Perseus Alphard Black

Chapter 43

OUTLINE

Yeah, I'm skipping the remaining portions. 

Moments later, Jenna and Sirius came bursting out of the matron's office and into the hospital wing. Everyone was gathered around one bed. Under Diana's arm, they saw Percy lying unconscious, his face nearly unrecognizable.

"What happened?" Sirius asked Madam Pomfrey, who was dabbing a harsh–smelling green potion at his wounds.

"He was attacked," Diana sniffled, "by Fenrir Greyback."

"But it wasn't the full moon," Sirius said as Jenna moved closer to Bill.

"I doubt that Bill will be a true werewolf," Remus said, but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully, and – and Bill might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."

"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said. "Where is he? Percy fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state–"

"Ron – Dumbledore's dead," said Ginny.

"What?!" cried out Jenna, Sirius, and Remus in unison.

"Snape killed him," said Harry, "I was there, I saw it. We arrived back at the Astronomy Tower because that's where the Mark was...Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I couldn't do anything, I was under the Invisibility Cloak – and then Malfoy came through the door and disarmed him–"

Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth, Ron groaned, Luna's mouth trembled, and tears began to spill from McGonagall's eyes.

"–more Death Eaters arrived – and then Snape – and Snape did it – The Avada Kedavra." Harry couldn't go on.

Everyone sat in stricken silence until Professor McGonagall entered that ward and said that Molly and Arthur would be there shortly. Harry then told McGonagall what Snape had done. A few people wondered out loud why Dumbledore had always trusted Snape to begin with.

"I'd love to know what Snape told him to convince him," said Tonks.

Surprisingly, it was Harry who answered. "I know," he said as everyone turned to look at him. "Snape passed Voldemort that information that made Voldemort hunt us down." He looked directly at his parents. "Then Snape told Dumbledore he hadn't realized what he was doing, that he was really sorry he'd done it, sorry we were attacked."

They all stared at him.

"And Dumbledore believed that?" Sirius said in utter disbelief.

Jenna was jarred out of her thoughts when Molly, Arthur, Bill, and Fleur rushed into the ward. Then, Tonks was practically screaming at Remus, saying that she didn't care that he was a werewolf, and Remus, being the discreet man that he was, did not give her a straight answer. But Everyone had a feeling that Tonks had finally broken through.

Chapter 44

Opens on breakfast at Potter Manor with all its accompanying chaos. Every member of the order of the Phoenix including a battered Percy along with Rigel (who had ditched his father's plans) and his fiance Diana Greengrass.

Percy walks into Harry reading Rita Skeeter's article, Dumbledore: The Truth At Last, "I can promise that nobody who still thinks Dumbledore was white as his beard is in for a rude awakening! Let's just say that nobody hearing him rage against You Know Who would have dreamed that he dabbled in the Dark Arts himself in his youth!"