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Harry Potter sixth year
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
This story is complete. I know that I have made several errors, because this is a personal blog, not a beta site. I may write a sequel (or prequel) to this, coming soon.
Disclaimer: Rowling, not me.
Disclaimer: Rowling, not me.
It was the day of the Leaving Feast. All the students who survived the attack were at the House Tables. Harry couldn't help but notice how empty the Ravenclaw table was. In fact, the Great Hall was decorated in blue and black, blue to represent Ravenclaw and black to represent death.
"And yet another year has ended," said Dumbledore. "The attack on Hogwarts was one of the most dreadful attacks ever in the history of this school. Let us pause and reflect on the names of each student we lost."
Then Dumbledore read the names of the five former Raveclaw students, pausing between each name.
"Many of the students who either passed away or were injured were prefects, sacrificing their own safety so that their housemates could escape the falling Tower. Let us hope then that they did not die in vain, and that the survivors, Ravenclaw or not, will contribute to the ultimate defeat of Lord Voldemort."
After the Leaving Feast, Harry and his friends returned to pack their trunks for the journey home. Unlike last year, this time he decided to help Luna pack. For although she had recovered from a few minor injuries, her things were spread out, not by Ravenclaw thieves, but by the destruction of the tower.
When Harry returned to Gryffindor to pack his own trunk, he noticed that the mirror had somehow repaired himself. He looked and saw, much to his surprise, that Sirius, James, Lily, and even Lewis Harold were waving at him through the mirror.
"We will always be with you, Harry," said Sirius, "as long as you carry this mirror."
Ron and Hermione had already walked ahead to Hogsmeade Station. So he walked there with Ginny, holding hands with his girlfriend for the last time before the summer holidays.
"What's this?" said Ginny as a small object landed in her hand. It was the Snitch. So Gryffindor had won the longest match ever to be played at Hogwarts.
As Harry stared at the remains of the Pitch, then back at the remains of Ravenclaw Tower, he knew that life at Hogwarts would never be the same again.
And so Harry was on his way back to the Dursleys. To most students, summer was the best season of the year, except for the boy who lived at Number Four Privet Drive.
"And yet another year has ended," said Dumbledore. "The attack on Hogwarts was one of the most dreadful attacks ever in the history of this school. Let us pause and reflect on the names of each student we lost."
Then Dumbledore read the names of the five former Raveclaw students, pausing between each name.
"Many of the students who either passed away or were injured were prefects, sacrificing their own safety so that their housemates could escape the falling Tower. Let us hope then that they did not die in vain, and that the survivors, Ravenclaw or not, will contribute to the ultimate defeat of Lord Voldemort."
After the Leaving Feast, Harry and his friends returned to pack their trunks for the journey home. Unlike last year, this time he decided to help Luna pack. For although she had recovered from a few minor injuries, her things were spread out, not by Ravenclaw thieves, but by the destruction of the tower.
When Harry returned to Gryffindor to pack his own trunk, he noticed that the mirror had somehow repaired himself. He looked and saw, much to his surprise, that Sirius, James, Lily, and even Lewis Harold were waving at him through the mirror.
"We will always be with you, Harry," said Sirius, "as long as you carry this mirror."
Ron and Hermione had already walked ahead to Hogsmeade Station. So he walked there with Ginny, holding hands with his girlfriend for the last time before the summer holidays.
"What's this?" said Ginny as a small object landed in her hand. It was the Snitch. So Gryffindor had won the longest match ever to be played at Hogwarts.
As Harry stared at the remains of the Pitch, then back at the remains of Ravenclaw Tower, he knew that life at Hogwarts would never be the same again.
And so Harry was on his way back to the Dursleys. To most students, summer was the best season of the year, except for the boy who lived at Number Four Privet Drive.
Monday, June 28, 2004
"Harry. Harry. Speak to me."
Harry was dreaming about Sirius again, speaking to him from Beyond the Veil.
"I have failed you, Sirius," said Harry, who had to restrain himself from crying. "All the Torches have been destroyed. I can't bring you back to life."
"No, you haven't, Harry," Sirius replied.
"But you're dead now. What good is that?"
"Harry, someone here wants to speak to you."
Sirius stepped back, and out from beyond the veil stepped James.
"Dad!" said Harry. He wanted to embrace him, but then held back and said, "But I don't have the Torch."
"Harry," said James. "It is time you heard the full story of how Voldemort became evil."
"What do you mean, became evil?" Harry wondered aloud. "Wasn't he always evil?"
"No one is born evil," his father replied. "Indeed, after Tom Riddle killed his father, he lay low for several years. Not many wizards knew what he did during the fifties and sixties, but I do.
"Tom Riddle settled down and fell in love with a girl from his year in Gryffindor, Dorcas Meadows, who was also the best friend of Minerva McGonagall while at Hogwarts. They were married in 1950 and lived in Godric's Hollow. Meadows was a highly skilled Auror while Riddle spent his days at home as a self-employed inventor, trying to develop new spells and potions. In 1960 Meadows became pregnant and gave birth to a boy -- me."
"This reminds me of those Muggle movies like Star Wars," Harry intoned, "where everyone ends up related to each other."
"This isn't at all like that," said James, "for as it turned out, Tom Riddle isn't my biological father at all. My mother had slept with and was pregnant by another man, Lewis Harold Potter, who was of the Gryffindor, not Slytherin, line. But for many years Riddle thought that he was my father, and so he raised me for nearly eleven years as his son."
"This sounds unbelieveable," Harry commented, "the most evil wizard of all time raising a family."
"But on one summer day that all changed. There was an owl addressed to me as James Riddle, and my father read it. It was my Hogwarts letter, and on the inside it read James Potter. And suddenly, Riddle knew the truth.
"He was so angry that he threatened to kill all three of us, my mother, my real father, and me. And so the fatherly Tom Riddle became the evil Lord Voldemort. From that day on, my life was never the same again.
"As Voldemort rose to power, his followers became known as Death Eaters, and the First War began. The Dark Lord went after my father's closest friends, but he then used the Red Flame Torch to bring them back to life. But then my father himself died."
James stepped away, and Harry's grandfather, Lewis Harold Potter, the former wielder of the Red Flame Torch, was the next one to pass through the Veil.
"Hello, Harry," said Harry's grandfather. "I will pick up the story from here. It was Halloween night 1971, still in the First War's first year and Voldemort had not yet reached full power. So I decided to take him on singlehandedly. At the time, his hideout was on an island off the coast of Godric's Hollow, the house in which Riddle raised my son. But he knew that I was coming, and as I flew by broomstick towards the island, he used Avada Kedavra against me, and I fell off my broom and died."
"But no one knew where my father had gone that night," James continued, "and so no one knew where the Red Flame Torch landed, not even Voldemort. It must have landed in the sea, which extinguished the Red Flame. Not until another heir of Gryffindor touched the Torch would the Red Flame burn again, but I did not know where the Torch was.
"Voldemort was still angry at my mother for having betrayed his love for her. He wanted to kill both her and me. And so Voldemort accomplished this by killing my mother in 1976 and me in 1981, in both cases we were betrayed by our Secret Keeper."
"But how did Romulus Lupin get the Torch?" asked Harry.
Then Lily appeared and began to speak.
"Early in our sixth year, Romulus Lupin and I briefly dated, well before I started to date your father. He told me how he was indirectly descended from Godric Gryffindor, which he discovered by studying some wizarding genealogies of which not even Remus was aware. So he wanted to find the Red Flame Torch. He had no idea where it was, but Shacklebolt believed that Meadows, the mother of James, still had the Torch. And because he was the Secret Keeper, he betrayed her to Voldemort. Voldemort took pleasure in killing his ex-wife Meadows personally.
"Romulus is a half-blood," Lily went on, "and he had royal ancestors, Muggles. So you could say that he was a Half Blood Pr--"
But then Harry awoke from his dream. When he reached the Common Room he was greeted by Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.
"So," said Hermione, "what's this about some sort of Prophecy that Voldemort was trying to find out?"
"He mentioned it several times the night of the attack," Ron added.
And so Harry finally told his friends the Prophecy.
Harry was dreaming about Sirius again, speaking to him from Beyond the Veil.
"I have failed you, Sirius," said Harry, who had to restrain himself from crying. "All the Torches have been destroyed. I can't bring you back to life."
"No, you haven't, Harry," Sirius replied.
"But you're dead now. What good is that?"
"Harry, someone here wants to speak to you."
Sirius stepped back, and out from beyond the veil stepped James.
"Dad!" said Harry. He wanted to embrace him, but then held back and said, "But I don't have the Torch."
"Harry," said James. "It is time you heard the full story of how Voldemort became evil."
"What do you mean, became evil?" Harry wondered aloud. "Wasn't he always evil?"
"No one is born evil," his father replied. "Indeed, after Tom Riddle killed his father, he lay low for several years. Not many wizards knew what he did during the fifties and sixties, but I do.
"Tom Riddle settled down and fell in love with a girl from his year in Gryffindor, Dorcas Meadows, who was also the best friend of Minerva McGonagall while at Hogwarts. They were married in 1950 and lived in Godric's Hollow. Meadows was a highly skilled Auror while Riddle spent his days at home as a self-employed inventor, trying to develop new spells and potions. In 1960 Meadows became pregnant and gave birth to a boy -- me."
"This reminds me of those Muggle movies like Star Wars," Harry intoned, "where everyone ends up related to each other."
"This isn't at all like that," said James, "for as it turned out, Tom Riddle isn't my biological father at all. My mother had slept with and was pregnant by another man, Lewis Harold Potter, who was of the Gryffindor, not Slytherin, line. But for many years Riddle thought that he was my father, and so he raised me for nearly eleven years as his son."
"This sounds unbelieveable," Harry commented, "the most evil wizard of all time raising a family."
"But on one summer day that all changed. There was an owl addressed to me as James Riddle, and my father read it. It was my Hogwarts letter, and on the inside it read James Potter. And suddenly, Riddle knew the truth.
"He was so angry that he threatened to kill all three of us, my mother, my real father, and me. And so the fatherly Tom Riddle became the evil Lord Voldemort. From that day on, my life was never the same again.
"As Voldemort rose to power, his followers became known as Death Eaters, and the First War began. The Dark Lord went after my father's closest friends, but he then used the Red Flame Torch to bring them back to life. But then my father himself died."
James stepped away, and Harry's grandfather, Lewis Harold Potter, the former wielder of the Red Flame Torch, was the next one to pass through the Veil.
"Hello, Harry," said Harry's grandfather. "I will pick up the story from here. It was Halloween night 1971, still in the First War's first year and Voldemort had not yet reached full power. So I decided to take him on singlehandedly. At the time, his hideout was on an island off the coast of Godric's Hollow, the house in which Riddle raised my son. But he knew that I was coming, and as I flew by broomstick towards the island, he used Avada Kedavra against me, and I fell off my broom and died."
