Ch 24 A New Minister of Magic
Sunday evening, Harry was relaxing amidst the bustle of the Gryffindor common room, staring lazily at the fire as he sat in his favorite chair. Hearing a familiar stomping on the stairs, he looked up and grinned as Ron entered the room.
"You got a few minutes? We need to talk," asked Harry, glancing warily around at the other laughing students.
A confused look on his face, Ron replied uncertainly. "Uhh sure, what's it about?"
Just then Harry heard approaching footsteps and Hermione's voice. "Are you ready Ron? Oh, I wasn't interrupting anything was I?" asked Hermione.
"No, Harry just wanted to ask about…uhh, what did you need to talk to me about, Harry?"
"Oh, nothing important," insisted Harry smoothly, "I just had a few questions about Quidditch practice this week."
"Well, can it wait? Ron and I need to go do rounds…" began Hermione.
"That's fine. I'll talk to him about it when he gets back. I guess Dumbledore reshuffled the pairs for doing rounds then. Who got stuck with Malfoy then?" asked Harry.
With a wicked gleam in his eye, Ron laughed. "Nobody. From what I heard, after Snape finished his little chat with Malfoy, he was so mad he nearly chucked him from the school. Dumbledore was pretty upset as well, but insisted that stripping him of his Head Boy duties along with detention and the points Snape deducted from the Slytherins was punishment enough."
"Ron!" hissed Hermione. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone else. Only the prefects were supposed to know for right now."
"Don't worry, it's just Harry-I can't believe you didn't already tell him. And for your information, I haven't told anyone else," insisted Ron, glaring back at Hermione. "And it's not like half the school won't know all about it by tomorrow, anyways. Half the Slytherins hate him and the other half are terrified of him. Most of the other students thought Dumbledore must have been drunk on firewhiskey when he made Malfoy the Head Boy. Since he got whipped so bad in his duel with Hermione, a lot of students have been hoping Dumbledore would kick him out of the school for trying to hurt Hermione-they're afraid he might try and hex them next. Not even the Slythrin prefects can stand him-they'll be the first ones spreading the good news." Harry's gaze snapped from Ron's angry, but pleased face to Hermione's stern and somewhat sad look.
"Mione, don't you dare blame yourself for Malfoy. He attacked you!"
"I know Harry. But I thought things would be better, especially after last year. He really seemed like he had started to change for the better."
"I know, I thought so too. I hung out with him on the train just a week ago-I would never have guessed he would have tried something like that. I don't understand why he attacked you like he did-we'll have to be careful."
"I will."
"Well, come on then, Ron. The sooner we finish, the sooner you two can finish your little Quidditch chat." As they left the room, Harry wondered briefly if she had guessed his real motive for wanting to talk to Ron. Samuel had another busy day planned for him tomorrow, and if any of the wonderful ideas he and the twins had come up with so far were ever going to be realized, he would need some help. Samuel had worked him hard Friday and Saturday, but had given him all of Sunday off to rest and relax with his friends.
--
Harry was just finishing an article on two new Seekers' strategies in the latest issue of one of Ron's Quidditch magazines when he heard Ron and Hermione returning. Apparently Ron had taken more points from some Slytherins than Hermione had thought was fair-he knew because he could hear their discussion for nearly two minutes before they actually stepped through the portrait.
Hermione gave Harry a quick kiss goodnight and with a quick glare at Ron, walked to her room. The Head Girl's room was located behind a large tapestry hanging in the Gryffindor common room. The large tapestry portrayed a small forest clearing with a unicorn drinking at a pool and a lion laying down by a waterfall that fed the pool. Hermione gave the unicorn a friendly pat and walked through the suddenly shimmering tapestry. She did not need a password, and the tapestry only allowed her to pass through it to enter her room.
Once Hermione had left the room, Harry winked at Ron and asked quietly, "Ready for some real fun?"
Ron grinned widely. "It's about time. No offense, but I hope I'm not paired with Hermione every week to do patrols. She's going to drive me stark raving mad."
"Let's go then." Checking the Marauders' Map, Harry made sure the corridors were clear and then led Ron outside without attracting the attention of any of the few remaining students in the common room.
