Chapters 41-50

Hell Freezes Over

The weekend after the explosion, the Order of the Phoenix convened at Grimmauld Place, Number 12. The meeting was unusual for a number of reasons. For one, it was the first time since Voldemort’s defeat that the Order was on the wizarding equivalent of ‘red alert’. For another, there was a Muggle present and the son of a well-known Death Eater was down in the sound-proofed kitchen, babysitting the orphaned grandson of Order members.

The sitting room had been enchanted into a spacious conference room, complete with an u-shaped arrangement of tables and a screen at the front. The younger Order members were seated on the right side of the room, with the older members—including Hermione, who sat next to her master, with Lois Petrel at her other side—facing them.

Minerva McGonagall was coming to the conclusion of her report as the picture of the gravesite flickered on the screen. Only the foundations of the tomb was still intact. The walls and roof had been reduced to a pile of rubbish strewn in a diameter of roughly twenty yards. Beyond that line white marble dust covered the grass for a further seventy or eighty yards.

‘The tomb was completely destroyed,’ McGonagall said. ‘Neither the Hogwarts staff nor the Aurors have been able to determine if anything was removed from the tomb.’

‘Do you have any idea about the identity of the perpetrators?’ Andromeda asked.

Bill Weasley shook his head. As a former curse breaker for Gringotts, he’d been the Order’s greatest hope of finding out more about the explosion. ‘Nope. There’s no trace at all of whoever caused the explosion. They used kobalite—but they could have gotten that anywhere. We used that in Egypt, but the Americans use it, too. And the French.’

‘What about the children?’ Ron asked. ‘Did they see anything? How is Alina doing?’

Hermione frowned at the easy familiarity with which Ron said the name of Lois’ daughter. She knew that Ron had met Lois again. But somehow she’d never considered…Lois was eight years older than Ron! Quite an age difference. Though not as much of a difference as between herself and…She bit down on her lip and hoped that her cheeks merely felt hot, and were not colouring with a self-conscious flush.

Ron looked shocked when Snape raised his head to answer his question, though Hermione wasn’t surprised. It had been hard on her master when it turned out that two of his own had been the ringleaders of a potentially lethal escapade.

‘Miss Petrel is still in the hospital wing,’ Professor Snape said in a soft, tired voice. ‘She is recovering from a severe concussion, which cannot be treated with magical means. She suffered numerous smaller injuries, lacerations and bruises, including a fracture of her right arm, which have been completely healed by now.’ He nodded at Lois, his eyes dark with remorse. ‘Miss Petrel was unconcscious for two days. But she is expected to make a full recovery. Unfortunately she remembers nothing about the incident except being knocked backwards by the explosion. Mr. Sibly-Styles, Mr. Alger and Miss Beiond were hiding in the boathouse, playing exploding snap. They didn’t see or hear anything until the explosion took place.’

‘What exactly were those foolish children doing out there at night in the first place?’ Andromeda asked. ‘And how is it possible that you didn’t notice what they were up to, Severus?’ The war had turned the orderly witch stern, and the accusation in her tone was impossible to miss.

‘I am—’

‘Andromeda, this is not—’

‘There is no—’

Hermione, Minerva and Professor Snape started together, with Hermione the quickest to continue after a moment of awkward silence.

‘As Professor Snape’s apprentice I am the teacher of the First Years and Second Years. I should have noticed they were up to something. I knew, of course, that there has been some kind of—’ She cast an uncomfortable glance at her master. ‘Well, a kind of hero-worship going on, especially among the lower level classes, directed at Harry, Professor Snape, and mainly at Albus Dumbledore. Somehow the children came up with the idea of re-establishing Dumbledore’s Army as an order of knights, and the ordeal of knighthood included spending a night in vigil at Dumbledore’s tomb.’

Lois groaned, and Molly Weasley harumphed pointedly. Ron chuckled.

‘Plucky lass,’ he murmured, and winked at Lois.

‘What has been done about the children?’ Percy asked, his voice rife with disapproval.

Before Hermione could answer, Professor Snape spoke again, ‘75 house-points have been taken from each of the students who left the castle at night for no good reason and without permission. Additionally, they have to serve three detentions. They were asked to supply the names of their fellow ‘knights’, but declined to do so. A decision for which they were rewarded with five points each.—
‘As for your earlier question, Andromeda, I assume full responsibility. I am the Head of Slytherin House, and I should have realised that something was afoot,’ Snape added wearily. ‘My only explanation—please note, I do not and will not make any excuses for my failings—is that something as…thoroughly Gryffindor as this mad scheme has never occurred in the history of Slytherin House before.’

Ron snickered, then grinned broadly at Lois, completely failing to notice her agonised embarrassment.

‘Can we please get back to our topic now?’ Harry asked with barely veiled impatience. ‘We really have more important things to discuss right now than the pranks of some First Year dunderheads playing heroes.’

Snape’s eyebrows quirked, faint surprise glinted in his eyes. At his most caustic, the Potions Master went on, ‘Indeed.—Ladies and gentlemen, it has happened at last: hell has frozen over. For once I find myself in complete agreement with Potter.

‘Pleasant though it must be to discuss my shortcomings as a teacher and head of house, we do have more important things to discuss here tonight.’

oooOooo

---

« Chapters 31–40 oooOooo Chapters 51–60 »

---