Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. And that's the truth. Pbbbbttttt.
A/N: So many people commented on the scene in the Kwik-E-Burger! It makes me so happy... it was so much fun to write!
Well, I've gotten the "shorter" part down, now it's time to work on the "faster." Lately, chapters have been 20-30 pages every 2-3 weeks. When I first started this story, chapters were 5-10 pages every 7-10 days. That's what I'm shooting for... to help speed us through the rest of August.
Thank you, MapleMountain, for your invaluable help and observations!
Again, similarities to Book 6 are entirely intentional... AS ARE the differences.
Chapter 23. Revelations.
"VOLDEMORT!" Harry gasped out, tightening his grip on her arm even further. "Something's happened! He's furious!"
"We know, Harry," she said soothingly behind him. "The dementors have attacked Azkaban."
"The dementors have attacked Azkaban?" Harry asked, though he knew it was true. He'd seen it in his mind: Azkaban. He hadn't known it was Azkaban, but he saw it. The dark shadows he saw flying around it must've been the dementors. The light shadows he saw were probably Patronuses from the guards.
Harry quickly looked around the room. Everyone still wore looks of concern on their faces. Ginny appeared near tears; Ron was so pale one might think he'd been told Quidditch was canceled and the Hogwarts house elves had gone on strike. Dan and Emma appeared to be to the most affected by it however.
Harry remembered Dan telling him that he'd picked up on enough in Hermione's letters that he knew far more happened than she told them. Harry suspected however that even if she'd told them everything, hearing about it would be nothing compared to actually seeing it first hand.
"Ron, would you...?" Hermione asked quietly as waved her hand towards the floor.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Ron mumbled as he shook his head to snap himself out of the daze he was in. He drew his wand and vanished the remnants of Harry's lunch. With a perfect cleaning charm, the carpet was as good as new. Ginny then thoughtfully performed an air freshening charm.
"A life saving charm to know when you have six older brothers," Ginny explained with a slight smile as she reached up brush away her unshed tears. Everyone laughed a little at that, even Ron, and this lightened the mood considerably.
Harry felt Hermione's arms and hands apply slightly upwards pressure, encouraging him to stand. He still was slightly dizzy; he held onto her as he rose.
"What happened?" he asked once he was standing and Hermione had let go of him.
"We don't really know yet," the Minister replied. Harry turned his head to look at Minister Bones and found the room spinning again. He could feel that Voldemort was gone, but the double vision and the foreign thoughts and feelings flowing through him earlier created a disorientation that was hard to shake.
Behind him and seeing him wobble slightly, Hermione steadied Harry by grabbing hold of his arms so that he would not fall.
"Whatever it is, it is still going on," the Minister continued. Her hands tightened around the two slips of parchment that came out of the box on her desk. "So far, we've received only two communications. The first, from Mr. Scrimgeour, a very brief one saying merely 'dementor attack.' The second was a few minutes later from the Aurors arriving there, confirming the attack."
"And?" Harry asked impatiently. He then felt Hermione, who was still holding onto him, squeeze his arm ever so lightly. He didn't mean to be rude, but the suddenness of the situation, the gravity of it, had him wound tightly.
"Has there been any update?" he asked much more calmly.
"No," Madam Bones replied, "but that's to be expected if they're in the middle of a fight."
Harry nodded. He needed to sit down. The pain was gone, the dizziness was gone, but he was weak, tired. The writhing of his muscles when he was on the floor had exhausted him.
"I need to sit down," he said as he headed for the nearest chair. Hermione let go of him to allow him to walk but followed, sitting down beside him. Right as he sat, his stomach let out a very loud growl, followed by a gurgle. He was no longer nauseous; now he was simply hungry. His stomach had been emptied, after all.
Harry could see that everyone else had heard it too and was looking at him oddly. He realized that it was entirely possible that the noise his stomach made was such that it might have been interpreted as something else.
"That was my stomach, I swear," he assured them. Everyone laughed.
"Well, at least you didn't try to blame it on your owl," Ginny said to Harry with a grin.
"Hey!" Ron complained. "What is this? 'Take-the-Mickey-Out-of-Ron' Day?"
"Ginny never said it was you," Hermione pointed out to him with a smile. "You just implicated yourself."
Ron thought about it for a second. "Damn it," he swore, then thought for another moment. "In that case, it was Fred!" Everyone began to laugh again.
"Fred does not have an owl," Ginny reminded him smugly. Ron did not try for a third.
"Blimey, Harry. Are you hungry again? We all just ate!" Ron teased, trying to change the subject. Harry was very relieved that Hermione had laughed at all the jokes. Though he tried to hide it, he was absolutely mortified that... she'd been caught in the line of fire.
"Minister, do you have a cafeteria or tearoom here, somewhere where I can get something for Harry to eat?" Emma asked.
"Oh, yes. It's down off of the Atrium. The doorway's near the fountain. Would you like me to have something sent up for you?" she offered.
"Oh, no thank you," Emma graciously declined. "I'll go get it. A brief walk will help settle my nerves," she explained. She then looked at her daughter. "Hermione, dear, would you like to come with me to get something to eat?"
"No," Hermione politely, but firmly, declined. Harry was completely caught by surprise by her reply. Though she was nice about it, he'd never heard her say no to her mother like that before.
The only thing that surprised him more was that Emma did not at all seem surprised or upset by her daughter's response. In fact, she actually nodded her acceptance (though maybe not approval) of her decision. Emma then turned to Ginny.
"Ginny, would you care to show me the way?" she asked hopefully. "Besides, it'll give me a chance to get to know one of my daughter's other best friends a little better without all the men around... woman to woman."
Ginny turned to look at her father, silently asking his permission. Arthur turned to look at Harry; Ginny saw and followed his gaze. Both appeared to be asking him the same thing: was it safe for them go down?
