Harry Potter and the Forbidden Passage

Chapter 13: A Darker World

The kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place swirled into harsh reality around them. Harry felt instantly nauseous, but this time it wasn't from the Portkey. Hermione was in danger and he was helpless to do anything about it. And she had become a target because of him, because of their friendship. He had to do something, he couldn't just wait here for who knows how long before some word arrived.

Everything that he had just seen and heard replayed itself over and over in his mind. The Death Eater possessing or masquerading as Oliver, for that was surely what had happened, had said that "something unfortunate" might happen to Hermione's parents. Would Remus, Tonks, or Moody warn the Grangers? Had any of them even heard the entire conversation? And if they had, would they have time to warn them between saving Hermione, possibly apprehending a Death Eater, and finding Ginny? Hermione's parents could be in danger right now, there was no time to waste, someone had to do something.

Harry was about to ask Mrs. Weasley to contact Dumbledore. Then, with a jolt of realization, he remembered that there was something he could do. All along he had possessed the power to contact any member of the Order.

Pulling the chain out from the neck of his shirt, he held out the phoenix pendant..

"I am loyal to the Order of the Phoenix," Harry said quickly. Tiny flames arose from the pendant as it sat flat in his palm. "Dumbledore," he spoke clearly into the flames.

"Harry?" Dumbledore's voice rose softly from the pendant. "I am aware of what has happened. Kingsley and Hestia have already Apparated to Diagon Alley. You're safe at Grimmauld Place, aren't you?"

"Yes," Harry responded, "but Hermione's parents could be in trouble. I heard Wood…or the Death Eater…whoever it was. Anyway, he threatened her parents and said that they know where they live. Someone needs to warn them."

There was a brief silence before Dumbledore spoke again. "I'll take care of it myself immediately. You made the right decision to contact me. Thank you, Harry."

The flames flickered away and Harry knew that Dumbledore had gone.

Placing the medallion back beneath his collar he looked up to see Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron staring at him, horrified.

Ron was the first to speak. "Harry, what's going on? You have to tell me. Is Hermione hurt?" He sounded close to hysterics and looked more afraid than Harry had ever seen him, even more afraid than he was when they had met Aragog in the Forbidden Forest.

"I don't know…I mean, I think…I think she's okay," Harry stammered. "I just don't know. It all happened so fast."

"WHAT happened?" Ron demanded impatiently.

"I saw them talking," Harry replied slowly, still trying make sense of what he had seen. "Hermione was talking to Wood and then-"

"Wood?" Fred and George asked at once. "Not Oliver Wood?" Fred continued.

Harry glanced at Fred, nodded, and continued, "Suddenly, he aimed his wand at Hermione and led her into the alley next to the store. I…I ran after them but…Remus pulled me back before I was able to reach them. I didn't see what happened, but I heard it. He threatened Hermione, he said that they would do something to her parents if she didn't tell him…," he trailed off.

"Who are they?"

"Tell him what?"

"Why would Wood threaten Hermione?"

The questions came from everyone at once.

"It wasn't Wood…I mean it was, but…I dunno, I think it might have been Polyjuice or the Imperius curse," Harry explained. "He didn't sound himself. Whoever was threatening her, it looked like Wood, but I think it was a Death Eater."

"Why? What did he want?" Ron asked anxiously.

Harry closed his eyes and sat down on the bench, his head in his hands. He felt sick. Hermione had been put in danger because of him. He looked up at Ron, whose eyes were full of concern. Ron, his best friend. It could just as easily have been him. And it could yet be him. He deserved to know.

"He was asking her where-"

A loud pop interrupted Harry in mid-sentence as Tonks suddenly Apparated five feet in front of him, knocking over a bucket in the process.

"Everyone…all right…here?" she asked breathlessly.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron demanded, ignoring her question.

"They're coming…should be here…any second now," she panted.

