𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀, harry potter

fifty

50 ||

ADELAIDE HAD left the rabble of kids when she reached her own floor which Harry wasn't happy about. He entered the room he was sharing with Ron, wondering how the others had survived a whole summer in the gloomy house.

Harry put on his pajamas, took off his glasses, and climbed into his chilly bed while Ron threw Owl Treats up on top of the wardrobe to pacify Hedwig and Pigwidgeon, who were clattering around and rustling their wings restlessly.

"We can't let them out to hunt every night," Ron explained as he pulled on his maroon pajamas.

"Dumbledore doesn't want too many owls swooping around the square, thinks it'll look suspicious. Oh yeah . . . I forgot. . . ." He crossed to the door and bolted it.

"What're you doing that for?" Harry asked confused.

"Kreacher," said Ron as he turned off the light. "First night I was here he came wandering in at three in the morning. Trust me, you don't want to wake up and find him prowling around your room. The only
people he likes are Mr Black and Adelaide. Anyway . . ." He got into his bed, settled down under the covers, then turned to look at Harry in the darkness. Harry could see his outline by the moonlight filtering in through the grimy window. "What d'you reckon?"

Harry didn't need to ask what Ron meant. "Well, they didn't tell us much we couldn't have guessed, did they?" he said, thinking of all that had been said downstairs. "I mean, all they've really said is that the Order's trying to stop people joining Vol —" There was a sharp intake of breath from Ron. "— demort," said Harry firmly. "When are you going to start using his name? Sirius and Lupin do."

Ron ignored this last comment. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "We already knew nearly everything they told us, from using the Extend- able Ears. The only new bit was —"

Crack.

"OUCH!"

"Keep your voice down, Ron, or Mum'll be back up here."

"You two just Apparated on my knees!"

"Yeah, well, it's harder in the dark —"

Harry saw the blurred outlines of Fred and George leaping down from Ron's bed. There was a groan of bedsprings and Harry's mattress descended a few inches as George sat down near his feet.

"So, got there yet?" said George eagerly. "The weapon Sirius mentioned?" said Harry.

"Let slip, more like," said Fred with relish, now sitting next to Ron. "We didn't hear about that on the old Extendables, did we?"

"What d'you reckon it is?" said Harry.

"Could be anything," said Fred. "But there can't be anything worse than the Avada Kedavra curse,
can there?" said Ron. "What's worse than death?"

"Maybe it's something that can kill loads of people at once," suggested George.

"Maybe it's some particularly painful way of killing people," said Ron fearfully.
"He's got the Cruciatus Curse for causing pain," said Harry. "He doesn't need anything more efficient than that." There was a pause and Harry knew that the others, like him, were wondering what horrors this weapon could perpetrate.