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Author: Ladybug Story: Scrolls of Parchment Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-DH Status: Completed Warning: none Reviews: 18 Words: 10,111
Illustration: DeeDeeWeasley87 drew a beautiful picture of Dumbledore that fits with perfectly with this chapter. Have a look at We'll Miss You and please let her know what you think of it. June
Rumours scorched a fiery path across the school, leaving behind a trail of scarred minds, blackened hearts and the smouldering ruins of innocence. Jimmy wasn't sure how much could be believed but, narrowing down the wild speculation to what most considered as pretty much accepted fact, he worked out that he was probably the last student to have seen the Headmaster alive. Well, apart from Harry Potter. But Harry Potter was a special case – he didn't count. So, discounting the widely believed story that Dumbledore had been away from the school with Harry that night, Jimmy was grimly confident that he had, indeed, been the last student to see the Headmaster alive. He sat now with his classmates on chairs by the lake, silently watching the proceedings as serious men stood and spoke about the great wizard who had been Albus Dumbledore. Somewhere behind him sat his parents and sister, come like so many others to pay their respects and be together as family in these terrible times. Jimmy wondered what would happen to the school now, having lost its Headmaster and already many of its students. With grave determination, Jimmy vowed to himself – and to Dumbledore, if that were possible – that he wouldn't give up the fight. He realised he was only a fourteen-year-old boy, but he felt much older than that. He felt as though his contribution would matter, as though it could make a difference. His mind returned to that final conversation he'd had with Dumbledore. A tiny grin threatened when he remembered his Headmaster's very last words to him. Jimmy chided himself. He didn't mean to be disrespectful in the middle of the funeral. But really, as well as powerful, good and wise, Dumbledore certainly had been just a little bit mad. All week he'd been replaying this conversation. He was sure that he would be able to recite it to his grandchildren when he was an old man. He could picture it well, passing round the lolly jar as they settled around him on the sofa, the smallest ones on his lap. He'd been leaving the Great Hall that night, well after dinner, having lingered with a couple of friends from other houses. Had it been only a week ago? It seemed like a lifetime … ~*~ A ruckus had erupted at the top of the marble staircase that led up from the Entrance Hall. Jimmy craned his neck and increased his pace to find out what was happening. He caught a glimpse of a scarlet and gold tie flapping about the head of a small figure. With a roar and a burst of Gryffindor spirit he raced up the stairs. 'Get your hands off him!' he bellowed to the group up ahead of him. An older student – probably a fifth- or sixth-year, Jimmy's subconscious told him – clutched the collar of a scared first-year, pushing him hard up against the wall, holding a wand at his forehead. The boy's skin was covered in ugly, pus-filled boils and his hair was falling out as Jimmy watched. 'Y-y-you're not a-allowed to use m-magic in the corridors,' peeped the small boy. 'M-Magic? Magic!' laughed the older boy viciously. 'You might think you've learnt magic here this year,' he snarled, spit flying into his victim's face, 'but that means nothing. You are nothing, you useless, conniving little Mudblood, waste of time and precious space!' 'Yeah,' snarled another, 'we'll teach you a lesson or two about magic.' The others agreed with noises of disgust as they closed in round the young Gryffindor. One of them reached into his robes and pulled out the boy's wand, giving him a good shove in the guts while he was at it. 'What's this thing?' the tormentor sneered, holding up the wand to the small boy's face. 'Think this lousy stick makes you a wizard? Think again!' He grabbed each end and slammed it down hard on his raised knee, snapping it in two. His mates laughed cruelly. The onlookers, initially attracted by the noise, started to back away. There was a bit of a scuffle as someone hurried off to find a professor who could intervene. 'Hey!' yelled Jimmy, bursting into the fray despite being outnumbered by four much bigger blokes. 'Let go of him! Don't you dare speak to him like that!' Fury blinded Jimmy to the danger at hand and he lashed out, grabbed an attacker's arm and tried to force him to let go of the victim. When he made no progress he drew back his right arm, balled his hand into a fist and let it fly with all his might, meeting the older boy's shoulder with a forceful thwack. 'Get off me, you worthless piece of scum,' spat the big boy and he kicked Jimmy hard in the shins. Jimmy bit back a yelp of pain. Two of the others grabbed his upper arms and held him back. He wrestled to free himself but they were too big and too strong. 'Come to rescue this—' he pushed his fist up harder against the young boy's throat, making him choke, 'this filth? You're just as bad as he is, you blood traitor.' The crowd was murmuring. Jimmy had a sense that there were more people around now, but they seemed very reluctant to break things up. His angry focus was on the four brutes around him, however, so he barely heard the murmurs rise as someone said, 'Dumbledore's coming!' He did notice, however, when the torches on the walls blazed brighter and the hands that held his arms released him, as though burnt by their contact. He slumped against the wall and felt the very stones around him tremble momentarily. The four perpetrators made to run off down the corridor but were suddenly frozen in place. 