Seconds passed and became minutes which seemed terribly like hours before they heard sounds coming from upstairs. There was a jam at the staircase as everyone raced up at once. Ron was fastest, shortly followed by Harry. Bounding up the stairws, they burst out of the doorway and flooded into the entry hall. But it was not Hermione who had arrived, Dumbledore was standing at the entrance with Hermione's parents. The Grangers looked nervous and frightened and a bit out of place in a wizarding household. Mrs. Granger appeared to be clenching Mr. Granger's hand so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

There was a lengthy pause as the two sides stared at each other in silence. Dumbledore looked pointedly at Tonks as though he was asking her an unspoken question and she shook her head just a fraction in response.

"Molly," Dumbledore said softly as he directed his gaze to Mrs. Weasley, "Would you mind showing Mr. and Mrs. Granger to the kitchen? I think they could use a spot of tea right about now."

Mrs. Weasley shook herself out of a daze and replied quickly, "Yes, of course, of course." She gave a halfhearted smile, "What was I thinking? You both must be worried sick." Mrs. Weasley immediately walked over and gently ushered the Grangers toward the stairs. "I'm sure Hermione will be arriving any moment now," she said comfortingly, but her voice wavered slightly.

Fred and George followed silently and Harry and Ron were about to do the same when Dumbledore spoke.

"Harry, stay please. I need to hear your account of what took place. Mr. Weasley, you may join your family."

Ron turned to leave and then he spun back on his heel and faced Dumbledore. "No," Ron said firmly, "I want to hear this. I want to know exactly what happened to Hermione."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

Harry nodded in response. "It's all right, he should know," Harry said solemnly.

Harry proceeded to explain in detail everything he had seen and heard outside Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. When he was finished, Ron said nothing and his face was unreadable, he looked neither angry nor sad nor scared. He bit his lower lip and turned his head down and away. Harry had the distinct feeling that Ron would show any one of those emotions if he turned to face them.

Dumbledore sighed. "I had expected that something like this might happen one day," he said. "Unfortunately, it happened far sooner than I would have hoped. Voldemort's feared. His moves are growing bolder if he's attempted anything in Diagon Alley."

An ominous thought crossed Harry's mind and he had to ask, "Do you think Wood is all right, Professor? I mean, if they were using Polyjuice potion, he could be imprisoned like Professor Moody was."

"The Polyjuice potion requires a month to prepare and I very much doubt that this attack was planned that far in advance. After all, even with the closest network of spies, they would have no way of knowing a month before when or even if Hermione would visit Diagon Alley. And from what you described, it sounded as though Oliver were under the Imperius curse or perhaps…," Dumbledore paused as though a new thought had just occurred to him. He frowned and continued, whispering as if he was speaking to himself, "No, that's impossible, only Voldemort himself could do that and he would have to be close by." He shook his head and turned back to Harry. "Let's just say that I would be much mistaken if the man you saw was not in fact the real Oliver Wood."

Normally, Harry might have asked about the other possibility that Dumbledore had been thinking of, but this time he had the feeling that he knew exactly what Dumbledore was thinking, for the thought had crossed his mind as well. After all, he had experienced it quite recently - a strange voice coming out of his own body, the feeling of someone else controlling his movements, and the intense pain that had made him in that moment wish for death to come swiftly. That was what it felt like to be possessed by Voldemort, a feeling that he would never wish on another human being.

Harry looked up and found Dumbledore surveying him with concern and he knew that Dumbledore had discerned what he had been thinking.

"Well," Dumbledore said, "perhaps it would be prudent of me to see what is keeping them. Mr. Wood may very well be in more danger from Alastor Moody than any Death Eaters. Harry, anyone who comes to the house should stay here. Don't let them leave. I'll be back shortly and I need to hear from everyone who was at the scene. We have to know what exactly took place to prevent further attacks of this nature."

Harry showed his agreement with a single nod and Dumbledore was gone as swiftly as he had appeared.

"He knew," Ron said quietly. "He knew that something like this might happen but he did nothing." He seemed both angry and shocked.

