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Harry Potter sixth year
Monday, May 31, 2004
The Quidditch match was still going strong. After over a fortnight the score was now 39240-39110 to Hufflepuff. Using various spells and potions to combat laryngitis, Dean Thomas still managed to commentate the match. So there had been only four boys in Harry's dormitory room the past few weeks.
"It's been quiet the past few weeks without Dean," his best friend Seamus was telling his roommates in the common room.
"Just as it isn't the same in our room without Hermione," said Lavender, the girlfriend of Seamus. "But the four of us have managed to cope."
"Four of you?" Harry inquired. "I thought it was just Hermione, Parvati, and you."
"Of course not," said Lavender. "There are two more girls, Sally Anne Perks and Sun Moon. They are, in fact, a lesbian couple."
Harry was bewildered as to how little he had known about the two remaining Gryffindor girls in his own year.
The boys returned to their dorm. They were surprised when they apparently saw Dean lying on his four-poster.
"Dean?" asked Neville. "Is the match over? Who won?"
"Finally," said Harry. He didn't want to admit that he had missed Ginny dearly. A Hogsmeade weekend had come and gone, and Harry, who had been waiting for months to take Ginny on a Hogsmeade date, was unable to because she was stuck at the pitch. He and Ron, also dateless with Hermione in the hospital wing, had ended up spending the weekend with Luna again.
"So I see you've met my son," said the visitor. "I'm Dewin Thomas, Dean's father."
"But you look barely older than Dean himself," Ron insisted.
"Hello," said Seamus as he introduced himself. He started to shake Dewin's hand only to find it wasn't solid.
"Are you a ghost?" asked Neville.
"That's correct. And I've come back to see my son."
"But how did you die?" asked Harry.
"The Torch has been destroyed," Ron added.
"Actually I died during the First War," said the ghost.
"That's impossible," said Seamus. "Dean was telling me all about how his father had purchased him a car for his 17th birthday, and that was six months ago."
"You mean the man he thinks is his father," the ghost of Dean's true father corrected him. "But I got myself killed by the Death Eater Travers when I refused to join You-Know-Who. But I have returned to give my son a warning. But where is he?"
"He is commentating for the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff," Neville told him.
"Then I must be off before it is too late," said the ghost, who promptly vanished.
"How strange," said Harry. "I wonder what sort of warning he wanted to give Dean."
"Beats me," said Ron.
But all four Gryffindors grew worried. Was Dean in danger? Was his father there to warn him of possible Death Eater activity?
"It's been quiet the past few weeks without Dean," his best friend Seamus was telling his roommates in the common room.
"Just as it isn't the same in our room without Hermione," said Lavender, the girlfriend of Seamus. "But the four of us have managed to cope."
"Four of you?" Harry inquired. "I thought it was just Hermione, Parvati, and you."
"Of course not," said Lavender. "There are two more girls, Sally Anne Perks and Sun Moon. They are, in fact, a lesbian couple."
Harry was bewildered as to how little he had known about the two remaining Gryffindor girls in his own year.
The boys returned to their dorm. They were surprised when they apparently saw Dean lying on his four-poster.
"Dean?" asked Neville. "Is the match over? Who won?"
"Finally," said Harry. He didn't want to admit that he had missed Ginny dearly. A Hogsmeade weekend had come and gone, and Harry, who had been waiting for months to take Ginny on a Hogsmeade date, was unable to because she was stuck at the pitch. He and Ron, also dateless with Hermione in the hospital wing, had ended up spending the weekend with Luna again.
"So I see you've met my son," said the visitor. "I'm Dewin Thomas, Dean's father."
"But you look barely older than Dean himself," Ron insisted.
"Hello," said Seamus as he introduced himself. He started to shake Dewin's hand only to find it wasn't solid.
"Are you a ghost?" asked Neville.
"That's correct. And I've come back to see my son."
"But how did you die?" asked Harry.
"The Torch has been destroyed," Ron added.
"Actually I died during the First War," said the ghost.
"That's impossible," said Seamus. "Dean was telling me all about how his father had purchased him a car for his 17th birthday, and that was six months ago."
"You mean the man he thinks is his father," the ghost of Dean's true father corrected him. "But I got myself killed by the Death Eater Travers when I refused to join You-Know-Who. But I have returned to give my son a warning. But where is he?"
"He is commentating for the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff," Neville told him.
"Then I must be off before it is too late," said the ghost, who promptly vanished.
"How strange," said Harry. "I wonder what sort of warning he wanted to give Dean."
"Beats me," said Ron.
But all four Gryffindors grew worried. Was Dean in danger? Was his father there to warn him of possible Death Eater activity?
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
The Quidditch match was still ongoing. It had reached its fourth day now, and Professor McGonagall became concerned.
"Madame Hooch," said the professor, "the students need to get back to class. How much longer must this Quidditch match go on?"
"Don't you know the game of Quidditch?" asked Madame Hooch. "The only thing that can stop a Quidditch match is the golden snitch being caught. And if no one catches the snitch, you can keep playing for years." She laughed evilly.
"But what about the other students, the ones who are not on the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff Quidditch teams?"
"Headmistress, I am afraid that classes must be cancelled. The rules changed in since 1862, the year the longest ever Quidditch match was played at Hogwarts?"
"I -- I am afraid I do not understand," McGonagall grew impatient.
"In 1862," Hooch began to explain, "there was a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The match began on a Saturday, but by Monday morning the snitch had yet to be caught.