"Where's the cloak, Harry?" whispered Ron.
Chuckling, Harry replied. "Hermione has it now but we won't need it. Besides Ron, you're almost too tall for the cloak anymore. But this should work, now stand still." Harry tapped Ron's head and cast a Disillusionment charm on him, and then cloaked himself in invisibility. "Now, you remember the way, right?"
"Yeah, but won't we need the password?"
"Not tonight. And don't worry about the password. There are ways around that."
--
At dinner Monday evening, a tired looking Harry finally found a seat by Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table.
"You should have seen it Harry! It was the most wonderful morning! Not a single Slytherin until after nearly one in the afternoon!"
"What are you talking about Ron?!" exclaimed Harry. Several of the other Gryffindors had burst out laughing.
"Oh, I'm sure Harry knows nothing at all about the little prank that was pulled on the Slytherins this morning, do you Harry?" asked Hermione. "It seems that somebody managed to seal the Slytherin common room door shut. Every Slytherin student-except a few who were out after curfew-missed breakfast, lunch, and all of their morning classes."
"They what?!" exploded Harry. "But how?"
"Everyone thinks it's one of the Weasleys' new products," supplied Neville, who was still chuckling.
"Apparently Professor Dumbledore and Snape found some sort of magical glue that had been placed all around the edges of the door. And it took them all morning to find the correct removal spell," added Hermione.
"Well, pity I wasn't around to see that-sounds like it was a rather pleasant day then."
"Well, Snape is furious. He thinks some of the Gryffindors did it."
"Obviously," snorted Ron. "Who do you think he's going to blame?"
"Now I'm sure that the both of you went right to bed after your little Quidditch chat last night."
"Of course," echoed Ron and Harry at the same time.
"Ask any of our roommates-we were there the entire night," insisted Ron.
"Oh, I'm sure they'll all back up your story," said Hermione, glancing around at the seventh year Gryffindor boys. "But if I were you, I'd be very careful about what you drink-Professor Snape has been fuming all day. I believe I heard him muttering about Veritaserum." Several of the boys' faces blanched slightly as they glanced at each other. Hermione glanced at Ginny and gave her a quick wink.
"Well, unless there is any other news, I think I'll have a bite to eat," declared Harry as he eagerly began loading his plate. "So how were classes without the Slytherins?"
Hermione flashed a quick grin. "Really quite nice actually. There were no disruptions or distractions, it really made for a very good learning atmosphere. But I expect DADA classes will be tougher this week, even if Snape can't prove anything." She threw a significant glance at Harry and his smile faded slightly.
*-*-*
Harry and Ron were up early for breakfast Tuesday morning. They were halfway through their plates of sausages and pancakes when Hermione marched through the doors and sat down next to them, looking tired and more than a little peeved.
"I missed you this morning at practice, Mione," thought Harry softly.
"Don't start with me, Harry," warned Hermione.
"I don't suppose I have to think too hard to guess which pair of idiots thought it would be funny to give my room a Quidditch theme, do I? As if those horrid orange Chudley Cannon posters weren't bad enough Ron, it took me two hours to find all of my books and notes last night-since someone had transformed them all into miniature Quaffles, Bludgers, Snitches and brooms and sent them sailing around my room." She glared directly at Harry who was very proud of himself for maintaining a straight face. "And then every hour, on the hour for the entire night, I got to listen to Wood's voice shout out words of advice and encouragement as if I were in the middle of one of your bloody matches, Harry!"
A small crowd had gathered and was struggling to keep from laughing.
"Well, maybe poor old Wood caught one too many Bludgers to the head and has come back to haunt Hogwarts as a ghost," suggested Harry in a very innocent voice.
"Or maybe…" began Ron and then burst out laughing, along with most of the Gryffindors at the table.
"You need to pick better co-conspirators, Harry. Ron can't handle very much pressure," remarked Hermione. Instead of defending himself, Ron just laughed harder.
Still keeping a perfectly straight face, Harry replied evenly, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about Hermione."
