Fallen from grace

Chapter three

In the Headmaster’s old office the seven people looked around at Dumbledore’s old possessions and at the portrait of the wizard that was now on the wall sleeping and seemingly completely oblivious to chaos going on in the paintings around him.

The old Headmaster’s and Headmistress’s were in a complete uproar and were all trying to ask questions to the people in the office all in very loud voices and all at the same time. Professor McGonagall raised her wand and set a silencing spell as well as several protective wards around the room so that the group gathered within the office could speak to one another.

Moody gruffly stated a quick thank you to Professor McGonagall before turning to the four students. “I think it would be wise for all of us to get comfy to discuss the events of tonight and get our entire story straight especially as you four seemed to be at certain centres of trouble.”

Kingsley conjured up a large sofa and several chairs in a rough circle so they could all start. “I think it would be wise to remember some of what is said in this room tonight should not be spoken of again, especially what could be damaging to the Order of the Phoenix.” The four students looked to one another and all nodded in agreement.

“Right then I think we should start with you Harry, especially as you seemed to be the one person who knew of Dumbledore’s death before most but also because you are likely to be questioned most by the Ministry due to the nature of the incident this evening.” Harry took a shuddering breath and thought of what he could say to the adults in front of him without going in to detail of the Horcruxes.

All the eyes in the room seemed to be on Harry, even the portraits on the wall seemed to have stopped the chaotic questions and statements and focused on Harry even though the wouldn’t be able to hear what he would say. “Well I guess I should start with the fact that Dumbledore and I have been meeting throughout the year at irregular times to go over information on Voldemort.”

“Of course, a wise move know thy enemy so that you can try to work out his next moves”, was Moody’s reply to Harry’s statement. Harry tried to think of what pieces of information to give away next, and started to look around the room at Dumbledore’s possessions, all delicately spinning and whirring away and the fact that he was truly gone began to seep in even more to his shocked mind. He realised that none of the instruments in the room would be used again, no longer would Fawkes sit on his perch pruning his majestic feathers, no more candies waiting to be eaten; but what hit home most of all was that there would no longer be Dumbledore to come to, no longer would anyone look in to his twinkling blue eyes that seemed to know so much but wished for you to come to the answer yourself.

Harry was pulled out of his musings by a slight cough from Kingsley. “Sorry I lost the train of my thought slightly,” Harry then blinked back the tears that had started to form and pressed on with the story. “Tonight we left the castle and went to somewhere which Dumbledore thought was important to Voldemort from his childhood.”

“Sorry Harry can we just interrupt you for a moment”, came the apologetic Kingsley “did anybody else see you leave the castle tonight?”

“Ah no I was underneath my invisibility cloak, while we left the castle, we went to one of the towers where there were two brooms waiting. Umm we then went to Hogsmead so that someone saw Albus there.”

“Ok that’s good make sure that you mention to no one else that you and Albus left the castle together tonight, especially the Ministry it could become ugly otherwise.” Kingsley nodded in agreement to Moody’s statement and McGonagall started to sob slightly but quickly apologised and tried to collect herself once again.

“Where did you go next Harry?” Was Kingsley’s next question and once again everyone in the room turned to Harry to hear his response.

“Well I am not exactly sure but Dumbledore did a side-long apparation with me and we were on the coast somewhere.” Everyone seemed to be on tenterhooks as what the two did next. “Um well Dumbledore told me about Riddle as he was growing up and a cave at the beach he thought might hold some clues to Voldemort and what he was doing now. Ummm but we err didn’t find anything that was of use and decided it would be best to head back and re-think our ideas, as the cave obviously wasn’t of a big enough importance.”

Everyone seemed to sag back down in his or her seats at the news. “So you telling me you and Dumbledore were off chasing a load of he who shall not be named childhood memories, while the rest of the school was in danger and my brother was attacked by that filthy werewolf Greyback?” The sudden and rather unexpected outburst came from Ron and Ginny seeming to nod in agreement with her Brother’s question.

Hermione turned to Ron in anger “Dumbledore didn’t ever do anything without reasons and I am sure he didn’t know the school would be attacked in the way it was Ronald and Bill is a member of the Order and he knew the risks when he first joined.”

“Mione how could you not care when our brother is lying in the hospital wing and the outcome of the attack is still unknown” came from a teary Ginny, which Ron was now trying to console.

“Yeah Hermione how could you say something like that to us I can’t believe you at all, I thought you were one of my friends.” Ron replied while he hugged his sister who was now sobbing in to his jumper. At the two Weasley’s comments Hermione gasped and a look of hurt crossed her face before Harry jumped in “Hermione didn’t mean to upset you and she is right about what she said on both counts. I mean both of you have been in dangerous situations because of me and Voldemort.”

