The Time-Meddlers [Harmione]

27. Attack!

Shadow Attacks in Diagon Alley - Twenty-Five Dead - Twenty-Three wounded

By Anna Jesse

Yesterday at noon things were peaceful in Diagon Alley. Families were out doing their shopping. Mothers were pushing their babies along in strollers. A small plant was portkeyed into this common scene, turning it into a nightmare. A fully-mature mandrake got up and began to scream. Many of you will remember from Herbology that the mandrake's cry is fatal to all who hear it. There were twenty-five people, nearly half of them children, who were close enough to find out that fact for themselves. Twenty-three people who weren't close enough to get the full blast of it were also affected. Some of them have lost their hearing and others their minds. When the aurors were finally able to enter the area, after the mandrake had been silenced, they found a note that read, 'Courtesy of the Shadow.'

Those of you who have been keeping up with the news will recall that the Shadow is none other than Delores Umbridge, who...

"How could she?" asked Hermione as she dropped the Daily Prophet to the table. There were tears in her eyes as she looked at her companion.

"A magical weapon of mass destruction," commented Harry miserably as he picked up the paper and skimmed the article that had silenced most of the Great Hall minutes after the mail arrived. "...Crueler than the Dark Lord and twice as foul..." he quoted from the prophecy Luna had made so long ago. He took a deep breath before saying, "I've lost my appetite," and got up.

"Me, too." Neither noticed that most of the other students left as well. It's difficult to eat breakfast after learning news like that. It was fortunate that the final exams had been completed the week before and they were only waiting this last week for their grades, because not many people would've been in the mood for classes.

Harry and Hermione wordlessly walked to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, only stopping to make sure no one was watching when Harry entered. He transformed into Tox and hissed, "Open."

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It was about a minute after the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was closed that Susan Bones entered the bathroom. She'd seen her friends/trainers get up after reading the paper and was fairly certain where they were going. To make it not as obvious, she waited until the others left the Hall and told her Hufflepuff friends that she wanted to be alone, knowing they'd always given her space to deal with reminders of her ordeal with the Shadow in private. She pulled out the thought sphere the Time-Meddlers had given her and activated it, opening the sink.

She followed the Chamber until it led to what they were calling the Hall of Pac Man, based off the new decorations. When she got that door open, she heard Harry's voice say, "It's all my fault! Why did I have to do it? If I hadn't, then none of those people would've died! Susan wouldn't have been..."

"Hello, Susan," interrupted Hermione, who was facing the door. Her face held a guarded expression. Harry turned around after a moment, and the Bones girl could tell he'd been crying, even though he'd wiped his eyes before turning.

Not seeing any other option, she asked the natural question. "What did you do, Harry, that makes this your fault?"

He took a deep breath. "I...I told you that I broke into the Ministry to get the Time-Turner." Susan nodded but said nothing. "I...didn't tell you what happened while I was there. I met Umbridge and wound up stunning her." He sighed. "I could've left her like that, but I didn't. I, I made it look like she'd gotten drunk and broke the Time-Turners. I thought it was funny. I'm the reason she went to Azkaban, the reason she went mad..."

"The reason she became the Shadow," Susan finished softly as Harry's head hung down. She was silently staring at him for a few moments before saying, "No wonder you're so determined to fight her." Hermione stood silently watching the both of them while Harry stared at the floor.