"Whatever," chuckled Hermione. "So am I off the top of your list and can I focus on my studies again?"
Harry smiled and took another bite of pancake.
Hermione scooted closer and whispered. "Harry, how did you manage all that? I'm dying to know. We both know that boys can't get into the Head Girl's room-Hogwart's, a History is very clear about that. So how did you…"
Harry grinned. "Now Mione, a good prankster never reveals their secrets."
"Fine, Harry," replied Hermione with a wicked gleam in her eye. "Just remember that what goes around comes around." She then turned to her bowl of cereal while Harry choked on his toast.
Halfway through breakfast, Harry looked up to see McGonagall walking towards them quickly. "Mr. and Miss Weasley, will you please follow me? Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, you should come as well." Sharing glances with his best friends, Harry shrugged as they followed McGonagall to the side room by the Great Hall. "Professor Dumbledore thought it best that I inform you before you heard it from any other source."
"Is something wrong?" asked Ginny. "Did something happen to Dad? Or Mum?"
"No, no, they're both fine. In fact, I have some very good news about your father." Looking at Ron and Ginny, she continued. "In fact, you have both been excused from classes today in order to attend his swearing in as the new Minister of Magic."
"Really? Wow!" exclaimed Ron.
"That's wonderful!" squealed Ginny.
"What's the bad news?" asked Harry quietly, sensing there was something wrong.
McGonagall looked directly at Harry before replying. "Fudge's assassin has somehow managed to escape."
"He escaped?!?!" roared Harry. "How on earth did he manage to do that?!?! Is that why Dumbledore wasn't here this morning?"
"We don't know how he escaped. And yes, that is why Professor Dumbledore is absent this morning."
"So how many people did he kill?" he asked, his fists clenching at his sides as the temperature in the room began to rise.
"He didn't kill anyone when he broke out," she explained quietly. "And please try to control your temper."
"Is that why they're nominating Mr. Weasley so quickly? Doesn't the process usually last several months?" asked Hermione.
McGonagall glanced at Hermione before replying. "Yes, Miss Granger, that is exactly why they're installing Arthur as Minister today. Most of the Wizengamot believes the more quickly we act, the better. Professor Dumbledore also told me to inform the two of you that you were to be excused from classes today as well to attend the ceremony with the Weasleys if you wish. He seemed concerned that one or both of you might come down with some sort of illness and miss class otherwise." She seemed to smile, but if she did, it was gone quickly. "All four of you will, of course, be responsible for making up the class work you miss today. You may leave after breakfast. You can go to Hogsmeade and travel to the Burrow with the twins. Professor Dumbledore gave me this portkey for you to use to return to the school this afternoon after the ceremony. The password to activate it is Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." She said the last part as if it left a distinct sour taste in her mouth. "And do not bring any of their products back with you," she finished.
They returned to the Gryffindor table but could barely eat until the owls dropped off the morning mail. Hermione snatched up her copy of the Daily Prophet and ruffled the feathers of the owl which then squawked in protest. She patted it absentmindedly and scanned the front page quickly as Harry, Ron, and Gin crowded close around her.
"Arthur Weasley Elected New Minister of Magic by Emergency Meeting of the Wizengamot Late Last Night. The Ministry, facing a number of difficult issues, was rocked by a new scandal-the escape of the assassin of the former Minister of Magic from Azkaban yesterday afternoon. According to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, a majority of the members of the Wizengamot felt that the sooner a new minister was appointed, the sooner the Ministry can begin dealing with these critical problems. And, according to Headmaster Dumbledore, a vast majority of the members felt that Arthur Weasley was the best wizard for the job of guiding the Ministry through these troublesome times.
Arthur Weasley will be officially sworn in today at noon at the monument marking the final battle of the Second War against Voldemort. All who would like to attend have been invited to the ceremony.
When asked to comment, Mr. Weasley stated that he had a number of reforms and policies he wished to pursue in office, but that for right now his main priority would be to find the surviving Death Eaters and the assassin of Cornelius Fudge and protect the wizarding world from any possible attacks by them in the future."