Welcome to my world, Harry thought. Why did it always seem that Dumbledore knew everything and yet never did anything about it? Had Dumbledore acted on his knowledge, would Sirius be alive now? Would Hermione never have been attacked? While the thought of Sirius still tormented him beyond endurance, he was not so certain that the attack on Hermione could have been prevented.

"I wouldn't have known at first and I'm not so sure that Dumbledore would have either. I really thought it was Wood," Harry explained, "and maybe it was at first. Any of us would have stopped to talk to him. No one could have anticipated that."

"Dumbledore did," Ron said plainly. "You heard him. Does he think we're idiots? We've known for years that being your friend might have its consequences, but that's a risk that we were both willing to take. But if Dumbledore expected something like this, then he could have prepared us better."

Harry was silent. He couldn't argue with this. Maybe Dumbledore should have prepared them better, all of them. He knew the prophecy, he knew Voldemort's methods, and he obviously knew what to expect, so why did he always remain so distant? If he was such a great and powerful wizard, why was he not teaching them the skills it would take to protect themselves?

Harry's thoughts were broken by a sound that came up from the kitchen and was followed by many voices. He and Ron exchanged a glance and said, "Hermione," together at once. Just as they were both about to join the rest downstairs, the front door creaked open and both of them turned towards the sound. What they saw stopped them in their tracks as Hermione stepped through the door, closely followed by Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Before a single word could be said, Ron had run to Hermione and wrapped her in what looked to be a very tight embrace. This lasted several seconds, during which Hermione looked both shocked and extremely uncomfortable.

"Er…Ron…I…can't…breathe," Hermione finally gasped.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Ron said quickly, blushing to the tips of his ears as he let go instantly and stepped back.

"Are you all right, Hermione?" Harry asked as he hugged her briefly.

"I'm fine."

Harry and Ron both cast her a questioning glance.

"Really, I am. I'm just a little shaken up, that's all. Honestly, you're both acting as though I can't take care of myself," Hermione said. "There was never any danger really." The note of confidence in her voice began to falter. She bit her lower lip and looked down.

"Right," Ron said sarcastically, "no danger at all in a Death Eater nearly kidnapping you."

"Well I didn't know he was a Death Eater at the time," she snapped unexpectedly, suddenly looking rather angry.

"I didn't say that you did," Ron replied, confusion written on his face.

"But you think that I should have, don't you?" she demanded.

Ron shook his head, but tears were already spilling down her cheeks.

"I should have recognized that it wasn't really Oliver," she cried miserably. "I should have known the signs." She wiped at her eyes. "I must look like an idiot, being fooled so easily."

"Hermione, you know we don't think that," Harry said gently. "I saw him, Hermione. I saw the two of you talking. I thought it was Oliver at first too."

"Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes and sniffing slightly.

"Really," Harry confirmed.

Hermione embraced him briefly just as everyone else in the house started to appear, drawn by her outburst. Suddenly Hermione was surrounded by people taking turns hugging her and expressing relief at her safe return. Her eyes widened when she saw her parents and she looked overjoyed.

As Harry stepped away from the crowd around Hermione, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned and looked into Ginny's brown eyes. With everything that had happened, he had forgotten that she had also been left behind in Diagon Alley and felt some relief at the realization that she and Remus, who was standing not far away, had also returned safely.

"Harry, maybe we should let Hermione be alone with her parents for a little while, don't you think?" Ginny asked. She looked towards Hermione whose mother held a protective arm around her still.

Harry agreed and Ginny took the job of luring away the twins and Mrs. Weasley while Harry was given the somewhat more difficult task of convincing a rather reluctant Ron to leave Hermione for any length of time.

When Dumbledore returned an hour later, he met with Hermione alone to hear her side of the story. Harry was anxious to find out what had happened afterwards with Oliver Wood, but he supposed that that would have to wait.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long. Dumbledore called him into the study to join them only a few minutes later.

"Hermione has just explained to me her half of the events," Dumbledore explained to Harry, "and I felt it only fair to tell you both about the aftermath. Oliver Wood is currently being detained by the Ministry. I had hoped that they would not get involved, but, alas, by the time I had arrived in Diagon Alley, several Aurors were already at the scene.