Harry tried to concentrate his focus on every sensation he'd ever felt or associated with Voldemort. There was nothing... just like it had been for weeks. Harry nodded back to Arthur and Ginny.
Emma took hold of Ginny's hand as they headed for the door, which opened before them. As they walked out, Ginny asked loudly, obviously for all to hear, "So, Mrs. Granger. What's the most embarrassing thing Hermione's ever done?"
As the door closed behind them, an anxious Hermione looked at her father. "She wouldn't tell her, would she?" she asked Dan, sounding somewhat mortified.
"Nah," he replied; Hermione nodded then looked down at the floor, relieved. Dan then shot Harry a quick wink. "At least I don't think she would," he added. Hermione's head shot up.
Before she could say anything though, a soft, pleasant chime rang, similar to the one they heard before entering the Minister's office.
Madam Bones walked over to her desk at looked at another piece of parchment that was adhered to the top. After reading it, she picked up her wand and flicked it towards her door, opening it.
"He's here," she said with a smile, sounding relieved. "A new record, I do believe."
In to the Minister of Magic's office strode the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore. The door closed behind him. Rather than the robes of varying color that he always usually wore however, today Harry's headmaster wore the plum-colored robes with the ornate silver 'W' of the Wizengamot.
"My apologies, Minister, for not being here sooner," Albus greeted Madam Bones, shaking her hand. "However when one of the young Aurors in the room blurted out where he was off to in such a hurry, you'd think that more than a few of my esteemed colleagues appeared quite flustered by the news. If one were so inclined to believe, one might even suspect they were panicked.
"I however am quite secure in the belief that they merely ate something that did not agree with them, and were most anxious to depart to avail themselves of the facilities," Dumbledore continued as he looked at Harry, the usual twinkle in his eye as bright as ever.
"And speaking of what goes down must come up," he continued as he put his hand on Harry's shoulder, "I saw Mrs. Granger and Miss Weasley fetching you a replacement meal as I was speaking with the Minister's assistant," Dumbledore said, turning back to the Minister.
"Promising young man, Minister. Graduated, what, three years ago? Class of '93. Prefect in fifth and sixth years, and if I was forced to render an honest opinion, quite possibly the best Head Boy we've had in the last fifteen years," he continued, keeping his gaze fixed on her.
"All in all, an ideal student and the perfect representative," he said as he turned a weighted stare to Harry, "of the House of Slytherin." Dumbledore then turned to make greetings to Hermione, Dan, Ron, and Arthur.
"I confess: I do so enjoy visiting here, seeing so many former students. The day I am remembered more for my less important job," he continued, tilting his head in such as way as if he was admitting he really was wearing Wizengamot robes, "will be a sad one indeed."
Dumbledore's mood then became serious. "What news have you, Minister?"
"Very little, I'm afraid," she admitted, sitting back down behind her desk wearily, still clutching the slips of parchment. "I received word of the attack from Rufus not even ten minutes ago, followed a few minutes later by confirmation from the Aurors arriving on scene. As of this moment, nearly the entire Auror division is out there on the island. I am waiting for an update."
"All the Aurors?" Harry interrupted in worry. "What if it's a trick, to draw everyone away from here?"
"Which is why the entire Magical Law Enforcement division has been mobilized here within the Ministry building," Amelia assured Harry. "Of course, to avoid a panic, they all think it's one of my bloody annoying drills," she explained, obviously quoting someone. "The end result's the same though."
Harry nodded and began to think about it. The Minister seemed to have done everything she could. The Aurors had been dispatched (whilst he was unconscious, presumably), and the entire building was on alert... quietly, but on the alert, nonetheless.
"Have you any idea of what is happening, Albus?" Amelia asked.
"Many, I assure you," he replied with a small smile. "All, however, are purely speculation. I have no more knowledge of what goes though Lord Voldemort's head than do most," he said, continuing to look directly at the Minister.
"What do you think is happening, Harry?" Hermione asked suddenly.
Harry immediately looked at Dumbledore, unsure of whether he should say what he saw. Other than the prophecy, the fact of his unique connection with Voldemort was probably his most closely guarded secret. He saw out of the corner of his eye Hermione turning to look at the Headmaster also.
Well, maybe second most guarded secret, he thought to himself with a slight smile.
Almost as if he knew what Harry was thinking, Dumbledore turned to the Minister. "Might Harry and I have a few minutes alone please, Minister?"
"Of course," she readily agreed, standing up and starting for the door. She held out her arm towards the door, politely asking everyone else to follow her out. With a slight nod from Harry, Dan allowed himself to be ushered out of the office.
Harry was surprised at how happy he felt to see that both Hermione and Ron appeared none too eager to leave him. After what'd they both witnessed, he half feared them to bolt out the door given the chance. But... if they wanted to stay, he wanted them to also.
"No, wait, they can stay," Harry said of Hermione and Ron as they walked as slowly as possible to the door. He didn't even bother looking at them after he'd said it; he knew they'd both be happy. What he was concerned about was much larger than just a little peep show into Voldemort's mind.
He wanted them with him. He needed them with him. Both of them. But he knew it would be selfish and unfair of him to ask them or expect them to stand by his side if they did not know the truth... the entire truth, of what they were getting into.
"Are you sure, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Oddly, he appeared pleased, not inquisitive. Somehow, Harry knew that the Headmaster was not asking if he wanted them to remain in the room. He nodded and Hermione and Ron both sprinted to sit down in the chairs on either side of him.
Dumbledore then waved his wand towards the door and it closed itself. He then looked around the room, carefully and deliberately. Seemingly satisfied, he then nodded slightly to Harry to indicate that he should start.
As he began to consider what he was about to tell them, Harry could not help but smile and let a tiny laugh escape.
