Concordia Discors

Concordia Discors

By LIZ and S.A.M.

Chapter 7

"So what you're saying is, you want to give my baby girl extra training in transfigurations?" Amelia Abbott asked hesitantly.

Minerva McGonagall suppressed a sigh and barely managed to refrain from rolling her eyes as she stared at the woman across from her. "Yes," she explained for the twelfth time in half an hour. "Despite the fact that her OWL score was not exceptional, her work during the year was outstanding, and I feel she should be given a chance to retake the OWL if she wishes... But only after some practice."

Amelia Abbott stared at McGonagall, wide-eyed. Minutes ticked by as she sat in silence, and finally, Minerva raised an eyebrow in annoyance. Amelia jumped and sat up a tad bit straighter, cleared her throat, then nodded. "Well, I suppose she may," she said quietly, avoiding McGonagall's gaze. "But only if she wishes- Hannah, dear?" she called.

Hannah skidded into the room quickly and Minerva suppressed a chuckle- she could only have gotten into the room as quickly as she did was if she had been standing just outside the door. "Yes, Mum?" Hannah asked innocently.

"Professor- professor McGonagall has an offer for you, Hannah. She says you can come to Hogwarts and retake your Transfiguration OWL, but you have to spend the rest of the summer there."

Hannah's eyes lit up with joy. "Oh, can I Mum? Can I? Please?"

To Minerva's surprise, Mrs. Abbott seemed to deflate before her eyes. "Of- of course you can, dear," she said quietly. "Go quickly, pack now."

Against her own will, Professor Minerva McGonagall felt sympathy rising up inside her. Though she had tried to get the details out of Albus, who was slippery as an eel, and Hermione, who could be just as terrible, apparently, she had only a vague idea of why Miss Abbott was being ordered to Grimmauld Place. There was only one thing she knew; if Miss Abbott was going to be staying at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, her life was about to get quite a bit more dangerous.

Why, she wondered miserably, must it be the children who are first to suffer? A tear slipped to her eye, and she shook her head to clear her mind of the thought. Mrs. Abbott could not see her concern, or she would surely not allow Hannah to leave her sight. And for some reason, both Albus and Hermione insisted she was needed. And Albus had said she must be retrieved.

So she would be retrieved.

The stern Transfigurations teacher was shaken from her musings by the sound of footsteps in the hall. A moment later, Hannah poked her head through the door. "Mum, Professor?" she asked, albeit nervously. "Could you help me with my trunk, please? I can't fit everything and I'm not allowed to do any spells-"

Amelia Abbott and Minerva McGonagall shared a glance. Suddenly, Minerva realized one thing; Amelia was no fool, and she knew Hannah would not be given a second chance at her OWL. She knew very well that Hannah was being taken away for something dangerous, and it was terrifying her. Desperately, Minerva tried to find some way to show her without words that she would not allow her daughter to come to harm.

"Say no more, Miss Abbott," Minerva said with a warm smile, and rose smoothly to her feet.

Amelia watched her nervously as Hannah shot her a thankful smile, then stood as well. "We'll help you, dear," she said.

The three females climbed the beautiful staircase to the second story, and Minerva couldn't help but comment on it. "What is it that John does again, Amelia? He must make a pretty Knut to afford a house as beautiful as this..."

Amelia flushed slightly at the compliment. "He works as an editor for the Daily Prophet. Thank you, Professor."

"Editor?" Minerva reiterated, eyebrows raised. "Dangerous profession, these days."

"Is there a safe one these days?" Amelia asked, and Minerva was floored, though she didn't show it. She truly had not expected such perception from the woman. "He covered the speech the Carson girl gave yesterday- what was her name again? Allison, or something?"

"Alliana," Minerva corrected, smiling slightly- she too had attended the speech, but not in recognizable form.

"Yes, that's the one." Amelia said with a smile as they followed Hannah down the hall. "Anyway, John went to the speech unsure where he stood with regard to the Minister, but he said Alliana really made things seem clear to him. He's now completely convinced that Cornelius Fudge isn't just a bad Minister- he thinks he's dangerous."

