Trinity

Katling

Story Summary:
Harry now knows what he has to do - find and destroy the Horcruxes and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione refuse to leave his side and they choose to become something that the Dark Lord will fear...the Trinity.

Chapter 26 - Chapter 26

Chapter Summary:
In aftermath of the retrieval of the Ravenclaw artefact, more troubles arises. Death Eaters come to Hogsmeade while the students are there, followed by the Minister who has some interesting things to say to Harry and to Ron.
Posted:
12/07/2005
Hits:
1,402
Author's Note:
Ooops! Sorry, everyone! I forgot to put this up when I finished it ages ago but here it is now...


Chapter 26

When Harry woke up the next morning the dormitory was empty and from the angle of the sun through the window it was probably close to midday. He crawled out of bed and yawned his way through a shower and getting dressed then headed down to the common room.

"Hey, Harry!" came Ron's cheerful greeting when he got downstairs. The common room was nearly empty and the redhead had snagged a secluded corner.

Harry scowled at his friend. "How is it that you're so damn cheery when we both went to bed at the same time?"

Ron grinned. "Well, I didn't have to spend my time doing all that thinking last night. Besides I've had breakfast."

Harry dropped down into a squashy armchair. "Don't say that, I'm hungry. Where's Hermione?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Where else? In the library. She was curious about that painting that sucked you in last night and wanted to see if she could find what kind of magic might do that."

"I'm not sure if want to know the answer to that or not," Harry said uneasily.

Ron hesitated for a moment. "Are you alright about...everything?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I...wasn't quite expecting what happened with the Dementors. I mean I expected to hear my Mum and Dad but that bit with Sirius was..." He broke off and shivered.

"Yeah," Ron said, looking like he wasn't entirely sure what to do.

He was saved from having to say anything by Hermione coming in through the entrance hole. She looked frustrated as she sat down next to Ron.

"Any luck?" Ron asked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"No, not a thing," Hermione said with a sigh. "I couldn't even find anything in the Restricted Section."

"Ask Flitwick or Moody," Harry suggested. "If they don't have anything, they'll probably be able to point you in the right direction."

Hermione smiled. "I plan to but Professor Moody's off doing something for the Order and Professor Flitwick's chaperoning the Hogsmeade visit today."

Harry glanced around the room. "Oh, that's where everyone is. I forgot that was today."

"Well, we have advantages that the others don't," Hermione replied. "Hogsmeade isn't quite as out of bounds for us as it is for the others."

Ron bounced to his feet and looked down at Harry. "Come on, Harry. You must be hungry and lunch'll be ready by now."

"Do you ever think of anything other than your stomach?" Harry said as he and Hermione got to their feet. He was starting to feel a little better, the horrors of last night receding a bit with Ron and Hermione's determined normalcy.

"Hey, I'm just a growing boy," Ron said expansively as they headed out of the common room.

"You keep growing you're going to end up bigger than Hagrid," Harry said dryly, giving the Fat Lady a friendly nod.

"All the better to lord it over you midgets," Ron said with a grin as he did his best to loom over Harry and Hermione.

Harry laughed as Hermione elbowed Ron in the ribs. Ron threw an arm around Hermione's shoulders and his other arm around Harry's shoulders and the trio made their way down to the Entrance Hall together.

The Gryffindor table was only sparsely populated with a few First and Second Years when they came in and they took seats at one end. They served themselves and the conversation stayed very firmly in the mundane and normal. Harry was just contemplating whether he wanted anything for sweets when several loud gasps drew his attention. He looked up to see a silver falcon flying straight towards him and he immediately recognised Ginny's Patronus. He'd told her and Neville and Luna how to pass on messages to the Order shortly after school started.

The falcon flew down and hovered in front of his face and Ginny's voice, sounding intent and frantic, came from it.

"Harry! Death Eaters. Snape and Draco! In Hogsmeade! Bring help!"

The Patronus disappeared into a spray of silver and for a second Harry stared at Ron and Hermione then Ron leapt to his feet. Harry did the same and grabbed Ron's arm, yanking him to a halt.

"No! We change into our Trinity robes," Harry demanded. "They've got protective spells on them and we'll need them!"