"Then Professor Nigellus, who was at the time the Head of Slytherin House, decided to take the matter into his own hands. He gave a pop quiz to all of his Gryffindor classes in Potions, knowing that seven of them were still at the pitch.
"Then one of the Gryffindor students, Albus, after taking his exam in the morning, ran out to the pitch to warn his brother, Aberforth, the Gryffindor Seeker, since Aberforth had Potions later that afternoon. Upon hearing this Aberforth and the other Gryffindor players left the pitch to take the Potions exam. Then Oakshaft, the Slytherin Seeker, had an easy time catching the Snitch with the Gryffindor players off the pitch. So Professor Nigellus had accomplished his purpose. He had intentionally given the exam to force Gryffindor off the pitch and secure his own house the match and eventually the Quidditch Cup.
"So," Hooch concluded, "the rules were then changed as a result of the professor's cheating. Quidditch players are magically bound to remain on the pitch during the match. Professors are magically bound not to hold classes or otherwise abuse their powers by taking points away from the opposing house as a way to blackmail the opposing team into surrendering. The only way to end the binding contract is for the Snitch to be caught. All of these measures were put in place to prevent the professors from cheating and helping their own houses to win."
"Yes," said McGonagall, "but what if the students cheat? What if they intentionally prolong the match in order to avoid tests? What if the match lasts longer than three days?"
"They are within the rules to do so," said Hooch.
"Then those rules must change," said McGonagall.
Harry and Ron were sitting in the stands, listening to Hooch's and McGonagall's argument. Harry, of course, knew all about magically binding contracts. One such contract had forced him to compete in the Triwizard Tournament.
"Wow," said Ron, "you mean that in all the centuries Quidditch has been played at Hogwarts, this is the first time anyone tried to get the exams cancelled by deliberately missing the snitch."
Indeed, by this time Ginny and Susanna had had dozens of chances to catch the snitch yet neither made an attempt to catch it. The students in the stands, especially the fifth and seventh years, cheered with every miss, knowing that with each miss put them one step closer to the cancellation of the OWL's and NEWT's.
"How will the players eat?" McGonagall went on. "And sleep?"
"They Conjure their food," said Hooch, "and Transfigure their brooms into floating beds."
"Harry," said Ron, "let's go back to the castle."
Although the players couldn't leave the pitch, the spectators could, and so the students often went back and forth between the castle and the pitch. Harry and Ron passed by the library on the way to Gryffindor Tower.
"There's someone studying in there," said Ron. "But there are no more classes, so what geek would be studying now?"
Curious, they peered inside. They saw a lone Slytherin witch, diligently reading various school books.
"Look," said Ron. "It's my cousin, Mafalda Prewitt. Hey!" he called out after her.
"Watch out," Harry warned him. "She's in Slytherin."
Ron ignored him. "Why the heck are you studying? There's been no classes for a week now."
Mafalda, whose hair was not quite Weasley red but more of a strawberry blonde, stared at him coldly. "Ewww, a Gryffindor!"
"I'll have you know that I'm not just a Gryffindor but a prefect!" Ron spat back.
"Well, prefect," said Mafalda contemptuously, "your git of an older brother assigned me this three-foot essay on Mandrakes the day before the match started."
"Shut the heck up about my family!" said Ron.
"Make me!" said Mafalda. "I study as long as I want to. And I will soon be the smartest witch in this school. Yes, Weasley, even smarter than that Mudblood you call your girlfriend --"
"You take that back!" said Ron, drawing his wand.
"Ron, don't --" said Harry, trying to pull Ron back.
"Well, at least I didn't let some elf trick me into getting myself Torched," said Mafalda likewise drawing her wand.
"Rictusempra!" Ron shouted as a silver spell hit Mafalda.
"I suggest you two take this outside," said Madame Pince as she pointed her wands at the cousins. "Expelliarmus!"
Now wandless, Ron and Mafalda stormed outside, but the argument was far from over.
"Hey," said Ron. "I'm a sixth year prefect. So make that five points from Slytherin."
Mafalda, embarrassed that she had just lost points from her house, headed downstairs towards her common room. Ron, not paying attention to anyone else, bumped into Luna Lovegood, who was wearing the Gryffindor lion hat.
"You know, Ronald," said Luna, "fifth year prefects have the power to take points as well."
"No they can't," Ron insisted.
"They can too!" said Luna. "See, five points from Slytherin." The fifth year Ravenclaw prefect pointed towards the hourglasses indicating house points, and five emeralds traveled up the Slytherin hourglass.
"So," said Harry, "all last year you could have taken points from Slytherin and you didn't."
"But Malfoy and Ernie said I couldn't," Ron reminded him.
"Well, that isn't the first time Draco has lied to you," said Luna.
"And Ernie was probably too busy studying for his OWL's eight hours a day to fool around with taking house points," said Harry.
Harry and Ron returned to Gryffindor Tower.
"Madame Hooch," said the professor, "the students need to get back to class. How much longer must this Quidditch match go on?"
"Don't you know the game of Quidditch?" asked Madame Hooch. "The only thing that can stop a Quidditch match is the golden snitch being caught. And if no one catches the snitch, you can keep playing for years." She laughed evilly.
"But what about the other students, the ones who are not on the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff Quidditch teams?"
"Headmistress, I am afraid that classes must be cancelled. The rules changed in since 1862, the year the longest ever Quidditch match was played at Hogwarts?"
