One To Battle, Two To Conquer

Chapter 4

"No Sirius! You can't go! You'll get caught." Mindy found herself shouting after the intake of Snape's news that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had been lead into the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic after being tricked by Lord Voldemort into believing that Sirius had being captured there.

"Mindy's right, Sirius, we'll be able to handle it." Lupin said this calmly, but there was a tint of terror in his voice. Mindy hoped it would be unnoticeable by Sirius. She knew her godfather better after the short time she has been around him. She knew he wasn't going to back down.

"We're wasting time," Sirius stated, "I'm not going to sit there while Harry and his friends are in danger." Mindy knew what he meant. It was easy for him to risk his life for someone else, especially if it was his godson. He felt like it was his duty to protect him.

The other half of the Order had already disapparated, others where waiting for Sirius. "It's going to be fine," he told Mindy. He saw her unconvinced expression. "Trust me, - but if anything does happen, though it's very unlikely, promise me you'll be nice to your brother." The only thing she could do was nod. He smiled and gave her a hug, then quickly disapparated with the others.

She took a look around the room to see what she was going to do now. She felt lonely. Just then, Kreacher caught her eye. He was chuckling to himself. He laid a pair of blood-shot eyes on her as he turned to corner into the living room. Mindy looked away, thinking he had totally lost it,[Author ID1: at Fri Jul 14 19:44:00 2006 ] and slumped down into the nearest chair. In the back of her mind, there was a fight going on - no, it was a full out battle between two things.

The first feeling was the guilt she felt for letting Sirius go and the awful thought that something was on the verge of going seriously wrong. The main problem was that she had a surprising tendency to be right about these things. The second feeling was the one that was supposed to make her feel better. Sirius was going to become a big hero, declared innocent, and let off the hook of ever going to prison again, and she and her brother were going to begin a new free relationship with their godfather. Sadly, this latter hope was dying a sad, painful death as she sat alone in the kitchen.

Hours and hours passed and she hadn't heard a word from anyone. She had long ago retired to her upstairs room and was trying to preoccupy herself, when she finally heard a faint voice in the room below. She couldn't make out who it was but went down to investigate. The voice belonged to Lupin; he was standing with Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen. They were talking quietly. Mindy stood unnoticed, listening.

"He's gone, Molly. There was nothing we could do." There was a long pause. "I can't believe he's dead." Mindy gasped, glued to the spot. Did he just say- was Sirius dead? Mindy ran upstairs, not caring about the noise she was making while doing so. She ran up to what had become her room and flung herself on her bed. It was hard to think that Sirius had been there, helping her with homework that very day.

He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. She didn't believe it, but at the same time, believed it entirely. Sirius was more than a godfather to her. He was a friend. A good friend that she looked up trying to force back tears. Now he was gone and was never coming back...ever. She lay there, trying y. She suddenly jumped up and headed down the hall into the room were Buckbeak was kept.

Buckbeak was lying in the small bedroom lazily. He looked up at her as she came in. Mindy bowed, and Buckbeak lowered his head and looked up again, then rested his head back on his front legs. Mindy dropped to her knees beside him. When he didn't move or take any notice of her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his feathers and cried. The next thing she knew, Mrs. Weasley came into the room and woke her up. She had been laying next to the Hippogriff with his wing over her protectively, like if he knew the pain she was going through and was trying to comfort her. Mrs. Weasley brought her back to her bedroom. Before Mindy fell asleep, she thought for the first time on how her brother, Harry, was taking this. He had witnessed the whole thing, after all.

*

Mindy rolled over to see the Daily Prophet and a letter lying next to her bed. She leaned over and grabbed the Daily Prophet. There it was,[Author ID1: at Fri Jul 14 19:51:00 2006 ] on the first page.

Harry Potter: The Chosen One?

Rumors continue to fly about the mysterious, recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more.

"We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything," said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.

Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance centered on the fabled Hall of Prophecy.

Though Ministry spokeswizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the Wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter "the Chosen One," believing that the prophecy names him as the only one who will be able to rid us of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown. (ctd. Page 2, column 5)

Mindy flipped over to read a length of boring nonsense.

Next she picked up her letter. It was from home. She thought about not reading it and saying she did. She didn't really need to hear from people at the moment, and all they would do was pretend to be sympathetic, and she was sure the letter was about that. She didn't know how they would know about all this, since it just had happened a few hours ago, and the wizarding public was just finding out. With this in mind, she picked up the letter. It was in a plain Muggle envelope, and there was obviously no attempt to make it fit in with the rest of the wizarding mail. I read...