The four kept reading the article as the group around them slowly grew. Getting tired of being shoved by other curious Gryffindors, Hermione waved her wand over the paper and tapped it several times, making copies of the paper. "Here, pass these down the table and give us some room to breathe here," she ordered.
When they finished reading the relevant articles in the paper, the four finished their breakfast in record time as a loud buzz grew in the Great Hall. Cleaning off their plates, they raced from the Great Hall back to their rooms to drop off their bookbags. Harry turned to go back downstairs, and paused when Ron called out.
"Harry, you weren't planning on going in that, were you?"
Looking down at his school robes, he looked back at Ron and shrugged. "Uhh, yeah. What's the problem?"
"Why do you think we got you those nice dress robes?"
"Because you actually like shopping for clothes? And because you love spending my money?"
Ron laughed before pointing out a set of deep green dress robes. "Wear those, mate. And change into one of those Spinozi shirts." He then turned back to his own wardrobe and started looking through it.
"We don't have time for this Ron. I'm sure the girls are waiting for us downstairs, ready to go." Ron just laughed.
"Hermione. Are you ready to go yet?"
"Of course not, Harry. We have to change into our dress robes. You didn't think we were just going to go in our school robes did you?"
"Oh, never mind." He heard her laughing and tried to ignore her.
Ten minutes later, Harry and Ron descended to the common room where they waited another fifteen minutes for the girls to come down. Ron whistled in appreciation and Harry rolled his eyes while Hermione inspected him.
"You look sharp Harry."
"Uh, tha…"
"Thanks for helping him out Ron." Hermione grinned, Ron chuckled, and Harry shot them both glares.
"Well, if you three are done, we need to hurry to Hogsmeade if we're going to catch the twins," started Ginny.
Harry smiled. "Just hold Ron's hand. Ron, you grab my shoulder," instructed Harry as he grasped Hermione's hand.
"What? What are you going to…"
"Harry, you've never teleported this many…"
In the blink of an eye, Harry had teleported all four of them into the middle of Fred and George's store in Hogsmeade. Ron and Ginny looked around in disbelief.
"I didn't think you could Apparate on Hogwart's grounds," started Ginny.
"You can't," replied Hermione, Ron, and Harry.
"But there aren't any wards against teleportation," smiled Harry.
"Wicked," whispered Ron.
"Where are the twins?" asked Hermione looking around.
Harry glanced around quickly and then moved towards the front door, which had a piece of parchment in the window. He grabbed it and looked up. "Looks like they got tired of waiting for us. They're already at the Burrow. Well, the three of us can Apparate there, so if you want to use some Floo powder Gin, we'll meet you there."
"Wait," she replied, a wide grin spreading on her face. "Don't you think it would be appropriate to leave a reply to their message?"
Smiling, Harry responded. "I suppose it would depend on what you had in mind. I assume you mean something that won't burn down their store while they're gone?"
Ron chipped in, "Oh, Harry, you take all the fun out of things." The four spread out in search of several items to use against the owners of the store.
Fifteen minutes later, with four very wide smiles, they left for the Burrow. When they arrived, the Burrow was abuzz with frenzied activity.
Mrs. Weasley paused on the landing. "Ron, Ginny! It's about time you got here! Hello Harry and Hermione! I'm so glad Dumbledore let you come! Come over here and let me get a look at all of you!" She nodded with approval as she straightened Ron's collar and then frowned slightly as she tried to get Harry's hair to lay down. "You look very nice, Ron. You, too Harry."
"I had some help, Mrs. Weasley," grinned Harry.
"A lot of help," added Hermione with a smirk.
"And the two of you look radiant, as usual," as she surveyed Hermione and Ginny with approval. "Now if I could only get your brothers and your father ready…" she muttered.
--
Ten minutes later, Molly was shooing everyone towards the living room and the candy dish on the table that would serve as the portkey. They all placed a finger on the dish and Arthur spoke the command word Minister. They opened their eyes to see the dying field near the crystal monument commemorating the fallen victims and heroes of the two wars against Voldemort. Once again, Harry looked at the elegant, yet simple monument glittering in the morning sun. Ministry officials were scurrying everywhere and three cloaked Aurors quickly walked over to them when they appeared.
