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The Weak Fall First by elizabella
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The Weak Fall First

elizabella

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Harry and Ron looked at each other, panic sparking in their eyes. Hermione squealed excitedly and clapped her hands. "Oooh I wondered when they'd come! Katey Bell told me she got hers in July, but I suppose ours are late because of the whole Voldemort thing. I was actually rather worried, weren't you? Oh this is great! Come on you two, lets - what?" Hermione stopped babbling as she notices the looks of amazement on their faces. Harry spoke first "This 'whole Voldemort thing'?" he said with amusement. She just rolled her eyes "Well, you know what I mean. OWLs are so important! The most important thing in our whole lives so far! Oh come on!" and she hurried out of the room, leaving two amazed boys behind her. "Mental that one. Totally mental!"

Ron got up slowly and looked around at Harry "Well mate, I guess we should get this over with. I mean, I can't have done worse than the twins right? They only got six each. I might get eight, or nine, I mean, its not the end of the world right? If I fail them all I mean." They walked down to the kitchen very slowly, both looking as if they'd rather be anywhere else other than there. As they reached the kitchen door, a shriek came from within the room, and Hermione burst through the door, running right into a very shocked Harry. She thrust a sheet of parchment under his nose, and he grabbed it and, with Ron looking over his shoulder, read:

Miss Granger,

Included is your results from your fifth year OWL testing, and a list of options for your sixth year studies. The lowest OWL score this year was four OWLs ("Oh that's got to be mine" Ron moaned), the highest is seventeen OWLs, and the average score is ten OWLs.

We are delighted to inform you that you have received a total of seventeen OWLs, which is the highest amount in the last fifty years.

Congratulations on your achievement,

M.S. Marshbanks

Hermione Granger

Results of the written tests of the OWL examinations:

E, Ancient Runes

O, Arithmancy

E, Astronomy

O, Charms

O, Defence against Dark Arts

O, Herbology

E, History of Magic

O, Muggle Studies

O, Potions

O, Transfiguration

Results of the practical tests of the OWL examinations:

A, Astronomy

O, Charms

O, Defence against Dark Arts

E, Herbology

O, Potions

O, Transfiguration

E, Care of Magical Creatures

These results give a total of 17 OWLs.

Harry picked up his own letter shortly after he finished congratulating Hermione and found out that, despite the gloomy voice in his head that said that he had failed them all, he had done surprisingly well. Nothing like Hermione's record number, but a respectable amount.

Harry Potter

Results of his written OWLs:

A, Astronomy

E, Charms

O, Defence against Dark Arts

A, Herbology

D, History of Magic

O, Potions

E, Transfiguration

A, Divination

Results of the practical OWLs:

P, Astronomy

E, Charms

O, Defence against Dark Arts

A, Herbology

O, Potions

E, Transfiguration

E, Care of Magical Creatures

P, Divination

These results give a total of 13 OWLs.

"Ooh well done Harry! that's really really good! Wow! You did rally well in potions didn't you? Bet Snape's going to be thrilled." Hermione said after reading Harry's results. Harry looked at Ron, who was staring at his own sheet with his mouth open. Harry was relieved that he looked slightly less green than before. "Err, what did you get Ron?" he asked. "I.. I…wow…I got ten! that's really good right? Well, its better than the twins anyway, and it's the average. So I did ok didn't I?"

Hermione and Harry looked at each other, defiantly not expecting this reaction. Hermione thought Ron would be really upset and mad when he got less that Harry. Not that I thought he would get less than Harry of course! She thought guiltily. "That's great Ron! Your mum will be really pleased!"

~*~*~*~

The next day, an Order meeting was held. To their surprise, Harry, Ron and Hermione were asked to attend. Hermione wondered what was going on, they hadn't been allowed to go to any previous meetings, and nothing had changed, so why were they allowed now? She told Harry this, but he just shrugged and said that its better than sitting upstairs, not knowing what's going on. She had to agree.

They all went into the meeting room, and sat at by the wall, near the front. They attracted a few curious glances as seats filled up around them, but no-one said anything, until Snape walked in. He froze when he saw them, his lips curled into his usual sneer, eyes locked on Harry's. Hermione got the feeling they were having some sort of private battle, their hate for each other had not lessened, as she hoped, as Harry had continued with the Occlumency lessons all through the summer, but if anything their hatred seems only to increase, if it were possible. Finally, Snape stalked to his usual seat at the back, and sat there sulking, glaring at anyone who looked his way.

