He wanted to tell Remus about what Wormtail had said about Ginny, but not while she was eavesdropping. It was yet another reason he wanted to keep her close to him. It was the only way he could ensure her safety.
"Anything else?" Remus asked.
"Yeah, there is," Harry said thoughtfully. "When I went to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys, we stayed in magical tents. There were some that were small enough to look like Muggle pop tents, so they could be transported easily. Do you think you could locate one for me? You can take the funds from my account at Gringotts."
"Consider it done," Remus said.
"There is one other thing I’d like to discuss," Professor McGonagall said, standing up and raising her voice above the chatter. The room quieted and turned towards her once again.
"Please go ahead, Minerva," said Mrs. Weasley.
"I visited the Hog’s Head earlier today and spoke with Aberforth Dumbledore," she said, her voice quavering slightly.
Harry’s head shot up, an image of the tall barkeep from the Hog’s Head pub rising in his mind. He was Professor Dumbledore’s eccentric brother? Harry sat slack-jawed, wondering how he’d never made the connection — the similarity between the two appeared so obvious now. An inexplicable swell of sadness arose in Harry’s chest at this revelation. There was so much about Professor Dumbledore he’d never known, and now he never would.
"Did he have anything unusual to report?" Moody growled.
Harry’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. Of course! That was how Dumbledore always knew what was happening in Hogsmeade. His brother would have kept him abreast of anything unusual. Harry smiled sadly, feeling great fondness for his cagey former headmaster.
"He’s finished putting Albus’s affairs in order. He said that Albus left specific instructions on where some of his belongings were to go. I’ve brought several items with me to deliver to some of you," Professor McGonagall said stiffly, waving her wand. Several plain brown boxes appeared around her.
Harry’s insides went cold. These were Dumbledore’s things, his prized possessions...
"Harry," Professor McGonagall said, sounding distinctly gentler that she had a moment earlier. "This one is for you. Aberforth was particularly adamant that you receive it posthaste."
Harry nodded numbly and took the package without comment. He rested it in his lap, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. Hagrid began blowing his nose into his huge handkerchief, and Mrs. Weasley dabbed at her eyes. Harry’s heart hammered inside his chest, and he found the air in the room had become stifling.
"Hagrid," Professor McGonagall said, but she didn’t get any further as Hagrid dissolved into wracking sobs, mumbling about what a great man Dumbledore had been. Hermione jumped from her chair and began patting him on the back consolingly. In the confusion, Harry quietly took his package and slipped from his chair, escaping from the room unnoticed.
***
Harry sat cross-legged on his bed with his chin in his hands, staring at the box Professor McGonagall had given him. The package remained sealed, unremarkable really, with its plain brown wrapping, but Harry knew that opening it would be a last goodbye. Professor Dumbledore was really gone; he wasn’t coming back. He knew that not opening the package wouldn’t change anything, but to Harry, it would somehow make it final.
He’d been sitting in the same spot for over an hour and wasn’t certain if everyone was still meeting downstairs. He’d wanted to open whatever it was Dumbledore left him privately, in case it contained anything to do with Voldemort or the Horcruxes. He also didn’t trust his own emotions and didn’t want a crowd to witness yet another breakdown. He knew he should get on with it before anyone came up to check on him, but he couldn’t seem to force himself to do it.
His door creaked open slightly, and Ron poked his head inside. "All right, mate?" he asked tentatively.
"Yeah," Harry said. "I’m fine. You can come in."
Ron pushed open the door and entered the room followed closely by Hermione and Ginny.
"Harry!" Hermione said, frowning slightly. "Why did you leave without saying anything? I hadn’t even noticed you had gone."
Harry merely shrugged.
"What did he leave you?" asked Ron, nodding toward the package.
"Dunno," Harry replied, shrugging his shoulders again.
"You haven’t even looked?" Hermione cried, aghast. "It could be something important, Harry, something we could use."
"I know," he said quietly.
Hermione apparently realized the reason for his hesitancy because her face softened, and she gazed at Harry with something that looked like pity. He averted his eyes, and she backed off and sat beside Ron on his bed.
