For a long moment, no one spoke, each person trying to think of some way to help, then Dobby popped back in.
"We has found them, Master Dumblydore Sir!" he reported excitedly. "My Master Harry Potter Sir and Master Potion Master Sir is together and so it was very easy. But oh, they is with some bad, bad people, Master Dumblydore Sir. Yous is needing to go get them right now."
"How do you know they are bad people, Dobby?" Bones asked quickly.
"They is wearing the bad clotheses that Master M- that the bad peoples wear."
"Bad clothes?" Shackleford pressed.
Dobby nodded so hard his ears made slapping noises against his head. "Black cloakses and maskses. They does bad things when they is wearing those clotheses!"
"Death Eaters!" Sirius said, his expression sick. "And they've got Harry and Snape!"
"Dobby, can you take us there?" Dumbledore demanded.
Dobby wrung his hands in distress. "Oh, Dobby is sorry, Master Dumblydore Sir, but Master Harry Potter Sir and Master Potion Master Sir is behind some very very powerful wizardy wards. They is not allowing any apparition or portkeys. House elves can be using our magic to get to the edge of the wards, and we is knowing that our Masters is inside the wards, but we is not able to get any closer to them. And there is lots and lots of the bad wizards there. If yous pop in, then the bad wizards is going to have time to hurt Master Harry Potter Sir and Master Potion Master Sir before yous is able to break through the wards. I is very sorry I can't get you close enough to save them!" And Dobby began to yank on his ears and wail in distress.
Minerva grabbed the distraught elf before it could punish itself any further, but then every instrument in Dumbledore's office went berserk, and Bones' medallion flared like a sun before going black.
"What is it? What's going on?" The babble of voices slowly died out as, one by one, they caught sight of Dumbledore's ashen face.
"Wh-what does it mean, Albus?" Sirius finally found his voice and asked the question on everyone's mind.
"It means," Albus said, through bloodless lips, "that Harry Potter is dead."
TBCтАж
*Chapter 61*: Chapter 61
Author's Note: Okay, folks: in honor of Rosh Hashana, here's a new (albeit short) chapter to mark the start of 5770! (And yes, another, longer update will be coming along shortly). Enjoy!
"It means," Albus said, through bloodless lips, "that Harry Potter is dead."
Molly's wail could have rent stone, and she was far from the only one crying. Bones and her aurors managed тАУ barely тАУ to retain their composure, but the faculty and Weasleys were distraught, and Dobby was nearly demented with grief. Charlie had to wrap him in a hug to keep him from leaping out the window.
Dumbledore finally managed to pull himself together and he called for the others' attention. "Please тАУ we must keep our heads. Severus may yet be alive, and we must try to rescue him... or at least recover the bodies."
His words prompted a new outburst of grief from Molly and Dobby, but there were resolute nods through the tears. "How can we do it, Albus?" Arthur asked. "You heard Dobby. Even if he brings us there, it will take us a while to break through the wards, and the Death Eaters will have plenty of time to flee or attack us."
Dumbledore took a deep breath. "If our elvish friends will bring us to the site, I will lower the wards immediately. It can be done through brute force if one is powerful enough, and even at my age," he smiled grimly, "I have the strength to break any ward, even if it was made by Voldemort himself. I must warn you though, the effort will likely exhaust me. I will be unable to assist in the ensuing fight. I may even lose consciousness, if the wards are powerful enough to drain my core."
"Albus," Minerva said reluctantly, "it appears that we have already lost Harry, and likely Severus too, as I cannot imagine him not protecting Harry with his own life. With You-Know-Who gaining in power, we cannot risk losing you as well. It would be an unconscionable gamble and could mean that this coming war will be over before it's begun."
For once, Albus' eyes were cold when they looked at his old friend. "I will not leave my boys there to be desecrated by those monsters, Minerva. Not while there is breath in my body."
Minerva choked back a sob and nodded her understanding even as she continued to argue. "But Albus тАУ"
Flitwick interrupted, his eyes shining with tears but his mind working busily. "There is a solution. Use Navitas Transfero. It allows you to pull strength from another. Use it once you have lowered the wards for the rest of us."
Dumbledore shook his head. "I had thought of that, Filius, despite its being a Dark spell, but with all due modesty, my power is so great and my exhaustion likely to be so complete, that there is a very real likelihood that I would drain all the magic from whomever I tap. I will not be responsible for making someone a squib тАУ and at such a vulnerable time at that."
Remus stepped forward. "Choose me, and that won't happen. As soon as you drain all my wizarding magic, the Wolf will be loosed. Dose me with Wolfsbane first, and you'll have a werewolf outside of the full moon, fighting on your side."
Dumbledore and Flitwick exchanged glances. "It might work," the Charms professor admitted. "We know that lycanthropy magic is different from wizards'тАж"
"It's our best shot to save Severus and to get Ha-Harry back." Remus' voice broke, but his determination didn't waver.
"Very well," Dumbledore nodded once. "Dobby, please go down to the Potions lab and see if there is any spare Wolfsbane."
"There's bound to be," Remus assured him as Dobby popped away. "Ever since I came to Hogwarts, Severus has made sure to have an extra supply. Just in case," he added with a wry twist to his lips. "He wouldn't take any chances, having me around Harry."
"Remus, I must warn you," Flitwick spoke up, "that while being a werewolf might allow you to regenerate your Wizarding magical core, it might not. If that happens, you could well be stuck permanently in your wolf form."
Remus nodded soberly. "I understand. But it's still our best option." He glanced at Sirius, and the two friends locked eyes for a long moment. "And if the worse were to happen, I have a friend who will make sure I'm taken care of."
Sirius swallowed hard, understanding what Remus was demanding, but he nodded, struggling not to break down. He forced his thoughts away from the possibility. He could not deal with that right now. Not on top of losing Harry.
Molly had forced down her tears and was now in a somber debate with Arthur. With five of their children still in school, it was impossible to risk both of their lives. Bill and Charlie had made it clear that they were going on the rescue mission, but one of their parents would have to stay behind to ensure someone remained safe for the younger children.
"I'll go," Molly announced. Bones and the Aurors tried to hide their surprise, but they were obviously unsuccessful, as Flitwick rather haughtily reminded them that Molly Prewitt had been his prot├йg├й and the two of them had competed in - and won - the International Mixed Doubles Dueling Competition her last two years at Hogwarts. He patted Molly's hand fondly. "It will be like old times for the two of us, eh Molly?"
The witch smiled down at the little wizard. "We'll show them a thing or two, Filius. We always did, didn't we?"