"Special security precautions for the ceremony," whispered Arthur.
Once the Aurors were satisfied that none of them was the escaped Yonnua assassin, Arthur went over to the large stage to talk quietly with several of the wizards and witches already gathered there. Harry spotted Dumbledore and gave him a quick nod before finding his seat with Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys on one side of the stage. He saw several reporters with quills in their hands race quickly to their side as they sat down.
Suddenly, Harry simply disappeared.
"Harry. Harry! You can't simply disappear every time reporters come to talk to you," explained Hermione, while trying to keep from smiling at the consternation on the faces of the reporters. Fred and George were laughing out loud. Ron was trying to talk to one of them, who didn't look like she wanted to be bothered.
"Why not? I don't want to talk to them, and they always ask the same old stupid questions, anyways. And if I do say something, they just twist it around to make it say what they want to hear anyways."
"Well, yes, they do do that sometimes. But they do have their uses, right? Rita was very helpful the last time you talked to her, wasn't she?"
"Yeah, because you were blackmailing her. Do you have something on these guys you can use to keep them in line?"
Hermione thought for a moment. "Well, I do know one reporter you could trust. Walgine I. Raiveys."
"Who?"
"He wrote some very strong articles defending you and attacking Fudge and the Ministry following your trial. You can trust him."
"I don't know, Mione."
"Just think about it."
"Fine, but I'm not talking to any press today. And don't roll your eyes, Mione. I hate talking to the press."
Unable to talk to Harry Potter, most of the reporters went to try and talk to Arthur, but were kept away by several Aurors and escorted from the stage. Harry chuckled and uncloaked his invisibility.
For the next forty-five minutes, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys chatted amiably and watched the stage fill with important officials from the Ministry and visitors from other Ministries. The Aurors were kept very busy scanning people filling the seats in the field surrounding the stage. When Harry made a comment Molly told him that Arthur had opened the ceremony to the public.
"I'll bet the Aurors were thrilled about that," chuckled Harry.
"Not really," replied Molly. "But they didn't have much choice, now did they?"
A few minutes later, the crowd hushed as Dumbledore stepped forward and raised his hands for silence and then pointed his wand at his throat for a moment. "Sonorus."
"On behalf of the Wizengamot, I would like to welcome everyone who has come to be with us today. The Wizengamot is extremely pleased to present the next Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley. Minister-elect Weasley." He then turned and stepped aside as Arthur rose from his chair and stepped towards the podium. He shook Dumbledore's hand and then cast Sonorus on himself.
"Arthur Finnigan Weasley, do you give your oath as a wizard to do all within your power to protect the wizards and witches of Great Britain as the Minister of Magic, to defend their rights, to always act in their best interests, and to preserve and promote the mystery of magic?"
"I do."
"Congratulations, Minister Weasley." Dumbledore shook Arthur's hand again and then returned to his seat. As the crowd burst into loud cheers and applause, Arthur turned to face the large audience and raised his hands so that he could speak.
"Thank you, thank you. First, I would like to thank you all for coming here today. I would like to thank my amazing wife, Molly, and my wonderful children, for everything they have done for me-for making every day worth living. Everything I have accomplished is due to their support.
To my friends and colleagues at work and in the Order of the Phoenix-thank you. To all of you who have come out today to support me, I extend my deepest gratitude as well.
I feel awed and humbled at the responsibility you have given me. And I will be the first one to admit that I cannot accomplish all the changes we need by myself. I confess that I will have to ask for your support yet once again as the new Minister. I pray that I will prove equal to the tasks that lie ahead. I firmly believe that with your aid and support, we can make our world more safe, more just, and more open.
Events in recent months have made clear the need for several important changes within both the Ministry and the larger wizarding world as well. I will not try to pretend that several of the changes I will pursue will not seem controversial to some. There will be, I predict, considerable opposition to them from certain groups. Nevertheless, I have been elected as the Minister of Magic, and as long as I hold that position, I will pursue the following three objectives.
