A/N: As this chapter was awaiting validation my review count went over 100 and i would like to thank all those wonderful people who have left reviews, i love you all!!!
Another quick question for you all that's rather vital to my sequel, Does Harry know about Godric's Hollow? I've been searching the books desperately but i'm worried that i might have over looked something. If you know the answer please drop me a review to let me know or you can contact me at nat_pat_uk@yahoo.co.uk. Thank you for any help you can give!
As Harry drifted off to sleep the scene before him snapped in to focus. He was in a small room and there were several figures standing around him in a circle. When he opened his mouth to speak it was in a voice that was not his own but he recognised the familiar pitch of Lord Voldemort, “Yet again my pathetic followers have failed me. You especially Wormtail,” he hissed.
“I… but… how?” Wormtail shuddered.
“You spent twelve years living with the blood-traitors and you were not able to discover that the girl was still alive?” his voice had an eerie calm to it.
“Master, they did not speak of her. It was one of the elder sons who was in contact, I could not have known,” Pettigrew had his hands clasped in front of him in a gesture that begged forgiveness.
“You were supposed to be keeping your eyes and ears open, gathering information to provide me with on my return. Several people who must have known that she lived trampled in and out of that house for twelve years, yet you did not know,” his speech was full of hatred.
“Master I beg for your forgiveness. I should have made it my business to know and I did not. I am sorry,” Peter knelt at the feet of his master.
“You are always sorry. But you will feel much, much more than sorrow if she foils my plans yet again.”
“Surely she could not,” Pettigrew drew himself up from the floor in disbelief.
“Perhaps it has escaped your notice that she has eluded my wrath three times thus far. I have information that suggests that she could be my undoing. We must dispatch of her as quickly as is possible.”
“That could be very difficult my Lord,” this time it was the voice of Lucius Malfoy which rang around the room.
“Explain Lucius.”
“Well she is currently teaching in the castle, which we already know is beyond our reach and I have been in contact with my son who tells me she has shown an impressive aptitude in the area of defence,” he mumbled.
“Dear me Lucius, you too are losing your touch. You needed your son to tell you that a witch, with lineage in the Potter and Dumbledore bloodlines, has expertise in defence matters? Are you so foolish that you believe Dumbledore would appoint a Defence teacher who could not amply defend herself?” there was a sharp edge to his words.
“We already know from our supporters in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that she passed the Auror testing with exceptional results. Auror Dawlish supposedly communicated the opinion that she would follow in the footsteps of her forefathers and Alastor Moody,” Harry recognised the voice of this man from the battle at the Ministry but could not remember what his name was.
“Precisely, we will need to draw her away from the castle.”
“Even then it will not be easy, my Lord. The skills of her class also exceed our previous expectations. She is teaching them well and she is running a Defence club with Potter to run in conjunction with her classes,” there was a certain amount of nerves evident in Lucius’s voice.
“There is no easy option here Lucius, your continued failure to capture and eliminate the boy has proved that. In many ways she will be easier to manipulate, her vengeance is stronger and has had much longer to fester. Provide her with an opportunity to face the Dark Lord and she will take it. I would expect her to remove her students from danger by sending them back to the castle. The hero complex is a Potter trait.”
“My Lord you will not shake the boy so easily. He knows of her relation to him, he will fight for her.”
“Then you will make sure that he is detained long enough to capture her,” he replied simply.
“Master she is powerful,” Lucius no longer bothered to hide his fear.
“More powerful than the one you serve?”
“No my Lord, of course she is not,” he spoke quickly.
“Do you fear her Lucius?” Harry knew that any second now Malfoy would feel pain in the wake of his weakness.
“No, Master.”
“You cannot lie to Lord Voldemort. CRUCIO!” in the blink of an eye, Harry had drawn his wand and pointed it at the dark shape that was Lucius Malfoy and laughed cruelly as he crumpled to the ground screaming in agony. Harry woke with a start.
“Are you alright mate?” Ron was also sat up in bed, “You were shouting like a madman. Did you have another dream?” Harry could hear the fear that lay behind the concern.
“No. We lost the Quidditch cup to Slytherin,” he lied as convincingly as possible.
“Oh. Well I wouldn’t worry about that, we’ll win. Just you wait and seeeeeeeee,” Ron yawned as he lay back down in bed, “Night Harry.”
“Yeah, night Ron,” although he too snuggled under his covers it was a long time before he fell back to sleep.
So that’s why Voldemort has been so quiet, he’s trying to get Ellie. Why? “I have information that suggests that she could be my undoing,” well that’s wrong for a start. I’m going to be his undoing, so he better just leave her alone!
