6. Sorting Things Out
The reporting of the incident in Diagon Alley to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head of the Auror Department, took most of the following morning. The group covered the happenings as best as they could, and hoped for some information in return but none was forthcoming. They had all been wondering why Goyle and Bulstrode were involved when there was no sighting of Malfoy, they couldn't believe that those two managed to plan the attack on their own.
Then the Tyr had to go through the whole process again with Solomon Aegis, this time however each little detail of the way in which the Tyr worked together was analysed. Although their Professor was pleased with the outcome, he hoped that they came away from the experience having learned a couple of things.
Firstly, that the small shields should not be used to stop large physical objects, the shields had no bracing except the arm of the wielder, the injury to Ginny had been lesson enough. Secondly, Aegis wanted Harry to promise him that he would never do the 'right thing' again and give the opposition a second chance.
"Take them down first, and apologise later Harry" he said "Try that with a real Death Eater, or Merlin forbid, Voldemort, and we will be taking you back to Hogwarts in a bucket."
"Sorry Solomon, my only excuse was that it was my first time," he grinned at Hermione "It won't happen again."
"Solomon, do you have any information on the attackers?" asked Hermione, "I assumed they were some local gang."
"Yes you are right, it would appear that they were hired at one of the pubs in Knockturn Alley, presumably by the two students captured with them" he informed them.
"What, not Malfoy?" asked Harry suspiciously.
"No Harry, there is nothing to connect him to this incident. The perpetrators have been examined at the Ministry by an adequate Legilimens and Malfoy does not appear in their memories". There was a pause. "Having said that", Solomon mused, "I noticed some memory gaps which could well have been the result of memory charms."
"You noticed?" they almost all chorused together.
"Ah… I shouldn't have told you that." He said embarrassed at his slip.
Harry smiled "Where have we heard that before," he murmured to Ron and Hermione.
………………………..
The last few days remaining before the start of the school year passed with little incident. There was an article in the Daily Prophet about the fight, but none of the Tyr were mentioned by name, not even Harry. That they were Hogwarts students was made clear, but seeing as two of the attackers were also from the school, the reporter was left not understanding as to which side the school was really on.
Then on the 28th. of August Harry, Hermione and Solomon made their way to the
Ministry of Magic. As Solomon had predicted, Dumbledore's letter was not the magic key it should have been. However, they managed, with Arthur Weasley's help, to get to the ninth floor and the Department of Mysteries.
On leaving the lift Harry could see the corridor that had for such a long time occupied his dreams two years ago, much to his relief Solomon turned in the other direction and headed down a different but very similar passageway. The door at the end of the corridor was larger than all the others lining it; it was however locked and barred.
Solomon took a quick look around to make sure they were alone, he waved his hand and muttered something under his breath, the bars vanished and the lock clicked open.
"Inside quickly!" He whispered. "We will not have much time; the door has an alarm as well."
Inside the room was the transparent ball, fully twenty feet across, it was filled with the swirling lights both Harry and Hermione had seen before. As the students approached the ball the lights began to move faster as if sensing their presence. Hermione shook her head as if she was trying to clear her ears.
"It's the voices again Harry, can you hear them?"
"Yes, it's much louder than before" then Harry stopped mid-stride for he clearly heard
'Haaarrryyy' in a long drawn out whisper. He reached out and placed his hand on the surface of the ball, one of the lights moved and settled apposed to his hand on the other side of the barrier. It flashed once, which made Harry jump, and Hermione put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He stared at the light and his eyes opened wide in wonder. Quietly, so that even Hermione had difficulty in hearing him, Harry said "Sirius?"
At that moment the door banged open and three people entered. Harry whirled around, he did not know the two wizards standing on either side, but the squat witch between them, with a wide mouth looking like the toad she was, was Delores Umbridge.
"Well Mr Potter and Miss Granger, it appears I have caught you red handed again doing something you shouldn't. HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?" she shouted.
"Ahh…that would be my fault" said a quiet voice from the shadows.
"AND WHO ARE YOU?" Umbridge seemed unable to control the volume of her voice.
"Me? Oh no one important I assure you, but… I do carry a letter from the Minister giving us permission to be here." Solomon finished sotto voce, and held out the parchment for her to see.
Umbridge scanned the words quickly and looked back to the students, it was clear she wanted to take the matter further, but the Minister's orders restricted her. Her anger made her puff and blow, and with her nostrils flaring she grudgingly gave way.
"It seems you have wriggled out of trouble again Potter, but if I see either of you, and you as well" turning to Solomon "down here again, you'll need more that a letter to save you. NOW GO!"
