Unofficial Portkey Archive

Professor Dumbledore sighed wearily as he sat in a high-backed chair in the staff room at Hogwarts. He was waiting for the rest of the teachers to arrive, including the ones that were currently residing at Illustris. It was time to tell them of the terrible news.

The old wizard steepled his long fingers in front of his face before closing his eyes and thinking deeply. Voldemort had managed to skirt around him once more and Dumbledore was troubled greatly by this. After all the efforts he had gone through to try and protect Ron, he had been kidnapped right under his nose.

Dumbledore's thoughts were broken as the door swung open and a parade of teachers marched inside the room. All looked grim and solemn, as if they knew bad news was about to be told to them.

As Professor Snape closed the door behind him, Dumbledore lowered his hands and waved his wand, several chairs appearing before him.

"Please, all of you," he said quietly, "sit."

Once everyone was seated, Dumbledore sighed and stared at them over his half-moon spectacles. He hated being the bearer of such bad news but it was necessary for them all to know so they could deal with all the students properly. Dumbledore had a feeling that once this news was told to the students, loyalties and divisions would be seen.

"I am sorry to say that I must tell you all of some terrible happenings," Professor Dumbledore finally began. "Last night, a servant of Lord Voldemort snuck on to the grounds of Hogwarts and impersonated a student here. He then lured another student outside where the servant proceeded to stun and kidnap his victim away from the grounds."

There was a collective gasp from many of the teachers. Professor Sprout looked ready to faint in her chair and Professor McGonagall had to put a steadying hand on her shoulder. Professor Snape gritted his teeth and stared straight into Dumbledore's eyes.

"Is it who I think it is?" he questioned softly.

Dumbledore nodded gravely and Snape became even more grim looking.

"Who, Albus? Who is the student?" Professor Flitwick squeaked in a whisper.

"Ronald Weasley."

Madame Pomfrey's eyes went wide in horror.

"Oh, Albus," she said quickly. "This is terrible, most terrible. This will affect the Heirs greatly, especially Harry, Ginny, and Hermione."

"I know, Poppy," Dumbledore said, leaning forward. "They will be told, though I am not looking forward to the anger some of them will most certainly have."

Snape sneered. "Miss Weasley shall be kept in check."

"Oh, it is not Miss Weasley I am worried about," Dumbledore said.

A look of understanding crossed Snape's face. "Potter," he spat.

Dumbledore nodded but said nothing more on the subject.

"But why?" McGonagall spoke up. "Why does You-Know…..oh goodness, Voldemort, need Mister Weasley?"

Dumbledore sat back in the chair once more and closed his eyes. A deep sadness over not protecting Ron better came over him. He needed to finish his discussion with the teachers though.

Reopening his eyes, he spoke. "The Prophecy of Merlin is contained within the Department of Mysteries. As most of you well know, a prophecy can only be retrieved by someone whose name resides on the prophecy. When the Prophecy of Merlin was studied more in depths over the past decade or so, four names were assigned to it, the names of four students who these people believed to be the Four Heirs. All were assigned correctly except for one. In place of Draco Malfoy, Ronald Weasley was put down to be the Heir of Slytherin, for no one believed a Malfoy to be a chosen Heir. They were wrong, of course, but Mister Weasley's name remains on the Prophecy."

He stopped and saw that though some of the teachers were confused, the rest understood his meaning and what the kidnapping of Ron had to deal with.

"Surely, you don't mean….." Remus Lupin couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Yes, Voldemort will be taking Ron to the Department of Mysteries in the hopes of stealing the Prophecy of Merlin…..and finally learning the Key of the Heirs."

Utter silence followed his words as fear struck in the hearts of all that were there.

…………………………

Theodore Nott stood in the corner of the Slytherin Common Room, smiling cruelly as he remembered the news that Professor Dumbledore had told the student body at breakfast that day. Ronald Weasley had been kidnapped and was now in the clutches of Lord Voldemort. So the plan had succeeded without him.

The dark haired boy frowned slightly at this, still wondering why his part of the plan had fallen through. The Dark Lord had made no more contact with him and he was anxious as to why.