"Before I left, Mr. Wood was tested for the Polyjuice potion and his appearance remained unaltered, nor did he bear any sign of the Dark Mark. Then he was administered Veritaserum, but he remembers nothing of what happened. Fortunately, for Mr. Wood's sake, no one actually believes now that he had any control over his actions, but the Ministry has decided to keep a firm watch over him for the time being. The Ministry is maintaining the position that Mr. Wood was under the Imperius curse the entire time and that his memory was modified after he was stunned. Naturally, the Ministry will not even consider the other possibility, one which I believe you have already suspected, Harry," Dumbledore gazed meaningfully at him and Harry nodded.

Harry turned and looked at Hermione. Surprisingly, she did not look confused but she paled as though she understood the exact meaning of Dumbledore's words. Of course, the Ministry would never want to admit that Wood could have been possessed because that would mean that Voldemort himself had penetrated the Ministry's supposedly impenetrable defenses around Diagon Alley.

Dumbledore continued, "We may never know what truly happened in this case, but that doesn't really matter. The point is that Mr. Wood was not involved and that anyone anywhere is vulnerable during these times, though some are certainly more vulnerable targets than others.."

"But isn't there anything I could have done, Professor?" Hermione asked desperately. "Books I could have read or spells I could have learned?"

Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles at Hermione. "I don't believe that there was anything that you could have done to prevent this attack, Miss Granger. And books can only teach you so much, the most valuable knowledge comes from experience. But rest assured that I will do my best to find a solution to prevent any further incidents of this nature. And I will perform the Fidelius charm for your parents, so have no fears on their account."

When the meeting ended, Harry could tell that Hermione was still unnerved and frustrated.

"Harry?" she asked as soon as they were alone, "are you planning on continuing the D.A. this year?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"Well, you're going to whether you want to or not and the first thing we're going to learn is how to block the Imperius curse," Hermione said forcefully with a determined look in her eye. "And not just in theory this time, but in practice."

He wasn't sure how he felt about being ordered to continue teaching the D.A. or about using an Unforgivable Curse even with the best intentions. But on the other hand, Hermione seemed like her old self again. He was so happy to see her confidence returned that he quickly agreed.

* * * * *

'The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. The Order seemed to be especially active as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny prepared for their return to Hogwarts. The household was noisy and crowded with more people staying there than usual. Mrs. Weasley refused to let Fred and George return to their premises in Diagon Alley for several days until she felt confident in the Ministry's stepped up security efforts. Meanwhile, the attic that Harry and Ginny had converted into an additional bedroom, completed with a few well-placed charms by Mr. Weasley, became a temporary residence for the Grangers.

It was evident that Hermione enjoyed having her parents around. She delighted in showing them some of the wonders of the wizarding world that she'd never been able to share with them before. Harry noticed that Mrs. Granger seemed quietly envious of the cooking and cleaning spells that Mrs. Weasley performed with ease. Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley was absolutely thrilled at the chance to live with Muggles and asked them incessantly about various Muggle inventions, especially anything involving "ekeltricity." And he was particularly fascinated by their professions, but became somewhat less enthused when Mr. Granger kindly explained some of the tools they used for fillings and extractions. Mrs. Granger actually bought them both a few hours of peace when she told Mr. Weasley about root canals and he remained silent for the rest of the day.

The closer it came to September the 1st, the more frantic Grimmauld Place became. Suddenly it seemed to have occurred to everyone that a simple thing like their ride to Hogwarts was fraught with danger. The Hogwarts Express could be a huge target for Voldemort since everyone in the wizarding world knew when and where it left. Not to mention the fact that children of Death Eaters would be on the train. And there was no security on the train the way there was with Hogwarts itself, as witnessed by the dementors invasion of the train only three years ago.