Ron stared at Harry for a long moment then he nodded and the trio took off for the Gryffindor Tower at a dead run. They pounded up to the Fat Lady with Harry yelling the password out then they tore up the stairs to their dorms. Harry and Ron yanked their Trinity uniforms on and then pounded down the stairs. Hermione came bursting out into the common room, tying her hair up, at the same time as the boys and Harry paused only long enough to grab one of the students still in the common room.

"Go to the Headmistress," he ordered the young boy. "Tell her that Death Eaters are attacking in Hogsmeade and she needs to get help. GO!"

The young boy nodded frantically then took off out of the Entrance Hole with Harry, Ron and Hermione hot on his heels. They separated when the boy went up to the Headmistress' office while the trio headed down for the Entrance Hall. They pounded down the path to Hogsmeade pulling their wands out as they ran. As they ran through the gates they could see the flash of spells ahead of them.

"How do we do this?" Ron yelled as they ran.

"Straight in, frontal attack. We want to get them to take a step back," Harry yelled back. "Then split up. Make sure the students are safe. Get the DA organised if they're not already."

Ron and Hermione nodded then they were turning the corner into the main street of Hogsmeade. It wasn't difficult to work out what was happening. The Death Eaters were obvious in their black robes and white masks but they were surprised that there were no students immediately obvious. They had no time to look for them as the Death Eaters had turned to face the new threat. The trio didn't hesitate and started firing off spell after spell in rapid succession the way Moody had taught them.

Four Death Eaters fell immediately and the others ducked behind shelter. Harry, Ron and Hermione spilt up with Harry heading for shelter in the doorway to Zonko's, Ron ducking into the alley next to Honeydukes while Hermione headed for the Three Broomsticks.

Ron had just slammed into the alleyway and was about to sneak a look back out into the street to determine the positions of the Death Eaters when someone grabbed his arm. He whirled around and slammed the person against the wall, his wand at their throat.

"Ron!" Ginny said in a choked voice and Ron let her go with alacrity.

"Ginny! What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Getting everyone out," Ginny replied. "Luna and I and most of the DA have most of the students heading up the passageway from Honeydukes to Hogwarts but Neville's with a group in the Three Broomsticks. He's got Terry Boot, Padma Patil and Ernie MacMillan from the DA with him but that's all."

"Alright. We'll take care of it," Ron said firmly. "Get out of here. Your job is to get those students to safety."

Ginny nodded once then turned and ducked back into Honeydukes via a side door. Harry looked over to where Harry was crouched and waved his hand until he got his friend's attention. Moody had taught them the series of hand signals that the Aurors used and Ron used the signals for 'N', 'D' and 'A' then the ones for 'pub' and 'children'. Harry frowned for a moment then waved his understanding, pointing to where Hermione was crouched in the lee of the doorway of the pub. Ron nodded back then used red sparks to get Hermione's attention. He repeated the selection of hand signals and she nodded and disappeared into the pub.

By this time the Death Eaters had regrouped slightly and had been joined by two more people. These two newcomers had a discussion with the Death Eaters then pulled their masks off, revealing themselves as Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy. There was a small flurry behind them then another Death Eater joined them and ripped of her mask to reveal Bellatrix Lestrange, her eyes gleaming madly.

Ron looked over to see Harry tensed and breathing hard, his face a mask of anger and Ron wondered how much of that was for show.

"Come out! Come out and play, little baby Potter," Bellatrix called out in a singsong voice.

"Why would I do that?" Harry called back, his voice taut with anger. He knew he had to buy enough time for the teachers and whatever other help the Headmistress could summon to arrive.

"Are you scared?" Bellatrix taunted. "Are you fwightened?"

"Hardly," Harry called back.

"Who would have thought Potter would lack the mindless courage to take on his enemies?" Snape sneered.

Ron saw Harry roll his eyes and snort though none of that showed in his reply.

"Some of us are more than we seem," he replied, his voice full of vitriol. "While some are exactly the murdering bastard they always came across as."

They could almost hear the snarl from Snape and both wondered whether Harry had perhaps pushed a little too far. Just then a small crack drew Ron's attention back down the alley. A flash of black and the glimpse of a white mask had him flinging a hex in that direction, smiling in satisfaction when a pained grunt and a sudden scrabbling retreat spoke of his success.

"Harry! They're trying to flank us," he called out, triggering sniggers from Bellatrix.