"But no one knew where my father had gone that night," James continued, "and so no one knew where the Red Flame Torch landed, not even Voldemort. It must have landed in the sea, which extinguished the Red Flame. Not until another heir of Gryffindor touched the Torch would the Red Flame burn again, but I did not know where the Torch was.
"Voldemort was still angry at my mother for having betrayed his love for her. He wanted to kill both her and me. And so Voldemort accomplished this by killing my mother in 1976 and me in 1981, in both cases we were betrayed by our Secret Keeper."
"But how did Romulus Lupin get the Torch?" asked Harry.
Then Lily appeared and began to speak.
"Early in our sixth year, Romulus Lupin and I briefly dated, well before I started to date your father. He told me how he was indirectly descended from Godric Gryffindor, which he discovered by studying some wizarding genealogies of which not even Remus was aware. So he wanted to find the Red Flame Torch. He had no idea where it was, but Shacklebolt believed that Meadows, the mother of James, still had the Torch. And because he was the Secret Keeper, he betrayed her to Voldemort. Voldemort took pleasure in killing his ex-wife Meadows personally.
"Romulus is a half-blood," Lily went on, "and he had royal ancestors, Muggles. So you could say that he was a Half Blood Pr--"
But then Harry awoke from his dream. When he reached the Common Room he was greeted by Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.
"So," said Hermione, "what's this about some sort of Prophecy that Voldemort was trying to find out?"
"He mentioned it several times the night of the attack," Ron added.
And so Harry finally told his friends the Prophecy.
Friday, June 25, 2004
Over the next few days, both sides in the war counted their injured and their dead. On the Dark Lord's side, Voldemort himself escaped with only a minor concussion caused by the Bludger. Those who died in the Chamber collapse included Macnair, Mulciber, Nott, and Rookwood. Most of the other Death Eaters escaped, including Romulus Lupin, the twin of Remus.
Only two Death Eaters were captured. Percy handed in Wormtail to the authorities. The Wizengamot was finally able to clear the name of Sirius Black, albeit posthumously. The other was Bellatrix Lestrange, who never recovered completely from Harry's successful Cruciatus Curse. She was admitted to St. Mungo's, where she would stay indefinitely. Her bed was right next to those of Frank and Alice Longbottom.
On the defenders' side, the victims of the Green Flame Torch, namely Minister Fudge, Cassandra the Seer, and Professors Sprout, Maxime, and Karkaroff, were to receive a proper burial. With the Red Flame Torch destroyed, there was no longer any chance of them coming back to life.
But the biggest blow to the defenders was the destruction of Ravenclaw Tower, which resulted in many deaths and injuries among its members. The newly deceased included sixth-years Morag McDougal, Padma Patil, and Lisa Turpin, as well as Orla Quirke, who had been a third-year, not to mention Cho Chang, who had died defending her housemates from Voldemort. The injured list included seventh-year Sarah Fawcett, sixth-years Kevin Entwhistle, Anthony Goldstein, and Su Li, as well as fifth-year Luna Lovegood.
Meanwhile, Amelia Bones and Hermione Granger had fully recovered thanks to the Red Flame Torch just before it was destroyed. When Hermione was able to leave the Hospital Wing, the first thing she did was hug Ron. Then she was just about to do the same with Harry until Ron frowned at her scathingly. So Hermione settled for a mere handshake with Harry.
"Welcome back, Hermione," said Harry.
"And this time," said Ron, "maybe you'll know better than to trust all house-elves."
Hermione gave Ron a dirty look, but then relented. "For once, Ron, you are actually right."
"I never thought I'd see the day when she'd say that," said Ron.
At that moment Hedwig flew in and transformed into Marla. "Harry," she said, "Dumbledore wants you to meet him in his off --" She suddenly looked at Hermione and smiled. "Hermione! My long lost sister at last!"
"You!" Hermione pointed a finger at Marla. "Don't sister me! You are the one who Torched me. I have no sister!"
"'Mione," said Ron, "there's an explanation for all this."
"And I suppose that's what Dumbledore wants to discuss with us," Harry noted.
So Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed Marla, with Ginny tagging along as usual. When they arrived at Dumbledore's office, they saw Remus Lupin standing there as well. The headmaster conjured enough chairs for everyone.
"Sit down," said Dumbledore. "It is time for Remus to tell you what he should have told you years ago. This story begins with the Sorting of 1971, when Black, Lupin, Potter, and Lupin were all Sorted into Gryffindor."
"Excuse me, Dumbledore," said Hermione, "but you said Lupin twice."
"That's because I have a twin brother," said Remus. "His name was Romulus, and he was also Sorted into Gryffindor."
"Of course!" said Harry, thinking about Sally-Anne Perks and Sun Moon, the unknown Gryffindor girls. "There are five students per gender per house per year."
"And Romulus was the fifth guy," Remus continued. "Throughout our childhood, we were the best of friends, up until the day that I was bitten. It was my brother's fault that I was bitten. If only I hadn't let him double dog dare me into sneaking out of the house one night to prove my bravery.
"Just before we left for Hogwarts, I made him promise not to tell anyone at school that I was a werewolf. But one day in our dormitory room he betrayed the secret, and James, Sirius, and Peter all found out.
"But much to my brother's surprise, my other three roommates all accepted me for who I was. We became the Marauders and the other three became Animagi. Romulus became our second favorite target of our pranks, right after Snape.
"Now most of the time the others could tell Romulus and me apart, since we weren't identical--"
"But if you weren't identical, then why was Romulus able to fool me into thinking he were you?" asked Ron.
"Because he had a power of his own," Remus explained. "Romulus is a Metamorphmagus. Not as good as Tonks, but good enough to impersonate me as his twin. James and Sirius were never fooled, since either it was the full moon and Metamorphmagi don't transform into wolves, or else we had the Marauder's Map on hand and his true identity was known.
"Romulus fell in love with Lily, but of course she ended up with James, which angered Romulus even more. By the time we left Hogwarts, Romulus had allied himself with Severus Snape. I assume he became a Death Eater then.
"And that brings us to the present day. Around the time Arthur Weasley became Minister, the laws were changed so that werewolves could be employed with the Ministry. Since I had experience teaching at Hogwarts, I became an examiner for the OWL's. I spent most of my days at the Ministry training for the position. I gather that it was around this time when Romulus began to impersonate me.
"Of course, once the exams were set to begin, I arrived at Hogwarts, and this was when Romulus caught me. A few days later, he Stunned me and put me in a cage. His hiding place was the former Order headquarters at McGonagall's house. Since McGonagall was still at the pitch supervising the long Quidditch match, it was the perfect hiding place."
"But there's just one thing," said Ginny. "How was Romulus able to touch the Red Flame Torch?"
"There is only one possibility," said Dumbledore. "Remus and Romulus are actually descendants of Godric Gryffindor himself. Not directly, of course, since the twins are half-bloods, but there was enough Gryffindor blood in them to use the Red Flame Torch."
"Romulus must have somehow studied the family tree," said Remus thoughtfully, "for I didn't know of the relationship."
"James, of course, was of the direct Gryffindor line," the headmaster added.
"But then again," said Marla, "I was able to use the Green Flame Torch, and I'm Muggle-born, so I can't be related to Slytherin."
"Now that line I am aware of," Dumbledore continued. "The father of Lord Voldemort died in 1945. He was survived by his daughter, Voldemort's older Muggle sister, who had moved to the United States before the Second Muggle World War. I believe that she is the grandmother of Hermione and Marla."
"But there's still something missing," said Harry. "Why did my father and ancestors come out of the Red Flame Torch?"
"Well," said Dumbledore, "the Red Flame Torch linked each bearer over the generations to each other. This link was made of love, the type of love a parent shows for a child. This ancient Greeks called this type of love 'Storge.' And it was the power of Storge that brought down the Pillar that day."
"And finally," Harry asked, "how did Romulus even obtain the Red Flame Torch in the first place? I thought that no one knew of its whereabouts since my grandfather died in 1971."
"That," Dumbledore concluded, "is something I do not know."
Remus changed the subject. "I know that you don't want to return to the Dursleys this summer, but it would only be until your seventeenth birthday. After that it will be time to start your Apparition lessons, and I -- the real me this time -- will give you your lessons at my home, Lupin Lodge."
But Harry had too many thoughts rushing through his mind and still needed time to sort them out. The students eventually returned to Gryffindor Tower.
Only two Death Eaters were captured. Percy handed in Wormtail to the authorities. The Wizengamot was finally able to clear the name of Sirius Black, albeit posthumously. The other was Bellatrix Lestrange, who never recovered completely from Harry's successful Cruciatus Curse. She was admitted to St. Mungo's, where she would stay indefinitely. Her bed was right next to those of Frank and Alice Longbottom.
On the defenders' side, the victims of the Green Flame Torch, namely Minister Fudge, Cassandra the Seer, and Professors Sprout, Maxime, and Karkaroff, were to receive a proper burial. With the Red Flame Torch destroyed, there was no longer any chance of them coming back to life.
But the biggest blow to the defenders was the destruction of Ravenclaw Tower, which resulted in many deaths and injuries among its members. The newly deceased included sixth-years Morag McDougal, Padma Patil, and Lisa Turpin, as well as Orla Quirke, who had been a third-year, not to mention Cho Chang, who had died defending her housemates from Voldemort. The injured list included seventh-year Sarah Fawcett, sixth-years Kevin Entwhistle, Anthony Goldstein, and Su Li, as well as fifth-year Luna Lovegood.
Meanwhile, Amelia Bones and Hermione Granger had fully recovered thanks to the Red Flame Torch just before it was destroyed. When Hermione was able to leave the Hospital Wing, the first thing she did was hug Ron. Then she was just about to do the same with Harry until Ron frowned at her scathingly. So Hermione settled for a mere handshake with Harry.
"Welcome back, Hermione," said Harry.
"And this time," said Ron, "maybe you'll know better than to trust all house-elves."
Hermione gave Ron a dirty look, but then relented. "For once, Ron, you are actually right."
"I never thought I'd see the day when she'd say that," said Ron.
At that moment Hedwig flew in and transformed into Marla. "Harry," she said, "Dumbledore wants you to meet him in his off --" She suddenly looked at Hermione and smiled. "Hermione! My long lost sister at last!"
"You!" Hermione pointed a finger at Marla. "Don't sister me! You are the one who Torched me. I have no sister!"
"'Mione," said Ron, "there's an explanation for all this."
"And I suppose that's what Dumbledore wants to discuss with us," Harry noted.
So Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed Marla, with Ginny tagging along as usual. When they arrived at Dumbledore's office, they saw Remus Lupin standing there as well. The headmaster conjured enough chairs for everyone.