It seemed that everyone had ideas about what they should do. Naturally, they all knew that Harry would be the target of any attack, so it was suggested that he should travel by Portkey to Hogwarts, much to his dislike as he always enjoyed the train trip. But after Hermione's incident, Mrs. Weasley quite rightly pointed out that the trip could be dangerous for more than just him. Although they hated to admit it, an attack on the train could also prove to be a very powerful symbol of Voldemort's return to his reign of terror. As one solution, Remus had insisted that he would accompany them on the train and other members of the Order had volunteered as well. But it was Dumbledore's plan that was finally decided upon.

A diversion would be created at the Ministry where they would make it appear that Harry would be leaving from there long before the Hogwarts Express was scheduled to leave. Meanwhile, only the students would be allowed onto the platform this year and Moody would stand by the entrance to be sure that no one else, disguised or not, went through. With Moody's keen senses, they determined that he might be able to spot anyone who might be under the influence of Polyjuice Potion or the Imperius Curse. The greatest anti-Apparition wards would surround the train, strong enough even to block Portkeys. And a similar invisibility spell to the one that Mr. Weasley had used on his flying car would block the Hogwarts Express from sight over land. But Harry didn't feel that any of these extra precautions were necessary as they would have the greatest security available against Voldemort - Dumbledore would be on the train.

The morning of September 1st was chaos as usual, with everyone gathering their things and packing last minute items. Harry, who was usually the first to be packed, was the last this time, as he suddenly found he had many more items to take than usual.

He was finding it somewhat difficult to fit everything in his trunk with all of his birthday presents, especially the oversized Foe-Glass that Remus had purchased for him at Cloak & Dagger. He pried the Firebolt gently from the firm grasp of the bronze hands in the wall and carefully placed it on the top of the rather large pile of items in his trunk before closing and locking the lid in place.

As he gave the room one last cursory glance and saw nothing he had forgotten, he heard Mrs. Weasley's voice calling up the stairs.

"Harry, are you ready yet, dear? We're running a bit late."

"Coming," Harry called back as he dragged his trunk out into the corridor. Tonks levitated it down the stairs and Harry followed holding Hedwig in her cage.

Just as half of the Weasleys were out the door, Harry remembered something. He bolted back up the stairs and threw open the door to his room. Diving across the bed, he pulled open a drawer in the desk beyond.

"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione yelled up, sounding rather annoyed.

He didn't respond. He reached in the drawer and pulled out the small book laying inside. Stuffing his mother's diary into a pocket, he hurried back downstairs where Hermione was waiting at the foot of the stairs with her arms crossed and one foot tapping the floor impatiently.

"Everyone else is in the car already," she complained.

"Sorry, I forgot something," he mumbled as he followed her out the front door. "So, how are we getting to King's Cross this year?"

"We're not going to King's Cross," Hermione explained as they walked out to the waiting car, which Remus was loading now with his trunk.

"What?" Harry asked, stunned.

"Last minute change in plans. Professor Dumbledore thought it would be safer if we didn't appear at King's Cross. We're going to Victoria Station."

"But Victoria Station is south," he said in confusion.

"That doesn't matter," Hermione explained, sounding as though she thought he should have known better. "Dumbledore has arranged for a magical barrier like the one at King's Cross that will lead to Platform 9 ¾."

They slid into the magically enlarged car and joined Ginny and Ron in a wide row across the backseat. Hermione's parents both somehow managed to squeeze into the front with Mr. Weasley, who was driving. He had obviously been able to procure one of the Ministry cars again.

Since Victoria Station was closer than King's Cross, they somehow managed to arrive with a few minutes to spare. Remus, Tonks, and Mrs. Weasley met them at the station and helped them load the trunks onto carts. All of the wizards looked overwhelmed as they entered the enormous station and looked up at the tall glass roof.

Harry glanced at the giant clock on the wall and noticed that it was only 2 minutes before the train would leave. "It's getting late, where do we go from here?" Harry asked Remus impatiently.

"It's all right, Dumbledore asked us to arrive five minutes late, so that all the children will have boarded the train already. He said that we're all to get on the lift near Platform 9," Remus replied as he turned around in a circle and stared down distant corridors. "But I'm not very familiar with this station, I don't know where…"

Harry turned and looked at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who looked just as confused. Mr. and Mrs. Granger, however, did not.

