Author's note: Thanks, Potter's Princess for your review! I appreciate it! Here's the next part of the story. Enjoy! (I hope)
Warning: Parts of this chapter may contain graphic content.
Chapter 15
Dumbledore's Departure
The feeling inside Seymour's office was very edgy. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all froze and stared at Seymour and Burton, their minds uncharacteristically idle out of shock. The two wizards had entered deeper in the room and closed the door behind them, making Harry, Ron, and Hermione move closer to each other for protection, though not one of them had held their wands out.
After a few more tense moments of staring around, Seymour finally broke the silence.
"Would anyone of you care to explain why you three're inside my office this late at night?" he asked, in surprisingly calm manner. Seymour didn't growl, but he wasn't smiling either.
Nobody in the trio knew how to answer and they chose to keep quiet.
Seymour sighed. "You're lucky Whipple wasn't the one who caught you all three in here together, otherwise you'd be expelled outright."
Harry and Ron glanced at each other.
"What do you mean, Judas?" Burton asked, looking confused beside him. "Aren't we going to turn them in for illegal entry?"
Seymour shot a slow and impatient gaze towards his partner and said, "Of course we're not going to turn them in, dung brain - what do you think's gonna happen if Whipple has Potter all to himself, huh?"
Burton's face went bright with delayed comprehension. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Boss…"
"Peter here is a little slow up here," Seymour explained to Harry, snickering and tapping a finger on his own forehead. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, didn't change their looks on their expressionless faces, though.
Sensing that the mood hadn't changed with the kids yet, Seymour spoke again. "Please, don't be afraid of us - we're part of Whipple's little army but I assure you, we're no Death Eaters like him and the others…"
"Then how do you know we're even thinking of you like that?" Hermione tested.
"It's because we've been in on the case for months and we've been working very hard to confirm who're the Death Eaters within the group and who's clean…we've made good progress, you know…"
"You mean you're with Olga and Ramius?" Ron asked eagerly, but Hermione punched an elbow on his arm.
"Ron! Shut up! Don't say anything they don't know!!!" she scolded him.
Seymour nodded on Ron's question anyway. "If you mean Olga Gargarin and her partner Palkov, yes."
"Then if you really know them," Harry spoke this time, but watched Seymour and Burton firmly, "where are they now?"
"I'm sorry, I can't answer that," Seymour heaved a sigh. "Practically the whole Ministry is looking for them, and we had no contact with them ever since they went into hiding. We've been very good friends and she often repeated there was a possible plot to infiltrate Death Eaters in Hogwarts for a specific purpose. When she disappeared, I took it upon myself to continue her work by volunteering for Whipple's team. I feel lucky I got picked, but the problem is, even if we knew who the Death Eaters were already we don't know who to tell in the Ministry. We're not sure if our chief is even clean or not…"
There was a long pause while Harry considered Seymour's statement. Hermione also was deep in thought like him, apparently deliberating the same. Burton walked behind the desk, passing by Hermione who was nearest to his path.
"Looks like your chest had been tampered with, Boss," Burton said, gawking at the broken lock. He then turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Did any of you three do this?"
"No," Harry replied. "Somebody else did."
"May I know who it was, Mr. Potter?" inquired Seymour politely. Harry, however, didn't feel like answering because he was not yet convinced of Seymour's story.
"Mr. Potter, please trust me, we're on your side and we want to protect you from Whipple - he's one of the Death Eaters, I can testify to that."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Seymour, but I'm not entirely inclined to believe you that easily," Harry said determinedly. "So, what're you waiting for? You have me! You could bring me to Voldemort right now - I'm not afraid of him!"
Seymour just looked at Harry sadly.
"Harry," Hermione said, shaking his arm. "Harry, listen to me…"
"What?!?" Harry asked her, still feeling wound up.
"Harry, I believe Mr. Seymour…" she told him. Harry and Ron both stared at Hermione as if she was out of her mind.
"I believe what Mr. Seymour said is true," Hermione gently repeated.
"Why?" Harry asked again.
Hermione, however, didn't answer Harry directly and faced Seymour again. "Even if I believe your story, sir, there's just one more thing I need to ask you for proof," she said to him. "If you'll take on the challenge, then there's nothing else I need more for you to prove yourself.
"Of course, Ms. Granger," Seymour said courteously. "Anything for Mr. Potter to be convinced I'm really not a Death Eater like he strongly suspects…"
"I need to see both of your arms for the Dark Mark, sir," Hermione requested. Harry and Ron immediately snapped their sights on both Seymour's sleeved forearms.
Smiling, Seymour rolled up his sleeves, revealing both his shiny and hairless forearms. Even though Harry didn't see any trace of the Dark Mark at all on his skin, he was still unwilling to believe him.
"Now, do you believe me?" Seymour asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione again slowly, smiling down on them.
Harry didn't answer at once, but Hermione did. "Yes, thank you, Mr. Seymour," Hermione assured him.
"Hermione," Harry said. "You don't know what you're saying…"
"Yes. On the contrary, I know," Hermione replied, with finality on her voice. "If you trust me, I ask you to believe him, too. I've worked with Mr. Seymour long enough to know what he's like. We've definitely got to help him with his work, or else I'm afraid we might not be able to fend off all the attempts on you if we rely on ourselves."
Harry scowled slightly, and then turned to Ron. Ron however, just shrugged and said unhelpfully "Whatever you decide on, Harry, I'm right behind you."
"I know what I'm talking about, Harry," Hermione reiterated.
Harry disliked being waited upon to make any sort of instant decision. He was still not fully convinced of Seymour's story, but Hermione looked like she was real sure of herself. Her final test against Seymour was a good stroke - if he indeed was a Death Eater, he would have chosen to attack them at once rather than to calmly roll up his sleeves. What more would he want for Seymour to ultimately prove he wasn't, he thought.
He gazed back at Hermione again, who patiently awaited his reply. The next thing he thought about was what if he refused to accept Hermione's opinion on Seymour? He didn't find it hard to imagine at once. He knew Hermione would be badly hurt because it would look as if he didn't fully trust her, not after all the sacrifices she had made in order to protect him from all adversity - not only for this year, but for the entire part of his life since she became his best friend. And also remembering Dumbledore's advice about how crucial it was for them to keep themselves united against Voldemort, he knew he didn't have a choice for now but to trust her judgment this time, and hope she was right.