"I want to go to one of her speeches, Mum," Hannah cut in from next to her bed. Amelia laughed.

"Maybe sometime soon we will," her mother said.

Minerva smiled. "Actually, I believe Miss Carson was planning on stopping by Hogwarts tomorrow afternoon. You could meet her yourself. She's even more interesting to listen to in person, and just as eloquent. Now, Miss Abbott, what is it you needed help with?" She was mildly surprised to see Amelia folding Hannah's clothes to put in her trunk- hadn't Miss Abbott made a specific request about what she needed to be helped with?

Hannah looked up from wrestling the drawer of a jewelry box open. "Well," she said hesitantly, "do you think you could expand my trunk a bit?"

"Certainly," McGonagall replied with another of her rare smiles, and she pulled out her wand and rolled up her sleeves.

Twenty minutes later, thanks to the combined effort of all three, Hannah was ready to go. They made it down the stairs and were almost to the door when Amelia shouted, "Wait!" and ran to the fireplace. A moment later, John Abbott burst into the front hall.

"You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye to me, were you?"

Hannah smiled in delight and flung herself at her father, giggling as he picked her up and spun her in a circle. "Bye, Daddy," she said with a laugh.

John Abbott smiled down at her from behind his mop of brown hair. "Bye, pumpkin," he replied with a smile, and then stepped back to let her mother hug her.

It took another ten minutes- and several insistent 'We must be going now!'s from Minerva- but finally they were out the door and moving down the long, winding road that led off Abbott Estate. "Are they always that- clingy?" Minerva asked Hannah in surprise.

"Yes," Hannah replied with a grin. "Although Mum usually isn't so shy- she's just still afraid of you. She never got over you catching her and my father- erm- doing the deed."

Minerva stared at her, her mouth hanging open.

"So, how're we getting to... the place, Professor? Hermione wrote and explained everything, but I'm not sure how to get to a place that's under the Fidelius Charm."

Minerva took a deep breath and let it out, then looked around for a moment before responding. The countryside the Abbotts owned was almost awe-inspiring in its beauty- yet Minerva could not help but feel there was nothing genuine to the land at all. It looked more like a well-kept and expensive showpiece. Give me Hogwarts any day, she thought with a snort. "We will be traveling by Portkey to the street on which the headquarters is located. Beyond that, you will find out when we arrive."

"All right, Professor," Hannah replied calmly, and they walked in silence down the road, leaving Minerva baffled once again; what kind of person could so calmly and willingly accept a request for her own life to be placed on the line?

***

"Let me in, you hideous creature, before I disfigure your grotesque visage even more!" Snape snarled.

The gargoyle stared at him, unblinking- What am I thinking? Of course it's unblinking, it's a statue! Muttering darkly, he struggled to remember the password.

"Licorice whips? Cockroach clusters? Blood Suckers? Oh blast, just let me in!"

The gargoyle didn't budge. With a curse, Snape glared at it- then shot his foot forward and swiftly kicked it in the foot. "Bloody hell!" he shouted, jumping up and down on one foot.

"Skittles!" a voice said behind him, and he turned to glare at the speaker.

Hermione Granger- Bloody know-it-all, he thought angrily- smirked at him. "You really shouldn't be so violent, professor," she said innocently. "You might hurt yourself."

His eyes narrowed. "If this was some scheme to get even with me for-"

"For what?" Hermione asked, and, to his shock, she laughed. "For you making an arse of yourself in front of the entire Order? Why would I want to get even with you for that? It was bloody brilliant!"

"As fascinating as this conversation is, I must ask you both to come into my office," a highly amused voice cut in.

Grudgingly, Snape disappeared up the steps, and Hermione smiled innocently at her uncle before following. "Headmaster," Snape said haltingly, "what is she doing here?"

