Hogwarts - 2

Charlie had arrived from Romania and attempted to get the Ministry to release Percy's body to him, but the Ministry had refused. They wanted to speak with Arthur and Molly and demanded to know their whereabouts. Charlie had insisted he didn't know and had barely escaped before a warrant was issued for his arrest, as well.

While Bill, Fred, George and Ginny appeared to be coming to terms with it, Ron was expressing his grief in anger. His temper boiled over quickly, and he constantly snapped at everyone. Fred and George were far less boisterous than usual, and Harry had spotted each of them blankly staring off into space on numerous occasions.

The one thing that had struck him most about the Weasley grieving process was the way they all clung together, apparently gaining support from one another's company. Even Ron, with his foul mood, chose to stay in the room and argue with his siblings rather than seek the solace of his room. Harry remembered how he had felt after Sirius died – he'd want company, but as soon as he had it, he'd feel the need to be alone. None of the Weasleys wanted to be alone at all.

Harry, Ron, Charlie, Fred and George were all sharing a single room in the boys' dormitory. Bill and Fleur were on another floor, with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley taking a third. Ginny had told him she was bunking in the girls' dormitory with Hermione and Shannon. Harry still hadn't figured out exactly where Moody was staying. The Slytherin women were all sharing one of the girls' dormitories, but Draco had refused to room with any of the Gryffindor boys. Instead, he'd taken the first-year boys' dorm all on his own.

One afternoon, after another row among the Weasleys over the Ministry's refusal to release Percy's body, Harry discovered the flying carpet that he'd found amidst Dung's belongings rolled up at the bottom of his rucksack. Pulling it out with a delighted grin, he gathered Ron, Hermione and Ginny and told them to follow him out to the Quidditch pitch.

"Honestly, Harry," Hermione said, grumpily blowing a stray lock of hair from her mouth. "I don't want to go to the Quidditch pitch. Whatever it is you want to show us, I'm certain we've seen you do it a hundred times already. We all know you can fly. I want to make use of our time here and do some research in the library."

"You haven't seen this," Harry said, continuing to smile as he marched toward the pitch. "We've been holed up in the library since we got here, Hermione. I think we all need some stress relief."

He could see that he'd piqued Ginny's curiosity, and Ron was always up for a trip to the pitch. It was only the fact that he hadn't brought his broom that kept Hermione moving, however. He had the carpet wrapped in the Invisibility Cloak and tucked firmly underneath his arm.

"Of course I've been there a lot," Hermione said crossly. "The Hogwarts library is extensive, and now that I'm of age, I can get anything I want out of the Restricted Section."

"If you want to go back in an hour, I won't stop you," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "This is something that might interest you, Hermione. It's something I inherited from Sirius. I found it at Dung's place, and I nicked it back."

"You didn't nick it if it's yours," Hermione said, furrowing her brow. "You didn't mention taking anything but the locket."

Ron's eyes opened wide, suddenly alight. "Blimey, Harry…I forgot. Can I have a go after you?"

"A go with what?" Ginny asked, her head moving back and forth between them.