With much effort and lingering hesitation, Harry finally nodded. He had done it.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Seymour said, with a sigh of relief. "Ms. Granger here is an excellent prefect. She's very - obedient - and she doesn't complain much because she's very enthusiastic with her assignments. Have you done all your chores for today, Ms. Granger?"
"Yeah, I did," she said, smiling. "Anything else you'd like to assign me, sir?"
"Ah, I think you had too much work for today," Seymour chuckled. "Better leave everything for tomorrow…"
"The chest's empty, Judas," Burton said, apparently waiting for a long time to say so.
"What?" he said. "Are you sure, Burton?"
"Why, what's supposed to be in there?" Ron asked.
"Evidence we've worked hard to gather to incriminate some Death Eaters in Hogwarts," he replied, shaking his head with extreme disappointment. He punched the top of his desk, making him squeal in pain.
"So who're the Death Eaters you already know, Mr. Seymour?" Hermione said interestedly. "We're still clueless up to now…"
"Whipple, Monroe, Warren, Guest, and Russelpunk," Burton replied for Seymour. "That's just about less than tenth of us here - there may be more, uh, I guess…"
"I knew it," Ron said. "He broke in here not long ago, that Russelpunk. I'm sure he had taken everything along with him…"
"Is that so?" Seymour said, looking surprised. "Russelpunk, huh? Are you sure about that?"
Hermione and Ron both nodded; Harry just stared around.
"He probably knows we're on to him," Seymour said matter-of-factly. "We've been observing him for many days already - but we've not been suspecting him as the very man who always tried to break in our office…"
"We saw him get in Whipple's office first before he broke in here," Hermione told Seymour. "Whipple was in there, too, and we think they were talking and he sent the professor here, too."
"Ah, thank you, Ms. Granger," Seymour acknowledged, and he broke into a mischievous smile. Harry saw it.
"What are you grinning about, Mr. Seymour?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"Oh, my apologies, Mr. Potter," he laughed. "It's just about the first proof we have of Russelpunk's association with Whipple. We couldn't find anything to link them together…"
"How does that link them together?" Burton asked.
Seymour shot him another look. "When we have time, dolt, I'll explain it to you one by one, get it?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Boss…"
"Sorry about that, Mr. Potter," Seymour said shamefacedly. "One other thing Burton needs is a knock on the head, but he manages to get away with it every time. Now, I have to ask you to return to your dormitory, or someone might get in here and you'll be in deep trouble. Again I want to thank you for believing me, though I can still feel you aren't still fully convinced about me - I can understand that. The Death Eaters have invaded the Ministry too much that we're suffering too much from being stereotyped…"
"We're going out now, Mr. Seymour," Hermione said she and curtly bowed her head at him. "See you at our briefing tomorrow." She then grabbed Harry's arm painfully and pressed him out.
"Ow!" Harry exclaimed. "Hey, take it easy, will you?"
"You go out first - you two - and I'll follow," she told Harry and Ron.
"Why can't we go together?"
"The two-man rule!" she reminded him impatiently. "Now go before I kick you out myself!"
"Hermione, what's wrong with you?" Harry asked, annoyed with her statement. "You've suddenly become too hot-headed lately it's not like you…"
She did so like she had threatened, though not painfully. Harry looked back at her, scowling. Ron, meanwhile held out his hands to keep Hermione away from himself as he inched back towards the door.
"Miss Granger, that's totally uncalled for," Seymour said sternly at her as she followed Harry and Ron out. "Remember the prefects' creed, the 'Vox-Domini'.
"Sorry, sir," she apologized. "Got carried away…"
As soon as they were back out the corridor, Harry glared back at Hermione, who was slowly walking along with him from behind. Ron looked very apprehensive as if he was afraid they were getting to some kind of a fight that he didn't know of during the time he distanced himself from Harry and Hermione. He took out the cloak again and wrapped himself with it, glad that if Hermione wanted to kick someone else she won't be able to see him.
"Tell your problem, Hermione!" growled Harry.
Hermione didn't seem to want to answer, because she looked stone faced as she kept walking, looking at him. She must have been peeved with him about something, Harry thought. He was completely clueless, and he wanted very much to know what it was.
"Answer me!" he demanded, but then Hermione suddenly looked extremely haggard. She was fighting for her balance - she didn't walk in a straight line and her eyes didn't stay into one spot.
"Hermione," Harry called, his growing anger quickly replaced with alarm and concern. "Hey, what's wrong?"
She fell down on the floor, succumbing into unconscious. Harry anxiously leaped back, went down on his knees beside her, and lifted her up slightly to rest on his thigh like he did so every time he caught her in a fainting spell.
"Harry, what's happening to her?" Ron said, panic-stricken (he was still under the cloak).
"Another attack - you know, caused by the accident back at DADA last month?" Harry replied. "I guess she felt it coming - she had a very bad temper before this…"
"You mean she still has it?" Ron exclaimed. "But that was a long time ago!"
"Yeah, I know! But she's been denying all along that she still has - she'll come to in a sec, I expect…"
However, more than a minute had passed and Hermione was still out cold. "I don't understand - she's supposed to wake up almost immediately," he said, getting more worried.
Seymour had walked out of his door, and upon seeing Harry holding Hermione on the floor, he ran over to them and exclaimed "What happened to Ms. Granger?"
"She fainted, sir," Harry replied vaguely.
"Then I suggest you bring her to the hospital wing now," Seymour said urgently. "Bring your friend with you…"
"Who?" Harry said, looking up at Seymour. "Excuse me, sir, but no one's here except you, me, and Hermione…"
"No time to argue, Mr. Potter," he grunted impatiently. "To me your friend looks hazy standing beside you under that cloak. It's best if you get moving now to have her treated. Now, go!"
