Chapter 365 - The Will (1/2)
Five months ago.
The Burrow.
The evening of Harry's Birthday.
Fleur led Ginny, Luna, and Colin to the cozy living room where the former Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour sat on the sagging armchair that Mr. Weasley normally occupied, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat face to face with him on the sofa. And by the looks of it, they were already in the middle of an argument.
”You can speak to us together, or not at all,” Harry said coldly to the minister, who looked equally cold and hostile.
The minister opened his mouth to retort but stopped when he noticed Fleur, Ginny, Luna, and Colin.
”Thank you for bringing them, Miss Delacour,” the minister said swiftly.
”Welcome,” Fleur replied without much of her sweetness. She waved her wand and conjured three chairs out of thin air beside the sofa. Then giving a quick worried look to Harry, she swept out of the room.
”Mr. Potter has declared that you would like to stay together in this discussion, do you feel the same Mr. Creevey, Miss Weasley, and Miss Lovegood?” Scrimgeour inquired looking sharply at Colin.
”Yes,” Colin replied without giving it any thought and Ginny and Luna nodded. Hearing his answer Harry gave an almost invisible but happy nod at Colin.
”Very well then, together,” the minister said, shrugging. ”Please, take your seats.”
After they sat down Scrimgeour looked around as if he noticed something for the first time.
”I don't see Miss Norton among you. Is she not here?”
Nobody was surprised by the question, or with the minister's feigned surprise.
”No, but I thought the Ministry already knew that,” Ginny answered before everyone else.
”And you have no clue where she is?” Scrimgeour asked suspiciously.
”Correct,” Harry said and everyone else nodded in agreement.
”Alright,” Scrimgeour looked disappointed but cleared his throat looking collected. ”I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will.”
Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Colin looked at each other silently.
”A surprise, apparently! You were not aware then that Dumbledore had left you anything?”
”A-all of us?” asked Ron looking more surprised than others.
”Yes, all of —” Scrimgeour began but Harry interrupted.
”Dumbledore died over a month ago. Why has it taken this long to give us what he left us?”
”Isn't it obvious?” said Hermione, before Scrimgeour could answer. ”They wanted to examine whatever he's left us.”
”You had no right to do that!” Colin told the minister. ”It's disrespecting to Dumbledore's memory.”
”I had every right,” said Scrimgeour dismissively. ”The Decree for Justifiable Confiscation gives the Ministry the power the confiscate the contents of a will—”
”That law was created to stop wizards passing on Dark artifacts,” interrupted Hermione, ”and the Ministry is supposed to have powerful evidence that the deceased's possessions are illegal before seizing them! Are you telling me that you thought Dumbledore was trying to pass us something cursed?”
”Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?” asked Scrimgeour.
”No, I'm not,” retorted Hermione. ”I'm hoping to do some good in the world!”
Ginny and Colin chuckled, Ron and Luna, however, couldn't help themselves and laughed out loud. Scrimgeour's eyes flickered toward them.
”So why have you decided to let us have our things now? Can't think of a pretext to keep them?” asked Harry, the only one looking serious.
”No, it'll be because thirty-one days are up,” said Hermione as if she couldn't stop herself from answering. ”They can't keep the objects longer than that unless they can prove they're dangerous. Right?”
”Would you say you were close to Dumbledore, Miss Lovegood?” asked Scrimgeour, ignoring Hermione.
”Professor Dumbledore was a great headmaster and teacher and a brilliant wizard. He talked to students, listen to their problems. As a student, of course, we were close.” Luna calmly replied. Not even a little bit bothered by the sudden attention.
”But not enough to leave a piece of his personal heirloom to you, right?” Scrimgeour asked looking pleased.
”What —?” Ginny angrily tried to intervene but Luna spoke again,
”You are trying to listen what you want to listen, Minister sir. Yes, Professor Dumbledore was a great teacher but I thought you would know that even the best teachers have their favorites.”
Realizing that he would not get anything out of Luna, Scrimgeour turned to Ron.
”What about you, Ronald?”
Ron looked startled.
”Me? No—”
”As Luna said, we were Dumbledore's favorites and we were close,” Ginny said before Ron could say more.
”I wasn't asking you, Miss Weasley,” Scrimgeour looked already out of patience.
”And my question is why are asking? You came here to give us the stuff Dumbledore gave us, right? Which you confiscated without any concrete basis, by the way,” Ginny said defiantly.
Scrimgeour frowned and Hermione gave Ginny a small shake of her head to keep quiet. After all, Mr. Weasley still needed to work at the ministry.
The Minister, however, didn't say anything else and put his hand inside his cloak and drew out a large drawstring pouch. From it, he removed a scroll of parchment which he unrolled and read aloud.
”'The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore'… Yes, here we are… 'To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it.'”
Scrimgeour took from the bag an object: It looked something like a silver cigarette lighter. Scrimgeour leaned forward and passed the Deluminator to Ron, who took it and turned it over in the fingers looking stunned.
”That is a valuable object,” said Scrimgeour, watching Ron. ”It may even be unique. Certainly, it is of Dumbledore's own design. Why would he have left you an item so rare?”
”As Luna multiple times mentioned, probably because we were his favorites,” Harry said flatly before Ron could say something wrong.
”Dumbledore must have taught thousands of students,” Scrimgeour persevered. ”Yet the only ones he remembered in his will are you seven.” (Colin noticed Harry flinched when the minister said Seven) ”Why is that? To what use did he think you would put to the Deluminator, Mr. Weasley?”
”Put out lights, I suppose,” mumbled Ron. ”What else could I do with it?”
Luna laughed again and Ron smiled at her. After squinting at Ron for a moment or two, Scrimgeour turned back to Dumbledore's will.
”'To the youngest Weasley, Miss Ginevra Molly Weasley, I leave the first draft of ”Quidditch Throughout the Ages” from my personal collection, in the hope that this book might help her in her future pursuit as a professional Quidditch player,'” Scrimgeour now pulled out of the bag a small book that looked old with its binding stained and peeling in places.
Ginny was clearly surprised by the statement Dumbledore had written down and the gift he had left for her. But she didn't show much of her surprise in front of Scrimgeour. She took the book and tentatively flipped through its pages. Scrimgeour watched her curiously.
”Why do you think Dumbledore left you that book, Miss Weasley?” He asked.
Colin noticed Ginny's eyes flickering on a handwritten Quidditch note among the Chaser maneuvers but Ginny quickly shut the book and replied, ”Exactly what Dumbledore said. I like Quidditch and I do want to be a professional Quidditch player one day. Dumbledore knew that.”
”What about the handwritten notes? Was that some kind of code?” Scrimgeour inquired.
Ginny looked like an angry cat about to tear Scrimgeour apart, Hermione noticed it and instantly spoke,
”If the Ministry hasn't found any hidden codes in this book in thirty-one days, I doubt that Ginny will.”
After looking at Hermione to Ginny for a while, Scrimgeour went back to the will.
”'To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of ”The Tales of Beedle the Bard”, in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive.'”
Scrimgeour pulled a small book that looked a lot more ancient than Ginny's book. Hermione took it from Scrimgeour without a word. She held the book in her l.a.p and gazed at it. The title was in runes, which only Hermione and Chris could read. A tear splashed onto the embossed symbols as Hermione wiped her eyes.
”I suppose this also has nothing to do with secret codes and messages?” Scrimgeour asked, almost mocking.