Mourning Dawn (A Prelude to The Wand of Elder)

Harry managed to make the long trek to the hallway leading to the Headmaster's, or rather Headmistress', office without further mishap or interruption. As had been the case after the battle with Voldemort, the Gargoyle still stood broken in the entrance to the rising stairwell.

"Excuse me," said Harry apologetically as he scooted around the haphazard statue. The gargoyle wore an expression of stoic dignity as Harry made his way past.

The steps were broken and simply stood still in the wall, lacking their normal sinuous motion. The House Elves had obviously not made their way to this part of the castle yet. He looked up, and perceived for the first time the remarkable length of the stairs. He had not noticed it last night, but now he exhaled in preparation for the considerable climb.

Beginning his ascent, Harry heard voices on the landing above. He recognized the familiar sounds of Ron and Hermione bickering. He realized that they must be waiting outside of the heavy oak door to the office, above.

"...even if you don't care, I do, Ronald!" said Hermione in mid-lecture. "You cannot do everything. You need sleep."

"'M allright, Hermione! I'm just looking...out..." Ron's words were cut short by the sound of a jaw-popping yawn.

"See. I told, you. You have to sleep!" Hermione's voice had taken on a plaintive quality. "You've been up for over three days straight!"

"Slept this morning," said Ron in a petulant, but undeniably groggy voice.

"For a half an hour? Honestly!" said Hermione, exasperated.

"I'm allright!" repeated Ron, his voice rising in annoyance. "Somebody's got to watch out for everybody. Mum's out of it and Percy's a mess. Dad's got his hands full with Mum and trying to patch up the ministry, and he's not himself anyway. Bill and Charlie are trying to hunt down Death Eat..."

There was a scuffling clumsy sound above, as if someone had lost their balance.

"Ron..." said Hermione worriedly.

"Somebody's got to keep us together...or something like that...right." Ron's voice trailed off sleepily.

"And that's your job, is it?" asked a fierce, yet melodic, female voice above. Harry's foot stopped dead on the last step that would bring him onto the landing, and into view of the group above.

His heart skipped a beat. It was Ginny.

Her voice softened as it continued. "Hermione's right. You've been great. Really great. But you can't do everything."

"Exactly," agreed Hermione.

"I know," said Ron defensively. His voice held the closed-mouth strain of someone fighting to prevent another yawn from escaping. "It's just..."

"No more argument, Ron," said Hermione with gentle finality. "After McGonagall is finished with us, you are going to bed."

"Hmmm, okay then," said Ron, a teasing tone entering his weary voice. "Care to come along?"

"Well, if it will get you to sleep," responded Hermione in an uncharacteristically flirtatious way.

"Dunno 'bout that, but it would be fun any..." said Ron, chuckling.

"For heaven's sake!" interrupted Ginny grumpily. "I liked it better when you didn't hang all over each other when you rowed."

"Sorry, Ginny," said Hermione sheepishly.

"Yeah, sor..." Ron's repressed yawn burst out with renewed vigor. From the sound of it Harry was surprised that Ron's head did not come unhinged.

Harry stood still on the top of the staircase, contemplating going back the way he had come. He didn't know where this reticence came from, but he suddenly dreaded facing his reunion with Ginny, the meeting with McGonagall, and the newfound affection between Ron and Hermione all at the same time. The feeling of tiredness that had swept over him earlier was renewed, and he hesitated for several moments at the top of the steps.

"Hello, Harry," said a dreamy and embarrassingly loud voice behind him. "Why are you standing here?"

Harry nearly jumped out of his own skin. He spun around to see Luna coming up the stairs behind him, trailed by Dean Thomas.

"Hi, Harry," said Dean, looking cheerful.

Harry flattened himself against the wall of the stairway and stammered, "I wasn't...I just was..."

"Did Professor McGonagall tell you to wait here? Is anyone else coming? It's not very comfortable in the stairwell," continued Luna in that carrying voice, looking around the area where Harry was concealed from Ginny's eyes. She peered around the corner and exclaimed, "Oh! Hello, everyone!"

Harry tried to sink back into the wall behind him. He knew Luna pretty well, and he had a good feeling what she would say next. He was not disappointed.

"Ginny, Ronald and Hermione are waiting over there, Harry. Were you eavesdropping? Ohhhhh...are you standing here because you are nervous about seeing Ginny?"

Harry groaned while Dean sniggered. Dean pushed past, giving Harry a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Luna gave Harry an encouraging smile and exited the stairwell also. Harry followed reluctantly.

Luckily, the embarrassing incident was covered by the greetings among them. Hermione looked prim and pretty as ever. She kept casting worried glances at Ron, though, as if she meant to jump up and catch him should he tumble over. Ron looked like he might do so at any second. He had deep circles underneath his eyes, and he swayed slightly where he stood.

Harry watched Ginny greet Luna and Dean with distracted good cheer. She looked weary and sad, but she still had that blazing quality that no mere physical exhaustion or familial grief could remove. Her gaze turned to meet his.

"Hi, Harry," she said quietly, but her voice boomed in his ears like a clarion.

"Uh, hello," responded Harry. Then an awkward pause seemed to stretch among the six friends, as everyone except Luna tried to avoid looking at Harry or Ginny.

Luna looked around at all of them in turn. Harry braced himself as she said, in her horribly clueless manner, "Well, this is uncomfortable, isn't it?"

Ron guffawed and Hermione elbowed him in the ribs, which was a bad idea because he nearly toppled over sideways. Hermione actually had to reach over to stand him back up straight.