Dear J,

Albus Dumbledore had visited with us this morning and told us the news about your godfather, Sirius, and we are all so sorry. He told us they all knew how much he meant to you and, frankly, how much you meant to him. I think it was good that you had some kind of parental figure over where you are as a role model or friend. I know that he was both to you. Even if Mr. Dumbledore doesn't say it to you face-to-face, he said that Sirius thought of you as a daughter and a friend too. You probably know this already, but I think it's good for you to hear it again. Everyone experiences losses, and you have been through a lot even when we didn't know it. You don't deserve it; Harry doesn't deserve it, nobody does unless it's the people that create the losses around them.

I also want you to be careful. I know that you aren't going to tell us half the things that are going on there,[Author ID1: at Fri Jul 14 19:56:00 2006 ] and maybe it's better not to, seeing what's happened already. Just be careful and do what you are told. Be yourself and always remember we are always here and you can always come. At least you can call or write sometime. It's nice for us to know you're okay. So watch out and, again, I'm really sorry, we all are.

Sincerely, family

Your mom, Brenda Smyth and.

Mindy read this through a couple of times. It really surprised her that Dumbledore had met with her family like that. She hadn't even seen him herself yet; well, of course, she hadn't been anywhere but locked upstairs. Dumbledore probably made them write that letter. That whole day she didn't go down at all. Mrs. Weasley came and tried to persuade her to go down and eat, but Mindy made up all these excuses that she had to work or she faked asleep. She didn't want to stay like that,[Author ID1: at Fri Jul 14 19:58:00 2006 ] but it bothered her that no one had come to explain what exactly had happened and what was going on.

It went on like that for days. She finally gave up and went downstairs for food. When she got downstairs, she wished she hadn't. The Order of the Phoenix must've been having a meeting when she entered the kitchen. There were rolls of parchment spread over the table, and the dozen members stopped talking and turned around all at once. Mindy meant to turn around and leave, but Dumbledore stopped her. "Mindy, we have to talk to you." She faced Dumbledore. "We would like to finish this meeting first."

"Yes, sir," Mindy replied in monotone voice and headed back up the staircase.

By the time the meeting was over, it was almost dinner time. When Mindy went down, answering Mrs. Wesley's call, only she and Lupin were in the kitchen. Lupin was pouring over rolls of parchment, and Mrs. Weasley looked like she was cooking a whole army's dinner by herself. She was chopping onions and racing over to stir a pot, then turning to wash potatoes. "Mrs. Weasley would you like some help?" Mindy asked politely.

"No, dear, I think I have it under control," Mrs. Weasley breathed. Mindy walked over to the table and slumped down in one of the chairs across from Lupin.

"Dumbledore will be here any moment. He went to meet with the new Minister of Magic."

"Is he better than Fudge?" Mindy asked.

Lupin looked up from his rolls of parchment. "Well, it depends," he said, "he certainly is going to do better than Fudge in the war aspect, but there certainly have been doubts as well. He's a very powerful and controlling wizard. He wants everyone to get on the Ministry's side, and he's greedy for information. He'll do anything to get what he wants to find out. Kingsley said he was a good Head of Department, tough but fair."

"Yes he is," Dumbledore's voice came from behind Mindy. He took a seat at the head of the table. "He is very involved with the protection of the people and fighting to the end."

Mrs. Weasley had transferred the completed stew to a large bowl and placed it in front of them on the table along with pictured milk. Lupin had gotten up and set the table. "Dig in," Mrs. Weasley told them as she sat down herself and ladled some stew into her bowl.

"Thank you," Mindy replied, having grabbed the bowl and serving herself.

"Now, Mindy, I requested to talk to you earlier." Dumbledore brought up his voice light and calm. "I wondered if you had anything you felt like you needed to discuss."

Please don't mention Sirius. "No," she replied simply.

"Are you positive? I would ask now if I were you."

"What was Voldemort doing in the first place?" She saw Mrs. Weasley's expression. She obviously didn't want this to be told to her, but she couldn't dare to overrule Dumbledore.

"That's a good question. You were told that Voldemort didn't hear the whole prophecy, and the Daily Prophet told that the Department of Mysteries was where the prophecies were kept..."

"Oh, he was trying to hear the prophecy."

"Yes," Dumbledore replied. "Now, if you read the book you were supposed to be assigned to, why didn't a Death Eater just steal the prophecy in the first place?"