Dumbledore strode into the room, and silence fell. Hermione noticed that the usual twinkle had gone from his eyes, and he was looking very grave. Everyone's attention was fixed on him. He looked around at them all, his eyes resting on the three teenagers for the longest time. Finally he spoke. "I have called you all here today because there is a very serious matter I wish to discuss with you all.

'Some of you may be wondering why Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are present. This is because what I have to say concerns them more than most of you.." There were some surprised murmurings following this, and Hermione exchanged glances with Ron and Harry.

Dumbledore continued "Mr Ollivander has been found, and is recovering at St. Mungo's from his ordeal. This may come as a surprise to you, as it has not been reported in the daily prophet. they have been asked not to report the events of last night as it would create a panic across the wizarding community if known.

'A team of Aurors from the Ministry tracked down Mr Ollivander to an old mansion in the north of England, not far from Hogwarts. They entered the mansion after undoing a number of particularly nasty spells to keep unwanted visitors out, loosing two Aurors in the process. When they entered the mansion they found it empty, other than the complex trapping spells placed around the main hall on the second floor. When they managed to gain access to the hall, their number was down from the original twenty to only three. These three Aurors went into the hall, and found it almost empty, with only two people inside. One was Mr Ollivander, near dead, and the other was his captor, a woman. The Aurors have told us nothing other than her name, as they are currently in no state to be telling anyone anything. St Mungo's healers are currently trying to break the vicious spells placed upon them; if they try to speak about what happened within the hall they suffer severe pain. Mr Ollivander is the same, but he did manage to tell us something. His captor's name is Azalea Rookwood, Hector Rookwood's sister. I'm sure a few of you may remember her from Hogwarts. She has got the Staff of Amaror, and, it seems she knows how to use it."

~*~*~*~

The previous night….

She looked down on the Aurors as they struggled with her spells outside the mansion. A cruel smile was on her perfect lips and her blue eyes sparkled with malicious amusement as she watched the second Auror go down under the pressure of those simple spells. She has placed them there even before she knew how the Staff worked. They were weak, she was weak. But now she would grow strong. Now the sapphire atop the Staff, her Staff, glowed a brilliant blue. But she still couldn't do a lot with it though, there was a lot more to find out.

She turned back to the man on the floor. She sighed. Her patience was fast running out. It had taken her the best part of a week to find out how to activate the Staff. She needed to know how to use it properly, and fast. Those Aurors wouldn't dawdle to long outside, soon they would find a way inside. She needed to be prepared.

She walked over to him, and aimed a kick at his already broken ribs. He groaned in pain. She hauled him to his feet by his hair and held him up by a trickle of power from the Staff. She slowly circled him, frowning. How to get what she wanted? She had already broken all his fingers, cracked his ribs and broken his legs. All very slowly and carefully, making sure he felt every second of it. And still he would not tell her anything.

In the end she resorted to, in her opinion, the dullest form of torture, the cruciatus curse.

For a whole week that continued until he told her the words to speak to activate the Staff.

But that was hours a go. She had left him alone for the past few hours, but now she wanted answers. She continued to pace, frowning. She could hear them now, running through the mansion's empty rooms. They were probably wondering where everyone was. She had made all her men dissaperate over an hour a go, when the Aurors first appeared. She didn't want any of her men to die just yet.

She hit the wand-maker once again, and whispered in his ear "You've told me how to activate it, what is there to lose in telling me how to use it? I'll find out anyway. But if you tell me, maybe I wont kill you. I might even let you go. So c'mon, how does this thing work?" he was still grimacing in pain, and she realised that with four broken ribs he probably couldn't speak. She flicked her wand and healed him. Well, just the ribs. Broken legs wouldn't stop him from talking.

"Ok, ok. I'll tell you" he whimpered, breathing in deeply, and, for the first time in days, without too much pain. "You've activated it, but to use it fully you need to use a great deal of power. You need to sacrifice someone pure of heart and drain his blood into the sapphire."

Silence followed this, interrupted only by the various screams of the Aurors outside the room.

She frowned. "Why did you tell me this wand-maker?" she said quietly, dangerously. He chuckled softly "Because you're never going to find anyone that good and pure. Someone like you would never even be able to recognise how good hearted he really is. And he's too well protected, you'd never get near him!" she waved her wand and pain came crashing down on him again. "Oops, I think that's all of your ribs broken now." she smirked. He had unintentionally told her who it was she needed to find.

Suddenly the doors were blasted open, and the remaining Aurors came in, their wands trained on her. She smiled at them. Luckily for them, she was in a very good mood. She would spare them, send them back as a message to Dumbledore that she was not to be messed with.