Harry gulped. Seymour could see under the invisibility cloak after all, though it was absolutely not the right time for him to worry about. The wizard was right - he had to bring her to the hospital wing, or else she may be getting deeper into something worse. Harry lifted Hermione up from the floor and dashed, ignoring the pain that was growing on his arms while heaving Hermione's full weight.
-o0o-
"Oh, no!" Hermione groaned when she woke up next at the hospital wing. "Don't tell me…"
"Yes, I'll you what happened." Madam Pomfrey said to her firmly while she was finishing off a barrage of diagnostic tests. "You had another attack, and worse, Harry here tells me you've been keeping it a secret from me for days! I've already scolded him for it. How could ever do such a thing, Hermione?"
Hermione tightened her lips. "I'm very sorry, Madam," she replied shamefacedly. "Honestly, I don't know why…"
Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue. "I consider you lucky it happened to you again tonight - otherwise I'd never know you're still suffering from it. More of this and you'll most likely lose your entire memory then…"
Hermione dropped her jaw.
"Yes! Your whole memory…from your own birth!" Madam Pomfrey restated. "You haven't been taking your medication like I told you! You better restart, and don't expect it to take effect at once. It takes quite a while for your body to reaccept the potion."
Hermione gazed at Harry, who was watching over her from the other side of the bed.
Harry merely shrugged. "I'm not going to blame you any further…but I'm glad you're still mind and body's still in one piece. You gave me and Ron quite a scare!"
"Sorry, Harry," she said sheepishly. "I should have listened to you then…"
"I have to ask you to stay overnight, Hermione," Madam Pomfrey told her, "in order to ensure you take your medication properly - not that I've lost trust in you I don't…"
Hermione nodded and sighed deeply. Another boring night was in store ahead of her.
"I guess we can't see you until tomorrow, then," Harry groaned, reaching for her hand and squeezing it gently. He felt another tug in his heart when he saw her smile up at him affectionately. It was this that he desired to give her his first kiss more than ever, but he could not do it without fighting fiercely with himself.
Hermione may have understood what was going on inside Harry's mind at the moment by the way she looked in his eyes.
"Harry," she said softly, "I wish you could stay here with me tonight, but I know you're not safe here - I'll be all right with Madam Pomfrey. Whatever it is you're thinking of doing right now, it - it's okay."
Harry stared at her. He wasn't at all sure what she meant, but the message to him was crystal clear, or it sounded like it. Though he feared he had misinterpreted Hermione's message, the next thing he knew he was kissing her on her cheek (his hesitation made him go for that instead of her lips). A strong crash startled Harry and drew him away from Hermione at once. Ron had tripped on the medicine tray and he fell down on the floor.
"Ron - what happened to you?" Harry said, looking down at him.
"I-I don't know," he said, rubbing his eyes, "but I kind of went blind for a second…"
"Huh? Are you sure?" Harry asked him suspiciously. Perhaps Ron still was against him and Hermione being more than just best friends, he thought.
"Yeah - I swear!" replied, standing up. "Weird!"
Harry, however, didn't buy it readily.
"Okay, okay," said Madam Pomfrey who was back from her office, "that's enough talking! It's very late at night! Shoo!"
Harry and Ron said goodnight to a now miserable looking Hermione and walked back to the Gryffindor tower together, under the cloak. They both didn't go straight to bed when they reached the Gryffindor tower and decided to sit down beside the fireplace in silence indefinitely.
"Harry," called Ron sleepily beside him on the couch after an hour of no talking.
"Yeah?"
"Feel like talking?"
"Okay…"
"What do you feel about what happened tonight in Seymour's office?"
Harry didn't answer at once and recalled their most recent experience deeply after being reminded about it. Because of what happened to Hermione after that, he somehow completely forgotten to deliberate on Seymour.
"Honestly, I don't know what to think, Ron," Harry sighed and rubbing his face. "There's too much going on and everything's gotten crazy lately I think I'm gonna puke!"
"I know how you feel," Ron said, sinking deeper on his comfy chair. "I've missed the finer points of what happened to you and Hermione before that incident at the Forbidden Forest - but I know it's my fault…I don't blame you. But if you can fill me in again…"
"But we already told you everything, Ron," Harry exhaled tiredly. "About the only thing that's significant is Russelpunk's suspicious behavior. Our theories hadn't changed at all. If we take Seymour's word, then what he said back in his office tonight confirms all our suspicions. Russelpunk is the guy to watch out for…Whipple, too."
"Okay…" Ron trailed off. "Then what do we do next?"
"Oh, I don't know…staying safe as much as possible in Hogwarts seems the best thing to do at the moment..." Harry said sincerely. "But the very thing they're here for really happens, then we can't do anything else but to accept it…
"Harry, are you saying that you're giving up doing something about the plot to take you away?" Ron said incredulously.
"If it sounds like it, then maybe that's true," Harry sighed. "Look what might have happened back in Seymour's office tonight - if he turned out to be a bad guy, then maybe I'd be in Xanthius right now and Hermione and you are probably both dead. It would be my fault/ I've been thinking about it - if we keep on chasing everyone we suspect…"
"Then they'll most likely succeed whatever they were here for," Ron finished. "Sorry, but I don't agree with you at all, Harry. We're almost on top of Russelpunk - and Seymour is hot on his tail. If we let Russelpunk loose, he'll get you soon enough."
Harry fell silent. He'd never been this demoralized since his first year when he decided not to care about the weird things that were happening in Hogwarts then - and it led him to confront Voldemort for the first time anyway. Ron's request to Harry ran contrary to Dumbledore's appeal to them not to expose their own selves unnecessarily to danger, but that thought strangely evaded them all the time.
"Harry…" Ron called him again. "I think…"
"Yeah, I think I'm just too tired I don't know what I'm talking about," he yawned.
"Other than that, I think you're getting too distressed about Hermione, too, it's not healthy," Ron said. "I'm sure she wouldn't want you to give up - she'd want you to press on…because I know she loves you…"
Harry stared at Ron. "How would you know?"
Ron shrugged. "Can't you see by the look on her eyes each time she looks at you? It's unmistakable!"
