Dear Harry,
How’s it going? I hope you had a good first day back and that you aren’t too snowed under with homework! If you are, I hope it’s all easy but if it’s really hard and you can’t do it, you could always try asking Hermione. Please don’t tell her I said that.
Anyway, I hope things are all good with you. I’m fine, and so is everyone else.
Please, just remember to keep your head down and stay out of trouble. What goes on outside the walls of Hogwarts is neither you fault nor you responsibility.
I hope to see you soon and please give my regards to Ron and Hermione,
Be careful,
Remus
Harry smiled “ it was good to know everyone in the Order was ok and he, too, hoped that he would get to see Lupin again soon.
Ron and Hermione wandered in to the Great Hall together, Harry smiled as he saw them and they made a beeline for the chairs either side of him.
“Morning, Harry,” Hermione smiled. “Double Charms, a free, then double Defence Against the Dark Arts. Quite a good day, really.”
“Yeah, especially after yesterday,” Harry added. Ron and Hermione exchanged quick glances but decided to let Harry’s comment go.
“So Harry, did you hear Katie is the new team captain?” Ron asked, desperate to change the conversation topic. “With you back as seeker there’s no way we’re going to lose the cup this year. And, if I can play like I did in the last game of the year a couple of months ago, maybe we’ll do ok.”
“Who’s that?” Hermione cut in.
“Huh?”
“That owl “ whose is it?
A small, iron grey owl had fluttered down near Harry’s left hand and was staring expectantly at him, a slightly grubby note in its beak. Reaching out, Harry took the note off the owl and it took off instantly. Curiously, Harry unfolded the paper, read the message and opened his eyes wide in surprise before passing it to Ron and Hermione.
Leaning forwards, the others read the note.
Meet me at 9 o’clock at the Three Broomsticks. This morning. It’s really important. I really need some help. Please come on your own but bring your friends if you must. Tell no one you are coming, especially none of the teachers. See you soon,
Love,
Charlie
“Your brother?” Harry whispered.
“No…” Ron answered slowly. “That’s not his handwriting…”
“Tell someone Harry,” hissed Hermione. “Kingsley, Dumbledore, Snape, anyone!”
“But if it is Charlie, I don’t want to drop him in whatever it is he’s afraid of…”
“Harry,” Hermione interrupted. “Don’t go down the route of your ‘saving people thing’ again. If you must go, tell someone like McGonagall first. Please Harry, be sensible,” she implored.
“All right,” Harry relented. “You coming?”
“Too right,” Ron answered. “And if it is Charlie…” he tailed off. Together, they stood up and walked over towards the staff table where Professors McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick were eating breakfast. “Er, Professor? Could we have a word with you, umm, like, now?”
“Certainly Potter,” Professor McGonagall answered. “Here or in my office…?”
“In your office,” Ron and Hermione answered together.
Looking to her left, McGonagall exchanged raised eyebrows with Snape, stood up, and walked out of the hall, Harry, Ron and Hermione following. Snape watched them go, a slight frown creasing his brow.
“Right then Potter, Weasley, Granger. What did you want?”
“It’s this, Professor. I was sent it at breakfast.” Harry passed the note over to her and he wasn’t surprised to see Professor McGonagall’s reaction was almost identical to his own.
“Stay here, all of you,” she said quickly. “I need to get to the bottom of this…” she added as she walked out the door.
Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down and waited for Professor McGonagall to return. After a few minutes, Professor McGonagall’s magically magnified voice echoed throughout the school.
“UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS ANYONE TO LEAVE THE CASTLE TO GO INTO THE GROUNDS. CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES AND FLYING LESSONS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. STUDENTS WITH THOSE LESSONS SHOULD GO TO THE GREAT HALL.
“PREFECTS, PLEASE ENSURE THAT NO ONE LEAVES THE CASTLE AND REPORT TO THE GREAT HALL IMMEDIATELY. EVERYONE ELSE, PLEASE ATTEND NORMAL LESSONS UNLESS YOU HAVE SPECICALLY BEEN TOLD OTHERWISE BY A MEMBER OF STAFF. AS LONG AS YOU STAY WITHIN THE CASTLE WALLS NO HARM CAN BEFALL ON YOU.”