"Platform nine?" Mrs. Granger asked. "We know where that is. Harold and I come through Victoria every time we need to catch a flight at Gatwick."

Within a few minutes they had arrived at the lift in question and waited for a group of Muggles to go ahead of them. Mr and Mrs. Granger and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hugged everyone and said their goodbyes quickly as an empty lift opened to them.

Once inside with the doors closed, Remus pulled out a small piece of parchment from his pocket. Scanning it, he pulled out his wand and aimed at the buttons next to the doors. "Aparecium aditu platform nine and three quarters!"

At first it appeared that nothing had happened and then only seconds later, another round button appeared below the others. It looked identical to the other buttons, except that it was etched with the number 9 ¾.

Remus pressed the new button and the lift gave a slight shake that caused them all to grip the handrail. But the lift did not seem to move up or down or in any particular direction whatsoever. Seconds later, the doors opened and Harry looked out and saw the scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express in front of him.

Harry was about to walk out onto the platform but Remus pulled him back. Tonks stepped out and looked at their surroundings.

"The coast is clear," Tonks said as she turned back to them. "Go on, we don't have much time to spare. There's supposed to be a compartment reserved in the last carriage. Look for a locked door. And here's the password to open it," she said quietly, pressing a slip of paper into Harry's hand.

They heaved the trunks onto the last carriage just as the train let out a loud whistle, warning of its near departure. Tonks and Remus said their goodbyes quickly.

"Take care. Have a good year," Remus said.

"Have fun and don't worry too much," Tonks yelled over the sounds of the train as it started to gear up.

They hugged everyone in turn and Remus pulled Harry aside at last while Hermione, Ron, and Ginny boarded the train.

"Harry, I don't need to tell you to watch out for yourself. You know that too well already. But I want to hear from you on a regular basis. And remember that I'll always be here if you ever want to talk. All right?" Remus waited for Harry's nod of assent.

Remus continued, "Go to Dumbledore immediately if you have any pains in your scar or any strange dreams. If Snape gives you any trouble with your Occlumency lessons, let me know."

"All right," Harry agreed dully, not enjoying the reminder of the resumption of his Occlumency lessons when he had been able to avoid them for the past couple of weeks.

Remus hugged him quickly and helped him onto the train as the wheels started to turn.

"Goodbye, Harry!" "We'll see you soon!" Remus and Tonks yelled as the train started to pick up speed and left the station.

Harry found Ginny, Ron, and Hermione waiting with their trunks by the door to the last compartment.

"Oh dear," Hermione said, looking at her watch, "I bet the prefects meeting has already started. Ron, we're going to be late."

"Go ahead," Harry offered. "We'll store your things."

"Oh would you, Harry?" Hermione said gratefully. "Thanks. We'll come back shortly."

"See ya, Harry," Ron said as they ran off towards the front of the train, leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the corridor with four trunks, Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and Crookshanks.

"So what's the password, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, right," Harry said, pulling the slip of paper out of his pocket. "Let's see…Pumpkin Pasties!"

There was a click and Ginny pushed the door open. They dragged the trunks inside and stowed them away in the overhead luggage racks before collapsing with exhaustion side by side on one of the benches.

"What was in Ron's trunk? It weighed a ton," Harry said.

"You thought his was bad?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Hermione must have fifty books in hers. "

"Fifty-nine actually."

Ginny looked at him with surprise and laughed.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "She told us yesterday after she packed," he explained. "Ginny, you should have asked me to help you with that."

"Believe it or not, Harry Potter, I am not as weak as I may appear to be," she commented, smiling at him.

"I know you're not," he replied seriously, meeting her eyes. If there was one thing he had learned about Ginny Weasley over the past year, it was that she was not weak. She was young and a bit small, but her inner strength belied her outward appearance.

Ginny blushed at his reply and averted her gaze. She suddenly became quiet and an awkward silence followed.

He cleared his throat. "It's kind of strange with just the two of us this time, isn't it?"