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry actually managed a genuine smile. "Oh, I was just thinking about how I'd told myself that the middle of Flourish and Blotts was neither the time nor the place to tell you about the prophecy. I guess I just never expected that only a few hours later, I would be telling you... in the middle of the Minister of Magic's office."
Hermione and Ron both started to open their mouths to ask something; they stopped however when they saw Dumbledore raise his hand slightly to ask them to remain silent for the moment. They both turned to look back at Harry.
"The prophecy was destroyed that night. However the sphere was merely a record of it. The person to whom it had been originally told still knew of it." Harry then paused for a moment, looking at Dumbledore for any indication that he should stop.
"When this person was interviewing a prospective employee," he began slowly and deliberately to allow Dumbledore a chance to indicate he should omit names (he didn't), "Professor Trelawney went into some sort of fit and made the prophecy. Since it was spoken to him, Professor Dumbledore was able to remember it perfectly."
Hermione and Ron both turned to look at the Headmaster. Since he was still watching and listening to Harry intently, they both turned back to him.
Harry took a deep breath before beginning. He'd only heard it once, but he knew he'd never forget the words as long as he lived. Somehow he suspected that they would be the only thing going through his mind the moment that he, or Voldemort, or both of them, met his death at the hand of the other.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal." Harry paused for a moment to take another breath.
"But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."
The silence within the office was absolute. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry nor Hermione or Ron made a sound. Harry stared at the floor in front of him, unable to look at either of his friends.
After a few moments that seemed to stretch out like centuries, Harry felt Hermione take hold of his hand and grasp it firmly. Up until now, anytime either of them had taken hold of the other's hand, for any reason, they'd literally just held hands. This time however, she interlaced her fingers with his, and then held tight. She said nothing. Nothing needed to be said.
Ron, seeing this, shuffled awkwardly in his chair. He put his own hand on Harry's shoulder, clapped it twice, gave it a reassuring squeeze, and then let go. Sounding slightly hoarse, he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry. You're my best mate, and I'll stand by you until the very end, but I'm not going to hold your hand." Harry turned to look at him. Ron was visibly affected by what he'd heard, but he was smiling slightly. Harry squeezed Hermione's hand briefly, then let his hand go completely lax, silently asking her to let go for a moment.
When she did, Harry got up and stood in front of Ron.
"Stand up, Ron," he asked. Ron quickly and nervously looked from him to Dumbledore to Hermione.
"Why?" he asked anxiously.
"Because I'm going to hug you." Ron again quickly looked from the Headmaster to Hermione again. He appeared panicked. Harry decided to do his best impression of Molly.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley! If you do not stand up this very moment, I'm going to kiss you as well!" Ron shot up out of his chair and happily agreed to Harry's original hug. To be kind to Ron however, Harry made it as short, masculine, and non-emotional as he could as he said "Thank you" to his best male friend.
Hermione was already standing by the time Harry turned around to face her. She certainly didn't seem to require any threats. As he gave her a hug (keeping it as brief as his arms would allow him, while keeping hold of her as long as he could without feeling too conspicuous), he whispered softly in her ear, "Thank you."
He wasn't sure, but he thought he felt her shiver slightly, but she gave no indication that anything was the matter.
Neither Hermione nor Ron asked Harry why he'd never mentioned the prophecy before now. Both seemed to already know the answer. Hermione was curious about one thing, however.
"When did you hear it, Harry?" Since she was looking at Harry when she asked, she did not see Dumbledore react ever so slightly to her question. Harry, who was still looking ahead, did.
"Professor Dumbledore told me right after we got back from the Ministry that night."
"Immediately after you got back?" she asked, her voice heavy. Harry turned to look at her. Her eyes narrowed and seemed to darken considerably. He nodded. Her head whipped to face the Headmaster and she stood up quickly.
"You told him he was destined to kill or be killed within MINUTES of witnessing his godfather be murdered?!" she asked dangerously as she slowly stalked forward. Dumbledore actually appeared caught unprepared by her reaction and took a small step backwards. He found himself backing into the Minister's desk.
Before she was too far away, Harry leaned forward and grabbed her hand to stop her. He held it tightly for a moment, then pulled slightly to ask her to sit back down. When Dumbledore saw that Harry was actually holding her back, he let out a pained sigh.
"Now, Miss Granger, I trust you understand what I meant by 'an old man's mistakes,'" he admitted. Harry squeezed her hand and gave a slight pull one more time, and she finally sat back down.
"What do you think is happening at Azkaban, Harry?" Hermione asked, clearly wanting to change the subject to something that didn't upset her as much.
Harry closed his eyes for a minute to try to remember what little he'd seen and felt.
"Voldemort's furious. He's been planning this for a while," Harry began to explain. "Soon after the attack began however, something wasn't right. Things started to go wrong. I don't know what, but whatever it was, it began to make him madder and madder.
"Finally, I think he realized that his plan had failed and his rage exploded. That's when I..." he trailed off as he unintentionally rubbed his scar. The vivid memory of the excruciating pain left a slight, almost itchy feeling, but nothing more.
Dumbledore listened attentively. "Do you really believe it was a trick to lure the Aurors away?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so," Harry finally decided. "It was just a first reaction, I think. After all, news of the attack came from Azkaban itself, not from him," he said as he tapped his forehead.
Dumbledore seemed to consider Harry for a moment. "Tell me, Harry. Save a few minutes ago, have you felt anything from Voldemort of late, since that night in June? Your scar... has it been hurting at all?"
Harry intentionally brought his hand to his forehead and slowly traced the lightning-shaped mark.
"No," he said. "Not that I'm complaining about it, but I really wasn't too focused on it at the time. With no news of Voldemort, either in the papers or up here," he said, again tapping his forehead, "I'd hoped that maybe he'd disappeared for a while, gone away for a while as he figured out what to do.
