𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 ☼ 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆

↘︎ chapter fifty-nine

"No, don't do it." snapped Marley with blank face. "You got yourself in enough trouble in the first match. No more problems needed."

"Wow, you just sounded like Frogface." laughed Lee Jordan and Marley looked at him like she was about to throw up or hex him. Or both. Hermione and Harry chuckled, but Ron was too busy eating, Angelina was trying to hide her smile but the twins were laughing out loud.

"Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper." Marley blurted out, ignoring Lee's comment. "They are the new Beaters and apparently, thousand times worse than you two. But they were the best choice we had during the tryouts."

"Believe us, we were desperate." added Angelina. "I really wish to throw a Quaffle in Umbridge's face. It's so unfair to ban you from the team."

"We know, sweetheart." grinned Fred and Marley also smiled as the dark-skinned girl's cheeks flushed. Marley and George exchanged a succint look. "My only wish is Frogface to meet the power of my bat but I don't want to break such a beautiful and loyal bat."

"It will be a crime for this wood to touch the skin of this toad." added George. Everyone laughed and finished their dinner. Next Thursday was the last meeting of D.A. before Christmas break. Еverything was going well by the end of the school term. There were about two Quidditch trainings and the new Beaters were doing halfway well. Ginny was very good as a Seeker and Marley was happy at least one of the new members wasn't that bad.

The next night, Marley had fallen into a deep sleep when she felt someone shake her shoulder. She grunted grudgingly and buried her face in the pillow, but the person above her continued to grip her shoulder to wake her up. Marley saw the familiar figure of Professor McGonagall with the corned of her eye and got out of bed scorched and looked at the head of her house decisively, though her eyes were still clouded and much sleepily.

"What's going on, Professor?"

"There's no time to explain to you." McGonagall said. She was wrapped in a black robe and seemed to have some strange webbing on her head. "Fred and George Weasley are waiting for you in the common room. Miss Weasley, where the hell is she? Probably also there. Come on. Be quiet."

Marley didn't understand what was happening, but she followed Professor McGonagall quietly out of the dormitory and walked to the common room. Ginny, Fred and George were there - all in their pyjamas and extremely sleepy. McGonagall led them out of the common room and walked them quietly down the deserted corridors, explaining to them that just before they left Gryffindor's common room, that Arthur Weasley had been attacked. But Marley didn't understand why she was awake with them.

However, as they began to approach the gargoyle corridor, Marley felt they were heading to Dumbledore's office. She didn't know what to expect and managed to exchange a look with Ginny, but the twins walked with great strides, and even McGonagall tried to catch up with them.

They stopped in front of the stone gargoyle guarding and Professor McGonagall stopped.

"Fizzing Wizzbee." she said and the gargoyle  sprang to life and leapt aside; the wall behind it split in two to reveal a stone staircase that was moving continually upwards like a spiral escalator. The three of them stepped on to the moving stairs; the wall closed behind them with a thud and they were moving upwards in tight circles until they reached the highly polished oak door with the brass knocker shaped like a griffin.

The room was in half-darkness; the strange silver instruments standing on tables were silent and still rather than whirring and emitting puffs of smoke as they usually did; the portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses covering the walls were all snoozing in their frames. Behind the door, a magnificent red and gold bird the size of a swan dozed on its perch with its head under its wing.

When they entered the office, Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk and Harry and Ron were opposite him. Ron's face was chalky white and Harry looked really upset.

"Harry--what's going on?' asked Ginny, who looked frightened. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad get hurt--"

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore, before Harry could speak. "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than The Burrow. You will meet your mother there."

"St. Mungo's?" repeated Marley like echo and everyone looked at her. "Isn't it-- it doesn't matter, I'm sorry. Anyway, How're we going there? Floo powder?"

"'No," said Dumbledore, "Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." He indicated the old kettle lying innocently on his desk. "We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back... I want to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you--"

There was a flash of flame in the very middle of: the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor.

"It is Fawkes's warning," said Dumbledore, catching the feather as it fell. "Professor Umbridge must know you're out of your beds... Minerva, go and head her off--tell her any story--"

Professor McGonagall was gone in a swish of tartan. That was not good. If Umbridge knew what was going on, they would definitely in so much trouble.

"He says he'll be delighted," said a bored voice behind Dumbledore; the wizard called Phineas had reappeared in front of his Slytherin banner. "My great-great-grandson has always had an odd taste in house-guests."

"Come here, then," Dumbledore said to Harry, Marley and the Weasleys. "And quickly, before anyone else joins us."

Marley and the others gathered around Dumbledore's desk.

"You have all used a Portkey before?" asked Dumbledore, and they nodded, each reaching out to touch some part of the blackened kettle. "Good. On the count of three, then...one... two...three..."

Marley felt a powerful jerk behind her navel, the ground vanished from beneath her feet, her hand was glued to the kettle; she was banging into the others as they all sped forwards in a swirl of colours and a rush of wind, the kettle pulling them onwards... until her feet hit the ground so hard her knees buckled, the kettle clattered to the ground.

Marley scrambled to her feet and looked around; they had arrived in the gloomy basement kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. The only sources of light were the fire and one guttering candle, which illuminated the remains of a solitary supper. Kreacher was disappearing through the door to the hall, looking back at them malevolently as he hitched up his loincloth; Sirius was hurrying towards them all, looking anxious. He was unshaven and still in his day clothes; there was also a slightly Mundungus-like whiff of stale drink about him.

"What's going on?" he said, stretching out a hand to help Ginny up. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured--"

"Ask Harry," said Fred.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," said George.

The twins, Ginny and Marley were staring at him. Kreacher's footsteps had stopped on the stairs outside.

"It was--" Harry began; this was even worse than telling McGonagall and Dumbledore. "I had a--a kind of--vision..."

And he told them all that he had seen, everything about his strange vision-dream. How he saw Arthur Weasley was attacked by a snake and there was a lot of blood everywhere. He told it from the perspective of the snake, but Marley knew he was keeping silent and that wasn't the whole story.

When Harry had finished, Fred, George, Marley and Ginny continued to stare at him for a moment. But Marley didn't understand why she was here. What did all this have to do with her? She had never dreamed of anything like Harry, no Weasley blood flowing in her veins. There was absolutely nothing that connected her to the whole situation. And for a very long moment, she felt very alienated and isolated.