It's Wormtail's fault, he thought bitterly.

The stupid fool was a blubbering idiot who couldn't remember one mission from the next. Nott at least felt some satisfaction in the fact that he would not be blamed for Pettigrew's mistake.

He watched as groups of Slytherins slowly started to leave the Common Room to head to the Great Hall for dinner. Smiling grimly once more, he realized it was now time to begin the divide. The Dark Lord had sent him a special note many months ago when he was first asked to help with the Mudblood-loving Weasley's kidnapping. He was told that once Ron was out of the way, he would have to start the divide down Hogwarts. It was left to him to try and shake the sturdy foundations of the school that Dumbledore had built up so carefully.

Nott knew just where to start.

Smirking, he swept from the deserted Common Room and walked calmly to the Great Hall. With just his luck, the very person he wanted to see was starting to enter several paces in front of him. Quickening his steps, he slowed and bent to whisper in the blonde's ear.

"Nice job, Loony," he sneered, "getting Weasley out of the way like that. I must say, I never thought you to betray him."

Luna stiffened and whirled around, her gaze serene but her voice harsh.

"And what would you know about that?"

"Oh," he chuckled mockingly, "so much more than you think. Dumbledore believes you, does he? Are you so sure everyone else does?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her as Hannah Abbott gave Nott a very nasty look and dragged Luna away before they walked to their separate tables. Knowing he had shaken the young girl, he sneered even more and walked confidently into the Hall. It was time to start the biggest plan of all.

He stopped just inside the doors and raised his wand, letting a loud bang of smoke let loose from it. The happy chattering fell away, students and teachers turning to stare in shock at the Slytherin. Dumbledore said nothing to rebuke him, only sadness etched his face, for this was what he had been expecting. As Professor Flitwick rose angrily to stop Nott, Dumbledore waved his hand to signal the teacher to stay put. No one could interfere.

Nott stared all around at the four tables and smirked widely. He finally spoke in a booming voice.

"It is time for all of you to make a choice. Whether or not you pick the right one is up to you but I warn you, to go against Lord Voldemort will surely mean your death."

A gasp of fear rose up as he spoke the Dark Lord's name. He laughed harshly and continued on in a superior tone.

"The War has begun. You must now choose your side and decide if you will perish with Dumbledore or have victory with the Dark Lord." He paused. "Or you could be like Loony Lovegood here and betray both sides."

Another gasp echoed in the Hall as Luna sat up straight and glared somewhat hatefully at the Slytherin. Seamus Finnegan stood up suddenly and shouted above everyone's heads.

"Go boil your head, Nott. You think the Light will lose? I wouldn't put so much faith in your Dark Lord. I stand with Dumbledore."

"Just like a Gryffindor," Nott spat in anger. "I suppose all the pansy Hufflepuffs will stick with Dumbledore as well."

A noise of protest rose up from the Hufflepuff table, several flushing with rage. Most of the Ravenclaws seemed outraged as well, along with a very small handful of Slytherins. All the students were now on their feet, some starting menacingly toward Nott. That was when a group of Slytherins darted forward and came between the angry students and Nott.

"What have we here?" Pansy Parkinson simpered nastily. "Stupid brave Gryffindors and all their little sidekicks. You think you can win? Ha! No one can match the Dark Lord!"

Cho Chang suddenly pushed to the front of the Ravenclaws and put her hands on her hips, staring Pansy down.

"I always thought you were a Death Eater, Parkinson," she snapped, tossing her black hair over her shoulder. "We're no fools and we know we are picking the side of the right and the side of justice and peace. You-Know-Who will never match up to Dumbledore and the Heirs of the Founders!"

A scoffing noise came from Nott. "You put so much faith in your little Heirs. Do you really think Potter, a Mudblood, a Mudblood lover, and a traitor to the Dark will succeed against the almighty powers of Voldemort? You lot are even more stupid then I thought!"

Shouts of anger rang out and several students lunged forward to attack the Slytherins. Surprisingly, a small number of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs broke away to join the evil Slytherins, believing in the cause of the Dark and only that side winning. A fair number of students stood off to the side, not joining in the fight and picking neither side. All the Gryffindors, a few Slytherins, and most of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws stood with Dumbledore and the Heirs though.