"Ron, if you're saying that just to make up with me…"
"No, no…" Ron countered gently. "I'm not doing that. That's not true at all. It's just that I've seen it so many times and I had begun to accept it, and I can't deny that she really does feel special about you. Didn't you know she was looking at you very lovingly back there in the boy's lavatory?"
"I didn't see her…just when did you suddenly become an expert on reading people's faces, Ron?"
"Not only that," Ron continued, ignoring Harry's question, "when we hated each other I kept observing you going together alone - it's the time I've seen her that she's the most happiest. It's something that I can't stop, and I've realized she's better off with you than Krum. Better you than him - but don't get it the wrong way…We could still be a trio if you both went together, right? I was so stupid I didn't think of that before."
"Oh, I don't know about hooking up with her…" Harry sighed. "I kind of forgotten about it for a while and I don't know how she'll take it - I mean, going steady with her, or making her my uh, my…uhm…"
"Go on, say it…" Ron persuaded, bobbing his head slowly along with Harry.
Harry grinned awkwardly. "Ehem…my - girlfriend…"
"There you go!" Ron said cheerfully. "Now that wasn't hard, was it?"
Harry shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Like I was saying…It's a totally different thing - it'd be weird after being best friends with her for years. I've always though about that ever since - it's scary…"
"Well, whatever feelings you have with her, don't make me stop you - because I won't," Ron said sincerely. "Not everybody - even they discourage you…"
Harry fell silent for a while, letting what Ron said to him to sink in.
"Okay - I'll think about it, Ron, but thanks," Harry smiled. He was already feeling uncomfortable talking about this with Ron who until recently was loathe of even thinking about the very thing that made him break up with him and Hermione. Attempting to change the subject, he said, "Hey, did I already thank you for saving me back there at the Forbidden Forest?"
"Yeah," Ron laughed. "About a couple hundred times…"
"Oh! Okay, I got to go to sleep," Harry said, standing up and stretching. "See you in the morning, Ron."
"Sure," Ron replied, and he watched him walk off to the spiral staircase.
"Harry?"
Harry stopped and faced Ron. "Yeah?"
"Please don't think of giving up doing something to protect yourself - remember Hermione and I are right behind you always to back you up, okay?"
Harry smiled at him. He knew what Ron was trying to say again, like he told him so many times already. He and Hermione were ready to die for him if necessary to protect him, and they had proven it again back at the Forbidden Forest today. It would be very, very unfair if the feeling was not mutual.
-o0o-
The Mudblood is dead! The Mudblood is dead!
The same words played over and over in Harry's dream all night amid a hail of mirthless laughter, and he sprung awake the next morning. Harry was wet all over with cold sweat, and he panted as he tried to regain his breathing. The strange dream had come back again, and he didn't understand why it had and why it bothered him so. After all, it turned out to be Russelpunk in the end, and Harry didn't care what happened to him now at all.
After realizing it was all a bad dream again, Harry slid off his bed and sat at the edge, taking off his damp shirt. He then shivered. The window had opened wide by itself overnight, bringing in chilly air from outside. He leaped above his bed to closed it in one bound, wrapped himself with his comforter, and sat back down on his bed, yawning wide, to recollect his thoughts.
He tried to recall vaguely about his last dream - as much as he remembered, the dream he had was about the same that he had back at the Burrow. He didn't really know what it really meant since dreams often showed the obvious but mostly turn out differently in the end, and why it had come back to him again. But Harry knew a part of him wished Russelpunk would really be snuffed out soon, like his dream had suggested, even if it was really awful to think about such thoughts. He hated himself for it. But it was Russelpunk who caused the Snitch to run away to lure him into the hands of the Death Eaters, right? He had seen it with his own two eyes. How dare he try to be friendly with him and Hermione if all that he was after was to help deliver him as a present to Voldemort? The very thing that was difficult still was that he just didn't have anything with him to prove Russelpunk was the one behind it.
It was past ten and Harry missed breakfast this Saturday morning. Ron did, too, because he was still snoring at his bed. Yesterday's events drained out all their energy. Thank goodness it was Saturday!
Harry went down to the Common Room after preparing himself, and watched a few of his classmates reading something intently on the bulletin board. He went over behind Ginny, who noticed him.
"Guess what's happening this Tuesday, Harry," she said, looking excited.
"Why? What's happening this Tuesday?"
"Fudge declared a special day to visit to Hogsmeade!" she whooped. "That means no classes for a whole day of shopping!"
"Huh? Why?" Harry asked. The next regular visit to Hogsmeade was supposed to be in April. "What's the reason?"
"I don't know - and I don't care," Seamus answered cheerfully, emerging from the crowd of students reading the notice. "But it's great news…"
"What's different this time is that everyone at Hogwarts - even teachers - is required to attend," Neville added. He looked happy, too. "Even ickle firsties - lucky little monsters…"
"I think I know the reason behind it," Ginny interrupted. "I heard from Fred and George that Fudge wanted to show it was safe for everyone to do anything out of the ordinary - to show normalcy. Of course, a Hogsmeade visit isn't normal this time of year especially with students under third year coming along, but he's inviting the Daily Prophet to cover the event."
Harry thought Fudge was out of his mind and he's thinking of doing everything just to prove that the wizard world had nothing to be worried about Voldemort, thus the Daily Prophet reporting on the occasion. But Harry admitted this was too good to pass up, a bright spot and a good break in Fudge's on-going "State of Emergency". Who could say no to Hogsmeade at all? He wondered what Dumbledore thought of Fudge's decision, but Harry hoped he concurred with it, not that he was really starting to approve of Fudge's ideas already.
Hermione had come back from the hospital wing and she looked very healthy this morning. She was sitting by the fireplace reading the book Mr. Weasley had given her when they got back from vacation. Harry felt a leap in his heart seeing her all over again, especially looking very okay.
Harry sat down beside her. "Hey, you're back! How're you feeling?"
"Rejuvenated," she smiled, putting down her book on her lap.
"That's great!"
"You?"
Harry shrugged. "Still worried about everything, unfortunately. Sorry, I didn't mean to break your good mood…"
"It's perfectly okay, Harry," Hermione said, smiling. "I can't deny I keep worrying about what will happen to you or to us today, tomorrow…something almost disastrous happened to us yesterday and I don't believe the Death Eaters have given up yet. It was a foiled attempt on you yesterday, so they will try again I'm sure. The question is when…"
"Yeah, you're right," Harry exhaled. "Not only that, I'm also…you know…very worried about… you. I hope you're getting better from now on."
