Chapter 12
The group appeared just as suddenly as it had disappeared, in a large and grand entryway.
Hermione looked around her with interest and curiosity. "What was that?" she asked. "It didn't feel like a portkey."
Harry made the ring visible, and showed it to his friends. "This is the Gryffindor lordship ring. It acts as a portkey, but it makes for a much smoother ride." He gestured to the area around him. "This is Lion's Castle, which I inherited through the Gryffindor line. It's completely unplottable, and besides Sirius and Aunt Minerva, we're the only people who know it exists."
Susan looked close to crying. "Is there any way we can find out what's going on at the Ministry? Aunt Amelia…"
Harry nodded understandingly. "I know, Susan. I'm worried about everyone. I wish we could have found Blaise, Daphne, and Luna."
Ginny rested a hand on his arm. "You know we had to leave," she implored. "Voldemort was headed right for us. We're not ready for that battle yet."
Harry sighed. "I know. I just hope they're all right."
Ginny squeezed his arm gently. "Me, too."
Harry took a deep breath to collect himself. "I guess we should take a look around," he suggested. "Aunt Minerva told me to get us somewhere safe, and I don't want to risk anything before we know the situation."
There were nods around the group, though everyone looked less than thrilled about not finding out what was happening with their loved ones immediately.
A loud pop interrupted them as they turned towards the staircase.
Harry glanced at the source of the noise, and smiled at the house elf that had appeared.
The elf peered at him curiously. "Master Gryffindor, sir? No one but a Gryffindor heir could get through the wards."
Harry nodded and showed her his Gryffindor lordship ring. "My name's Harry, I am Gryffindor's heir."
The elf nodded eagerly. "Welcome, Lord Gryffindor. I being Mimsy."
Harry smiled. "It's nice to meet you. And you can call me Harry. Are there other elves working here?"
Mimsy nodded again. "Oh yes, Mimsy's family has been bound to Lion's Castle since Master Godric had it built for his son, Master Adrian. There being five of us now, we keep the Castle in order."
Harry glanced around at the group, and then looked back at Mimsy. "I would like to meet with all of you when it is convenient, but for now, I think we'd like to settle in a bit, and perhaps get something to eat?"
Mimsy nodded, her ears flapping wildly. "Mimsy will have lunch prepared for you right away, Master Harry!" She popped away, and Harry turned back to his friends.
"Let's find some bedrooms, and put our stuff away."
Ginny snorted lightly, a small hint of hysteria in her voice indicating her exhaustion and fear for family and friends possibly still fighting for their lives. "Isn't it lucky we shrunk our trunks down to transport them?"
Harry grasped her hand tightly, and pulled her with him up the grand staircase. The others followed behind.
They found several empty bedrooms on the second floor, and Harry indicated for them to take whatever rooms they wanted.
He and Ginny chose a bedroom near the stairs, with soft blues and greys as the theme. There was probably a master suite somewhere, but the couple wanted to be near their friends, and the rooms in this hallway were all spacious and welcoming.
There was a queen sized bed on one wall, a wardrobe in a corner, a desk, and a door that led to a walk-in closet.
There was a second door along the far wall, and when Harry opened it, he found there to be a Jack and Jill bathroom, which he and Ginny could share with the next bedroom over.
The door to that room opened, and Harry nodded at Neville, smiling slightly as he saw Susan currently unpacking her trunk in the bedroom.
Neville glanced behind him, and blushed slightly as he shrugged.
Harry didn't say anything. He wasn't going to regulate where his friends chose to sleep. If they wanted to share rooms, well, who was he to judge?
The group of six met back in the hallway fifteen minutes later, and wandered back down the stairs to find the dining room. In the entryway, they were met by Mimsy, who showed them to the room in question, which housed a magnificent cherry wood table that could seat forty people comfortably.
At one end was an impressive spread set up for them, with four elves waiting off to one side.
Mimsy eagerly introduced the elves as Flora, Mugsy, Hattie, and Tamsy.
Harry smiled at each of them, and introduced his friends.
"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask," he said, as they sat down to eat.
The elves all looked like they might start crying at the kindness, and promptly popped away to get back to their jobs.
Over lunch, they discussed any next steps to make.
Ginny bit her lip. "I hope Selene and Crookshanks are all right," she commented worriedly.
Hermione gasped softly. "Oh, I didn't even think about that!" she cried.
Harry, Ron, and Neville had released their owls to fly home, but Hermione and Ginny had had their cats in carry boxes.