Harry sat in stunned silence. Hermione and Ron stood up. “Harry, stay here. We’re both Prefects so we’ve got to go to the Great Hall. You’ve got to stay here, like Professor McGonagall told you.” Hermione added.
“I’ll stay,” Harry said. “Go on “ and tell me as soon as you can what’s going on.”
“Sure mate. As soon as we know,” Ron answered as he left with Hermione.
Professor McGonagall strode quickly towards Dumbledore’s office. She didn’t want to think about what this letter was going to lead to; she’d leave the sorting out to Dumbledore.
“Liquorice Wand” she muttered as she approached the stone gargoyle. Walking up the moving staircase she pushed open the varnished door without bothering to knock. Dumbledore looked up instantly, clearly somewhat surprised at his deputy’s abrupt entrance.
“Good morning Minerva. It is rather unlike you to come wandering up here this early. Haven’t you got Transfiguration with the third yea-?”
“Dumbledore, Harry was sent this during breakfast. Supposedly from Charlie Weasley.”
Dumbledore, looking slightly confused, reached over and took the note from her shaking hand. After a few seconds he stood up and pulled out his wand. Muttering “Aldulterinus”, Dumbledore waited for a few seconds until, inexplicably, the words on the paper turned red and the strong, acrid smell of burning plastic came from the ink. Dumbledore turned to Minerva McGonagall seemingly calm and relaxed.
“Minerva, I must ask you to issue an order to the whole school that no one is allowed to leave the castle. Leave the prefects in charge. I trust you told Harry not to go?”
“Of course,” she answered. “Anything else?”
“Yes, find Kingsley Shacklebolt and meet me in the entrance hall in three minutes. I have something I must do first.”
After a quick, curt nod, she walked out of the office and left Dumbledore alone.
Snape was sitting in his office reading a second year Potions assignment when Fawkes appeared holding a letter. Knowing it had something to do with the note Harry had received only a few minutes ago, he accepted it quickly and Fawkes disappeared in a flash of flame. The first thing he noticed, however, was the letter had clearly been written in a hurry. Wasting no time himself, he ripped open the parchment envelope and scan read the message.
Severus,
I will give you full details later but please can you go to Minerva’s office immediately. Harry should be there, but if he is not then please inform me at once and do your best to find him quickly.
Assuming he is there, please can you tell him to tell me / another Order member, if his scar hurts. Show him how to contact me if he needs to.
AD
Abandoning the essay, Snape left his dungeon office and headed towards the third floor.
Harry sat in the Transfiguration office restlessly moving in his chair. When is someone going to come and tell me what the hell is going on? he thought. Glancing out of the window he saw, unmistakeably, Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt heading towards the entrance into Hogsmeade. Why must I always be left in the dark? No sooner had he thought this, he stood up and began to move towards the door. It opened when he was at least four strides away from it.
“Going somewhere, Potter?”
Harry felt a burning anger well up inside himself. Great, just who I wanted to see now. Snape looked down at him, a slight sneer playing on his lips. “Sit down before I have to force you.”
Knowing Snape was more than willing to curse him into outer space, Harry obeyed grudgingly.
“Good to see you following orders at last Potter.”
“What do you want?”
“Manners, Potter,” Snape answered silkily. “I was told to come here by the Headmaster to ensure you didn’t do what you were just about to.”
“Well, what did he want?” Harry shot back.
“It seems the letter you were sent at breakfast has some significance so the Headmaster requested that I came here to pass on a message from him to you. No doubt, though, that since you already assume that…”
“Get on with it,” Harry spat.
Snape’s eyes flashed.
“The Headmaster told me to inform you that if your scar hurts please inform a member of the Order or, if possible, Professor Dumbledore himself, as soon as possible.”
“Is that it?”
“He also asked me to tell you,” Snape continued, “that if, for whatever reason, you are unable to see him in person, you are to use the method of communication used by the Order.”
“Which is…?”
Snape closed his eyes for a second and drew out his wand. “I have heard rumours you can conjure a Patronus, correct?”
“Yes,” Harry answered, eyeing Snape’s wand with trepidation.