Hermione broke into another smile and gazed at him appreciatively. "Thanks, Harry," she said, "Madam Pomfrey really thinks if I just keep taking my medication I'll not have any more problems in a month. But, you know, I feel kind of guilty about it really. Here you are in danger of being taken away by murderous Death Eaters and I keep on landing on the floor…I know I shouldn't be a burden to you in the first place."
"But you're my best friend, Hermione," Harry argued friendly. "I don't really mind about that at all. It's not your fault we're having real problems at the same time, right? I have to help you whether you like it or not." He grinned.
"Yeah…but…but…" Hermione tried to counter, but then she giggled.
"What?" Harry asked, laughing along with her.
Hermione suppressed her laughter. Failing, she said, chuckling "Arrrghh, trying to argue with you against it is useless. What now am I going to do with you, Harry James?"
Harry glanced up the ceiling to think of something, and he said "Why not go with me on a date?"
Hermione stared at Harry. She didn't believe what she had just heard. "Pardon?" she said, hoping that she'd hear Harry say the very words she thought he just said.
"I'd like to ask you for a date," Harry repeated gently.
Hermione's jaw hung slightly with a noticeable hint of a smile and she became breathless. "Are you serious?" she said, still doubtful.
Harry nodded his head and gave her a quick smirk.
"Well, I'll think about it," she teased slowly. When Harry fell for it by bowing his head in disappointment, she quickly said, "Done! Yes, Harry, I'll happily go with you."
Harry looked back at her and he didn't know what to say - he was visibly overjoyed with Hermione's reply.
"Uh, where, then, are we going?" Hermione asked, realizing they were virtually trapped in Hogwarts.
Harry sprang off from the couch, ran towards the billboard, and detached the poster that announced the unscheduled Hogsmeade visit on Tuesday. He ignored the deafening gripes of his classmates and flashed it in front of Hermione. She looked at it uncertainly.
"But Harry, do you think it's safe?"
"Much safer than being stuck here with no one but - well, you perfectly know who I'm talking about," Harry explained, grinning. "Everybody from Hogwarts will be in Hogsmeade that day - that includes every one of the teachers. I'm positive we'll be much safer with lots of people around…"
"I suppose…" Hermione said tentatively.
"Oh, c'mon, please?" Harry pleaded.
After remembering what she read before in "Hogwarts: A History" that Hogsmeade was also a safe haven like Hogwarts, she agreed. "Sure," she told Harry, smiling.
Ron suddenly sat beside between him and Hermione, putting his arms around them, and said, "Then it's settled! Hope you have fun alone then, you two!" He then whooped in delight and went straight towards the portrait hole.
"Ronald!" Hermione shrieked after him, pinching her nose amusingly. "Don't you ever gargle in the morning?"
-o0o-
Harry, along with Hermione, now had something to look forward to and they were both so excited with their upcoming date next Tuesday that they learned how not to worry too much about the plot against Harry, though they were still as vigilant as they were before. Hermione and Ron had mapped out their own schedule, in their own words, to "go on guard duty" for Harry. Harry was the most happiest when it was Hermione's turn to go with him, but he was nevertheless grateful with Ron's efforts to look after him, too.
The trio had some sort of an unexpected break from watching out for Russelpunk during for a couple of days when the professor took a weekend off out of Hogwarts. Hermione's theory was that Russelpunk needed time out to get more instructions from Voldemort, which Harry and Ron readily agreed with. Because of that they worried about the real possibility that there might be another attempt on Harry sooner or later, but as long as he wouldn't be lured out of bounds of Hogwarts like what happened the last Friday, the Death Eaters probably couldn't touch him. The Forbidden Forest, Hermione pointed out in theory, didn't have any sort of protection unlike Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Perhaps this was why Dumbledore seemed to be very relaxed and didn't worry too much about Harry at all - he may have known something about the magic in Hogwarts that nobody else did.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione couldn't find Dumbledore anywhere for the whole weekend to tell him about what they learned in Seymour's office Friday night. Professor Flitwick told them that the Headmaster was very busy securing McGonagall's release from detention in London, which he had no real hope of achieving because of Fudge's insistence of enforcing the rules of the State of Emergency and making McGonagall a good "example".
Harry learned from Arthur Weasley's letter to Ginny (she shared to him what her dad wrote to her) that Fudge's State of Emergency was very unpopular for many wizards in the wizarding world, much to their delight. Fudge had originally hoped that by declaring it, the Ministry of Magic could easily stifle any form of information going around (both fact and fiction) about Voldemort's return by threats of indefinite prison terms and other extra-legal forms of penalties. Since the Ministry was already spread too thin by struggling to cover up the many Death Eater and Hybrid attacks that occurred after the holidays to start with, they could not enforce their own laws and make good on their threats of punishment for anyone caught violating it. Such stories still went around freely among the populace that Fudge had now been branded as a congenital liar, among the derisive names he had already earned from angry wizards. Arthur had noted in his letter that instead of convincing the wizard world that Voldemort wasn't back, he inadvertently made most believe that he truly was because of his repeated denials contrary to the rumors.
The other hot issue in the wizard world then was about Fudge's draconian measures in Hogwarts. The exact state inside the school was not clear to all from the outside who wanted to know what was really going on at the inside (every letter out of Hogwarts were censored, and any information about the rules imposed by Whipple was blacked out). Parents relentlessly demanded Fudge to explain his lopsided decision to restrict some basic freedoms among the students (among them the legality of arbitrary expulsion for anyone caught in a group of more than two persons). Apparently the expulsion of the three Ravenclaw students without due process had brought the issue to the forefront. Arthur wrote that the expelled students and their parents had fought back by appearing frequently in numerous interview shows in the Wizard Wireless Network. Fudge had tried to shut the station down more than a few times but a huge constantly-vigilant crowd has camped outside the premises to block any attempts to do so, frustrating him. Anybody from the ministry sent in by Fudge who tried to punch through the crowd was transfigured into a ferret by irate wizards.