Harry rested a hand on Ginny's arm. "I'm sure they're fine. They're smart cats, they would have gotten away from the fight."
Ginny nodded slightly, but her expression didn't clear.
Harry sighed, and removed his hand. "I need to get a message to Aunt Minerva," he said. "We need to find out what happened after we left, and what happened at the Ministry and Diagon Alley. I also want to get Blaise, Daphne, and Luna here."
"Charmed portkey letters?" Ginny suggested. "Have them activate a specific time, so that they can be prepared with all their things."
Harry nodded. "That's a good idea. But I'm not really sure how to get a letter to all of them. We don't have any owls, and even if we did, I think there are too many ways a note could be intercepted."
Mimsy popped in at that moment. "If Master Harry writes a letter, Mimsy can deliver it."
Harry smiled. "Thank you, Mimsy. I'll let you know when they're ready."
Mimsy beamed and popped away.
Susan chuckled. "I guess that's settled."
Harry bit his lip as he thought about what to put in the letters, and then turned to the group. "Why don't you all explore a little, and I'll write these notes. I'll meet up with you in a bit."
They agreed, and Harry excused himself from the table to find a study.
XXX
Minerva was exhausted as she nearly collapsed onto the chair in the sitting room.
What a day.
It had been a hard fight, and they had been badly outmatched. It was a miracle they had held up as well as they had. In the end, the Death Eaters had retreated to the castle, holding it down and forcing students and professors alike to make for the village, where they all Flooed or apparated away to their homes or somewhere safe. Those that were able assisted any injured in getting clear of the battlefield. There were far too many who had been hurt, but Minerva was fairly certain they had gotten most of the wounded out of danger.
It was official: Hogwarts was closed. Voldemort had very clearly announced his intention to hold the castle against the light, and there would be no retaking it until the Dark Lord was gone.
The fire flared briefly, and Minerva jumped to her feet as a haggard Sirius and Remus tumbled in.
They looked up and sighed in relief at seeing the Transfiguration Mistress well.
Minerva frowned. "How bad was it?" she asked worriedly.
Sirius groaned. "The Death Eaters seemed intent on causing as much mayhem as possible. There were so many of them, and not nearly enough of us."
Minerva nodded grimly. "Understood."
Remus sat down shakily. "Eventually they all portkeyed away, but not before the Alley was in shambles. We stayed to help out as much as we could, getting people to St. Mungos and the like. I have a feeling the Alley's going to be pretty empty for a while."
It hurt to hear, but not knowing was even worse, Minerva mused. She was so used to Diagon Alley being a place of cheer and joy, with people spending a day out shopping with friends, or meeting up for lunch at the Cauldron.
She sighed. "How many casualties?" She was almost afraid of the answer.
Sirius swallowed. "I'm not sure how many deaths," he admitted. "Madam Malkin had to be taken to the hospital, as did Fortescue. Ollivander's missing."
Minerva gasped lightly. "What do you mean?"
Remus shook his head. "We saw some Death Eaters go in and drag him out, but we weren't in a position to assist. We're not sure what they want with him."
Minerva felt a few tears leak from her eyes. Ollivander had been a staple in the Alley for decades. She remembered buying her first wand from him, on her eleventh birthday.
Sirius rubbed a hand across his face. "More shopkeepers and visitors to the Alley were injured as well. For the Order, we lost Hestia and Dedalus. Bill, Fleur, and the twins are fine, though," he assured her. "We saw them helping out after the fighting was over."
Minerva nodded, still thinking about how much had been lost in just one day.
The fire flared again, and they all stepped forward quickly, gasping in surprise as Amelia stumbled out.
Sirius quickly reached out and grabbed his wife in a tight embrace.
Amelia held him just as securely, crying tears that she had been holding in for a while.
After a few minutes, they separated as they sat down on a loveseat, though Sirius continued to hold her hand, as Minerva asked what had happened at the Ministry, taking a seat in an armchair.
Amelia shook her head slightly. "The building's lost," she reported grimly. "I told my senior staff to meet at the secure location by morning. I have no idea what happened to Kingsley or Rufus, or any of the others." She closed her eyes briefly. "Percy's dead."
Minerva gasped again, her hand flying to her mouth.
Amelia nodded, her eyes pained. "He pushed me out of the way of a Killing Curse, and it hit him instead."
Sirius reached out and pulled her into another hug. Amelia felt her eyes slip closed again.
They stayed in silence for a while longer, thinking about Percy, giving his life to get Amelia out, and all of those friends and family who were in the wind. Arthur, Frank, Alice, what had happened to them?