He saw Harry grimace then Hermione reappeared from the inside the pub. She caught their attention and gave them the okay sign. Harry then signalled back what he wanted them to do. Ron and Hermione nodded then Harry gave them the countdown. At his signal the Trinity leapt out from their places of concealment, throwing hexes and curse at the Death Eaters. They were too well hunkered down for the spells to have much effect but it did allow the trio to meet up. Once they were together Ron and Hermione took flanking positions on either side of Harry and they attacked.

Harry very carefully began to aim his spells to where he had seen Snape, Draco and Bellatrix hide when the trio emerged. While ordinarily he would not have been so precise in what he was doing, the presence of Snape required a certain amount of subterfuge. He needed to look like he was attacking them while ensuring he didn't harm them too much. He didn't much care if he accidentally hit Draco or Bellatrix but he felt he ought to try and avoid making Snape's life any more difficult than it currently was.

While Harry was pinning down the senior Death Eaters, Ron and Hermione were alternately throwing curses at the remaining Death Eaters and protecting the trio from the retaliatory strikes. Loud cracks from behind them had Harry glancing around to see which side the new arrivals were on. He sighed with relief when he caught sight of Kingsley Shacklebolt then concentrated on the senior Death Eaters again.

"Aurors!" came the cry from the partially concealed Death Eaters then they heard Snape's sharp voice say, "Apparate away."

Loud cracks from in front of them told them that the Death Eaters were obeying their orders then there came a loud shriek.

"No! Not again!"

Bellatrix Lestrange burst from her place of concealment, Snape grabbing at her but missing. Harry sent Snape flying back into hiding with a few judiciously placed curses then turned his attention to Bellatrix. The insane woman was running towards them at breakneck speed, somehow managing to either dodge the hexes Ron and Hermione were throwing at her or deflect them with spells of her own.

When he realised that she was not planning on stopping, Harry threw a quick Impedimenta in her direction then yelled, "Scatter and surround!"

Ron and Hermione reacted to the order in the way that they'd been trained. The three friends ducked and rolled in different directions, coming to their feet to form the points of a triangle around the startled Bellatrix. They pointed their wands at the insane witch and yelled in unison, "Stupefy!" The moment the spells had left their wands, they darted to their right to avoid any retaliation.

The spells hit the witch at the same time. She clearly had some kind of shielding spell surrounding her but the impact of the three powerful stupefication spells overwhelmed it and Bellatrix went down hard. The Trinity immediately moved back into their tight formation with Hermione supplying the shielding while Harry and Ron started looking for any remaining Death Eaters. They moved purposefully towards where the Death Eaters had been hunkered down and were rewarded by the flash of black robes.

They ran forward just in time to see both Snape and Draco apparate out. They then turned on their heels and went to meet with Kingsley.

"Was that Snape that I saw?" Kingsley asked them when they got within hearing range.

"Yes," Harry said sharply. "And Draco Malfoy. They both apparated out though."

Kingsley frowned as he looked around the main street. "This was a Hogsmeade weekend, wasn't it? Were any students hurt?"

"Minor injuries," Hermione replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Some of the DA got them into the Three Broomsticks and the rest were evacuated by the rest of the DA back to the school via a secret passageway from Honeydukes."

Kingsley looked impressed as did the other Aurors within earshot. A sudden, loud crack had everyone turning with their wands raised but that was quickly changed when they all recognised the imposing figure of Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic. The former Auror looked around him with his keen gaze then strode over to where Kingsley and the trio were standing. He paused in front of them and eyed the matching uniforms of the Trinity with interest.

"Well, Shacklebolt?" he said crisply.

"Death Eaters, Minister," Kingsley reported. "Led by all appearances by Snape and the Lestrange woman. Draco Malfoy was also with them." A tiny smile graced his lips as he continued, "We were hardly needed it seems."

Scrimgeour turned his yellow gaze to Harry and his friends. "Hmm, I've been hearing odd rumours of a Trinity. I gather that would be you and your friends, Mr Potter."

Harry drew himself up as Ron and Hermione moved into closer flanking positions. Scrimgeour did not miss any of this.

"Yes, Minister. We are the Trinity," Harry said firmly.

Scrimgeour looked around again then glanced down at the unconscious Bellatrix Lestrange. His eyes when they returned to Harry and his friends were filled with wry amusement.