Wands were drawn and duels broke out among students. Nott had tackled Blaise Zabini to the ground and kept yelling "Traitor!" over and over again. Pansy Parkinson and Cho Chang were caught in a nasty duel, hexes and curses being shouted back and forth. Several fist fights joined in the mess and very soon it was hard to tell where separate fights were taking place. Everyone was battling.

The teachers quickly raced from their seats as the fighting broke out. Dumbledore gave a very harsh yell and swung his wand at the group. A loud bang echoed and the students were all flung backwards from each other, landing in small, dazed heaps. The fury on Dumbledore's face was so intense that students on all sides cowered in fear. Only Nott stood up and glared back.

"Enough!" the old wizard shouted. "I have seen enough! Students will return to their Houses immediately and will be dealt with later. I expected a divide in Hogwarts but nothing of this magnitude."

As students began to humbly walk out of the Great Hall, Nott gazed in rage at Dumbledore and shouted back.

"No! I'm no longer a part of Hogwarts and your idiotic rebellion of the Dark Lord! It is time the Loyal join where they belong. Good-bye, Dumbledore, we shall meet on the battlefield."

And he turned on his heel and strode from the hall. The students on his side sneered and spat at Dumbledore and his faithful students before following in Nott's wake. Several teachers started to follow them as well, in hopes to stop the former students but Dumbledore quickly halted them.

"No," he said wearily, "let them go. They have chosen their side and their loyalties. There is nothing more we can do for them. Their fate lies with Voldemort now."

A deep, sad silence followed his words and it seemed as if a penetrating coldness had descended on the Great Hall. The remaining students were all either wide-eyed or in tears, fearful and waiting.

"Go, all of you," Dumbledore said very quietly in a kind voice. "I thank you for your loyalties to me, the Heirs, and Hogwarts. All of you shall play a role in the War and I ask that you remain strong and do not falter because we have lost some. The War is truly upon us now and the divide has been made. Let it be known that Houses no longer exist in the sense of separating us. We are to be united as one now, as Hogwarts only. We are all fighting for the same cause, for preserving the Light and destroying Voldemort. Do not forget this. No matter how dark times may get, we will prevail in the end."

With those words, the students felt hope fill them and they all slowly left the Hall, feeling a power radiating from Dumbledore like never before. They were ready and willing to fight. Loyalties had been drawn but no doubts were held in their minds any more.

………………………

Far off in Illustris, the Heirs of Hogwarts sat in their Common Room, each one silent and deep in thought. A deep and overwhelming sadness had been over them all day, as if they could sense something was not right. Hermione felt it stronger than all of them and had been shaking for hours, close to tears and muttering under her breath.

As the clock ticked on, they grew more and more nervous. They craved and dreaded news at the same time, wishing for anything to happen.

And when the portrait entrance opened and a solemn Professor McGonagall entered to relate the news of Ron and the divide at Hogwarts, none of the Heirs realized how much was going to change with her simple words. They would be mirroring the divide at Hogwarts and distrust would lay between them all.

The Key was being buried and the Light was poised to fall.

.....................

Author's Note: Another update finally! I'm apologize for the much shorter chapter but this is meant to be another one of those "filler" chapters. Many of you may not like this chapter but I find it quite necessary. It's here to show what's going on outside of the Heirs, because, naturally, many students will want to fight in the War as well. I actually like this chapter and even though it is short, I needed it to be in this story. I do hope you all enjoyed it anyways! :) I give a little hint at the end as to what will be happening in the next chapter so be on the look-out for that! I hope to have it up soon!
Btw, I noticed a mistake I made in the previous chapter. When the teachers came to help the Heirs I forgot to mention Lupin and Moody, which is a big whoops on my part. I say you can either call it a writing error by me or that the two of them were off doing an Order mission for Dumbledore, I'd like to think it's the latter, :). Sorry about that, I'm actually surprised no one caught it, haha, which may be a good thing! I do hope you liked this chapter though and I am sorry about the shortness! Please review! I appreciate the vast number I've gotten so far, they keep me going! :)
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