Suddenly, Amelia sat up. "The kids?" she asked, looking at Minerva.
Minerva bit her lip. "I told Harry to get the others and get to a safe place. I lost track of them for a while, but I saw them portkey out."
"But where are they?" Amelia asked, fearful for her niece and the others.
Minerva couldn't give her an answer, but a moment later, a strange elf popped in.
She looked around at the group, and handed a folded piece of parchment to Minerva. "I being Mimsy," she squeaked. "Master Harry wishes me to give you this."
Before Minerva could say anything or ask any questions, the elf popped away.
Fear gripping her heart, Minerva opened the note.
Aunt Minerva –
Don't worry, we're safe. I'm not going to tell you where I am, though I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. Everyone is fine, and we're going to disappear for a while, while we do what needs to be done. We'll be careful, and we'll keep in touch.
We are all very anxious to find out what's happened today. If you can meet at Potter Manor at noon tomorrow, I will be there for fifteen minutes. Please come alone.
See you (hopefully) tomorrow,
Harry
Minerva read the letter aloud, and they all felt some of the worry lift. The teenagers were all right.
"I wish they had come back here," Amelia fretted. "I won't completely calm down until I see Susan with my own eyes."
Minerva pursed her lips. "They're being safe. Though these wards are impressive, they are still fallible. Harry has chosen to remove himself and his friends from view for the near future. They're going somewhere no one would think to look for them. It is public knowledge that I took over his guardianship; therefore, the Death Eaters could try and find him here."
Sirius nodded. "I want to see for myself that they're all right as well, but I think they're doing the smart thing here. We trained them well, so we have to trust that they'll take care of themselves."
The fire flared again, and then again, several more times, as people stepped out.
Frank and Alice looked slightly worse for the wear, but not seriously injured. They seemed incredibly relieved to see Amelia there.
"We sent your Senior Undersecretary to the safe house," Frank informed her. "She was shaken up but all right."
Amelia nodded, thankful.
Behind the Longbottoms were Bill and Fleur, and then the twins.
Bill looked around. "Have you seen dad at all?" he asked worriedly. "I heard it got nasty at the Ministry."
"That's putting it mildly," Alice snorted. "The Ministry was evacuating when we left. The building's lost."
Frank was quick to reassure the redhead. "I'm sure Arthur is fine. He's a good fighter, he can take care of himself."
Bill nodded, but still looked concerned, as Fleur wrapped an arm around his waist.
Behind Bill and Fleur, Tonks appeared, and wasted no time in jumping into Remus' arms.
"Oh I was so worried," she murmured into his shoulder. "I heard you were at the Alley."
Remus nodded, gripping her tightly. "We're fine," he assured her. "Everything will be all right."
Tonks pulled back. "I should get my parents," she fretted. "Their wards aren't too great, and they should know what's going on."
Minerva nodded. "I'll add them to the access list here. Have them pack a bag, and they are welcome to stay as long as they want."
Tonks smiled a thank you, and then stepped back through the Floo.
Not two seconds after she had left, Kingsley appeared. His expression was grave as he looked at Amelia. "Rufus is dead."
Amelia gasped. She hadn't really liked the man that much, but he was a fierce fighter, and loyal to the light.
"How?" Sirius asked grimly.
Kingsley glanced at him. "The Lestrange brothers. I couldn't see too clearly, as I was fighting Avery, but I saw him fall."
"Do you know if the rest of the senior staff made it out?" Amelia asked shakily. It seemed so incomprehensible to realize that in the span of a few hours, their government had folded.
No, she thought determinedly. She wouldn't let their government fall. They could still operate in the shadows if need be.
Kingsley shook his head. "I don't know about everyone. I know Amos got out," he referred to Cedric's father, the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. "I'm not sure about McFarlen or Helmsby," he spoke of the heads of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes and the Department of International Magical Cooperation, respectively. "I saw Basil making for the exit when I left." Killian Basil had only just taken over as head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. "Cedric was with him." He thought they would want to know that, seeing as how Cedric was pretty good friends with Harry. "I think Jones is dead," he reported on the head of the Department of Magical Transportation. "I thought I saw her body, but I could have been mistaken."
Amelia nodded, taking in the information. The people Kingsley had talked about rounded out the senior staff of the Ministry, which consisted of the heads of the seven departments, plus most of those who worked on level one, the Minister's support staff.
The Department of Mysteries was housed in the Ministry, but most people considered them to be separate. While the head of the DoM was a part of the senior staff, there wasn't much interaction between Department of Mysteries employees, and Ministry employees.