"Getting Fawkes," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "He wants to fly around for a while, and he enjoys Hermione's company."

Snape raised his eyebrows as he settled into a chair in front of the headmaster's desk. "I was under the impression that Miss Granger could not fly."

Hermione laughed and he glared at her; she simply smiled at him, undaunted. "I figure," she replied as she held out an arm for Fawkes, "that if I jump off of one of the towers and flap my arms real hard, I might learn to fly."

Snape's eyebrows raised and he smiled. "Well then, Miss Granger, far be it from me to get in the way of your experiments."

"Oh, don't worry about Hermione, Severus." Dumbledore put in with a kind smile. "I'm sure Fawkes will catch her if she decides to try."

Snape made a strangled sound low in his throat. "Of course," he choked out. "Thank you for- alleviating my worry, Headmaster."

"Anytime, Severus, anytime," the headmaster replied, his eyes twinkling.

Hermione chuckled again from the corner, and Snape spun to glare at her. Hermione ignored him, turning instead to the bird sleeping on his perch. "Wake up, Fawkes," she whispered. "Time to go out and fly around." She stroked his neck gently, and Fawkes slowly opened his eyes and let out a shrill note of song. Severus ignored the grudging respect that was rising in him- it astounded him how kindly Miss Granger seemed to treat every creature- and tried desperately to continue glaring at her. When she had left the room, Fawkes soaring behind her, he dropped his scowl.

"What is it you wanted, Albus?" he asked warily.

"My dear boy, why must you always assume I want something from you? Can't an old man share some tea with his favorite employee?"

"Albus..." he said, annoyed.

The old man in question shook his head and smiled. "You know, you and Hermione are strikingly similar in personality."

"Albus!"

"Calm yourself, Severus," he said quickly, his eyes shining with mirth.

Snape scowled at him.

"Really, Severus, I said the same thing to Hermione. And she reacted just as badly."

Snape's scowl deepened.

"Oh, very well," Albus sighed, and Snape's scowl disappeared immediately. "I need you to retrieve Miss Perks and bring her to Grimmauld Place."

Severus' brow furrowed, and he stared at the headmaster, perplexed. "Why?" he asked. A second later, awareness dawned on his face. "The coven?" he asked quickly.

Albus stared at him in awe. "You two are remarkably similar." He muttered under his breath, and, like clockwork, Snape's scowl returned. "Yes, the coven," he replied. "We need a Slytherin involved, and she's it."

"An excellent choice," Snape muttered under his breath. "She is one of the few Slytherins- against the Dark Lord or no- who would actually stand against him."

"That is, indeed, what I thought, "Albus agreed, nodding. "I was about to consult you for your opinion when I remembered Miss Perks."

"Yes, she is rather... easy to overlook, isn't she? Does it on purpose, I daresay... It's the perfect camouflage."

Albus sighed tiredly, and Snape watched him in concern. As the elderly man's head drooped toward his desk, Severus Snape reached out a hand toward his mentor, then pulled it back quickly, as though he had been burned.

"It is a terrible thing," Albus said tiredly, "that our children should feel the need to shield themselves within these walls."

"You are not solely at fault, Headmaster," Snape said gruffly. "Yes, we all should have seen how tense relations with the school had become, but we did not. What's done is done. There's no sense in worrying about it."

"Perhaps," Albus conceded. "You'll go at once?"

"Yes, Headmaster." Biting back a grimace, he got to his feet and moved toward the door.

"Severus," the headmaster called from behind him. He stopped and turned, raising an eyebrow. "Be careful," Dumbledore said in an almost pleading voice. "And perhaps I should perform a glamour on you, just to make sure you're safe."

Snape bit back a retort; there was no way to ensure anyone's safety, no matter how much the headmaster might wish there was. "Very well," he sighed.

Albus raised his wand with a smile and muttered a charm that Snape could not hear. With a nod at Albus, he turned and swept from the office, his robes billowing behind him. As he moved through the halls toward the entrance hall, people stopped and stared at him. Severus looked at them all in confusion, then scowled and continued on his way. When he reached the entrance hall, he moved to pull open the front doors, but stopped in confusion and looked behind himself again. He had the strangest feeling he was being watched...

