Breakfast was a somber affair. In hushed whispers, Ginny filled Ron and Hermione in on the events that had transpired that morning, though as it turned out, she had not needed to be so cautious. Soon as the owls began arriving with the early morning post, shouts of students wanting to be the first to divulge the news filled the hall. Discussions and arguments broke out in regards to the details, but one theme remained the same, that all giants were ruthless killers and had to be exterminated. After overhearing Justin Finch-Fletchy at the Hufflepuff table tell his fellow students that the school needed to expel Hagrid right away, Harry stomped angrily out of the Great Hall.
It took a while before Ron found him moping around in their dorm room and an even longer time until he convinced him to join him in the common room. Upon entering the common room, they found a hassled looking Professor McGonagall angrily directing everyone to their respective classes. When no one moved, her face turned a blotchy red color.
Harry cleared his throat to catch her attention and said, “Professor, it’s Saturday.”
After a moment in which all the students collectively held their breaths, reason seemed to prevail. McGonagall simply nodded her head and made her way out of the portrait hole. Harry assumed that the professor’s strange behavior had something to do with her worry over the mornings events, though he did not have much time to consider the matter. He saw Hermione waving furiously at him from across the room. After nudging Ron, they made their way over to where the frantic girl stood. Before he could say anything, Hermione had pushed him and Ron out of the portrait hole and into the empty hallway.
“Hermione, I’m not sure if we’re allowed to leave the common room,” Ron said hesitantly, but she took no heed of his words. Instead, she shoved him and Ron roughly into an empty classroom and ensured the door was soundly shut before turning to face them.
“I’ve just spoken with Susan Bones,” she announced before proceeding to make certain that the class was completely empty.
Harry and Ron shot each other a confused glance. If her behavior was any indicator, the information she was about to divulge was top secret, though they couldn’t fathom why. Still, Hermione had yet to steer them wrong, so they grabbed a pair of chairs and sat at the table closest to her.
“There’s no boogey man hiding in the shadows Hermione,” Ron said in an anxious voice.
“What did you talk to Susan about?” Harry asked, his impatience beginning to show.
Hermione took a deep breath and made a production of wringing her hands nervously together.
“Out with it,” Ron barked out the command. Clearly his patience was dwindling faster than Harry’s had.
“The Ministry of Magic is on lockdown!” Hermione exclaimed, before covering her mouth as though surprised that she had spoken at all.
“What does that mean, on lockdown?” Harry said as he stood abruptly from his seat causing it to slid side ways.
“This morning there was a terrible breach in security. Probably during the Giant attack because almost all the Ministry witches and wizards were called upon for backup.”
“What was the breach in security?” Ron asked.
For a moment, Harry thought Hermione was not going to answer Ron’s question. Though, finally, she swallowed hard and sat down on the seat Harry had cast aside.
“Karkaroff’s body was found, or I should say parts of his body were found scattered in areas of vital importance within the Ministry.”
“Karkaroff?” Ron said, a look of startled disbelief crossing his face. “Do you mean to say they cut up his corpse?” Ron asked in astounded horror, as the full meaning of Hermione’s statement began to sink in. Hermione didn’t answer, though she did not need to. The yellowish-green tint of her face spoke louder than words.
Harry, though not as shocked as Ron, still needed to take a moment to digest the news. He sat on the edge of the table, as it was the nearest solid object. The world seemed to spin slightly as images of giants in battle, villages ablaze, children screaming, and body parts flashed before his eyes. Unlike Ron, he had always known that Karkaroff was on Voldemort’s hit list. During his fourth year at Hogwarts, he had been transported to a graveyard where he witnessed Voldemort’s rebirth. When the Death Eaters were called to rejoin their master, Karkaroff, an ex-Death Eater, took off into hiding rather than face those he betrayed. Voldemort branded him a traitor and stated emotionlessly, that he would be killed. No, it was not Karkaroff’s death that Harry found devastating; it was the ability of the Death Eaters to penetrate undetected into the depths of the Ministry.
“What areas?” Harry asked as a feeling of icy dread crept down his spine.
“Four areas,” Hermione whispered as she began to tick them off her fingers, “the legs on the desk of the Head Auror, the torso in an aquarium in the Department of Mysteries, and his head wrapped in the Minister of Magic’s sweater.”
After a moment, Harry reminded Hermione, “That’s three.”
“The arms were attached with some spell to the door of the phone booth that visitors use to enter the Ministry,” she said, looking quite panic stricken.
“Why there?” Ron said in confusion.
“To show off the Dark Mark,” Harry guessed ominously, and Hermione nodded in agreement.
“The skull and snake were lit up and moving according to Susan,” Hermione added.
“Was Voldemort calling for a meeting?” Ron asked thickly.
“No,” Harry responded, “just celebrating a successful morning I suspect.”
The sat quietly for a length of time, each lost in their thoughts.
“Do you think there will be more news for today?” Ron asked, tentatively peeking at his watch as the hour hand turned to nine.
“I hope not,” Hermione whimpered, “I don’t think I could take any more.”
“I wish we were part of the Order. Then maybe we could help,” Ron said wistfully.
“Well I’m not going to sit around and do nothing,” Harry stated vehemently as he regained his composure and began to stride towards the door.
“Harry!” Hermione yelled out as she and Ron scrambled to catch up with him.