"Besides, the dreams I'd been having at the time kept me plenty occupied," he admitted as he recalled the nightmares that had plagued his time on Privet Drive. "And I could feel that those had nothing to with Voldemort."
"Any new dreams recently?" Dumbledore asked innocently, picking up on the nuance in Harry's choice of words.
Harry stared intently at the floor. He hoped he didn't blush. "None relevant to Voldemort," he answered honestly, not volunteering anything further.
"It would appear then, however, that your hopes were not to be," Dumbledore admitted. "Now, this is all speculation, mind you. After the incident with Nagini and Arthur, he realized the dangerous access you had to his thoughts and feelings. I suspect now that he allowed the connection to remain open at the time to give him an opportunity to plant false information in your mind.
"As you yourself have confirmed," Dumbledore continued, "I expect that you would now regard with much more suspicion and caution anything that Tom might attempt to place in your mind. I trust you are familiar with the expression, 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me'?" Dumbledore asked; Harry nodded.
"Thus, with little or nothing to gain from attempting to plant information in your mind, and everything to lose by accidentally allowing you into his, I suspect that he is now employing Occlumency against you."
"Voldemort's using Occlumency, against me?" Harry asked incredulously.
"For the obvious reasons I suspect, yes," Dumbledore confirmed. "Forgive me for being blunt, Harry, but Tom is an accomplished Occlumens. It would not take a great effort on his part to keep you, or anyone else not trained in Legilimency, out of his mind, especially as such... excursions... have been unintentional."
"But, then, what happened today?" Harry asked.
"That, Harry, is a very good question," Dumbledore observed. "Could I ask you to recall for me as much of what you experienced? Your thoughts... your feelings... anything that you can remember."
Harry did his best to describe everything he felt: from how he felt as though his thoughts and feelings were spiraling away from him, all the way to the increasing nausea and eventual rapid egress of his hamburger with extra pickles.
"How did it finally end?" Dumbledore asked, appearing quite interested in everything Harry had described.
"When I was lying on the floor, I could see what he was seeing. I knew I was still here, but I also knew I was somewhere else also. I felt as though I had to open my eyes... just to prove to myself I really was still here," Harry explained as he looked down at the slightly damp spot on the carpet. At least it was clean...
"When I opened my eyes, I could still see Azkaban, but I could also see the floor and Mr. Weasley's shoes. Seeing the two images overlapped certainly didn't help my stomach any," he quipped with a smile.
"And then, just like that, everything went away. It all stopped. The thoughts, the feelings, the pain, it all shut off like a switch," Harry explained. Dumbledore stood silently leaning against the Minister's desk for several moments looking contemplative.
"Again, this is all conjecture, however it seems reasonable and appears to fit the facts," the Headmaster explained. "I suspect that as the moment of the attack drew near, Tom's anticipation and focus on the upcoming allowed his concentration to drop slightly and you began to pick up on what he was feeling.
"You said that you saw what he saw?" Dumbledore confirmed. "And that it all 'shut off like a switch' when you opened your eyes?" Harry nodded.
"It's possible then, he was so angry that he completely dropped his defenses. You saw what he saw, and he... most likely saw what you saw, namely the floor of the office along with a pair of shoes. If he had, he would have immediately realized that you again had access to his mind, so he immediately blocked you out," the Headmaster suggested.
Harry thought about it for a few moments. It seemed as reasonable explanation as anything else. "What do we do now?" he asked anxiously.
Dumbledore looked over glasses at Harry for several moments. "Now, we will be patient," he said pointedly. "It is inadvisable to do anything without proper information. And unfortunately, at the moment, information is something we do not have in abundance."
Harry felt as though he should be doing something... but what?
"Remember, Harry, that a lack of offense does not mean that you are doing nothing," Dumbledore said, almost as if he knew what he was feeling. It would not surprise Harry if he did.
"Perhaps we will know more later, once we have word from Azkaban," the Headmaster suggested. Harry nodded again. "Unless there is anything more, I suggest we return the Minister's office to her," Dumbledore said with the usual twinkle in his eye.
* * *
A couple minutes after Dan, Arthur, and the Minister reassembled in her office, Emma and Ginny returned from the cafeteria. Emma was carrying a bowl; Harry instantly recognized the wiggling, wobbling dessert.
"Jelly?" he asked with a grin in genuine surprise.
Emma smiled fondly. "Strawberry. When Hermione was small, I would give her it to her after she was sick. She needed something to eat, and it's simple enough that her stomach didn't object too much to it," she explained.
While Harry proved there was always room for jelly, especially when one's stomach was empty, another slip of parchment appeared on the Minister's desk.
"The situation is contained. Someone will be here shortly to deliver a preliminary report," Madam Bones relayed the message, before crumpling up the slip and throwing it in the bin. She then slumped down into her chair.
Part of her appeared relieved that the news sounded hopeful, but there was also the sense that she was not entirely looking forward to the report.
"We've taken casualties," she assumed, speaking to no one in particular. "If the Aurors can't tell me immediately that all are well, then presumably we've sustained losses." She stared blankly at the first two original slips of parchment that were still sitting on her desk.
No one spoke until the report arrived. Everyone knew things were under control, but the suggestion of casualties darkened the mood. The hard part was the waiting: waiting to hear how bad it was or wasn't.
Finally, after about ten minutes of waiting, another soft chime was heard. Upon the door opening, Kingsley Shacklebolt walked in. Harry barely recognized him. Kingsley was a tall, powerfully built man. His stature and deep voice conveyed an image of great strength.
The man who walked through the door, though he had not a single mark on him, bore no resemblance to the Kingsley Harry knew. The man before him looked nearly lifeless. He seemed drained, defeated, devoid of the sparkle of life. Harry recognized the look immediately. Anyone who'd faced multiple dementors, and lived to tell of it, knew that look.