"Sit down," said Dumbledore. "It is time for Remus to tell you what he should have told you years ago. This story begins with the Sorting of 1971, when Black, Lupin, Potter, and Lupin were all Sorted into Gryffindor."
"Excuse me, Dumbledore," said Hermione, "but you said Lupin twice."
"That's because I have a twin brother," said Remus. "His name was Romulus, and he was also Sorted into Gryffindor."
"Of course!" said Harry, thinking about Sally-Anne Perks and Sun Moon, the unknown Gryffindor girls. "There are five students per gender per house per year."
"And Romulus was the fifth guy," Remus continued. "Throughout our childhood, we were the best of friends, up until the day that I was bitten. It was my brother's fault that I was bitten. If only I hadn't let him double dog dare me into sneaking out of the house one night to prove my bravery.
"Just before we left for Hogwarts, I made him promise not to tell anyone at school that I was a werewolf. But one day in our dormitory room he betrayed the secret, and James, Sirius, and Peter all found out.
"But much to my brother's surprise, my other three roommates all accepted me for who I was. We became the Marauders and the other three became Animagi. Romulus became our second favorite target of our pranks, right after Snape.
"Now most of the time the others could tell Romulus and me apart, since we weren't identical--"
"But if you weren't identical, then why was Romulus able to fool me into thinking he were you?" asked Ron.
"Because he had a power of his own," Remus explained. "Romulus is a Metamorphmagus. Not as good as Tonks, but good enough to impersonate me as his twin. James and Sirius were never fooled, since either it was the full moon and Metamorphmagi don't transform into wolves, or else we had the Marauder's Map on hand and his true identity was known.
"Romulus fell in love with Lily, but of course she ended up with James, which angered Romulus even more. By the time we left Hogwarts, Romulus had allied himself with Severus Snape. I assume he became a Death Eater then.
"And that brings us to the present day. Around the time Arthur Weasley became Minister, the laws were changed so that werewolves could be employed with the Ministry. Since I had experience teaching at Hogwarts, I became an examiner for the OWL's. I spent most of my days at the Ministry training for the position. I gather that it was around this time when Romulus began to impersonate me.
"Of course, once the exams were set to begin, I arrived at Hogwarts, and this was when Romulus caught me. A few days later, he Stunned me and put me in a cage. His hiding place was the former Order headquarters at McGonagall's house. Since McGonagall was still at the pitch supervising the long Quidditch match, it was the perfect hiding place."
"But there's just one thing," said Ginny. "How was Romulus able to touch the Red Flame Torch?"
"There is only one possibility," said Dumbledore. "Remus and Romulus are actually descendants of Godric Gryffindor himself. Not directly, of course, since the twins are half-bloods, but there was enough Gryffindor blood in them to use the Red Flame Torch."
"Romulus must have somehow studied the family tree," said Remus thoughtfully, "for I didn't know of the relationship."
"James, of course, was of the direct Gryffindor line," the headmaster added.
"But then again," said Marla, "I was able to use the Green Flame Torch, and I'm Muggle-born, so I can't be related to Slytherin."
"Now that line I am aware of," Dumbledore continued. "The father of Lord Voldemort died in 1945. He was survived by his daughter, Voldemort's older Muggle sister, who had moved to the United States before the Second Muggle World War. I believe that she is the grandmother of Hermione and Marla."
"But there's still something missing," said Harry. "Why did my father and ancestors come out of the Red Flame Torch?"
"Well," said Dumbledore, "the Red Flame Torch linked each bearer over the generations to each other. This link was made of love, the type of love a parent shows for a child. This ancient Greeks called this type of love 'Storge.' And it was the power of Storge that brought down the Pillar that day."
"And finally," Harry asked, "how did Romulus even obtain the Red Flame Torch in the first place? I thought that no one knew of its whereabouts since my grandfather died in 1971."
"That," Dumbledore concluded, "is something I do not know."
Remus changed the subject. "I know that you don't want to return to the Dursleys this summer, but it would only be until your seventeenth birthday. After that it will be time to start your Apparition lessons, and I -- the real me this time -- will give you your lessons at my home, Lupin Lodge."
But Harry had too many thoughts rushing through his mind and still needed time to sort them out. The students eventually returned to Gryffindor Tower.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
The Quidditch match continued. It was morning on the longest day of the year, and Harry and Ron were now at the pitch watching the match. The score was now 51850-51820 to Gryffindor.
"Here she comes," said Ron, pointing to Professor McGonagall. She was heading to the pitch to make the announcement that every fifth and seventh year had anticipated for the past month.
"Attention, students," she said, "due to the length of the Quidditch match, the end-of-year exams have been cancelled."
The entire stadium roared with deafening applause. No one cared anymore about the outcome of the match. The students were all ecstatic that the exams had been cancelled.
The record-breaking match had drawn a huge amount of coverage from the media. Both the Daily Prophet and the Wizarding Wireless Network had representatives at the game. Many former Hogwarts students had gathered around the pitch to see whether the plan to get the exams cancelled would work. Even Fred and George had closed shop to hear McGonagall's historic announcement.
"Wow," said Fred to Ron. "I can't believe that it took over a hundred years for someone to figure out to get the exams cancelled by intentionally not catching the snitch."
"And I can't believe Fred and I didn't think of the idea first," George added.
"So now that the exams are cancelled," said Ron, "one of the Seekers can just catch the snitch and the players can all finally sleep in their own beds again, right?"
But Harry had noticed that something was wrong. He looked around at the pitch but failed to see the Snitch.
"Where is the Snitch?" Harry asked.
Ginny flew down on her broom near her brothers' seats.
"We lost it," she said grimly. "It must have flown up so high that it completely left the pitch."
"So why don't you just go after it?" Ron asked.
"Because we are magically bound to remain on the pitch. The snitch can escape, but not us!" In order to prove her point, she tried to fly out, but an invisible barrier prevented her from leaving.
"But if the snitch escaped, you'll be stuck there forever!" Ron turned to Harry. "We better tell McGonagall. Maybe she can lift the magical binding contract."
It was tough leaving the pitch. Most of the students were trying to leave simultaneously to reach their respective common rooms to celebrate the cancellation of the exams. Fred and George exploded some fireworks for the occasion.
But when Harry and Ron finally reached McGonagall, she was rather unsympathetic to the trapped Quidditch players.
"It serves them right to try to get the exams cancelled! Only the officials at the Ministry can attempt to lift the ban, but it won't be easy, since the spell trapping the students is over a century old. But I must remain here in order to control the raucous students."
"I can't believe it," said Ron. "McGonagall won't help us!"
"Remus!" said Harry suddenly. "I bet he'll listen."
Harry and Ron raced over to the entrance hall. Professor Marchbanks had already left, but they were able to catch Remus before he left the Hogwarts grounds. They explained their situation to their former Defense teacher.
"I'm sorry," said Remus. "I don't know how to break the spell, but Griselda Marchbanks might. She's old enough to have been around when the spell was first cast."
At that moment Harry's owl finally returned, but unfortunately she didn't have the Red Flame Torch.
"Where's the Red Flame Torch?" Harry asked.
Hedwig transformed into Marla. "I searched high and low at Godric's Hollow, but there was no sign of the Torch."
"Red Flame Torch?" asked Remus. "I remember your father telling me all about the Red Flame Torch, Harry."
"My dad?" asked Harry incredulously. "Tell me, what did he know?"
"I'm sorry," said Remus, "but I promised your dad that I wouldn't tell you until you became of age."
"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!" Harry yelled at Remus. "THE TORCH CAN BRING HERMIONE, SIRIUS, AND EVEN DAD BACK TO LIFE! YOU DON'T CARE!"
"Of course I care!" Remus retorted. "James was my best friend, and Sirius was my boyfriend! Of course I want them back."
"Your boyfriend?" asked Harry, beginning to calm down. "You never told me you were gay."
"Well, as they say, don't ask, don't tell," said Remus. "Back in our Hogwarts days Snape described us as an old married couple. But enough about that. Your father never told me what powers the Red Flame Torch possessed."
"Unlike the Green Flame Torch," Ron explained, "the Red Flame Torch has the power to bring people back to life."
"But how did my dad know about the Torch?" asked Harry.
"I had wanted to wait to tell you this, Harry," Remus began, "but now this is too important to hold back. The reason that your father knew about the Red Flame Torch is that he was the true Heir of Godric Gryffindor. And that means you are too, Harry."
"I knew it!" Ron interrupted. "Ever since it was revealed that Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin, I guessed that Harry was the heir of Gryffindor. But I didn't tell anyone, because I was afraid you'd all laugh at my idea."
"I get it now," said Harry. "Godric himself owned the Red Flame Torch, and he passed it on to all of his descendants. So where did my dad keep the Torch?"
"That's just it," said Remus. "His father, Lewis Harold Potter, never had a chance to tell him where the Torch was before he was murdered by Death Eaters."
"There's just got to be a way to find out," said Harry.
"The week before he died, James had a guess as to where the Torch might have been, but I don't remember where it is."
"Wait a minute," said Ron. "Don't you have a Remembrall, Harry?"
"Of course!" said Harry. "Accio Remembrall!" His birthday present from Neville so many months ago arrived into the palm of his hand, and Harry handed it to Remus.
"Now I remember! James said he thought the Red Flame Torch was right in the family vault at Gringotts!"
"And the Ministry will be happy to hear this," said a sinister voice, and Harry was horrified to see Snape standing nearby. "All of you will be sent to Azkaban for the murder of Dumbledore, Fudge, and all the rest."
"But that was the Green Flame Torch!" said Harry indignantly. "We are talking about the Red Flame Torch."
"The color of the Torch doesn't matter," said Snape. "What matters is that you are responsible for the murders."
"That's silly," said Marla. "I used the Green Flame Torch, not Harry, Ron, or Remus."
"And since you are Harry's owl, thus Harry is responsible," said Snape with a sneer. "The Ministry will believe --"
"And my dad's Minister," said Ron, "and he'll believe --"
"Not for long," said Snape, "once word gets out that his own son killed the previous Minister, making his claim to the Ministry an illegitimate one."
"No!" Ron shouted.
Remus drew his wand at Snape, but the Potions Master shouted out the spell "Expelliarmus," and he lost his wand.
"And now," said Snape, "your business here is done, werewolf. Now, unless you want me to take your wands away, Potter and Weasley, I suggest you follow me to my office."
"Run!" Harry shouted, and he and Ron began to escape. Snape threw several curses at Harry, but he was able to deflect them with an excellent Shield Charm.
Harry and Ron raced upstairs. Snape hurried after them.
"This way," said Ron, pointing towards the abandoned girls loo. So the two of them hid inside before Snape could catch them.
"We're safe," said Harry.
"One more step and we would have been dead meat," said Ron.