“What are you going to do?” Ron demanded, his long strides quickly putting him level with Harry.
Harry stopped suddenly. In the haste to catch up with them, Hermione was unable to slow down and plowed right into Harry’s back. Purely by reflex, he grabbed her arms before she went sprawling to the floor.
“Thanks!”
Ignoring her appreciation he instead commanded, “Get all the DA members to the room of requirements for practice.”
Hermione stood agape in surprise but quickly regained her senses and did as she was bidden when Ron yelled, “Get a move on!”
Harry was surprised to find Ron still at his side as they continued their fast pace down the corridor. He had fully expected Ron to go help Hermione in her task.
“What do you need me to do?” Ron asked in a serious tone, looking determined to be of service.
Harry racked his mind for a task to assign him, and finally settled on the most obvious.
“Go write to your father, mother, Percy, Penelope…anyone you can think of. Find out who has been locked inside the Ministry.”
“What good does that do?” Ron inquired.
“They wouldn’t lockdown the Ministry if they didn’t suspect that a culprit, or at least a conspirator, is inside.”
“It shouldn’t be too hard to spot a Death Eater sneaking around the Ministry Officials,” Ron argued.
“It would be if the Death Eater is a Ministry Official,” Harry said pointedly, his nerves grating by Ron, who was sometimes slow on the uptake.
“You don’t think there’s a spy in the Ministry, do you?” Ron asked, appalled by the thought.
“No,” Harry said sarcastically, “I think the Death Eaters are able to repeatedly sneak into one of the most heavily guarded magical buildings in all of England through their own cleverness.”
“Right,” Ron said, looking somewhat abashed by his own naïveté. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
Harry heard Ron ask where he was going, but he ignored him as he rounded another corner, and then another, then another. Soon he was at his destination, just outside Lupin’s office. He knocked roughly on the door, and it swung open to admit him.
“Come for a visit, Harry?” Lupin asked doubtfully.
“Where’s Hagrid gone?” Harry demanded, getting to the real reason he was there.
“There are many things going on out there right now,” Lupin said despondently, pointing to the window.
“I know about the attacks,” Harry said without delay.
“Than I do not know why you are asking where Hagrid has gone,” Lupin commented. “Naturally, Professor Dumbledore feels that Hagrid must return to the giants on our side posthaste.”
“They can not go into battle!”
“Battle?” Lupin inquired with an attempted air of innocence.
“Hagrid said they need another year to prepare,” Harry insisted, “they’re smaller and less skillful than the other Giants. Dumbledore’s sending them on a suicide mission!”
Giving up all pretenses, Lupin angrily responded. “Dumbledore is fully aware of the ramifications of his actions and I for one have every confidence in his judgment and abilities.”
“Is that the same confidence that you had when Dumbledore supposedly ensured that the prisoners would be unable to escape Azkaban?”
He heard Lupin mutter something about Dumbledore being unable to control foolish errors made by the guards but choose to ignore him. Instead he stormed out of the office and made his way up to the Room of Requirements. A quick look around the room confirmed that there was only one other person, Dean.
“Decided to rejoin the DA, have you?” Harry asked flippantly.
“I never left,” Dean said, looking standoffish.
“I haven’t seen you,” Harry pointed out.
“Hermione assigned the second-years to my charge,” Dean replied. “You can confirm it with her easily enough.”
Harry snorted, waving his hand dismissingly. With Voldemort now on the attack, the last thing he wanted to concentrate on was someone as insignificant as Dean. Under Dean’s watchful eyes, he began scanning the spell books in the room, looking for things that he may have neglected to teach.
“Had a rough morning?”
Harry ground his teeth together as Dean’s question threatened to unhinge him.
“If you hadn’t noticed, thousands of people have been killed and Voldemort is on the attack.”
Dean winced slightly at the mention of Voldemort, but Harry could still feel that eyes were upon him so he picked a random book and began to study it profusely.
“You haven’t gotten much sleep this past week, have you?”
Harry stopped himself from throwing the book he was holding at Dean’s presumptuous, oversized head.
“Concerned about my sleeping habits, are you?” he retorted mockingly.
“I haven’t had much sleep myself,” he replied in a conversational manner that suggested that he had either missed Harry’s sarcasm, or was choosing to ignore it altogether.
“What a shame,” Harry said in an off the cuff manner, hoping to end the futile dialogue.
Dean, however, seemed unwilling to oblige. “I have these dreams, nightmares really, about a strange house,” Dean shared.
Harry was spared from hearing whatever else Dean had to say when throngs of students began arriving for the spontaneous meeting. Sure enough, several students that looked to be second-years gathered around Dean and looked expectantly at him.
“Begin with a review of all the attack and defense spells they’ve learned so far,” Harry ordered before walking away to gather some of his own students. His goal was to ensure that all the DA members knew how to conjure a Patronus by the end of the weekend, including the first and second-years. Yes it was advanced magic, and he was sure Hermione would argue it was beyond their age and comprehension. But there were very few things in life that he could be certain of, that Voldemort showed no mercy on the weak and defenseless, was one of them.
In Adversity We Know Our Friends by Wise Owl
Chapter Notes: Ok thing's are going to get fast-paced from here out in (as I warned!) I hope you are paying attention to the subtle nuances, they're going to begin to add up very quickly!