"Everyone’s gone now; they never really had a proper meeting. I can’t believe Hogwarts won’t be opening at all," she said tremulously.
Harry started when the edge of his bed dipped slightly. He looked up to see Ginny sitting on the end, watching him closely. Her expression was neutral, and he was grateful for it.
"So, did Professor McGonagall finish delivering everything?" Harry asked in what he hoped was a casual voice.
"Not everything," Ron replied darkly.
His curiosity piqued, Harry looked towards Ron and raised his eyebrow.
"Dumbledore left something for Snape," Ron said, spitting the name.
Harry clenched his fists tightly. "Not surprising; he always did trust the git."
"It is rather startling, though," Hermione said, looking troubled.
"Why’s that?" Harry asked through gritted teeth.
Ginny took his hand and gently unclenched his fist, revealing several crescent shapes drops of blood where his nails had dug into his skin. She wiped the blood away and clasped his hand within her own warm one. His stomach settled slightly.
"Well….now, I know you don’t want to hear this, but just listen to me," Hermione said nervously. "Professor Dumbledore adamantly trusted Professor Snape. He insisted that he was on our side-"
"Until he killed him," Harry shouted, unable to contain his fury.
"I know that, Harry," Hermione said. "Still, I kept hoping there was some other explanation, that maybe they had planned it this way for some reason."
"You think Dumbledore planned for Snape to do him in?" Ron asked incredulously.
"I don’t know," Hermione cried, exasperated. "I just can’t help wondering if there is something we’re missing. But now, if Dumbledore left Snape something…maybe he didn’t know. I’d like to know what he left him. It might answer some questions."
"There is no question," Harry said flatly. "Snape killed him. Dumbledore left him something because he trusted him; he thought he was his friend. Snape’s no different from Wormtail."
"You can’t honestly still think Snape is working for our side, Hermione," Ron said.
"No. I suppose not," Hermione said, deflating, "but I just wish I knew for certain."
"There’s nothing to know," Harry said angrily, feeling more agitated by the moment. "He’s a murderer, Hermione. He killed Dumbledore, and he can never be forgiven for that."
"I spoke with Fred and George," Ginny said suddenly. "I asked them if they knew where Mundungus lived."
"Did they?" Ron asked.
"No, but when I told them Harry needed to know, they said they’d do some checking. They said Dung never seemed to stay in any one place too long," Ginny replied.
"Great," Harry said, that hopeless feeling threatening to overtake him again.
"Don’t worry, Harry. Leave it to Fred and George. If anyone can find his last address, they can," Ginny said bracingly.
"It’s something, I suppose," Harry said. "I asked Remus to see if he could find us a magical tent to use while we’re travelling. We can use Headquarters as our base, but I reckon we’ll have to be on foot a lot. Dumbledore was away a lot last year, and we know that’s what he was doing."
"That’s a very good idea, Harry. When do you think we’ll go?" Hermione asked.
"Not until after my birthday," Harry said. "I don’t want any Ministry entanglements about underage magic, and it’ll give us a little time to get everything in order. We need to decide where we should go first. Ron and I also have to take our test to get our licenses to Apparate."
Ron shifted uneasily, and Hermione gave him an encouraging smile.
"Why don’t you open that box," Ginny said gently. "Maybe it will give us an idea."
Harry glanced at the ordinary-looking box and sighed heavily. Nothing left for it. "Yeah…okay," he said, pulling at the tape. Once he’d moved past his initial hesitation, he found his curiosity overwhelmed him, and he hurried to find what was inside.
He unwrapped the last of the packaging and lifted an incredibly old, stone basin from the box, placing it on his desk reverently. Several wrapped items were stored inside.
"What is that?" Ron asked, peering at it closely.
"It’s Dumbledore’s Pensieve," Harry said quietly, removing the items inside.
"Harry, these are really rare," Hermione said, curiously examining the runes along the edge of the Pensieve.
"And expensive," said Ron.
"This is how he showed you the memories of Tom?" Ginny asked, running her finger along the rim. "Are those the memories?"
