~Flashback – a month after Voldemort’s defeat~

The hall of the Burrow was looking like a collection of chameleons moving about when viewed from a distance. When closely inspected, they turned out to be wizards and witches wearing an assortment of robes of apparently any colour under the sun. A great babble of voices could be heard issuing from the occupants of the room, who were currently engrossed in a major discussion, from which, unfortunately, some of the members of the house were excluded.

‘But we fought in the war!’ said Ron, indignantly. ‘And we’re of age!’

‘Yes – but this is adult business – you are NOT supposed to be in it.’

Ron gave her an incredulous look. ‘Adult business?’ he said. ‘Voting for the Minister? We’re what – five?’

‘Don’t argue with me, young man!’ snapped Mrs. Weasley, whose nerves were still frayed since the war. She hadn’t recovered from the loss of Fred yet. Neither had George, but he didn’t show it. ‘Go upstairs. AT ONCE. Hermione dear, take this pile of washing with you as you go, will you?’

‘Sure, Mrs. Weasley. Come on, Ron.’ Mrs. Weasley smiled wanly at her. Close by, Hermione noticed how tired she looked, with dark rings round her eyes and her pale face. She led Ron upstairs to the twins’ room. George was sitting there, poking at a chess-piece. He didn’t look up as they entered.

‘There you are, then!’ Ginny appeared at the door and sat down on the bed with the other three. Casting an anxious look at George, she glanced around and saw that the room was in a dreadful mess – books lying open on the floor, a small pot of Floo powder stacked clumsily into the floorboard, a pair of robes belonging to Fred hanging from a hook of the open wardrobe, a box of Canary Creams on the shelf next to the bed and a knapsack strewn across a chair – in short, the room looked exactly as Fred had left it.

Hermione caught her look and giving Ron a meaningful glance, she said, ‘You look nice in that dress, Ginny.’

‘Thanks, Hermione,’ said Ginny. ‘Fleur got it for me – she wouldn’t listen – said she’s gifted one to her sister too, and had bought the pair together.’

‘That’s very generous of her, I’m sure. I’ve heard she and Bill are going to have a baby soon?’

‘Oh yes – she’s started knitting stockings for the baby already.’

‘Wonder what they’re saying downstairs?’ said Ron, with a quick glance across at George. A pair of Extendable Ears lay right in front of the latter, yet he didn’t show the slightest inclination to use them.

‘You three can stay here then, just tell Mum I’m going over to Lee’s for this evening,’ said George, speaking at last, and taking his wand out, he Apparated.

Ginny looked apprehensively at the others and picked one of the Extendable Ears. They did likewise. Slowly tiptoeing across, they suspended the Ears to the room below to catch what the Order members were saying. They did feel the inevitable slight excitement of doing things secretly, but it was somehow lacking in the enthusiasm of the previous times. The conversation slowly became intelligible to them as their ears got accustomed to the low voices below.

    ‘But surely the Unspeakables would not permit us to do that?’

‘Oh they do, trust me, when Kingsley tells them to,’ said the grim voice of Aberforth Dumbledore.

‘Oh yes – you were voted as Minister, right?’

(‘I knew she was putting us off! Voting, fiddlesticks!’)

‘Yes. I first thought of rejecting it, but then I thought that there was no one sensible for the job, and if I didn’t take it, one of those jerks Dawlish and Williamson would take it.’

‘Heavens! Them!’

‘Yeah. So I took the job – wasn’t much of a problem.’

‘But can the dead return to the living with their original – bodies that we can – you know – touch and feel?’

‘I’m not sure yet – some people say they can.’

‘How?’

‘Oh well, there were some rumours about something called the three Hallows – ever heard of them? Don’t believe in them, do you? Neither do I. Anyway, these people seemed to think that they existed, and they believe that if these are united by the right person, who is indeed the sole possessor of these three Hallows, in the presence of a child, and if this person summons the dead people then they can come back to the living in their original state, solid and all.’