“The principle is very similar. Concentrate very hard on the person you want to contact and, in your head, also on the message you want that person to receive. There is no incantation for the Patronuntrius, what the messenger is called, except, if performed correctly, it will take the form of your Patronus.” With that, Snape closed his eyes for a few seconds and a thin, wraithlike wisp escaped his wand. The distance between Snape and Harry was too small for him to gage what animal Snape’s Patronuntrius was but when it reached him Harry heard Snape’s voice clearly.
“The message is impossible to interpret except by the person the message is intended for. You try. Direct your own Patronuntrius to me with the answer to this question : What are the two main ingredients of Polyjuice Potion?”
Harry closed his eyes and focused on Snape. As he remembered the answer, his Stag leapt from the end of his wand and reached Snape in a split second. Snape nodded to him and without saying anything to Harry, raised his own wand again and pointed it to the door. His wraith like Patronus shot out of his wand and disappeared out into the grounds.
Harry just sat there in silence, staring at Snape. This is the second civilised conversation I’ve had with you in as many days. How much longer is it going to last?
Snape didn’t say anything and just stared expectantly out of the window. After around two minutes, a look of relief flashed across his face until his usual frown returned. A few seconds later, a silvery phoenix flew into the room and came to rest on the desk. Dumbledore’s voice sounded clearly in the confined office, and both Harry and Snape listened intently.
“Severus, Harry,
Two Death Eaters were in the Three Broomsticks both of whom however, Disapparated before Minerva, Kingsley or myself could stun them. Two passing wizards have fallen after the Death Eaters realised that you were not there. We all will be coming up to school as soon as we can so please could you go to the Great Hall and tell the students to return to their lessons. Keep details to a minimum.
Listen to me Harry; you must make sure that you do not leave the castle, no matter what the reason. That letter was a fake. Charlie Weasley is currently at headquarters. He has not sent any letters at all in the last nine days. Do not let Voldemort trick you again like he did last June. Never forget Sirius, or the reason he died. If Voldemort can, he will try the same trick again. Use the Clamcelo if you need to.
Never forget…”
Harry sat there, frozen, as the silvery phoenix faded into nothing. Snape was staring at him. “Message to you from Dumbledore, that last bit, was it?”
“What” Harry answered, not looking away from where the Patronuntrius had been only seconds before. “Couldn’t you understand what Dumbledore said or something?”
Snape rolled his eyes as he stood up. “Does anything ever penetrate your thick skull Potter? Or hasn’t it occurred to you that Dumbledore wanted you, and only you, to understand the last bit of that message?”
Harry just stared back into Snape’s cold, unfeeling eyes. “I’ll take that as a no, then,” Snape breathed. “Go to the Great Hall, Potter. I am sure Weasley and Granger want a full report,” he spat and walked out the door and headed downstairs.
Maybe he had mistaken it, but Harry felt sure there had been a note of hurt in Snape’s voice and a flicker of resentment burning in his dark, pitiless eyes.
The rest of the day past in a blur for everyone inside the castle. Word had spread rapidly throughout the school that two wizards had been murdered by a lone pair of Death Eaters barley five hundred yards from the gates of the castle grounds. Rumours began to spring up everywhere; the most common being that Voldemort had been there himself and was planning an assault on the school. Harry stayed quiet and Ron, Hermione and himself had all come to an unspoken agreement that they would not mention the letter to anyone.
It was the end of October, nearly two months since the attack in Hogsmeade, and life inside Hogwarts had returned to normal; well, what could be counted as normal for a school of magic. The Daily Prophet had reported several tortures on both muggles and wizards although there had been no known murders. Adrian Walsh, the missing ministry worker, still remained exactly that; missing.
To lighten the slightly oppressive, tense atmosphere which smothered the castle, Dumbledore had arranged for all lessons to be cancelled on Hallowe’en giving everyone the chance to relax and enjoy themselves. As the evening approached, Harry began to relax and feel truly happy. He was also immensely pleased when Fred and George, in the dead of night, sent two screech owls with a box loaded with tricks for him to share with Ron. The only thing Harry did do though, was he withheld the Spider Snaps to use on his best friend. He assumed the results would be interesting.