'Leaving already?' Dumbledore's quiet yet powerful voice addressed the frozen figures as he approached. He deftly restored the trembling first year's skin and hair with a flick of his wand, then addressed the bullies once more. 'I didn't realise your lesson would be over so quickly or I would have made the effort to be here sooner.' The force in Dumbledore's voice strengthened Jimmy to stand tall again. While a couple of prefects in the crowd began telling the Headmaster what had happened, Jimmy looked to his side and saw the first-year huddled on the floor. He crouched down and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. 'Are you okay, Ian?' he whispered. The boy nodded distractedly, but seemed very close to shedding tears. Jimmy felt really bad for him. He would have been scared witless if this had happened to him in first year. And it must be awfully embarrassing to have all these people watching. Jimmy helped his housemate stand, then bent to pick up the two pieces of the boy's wand. Dumbledore's eyes scanned the crowd, 'Mr Creevey, please take your housemate to the hospital wing and tell Madam Pomfrey what happened.' Once they were on their way, the Headmaster addressed the remaining students with a sad and solemn voice. 'My friends,' some of the students started at these words from the Headmaster, 'your classmates here,' he indicated the four frozen boys, 'are mistaken: you do not come to Hogwarts to learn magic. You are already magical. Nothing I or any professor can teach you will change that. 'Mr Goldstein,' he said, picking him out of the gathering, 'what is the name of this fine institution we attend?' 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor.' 'Thank you. You see, this is not Hogwarts School of Magic, nor is it Hogwarts School of Magical Families. This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: you come here to learn how to be witches and wizards. And that, my children, is far more important than learning how to use your magic. 'These four, I am sorry to say, appear not to have learnt this lesson. The behaviour you have just witnessed dishonours all that it means to be a witch or wizard. Such behaviour is deplorable and will not be tolerated at Hogwarts.' Jimmy had never heard Dumbledore speak so plainly. It seemed, by the silence that followed, that everyone else was just as surprised by this forthright pronouncement. They were much more used to hearing riddles and (if they were forced to admit under Veritaserum) occasional nonsense coming from the Headmaster. When he spoke again, the crowd jumped as one. 'Miss Abbott, kindly fetch these students' Heads of House and ask them to meet me at my office in sixteen-and-a-half minutes.' He turned to the four. 'You will await your Heads at the door of the staff room.' He waved his wand at them and the crowd gasped as the boys vanished. The silence now broken, people began whispering in shock at how the Headmaster had seemingly banished the boys. Dumbledore turned to leave, paused, then turned back to face the group that had not yet moved. His eyes roved over the students, casting each one a short but intense look. 'Do not be fooled: we are in difficult times. It will not be the measure of your magic that will see you through, it will be the measure of your person.' With that he moved away, saying as he went, 'Mr Peakes, follow me, if you would.' Jimmy had to practically run to keep up. He followed the Headmaster down corridors, up staircases, through a secret entrance, up a spiralling staircase and into a room which must have been the Headmaster's office. He looked with wonder around the room, but his attention was quickly diverted when Dumbledore addressed him from behind the desk. 'Mr Peakes, what is it you are carrying?' Jimmy stepped forward and placed it on the desk. 'It's his wand, Professor. They snapped it.' He swallowed nervously. He'd never spoken to the Headmaster before and he hoped he wasn't in trouble for fighting. He stood with his hands behind his back and looked with all the bravery he could muster into the Headmaster's eyes, ready to face the consequences of his rash behaviour. 'I see.' Dumbledore seemed to sink a little in his chair. He looked sad. 'And what was your part in this kerfuffle?' Dumbledore asked. He gazed intently back into Jimmy's eyes, and Jimmy found that he couldn't look away. He haltingly recounted what had happened and how he'd stepped in and tried to stop the abuse. Dumbledore nodded then and smiled gently. 'Thank you, Mr Peakes,' he said softly. 'Uh … for what, Professor?' Jimmy shifted nervously on his feet; he had been expecting to lose house points at any moment. 'For your bravery. For standing up to prejudice. For not waiting till someone larger and stronger than you arrived.' He paused and added as an apparent afterthought, 'For your honesty.' Jimmy did not know what to say to all that. He glowed, somewhat in embarrassment and a little in pride that the Headmaster should think so well of him. He wished that his parents could have heard Dumbledore say that. He knew they were proud of him, but it was nice to have it acknowledged by someone else once in a while. 