"Strange isn't the word I would use," Ginny said as she stared out at the countryside rolling past their window.

Harry wondered vaguely what word she might use, but found that he agreed with her. Strange was not the right word. Except for that one awkward moment, he would have to say that if felt…comfortable to be alone with Ginny. Perhaps it was because he had grown accustomed to her company since they had spent so much time together over the past couple of weeks. Or perhaps it was simply more relaxing to be with one person rather than several. In any case, it was a good feeling and strange had not been the appropriate word. He felt some need to explain himself.

"I mean usually there are more people in the compartment; Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna…Do you think we should look for Neville and Luna? Maybe they're alone."

"Well," Ginny said, looking somewhat happier than she had a moment before, "Luna will be in the prefect carriage with Ron and Hermione. I imagine she'll join them when they return."

"Luna was made a prefect?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, she wrote me a letter last week and mentioned it," Ginny explained somewhat less than enthusiastically. He supposed she was thinking about her own lack of a prefect badge and the new broom that would have come with it.

Thinking of the Nimbus Chaser he had bought for her, he struggled to suppress a grin that threatened to break free. Unfortunately, Ginny noticed the strange look on his face.

"What's up?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," he said, trying to sound casual, but answering a little too quickly.

Still eyeing him with curiosity, Ginny asked, "How about if I go and try to find Neville?" She paused. He was about to say that he would go with her when she continued. "Maybe I'll find Dean too. They're probably together."

"All right," Harry answered resignedly. Suddenly not interested in joining her, he leaned back in his seat.

"I'll be back in a bit," Ginny said as she walked into the corridor and closed the door behind her.

As soon as she had gone, Hedwig hooted reproachfully at him.

"What?" he snapped at her. Hedwig stepped back in her cage and blinked her eyes blankly at him.

"Sorry, you're probably cramped in there," Harry said to her apologetically as he opened her cage. Hedwig stretched her wings proudly and perched atop her cage. He released Pigwidgeon and Crookshanks as well and soon the compartment seemed much more lively than it had a moment before. He took the seat next to the window and watched while Pigwidgeon flew happily around a very annoyed Hedwig. Crookshanks jumped on his lap and curled up for a nap.

Unable to move now, he tried to think of something to do and remembered that his mother's diary was still sitting in his pocket. Pulling out the diary, he flipped it open and thumbed through the first few pages before he started to read.

September 15th, 1975

Day 14 in my efforts to remain civil with James Potter, at which I admit that I am failing. The boy just gets on my nerves all too easily. And I am beginning to realize that my reaction to him is irrational. I haven't caught him hexing students at random or throwing dungbombs at Slytherins or any of the other stupid pranks he usually pulls. He hasn't even been ruffling his hair like he used to (although yesterday I caught him about to do it and he stopped immediately when he saw me). Maybe he has changed. Maybe he does deserve a second chance, but he doesn't make it easy.

Every time I try to be kind to him, he sees that as an opening to ask me out. At which point, I explode at him as usual, despite the fact that it never seems to have an effect. After the way I've treated him, why is he still interested?

But I must admit that it was rather charming when he Transfigured my quill into a rose the other day. Of course it would have been a great deal more charming if he had waited until I had finished the written portion of my Potions exam. And he might have worked harder on creating a rose without thorns. My thumb is still raw from where a thorn punctured it when the rose suddenly appeared where I had been holding the quill.

Still I suppose if he's doing relatively harmless things (well at least harmless to everyone but me) like transforming quills into roses, it's better than bullying other students. And he seems to be taking his role as Head Boy fairly seriously. Today he even docked points from Sirius Black for sleeping through Professor Maldon's class. This was startling not only because Potter and Black act practically like brothers but because Potter himself falls asleep in Professor Binns's class all the time. It seems that Potter must have a greater appreciation for Defense Against the Dark Arts than History of Magic.