"It's silly to be so uncomfortable, Harry," continued Luna matter-of-factly, "because last year all that Ginny could talk about..."

"Luna," interrupted Dean as Ginny gasped. Her face flushed a brilliantly pretty crimson.

"What?" asked Luna with dreamy curiosity. "Oh! Am I doing it again?"

"Yes!" said Dean, trying to suppress a smile.

"Sorry," said Luna. Unperturbed, she began examining a torn tapestry on the adjacent wall, humming contentedly. Dean looked at her in bemusement, and then shook his head with a rueful smile.

"So what in the bloody blue blazes are we all here for anyway?" asked Ron impatiently. Harry guessed that Ron was looking to get back to his grieving family.

"Maybe she wants to ask us about the battle, or about Malfoy Manor," suggested Dean.

"I don't think so," said Ginny thoughtfully. "McGonagall was at the battle so she knows what happened there. And Kingsley took the Malfoys into custody yesterday afternoon. I suspect they've gotten all the information about Malfoy Manor they could want by this time. Bill said that Lucius Malfoy will be singing like a bird to keep from suffering for his involvement with Voldemort."

"I wonder why they need to talk to us now, though," grumped Ron.

"Have to, don't they?" said Dean. "The Memorial Service is tomorrow, and then there are the funerals..." He trailed off at the pained expressions on Ron's and Ginny's faces. "Sorry," he said quietly.

"No need to apologize, Dean," said Ron with a brightness that belied his haggard appearance. "We can't all walk on eggshells over it."

"What Memorial Service are you talking about?" asked Harry, realizing again that he had a day's worth of information to catch up on.

"They're doing a Memorial Service for the students and family members of students that were killed in the battle," said Hermione.

"It will be tomorrow morning, and they'll serve lunch afterwards. You'll sit with us and Mum and Dad, I'm sure," said Ron, his voice becoming Percy-like as he continued. His weariness had suddenly been replaced by an odd briskness and his voice did not carry the sleepy edge it had done just moments before. "It's closed to anyone except current students, professors and their families. They also have to arrange transport for all the families. My understanding is that they're going to use the Hogwarts Express."

Harry had only a moment to be touched by his best mate's off-hand inclusion of Harry within the circle of Weasley mourners. He marveled at how it was just expected to be so.

"Then there is Kingsley's speech," said Ginny.

"Sorry?" said Harry.

"Kingsley is giving a speech the afternoon after the Memorial Service," piped Ron. "He's acting Minister of Magic. He'll be doing the speech right from Hogwarts, to show that the school still stands and is safe. There will be loads of reporters for that, I reckon."

"And dad says that Kingsley is trying to get the Muggle Prime Minister to come for the speech," said Ginny. "You know, to show the attitude of the new administration and to show everyone that the Death Eaters and those who sympathize with them are definitely out of power for good."

"That should also help bring back the Muggleborns who went into hiding," said Hermione.

"That will be good," said Harry thoughtfully, liking Kingsley's effort in this regard. "But that still doesn't explain what McGonagall brought us up here for."

"Well, since it is the six of us who are here," said Hermione "I suspect that McGonagall partly wants to talk to us about our schooling."

"How ya reckon?" asked Ron.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Of the students still here at the school today, the six of us missed the most of last term."

"Neville and Seamus and everyone in the Room of Requirement missed a bit too," observed Dean. "And what about the other Muggleborns?"

"True," said Hermione, "but the others in the Room of Requirement only missed, at most, a few weeks at the end of the term. They probably completed enough of their studies to stand for their N.E.W.T. and O.W.L. exams once things settle down and things can be scheduled like normal. As for the other Muggleborns that went into hiding, they're simply not here right now."

"McGonagall did say that she wanted to talk to me about my education," observed Harry. "But she indicated it might be awhile before we actually got a chance to meet about it. Weeks maybe, she said. I wonder what could have pushed it up. Plus, the Minister is meeting with us too, isn't he?"

"The Minister?" squeaked Hermione, and the other members of their group began to look anxious. This struck Harry as odd, especially since he, Ron, Ginny and Hermione had spent many a casual hour informally socializing with Kingsley Shacklebolt for the past three years.

"Well, that's what the boy who gave me the message said," confirmed Harry.

"He was a smarmy little git, wasn't he?" said Ron, visibly stifling another yawn. His burst of energy seemed to be ebbing.

"Well, it's unlikely that that they'd bring Kingsley here just to talk with us about finishing school," said Hermione uncertainly. "I must be wrong."

"Rarely, if ever" said Ron, taking Hermione's hand. Harry was surprised by the openly affectionate look that Hermione gave Ron for the compliment. It reminded him of the slavish look Fleur was prone to give Bill, though Hermione's was much less insipid. This interplay between Rona and Hermione was going to take some getting used to. Harry stole another glance at Ginny and thought that maybe he would read Ron's book about charming witches, because it sure seemed to work on Hermione.

"When did you talk to Professor McGonagall, Harry?" asked Luna distractedly. Once again, her voice startled Harry. He had forgotten she was there. She was still examining the tapestry, though she had ceased humming under her breath.

"Uh..." said Harry, stealing a look at Ginny. Her face was again crimson and she pointedly began to look anywhere but at Harry. "Well..."

Harry was saved the trial of proceeding any further in his explanation by the opening of the thick oak door to the Headmistress' Office. Minerva McGonagall stood in the doorway, looking worn, but efficient.

"Ah, good. You're all here. Come in, please," she ordered. "Quickly now. Bill and the Minister are waiting. We have much to discuss."

The six students traded apprehensively glances, but quickly trooped through the entrance to their uncertain interview.