Solomon bowed low to Umbridge "Harry, Hermione it's time we left, let us not disturb this fine lady any more. Come on this way." He warbled.
Solomon shuffled his feet, walking with a bent back, as he followed the students out of the room and they made their way back to the lifts. As the lift door closed Solomon straightened to his full height.
"What was that act all about?" said Hermione, suspiciously.
"Often wise not to let the enemy see you in full light to start with, gives them a false sense of security" Solomon replied.
Hermione glanced at Harry "See, told you he was clever."
Later that evening, Harry and Hermione were cuddled in their favourite chair, in the sitting room. Hermione was lazily running her fingers through his hair, she considered the young man she was so in love with, then dared to ask the question that had been burning a hole in her pocket all afternoon.
"Why did you mention Sirius, Harry?"
"Oh it's just that when that light flashed that's what came into my mind; I could see him so clearly. Weird really." He replied.
"What do you think those lights are?" Hermione asked in a thoughtful way.
"Only one way to find out and that is to get inside that ball, I'm sure we would know then." He gave Hermione a little lopsided look. "Only problem is that I don't know how we are going to do it."
"Maybe Solomon will come up with an idea, or perhaps Dumbledore." She suggested.
"Yeh, Aegis might be able to help but I don't think we can rely on the Headmaster he's got other problems. I have a feeling we may be on our own for this one."
"Well we've coped before, I'm sure we'll do it again" Hermione said, reassuringly.
"Here's hoping."
…………………………….
It always amazed Harry that they had to pack so much to take back to school, and now they had the added responsibility of all AH's things. On the morning of the first day of September all seven trunks were piled in the hallway. Solomon had popped in the previous evening to tell them that Dumbledore had managed to help them out one last time, and arranged for ministry cars to take them to Kings Cross.
AH was beside himself with excitement and was having great difficulty in settling down to wait for the transport.
Harry grinned at the others "Was it like that for us? I can't really remember being excited; I think I was just very nervous."
"Oh I was!" said Hermione "I so wanted to get to lessons and learn things I had only read about." Ron looked at her with horror, and she noticed his expression, "Well I was" she finished in her defence.
Ginny was gazing out of the window and announced that the cars had arrived, and after ten minutes of huffing and puffing with the heavy trunks, all was loaded and they were on their way.
The first thing they noticed on reaching the barrier to platform 9¾ was the additional security. Four Aurors formed a reasonably unobtrusive guard, but had to keep moving in order not to attract the attention of the muggle police. The police were in greater evidence because some Death Eater attacks had spilled over into the muggle world and the whole country was in a heightened state of alert in fear of more 'terrorist' atrocities.
Tonks was one of the guards, but today sported hair of a more normal brunette. She smiled at the group as they approached.
"Wotcher you lot. Here Harry, Hermione instructions for the head students," she handed over several sheets of parchment. "When the train leaves we will be up the front, but we'll keep out of the way unless there's trouble."
"Are you expecting any?" Hermione asked.
"Not once the train is under way, it is enchanted and heavily protected, you're as safe on it as you would be at Hogwarts" Tonks explained. "It's the platform that can't be completely secured, so keep your eyes open."
The usual chaos on the platform was absent, everyone was moving quietly and quickly to the train, parents leaving as soon as their children were on board. The trunks were loaded into the baggage car and Harry ushered all of the group on to the train. Hermione was reading through the instructions they had been given and spoke to Harry as he climbed aboard last.
"Harry we need to get all the Tyr up with the prefects, there are some notes here we need to give out and Dumbledore wants the Tyr involved, 'To maximise the security potential until all the students are safely in Hogwarts'. It says here."
"OK you go on ahead, I'll find somewhere for AH to sit." Beckoning to the new first year, Harry and AH moved down the train in search of a suitable compartment. Harry noticed that there seemed to be quite a few spare seats on the train, not what he had been used to. It became clear that there were several missing faces from those he would have expected to see, and so he assumed that some parents were keeping their children close to hand in these troubled times. Eventually they found a compartment filled with new pupils, Harry pulled open the door and looked at the nervous faces staring at him.
"Hi, hope you don't mind I've another for your compartment. AH come on in and introduce yourself, and here," Harry slipped AH two galleons, "Pocket money, buy you new friends something from the snack trolley when it comes around. I'll see you later."
"Thanks Harry." said AH as he sat in the only spare seat.
Harry gave a wave and shut the compartment door, he smiled as he walked away because he clearly heard a girl's voice exclaim.
"Harry! that was Harry Potter?… Wow!"