"Shacklebolt!" Madam Bones gasped in shock. "You look absolutely ghastly! Have you had any chocolate yet?"
Kingsley only barely shook his head, as if knew he was required to answer, but at the same point didn't really see the point in living. She immediately reached down, opened her bottom desk drawer, and started rummaging around. A moment later, she pulled out a slightly battered, though otherwise fine, bar of Honeyduke's chocolate.
"Here! Eat this immediately!" she ordered as she unwrapped it and broke off a large piece. "This is my emergency nibbles supply, but you have much more need of it than I."
Kingsley reluctantly took the chocolate. As he ate it, life could visibly been seen returning to his appearance. Madam Bones gave him the rest of the bar once he finished the first piece.
"Thank you, Minister," Kingsley said once he'd finished. "I came here straight away from Azkaban once it looked like everything was under control. There were still a couple of dementors there when I left, but they were surrounded." With the dementor's draining effect eliminated, Kingsley began to feel the aftereffects of his earlier adrenaline surge.
He began to shake slightly and his knees went weak. Dumbledore immediately conjured a very comfortable, squashy armchair.
"Merlin's ghost," Kingsley said quietly as he rubbed his hand over his face and allowed himself to sink into the chair. "Dementors everywhere. There must have been thirty or forty of them." The Minister allowed him a few moments to collect himself.
"Did you have a report for us?" she finally asked.
"Yes, Minister," Kingsley replied, sitting upright at attention. He pulled a scrap of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to the Minister. From the looks of it, its torn edges and messy scribbles, Harry could tell it was hastily prepared.
Madam Bones read what little writing there was. She swallowed hard, then put the scrap in her pocket. "Can you give me a brief recount of what happened?" she asked.
"The moment we got... Mr. Scrimgeour's message, we quickly summoned all the Aurors that were in the building, and recalled all within apparition range. We wanted to all Portkey in simultaneously. After a minute or so, we had about thirty of us and didn't want to wait any longer.
"While we all got into position and took hold of the special Azkaban Portkey, everyone spent that minute building up some happy memories. Everyone was told to cast a Patronus immediately upon arrival. We arrived and found the dementors there, waiting for us. The nearest dementor was only about five yards away, but fortunately, everyone was able to cast before they got too close. We all started to feel the cold immediately, but we'd all already cast.
"We'd banished maybe three-quarters of the dementors when a Death Eater landing party arrived," Kingsley said, then stopped for a moment. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. The dementors nearest them attacked them too!
"Not a single one of them even attempted to defend themselves. From the looks of things, they weren't expecting that. They were all kissed before any of them even got out of their boats. There were six of them in six boats. Presumably they were there to ferry prisoners far enough away to get free of the apparition and Portkey wards."
"Anything else?" the Minister asked.
Kingsley stared at the pocket where he'd seen her put the scrap of parchment, then shook his head. "That's all, so far. Other than doing a quick head count, no one's started looking at anything yet."
"Thank you for your haste in reporting," Amelia replied politely. "Are you certain that the situation was under control out there?"
"I wouldn't have left otherwise," Kingsley assured her.
"Mrs. Granger, was there any of that glorious chocolate cake left in the cafeteria when you were down there?" the Minister asked suddenly.
Emma, surprised that she was being addressed, took a moment to respond. "Four layers, filled with chocolate ganache and topped with whipped Honeyduke's?" she asked, looking at Ginny inquisitively to make sure she remembered the name correctly.
"Ohhhh yesssss, there is," Emma said dreamily. "If we weren't bringing Harry something to eat, we would've stayed down there and each gotten our own pieces," she said, winking at Ginny.
"Very well. Mr. Shacklebolt. Please report to the cafeteria, have a piece of cake, and then raid the kitchen for enough Honeyduke's to take to all of the Aurors still out there on Azkaban, Minister's orders. Once you feel the island is completely secure, contact the MLE investigators, and have them report out there to determine what exactly the hell happened."
"Yes, Minister," he replied enthusiastically. Evidently, Kingsley Shacklebolt was a fan of the way this new minister ran things. "Fortunately, with the dementors no longer guarding the prisoners, most of them are in good mental condition. We should get some reliable eyewitness accounts of what happened before we arrived."
"Oh, and by the way. The MLE staff thinks this is a drill," Madam Bones told him, to which he replied with a grin. "I didn't want to start a panic by allowing misinformation and speculation to run rampant. What was that expression again, Professor?" she then asked Dumbledore. "Need to know?
"At this very instant, only the investigators need to know," she informed Kingsley; he nodded in agreement. "Hopefully we will have some solid information from them before everyone goes home tonight. Oh, and please send Steve in on your way out."
"Thank you, Minister. I will have them report to you with whatever we have confirmed, no later than 16:45," Kingsley promised her, then left the office in search of his cake.
The Minister's assistant, Steve, came in only moments after Kingsley left.
"Yes, Minister?" he asked.
"Please send out a memo. No one leaves early tonight," she told him.
"Performance feedback on today's drill?" he asked in confirmation, genuinely unaware of what had happened.
Smiling, he explained upon the Minister's surprised look. "I saw the MLE guys come up here a few minutes ago, trying to look like they weren't doing anything in particular. And then Professor Dumbledore and Shacklebolt showed up. It's a likely guess."
Madam Bones smiled. "Something like that," she replied evasively. "But just keep the memo as I worded it, please," she asked.
"Yes, of course, Minister," he replied politely, then returned to his desk.
Once the door sealed behind him, she turned to Dumbledore with a smile. "I have to give him credit. An excellent Junior Assistant, and a smart young man. I never said anything to him about today's drill."