"I -- I am afraid I do not understand," McGonagall grew impatient.
"In 1862," Hooch began to explain, "there was a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The match began on a Saturday, but by Monday morning the snitch had yet to be caught.
"Then Professor Nigellus, who was at the time the Head of Slytherin House, decided to take the matter into his own hands. He gave a pop quiz to all of his Gryffindor classes in Potions, knowing that seven of them were still at the pitch.
"Then one of the Gryffindor students, Albus, after taking his exam in the morning, ran out to the pitch to warn his brother, Aberforth, the Gryffindor Seeker, since Aberforth had Potions later that afternoon. Upon hearing this Aberforth and the other Gryffindor players left the pitch to take the Potions exam. Then Oakshaft, the Slytherin Seeker, had an easy time catching the Snitch with the Gryffindor players off the pitch. So Professor Nigellus had accomplished his purpose. He had intentionally given the exam to force Gryffindor off the pitch and secure his own house the match and eventually the Quidditch Cup.
"So," Hooch concluded, "the rules were then changed as a result of the professor's cheating. Quidditch players are magically bound to remain on the pitch during the match. Professors are magically bound not to hold classes or otherwise abuse their powers by taking points away from the opposing house as a way to blackmail the opposing team into surrendering. The only way to end the binding contract is for the Snitch to be caught. All of these measures were put in place to prevent the professors from cheating and helping their own houses to win."
"Yes," said McGonagall, "but what if the students cheat? What if they intentionally prolong the match in order to avoid tests? What if the match lasts longer than three days?"
"They are within the rules to do so," said Hooch.
"Then those rules must change," said McGonagall.
Harry and Ron were sitting in the stands, listening to Hooch's and McGonagall's argument. Harry, of course, knew all about magically binding contracts. One such contract had forced him to compete in the Triwizard Tournament.
"Wow," said Ron, "you mean that in all the centuries Quidditch has been played at Hogwarts, this is the first time anyone tried to get the exams cancelled by deliberately missing the snitch."
Indeed, by this time Ginny and Susanna had had dozens of chances to catch the snitch yet neither made an attempt to catch it. The students in the stands, especially the fifth and seventh years, cheered with every miss, knowing that with each miss put them one step closer to the cancellation of the OWL's and NEWT's.
"How will the players eat?" McGonagall went on. "And sleep?"
"They Conjure their food," said Hooch, "and Transfigure their brooms into floating beds."
"Harry," said Ron, "let's go back to the castle."
Although the players couldn't leave the pitch, the spectators could, and so the students often went back and forth between the castle and the pitch. Harry and Ron passed by the library on the way to Gryffindor Tower.
"There's someone studying in there," said Ron. "But there are no more classes, so what geek would be studying now?"
Curious, they peered inside. They saw a lone Slytherin witch, diligently reading various school books.
"Look," said Ron. "It's my cousin, Mafalda Prewitt. Hey!" he called out after her.
"Watch out," Harry warned him. "She's in Slytherin."
Ron ignored him. "Why the heck are you studying? There's been no classes for a week now."
Mafalda, whose hair was not quite Weasley red but more of a strawberry blonde, stared at him coldly. "Ewww, a Gryffindor!"
"I'll have you know that I'm not just a Gryffindor but a prefect!" Ron spat back.
"Well, prefect," said Mafalda contemptuously, "your git of an older brother assigned me this three-foot essay on Mandrakes the day before the match started."
"Shut the heck up about my family!" said Ron.
"Make me!" said Mafalda. "I study as long as I want to. And I will soon be the smartest witch in this school. Yes, Weasley, even smarter than that Mudblood you call your girlfriend --"
"You take that back!" said Ron, drawing his wand.
"Ron, don't --" said Harry, trying to pull Ron back.
"Well, at least I didn't let some elf trick me into getting myself Torched," said Mafalda likewise drawing her wand.
"Rictusempra!" Ron shouted as a silver spell hit Mafalda.
"I suggest you two take this outside," said Madame Pince as she pointed her wands at the cousins. "Expelliarmus!"
Now wandless, Ron and Mafalda stormed outside, but the argument was far from over.
"Hey," said Ron. "I'm a sixth year prefect. So make that five points from Slytherin."
Mafalda, embarrassed that she had just lost points from her house, headed downstairs towards her common room. Ron, not paying attention to anyone else, bumped into Luna Lovegood, who was wearing the Gryffindor lion hat.
"You know, Ronald," said Luna, "fifth year prefects have the power to take points as well."
"No they can't," Ron insisted.
"They can too!" said Luna. "See, five points from Slytherin." The fifth year Ravenclaw prefect pointed towards the hourglasses indicating house points, and five emeralds traveled up the Slytherin hourglass.
"So," said Harry, "all last year you could have taken points from Slytherin and you didn't."
"But Malfoy and Ernie said I couldn't," Ron reminded him.
"Well, that isn't the first time Draco has lied to you," said Luna.
"And Ernie was probably too busy studying for his OWL's eight hours a day to fool around with taking house points," said Harry.
Harry and Ron returned to Gryffindor Tower.
Saturday, May 15, 2004
It was the last Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff in the third place match. Harry, Ron, and Ginny headed towards the pitch. Ron was still upset that he had been kicked off the team and could not play.
"I hope the substitute Keeper lets in loads of goals," Ron was saying bitterly.