When Hallowe’en did finally come around, many of the students were playing tricks on each other or just generally having a good time with friends. Everyone was relatively rowdy although only one person actually ended up in the hospital wing; and that was only because they had accidentally vanished their left arm when they had held their wand the wrong way round.
The Spider Snaps had worked a treat. Harry had placed them at the end of Ron’s bed while he was asleep and Ron woke up to find a large, hairy arachnid sitting on his feet, staring at him through eight, milky eyes. Ron screamed and aimed a misjudged kick at it. As soon as his foot made contact, there was an almighty bang, similar to that of a firecracker, and the spider disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Ron fell out of bed and sat there stupefied for nearly five minutes; Harry had been timing.
That evening, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville made their way down to the Great Hall for the Hallowe’en feast. Swarms of bats flew over the tables and vast pumpkins, intricately carved, stood all along each table. Every six feet or so, bright orange flames touching ten feet high flickered brilliantly, illuminating the Hall in place of the usual candlelight. Every few seconds, a bat would rise up out of the flame, fly once around the Hall and then fade into nothingness as it passed back into the flame. Ginny watched them, mesmerised. Harry’s stomach jolted “ he’d only seen expression Ginny wore now once before in his life, and that was in the Department of Mysteries when a jewel bright bird had flown around inside a bell jar of glistening wind.
The feast was magnificent. Everything came in the shape of bats, or brooms, or witches hats and the house-elves had excelled themselves with the variety and quantity of food offered. As the feast wore on, the conversations began to drift into silence as everyone began to feel tired. Harry sat there quietly thinking about the upcoming Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw game. Never did his thoughts drift towards what was taking place outside the safety of Hogwarts castle.
At around quarter to midnight, everyone began to make their way back up to their dormitories. After saying good night to Hermione and Ginny, Harry crawled into his bed and fell asleep knowing, as he shut his eyes, that he was the last boy awake in the Gryffindor dormitory.
He was flying over the rooftops of houses and roads. Several times he saw landmarks he recognised: St Paul’s Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and, most importantly, a deserted telephone box which had a phone that appeared to be broken. Not a soul was moving in London except a few cabdrivers and night shift workers. He smiled and swept upwards until he could see the South Bank of the River Thames clearly. He waited silently.
The clear sound of Big Ben echoed through the night. During each silence between the separate chimes, a green flash of light lit up the sky.
There were twelve chimes.
Smiling at his accomplishment, he Disapparated, a manic laugh rising in his throat.
“Harry!” someone was slapping him in the face. “Harry!”
Harry sat up and saw Ron kneeling next to him, a look of terror on his face. “Harry, what happened? Is it to do with You-Know-Who?”
A slight frown darkened Harry’s features. “I don’t know, Ron,” Harry answered. “My scar is burning a bit at the moment but not as bad as it sometimes is.”
Ron looked at him in relief. “Oh, I thought it was something terrible. I needed to go to the loo and I heard you moaning in your sleep so I thought I’d better wake you up. You know “ just in case…”
Harry smiled. “I can’t remember what I was dreaming about, Ron. Don’t be so paranoid. I’m sure nothing was happening…”
Ron grinned at him. “So you’re ok then. Just checking. See you in the morning.”
Harry smiled, slightly embarrassed that Ron was so clearly concerned about him. Unworriedly, Harry turned over and fell into a dreamless sleep.
His scar began to burn again although not so much as to wake him up.
The next morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione headed down towards the Great Hall for breakfast. The corridors were deserted, most students enjoying a lie in after the previous night. Talking unconcernedly, all three of them were surprised when Kingsley walked into them, a fearful look on his face. “Harry, I was just coming to find you. I wanted you to find out from a member of the Order and not just another student…” He handed a copy of the Daily Prophet over to Harry who froze at the headline.
47 DEAD IN TWELVE SEPARATE ATTACKS IN LONDON
Last night, 43 muggles and 4 members of the magical community were killed in twelve separate attacks on the South Bank side of the River Thames at midnight. It is believed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his band of followers, who call themselves Death Eaters, were behind the attacks. So far, no Death Eaters have been caught who had a direct link to the attacks although Ministry Aurors are currently dealing with the situation. Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, will be making a statement later today at…
Harry had read enough. Glancing over at Hermione, he could see tears falling silently down her cheeks. When he looked at Ron however, he was unnerved to see that Ron was staring intently at Harry, his face ghostly white and his eyes wide in realisation.