She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as Molly came through the Floo. She looked around and gave a cry of relief at seeing three of her sons and her daughter-in-law, lurching forward to hug them all tightly.
When she pulled back, she looked around the room. "Where are the children?" she asked worriedly.
Minerva gave her the letter from Harry to read, and though she didn't appear to be too happy about what it said, Molly let it pass without comment, handing the parchment back to the professor. "What about Arthur? Have you seen him?" She seemed to be almost afraid of the answer.
They shook their heads, and Molly gave a wail of despair, sinking down into a chair.
Minerva consoled her softly, and the room lapsed into silence once more, before being broken by yet another figure stepping out of the fireplace.
Augusta looked around quickly, and immediately made her way to her son and daughter-in-law, giving them each a tight hug. "The governors have all been informed," she told Minerva. "The school is officially closed."
Minerva nodded shakily, swallowing hard at the thought of the school actually closing its doors. It had nearly happened when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened years ago, but this was so much worse.
Augusta frowned. "Neville?"
Frank and Alice looked grim, as Minerva handed them the note that Harry had sent. They all seemed slightly calmer after reading it, but still wanted to see for themselves that he was all right.
"What do we do now?" Bill asked softly.
Amelia glanced at him and shrugged. She couldn't stop the guilt from worming its way through her gut. His brother had died for her. Molly's son had sacrificed his life, for her. How was she supposed to tell them that? Especially when Arthur's fate was still unknown.
As if in answer to their prayers, the fireplace flared up yet again, and the Weasley patriarch stumbled out.
Molly nearly flew across the short distance to grasp her husband in a tight embrace. "Oh I was so worried," she cried.
Arthur patted her back consolingly. "I'm all right," he reassured her.
"Where were you?" she asked angrily, pulling back.
Arthur took a deep breath. "I went by Kings Cross," he admitted. "I wanted to make sure parents waiting for their children knew what had happened."
"That was a good idea," Minerva admitted. "I hadn't considered that."
Arthur nodded his thanks at the praise. "I specifically wanted to tell Hermione's parents what was going on, but I thought everyone needed to know. They were all thankful."
"Are the Grangers all right?" Minerva asked. "They can certainly stay here if need be."
Arthur smiled. "I suggested that, but they felt comfortable behind the wards at their home. They were grateful for the offer, though."
Tonks reappeared at that moment with her parents, who expressed their relief that everyone was all right, before Minerva had a house elf take their bags.
"Has Dumbledore given any indication of what to do next?" Andromeda asked curiously, looking at Minerva.
Minerva stilled suddenly, realizing that none of them would have heard yet. She swallowed harshly. "Albus is dead."
They all gasped, shock on everyone's faces. Though they had their differences with the man, he had been such a staple in the wizarding world, their whole lives, that to imagine it without him was just impossible.
Minerva nodded shakily. "You-Know-Who killed him. I just…" She trailed off, looking at her lap as she remembered the headmaster. She may not have agreed with everything he had done, but he had been a good friend, once upon a time.
"I can't believe it," Arthur shook his head. "The wizarding world will be reeling from this. Albus was the leader of the light side. He was the leader of the opposition against You-Know-Who."
After a few minutes of silence, Molly glanced at those who had come from the Ministry. "Did any of you see Percy? I don't – " she stopped at the look on Amelia's face. "Amelia?"
Amelia felt a new wave of tears build up and then spill over. "Molly… Arthur…"
Molly gasped and leaned into her husband's side. "No," she muttered, tears cascading down her face.
Arthur was also crying, though slightly quieter. "How?" he asked, his wet gaze meeting Amelia's pained one.
Amelia shook her head slightly, her apology and guilt clear on her face. "He saved me. He came up to Level One at the beginning of the fight, and told us how one of the people in his department let the Death Eaters in and closed off Floo access. He and two Aurors acted as guards to get me to a secret exit made for situations like this." She swallowed, seeing Percy's final moments flash in front of her eyes once more. "We were at the exit, and I wanted him to come with me. He… he pushed me out of the way of a Killing Curse."
Molly gave a wail of pain and buried her head in her hands. Arthur tightened his grasp on her. "He was a hero," he murmured, to nods all around the group.
Bill was getting just as much support from Fleur as Molly was from Arthur, and Fred and George looked ghostly pale. They had teased Percy a lot, but they had been happy to have him back in the family, and proud that he had realized that family was more important than anything.