To make our world safer, I will appoint a new Chief Auror. He will have two important goals. The most important will be to capture the assassin of Minister Fudge who escaped and the Death Eaters who remain at large. Their captures will be the primary focus of the Aurors. And we will not stop hunting them until they have all been recaptured and brought to justice and no longer pose a threat to our world. The second goal will to be reform and strengthen the department of Aurors. You only have to spend a few minutes at the monument behind me to realize we lost a lot of good men and women in the final battle against Voldemort. Wizards and witches, both young and old, that we will never be able to replace. But for our own security, we must strengthen the ranks of those we do have. And we will make sure that they're better trained than ever before. To oversee this, I will bring in somebody from outside of the ranks of the Aurors. However, he has extensive experience in fighting Dark Wizards. Let me introduce Remus Lupin, our new Chief Auror." Arthur then paused and gestured towards the chair where Lupin sat on the stage.
Lupin stood for a moment on the stage and nodded briefly to the crowd as murmurs, whispers, and occasional clapping broke out in the crowd. Harry, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys were all on their feet clapping very loudly.
"To make our world more just, we will begin the task of reviewing our judicial system. It has come to our attention that there are a few practices which need to be revised in order to make the system more fair and equitable. There is no one more qualified to do this than Madame Bones. She has graciously agreed to retain her current post and head the committee which will be reviewing our code of laws and statutes. Thank you, Madame Bones." He paused and nodded to her as she stood and waved to the crowd as well.
"Finally, to make our world more open, with the aid of both Remus Lupin and Madame Bones, we will be reaching out to the rest of the magical world. Of the many lessons we learned from the defeat of Voldemort, I can think of few more important than the need to encourage cooperation and friendship with all other magical beings. Therefore, I fully intend to extend the hand of fellowship to all who will receive it. Some may be concerned about establishing new relationships with the elves, the dwarves, the goblins, the merpeople, the centaurs, the giants, or the dragons. In response I say look around you at this field. Without their aid, and the aid of numerous others as well, this battle well might have marked the end of our world. We were extremely fortunate to have some from a younger generation," he paused and glanced towards Harry and Hermione, "remind those of us from an older generation that sometimes we do need help from others. Had we tried to stand alone as wizards and witches against the allied forces of Voldemort, I fear we would have fallen. And if we are to avoid future dangers and threats, we must be willing to work with others of the magical world to confront and overcome them.
I do not promise an easy road ahead. Some of these changes will be difficult to achieve, let nobody doubt that. But the benefits for our children, and theirs will make it more than worthwhile. We will struggle to make a world that is more safe, more just, and more open so that they in turn can better face the challenges of their time. We know the tasks that lie before us, now let us summon the courage to face them. We have overcome tremendous challenges in the past, and it is my firm belief that together we can, and will, do so again. It is my pleasure to work with you in achieving these noble goals. Thank you."
Most of the crowd began cheering loudly, but there were small pockets of people who appeared less than enthused about what they had heard. As Arthur, Dumbledore, Lupin, and Madame Bones descended the platform, they were immediately surrounded by reporters buzzing with questions. Harry had hoped to get a chance to talk to one of them about the escaped assassin, but he realized he couldn't do that with so many people and reporters around. Molly whistled softly, indicating that it was time to return to the Burrow. Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley boys Apparated back, while Ginny and her mother returned with the portkey.
Molly prepared an enormous celebration dinner for everyone before they returned to school early that evening. Arthur managed to escape the press and the Ministry for half an hour to visit and eat. There was plenty to talk about and finally Molly had to insist that Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione return to Hogwarts. Harry tried not to worry about the escaped assassin and enjoy the evening afternoon and evening with his closest friends.
The four returned to Hogsmeade with the twins but instead of going to the shop, they spent another hour at the Three Broomsticks visiting. Finally, Hermione insisted that they return to school, since they would all have classes in the morning. Reluctantly, the other three agreed.
Harry teleported them all back to the Gryffindor common room, where they eagerly explained the day's events to the other Gryffindors. Everyone seemed very happy for Ron and Ginny, and organized an impromptu celebration party for them. Tired from the day's excitement, Harry finally left the party quietly and headed up to his room.