As she walked back to her desk, she put her hands in her pockets. Feeling the scrap of parchment she'd put in there earlier, she pulled it out and stared at it somberly. The lighter mood that had developed since cake had been brought into the picture immediately disappeared.
For those few moments (knowing that the attack hadn't succeeded), everyone seemed to be able to set aside the fact that there had been casualties. She stared at it as she slowly sat down in her chair.
"Minister?" Dumbledore asked gently.
Madam Bones set down the piece of parchment and looked up with unfocused eyes.
"Rufus Scrimgeour is dead," she said blankly. "Kissed. So are fifteen guards, the eight prisoners sent over today, and one already at Azkaban. All kissed by the dementors. And the six Death Eaters, of course," she added as an afterthought.
"Well, so much for spending the night at Harry's," Ron said before he could stop himself. He immediately looked horrified that he'd said it.
"RONALD!" Arthur shouted.
"Please, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore interrupted the elder Weasley male. "What were you saying?" he then asked the younger.
Ron appeared too stunned (and guilty) to speak. Dan stepped forward.
"Emma and I invited Ron and Ginny over to spend the night with us," he explained. "We were looking forward to a nice evening to better get to know our daughter's other two friends. Plus, we thought it might be fun for them," he said, sending a small grin to Arthur.
Dumbledore appeared slightly surprised, but pleased, by the offer. He considered it for a few moments.
"Well, I see no reason why your plans need be canceled because of this... little incident," he told them. Everyone except himself, Ron, and Ginny all looked as though they were about to say something when he cut them all off.
"We can not allow our lives to be ruled by the fear of what might happen," he said confidently, looking directly at Harry and Hermione. "If we do, Voldemort wins. Whatever will happen, will happen. All we can do is do our best to be prepared for when that moment comes. And in the meantime, we go on and continue to live our lives."
Dumbledore didn't know it, but both Harry and Hermione were hit hard by his words.
"The Grangers' house is as safe as I can make it. To be quite honest, I do not believe that Mr. and Miss Weasley would be any less safe there than at their current domicile. If an evening together for the four of you," Dumbledore said, indicating the teenagers, "would bring a small ray of sunshine into the storm clouds that have suddenly developed, than I most heartily suggest that you continue with your plans."
A large smile could be seen behind his moustache and long beard. "Who knows? Depending on what's for dinner, I might even pop in, with your permission," Dumbledore added, turning to Dan and Emma, who both nodded.
The Headmaster then pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it for a moment. "Well, I think that was a sufficiently long trip to the loo, don't you?" he asked to no one in particular. "I called a brief 'comfort break' after all of the Aurors in the room left suddenly. I must be getting back or else they shall be wondering where I've gotten off to.
"Good day, Minister," Dumbledore said, bowing his head slightly. "Good day," he then said, bowing slightly towards Harry, then everyone else.
After the Headmaster left, Arthur slowly turned back to Ron and Ginny. "Well, children," he finally said, "the Professor seems to think it's safe for you to go, so that's good enough for me. It's up to you two."
* * *
Ten minutes later, Ron and Ginny were stepping out of the fireplace in the back room of The Leaky Cauldron, accompanying Harry and the Grangers back to Wandsworth. Arthur made arrangements to pick his children up at the East Putney Station the following afternoon if they weren't able to secure a Portkey from Dumbledore (for convenience).
He then decided to stay at the office a little while longer to resume his discussion with Kara Thrace about how batteries worked, and also Floo Molly to tell her about Ron and Ginny's visit.
He also wanted to allow Ron and Ginny enough time to arrive at the Grangers' home before he actually told her about the "little incident."
The second one out, as she stood on the sidewalk outside the pub waiting for the others, Hermione watched surreptitiously as Harry stood idly in front of the record store next to them, looking in the windows. He froze for a moment as though he'd just realized something, then turned to her with a poorly hidden smile.
"I'll be back in a minute," Harry told her, then quickly walked into the record store. Hermione walked over to the window and peered in next to the posters. She saw him talking to the shop owner. She nearly jumped when he pointed at her.
She quickly realized however, that Harry must have been merely pointing in her direction, for he never actually turned and saw her. He emerged a minute later with an even bigger grin on his face. He tried to suppress it, but failed spectacularly.
"What?" she asked him, finding his expression amusing.
"Nothing," he replied airily, then rejoined the group as they headed for the Underground. He resisted all of her attempts to pry out of him what he was smiling about.
On the train ride back to Wandsworth, Hermione observed as Harry, across the aisle from her, stared at the floor in front of him. With nothing to do but sit and wait, his momentary exuberance had faded into the same solemn quiet he shown since learning of the attack.
She wanted to sit next to him, just to be near him. She remembered with great clarity how he'd held on to her after regaining consciousness. He seemed calmer when she was there, and she was only too happy to oblige.
Unfortunately however, she'd been lost in thought about the record store when they boarded the train, and Ginny had managed to pull her into a seat next to her. Although he appeared to be intentionally keeping his stare on the floor, at one point, he must've felt that she was watching him intently, for he looked up at her. She gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him that things would be okay.
Half way back home, Hermione noticed that Harry had pulled Sirius's letter out of his pocket and was rereading it. She could not help but be reminded of what Sirius wrote to her. There was never any question in her mind whether she'd do what she promised. Simply the fact that he asked her, of all people, had a tremendous impact on her.
She retrieved her own letter from her pocket and began to read it again.
Dear Hermione,
Well, if you're reading this, then obviously the worst has happened. It's funny. I've been sitting here in the kitchen for several hours now, writing these letters.
I started doing this a couple years ago, right after you and Harry rescued me. I knew that with me a wanted man, it was entirely possible that I might be killed at any time. I wanted to make sure I was able to have a few last words of advice for my godson.
