Power of the Quill

The Power of the Quill.

Chapter 03 The News:

At five-thirty the three Gryffindors entered their Common Room after a long, hard day of dodging questions from their fellow students. Hermione and Ron fell into a loveseat, while Harry took the large chair opposite them. They had barely put a dent in the seat cushions when three brown owls flew in through a window, each dropping a large parchment scroll in their laps.

"It's got a Ministry seal on it, I guess these are the contracts Mr. Fish-head was telling us about," Ron said, throwing the parchment in his book bag. "I just don't get how they picked me. I didn't even give them a blood sample."

"None of us did Ron," Hermione said.

"That's right," Harry said. "They couldn't have scientifically matched us up if they didn't have a sample of our blood."

"Of course they had a sample of our blood, Harry," Hermione said.

"But how?" he asked.

"Our first year, remember? At your first physical, Madam Pomfrey took a sample of your blood."

"Yeah, but I thought Hogwarts kept its medical records sealed. How did the Ministry get hold of them?" Harry asked.

"You're forgetting who was in charge of Hogwarts last year," Hermione answered.

"Umbridge," Harry said as if it were a swearword.

"BINGO!"

"That ogre of a woman is like a never-ending curse!" Harry said bitterly.

"I still don't see why they picked me," Ron said.

"Of course they picked you, Ron. Your O. W. L.'s were just as good as Harry's. You're a prefect in a family known for turning out Head-boys, and you're the keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team." Hermione said.

"If I'm so good, then why did I end up with a sweat-hog like Parkinson?" he asked.

"Well, as thick as Pansy seems to be most of the time, her grades are actually pretty good, and she's a prefect too," Hermione said.

"Yeah, Ron, she beat out Hermione for top marks in Potions last year, the only class you didn't get top marks in, wasn't it Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Thanks for reminding me, Harry," she replied resentfully. "The only reason that cow had better grades than me was because that greasy bastard inflated them so that I wouldn't be tops in his class."

"Gods, Hermione, I can't believe they matched you up with Snape! I thought they'd at least put you with someone decent, like Oliver Wood or one of Ron's brothers," Harry said.

"No, Harry. Remember, she's a jock just like Wood and all us Weasley's. She needs some Poindexter nerd to push around and have her way with," Ron said jokingly.

"You're right, Ron. I hope old Snape likes being a bottom," Harry said, joining in on Ron's joke.

"Stuff it, you two. You know perfectly well that I have no intention of marrying that snarky old sod," she said sincerely.

"So, this means you really are leavening?" Harry said in a serious voice.

"I have to Harry. I can't stay and be forced into having someone's baby, like some brood mare."

"But Hogwarts won't be Hogwarts without you, Hermione," Harry said sadly.

"You can't leave, Hermione. Harry and I will flunk out of school for sure without your notes to copy off of," Ron said. "What if the greasy twit were to have an unfortunate accident? Nothing too lethal, mind you, just something to make him limp as a wet noodle for the rest of his life. Would you stay then?"

"I don't think so, Ron," she said with a smile.

"Are you sure, Hermione? I'm sure Fred and George could whip something up fairly quick. Besides, it might even cause him to stop being such a wanker all the time, and he'll live longer too," Ron said, with an evil grin on his face.

"No, Ron. We are not having your brothers castrate Professor Snape, as tempting as it may be. That little slug Fitage, on the other hand, feel free to let the twins have a go at him."

"I don't know, Hermione," Harry said. "Fitage kind of reminded me of a five and a half foot tall walking penis with glasses. An impotency potion might kill him or remove all the bones in his body."

Hermione let out a snort at Harry's comment. She knew Harry and Ron were trying to make light of this dark situation.

"You guys don't have to worry about me just because I got the worst deal of the lot," she said.

"I think I got the worst deal, Hermione," Harry said. "If I don't find a way out of this, by this time next year, there will a half ferret with messy black hair running around the castle."

Both Hermione and Ron laughed at the thought of a half-Potter-half-Malfoy baby.

"At least Ron got someone his own age, even if it is Parkinson," Harry said.

"Yeah, right," Ron said sarcastically. "I'll trade Pansy for Mrs. Malfoy any day. I mean, what if our kid has her original nose and my complexion. It'll look like an albino Pug with a red toupee on its head."

"I don't think you have to worry about Pansy's nose, Ron. It was probably caused by her premature birth and not genetics," Hermione reassured him.

"Oh, don't remind of that," he said. "What if the kid asks about his grandparents, what will I tell him? Your grandma was a great pickpocket until she got hooked on coke and H? Even though we don't know who your granddad was, we still named you after him: John."

"You said him. What makes you think it's going to be a boy?" she asked.

"Because Ginny's the only girl in the last three generation of Weasleys." he answered.

"Oh, I see. You know, you don't have to marry Pansy, Ron. You could always come with me to a new school..." she nervously offered. Hermione would never admit it out loud, but it was Ron that she would miss the most, not Harry.

