The afternoon sun shone light down upon the Hogwarts grounds. Ginny walked quickly along them. She didn’t care where she went, only that she was going. Other students were dispersed throughout the grassy area, small groups of differing years huddled together in conversation with one another. Ginny walked past them all and headed down towards the lake. Finding a shaded area below a tree, she sat down and put her face into her hands.
So much was happening to her so fast that it was becoming overwhelming. She tried to remember the dreams she had been having in the hopes that she could make some sense of them. Try as she might, though, nothing was coming to her. It was all such a blur in her mind. Ginny had worked so hard to forget these awful visions, and now it was working against her.
Ginny was so lost in her own thoughts that she did not hear someone walking along the grass towards her. She didn’t see a tall shadow glaze over her.
“Ginny, are you all right?”
Ginny’s head shot up and she saw Harry standing beside her. Her vision was a bit blurred as her eyes were filled with tears that she didn’t even know she had cried. She wiped at her eyes with the sleeves of her robes. “Harry…umm, yes I’m fine. I just wanted some fresh air.”
Harry knelt down. “Ginny, you’ve been crying. What’s the matter?”
Ginny wanted to shake her head and tell him that nothing was wrong. She wanted to just get up and walk away, but her legs seemed to fail her. All she could do was lean into Harry and cry. He wrapped his arms around her, not quite sure what to do at the moment. Harry drew her body in close to his, so that she was practically sitting in his lap. “Ginny,” he whispered. “Please, talk to me.”
She cried into his chest for another few moments. “Harry, I’m scared.”
He gently stroked her hair. “Scared of what?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Something keeps coming to me in my dreams…and it keeps…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. Harry’s arms tightened around her torso. She felt warm and safe in his embrace, something that she had not felt in some time. Her arms wrapped themselves around Harry’s waist. “I’m just so scared.”
Harry was beginning to understand why Ginny had been so restless these past weeks. “Ginny, are these dreams or something more real?”
Ginny shook her head. “I can’t tell anymore.”
Harry kissed the top of her head. He knew all too well about dreams that seemed real. If Ginny was having a similar experience, then he knew that he needed to be here for her now more then ever. “Ginny, have you told anyone about these dreams?” She shook her head. “Do you think that you should?” There was no response. “Ginny, I know how it feels to have these kinds of dreams, and I also know that you can’t keep them bottled up inside of you. I’m glad that you told me, but you need to speak with someone else about this. Professor Dumbledore is always a good person to speak with.”
Ginny looked up at him. Apprehension was deep in her eyes. It had taken all the courage she possessed to tell Harry about the dreams. If she had to speak to someone else about it…she wasn’t sure she could do it. “Harry, I want to know what’s going on, but I’m not sure anyone else would believe me. These dreams are so ridiculous that they might just say I need to lay off the treacle pudding at dinner. I…”
Harry placed a finger to her lips. “All right. I know how you feel. I didn’t like telling people about my dreams. We’ll keep this quiet for now, but if they keep happening I want you to tell me and we will go see Professor Dumbledore together. Promise?” Ginny nodded.
They both got to their feet. Harry took Ginny’s hand and started to lead her back up to the castle, but she stood still. Harry looked back at her. “Something wrong?”
Ginny looked like she wanted to cry again. “Harry, if there were something in my past that I never told you, would you be angry with me?”
Harry turned to her. “What?”
Her lip started to quiver. “If there were something in my past that I never told you about, would you be angry with me? Would you still love me?”
Harry placed a hand under her chin to stop her shaking lip. “Ginny, I love you more then I have ever loved anyone in my life. No matter what you have to tell me, I will not be angry with you.”
Ginny leaned in and embraced him. Harry closed his arms around her once again. He held her close to him and kissed the top of her head again. As he held her though, a feeling of hatred rose to his eyes.
She’s keeping something from me. I don’t like when people keep things from me.
As quickly as it appeared, it vanished.
************************************************************
Kevin sloshed through a mound of parchment. Reports from the Ministry of Magic about the individuals that had pledged allegiance to Voldemort had come in a few days ago. Kevin was eager to look through them, but it was a daunting task for one man. He wasn’t alone though. “Filius, I can’t thank you enough for helping me look over all these reports.”
Professor Flitwick was looking over some pieces of parchment. “Think nothing of it my boy,” he said. “I am as anxious as you to resolve this mystery.”
Kevin picked up a folder and looked inside. “Have you seen any reports about the prisoners from about two weeks after they were caught?” Flitwick hopped off the stool he was sitting on and walked over to another stack of parchment. He grabbed two sheets and handed them to Kevin. “These say they recanted their confessions after a while. How come no one said anything about this?” He was talking more to himself then to Flitwick.
Flitwick looked at another folder. “But each person did say that they acted under the orders of You-Know-Who. The Ministry seems more inclined to believe their first story.”
Kevin sat at his desk. “It could mean that they were under some form of coercion that we don’t know about. Are there any charms other then the Imperius Curse that could make someone act against their will?”
The Charms Professor thought for a moment. “None that could act on this scale. There are more then fifty wizards and witches that have said they acted under his orders. Only the Imperius Curse could affect that many people.”
Kevin rubbed his hand over his eyes. They had been looking over the files since early morning. Fatigue was starting to set in. He would have kept his eyes closed, except that a high-pitched squeal pierced the silence. Kevin jumped to his feet and ran over to a cabinet. He reached inside and pulled out a large cylindrical crystal. Inside it was a bright red gas. The crystal was vibrating, causing the high-pitched squeal. Kevin passed his wand over it and it quieted down.