Behind him stood every teacher and staff member in the building.

Snape stared at them, confused and slightly self-conscious, then glared. Muttering to himself, Snape pulled the doors open and stalked down the steps. Off to his right, he saw Hermione running toward him, laughing, with Fawkes soaring over her shoulder. Bemused, he watched as the insufferable girl skidded to a halt in front of him.

"Professor?" she asked, staring at him.

He merely glared stonily at her. To his confusion, the girl actually started laughing.

"Say... say something," she ordered him through bursts of laughter.

"What are you on about, you blasted know-it-all?" he demanded, and froze in shock. The voice that had come from his own mouth was high-pitched and cracking.

Granger collapsed on the ground laughing as Fawkes looked at her in concern. "Stop laughing, you bloody Gryffindor!" Snape ordered, and cringed yet again at the sound of his own voice. "Miss Granger, have you a mirror?"

Still choking on laughter, Hermione pushed herself to her feet and pulled a small hand mirror from her robe pocket. Snape snatched it from her hand and held it up in front of his face-

"AAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!"

Hermione collapsed in a fit of hysterics yet again. Glaring harshly at her, Snape flung the mirror to the ground beside her and stalked off, his now blonde hair swinging in the breeze. He strode all the way to the gates, Hermione following him, laughing so hard that it was amazing she could walk at all. Overhead, Fawkes twittered with amusement, and Snape shot a glare at him, too. Pulling the gates open, he walked through them and slammed them shut behind him, then turned one last time to direct a signature Snape Glare™ at her before disapparating to Enemy Territory.

It was a fairly well to do neighborhood, where Sally-Anne Perks lived. Large Victorian-age houses lined up next to each other along the street, set back from the road with green, well-kept grass. But Severus Snape--despite his current appearance--wasn't to be fooled by the peaceful appearance of the neighborhood. The majority of Pleasant Circle's residents were part of the Death Eaters. A few were even in the Inner ranks, on speaking terms with Voldemort himself--commonly Cruciatus-ed by him, too.

Snape sighed. Time to get this over with. He turned around and crossed a street, moving over to a large, yet modest house. It was painted a light blue, the color of a clear sky. Snape walked up a winding marble walkway to the pale white door, pressing a button by the door for the doorbell. A few moments later, a thin, well-dressed woman answered. "Can I help you, sir?" she said in a small voice, looking him over. "Are you here to see Anne? You must be Fabrizio."

Raising his eyebrows slightly, he shook his head no. "I'm not Fabrizio," he said, wincing at his own childish voice, "but I am here to see Miss Perks."

The black-haired woman shrugged carelessly, opening the door wider to allow him in. "The wards will kill you if you step through this door intending harm."

He raised his eyebrows again. "Oh? Does it happen often?"

She smiled slightly. "No. Not many people will cross Abdul willingly." She thought for a moment. "Well... not if they know the consequences."

Snape frowned. Abdul Perks? Have I heard of him...? Sounds... familiar... but...

Mrs. Perks stepped to the base of a wooden staircase leading to the second floor. "Anne?" she called up. "There's a man here to see you."

A girl with curly black hair poked her head around a corner. "Really?" Sally-Anne came walking gracefully down the stairs, looking at Snape intently. "Do I know you?"

Snape nodded. "Hermione Granger should have sent you a letter. You know, business for the school."

Suddenly, an owl swooped through the still-open door, landing down on Anne's shoulder. Anne untied the parchment from its leg and opened it, reading. Slowly, a big grin appeared on her face. She looked up at the blond-haired teenager in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I never caught your name..."

"Brian," he ground out through clenched teeth.

Her grin widened. "Mom, this is the one I told you about, the one who's taking me back to the school so I can study Potions this summer with Professor Snape."