Ah, but I find myself going on about Potter in order to delay (and avoid) the real news of the day. I received a letter from Edgar this morning. The first word I've heard from him in three months. It appears that he's been traveling constantly since leaving Hogwarts and is living in India at the moment. Strange to compare last year's Head Boy with this year's-

Harry was startled from his reading when the door slammed open loudly and Ginny appeared breathless in the frame of the door. Crookshanks was so startled that he hissed and dug his claws into Harry's leg as he jumped off.

"What's wrong?" he asked as Ginny stepped in, followed closely by Neville, Ron, and Hermione.

Ginny stopped to catch her breath and passed Harry the newspaper clutched in her hands. "Read…this!" she gasped between breaths.

Harry took the paper from her and opened it, revealing the current issue of the Daily Prophet. In large, bold type, the headline read:

MINISTRY UNCOVERS SPY IN THEIR MIDST

With great shock, Harry looked at the photograph that accompanied the article and recognized the woman within it who was flailing her short arms against her arresters. Her hair was in curlers and she was wearing her dressing gown but he would never forget the toad-like face of Dolores Umbridge.

He quickly looked to the text below and began to read aloud:

"In a surprising development yesterday evening, the former Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and a high-ranking member of the Wizengamot, Dolores Jane Umbridge, was arrested at her home by the Minister himself and no less than half a dozen of the Ministry's best Aurors. Umbridge has since been held on charges of being a Death Eater and conspiracy with the Dark Lord himself.

"If Umbridge's name sounds familiar, there is a good reason for it. This was the very woman that the Minister appointed as the 'High Inquisitor' and then headmistress of Hogwarts just last year. After an unfortunate accident last June, Umbridge was demoted but remained in a less visible position within the Ministry until now.

"When asked about the arrest yesterday, the Minister had this to say: 'Yes, it's a very sad turn of events. We never want to believe that our own people could betray us, but we will let Dolores Umbridge stand as an example to others who may be tempted to join Lord Thingy. The Ministry under my watch will not allow such activity to go unpunished and we will root out Death Eaters wherever they may hide, even if that happens to be within the Ministry itself.'

"According to Ministry officials, Umbridge's arrest came after a lengthy private investigation following complaints from the parents of some of her students the previous year. The Ministry claims to have found numerous dark arts objects in Umbridge's possession (some of which she has reportedly used on her students at Hogwarts), as well as friendly relations with known Death Eaters, and an unknown source has alleged that she attempted an Unforgiveable Curse on no less than the Boy Who Lived himself, Harry Potter."

Harry stopped reading. "How did they know about that?" he asked.

They all shook their heads or shrugged their shoulders.

"No idea. Keep reading," Hermione urged.

Harry, somewhat shaken, picked up the paper and continued reading:

"If the Ministry is able to support these statements, Umbridge may have a difficult time building a defense when she goes to trial. If she is proven to be a Death Eater, her sentence may soon be far worse than a lifetime in Azkaban.

"Since the dementors deserted Azkaban and left Ministry control, there have been serious doubts about the security of the Azkaban fortress. There are sixty Aurors working at Azkaban now to guard the Death Eaters currently being held, but many of these Aurors are young and undertrained, hardly a reliable force against the likes of You-Know-Who. So with all of the security and personnel problems of maintaining a constant watch over the imprisoned Death Eaters, not to mention the danger and likeliness of an attack by You-Know-Who, the Ministry is increasingly looking to other options. It has been widely speculated that they are considering a renewal of the death penalty in these cases.

"For those unfamiliar with this aspect of wizarding history, wizards sentenced to death were ordered to walk through the veil in the Death Chamber, now part of the Department of Mysteries. In 1872, the Ministry decided to cease using the death penalty amid protests after a man named Henry Ludlow was ordered to walk through the veil for murdering his wife and was later found to be innocent of the charges. The Ministry decided to replace the death penalty at that time with the Dementor's Kiss, believing it to be a more humane punishment."

Finishing the article, Harry sat stunned and looked into the equally astonished faces of his friends. He felt a huge mix of emotions and thoughts about what he had read and was having difficulty grasping it all at once. But there was one thing he knew without doubt - it was definitely going to be an interesting year.