Treaty - 2

He pushed open the door to his dormitory and was nearly pushed back from the loud snoring roaring within. Harry had always known Ron snored loudly, but adding the combined volume of Fred, George and Charlie, and Harry was ready to move to his own room simply to catch some decent sleep.

He undressed and lay down, trying to block the sound by putting a pillow over his head. After several long and fruitless minutes, he finally gave up and cast a Silencing Charm around his bed. He didn't like to do that because he worried what would happen if there was a problem, and he couldn't hear it. He really wanted to sleep tonight, however. He'd been sleeping poorly since they'd arrived.

Smiling into his pillow, he remembered the scene two nights ago when the girls had told them about Umbridge. The other Weasley brothers had joined them all in the room shortly afterwards, and they were all fairly put out when they learned Ron and Harry had been drinking and didn't invite anyone else.

Ron had called Hermione a mood-killer, infuriating his girlfriend. Before stomping out of the room with Ginny in tow, Hermione had removed the Sobering Charms she'd placed on Ron and Harry. The twins had somehow produced more Firewhisky, and all the Weasley brothers had stayed up quite late into the night. Harry knew he'd passed out at some point, and he felt his body still hadn't quite recovered.

Pulling the covers up and finally beginning to drift off in the newfound silence, Harry's dreams about Snitches, freckles, and Firewhisky were plagued with the image of a rat stealing in and out of the shadows.

~*~

The press conference at the Ministry drew a large segment of the Wizarding community. Witches and wizards had traveled across Britain to attend, some even bringing their families in the hopes of hearing encouraging news. The Atrium had been expanded to accommodate the crowd, and the podium had been charmed to amplify voices throughout the building.

Aurors and Hit Wizards were assigned along the perimeter of the Atrium to maintain order. In fact, there were so many law enforcement officials in attendance, Harry wondered if there was anyone left actually guarding the rest of the Wizarding world.

The Aurors clutched their wands tightly, their faces pale and strained. They, at least, appeared to understand the gravity of the situation. That was more than could be said for the remainder of the crowd. The populace at large was in a jubilant mood, barely containing their glee. Harry suspected they were bursting to celebrate and only waiting for a nod of approval from the Ministry. Harry shook his head in disgust. He knew the war was taking a toll on everyone, but they were acting like fools – all of them.

After the last full moon, word had quickly spread about the destruction of a Muggle village near the border of Wales. A pack of werewolves had attacked a local gathering, killing and maiming a huge section of the townspeople. Many young villagers had been bitten and carried off by the pack. Cries had spread that all werewolves needed to be put down, and those victims that had survived the massacre had suddenly found themselves among the accused.

Harry's anxiety for Remus was palpable, and he hoped to get a chance to speak with Tonks tonight to ask if she'd had any word. None of the Weasleys or Professor McGonagall had had any contact with him, and Harry's concern had only grown.

He'd left an annoyed Ginny behind with her parents and Hagrid. Mrs. Weasley didn't feel up to a Ministry function, and Hagrid was simply too big to hide.