Ginny entered the girls changing room. Then Harry heard Ron suddenly speak out, "Hey, what's this?"
For Errol was flying down towards them. The ruddy owl delivered Harry a message.
Harry hesitated, then said, "A Death Eater could have sent this."
"Using Errol?" asked Ron. "It's got to be from Dad!"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive," said Ron. "I'll go with you. I haven't seen Dad since he became Minister."
"But what about the match?" asked Harry.
"Who cares about the match?" Ginny broke in as she returned in her scarlet Quidditch robes. "Slytherin already won the Cup. This is just some lousy consolation match. I'll let Captain Katie know. I think she's got another backup Chaser trained, and then I can be the Seeker again."
"Weasley," came a voice. It was Hannah Abbott, one of the Chasers on the Hufflepuff team. "My sister, Susanna, has an idea."
Susanna, a seventh year a bit taller and thinner than her younger sister, now addressed the Gryffindors.
"I'm the new Seeker now that Sommersby went to You Know Who."
"You?" asked Ron incredulously. "Why would anyone choose a seventh year to be the newest player?"
"There were no other candidates," said Susanna. "No one cares about the outcome of this match, not even me."
"Then why play?" asked Ginny.
"We're throwing the match," Susanna replied.
"So Gryffindor win by default?" asked Harry.
"No, we're both throwing the match," Susanna explained. "You see, I got NEWT's coming up, which I don't want to sit. Now they can't have exams if there's a Quidditch match going on, and the match can't end until someone catches the snitch, so --"
"I see," Ginny's face lit up. "And I got OWL's that I'm doomed to fail because Snape's giving me so much work that I can't study for any other classes."
"So neither of us will catch the snitch," said Susanna. "The match will last for weeks and weeks and the exams will be cancelled."
"Hush," said Hannah. "Zack is coming, and you don't want him to hear you talking about throwing the match. He desperately wants to beat Gryffindor even though the match is meaningless."
"And neither should Katie hear this," said Ginny. "She's been studying for her NEWT's so hard it will disappoint her not to be able to sit the exams."
With the match about to begin, Harry and Ron returned to the Gryffindor stands. They waited for the appointed time when they would meet with the person who had sent Errol.
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff took to the field. Madam Hooch started the game with the toss up. Tarra Thompson, the new second year Chaser for Gryffindor, took the Quaffle and the excitement began.
Tarra raced to the end of the field, dodging other players. Making it safely to the Hufflepuff's scoring zone, she hurled it at the closest hoop, only to be blocked by their keeper. She grumbled and moved on, attempting to get the quaffle back from Hufflepuff without succeeding.
The Gryffindor Chaser caught the quaffle and went to make a goal but Summers blocked it easily. Stebbins made a goal then passed it to Hannah Abbott. She passed the quaffle to Zack Smith but it was caught by Michelle Rath, who scored a goal. Hannah zoomed towards the quaffle when the bludger hit her. Ouch! She turned around to see who it was.
Ginny started off flying high above the action then began zig zagging back and forth across the pitch. Reaching one end of the field, she hovered for a few minutes, then began making her way to the other end of the field, again zig zagging only this time inching higher and higher. About halfway to the other end, she became stationary, looking down at the Snitch, which she could have grabbed easily but didn't. Almost too late to avoid being hit, Ginny so narrowly dodged a bludger that her broom shuddered under her from where the bludger grazed it. Ginny swiveled around in an effort to see which of the Hufflepuff Beaters almost got her but from the present position of Owen Cauldwell and Rose Zeller and the fact that both had huge grins on their faces, she couldn't be sure which one it was.
Rose Zeller zoomed around on her broomstick. She was keeping an eye out for her teammates when she saw a bludger headed right towards one of her teammates!
"Oh, no!" Rose sped over and gave it a mighty whack, sending it flying towards none other than Ginny Weasley. It grazed her, and by the time Rose could giggle she turned to see Owen at her side.
"Great one!" They high fived and turned, grinned at Ginny, then gave a wave and hurried off to defend other teammates.
"Hello everyone! Dean Thomas here! Welcome to Quidditch!
"There goes Ginny Weasley looking for the snitch! Whoa! The snitch was still in front of her for a full minute and yet she didn't try to catch it! Catch the snitch you b*tch!"
Professor McGonagall shouted, "Thomas!!"
"Oh sorry, Professor.
"Hufflepuff Scores! Hard Luck Gryffindor!"
Andrew Kirke zoomed around on his broomstick, eagerly swatting his bat around as the bludgers soared through the air with the intent on knocking each and every player down to the ground. Somehow, Hufflepuff gained possession of the quaffle and Andrew spotted one of their chasers, Zack Smith, flitting towards the hoops. His flight in that direction was blocked however, and Zack was forced to pass the ball to one of the other chasers, Hannah. Suddenly, a bludger came whizzing towards Andrew. He backhanded the sucker, which fortunately knocked Zack's pass off course.
"Yes!" Andrew shouted in delight as he pumped up his fist.
There was another mad scramble for the quaffle, and once again, Hufflepuff received possession of the ball. Hannah shot through the air like an arrow, eagerly approaching the hoops in order to attempt a goal.
"Oh no you don't," Andrew muttered under his breath, and with one solid whack sent a bludger hurdling towards Hannah just as she was releasing the quaffle to make a goal. Thankfully, Andrew's bludger knocked the quaffle off course.
Hannah turned around, eyeing Andrew with distinct confusion.