"Dead?" came a dreary voice. Naturally they had stumbled into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "Of course you have to talk about death in front of me --"
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
But then came a loud sound from the faucet. To the horror of both Harry and Ron, a sinister figure came walking out of the sink.
"Guess who!" said none other than Lord Voldemort.
"I've waited nearly 17 years for this day," said Voldemort, having entered Hogwarts via the Chamber of Secrets. "At last, victory shall be mine!"
It was just past noon. As Voldemort pointed his wand at him, Harry's mind was racing. He knew that he had to say something fast, or the Prophecy would be fulfilled and Harry would die.
The Prophecy! That was it, Harry suddenly realized.
"You can't kill me, Tom, because the Prophecy says so," said Harry in a brave tone.
"You dare lie to the greatest Legilimens in the world?" Voldemort laughed at Harry. "Tell me what the Prophecy really says."
It was time for Harry to put all of his months of Occlumency training into action. He couldn't let Voldemort find out the truth about the Prophecy.
"The Prophecy," said Harry slowly, "says that you can't defeat me because of a power not even you know."
"What is this power?" Voldemort demanded. "Tell me!"
"Never!" Harry shouted.
"Crucio!" Voldemort spat out, but his wand was pointed not at Harry but at Ron. The red-headed boy fell to the ground and clutched himself in pain. "And I will just keep torturing all of your friends until you tell me of this secret power."
Ron regained his footing, pointed his wand at the Dark Lord, and said to the top of his voice, "Stupefy!"
The curse missed its target. Then Ron and Voldemort began exchanging curses. Harry was surprised that Ron was holding his own in the battle, thanks to his DA and Defense lessons. Harry stayed out of the way in order to think up a plan. Then finally he spotted Moaning Myrtle and whispered a plan.
"Good thinking, Harry," she said, and she left the bathroom.
Then Harry distracted Voldemort with a "Crucio" from behind. It wasn't powerful enough to work, but it had thrown the Dark Lord off momentarily, long enough for Ron to reach the exit.
"Go warn everyone to return to their common rooms!" Harry shouted at Ron as the latter ran out.
"So," said Voldemort, "you think that you can protect everyone in this school from me? Guess again."
Then the Dark Lord raced to the exit and entered the many corridors of Hogwarts. Harry followed him upstairs. Both Voldemort and Harry ended up in front of Ravenclaw Tower.
"Everyone back into the Tower!" yelled Head Boy Eddie Carmichael as he and the Head Girl Cho Chang were urging their House members to return to the safety of the Tower.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort pointed his wand at the figure of Marietta Edgecombe. The curse missed its target as Cho pushed her friend out of the way. The Head Girl fell to the ground instantly.
The Dark Lord moved on towards Gryffindor Tower. Prefect Colin Creevey was telling the students to hurry inside. So Colin was a perfect target for Voldemort's Killing Curse.
"Avada --" he began, but he was suddenly confused. For Moaning Myrtle, Dean's father, The Grey Lady, Peeves, Binns, and all the other Hogwarts ghosts were floating around the corridor. It reminded Harry of Nearly Headless Nick's 500th Deathday party.
Harry smiled. "With all the ghosts floating around, you can't tell who's dead and who's alive, so you can't kill anyone!" The ghosts remained until the last student was back inside the Tower.
"So everyone is safe now," said Harry as he stood outside the Fat Lady's portrait. "And by now the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins are also back in their Houses. There's no one left to torture!"
"Oh, really?" asked Voldemort. "What about the Quidditch pitch?"
Harry froze. He suddenly realized that the Gryffindor Quidditch players were still trapped on the pitch, including Ginny.
"Not Ginny!" Harry yelled in horror.
"Yes Ginny!" said Voldemort. "And so I'll finish the job I started four years ago from the diary!"
The Dark Lord headed for the Entrance Hall. Harry hurried to keep up with him as he passed the Great Hall, where many people had been partying before the threat.
When Harry arrived at the pitch, the scene there completely was completely terrifying. Death Eaters surrounded the pitch and were throwing curses at the Quidditch players, who, being unable to escape the dimensions of the pitch, tried to fly up as high as they could. Harry's eyes focused on Ginny, who had narrowly missed a red curse by one of the Death Eaters -- Wormtail.
"Now, Potter," said Voldemort, "tell me what the Prophecy says, or I'll kill everyone on the pitch this moment."
Knowing that with the players moving on the pitch were moving targets and were so far away that even a wizard of Voldemort's wand skills would have trouble aiming a curse at one of them, Harry decided to stall for time.
"Never!" Harry yelled.
The Dark Lord, realizing that Harry had called his bluff, instead threw an Implosion Charm at the stadium itself. It immediately blew up and only the six Quaffle hoops remained. Although none of the players were hurt, the body of Professor McGonagall, who had already been Stunned, now lay under the rubbish.
"I can destroy the players as easily as I destroyed this stadium," Voldemort called out.
Then the Dark Lord threw a Freezing Charm above the remains of the pitch and stadium. Because it extended from the top of the hoops a hundred meters in the air, it was able to freeze the players and they were unable to move but remained suspended in the air.
"Your lips will loosen once I kill your girlfriend," said Voldemort as he pointed his wand at Ginny and a red light radiated out from it.
"Nooooo!" Harry yelled.
But at that exact moment, a Bludger from the Quidditch match struck Voldemort. He fell to the ground and his curse was knocked off course. So instead of hitting Ginny, the curse hit one of the other players -- Katie Bell. At that moment the Freezing Charm expired and Katie fell off her broom and plunged to the ground.
Upon seeing their fallen leader, the Death Eaters surrounded the body to see whether he was dead. Harry stared at Voldemort's body. Could he possibly be dead? But then he realized, would that not violate the Prophecy, for it was a Bludger, not Harry himself, which led to his defeat?
At that moment, Lupin, with Harry's owl flying overhead, arrived at Hogwarts with the Torch, with its brillant red flame burning rather brightly in the dark night.
"Where is the Dark Lord?" he asked Harry.
"His body lies --"
But at that moment, Hedwig suddenly transformed back into Marla and used her wand to Stun Lupin.
"Take the Torch," she said hurriedly. "No time to explain."
Harry wondered briefly, why did Marla Stun Lupin before he had a chance to hand Harry the Torch? But instead, Harry took the Torch, along with the Remembrall that Lupin had been holding, and raced back towards the castle. Finally, he had in his hands a way to bring everyone he had lost back to life. He would use the Torch on the bodies in the Hospital Wing before taking the Thestrals, just as he had the year before, back to London and the Ministry, where he would cross the veil and find Sirius and possibly even his parents. He took one glance at the pitch and the Death Eaters still surrounding it, then headed for the castle.
Harry hurried up the stairs, reached the Hospital Wing, and arrived at the row of immobile bodies. Bending down in front of Hermione's bed, he looked at the Red Flame Torch in his right hand and wondered what exactly he was supposed to do with it.
But even then, the Remembrall in his left hand was putting memories into his brain. Harry remembered how the Green Flame Torch killed anyone who passed through the flame of the Torch. So he slowly passed the red flame through Hermione's limp form.
At first nothing happened. Then slowly, but surely, Hermione began to stir.
"Winky, give me back my wand!" said Hermione groggily. Then she looked around. "Where am I?"
"You were a victim of the Green Flame Torch," said Harry. "But the Red Flame Torch brought you back to life."
Hermione glanced around the room. "Don't just stand there. Use it to bring everyone else back."
Harry looked at the bodies. "First I'll revive --"
"Professor Dumbledore, of course," said Hermione, who was still too weak to sit up completely.
"Of course."
So Harry then arrived at Dumbledore's bed. But when he used the Red Flame Torch on Dumbledore, he did not stir.
"Maybe it was just his time to die," said Hermione. "He did live a long and fruitful life."
Harry next tried Amelia Bones since her bed was right next to Professor Dumbledore's. Madam Bones showed signs of waking up.
"Harry," asked Hermione suddenly. "Where's Ron? I don't see him with you nor is his body on a bed."
Harry suddenly thought about Ron. He hadn't seen Ron since the prefect ran to warn the Gryffindors of Voldemort's arrival. But Harry had no time to dwell on it, because, speaking of Voldemort --
"There it is, the Red Flame Torch!" said the Dark Lord, who obviously hadn't been killed by that Bludger back at the pitch.
Harry ran over towards the next body, which was Fudge.
"Accio Red Flame Torch!" Voldemort called out. But as soon as the Torch reached Voldemort's hand, it was destroyed. He dropped the handle, all that remained, to the ground.
"Ha!" Harry laughed as he picked up the Torch remains, dropping the Remembrall. "You just destroyed the Red Flame Torch, which would have brought some of your Death Eaters back to life!"
"Fool!" the Dark Lord reprimanded. "I know that! Being the heir of Slytherin, I could have touched Salazar's Green Flame Torch. But the Red Flame Torch was powerless to me."
"Then why did you take it from me, Tom?" Harry asked.
"Think back, Potter, five years ago. Do you remember a little something, or should I say, a Stone? It would have been useless to you, but to me it would have given me eternal life and power beyond your imagination. You only wanted the Stone so that I could not use it. Well then, I only wanted the Torch so that you could not use it.
"And now," Voldemort added as he pointed his wand at Hermione, "I demand that you tell me the Prophecy. I know you know it, Potter."
"Harry," Hermione started to say, "do you really know the --"
"Tom," came the voice of Dumbledore, who was not only revived but able to stand up easily as well.
Voldemort was no fool. He had invaded Hogwarts when Dumbledore had fallen, but now that the only wizard he ever feared was alive and healthy once again, it was time for the Dark Lord to escape. He bolted out the door, and Harry suddenly had an urge to follow him.
"No, Harry!" Hermione screamed.
Voldemort headed back towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where his Death Eaters were now waiting for him. He invoked the Parseltongue command to open the Chamber of Secrets, then used an enlargement charm to make the entrance large enough for all his Death Eaters.
As the Death Eaters passed through the entrance, Harry saw one Death Eater in particular -- Bellatrix Lestrange. Knowing now that Sirius really was dead and that there was no Torch to save him now, he felt a hatred for the evil witch, a hatred unlike any feeling he ever had for the Dursleys, Snape, or Umbridge.
"Crucio!" he yelled out, and unlike the previous year, his use of an Unforgivable was effective. Lestrange doubled over in pain.
"So," said Harry, "who's the crybaby now?"
By now Voldemort and his remaining cronies had entered the Chamber of Secrets. Harry knew that they were somehow escaping the castle, the same way the Dark Lord had gone in. But Harry didn't want his nemesis to escape. He wanted to fulfill the prophecy today. Yet all he could do was watch him go deeper and deeper in the Chamber.
Then suddenly, Harry's hand shook. It was the Torch handle to which he was still holding. Suddenly, some sort of spirit came out of the handle. Harry recognized it as none other than his deceased father James!
