed, to be more precise- with the Avada Kedavra, as it happens.” Scrimgeour stared at him for a long moment; Harry could feel an odd, tickling sensation in his mind. He groped for an image to focus on, and found himself thinking of Dumbledore, plummeting from the tower. Scrimgeour’s lips pressed together. “What do you know of Aberforth Dumbledore?” Scrimgeour asked abruptly.
Harry frowned in puzzlement, before focusing on his defenses again. “Isn’t he Dumbledore’s brother?” he asked. “The one who charmed a goat, or something?”
"Is that all you know about him?" Scrimgeour asked intently.
""Yes- why?"
There was a pause, as they stared at each other; Harry could still feel that tickling sensation inside his skull. Rather than look away, he focused on the image of the Prophet article that had featured Scrimgeour’s quarrel with Dumbledore, visualizing it as intently as he could. Scrimgeour scowled. “Let’s go,” he finally said. “It’s time for a quick briefing, before you meet your public.”