“Harry,” Ron whispered. “Last night!”
Harry felt a chill in his stomach as he remembered the night before.
“We knew!” he breathed as his eyes met Ron’s. Tearing his gaze from Ron’s face, Harry walked straight past Kingsley, the Daily Prophet falling from his hand as he did so. He headed for a stone gargoyle on the fifth floor. Ron and Hermione followed him; Kingsley just watched them go and picked up the paper Harry had dropped with a slightly shaking hand.
The same owl that had delivered the letter supposedly from Charlie met Harry before he could reach Dumbledore’s office. It dropped a folded piece of parchment in his hands before it sped out of the window. Automatically, Harry unfolded the paper and froze at the letter.
WE GO FOR MANCHESTER NEXT
Panicking, Harry bolted towards the gargoyle, pausing only when he got there and tried to guess the password.
“Er, Sugar Quill, Sherbet Fountain, Acid bomb, Exploding Bonbons…” Harry reeled off in rapid succession. “…Apple Fizzers, Blackjacks, Chocolate Mice, Honeydukes Best…”
Ron snorted. “Wouldn’t it be good if Dumbledore had chosen to use ‘Skiving Snackboxes’…”
The statue leapt aside and revealed the moving staircase. Grinning in a strained way at Ron, Harry led the way up the staircase and paused to knock at the broad oaken door with the Griffin shaped handle.
“… and so last night Ron woke me up and told me I was, um, moaning in my sleep.” Harry blushed slightly and fell silent. Ron and Hermione stood either side of him while Dumbledore sat behind his desk and watched Harry carefully.
“Anything else you want to tell me?” Dumbledore enquired gently.
Ron and Hermione jumped in amazement. It was almost as if Dumbledore had known about the letter but wanted to see if Harry would tell him directly. Harry just stared in silence at his aged headmaster. Hermione nudged him in the back and muttered “Go on!”
Harry hesitated again although he wasn’t sure why he was doing so. Dumbledore acted as though he hadn’t heard Hermione’s comment and continued to watch Harry through his half moon spectacles. Harry slowly unclenched his fist and held out his hand with the letter in it. He handed it to Dumbledore wordlessly. There was nothing for him to say “ Dumbledore knew already.
“Ah, yes,” Dumbledore sighed as he read the note. “I received one this morning as well except mine was a bit more smudged…”
Harry, Ron and Hermione stood gaping at Dumbledore in shock. How could he be taking all this so calmly? Dumbledore smiled slightly at the looks of horror on their young faces and answered their unasked question.
“Well, I am afraid to say I am not overly surprised; I will not pretend that I had not suspected that something like this would occur at some point in the near future. Voldemort has used today as a jest; as an indication of what he could, and would, do to enforce his growing power on the Wizarding world. This is not a threat; it is a promise.
“The three of you, you must stay together at all times. All of you will be obvious targets so look out for each other,” Dumbledore looked seriously at them over his half moon glasses. “Especially you, Harry. If you receive any more letters like this, please inform a member of the Order immediately. You are on your own now, there is little more I can do to stop this war.
“However, as from tomorrow, please will you come to my office every Tuesday and Thursday during your free lessons. Tell no one you are coming, and that includes all the Professors, as well as the students. Use the Invisibility Cloak if you need to so you can get here unnoticed. Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, please also hold your silence and draw as little attention to Harry’s disappearances as possible. If anyone asks where he is, inform them he is in Remedial Potions,” Dumbledore added with the slightest trace of a smile.
Harry grinned awkwardly, and turned to go. Hermione and Ron reached the door first but Dumbledore’s parting words made them freeze in sudden horror and realisation.
“On a more serious note, though, just remember that we are facing very dark and difficult times. The numbers of Death Eaters are growing daily. The war has started at last.”
A/N: My longest chapter yet! I hope you liked it “ it’s one of my favourite chapters.
Oh, and for any keen Latin speaking people out there, ‘Aldulterinus’ means ‘Not Genuine’
Thanks for reading and let me know your opinions please. Hint, hint….lol!