"Fudge probably is at a loss what to do now," Hermione grinned mischievously over breakfast on Sunday, "and that's a good thing! I think the Hogsmeade day this Tuesday is a knee jerk reaction for Fudge to quiet down the parents - that's probably the reason why the Daily Prophet is coming along to write a story about it."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione hoped that Fudge was already having sleepless nights - he had brought it upon himself.
Monday had arrived and classes had resumed again. The surprise for the day was the lifting of the two-man rule, much to everybody's pleasant surprise. Harry surmised Fudge had broken out of pressure. Additionally, Harry hoped he'd be forced to withdraw all the ministry wizards from Hogwarts very soon, though he thought this was a very remote possibility if he still allegedly took "orders" from Lucius.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had double Defence Against the Dark Arts class after lunch that Monday, and if they had their way, they would have skived it off because they couldn't stand to look at Russelpunk's traitorous face anymore - even Hermione who was indisposed to miss any class, but it was Dumbledore who had asked them not to do so. Out of great respect for him, they did - only that they chose to sit at the rearmost part of the DADA classroom with their books blocking the view of the blackboard.
The Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs had been waiting for the class to begin for over an hour now, but the Professor had yet to show himself up.
"Where do you think Russelpunk is?" asked Neville to no one in particular.
"Maybe he's sick," replied Dean Thomas hopefully.
Seamus, bored with waiting, declared "He probably isn't back from his weekend leave - no point of waiting for him now. Let's go…" he collected his bag and stood up. Following his lead, the rest of the class decided it was best to spend the rest of their time before the next class outdoors. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, however, didn't.
"What's going on in your mind, Harry?" Ron asked when everybody else had already gotten out of the room (Harry had told him earlier to stay put). "Why'd you stop me from going out?"
"If Russelpunk really isn't back yet," Harry replied in an undertone, "then maybe we could sneak in to his office and see if we could find something in there - maybe we could find out what he took out of Seymour's chest…" Harry pointed to Russelpunk's office door, which stood adjacent to the classroom beside the teacher's table.
"If it's still there," Ron added. "He might have brought it out along with him during his weekend off."
Harry grinned at him. "We won't be able to know at all if we don't, will we?"
Hermione stared at Harry anxiously. "Oh, I don't know…have we ever learned our lesson back in Seymour's? We might get into big trouble again! Worse, Russelpunk might kill us!"
"C'mon, let's go!" Ron said, unfazed by what Hermione said. He stood up and stepped down the aisle.
"Ron!" Hermione moaned, but Harry pulled her off her chair and towards Russelpunk's office. Soon, they quietly entered it after no one had answered after knocking on the door.
The office looked different as Harry had remembered it when the fake Mad-eye Moody (a.k.a. Barty Crouch, Jr.) had occupied it last year. Gone where the various anti-dark wizard gizmos. They were replaced by weird looking objects that at first glance anyone could suspect they belonged to wizards interested in and practicing the dark arts. Harry could not help but sense Russelpunk was a truly a dark wizard, an impression shared by Hermione and Ron, and was not just merely interested in the Dark Arts as a science like Moody had said before.
There were dozens of skulls abound, both life-sized and miniature in different forms of art and design (even real ones with paintings or engravings of serpents on them) lining the bookshelves, voodoo dolls, gadgets of hags, dark candles, Oarling teeth, collections of dirty nail clippings, a mock up of the Hand of Glory, and the worse of all, a three-dimensional model of the Dark Mark labeled "Property of Winston Mills, third hand of the Dark Lord, 1975". Rows of books about the Dark Arts filled the rest of the free space not occupied by other trinkets and figurines.
Ron whistled. "This Russelpunk bloke is…I - I can't think of anything to describe him."
"C'mon…Look for something out of the ordinary," said Harry, going behind Russelpunk's desk. Ron, however, seemed keen on examining the different bizarre paraphernalia while Hermione was naturally interested with the books, forgetting slightly about her resistance to enter the office.
After spending more than a few minutes of rummaging carefully in Russelpunk's drawers, Harry found that Ron was just playing with a dark wizard toy and Hermione buried her nose on book entitled, "The Rise and Rise of the Dark Arts".
"Hey!" Harry hissed to Ron and Hermione, "why aren't you looking for any clues?" Ron dropped the toy immediately and Hermione quickly returned the book at the shelf. They started to look around in earnest. Harry shook his head and started to walk back to an interesting looking closet just to the side of Russelpunk's desk. The closet look strangely familiar - he couldn't recall where he had seen it before. Thinking he'd just be wasting time thinking about it, he move closer and then he slipped, crashing down on the floor.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed and ran to where he disappeared behind the desk. Upon seeing Harry again, she dropped her jaw. "Harry! Oh, my god, you're hurt!" she gasped.
Harry was on the floor trying to get up, blood smeared all over his robes and hands. He gasped and went pale when he discovered it.
"Y-You're bleeding!" Ron wheezed.
"No," Harry said, after checking himself for wounds, "no, I think it's not mine - I don't feel anything painful…"
"Then if it's not yours," said Hermione tentatively, "then whose is it?"
Harry looked down on the floor again and tried to trace where the pool of blood was coming from. It went towards his back and trailed towards the closet behind him. More blood was dripping from inside it.
"Oh, no!" Hermione breathed. "Can it possibly be…"
Harry stood up and faced the closet forebodingly, wiping his blood smeared hands on his robes. He inched closer towards it, reaching for the knob. Still fearing to see what was inside it, he turned it and opened the doors wide.
Hermione screamed.
Russelpunk was stuffed inside the closet with a knife through his heart. He was dead. Harry felt as if he was watching a replay of his dreams, and he could now hear the same words inside his head:
"The Mudblood is dead! The Mudblood is dead!"
"L-Let's get out of here!" Harry suggested fearfully. When they turned for the door, Horace Whipple, with an unknown wizard, was at the doorway and was staring at them, making Hermione scream again. Harry froze and he didn't know what to do at the moment being caught with blood on his hands with a dead body in the closet.
