Magic? || Years 5-7

The Funeral: Year 6

Hogwarts after Dumbledore's death was a somber affair.

Classes were suspended, exams pushed off. The Patil twins were gone before breakfast, Zacharias Smith was escorted from the castle. Seamus Finnigan had a shouting match with his mother in the entrance hall before she finally relented and let him stay for the funeral.

Amisty barely caught Hazel and Hunter before their parents whisked them away, rushed promises to write and stay safe before they left the grounds. Eli and Jasmine had stayed, but according to Ernie, it was only after a heated, one-hour Floo-call with her parents that Jasmine convinced her parents.

A powder-blue carriage pulled by a dozen winged palominos arrived the afternoon before the funeral, gliding to a gentle stop at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A very tall, beautiful woman raced down the carriage steps: Madame Maxine. She promptly threw herself into Hagrid's waiting arms, fat tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. A delegation of Ministry officials arrived as well, the Ministry of Magic included, and they were residing within the castle itself.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Amisty, and Ginny had been spending the days together, laughter stilted and stiff as they curled up in the sunshine. The weather was beautiful, crisp, and bright with the sun high in the sky, but no one could really bring themselves to enjoy it. Especially with Bill still in the hospital wing.

Neville had been discharged quickly, fully healed and back on his feet with a smile that didn't quite touch his eyes. Bill, however, was recovering slower than ever. His scars hadn't healed any more than the blood scabbing over, but he'd been as cheery and kind as always, even though he had a new penchant for particularly raw steaks.

"I suppose I'm just going to have to accept that he really is going to marry her," Ginny said one night, as they gathered by the open window of the Gryffindor common room.

"She's not that bad," Harry said, and Ginny quirked a brow. "Ugly, though."

Amisty rolled her eyes.

Ginny laughed, shaking her head. "Well, I suppose if Mum can stand it, I can."

"Anyone else we know died?" Ron asked, voice rough as Hermione opened the Evening Prophet.

She winced but looked it over anyway. "No. They're still looking for Snape but no sign. . ."

"Of course there isn't," Harry snapped. "They won't find Snape till they find Voldemort, and seeing as they've never managed to do that in all this time. . ."

"I'm going to bed," Ginny said, smothering a yawn. "I haven't been sleeping that well since. . . well. . . I could do with some sleep."

As soon as Ginny vanished up the steps, Hermione leaned forward. "Harry, I found something out this morning, in the library."

"R.A.B.?" Harry said.

The Horcrux Dumbledore and Harry had found had been a fake, a note inside promising it's destruction tucked into the locket, signed R.A.B. He'd shown them it earlier this morning, and Hermione had immediately rushed off to the library to find anything about the initials.

"No," Hermione said, sighing, "I've been trying, Harry, but I haven't found anything. . . There are a couple of reasonably well-known wizards with those initials—Rosalin Antigone Bungs. . . Rupert 'Axebanger' Brookstanton. . . but they don't seem to fit at all. Judging by that note, the person who stole the Horcrux knew Voldemort, and I can't find a shred of evidence that Bungs or Axebanger ever had anything to do with him. . . No, actually, it's about. . . well, Snape."

Hermione tensed suddenly, her gaze flickering to Harry's face before it shot back to the table.

"What about him?" Harry slumped back in his chair, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.