"It's time," said Harry, and he and Ron made their way to the Slytherin stands. Many of them were empty, with most Slytherins thinking that it was below them to attend a match when they had already won the Cup.
"There's no one here," remarked Harry.
"Let's sit down and wait for them," said Ron.
But no sooner had they sat down when the seats, which had somehow been transformed into a Portkey, suddenly transported them to an undisclosed location.
Harry and Ron were now sitting on some steps. In front of them were Arthur, Bill, and -- much to Ron's surprise --
"Mum?" said Ron incredulously. "You're alive?"
As Ron and his mother embraced, Harry asked, "But I thought you were Torched the day of the Hufflepuff-Slytherin match, unless someone used the Torch to bring you back to life."
"Actually, she faked her own death," said Arthur.
"How come?" asked Ron.
"It's a long story," said Molly. "Rather than just tell you, I'll show you as well."
She was standing next to a Pensieve. So she used her wand to extract certain memories and placed them in the Pensieve for Harry and Ron to see.
Suddenly Harry and Ron could see a younger Molly sitting on the Hogwarts Express with two redheaded boys, obviously her brothers.
"Those are my brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewitt," Molly said to the boys. She explained the scene, which took place in 1967, and how Gideon was two years younger than she and in Ravenclaw, while Fabian was two years younger than Gideon and in Gryffindor. Harry could see that Molly wore the Head Girl badge and Gideon wore a prefect badge. It became clear why she had placed so much emphasis on her children becoming prefects.
The Pensieve jumped to the year 1971. Now the Prewitts were out of school and apparently had all become Aurors. They were flying Cleansweeps over some body of water being chased by a Death Eater, and he pointed his wand at the Prewitts and pronounced the Avada Kedavra curse. Fabian escaped, but Gideon and Molly both fell off their brooms. The Pensieve then faded to black.
"But you obviously survived," said Ron.
"Actually, I didn't," said Molly. "After the Death Eater, whose name was Dolohov, killed me, my dead body was revived to life by the Torch."
"The Green Flame Torch!" exclaimed Harry.
"No, it was the Red Flame Torch. The wizard who wielded it was named Lewis, and he used it to bring me and some of the first victims of the First War back to life. But then Lewis himself was murdered later that year. No one knows more about the whereabouts of the Red Flame Torch or the wizard who wielded it."
"So now there are two Torches, the Red and the Green," said Harry.
"The Green Flame Torch no longer exists," said Arthur. "The Ministry finally recaptured Lucius Malfoy, and under Veritaserum, he revealed that the Green Flame Torch was destroyed as soon as Draco touched it. It never reached Lucius. I'm sorry, Harry. I know that you were hoping to find the Torch to kill You Know Who, but it won't be that easy to defeat him. And it appears that the Red Flame Torch only has the power to heal, not to destroy."
"Then we can still revive Sirius," said Harry.
"And Hermione," Ron added.
"And the rest," Bill agreed, "but that's only if anyone can find the Red Flame Torch."
"So what happened next?" asked Harry.
"After I was brought back to life," Molly continued, "I dropped out of the Aurory. I settled down, and married Arthur."
"And I was born late that year," said Bill, and the Pensieve now showed Molly's giving birth to her first son, and naming him Bilius Arthur Weasley.
"Yes," said his mother, "and then two years later I had Charlie, and then two years later I had Percy --"
Harry did a few quick calculations in his head. "Then shouldn't Charlie have been in seventh year when I was in first?"
"Actually," said Bill, "he left the year before. Charlie was born in August 1973, before the cutoff, and Percy was born in November 1975, after the cutoff."
"You mean that Percy's now 21, not 20?" asked Harry.
"And that means he turned 17 during his sixth year," said Ron. "So shouldn't he had learned to Apparate before his seventh year?"
"He did," said Arthur, "but he failed the Apparition test and had to wait an extra year."
"Ha!" Ron laughed. "After getting 12 OWL's he couldn't even pass a simple Apparition exam?"
"Ron," Molly scolded him, "this is exactly why Percy didn't want you to know that he failed the exam. He knew that you and especially Fred and George would never let him see the light of day if you found out that he failed. And now back to my story."
"We know," said Ron. "Then the twins, were born, and then me --"
"And finally Ginny was born in 1981," said Molly, and the Pensieve now showed Molly giving birth to her only daughter, whom she named Ginevra Molly Weasley.
"Ginevra?" asked Harry. "I thought her real name was Virginia."
"Well, you thought wrong then," said Ron.
"Yes," said Arthur, "Ginevra, the first girl born to the Weasley clan in several generations."
"Uh, Mum," said Ron, "I already know my family. I want to know how you survived the Green Flame Torch back just before my birthday."
"Well," said Molly as the Pensieve jumped in time again, "when Marla Granger used the Torch against me, I didn't die, because some of the power from the Red Flame Torch, even now, 26 years later, was left in me. I faked my own death so that Marla Granger and thus You Know Who would not know of my power."
"She had spent the time here in Italy," said Arthur, "hiding out from the wielders of the Torch."
"As for the rest of the story," said Molly. "Gideon's body was never recovered. Fabian escaped and lived on. He settled down, got married, and had a daughter, Mafalda, who was born in 1983. But then he died mysteriously in 1986 on a visit to the Burrow. We haven't had contact with their family since."
"Mafalda Prewitt is in one of my Herbology classes," Bill commented suddenly. "She's now a Slytherin third year, the best student in her year. But I was at Hogwarts when the Prewitts last visited the Burrow."