"Your grandfather's coming," he said quietly. And sure enough, out of the handle came Lewis Harold Potter, who had once borne the powerful Torch.
More than a score of spirits came out of the Torch. The last ghostlike being Harry recognized from "Hogwarts: A History." It was none other than Godric Gryffindor! Harry gathered that the other spirits were his ancestors, in a direct line going all the way back to the Hogwarts founder.
Voldemort and his Death Eaters were still leaving. The spirits followed them. Harry was bewildered as to what they were doing, until suddenly the ancestors lined up behind one of the columns holding up the Chamber and caused it to fall. The Death Eaters who were in its path were instantly killed, but Voldemort himself appeared to have escaped it unharmed.
"Watch out, Harry!" the spirit of James yelled.
Then the bathroom in which Harry was standing to view all of this started to cave in due to the column having been removed. Harry instantly ran away from the scene. He saw behind himself not only that the bathroom was caving in, but so was the tower directly above the bathroom. He prayed silently that it was not Gryffindor Tower that was falling.
Harry returned to the Hospital Wing, nearly tripping over the body of Bellatrix Lestrange that was still in the corridor. By this time the Quidditch players had finally managed to escape the pitch, and so Ginny was standing there. She and Harry embraced each other.
"Harry," she said, "Hermione told me how you were chasing after You Know Who. You had us all worried!" This caused Harry to explain what had happened in the Chamber.
"That was not Gryffindor Tower that fell," said Dumbledore, who knew the castle like the back of his hand. "It was, in fact, Ravenclaw Tower. Many lives were lost tonight, on both sides of the war as well as innocent bystanders."
"So, Ginny," Harry asked to change the subject, "how did you escape the Quidditch pitch?"
"Once You-Know-Who destroyed the pitch, the spell must have been lifted immediately," she explained. "We were all able to fly away from the rubbish, except for McGonagall and Katie."
"But we still don't know where Ron is," said Hermione worriedly.
"From the pitch I thought I saw him leave the Hogwarts grounds with Lupin and Marla," said Ginny.
"But only Lupin and Marla returned," said Harry. Now he was getting worried. Where was Ron? And why did he even go with them to retrieve the Torch anyway?
He looked down on the floor and picked up the Remembrall. Soon more memories were entering his mind. And they were all concerning Remus Lupin. Lupin had been acting suspiciously lately. He had somehow retrieved the Torch but Marla had Stunned him. How could Lupin have had the Torch, anyway? Remus wasn't the heir of Gryffindor at all, unless, of course, he and his father had switched bodies at death or something.
Then a few other things were suspicious. The Remembrall put more memories of Lupin into his mind. He remembered Lupin giving Ron his Apparition lessons over the Easter holidays back at Hermione's mansion, often practicing late into the night. Then Harry suddenly remembered something Hermione had said.
"Hermione," Harry asked. "what did you say the definition of calculating Easter was again?"
"It's the Sunday after the first full moon of spring," she answered, "but what has that got to do with anything?"
"That means that the full moon itself is the week before Easter, isn't it?" Harry continued.
"Yes, but --"
"But Lupin gave Ron Apparition lessons everyday during the first week of Easter holidays -- the week before Easter. The lessons lasted every night. That means that Lupin was training with Ron the night of the full moon!"
"But that's impossible," said Hermione, who had caught on. "He's a werewolf and would have harmed Ron that night after transforming."
"Which means," Harry concluded, "that our so-called Lupin really isn't Remus at all!"
"We got to find Ron fast," said Ginny.
So Harry, Ginny, and Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing and exited the castle. But on the way there, Harry and Ginny were surprised to see none other than --
"Katie Bell?" Harry asked. "You're alive? But how? Didn't you fall scores of meters from your broom?"
"Easy," she said. Then she Animagically transformed herself into a large white cat and quickly changed back. "Cats always land on their feet!"
"Excellent work on your transformation," came the voice of Professor McGonagall, who also transformed herself from her tabby cat form back into a witch.
"And while in cat form," said Katie Bell, "I was able to catch the rat form of Peter Pettigrew."
"Actually," said Professor McGonagall, "as the other Death Eaters were leaving, Katie, after returning to human form, conjured up some cheese, which no rat, not even Wormtail, could resist. But the cheese was really a Portkey which took him directly into the Ministry of Magic -- Percy Weasley's office. Being the workaholic he is, he is most likely still in his office even though it is already almost dusk."
"So," Ginny laughed, "Wormtail returns to his original owner!"
"What about Ron?" asked Harry.
So Harry, Ginny, Katie, McGonagall, and Dumbledore left the grounds. Harry's owl was still flying overhead, and she transformed into Marla.
"Harry," said Marla. "Follow me to find Ron."
So they followed her. She flew as Hedwig directly above Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The twins were just closing shop. They looked inside and saw Ron along with Fred and George.
"Ron!" said Harry immediately. "What happened."
"Harry, you won't believe this," Ron began, "but I reckon that Lupin is a fake. When I was going to Gryffindor Tower to warn everyone of Voldemort, the fake Lupin caught me. He had never really left Hogwarts at all. He Stunned and used the Blinding Charm against me. Then he forced me to walk towards his secret hiding place. But once I arrived, I Apparated straight here to the twins' shop."
"How ironic," Fred broke in, "that your Apparition teacher forgot that you could Apparate."
"So I waited here until I was sure that the battle at Hogwarts was over," Ron concluded.
"Hey," said George, "I'm picking something up on the new Extendible Ears system."
"It sounds like someone tied up and gagged," said Harry. "Let's follow the sounds."
So all of them left the store and walked down Hogsmeade. The sounds turned out to be coming from none other than --
"Hey," said Professor McGonagall, "that's my house!"
Inside was the real Remus Lupin, inside a large metal cage.
"Alohamora!" said Harry, and the cage opened. He removed the gag.
"Thanks, Harry," said Remus.
"I can't believe we've been tricked by someone pretending to be you," Harry added.
"Of course you were," said Remus. "You were fooled by none other than my long-lost twin, Romulus Lupin."
"Here she comes," said Ron, pointing to Professor McGonagall. She was heading to the pitch to make the announcement that every fifth and seventh year had anticipated for the past month.
"Attention, students," she said, "due to the length of the Quidditch match, the end-of-year exams have been cancelled."
The entire stadium roared with deafening applause. No one cared anymore about the outcome of the match. The students were all ecstatic that the exams had been cancelled.
The record-breaking match had drawn a huge amount of coverage from the media. Both the Daily Prophet and the Wizarding Wireless Network had representatives at the game. Many former Hogwarts students had gathered around the pitch to see whether the plan to get the exams cancelled would work. Even Fred and George had closed shop to hear McGonagall's historic announcement.
"Wow," said Fred to Ron. "I can't believe that it took over a hundred years for someone to figure out to get the exams cancelled by intentionally not catching the snitch."
"And I can't believe Fred and I didn't think of the idea first," George added.
"So now that the exams are cancelled," said Ron, "one of the Seekers can just catch the snitch and the players can all finally sleep in their own beds again, right?"
But Harry had noticed that something was wrong. He looked around at the pitch but failed to see the Snitch.
"Where is the Snitch?" Harry asked.
Ginny flew down on her broom near her brothers' seats.
"We lost it," she said grimly. "It must have flown up so high that it completely left the pitch."
"So why don't you just go after it?" Ron asked.
"Because we are magically bound to remain on the pitch. The snitch can escape, but not us!" In order to prove her point, she tried to fly out, but an invisible barrier prevented her from leaving.
"But if the snitch escaped, you'll be stuck there forever!" Ron turned to Harry. "We better tell McGonagall. Maybe she can lift the magical binding contract."
It was tough leaving the pitch. Most of the students were trying to leave simultaneously to reach their respective common rooms to celebrate the cancellation of the exams. Fred and George exploded some fireworks for the occasion.
But when Harry and Ron finally reached McGonagall, she was rather unsympathetic to the trapped Quidditch players.
"It serves them right to try to get the exams cancelled! Only the officials at the Ministry can attempt to lift the ban, but it won't be easy, since the spell trapping the students is over a century old. But I must remain here in order to control the raucous students."
"I can't believe it," said Ron. "McGonagall won't help us!"
"Remus!" said Harry suddenly. "I bet he'll listen."
Harry and Ron raced over to the entrance hall. Professor Marchbanks had already left, but they were able to catch Remus before he left the Hogwarts grounds. They explained their situation to their former Defense teacher.
"I'm sorry," said Remus. "I don't know how to break the spell, but Griselda Marchbanks might. She's old enough to have been around when the spell was first cast."
At that moment Harry's owl finally returned, but unfortunately she didn't have the Red Flame Torch.
"Where's the Red Flame Torch?" Harry asked.
Hedwig transformed into Marla. "I searched high and low at Godric's Hollow, but there was no sign of the Torch."
"Red Flame Torch?" asked Remus. "I remember your father telling me all about the Red Flame Torch, Harry."
"My dad?" asked Harry incredulously. "Tell me, what did he know?"
"I'm sorry," said Remus, "but I promised your dad that I wouldn't tell you until you became of age."
"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!" Harry yelled at Remus. "THE TORCH CAN BRING HERMIONE, SIRIUS, AND EVEN DAD BACK TO LIFE! YOU DON'T CARE!"
"Of course I care!" Remus retorted. "James was my best friend, and Sirius was my boyfriend! Of course I want them back."
"Your boyfriend?" asked Harry, beginning to calm down. "You never told me you were gay."
"Well, as they say, don't ask, don't tell," said Remus. "Back in our Hogwarts days Snape described us as an old married couple. But enough about that. Your father never told me what powers the Red Flame Torch possessed."
"Unlike the Green Flame Torch," Ron explained, "the Red Flame Torch has the power to bring people back to life."
"But how did my dad know about the Torch?" asked Harry.
"I had wanted to wait to tell you this, Harry," Remus began, "but now this is too important to hold back. The reason that your father knew about the Red Flame Torch is that he was the true Heir of Godric Gryffindor. And that means you are too, Harry."
"I knew it!" Ron interrupted. "Ever since it was revealed that Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin, I guessed that Harry was the heir of Gryffindor. But I didn't tell anyone, because I was afraid you'd all laugh at my idea."
"I get it now," said Harry. "Godric himself owned the Red Flame Torch, and he passed it on to all of his descendants. So where did my dad keep the Torch?"
"That's just it," said Remus. "His father, Lewis Harold Potter, never had a chance to tell him where the Torch was before he was murdered by Death Eaters."
"There's just got to be a way to find out," said Harry.
"The week before he died, James had a guess as to where the Torch might have been, but I don't remember where it is."
"Wait a minute," said Ron. "Don't you have a Remembrall, Harry?"