"Well..." She remembered back to that book, 'Prophecy of the Age.' "... because the only people that can touch the prophecies,[Author ID1: at Fri Jul 14 20:05:00 2006 ] or a least remove them from the spot, is the people that it was made about."

"Good."

*

Lupin brought news that Sirius's will had been found. "It seems that Sirius had left everything to you and Harry," Lupin told Mindy the evening it was found cluttered in with other possessions must've been important to Sirius. "Except there is a problem: that also includes this house." Lupin looked around the room.

"I don't want it," Mindy spoke up. She knew Sirius hated the house anyway. She couldn't imagine owning a house with all those memories, plus it was a little creepy.

"Yes, but that isn't the problem," Albus Dumbledore's voice came as he walked into the kitchen. "The Black family decreed that the house was handed down the line, to the next male with the name of 'Black'. Sirius was the very last if the line as his younger brother, Regulus, predeceased him and both were childless. While his will makes it perfectly clear that he wants you and Harry to have the house, it is nevertheless possible that some spell or enchantment has been set upon the house to ensure that it cannot be owed by anyone other than a pure-blood."

"Wouldn't be surprised," Mindy said.

"And if such an enchantment does exist, then the ownership of the house is most likely to pass to the eldest of Sirius's living relatives, which would mean his cousin."

"Bellatrix!?" Mindy shouted in surprise. "No! Is there anyway you can tell?" She couldn't! She, Sirius's killer, inherit the house?

"Not yet. See, Mindy, this is a very complicated situation. Now, since the house is no longer Sirius's, we do not know if the enchantments that we have put on it are still valid or if the enchantments that it could be under from the Black legacy overrule them. This is very dangerous, since the headquarters could be now plottable. Naturally, we'll have to move out until we can clarify the position. We don't want Bellatrix Lestrange showing up on our doorstep, do we?"

"As you can see..." Dumbledore paused as he took a seat at the table. "...if you and Harry inherited this house, you also inherited everything that comes with it, and Kreacher, of course." Mindy let out a low grunt. "Well, there are simple decisions you can make in regards to this," Dumbledore continued as Kreacher came from behind the chair where he had been hiding.

"I don't want him," Mindy said at once. She had only found out earlier that Kreacher was part way responsible for Sirius's death, especially when Dumbledore explained her that Sirius told Kreacher to 'get out', and he took it literally and went to the Malfoys and fed them information. This had explained why she hadn't seen him around for a while.

"Don't take decisions so quickly, Mindy, for it is not wise," Dumbledore said.

"Kreacher belongs to Miss Bellatrix, oh yes, Kreacher is the Black's, Kreacher doesn't like Potter brat, Kreacher won't, won't -"

"As you can see, Kreacher is being reluctant towards your ownership," Dumbledore showed.

"I would be too," Mindy said under her breath as Kreacher went on kicking and yelling, 'won't'.

"Would you prefer to pass him on to Bellatrix Lestrange, knowing that he has lived and heard everything the Order of the Phoenix has done?"

"Won't, won't, won't!"

"Of course not," Mindy said quickly.

"Won't, won't, WON'T"

"Kreacher shut up!" Mindy yelled over his screeches. Kreacher's cries died instantly. "Oh." Mindy realized that that was a direct order. Kreacher continued to scream but voicelessly.

"As you can see, he has no choice but to follow your commands," Dumbledore told her. "Now, you could send him to Hogwarts to live and work with the other house elves. He might like it," offered Dumbledore.

"That would be nice. Harry would probably like it too." Mindy turned to the silent Kreacher. "Okay, you go to Hogwarts and work with the other house elves and do your job, but I forbid you to say anything or do anything about anything you have heard or seen." Kreacher looked at her in a despising sort of way. There was a little 'pop', and he was gone.

"That was good. He'll be at your service at school, also," Dumbledore said. "Another matter, you and Harry also inherited Buckbeak."

"Would it be possible if Hagrid could take him?" Mindy asked.

"Hagrid would love that," Dumbledore said. There was another 'pop', this time louder and coming from upstairs. Mindy guessed that it was Buckbeak being sent to Hagrid. "That's that, for now. You'll be leaving for the Weasley residence, the Burrow, this evening. The term ends at Hogwarts tomorrow, and Ron and Ginny will be coming home. I had requested that Harry remained at the Dursleys' for a few days. Hermione will surely be coming to the Burrow shortly before."

