Emma Potter; Going to War

38: Prediction, Probation?

We waited until break next morning to tell Harry, Ron and Hermione exactly what had happened. We wanted to be absolutely sure theycould not be overheard. Standing in the trio's usual corner of the cool and breezy courtyard, Harry--who had had the same dream-- and I told Hermione every detail of the dream we couldremember. 

When we had finished, she said nothing at all for a fewmoments, but stared with a kind of painful intensity at Fred andGeorge, who were both headless and selling their magical hats fromunder their cloaks on the other side of the yard.

 "So that's why they killed him," she said quietly, withdrawing hergaze from Fred and George at last. "When Bode tried to steal thisweapon, something funny happened to him. I think there must bedefensive spells on it, or around it, to stop people from touching it.That's why he was in St. Mungo's, his brain had gone all funny and hecouldn't talk. But remember what the Healer told us? He was recovering. And they couldn't risk him getting better, could they? I mean,the shock of whatever happened when he touched that weapon probably made the Imperius Curse lift. Once he'd got his voice back, he'dexplain what he'd been doing, wouldn't he? They would have knownhe'd been sent to steal the weapon. Of course, it would have been easyfor Lucius Malfoy to put the curse on him. Never out of the Ministry,is he?" 

"He was even hanging around that day we had our hearing," saidHarry. "In the — hang on . . ." he said slowly. "He was in the Department of Mysteries corridor that day! Your dad said he was probably trying to sneak down and find out what happened in my hearing,but what if —" 

"Sturgis,"I gasped, looking thunderstruck. 

"Sorry?" said Ron, looking bewildered. 

"Sturgis Podmore," I said, breathlessly. "Arrested for trying to get through a door. Lucius Malfoy got him too. I bet he did itthe day we saw him there, Harry. Sturgis had Moody's InvisibilityCloak, right? So what if he was standing guard by the door, invisible,and Malfoy heard him move, or guessed he was there, or just did theImperius Curse on the off chance that a guard was there? So whenSturgis next had an opportunity — probably when it was his turn on guard duty again — he tried to get into the department to steal theweapon for Voldemort — Ron, shut up — but he got caught andsent to Azkaban. . . ." 

Hermione gazed at Harry and me."And now Rookwood's told Voldemort how to get the weapon?" 

"we didn't hear all the conversation, but that's what it sounded like,"said Harry. "Rookwood used to work there. . . . Maybe Voldemort'llsend Rookwood to do it?"

 Hermione nodded, apparently still lost in thought. Then, quiteabruptly, she said, "But you shouldn't have seen this at all, Harry, Emma." 

"What?" we said, taken aback. 

"You're supposed to be learning how to close your mind to this sortof thing," said Hermione, suddenly stern. 

"we know we are," said Harry. "But —" 

"Well, I think we should just try and forget what you saw," saidHermione firmly. "And you ought to put in a bit more effort on yourOcclumency from now on." 

Harry and I were so angry with her that he did not talk to her for the restof the day, which proved to be another bad one. When people werenot discussing the escaped Death Eaters in the corridors today, theywere laughing at Gryffindor's abysmal performance in their matchagainst Hufflepuff; the Slytherins were singing "Weasley Is Our King"so loudly and frequently that by sundown Filch had banned it fromthe corridors out of sheer irritation. 

The week did not improve as it progressed: I received twomore E's in Potions, was still on tenterhooks that Hagrid might getthe sack, and could not stop myself from dwelling on the dream inwhich I had seen Voldemort, though he did not bring it up with Zoe, Ronand Hermione again because I did not want another telling-off fromHermione. Harry and I wished very much that we could have talked to Siriusabout it, but that was out of the question, so I tried to push the matter to the back of my mind.