Harry nodded, unwrapping the last of sealed phials. "Yeah. These are the memories he showed me in our lessons. He felt understanding Riddle’s past was the key to finding the Horcruxes."
"But wouldn’t Dumbledore’s memories have died with him?" Ron asked.
"No. A lot of these memories belonged to other people, all of whom are long dead. One of them was even a house-elf," Harry said, as he unwrapped the final two items.
He turned quickly when Ginny gasped.
"Is that…?" she asked, her voice wavering.
Harry held the diary that had once wreaked havoc upon a young Ginny’s life. He looked deeply into her troubled eyes, willing some of his strength to her. Having just dealt with confronting some of the horrors of his own past, he knew exactly what she was feeling.
"Yeah, it is. I don’t know how Dumbledore got it. I gave it back to Lucius Malfoy with the sock that freed Dobby. Maybe Malfoy dropped it, or Dobby had it. I dunno, maybe Dumbledore somehow got it back from Malfoy Manor," Harry replied, watching Ginny closely.
Ginny reached a shaky hand toward the tattered book with the fang hole through the cover. Harry solemnly handed it to her, knowing she needed to confront her demons.
"No, Ginny, don’t," Ron said, making a grab for the diary.
Harry grasped Ron’s hand and held him back. "Let her do it, Ron. She needs this," he said, his eyes remaining fixed on Ginny.
Her eyes were dark and haunted, but remained free of tears. She silently flipped several of the pages before looking back at Harry. "Just a book," she said shakily.
Harry nodded. "That’s all that’s left now; just a book. You beat him, Ginny."
"No, you beat him," Ginny said with a small, humorless laugh. "I was unconscious."
"You did beat him; you survived. You were never supposed to have done that. You fought him for a year alone, and you survived. Never sell yourself short for that, Ginny," Harry replied vehemently.
Ginny’s eyes filled with the tears she’d held off for so long, but she forcibly blinked them away. Harry leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"What’s in the last package?" Hermione asked quietly.
Still keeping an eye on Ginny, Harry opened it. It contained Marvolo Gaunt’s black stone ring. "It’s the other Horcrux. The one Dumbledore destroyed," Harry said.
"Ooh, can I take a look at it?" Hermione asked.
Harry handed it to her. "There’s something else in this box," he said, pulling out one of Dumbledore’s delicate silver instruments.
"What does it do?" Ron asked.
"No idea," Harry replied, studying the instrument closely. It consisted of several, fragile silver cylinders with a tube at the top.
"Are there any instructions?" Hermione asked.
"No," Harry replied curtly, struggling with a memory on the edge of his consciousness. "I’ve seen this one before though," he said, distracted.
"Well, of course you have. Dumbledore’s office was chock full of them, and you were in there often enough," Ron said.
"When were you in Dumbledore’s office?" Hermione demanded.
"Last Christmas. The night Harry had that dream about Dad getting attacked by the snake," Ron replied.
"That’s it!" Harry exclaimed, snapping his fingers.
"That’s what?" Ginny asked.
"That’s where I’ve seen this thing. It was that night, the night I had that vision, or whatever it was. Dumbledore did something with this instrument. It had green smoke coming out of it," Harry said excitedly. "The smoke turned into a snake."
"I don’t remember that," Ron said, frowning.
"Well, you had other things on your mind, didn’t you?" Harry asked.
"But, isn’t there a note or anything telling you how it works?" Hermione asked, blowing a stray piece of hair off her face.
Harry looked inside the box again, but it was empty. "No. There’s nothing."
"I can try asking Professor McGonagall," Hermione said. "She might know how it works."
"That’s a good idea," Harry said, nodding absently. "I still need to show her the portrait of the Founders."
"I think she’ll tell you that it’s safer here for the moment, since Hogwarts isn’t reopening. I don’t think she has much trust in the Ministry right now," Hermione said.
"Can’t say as I blame her," Harry replied.
"So, if Hogwarts isn’t reopening, at least I don’t have to tell my mum that I’m not going back," Ron said.
"You’ll have to tell her you’re leaving though, Ron. She’s still not going to be happy about it," Hermione said.