‘And who, may I ask, were these – ah...people?’

‘Well, one of them was Xenophilius Lovegood –’

‘That crazy old bugger! You believe him?’

‘Well, he says he has proof –’

‘Proof? He’ll be showing you his own things....honestly, I don’t believe people for falling for his words – his possessions are worth gawking at....normal people don’t own such things like Spectrespecs...’

‘You noticed that badge he wore our wedding?’

‘What badge? Oh, he must have nicked the signs from a book and made it himself.’

‘I mean – he must know something about them, mustn’t he?’

‘It seems interesting, Abe.’

‘To a collector of fairy-tales, maybe.’

‘Oh, come on...it’s worth a try!’

‘Worth a try? What do you propose to do – raid the antique-shops?’

‘What were those three things again?’

‘Oh – one was a stone – the Philosopher’s stone, or something.’

‘There was one in Gringotts a few years back, wasn’t it?’

‘It was nicked from there...and then Harry was linked to the matter somehow.’

‘How? He didn’t –?’

‘Of course not.’

‘Then –?’

‘He helped get it back. Don’t ask where it is now – I don’t know. The only thing I do know is that it was quite old – about a few centuries old, I should think.’

‘And talking about Harry – where is the boy?’

‘That’s the glitch – no one knows.’

‘Hey – wasn’t one of those three things a Cloak? Harry has one, doesn’t he?’

‘Yes, but how do you know it’s old?’

‘He got it from his father, didn’t he?’

‘So? That’s just fifty years.’

‘And where did James get it from?’

‘How am I to know?’

‘Hang on a minute. Accio Tapestry!’

‘Wha –?’

‘Potter....oh yes, here you go – look. Tracing upwards...the lik connecting James leads directly to Ignotus Peverell, Abe.’

‘But what does that prove?’

‘The Peverells are the three brothers of the tale, Amos – the other two had the Wand and the Stone.’

‘But McMillan, how’s it possible?’

‘It is not only possible, Fiona. It is the truth. Look – here’s the book says the Cloak was the third brother’s, and Ignotus was the third brother.’

‘But how do you know the Cloak was his?’

‘Because I saw Dumbledore’s researches upon the matter.’

‘Been reading quite a lot, have you?’

‘Oh well, simply to satisfy my curiosity.’

‘All right then. We’ll meet again tomorrow, everyone.’

There came the sound of chairs being scraped across the floor, and several Cracks of Disapparation, and then Ron, Hermione and Ginny removed their Extendable Ears, and sat looking at each other in silence, each of them equally confused.

‘Where is Harry, do you think?’ asked Ron, in a hushed voice.

‘I – I really don’t know, Ron!’ said Hermione, looking suddenly troubled. ‘I don’t even know if he’s alive!’

Ginny blanched. Just then, George entered the room. They all looked around at him, and he looked graver than he had before he left. Flopping down into a chair, he handed them a copy of The Daily Gazette opened at a certain page. They read:

Mysterious fire at St. Mungo’s

Three wards at St. Mungo’s caught fire yesterday due to yet unknown reasons. Due to the large number of patients, quick evacuation was slow, and resulted in the coma of four patients due to severe burns in three adjoining wards. They were mentally unstable and therefore completely helpless, and were victimised due to the late arrival of the respective Healers.

   The most intriguing matter was the nature of the fire – it was not extinguished by water, which gave rise to the belief that it was caused by a sort of Curse. Investigations are now being carried out under the new Minister of Magic – Kingsley Shacklebolt.

‘So this means,’ said Ginny, ‘that Harry is not quite safe yet. Some of the Death Eaters are still living.’

But George said ‘Read on,’ and thrust the paper back at Hermione. She read:

The victims’ names are: Albert Hopkins, Gilderoy Lockart, Frank and Alice Longbottom.

Hermione dropped the paper.  

~ End Flashback ~