"Of course!" said Harry. "Accio Remembrall!" His birthday present from Neville so many months ago arrived into the palm of his hand, and Harry handed it to Remus.
"Now I remember! James said he thought the Red Flame Torch was right in the family vault at Gringotts!"
"And the Ministry will be happy to hear this," said a sinister voice, and Harry was horrified to see Snape standing nearby. "All of you will be sent to Azkaban for the murder of Dumbledore, Fudge, and all the rest."
"But that was the Green Flame Torch!" said Harry indignantly. "We are talking about the Red Flame Torch."
"The color of the Torch doesn't matter," said Snape. "What matters is that you are responsible for the murders."
"That's silly," said Marla. "I used the Green Flame Torch, not Harry, Ron, or Remus."
"And since you are Harry's owl, thus Harry is responsible," said Snape with a sneer. "The Ministry will believe --"
"And my dad's Minister," said Ron, "and he'll believe --"
"Not for long," said Snape, "once word gets out that his own son killed the previous Minister, making his claim to the Ministry an illegitimate one."
"No!" Ron shouted.
Remus drew his wand at Snape, but the Potions Master shouted out the spell "Expelliarmus," and he lost his wand.
"And now," said Snape, "your business here is done, werewolf. Now, unless you want me to take your wands away, Potter and Weasley, I suggest you follow me to my office."
"Run!" Harry shouted, and he and Ron began to escape. Snape threw several curses at Harry, but he was able to deflect them with an excellent Shield Charm.
Harry and Ron raced upstairs. Snape hurried after them.
"This way," said Ron, pointing towards the abandoned girls loo. So the two of them hid inside before Snape could catch them.
"We're safe," said Harry.
"One more step and we would have been dead meat," said Ron.
"Dead?" came a dreary voice. Naturally they had stumbled into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "Of course you have to talk about death in front of me --"
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
But then came a loud sound from the faucet. To the horror of both Harry and Ron, a sinister figure came walking out of the sink.
"Guess who!" said none other than Lord Voldemort.
"I've waited nearly 17 years for this day," said Voldemort, having entered Hogwarts via the Chamber of Secrets. "At last, victory shall be mine!"
It was just past noon. As Voldemort pointed his wand at him, Harry's mind was racing. He knew that he had to say something fast, or the Prophecy would be fulfilled and Harry would die.
The Prophecy! That was it, Harry suddenly realized.
"You can't kill me, Tom, because the Prophecy says so," said Harry in a brave tone.
"You dare lie to the greatest Legilimens in the world?" Voldemort laughed at Harry. "Tell me what the Prophecy really says."
It was time for Harry to put all of his months of Occlumency training into action. He couldn't let Voldemort find out the truth about the Prophecy.
"The Prophecy," said Harry slowly, "says that you can't defeat me because of a power not even you know."
"What is this power?" Voldemort demanded. "Tell me!"
"Never!" Harry shouted.
"Crucio!" Voldemort spat out, but his wand was pointed not at Harry but at Ron. The red-headed boy fell to the ground and clutched himself in pain. "And I will just keep torturing all of your friends until you tell me of this secret power."
Ron regained his footing, pointed his wand at the Dark Lord, and said to the top of his voice, "Stupefy!"
The curse missed its target. Then Ron and Voldemort began exchanging curses. Harry was surprised that Ron was holding his own in the battle, thanks to his DA and Defense lessons. Harry stayed out of the way in order to think up a plan. Then finally he spotted Moaning Myrtle and whispered a plan.
"Good thinking, Harry," she said, and she left the bathroom.
Then Harry distracted Voldemort with a "Crucio" from behind. It wasn't powerful enough to work, but it had thrown the Dark Lord off momentarily, long enough for Ron to reach the exit.
"Go warn everyone to return to their common rooms!" Harry shouted at Ron as the latter ran out.
"So," said Voldemort, "you think that you can protect everyone in this school from me? Guess again."
Then the Dark Lord raced to the exit and entered the many corridors of Hogwarts. Harry followed him upstairs. Both Voldemort and Harry ended up in front of Ravenclaw Tower.
"Everyone back into the Tower!" yelled Head Boy Eddie Carmichael as he and the Head Girl Cho Chang were urging their House members to return to the safety of the Tower.
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort pointed his wand at the figure of Marietta Edgecombe. The curse missed its target as Cho pushed her friend out of the way. The Head Girl fell to the ground instantly.
The Dark Lord moved on towards Gryffindor Tower. Prefect Colin Creevey was telling the students to hurry inside. So Colin was a perfect target for Voldemort's Killing Curse.
"Avada --" he began, but he was suddenly confused. For Moaning Myrtle, Dean's father, The Grey Lady, Peeves, Binns, and all the other Hogwarts ghosts were floating around the corridor. It reminded Harry of Nearly Headless Nick's 500th Deathday party.
Harry smiled. "With all the ghosts floating around, you can't tell who's dead and who's alive, so you can't kill anyone!" The ghosts remained until the last student was back inside the Tower.
"So everyone is safe now," said Harry as he stood outside the Fat Lady's portrait. "And by now the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins are also back in their Houses. There's no one left to torture!"
"Oh, really?" asked Voldemort. "What about the Quidditch pitch?"
Harry froze. He suddenly realized that the Gryffindor Quidditch players were still trapped on the pitch, including Ginny.
"Not Ginny!" Harry yelled in horror.
"Yes Ginny!" said Voldemort. "And so I'll finish the job I started four years ago from the diary!"
The Dark Lord headed for the Entrance Hall. Harry hurried to keep up with him as he passed the Great Hall, where many people had been partying before the threat.
When Harry arrived at the pitch, the scene there completely was completely terrifying. Death Eaters surrounded the pitch and were throwing curses at the Quidditch players, who, being unable to escape the dimensions of the pitch, tried to fly up as high as they could. Harry's eyes focused on Ginny, who had narrowly missed a red curse by one of the Death Eaters -- Wormtail.
"Now, Potter," said Voldemort, "tell me what the Prophecy says, or I'll kill everyone on the pitch this moment."
Knowing that with the players moving on the pitch were moving targets and were so far away that even a wizard of Voldemort's wand skills would have trouble aiming a curse at one of them, Harry decided to stall for time.
"Never!" Harry yelled.
The Dark Lord, realizing that Harry had called his bluff, instead threw an Implosion Charm at the stadium itself. It immediately blew up and only the six Quaffle hoops remained. Although none of the players were hurt, the body of Professor McGonagall, who had already been Stunned, now lay under the rubbish.
"I can destroy the players as easily as I destroyed this stadium," Voldemort called out.
Then the Dark Lord threw a Freezing Charm above the remains of the pitch and stadium. Because it extended from the top of the hoops a hundred meters in the air, it was able to freeze the players and they were unable to move but remained suspended in the air.
"Your lips will loosen once I kill your girlfriend," said Voldemort as he pointed his wand at Ginny and a red light radiated out from it.
"Nooooo!" Harry yelled.
But at that exact moment, a Bludger from the Quidditch match struck Voldemort. He fell to the ground and his curse was knocked off course. So instead of hitting Ginny, the curse hit one of the other players -- Katie Bell. At that moment the Freezing Charm expired and Katie fell off her broom and plunged to the ground.
Upon seeing their fallen leader, the Death Eaters surrounded the body to see whether he was dead. Harry stared at Voldemort's body. Could he possibly be dead? But then he realized, would that not violate the Prophecy, for it was a Bludger, not Harry himself, which led to his defeat?
At that moment, Lupin, with Harry's owl flying overhead, arrived at Hogwarts with the Torch, with its brillant red flame burning rather brightly in the dark night.
"Where is the Dark Lord?" he asked Harry.
"His body lies --"
But at that moment, Hedwig suddenly transformed back into Marla and used her wand to Stun Lupin.
"Take the Torch," she said hurriedly. "No time to explain."
Harry wondered briefly, why did Marla Stun Lupin before he had a chance to hand Harry the Torch? But instead, Harry took the Torch, along with the Remembrall that Lupin had been holding, and raced back towards the castle. Finally, he had in his hands a way to bring everyone he had lost back to life. He would use the Torch on the bodies in the Hospital Wing before taking the Thestrals, just as he had the year before, back to London and the Ministry, where he would cross the veil and find Sirius and possibly even his parents. He took one glance at the pitch and the Death Eaters still surrounding it, then headed for the castle.
Harry hurried up the stairs, reached the Hospital Wing, and arrived at the row of immobile bodies. Bending down in front of Hermione's bed, he looked at the Red Flame Torch in his right hand and wondered what exactly he was supposed to do with it.
But even then, the Remembrall in his left hand was putting memories into his brain. Harry remembered how the Green Flame Torch killed anyone who passed through the flame of the Torch. So he slowly passed the red flame through Hermione's limp form.
At first nothing happened. Then slowly, but surely, Hermione began to stir.
"Winky, give me back my wand!" said Hermione groggily. Then she looked around. "Where am I?"
"You were a victim of the Green Flame Torch," said Harry. "But the Red Flame Torch brought you back to life."
Hermione glanced around the room. "Don't just stand there. Use it to bring everyone else back."
Harry looked at the bodies. "First I'll revive --"
"Professor Dumbledore, of course," said Hermione, who was still too weak to sit up completely.
"Of course."
So Harry then arrived at Dumbledore's bed. But when he used the Red Flame Torch on Dumbledore, he did not stir.
"Maybe it was just his time to die," said Hermione. "He did live a long and fruitful life."
Harry next tried Amelia Bones since her bed was right next to Professor Dumbledore's. Madam Bones showed signs of waking up.
"Harry," asked Hermione suddenly. "Where's Ron? I don't see him with you nor is his body on a bed."
Harry suddenly thought about Ron. He hadn't seen Ron since the prefect ran to warn the Gryffindors of Voldemort's arrival. But Harry had no time to dwell on it, because, speaking of Voldemort --
"There it is, the Red Flame Torch!" said the Dark Lord, who obviously hadn't been killed by that Bludger back at the pitch.
Harry ran over towards the next body, which was Fudge.
"Accio Red Flame Torch!" Voldemort called out. But as soon as the Torch reached Voldemort's hand, it was destroyed. He dropped the handle, all that remained, to the ground.
"Ha!" Harry laughed as he picked up the Torch remains, dropping the Remembrall. "You just destroyed the Red Flame Torch, which would have brought some of your Death Eaters back to life!"
"Fool!" the Dark Lord reprimanded. "I know that! Being the heir of Slytherin, I could have touched Salazar's Green Flame Torch. But the Red Flame Torch was powerless to me."
"Then why did you take it from me, Tom?" Harry asked.
"Think back, Potter, five years ago. Do you remember a little something, or should I say, a Stone? It would have been useless to you, but to me it would have given me eternal life and power beyond your imagination. You only wanted the Stone so that I could not use it. Well then, I only wanted the Torch so that you could not use it.