I must make a confession. At first, I only wrote letters to Harry. He was the only one who I felt NEEDED to hear from me.
But as time has passed, and I began to hear more and more about what he's been up to (I have my sources), the more I heard about you and Ron. As the years went by, I eventually began to include the two of you in my letters.
I didn't really know either of you very well (and still don't, I regret), but I knew enough to know that you were both important people in Harry's life. That was enough for me to want to say a few things to both of you as well.
I told Harry that this latest letter was unlike any of the previous I'd written him. In my earlier letters, I'd given him all the usual godfather advice: it only matters if you get caught, girls are always right, torment Snape for me... you know, the standard stuff I'm supposed to tell a teenage boy.
But this time, I threw it all away and told him that it all didn't matter now. Now, there was only one thing I wanted him to know... wanted him to do for me.
After rewriting his letter, I looked over my stack of letters to everyone else, deciding what needed to be updated in the rest of them. Aside from a few financial modifications, most everyone else's letters remained mostly unchanged. They only needed a little updating to bring them up to date.
And then I came to yours. Yours was last. It always is. Harry's is always the first one to write. Yours is always the last one.
Harry's letter is always the easiest for me to write. Yours is always the hardest.
I finally realized why this Christmas.
You've always been there for Harry. That's why it's the hardest one for me to write.
It's something I've always known, but wasn't consciously aware of until Arthur was attacked this Christmas. I could tell that something was bothering Harry after he got back from St. Mungo's. When he shut himself up with Buckbeak, everyone allowed him to just be alone, myself included.
It was what he wanted, right? Who were we to tell him otherwise?
Then you showed up. Ron and Ginny told you what they'd heard and how he'd shut himself away, ignoring everyone. And then you asked everyone quite shrilly why any of us hadn't actually gone up there to talk to him. Well... it sounded shrill.
I must admit, they way you said it, I nearly started laughing... until I realized that I too had not tried to go talk to him. I'll never forget the way you said it: "I'll go talk to him." It wasn't so much your words as it was the tone in your voice. The weight in it, the finality of it... as if you were going in and weren't going to take 'no' for an answer. You practically ordered Ron and Ginny to meet you in his room while you went and fetched him.
That was when I realized it, that you've always been there for him.
You were there with him and Buckbeak when you rescued me. I could see how scared you were... I assume from being up that high. I wondered why you were with him if you were so scared. But I didn't dwell on it for too long since we WERE in the middle of a jail break.
The next school year, during the tournament, you were the only one to stand by him, especially when he and Ron had their... differences. That made a big impression on me.
What am I trying to say? Well, I'm not entirely sure myself! Sorry. Give me a minute to go reread what I wrote to Harry. I know I had a point when I started this.
Okay! Sorry about that.
In my letter to Harry, I asked only one thing of him. What I am asking of you is to make sure he keeps his promise to me.
I told him I wanted him to live. I wanted him to LIVE his LIFE.
Being locked away here has reminded me that merely existing is not enough. We must live our lives. It won't matter if he defeats Voldemort if he spends the rest of his life feeling sorry for himself because I am gone.
I'm sure you are wondering why I am asking you. It's quite simple really. I felt that this kind of request was one that I could really only make of one person.
If there is any one person I trust in this world with Harry's life, it's you.
Please, do not misunderstand me. It isn't that I distrust Remus or Ron or Dumbledore, or anyone else. It is merely that I trust you more.
I'm sure I don't need to tell you why my faith in Ron and Dumbledore is not entirely at 100%. My faith in Remus IS absolute. However, he is simply not in a position where he can be there for Harry whenever he might need him. I mean, aside from his monthly visitor, Hogwarts IS a long way away. So, if I am to ask only one person, it is you.
And yet, as I write these words, I know there is something more too. I don't know if I should tell you or not. Hell, I'm dead now, it's not like I'll have a chance to do it later. I can always tear this letter up and rewrite it if I ever change my mind.
When I look at you, you remind me a little of Lily. Yes, I know Ginny bears more physical resemblance to her than you do, but there's more to a person than the color of her hair.
I see in you some of the things that I remember so well about her character. Her intelligence, her determination. Her fierce protectiveness. Lily would defend those she cared about with her own life if necessary. When they first met, James and Lily didn't exactly get along. However, once the two of them started dating, it was clear where her loyalties lie.
James and I were quite well known to be quite the pranksters. Everyone knew not to draw our attention or ire. If you did, you might just wake up on top of the Owlery. But once the two of them started dating, everyone knew not to cross her either. She might not prank you, but she did strike lightning quick if provoked.
So, Miss Hermione Granger, cleverest witch of your age, I humbly ask you now: please promise that you will make sure Harry keeps his promise to me, that he lives his life.
Whatever that entails, I will trust to you. You know him better than I. Whether that means dragging him away from his books to go play Quidditch-
Hermione still smiled when she read that again.
-or dragging him off to one of those Muggle movies Lily was always dragging me, James, and Lupin to. Just make sure he lives his life as if he really were alive. I've given you a couple extra Galleons, partly to cover the price of a movie ticket, partly to show my appreciation for all you've done for Harry. Hey, I'm dead. Giving away money is about all I can do at this point.
Please promise me! I want you to make that promise to Harry. He won't know what you're promising, but he will know to expect your promise. I asked him to promise you that he would do as I asked, to live his life. Make sure that he makes his promise.
I know it sounds like I've asked a lot of you, but at the same time, I really don't think that it is. The two three of you (I don't mean to exclude Ron. I know that both of you are important to Harry) are still so young. All three of you should be out there living your lives. Enjoy life, while you can.
Dumbledore once told me that "we are all facing dark and difficult times" when he was trying to justify some of the choices he'd made regarding Harry this year. While I STILL don't agree with many of them, he was right about one thing. We ARE facing dark and difficult times. Live today, for tomorrow may never come.