Dumbledore had left soon after telling Mindy this, and she went upstairs to pack and get her stuff ready. After a quarter to seven, Mindy and Mrs. Weasley were off to the Burrow via the Floo network. After passing many fireplaces, she came to a stop and landed in a very homely looking house. The kitchen was rather small and cramped. There was scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle.

Mrs. Weasley beckoned her to sit down. "Arthur will be here with your things as soon as he gets off work. He's so busy after being promoted." Mindy glanced opposite her; there was a clock with only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time for tea, Time to feed the chickens, and you're late. Books were stacked three deep on the mantle piece, books with titles like Charm your own Cheese, Enchanting in Backing, and One Minute Feasts - It's Magic! And unless Mindy's ears were deceiving her, the old-looking radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."

Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, preparing a late dinner. "Sorry for the mess, dear, I haven't been home, obviously."

"It's fine. I love your house," Mindy said. This was true, it was way cozier than Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"Thank you. Oh, here's Arthur." Mrs. Weasley glanced at a clock with nine hands, each with a picture of a Weasley family member. All hands were pointing to mortal peril. Mr. Weasley's hand quickly switched to traveling and back to mortal peril when a moment later, there was a knock on the door, and Mr. Weasley came in carrying Mindy's trunk. She jumped up and took the trunk from him. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." He kissed Mrs. Weasley on the cheek, then moved to the table while reaching inside his robes to pull out a paper of some type and sitting down with it.

"I'll show you were you will be sleeping." Mrs. Weasley crossed the kitchen and went on to a rickety staircase. Upstairs, there were several rooms. Mrs. Weasley led her into the second one on the right side. "This was Fred and George's old room," Mrs. Weasley told her. Mindy put her trunk down.

"How's their business?" Mindy asked.

"It's doing well. That's what I'm told. I did wish that they would've got into the Ministry, but they're doing alright," Mrs. Weasley replied as they left.

*

Mindy was left alone with Mrs. Weasley. It was a quite day until later in the evening, when the eldest of the Weasley, Bill, came home with some huge news. "Fleur and I are getting married," he said, beaming. Mr. Weasley, who had just stepped through the door, stood paralyzed and Mrs. Weasley gaped. Mr. Weasley looked proudly at his son, but Mrs. Weasley was showing signs of anger and disbelief. Bill either didn't notice or disregarded this. Mindy knew that Fleur Delacour was one of the contestants of the Triwizard Tournament and she had come to work with Bill to improve her English, supposedly. She also knew that most girls despised her because she was part Veela and very pretty. "Anyway, I have to go. Fleur and I are going to dinner." Bill smiled, waved to Mindy, and disapparated.

The house was left in a devastated state. Mrs. Weasley still hadn't moved. Mr. Weasley was beaming. "Arthur, what are we going to do?" Mrs. Weasley stammered.

"What do you mean? She's a nice girl, and I think they would be happy," Mr. Weasley replied. Mrs. Weasley gave him a glare.

The fire place behind them promptly erupted in flames as a lengthy, freckled boy with flaming red hair stepped out, dragging a trunk. He stepped aside, eyes falling on Mindy. A pretty girl with the same flaming red hair came behind him. The green flames vanished immediately.

"Hello, Ron, Ginny." Mr. Weasley said.

"Hello," they chorused.

"What's wrong with Mum?" asked Ginny.

"Nothing," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Who's-" Ron started.

"Oh, sorry," Mindy steeped forward, "I'm Mindy... um... Potter?"

Ron and Ginny looked confused.

"Why don't you guys go upstairs? I'm sure Mindy will be happy to explain it," Mrs. Weasley said breathlessly.

Mindy quickly followed Ron and Ginny up the stairs.

It was awkward at first, but as Mindy started talking, it got easier. As she went further into the story, she was glad as they made comments and asked questions.

"I wouldn't be able to believe that," Ginny commented when Mindy finished.

"Yeah," Mindy replied.

"I wonder how Harry will take it," Ron added. "I don't imagine he'll be too happy, I mean, not for suddenly having a sister, but because no one was kind enough to tell him."

Mindy shrugged.

"Oh, what was Mum all upset about?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know if Bill wanted me to say anything," Mindy said quietly. "He probably wanted to tell you himself."

"Oh, come on, Mindy. You're Harry's sister, you're family now," Ginny urged.

"We'll find out, eventually," Ron added.

"Alright, Bill and Fleur are getting married."