Mirror
Chapter Four~~~Gideon Hartlock
Over the next few weeks Harry lightened up slightly. It was because of his friends, he was positive, that he felt better. It was the night before they would be leaving on the Hogwarts Express, that Harry got an unexpected visit.
Harry and Hermione were engaged in a game of chess as Ginny and Ron watched, cheering and laughing as they joked. Harry smiled as his knight walked over to one of Hermione’s bishops and dashed it to the ground. Hermione frowned. Harry punched the air. “Check Mate!” Ron yelled, laughing as he said it. Hermione grinned, shaking her head.
“Pure luck,” she said, smiling widely. Harry and the others laughed. They all quieted as they heard footsteps. Mrs. Weasley came in, carrying a large laundry basket full of freshly laundered clothes.
“Here you are, dears,” she said, handing them each their separate piles. Harry took his, and placed it in his trunk. “Harry, when your finished putting those away, there is somebody who needs to talk with you. It’s rather urgent, and,” Mrs. Weasley said firmly, seeing the excited looks on the other’s faces, “It’s private.” Harry nodded, and followed her out of the door, throwing a helpless glance over his shoulder at his friends. When he got to the bottom of the stairs his heart lightened. He had been hoping to see Dumbledore for weeks now.
“Hello, Professor Dumbledore,” Harry said smiling. Mrs. Weasley left the room. Dumbledore turned to him.
“Hello, Harry. How has your summer been so far? No Dementors, I trust?” Harry shook his head. Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. He patted his beard down out of his face, and then nodded to some chairs. “Shall we sit?” Harry nodded, and they sat down, Harry sitting opposite Dumbledore in a rather stiff armchair.
“Harry, the information I am about to reveal to you, you must reveal to nobody else,” Harry nodded, but Dumbledore smiled. “I am, however, aware that you hold Hermione Granger, Ronald, and Ginny Weasley in the highest respects, and am in agreement. You may tell them if you wish. I thought, however, that before calling them all down here, I would let you decide. Tomorrow, in the newspapers, will be an article stating that Remus Lupin has been murdered.” Harry leapt up, his heart pounding, no….not another one. “Harry! Harry, it’s not true! Harry, our new minister of magic is a good friend of mine. Jack Spinner. He will see to it that Remus Lupin is labeled as dead. This will allow him more freedom to do what he wanted. He will attain a new identity, given to him by Spinner. That will allow him to get better jobs, and also, with the help of a little publicity, he will be able to influence the people a bit more.” Harry frowned.
“But, now that Fudge is gone…people believe us now, surely,” he said, looking at Dumbledore’s eyes. Dumbledore shook his head sadly.
“I’m afraid, Harry, that a majority still believes that I am lying.”
“How can that be? We have proved it!” Harry yelled in astonishment.
“What matters, Harry, is that they don’t believe, and a strong influence within the media will help them along perhaps.”
“What are you going to do? Turn Lupin into a pop star?” Harry said, grinning. Dumbledore chuckled.
“I mentioned that to him, but I don’t think he liked that idea very much. No, he is going to be Gideon Hartlock.” Harry laughed loudly. “Sound slightly familiar?” Harry nodded.
“Well, we have devised this morning radio show. And, as we lack imagination, we have decided to call it ‘Good Morning Gideon.’”
Then Harry understood. “That’s a good idea, with a radio show; nobody would have to see what he looked like.” Dumbledore nodded.
“Exactly.” Just then Mrs. Weasley bustled in.
“Oh, sorry Headmaster, I thought you would have been finished by now,” said Mrs. Weasley, starting to leave.
“Oh, no Molly. We were just finished,” Dumbledore announced. “And Harry, about what I told you. It will be hard to watch some people suffer, but in the end it will be worth it. Nobody outside The Order must know, except the few I mentioned.”
“I understand, professor. Thanks,” Harry said. Dumbledore nodded and was almost to the door when he turned back around.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Here are your Hogwarts letters.” Harry stared at him.
“We already got our letters; we went to Diagon Alley last week.”
“Oh, no,” said Dumbledore, smiling widely. “These aren’t supply lists. You’ll find that there are two letters. One for you and one for Miss Granger. Goodbye.”
Harry walked upstairs, looking at the envelopes. He was about to rip open his letter, when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a long, flesh colored piece of string snaking up the stairs quickly. Harry smiled. He grabbed the string and listened.
“What’s wrong?” he heard Ginny whisper.
“Dunno,” said Ron. “Maybe it’s stuck on something.” Harry smiled evilly. He couldn’t resist. He brought the Extendible Ear to his mouth and yelled loudly into it. “BOO!” He laughed as he heard people yelping. Taking the steps two at a time, Harry walked into the crowded bedroom. Hermione had her hands over her mouth, breathing deeply, trying to calm herself. Ron was laying on the ground, apparently having fallen over in fright. Ginny, however, was doubled over in laughter. Harry grinned.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. How much did you hear anyways?” Harry asked as Ron got up.
“Barely anything,” Ron mumbled disgruntled.
“Well, it serves you right. Harry has more right to privacy than any of us,” Hermione said frowning.
“He would have told us once he got up here anyways, I just wanted to know sooner, that’s all,” Ron snapped at her. Hermione glared.
“It’s all right Hermione, but thanks,” Harry said.
“So…” Ginny said. Harry told them what Dumbledore had said.
“But,” Harry finished, “we have to act upset when we find out. Otherwise people will be suspicious. Oh, and Dumbledore told me to give this to you. I got one too.” Harry handed Hermione her letter. She took it.
“What is it?” she asked, looking at Harry, who just shrugged and opened it. He pulled out its contents, and, for a split second, he thought it was the mirror again. It was a small, gold letter ‘P’ with a lion curled around it. Harry gaped. He looked at Hermione. She was holding one identical to his. She ran over to her bag and grabbed her badge from the previous year, holding them both excitedly. Ginny gasped delightedly, and Ron rushed over to pat him on the back. Harry was this year’s Prefect!
“Whew! Am I glad It wasn’t me again this year,” Ron said. “What a drag it was.” Harry laughed. Hermione hugged him tightly.
“This is the best moment of my entire education! Prefect twice in a row!” Hermione squealed. Ron rolled his eyes. “Oh, Ron, can I use Pig to tell Mum and Dad?” Ron laughed at her excitement, and said she could. Hermione dashed out of the room.
“Way to go Harry!” Ginny said, smiling at him. Harry’s heartbeat quickened, though he wasn’t sure why.
After Harry and Hermione had received a “congratulation” from everybody, they all went to bed, and when they woke up the next morning, they found that it was raining heavily. Breakfast was a rushed event, and people knocked into each other all through the halls, most of all Tonks, who was hard to miss today with bright orange hair. The cause of most of the commotion was Fred and George, running frantically around the house, yelling about having forgotten something, or needing to finish a last bit of homework. Then they would pause for a moment, as if trying to remember something, and would burst out laughing claiming that they had forgotten they didn’t have to go to school, as they weren’t babies anymore.
Once everybody had eaten, and had their things in the trunk, they left for the train station. When they arrived people were running about, trying to get out of the rain. As usual, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys ran straight between platforms 9 and 10. Harry remembered the rest as a big, rainy blur. He had hugged Mrs. Weasley goodbye, and then boarded the train.