Then suddenly Penelope Clearwater, one of the newest members of the Order, Apparated in front of them.
"It is time," she said to Arthur.
"We must return to our respective locations before anyone else sees us," said Arthur. "Ron, you and Harry sit down to activate your Portkey back to Hogwarts. Molly, you can return back to the Burrow now that the Green Flame Torch has been destroyed. So neither Marla Granger nor You Know Who can attempt to use the Green Flame Torch against you to finish you off."
So Harry and Ron returned to Hogwarts. Even though it was now dark, the Quidditch match was still going on. The score was now 380-30 in favor of Hufflepuff.
"I would have done much better," said Ron of Geoffrey Hooper, the Gryffindor third year who was now Keeper.
But by now the balls were hardly visible, and the players had now fallen asleep floating on their brooms. Most of the spectators had returned back to the castle.
"Let's go to bed," said Ron. "The match will resume tomorrow."
"I hope the substitute Keeper lets in loads of goals," Ron was saying bitterly.
Ginny entered the girls changing room. Then Harry heard Ron suddenly speak out, "Hey, what's this?"
For Errol was flying down towards them. The ruddy owl delivered Harry a message.
Meet me at 3:30pm. Secret Order business.
Harry hesitated, then said, "A Death Eater could have sent this."
"Using Errol?" asked Ron. "It's got to be from Dad!"
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive," said Ron. "I'll go with you. I haven't seen Dad since he became Minister."
"But what about the match?" asked Harry.
"Who cares about the match?" Ginny broke in as she returned in her scarlet Quidditch robes. "Slytherin already won the Cup. This is just some lousy consolation match. I'll let Captain Katie know. I think she's got another backup Chaser trained, and then I can be the Seeker again."
"Weasley," came a voice. It was Hannah Abbott, one of the Chasers on the Hufflepuff team. "My sister, Susanna, has an idea."
Susanna, a seventh year a bit taller and thinner than her younger sister, now addressed the Gryffindors.
"I'm the new Seeker now that Sommersby went to You Know Who."
"You?" asked Ron incredulously. "Why would anyone choose a seventh year to be the newest player?"
"There were no other candidates," said Susanna. "No one cares about the outcome of this match, not even me."
"Then why play?" asked Ginny.
"We're throwing the match," Susanna replied.
"So Gryffindor win by default?" asked Harry.
"No, we're both throwing the match," Susanna explained. "You see, I got NEWT's coming up, which I don't want to sit. Now they can't have exams if there's a Quidditch match going on, and the match can't end until someone catches the snitch, so --"
"I see," Ginny's face lit up. "And I got OWL's that I'm doomed to fail because Snape's giving me so much work that I can't study for any other classes."
"So neither of us will catch the snitch," said Susanna. "The match will last for weeks and weeks and the exams will be cancelled."
"Hush," said Hannah. "Zack is coming, and you don't want him to hear you talking about throwing the match. He desperately wants to beat Gryffindor even though the match is meaningless."
"And neither should Katie hear this," said Ginny. "She's been studying for her NEWT's so hard it will disappoint her not to be able to sit the exams."
With the match about to begin, Harry and Ron returned to the Gryffindor stands. They waited for the appointed time when they would meet with the person who had sent Errol.
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff took to the field. Madam Hooch started the game with the toss up. Tarra Thompson, the new second year Chaser for Gryffindor, took the Quaffle and the excitement began.
Tarra raced to the end of the field, dodging other players. Making it safely to the Hufflepuff's scoring zone, she hurled it at the closest hoop, only to be blocked by their keeper. She grumbled and moved on, attempting to get the quaffle back from Hufflepuff without succeeding.
The Gryffindor Chaser caught the quaffle and went to make a goal but Summers blocked it easily. Stebbins made a goal then passed it to Hannah Abbott. She passed the quaffle to Zack Smith but it was caught by Michelle Rath, who scored a goal. Hannah zoomed towards the quaffle when the bludger hit her. Ouch! She turned around to see who it was.
Ginny started off flying high above the action then began zig zagging back and forth across the pitch. Reaching one end of the field, she hovered for a few minutes, then began making her way to the other end of the field, again zig zagging only this time inching higher and higher. About halfway to the other end, she became stationary, looking down at the Snitch, which she could have grabbed easily but didn't. Almost too late to avoid being hit, Ginny so narrowly dodged a bludger that her broom shuddered under her from where the bludger grazed it. Ginny swiveled around in an effort to see which of the Hufflepuff Beaters almost got her but from the present position of Owen Cauldwell and Rose Zeller and the fact that both had huge grins on their faces, she couldn't be sure which one it was.
Rose Zeller zoomed around on her broomstick. She was keeping an eye out for her teammates when she saw a bludger headed right towards one of her teammates!
"Oh, no!" Rose sped over and gave it a mighty whack, sending it flying towards none other than Ginny Weasley. It grazed her, and by the time Rose could giggle she turned to see Owen at her side.
"Great one!" They high fived and turned, grinned at Ginny, then gave a wave and hurried off to defend other teammates.
"Hello everyone! Dean Thomas here! Welcome to Quidditch!
"There goes Ginny Weasley looking for the snitch! Whoa! The snitch was still in front of her for a full minute and yet she didn't try to catch it! Catch the snitch you b*tch!"
Professor McGonagall shouted, "Thomas!!"