"Shacklebolt, get this mess cleaned up and see if anyone was injured," Scrimgeour said. "Mr Potter, I would like to have a word with you and your friends."

Harry nodded warily then the trio followed the Minister when he headed for the Three Broomsticks. They walked in to find several pale and frightened students sitting in the far corner with Madam Rosmerta, Neville Longbottom, Terry Boot, Padma Patil and Ernie MacMillan standing between them and the door, their wands out and stern expressions on their faces. Those expressions faded in ones of relief when they saw who had just walked in.

"Minister!" Madam Rosmerta cried as the members of the DA looked at Harry.

"Did Ginny and Luna get the others out?" Neville asked urgently, ignoring the Minister.

"Yes," Ron replied and Neville and the others heaved a sigh of relief.

"See!" Terry Boot said with frustration. "We could have gone out and helped."

"No, you couldn't," Harry said grimly. "Terry, your responsibility was to look after the students. They're injured and if the Death Eaters had gotten in here they would have needed all of you right here to protect them. Staying here was far more important than anything else you could have done out there."

"Mr Potter is absolutely correct, young man," Minister Scrimgeour said from where he was standing next to Madam Rosmerta. "Winning a battle isn't always about throwing spells around. Sometimes it's about protecting what's important. You did that and did it well. Now, continue that good work and get your fellow students back up to the school. There are Aurors outside to help you."

Terry looked surprised then as Harry and the Minister's words hit home, he began to look proud and determined. He and the other DA members turned and helped the other students to their feet and they slowly trickled out of the pub.

Once they were gone, Scrimgeour looked over at Madam Rosmerta. "Mind if we use the back room, Rosmerta?"

"Not at all, Minister," Rosmerta replied. "Would you like anything to drink?"

A quick grin flashed across Scrimgeour's face. "Butterbeers all round might go down well."

The proprietor of the pub quickly bustled around and soon had the trio and the Minister settled in the back room with a generous supply of Butterbeer. She then smiled at them and left the room, closing the door behind her. The Minster gestured for the trio to drink then took a bottle himself.

"Now, Mr Potter," he said firmly. "I have no intention of continuing the line of conversation we had last time we spoke. It is clear that you intend to be your own man and I learnt long ago when to cut my losses."

Harry nodded warily though he did relax slightly at the Minister's words. He had been steeling himself for another round of arguments with Scrimgeour.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised really," Scrimgeour continued in an almost contemplative tone as he stared into the distance. "Your father was very stubborn and independent. As was your mother. We tried to recruit them both into the Aurors but they were already working for Dumbledore in some capacity." His gaze sharpened as he looked back at Harry and his voice became more decisive. "It seems the past is coming back to haunt the future and I have to make some decisions."

Harry drew in a breath and was about to speak when the Minister held his hand up.

"I know you have some kind of task that was placed on your shoulders by Dumbledore," he said firmly. "Shacklebolt told me that much though he wouldn't elaborate. I won't interfere since he assures me it is vitally important in the fight against Voldemort. I could wish you would work more closely with the Ministry but given what I've been told in the past few months about your prior dealings with us, I can understand your reluctance. That and I know you have been trained by Alastor Moody. Be that as it may, you have my full support and backing. If you need the Ministry's help, be it the Aurors, the Unspeakables or whoever else, do not hesitate to call upon us."

The Minister stood and held out his hand. "Good luck, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger."

The trio shook hands with the Minster, wondering whether they'd fallen into some kind of alternate dimension. They'd never found it this easy to deal with the Ministry before.

"Sir?" Harry said when the Minster turned to leave. Scrimgeour turned back and raised an eyebrow.

Harry let a small, wicked grin grow on his face. "If you or any of the Aurors feel the need to talk about the Trinity by all means do so."

Scrimgeour stared at the three friends intently then amusement grew on his face. "Giving Voldemort something to worry about, are you? Well, I think we can see that some interesting facts get leaked to the press. That's what Government departments do best after all."

The Minster chuckled as he opened the door then he sobered and turned around again, this time directing his intent, yellow-eyed gaze on Ron.

"Mr Weasley," he said slowly. "Far be it for me to interfere in a family's decisions but you might wish to contact your brother, Percy. He's come a long way since I have taken over and I find him to be a very promising young man. But like many young men he is stubborn and sometimes a touch...clueless about how to go about certain things. An olive branch extended would be accepted with enthusiasm, I believe."