"I thought you said that Professor Snape was going to be picking you up?"

"Yes, I had thought he would be, also," she said, glancing quickly at Snape with a twinkle in her blue eyes, "but Hermione's letter, here, says that he's busy at the moment, stuck brewing a complex potion for the Headmaster. So he sent Brian, here."

'Brian' was grinding his teeth so badly at this point, Anne swore she could hear it.

Her mother looked at him oddly for a moment, as if sizing up how safe her daughter was traveling with him.

"If you say so, Anne, but are--"

"What's all this?" a deep, masculine voice interrupted. "Where's she going?"

Mrs. Perks paled. "She's headed to Hogwarts, to work on her Potions skills for--"

"I thought you said you did well!" the man roared, turning to Anne. "Why do you need to go back there for summer Potions classes if you did well on your OWL, girl?"

"Extra-credit, father," she said swiftly, staring back at him with unwavering confidence. "You know Potions will be important to what I want to do for a living."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but made no move to do anything. Then he swiveled to face Snape. "And just who are you?"

"Brian McAllen, sir," he said, sending a quick glare at Anne for getting him into this mess. "Headmaster Dumbledore sent me to pick up your daughter."

"Well, Mister McAllen, how do I even know that you are who you say you are?" Abdul Perks cracked his knuckles threateningly.

Snape reached into the back pocket of his unassuming muggle outfit and took out a small note from the Headmaster. "Here, sir. From Professor Dumbledore."

Perks read the note slowly--with Snape dutifully questioning his literacy in the process--before refolding it and handing it back to 'Brian'. "Fine." He turned to Anne. "You're all packed and ready to go?"

She gave him a small smile and pulled a shrunken suitcase out of her pocket. "Yes, sir."

"Well, Brian, looks like we should be going..." Anne said, smiling widely at her professor.

"Indeed," Snape scowled, thanking Mrs. Perks and holding the door open for her daughter.

Anne, still smiling, followed him happily out. But as soon as they were out of hearing distance from her mother, Snape leaned over to her ear and whispered softly, smirking, "You'll pay for that one in Potions this year."

***

"Very well, let's get started," Albus said, noting that everyone he had expected to be on time was sitting around the table. Minerva glanced at four empty seats and sniffed. "Those two," she muttered, "They are a disgrace to my house. They were always-"

"Fred and George will be along shortly, I'm sure," Arthur cut in. "What I'd like to know is, where is Alliana?"

From the front hallway came the sound of a door swinging open, and Hagrid grinned. "Speak o' the devil," he muttered. Seconds later, Alliana Carson strode into the room, black boots tapping on the floor and leather jacket hanging over her arm.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologized. "I'd just apparated down the street when these two Muggle boys decided to get into a duel right in front of me... I had to answer some questions for the Muggle police officers."

"No worries," Remus said with a smile. "We've all had problems like that."

Alliana sat down at the large table in the kitchen and smiled at Remus, then glanced slyly in Snape's direction. He looked the same as he always did, but his hair, instead of being black, was blonde. It looked like the lifting of a glamour charm had gone wrong. "You look good like that, Professor," she said with a grin. "Maybe you should dye your hair."

Snape's face twisted into a horrible scowl and he began to rise from his seat.

"Severus..." Dumbledore began warningly.

"Headmaster, she-" Snape protested.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and he smiled at the Potions Master. "I will deal with her momentarily," he replied. "In the meantime, I must tell her about the assignment I have for her."

Snape sighed heavily and dropped down into his seat. His eyes landed on Alli, who smiled at him ad stretched. With another pointed grin in his direction, she picked up her feet and rested them on the table, crossed at her ankles. To Snape's fury, Dumbledore smiled at her indulgently. Then the elderly headmaster cleared his throat and folded his hands, leaning forward.