"And now," Voldemort added as he pointed his wand at Hermione, "I demand that you tell me the Prophecy. I know you know it, Potter."
"Harry," Hermione started to say, "do you really know the --"
"Tom," came the voice of Dumbledore, who was not only revived but able to stand up easily as well.
Voldemort was no fool. He had invaded Hogwarts when Dumbledore had fallen, but now that the only wizard he ever feared was alive and healthy once again, it was time for the Dark Lord to escape. He bolted out the door, and Harry suddenly had an urge to follow him.
"No, Harry!" Hermione screamed.
Voldemort headed back towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where his Death Eaters were now waiting for him. He invoked the Parseltongue command to open the Chamber of Secrets, then used an enlargement charm to make the entrance large enough for all his Death Eaters.
As the Death Eaters passed through the entrance, Harry saw one Death Eater in particular -- Bellatrix Lestrange. Knowing now that Sirius really was dead and that there was no Torch to save him now, he felt a hatred for the evil witch, a hatred unlike any feeling he ever had for the Dursleys, Snape, or Umbridge.
"Crucio!" he yelled out, and unlike the previous year, his use of an Unforgivable was effective. Lestrange doubled over in pain.
"So," said Harry, "who's the crybaby now?"
By now Voldemort and his remaining cronies had entered the Chamber of Secrets. Harry knew that they were somehow escaping the castle, the same way the Dark Lord had gone in. But Harry didn't want his nemesis to escape. He wanted to fulfill the prophecy today. Yet all he could do was watch him go deeper and deeper in the Chamber.
Then suddenly, Harry's hand shook. It was the Torch handle to which he was still holding. Suddenly, some sort of spirit came out of the handle. Harry recognized it as none other than his deceased father James!
"Your grandfather's coming," he said quietly. And sure enough, out of the handle came Lewis Harold Potter, who had once borne the powerful Torch.
More than a score of spirits came out of the Torch. The last ghostlike being Harry recognized from "Hogwarts: A History." It was none other than Godric Gryffindor! Harry gathered that the other spirits were his ancestors, in a direct line going all the way back to the Hogwarts founder.
Voldemort and his Death Eaters were still leaving. The spirits followed them. Harry was bewildered as to what they were doing, until suddenly the ancestors lined up behind one of the columns holding up the Chamber and caused it to fall. The Death Eaters who were in its path were instantly killed, but Voldemort himself appeared to have escaped it unharmed.
"Watch out, Harry!" the spirit of James yelled.
Then the bathroom in which Harry was standing to view all of this started to cave in due to the column having been removed. Harry instantly ran away from the scene. He saw behind himself not only that the bathroom was caving in, but so was the tower directly above the bathroom. He prayed silently that it was not Gryffindor Tower that was falling.
Harry returned to the Hospital Wing, nearly tripping over the body of Bellatrix Lestrange that was still in the corridor. By this time the Quidditch players had finally managed to escape the pitch, and so Ginny was standing there. She and Harry embraced each other.
"Harry," she said, "Hermione told me how you were chasing after You Know Who. You had us all worried!" This caused Harry to explain what had happened in the Chamber.
"That was not Gryffindor Tower that fell," said Dumbledore, who knew the castle like the back of his hand. "It was, in fact, Ravenclaw Tower. Many lives were lost tonight, on both sides of the war as well as innocent bystanders."
"So, Ginny," Harry asked to change the subject, "how did you escape the Quidditch pitch?"
"Once You-Know-Who destroyed the pitch, the spell must have been lifted immediately," she explained. "We were all able to fly away from the rubbish, except for McGonagall and Katie."
"But we still don't know where Ron is," said Hermione worriedly.
"From the pitch I thought I saw him leave the Hogwarts grounds with Lupin and Marla," said Ginny.
"But only Lupin and Marla returned," said Harry. Now he was getting worried. Where was Ron? And why did he even go with them to retrieve the Torch anyway?
He looked down on the floor and picked up the Remembrall. Soon more memories were entering his mind. And they were all concerning Remus Lupin. Lupin had been acting suspiciously lately. He had somehow retrieved the Torch but Marla had Stunned him. How could Lupin have had the Torch, anyway? Remus wasn't the heir of Gryffindor at all, unless, of course, he and his father had switched bodies at death or something.
Then a few other things were suspicious. The Remembrall put more memories of Lupin into his mind. He remembered Lupin giving Ron his Apparition lessons over the Easter holidays back at Hermione's mansion, often practicing late into the night. Then Harry suddenly remembered something Hermione had said.
"Hermione," Harry asked. "what did you say the definition of calculating Easter was again?"
"It's the Sunday after the first full moon of spring," she answered, "but what has that got to do with anything?"
"That means that the full moon itself is the week before Easter, isn't it?" Harry continued.
"Yes, but --"
"But Lupin gave Ron Apparition lessons everyday during the first week of Easter holidays -- the week before Easter. The lessons lasted every night. That means that Lupin was training with Ron the night of the full moon!"
"But that's impossible," said Hermione, who had caught on. "He's a werewolf and would have harmed Ron that night after transforming."
"Which means," Harry concluded, "that our so-called Lupin really isn't Remus at all!"
"We got to find Ron fast," said Ginny.
So Harry, Ginny, and Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing and exited the castle. But on the way there, Harry and Ginny were surprised to see none other than --
"Katie Bell?" Harry asked. "You're alive? But how? Didn't you fall scores of meters from your broom?"
"Easy," she said. Then she Animagically transformed herself into a large white cat and quickly changed back. "Cats always land on their feet!"
"Excellent work on your transformation," came the voice of Professor McGonagall, who also transformed herself from her tabby cat form back into a witch.
"And while in cat form," said Katie Bell, "I was able to catch the rat form of Peter Pettigrew."
"Actually," said Professor McGonagall, "as the other Death Eaters were leaving, Katie, after returning to human form, conjured up some cheese, which no rat, not even Wormtail, could resist. But the cheese was really a Portkey which took him directly into the Ministry of Magic -- Percy Weasley's office. Being the workaholic he is, he is most likely still in his office even though it is already almost dusk."
"So," Ginny laughed, "Wormtail returns to his original owner!"
"What about Ron?" asked Harry.
So Harry, Ginny, Katie, McGonagall, and Dumbledore left the grounds. Harry's owl was still flying overhead, and she transformed into Marla.
"Harry," said Marla. "Follow me to find Ron."
So they followed her. She flew as Hedwig directly above Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The twins were just closing shop. They looked inside and saw Ron along with Fred and George.
"Ron!" said Harry immediately. "What happened."
"Harry, you won't believe this," Ron began, "but I reckon that Lupin is a fake. When I was going to Gryffindor Tower to warn everyone of Voldemort, the fake Lupin caught me. He had never really left Hogwarts at all. He Stunned and used the Blinding Charm against me. Then he forced me to walk towards his secret hiding place. But once I arrived, I Apparated straight here to the twins' shop."
"How ironic," Fred broke in, "that your Apparition teacher forgot that you could Apparate."
"So I waited here until I was sure that the battle at Hogwarts was over," Ron concluded.
"Hey," said George, "I'm picking something up on the new Extendible Ears system."
"It sounds like someone tied up and gagged," said Harry. "Let's follow the sounds."
So all of them left the store and walked down Hogsmeade. The sounds turned out to be coming from none other than --
"Hey," said Professor McGonagall, "that's my house!"
Inside was the real Remus Lupin, inside a large metal cage.
"Alohamora!" said Harry, and the cage opened. He removed the gag.
"Thanks, Harry," said Remus.
"I can't believe we've been tricked by someone pretending to be you," Harry added.
"Of course you were," said Remus. "You were fooled by none other than my long-lost twin, Romulus Lupin."
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
The OWL's and NEWT's had been set to begin over a week ago, but the Quidditch match drew on and on. If the match didn't end soon, the exams would indeed be cancelled.
Harry had spent the last few days staring out his dormitory window, wondering what was taking Marla so long. Nearly a fortnight had passed since he had sent his owl Animagus to Godric's Hollow to seek out the Red Flame Torch.
"What if it isn't there?" Ron pointed out to Harry. "Just because the Green Flame Torch was there, it doesn't mean that the Red Flame Torch must be as well."
"It's just got to be!" said Harry.
"Maybe, but still it may take a while to actually find it."
"Well, I'm not just sitting around here while the bodies of Hermione and Sirius are still dead. I'll do research."
"You got 'Hogwarts: A History,'" Ron reminded him.
"But that book doesn't have the answer!" said Harry frustrated. "I know that some book in the library must have the answer."
"I'm coming with you," said Ron as the two of them proceeded to leave Gryffindor Tower.
But when they arrived, they were faced with an unpleasant sight.
"Ugh," said Ron. "Slytherins!" For sitting in the middle of the library were Blaise and Angel Zabini. "What are you doing here?"
"My brother was helping me revise for the OWL's," said Angel.
"Yeah, right," said Ron in a sarcastic tone. "We all know the OWL's will be cancelled."
"We can't take any chances," said Angel.
"Well, Harry and I have to look up the Red Fla--" but then Ron interrupted himself. He didn't want the Slytherins to find out where the Red Flame Torch was in case one of them had a Death Eater for a father.
So, unable to think up an excuse, Ron merely said, "Ten points from Slytherin. Now get out of here."
"What?" asked Angel indignantly. "You're taking points from us just for studying in the library? You can't do that!"
"Of course I can. I'm a prefect!"
"Well, so am I," said Angel, "so five points from Gryffindor. And Ronald, of course you talk big now. But when you let that dead girlfriend of yours pussy-whip you into joining SPEW --"
And for the second time in nearly a month, a Slytherin was provoking Ron. He drew his wand, and Angel did likewise.
"You know, guys," said Blaise, who spoke for the first time, "you can either fight or help Harry and me look up information on the Red Flame Torch."
The other three students were all shocked, Harry most of all. For one thing, it was the first time Harry had ever seen Blaise Zabini, and Harry started to laugh.
"I'm sorry, Blaise," said Harry, "but I thought that you --"
"Were a girl?" Blaise finished. "I get that. Everyone hears the name 'Blaise' and thinks I'm a girl."
Naturally, Harry had missed Blaise's sorting nearly six years earlier because he had been congratulating Ron Weasley, whose name preceded Zabini alphabetically, on being sorted into Gryffindor.
"But I was named after the Muggle philosopher Blaise Pascal."
The other thing that Harry couldn't believe was that Blaise, a Slytherin, was offering assistance in locating the Torch.
"But why do you guys want to help us find the Red Flame Torch," Ron asked. "I thought you Slytherin lot and your Death Eater families want to help Voldemort --"
The Zabinis shivered at the mention of the name. Then Blaise spoke.
"Not all Slytherins support You-Know-Who. In fact, Angel and I lost family to the Green Flame Torch as well."