The trip to Hogwarts was as uneventful as any Harry had experienced, the briefing to the prefects had passed without a hitch, mainly because of the absence of Draco Malfoy. In fact there were no prefects present to represent Slytherin at all, initially Harry was concerned that some unauthorised meeting was taking place in another carriage, until Hermione told him that none of them were on the train.
The only real surprise came when Hermione read out the information that Quidditch would not be played at the school this year, it was considered that security would be too difficult to maintain. Ron was particularly upset about that, he had been tipped for the captaincy of the Gryffindor team this year.
Hermione didn't particularly help, when rubbing the back of her head in remembered pain said "Well I can see the reason even if you can't Ronald, we were expecting trouble last year and it still happened."
Ron looking grumpy, finally agreed to disagree with her on that subject, another one to be added to the list that first began to grow in their first year.
AH, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. The notoriety of knowing Harry Potter, added to the fact that his compartment companions eventually prised some of his life story out of him and found that the Head Boy and Girl were some sort of unofficial guardians, seemed to make him universally popular.
AH guessed, more correctly, that it was because he had spent all of the pocket money Harry had given him on sweets, which were being eaten at an alarming rate. He had seen enough of the world in recent weeks to make him realise that being connected to Harry in any way could be bad news in some people's eyes. 'Still' he thought 'enjoy it while it lasts.' But he did hope that some of his compartment companions may remain friends with him.
AH didn't see Harry again until he was being marched with the rest of the first years into the hall in the wake of Professor McGonagall. Harry was sitting with Hermione at the head of one of the long tables, and like AH, they were now dressed in school robes. AH was very aware that his robes were black and had no house badge, he was, to be truthful, a little worried about the sorting, one boy in their carriage had told a rather lurid tale about the process, not that AH really believed him.
The aged and tattered hat lay slumped on the stool. The Sorting Hat knew that this was the last time it would have to divide the students up in this particular way. It also knew that this was not to be it's last message this year, but that would be dealt with in the fullness of time. It straightened, all eyes in the hall watched with interest. A slit near the brim of the hat opened, and it spoke.
The school was founded long ago
Of founders there were four
Each has a house named after them
It's a shame there can't be more.
For one founder has set a line
Apposed to the other three
A war we have but three must win
To set all wizards free.
If one should win then hope is lost
And watch as darkness falls
For only pain and for some death
Will be found within these walls.
To Gryffindors then turn your heads
And hope that they will win
A Tyr to shed for heroes lost
Defeating Slytherin.
The answer lies within yourselves
Which side you must decide
Is it in light or in the dark
Your truest heart resides.
This verse is over, my task complete
Till war is lost or won
And then this hat will speak once more
To tell what must be done.
The silence was so complete you could have heard a pin drop, and then a low murmur started at the Slytherin table as the meaning of the words sank in. This was not the first time that the words of the Sorting Hat had caused a commotion. But before the disquiet could get out of control the Great Hall was called to order by Professor McGonagall reading out the first name on her parchment in a loud clear voice, and so the sorting started.
AH was very glad that his name was near the top of the list once he had seen what those who had gone before him had been required to do.
At the sound of, "Dibble, Austin Henry Durston.", he had walked confidently forward and placed the hat on his head.
The small voice spoke quietly in his mind. "Umm, interesting. If all goes well we'll meet again, but on this occasion, GRYFFINDOR" the last word spoken out loud to those in the Hall. There were cheers from the table that AH had wanted to join more than any of the others. And, as they had with the other first years, Harry and Hermione personally welcomed their newest house mate to Gryffindor.
As the sorting continued it became very obvious that Slytherin was losing out again. Last year there had only been three new Slytherin first years, this year it was worse, and it wasn't only Harry that noticed. The last new pupil had been sorted and as "Youngwood, Precious" became a Hufflepuff, Ron nudged Harry and whispered. "No Slytherins at all this year."
He was correct, for the first time in a thousand years a house had been completely ignored at the sorting. This fact was not lost on Professor Snape, he looked accusingly at the Headmaster who simply shrugged his shoulders, seemingly as baffled as the Head of Slytherin.
Harry watched the exchange and then continued to observe Dumbledore, all was not well. His usual spark and the twinkle in his eyes were gone, it was as if all the life had been sucked out of him. Harry felt the fingers of fear gripping his heart, he depended on the Headmaster, he needed him at his best this year more than any of the others. Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort really feared, what was Harry going to do if his main support was in any way diminished.
He stared at the old man, and then it hit him like a thunderbolt. That's what Dumbledore was, an old man, looking as old as a man of 159 years should look.