A shudder went round the room at the name and McGonagall quickly stepped in to stop any further arguments between the four friends. “I think what both Harry and Hermione said was true, the attack that happened this evening could in no way have been foreseen by anyone especially the individuals who would try to attack the students and those defending them. Your brother Mr and Miss Weasley acted on his own will and judgement tonight and I am sure he will recover quickly.”

Both of the Weasley’s seemed to calm at Harry and the Professors words, Ginny drew in a couple of deep breaths and managed to stop crying and Harry lay a comforting hand on Hermione’s shoulder as she still held a slight look of pain on her features.

“Quite right, now if we could get back to the story at hand. Do you think you could get back to the same spot again Potter?” Moody replied briefly to the tension that had built in the room between the four adolescents.

Harry turned to face Moody and Kingsley again “no I don’t think I could and as Dumbledore decided there was nothing of importance I doubt there would be reason to look again.”

Both the aurors seemed slightly put out by what Harry had said, “ok then tell us about your arrival back at the castle then and keep in as much detail as possible”, was Kingsley’s reaction.

Harry closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts and tried to sort out what had happened in the chaos that had happened. “Well we apparated back to the village with me back under my cloak; we both saw the Dark mark and flew back to the castle as quickly as we could. We landed on the tower where the dark mark was floating, and I headed towards the door, that’s when, Malfoy burst through the door and disarmed Dumbledore. What…”

“Sorry to interrupt again but a few questions to make it clearer was it Draco or Lucius Malfoy that was on the tower?” Kingsley’s quick interruption while he looked through recent notes to see if there had been a breakout from Azkaban.

“Oh sorry, it was Draco Malfoy. A split second before Draco disarmed Dumbledore, Dumbledore paralysed me while I was still underneath the cloak, I was off to the side so I wasn’t in anyone’s way and no one noticed my presence there.” Harry looked around the room avoiding eye contact with everyone while also clenching and un-clenching his fists.

“Its nothing to be ashamed of Harry,” was a timid statement from Hermione. She then took Harry’s hand and continued on “if Dumbledore did that it was to protect you from the unknown not because he thought you would get in to trouble.”

Harry squeezed Hermione’s hand and gave her a small smile in Thanks “Your right, I know your right I just wish things had gone differently is all, its just another person dead because of me.”

“No, no, no Harry your wrong” was Hermione’s vehement response to this, she caught Harry’s gaze with her own and said very clearly “None of the events that have happened have been your fault it is Vol… Voldemort who is to blame not you Harry. Do you understand it’s his hatred that has caused all the deaths?”

At Hermione’s statement the five other occupants in the room nodded and briefly stated their agreement. Harry smiled and took a breath before continuing he told them of the conversation between Dumbledore and Draco and the protection he had offered.

At Draco’s involvement Ron couldn’t keep his comments back, he believed that Draco would do anything to please the Dark Lord and that he deserved punishment and absolutely no forgiveness. Ginny and Moody seemed to agree with Ron’s statements, however Hermione and Harry defended his actions trying reason that he was scared and wanted to do all that he could to protect his family. Ron tried to reason that Harry had been right all along in being suspicious because it was quite clear that Malfoy had started to plan the attack and Dumbledore’s death since the beginning of the school year and possibly most of the previous summer, all because he wanted to be a death eater.

“No I think you’re wrong because Malfoy looked truly scared on the tower this evening and he didn’t even like the fact that the Greyback was in the school.” Harry’s was certain of his defence of Draco, as well as the fact that if Draco had been given a little more time he would have accepted the help offered by the Order of the Phoenix.

“Maybe you’re right Harry but he is a Malfoy and self preservation is there number one aim” was all that Moody could reply to Harry’s statements of Draco’s actions.

The conversation went on and Harry re-told the events of the death eaters joining Draco at the top of the tower and taunting Dumbledore and encouraging Draco to cast the killing curse as well as the sudden appearance of Snape. All of the women in the room started to break down in to tears again at Harry talking about Dumbledore’s death, even Ron had tears gathering in his eyes and Kingsley and Moody bowed their heads in disbelief at Albus’s last moments.

Harry described to Kingsley and Moody of how he followed Snape and Malfoy as they fled the castle and of Snape’s strange messages and Draco’s shell shocked look as they apparated away.

Moody and Kingsley started to talk about how it was absolutely vital that no one in the room reveal how involved Harry was in Dumbledore’s last hours as the Ministry of Magic would only make trouble for the Order and Harry as well. Everyone all agreed and the two aurors then started to question Ron, Ginny’s and Hermione’s whereabouts during the attack. All three students described to their best abilities where they were and who they had seen and which death eaters were at the castle and if any other students aided in the attack this evening.

The night had slowly drawn into the earlier hours of dawn before the two auror’s were happy about the statements they would give to the Ministry on the four student’s involvement in the school’s raid. They told Harry that he should make sure if anyone else asked him any questions that he needed to know Ron’s story and say he was with him all evening during the attack as they believed that Ron had been seen the least by other staff and students so the story would be a good cover.