'Take a seat, Mr Peakes. I have quite a busy night ahead of me, busier now than I had anticipated. But you shall help me in achieving some of my ends, at least.' Startled, Jimmy took a seat and waited. Dumbledore pulled quill and parchment towards himself and began writing. 'What will happen to them, sir, the boys who attacked Ian?' 'That is a good question, Mr Peakes,' the Headmaster answered as he continued to write. 'One to which I do not know the full answer. They have chosen poorly, though one poor choice may be redeemed by subsequent wise choices. Let us hope that wisdom and strength will come to them.' Jimmy had expected Dumbledore to say that they would get detention, or maybe even be expelled. The unusual answer gave Jimmy something to think about. Dumbledore's quill continued its scratching across the parchment. Jimmy wondered what was taking so long. He spent the time looking around the room at the many wondrous objects occupying it. He noticed the Sorting Hat, and a majestic, bejewelled sword. He saw in a glass-fronted cabinet an antique Rune Translator like the one his great-grandfather owned. Finally, Dumbledore set down his quill and, with a tap of his wand, the parchments rolled themselves into three separate scrolls. Taking one to the corner of his office, to the perch of a magnificent bird that Jimmy hadn't yet noticed, he said, 'Fawkes, please to take this to Mr Peakes' home and deliver it to his parents.' Jimmy looked at Dumbledore in amazement. 'Sometimes,' said the old man with a smile, 'our wishes do come true.' There was a flash and the bird vanished. Dumbledore came round to stand next to Jimmy, who immediately stood, too. The Headmaster handed him one of the notes and the wand pieces. 'Please take the wand and this note to Professor McGonagall. She will know what to do. Remember, Mr Peakes, that while teamwork, relying on one's comrades, is very important, there will be times when one must shoulder the burden oneself. One must not always expect that someone bigger and stronger will be there to save the day.' 'Yes, Professor,' said Jimmy, somewhat perplexed by this little speech. He turned to go, but spun back when he heard a sarcastic drawl coming from one of the portraits behind Dumbledore's desk. 'Good heavens, don't tell me you're finally retiring, Dumbledore,' the severe looking wizard said, rolling his eyes. 'Heaven forbid we should have to survive without you.' Dumbledore winked at Jimmy and whispered, 'He's my biggest fan,' to which Jimmy tried very hard to suppress a laugh. He didn't know who the portrait was, but it obviously thought so highly of itself that it might have been the Prince of Wales. Dumbledore answered the portrait lightly, 'No, no, Phineas, no such plans as yet. But I will be sure to let you know.' Jimmy started to leave again when his Headmaster stopped him. 'Mr Peakes, that is not all. Would you also deliver this note,' he handed him the final scroll, 'to Harry Potter. As soon as you can, please, straight after you've seen Professor McGonagall.' 'Yes, Professor.' Mention of Harry Potter triggered something in Jimmy's understanding. 'Oh,' he blurted out, before realising he was addressing the Headmaster, 'you mean like when Harry couldn't play the last Quidditch game – we had to get on and win the match without him?' Dumbledore beamed at Jimmy at patted him on the shoulder. 'Yes, that is exactly the sort of thing I mean. Well done, Mr Peakes. And now, as we both have much to do this evening …' Jimmy headed for the door, but Dumbledore moved to a cupboard. 'Let us partake,' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at him through his half-moon spectacles, 'in a little sustenance for our errands.' He opened the cupboard door and Jimmy's eyes widened in wonder. There stood row upon row of glass jars containing more types of sweets than he had ever seen. 'What would you like, Mr Peakes? Acid pops? No? How about these toffee éclairs? I'm all out of sherbet lemons, I'm sorry to say.' Jimmy just stood there, gaping in awe at the variety before him. 'What'll it be? Spit spot! We haven't got all night. Ah, you'll love these, just the thing when there's much scurrying about to be done.' He pulled down the jar containing brown, crunchy-looking things, unscrewed the lid and held it out to Jimmy who pulled back slightly in disbelief. Dumbledore picked one out for himself and popped it in his mouth, giving a satisfied smack of his lips once he had crunched, chewed and swallowed. He held the jar out again to Jimmy. 'Don't be shy, Mr Peakes, last chance before you leave. Would you care for a Cockroach Cluster?'
THE END
A/Ns: This missing moment is brought to you by p.504 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (UK edition). Yes, we know Malfoy was also the last student to see Dumbledore alive, but Jimmy doesn't know that, nor do many others. In her interview with Jo Rowling in Edinburgh, Australian cub reporter Emma asked what Jo's favourite wizard sweet would be. Much to Emma's horror (judging by the look on her face), Jo was adamant that her favourite was the Cockroach Cluster! I think Jo was talking about her favourite invention whereas poor Emma was thinking only of the taste! Emma, if you ever read this, you did a super job interviewing JKR! Thanks so much to Gypsy and Tante for all their great help, advice and writing wondrousness! You girls made this venture great fun! Thanks, readers, for your reviews and for the mystery Story of the Week nominator - that was a great surprise and a wonderful honour!
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