After a few minutes, Minerva suggested they all get some sleep, and allocated bedrooms out to everyone, before she retired to her own, feeling as if all the energy had seeped from her bones.
XXX
Daphne was nearly sobbing as she and Astoria landed in the Entrance Hall to the Greengrass Manor.
Barely a second passed before a house elf appeared and cried out in relief. "Mistresses are all right. Master was so worried. Zibby will inform him of mistresses return."
The elf popped away, and Daphne turned to Astoria. "Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.
Astoria nodded, sniffling. "I was so scared," she cried.
Daphne gave her a hug, holding her tightly and trying to convince herself that they were safe. Once Dumbledore had fallen, people began trying to get out of the battle as quickly as possible. They had been forced backwards towards the village, and those who knew how to apparate had done so, even if they hadn't had their licenses yet. Some had grabbed onto younger students and taken them along, just trying to get everyone out of range of the Death Eaters.
Daphne had looked around for Harry and the others, but hadn't seen them. Knowing that she didn't have much time, she had grasped onto the arm of her sister, thankful that Astoria had stuck close, and taken them back to their home.
Cyrus nearly flew down the stairs, not even pausing before he grabbed his daughters tightly. "Oh thank Merlin," he breathed.
"Dad?" Daphne asked in a small voice, muffled by the cloth of her father's shirt.
Cyrus pulled away. "I was at Diagon Alley this morning," he informed them. "The Alley's in ruins."
Both girls gasped. "What?" Astoria asked, shocked.
Cyrus nodded. "Come, let's get something to eat, and I'll tell you what's happened today."
Together, the trio headed to the kitchen, where they sat at the small table as one of the house elves whipped up a meal for them.
In between bites, Cyrus informed the girls about the Ministry and the Alley, to their shock and fear.
"What does this mean?" Daphne asked when he finished.
Cyrus sighed. "Amelia had safeguards in place so that the government could be run underground if need be. The building was lost. As for the Alley… it won't be too populated for a while."
Daphne bit her lip. "I wish I knew that the others were all right. I couldn't see Harry before we left. After Dumbledore fell, it was just chaos. I couldn't waste any time."
Cyrus nodded in understanding. "You did the right thing, sweetie. It may not feel like it right now, but you got yourself and your sister out of there alive. That's what Harry would have wanted. I'm sure he had the means to get himself out as well."
Daphne nodded shakily, but it didn't ease her worry.
Cyrus smiled slightly. "Try not to brood, Daphne. I'm sure Harry will find a way to get in touch with you. I will attempt to contact Sirius and Druella, to see if they have any more information."
Daphne looked eager for news. "Can you tell me if Blaise is all right?"
Cyrus' smile widened minutely as he nodded his agreement, and made to get up from the table.
Before he could complete the motion, Zibby popped in once more. "This letter be arriving for Mistress," she squeaked, handing the parchment to Daphne.
With a murmured thanks, Daphne unfurled the short note.
This portkey will activate at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Prepare for a lengthy stay.
There was no signature, but Daphne knew Harry's handwriting.
Cyrus frowned. "Is everything all right, Daphne?"
Daphne looked up at her father. "I'm going to go away for a while," she informed him. Her expression was serious and filled with grim determination.
Astoria looked startled, but Cyrus just sighed, closing his eyes. "Something you must do, I assume."
Daphne nodded soberly. "Harry needs me."
No more words needed to be said, and Cyrus knew that even if he did protest, Daphne would go anyway. She was seventeen after all, and he couldn't stop her.
"Be careful, and try to let me know that you're all right once in a while," he said softly.
Daphne stood up and gave him a hug, before she turned to her sister. "Everything's going to be fine, Astoria," she soothed, as the younger girl clutched her in a tight embrace.
Astoria sniffed. "You're leaving."
Daphne shook her head. "I'll be back, I promise."
Astoria pulled back and observed her older sister with world-weary eyes. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."
Daphne started, but then realized her sister was right. She nodded. "All right then. I promise that I will do my best to come back to you. Is that better?"
Astoria bit her lip but her gaze was accepting. "Take care of yourself. And Harry. He needs people to make sure he eats and everything, when he gets into study mode."
Daphne snorted, in complete agreement with Astoria. If it weren't for Ginny, Daphne was sure that Harry would have starved to death years ago, simply because he forgot to take a break and eat something every once in a while.
Cyrus watched his two girls leave the kitchen, headed for the third floor where their bedrooms were, before he went to the nearby sitting room, intent on Flooing his various contacts for information.