"What I must ask you to do, Alliana, is something that may put you at great risk. However, it is a job that requires talents only you have, and I am sure you will perform admirably." The twinkle vanished from his eyes, and the relaxed atmosphere Alli had brought to the room vanished completely. "I need you to go-"

The door slammed open again, and two redheads and a black boy ran into the room. "Sorry everyone," Lee Jordan apologized for them. "Too many customers this morning, we couldn't get away."

"Quite all right," Minerva said stiffly as she eyed them with disapproval. "It's what I would have expected from those two," she sniffed, glaring at Fred and George.

The twins, however, took no notice of her criticism. "Alli!" Fred shouted, and he ran forward and wrapped his arms around the girl. "How are you? It's simply marvelous to see you! Did the gift we gave you work?"

Alliana grinned back at him. "Oh yeah," she replied with a laugh. "Marcus is still flapping around the office."

"Excellent!" George muttered.

Minerva cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she began.

"Oh! Right! Sorry, Professor..." Fred muttered, and George nodded. A second later, they were both glaring at Lee, who was laughing quietly from behind them. Hurriedly, all three took their seats and directed exaggerated expressions of rapt attention at the Headmaster.

"As I was saying," Dumbledore began, his eyes twinkling once more. "You will travel first to France and then to America. You must give speeches in the Magical parts of Paris and all other major cities in France, preferably on the steps of their Ministry if you can. In America, you must give speeches in the Magical areas of the District of Columbia, Denver, Dallas, Boston, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. Again, try to give at least one speech on the steps of their Ministry. Turn as many people as you can against Voldemort, and when you are not giving speeches, please try to meet up with people you think likely candidates to the Order. Also, sway as many people as you can in both Ministries; I happen to know both the American and French Ministers severely dislike Fudge. In fact, I am a friend of Abel Channing, the French Minister of Magic. I do not know the American Minister personally, but Abel tells me he is a kind and intelligent man. Abel would be, I am sure, easily convinced to join the Order, but I am not sure of the American Minister."

"But you want them both," she surmised calmly.

"If you can manage it, yes," Albus replied.

Alliana was silent for a few minutes, staring off into the distance. Finally, she lifted her feet up and placed them back on the ground. "What are the rules?"

"What?" Albus stared at her, confused.

"What," Alli clarified, "can't I do to... sway them?"

Everyone stared at her in shock. "What? You forget, I am a Slytherin."

Snape stared at her with grudging respect. "Until just now, I had always been convinced that the Sorting Hat had finally made a mistake."

"Thank you," Alliana replied calmly. "Headmaster?"

Albus stared at the wall, his mind racing. He believed wholeheartedly that, under normal circumstances, Alliana, one of his favorite Slytherins, would do harm to no one. But these were nothing if not abnormal circumstances, and he had no idea what she was capable of doing in war. And yet, they needed support...

"Don't tell me," he said quietly.

Alliana looked at him carefully, then nodded. "Leave after...?" she asked.

"As soon as possible, yes," Albus replied. "And when you return from America, check in with me."

Alliana nodded again. "I'll go pack." She got to her feet and headed for the door. "Fred, George, Lee, I'll be stopping by the store tonight to pick some things up. Be ready for me."

"Will do," Lee confirmed.

Alliana smiled at everyone. "Back in a few months," she said calmly, and strode confidently from headquarters.

Dumbledore stared after her, his mind whirling, and his eyes rested on the door that Alliana had left swinging in her wake. "Fred," he said quietly. "Please fetch Harry, your sister, Hermione, Luna, Miss Perks, and Miss Abbott."

"Right-o, Professor," Fred agreed cheerfully, even as he glanced nervously in the direction Alliana had gone. "Ginny! Harry! Hermione! Luna! Anne! Hannah! Stop eavesdropping and get in here!"

Remus, Moody, Kingsley, and Arthur chuckled as the door opened and the six guilty parties filed into the room. "Yes, Headmaster?" Harry inquired politely.

Albus smiled at him. "Sit, sit, all of you," he replied warmly, and with a wave of his wand, he conjured six comfortable chairs and placed them around the table. The six students sat down and looked at him curiously.