This time as Harry fell asleep he was not interrupted. But a shock waited for him in the morning.
Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione arrived at the Great Hall together as they always did for breakfast. They settled themselves in at the table and began to munch their way through the rich breakfast that was laid out on the table before them. Just as Ron was shoving his fourth piece of bacon into his mouth Professor McGonagall came striding into the hall with Ellie hot on her heels. His dream from the night before slipped back to the forefront of his mind and Harry realised that when Ellie moved with purpose she cut an imposing figure.
“Mr. Potter, Mr and Ms. Weasley you must come to the Headmaster’s office at once,” despite the sharpness of McGonagall’s manner there was a certain softness in her eyes that Harry couldn’t quite understand.
“Perhaps Hermione should come too, Minerva,” Ellie glanced at the transfiguration teacher.
“Yes, yes of course.”
“Come on you four,” she added to the teens.
“What’s the matter?” Ginny asked, a look of utter fear had settled on her gentle features.
“Not here Ginny,” Ellie answered, lightly taking her hand and pulling her from the hall. Harry remembered trailing after McGonagall through the halls in silence on more than one occasion and every time he had thought he was going to be in trouble when in fact he only got in trouble half the time. When they reached the stone gargoyles of the entrance to the headmaster’s office they sprang apart without the need for the password. This struck Harry as odd but when he looked at Hermione she gave him a knowing look.
Elizabeth forged straight through the door to the office without even knocking, as the women in front of him filed out of the way Harry realised there were two other people in the office with Professor Dumbledore. He immediately recognised them as Arthur and Molly Weasley. Molly looked terribly upset, her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were red and puffy.
“Mum? What’s the matter?” the panic rose in Ginny’s voice as she raced over to her mother.
“Please sit down,” Dumbledore advised gently as he conjured the extra chairs necessary.
“What happened?” Ron demanded.
“Has someone died?” Hermione inquired gently.
“No Ms. Granger but it came very close,” Dumbledore answered gravely. “The first Death Eater attack on a wizard family took place today. Up until now their attacks had centred on muggle families. They knew of course that very few of the inhabitants of our world read the muggle newspapers and therefore the attacks would largely go unnoticed. But by following their attack on the Minister by attacking a Wizard family Voldemort has shown that he is ready to come in to the open, it is a sign that his power is at it’s strongest and that the ranks of his followers have swelled.”
“Who did they attack?” Harry’s concern was growing; if Mrs. Weasley was this upset then it must have been someone close to them.
“It is not a case of who they attacked Harry, rather what they attacked. Earlier today The Burrow was destroyed.”
“Everything is gone!” Molly wailed.
“But why The Burrow? They know that we’re all in school…” Harry puzzled.
“We believe they may have had someone watching the house,” Arthur answered.
“Even still, they must have known that no one had been there in months.”
“We went there this morning to pick up a few things,” Mr. Weasley replied.
“Fortunately, Molly and Arthur were very quick in picking up the things they needed and by the time the Death Eater had returned with a contingent they had already left the house. Unfortunately their anger could not be contained, the house went up in flames and the Dark Mark was shot into the air.”
“Our home! Our memories! It’s all gone!” Mrs. Weasley continued to sob.
“At least we still have each other mum,” Ginny wrapped her arms around her mother and squeezed her tightly.
“She’s right Molly,” Arthur whispered in her ear.
“But we have no home!” she wept.
“Of course you do, our home is your home,” Ellie told her stepping behind Harry and placing her hands on his shoulders.
“Absolutely, we’re family and you can live with us,” Harry added.
“Bless you both!” she continued to howl. Harry and Ellie moved as one to her and wrapped their arms around her. A few seconds later Ron and Hermione had joined in the embrace.
They were excused from the day’s classes and returned to their common room several hours later. They sat around the fire in silence. None of then really knew what to say, Hermione had Ron’s hand in hers and Harry had his arms wrapped around Ginny. Snuffles was curled in her lap and enjoying the absent-minded stroking of her owner.
“Why did the gargoyle move for Ellie without her giving the password?” Harry asked Hermione.
“I’m fairly certain it’s because she’s a Dumbledore, the enchantments around the office are probably trained to recognise the headmaster or mistresses magical signature and Ellie will have part of the in her because of her grandfather.”
“Oh,” Harry nodded as they returned to their silence.
“It’s started for real hasn’t it?” Ron asked several hours later.
“It has,” Harry replied bleakly. Ginny shivered in his embrace.
A/N: Another chapter down… the next one is Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Guess what it involves?