Professor McGonagall told the four to get back to the dorms and get some rest while they still could. “Um Professor” Queried Ginny “would it be possible to see how Bill is?” Professor McGonagall sighed “I think it would be best to let him rest at this hour, but before he is taken to St Mungo’s tomorrow I will let you and Mr Weasley know so you can see him.”

Ginny looked slightly teary and upset again but nodded. “Don’t worry Gin he will still be alright we would have heard if he had gotten any worse by now from your family or Madam Pomfrey, right?” Harry looked around the room at the adults for reassurance, and they all nodded in agreement and Hermione said that Madam Pomfrey was the best Healer any one could every need or hope to need. “I guess your right I am just worried is all.”

Ron had fallen quiet since the re-telling of his tale in the night’s events and seemed to once again be slowly fuming to himself. The silencing spell and Ward’s were taken down and the room once again filled with chaotic noise from the portraits. They seven people all looked to Albus’s portrait that was still fast asleep and took their leave of the Headmaster’s office.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all walked back to the common room in silence, but once inside Harry spoke “I need to tell Hermione and Ron some more about this evening but Ginny I don’t want you to hear anything as it is very dangerous and I don’t want you in anymore than you are” while looking pleadingly in to her eyes for understanding.

“I want to help you Harry plea…” she was abruptly cut off by her brother. “No Ginny I won’t allow it and neither would mum your not of age yet and I don’t want anymore of my family hurt.”

“Ok I guess you right, Goodnight you three I hope you manage to get some rest tonight” and she slowly made her way up to the girl’s dormitories. Harry looked around the room when she was out of sight and turned to Hermione “I need you to make it safe to talk in here is that possible?”

“I think so let’s go over in that corner we are less likely to be seen.” The three of them moved in to a corner of the common room that was a little dark and had a sofa and cushions on the floor. Truth be told it was where the older years sometimes mucked about with boyfriends and girlfriends. They all sat themselves on the cushions on the floor and Hermione placed up similar ward’s as their Head of House had done in Dumbledore’s office.

“Ok the reason why Dumbledore and I were out this evening was because we were looking for the location of one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.” Both Ron and Hermione gasped in shock and sat up a little straighter to hear what happened next. “Well we did go to the coast and a small cave, inside was a lake and at the centre a small island. We went across in a small boat and Dumbledore warned me not to touch the water because of inferi. Dumbledore said that the horcrux was at the bottom of this basin that was filled with a strange potion and the only way he said we could get it was for him to drink the potion.”

Harry let his head drop in to his hands “It was horrible you guys” he took a shuddering breath “he told me to make him drink it even if he didn’t want to.” Hermione looked close to tears and Ron just sat stock still barely even breathing “Well the potion did something to him it was a poison or something and made him hallucinate and it made him really thirsty also he was in lots of pain.”

“Oh God that’s horrible Harry.” Ron also seemed to come to life again “Oh mate I mean you’ve been through a lot tonight. I am really sorry about my comment earlier in the Headmaster’s office I should have realised you couldn’t say everything to the adults and Ginny.”

Harry looked up from his hand and gave them a weak smile “but at least you guys are ok, I mean if something had happened to you I don’t know what I would’ve done.” Hermione launched herself at Harry in tears and enveloped him in a hug, Ron stuttered in the back round just as shocked as Harry as to what was happening.

“Alright Hermione let go there and let him breath again,” Hermione leapt back “Bloody girls always so emotional.” Harry who was now able to breath again after Hermione’s death grip of a hug looked and to Ron and chuckled as Hermione threw a pillow at him “Oh Ronald you .. you .. aahhh.”

“Well I took the horcrux and tried to conjure Dumbledore water but I couldn’t and he was suffering so much I just automatically went for the water in the lake. All of sudden hundreds of Inferi came out of the water and I just froze in fear, they were awful and there was so many of them Voldemort killed dozens of people just to put them in that cave.”

“Dumbledore came back to himself and we got out of the cave alive and in one piece and apparated back to Hogsmead and you guys already know the rest.” He huffed and sank down taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, when he looked back up again Hermione thought as it looked like he suddenly aged ten years in one night.

“Wow I mean if all of he who must not be named Horcruxes are going to be that difficult to get at we have a lot of work ahead of us this summer” Ron said while shaking his head. “I know, I know and it’s going to be three times as hard without Dumbledore.”

Hermione seemed to be deep in thought while the two boys conversed with one another, “What was Dumbledore like after you left the cave Harry?” Both boys turned to look at her “Umm very weak why?”

“Well what if he and Snape had a plan about this evening’s events, I mean ….” She was cut off by both Harry and Ron yelling simultaneously and asking her if she had lost her mind and that she should get some rest as she was starting to loose it already.

“Alright, Alright, I was just thinking out loud, but you are right we do need to get some sleep.” The boys nodded in agreement so she waved clear the wards and the three of them mumbled goodnight and headed for their beds.