"Like I care about some Death Eater," said Ron.
"Our great uncle is Cornelius Fudge," said Angel defiantly, "who was made Minister of Magic, so don't you go insulting my family."
"Fine," said Ron, "as long as you respect my dad, who was also made Minister of Magic."
"Relax," said Harry. "We are all on the same side now."
And so the four of them spent the rest of the day in the library, searching every book for mention of the Torches to no avail.
When Harry retired that night, he thought to himself, if someone had told him that he would meet a Slytherin named after a famous Muggle, related to Fudge, or willing to help him find the Red Flame Torch, he would have called that person crazy.
Harry had spent the last few days staring out his dormitory window, wondering what was taking Marla so long. Nearly a fortnight had passed since he had sent his owl Animagus to Godric's Hollow to seek out the Red Flame Torch.
"What if it isn't there?" Ron pointed out to Harry. "Just because the Green Flame Torch was there, it doesn't mean that the Red Flame Torch must be as well."
"It's just got to be!" said Harry.
"Maybe, but still it may take a while to actually find it."
"Well, I'm not just sitting around here while the bodies of Hermione and Sirius are still dead. I'll do research."
"You got 'Hogwarts: A History,'" Ron reminded him.
"But that book doesn't have the answer!" said Harry frustrated. "I know that some book in the library must have the answer."
"I'm coming with you," said Ron as the two of them proceeded to leave Gryffindor Tower.
But when they arrived, they were faced with an unpleasant sight.
"Ugh," said Ron. "Slytherins!" For sitting in the middle of the library were Blaise and Angel Zabini. "What are you doing here?"
"My brother was helping me revise for the OWL's," said Angel.
"Yeah, right," said Ron in a sarcastic tone. "We all know the OWL's will be cancelled."
"We can't take any chances," said Angel.
"Well, Harry and I have to look up the Red Fla--" but then Ron interrupted himself. He didn't want the Slytherins to find out where the Red Flame Torch was in case one of them had a Death Eater for a father.
So, unable to think up an excuse, Ron merely said, "Ten points from Slytherin. Now get out of here."
"What?" asked Angel indignantly. "You're taking points from us just for studying in the library? You can't do that!"
"Of course I can. I'm a prefect!"
"Well, so am I," said Angel, "so five points from Gryffindor. And Ronald, of course you talk big now. But when you let that dead girlfriend of yours pussy-whip you into joining SPEW --"
And for the second time in nearly a month, a Slytherin was provoking Ron. He drew his wand, and Angel did likewise.
"You know, guys," said Blaise, who spoke for the first time, "you can either fight or help Harry and me look up information on the Red Flame Torch."
The other three students were all shocked, Harry most of all. For one thing, it was the first time Harry had ever seen Blaise Zabini, and Harry started to laugh.
"I'm sorry, Blaise," said Harry, "but I thought that you --"
"Were a girl?" Blaise finished. "I get that. Everyone hears the name 'Blaise' and thinks I'm a girl."
Naturally, Harry had missed Blaise's sorting nearly six years earlier because he had been congratulating Ron Weasley, whose name preceded Zabini alphabetically, on being sorted into Gryffindor.
"But I was named after the Muggle philosopher Blaise Pascal."
The other thing that Harry couldn't believe was that Blaise, a Slytherin, was offering assistance in locating the Torch.
"But why do you guys want to help us find the Red Flame Torch," Ron asked. "I thought you Slytherin lot and your Death Eater families want to help Voldemort --"
The Zabinis shivered at the mention of the name. Then Blaise spoke.
"Not all Slytherins support You-Know-Who. In fact, Angel and I lost family to the Green Flame Torch as well."
"Like I care about some Death Eater," said Ron.
"Our great uncle is Cornelius Fudge," said Angel defiantly, "who was made Minister of Magic, so don't you go insulting my family."
"Fine," said Ron, "as long as you respect my dad, who was also made Minister of Magic."
"Relax," said Harry. "We are all on the same side now."
And so the four of them spent the rest of the day in the library, searching every book for mention of the Torches to no avail.
When Harry retired that night, he thought to himself, if someone had told him that he would meet a Slytherin named after a famous Muggle, related to Fudge, or willing to help him find the Red Flame Torch, he would have called that person crazy.
Friday, June 04, 2004
This day was supposed to be the last day of classes before the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams. And so the examiners arrived at Hogwarts, ready to administer the exams the following week.
As Harry and Ron dined in the Great Hall that night, Professors Marchbanks, Tofty, and much to Harry's surprise, Lupin, all arrived for administration of the exams.
"Professor McGonagall," said Madam Marchbanks, "the Great Hall is nearly empty at dinner time. Where are all the students?"
"Most of them, I daresay, are at the Quidditch Pitch, watching the final match of the season between my own house and Hufflepuff."
"But isn't the season scheduled to end weeks before the exams are set to begin?" asked Professor Tofty.
"Certainly," said McGonagall, "but the final match has lasted for nearly three weeks and no one has caught the Snitch."
"If the Snitch is not caught soon," Marchbanks warned, "then the exams will have to be cancelled."
Meanwhile Harry directed his attention to Lupin.
"Hello, Harry," said Lupin. "Congratulations on passing your Apparition exam, Ron."
"How did you --" Harry began, but Lupin intervened.
"The Minister has relaxed the rules on hiring werewolves. Since I had experience teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, the Ministry gave me this temporary job proctoring the exam. Don't worry, Harry, the full moon was a few days ago."
Harry spent the rest of the day listening to Lupin tell stories about his days as a Marauder. Some of the stories surprised Harry.
"I didn't know you had a crush on my Mum, too," said Harry.
"Of course I kept it a secret from James," Lupin replied.
They talked late in the night until Harry retired to bed.
As Harry and Ron dined in the Great Hall that night, Professors Marchbanks, Tofty, and much to Harry's surprise, Lupin, all arrived for administration of the exams.
"Professor McGonagall," said Madam Marchbanks, "the Great Hall is nearly empty at dinner time. Where are all the students?"
"Most of them, I daresay, are at the Quidditch Pitch, watching the final match of the season between my own house and Hufflepuff."
"But isn't the season scheduled to end weeks before the exams are set to begin?" asked Professor Tofty.
"Certainly," said McGonagall, "but the final match has lasted for nearly three weeks and no one has caught the Snitch."
"If the Snitch is not caught soon," Marchbanks warned, "then the exams will have to be cancelled."
Meanwhile Harry directed his attention to Lupin.
"Hello, Harry," said Lupin. "Congratulations on passing your Apparition exam, Ron."
"How did you --" Harry began, but Lupin intervened.
"The Minister has relaxed the rules on hiring werewolves. Since I had experience teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, the Ministry gave me this temporary job proctoring the exam. Don't worry, Harry, the full moon was a few days ago."
Harry spent the rest of the day listening to Lupin tell stories about his days as a Marauder. Some of the stories surprised Harry.
"I didn't know you had a crush on my Mum, too," said Harry.
"Of course I kept it a secret from James," Lupin replied.
They talked late in the night until Harry retired to bed.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
That night, Harry had yet another dream about Sirius.
"Harry," Sirius said softly.
Harry stared into his gray eyes. Then after a long pause, Harry turned away and spoke to his godfather without looking at him.
"The Green Flame Torch is gone," said Harry. "But it was never the Green Flame Torch we needed. It's the Red Flame Torch. Then I can save you and Hermione and all the others. But you know where it is, right? Please tell me you know where it is."
Harry turned to look at Sirius again. But he now had vanished, and soon he was alone with the veil. Then he awakened, disappointed that he did not learn anything new about the whereabouts of the Red Flame Torch.
"Morning," Ron grumbled drowsily.
But Harry was paying no attention. He wanted to go down to the common room and read "Hogwarts: A History."
"Harry," said Ron, "please tell me you're not turning into Hermi--"
But Harry was not playing attention. He turned to the pages on the four Torches.
"Fine," Ron muttered. "I'll go check up on the match."
Harry re-read about how the four Torches once belonged to the Founders of Hogwarts. Salazar Slytherin's Green Flame Torch was no more, and the Torch he now wanted was Godric Gryffindor's.
"Hello, Harry," a girl's voice disturbed him from his thoughts. It was Marla Granger. "Reading up on the Torches?"
"Yes," he replied.
"I wish to help," said Marla. "I want to bring back my sister as much as you do, and besides, it's the least I can do since I was the one who had Torched her in the first place."
"It wasn't your fault," said Harry somberly. Then he turned toward her and asked, "But what can you do?"
Then Harry paused. "Hey," he said suddenly, "you used to bear the Green Flame Torch. Do you remember where it came from?"
"It was, uh, a place called Godric's Hollow, I think."
"Godric!" said Harry. "As in Godric Gryffindor! Of course! So the Red Flame Torch has got to be there!"
Marla's face lit up. "And since I'm an owl Animagus, I can fly there and back in no time!"
And so she flew out the tower window and set off on her journey.
"Harry," Sirius said softly.
Harry stared into his gray eyes. Then after a long pause, Harry turned away and spoke to his godfather without looking at him.
"The Green Flame Torch is gone," said Harry. "But it was never the Green Flame Torch we needed. It's the Red Flame Torch. Then I can save you and Hermione and all the others. But you know where it is, right? Please tell me you know where it is."
Harry turned to look at Sirius again. But he now had vanished, and soon he was alone with the veil. Then he awakened, disappointed that he did not learn anything new about the whereabouts of the Red Flame Torch.
"Morning," Ron grumbled drowsily.
But Harry was paying no attention. He wanted to go down to the common room and read "Hogwarts: A History."
"Harry," said Ron, "please tell me you're not turning into Hermi--"
But Harry was not playing attention. He turned to the pages on the four Torches.
"Fine," Ron muttered. "I'll go check up on the match."
Harry re-read about how the four Torches once belonged to the Founders of Hogwarts. Salazar Slytherin's Green Flame Torch was no more, and the Torch he now wanted was Godric Gryffindor's.
"Hello, Harry," a girl's voice disturbed him from his thoughts. It was Marla Granger. "Reading up on the Torches?"
"Yes," he replied.
"I wish to help," said Marla. "I want to bring back my sister as much as you do, and besides, it's the least I can do since I was the one who had Torched her in the first place."
"It wasn't your fault," said Harry somberly. Then he turned toward her and asked, "But what can you do?"
Then Harry paused. "Hey," he said suddenly, "you used to bear the Green Flame Torch. Do you remember where it came from?"
"It was, uh, a place called Godric's Hollow, I think."
"Godric!" said Harry. "As in Godric Gryffindor! Of course! So the Red Flame Torch has got to be there!"
Marla's face lit up. "And since I'm an owl Animagus, I can fly there and back in no time!"
And so she flew out the tower window and set off on her journey.