"Anne and Hannah, you may have already heard about this, but the rest of you may not know." Albus paused, the spoke. "Dolores Umbridge and Cornelius Fudge will be facing trail for improper conduct. Harry and Lee, your testimony will be needed."

Lee nodded, a grin unfurling on his face. Luna smiled dreamily, Anne smirked, and Hannah let out a sigh of relief as Ginny laughed outright. Hermione, however, stared at Dumbledore.

"Did you say..." she began slowly, "Umbridge is going to be tried?"

"Yes, he did," McGonagall replied with a smile.

"Yessssssss!!!!!!" Hermione yelled. "Thank Merlin that bi- sorry, Headmaster," she muttered, glancing at him.

Albus Dumbledore looked up at the ceiling and twiddled his thumbs. "I have gone temporarily deaf and have no idea what you are saying, Hermione," he said calmly.

"Erm... Right." Hermione said nervously. "Thank Merlin that- woman- is finally going to get what she deserves," she ad-libbed sheepishly.

Minerva, to the surprise of all present- excluding Harry- laughed quietly. "I know exactly what you mean, child," she said with a warm smile. "I would rather like to celebrate myself."

"Perhaps we should," Snape added with a smirk, and Harry stared at him, shocked, before remembering that Snape hated Umbridge almost as much as McGonagall and Hermione did.

Dumbledore sat up straighter, his eyes twinkling again. "A celebration? Yes! I rather like that idea. Molly, I don't suppose..."

Molly smiled and shot to her feet. "I know exactly what to do. Girls, could you help me?" She exited the room without waiting for an answer, and Ginny, Hannah, and Anne followed her.

"Why isn't Mum making you help?" George asked Hermione and Luna, his brow furrowed.

"We can't cook," Luna replied calmly.

"She doesn't want Grimmauld Place to burn down," Hermione added.

"Ah," Lee agreed, looking slightly confused.

Everyone rushed around for a good half hour, grabbing plates, moving tables, decorating, and cooking. Finally, they all gathered together, and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, Anne, and Hannah passed bottles of butterbeer out to the entire group.

"A toast!" Dumbledore shouted with a gleeful smile. "To impeachment!"

"To impeachment!" everyone chorused.

Severus Snape toasted the loudest of all.

***

The sun was sinking below the horizon, and the air was growing chill. Wind whispered quickly through the trees as the birds twittered anxiously from their posts. The creature moved swiftly and silently through the air until he came to the clearing he had bee searching for. Settling carefully on a high branch, the creature looked down upon the clearing.

The clouds moved slightly and the moon came into view. A shaft of moonlight sliced through the darkness, spreading down to earth and illuminating the clearing. Suddenly, there was movement. One bush was pushed aside, two, three, four... The clearing was quickly filled with visitors, and they seemed to have serious business in mind.

"We have spoken to you all," Griphook said, and the creature's ears perked up as he watched from his lofty perch. "You all know why we are here. It is time, finally, to act."

A murmur of assent ran through the crowd.

"We have spent far too long doing nothing," Griphook continued. "We must strike, and we must strike quickly. Rasmirtuf, empty out Lucius Malfoy's cell immediately. Move all items in it to a cell you will make for his heir. Cilihan, empty Vault 317, we cannot take the chance that it belongs to whom we suspect it does. Any items in it you will send to Dumbledore, and money in the vault will be put back into circulation. The rest of you, empty the vaults of the others who were imprisoned last month. If our enemy has no money with which to work, he will be crippled."

"But what of the wizards and witches?" Rasmirtuf spoke up. "What if they are angry?"

"Angry that we are not allowing the funding to their enemies to continue? I should think not," Ragnok countered.

"But what if they say we are overstepping our bounds?" Cilihan demanded, his voice laced with desperation.

"Then we must hope," Griphook said quietly, "that out human friend has enough influence to save us."

Fawkes looked down on the clearing sadly. As the group dispersed, he spread his wings and flew away.