"Oh sorry, Professor.
"Hufflepuff Scores! Hard Luck Gryffindor!"
Andrew Kirke zoomed around on his broomstick, eagerly swatting his bat around as the bludgers soared through the air with the intent on knocking each and every player down to the ground. Somehow, Hufflepuff gained possession of the quaffle and Andrew spotted one of their chasers, Zack Smith, flitting towards the hoops. His flight in that direction was blocked however, and Zack was forced to pass the ball to one of the other chasers, Hannah. Suddenly, a bludger came whizzing towards Andrew. He backhanded the sucker, which fortunately knocked Zack's pass off course.
"Yes!" Andrew shouted in delight as he pumped up his fist.
There was another mad scramble for the quaffle, and once again, Hufflepuff received possession of the ball. Hannah shot through the air like an arrow, eagerly approaching the hoops in order to attempt a goal.
"Oh no you don't," Andrew muttered under his breath, and with one solid whack sent a bludger hurdling towards Hannah just as she was releasing the quaffle to make a goal. Thankfully, Andrew's bludger knocked the quaffle off course.
Hannah turned around, eyeing Andrew with distinct confusion.
"It's time," said Harry, and he and Ron made their way to the Slytherin stands. Many of them were empty, with most Slytherins thinking that it was below them to attend a match when they had already won the Cup.
"There's no one here," remarked Harry.
"Let's sit down and wait for them," said Ron.
But no sooner had they sat down when the seats, which had somehow been transformed into a Portkey, suddenly transported them to an undisclosed location.
Harry and Ron were now sitting on some steps. In front of them were Arthur, Bill, and -- much to Ron's surprise --
"Mum?" said Ron incredulously. "You're alive?"
As Ron and his mother embraced, Harry asked, "But I thought you were Torched the day of the Hufflepuff-Slytherin match, unless someone used the Torch to bring you back to life."
"Actually, she faked her own death," said Arthur.
"How come?" asked Ron.
"It's a long story," said Molly. "Rather than just tell you, I'll show you as well."
She was standing next to a Pensieve. So she used her wand to extract certain memories and placed them in the Pensieve for Harry and Ron to see.
Suddenly Harry and Ron could see a younger Molly sitting on the Hogwarts Express with two redheaded boys, obviously her brothers.
"Those are my brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewitt," Molly said to the boys. She explained the scene, which took place in 1967, and how Gideon was two years younger than she and in Ravenclaw, while Fabian was two years younger than Gideon and in Gryffindor. Harry could see that Molly wore the Head Girl badge and Gideon wore a prefect badge. It became clear why she had placed so much emphasis on her children becoming prefects.
The Pensieve jumped to the year 1971. Now the Prewitts were out of school and apparently had all become Aurors. They were flying Cleansweeps over some body of water being chased by a Death Eater, and he pointed his wand at the Prewitts and pronounced the Avada Kedavra curse. Fabian escaped, but Gideon and Molly both fell off their brooms. The Pensieve then faded to black.
"But you obviously survived," said Ron.
"Actually, I didn't," said Molly. "After the Death Eater, whose name was Dolohov, killed me, my dead body was revived to life by the Torch."
"The Green Flame Torch!" exclaimed Harry.
"No, it was the Red Flame Torch. The wizard who wielded it was named Lewis, and he used it to bring me and some of the first victims of the First War back to life. But then Lewis himself was murdered later that year. No one knows more about the whereabouts of the Red Flame Torch or the wizard who wielded it."
"So now there are two Torches, the Red and the Green," said Harry.
"The Green Flame Torch no longer exists," said Arthur. "The Ministry finally recaptured Lucius Malfoy, and under Veritaserum, he revealed that the Green Flame Torch was destroyed as soon as Draco touched it. It never reached Lucius. I'm sorry, Harry. I know that you were hoping to find the Torch to kill You Know Who, but it won't be that easy to defeat him. And it appears that the Red Flame Torch only has the power to heal, not to destroy."
"Then we can still revive Sirius," said Harry.
"And Hermione," Ron added.
"And the rest," Bill agreed, "but that's only if anyone can find the Red Flame Torch."
"So what happened next?" asked Harry.
"After I was brought back to life," Molly continued, "I dropped out of the Aurory. I settled down, and married Arthur."
"And I was born late that year," said Bill, and the Pensieve now showed Molly's giving birth to her first son, and naming him Bilius Arthur Weasley.
"Yes," said his mother, "and then two years later I had Charlie, and then two years later I had Percy --"
Harry did a few quick calculations in his head. "Then shouldn't Charlie have been in seventh year when I was in first?"
"Actually," said Bill, "he left the year before. Charlie was born in August 1973, before the cutoff, and Percy was born in November 1975, after the cutoff."
"You mean that Percy's now 21, not 20?" asked Harry.
"And that means he turned 17 during his sixth year," said Ron. "So shouldn't he had learned to Apparate before his seventh year?"
"He did," said Arthur, "but he failed the Apparition test and had to wait an extra year."
"Ha!" Ron laughed. "After getting 12 OWL's he couldn't even pass a simple Apparition exam?"
"Ron," Molly scolded him, "this is exactly why Percy didn't want you to know that he failed the exam. He knew that you and especially Fred and George would never let him see the light of day if you found out that he failed. And now back to my story."
"We know," said Ron. "Then the twins, were born, and then me --"
"And finally Ginny was born in 1981," said Molly, and the Pensieve now showed Molly giving birth to her only daughter, whom she named Ginevra Molly Weasley.