"What're you doing here?" Whipple asked. He then noticed the blood on Harry's hands and robes. "How come you have blood all over you…I…"
The wide open closet caught his attention next. Russelpunk's lifeless face could be seen from where he stood, and he narrowed his eyes towards Harry. "O'Grady, look for Seymour and Minister Fudge, quick!" he ordered his companion. "We may have caught a murderer on the act."
O'Grady didn't wait a second more to go looking for them. Whipple raised and pointed his wand at Harry's direction. "Put your wands slowly on the floor and roll them towards me, you three. Any sudden moves and I will curse you…"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione quietly did what they were told to do. "Sir, I didn't…" Harry started.
"Silence!" he barked. Without removing his glare towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione, he scooped up their wands and placed them in his pockets. "You three better look for good lawyers. If proven, murder is punishable by death."
Hermione sobbed, and Ron looked extremely terrified.
"Sir…I didn't do it…I," Harry pleaded, but Whipple cut him off again.
"I said silence! I have no power to judge you, though you will have the opportunity to defend yourselves in front of the Winzegamot. But from the looks of scene in front of me, you don't seem to have any hope to…"
Fudge and Seymour had entered the office. "Whipple - you wanted to see me…" he said, but dropped his jaw when he saw what he was seeing inside. He looked dog tired, but he was shocked by the terrible sight in front of him - a dead body and three scared students with blood all over one of them. "Tell me what's happening, Whipple," he added slowly.
"Minister," Whipple replied without lowering his wand, "we're looking at the crime scene of a murder, and I caught these students inside as the culprits…"
"But we didn't do it, Minister!" Harry implored.
"Quiet!" Whipple yelled.
Seymour went over to the closet, careful not to step on any evidence, and checked on Russelpunk. After feeling for his pulse from the professor's neck, he looked back at Fudge and shook his head. "He's lifeless."
Fudge then stared at Harry, Ron, and Hermione and said "Okay, let's hear what you have to say now."
"Minister, we went inside the office and I tripped and fell on a on a pool of blood. Then we found Professor Russlepunk inside the closet and he was dead. Th-that's it…"
"Good story, Potter," Whipple snorted. "But unfortunately for you I don't buy it. You stabbed the victim to death and stuffed him in the closet! That's why you have blood all over your hands and your robes - and your friends here are your accomplices!"
"But sir," Hermione cried, "he's telling the truth, I swear!"
"Then what were you three doing inside the office then, Granger?" Fudge tested.
Hermione didn't know how to answer that, and gazed at Harry for one.
"See, there," Whipple laughed. "She couldn't even answer a simple question. That, in itself, is highly suspicious."
Fudge nodded. "I want them put under arrest, men," he said seriously. "We'll bring them to London to be interrogated and charged with murder."
"Why, Fudge?" Dumbledore asked from behind, startling him slightly.
"Oh, it's you," Fudge said cheekily. "Administrator Whipple caught your students here with a body red handed. It seems they have committed the heinous crime of murder on a professor of Hogwarts, possibly out of hatred towards him. Therefore, they shall be brought to London for investigation, and like I said, booked for murder."
"I see," Dumbledore said calmly. "Then how could you suspect Harry Potter and his friends are really the perpetrators of this crime?"
Fudge stared at Dumbledore incredulously. "Can't you for yourself, old man?" he shouted, pointing at the scene. "They've been found with blood on their hands! Even a five-year old could see something wrong with this!"
"Apparently so. So, have you already conducted a crime scene investigation, may I ask?"
"Of course we already had!" Fudge screamed. "We couldn't just accuse anybody without doing that - it's standard procedure! It's…it's…" Fudge paused. He then looked around slowly for Whipple and said, "Have you?"
Whipple gulped, and sheepishly shook his head at him. Fudge roared in anger.
"Then, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, smirking, "we can't just arrest Mr. Potter and his friends just because you found them in a room with a dead person in a closet. Until a crime scene investigation is thoroughly conducted, concluded, and an official forensic report is filed, nobody can be charged with murder. Like you said, it's standard procedure. There might be some other explanation for the reason of Harry's presence in this room when the body was found." Dumbledore turned to Harry and asked gently "Can you tell me your story, please, Harry?"
"Yes, sir," Harry said, "I already told them we found Professor Russelpunk dead inside the closet after I slipped on the floor on a pool of blood…"
"Thank, you, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Harry's story may be true or not and the only way to find out is to look for evidence inside the crime scene. The wizard criminal code says every person is innocent until proven guilty. Harry and his friends can be questioned inside the crime scene, but they cannot be arrested until there is and a warrant of issued against them when the Winzegamot deems there is probable cause based on the crime scene report."
"But they've been caught at the scene of the crime!" Fudge argued hotly. "Whipple was the first to see them here!"
"Yes, but did Horace Whipple witness any of my students on the act of killing Professor Russelpunk?" Dumbledore countered.
Fudge growled in fury.
"Headmaster Dumbledore's right, Minister," Seymour concurred, with a noticeable look of concern and anxiety on his face. "It's the law, and we must follow it."
Fudge shot a stare at Seymour. He was miffed at being lectured by a lowly Ministry Wizard because it made him look ignorant. He then looked at Whipple again for his answer. He only got another embarrassed nod from him, making him curse loudly. "Okay, okay, start recording the scene, search for evidence, and get it over with!" he said impatiently with a wave of his hand. He then pointed at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "No one gets out of this room especially you three. Who's a qualified W.C.S.I. around here?"
Seymour raised his hand immediately. He was an official Wizard Crime Scene Investigator along with Peter Burton. When Fudge begrudgingly jerked his thumb towards the closet, they immediately went to work. Burton opened a large suitcase full of forensic tools and began searching for clues that they hoped would point to the murderer. Seymour, meanwhile, went over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and rounded them up for an interview.
"Mr. Seymour," Hermione said at once, still with tears in her eyes, "we didn't do it, I swear!"