But at the same time, live FOR tomorrow, for it may very well might. I actually told Harry that he should try harder than I did when I was in school. I'm sure you'd like that. Partly because he might actually learn something that might help defeat Voldemort. And partly because if when he does defeat him, he will need to go on living his life.
That means getting a job, starting a family, all of that good stuff. Since he's managed to get himself a lifetime Quidditch ban, I guess that means he'll actually have to rely on his education. I'm sure you'd like that too!
I guess I'll just leave you with one last thing. It may not make sense to you, but I'll say it anyway, considering what I've said so far. If she were alive today, I'm sure Lily would've loved to have met you. I think the two of you would've gotten along wonderfully. Being privileged to have known her as well as I do, that is the highest compliment that I can think to give you.
Hoping you'll keep my godson living,
Sirius
Hermione refolded the letter and contemplated Sirius's words. She really didn't think Sirius was asking too much of her. She knew she would've done something similar anyway. But now she felt her resolve strengthened by his request.
Her thoughts drifted back to something Sirius told her. When she first read it, Hermione really didn't know what to make of his comments about Lily. What had happened down in Harry's vault really caught her off guard.
Lily's jewelry box. She remembered seeing James' and Lily's initials engraved in the lid. The 'J' and the 'L' were intertwined with each other; the two 'P's simply lined up, one slightly offset from the other. After Harry closed it, she saw that it now had Harry's initials on it. She could not help but notice the fact that IF they were to get married, her initials would match his. Their initials on that box would match up perfectly, as if it was meant to be.
It scared her to realize that thoughts such as those were going through her mind. But what scared her even more than that was the fact that the box opened when she touched it... not when Harry did.
She really didn't know why the box opened when she touched it. There were lots of different ways a personal item like that could be locked. Since it was a woman's jewelry box, it could have been charmed to require any female to open it, like she originally (desperately) theorized.
Since it contained their wedding rings, one could assume that his parents intended for him to have them, and presumably use them. It could've been charmed to only open when someone who cared deeply for (loved, maybe?) Harry touched it. And, for all she knew, it could've even be charmed to open only when the two of them felt the same way about each other. It did contain wedding rings, after all.
At the time, not knowing why the box opened, combined with Sirius's comments that she reminded him of Lily actually worried her. She felt as though fate was setting her up, building up her hopes, all so that it could all crash down around her.
But now... now she wondered if just maybe it was possible the opposite was true.
She had been right about her mother. When she confronted her in the stationery store, her mother admitted she had been watching them, that she had hoped that the two of them would kiss.
She promised that she wouldn't interfere, but that didn't mean she couldn't watch hopefully from the side. Expecting to be upset, Hermione actually ended up quite happy that was the case. It meant that she at least had her mother in her corner.
Emma also confessed that she and Dan had actually talked about the possibility of the two of them getting together. Hermione could tell that she was holding something back. Considering their first conversation, it was probably sex-related. If that was the case, she really didn't want to know about it; having that conversation once was enough.
While she didn't expect them to let Harry move into her bedroom anytime in the next few years, it was rather reassuring to simply know that your parents approved of the boy you fancied. Everything in steps, Hermione reminded herself.
So, after everything that had happened today, now she was beginning to look at what Sirius had said much differently. She was now immensely pleased that he thought that she and Lily would've liked each other. Somehow she felt it was the closest she'd ever come to "meeting the parents" and getting their approval of her.
Harry told her he liked smart girls. It all came back to that, again. With that subtle admission, now she finally felt as though she actually had a chance. It was all circumstantial, but it did give her hope, something she really hadn't had before (because she knew he had been so fixated on Cho).Back in the vault when she told him her thoughts about the coins, he actually started laughing, saying how much she amazed him, and that he hoped she never changed.
Harry would never know how much those simple words meant to her... unless she ever told him, of course. This lead back to why she smiled in the first place. Harry had actually given her the way to do it: just get him to see that she was a smart girl who was not a blonde.
A large grin appeared on her face as she stared at the folded piece of parchment in her hand. She might not be brave enough (yet) to tell him what those words meant to her, but she could certainly show him.
It would be easy enough to figure out... She had a Galleon and a ruler. With that information, she could calculate the exact volume of all of the Galleons Sirius left him (since she knew how many there were). And then, after looking up the density of gold, she could tell him exactly how much they weighed.
She could even look up the price of gold today and calculate the value of the metal content if they were gold. That, she knew, might be going a bit too far, so she'd save it only if he responded positively. Sure, it might've seemed like showing off, but what else could she do to get his attention?
Well, besides wearing those dress robes again, she thought to herself with a grin.
While she certainly didn't mind Harry looking at her like that (he had, after all, done a LOT more than just look in her dreams), she wanted to be sure he noticed more than only her rather lacking (in her opinion) physical attributes.
Hermione wanted to be sure he saw her for her. Any boy could notice a pair of breasts. The Playwizards she'd confiscated while on rounds proved that. Well, except for the Playwitch she'd confiscated from the Slytherin fourth-year boy once.
The terrified boy actually hugged her when she assured him that he was only in trouble for being out of bounds with an adult magazine (she vanished it on the spot to prove that she couldn't remember which one it was). She also told him that she wouldn't deduct any points, this time. It was a good thing, she felt, that Ron had skived off ten minutes early that evening.
* * *
A short while later, the train slowed as it approached their stop. Looking up from her folded letter, Hermione noticed Harry watching her. He glanced down at her letter. Dan and Emma were the first ones off the train, with Ron and Ginny right behind them.
Before re-pocketing his letter, he held it up slightly to show her. He fixed her with an intent stare.
"I promise," he again told her.
"I promise," she replied, holding up her folded letter.
The two of them stepped off the train and hurried to catch up with the others.