"Ginevra?" asked Harry. "I thought her real name was Virginia."
"Well, you thought wrong then," said Ron.
"Yes," said Arthur, "Ginevra, the first girl born to the Weasley clan in several generations."
"Uh, Mum," said Ron, "I already know my family. I want to know how you survived the Green Flame Torch back just before my birthday."
"Well," said Molly as the Pensieve jumped in time again, "when Marla Granger used the Torch against me, I didn't die, because some of the power from the Red Flame Torch, even now, 26 years later, was left in me. I faked my own death so that Marla Granger and thus You Know Who would not know of my power."
"She had spent the time here in Italy," said Arthur, "hiding out from the wielders of the Torch."
"As for the rest of the story," said Molly. "Gideon's body was never recovered. Fabian escaped and lived on. He settled down, got married, and had a daughter, Mafalda, who was born in 1983. But then he died mysteriously in 1986 on a visit to the Burrow. We haven't had contact with their family since."
"Mafalda Prewitt is in one of my Herbology classes," Bill commented suddenly. "She's now a Slytherin third year, the best student in her year. But I was at Hogwarts when the Prewitts last visited the Burrow."
Then suddenly Penelope Clearwater, one of the newest members of the Order, Apparated in front of them.
"It is time," she said to Arthur.
"We must return to our respective locations before anyone else sees us," said Arthur. "Ron, you and Harry sit down to activate your Portkey back to Hogwarts. Molly, you can return back to the Burrow now that the Green Flame Torch has been destroyed. So neither Marla Granger nor You Know Who can attempt to use the Green Flame Torch against you to finish you off."
So Harry and Ron returned to Hogwarts. Even though it was now dark, the Quidditch match was still going on. The score was now 380-30 in favor of Hufflepuff.
"I would have done much better," said Ron of Geoffrey Hooper, the Gryffindor third year who was now Keeper.
But by now the balls were hardly visible, and the players had now fallen asleep floating on their brooms. Most of the spectators had returned back to the castle.
"Let's go to bed," said Ron. "The match will resume tomorrow."
Saturday, May 01, 2004
It was a big day for the Weasley family. Bill was getting married to Fleur. Fred and George would find out whether their patent would be accepted. And Ron would take the Apparition Test.
At 10 a.m. was the wedding. It was so hot today that everyone seemed to be melting.
Fleur was beautiful next to bridesmaids and flowers as were wilting. Bill looked wonderful. Fred and George caused small disturbance when stole ring from Charlie. Mr. Delacour cried (not because of ring).
At the reception, Harry and Ginny were standing beneath a large party tent which helps with the heat but only slightly. This was really the first chance they'd had to be alone since he'd arrived.
"I, um... What have you been up to lately?" he asked.
"Besides helping to plan a wedding?"
"Oh," he said. "Right."
"Excuse me, I need a refill..." Harry rushed off with a full glass of punch.
"Hello," Ron said as he Apparated into the room, having clearly passed his exam. Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Don't sneak up on us like that," Ginny stated. "Honestly."
They all stood awkwardly together for several moments more.
Harry and Ginny got cake and went to sit down.
"Well, if you want to talk, I'm here you know."
"Thanks," he mumbled. They finished their cake in silence, then took their plates to the bin. At 4 p.m. Bill came.
"What's wrong, Gin?" he asked.
"Oh, Bill, how could you?" Ginny asked.
"How could I what?"
"Marry someone as snobbish as her?!?" Bill turned serious:
"I love her, Gin," he told her. "I've never felt this way about anyone; she's really nice, you know, it's just the Veela in her: it's a lot to live up to." I wiped the tears away, ashamed. Bill sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug: "You know I'll always love you, Gin, don't you?" Somehow those words make all the difference in the world. He stood up, pulling her with him: "Come on, let's have a dance."
At 10 a.m. was the wedding. It was so hot today that everyone seemed to be melting.
Fleur was beautiful next to bridesmaids and flowers as were wilting. Bill looked wonderful. Fred and George caused small disturbance when stole ring from Charlie. Mr. Delacour cried (not because of ring).
At the reception, Harry and Ginny were standing beneath a large party tent which helps with the heat but only slightly. This was really the first chance they'd had to be alone since he'd arrived.
"I, um... What have you been up to lately?" he asked.
"Besides helping to plan a wedding?"
"Oh," he said. "Right."
"Excuse me, I need a refill..." Harry rushed off with a full glass of punch.
"Hello," Ron said as he Apparated into the room, having clearly passed his exam. Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Don't sneak up on us like that," Ginny stated. "Honestly."
They all stood awkwardly together for several moments more.
Harry and Ginny got cake and went to sit down.
"Well, if you want to talk, I'm here you know."
"Thanks," he mumbled. They finished their cake in silence, then took their plates to the bin. At 4 p.m. Bill came.
"What's wrong, Gin?" he asked.
"Oh, Bill, how could you?" Ginny asked.
"How could I what?"
"Marry someone as snobbish as her?!?" Bill turned serious:
"I love her, Gin," he told her. "I've never felt this way about anyone; she's really nice, you know, it's just the Veela in her: it's a lot to live up to." I wiped the tears away, ashamed. Bill sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug: "You know I'll always love you, Gin, don't you?" Somehow those words make all the difference in the world. He stood up, pulling her with him: "Come on, let's have a dance."