"I don’t think we should tell her," Ginny said. "She’ll never agree to it, and she’ll more than likely try to stop us. We should just slip away the first time. You said we were going to use Headquarters as a base, didn’t you, Harry?"
"Yeah, I said that to Lupin," Harry replied, grinning. "How did you hear that, Ginny?"
Ginny smiled. "I’m the youngest of seven, Harry. If I hadn’t learned to eavesdrop, I’d never know anything."
Harry grinned. "That was how I managed with the Dursleys, too. I reckon we can go through these memories in the Pensieve until it’s time to leave."
"Where do we go first?" Ron asked.
"I think the best place to start is the same place he did, at the orphanage," Harry replied.
"It was a Muggle orphanage, right?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah," Harry said, nodding.
"Can I borrow Hedwig?" Hermione asked. "I’ll send a note to my mum asking her to get us the names of any orphanages that were running in London fifty years ago."
"How would she know that?" Ron asked, dumbfounded.
"She can just use the internet," Hermione replied, shrugging.
Ron’s bewildered expression never changed. "The what?"
"Oh, that’s a computer, right?" Ginny asked, grinning widely. Her enthusiasm reminded Harry of Mr. Weasley.
Hermione’s cheek twitched as she tried to contain her laughter. "Yes, it involves a computer. Don’t worry about it; she can do this. She’ll be happy I asked her for some help."
Harry looked up and met her eyes questioningly.
Hermione shrugged. "She just feels a bit disconnected from my life now. How could she not? There’s nothing to be done for it, Harry, but she’ll like being asked for her assistance."
Harry sighed, feeling badly that Hermione’s family was drifting apart. "Okay, then. It’s a start. You three need to practice your shield spells while we’re here, as well."
"Harry, we covered shields in fifth year in the DA," Ron said scathingly.
"If we run into any resistance, or if Voldemort figures out what we’re doing, it’s you three they’ll go after. Voldemort wants me alive," Harry said firmly.
"Yeah, so he can do you in himself," Ron said darkly.
"Wormtail said that after he figured out I…when he…he ordered the Death Eaters not to kill me," Harry said, stumbling on the words. "That’s why he never came after me all last year. He wants to capture me and keep me somewhere under his control."
The others gasped in horror.
"We won’t let that happen, Harry," Ginny said, shuddering. She moved closer to Harry and wrapped her arm around his waist, as if anchoring him.
"Voldemort still doesn’t know the whole prophecy. As long as Snape didn’t know, that is. Dumbledore told me the only two people who knew the exact wording were him and me. So, if Snape didn’t know, that means Voldemort still doesn’t know that he has to be the one to kill me in order to come to full power," Harry replied.
"But Snape does know that Dumbledore was looking for the Horcruxes, right?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"Yeah. Dumbledore said that Snape was the one who saved him the night he hurt his hand," Harry said, wondering where Hermione was heading.
"Then if Snape really has turned-"
"He has."
"If Snape really has turned," Hermione said, ignoring Harry’s interruptions, "he’s told Voldemort what Dumbledore was doing. Voldemort isn’t stupid. He’s going to believe that Professor Dumbledore passed that information to someone else, and that person will try to do the same. He’ll be guarding the other Horcruxes."
"Maybe," Harry said, nodding. "Not necessarily, though. Voldemort never would have told anyone else if he were secretly doing something to bring down an enemy. The Death Eaters are his minions, not his friends; Dumbledore stressed that over and over last year. He would never share that kind of information, so he’d never consider the idea that anyone else would."
"Do you think that’s something Malfoy might know?" Ginny asked.
"It’s possible, but he’s not likely to tell me," Harry said, imagining the sneer on Malfoy’s face if he were to question him.
"You could get Moody to ask him," Hermione said.
"Hermione, we’re not telling anyone else," Harry said through gritted teeth. He ran his hand through his mussed hair in frustration.
"I still think someone in the Order ought to know what we’re doing, but I understand how you feel about this," Hermione said, frowning slightly. "Still, I think Moody would help. I doubt Malfoy would know
สมัครสมาชิก:
ส่งความคิดเห็น (Atom)
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น