Percy Jackson and Harry Potter Halfblood Heroes (Book 6)

Chapter 16

All lessons were suspended, all examinations postponed. Some students were hurried away from Hogwarts by their parents over the next couple of days – the Patil twins were gone before breakfast on themorning following Dumbledore's death and Zacharias Smith was escorted from the castle by his haughty looking father. Seamus Finnigan, on the other hand, refused point-blank to accompany his mother home;they had a shouting match in the Entrance Hall which was resolved when she agreed that he could remainbehind for the funeral. She had difficulty in finding a bed in Hogsmeade, Seamus told Harry and Ron, forwizards and witches were pouring into the village, preparing to pay their last respects to Dumbledore

Some excitement was caused among the younger students, who had never seen it before, when apowder-blue carriage the size of a house, pulled by a dozen giant winged palominos, came soaring out ofthe sky in the late afternoon before the funeral and landed on the edge of the Forest. Percy watched froma window as a gigantic and handsome olive-skinned, black-haired woman descended the carriage stepsand threw herself into the waiting Hagrid's arms. Meanwhile, a delegation of Ministry officials, includingthe Minister for Magic himself, was being accommodated within the castle.

Harry, Percy, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were spending all of their time together. The beautiful weatherseemed to mock them. What would've happened if Dumbledore didn't die? Percy's exams would be over, he would've visited Annabeth. He had seen many deaths but Dumbledore's had impacted him too much.

They visited the hospital wing twice a day: Neville had been discharged and the lady that they found out was Jasmine Potter Harry's aunt (I have an aunt!) and he had two twin cousins Regulus and James (I can't imagine Sirius as a father Percy said), but Bill remained underMadam Pomfrey's care. His scars were as bad as ever; in truth, he now bore a distinct resemblance toMad-Eye Moody, though thankfully with both eyes and legs, but in personality he seemed just the sameas ever. All that appeared to have changed was that he now had a great liking for very rare steaks.

'... so eet ees lucky 'e is marrying me,' said Fleur happily, plumping up Bill's pillows, 'because zeBritish overcook their meat, I 'ave always said this.'

'I suppose I'm just going to have to accept that he really is going to marry her,' sighed Ginny later thatevening, as she, Harry, Percy, Ron and Hermione sat beside the open window of the Gryffindor common room,looking out over the twilit grounds.

'She's not that bad,' said Harry. 'Ugly, though,' he added hastily, as Ginny raised her eyebrows, andshe let out a reluctant giggle.

'Well, I suppose if Mum can stand it, I can.'

'Anyone else we know died?' Ron asked Hermione, who was perusing the Evening Prophet.

Hermione winced at the forced toughness in his voice.

'No,' she said reprovingly, folding up the newspaper. 'They're still looking for Snape, but no sign ...'

'Of course, there isn't,' said Harry. 'They won'tfind Snape till they find Voldemort, and seeing as they've never managed to do that in all this time ...'

'I'm going to go to bed,' yawned Ginny. 'I haven't been sleeping that well since ... well ... I could do with some sleep.'

She kissed Harry (Ron looked away pointedly), waved at the others and departed for the girls dormitories. The moment the door had closed behind her, Hermione leaned forwards towards Harry with a most Hermione-ish look on her face.

'Harry, I found something out this morning, in the library ...'

'R.A.B.?' said Harry, sitting up straight.

'No,' she said sadly, 'I've been trying, Harry, but I haven't found anything ... there are a couple ofreasonably well-known wizards with those initials – Rosalind Antigone Bungs ... Rupert "Axebanger"Brookstanton ... but they don't seem to fit at all. Judging by that note, the person who stole the Horcruxknew Voldemort, and I can't find a shred of evidence that Bungs or Axebanger ever had anything to dowith him ... no, actually, it's about ... well, Snape.'