Pulling off his robes, he noticed a small scroll lying on his bed. Puzzled, he looked around but saw nobody. Cautiously, he cast several detection spells before touching the scroll. Unrolling it, he read: "Harry, Please meet me at the Astronomy tower tonight at ten. There is something very important I need to discuss with you. Come alone." Harry could find no signature, but the handwriting itself was very nice, with lots of big loops. And he thought he detected a whiff of something flowery as well.
"Mione. Do you have a minute?"
"Actually, I'm still out on patrol right now, why?"
"Oh, never mind then."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll sort it out myself. I'll talk to you later."
Harry headed downstairs only to find the celebration still in full swing and both Ron and Ginny looked busy visiting with friends. Glancing at his watch, he noticed it was almost ten. Gripping his wand firmly, he stepped back up the steps and disappeared.
A moment later he breathed deeply in the night air. The air was cool and crisp, with just a hint of the flowers he had detected on the scroll. So whoever had written the note was in fact here on the tower. But there were no other scents he could detect that did not belong on the tower. His sharp eyes glanced around quickly, looking for possible dangers. There was nothing in the sky above, and apart from the robed figure over by the side of the parapet watching the trapdoor that opened to the tower's roof, there was no hint of a trap or ambush. He still wasn't sure how the note had gotten into his room, but it did not seem like this was some trick of the Death Eaters or the escaped assassin. He gazed quickly at the figure again, just to make sure it wasn't a Yonnua. It wasn't. So who was it?
Harry resheathed his wand and walked closer to the darkly robed figure. The figure turned slightly and Harry caught a flash of silvery blonde hair hidden in the hood.
He froze in shock. He then uncloaked his invisibility and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about Gabrielle?"
She jumped and exclaimed, "Harry! You just about scared me to death! Why are you sneaking up on me?"
"I…uhh…I didn't mean to startle you. But your note was pretty mysterious and I still have enemies out there. I thought it might be a trap…"
"Oh, Harry, I didn't mean to frighten you…" She quickly covered the distance between the two and threw her arms around him. "I mean, I'm sure you weren't frightened, you're so brave after all…"
Harry's mind was spinning. What was going on here? Instinctively, Harry grabbed her arms gently, pulled them away, and stepped back. "What…what did you want to talk to me about Gabrielle?" Harry was having a hard time focusing, especially with Gabrielle so near.
"Well, I never got a chance to properly thanking you for rescuing me from the merpeople, Harry," she explained as she stepped closer again and shook her hair as she looked up at Harry.
"Uhh…that's quite alright. They wouldn't really have done anything to you or the others."
"Well, we didn't know that at the time." She was very close to Harry again. "I just wanted to talk with you, Harry, to get to know you a little better. It's so hard to get a chance, we don't have any classes together and you always seem to be with your friends."
"Uhh…well," stammered Harry. Something was wrong, why couldn't he seem to think straight, why were his thoughts reeling? As Gabrielle began speaking again, he found himself staring intently at her bright blue eyes, her cascading hair flowing over her shoulders. Her lips were moving closer and suddenly brushed his very lightly.
Harry jumped back as if had been burned. His mind cleared and instantly his mental defenses were back in place. His anger flared as he realized how her veela charms had slowly undermined his mental defenses. He had underestimated the power a veela could have if she focused all of her attention on only one person. He would never make that mistake again.
His eyes burned bright, and Gabrielle, misunderstanding, smiled. As Harry opened his mouth so speak, they both saw a bright flash of blue light by the trapdoor. A signal spell of some sort he realized. While Harry spun around to look in the sky to try and find whatever had been signaled, Gabrielle sprang forward, threw her arms around Harry, and kissed him again. Harry once again tried to push her away, but she was stronger than she appeared.
Suddenly the trapdoor snapped open and out climbed a slim, lithe figure with bushy hair. Gabrielle loosened her grip and Harry managed to push her away. He then froze when he saw the angry glance etched on her face as she stood by the open trapdoor.
"What the hell is going on here?" demanded Hermione.
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