Seymour nodded at her compassionately and said, "First you three need to cooperate with me and answer a few questions and file a statement. Then you will be fingerprinted and your wands temporarily confiscated for some tests."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione groaned, but they had no choice but to comply. They told Seymour all that they knew. They even told him truthfully about their purpose why they had entered Russelpunk's office without permission, and that is because they suspected him as a Death Eater and a part of the alleged plot to kidnap Harry for Voldemort. Seymour didn't seem to be surprised by that, and religiously jotted down all the information on a parchment.
After the interview, Seymour took Harry, Ron, and Hermione's fingerprints and rejoined Burton who Harry saw taking out a white robe stained with blood and something silver from a drawer. Seymour put it in a shimmering pouch sealed it without inspecting the objects. Harry thought he had seen those things before but could not remember at once because of the tension he was feeling at the moment.
Lastly, Burton tapped his wand on the knife's handle, extracted it from the body of Russelpunk with a gloved hand, and dropped it in another shimmering pouch. Seymour declared the investigation over and covered Russelpunk's body in a bag to be removed later.
"What are you findings?" Fudge said lazily.
"As of the moment, all the evidence gathered does not point to any person," Seymour replied. "We will send all the evidence to London for further testing, and the Wizard Crime Lab will submit its recommendation to the Winzegamot."
"Unacceptable!" Fudge bellowed. "Potter and his friends must not go free yet otherwise they will go into hiding! Arrest them!"
"Cornelius," Dumbledore said, standing up from his chair and glared at him, his eyes brimming with fire and his wand on his hand.
"Are you going to stop me, Albus?" Fudge challenged him, but he visibly shook as he looked up at him. Whipple and O'Grady faced towards the direction of Dumbledore, ready to protect the Minister of Magic.
"I will if I have to, as I see grave injustice given against my students!"
"What more evidence do we need to see, old man?" Fudge roared. "I am responsible for protecting the interest of the wizard public! If the people know I let go of the suspects when I already have them in custody, they will have my head!"
"Better your head than my innocent students', Cornelius!" Dumbledore retorted.
Fudge looked stunned after hearing what Dumbledore had said. "How dare you!!! What's your proof that your students are innocent already, Albus?!?"
"There's one more thing left to do, Cornelius. Seymour, will you please take out the knife and place it on the table?" Dumbledore asked him gently.
Seymour was taken aback. He didn't know why Dumbledore had made a strange request, but he granted it. As long as he had gloves on, he could still extract the knife safely from the pouch without contaminating it.
"What's the meaning of this, Albus?" Fudge demanded, darting his eyes between him and the knife, which was now resting on the desk.
"I haven't seen Seymour check the knife for prints…" he replied. "It's a very serious oversight."
Seymour gasped. He had neglected to do a basic procedure of forensics, and his face showed he was extremely anxious about it. As if he was reluctantly admitting to committing a glaring mistake by obliging to check the knife for fingerprints like Dumbledore had pointed out, he tapped his wand on it to extract some. But there wasn't any. "It's clean," he said.
"You're wasting my time, Albus!" Fudge said angrily. "Your students will be arrested and brought to London, period! I am the Minister of Magic, and I will do everything in my power to solve this case!"
Dumbledore didn't answer him at once and gazed slowly towards a frightened looking Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He watched at them for a little more while, and Harry sensed deep sadness in Dumbledore by the look of his eyes. Harry didn't know what Dumbledore was thinking about at the moment, nor did Ron and Hermione.
"Please take one more look at the knife, Seymour," Dumbledore said again, sounding strangely resigned.
Fudge scowled and gritted his teeth with growing rage. "I don't know what good it will do, Albus! He didn't find anything the first time - how could he find another then?"
But Seymour gasped again this time after discovering something new. He had extracted a well defined form of a thumbprint were none had come from before, and recorded it in a parchment. He didn't understand it himself, and sweat ran down on his face.
Dumbledore walked over to the parchment and pressed his thumb on it, leaving a mark for Seymour to inspect. The wizard then compared the thumbprints from the knife and Dumbledore's sample. "It's a positive match," Seymour breathed. "It looks like the Headmaster had handled the knife…and possibly killed the victim."
Dumbledore gazed at Fudge's incredulous face. Even the Minister couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. It looked like Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, had murdered a member of his own faculty.
"What???" Hermione cried. She refused to believe her beloved Headmaster could do such a thing. "There must be a mistake!!!"
Dumbledore kept silent. He then rolled and locked his eyes to Harry's. Harry knew it was a warning.
"What are you standing there for!!!" Fudge screamed at Whipple. "Arrest him!"
"Ron, Hermione, DUCK!" Harry yelled, and they dropped to the floor behind the desk, hearing the different jets of spells that thundered all over the room. Hermione screamed as the whole office shook and dust and debris from the ceiling fell down on them. Seymour had dived behind the desk, too, and he covered the three kids as much as he could with his body. They didn't know what was happening at Dumbledore and Fudge's side of the room, and who was hurting or winning. The crack of curses died down as soon as it started, and after hearing a lull, Harry risked injury to take a look around.
Thick dust had covered Harry's vision, and when it had began to clear up, he saw Cornelius Fudge standing alone in the middle of the floor unscathed, but shaking from head to foot. Whipple and O'Grady's lay down on the floor looking dead, but their chests rose and fell while they breathed unconsciously. Both their white hair was scorched black and their suits burned to a pulp. Harry searched for Dumbledore around, but he had already disappeared, apparently escaping and refusing to be captured.
Harry wasn't sure if the Headmaster really did kill Russelpunk, or if he just owned up to the murder to spare him, Ron, and Hermione. Either way, Harry knew this was very bad. Dumbledore, the only one Harry relied on for wisdom and protection, the only one he could fully trust, was gone from Hogwarts.
-o0o-
Chapter 16 coming soon.
Author's note: I've underestimated the potential length of this chapter, therefore the "surprise" I mentioned last chapter will be written after this one. Sorry about that. But I hope it will be a surprise, though I think that most this story's intelligent readers have already figured it out! (hehehehe). Chapter 16 will signal the start of the escalation towards the climax and ending.
Please do leave a review after reading. I just want to know how I'm doing. Thanks! There are still lots of action and important events up ahead to write for this story. As always, you may check the top of this chapter sometime to know when to expect another update. Thanks for reading!