Emma Potter; Going to War

67: Where is Dumbledore?

Where was Dumbledore? What was he doing? I caught sight of the headmaster only twice over the nextfew weeks. He rarely appeared at meals anymore, and I wassure I was right in thinking that he was leaving the schoolfor days at a time. Had Dumbledore forgotten the lessons he wassupposed to be giving Harry and me?

 Dumbledore had said that the lessonswere leading to something to do with the prophecy; I had feltbolstered, comforted, and now I felt slightly abandoned. 

Halfway through October came their first trip of the term toHogsmeade. I had wondered whether these trips would stillbe allowed, given the increasingly tight security measures aroundthe school, but was pleased to know that we were going ahead; itwas always good to get out of the castle grounds for a few hours.

Eating with the leaf in my mouth was extremely hard, trying not to swallow while drinking or eating. Zoe, Nicholas, Harry and Hermione were extremely suspicious as to why, I paused in chewing to make sure the leaf was still there. 

At breakfast we had a discussion of the Death-Eaters

"The Death Eaters can't all be pure-blood, there aren't enoughpure-blood wizards left," said Nicholas stubbornly. "I expect mostof them are half-bloods pretending to be pure. It's only Muggleborns they hate, they'd be quite happy to let you and Zoe join up." 

"There is no way they'd let me be a Death Eater!" said Zoe indignantly, a bit of sausage flying off the fork she was now brandishing at Nicholas and hitting Ernie Macmillan on the head. "My parents are blood traitors! That's as bad as Muggle-borns toDeath Eaters!"

 "And they'd love to have me,"I said sarcastically. "We'd bebest pals if they didn't keep trying to do me in."

 This made Zoe laugh; even Nicholas gave a grudging smile,and a distraction arrived in the shape of Ginny. 

"Hey, Emma, I'm supposed to give you this." 

It was a scroll of parchment with Harry's name written upon itin familiar thin, slanting writing. 

"Thanks, Ginny . . . It's Dumbledore's next lesson!" I told Zoe and Nicholas, pulling open the parchment and quickly reading its contents. "Monday evening!" I felt suddenly light andhappy. 

"Want to join us in Hogsmeade, Ginny?" I asked. 

"I'm going with Dean — might see you there," she replied, waving at us as she left. 

Filch was standing at the oak front doors as usual, checking offthe names of people who had permission to go into Hogsmeade.The process took even longer than normal as Filch was triplechecking everybody with his Secrecy Sensor. 

"What does it matter if we're smuggling Dark stuff OUT?" demanded Zoe, eyeing the long thin Secrecy Sensor with apprehension. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back IN?" 

Her cheek earned her a few extra jabs with the Sensor, and shewas still wincing as we stepped out into the wind and sleet.

 The walk into Hogsmeade was not enjoyable. I wrapped my scarf over my lower face; the exposed part soon felt both rawand numb. The road to the village was full of students bent doubleagainst the bitter wind. 

More than once I wondered whether we might not have had a better time in the warm common room,and when we finally reached Hogsmeade and saw that Zonko'sJoke Shop had been boarded up, I took it as confirmationthat this trip was not destined to be fun. 

Zoe pointed, with athickly gloved hand, toward Honeydukes, which was mercifullyopen, and I staggered in her wake into thecrowded shop. 

"Thank God," shivered Zoe as we were enveloped by warm,toffee-scented air. "Let's stay here all afternoon."