Chapter Five: Blood and Thunder
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light" -Albus Dumbledore.
The rest of the day was very confusing for Harry and Ron, they hadn't seen Azalea anywhere. Not in the library, not by the Black Lake, not performing her usual habitat of gazing at the sunrise on the Astronomy Tower, not even in the Gryffindor Common Room! It was as if she disapparated into thin air. The pair decided not to worry over it too soon though, they knew she would show up for class. They had Transfigurations with the Ravenclaws next and they knew that was her favourite class, she would never miss it.
The boys ate breakfast and went to their Transfigurations class. Taught by the head of Gryffindor: Professor McGonagall, it was easily the trio's favourite class as well. Entering the classroom the pair went to their usual spot. The room was very big, surround by large windows and had four rows of three desks. Even after that, the room still had enough space for a chalkboard, a couple of bookshelves and an average sized oaken desk for the teacher, in which two flickering candles laid behind.
After a few minutes of waiting, students finally started to pour in. The houses sat separately from each other, Ravenclaws on the left and Gryffindor on the right, with the exception of Luna who was sitting with Harry and Ron.
The sound of student chatting quietly amongst themselves filled the air as the boys waited for Azalea to come through the door. Waiting patiently for the dark-haired girl, the boys heard the chimes of the clock that was located in the tower at the top of Hogwarts. It signalled the start of all classes, but also the start of Harry and Ron's worrying. Azalea was many things, but she was never tardy.
~*~
After class, all the students cleared out of the room, except for the dark haired and red-headed boys waiting at the back. When the room was entirely empty, they decided to finally confront the professor.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, shouldn't you be heading off to your next class?" The professor asked while writing something on the chalk board.
"Yes professor, it's just that no one has seen or heard from my sister since last night, and I'm just worried, that's all," Harry said, voicing his concern.
"Ms. Potter is an extraordinary witch. I'm sure even if she was in trouble, she could handle herself," said the professor, now facing Harry and Ron.
Neither Harry nor Ron responded to her previous statement, but just stared at her pleadingly with desperate eyes.
Professor McGonagall sighed at the two young wizards in-front of her. She took her glasses off to look at the boys with tired eyes before saying, "what makes you think she's in any trouble at all?"
"She is a Potter, trouble seems to follow them around wherever they go," Ron butted in, only to be silenced by the sharp stares of the professor and Harry.
"Please professor, I don't think I would be able to handle it if something happened to her. She's the only true family I have left." Harry begged imploringly, putting his focus back on the professor.
Harry wasn't mistaking when he saw a flash of sympathy and compassion flare in her eyes.
It was hard for her not to show it. She was there when they were sent to live with those horrible muggles. She knew they weren't the best muggles to keep Harry and Azalea with, but Dumbledore insisted on leaving the witch and wizard siblings with them. It wouldn't come as a shock for the professor if they grew up neglected and mistreated in that house.
Sighing once more, Professor McGonagall gave in to the begs and pleads of the boys.
"If earlier today was the last time anyone had seen her, I suggest you go to Dumbledore. He asked for her just after breakfast." She told them, turning back around to finish whatever she was writing on the board before.
Following her suggestion, Harry and Ron went on their way to Dumbledore's office.
"He likes lemon sherbet, by the way," they heard the professor say before exiting the room.
"Lemon sherbet, what does that have to do with anything?" Ron asked confused.
Harry shrugged his shoulder showing that he didn't know either and continued his way to Dumbledore's office.
Finally making it to the entrance of the office, the boys soon remembered that they needed to give a password to be granted entry.
"What do you think the password would be?" Harry asked Ron.
Now it was time for Ron to shrug his shoulders. "You would think she'd give us a clue."
"Yeah..." He trailed off in agreement. It took a moment to click, but Harry realized that maybe Professor McGonagall's words after they walked out of the classroom weren't so irrelevant.
"Maybe," he muttered quietly to himself, "lemon sherbet."
Without any further delay, the entrance spiralled upwards revealing a staircase for the two.
With an impressed, "wicked," from Ron, the boys made their way up the stairs to meet Dumbledore.
When they entered the actual office, Dumbledore was standing at his desk with his back towards the boys, presumably feeding Fawkes.
Harry and Ron stood awkwardly behind the headmaster, unsure of who would be the one to initiate the conversation.
"Good afternoon Harry, Ron. What brings you here on such a fine September day?" asked Professor Dumbledore, while going to sit as his desk.
"Well professor, it's just that no one has seen my sister since breakfast and Professor McGonagall told me that you called for her just before."
"Ah, yes, yes I did," he said simply, looking at the pair.
The boys looked at each other uncomfortable with the headmaster's unbroken stare. It was as if he was trying to figure out how to tell them something, without them throwing a fit.
Dumbledore sat forward on his chair and rested his elbows on the desk. "She was assigned an important task, so I'm afraid she isn't here right now."
"What's the task and how long will she be gone?" Harry asked unsettlingly.
He didn't answer right away, but stood up from his desk to stand before the two young wizards.
"I've assigned her a task to go back to Tom Riddle's time."
Harry and Ron's expressions turned so bewildered, the headmaster didn't even think they could form a coherent sentence at the moment.
"What?!" Harry yelled as his bewildered expression turned to a raged-filled one faster than a launching muggle rocket.
"Harry, you and I both know that she was the only witch capable of preforming this task." Dumbledore tried to reason with the enraged young wizard.
"That's not a task, that a suicide mission!" yelled the equally as enraged best friend.
"I know you are both greatly upset, but this was for the best." Dumbledore reasoned again.
"Sending a fifteen year old girl out to her impending doom is for the best?!" raged Ron, taking the words right out of Harry's mouth.
"You told me she got her Hogwarts letter a year before she should of because you didn't want to separate us, then why would you send her to do this!"
"You know as well as I that the Wizarding World can't handle Voldemort coming back into power, so the ministry and I agreed this was the only way." Dumbledore said calmly.
The two boys looked at each other and sighed in defeat. "Is there at least a way we can talk to her, professor?"
Dumbledore peered down at the two, and replied with, "I shall try and find a way, now head off to your next class you two."