"Sorry, Hermione, but I've got to stay and go through with this," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because, if I don't go through with this, they'll just pick someone else from my family to produce an heir. Bill just got engaged to Fleur, it would destroy him if he couldn't marry her. The twins are just starting up a new business for themselves. Nether one of them has time to be a father now. And in less than a year Ginny will be sixteen. If I do this, my family is off the hook for good."

"It still doesn't seem right," Hermione said angrily. She would hate to admit it, but she was starting to become a little jealous of Pansy Parkinson.

"Besides, Hermione, one of us has to stay here to keep Harry out of trouble," Ron said with a smile.

"Hey, if Voldemort drops dead tomorrow, I'm on the next broom out of here," Harry said.

Just then a large Eagle owl swooped through the open window of the Common Room and dropped a small scroll of parchment on Ron's head. The owl didn't wait for a treat or a reply before leaving.

"Blimey buzzard," Ron said as he unrolled the parchment. He read it once, then crumpled it up in a ball and threw it in the fireplace.

Both Hermione and Harry were staring at Ron. "What?" he asked looking at them.

"Well, what did it say?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"Oh that," he said looking into the fireplace. "It was from Parkinson's parents. They disowned her."

"Really?" Harry said.

"Yeah, they said the Ministry never told them they were raising a Mudblood. They also said that they won't be spending another red cent on her, and that she is my responsibility now."

"These Pureblood families will never cease to amaze me," Harry said. "To just throw away a daughter you've raised for fifteen and a half years. It's just unbelievable!"

"They probably didn't do it because they hate her, Harry. They most likely did it out of fear," Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"Well, just think about who the Parkinsons normally socialize with. I bet it's mostly Pureblood families who all support the Dark Lord and his agenda. It might be very dangerous to have a Muggle-born daughter in their family."

"But how could they not know she was a Muggle-born? You'd think they would have asked before adopting her," Ron said.

"Well, Ron, you have to remember that she was born about the same time as you and Harry. That's when Voldemort was at his worst. There were likely a lot of orphans from wizard families back then. The Parkinsons, being a long line of Purebloods, probably couldn't have a magical child of their own, so they took first child that became available."

"I wonder how many other Pureblood families had to adopt a child?" Harry asked.

"Probably a lot more than anyone thinks," Hermione said.

Just then, Ginny came through the portrait with a copy of the 'Daily Prophet' in her hand.

"You guys made the evening edition," she said, taking the seat next to Harry.

Ginny then handed Hermione her copy. Hermione quickly scanned the front page.

     BLOOD STRENGTH LAW SEIZES HOGWARTS

     A Ministry Official unveiled six new Blood Marriages

     in Hogwarts Great Hall this morning. Three of these

     marriages were quite shocking. The first being the

     marriage between Marcus Flint the talented new

     rookie Beater for the Tornados, and a Half-blood

     Ravenclaw girl. Flint was said to be a shoe-in for

     Rookie of the year honors, but only time will tell if

     this forced marriage to a Half-blood will hurt his

     chances.

     Second among these shocking duets, is the marriage

     between Harry Potter, 'The-Boy-Who-Lived', and the

     former Mrs. Lucius Malfoy, now Miss Black. Talk about

     sleeping with the Enemy! Miss Black was not only

     married to a wizard in league with 'He-Who-Must-Not-

     Be-Named', but is also sister to escaped Death Eater,

     Bellatrix Lestrange not to mention having the notorious

     mass-murderer, Sirius Black, as her cousin. Black is

     apparently not just a name for that family, but a way

     of life. Good luck Mr. Potter.

     The third of these very strange duos is the marriage of

     Muggle-born, Hermione Granger, to Head of Slytherin

     House, Professor Severus Snape. The infamous Miss

     Granger was romantically linked to famed Quidditch stars

     Victor Krum and Harry Potter two years ago.

     Apparently this Muggle-born Siren has set her eyes on

     even bigger fish these days.

"BLOODY HELL!" Hermione said, tossing the paper back to Ginny. "They're making me out to some kind of gold-digging slut after Snape's money."

"Did they say anything about me?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, they said you're marrying into a family of dark wizards and probably won't survive the honeymoon," she answered.

"Well, at least they got that part right," Harry said.

"How about me?" Ron asked. "Did they mention anything about my marriage?"

"No, the only others they mentioned were Flint and Claudia."

"They talked about Parkinson in another article," Ginny said.

"Where?" Ron asked.

"It's at the bottom of the page," she answered.

Ron took the paper from his sister and began to read the article aloud.

     MUD IN THE SERPENTS LAIR.

     The purity of House Slytherin took a blow

     today when it was revealed that a Muggle-

     born witch secretly let herself be sorted

     into the Pureblood-only House.

     The young witch's true agenda in this

     deception is not yet known. Several highly

     influential Slytherin alumni have owled

     Headmaster Dumbledore demanding the

     witch's removal from their House as well as

     Hogwarts. The Headmaster has

     yet to comment on the situation.

     Continued on Page A-5.