Professor Flitwick took his hands from his ears. “What is that?”
Kevin looked over the crystal. “Something new from the Magical Law Enforcement department. It’s an interesting little thing. They tell me that it can detect malicious intent in a certain area around it.” He handed it to the Flitwick. “I think that it just likes to make noise.” He stuffed it back into the cabinet. “It tells me it’s there but it doesn’t say where it is.”
“Would you let me take a look at it?” Professor Flitwick asked. “Perhaps I can make some improvements on it. I’ve always enjoyed tinkering with magical objects.” Kevin grabbed the crystal and tossed it to him. “Thank you. If you no longer need me here, I would like to look it over right away.”
Kevin nodded and Professor Flitwick left the room quickly, eager to begin his work. He left in such a hurry that he nearly ran right into the Animagus, Chris. Flitwick darted around his legs and scurried down the hall. Chris chuckled a bit. “Like a dog with a bone. I see you let him have that “dark-emotion” crystal of yours.”
Kevin walked over and hugged his friend. “If he can make it work, more power to him.” He stepped back. “I’m glad you stopped by. Filius and I may have found some information that the Ministry Council will want to know about. I don’t know how long I will be gone, so I was hoping that you could teach my Defense Against the Dark Arts class while I’m there. Stacy already agreed to cover Potions for me.”
Chris nodded. “Sure, I’ll be glad to do that. When do you leave?”
“As soon as I can.”
“Then I take it that I’ll be covering your Dark Arts refresher courses as well,” Chris said. “Unless you want Severus to handle it by himself.”
Kevin shook his head. “No, I don’t think I’ll subject the students to that torture. If you can handle that too, I’d appreciate it. I’ve asked some of the students to lend a hand. Just make sure no one tries anything too advanced. I want this new program to go through. The last thing any of us needs is some accident to destroy this whole thing.”
Chris nodded. “I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your students alive for you.”
They clasped hands.
*******************************************************
Nighttime at Hogwarts was tight as far as security went. Students who normally decided to test the rules by roaming the halls had learned that such activity was futile. The ghosts of Hogwarts had been drafted into wandering the corridors and alerting any Auror or teacher that an intruder was present. Dumbledore had placed charms and spells along the grounds and at every entrance that would stop anyone trying to get into the castle.
Despite all of that, one person managed to slip past all of that.
A hooded figure walked silently through the stone corridors. His foot falls barely audible in the silent halls. He used no light, but was somehow able to walk unhindered. His long cloak was wrapped tightly around his body. He wanted to take no chances that he might be seen.
Soon, he found himself at his destination. A large wooden door was before him, a door he had only seen briefly but knew well. He reached out his hand and gently pushed it open. The hinges squeaked a small bit, but no one was nearby to hear them. He walked into the room and pulled out a small slip of parchment from his robes. Gently setting it on a desk, he turned to leave, but found that the door had closed behind him. Fear began to grip him as he realized that he had been caught.
A low growl came from the darkness. He drew a wand from inside his robes and readied it to strike. He was too late as he heard four distinct voices say, “Lumos.” Four streams of light shone around him, momentarily blinding his vision. He raised his arms to shield his eyes. “Who are you?” he asked.
The lights dimmed a bit. “Now surely you know us,” one of the voices said. The hooded figure was able to see who was holding the lights. The four Animagi stood around him, each holding their wand at chest level. The earlier speaker turned out to be Shawn, who was standing right in front of him. “Now, perhaps you can tell us why you are in our friend’s office.”
“I have news to deliver, and Kevin was the best person to deliver it to,” the figure said. His hand, which still held his wand, flicked slightly.
“Expelliarmus!”
Lita cast a disarming spell, which made the wand fly into the air. Stacy reached out her hand and caught it. Shawn gently shook his head. “Bad idea to try any magic with us around. Four against one aren’t good odds.”
“But I have come here as a friend.”
“And you are a servant of Voldemort,” Chris responded. “Despite the information you’ve managed to provide us with, you still serve him.”
“If I openly renounced the Dark Lord, he would have me killed and then you would have no informant.”
“Why did you come here?” Stacy asked. “All of your other messages have come by owl.”
“Because I knew that this news might require a face-to-face conversation. You may not believe it otherwise.”
Shawn nodded at Chris. “Grab the note and read it.” Chris took the parchment from Kevin’s desk. He unfolded it, and his face turned to shock. Shawn took the note and read it himself. “Durmstrang,” he said. “Why there?”
“You know what he wanted the students of Hogwarts for months ago.” The Animagi nodded. “Well, he believes that the students of Durmstrang will be a bit more open to his offer. Though, force may be necessary.”
The Animagi looked from one to the other. This was disturbing news and the Ministry would have to be alerted as soon as possible. “You’re lucky that we did find you. Kevin is gone for now, and there is no telling when he’ll be back. No one else has a reason to be in here, so it could have been a week before we found this note. Next time, use a method that is foolproof.” The Animagi lowered their wands.
Stacy held out the hooded figure’s wand, which he took. “So, I am free to go, then?”
Shawn raised his wand again. “For now, but if this turns out to be a trap, or we ever find out you are trying to mislead us, we will not hesitate to find you deal with you ourselves.”
“Or we can do something really cruel and blow the whistle on you to Voldemort,” Lita said. “I’m sure he can’t be too happy that you’ve been doing this for almost six months. So, you’d better be on your best behavior.”
The figure strode from the office into the darkened hallway. He quickly made his way out of the castle and Apparated off the grounds.