With that extraordinary statement the Minister walked out the door. Harry looked over at his friends and shook his head.

"Well, that was different," he said slowly. "Some things haven't changed in that the Minister of Magic still isn't letting me get a word in edgewise but this one is definitely different in other ways."

"I thought Moody said he didn't like to admit that he was wrong," Ron said absently, his mind clearly on other things.

"Maybe he's changed," Hermione replied, shooting concerned looks at her boyfriend. "Or maybe he's just realised that there are some things he can't control."

"Well, I don't really care about the why, I'm just glad he's not going to interfere," Harry said firmly then he looked over at Ron. "Are you going to contact Percy? He was at Bill and Fleur's wedding, you know."

"Yeah, I saw the git," Ron replied uncertainly. "He didn't stay long though. What did he mean?"

"I think he meant that Percy wants to apologise but isn't quite sure how to go about it," Hermione replied softly. "He said some terrible things to your Dad and he's probably very embarrassed about that. He also probably knows how the rest of the family reacted." She paused. "And he was wrong, very wrong. That can be a little hard to accept sometimes. I should know." She smiled wryly.

Ron scowled. "That's what I don't understand. He was in Gryffindor with the rest of us. He knew Harry. How could he just not believe him like that?"

Harry shrugged but Hermione looked thoughtful.

"I may have an answer," she said slowly. "I don't know if it's the right one but it makes sense."

"I'll take any kind of explanation," Ron grumbled. "I know I've made mistakes in the past but I always believed Harry about Voldemort."

"Percy likes his world to be neat and tidy and logical," Hermione said. "He likes everything in its place and everyone to follow the rules. But if Voldemort is around then all of that neatness and tidiness goes out the window. Rules will be broken, people will do what needs to be done whether or not it's logical and things will get messy. Fudge offered him what he wanted; a neat little world of denial where everything could proceed where he wanted. Believing Harry would bring that messy, illogical world to his doorstep. And there's also the fact that your family is openly friendly to Muggles even though they are a pureblood family with a long history. That would make them very visible and desirable targets for Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Maybe he felt that if he conformed to what the Minister wanted it would provide him and his family with protection."

Ron opened his mouth to react then he shut it with an audible snap as he thought about what Hermione had said. Finally he sagged and sighed.

"I hope you're right, Hermione," he said with a grimace. "Because that sounds kind of sensible."

"So will you contact Percy?" Harry asked again.

Ron drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly. "Yeah," he admitted. "Yeah, I guess I will. But I'm not going to tell Mum and Dad until I see what Percy has to say. I don't want to get their hopes up."

With that the trio headed out of the pub. Once outside they found the Aurors starting to portkey away with the unconscious Death Eaters and they walked over to where Kingsley was still standing over Bellatrix Lestrange.

"What are you going to do with her?" Harry asked with undisguised loathing.

"Interrogate her," Kingsley replied. "She's been in Voldemort's inner circle so she should have a great deal to tell us." He paused and gave Harry a sympathetic look. "I'll make sure I try and steer the conversation around to Pettigrew. If we can get confirmation from her that Pettigrew is still alive then we can ensure that Sirius' name is finally officially cleared. It's not much but he deserves that much at least."

Harry nodded his thanks. "Just make sure she doesn't get out again. I think Neville would appreciate that as well."

Kingsley nodded solemnly. "We'll do our best."

With that Harry turned and the trio started heading up towards the castle. Once they were past the gates, Harry glanced at his friends.

"We'll go down to Hogsmeade tonight," he murmured. "Hopefully Snape will be back from wherever he's gone and we can find out how Voldemort's reacted to this."

Ron and Hermione nodded and they continued on their way.


Thanks once again for all your reviews. CelestBlack, alwrighto, Lady Griever - Heh, yes, I did get the door riddle from Labyrinth. I always liked that scene and it's a good riddle. It sounds difficult but is actually deceptively easy...well at least, I think so. *laughs* alwaysariana - Well, Snape is workig behind the scenes to feed information...mostly false...to Voldemort. You'll get a fraction more about that in the next chapter. alys_lynn - No, I can't claim credit for the riddles. I found them in various places - on the net and the door riddle came from the movie Labyrinth. The Nothing one came from an email my Mum sent me, would you believe?