"I thought Pansy didn't know she was Muggle-born," Ron said while lowering the paper.

"She didn't, but I doubt that fact will ever make the 'Prophet'," Hermione said. "They just don't want to admit that Muggle-borns could have the same inherited qualities as they do. Even if those qualities are morally bankrupt."

"You would think they would remember that Voldemort was a Half-blood from a Muggle orphanage as well," Harry said.

"I'd be willing to bet that while he was in Slytherin, Riddle kept that little piece of information to himself," Hermione said.

"Do you think they'll kick her out of Slytherin?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know, I guess it depends on how the other Slytherins start to treat her. It will really be hard for them to overlook the fact that she's a Muggle-born," Hermione said.

"You think they'll start mistreating her?" Harry asked.

"Gee, wouldn't that just be a shame, Pansy Parkinson be treated unfairly because she a Muggle-born? What is this world coming to?" Hermione said with an evil, sarcastic smile on her face.

Just then, a large black raven entered the Common Room with a rolled parchment tied to its leg. It landed on the armrest of Harry's chair. Harry untied the parchment from the bird's leg, but the large bird didn't leave. It was obviously awaiting a reply to its message. The parchment had gold seal with the capital B on it. Harry broke the seal, opening the parchment to read.

"What's it say Harry?" Ron asked.

"It's an invitation to Black Manor for Saturday night at eight. It's for me and two friends," Harry said.

"Who sent it?" Hermione asked.

"It's signed Narcissa Black," Harry answered.

"Do you think she means Malfoy Manor?" Ron asked.

"No, she's probably referring to her parent's home," Hermione replied.

"Not Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place?" Ron asked.

"No, Number Twelve was her uncle's house. This must be someplace different," Harry said.

"It said Manor, so it's probably on an estate somewhere," Hermione said.

"Do you think it's some kind of trap?" Ginny asked.

"I don't think so. Why would she want me to bring back-up if it were a trap?" Harry asked.

"I don't know? Maybe she wants to kill three birds with one stone, if you know what I mean," Ron said.

"So you're thinking of going?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, sure, I'll have to meet her sometime. Maybe she knows a way out of this mess," Harry answered.

"And just who were you planning to take with you on this suicide mission?" Ron asked.

"I'll give you two guesses," Harry said, giving Ron and Hermione a knowing look.

"Hey, what about me?" Ginny said irately from her seat next to Harry. "Why do you always pick them? Maybe I'd like to get out and have an adventure now and then."

Harry reached over and took the pretty young redhead's hand in his own. "Sorry Ginny, but it's too dangerous for you to go. You're the only female Weasley born in the last three generations. If Ron dies, he has five brothers to take his place. I'm afraid you're just too priceless to risk, Ginny."

Ginny began to smile as a blush colored her cheeks. Then the smile on her face vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She had a sad, irritated look on her face now, as if something precious had been stolen from her. Suddenly Ginny rose from her chair and ran up the stairs leading to the girl's dorm rooms.

"What's up with her?" Harry asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"You know, you can be pretty thick sometimes, Harry." Hermione said.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Harry asked.

Ron just shook his head at his clueless friend.

"Miss Granger, may I have a word?" Nearly Headless Nick said from behind them.

"Of course, Sir Nicholas," Hermione answered.

"The Headmaster wishes to speak to you privately in his office before dinner," the old ghost said.

"You may tell the Headmaster I'll be at the gargoyle at six a clock on the dot, Sir Nicholas," she said.

"Very well, Miss Granger. I will inform the Headmaster to expect you at six," Nicholas said, then gave Hermione a little bow.

"Does the Headmaster want to see me too?" Harry asked the ghost.

"No, Mr. Potter, Professor Dumbledore only requested that Miss Granger come along," Nick answered. The ghost then turned from the threesome and left the common room through the ceiling.

"What do you think Dumbledore wants? Maybe he found a way to get you out of marrying Snape," Ron said.

"I can only hope, but I seriously doubt it. No, most likely he wants to talk to me about changing schools. My mom and dad wrote him about it yesterday," she said.

Harry reached into his book bag and pulled out a quill and a small bottle of ink. He placed the invitation on the arm of his chair and wrote his acceptance at the bottom. He rolled up the parchment and tied it back onto the raven's leg. Just as Harry finished, the raven let out a loud squawk, then took a lock of Harry's hair in its beak and pulled it from his head.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Harry shouted, as he watched the black bird fly out the Common Room window and into the setting sun. "What was that all about?" Harry asked as he rubbed his head.

"I don't know, but it can't be anything good," Hermione said. She looked at her friend as he continued to rub his head. Harry had not been the same since the loss of his godfather. Sirius was the only family Harry had that actually cared about him. Now he was being asked to marry the woman who was, in a way, partly responsible for Sirius's death.

"Harry, are you sure you can go through with this? She was the one who told Kreacher to lie to you about Sirius."

"I know, Hermione, that's why I have to go. I plan to talk to her about a lot more than just a wedding," he said with a cold look in his eyes.