Harry's panic began to rise, and then a warm feeling invaded his mind, soothing and calming the waves of uncertainty that were threatening to overwhelm him. There was a touch on his arm and a reassuring squeeze, then a voice so clear and well remembered sounding in his mind.
'Don't worry Harry I am still here, so is Ron and the others, and so is Solomon. That I think is the most important of all, never fear that you will be alone Harry, because you never will.'
Harry turned to the source of these thoughts, her eyes were bright with unshed tears, he knew she was as concerned as he was about the Headmaster, but had found hope in others, and because Harry's love for her was all consuming he found hope as well. He smiled at her, a smile tinged with sadness but edged with resolve.
Harry and Hermione continued their silent conversation for a few moments, stopping when Harry sensed a nudge from outside. There was a cry of surprise from the top table, and from the corner of his eye Harry saw Solomon attempting to help Professor Snape back on to his chair.
"Upsidaisy Severus" said Aegis, helping him up, "Awfully rickety some of this old furniture isn't it? Oh, by the way old boy, I think I ought to warn you not to try to probe Potter's mind, he seems to have developed quite a robust defence. Ah…just in case you ever considered trying of course. Gave me a nasty jolt last term, I can tell you."
Snape glared at his fellow Professor "Thank you Solomon, I'll bear that in mind, he said through clenched teeth, he drew himself up and straightened his robes, "But at the moment Potter's mind is the last place I want to be."
"Of course, of course, never doubted it for a second" came the jovial retort.
………………………………………….
The end of the meal was signalled by Professor McGonagall reading a few notices, then the Headmaster stood. He opened his arms and welcomed one and all back at the start of a new year. His words lacked the strength of previous occasions and Harry thought his stance more bowed. With no preamble at Dumbledore dismissed them all to their beds.
The new fifth year prefects led their respective houses to the hidden entrances of their common rooms and the dormitories beyond. At the painting of the fat lady, hiding the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room on the seventh floor, AH learned the password for this year.
"Semper Concentus".
Standing at the back of the crowd Harry thought at Hermione.
'OK clever clogs what does it mean then? I know it's one of yours.'
'Always singing together, you know, like with one voice.'
Harry raised his eyebrows 'Well as long as you don't want me to really sing I can put up with it."
Hermione's mental giggle sent shivers down Harry's back.
Once the rest of the house was safely in bed Harry and Hermione left the common room and went in search of their own rooms, they weren't hard to find. On the sixth floor directly below the fat lady was a fine oak door, and on a plaque in its centre, written in flowery gold script was 'Head Students Common Room' Harry tried to open it, it was locked.
"OK, how do we get in?" said Harry patiently.
"You think the password, don't speak it, and it will open." She explained.
"OK, what's the password?" he said, resigned to the game.
That giggle again. "Guess."
Harry wasn't going to rise to the tease "OK I will."
Harry thought and the door gave a click and swung open.
"How did you get it so quick?" Hermione was quite irritated by the speed with which he had worked it out. "You're getting too smart for your own good, Mr. Potter."
"You're nothing if not predicable, Miss Granger. 'Forever Together?' Even I can get that one" he said smugly.
The room was spacious but cosy. Enough room for meetings with the prefects, but conducive to private study as well, they looked around and realised it was a smaller version of the Gryffindor Common Room one floor above them, in fact it was perfect.
Set in the back wall were three doors, one opened on to the deserted common room above them, the second to the corridor which led to the stairs to the Headmasters Office, the third opened into a small bare room with no windows. You might have called it a cupboard, but it was bigger than that, or possibly a closet, but there were no shelves or any other means of storage, just bare walls. It was cold and dark in this room and its existence made little sense.
"Well never mind, I am sure we can find a use for it eventually" said Harry as he closed the door.
Hermione had sat herself down in front of the fire. On a sofa that was just a squashy and comfortable as the one in the main common room. She patted the seat next to her, and Harry settled himself down and stared into the flames burning in the grate. Hermione leaned against him and Harry encircled her shoulders with his arm. They sat enjoying each others quiet company for a while.
Harry sighed. "Dumbledore didn't look well did he?" Hermione could tell that Harry was very worried. "What are we going to do Hermione? We need him and we need to know what is going on."
"You're right; it looked as if all his years have caught up with him" she replied. He has changed so much since we last saw him on your birthday. I think we should talk to Solomon about it, if we don't manage to see the Headmaster himself."
"That's a good idea" said Harry, "but I suppose we have to call him Professor Aegis again, now we are back at school."
"Oh no! Really? I've only just got used to calling him Solomon!" she wailed.